2 days later, July 2nd. 17:45 Epsilon Tauri System
Numerous wounds into a red-hued dimension formed in the void. From those wounds spewed out twenty-five pirate ships of various make and models. There was a slight pause as if they were regaining their sense of balance of understanding of where they were, but then they all sped off to a common point.
Three of the ships were scavenged but very old battlecruisers, huge for when they were made, but they were barely larger than the Apollo. Their armor was haphazard and dashed together, unlike the Apollo’s whose armor glistened in the light given off by the Epsilon Tauri sun.
Hiding amongst the gang of ships was a Mercantilist Union stealth corvette. They were clearly part of this fleet but were doing their very best to stay hidden. Their current course was separating them from the pirates at every moment.
“Agent Benning, the Confederate ship has sent a general warning to the pirate vessels,” the captain of the vessel stated, “They are moving to intercept. That is not standard protocol for them. This is far more aggressive than we are used to.”
“Your mission is very clear, captain. You need to get us in close so that we can fire boarding torpedoes at it,” Lisa said dismissively as she turned to look at the captain, “That is a new ship if our intelligence is correct. Her captain may be eager for a taste of combat and may have an open ear to our target
“It may not be that easy. We’re not sure how close…”
“Captain, your orders are simple. If you are unable or unwilling to follow them through, then I will appoint a new captain of the ship. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” the captain sighed, “Helm, plot a wide course, we want to come in at them from their port side.”
The helmsmen plotted several courses but found the most efficient one that would likely keep them out of the Apollo’s sight. The final course was displayed on the tactical display. They spun around and spoke to the captain.
“This route gets us into position in fifteen minutes.”
“Excellent, I must hurry to be prepared,” Lisa said, “Captain, set the course and let my team and I know when we are ready to be launched.”
“As you command,” the captain said as he motioned for the helmsmen to engage.
He waited until Lisa had left the bridge, “I want all passive scanners firing away. This feels like a trap. I don’t care how new a ship is, no one is this suicidal against these many ships.”
The weapons officer spoke from the side of the bridge, “Our intel was very clear, a single cruiser with a high-value target was going to be on it. And let’s face it, sir, the company we keep isn’t known for sound battle tactics or fully functional ships. Those battlecruisers are being held together by spite and dreams.”
“Be that as it may, this cruiser is entirely too aggressive. It wreaks of a setup. Technologically they are superior, but the pirates have superior volumes of firepower. Quantity is a quality in itself.”
“It is, sir,” the weapons officer said, “But if those weapons cannot hit the target or pierce the armor, then the quantity is largely useless.”
The helmsmen then spoke up, “What if there are reinforcements hidden out there?”
The captain shook his head, “We’ve had eyes in the system for six days. We haven’t detected any military movements.”
“They have stealth ships, sir,” the helmsmen had turned once again to face the rest of the bridge crew, “It is possible for a Confederate stealth ship to jump to real space without being detected. Our probe doesn’t have the sensitivity to capture that from happening. Nor did the freighters that reported to us.”
The captain shook his head, “True, but they don’t use those vessels in combat operations. They are forward scouts and target designators. Getting into a fight isn’t something they do. It’s not in their tactical doctrines to use them offensively. Doubly so since the Des Moines debacle.”
The security officer then frowned, “What if the intel was falsified? We could be walking into a trap…”
The captain leaned back in his chair, “Coms, are you picking up any chatter?”
“None, sir. The Apollo, aside from the general warning, has been running standard pirate interdiction protocols. They are transmitting messages but only through their hardened communications system.”
The captain shot up from his seat, “Shit, they are coordinating this attack. Get me Agent Benning now!”
The coms officer pressed a few buttons on her terminal. The tactical screen was then cut in half. Agent Benning was standing outside the docking bay to the boarding torpedo, scowling at the captain.
“You have your orders Captain, what is it that you needed to discuss.”
“Agent, the Apollo is running full tilt at the pirates and broadcasting through its hardened channels. We were set up, what the hell is it broadcasting to?”
“Impossible, our intelligence was from a trusted source who hasn’t let us down yet. They’ve…”
The captain interrupted the Agent, “Apologies ma’am, but they are communicating with other ships in the system. We need to turn about and get out of this system as soon as possible. Things are likely…”
The captain was interrupted by the tactical officer, “TRACKING MULTIPLE INCOMING PROJECTILES!!!”
“Tell the pirates to scatter!” the captain said immediately, “Helm take evasive actions.”
