by Chris Fox
"Lovely," Kathryn said.
The ship finally emerged from the sun's corona, breaking away from the sea of fire and plasma as they headed toward one of the largest asteroid belts Nolan had ever seen. Millions of rocks floated in a dense cloud, and on the edge of that cloud he could see a large, silver cylinder. Coronas 127, one of the many stations owned by the Coronas corporation.
The station slowly grew larger on the view screen as the minutes crept by. Nolan waited until they were within a few minutes of docking before speaking. "Em, is there any comm chatter? Are there any vessels in system?"
"Negative," Em said, cheerfully. "We are the only vessel in system, and I detect no communications coming from the station."
"That fits your narrative about station personnel being gone," Kathryn said. Her attention was fixed on the view screen.
"Seems to," Nolan said. On the one hand he was pleased that his theory was correct, on the other he was deeply concerned for the people who'd been taken. "Lieutenant Commander, pick a berth and get us docked. Let's have a look inside and see if the perpetrators left anything behind that might help us identify them."
"Yes, sir," Kathryn said, without sarcasm this time.
The Sparhawk drifted closer, finally slowing as it approached a docking tube. There was a gentle thump, then the seal engaged and they were locked into place against the station's hull.
Chapter 6- Mining Drone
"The security footage has been wiped," Nolan confirmed, leaning back in the ripped leather chair. He was staring at the administrator's terminal, a simple computer system. "In fact, all log data has been purged--everything that could be directly accessed from this terminal."
"Are there any other data sources we could check?" Kathryn asked. She was leaning against the corner of the administrator's chrome desk, looking over Nolan's shoulder.
"Not any that would help. It's possible people kept personal logs, but if it were me doing this I'd have wiped those, too," Nolan said, pushing away from the desk. He rose to his feet and walked to the window.
It seemed strange to him that someone would risk putting a glass window on a space station, even if it was ultra-dense glass. But the view was spectacular. Mining drones zipped from the station at regular intervals, little octopus-like craft with spindly arms. Each arm was equipped with a laser drill, and the drones used high-tensile mesh to gather their haul.
One of those drones was approaching the station now, with a full load. It towed a huge black mass behind it, several thousand credits worth of precious metals embedded in the rock. Nolan watched the drone dock, tapping his cheek with his index finger as he considered.
"Any ideas?" Kathryn asked. "It seems like whoever did this covered their tracks pretty well. Do you have any clues from the other stations?"
"Maybe," Nolan said, absently. He was still staring at the mining drone, which had dropped its payload and was zipping back toward the asteroid field. He turned to Kathryn. "Can you have Em tap into the control matrix for the drones? I want to see if they have internal logs."
"Sure," Kathryn said, though she was eyeing him skeptically. "What are you hoping to find?"
"The drones run continuously, which means some of them would have been in the belt when the station was attacked," Nolan said. "If we're lucky--very lucky--one of those drones may have recorded the vessel that approached the station."
"Good thinking," Kathryn admitted. She tapped the comm on her wrist. "Em, can you tap into all mining drones? I want a compiled file of footage. Run a scan on that data, and see if you can pick up any vessels arriving or departing in the last twenty-four hours."
"Of course, commander," Em's cheerful voice came over the comm. "Processing. This query will take four minutes to complete."
"Is there anything else you think we can do on the station itself?" Kathryn asked.
"I doubt it," Nolan said. "We had techs go over every inch of each of the previous stations. They didn't find anything of note. The miners were just...gone. Again, no sign of a struggle. No damage to the station. Whoever took the people didn't even bother to rob the miners. Scrip notes were found in many of the miner's quarters."
"Shall we head back to the Sparhawk, then?" Kathryn asked.
Nolan considered her question. Was there anything else he could learn here? He looked around the administrator's office, but couldn't think of anything they might find that would be of real use.
