Hijackers
Date: 2017-11-28 08:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Crime; Young Adult; Mystery; Space; Space Opera; Military Science Fiction
Description: Anna's nice comfortable world is in turmoil. Because of their success in destroying the foreign Raiders, Anna, Kris, and Adrian were promoted to full commander, and the project team disbanded. Kris and Adrian were given NIA offices to manage on Stone Ring and Westar, and Anna is being pressured to move to Eastar to manage the NIA station. That would mean she would have to move away from home and Alexa, who Anna considers her refuge. In addition, she would be exposed to new people whose reactions to her are always unpredictable because of Anna’s red-headed krait and her young age. Probably wors
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

RED ANGEL

Book III: HIJACKERS

By

C. R. DAEMS

Red Angel: Book III Hijackers

Copyright © 2017 by C. R. Daems

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from C. R. Daems.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

ISBN-13: 978-0-9983251-2-5

ISBN-10: 0-9983251-2-0

Check out all my novels at:

crdaems.com & talonnovels.com

CHAPTER ONE

OXAX: DECISION TIME

CHAPTER TWO

EASTAR: A
NEW BEGINNING

CHAPTER THREE

EASTAR: INTERESTING ANOMALIES

CHAPTER FOUR

EASTAR: NO LONGER ANOMALIES

CHAPTER FIVE

EASTAR: COMPLICATIONS

CHAPTER SIX

EASTAR: WHEN IS AN OWLET AN OWL?

CHAPTER SEVEN

SOMEWHERE IN UAS
SPACE

CHAPTER EIGHT

A
LIVING INFERNAL

CHAPTER NINE

TO CONTINUE OR NOT TO CONTINUE

CHAPTER TEN

SEARCHING FOR OWLETS

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE GOOD DEAL

CHAPTER TWELVE

TEMPTING FAITH

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

HOBO BUSINESS

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THE OXAX NIA
OFFICE

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DECISION TIME

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

EASY MONEY

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

WANTED DEAD, NOT ALIVE

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHASING HOBOS

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ONE MONTH LATER

CHAPTER ONE

Oxax: Decision Time

The sound of the front door opening jarred me back to the present, and I sat staring at my computer screen, which was currently cycling through my screen saver's selection of pictures. At the moment a picture of Adrian Shrader, Kristyn Sinclair, Richard Gannon, and me sitting at a dining table at Aughoes, celebrating having successfully concluded the Raiders Case, and Adrian, Kris, and my promotions to commander. Tears slid down my cheeks.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Alexa asked, as she walked around my desk and took my face in her hands. "Your eyes are red and puffy."

"The future," I mumbled, leaning against her and sobbing uncontrollably.

"What's wrong with the future, Daughter?"

"Everything!" I choked out. "They promoted us to commanders!"

"Most would consider that a good thing."

"Kris is being sent to Stone Ring and Adrian to Westar…and they want me to go to Eastar," I whined between sobs. Childish, but I didn't care. "How is a twenty-four-year-old going to command an NIA Office? I've never supervised anyone. And I'm not ready to leave home…you. You're my life."

"My poor daughter. You finally found a comfortable life and it appears to be crumbling—"

"It is!" My arms tightened around Alexa, feeling like I would fall into an abyss if I let go. She stood quietly stroking my head for a long while, and I think I fell asleep because her voice jerked me back to the present.

"Come, Daughter, dinner is getting cold and your mother's legs are beginning to ache." She had a warm smile when I looked up. "Wash, and I'll meet you downstairs."

During dinner Alexa did all the talking, recapping several of the trials she had resided over. For my part, I was content to ignore my problems and pretend nothing had happened, refusing to contemplate tomorrow. After dinner we retired to the living room and took up our usual positions on the couch, with Alexa at one end and me at the other. I stretched my legs out so our feet touched and sighed in contentment.

"Comfortable my today, Daughter?" She smiled and I nodded. "You can choose to avoid making any decisions by resigning your commission. You're the love of my life, and I would support you whether you chose to work or not."

Just then Red chose to make an entrance and wound himself around my neck, lying with his red head hanging downward. I stared at him for a long time, then began laughing. A minute later Alexa joined me.

"I think Red has developed a sense of humor," I said, shaking my head.

"Maybe he's reacting to your mood. You relationship is symbiotic after all.

"True, but I've never known him to react to my moods. He maybe a snake but he has a personality of his own. He shows when he is bored, interested, or disinterested in things and people, and can be defensive, but not happy or sad or…" I lapsed into silence. I wasn't sure what Red was, but he definitely wasn't a normal red-headed krait. He appeared to have chosen me because I had the Coaca Virus—a symbiotic relationship since he lives off my blood and his venomous bite keeps the virus in check. But…

He had sought me out in the snow—snakes are normally inactive in the cold.

He killed a man who stole him from me—although the man also had the Coaca Virus.

He appears to know friend from foe—since he has never bitten anyone close to me like my mother or Kris.

And I swear his presence makes me smarter and able to detect people's emotions. Conversely, he has never done anything I could interpret as communication.

"No, Mother. He may not communicate  with me, but I can tell when he's disgusted with me because I can't find an answer to something he has already deduced, or interested in something I'm reading or, like right now, that he's acting the clown," I said, certain I was right, although it would sound ridiculous to anyone listening. But after ten years of constant presence, I would wager my life on it.

"Maybe he wants you to address the issues." Alexa held up a hand before I could object. "The final solution is your decision, and I will support you no matter what you decide. Pick a problem."

"Yes, Mother," I reluctantly agreed. If Alexa wanted me to discuss my fears I would, but only to please her. "The team is breaking up. Kris is like a sister to me, Adrian a dear friend, Rich is easy to work with, and Stauffer is a good boss who understands me."

"That is understandable but not uncommon in the military. People come and go as they get new assignments, promoted, or leave the service. For you it's more traumatic than normal because of Red and people's reaction to him and, by extension, to you. Even Kris was nervous when you joined the team. But you made good friends. Nothing prevents you from staying in touch. I'd wager Kris and Adrian will invite you to every major event in their lives: marriage, birth of a child, etcetera. And there is nothing to prevent you from visiting."

"Admiral Lulltrel wants me in Eastar. Not that it matters, since the Oxax office isn't one of the NIA offices on the list I have to choose from. That means I'd have to leave home regardless. Your adolescent daughter isn't ready. You're not only my mother but my best friend and…island of safety." A tear leaked out and slid down one cheek.

"Admiral Lulltrel does want you in Eastar. In fact, she called me today and we had a long talk. I explained to her the problems you had growing up and the ones you face everyday because of Red and your age. She was very understanding."

"How does that help?" I asked, feeling afraid and defensive.

"There is an opening on the Eastar Appellate Court. It's mine if I want it."

"You would move?" I blurted in surprise.

"With or without the job. I've told you before we would always work things out together. I have nothing holding me here that is nearly as important as you. So if you still want to leave home, I'm willing to move home to wherever you want it to be."

"But what about an adolescent running a NIA Office?" Fear gripped me and the thought had drops of sweat forming under my breasts and trickling down my stomach.

"Lulltrel wants you there not only because you have a keen mind but demonstrated excellent insight during the Smugglers and Raiders assignments. She knows you discovered many of the significant clues that led to breaking both cases…and only you had the nerve to invoke P1A on her to find Commander Wright's involvement."

"Are you sure she doesn't want me there to get even for having her investigated?" I asked, only partly in jest.

"She admits you were right and another reason she wants you at NIA Headquarters. She will provide you with whatever assistance you need until you feel comfortable with your duties."

"I hope whoever they are, they aren't planning on retiring anytime soon."

* * *

The next three weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Alexa communicated with a realtor in Eastar to identify potential properties for us to view when we arrived. We identified the furniture and personal items we wanted to take, and arranged transportation on a Navy cruiser, which agreed to take my skimmer. On arrival at Eastar, we spent a week looking at properties.

"What do you think, Daughter?" Alexa asked after having arrived at a list of houses that potentially met our needs.

"Mother, this is worse than chasing Raiders: the basic cost of the house, the cost of repairs or upgrades, in some cases, and security modifications, transportation considerations, and monthly and yearly expenses," I said, shaking my head, which didn't help as it was already spinning with numbers and issues.

"Although we agreed not to sell the house on Oxax as a contingency, you and I have very good salaries, generous housing allowances, and a very adequate portfolio. But although our offices will be close to each other, we can't assume our hours will always permit us to ride together."

For the next two days, we slowly eliminated one house at a time until only two remained. In the end, security took precedence because of Red and his escalating value on the Black Market, which was reported to be as high as two hundred fifty thousand credits. Lulltrel agreed to pay for a Panic Room in lieu of providing security personnel for the house. We purchased a five-bedroom two-story house with a skimmer pad, in a moderately populated area only twenty minutes from our office buildings. Alexa arranged for on-demand limo service for when our schedules conflicted.

CHAPTER TWO

Eastar: A New Beginning

I entered the twenty-story Naval Headquarters building dressed in service blues, feeling nervous, and not knowing what to expect. I couldn't blame anyone from thinking I was a high school kid impersonating a Naval officer as a prank. Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to make it to the weapon detection unit without being stopped. However, one step into the unit and alarms blared, and two petty officers in Naval security uniforms came running with weapons drawn. Everyone in the lobby turned to look in my direction. I had been so nervous about my first day at work, I had forgotten I was wearing a multifunctional weapon. True to my concern, the younger guard, a petty officer third class, smiled after looking at my uniform. He looked to be about twenty, tall lean build, and short blond hair. The chief petty officer's weathered face wasn't smiling. He stood evaluating me as a potential threat wearing a poor disguise, and his multifunctional weapon pointed directly at my chest, whereas the corporal's weapon was held casually, pointing toward the floor.

"I'm sorry, Chief. It's my first day reporting for work and I forgot I carry a weapon," I said. Judging by how hot my face felt, my cheeks were probably scarlet.

"Ma'am, may I see some identification?" he asked, his tone was close to a growl and he didn't sound in a good mood. Unfortunately, Red decided to make his grand entrance, wrapping himself around my neck with his head pointed in the chief's direction. "Pets are not allowed in the building. Give it to Phillips," he demanded, while nodding in the direction of the other security guard. I ignored him while slowly reaching into my handbag and removing my NIA identification badge and handed it to him. He scanned it and me several times before waving for me to proceed to the right, avoiding the entrance lanes some twenty steps ahead, to a counter where a young sandy-haired Navy lieutenant and an older female senior chief petty officer stood watching us approach. He handed my ID to the lieutenant, whose face turned to a sneer after staring at my ribbons. Shaking his head, he passed it to the senior chief. She spent a minute tapping on her computer screen. When she looked up a smile lit her round pleasant face.

"Welcome aboard, ma'am."  She straightened to attention and gave me a perfect salute, which I returned.

"Chief Nelson, Commander Paulus is the new NIA Station Chief and is authorized to carry a weapon…and her red-headed krait." Her smile broadened at the look on the three men's faces. She reached into a drawer and pulled out a badge on a blue silk cord and handed it to me. "Ma'am, your NIA section is located on the sixteenth floor but Admiral Lulltrel said she wanted you to report to her when you arrived. Her office is on the eighteenth floor. This will get you, and your krait, safely past the security checkpoints."

"Thank you, Senior Chief," I said and made for the closest entrance lane, with Nelson following me. At the gate he waved to the petty officer standing on the other side.

"Williams, the commander is cleared to carry the weapon and the snake." He pointed to my shoulder where Red lay. "Have a nice day, Commander," he said, but didn't look like he meant it.

I walked up to the gate, swiped my new identification card through the slot, and a green light appeared. When it did, the bar across the lane released for me to pass through. Red disappeared into my uniform as I made my way to the bank of elevators. I pretended I didn't notice everyone staring at me as I stepped inside the first one to open and continued to examine my new ID. It had the NIA Seal, Commander Anna Paulus, NIA Eastar Station Chief, authorization to carry a gun, a medical exemption to carry a red-headed krait on my person, and Admiral Webb's name and signature. When the elevator opened on the eighteenth floor, I cautiously stepped out as if entering a minefield, and surveyed the area. I probably would have jumped back into the elevator if the doors hadn't closed behind me. Two Navy security men were staring at me and had their hands on their multifunctional weapons. They watched me like a potential terrorist as I took several cautious steps toward a master chief who sat several steps in front of me at a large mahogany desk.

"I'm here to see Admiral Lulltrel." I smiled at the confused look on his face. "I'm Commander Paulus," I said and handed him my new ID.

After a minute looking at his tablet, his frown turned to a smile. "Yes, Commander. If you wouldn't mind taking a seat in the waiting room." He pointed to a large area to his right with padded chairs, small tables, and a ceiling to floor window that ran the length of the room. "I'll let her know you're here."

"Thank you, Master Chief." I nodded and walked over to the window. The bird's-eye view of the city was spectacular. Thirty or more skyscrapers could be seen, and several skimmers were crisscrossing between the buildings.

"Ma'am, may I get you something to drink while you wait?" asked a young female petty officer.

"No thank you, Petty Officer. I'm fine for now," I said, noting she probably wasn't but a few years younger than me. I suppressed a laugh at the thought I'd feel more confortable in her uniform than in mine. A lieutenant commander jerked me back to the present.

"Commander Paulus, I'm Lieutenant Commander Spalding, Admiral Lulltrel's aide. The Admiral will see you now." The smile on the soft round face was warm. He looked in his early thirties.

"I remember you, Commander. I put you and Admiral Lulltrel through an embarrassing…procedure.

"Justified and amusing in retrospect. And a gutsy call I doubt many officers would make in a similar position. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Thank you, Commander Spalding."

He extended his hand, which I shook just as Red made an appearance.

"And my friend is Red."

Spalding laughed. "Come, Commander, we don't want to keep the admiral waiting. He led me down the hallway to the end where a gray-haired master chief sat at a mahogany desk, blocking the path to Lulltrel's office. When he saw me he rose, knocked on the door, opened it enough to peek in, and said something.

"Commander Paulus, the admiral will see you now," he said as he opened the door for me to enter. I entered, braced to attention, and saluted as I heard the door close behind me.

"Commander Paulus, reporting for duty, ma'am."

She returned my salute and smiled. "Get yourself something to drink from the sidebar and have a seat, Anna." She gave a snort. "That must have been an exciting entrance…carrying a weapon, ribbons one would expect on a retired admiral, and your young appearance."

"It was a little exciting when I set off the weapons alarm. But it was cleared up surprisingly quickly."

"You can thank Jerry, Commander Spalding, for getting your authorizations prepared beforehand and available at the check-in booth."

I mixed the half-milk and half-coffee concoction I had come to enjoy and sat in one of the dark blue padded chairs she had pointed at. To my surprise, she rose and sat in a chair opposite me.

"I've talked with Admiral Rawls, Commodore Stauffer, and your mother and understand your reluctance to move to Eastar. Your red-headed friend has made your life difficult and change something to be feared. And being a prodigy is never easy as it makes people uncomfortable. I wish I could say it was going to be easy being so young and in charge of the NIA Office, but I know it won't. However, it's the right place for you, Anna, and I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Let's go to the conference room and introduce you to the rest of my staff." She rose and I followed her and Spalding down the hallway. Spalding waved me in, then shouted "Attention." Two men and a woman rose as Lulltrel entered.

"At ease and sit." She indicated for me to stay standing as she waited for the three commanders to sit. "I'd like to introduce the new Eastar NIA Station Chief, Commander Anna Paulus. And yes, she is as young as she looks. But don't be fooled. She has earned her rank, as her impressive array of medals will attest." Lulltrel stopped to take a sip of coffee her aide had placed on the table in front of her. "I would describe her as a cross between a bloodhound and a pit bull." That produced smiles and a few chuckles. "I've coerced her here to be the station chief because I believe it's where she can be the most use to the organization. Currently, the individual station chiefs each send me a monthly report. Since I neither have the time nor an interest in the details of the individual cases they are working, I have them prepare an executive summary which allows me to focus on any problems, while ignoring the details. I think that was a mistake. Consequently, Commander Paulus is going to assume that responsibility for me. Why? Because she has demonstrated a rare ability to see the bigger picture. That ability led to the destruction of the Smugglers’ and Raiders' operations in the UAS. Without her insights, we would have imprisoned a large group of intermediates, but the Smugglers’ and Raiders’ organizations would have been back in business within months. I'm hoping giving her access to the station reports will enable her to alert us to potential UAS problems." She nodded for me to sit and looked to the woman on her left. "Why don't each of you introduce yourselves?"

"Hi, Anna. I'm Commander Hadley. You can call me Teresa." She was a tall slender woman in her early forties. Her angular face and black hair pulled back in a tail would have been intimidating except for the welcoming smile. "I'm responsible for NIA data collection, which includes the WavComs. You were using our technology to strip the WavComs and used our databases to obtain information on the merchants’ activities." She turned to look at the slightly younger man next to her. He had a mustache, goatee, and curly brown hair which showed no signs of gray. He look to be Teresa's height and to be in good physical condition.

"I'm Commander Byrnes. You can call me Kelvin. I manage the NIA school, which is called the Academy. It's where we try to teach people to be a smart as you," he produced a huge grin, "but seldom succeed. We teach them how to use our equipment, use various investigative techniques, and work on old cases. I'd be very interested in reviewing the Smugglers' and Raiders' cases with you. They would be excellent case studies." He nodded to the man next to him.

"I'm Commander Leyva, Norman. I'm in charge of the NIA's Forensic Department. Ironically, if you hadn't been so good at puzzles, my department would have been assigned to work on them." He nodded, which I took as my turn.

"I'm Commander Paulus—Anna. You probably already know I have a red-headed krait as a constant companion." I stuck my hand into my jacket and Red wound himself around my arm. "I refer to him as Red. He has been my constant companion from the age of four. He’s venomous but our relationship is symbiotic. He feeds off me and in turn injects me with a poison that keeps the Coaca Virus from becoming active. He never leaves my person so you will always know where he is. And he's lazy so you don't have to worry about being close to me, but I prefer people don't grab or push me. I have the antivenin, but I understand recovery is painful." I paused for questions. When no one spoke I continued. "I carry a weapon because Red is worth in the neighborhood of two hundred and fifty thousand credits, and life to those with the virus." That provoked several whistles. "I'm a graduate of the Oxax Naval Academy. And I would appreciate any help or advice you may be willing to share with me."

* * *

"Well, Mother. How was your first day?" I asked as we sat down for our first dinner in our new home.

"Scary. The current six judges have been on the Eastar Appellate Court for years. I feel like a new lieutenant reporting for her first assignment. What about you?"

"Worse than I thought it would be. My day started by setting off the weapons detection equipment alarm. Then I was introduced to my peers. Unlike Kris and Adrian, who were less than ten years my senior, Lulltrel's staff have more time in service than I've been alive. Then Admiral Lulltrel informed me she wants me to monitor the activities at the other NIA station offices."

"That doesn't sound fair. After all, you're new to the job," Alexa said, sounding concerned.

"Admiral Lulltrel was better than I had a right to expect. She welcomed me in a private meeting in her office, then called a staff meeting to introduce me. And she is giving me her master chief to mentor me and manage the day-to-day administrative duties. And it's not over yet. Tomorrow I'm going to meet my staff, who probably have more time in service than me," I whined, feeling even younger than my age.

Alexa laughed. "But the day has ended well. We survived our first day on the job, the repairs on our home are finished, we have a full-time cook, and we are together."

"Yes, Mother. I hope I'm not too much of a burden, but I desperately need a place where I feel safe."

"You will never be a burden, Anna. Adopting you was the best decision I've ever made."

* * *

When I exited the elevator on the sixteenth floor, a master chief took a step toward me.

"Good morning, Commander Paulus. I'm Master Chief Stamm. I've been assigned as your assistant," he said, as he unobtrusively appraised me. "Ma'am, if you like, I'll show you to your office and we can discuss my duties."

I nodded, unsure what to say…assistant…office. And if I wasn't mistaken, Stamm was the same master chief who was at the desk in front of Lulltrel's office. He pointed to the left and I followed him down the hallway, past open areas with cubicles, conference rooms, and recessed areas with secretaries and offices.

"This is Commander Hadley's area. Commander Leyva is at the other end of the hallway, along with Commander Byrnes." Toward the end of the hallway he stopped and pointed to a recessed area containing a small waiting area with chairs and small tables. Ten steps into the room sat a large oak desk, and behind it a door. He proceeded to the door, opened it, and waited for me to enter. He smiled. My mouth hung open as I entered and saw the view out the floor-to-ceiling window that constituted the back wall. A mahogany desk sat a few steps in front of the window and several padded chairs sat to the right and left of the desk.

"Mine?" I stuttered as I heard the door shut behind me.

"Yes, ma'am. You're the Eastar NIA Station Chief and, according to the scuttlebutt, will be monitoring the other fourteen NIA offices."

"Master Chief—"

"Carl, ma'am."

"Carl, I'm not only young, but don't have a clue how to run an office or manage people…"

"That's why Admiral Lulltrel assigned me to you. I'm here to answer questions, take care of the administrative duties, run interference, and to help in any way you want."

"You don't consider this assignment…" I wasn't sure of the right word but a master chief as a secretary seemed…

"Below me?" He laughed. "Serving someone Admiral Lulltrel considers a cross between a bloodhound and a pit-bull, needs a permanent security detail, and has earned more awards than a grizzly Marine gunny sounds like an exciting assignment." He walked over to a small bar. "Coffee, ma'am?"

"Anna. Half milk and half coffee." I sat in one of the padded chairs and waved Carl to another. He sat two coffees on the table between us. Mine only slightly darker than milk.

Just then Red emerged and wrapped around my neck with his head facing Stamm.

"Carl, meet Red. Red, this is Master Chief Stamm."

"Hello, Red," Stamm said, leaning forward for a better look. "Judging by the rumors, that is a very expensive necklace."

"Red adopted me when I was four… I went on to explain our symbiotic relationship. I carry a weapon at all times because he's worth two hundred and fifty thousand credits. Thanks to my mother, ex-Captain Bellona, I know how to use it. I'm a graduate of the Oxax Navy Academy and qualified with all standard weapons." I stroked Red before looking directly at Stamm. "I'm terrified, Carl." I said just above a whisper.

"That's why Admiral Lulltrel assigned me, so you will have someone to lean on. Think of me as another weapon for you to use as necessary. Two pit-bulls should be enough to handle any trouble."

"Thank you, Carl." I gave a weak smile. "I think it's time I meet my staff," I said reluctantly, knowing I couldn't put it off any longer.

"First, let me give you the passwords and show you how to log into the NIA system. That will get you access to their personnel files. I'll schedule your staff meeting for after lunch to give you time to review their records. And I'll schedule a department meeting an hour after that." He stood, awaiting my approval. When I nodded, he left.

* * *

At noon Stamm took me to the building cafeteria, and I selected a light lunch I could carry back to the office and continue working. A few minutes before my scheduled staff meeting, he knocked and entered when I acknowledged. "Ma'am, if you're ready I'll accompany you to your conference room."

"Thank you, Carl. I have no idea where it is." I laughed. One day at a time, I chided myself, I'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. It turned out my conference room was the next room over. Inside were two men and a woman who stood when I entered.

"Sit, please. In case the Eastar NIA Office isn't tuned into the rumor mill, the new station chief is young for her rank, no experience at running an office, and has a venomous snake as a pet," I said as I sat. That elicited nodding heads and a variety of smiles. And wide-eye stares as Red emerged from my jacket and wound around my neck with his head on my shoulder. "Well, the rumors are true, except for Red," I pointed to Red, "he isn't a pet but rather a friend and medical dispenser… I went on to explain about Red and why I carried a gun, the fact I was an Oxax Naval Academy graduate, and my participation in the Smugglers and Raiders cases. "Your turn," I said, looking at the sandy-haired lieutenant commander sitting to my left. Ironically, at thirty-two he was young for his rank, although eight years older than I. He was wiry, built with an angular face, which was frowning.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Newman. I manage one of the three eight-person teams that constitute the Eastar Station. In the past, the three of us decided who got each case, based on experience and availability. Commander Wright left the day-to-day assignments to us."

I had no idea about what my involvement should or shouldn't be. I nodded to the man sitting next to Newman. He didn't look to be as athletic and had a softer build and a round face, which looked amused. He reminded me of Wilbur, which gave me a lump in my throat.

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Atkins, Chuck. I think Frank," he nodded to Newman, "pretty well summed up the way the shop has been working. Each of us is responsible for assignments, evaluations, and administration of the people assigned to our groups." He nodded to the woman across from him.

"I'm Shirley Cooper. We met when you were working the Smugglers’ case." She smiled, and her face was full of excitement and mischief. "You may be young, ma'am, but I doubt there are many officers of any rank that would have the nerve to invoke P1A authority on a vice admiral. I hope you can find us the next big case."

"Yes, the big cases are exciting and put you on the fast track. Commander Sinclair frequently called it the slippery slope. Wilbur, one of our original team members, was killed on the Smugglers’ case and the rest of us had several attempts on our lives."

The department meeting was easier. I told them a little about myself, and Red and let each of them give me a short bio. By the end of the day I was mentally exhausted.

* * *

"Well, Daughter, you no longer appear to have the flexible hours you had on Oxax. You don't leave early and you always bring work home," Alexa said as we sat down for dinner.

"Ironically, it's more like what I had expected when I went to work for the NIA: go to work and sit at my desk all day working on problems. The monthly reports are beginning to arrive from the NIA station offices and being routed to me, including a copy of the executive summaries to Lulltrel. That's fourteen offices, plus I get one from each of my sections and have to write an executive summary of my own."

"That would cut into your flex time." She gave me a sad-face look. "Find anything interesting?"

"In a way. The executive summaries look like they contain all the items the station chiefs would like to be put in their yearly reviews. To their credit, they include everything in their detailed reports, but I think that's because they know the admiral doesn't read them."

"Anna, you are probably the only person in the Navy who isn't concerned about annual reviews."

"And look where it got me." I threw up my hands in exasperation. "I should still be a lieutenant under Stauffer's protective wing. Instead I'm a commander who has been given senior-level responsibilities when I'm still grappling with adult-speak."

Alexa laughed, which shocked me until she nodded toward my right shoulder. When I looked, Red's head was hanging limp rather than up and alert. I couldn't help laughing.

"All right, I'm finished whining. Obviously it isn't getting me any sympathy. How do you like the Appellate Court, Mother? Getting any interesting cases?"

"The process is interesting. The senior appellate judge, Laurence Appleton, reviews each petition and assigns it to a three-person committee composed of one person who generally has a liberal leaning and to another who is conservative. Right now I think he is evaluating me to determine which way I'll vote. If the committee has a unanimous opinion, the appeal is upheld or rejected. Otherwise the full court hears the case. I still haven't participated in a full court hearing, although one is scheduled for next month. That one should be interesting, as I was the one person in dissention."

"That should keep Judge Appleton up nights. You would think it would always be the liberal or the conservative who dissents." I laughed. She nodded while smiling.

"I think I caught snoop-paranoia from my daughter, something didn't feel right."

* * *

"Carl, can you get me the past twelve months of the NIA station office reports to Admiral Lulltrel?"

"You don't have enough work, ma'am?" Stamm asked with a look of concern. "Can I help?"

"Yes, you can. So I don't have to read them, ask Commander Hadley if she could scan the last twelve months for cases involving killings—whether accidental, self-defense, or murder—and print them for me."

"Find something?" he asked, eyes bright with excitement.

"I don't know, but… My old team had what many would consider an odd policy. If one of us wanted to do or see something, we did. Adrian, our team leader, said there were no bad leads, just ones that didn't work out. So I want to see last years' reports—"

"So the commander gets the last years’ reports." He laughed, threw me a salute, and hustled out the door. I smiled. The first one in several days. Looking at the clock, it was time to pick up Alexa for our ride home. When I reached the lobby I didn't see my two security guards, which I thought strange. And stranger still when Chief Nelson stopped the line for the express exit lane for me to go ahead. He felt amused. As I exited into the lobby, two men dressed in Marine security uniforms approached me. When I saw one was carrying a cage for a snake, mental alarms began ringing, and Red appeared around my neck, hissing.

"Commander Paulus, Colonel Synder wants you at Marine Headquarters for questioning. If you would, put the snake in the box—" the older of the Marines with lieutenant insignia said. I drew my multifunctional weapon.

"Make any move and I'll shoot to kill," I said, stepping to the side to scan the lobby. Chief Nelson was holding people from exiting and had a smirk on his face. His hand rested on his weapon. "Nelson, draw that gun and I'll shoot to kill. You have no authority here and these men are fakes. And if they aren't, that's my problem and not your concern." I looked to the lieutenant behind the information counter. "Lieutenant, call Marine Headquarters and find out—" Red hissed and I dove to the side just in time to avoid a strike to my head from another Naval security guard who had approached from behind. I rolled to a kneeling position, took aim, and shot him in the knee. Cursing the Naval involvement, I looked to the Marines in time to see both drawing their weapons. One turned toward me while the other had turned toward the entrance. Taking no chances, I assumed both were wearing protective gear and shot the Marine, who was facing me with his weapon halfway out of his holster, in the head. Before I could target the retreating Marine, pellets hit the floor around me. Nelson was smiling as he took careful aim for another shot. I shot him in the right shoulder, which knocked him backward and dislodged his weapon. I turned in time to see two more security guards running toward me as the second Marine disappeared out the building. "Lieutenant," I screamed, "Call Marine Headquarters. Obviously these MPs are fakes. One just ran out the door. And you two, drop those weapons or I'll shoot to kill."

The guards looked at the MP on the floor with a hole in his head, the petty officer holding his knee and moaning, and Nelson lying immobile on the floor, and laid their weapons down and backed up a few steps.

"Commander Paulus, they say your security is supposed to be waiting for you," the lieutenant shouted. "I told them they never arrived. They said to stay put. They are sending Marines to investigate."

I looked down and saw my leg was bleeding. Nelson probably hadn't shot his weapon in years and had it set to a wide spread. So although he missed me, a few stray pellets hit my leg. I took out my Communication and Personal Computer, CPC, handheld device and called Alexa. She answered immediately.

"Going to be late?"

"Yes, Mother. There has been a shooting at the Naval Headquarters building—"

"Are you hurt?" Her voice rising with every word.

"Only a scratch, but I need your support. I'm tired, Mother." I continued to scan the lobby to ensure no one else wanted to shoot me. The petty officer on the ground was looking at his weapon lying only a few feet away from him while glaring at me. I was too tired to get up and kick the gun away, so I pointed my weapon at his head. That seemed to work and his attention went back to moaning and holding his knee. A medic came running into the lobby just as Alexa exploded through the entrance door. She looked around, located me, rushed over and grabbed me in a bear hug after a cursory examination of my leg wound.

"What happened, Anna?"

"Two men dressed as Marine police tried to snatch Red. If not, I'm in big trouble." I gave her a wry smile and melted into her arms and cried. Sometime later six Marines entered. The senior Marine, a woman captain, came over to Alexa and me.

"Is Commander Paulus all right?" she asked.

"She has a minor leg wound, but I think she is in shock. It looks like the Navy security guards attempted to aid the kidnappers and she had to defend herself against them."

"She tried to kill us," the petty officer shouted, pointing a finger at me.

The captain gave a snort. "Petty Officer, you will get to explain how you attempted to assist two men trying to kidnap Commander Paulus. Should be an interesting story."

A few minutes later I was put on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. When I woke it was late, judging by the darkness of the windows. Alexa was sitting next to the bed holding my hand, with her head lying next to mine. I sighed with contentment and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Mother—" I said when I opened my eyes and saw Alexa, but then realized she was talking to a Marine captain and a doctor… "What are you doing here, Dr. Renata?" I blurted.

"I see our patient is awake and alert," she said, smiling. "The Eastar Naval Hospital offered me a position when they knew you were going to be the NIA Station Chief, because of my extensive experience with the Coaca Virus and red-headed kraits."

"Thank you, Renata. Without you doing my psychological evaluations, I'd have to retire or wind up in a mental institution."

"True. You would be an interesting case study, but I'm afraid they would all come to the conclusion you were repressing your true feelings. And you would be in treatment for the rest of your life." She squeezed my hand. "That would be a tragedy."

"I didn't think I had been badly wounded," I said, looking from Renata to Alexa.

"You weren't. A few pellets in your calf. I think you were suffering more from shock—"

"I didn't kill either of the security guards, did I? I shot for non-lethal areas…they were trying subdue me and the kidnappers would have… They were kidnappers weren't they?" I looked to the captain.

"Yes, Commander Paulus. They were kidnappers. They caught your security detail on the way to meet you. They are in the hospital but will recover. And that was good shooting with the security guards. They are also in the hospital, under guard." She laughed. "By the way, I'm Captain Hoffman, in charge of your security detail. I've had a long talk with Colonel Pannell. He's very fond of you. Without our chat, I'm not sure I would have believed you intentionally wounded those guards and you weren't just a bad shot."

"I'm sorry, Mother," I said looking up at her. "I didn't mean to frighten you but…"

"I don't blame you. When I arrived, those damn Navy security guards had their guns pointing at you." Alexa gave a wry smile. "I lost it. Only Captain Hoffman's calm presence got me to stop screaming at them."

"Your mother was quite mad." Hoffman laughed. "Like most good stories, it's more amusing after the fact."

"Admirals Lulltrel and Webb weren't happy either." Alexa gave a crooked smile and a choked laugh.

"I know," Hoffman said, shaking her head. "My ears are still ringing. Commander—"

"Anna," I interrupted.

"Lynda. Anna, your security has just tripled. I never want another call like that from Admiral Webb. I swear the whole floor heard him reading me my obituary."

"I'm sorry, Lynda. I'm afraid, Red." Red emerged just then and worked his way into my hair, with his red head showing. I reached up and felt his tongue against my finger. "Is worth enough money on the Black Market to justify considerable risk." I paused while worrying my lip. "You had better educate all the guards on my detail about the Coaca Virus. I wouldn't want anyone to contract the virus trying to save me. They can't infect me, so in that case it's better for me to deal with the individual."

"If you don't object, I'd like to get the detail together and let you explain the dos and don'ts of dealing with those with the virus," she said. I nodded agreement.

* * *

Admiral Lulltrel, at Webb's suggestion, had the captain of the building security and Captain Hoffman and their reports at a mandatory meeting with me to explain my unique situation, and what not to do in the event a person with the Coaca Virus attempted to enter the building. I included Dr. Renata to make it more official.

I had just walked to the front of the room when a lieutenant commander entered and shouted, "Attention!" As the room bolted upright, Admiral Webb entered.

"At ease. Let me keep this simple. Commander Paulus has a tendency to aggravate very aggressive criminals who then want her retired. Right now the ones we know about are either dead or in prison forever. But she has a red-headed krait that keeps her Coaca Virus in check and is worth over two hundred and fifty thousands credits on the Black Market. That makes the reward worth the risk and the expense of creative solutions, like the other day. So if you see her draw that weapon she is required to carry at all times, you are to support her and obey any orders she gives." He paused and looked around the room. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!" The walls vibrated with the response.

"Good. I'll leave Commander Paulus and Dr. Renata to explain what to do and not do if you encounter someone with the Coaca Virus."

Not too surprisingly, the room was very attentive when Webb left. Renata explained how to identify someone who had the virus, how the virus could be transmitted, and to call her after an incident to ensure the area was decontaminated and people were treated. I gave a few examples of past creative attempts to snatch Red.

* * *

"Ma'am, Commander Hadley is here to see you," Stamm said through a partially opened door. I stood and waved for him to let her enter.

"Commander Hadley—"

"Teresa, please. I was curious about your request and interested to hear what you are looking for, if you don't mind satisfying my curiosity. And I wouldn't mind hearing about your shootout the other day."

"No, I don't mind. Help yourself to something to drink," I said, waving to the sidebar. After she poured herself some coffee and sat, I joined her with my own cup. "To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm looking for. After reading the most recent reports from the NIA offices, I noticed two similar incidents where our NIA offices were involved for a local killing but there didn't appear to be any Navy personnel involved. I'm curious, but before I inquire I thought I'd see if this is a common occurrence. In my experience, the local police don't like outside involvement. So, if Navy personnel were involved, why wasn't it reported? It may be nothing but..."

"That's why Lulltrel wants you here." She smiled and took a sip of coffee. "And I'm glad to chase anything that interests you. Frankly, the job is boring so I'm hoping you can find something exciting to break the monotony. The more you can share with me, the better information I can retrieve for you." She paused and her smile faded. "What happened in the lobby? I've heard too many rumors and too few facts: the security guards shot you, you went mad and killed several people in the lobby, Marines were called in to stop you, Admiral went ballistic except no one knows why…"

I spent an entertaining hour explaining what had happened and a few of the previous attempts to steal Red.

"Thank you, Anna. We have to do this more often. This has been the most enjoyable hour I've had in months. Being a commander has its perks but it can be really boring." She left smiling.

* * *

"I see two Marine shuttles are following us home," Alexa said in our skimmer that night.

"As you know, Captain Hoffman said Admiral Webb went nuclear when he heard I had been attacked in the lobby of the Naval Headquarters Building, and has been making sure everyone knows he's unhappy and that it won't happen again without his personal permission. He stopped in on my Marine and Naval security seminar on the Coaca Virus dos and don'ts. He was very clear that Naval security was there to protect me in the event there was a problem. Consequently, Hoffman has Webb's permission to increase her detail as she feels necessary. She said her ears are still burning from his talk with her and decided that includes security at our residence."

"What did Lulltrel say?"

"At her weekly staff meeting she warned everyone to carry a weapon if they were going out with me."

"You were the main topic at the Appeals Court. I've spent most of my time over the past two days explaining what happened."

That night after dinner I curled up on the couch with Alexa and began reviewing the information Hadley had retrieved for me. When I quit well after midnight, I had found three more killings where the police made inquires of the local NIA office, making a total of five: one each on Eastar, Shadows Rest, Black Water, Stone Ring, and Westar. Only in one case, Eastar, was a Navy man killed, but the NIA offices were involved in all five cases. I didn't see the connection but I felt sure there was a common thread. And judging by Red's interest while I reviewed the reports, so was he.

I also found several confusing entries: requests by the local government to the NIA office to check on merchants who’d failed to arrive at their planned designation. The merchants were the Hercule, Easy Lady, Aladan, and the Deal Maker. If nothing else, they were interesting anomalies.

CHAPTER THREE

Eastar: Interesting Anomalies

The next morning I had Stamm arrange a meeting with Lulltrel. While I waited I called Hadley. "Teresa, its Anna. Would you do two searches for me?"

"What would you like?" She sounded interested.

"First, I'd like to know which cruisers were in port on the days of the killings I found reported on Eastar on 12/5, Shadows Rest on 7/20, Black Water on 4/11, Stone Ring on 3/18, and Westar on 1/23 of last year. And I'd like every merchant ship's port of call from 1/1 thru 12/28"

"What are you looking for, Anna?"

"Maybe nothing…but something feels strange. Maybe I just got a bad case of spook-paranoia but there appears to be a few anomalies I'd like to understand. If nothing else, it keeps me from getting bored." I laughed.

"Can you share?"

"The reports you generated for me revealed the local NIA offices participated in five cases involving a killing of one sort or another, but in only one case was Navy personnel involved. So, why was NIA involved? And while scanning the reports I found several cases where the local authorities asked the NIA offices about a missing merchant who failed to show at his scheduled designation. They probably all have logical explanations but…"

"All right. But keep me informed. I'm interested in knowing what you find." She cut the connection, and when I looked up Stamm was peeking through the partially opened door.

"Ma'am, the admiral will see you now. One of her appointments finished early."

"Thanks, Carl," I said as I hurried out the door and took the stairs up two flights to her office. Commander Spalding smiled and opened the door for me. I stepped inside and saluted. "Thank you for seeing me so quickly, ma'am."

"You seemed in a hurry, Paulus," she said after returning my salute and waving me to a chair.

"While reviewing this month’s reports from the NIA Offices, I found a couple items I didn't understand, so I had Commander Hadley retrieve the NIA monthly reports for the previous eleven months and found…what appeared anomalies to me. Of course, they may be normal operating procedure." I shrugged. "I'd like to follow up on them to confirm, but wasn't sure of the protocol." I hesitated before adding. "They may not like being questioned."

"By a young woman or by their equal or…" She gave a snort. "I understand your concern. I imagine there are a few commanders who would get their feathers ruffled if you requested information from them about their cases. Then they would write me." She laughed. "I'll send out something today that will at least avoid me getting inundated with whining memos. And what is my Eastar NIA bloodhound chasing?" She tilted her head slightly to listen better and looked interested.

"It may be nothing, ma'am. But I noticed several NIA offices were involved in killings which didn't involve Navy personnel. That seems strange. And government inquiries about merchants who went missing. It's what I thought you wanted me to look for—strange coincidences. They may be just that…"

"But one may be a clue which leads to a potential problem. I support what you are doing but keep me in the loop. It will ruffle feathers."

"Thank you, ma'am." I saluted and made a hasty retreat. I remained uncomfortable reporting directly to a vice admiral. I had only been in my office an hour when a WavCom message appeared on my tablet.

TO: ALL NIA
STATION OFFICES

I HAVE ASKED COMMANDER PAULUS, AS THE EASTAR NIA
OFFICE CHIEF, TO REVIEW ALL ACTIVITIES AT EACH OF THE NIA
OFFICES IN AN EFFORT TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY THAT EXTENDS ACROSS THE UAS. YOU ARE THEREFORE TO TREAT ALL REQUESTS FROM COMMANDER PAULUS AS IF THEY CAME DIRECTLY FROM ME. DO NOT COPY ME WHEN RESPONDING TO HER REQUEST.

FROM: VICE ADMIRAL LULLTREL, CHIEF OF NIA
OPERATIONS

"Wow." I sat stunned. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't that. Just then Stamm knocked and entered when I acknowledged.

"That was the fastest promotion I've ever witnessed," he said shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course, it does cut down on all the messages she would otherwise get every time you asked a NIA office for information." He sobered. "Ma'am, if you don't mind advice from a master chief," he paused until I shook my head, "I'd keep the admiral well informed. There will be some who won't like you having that authority and will be looking to embarrass you if they can."

"Thank you, Carl. That's excellent advice. I won't mind you reminding me if I appear to forget." I spent the next hour sending queries to the NIA Office Chiefs.

TO COMMANDER HAMMOND (BLACK WATER NIA
CHIEF ), COMMANDER SHRADER (WESTAR NIA
CHIEF ), COMMANDER SINCLAIR (STONE RING NIA
CHIEF) , LT. COMMANDER ROMERO (SHADOWS REST NIA
CHIEF )

OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR MURDER INVESTIGATIONS WHERE NIA
OFFICES PARTICIPATED, ALTHOUGH ACCORDING TO THE CASE REPORTS, NO NAVY PERSONNEL APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED. I WOULD APPRECIATE KNOWING THE REASON NIA PARTICIPATED, I.E., DID THE POLICE REQUEST OUR INVOLVEMENT AND IF SO, WHY, OR DID WE ASK TO BE INCLUDED AND IF SO, THE REASON. THE SPECIFIC INCIDENTS ARE LISTED BELOW BY SYSTEM AND DATE:

BLACK WATER 4/11

WESTAR 1/23

STONE RING 3/18

SHADOWS REST 7/20

FROM: COMMANDER PAULUS, EASTAR NIA
CHIEF

And a second message:

TO COMMODORE STAUFFER (OXXAX NIA
CHIEF ),  COMMANDER HOLMES (OASIS NIA
CHIEF ), COMMANDER SHRADER (WESTAR NIA
CHIEF) , LT. COMMANDER CALVIN (SAFE HARBER NIA
CHIEF ).

OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS THERE HAVE BEEN FOUR INQUIRES FROM LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO NIA
OFFICES FOR INFORMATION ABOUT MISSING MERCHANT SHIPS. I AM INTERESTED IN KNOWING WHAT ACTION YOU TOOK, THE INFORMATION THE GOVERNMENT WAS SEEKING, AND WHAT INFORMATION YOU MAY HAVE PROVIDED. THE SPECIFIC INQUIRES ARE LISTED BELOW BY SYSTEM AND DATE:

OXAX 7/20

OASIS 9/1

WESTAR 5/12

SAFE HARBER 10/21

FROM: COMMANDER PAULUS, EASTAR NIA
CHIEF

At Stamm's suggestion, I sent Lulltrel a hidden copy of each memo.

* * *

The next day, Hadley had a petty office deliver a chip which contained both searches. I wasn't sure what to do with the search for Navy cruisers in port on the day of the killing until I had more information from the NIA offices on my requests. When I scanned the second search, I realized immediately it would take me days of work to review it. I laughed, realizing I had a staff to do the work. Since my weekly staff meeting was scheduled for the next morning, I decided to wait. Instead, I reviewed my section heads' monthly reports and tried to decide what to include in my executive summary for Lulltrel. The truth, I decided.

TO: VICE ADMIRAL LULLTREL, CHIEF OF NIA
OPERATIONS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR THE FIRST MONTH OF EASTAR 521

I AM STRUGGLING TO DETERMINE MY RESPONSIBILITIES AND THE APPROPRIATE INVOLVEMENT IN EACH. MY STAFF INFORMS ME THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS AND OUR ACTIVE CASES APPEAR MINOR AND NORMAL, BASED ON THE LAST FEW MONTHS' REPORTS TO COMMANDER WRIGHT. I HAVE NOTHING NEW ON THE TWO ANOMALIES I'M PURSUING. WHEN I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE NIA OFFICES, I WILL UPDATE YOU.

FROM: COMMANDER PAULUS, EASTAR NIA
OFFICE CHIEF

When I finished I sent it to Stamm for his feedback. Ten minutes later he entered the office, smiling.

"Ma'am, when I first read it I was shocked. You've been working your…butt off and not taking any credit for what you've been doing. But then I realized it's not your style—the naked truth. I like it and think the admiral will also.

* * *

"Sit, please," I said as I entered my conference room. "Since I've had no urgent messages or calls from you, I assume nothing exciting happened this week. But since this is all new to me, why don't you share your non-eventful week with me, Commander Newman?" I said looking in his direction. Everyone had a touch of amusement except Newman.

"Commander Wright wasn't interested in the daily details. He left them to us," he said while shaking his head and trying to imply I shouldn't.

"He was probably too busy running the Raider Operation to worry about NIA business. I, on the other hand, have nothing else to keep me from getting bored. He glared for a brief second then shrugged. My section responded to two cases of theft of Navy property…" His account was thorough, if a bit light on detail. Commander Atkins followed. His account was not only thorough but sprinkled with humor. The comparison to Weiss brought an ache to my chest—the painful thought I would never see Wilbur again. Commander Cooper was next. Her account included the individual's names who were working on the cases. I liked that.

"Thank you. That will help me understand the normal workload on Eastar and to get to know the individuals in the group," I said, hoping Newman and Atkins would take the hint. "Commander Newman, would you have the people who worked on the murder of Admiral Sherman on 12/5 prepare a comprehensive review for me. Schedule it with Master Chief Stamm when you are ready."

"Why…ma'am?" Newman asked.

"Because I'm interested." I smiled. "And I want the people who worked the case present in case I have specific questions." Before he could reply, I continued. "Who in your sections is best qualified to write a software program for me?"

"Lieutenant Cintron has a computer science degree and is free," Cooper said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she looked at Newman, who shrugged, and Atkins, who nodded agreement.

"Good," I said, sliding the chip to Stamm, who slid it to Cooper."

"On that chip is every merchant working in the UAS over the last twelve months and every system they visited. I'd like Cintron to identify the name of every merchant's ship on the chip and the date of the first and last recorded system visit."

