Ragnarok (The Echo Case Files) by C.S. Stinton
* *
‘A thorough report, Commander, as always. You did exceptionally well.’
Ramirez flinched at Director Tau’s compliment. Her gaze remained locked on a point two inches to the woman’s left, staring out the window of her office at the grey skies of the city of Glitnir. It was, unsurprisingly, raining. ‘Lieutenant Tycho will likely never return to active service and I ran up an unprecedented expenses bill paying a group of mercenaries to abduct a member of the Hardveur City Police Department.’
‘That Lieutenant Tycho and yourself were not killed in an ambush you couldn’t have anticipated is impressive enough, but you also managed to bring the traitor to justice. Don’t sell yourself short, Commander.’ Tau put her pad down. ‘Anita Singh has continued to cooperate and tell all she knows of Ragnarok. It has led to the arrest of several members of Graham Locke’s former staffers, and it would seem you completely gutted their militaristic wing.’
‘Not all of the Machenry rifles are accounted for.’
‘No, but we expected some to slip through the cracks. Their source will be hunted. We still have Vincente. We‘re looking into this man Brand as we speak. But Outpost Saratoga must be handled carefully.’
‘Yes, ma‘am.’
‘In the meantime, there are leads on the Odin Shipyards case which Delta Team are pursuing. We’ll see if the lines of inquiry meet. Ragnarok have publicly claimed responsibility for the attack, but there’s no evidence to back it up just yet. We have no idea where they operate outside of Thor, if indeed there’s more to them left than fringe elements.’
‘Yes, ma‘am. And with what happened on Thor, I placed several recommendations in my report for a full inquiry into the HCPD. It needs gutting.’
‘I have pushed that recommendation. But I‘m not alone in doing so. Mister Locke has been heard by Thor’s Governor, and the process is starting. Commissioner Beyer has already resigned.’
Ramirez felt only a flash of guilt. Though the man had helped her against Ragnarok, this was only when he had no choice. He was likely guilty of dozens of transgressions while on the payroll of the underworld, and an inquiry would shine light on the truth.
‘Do you believe we need to keep an eye on Mister Locke?’ Tau peered across the desk at her.
‘No,’ Ramirez said after a moment. ‘He was a target. He was to be punished because Ragnarok felt they owned him and he stepped out of line, and he was to be killed to send a message to the galaxy. Despite it all, I trust him.’ She hesitated. ‘Ma‘am, you really have no problem with my arrest of Navarro?’
‘You had no other choice. You handled yourself as responsibly as you could in a difficult position.’
‘Ma‘am, the only basis by which you have to assess this is my own report.’
Tau leaned back in her chair. ‘Ramirez, how long have we known each other?’
‘Ten years or so, ma‘am.’
‘Since you were a junior lieutenant on Gateway, yes. Do you think that might mean we know one another rather well?’
I think it means you know me well. ‘Yes, ma‘am, but the amount of power and influence we have -’
‘Is necessary exactly because, with crime rates soaring and so little funding going to law enforcement, I need my officers to be as powerful as possible. So they can do the most good possible. Do you honestly think I would have recruited you, when I‘ve had the chance to hand-pick most of my field officers, if I thought there was the remotest possibility you would abuse this power?’
‘No, ma‘am, but -’
‘Christ’s sake, Commander, you‘re practically begging me to put you on report for completing a mission gone to hell in a hand-basket. As if you being on your own made a difference. As if you and Tycho weren’t thick as thieves and if you wanted to become actual thieves, you’d cover for one another.’
There was a pause as Ramirez tried to untangle her stomach from the knot the mere thought of Tycho sent it into these days. ‘Is there news of the lieutenant?’
Tau sighed. ‘She will be given time to recuperate, and when her period of extended physiotherapy is over, we’ll see what kind of role she can play. You never know, Commander, she might surprise us all. She usually does.’
The hope, faint as it was, remained comforting. ‘Yes, ma‘am.’
‘Nevertheless, we must discuss what to do with you next. Delta Team may also be chasing Ragnarok, but I imagine you’ll shoot me if I try to assign you to them.’
Ramirez’s expression turned flat. ‘I imagine so too, ma‘am.’
‘So let’s not do that. But I can’t send you into the field alone, and it’s a damned waste to keep you grounded as an analyst.’ Their eyes met. Ramirez knew what a job as an analyst would mean, and she knew what Tau would intend. Within six months she’d be the other woman’s deputy, likely with a promotion, overseeing her own teams. Senior to Delta Team.
But she shook her head. ‘I joined the Marshals to make a hands-on difference. You know that.’
