Red Angel (13 page)

* * *

That night I worked on the messages to the two crew
members who had received their messages immediately prior to the messages to
Decker and Mcrae, assuming they would contain the key to decoding Decker and
Mcrae's messages. I gave up around midnight. It had been a long day.

The next day, I began working on them after a
leisurely breakfast with Alexa. Red seemed interested as I worked, although
silent as usual. The solution eluded me all day. I figured I needed a break, so
I put the work aside and sat listening to an instrumental collection of music
by the Metzger String Orchestra.

"I hear you're having a difficult day,"
Alexa said as she entered the living room.

"If I stare too long, my mind goes dead, and Red
has given up trying to help," I said, only half joking.

"I understand. Some things just take time for
your brain to sort out. You can't rush them. Judicial decisions are like that
sometimes. Each solution I come up with just doesn't feel right, because it
isn't. I need—" Alexa's head jerked toward the window as I jumped
up. It sounded like shots in the distance. She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward
the stairs. I looked around, desperately wanting my laser. Halfway up the
stairs I realized I had left it in my bedroom. As we reached the landing, the
front door exploded off its hinges, and I heard men rushing in. Memories of
last time flashed through my mind, and I turned toward the door to my bedroom
and my laser. Alexa nearly jerked me off my feet as she pulled me stumbling toward
the guest bedroom. All I could think about was my laser, as I heard the
intruders shouting to each other. They sounded professional, military-like in
their approach.

"Clear," a man's voice, loud and scary as
memories of last time came flooding back.

"Clear," a rumbling base voice responded.

A woman's voice, "Music is on, so she's here
someplace."

"Check upstairs," the first man's voice
again.

I fought to quiet the panic I felt.
Will it never end?
I wondered, feeling
despair. I needed a weapon. Alexa pulled my arm and pointed toward the opening
in the bookcase. I understood and dove headfirst through the opening. Alexa
followed and pressed the button that swung the panel closed. She strode to the
control panel and flipped a few switches.

"They have to be someplace. Search under the
beds, in the closets. Maybe there's a basement. Find them, damn it. We don't
have all night. The police will show up here eventually. And be careful not to
damage that krait."

"They don't have all night, but we do."
Alexa snorted. She flipped a couple of switches and the monitor showed several
men and a woman as they systematically searched each room.

"Magistrate Bellona, the police and NIA security
have shuttles on the way. Five minutes," said a voice from one of the
in-room speakers.

"Thanks, Chief. We’re safe for now." Alexa
put her arms around me and pulled me to her. I felt like a little girl
again—afraid—and pressed closer to her. I had panicked and could
have gotten my mother killed. Shame washed over me.

"Now isn't this better than shooting them and spending
days in the hospital?" she said quietly while stroking my head.

"I ... Yes, Mother. This is much better," I
said snuggling into her embrace. "Red doesn't like guns."

It was well over an hour before a police lieutenant
and a naval security lieutenant stood in the open front entrance. The door was
a mangled mess of steel hanging by one hinge to the frame.

"It's safe to come out. The area has been cleared
of intruders, and we have men guarding the grounds," the square-shouldered
policeman said looking upward, his eyes searching for a camera.

"Thank you, Lieutenant, we'll be down
shortly." Alexa said into her microphone. Then she released me. "Are
you feeling well enough to leave?"

"I'm sorry, Mother. I panicked when I heard the
shooting and the men breaking into the house. I'm ashamed but all right now,
thanks to you."

"Then we're even. You saved me last time, and I
saved you this time," she laughed, then sobered. "I understand. The
thought that it was happening again, and your fear of me being killed—not
you. You're not a coward. You panicked because you were worried about me. Thank
you." She kissed my forehead and pulled me to my feet, hit the button that
opened the entrance, and stepped through with me following. Each room we passed
was a mess, which showed their growing anger at not being able to find me, I
thought. Downstairs was even worse: windows shot out, holes in the walls,
furniture overturned.

"Your arrangements proved necessary and
worthwhile," the young naval officer said as his eyes surveyed Alexa and
me. "We killed eight and captured two of the intruders. They were well
armed and organized. They killed the naval security guard and seriously wounded
the police officer."

"They saved our lives. Without their warning and
slowing down those men, we couldn't have gotten to safety," Alexa said, her
face tight. "I wish I could say this will never happen again, but I'm
afraid my daughter's krait is too valuable both in terms of money and as a
life-saving solution whenever there is a Coaca outbreak. But I hope we can find
a security setup that won’t cost any guards their lives next time."