"Why? Sorry ma'am. Because you're interested." A huge smile split her heart-shaped face. "And when he has that information?"

Just then Red appeared and a devilish idea hit me. "Pass the results to Newman and Atkins. I'd like to hear each of your evaluations of the results."

"Everything on the chip?" Cooper asked.

"No. Just Lieutenant Cintron's final result," I said, rising and signaling an end to the meeting.

"That was an interesting meeting, ma'am," Stamm said when we entered my office. "I particularly liked, Because I'm interested. And I'll bet they are all worried about what you are expecting from your obvious…competition."

"I don’t know if there is anything significant to find, but I think it will tell me a lot about them and what I can expect in the future."

* * *

When I arrived for Lulltrel's staff meeting, all of her direct reports were already there, with drinks, and standing in a group talking. I fetched myself a coffee and hesitated, not sure if I should join them or whether I needed to be invited.

"Anna, over here," Teresa said as she waved for me to join the group. "Unlike some groups, there is little if any competition among us, and what little there may be is good natured and just part of our competitive natures. None of us expects to get Lulltrel's position."

"I'd rather the team got the credit," I said, remembering all the times I had been singled out and how it caused me to be ostracized. I reached up and stroked Red, who lay with his head on my shoulder.

"Anna…and Red have had a tough time growing up—" Teresa was interrupted by Spalding's call to attention.

"At ease." Lulltrel entered and waved for everyone to get settled. "All right, before we begin, does anyone have anything they would like to add to their executive summary?" She laughed. "Paulus, I heard you've commented several times that you haven't learned adult speak."

"Yes, ma'am. I seem to blurt out what I'm thinking, which frequently isn't conduct becoming an officer," I said, and felt my cheeks heat. That received smiles from everyone.

Lulltrel tapped on her tablet and the three monitors in the room lit with my executive summary. "Hasn't anyone told you the executive summary is your chance to lobby for what you would like in your annual review?" She looked serious but I could tell she was amused. Although I was looking at Lulltrel, I could hear amused comments from the others at the table. "Master Chief Stamm was supposed to guide you. Did he see this?"

"Yes, ma'am. He said he liked it." Now my face was burning.

"I do. But aren't you concerned about your annual reviews and future promotions?"

"No, ma'am. I'm already several levels above where I'm confortable."

That produced laughed from everyone, including Lulltrel. "I like you, Paulus. I'm glad I didn't have you retired for having me investigated." She gave a short laugh. "Anyone object if we drop Adult Talk here?" Everyone was smiling and shaking their heads in the negative. "I'll start. If the opportunity arises, I would recommend Commanders Byrnes, Leyva, and Hadley for admiral and Lt. Commander Spalding for commander. You are each outstanding individuals.  Now, Paulus, I haven't told you what I expect from you because I think it's best you define your responsibilities. You’re a team player. I think it's your nature. You're already working with Hadley and agreeing to work with Byrnes. And, like I had hoped, you are already looking at the NIA offices as a giant spider's web whose strands represent a warning system. I realize now I wanted you here, not to run the Eastar NIA Station Office—any lieutenant commander could handle the day-to-day activities—but to form a team to watch the spider's web for warning about potential trouble."

* * *

"You're very quiet, Daughter. Problems?" Alexa asked midway through dinner that night.

"Yes, Mother, Lulltrel. She said she didn't ask me to Eastar to run the NIA office, any lieutenant commander could do that. She wants me to monitor the UAS for potential problems. She said I could define my own responsibilities."

"She's very perceptive. And it's perfect for you," Alexa said, grabbing hold of my hand and squeezing. "Think about it. You are already doing exactly what she wants, making inquires into potential anomalies. And you already have Hadley's help and interest."

"But…"

"One day at a time and I think you'll find Eastar and Lulltrel are perfect for you. Your problem is you are worrying about tomorrow."

"True. I'm most comfortable getting the most out of today. Thank you, Mother, for saving me, for bringing my home to Eastar, and for being my anchor." I laughed. "I had a pleasant chat with Dr. Renata today. She said it constituted my Psych Evaluation and cleared me for duty. She never even mentioned me killing that kidnapper."

* * *

"Good morning," I said, looking forward to the results of the exercise I’d given Cooper. Commander Cooper, I saw your computer wiz finished the program I requested."

"Yes, ma'am. Lieutenant Cintron must have stayed up all night working on it because he had it finished the next morning. There were four hundred thirty-one merchants identified. I sent the results to Newman and Atkins," Cooper said, and would have continued except I raised my hand.

"Relay my thanks to Lieutenant Cintron. That was excellent work. Commander Newman, what did you get out of the result?" I asked, suspecting I should start with him first as he appeared the least interested.

"I think it showed merchants come and go in any given year. To be honest, my section's work kept me busy, so I didn't have time for kids' games," he said, and I could feel his anger at both me and the slip of the tongue, adding for kids' games. Atkins and Cooper looked stunned. I guess I should have been but I think I knew Newman resented either me, my age, or my fast-track promotions, or female bosses, or all those reasons.

"You're correct. Your section's cases have priority. Which cases were you working this week?" I asked, interested in his current caseload. He spent the next ten minutes trying to make it sound like the workload had increased, when he had only one active case and it didn't require his assistance. When he had finished I turned my focus on Atkins, who looked amused.

"Commander Atkins. Did you have time for the exercise?" I asked, avoiding mentioning kids or games. I didn't want to make an issue of Newman's remark. He knew he’d screwed up and it was his problem, not mine.

"Yes, ma'am. I didn't realize how many merchants we had in the UAS. It appears we added three and lost eight—"

"Merchants come and go each year. Merchants retire, die, go bankrupt, and new merchants replace them," Newman interjected, trying to indicate the exercise was a waste of time and the losses nothing unusual.

"That was my initial impression, Frank, but eight leaving seemed excessive, so I picked two merchants and queried the Merchant's Union where they were registered. Sure enough, one, the Seabird, was decommissioned. The owner died and the heirs sold the ship. However, the other one is listed as missing—"

"It's like I said. Some retire or die or just go bankrupt. And missing merchants are inevitable. Merchants make bad jumps from time to time." Newman again, a slight smile on his lips.

"Commander Cooper?" I asked, looking toward her. She had wanted to talk so bad she was almost bouncing in her chair.

"I took three of the merchants who went missing, after checking with Chuck to make sure we weren't picking the same ones. The Merchant Guilds confirmed each was listed as missing. I talked to the Merchant's Guild on Eastar and they thought maybe one ship going missing every other year would be considered normal. So this is excessive. And you knew what we would find, didn't you, ma'am?" she said, alive with excitement. Atkins sat smiling at me, whereas Newman was scowling.

"I suspected there might be a problem, based on other information I had seen. If your sections duties permit, I would like you and Commander Atkins to research each of the seven missing merchants. The first order of business is to determine that they are in fact missing. Maybe start with the senior crew on each ship to see if they are alive. When you are confident you know each ship's status, let me know and we can decide on a next step." I laughed mentally. Cooper would spend every waking minute chasing those merchants, knowing the game had a prize at the end. Atkins would participate out of curiosity as to how my kid's game would end.

* * *

I spent two afternoons with Commander Byrnes and walked him through the Smugglers’ case. We examined each clue and how it was found and how it could be used as a class exercise. The second session I included Commander Leyva since he had said his group was used to break codes. He took back several examples for his people to work on. I think he was excited to see how long it would take and who would decode it first.

* * *

Atkins and Cooper made an appointment with me the middle of the second week. They were smiling when they entered my office.

"We have finished an analysis of the seven missing merchant ships," Cooper began. "As Chuck said, the Seabird was taken out of commission by its owner. But we have concluded the remaining seven are missing. We have verified that the senior-level crew members on each ship are also considered missing and presumed dead. The ships are: Hercule, Easy Lady, Aladan, Deal Maker, Pegasus, Perseus, and the Free Spirit."

"Excellent. Now I'd like you to determine these seven merchant ships' home ports, general circuits, their primary trade goods or services, last stations, and where they were headed," I said, “and anything you find interesting or unusual.”

"What are you hoping we'll find, ma'am?" Atkins asked. "Since, like Cooper, I think you know what you are looking for."

"Clues to why these specific ships went missing."

"You think they were...hijacked?" she almost shouted with excitement. "But then there would have been a report...unless..."

"Yes, unless they are very nasty people. If we expect to win this game we must understand their rules."

Atkins laughed. "Lulltrel had the right of you, Commander, bloodhound and pit-bull mix."

When the two left with their heads together, whispering, I created a quick message to Lulltrel.

TO VICE ADMIRAL LULLTREL

WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT SEVEN MERCHANT SHIP HAVE GONE MISSING—WITHOUT A TRACE—OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS. I AM CONTINUING TO PURSUE THE ISSUE ON THE ASSUMPTION THEY WERE HIJACKED.

FROM: COMMANDER PAULUS

Ten minutes later there was a quick knock on the door and Stamm peeked in.

"Admiral Lulltrel wants you in her conference room ten minutes ago," he said. "I think she's having an impromptu staff meeting."

I rose and headed for the stairs. When I arrived, Hadley and Leyva were coming down the hallway.

"Byrnes will be a little late. He's at the Academy. Do you know what's—" Leyva stopped speaking when he saw Lulltrel already sitting at the table.

"Get something to drink if you want," Lulltrel said, and waved toward a table containing an assortment of drinks. I mixed my coffee concoction as Red wound around my neck, with his head resting on my shoulder. I reached up and stroked his head, which helped to calm me.

"Well, Paulus, you certainly know how to get my attention," she said as I approached the table. "Paulus believes we have Hijackers working the UAS."

"That query you had me run?" Hadley asked. I nodded and looked to Lulltrel, who indicated I should continue.

"Yes, it indicated that eight merchant ships went missing over the past twelve months. I've had my staff checking out the eight, and seven are definitely missing—the ships and their personnel. They have verified that all the senior-level crew have not been seen or accounted for since the ship went missing. Because seven ships appear excessive for normal jump accidents or other catastrophe mishaps, I'm having my staff make profiles of each ship, hoping to find clues as to how the ships were selected."

"You believe they were selected?" Leyva asked, frowning in thought. "Couldn't they have been targets of opportunity?"

"I hope not. If the Hijackers are taking random targets, it will make them extremely difficult to catch. But based on the timing of the missing ships, I think we will find they have an organization and a well-thought-out system."

"Otherwise someone would have noticed before now," Byrnes said between gasps for breath. He must have run all the way from the Academy building.

"The disappearances are too clean, suggesting well planned and executed," I said.

"Anyone disagree or have an alternative scenario?" Lulltrel asked while looking at each of the others in turn and finally settling on me. "Recommendation?"

"Ma'am, for now I'd like to continue collecting information on the seven ships. I hope that will give us an insight into their operation."

"If we can deduce their methodology, we’d have a better chance of catching them," Leyva said, nodding. "Otherwise we are playing darts in a dark room against opponents who are wearing night vision goggles."

"I concur," Lulltrel said. "This is obviously the top priority for us, and access on a need-to-know basis. If Paulus is right and it's an organization, we don't want to alert them or give them a hint as to what we are doing."

* * *

"How was your day, Daughter. You look far away in thought," Alexa said as we sat for dinner.

"I think Cooper and Atkins have pretty much confirmed we have a group of well-organized Hijackers in UAS space. Lulltrel has designated it her staff's top priority. She told Webb, who wasn't happy. Apparently, when she managed to get him to stop screaming and threatening mayhem, he called Pannell and gave him responsibility for Eastar NIA security." I gave Alexa a crooked smile.

"Which means your security is going to double or triple," Alexa said, peering off into space. "They sound like a nasty bunch if they aren't leaving a trace."

"That was Webb's conclusion when Lulltrel got him calmed down." I put my hand on Alexa's hand, feeling guilty for the stress this was going to cause her. "I'm sorry, Mother." As I did, Red wound his way down my arm and around both our wrists. Alexa laughed.

"Together we are strong," she said and laughed again. "You have to admit, Red does some things that are beyond strange. Deliberate, like that. But if that is the message, I agree with Red."

* * *

I called a staff meeting the next morning. "I gave Lulltrel my conclusions based on what Atkins and Cooper discovered about the seven missing merchant ships. Everyone agrees the probability is high that an organized group is hijacking merchant ships. Lulltrel has declared the project classified on a need-to-know basis and the NIA staff highest priority. So request for information or help will get immediate attention. When Admiral Webb found out he was unhappy and wisely has appointed Colonel Pannell responsible for Eastar NIA security. Consequently, you are going to see Marine security and may even have one or more assigned to you. Based on what we have deduced already, this group is a nasty bunch who leave no loose ends. If so, when they find we are chasing them, you can expect them to target us—"

"That's ridiculous," Newman blurted. "We are in the heart of Eastar in a building swarming with security. Besides, this is still guesswork. We have no proof."

"You may think this is just a silly game, Commander Newman, and you may be proved correct. But in the meantime, you will treat our discussions and the work we are doing on a need-to-know basis and comply with any restrictions Colonel Pannell imposes on us. That is an order that applies to everyone here and your staff. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," everyone said and each nodded when I looked at them. "I want to see you all alive and running your own offices when this is over. Please don't disappoint me."

"No, ma'am," echoed off the walls.

* * *

I had been in my office only a few minutes when Stamm knocked and entered.

"Ma'am, you have two messages in your Eastar NIA Station Chief inbox. They are in response to your killings query."

"Thank you, Carl." I opened my tablet, connected to the account, and smiled. They were from Adrian and Kris.

TO: COMMANDER PAULUS, EASTAR NIA
STATION CHIEF

I SEE ANNA WANTS WORKS WITH ADMIRAL LULLTREL AS WELL AS OUR OLD TEAM. I'M ENJOYING HAVING RESPONSIBILITY FOR A NIA
STATION AND HOPE WE CAN GET TOGETHER FROM TIME TO TIME. I MISS YOU AND RED.

I'VE REVIEWED THE CASE FILE FOR THE KILLING ON 1/23. THE NIA OFFICE WAS NOTIFIED BECAUSE THE VICTIM, A JONNIE LYONS, WAS KILLED WITH A KNIFE UNIQUE TO THE AIRBORNE COMMANDOS. BUT SINCE THERE WERE NO MILITARY PERSONNEL SEEN IN THE AREA AND THE KNIFE ISN'T ILLEGAL TO OWN, NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED. I'M SURPRISED IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE MONTHLY REPORT. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ANY FOLLOW-UP. ANNA WANTS STILL WORKS WITH ME.

IN RESPONSE TO THE MERCHANT SHIP, EASY LADY. THE LOCAL MERCHANT GUILD SAID THE SHIP WAS MISSING AND WANTED TO KNOW IF THE NAVY HAD REASON TO CONFISCATE OR DESTROY IT. THE OFFICE DID SEND OUT SOME QUERIES. THE NAVY CLAIMED THEY HAD NO ENCOUNTERS WITH THE EASY LADY.

FROM: COMMANDER SHRADER, WESTAR NIA
STATION CHIEF.

And from Kris:

TO: COMMANDER PAULUS, EASTAR NIA
STATION CHIEF

I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T FOUND ANOTHER RAIDER-LIKE GROUP. WE HAVE SOME INTERESTING STORIES BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO REPEAT THE EXPERIENCE.

THE KILLING ON 3/18 INVOLVED A MR. KELVIN MONTGOMERY, THE CEO OF A SHIPPING COMPANY. HE WAS KILLED WITH BULLETS UNIQUE TO THE MULTIFUNCTIONAL WEAPONS THE AIRBORNE COMMANDOS USE. BUT SINCE THERE WERE NO MILITARY PERSONNEL IN THE AREA AND THE BULLETS ARE NOT RESTRICTED TO THEIR WEAPONS, NO OFFICIAL CASE WAS OPENED. I THINK THE ONLY REASON IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE MONTHLY REPORT WAS TO COVER THEIR ASS IN CASE SOMEONE LIKE MY NOSEY LITTLE SISTER INQUIRED. LOVE YOU AND YOU'RE MY BRIDESMAID WHEN I FINALLY CATCH MR. RIGHT.

FROM: COMMANDER SINCLAIR, STONE RING NIA
STATION CHIEF

Over the next two days the rest of the inquires came back. The inquires from the local governments were the same—wanting to know if the Navy was involved. In a sense, the responses to the killing were also similar—some connection to commando's bullets or equipment.

* * *

"Ma'am, a Colonel Pannell is here to see you, along with Captain Hoffman," Stamm said, peeking through the partially open door.

"Send them in," I said, and rose to meet them. When they entered, I walked up to Pannell and gave him a hug. Probably not professional, but it felt right. "Congratulations on your promotion. Grab something to drink and have a seat. Sorry Lynda, Paul and I share Purple Hearts from our times together."

"Commander…Anna is an exciting person to be around and she's more than qualified with that multifunctional weapon strapped to her side. Anna, Captain Hoffman is my second-in-command for this assignment. Can you tell us a bit about the…people you're chasing? Admiral Webb was short on details but long on what would happen if you got another Purple Heart." He choked out a laugh.

"Right now it's speculation. I suspect we have Hijackers operating in the UAS. Seven merchants have gone missing this year without a trace, which would indicate they aren't nice people." I gave them a wry smile. "There is no reason they’d know we know of their activities, since we are still collecting information. But when we start actively pursuing them, I believe they will react similarly to the Raiders."

"What makes you think they will find out the NIA is on to them?" Pannell asked.

"It feels very organized, which means an information network and lots of people involved, probably military or those with military connections."

"Lynda, that means Anna will be the prime target. And hijacking merchants' ships means big credits and lots of money to buy what they need to stop or slow down the investigation. Admiral Webb and I believe that means Anna, because of her critical involvement in the Smugglers’ and Raiders’ cases."

"Sounds exciting," Lynda said, smiling.

"No, Lynda. It will be a nightmare…" Pannell went on to talk about the attempts on Sinclair and me during the two cases. "The amount of credits involved means they can buy information and access. My advice—trust no one."

"There is one other potential problem. But I must swear you to secrecy," I said, and waited for Pannell and Hoffman to verbally agree. "I think we have an Assassins-for-hire club or society or organization in the fleet."

"You're serious?" Hoffman asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"She is and, as her teammates, Commanders Sinclair and Shrader told me frequently, they wouldn't wager against Anna's intuition. Nor would I," Pannell said, worry in his expression. "That will seriously complicate your security," Hoffman said quietly.

* * *

"I called for a day-early staff meeting when Cooper informed me she and Atkins had finished evaluating the seven missing merchants. Pannell and two Marines entered before me and took up positions around the room.

"Please sit. As you have all noticed, there is an increased Marine presence in the lobby and on this floor. Colonel Pannell is in charge of NIA security and his second-in-command is Captain Hoffman," I said but was interrupted before I could continue.

"Colonel Pannell, do you really think this extra security is necessary. We aren't even sure—" Newman said, making it clear what he thought by his expression.

"Commander Newman, Colonel Pannell and his people are not here to answer questions about their duties. If you wish to question the Marines’ involvement, I will allow you time to note your concerns. And because you report to me and I would not like to see your career flushed down the proverbial toilet, I won't mention to Admiral Webb that you think assigning NIA security was not one of his best decisions." I paused until I felt Newman's anger turn to caution. "Colonel Pannell and I hope this is going to be the most boring assignment of his long and distinguished career."

"The more boring the better, ma'am." He didn't smile, which surprised everyone except me.

"Cooper, you said you had a report on the seven missing ships."

"Yes, ma'am. Atkins and I researched each of the missing ships’ itineraries for the year, the type of products and services they tended to provide or trade, determined their home port, their last stop, and their intended next port of call. Atkins stood and a star map of the UAS appeared.

"We found the data tended to coalesce into three sections: Northern Rim to include Shadows Rest, Westar, Safe Harber, and Oasis; Middle Corridor to include Truth Star, Oxax, Fire Rock, Black Water, Holy Star, and Amend; and the Southern Rim to include Eastar, New Zheng, Stone Ring, Sutan, and Zaspa." He highlighted the areas as he talked. "Although I would have thought the merchants would have visited all of the UAS systems each year, the seven we tracked tended to trade predominately in the Northern Rim, even though their home systems were in the Middle Corridor. Ironically, each ship went missing after departing a Middle Corridor system on the way to a Northern Rim system."

Merchant

ship

Home

port

Last

stop

Planned

destination

Typical

Cargo

Hercule

Truth Star

Holy Star

Safe Harber

High tech

equipment

Easy Lady

Black Water

Oxax

Westar

People +

Baggage

Aladan

Amend

Fire Rock

Oasis

High credit

Luxury items

Deal Maker

Holy Star

Truth Star

Safe Harber

High credit

merchandise

Pegasus

Holy Star

Oxax

Oasis

Medical

Equipment

Free Spirit

Fire Rock

Oxax

Shadows Rest

Metals, gems

Pereus

Amend

Fire Rock

Westar

Military

equipment

"They could have been bad jumps, since the Northern Rim systems are at the edge of the UAS space," Newman said, a slight sneer on his angular face.

"Given they weren't all bad jumps, how were they stopped since they were traveling in a normal transit corridor and no wreckage was reported, and it doesn't make sense for Hijackers to destroy their intended prize?" I asked. "And they all look to have been carrying expensive cargo."

"A missile designated to explode close to the merchant's ship, or boarding via attack shuttles," Cooper said, her gaze down in thinking mode. "Or deception of some kind."

"That was good work. We now have a discernable pattern but are still missing critical facts to conjecture how the ships are stopped. So your next project is to determine the qualifications of the navigator and pilot in case Newman is correct and they made bad jumps. In addition, the offensive and defensive weapons the ship carried, the engines on each ship, and the total crew on board. It doesn't matter if these merchants were hijacked or not. Seven missing merchant ships mysteriously disappearing is a problem worth chasing. But if it is organized hijacking, we are a long way from stopping it. Right now we don't know how they identify a merchant to hijack."

"Random!" Newman loudly interjected.

"And you know this how?" I asked as I reached up to stroke Red, who had changed from my right to my left shoulder to better see the fool, Newman. I had to restrain a smile.

"It's obvious!"

"I don't know how Commander Wright oversaw the Eastar NIA office, but I'd prefer my people did not guess at the answers based on what appears obvious. The Hijackers may turn out to be selecting their targets on a random basis, and if we come to that conclusion it will be because we have information to support that conjecture." I met his eyes until he broke contact. "Now, Commander Newman, when am I going to get my briefing on the killing of Colonel Duarte?"

"Someone broke—" I held up my hand for him to stop.

"I believe I asked you for a formal presentation by the people who actually worked on the case. If you did all the work then you may continue, otherwise you will schedule the meeting with Master Chief Stamm." I looked at Stamm. "Master Chief, you will make sure Commanders Cooper and Atkins are available to attend." I smiled and rose. "Thank you. I feel we are making good progress."

* * *

"Paulus, since you didn't email me an update this week, am I to assume there is nothing new?" Lulltrel asked when everyone was seated. I reached up and stroked Red, wondering whether I should have updated her after my meeting. That seemed to relax me and I opened my tablet and connected it to the room monitors.

"Sorry, I feel we are making progress and am more confident that the issue needs to be investigated, but hesitant to positively say it's Hijackers. Here is what we knew as of two days ago…" I went on to show the chart Cooper and Atkins had put together. "I have asked two of my staff to look at the qualifications of the flight crew to eliminate accidental navigational errors, although I doubt that accounts for the missing ships. And to look at the ships offensive and defensive capabilities."

"Why?" Byrnes asked, frowning deep in thought.

"If the ships were hijacked, how were they stopped? An armed merchant is not going to submit to boarding by another armed merchant. We need to understand how they targeted the seven missing ships, how they captured them, and why no one saw or heard anything. Before we can hope to catch them, we need to understand their methodology. Right now I have no proof the ships were hijacked and no idea if there will be any more."

"It seems like you have a lot of information and could make a reasonable conjecture on what is likely to happen next," Hadley said, staring at the chart.

"If pressured, I'd say a merchant registered to a Middle Corridor Guild system will go missing on a jump to a Northern Rim system over the next couple of months. I don't know their criteria for selection, method of capturing the ship, how they get their information, or where they take it. Until we understand that we don't have a chance of stopping them."

Lulltrel laughed. "Like everyone except Paulus, I smelled blood and want a quick kill. But she's right. We need a lot more information. The question is—do we have enough information that I should brief Admiral Webb?" The question didn't seem directed at anyone specific.

"Ma'am, unless we have a significant break, I'd like to update you at our regular staff meeting. Perhaps you could suggest the same with Admiral Webb," I said, trying to establish what she would like from me. She nodded agreement.

"That's it for today. Paulus, stay. I have another matter for you." She waved dismissal and waited until everyone but Pannell had left. "Commander Newman has asked for a transfer to one of the NIA Offices, indicating he was ready to manage one. Since you are his immediate supervisor, I'd like your opinion."

I sat stunned and reached for Red, who had woven himself into my hair. "It would be based on very limited exposure…"

"I understand and will take that into account."

"Ma'am, if it were up to me, I would place him at a NIA office that had a full commander in charge for a six-month evaluation. I have nothing negative to say about Newman and, to be honest, my assignment has him frustrated, which is understandable. He has more time-in-grade that I do in service."

Lulltrel laughed. "I was worried about you for just that reason. But based on the way you have handled Newman, a senior lieutenant commander, you are going to do well. I would imagine part of his frustration is that he has been unable to rattle you. Given what I know, your evaluation is not only honest but fair, and I like your suggestion.

* * *

"Good morning, Commander Newman," I said as I entered my conference room.

"Commander Paulus, this is Lieutenant Veldez, who was in charge of the murder case of Colonel Duarte, and Petty Officer 1st Class Peters, who assisted," Newman said, sounding angry. Veldez was medium height and build with a crew cut hairstyle and a friendly looking round face. Peter looked ten years older, with a weather beaten face which looked apprehensive.

"Please begin," I said as I sat, and Stamm placed a cup of my coffee mixture in front of me.

"How would you like me to proceed?" Veldez asked, now looking nervous. "Just walk me through from the time you arrived at the scene of the incident—what you saw, who you talked to, what they said, your thoughts and conclusions. Just like you were writing a novel. I'm not questioning your results or conclusions. I'm merely trying to understand this case as it may relate to another." That seemed to relax Veldez and Peters.

"Ma'am, it was morning when we arrived at Colonel Durate's home. The maid found him lying on the floor of his home office when she arrived to clean the house. The floor was soaked with blood, indicating he had been killed in the room. The room looked to have been searched and the wall safe was open and empty. On the surface, it looked like a robbery gone bad." Veldez looked to Peters.

"I talked to the neighbors but nobody saw anything. I followed up with the coroner. She said he had been stabbed in the heart with a commando-style knife. Death was instantaneous."

"Defensive wounds?"

"No, ma'am," Veldez said after reviewing his notebook.

"Restraining bruises, marks?"

"Not sure, ma'am—"

"The case has been closed—" Newman interrupted Peters in midsentence.

"Commander Newman, you may feel that I don't know what I'm doing, but I'd appreciate it if you would keep your opinion to yourself. After working hours you are free to share your thoughts with whomever you wish." When Newman remained quiet, I continued. "Peters, please continue."

"Ma'am, the coroner didn't mention any but, to be honest, it appears to be a clear case of robbery, and with no witnesses, everyone appeared in a hurry to close the case. The police had a list of a couple of items stolen and promised to notify us if any were found."

"Do you have the list?"

"Yes, ma'am." He spent a few minutes reviewing his notes before speaking. "Several lasers and multifunctional guns the colonel kept in a case. It had been smashed to get at the weapons."

"No other items in the house?"

"No, ma'am. Nothing."

"You interviewed no one at his work?"

"No, ma'am. I was told it wasn't necessary."

When I glanced at Newman his face was red with anger. He wanted to interrupt but knew he was dangerously close to conduct unbecoming an officer.

"Do you know what Navy cruisers were in port that week?"

"Are you insinuating that Marines—"

"Colonel Pannell, clear the room of everyone except Commander Newman," I said loud enough to be heard over Newman's outburst. Newman's face went stony white as Pannell went into action. Within seconds only he remained.

"I understand that working for a woman who has less time in service than you have in grade can appear unfair and cause you to wonder what the brass were thinking. I can understand you would be frustrated and even angry, but why at me? I didn't promote myself nor request to be assigned to the Eastar NIA station. I can understand you could be mad at Lulltrel or Webb or some anonymous admiral." When Newman remained quiet, I continued. "The question I have for you is: are you just stupid or are you actually unfit to hold a commission?" I sat and took a sip of my coffee while I awaited his response.

"What do you mean?" He was still angry but the urge to lash out was gone.

"You have been looking for a fight with your superior officer which, by definition, you can't win. And a few minutes ago you were one word away from conduct unbecoming an officer, a court-martial offense, which could result in a reduction in rank, if not prison time. You were on the verge of attacking me, which Colonel Pannell would not have liked."

Newman sat quietly for a long time. I got up and mixed another cup of coffee and milk to give him time to think over the situation. Finally, he stood.

"Commander Paulus, I owe you an apology. You are right. I've been acting stupid. And you have every right to see me disciplined."

I waved him to sit. "Newman, I'm not mad at you, or want to see you punished, or seeking revenge. I can understand your frustration and your request for a transfer. I told Admiral Lulltrel I had nothing negative to say about you and hadn't worked with you long enough to give a fair evaluation. I'm just trying to keep you from ruining your career over something neither you nor I have any control."

"Thank you, ma'am. I mean that. You will have no more trouble…rather, you will have my full cooperation from now on."

"Good. Colonel Pannell, would you mind letting everyone know we are ready to continue?" When everyone was settled, I continued like we had never stopped. "Veldez, would you and Peters revisit the coroner to determine if he had defensive wounds or could have been restrained, look over your notes to determine if there might have been multiple assailants, and determine which Navy cruisers were in ports during the period of Duarte's murder? As I explained to Commander Newman, I have additional information that was not available when his group conducted the investigation. Thank you for the presentation."

* * *

"Ma'am, did you have Colonel Pannell beat Newman into submission? He has been as meek as a lamb since the meeting. The way he has been acting, no one could blame you," Stamm said several days later when we were alone. "You even scared me, and that's not easy to do."

"I was upset at what I might have to do."

"What, throw Newman out the conference room window?" He laughed then sobered. "Bring him up on charges. He would have deserved it."

"Truth be told, Master Chief, I'm as frustrated as he is at being coerced into the position of Eastar NIA Station Chief."

"I think you'll find most everyone thinks you belong here. I do."

* * *

"How are you adjusting to your new position?" Alexa asked at dinner, concern in her voice.

"Master Chief Stamm says people believe I belong as station chief and I feel comfortable around my peers, and Lulltrel has been supportive…"

"Seems to me you are settling in better than expected. Master Chiefs aren't ones to tell you what you want to hear."

"I'm afraid people like me because it appears I'm on the trail of Hijackers, and if it turns out I'm wrong…they may be just unexplainable anomalies."

"You're doing what Lulltrel wants you to do, look for anomalies and check them out. No one else is looking. You are forgetting the philosophy that's helped you survive."

"I'm worrying about the future." I nodded.

"You've taught me to enjoy each day and not worry about the future, and I find life far more enjoyable. I have a daughter who is the love of my life, and together we can handle anything life throws at us." She put her arm around me and pulled me close. With that, my worries melted away.

CHAPTER FOUR

Eastar: No Longer Anomalies

"Good morning,” I said as I entered the room. To my surprise, a group discussion was in progress. Normally the room was quiet, with each person sitting or standing alone. They dispersed with cheerful "good morning," or "morning ma'am," and everyone looked in a good mood. The thought crossed my mind I had entered the wrong room or was at the wrong meeting, but the people present were my staff. Even Pannell looked relaxed as I sat. I waited to take a sip of the coffee Stamm put in front of me, just to make sure I wasn't daydreaming.

"Newman, if you would begin," I said and crossed my fingers and ankles as Red wound around my neck and faced him.

"Yes, ma'am. Veldez and Peters spoke to the coroner, who took a closer look at her report. Her report did notice some bruises on the body, which could have been someone restraining the colonel, but she doesn't have the body so she can't be sure. They also checked the ports records. There were two Navy cruisers in port during that period, the Boreas and Laelaps." He went on to explain his current cases. Atkins was next and then Cooper. When she finished her weekly report she hesitated, and then turned on the monitors.

"Ma'am Newman, Atkins, and I split up the missing cruisers." She paused, waiting for me to comment.

"Good idea," I said and managed not to smile.

"I took the Alandan and Pereus, as they were both out of Amend, and the Free Spirit out of Fire Rock. Atkins took the Deal Maker and Pegasus as they were out of Holy Star. And Newman took the Hercule out of Truth Star and the Easy Lady out of Black Water." She tapped on her tablet and a matrix appeared:

Merchant

ship

Navigational

crew

Engines

ECM

Weapons

Hercule

Exp: 10 years +

Team: 5 +

Excellent

Very Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

Easy Lady

Exp: 15 years +

Team: 9 +

Excellent

Very Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

Aladan

Exp: 13 years +

Team: 7 +

Very Good

Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

Deal Maker

Exp: 7 years +

Team: 3 +

Very Good

Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

Pegasus

Exp: 12 years +

Team: 12 +

Good

Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

Free Spirit

Exp: 8 years +

Team: 4 +

Excellent

Very Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

Pereus

Exp: 11 years +

Team: 11 +

Excellent

Very Good

Missiles: 2

Lasers: 30cm

"Frank, you want to go first?" Cooper asked, using Newman's first name. He stood.

"Thank you, Shirley. The Hercule and Easy Lady didn't have a navigational problem, based on their bridge crews. They were all licensed in their positions. The captain, navigator, and pilot on the Hercule each had ten or more years of experience at their positions and had been working as a team for five years. They were experienced and had previously made thirty-five jumps to Safe Harber over the past several years. And as the chart shows, they had top-of-the-line engines and ECM, and were armed with missiles and lasers. They wouldn't have allowed even a well-armed merchant to board them without a fight and screaming for help. I think your suspicions are well founded, ma'am," he said and sat.

"Chuck," Cooper said, and Atkins stood and talked about his two merchants.

"I agree with Frank and I think this is going to be an interesting case." When he sat, Cooper rose and went through her three merchants.

"Ma'am, we all agree you're a witch—a good witch. You knew right from the beginning what to look for." She blushed slightly.

"Thank you, that was excellent work, individually and as a team. And a lot of hard work and overtime to finish this quickly. I need to brief Admiral Lulltrel, but I believe this will be designated as a project. If it is, I will call for a meeting with you to discuss the project and the next steps." I turned to Stamm. "Master Chief, would you see if Lulltrel will see me at her earliest convenience? Tell her I have an update."

* * *

"At ease, Paulus. I'm told you have an update for me." Lulltrel waved toward the two chairs, indicating she was in a hurry.

"Yes, ma'am. My team has eliminated any doubt that the missing merchants might have had a bad jump. Their research indicates each merchants had made thirty or more jumps to the system where they went missing, and that the bridge crew were all experienced and had been together for many years."

"And you are recommending?"

"We make it an official project, code name…Rabbit," I blurted.

"Why Rabbit, Paulus?" Why not Tiger, or Dragon, or something strong, menacing?"

"A rabbit suggests caution, which I believe will be necessary. If these are Hijackers, they are merciless and caution will be necessary." I smiled. "And Rabbit doesn’t give any hint as to the project's objective. I think the Hijackers are well connected and I'd rather they didn't know we were on to them until the last minute." I thought they would be much like the Raiders, vicious killers who would try to eliminate any threat.

Lulltrel nodded. "I'll talk to Admiral Webb. He isn't going to be happy." She laughed. "In fact, stay available. You might as well share the experience with me since you discovered the bad news."

* * *

Back in my office, I had barely sat down when Stamm knocked and entered. "Ma'am, Admiral Lulltrel wants you to join her on the twenty-first floor." He was frowning. "That's Admiral Webb's domain."

"Admiral Lulltrel wants me to deliver the bad news. She wants to make sure Admiral Webb doesn't kill the messenger." I smiled as Stamm's frown deepened. "Not to worry, Master Chief, I have Red to protect me," I said as I headed for the elevator. In the elevator I stroked Red, who was on my shoulder and seemed interested by his changing positions. When I exited, Lulltrel waved from down the hallway. When I got there, a commander was holding the door open. We entered, braced to attention, and saluted.

"Well, Paulus, the news must not be good since my NIA Chief brought you along to deliver it."

"Sir, as you are aware, my team has been looking into reports of missing merchant ships. A review of last year revealed eight, seven of which were unexplained. Further review indicates the Bridge crews on those merchants were knowledgeable of the area, having made many similar jumps, had good ships, and experienced Bridge crews."

"And you believe?"

"It appears to me that it is highly probable that the merchants were hijacked."

"Without a trace?"

"Yes, sir. Without a call for help, no debris, no unusual sightings, and no survivors," I said. Webb's eyes narrowed as he looked from me to Lulltrel.

"My NIA Chief brought you because she doesn't want conjecture on what that could mean. But my Eastar NIA Station Chief might, since she hasn't learned adult speak yet." He gave me a questioning look.

"No, sir. I'm working on it but it's difficult for a woman who still lives at home with her mother."

Webb laughed. "You can always claim Red made you do it," he said and nodded for me to continue.

"I have no proof, but all the indications—no trace of the missing ships or their crew, all the merchant ships went missing while jumping to one of four systems we are calling the Northern Rim, all the missing ships did most of their trading in the Rim, and all were registered in the Middle Corridor—suggesting cruisers supported by an extensive support network—"

"The fucking UAS committee is going to love this and blame me, either for not discovering it sooner or letting it happen, and demand I protect all—" He stopped shouting and looked to me.

"Four hundred thirty-one," I said.

He frowned. "Your red-headed companion doesn't appear agitated by my shouting."

"No, sir. He only gets agitated when I'm threatened. He obviously doesn't believe I'm being threatened."

"You're not. My problem is I've got damn good people reporting to me. If Admiral Lulltrel hadn't the wisdom to coerce you into becoming the Eastar NIA Station Chief and expanding your responsibilities, we probably wouldn't have known we had a problem for years." He crossed over and poured a cup of coffee and waved for Lulltrel and me to do the same."

"Sir, Paulus has suggested we identify a project team and given the project the designation, Rabbit—"

Webb choked on the coffee he was sipping, spraying it several feet. "Rabbit?"

"For caution, sir. She wants to keep the project and the team members a secret for as long as possible. She feels they are vicious killers and well connected," Lulltrel added quickly. Webb sat silent for a long time.

"Commander Paulus, I will get you P1A authority and any team members you feel will need it. Your only priority is project…Rabbit." He shook his head in disbelief.

* * *

The room was subdued as each section chief recapped their weekly activities. When Cooper finished, she coughed for attention.

"Ma'am there is a rumor that you had a meeting with Admiral Webb. If it isn't a secret…" she paused, leaving the question hanging.

"It can't be much of a secret if everyone in the room, plus the rumor mill, knows it," I said, hiding my amusement. "Yes, Admiral Lulltrel took me along to explain what you have discovered. He was pleased with your findings and holds you responsible for stopping the hijacking." The look on their faces was priceless—wide-eyed shock and mouths hanging open. I said nothing for several minutes. "All right, I'll help," I said, which eventually produced smiles and laughs. "The project name is Rabbit—"

"Why Rabbit?" Newman asked, looking puzzled.

"Rabbits are cautious and what we are going to be for as long as possible. The minute the Hijackers hear a NIA team is searching for them, they are going to try to eliminate the team."

"Commander," Pannell said, surprising me. I nodded.

"The minute these people hear Commander Paulus is heading the team, she will be on a Dead-or-Alive poster. Last time it reached two million credits and they raided the NIA headquarters in Oxax. They would have killed the team as well as Commodore Stauffer and Admiral Rawls if Commander Paulus hadn't killed several and warned the building. Everyone connected with the project will be in danger," Pannell said.

"That is why I want each of you to consider long and hard whether you want to participate in project Rabbit," I said, looking each in the eye.

"I'm in," Cooper said almost immediately. She looked excited and ready to start work.

"Me too," Newman said. "I withdrew my transfer request. I told Admiral Lulltrel I still had much to learn and thought you were the person to do it. So if you don't mind…"

"I'd be pleased to have you on the team, Commander Newman."

"Count me in," Atkins said, smiling. "But only if you are going to help."

Everyone laughed and the room became quiet.

"At Admiral Lulltrel's staff meeting, project Rabbit was proclaimed NIA's highest priority and restricted on a need-to-know. We want, we get. For now, the Rabbit Project team is my staff. We will add resources as we determine we need them. Talking about it outside the need-to-know circle could get you prison time. This is a P1A project."

"Wow," Cooper said. "What's next, ma'am?"

"First, we aren't going to stop the Hijackers quickly. If I'm right, they have a very sophisticated operation and it could take years to understand it enough to break it. So patience will be required. We will continue to meet once a week but will expand the staff meeting to all afternoon. For the next week, I want you to consider how the Hijackers are managing to stop merchants who are well armed and know Raiders are likely to kill them and steal the ship if they board. Consider how you would go about it if you had unlimited funds and connections."

* * *

"Well, Daughter, how is the Eastar NIA Station Chief doing with her new responsibilities? You don't appear to have brought any work home."

"Mother… I'm afraid I'm involved in another high-profile project." I felt like crying. I had caused Alexa enough stress and worry over the years, and I was going to do it again. She got off the couch and came and sat next to me, wrapping her arms around me.

"Anna, I've come to the conclusion that is what you were meant to do and the reason Red sought you out. And I've learned to get the most out of each day and not worry about tomorrow. I have a daughter who is the love of my life and life is wonderful. We'll deal with tomorrow when it comes, not before."

"I'd resign before I'd hurt you," I said, meaning it with all my heart.

"I know and it's what makes you so special… So Webb has approved your quest?"

"When I told Lulltrel what we had found she took me to see…" I went on to explain our meeting with Webb. "So the first step is to determine how you get an armed merchant ship to stop to let pirates board."

"You think they want the ship?" Alexa asked. I nodded.

"Although each ship had a cargo worth stealing, I believe their primary target was the ship. Those ships can cost in the neighborhood of a billion credits. The cargo is icing on the cake."

"That means disabling the ship isn't an option." Alexa sat quietly for some time. "Unarmed merchants would probably stop if you exploded a missile or two close enough to rattle them, but I doubt armed merchants would stop for anything less than a military-armed cruiser. Better to take your chances in a fight. Nothing to gain by letting them board."

"But they apparently did because there was no debris or indication of a battle in the lanes the merchant ships would have been using. And no one reported an armed ship threatening them. The ship had literally disappeared and the reason the Navy hasn't gotten involved."

"You have a real mystery, Commander Paulus. Let me know when you figure it out." She laughed.

* * *

I sat with Red lying on my forehead, looking at the responses to my inquiry as to the Navy cruisers in port during the time of the murders where military weapons or equipment were reportedly involved.  Unfortunately, the space gods weren't helping because as many as three cruisers were in port during several of the incidents.

System

Date / Incident

Ships in Port

Eastar

12/5 / Col Duarte. Robbery? Marine-like knife.

1) Scylla, Ceto,

Typhon

Shadows Rest

7/20 / Morris Owen. Robbery? Marine ammo

1) Boreas,

Black Water

4/11 / Ernesto Riuz. ? Marine-like knife

1) Boreas, Uramis, Sparta

Stone Ring

1) ** (3/18) Kelvin Montgomery CEO of a shipping company. Unknown. Marine ammo.

1) Lapis, Ceto,

Vulcan

Westar

1) ** (1/23) Jonnie Lyons, Fight? Killed with a knife unique to the airborne marines

1) Hecate,

Romulus

The only glimmer of hope was that the Ceto appeared twice. The bad news, if I were correct, was more than one ship was involved—at least four. I concluded I needed more information but was unsure how to get it. I couldn't just ask for all the murders over the past year. There had to be hundreds, and even if a Navy brotherhood of murderers existed, they wouldn't have committed them all. Even Red was disgusted and had disappeared into my sleeve over an hour ago.

"Ma'am, time for your staff meeting," Stamm said, breaking into my brooding.

"Thanks, Carl." I rose and headed for the conference room. Everyone was there, looking eager to start. I sat. "Who has solved the riddle—why do you stop for pirates to board when you are armed and you know it could mean death?"

"Maybe they convinced the merchant they only wanted their cargo," Newman said.

"That would imply a mercenary ship armed like a war ship," Atkins said.

"A couple of explosions close enough to show they were serious," Cooper said.

"These merchants were well armed. Why would mercenaries target them?" I asked.

"Because of the merchandise," Atkins said.

"But it had to be the ship they were after, since all seven are missing," I said. "So attacking it doesn't make sense. Besides, once you attempt to seize it you can't stop, otherwise it would have been reported as an attempted piracy," I said. "And as far as we know, no ships were destroyed. Conclusion, they get on board."

"What if they have crew on board to take over?" Cooper said.

"That would work, but that would mean new crew and more than one. Certainly worth looking into," I said. "As my old team used to say, there are no bad ideas just ones that don't work out. I think we should also look at missing merchants for the previous year." I wondered how long the current group had been active.

"What if someone tampered with their ship, causing it to have problems? Then when another merchant came along and offered to help?" Newman asked. "If it lost power…"

"That's also possible. Easier than adding crew," I said.

"Or maybe bribe one crew member to do something to cause an emergency," Cooper said, eyes bright with excitement.

"All Right, your next assignments. I'll have Commander Hadley run a list of those merchants’ activities for the year before last. Cooper, have Lieutenant Cintron run his program and give the four of you the results. The three of you, check out new crew on the missing ships and any maintenance performed within three months of the ships’ last jump. Don't worry about finishing everything. I'd prefer quality over speed. We can't know which information is critical and which isn't, so we have to treat it all as potentially important."

* * *

"Hi, Teresa, do you have a moment? I'd like you to run a search for me," I said when her face appeared on my tablet. She was smiling.

"Give me half an hour, then come over. I'll make sure I have enough milk here for your coffee." She laughed and disconnected. I spent the time mulling over my killing problem. If there were a Navy person or persons providing services, what could those services include? Killing, smuggling, stealing, and selling information were the logical choices. But what kind of a search could I get that would differentiate between normal civilian criminal activity and Naval personnel involvement? Mercifully my timer chimed and I took off for Hadley's office. Her senior chief waved for me to enter as I approached. I knocked and entered.

"Thanks for seeing me so quickly, Teresa."

"You're NIA's highest priority and we are all looking forward to helping. What can I do for you?"

"I'd like you to run the same search as before, but for the two prior years. I'm interested in determining how long this group has been operating in UAS space. I'd also like crew and maintenance records…"

"Sorry. Our database doesn't include that kind of information. You would have to get that from the space stations and the guilds.  What are you looking for?"

"How the hijacker got on board the merchants' ships." I spent an hour recapping our discussions and possible scenarios.

"So you have to eliminate each one until you find one that the information supports," Hadley said while worrying her lip.

"You don’t keep track of civilian crimes, do you?" I asked, still looking for a way to pursue the killing incidents.

"No." She frowned at me.

"Can you run me a listing of all the military cruisers and their layovers?"

"Yes, but why?" Her frown deepened.

"I don't know why I want it but I'm sure it's important." I shrugged and Hadley stared at me for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

"Does…Red do that often?" she asked. When I gave her a blank look, she continued. "Peek out of your blouse and look around?"

"To be honest, after all these years I hardly notice him moving around."

She laughed long and hard. "Sorry, I was imagining some eager young man sticking his hand down your blouse." She sobered. "Sorry, Anna. I can see how Red could be a problem."

