Anthony knight, p.14
Anthony Knight, page 14
Anthony snapped his fingers when he recognized the coordinates. “Wait! That’s where the sector’s council shut down the installation of one of the new drone stations.”
“That’s why the Sao System sounded familiar,” Captain Yamato said. “Yeah, I remember their nonsense about the stations infringing on their individual freedoms.”
Commander Hertz snorted. “Yeah, and then they criticized us for not providing them with enough protection from hostile NHCs.”
The Boss shook her head out of shame. “Well, they’re going to have something else to worry about now. Thanks to Sarah’s message, Santiago won’t know you’re coming. Dismissed and good hunting.”
◆◆◆
The Phoenix departed Ayako’s Lunar Starbase at 0900 and arrived at their destination, near the Sao System, about seven hours later. While enroute, Anthony conducted a series of drills with his team to refamiliarize them and himself with shipborne operations. It didn’t take them long to get back into the swing of things.
Anthony also spent some time reading more about Santiago as well as his connection to Ex-Justice Smith and Cromwell. It turned out that Santiago was just another punk looking to exploit anyone he could. He and his friend were involved with Cromwell because the man wanted to build a new form of government. One that would give Cromwell and his friends more power under the guise of making things better for everyone else. At least that’s what it seemed like to Anthony.
As the Phoenix got closer to the target coordinates, its long-range sensors detected Santiago’s flag ship along with some unusual energy readings. Those readings prompted Captain Yamato to have the Phoenix hold position well outside of the hostile's detection range. Then she ordered Anthony to deploy recon drones.
Captain Yamato and the other element commanders stood around an interactive mapping table in the main room of the Combat Direction Center. The table displayed the flight path of the deployed recon units along with video of their objectives.
Santiago’s flag ship and three new warships, of unknown design, was docked at a rickety old station that was built with an antiquated hodgepodge of modules that were held together by a lot of hope. That heap of glorified scrap metal was surrounded by twenty defense platforms.
Further inspection of the defenses revealed that they were most likely there to deter the small raiding parties that were prominent in the area. A drone’s analysis indicated the platforms would short circuit in the event they were used extensively.
Colonel Haugen shook his head as he examined the drone footage. “Where did they get those ships? It’s disturbing how they kept this operation quiet for so long.”
“It explains why they didn’t want the new drone control stations here,” Anthony replied.
Colonel Takeda nodded. “We should’ve known they were up to something the moment they denied the installation of those stations.”
“I blame the CRSF,” Captain Yamato replied. “It’s their job to check in on remote territories and make sure the locals are safe.”
Anthony looked up in time to see Ms. Volkov enter the area. She joined them at the central mapping terminal and said nothing while she reviewed the data. Her brown eyes narrowed as she enhanced the video to focus on the largest of the three ships that were docked.
“What’s on your mind, Adira?” Captain Yamato asked.
Adira pointed at the target she highlighted. “I’ve seen that ship design before in the Ki System.”
The Ki System was about five hundred lightyears away from Imperial space and bordered the territory protected by the Joint Systems Coalition. It was under constant observation because hostile Non-Human Civilizations used the system as a staging area to attack the Empire.
“Do you know who built them?” Commander Hertz asked.
Adira shook her head. “Our informants claim no one in the Ki System knows who those ships belong to.”
“I wonder how Santiago’s people know about them,” Anthony blurted out without thinking.
“My thoughts exactly,” Adira replied. “Captain, with your permission, I want to go over there and get some answers before you contact the Boss.”
“How do you plan to do that?” Colonel Takeda asked.
“I specialize in neuro warfare,” Adira replied nonchalantly. “We’ll learn something if I can get close to the right people.”
Anthony’s jaw hit the deck. People in neuro warfare were trained and skilled at altering a target’s memory. Usually, they accessed and recorded the neuro pathways that stored memories so they could obtain intelligence. Operatives also forced a target to take drastic actions on their own volition.
Captain Yamato's mouth was agape as she acknowledged Adira’s reply with a slow nod. She looked at Colonel Haugen. “What do you think, Mikkel?”
Colonel Haugen snickered and displayed a sinister grin. “I think we’re wasting time standing around talking.” He looked at Adira. “Are you comfortable with the long shot?”
Adira chuckled. “It’s one of my favorite aspects of the job.”
Captain Yamato gave her approval for the plan that required a dangerous insertion method.
Adira was going to be launched from a shuttle in a small, virtually undetectable, pod that was steered by using puffs of compressed air. The armor she wore would provide guidance and life support. When the pod got close enough, she would then jump out of it and land on the target vessel. She wouldn’t be detected if everything went well.
Anthony prepared a few small tactical drones for her in case things didn’t go as planned. All she took was a simple surveillance unit.
“This is neuro ops at its finest,” Adira said as she picked up the surveillance drone. “I don’t need a strike team or a small arsenal. I just need a few tools and a good shuttle crew.”
Anthony was on the edge of his seat as he watched Adira’s operation from his station in ‘Drone Command’, as the crew called it. He nervously bounced his foot as he saw Adira go about the risky long shot procedure as if it was a mundane activity. Nevermind the fact that a single piece of debris could suddenly end her trip.
