Red Angel: Book II: Raiders (Red Angel Series 2) (27 page)

"Later today," he said, and then looked to each of us before saying, "Ma'am."

"Admiral Rawls wants a recommendation, so Admiral Rawls gets one." Adrian laughed and was joined by everyone. "Who wants to start?"

"I think Rawls summed it up nicely. We’re only going to bag one cruiser, so wait for the next scheduled raid, get the cruiser, foreign merchants, and then take out the Controllers and the UAS merchants," Kris said, but I could feel her nervousness as she looked to me. "Anna?"

I hated not agreeing because I knew Kris wanted an end to this project, but I still couldn't shake the feeling the Gypsy had help in one form or another.

"Let's put a close watch on the Gypsy starting now, and then take out the foreign merchant and the cruiser that shows for the rendezvous but not round up the UAS merchants or the Controllers."

"Why leave the merchants and Controllers free?" Adrian asked.

"So we can see what the Gypsy does or who he contacts. I think the Gypsy knows where the cruisers hide or he knows someone who does."

Kris nodded and her face had a look of determination. "Anna's right. Let's not leave one of those cruisers alive. Maybe that will convince other thieves that UAS space isn't a good place to raid."

"Rich?"

"Sounds good to me."

"I'll give Stauffer our recommendation. I guess we're off until we get a valid puzzle from the raiders."

The next publication date didn't produce a valid AU, to everyone's disappointment, although it should have been expected—it took time to set up a target. I didn't mind, since it gave me time with Alexa. The team arranged to meet at the firing range once a week and have lunch afterward.

I was surprised when I got a call after the next month's publication date. I had thought it was going to take the Controllers longer to identify a target.

"Anna, I'm sending you the Master Puzzle's publication for this month. Rich has run it against the X25 program and it produced a valid AU. Well actually, it produced a valid AU for all three publications. I've briefed Stauffer, but he's going to hold off telling Admiral Rawls until you've reviewed them." Adrian sounded harassed. Stauffer would be pressuring him to get the information to him so he could brief Rawls in time for her to brief Lultrel and Bell. The team could recommend an action, but the Admirals would decide what action they would take.

"Shouldn't take long, Adrian," I said and cut the connection. Two hours later I had the answers:

Truth Star: In old-Latin:

  >
Your end of days is soon.

Suton: In old-Latin:

  >
Your end of days is soon
.

Fire Rock: In old-Latin:

  >
Your end of days is soon.

And in the bottom half in old-Russian:

  >
Eight watch new missile design four hundred Polaris Design Lab at two at 31.2128 -65.4224

Feeling paranoid, which I did a lot lately, I called Adrian. "Adrian, we need a team meeting. I can be there within an hour."

"Alright, Anna. I'll call everyone. I don't think that will be a problem."

I changed into my uniform, sent Alexa a note that I was off to the office, and collected my marine guards, who transported me in a military shuttle to the NIA offices. When I arrived, everyone was there waiting. Their expressions were priceless, and I could feel their excitement mixed with apprehension, as all three appeared valid. I said nothing and went straight to the conference room.

"We're all going to have heart failure if you don't say something soon," Kris said with a mental stomp of her foot.

"Hi," I said and could barely restrain a laugh. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. As Rich indicated, all three puzzles are valid and all three had the message." I tapped on my
send-one
icon,
which sent the three messages to their tablets. "Obviously, they don't like us and want to make sure we don't forget. It reinforces that they're vengeful and arrogant because they included the following message at the bottom of the Fire Rock publication." I tapped on the
message-two
icon and sent the second message.

"Do you think it's a trap or the real thing?" Adrian asked.

I took it as a team question and not just for me.

"I agree with Anna," Kris said. "I think they're arrogant and believe they don’t have to change anything except the broken piece. I think it's real. The Controller who went to Eastar to set up the ambush was on Oxax long enough to identify a target and get it set up."

"They don’t know we’ve broken their new code, because we didn't stop the raid on Safe Harbor," Rich said, beginning to sound like a real member of the team.

"I agree. Mother says arrogance is a weakness that can be exploited. If we're lucky, they're arrogant enough not to deduce why they lost the cruiser they send to retrieve the puzzle message."

"Or that they only have one cruiser left," Adrian said.

"From your lips to the space gods," Kris said.

Adrian stood. "I'm off to see Stauffer with our recommendation—take out the foreign merchant and the cruiser it's scheduled to meet and leave the Controllers and UAS merchants."

"I think we should wait in case Admiral Rawls has questions for us," Kris said, which was highly probable.

We spent the time talking about what we had been doing with our time off.

"I've never read so much in my life. Can't really expect to find a mate with four marines following me into nightclubs. The Officer's Club isn't too bad. There, they tend to give me a little more room, an extra half meter. Actually I meet the most men at the firing range." She snorted. "Not that I'm complaining. Better I'm alive to find my mate, even if he's gray and wrinkled."

"Actually, having marine security isn't a turn off to quite a few women. Might even be a turn on to some, but not the ones my mother would like me to bring home." Rich gave a lopsided grin. "And Etos city has a lot of things to do and see."

"I'm still a little girl at heart and love being home. My mother is like a very interesting much older sister. And she likes the marine security following me." I laughed.

Just then to everyone's surprise, Rawls entered the room and we shot up and not quite braced to attention. MacLin and Stauffer followed in her wake.

"Relax. I've asked Captain MacLin to join us. As I understand it, one of you will have to go along to strip the WavCom of the message for ...?"

"The Cloud Chaser," I said.

