Right now she is being held under armed guard in the CO's quarters. They had been stationed on the supercarrier long enough that Allison had learned her way in and out of most of the ship's less sensitive functions with simple hacks and without leaving a trace she had been in them.
Shit. Bella thought about it for a few moments. We have to stay with her. See if you can figure out a way to contact her. Can you handshake with her AIC?
I'm trying, but she has firewalled herself off from anybody sending data in.
Shit again.
How about the speakers of the CO's quarters? Allison asked.
Good. Can you take my mindvoice and project it on the speakers?
Yes, I can.
Then we need to get her to talk to us. Do it now.
Go when you are ready.
Will we be able to hear her?
Yes, I'm taking the input from the security sensors placed in the CO's quarters to keep an eye on her and rerouting that back to you. I'm also monitoring the sensors outside of the quarters, just in case.
Okay. Here goes. Ms Moore, I am an undercover CIA operative that just by coincidence is aboard this ship. I just discovered you are here. I will do what I can to help.
Bullshit! Bella heard in her mind.
Yeah, I wouldn't believe it, either, she thought. That doesn't matter. Just do as they tell you and don't provoke them. I'm working on a plan to get you out of here.
There was no response. Bella was pretty sure that the president's daughter didn't believe her. She at least hoped that in the back of the girl's mind it would give her hope and help prevent her from giving up.
What do we do? Allison asked.
I don't know. I'm working on it, she thought. She was startled almost out of her skin by the bosun's pipe.
'General quarters, general quarters, battlestations! All hands, all hands to battlestations. Prepare for incoming fire and immediate evasive QMT jump.'
'What the hell?' Bella said out loud. She reflexively turned back toward the hangar, her Seppie pilot kicking in. But right now she had to be a U.S. CIA agent. She paused to think for a second.
Allison, give me a full DTM battleview from my mecha.
Okay, here goes.
The supercarrier became transparent, and she could see space in any direction. Several thousand kilometers out beneath them was the QMT facility, and below that was Arcadia. Then she saw it. Just off the QMT facility and coming in fast was a supercarrier. It looked like it was about to do a drop run on the facility.
I'm getting IFF pings from AICs everywhere, Bella. It's the Sienna Madira!
Goddamn. Talk about timing. Is Boland out there?
I've got him! He is.
Connect me to him now!
The QMT jump into Ross 128 went as planned. Jack squinted against the brilliant sphere of light he found himself engulfed in and readied himself for whatever might be on the other side. The view of the Oort faded out and a much brighter view of a blue and green planet beneath him burst into sight. The Madira was below him as planned, and the Arcadian QMT facility was out ahead and a little beneath them. How the Navs that ran the QMT jumps figured out just where to put a ship on the other side of a quantum mechanical event like the membrane jumps was beyond him, but it didn't matter. What did matter was that the jumps worked. And there he was.
'Warning, enemy contacts bearing seven thousand kilometers, two degrees theta, and nine degrees phi,' his Bitchin' Betty dinged at him.
Candis, what is that out there?
Looks like a supercarrier, Jack.
When did the Seppies get a goddamned supercarrier?
I don't know.
Any sign of Dee's beacon?
I'm scanning. Just a moment. Candis paused briefly. I have good news and bad news.
Okay?
Dee is here. She is on that
