Duty, Honour, Love

Karasena paced the floor in front of the comms every now and again stopping to regard the blank screen.

“Relax,” Dareia said to her she couldn’t focus with her friend’s anxious thoughts intruding on her mind. “You’re wearing a hole in the floor.”

Karasena halted and turned to Dareia. “I can’t help it it’s been two hours?”

“Well you did give Katares a lot of data to examine.”

“Ma’am?” Rhiedice the other duty comms operator said. “Message from Sergeant Nanyo.”

“Please deal with if Dareia,” Karasena said.

“Nanyo?” Dareia asked Rhiedice. She could easily pick out that Karasena was avoiding talking to Mark, guilt strong in her mind.

Dareia listened Nanyo’s request was simple Mark wanted to see his wounded, a reasonable request at any other time. “Assure Captain Stillway we can deal with it and we will accept his request.” Dareia knew Karasena was interested even without looking at her face.

“What’s that about Mark…I mean Captain Stillway?” Karasena flushed but none of her command seemed to notice her admission.

“Mark,” Dareia said to Karasena directly. “Asks if he can visit his wounded crew at the hospital. I’ve said yes but you’ll have to go with him he trusts you.”

Karasena went pale. “I can’t, I just can’t.”

At that moment the comms pinged indicated an in coming message. Ino answered it with a nod from Dareia.

“Ma’am,” Ino said to Karasena. “Message from Admiral Katares.”

“Put it through,” Karasena said a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Ino cleared way while Karasena sat in front of the comms.

“Admiral Katares,” she said and saluted.

“Captain Karasena, I skimmed through your report it makes heavy reading.”

“I’ve been as accurate as I could?”

“I accept that. Good job on that but we aren’t out of the woods yet as the Terrans say it. I need you to pump the Terran Captain for as much information about these Ulkoi.” He paused to let his words sink in. “Even if it means cozying up to him.”

Karasena relief was palpable. “Yes sir.”

“Good, call me as soon as you can. I’ll get me people to investigate things from this side.”

The comms blinked off. Karasena stared at the blank screen. Dareia stepped forward.

“Go and seduce your captain. It’s an order.” Dareia laughed.

Karasena blushed it was hard keeping her thoughts secret for a tepe. “I will go and escort Captain Stillway to the hospital,” Karasena announced her face flushed red.

Kathleen sat with Laura in her office waiting, she still thought it a stupid idea to come clean. She felt her tension rising especially after the call earlier to tell her that Karasena and Stillway were coming to talk to her about the wounded from the Orinoco.

“Quit fretting,” Laura told her. “This is as good a time as any and remember I’ll be here by your side.

Kathleen’s comms chimed letting her know her uncalled for guests were on their way to her office.

Mark walked with Karasena as they were guided to the Hospital Administrator’s office. He was worried that Karasena wasn’t her unusual cheerful self. She seemed distant as if in a world of her own troubles. He longed to ask her why. Then they weren’t friends she was his warder and he was her prisoner a fact he had to keep reminding himself of. Karasena thoughts were on how was she was to breech the subject of her orders to him. It had been a tense and silent journey by ground car from the hall to the hospital. All the time Mark worried if the antics of those three of his crew had soured things. He had told Sergeant Fox that he had it in hand and had hoped that was the end of that. A porter showed them the way and discretely left them standing at the door to the Administrator’s office. Karasena hesitated before she knocked.

“Come on in!” a voice called out it wasn’t Kathleen’s.

Karasena entered with Mark close behind her. His presence had comforting effect. It was a shame she was going to spoil it. She was surprised to see Kathleen seated with Laura beside her. Laura looked relaxed while Kathleen was expressionless. Two chairs awaited them. Karasena slightly smiled when Mark pulled the chair back for her to sit and placed carefully back as she sat. That was until she remembered the onerous task she had. Not being here with Mark but telling him she had been ordered to execute him and his crew.

“Good to see you Karasena,” Laura said. She looked across to Mark. “And I’m glad to see you again Captain Stillway.”

