All That Glitters Ch. 13

Like Noor, she had just finished Senior Command School, but unlike Noor, she knew she wouldn't see command of a ship for at least three more years. The number of ships being built was being reduced, while the number of ships being decommissioned was increasing, the twin factors of economics and peace meaning that the need for navy ships was decreasing.

At forty-two, Davis was still young to have reached command level, and she had already commanded 'The Hunter', a Whippet Class Escort Ship, as a LtCdr. For six months she was acting captain when the ship's captain, Cdr. San, had lost his wife in an accident and had left the ship while he attended the funeral and subsequent legal issues that came about from the death.

The Hunter had been on anti-pirate patrol under her command, with two larger Fairling Class Frigates when they had encountered a fleet of four pirate warships in a star system that was only designated with a number.

The three navy vessels had destroyed or captured the four pirate ships, and each had earned a Presidential Unit Citation for distinction in the action, while Davis herself had earned the Sector Commander's Citation when her ship helped rescue one of the Fairling Class as three of the pirate vessels had attacked it simultaneously.

That year's Personnel Review had pushed Davis' scores over the gap necessary to get her promoted to Commander and eventually put her into Senior Command School, and the potential of a command of her own.

She now wore the Sector Forty-Two patch on her right shoulder with the Liramor-23 unit patch high on the right breast of her navy undress uniform. The patch showed the Piscium star in the upper right with the large, blue-green gas giant Piscium-8 on a black background slightly lower than the star and to the left, with the fat, top-shaped Liramor-23 platform superimposed on the lower left quadrant of the gas giant below all of which were the words Liramor-23 in the yellow spectrum of the Piscium star.

Below the unit patch, she wore the blue patch of the Presidential Unit Citation she had personally earned above her name. On her collars, she wore the gold pin with the three bars of a Navy Commander.

On her left shoulder was the red and gold command patch, showing she was in the command structure of the navy, and she now wore the braid of aide-de-camp around her left shoulder.

High on her left breast, was the coveted gold Star of Command, denoting that she had commanded a ship. Below that was the silver 'V' of the five-time volunteer, which sat above the Sector Commander's Citation pin.

Her awards ribbons showed she had eight medals, including the anti-pirate campaign star with the bar with the numbered star system where she had won her citations, and the oak leaf cluster denoting she had been mentioned in dispatch during the incident.

Unlike Noor, Davis had never been awarded a medal for bravery, but she had commanded a ship in battle on her own, while Noor had only done so as the number two of a vessel. All-in-all, Davis was a good fit with the navy personnel around Fiona.

The more Davis found out about Fiona, the more in awe of her she was. Commodore Equivalent usually meant an administrative position. But Fiona actually held command for the Piscium system though she lacked the Commander's Baton or Command Sword that normally came with a senior command position.

Not only that, Fiona had planned and successfully defended Liramor-23 from a pirate attack, using mostly the material available to the platform. The damaged pirate vessels were clearly visible outside from where Beverly sat and inside the battle was visible on the blue cross of Commander Military Merit that Fiona wore.

Fiona also wore a Sector Commander's Citation pin. Her medals included the general battle star with Liramor-23 bar, and an oak leaf cluster on the ribbon, and the Liramor Campaign Medal from the Liramor Prime Defence Force during the Terran Unification War.

However, what impressed Davis even more was the white Civilian Cross of Valor that Fiona wore. She ran the story through her head, how Fiona had entered the burning bay and brought out the injured and dead, how Fiona had placed the platform and the lives aboard it above her own health, literally risking death to save the station.

Even more impressive for Davis, was the awe she saw in the platform's staff as Fiona moved through her daily inspections of different parts of Liramor-23. Not the awe that staff had for the rarified members of senior staff, but the awe one held for an esteemed co-worker.

In her time in the navy, Davis could still count comfortably on one hand the number of senior officers that held that kind of respect from their subordinates. She considered herself privileged to be the aide-de-camp to one such officer.

