In the aftermath of the attack, chaos reigned. But one fact was abundantly clear--Silas was gone. Garrick stood on the bridge with Allison and Chi-Young listening to Jansen's account. The connection was not a good one, the Phoenix Rises' comms system was barely functioning.

"--Massive damage--we're barely space worthy." Her picture flickered in and out, but even then, Garrick could see the blood stains on her forehead. "--Couldn't stop them from taking the Mediator... There's something else... the prisoners--"

There was a burst of static and the connection dropped.

"What about the prisoners?" Garrick demanded. If Fenig and Jansen had got away then he had lost all evidence against the Mandrake.

"--Gone."

Garrick turned and stalked to the back of the bridge. He didn't look back to see Allison or Chi-Young's reaction--he didn't care. He needed to do something. He and Silas had been in a position of strength; they had the traitor cornered, if not identified, and they had the prisoners to prove it. The timing of this attack was no coincidence--someone on this ship had ordered it. What incensed him was that even though this was a clear admission of guilt, he couldn't do anything on his own, not without Silas.

He needed support.

"Take a break," he said to the communications officer, who obediently took a step back and left Garrick the console. It wouldn't be long before someone noticed what he was doing so he worked as fast as he could to pull the logs from the attack, a recording of Jansen's transmission and a short accompanying message to explain who he was. Within thirty seconds he sent the package on towards Icheon, and the Secretary General. With luck someone would get it sooner rather than later and pass it on to another mediator. It wasn't much, but at this point it was all he had left.

Garrick risked another two minutes at the console to erase the record of what he had done.

"Everything all right, Commander?" Chi-Young called up from the base of the amphitheatre.

"Yes, sir." Garrick hoped he didn't sound too terse. It wouldn't do to ruin everything now.

"Good. I want you to coordinate the ship's repairs. We can't get caught out again can we?"

"No, sir. No we can't." I'll be damned if I let someone on this ship get the better of me.

#

"Are you ready, Commander?"

"Yes, sir," Garrick replied with more confidence than he felt. His gamble had paid off, no one on the Mandrake suspected it had been him that had sent the message. But Garrick hadn't banked on this level of response.

He was in the lift with Admiral Allison on their way to the main hanger to welcome their honoured guests to the Mandrake. Okoro had told him that the Phoenix Rises had restored power to most of the ship, but it was still in no fit state to welcome the delegation from the recently arrived Constitution, the flagship of the Alliance fleet. She and Ramsey were both still aboard the other ship on the request of Jansen. He hadn't spoken to Ramsey since the prisoners escaped.

Allison and Garrick were both in their dress uniforms--the same navy colour, but longer cut and with decorative gold edging on the seams, though Allison's was more elaborate given his rank. The delegation Garrick and Allison were on the way to greet wasn't any old delegation--it contained none other than the Secretary General himself.

Who knew what the Secretary General would tell Allison? The strength of response was more than he dared dream of, but this was a wild card. He had hoped for a chance to speak with another mediator before they arrived, but there hadn't been a chance.

Anything could happen.

Garrick tried to stretch out his collar. "Have you ever met him before, Admiral?"

"Once, but before he was SecGen. I met him while he was still a senator."

He bit back a reply about the improper use of the Secretary General's title. "What's he like?"

"Bold, brash, but most of all, entirely committed to the principles of the Alliance."

Exactly what we need now.

The lift opened. Garrick took a deep breath. Allison lead the way to the hanger, where they met Chi-Young--also in his dress uniform--at the entrance. "Everything is ready, Admiral. The crew delegation is lined up in formation awaiting the Secretary General's arrival."

"Excellent." Allison nodded at him. "Do we know where Martinez' shuttle is?"

"En route. Just under a minute away."

"He's early," Allison muttered. "Well done for getting everyone in position."

"The SecGen's reputation precedes him," Chi-Young smiled.

"Even so, good work. Let's get in position ourselves."

Garrick had never seen the hanger so clean. The deck was so shiny that he could see his reflection perfectly in it, and there was no signs of the battle that they had been a part. There were thirty crewmen stood in formation facing the field at the opening of the hanger, waiting for the ship to land in front of them. Allison took up position in front of the formation with Chi-Young to his right. Garrick stood to his left.