"At least we're making progress. Last time you
both went to the hospital," the police officer said with a crooked grin.

"And thanks to your quick response. If you will
allow us to gather some things together, I think my daughter and I will stay in
town ... at the naval base until the house can be repaired."

I went upstairs and packed a suitcase and waited
downstairs for her. She appeared sometime later.

"I've made arrangements for us to stay at guest
quarters at the Oxax Naval Base and for workmen to begin repairs tomorrow. So
if I can catch a ride with you in your skimmer, we can be off. Cheer up, Anna.
We're alive and unhurt."

"I was thinking about our budget," I
quipped. The sight of her well and in a good mood cheered me up, and I let go
of Red, who I had been squeezing. Fortunately, he was solid muscle. She
laughed, putting her arm in mine as we headed toward the skimmer.

* * *

I missed the next meeting of our group but threw
myself into the messages with a vengeance, thinking the intruders the other
night and the smugglers were related, if only indirectly. Late the second
night, I smiled.

"Got you!" I half shouted in triumph,
jerking Alexa awake. She had been snoozing in the lounge chair where she had
been reading.

"What?" she said, her eyes darting around
the room.

"Sorry. I think I found the key to these
messages."

"Good, you've been overdoing it the past few
days. Forget I said that. I'd hate to have you hunting me, my bloodhound
daughter. I'm going to bed." She kissed my forehead and headed for the
bedroom.

Decker provided the key for the drop-off and pickup
systems and coordinates. By two hundred hours, I had determined that the drop-off
planet varied each year and didn't seem to have a specific time, only specific
coordinates. However, the pickup times occurred three times a year, and the
times and coordinates varied. At three hundred hours, I sent Adrian an urgent
message, forgetting until too late the time.

To: Lieutenant
Adrian Shrader, Copy: Lieutenant Kristyn Sinclair, Lieutenant Wilber Weiss

 
I've decoded the Wheeler messages. If you
haven't already done so, I suggest a meeting tomorrow.

Signed: Paulus

An hour later I
received a reply.

To: Paulus,
Copy: Lieutenant Kristyn Sinclair, Lieutenant Wilber Weiss

 
It's already tomorrow for the rest of us.
See you and the team at ten hundred hours. Good work.

Signed:
Lieutenant Shrader

* *
*
   

When I arrived a little after eight, everyone was
already there, smiling. I neared them with my face feeling on fire from the
unaccustomed attention.

"Good afternoon, or is it evening on your clock?"
Wilber asked. He laughed. "That's okay. You can interrupt me anytime for
news like that."

Adrian turned and started for the conference room,
motioning for us to follow. "Since we are all here, let’s start. I'm
anxious to hear the solution."

When everyone had settled down, I explained how
Decker's message was the key to decoding Mcrae's. "From Wheeler’s
messages, it appears the drop-off location for Alliance contraband going to the
mystery empire remains the same for the entire year. This year it's the Safe
Harbor system. The pickup locations are changed every six months. This period
it was forty-two days ago on Oxax, which was probably the contraband we
found."

"I think it's safe to assume if we collect the
messages from the other five merchants, the system will be roughly the same,
including the encryptions," Adrian said.

Kris nodded. "It sure would be nice to catch one
of the foreign ships picking up or dropping off contraband."

"I think Anna breaking the code means your kids
are going to have graduated the academy before we are dismantled." Wilber
grinned.

"I still need to find a father for those kids before
I worry about it, and this project is making that rather difficult."

Everyone laughed, and the camaraderie felt good. The
incident with the intruders had depressed me and remained a concern, but my
life was good. I had a loving mother, friends, and interesting work. I just
needed to take reasonable precautions for my sake and for the people close to
me.

"Good work, Anna. I'll let Stauffer know what
we've found and see what he wants to do with it. Any suggestions before I
go?"

Everyone looked around at each other without speaking.

"They could assign one or more of us to a naval
cruiser patrolling a sector. With NIA clearance, we could strip the WavComs
looking for messages to our identified merchants and identify areas to stake
out," I said into the silence.

"There are lots of single officers on a
cruiser," Wilber said, trying to look serious.

Kris raised an eyebrow. "What if I don't want a
naval officer?"