The last touch for Davis, was the respect Fiona's captains showed her. She had been promoted ahead of them, promoted out of context completely, promoted from an age that none of them could expect to achieve commodore, but none of her captains held that against her. All of them respected working with Fiona and accepted the fact that she was their superior.

Fiona had earned that respect through dedication to both her positions, the care she showed for her subordinates, the acknowledgement and respect she gave to the superior knowledge that her subordinates held, her ability to quickly analyse a situation and come to a decision, the work ethics she showed to all, and her obvious bravery.

Not only that, Fiona was paying out of her own pocket to fund an instructor from the university to come to Liramro-23 and give instruction for those who were seeking PhD PA, which Davis herself needed.

I am going to love working here, Beverly thought to herself as she listened to Fiona's explanation of her civilian duties as director of the platform.

Command Deck, Liramor-23, Piscium System

Cynthia Stewart was walking along the command deck heading for the ladder down to the E-ring VIP suites when she saw a face she wasn't expecting. More, the face saw her and immediately turned away, quickly trying to hide herself from the reporter. But Cynthia was fast. With quick but silent instructions, she sent her floater out to find the face.

The floater whizzed quickly around the corner where its sensors sought out the recent 'scent' of a human. It picked it up and followed the trail, until it silently floated ahead of the target and did a face scan. Success.

Celia Corden was trying to distance herself from the reporter who she had seen, not sure if the reporter had recognized her. Unfortunately, the good ones had excellent memories. The IPPF agent was moving down a corridor when the floater whipped in front of her, briefly stopping. Corden knew the floater was scanning her.

The device made a decision and quickly slid down to touch her comp band. Corden felt a buzz at her wrist and the floater silently whipped away. The corridor was empty, so Corden checked. A simple message with a location and time, E-ring corridor room number, 23:45, time and place. At least the reporter knew how to be discrete.

E-Ring VIP Suites, Liramor-23, Piscium System

Cynthia was waiting patiently in anticipation of seeing the IPPF agent she had noticed earlier today. She had set up several hidden recording devices in anticipation of the meeting.

The door chimed. "Enter," she called out and the hatch opened, then the shit hit the fan, as her floater fell to the floor and her very expensive and supposedly impossible to hack holo-vid frame stopped functioning.

The agent entered the room and stepped to the side. She was followed by Capt. Henadi Noor, Commodore Fiona Marsh, and her aide-de-camp. Cynthia noted two security types outside in the corridor before the hatch whispered shut.

Shit, was all that she had time to think before Noor began to speak.

"If I remember correctly, you were asked to be discrete on depicting certain aspects of platform security. Some of the things you could inadvertently leak to the public could cost people their lives. That could include people outside of this platform, people working for this platform, or people on this platform, including your own life if the wrong information was released at the wrong time." Noor paused for a moment to let her little lecture sink in.

"You are accredited to this station on the understanding that you allow us to see all of the interviews and stories that you submit, in order that certain information is not accidentally leaked. Information that could cost lives.

"That an IPPF agent is on this platform is one of those stories. Should you accidentally, or otherwise, image this agent in your stories, you will immediately remove her image from said story. Is That Clear?" Noor asked, emphasising the words.

Cynthia nodded her head once in acceptance. She was angry at the development and the loss of control in this situation and it showed on her face and in her posture. That was not acceptable to Fiona and she stepped forward.

"Ms. Stewart, you are aware that releasing certain defensive capabilities of this platform could result in many deaths, including your own. Likewise, certain stories could lead to the deaths of individuals both on and off Liramor-23.

"If we find that you have knowingly released information that leads to the death of an individual or individuals on or off this platform, you will lose your press accreditation to this platform, you will be arrested, and you will be sent to trial for treason. Is This Clear?" Fiona finished, forcefully.

Cynthia emphatically nodded her head yes, suddenly very contrite.

Fiona turned and left, followed by her entourage. The IPPF agent lingered to look at Cynthia, then she too turned and left. As the door whisked closed, Cynthia noted that the security types were no longer outside her room.

