Something is not right on this ship.

Garrick had been walking up and down the Mandrake for over an hour now, and he was certain it wasn't the same ship. The way Marcus Fenig had just spoken to him confirmed that. A prisoner would never have got away with that when Garrick was stationed here--and he had only been away for a matter of weeks.

Whatever Fenig said, there must have been a package on that ship of his when Garrick had boarded it. That was a bitter pill to swallow. He couldn't explain it. They had checked everywhere. Had Ramsey missed something?

And then there was the question that plagued his waking and sleeping hours: What if the only reason the insurgents knew the Sorrel Repository's location was because someone on Allison's ship told them?

But who could have done it? If he were a betting man, he would have said Chi-Young, but he had no proof.

He kept walking, unable to clear his head. Garrick needed to speak to Admiral, he owed him that much. Only then, Garrick decided, would it be worth taking his concerns to Silas. After all, he didn't want to get the mediator excited over nothing.

Decision taken, Garrick stopped at a wall panel to check where the Admiral was at that moment. Even though it was late, he couldn't afford to wait, but it confused Garrick to find that the Admiral wasn't on board.

Strange.

Allison hadn't stayed behind on Sorrel Bank--he had been on the same hopper as Garrick. He interfaced his wrist link with the panel and asked the ship to send a message to where ever Allison was, but an error came up instead. The Admiral was on the Phoenix Rises. Garrick frowned. Nothing he could think of explained that. He felt guilty, but there was no choice but to send a transmission request to Mediator Silas, who accepted almost instantly.

"Yes, Commander?" Silas' voice came through to Garrick's head via his implant.

"Sorry to bother you, sir. Is Admiral Allison aboard the Phoenix Rises?"

"I don't believe so, let me check... Strange," Silas sounded confused. "The records show he docked with a hopper two hours ago, but no one informed me."

"Where is he?

"Checking the footage now."

Garrick found it hard to believe the Admiral had travelled over without letting him or even Silas know. Allison knew full well the sensitivity over the potential leak in the military. All he was doing was bringing trouble on himself if Silas suspected him further, and it was getting harder for Garrick to defend him.

"If I'm reading this right, it looks like he's in the detention block. He must be visiting the prisoner, but that's--well, it's suspicious to say the least."

Hamasa. What does he want with her? "I'm on my way over." Garrick set off for one of the Mandrake's hangers.

"Is everything all right Commander?" Silas asked, his voice carefully flat .

"Yes, sir. I will make clear that we expect him to log his presence with the Phoenix Rises crew."

"See that you do. If you need me, send a transmission and we'll be there within two minutes."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Understood, Karn out."

#

The journey over was a quick one given the proximity of the two warships, and Garrick was soon marching down the familiar corridors of the Phoenix Rises. He headed straight to the detention centre, hoping to catch Allison before he left. Try as he might, he couldn't figure out what Allison would want to speak to Hamasa about. Maybe it was out of professional interest given they had been searching for her for so long.

Maybe it was something else.

He paid no attention to the nods or salutes from those that passed him as he walked, and twice he almost barged into people because he refused to deviate his path. There was no time for messing around.

Garrick arrived at the detention block. When he walked through the hatch, the officer on shift looked up at him. "Can I help you sir?"

"Where's Admiral Allison?"

"I'm sorry sir, he's still in with the prisoner and asked not to be disturbed."

Garrick hesitated, torn between the wishes of the man he respected most and his duty to the Alliance. Ultimately though, nothing could come before the Alliance. Garrick strode past the desk, towards Hamasa's cell.

"Commander!" The duty officer called him back.

Garrick didn't stop. "It's all right, crewman. He won't blame you." He came level with the field marking the entrance to Hamasa's cell. The Admiral was sitting on a stool, elbows on knees, deep in conversation with Hamasa. She sat cross legged on her bed.

Hamasa saw him first. "Well if it isn't Commander Karn." She grinned maliciously at him.

Allison's head snapped round to look at Garrick, snarl etched across his face. "I asked not to be disturbed, Commander. There better be a good reason for this."

"I came looking for you on the Mandrake, sir, only to find you had come here to see Hamasa." He scrambled for an excuse that didn't reveal his true concern. "It's urgent, Admiral--it concerns the movements of the prisoners on the Mandrake."

"What of it?" Allison's stare was ice.

"Sir, if we could speak about it away from the prisoner..." Garrick was all too aware of Hamasa lapping this all in.

Allison took a deep breath. "Commander, you have interrupted my interview with the prisoner. You will tell me now what your concerns are so I can judge whether they are worth my time to leave here."

Garrick reeled, this is not what he expected. "Sir, I have concerns over information security on the Mandrake, not to mention why the Caxian prisoner is not in the brig." He stopped short of accusing Chi-Young or someone else on the ship, but he worried that he had already said too much in front of Hamasa, whose ears had pricked at the mention of the Caxis nationals.

Allison stood up. "Commander Karn. I do not appreciate you questioning me on how I run my ship. In case you've forgotten, I am the admiral here. I will not tolerate any further suggestion that anyone on my ship is leaking information, nor of my judgment in how I handle Marcus Fenig."

Garrick flushed at the dressing down, but embarrassment soon gave way to rage. How dare he dismiss my concerns like that? And name the prisoner?

"Commander, you're dismissed. Get out of my sight."

He turned and walked away without another word, struggling to contain control. Allison was his hero, but now he had trampled all over that legacy. He left the detention centre without so much as a glance at the officer on duty and paused around the corner to catch his breath. Garrick couldn't let his personal feelings cloud his judgement. He opened a connection to Silas.

"Yes, Commander?"

"Allison dressed me down in front of the prisoner, showing a total disregard for information security by naming the prisoner on his ship in front of Hamasa. He needs to be stopped."

"I see..." Silas paused for a moment. "We'll pull him in for questioning--"

"No," Garrick interrupted. "Let whatever is happening play out. Whoever is behind for the leaks--be it Allison or someone else--they want the Forge Why not give them the wrong location? That way we'll know."

Silas took a moment to respond. "I like the way you think, Commander. You would make a good Mediator. All right, we'll do as you suggest."

"Another suggestion, Mediator, if I may. Take Marcus Fenig and keep him on the Phoenix Rises to isolate him from the leak. I should return to the Mandrake to keep watching Admiral Allison. My unit can stay with you on the Phoenix Rises. I trust them implicitly."

Silas laughed down the line. "Excellent, Commander. Yes, we'll do what you propose. Let's regroup and decide how best to play this. Come on up before you head back to the Mandrake."

"Aye sir." Garrick left the detention centre behind him. The rage was still there, but now he had an avenue to channel it and, at long last a way to flush out the leak on the Mandrake.