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  * * *

  When we met the next day, on the one hand I could feel the excitement in the room. We were getting close to catching those merchants working with the smugglers. On the other hand, I had mixed emotions about traveling on my own.

  "I'll start," Adrian said. "The Windjammer will visit Stone Ring, and the Dreamer, Eastar.

  'The Star Trader will also stop at Eastar," Kris said.

  "Interesting," Wilber said. "The Dealmaker will also stop at Stone Ring, but the Wanderer's next stop is Safe Harbor, and Storm Runner, Truth Star.

  "The Spinner’s next stop is Amend, and the Trail Blazer’s, Zaspa," I said.

  "If there were six of us, this would work," Adrian said after reviewing the data. "Let’s see where the Wanderer, Storm Runner, Spinner, and Trail Blazer will be over the subsequent two weeks."

  After Wilber and I reviewed their schedules, we found the Wanderer's next stop was Zaspa, Storm Runner's Zaspa, Spinner's Zaspa, and Trail Blazer's Eastar.

  "That's perfect. What if we split into two teams? One team to Eastar and one to Stone Ring. The Stone Ring team can then go to Zaspa when they finish, because it's close to Stone Ring, while the Eastar team waits for the Trail Blazer to arrive. Any questions?"

  "Why don't Anna and I go to Stone Ring?" Kris said. "We're both women, so the accommodations will be easier, and I can stay close to her."

  I nodded. That was a relief. I wanted to go but would not have felt as comfortable teamed with Adrian or Wilber, although I liked both of them. Somehow I had grown closer to Kris over the months.

  "Good, I'll make the arrangements with Stauffer. Be ready to leave on a moment’s notice. We don't have a lot of wiggle room here." Adrian collected his tablet and headed for Stauffer's office.

  "I guess that means the meeting's over." Wilber laughed. "Anna, you have to show Adrian and me what you did to make that missile appear. Better yet, send us something visual we can take with us."

  "It's simple. I'll send it to you by tonight."

  "Me too, Anna," Kris said. "So I can pretend I know what I'm talking about. I didn't go to the academy or train to be on the Bridge, so I don't know much about how the panels work."

  Since it was a bit early to go home, I spent the time making an animated video of a typical weapons panel, showing how to put it in simulation mode and how the active light would come on if it reacted the same as on the Wheeler. Then I sent it to everyone. I was getting ready to leave when Stauffer appeared.

  "A moment, Anna. Are you comfortable going on this mission?" he asked while sitting down beside me. He looked and felt concerned.

  "I'm a bit nervous, but if I'm going to be part of the team, I have to contribute like everyone else. Besides, I know the Bridge panels and functions and might see something Kris wouldn't. She'll take good care of me, sir," I said, knowing she would. Lately, she had felt like a big sister—family.

  "All right. I just wanted to make sure you weren't being pressured into going. If you would prefer to stay on Oxax, I'd understand."

  I knew he meant it. He had taken me under his wing more than a year ago, and I was grateful.

  "By the way, Admiral Rawls found you refreshingly honest and insightful. You are no longer on probation. Congratulations." He handed me a badge and walked off. I stared at it for a long time. It was beautiful: a gold metal in the shape of a shield surrounded by oak leaves. In the center of the badge was a balance scale with a Trident in the middle. On top were two scrolls with Naval and Intelligence, and underneath, two with Agent and A. Paulus. In addition, there was a plastic badge with the Navy Insignia, NIA, in large bold letters, and my picture. It took me more than an hour sitting in my skimmer to calm myself enough to be able to fly home reasonably safely. I clipped my badge to my suit jacket lapel and clipped my ID to my breast pocket, grabbed a juice drink, and sat waiting for Alexa to arrive home. When I heard her car in the driveway, I walked to the door and stood waiting. She entered, stopped, and stood looking me over.

  "I didn't do it, Agent Paulus." She laughed and threw her arms around me. "Congratulations, Daughter."

  "And I'm off to Stone Ring on assignment ... with Lieutenant Sinclair," I added quickly.