The abrupt activation of her holo-vid frame and her floater scared the reporter out of a heartbeat or two. The image of her face, transmitted by the floater, showed a very frightened woman. She checked, but of course her other units were blank. One thing you could say about Fiona, she really knew how to make a point!

The Senate, Terra

Carla, not her real name, was loitering around the Senate corridors, looking for a certain security officer. She saw him and waved at him, giving him a big smile. The young man shyly smiled back. He was with some people at the moment so Carla gave him a shrug and pointed to a marble seat, indicating she would wait. The man gave her a wink and continued on with his group. Twenty minutes later he was back.

"Coffee?" he asked Carla. She readily agreed, the coffee here was the best, she wasn't going to turn it down.

They went down to the Senate Cafeteria, where his pass got them in, got their coffee and sat down in a corner.

"I've been hearing a silly rumour," Carla started, "Something about restricting information from or about Liramor-23 Mining Platform," she told him quietly.

He nodded to her in agreement. "There's a standing order to suppress information on Lirmaor-23. Apparently, they have dealings with pirates, so will be suppressed until such time as the 'dealings' can be confirmed one way or the other. That could take months," he told her.

That was all Carla needed. Her part in this evening's inquiry was complete. She sat in companionable silence and listened to 'her' young man as he complained about the goings on among the senators. She memorized his comments to pass on to other reporters responsible for certain senators and current senatorial stories. The two spent a cozy half hour together before her companion had to return to work. He took her back to the entrance where he received a chaste kiss and went back to work.

Twenty minutes later, 'Carla' entered the offices of The Interplanetary News Services, Terran Division and went into the office of the director in charge of politics, James Pwrel. He called her in as soon as he saw her.

"Anything interesting?" he asked his lead news scout. 'Carla' was actually Jennifer Hallen, a woman who looked far to young and innocent to truly be a thirty-something year old. Her innocent wide-eyed looks allowed her to get closer to stories far more often than any other reporter.

"Liramor-23 is apparently under investigation in the Senate for dealings with pirates, so any information on or about the platform is being actively suppressed until 'the dealings can be confirmed'," she told him.

"Nice ploy," the director admitted.

"Well, the thing is, this is a standing order, yet we in the news have not gotten wind of it," Jennifer told her boss with a raised eyebrow.

"Really," the director mused. "And yet, Liramor Prime is aware of the battle story. The Liramor news nets only deal directly with the French speaking worlds of Nouvelle France and Nouvelle Calédonie and the French net here on Terra.

"Since we don't seem to know about the battle that tells me that it is only here on Terra that the story is being supressed," the director said, pausing to thing for a moment. "I think we need to speak to Claus," the Director said in a menacing voice.

**************

Claus Schultz was a jovial businessman who had many and varied contacts on Terra and other worlds. Political leaders, sports figures, holo-vid stars, and the elite of the Union worlds graced Claus' contact list. He liked being in the spotlight with the elite of the Union around him. He also liked his food and his alcohol. And it showed on his rather pudgy physique.

What most of his 'friends' didn't know was that Claus had been a secret supporter of the Confederation of Planets during the recent Terran Unification War. This fact was known to only a handful of people, who currently used that information to blackmail Claus into providing news tidbits on his friends and followers.

Claus knew the political elite of Terra well, including a certain new senator who also knew of Claus' past and, like the news services, was using the information to blackmail Claus and many of his associates.

Claus never came to the station to conduct any of his 'interviews' with the various reporters. Such would be tactless and leave him open to suspicion from the elite. He was always interviewed off site, somewhere convenient for him and the respective reporters, thus keeping his extensive involvement with reporters hidden. And Claus milked it, often demanding expensive foods and wines be brought to the interview.

Most reporters despised him for this, until their first interview provided them with a story or stories that would make their lineup for the remainder of the week. Then, they were only too willing to make whatever arrangements Claus needed, even if he left them wanting to wash their hands afterwards.

This time, Claus was invited to the home of a couple James knew. They had been there before. Claus, however, was surprised to not only see James Pwrel, but Mr. Lirrick, the senior partner of the law firm that supported The Interplanetary News Services Network on Terra. He sat down suspiciously and waited.