"Yes, let's head back. If we're lucky, Em will have something. If not, I guess we head back to OFI headquarters and you get your ship back," Nolan said. He didn't like the idea of returning empty-handed, but what choice did he have? There just wasn't enough data to work with. Whoever was behind this had done a masterful job of covering their tracks.
Chapter 7- A Piece of the Puzzle
The Sparhawk was just pulling away from the Coronas station when Em's voice chimed in the cockpit. "All footage from mining drones has been parsed. It appears Commander Nolan's hunch was accurate. One of the drones captured footage of a vessel leaving the station."
"Put it on screen," Kathryn ordered.
The view screen shifted from a view of the sun to a shot of an asteroid. The camera canted crazily, then showed the station. The drone flew closer, and as it approached the station Nolan could see a vessel docked not far from the port they'd just left. It was larger than the Sparhawk, though not by much.
"Is that a Venerable class starship?" he asked, leaning a bit closer to the screen. Both the vessel and the station grew larger as the drone flew closer.
"I think it is," Kathryn confirmed. They were both on their feet now, leaning in toward the screen. The level of detail wasn't what he'd have liked, but it improved as the recording continued.
"The colors are off, but that's definitely a fleet vessel," Nolan confirmed. The footage ended abruptly as the drone reached the station. He turned to Kathryn. "We need to get this back to the admiral. There can't be many Venerable class vessels unaccounted for."
"You're right," she said, nodding. "I have no idea how these pirates got hold of a state-of-the-art Fleet vessel, but that's almost a good thing. It will make finding them that much easier."
Nolan smiled. It wasn't a big piece, but this bit of the puzzle was more than they'd had before. Hopefully it was enough to track the bastards who'd done this.
Chapter 8- Face to Face
Nolan settled into the chair across from the admiral. Kathryn set next to him, studiously avoiding looking at her father. Nolan didn't know much about their relationship, but there was enough tension to make him feel claustrophobic.
"I've had a look at the footage you brought," Mendez said, resting his elbows on his desk. His gaze swept back and forth between them. "The idea that a fleet vessel has been coopted is more than a little terrifying. Fortunately, you were right. There is only one Venerable class cruiser unaccounted for. I've done what I can to secure information on that vessel, but with limited success."
Mendez looked down at his desk drawer, the same drawer Nolan had seen him withdraw a cigar from the last time he'd been in the office. Then the admiral looked at his daughter. He sighed, but didn't open the drawer.
"The cruiser belonged to a Captain Edison. He was working with a geneticist named Reid. The pair were detached from regular fleet operations, but there are no details in the system about what they were investigating," Mendez said. "Three months ago the Starrunner disappeared, and this is where things get more interesting. Edison reported to Admiral Chu, but Chu never filed a report on the disappearance. He should have raised one hell of a ruckus, but never said a word."
"Is this some sort of black bag op? Sanctioned by OFI?" Nolan asked. He didn't like to think that his own government could be behind these disappearances, but he wasn't naive enough to discount it.
"Maybe. I'll speak to Chu and see what I can find out," Mendez said. "In the meantime, I want you to continue your field operation. You're the best analyst we have, Nolan. I need you to find the pattern we're not s
eeing. Get to the next station, before Edison. We've got to stop this."
"So you want me to chauffeur Nolan around the galaxy searching for a needle in a haystack of needles?" Kathryn broke in, bristling. She leaned over the table, spearing the admiral with her gaze. "I had cases I was working. Cases that are going cold, because I'm wasting time."
The admiral's face hardened. All he did was stare at Kathryn, but she subsided instantly. "Lieutenant Commander Mendez, your vessel is at Commander Nolan's disposal. You will escort him wherever he needs to go, and you will provide him whatever aid he requires to complete his mission. Am I making myself understood?"
"Yes, sir," Kathryn said, without meeting his gaze.
The admiral turned back to Nolan. "If I'm able to get answers from Chu, I'll be in contact. Before I dismiss you two, there's one more matter I wanted to discuss. This isn't the first incident of the Admiralty covering up something they should have been stopping. It's happening with alarming frequency, and there's only one conclusion I can draw. The Admiralty has been infiltrated. Someone is working for a third party."