"Then I guess it's going to take longer to get
those kids out of college." Wilber snorted.

"I'll suggest it. I wouldn't mind a tour on a
cruiser. It’d look good on my service record." Adrian stood, grinning, and
headed toward Stauffer's office.

"Definitely admiral material," Kris said,
and received a nod from Wilber. "How are you doing, Anna? That incident
the other day must have been scary, especially after the other one where you
and your mother were almost killed."

I nodded. "Yes, that was the worst part—the
flashback. Mother ..." I went on to explain what happened and the panic
room.

"You've got a smart mother. Better to avoid a fight
if you can. Imagine the frustration—ten gunmen storm a house planning an
easy find, kill, and snatch of the prize, and they can't find anyone or
anything." Wilber looked far off as if seeing it unfold.

"Funny afterward," Kris said, mirroring my
thoughts. Adrian returned shortly afterward.

"Stauffer is going to run it by Admiral Rawls.
While we await a decision, I'll put in a request for the messages to and from
the other five merchants. Until then we are free."

Two days later, we were called into Stauffer's office
and handed chips for our CPC units.

"I've passed on your discovery and the decoded
messages to Admiral Rawls, who has been in communication with Admirals Webb and
Lulltrel. They liked your suggestion and have decided to equip three cruisers
with special NIA communications equipment capable of searching the WavComs and
stripping them of any messages selected. In fact, the equipment is capable of
editing the messages. That bit of information is classified somewhere far
beyond Top Secret and could get you a special cell of your own somewhere
unknown for the rest of your life. An NIA special agent will be here tomorrow
to qualify you on the equipment." He stopped to take a drink and looked
around for questions.

My heart sank—three cruisers. I had never
expected to fly on a cruiser because of my condition, but the time I had spent
on the Minerva had been magical, and I had hoped I'd get another chance if they
liked my suggestion. I reached in and stroked Red, who didn't seem interested
at the moment.

Stauffer's voice jolted me back to the present.

"Within a few days, Admiral Webb will select the
three cruisers, which will be directed to Oxax to have the equipment installed
and collect you. At that time, Admiral Rawls will meet with you and the three
captains to explain their mission and your responsibility. As far as most will
be concerned, you are communications officers assigned to the Bridge."
Stauffer felt amused and I couldn't blame him, the looks of surprise,
apprehension, and delight flashed across their faces. Like me, they never
expected to be assigned to a cruiser, much less as crew on the Bridge, but also
realized they weren't prepared for Bridge duty, so their emotions varied and
changed as they considered the ramifications of this assignment. I probably
looked like I felt—dejected—although I tried not to show it. I
understood the multiple problems with my situation.

"Until then, you are free to have fun, because
there is no telling how long you might be gone. Just make sure Adrian knows how
to get hold of you. Anna and Kris, would you stay? I'd like to talk with
you," Stauffer said, ending the formal meeting.

I didn't know why he asked Kris to stay, as he was
probably going to give me the many reasons I couldn't go and give me another
assignment to keep me busy.
Welcome to
the adult world, where your employer decides on the work they want you to do,
I chided myself. I had no reason to complain—I had work I enjoyed, good
pay, and a supportive employer.

"First, Miss Paulus, you have been promoted to
O-2 in recognition of your contribution to the team. Adrian, Wilbur, and Kris
unanimously consider you an equal member of the team with no
reservations," he said, handing me a sheet of paper which informed me that
the promotion was effective as of today. "Your name has been discussed for
two days amid all the reasons we want you to be on one of those three cruisers
and all the reasons you can't: your young age, civilian status, no animals on
cruisers, and your red-headed krait. Admirals Webb, Lulltrel, and Rawls have
been involved because of the issues and the importance of this
assignment." He looked tired.
Now
comes the ‘I'm sorry but …’ part
, I mused. "They came up with a
proposal for you."

I straightened in my chair and mentally screamed
Yes
without knowing or caring about the
terms of the proposal.

"First, Kris must accompany you—"

"I'd like that," I said, interrupting him. I
felt my cheeks burning. "Sorry, sir."

"Next, you will be placed on temporary active duty
with the rank of lieutenant, your civilian equivalent." He actually
smiled, probably at my dumbfounded expression as I tried to comprehend what he
was saying. "Admiral Webb approved it after he learned you had graduated
from the academy, so except for your age at the time, you would have qualified
to join as an officer. The promotion to full lieutenant was mostly because of
your contribution and partially to eliminate the tendency to discount a second
lieutenant as having no experience. And Kris is to make sure everyone
understands you're a fully qualified NIA agent with full authority."

