Rumors of Salvation (System States Rebellion Book 3) (14 page)

“Commander
Bret Murphy, this is Roland Drake. I received the message you left on Vril for
me. Please respond with video. I need to confirm your identity before this
contact goes any further.”

Molitor
thought fast. “Weps, I want a radar scan of the area where the transmission
originated from. Com, get ready to open a directional video channel when I give
the word.”

Coral
Sea

“They’ve
started active scanning in our direction. Our ECM can handle it,” said the
Detection and ECM Officer. Drake wasn’t surprised by the report. He would have
done the same thing in Murphy’s place. But if Murphy really was in command down
there, then Drake would expect to see and hear from him quickly. If that didn’t
happen, he would seriously consider heading back out beyond the hyper-zone.

Tigershark

“We’re
not detecting anything in that direction, Commander,” said the W.O. Molitor
shook her head in confusion. How could that be? If the ship transmitting that
message was so far away that her ship’s radar couldn’t see it, then how did
that ship know her two ships were here or that the volcano beneath them held a
Resistance Base? The tight beam microwave transmission was clearly aimed at
this position intentionally. Was it possible that the Brain Trust had also
figured out how flat hull configurations could deflect radar waves? Her
intuition was telling her to respond by video communication and do it NOW.

“Com,
put me on video and let me know when you’re ready to transmit.”

The
Com Tech nodded and a second later pointed to her.

Molitor
took a deep breath and began speaking in what she hoped was a calm, convincing
voice. “Commander Drake, I’m Rachel Molitor, Commmander of the ex-Empire
cruiser Tigershark, and yes, you heard that correctly. My crew and I are no
longer taking Empire orders. We’re now part of the Resistance that Bret Murphy
set up, along with other former Federation personnel who are also determined to
put the Empire and its rogue computer out of business. The reason why you’re
seeing me instead of Commander Murphy is that he died during a joint raid
between his two ships and Tigershark against Makassar. We’ve just returned from
there, and as a result of Murphy’s death, I’ve now assumed leadership of the
Resistance. Murphy told me about his invitation to your Brain Trust to join
forces. I firmly believe that’s the only sure way that the Empire can be
defeated. Please respond.”

Coral
Sea

“…can
be defeated. Please respond.” Drake didn’t like this situation at all. This was
his worst fear realized. He knew Murphy from having met him in person and would
have been able to tell if someone was impersonating Murphy or if he was being
coerced somehow. Molitor’s plausible story sounded good, but that didn’t
necessarily mean it was true. If this was a setup for an ambush, then they would
have prepared a plausible explanation for not having Murphy available. On the
other hand, if this was an ambush, it was a badly designed one. Molitor’s two
ships were practically on the ground, while his ship was still over 5,000
kilometers above the planet. From a strictly tactical point of view, his ship
had the ‘high ground’, which would have meant something if his ship was a
cruiser armed with missiles. It wasn’t, but Molitor didn’t know that. And
unless the Empire had their own ECM technology that could somehow defeat his
Ether ripple detection system, there were no other ships within a radius of 18
million kilometers. Should he reply back or just leave? He leaned back to
ponder that question.

Tigershark

Molitor
checked the chronometer again. Almost two full minutes had passed since she
sent that video message. She wondered again if Drake’s ship was so far away
that a light speed lag was taking place. She had just made up her mind to send
another message when the main display flickered and a man’s face appeared.

“Commander
Molitor, I’m Roland Drake. Your explanation sounds plausible, but I have to be
sure this isn’t an ambush. I’m not bringing my ship any closer until I’m
convinced that you’re telling me the truth. We know that you’ve tried to locate
us with standard radar and found nothing. That’s due to a little trick that the
Brain Trust has come up with. If you’re really ex-Empire, then keep your ships
near the ground. Any attempt to gain altitude will be interpreted as a hostile
act, and we’ll respond accordingly. I’m going to give you an opportunity to
convince me that I shouldn’t leave. Over to you.”

Coral
Sea

Fifty-five
seconds had passed since he finished his message, and Drake was beginning to
consider giving the order to head home. He was still considering it when
Molitor’s image returned to the display.

“Sorry
for the delay, Commander Drake, but I’ve been trying to think of what I could
say that would convince you of my sincerity. I have an idea. If I came in a
shuttle with physical evidence that I’ve rejected Majestic’s Empire, would you
be willing to meet with me face to face?” The image disappeared, signalling
that she was finished. Drake thought about his reply and then began to speak.

Tigershark

Drake’s
image returned to the main display much faster this time.
So his ship isn’t
all that far away,
she thought.

“I
accept your suggestion, but on the following conditions, Commander Molitor.
Your shuttle will fly to the moon and land beside the opening to the robotic
mining operation. You will then get out of the shuttle and stand a few meters
away from it. My shuttle will land near you, and you’ll board it. It will bring
you to my ship, and we’ll have that face-to-face meeting there. If that’s not
acceptable to you, then I’ll be on my way.”

She
quickly arranged for a reply. “I accept your conditions. My shuttle will take
off within a few minutes. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person. Molitor
clear.” When she was certain the video transmission was ended, she called the
Medical Bay. “Doctor? Have that body and the implant and a copy of all your
records related to them brought to the Hangar Bay right away.” With that taken
care of, she gave some orders to her Bridge personnel and then headed for her
quarters. If Drake wanted a face-to-face powwow with her, then the least she
could do was wear a crisp, clean uniform.

