Dana Cartwright Mission 1: Stiletto (28 page)

“How did you know to come?” DOC Cartwright grumbled.

Korwin offered, rather diplomatically, “Just a coincidence, Doctor Cartwright. A pleasure to meet you.”

Dana bristled at her guardian’s tone.

DOC glared. “Prince Korwin Kord I presume?”

“Cadet Kord, sir,” Korwin corrected, giving the Alphan formal greeting of his arm across his chest with a bow.

DOC grunted in response.

Dana remained silently gritting her teeth.

“Are you attending the lecture?” DOC demanded of her.

Korwin responded, “Yes, of course, sir. And you?”

DOC snorted, “Aye.”

“We’ll look for you then,” Korwin said with a smile, motioning Dana to join him for a chat with Captain Takio.
 

She followed DOC Cartwright’s path across the shuttle deck with her eyes.

“That was awkward. What are the odds?”

“Innumerable, to be sure…” Korwin teased, “Shields up! Red alert!”

“Weapons on standby,” Captain Takio added.

Dana blushed at their jest.

Korwin sighed. “When my father triggers my hackles, I make a game of turning the tables.”

“You’re going to make a fine ambassador one day, Cadet Kord,” Captain Takio commented.

Korwin frowned. “I want to be a doctor, not a diplomatic whore!”

“You need to be a little of both to deal with some surgeons,” Dana countered. “Especially the old school ones, like DOC.”

Captain Takio brought them forward to the cockpit and they delved into pilot shoptalk for the better part of an hour as he went through his checklists.

Captain Takio commented, “You’ve learned a great deal, Doctor. If there were time, I would invite you both out for a joy ride.”

“We’re going to the lecture,” Korwin said, “but we’ll certainly take you up on that offer.”

Captain Takio boasted, “I love flying these old F models.”

He and Korwin debated the improvements and plans for the newer ones.

Dana drifted away, still dwelling upon the chance encounter with her guardian and the reaction it triggered.

Korwin collected her by the elbow and suggested they needed to grab a bite to eat before he fainted from hunger.

Dana apologized to Captain Takio before they took their leave. He graciously invited them back, “Any time…”

In the lift, Korwin watched her face for a sign, asking once they reached the mezzanine cafe, “Are you okay?”

She shrugged, unwilling to admit the truth, even to her new best friend.

He sensed immediately the evasion but allowed her the luxury and courtesy of privacy. He ordered a massive bowl of Thai noodles and two dynamite rolls to her utter astonishment.

“That’s a lot of food!”

Korwin merely shrugged. “I’m starving!”

Dana asked for green tea and a vegan salad. They had just enough time after finishing to dash to their reserved seats on the second row, which just happened to be next to friends; Major Captains Gage and Brandenberg were already seated.

Dana greeted them with a nod of her head just before Doctor Tracy was introduced and the capacity crowd grew silent.

She hung on Doctor Tracy’s every word, nodding and agreeing with the greater part of the lecture, while Korwin’s eyes glazed over and began to sleepily blink closed.

Dana nudged him awake in time to applaud the conclusion and join the standing ovation.

“Did I snore?” Korwin worried.

Dana chuckled. “No, you bobbed your head appropriately.”

He was still embarrassed. “Must have been the noodles.” He turned in time to spot DOC Cartwright and offered, “I’ll keep him occupied if you want to ask questions of Doctor Tracy.”

Dana grinned and gave him a head start then joined Gage and Brandenberg at Tracy’s elbow, though she remained silent and received only a cursory nod from the GCE Chief Surgeon until the throng drifted away, leaving only the Enturian officers and her.

“Great to see you again, Doctor Cartwright,” Tracy offered.

Gage and Brandenberg were apparently acting as bodyguards for Tracy, but took a few steps aside allowing Dana and Tracy some semblance of privacy.

Tracy studied her face. “I know your question, however, I just can’t answer. The records are sealed,” he said flatly.

Dana blinked. “Sir? Is there no one that will help me? I need to know.”

Tracy looked away. “There is a code of ethics in the GCE. I cannot reveal the details about your birth.”

“I have your eyes, too,” Dana blurted out, staring into his ice-blue irises.

Tracy nodded, “I am not your father, I assure you.”

“Have you seen the records? Answer me that?”

