by Adam Gaffen
“And it was sent by Commander Cassidy, not Captain Martinez.”
“Huh? Diana, open it up.”
“File open, Admiral.”
“Download to my, oh, you already did.”
Kendra skimmed quickly through the opening paragraphs, then gasped and stood.
“What the...?”
“Admiral? Is something wrong?”
“Something wrong? What makes you think that?”
“Your pulse has increased to 118, your blood pressure has spiked, your adrenal glands are releasing large quantities of –”
“Yes, something’s wrong, didn’t you read it?”
“No, Admiral, I have not; you have opened it, not released it.”
“Damn it, Diana, read it!”
There wasn’t a discernable pause; Diana, being an AI, could digest the data in the report in a nanosecond.
“Oh my. I can see why you are concerned, Admiral, but the girls are both fine.”
“How did you, oh, right, you read faster than me.” Kendra dropped back into her seat.
“Somewhat faster, yes,” said Diana. “But you might find the final line interesting.”
Kendra scrolled through the report and read the last paragraph aloud.
“’It would appear that our ohana has grown again.’ Does that mean what I think it means?”
“I’m not sure, Admiral. There is an image which may be enlightening on the next page.”
“Display.”
A hologram formed: Mikki and Lisa, sitting on the couch in their quarters, beaming. On Mikki’s lap was a brown treecat; on Lisa’s, a black one. Both treecats looked immensely content and oh-so-pleased with themselves.
“Oh, crap.”
“A most succinct summary of the matter, Admiral.”
CHAPTER TWO
Council Chambers, Artemis City
Stardate 12008.26
“Is everything prepared?”
“Yes, Empress.”
“And the presence of Cassidy is confirmed?”
“Yes, Empress. My informant assures me she will make the trip to Luna to lend her authority to the speech.”
Newling scoffed. “Authority. Ha. She has no more authority on Luna than you have on Earth, Phalkon.”
“As you say, Empress.”
“Very well. Execute your plan. What were you calling it?”
“Operation Clean Sweep.”
“Stupid name. Whatever. Execute it.”
“I serve, Empress.” Phalkon backed out of the audience chamber and went to seek Atkinson. He’d probably be in his office.
The phrase, “the dark side of the moon,” is inaccurate. While only one side can be seen from Earth, due to Luna being tidally locked to the Earth, the moon still orbits the Earth. As it passes through its orbit the terminator, the dividing line between day and night, crosses the Lunar surface. This is what produces the phases of the moon as seen from Earth, and it was what Phalkon’s plan relied upon.
She’d heard first from her informant in Tycho Under. They’d reported Newling’s intent to announce the union with the Federation and provided the date. They’d also hinted at Cassidy’s involvement, though details were unknown, so Phalkon had turned to her best source within the Federation. In two days she’d known both the exact time and date as well as being assured Cassidy would be present.
It was at this point she’d brought her plan to the Empress. She’d discussed portions with Atkinson, getting his opinion on the resources required and their availability, but given the dramatic nature of her proposal she’d needed Newling’s approval.
Her suggestion was simple: drive a nuclear warhead, the most powerful one they could manage, to Tycho Under, park it where the bubble’s roof was thinnest, and detonate during the middle of the speech. While it would kill virtually the entire population of the warren, Phalkon didn’t worry about the Empress objecting on those grounds. She’d already demonstrated her willingness to sacrifice everyone associated with the rebellion; a single warren, she wouldn’t hesitate.
It was the driving which was key. The Federation owned space; what few ships still trafficked with Luna were carefully tracked and frequently intercepted for inspection. Their ‘warp minefield’ project had nearly been derailed when the cargo ship, bound for Mars, had been interrogated by one of the Federation’s damnable Direwolf pilots. Only quick thinking by the captain had dissuaded them from ordering it diverted to their habitat.
Still, only civilian ships had any chance of leaving Luna’s surface. Military ships, no matter what the size or armament, were challenged immediately. The last Navy ship to depart Luna, for that matter, had been the al-Battani, and he’d only managed it by engaging his warp drive abruptly and far too close to the surface.
Delivery by ship, then, was out of the question.
And missiles had been proven utterly useless, except possibly en masse. As long as there were Direwolves in Lunar space, missiles had no chance to reach their targets.
A ground vehicle, though, might be able to sneak across the regolith, and that’s where the Lunar night came into play. Surface vehicles came in two broad varieties: open, designed for short duration trips in surface suits, and closed, designed for longer trips with or without surface suits. Over a journey of this length a closed transport was indicated, which provided the opportunity.
Closed vehicles were well-insulated against heat and atmosphere loss. Coat the surface with a dull, non-reflective paint and it would be virtually invisible to observation by human eyes. If the cabin temperature were reduced sufficiently while the transport was moving, overhead scans would have a difficult time detecting it through infrared or chemical emissions. Add sufficient shielding over the device and there wouldn’t be a radioactive signature to speak of. And as a final touch, there were crawlers liberally scattered across the surface at any given time; picking one out for special attention would be challenging at best.
Now she’d secured the Empress’s agreement.
Time to dispatch her housewarming gift to the other Newling.
