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7

At seven foot even, Natalia Marshal was actually smaller than all of the Marines in M-Thirteen save Roy, and Axel, who she matched. Her bulk, almost all of it made up of muscle, however, made her seem even larger. And while her daughter was not small herself, Alexavia seemed almost a beanpole compared to her mother. At four hundred and two years of age, Natalia was as active and vibrant as she had been at one hundred. Her in-laws had died a little over three hundred years ago, and they had willed all their possessions to their daughter-in-law and granddaughter. Natalia had been busy with the place since then. She had built a huge gym in the back, and when Alexavia had first brought Roy over, Natalia had insisted that he and his friends come over to use the gym anytime they wanted. When Alexavia had gone to the Naval Academy, Natalia had started working at the ground side space sport near the Marine and Naval Academies, partially because of the decent paying jobs, but mostly to keep any eye on her daughter. When Alexavia had become pregnant with Roy's children, she had quit that job to take care of her daughter, and then to watch over the twins when their parents were away. Not that she minded. She loved spending time with her granddaughters, and now that they had started kindergarten, she was able to work on the house once more.

Natalia greeted Esther and the twins at the front door. A warm, pleasant smile crossed her face as she saw them come up the driveway with some gym bags over their shoulders.

"Esther, what a pleasant surprise," she said as she gripped the Marine Captain's hand in a crushing grip. "Karl, Cassandra, welcome back. Come to use the gym?"

"Yes, Mrs. Marshal," all three intoned at once. All four of them burst out into laughter.

"Ah, its always hard to break away from the military habit. Alexavia has the same problem every time she comes home," Natalia said. "Speaking of which, have you seen her? Roy's out back with the girls already."

"I got a call from her this morning," Cassandra said. "She should be here soon."

"Good, thanks. Say hello to the girls on the way back. They'll be happy to see you."

"Will do. Thanks, Mrs. Marshal," Esther said. "I'm expecting a visit from an Army Sergeant by the name of Ritter. Could you direct him to the gym?"

"Of course. Take care now."

"Thanks again, Mrs. Marshal. I'll see you later."

All three of them waved and headed around the corner of the house. In the backyard, in front of the path that led to the large structure that held the gym, was a very large pool. Nearly the size of a football field, it started at two feet deep at the end closest to the house, and gradually dropped to thirty feet as it approached the gym building. Both Natalia and Alexavia like to spend time swimming underwater, which was easier for Natalia, who could breath while underwater. Alexavia, due to the genetics she had inherited from her human father, could not stay under the water indefinitely, but she could hold her breath for as long as twenty minutes without having any problems from lack of air. The pool had a complex system of filters that allowed the water to remain clean without the use of chemicals, and thus allowing races like the Sharlins to swim without having their lungs damaged from chemical burns. The pool was also equipped with three diving boards, each at a different height.

The three siblings rounded the corner of the house to find Roy, dressed in a pair of swimming trunks, wrestling with his two girls. Though twins, they could not have been more different. Anastasia was physically built like her mother, though she sported a Sharlin's full tail, lacked the dorsal fin, and was covered in a layer of fine black fur. Naomi looked more like her father, save she had the double knees and clawed feet of her mother. Thick black fur covered her body, and her tail was extra long and bushy. At six years old, both kids were already three feet tall, and had started to develop the athletic profile that was common in Sharlin children. Like their mother, both girls loved to swim, but were unable to breath underwater, and were unable to stay under as long as their mother could. The eye colors of the girls differed as well, as did their hair. Anastasia had a head of short black hair and her father's deep blue eyes. Naomi had her sea-green hair falling to the small of her back, and had her mother's steel gray eyes.

Personality wise, they were also very different. Anastasia was out going, slightly competitive, and as big of a joker as her father was. She preferred loose of multiple piece clothing, as was reflected in the little girl's red bikini which she currently wore. She was also into bright colors, and was very close to being a total carnivore. Naomi was quiet, a little introverted, and had a sober temperament. Natalia had once said that Naomi acted her mother at that age. Naomi preferred dark colors, like blues and purples, and preferred tight, modest clothing. The one piece swimsuit she currently wore was as black as her fur. While not the practical joker that her sister was, she loved jokes that dealt with word play. She had also inherited her father's ability to move practically unseen.

Both girls looked up as the three Marines came around the corner. Anastasia was the first to react.

"Aunt Esther," the girl squealed and came running over. Even with the head start, her sister was close on her tail, moving so silently that Anastasia did not realize that Naomi was there until she stood in front of Esther. Esther knelt down, caught both girls, one in each arm, and easily picked them up. She had a great big grin on her face.

"Wow, you two have grown," Esther said. "Can you say hello to Uncle Karl and Aunt Cass?"

"Hello Uncle Karl; Aunt Cass," the two intoned.

