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A Moment's Inattention - Chapter 2
The contract was waiting for Beka when she arrived on board the Maru. As the Commodore had said it was a standard boilerplate contract. Beka had been going over such things ever since she was eleven helping her father after her mother had deserted the family. There was a standard 15% hazardous duty bonus and fuel cost provision. She was expected to recover the bodies of the crew members who had died in the accident, if possible repair the Victorious to the point where it could follow the Maru through the slipstream back to New Caledonia or failing that to take the vessel under tow and tow it back to its home planet. Beka sincerely hoped that the ship could be made flight worthy. Towing another vessel through the stream was dangerous to both the towed and the tower. The only thing that she found particularly objectionable was that the contract required that she take a computer specialist from the NCSDF to activate the Victorious' computer and an assistant undersecretary from the New Caledonia diplomatic corps' Bureau of Political-Military Affairs to oversee the operation. Beka had no great objections to the inclusion of the computer tech he would probably be useful, but she had doubts about the member of the diplomatic corps. When the passengers arrived the next morning she realized that her concerns had been correct.
The computer tech was a female petty officer named Covas, a few years older than Harper and obviously excited about having been picked for the mission. She had arrived at the Maru's entrance elevator at precisely 0800 carrying a single duffel bag slung over her shoulder and, and introducing herself as 'Petty Officer Gillian Covas, New Caledonian Space Defense Force'. To Beka's surprise she actually requested permission to come aboard the Maru. She had further impressed Beka by asking what her duties would be while aboard the Maru. Harper's sexual overtures to her had been rejected with an aplomb that had left him laughing rather than reeling. In answer to Beka's questions abut her rather junior rank and apparent lack of experience Covas explained that she had served a tour of duty on the Victorious and had just finished being trained on the new modifications that had been installed on the Victorious' computer and probably knew more about the Victorious and her computer system than anyone else currently available
The diplomatic official was another matter entirely. A pompous and officious man named Beckenworth, he had stormed aboard complaining loudly about having to carry his own luggage. He had completely ignored the outstretched hands of her crew as she had introduced them to him, and had nearly turned apoplectic when he had been informed that he would have to share the Maru's berthing compartment with the crew. By Beka's estimate counting transit times to and from slippoints it would take approximately a week to complete the operation. She suspected it was going to be a very long week. It was.
Two days later the Maru was approaching the crippled vessel. By then Harper was quipping that it was no wonder that New Caledonia was in a dispute with Kolk 7 since the New Caledonia diplomatic corps knew nothing about diplomacy. Vexpeg was suggesting that perhaps the New Caledonia diplomatic corps had assigned him to oversee the project in the hopes that he would suffer a fatal accident during the salvage attempt. Covas was doing her best to turn invisible when in his presence, and even Rev was starting to show signs of loosing patience with the undersecretary.
"How many slipstream capable ships does New Caledonia have, Mr. Beckenworth?" asked Beka. She really didn't care one way or another but the with Maru only three light minutes away from the Victorious tension on the command deck was running high and Beka thought a little conversation might lessen the strain.
"That is not information you need to know, Captain, and it's Undersecretary Beckenworth not Mr."
Beka heard the agitated clicking of Vexpeg's mandibles. She pivoted the pilots chair around to face the undersecretary but before she could make a retort Rev spoke up from his position at the sensor station.
"The New Caledonia Space Force consists of, not counting the ship we are salvaging, one Aquitania class light troop carrier reconfigured as a supply carrier, one Indomitable class group defense frigate, two Gazelle class corvettes, and one Four Freedoms class cargo craft. However there is speculation that the Four Freedoms class has been cannibalized to support the other vessels and is no longer operable."
"How did you come across that information, Magog?" snarled Beckenworth.
"My friends call me Rev, Mr Undersecretary, but you will address me as Reverend Behemal Fartraveller. As to how I am aware of your planets military capabilities I suggest that you look at the latest edition of Höhne's Fighting Ships Encyclopedia of The Local Group. I would think that a member of your planet's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs would be familiar with the publication."
"I can neither confirm or deny the accuracy of what you have read, Magog," said the undersecretary. "What I do suggest though is that you activate this vessel's PDL's and place them in automatic defense mode."
"Why?" asked Beka.
