Hijackers Page 16

  "I think our operation is safe, regardless of what she may have suspected or found out during her stay with Santo. But let's not take any chances. Put out a contract on her, which is what Santo should have done."

  "I'll contact the HoBos. They should be able to find her, and they managed to circumvent her security last time, so they shouldn't have any problems."

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Tempting Faith

  "Well, Paulus, what have you decided?" Lulltrel asked after Hadley and I had sat.

  "Ma'am, I'd like to go to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax NIA offices and review the information Odom's patch collected. I think that could identify any additional cruisers with HoBos. And with Hadley's help, we could strip the WavCom and identify the merchant ship's names the other three Hijackers are using."

  "After what you've been through, I would have thought you would never want to leave home again and, Hadley, you're crazy wanting to accompany her."

  "Yes, ma'am. She's contagious. I didn't join the NIA to chase evil men but I think Paulus did. And although it's dangerous chasing evil men, it's exciting and far more rewarding than chasing petty thieves," Hadley said and gave a wry smile.

  "What do you think, Colonel?" Lulltrel asked Pannell, who was standing against the wall near the door.

  "It's damn dangerous, ma'am. Bringing home a FPU cruiser has put her to the top of the Hijackers list and eventually the HoBos are going to find out she has their number. But like Commander Paulus, I like the idea of getting rid of both groups."

  "You are contagious, Anna. I'll let Admiral Webb know. And…keep us informed in case…"

  "Yes, ma'am. I'm not suicidal and I have excellent security." I winked at Pannell, who shook his head but couldn't help a small smile.

  * * *

  "When are we leaving? Hadley asked on the way to her office.

  "I will contact Choi today so I would say in a couple of days. I'll leave it to him since there is no rush to get there. The data isn't going anywhere. Would you run a search for me?"

  "Sure. What would you like?"

  "All the ships, merchants, and cruisers which left port on the one hundred and eleventh day of this year and their designation," I said, hoping "111" referred to the date. If so, I thought I could decipher the contact's code.

  "Interesting. You think the 111 in the message refers to the date," she said, her lips puckered in thought. I nodded. "I'll send it to you as soon as I have it."

  I left and called Choi. "Captain Choi, I'd like to go to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, if you aren't busy," I said.

  "When?"

  "Whenever it's convenient for you. There is no immediate rush."

  "Is seventy-two hours from now acceptable?" Choi asked.

  "That's very acceptable. Commander Hadley will be coming along…and, of course, Colonel Pannell and his troops."

  "Wouldn't go anywhere without the Colonel. See you in three days."

  * * *

  "I'm off again, Mother," I said, feeling guilty and sad in equal parts. Guilty because it will cause Alexa to worry and sad not having her to come home to each night. She was my panic room.

  "I could take a day off if you can, and we could spend it together," Alexa said, and I could feel her apprehension."

  "Love to, Mother. I need to finish up a few things tomorrow but the day after is free."

  The next day I had Stamm arrange for an early staff meeting. When everyone was settled, I sent them the search results Hadley had sent me.

  "That is all the spacecrafts who left port on the one hundred and eleventh day of this year. I believe one of those entries will be a match for the message string starting with 111. Your job, while I'm away, is to find it."

  "How long are you going to be gone?" Atkins asked with an amused look.

  "Ten to twelve days. It shouldn't take you but a few hours to find the right one," I said, suppressing a smile. "In fact, after you crack the code you can decipher all the messages Commander Hadley found and have the answer to the criteria the Hijackers are using to select merchants to hijack." After looking at their expressions, I had to laugh. "All right, I'll stay a few extra days." After a minute I laughed and everyone joined in.

  * * *

  I boarded the Scylla around midmorning and found that Hadley was already on board.

  "Captain Choi said he'd like to see us after we got settled," Teresa said when I knocked on her door. I nodded and we walked down to his office, which was only some thirty paces down the hallway. As we approached his office, the Marine on duty knocked, peeked in, and then opened the door for us to enter.

  "Have a seat, commanders, and help yourself to something to drink," he said after returning our salutes. "Can you tell me what you blood hounds are chasing?"