"Claus, you have been a bad boy," James began. "There are things going on in the Senate that restrict the news and entertainment services, and you didn't tell us. Not only that, there are things happening in the Senate that are newsworthy, and you did not tell us," James told him, getting into his stride.

"We have an agreement, Claus. We will not inform the IPPF of the work you did for the CP, if you keep us informed of significant and news worthy events in the Senate, and you have withheld important information from us Claus, thus potentially breaking our agreement," James finished.

"What information are you talking about?" Claus returned, almost immediately. He was nervous and it showed. "I know nothing of whatever it is your talking about!" he insisted.

"Liramor-23, Claus, Liramor-23. Tell us again how you know nothing," James insisted.

"Liramor-23 is an insignificant, mining platform in the middle of nowhere," Claus stated, acting surprised and hurt. "How can that be a significant news item?"

"Don't test me, Claus," James snarled. "You will not like the results."

"I can't tell you anything," Claus said, his eyes going everywhere around the room, and not staying on James and the lawyer.

"You can't, or you won't?" James asked rather forcefully.

"I can't! Please James, don't ask anything else of me!" Claus whimpered.

"He's found you out, hasn't he Claus?" James surmised. "He knows your history! And not only yours...Who is he bribing because of you, Claus? Who is he controlling? How is he controlling them?" James demanded.

"He'll kill me!" Claus sputtered, fear showing on his pudgy face.

"Really, Claus? How will he know? Who will tell him? You?" James gave him a look of utter scorn.

"Please, James," Claus simpered, "the man is dangerous. You don't want to go against him. I don't want to go against him! I can't go against him."

"Your usefulness to Interplanetary News is at an end Claus," James stated. "If I were you, I would leave Terra in the next twenty-four hours. Don't contact us again."

"Please, James, he will kill both of us!" Claus shouted.

"We can protect you, Claus," the lawyer spoke for the first time. "But only if we feel that you have provided us something worthy of protecting."

"Senator Montasso," Claus started.

"The one who had the heart attack two years ago?" James asked.

"He didn't have a heart attack," Claus said. "He was poisoned with a rare poison only found on Anuura. It is not easily detected and breaks down quickly even in a dead body. It is not normally searched for in toxicity screens in autopsies," Claus told them. "It causes heart attacks. He wanted something from Montasso. He got it.

"My underworld contacts tell me that Montasso was hording a significant fortune for his retirement. That fortune disappeared within hours of his death.

"My sources tell me that Montasso was feeding target information to pirates. But Montasso was not a greedy man, he didn't provide more than a few notes to the pirates per month.

"However, when Montasso's fortune disappeared so did his contact list," Claus continued. "My contacts tell me that there has been a significant rise in pirate activity against some rather juicy targets since Montasso's death," Claus finished.

"How did you find out about the poison, Claus?" James asked suspiciously.

"He threatened me with it. He told me that no one would ever know I had been poisoned," Claus told them. "He didn't know how much information or the kinds of contacts I had. I was able to figure it out he murdered Montasso."

"Why didn't you tell us this before?" James wanted to know.

"What would you have done if I brought this to you without proof?" Claus insisted. "All I have is suspicion, inuendo. It's not enough for a news story and certainly not for a conviction. Besides, no one knows how he is getting the information out to the pirates," Claus told them.

"What can you tell us, Claus?" James demanded.

"He is attempting to blacklist Liramor-23, but only in select places, like Terra and the Senate. He has suppressed the passage of information on the Battle of Liramor-23. He is working to sully the good name of the Dir. of Operations, Fiona Marsh. He is also attempting to make someone on the platform look like a religious nut, fighting against established religion. A woman from Anuura named Noor.

"And he is manipulating the entertainment channels..."

"What?" James cut him off. "Repeat that?"

"He is using his contacts in the religious groups and extreme right movements to influence entertainment choices. He wants holo-vid shows that depict aliens as bloodthirsty monsters out to invade the Union. Any channel that shows anything differently gets voted down," Claus told them.