  She sobered. "Like any mother, I'd like to lock you up someplace safe, but I know I can't. It will help if you remember to stay in touch with me."

  "Every day. I'm excited and terrified but know I either have to hide forever or live my life and take what comes. In reality, I feel I'm living on borrowed time. I should have died in the snow back when I was four. If it weren't for Red I would have. And no one can explain why he showed up. They aren't usually active in the snow, since they are cold-blooded, and there are no other instances of one seeking out a Coaca Virus victim."

  "I for one will be forever grateful to Red, whatever his reason," she said, putting an arm around me and walking me upstairs. "I'll help you pack if you don't mind."

  CHAPTER NINE

  Priority One Access

  The message on my tablet read, report to the office at eight hundred hours. Within a few minutes of my arrival, Kris and Wilber wandered in. Adrian was already there as usual. Stauffer appeared only minutes later.

  "Good morning. Admiral Rawls considers this assignment the agency's number one priority and has authorized Priority One Access, P1A. The Minerva and the Proteus have recalled their crews from shore leave and are preparing to depart as soon after you arrive as possible." He handed each of us a plastic card with PRIORITY ONE ACCESS in red across the top. In the middle were NIA in large bold letters and our picture. At the bottom were the signatures and printed titles of Secretary of the Navy Admiral Webb and Director of Naval Intelligence Admiral Lulltrel. "These will get you the access you need to inspect those ships and any cooperation you might require. Good hunting," he said, and left. When I looked around, everyone was staring at his or her card.

  "I've heard of Priority One Access but never seen one. Normally, it's only used for wartime assignments," Adrian said, shaking his head.

  "We could commandeer a warship with this," Wilber said, smiling.

  "That's the good news," Kris said without looking up. "The bad news is these people expect results for this card; otherwise, they look foolish."

  Well then, let go find them some results," Adrian said as he hoisted his duffle bag over his shoulder. "Good hunting Kris, Anna. See you in a couple of weeks. Keep me informed." He headed for the door with Wilber following, giving us a thumbs up.

  "I think Red is reading your card," Kris said, looking at my forehead where Red was currently lying.

  "He does that. It’s silly, but I used to read the words out loud to him when I was younger. Since then, he always appears to be interested in what I'm reading or looking at."

  "That is strange. I understand why you've given it a name and think of it as a person—him, I mean." Kris frowned as she stood examining him. "But he's never done anything you would consider communication?"

  "No. Maybe he thinks I'm too dumb to understand." I laughed as I grabbed the handle of my traveling case and prepared to leave.

  "Well Agent Paulus, are you and your high-and-mighty companion ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" She laughed and grabbed her traveling case.

  "Lead on, Senior Agent Sinclair. Fame and glory await us," I said, mentally crossing my fingers.

  * * *

  A shuttle was waiting for us when we arrived. It had apparently been held for us, because all the seats were taken except for two in the front. Kris was quiet on the ride to the space station. I couldn't blame her. Things had escalated quickly in the past forty-eight hours and a lot was riding on this assignment. Since she was active military, she felt the weight of the Admiral’s expectations more than I. Of course, I also wanted the project to be successful—both because I enjoyed working with Adrian, Wilber, and especially Kris and to catch those I thought responsible for hounding me. Before I realized it, the shuttle was pulling into an open bay.

  I rose with Kris and exited t
he shuttle. A young second lieutenant stood waiting with two petty officers. He saluted Kris, and his eyes shifted to me for a brief second.

  "Lieutenant Sinclair, I'm Lieutenant Norman. If you will follow me, I'll take you to the Minerva. The petty officers will collect your bags. We should be leaving within the hour," he said, pointing to the exit. We followed him to the rail transport platform, and after a short ride we were delivered to where the Minerva was docked. A full lieutenant stood checking IDs. Norman ignored the long line of waiting sailors and went straight to the front. The lieutenant looked up and then checked his tablet.

