The Enclave (The Verge) (5 page)

The woman gave the ambassador an angry look before stepping back out of the limelight.

“Now Mr. Coulthard, I would like to see my quarters.”

“Yes Ambassador.”

Coulthard escorted the ambassador’s party away from the airlock and Katherine was not sorry to see them go.

“Welcoming Party dismissed.”

Katherine returned to the operations deck and gave orders for the
Adelaide
to leave Port Curtin and head for the Curtin Stargate.

“That was interesting,” Richard Coulthard said as he seated himself at the briefing table beside Katherine.

“Anything else happen that I should know about?”  Katherine would love any excuse to have that woman locked in the brig but her XO shook his head.

“Nothing that I can’t handle Skipper.”

“What happened at the boarding?” Tom asked with sudden interest.

“Nothing that concerns you Lieutenant,” Katherine said.  What had happened this morning is now a matter for her XO to sort out.  If he chose to tell the Lieutenant himself that was his prerogative, not hers.  Katherine’s friendship with Tom did not include discussing her senior officers with him, especially in front of the rest of her officers.

“Okay people.  Let’s try to make this quick.  Ambassador Kirk and his people should be here in about ten minutes, even with the midshipman taking my ‘suggestion’ of bringing them the long way around.  Now I’m hoping he will give us the real reason for this trip.  He will only want to inform myself but
I
will pass on to my senior officers any information that I think pertinent to the successful operation of our orders.  I realize that there is more going on here than meets the eye, but in the meantime we will treat the ambassador and his staff with the respect due his office and, hopefully we can get this trip over with as soon as possible.”

There was a murmur of agreement around the table that was stilled as the courtesy chime buzzed from the door.  All eyes in the room watched as a young midshipman came through the door and gave Katherine a smart salute.

“Ambassador Kirk is here to see you ma’am.”

“Very good Mr. Long, show him in.”

The midshipman disappeared but quickly returned to show John Kirk into the briefing room.  Ms. Julie Hayes was not in attendance; Katherine let herself breathe a mental sigh of relief.

Katherine stood up from the table and forced what she hoped was a friendly smile to her face.

“Welcome aboard Ambassador.  You have already met my XO and my Second Officer,” Katherine gestured to the two men on either side of her.  John nodded to them.  She then went around the table, introducing her department heads.

“This is Lieutenant Commander Jeff Maguire, Chief of Engineering.  Lieutenant Mark Hunter, Senior Helmsman.   Lieutenant Andrew Gates, Astrogator.  Lieutenant Steven Tran, Tactical Officer and Lieutenant Susan Mayer, Communications Officer.”  Katherine gestured to the only empty chair and waited for her brother to be seated before reclaiming her own chair.

“Now that the introductions are over with, let us get down to business.  Ambassador, are you ready to tell us the
real
reason for why we are on our way to Junter Three and not celebrating at Port McMahon with the rest of Battle Group Two?”

She watched the smile spring to John’s face.  “Blunt and straight to the point, as always,” he murmured.  “But the orders I have are sealed until we enter the contested zone.  All I can say for now is that you won’t be displeased.”

What a thing to say?
‘Will not be displeased!
’  If her brother had looked around the table he would see
a lot
of bared, seething anger.  But the fact that he did say it made her gut feeling about this mission solidify into something more substantial.  And if she was right….

“Very well then,” Katherine drew a breath to steady her gut.  “Can you inform us on what we
are
allowed to know about this mission?”

“Of Course.”

John sounded so cheerful that Katherine had to resist the sudden urge to thump him.  He plucked a datapad from his pocket and thumbed it on.  A holo display of a planetary system suddenly appeared above the centre of the briefing table.

“As you all know, we are currently heading tow
ards the Junter System, Junter Three to be exact.”  John gave everyone a wry smile.  “It has been a thorn in the side of the Earth Federation since the deserter colonies cut their ties to Sol completely.”

Katherine’s faced hardened at the mention of the deserter colonies.  Practically they were whole nations who fled Earth centuries ago for new worlds because they feared an Armageddon that never came.  Then a century ago a group of deserters broke their ties to Earth entirely and placed trading sanctions on any deserter or new Earth colonies that stayed loyal to Sol.  But during the last decade relations between the Earth Federation and the ‘Systems Alliance’ have practically broken down into a septic atmosphere that created the likes of Nigel Hyde.

“Junter is one of a pair of systems that are occupied by both deserter and New Earth colonies sharing the same planet.”  John ran a finger over his datapad and the third planet of the system suddenly enlarged to fill the holo display.  “This is Junter Three.  Its southern hemisphere is under the control of the Federation based at the New Holland Prefecture.  The Northern Hemisphere is under Alliance control via the city of Val Myra.  Now according to our intelligence, Val Myra has voted to leave the System Alliance and wanted to form a neutral territory above the influence from either the Federation or Alliance.  But the powers that be in the Alliance did not accept Val Myra’s application for separation and decided to make an example of them to any other member colony that might be having the same idea.”  John tapped at his datapad again and two red spots burst into life on the holo of Junter Three.

“Ambassador, what type of example did the Alliance make of Val Myra?” Susan Mayer asked as the holo was manipulated again to show close views of the areas around both hemisphere capitals.

“The Alliance probably bombed the shit out of them,” Mark Hunter muttered across to her.

John ignored Mark Hunter.  “The Alliance attacked Val Myra.  And those citizens who could, fled to the only place on the planet that was not Alliance controlled.  New Holland Prefecture.”  John tapped his datapad and the red spot on the planets southern hemisphere flared up.  It expanded to create a new holo of a large and prosperous city.  “Most of the ruling Val Myra family, (the city was named after them), escaped and are now huddled with the rest of their people in a housing sector at New Holland.  They have officially requested Federation help.”

