Chapter 13 - Visitor

It was the night before Kat's pre-space "special-to-arm" training course began. Commissioning as an officer, it turns out, was just the start of her military career and training. The long standing military motto of "hurry up and wait" applied just as much to the Space Force as to any other branch of the British military. Kat had a good idea of what lay ahead for her. She would be sent to one of the Space Forces many sea going ships, or one of the Royal Navy's or Coast Guard's depending on availability. Even a merchant ship with sufficient military security clearance such as some of the small nuclear and magnetoplastic cargo ships would suffice.

She would go aboard with a small cadre of newly commissioned officers, some experienced Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs most of whom were some kind of sergeant), some experienced officers and of course the usual commercial contractor specialists for handling some of the truly hi-tec equipment. Once into deep seas, the cadre would go overboard in their various surface and submersible craft and every few hours, then days, then weeks, would return to the 'mother ship' for supplies, rest and fuel.

The goal was to spend three-to-six months getting used to the orbital environment without having the financial cost associated with doing the training actually in space. Additionally, the world's various space forces had found out the hard way that the greatest forces impacting performance and function in space were not the purely physical, but the psychological and psychosocial ones.

And so the Combined Orbital 'Special-to-Arm' Graduation Isolation Training system, or COSAG was born.

Kat was excited. She'd been allowed a month's leave since commissioning and after a short trip to see a few friends in Scotland, she'd spent most of the time with her family in Japan. She'd also been down to the Kansai region in Japan to visit a few shrines and temples, attempting to make sense of the sudden flash of insight she'd had in recognising The Dragon's Egg and what she could, should and would do about it.

She was a late packer. Always had been. She didn't need to bring much, and so always put it off until the very last minute. This time, going to sea, there would be no way to have anything sent out if she wanted it. This was just a small taste of the disconnection from Mother Earth that should would experience once she was deployed Orbit-Side. It didn't frighten her, she felt calm.

She heard a call from below, down in the family workshop.

"Kat! Kat, you've a guest!"

"Okay, I'll be down in a sec." She shouted back, and stood up from where she had been sat on the floor, surrounded by clothes, almost none of which she would be taking with her.

She hurried down the narrow stairs, and turned into the shop door. Already offering a greeting before she was able to see who it was.

She stopped still in her tracks, confused by the face that looked at her from a non-descript plain blue shirt and pale brown jeans. She couldn't place...

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your family, Lieutenant Suzuki?" asked Sergeant Major Mark Bartain with a lightness in his voice Kat had never heard before.

Kat was still stunned. First, to see the S.M. out of uniform, second that he was in Japan, in her house!

"I'm Mark, I work with your daughter, Lieutenant Suzuki." the Sergeant Major announced to Kat's father and stuck out his hand and shook Hideki Suzuki's hand.

"Sergeant Major." Kat stuttered. Sheer confusion. She remembered something that had been mentioned at one of the Lodge meetings. Beware of Camp Sergeant Major Bartain... what was it again? It had been one of the monthly visits from a Lodge member from outside the camp. Bartain was compromised? Hmm, Kat thought, I should have paid more attention to the briefing, I'll have to look into it once I find out what on God's Good Earth has brought the CSM here, and late at night too. A death? In the platoon? Her thoughts raced.

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"I'm Hideki Suzuki, Kat's father, and a humble mechanic, as you can see", he gestured around the little machine shop. "Please do come in, we have some English tea and you must be tired from your journey."

"Oh, that's very kind, but I just need to talk with..."

"Sergeant Major, I am sure there are ways of doing things in your line of work, but the forms must be followed for their own sake. I insist. You are a guest in our home. Come." Hideki went inside, changing into his indoor shoes. "Kat go and prepare appropriate drinks and snacks for our guest."

"Sure dad. Welcome to Japan, Sergeant Major." Kat said cheekily with raised eyebrows and a smile.

The family gathered in the living room. Tea was made, Scottish Breakfast Tea No.1 (a subtle little British joke at the English Sergeant Major's expense instigated by Kat's Scottish mother - she made sure to leave the tin with the Scottish lion rampant flag within the sergeant's eyeshot). Anna and Samu also put together a few plates of novelty kit-kats and some Japanese bean-paste wafers.

The civilian dress-clad sergeant major looked to Kat like a lion that had had its mane shorn off, or a shark without its fins and teeth. She had last seen him at the commissioning ceremony, and had thanked the stars that she'd never have to see him or hear him again, especially after the Flag Duty incident. She certainly hadn't told her family about the more humilitating parts of British military tradition. Now, commissioned as an officer and ready to head to COSAG, it seemed like a childish concern.

"What a lovely spread" the CSM had beamed at Anna "Thank you for your kind hospitality. An unexpected treat - I rarely get to experience a homely home in my travels in the military."

Kat tuned out the small talk, and once the tea was poured and everyone, even the TV-glued sumo fanatical grandparents had come to table to welcome the guest, and share a snack, each family member made some kind of excuse or other and disappeared. Homework, chores, work, etc. After 15 minutes, the forms had indeed been followed, and now Kat and CSM Bartain sat across from each other, everyone else out of sight, if not out of earshot.

"Would you like some more tea?" Kat asked carefully.

"That's very kind. Yes." Mark answered "While you do that, I'm going to ensure we have a little privacy." Mark Bartain took a small black half sphere the size of a golfball out of his pocket and placed it on the table half way between him and Kat.

"Old tech" he said "You know anything new is probably hacked" and he pushed the top of the semisphere and music started playing. He then pulled out a pen and paper and wrote on it, before passing it over the Kat.

[The music will cover the sound of writing - they can tell what you write just from the sound nowadays] it said. The message starting to fade almost before she could read it. Clever.

He offered Kat the pen. The music continued. It was highly rhythmic like Taiko but with an obvious European influence in terms of orchestral arrangement. Mid 2030s fusion revival probably.

[They?] Kat wrote and handed the paper pad back. [Your cultist mates. The Lodge.]

Kat was stunned for the 2nd time that evening. Bartain must've figured out quite a lot since Tom attacked him in the Flag Room.

Kat wrote nothing, Mark took the pad again and wrote.

[They probably told you they were an officially sanctioned organisation.]

[Who?]

[You can't deny it Lieutenant Suzuki - I wasn't sure you were a cultist, but my little test with the Flag Duty proved it. They protected you. I know you are one of them.]

[My right to religion and freedom of expression are protected by Military Statue.]

[Ah, yes, I noticed you were clever, even when you hid it. Don't worry, I'm not here to court martial you.]

[Why did you come here? Why now?]

[Miss Suzuki, I do not know why The Cult chose you. But know this. I choose you too. You report to me. I am your handler now. I do not know what exactly they promised you, but know this. They do not work for the British government, nor are they an official part of the Space Force.]

[The Lodge are a covert part of the military police - internal investigations, no?]

[They might have started that way, but they seem to have an agenda. An agenda that you, my cooperative double agent, are going to investigate for me, and for your Kings and Country.]

[What if I don't?]

[You will.] Bartain smiled.

He reached forward, taking the music player off the table and silenced it. He drank the last of his tea, and stood up, making his excuses to leave.

"I'm glad I was able to drop by before you deploy ocean-sdie for COSAG, Lieutenant Suzuki. Please thank your family again for their hospitality. I'll be in touch." and he walked out into the night.

Kat stood alone in the doorway. Very alone.