I left sometime later after Teresa shared some stories of her earlier career and meeting her husband. And I learned she had two children—boys in their early teens.

* * *

My next two staff meetings didn't produce any new ideas, and my staff hadn't completed their review. It took time to contact each Merchants' Guild and the space stations the merchants had stopped at to determine if there had been any maintenance performed.

"How is your new position going, Mother?" I asked at dinner.

"It is almost like your Oxax team hours. Judge Appleton has a meeting of the judges once a week to make assignments, I meet with the other two judges for an hour to vote on the cases we have been assigned, and we have an appeal scheduled now and then. Other than that I'm free, which is most of every day. The work is mostly reading the trial records to ascertain whether the appeal is justified, and on occasion writing a majority or minority opinion. It's funny. Our working hours at Oxax have been reversed." She smiled. "But I'm enjoying the change and finding the appeal process and the cases interesting."

"I'm glad. I would hate to think I dragged you away from Oxax and the work was boring, or worse yet, uninteresting," I said. "What about the people you work with?"

"I like my staff. They're a good bunch. The judges vary. We are a cross section of the UAS. Two of us are ex-Navy." She was quiet for a while as she ate. "What about you, Daughter?"

"It's been easier than I had thought and confirms my get the most out of each day philosophy during my growing up years is less stressful. No more future surfing. It's one day at a time," I said as we left for the front room. "Mother, what would you do if you were a merchant and a war cruiser hailed you to stand by for boarding?"

"I assume you mean a foreign cruiser?" she asked, frowning in thought, "and I'm an armed merchant with good engines?"

"30 to 50 centimeter lasers, two missile tubes, ECM, and top-of-the-line commercial engines."

"I think I'd start by running, then a skip or two, and if that doesn't work--pretend to comply but look for an opportunity to use my lasers and missiles. Of course, I'm an ex--Navy captain." She gave me a crooked smile.

"True, but do you think seven seasoned merchant captains would all capitulate?" I asked, as an idea began forming. Even Red seemed interested, perched on my shoulders with his head pointing in Alexa's direction.

"No. There can be no good outcome facing a foreign cruiser. The odds of eluding it may be poor, but allowing them to board would be certain death. Even if they only wanted your cargo, they wouldn't want the UAS Navy to know they were in the area. And the ship would be worth more than the cargo."

"That was my conclusion."

* * *

At my next staff meeting everyone look cheerful, even Red, as he wrapped around my neck and looked around the table.

"Good afternoon," I said as I sat.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," they replied in unison.

"You look very satisfied with yourselves," I said and couldn't help a smile.

"Yes, ma'am. We've finished reviewing the maintenance records and checking out the crew records," Cooper said and nodded to Newman.

"Chuck and I checked each system the merchants visited for two months prior to their disappearance. Only two merchants had any work done, the Aladan and Perseus, and both were routine maintenance," Newman said and nodded to Cooper.

"I checked out each of their registered guilds and only the Free Spirit and Hercule had added new crew members in the last year, and they were lower level positions. Of course, we won't know if they added crew since their last home visit… I did check with the guilds on the systems they visited over the past two months, and none reported a posting or crew positions from any of the missing merchants. And Lieutenant Cintron ran his software against Commander Hadley's new scans. One merchant went missing three years ago. Newman verified it was due to a retirement. Three went missing two years ago. Atkins verified one ship went to salvage. The other two appear to me missing without explanation. And the missing merchants were out of the Middle Corridor and went missing on jumps to Northern Rim systems."

"Well done. That was a lot of work in a short period of time," I said, pleased that we were slowly eliminating possible, if remote, scenarios.

"But that leaves us at a dead end!" Cooper said, looking dejected.

"No. We have eliminated the logical causes so…" I paused, awaiting a response.

"The solution must be illogical," Atkins said, the laugh lines of his round face active.

"Correct. We agree a well-armed merchant couldn't succeed in stopping the missing ships because they would have fought. In that case, at least two or three would have escaped." I waited until everyone nodded agreement.

"What if a foreign war cruiser approached and demanded they cut power?" I asked. The subsequent discussion lasted for over an hour but the unanimous conclusion in the end was that most would have tried to escape, hence one or more would have escaped or some crew survived or wreckage discovered.

"We've eliminated everything," Newman said to nodding heads.

"No. We're being thorough and eliminating all the logical choices…or rather all the choices that seem logical to us. Obviously, the Hijackers have found a choice we have failed to consider because we feel it is illogical." Blank faces stared back at me.

"What would a merchant do if an UAS Cruiser hailed them, demanding to board?"

"They would have no choice…but an UAS Cruisers wouldn't…couldn't…" several were quick to reply.

"Yes, seemingly illogical." I paused to let them consider the scenario.

"A warship appearing to be an UAS Cruiser!" Cooper shouted. "Sorry, ma'am."

"I think you have proved that is a logical scenario after having eliminated the more likely causes," I said. "And a reasonable premise to proceed on. Furthermore, I think we can conclude that the Hijackers began operations two years ago. What's next?" I asked. Blank looks stared back at me. I laughed. "That's your assignment for next week. Who are they targeting, why, under what conditions? We have to know that plus much more before we can hope to stop them. You have made good progress but we have barely scratched the surface. This process can't be rushed."

* * *

I waited for Lulltrel's staff meeting, which was the next day, to report our progress. Our hypothesis wasn't a major breakthrough, just progress, and didn't require action. Although I think Lulltrel wanted my report first, she went around the room in her same order—Byrnes, Leyva, Hadley, and then me. Byrnes reported he had developed a Smugglers’ Case exercise and was working on a Raiders’ Case one with me. Leyva reported he was working with Byrnes and me and was testing the puzzles on his people.

"So far they are still working on the WavCom messages, and they know what they are looking for. Great practice," Leyva concluded. "But I'm afraid it's damaged a few egos. Hadley mentioned she had run two scans for me—one for merchant ship activity for the two subsequent years, and one for UAS Cruisers last year. Lulltrel gave me a questioning look.

"You've been busy, Paulus. Any results?"

"I think my team has eliminated all of the logical causes for the ships to have gone missing and the logical ways of convincing a well-armed merchant with good propulsion systems to stop for boarding—boarding is a reasonable conclusion since the ships are missing and no wreckage or crew has turned up."

"All right, I'll take the bait. How do you get an armed merchant to allow you to board his ship?"

"By appearing to be a UAS Cruiser," I said to stunned looks.

"You're joking," Lulltrel said, glaring at me. "You're not!" She sat silently for what seemed like an eternity, drumming her fingers on the table. Everyone was staring at me. Red lay with his head on my shoulder, facing Lulltrel, as if awaiting her response. "Admiral Webb is not going to be happy, foreign warships in UAS space acting like UAS Cruisers and hijacking merchants. Paulus, you've just scored a trifecta—you've hit Admiral Webb's top three nightmares." She gave me a crooked smile. "This should be interesting. Stay close. I imagine the admiral will want to see us immediately." She rose and exited the room. When she did, the three commanders came over to me.

"That was a real bombshell, Paulus," Hadley said and laughed. "You've really livened up NIA Headquarters."

"I'd love to hear Webb's response but not enough to deliver the message. Worse yet, you aren't the messenger, you're the author," Leyva said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry, Norman. I imagine you will be able to hear his response, along with several of the floors below us." Byrnes grinned.

"Ignore these clowns, Paulus. Lulltrel wouldn’t take you if she didn't think Webb wouldn't be calmer hearing from you than her." Teresa started to put her arm around me but stopped only inches away when she saw Red's head turn in her direction. She laughed. "Well, Anna, we know Webb can't strangle you."

* * *

"Seeing as you brought Commander Paulus along with you, I assume you aren't bringing me cheery news," Webb said after returning our salutes. "Grimes, get us something to drink," he said and turned to me. "How is your new assignment going, Paulus? I understand you weren't excited to come here."

"Much better than I expected, sir," I said as Red appeared and wound around my neck with his head facing Webb.

"That snake…Red, is quite fascinating. He seems almost interested in what is happening." Webb stared back at Red and laughed. "Admirals don't appear to intimidate him."

"I know I'm prejudiced after all these years, but I agree. I put it down to our symbiotic relationship. When he's bored he disappears into my clothes."

"He has bitten several people, I understand."

"Yes, sir. But each time I was being physically attacked," I said as Grimes entered and placed a cup next to each of us.

"All right, give me the bad news." He picked up his cup and relaxed back into the chair.

"Sir, my team… I went on to explain the work we had done to date and what I thought it meant. He was quiet long enough to finish his drink.

"I agree." He stood and walked over to his desk, retrieved a card, and handed it to me. "P1A Authority. And I assume you will need to travel." He paused.

"Probably, sir. I don't believe they are hijacking random merchants, based on the information we have collected to date. That means a sophisticated information collecting organization. If that is correct, the key to stopping them is understanding their system."

"How many cruisers do you think they have?"

"I'm guessing, but more than one and maybe as many as four."

"Why."

"Because they are targeting merchants heading for one of the four Northern Rim systems."

"So you will need a squadron or two to eliminate them," he said almost to himself. He stood, ending the meeting. "Good work, Lulltrel. Keep me informed."

"That went far easier than I imagined. You have a calming effect on Webb. Are you upset he complimented me and not you?"

"No, ma'am. I not only understand, but I prefer being treated as part of the team rather than separate."

CHAPTER FIVE

Eastar: Complications

"Ma'am, there is an Appellate Judge Appleton on the phone," Stamm said, looking worried. "He said it concerned your mother."

"Forward it to me," I said, knowing it couldn't be good. Appleton was the senior judge and he wouldn't be calling if something weren't wrong.

"Commander Paulus?" a male voice asked.

"Yes, I'm Commander Paulus," I said, having an urge to cross my fingers but instead grabbed Red, who wound around my arm. I brought him to my cheek and whispered a prayer to whoever might be listening.

"I'm sorry to inform you that your mother fell down a flight of stairs and is in critical condition. They took her to the Eastar Medical Center," The voice said.

"Thank you," I mumbled as I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

"Where are we going?" asked Staff Sergeant Rodriquez, the senior Marine on my present security detail, as he and a corporal fell in behind me.

"The Eastar Medical Center. My mother had an accident," I said as I stood waiting for the elevator to arrive, nervously tapping my foot and tempted to use the stairs, but my rational mind knew the stairs would take longer. When the door opened, I rushed in and hit lobby and then immediately the close door button. The elevator seemed in slow motion, and I had the irrational urge to jump up and down to force it to move faster. Fortunately, the lobby had only a few people entering and the exit line was empty, which I ran through, ignoring Navy security. At the bottom of the steps an Eastar taxi waited. I yanked open the door and stepped inside. As I did, the taxi accelerated, throwing me into the seat, causing the door to slam shut, and leaving my security at the curb. Stupid, stupid, stupid, I screamed mentally. Ready, Fire, Aim, I chided myself. I felt Red exiting my jacket and relaxed—panic kills. I drew my multifunctional weapon and shot at the window separating the passenger seat from the driver. Nothing. A few scratches when the pellets hit. I tried the side windows with similar results and switched to laser. Nothing. I sat trying to think when a fog appeared from behind me—gas. The last thing I remembered was thinking, panic does kill.

* * *

The pain in my head was so intense I couldn't focus my vision, but I saw movement and reached for my weapon…my holster was gone… I was in bed… I swung my legs over the side and collapsed when I tried to stand and instinctively realized Red wasn't on me. Laying there sobbing, I realized I was in a hospital. I made no attempt to move and wondered if I were contagious yet.

"Anna." I recognized Renata's voice, confirming my worst fear. "Are you hurt?" she asked as she came and knelt next to me. I laughed. What difference did it make?

"I don't think so. Am I contagious?"

"Anna, let's get you into bed so I can look at you. No, you're not contagious. You and Red have only been separated for a few hours." Renata helped me back into bed. "Colonel, give me a few minutes."

When I looked up I saw Pannell nod and reluctantly leave the room, with two Marines following. Neither Renata nor I talked as she gave me a thorough examination.

"You were gassed with a fentanyl derivative, a powerful and dangerous knockout gas. I assume the thieves intended to knock out you and Red. You couldn't fight and Red would be easy to handle," Renata said as she finished.

"What about the driver?" I asked, seeming clever and stupid at the same time.

"The passenger area was sealed from the front cabin, more or less, and the driver drove with his front windows open. I assume the rendezvous area was only a few miles ahead where he would meet the rest of the gang, collect Red, and take off in another vehicle."

"You said, would meet."

"Red apparently found or created an area to slip through into the driver's area…and killed him. That caused a minor accident and traffic jam. Fortunately, the police found you before the thieves. They called the number on your bracelet before they realized Red was in the taxi, or they probably would have shot him."

"Where is Red? Is he all right?" I searched the room but didn't see him.

"He's fine, Anna. I wanted to look him over to make sure he didn't need attention. The gas they used can potentially kill. I've kept him isolated from you to make sure he didn't drink your blood until the drug is out of your system."

I lay back, relieved. I worried more about Red dying than me, and not because his death would mean mine.

When I woke it was early morning, judging by the dim light coming through the windows and lack of activity. Mother sat in a chair with her head lying on my bed and holding my hand—which Red was wrapped around. I squeezed and her eyes flew open.

"Sorry, Mother. I was stupid," I said.

"It's sounds like an extremely clever trap," she said. "I know if I heard you had been hurt I would have been in a rush to get to you and not thinking clearly. We will have to devise some way to verify…the authenticity of such calls."

"The caller said he was Judge Appleton. The image I saw looked authentic," I said, thinking back. "Of course, I wasn't looking at the image after I heard you were hurt. I was rushing to leave."

Pannell's voice surprised me. I hadn't noticed him in the room. "I'm considering posting a security guard on your mother when you aren't together. That way your security can verify with the other guard whether or not reports of her status are accurate."

"And I need to think before I act," I said, voicing what I was sure he was thinking.

"One can't always be in control of their emotions. Your mother and you are very close. In this case it wouldn't have mattered if your security jumped in the taxi with you. Only knowing the call was fake would have helped," Pannell said. I nodded. "Interesting that…Red attacked the driver."

The implication was clear. How? Can you direct him?

"Red appears to know when I'm being attacked and defends me. I put it down to our symbiotic relationship. Maybe he can sense or feel my fear." I laughed. "You'll have to ask him because he refuses to talk to me."

Pannell's lip twitched in amusement. "You and Red have many…talents," he said, almost to himself.

* * *

I was back at work the next day and held my normal staff meeting. Cooper was first to speak. "Ma'am, are you all right? We heard someone tried to kidnap you. Was that related to the project?"

"No. It turns out that red-headed kraits can keep the Coaca Virus in check. And at the present time there are less than twenty in research facilities. No one knows how many exist on the Black Market, but their estimated value is in the neighborhood of two hundred fifty thousand credits. That is a significant incentive for thieves and more to someone with the virus. Yesterday thieves attempted to steal Red… I went on to explain what happened.

"So you will die if Red is killed?" Atkins asked.

"Yes. To me Red is a critical organ…like my heart." I decided to change the subject. "The Hijackers are also very clever. Does anyone have any ideas on how their system might work?"

"Based on the ships they have hijacked so far, I think they are targeting specific merchants," Newman said, looking around the table.

"Definitely," Cooper said. "For one thing, none of the merchants were registered in the Northern Rim or even the Southern Rim."

"But they primarily did business in the Northern Rim," Atkins said. "And were hijacked while jumping to a Northern Rim system."

"And that implies?" I asked. The room became quiet while everyone sat gazing off into space or working on a tablet. I had an idea but didn't want to stop them thinking. They may have had an idea I hadn't thought of.

"Seems like it would be easier to select the merchants and wait for an opportunity to hijack it," Newman said.

"And that would mean they had a system to track those merchants," Cooper said.

"I tend to agree," I said. "Let's see if you can determine which of the current merchants would make good candidates for a hijacking."

"And wait and see if we are right?" Cooper asked. "Seems coldhearted, ma'am."

"Even if we had a list of all the merchants registered in the Middle Corridor today, we could not predict which merchant would be hijacked, or which system the merchant would be leaving from, or to which Northern Rim system he would be going, or which one of the ten or more jumps it would occur on, or how the Hijackers get the information to make the decision." I looked around the room. "When we can predict those things, then we will be in a position to stop the Hijackers. But, I'm afraid many merchants will be hijacked before we will be in that position."

"I can have Lieutenant Cintron scan the list of merchants registered in the Middle Corridor," Cooper said, looking to me.

"Good, that is the team's assignment. Based on what we know about the missing merchants, determine the most likely candidates to be hijacked."

* * *

My team was doing everything they could toward finding how the Hijackers worked, so my attention kept returning to the killings that had a possible link to the Navy. I needed more information but how to get it without upsetting people or being accused of violating people's rights or stepping on people's toes? I decided to try to take a sample, which would either convince me what I had found was at best just random crimes, or justify me in expanding the search.

TO COMMANDER SHRADER, WESTAR NIA
CHIEF, COMMANDER SINCLAIR, STONE RING NIA
CHIEF.

I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU COULD GET THE CHIEF OF POLICE TO RUN A SEARCH FOR ME: ALL UNRESOLVED MURDERS AND DEATHS OF A SUSPICIOUS NATURE OVER THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS. I HATE TO BOTHER YOU DIRECTLY, BUT WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE IN YOU MAKING THE REQUEST IN PERSON THAN A WAVCOM REQUEST. ALTHOUGH I HAVE P1A AUTHORITY, WHICH CAN BE EASILY VERIFIED, I WOULD PREFER IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO USE IT. I'M LOOKING AT A POTENTIAL LINK TO SIMILAR UAS INCIDENTS. THANKS.

FROM: COMMANDER PAULUS, EASTAR NIA
CHIEF

Next I called Hadley. "Teresa, do you have a minute? I need another search of your database."

"What are you looking for?" she asked, amusement ringing in her voice.

"I’d like a list of all the Navy and Marine deaths either unexplained or accident-related over the past twelve months."

"That's not technically in my database but I can get that information for you…for a price?"

"What will it cost me?" I asked hesitantly.

"You fill me in on what you are looking for. This doesn't sound like it's related to the Bunny Project." She chuckled.

"All right, but in person."

"Be right down," Teresa said and cut the connection. Five minutes later she burst through the door, poured a cup of coffee, and sat smiling. "I'm all ears."

I mixed a cup of my coffee and took a chair beside her. "I noticed several references to local police inquires to the NIA office because Marines…" I went on to explain the specific incidents and the information I had received from the NIA offices when I asked for specifics.

"You suspect Marines…an organized…syndicate?" Teresa whistled softly. "That may be worse than the Hijackers."

"Right now I'm only sampling a few sources to see if there is a reason to continue."

"This isn't related to the Hijackers, is it?" she asked, frowning.

"It could be. If there is a syndicate, then they are also operating on the Black Market and that could include selling information about UAS Cruisers." I shrugged. "Or it could be isolated crimes and unrelated to anything."

"You've got to tell Lulltrel, just to cover your ass and hers. A lot of high-ranking people won't like you poking around in Navy business without proof."

"That's a catch-22—if I had proof I wouldn't need to poke around."

"That's true but that won't deter them. Politicians and admirals don't like scandals. It makes them look bad." Teresa shook her head. "We are all supposed to do the right thing but we don't all agree on what constitutes the right thing. Call Lulltrel."

I nodded. I clicked on my CPC. "Master Chief, would you tell Admiral Lulltrel I…" I looked to Teresa who nodded. "I and Commander Hadley would like to speak with her at her convenience?"

Teresa and I had barely sat when Stamm peeked in. "She said she is available now, which means you are probably late for your meeting." He gave a wry smile. Teresa and I took the hint and were out the door at a quick walk.

"Sit," she said after returning our salutes. "What unpleasant news do you have, Paulus?" she said after looking from Hadley to me.

"Ma'am, I was explaining to Commander Hadley a search I wanted and the reason. She suggested I should coordinate it with you before proceeding."

Lulltrel frowned and looked to Hadley. "Oh, this is got to be really bad news." She rose and walked to her sideboard. "Get yourselves something to drink. I'm sure this isn't going to be a quick update."

"Ma'am, when reviewing the monthly reports from the other NIA offices…" I outlined what I had found so far and what I intended to do. To her credit, Lulltrel didn't say a word for the entire half hour it took. When I finished, she sat there staring off into space. I felt a chaotic mix of emotions, although her face remained expressionless.

"So, you believe there is a possibility that this group, if it exists, could be providing the Hijackers with the information they need to hijack the merchant ships?" She gave me a critical gaze.

"Yes, ma'am. I believe the choices of merchant and time and location are not random. Of course, I'm guessing, based on what we have learned to date, but I believe they have a list of merchants and, when one of them meets some set of parameters, they are hijacked. If I'm right, the parameters are conditions like the location of the UAS Cruisers, and other factors yet to be determined. If that is true, then what better group than Navy or Marine personnel already engaged in criminal activities?" I said, wishing Sinclair had been here to deliver the summary. I knew what I surmised but had I used the right words to convince Lulltrel?

"What do you think, Hadley?" She turned her gaze on Teresa. The amusement I felt from her suddenly turned serious.

"I like that she intends to sample friends, which should minimize problems. When she is finished you can authorize her to continue or to drop that line of inquiry," Teresa said, meeting Lulltrel's gaze. "If Paulus is wrong you could get a bit of grief, but if she is right…"

"All right, Paulus, you have my permission to proceed. I wanted you here for just this kind of analysis, so I can't complain when you suspect a problem, but keep me—and my team—up to date…in fact, my staff will be the…?"

"Owlet," I said, and Lulltrel shook her head while Teresa gave a snort.

"Why?"

"Ma'am, I have six Purple Hearts. I'd like to spare my mother from me getting another one."

Lulltrel nodded. "My staff will be the project team for the Owlet Project."

CHAPTER SIX

Eastar: When is an Owlet an Owl?

The days dragged by as I awaited a response from Adrian and Kris. I spent a half day with the Eastar Police Chief and convinced him I wasn't looking into local crimes, but rather looking for what I thought a gang operating across the UAS. And used the admiral's murder as the reason NIA was involved. With a promise to let him know what I find, he had his information chief run my search. He sat with me helping eliminate those which were clearly local crimes. I left with eight cases.

After two days I narrowed it to three I thought the best candidates. Then I searched the list Hadley had run for me of UAS Cruiser system stops. The result was interesting. The Ceto and Graeae were the only two cruisers in port during the four incidents. The Vulcan was also in port twice on two of the incidents, but once with the Graeae and once with the Ceto, which tended to eliminate it, along with the Scylla, Typhon, Lapis, Rhode, and Keres, which were only in port on one of the four incidents. Not proof but a reasonable assumption.

System

Date / Incident

Ships in Port

Eastar

12/5 / Col Duarte Robbery? Marine-like knife.

8/5 / Williamson Robbery? Broken neck.

3/20 /Webster Robbery?

Fractured skull.

5/5 / McCurry. Robbery?

12/5 / Scylla, Ceto,

Typhon

8/5 / Graeae, Vulcan,

Lapis,

3/20 / Ceto, Vulcan, Rhode

5/5  / Graeae, Keres

The day before Lulltrel's staff meeting I received reports back from Adrian, who found two, and Kris, who found three. The Hecate was the only cruiser in port during two of the three incidents and therefore a candidate. Kris's findings provided, if not proof, at least a strong possibility that the Ceto and Graeae had gang members on board as they were there for each incident. The Vulcan and the Lapis were also there twice, but the two were not there for all four incidents.

System

Date / Incident

Ships in Port

Stone Ring

3/18 / Kelvin Montgomery CEO of a shipping company. Marine ammo.

6/1 / Robbery (6/1)

9/22 / Robbery (9/22)

11/4 / Robbery (11/4)

3/18 / Lapis, Ceto,

Vulcan

6/1 / Graeae,
Scylla, Rhode

9/22 / Graeae, Keres, Vulcan

11/4 / Ceto, Romulus, Lapis

Westar

1/23 / Jonnie Lyons, was killed with a knife unique to the airborne

5/24 / Robbery (5/24)

10/8 / Robbery (10/8)

1/23 / Hecate, Romulus

5/24 / Laelaps, Oedipus, Zelus

10/8 / Hecate, Mermes

* * *

Lulltrel surprised me by starting with me instead of Byrnes. "Paulus has a second project going, which may or may not connect to the Rabbit Project. I've decided my staff will be the project team for Project Owlet." She paused for the knee-jerk response to the name. "I'll let her explain the project and the choice of its name."

"While reviewing the NIA station chiefs reports…" I explained why I was curious, the information I received from the NIA offices, and my recent inquires. "I think the Westar and Stone Ring information suggest probable cause to continue pursuing Project Owlet."

"Why Owlet?" Byrnes asked.

"For the same reason a Rabbit. It doesn't give an outside observer a clue as to its purpose. To me Rabbits are cautious, which we need to be, and Owls are excellent observers…and the names should delay the group realizing we are looking into their activities and targeting us."

"You think they will target us?" Leyva asked what the others looked to be thinking.

"Both groups are killers, so either to slow down the investigation, or to punish us for interfering, or both."

"I think Paulus is right. She has six Purple Hearts, compliments of the Smugglers and Raiders," Lulltrel said. "These are not nice people. I think you have a strong argument against the Ceto and Graeae, and maybe even the Hecate, so what's next?"

"I'd like to visit Stone Ring and Westar," I said.

"Why? What can you do there you can't do from Eastar? Commander Sinclair is an excellent NIA agent and one of your teammates on the Smugglers’ and Raiders’ Projects."

"Commanders Sinclair and Shrader are excellent but each of us look at a problem from a different perspective. And since they aren't involved in the project, they would need time to come up to speed. Besides, being there may trigger a clue which might otherwise go unnoticed. It was true in the Smugglers’ and Raiders' cases. Visiting the sites uncovered clues we would never have found from our office in Oxax."

"All Right. I'll…" She laughed. "We'll notify Admiral Webb of our findings and your need for transportation."

* * *

Webb's only comment concerned morale. "Tread lightly, Paulus, we don't want to cause a morale problem because the Marines and Navy personnel believe we are on a witch hunt or to have them spying on each other. That would be worse than having a few criminals in the military. After all, the military is acquired from a cross section of the UAS, and therefore we must expect a few bad apples."

* * *

"Mother, I'm off again," I said, putting my hand over hers and feeling guilty. Lulltrel was right, I could have collected the information using the NIA offices.

"Where to?" she asked with surprisingly little emotion.

"Stone Ring and Westar."

"To see Kris and Adrian?"

"Yes, Mother, but primarily project business… I don't think it's dangerous."

"My precious daughter, worrying about my feelings." She hugged me. "Yes, I worry about losing you. It would break my heart. But even if we change our lives completely, that is no guaranty of safety, and it would change us and I don't want to change you. We must enjoy each day and take reasonable precautions. We've done that: Marine security, a safe room, weapons practice, and Red." Alexa actually stroked Red's head, which was on my shoulder, pointing in her direction. His tongue brushed her hand as if… I swear I felt his agreement and laughed.

"If I didn't know better—"

"You would think Red agreed," Alexa said and laughed. "Me too." She put her arm around my shoulders and we took our places on the couch. "All right, give me all the gory details."

* * *

"Ma'am, Admiral Lulltrel would like to see you," Stamm said through the half-open door. "I told her you were available."

"Thank you, Carl. What would you have said if I weren't?" I asked as I slipped on my dress blue jacket and headed for the door.

"That you were available," he said with a smile. "To a vice admiral, the question is rhetorical."

I smiled as I rode the elevator to the eighteenth floor and marched down the hallway to Lulltrel's office. The petty officer opened the door after a knock, and closed it after I entered. I braced to attention and saluted. Before I could speak, Lulltrel waved a quick salute and spoke.

"Have a seat, Paulus. I'm informed the Cruiser Scylla is arriving later today and will be available to take you wherever you want to go. Captain Choi is the captain. I understand you know him."

"I've met Captain Choi, ma'am. He was part of the three-cruiser squadron searching for the Smugglers."

"Any potential problems? There are a few captains who sympathize with Captain Sharat and feel she got a raw deal because of you." She held up a hand to stop me responding. "We can't change what they think but I don't want a repeat of the incident with Captain Dixon." She gave a snort. "Admiral Webb forced him to retire because of his unwarranted aggression against you, which many will conclude was unfair and blame you."

"I haven't had any problems with Captain Choi, ma'am."

"I've told Colonel Pannell and I’m telling you, if you feel threatened, invoke your P1A authority and leave at the first opportunity." She held my eyes until I nodded. "Captain Choi will be expecting you tomorrow morning." When I began to stand she waved me to sit. "Since you are likely to be gone for at least a couple of weeks, who do you want to leave in charge?" she asked, surprising me. I wasn't used to being in charge.

"Commander Newman, he is the senior officer in the group."

"Interesting, Paulus. I initially thought he might be a problem for you, and I understand his actions bordered on insubordination, yet you never complained. That worried me. The military can't tolerate junior officers criticizing senior officers. It can lead to a breakdown in discipline…and poor morale. So I was relieved when he asked to be transferred but, frankly, concerned you hadn't written him up." She paused for a sip of coffee but her eyes never left me. "When he asked me to tear up his transfer, I didn't know what to think. He admitted to being angry at you since he had more time in his current grade than you have in service. He said he realized it was his problem and not yours. He had fought you while you had supported him and were extremely insightful. So he decided he had a lot to learn from you and wanted to stay."

I wasn't sure what to say so I said nothing.

"I think he's right. Although you have a very unmilitary style, it works. Everyone who comes in contact with you likes you. So Commander Paulus, be careful. I don't want to lose my Eastar NIA Station Chief."

* * *

"Commander Paulus, Captain Choi said he would like to see you when you arrived. Petty Officer Durell will take your luggage and Lieutenant Barnett will show you to the Captain's office," the Lieutenant Commander on duty said after he got over his shock of a Full Commander who looked like she just graduated college, had ribbons which should be on a vice admiral's uniform, and verified the krait around her neck was authorized. I didn't blame him—I also found it hard to reconcile. I was a bit nervous when the Captain said he would like to see you when you arrived greeting, which felt like my introduction to Captain Dixon. Fortunately, Lieutenant Barnett wasn't rushing me or feeling anxious, rather, he was friendly and cheerful.

"That's an impressive set of medals, ma'am," he said, nodding at my ribbons. "And earned the hard way, judging by the Purple Hearts."

"Just a matter of being in the right place at the wrong time," I said with a short laugh. "At the time, you are just trying to survive…and afterward, wonder why you survived and others didn't," I said. We were both quiet for the rest of the walk. The Marine guard at Choi's office door knocked when he saw us coming and had the door open when we arrived. When I entered, Pannell followed. Choi appeared to take no offense.

"Welcome aboard, Commander Paulus, and congratulations on your promotion. Please get yourself something to drink," he said, and waited until I sat. When I did he sat in the facing chair. "If it's not classified, I'd appreciate knowing your plans. I was only told you have P1A authority and I'm your chauffer for as long as you need me."

"The Project is designated as Rabbit," I said and he smiled, which surprised me.

"Any project with the name Rabbit has got to be potentially dangerous," he said, confirming my impression of him last time. He was a shrewd man.

"For your information only." I waited for him to nod. "Seven merchants have gone missing over the past year without a trace. We believe they were hijacked probably by foreign cruisers. We are long on theory and short on facts. So I'm on a hunt for information. First stop Stone Ring and then Westar."

"I'm delighted to be your chauffer, Commander Paulus. You're an exciting person to be around. And foreign cruisers does sound intriguing."

* * *

The trip to Stone Ring was short, less than twenty-four hours. When I departed the Scylla, I was surprised to see Kris waiting. She grabbed me in a tight hug.

"I hope Red hasn't forgotten I'm his nanny," she said as Red appeared from my jacket and wrapped around my neck. "Hi, Red." She stepped back and looked me over. "Hi, Paul. Has my adopted sister been causing trouble that she needs Marine security?"

"She's an intriguing person to be around, Kris," he said, while continuing to scan the area.

"So, little sister, what are you doing in Stone Ring?" Kris asked when Pannell didn't elaborate.

"I thought I’d check on your progress in finding that father of your children," I quipped.

"At least I’ve been able to find several eligible mates, men who prefer to live on land and not in space submarines." She laughed.

"How do you like being in charge of a NIA station?" I asked, curious, since as far as I knew she had never been in charge of a group.

"I love it, although I have to admit it was a bit daunting in the beginning—people calling me ma'am, having to write evaluations, responsible for the station, etc. And I'm young for a commander. How about you?"

"It's worked out better than I’d thought. You may be young for a commander, but I'm young for a full lieutenant." I spent an hour giving Kris a recap of my first several months.

"Judging from your inquires, Lulltrel has given you free reign and you are chasing something. As much as I love you, I hope you aren't here to enlist my help." She gave me a hard look and I could feel her nervousness

"I am here to enlist your help, but only to collect and review information with me. I don't want to interfere with you finding a husband." I smiled. I spent the next two hours going over my expanded role for Lulltrel, what we had discovered about the missing merchants, and my theory of a criminal organization operating from several cruisers.

"Wow. You have been busy. Where do you want to start?"

"I'd like to speak to the Chief of police and go over the cases you sent me," I said, hoping seeing the actual police report and talking with Kris might generate an idea or two. Kris had a ground vehicle waiting and drove me to her condo: a two bedroom unit with two bathrooms, living and dining rooms, and a small room she had converted into an office. The furniture looked new and a mixture of modern and traditional—all-in-all a very warm and comfortable unit. As I stored my clothes in her spare bedroom, she made coffee and put together snacks for us to nibble on.

"You think there are Marines and sailors for hire on several of our UAS Cruisers?" she asked as I sat. "Who are part of a larger criminal organization?"

"Yes. Judging from what I've found on Eastar and what you found on Stone Ring, I think it's safe to assume personnel on cruisers Ceto and Graese are involved." I showed Kris the incidents and the cruisers in port during those killings."

"Although it's not proof, it certainly requires investigation. How do you think they are getting their information? WavCom?" Kris asked, frowning in thought.

"I think the WavCom would be too complex. No, I checked with Admiral Tagger, who is responsible for Naval Operations. Cruisers are generally assigned a circuit for a year or two and then rotated. Although military exercises and circumstances can disrupt ship assignments. Like right now I have the Scylla for my transportation here and to Westar to see Adrian."

"If you want someone killed, you wouldn't likely assign an individual, since it could be months before he, or she, gets to the right system. Better to have the person or persons check at each system when they arrive."

"Especially if I'm right and the organization isn't exclusively killers for hire, but are also involved in smuggling and information selling."

"Which might connect them to the Hijackers," Kris said excitedly. "That would suggest multiple groups involved. When they dock at a system they check in to see if there are any contracts and update whatever information their organization is tracking."

"The question is--how do they check in?" I said, hoping Kris might have some ideas.

"A number to call, a place to go…the Internet!" she shouted. I nodded agreement.

"I agree. A number, person, or place would be a weak link. An Internet link is harder to trace to a person and easy to change. But how do we determine the website they are using?" I asked. It seemed like a catch-22. I needed a suspect to find the website, but without a website I couldn't find a suspect. We sat there in silence for a long time.

"Close your eyes," Kris suddenly said. I shrugged and closed my eyes. "You are a Marine and part of a secret criminal organization. The work is exciting and you are making more money doing these special jobs than your military salary." She paused, giving me time to get into my part of her scenario. I imagined getting washed and dressed for shore leave. I nodded. "What do you do?"

The thought struck me that I don't have a lot of shore leave, or at least can't count on it, and I don't know how long the job will take. "I connect to the Internet as fast as I can." I blurted. "And I can't do that until the ship docks. But when it does, I can connect through the ship's connection to the space station." I hugged Kris.

Kris nodded. "I assume the ship keeps some kind of a log. The question will be for how long and how much detail."

* * *

"We entered the cement four-story octagon-shaped building that served as the Stone Ring Police Headquarters. After verifying we had an appointment with the Police Chief, Ortiz, we received visitor passes and were allowed to enter the elevators. When we exited, a young officer met us and directed us to his office. Ortiz was a tall thin man in his fifties, with a narrow face and close-cut brown hair.

"Good morning, Commander Sinclair and this is Commander Paulus," he said hesitantly as his eyes appraised me and my security. "If I'm not mistaken, that red-headed krait on your shoulder can keep the Coaca Virus in check."

"Yes, sir. He adopted me when I was four years old. Our relationship is symbiotic."

"That explains why it isn't in a research facility." He pursed his lips. "I understand you are interested in several of our local killings." He emphasized local.

"Yes, sir. Admiral Lulltrel has tasked me to monitor the monthly NIA office reports, looking for possible events that could be related to criminal organizations operating around the UAS. Several reports I've seen suggest there might be a killers-for-hire organization. I'm collecting information at several systems to determine if further investigation is warranted."

"As I told Commander Sinclair, the cases we identified looked like robberies on the surface but… I've been a policeman for many years and they didn't feel right." He spent the next two hours reviewing the eight cases where a person was killed. In the end, I agreed the three killings he and Kris had selected were the most likely to fit what I was looking for. The persons killed either hadn't been carrying enough money to attract a thief, or the thief had left items on the person which a small time thief or addict would have taken, or the weapon used made the killing seemed intentional. It was late when we finished and Kris suggested we stop at a local Chinese restaurant and eat at her place. I asked Pannell to join us.

"What do you think, Paul?" Kris asked halfway through our meal. He sat quietly for a long while.

"Most Marines consider the Commandos a brotherhood, comrades you would gladly risk your life for. And ironically, I'd wager these individuals also think the same way." He shook his head violently like a dog out of water. "It diminishes everything we stand for. And the thought of an organization of such individuals makes me sick. I hope you're wrong, Anna. But if you aren't, I'd like them spaced for the sake of the good men and women. It's a scandal that will tarnish everyone."

* * *

"Commander Paulus, I'm afraid we can't leave until late tonight—"

I held up my hand. "Anna, please. I didn't ask to see you about leaving. I'm here and ready to leave when you and the ship are ready. No, I thought you might be able to help me."

"If I can, Anna."

"First, this is a P1A investigation and must be kept between you and me without Admiral Webb's permission," I said, reluctant to discuss this with anyone, but I needed help.

Choi laughed. "If I need Admiral Webb's permission, I think it's going to stay between you and me."

"If I were to use my tablet to logon to the Scylla's system connection to the spaceport, would there be a record anyplace?" I asked, trying to ease into this discussion. Although he was looking at me, I had the feeling his mind was sorting out the issues.

"Yes. The system would log the connection and the entire session." His eye lids narrowed to where he almost looked asleep.

"Now long would the system keep the information?"

"I have no idea," he said, cautiously indicating he didn't like the way the conversation was going.

"Captain Choi, I am invoking P1A authority, since I know you will be uncomfortable with what I'm going to ask, but you have my word I'm not investigating anyone on your ship. I need the answer as part of what I am working on. And I will explain what I'm pursuing." I waited for him to nod before continuing. "I want you to query the system, pick any session from today, and send it to my tablet."

Choi stared at me for a long time before picking up his tablet and typing. It took him several minutes before he looked up and nodded, but said nothing. I looked at my tablet. Everything I needed appeared there and it hadn't been erased for at least twenty-four hours.

"Thank you, Captain Choi. Admiral Lulltrel expanded my role…" I spent almost two hours explaining what alerted me to a potential problem, the information I had collected, the correlation to the cruisers docking, and my speculation that they must communicate via the Internet. When I finished he rose and made a cup of tea, mixed me a cup of coffee, and sat down facing me.

"Thank you, Anna. With P1A authority you owe me no explanation, but I will sleep much better knowing why. Knowing there are murderers in our military and on our ships isn't too surprising. The military is a cross section of the UAS, which isn't perfect. But if we can get rid of the garbage, I'd like that and am willing to help." He took a sip of tea. "Be careful, Anna. If you are right, you will be number one on their hit list."

* * *

The trip to Westar took six days, but Choi helped me pass the time by encouraging his staff to give me tours of their sections and inviting me to have dinner with him each night.

"How long do you expect to be in Westar?" he asked as I prepared to leave the Scylla.

"Not long, Captain. A few days at most. I need to review of few case reports and meet with the police chief."

Adrian was waiting when the shuttle arrived at the Westar entry port.

"Anna, it's great to see you," he said as he took my hand. "Consider yourself hugged. I'm not as brave as Kris."

"Can't blame you. I doubt Red would bite you and I have the antivenin, but I'm told the ordeal is painful.

"Come, you can stay at my place as long as you are here, and I've arranged for you to meet the chief of police tomorrow. I'd like you to stop by the NIA office. My staff has heard all sorts of stories about you and are eager to meet you and Red." He talked about his staff and the projects he had going as he drove. Like Kris, Adrian had opted for a two bedroom, two bath condo similar to Kris's unit. "It sounds like you have another major project going," he said as we settled down in his living room.

"Two actually. Although they may overlap, I believe they are separate projects: code names Rabbit and Owlet," I said.

He laughed and took a sip of coffee. "Leave it to you to choose two innocuous names. Most commanders would have chosen aggressive names like Project Clean House, or Project Triumph, or Project Vanquish. So what are these innocuous projects?"

"Rabbit is looking into what I believe is a hijacking operation being conducted on merchants operating in the UAS's Northern Rim: Westar, Shadows Rest, Safe Harber and Oasis. Owlet is looking into a criminal organization using military personnel as a mobile For Hire group of killers and smugglers that I believe might be providing the Hijackers information about cruiser assignments." When I finished Adrian was quiet for a long time, sipping his coffee.

"Be careful, Anna. Although we were a team when we broke the Smugglers’ and Raiders’ cases, I think you are more notable because of your age and Red. If they hear you are investigating missing merchants or killings…" He looked to Pannell who was sitting off to the side. Pannell nodded agreement but said nothing.

* * *

The Westar police station was an old-looking three-story brick building from the outside, but had obviously undergone a recent renovation, as the inside was modern looking. The lobby was open to the second floor, modern furniture to sit and chat, a marble reception counter, glass elevators to the third floor, and escalators to the second floor and to a subfloor or floors. After obtaining visitor badges we were escorted via one of the glass elevators to the third floor and Chief Langston's office.

"Good morning, Commander Shrader,” a small but muscular man said as he rose from behind his desk. Although his hair was turning gray, he looked to work out regularly.

"Good morning, Chief Langston, this is Commander Paulus and her security, Colonel Pannell," Adrian said.

"Welcome to Westar, Commander Paulus. It's a bit unusual for a commander to have security," he said, reaching out his hand, which he quickly withdrew when he saw Red emerge from my jacket. "I would think that krait is quite enough security."

"He doesn't like guns," I quipped and smiled. "The projects I'm working on tend to attract some rather nasty people."

"Killers, from what Commander Shrader was looking into. How can I help you?"

"I'd like to go over the same cases with you and hear your insights. If I'm right, we have a group of mobile killers for hire. The better I can isolate those who are unlikely to be local the better I'll be able to track them," I said.

"Glad to help, Commander."

"Anna, please, Chief." We spent the rest of the day one floor below ground level, reviewing all the killings for the past twelve months, and managed to find an additional overdose case that didn't feel right. The person was a drug user but never used the hard drugs that were found to have killed him.

System

Incident  (date)

Ships in Port

Westar

1/23 / Jonnie Lyons, was killed with a knife unique to the airborne

3/ 15 / Robbery

4/10 / Robbery

10/ 20 / Overdose

1/23 / Hecate, Romulus

3/ 15 / Laelaps, Oedipus, Zelus

4/10 / Hecate, Mermes

10/ 20 / Hecate, Zelus, Romulus

The Chief agreed to keep Adrian appraised on any murders. I spent the next day at the Westar NIA office, meeting Adrian's staff of eight, including a civilian secretary.

"How do you like having a station to run?" I asked while sitting in his office.

"Not as exciting as our project team, but I don't need security and I like having a permanent base."

"Kris feels the same way," I said, thinking about my conversation with her.

"How about you, Anna?"

"Lulltrel has been good to me, and expanding my role has given me another puzzle to work on, and you know how I love puzzles. And I get to have coffee with Admiral Webb," I added with a crooked smile.

Adrian laughed. "You're going to wind up my boss." He laughed again. "I can just imagine the whiplash looks if you had a star on your shoulder board."

"Don't even say that in jest, Adrian. I'm still working on Adult Speak and getting used to being a lieutenant commander. My mind hasn't caught up with my last promotion."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Somewhere in UAS Space

"Attention," a stern-faced man shouted as a tall man in a black uniform entered the room. His only decoration--a twenty millimeter silver star on his collar. The five men in the room braced to attention.

"Sit," he said as he sat, and the stern-faced man placed a glass of wine in front of him.

"Commander Ulisse, any prospects?"

"No, Captain Santo. None of the merchants we are watching are good targets at this time. Probably a good thing, this close to intercepting the Easy Lady only two months ago and the Pereus three months earlier," Ulisse said. He was a thin man with a narrow face and a scar running from his temple to his chin.

"Yes, our senior captain wants us to limit our prizes to under ten a year, which translates to two for each captain, and he wants them spaced by at least three months." Santo's fist slammed the table, spilling his wine on the table. "Is he afraid we'll run out of merchants?"

"Cajetna is a cautious man. I would think he is trying to avoid notice," Commander Rumoco said. His broad face was smiling, his teeth glistening in contrast to his black bushy mustache.

"Too cautious. We could use a little excitement. This is like hunting lambs in a pen."

"That may change," Commander Nestore said, looking at his tablet. "As I reported a couple of months ago, the Project Raiders team has been disbanded. Commander Sinclair was assigned to Stone Ring, Commander Shrader to Westar, and Commander Paulus to Eastar."

"Proving they don't have a clue," Santo sneered, and swallowed half his glass of wine.

"If that's so, why is Paulus on the move? She visited Stone Ring and I'm informed she's going to Westar next."

"Stone Ring has nothing to do with us. Maybe she is just visiting her friends," Santo said, and finished his wine in a gulp.

"That's certainly one explanation…" Nestore paused and gave a small shrug.

"And the other," Santo said, frowning at Nestore.

"Our contacts say she was instrumental in solving the Smugglers’ and Raiders’ cases. Is it coincidental that they have assigned her to Eastar as the NIA Station Chief? At her present age, she should be a full lieutenant. At best a very junior lieutenant commander. She has only been on the job for a couple of months and she's on the move."

"So what? The Smugglers and Raiders made a mistake relying on merchants—we don't."

"So we are going to ignore her?"

Santo said nothing, raising is empty glass as he gazed off in the distance. His aide took the glass, filled it, and placed it back in his raised hand. "All right, give the Hobos a contract to kill her."

"Sir, I prefer they delivered her alive. I'd like to know what she knows or has deduced, and who else maybe involved."

"All Right. If nothing else, it will give us something to do. The money may be good, but I'm bored and so are the men. That last merchant only had three women on board. I look forward to the Eastar NIA Station Chief joining us."

* * *

"This is our lucky day, Parsons," Schultz said as he slapped the wiry staff sergeant on the back and closed the door to their three-man quarters. A stocky muscular man sat on one of the bunks, smiling, with a beer extended toward Parsons.

"You've made contact and?" Parsons asked, grabbing the beer and taking a long swig.

"How does one million credits split three ways sound?" Schultz asked, laughing. He was the tallest of the three, with an athletic build and rugged angular face, which looked deadly even when it was smiling, like now.

"Suicidal. They only give bonuses like that to tempt idiots like you to take it. Let me guess…" Parsons stood with his face crunched in thought, one hand clutching his jaw. "They want us to kill…no kidnap the President of Westar."

