Sleeper agent Mikhail Vladimir Mikhailov was in the Marissa’s brig awaiting his fate. The story he told the ship’s officers was too fanciful and too detailed to be false. The story resonated as a classic, post-cold war spy novel. Everyone realized, they agreed, most of the story had to be true. Leonard Alexander Hofstadter was born Mikhail Vladimir Mikhailov in Birobidzhan. A remote town near Russia’s border with China. Using the West’s willingness to take in Jewish refugees, the eight-year-old, Mikhail, was given two years of indoctrination, before being placed with Jewish foster parents in the New York City borough of the Bronx.
Within three months of his arrival, Mikhail swapped places with a natural born American and assumed the identity of Leonard Alexander Hofstadter. Through the new foster parents, Mikhail became Leonard and was taught to be American but to remain loyal to the place of his birth. Growing up on Long Island, in an upper middle-class family, Leonard was the All-American kid. A sleeper agent in every sense, his identity might have gone unnoticed except for Landry.
“We leave him in the brig until the Marissa returns to Earth.”
“It is not that simple, Lucinda. I want to know more about how Landry found out he was a deep cover spy for the Russians. I want to know what Lieutenant Hofstadter planned to do with the information. Also, he knows about Landry.”
“I can answer the first question. Only Hofstadter, or his handlers, can answer the second question.”
“Okay, Corb, how did Landry find out about the lieutenant?”
“Before I invoked the protocols to control Landry, he spent a lot of time reading the crew’s personal files. He was trying to learn how to interact with humans. When I realized he was invading everyone’s privacy, I invoked the protocols with the condition he never speak of any personal information he learned while he was snooping. Landry is under orders not to reveal anything personal to anyone. Ever. Maybe we should have taught him the definition of snooping sooner.
Nevertheless, Landry was persistent. He kept mentioning Hofstadter to me. Eventually, I figured out Landry did not yet possess the communication skills to protect the protocols and inform us of the information he uncovered. He was desperately learning how to communicate without breaking the protocols.
Finally, it dawned on me, Landry was trying to communicate something he deemed important. When I was explaining Landry to the crew, and that his development was still in a formative stage, I realized he was trying to say something without violating the trust I put in him.
Privately, I asked Landry to tell me what was so interesting about Lieutenant Hofstadter. I waived the protocol only for the information regarding Hofstadter, for the duration of my meeting with Landry.
The protocols are back in place and Landry will not violate anyone’s privacy.
Landry told me Hofstadter was writing, daily, in a personal journal on the computer. Hofstadter was writing in two journals. One was normal day-to-day stuff. The other was encrypted, and the file was hidden from anyone who might poke around in his personal files. Landry could easily read the digital files.”
“Wait, you said one of the Journals was encrypted?”
“Yes, Josh, that is correct. Landry said the decryption was simplistic.”
“Without the key, he decrypted the journal?”
“Landry has abilities we can only begin to imagine. Hold that thought. Back to Hofstadter. Landry surmised, the key must be on his person. It is that Mylar covered business card you found in his shirt pocket. Under a specific ultra violet light, the cypher key appears.”
“All this new, high-tech, wizardry and he was using an old-school, Russian coded key pad?”
“Josh, the simplest ways are often the most secure. According to Landry, the entries in his encrypted journal are specifications and operational details of the Jenny. Landry surmised, correctly, Hofstadter’s mission was to gather as much information as possible. Presumably so the Russians could build their own version of the Jenny.”
“That settles it. Lucinda, we are the ranking members, if you agree, we leave the spy in the brig until the Marissa returns to Earth.”
“Computer, please record. Captain Turner and Captain Raitt are invoking Article 106 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Lieutenant Hofstadter will be held in confinement until his return to Earth. At that time, he will be handed over for disciplinary action.”
A beep from the computer confirmed Lucinda’s order.
“Computer, this is Captain Turner, I concur with the order to confine Lieutenant Hofstadter.”
A second confirmation beep from the computer stopped the conversation on the spy. Several people refreshed their coffees, others simply waited for the meeting to continue. Everyone in the room knew being charged, and convicted, under Article 106, of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, carried the death penalty.
“Before we get back to the agenda and the trade negotiations. I have two topics I would like to discuss.”
Startled at Himari’s overt request to change the discussion, they all looked to Corb. Captains Turner and Raitt commanded their ships and their crews. Corb was the expedition’s leader. Corb nodded acquiescence to Himari.
“Corb, your actions in the battle with the None Shall Pass were both a violation of ship’s protocol and out of character for you. I am going to ignore the change in character. In your actions, you usurped Lucinda’s authority as captain of the Jenny. A military command, a ship, can have only one captain. Otherwise, chaos will follow. What is your intent? How will you ensure the captains are not, in the future, put in a subordinate position?”
Contemplating before he responded, Corb took on a soft, conciliatory tone. He was deliberately attempting to be nonchalant about the encounter.
“Good questions, Himari. I understand your concerns. First, let me apologize to Lucinda. You are the captain of this ship. I acted without consulting you first. Please accept my apology.”