"Hello girls," Cassandra said and gave both of them a kiss on the cheek, while Karl reached up and ruffled Anastasia's hair, and gave Naomi a hug. Esther set them down and they ran back to their father, who waved to the three of them.

"You be good for your father," Cassandra called out. "Your Mom should be here shortly."

"Yaaaah!!" The girls jumped around in excitement. The two of them jumped into the water and began to chase each other around the pool. Roy hopped in as well, occasionally grabbing one on them in a great big hug, before tossing them gently back into the water, the girls laughing all the way.

The three Marines headed for the gym, waving goodbye to Roy and the girls. As they approached the gym's door, there was a loud splash, followed by squeal of laughter from the girls, and a "ALEX," from Roy.

* * * * * *

Esther's fist slammed into the punching bag with a deafening smack, sending it rocking violently on the chains that it hung from. Esther danced around its swinging axis, landing another blow, sending it once again rocking. Karl was sitting on a bench nearby, looking over a data slate, a sober expression on his face. Cassandra stood behind him, leaning and reading over her brother's shoulder. All three of them were wearing the same gym clothes that they had worn on the Wolf's Tooth. Unlike the gym on the ship, the Marshal Gym was designed accommodate those who practiced acrobatics and martial sports. A small boxing ring sat towards the back of the large main room. Close to the entrance were a set of parallel bars and exercise rings. Weight machines, and a couple of weight sets sat on one side of the room, close to were Karl and Cassandra were currently positioned.

"Damn," Karl said as he finished reading the data slate. "How accurate is this?"

"Wulf and Roy put it together," Esther said as she dodged the swinging bag.

"It's accurate," Cassandra said in response and straightened up. "Wulf seldom makes mistakes, and with Roy working with him, it's unlikely to have any mistake. It may have some missing data, but no mistakes. The question we need to be asking, is what is missing from the data. And then there is the question of the instigator. It has to either be someone in Headquarters or someone who has access to it. The likely hood of it being from outside the Clan is highly unlikely. It would be to easy to track. That means it's someone on the inside. But who?"

"That's the problem," Esther said, dancing around the bag. "There are a lot of people who are not happy with the Marines, even inside the Clan. Especially those who are part of the Marine Project. We do have one grain of information that we can use, however."

"Oh, really," Karl said. "Like what? Most of the staff can be assumed to be the traitor from the pieces of data we have, not the hard evidence. We still don't have a compass that can point the way."

"Actually, we do," Esther said as she punched the bag again. The twins looked at her questioning. Esther gave them a predatory smile. "Someone has it out for the Marines; specifically, those enrolled in the Marine Project, as I said. They went straight for the jugular by targeting our father, both in the literal and symbolic sense. Without Dad to manage the Project, and until a proper successor was selected, our traitor could appropriate the program to suit their own ends, like say, build an army that would be loyal to them alone."

"Wait a minute," Karl said, "if that was true, wouldn't the Crown find out about it if something that big was actually going to happen?"

"Yes," Esther said. "But after the fact. What you have to remember is that there aren't a lot of Free Knights. Only a little over a hundred of them exist, and most of them are concentrated around the Prince. The other problem is their training. If you think our training is tough, think again. Sofie told me a little about it, and I'd rather be a Marine. Our traitor has already proven that he or she can circumvent the top brass by getting that last mission off track. It was only through the resilience and training of the army squad that accompanied Dad that allowed them to survive for as long as they did."

"So it came down to sheer luck," Cassandra asked a little skeptically.

"Only partially," Esther replied, sending the bag dancing again. "They didn't take into account that the Clan Master takes a close look at the operations everyday, and nothing gets approved until she is consulted. General Gage had already received permission for the operation, and the Clan Master had been checking up on the mission when she spotted the discrepancy. She then got a hold of the General, and we were then brought into the picture. No one realized it was Dad on the ground until right before we launched the drop ship."

"That explains the call you got," Cassandra said. "We don't usually get calls from Headquarters right before a drop. I also saw your face when you got it. I don't think I've ever seen you that angry before."

"Regardless," Karl said, who had seen Esther really, really angry, "It still doesn't give us a solid lead to this traitor. All it takes is someone who understands the communication protocols to alter the orders. And it could also be someone acting as a messenger for the actual mastermind. Hell, for all we know, it could be a group of traitors instead of a single individual."

"And then there's the intelligence," Cassandra said. "Someone would have to know how our briefs work to alter it so thoroughly."

"That's true," Esther said. "Actually, it is more likely that there is a group, rather than an individual. The access to the sort of information that these types of mission operate under is extremely restricted. But the crack in the proverbial armor is the people who are actually assigned to transmit and deliver the information. Most are nothing more than glorified clerks, despite their ties to the military. Some are in command positions, but those people are easy to track, so the person who sent the information had to be one of the clerks. It's the one who altered the orders we really want, however. But if we can find his contact, or contacts, we might be able to find the source."