"I would think it would be obvious. We know that there were hot running missiles. What we don't know is if the crew had time to eject any from the tubes. Our military grade missiles have the capability to go dormant after launch if they don't pick up a target, then go live again when one comes within range detection range."
"That sounds like a friendly fire accident just waiting to happen," said Beka. "Activate the PDL's, Rev We'll find out in about ten minutes if the undersecretary's right. Stations everyone."
The Maru began inching towards the wrecked space ship with Rev calling out ranges as they approached. "Two point five light minutes. Two minutes. One point five. One point... ESM intercept! Missile fire control locking on!"
Before he could say anything else the Maru's PDL's began to fire. The Maru was buffeted violently as a missile was destroyed close enough to rattle the ship
"I hate to admit it but it looks like you were right, Mr Undersecretary." said Beka. "We'll go in nice and ....."
BWAM!!! The Maru shook as if it had been hit by a giant sledge hammer. Alarms began to go off indicating that the cargo pod had been holed. Acting on instinct rather than conscious thought Beka threw the Maru into evasive maneuvers while opening the distance between it and the wrecked ship. At the same time Rev launched the Maru's false target generators.
"What the Hell just hit us?" came Harper's voice over the ship's intercom system.
"I'm about to find out," said Vexpeg. Moving quickly he slammed Beckenworth against one of the command deck's bulkheads, placed a forearm across the man's throat, and began to exert pressure. "That wasn't a missile. That was a directed energy weapon. A mine. That didn't get accidentally launched, it had to have been planted. You sent us into a mine field. What's going on?"
The undersecretary pawed feebly at the Umbrite's arm, his face beginning to turn blue.
"He won't be able to tell us anything if you kill him, Vex," said Beka. "Let him breathe. Do you know anything about this?" she asked Covas.
"Nothing," stammered Covas. She was visibly shaking in fear though whether it was a result of the attack or the violent scene going on before her Beka didn't know and frankly didn't care. The terror in the girl's eyes was sufficient proof to her that the girl had no idea what was going on.
"Talk to me, Beckenworth," said Beka. "Convince me that I shouldn't throw you out the airlock without a spacesuit, or let Rev infect you with some larvae. Who planted those mines and what did you know about them?"
The pressure on his throat released, Beckenworth began to speak the words coming out in a frantic rush. "The Victorious wasn't damaged in a training accident. The Kolks sent one of their ships into the Serenity system and the Victorious engaged it. Both ships were severely damaged with the Kolk ship retreating towards slippoint distance. It was after the engagement that one of the missiles in the Victorious' tubes became a hot runner and the ship had to be evacuated. The Kolk ship must have detected the Provider leaving station before it exited into the stream because ground based radar on our outpost on Serenity detected it returning and approaching the Victorious. It remained near the Victorious for several days then departed. The Bureau deduced that it must have tried to salvage the Victorious but was unsuccessful. It also suspected, that based on previous instances, the Kolk ship would have planted mines before it departed in an attempt to prevent us from salvaging the Victorious before they could return and make another salvage attempt. That's why I suggested you activate the PDL's. Up till now the Kolks have used CAPTOR mines equipped with OM-4 missiles. They've never used directed energy mines before."
"We must have looked like a heaven sent opportunity for your Bureau when we arrived," snarled Beka. "Why risk one of your own ships when you can con someone else into taking the risks for you. Just don't let them know what really happened. Tell me, why were you assigned to accompany us, and were Commodore Jennings and Lieutenant Commander Adeoye in on the con, or did you keep them in the dark about what really happened so they would sound more convincing."
"I have no idea who you're talking about," said Beckenworth. Vexpeg began to apply pressure on his throat again. "Please," he begged, "I'm telling you everything I know. We didn't know for sure if the Kolks had planted mines. It was just a suspicion. I have no idea who those other people are. I was assigned to observe the salvage operation and make sure you lived up to the contract. Nothing more. "
"Let him loose, Vex," said Beka. "Confine him to the berthing compartment until we get the cargo pod patched up. Find a nice stanchion to chain him to."
"Move, Mr Undersecretary," said Vexpeg giving the diplomat a shove in the direction of the berthing compartment.
"You're not going to space him are you?" asked Covas.
"No," said Beka. "But I don't see any reason to let him think we're not considering it." She keyed the ships intercom. "Harper, get up here as soon as you get things in order in the engine room. We need to decide what we're going to do next."
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