"Damn, he's good, Schultz—" Meyer began but was interrupted by Parsons’ shout.

"You idiots aren't serious." He put his head in his hands and rubbed his forehead while mumbling. "Fucking insane."

"It's not quite that bad, Parsons. There is a Navy commander on Westar. She arrived on the Scylla. They want us to kidnap her," Schultz said with a crooked smile.

"What's the catch? That’s not worth a million credits." He stared at the two sergeants.

"Remember the foreign raiders who were working in the UAS?" Meyer asked. When Parsons nodded he continued. "Remember the NIA team that took them down?"

"Ya, three lieutenant commanders out of Oxax. Sent a bunch of good Marines to jail in the process…for smuggling. We were damn lucky to get overlooked. If I remember rightly, two were women and one had a venomous snake."

"Well, the one with the snake is on Westar, with Marine security, and they want her and the snake alive."

"That explains the money. We have to take out Marine security, neutralize a venomous snake, and capture a girl who, according to rumors, is a deadly shot." Parsons was quiet as he sipped his beer. Both men were content to wait for him to speak. "She probably isn't going to be here long, so I'll go into the city and scout out our options."

* * *

It was early evening when the space port shuttle delivered Parsons to Westar City. He canvased several bars and nightclubs frequented by Marines on shore leave and quickly found several from the Scylla. They didn't know much but enough. A Commander who looked like a young girl had left the ship with a Marine escort, to visit the NIA office. A little research and he discovered the station chief was a Commander Shrader who had been part of the Raiders task force. At Shrader's condo unit, he found Shrader had a unit on the third floor and that two Marines were stationed outside his door—indicating the girl was staying with him—and two more were stationed in the lobby.

It was early in the morning when Parsons arrived back on the Laelaps. Schultz and Meyer were awake when he entered the room.

"Well?" Meyers asked just above a whisper as Parsons closed the door. Parsons smiled.

"Unless the Dicky bird chooses to shit on us, this may be embarrassingly easy. He waved them over to the table, took out a sheet of paper, and began drawing. "Tomorrow, Meyer will meet with our contact at the Pretty Lady Nightclub and outline what we will need… He went on to explain what he had in mind and to discuss each man's part.

* * *

Each man left the Laelaps at a different time that day. Security at Shrader's condo during the day was lax, each man managed to gain entrance on one pretext or another, and were in place by early evening. Early the next morning, when the elevators weren't in use, they installed a gas canister on the elevator's roof, a remote device to each control panel, and then changed into elevator company overalls and settled down to wait. When Meyer, who was on the third floor, notified them the group had entered the elevator designated #1 and the door closed, Parsons activated the gas canister and set the elevator's control to stop at the second floor. When the door opened Pannell, two Marines, the two commanders, and the snake were out cold on the floor. Parsons grabbed the snake and placed it into a reptile cage, while Schultz put the female commander into a plastic bag, which he slung over his shoulder. Meyer had just reached the second floor landing when the two opened the door. They raced down the stairs, past the first floor exit to the parking garage, where a van waited. They piled in and the car sped off. Less than five minutes later, the car pulled into another parking lot where two cars waited. The bag with Paulus and the reptile cage were transferred to one and the Marines to another. They departed in different directions. The Marines went directly to the spaceport shuttle and returned to the Laelaps.

Closing the door to their quarters, they hugged, laughing wildly.

"We'll be Hobo legends," Meyer said to nodding heads—referring not to nomads without jobs traveling the country, but a species of venomous spiders.

* * *

The car made its way out of Westar City cautiously to a remote skimmer parking area. There the bag with Paulus and the reptile cage were transferred to a small skimmer, which headed for the designated rendezvous some four thousand kilometers, to a remote part of the country. They arrived just after midnight, and an hour later a combat shuttle settled next to the skimmer. The shuttle left five minutes later, with Paulus and Red, for the Cruiser Shark which sat in orbit at minimum power.

CHAPTER EIGHT

A Living Infernal

I woke to a man's voice. "Lock her in that container until the captain has exited the area." I heard a door squeak open, and was being carried and dropped like a sack of dirt. Gasping for breath from the shock and pain of the impact, I fought for calm. I heard the door close and steel hitting steel as a lever slammed into place. As the pain subsided I tried to make sense of my situation. The last thing I remembered was leaving Adrian's unit with Pannell, two Marine security guards, and Adrian. As we began to enter the elevator, Red became agitated and hissed in my ear as the door closed. I drew my weapon as Red hissed…and gas hissed, and I lost consciousness. My head pounded like hundreds of men were beating on the inside of my skull, desperate to get out. I felt constrained and used my hands to feel around me. I panicked, remembering that four-year-old girl in a body bag, desperately wanting to join her mother, father, and Grandpa Ianus in heaven and wondered if the time had come as I realized, this time, Red wasn't in the bag with me.

With considerable effort, I managed to take deep breaths and to calm myself. I had a good life and didn't want to die, but I had reconciled myself long ago that my lifespan would be short. Slowly, the headache receded and I could think again. Judging by the vibrating floor and the sound, I'd wager I was in a spaceship accelerating with military-grade engines. I laughed at the irony. "I think I found the Hijackers."

I must have nodded off or blanked out from lack of oxygen—the bag felt close to airtight. I was hot, sweating, lightheaded, and lost consciousness again. I woke to the sound of a zipper and fresh air engulfed me. I gulped in air as two men tied my hands, stood me upright, and attached me to a hook that dangled from a chain hanging from the ceiling.

"Well, Commander Paulus, I'm Captain Santo, and you have an important choice to make. Unfortunately, living isn't one of the choices. But I'm a compassionate man and willing to provide you with a quick and painless death if you will cooperate." He smiled and gently brushed my sweat soaked hair off my face. Even without Red, I knew he was lying—he wasn't a compassionate man and had no intention of making my life easy, no matter how much I cooperated. I returned his smile with a false one of my own.

"And what do you want to know, Captain?"

"What you and your team have learned about our operations," he said, continuing to produce what I'm sure he thought a warm comforting smile, which looked more like a shark eyeing lunch.

"Sorry that's on a need-to-know basis and I don't think you—." Air and spit exploded out of me as Santo drove a fist into my stomach. Santo's face twisted in rage as he wiped the spit off his face. A backhand slap snapped my head around and stars danced in front of my eyes.

"I need to know if you want a quick death. If not, you will die after weeks of pain as we cripple your body and degrade your…" His hand grabbed the top of my blouse and ripped it open and cupped my breasts. "…young virgin body. With help from our Regen unit, you will last a long time." His hands tightened on my breasts and I screamed in pain. There was no sense pretending it didn't hurt. He waved one hand up, and my feet left the ground as the hook rose. Dangling there like a side of meat in a butcher shop, he began punching me in my ribs. I screamed and screamed as I felt one rib after another break.

I woke as water splashed over me, feeling on fire and my body pulsing with pain. I hung in the same position. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth and dripped down my chin. Santo laughed and pushed me away from him. As I sung like a pendulum, I felt a cool sensation mixed with stabbing pains and realized I was naked.

"Well, is it worth it?" Santo said, his eyes bright with pleasure. When I didn't answer he continued. "Corporal, keep her awake as long as you can. If she dies, I'll space you along with her body. When she fails to respond to the pain, get Vega. After Regen has her repaired, hang her up again and call me.

Two men poked, grabbed, and squeezed until I passed out from the pain, then they doused me with water to revive me and began again.

* * *

I woke standing on the floor, although my arms were extended over my head and attached to the same hook, but I wasn't being stretched. My head snapped to the right as I heard Santo speak.

"What's her condition, Sergeant Vega?" Santo stood with several other men off to the side, staring at me. I was naked. Vega was a soft-looking man with a round face and a full beard. His right sleeve had three red stripes with a silver star above them. A senior sergeant and medic, I assumed. The Regen has fixed most of the serious injuries but they are fragile."

"Did you hear that, Paulus? Fragile," he said, as he came walking up to me. He patted my ribs and pain lanced through my chest and I gasped for breath. "You can appreciate the problem now. We can cause you hours of pain as we break bones, strip skin from your body, and patch you up for a another day of entertainment. Wouldn't it be better to die? Vega can give you a shot to end this. Just answer a few questions and this will all end." He attempted another smile.

"How can I trust you?"

"You have my word. Answer my questions and the pain will stop." He pointed to Vega, who nodded. I would have laughed except even breathing was painful. I decided the only enjoyment I was going to have for the rest of the day was frustrating Santo, so I nodded.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why did you go to Stone Ring?"

"To visit my friend and gloat."

"Gloat?"

"Yes, I got Eastar and she didn't."

"Why did you go to Westar?"

"To visit my friend and gloat." I repeated. Santo frowned.

"Don't play with me." He grabbed my jaw and squeezed. I couldn't restrain a whimper.

"What do you know about the missing ships?"

"They were merchants."

"How did they go missing?"

"Like you, they're lost. Poor navigators, I guess—" I sprayed blood into Santo's face as two blows smashed into my face, breaking my nose and splitting my lip.

"She's not going to talk, Santo," a man resembling Santo said. He stood next to Vega, stroking his chin. But it's obvious she is on to us."

"Every person has a breaking point, Commander Restore. We will find hers before we are finished." He turned back to face me. "How do you like sex? I have a hundred ex-Marines on this ship. Each one is going to have an hour with you. I'm afraid they are violent men and the sex will be rough. If you get to enjoy that, we will try something else." His smile was evil. "Vega, you are responsible to make sure she doesn't die before everyone has a turn or two." He turned and walked out of the container, with the other man following.

Sometime later a broad shouldered man entered, stripped off his clothes, unhooked me, and proceeded to rape me. My mind spun in turmoil and each violent thrust sent scorching pain that felt like I was being ripped in half. Finally he rolled off me, dressed, and left. I lay there, sobbing, wishing Alexa were here to hold and comfort me. The thought of her calmed me and I dropped into a pain-filled fog. A door slamming shut woke me as another man entered. The procession went on and on and the pain became all consuming. My mind could no longer process a coherent thought. I no longer knew who I was, or where, or why—only the pain was real.

"Enough," I heard Vega shout.

"It's my turn," another voice rose in anger. My numb mind wished Vega would let the next man continue. I would welcome death to stop the never-ending cycle of pain. I couldn't escape. I was on a cruiser in space. A space submarine, Kris called them. As the men argued, my thoughts flew back to the time when Kris and I sat helplessly in a medical unit, waiting for the Raiders to storm the Tityus—and rape us—and she began laughing. I could still hear her.

"If you are contagious, you could destroy their whole organization."

* * *

I woke on the mattress they had provided for the men's comfort—they weren't worried about me. While I waited for the next man—I assumed I had just returned from Regen—I examined myself and took stock of my situation for the first time in days. Red, the mere thought of him had tears streaking down my cheeks, had last fed off me the night before we were gassed in the elevator and it must have been close to a day before they delivered me to the cruiser. That meant I might have been contagious when I arrived, but for sure within twelve to twenty-four hours. And I had been here days, since I thought I had been to Regen several times. I giggled with pure enjoyment for the first time. I might not destroyed their entire organization but the Shark was my revenge.

My legs were being spread apart but the fever was raging and it felt like I watched it happening to someone else. As I watched, four horsemen appeared in a mist. They were laughing. The man covered in a black robe, with a skull for a face, sat on an ashen horse. He floated closer and threw his scythe to me. I giggled—I was Death. I grinned up at the face of the man who was consumed with rutting me and placed my tied hands over his head. He smiled as I twisted my arms which tightened the rope around his neck. It seemed to make him more excited and he thrust harder. Slowly his face turned red, then blue, and he collapsed on me. I giggled—I was Death. I managed to push him off me, rose, and staggered over to his clothes. Removing his knife from its sheath, I cut the ropes binding my wrists. I dropped the knife and picked up his multifunctional weapon and used the wall of the container to steady me as I made my way to the door. It was locked from the outside. Exhausted, I slid down the wall and waited for the next man. Sometime later a man entered with half his clothes tucked under his arm. He turned in my direction in time to see a laser beam pierce his eye. I staggered out of the container and locked it. The horsemen floated behind me. As I watched, the man on the white horse floated toward me and threw me his bow. I giggled—I was Pestilence. I wiped sweat and blood on the container's locking mechanism. I left the cargo hold wiping sweat and blood on everything I passed. I could hear the horsemen laughing. I joined in—I was Pestilence.

Several minutes later I saw a dead body lying in the hallway. When I attempted to step over him, my foot snagged on his arm and I went sprawling onto another body. He too was dead. I righted myself and continued stumbling down the hallway until I found a door. I opened it and looked inside. A man sat staring at nothing. Brown blisters on his face and arms were torn open and leaking blood. He looked to be in the final stage of the Coaca Virus. I shot him and giggled—I was Death. The room was filled with Navy uniforms. Feeling cold, I grabbed an officer's dress white jacket, which was several sizes too big, and left to continue walking down the hallway. I had no destination in mind but felt compelled to continue. I stopped at every door and entered. Bodies lay everywhere: some had been shot, some had died of the virus, and others were too sick to defend themselves. I shot them—I was Death.

As I approached an intersection, I heard voicing coming from a side corridor. They were laughing and sounded drunk.

"I h-hope tha girlly isstill live. She'ss not mush fun lying thar with t-t-those dead eyess, but she'ss aall wee got."

"We'll t-throw a ruug over her f-face," another man said, laughing hysterically. "I'm soo d-drunk I w-won't care."

I leaned against the wall for support and smiled as the man on the red horse floated toward me and handed me his sword. I giggled—I was War. I stepped into the intersection and surveyed the enemy. There were four men holding bottles and laughing. I shot the lead man who had turned toward his companions. His head blossomed red as multiple shards tore through hair, skin, and bone. He was thrown into two of his companions, causing one to fall. The fourth man stood frozen, staring at me as a tight beam of shards ripped his face to shreds. The third man, who had gotten tangled up with the first man I shot, struggled to free his weapon. I shot twice as he was partially protected by the first man. He screamed as my first shot hit him in the side. He freed himself just in time to take a full load in the chest. It threw him backward into the wall. The fourth man was crawling after the weapon he had dropped. I shot him in the back of his head. I giggled—I was War.

I continued walking, bow in hand, stepping over the bodies, smearing sweat and blood on every surface I passed. I giggled—I was Pestilence.

I staggered, banging into one wall then another, as I made my way down hallway after hallway, burning with fever, sweating, and dizzy. Each hallway seemed twenty kilometers long. When I fell from exhaustion or tripped, I stayed down and slept.

I woke to roaring laughter. A giant of a man stood half naked as he stripped. His arms and legs covered with blisters oozing blood and puss. I shot him in his exposed groin. He screamed obscenities as he was thrown backward, voiding urine, guts, and stool as he crashed into the opposite wall. I rose and continued my trek, stopping to open doors and shooting anyone who was still alive. Most were too sick and made no attempt to move or to protect themselves.

I found myself in the galley. I was thirsty and drank my fill of water, stuffed my mouth with cold food which lay on the preparation table, and staggered on. I wandered mindlessly, spreading the virus and killing those I saw, not knowing where I was going but pulled like the needle of a compass. With no windows I had no sense of time. It didn't matter. I was in stage five of the Coaca Virus and didn't have long to live. When I looked around, I stood only a short distance from the Bridge and in front of the captain's quarters. I shot the lock and the door slid open. The captain lay on the bed, dead, and the man with the pale horse stood at the foot of the bed. "He was mine," a voice boomed inside my head, and the man faded to a mist. When it cleared, a red-headed krait lay there. I collapsed. The last thing I remembered was a small red-headed angel staring at me.

"I'm ready to see my mother, father, and Grandpa Ianus." I said, content to die.

* * *

I woke lying on the floor, feeling weak, but my head was clear and I wasn't burning with fever. The scabs on my arms were drying and didn't look as ugly. Red was twisted around my neck. I reached up and pulled him to my face and kissed him. Holding him in front of me, I laughed. "I guess you aren't going to take me to heaven this time either."

The contact seemed to give me strength and I managed to stand, using the bed to steady me. I opened the door which led into the captain's office and found the small kitchen used to prepare his private meals. I spent the next two days there, either eating or sleeping. On the third day I knew the virus was no longer active, and I felt fit enough to move around if I didn't overdo it. I considered using the Regen unit but wasn't sure how it worked, or if I would be able to exit the unit after treatment, or that there weren't one or two still alive.

I'm not sure why, but I felt the need to clean up the mess and to make sure I was alone—occasionally a person survived the virus. I made my way to the cargo hold, activated an antigravity mover and began searching each room while collecting bodies. The mover could only hold five bodies without them shifting and falling off or making it difficult to negotiate the hallways. I stacked them in the container where I had been held captive. In my weakened state, it took three days before I felt confident I had found them all. In the process of cleaning up an image emerged of what had happened over the previous weeks. At some point the crew realized they had a virus on the ship and the ship's dispensary was crowded with those infected—those who had made contact with me. Then they realized Regen couldn't cure the virus and those who thought they weren't infected began setting up Safe Zones and shot anyone entering the zone. But, of course, people in the Safe Zone began showing symptoms. They tried to find places to hide, and those who thought they had survived hunted them. By that time everything was infected and there was no safe place on the ship. Early on, Captain Santo realized the krait was a cure and released it. But Red injected him with enough poison to kill him. The captain's plan to break me had spread the Coaca Virus to every part of the ship: crew quarters, galley, Bridge, and work areas. And leaving the ship in emergency pods or shuttles wasn't an option. Even if they were rescued, they would be hanged. They could only wait and hope they would survive the virus. But less than one percent survived the Coaca Virus. Those few who might have survived were either gunned down by their mates or me.

* * *

I sat at the captain's dining table, eating, while trying to decide what to do next.

* I didn't know what system I was in or where I was in the system or where the ship was headed.

* I had enough food to last me for a year.

* All systems were operational.

* The ship was a foreign war ship and would probably be destroyed if spotted.

* The ship may still be contaminated. I had moved the bodies but had I gotten rid of the virus?

"Mother, I need you," I moaned and laid my head in my arms and cried. The past weeks came crashing down on me—the pain, abuse, alone, and lost. The fever and virus may be under control, but my body was badly damaged and movement was painful, my mind kept hopping from lucid to confused, and nightmares plagued my sleep. I wished for the sleep of the dead.

* * *

I woke to feather-light touches on my eyelids, nose, lips. Opening my eyes, I stared into Red's head and flicking tongue. "Bored?" I asked, and thought I felt his agreement as he wound around my neck and laid his head on my shoulder. "All right, but you have to help," I said as I rose from the mattress I had commandeered from one of the rooms and placed in the captain's office. I made my way to the Bridge and stood looking around. The Naval Academy had given me the theoretical knowledge to fly a cruiser, which was a far cry from the practical knowledge that came from experience. I walked around the room, examining each console. Well, I didn't need weapons or ECM. I did need navigation, sensor suite, communications, and the helm's controls.

I began with radar suite. It would be helpful to know where I was. Three hours later, I concluded I was in Westar space but well out of the normal traffic lanes between the Wave and the inhabited planet. Then the problem of where to go. Westar would be the easiest, but if I encountered a Navy cruiser could I keep them from firing on me or wanting to board? I could claim P1A authority, but they might not believe me, couldn't verify it easily without information from Eastar, and the thought of destroying an enemy war ship too much to resist. I could hope the Scylla was still there and would be the first to find me or… I had a splitting headache. The way I was dressed, no one would believe me or be willing to check. The captain’s natural aggressiveness would trump caution.

I finally concluded Eastar was the safest system, although not without risk. It would depend on who found me first and where. I decided to sleep on it as the ship was presently in orbit around some large gas planet, so I was unlikely to run into a patrol or merchant traffic.

After something to eat and a full day checking and rechecking my calculations, I set a course for the Wave and Eastar. Estimated arrival time—given I didn't jump into another galaxy—was six days, six hours, twenty minutes.

I spent the time reviewing the communication panel and found the ship was the FPU Cruiser Shark out of the Free People's Union and had changed the ship identification to the UAS Cruiser Pontus. I also found my P1A badge in Santo's office. I couldn't find my old clothes but did manage to find a uniform which was only two sizes too big, and had commander insignia. Looking in a mirror, I wasn't sure if that would make me more or less believable.

By the time I finally exited the Wave into Eastar, I was running a fever, alternating between chills and sweating, and my whole body racked with pain. I didn't think there was a spot that wasn't black, blue, yellow, or purple—Regen mended bones, help seal tears in the skin and arteries and accelerated the healing. But you were fragile and, depending on the injuries, required rest and medication for full recovery. I had received no rest or medicine to preclude infections or to aid the healing process.

* * *

"Unknown cruiser, this is Captain Laplante of the UAS Cruiser Rhode. Cut your engines and prepare to be boarded," blasted through the Bridge speakers and jarred me out of a nightmare of men chasing me through the ship, using dogs to track me. When I looked up at the monitor, a square face showing signs of age appeared. I could see the predatory excitement in his eyes. I straightened in the captain's chair and accepted a connection. Fortunately, I was sitting, because my uniform was several sizes too big. I wanted to cry. I was too exhausted to argue with him, but I knew from the look on his face he wasn't going to listen to reason.

"Captain, I'm Commander Paulus. The Eastar NIA Station Chief operating with P1A authority. You are ordered—"

"Cut you engines or we will destroy your ship," he shouted.

"Shut up, Captain." I held up my P1A badge. "This is my authority. I'm ordering you to contact Admiral Webb. Now! Or I promise you your career is over and you will spend the rest of your life in prison. Tell him I want a tight beam connection. The information concerns Project Rabbit." I cut the connection. If I hadn't, he would continue to make demands. And I suspected I wouldn't win the argument. This way he either had to destroy the ship or contact Webb. I think I passed out, because I woke to a request for a tight beam connection. When I accepted the connection, Admiral Webb's face appeared.

"Paulus, is that you?" he said, frowning as he stared at me. I cried. It took me several minutes to stop enough to continue. "You look beautiful," I said while trying to dry my eyes. "Sorry, sir. You need to take control of this ship. It's a FPU warship but it may still be contaminated with the Coaca Virus. Contact Dr. Renata. She will know what to do to keep everyone safe. Tell my mother I'm alive." The mic slipped out of my hand and the world went black.

CHAPTER NINE

To Continue or Not to Continue

"Dr. Renata, I'm Admiral Webb. Commander Paulus asked me to call you—" Webb began.

"Is she all right? Of course she's not, if she wants me. Where is she?" Renata rambled on, excited and terrified at the same time. Alexa had told her that Anna had been kidnapped on Westar and neither the police nor the NIA could find a trace of her. After a week of multiple investigations, they had managed to piece together a sketchy picture of what had happened. Anna and her security were gassed while riding the elevator from Commander Shrader's condo unit to the ground floor. The kidnappers had removed Anna and her krait on the second floor and used the stairs to reach the below-level parking where a stolen ground vehicle drove them away. They quickly changed cars again and left the city to where they had a skimmer waiting. The skimmer took her someplace where they think a shuttle delivered her to a spaceship.

Webb held up his hand. "I spoke to her a few minutes ago. She's on a FPU cruiser, but she didn't look good. I could barely recognize her. She said the ship maybe contaminated with the Coaca Virus and you would know what to do."

"No one should enter that ship!" Renata half shouted, imagining the disaster if Marines entered without protective gear. They could unleash an epidemic that could spread throughout the ship.

"She stopped Captain Laplante using her P1A authority. The question is what to do next? I need to get a crew onto that ship. It's heading toward Eden space and needs to be stopped and Paulus removed."

"I'll get a team together—"

"Hurry, I have a shuttle on the way. It will be there within a few minutes. They will get you to the UAS Cruiser Rhode, which is shadowing the FPU cruiser."

Renata cut the connection and immediately began assembling a small team and the equipment they would need. When they exited the hospital, a combat shuttle waited on the landing pad.

"Buckle in, folks," a young lieutenant said, grinning. "It's going to be a hot ride. Admiral Webb wants us in orbit an hour ago, so we're late. We're to rendezvous with the Typhon, which will take you to the Rhode." The lieutenant had no sooner finished when the shuttle rose and began accelerating at a rate that kept everyone plastered to their seats, making even simple movements both difficult and painful. When they reached the Typhon, they slid into one of the shuttle bays. Although unaware they were accelerating again, but this time the Typhon's compensators negated the otherwise crushing gravitational effect.

The shuttle door opened and a middle-aged captain entered. "Dr. Renata, I'm Captain Razzo. Please stay strapped in. This won't take long. We are going to skip close to the Rhode's location and this shuttle will take you to the ship." As he talked, everyone in the shuttle faded for several seconds and then solidified. "That's it." He smiled and exited the shuttle. Twenty minutes later the shuttle was pulled into one of the Rhode's shuttle bays.

When Renata exited the shuttle, a bulldog-faced captain waited at the bottom of the steps.

"I'm Captain Laplante, in command of the Rhode. We have much to discuss, so why don't you and your team come to my office where we can relax and get something to eat and drink.

"I'd like to get on the cruiser as soon as possible," Renata said.

"I'd like to understand the situation before we rush in. That's a FPU cruiser and although its weapons systems aren't active, it's a nasty ship. I contacted the ship, wanting it to cut engines, and a waif of a girl appeared in a uniform which clearly didn't fit her." He snorted. "She told me to shut up, showed a P1A authorization badge, and told me to contact Admiral Webb or I'd spend the rest of my life in prison. I had a million questions but she cut the connection. When she wouldn't accept another connection, she left me only two choices: destroy the cruiser or call Admiral Webb. The thought of Admiral Webb berating me for being an idiot for not destroying the cruiser was almost as bad as the thought of spending the rest of my life in prison. She mentioned that it concerned Project Rabbit, which tipped the balance in favor of calling Webb. Although it reminded me of the story of Alice and Wonderland, it had to be a real project." He sobered. "Unless Paulus opens one of the shuttle bays, we will have to force our way in, and we will need Marines to make sure she isn't being held and it isn't a trap."

"Good thing you didn't, Captain. If the Coaca Virus is active, your invasion force could have been infected and returned to infect your entire ship," Renata said. "It's not a trap. I know Commander Paulus. She wouldn't call for me if it weren't safe. Part of my team Admiral Webb sent is a crew to pilot the ship into orbit. The rest are specialists in dealing with Coaca Virus contamination. So if you can provide a way in, that is all we need. The virus can't live in open space, so if your people stay outside they won't be in any danger," Renata said.

Laplante spent the next ten minutes directing the colonel in charge of the Marines to open one of the shuttle bays but not to enter. A half hour later, Renata and her team were back in the shuttle and on their way to the FPU cruiser. They slid into the bay dressed in their encapsulated suits with expandable backs that held Self-Contained Breathable Apparatus, SCBA, units. They left the shuttle and made their way to the Bridge. Renata was surprised to see no bodies in the hallway. She shuddered. It felt eerie and she imagined ghosts floating up and down the corridors and in and out of the rooms. When they entered the Bridge, it too looked to be empty. But once inside, she saw Anna slumped in the captain's chair. Renata screamed. Anna looked like a shriveled old woman, with bones clearly visible against a thin layer of skin. "Captain Martinez, where is the dispensary on this ship?"

Martinez tapped on his tablet several times, then pointed out the door. "Down the corridor to the first intersection, take a right, and it's about halfway down on the left."

Renata scooped up Anna, ignoring the red-headed krait draped around her neck, and headed for the door, surprised at how feather-lite Anna felt. Several minutes later she found the area. It looked relatively modern. After a quick scan she located the Regen unit and hurried to it. "Anyone know how to use this machine?" she asked as she undressed Anna, tears mercifully clouding her vision. The woman helping her gagged and threw up. Anna's body was black and blue everywhere, infected areas had blisters which were leaking yellow puss, her genitals were swollen and torn…

Renata picked up Red and placed him in a glass container before lifting Anna's nude body and gently placing her in the unit. She looked to Dr. Seymour, who had been studying the unit. He lowered the lid which sealed it and hit the yellow button. The unit hummed to life.

"They are basically the same, as only two companies make them," he said. The yellow button was glowing. "The yellow button indicates the unit is running a diagnostic routine—" Just then the red button glowed and the yellow button turned off. Seymour frowned and puckered his lips before speaking. "Normally, the diagnostic routine produces a list of medical issues, and you can select which ones you want treated. But when the patient is considered close to death, it automatically switches on the red button, indicating it has initiated emergency procedures." He looked over to the snake. "Dead?"

"No, I think it's hibernating. It needs Anna's blood and since she doesn't have enough to spare, I think it went into hibernation."

* * *

While they waited, they roamed the ship. Signs of violence were everywhere: blood stains, skin and flesh, and scabs, but no bodies.

"Paulus was right," Dr. Koop said, looking at the handheld device she was holding. "Some of this…matter still has the Coaca Virus present and active. Captain Laplante could have caused an epidemic had he forced his way into this ship."

Eventually they examined the cargo hold and found the containers where Anna had stacked the bodies. The smell was overwhelming and they quickly sealed them.

"I'd say Commander Paulus had her revenge," Koop said after she had looked into one of the containers.

* * *

They left Anna in the Regen unit for two days, considering her wounds too serious to move her to Eden. Alexa was transported to the FPU cruiser to be with her daughter.

"Do you know what happened?" Alexa asked Renata after staring at her daughter through the external monitor. "She looks so…fragile. Is Red?" She paled and looked to Renata, who pointed to the glass container where Red lay curled and shook her head.

"Red is all right. I think he's hibernating while he waits for Anna to recover. But to answer your original question, they were monsters…" Tears dripped down Renata's cheeks.

The next day they transferred Anna to the Naval Medical Facility, Asclepius, where she spent another twenty-four hours in Regen.

* * *

I woke lying on a mattress, and began trembling as I awaited the next man. I didn't understand why I wasn't dead. The Regen unit could repair my body and maybe slow the effects but couldn't cure the Coaca Virus. By now I should be dead or at very least in the final stages, but there were no blisters on my arms and I didn't feel feverish. What if they had discovered a cure? They could keep me forever. I screamed.

"Anna, I'm here and you're safe. You're on Eastar at the Naval Hospital," she said over and over again. Her soft soothing voice penetrated my muddled mind and my eyes flew open. Alexa stood at the side of the bed, leaning over me so close I could feel her warm breath. I reached up and grabbed her in a death grip, afraid she would disappear.

"Hold me, Mother," I sobbed in desperation. She crawled onto the bed and lay there, squeezing me tightly and crying. I slept and woke to find Red wrapped around both our necks as if he understood. I dozed off again. When I woke, Alexa spoke.

"Anna, I need to use your bathroom." She stroked my head. When I nodded she kissed my forehead, rolled out of bed, and dashed into the small bathroom. I looked around the room, which looked like all the other hospitals I'd been in over the years and relaxed. Just then Dr. Renata walked in and smiled.

"I see you let your mother up to relieve herself. She refused to leave you until you woke and understood where she was." Renata walked to the side of the bed and began checking my vitals as Alexa emerged from the bathroom. "If your mother stays, would you mind a few questions?"

I hesitated, reaching my arm toward Alexa. She seemed to understand, sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled me to her so my head lay in her lap.

"I'll try," I said, not sure I wanted to discuss what had happened. It might be like reliving it. "How are Adrian and Paul and the other guards?" I asked, suddenly scared, and began shaking. Alexa squeezed me tightly, with her face close to mine.

"The gas wasn't lethal and the kidnappers didn't hurt them. They grabbed you and left," Alexa said, to my relief.

"I didn’t recover until I was on their cruiser. I woke in a bag…just like when the doctors found me in the snow and brought me to you. Except this time Red wasn't in the bag," I said, remembering that four-year-old girl chiding what she thought a red Angel to take her to heaven. I noticed Renata smile at her own recollection of the events. "The captain, a man named Santo, wanted to know what I knew about their operation. He offered me a quick death if…" Over the next hour I gave a condensed version of what I could remember. In fact, what I remembered the most was the pain, not the many faces or what they did or said, or the numbers. I think watching my mother and Renata visibly sharing my pain and degradation helped.

"How did you get away? Alexa asked.

"That was strange…" I hesitated, worrying my lower lip. "Are the four horsemen of the Apocalypse evil?"

"As I remember it," Renata said, looking down, "they were said to be harbingers of the Last Judgment. So I'd say they were sent to punish wrongs."

"I lay on a mattress, feverish, consumed with pain, and undoubtedly hallucinating, when they appeared, floating in the air above me—the four horsemen. Death…gave me his scythe and I strangled the man raping me. They followed me as I wandered the ship, each giving me a weapon…to kill. I killed the men I encountered in the corridors and ones in rooms not quite dead from the Coaca Virus. Eventually I wound up at the captain's office, where I found Red. He had killed the captain."

"You were obviously hallucinating but it’s scary close to having been the harbinger of justice," Renata said, shaking her head. Mother pulled me close and I melted into her embrace and slept.

Alexa, with Renata's backing, would allow no visitors and two days later we left the hospital and went directly home. I did notice two Marine shuttles following us and one stayed. For the next several nights I slept in Alexa's bed, needing her next to me before I dared close my eyes, and to grab on to when I woke from my many nightmares, disoriented and back on the Shark.

* * *

We sat on the couch after a delicious dinner. Alexa and the cook were doing their best to help me gain back some of the weight I had lost, and it was working.

"Anna, you can resign the Navy and we can move back to Oxax. We have plenty of money and there is no need for you to work. Lulltrel can get Adrian and Kris to continue the project—"

"No!" I shouted. "Sorry, Mother. But the thought of Kris or Adrian in the hands of those monsters… They couldn't stop me from dying, but with Regen they could keep them alive for years." I shuddered at the thought. "I might need to sleep in your bed for a while." I gave Alexa a hug and kiss on the cheek. "But I think you were right when you said Red and I were meant to chase bad guys. And these guys are evil."

Alexa hugged me, her face wet from crying. "You can sleep in my bed for the rest of your life if it helps."

* * *

I notified Lulltrel that I'd like to report for duty. She agreed if Dr. Renata certified me fit. I made an appointment for the next day and contacted Pannell to take me to her office.

"Hi, Paul. I'm glad the kidnappers didn't hurt you," I said and gave him a hug. Very unprofessional but I didn't care. He returned the hug.

"I'm sorry—" he began but I stopped him with a hand.

"They were smarter than us this time. I know who did it so you will have the last laugh," I said. His jaw dropped open in surprise.

"Who?"

"Marines from the Laelaps. But they will have to wait until we identify the Hijackers. So for now that's our secret." I placed my finger to my lips.

He nodded. "Your security has been tripled," he said as we exited the house and entered one of the two shuttles waiting. The ride to Eastar Naval Hospital was quick. Renata met me in the lobby and escorted me to her office.

"Are you sure you want to continue?" Renata said after she served me coffee and we were seated.  "They would give you a medical retirement with full benefits. The space gods know you deserve it."

"I'm scared and have nightmares and sleep in my mother's bed, but they are evil and I'm the best person to chase them. I don't think anyone will want to kidnap me again." I gave a short laugh. "And maybe the four horsemen were my subconscious telling me they deserved judgment for the evil they are causing."

"All right. I certify you fit for duty on the condition you call me once a day and visit me once a week for the next several weeks," she said, making eye contact with me. I nodded.

"I'd like that, Dr. Renata. You're like family to me and Red, and I'm going to need anchors."

* * *

"Commander Paulus, reporting for duty, ma'am," I said as I entered Lulltrel's office, braced to attention, and saluted. I was surprised when she stood to return my salute.

"I can't believe you want to continue after what happened to you. I read Dr. Renata's report on your condition when they found you." She stood watching me and waited.

"They need to be stopped…and I might be the best person to stop them."

She nodded. "Admiral Webb has asked for you to meet with him when you report for duty. With your permission, he invited Dr. Renata and me. That way he can debrief you and you only have to tell the story once," she said while she stared. I felt like I was under a microscope. After I nodded, she led me to Webb's office and we were admitted immediately. Inside, I noticed Renata was already there. I braced to attention and saluted. Webb stood to return my salute.

"Welcome home, Commander Paulus," Webb said as he waved toward several chairs arranged in a circle. His aide fetched coffee for Lulltrel and me as Webb joined the circle. I noticed that Pannell was allowed to stay.

"Paulus, we will stop any time you feel you can't continue, either for a break or to continue another day," Renata said, looking from me to Webb to Lulltrel before continuing. I stroked Red, who was lying with his head on my shoulder, and took a sip of coffee before speaking.

"My first recollection was waking up in a body bag…" I tried to give a comprehensive description of the events while avoiding specifics around the rapes, and completely disregarding the four horsemen. I think it made it easier watching the three wiping tears from their eyes. Pannell stood off to the side, his face was space cold.

Afterward, Webb ordered lunch and the conversation was an update on what the investigation on Westar had discovered, which was very little—I knew or suspected more.

"Paulus, Admiral Lulltrel tells me you want to continue and Dr. Renata has certified you fit for duty. I would have thought you would have wanted to retire. No one would blame you and you would certainly be entitled to retire early with full benefits. What if…" he choked on what he intended to say and left it hanging.

"They may want to kill me, sir, but I doubt anyone will ever want to kidnap me again." That received a spike of emotions: mostly horror and fear, which slowly turned to satisfaction.

"What do you want, Paulus? The candy store is open for you." Webb gave me a lopsided smile.

"Unless you object, sir, I'd like your best cruiser system programmer and a directive from the appropriate section to conduct a system upgrade. Whoever is appointed will be doing it under P1A authority."

"I trust her," Lulltrel said, aware I meant to violate people's rights, which would normally require a court order and strong justification.

"You're going after the group you suspect are operating from UAS cruisers?" Webb asked, somewhat confused, probably wondering why I wasn't focused on the Hijackers.

"Although they aren't working directly for the Hijackers, I believe they are providing them information needed to avoid detection. And I think I can prove they are the ones who kidnapped me, proving they have a link to the Hijackers. I'd also like authorization for my staff and I to have exclusive access to the Shark and its records."

* * *

"Master Chief," I said when I saw Stamm rocket to attention as I approached. "My office, after you arrange for a staff meeting. I need an update."

"Yes, ma'am," he said saluting as I passed. Inside, I stood looking out the window at the city. I reached up and Red wrapped around my wrist and I kissed him. "Am I crazy, my friend? Or is my mother right? We were meant to chase bad people." I held him a few centimeters from my face. As usual he said nothing, just stared back with his small forked tongue flickering in and out. "Did you send the four horsemen and pull me to the captain's office? I certainly didn't know where the captain was or his office or you. And I wouldn't have killed the first man and escaped without the horsemen's encouragement." I laughed when Red gave no sign of understanding. "You're the galaxy's greatest liar," I said, letting Red wrap around my neck just as I heard a knock at the door.

"Come."

"Ma'am, they are running for your conference room as we speak." He smiled. "We are all glad you're back and…alive. You were missed."

"Thank you, Carl. It's good to be back. Let's go dispel some of the rumors which must be floating around," I said as I headed for the door. Pannell and four Marines fell in behind me.

"Attention," Stamm shouted and everyone braced to attention, although their eyes followed me instead of looking forward.

"At ease and sit. Sorry for the unscheduled meeting, but I'd like to catch up on what has been happening while I was on vacation." That generated jaw-dropping silence. "And before you ask, the accommodations were cramped, the food tasteless, and the staff rude. Not to mention, the entertainment was third rate. I wouldn't recommend traveling on a FPU cruiser." I looked around the table at the slight smiles that were emerging. "Why don't you start, Commander Newman?" I said as Stamm place a cup of coffee in front of me.

"Ma'am, we're glad you’re back and safe." He blushed slightly and continued quickly. "We reviewed all the merchants who conduct business in the Northern Rim and narrowed the list to twenty-two we feel are equivalent to the ten missing merchants," Newman said and slid a chip to me. Then he and the others went on to explain their current cases.

"Thank you. Colonel Pannell will arrange for us to tour the Shark. That is the FPU cruiser currently in orbit over Westar. We will probably be gone for a day or two so pack accordingly. We are going to search the Shark for clues to their operating procedures."

* * *

"Ma'am, there is a Lieutenant Commander to see you. He said he was the system programmer you requested."

"Send him in, Master Chief," I said, a little surprised at how quickly he had been assigned. Stamm opened the door and a good-looking man in his early thirties with wavy brown hair entered. He braced to attention and saluted.

"Lieutenant Commander Odom, reporting for duty, ma'am," he said. Not used to being saluted in my office, it took a few seconds for me to return it. His angular face had a pleasant smile as he relaxed into a parade rest stance.

"Commander, get something to drink," I pointed to the sideboard, "and have a seat."

He fetched a glass of water and sat. "Admiral Webb told Admiral Tilley that he needed someone with cruiser systems expertise and that that person was to report to Commander Paulus, the Eastar NIA Station Chief, and here I am." He smiled and took a sip of water while watching me intently. I could feel his surprise and apprehension.

"I assume no one told you why or for how long," I said, realizing Webb probably hadn't even told his superior.

"No, ma'am. Just that I was being assigned to project Owlet, a project that neither Admiral Tilley nor I have ever heard mentioned. I assume they are little owls." He smiled with genuine amusement.

"Yes, small and fragile, which is the reason they need to be very careful if they wish to grow old," I said, and watched his face turn serious. "The people you will be helping me to identify are very dangerous and would kill without a second thought to protect their identity. And they are smart and efficient. They kidnapped me while I was being guarded by three Marines. They didn't kill me, only because the people who paid them wanted me alive."

"You were on the FPU cruiser we captured?" he asked, looking down in thought. "There are a lot of rumors…"

"You will be operating under P1A authority," I said, choosing to ignore his interest in the FPU cruiser. "The only people you can discuss this project with, without going to prison or alerting the killers to your involvement, is Admiral Lulltrel's staff." I waited until he nodded. "I believe there is a criminal organization which has operatives on many of our military cruisers. I believe I can trace six murders directly to them. In addition, they are selling information to foreign criminals who are hijacking UAS Merchants."

"Wow. I don't know what I was expecting but this wasn't it. You need me to do?"

"If I'm right, they are using the Internet to communicate with whoever is their planet-side contact. I understand the system collects and saves some information when a crew member connects to the Internet using the cruiser's system," I said and waited.

"Yes, but it's very limited. The system ID the person is using, which maybe one of the four or five the ship provides or the individual’s private device, and the Internet Protocol, IP address the person accesses. The information is recycled every few days. The default is five days, but the captain can change the default if he wishes."

"The first step will be to determine the sites that the criminals visit. Step two will be to collect the keystrokes to that site. And step three to collect the information the site sends to the Hijackers." When I finished, Odom looked to be deep in concentration. "Oh, how would you like to examine a FPU cruiser's system?"

"Yes, ma'am." His eyes lit with excitement.

* * *

When we exited the shuttle into the Shark's shuttle bay the next day, Dr. Renata was waiting.

"Good morning. Although we believe the Shark has been completely decontaminated and no longer contains any remnants of the Coaca Virus, I have decided to err on the side of caution. Therefore, I have provided encapsulated suits with self-contained breathable apparatus for your protection. Do not take them off until you are ready to leave and they have been decontaminated. Any questions?" Renata said. Looking around, I thought everyone was relieved to be wearing protective suits.

"I loaded a map of the ship on your tablets in case you get lost. Newman, Atkins, and Cooper--I'd like you to search the crew quarters. Record what you find, even if it doesn't seem relevant, since the same object in multiple rooms may be important. If you find anything you want to examine more closely in the office, put it in one of the bags Dr. Renata has provided. It will need to be decontaminated before we leave the ship. Odom, come with me. We'll examine the Bridge and the captain's office," I said, as everyone began putting on their protective gear. When everyone was ready, I led them to the crew's quarters and then left with Odom to the Bridge, with Pannell and four Marines following. I wasn't sure how anyone was going to get to me up here, but I understood Pannell's paranoia. Odom stood looking around the room, mesmerized.

"It's funny, in a way. I work on the software, fix problems, and add new features, but I've never been on the Bridge of a cruiser. We have a mockup of it in our lab, but it isn't the same as the real thing."

"Have fun. I'll be in the captain's office if you need me," I said, pointing out the first door on the left in the corridor—after I had checked the weapons and helm panels to ensure they couldn't be activated.

"What am I looking for?" he asked.

"Locations of the other FPU Cruisers, communications with anyone, information about merchants, contacts… holler if you are in doubt." I entered the captain's office and began going through his desk but didn't find anything of interest. Then I tried his quarters. I found his tablet but it was locked and carried it back to the Bridge.

"Odom, can you break into this tablet?" I asked, holding it out to him. "Find anything interesting?"

"We have programs to find passwords but, depending on the passwords he used, it could take hours or years. Years in his case, since I imagine he used a foreign language word or words." He shrugged. "But I did notice that he tampered with the cruiser's ID. The original appears to have been Shark. But they also used Traveller and Pontus."

* * *

Several hours later, Renata wandered onto the Bridge. "This ship is huge. I've travelled on a cruiser before but was confined to a small area. And I can understand why Sinclair always referred to them as submarines. When people are roaming around you don't notice. But when it's empty the size and the confinement hits you." She nodded to me. "Walk with me, Anna."

I understood it was more than a casual request and nodded, letting her pick our direction.

"How does it feel being back on the Shark?"

"I miss the four horsemen," I quipped. "At the time, I was out of my mind with fever and probably in stage five Coaca. I couldn't recognize one hallway or room from another. Even the killing was without thought." I gave a snort. "I was being pulled toward something and killed everything in the way that might stop or impede me."

"Red?" Renata asked. I stood looking at her for a long time, unconsciously stroking Red.

"This is between you and me." I waited for her to nod. "Red does some strange things, like finding me in the snow. Mother believes Red and I were meant to chase bad guys," I said. Renata said nothing for several minutes, then nodded.

"Red couldn't leave the room and you certainly would have died if you hadn't found him," Renata said while stroking her chin. When I looked, we were in front of the entrance to the cargo hold. "How do you feel?"

"Death doesn't scare me. I'm not in a rush but have long accepted I'm unlikely to live a normal life span. I wouldn't want to repeat the experience on the Shark and expect I'll be sleeping in my mother's bed for a long time, but I'm determined to enjoy each day. I've a job I love, a wonderful mother, and good friends like you." I laughed. "So, let's go visit that container you brought me here to see."

"No, after seeing the bodies stacked in that container, it probably scares me more than it does you." She gave me a tight hug, ignoring Red, and turned me back in the direction we had come. We stayed almost two days.

"Commander Odom found that the cruiser pretended to be the merchant ship Traveller, and the UAS Cruiser Pontus. Your homework for our next staff meeting is to track those identities," I said during the shuttle ride to the planet.

* * *

"I waited until I saw Admiral Lulltrel walking toward the conference room before entering with Commander Odom. Everyone jumped up and headed toward me, but stopped when Commander Spalding called, "Attention."

"At ease," she said as she entered and sat. "Commander Paulus was kidnapped by the people we are seeking under Project Owlet and turned over to the Hijackers. Although I know you are concerned and curious, I'd ask you to refrain from asking her questions. Let her decide what she is comfortable saying in her own time." Lulltrel looked to me and stood as her aide called attention and Admiral Webb entered. I bolted to attention, along with everyone else. Webb walked over to me. "Commander Paulus, you have been awarded the Navy Medal of Honor for your actions on the FPU Cruiser Shark, along with a second silver oak leaf cluster on your Purple Heart ribbon. And a new battle ribbon for action against the Hijackers. Congratulations, Commander Paulus." He held out a hand, which I took. Then he turned to the group. "This presentation is part of the Owlet and Rabbit Projects and therefore classified. We don't want to advertise Commander Paulus's part in the loss of their cruiser." After a lot of congratulations, Webb left and Lulltrel sat causing everyone to sit.

