Once Upon The Stars (old thread)

[Atrocities]

Part VI (Deception Uncovered)

It was raining in the Capital City as it often did this time of the year. It was a hard, sustained rain that fell from darkened clouds that seemed to loom over the City like great gray blankets that marked the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Tom was sitting in his chair, looking out his office window thinking about things that he could be doing if he had chosen to go home the night before rather than stay and work. It was acceptable for him to have taken this Last day of the week off as he had not yet made arrangements for his move back to the Capital City, but he chose to remain at the S.E.D. and finish much of the work that was laid about his desk.

Before him, that is behind on his desk, were the latest reports on the progress of the Space Engineering and Planetary Colonization project, images from the new space telescope that had just gone on line, plans for an orbital scientific station, and atmosphere reports on the two moons, Remus, and Ramos, that orbited Pandora.

It was late in the afternoon, and Tom was getting hungry. He wanted to get something to eat, but he had to wait until the meeting he had scheduled with Carl Wilhelm was over before he could. He looked at his wrist chronometer and swiveled back to face his desk. He pressed the contact button of his desk COM and waited a second before hearing a reply.
“Yes General?” Asked his aid Captain Richard Hess.
“Has Carl Wilhelm arrived yet?” He asked.
“Yes sir, he just arrived.”
“Good, send him in.”
“Yes General.”
“And be sure to have my Sky Chariot ready to go by eight.”
“We’ll be ready sir.” Replied Hess.

There was a slight knock on his door just before it opened and Carl Wilhelm entered.
He was well dressed in an expensive hand tailored suite that Tom speculated was made from some finely exotic material. Oh how some of the rich loved to flaunt their wealth, thought Tom to himself.

“General.” Carl said simply as he came into the office. Tom stood and gestured for him to take a seat in a chair in front of his desk. Tom was thirsty now; a drink would do him good or so he thought. He stepped to the mini bar and grabbed two glasses.
“You look impressive today Carl.” It was intended by Tom and viewed by Carl as an observation and not a complement.

“I am attending an art exhibit and conference with my wife at the old Chancellery building this afternoon. I am afraid that she has insisted that I accompany her. I would much rather be working, but duty calls.” He replied casually as he sat down and crossed his legs.

Oh poor you, thought Tom to himself as he finished pouring the drinks. Now that the pleasantries were over, he could get down to business.

“I take it from your notes, and research materials that you and your team feel optimistically that this new gravitational technology of Dr. Mentor’s will provide the basis for artificial gravity for which can be used for long range space flight?” Asked Tom as he offered Carl a glass of Brandon Weed Whisky. It took all of Tom’s self control to maintain a polite demeanor while talking to Carl Wilhelm. It was an insult to the very honor of the S.E.D. and its mission objective to employ this man, however, he was one of only a few Department Heads that was actually producing positive results. And that made him a valuable asset to the S.E.D., and both Tom and Carl knew this.

“That and much more.” Replied Carl as he took the drink from Tom. He had no intention of actually drinking it for all he knew it could be poison. More than likely not, but never the less the possibly was there. He simply smiled and sat the glass neatly on Tom’s elegant girch wood desk.

“What do you mean by much more?” Asked Tom as he lifted Carl’s glass and placed a coaster under it. “What other uses are there for artificial gravity?”

“Aside from the known benefits of being able to explore the stars in ships that can generate there own gravitation fields, there are the theories that gravitational technology will lead to other technologies which could ultimately lead to our ability to create, and if need be, destroy planets, stars, nebula’s, and even black holes.”

Tom had sat down behind his desk and was took a sip from his glass. “You mean weapons.”
“Well, yes.” Replied Carl in a matter of fact tone. “Weapons of incredible power.”
“Weapons of mass destruction.”
“The ability to create and destroy a star could be viewed that way, however the likelihood of such a technology ever being developed, let alone used, is incredibly unlikely.”
“Really.”
“There are many other applications that gravitational technology could provide.”
“Enlighten me.”
“Scientific benefits in understanding how the universe works. Propulsion and possibly even drive systems that could propel a ship thousands of light years in a matter of seconds.”

Tom leaned forward, coupling his glass between his hands and rolling it slowly back and forth.
“Now those are the technologies that I am interested in Carl. Not weapons of mass destruction. Research into the development of technologies that will open the stars to our people is why the S.E.D. was founded.” He back into his chair again and took a drink from his glass before continuing.
“The pressure is on for us to being the process of colonizing both Remus and Ramos. As you know, only Ramos has a breathable atmosphere, thus leaving us with a small problem. I don’t feel that research efforts into weapons will help us to resolve that issue. Therefore, I am suspending all research into gravitational weapons.”

Carl did not say anything, but Tom could read his expression, despite how well he concealed it, that Carl was not pleased.

“I assure you General, that I too share that goal. The thought of developing weapons that could destroy whole worlds and even entire star systems is to frightening to fathom.”

Tom looked at Carl with skeptical criticism in his eyes. The hypocrisy of that statement was so ironic that Tom nearly burst out into laughter. “Right.” He replied Tom slowly.

“I understand that you have been attempting to contact Dr. Mentor and have been unsuccessful?” Asked Carl innocently enough, but to innocently for Tom’s comfort. He knew something, but what, better to play along thought Tom to himself.

“That is correct.” Replied Tom. “There is a communications problem mostly likely magnetic interference as they are rather close to the northern pole.”
“I see.” Replied Carl with a measure of doubt in his voice. “Magnetic interference. This time of the year?”
“That is what I have been told. What have you been told?”
“Well General, I have it on good authority that Dr. Mentor and his entire research team have been arrested by Global Command and are being held in Davenport.”