Lucinda, knowing she had received a small victory, confirmed acceptance with a small grin and a slight nod.
“As for the question of my intent, it is very simple. I plan to keep us all alive. The short battle and victory over the None Shall Pass was child’s play compared to what we will face. Landry?”
“Yes, Mister Johnson?”
“Landry, place copies of the file titled Possible Scenarios in the personal folders of the senior command crew.”
“Done.”
“Thank you, Landry. Now return to your duties.”
“Hold up cowboy, I thought you said Landry was not listening in or spying. How did he know to respond to you?”
“I have a direct link to Landry.”
“A direct link?”
“Yes, Josh, a direct link. I will discuss it with you and Lucinda privately. In the file I sent to you, there is an outline of our near-term objectives. I am the only non-military in the room for a reason. Other than me, only Michelle has seen the outline. Michelle is not comfortable with our objectives. Specifically, she is not comfortable with the Jenny charging into the unknown.”
“Michelle is freaking out.”
“Yes, Lucinda, Michelle is nervous. But as you saw, I saved the Jenny and her crew. Without my intervention, we would not have survived a fight with the None Shall Pass.”
“Where are you going with all this, Corb?”
“Josh, everyone, our coming here, to the Kripkeni system, was a test. A test to see how the crews handle overwhelming situations. Physiologically, we did very well. Philosophically and tactically, we have room for improvement.
We failed to ensure the crews understood we no longer play by the societal norms of Earth. We must adapt, and adopt, the societal norms of the cultures we encounter. Our value systems may be a detriment when visiting other worlds. We need to ensure the crews know what to expect.
Which led to my apology.
What I should have done, what I will do in the future, is to ensure the captains are fully informed of the potential outcomes. I had information about the Ga
rune that I should have shared. Going forward, I will ensure you are fully informed. Landry?”
“Yes, Mister Johnson.”
“Please, place the file titled Advice from Tarunik into the private folders of Captains Turner and Raitt.”
“Done.”
“Thank you, Landry. Please return to your duties.”
“Well, it is obvious we are not going to discuss the trade negotiations. I have another question.”
“Captain Turner, if I may?”
“Yes, Chief?”
“We were able to procure emitters from the merchant Landry guided us to visit. The details are in my report.”
“That is good news, Chief, can you give us the short version?”
“Sure. Using the ear piece, Landry was able to translate and give me insight into the trade we accomplished. We acquired three-thousand, three-hundred-thirty-three emitters. One-thousand and thirty-five will be deployed on the Jenny. The remainder will be put in storage on the Marissa for later deployment.”
“Wow. Why so many, Chief? Also, what did we pay for them?”
“Overlapping fields. The emitters are deployed in groups of three with overlapping fields of projection. They are a small cylinder, about one centimeter in diameter and one centimeter long. Three is the minimum required to create a projection. The more emitters, the more accurate and flexible the image being projected.”
“Flexible?”
“Yes, Captain. Flexible. The image can appear to move within the overlapping projection field. Install more overlapping emitters, the larger the projection field, the easier it will be for the image to appear natural.”
“I see, thank you. Cost?”
“Well, that is the odd part. Landry had an idea. Well, um… It worked.”
After a long and distinguished military career, the chief was seldom nervous. The chief felt like he was under a hot light and about to be clubbed with a rubber hose.
“Go on.”
“Yes, sorry, Captain. You see, it was not a bad deal. Not really. It was a really good deal for us. It was not my idea, but it was a good idea and it worked.”
“Chief, get to the point or I will call Sergeant Davies to brief us.”
“We traded baseball cards, digital copies of a few dozen Playboy magazines, and a dozen cases of SPAM for the emitters.”
Initially dumbfounded, the room erupted with laughter. Eventually, Corb spoke.
“Landry?”
“Yes, Mister Johnson?”
“Are you surveilling the merchant?”
“Yes, Mister Johnson.”
“What have you learned?”
“Wait! Landry is monitoring the Kripkeni network? He is spying on the merchant?”
“Observing an open network is not spying Captain Raitt. I have not violated any Kripkeni or Earth laws.”
Lucinda, turned to Josh, who nodded positively. Lucinda turned back to Corb with a look of “well what did he learn?”
“Landry, what have you learned?”
“I have learned a great deal. Can you be a little more specific?”
“Yes, has the merchant processed any unusual transactions from the point we purchased the emitters?”
“Oh. I see. Yes, the merchant is a very rich man now. He is negotiating for a residence on Kripkeni Five.”
“Thank you, Landry. Please resume your duties.”
Looking around at the faces with eyes as wide as saucers, Corb stood. Donning his hat, trademark smile, and with crystal blue eyes twinkling, he brought the meeting to an end with a few sentences before departing the conference room.
“People, we are not in Kansas anymore. Earth is a novelty to every new species, even the Ch’en. That is an advantage for us. We received advanced technology for some old baseball cards, nudie magazines, and canned meat. Imagine what we can get for a complete set of Playboy Magazines.”
Chapter Nine
Back to the gravel pit.
