gestured for Mak to ask.
"Why are you doing this now? We're right in the middle of a war. First contact stuff is hard enough."
Brenn chuckled. "When are you not at war?"
There had been a break between this war and the previous rebellion in one of the mining consortiums. Mak realized maybe it really wasn't long at all.
"Okay, here's a good one. Why are you appearing only to me?"
Brenn shrugged. "You're handy."
"Handy? Mak scowled.
"You're a handy kind of guy." He looked at the doorway. "I'm afraid we've run out of time."
Mak looked at the door as well. When he looked back, the bunk was empty.
"He's gone now," he yelled through the doorway.
"So you found him by just wandering around and then calling for him?" Diego sputtered.
Mak had been in the captain's Ready Room now more times in the last few weeks than in his entire military career. And he was never there for anything good. He was beginning to take a real dislike to it.
"We're dealing with something pretty new," Mak answered.
"That would be an understatement," the Security Chief said. Jamaal looked like he wanted to take his frustration out on Mak. "We don't have anything on the security cameras after you entered the barracks. No audio, no visual."
"You've got to capture him," Diego said.
The Security Chief clenched his fists, his face darkening even further. "And exactly how do you propose we do that?"
"We should confine Mak to the brig."
Mak gaped. His brain locked up trying to get all the words out of his mouth.
"We're not locking anyone up, Chief," Suth said. "First, we're at TOCSIN 5. Second, that's not going to do a thing."
Diego reddened. He badly wanted to say more. Mak wished he would. Maybe Suth would throw him in the brig.
Brahms spoke up to diffuse the situation. "We've detected nothing when Brenn appears and disappears. He's simply here then not."
"Are we sure that he's really Brenn?" Diego asked.
"DNA says so," Chief Medic Ives said for the what seemed like the hundredth time to her.
"Mak, why didn't you apprehend him?" Diego said.
Mak worked his Calm to keep himself from leaping across the table. "I don't think that would be possible, sir."
"Why the hell is he showing himself to you anyway?" Diego glowered. "If this is real, why don't they make first contact with the diplomatic corps back on Earth?"
"Perhaps they already have," Brahms proffered thoughtfully, tugging on his curly beard. "I would not be too surprised if they were behind the Kyrzal uprising. Think about this. The Kyrzal have always been belligerent but they've never had the technology. Somebody's given it to them. As Mak stated from his first conversation with Brenn, some of these new people have taken an interest in our affairs and it's not a good thing. We could be just pawns in some other power play. And Unity Government knows things that we don't. Worse yet, the people in charge of this mission may know more than they're letting on."
"Those are happy thoughts," Suth said with a grimace. "I would hope the Unity Government wouldn't keep us in the dark if there's more to this mission but?"
The assembled chiefs nodded grimly. Mak though frowned.
"Mak, you have a concern?" Brahms asked.
"Uh, sir, I just was wondering why'd they keep something pretty important a secret from you. You're the guys in charge."
Diego shook his head in disgust, but the others just smiled.
"Ah, the innocence of youth is a wonderful thing," Brahms said, eliciting some chuckles. Mak kept his irritation from boiling to the surface. Secrets. Why was everything a secret?
Suth's comm chirped. "Yes?" he answered, listening intently. "Gentleman, the first Kyrzal ship is about to be boarded. Stations please." He stood. "Mak, you're with me."
The assembled officers paused, surprised.
"Uh, but, uh," Mak said, but Suth was already exiting. Mak's query died on his lips and he just stood there. Brahms slapped him on his back pushing him to follow the Captain. Mak caught a short glimpse of Diego's fuming.
Mak had never been on the Bridge before. Even though the Squad Ops room was attached to the main part, the Bridge was the ship's world. He tried not to gawk at all the different stations necessary for running the X. First Officer Chou got up from the Captain's chair. He had obviously been listening to the command briefing so he didn't look surprised to see Mak. Just curious. Chou stood by as the captain settled into the chair. Suth looked comfortable. He knew and understood this position. He was as confident here as Mak was in a pod. A few commands here and there and his subordinates quickly carried them out. More than that, they anticipated his needs and just fed him information. What would it be like to have that kind of power? There was a pang of jealousy but then it passed. It was hard enough being squad leader. He'd never want to be responsible for so many tasks, operations, and worst of all, people. He stood around awkwardly not even knowing what to do with his hands. Everybody on the Bridge seemed to have a job and know how to do it. He felt like the Bridge was the last place he should be. Maybe he could just slip out when Suth was distracted.