“Michael, we’re a go,” she said without preamble. “How soon can it depart?”
“Modifications on the device are finished. It simply needs to be placed in the crawler.”
“How big is it?”
“Four megatons. The largest we have in stock.”
“Will it be sufficient to breach the dome?”
Atkinson shrugged. “We have nothing more likely. If nothing else, it’ll shake the hell out of them.”
“Maybe they’ll be crushed under a falling chunk of ceiling. Which would end this rebellion just as certainly, and cripple the Federation.”
Atkinson nodded.
“Good. Let me know when they leave.”
“Of course, Tal.”
CHAPTER THREE
Habitat Njord; Cislunar Space
Stardate 12008.28
“This isn’t smart, Kendra.”
“At least I’m not being called insane.”
“That too.”
“Why isn’t it smart?”
“Besides making everyone nervous you’re going to smack into a mountain trying to land on Luna?”
“Yeah, besides that.”
“How about all the promoting and news releases they’ve sent out for the past week? Think maybe Artemis might be planning an unpleasant reception?”
“Relax, Davie.”
“Relax? Did you seriously tell me to relax?”
Kendra paused in pulling on her flight gear.
“Yes. It’s a milk run. Me and the rest of Red Squadron go down to Luna, I stand around and add a few remarks to Autumn’s speech, then we fly back. I’ve got twelve of the best pilots in Starfleet around me to cover my ass and Endeavour’s going to be hovering over us like a mindful hawk. What can happen?”
“How about the al-Battani returning?”
“With Defiant on his heels, I’m sure. And you think the Al is going to be a match for Endeavour?”
“Kendra, the point is not to put the most important woman in the System into jeopardy she can avoid!”
Kendra resumed dressing. “I’m not going to be chained down by what everyone expects me to do. Never have been, not starting now.”
“Maeve wept. Of all the –"
“Hold it right there, Davie.” Kendra stood again with iron in her voice. “I am the head of the Federation. One of the leaders of a Federation member state is making a major announcement and has asked me to be there, so I’m going. Rather than tie up a relatively slow and vulnerable Wolf, I’m flying myself in the fastest fighter we have with a dozen other fighters as escort, and not announcing it. If the Union tries anything, they’re not going to have a clue who to hit, and we can outrun anything they fire off at us. Rather than putting myself at risk, I’m making myself safer. So. Anything you’d like to add to that, Admiral?”
Davie matched the iron with her own. “You are the most stubborn woman I’ve ever chosen to work with, Admiral Cassidy.”
Then her tone softened. “Unfortunately, you’re right. This time.”
“Then you’ll stop arguing with me?”
“For now, on this.”
“Good.”
“Speaking of good.”
“Yes?”
“Defender II should be ready for commissioning next week. Hecate said she had a little slippage because she hadn’t figured how difficult disassembly of Defender would be, but she’s back on track.”
“And Enterprise is back next week, too, so we’ll be back up to three starships in-System.”
“For now. Endeavour is scheduled for an exploration cruise mid-month.”
“Right. Galactic North?”
“Castor, Pollux, Regulus, and Aldebaran. Long trip; Aldebaran is nearly 80 light-years distant. They’re budgeted ten days, and they’re bringing warp buoys to emplace.”
“Still, we’ll have two starships to their zero. You know, Davie, it might be my optimism talking, but I’m getting a good feeling about this.”
Whitmore snorted. “I’ll have a good feeling when our people are standing in the center of Artemis City and Vasilia’s dead.”
“Your lips to Zeus’s ears, Davie.” Kendra stood. “How do I look?”
“Like a damn fool fighter pilot.”
Kendra dimpled. “Good. Just the look I was going for.”
“DIREWOLF 1314 TO RED Leader.”
“Go ahead, 1314.”
“Checking in, Ash.”
“Roger that, Kendra. You are number three in the launch queue. Don’t miss your turn.”
“No, Ma’am!”
“Not joking, Admiral.”
“Neither am I, Commander.”
“Senior Lieutenant, Admiral.”
“Lieutenant Commander, technically. Diana?”
“The Admiral is correct. By the current standards of time-in-grade you have successfully achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander.”
Kendra could imagine the shock and surprise on Ashlyn’s face. “Whatever. I’ll celebrate it later. Until we hit the ground, Admiral, you are under my command. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Commander.”
Kendra listened in as Ashlyn reviewed the flight orders with her squadron. The key was surprise.
Red Squadron regularly rotated through the CAP with the divisions of Nymeria Squadron. The difference today was the entire squadron, instead of just half, was flying to Luna to replace the single division of Nymeria on station. Since Kendra had insisted on flying herself to the surface, it was hoped that the additional ship would be lost in the clutter of a larger-than-usual CAP change. It helped that the new Mark IIs weren’t noticeably different from the original Direwolves.
“Ready, Brie?”
“Damn right I am, boss! Let’s show these slackers what we can do!”
Kendra laughed at the AI’s enthusiasm. “Hey, we’re good, but they’ve got a couple orders of magnitude more stick time than we do!”
“None of ‘em have your reactions, boss.”
“No, Brie. We’re not gonna show off.”
“Boss!”
