Identification Friend or Foe
30 Apr 2018MMMMMalcolm
LHS 235 is a high tech military system. For that reason, I thought it a perfect setting to formulate a military strategy to free James. I slid ‘Breathless’ through Shatalov Gateway’s airlock and set her down on pad 09. I had just finished powering down the ship when an urgent message lit up my data slate. It was Commander Matt Horner. I connected the call and the young commander’s digital image hovered above my pad. He had a worried look on his face.
“Malcolm, I’m glad I caught you. We have a problem. I just left the 'The Master of Courage’. The warden said James was not there.”
“What do you mean he’s not there? Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He said there was a Dropship transporting prisoners that arrived as scheduled, but he didn’t have a Commander James Barrett on his prisoner list. I pressed him for more information, a clue, anything, but he wouldn’t help me. I left when he threatened to lock me up. What do we do now?”
Honestly, I didn’t know. My mind raced. Did I make a mistake faking the erasure of the evidence? Did I kill James before I could save him? I tried not to think about it.
“First of all we’re not going to panic. Until, we know otherwise, we will operate on the fact that James is still alive and being held captive somewhere.” Matt nodded his agreement but I could clearly see he didn’t believe it. “Head back to San Tu. Maybe James never left the system and Senior Executive Willie Craft just didn’t know about it. If you find ANYTHING, let me know.”
I disconnected the call, ordered ‘Breathless’ into a hangar, and retired to my quarters. This was a big mess and my efforts to clean it up seemed to only make it worse. I was so frustrated I could scream. But I reminded myself at that moment all I could do was wait for Senator Wantz to contact me. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. I began preparing for my meeting with President Winters’ representative.
************
“Malcolm, I had to call in every favor I had, but I was able to schedule a meeting with Alicia Healey. She is the Special Advisor to the Deputy Shadow Secretary for Internal Affairs in President Winters’ office. She agreed to meet you on Shatalov Gateway’s docks, on pad 12, in one hour.”
Irritation seeped from every pore of my body. If Denise noticed it through the holo-communication, I didn’t care. I hated politics. I prefer left or right, in or out, good or bad. Politicians hang in a grey area that tip toes too close to the dark side for my tastes. Add to the fact that they operate so slowly unless it is something in their own interests; I had been waiting two weeks for this meeting! I had no idea if James was still alive.
“Thank you for your help Mrs. Wantz.” I disconnected the call before she could say any more. I showered, trimmed my goatee, and put on a nice shirt with a pair of slacks. Waiting didn’t lend any support to my morale or my hygiene. But now that it was over, I wasted little time in erasing its effects.
The white Beluga Liner gracefully touched down on landing pad 12 before being transferred down into the hangar bay. Soon after the platform stopped moving a hatch opened and a young man in a tailored suit walked down the ramp holding a data pad. Armed guards shadowed him on each side. He noticed me waiting near the entrance and approached, extending his hand.
“Commander Goodwin? My name is Stan Roberts, assistant to Ms. Healey. She is waiting for you onboard. Shall we?”
I shook the assistant’s hand. "Lead the way Mr. Roberts. We've wasted enough time already."
He turned around and said, “follow me.” Walking quickly on board, he led me to a modern and spacious First Class cabin, with leather armchairs and mahogany furniture. A slim, tall woman sat behind a desk. Long, black hair, draped over her shoulders onto the well-tailored dress she wore. Her age was impossible to determine. As I walked in she stood up and smiled, showing a set of even, polished teeth.
“Commander Goodwin. Good afternoon. My name is Alicia Healey. You have some information crucial to the security of the Federation? I trust you’ve kept it safe?”
She gestured towards one of the armchairs without extending her hand for a handshake. She sat down again behind the desk and nodded at her employees. “That will be all, gentlemen.” The door closed behind them a few moments later.
This Healey woman, though beautiful, only reinforced my prejudices. No handshake or offer of refreshment hinted at her vaunted attitude. She didn't see me as an equal. She didn't see me as a valued citizen whom she served. I doubted she saw me at all. I suppressed the rage rising up inside me and sat down.
"I trust you're more than a mere messenger? This little mess has stained the hands of some powerful people. It will take some equally powerful people to make them heel."
Alicia's expression remained neutral. "Commander, I don't have time for games. I was told you had evidence of a group threatening to undermine the Federation. If what you say is true, I promise you justice will be swift. However, if you brought me out here for nothing, you and the Sol Worker's Party will see how powerful I am."