Adira successfully landed on the target vessel without tripping a single alarm. She moved swiftly, quietly, and lightly on her toes as graceful as a cat. She clung to the shadows where they were available. She didn’t do any karate moves or cause elaborate diversions. She moved when she could and waited when she had to.
Adira carried a tiny dart-gun that launched neuro darts at her targets. The darts contained nano technology that utilized a target’s nervous system to complete its objective. They collected and tight-beamed memories to another device Adira had that was referred to as a dreamcatcher.
Anthony had read, back on Earth, that scientists just started to record dreams. Imperial scientists expanded that field of study into what neural warfare had become.
Adira targeted engineers, senior enlisted, officers, and anyone that looked important. She obtained access codes, plans, and anything else of use. She also made crew members and security guards forget to do things such as closing doors behind them. Their “absent mindedness” allowed her to slip by their defenses and get into highly sensitive areas.
She targeted enough people and obtained a complete picture of Santiago’s operation. Once she was finished, she got back into her pod and activated its launching system. It utilized a magnetic catapult device that broke apart shortly after launch. The pieces looked like random chunks of debris. She activated a small ion booster pack once she was on the edge of the enemy's detection range.
Anthony's heart pounded as he watched and listened to the shuttle crew maneuver to pick up Adira. She was, in a sense, the preverbal needle in a haystack. It was good piloting skills and crew coordination that contributed to the successful pick up.
◆◆◆
“Cromwell and Santiago have contacted a species they only refer to as, ‘The Friends’,” Adira reported once she returned to the Phoenix. “They’re planning to use their new ships to attack Akemi. Then they'll use the attack as an excuse to assault some of our non-human allies, and to restructure the government.”
Captain Yamato relayed the information to the Boss who sent back an order containing four words:
Annihilate all of them.
A plan was quickly drawn up that called for the Phoenix to knock out the area’s communication hub. Cyberwarfare specialists targeted the unknown ships that were in dry dock. They were to initiate the silent destruct sequence using the codes Adira obtained. After that, Anthony’s department was to assist the Marines in securing Santiago’s flag ship.
The Army element was on standby to assist where needed. Their primary function was cryptology and land-based operations; however, they were also cross trained in zero-g and ship boarding tactics.
At 1800 hours, the IMV Phoenix fired her first shots in anger. Her primary weapons knocked out a rickety old busted up communication station. Then the unknown ships blew up when the cyberwarriors successfully hacked their systems. The big short-lived explosions, that resembled a flash of light, peppered anything nearby them with shrapnel.
The shields on Santiago’s ship overloaded and collapsed. Anthony’s drones took advantage of that moment and breached the ship’s hull. Hundreds of automated assault units went after key areas. They also helped the Marines reach their assigned zones with little resistance. They took some casualties, but it was nothing the corpsmen couldn’t fix.
Santiago’s people fought well for all of ten minutes. They quickly realized they were in a hopeless situation. The few that were still alive threw down their weapons and surrendered. A few officers committed suicide by vaporizing themselves with energy grenades. They knew what the price for their treachery would be.
It turned out that the destruction of the comms array was a signal to the Sao System Militia which had been illegally created by a bunch of misguided citizens. They were in for quite the shock when they arrived and saw the Phoenix surrounded by fighter craft and Falcon escorts. They knew they were easily outgunned. Still, that didn’t deter a few of the militia’s leaders from expressing their opinions.
“At first the Empire neglected our area, and now it wants to punish us simply because we chose to defend ourselves,” one of the leaders shouted at Captain Yamato. “We are tired of your hollow promises!”
Captain Yamato rolled her eyes. “The poorest raiding groups have better equipment than you do,” she said flatly. “The only thing you’re defending with those pieces of junk are silly notions and lies.”
Adira stepped in just as the militia leader got even more irate with Captain Yamato. The militia leaders were more receptive to Adira’s calm demeanor. Her soothing voice eased their nerves. She got them to stand down and disband their haphazardly assembled military force. She also talked them into allowing a new drone control station to be constructed in their area as well as letting the CRSF set up a base on one of their moons.
“Fire burns for a reason,” Adira explained to Anthony when he asked how she accomplished her political victory without a dreamcatcher. “You can extinguish it better if you know what fuels it. These people are insecure, ignorant, and terrified. That’s why they believed all the swill Santiago told them. They’ll know the truth soon enough, and hopefully they’ll accept it.”
At 2000 hours, all objectives were completed, the prisoners were secured, and Santiago’s remains were collected. The data banks they recovered off his flagship left no room for doubt about his acts of treason. The methods for how the NHC ships were procured haven’t been found. It was just another hurdle for the investigation department to overcome.
The IMV Phoenix docked at Ayako’s Lunar Starbase at 0700 the following day. Anthony managed to squeeze some sleep in and prepared himself for another day at the office. He watched as local law enforcement took their prisoners away. Then he enjoyed a short ride back to the surface of Ayako.