  "Lieutenant Sinclair and ... Miss Paulus, if I could see your IDs," he said. Kris handed her ID to him, which he returned after scanning it. Then I handed mine to him. He did a double look from the ID to me and back again. "Norman will take you to your quarters." He saluted Kris and then nodded to Norman, who motioned toward the entrance. My heart was racing as we maneuvered our way through the hallways and up some stairs. I never thought I would ever set foot on a spaceship, much less a navy war cruiser. I almost ran into Kris when Norman stopped.

  "Lieutenant, if you'd put your hand on the door plate, you'll be registered. Ma'am, if you would do the same for this door," Norman said nodding to the next door. When I did, the light above the plate went from red to green and the door slid open. The room was small, with a single bed, chair, built-in cabinet, and toilet facility.

  "Lieutenant Sinclair, Captain Vogel is busy preparing the Minerva to depart, but he asked me to invite you and Miss Paulus to dine with him at eighteen hundred hours. I'll come get you when it's time." With a nod, the petty officers deposited our bags in our rooms and left.

  "Thank you, Lieutenant Norman," Kris said and turned to me. "Anna, join me." She nodded and entered her room. Once I was inside, she closed the door. "Wow, I could get used to this. These are senior officers' quarters, and Lieutenants never dine with the captain. We should relax and enjoy the experience while it lasts, since it's probably the last time we get this special treatment."

  I couldn't help examining everything. The room was compact but comfortable, with drawers to store things and places to hang clothes, a pull-down desk with slots for tablets to connect to the system, and a full if tight bathroom.

  "If this is a dream, don't wake me," I said.

  "I can't wait to see the captain's reaction to you. The Officer of the watch almost suffered whiplash trying to reconcile your agent ID with you. Can't blame him. You're a bit young to be an NIA Agent."

  * * *

  At seventeen fifty-five, Norman knocked on my door. When I opened it, he and Kris stood in the hallway. She had on her dress blues. From her ribbons, I could tell she had been in the navy for about seven years and had earned the Navy Small Arms Marksmanship Commendation and some Achievement medals. She looked perfect for a navy recruitment poster. I had chosen a navy blue suit with pants, since I knew Kris would also be wearing slacks. She nodded her approval, and we followed Norman down the hall toward the Bridge and the captain's dining room. When we entered the room, Kris braced to attention and saluted. I also braced to attention out of habit from my years at the academy.

  "Welcome aboard the Minerva, Lieutenant Sinclair ... Miss Paulus. My XO, commander Tillman," Captain Vogel said, nodding to a broad-shouldered man who was staring at me with wide eyes. Tillman was tall and middle aged but looked like he worked out regularly. His brown hair was cut short. "We don't often get Priority One guests. Anything you can share?" Vogel asked. He was shorter and stockier than Tillman and at least ten years older, judging by his greying hair. His round face had bright intelligent eyes and a pleasant smile.

  "Only with you and your XO, sir. Miss Paulus and I are members of a special task force formed to counter smuggling in the Alliance. We've identified four merchant ships that are potentially part of the smugglers' organization. If we're right and one or more of them is found to have contraband, we may be able to seriously curtail their activities, and it could even provide us with insight into their methods of operation."

  "How? I would assume customs has inspected each of those ships," Tillman asked.

  "Agent Paulus discovered how they are getting past the customs inspections. Two of those merchants we want to examine are presently on Stone Ring. The other one will be in Zaspa, so unless you have other orders, we would like you to stay around while we inspect the two in Stone Ring and then give us a lift to Zaspa," Kris said, smiling at the look the two gave me.

  "You have Priority One Access, which means we are at your service. And if you can help us catch their cruiser—which I'm convinced they have operating in Alliance space—we would forever be in you debt," Vogel said. "Please sit. Miss Paulus, I was told you have a poisonous snake with you. Where, may I ask?" His eyes flew open and his smile disappeared when I reached into my blouse and pulled out Red, who wound around my forearm.

  "Here," I said. "It's a red-headed krait."

  "If it's a pet, couldn't you leave it in your room? It's obviously poisonous and dangerous," Tillman said before Vogel could decide what to say.

