The Enemy of an Enemy

Chapter Six

From Karathlathornka’s report I made abreakthrough in the problem of the Magi. It was not much, but itmight be the key we needed to start making headway. Often in thesecases a few small steps are made, then all of a sudden everythingfalls into place. I was still trying to make that happen but atleast I had enough to make a start.

In the Academy we were trained to look ateverything like a child’s picture puzzle. Every piece of data was anew clue to be assembled in order to reveal the complete picture. Inever worked this way; it was too simplistic for real intelligencework. Instead I saw everything as threads in a great tapestry inthat the data we collected were not discrete pieces, but ratherstrands of thread, and those threads were often knotted up.Untangling them and figuring out how to weave them into the biggertapestry would reveal the hidden truth. While working at thethreads, smaller patterns could be found that would eventually makeup the details in the bigger picture, and it appeared that I hadfound one of these smaller patterns.

I brought my report to the captain, but heinsisted on waiting until the senior staff was assembled. I did notknow if I was ready for this. If I was wrong this would reinforcetheir low opinion of me, but if I was right it could be theopportunity I needed to prove myself. It would be nice to leavethem with a good impression before I departed on my suicidemission.

When I entered the conference room and lookedaround, the atmosphere seemed more relaxed than it had beenrecently. I wondered if that was because they did not expectanything I had to say to be very shocking.

Zalith had his feet up on the table, Dr.Rannor was sitting on the table looking like he should be sipping adrink, and everyone generally seemed in a carefree mood. It feltmore like a social gathering at a friend’s house, at least as faras the others were concerned. I felt like I was about to face theworst exam of my life and had forgotten to study. I assembled mynotes and did my best to look as relaxed as they were, but withoutmuch success.

The door opened and everyone jumped toattention as the captain entered. His broad shoulders seemed tofill the great doorway as he passed through it, adding to the auraof power that he projected.

Soon everyone was seated and the captainsaid, “I asked Vydor to call this meeting because he has some newsfor us on the Magi situation. He has shared a little with mealready and I think we would all benefit from hearing hispresentation.” He paused and looked at everyone as to say, “Givethe kid a break,” then said, “Vydor, go ahead.”

“Thank you, Captain.” I paused, took a breathand told myself that these were my peers, not a review board. Ionly wished I could believe myself …

“I want to start with a review of what weknow, going back to the original transmission from Lieutenant Tom.This is because I think I have found a thread running through allthe events which gives us a clue to the puzzle of the Magi.

“When Zalith presented his report on Tom’smessage, he stated that he thought the message was tampered withbecause of the way Tom was acting. At the time I agreed with him.Tom, as we all knew, was a battle-hardened veteran and was actinglike a green soldier who had never faced battle. After thatmeeting, I studied the message to see if I could verify thattheory.

“It is fairly well-known that alltransmitters in the Empire have a code which they transmit toidentify themselves. What is not so well-known is that all militarytransmitters, like Tom’s, have a second coded message they transmitto prevent any possibility of interference. Based on my analysis ofthat data, there is no way that message was tampered with. It isexactly as it was when it left the transmitter. If there was anyfalsehood involved, Lieutenant Tom would have had to be involved.There is no reason to believe he would knowingly have taken part,so we can only take the message at face value.

“The next thing to look at is the target theMagi picked for their move: a colony deep within the Empire’ssecure borders researching biological warfare. At first it soundslike a great target, because it would be unexpected and yield somenice weapons, but not this colony. The last few reports on thecolony indicate that it is a complete failure. It has neverproduced a single new discovery in the seventy-five years it hasbeen in operation. What does not make sense is the colony’sclassification. It is rated in the highest level of biologicalwarfare research, which is why Dr. Rannor strongly warned usagainst landing. From what these reports say, that project shouldhave been abandoned and not classified so highly.”

I paused here. I wanted that to sink in abit. I had a lot more to say and I needed to gather my thoughts. Iwas sure they would soon start wondering about my informationsources. I did not officially have the security clearance to knowabout the reports I had just cited, never mind study them. Heck, Iwas not sure anyone in this room other than Dr. Rannor did.

