Covert Communications

Posted on Wed Apr 22nd, 2015 @ 3:30pm by Lieutenant JG Ronnie Wolfe & Lieutenant Mira Jayna

674 words; about a 3 minute read

ON

Jayna checked her chronometer. It had been 45 minutes since she asked Logan to meet her. He either didn't get her message, or he was involved in something important. Or he was being ordered around by LeBeau again. Whatever the reason, he wasn't here and she needed to do something.

She looked at the message again -- which really wasn't necessary as she'd memorized it, but it was habit. Lancaster. Former Assistant Chief Science Officer, until she'd been kidnapped by Wolfe. At least that was the official report. Jayna suspected the woman went willingly enough, although from the vids she'd seen, she clearly didn't know at the time that it was a setup.

Okay, an answer. She needed to send Lancaster a reply to let her know her message was received. But it had to be a carefully written message in case someone else got to it first.

"Weather from York to Lancaster is cloudy with an 80% chance of rain. A wolf at the zoo is accused of killing three visiting dignitaries. At first, it seemed like an open and shut case, but new evidence may clear the wolf. Stay tuned to BBC Galactic for the latest news and weather."

It was odd enough that most people should simply ignore it as a random signal floating in space. But Lancaster should get it. If she was as smart as her files indicated.

Jayna carefully encrypted the file to look like an old-fashioned radio signal, the kind that were still picked up from time to time and degraded it just enough to seem authentic. Then she sent it back to stellar cartography, 'caught' in a random sweep.

[Night Star]

Ronnie was working in Stellar Cartography, updating the maps that had been ignored since the ship went dark. A blip on her screen indicated a spatial disturbance and she carefully checked to be sure no one else was watching or listening to her. When she and her security protocols were clear, she looked for the message. At first she wrote it off as nothing. But then she looked again. York to Lancaster? she thought. Wolf accused of murder?

She wasn't sure what was going on, but one thing she could clarify. She prepared another encrypted message. "No random wolf sightings. Wolf still in pen."

[Calypso]

Jayna received the message and smiled. If there was any doubt before, it was gone. Lancaster herself confirmed that Wolfe never left the ship.

She made a note of it and asked one more question, hoping her luck wouldn't run out.

"This little Caitian went to Caly.
This little Caitian left home.
This little Caitian killed delegates.
This little Caitian left a sword.
This little Caitian went wee wee wee all the way home."

[Night Star]

Ronnie was about to close down for the night and go back to her quarters to find Damion when she got the incoming message.

She read it over several times, not quite sure what to make of it. A Caitian killed delegates with a sword? Was that the murder Damion was accused of? Delegates? Then she remembered the woman who taunted Damion. Ronnie hadn't seen her for a while. It had to be her. She was the only Caitian on the Night Star.

"Kitty is on the prowl. Never came home."

Short, succinct and, hopefully, to the point. With that, Ronnie secured the computer and shut down the active programs for the night. Tomorrow, if all went well, she would start working in another department. If any more messages came through, she'd check on them later.

[Calypso]

Jayna saw the message and swore. The Caitian was still on teh Calypso. Had to be. She didn't return to the Night Star.

She checked her chronometer. Still no Logan. She would have ot go find him. And Grumpy. This was too important to wait.

OFF

Lieutenant JG Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer

Lieutenant JG Ronnie Lancaster
Assistant Chief Science Officer

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