A cool morning breeze greeted him when he exited the shuttle on the Rock’s roof access. A redheaded woman, who wore an expensive looking suit, approached him.
“Good morning, Commander Knight,” she said and displayed her Imperial Marshal’s badge. “We need to talk.”
The Imperial Marshal
Imperial Marshals were like the Empire’s version of the FBI, CIA, NSA, Mi6, DGSE, PSIA, KGB, GRU, Interpol, and the U.S Marshals all rolled into one department. They were entrusted with the authority to enforce Imperial law anywhere within Imperial controlled space.
Anthony considered them to be a bureaucratically ladened and somewhat publicly known ESOC. He had no clue what he did to warrant a visit from Chief Investigator Dorothy Warne, and he didn’t feel like learning why without a good cup of coffee.
Warne didn’t seem phased at all as she followed Anthony so he could get his caffeine fix from the secured lounge. She kindly accepted his offer to buy her a cup of coffee and followed him to a secured conference room outside of ESOC’s area.
The sparsely furnished room was bathed in the natural light of the rising sun. Decorations weren’t needed because the room offered a stunning view of LeClair city and the mountains. Leather chairs surrounded a highly polished wooden table where field marshals, ARCOMS, and other senior officers regularly met with IMCC leadership. Their meetings were politically motivated brawls. How they managed to accomplish anything was a mystery to Anthony.
“I’m surprised you’re not offering me a complete tour,” Marshal Warne said once they sat down. “Most people like to show off how important they are when they're trying to intimidate me.”
Anthony shrugged. “I didn't want to waste your time. I also have a feeling you're not easily intimidated. So, what did you want to discuss?”
“I’m here to complete the investigation about your abduction,” Warne replied evenly.
Anthony tilted his head.
Warne smiled. “The initial investigators missed some things.”
Anthony nodded slowly, sipped his coffee, and kept quiet.
“Let’s start with something simple.” Warne leaned forward. “Why did you decide to join the Imperial military?”
She let the question hang in the air.
“You didn’t even take a year to truly understand life in the Empire,” she continued. “You just chose to fight for ideologies you hardly know anything about outside of what’s published in training and educational materials. How do we know you aren’t still loyal to the United States of America?”
Anthony held back his laughter. He never had loyalties to any country on Earth. “You forget that I learned a lot about the Empire from my mother. I’ll admit that she kept quiet about most of it when I was younger. All of that changed the moment I accidentally contacted the Empress.”
Marshal Warne gestured for Anthony to continue. He recalled the events of that night, and how his mother contacted the other survivors about the news. They were poor illegal immigrants who were trying to survive by any means necessary in a country torn apart by violence, politics, and anything else under the sun. His simple mistake gave people hope to hang on and fight to see another day.
“A life of poverty in America helped me appreciate life in the Empire.” Anthony thought about the jumpers he met and carefully considered his next words. “It doesn’t matter how a human government is formed. Those at the top will benefit while those at the bottom suffer. At least the Empire figured out a way to make sure everyone has food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads.”
Warne seemed intrigued by his answer and asked him a few more questions. She focused on his childhood as well as the transition from Earth to the Empire. She carefully studied his expressions and left nothing open to interpretation.
“That covers the why of it,” she said once Anthony finished answering her question about his choice to be a remote warfare operator. “Now that we have the easy questions out of the way, let’s talk about the battle at Aurora Station.”
“What about it?”
“I’m curious about your capture.”
“I left nothing out in my report about my capture, and escape.” Anthony wondered what she was getting at. “I followed the protocols to the letter.”
Marshal Warne displayed a picture of a young CRSF servicemember. Anthony studied the image for a moment. His eyes widened when he recognized the person.
“That was the technician on the IMV Endeavor!” Anthony snapped his fingers repeatedly. “Something, Smith. I can’t remember his first name. He was the one that gave me the adapter so my nexcom could relay voice commands to my master key. There was some legal ambiguity about that. Surely you can’t be that upset about a little technicality.”
Warne displayed a sinister grin as she pulled an evidence bag out of her pocket. She slid it across the table to Anthony so he could examine its contents. He immediately recognized the device he used to modify his nexcom.
Warne held up a similar looking device. “Can you tell which one modifies a nexcom to use a MK 2 master key?” She pointed to the evidence bag. “Can you tell which one contains a locator and an artificial intelligence unit that can hack into military systems? Especially systems that can launch twenty anti-ship missiles.”
Anthony’s eyes widened as the revelation of what the marshal told him set in. He shook his head and felt as if he were about to sink into the ground. “I can’t tell the difference between the two.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Everyone was satisfied that the Crynar just somehow accidently launched those missiles and that the mercs who captured you were just that good.”
Anthony’s head started to spin as he listened to the marshal.
“Punishing you over an insignificant technicality is vastly different from overlooking it entirely. Had people asked a few more questions, they would’ve learned of the device’s true purpose.”
“That’s insane.” Anthony’s words were barely audible as he stared at the adapter the technician gave him. “Why did he set me up?”