“The next thing to consider is the firstprobe we sent. The Magi could easily have simply shot it down;instead they tampered with it, changed what it would report and letit report for a while, and then shot it down. The only reason forthis is that they wanted to change our perception of them in someway. If they had merely destroyed the probe, we would not havethought much about it. By manipulating what the probe reported theycaused us to spend time and resources trying to deduce what theywere up to, and making wild guesses about what they could do.”

As I looked around the room, I noticedsomething I had never seen before. They were listening very closelyto me. Not as if I was a green youngster, but as a peer. Icertainly had their attention. Dr. Rannor was a good example ofthis. He always took notes when he thought something was important,and he was taking notes on my presentation. Zalith never tooknotes, but his piercing gaze was firmly planted on me, paying veryclose attention to everything I said.

“After this we sent a second probe. Thisprobe was specifically designed to prevent tampering, and washeavily armored so that it would not be easy to shoot down. It wasalso transmitting data non-stop throughout its flight. This meantthat the Magi could not merely manipulate the probe to convey whatthey chose, and it was impervious to the known planetary defensesof the colony. What did they do in response? They used a weaponthat they know we cannot duplicate, and fired on the probe threetimes. As we agreed here, it would have been impossible for them toknow that the first hit failed to destroy it before they fired thesecond shot, indicating that they had always intended to take threeshots. When we discussed this, the captain pointed out that it wasprobably a tactic designed to induce fear. It was then that Zalithpointed out their lack of sensor technology.”

Now it was time for me to present myconclusions. This would make or break me. I had their attention andif I messed up now it would be much harder to prove my worth in thefuture. If I had a future, since in a fairly short time I would beleading a virtual suicide mission.

“By now some of you may have an idea what Iam leading up to, but let me present two more pieces of data thathave not yet been considered in these chambers. The first is thecrew’s morale. Most of our crew are battle-hardened veterans, yetthere is a noticeable level of fear everywhere on the ship. Thatdoes not make much sense. All the Magi have done so far is to blowup a couple of probes and repel our first attempt at invasion. Evena mighty force like the Imperial Navy loses skirmishes, especiallyearly on in a brand-new war, or potential war. Some level ofanticipation might be expected, but fear? I may not have seen asmuch space time as the rest of you, but I think I can fairly statethat this level of anxiety is not normal.

“Add to that the strange orders from HighCommand, the lack of information, and the death of the captain’sinformant; and it start to appear that High Command is alsosuffering from an unusually high level of alarm. The fear here onthe ship could be categorized as fear of the unknown, but theindications are that High Command knows more than they are saying,so their fear is that of a known force.”

I paused to gather myself. The silence in theroom was deafening, almost entreating me to continue. “There is onemore piece of information which I think ties this all together.What I am about to disclose comes from a reliable but unofficialsource. I travel a lot in intelligence circles, and so I meetpeople, and perform favors which are paid back with information. Ibelieve this to be accurate. I trust this source.

“The Magi are not a new hostile force. Theyare an experimental research group into the art and science ofpsionic warfare. I know, you have probably all heard the variousconspiracy theories and think them groundless, but add up what weknow so far and it becomes apparent that the colony has launched adevastatingly subtle weapon against us, that ofpsychologically-induced fear. They are researching biologicalweapons, but not the kind we assumed; the so-called bugs in thiscase are people, a group that goes by the code name Black Adders.They were sent there secretly to focus solely on psionic warfareand attempt to prove or disprove the viability of such a weapon,and I would say they were successful in their endeavors.”

That wrapped up what I had to say. I wasunsure what to do next, when the captain spoke up. “Vydor, theytold me you were the best, and that you could find connections andlink data which others missed, and they were certainly right.”

I sat down and waited to see what would bethe reaction of the others. Dr. Rannor was reviewing the notes hehad taken. Larath was finding some reports on his personalcomputer, and Zalith looked lost in thought.

Larath was the first to respond. “Sir, I haveto say, with regard to Vydor’s statements about the crew, I mustagree. I am looking at the reports from my staff, and an illogicallevel of fear is being reported. I can think of no good reason forthis.”