  "No, it's not a pet, and although it's very poisonous, it's not dangerous. It never leaves my person. Not since it saved my life at age four. And no, I can't leave it in my room. Besides it being worth more than a hundred thousand credits, its poison keeps my Coaca Virus from developing. Without it, I'd be contagious within as little as twenty-four hours," I said as Red worked his way up my arm and around my neck, laying his head on my shoulder. The captain looked to Kris.

  "It takes a bit of getting use to, but everything she’s said is true. Consequently, it's best we don't advertise it. A hundred thousand credits is a powerful incentive. Five men attacked Anna and her adopted mother a few weeks ago for that snake. She and her mother were just recently released from the hospital."

  "How did they get away?" Tilman asked Sinclair, although he was looking at me.

  "They killed the five men. Her mother is retired Captain Bellona, and Miss Paulus qualified as a marksman with a rifle and in small arms all four years at the Academy."

  "I knew Captain Bellona well. Come sit and let’s eat, and Miss Paulus can tell us how she came to be Alexa's daughter. Anyone she would adopt has got to be special."

  The dinner went well, and Vogel even told us a couple stories of when he served under Alexa. And he agreed to let me on the Bridge under the pretext of showing Kris the panels we would be looking at on the merchants' ships.

  * * *

  Walking onto the Minerva's Bridge was a dream come true. As soon as the door closed, the captain spoke. "Crew, I've told this young lady she could examine our Bridge equipment. She is a graduate of the Academy and an NIA agent with Priority One Access," he said to open mouths and wide-eyed looks. After introductions, I waved Kris to me.

  "Kris, this is the weapons panel. You won't see one as elaborate as this on a merchant's ship, but it will be similar. You're looking for a switch like that," I said, nodding to the weapons' officer, who nodded. "Throwing it puts the panel into simulation mode, and the monitor should respond accordingly." I threw the switch and then pointed to the monitor, which now showed the panel in simulation mode. "Next you need to ..." I explained each step as I went through the procedure to load a missile. "This yellow light should not turn red or green during this procedure. That would indicate it was active, which it shouldn't be in simulation mode." I spend a wonderful hour playing with each panel and talking with the Bridge crew.

  "I hope all the cadets graduating the Academy today are as knowledgeable as you, Miss Paulus. It will save us a lot of time retraining them," Vogel said as I finished.

  "I wouldn't count on it, Captain. She graduated with Distinction." Kris grinned.

  Back in my room, Kris was bubbling with excitement. "That was fantastic, Anna. The Bridge tends to be sacred ground. Few officers get to see it, much less during flight—and get a demonstration of the equipment."

  I had to agree. Vogel had gone out of his way, I thought large
ly because I was Alexa's daughter and partly because he was fascinated with me. The trip took eight days. Fortunately, the captain had Tillman give us a tour of each section, one each day, and we were invited to eat with the captain several times. A good thing, since we had no assigned duties and sitting around in our cabins would have been beyond boring.

  After we docked, Kris contacted the port authority. "They are holding the Windjammer and Dealmaker for us to inspect. They suggested the Dealmaker first. It's a day late leaving Stone Ring, and the captain is threatening law suits for not allowing his crew and him on the ship. As a result, he has had to pay for his crew to be lodged in town."

  "It doesn’t matter to me." I shrugged. Unless we found something with the weapons panel, the inspection should only take an hour. Vogel had his shuttle drop us at the port authority, where transportation was provided us to the Dealmaker. There, a Captain Pfeiffer met us at the ship's entrance. He was a short overweight man with a neatly trimmed mustache and beard. At present, his face was red and twisted in anger, but he felt nervous.

  "When do I get my ship back? We've no contraband on board. Customs has already inspected it. And who are you and her?" he shouted at Kris.

  "I'm the person who is going to get the Dealmaker released."

  "I want to go with you to see you don't damage something."

  "Sorry. We know the way." Kris nodded to the security man who the port authority had posted to ensure no one entered the ship. He stepped aside, and I followed Kris as she made her way to the Bridge. When we arrived, she looked to me.

  "I'll watch," I said. She stared at the board for several minutes, then threw the simulation switch and began going through the motions of loading a missile. About four minutes into the sequence, the yellow light turned green.