He shook his head quite sadly. “No, I have not.”

“I will know, Doctor! Even if I must travel to Enturize in person, I will know my parentage!”

DOC and Korwin both turned and stared, amazed by her outburst and declaration, which was loud enough for all to hear.

Though Gage and Brandenberg appeared apologetic, they made no comment.

DOC, however, ordered Korwin, “You’d better see her home.”

Korwin chaffed in response to the tone used. He did not take orders from a civilian.

Dana didn’t give anyone the opportunity. “Good-bye, all,” she said then tapped her voice-badge and demanded, “Home,” before anyone offered further comment.

Korwin blinked, excused himself, and did the same, arriving in the lobby just seconds after the lift began to rise. He waited for it to return, went first to his apartment and then out to the balcony, finding Dana out on hers staring up at the night sky.

Only the brightest stars were visible and the moon had not yet risen. The view of the bay was marvelous.

After some moments of silence, Korwin mumbled an apology. “Guess that was a bad idea.”

Dana shrugged. “What could possibly be the reason for them to seal the records?”
 

Korwin shrugged.

“I just don’t understand?” She moaned,
 
between tears and grief.

“Hale or Brettes may be…”

“They are my only hope,” Dana realized.

Korwin blinked, admitting, “Apparently.” He patted her arm. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

“I half expected as much,” Dana mumbled.

“DOC certainly can be formidable. He’d make a good ambassador,” Korwin commented.

“Indeed. Hard as nails, or so the saying goes,” Dana returned.

Korwin waited a few more minutes, letting her recover her composure. Then he reminded, “We have astro-nav in the morning.”

She nodded. “Don’t let me be late.”

He grinned. “Good night, my friend.”

“Good night, Korwin.”

Dana went inside, checked her viewer for messages in passing, and then went to the bedroom, suddenly quite exhausted.

But as she faced the vanity mirror, alternately closing each eye. “I have Doctor Tracy’s blue eyes and Ambassador Solon’s brown ones. Of course, that’s impossible. Both have denied it. What does it mean?”

The image in the mirror remained silent.

In the morning, Dana was up, dressed and ready when Korwin tapped a rat-a-tat-tat on the patio glass. She crossed to open the slider.

“Dojo after class today,” she said, grabbing her tote with her gi.

Korwin sighed. “I’ll have to pass. My father arrived last night and he made it clear I need to meet him after class.”

“Alone?”

Korwin nodded as they stepped off the lift and crossed the lobby. “Kind of weird how he phrased it. Like an order,” he chuckled. “Kind of the way DOC did last night.”

Dana shrugged.

They set off for the tram at a run, catching the last two seats in the first car, but it was slow going. Campus was jammed with a lot of foot traffic.

“What’s going on?” Dana wondered.

An upperclassman scolded. “Read your notices! The new President of the Republic is visiting today!”

Dana shrugged. “So?”

Korwin chuckled. “I met him in Paris last year just before his installation. Nice guy… Betelgean, I believe, with really unusual eyes.” Korwin winked at Dana.

That got them a dirty look and a cold shoulder.

Korwin, however, grumbled, “Wonder what’s up? First my father suddenly returns and demands to see me, and now this.”

Dana shrugged and yawned.

Korwin grinned. “Rough night?”

“Exhausted, but just couldn’t sleep,” she admitted.

“Maybe going to the dojo will help. It always calmed me down.”

She agreed.

They struggled across campus to their Astro-nav class only to have the professor point them back to the assembly hall, falling into step beside them.

“Mister Para? Any idea what’s happening?” Korwin asked.

“Something big, Mister Kord,” the Professor assured.

Dana frowned and yawned. “Hope nothing too dramatic, I’m not up to it.”

“Late night?”

“Went to a lecture by Chief Surgeon Kris Tracy of the GCE,” Korwin offered. “I dozed off about halfway through.”

“That interesting,” Para scoffed. “Actually, Tracy is rather entertaining when you get him blabbering about his book,
The
Calvary
Incident
. He was in the thick of it and wrote quite a good history and chronicle of the whole affair.”

Dana made a mental note to retrieve it on her padlet, once they were seated. And then she spotted the security detail surrounding the dignitaries. Among them was Inspector Regis.

“Look who’s bringing up the rear,” she whispered to Korwin.