I held her gaze for a moment before relenting. I had no intention of making her an enemy. I needed her help to help James.
"A short time ago a Vice Admiral in the Federal Navy was assigned an undercover mission in SanTu. He discovered two federal factions there, the Confederacy of LHS 295 and the San Tu State Network, had aligned themselves with the controlling pirate faction the Dragons of San Tu. The Dragons sent a portion of their profits from slave trade, black market commerce, and illegal drugs to the factions. In return the factions sent the Dragons Federal hardware; Assault, Drop, and Gunships as well as personal and assault weapons.
When he reported his findings, his report was intercepted and he was assassinated."
She sat still as she listened. When she looked into my eyes, I had the feeling she was studying me more than listening to me. After a moment she said,
“This is all very interesting but I fail to see the danger to federal security that our dear Senator mentioned. I know nothing of the groups you named. Please tell me you have more commander.”
“I didn't expect a Major Faction to be concerned about everyday situations in the minor factions. Believe me if it were as simple as what I've stated so far, I wouldn't be here. I am well aware of what goes on in the bubble's systems. The problem lies in the fact that officials high up in a major faction, namely the Federation, have sanctioned, supported, and covered up these actions. And it has cost the life of a respected military member. If they don't fear the Federation military now, it won't be long before they start pissin' on the Federation government. How long before that government, which has maintained an air of being above the elitism and immoral slavery practices of the Empire, starts to lose credibility?”
The part about the Federation government clearly got her attention. She narrowed her eyes.
“Do continue. Are you certain that someone from the administration is behind all this?”
I leaned back in my seat satisfied for being right, but disappointed as well. One day I will meet someone with power who truly cares about someone other than there self.
"Yes, I have evidence a Mr. John Furbisher had Vice Admiral Blasius Hajdu killed when he discovered their rogue operation."
“John Furbisher you say?” She leaned forward. “That... is a serious problem. If you do have incriminating evidence, releasing it would send ripples throughout the whole Federation and constitute a major hit to the President’s credibility. What’s your motivation in all this? Our records show you are an Alliance citizen. I was told you are contacting us because you feel we could use this information. But what do you want in return; money? A blackmail attempt would not end well for you or the Wantz family.”
I smiled stifling a laugh and covering my fears for Kay and her family. "Money? No nothing as trivial as that. What you do with the information is your business. I am contacting you because I need your help. A friend of Blasius Hajdu went to San Tu to investigate his death. His name is Commander James Barrett. When he arrived and started snooping around, Mr. Furbisher's office put a hit on him. They disguised it as a counter-espionage operation. An Admiral Gareth G. Goldsmith sent out a call to high ranking members of the Auxiliary Force to carry out this operation. I answered the call because James also happens to be a friend of mine.
He's been captured by Furbisher's men. I want members of the Federal Navy, members I can trust, to help release James. I want someone in Miss Winters' office to bring Furbisher to justice. And I want one other thing, a personal favor.”
She leaned back and nodded a few times. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I saw flicker of something akin to admiration- something I would never expect to see in this particular woman’s eyes.
“Friendship huh? Impressive. Well, I will be blunt. Evidence incriminating Mr. Furbisher would be useful for political reasons. In return, I will check the role of Admiral Goldsmith and determine if he is trustworthy. If his integrity remains intact, then he might send extra help your way. I can also contact Winters’ Wolves and ask them to help you. But… who has the evidence against Furbisher? I assume it is this Barrett?”
I was about to respond to Ms. Healey when a communication request came through my data slate.
"Forgive me; I have to take this call. I'll be right back."
"Please hurry commander. This situation is extremely urgent and my time is precious."
"I understand."
I exited the room. Two guards were standing in the corridor. I took a few steps away from them and the door before connecting the call.
My screen flashed two insignia – one read TCF and the other – very briefly – displayed a red and black logo of the stylized letters “DCC”. After that a grainy image of a face appears. The face is that of a man approximately in his late thirties. His features are otherwise nondescript, but what draws my attention are the heavy scarring of the right side of his face and the dim reddish glint of his synthetic right eye caused by the visible circuitry behind the colorless iris.
“Commander Goodwin,” the man says. His voice is calm but somehow strained as if speaking causes pain. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Commander Damian Blaide, leader of the Terran Colonial Forces 315th Squadron. We need to discuss a mutual acquaintance by the name of James Barrett.”
