Chapter 5
The commanding security officer, James Howell, began issuing orders later that evening. After speaking with Captain Abbott, the two rounded up every person on board that wasn’t already in cryo-sleep into the mess hall. Most were still groggy from being woken up in the middle of the night, but when Howell informed everyone of the incident, it seemed to sober them up.
Both men stood before the hushed crowd as Abbott spoke first. "Right now, we are just playing it safe, but the latest news is this: Ensign Walters is in stable condition and the doctors say he will make a full recovery. While the lead medical officer is assuring epidermal regeneration is possible, we don’t have the facilities on board to start the procedure." He nodded to Howell.
James Howell was of average height and weight with a mop of shaggy red hair poking out from underneath his cap. The middle-aged man folded his arms and panned the crowd. Caitrin felt his gray eyes lock on to hers briefly before moving on. "You are here because of all personnel that are stationed on this ship, you are the only ones that had access to the Cryo-Chamber."
An engineering specialist raised his hand. "But what about before the ship left its berth? Couldn't anyone have tampered with the pods before we were ever on board?"
Howell shook his head. "We didn't have the pod assignments yet, and the computer was locked." He shuffled to his left. "Until further analysis, we are sustaining our lockdown."
That comment elicited some moans from the crowd and Captain Abbott waved down the concern. "With everyone's cooperation, this will go very quickly." Howell leaned and whispered into Abbott's ear, and the Captain nodded. "Officer Howell will need to see all security personnel now, if there are no more questions. None? Dismissed."
Caitrin remained seated, as a fellow passenger stood and muttered something under his breath. She could feel the tension in the room remain despite the population thinning. She looked around the mess hall and noticed Maya sitting at a table by herself. She tried to get her roommates attention, but Howell cleared his throat, bringing Caitrin's eyes to his.
"Okay, now down to business." Howell pulled out a computerized tablet and began listing off bullet points. "The current staff on duty will remain as such for another half shift."
"I assume we’ll be paid overtime?" asked a guard sitting a few tables behind Caitrin.
Howell shifted his weight, contemplating the question, then slowly nodded. "Yes, but keep in mind we will be running on full alert till this is sorted out. You may like the pay, just not how you get it."
The inquiring guard snorted. "As long as it shows up on the check stub, I don’t mind."
The chief security officer flashed a wry smile. "Well, I’m glad you approve." He took a deep breath before moving on. "I went over the details of the incident with some of the technicians and we found something very odd." He brought a booted foot up to rest on the bench of the nearest table and spoke softly. "The rogue program was inserted with a randomizer, thereby making any prediction of the intended mark impossible. The glitch wasn’t even suppose to cause as much damage as it did, but a feedback loop ensued, thus resulting in the severity of the wounds."
Caitrin raised her hand and Howell acknowledged her. "What about this Ensign Walters. Does anything from his record stick out?"
Howell looked down at his tablet and shook his head. "He’s a low-level communications technician, maintenance for the in-ship comm gear, nothing too vital."
The UNSC-tattooed guard— Kinnison, Caitrin finally remembered— detached himself from the wall to her left and leaned over the end of Caitrin’s table. The table creaked at the weight of his muscular frame. "I don’t think Walters, or anyone in particular was targeted. The real question is who would want to randomly harm someone in the freezer."
Howell placed his tablet on the table and rubbed a hand over his face to wipe some of the tiredness away. "That’s a valid point, but what we also need to look at is who among those with the access could engineer such a program and install it undetected."
Caitrin started to pan the gathered security guards to see if Howell’s last statement made anyone appear nervous or anxious, but she was met with the same inquisitiveness in return. Could ONI be aiming at me? Was this a warning shot?
Howell hushed the crowd. "I’ve already cleared Kinnison and Clark, so we don’t have to worry about this being an internal investigation."
Caitrin wanted to breathe a little easier, but the towering figure at the end of the table didn’t budge when his name was mentioned. Either he is a cool customer or guilty as sin. "So where does that leave us?" she asked her commander.
Howell sighed. "Unfortunately, it doesn’t leave us with much. Every crewman aboard has some degree of programming ability, not to mention expertise for some. We have the pod itself and a list of names. Does anyone here have any forensics experience?"
Heads turned on shoulders, leaving Caitrin to raise her hand and become the focal point. "I went through a basics course several years ago," she offered.
Howell raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He picked up his tablet and scanned the screen’s contents. "Alright, then. Collin, Barros, and Adkins will see to the examination of the cryo-pod, Collin, you’ll lead that group."
It took Caitrin a second to comprehend herself as "Collin". She nodded and finally found Maya’s gaze meeting hers. The roommate merely gave a quick smile and returned to her dour self. Clearly her mind is on something else.
