The Battlestar Glory Ch. 11

(This is not a sexy story. It is a space war thriller.)

(This is not a sexy story. It is a space war thriller.)

Chapter 11: Assassination

Chapter 11: Assassination

From the Log of War Admiral Norman North, 15 years and four days after Vitalics.

We encountered another huge cargo ship filled with supplies last week. It seems obvious now that our benefactor is content to resupply us, to keep our fleet going, but does not wish to reveal his identity. Even with the resupply, however, we are still critically short on spare parts and proper maintenance. Being resupplied once every two years simply isn't sufficient. Furthermore, the troubling attacks by the Insects have continued.

Some of my fleet captains have suggested that this is all a ruse, that the series of resupply ships have been put there by the Insects, so they can keep track of where we are and where we're going. Feelings are especially high after a skirmish last week that inflicted heavy casualties on one of our destroyers.

For my part I feel the resupply ships are not part of a trap. I think the Insects are able to track us because they have so many fleets searching for us. Now that we know about their particle cannon, we know that once they construct a new fleet they can bring it all the way out here in a matter of days. With more and more fleets after us, it's inevitable that we will face more and more battles.

But some of the captains feel we should stop following the route of the resupply ships. They aren't advocating homesteading. After our encounter with the false colony planted by the Insects, they are realistic enough to understand that we can't settle down on a habitable world. Their argument, now, is that we simply must change direction. I am not convinced it is time for a change. I am also getting closer to finding out the origins of our benefactors. I just need a little more time.

********

"Our carrier group has reported a probable location of the human fleet," said one of the Insect officers in Queen Zsst's command chamber.

"Excellent," said Queen Zsst. "Order them to attack!"

Admiral Stay cleared its thorax. "Respectfully, noble one-"

"You have a reason for interrupting?" Queen Zsst said coldly. Admirals had been dismembered for less

"Sorry, noble, one," said Stay, bowing low. "But we have seen how attacking with smaller fleet units has failed in the past. As I mentioned before, we need to build a large fleet of capital ships and carriers-"

"You mean several fleets, don't you?" said Zsst. "We have no less than seven fleets searching for the humans in the hopes of finding them."

"We need to assemble a larger fleet before we can take them on," said Stay. "Respectfully, our carrier group fleet consists only of attack carriers. It's supposed to link up with a fleet of capital ships in a month's time-"

"In a month's time we may lose track of the human fleet again!" said Zsst. "We have expended a great deal of resources in hunting the humans, delaying necessary campaigns and drawing back on others. It's time to put this at an end. Eight fully armed supercarriers should be able to make short work of them. Even with the notorious Norman North in charge."

"Yes, of course," said Admiral Stay.

********

"We'll only be gone for a few hours," said the War Admiral. "Lieutenant Shishman can continue to monitor the patrols in our absence," he said.

"Yes sir," said Captain Wren. She wasn't especially concerned, but with the Insects in the area, she would feel more comfortable if he were in theGlory, the most heavily armored ship in the fleet, in case of any sudden attack. But the War Admiral and Colonel Dey would only be on theAmory Tilfor a few hours. Captain Dulin had requested it, actually. He thought it would help improve morale if the War Admiral and the Colonel met with theAmory Til's pilots. As the secondary and much smaller carrier of the fleet, there was an underlying resentment among the pilots of theTil. They felt that they never got their fair share of high profile assignments. Part of the purpose of the trip was to mend fences. It was logical for Colonel Dey, as commander of starfighter forces, to go, but sending the War Admiral himself was less intuitive. What if the Insects attacked while the War Admiral was on theTil, or even worse, in transit between the two ships?

"We'll always have some advance warning of an attack, Stacy," the War Admiral had said in his office. "And if they do attack while I'm on theTil, I'll be very well protected."

"Not as well protected as if you were here," Wren had said.

"I've gone on inspection tours before," the War Admiral had said mildly.

"Not when we were pursued by an enemy fleet," Wren had responded.

The War Admiral's shuttle launched an hour later, escorted by a pair of 150-B fighters--Took and the Ken Pilot. Wren had selected the escort herself.

********

They were met in the docking bay of theAmory Tilby the ship's senior officers, including the commanders of the Wildcat AA and Lancer BB squadrons. The delegation was led by Captain Dulin, who had assumed command after Captain Bennett was arrested, and his first officer, Commander Slurvik, who had also been Bennett's first officer.