"That might be tricky," Karl said. "Not all of those clerks serve in Headquarters. Some work in the Intelligence Department's compound."

"Agreed," Cassandra said. "We're going to need proof before we can accuse anyone of treason, and we're definitely going to need some kind of back up if we go on a witch hunt."

"I've already contacted General Gage," Esther said. "His findings have, so far, coincided with ours. We've agreed to put out separate feelers, and see what we can turn up. Our inquires are going to be a little more open than the official investigation. If we are seen as a rogue element working outside the official channels, our traitor, or traitors, will be forced to move faster than they want. The General is hoping that this will draw out the more active elements of the conspiracy. And as participants of the Marine Project, they'll be even more interested in reacting then they normally would. We would be a very tempting target in the open. Hopefully. We're working on the assumption that it is a group we're dealing with, and not an individual. If it is an individual, there is a good chance that they will be more cautious than a group would. Groups like this have a habit of splintering quickly under pressure."

"Wait a minute," Karl interjected. "You've already included Cass and myself in your plans? Without talking to us about it?"

Cassandra groaned, and Esther sent the bag swinging again. She was starting to sweet now, a light sheen of moister on her fur.

"Suck it up, Marine," Esther snapped. "You're already involved. All the attacks so far have been against staff members of the Project, like Dad, or recipients of the Project, like us. General Gage had found out that the attack on the shuttle may not have been as accidental as we first believed. The crew were all Marine Project first generation, the same group that Nic and Wulf came from. There was also an attack on a Sergeant Hines Velks three days ago. The attack was unsuccessful, but he was still hospitalized with several gunshot wounds. At least four of the attackers appeared to be cyberized mercenaries from outside of the Empire. They had no documentation on them, and they did 'not' appear in any of the databases on Imperial citizens."

"How did the General find out that the attack on the shuttle was orchestrated," asked Cassandra.

"The coordinates that the shuttle has to report to was transmitted to an unknown recipient from a secluded spot in the southern hemisphere of New Mars, a couple of hours before the shuttle's last transmission. Also, the crew had filed a complaint over the orders they were given. They felt that it left too many holes in getting in and out, left the team on the ground unsupported, and left the shuttle sitting out in the open where anyone could get at them. The complaint hadn't reached the General by the time of the shuttle's destruction. Somehow, it was delayed. That indicates that at least one member of the conspirators is within the inner workings of the communications center. We just have to figure out who."

"Any leads," Karl asked.

"Not yet, though the General and myself have come up with a plan. I'll fill you in when I have more details." Esther was freely sweating now. The bag was rocking dangerously on its chain now, the chain creaking loudly. "We also have one advantage that our traitors had not factored into their plans."

"And what is that," asked Karl.

"Of course," exclaimed Cassandra. "Sofie!"

"Right," Esther said. "As a Free Knight, she represents the authority of the Crown. She could technically conduct the entire investigation without use getting involved. But as the attacks are specific in their targets, she feels that is impossible to leave us out of it. She can also open doors that we can't."

"Or arrest people we can't," Karl said.

"So, what do we do when we find these people," Cassandra asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. Both she and Karl, knew Esther too well.

The bag swung away from Esther, and she brought her right arm back, and to her side. The arm clenched, the muscles bulged and the knuckles groaned as Esther tightened her fist. Karl had seen Esther use this move once before, and grabbed Cassandra, pulling her further back from Esther as the bag began to swing back. As the bag approached her, Esther brought her arm forward, and slightly up in a short, jabbing uppercut that landed dead center of the bag. For a brief moment, everything stopped, then the bag powered away from Esther, ripping free of its chain, sending chain links scattering, and tumbling end over end. It flew across the hall to slam into the wall, which it bounced off and landed hard on the floor. Esther stayed in the same position that he had been when she hit the bag, head slightly down, looking at the floor. Slowly, she drew in a deep breath of air, and let it out again, relaxing her muscles at the same time. In a casual motion, she turned her head and looked at the twins.

"We get answers," she said in a flat tone.

Both Raccoonins, in unison, looked at the fallen bag, then back at Esther, and swallowed. Cassandra had never seen Esther 'this' angry before, and Karl had only seen it once, and they had forgotten how strong she actually was. Axel was the only one on the team who could give Esther a run for her money with sheer strength, but Karl had always suspected that Esther had always been holding back. The display just a moment ago had just confirmed his suspicions. There was a loud click from behind them, and all of them turned to face the front door.