"The rest of you will help organize interviews to determine the whereabouts of the other crewmen." Howell straightened up. "We will reconvene at 0500 hours. Hopefully by then we’ll have our answers." He nodded and the security officers started to file out of the mess hall.
Caitrin quickly stood and shortened the distance between her and Maya, weaving her way through the departing guards. The older woman remained motionless and burrowed in an oversized coat. Whether for warmth or shelter, Caitrin didn’t know. "You okay?"
Maya, her gazed locked on the floor made an abbreviated shrug. "I’m fine." She looked up, her eyes tired, and Caitrin saw distant pain behind batting lashes. "Let’s just get this over with."
Before Caitrin could respond to her blatant apathy, Maya moved past her and waved Adkins over. The young, dark-skinned man gave a smug smile and beckoned Caitrin over with a nod. Adkins was no doubt enthralled with the opportunity to work with the only two women on Emissary.
"Let’s just get this over with," she repeated Maya’s comment to Adkins. His expression remained, but his posture stiffened, realizing any playful banter at this point could deter any hopes of his advances working on either woman. In your dreams, Adkins.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
The Cryo-Chamber was now brightly lit around the only opened pod, making the scene look like a stage performance was about to take place. Caitrin could easily imagine the stoic crowd being the frozen faces encased in the cryo-pods behind her as the three "investigators" started their initial examination.
Adkins removed his cap and scratched his head. Surprisingly, when he spoke, it was the accent of an eastern European. "With all those techs swarming over this thing, it will be hard to tell if those who searched the pod afterwards didn’t come earlier to sabotage it."
Caitrin nodded. "Yeah, but the Captain was wise enough to jot down the list of people who helped Walters." She bent down and opened up the tool kit Howell had supplied her with. "Let’s first see who all has been here."
"You know if they didn’t throw all of the funds to outfit this ship at the Political Suite, they could have afforded some security cameras in here," Maya muttered.
"I hear that," Adkins added.
Caitrin shook her head and pulled the fingerprint scanner from its fitted enclosure in the case. She thumbed it on and brought it up to the outer edge of the pod’s control pad. She traced the outline and slowed her pace when she ran the scanner over the numeric buttons. The scanner beeped several tones and the results appeared on the small readout.
"Well?" Maya asked.
Caitrin skimmed the list of matched fingerprints, then held it out for all of them to see. "Any of those names jump out at you?"
Adkins and Maya both shook their heads.
Caitrin transmitted the list to Howell, hoping his interview process was going better than their examination. She sighed and sat down on the cold steps. "None of this makes any sense."
"You’re telling me," Adkins said. "Why take out a random crewmember to only have the entire ship being combed for the culprit?"
Maya frowned. "Maybe they botched up the timing, just like they screwed up the feedback loop."
"So they’re clever enough to infiltrate the cryo-computer, but sloppy enough to bungle the programming?" Caitrin asked shaking her head in confusion. Then an idea popped into her head. What if it isn’t an ONI spook doing this but some Insurrectionist? She worked her jaw for a second. "What if our destination has something to do with all this."
"What?" both Maya and Adkins blurted out at the same time.
"Well think about it." Caitrin stood and started to pace back and forth. "We have an Ambassador on this ship who’s as cocky as he is fat." She paused, choosing her words carefully as to not divulge any information not common knowledge among those on the ship. "He talked about averting a crisis. Maybe someone on Andvari knows he’s coming and wants to halt us before we get there?"
Maya gave Caitrin a wide-eyed look. "Taryn, how the hell do you come up with all this?"
Adkins stepped down to the grated floor to both literally and symbolically take Caitrin’s side. "Didn’t you listen to the Captain’s and Ambassador’s announcements?" He folded his arms and gave Caitrin a wink. "I agree that this could be just a message saying not to try anything." He gave both women a satisfied smile.
Maya rolled her eyes. "So that’s it? We just tell Howell our assumptions and hope for the best?"
Caitrin opened her hands expansively. "What else can we do? If the culprit used gloves then their fingerprints won’t show up on the keypad."
"Fine," Maya retorted, holding up her hands to forestall any further argument. "Let’s go tell Howell."
The three of them marched down to their commanding officer’s small single quarters, adorned with a fully functional restroom and kitchen area. Howell was mulling over the list Caitrin had sent when they entered the tiny meeting area connected to his quarters. "This is all you have?"
Caitrin nodded. "There wasn’t much there, Sir. We could dig down another layer, but that would cause the entire cryo-computer to be placed on standby."
"Understood." Howell set the tablet down and leaned back in his cushioned chair. "Thoughts?"
Adkins spoke first. "Who ever did this, was both sneaky and sloppy, Sir. The program worked, but not the way it was intended. It was undetected from the time of insertion, leaving no trace of origin." He smiled, pleased with taking the analysis as his own.