"War Admiral, you honor us with your presence," said Dulin.

The War Admiral gave a friendly nod. "It's good to be here," he said, noting that the other officers around him didn't look so friendly.

"Yes, War Admiral, we're happy to have you with us," said Slurvik. "This way, please," he said, indicating a passageway.

"Aren't we going to meet with your fighter squadrons?" said the War Admiral.

"Commander Slurvik suggested you might like a tour of the ship first," said Dulin, giving his deputy a glance.

"Very well," said the War Admiral. They started walking, with Slurvik in the lead, followed by Dulin, the War Admiral, Colonel Dey, Took and the Ken Pilot, and directly behind them were the other senior officers.

Took accidentally brushed against one of the officers behind him. "Sorry," he said, giving his trademark irritating smile.

The officer, one of the starfighter commanders, just glared at him coldly.

"Friendly, aren't they?" Took muttered to the Ken Pilot.

The Ken Pilot made no response. He simply looked bored; Captain Dulin had charged him with getting the War Admiral safely to and from theAmory Til; now that they had safely arrived, his mind was on autopilot.

They toured the interior of the ship and gradually made their way to the engineering section. Dulin or Slurvik would make some comment here or there, and the War Admiral would take note of it, nodding sagely.

They made their way through a series of engineering compartments, with Slurvik leading the way. When they came to one door, however, Slurvik stopped.

"A problem, Commander?" said Dulin, who was right behind him.

Slurvik frowned. "This door won't open. It must be a malfunction. Let me go around and see if I can't get it open from the other side. My apologies, War Admiral."

The War Admiral gave him a tight smile.

Slurvik edged past them and exited the way they had entered. It was a tight squeeze because they were in a room filled with large power conduits. Suddenly, there was a giant hum, and then a roar. Dulin saw to his horror that one of the conduits was bulging and getting red-hot, about to rupture. Instinctively he turned and tried to push the War Admiral down, but at that moment there was a bright flash and a large sound-

"What happened?" said Took, coughing. He found himself on the deck in the corridor just outside the compartment he had been standing in. Smoke was wafting through the air, and white clad technicians were scurrying in and out.

"There was an explosion," said the Ken Pilot, who had minor burns on his arms and face. "I dragged you out, after I finished pulling the others out."

"Thanks," said Took automatically. "The others? What about-"

Suddenly, a series of stretchers emerged from the room. "This one's dead," said one of the doctors, pulling a blanket over the head.

"Who?" said Took. He didn't wait for an answer, but instead pulled the blanket back.

It was Colonel Dey. His eyes were wide open, staring out in horror.

Then another stretcher came out, this one bearing Captain Dulin. "How is he?" said Took, wrenching his eyes away from the Colonel.

"Concussion," snapped the doctor. "Get out of the way, we have to get him to sickbay."

And then another stretcher came out. The War Admiral was on this one. He was conscious, and moaning, but his uniform was ripped open and he was bleeding from the chest. "Took," he moaned feebly as he was carried off.

"War Admiral-" said Took. Suddenly he saw Slurvik in the crowd. He fought his way over to him. "What happened?"

"A power conduit ruptured," said Slurvik. "We were lucky it didn't take the whole compartment."

"Yeah, real lucky," Took said.

"I'm sorry about the War Admiral," said Slurvik. "He's getting the best medical care. I have to get to the bridge." He turned and left.

Took put his face in his hands. He turned to the Ken Pilot. "Who's going to call Captain Wren?"

********

"WHAT?" the Captain yelled.

The bridge crew of theGlory, unaccustomed to hearing yelling on the bridge, barely noticed it over the shock of the news.

"It was a freak accident," said the holoimage of Slurvik.

"I want this 'freak accident' investigated immediately," said Wren. "In the meantime, what is the condition of the War Admiral and the Captain?"

"Captain Dulin has a severe concussion. The doctors aren't sure when he'll regain consciousness."

Or if. Wren swallowed that information for the moment. "And the War Admiral?"

"He absorbed a direct bolt of electricity to the chest. If it had hit his heart he'd already be dead."

"Prepare to medevac him to theGlory," said Wren immediately.

"It's too dangerous to move him now, it could kill him," said Slurvik. "We have our best people taking care of him."