“Mark, will be fine. “No need to be that formal.” He paused and spoke again. “I’m here to see my crew.”

“That can wait for a moment we’ve something important to tell you first. And please hear us out before you make a judgement.”

“And that is?” Karasena asked.

“I am or was with Imperial Intelligence attached to Central Command.” Kathleen confessed hating to have to do so.

“What!” both Mark and Karasena said together and looked at each other.

Laura spoke before the two could say anything. “Just hear Kathleen out. She’s with us and not against us.” She gave Kathleen an affirmative nod.

Kathleen decided to continue to hell with the consequences explaining her ‘Breaking Dawn’ message and what that implied and then the contents of her second message. “I severed ties with Central Command because of the first message. I received the second through official channels and I was ordered to kill you and your crew Captain Stillway. Steal and destroy any data you had Captain Karasena and somehow destroy the ship. An impossible order by any stretch of the imagination.”

Mark stared at Kathleen a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Why, why would they do that to us?” He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“To let you know I’ve never sent any messages about your crashed ship to Central Command Captain Stillway. Which makes me think that there is another agent I do not know about out there.”

Mark kept his simmering anger in check. “So you were going to leave in the dark about this?”

“No it was fortuitous that you came to us,” Laura said. “Kathleen only received the message last night.”

Karasena’s mind was awhirl with Kathleen’s revelation. She only received her orders early this morning she was beginning to see a pattern here. Kathleen’s words about a Ulkoi take over seemed to be mimicked with Com Ops. Unconsciously she held Marks hand taking comfort in that simple gesture. Bitter regret filled her she desperately wanted Mark to like her but she had to have her say. “I received a message for Com Ops telling me to do exactly the same.”

Mark’s hand tensed in hers but he didn’t let go. Karasena took that as a good sign,

He spoke reigning in his anger. It wasn’t directed at Karasena despite her admission. He was angry with the Empire to whom his crew had pledged their loyalty. “If there are those in Central Command and Com Ops working together what is their motive?” He wondered aloud.

“Chaos pure and simple,” Kathleen stated. She’d been worried about the takeover in Intelligence but she hadn’t thought to think that the Confederacy had been compromised at well. “Look at this war? Random targets are being attacked which are easily beaten back. I’m afraid with the fleets we have now it would have been easy to overwhelm all Confederacy defences.” She waved her hand at Karasena. “No offence.”

“No taken,” Karasena replied giving Mark’s hand a friendly squeeze.

Kathleen continued warming to the subject. “It’s almost like someone or something wants the Empire and the Confederacy occupied while they slip through the back door.”

Karasena leaned forward noting both Mark and Laura listening in. “Misdirection keeping us busy. I think they targeted Mark’s squadron was because they stumbled onto something they weren’t supposed to see. Perhaps it was a staging area or something along those lines. So they harassed Mark’s ship.”

“What they were doing to us kind of what cat does playing with its prey before the kill. I’m sure we the last we just couldn’t shake them. If we hadn’t fallen down that wormhole we’ be dead,” Mark told them.

“And I in sending my reports to Com Ops revealed where you had gone?” This time Mark squeezed Karasena’s hand. “Ancients!” Karasena exclaimed. “And they were sending my reports to the Ulkoi in the Terran Empire.” She suddenly went cold as the full import of her action hit her. “I’ve got to comm Admiral Katares!”

“Why when there’s a problem with Com Ops?” Mark interjected. “You are calling this Admiral Katares?”

“Admiral Katares isn’t with Com Ops he’s with Special Operations he had a falling out with Com Ops over a mission where a lot of his people got killed,” Karasena said.

“Sorry,” Mark apologised. “I was jumping to the wrong conclusions.”

“That’s alright you weren’t to know,” Karasena replied giving his hand another squeeze. Just with his hand in hers was a moral booster she needed. “I’m just glad you’re protective of your crew.” She said that last bit to assure Mark she was on his side.