Read A Stellar Affair for Free Online Page B

recent buildup of ships on the surface and in orbit. The Tetch are mobilizing for another attack, and word is they’re waiting to receive the coordinates for one of our major bases. Those coordinates are being delivered by human carrier—likely more than one, although we don’t know how many. There’s no stopping the transfer of intel, but we can find out where the Tetch plan to strike in time to evacuate the targeted base. I don’t need to tell you that even a few hours can save lives.”
    No, he didn’t. Although a planet-wide evacuation took far more than a few hours, Jack knew the outcome at Bok-10 might have been different if they’d had more warning. Roimiran operatives always got the word out as soon as they became aware of an assault, but by then escape was difficult, let alone a decent counterattack. Walter was right. If they could intercept the coordinates, they could save countless lives.
    “The Tetch politicians are always trying to outmaneuver one another to gain more power,” Walter continued. “More than one is trying to get his greedy hands on the coordinates so he can grab the credit. Our operatives have been monitoring ships bound for Algoron for any sign of the carriers. We got a tip about a small transport ship that left Nintu V. We hacked the computer navigation system on the Oberon and programmed an unscheduled detour. As soon as the vessel flew a safe distance outside of Tetch space, we boarded it and took control of the passengers, along with some unexpected cargo supplies. They’ll be here within the hour.”
    Walter stopped and looked him in the eye.
    “Jack, I need you to work on this one. All our other precepts have been tied up since the last campaign, and this is too important to wait. This might be the single most important piece of information we’ve captured yet.”
    “You think one of the Oberon’s passengers is carrying the coordinates for the next major assault?” Jack’s amazement must have shown on his face. “How many people are we talking about?”
    He hoped he didn’t have to deal with a full ship. The Tetch were crafty when it came to their intel, and it wasn’t easy to extract information without the original program scenario. Occasionally, the enemy confused things by using dummy carriers or dividing the information among multiple individuals. It was always a battle of the wits and a race against the clock.
    Walter was obviously pleased that he understood what was at stake. “Four were scheduled to board and leave from Simos, but we won’t know for certain until we get a look at the manifest.”
    Jack rubbed his forehead. “And we don’t know which one is the carrier.”
    “That’s what I need you to find out. It could be all of them, or it could be only one. You’re going to have to figure it out and get those coordinates for us before the Tetch realize they’ve lost their people. Best we can tell, we’ve captured the frontrunner, but the other carriers with this intel can’t be far behind. Although we’ll intercept them if we can, once the Tetch realize we’re on to their plan, they’ll guard those carriers more carefully and rush their delivery. The fact that they’re trying not to draw too much attention is the only thing slowing them down as it is—that and the slow wheels of bureaucracy.”
    “I understand.” Jack couldn’t afford to fail. “How soon will the Tetch realize the Oberon is missing?”
    “The ship won’t be missing,” Walter told him. “Our men stripped the inside clean of anything useful and then programmed it to continue along its scheduled course. There are no guarantees, but at least there’s no indication of checkpoints prior to the ship reaching Algoron. That’s about a four-month trip from Simos, and the ship only left the space station a week ago.”
    So if all went well, Jack had a deadline of fifteen weeks—the point at which the Oberon would reach Algoron and the Tetch would discover it was empty. He