"How could this happen?" said Wren, grinding her teeth.

"We've accumulated a lot of damage over the years, Captain," said Slurvik. "It's more amazing that things like this don't happen more often. In the meantime I'm assuming acting command of theTil, until the Captain gets back on his feet."

Wren nodded. "I want hourly updates on their condition."

"You'll get them," Slurvik promised. "Amory Tilout."

********

Three hours later Wren, unable to contain herself any longer, and in violation of all command protocols, shuttled over to theTil, leaving Half Commander Kearse in charge. She knew it wasn't responsible of her to leave such a junior officer in command of the ship, but she felt she had no other choice. She went to sickbay and checked on their condition. Not much had changed.

Their chief doctor, Commander Rubgy, briefed her personally. Captain Dulin had suffered a severe head wound and had gone into a coma. It was unclear when, or if he would recover. A microcellular scan showed no specific damage to key areas of the brain, but on a macro level his brain had absorbed a tremendous shock. "In cases such as this, if he regains consciousness in the next day or two, he'll be more likely to recover."

"And if he doesn't?" said Wren.

Rubgy made a face. "If we were on August, with the finest neurosurgeons and the facilities of the capital, we could do more. But we can't."

"And the War Admiral?"

"He's lost a lot of blood, and suffered serious internal bleeding. We had to make extensive repairs to his liver and spleen," said Rubgy.

"What's his prognosis?"

Rubgy made another grimace. "The damage was severe. We'll have to wait and see."

Wren tried to appear calm. "Is he conscious?"

"No," said Rubgy.

"I want to see him."

Wren entered the private chamber where the War Admiral was. Now, critically injured, his years showed, and he looked weak, feeble, and pale. She reached out and squeezed his hand. Tears swelled in her eyes.

His eyelids flickered at the touch. He started to say something.

"Stac.."

"I'm here," Wren whispered.

"Status," the War Admiral rasped.

"A power conduit exploded. Roger is unconscious. Dey is dead."

The War Admiral winced. "I... knew his family," he rasped. Then, with an effort. "My... prognosis?"

"You're going to get better, you just need some rest," said Wren, holding his hand tightly.

The War Admiral's eyes grew distant, and then his eyes closed. "Take... command," he whispered.

Wren blinked. Had the War Admiral just put her in command of the entire fleet? But there was one thing he was right about. Her place was on theGlory. Reluctantly, she turned to leave.

"Keep me updated every hour, Doctor," she said, leaving.

Outside, she found Took and the Ken Pilot waiting for her. Both had had their burns treated.

"What happened?" Wren asked, as they walked down the corridor.

"We were taking a tour of the ship, and the power conduit burst," said Took. "We were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Wren looked down the corridor, saw nobody nearby, and yanked him down a dark side corridor with more force than a lady her size should have. She spoke in a low but firm voice. "That's the official story. I find it an extremely improbable coincidence that such a thing could just happen when the War Admiral was on the ship, and in that particular room. Are you following me?"

"Completely," said Took. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just telling you what Slurvik told me."

"Well, I don't trust Slurvik," said Wren. "He was Bennett's number one a lot longer than he was Roger's. I want you to investigate and find out what really happened." She turned and gave the Ken Pilot a glare for good measure. "You too. Report anything you find immediately. I'll be on theGlory."

She turned on her heels and left.

Took felt his sore shoulder, which hadn't been helped by Wren's pulling. "What do you think, K? Do you see a conspiracy in all this?"

The Ken Pilot shrugged. "I did notice that Slurvik had a ready made excuse for getting out of the room just before the explosion occurred."

"Yes, the malfunctioning door," said Took. "I think we're going to have to call in an expert on this."

"Chief Engineer Arkasian?"

"No, he'd be too conspicuous. What we need is someone with a lot of brains, but a lower profile, someone who won't stand out," said Took, thinking of a very specific person as he activated his wrist comm.

********

"Gee Mr. Took, it's just like old times!" said Billy Holiday. Obe had brought him in a shuttle from theGlory.

"Yes, Bill, just like old times," sighed Took. "I need you to have a look at the scene of the accident." They made their way to the compartment where the conduit had exploded. It was a mess now, filled with burned out components and shattered pieces of equipment. "Have a look." He remembered that Bill had single handedly improved the engines on theBlue Luna; surely this should be in his area of expertise.