  "For your ears only," I said. "We think we can find the names of the merchant ships the Hijackers are using to collect messages off the WavCom."

  "If you can, how close are you to identifying where we can find them?" Choi asked, and leaned toward us while awaiting the answer. Clearly, the thought of finding a FPU cruiser had piqued his interest.

  "I believe I can tell you where they are right now," I said and paused as his eyes widened in surprise. "There is a FPU cruiser in Safe Harber, Shadows Rest, and Oasis."

  Hadley gave me a questioning look. Choi was quiet for a minute then laughed. "There is a needle in each of the three haystacks. But the needle is nonmagnetic and the haystack covers the entire planet."

  I nodded. "When we crack their coded messages, we hope to be able to tell you what merchant they will target, the day it will happen, and in which system."

  "That will certainly shrink the haystack considerably and magnetize the needle." He smiled. "How long?"

  "I think my team will crack the code within a week or two, two or three weeks to figure out their selection criteria, and then we will have to wait on them. They have been hijacking around ten a year."

  "What about the HoBos?" he asked, changing topics.

  "We will know what ships they are on after our visits to Black Water, Truth Star, and Oxax, but they will have to wait until after you destroy the Hijackers."

  "Are you sure you can wait that long?" He looked to Pannell, who was standing off to the side.

  "Commander Paulus is playing a dangerous game. If she rounds up the HoBos, she will break the link to the Hijackers and lose them. However, that is not going to stop the HoBos from targeting Paulus…and Commander Hadley. Either because the Hijackers will hire them—again—or the HoBos will realize the NIA is a threat."

  "So you believe neither of these ladies is safe even on my ship," Choi said after a moment of silent while he rubbed his chin. Pannell nodded in the affirmative.

  "That was a cheery conversation," Hadley said as we sat in the mess eating lunch.

  "Pannell has a right to be concerned. Both groups are dangerous, have lots of money, and are very clever. They kidnapped me without killing any of my security guards, and they have the money to offer millions for our deaths. That can corrupt otherwise law-abiding individuals."

  * * *

  "Where to?" Pannell asked the next day, while the three of us were eating lunch.

  "At each of our stops, Hadley and I will want to visit the NIA offices. We shouldn't be there longer than a half day," I said.

  "Do you know the ships we should be keeping an eye on?" Pannell asked. It was a good question. He would have to be particularly vigilant if one of their ships was in port.

  "Right now, the Hecate, Laelaps, Ceto, and Graeae. But I think there are at least two more, which I hope to identify during our tour."

  "Better some than none." I could feel his frustration and concern.

  * * *

  Pannell chose to use a combat shuttle to carry Hadley and me to the Black Water NIA office, which had a landing pad outside the building. We entered the building seven strong, cleared security easily, and rode the elevator to the third floor where NIA had its office space. A lieutenant waited
as we left the elevator.

  "Commander Paulus, I'm Lieutenant Greene. Commander Harlow sends his regrets. He's busy with a priority project and can't meet with you," the young freckle-faced lieutenant said, looking embarrassed.

  "I understand Lieutenant Greene," I said to Hadley's shocked expression. Perhaps you could send a WavCom message to Admiral Lulltrel for me?" I asked. Greene nodded eagerly. "Apparently, Commander Harlow is too busy to work on your project. Please advise. Signed, Commander Paulus," I said and heard several snorts. "We'll stop back tomorrow. I'm sure we'll have heard from the admiral by then."

  "Please wait a moment, ma'am," Greene said and then double-timed down the hallway.

  "That was clever, Paulus. I'll bet Harlow's project has just been deprioritized." Hadley grinned. She had barely finished when a tall man in his mid forties came striding down the hallway, with Green following in his wake. He stopped two paces short and looked from me to Hadley.

  "You are working on a project for Admiral Lulltrel, Commander Hadley?" he asked, pointedly ignoring me.

  "Yes," I said.

