7 Months Ago. May 3rd, 2267. 08:30 St. Mary’s Station – First Fleet Command

Newly promoted Lieutenant Commander John Lief nodded at the secretaries as he was cleared into the secure portion of First Fleet’s operations department on the station. He was dressed in plain clothes due to being contacted out of the blue just fifteen minutes ago.

One part of him was annoyed at being called in to work while on leave. The other part of him, which was focused on installing a shelf in his and Alice’s condo, didn’t mind the distraction. He was quite bored at doing all of the house upgrades Alice wanted and any distraction, even this, was welcomed to some degree.

Of course, he would never openly admit that to anyone. John was many things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. Alice’s wrath was something to be concerned about if you got on her bad side. John had seen that side of her a couple of times and swore to himself that he’d never get downrange of that ever.

John was, however, worried about what this meeting was about. Something about it felt wrong to him, but he couldn’t quite place it. It was like work that he didn’t think needed to be dealt with for another two weeks. For better or worse though, here he was about to walk into the meeting room.

John pressed the announcement button and waited for the doors to open. Moments later a voice in the speaker came in and said enter a second before the doors opened. Admiral Timothy Dufresne, First Fleet’s new commanding officer smiled at him. Sitting at the end of the table to Tim’s right was John’s new division report, Admiral Kasey Thames.

Kasey was an intelligent woman with a well-known nasty, vicious streak. A ‘cross her at your own peril’ kind of officer. She was about as dissimilar to Tim as you could get. John hadn’t spent any time with her and honestly didn’t know what to expect in a working relationship with her beyond what her reputation suggested.

On Tim’s left though was an unusual and most unwelcome visitor though. Director LeCroix of Naval Intelligence sat in the chair. His face bore the look of a concerned man, but it also appeared to John that he was deeply confused about a situation. He also looked uncomfortable and frustrated at being in the room.

“Morning Admirals, Director, how may I be of service?” John said after quickly saluting.

“Morning Commander. Please take a seat,” Admiral Dufresne said, “And before we go any farther this meeting is not being recorded and did not happen. I trust you know what that means.”

“One of those deals, eh?” John said sarcastically as he sat down, “I am keenly aware of these types of situations.”

“I’d check your tone, Commander,” Kasey said, “This is a serious situation.”

John nodded at his new division commander and said, “When isn’t it when Naval Intelligence is involved? Why are you here Director?”

“We have a situation and it seems that we are in need of your unique set of talents.”

John chuckled, “Well, I’m out of commission for a while as the Waukesha is out of service for at least ten months now. I suppose I can lend some desk work to y’all.”

“Great, you’ll get the debriefing and head to Vosture Prime immediately,” Admiral Dufresne said, “I’m not transferring you to Naval Intelligence’s chain of command, but you will report to them temporarily.”

John heard everything but had a hard time believing what he had heard. It was almost like his brain, his personal computer, crashed due to a blue screen. Adding to the confusion was the absolute silence in the room.

“The hell you are, sir,” John paused a brief moment before cutting through the tension, “Respectfully, I’m not an agent anymore. I’m a line officer in the Navy. The days of me being an agent are long gone.”

“Commander, I don’t think you fully appreciate the situation we’re in,” Director LeCroix said.

“Then explain it to me, because you know damn well how poorly planned missions go when agents aren’t bought into the issue fully,” John’s composure was lost, “I’m being sent on a fucking wild goose chase with absolutely nothing to go on.”

“We believe a colony of ours is being invaded by an unknown adversary. We’ve lost contact with all but one old relay satellite orbiting Vosture Prime. Compounding issues is that both of the agents that were stationed on the surface are missing, presumed dead.”

“What are the agents and staff on the primary station doing about this?”

“Agent, there was a team of two on the ground. When they went silent the remaining agent began investigating their disappearance. He’s now missing as well,” Director LeCroix sighed loudly, “He went to the surface to investigate two things. The irregularities in the colony’s transmissions and losing contact with its peers. Regarding the former, it was noticed that a number of work projects and mining tasks were subtly changed for reasons unknown.”

Director LeCroix activated the holographic display built into the desk. Reams of data began to appear. Something big was happening but great lengths were undertaken to hide whatever it was to be constructed. But the data was over a month old, which meant John would be walking into a highly dangerous situation.

“Why me? I’ve been out of the game too long to be a deep cover agent.”