“No. Maybe on the way back we can play a little. For the flight down to the surface we behave.”
“Spoilsport.”
“Brie.”
“Fine. I’ll behave, be a good little drone.”
“Red Leader to squadron, check in by launch order.”
After Locksmith and Ro reported Kendra chimed in with, “1314, all systems green,” just like the other pilots.
“Hecate, request launch clearance,” Ashlyn commed over the general channel.
“Clearance granted, Red Leader. Launch tubes primed, skies clear, control passed to you. Launch when ready.”
“Confirmed. Locksmith, let’s go. By the numbers.”
“Aye, Ma’am.”
The first Direwolf disappeared down the launch tube, followed by Ro in the bay next to her a half-second later.
Kendra mashed the launch button and her Direwolf was propelled through the outer wall of Njord at nearly 10g’s of felt acceleration. She grunted at the sudden impact but then she was clear of the tube and didn’t have time to think, simply react.
She’d never let on, but she was terrified. She had maybe fifty hours’ solo time in her Direwolf, enough so she felt comfortable taking it out. She’d never flown in a formation, though, and didn’t have the first idea what to do or how to do it. Ashlyn had told her where she’d be in the squadron, but translating the instructions into action was another thing.
“Brie, where do we go?”
“I gotcha, boss. Follow the head’s-up.” A glowing caret appeared on the cockpit’s optical sapphire window and Kendra adjusted her course to match.
“On it.”
“Maintain 300g accel.”
Kendra resisted the urge to look at the throttle and instead checked through her ‘plant.
“On the beam,” she said.
“Nice catch, boss.”
“You noticed, eh?”
“Duh. AI, remember? I pretty much am the ship?”
By the end of this exchange the squadron was formed up and on course for Luna at a relatively leisurely 300g’s. The entire journey took little more than twelve minutes, by which time Kendra was feeling comfortable enough to joke with the other pilots. A little. Until Ashlyn put a stop to it.
“Locksmith, peel off for rendezvous with Nymeria.”
“Aye, skipper,” said the XO, and she and her five division mates swerved to assume their station for the next four hours.
“Division, form around 1314, pattern Cheerleader.” That was the code for the other Direwolves to rotate position around Kendra’s ship to hide it from Artemis’ scanners. “1314, maintain assigned course and speed.”
“You repeat it back,” Brie said when Kendra didn’t answer.
“Roger, Red Leader. Maintain course and speed, aye.”
“Better. We’ll make a proper pilot of you yet,” Ashlyn commented.
“She likes you, I can tell,” Brie added. “She’s never that gentle with her pilots.”
“Yeah, well, first, I’m married, second, she’s straight, and third, I’m also her boss once I get out of this cockpit. Now shut up so I can concentrate. Landings are tougher.”
“Just relax and let me do most of the work,” Brie said. “We’ll be on the ground in a minute.”
“Can you be a little more specific? ‘On the ground’ sounds like we might miss the landing pad.”
“You worry too much.”
“Davie thinks I don’t worry enough.”
“Bring her along for a flight sometime and, whoops! Increase down angle, Kendra, or we’re gonna miss the ground!”
After the blip, the rest of the landing went smoothly. Kendra took guidance from Tycho Control to a remote hangar while Ashlyn and her division shaped course back to Njord.
“Not bad for your first planetfall,” Brie said as they ran through the shutdown procedures.
“Thanks. You weren’t bad yourself.”
“Oh, yeah, it was mine too! Looks like the official greeters are on the way.”
Kendra looked up and saw the skinsuited figures. “Ah, it’s Mikki and Jordan and Mac. Mac? What is she doing down here?”
“Guess you’re going to find out.”
“Keep the reactor hot, Brie. This looks ungood.”
Kendra popped the canopy, grateful to be standing again, and hopped down the side of the ship.
“Chief.”
“Admiral. We’ve got problems.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Tycho Under
Stardate 12008.28
“You’re certain?”
The grim faces around the compartment gave Kendra her answer, if she hadn’t known from their location. There weren’t many places in Tycho which had been completely shielded against any physical or electronic surveillance; this was one. The meeting had been limited to five: Kendra, Mac, Stone, Jordan, and Newling, but they carried enough gravitas for a full auditorium.
“Well, given what we have, it’s certainly suggestive, maybe not proof, but proof’s going to be tougher to find without tipping anyone off, I mean that’s why they brought me down here instead of consulting on Njord, which I would have preferred but there is something to be said for being at the center of things.”
“Glad you’re here, Mac,” said Newling, who then winced. “Never thought I’d say those words.”
“There’s a spy in your organization,” Kendra repeated for the third time.
“Yes. What’s worse, we don’t know who it is.”
Kendra stared at Stone. “You don’t know?”
“No. We have a suspect, but I think we should start at the beginning. Alyssa? This is more your wheelhouse.”
The short blonde did her best to look confident.
“Here’s how we know. There are sympathizers to the cause, even inside Government Center, and they’ve been feeding information to us. Yesterday we heard from our best source; they’ve never been proved wrong, and they’ve also corrected a few bits of deliberate misinformation we fed to them.”
“A test.”
