“A Trojan horse full of snakes,” Marphissa whispered, her eyes wide. “And they’re positioned near the other mobile forces now. Madam President, I don’t have any means of boarding HuK-6336 and taking it over. Not by surprise, and not by assault. We have no special forces on any of my units.”
That was something she should have already arranged with Drakon, Iceni thought irritably, and there was no time to get those special forces sent up there now. “What else can you do?”
Marphissa paused, eyes intent. “I can cut HuK-6336 out of the command net without its being known to that unit. They’ll think they’re still linked in. Then I can order the rest of my warships to power up their shields and their hell lances.”
“Won’t HuK-6336 be able to spot that?”
“They will, after the process is well under way on the other units. If I see that HuK is starting to get its own shields up and weapons readied, I’ll order them to stop. If we can get full combat preparations on the other warships and the HuK hasn’t matched them, they’ll be helpless.”
Iceni looked for holes in what of necessity had to be a quickly improvised plan. “What if the HuK keeps preparing for combat despite your orders?”
“Then, with your permission, I will have all other units fire upon HuK-6336. That will be the only option that will prevent HuK-6336 from either escaping or inflicting damage on other units.”
“That seems an extreme solution given that we are only operating on suspicion as of yet,” Iceni said.
“Madam President, if those on HuK-6336 are mobile forces officers, they will obey my orders not to prepare for action. They would not be insane enough to go against those orders, knowing that I could destroy them.”
After a long moment, Iceni nodded. “You make a good argument, and I agree that we have no other choice. Can you knock out the HuK and leave it able to be boarded later?”
“It will be difficult…”
“Concentrate on knocking it out. If there’s anything left, that will be a bonus. Hopefully, they’ll surrender when they realize that it’s hopeless.” But Iceni saw the looks in both Togo’s and Marphissa’s eyes and knew they were thinking the same thing that she was, that the snakes hadn’t shown any willingness yet to surrender.
“Once the crews of these other ships realize what was done to most of the crew on the HuK,” Marphissa cautioned, “there will be little chance of the snakes’ being allowed to surrender even if they attempt it.”
“I understand. Can you keep me linked in while you carry out this operation?” The mobile forces flotilla was still in orbit, close enough that the time lag between Marphissa and Iceni was too small to be a problem.
“Yes,” Marphissa replied immediately though her eyes had grown distant as she focused on other matters.
Iceni watched, silent, as Marphissa entered commands, waited, checked, called orders to her line workers on the bridge of the cruiser, paused, then began calling the other warships with the exception of HuK-6336. “At time two zero, you are to begin bringing shields to full strength and powering up all hell lances. The target will be HuK-6336 if it resists following orders.”
Another pause, then Iceni heard a question coming in. “Sub-CEO, can you tell us why HuK-6336 is being targeted?”
“The officers and crew we have dealt with on HuK-6336 are probably actually snakes. President Iceni and I believe that the snakes assigned to that HuK killed the actual officers and most of the crew. Those crew members remaining are the ones who were willing to assist the snakes in their slaughter of their companions. Are there further questions?”
Togo nodded approvingly. “A clear and strongly motivating response,” he commented to Iceni.
“She will make a good commander of my mobile forces,” Iceni agreed. But something was still bothering her, something besides the snakes on HuK-6336. Why had Akiri been the assassin’s first target? Akiri’s skills as an executive had seemed marginal at best, yet Kolani had kept Akiri in command despite her reputation for relieving anyone who displeased her, and now an assassin had made him a primary target. Unfortunately, it was too late to stick Akiri in an interrogation cell to see what might be learned from him. “I want Akiri’s room and belongings thoroughly searched for anything out of the ordinary,” she told Togo.
“May I ask if there is a particular focus for the search, Madam President?”
“There are pieces in Akiri’s puzzle that do not fit. I want to know why. Find anything that doesn’t fit what we know about him.”
A few minutes remained until twenty after the hour; then, as the other warships began preparing for battle, Iceni waited to see what would happen as she watched the activity around Marphissa. “Do you think the snakes on the HuK will immediately try to prepare for combat when they realize what is happening?” Iceni asked Togo.
“I do not think so. Actual mobile forces executives probably would do that, but if these are ISS, trained to ask directions before they act?” Togo’s tiny smile flickered briefly to life. “They will call Sub-CEO Marphissa and ask what they are supposed to do.”
Moments later, Togo’s prediction was confirmed. “Sub-CEO, this is HuK-6336. Are we supposed to be making combat preparations?”
“No,” Marphissa replied.
A pause. “The other mobile forces are preparing for combat.”
“Yes. But you are to refrain from strengthening your shields and you are not to power up weapons. Do you understand, HuK-6336?”
“No.”
Whether that was a reply to Marphissa’s question or a denial of the orders was unclear. “HuK-6336 is powering weapons,” a line worker on Marphissa’s cruiser warned.
“Are you certain?” Marphissa asked.
“One hundred percent certainty, Sub-CEO. Shields are beginning to come up in strength as well.”
“HuK-6336, cease strengthening shields and powering up weapons immediately. Power down shields and weapons. This is your final warning.” Marphissa paused for only a moment, then looked over to the line worker.
“No change, Sub-CEO. HuK-6336 is continuing to prepare for combat.”
Iceni saw Marphissa’s face harden, then she reached one finger to tap a preset command.
Far above Iceni, in high orbit about the planet, particle beams shot out from three heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and five Hunter-Killers, their fire concentrated on nearby HuK-6336.
The single volley was all that was required. HuK-6336 was close and at a dead stop relative to the other warships, so it had been impossible to miss. Hunter-Killers had very little armor, HuK-6336’s shields hadn’t even been at half strength, and on a unit of such small size almost every square meter contained critical equipment. The undersized warship was so badly torn up by that single volley that Iceni, watching the damage reports flashing onto Marphissa’s display, wondered why the HuK hadn’t broken into several pieces.
Marphissa sat gazing angrily at the wreck for a moment, then jerked into sudden action. “All units! Accelerate at best available velocity away from HuK-6336! Rear shields at maximum! Do it now!”
Togo gave Iceni a questioning glance. Iceni hesitated, then the reason for Marphissa’s order hit her. “The power core. She thinks HuK-6336 will suffer a power-core overload.”
“But how can there be any survivors to order such an action?”
“There don’t have to be. Not if the snakes loaded dead-man instructions into the core control systems. And that’s exactly the sort of action we’ve seen them employing.”