Nolan went cold. The Admiralty was the core of the Fleet. Who or what had enough clout to infiltrate them?
Chapter 9- Admiral Chu
Admiral Mendez tapped the ash from his cigar, staring hard at the terminal. The trail was almost invisible, but it was there if you'd spent enough time stalking the data patterns. Too many of Chu's documents had been sanitized. Too much of his budget was obfuscated behind a wall of obviously fake projects. In short, Chu was hiding something big.
Mendez savored a quick pull from his cigar, enjoying the mellow taste of the fine Ceres tobacco. Chu was one of the seniormost admirals. His clout had been waning in recent years, but his connections ran deep. Was he selling them out to line his way to retirement? If so, who would he sell them out to? The Tigris were too aggressive for this sort of tactic, and the Primos just didn't care enough about humanity to do it.
"Clever bastard," Mendez muttered, as he tried and failed to gain access to the details of the project Captain Edison and this Doctor Reid had been assigned to. Chu would see in the logs that Mendez was attempting to access them, which meant the time for stealth was over. He needed to confront the man directly.
Mendez tapped the Contacts icon, then Chu. The Quantum Network logo flashed on the screen. It lasted for several seconds, then resolved into Chu's leathery face. He wore his usual thick-rimmed glasses, and stared hard at Mendez from countless miles away.
"You're snooping around in my files. Why?" Chu asked, without preamble.
"Because one of your pet projects has gotten out of hand," Mendez replied. He took another puff, drawing the moment out as he watched Chu. There was no crack in the man's composure. "Let's talk about Doctor Reid."
"I'm not familiar with that name," Chu lied.
Mendez felt the lie to his core. "How about a missing Venerable class cruiser assigned to your command?" he pressed. "Edison, I believe the captain's name was."
Chu was silent for long moments. Mendez merely waited.
"All right, Mendez. If you're dead set on meddling in this, then I'm willing to bring you up to speed," Chu conceded. "Not over Quantum, though. Come to the Ternis system. I'll explain everything, provided you agree it goes no farther."
"I can't guarantee that without knowing what it is," Mendez countered.
"You'll have to let your conscience decide," Chu said, heaving a long-suffering sigh. "I'm confident you'll do the right thing, once I've shown you the truth."
Chapter 10- Sector 12
Nolan set his coffee on the table next to the holoterminal, then flicked on the power. It showed a three-dimensional logo, then faded to a menu screen. The interface was clean, well-designed, and expensive as hell.
"My father provided some pretty nice toys," Kathryn said, walking into the tiny mess from the cockpit. She sat at the other side of the table.
"I've heard of these, but this is the first time I've used one," Nolan said, swiping at the hologram with his index finger. It slid to the next three-dimensional screen.
"What are you researching? Kathryn asked.
"I'm hoping to find a pattern in the attacks," Nolan said, finally finding the area he wanted. He touched the screen he was after and watched as the holographic display exploded into a network of stars, creating a cube about two feet across. It was so much more impressive than any two-dimensional map.
"You can do it manually, but there's a much easier way," Kathryn said, giving a half smile. "Em, plot the station attacks on the map Commander Nolan just brought up."
"Of course, commander," Em's voice came from the speaker in the wall. Red dots appeared throughout the holographic cube, each one with a tiny label showing the station name.
"They're dispersed pretty evenly," Nolan said, leaning up from his seat to peer at the side of the hologram. "No two of them are in the same sector."
Kathryn leaned around the same side of the hologram, peering into the cube. The light reflected off her pupils as she studied it. "You're right. Any idea why?"
"I'm not sure yet," Nolan said. He caught himself looking at Kathryn sidelong, and forced himself to focus on the hologram. "Em, can you put a green dot into the model for every station in the periphery?"
"Done, commander," Em said cheerfully from the wall.