“Your worst days now are frankly better than my best agents’ great days today. You can do things they can’t. I need your expertise on this matter.”

John stood still and thought for a moment, “I’m not in the game anymore. Send the fleet in. Problem solved.”

“Eighth Fleet doesn’t want to make a permanent home in this world. While slip space is preternaturally calm in the system, it’s usually a stormy trek getting there due to several convergence points,” Kasey said, “We’re also not convinced the troublemakers won’t just go into hiding and reemerge before leaving empty-handed.”

“I have to talk to my wife about this. This…” John paused, “Is almost too much.”

Admiral Dufresne then changed the tone of the conversation entirely, “Commander, you will be going there following the end of this meeting. Your talents are required there. Your wife will be kept in the dark.”

John’s face became a shade of red. Anger spread across his features. Before he was able to verbalize his anger, and thus get into a fair amount of trouble with not one but both of his immediate superiors, Director LeCroix interrupted him.

“It’s a necessary evil to ensure that the enemy combatants, whoever they may be, can’t trace you back to anyone or anything. It’s easier for an agent without attachments to do such a thing.”

“She needs to know.”

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible Commander,” Kasey said, “Your cover story is that you are Commander Steven Hart. Your family was supremely wealthy but abdicated most of its wealth when your parents emigrated to the Confederacy shortly after you were born. Your father was able to rebuild his wealth here and was a dedicated survivalist, so he taught you and your siblings extensive outdoor skills.”

John sighed as he read through the dossier of the identity he was being forced to inhabit for the foreseeable future. Social media profiles were created, and a new genetic entry was crafted to enable easier entry into colonies. There were a surprising number of additional IDs and names available to him for this mission.

“I was caught up in a bribery scheme where I pocketed several million credits, which conveniently went missing before trial, by having Fourth Fleet buy supplies from Narvent Industries,” John’s anger still hadn’t subsided as he read portions of the dossier out loud, “The judge, despite finding me guilty, granted me a week to get my affairs in order before I’d head to military prison. So, I absconded, with my father’s support, then fucked off to the frontier.”

“John Lief doesn’t exist anymore, not at least until the mission is finished,” Director LeCroix said, “No one can know but us. This mission is entirely off the books.”

“What assurances do I have that when I successfully resolve it that John Lief will once again reappear?” John leaned back in his chair, “Heaven forbid a clerical error would happen and you magically find Steven on some shitty frontier colony and lock him up for fifteen to twenty.”

“That is a bit insulting to say, commander,” Kasey said.

“Then let me be clearer,” John said, “I’ll do this mission. But I will burn this institution and all of you to the fucking ground if anyone tries anything clever. You think I’m dangerous, wait till you see me without a leash, morals, or ethics holding me back. I will burn this whole fucking galaxy to the ground…”

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

“The threat is not needed. If you complete this mission, you will be brought back into the fold so you can serve in the open once again,” Admiral Dufresne said.

“What are my mission parameters?” John looked at Director LeCroix.

“There’s a homestead a casual hour to two outside of the city. Beneath the quaint home is one of our bunkers. All the gear you need can be found there, it is fully stocked. As for what the rules of engagement are, there are none.”

John’s face looked puzzled, “Every mission has parameters, Director. There are limits…”

“Not this one. If you need to kill every last colonist, then do so. Success is the only thing that matters in this case. How you achieve your mission is entirely up to you.”

John looked at the two admirals and they were as confused as he. If not more so. Never before had he been given no mission parameters. He had ignored or outright violated them in the past in order to achieve a mission, but they had always been present.

Kasey broke the silence, “Director, missions always have parameters. I agree with my subordinate, this is most unusual.”

“You do realize what John is capable of, you were at least aware of, if not directly responsible for several of his missions before his transfer to the fleet,” Admiral Dufresne said quietly, “I believe Commander Lief has grown a great deal, but even still.”

“There is no leash on this mission. Success must be achieved at all costs,” Director LeCroix said calmly.

“What is really going on?” John asked, “You do not just send an agent in with a green light for everything if you’ve lost a couple of agents and can’t call up some satellites. What intel are you withholding?”

Director LeCroix closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “We do not know. That is why we are as up in arms at this as we are. I don’t know anything more than what I’m telling you.”

John pinched the bridge of his nose and recentered himself, “This situation reeks of a setup.”