God damn him! Thought Tom to himself. He had only heard that this morning and was having Hess look into it. General Green had dispatched troops to the Victorian Glacier just over a week ago, under the guise of a training operation, but he knew there was more to it than that. After failing to reach Dr. Mentors party or even the city officials in Davenport, the closes city to the research site, Tom had put two and two together and had come to the conclusion that Dr. Mentor and his team were why General Green had sent troops to the Glacier. How in the hell did Carl find out about this? Tom had to find out what else Carl knew.

“That is the information I have as well. What else do you know?”
“It was rumored just over a week ago that Dr. Mentor had reported that his team had discovered something under the ice. Something remarkable, and they needed the Core of Engineers to assist them in excavating it.”

Carl knew that he was playing a dangerous game now. A fine line between betrayal, and trust. He knew that Tom had made the discovery about the good Doctor’s team’s predicament and that General Green wanted the entire affair kept quiet. Whatever it was that they had discovered up there, Carl knew that it was a significant find that he had to be investigated. By revealing the information about the discovery to Tom, he would establish a thread of trust with him, while opening the rift between Tom and Green. Carl did not fear Greens wrath, but rather something else. He needed to establish a good rapour with Tom in order to gain is confidence.

“I had not heard about any discovery.” Tom said as he sat his glass down and pressed the COM button. “Hess, get me General Greens Office.”

“Aye sir.” Came a prompt response.

“I think I will take a trip up to the Victorian Glacier and find out what in the hell is going on with up there.”

Carl considered this for only a second, as it was exactly what he had hoped Tom would do. He needed to get up there to see this discovery first hand, but he did not want Tom to think that he was interested in it.
“Do you mind if an aid and I join you?” He finally asked nonchalantly. “I would very much like to meet Dr. Mentor and talk with him about his work.”

Tom began to consider Carl’s request when his COM chirped. He tapped the accept button.
“Yes?”
“Sir I have General Greens aid, a Lieutenant Elise, on the line.”
“Put him through.”
“He’s on the COM now sir.” Replied Hess.
“Thank you Richard.” Tom looked up at Carl, and considered his request. After a moment of thought Tom agreed to allow him and his aid to accompany him.
“Pack your coat Carl.” With that Carl smiled stood, and left his office.

Once out side, he pulled out his COM and activated it. He spoke three short words then turned it off. “Op Tally Go.” No one was within earshot, nor did any one see him or his actions. He simply walked out of the outer office without looking back.

Tom pressed the activate button once again and spoke into the COM.
“Lieutenant?” Tom asked. “Where is General Green?”
“Sir, the General is in a meeting with the Prime Minister.” Replied Elise over the COM.
“I see. Patch me through to the Prime Ministers Office then.”
“I will try sir, but if you would just call back in an hour, I am certain the General will be back in.”
“Patch me through now Lieutenant.” Order Tom. His patience was gone. General Green was playing a game, and Tom was fed up with it. He wanted to know exactly why the General had Dr. Mentor and his team in custody and what it was that they had discovered.
“Patching you through now sir.” Elise was nervous about doing this, and Tom could hear it in his voice.
“Lieutenant, if the General asks, tell him I ordered you to do it, as that is exactly what I am doing.”
“Yes sir. Your connected sir.” Replied Elise a second before an attractive sounding women came on the COM.
“This is the Prime Ministers Office.”
“This is General Tom Christopher, I wish to speak to General Green.”
“The General is in a meeting at the moment with the Prime Minister.”
“I know, COM him any way.”
“One moment General.”

A second later an angry General Philip A Green came on the COM.
“What in the hell is wrong with you Christopher?”
“I should ask the same of you General.” Replied Tom as nastily as he could.
“What do you mean?” Yelled Green through the COM. “I am in a meeting with the Prime Minister at the moment, and your interruption is unacceptable!”
“Then I will come strait to the point General.”
“Please do.” Replied Green sarcastically.
“Why are your men holding Dr. Mentor and his team hostage on the Victorian Glacier?”
There was a brief pause before Green responded. This time his voice was much more subdued and was barely above a whisper.
“I don’t understand.”
“Why are you holding Dr. Mentor and his team General? What was it they discovered up there that would prompt you to take such an illegal action?”

There was another short pause before Green replied.
“This is not a secure line. Meet me in my office in an hour.” The line then went dead. Tom was furious about being disconnected, but realized quick enough that the General was scared. He did not expect him to find out about what he was up to and the fact that he had scared him. Green needed time to think, and Tom was not about to let him have it. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

“Richard, I’ll be back in an hour.” He said as he stormed out of the outer office into the hall. Hess nodded his acknowledgement, all be it a confused.

Green slipped his COM back into his pocket. He closed his eyes for a second or two then turned and went back into the Prime Ministers Office. How in the hell did that son of a dayton find out about the discovery. Someone in his office had betrayed him, and that thought sickened Green immensely. That spy would be discovered in short order, but first things first, Green knew that it his best option for maintaining control of the situation was to control the release of the information itself. First order of business now was to cover his ***, and he knew exactly how to do it. As he entered the Prime Ministers office, his anger had subsided, if he played his cards right, this could work out far better for him in the long run than he had original planned. A smile grew acrossed his face as he formulated his new plan.

“Mr. Prime Minister, Senators. I apologies for the interruption but I have some startling news that I must share with you.”