He looked and shuddered. “Uh oh, he’s with the President and…”

Mister Para cast a sidelong glance at Korwin. “You were exonerated, weren’t you?”

Korwin nodded. “Yes, thanks to Dana.”

She almost blurted out Kieran’s commentary on Inspector Regis, when she spotted among the assembled students a face — a familiar face. “Rocky? What’s Chief Rocky Antonio doing here among the students?”

Korwin blinked. “Who?”

“The Chief from the landing zone at the Observatory. He was there the night Cray’s shuttle crashed.” She squinted her right, brown eye and focused on the men seated beside the Chief but could not identify either. “Should I tell Regis?”

Korwin shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt.”

The Admirals were about to take to the stage. “If you’re going to do anything, do it now.”

She tapped her voice-badge and turned aside, requesting Inspector Regis. She saw him scowl and he seemed torn between wanting to ignore the hail and answering. He finally took two steps away from the President and responded.

“Inspector, it’s Cadet Cartwright. Don’t respond — just listen. I’m off to your left. Chief Rocky Antonio is in the audience, dressed as a fellow cadet. He’s not alone. It’s highly suspicious. I though you’d want to know.”

Regis muttered a very curt, “Thank you,” and tapped his badge to end the communication.
 

Dana watched him close the distance between himself and a security officer, leaning as he spoke to the man while scanning the assembly with his eyes.

Dana urged Korwin to seats, just behind Professor Para, to the right-of-center and below some of the upperclassmen. She leaned toward Korwin and whispered, “Is your security detail here?”

He glanced about rather surreptitiously before responding, “Yes.”

“Signal them — heads up. Something odd is happening.”

He squirmed in his seat and covered both eyes with his palms, as if tiredly rubbing them.

“All arise,” a uniformed officer commanded and they all bolted to their feet.

“Gentle-beings, The C-in-C.” Admiral Breaker approached the podium, flanked by Admiral Cartwright and Admiral Haverwood.

“At ease.”
 

As everyone returned to their seats, or sagged to a more casual stance, he began, “You are all, no doubt, aware of certain troubling events at the Capitol City Observatory and the Meeting of the Masters. Most troubling was the unprovoked assault of two cadets here at the academy, resulting in severe injury to one of our underclassmen. Now, Inspector Regis of SSID has uncovered evidence of an even more dastardly plot — one to destroy the very heart of the Star Service.”

Korwin squirmed in his seat and leaned towards Dana, whispering, “That’s not the President. It’s an impostor. The President is blind. That man is sighted.”

Dana stared; instinctively knowing he was right, and guessed what was coming.

The President would be called to the podium and an attempt would be made and thwarted.

The man standing before them would be unmasked as a pretender, a decoy.

She sank back in her chair. “Yes, it’s all a fraud. A scam,” she whispered to Korwin.

The same way Kieran Jai had impersonated Ambassador Cray; a young Betelgean was presented as the President.
 

Regis caught their stares, just as the plot unfolded. And there was Chief Rocky Antonio in the midst of it, with a disrupter box, just like the one Korwin had used on their attackers.

Only the box didn’t work.

A counter device instantly dispersed the field beam it generated. And though most of the cadets present were clueless and some were even traumatized, Regis and his SSID officers got their men; three cadets and Chief Antonio were all part of a larger plot, apparently.

Dana and Korwin stayed close to Mister Para until the C-in-C dismissed them all.

As Dana and Korwin crossed the manicured lawn, Quayle called them aside.

“So, you were there for the performance?”

Korwin caught his meaning. “Yes, quite a good show.”

Quayle, all knowing and all caring, scoffed. “It isn’t over yet, my young friends.”

Korwin glanced over his shoulder to his security detail officers nonchalantly milling nearby. He gave them a secret signal that all was well.

“Mark my words,” Quayle offered, “There are more bad apples, higher up.”

Dana shrugged. “There always are. I just hope the rest of the semester is uneventful.”

Korwin chimed in, “And we ace the finals.”

“Well, transferring to Medical means you don’t have to take the EVA-Stress Evaluation Module,” Quayle taunted.

“Why is everyone so afraid of it?” Korwin laughed. “I know exactly what I’d do — go down with the ship, guns blazing. There is no wrong answer. And only two captains ever beat the test.”