Garrick was equal parts excited and nervous. The Alliance was his life, and there was no figure more important to the Alliance than the Secretary General. After Garrick had accepted his place in the Alliance, Martinez had become something of a hero of his. That was before he considered the implications of why he was here. It wasn't hyperbole to suggest that the fate of the Alliance itself was at stake.

He caught sight of the Secretary General's hopper as it headed closer to the hanger, flanked on either side by fighters from the Constitution. The fighters peeled away and took up a position outside the hanger, facing out from the Mandrake, and the hopper continued through the field and sat down in the hanger. Garrick hoped his pounding heart wasn't visible through his uniform.

At last, the hopper door opened and the Secretary General got out flanked by two figures dressed all in black bearing rifles.

Garrick was familiar with what Martinez looked like. He regularly appeared on news reports on the net and was a very visibile public figure. Martinez wore a collarless suit of black fabric that clung tight to his body, which was in decent shape considering the man must have been in his seventies. He wore glasses, which was unusual, but Garrick figured he wanted to appeal to voters by looking like he wasn't as rich as he was. Not that it mattered--he had won the last four elections uncontested. His hair was ebony, with the odd streak of grey, and fixed into a quiff. All this he would have known from his pictures and videos, but what Garrick hadn't appreciated from the video feeds was just how tall and imposing Martinez was. He strode towards the Admiral at a steady pace. Garrick had the impression of a man in complete control.

"Admiral Allison I presume?" Martinez extended a hand, which Allison dutifully accepted.

"Secretary General. Welcome to the Mandrake. I trust you had a safe journey?"

"Yes Admiral. May I also introduce Grand Mediator Mayeaux?" Martinez gestured behind him to a figure Garrick hadn't even realised was there.

The man was completely bald, his head as smooth as an egg, but the lines around his eyes gave away his age. The anti-ageing treatments could never get the eyes right. Garrick figured the man would have to be old to be the grand mediator. While Martinez gave off waves of charisma and confidence, the way this man held himself made Garrick uneasy.

"It's an auspicious moment, Admiral Allison, to finally meet a man of your... reputation." Mayeaux remained expressionless.

"Likewise, Grand Mediator." Allison nodded.

"I will get straight to the point, Admiral," Martinez said, stepping forward. "This is an extremely serious incident. It is a rare thing for me to be needed to deal with a situation, but a mediator being kidnapped is unheard of. An incident like this has never happened in the Alliance's history." There was no trace of a smile on Martinez' face.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Which is why we value your presence here, Secretary General." Allison didn't looked fazed by Martinez' reaction. "May I introduce Captain Chi-Young and Commander Karn." He gestured either side of him.

"Pleasure." He shook each of their hands, but he didn't look pleased at the Admiral's attempt to divert him.

Mayeaux ignored this and instead, to Garrick's shock, he stepped forward with a hand outstretched towards him. "Commander Karn, it is good to meet you. Mediator Silas spoke well of you and your efforts aboard the Phoenix Rises."

Garrick took his hand. "I'm at a disadvantage, sir. He didn't mention you at all."

"I'm sure we will have plenty of opportunity to get to know each other." With that, Mayeaux stepped back behind Martinez, who made no acknowledgement of the conversation. Garrick wondered whether this sort of thing happened often.

"Now, may I show you to your quarters?" Allison, who also appeared to have ignored the interaction, motioned towards Chi-Young who stepped forward.

"I'd rather get straight to business, Admiral. I'm sure you understand. There is, after all, a significant mess to clean up," Martinez said with a sideways glance to Mayeaux.

"Of course. If you'll follow me." Allison led the way back to the lift.

#

The more the Secretary General saw of the damage to the Mandrake, the deeper his frown became. Their group were crowded into the damaged living quarters of a crewman named Ensign Martha Nwosu. This was their last stop on the tour of the damage. Garrick watched the Secretary General examine, grim faced, the damage caused by the three unidentified ships that had attacked the Mandrake. Mayeaux on the other hand wore a look of mild interest, as if none of this surprised him. So far Garrick had yet to work out what he was supposed to be playing along with.

