Chapter 26 – Friends Become Foes

He had discovered it. After nearly two hours of sifting through a mass of transmissions and diplomatic bulletins, he had been able to piece together a trail that led directly from Rupert to the Rebellion. As he made his way though the Legacy, he reflected upon his discovery. While it wasn't something he particularly wanted to find, but now with the evidence in hand, he had exactly what he needed to persuade Amelia to abandon her foolish plan.

Without so much a "by your leave," Delbert bolted in to the stateroom, the door unceremoniously coming to a hard thud against the wall beside it. His unexpected and rather noisy appearance actually managed to rattle Amelia. Any other bystander would have thought the poised Captain had merely laid aside the handful of papers she had been perusing, but Lightoller, sharp eye that he was, noticed the subtle shuffling of papers used to mask the slight start his usually unruffled Captain gave when her agitated partner interrupted them. Wellington's mouth narrowed in displeasure at the interruption, more so when he realized who had the unmitigated gall to disturb them.

Amelia's voice, when she found it, was surprisingly even as she asked precisely what he thought he was doing rushing in to an officer's meeting.

"I have … the mole … I know …" he wheezed, clutching his side as he bent over, trying desperately to catch his breath.

Amelia regarded him with a calculated eye. "Please tell me you did not sprint across the Legacy, burst in unannounced and disrupt a very serious discussion to merely inform us of your recent dermatological findings. Because if this is the case, we are going to have to have a serious talk, Doctor."

From the look on Wellington's face, it was clear he was in total agreement with the Captain. But also knowing her partner's penchant for presenting vital information in a rather bizarre fashion, she decided to step back and take his appearance in stride. Lifting a brow in his direction, she offered him a curious, "Well Doctor?"

"I know who the mole is!" His breathing somewhat regular again, he made his way to where Amelia, who was now regarding him with apparent skepticism, stood. Wellington, on the other hand, watched him in utter disbelief.

"I find it hard to fathom that you were able to discern our security leak after the Royal Navy's resources could not."

Delbert ignored the thinly-veiled barb and turned to Amelia. "It's Rupert. He's the mole."

Her cry of disbelief mingled with Wellington's own "Are you out of your mind!" caused Doppler to flinch. Speaking quickly, he began to explain his reasoning.

"It makes perfect sense!" He ticked off each reason on his fingers. "He's known our exact locations. He has access to the communication systems. He has top-secret security clearance."

Amelia regarded him with a wary gaze. "As do each of us, Doctor."

"Yes," Delbert agreed. "But there is one thing that he is that we are not."

"And what would that be, Doctor?"

"He's Ronan."

The room grew completely still and Doppler gave Amelia and Wellington time to digest what he'd just said. He knew what was going through their heads. The same thoughts had traversed his when he discovered the truth about his friend. It was Wellington who spoke first, although his tone had lost a considerable amount of the bluster it had possessed only moments earlier.

"But he's Renan. I know he is."

"By birthright, yes, but look at where he was born," Doppler nodded, reaching inside his jacket and thrusting a copy of what looked to be a birth certificate under Wellington's nose. "Although his parents were Renan, Rupert was born on Ronan, grew up as a child on the planet. It wasn't until he applied to University that he relocated to Renana."

"What's that you say?" Amelia snatched the paper from Delbert and peered at it closely. "Good heavens!" She drew in a breath. "The man's loyalties would be hard pressed to lie elsewhere than Ronan. By all rights, he is Ronan."

"Precisely!" Delbert turned to Wellington. "Before Rupert joined us, you were in contact with him, yes?"

"Of course I kept in frequent contact with Rupert. He's my go-to man on the home world when I'm traveling." Drake looked faintly irritated.

Delbert chewed on a fingernail, eyes focused in deep thought. Blinking, he looked at Drake intently. "You say he's your go-to man, but was that on a daily basis?"

"What?"
"Were you communicating with him frequently before he joined us on the Legacy? Did you talk to him on a daily basis?"
Wellington snorted. "Of course I did. I had to keep him apprised of our situation, time of arrival on the home world …" His voice trailed off as he realized the implications of what Doppler was asking him. Lowering himself to a chair, he ran a hand down his face. "Our coordinates, port calls, exact locations," he whispered hoarsely. "He knew everything. I always tell him precisely where I am in case he should need to locate me immediately for important matters."

As much as Delbert detested the man, he couldn't help but feel sorry for him as the realization of what had occurred sank in. He placed a comforting hand across Wellington's shoulders. "He has fooled us all."

"No, it's my fault. In my eagerness to attain my political stature, I overlooked everything. I should have seen this. His attitude has been so distant lately. So far removed from what Antonius used to be." He heaved a sigh of disbelief. "He didn't want this assignment originally. Said something about it being far too emotionally taxing for him. I didn't press him. He's never refused an assignment before, and I thought it fine if he refuse this. But then, a few days later, he came to me and said that he'd changed his mind. Something about not wanting to mar a perfect record or something." Drake closed his eyes in a painful manner. "I believed him."

"There was no reason for you to question him," Amelia offered softly as she brought a hand to his shoulder.

Delbert offered his agreement. "She's right. You had no reason to question his service at that point."

"But what's important now is finding Rupert and seeing how much he's told the enemy. I'll not run the Legacy and my crew in to an ambush." Amelia straightened her shoulders and bit her lip in thought. "Where is Rupert right now?"

To be continued …

A/N

Almost done. Two more chapters and this story comes to a close. I hope you're enjoying it. This will probably be the only chapter this week, as I'm in the middle of an inventory. But, if things slow down, I do promise to see about an update. No worries though – you'll get the ending by the end of next week at the latest.

If you're looking for some other excellent stories, I'm plugging "The Captain's Papers" by Courtesy. It's an excellent story. I usually shy away from first-person writing, so for me to actually enjoy reading that perspective is a testament to the intelligence and superb writing this author is dishing out. Give it a read!

As always, if you have time, please drop me a review!