“I assure you it is not. There is a counter-op working the likes of which we’ve never seen,” Director LeCroix looked at John, “You are the best the universe has ever seen in this role. We need the best right now.”

“I was as good as I was because I could forcibly make believe what I wanted them to. You are aware I no longer can do that right?”

“Your ability to adapt to any scenario is second to none. There is one and only one person that successfully pulls this mission off. I do not say this lightly.”

Director LeCroix knew that John was very vainglorious. It didn’t take much to butter up his ego, but it was the truth. While Naval Intelligence had hundreds of specially skilled agents, none would get by John. John, however, would be able to run laps around the vast majority of Director LeCroix’s agents. Even the best would be hard-pressed to stop a determined John.

“Seems like my choices are to accept this mission or resign my commission.”

“There isn’t a choice at all John,” Admiral Dufresne said, “I do not want to risk losing an asset that I believe will be sitting in this very seat in a bit over a decade. But the fact that our teams were sussed out and our intelligence-gathering abilities have gone dark indicates something big is happening. Something that unfortunately only you can take care of.”

“Here’s a navy rucksack with everything that you’ll need,” Kasey said as she dropped the pack on the desk, “Your keys, wallet, tablet, and any data slates that you have on you will need to be handed over. None of that can go with you on your mission.”

John stood up and emptied his pockets on the desk. Cargo shorts were wonderful for the extra storage they have. Disappointingly the only things that he dropped on the desk were his wallet, a set of keycards that granted him access to different rooms in the command center, his keys, and a tablet. The three leaders didn’t see John palm a data drive that he pulled from his tablet.

He reached over and picked up the small rucksack and opened it up. His wallet contained his ID card and digital passport. There were a few credit chits and some clothing. John grabbed two of the chits and his new tablet and slid them into his pocket along with his wallet.

“Once again, your safehouse has everything you’ll need to accomplish your mission,” Director LeCroix said, “Good luck Commander Hart.”

John shook his head as he walked out of the door. There was no doubt in his mind that he’d be trailed. A pair of Marines escorted him out of the facility, to make it more realistic he was shoved by one of them as they threw him out of the command center. His tablet then began to vibrate in his pocket.

He sighed loudly before picking it up and walking into the commercial district, “You don’t have time to shop,” the voice said as he pressed it to his ear, “Head to the commercial docking ring. You need to board a commercial flight to the Leonidas system. From there you’ll get on a connecting flight to Vosture Prime.”

“First class, right?”

“Well, you see…”

John hung up and pulled up his boarding passes. To add insult to injury, he wasn’t just in economy class but in the unassigned economy class. He shook his head as he walked over to a public console.

“Fucking idiots, I’m not going to travel anywhere and be treated like fucking luggage,” John said under his breath as he worked on the console.

John’s old scheme of defrauding air and void lines flashed back in his mind. There were numerous backdoor means of accomplishing this. His newfound identity was that of a rich man, disgraced as he may currently be. No matter how far the man had fallen he wouldn’t tolerate public transportation at the level Naval Intelligence paid for.

The first leg of the flight would last three days. The second was almost eighteen, though that could extend to nearly twenty-five days. Three or four weeks of being cooped up in a tin can. John sighed as he progressed through the systems. One of the backdoors was closed but others remained. His tickets were quietly upgraded to the more luxurious cabin. His late adjustment meant that some of the more preferential meal options were no longer available, but that made little difference, what was available was acceptable.

John saved the changes to his tickets and logged out of the system. Just as he walked away from the public console a man bumped into him. He felt the man clip a hoody onto his backpack. John continued walking like it was no big deal.

When he got to the elevators, he pulled the backpack off his back and quickly unclipped the hoody, and threw it on. There was an earpiece taped inside the pocket. He discreetly removed it and slipped it into his ear.

Just as John was about to pair it with his tablet a call went off. John pressed the earpiece gently and sighed as he closed his eyes.

“We’ve got our eyes on you. You once again…”

The doors to the elevator opened. John walked inside and selected the fifteenth level. He also quickly pressed the door close button.

“I’m a rich guy. I’m not flying in peasant class; you know damn well that a person of my station wouldn’t fly in less. Deal with it.”

“We’re watching you. Make no efforts to leave a message for any friends.”