The security officer began looking at the readouts, “Sixteen rail rounds. Multiple calibers. Fired from sources that weren’t the Apollo. Impact in three… two… one…”
The tactical screen showed three pirate vessels exploding in bright blue blasts. Atomizing the structure and everything contained within the ship. The armada was now out of position and scattering like frightened animals.
Pirates rarely fought as a cohesive unit. When they did it was a simple matter of cutting the head off of the fleet to make engagements against them relatively easy. Two of the three most senior and well respected, for a pirate that is, captains of the pirate fleet were now dead.
What wasn’t frightened was the Apollo, their burn toward the fleet continued. Her weapons were primed, and both the ship and crew were itching for a proper scrum. A minor course correction was made before it too fired its primary rail gun. Missiles and torpedoes were let loose in volleys momentarily afterward. Its target was the largest pirate battle cruiser that had inexplicably given its broadside to the Apollo.
“Second wave incoming in ten seconds,” The tactical officer said, “Confirmation of eight previously unknown vessels in firing range. Unknown Confederate stealth frigates, unsure of designations. The scanner's resolution isn’t high enough to identify them from this range.”
“CAPTAIN!” Lisa screamed, “What is going on?”
“Agent, we are leaving this system immediately. We were set up,” the captain said looking back at her before he spun his chair to face forward and pointed at the helmsmen, “Get us the hell out of here, take us around the planet, when it’s in the way break orbit under a hard burn.”
“Captain, we have a mission to accomplish. I will capture…”
“Our choice is escape or death Agent. Whatever you were hoping to find isn’t here. All that’s left is death.”
Agent Paul Leonard then spoke up from the bridge, “Agent Benning, the crew speaks the truth. The captain’s mind is sound as is his reasoning. You will not find Lieutenant Lief amongst the crew of the Apollo. Captain, I concur with your exit plan, the pirate confusion will aid in our retreat. Our time with the pirates is now over.”
“Agent Leonard, you do not have…”
“You are being blind to the bigger picture. You and I cannot aid Dr. Norman if we’re dead. The CNS Apollo is raining death on the pirates, our ship cannot damage them.”
Agent Leonard’s speech was interrupted by four more bright explosions, the largest coming from the Apollo drawing blood against its prey. The Apollo was already on the move to close in against another battle cruiser.
“The battle is lost. Captain, you may continue as planned,” Agent Leonard said, “Agent Benning, your father will approve of this tactical retreat. He will have more need of you now than ever. I fear that our best-laid plans are slowly crumbling around us. Lieutenant Lief has pulled a masterclass in deception and crushed our allies in one fell swoop.”
A scream of rage could be heard throughout the ship. Lisa suffered a myopic view anytime John Lief was involved. He killed her brother, and she was forbidden from killing him. This attack was an affront to her very existence. But her father had plans and John was needed too badly for them. Her would-be perfect genetic husband was now a man that she desperately needed to gain vengeance on, and once again she was thwarted.
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The small corvette made its hasty escape from the battle, but it would not do so secretly. Sensor readings did confirm their presence. More troubling than their discovery was the mole theory was now proven to be undeniably true. Though who the mole was and how they were leaking information was not at this time immediately known.
3 days later, July 5th. 13:00 CNS Fargo – John’s Room
True to his word, the moment the CNS Fargo transitioned back into real space the communication systems were working once more. Though for John, the terminal in his room was already allowing for communications to come and go. He had been monitoring and reviewing all sorts of data, especially since he was stuck in his quarters for as long
The final after-action report for the pirate battle was already available. The Apollo suffered mostly superficial damage, though one armor plate and several kinetic shielding arrays needed to be replaced. The unexpected addition of the stealth fleet’s surprise reinforcements had turned the tide quickly.
It was troubling to John that six sailors lost their lives in the attack. All were aboard the Apollo, and though two of the deaths could be contributed to congenital health issues, the fact remains that John’s actions directly caused those deaths. Telling himself that it was worth it, in the long run, was a hollow endorsement of the operation, especially now since it hadn’t resulted in the end of Dr. Norman’s organization.
Now with blood, friendly this time, directly on his hands John resolved to himself to leave no stone unturned in his question for justice. He shook his head, that wasn’t good enough, nothing would stop him from ending Dr. Norman. Even if it meant throwing his life away in a kamikaze-like attack. The blood of his fellow countrymen spilled because of him, requiring him to balance the scales.
John closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was mentally preparing himself to carry this added burden. This introspection was interrupted by an incoming transmission. John pressed the button to accept it but hadn’t looked at the transmission.
“Lieutenant Lief here,” John said as he looked up at the screen, “Thank you Admiral for your assistance.”