The hull breach in the cabin had been repaired so there was atmosphere, but the beam that had hit this room sliced through at least five decks. Martinez peered down the narrow chasm. Garrick knew that the Secretary General could see the workers repairing the damage down at the bottom of the chasm--he knew this because he had looked down there himself immediately after the battle. It had left him in awe of the destructive capability of the ships.

"Relative to the Phoenix Rises, we got off lightly." Allison stood a few steps behind the Secretary General and Mayeaux.

"And there were three ships?" The Secretary General kept gazing down through the hole. The sounds of welding and the decks below being repaired echoed around them.

"That's correct, sir."

"What happened to Ensign Nwosu?" Martinez looked up.

"She died in the attack," Garrick said. "All the rooms in the beam's path depressurised. It trapped her on the other side of the door, which sealed automatically." He had been the person to discover her. It wasn't a pretty sight, but one that was becoming all too common.

"There were thirteen casualties in the attack, with more still on the Phoenix Rises," Allison continued.

Martinez turned around to face him. "Do you trust your men, Admiral?"

"Without hesitation."

"Good, that's good." Martinez nodded at his two escorts who turned around and left the five of them in the room. "We have some things to discuss."

Is this it? Garrick glanced over at Mayeaux for any sign, but the Grand Mediator was busy looking down through the chasm made by the beam.

"May I suggest that we move to another room on this deck?" Mayeaux said. Martinez looked confused, to which the Grand Mediator replied, "the hole in the floor means it wouldn't be the most secure conversation."

Martinez turned to Allison. "Admiral?"

"This way." Allison led them down the corridor and into another empty set of crew quarters, but this one with its deck fully intact.

The door closed and Martinez was straight back into it. "What is your assessment of the attack?"

"May I, Admiral?" Chi-Young asked and Allison nodded. "Their weapons were advanced, but they were similar in design to those on the Mandrake and other Alliance ships, the same with the engine design. Their hull configuration wasn't familiar to me though."

"Describe them," Mayeaux demanded.

"Scythe-like. Engines at the mid point of the curve. They were very manoeuvrable, but unlike the Mandrake it had a narrow field of fire. They practically had to be facing their target, but the manoeuvrability meant that wasn't an issue."

Martinez balled a fist and punched his other hand. "I was worried about that."

"What do you mean, Secretary General?" Allison frowned.

"It was a design that was being worked on to counter the threat of quick, powerful ships that might try to take on ships like this." Martinez gestured around at the Mandrake. "It's somewhat ironic that they have become the very threat we were trying to defend against. To think, our best engineers are probably divulging all the secrets of warships like this."

"Do you mean that they were an Alliance design?" Allison said quietly.

"From how you've described them," Martinez nodded.

"How is that possible?" Garrick was aghast at the implications.

"Simple," Mayeaux said. "Someone from the research arm of the Alliance military has been providing plans to the insurgents."

There was silence.

It was a moment before Allison broke the spell. "Am I correct in assuming that you haven't been able to trace the leak?"

"That's correct, Admiral. We know which stations certain elements were take from--the weapons design the Commander mentioned came from Sorrel Bank, the hull design was from the capital. This insurgency has been years in the making," Mayeaux sounded amused. Garrick couldn't understand why, this news was worse than he could have imagined.

"To what end?" Allison said, his face neutral.

"Independence." Martinez let it hang in the air before continuing. "We've heard whispers before, but it appears that in the last month or so it appears there has been a concerted operation going on, culminating on the attack to kidnap Mediator Silas."

"About that, Secretary General." Allison put up a hand. "We have reason to believe that he was kidnapped by the insurgents so that they could try and obtain the location of the Forge."

Mayeaux raised an eyebrow at him. "You do live up to your reputation, Admiral. I agree with that assessment, but I have faith that one of my mediators would be able to resist any interrogation."

"We can't rely on the strength of the mediators alone." Allison took a deep breath. "We need to go to the Forge."