"Since you missed my last few staff meetings, perhaps you should start, Paulus," Lulltrel said, suppressing a smile.

"Yes, ma'am. I went to Stone Ring and Westar seeking information concerning the Owlet Project. There I was kidnapped by the very people we are trying to identify. They delivered me to the Hijackers, who are operating with a FPU cruiser, which ties the kidnappers directly to the Rabbit Project. And if you have never been on a FPU cruiser, I wouldn't recommend it. The ride was bumpy, the accommodations poor, the service atrocious, the help rude, and the entertainment boring." I took a drink of coffee. "Before they kidnapped me, I identified several murders that do not appear to be local killings and compared them to dates when UAS cruisers were in port. I found six cruisers which were each in port during at least two of the murders. That might be a coincidence if it involved only one or two cruisers, but not six." I paused for a sip of coffee.  "I believe the Owlet group is using the internet to communicate with their contact on each system."

"Why?" Leyva asked, leaning forward.

"Necessity. You arrive in port not sure how much planet-side leave you are going to get or when. So you need to know if they have a job for you and your crew and what it is so you can decide whether you want it and to prepare. Even if they aren't in port long enough to take the assignment, I believe they get paid for reporting the cruiser's planned itinerary. So you can make money without leaving the ship. And besides saving time, the Internet keeps the parties anonymous," I said and Leyva nodded. "Let me introduce Lieutenant Commander Odom. He's a cruiser systems programmer whom I've manage to borrow. I'd like the Owlet Team's help in designing a software patch to the cruisers system that is capable of storing the IPs accessed while the ship is in port and all the keystrokes of each session."

"I know you have P1A authority, but that would be very controversial if it got out," Byrnes said, frowning.

"True. I thought the software patch could assign a random number to each session. Our first task would be to identify the domain name of the site associated with each IP. Since we have six potential cruisers, I believe a pattern will be obvious. Then we can delete all the sessions which don't involve those sites," I said and sat back. As I had hoped, that created a lot of discussions which lasted until the early hours of the morning. When we finished, Odom had a basis for a prototype patch.

The software would capture the IP, assign a unique number, and store all the keystrokes. It would make no attempt to capture the user's name. That made the data collection less invasive. Besides, names would have been difficult to collect since the users could use the cruisers available devices or use another person's tablet. The collected data would be compacted and sent via the WavCom to the station's NIA computer. The information would be encrypted so only the Project Team could view the data.

* * *

"Well, Daughter, how was your day?" Alexa asked as we sat for dinner.

"Complicated, Mother. Webb joined Lulltrel's staff meeting and gave me a bunch of medals for getting kidnapped. I'm surprised they didn't give Red one," I whined.

Alexa laughed, "Probably because he shares your uniform. What kind of medals?"

I pushed the three boxes toward her. She opened each of the three boxes before saying anything. "I understand the Navy Medal of Honor and think you earned it—several times over. Not for being tortured, but for capturing the hijacker's cruiser." She snorted. "The second silver oak leaf cluster I suspect represents Webb and Lulltrel frustration at the number of times you've been attacked and injured, and one for each session in the Regen unit. But what is this ribbon?" She held up the blue ribbon with a white lightning bolt in the center.

"Webb said it was new, a battle ribbon for action against the Hijackers."

"That's interesting. You have an award no one else in the UAS is authorized to wear." She laughed then pulled me to her. "My reward is having my daughter alive and home."

CHAPTER TEN

Searching for Owlets

The next day, Captain Choi contacted me and requested a meeting. He was willing to come to my office but I chose to meet him on the Scylla. When I arrived, a lieutenant commander was waiting to escort me to Choi's office. I entered and saluted.

"Help yourself to something to drink and have a seat," he said, returning my salute. I'm delighted to see you…looking so well after your ordeal. Frankly, we never thought to see you again."

"Captain Choi, I can tell you I much prefer a ride with you than Captain Santo. He was a terrible host," I said, not sure what else to say. The past couldn't be changed and I wasn't looking for sympathy. He roared with laughter before sobering.

"That's good, because I've been informed by Admiral Webb I'm at your disposal."

"I'd like a favor, if you don't mind," I said, knowing this was, and would continue to be, a sensitive topic."

"I suspect you have an unlimited credit account after bringing home the Shark. Nonetheless, I'd be glad to do anything to help you catch those people. And of course, I'm hoping the Scylla will get a chance at a few of those FPU cruisers." He smiled.

"I have a system programmer working on a system patch…" I went on to explain the patch the Owlet Team had outlined. "I'd like to use your ship to test it before we place it on other ships. You are welcome to be involved and to see the results."

"You believe…ship crew kidnapped you." It was more a question than a statement. He looked to Pannell, who had entered with me.

"It was carried out with military precision. I had two Marines in the elevator and two waiting two floors below in the lobby. They got away clean without firing a shot." For a second his face flared in anger.

"How?"

"Gas."

"Yes, it fits everything we know. And it shows they are in league with the Hijackers since they delivered me to them. In addition, I believe they are feeding the Hijackers information about cruiser deployment, which enables the Hijackers to avoid detection." I spent an hour explaining the correlation of the murders and cruisers in port at the time.

"The Scylla is yours to go wherever you want and to test your software…and to destroy the hijackers and their cruisers." Choi laughed and raised his glass to me.

* * *

When I entered my conference room, Stamm called attention and everyone stood and braced to attention.

"At ease," I said walking over to the group which included Odom.

"We were just discussing our inspection of the Shark," Cooper said, eyes bright with excitement. "Ironically, none of us has ever been on a cruiser, except as a passenger. It was amazing."

"If I didn't have Red," I put my hand to my neck to stroke Red and he wrapped around my arm, "I think I would have loved cruiser duty."

"I think you are right for NIA," Atkins said, surprising me. "Those names put us one step closer. The Traveller is the name of an active merchant, but it doesn't appear to ever visit any planets. And the Pontus is the name of a UAS cruiser which was decommissioned ten years ago. That appears to confirm your conjecture that the Hijackers are pretending to be UAS Navy ships conducting routine inspections."

"And using the WavCom to communicate with their contacts," Newman said.

I laughed. "If true, that may mean you may get cruiser time before this project is over.

After the meeting, Odom showed me the status of his software program. I had Stamm visit several websites on Odom's system simulator and then reviewed the results. The IP and all the keystrokes were there.

"Of Course, I still have to write the routine to send it to the WavCom and back to NIA." He smiled. "But I wanted to show you and get your input."

"That is going to be a lot a data," I said, thinking about the number of ships and stops. "Would it be possible to activate and deactivate the program via the WavCom?"

Odom sat thinking for a long time. "Not without the captain or Comm Officer's help."

"Can you send the information in two packages: one with the IP that was accessed and the second package with the keystrokes?"

"Why?"

"First order of business is to determine the website the system contact uses and then to review the key strokes to determine what information is being sent and received. Once we have the website or sites we are looking for, we can delete all the information which isn't linked to those sites. I'd like to keep the IPs until we are sure we have all the relevant sites. We also need a switch to deactivate your software patch after we have what we want. I want to ensure it's clear to any subsequent investigation that we weren't violating anyone's rights without reasonable cause."

* * *

The next two weeks I spent most of my time reviewing the test results with Odom. Hadley designated a bank of storage to collect and store the data. When we thought it ready, I had Lulltrel's staff on the Scylla for the test. Odom activated the system patch, and each of the staff spent an hour visiting websites using either the Scylla's devices or their own tablets. The next day we met in Hadley's work area to review the results. Hadley then had one of her people write a program to delete any data not linked to specific IPs. By the end of the week I thought we were ready, and Admiral Webb gave Admiral Tilley orders to upload Odom's system update on all UAS cruisers. It was listed as a routine update.

"This is exciting," Hadley said, sipping a cup of coffee in my office.

"The hard work is coming," I said. "We'll have to review hundreds of IPs and trace them to a website, then deduce which is being used to make contact, and then determine what information is being sent. And that's only the beginning. We will have to determine who owns or maintains the website and what information they are sending to…the Traveller and figure out how to decode the messages. That could be easy or difficult to decipher depending on how clever they are. And they appear very careful in maintaining their anonymity."

"Details," she said, waving a hand in the air. Suddenly she sobered. "How are you holding up?" she asked, changing topics. "You look much better but…"

"In a way I was lucky—"

"Lucky?" she choked out. "How can being tortured be lucky?"

"What do you think of Regen?" I asked, and received a blank stare.

"A medical miracle. It has saved tens of thousands of lives."

"Imagine being tortured to the brink of death—"

"Oh! Then Regen…" Her eyes became misty and she hugged me, forgetting about Red, who was somewhere in my clothing. I laughed when she jumped back and scanned me.

"Where is he…he didn't bite me."

"Red appears to know the difference between me being attacked or hugged…or he's just lazy," I said. Hadley laughed after several seconds of silence.

"So you were lucky…lucky they couldn't cure the Coaca Virus…and couldn't keep you alive indefinitely," she said, watching me. I nodded. "That's a concept I'm going to have trouble forgetting."

* * *

Over the next week the results began coming in—several thousand entries. Everyone looked tired and dejected when we met for Lulltrel's staff meeting.

"It's overwhelming,” Byrnes said, shaking his head. "I don't know where to start. Just looking up the IPs is going to takes months."

"We have to make some assumptions so we can pare the list to something reasonable," Leyva said and looked to me.

"Why are you smiling, Paulus?" Hadley said, giving me a curious once over.

I tapped on my tablet and waited as their tablets began ringing with notification of a message from Paulus. "Those are the IPs from the Graeae on their latest stop. That is the only cruiser who twice matched with robbery-murders and therefore the best candidate. I think we can ignore the rest for now."

"All right, that's your homework," Lulltrel said, looking amused.

* * *

"Looks like old times," Alexa said as I began tapping on my tablet when we got comfortable on the couch. I nodded.

"A puzzle. Find the website the HoBos are using to get contracts."

"HoBos?"

"It's a bit hazy, but I think I heard my kidnappers use that word, or maybe it was Santo. Anyway, I think that may be their organization's name."

"So, you're looking for IPs that are on the dark web."

I smiled. "Sounds right, criminals and dark web. I'll wager my fellow chiefs will be looking for sites which were only referenced once or twice or have an unknown, therefore, dark web IP." I paused for Alexa to think it over.

"But that would stand out," she said, frowning. "Better a popular site."

"That's what I think. Login to a popular site but have a way of activating a hidden link."

"But if someone stumbled on the link?" Alexa asked.

"I think all they would see is garbage or rather what would look like garbage." When Alexa nodded, I began by making a table listing each unique IP I found, then kept a running count each time it was accessed. The top three were:

Website

Input

UAS Graeae

Times accessed

Westar attractions

None

98

Westar restaurants

Reservations

109

Westar nightclubs

Search

132

It was late when I’d finished, so I decided to leave it for tomorrow. For a minute I felt guilty as I slid into bed beside Alexa. However, once there I fell asleep quickly while thinking how lucky I was to have a mother who tolerated and loved a daughter who was still living at home and needed to share her bed to keep away the ghosts.

* * *

"I understand we don't have enough data points to come to a reasonable conjecture, but I'm curious as to what you may have discovered," Lulltrel said at the start of our next staff meeting.

"I've been at it for seven days and came to the conclusion we have too much data. Even after Paulus narrowed the search to one cruiser," Byrnes said, shaking his head. "It might help if we had the downloaded data."

"There is a lot of data, so I eliminated the high-traffic sites and looked for unknown sites or ones which were accessed only a couple of times. I found no unknown sites but I did find two that were accessed less than three times. We will have to wait to see if they show up when we get the data from the other ships Paulus identified as possible candidates," Leyva said and shrugged.

"I thought it might be the high-traffic sites and found two sessions where they were the only ones to click on one link. But as Leyva said, it would be nice to have the download," Hadley said and turned to me. "All right, prodigy, what did you and Red come up with?"

"I initially thought like Leyva, either a site no one else would click on or one on the dark web. But that would be a red flag and these people are too smart for that. Therefore, the best sites would be the ones used the most. The three most consistently accessed were Eastar Attractions, Eastar Restaurants, and Eastar Nightclubs—"

"But someone would be bound to click on the link and they would see the data," Lulltrel said, frowning in thought.

"Absolutely right, so that eliminated Eastar Attractions since it had no place to input data. Eastar Restaurants had a box to input data but it was only for reservations, so I thought that too complex. Consequently, I liked Eastar Nightclubs which, was also the site accessed the most--one hundred thirty-two times." I paused, awaiting comments. Everyone appeared to be searching their memories for what the site looked like. Hadley's head shot up.

"Search!" she shouted. "Sorry, but how does that help?"

"Capital 'h', lowercase 'o', capital 'b', lowercase 'o,'" I said and smiled.

"HoBo?" Lulltrel said and everyone was busy on their tablets. After a long silence, Leyva spoke.

"How did you find that?"

"It's unique, like a password, because of the two capital letters, a very unlikely search word, and I think may be the organization's name. But like Leyva said, we need more data points to verify that's the site and code word."

"If you're right, we could identify every cruiser with…HoBos aboard," Lulltrel said with an evil grin lurking on her lips."

"Yes, ma'am."

"What do you want to do next?" Lulltrel asked, looking directly at me.

"I'd like to go to Stone Ring and Westar. I think enough time has passed to have a good chance of verifying if I'm right. And to try to identify the owner or maybe the people maintaining the site," I said.

"Why can't we tell the NIA offices on each system and let them check?" Lulltrel again.

"Ma'am. The HoBos scare me. They are very efficient." I looked back to Pannell, who nodded. "The more people who know, the more chance there is of the HoBos finding out…" I left the probable consequences hanging. Lulltrel looked back at Pannell.

"Colonel?"

"Commander Paulus is right on both accounts. She was kidnapped with military precision, and they knew exactly where she would be. And if they knew she’d captured a FPU cruiser and was looking into their organization, she would be number one on their hit list."

"Paulus, what about your mother?" Lulltrel asked, knowing it was a double-edged question—losing her daughter and sleeping at night.

"Mother was a UAS Cruiser captain and knows duty. And I'll get Dr. Renata to prescribe extra strong sleeping pills." Watching the people around the table and feeling the confusion was almost funny. But slowly the confusion turned to sympathy. Only Hadley had a glimpse into what happened on the Shark and the others could guess it wasn't pleasant."

"If Paulus doesn't mind, I'd like to go along. I understand she gets VIP treatment and the run of the cruiser. It will be good experience and maybe I can help," Hadley said. Lulltrel looked to me. I had mixed emotions—I'd like the company but it would put her in danger.

"Only on one condition," I said, realizing she was an adult and knew the risk.

"What?" Hadley frowned.

"That you carry a weapon at all times, you can prove to Colonel Pannell you know how to use it, and can hit what you are aiming at," I said and smiled. Hadley stared back with her mouth open, and Pannell choked out a laugh.

"All right. Paulus, you can go and you can take Hadley if she meets your preconditions." She stood, ending the meeting. Hadley came running over to me. That's three conditions," she said, grinning.

"Commander Hadley, Paulus is right. The fact that Commander Sinclair and she knew how to shoot saved their lives more than once." He gave a snort. "The whole Raider Project Team used to practice regularly."

* * *

"It's embarrassing," Hadley said at Lulltrel's next staff meeting. "Colonel Pannell had to show me how to activate my laser, then explain its various functions and, judging by the results of my first week's target practice, I would have been more dangerous to Paulus and our security than the HoBos." She laughed. "I swear Paulus can hit the target in the kill zone while carrying on a conversation."

"I doubt most of us could find where we stored our lasers," Lulltrel said. "Paulus was fortunate. Her mother had a master chief instruct her in the use of the standard weapons and to qualify each year while at the academy."

I laughed, thinking about Master Chief Ransom. "The master chief wouldn't let me shoot a weapon until I knew all its functions and could take it apart and put it back together again. I owe my life to that training."

"I'm afraid I thought learning to shoot unnecessary since we have security and will be on a UAS cruiser," Hadley said, giving me a wry smile. "But after hearing Colonel Pannell describe the encounters you and Sinclair had, I agree it's necessary, and we aren't leaving until the colonel says I'm ready."

"Good. I'm happy with my current staff and don't want to break in a new one." Lulltrel gave each of us a stern look. "I've informed Admiral Webb of our findings and that the two of you will be off to verify them."

* * *

"I'm glad Hadley is going with you," Alexa said that night at dinner. I think you can handle yourself and don't need help, but it doesn't hurt to have support."

"Except I hate that she could be in danger, I'm glad she's going. I like Teresa. She and I have talked a lot over the months." I reached over and touched Alexa's arm. "I'm sorry, Mother, I could stay on Eastar and let the NIA offices do the work."

Alexa put her hand over mine. “My perfect daughter. Yes, I'll worry until you're safe in the nest again, but I've adopted your philosophy—get the most out of each day. And today you are home and it's wonderful. And tomorrow you'll be running evil men to ground, which will make the UAS a safer place for us all. I trust Red to keep you safe." She reached up and stroked Red's head. In response his tongue flicked out and touched her fingers.

* * *

"Do you ride like this all the time?" Hadley asked in the Marine shuttle transporting us to the space station.

"Pretty much. I have a skimmer, but Paul prefers to have me on a Marine shuttle. I'm afraid I've given him a bad case of paranoia." I smiled at Pannell.

"Paranoia refers to an imaginary threat. In…Anna's case it's a real threat. She's been attacked on cruisers, in the NIA headquarters building, and in public. I'd like to dress her in Marine combat gear." He shook his head in despair. "Commander Hadley—"

"Teresa, please."

"Teresa, you need to wear that weapon at all times when you aren't in your room," Pannell said as the light over the shuttle door turned green, signaling it was safe to depart.

As we exited, a lieutenant checked each of our IDs. "Commander Paulus, Captain Choi asked if you and Commander Hadley would like to join him for dinner tonight at nineteen hundred hours."

"We'd be delighted," I said after Teresa gave an enthusiastic head bob.

"Senior Chief Grady will show you to your quarters," the lieutenant said, giving us a departing salute.

"Ma'am, place your hand on the plate and you will be registered," Grady said as he stopped next to a door. Hadley gave a smile as the door slid open and her eyes grew big when she looked inside. "Ma'am, the next room is yours. Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you, Senior Chief. We'll be fine," I said and joined Teresa in her room.

"I'm going to travel with you more often. Private room, dine with the captain, and access to the Bridge."

"The bill is coming." I smiled to take the seriousness out of the remark. It was a stupid thing to say and uncalled for. "Sorry."

"Don't be. It's good to remind me what we are doing is dangerous. But until the bill comes, I'm going to enjoy every minute."

"Good. I love living the life of crew-by-proxy and I'll drag you to every unit." I laughed and she joined in.

* * *

"Well, Paulus, what are you chasing this time?" Choi asked after a social dinner where the talk was more about our lives.

"The same people. We're trying to locate their contacts, since their contacts are the ones who are sending the Hijackers information."

"What about my ship?" he asked. "If it doesn't break any rules."

"Your ship is not one being considered. I think I have all the ships identified," I said and Choi gave an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

"I hope this time you will choose to return to Eastar on the Scylla," Choi said, raising his glass of wine to me.

"Me too, Captain. I doubt Commander Hadley would enjoy a FPU cruiser. The service was atrocious."

Teresa stared at me while Choi gave a small laugh. "Someday I'd like to hear that story. I imagine it rivals the time you sent out an emergency message to all UAS cruisers to party with the Raiders."

* * *

When we reached the Stone Ring NIA headquarters, our IDs were verified and we were escorted to the NIA area on the third floor. Kris met us at the elevator and gave me a tight hug.

"You had me terrified." She stood, looking me over. "Where am I going to find another bridesmaid? And you've got to fill out…otherwise your dress will need straps to stay on. You look like a skeleton." She hugged me again, this time tighter. "Shit!" she exclaimed. "What stupid thing did you do to earn that?" She pointed to the Medal of Honor ribbon. Then she blushed, looking around the group.

"This talented woman is Commander Sinclair, the Stone Ring NIA Station Chief. Commander Sinclair, I'd like you to meet Commander Hadley, NIA WavCom Chief. You already know Colonel Pannell."

"Sorry, Commander Hadley, it's nice to meet you. I'm afraid I've been worried sick over my adopted sister. Come, the conference room has drinks being setup and you can tell me what you need.

I waited until we had retrieved our drinks and sat to begin. "You know I'm chasing a gang who I believe are assigned to several UAS cruisers. We recently installed software that will help us identify the cruisers. You have the results in your computer storage."

"I do?"

"Log me on and I'll show you," I said and watched as Kris did.

I did a search and found the Ceto had visited a week ago. I selected their IP searches and sent them to Kris and Teresa. "We need to look up the IPs to get the domain name for the website, then determine which site they are using to get job information," I said and Kris smiled.

"You do love puzzles and so do I. Of course, you already know the answer." She laughed. Between the three of us we had IP translated into domain names some three hours later. I pulled up the keystrokes for the website Stone Ring Nightclubs, and sent them to Teresa. Then I did a search for HoBo. I found it only once, which surprised me. When I looked up, Teresa was smiling.

"You two look like you won the lottery. Care to share?" Kris asked.

"For the right price," I quipped, trying to look serious. Kris closed her eyes for several minutes.

"I'm assuming it's one of the more popular sites…and has a password,"

"Correct. Stone Ring Nightclubs and the password is HoBo using a capital 'H' and 'B'."

"She's good," Teresa said, nodding toward Kris.

"Very," I said. "I need help determining who owns the website and who maintains it if the owner doesn't."

"Because you think they are sending messages to the Hijackers," Kris said, eyes downcast in thought. "What about the gang on the Ceto?"

"They have to be taken last or it will break the link to the Hijackers. Besides, if they even suspect I'm looking for them, Red will be an orphan."

"And I guess you would want me to look after him," Kris joked and looked a little pale.

* * *

Kris offered to put us up at her place. She had a three-bedroom condo, but the third she used as an office. As we got ready for bed, Kris pulled me into her bedroom.

"Care to share?" she asked. I didn't want to but Kris was my best friend, more like a sister, and I knew she would be hurt if I didn't.

"I would imagine Adrian told you they gassed the elevator," I said and Kris nodded. "I woke in a body bag…" It was an emotional two hours between crying, hugs, and questions.

"If I can help—"

"No. Stay away from them, Kris." I couldn't help crying. "They are evil. Find the father of your future children, get married, and enjoy life."

Kris had tears in her eyes as she crawled into bed. As I rose, she patted the side of the bed. "No sleeping alone tonight, little sister. We'll fight the nightmares together."

* * *

Over the next few days we were able to determine that a company called Night Action owned the site, but the search engine for the site was provided by Quest Solutions. Kris agreed to find out who controlled Quest Solutions. She assured me she knew these people were dangerous and she would be very discrete. She felt it would be safer for her than me since I was known to them, whereas she wasn't. Her inquires could be made in the pursuit of other cases.

We left on the Scylla the next day for Westar, a six day trip. During the day I dragged Teresa to every section, including the dispensary where Dr. Cahill gave us a tour in exchange for information about Red and the Coaca Virus.

"You do have the run of the ship," Teresa said in the shuttle on the way to Westar.

"I know Captain Choi from our days chasing the Raiders. Those captains loved us because we were helping him find Raider cruisers." I smiled. "Captains are drawn to enemy cruisers like moths to fire."

"And you would love cruiser duty," Hadley said, smiling.

"I guess I'm a moth," I quipped.

"More like a Phoenix," Pannell said just above a whisper. We were cleared through security quickly and escorted to the second floor, where Adrian was waiting. To my astonishment, he grabbed me in a bear hug.

"I thought we had lost you," he said, stepping back. "I always envied Kris being able to hug you." He smiled. "Red didn't bite me."

"He's getting old and lazy," I said, smiling. Commander Shrader, I'd like you to meet Commander Hadley, NIA WavCom Chief. Hadley this is my adopted brother. He was the other member of the Smugglers’ and Raiders’ Task forces.

"Come, we can talk in my conference room. I'll have refreshments brought up."

"How did you get free?" Adrian asked after the door closed. I didn't want to repeat the story but Adrian deserved to know, especially after risking a poisonous bite to give me a brotherly hug.

"My first clear recollection…" To his credit he didn't probe for details.

"I always said you and Kris had nine lives." He gave me a lopsided grin. "What can I do to help you catch them?"

After pulling up the data collected over the past two months, I discovered the Hecate and the Laelaps had visited Westar. I selected their IP queries, and four hours later we had the corresponding websites. Then I selected the packets with the corresponding key strokes and searched for HoBo. I found it twice for the Hecate, once for each time it stopped, and once for the Laelaps.

Adrian did a quick search on his tablet and slapped the table, rattling the cups. "The Laelaps was in port the day you got kidnapped. But we don't know who they are."

"Not important right now," I said and watched Adrian frown. "The priority is finding who owns the Westar Nightclubs website and who is maintaining it. We need to stop the Hijackers before we can close down the HoBos."

Over the next two days we found the Night Action owned the site and Quest Solutions maintained the search engine. Adrian took responsibility for determining who controlled Quest Solutions.

* * *

"I assume you had a good trip as Hadley looks particularly chirpy," Lulltrel said after surveying the group.

"Traveling with Paulus is an experience. Senior level quarters, dining with the captain, and the run of the ship. And the NIA station chiefs treated us like family." Hadley gave a wide smile.

"In addition to having fun, did you manage to learn anything of interest to Project Owlet?" Lulltrel sounded serious but a twitch of her lip spoiled it.

"Yes, ma'am, we did manage to squeeze in a few hours of work. Nightclubs is definitely the website the gang is using and HoBo the password. Quest Solutions manages the search engine and probably the one sending the Hijackers messages, and the Hecate, Laelaps, Graeae, and Ceto have HoBos on those ships."

"What's next, Paulus?" Lulltrel asked, looking amused. "Look for more HoBos?"

"No, ma'am. I think Commander Odom can shut down his patch. By now we have the results from every UAS Cruiser and can easily determine any other ships who have HoBos. I think the Hijackers are the priority, and alerting the HoBo of our interest may break that link. Commanders Sinclair and Shrader are trying to determine the most likely individuals in Quest Solutions to be sending messages to the Hijackers. But I think we might find them by reviewing the WebCom traffic from Eastar, Westar, and Stone Ring."

"But you don't know who is sending them," Brynes said, frowning in thought.

"No, but thanks to Commander Odom, I think we know they are going to the Traveller."

* * *

"You were right. I ran a search of the WavCom for messages to the Traveller. I found ten over the past several months, but none lately," Hadley said as she placed a flash drive on my desk. I inserted it into my tablet as she fetched a cup of coffee and sat. "It's definitely in code."

I nodded as I scanned the messages. The most recent messages read:

TO TRAVELLER/WESTAR

UPDATE: CUSTOMER INVOICE: #11123237351 CANCELED. NEW INVOICE #11228869493.

FROM: GPS/OXAX

And another:

TO TRAVELLER/WESTAR

PACKAGE READY FOR PICKUP AT: 2A60123401A2.

FROM: GPS/WESTAR

It was sent to Westar. I slapped my head. "I'm an idiot. If there are four FPU cruisers—three now—they probably are all using a different merchant identifications and will each have a specific WavCom they are watching. The one I…brought to Eastar looked to have been stationed in Westar space and was probably responsible for merchants going to Westar and from another close system like," I looked to the star map on my table, "Oxax." The question is whether or not it will be replaced and if Global Postal Service continues in business. We need to do a search on GPS to see if they also sent information to the other three FPU ships concerning Oasis, Shadows Rest, and Safe Harber."

* * *

"Good morning, I said as I sat for my morning staff meeting." I tapped on my tablet and sent the message I had prepared. A few seconds later, their tablets began notifying each person of a message from me. "Those are messages from a company called GPS to the Traveller. I believe they give the information about cruisers and merchants movements. Your homework is to decipher the message. There is a date stamp on each message which should help, and the merchants are hopefully on the list you prepared," I said while watching everyone looking at their tablets with wide-eyed stares.

"What about the Package ready message? That looks different," Newman asked.

"Don't worry about that one. I've already translated that one," I said. Everyone's head snapped up and they looked in my direction.

"It translates to, ‘that pesky Commander Paulus is in a body bag waiting pickup at 2.6 degrees, 1 hours, 23 minutes, 40 seconds, 1.2 astronomical units. Don't be late,’" I said, and felt the oscillating emotions—amusement, confusion, and finally understanding and sympathy.

* * *

"Are you making any progress?" Alexa asked as we settled down for the night in our living room.

"Slow but steady," I said, thinking about what we had discovered to date. "We know the websites the HoBos are using in each system to reach their contact. It's a popular website used to find the local nightspots. It's run by a firm call Night Action. They are legitimate, but Quest Solution, which maintains the search engine, is in league with the Hijackers. They use a firm called GPS to send messages to the FPU cruisers using a registered merchant's identification. My staff is working on breaking the code they use. We need that information to deduce how they select their target. The question is going to be whether the firm GPS sends messages to all of the FPU cruisers or just to the Traveller, whether each Hijacker used a different merchant's identification, and in which system or systems they reside. The Shark, alias the Traveller, alias the Pontus, appears to have used Westar."

"If I were the captain of one of those FPU cruisers, I think I'd leave UAS space." Alexa smiled. "Because there is a blood hound pit-bull mixed breed and a red-headed krait chasing them." She laughed and I joined her. I think she had the right of it, including Red. I've long thought he has helped me to learn and deduce solutions faster. And the events on the Shark were certainly strange—the four horsemen and finding him. It was too easy to put it down to hallucinating and luck. I was hallucinating, I'd never discount luck, and Red wasn't sharing but…the number of lucky escapes was exceeding probability.

I shrugged, picked up my tablet, and began looking the coded string to the Traveller.

UPDATE: CUSTOMER INVOICE: #11123237351 CANCELED. NEW INVOICE #11228869493.

It looked simple, which meant it was going to be extremely difficult to decipher. More complex codes had keys which were frequently embedded in the text. This had no embedded key. You had to understand the template they were using, i.e., every two numbers equaled a letter or pointed to something, or the first three numbers were a letter, then the next two… And after that how the numbers were generated—was a one really a one, or some other number? And finally, what did the numbers refer to? I had a headache after only a half hour staring at the string. The only thing that gave me hope was Red lying on my forehead, which meant he was interested.

"Red seems interested in what you are puzzling over," Alexa said, looking up from her reading.

"The good news is he hasn't solved the puzzle. The bad news is I don't have a clue where to start," I said, shaking my head in disgust. "How's your work going, Mother?" I asked, wanting a break and realizing I had been so consumed with my work I hadn't asked about hers. After all, she had new responsibilities and people to interface with.

"I think I'm giving the chief judge headaches. He can't seem to find the right slot to put me into. I tend to be the swing vote most of the time. I think it's because I was a captain in the military before becoming a judge and have a far different life experience than the others, who were lawyers before they were judges, and have therefore always been associated with arguing the letter of the law. They want to argue what the words mean, whereas I tend to look at the intent of the words."

"You mean they have gotten stodgy and myopic?" I asked, while trying not to smile. Alexa laughed.

"Exactly. They will tell you they are following the letter of the law, but you have to wonder, when so many votes come down to four to three. If the wording was so clear, then the votes should have been more like six to one or five to two. So I suspect each person is adding their own prejudices into their interpretation. I try to look at what the writers of the law were trying to accomplish.

A good example was your argument with Captain Sharat. They couldn't punish her without destroying the chain of command. You can't have subordinates arguing with their commanders in a time of war or even an emergency. Right and wrong isn't at issue."

"I'd do it again." I grinned. Alexa laughed and hugged me.

"That's what makes you special. You are more concerned about others and not your career."

"Yes! Intent," I blurted and picked up my tablet again. What was the intent of the message to the Traveller/Shark? To give scheduling information, dates of departure and arrival. So the string:  #11123237351 must contain data on the departing system and arrival system and time. Two hours later I gave up and went to bed, sure I was on the right track, but frustrated.

* * *

"Well, who managed to decipher the message?" I asked, and took a sip of my coffee while waiting. Silence greeted me. "Before we can catch the Hijackers, we have to know the criteria they use to select a merchant and before we can determine that we have to be able to decipher the information the GPS group is sending them," I said, trying not to show my amusement.

"It's impossible," Atkins said, and threw up his hand to show his frustration.

"What did you try?" I asked.

"I tried breaking them into sets of two, then three, then four… Of course that was useless as the total digits are eleven, which isn't divisible by anything except one and eleven. And I tried staring it into submission. That didn't work either."

"What did you try, Newman?" I asked.

"I tried substituting letters for the numbers, but of course zero through nine only allows A thru J, which didn't produce anything. And using two numbers doesn't work as the alphabet only goes to twenty-six and some of the numbers are far larger. And I tried staring it into submission." He laughed. "Didn't work."

"I did pretty much the same," Cooper said.  "With similar results."

"Well, I didn't do any better. It's a very good code and will be difficult to decipher. What we have to keep in mind is the intent of the message—to give the Hijackers scheduling information of UAS cruisers and selective merchants. Those merchants are probably on your list of merchants who went missing." I waited questions. When none came I continued. "The reason I asked what each of you tried was to help generate ideas and let the rest of us know what didn't work.

"What did you try, ma'am?" Cooper asked.

"I'm still in the staring-it-into-submission phase," I quipped, although it was the truth. That generated laughs and snorts.

* * *

"Paulus, anything new on the Hijackers?" Lulltrel asked when my turn came.

"No, ma'am. My group and I are trying to decipher the string #11123237351. It's the key to determining the Hijackers method of selecting their next victim."

"What is it?"

"I believe it's scheduling information. If we can decipher it, then we should be able to determine which merchant will be targeted and where we can hopefully intercept the FPU cruiser."

"Is there anything else we could be doing in the meantime?"

"It would be nice to know the name of the merchants the other FPU cruisers are using and whether GPS is used to provide them information as well. And I guess we should check the data Odom's patch collected at each NIA office."

"I'll run a search on GPS and let you know," Hadley said, making a note on her tablet.

"Do you intend to visit all the NIA offices?" Lulltrel asked, looking at me.

"Let me think about it, ma'am. I know I'm being very careful, but these are dangerous people and if they think someone is on to them… If we asked each NIA office to look, that's a lot of people and word of the patch will be difficult to keep secret."

"I agree. All right. Let me know when you decide."

* * *

For the next week I spent equal time in the office and at home, staring at the string. It had to be date, spacecraft name, depart from, depart time, arrive at, arrive time. That would be two or three, two, two, two, two and two, but that is twelve or thirteen numbers. And I suspected the date needed three digits, so thirteen. Even Red seemed frustrated. Finally I concluded they didn't need the arrival time since that could be computed if you knew the time they would leave and where they were going—that left eleven numbers. So, date (three digits), ship name (two), depart time (two), depart system name (two), and arrive system name (two).

Translation: date = 111, ship name = 23, depart time = 23, depart system = 73, and arrive system = 51.

I felt sure that was the answer or very close, but it didn't produce a solution unless someone had a book where the names were equated to a number. Which, of course, would make a translation impossible. A possible conclusion, but I thought that would be a very complex solution and required giving fifty or more people a list, and how could they update it… No, the solution was much simpler. By the end of two weeks, everyone was brain dead. I shared my logic but it didn't produce a solution.

"Paulus, the GPS search hasn’t produced any hits. It appears each contact is using a separate company to send updates, and they only update one FPU cruiser," Hadley said, sipping a high-energy drink she’d brought with her to my office. And that string of numbers you gave us might as well be in hieroglyphics." She looked tired. "Why don't we take another trip on the Scylla? Choi must be bored."

I picked up my CDC and hit Stamm's number.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered immediately.

"Master Chief, have Odom come see me," I said and cut the connection.

"You thinking of going?" Teresa face lit up and she smiled. Thirty minutes later Stamm knocked, and a minute later Odom entered and saluted. I waved him to sit.

"Odom, can I enter the NIA systems database from a UAS cruiser?" I asked.

"No, the patch stores the data in a very secure area, so you need the system access code and the system wouldn't allow remote access to that area."

"So I need the NIA station chief to log me on before I could access it?" I said, and Odom nodded.

"I think the critical systems are Safe Harber, Shadows Rest, and Oasis," I said, based on the fact Westar appeared to be the system where the Shark retrieved its update. "Therefore, given each of those system are where they retrieve their messages and each gets their information from a unique source, I would think Black Water, Truth Star, and Fire Rock are the sources. If I check Odom's patch at each of the NIA offices, we will know the approximate date a message was sent and you could strip the WavCom looking for a message with a string like the one to the Traveller/Shark."

"That would actually give me a reason to go along, although I know you know how to strip the WavCom." Hadley laughed.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The Good Deal

"Captain Caajetna, I just received an update from our contact. It explains why we haven't heard from the Shark," Lieutenant Klein said, holding up his tablet.

"Let's hear it. What has our action-oriented captain done this time, hijacked a UAS cruiser?"

"No, sir. Do you remember a Naval intelligence officer named Paulus? She was one of the Raiders Project team members."

"The young one with the venomous snake?" Caajetna asked. "Something of a prodigy."

"That’s the one. Our contact sent us several news articles. The first one concerns the kidnapping of Commander Paulus on Westar—"

"That sounds like something Santo would do to relief the boredom," Caajetna interrupted and nodded. "Patience is not one of his strengths."

"The next article has her found on an abandoned FPU cruiser." Klein stepped back when Caajetna bolted upright and smashed his fist onto his desk.

"The fool. The girl has a deadly virus," Caajetna said in a more normal voice.

"Yes, the Coaca Virus. There was speculation that the virus killed the crew."

"The question is how much can they learn from the Shark and how much does Paulus know? If he had her kidnapped on Westar, he must have thought she knew or suspected something about the missing merchants. So his brilliant solution was to kidnap her and torture her into telling him. Now she no longer suspects, she knows…knows the Shark was the Traveller and the Pontus. And what else did she learn? Damn the fool."

"Knowing Santo, she may not be fit for duty, or even sane, after a week on the Shark," Klein said, with a knowing smirk.

"You're right. He would have had her fucked by his entire crew, which spread the virus like a forest fire in a fifty-knot wind storm. Let's hope you're right and she's damaged beyond repair. Are they getting the old Raiders Project team back together again?"

"The articles don't say, but Commander Shrader is on Westar, which might be what prompted Santo to have her kidnapped."

"I think our operation is safe, regardless of what she may have suspected or found out during her stay with Santo. But let's not take any chances. Put out a contract on her, which is what Santo should have done."

"I'll contact the HoBos. They should be able to find her, and they managed to circumvent her security last time, so they shouldn't have any problems."

CHAPTER TWELVE

Tempting Faith

"Well, Paulus, what have you decided?" Lulltrel asked after Hadley and I had sat.

"Ma'am, I'd like to go to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax NIA offices and review the information Odom's patch collected. I think that could identify any additional cruisers with HoBos. And with Hadley's help, we could strip the WavCom and identify the merchant ship's names the other three Hijackers are using."

"After what you've been through, I would have thought you would never want to leave home again and, Hadley, you're crazy wanting to accompany her."

"Yes, ma'am. She's contagious. I didn't join the NIA to chase evil men but I think Paulus did. And although it's dangerous chasing evil men, it's exciting and far more rewarding than chasing petty thieves," Hadley said and gave a wry smile.

"What do you think, Colonel?" Lulltrel asked Pannell, who was standing against the wall near the door.

"It's damn dangerous, ma'am. Bringing home a FPU cruiser has put her to the top of the Hijackers list and eventually the HoBos are going to find out she has their number. But like Commander Paulus, I like the idea of getting rid of both groups."

"You are contagious, Anna. I'll let Admiral Webb know. And…keep us informed in case…"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm not suicidal and I have excellent security." I winked at Pannell, who shook his head but couldn't help a small smile.

* * *

"When are we leaving? Hadley asked on the way to her office.

"I will contact Choi today so I would say in a couple of days. I'll leave it to him since there is no rush to get there. The data isn't going anywhere. Would you run a search for me?"

"Sure. What would you like?"

"All the ships, merchants, and cruisers which left port on the one hundred and eleventh day of this year and their designation," I said, hoping "111" referred to the date. If so, I thought I could decipher the contact's code.

"Interesting. You think the 111 in the message refers to the date," she said, her lips puckered in thought. I nodded. "I'll send it to you as soon as I have it."

I left and called Choi. "Captain Choi, I'd like to go to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, if you aren't busy," I said.

"When?"

"Whenever it's convenient for you. There is no immediate rush."

"Is seventy-two hours from now acceptable?" Choi asked.

"That's very acceptable. Commander Hadley will be coming along…and, of course, Colonel Pannell and his troops."

"Wouldn't go anywhere without the Colonel. See you in three days."

* * *

"I'm off again, Mother," I said, feeling guilty and sad in equal parts. Guilty because it will cause Alexa to worry and sad not having her to come home to each night. She was my panic room.

"I could take a day off if you can, and we could spend it together," Alexa said, and I could feel her apprehension."

"Love to, Mother. I need to finish up a few things tomorrow but the day after is free."

The next day I had Stamm arrange for an early staff meeting. When everyone was settled, I sent them the search results Hadley had sent me.

"That is all the spacecrafts who left port on the one hundred and eleventh day of this year. I believe one of those entries will be a match for the message string starting with 111. Your job, while I'm away, is to find it."

"How long are you going to be gone?" Atkins asked with an amused look.

"Ten to twelve days. It shouldn't take you but a few hours to find the right one," I said, suppressing a smile. "In fact, after you crack the code you can decipher all the messages Commander Hadley found and have the answer to the criteria the Hijackers are using to select merchants to hijack." After looking at their expressions, I had to laugh. "All right, I'll stay a few extra days." After a minute I laughed and everyone joined in.

* * *

I boarded the Scylla around midmorning and found that Hadley was already on board.

"Captain Choi said he'd like to see us after we got settled," Teresa said when I knocked on her door. I nodded and we walked down to his office, which was only some thirty paces down the hallway.  As we approached his office, the Marine on duty knocked, peeked in, and then opened the door for us to enter.

"Have a seat, commanders, and help yourself to something to drink," he said after returning our salutes. "Can you tell me what you blood hounds are chasing?"

"For your ears only," I said. "We think we can find the names of the merchant ships the Hijackers are using to collect messages off the WavCom."

"If you can, how close are you to identifying where we can find them?" Choi asked, and leaned toward us while awaiting the answer. Clearly, the thought of finding a FPU cruiser had piqued his interest.

"I believe I can tell you where they are right now," I said and paused as his eyes widened in surprise. "There is a FPU cruiser in Safe Harber, Shadows Rest, and Oasis."

Hadley gave me a questioning look. Choi was quiet for a minute then laughed. "There is a needle in each of the three haystacks. But the needle is nonmagnetic and the haystack covers the entire planet."

I nodded. "When we crack their coded messages, we hope to be able to tell you what merchant they will target, the day it will happen, and in which system."

"That will certainly shrink the haystack considerably and magnetize the needle." He smiled. "How long?"

"I think my team will crack the code within a week or two, two or three weeks to figure out their selection criteria, and then we will have to wait on them. They have been hijacking around ten a year."

"What about the HoBos?" he asked, changing topics.

"We will know what ships they are on after our visits to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, but they will have to wait until after you destroy the Hijackers."

"Are you sure you can wait that long?" He looked to Pannell, who was standing off to the side.

"Commander Paulus is playing a dangerous game. If she rounds up the HoBos, she will break the link to the Hijackers and lose them. However, that is not going to stop the HoBos from targeting Paulus…and Commander Hadley. Either because the Hijackers will hire them—again—or the HoBos will realize the NIA is a threat."

"So you believe neither of these ladies is safe even on my ship," Choi said after a moment of silent while he rubbed his chin. Pannell nodded in the affirmative.

"That was a cheery conversation," Hadley said as we sat in the mess eating lunch.

"Pannell has a right to be concerned. Both groups are dangerous, have lots of money, and are very clever. They kidnapped me without killing any of my security guards, and they have the money to offer millions for our deaths. That can corrupt otherwise law-abiding individuals."

* * *

"Where to?" Pannell asked the next day, while the three of us were eating lunch.

"At each of our stops, Hadley and I will want to visit the NIA offices. We shouldn't be there longer than a half day," I said.

"Do you know the ships we should be keeping an eye on?" Pannell asked. It was a good question. He would have to be particularly vigilant if one of their ships was in port.

"Right now, the Hecate, Laelaps, Ceto, and Graeae. But I think there are at least two more, which I hope to identify during our tour."

"Better some than none." I could feel his frustration and concern.

* * *

Pannell chose to use a combat shuttle to carry Hadley and me to the Black Water NIA office, which had a landing pad outside the building. We entered the building seven strong, cleared security easily, and rode the elevator to the third floor where NIA had its office space. A lieutenant waited as we left the elevator.

"Commander Paulus, I'm Lieutenant Greene. Commander Harlow sends his regrets. He's busy with a priority project and can't meet with you," the young freckle-faced lieutenant said, looking embarrassed.

"I understand Lieutenant Greene," I said to Hadley's shocked expression. Perhaps you could send a WavCom message to Admiral Lulltrel for me?" I asked. Greene nodded eagerly. "Apparently, Commander Harlow is too busy to work on your project. Please advise. Signed, Commander Paulus," I said and heard several snorts. "We'll stop back tomorrow. I'm sure we'll have heard from the admiral by then."

"Please wait a moment, ma'am," Greene said and then double-timed down the hallway.

"That was clever, Paulus. I'll bet Harlow's project has just been deprioritized." Hadley grinned. She had barely finished when a tall man in his mid forties came striding down the hallway, with Green following in his wake. He stopped two paces short and looked from me to Hadley.

"You are working on a project for Admiral Lulltrel, Commander Hadley?" he asked, pointedly ignoring me.

"Yes," I said.

"I'm not addressing you. Commander Hadley is the senior commander present. The only reason you have any rank is because of the work Commanders Shrader and Sinclair did on the Raiders’ Project. You should still be a lieutenant," he snarled. I shook my head at Hadley and Pannell, who had moved a step closer to me.

"You could certainly be right, Commander Harlow, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm the one requesting your assistance," I said as Red wound himself around my neck, his head facing Harlow.

"Take that snake and leave the building. It's venomous and pets aren't allowed in the building," he shouted, while pointing to the elevator. I stroked Red as I contemplated my options. I didn’t want to ruin this man's career and considered letting Hadley take over… But I decided my mere presence would remain a problem.

"I suggest we adjourn to your office—"

"Out of this building with that snake or I'll call security," he shouted, his face turning red with rage.

"Commander Harlow. I'm ordering you to take me to your office where we can discuss why I'm here and you can get rid of me quickly," I said softly to avoid being heard in the open work area not twenty meters from where we were standing.

"Ordering me. I'm your superior and will have you up on charges—"

"I'm invoking P1A authority," I pulled out my P1A card and held it face high for him to see. His hand flew up, striking my face and the card, which flew out of my hand. He flew backward as Pannell and another Marine smashed into him, driving him to the floor.

"Lieutenant Greene," Hadley said, nudging the man to get his attention. "Who is the senior officer after Commander Harlow?"

"Lieutenant Commander Hoff," he muttered, transfixed by Harlow being dragged to his feet by the Marines.

"Good. Take us to Commander Harlow's office and then get Lieutenant Hoff. Just tell her she is needed in the commander's office. Nothing else, Lieutenant." Hadley's face looked stone hard. Greene nodded and started down the hallway, pointing toward a door at the end.