‘I do. But we find ourselves lacking in personnel. I am out of volunteers for the Marshals and the Fleet is very reluctant to let me take capable MPs who don’t want to join the Service.’
‘Have you tried drawing from civilian law enforcement?’
‘I have, and that’s an ongoing process. But there is a more immediate prospect. All it takes is for you to put your thumb-print to this.’ Tau brought up a new file on her pad and slid it across the desk.
Ramirez read it and frowned. ‘It’s an assessment and commendation of John Harrigan.’
‘Yes. A particularly glowing one. From you, if you sign it.’
A sick feeling twisted Ramirez’s gut afresh. ‘I don’t understand,’ she lied, hoping she was wrong.
‘With the support of the Confederate Marshals behind him after his fine performance on the Hardveur Ragnarok case, JAG are prepared to drop the charges against Staff Sergeant Harrigan, so long as he can be found a place with, shall we say, appropriate supervision. The Marine Corps, for their part, say they have absolutely no use for him.’
Ramirez’s expression fell. ‘No.’
‘You spoke very highly of him, even in the report you actually filed.’
‘Yes, he did well. For a smuggler and a deserter.’
‘Who could have abandoned you on several occasions and easily slipped away, but who expressed a lingering sense of civic duty at the important work of the Confederate Marshals.’
Ramirez’s jaw dropped. ‘He went AWOL. In a time of war!’
‘Let me be blunt, Commander. Nothing about this war is pleasant or clean, and the work we do outside of combat zones with simple human beings is no different. You have to admit that there are particulars to Sergeant Harrigan’s situation, and in a time of war we need every willing and able soldier we can get. He’ll never work in the Corps again, but frankly I‘m so strapped for people I cannot afford to be so picky.’
‘Picky - with the remarkable powers we have at our disposal -’
‘He would be under your command, and it will be made clear to him that with one foot out of line we will withdraw all leniency and have him prosecuted for deserting his post in a time of war, a charge which carries the death penalty. But let me paint you a different picture, Commander. If we do not, then he rots in prison for a few years and absolutely nobody benefits. To boot, the only position I will have for you in the field will be alongside Delta Team, and the only other position I will have for you in the Service is as my Senior Analyst. I might even make you a full Commander.’
She said the promotion like it was a threat, and Ramirez knew she was serious. But she couldn’t yet form an answer, and Tau sighed again. ‘Let me make you a deal, Commander. Six months. Work with him for six months. By then you’ll know for sure if Tycho’s returning to the field. If she’s not, and if you still can’t stand Harrigan, I‘m sure there’ll be flexibility in the teams or more staff in by then. And he can go to someone else or back to jail, I really don’t care at that point.’ Tau pushed
A full Commander’s pips. Ramirez pursed her lips. ‘I‘m pretty sure he knows more about Ragnarok than he’s letting on.’
‘Then surely this way you can keep an eye on him and get more answers than you would if he stayed in a prison on Odin?’ Tau tapped the top of the pad. ‘All you have to do is put your print to this, Commander. New partner. New assignment. New chance for John Harrigan.’
Ramirez looked down at the report. She had to admit that Tau had done a fine job of imitating her style, even if the idea of speaking so highly of Harrigan and buying his freedom in such a way stuck in her throat. She drew a deep breath. ‘Six months,’ she said. And put her finger to the pad’s print-reader.
Commodore Abena Tau gave a smile Mona Lisa would have been proud of. ‘That’s right, Commander. Just six months. How bad can it get?’
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About the Author
C.S. Stinton was born in London, grew up in Hertfordshire and Paris, went to university in Lancaster, and stayed there until the churning words that demanded writing eventually turned into a coherent book.
Growing up, reading was something to do even sneakily after bed-time, and she went on to be a lover of Nicholas Evans, Louis de Bernières, Terry Pratchett, and many more. Inspirations for science fiction came from another source, her brother inflicting Star Wars and Star Trek on her at a young age until she realised she actually liked it.
Writing her own stories became inevitable, though they've taken many forms. The unspoken tales in her head, the adventures explored and told through role-playing games, a vast array of fiction (even, shockingly, fanfiction) which made its way to the internet over the years. Some of this she'll even own to writing, but 'Ragnarok' is the first story she'll call an actual book and send out to public eyes under her own name.
If you’ve liked what you’ve read here, you can find more from her webpage at Bad Mojo Publishing (https://www.badmojopublishing.com) or follow her on Twitter (@csstinton) or Tumblr (https://www.csstinton.tumblr.com).