"Can I have a couple of hours before I give you
my decision? I know I don't need my mother's permission, and she's going to
tell me it's my decision, but she's been my mentor, and I'd like to hear her advice."

"I can't think of a better mentor than retired
Captain Bellona. For now I'm going to assume the answer will be affirmative and
ask Lieutenant Sinclair to help you prepare for the assignment." He stood,
signaling an end to the meeting.

"Thank you, Kris, for agreeing. I'll try to act
appropriately at all times and not embarrass you," I said as we walked
back to our office area.

"I'm not worried about that. I look forward to
having you along. Secretly, I'm hoping it’s us that catch the bad
guys—girls against the boys. I'll give you tonight with Alexa and we'll
start tomorrow at first light. You'll need uniforms, and I doubt they have your
size in stock, so you will need to get them tailored." She laughed.
"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces. You're not only young, but you
look as young as you are. Also, I think we need to go over the basic military
conventions, and then ... maybe I should also talk to Alexa. She's been there.
I haven't."

I left Kris and hurried to get home, hoping Alexa
would be early tonight. At home, I paced the floor trying to decide how to
broach the subject. I wanted her input, but I was screaming to say
yes
regardless of the consequences. It
would be devastating to refuse, but I would never intentionally upset my
mother. My life would be nothing without her.

When I heard the car pull up, I jumped up and met her
at the door. She shook her head.

"Before we discuss this, I need a drink. Come."
She shed her robe and jacket and made for the kitchen, where she poured a glass
of wine and carried it into the living room, with me following and wondering
how she knew. "Now, love of my life, what is your news?"

"I thought you knew? It sounded like you
did," I said, feeling very confused.

"What I know is I've exchanged messages with
Admiral Webb, the secretary of the Navy, on the topic of my daughter. I served
under him when he was commodore Webb and I a commander and again later as a
captain. He didn't tell me why he was asking about you."

"They are designating three cruisers to patrol
the specific systems for the foreign ships that are smuggling contraband into
the Alliance based on the information I ... we discovered. We think we can
identify the areas were they will be, based on previous correspondence we've
managed to decode. Each ship will have an NIA agent monitoring the identified
merchants’ messages and predicting where to look."

"Go on."

"They will give me a temporary commission to
Lieutenant and Kris ... Lieutenant Sinclair will accompany me ... if I accept.
I told them I needed to talk to you first." I had hoped to know her true
feelings through my ability to feel people's emotions, but her emotions were too
complex to interpret.

"My dear child, it must have taken all your
considerable control to wait to talk to me—"

"You're my mother, my mentor, and I'd never do
anything to upset you. Nothing would be worth that."

"You're the best decision I've made in my
lifetime. My instinct is to protect you and keep you safe, but it would be
wrong for me to keep you in a box on a shelf for my own pleasure. It would
destroy you. I'll tell you this: without Kris going along with you, I would
have serious reservations. A teenage girl among senior officers wouldn’t work
for many reasons. But it's a wonderful opportunity for you to make a name for
yourself and most likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience life on a
cruiser. I would like Kris, you, and me to have a talk before you leave."

"Great, Kris says she'd like to talk to you, that
you’ve been there and she hasn't." We talked into the early hours of the
evening, with Alexa recounting tales of her life on various cruisers.

* * *

Kris spent the next several days helping me get the
uniforms I needed and drilling me on basic military conventions. At Alexa's
suggestion, Kris moved in with us temporarily. Alexa took the week off. That
gave her extra time with her daughter, who she wouldn't see for an extended
period. And the interaction with a retired captain benefited Kris and me and
was like an ongoing pajama party, at least by what I had read and imagined.

On the third day, we were notified that the cruisers
Romulus, Scylla, and Tityus had been selected and would arrive within the next
three days, and a meeting of the captains and the team would occur on the
following day. I think each of us was sad to learn our vacation would soon end.
Kris and Alexa had liked each other from the first day, and it had been like a
family get-together.

Not sure when the meeting with the captains would take
place, we arrived a few minutes before eight. Adrian was already there as
usual.

