Setosha - the Beating Heart
Copyright© 2010 by Prince von Vlox
Chapter 10
Imperial Palace, Lexeon
Sir Arnold raised one exquisitely trimmed eyebrow and gazed expectantly at the two other men at the table. “What has gone wrong in these last few months, gentlemen?” he asked in his well-cultured voice. “And is it only in the last few months, or is there some deeper rot? I have reviewed several of your reports and consulted my own sources. Lately more of our efforts have failed than succeeded. This is not a state of affairs that I find acceptable.”
He turned to the heavy-set gentleman sitting to his left. “Let us start with you, Kolan. Your efforts have not progressed as we all might have wished. What have you done about that? What are we doing in the future?”
The Kolan stirred slightly in his chair. “Since the successful removal of PSK Admirals Bischoff and Roland...” He paused to adjust his reading glasses. These were unnecessary, but he was convinced they lent his broad face a serious air. “Since the removal of these officers, security around other senior PSK officers has doubled. Our sources report a statistically significant trend among their most capable commanders. These officers spend 13.6 percent more time in space or aboard their ships today than they did a year ago. This has had a deleterious effect on the readiness and combat capabilities of their formations, at least from our point of view.
“The acceleration of this trend continues, and we project that our opportunity to access the most troublesome officers will approach zero within six months. Alternate methods that take this factor into account are under development. For example, two of our teams are preparing for deep penetration of the PSK Navy even as I speak. There they will undertake direct action initiatives designed to remove those officers previously unapproachable.” He paused, looking at Sir Arnold and the Admiral, waiting for questions. When there were none, he cleared his throat and continued.
“During the most recent removal actions, we lost the core members of one team. They had been sent to deal with a junior cruiser squadron commander who was responsible for the PSK actions in the Rosefaire Sector. This mission should have been simple and quick, but it was not. Our records failed to indicate that this officer’s tactical brilliance extended to ground combat. That error in our records has since been rectified.
“We are also investigating the placement of this officer at the absolute bottom of the PSK Captains List. Operations Analysis has suggested that either the PSK Promotion Board is performing even worse than usual, or there has been another error in our records. While it is most likely an error on the part of the individuals in our organization, there is a statistically significant chance that this is actually some deep plot launched from PSK Kingdom Security to smoke out and expose the efforts of our Direct Action Teams.”
Sir Arnold raised a finger. “A question. You know I normally do not request details on operational matters. In this case, I am wondering if the details of this operation are symptomatic of other problems. I understand the agents who provided this information have access to the complete personnel records of all officers in the PSK Navy and have assisted us in the past with the dismissal of several effective officers using the arcane methods of the PSK Navy’s Personnel Branch. I seek assurance that this critical resource has not been compromised.”
“It has not,” the Kolan said. “The staff members responsible for cross-checking that information are not agents in place. That staff is part of our administrative support structure and works in offices here in Lexeon City. They should have inquired more closely into the details of the relevant officer’s past. When we performed an audit of the action team’s Post Combat Report, it became apparent that the analysts confined themselves to just the last six months of this officer’s assigned duties.
“The surviving members of the action team confirmed that this cruiser commander countered attacks by two well-prepared sharpshooters, killing both of them, and avoided an explosive device attached to his vehicle’s engine. It is highly significant that he did not even approach his vehicle after eliminating the two sharpshooters and defusing their mission sanitation device. These are either the actions of a highly trained and experienced intelligence agent or a survivor of regular ground combat with all of the instincts such a survivor would accumulate. We have considered these two alternatives and correlated our findings with the available data. The evidence ever so slightly supports the probability that this officer must have ground combat experience, which we did not previously suspect. There are gaps in his record that correspond to times of intense ground combat between PSK and Imperial forces. These gaps--”
“What kind of gaps?” Sir Arnold asked.
“Not gaps by their very name,” the Kolan said. “The PSK records show the officer in question was assigned as a routine staff officer far from any action. One peculiarity of his record is that it appears to be without blemish. That means he is either fantastically well-connected so all indiscretions are covered over, or that this record is a cover story of some kind.
“While it is possible that this officer is an agent with a cover story, we have independent verification that he is very well-connected. One of his assigned duties was that of an administrative support officer for a Task Group commander. While this has been seen in the PSK Navy as a rest assignment, it is usually given to officers to placate higher-placed officers or politicians. Further, an agent-in-place reports that this officer readied his squadron in record time, even getting the PSK’s Dockyard Services to expedite his return to combat duty. One report is that this was done to ‘get him out of their hair’. This could only occur with a well-connected officer, whether it was in our Navy, or that of the PSK. Anyone else would have been brought up on charges.”