Green dots appeared all over the map. There were about ten times as many as the red, nearly a hundred and forty stations in all. Nolan looked at their placement, considering. "Em, can you highlight the largest area of space unaffected by the attacks?"
The hologram shifted again; this time a blue tinge filled the entire upper right corner. "There have been no attacks in this area of space. It contains four mining stations."
"Which of those stations has been recently re-supplied?" Kathryn asked, half a second before Nolan asked the same question.
"Coronas 6 was resupplied two days ago. Coronas 112 was resupplied eleven days ago," Em supplied.
Nolan met Kathryn's gaze. For the first time she gave a real smile, "I think you've done it, Nolan. That's the station they're most likely to hit next."
"If they continue their current pattern," Nolan said. He sat back down, watching Kathryn while she studied the hologram. She really was beautiful, even if she was a little too hotheaded for his tastes. "Assuming they do, it looks like this would be the last area of space they'd need to hit. I don't know much about this doctor Reid that your father mentioned, but if he's a geneticist then maybe he's running some sort of experiment."
"It makes sense," Kathryn said, brushing a lock of curly hair from her eyes. "Given the pattern of attacks, maybe this doctor wanted a wide pool of test subjects."
"It's the only real lead," Nolan said. "We'll report back to the admiral, and ask how he wants us to handle that."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Kathryn said. "Adam, I know you like to play it by the book, but we don't have time to report back just to get our orders stamped. If we don't get to that station now, it might be too late. This could be our last chance to catch these bastards."
Nolan drummed his fingers on the table. The smart thing to do was report it to the admiral, but Kathryn was right.
Chapter 11- Chu
Delta settled in at the mess counter, where his men had dined when he'd been the true captain of this vessel. He ate mechanically, spooning brown protein into his mouth. He had no idea what the flavor was supposed to be, but it tasted like leather. Old leather.
He glanced up when Doctor Reid entered the mess. If the scientist had been gaunt before, he was becoming skeletal now. Delta watched as Reid sat next to their Quantum Terminal. The man seemed agitated, and Delta watched him with interest as Reid's call connected.
He couldn't make out the screen, but he recognized Chu's voice. "We have a serious problem, Doctor. Mendez is close to the truth, and he's got the clout to shine a very large light on your activities. You need to get out of there."
"I will not leave before the experi
ment is complete," Reid snapped. He leaned in close to the terminal. "How long before Mendez can bring official pressure to bear?"
"I've asked him to meet with me first, so we have at least a day," Chu said.
Delta spooned up another mouthful of leather-flavored protein. Interesting. Someone was fighting back. Delta suppressed a grim smile.
"That will have to do. Where is this meeting taking place?" Reid asked. Delta noticed that the doctor's hands were trembling. Was that rage, or was his condition deteriorating?
"The Ternis system," Chu answered. "We meet tomorrow, at 8 a.m. Fleet time."
"He's coming to your vessel?" Reid asked. His eyes were feverish.
"Yes," Chu confirmed.
"Excellent," Reid said. His grin was ghastly enough that Delta lost his appetite and set the spoon down. "Here is what you will do...."
Chapter 12- Turned
Admiral Mendez actively disliked commanding starships. He shifted uncomfortably in the captain's chair, reaching habitually for a cigar that wasn't there. He still remembered the first time he'd lit one, at Elbas station after the final battle in the eight-year war. He'd driven back the Tigris, and impressed them with his ferocity--enough that they'd called a truce out of respect.
That was over a decade ago. Now he was a tired old man, and he missed his creature comforts.
"Sir, we're approaching the Ghost. Shall I provide a boarding escort?" a young ensign asked. The kid couldn't have beed more than nineteen. When had Mendez gotten so old?
"Negative," Mendez ordered. He rose from the captain's chair, but managed to resist the urge to pace. "Tell Admiral Chu that he'll be coming aboard the Juggernaut. I'll await him in my ready room."
"Yes, sir," the ensign said.