“Eighteen pirate vessels were eliminated including a pair of old Alliance battlecruisers that had been stolen and repurposed. And the Apollo got a proper test run in combat. First Fleet is calling this a wicked success. Admiral Dickenson and Dufresne both sent kind regards for having my ships in such an opportune position. Now, how funny I should find that they weren’t even aware of your request.”
“Your presumption is correct. I told no one about my request. And you in turn did not either. You successfully positioned your ships exactly where I and the Apollo needed them. And without saying a word to anyone.”
Admiral Zhang closed her eyes and rubbed them, “This was a counter-intel operation, wasn’t it? You were trying to root out a bad actor.”
“Thanks to you I can now move onto the second stage, and the loss of life was minimized. The Apollo would’ve routed the pirates without your assistance, but the reinforcements, provided by your squadron, successfully minimized the amount of damage and casualties sustained by the Apollo. The loss of life we suffered was unfortunate, but as command officers, we both know the risks that come with orders.”
“Lieutenant, I doubt very much I will ever want to work with you personally again. While I can appreciate the clear and calm demeanor, the lives that were lost didn’t need to be lost in the way they did to prove or disprove your theory,” Admiral Zhang said quietly, “I will be submitting a formal complaint over the manner in which you handled this. There were better ways to do so.”
“There were more official ways, ma’am. But not better,” John said without flinching, “There was a dangerous leak preventing us from making proper headway in our operation. While the loss of life on our side is regrettable, the elimination of that many pirate ships will make the freight ways in the frontier that much more secure. And you also confirmed the presence of a foreign power at the battle. Another thing I needed in the operation. Your real complaint is that my operation felt too similar to a Naval Intelligence one and too little like how the Navy conducts theirs. I did what I had to, and I’d do it over again tomorrow.”
“Your single-minded nature to finish the mission will burn you sometime Lieutenant. Nothing you’ve said has dissuaded me from filing the complaint,” Admiral Zhang held her hand up to prevent John from speaking, “I agree with your stated end goal in all of this, but the manner in which you accomplished it was despicable. I will never agree with such underhanded means.”
John nodded, “I can respect that, Admiral. Really, I can. The Navy, and the Confederacy for that matter, need optimists like you in the ranks. You cannot, however, disagree that my methods are highly successful. I need people like you, as much as you need people like me, to be successful. You can’t, not because you won’t but because your code says can’t, dirty your hands. Not only am I willing to do what you are not, but I’ve also already done those things. It’s already old hat for me. I don’t begrudge you from such thinking, I respect and even envy it. But for that bright future, you so believe in, you need people that share the same dream but dwell in the shadows.”
“Have a good day, Lieutenant. I doubt my complaint will ever matter in your career, but you do not conduct yourself in the manner that I support. That golden path we’re on isn’t worth it if your laying bricks with bloodied hands.”
Admiral Zhang looked disgusted at John as she cut the channel abruptly.
“Most people won’t bother looking at the bricks Admiral. They’ll be happy they are simply walking on golden bricks,” John said quietly in his defense, “Now then. I have four hours to find the traitor.”
2 days later, July 7th. 16:00 First Fleet Command
Admirals Dufresne and Dickinson were sitting at a conference table with sour looks on their faces. General Mizrahi and Admiral Nelson, whose holograms were tinted slightly green due to a malfunctioning projector, were waiting for one of them to speak, neither of them seemed troubled over the subject matter. Admiral Dufresne was the one to break the silence.
“Is it true that Lieutenant Lief reached out to Fleet Admiral Zhang of his own accord and convinced her to reposition assets to protect the CNS Apollo, which he sent knowingly in harm’s way?”
“It appears so,” Admiral Nelson said.
“Appears to be, or actually is?” Admiral Dickinson said, “I’ve changed my tune on the young man, but this… This is pushing the limits to what can be accepted.”
“Our orders were, regrettably, nearly a carte blanche authority to do anything in his power to root out the traitor in our midst,” General Mizrahi said, “We’ve come to learn the hard way that overbroad orders with the young man are a recipe for disaster. But thanks to him, it largely succeeded because we now know beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a traitor.”
“John’s investigation is being run pretty tight to his chest. He’s cleared the two of us and Admiral Zhang, though who is in his sights we do not know,” Admiral Nelson said, “We have not, nor do we plan on stepping in at this moment.”
Admiral Dufresne looked at Charles and shook his head, “Gentlemen, if you don’t succeed in this operation, this is going to come back to haunt him. Admiral Zhang is right, there are…”
Admiral Nelson cut off his peer, “With respect, using the proper chain would have alerted the mole. We wouldn’t have learned that there was one and our operation would continue to be hurt by the inclusion of the mole. She may not believe the ends justify the means, however in this unique set of circumstances, I tend to disagree.”
