Read The Enclave (The Verge) for Free Online

what she hoped was a friendly smile to her face.
    “Welcome aboard Ambassador.  You have already met my XO and my Second Officer,” Katherine gestured to the two men on either side of her.  John nodded to them.  She then went around the table, introducing her department heads.
    “This is Lieutenant Commander Jeff Maguire, Chief of Engineering.  Lieutenant Mark Hunter, Senior Helmsman.   Lieutenant Andrew Gates, Astrogator.  Lieutenant Steven Tran, Tactical Officer and Lieutenant Susan Mayer, Communications Officer.”  Katherine gestured to the only empty chair and waited for her brother to be seated before reclaiming her own chair.
    “Now that the introductions are over with, let us get down to business.  Ambassador, are you ready to tell us the real reason for why we are on our way to Junter Three and not celebrating at Port McMahon with the rest of Battle Group Two?”
    She watched the smile spring to John’s face.  “Blunt and straight to the point, as always,” he murmured.  “But the orders I have are sealed until we enter the contested zone.  All I can say for now is that you won’t be displeased.”
    What a thing to say? ‘Will not be displeased! ’  If her brother had looked around the table he would see a lot of bared, seething anger.  But the fact that he did say it made her gut feeling about this mission solidify into something more substantial.  And if she was right….
    “Very well then,” Katherine drew a breath to steady her gut.  “Can you inform us on what we are allowed to know about this mission?”
    “Of Course.”
    John sounded so cheerful that Katherine had to resist the sudden urge to thump him.  He plucked a datapad from his pocket and thumbed it on.  A holo display of a planetary system suddenly appeared above the centre of the briefing table.
    “As you all know, we are currently heading tow ards the Junter System, Junter Three to be exact.”  John gave everyone a wry smile.  “It has been a thorn in the side of the Earth Federation since the deserter colonies cut their ties to Sol completely.”
    Katherine’s faced hardened at the mention of the deserter colonies.  Practically they were whole nations who fled Earth centuries ago for new worlds because they feared an Armageddon that never came.  Then a century ago a group of deserters broke their ties to Earth entirely and placed trading sanctions on any deserter or new Earth colonies that stayed loyal to Sol.  But during the last decade relations between the Earth Federation and the ‘Systems Alliance’ have practically broken down into a septic atmosphere that created the likes of Nigel Hyde.
    “Junter is one of a pair of systems that are occupied by both deserter and New Earth colonies sharing the same planet.”  John ran a finger over his datapad and the third planet of the system suddenly enlarged to fill the holo display.  “This is Junter Three.  Its southern hemisphere is under the control of the Federation based at the New Holland Prefecture.  The Northern Hemisphere is under Alliance control via the city of Val Myra.  Now according to our intelligence, Val Myra has voted to leave the System Alliance and wanted to form a neutral territory above the influence from either the Federation or Alliance.  But the powers that be in the Alliance did not accept Val Myra’s application for separation and decided to make an example of them to any other member colony that might be having the same idea.”  John tapped at his datapad again and two red spots burst into life on the holo of Junter Three.
    “Ambassador, what type of example did the Alliance make of Val Myra?” Susan Mayer asked as the holo was manipulated again to show close views of the areas around both hemisphere capitals.
    “The Alliance probably bombed the shit out of them,” Mark Hunter muttered across to her.
    John ignored Mark Hunter.  “The Alliance attacked Val Myra.  And those citizens who could, fled to the only place on