Hijackers Page 24

  "Sir," I said as I opened my tablet and clicked on the icon for the table I had prepared the other day.

  Cruiser

  Planned stops

  Laelaps

  Oasis 7/5

  Westar

  Shadows Rest

  Boreas

  Truth Star

  Oxax7/20

  Holy Star

  Oedipus

  New Zheng

  Amend

  Fire Rock 8/3

  As you can see by the following itinerary, the Laelaps will be in Oasis on 7/5, the Boreas on Oxax on 7/20, and the Oedipus on Fire Rock on 8/3. If I could arrive a few days early, I could ascertain what contract they had and we could catch them in the act."

  "Pannell?" Webb asked. Pannell stood quietly for several minutes.

  "Whatever cruiser the commander leaves Eastar on can't be the same one she arrives on Oasis. And the same for Oasis, Oxax, and Fire Rock. She's far too conspicuous and, with the five million reward on her head, they are going to be tracking her every movement."

  The discussion went on for several hours before a tentative plan was developed. Afterward, Lulltrel called for a staff meeting and included my staff. When everyone was seated, she began.

  "First, I'd like to congratulate everyone here on your outstanding performance on the Rabbit and Owlet Projects. The Rabbit Project is officially closed and we hope to close the Owlet Project within the next few weeks." She paused for a drink of coffee. "Commander Paulus is going to oversee catching the last HoBos, which are crew on the Hercule, Boreas, and the Oedipus. But because she is so visible and has a multi-million credit award on her head, we need three volunteers. I believe the danger is minimal, not to be confused with easy and safe. The three individuals will be assigned a NIA office to visit. There you will monitor the Internet traffic of a designated cruiser when it arrives on station and communicate the result to Commander Paulus. She will use that data to set a trap for the HoBos."

  I was surprised to see everyone raise their hand. Lulltrel laughed.

  "I wouldn't mind going myself." She sat quietly for several minutes. "I like it. I'll pair one of my staff with one of Commander Paulus's staff…and Commander Odom, you can go with Commander Paulus.

  * * *

  "You look in an exceptionally good mood," Alexa said as I joined her for dinner.

  "I am, Mother. I asked Lulltrel for permission to go catch the remaining HoBos. She took me and Pannell to Webb." I felt Alexa's apprehension. "Together they have developed a plan which should minimize any danger to me. And are giving both staffs an opportunity to participate." I went on to explain the plan. "She paired Odom with me as I may need his system programming expertise, Hadley with Cooper, Byrnes with Newman, and Leyva with Atkins."

  "They've made your mother a very happy woman."

  * * *

  I boarded the Scylla with Odom late in the day, some seven days before the Laelaps was due to reach Oasis for a scheduled five-day layover. The total travel time to Oasis was estimated at six days, which would give us a day to spare. Hadley and Cooper had left two days ago to give them several days to get set up for the Laelaps arrival.

  "Ma'am, Captain Choi would like to invite you and Commander Odom to dine with him at twenty hundred hours. Right now he's preparing the Scylla to depart," the Officer on Deck said, after checking my ID.

  "Tell Captain Choi we would be honored," I said, and followed a young petty officer to our assigned quarters.

  "This is nice," Odom said, looking around his room when the door slid open. "Commander Hadley is right. You do travel first class."

  * * *

  "According to Admiral Webb, you're hoping to identify the remaining HoBos this time," Choi said after being introduced to Odom and we had been served drinks.

  "Yes. We know the ships they are on and the sites they use to pass information, thanks to Commander Odom's patch. And my staff has managed to decipher their coded messages. We are going to try to catch them trying to fulfill a contract."

  "I wish I could be there when you do, but after I transfer you to the Typhon, I'm going to Shadows Rest."

  "I too wish you were going," I said, not looking forward to meeting the Captain of the Typhon.

  "Any time you want cruiser duty, Paulus, I would welcome you on my Bridge crew. I'd wager Admiral Webb would give you an exemption," he said and raised his glass to me.

  * * *

  Two days later we entered Holy Star space, and several hours later rendezvoused with the Typhon. Odom, my security, and I were transferred via shuttle. When we exited, a commander stood waiting. I saluted.