"That snake bit me, you bitch. I’ll see you jailed—" Harlow shouted until Pannell jerked him up by his shirt collar so hard I was surprised he could breathe.

"Colonel, lets get him to his office. I have the antivenin. It will save his life but the next few days aren't going to be fun." I shook my head as I fished in my purse for the kit I carried.

"I thought you said he was lazy," Hadley said, looking at me and probably thinking about the time she hugged me.

"He is but he doesn't like people attacking me. I'm his meal ticket," I quipped to an assortment of choked laughs. In the office, I administered the antivenin and had just finished when a woman of Indian descent entered. I looked to Hadley who shook her head.

"You…we have no choice." Hadley shrugged. "Colonel Pannell, place Commander Harlow under arrest for conduct unbecoming an officer, assaulting Commander Paulus, and refusing to obey a lawful order. We can send him back to Eastar on the Scylla." She turned toward the woman. "You are the second in charge and the next highest ranking officer?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm Lieutenant Commander Hoff—" Hadley held up her hand to stop her from continuing. "You are temporarily in charge of the Black Water NIA office until Admiral Lulltrel decides on a permanent appointment." Hadley looked to me.

"Commander Hoff, do you know the password to the NIA system?" I asked. Hoff looked from me to Hadley, who nodded.

"I'm asking with P1A authority," I said, holding up my badge. Hoff nodded and sat at Harlow's desk, looking pale. She rose when I came around the desk, with Hadley following. "Stay, Commander Hoff. We may have some questions. You can't talk about what we ask you or what we discuss. This inquiry is being conducted under Project Owlet, which is a P1A project, and therefore any information leaks will have very severe consequences." I typed in the password that granted us access to Odom's data dump. We spent the next hour searching for the Black Water Nightclub website and in the keystrokes data for the word HoBo. We found four cruisers had stopped since Odom installed the patch: the UAS cruisers Artemis, Boreas, Uramis, and Oedipus. Only the Boreas and Oedipus had the HoBo password. And we were able to establish the Boreas had visited on the 203nd day and the Oedipus on the 245th day of the year. Hadley and I decided that would be enough to determine the sender, since she doubted there would be more than thirty to fifty messages within two or three days of that date. Pannell was relieved that neither the Boreas nor Oedipus were in port.

* * *

"Is the commander linked to the Hijackers or HoBos?" Choi asked at dinner, when he found Harlow was under arrest and being detained in the Marine's brig.

"No, the commander appeared to feel Commander Paulus didn't deserve her rank and wasn't his superior officer, and therefore her P1A authority didn't apply to him," Hadley said, still puzzled by Harlow's outrage. Choi gave a nod.

"It's easy to convince yourself you deserved a promotion or assignment over someone else. And easier when that person is on a fast-track. Add to that, the individual is young enough to be your daughter, and it's easy to leap to the conclusion they didn’t earn the rank. Somehow they cheated." Choi took a sip of his tea. "Look at Sharat. But in the end the military is not a democracy. And now and then they get it right, like with Commander Paulus." He raised his glass to me and I felt my face flush.

* * *

Before we entered the Wave to Truth Star, Hadley stripped the WavCom for all the messages on the date the Boreas and Oedipus docked at Black Water and each of the subsequent five days, just in case. We then retired to the captain's conference room and began reviewing the messages.

"Anna, look!" Teresa shouted, pointing to her tablet. When I looked the message:

TO STAR TRADER/SAFE HARBER

UPDATE: CUSTOMER INVOICE: #20414347362 ON SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERY.

FROM: AED/BLACK WATER

I smiled. "When we get back you can search for the merchant ship names the FPU cruisers are using, which will give us the information they were each provided by their contacts. My staff should have the string decoded by then—"

"How can you be so sure?" Hadley interrupted.

"I think we will find that the day of the departure will be the first three digits, and the remaining numbers give the name of the ship, departing port, and arriving port."

"Byrnes and Leyva are going to love challenging their students and staff with the solution."

"What will be interesting is whether you and I can solve it before we get back," I said to a stunned Hadley. Then she smiled.

"Sounds like fun."

* * *

The NIA office at Truth Star didn't have a landing pad close so Pannell landed us at the closest army installation and used his influence to get Army vehicles to transport us to the office. We cleared security easily as the building, a modern ten-story steel and glass structure, was dedicated to military operations. A small middle-aged woman lieutenant commander met us at the elevator when we arrived at the fifth floor. Her curly blond hair looked wild, but somehow fit her elfin face and playful smile.

"Good afternoon, commanders. I'm Lieutenant Commander Damon. Welcome to Truth Star. It's looks to be an exciting day." She waved for us to follow her. "My office or the conference room?"

"Your office, Commander Damon," I said amazed at the woman's enthusiasm.

"Exciting?" Hadley asked.

"Yes," Damon said as the door closed behind Pannell. "The red-headed krait identifies Commander Paulus, who was on the Raider's Project team. I recognized you, Commander Hadley, as the NIA WavCom Chief, and a Marine colonel for security screams high-priority project. Very exciting. What can I get you to eat or drink?" Damon arranged for drinks and we exchanged small talk while we waited. When the petty officer left, I began.

"This is a P1A-authorized project named Owlet. So it's for your information only. We are trying to identify the FPU cruisers in UAS space who are hijacking merchants. What we need is for you to log us into your system. It has information which should get us one step closer." I had barely finished when Damon slid behind her desk, typed on her tablet, and handed it to me. I walked over to her small conference table and waved her and Hadley over after I had access to Odom's database.

It didn’t take long to find that the cruiser Boreas had stopped once during the period and had accessed their contact using the password HoBo.

"That's a neat trick," Damon said, clapping her hands when we had finished. "Storing Internet connections on the NIA station computers… So the HoBos are military on the Boreas who are…"

"They are military passing information on cruiser and merchant schedules, which the Hijackers are using to target their next victim," I said. "The information is sent to the FPU cruiser via the WavCom under a fictitious merchant's identification."

"If you ever want a volunteer, no matter how dangerous, I'm available." Her smile was mischievous. She took us to the cafeteria, where we spent a pleasant hour talking about the Raiders’ Project. We left shortly afterward, at Pannell's insistence. I couldn't blame him for wanting us back on the Scylla as soon as possible.

Twelve hours later, Hadley had stripped the WavCom and found the following message:

TO HAPPY JOBBER/SHADOWS REST

UPDATE: CUSTOMER INVOICE: #21723342342 ON SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERY.

FROM: AXA/TRUTH STAR

"Two down and one to go. This is fun. I appreciate you getting me out of the office, Anna," Hadley said and laughed. "How about we solve the string to the Traveller?"

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

HoBo Business

"Corporal Coburn, Sergeant Orozco," a tall wiry Gunnery Sergeant shouted as he made his way out of the training bay toward the Marine sleeping quarters. The two younger men ran to catch up. They were average height but had muscular physiques.

"What's up, Wambler?" Orozco asked when the door to Wambler's room closed behind him. Orozco had a friendly looking angular face, but his eyes were that of a predator. Although Coburn was the youngest of the group, his scarred face made him look older and more dangerous.

"We have a very lucrative party to attend," he said with an evil grin. "A one-million-credit bonus."

"Sounds great," Coburn said. His eyes were wide with excitement as he rubbed his hands together.

"Sounds dangerous," Orozco said, although he too looked excited.

"If it were easy, they wouldn't need us," Wambler said, laughing, but quickly turned serious. "They want us to kill Commander Paulus and her companion, a Commander Hadley."

"Isn't Paulus the one the HoBos from the Hecate kidnapped and turned over to the FPU?" Coburn asked while scratching his chin. "And they found her in Eastar with the FPU cruiser."

"Why do you think they are paying a million credits?" Wambler asked.

"Could have been a trap the UAS set for the FPU," Coburn said. "If so…"

"Yes, if so, our lives are on the line," Wambler said.

"Sounds like fun," Orozco said, smiling. "Grabbing a red-headed krait out of a pit of vipers."

"I agree with the second part. She's guarded by specially trained Marines, and Paulus is known to be competent with the multifunctional weapon she carries at all times. It will only be fun if we live through the experience and don't get caught," Wambler said, frowning. "Orozco, I'll get you a three-day pass to investigate. She will be arriving on the Scylla tomorrow morning."

* * *

Orozco used the Internet to set up a rendezvous with their contact on Oxax at a nightclub halfway across the city, to avoid being seen by anyone he knew. Several hours later he entered the Top Hat and took a seat at the bar, dressed in civilian clothing: gray slacks, long sleeve green shirt open at the neck, and a brown leather jacket. Fifteen minutes later a young woman slid into the seat next to him.

"Looking for something?" she asked with a soft sultry purr. Orozco almost forgot the agreed-upon response, tempted instead to say not any more.

"A man named Jack," he said, while looking her over. She was gorgeous from head to foot in a tight black dress that fit like it had been painted on.

"He's waiting," she said and left the bar, with him running to catch up. Outside, she waved and a dark colored luxury sedan pulled up to the curb. "Get in."

Inside the back seat a man sat, clothing covering all his skin, hiding any identifying marks, and a mask covered his head and face.

"Sorry, but it's best to be careful," his soft voice said. "The Scylla is due to dock early tomorrow. Commanders Paulus and Hadley will depart almost immediately for the Oxax NIA office, with their security. Most likely Colonel Pannell and anywhere from four to eight Marines. Since the Oxax NIA facility has a skimmer pad, they may use a combat shuttle directly from the Scylla to the NIA facility. I expect they will be there several hours. In the past they have returned directly to the cruiser, however, Paulus was stationed here so they may stay longer or go someplace to eat. Paulus is the main target, although they would prefer you also kill Hadley."

Orozco whistled. "That's an awfully short window of opportunity. They are leaving the cruiser in a combat shuttle, leaving it with heavy security, to enter a secure building for a few hours, and entering the shuttle to return to the cruiser."

"Think of it as getting a million credits for a few minutes’ work." The man's voice never changed although there was a hint of amusement in it this time. "Of course, if you don't think you are up to it…"

"The problem isn't killing Paulus. It's living to spend the credits," Orozco said almost to himself as he struggled to find a solution. "I'll let you know what we will need," he finally said, knowing Wambler wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to earn a million credits regardless of the risk, and the challenge excited him. The man tapped on the window and the door opened for Orozco to exit. When he did, the woman slid inside and the car sped away. He idly wondered what their contact was being paid for providing information, weapons, cars, and forged documents when necessary.

* * *

"How did it go?" Coburn asked when he returned later that evening. Wambler looked up but said nothing.

"About what you would expect for a million-credit job. Fifty-fifty odds we either succeed and get rich or we fail and get killed." He smiled when he realized, by his buddies' reaction, that was acceptable to everyone, including him. "Here is the situation…"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Oxax NIA Office

"Even knowing what that string is supposed to contain, it still isn't easy to decipher," Hadley said after almost a full day working on the problem. I agreed and so did Red, who was still in my hair with his head on my forehead. "And that's creepy." She pointed to Red.

"That's it!" I said, looking up from the notes I had been making on my tablet. There were no zeros in the string after the date. So, twenty-six letters in the alphabet divided by nine digits, one through nine, equals two point eight nine…or…eight times three plus 2. I waved for Hadley to come closer as I made the table:

ABC

DEF

GHI

JKL

MNO

PQR

STU

VWX

YZ

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

"If I'm right, the string must contain the names Oxax, Hecate, and Holy Star, based on the activity scan you made of the ship's activities on the one hundred and eleventh day. In that case, the string must contain the number '51' for Oxax, '32' for Hecate, and '37' for Holy Star. And there they are!" I pointed at the string of numbers—#11123237351

"And substituting we get:"

"Date, '2,' Hecate, Holy Star, '3,' Oxax.

"But what are the 2 and the 3 in the string?" Hadley asked, turning her head as she looked at the string from difference angles, as if that might disclose the answer.

"That is what has been making it so hard to translate. Because if you separate the string into pairs you would get '51' but not '32" or '37'. I'm guessing, but the '2' may indicate a cruiser, so as not to be confused with a merchant ship, and the '3' may have something to do with the time," I said, positive I had deciphered the string correctly.

"I think you are right," she said, pointing at her tablet. The Hecate left Holy Star at eight hundred hours, which would be a 3 if you divided a twenty-four hour day into eights." Hadley clapped and produced an ear-to-ear smile. She was about to give me a hug until she saw Red on my shoulder. "Consider yourself as having received an award-winning hug."

* * *

We docked at the Oxax space station in a combat shuttle early the next morning, and were on our way to the NIA office building by eight hundred hours, with an estimated arrival in the late morning.

"Commander Paulus, one of the cruisers you identified is in port. They arrived yesterday," Pannell said quietly while leaning into the open space separating us.

"The Hecate? I asked, hoping it wasn't the Laelaps, not that one group would be more competent than the other but… He nodded.

"A good reason to be extra alert while planet side," he said, looking worried and the reason he had eight Marines along. Couldn't blame him. These weren't just professional killers, they were Marines. I idly wondered where I would consider the best place for an assassination—traveling to the NIA building, in the building, or on the way back? I decided the best place would be in the NIA building. They could ambush us on the way to or from but with unpredictable results—they wouldn't get paid for wounding us. Besides, if I were right, the HoBos wouldn't number more than two or three individuals, so shooting at us in cars or walking into the building with seven Marines on alert didn't seem a good strategy. Of course, I would never have guessed they could have snatched me out of an elevator with Marines there and in the lobby.

Pannell had rented two vans: four Marines in one van with Hadley and four with Pannell and me in the other one. I was still considering the problem when the vans stopped, and I saw we were in front of the NIA building. Pannell spoke into his communication device and the three Marines exited with Hadley. When they were inside, Pannell and the three Marines led me into the building. I smiled. A clever strategy if you thought the contract was for Hadley and me. If so, then splitting us up would destroy a sudden attack, since they couldn't get both of us.

After we entered the building, the remaining Marines drove the cars off, probably to avoid them being tampered with. We passed through the security checkpoint with only a small delay as our visit had been cleared with Admiral Stauffer. I slowed as we neared the elevators, shook my head, and motioned toward the back of the building where there was a second stairway.

"What's wrong with these stairs?" Pannell asked.

"I like the rear ones since we would be unlikely to use them." I grinned.

"Can't say I blame you." He waved four Marines toward the rear stairway and we followed.

"You think they could have tampered with the elevator and the stairs with all this security around?" Hadley asked.

"Last time they wanted me alive…" I didn't finish the sentence and Hadley's face turned a bit pale. "Anyway, the exercise will be good for us."

"Speak for yourself, Anna. I'm not as young as you." She laughed good-naturedly and began climbing the stairs. I stopped when Red began hissing.

"Stop!" I said not about to ignore Red. Pannell looked to me with a questioning stare. The two leading Marines were already on the halfway landing. I scanned the area as I slowly turned in a circle, stopping when I saw the rear exit and pointed. "I wonder if the alarm on the door and the camera work," I said, feeling a bit foolish but positive something was wrong.

"Why?" Pannell said as he looked toward the door. "Because that would be a good way in and out."

He nodded. "Corporal Jennings, check with security to see if this camera is working. Be sure you can see us in the stairwell. As the corporal ran off, he went over to the door and began inspecting the alarm mechanism. He shrugged. "Hard to tell and I don't want to open the door in case it's working. Several minutes later, his CDC device beeped. "Stay there. I'm going to open the door." He moved to the door and opened it—nothing happened. He looked to me. "How?"

"Advanced FPU paranoia," I said with a grin. "They are very clever. Create chaos and have an escape route." I stroked Red, convinced he knew and had warned me, although that was impossible and illogical—but true. I smiled.

Pannell punched something into his CDC and waited. "Captain Duckett, this is Colonel Pannell in charge of NIA security. I'm declaring an emergency at the NIA offices. I need two squads of Marines and a bomb squad. I'm going to clear the building and want you to station men at the front entrance and at each side toward the back. Don't enter the building until I give the all clear. I'll be guarding the back door, where I'm expecting the unauthorized individuals to exit. They are armed and dangerous." After a moment he clicked off. "Corporal Jennings, as soon as you see the Marines arriving, have security issue a fire alert and clear the building." He clicked off and called another number. "Bring the cars around to the rear of the building," he said as he looked around the area, which was a reserved parking area with some ten to fifteen cars in a line. A minute later the two cars pulled up. Pannell stood chewing on his lower lip for several minutes. Commander Paulus, you ride in one vehicle and Commander Hadley in the other. I shrugged, opened the passenger side, and got in as another Marine joined the driver. As he closed the door the car sped away, followed by the second car with Hadley.

* * *

Gunny Sergeant Wambler clicked on to Corburn's comm. "What's happening?" he asked, thinking Paulus and her party should have cleared security by now.

"No idea. They arrived several minutes ago but haven't used the elevator or stairs. So it could be taking them longer to clear security or Pannell stopped to talk with Naval security."

"What about the rear stairs?" Wambler asked.

"I have eyes on the second floor and they aren't here," Corburn said while looking down the hallway.

Wambler clicked on to Orozco's comm. "Anything?" he asked, now a bit concerned.

"Nothing. The elevator has dropped off a few individuals but not them, and no one has used the stairs, front or rear."

Wambler opened a channel to both men. "There is no one on the fourth floor either. I don't like the feel of it." Wambler swore, trying to decide on possible problems."

"You worry too much." Orozco laughed. They are being cautious after Paulus's kidnapping. If need be, we can create enough chaos—" Just then the fire alarms began ringing and the loud speaker came to life with a squeal.

"Attention, this is a mandatory evacuation. Please stop what you are doing a leave the building by the front door. Do not use the elevators…" The announcement repeated several times.

"What do you think?" Corburn asked as he watched the people on the second floor exiting their offices and work areas, heading for the stairways.

"Could be a real fire or a planned drill," Orozco said.

"Or Marines could be getting ready to storm the building," Wambler said, while he debated their options. He hated to leave a million credits lying on the table, but he would also hate to be caught in the building.

"I vote we wait and see why the fire drill," Orozco said, excitement in his voice.

"Let's meet on the first floor back stairs. That will give us a view of the front door and an easy exit if necessary," Wambler said. After hearing acknowledgements from both men he closed the connection. When Wambler arrived at the first floor landing, Corburn and Orozco were waiting.

Orozco laughed. "Serge, no reason we can't leave and come back when they are finished searching the place."

"Agreed, let's go." Wambler nodded to Corburn, who opened the back door a crack, then several inches.

"Looks clear," he said, pushing the door open and the three exited. As the door closed, Pannell and three Marines appeared from behind the parked cars.

"Freeze and raise your hands. Any aggressive move and we will shoot to kill." Pannell's voice was loud and clear.

But Wambler was prepared for just such an event. He pressed the button on the device he had in his hand, which activated the bomb in the second floor conference room. A second later the conference room windows exploded outward with glass, brick, and furniture. Pannell and his men reflexively dove for cover and Wambler began running to his right, while Corburn and Orozco raced to the left. Wambler drew his laser, wishing he had brought a multifunctional weapon, but he hadn't anticipated a shootout with Marines. He fired toward anyone looking to have recovered enough to shoot at him. He didn't want to hurt anyone—they were comrades in arms—just to keep them from killing him before he reached the end of the building. Resignation hit him as six Marines appeared and seeing his laser fire. Multiple shards slammed into him, shredding him.

Orozco and Corburn had the same thoughts as they raced for the end of the building, but six Marines at that corner quickly ended the dream. Both were dead before their bodies hit the pavement.

Captain Duckett left the Marine squad to examine the bodies and strode over to where Pannell and his men were seeing to their wounds from the explosion.

"Captain Duckett, reporting for duty," he said and gave Pannell a salute. Pannell returned his salute.

"Excellent timing, Captain. I'm afraid I didn't expect them to detonate a bomb. Without your support, they might have all escaped."

"Can I let my team into the building now? I have a bomb squad along and, from the look of things, they should poke around. What were they after, if you are free to tell me?"

"They were after Commanders Paulus and Hadley. And yes, tell your men to clear the building."

"Paulus…wasn't she the one that foiled an attack several years ago by a group of mercenaries? I was a lieutenant back then."

"Yes, the same Paulus, and she also foiled this group's attempt. She noticed someone had tampered with the rear door alarm and camera. Otherwise, I wouldn't have called you."

Duckett clicked on his CDC unit and talked for several minutes. "They will let us know when it's safe to enter."

Just then a sergeant came running up. "Captain, we identified the three men. They are Marines assigned to the Hecate."

Duckett looked to Pannell, concern on his face. Pannell nodded.

"The price on Paulus's head is a million credits."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when the bomb squad finished and Admiral Rawls had us convene in her conference room. She had a catering service provide dinner, feeling that was safer than going to a restaurant. When everyone looked to have finished their dessert and was nursing something to drink, she spoke.

"Captain Duckett informed me that the bomb squad found explosives in our three conference rooms and in Stauffer's and my office. And from what Colonel Pannell tells me, they apparently were waiting for Paulus and Hadley to settle in one of those rooms, detonate the bomb, and exit the rear door in the resulting chaos." Rawls said, summarizing what she had learned. "And the three Marines are part of a ring of criminals who are operating from Naval cruisers." She looked to me. "Paulus?"

"Yes, ma'am. Admiral Lulltrel has two projects with P1A authority. Rabbit, which is looking to identify FPU cruisers who are hijacking UAS merchants, and Owlet, which is looking to identify UAS cruisers which have groups, called HoBos, of Marines providing mobile criminals for hire. The two projects are linked because the HoBos are providing the Hijackers information to target selective merchants’ ships."

"And you are here to do what?"

"We need access to the Oxax NIA System computer, which I believe will provide us with any other UAS cruisers with HoBos on board, and the alias of the FPU cruiser on Oasis is using to receive messages and to impersonate a UAS cruiser. With that information, all that remains is to predict where and when we can find the FPU cruisers," I said.

"No wonder they want you dead."

* * *

The next day, HoBos across the UAS were notified that the reward for killing Commander Paulus was five million credits.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Decision Time

"Paulus, I should retire you and send Hadley for a psych evaluation," Lulltrel said after waving everyone to their seats. She had called for an emergency meeting as soon as the Scylla had docked and our shuttle was on the way to the NIA building. "In case you were in Regen and hadn't heard, the HoBos entered the Oxax NIA complex and planted six bombs in likely offices and conference rooms these two idiots were likely to visit." She stood there shaking her head. "It's a miracle no one was injured." She sat and took a sip of the coffee Spalding had placed in front of her. "Jerry, if Paulus remains on my staff much longer, you'll have to start carrying tranquilizers with you." She gave a snort. "All right, Paulus, what did you and Hadley discover to compensate for my elevated blood pressure?"

"Ma'am, we know the names of the UAS cruisers which have HoBos as crew, the companies that are sending Hijackers scheduling information, and we can decode their message strings. In addition, we now know the merchant names the FPU cruisers are using to access the WavCom," I said.

"Sounds like you have made significant progress. What are you still missing?" she asked, and took a sip of coffee. It was a tricky question. What were we missing and what we needed to close down the HoBos and the Hijackers wasn't exactly the same thing. I decided on what we were missing to have a complete picture.

"The names of the HoBos on each ship, the names of the three FPU ships and their UAS alias, the algorithm they use to select merchants to hijack, and their targeted merchant list," I said.

"What do you mean by their targeted merchants?"

"I think they have a list of preferred merchants they are tracking. Probably around ten to twenty. When one of them meets their criteria, they hijack it."

"And how is that list important?" Lulltrel asked.

"The more we understand about their criteria, the more likely our guess as to where and when they will strike will be correct."

"What kind of merchant ships do you think they are looking to target?"

"I'm guessing, but they would be after a ship in prime condition that frequently trades in the Northern Rim of the UAS, and carries a lucrative cargo. My group has prepared a list of merchants we consider meets their criteria, based on the missing merchants, but it's hard to tell if we have them all."

"What's your recommendation? Admiral Webb will want to know."

"Ma'am, I'd like a few days to review what we have now that we can decipher their coded messages and what we know…and don't know." I gave a weak smile.

Lulltrel nodded. "That's everyone's homework assignment, which is due at our regularly scheduled staff meeting—what would you recommend?" She rose, ending the meeting. When she did, Byrnes and Leyva made a mad rush to where Hadley and I sat on the opposite side of the conference room table.

"The rumors run from you being killed, we can discount those, to the Oxax NIA building was destroyed and hundreds killed and wounded. We can discount that since Lulltrel said no one was hurt." Byrnes snorted. "But rumors always have an element of truth, so what did happen?"

"Our trips to Black Water and Truth Star were uneventful…well, unless you count Paulus arresting the Black Water NIA Chief and sending him back to Eastar…" She went on to explain the incident in all its gory details.

"I have to admit, I had my doubts about promoting someone so young to commander and putting her in charge of the Eastar NIA Station. But I have new respect for Admiral Lulltrel. You are perfect for the position and I know your staff agrees," Leyva said with a shy grin.

"Can't blame you, Leyva. Every time I put on my uniform, I feel like a little girl dressed up for a masquerade party," I said as Red wound his way into my hair.

"That's creepy." Hadley pointed to my head. "Anyway, we get to Oxax and Paulus refuses to use the elevators or stairs, which I couldn't blame her after Westar. So she leads us…" Again Hadley explained what happened, including everything she heard from Pannell and Duckett.

"I think that's a bit too exciting for me," Byrnes said slowly, shaking his head.

"What about you?" Leyva asked, looking at Hadley.

"Makes for a great story afterward, and I survived without earning a Purple Heart." She worried her lips and her gaze was far off for several seconds. "But it was fun and exciting."

"Lulltrel was right. Definitely needs a psych evaluation," Byrnes said to Leyva.

I left and hurried to my office, waving Stamm in as I entered.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Carl, get my staff in here for a quick meeting." I wanted to get home to Alexa, but I had to get an update before I left. He nodded and disappeared out the door. Five minutes later everyone was assembled.

"Sorry for the rushed meeting, but I want to get home as soon as I can. My mother must be a nervous wreck with all the rumors. I promise to bring you all up to date at our staff meeting tomorrow. How are you doing on the information string to the Hijackers?" I asked.

"We finally solved it," Newman said, looking to Atkins and Cooper. "It says the UAS cruiser Hecate will depart Holy Star in the early morning on the one hundred eleventh day, headed for Oxax."

"Good. I'll have Commander Hadley do a search for WavCom messages with strings that have a pound sign and eleven digits. I'd like to see if you can determine the selection criteria for the last two of three hijacked merchants. Restrict your analysis to strings with 134, 172, and 155 which should be the High Jinks, TomFoolery, and Money Maker." I said, thinking three should be sufficient to determine their criteria.

"How long have you known, ma'am?" Cooper asked. Her voice held a bit of amusement and disappointment.

"A few days. I had nothing to do between systems. That was good work. The two extra digits made it a difficult string to decipher." I smiled. "Lieutenant Odom, write me a system update to capture the Internet download for queries which use the password: HoBo. For now, I want the update only for the Graeae and Ceto."

* * *

When I arrived home, Alexa was waiting at the door. I melted into her embrace, feeling loved and safe. We stood there for a long time saying nothing, tears streaking our cheeks.

"Thank you, Paul, for bringing her home safe to me. She is the love of my life," Alexa finally said as she loosened her grip on me.

"The criminals have a right to fear Anna. She's in their minds. If she weren't, we'd all be dead. I'm doubling her detail again, Alexa."

"Well, Daughter, the rumors were horrible. Your WavCom messages helped a lot. The rumors had the Oxax NIA building destroyed and everyone killed or injured."

I laughed. "They did make a mess of the second floor but nobody was in the building at the time…" Over dinner and afterward, relaxing in the front room, I brought her up to date on the events of the last two weeks.

"What's next?" she asked, and I felt her apprehension.

"That's the one hundred million credit question Lulltrel wants me to answer. She feels Admiral Webb will want her recommendation," I said, then realized what the recommendation would be. "I'm sorry, Mother…" They thought they weren't using merchants but they were.

"Don't be, Anna. I believe Red was sent to protect you…like at Oxax. I'll worry, but be confident you'll return if a bit worn and tattered. You survived the Shark…only you and Red could have done that. So do what you must and I'll be here when you get home."

"Yes, you and Red are my saviors."

* * *

Everyone rose as I entered. "Sit," I said as I sat, and Stamm put a cup of coffee in front of me. "You deserve an update on my trip. We began at the Black Water NIA office…" I spent the next hour explaining what we found at each stop and the events at Oxax. "All Right, your turn."

"You were right. The two extra digits made it difficult, even though we knew the two systems and the cruiser involved. That made separating them by twos impossible," Newman said, giving me a weak smile. "The good news. We think we know their criteria."

"We knew you needed a quick answer for Lulltrel, and worked…all night," Cooper said, smiling at their success.

"We think they wait for one of their targeted merchants to be entering or leaving a system when nothing else is scheduled to enter or leave for an extended period," Atkins said.

"Thank you, I know from my previous experience, teams either have that special chemistry or not. When they do, they deliver, and I think this is a very special team," I said to smiles. "Odom?"

"It's contagious, ma'am. I too worked through the night, and your patch is ready." He smiled.

"Thank you. You are the right man for the job. Have Commander Hadley let you know when either the Ceto or Graeae enter Eastar space. When they do, I want you to update their systems before they dock. You may claim it's an emergency patch," I said. "It's very important to the Owlet Project. I'll have Hadley send you the results as soon as it's posted to her database. I expect it will be in code. Your assignment is to decipher it." I smiled, then added, "Odom, I think you will need to write an application to automatically decipher the output once the team figures out the code."

"What are you expecting, ma'am?" Newman asked, looking interested.

"Since it will be a text message to the HoBos, I expect something that looks like some child randomly banged on the keyboard for several minutes…or…a continuous string of numbers a page long." The smiles faded as they mentally envisioned what the page would look like and the challenge. "I caution you. Brute force seldom works."

* * *

"Master Chief, see if you can find Captain Choi for me. I'd like to set up an informal meeting with him at his convenience," I said as we walked back to my office.

"Here?"

I looked to Pannell, who had attended my staff meeting and was following us. Since the Ceto and Graeae aren't in port, just let me know where in time for me to get prepared," he said reluctantly.

"I won't pick a location without consulting you," I said as I entered my office. An hour later Stamm had Choi on the Comm. I had Stamm get Pannell and put Choi on speaker. "Captain Choi, it's Paulus. I'm sorry to bother you but I'd like your opinion. It shouldn't take more than an hour if you can find some free time to meet."

Choi was silent for several seconds. "Your office?"

"I thought someplace informal, relaxing." Away from prying eyes, I mused.

He laughed. "I can understand you thinking NIA offices aren't relaxing. There is a small restaurant about thirty minutes out of Eastar City called The Odean. Their French cuisine is excellent."

I looked to Pannell. "Captain Choi, this is Colonel Pannell."

"Yes, Colonel. I can get us a private room…and if we dress casually…say twenty hundred hours?" Pannell nodded.

"That will be perfect. Thank you, Captain Choi." I cut the connection and then called Alexa.

"What's up, Anna?" she asked when she answered.

"How would you like to go to dinner at the Odean with Captain Choi, Colonel Pannell, and me?" I smiled, imagining Alexa's expression of relief and the idea of a night out.

"Sounds enjoyable. What time?"

"I think our ride will pick us up around nineteen thirty hours," I said, looking to Pannell, who nodded.

* * *

"Business, I assume," Alexa said as we sat in the back seat of a cream-colored luxury Astra sedan. Pannell sat in the front and I was sure he already had men at the Odean and a car or two following us. Alexa looked stunning in a cap-sleeve ball gown with a V-neck black top, beaded belt, and black and white floral skirt. Her only jewelry was a pearl necklace. I wore a high/low flare tea dress appropriate for a girl in her early twenties and no jewelry. I certainly wouldn't be mistaken for a Navy commander. Pannell wore dress slacks, light blue open-neck shirt, and a suede sports coat.

"Yes, I have an idea and would like Captain Choi and your opinions before I go to Lulltrel," I said. Mother had been a wartime captain and would compliment Captain Choi's eagerness to engage the FPU cruisers. Pannell wasn't going to like it as he couldn't control the playing field.

We gave Choi's name at the reception desk and were escorted to a private room which could have held a party of fifteen to twenty. However, at present it had a round table with four place settings. Choi rose when we entered. He wore a dark blue suit, white shirt, and a red and black striped tie.

"Not often I get to have dinner with two gorgeous women," he said as we entered. "Hi, Paul." Just then a waitress appeared and we ordered drinks. The talk during dinner was light, mostly about different aspects of our careers. After dessert and coffee arrived, Choi looked to me.

"Anna?"

"I had originally thought we would have to determine the Fox's selection criteria, wait until we found a Rabbit that met that criteria, and then watch the Rabbit until the Fox arrived," I said and looked at everyone to make sure I wasn't being too obscure. Seeing everyone nod, I continued. "That could be a long wait as there are only ten to twelve Rabbits a year, and the Foxes could learn we were watching, in which case we could lose one or two. But since we have discovered the Foxes watering hole and we know what each of the three look like, all we have to do is wait for them to come to drink," I said and watched as each person digested what I had said.

"How close do they come to the water hole?" Choi asked, his lip twitched in amusement.

"I'm told they watch the hole from up to one hundred kilometers," I said, having confirmed with Hadley how close one would have to be to the WavCom to get their messages.

"Every day?" Choi asked.

"Not certain, but I'd guess not less than every other day."

"That's a large area to cover," Alexa said. "But they would be visible when they…howled." She gave a snort—howl meaning the Comm units going active.

"True, but how do we know it's the right Fox? Won't they all sound the same?" Choi asked.

"We would use a unique telescope to identify the Fox," I said thinking about the equipment we had used to strip the WavCom when we hunted the Raiders. Hadley said it could be used to detect transmissions to and from the WavCom.

"Meaning we would need someone who knew how to identify the Foxes," Choi said. Alexa put her hand over mine and gave a slight squeeze and I nodded. "I would think the Fox could come from any of four directions, unless there are more than one Fox."

I took that to mean four UAS cruisers for each FPU cruiser. "No, each water hole is guarded by only one Fox."

"It would be good to get rid of the Foxes before they eat all the Rabbits," Choi said, raising his glass to me and Alexa and smiling. "But we need to make sure we don't break the telescope. It's one of a kind."

* * *

"All right, Paulus, have you done your homework?" Lulltrel asked when everyone had been seated.

"Yes, ma'am. When Commander Hadley and I visited Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, we learned the merchant names the FPU cruisers were using to access the WavCom and get updates and scheduling information. I suggest we stake out the WavComs at Safe Harber, Shadows Rest, and Oasis. When they come to collect their messages, we destroy them," I said.

"How do we know when they come to collect their messages?" Lulltrel asked. I nodded to Hadley.

"Ma'am, we would have to install our WavCom stripping equipment on one of the UAS cruisers."

"And one of you idiots would have to operate it," Lulltrel said, frowning at Hadley and me. I nodded and saw Hadley nod. "Hadley, have you looked at Paulus's Purple Heart ribbon? She has a silver oat leaf cluster…" Hadley's eyes widened when Lulltrel pointed to the ribbons on my jacket where Red's head was lying just above the role with the Purple Heart—like he was examining them. Then she choked out a laugh. "Even…Red thinks it's a stupid idea."

"Ma'am, if we wait for what we believe is their search criteria, it could take three to five months to get all three. And that assumes we are correct in our assumptions, one or two don't figure it out and leave or change criteria, and they don't spend twenty-five million to get rid of us." I grinned mentally at the looks around the table and the oscillating emotions as they considered the incidents at Westar and Oxax, and eyes darted to my ribbons.

"What did your mother think?" Lulltrel asked, her forehead wrinkled in concern.

"Captains Choi and Belloni thought we would need four UAS cruisers, the fourth with the WavCom equipment." I smiled as I felt Red's head on my shoulder pointing toward Lulltrel.

"Spalding, See if Admiral Webb is available for an update."

"Yes, ma'am." He disappeared out the door.

"I don't know what Admiral Webb will decide…shit…I know exactly what he will decide—he's an ex-captain. This mission is strictly voluntary. They will try to protect the…equipment," she snorted, "but in the heat of a battle with a FPU cruiser, safe is an illusion. I don't want an answer now, but I do want you to consider the possibility." Just then Spalding burst into the room.

"Ma'am, Admiral Webb said he's available now."

* * *

We entered Webb's office and saluted. Webb waved us to chairs and sent a lieutenant to get us drinks as if he knew this wouldn't be a two-minute update.

"Colonel Pannell believes you are either a modern day witch or have a direct line to the space gods," Webb began, staring at me as if it would help him decide. "He claims this isn't the first time your alertness saved the day." He appeared to be awaiting a comment. I was tempted to shrug but knew that wouldn't work with a full admiral.

"Extreme paranoia, sir. After a while your mind is always considering what if," I said, knowing Red didn't want credit, and I wasn’t interested in a psych evaluation.

He gave a genuine laugh. "You don't look like a witch, so we'll give the space gods the credit. All right, Lulltrel, what's the bad news, since you brought Paulus?"

"During their recent visits to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, Paulus and Hadley discovered the names of the merchant ships the FPU cruisers are using to access the WavCom," Lulltrel began. "And she now believes her staff has sufficient data to predict their selection criteria and can therefore predict the who, when, and where the next hijacking will occur."

"With one hundred percent accuracy?" Webb asked. I shook my head involuntarily before Lulltrel could answer.

"With a high degree of reliability but not one hundred percent. There are too many factors, and it would take months, which could cause one or more of the FPU cruisers to be alerted to the fact we know their criteria."

"So we could stop the hijacking but not get all of the cruisers and the survivor or survivors could continue with a new system. Is that about right?"

"Yes, sir. Paulus has suggested a different approach," Lulltrel said and nodded to me. Webb's stare went from her to me.

"Sir, I believe the FPU cruisers access the WavCom each day or two to update their database. That database tracks merchants and UAS cruisers in the Northern Rim systems and is used to select their next merchant." I paused, awaiting questions, and took a sip of my coffee. When Webb nodded, I continued. "I talked with Captain Choi and he thought four cruisers, one with WavCom stripping equipment, sitting idle at the WavCom, should be enough to take on the FPU cruiser," I said and saw Webb's eyes light with excitement.

"So twelve cruisers, and you believe we can destroy the FPU Hijackers…in days?" Webb asked, a predatory look in his eyes.

"We need a NIA operator on one of the four ships at the WavCom…" Lulltrel said, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"Volunteers, since there is no guarantee the ship with the equipment operator can remain out of the subsequent battle," Webb said slowly, as if voicing his thoughts…”and since we have the HoBos to contend with, it would have to be a closely held secret." Webb looked to me and smiled. "Of course, you volunteered. Your mother should have my job. She must have nerves of battle metal."

"She believes Red and I were meant to chase evil people," I said, wishing I hadn't included Red.

"Red?"

"I would have died at age four except for Red," I said stroking his red tail, which was dangling over my shoulder and onto my chest. "He found me in the winter, in the snow, when he should have been hibernating."

Webb stared at Red for a long time before speaking. "Lulltrel, meeting tomorrow morning. Captain Choi, you, Paulus, and any other volunteers to discuss Operation…" he laughed, "Rabbit."

* * *

When I arrived at Webb's conference room Hadley was already there, pacing the room.

"You are going to be all sweaty and…" I paused for effect. "If you keep pacing like that."

"Aren't you nervous speaking with Admiral Webb?" Hadley whispered in desperation.

"What's the worst he can do if you upset him? Reduce you in grade a rank or two? Give you a posting on Shadows Rest?" I put my finger to my pursed lips like I was thinking.

"Yes. Exactly," she whispered again, but this time louder. I pointed to the closest chair. When she sat I moved behind her and began massaging her shoulders. The tension in her muscles slowly began to dissolve. Then she froze. "Red…"

"Think of it. If he bites you, I have the antivenin and you can get out of the meeting."

Hadley laughed and truly relaxed. "Being around you is exhilarating and terrifying in equal doses—" Hadley stood abruptly as Choi and Lulltrel entered. Lulltrel waved us to relax while continuing to talk with Choi.

"Attention," Webb's aide shouted, as Webb entered.

"Relax," Webb said, looking around the room. "I see we are one short."

"Not everyone likes cruisers, especially one going to war," Lulltrel said. "Commander Hadley," Lulltrel nodded in her direction, "has been seduced by Paulus." She laughed.

"Commander Hadley, thank you for volunteering." He nodded to her. "Captain Choi, what are you recommending?"

"I think four UAS cruisers out approximately one hundred kilometers from the WavCom. I understand one will require WavCom equipment, and we will try to keep that one from entering the battle if possible. Three should be sufficient against one FPU cruiser."

"Paulus, any thoughts?"

"Yes, sir. We believe the UAS cruisers the Ceto, Graeae, Hecate, Laelaps, Boreas, and Oedipus have HoBos on them. Although I don't believe the HoBos would interfere with the ship, they might see Commander Hadley or me as a tempting prize, as well as information about project Rabbit."

"Do you know who the HoBos are?" Webb asked, looking like a wounded Kodiak bear searching for something to kill.

"Not by name, sir. Only which ships they were on within the last three to four weeks," I said, realizing one or more of them could have changed ships in the meantime. "I didn't want to disturb the HoBos, as they have a link to the Hijackers."

"Choi?"

"What if I take a task force to Safe Harber while another Captain leads a task force to Oasis, planning to arrive the same day? We'll take out the FPU at Safe Harber, then move on to Shadows Rest."

"Sir, can we have the task force stay at Oasis after they engage the FPU cruiser?" I asked, an unclear thought nagging at me.

"Why, Paulus?"

"In case the FPU cruiser at Shadows Rest attempts to communicate with the FPU cruisers at Safe Harber or Oasis. Or someone on Oasis tries to communicate with Shadows Rest."

We spent another hour discussing various what if scenarios. Finally, Webb set the start of Operation Rabbit at ten days from today. He would let Choi and Lulltrel know the details as they were developed. When the admirals and Choi had left, Hadley walked with me to my office.

"I'm glad Red didn't bite me," she said as the door closed behind her.

"Why?" I asked reflectively.

"Because I wouldn't have wanted to miss that meeting for anything. And I'm going to be helping to catch very evil people—on a warship." She whirled in a circle with her arms outstretched, laughing. "Thanks, Anna. I'm glad you're here."

* * *

"Well, Daughter, how did the meeting go?" Alexa asked as we sat down to eat.

"Teresa volunteered to go. She's as excited as I was at getting admitted to the Naval Academy." I laughed. "Neither Byrnes or Leyva were interested."

"Can't blame them. As we get older we have more to consider about the consequences if something should happen, versus the rewards."

"I—" I started to apologize for volunteering when Alexa put her finger to her lips.

"It's what you were created to do and I fully support you." She rose and put her arm around me and gave me a kiss on the forehead, ignoring Red, who was in my hair.

"Admiral Webb said you should have his job because you must have nerves like battle metal, with a daughter like me," I said and gave a weak smile. "I think you are on loan from the space gods."

When Alexa let go, both are cheeks were soaking wet from crying. "When do you leave?" Alexa asked.

"Webb thinks in ten days. Maybe we could take some time off and do something," I suggested, thinking it would be good for Alexa and me to have some quality time together.

* * *

"Mother, my ride is here," I shouted upstairs. Alexa appeared a few seconds later and proceeded down the stairs.

"How does it feel to be out of uniform?" she asked, smiling at me while looking me over.

"I feel more normal, even though dressed in a green silk blouse and pantsuit. In my uniform I feel like I'm wearing someone else's. Now I just feel like I'm in disguise," I said. Alexa laughed.

"You look all grown up and perfect." She hugged me, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and took a step back. "Take care of her, Red," she said softly. "Calm seas and gentle winds, my daughter."

I blew her a kiss and left quickly before I started crying. Leaving Alexa was always hard. I knew it caused Alexa unnecessary stress and I felt adrift when away from home. Sometimes I felt like a small child…but it didn't bother me. Alexa had saved me from a life of horrors.

Pannell waited just outside with two civilian skimmers, which I'd wager were armed. He and his detail were in civilian clothes.

I grinned. "I'd imagine you feel as strange in civilian clothes as I do in uniform."

He nodded. "Like I'm going to a masquerade party."

The ride to the spaceport was short, where we picked up Hadley before proceeding to the space station. There we found the UAS Tityus. Pannell handled the authorization paperwork for everyone. Hadley and I were listed as civilian contractors, and he and his detail as a security escort, implying it was more to watch us than protect us while we were on the ship. We were escorted to our quarters. There Hadley and I had been assigned a two-person room with a fresher.

"Second thoughts?" I asked as we unpacked.

"None. I'm a bit nervous, but more about not being able to help catch the Hijackers than being hurt. I feel like I'm making a real contribution and I'm proud of being part of the NIA."

A knock at the door interrupted us. When I opened it, one of our security guards stood next to a petty officer second class as the other security guard addressed me. Ma'am, Captain Mendoza has invited you to join him for dinner at twenty hundred hours.

"Thank you. Petty Officer, thank the captain and tell him we will be delighted to join him," I said and closed the door. "Oh, I shouldn't have accepted for you. You may not want to go." I tried to look serious but it was hard with Hadley's jaw hanging loose.

"Your incorrigible," she said and threw a pillow at me.

* * *

A petty officer came to escort us to the captain's dining room a few minutes before twenty hundred hours. When we entered, the captain and a full commander stood talking. Good evening…ladies," he said not sure how to address us, indicating that he hadn't been told much about the mission or us. I'm Captain Mendoza and this is Commander Ashton, my XO."

"What are you orders, Captain?" I asked before introducing us. Mendoza gave me a strange look, since he had expected Hadley, clearly the oldest, to speak. He hesitated until I pulled out my P1A authorization card.

I was told to pick up a party of civilians and deliver them to Truth Star…space, where I will be given further orders.

"Do you have any special Comm equipment installed?" I asked.

"Yes, it was installed yesterday."

"Sorry for all the questions, Captain. I'm Commander Paulus and she is Commander Hadley. We are both NIA agents. I believe you are going to be part of a task force hunting FPU cruisers. The secrecy is necessary, as the FPU are operating a hijacking operation and they have extensive contacts. Commander Hadley and I will be acting as the task forces eyes and ears," I said as Red made his grand entry. Mendoza and Ashton took a step backward.

"You're that Paulus," Ashton said. "Captain, remember I told you about a Navy commander who saved the Vulcan when a bunch of men with the Coaca Virus gained access to the ship. I was the Weapons Officer at the time."

"This is far more exciting than I had anticipated," Mendoza said, smiling ear-to-ear. We are hunting FPU cruisers and I'm hosting a celebrity."

I blushed, as he was treating me as senior when it should have been Hadley. She didn't seem to mind. She was too excited to care. Over dinner Ashton retold the story of the Vulcan and I was questioned about the details, since Ashton's version was mostly rumors—some truth and a lot of imagination. The mood at dinner was electric. We were all equally excited about the upcoming confrontation. Afterward Mendoza took us to the Bridge to see the equipment. Hadley sat at the console for a few minutes, then gave me a thumbs-up sign.

We ate with the Captain two more times on the three-day trip to Truth Star. Late on the third day we arrived at the designated location, where Choi called for a face-to-face meeting on the Scylla.

The conference room had eight captains, Hadley, Pannell, and me present when Choi called for order. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to war. We have three FPU cruisers in UAS space. Our job is to find and destroy them." Smiles, laughs, clapping, and hoots greeted the announcement. Captain Mendoza will lead Rabbit One." Choi had to stop to let the snickers and comments subside.

"Who came up with that code name?" one of the captains asked. Choi pointed to me.