Sergeant John Ritter had just come into the gym when Esther had hit the bag for the last time. The display made him freeze, both in amazement, and in fear. Once again, he reminded himself that he had never seen a Marine use their full power before, but it could not prevent him from wanting to slink out of the hall. It was one thing to see them on the field of battle, decked out in their armor and weapons. It was another to see them out of their armor, and displaying the amount of violence they could deliver without the extra equipment they used in battle. That they could do stuff like that, with only their bare hands, was frightening, even to someone who was trained to kill with their hands. Ritter was half tempted to back out of the door and go back home, when the door slipped out of his hand, and closed with an audible click. The Army Sergeant cringed inwardly as all three Marines turned to face him.

Ritter was dressed in his army fatigues, he cap stuffed into a pocket, revealing his dark brown, close cropped hair, with shoots of gray starting to show. His handsome, clean shaven face was starting to show the hard lines of his chosen profession and the stress of command. Though he was in his late twenties, the demands of modern warfare, and the stress that came with it, had aged him to a point where he looked closer to forty. Still, he knew his job, and was loyal to both his men, and his Clan, which also made him loyal to the Crown and the Sapphire Empire as a whole. Normally, he would have objected, strenuously, to meeting anyone outside of the official channels to discuss classified information. This incident, however, was an exception to his normal, by the book, policy. He had become involved in a greater problem than he could realized, whether he wanted to be or not. And so he had agreed to this meeting.

"Sergeant, thanks for coming," Esther said and gestured for him to have a seat at one of the benches further down hall. Ritter moved over to the bench and reluctantly sat down, his back ram rod straight. The twins stood up and began to clean up after Ester; Karl hefting the ruined bag, Cassandra getting a broom and dust pan to clean up the broken chain links. Karl deposited the bag in a closet near the boxing ring, and pulled out another punching bag.

"Now, Sergeant, let me state that this meeting is informal, and is completely off the record. If at any time you feel that we have overstepped our bounds, you are free to back out. And let me make it clear that we are making this inquire with the approval of General Gage, but it is to remain out of the ears of those who don't need to know. Do you have any questions before we go any further?" Esther's green eyes fixed on Ritter, and he visibly swallowed. She was giving him a way out, but it sure as hell did not feel like it.

"No, Captain," Ritter said, his training taking over. "Ask me what you want, and I will do the best I can to answer your questions."

"Good. Now, when you received your orders, they would have a confirmation code on them. Do you remember what that code was?"

"Magna-Delta-Delta."

Karl looked over in surprise. "That was last month's code."

"I know," Ritter said. "I asked for confirmation, and I came back clear."

"Clear but not crystal," Esther asked.

"It came back Delta-Phi-Omega. I didn't dare press it further. It was also marked urgent. If I asked any further at that point, I was risking myself relieved of duty, and having the assignment reassigned to another squad. I wasn't willing to face the reprimand, and possible reassignment myself."

"Understandable," Esther said. The Omega code always denoted a High Command order. Disobeying such a command could have dire consequences, especially when the Empire was so close to war with the USF. This disobedience could be considered an act of treason to certain members of the High Command. "Who was the clerk? What code did they use?"

"D-nine-nine-three-four-four-Z-seven. Not sure who it was. I don't usually pay attention to the clerks, not even when they transmit in the open. I normally acknowledge the transmission and then follow my orders. This was something of an exception."

"Reasonably so," Cassandra said. "Did you have any doubts about your orders, or did you follow them blindly? I'm not judging, but you have to admit that there were a lot of holes in them."

"I had my doubts, yes, Ma'am. But when I confirmed the intelligence, I had no more recourse but to follow those orders." Ritter scratched his head, thinking. "It was General Hanson himself that answered the Intelligence Brief. Code Z-A-three-three-four-five-dash-B-three, with a Clear Code of Alpha-Theta-Omega."

All three siblings exchanged glances.

"That's weird. According to the Clan Master, General Hanson was in an Imperial Intelligence meeting when the orders were transmitted. It was verified by a dozen different people," Karl said to Esther.

Esther nodded. "Someone is either lying, or someone had deliberately broken into the General's office," Esther said. "Sergeant, the location code was General Hanson's office, I'm assuming."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Karl, did you recognize the clerk's code?"

"No. That code is not on any of the cleared names. Someone has broken every rule of security with that stunt."

Both Raccoonins and the human looked at Esther, who stood with her chin in her hand.

"Why would they leave such an obvious clue behind," Cassandra asked. "It's like they were daring use to come after them."

"It could be a trap," Karl said.

"A possibility," Esther said. "But it's one we can't refuse. We have to act on this one. It's also possible that they're arrogant enough in their supposed security that they didn't think of it. As the Sergeant stated, most people don't look at the clerk's code, and wouldn't think to look at it. I don't think even the General thought about it."

"What now?" Ritter stood up and went to parade rest without thinking.

Esther looked at him. "I make a few calls, and then we find this clerk. I might still need your help, Sergeant, if you're willing."

Ritter gave her a predatory smile. "Gladly."