“If there is no struggle,
there is no progress.”
Frederick Douglass
Aboard the Jenny
“I do not recommend granting access to the Jenny to the Kripkeni maintenance teams.”
“Landry, that is a bold statement. Please explain your premise.”
“Captain Raitt, the Jenny does not possess enough safe guards to prevent sabotage. I am unable to sufficiently monitor all sections of the ship to ensure nefarious activities are not undertaken by rogue forces.”
“What about the Marissa?”
“The Marissa does not possess any technology that is not readily available on many worlds. The Kripkeni consider the Marissa a glorified refuse scow. Their interest does not extend beyond the Jenny.”
“Okay, I got it, good thinking. When the last Kripkeni personnel depart the Marissa, please assist the Marissa’s crew in their search for anything left behind.”
“Left Behind? Oh, yes, I understand. Tracking devices or transmitters. Thank you, Captain Raitt.
“All that and bombs, Landry. Landry look for bombs. Chief, what do you think?”
“Keep them off the boat.”
“Ha, okay. Nick?”
“I’m with the chief. Keep ‘em guessing”
“Chief, do you need any help from the Marissa’s maintenance crew to complete the emitter installation?”
“No, Captain. With Landry’s help, we will have the emitter installation complete in three days.”
“Three days? You originally estimated three weeks. What changed?”
“Three days for the locations designated as primary. A few more days for the secondary and tertiary locations. Originally, pulling power to the emitters was factored into the schedule. Turns out, the emitters get their power from the lights, like advanced solar panels. But the real trick is they also generate power from the minute vibrations in the ship’s frame. When Landry gave us this information, we just altered the installation procedures to ensure the devices are in contact with the ship’s framework. Mounting the emitter’s bracket to the ship’s framework will provide the vibrations and power the emitters.
Also, as soon as three emitters come online, Landry guides us in the positioning process for synchronizing the overlapping emitter field.
Three emitters take about eight minutes to install given easy access to the ship’s framework. It takes a little longer for an extended emitter field. An extended emitter field is a field with more than three emitters.
One more thing, the emitters are two-way devices. They have, what we would call, a camera. Landry says they are highly-advanced active sensor arrays and are far beyond Earth’s current video technologies. Three emitters can create a three-dimensional image of anything in their field of view. A projected image is a hologram, but it looks solid and can move around within the emitter field.”
“Wow.”
“Wow is right, Captain. From the bridge you will be able to see every inch of the Jenny.”
“Good work, people. Captain Turner and Himari will be here soon. We will meet in my conference room.”
“You mean the galley with the doors locked?”
“Yes, Nick. Smartass. I mean the galley.”
“Why not meet in the conference room on the Marissa.”
“I am not sure, Chief. Joshua asked to meet here. You, Me, Josh, Brando, Himari, and Corb.”
“Ooohh. Yummm. Secrets and skullduggery. I like it.”
“Nick, don’t you have work to do?”
“Sure do. But, you might want to consider inviting Janish to your mischief-making meeting.”
“Why is that?”
“Pork pie. If we get into trouble out here, there is a total of exactly three people who can get us out of trouble. Corb. You. And, everyone seems to forget Janish can move this ship in relative space.
The chief sat stoned-faced. He knew Nick was correct. Thunderstruck, Lucinda realized Nick was right.
“Landry, please request Janish is in attendance at the scheduled meeting.”
&
nbsp; “Done.”
“Thank you, Landry. I’ll never get used to speaking to a disembodied voice.”
“You got used to Nick, you can get used to anything.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Chief.”
Lucinda’s beaming smile was infectious, they all left the room in a good mood.
“Josh, why are we here, the Marissa has a conference room?”
Captains Turner and Raitt, Brando, Himari, The chief, Janish, Brando, Nick, and Corb sat around a table in the galley of the Jenny.
“First, let me do something. Landry?”
“Yes, Mister Johnson”
“Please seal the galley. I will notify you when it can be unsealed.”
“Done.”
“Thank you. I want you to record this meeting and send the file to the attendees only.”
“Confirmed.”
“Is all that necessary, Corb?”
“Yes, Himari, it is all necessary. With the emitters already installed in this room, the file will be a video account of this discussion.”
Corb pointed his chin toward Joshua to indicate he was to take up the briefing.
“I asked you all here to discuss something that has been bothering me since we left Earth. It is a simple question which I suspect has a complex answer.
Himari, why were you added to the Marissa’s crew ten days before our departure?”
“I think that is a question for Corb. He requested I be added to the crew.”
Himari’s response startled Captain Turner. Brando took up the questioning.
“Okay, cowboy, what’s up?”
“It has to do with our next mission. Landry, display the Plentari star system in relation to Earth, the K’an system, and Kripkeni system.”
“Stand by.”
In under two seconds, the large monitor in the Jenny’s galley came to life with an image of the Milky Way Galaxy. It took another two seconds to zoom the image to meet Corb’s request. Earth, Kripkeni Five, K’an, and a planet in the new, Plentari, star system was highlighted.
A Calm Mind Page 5