"Commander Paulus, Admiral Lulltrel's resident pit bull," he said. I bowed to clapping.

"Hijackers are predators and evil. Rabbits are cautious animals. I felt we needed to be cautious while we hunted their locations and ascertained their methodology," I said.

"Paulus was right. They kidnapped her on Westar," Choi said.

"How did you get free?" a woman captain asked. Hadley surprised me by answering.

"You don't kidnap pit-bulls," she said and smiled. "If you're smart, you don’t play with them, you kill them."

Choi was quick to bring the meeting back to the issue. "Captain Mendoza will lead Rabbit One which consists of the Tityus, Janus, Typhon, and the Keres. I will lead Rabbit Two which will consist of the Scylla, Rhode, Sparta, and Artemis. Rabbit One will proceed to Oasis, where it will deploy its taskforce equidistant from the WavCom and wait for Commander Hadley to signal the presence of the FPU cruiser. Rabbit Two will proceed to Safe Harber with Commander Paulus. Afterward, Rabbit Two will proceed to Shadows Rest and repeat the operation. Rabbit One will remain at Oasis, monitoring the WavCom for further orders."

* * *

"Well, Paulus, any observations?" Choi asked that night at dinner with his XO, Commander Jacoby, and Dr. Cahill.

"They have nothing to lose," I said without thinking.

"It's a shame about the krait. I think you'd make a good captain," Choi said, as if thinking out loud.

"I know you explained how a red-headed krait can keep the virus dormant, but not that they can be made to stay with someone," Cahill said but it was a question--how did you acquire one?

"That's the crux of the problem. One krait can only support one person. He feeds on your blood and injects you with a poison that keeps the poison in check. But then he's not hungry for a day or two. And a person with the Coaca Virus can't go four days without an injection. But your real question is, why am I the only person with her own krait?" I paused for a sip of coffee and Cahill nodded imperceptibly. “Because for reasons only Red knows, our relationship is symbiotic. He adopted me at age four and never leaves my body and won't bite anyone else—they tried when he was first discovered."

"Never?" Cahill said in disbelief.

"Never."

* * *

I woke two hours before we were scheduled to arrive in Safe Harber space, dressed, ate,  arrived at the Bridge a half hour early, and took my seat at the WavCom equipment.

"Good morning, Commander Paulus. When you detect the…"

"Star Trader, Captain."

"Star Trader, you will notify me and remain on the Bridge. It's the safest part of the ship for obvious reasons." Choi went on to deploy his taskforce, set up tight beam connections, and reduce power to a minimum. "Now the hard part--waiting." He snorted.

After eight hours had passed, Choi had the conference room set up as sleeping quarters and had meals delivered. I chose to sleep at my station, curled up in the chair with a pillow. I woke to a buzzing sound from the WavCom equipment and quickly scanned the request scrolling across the screen:

FROM: TRADER SLIM JIM. RETRIEVE MESSAGES.

All eyes were focused on me. I shook my head in the negative as I scanned the messages to make certain they hadn't changed names. Everything looked normal. I sat back and closed my eyes. Over the next twelve hours four more requests were received. When the next buzzing sounded, no one moved—like the boy calling wolf—the buzzing had become routine and boring.

FROM TRADER STAR TRADER. RETRIEVE MESSAGES.

"Captain, it's the FPU cruiser using the merchant identification Star Trader," I said, and everyone snapped awake.

"Comm, message to all ships. Target ship currently broadcasting in quadrant four near the Rhode's position. In thirty seconds I will demand the cruiser cut all power. If it moves, you are ordered to destroy the ship." Choi sat back watching the clock. "Comm, general broadcast."

"You're live, sir."

"Unknown ship, you are surrounded by UAS cruisers. Cut power or be destroyed." Silence followed for what seemed an eternity but was probably less than a minute. I watched the hologram projection in the middle of the Bridge which showed the four UAS cruisers, tagged U1 through U4 in blue, and the FPU cruiser tagged P1 in red. P1 appeared close to U2, the Rhode, and looked not far from U4, the Sparta, although in reality they were hundreds of kilometers apart. As Choi activated the mic on his chair, P1's red spot blossomed, filling the screen, and seconds later the ship was slammed with a force that caused loose objects to fly like cannon balls, my seat restraints squeezed the air out of me, and I thought my ribs had fractures. I tasted blood and lost consciousness. When I regained consciousness, the ship had stopped its violent movement.

"Comm, connect to the taskforce," Choi said sounding drunk through the ringing in my ears. And through blurry eyes he looked to be unsteady. A few were lying limp in their chairs. Seeing the Comm officer unable to use his right arm, I unbuckled and move to his panel. It took me a minute, but I managed to connect to the three ships.

"Connected to the Sparta and Artemis. The Rhode isn't answering, sir."

"Sparta, what's your status?" Choi asked.

"We aren't functional, Choi. That explosive ripped half the ship open to space."

"Artemis, what's your status?" Choi asked.

"Functional, or at least I think so. We have a lot of damage. They must have somehow exploded all of their missiles—a couple hundred—simultaneously, not that I blame them. They were going to die one way or the other."

"Paulus, send a message to Rabbit One, checking their status and warning them," Choi said, and then began checking each section.

TO CAPTAIN MENDOZA, UAS
TITYUS.

THE FPU
CRUISER EXPLODED ALL IT’S MISSILES WHEN CHALLENGED, INFLICTING MAJOR TASKFORCE DAMAGE. WOULD RECOMMEND FURTHER TASKFORCE SEPARATION. CAPTAIN CHOI REQUESTING YOUR STATUS.

FROM CAPTAIN CHOI, UAS
SCYLLA.

I sent the message to Choi's tablet. He nodded and I sent it.

* * *

Although the Scylla had been the farthest from the explosion, it had received considerable damage, which the crew estimated would take a full day to repair. We were functional but had lost fifteen crew and had forty injured. The Rhode was a complete loss but we had managed to save over one hundred and fifty individuals—most injured to some degree or other. The Sparta also had incurred major damage, with over half the crew dead or injured. The Sparta was not operational. Choi ordered the ship back to Safe Harber, along with the seriously wounded from the Artemis and Scylla. The Artemis was operational but needed a day to make repairs. As we assessed the damage, the response from the Tityus arrived.

TO CAPTAIN CHOI, UAS
SCYLLA

THE FPU CRUISER CHOSE TO FIGHT. WE LOST THE KERES AND HAD DAMAGE TO THE JANUS AND THE TITYUS. I’D LIKE TO SEND THE JANUS BACK WITH OUR WOUNDED AS IT RECEIVED THE MOST DAMAGE. COMMANDER HADLEY IS SAFE. AWAIT ORDERS.

FROM CAPTAIN MEMDOZA, UAS
TITYUS.

"Paulus, come with me." He motioned to Pannell, who came over and helped me to follow Choi. "You look like road kill." He laughed and then grimaced and held his side in obvious pain.

"You look to have been run over by the same combat shuttle, sir," I said and couldn't help a laugh, which my ribs didn't think amusing. Choi gave a snort.

"How's Red?" Choi’s head spun back to me, his face twisted with pain from the quick movement. I reached into my jacket and pulled him out. He wrapped around my arm with his little red head pointing at me. I kissed him. "He appears all right, sir."

"Good," he said, looking relieved. When we reached the dispensary, it looked like the initial chaos was under control. Dr. Cahill was quick to see Choi and rushed to us.

"Captain, let me examine you," she said before looking at me. "You too, Paulus." She spent a half hour with Choi before coming into my cubicle.

"Red won't bother you, Dr. Cahill,” I said as he wound around my left arm, which I held over my head while she undressed and examined me.

"You and Choi have roughly the same injuries: fractured ribs, concussion, and multiple bruises. Eight hours in the Regen and a day or two rest," she said when she’d finished. Shortly afterward, Choi entered with Pannell.

"What do you think, Paulus?" he said. I took it as a NIA question.

"You will only have one chance to get the third FPU cruiser." I didn't think we could keep both encounters a secret for more than a couple of days. The existence of the HoBos made it even less likely.

"Agreed," Choi said, "What about…"

"If the Scylla is going to Shadows Rest, send Hadley home with the Janus…" I thought it logical Choi would send the Janus home and the Tityus and Typhon to Shadows Rest. He nodded.

"Can you send a message from here?"

I nodded. "With the proper authority."

He typed on his tablet for a minute, then nodded. "What does the NIA recommend?"

I wasn't sure why, but I pulled Red from around my neck and he wrapped around my arm with his small red head poking out of my hand and pointing toward me. I moved him to within a hand's width of my face.

"What do you think, Red?" I stared at him for several seconds as if awaiting an answer. Silently, I was apologizing again to Alexa for the stress I continued to cause her. Of course, except for the flickering of his tongue, there was no sound.

"All right," I said while stroking his head before typing the message and sending it to Choi's tablet.

TO CAPTAIN MENDOZA, UAS
TITYUS

SEND THE JANUS HOME, ALONG WITH THE WOUNDED AND COMMANDER HADLEY. THE TITYUS AND THE TYPHON SHOULD PROCEED TO SHADOW'S REST. THE SCYLLA WILL BE IN POSITION BY THE TIME YOU ARRIVE.

FROM CAPTAIN CHOI, UAS
SCYLLA

"Do you talk to…Red often?" Choi asked after staring at me for several long seconds.

"Yes, sir."

"And what did he say?" He frowned but I could feel a hint of amusement.

"He just stares back at me. I take his silence as agreement." I grinned. "He's a very dear friend and a comfort in times of stress."

Choi nodded. "Yes, you are concerned about everyone but yourself. You would make a good captain, but I think the UAS is better served with you in the NIA. Send the message, I agree." He smiled. "We have evil men to catch."

* * *

Hadley was relieved and disappointed as she read the incoming message from the Scylla. She had been terrified and excited. Her whole body had been alive with electricity when she wasn't frozen in panic. It had been an experience she would cherish for the rest of her life: she had been on a ship of war in a battle with a FPU cruiser. Not only been present, but had been on the Bridge and had been the one to identify the enemy cruiser. Emotions clashed. She wanted to go with the Tityus to Shadows Rest to be part of the taskforce that destroyed the last of the FPU cruisers. Teresa knew she wouldn't like cruiser duty and longed to be home with her husband and children, safe. She didn't know how Paulus did it. She plunged into danger like a penguin into water. After her experience on the Shark, Teresa would have expected a disability retirement, years of counseling, and an overwhelming fear of leaving her house. The Hijacker and the HoBos had every right to fear Commander Paulus.

"Captain Mendoza, a message from the Scylla," she said and sent it to his tablet. Mendoza read while nodding…and finally smiling. Paulus was right—captains were attracted to war like bears to beehives.

* * *

The trip to Shadows Rest was estimated to take the Scylla close to forty-eight hours, while the Titus and the Typhon would take an additional twenty-two hours. So it was no surprise Mendoza’s taskforce hadn’t arrived when Choi positioned the Scylla and the Artemis and cut back power to a minimum. This time Choi chose to double the separation between ships. With the previous one hundred kilometers we had been over two hundred kilometers from the blast and had received significant damage. Choi again arranged for meals to be delivered and for the conference room to act as sleeping quarters. I chose to sleep in my chair but added extra pillows—just in case.

The space gods were obviously in a playful mood, as ten hours after arriving, the fourth attempt to access the WavCom was the Happy Jobber.

"Commander Jacoby, the FPU ship has arrived—"

"Clarke, wake the Captain," he shouted and Clarke ran out the door. Jacoby looked to me. I looked at the information streaming back to the Happy Jobber. It seemed a lot.

"A few minutes at most—"

"Comm, connect to the Artemis. Tactical, target the ship broadcasting.

"XO, connected to the Artemis."

"Artemis, target the ship broadcasting, but don't fire until ordered or fired upon—"

"XO, what do you have?"

"Commander Paulus has identified the broadcasting ship as the Happy Jobber, the FPU cruiser."

"How long before the PCU cruiser returns?" Choi asked, looking directly at me. Panic seized me and I grabbed Red, who was resting on my shoulder, and pressed his head to my lips. I knew it was my decision and I didn't have the luxury of waiting to decipher the message sent to the Jobber. The decision had to be made immediately. Unfortunately, lives depended upon my response—Choi would act on my answer as he had to assume I was right. If we stayed to fight, it was two to one, which was good odds, but even if we won the cost would be high. If we left, we would have four to one odds—if the FPU cruiser returned. If not, it would be lost forever.

If I said to let the Jobber leave and was wrong, we would save lives by avoiding the battle but we could lose the third FPU cruiser.

If I said to attack and was wrong, we would lose more lives, not to mention we could lose the battle, than if we had waited for the Tityus and Typhon to arrive. My heart raced, feeling like an out-of-control hurricane that would burst through my chest at any second. Red slipped through my hand, up my face, and wound into my head like a crown. As the warmth of his body, which was normally cool, flowed down through me, my head cleared and my heart slowed.

"He's not coming back, Captain," I said feeling I had made the right decision.

Choi stared at me for what seemed like minutes but was probably more like seconds. He laughed, which dissolved the tension in the room. "Red agrees?"

"Yes, sir."

"Fire in fifteen seconds from now." He sat back, looking relaxed. At first I was surprised, but then thought I understood. He had made the tough decision—the reason he was the captain—and now it was up to others to do their jobs. He wasn't perfect; I wasn't perfect. All either of us could do was make the best call we could, based on what we knew at the time. I reached up and felt the feather-like touch of Red's tongue.

"Eight missiles away," said the Tactical Officer, Nash, excitement in his voice, although it remained steady and professional. His glare boring into his monitor.

"Artimis fired, eight," said Schultz, the Radar Officer. And seconds later, "Seven, no, fifteen direct hits on the FPU cruiser. All her engines have come on line. The seconds felt like minutes as the Bridge waited for the missile tubes to reload.

"Radar, the Jobber's vector?" Choi asked, watching the hologram as the red dot tagged P1 began to move.

"Eight missiles incoming," Schultz said in a loud but steady voice. Uribe's fingers flew over the ECM panel as he worked to stop them. Four jarring impacts occurred in a rapid gunfire-like cadence. "Sir, the ship's identification has changed to the Barracuda.

"Tactical, fire when ready."

"Helm, stay on his tail while increasing the distance between us. This close he could get lucky since our ECM is less effective. His ECM will be more effective but we are throwing twice as many missiles at him.

"Eight missiles fired," Tactical reported. As the distance increased, the Jobber's hits on the Scylla was reduced to one and sometimes two out of eight—the Jobber was ignoring the Artimis. The battle raged on for the next ten minutes and, although each ship had received significant damage, both remained fully functional. Then suddenly the Jobber cut its engines.

Choi's voice came over my station's intercom, indicating he was talking only to me.

"What would you do now, Paulus?" he asked. Startled, I looked to Choi, whose chin dipped in a questioning gesture.

"Move away," I said spontaneously, thinking about our encounter at Safe Harber.

"Why?"

"They aren't stopping for you to board."

"Helm, a vector sixty degrees to starboard. Comm send to Artimis, sixty degrees to port."

"And?" The question was again to me on my station's intercom. It was the captain's decision but I knew he was making it my call. He was seeking an answer to something but I was in too much turmoil to figure it out. The crew on the Jobber were evil, but I didn't wish them dead. But the crew on the Scylla weren't evil. Tears formed in my eyes as I spoke.

"Continue firing."

"Tactical, continue firing full loads," Choi said, never taking his eyes off me.

"But they cut…" Nash said in shock, looking over his shoulder at Choi. Then turned back to the weapons' panel. "Yes, sir. Eight missiles away,"

"Comm. Message to Artimis. Continue firing until the Jobber is destroyed." Choi sat quietly watching the Hologram as Schultz reported the number of hits.

"Captain, the Jobber has lost power."

"Cease fire." Choi picked up his CDC and a moment later spoke. "Colonel Sanchez, in one hour send a combat shuttle to ensure the Jobber is safe to enter. Don't take any chances. Anyone alive will not be in a good mood."

The Bridge was silent, but watching the damage monitor I knew the rest of the ship was busy making repairs, treating the wounded, and tagging the dead. On the hour, a combat shuttle left the Scylla, and thirty minutes later Sanchez reported the ship was safe. They had encountered about twenty survivors who fought to the death, killing five Marines.

"Commander Paulus, would you like to visit the Barracuda?" Choi asked, surprising me. Actually, I did want to visit the ship, hoping I could determine if I’d made the right call—the message they received was a warning and the seventy deaths were justified, or I was wrong and the deaths avoidable.

"Yes, sir," I said, and followed him to the Marines' shuttle bay. We suited up since half the Jobber was open to space. When the Marine shuttle ramp opened on the Jobber I made my way directly to the Bridge with Choi, Pannell, and his full detail surrounding me. On the Bridge, I went straight to the Communication station and began reviewing the recent activity. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Choi had taken a seat in the captain's chair. I easily found the query to the WavCom and the encoded reply, looking like random characters a toddler had made while playing with the keyboard. After several minutes poking around, I found the translation program. Holding my breath, I ran the WavCom message through the program.

IT'S A TRAP. HAPPY JOBBER IDENTITY COMPROMISED.

Was displayed in old Russian, the original language of the FPU, which I knew from my language hobby. I sighed with relief. As I did, I heard Choi's soft chuckle.

"I had this image of you roaming the halls of a cruiser in a captain's jacket and imagined the looks you would get. That was a difficult call, as well as the one to destroy the Jobber. My team has informed me the ship was being rigged to explode. Destroying the Jobber saved lives. With a year or two as XO, I believe you'd make a good captain." He rose and left the Bridge with me frozen in place.

I wanted to scream, No way I want that responsibility. Then gave a weak laugh as I realized I had made such a decision when I told the captain the Happy Jobber wouldn't be returning.

* * *

I was subdued on the six-day trip back to Eastar. Choi invited me to dine with him each night, but somehow the magic of cruiser life had dimmed after the events at Safe Harber and, especially, Shadows Rest. I didn't like having to make decisions that cost people's lives—even crews of enemy cruisers. As strange as it sounded, I liked stopping the bad guys but not killing them. Consequently, I spent most of my time in my room. On the fourth day, I shook myself out of my brooding and began thinking about the HoBos, which turned out to be equally depressing.

I knew what ships they were on but not the specific individuals. So, logically, I needed to be able to identify them. The same with their contacts. I knew the company but not the specific individual or individuals. And the hundred million credit question—who was the brains behind the organization?

I hoped the contacts’ reply to the HoBos' queries would help, after we could decipher their encryption.

* * *

"What's next, Anna, if it isn't classified?" Choi asked at dinner our last night before reaching Eastar.

"The HoBos, but that may be harder than finding the Hijackers," I said, feeling depressed again.

"Why?"

"Let's say I tell you that you have two HoBos on your ship. I doubt they have tattoos and if they do, I don't know what they’d look like. Do you search everyone's quarters? Do you investigate everyone? Give everyone a polygraph…?" I said, imagining the chaos that would result.

Choi nodded. "It would almost be better to let them go free."

"And their contacts, and the ring leader?" I felt like banging my head against the table.

"True. You could make an announcement that you are after the HoBos. If I were them, I'd cease my illegal activities. I wouldn't like you chasing me." He smiled.

"No, they would put a Wanted Dead reward on my head. They would consider me an annoying bug to squash," I said, thinking back to the Raiders. Choi choked on the wine he was drinking.

"I’d rather try to squash a landmine."

* * *

Although I arrived home very early in the morning, Alexa was sitting up, waiting. I ran into her outstretched arms, feeling content for the first time in weeks.

"Thank you for sending a message from Shadows Rest. Knowing you were safe was a wonderful gift. Although, I'd like to hear all the details around, ‘It was a bumpy ride, but the ride home should be smooth. See you in seven days.’"

"You've got work tomorrow…" I said, knowing the story would last for hours as Alexa dragged every detail out of me.

"The love of my life is home and I want to assure myself she is well and to hear every detail of her latest adventure." She squeezed me tightly. "Let's treat ourselves to dessert and coffee in celebration."

I linked my arm in hers and we marched off to the kitchen. "The taskforce was assembled at Truth Star and consisted of eight cruisers…" As I had anticipated, the telling was slow as Alexa dragged every detail out of me.

"I don't know if that were pure evil or genius…probably both," Alexa said when I told her about the explosion. We had just finished breakfast when I got a message from Lulltrel.

TO COMMANDERS HADLEY AND PAULUS

STAFF MEETING A THIRTEEN HUNDRED HOURS.

FROM ADMIRAL LULLTREL

"I guess I don't get the day off," I said, smiling.

"Like me, she wants to hear all the details and bask in the glory. The NIA discovered and eliminated a major threat to the UAS," Alexa said. "And she has a right to the credit. She moved mountains to get you to take the Easter NIA Station position.

* * *

When I entered Lulltrel's conference room, I was surprised to find my staff there.

"Paulus, you've created a monster," Leyva said, pointing to Commander Hadley. "We can't get her to stop smiling or retelling the battle at Oasis, which she won single handedly."

"Well, I had a little help from the UAS cruisers." She laughed and rushed to me. "I was a little disappointed when Choi sent me home."

"You didn't miss anything. By the time the Tityus arrived, the FPU cruiser had been destroyed," I said.

"Destroyed? But I thought—" Hadley began and was interrupted by a call to attention as Admirals Webb and Lulltrel entered with Captains Choi and Mendoza.

"At ease," Webb said. "Take your seats." He accepted a cup of coffee from his aide as he waited for everyone to be seated. "The NIA has again been instrumental in identifying a major threat to the UAS security and in eliminating it. NIA has always had a tradition of awarding its personnel quietly to protect their identity. First, I'd like to thank Admiral Lulltrel for making the NIA the premiere intelligence agency in the UAS and the go-to organization when we need to combat domestic and foreign threats to our security. Vice Admiral Lulltrel is hereby awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations." Webb handed her a velvet box and shook her hand. Lulltrel's cheeks looked a light shade of pink as she accepted the award. "Although the effort to catch the Hijackers is always a team effort, I would like to single out Commanders Hadley and Paulus, who went above and beyond, risking their lives to identify the FPU cruisers, which led to their subsequent destruction. They are also awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Award, in addition to a battle ribbon for action against the Hijackers. Congratulations." He proceeded to shake Teresa’s and my hands. But when he shook my hand he slowly shook his head. "Paulus, did you mention to your mother you earned another Purple Heart at Safe Harber?"

"Not exactly, sir. I told her it was a bumpy ride."

Webb laughed. "Good. I wouldn't blame your mother for ripping me a new one. You have entirely too many." He turned to look at Hadley. "Commander Hadley, you and Paulus are excused from duty until you are cleared by the medics and…have a psych evaluation. I suggest you use Dr. Renata. She thinks Paulus is sane. Any other doctor would have her in therapy until she retired."

Webb's aide called attention and Webb left smiling. When the door closed, Lulltrel stood.

"I agree with Admiral Webb. Go see Dr. Renata. You deserve time off to rest and relax, but I need you at work. Project Owlet is now our top priority. Commander Newman, you can keep Commander Paulus up to date via messaging…if she doesn't mind…while she is being cleared for duty. Now get out of here you two. I've heard the general detail from Captain Choi. You can give us a briefing when you are back to work."

"Yes, ma'am," Teresa and I said simultaneously as we left the room. Hadley was smiling from ear to ear.

"You have to tell me everything that happened," she said, linking her arm with mine and ignoring Red, who was wrapped around my neck with his head on the shoulder closest to Teresa, watching her.

* * *

"I guess Admiral Lulltrel would like you back on duty an hour ago," Renata said as Hadley and I explained we had been ordered to see her. "I hate to disappoint her, but it ain't going to happen. You are going to have a full medical workup, you are going to recount your experience, and you are going to take a few days off to relax. And I'm sure you mothers will agree with me." She rose, smiling. So get undressed and into those gowns, because you aren't going anywhere.

We took turns going for one test after another, in between discussing what happened on the Tityus and the Scylla at each encounter. Late in the afternoon, while Hadley was off for some test, Renata stopped in and sat.

"How do you feel, Anna?" she asked and took my hands in hers. Renata was more than a doctor, she was a long-time friend whom I trusted. So I told her about my interaction with Choi and my feelings. Afterward, Renata sat back and closed her eyes.

"Thank you, Anna, for trusting me. I don't know how you survived the experience on the Shark," she began. I reflexively reached up and stroked Red. She nodded. "Yes, I believe Red does help you cope with the bad things that happen. And I'm glad I'm your doctor. You’re a very special individual, unfortunately, most psychologists would consider you the prize of the century and spend their lives trying to make you believe you are repressing this and that and hallucinating about Red. I think you are unbelievably sane. In fact, I have come to agree with Alexa—you and Red were meant to chase evil men. We will keep that as our secret." She laughed. "Two days off with your mother and you can return to work."

* * *

The next day Alexa took the day off and we spent it shopping and eating out. Pannell had men in civilian clothes following us discretely. At his suggestion, Alexa and I both carried a multifunctional weapon in our oversize purses. Alexa talked me into buying additional civilian clothing. We agreed I didn't look like a senior Naval officer in civilian clothes, and it would be safer when out in public, since Red tended to stay hidden.

The next day Newman sent me the output of Odom's new update. I smiled when I saw it. I suspected it was references to pages, lines, and words in some book or another. So the problem wasn't going to be deciphering it. The problem was going to be discovering which book they were using. Then I set the output aside and sat thinking about possible choices. They probably had a software application that converted the mass of numbers and letters into the message, but it was based on text from a book that I'd wager was readily available, just in case. I was tempted to send my staff my conjecture but decided against it. I may be wrong and it would stifle their lines of pursuit.

* * *

"Ma'am, have you seen the news feeds?" Stamm asked. I shook my head. I seldom followed them. They took an hour to tell you what they could have said in a couple of minutes, and most of that tended to be opinion or conjecture or anonymous sources—people who didn't want anyone to know his or her identity, which put into question whether it was reliable information. "They are reporting the UAS Navy destroyed three FPU Cruisers which were harassing UAS merchants. No mention of the NIA."

"Thank the space gods, Carl," I said, which caused Stamm to give me a questioning look. "I'd rather the criminals didn't focus on us as the source of their problems. Better they focus on the Government, Navy, or other generic entities."

Stamm nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Mum’s the word."

* * *

When I entered my conference room, everyone was subdued. "From the look on your faces, I assume no one has broken the HoBo's code," I said without smiling. Shaking heads confirmed my initial thoughts. "Anyone want to make a suggestion or observation?"

"You were right," Atkins said. "A sheet full of mostly numbers and a few random letters."

"We ran it through most of our decryption software, with no results," Newman said, followed with a shrug.

"If there is a key hidden in that mess, I couldn't see it," Cooper said, then frowned. "Ma'am did you find something?"

"No. I think the numbers refer to page, rows, and word counts. But I'm glad you eliminated our decryption software and had a try at finding a key. This group likes simple code that is easy to decipher once you know the template. If I'm right, then it’s a book or text that everyone has easy access to in case the application or software isn't immediately available. That makes it impossible to decipher without knowing the book, but easy if you do."

"How do we figure that out?" Atkins asked the question everyone was wrestling with.

"I'd like you to see if you can deduce which combination of numbers and letters refers to a page, row, and word. Then Odom can make a simple application for us to try against books we think are logical choices."

"Could we just put cameras in the computer room the crew uses to access the Internet?" Newman asked, to nodding heads.

"Unfortunately, this may be a case of the cure being worse than the disease," I said. "Six cruisers with approximately five hundred crew on each. That's three thousand personnel."

"But there are only a hundred Marines on each ship," Cooper said. "Oh, that assumes we know it's Marines and no Navy personnel are involved. We would be discriminating…"

"Morale," Newman said quietly.

"Legal issues," Atkins added.

"No. We have to be smarter than the HoBos. And I think you are." I looked at each person until they nodded or smiled agreement and looked determined to prove it.

The next day I informed Lulltrel's staff what I had surmised and what I had my staff working on. Leyva offered to have his section work on trying to determine which combination of number and letters refers to a page, row, and word. He agreed to keep the source secret as it could alert the HoBos.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Easy money

"We hit the trifecta, big time!" Lacroix said as he entered the three-man quarters and saw Sergeant Carrillo and Corporal Saavedra changing into civilian clothes. He couldn't stop smiling at the two other men who stood frowning at him.

"Spit it out, Lacroix. You're delaying two glorious women the night of their lives," Carrillo said, grinning.

"More like delaying some worn-out prostitutes from making a few credits." Lacroix laughed.

"Better than guarding an empty cruiser," Saavedra said as he finished buttoning his orange shirt and began walking toward the door.

"I was going to share the five million credits…but it you aren't interested." Lacroix shrugged and plopped onto his bunk. "Have fun."

"HoBo work?" Carrillo asked just above a whisper as he and Saavedra moved closer to Lacroix's bunk. He nodded.

"We are going to be legends, get revenge for our fellow HoBos, and split five million." His ear-to-ear smile greeted the two men.

"What is worth five million credits and why are you dumb enough to try to do it?" Carrillo asked, shaking his head. "Lots of beer and some worn-out prostitutes sounds good right now."

"Revenge? You're not talking about that NIA commander. I guess you forgot she got three HoBos killed trying to collect the big credits," Saavedra said.

"You forgot the HoBos on the Laelaps kidnapped her on Westar from under her security's noses and got away clean." Lacroix wagged a finger at them. "The idiots from the Hecate screwed up, which benefits us since their failure has upped the contract."

"All right, Lacroix. We'll check it out tonight. Five million is worth some risk," Carrillo said, as the two men left with their heads together.

* * *

When Carrillo and Saavedra returned late the next evening, Lacroix was sitting at their small table, drinking a beer. He had obviously been waiting up for them as three empty bottles were on the table. He gave them a lopsided grin.

"Well…Hecate or Laelaps?" He laughed and slapped the table with his free hand.

"Saavedra has an idea. It sounds like it could work and I think our risk would be minimal. Hit and run. Hit the prize and hope we can outrun security," Carrillo said as he opened two beers and passed one to Saavedra. The three Marines raised their bottles and touched them together.

"Hooboo!" the three said in unison.

* * *

Two nights later, the three met their contact and collected the items they had requested: a flame thrower, two stolen cars, and three rifles with scopes. Dressed in black with a balaclava, Lacroix and Saavedra loaded the convertible with the flame thrower and two rifles while Carrillo got into the second car.

Using the vehicle's GPS, Carrillo drove the car some ten miles to a location about one minute from the Paulus’s residence. The front entrance was about fifty meters off the road and sat in the middle of a two to three acre parcel. Houses were located on each side, and in the rear another row of houses that fronted onto a second road. At two hundred hours, the street was empty and the houses dark. He parked next to another car on the road, crept up to a three-story house, and found a spot where he had a clear view of the back of the Paulus’s residence. He sent the prearranged signal and settled down to wait, after setting up his sniper rifle and adjusting the scope.

When Lacroix and Saavedra received Carrillo's ready signal, they started the car and headed for the Paulus’s residence.

"Ready?" Saavedra asked when they were less than a minute from their target.

"Hooboo," Lacroix said, and he pulled the Balaclava down over his face, picked up the flame thrower, and checked it one last time. The convertible jumped forward as Saavedra pushed the gas pedal to the floor. As they approached the house, he swerved off the road to within fifteen meters of the house, and Lacroix activated the flame thrower, spraying the front of the building, which burst into flames. He quickly rotated to the other side of the car and sprayed the Marine combat shuttle that was parked off to the side. He was thrown against the back seat as Saavedra swerved back onto the road. Twenty meters ahead Saavedra slowed and Lacroix jumped out, rolled to his feet, and headed for a clump of trees as the car sped away.

* * *

"Shit!" Corporal Daniels shouted and dropped the coffee he was sipping to stay alert, when a car swerved off the main road and onto the property. He hardly noticed the burning hot liquid scorch his thighs. "Green, destroy that car," he shouted at the private who was currently manning the shuttle’s guns. But it took the private several seconds to come to terms with what Daniels wanted, and by that time the car was past them and bouncing toward the road.

"Daniels, you and Green chase that car. Walker and I will stay," he said as he exited the back ramp with Private Walker in tow. They had just cleared the ramp when the shuttle lifted, made a ninety degree turn, and sped off toward the road.

Sparks hit the emergency icon on his CPC a second later. "We have a fire at the Bellona residence…and maybe armed shooters," he said scanning the surrounding area. He knew he couldn't enter the building as the front was a blazing inferno.  But the back should be safe… "Walker, cover the back and right side. I'll take the left. Paulus and Bellona will have to exit the back," he shouted as he headed for the right side of the building.

* * *

"Perfect," Carrillo whispered. He lay on the damp grass with his right eye staring into the scope, crosshairs centered on the rear door. If he were lucky, he could shoot the Paulus woman as she exited the building and wouldn't have to kill either of the Marines. He would if he had to but would rather not.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Wanted Dead, Not Alive

I woke to the shrill sound of the fire alarm and almost fell as I tried to jerk free of my blanket as I hurried to get up.

"Mother?" I looked back at the bed and found Alexa up and moving toward the bedroom door. Relieved, I followed her into the hallway. Looking down the stairs, the front of the house was engulfed in flames. Halfway down the steps, I grabbed her arm. She stopped and gave me a questioning look.

"The back is clear," she said, pointing to the rear of the hallway.

"Is the Panic Room fireproof?" I asked, having a sudden fear of exiting the house. Stupid, I chided myself, the damn house is on fire.

"Yes, otherwise they could get you out by setting the house on fire," she said as she turned and began walking back up the stairs, with me following. I felt silly and petrified at the same time. In the room, Alexa kicked the built-in book cabinet and a small door slid open. We entered and sat. "Feel better?" Alexa asked, giving me a hug. I nodded, still feeling silly but no longer afraid. I leaned into her embrace, thanking whoever was listening, for Alexa. Without her, my life would be a living nightmare.

Alexa contacted Pannell to let him know we were safe and to get the status of what was happening outside.

"Paul, is one of the identified ships in port?" I asked. He nodded.

"The cruiser, Graeae. I could get a list of the crew who had shore leave and the hour they returned," he said a bit reluctantly.

"No. Let's not alert them to what we know. There are probably fifty plus personnel on leave," I said, and he gave a sigh of relief.

"Were any of your team hurt?" I asked, and stroked Red while awaiting the answer.

"No. They seem reluctant to hurt Marines if they don't have to. I think the idea was to set fire to your house and shoot you when you tried to leave out the rear. When it didn't work, they left before I could get a search team in the area." He looked mad at not having caught someone.

* * *

"Who the hell stays in a burning house?" Lacroix shouted as he punched the wall hard enough to make two of his knuckles bleed.

"Explains why they are paying five million to have her killed. She's a witch," Saavedra said.

"The good news is we didn't get caught," Carrillo said as he opened a bottle of beer and lay down on his bunk.

"Aren't we going to try again?" Lacroix asked. "She probably has a basement or safe room. They will have to move her, so we might get another chance."

"They will be more alert now," Carrillo said. "We'll see if we can find out where they move her and how her security is deployed. We didn't have to kill any Marines and we got away clean, so it was a good plan—just not good enough."

* * *

"Why are you here?" Stamm asked when I arrived for work the following day.

"I work here," I said, pretending I didn't understand what he was asking.

"Your house was burned," he said, looking concerned. I waved for him to follow me into my office.

"The outside front of the house was badly burned, but there was little damage inside. Mother and I decided the house was safer than any place they could move us temporarily, and the repair company promised to have the outside work done in two days. And I'm here so we can expedite catching the people who are trying to kill me."

"I'm all for that, ma'am, before the pharmacy runs out of tranquilizers. You may have nerves of battle metal, but the rest of us don't."

"If you insist." I sighed. "Get my staff together for a quick update." I poured a cup of coffee as Stamm headed for the door. I was reading my email when there was a knock at the door, and a second later Cooper dashed in and saluted.

"Are you all right, ma'am?" she asked, frowning as she scanned me. Before I could answer Newman and Atkins entered, followed by Odom and Stamm.

"Grab something to drink and find someplace to sit. And no, I was not injured. Since attempts on our lives are common because of Red’s and my work, our house is very safe, even without the security the NIA provides me… I spent a few minutes giving them a synopsis of what happened. I smiled. "Master Chief Stamm wants an end to my exciting night life, and we all know it’s not nice to ignore chiefs, so where are we on the HoBo puzzle?" I sat back and took a sip of my coffee. I love these people, I mused, noting their concern and dedication.

"Ma'am, the team put together a template for interpreting the numbers and characters into page, sentence, and word, which I used to create a small program to apply against any text. We ran the sample from the Graeae against a few random books. It works. Of course, the results are a bit funny," Newman said, handing me his table, which had the output for each. "And the work Commander Leyva's group produced agrees with our model. So I think all we need is the book."

"Great work," I said. "Master Chief, can you get me an appointment with Captain Choi? I think we are getting close to solving the HoBo problem."

"Do you know the book, ma'am?" Cooper asked, giving me a hard stare.

"No. But I think Captain Choi may be able to help, and my Master Chief is in a hurry for results."

Everyone turned to look at Stamm, who gave a sharp nod.

* * *

The Officer on Deck, a young second lieutenant, wasn't sure what to do when he saw a commander, Marine colonel, and four Marines approaching—all armed.

"Permission to come aboard," I said as I handed him my identification. "I believe Captain Choi is expecting me."

"Yes, ma'am," he said after a cursory examination of my ID. "Petty Officer Scarwell will escort you to the Captain's office."

I waited for Pannell and his detail to get cleared before waving for the petty officer to go. The guard had the door open when we arrived and Pannell and I entered and saluted.

"Are you planning another trip?" he asked as he waved to his sideboard. I fetched a cup of coffee and sat.

"No, sir. I have a favor to ask," I said, and sipped my coffee as Choi came around his desk and sat in the chair facing me.

"You have unlimited credit in addition to your P1A authority. Although ridding the UAS of foreign aggressors is very rewarding, the opportunity to destroy a FPU cruiser is a rare and exciting event. And you led us to three. So, what can I do for you?"

"This is personal and I won't ask if you aren't comfortable doing it." I held his stare until he nodded.

"The HoBos and their contacts use a code which is based on having a specific book available to decipher it. I believe my team has the algorithm so all we need is to find the book or text they are using. If I could have a sample of the books or text material five or so Marines have on their CDC or tablets, we would have the book we are after." I looked to Choi, whose face was expressionless, but I could feel his apprehension. "I don't need the individuals' names or the specific books or material. I'm convinced it's common material and readily available. I only want the name of the book or material that the majority have on their tablets, or in their room. If you can't, I will understand. It's not a question of finding it. It's a question of how long it will take to find."

"Captain," Pannell surprised me by interrupting. "The HoBos from the Graeae set fire to the Paulus’s residence last night and had snipers waiting for her and her mother to exit."

"I hadn't heard that. Did anyone get hurt?"

"No. We have a safe room so we chose to stay in the house."

"I wasn't hesitating because I don't want to help. I was debating how to go about helping. I trust you, Anna. I don't believe you would participate in a witch hunt," Choi said. "I believe Colonel Sanchez will also want to help. I'll get back to you as soon as I know something."

* * *

"We are in luck," Sergeant Carrillo said when he entered his sleeping quarters that evening and found Lacroix and Saavedra there playing cards. Both men looked up and laid down their cards.

"Five million lucky?" Lacroix asked, leaning back in his chair and taking a swallow of his drink.

"The Ceto just docked at the space station. Although it will reduce our shares, six of us will have more options than three. Paulus hasn't been relocated, indicating her house has a basement or safe room, so our plan won't work. Besides, they are going to be extra alert now. Therefore, we're forced to attack her in the NIA building or as she is entering or leaving," Carrillo said. Lacroix and Saavedra slowly nodded agreement.

"I can scrape by on eight hundred thousand and change," Lacroix said and laughed. "And it's safer with six."

"Good. I'll let our contact know we want a meet with the Ceto HoBos," Carrillo said and got out his tablet, then shook his head and closed it. "I'll use the recreation room. It's safer. The money is no good if we are in prison." He left the room. At the recreation room, he logged onto the Eastar Nightclub website and sent the message:

WANT MEET WITH CETO AT GOLDEN LADY AT NOON.

* * *

Carrillo recognized Sergeant Brogan's broad shoulders, craggy face, and square jaw right away. He was sitting with two men in their thirties who looked tall and in good condition. They were engrossed in watching three women bouncing around the stage while singing. The singing was fair but the shaking and bouncing was excellent. One of the men nudged Brogan when he saw Carrillo striding toward their table. Brogan looked up and snorted.

"You can join us if you’re buying the next round," Brogan said and waved Carrillo to the empty chair. He didn't introduce the other men, who just nodded.

"I assume you know the reward for the puppy has gone up," Carrillo said as he sat and caught the waitress's eye.

"I heard you found the puppy but it got away." Brogan laughed. That must have brought tears to your eyes.

"You bet. That puppy has teeth and is as slippery as a greased otter. We wondered if you would like to join the search party. Less reward but better odds of finding it without getting bit."

Brogan looked to the two men, who gave imperceptible nods. "You have your search team with you?" Brogan asked.

"Yes. Let go someplace where there are fewer distractions and we can hear ourselves talk," Carrillo said. When Brogan nodded, the four men left, got their cars, and left the city for an out-of-the-way hotel where Carrillo had booked a suite.

* * *

I had just arrived home when my CDC buzzed, indicating a priority message. I smiled when I saw it was from Choi.

TO: ANNA PAULUS.

SINCE YOU LOVE CRUISER DUTY SO MUCH, I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT ENJOY READING THE ATTACHED MANUAL. IT'S MANDATORY READING FOR ALL CREW.

FROM: CHOI

Dashing up the stairs to my office, I threw myself into my chair, opened my tablet, and downloaded the file. Then I ran Odom's application he dubbed Tangles against the coded message and held my breath as the application began to deliver word after word:

WANTED DEAD-COMMANDER ANNA PAULUS-FIVE MILLION CREDITS

Bolting upright, I stood staring down at my tablet. The message a raging fire in my mind and hindering me from forming a coherent thought. Alexa's voice jerked me back to the present.

"Anna, you look pale. Is there anything wrong?" she asked, taking a couple of steps into the room. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want her to see the message, as it would cause her…unbelievable stress. But I didn't like lying or hiding things from her. So I stood frozen with indecision. My mind still a smoldering ember.

"I need a minute, Mother," I said feeling my legs shaking and my head throbbing.

"I think not." Alexa rushed over and grabbed me, pulling me into her warm embrace. I cried. Not for me, but for Alexa and the trouble I continued to cause her. She didn't deserve the stress and worry. Before I realized it, she had maneuvered me into my bedroom and onto the bed. She sat next to me, holding my hand but saying nothing. She had the patience of a saint.

"Mother—" I began.

"Rest, Anna. Decide what you want or don't want to tell me. There is no rush."

I leaned over and put my head in her lap and cried. I think I fell asleep because the room was dark when I woke. I lay wrapped in Alexa's arms, with Red lying around both our necks. A clear message, I laughed mentally at attributing human traits to Red—the psychologists would claim I was anthropomorphizing and a clear sign I was repressing something, or had some complex or other, or… But Red did too many strange and uncharacteristic things—things even pets like dogs or monkeys wouldn't do. I don't know what Red is or isn't, but he is special and I trust he and I are together for a reason.

"Mother," I whispered.

"Yes, Daughter?" she whispered.

"The HoBos have put a large reward on me." I thought I'd ease into it, having decided Alexa would not only want, but deserved, to know. What difference really. She and I already knew they wanted me dead, the amount didn't change the threat.

"Is that all?" She snorted. "Proves they are scared, and they have a right to be."

I was speechless. "Thank you, Mother. I think the space gods sent you and Red to me."

"Let's go eat, I'm starved. And you can bring me up to date on how close you are to giving them their just reward." Alexa smiled as she helped me rise. During dinner I explained about Odom's application and how Choi had found the book the HoBos and their contacts were using to pass instructions.

"What's next?" Alexa asked, scooping up a spoonful of bread pudding. "I know you are reluctant to spy on the crew or to conduct a general investigation. You could shut down their contacts since you know or can find out who they are, but you don't want to leave the HoBos loose."

"Worse yet, we don't want the people in charge of the HoBo organization to go free," I said, thinking he or she or they were the head of the Medusa. With the head off, the vipers would die. Before I went to bed, I notified Pannell.

TO: COLONEL PANNELL

RUMOR HAS IT THE PRICE FOR ME IS NOW FIVE MILLION.

FROM: COMMANDER PAULUS

I didn’t want to mention that we had deciphered the HoBo's code—extreme paranoia.

* * *

With Lulltrel's permission, I invited my staff to her weekly staff meeting. When I entered everyone was standing around, realizing I had something big to announce since my staff was there.

"Attention," Spalding shouted as Lulltrel strode into the room, almost on my heels.

"Sit. Paulus, I don't like surprises. What's up?" She sounded annoyed but felt apprehensive and concerned.

"Sorry, ma'am, but I thought the issue would be best discussed with everyone present, since it involved the Owlet Project and how to move forward." I waited for her to nod. "My staff deciphered the algorithm that the HoBos are using to communicate with their contracts. Using that algorithm, Commander Odom developed an application to run against the messages. However, the code is based on a specific book, so without knowing the book, neither the algorithm nor the application was useful. I talked with Captain Choi, since I was sure it was some book or manual that every Marine and crew member had easy access. Last night he sent me the official manual for crew serving on a UAS cruiser. I ran the message the Graeae received when the HoBos logged on to their contract's website when they docked the other day." I clicked on my CDC and the message appeared on each of the room's monitors.

WANTED DEAD-COMMANDER ANNA PAULUS-FIVE MILLION CREDITS

A cold silence pervaded the room as individuals looked from the monitor to me and back.

"I'm seeking ideas on how we go about identifying the individuals," I said and sat.

"We should sequester you someplace safe while we work on the problem," Lulltrel said and looked to Pannell.

"I agree with you, Admiral, but Paulus doesn't—"

"Why not?" Lulltrel glared at me.

"Ma'am. The Owlet team is terrific and I'm confident you will eventually identify them all. But who is focused on the head of the organization? Without identifying that person or group, the organization will regenerate or morph into something else, and I would have to hide for the rest of my life. I'd rather stay and help crush the organization."

Lulltrel sat quietly while sipping her coffee for several minutes as she silently evaluated each person in the room, then her gaze seemed far off in thought.

"Any thoughts?" she finally asked.

"Ma'am," Newman began. "Commander Paulus is like a topnotch coach, focusing us on the real problem and directing our efforts. I know if I were the Easter NIA Station chief, you still wouldn't know there were Hijackers and HoBos."

To my embarrassment, most everyone was nodding agreement, including Lulltrel.

"Newman is right. I selected her for the Eastar post for just that reason. So if she is crazy enough to want to stay active, I should let her. Pannell?"

"Ma'am," Pannell said, clearly frustrated and concerned. "The Ceto and the Graeae are docked at the Eastar spaceport."

"Hadley, retrieve the last messages from the Graeae and Ceto," I interrupted, excited that we now had a way of knowing what they were saying. Hadley was busy on her tablet for several minutes, then looked up and smiled.

"I've sent the messages to Commander Odom," she said, looking to Odom who was bent over his tablet. Less than a minute later the messages were displayed on the overhead monitors.

To the Ceto with a timestamp of eighteen hundred hours yesterday morning:

WANTED DEAD-COMMANDER ANNA PAULUS-FIVE MILLION CREDITS

From the Graeae with a timestamp of one hundred hours today:

WANT MEET WITH CETO AT GOLDEN LADY AT NOON.