John nodded but didn’t respond verbally. He securely entered one of his remote servers, unbeknownst to his watchers, and downloaded a copy of Eve onto his tablet. Several orders were given to her but all of them failed to run, she wouldn’t be able to do any of them until she got into a more powerful system than this tablet.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” John finally responded after cursing under his breath.

As the elevator slowly went up to the destination John quickly downloaded another set of applications, this time focused on highlighting where surveillance systems were. He put on some innocuous-looking sunglasses, entirely inappropriate to wear indoors at a station but he was far from the only idiot wearing them that morning. As he looked out on the promenade below numerous cameras were detected and displayed on John’s glasses.

“I presume you know the gate?” the agent’s voice asked.

“I did. Boarding begins in fifteen minutes. It’s a five-minute walk from here,” John closed his eyes once again, “I’m sure you’re watching me do every little thing.”

“We are. Don’t be stupid. You don’t want to involve anyone else in this.”

“No, I’m sure you’re right,” John said sardonically as he muted his line.

He was already reviewing the gate and where the surveillance cameras were. He needed to deliver a message but how and to who? True this was a violation of orders, but he felt he was within his rights to do just that.

Then John paused, would Naval Intelligence partner with the Psycorps to wipe him from the memory of any he had interacted with? He shook his head, that was unlikely. If he was a full-time agent then that was a possibility due to the low number of people that had any real interactions with him. Doing that to an officer would be a herculean effort.

The doors then opened. John walked out at a steady pace. He strode confidently towards his gate, always walking in a place where the trailing agents could optimally see him. He knew of at least one agent on the ground that was watching him. There was sure to be at least another at the gate.

“Is the rush really worth it?” John asked after unmuting himself.

“Yes, it is.”

John shrugged as he got to his gate. He found a seat near a pillar that blocked all of the surveillance cameras in the area. Next to him was a young mother who was partially asleep and a very bored looking six-year-old.

He smiled at the boy when he waved at him. John took the seat next to him, and then the improbable happened. Andern, of all people, was improbably here on the station. He could see Kristin jogging to catch up to him from the catwalk.

John knew what he had to do. He pulled out the small data drive, which contained his official record, on his armrest, and muted his headpiece once again. He looked at his shoes and leaned over to tie them and whispered to the young boy.

‘Look up at the line of people, see that black guy and pretty brunette leaving that gate?’

The boy nodded, “Yeah.”

‘His name is Andern. Take this chip-thing on my armrest in your hand, run up to him, punch him, then give him that. I’ll give you this.’

John flashed the kid a credit chit. While he was young, he instantly knew what it was. He happily took the data slate in his hand and ran off after the stranger. He then set not one, but two credit chits on the boy’s blanket and stood up.

John unmuted his headpiece, “Don’t even know why I sat down. Boarding is beginning.”

“Don’t do anything funny.”

“Like try to escape from the flight?” John said with a smirk.

“You will…”

“I know my mission,” John said quietly, “I will see it through to the end. We’re done now.”

John pulled the earpiece from his ear and tossed it in the trashcan he walked by. He strolled to the queue and was the third to board the voidliner. With his boarding pass on his tablet in one hand and his digital passport in his other, he waited for the boarding agent to confirm his identity. Thankfully the wait was short.

“Name please?”

“Stephen Hurt,” John smiled as she scanned the information.

John would be someone entirely different on Vosture Prime. Ironically, he’d be someone very other on these flights too. There were no less than four different identities available for him to use. But the gate agent and no one else outside of three souls knew this.

“Oh, good morning Mr. Hurt. You are seated in the premium cabin, suite three. Take a left after boarding our liner and it’ll be the third one on your left.”

John smiled, “Much appreciated.”

The smile disappeared quickly. Just as he walked onto the docking umbilical he could hear the excited voice of a child yell, ‘ANDERN!’ The smile returned when he heard his friend swear loudly but then apologize quickly to his attacker. A heartbeat later he could faintly hear a mother start to apologize for her son’s actions.

Would it work? If it hadn’t John didn’t have any reliable means to get a message, even with Eve, that was untraceable back to Alice. As John stepped onto the voidliner he cursed the military for its order. He’d follow it through, but they were threatening his very relationship with his wife. John had a hard time being happy or smiling when he stepped into his one-bedroom suite onboard the spacious liner.

“What a weird and wild universe we exist in,” John said as he sat his backpack on one of the chairs.