The
actual shuttle flight to Midgard’s moon took just a bit less than 34 minutes.
The shuttle’s contra-gravity propulsion could boost it at a constant 5Gs
acceleration once it got clear of Midgard’s atmosphere. By the time it landed
next to the mining operation entrance, Molitor was wearing a spacesuit. The
fact that Drake clearly knew about this operation had surprised her. The Brain
Trust had obviously been busy the past few years. Hiding a ship at close range
was quite the accomplishment. She wondered what else they had up their sleeves.
She checked her cargo. The body of her former C.O. was inside a hermetically
sealed container that kept the internal temperature just above freezing. The
implant and the related electronic medical files were inside a smaller
container. As the shuttle touched down, she checked with the flight deck. There
was still no sign of any other spacecraft. With a shrug, she donned her helmet
and headed for the shuttle’s tiny airlock. Minutes later, she was standing
outside about ten meters away from the shuttle, looking down at the depression
in the ground that led to the mine opening. This part of the moon was now in
darkness. Her helmet’s lights plus the lights from the shuttle were creating
eerie shadows. As she slowly turned around, she caught sight of something
moving against the background stars.

“I
see something moving in the sky at your 10 o’clock, Lieutenant,” said Molitor
to the shuttle’s Pilot.

“Got
it, Commander. You have sharp eyes. Shall we try to scan it?”

“Negative.
If it’s Drake’s shuttle, then what’s the point? If it’s someone else, then I’d
rather not call attention to ourselves sitting exposed like this on the moon’s
surface. Remember your orders, Lieutenant. We’re here to talk, not to fight.
Just stay calm and sit back.”

“Understood.
We’ll keep this com channel open at all times. Looks like that’s a shuttle
coming in for a landing.”

The
Pilot was right. A shuttle, which as far as she could tell in the darkness was
very similar if not identical in design to her own, was dropping down for a
gentle landing. It touched down approximately 30 meters away from her. The
outer door of the airlock opened. She walked over to it and climbed inside. The
door immediately closed, and she could tell by the vibration through her suit
that the shuttle had taken off again. To her consternation, the inner door to
the airlock wasn’t opening. While there was room to turn around, the space
inside the airlock wasn’t a whole lot larger than a closet, and she was glad
she wasn’t claustrophobic.

She
was expecting the ride to take a while, but to her surprise, the inner door
opened after about four minutes or so and standing there was Roland Drake
himself. He was wearing a spacesuit but not a helmet. He gestured for her to
step into the shuttle’s cabin and waited until she had taken her helmet off
before speaking.

“Welcome
aboard, Commander Molitor. I kept you inside the airlock for a few minutes
until we could confirm visually that it really was you and not someone else.”

“I
see. I was expecting that we would meet at your ship.”

He
shrugged. “I didn’t see any point in delaying our chat longer than necessary.
We’re now face to face. What did you want to say to me?”

“Do
you know that Trojan’s Majestic computer has taken control of the Empire, using
implanted devices that turn human beings into its slaves?” She watched Drake’s
face carefully to gauge his reaction. He didn’t even blink.

“Yes,
we’re aware of that. The implant would be attached at the back of the neck just
below the skull.”

Molitor
nodded as she turned her head and pulled her hair to one side so that Drake
could see the back of her neck.

“Okay,
you’ve proven to me that you’re not being coerced by Majestic’s device. That
still doesn’t prove you’re really fighting the Empire,” said Drake.

“Not
by itself, no, but I brought the body of Tigershark’s former C.O. He did have
the implant, and when he tried to nuke the mining operation on the moon, after
talking about nuking civilians, I forcibly removed him from command. We tried
to take the implant off him, but it killed him before we could remove it. I can
show you his body, including the gaping wound where the implant was, the
implant itself and the medical records showing how the device controlled his
brain. That device was installed just before we left Hadley. From the
description that others have given me of his expression after returning to the
ship from an impromptu visit to Majestic’s complex, I’m convinced that he
didn’t agree to let that device be implanted. I think it was done against his
will, and I was afraid that I’d be next, so I found and contacted Bret Murphy
and joined the Resistance.”

Drake
decided that he believed her. Not only did the story ring true in terms of
being plausible, but he couldn’t detect any sign that she was lying. She had
kept eye contact with him, and she seemed relaxed.

“It’s
a convincing story, but I’ll want to see the body, the implant and the medical
files. I’ll order this shuttle to head back to the moon. When we get there,
I’ll accompany you back to your shuttle, along with a couple of my people just
to be on the safe side. If everything checks out, then my people will pilot
your shuttle back to my ship, and we can then talk more comfortably. If that’s
okay with you.”

“Absolutely
okay, Commander.”

Drake
smiled. “Good. Lieutenant Tanaka, take us back to the mine site,” said Drake to
the shuttle’s Pilot by intercom.

Ten
minutes later, Drake was standing in Molitor’s shuttle, flanked by two of his
junior officers. He was looking at the near-frozen body of a naked man who was
lying face down. The wound at the back of his neck was in just the right spot
and was about the right size for one of Majestic’s implants. He bent down to
get a better look at the left side of the man’s face. There was dried blood on
the nose that had obviously come from the left eye. Blood had also seeped from
the left ear as well. As he stood back up, Molitor held out a small metal box
with the lid open. Inside was a metal object that resembled the schematics his
own Majestic computer had designed. He was tempted to pick it up and look at it
from all angles, but an irrational fear suddenly welled up and he changed his
mind. She then handed him a data tablet that showed the delicate wires in the
dead man’s brain. Drake was shocked at how many of them there were and how deep
into the brain they went. He scrolled through other medical files and a short
video of what happened when the doctors tried to remove the device. The
resulting agony on the man’s face before he died sent a shiver up Drake’s
spine. He handed the tablet back to her.