"Interesting." Howell scratched at the stubble on his chin. "Anything else?"
Caitrin stirred. "Sir, the possibility of this incident as a scare tactic was brought up during our earlier discussion. We are a political envoy . . ." she trailed off, giving Howell the opportunity to speculate.
The commanding officer sat up in his chair, the creaking sound nearly masking his sigh. "I was waiting for someone else to come to that conclusion." He looked past them and signaled the door to his quarters close by a remote in his hand. Howell’s face turned to stone. "The Captain gave me some more information on the planet we’re destined for. There are innies on the ground with which the Ambassador is going to negotiate."
"Insurrectionists?" Maya hissed through clenched teeth.
Caitrin looked down to see the Hispanic woman’s fists balling up. Caitrin quickly reached over and gave Maya’s arm a squeeze. The roommate forced her hands open and took a deep breath. Caitrin lifted her chin inquisitively. "Could one of them have gotten on board?"
Howell’s brow furrowed. "I suppose anything is possible, at this point." He picked up his tablet. "I’ll run over the list again, searching for those with past ties to any Insurrectionist movements or planets where fighting was active." He nodded. "In the meantime, continue your investigation. And good work."
"But Sir, we’ve already—"
Caitrin jabbed Adkins in the ribs with her elbow. The younger man cringed and rubbed at the point of contact. "Yes, Sir," she said for all three. They filed out of the anteroom in silence.
The three guards started for their previous location, but once out of earshot of their commander, Adkins threw his hands up in protest. "Why are we going back? Just let Howell run his search program and be done with it."
Maya, walking with arms folded, threw him a stern look. If anything, she looked more ticked off than before. "Shut up, Adkins. If the Innies are involved, then we need to solve this right now."
The dark-skinned man stopped in his tracks, causing the two women to halt. "So we are just going to scan the entire ship for prints? Why don’t we have everyone give a stool sample as well?" he bit out.
"That’s it!" Caitrin exclaimed.
Adkins’ expression soured. "Collin, if you want to play with people’s crap, then be my guest."
Caitrin closed her eyes in frustration. "No, you idiot. Scanning for prints." She stepped ahead to look at them both. "If this guy is sloppy as we think, he may have put gloves on after he was inside the Cryo-Chamber."
Maya shook her head. "But that could include anyone still in the pods."
"Well, let’s be sure and find out."
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
She ran the scanner over the keypad that permitted the crew to enter the Cryo-Chamber, holding it steady longer than on the previous setting. Caitrin tapped her foot nervously as her two shadows awaited the results.
"Why is it taking so long?" asked Adkins.
Maya responded, "There’s probably three times as many entries in the system. Without reviewing the log-in requirements, fingerprints will give us what we need."
"Hopefully," Adkins murmured.
The scanner beeped and the readout filled the tiny screen with countless names. "Great." Caitrin compared the list to the names Howell had supplied her as "cleared" and removed them. It eliminated a good portion of the crew, but then she sorted the names by granted clearance levels.
And one name rose to the top of the list: Neil Yunker, Aide to the Ambassador.
Maya read the display and cursed.
"What?" Adkins asked, not able to see the screen from his angle.
Caitrin quickly saved the file and transmitted it to Howell. Gathering up the rest of her gear, she gave both Maya and Adkins a worried look. "It’s the Ambassador, he’s in danger." Caitrin shouldered the equipment bag and ran down the corridor with the other two following closely behind. Her steps almost faltered when she recalled the security guard that last checked on the Ambassador: Kinnison.
Her heartbeat began to pound in her head. I knew there was something wrong about that guard! Fear trickled into her thoughts. Fear for the Ambassador’s life, fear of failing to protect him, and fear that this whole mission could be scrubbed in the next few moments, possibly evaporating her chance to get to Andvari.
She threw the bag off her shoulder and pulled out her shockstick.
Caitrin ran as fast as she could.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Neil Yunker jolted awake. The bustle of security guards filling the room felt like a dream, and he doubted his consciousness. That was until he was throw to the ground, none too gently, and binders were placed on his wrists. A strong hand pressed his face to the carpeted floor and Neil felt a knee slam into the middle of his back. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. With the left side of his face smashed to the carpet, his right eye looked up to see the captain of the ship with the head of security looking tall and menacing above.
"Neil Yunker, you are placed under arrest," said Howell. He pointed to the small utility room housing the Ambassador’s cryo-pod. "Get Ambassador Thorin out of there, but double check the system." He turned to stared knifes back at Yunker. "His aide, here, might have already rigged it."
Caitrin moved past her commander, followed by a handful of technicians and medical personnel. She waited in the doorway as the Ambassador was thawed and his pod opened. The medical staff was quick to cover him with a plush robe and support his weight, as Herod struggled to overcome his disorientation. Caitrin ushered the Ambassador out into the living area of his quarters and snapped to attention. "Sir, his pod appears to be secure, though the techs are going over it again."