“Dr. Rannor, what is your opinion on thecolony?” inquired the captain.

“Well, Captain, I have heard some rumorsabout a colony such as Vydor described, but I had rejected them assilly. His assessment of the colony as a failure is an accurateone, based on reports which I have no idea how he could have seen.In my studies of biological warfare I have turned up no newdiscoveries accredited to Arken IV. In fact, I had never heard ofthe colony until this mission,” answered Dr. Rannor.

“Zalith? Your thoughts?” prompted thecaptain.

“I have to admit Vydor’s theory sums upeverything very nicely, and I would agree with his conclusion basedon the given information. This leaves us with a problem. The Magihave at least one powerful plasma cannon, and the ability to sowfear. Either of those weapons by themselves would be dangerous, butcombined they make a deadly mixture,” was his reply.

“Does this change our commitment to send introops?” asked Commander Jones.

“Our orders are not conditional uponanything, so no. It is safe to conclude that High Command knowsabout the Black Adders, and that’s why they do not want us to bringthe fleet in any closer than needed. I assume they are counting onVydor’s reputation for reasoning to defeat the fear weapons, sincethe Tom’s boldness apparently failed,” answered the captain.

“But why did High Command keep thisinformation from us?” asked Dr. Rannor.

“Well, fear of the unknown is something weall have experience of; we all know how to deal with that. Fear asa weapon only works when you can remove the person’s ability todeal with it. They are probably assuming that we have a betterchance of winning if we do not know what we are facing, as odd asthat sounds,” answered Larath. “The big question we need to beconcerned with is how to fight this fear weapon.”

“I am not sure. I cannot find any reliableinformation on how to counter psionic warfare. We are all trainedto deal with fear, but Tom had that same training, and it did nothelp him,” I answered.

There was some brief chatter regardingvarious rumors and theories about psionic weapons, even a fewreferences to myths and legends from days so far back that no onecan place them.

“Captain, I need your permission to select areplacement to take over my post,” I began.

“Do you think you’re not coming back?”interrupted Larath. “If you leave with the intention of failure,then you will surely achieve it.”

Commander Jones interrupted, “That is a goodidea, Vydor. If the mission is a success you are likely to be goneat least a few months.” I noticed he did not address the questionof the mission failing.

“Months?” I was a bit shocked by thatassessment. “I figured several weeks, but not much more thanthat.”

“Yes. If you are successful at making firstcontact, then I will need you as part of the negotiations when Iarrive. In most cases the person who makes first contact is theperson most able to smooth over negotiations. After we have builtup formal communications, you could return to your post here, butthat often takes several months,” answered Commander Jones.

“Oh, come on! First we take a top officer andsend him on a suicide mission, and now we are talking aboutdisgracing him with a desk job? Is nothing sacred any more?” boomedZalith.

The assembled officers really were unhappywith this mission and how it was being handled by High Command.Combine that with the fear everywhere on the ship and things couldstart to get explosive. The captain sat back and watched. He lookedso calm in the face of all this. How did he do it?

It was officially my meeting, so it was up tome to try to control it. “Gentlemen, please. Enough of this. Iappreciate the concern for my honor and wellbeing. I completelyunderstand the risks of this mission. As of now no one understandsour enemy better than me, and I am not looking for a way out. TheEmperor has decreed that I lead this mission, and that is enoughfor me. I need not know what his plans are or the part I will playin them. If by my death or life I can serve the Empire, then Ishall do so.”

I paused a moment and looked around the room.My comment affected them in different ways. Larath, as always, hada look of encouragement about him. It was that look that he used tokeep himself from ever showing any emotion. The captain and Zalithboth regarded me with knowing pride on their faces. It was as ifthey looked at me and saw younger versions of themselves. CommanderJones maintained a completely unreadable posture and face. The bigsurprise was Dr. Rannor. He had an odd look on his face; it was asad look, but more than that. It was as if he was looking into thefuture and what he saw depressed him. He must have known somethingthat he had not shared, but what could it be, and why hide it?

“If there is no further information, orquestions, I have a team to prepare to run without its leader foran unknown length of time.” I paused here to see if anyone hadanything to say. Since this was my meeting, protocol demanded thatI be the one to wrap it up. “Okay then. This meeting isadjourned.”