Sir Arnold nodded. “I would reach that conclusion based on that information. Continue.”
“The PSK has a policy of giving well-connected officers periods of service with combat units to ‘round out their portfolio’ and prepare them for higher command. The evidence is that this is how this officer acquired the combat instincts that proved so deleterious to our Direct Action Team.”
“So he is well-connected. Why is this important?”
The Kolan spread his hands apologetically. “To be blunt, Sir Arnold, he has dropped out of sight. His Squadron is currently supposed to be involved in some training patrol work deep within PSK space, and so we have tentatively placed him on his Bridge and therefore out of our reach, at least for the time being.”
“What corrective measures did you apply to the staff officers?”
“The Staff Team Leader was apprised of the facts and ordered to initiate appropriate training exercises. These exercises have been carefully reviewed by all other staff members, including the successors to those who were disciplined. The new staff members tasked with cross-checking information have apparently drawn the correct conclusions from the training opportunity provided by their predecessors. They have been more than satisfactorily diligent in applying themselves to their work. We do, of course, maintain a video and audio record of this and all other similar training exercises. Having reviewed the documentation for this case myself, I am convinced these exercises were performed in a fashion guaranteed to achieve the result we desired.”
Sir Arnold nodded once. “Continue.”
The Kolan turned a page on his notepad. “Since that failure, we have been successful in one new case, another cruiser squadron commander, and we completed the dossier of three of the more competent ship commanders involved in recent actions. We also found one Admiral who was providing us with false information. We made him an example of why that is not a policy that ensures personal survival.
“Within six weeks, we will complete all operations designed to neutralize the few remaining troublesome PSK officers currently within our reach. Concurrent with that activity, we will implement the previously mentioned deep penetration methodologies intended to more directly assist the Navy to achieve our operational objectives through timely intercessions within the PSK operational command structure.”
His voice changed as he looked up. “Our successful actions were accomplished at some cost to available resources. In the last three months, we have expended five of the nine Direct Action Teams deployed on the home planet of the PSK.” He shrugged. “Replacements are on their way through the usual channels.”
“Are there any indications that any of these teams were compromised?” the Admiral asked. “I realize losses in action will occur. Is there any pattern of PSK activity that might indicate an organized attempt to penetrate our security by PSK action teams?”
Put that way, it wasn’t a snide remark on the Admiral’s part, but rather an honest request for information. The Kolan could understand the Admiral’s concern; he was worried that the PSK would start doing to his officers what Imperial Intelligence had been doing to the PSK’s. The Kolan considered his response in that light and was as candid as possible when he answered.
“Two teams were lost due to bungling of the respective team leaders. Good men, bad leaders, we all know how that plays out. One team was caught by PSK Security forces and lost half their number while breaking contact. The survivors were attached to another team that had lost personnel on that unsuccessful action against the cruiser squadron commander. That combined team was then lost several weeks later during an attack on a PSK military electronics factory. It is clear from the available information that forensic evidence from the failed action against the cruiser squadron commander enabled Kingdom Security operatives to detect components of several bombs as they were being transported into the factory. There were no Direct Action Team survivors from the ensuing firefight. Only nominal damage to the mission objective was achieved. That will be corrected shortly.
“All Direct Action Teams have been instructed to cease using the compromised components, and devices containing these components are to be distributed to the local criminal underground. That will sow confusion in the ranks of PSK Kingdom Security. Suitable alternate materials are being delivered to front-line teams at this time, and research to develop more flexible solutions has advanced to the testing phase in our laboratories.
“We are still investigating the fifth lost team. We have evidence from sources within Kingdom Security that the local authorities were simply lucky.” The Kolan shrugged. “It happens.” He flipped to his next page of notes.
“We have evidence that at least two officers of the Families Navy have proven effective against us, both independent of and in concert with PSK forces. We have introduced two Direct Action Teams to the Families home planet to prevent any recurrence of these officers’ impact upon our operations. A backup team has completed training and is currently undergoing deployment. Additional teams will be selected, trained, and dispatched at the rate of one per month. This effort is complicated by the necessity of using surrogates for all operations on Families planets.”