  "Permission for my party and me to come aboard, sir." I said, feeling apprehensive under the commander’s evaluation. He held out his hand for my ID. I handed it to him, along with a letter from Admiral Webb. He read it carefully, stopping twice to look at me.

  "I'm Commander Solis, XO of the Typhon. Captain Ouellette would like to speak with you, Commander Paulus. Senior Chief Cosby will get Commander Odom and your security settled in the meantime.

  "Lead on, Commander Solis," I said. Solis frowned when Pannell and two Marines followed us, but said nothing. As we approached the captain's office, the Marine on duty opened the door and stepped back for us to enter. I entered and saluted, noticing Pannell enter behind me.

  "Commander Paulus reporting per my orders, ma'am," I said. Ouellette was a heavy-set woman with short red hair and an angular face. She appraised me, feeling curious as Solis handed her my ID and Webb's letter. She read the letter then handed it back to me.

  "At ease, Commander Paulus. You're probably the most talked about officer in the Navy. Of course, that isn't surprising since you are the youngest commander in the Navy. That feeds the rumor mill like gasoline on a fire. Never mind, get yourself something to drink and sit." She waved her hand to several chairs. When I did, she joined me. "If you can, would you tell me why we are going to Oasis and what the mission encompasses?"

  "Yes, ma'am, but the information is only for you and Commander Solis, and it is given under P1A authority." I waited until she and Solis nodded. "The people we are seeking have a five million credit Wanted Dead reward for me… I went on to explain about the Hijackers and HoBos.

  "I would have preferred to be chasing some of those foreign cruisers, but ridding the Navy of organized crime is a worthwhile task." She looked to Solis, who nodded. "Well, I've got a ship to get going, but I'd like you and…Commander Odom to join me for dinner."

  "We'd be honored."

  * * *

  We parked at the Oasis space station two days later and I contacted the NIA office via an encrypted connection.

  "Hi, Anna. This is exciting. What kind of contracts do you think they take?" she asked, clearly excited by the upcoming operation.

  "Smuggling, thieving, and murdering. Let's hope the local contract has something for them. Otherwise, it's going to be a waste of time and we’ll have to reschedule. In that case, we could lose them."

  Hadley laughed. "Cooper and I have all our appendages crossed."

  The waiting was boring for everyone. To prevent any inadvertent leak of information, Ouellette didn't allow any planet-side leave, closed down the Internet connection, and informed the Comm Officer that all outgoing messages had to be approved by me. On the second day the Laelaps docked, and I set up a secure link with Hadley and Cooper.

  "Got it!" Hadley screamed into the connection. "They want a guy murdered. There is a meet tonight to discuss the details. We plan to get pictures of the individuals when they meet, since we know where they will meet and who to look for. The police are set up to follow them when they leave and hopefully catch them before they kill the guy." She grinned.

  * * *

  Sergeant Gulley was smiling when he entered his three-man quarters. He would be eligible for retirement in six months. His retirement, along with the extra money he had earned with the HoBos over the past two years, meant he would have a very comfortable life. Sergeant Alves and Corporal Bl
ock were both asleep. Gulley banged Alves bunk with his baton and stepped back as Alves lurched to his feet, knife in hand, and surveyed the room. Gulley grinned and took two steps over to Block's bunk and poked him. "Rise and shine, Corporal, duty calls."

  Block whipped the blanket off and swung his legs over the edge, preparing to jump up, until he saw Gulley. "What's up, Sarge?"

  "And it better be good, Gulley," Alves snarled.

  "How about ten thousand credits?" Gulley said, getting a beer out of their small cooler. "A simple hit made to look like a robbery."

  "When?"

  "We'll get the details at the Swingers Club three hours from now. I've got each of us a forty-eight hour pass. Our contact will be a woman wearing a red band on her wrist. We are to ask her if her name is Rhona. She'll ask your name and you are to answer, Salley."