"Interesting. The Ceto checked in with their Internet contact within minutes of docking and were notified of the bounty on Paulus. When the Greaeae found the Ceto was in port, they decided to contact them for an alliance, since their attempt to kill Paulus had failed," Lulltrel said, as if thinking out loud. "Paulus?"

"Ma'am, the attempt at Westar succeeded because they were smarter than us and we weren't expecting it. The attempt at Oxax failed because we were expecting it and we proved smarter than they. At Eastar we have the advantage," I said to a variety of snorts, coughs, and jaw-dropping expressions, "since we are expecting an attempt on my life. We just need to be smarter than they."

"And you are willing to bet your life on it?" Lulltrel asked. I turned to look at Pannell, who looked a bit pale. "Yes, I trust Colonel Pannell and I can outsmart the HoBos."

Lulltrel stopped to have a short conversation with Pannell before leaving. Everyone took that as an opportunity to cluster around me.

"How can we help?" Byrnes asked to eager faces and nodding heads.

"I will limit my movements to home and the NIA building. Since attacking my house didn't work, I believe they will try entering the building or to engage me as I enter or leave the building. So question everyone you don't know. They are very crafty and have the money to buy credentials and access. And," I laughed, "send me any ideas on how you and five Marines would kill someone working in this building. I'm not being morbid. If we are prepared, we win and they lose."

"Paul, I'm sorry to put you in this position, but hiding won't solve the problem," I said, knowing everyone would hold him accountable if I got killed, regardless of the impossible odds of protecting me against every possible threat."

He laughed. "You're worried about me when it's your life on the line." He shook his head. "I like your idea of brainstorming possible threats."

"First, I think they are good Marines, not people, and don't like killing Marines. Therefore, I think bombs are unlikely…" We spent the rest of the day considering possible threats.

* * *

"How did it go at work?" Alexa asked as we sat eating two stuffed small game birds.

"Everyone wants to focus on the wrong issue," I said, barely tasting the food which I'd wager was far better than most restaurants.

"What's that?"

"The contract on me," I said, and Alexa choked.

"The HoBos have far more to fear than they know. If I were the head of the organization, I'd make the reward double or triple. You and Red are scary."

"You, mother, Red, and me," I amended. "You keep me sane. Without you, they would win."

Alexa rose and came behind my chair, gave me a hug, and kissed my head. "All right then, tell me what your brainstorming session with Paul produced. Let's see if I'm as sneaky as you two.

* * *

Pannell insisted that I wear a protective vest and, if I could, keep Red inside the vest. I agreed and didn't mind as I knew the attempt would occur within a day or two, since the Ceto and the Graeae had been informed they would only be in port a few days, at Pannell’s and my request. We had decided that would force them to act quickly, which would give them less time to prepare and give us a better idea of when the attempt would happen.

"What are your top two scenarios?" Pannell asked as we rode the combat shuttle to the NIA building the next morning.

"If I were them, I would want to evacuate the NIA building. That should be easy—an anonymous bomb threat, fire, or minor explosion," I said, having considered the suggestions people sent me and a long discussion with Alexa. "Then two options. If I leave the building, a shooter has an opportunity to target me. If I don't, an inside man or woman has a wider set of opportunities in an empty building."

"Wider set?"

"They don't appear eager to kill Marines and I believe that extends to civilians. If I'm correct, that means they wouldn't throw a grenade into a crowd. Besides, in a crowd a bomb wouldn't be guaranteed to kill me—too many people in the way. A bomb in a building is more likely to be effective, and they could verify the result."

"I don't like all the assumptions you're making, but I tend to agree. Going to and from the shuttle is more risky for them because I have two combat shuttles and one remains in the air. If any one of them is wounded or killed, it could result in the entire group getting identified. So their plan has to take that into account," Pannell said.

"The two most likely scenarios, then, are to sneak someone into the building and try to catch me alone, in case I stayed in the building when it was evacuated, or somehow catch me when I evacuated with everyone," I said, summarizing what we had been theorizing.

"Sounds right. However, how do they kill you if you evacuate? Lots of people standing around," Pannell asked, trying to outguess his opponents.

"Diversion of some kind," I suggested, not having a clue.

"Something that would scatter…no, panic the crowd," Pannell said with excitement. "What would you prefer to do?"

"I think I'd prefer to stay in the building. Unless of course the evacuation is real." I laughed.

"If you stay, I'll leave two Marines with you and change into the Marine uniform I'm leaving you. It may give you an edge."

* * *

"Shouldn't we all be wearing weapons?" Newman asked, as I sat for my scheduled staff meeting.

"From my experience, I would be more afraid of being shot by one of you than the HoBos." I laughed. "Most Navy personnel qualify at the beginning of their Naval career, and then never touch a weapon again. Most would be shot before they located the safety. And if you got the safety off, most would be lucky to hit the intended target one in five or six shots. No offense. It's not a skill the Navy encourages, since those on cruisers have Marines for protection. Besides, we have Marines in the room and they not only know where the safety is, they can hit the target every time." I smiled at the two Marines standing against the wall. "So, who can tell me who runs the HoBo organization?" I sat sipping my coffee as silence descended on the room. "All right, how do we find out who is directing the HoBos?"

More silence.

"Capture one of the HoBos and get him to talk." Atkins said.

"He's most likely a soldier and doesn’t know. He just takes assignments."

"Arrest the contacts. They should know," Cooper said.

"If you were running the organization, would you let them know how to identify you?"

"We need to discover how the leader communicates with the contacts," Newman said tentatively.

"Correct. The contacts get their instructions from the leaders of the organization, so they have to communicate. That's your homework assignment," I said, “while the Marines take care of the HoBos on the Ceto and Graeae."

* * *

"I know where the safety is located and can hit the target," Stamm said when he saw me notice the weapon he was wearing as we walked towards my office.

"Wouldn't doubt that for a moment, Carl. Master Chief Ransom taught me to shoot, after I could prove I knew how it worked, could take it apart, clean it, and put it back together." I grinned.

"That's the right way to learn." He nodded, a knowing look on his face. "What now?"

"We wait. It's the HoBos' move next.” I mixed my coffee and sat, thinking about the problem I had posed for my staff—how did the leaders communicate with the HoBos' planet contacts? Logically, by WavCom. Directly to them or to an intermediate. What would I do… The fire alarm blared and shortly afterward the announcement.

"There is a credible bomb threat. All personnel must immediately evacuate the building. This is not a test." The message was repeated every few minutes between the blaring of the alarm. Just then Pannell and a large group of Marines entered my office.

"Have you decided?" Pannell asked. I reached up and stroked Red. I nodded and stripped out of my whites and slipped into the Marine uniform Pannell had provided and smiled when I saw he had provided a gas mask. The uniform was a good fit. At the same time, a small woman Marine slipped into a Navy commander's uniform.

"I'll stay and watch," I said. Pannell pointed to a sergeant and a corporal.

"You stay with the commander." He looked around and, satisfied, waved. "Let's go." He led the way out of the office toward the stairs, which I thought a good choice.

"Master Chief, go with Colonel Pannell. That will add credibility to the fact I'm with the group," I said, and we made our way down the stairs. Carl nodded reluctantly.

By the time we entered the lobby the number of people exiting had slowed. I didn't follow Pannell but moved to the side of the lobby with the information booth, where I and my two Marines took cover. I wanted to see what was about to happen.

Uncertainty gripped me when I saw the Bomb Squad vehicle at the bottom of the steps. If they were coming in… HoBos? I reached into my uniform and inside the protective gear to touch Red. He was safe and the touch calmed me. Wouldn't make sense. They would have to search the entire building. No. They weren't coming in… Then I saw a man step out the back of the truck with a short weapon and fire. A cloud of smoke blossomed and people started running, screaming, and shouting.

"Come with me," I shouted as I ran back through the lobby and into the building. I ran as fast as I could, checking offices and cubicles as I ran. I stopped suddenly, snatched an officer's dress white jacket and slipped it on as I continued running. When I reached the emergency exit in the rear, I stopped. "Grab me by my arms and run with me between you and well into the crowd like we are hiding. Keep your gas masks ready." When they nodded I lifted my arms and they put theirs through mine and we exited the building and ran for the crowd milling across the street. We had just entered a few steps into the crowd when a smoke bomb exploded a meter or two behind us. I whirled around, stripped off the jacket, knelt, put on my gas mask, and drew my weapon. The Marines did the same. Only seconds later a man appeared, waving his military-looking rifle side to side, looking for his prey. The three of us shot at the same time, the man was propelled backward, and landed on his back.

"Jack, you okay?" another man appeared in the fog, barely visible. Three more shots and the truck was heard accelerating away.

"The colonel isn't going to be happy," the sergeant muttered.

"Tell him I didn’t give you a choice."

"He still isn't going to be happy. He's very fond of you, ma'am. We all are." As he talked, his eyes never strayed from surveying the area.

* * *

"Why? That was…reckless, Commander Paulus," Pannell said when the sergeant explained what I had done.

"When I saw what happened out front, I realized they probably had a similar group in the back in case I exited the rear. And that represented an excellent opportunity to identify the HoBos on the Ceto and the Graeae. And that reduces the number of people trying to kill me by six." I smiled sweetly. "And would leave only three ships with HoBos."

Paul just shook his head. "We've identified the men we shot as Sergeants Lacroix and Corporal Saavedra from the Graeae and Sergeant Brogan and Corporal Tejo from the Ceto. There is a city-wide search for a Sergeant Carrillo and a Corporal Trejo, so you aren't safe until they are found."

* * *

"It was a fucking trap," Corporal Trejo snarled.

"By now they will know our names and have a planet-wide search for us," Sergeant Carrillo said. "So we have no options except to kill that little bitch, collect our reward, and live happily ever after, or die trying."

Trejo's head jerked up and he smiled. "Yeah. With that much money we can disappear and be reborn wealthy gentlemen." He laughed. "I'm not going to prison so, rich or dead."

"We need to stay out of sight for a few days to let things calm down before we act. Let her and Pannell think we left the planet or at least aren't in New Hope." Carrillo said.

Trejo grinned. "Maybe it's for the best. Two way split is better than six."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Chasing HoBos

"Teresa, can you run a search for me?" I asked, when everyone had returned to the building.

"I guess the rumor that you had been shot by the masked men isn't true." She gave a short laugh.

"The Marines killed four of the six who staged the attack, two each from the Ceto and the Graeae. And they have a planet-wide search for the other two as they know who the dead men's friends were."

"But that leaves two loose," she said, concern in her tone. "Will the search help catch them?"

"No. I'd like a search of the WavCom for the last forty-five days for outgoing messages. I suspect the head of the HoBo organization is on Eastar, it's the hub of the UAS. If I'm right, they have to send instructions via the WavCom."

"That is going to be a lot of messages. That's anywhere from ten to twenty a day."

"That will help keep my staff busy. Wouldn't want them to get bored." I laughed. "And can you get me the itinerary for the Laelaps, Boreas, and Oedipus?"

"Those are the remaining cruisers with HoBos?" Hadley asked.

"Yes."

"And you are going to do something brave and stupid?"

"Neither, I hope."

"I'll bring the results to your office. The price is telling me what happened."

* * *

"Has anyone identified the leaders of the HoBo?" I asked as I sat. I had scheduled an impromptu staff meeting the next day, after Hadley had delivered the data from the two searches I had requested.

"Ma'am, we tried a brainstorming session yesterday but didn't come up with any concrete ideas," Newman said. "We got interrupted by the evacuation and distracted afterward, wondering what, if anything, had happened to you."

"Colonel Pannell and his detail had deduced the HoBos would try to have the building evacuated in order to get me outside. Which demonstrates that plans seldom survive contact with the enemy—in this case, Marine security—or the inverse, surprises are good if you are the surprisor and bad if you are the surprisee. The HoBos lost four of the six attackers. The two who got away are known and will eventually be caught." I knew Pannell wasn't happy with two on the loose and their only good option was to kill me. "This flash drive contains a list of all the outgoing messages over the past forty-five days. I'm hoping the HoBo ringleaders are operating out of Eastar. If we're lucky, that group of messages will contain correspondence to the planet contacts. Cooper, you may want Lieutenant Cintron to sort the list by individual or company with the highest number of messages sent. If they are stupid, our ringleaders will be near the top."

"Why, ma'am?" Cooper asked.

"Because they have to send the information for each contact to fourteen planets."

"And if they aren't?" Atkins asked, with a slight grin.

"It's going to take a lot more work."

* * *

"I see you have homework," Alexa said as we sat in the living room after dinner, where I had explained the HoBo-innovated plan and how we had eliminated four of the six.

"Yes, I'm hoping the HoBo ringleader is working out of Eastar. If so, one or more of these five hundred and eleven messages are from him or her."

"Like a very small needle which is hopefully in the large haystack you are looking." She shook her head. "And I imagine the needle doesn't look like a needle."

"No, like a piece of hay," I said as I opened the sorted file Cintron had sent me. Not too surprising, seven government organizations led the list of the most active, with a total of over three hundred messages. I put those messages in a separate file to consider later if the others didn't turn up anything. Then I did a search on messages being sent to multiple planets. That netted twenty and totaled over a hundred messages. As I had suspected, the HoBo leader wasn't stupid. It meant he sent the message to one person or a contact, who forwarded it to others. I decided to quit a little after midnight and retired to bed.

* * *

While waiting for Lulltrel's staff meeting, I went over the itinerary for the three cruisers with known HoBos onboard.

"At ease," Lulltrel said as she entered the conference room. "If I'm correct, we have three cruisers with HoBos, and two HoBos running loose," she said as she sat.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, as she was looking at me.

"How are you recommending we get rid of them--leaving them free isn't an option since they have a contract on you?"

"Ideally, I'd like to find the leaders then identify the HoBo on the three cruisers, then close down the contacts," I said and continued thinking I knew her next question. "I have my staff working on identifying the leaders. If we are lucky, they are working out of Eastar and have within the past forty-five days sent their contacts a new contract on me."

"How are you going to identify the individual HoBos?"

"Thought it best if we catch them in the act. We can decode their contract information so it should be easy to set up a trap. The only problem would be doing it quickly so word doesn't get back to the remaining ones."

I'd like to just investigate the Marines on each of those three cruisers. The longer they exist the longer you are in danger. However, I doubt Admiral Webb would approve it. The negative publicity and resulting morale problems would be a nightmare. And I understand why we can't ignore the ringleaders." She was quiet for several minutes. "I want everyone thinking about a solution. It's our number one priority."

* * *

I worked the rest of the day until the early hours of the morning without even finding a potential candidate. I hoped my staff had better luck, as I entered my conference room. But the looks on their faces dashed that hope.

"By the black cloud that is hanging over the room, I assume you didn't have any more luck than me," I said as I sat, and Stamm placed a cup of coffee in front of me. I held up my hand before anyone could respond. "The problem is we are all trying to force a solution and brute force seldom works."

"We are concerned, ma'am. We know there is a contract on you and the longer it takes the greater the risk of them…" Newman paused without completing the sentence.

"Killing me," I finished. "The urgency makes it more difficult to think and harder to solve. You need to concentrate on the task and forget about might or could happen if."

"Ma'am," Odom said hesitantly. When I nodded he continued. "I was doing some queries and ran across a message that purported to be updated software. The update was supposed to be in binary code…but it…it's binary but doesn't translate into any machine code I know."

"Show us," I said, excited that he may have located the message. A few seconds later the message appeared on the room monitors and on each of our tablets.

TO: SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, LIMITED

THIS IS A REQUIRED UPDATE TO OUR SECURITY SOFTWARE. URGENT.

UPDATE ATTACHED.

FROM: UAS
SECURITY PROGRAMS

And just below the message a string of three hundred ones and zeros.

10111000010111010100001010010011111001000010100001001001111100011…

"Odom, I think you found it. Congratulations. This is everyone's homework—decipher that string," I said to eager looking faces.

* * *

That night after dinner I curled up on the couch with Alexa and brought the number up on my tablet. As I did, Red wove into my hair with his head on my forehead.

"Red looks interested," Alexa said, smiling.

"He and I hope we have found a link to the HoBos' ringleader.  Commander Odom says it’s not a software update, as the sender claims. It's a string of three hundred ones and zeros I'm hoping I can decipher."

"Good luck."

Three hundred produced a whole number—integer—when divided by the numbers one, two, three, four, five, and six--which meant the solution wasn't going to be obvious. The number one could be discounted, as you couldn't represent letters with only one number. The number two produced one hundred and fifty words if two digits represented a letter, which was unlikely. The number three produced one hundred, four produced one hundred twenty-five, five produced sixty, and the number six produced fifty characters.  I smiled when I realized the numbers three, four, and five wouldn't be enough to represent the current alphabet, although it would be enough for old Russian and old Latin. Crossing my fingers, I counted the characters in the message:

WANTED DEAD-COMMANDER ANNA PAULUS-FIVE MILLION CREDITS

"Forty-five," I said feeling my euphoria burst. The problem with hoping for a specific outcome, I chided myself. Then I felt Red's head bang my forehead several times. Unusual, I thought. Oh, I almost banged my head but stopped in time, remembering Red was hanging there.

Spaces, dashes, and other punctuation were characters. The string had fifty characters and the first six digits formed the number twenty-three or the letter 'W.' And the second six, one, or the letter 'A.'  I pulled Red out of my hair and kissed him.

"Red solved the problem?" Alexa said smiling at me.

"He did. And he does communicate with me," I said realizing it was true. "In emergencies he hisses when there is imminent danger and is agitated when he has the answer and I need to look harder."

"I believe you but I'd keep that a secret between you, me, and Red."

"Even Renata would wonder if I were fit for duty if I told her."

* * *

"Carl, would you see if Admiral Lulltrel is available for an update?" I asked as I entered my office area. He immediately pulled out his CDC. I had just sat with my coffee when he entered. "She's waiting," he said with a laugh. I took the hint and double-timed out of the office and used the stairs. When I arrived, a rear admiral sat scowling at me as her aide waved for me to enter. .

"Good or bad, Paulus?" she asked before I could even salute.

"We have the link to the ringleaders," I said as she visually relaxed.

"And?" she frowned when I didn't react.

"I'd like to identify the HoBos before we pursue the ringleaders."

"Pannell?" she said, looking past me. When I turned I saw Pannell standing just inside the door.

"Commander Paulus and I haven't discussed it, ma'am," he said, frowning at me.

"Senior Sergeant Phillipo, see if Admiral Webb is available."

"Paulus, I can't believe you are willing to travel anywhere except from your home to the office and back." She shook her head in disbelief.

"I trust Colonel Pannell and my security," I said, leaving out and Red, "to keep me safe."

Before anyone could comment, Philllipo spoke from the doorway. "He's available now, ma'am."

Without a word Lulltrel strode out of the office, with Pannell and me following. The ride in the elevator and the walk to Webb's office was made in silence. A lieutenant commander had the door open when we arrived. After saluting, Webb stood evaluating Lulltrel and me.

"Since you brought Paulus, am I to assume the news isn't good?" He waved us to sit.

"Commander Paulus believes she has identified the HoBos' ringleader, or at the very least, a link to them—" Lulltrel said and was interrupted.

"But," Webb said.

"She would like a cruiser to go catch the HoBos on the remaining three cruisers before we follow-up on the link."

"And how are you going to do that?" Webb asked, sitting down in a chair opposite me. "Commander Sidell, get us coffee, although it probably should be something stronger…and milk," he said to his aide, who stood inside the doorway.

"Sir," I said as I opened my tablet and clicked on the icon for the table I had prepared the other day.

Cruiser

Planned stops

Laelaps

Oasis 7/5

Westar

Shadows Rest

Boreas

Truth Star

Oxax7/20

Holy Star

Oedipus

New Zheng

Amend

Fire Rock 8/3

As you can see by the following itinerary, the Laelaps will be in Oasis on 7/5, the Boreas on Oxax on 7/20, and the Oedipus on Fire Rock on 8/3. If I could arrive a few days early, I could ascertain what contract they had and we could catch them in the act."

"Pannell?" Webb asked. Pannell stood quietly for several minutes.

"Whatever cruiser the commander leaves Eastar on can't be the same one she arrives on Oasis. And the same for Oasis, Oxax, and Fire Rock. She's far too conspicuous and, with the five million reward on her head, they are going to be tracking her every movement."

The discussion went on for several hours before a tentative plan was developed. Afterward, Lulltrel called for a staff meeting and included my staff. When everyone was seated, she began.

"First, I'd like to congratulate everyone here on your outstanding performance on the Rabbit and Owlet Projects. The Rabbit Project is officially closed and we hope to close the Owlet Project within the next few weeks." She paused for a drink of coffee. "Commander Paulus is going to oversee catching the last HoBos, which are crew on the Hercule, Boreas, and the Oedipus. But because she is so visible and has a multi-million credit award on her head, we need three volunteers. I believe the danger is minimal, not to be confused with easy and safe. The three individuals will be assigned a NIA office to visit. There you will monitor the Internet traffic of a designated cruiser when it arrives on station and communicate the result to Commander Paulus. She will use that data to set a trap for the HoBos."

I was surprised to see everyone raise their hand. Lulltrel laughed.

"I wouldn't mind going myself." She sat quietly for several minutes. "I like it. I'll pair one of my staff with one of Commander Paulus's staff…and Commander Odom, you can go with Commander Paulus.

* * *

"You look in an exceptionally good mood," Alexa said as I joined her for dinner.

"I am, Mother. I asked Lulltrel for permission to go catch the remaining HoBos. She took me and Pannell to Webb." I felt Alexa's apprehension. "Together they have developed a plan which should minimize any danger to me. And are giving both staffs an opportunity to participate." I went on to explain the plan. "She paired Odom with me as I may need his system programming expertise, Hadley with Cooper, Byrnes with Newman, and Leyva with Atkins."

"They've made your mother a very happy woman."

* * *

I boarded the Scylla with Odom late in the day, some seven days before the Laelaps was due to reach Oasis for a scheduled five-day layover. The total travel time to Oasis was estimated at six days, which would give us a day to spare. Hadley and Cooper had left two days ago to give them several days to get set up for the Laelaps arrival.

"Ma'am, Captain Choi would like to invite you and Commander Odom to dine with him at twenty hundred hours. Right now he's preparing the Scylla to depart," the Officer on Deck said, after checking my ID.

"Tell Captain Choi we would be honored," I said, and followed a young petty officer to our assigned quarters.

"This is nice," Odom said, looking around his room when the door slid open. "Commander Hadley is right. You do travel first class."

* * *

"According to Admiral Webb, you're hoping to identify the remaining HoBos this time," Choi said after being introduced to Odom and we had been served drinks.

"Yes. We know the ships they are on and the sites they use to pass information, thanks to Commander Odom's patch. And my staff has managed to decipher their coded messages. We are going to try to catch them trying to fulfill a contract."

"I wish I could be there when you do, but after I transfer you to the Typhon, I'm going to Shadows Rest."

"I too wish you were going," I said, not looking forward to meeting the Captain of the Typhon.

"Any time you want cruiser duty, Paulus, I would welcome you on my Bridge crew. I'd wager Admiral Webb would give you an exemption," he said and raised his glass to me.

* * *

Two days later we entered Holy Star space, and several hours later rendezvoused with the Typhon. Odom, my security, and I were transferred via shuttle. When we exited, a commander stood waiting. I saluted.

"Permission for my party and me to come aboard, sir." I said, feeling apprehensive under the commander’s evaluation. He held out his hand for my ID. I handed it to him, along with a letter from Admiral Webb. He read it carefully, stopping twice to look at me.

"I'm Commander Solis, XO of the Typhon. Captain Ouellette would like to speak with you, Commander Paulus. Senior Chief Cosby will get Commander Odom and your security settled in the meantime.

"Lead on, Commander Solis," I said. Solis frowned when Pannell and two Marines followed us, but said nothing. As we approached the captain's office, the Marine on duty opened the door and stepped back for us to enter. I entered and saluted, noticing Pannell enter behind me.

"Commander Paulus reporting per my orders, ma'am," I said. Ouellette was a heavy-set woman with short red hair and an angular face. She appraised me, feeling curious as Solis handed her my ID and Webb's letter. She read the letter then handed it back to me.

"At ease, Commander Paulus. You're probably the most talked about officer in the Navy. Of course, that isn't surprising since you are the youngest commander in the Navy. That feeds the rumor mill like gasoline on a fire. Never mind, get yourself something to drink and sit." She waved her hand to several chairs. When I did, she joined me. "If you can, would you tell me why we are going to Oasis and what the mission encompasses?"

"Yes, ma'am, but the information is only for you and Commander Solis, and it is given under P1A authority." I waited until she and Solis nodded. "The people we are seeking have a five million credit Wanted Dead reward for me… I went on to explain about the Hijackers and HoBos.

"I would have preferred to be chasing some of those foreign cruisers, but ridding the Navy of organized crime is a worthwhile task." She looked to Solis, who nodded. "Well, I've got a ship to get going, but I'd like you and…Commander Odom to join me for dinner."

"We'd be honored."

* * *

We parked at the Oasis space station two days later and I contacted the NIA office via an encrypted connection.

"Hi, Anna. This is exciting. What kind of contracts do you think they take?" she asked, clearly excited by the upcoming operation.

"Smuggling, thieving, and murdering. Let's hope the local contract has something for them. Otherwise, it's going to be a waste of time and we’ll have to reschedule. In that case, we could lose them."

Hadley laughed. "Cooper and I have all our appendages crossed."

The waiting was boring for everyone. To prevent any inadvertent leak of information, Ouellette didn't allow any planet-side leave, closed down the Internet connection, and informed the Comm Officer that all outgoing messages had to be approved by me. On the second day the Laelaps docked, and I set up a secure link with Hadley and Cooper.

"Got it!" Hadley screamed into the connection. "They want a guy murdered. There is a meet tonight to discuss the details. We plan to get pictures of the individuals when they meet, since we know where they will meet and who to look for. The police are set up to follow them when they leave and hopefully catch them before they kill the guy." She grinned.

* * *

Sergeant Gulley was smiling when he entered his three-man quarters. He would be eligible for retirement in six months. His retirement, along with the extra money he had earned with the HoBos over the past two years, meant he would have a very comfortable life. Sergeant Alves and Corporal Block were both asleep. Gulley banged Alves bunk with his baton and stepped back as Alves lurched to his feet, knife in hand, and surveyed the room. Gulley grinned and took two steps over to Block's bunk and poked him. "Rise and shine, Corporal, duty calls."

Block whipped the blanket off and swung his legs over the edge, preparing to jump up, until he saw Gulley. "What's up, Sarge?"

"And it better be good, Gulley," Alves snarled.

"How about ten thousand credits?" Gulley said, getting a beer out of their small cooler. "A simple hit made to look like a robbery."

"When?"

"We'll get the details at the Swingers Club three hours from now. I've got each of us a forty-eight hour pass. Our contact will be a woman wearing a red band on her wrist. We are to ask her if her name is Rhona. She'll ask your name and you are to answer, Salley."

* * *

Two hours later the three sat at a small table in the Swingers Club, drinking beer and enjoying a chorus line of seminude girls when a tall shapely brunette came walking toward them. She had a fluffy red band on her wrist. As she reach their table, Alves leaned toward her and smiled. "Hi gorgeous, what's your name…I'll bet it's Rhona," he said, patting the empty chair next to him. "Want to join us?"

"What's your name, handsome?" she asked as she moved to stand behind him.

"Salley," Alves said with an ear-to-ear grin.

The woman put her hand on his shoulder and leaned so close he could feel her warm breath in his ear. He shuddered as his body tingled from head to toe. Then her hand slipped in his shirt all the way to his navel and the tingling tripled.

"Too bad, I'm waiting for Fredrick." She spun on her heel and was several steps away before Alves could speak. He laughed when he realized she had slipped a note inside his shirt. He fished it out, read, and passed it to Gulley.

STANLEY COLE, 338 SWAIN ROAD, KILLED AND ROBBED WHILE ALONE.

The note contained a picture of a good-looking middle-aged man with wavy dark brown hair. Gulley nodded.

"We have time for a few more beers," Gulley said, "before we need to go to work."

* * *

My CDC buzzed with an emergency message. When I clicked accept, Teresa's face appeared, looking like she had been promoted to admiral.

"We caught them," she shouted. We got pictures of the three when the woman with the red wristband approached their table, and the police were able to put a trace on the taxi they hired. A drone followed them when they left the vehicle. The police descended on them when they entered the house. They surrendered immediately, since they hadn't killed their victim when the police entered. They were in the process of making it look like a robbery. They will be transferred to the Typhon after they are processed by the Oasis police. Cooper and I will gather their things from the Laelaps and join you." She cut the connection.

Early that evening Hadley and Cooper were directed to the captain's conference room, where Captain Ouellette and Commander Solis were present, along with Pannell and two Marines.

"It played out just like we’d planned it at Admiral Lulltrel's staff meeting. Perfect. They used the Internet when they arrived, got a contract, and we…well, the police caught them. And we have plenty of proof, even without the bank account information we found in their lockers. They each have over fifty thousand credits and the software application used to decipher the downloads from their contact," Cooper said between sips of her wine.

"And to think this organization has been operating out of UAS cruisers for years, and no one knew or suspected," Solis said. "Oh, we knew drugs got smuggled on to the ship and we occasionally caught someone stealing."

"Yes, the Spooks are sneaky and good. They don't even take credit for what they do, but get blamed for spying on us for no apparent reason. NIA has proved to me they are on our side," Ouellette said as she raised her glass to us.

* * *

We left Oasis two days later and met the Sparta several hours out of the normal travel lanes. There Odom, my security, and I were transferred to the Sparta. The Typhon was headed back to Eastar, with Hadley and Cooper and their prisoners.

When I stepped off the shuttle, a lieutenant commander met us.

"Permission to come aboard, Commander, for me and my party," I said. His eyes were wide in surprise, confirming his captain's orders had been vague.

"Ma'am the captain would like to speak to you," he said hesitantly as he surveyed the colonel and the Marines.

"Lead on, Commander," I said, feeling sorry for him. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, since I imagined he had only expected one or two VIPs. He waved for me to follow and he led me to the captain's office. Inside, I braced to attention and saluted.

Commander Paulus reporting, per orders," I said, and handed the gray-haired man my ID and Webb's letter. He frowned as he scanned my ID, looking up twice as he read the letter. After a few minutes he handed my credentials back to me, his face stone cold.

"NIA and NIA's most controversial member," he said as he sat. "And on an assignment for Admiral Webb. And since you have P1A authority and Marine support, I suppose you are in charge."

I shook my head when Pannell moved away from the wall. "Then you assume wrong, Captain…" I paused to be introduced.

"Taylor."

"Captain Taylor. I'm merely a passenger on assignment.

"What about Sharat?" he asked a bit louder. Again I shook my head at Pannell.

"I told Captain Sharat she was going into a trap, for which I received a reprimand. It was her decision and her decision alone to proceed. I refuse to accept blame from you or anyone else for her decisions," I said as Red wrapped around my neck, facing the captain. Taylor sat silently for a long time. Finally he rose.

"Good point, Commander. Get something to drink and sit. If it isn't classified above my pay grade, what can you tell me about your assignment?" he said, and his face relaxed not quite into a smile.

"The NIA, while chasing Hijackers from the FPU, discovered…” I spent the next two hours, which included a stop for dinner, explaining about the HoBos and what I hope to achieve at Oxax.

"Very interesting. I heard we had destroyed FPU cruisers, but nothing about NIA's part in the operation. So as far as you know, there are only two ships remaining with HoBos."

"Yes, sir. And none on your ship," I added. He laughed. "Thank you."

* * *

Two days after we docked at Oxax, the Boreas docked. Three hours later I heard from Byrnes and Newman.

As I was in Captain Taylor's office when I got the call, I put it on speaker. "Anna, we just decoded the Internet message to the HoBo. Looks like we have a go. As he talked, the message scrolled across my screen.

FIVE THOUSAND. PICK UP PACKAGE AT THE BOUNCING BETTY TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. CONTACT WEARING CAST ON RIGHT ARM WITH SPIDER TATTOO.  DELIVER TO CONTACT IN NEW ZHENG YOUR NEXT STOP.

"See you later. Be careful," I said and crossed my fingers that things went smoothly.

"That's some part-time job the HoBos have, and the Navy provides the transportation costs," Taylor said, shaking his head. "See you at dinner?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Byrnes and Newman showed up early the next morning with Navy security and three prisoners—HoBos. The Captain had Byrnes and Newman escorted to his conference room, where he had breakfast served.

"That was the most…satisfying assignment I've had in my twenty-four years of service," Byrnes said, as he collected a plate and sat. "And it's nice to see the result of all the hard work everyone put into the project."

"What were they smuggling?" Taylor asked.

"They had four rare canvases that were stolen over eight months ago. The art director said they were worth several million credits."

The Sparta left early the next morning and rendezvoused with the UAS Zelus several hours later, well out of the travel lanes. Byrnes and Newman stayed on the Sparta, which would deliver them to Eastar, along with the prisoners.

I was a little nervous leaving the shuttle. As the Sparta proved, the rumor about me ran the gauntlet. So I wasn't surprised to see a commander waiting.

"Permission to for me and my party to come aboard, Commander," I said while handing him my ID and Webb's letter. He spent several minutes examining them before speaking. When he looked up, Red was on my shoulder. He jerked back. He didn't look happy but my ID and Webb's letter was clear: Red was authorized.

"Commander, the captain would like to speak to you," he said, sounding halfway between an order and a request. Webb's letter and P1A access obscured the captain's normal absolute authority.

"Lead on, Commander. I imagine you have questions." I stifled a laugh and followed the commander to the captain's office.

"Commander Paulus reporting, per my orders," I said. The captain returned my salute after several seconds surveying my medals.

"At ease, Paulus. I'm Captain Gillette. If you can tell me why we're here I'd appreciate it, because I don't have a clue." She smiled.

"I don’t mind, but you and your XO must understand it's under P1A secrecy." I waited for her to nod.

"Get something to drink and relax." She pointed to three chairs.

Although unnecessary, I started with the Hijackers, thinking it wouldn't hurt to educate the friendly captains to NIAs range of activities. She was an inquisitive listener and we spent several hours discussing the HoBos and the Hijackers.

* * *

A day and a half after we arrived in Fire Rock, the Oedius arrived. I was sitting eating breakfast with Captain Gillette, discussing Red, with whom she was fascinated, when my CDC buzzed. When I clicked on accept, Leyva's face appeared, looking worried. I put it on speaker.

"Paulus, one of the HoBos logged onto the Fire Rock Nightlife website. But I'm afraid we have a problem. As he talked, the decoded message flowed across my screen.

NOTHING AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. CHECK BACK IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.

"When is the Oedius scheduled to leave and what is its next stop?" I asked, and crossed my fingers. Several minutes later, Leyva spoke.

"The layover in Fire Rock is four days. The next stop is Oxax."

"Continue to monitor. Maybe we will get lucky," I said, feeling the space djinni had just crashed the party.

"What now?" Gillette asked, and I felt her amusement."

"Nothing my mother is going to like," I said, and Gillette frowned. I pointed to my Purple Heart ribbon with its silver and bronze clusters. "If they don’t come up with a contract in the next two days, I'm going to need you to arrange a meeting with the captain of the Oedius on your ship."

* * *

Captain Gillette arranged to have dinner with Captain Murphy. At dinner she convinced him to return to the Zelus using Webb's name and vague orders. I thought that better than mentioning my name. She had me wait for her in the conference room.

"Anna, it looks like you are going to do something really dangerous and stupid," Pannell said as we sat waiting.

"Paul, I trust you to keep me safe. I promise to help and to listen to your advice."

"I noticed you didn't say ‘and take your advice.’"

"We can't let killers like this go free, Paul. They tarnish the UAS service and the Marines." I gave him my best little-girl look. He shook his head in disgust.

"I'd rather that than seeing you hurt."

Just then the security guard in the hallway knocked and announced Gillette and Murphy coming. Pannell nodded to let them in. We stood when Gillette entered.

"Captain Murphy, this is Commander Paulus and her security, Colonel Pannell."

Murphy glared at me for a long time before speaking. "The NIA agent who is fast-tracking on the backs of good Naval officers," he growled, his face an image of disgust.

"An interesting observation, Captain Murphy. I would imagine you are talking about Captains Sharat and Dixon." I waited until his head jerked, which I took as confirmation. "Both had much authority but forgot they are employees—"

Murphy interrupted, "Employees? They are captains in charge of UAS Cruisers."

"Correct. They work for the UAS Navy, hence they are employees with superiors, and as officers they are responsible for their decisions and for the people in their care. I talked back to Sharat and rightly given a letter or reprimand, Sharat made the decision to enter into a known trap and Nixon threatened my life. Their superiors—the men they work for—judged them, not me. So if you want to accuse someone of ruining their careers, I would start with Sharat and Dixon, who forgot they are employees and accountable for their actions." I smiled and took a sip of my coffee, awaiting Murphy's reaction. He walked over to the sidebar and fetched a glass of wine before returning to the conference room table.

"What do you want?" he asked cautiously. I handed him my ID and Webb's letter. As he read the letter, Red made his entrance with his head lying on my shoulder, facing Murphy. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Admiral Lulltrel asked me to look at…" I wanted the captain on my side and decided to start at the beginning so he would have a complete picture. His face tightened when I informed him he had HoBos on his ship.

"And since they didn't have a contract in Fire Rock, you can't identify them. Why can't you just follow them back to Oxax… Oh, you think their contact on Oxax will warn or just ignore them." Murphy was quiet for a while. "So you want to be a passenger on the Oedius? What good will that do?"

Pannell spoke before I could. "The HoBos have a five million credit Dead Reward on her and are tracking her activity."

"Five million? Why?"

"Because she broke the Hijackers operation and they are afraid she will break the HoBo organization," Pannell said.

"She's had help…" Murphy said, implying others were involved in the cases.

"When Commander Paulus took command of the Eastar NIA station, the Hijackers and the HoBos had been operating for two years. No one had a clue we had FPU cruisers in UAS space or organized crime operating out of UAS cruisers. Don't let her age fool you, Captain."

"You think they will attack her on my ship?" Murphy asked, frowning. Pannell laughed and lifted my jacket, which was on the empty chair next to me, and pointed to the Purple Heart ribbon.

"She has been attacked on the Tityus, Vulcan, and the Scylla as well as in NIA headquarters buildings. Yes, they will try."

The discussion went on for six hours. It was morning before Murphy left to make arrangements.

* * *

"I've heard they changed our next port of call," Corporal Sisck said. Sergeant Gavin nodded.

"From Oxax to Eastar, which is strange since that isn't on our normal circuit," Gavin said as he scanned the exercise room. Finding the man he was looking for, he waved to a broad-shouldered man lifting weights, halfway across the room. The man nodded, picked up a towel, and wiped sweat from his body before striding in their direction.

"What's up, Gavin?" Sergeant Hass asked after draining half a bottle of water.

"Do you know why we changed our schedule?" Gavin asked. "I hear we are going to Eastar instead of Oxax. That isn't in our normal patrol area."

"I heard some VIP boarded the ship several hours ago, accompanied by four Marines." Hass gave a shrug of indifference.

"That's strange, as they aren't being quartered in the Marine area," Sisck said.

"Might be a good thing, since our contact didn't have anything for us," Hass said just above a whisper. "Maybe we will get lucky in Eastar."

"I don't know. Several of our mates have gotten stung lately. Might be a good time to retire," Gavin said.

"Why? They screwed up. The police and the Navy will consider those isolated incidents," Hass said, shaking his head.

"You know they destroyed the Hijackers… Could be they discovered their connection with us. If so, it could be just a matter of time."

* * *

"I've solved your problem, Gavin," Sisck said as he entered their quarters later that evening.

"Which problem was that?"

"Wanting to retire." Sisck smiled.

"I've five more years to go before I can retire with a full pension."

"Don't need one if you got well over a million credits in the bank." Sisck laughed at Gavin and Hass's confused expressions. Finally Hass spoke.

"Something in Eastar?"

Sisck shook his head. "No. The Oedius has delivered us the Golden Fleece. He produced a bottle of Scotch and poured some in three glasses, picked up one, and nodded to the other two. "To a life of excesses."

"If something sounds too good to be true…" Gavin said, frowning at Sisck.

"What's the catch, Sisck?" Hass asked.

"Commander Paulus is the VIP they brought on board yesterday. She's in the room across from the XO, and her four Marines are in the adjoining two rooms," Sisck said. "I talked with Corporal Larson. He was on duty when they assigned her quarters."

"How did he recognize her?"

"He didn't. But he said she had a red-headed snake around her neck."

"I don’t like it," Galvin said. Killing her on the ship won't be easy…and there will be a massive investigation, even if we could pull it off."

"If we do it at night, very few will have alibis, since they will be sleeping," Hass said, as he picked up the glass of Scotch and raised it.

"The trip to Eastar will take another five days. That gives us four days to see if we can come up with a plan that gives us a reasonable chance of success," Gavin said, picking up the remaining glass and raising it to touch the other two.

* * *

The flight from Oasis to Eastar was going to be the longest of his career, Pannell thought as he entered the Oedius with Captain Murphy and four Marines. They were met by the XO, who was the OOD when they arrived. Murphy led them to the conference room and waited with them for the next hour as four more Marines joined them, and a half hour later the XO.

"Thank you, Michele."

"What's going on, Captain?" Commander Michele Lamb asked, looking around the room at the assembled Marines.

"This is Colonel Pannell, who is providing security for the NIA team, which has been investigating the Hijackers and a criminal organization called the HoBos… It took Pannell over two hours to explain the Hijacker and HoBo activities, Commander Paulus's participation, as well as the efforts of the HoBo to kill her, and the current reward.

"Five million credits! They must really hate her…and you're bringing her aboard the Oedius. Where is she… Shit!"

"You guessed right, Commander. You have HoBos on the Oedius, and we are hoping they are going to try to collect the five million." Pannell went on to explain the plan.

* * *

I approached the Oedius with my four-man detail following me. It was early and only a few crew were in line. I stepped up and handed my ID to the Officer on Deck and waited. He checked my ID and me several times and looked to the XO, who nodded. He saluted.

"Welcome aboard, ma'am."

"Welcome aboard, Commander Paulus. It's a pleasure to meet you," Lamb said.

"Thank you, Commander Lamb. I'm looking forward to being on the Oedius," I said. Lamb frowned but said nothing. After the Marines where admitted, she led me to my quarters.

"If you need anything, Commander Paulus, my room is across the hallway." She shut the door and I sat waiting. In the next half hour, the captain would call his office guard into the room to witness Commander Lamb's signature on a fake document. I opened the door when I heard a soft knock. It was Pannell, and I followed him to the conference room.

"Well, I think we have left enough clues to your identity that the HoBos will know you are on board the Oedius. The question is whether they will take the bait," Pannell said, looking concerned. "I hope five million is sufficient for them to think it's worth the risk."

"I just hope they don't kill the Marine guarding the captain's office," I said, hoping they used gas or something. They did appear reluctant to kill Marines.

"It wouldn't surprise me if the guard on duty wouldn't be one of the HoBos. The captain will be monitoring the list to see if there are any changes over the next few days. I just hope they act quickly. Living in the conference room is not going to be fun." Pannell shrugged.

* * *

"We are all set," Sisck said, smiling as he opened a bottle of beer and sat on Galvin's bed. "I'm on the schedule to guard the captain's office during the night shift tomorrow."

"How are you going to get into her room?"

"With this." Hass held up a hand-sized box. "It's illegal but it will open any electronic locking mechanism. You give us the all-clear signal, we open her door, shoot her, shoot you, and leave."

"They are going to know it was Marines," Galvin said, still uneasy about the plan.

"No. They are going to know it was a crew member. So they will have close to five hundred suspects. And they aren't going to detain hundreds of personnel, and they would have to because they can't assume anyone is innocent," Hass said. "More likely they will monitor everyone, hoping the shooter will reveal himself."

"Just make sure you shoot me in the left shoulder."

"Don't worry, regen will have you as good as new in a day or two."

* * *

Two nights later, with Sisck on guard duty, Galvin and Hass made their way down silent corridors to the officers' quarters and toward the Bridge where Sisck stood guarding the captain’s office door. He smiled as his two mates approached. Hass pressed the box against the access plate and the door slid open. Galvin stepped into the room as he couldn't see the woman's head. When he pulled the sheet back, it revealed pillows.

Just then two Marines stepped out of each of the adjacent rooms as Pannell and six Marines exited the conference room.

"Drop the weapons," Pannell shouted. Galvin looked at Hass who shrugged. They hadn't killed anyone so there was no sense fighting to certain death.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

One Month Later

I lay on my bed, sulking. I didn't move when I heard Alexa entered the house, nor did I move when she went upstairs to change for dinner. When I heard her start downstairs, I rose and stomped my way downstairs. Alexa stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching with an amused look.

"You look like you had a bad day, my daughter," Alexa said, and put her arm around me as we walked to the dining room. "I would think you would be happy. Admiral Keller has been arrested, along with the HoBo leadership. He allowed them to operate as a government unit under his organization for a monthly payment. And the police, along with the NIA on each planet, have investigated the contacts and software companies you identified. They have isolated those individuals who were working with the HoBos. As a consequence, the organization has been shut down. Even Sergeant Carrillo and Corporal Trejo have been captured. Without the HoBo organization, there was no one to pay the reward on you, so they moved inland. And without money to disappear, they weren't difficult to locate. So you and your team were successful."

"That's part of the problem," I whined. "Admiral Lulltrel had an impromptu staff meeting today and invited my staff. When she arrived, Admiral Webb was with her. He praised my team for their excellent work on Project Rabbit and informed them and Odom that they were on the list to be promoted to commander. And Lulltrel informed Newman, Atkins, and Cooper that they would be assigned their own NIA offices."

"I see," Alexa said, and I felt her concern. "You are losing people you have become close to and will be getting a new staff."

"It didn't stop there," I whined louder. Webb then awarded Lulltrel the Medal of Honor for solving the Smugglers’, Raiders’, Hijackers’, and HoBo cases."

"She did deserve it, Anna. She may not have worked on the cases directly, but it was her organization and she supported the teams that did the work."

"I agree, Mother. That was the only good thing that came out of the meeting. He explained the UAS Committee had to approve all promotions to admiral rank. He said that Byrnes, Leyva, and Hadley were long overdue the rank of rear admiral because they managed major components of the NIA, but the UAS wasn't convinced until they solved the HoBo case. They are officially on the next list to rear admiral."

"You don't think they deserved the promotion? Or—" Alexa began but I stopped her.

"I'm happy they were promoted. They were the Owlet Project team and they do manage major parts of the organization that impact all the NIA offices. That's not the problem."

"What then?"

"Lulltrel decided I shouldn't manage the Eastar NIA Station and left it to me to decide on my replacement."

"Why?" Alexa shot out of her chair and grabbed me in a bear hug. "My poor daughter. What was her reason?"

"She wants me to monitor the NIA stations!"

"That's what you have been doing." Alexa sounded confused. "And what about Rawls and even Stauffer? They outrank you."

"That's the problem, Mother. Rawls is retiring. And the UAS Committee has approved my promotion to rear admiral when Webb explained I was the one to identify the Hijackers and the HoBos," I shouted. After a few seconds staring at me, Alexa began laughing.

"It not a laughing matter, me dressed in an admiral's uniform." I threw up my arms in disgust. Alexa laughed even harder. Between gasps for air she pointed to my shoulder where Red was hanging limp. I couldn't help but join her laughing.

"The Red Admiral," Alexa said as we joined arms and headed for the living room.

But that's another story.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN