Clidepp Requital (16 page)

"Um, what mission, sir?"

"We're going to Yolongus. We're going to get the damned bastard responsible for the GA Trade Show bombing."

~ December 27
^th
, 2285 ~

"Yolongus?" Sydnee said in surprise. "The home world of the Clidepp government?"

"The very same," Blade said.

"And you
know
who is responsible?" MacDonald asked.

"We do."

"Um. And we have the permission of the Clidepp Empire to enter their space for this operation?" Sydnee asked.

"No, they refused to assist us in this matter."

"Do they know the individual responsible?" MacDonald asked.

"Our ambassador never even had a chance to tell them who it is. They immediately said they're too busy with the uprising to help us look for a petty criminal and then had him escorted out of the building. They might still be upset with us for exposing their lies about condoning slavery in their nation."

"So we're going to violate their sovereign space and kidnap one of their citizens— if we can locate him?"

"Exactly. And we're not coming back without him, dead or alive."

"Um. And exactly how do we know who was behind it?"

"We caught three of the bombers. A fourth one committed suicide as our people closed in."

"And this operation is sanctioned by the GA Senate?" MacDonald asked.

"We couldn't afford a leak. They'll be informed after it's over."

Sydnee took a deep breath. "Then it's sanctioned by the Admiralty Board?"

"They haven't made a decision yet, but SHQ and the Marine High Command is confident they will. If the Admiralty Board decides we shouldn't do it, we'll simply return. In the meantime, we're going in. It'll take about a month to get there at Light-9790 once we cross the border, so we want to be poised and ready to move in when the Admiralty Board approves the mission."

"Participation is strictly voluntary," Major Burrows said. "If you don't want in, we'll move on to another candidate."

Sydnee took a deep breath and said, "Um. I'm in, sir."

"I'm in also, sir," MacDonald said.

Burrows smiled. "I was sure I could count on both of you. I wish I could go as well. We need to show these people they won't get away with committing terrorist acts in GA space."

"Um. What's the plan, sir?" Sydney asked.

"We go in with my people," Blade said, "plus six fire teams from the
Denver
. We land the CPS in a very remote area and separate from the MAT. The CPS then enters a lake and settles to the bottom to wait until they hear from us. Its black coloration will conceal it completely in the spot we've chosen because the bottom is black sand from ancient volcanic activity. The MAT then travels to a selected location four klicks from the package's home and four of my people make their way to the vicinity of the package's home where they set up two observation posts. When we know the subject is at the house, the entire team moves in under cover of darkness. We take him into custody and link up with the CPS, then return to Simmons where the terrorist is turned over to SC Intelligence."

"It sounds so simple," MacDonald said. "I'm sure it won't be."

"That was just a broad overview. It's not really a complex plan, but there are numerous fine details. A number of questions still exist, but they can only be answered by someone on the scene as we acquire intel from the observation posts, such as how many people are in the house, how many are armed bodyguards, how many are non-combatants, and how many sentries patrol outside the house. The plan is designed to be fluid until we have all the answers."

"Um. And just how do we evade the Clidepp Planetary Defense?"

"Clidepp technology is far behind that of the GA. They still use radar and lidar to track ships in their space. SC Intelligence has told me that a Dakinium-hulled ship is impossible to detect by any means used by the Yolongi because the alloy literally absorbs electronic signals. Since no radar or lidar signals are bounced back, nothing appears on scopes. In GA space, our ships always use a transponder, unless they're operating in stealth mode and traveling at Light-9790. If the ship isn't using a transponder beacon, no one knows it's there. So, we sail in at Light-9790 right up to their atmosphere, then drop softly onto the planet at the remote location. The Dakinium-sheathed MAT will also not show up on any ground radar screens. It will hug the ground as it flies to the designated location at treetop level using its noiseless oh-gee engines, where it drops off the observation teams."

"Um. May I make a couple of suggestions?" Sydnee asked.

"Of course. I want your input."

"First. I'd bring two MATs."

"Why two?"

"Um. We had two MATs loaded with Marines ready to land on Diabolisto when one developed mechanical problems and had to turn back. If we're going to be a month inside Clidepp space, we should have a backup craft with us."

"Okay. What else?"

"Um. Since I can't pilot two different ships at the same time, I assume your plan calls for another pilot. If your plan only calls for two pilots, I'd recommend a third."

"We're not going to use a second MAT unless the first one is down."

"Um. I understand that. But what happens if one of the two pilots is sick or injured and unable to do their job? Do any of your people know how to fly a CPS or a MAT? We're going to be many light-years inside Clidepp space. I hope we don't need a backup pilot, but he or she could be vital."

"And do you have any suggestions as to who might be willing to go on this mission?"

"Yes, sir. The same two pilots who supported me on Diabolisto— Lieutenants Weems and Caruthers. I recommend Caruthers as CPS pilot and Weems as MAT pilot and backup commander. Both have spent considerable time in the simulators for the CPS-14 and the MAT-14."

"Neither has any actual experience in the two ships?"

"Um, none of us do, sir. Those two models are brand new, and we haven't even been granted access to the craft yet. I've only been able to walk around the exterior. But the simulators are reported to be an almost totally realistic flight experience. And all of us are experienced with earlier models, such as with the MAT-12."

"Anything else?" Blade asked.

"Um, that's all I can think of at the moment, sir."

"The purpose of this meeting today," Burrows said, "was only to ascertain your willingness to participate, since this mission is voluntary, and to lay out the general plan if you would be participating. Support personnel rosters will be determined later. Captain Blade and his Special Ops people are the lead unit in this plan, while you and MacDonald were tentatively designated as the
Denver's
SC and Marine team leaders. As always, inside the spacecraft, whether on the ground, aloft, or in space, Lt. Marcola will be the ultimate authority. Outside the craft, the Marine officers take on that role."

"Yes, sir," both Sydnee and MacDonald said.

"If you want to examine the interior of the new ships, I'll arrange that as soon as we're done here. Within ten minutes of making the call, you'll have full access."

"Thank you, sir. I
would
like the opportunity to check it out."

"Captain Lidden has consented to excuse you from all watch duties until this mission is over, Marcola," Burrows said. "Report here again tomorrow at 0800."

* * *

As the two women walked around a CPS-14 ship parked in one of the
Denver's
shuttle bays, Sydnee looked up at the hull and said, "When we received our initial orientation, the engine nacelles were extended to their normal sub-light positions, so I never realized they retract completely inside the ship when not in use. These are like the envelope generator on a warship that disappears into a repository topside. The engines on most tugs simply retract close to the ship or perhaps into a recessed area. But these completely disappear behind sealed hatches."

"Is that significant?"

"I believe so. Perhaps it's just to minimize possible damage when docking with the MATs, but there would be no need for a cover that seals so effectively. They appear to be air-tight."

"What do you think the reason is?"

"It has to be to protect them from immersion in water. Blade did say that the CPS is supposed to enter a lake and settle onto the sand at the bottom. Let's go inside."

"Oh my God!" Sydnee said as she stepped onto the flight deck of the CPS-14.

"What's the matter?" Kelly MacDonald asked as she entered right behind Sydnee.

"The flight deck is
enormous
."

"Well, we knew the ship was twice as wide, twice as high, and twice as long as a normal tug from the outside dimensions."

"Yeah, but I guess I thought the extra space was all devoted to engineering needs. I wasn't expecting the
flight deck
to be so much larger. This is
nothing
like the simulator. And I do mean
nothing
."

"What's wrong with it?" MacDonald asked as she looked around. "It looks fine to me."

"The simulator made it appear like a standard tug configuration with pilot and copilot seats facing forward and two jump seats facing rearward. This— this— is like a regular bridge in a— scout ship." As she walked around, she elaborated. "This chair on a raised platform in the center of the deck is obviously a command chair since there's no associated console. And it has small monitors attached to the arms, just like the command chairs on any warship. Then we have a chair and console that appear to be the helm," she said as she moved to view the console, "positioned directly in front of the command chair. The configuration on this console is exactly what you see in the simulator. Then, to the left of the helm we have what appears to be a navigation station, with an engineering console to the far starboard side of the deck. Immediately to the right of the command chair is a com station, and this," she said as she walked to the larboard side of the command chair, "appears to be a— tactical station? There's no way one person could pilot this ship properly. You can handle all ship movements from the helm console, but there's no com within reach, and the navigation console is too far away to be accessed by the helmsman unless they leave the helm unattended. And
why
would you need a tactical station on a tug?"

"It would appear there's a lot more to this small ship than we've been told. Perhaps that's why you weren't allowed inside before."

"You know, Kel, the flight deck looks very similar to a scout-destroyer bridge, but— more compact."

"Maybe that's it, Syd. Maybe this was intended to be a modular mini-scout-destroyer. You can put together whatever configuration you need to meet the current situation, and all the components fit inside a
Lyon
-class destroyer until needed, or they're Dakinium-sheathed and can be attached outside."

"Do you suppose some of those habitat units attached to the hull contain weapons?"

"That would explain the tactical station. Maybe that's the main reason no one was allowed inside. Any bridge officer or pilot would immediately recognize a tactical station."

"My team for this mission is going to be more than double the size I envisioned. I'd say six to properly handle this ship, plus one pilot for the MAT and a backup pilot."

"You think eight is enough?"

"Unless this ship has more requirements than we see here. Maybe we should check out the engineering section."

"Let's go."

A minute later they were standing in the engineering space.

"Add one more engineer to the one on the bridge," Sydnee said. "That makes a crew of nine if the plan only requires one MAT."

"I guess when you think about it, it makes sense," MacDonald said.

"Sense? How does any of this make sense?"

"A tug is principally designed to lift one ten by twenty by forty meter fully loaded cargo container from a planetary surface into space. This ship is designed to lift eight loaded, half sized containers,
plus
four Marine armored transports. The size of the load is ten times as great as that of a normal tug. It reasons that the ship has to be bigger and more powerful, and will require a larger crew."

"That's true, but this ship is so much more than that. When you consider all of the configurations possible, it seems that rather than starting with a normal tug design and adding features, they started with a scout-destroyer and figured out how to modularize it. Operating this ship will be a more complex task than I anticipated. I hope this is the end of the surprises."

* * *

Sydnee and Kelly MacDonald returned to the same conference room the next morning. Again, only Burrows and Blade were in the room.

"Did you get a good look at the CPS-14?" Burrows asked of Sydnee as she took her seat.

"Yes, sir."

"It was an eye opener, wasn't it?"

"Um. Yes, sir. You've been inside?"

"Of course. Have you reevaluated the size of the crew you'll require for this mission?"

"Um. Yes, sir. Most definitely. I estimate the minimum number of staff required to properly handle that ship will include one bridge officer for helm, one bridge officer for navigation, one tac officer, one com chief, two engineers, and a commanding officer. Plus you'll need one pilot for each MAT and a backup."

"We only intend to use one MAT-14, so that would add two more to the crew, for a total of nine. That agrees with what the SCI recommended. Have you created a list of the individuals you'd like to have?"

"Um. Yes, sir," Sydnee said and slid a viewpad gently across the table towards him.

Burrows looked at the list and then up at Sydnee. "All good people. I notice you still want Weems and Caruthers if they agree to participate. "

"Yes, sir. Both are excellent pilots, and I would trust my life to either one."

"That's exactly what you'll be doing," Blade said. "This mission isn't going to be the cakewalk you had on Diabolisto. There's a chance none of us will be coming back. The Clidepp Empire isn't going to be happy about us invading their space and taking one of their citizens. If they learn we're there, I'm sure they'll pull out all the stops to capture or kill us. And we all have to understand that getting the package is the most important part of this operation. If necessary, everyone is expendable. Do you understand?"