  * * *

  Two hours later the three sat at a small table in the Swingers Club, drinking beer and enjoying a chorus line of seminude girls when a tall shapely brunette came walking toward them. She had a fluffy red band on her wrist. As she reach their table, Alves leaned toward her and smiled. "Hi gorgeous, what's your name…I'll bet it's Rhona," he said, patting the empty chair next to him. "Want to join us?"

  "What's your name, handsome?" she asked as she moved to stand behind him.

  "Salley," Alves said with an ear-to-ear grin.

  The woman put her hand on his shoulder and leaned so close he could feel her warm breath in his ear. He shuddered as his body tingled from head to toe. Then her hand slipped in his shirt all the way to his navel and the tingling tripled.

  "Too bad, I'm waiting for Fredrick." She spun on her heel and was several steps away before Alves could speak. He laughed when he realized she had slipped a note inside his shirt. He fished it out, read, and passed it to Gulley.

  STANLEY COLE, 338 SWAIN ROAD, KILLED AND ROBBED WHILE ALONE.

  The note contained a picture of a good-looking middle-aged man with wavy dark brown hair. Gulley nodded.

  "We have time for a few more beers," Gulley said, "before we need to go to work."

  * * *

  My CDC buzzed with an emergency message. When I clicked accept, Teresa's face appeared, looking like she had been promoted to admiral.

  "We caught them," she shouted. We got pictures of the three when the woman with the red wristband approached their table, and the police were able to put a trace on the taxi they hired. A drone followed them when they left the vehicle. The police descended on them when they entered the house. They surrendered immediately, since they hadn't killed their victim when the police entered. They were in the process of making it look like a robbery. They will be transferred to the Typhon after they are processed by the Oasis police. Cooper and I will gather their things from the Laelaps and join you." She cut the connection.

  Early that evening Hadley and Cooper were directed to the captain's conference room, where Captain Ouellette and Commander Solis were present, along with Pannell and two Marines.

  "It played out just like we’d planned it at Admiral Lulltrel's staff meeting. Perfect. They used the Internet when they arrived, got a contract, and we…well, the police caught them. And we have plenty of proof, even without the bank account information we found in their lockers. They each have over fifty thousand credits and the software application used to decipher the downloads from their contact," Cooper said between sips of her wine.

  "And to think this organization has been operating out of UAS cruisers for years, and no one knew or suspected," Solis said. "Oh, we knew drugs got smuggled on to the ship and we occasionally caught someone stealing."

  "Yes, the Spooks are sneaky and good. They don't even take credit for what they do, but get blamed for spying on us for no apparent reason. NIA has proved to me they are on our side," Ouellette said as she raised her glass to us.

  * * *

  We left Oasis two days later and met the Sparta several hours out of the normal travel lanes. There Odom, my security, and I were transferred to the Sparta. The Typhon was headed back to Eastar, with Hadley and Cooper and their prisoners.

  When I stepped off the shuttle, a lieutenant commander met us.

  "Permission to come aboard, Commander, for me and my party," I said. His eyes were wide in surprise, confirming his captain's orders had been vague.

  "Ma'am the captain would like to speak to you," he said hesitantly as he surveyed the colonel and the Marines.

  "Lead on, Commander," I said, feeling sorry for him. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, since I imagined he had only expected one or two VIPs. He waved for me to follow and he led me to the captain's office. Inside, I braced to attention and saluted.

  Commander Paulus reporting, per orders," I said, and handed the gray-haired man my ID and Webb's letter. He frowned as he scanned my ID, looking up twice as he read the letter. After a few minutes he handed my credentials back to me, his face stone cold.

  "NIA and NIA's most controversial member," he said as he sat. "And on an assignment for Admiral Webb. And since you have P1A authority and Marine support, I suppose you are in charge."

  I shook my head when Pannell moved away from the wall. "Then you assume wrong, Captain…" I paused to be introduced.

  "Taylor."

  "Captain Taylor. I'm merely a passenger on assignment.

  "What about Sharat?" he asked a bit louder. Again I shook my head at Pannell.

  "I told Captain Sharat she was going into a trap, for which I received a reprimand. It was her decision and her decision alone to proceed. I refuse to accept blame from you or anyone else for her decisions," I said as Red wrapped around my neck, facing the captain. Taylor sat silently for a long time. Finally he rose.

