Solbidyum Wars 3: Pirates of Goo'waddle Canals (6 page)

“So, what made you take the precautions you did?” I asked Marranalis.

“Actually, it was your observation of the senator in the corner.  Oh, by the way, his name is Senator Euregata from Samalis.  Samalis is one of the outer worlds in the Federation and, as such, will be one of the last to receive solbidyum.  Euregata has been somewhat sympathetic to Brotherhood claims about the Federation, though we have no evidence of real connections between him and them.  The thing that made me take action was that he spoke to one of the men with him, who then made a call and shortly after went outside to meet with a group of men.  Things started moving way too fast, and I felt it wiser to play it safe and assume a worst case scenario.  I contacted Admiral Regeny and he immediately deployed the Special Operations unit.  One of my men at the base brought the smaller ground transport to the club and staged himself in the garage until we arrived.”

“Well, I am very impressed.  Thank you, Marranalis and Kala, for the way you handled the situation when I told you of my suspicions.  You never even glanced at the senator, and the way you alerted Marranalis would hardly have created any suspicion as to what was going on.  I’m really impressed with you both.  By the way, who is interrogating the attackers that were captured?”

“I suspect that Wabussie will be handing that assignment.  Even though he is FSO, everyone is unaware of that o
rganization and his role in it; and it will be assumed that the admiralty will conduct all interrogations.”

“Kala, can you contact Wabussie tomorrow and have him provide us with copies of the interviews and any other evidence they may have gathered?
Marranalis, I would like you to assign someone on your team to investigate Senator Euregata; maybe even place him under surveillance.  Our agents are trained as well as the FSO’s agents – or at least they should be, as we trained both groups together.”

“Right, Tibby.  I’ll get someone working on it tonight.”

“I’m glad this played out the way it did, Tib,” Kala said.  “This is the first time there was action against us that we didn’t find ourselves in the middle of.  If it hadn’t been for this attack, I would have rated today as one of the nicest days we’ve had in public.”

I laughed.  “Kala, this is about the only day we have had in public.” Kala looked at me and we both burst out laughing.

Early the next morning Marranalis came to see me.  “I just received a request from the Federal Office of Investigation.  They are investigating the attack of last night.  They want to interview me and others of our security team as to what happened and how we knew to switch you and Kalana out from the ground transport.  What do you want me to tell them?”

“That’s very interesting; the FOI now wants to do something.  Do you think they have any clue about the FSO?”

“I seriously doubt they are suspicious.  Incidents like this do fall under their jurisdiction.  But if I tell them everything that took place, they are going to get suspicious.”

“I agree.  I think it best that you not mention anything about our reservations concerning Senator Euregata.  I would say that you noted some men acting strangely and making calls outside the club that made you feel apprehensive.  In light of the attack we had here in the city a year ago, you felt it best to take precautionary measures.  Your statement won’t be false; it will simply not include all the details.  Instruct our own security team accordingly, so there are no conflicting stories.  There will be an inquiry about the cloaking devices we used.  By now, I am sure, they have heard that
the admiralty possesses these devices; if they ask any questions about them or they want to see one, refer them to the admiralty, but under no circumstances allow them access to one of ours.”

“Right.  I think that’s a wise move, especially since we know the Brotherhood has operatives in the FOI; however, I don’t think
the admiral is going to look kindly on us tossing the matter of the personal cloaking devices into his lap.”

“You’re right about that,” I chuckled, “and it will be nice seeing
the admiral on the receiving end this time instead of me.”

The rest of the day went by quickly.  I spent the remainder of the morning working out alone, as Kala was busy with her staff, making arrangements for our trip to Nibaria and the likely continued journey to Plosaxen on the
NEW ORLEANS
.  Marranalis was also busy with the security team, debriefing our troopers and issuing orders pursuant to their impending interviews with the FOI.  Shortly after noon, three FOI agents showed up at the estate and the interviews and debriefings began; but if they suspected anything, they never let it show.  By late in the afternoon, they seemed to be satisfied with the information they had collected and left the grounds.  Marranalis, to his credit, conducted a quick sweep of the entire area that the FOI agents had visited and located three listening devices.  Either the FOI didn’t totally believe our story, or one or more of the agents in the debriefing team were Brotherhood operatives.

Since we didn’t know what time Senator Tonclin or Wabussie planned to arrive on the
NEW ORLEANS
the next day, Kala, Marranalis and I decided to spend the night on the
NEW ORLEANS
.  Marranalis flew us up in the
ALI
and made sure we docked in my personal concealed hangar on the underside of the
NEW ORLEANS
.  Kala had contacted the ship before we left the estate to let them know we would be arriving and to set up a dinner for my staff aboard the ship.  I found it was much easier briefing my crew over dinner than trying to meet with them one at a time. 

As we entered our favorite dining room, I was surprised to see Cantolla sitting at the table, as I believed her to still be back at the estate.  She noted the surprise on my face and, before I could say a word, she said, “You didn’t think I was going to stay behind and miss out on all the adventure, now did you? Once you get on this ship, Tibby, it seems all kinds of things pop up that require my skills.”

I could see the smirk on her face; but regardless of what other thoughts I may have had, I had to agree she was right.

Commodore Stonbersa and Captain Kerabac were also present, as was A’Lappe — another surprise, as he actually arrived visibly, not cloaked in his usual fashion. 

As we dined, I briefed everyone on the details of the last two days and advised them that we were expecting the arrival of both Senator Tonclin and Commander Wabussie sometime the next day.  Marranalis said he felt that, even though Wabussie and the senator were considered friends and allies, a security sweep should be made of them and anything they might be wearing or bringing with them.  I had to agree — I just hoped that the senator would not be slighted by the request. 

While we were dining, a message came in to Kerabac’s wrist com.  “Captain, we are receiving a message from Admiral Regeny’s office requesting that, in the event we might be heading to the planet Plosaxen, that we please consider taking Lieutenant Commander Sokaia with us.  She is to return to the base there for training of the new Special Ops recruits.”

Kerabac gave me a questioning look.  “I see no reason why we can’t comply with that request,” I said.

“Tell them that we will be able to accommodate the Lieutenant Commander, but that she will need to be here early in the morning, as we are unsure of our actual departure time.”

Near the end of our dinner we talked about my earlier discussions with the admiral and Commander Wabussie when a thought came to mind. 

“A’Lappe, I need for you to look into some way of securing the DSC apparatus in case a ship is captured by the Brotherhood.  We don’t want the technology falling into their hands.  We need something that will disable and destroy a DSC unit so it can’t be reverse-engineered or fixed — maybe a passcode that, if not punched in every so many hours, the unit will auto-destruct.”

“An interesting assignment, indeed,” A’Lappe said.  “I’ll get with Cantolla about this.  I think we might be able to come up with something.”

Kala and I had barely gotten out of bed the next morning when word arrived that a shuttle bearing both Lieutenant Commander Sokaia and Commander Wabussie had docked in the main hangar and that they were undergoing a quick security sweep.  I left instructions that, once both had been assigned accommodations, I would enjoy having them join Kala and me for breakfast.  I also sent a request for Stonbersa and Marranalis to join us.  I wanted to take advantage of the early opportunity to meet with them to discuss the event that unfolded at
TEZU LAGONG and to discover what news Wabussie had on Senator Euregata.

Instead of meeting in the larger dining room as we had the night before, I decided to arrange breakfast in our suite.  I notified Piesew, my majordomo and head of the
NEW ORLEANS
housing staff, of my decision.  Piesew and Piebar were relatives and both served as majordomos.  Piesew was among the first people I met when I arrived in the Federation and was provided with accommodations on the
DUSTEN
, where he at the time served as the director of services.  After I acquired my estate on Megelleon, I intended to persuade Piesew to come to work for me as majordomo there; but when he saw the
NEW ORLEANS
, he made it clear that he would much prefer to be my majordomo onboard the ship instead.  In his stead he recommended Piebar for the position on Megelleon, and subsequently I hired him.  The two were so much alike in mannerisms and service that, at times, I found myself getting their names confused.

Some of the walls in my accommodations area were movable for special events; and the dining area was one of those spaces.  Piesew directed his staff to expand the size of the room slightly for more comfortable seating during the breakfast meal. 

Wabussie and Sokaia were the first to arrive, both still in their military uniforms.  Sokaia immediately snapped to attention as she entered and saluted me as she greeted, “Vice Admiral.”

Wabussie turned his head and gazed at her with a look of amusement.  “Hello, Tibby, it’s good to see you again.”

Since Sokaia was still standing at attention, I returned the salute, even though I was not in uniform.  “At ease, Lieutenant Commander Sokaia.  There is no need to salute me when I am not in uniform.  Congratulations on your promotion.”

Sokaia relaxed.  I should not have been surprised by her formal entrance.  When we first met, she displayed a certain disdain for me and had not hesitated to let her feelings show.  This had resulted in a response from Kala, who outranked her, that in short amounted to giving her a dressing down and followed by orders to report to Admiral Regeny, where she was given a further dressing down.  Since that time, she had gone out of her way to be a model trooper in all regards and had proven herself to be a huge asset to the Federation.  She was currently in charge of Special Operations for the entire Federation, including their training.

“Tibby, it is great to see you and Kalana both looking so well.  Last time I saw the two of you, you were looking a might stressed.  You both seem to have recovered nicely from your wounds and battles.”

“Yes, we are both feeling quite fit at the moment,” I answered.

“Is it true that both of you have refused reconstructive treatments to remove the scars from your wounds?” Wabussie asked curiously.

I held both arms out so he could see the scars, and even lifted my shirt so he could see where Lexmal had stabbed me.  “The scars are a part of me, and they serve as a reminder, as well.  I have no desire to hide them.”

“Tibby has more scars than I do,” Kala said.  “I have only the one where I was stabbed in the back.  Tib is now sporting six scars from his battles against the Brotherhood.”

Sokaia looked at us with an expression of awe on her face.  The medical capabilities of the Federation had advanced to the point that scar removal was routine; so having a scar was a matter of choice, and one that few ever made.  That Kala and I should elect to keep our scars was almost barbaric to most Federation citizens.  Just then, there was a signal at the door; Piesew opened it to admit
the commodore and Marranalis.

“Ah, Commodore Stonbersa and Lieutenant Marranalis, welcome.  It would appear that everyone is here.  Shall we sit down? We can discuss things while we eat.”

“Always efficiently doing two things at once,” Wabussie said.  “That’s Tibby for you.  No wonder he gets so much accomplished.”

Piesew indicated to each with his characteristic gestures where to sit — Kala at my right and Wabussie at my left. 
The commodore was seated at the end of the table facing me.  Marranalis was seated to his right and Sokaia to his left, next to Wabussie.

Piesew silently instructed the staff to place the dishes in front of us, after which all of the staff left the room.

“I’ve read the reports of the event at TEZU LAGONG,” Wabussie began, “but I’m curious about one thing.  What alerted you to Senator Euregata?”

“It was the way he was looking at us,” I said.  “There was something in his gaze that suggested that he was not exactly a fan of mine.”

“Your instincts served you well, though I doubt you would have been injured in their attack.  They had little time to organize anything and it was a poor attempt at best.  Nevertheless, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.  It’s interesting that you were able to spot him so quickly; the FSO has only recently become aware of him, and we had just started an investigation into his past.  Samalis was one of the last planets to join the Federation; Euregata had been a resistance fighter there and was against joining the Federation.  After the planet voted to become members of the Federation, Euregata ran for the office of senator as a candidate of the opposition party and was elected.  His actions in the senate have been controversial, at best.  His idea of distributing the solbidyum was that deliveries should start at the outer worlds first and progress inward toward the middle.  Needless to say, that’s not a very popular idea with the senate at large.