Chapter 31

McCock was performing his ablutions, resolutely not thinking about the shocks of the previous day or of the night, when his com beeped.

"Good morning, Henry."

"Just a heads-up, Aggy. A Chencon courier just reached Harbouria. We went back over the records and it departed two days after the Senate meeting; our assessment is that they have had a plan in place waiting for an opportunity. It was just too quick for a considered response to the Senate motion. Very 'suss', very 'suss'. We are moving onto the base codes now and are on the right track for both C and H. But as you realise, plans are usually sent by hand and it's only the activation signal we might catch and of course, changes in activity levels. Chencon's is still high. There appear to be doubts appearing on Sol about the New Leige damage as more and more agents and representatives are checking in. Nothing in the Senate though. Harbourian news is unchanged."

"Henry, there is something niggling at my brain and I can't grab it. I want a meeting of Intel and Captains in the Conference Room at eight morning. I'm to the Ward Room for breakfast, now. Clear."

He saw Slow and Denny in the Ward Room and asked them to pass the word for an all Captains' meeting, Grendels and V&W and Hardman, to confer with Intel. He told Evan of his decision and that Slow and Denny had been told. In return, Evan said that Captain Arburthson was piloting the ladies dirtside where Angie Merton had arranged accommodation.

"Why the rush?" McCock enquired.

"The ladies wanted to get the incubators onto the planet asap; something about gravity, they said. Doc Splatt and Rosemary Peebles went with them. Seems the ladies have been setting this up for a while." Evan explained gleefully perhaps.

McCock had been filling his plate at the sideboards and turned to stare suspiciously at his aide

"Are you having a laugh at my expense, Evan?"

"Me? Diety forbid, Sir, that I should perceive any thing humorous in my Commodore being chased across the galaxy by a horde of ... ah ... well ... beautiful women?" and then spoilt the effort with a very wide grin.

"The boys went with them?"

"Yes Sir; the mothers wish to arrange schooling asap. Mrs Indira is of a mind to keep Sabajhi with his playmates. Captain Arburthson is going to pass a problem up to you. The Ladies wish to retain their contacts with "The Residence" and Mrs Kowalsi was intimating that they would want the Barge."

The men had seated themselves by this time and were eating as McCock considered this one,

"Satan's canines; she doesn't want much. I can understand the wish to keep in touch even if only to support Shelly. But the Barge? And knowing that lot they'll want to pilot her themselves; and go haring all over the universe. Trudie has her ticket and Sally could handle her but, she is a 'crew' establishment and also cosmic space? I'm going to have to think about that. That raises a thought, where is the "Offspring"?"

"The Avers have taken her as their personal runabout; she is generally parked in "Trader's" boat bay but you'll have a struggle trying to get her back as she is really worked."

"Got it; thank you Evan, I've got my niggle sorted out. Get outside of your breakfast, we've got a conference. Hello, Felix, you heard? Good. Had breakfast? Even better, grab some coffee and let's go."

The Captains had assembled and were having quiet desultory conversations. McCock was deep in thought about the ramifications concerning the Barge not least the safety of the Ladies in cosmic space. The Intell group scurried in and headed directly for the coffee urn. After filling their bulbs, they seated themselves.

"Let's start with a briefing on what we are doing about gathering information, then what we have got to date and then an assessment of enemy intentions, long term and short term."

Sam Costello pushed a holo generator onto the centre of the table.

"My name is Sam Costello; I have been seconded to this group from Mounty DNI where I was CCI; chief of counter intelligence. My task is to spy on you for DNI. Seeing we are all in the same boat, or at least I think we are, there are no problems here. However the reason I think I was sent down here instead on a Naval Intelligence officer was because I was getting too close to a rat in the Admiralty. Technically not a traitor but some one who follows Brown Hollow still and seems to be prepared to see us destroyed just to bring down the government. That is why I send my information to the First Lord personally; and I haven't told him how we collect it."

Costello activated the hologram which showed the distribution of the communication and listening posts, and went on,

"Originally, the major receiving area was to be Settlement but, for whatever reason, things went decidedly out of shape and the listening centre is here. We listen in to all signals and are working on Naval codes as well, but the bulk of our information comes from public broadcasting which is remarkably uncensored but then they have no knowledge we are listening ... The 'Royal' links as I call them were planned and established before the break down in relations but are in deep code and we are instructed not to work on it. I am not sure we could break it anyway. Sir Henry?"

"I am Henry Bollinger, once Royal Astronomer in Settlement, I am a mathematician by profession and it was because of the sorting out of questions raised by the placement of satellites placed above the layer that first involved me an then a prior life in RMN intelligence got my interest in what we are doing now. The information we have obtained to date gives us only a background to intentions which are the next speaker's task. What we actually have is..." and then recounted events on Harbouria and Old Earth, " ... with what looks like mobilisation and the arrival of that courier suggests the coming together of a long laid plan. Sung?"