world sat Shadow Lead Agent H’Topa. He perused recruitment reports forwarded to him by his senior source within the Galactic Republic. This was a fruitful source and one he had developed from an initial recruitment report from his former senior source.
H’Topa had worked this source carefully from the start to one of great worth. This source was good at identifying prospects early in their career, but with the right future potential. This was good for H’Topa because he was patient. Haste was not a good quality for an agent handler. The Humans had a saying, “The race does not always go to the swift.” H’Topa believed this.
The case folders before him contained intimate details on prospective sources. He knew their wants, their needs, and their aspirations. He had a knack for finding those unwilling to wait or needing an edge to get ahead. Occasionally he found one that just needed credits, or love, or sex, or commitment to a cause. He could use them all, although he stayed away from those that needed chemical stimulants.
His network was extensive and secure. He had a Human support network of credits handlers, dead drop servicers, transporters, enforcers, and other specialties when he needed them. They helped him service his agents.
Credits handlers ensured payments got to the right people on schedule. Dead drop servicers passed messages, credits, and equipment to agents and picked up messages and bulky items from agents, all with no physical contact between them. Transporters were his mules and moved packages to or from dead drop specialists. They were the only Humans to make contact with the K’Rang, but even they passed packages through multiple cutouts. Enforcers took care of sources that got greedy or who talked to Human security forces, or ones that just got sloppy.
Human remorse was one of H’Topa’s greatest impediments to greater success. Too many times, he spent resources on a source, only to have it run crying to security, commit suicide, or lose itself to gambling, chemical stimulants, or sex. If he ever found a drug that eliminated Human remorse, there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish.
Of course, this would be oh so much easier if he could freely travel in Galactic Republic space. For years, he had urged establishing diplomatic relations with the Humans, but he was always shouted down by the reactionary element within the military. No matter how much value he could show them to having an embassy and consulates with full intelligence staffs, they were just too xenophobic to hear him out. H’Topa suspected they did not want the Humans to see just how weak the K’Rang Empire was in relation to the Galactic Republic. “Our 56 worlds are a fraction of the 150+ Human settled worlds. Perhaps if we spent a little less credits and time on ill-conceived military adventures and more on settlements, we could match the Humans,” he thought in irritation.
Fleet Reporting Officer Alistair Bennett placed his ship in geosynchronous orbit around Shepard and linked into the planetary communications system. He let his computers download the planet’s data buffer containing the last year of data and voice signals to process, and took a nap. In an hour, he had a list of suspicious communications for further study. He discounted a dozen on the list as normal criminal or immoral activity and no concern of his. Two were overly secretive lovers planning and coordinating affairs. Seven were shady business dealings, more of interest to securities regulators than him. The remaining two were possible covert communications to authorities in the K’Rang Empire. Alistair followed up on these.
Both communications sets were similar in that they contained hidden data. One set contained hidden video files in a cooking recipe email. The other contained hidden instructions on placing and receiving something from a dead drop. Alistair had his first clue toward dismantling the cell or cells. Now he searched the data for links from the recipients to others. Pretty soon, he found he had nothing. He had never seen a cell with such tight security.
Alistair ran down the specifics on the recipients. He got their names, photos, addresses, aliases, and all sites that they frequented regularly. He looked for similar interests, friends, and activities, then cross-referenced their known IP numbers against other aliases and email addresses — and found the common link.
Shadow Lead Agent H’Topa reported promptly to Shadow Leader J’Kraul as ordered. The Shadow Leader kept his attention on what he was working as H’Topa patiently stood at attention before his desk. It was a standard trick to put your visitor off balance. H’Topa and J’Kraul had attended many of the same espionage training courses together and knew all the techniques. It did not work on H’Topa.
Unimpressed, he asked in a strong voice, “Was what you called me here for of importance, Shadow Leader, or should I come back later?”
J’Kraul started laughing. “No, my friend, sit down, relax. I wanted to make sure time had not softened you. I have a top priority assignment for you from the Elders. They want the transporter ring technology from the Humans, but don’t want the Humans to know we have it. What can your network do to get it for us?”
H’Topa took a moment to stretch. “Your information exists in five places in the Human space. It exists in the minds of Andrew and Moira Blake. It exists in their notes locked in a triple-sealed safe in their high security lab on the planet they call Gagarin. The notes are in their own coded language that only they speak. It exists in a triple- sealed safe in their Fleet HQ on their main world, Earth, and the production design exists in three parts in three safes at the manufacturing facility on their main world Shepard. No one has access to all three safes.”
“The factory is the easiest to access. I have two agents working there, but they have yet to gain access to any of the three data sets. The humans jealously guard this data. Whoever their security chief is, he is good.”
“One of my agents asked about all the security and was told that even if the K’Rang got hold of the manufacturing design sheets they wouldn’t be able to make them work, because each ring has excess components. There is a code unique to each ring that tells it which components to activate. If it doesn’t activate in the right sequence, it shuts down until a special restart code is entered. That code has to come from a special office in their defense HQ and be entered by hand.”
“As you can see, I am on top of the situation. I just haven’t found a way to break through their security. I do have a prospect. It is one of the Blake’s research assistants that helped them develop the prototype ring they used against us at G’Dranu. I have been suggesting to him that he didn’t get sufficient credit for the work he did helping them develop it. It seems he unwisely left their employ, planning to start his own research establishment, just before the government bestowed large bonuses and recognition on the research staff and the Blakes. The Blakes insisted he be rewarded, but the bureaucrats said no. I’m twisting that knife slowly for maximum effect. I judge that he may favorably consider an offer to work for us if he feels slighted enough.”
J’Kraul quietly said, “I hope, for both our sakes, that you are correct.”
Kelly’s terminal in his cabin chimed to let him know he had an incoming message. He keyed up his terminal and Commander Timmons’ face appeared.
“Kelly, I just heard back from Hasselrode. The Admiral has approved Connie’s assignment as your XO. She has some things to close out at R amp;R before she can report in. One of those is the engine tweak up to FTL Power 6. She told the Admiral about that and he wants her to see if she can make that happen before she reports in. R amp;R has better computers to work out the algorithms. The Admiral suggests you postpone your training cruise until the engine modifications can be made. He left it up to your judgment, though.”
“I can hold off, boss. I didn’t want to do the training cruise without an XO anyway.”
“Good! Why don’t you come join me for dinner at the club tonight? Somebody is visiting me and wants to see you. Meet me at 1930 in the main dining room. Your old Flight Leader is in town. Janey wants to help you wet down your new rank.”
“Janey’s in town!? Great! I’ll be there. The drinks are on me.”
Commander Timmons signed off. Kelly thought things were really going his way: First, he finds out his choice for XO was approved. Next, he gets news his ship will be one of the fastest ships in space. Then he gets to have dinner with Janey Willis, his old flight leader from when he was in Fighter Force on the Carrier Bolivar. Life was good.
At times Kelly couldn’t believe his luck. Just under two years ago he had been drummed out of Fighter Force for stepping on the toes of a senior Fighter Force General Officer, Major General Irina Bugarov. She had a penchant for disposing of good officers, an infamous legend throughout the Fleet. Kelly had managed to be in the right place at the right time to expose one of her serious tactical errors and save the Fleet Carrier Simon Bolivar from a K’Rang sneak attack.
