“My authority, sir,” Dax declared.
“With my approval,” Bahl added.
A fierce sense of gratitude filled him at his commander’s words. Dax wasn’t going to let this arrogant ass railroad him or Nyx. He was still in a freighter full of trouble, but none of the more serious charges would stick once they’d been reviewed by an expert. Anyone with more than a cursory understanding of cybercrimes and data manipulation would recognize that Halverson’s so-called evidence had been faked.
Someone was trying to sideline him, and they were using the Brigadier General to do it. Worse, someone was trying to set up Nyx.
“I want her contained. Now,” Halverson stated.
“She is contained, sir. She volunteered to wear a tracking device. We know where she is at all times,” Dax pointed out.
“She’s a high-level security risk with known links to our enemy, and you’re letting her wander around like a fraxxing pet?”
“She’s not a—”
Archer drowned him out, the colonel’s voice carrying far more command than Halverson had managed. “Sir. I respectfully remind you that the cyborg known as Nyx is a free citizen of the galaxy under the Unified Galactic Agreement, and as such is entitled to—”
“She’s an assassin and an agent of the enemy. No wonder I was sent out here—three ranking officers and you’re all acting as if that abom— that female - is just another citizen to be protected.”
Eric was certain the general was about to refer to Nyx as an abomination, which explained a great deal about the man’s behavior. It was common knowledge that not everyone was open to the idea that the cyborgs, beings who had been created by the corporations to fight in their ‘bloodless’ war, should have ever been granted citizenship. There were those who saw them as chattel, objects that could be used and discarded. Disposable soldiers. If the general held those kinds of opinions, then he’d see Nyx as… damn it. He’d see Nyx as a tool to be used any way he deemed necessary. If he got his hands on her, she’d have all the proof she needed that she was right, and she’d never trust them again. He’d lose her. If he hadn’t already.
Colonel Bahl spoke, her voice far quieter than Archer’s, but it carried the same weight of command. “General Halverson. You are outside my chain of command, and therefore outside the command structure of Nova Force. As such, I feel I must remind you, respectfully, that your authority is limited to investigation and review. No action can be taken until you submit your final report to those who sent you here.”
No one spoke for a long moment. Bahl had come so close to crossing the line you could measure the room she had left in nanometres.
“Then I will proceed with my investigation.” The general pointed to Eric. “I want his quarters searched. Commander Rossi, you will see to it that every piece of tech the ensign owns, has access to, or so much as looks at is seized and inspected for any evidence of wrongdoing. My aide will hand over copies of all the evidence we already have to be re-verified, and I want Ensign Erben escorted to an interrogation room immediately. Oh, and find the cyborg and have her brought in for questioning, too.”
Dax turned to acknowledge the general’s order with a salute that was a half-second too slow to be perfect. “Yes, sir. The ensign will be delivered to interrogation for questioning as soon as a JAG officer is made available to represent him.”
“I’ll see to it,” Archer said.
“Thank you, Colonel.” Divya nodded to Archer, then turned her holographic form to address the general. “I will arrange for all of your evidence to be reviewed at Nova Force Headquarters. That should address any concerns you might have as to bias, General Halverson. Will that be all?”
He waved a hand. “Yes. Fine. My aide will send you the pertinent files shortly.”
It was painfully obvious to everyone in the room that Halverson was livid, but there was nothing he could do about it. Protocol was paramount, and while his rank allowed him a great deal of latitude, he couldn’t blatantly ignore it without destroying the credibility of the investigation. He had to play by the rules.
“Thank you, sir. I’ll await the files.” Bahl nodded to Rossi, then gave Eric a smaller nod before her hologram disappeared.
Archer departed next, edging out of the crowded room with his aide a few steps behind him.
“One more thing,” Halverson said once the others were gone.
“Yes, sir?” Dax asked.
“See to it that there is no contact between the cyborg and the ensign. I don’t want them to have time to coordinate their stories.”
Eric managed to hold his temper until the door closed.
“Fraxx!” he growled, still careful to keep his voice low in case Halverson was lingering outside.
“I’ll need your communicator, Ensign.” Dax ordered, but he softened the tone with a slight smile and raised a finger to his lips.
“Yes, sir.” Eric walked over and placed his comms on the desk with enough noise to be sure it carried to anyone who might be listening in. As he did it, Dax placed a portable privacy-field generator on the table and flicked it on with a swipe of a finger. The air around them shimmered, visible proof they could now talk without being overheard.
“Fraxxing hell, Magi. I know our unofficial motto is no feather left unruffled, but that’s supposed to apply to the bad guys, not the brass! Care to tell me what you were doing sneaking around hacking into unused data nodes?”
“I was looking for Nyx.”
Dax sighed. “So, that’s how you managed to track down the research lab. You went to the dark side.”
“I visited the dark side. Briefly. Haven’t you heard? They have the best cookies.”
Dax shot him a look that was two parts annoyance and one part amusement. “Still with the jokes. You are up to your elbows in trouble, and still, jokes.”
“It’s my default setting.”
“Well, stow it. You start mouthing off to Halverson and he’ll find a way to make something stick.”
“I know. It’s just… this has been an exceptionally shit day and it’s barely started. I need to get my head straight.”
“And fast. I don’t know who pointed the general our way, but there’s more going on here then we can see.”
“Yeah. I think, maybe, V.I.D.A is involved somehow. This feels like her kind of play, leaking information, setting up discord. We’ve seen her do it before.”
“V.I.D.A was terminated, and will you stop calling that bundle of code a she? You’re in enough trouble without making people question your sanity, too.”
“I found something today that proves V.I.D.A’s software was present on the research station. Problem is, that proof is on the computer that’s probably being seized in the next few minutes.”
Dax swore. “You think Halverson is involved?”
“No idea. But him arriving now, right as I’m putting the pieces together? Someone had to have put all this in motion days ago. Which means either it’s a massive coincidence…”
“Or someone’s playing with us, and they’re planning six moves ahead.” Dax grunted. “And that does sound like V.I.D.A.”
“The question is, how the fraxx did she—I mean it— know about Nyx?