"Perhaps Blue Box Leader would like to stand over here?" Brahms said mildly indicating a spot next to him and behind the Captain.
Mak nodded almost eagerly. It kept him out of the way and didn't block Chou. Standing next to Brahms, he could see a screen with a smaller version of the Squad Ops 3D display. There wasn't as much detail. Suth and Chou were both studying a much larger screen displaying one of the dead Kyrzal ships. This was a display from one of the S'reh'du Hammers. A tactical display indicated all the Battle Group positions. Two pod squads supported a Hammer and a Raptor which circled the abandoned ships. A troop transport from the S'reh'du closed on one of the Kyrzal ships. Pods swooped down on the target inviting fire. None came.
The transport latched on to the hull without incident. Mak quickly took in the Squad Ops display. There was no activity there. The troop transport was only a little smaller than the Kyrzal ship. Soldier engineers drilled through the hull to create an airlock. The main display on the bridge switched to the interior of the transport. Mak knew the first contingent of Soldiers was in a compartment sealed from the rest of the transport. If necessary, the transport could tear itself free. The men in the first contingent would be SOL if that happened. They had enviro suits but a maneuver like that would probably kill them all.
The Soldiers waited until the temporary air lock was created by a plasma cutter. A hole appeared. Two battle bots lurched through the opening, followed by ladders, and then the Soldiers. The image switched to a sergeant's camera. The men charged after the battle bots which spread out defensive shields as they lumbered in opposite directions down the corridor their turrets hunting eagerly for something to shoot. Somebody split the display so they could watch the two contingents following the two battle bots. Mak could see the Soldiers yelling to each other but sound wasn't being transmitted. The crew on the Bridge at their stations staring at their consoles didn't allow the activity to distract them.
The second contingent of men had entered the beachhead and awaited orders to enter the Kyrzal ship. It must have come because suddenly, they too were storming down the ladders. The battle bots moved further down the hallway, making more room. The second contingent assembled a machine which started boring down through the floor. Soldiers cut through the walls. It didn't take long and more men jumped through the floor and wall openings securing the beach head. There was now a steady stream of Soldiers from the transport into the ship. The screen flipped crazily from camera to camera as the men hunted for the enemy, securing engineering, the bridge, medical. Scanners hunted for signs of life. Every door was opened, every hatch unsealed, nothing was left to chance.
Suth looked at Chou. The first officer spoke quietly into his comm. Then shook his head. Mak presumed it was for enemy activity.
"That was easy," declared Brahms.
&nbs
p; "Yes, it was," said Suth, he seemed calm but his hands gripped the armrests tightly. "Everything's going according to plan. What are we missing?"
Mak could tell from the body language of the Soldiers they were starting to relax. They too thought the operation had been a walk in the park. Their job was done. The science officers would come over in a different transport. They'd empty the ships of any useful information. The Soldiers would go back to the S'reh'du leaving a skeleton crew behind. Each of the abandoned Kyrzal ships would get the same treatment. A straightforward procedure, boring but at least there was no loss of life. Suth had already turned to the first officer to discuss some other operation.
But Mak saw what they hadn't yet. Without thinking, he spoke into his comm and the display in Squad Ops started to change moving away from the X's squads and changing to watch the two squads circling the Kyrzal ship.
Brahms caught sight of the change in Mak.
"Do you have something, Blue Box Leader?"
"The S'reh'du's squads are not behaving normally, sir."
Suth cut off his conversation to look as well. "They're in the proper flight pattern."
"There's something wrong. They're all dancing."
"Maybe they're letting off steam?" Brahms offered.
"Not like that."
"Contact the S'reh'du," Suth said to Chou.
Mak was torn between the desire to leave the Bridge to go to Squad Ops and wanting to stay here where the action seemed to be. He contacted Tenor, the duty Squad Ops