I tried to keep my expression neutral at the sight of such grotesque disfigurement. "I'm listening Commander Blaide. I hope you bring good news?"
The man leans back on his chair and taps his chin thoughtfully before answering slowly. “Depends on one’s viewpoint. Commander Horner contacted the Terran Colonial Forces regarding the current plight of Mr. Barrett – who is our affiliate – and the TCF high command has tasked the 315th to extract him. Based on the information provided by Horner, we have identified the likely location where Barrett is being held, but as long as he is there, he is unreachable. We must therefore manipulate his captors to relocate him. Mr. Horner was kind enough to brief us on your involvement in this matter, which is the reason we have contacted you.”
Blaide glances to the side and appears to be reading something as he continues.
“You have an impressive dossier Mr. Goodwin, the Armed Wanderers Enterprises appears to be making waves and you keep company with rather highly placed individuals in the Federal government. We request your co-operation on a very specific task. We require Federal master carrier signal ID codes, and we believe you might be capable of acquiring them.”
I can be polite in social settings but when my personal space is violated without invitation, all bets are off. My expression hardens.
"I don't know who you are Commander, therefore I'm a little nervous you know so much about me and I know so little about you. However, it’s good to know James is still alive. If he trusts you, for his sake I will too. I pray I don't live to regret that.
As for your request, I may already have what you seek. Give me some time to verify and I will let you know. Is that all you need?"
The man leans towards the screen again and smiles slightly – the smile is lopsided and looks more like a wolfish grimace than a smile – it is clear the nerves on the right side of his face do not work properly.
“Well. If you live to regret helping us, you at least live. Not all are so lucky. But I digress. We require the Federal carrier signal codes in order to perform a slight deception. I cannot give you complete details at this time as we have not yet acquired all the pieces we need, but in a nutshell, we will need them to deceive those who hold Mr. Barrett to relocate him to a place of our choice where we will be waiting for them. In addition to the codes themselves, we will need your help with another task – once we are ready, we will divert a call to you Mr. Goodwin. At that time, you must be present at a Federal comms hub to apply the master code and answer the call. It will be your task to deceive those on the other end to divert their transport to the proper location.” The man pauses for a moment in thought before adding, “The Federal master codes themselves should be enough to deceive them – they are exceedingly difficult to come by outside legitimate channels – but nevertheless I hope your masquerading skills are not rusty.”
James has some interesting... associates I thought. This one I didn’t like all that much. I wanted to answer, 'I'm acting like I like you well enough', but James' life was not something I wanted to toy with at the moment.
"Just tell me when and where," I replied. "My skills aren't YOUR concern... yet. If there's nothing else Commander, I must return to an urgent meeting." I disconnected the call and returned to Ms. Healey.
“If Barrett had the only copy of the evidence,” I said as I sat back down. “Then he would already be dead. Although he has some evidence from HIS investigation before he was captured, another reason he should be saved from execution, I have evidence as well from my own work for Admiral Goldsmith."
I slid a data stick across the desk toward Ms. Healey. When she reached for the stick I didn't release it right away.
"You never asked me what the personal favor was."
She didn’t let go of the data stick either. Our hands touched. I expected her to be ice cold, but her hand was soft and warm.
“So, what is this personal favor?”
Our eyes met. I thought about Kay. For a second I thought this would have been her life if her mother had her way. I caught myself staring and looked down at our hands.
"I'm just a simple bounty hunter. I don't know much about politics. If you do a press conference for Galnet to proclaim the virtues of the Federation; how you're rooting out evil for the sake of your citizens and what not. Tell them Senator Denise Wantz of the Sol Worker's Party brought this injustice to your attention. If on the other hand you choose to keep it all quiet and handle it in house, send a letter of recognition to President Hudson asking him to honor Senator Wantz and the leaders of the Sol Worker's Party as true citizens of the Federation.
Those are my terms. Use your power to truly help someone under you."
I hold tightly to the stick, not shying away from her touch, and wait for her response.
“I like your terms, commander and I accept them. I will reach out to Winters’ Wolves asking for their help. I will also mobilize extra Federal assets for Commander Barrett. You in turn will part from this evidence here.” She tapped the data stick. I released it to her. “Also, convince Commander Barrett to give you a copy of whatever he gathered and bring it to me. It’s been a pleasure talking to you, commander. Glad to see such virtue among Auxiliary forces brass. We will talk again.”
With that she stood up and her assistant entered the room.
“Stan will escort you out.”