"Wow. Congratulations, Lieutenant Paulus. You
look smashing. Let me give you a bit of advice though. Never let anyone forget
you are an NIA agent and part of the team that has led the navy to the current
mission, and that Admiral Webb approved your assignment. You have nothing to
prove to anyone."

"That's good advice, Adrian, for me too."
Kris smiled. Just then Wilber walked in.

"I love it. Congratulations, Lieutenant Paulus.
Now that’s what I call being on a fast track."

"Okay, team," Adrian said, and waited to get
everyone's attention. "The meeting with the captains is in Admiral Rawls’s
conference room at nine hundred hours. This afternoon, I've arranged for some
simulation time on a standard communications panel at the academy. Lieutenant
Paulus will be our instructor. And tomorrow, a Commander Tanaka will
demonstrate the WavCom equipment we will be using. They hope to have the
equipment installed within the next four days. On day five, we will be given
our assigned areas and depart."

At a few minutes to nine, we made our way to Admiral
Rawls's conference room and found the three captains already there—no one
with any career aspirations was late for a meeting with an admiral. We had no
sooner entered the room when Stauffer and Rawls arrived.

"Attention," Rawls’s aide shouted, and
everyone rose to attention.

"At ease. Good morning. Before I start, would
each of you introduce yourself." Rawls sat and nodded to the captain on
her left.

The short broad-built man next to Rawls scanned the
room without smiling.

"Captain Choi, commanding the cruiser Scylla."

"Swartz, captain of the Romulus," said a
middle-aged and slightly over-weight man, frowning as he looked around the
table and his gaze settled on me. He looked to be the oldest captain there. His
hair was mostly grey, and it was receding at the forehead.

A woman looked at me like a hungry hawk spotting a
plump rabbit. "Captain Sharat of the Tityus." Her narrow face
accentuated the feeling. She was a tall woman with an athletic build and long
curly reddish hair tied back in a ponytail.

"Lieutenant Shrader, NIA Agent, Project
Smuggler."

"Lieutenant Weiss, NIA Agent, Project
Smuggler."

"Lieutenant Sinclair, NIA Agent, Project
Smuggler."

"Lieutenant Paulus, NIA Agent, Project
Smuggler," I said, and I felt an explosion of emotions: amusement from
Stauffer and my fellow team members, Swartz’s anger, Sharat’s disbelief, Choi’s
curiosity, and resignation from Rawls. Feeling like a never-before-seen bug
under an electron microscope, I stroked Red, who was inside my jacket.

"Commander Stauffer, Project Smuggler
Leader."

"Thank you. Project Smuggler was formed about a
year ago, and its members selected by Admiral Lulltrel from NIA agents around
the Alliance. Its objective is to reduce the flow of contraband, especially
illegal drugs and technology. This team has proven even more effective than we
had hoped, and being admirals, our expectations were high." That elicited
smiles and snorts. "They've identified six Alliance merchants that are
working with one or both of the other empires in what appears to be a well-organized
smuggling enterprise." When Rawls paused, Swartz spoke.

"Have they been arrested?"

"Only one, the Wheeler, and that's where you come
in. We’ve decided there is a chance of catching their suppliers if we let the
other five continue as if we were unaware of their illegal activities. It was a
significant risk, since it relied on the project team discovering their method
of communications. Last week they did just that. The smugglers communicate via
coded messages to the crew."

"If they've cracked the code, then why do we need
NIA personnel on board?" Swartz again—like a guard dog defending his
turf.

"Because our smugglers are well-organized and not
stupid. They use missiles to exchange contraband."

"Seems complicated?" Sharat said, eyes
downcast as if thinking.

"Yes, and clever. Each missile is programmed for
a specific location and has a beacon which can be activated by sending a coded
signal at a specific frequency."

"So the area changes and we need the NIA to
determine the drop-off and pickup areas for each of the five merchants,"
Choi said, nodding as if agreeing with himself.

"Exactly. Currently we only know the Wheeler's
area. The other five will have messages we must find and decode before you can
know the best area to hunt." Rawls sat back.

"So what happens now?" Sharat asked with her
eyes on me.

"Right now, NIA personal are installing special
equipment on each of your Bridges that will allow the agent with you to search
the WavCom for messages to each of the five merchants. That should be completed
in four days. In the interim, the agents have to be checked out on the NIA and Bridge
communication equipment, since only one member is currently qualified for Bridge
duty. On day five, you will be given your assignments."