Bill studied the conduit for a moment. Then he said, "Yep! It looked like it ruptured."

"Can you tell us anything more, Bill?"

Bill started sniffing the air. "That's odd."

"What's odd?"

"The smell."

"There was an explosion here, Bill," said Took.

"No, not that," said Bill. "Where have I smelled that smell before?" He looked down at the ground, and took a small bag out of his belt. "Do you mind if I take some samples?"

"Go right ahead," said Took, unsure what Bill was up to. When Bill had retrieved a few pieces he said, "Now, what about the door?"

Bill went to the door. It shwooshed open. "It works fine for me!" said Bill.

Not only that, but there was a man standing on the other side of it. The man, a burly lieutenant commander, entered the compartment. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

"Investigating," said Took.

"On who's authority?" said the man.

"Captain Wren," said Took.

"You can't do anything here without the Captain's permission," the man growled.

"Captain Dulin is unconscious," said Took.

"I mean, acting Captain Slurvik," said the man. "I'm Chief Engineer Wayor, and nobody's allowed down here without my say-so or Slurvik's."

"Ah hah," said Took. He looked at Bill, got a slight nod. They were done here anyway.

"Sorry to have bothered you," said Took, turning to go.

When they were out in the corridor Obe whispered, "What was that all about?"

"With the War Admiral and Captain Dulin knocked out, the chain of command has gotten a bit, well, unchained," said Took. "I wouldn't be surprised if Captain Wren discovers some difficulty in getting our buddies here to follow orders."

********

"What do you mean, theTil'sstarfighter scouts won't talk to us?" snapped Captain Wren.

"They're telling us that all their intelligence has to be filtered through theAmory Til," said Shishman.

"That's funny," said Wren. "I was under the impression that we were all on the same side here. Get me Slurvik on holo."

The holoimage of Slurvik appeared on the bridge. "Yes Captain?"

"Commander, are you aware some of your pilots are refusing to give us direct access to their scouting reports?"

"Really, Captain?"

"Yes, Commander."

"No, I was not aware of this," said Slurvik.

"Perhaps you can make them aware of standard procedure, and order them to send their intel directly to us," said Wren.

Slurvik considered. "You have to understand, Captain, that the pilots are very upset right now."

So he was aware of what was going on.

"The whole terrible bombing incident has shaken everyone up here," said Slurvik. "That may account for why some of our pilots are feeling a bit... provincial."

Obviously, Slurvik had ordered his pilots not to respond to theGlory's hails.

"I order you to have your pilots provide us with the necessary information," said Wren, feeling too short-tempered to waste her time playing games.

Slurvik raised his eyebrows. "You make a reasonable request, Captain. I will see that it's implemented." His image faded, even though Wren hadn't formally dismissed him.

"Uh-oh," said Half Commander Kearse.

Wren looked away.

"He's obviously not accepting your authority," said Kearse.

"He has to accept it," said Wren.

"You have to admit that on a fleet level, the chain of command gets a little hazy with the War Admiral and Captain Dulin out of the picture," said Kearse. "Slurvik seemed to be acting like you were equals, at best."

"At best," Wren muttered, wondering how she could hold the fleet together.

"Gee!" said Bill, peering into his electromicroscope.

"Your favorite word," said Took. "Can I get the long version, now?"

"Yep, just what I thought," said Bill. "Traloplasticite. I burned some by accident, once. Got the same smell. That's what tipped me off."

"What does that mean?"

"This stuff was in the conduit," said Bill. "That's the oddest thing, because it's rarely used, either as a conduit or an insulator."

"What do you mean?"

"It can be used as an insulator, but not a very good one," said Bill. "But when you send a certain kind of electrical pulse through it, the properties change, and it becomes a conductor. They tried using it in switches, but found it erratic."

"Erratic?"

"Yeah. It would explode, sometimes," said Bill. "I think someone put this in your conduit. I think someone put it there, and set off the impulse by remote control to have it explode exactly when they wanted it to. Yeah guys, I think someone tried to kill the War Admiral." He looked at Took's shocked face. "How wild is that, huh?"

"Slurvik actually left the room right before the explosion," said Took. "He could've triggered it. In fact, all his senior officers were behind me. Safely behind me, it turned out. The only ones injured were people from theGlory, standing in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time."