Herod, still groggy, let his eyes focus on the scene. When he saw his aide on the ground he gasped. "What’s going on here? Captain, release him!" He shook off the medtechs still at his sides and retied his robe more securely. "What has he done to warrant such gross misconduct?"
Captain Abbott calmly approached Herod, and Caitrin could read strained patience in his stance. "Ambassador, your aide not only managed to breach security, but also reprogrammed the cryo-computer systems to cause severe trauma to a crewman in cryo-freeze."
Herod sobered and lost some of his rage. "How bad is the crewman hurt? Is he alive?"
Puzzled at Herod’s concern for one of the passengers, Abbott frowned. "Yes, he will be fine, but in the meantime, we’re taking Yunker to the brig." Abbott nodded to the guards watching the Ambassador’s aide and they hauled the protesting man to his feet.
Herod brought a hand up. "That won’t be necessary, Captain."
All movement in the room stopped and Caitrin could almost taste the tension. The guards securing the prisoner looked at Herod and then at Abbott, waiting for some kind of confirmation of their orders.
"With all due respect, Ambassador, it is necessary."
Giving a sly smile to the Captain, Herod casually shrugged and lowered his voice. "Perhaps you would rather have a private discussion about the chain of command on a political vessel?"
Abbott narrowed his eyes and worked his jaw for a moment; the two men locked in an icy stare. But it was Howell that broke the silence. "Collin, Kinnison, you two stay. Everyone else, out."
Hesitantly, the security guards left the room while the technicians hurried out, no doubt sensing a possible brawl between Herod and Abbott.
Caitrin shut the door, sealed it, and then uneasily joined Kinnison to monitor Yunker after the aide returned to the chair he was rudely pulled out of. Caitrin started calculating distances and attack angles that would inevitably come when the fists started flying. And I have to count Kinnison as a wildcard.
Herod brought his chin up defiantly. "If I need to recite the Charter for political envoys and their heads-of-state, then I feel we might be here much longer than either of us desire."
The Captain’s hands clenched, his knuckles white. "If you think you can pull diplomatic immunity on my ship after your aide did what—"
"Your ship?" Herod chortled. "No, Abbott, as chief political statesman, I, Herod Thorin will deem if Yunker’s actions warrant incarceration." The Ambassador finally broke his stare and walked over to rest a heavy hand on his aide’s shoulder. "Besides, I asked him to do it."
"What!" Howell and Abbott shouted simultaneously. Fury and anger brewed in both their eyes, and Caitrin wasn’t sure if they would be able to contain their rage. She wondered if she should even stop them from beating the Ambassador senseless.
"Oh, I assure you, there was only to be a mild injury inflicted, but accidents do happen." Herod stared disapprovingly at Yunker, and from Caitrin’s perspective it looked genuine.
Howell took a step forward, his hands resting on his holster. "Why? Why would you have him do this?"
The Ambassador passively walked past Howell and took a seat opposite Yunker on a couch. "A test, Officer. A test to see just how prepared your security is for when we reach our destination."
"A test?" Howell’s lips curled as if he had just tasted sour wine. "Why in hell would you do that?
Surprisingly, the Ambassador rose to his feet fast with the movement of someone much younger and lighter. "Because this is war," he hissed. "Because the minute we enter the Sigur System we’ll be in hostile territory, and the last thing I want watching my back is an unproven crew." Herod folded his arms and breathed in deeply. His face softened and he exhaled. "Now I assure you, both of you, that there will be no more incidents." He returned to his seat and gathered his hands across his round middle.
Captain Abbott finally broke his angered, statue-like pose and stormed out of the Ambassador’s quarters.
Howell pointed a quivering finger at Herod. "If you or your pathetic aide here try anything else, I’ll deal with you personally." He snapped his fingers and the two security guards followed him out.
Caitrin took one last look into Herod’s chambers and felt a shiver run down her spine when the Ambassador smiled and waved.
Out in the hallway Maya grabbed Caitrin’s arm, pulling her off to the side. "What happened?" Maya asked.
All Caitrin could do was shake her head to dismiss further discussion. Of all her assumptions and supposed analysis, she had been wrong about the culprit. Caitrin’s confidence in her abilities was now replaced by the once-forgotten feelings of inadequacy. Inadequacy she had not felt since before she met Morcant several years ago.
And all she wanted to do was cry in her husband’s arms and let his words drip like honey in her ears. Words of comfort. Words of hope.
Maya tugged on her arm. "C’mon, Taryn. We both need some rest."
Caitrin nodded and let her roommate guide her to their quarters.
New story out! Halo: Below the Brine
(it's the best story you're not reading!)