"We were on the way to system 213b when we were attacked," Garrick interjected with a glance at Mayeaux. "Mediator Silas gave that location."

"Interesting." Mayeaux raised an eyebrow and stared at Garrick.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow." Martinez looked confused.

"As Garrick said, Silas informed us that's where the Forge is located," Allison said.

"Secretary General, if I may--" Garrick tried to speak but Martinez held out a hand to silence him. Mayeux didn't intervene either. So that's it then.

"Silas is mistaken." Martinez shook his head. "The Forge is in Phayao."

"I see." Allison looked over at Garrick. He could have sworn he gave him a slight smile.

He couldn't have known Silas had lied, could he?

"I'm sure Mediator Silas had his reasons," Mayeaux said, still staring at Garrick.

"That doesn't matter now," Allison said. "What matters is that if there is any chance the insurgents can get that information out of Silas--because he does know its location, make no mistake--we need to make sure the Forge can defend itself."

Martinez paused for a moment before responding. "What do you make of this, Grand Mediator?"

Garrick tried to speak again but Mayeaux cut in before he could get anything out. "Loathe as I am to call into question a Mediator, Allison is right--we can't take any chances. We must travel there with all speed."

So that's it then.

"What about the Phoenix Rises?" Chi-Young said. "They're in no fit state to travel."

"We can't afford to wait. We're in a race now, Captain." Martinez's expression was grim.

"I agree, Secretary General. Though we must make sure the word gets out about the potential attack," Mayeaux said. "I will take a ship and make contact with Icheon and the rest of the fleet."

"Good, good," Martinez muttered. "Yes, do that, Mayeaux. The Constitution will remain here to support the Mandrake. There's no telling what will be waiting for us in Phayao."

Martinez didn't know just how true that statement was.

#

Martinez had left them, returning to the Constitution, and Garrick had finally been able to take a break after a 14 hour day. He sat in his quarters and stared at his console. It showed a map of the Perseus Arm, the Phayao system was highlighted near the central spine of the arm. Based on the public maps, there were no jump gates to it, which made sense given the sensitivity of what lay inside, but he knew there would be a way in.

He was exhausted but he still couldn't help but go over all that had happened--his first meeting with the Secretary General of the Alliance, but more significantly the truth about the location of the Forge finally coming out. The thought that Allison and Chi-Young knew Silas had been lying was a nail in his skull, giving him a headache and refusing to let him rest.

It didn't matter what he thought, he needed proof, but his only chance had now been taken from him. At least he wasn't alone with the Constitution remaining behind, and the thought that Mayeaux would bring reinforcements was at least something, but he was still wired from the frustration. He was about to turn in when his console pinged at him with an alert.

With a start Garrick realised that it was his program designed to scan all outgoing transmissions for anything suspicious.

Intrigued, he pulled up the alert. An unscheduled diffusion transmission had taken place to update the ledgers of any nearby Alliance ships, but that didn't make any sense. These updates should only happen when entering or leaving a system.

He pulled up the ledger update on his screen. These usually contained information about the locations the ship in question had been to, as well as a dump of any communications that had taken place in-system that were relevant to other Alliance vessels. This update was different though. It looked like a broken set of code, which would make sense if it really had been sent in error. Garrick was about to close it but something inside him wouldn't let him. Something was wrong here.

He put the code through his console but it just threw up an error message. Not wanting to give up, he ran a m

ore thorough analysis of what the problems were. It took the computer a moment to tell him that there was a complete set of code in the broadcast, but it was hidden within strings of invalid arguments. When Garrick stripped away all the superfluous parts, the code ran easily.

It produced a sentence that simply read 'Planned destination - Phayao system'.

He stared at the screen.

Someone had put it on the dump.

Someone on the Mandrake had leaked the location of the Forge to the insurgents.

If it hadn't been sent by a system error, there were only two people on the ship who could have signed off a transmission going out of sequence--Allison or Chi-Young.

Shit.

He opened a connection to the Constitution.

"Yes commander?" The duty officer said.

His heart pounded. "I need to speak to the Secretary General. Tell him it's urgent."