As everyone started to clear out, the captaingrasped my shoulder from behind and said, “Vydor, wait a moment. Iwould like to talk to you in private.”

He waited for everyone to leave, and thengestured for me to sit across from him. He paused for what seemedlike years. Then in an uncharacteristic, fatherly tone, he startedto speak.

“Vydor, you are a fine officer and a valuablemember of my team here. Since you came on board you have gone wellbeyond the call of duty in everything you have done. You haveworked very hard to prove yourself worthy of the tremendous honorof your position here. I will admit I had to be talked into lettingyou on to my team. You were not my first choice; in fact, you werenot even on my list of possibilities. However, since you came onboard, I have watched you. I have watched how you work with yourteams, and how they view you. I have read every report produced byanyone under your direct influence, and I have kept on top ofeverything you have done from the beginning. You have certainlyshown yourself to be worthy of the great chance you got when youwere offered this position.

“Now that you are leaving us for a while, Iwould like to give you a bit of advice on what to do with yourteams before you go. In your desire to prove yourself, you areoverworking your teams a little. Before you assign a replacement,go over your rules and regulations and add a little moreflexibility and leniency. People tend to work better when they havesome room to maneuver.

“When you do select your replacement, don’tpick the best man for the job; instead choose the one whoseleadership style most closely resembles yours. This will reduce theamount of retraining you will have to do on your return.”

The captain paused here a minute, as hedecided what to say next. I knew him well enough to be silent whilehe worked it out. “Vydor, I must say I am a bit concerned that yourpride may be driving you to take this mission. You lack experienceand really do not know what it is like to face death. You will beleading a very dangerous mission, and every member of that team’slife will be in your hands. I want them all back safely. Do nottake any foolish risks just to prove yourself to us. Returningalive with all of your team will be enough.”

“Captain, I have faced death.” I paused togather myself. “I have faced him in a very intimate way. In ourfirst round, he won. We brought every weapon and tool that theEmpire could muster against him, and lost. Now I am locked in astand-off with him. I can see him down the corridor of time. Hestands ready to do battle again, patiently waiting, knowing thatthe clock always runs in his favor. While I may not have a hugeamount of combat experience, I am all too familiar with death.”

“You are referring to your father, and thedisease you are destined to get. Good, I am glad you realize that.A healthy respect for death is a good thing to have on a missionlike this. Do not look so surprised; I make it my business to knowmy staff. Your family line is plagued with Betalian’s Syndrome.Every male in your family has died from it. In fact, I also knowthat you are the last of your bloodline.”

I was continually surprised by the captain’sability to learn things he was not authorized to know. Personalmedical histories like mine were not intended to be generallyknown, in order to prevent discrimination in assignments. But hewas completely right. It was just a matter of time before I too gotsick like my father.

“Vydor, before you leave pay Dr. Rannor avisit. No, I am not worried about your health, but about his. Yousee, he is the reason you are here.”

To say that remark surprised me would be anunderstatement. I knew that High Command had sent orders ahead tosecure me this position, but it never occurred to me that theship’s doctor would even know my name, never mind be the reason formy acceptance.

“As you know, High Command sends outrecommendations for crew replacements whenever positions open up inthe fleet. What you may not yet have learned is that most of thetime, most captains ignore them and choose whoever they think best.High Command makes its decisions based on records, while captainsmake their decisions based on their personal knowledge of theofficers. When your recommendation came down the line I intended toreject it, but Dr. Rannor piped up in your defense.

“He was very convincing, singing your praisesand telling me that there was no one better in all the Empire forthis position. I was amazed by this, as he has never done anythinglike that before or since. Based solely on his recommendation, Iaccepted your assignment to my staff. I thought that you wouldn’tlast more than a few days and I could appease him and then be ridof you. But to my surprise, you turned out to be all that he saidyou were. You lack only experience, something you’re about to get abig dose of.

“I am worried that if something should happento you on this mission, he will take it hard and blame himself. Soplease stop by his office as soon as you can and see what you cando about that.”

With that, the captain left the room.