“JAG doesn’t believe he committed any crimes. He asked, politely, to have a fleet admiral reposition ships just in case. There’s absolutely a questionable tone involved in it, but what he did wasn’t illegal from a legal standpoint. If this gets out, his career prospects may be hurt.”
General Mizrahi had a confused look on his face, “Presuming the mission is successful, why would this get out?”
Admiral Dickinson sighed, “Naval Intelligence is going to seal this whole damned sordid affair, isn’t it?”
“I can’t imagine NI would publicly allow anything to be said about a mole being in their midst,” Admiral Nelson said, “Presuming of course the mole is one of theirs.”
“I am in no position to judge or command you General,” Admiral Dickinson chuckled to himself, “However, Admiral Nelson you do report to me. You will not be giving an open-ended order to the Lieutenant ever again. He’s too valuable an asset to lose because we did a shitty job in reigning in his more destructive tendencies. General, I strongly suggest you do the same.”
Admiral Nelson and General Mizrahi looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
“Now then, when are we going to be getting our Lieutenant back from this operation of yours?” Admiral Dickson asked
“It’s too early to tell Admiral,” William said, “Inside a year is our hope. Because of what we’ve found there’s no way that command is going to shut us down early.”
“The sooner you can end it the better,” Admiral Dufresne said, “I do not want to receive an officer that has lost all trust in his fellow officers.”
“We will endeavor to return him in no worse a condition than he is in now,” General Mizrahi said.
The meeting concluded. The First Fleet Admirals looked worried. Very worried. This mission, now more than ever, needed to be successful. They were deathly worried for their protégé to make more moves like the recent one and effectively kill his career. While his intentions were good, even noble, he was burning bridges that didn’t need to be burned.
17:25 CNS Fargo – Captain’s Room
John hadn’t technically been released from the captain’s orders to remain in his quarters. That didn’t stop him from leaving his room. To his surprise, the guards that were supposed to be posted there weren’t.
He headed straight for Lieutenant Erickson’s room. At the very least John wanted to smooth out his working relationship with the captain of this ship. His relationship with the chief engineer was likely ruined forever.
John pressed the bell button at the door and waited. He pressed it again after thirty seconds. And again, after another thirty seconds.
“Damnit, enter!” shouted Darryl from inside his room.
John entered the door and stopped a step inside it, “Apologies for waking you, sir. I didn’t check the schedule before coming here, that’s on me.”
Darryl put on a shirt and walked over to a chair at the end of his bed, “Well I’m up, speak quickly.”
“The ship was never in any danger and at the moment anything untoward were to have happened the communications blackout, that I unilaterally decided on, would have stopped.”
“I suspected as much, but this isn’t your ship. It’s mine. You aren’t responsible for the ship and everyone on board. The responsibilities that belong to you are limited to your marines.”
John nodded, “I’m aware and I apologize for firing that shot across your bow. That was wrong of me, and I sincerely apologize for the lack of decorum for doing something on a ship that isn’t mine.”
Darryl nodded, “I believe you, John. Really, I do. Omar won’t get over this, but I will, in time. I’m not happy that you did this though.”
“I’m telling you this because you need to understand my motivations. Thanks to what happened I now confirmed that a mole in this operation that is feeding information back to Dr. Norman’s operation.”
Darryl’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets before he held his head and stared at the floor, “Fucking hell.”
“The best way to catch a spook is to use a better spook. Ta-da,” John said sarcastically, “I needed to play this in a very specific way.”
“And you knew I would’ve told you absolutely not to conduct your mini-operation because you couldn’t share certain pieces of intel with me.”
John nodded, “On the plus side, y’all are clear. I hadn’t been able to do that until now.”
“Thanks, John,” Darryl shook his head as he smiled, “Who is it?”
John shrugged, “Dunno. This was like step two. I’ve got hundreds of VI runtimes scanning communications and reviewing movements on ships, stations, and facilities. The group of possibilities is growing more condensed as we speak.”
“I’ll speak with my senior staff. I think I can smooth things over with most.”
“Thank you, sir. You might want to omit a counter-intelligence operation though. And again, I am deeply sorry for the end-run around you.”
John then left the room. The apology was heartfelt and truthful. Even if part of the message was that he had to do it and ultimately, he’d do it again. But these were the stakes he was playing with. It did open his eyes though; one little action had alienated a fleet admiral and very nearly turned an entire ship against him. What else would he need to do, and risk, to accomplish his mission?