"Cloud Chaser and to compute the subsequent rendezvous of the foreign merchant with the raider cruiser. Two more UAS cruisers will be here tomorrow to join Captain MacLin's taskforce. The taskforce will engage the raider cruiser and foreign merchant. It would be nice to capture both, but in no case should either escape. The UAS merchant is not to be interfered with." Rawls looked around the table and received nods from each of us. "The Gypsy is being discretely monitored in each system it enters and leaves, during times between systems, and for its activity in system."

"I would like to get with whoever is going to work out the details," MacLin said. "I assume whoever is going has P1A authority and will be responsible for the operation."

"Anna and I need to go, because Anna has the best understanding of their new code and knows how to find the rendezvous AU." I felt Kris's resignation at being on another cruiser. She looked to me and shook her head and then smiled. "Besides, she broke the code and loves space submarines."

I decided not to argue when I felt the affection behind the gesture.

MacLin laughed. "You make an interesting team. What kind of a time frame are we looking at?"

"The Master Puzzle edition for this month was published yesterday, so the Cloud Chaser will be leaving for the rendezvous today or tomorrow. It's currently located in Fire Rock, which is a three-day trip from Oxax. We won't know the AU for the cruiser until the Cloud Chaser gets the message from Gypsy via the WavCom," Kris said.

"So there is no way to get to the rendezvous location before the foreign merchant," MacLin said, but it was more a question—is there a way to beat the merchant to the location?

"No. We'll just have to hope the Gypsy sends the message to the Cloud Chaser a day before they arrive in Oxax space."

"Yes!" I blurted, and then put my hand over my mouth. "Sorry."

"What is it, Anna?" Adrian asked.

"Rich, do you think there’s a way we could delay the Gypsy getting the message from the WavCom? Or shut the WavCom down, or ..."

"With the proper authority ... a temporary malfunction or ... delayed delivery."

"I'll take care of it," Rawls said. "How much time do you need, Captain?"

"A full day would be ideal. Otherwise, eight hours. I would like to leave within the next eight hours if you two can get ready."

I looked to Kris, who nodded. Since the last attack, we were being transported by military shuttles, so it was merely the time to get home, pack, and then the two-hour trip to the space station.

"I'll plan our departure for eight hours from now. The Lapis is on station, and the Ares and Demeter are due shortly. I'll hold them at the Wave exit. It’ll save time."

"It's scary. I'm starting to feel comfortable aboard these space submarines," Kris said as we sat in the navy dining bay eating an early breakfast. We were due on the Bridge shortly to query the WavCom. "Hopefully, this is the last time—find the raiders, destroy them, and get assigned a quiet NIA office somewhere, oh, and find that father of my future children."

"I want to see the end to the raiders, but I have to admit I love working with you and the team, riding on space submarines, and chasing bad guys."

"Reassignment is the one bad part to destroying the raiders, but I can't see them keeping three full commanders together waiting for something bad to happen. Especially not when they can just reassign us, which is what they did for our first project. Maybe they’ll put you in charge of the Oxax office."

We finished our meal in silence, each in our own thoughts, but I could feel Kris's sympathy for me. I would miss her. Afterward, we made our way to the Bridge and were admitted without any trouble.

Kris went immediately to the Comm panel and began the search. "We have it, Anna."

The message appeared on my tablet as Red worked his way onto my shoulder and wrapped around my neck.

To: Cloud Chaser

The client has 45 items weighing 311211 each.

From: Gypsy

I had solved the Archimedes' puzzle earlier and used the key to locate the only number starting with 45, which was an eight digit number: 454615530.

"Captain, the coordinate is: 45.185 degrees, 4 hours, 6 minutes, 15 seconds, and 5.3 astronomical units," I said as Red wove into my hair and laid his head on my forehead pointing toward my tablet.

"Paulus, send the coordinates to the Navigator's panel. Nav, compute a vector for those coordinates. I want to begin deceleration two light seconds prior to reaching our target. All systems to remain passive." MacLin's voice was in a business as usual tone.

"Captain, the vector is on the Helm's board. Time to target, twenty-eight hours, fifteen minutes, and 10 seconds."

"Comm, connect me with the Lapis, Demeter, and Ares."

"Captain," I interrupted, suddenly having a feeling something wasn't right.

"Connected," Jimenez said and the faces of Captains Thayer, Austin, and Klein appeared on the four-way split screen of monitor one.

"Commander Paulus, you've something to say?" MacLin asked and felt genuinely interested.

"Sir, I would like you to leave one cruiser here with Commander Sinclair." I couldn't help but shake the feeling this was too easy.

"Anna." Kris came close enough to speak privately. "This isn't necessary and could jeopardize—"

"Paulus, why?"

"It's too easy. Giving us a good three days to get set. They could send another key two days from now, well before the Cloud Chaser is due."

"Are you invoking P1A authority?" he asked in a normal voice, and I felt a slight sense of defiance.

"Anna," said Kris, "I'll support whatever decision you make."

"Thank you," I turned toward her and whispered, then turned back to MacLin. "No, Captain. It's my recommendation based solely on a feeling about the raiders. If I'm wrong you'll be one cruiser short at the meeting. If I'm right, you'll miss the meeting."

MacLin laughed. "I'll send you the coordinates we have, Captain Thayer. I would start decelerating about two light-seconds from the target and stay in passive mode. You'll have time to get in position if that turns out to be the real meeting. If we discover the meeting changes, I'll tight beam a message to you with the new coordinates."

"Don't hog all the action, Mac," Thayer said and cut the connection.

"Commander Dowell, you have the watch," MacLin said as he rose. "Commanders Paulus, Sinclair, would you like to join me in my office?"