Another Day, Another Credit Part Four
03 Dec 2024Borderreiver
Back at the Arx Aquilarum, Buford disembarked with the nine women we had rescued, though only time would tell whether that state would persist.I went to the Flight Deck and instructed the crew there to plot a jump further out from SOL, to clear the carrier of all visitors other than the nine women and to close down landing access until further notice.
I needed to get back to missions before explaining my ship's absence from the SOL evac got on to somebody's task list. So far, I could just about cover it under the explanation of an inbound hyperdiction, but I'd rather not have to bring a call at the FC in to any story. I had twelve minutes before the FC jump lockdown, so time was short. From my ready room I raised Buford.
"You are not coming with me back to SOL, this is now a solo run."
"Understood Captain, though are you sure?"
"Yes, I need you to get with Blair and work out where our friends families are and how to get them to us, or how to get the women home. How to do that without complications too. I will swing by on the next return leg from Cornwallis, if I can. Should I be gone more than 24 hours then have Blair jump the FC out to HR 3230 and make it look like we are there to farm selenium at planet 3AA. When you are there you two come to some kind of decision about what comes after."
I cut the comms and made my way to the hangar. SOL beckoned.
Abraham Lincoln in SOL was as busy as the previous port call. Before meeting with the despatcher I sent a quick message to a familiar ship I had recognised in the line ahead of me, heading for its pad.
As I stepped down to the deck in hangar 35 I saw that the despatcher was different to my previous call. Perhaps the shift had changed.
"Hello Captain, Rear Admiral Janssen would like to see you."
"Okay, I will lock the ship down and head over to his office."
"No need, he is by the elevator, we will hold the passengers at the arch. Mo-one boards until you say so."
I was surprised that Janssen had come to me, but the reason for that would no doubt be revealed soon. A couple of Marines were by the arch and made a pathway to the Admiral. While I had been activated from the reserve list I was not in any kind of regulation dress. I don't keep any on the ship or on my FC. It had been ten years since my retirement to the reserve list. As it was, when I approached Janssen he reached out and shook my hand. Another surprise.
"Hello Bord, it has been a long time."
"Quite, Admiral, of do I still call you Jans now? The academy is a long way back for us now."
"Either or neither, as you prefer. I wanted a quick word off the grid."
"What about your Marine detail?"
"They are my guys and have been with me for a while."
"Okay, so how is it commanding a starport? I take it that is what you are doing here in the alert."
"Yes, we have taken over administering the starports, but don't have the forces to do it properly, the usual Navy story."
"So this personal visit is doubly special to bring you down here."
"Quite. You left with a group of refugees but not the private security detail you hired. Just to let you know, both those guys and the despatcher dropped out of sight the second you left. I have a feeling that if they ever do show up it is more likely to be at Etienne Dorn's place than here. Obviously I have to conclude that whoever may, or may not have had a hand in that may already know who you are."
"I don't doubt it, I gave my comms details to the despatcher and I just asked a buddy to get her, her partner and kid off the starport on his ship, not mine, just in case there were any issues."
"Consider that they know who you are then, might already be trying to work up a plan, however half-assed and that we can't give your refugees any special measures to make sure all is well there."
"The usual Navy story then, as you said."
"Well, the Navy did not ask you to do what you did, nor did we know that this kind of operation was under way. Best guess is that somebody was getting their investment, their retirement fund or whatever out before this place burns."
"Is it? Is it going to burn?"
"It sure looks that way, in which case, if you make it through the next few days we will be activating you for combat ops. I take it that you have AX ships on that carrier you got yourself after you retired?"
"I do, yes, and I have done the work necessary to achieve what I have there."
"Same as I did in the service, to get where I am. We should get together to talk about why you retired."
"I would like to have the drink but I won't be talking about why I retired when I did."
"Why not?"
"It was a deeply personal decision and I don't want to go over it again for anyone."
Deeply personal, yes, right. So deeply personal that it will take a five star to sign off any attempt to unseal the file, after they get presidential approval and probably a two thirds majority for the motion in the Federal Assembly. Some thngs were very, very, deeply personal. Winters' great grandkids might be old and grey before the seal elapses.
"Well, time is up, I have to get back to my desk here on the station. FYI, cameras are off stationwide and have been for ten minutes. Some kind of tech glitch. About another ten before the tech folks fix it. I suggest that you and your ship are gone by then. Load quickly."
"Yes sir, good to see you Jans."
We shook hands, I indicated to the despatcher to start embarkation and released the locks.
The passengers flooded onboard and my ship exited the mail slot with a minute to spare.
As I boosted away to break masslock I noticed the datapad stuck to the side of the port side bobblehead on the cockpit dash. A datapad which should not be there as I had locked the ship. I kept boosting out beyond the weapons free zone and put the pad in the comms slot. Rear Admiral Janssen's face appeared in the screen.
"Captain, you will divert your mission from Rescue Ship Cornwallis and deliver your refugees to Farmer Holdings in the MIQUICH system. Ignore all complaints. Once you disembark your mission load you should expect to hear from someone we both know. From that point of contact you will be assigned your next mission. Delete this message, grind the datapad and eject the residue. Jenssen out."