  "I'm not addressing you. Commander Hadley is the senior commander present. The only reason you have any rank is because of the work Commanders Shrader and Sinclair did on the Raiders’ Project. You should still be a lieutenant," he snarled. I shook my head at Hadley and Pannell, who had moved a step closer to me.

  "You could certainly be right, Commander Harlow, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm the one requesting your assistance," I said as Red wound himself around my neck, his head facing Harlow.

  "Take that snake and leave the building. It's venomous and pets aren't allowed in the building," he shouted, while pointing to the elevator. I stroked Red as I contemplated my options. I didn’t want to ruin this man's career and considered letting Hadley take over… But I decided my mere presence would remain a problem.

  "I suggest we adjourn to your office—"

  "Out of this building with that snake or I'll call security," he shouted, his face turning red with rage.

  "Commander Harlow. I'm ordering you to take me to your office where we can discuss why I'm here and you can get rid of me quickly," I said softly to avoid being heard in the open work area not twenty meters from where we were standing.

  "Ordering me. I'm your superior and will have you up on charges—"

  "I'm invoking P1A authority," I pulled out my P1A card and held it face high for him to see. His hand flew up, striking my face and the card, which flew out of my hand. He flew backward as Pannell and another Marine smashed into him, driving him to the floor.

  "Lieutenant Greene," Hadley said, nudging the man to get his attention. "Who is the senior officer after Commander Harlow?"

  "Lieutenant Commander Hoff," he muttered, transfixed by Harlow being dragged to his feet by the Marines.

  "Good. Take us to Commander Harlow's office and then get Lieutenant Hoff. Just tell her she is needed in the commander's office. Nothing else, Lieutenant." Hadley's face looked stone hard. Greene nodded and started down the hallway, pointing toward a door at the end.

  "That snake bit me, you bitch. I’ll see you jailed—" Harlow shouted until Pannell jerked him up by his shirt collar so hard I was surprised he could breathe.

  "Colonel, lets get him to his office. I have the antivenin. It will save his life but the next few days aren't going to be fun." I shook my head as I fished in my purse for the kit I carried.

  "I thought you said he was lazy," Hadley said, looking at me and probably thinking about the time she hugged me.

  "He is but he doesn't like people attacking me. I'm his meal ticket," I quipped to an assortment of choked laughs. In the office, I administered the antivenin and had just finished when a woman of Indian descent entered. I looked to Hadley who shook her head.

  "You…we have no choice." Hadley shrugged. "Colonel Pannell, place Commander Harlow under arrest for conduct unbecoming an officer, assaulting Commander Paulus, and refusing to obey a lawful order. We can send him back to Eastar on the Scylla." She turned toward the woman. "You are the second in charge and the next highest ranking officer?"

  "Yes, ma'am, I'm Lieutenant Commander Hoff—" Hadley held up her hand to stop her from continuing. "You are temporarily in charge of the Black Water NIA office until Admiral Lulltrel decides on a permanent appointment." Hadley looked to me.

  "Commander Hoff, do you know the password to the NIA system?" I asked. Hoff looked from me to Hadley, who nodded.

  "I'm asking with P1A authority," I said, holding up my badge. Hoff nodded and sat at Harlow's desk, looking pale. She rose when I came around the desk, with Hadley following. "Stay, Commander Hoff. We may have some questions. You can't talk about what we ask you or what we discuss. This inquiry is being conducted under Project Owlet, which is a P1A project, and therefore any information leaks will have very severe consequences." I typed in the password that granted us access to Odom's data dump. We spent the next hour searching for the Black Water Nightclub website and in the keystrokes data for the word HoBo. We found four cruisers had stopped since Odom installed the patch: the UAS cruisers Artemis, Boreas, Uramis, and Oedipus. Only the Boreas and Oedipus had the HoBo password. And we were able to establish the Boreas had visited on the 203nd day and the Oedipus on the 245th day of the year. Hadley and I decided that would be enough to determine the sender, since she doubted there would be more than thirty to fifty messages within two or three days of that date. Pannell was relieved that neither the Boreas nor Oedipus were in port.

  * * *

  "Is the commander linked to the Hijackers or HoBos?" Choi asked at dinner, when he found Harlow was under arrest and being detained in the Marine's brig.