  "Good point, Commander. Get something to drink and sit. If it isn't classified above my pay grade, what can you tell me about your assignment?" he said, and his face relaxed not quite into a smile.

  "The NIA, while chasing Hijackers from the FPU, discovered…” I spent the next two hours, which included a stop for dinner, explaining about the HoBos and what I hope to achieve at Oxax.

  "Very interesting. I heard we had destroyed FPU cruisers, but nothing about NIA's part in the operation. So as far as you know, there are only two ships remaining with HoBos."

  "Yes, sir. And none on your ship," I added. He laughed. "Thank you."

  * * *

  Two days after we docked at Oxax, the Boreas docked. Three hours later I heard from Byrnes and Newman.

  As I was in Captain Taylor's office when I got the call, I put it on speaker. "Anna, we just decoded the Internet message to the HoBo. Looks like we have a go. As he talked, the message scrolled across my screen.

  FIVE THOUSAND. PICK UP PACKAGE AT THE BOUNCING BETTY TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT. CONTACT WEARING CAST ON RIGHT ARM WITH SPIDER TATTOO. DELIVER TO CONTACT IN NEW ZHENG YOUR NEXT STOP.

  "See you later. Be careful," I said and crossed my fingers that things went smoothly.

  "That's some part-time job the HoBos have, and the Navy provides the transportation costs," Taylor said, shaking his head. "See you at dinner?" he asked.

  "Yes, sir."

  * * *

  Byrnes and Newman showed up early the next morning with Navy security and three prisoners—HoBos. The Captain had Byrnes and Newman escorted to his conference room, where he had breakfast served.

  "That was the most…satisfying assignment I've had in my twenty-four years of service," Byrnes said, as he collected a plate and sat. "And it's nice to see the result of all the hard work everyone put into the project."

  "What were they smuggling?" Taylor asked.

  "They had four rare canvases that were stolen over eight months ago. The art director said they were worth several million credits."

  The Sparta left early the next morning and rendezvoused with the UAS Zelus several hours later, well out of the travel lanes. Byrnes and Newman stayed on the Sparta, which would deliver them to Eastar, along with the prisoners.

  I was a little nervous leaving
the shuttle. As the Sparta proved, the rumor about me ran the gauntlet. So I wasn't surprised to see a commander waiting.

  "Permission to for me and my party to come aboard, Commander," I said while handing him my ID and Webb's letter. He spent several minutes examining them before speaking. When he looked up, Red was on my shoulder. He jerked back. He didn't look happy but my ID and Webb's letter was clear: Red was authorized.

  "Commander, the captain would like to speak to you," he said, sounding halfway between an order and a request. Webb's letter and P1A access obscured the captain's normal absolute authority.

  "Lead on, Commander. I imagine you have questions." I stifled a laugh and followed the commander to the captain's office.

  "Commander Paulus reporting, per my orders," I said. The captain returned my salute after several seconds surveying my medals.

  "At ease, Paulus. I'm Captain Gillette. If you can tell me why we're here I'd appreciate it, because I don't have a clue." She smiled.

  "I don’t mind, but you and your XO must understand it's under P1A secrecy." I waited for her to nod.

  "Get something to drink and relax." She pointed to three chairs.

  Although unnecessary, I started with the Hijackers, thinking it wouldn't hurt to educate the friendly captains to NIAs range of activities. She was an inquisitive listener and we spent several hours discussing the HoBos and the Hijackers.

  * * *

  A day and a half after we arrived in Fire Rock, the Oedius arrived. I was sitting eating breakfast with Captain Gillette, discussing Red, with whom she was fascinated, when my CDC buzzed. When I clicked on accept, Leyva's face appeared, looking worried. I put it on speaker.

  "Paulus, one of the HoBos logged onto the Fire Rock Nightlife website. But I'm afraid we have a problem. As he talked, the decoded message flowed across my screen.

  NOTHING AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME. CHECK BACK IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.

  "When is the Oedius scheduled to leave and what is its next stop?" I asked, and crossed my fingers. Several minutes later, Leyva spoke.