Pepper Siamendes: Report: Inside the Directorate

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Inside the Directorate

August 18 - Al Raqis

Radar. Surface to air defenses. Barbed wire. An entrance to a bunker that no doubt could withstand quite the bombardment.

While they maintained offices and residences in Al Raqis, the United Systems Directorate had their secure compound at the edge of the desert near Splintered Rock. It was here that I had come to meet Lieutenant Colonel John Collins.

A meet and greet. A fact finding mission. Paving the way for possible cooperation between our two organizations.

-----

"Lt. Colonel Collins? My name is Major Siamendes of the Union of Allied Planets. I have been in correspondence with CI5.... they gave me your name as contact here on Al Raqis."

Lieutenant Colonel John Collins was a military man. Dressed in desert tan. Imposing stature. A red lens in place over his left eye.

"Ah yes," he answered, "I got your message. I also talked to one of your staff members."

"Captain Westminster?" I asked.

"Well," he replied, "if she was one of the Medical Corps that was examining the bodies, then yes."

"Yes, a fine officer."

Lt. Colonel Collins opened the gate.

"Thank you," I said as I entered the compound, "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

Somewhere out of the Sun.

"Yes," replied the Lt. Colonel, "Inside, Major, please follow me."

-----

"A fine base you have here Colonel," I remarked.

We entered the main doors and turned to the right.

We came to a second door.

Lt. Colonel Collins spoke. "Major, I am afraid I have to ask you for your weapon. Protocol says that non USD personnel has to give up their arms upon entering the base."

"Of course," I replied and unbuckled my sidearm.

"You will get the weapon back after we are done," he added. "Thank you."

-----

The command and control room was bustling with activity.

One of Collins' men, seated at a console, shook his head at the screen, "Oh, not freaking good."

A woman standing at a map board turned around. "Oh, hello," she said pleasantly.

I removed my sand goggles and mask, then nodded in reply.

"This is our Command Central," explained the Lieutenant Colonel, "from here, we can control the whole area." He looked at his man at the console. "What is it?" he asked.

The man sighed, "Been watching weather patterns out in the sand. We got a storm blowing into the deep. My bird won't be able to make it out there for a mining run."

Lt. Colonel Collins replied, "That is unfortunate, you can stay here for the duration of the storm."

"And it is from here," I asked, "that you picked up the unusual activity from the Guild Heighliner?"

"Well, you have to specify," replied the Lieutenant Colonel, "What is unusual to you?"

I elaborated, "Some time ago, our long range scans detected something emanating from the Heighliner. It was then that I contacted your CI5. Since then I have done some recon of my own...."

I produced one image from my recent reconnaissance.

"Hmm......." he replied as he looked at the photo.

"Some sort of spacial distortion," I said, "We were, of course, aware of your monitoring station in this area...as I am sure you are aware of our own activities," I added graciously.

That was the dance. Admit you both know everything. Even if we had to quickstep around the secrets, it gave us permission to speak.

"Yes, your activities are known to me as well as high command," the Lieutenant Colonel responded in kind.

"I am suggesting we might wish to share information, as it becomes available."

"Well, let's head to my office," he replied, "there we can discuss this matter more privately."

"Certainly."

The sand miner took a stylus out of an arm pocket, unfolded a data slate, and walked over to the big map.

-----

"Well, Major, what do you think this anomaly was or is?" Lt. Colonel Collins paused. "Oh and I do hope my images that I hung on my walls are not offending you."

He was referring to three pictures on his office walls showing women in various states of being out of uniform.

I dismissed the matter. "I've been a soldier from many years now," I answered.

I returned to the topic at hand.

"As for the distortion," I continued, "I am no scientist....you can see from the image that it appears that the light is bending within the cone itself."

"Yes," answered the Lieutenant Colonel, "but I think your military researchers certainly had a look into this, didn't they?"

I did not answer directly. "I am involved as part of a criminal investigation," I explained.

Lt. Colonel Collins composed his answer, "Okay Major, what you see on this image is, in fact, a wormhole of some kind. If the data is correct, then this wormhole was created by the ship to have a smaller ship travel to a certain point in the galaxy, at least that is what we can tell from the gathered data. How does that wormhole phenomenon fit into your criminal investigation?"

I frowned, turning the information over and over. "It doesn't seem to directly, I will admit. The owner of that ship was, however, involved in the transportation of stolen antiquities and, as likely, illegal biological material."

"What kind of antiquities and what kind of biological material?" he asked, "I can only act if there is a direct threat to this or any other facility of the USD on this planet."

"I am not suggesting any action beyond your mandate," I assured him, "The antiquities have been recovered in fact. I would like to suggest however that we establish a mechanism, as it were, to share any further information in the event that our interests coincide.... For example, I have noticed some of your posters have been marked by a red hand print. I can have my team make inquiries."

"Ah the Marauders," he remarked, "No idea how they fit into the picture." He paused. "Okay Major, but maybe you start to tell me the full story, because I can't figure this one out. From what I know, one of your researchers gets killed shortly after someone obliterates Shadow from orbit, because of some suspects that escaped from a show trial. I also want to add that I was on Shadow at the time when the bombs fell."

"Shadow," I repeated. "I am investigating the war crimes that took place there. Perhaps you would be available to make a statement... at another time of course."

"I did," he answered, "the whole USD did. They condemned the actions that happened on Shadow."

I nodded. I had seen the public statements made by the USD.

"We currently have an arrest warrant out for Commander William T. Faith," I said, "the man responsible for the bombardment of Shadow.

"Any picture of him? Maybe he came through here."

"A picture? Indeed." I began to search for a picture of William. "The two people who you referred to as having escaped from a show trial have had a Stay of Execution of Judgment issued in their favour."

"Capital punishment is a regular thing in the UAP, correct?" he asked.

"It depends on the jurisdiction," I admitted.

"So is there a connection between this escape, the Shadow bombings, the death of that researcher and the activity at the Heighliner?"

"The Heighliner activity is unrelated," I explained. "Here is a photo." I offered him the picture of Faith as he left Persephone on his way to Al Raqis.

"Not much to see there," he remarked.

"Commander Faith of Faith Industries," I stated, "They had a presence here on Al Raqis until recently."

He made a noise, "Hurm..."

Looking up from the picture he continued. "So, the Heighliner thing is completely unrelated to the Wirefly case?"

"You are well informed," I granted. There had been only one reference to the murder in a very small article in the Cortex News. I brought him up to date. "The Wirefly case is now closed."

My communicator began to beep softly. "Colonel ... you will have to excuse me."

We both stood up.

"Very well Major, I'll escort you topsides and give you back your weapon."

"Thank you," I replied.

-----

As we passed through the base, we kept talking.

"If my teams turns up anything on the Marauders," I added, "I will have you informed..."