  "No, the commander appeared to feel Commander Paulus didn't deserve her rank and wasn't his superior officer, and therefore her P1A authority didn't apply to him," Hadley said, still puzzled by Harlow's outrage. Choi gave a nod.

  "It's easy to convince yourself you deserved a promotion or assignment over someone else. And easier when that person is on a fast-track. Add to that, the individual is young enough to be your daughter, and it's easy to leap to the conclusion they didn’t earn the rank. Somehow they cheated." Choi took a sip of his tea. "Look at Sharat. But in the end the military is not a democracy. And now and then they get it right, like with Commander Paulus." He raised his glass to me and I felt my face flush.

  * * *

  Before we entered the Wave to Truth Star, Hadley stripped the WavCom for all the messages on the date the Boreas and Oedipus docked at Black Water and each of the subsequent five days, just in case. We then retired to the captain's conference room and began reviewing the messages.

  "Anna, look!" Teresa shouted, pointing to her tablet. When I looked the message:

  TO STAR TRADER/SAFE HARBER

  UPDATE: CUSTOMER INVOICE: #20414347362 ON SCHEDULE FOR DELIVERY.

  FROM: AED/BLACK WATER

  I smiled. "When we get back you can search for the merchant ship names the FPU cruisers are using, which will give us the information they were each provided by their contacts. My staff should have the string decoded by then—"

  "How can you be so sure?" Hadley interrupted.

  "I think we will find that the day of the departure will be the first three digits, and the remaining numbers give the name of the ship, departing port, and arriving port."

  "Byrnes and Leyva are going to love challenging their students and staff with the solution."

  "What will be interesting is whether you and I can solve it before we get back," I said to a stunned Hadley. Then she smiled.

  "Sounds like fun."

  * * *

  The NIA office at Truth Star didn't have a landing pad close so Pannell landed us at the closest army installation and used his influence to get Army vehicles to transport us to the office. We cleared security easily as the building, a modern ten-story steel and glass structure, was dedicated to military operations. A small middle-aged woman lieutenant commander met us at the elevator
when we arrived at the fifth floor. Her curly blond hair looked wild, but somehow fit her elfin face and playful smile.

  "Good afternoon, commanders. I'm Lieutenant Commander Damon. Welcome to Truth Star. It's looks to be an exciting day." She waved for us to follow her. "My office or the conference room?"

  "Your office, Commander Damon," I said amazed at the woman's enthusiasm.

  "Exciting?" Hadley asked.

  "Yes," Damon said as the door closed behind Pannell. "The red-headed krait identifies Commander Paulus, who was on the Raider's Project team. I recognized you, Commander Hadley, as the NIA WavCom Chief, and a Marine colonel for security screams high-priority project. Very exciting. What can I get you to eat or drink?" Damon arranged for drinks and we exchanged small talk while we waited. When the petty officer left, I began.

  "This is a P1A-authorized project named Owlet. So it's for your information only. We are trying to identify the FPU cruisers in UAS space who are hijacking merchants. What we need is for you to log us into your system. It has information which should get us one step closer." I had barely finished when Damon slid behind her desk, typed on her tablet, and handed it to me. I walked over to her small conference table and waved her and Hadley over after I had access to Odom's database.

  It didn’t take long to find that the cruiser Boreas had stopped once during the period and had accessed their contact using the password HoBo.

  "That's a neat trick," Damon said, clapping her hands when we had finished. "Storing Internet connections on the NIA station computers… So the HoBos are military on the Boreas who are…"

  "They are military passing information on cruiser and merchant schedules, which the Hijackers are using to target their next victim," I said. "The information is sent to the FPU cruiser via the WavCom under a fictitious merchant's identification."

  "If you ever want a volunteer, no matter how dangerous, I'm available." Her smile was mischievous. She took us to the cafeteria, where we spent a pleasant hour talking about the Raiders’ Project. We left shortly afterward, at Pannell's insistence. I couldn't blame him for wanting us back on the Scylla as soon as possible.