“Another question,” Sir Arnold interrupted politely. “Why do we use surrogates? I believe experience has taught us that their reliability and effectiveness are much lower than that of our own agents.”
“The population of Families planets is more than 98% female,” the Kolan replied. “Until recently, we have had no female Direct Action Team members. We have had to make up that lack by utilizing volunteers from Medina.” He waited patiently for further questions from Sir Arnold. There were none. The Kolan glanced at his notes and continued. “Gender factors are actually the least of our difficulties. A major consideration in achieving direct physical identification of specific Families officers is the fact that all female births on their planets are identical triplets, and that sets of triplets bear very close resemblances to other sets of triplets within the same family. Isolation of targets has been problematic at best. One is never certain of removing the correct individual, or even coming close to that individual. Action Outcome Analyses indicate that the optimal method of operation is to identify and remove all three at the same time. This assures that the one who must be dealt with is no longer a factor in our strategic or tactical planning. As currently scoped, this operation will require not less than two months to complete. We project we will expend not less than two teams in accomplishing our goals. I expect it will cost us all three currently tasked, and measures are well advanced to send additional resources to the Families systems.”
Sir Arnold nodded. “We do what we must. We cannot discount counteraction on the part of the Families’ own internal security organizations, what little of it exists. What is the projected reaction of our surrogate to the expenditure of female Direct Action Teams in that case? Will we have to take action on Medina?”
“We don’t see that happening,” the Kolan said. “The men and women in Medina’s culture compete vigorously for the right to belong to a named family.” He smiled and spread his hands, clearly amused by this quirk of an archaic culture. “Their competition usually involves more than a few risky adventures, but the winners, survivors if you will, are set for life. We have found the surrogate’s teams quite useful in the past, generally as intelligence assets in the Families’ systems.”
“Very well, Kolan,” Sir Arnold said, a faint smile on his lips. “Proceed as you have outlined. Admiral? How do you explain the recent lack of success reported by our fleets? What measures are we enacting to improve that performance? Will we be forced to perform corrections on some of our commanders?”
“We might,” the Admiral said. “Complacency is ever an enemy and must be eliminated where and when we find it. Thus far, PSK and Families’ actions have obviated the necessity of performing specific corrections directly, while also providing salutary instructional examples to our other commanders. Still, given the sorry performance of the last few months, at the next opportunity we will take necessary action to demonstrate that complacency will not be tolerated. This action will encourage the others.”
“None of us should be complacent,” Sir Arnold agreed, with an almost imperceptible emphasis on the first word. The other two men, both finely attuned to such subtle nuances, instantly fell silent, their full attention focused on Sir Arnold. In the past, his comments had presaged changes and wholesale removal of those Sir Arnold viewed as ‘problems’, and their personal survival might be at risk. When Sir Arnold remained silent, the Admiral continued his report.
“Our most unsuccessful actions were fought in planetoid belts,” he said. “This reduced the best capabilities of our largest ships and most experienced crews much more than was originally anticipated.”
“Wouldn’t the normal debris in a planetoid belt hinder the maneuvers of our ships?” Sir Arnold asked. “I would believe so, and question why that decision was made in the first place.”
“The PSK enjoys a temporary advantage in sensor technology,” the Admiral said. “The officers in command all thought to negate this advantage by masking their ships with that debris. This had worked in at least two instances in the previous year, and so the admiral in question sought it out. We will no longer seek that situational advantage. Instead, we will rely upon what has garnered us victories in the past: numbers, command skill, and ship quality.
“With the help of the Kolan, we are now assuring that our officers are better trained and more experienced than PSK and Families commanders. Our ship quality is adequate for the job at hand, and I am pleased to report that even when results are not as we would wish, there has been a satisfactory realignment of the balance of forces which continues to be very much in our favor.” He stopped at a questioning look from Sir Arnold.
“The Rosefair Sector. What of it?”
“We were pushed back rather sharply,” the Admiral said. “We had an inexperienced officer in charge on his first independent deployment. It is unfortunate that he did not survive--”
“Was he disciplined?” Sir Arnold asked. “Officers must learn sometime in their career. They can’t all be an Admiral Bruxell, capable in everything from the moment he took the Loyalty Oath.”
“His flagship was lost with all hands,” the Admiral said. He was slightly nettled at Sir Arnold’s reference to Admiral Bruxell. There was little love lost between him and the commander of the Navy’s Main Fleet, but they’d agreed to forgo their rivalry for the duration of the war.
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