“And, I take it that you are the help the Federation is sending.”  Katherine looked across the table at her brother.  He had changed a lot since she last saw him.  Maybe not so much in looks, he still had the looks her high school friends had tittered over, but in presence.  John had had control of this meeting from the moment he stepped into the room, and even with a hostile audience he had held their attention.  Even after their fallout over her entry into the academy, he had joined the Military.  Maybe now was the time to try and mend some bridges.  After all, he was now the only family Katherine had.

“I am being sent to finish negotiations for Val Myra’s entry into the Federation.”

“Finish negotiations for entry?  You just said that Val Myra wanted to be neutral,” Coulthard asked.

“There have been secret negotiations running between Val Myra and Geneva for the last month.  The Alliance reaction to their initial request to leave had them
rethink
their options. Once the negotiations are complete, Val Myra planned to split completely from the Alliance and come straight under Federation protection.  They would be the first colony to leave.  But somehow the Alliance has got wind of it and has made an example of them.”

“So, what are
we going to be doing, apart from taking you there?”  The sarcasm in Mark Hunter’s voice spoke volumes.  It seems her pilot was one person John’s charisma did not work on.

“At this point in time, the
Adelaide
is to act as ‘Ambassadorial escort’ and security.  The rest of your orders will be revealed when we pass into contested space.”

“So this
is
just an excuse to get us away from Hyde’s capture,” Hunter spat from across the table.

“Lieutenant-” Coulthard’s voice began to rise for Hunter’s dress down, but Katherine stopped him with a raised hand.

“It’s a valid statement, one which I’m sure will be answered in truth in due time.”  Hunter’s brother had been at Adveral.  He had lived in the same street as she had; he had died at the same time as her own family.  Katherine could not have him rebuked for having the same thoughts as she had a day ago.

John shot her a sharp look across the table but Katherine ignored him.  “I think we might adjourn this mission briefing until you are able to tell us the whole story.  Until that time Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Tran can begin drawing up security arrangements for t
he ambassador’s stay on Junter Three.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“As for the rest of you, be about your duties.”

“Yes skipper.”

Her officers rose quickly from the table and hurried from the compartment, pointedly ignoring the ambassador who remained in his seat.  Both Coulthard and Shepherd hesitated at the door but Katherine waved them away.  She did not need witnesses for this.

Once the room had emptied John turned on his sister.

“You should not let our past color our future Kath,” John said, his voice no longer calm.

“Don’t act the diplomat with me John,” Katherine snapped.  “How do you expect me to act?  I haven’t heard from you since I left for Duntroon.  You didn’t even come to the funerals in Port Augusta.”

“I didn’t think I’d be welcome.”

“It was a time when I needed my family around me.  But as you are the only family I have left now, I leaned heavily on my friends.”

“On Tom Shepherd.”  John’s disapproval dripped from his lips.

“Tom is a friend to both Brent
and I and I consider him the closest thing I have to family.  What business is it of yours to comment on my friendships?”

“You’re right.  It’s none of my business.”  John fiddled with the datapad on the table.  “But you’re still my sister and I worry about you.”  Katherine opened her mouth but John waved her silent.  “I am a hypocrite.  I did fight tooth and nail to stop you going into the Service.  I acknowledge that I went too far, but I thought I had good reasons. I’ve matured now and my viewpoint has changed.  I realized when RANSIO recruited me and I saw what was really happening out here why this was so important to you.  By then too much time had passed.  I thought I’d be more of an intrusion in your life than welcome.  And then Yunga happened…” John’s voice trembled to a halt.  He coughed and flicked off his data
pad, making the holo of Junter Three disappear from the table.

There.  That was it.  It was the closest thing to an apology that Katherine was ever likely to get from her brother.  It was definitely time to start mending these bridges; John had started the foundations from his bank – now it was her turn.

“You would have liked little Adrian,” Katherine softly said.  “He looked a lot like you.”

“I wish I could have met him.”

“I have some photos back in my quarters if you would like to see him.”  Tears prickled around her eyes at the thought of her son.

“I would like that.”

cHAPTER

Five

Katherine stood quietly in the CIC watching the executive comms screens.  The two servicemen sitting the dogwatch studiously ignored her as they performed their duties and Katherine completely ignored them.  A clink of crockery made her turn.

“Your coffee skipper.”

“Thank you Mr. Joyce.”  Katherine took the coffee mug from her steward.  “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I’m about to turn in skipper, but I thought you might need a night cap before I do.”

“It’s very much appreciated Brenton,” Katherine said wrapping her hands around the warmth of the mug.  “But go to bed, you only have another four hours before you have to attend to the Ambassador’s breakfast.”

“Yes skipper.”

Katherine turned back to the screens as her steward left the CIC.  She took a sip of the coffee and savored the warmth and the richness of the blend on her tongue before swallowing it. 
Brenton Joyce makes a bloody fine coffee.
  Katherine took another sip as she used her free hand to scan through the log for the secure comms traffic.  But the message she was looking for was not there.  Katherine frowned at the optics.  There should have been news from Port McMahon by now.  The lack of news made the hard knot sitting in the pit of her stomach tighten to near breaking point.

Maybe she
should have pressed her brother for more detail when they went back to her quarters after the meeting.  But even with their newly found goodwill, the bridge they were building still only had its foundations laid.  It would take a lot more than a talk over family photos to make it more than that.  Katherine felt determined to ensure that happens.  John had changed; he was a different person to the brother who vowed to cut her out of his life.  She was sad to hear that he was unmarried and alone but John did not tell her much more about himself or his life.