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“It’s about a two-hour ride. Very comfortable ride. No problems with seasickness. Thorn will drill down on the danger assessment with you once you arrive. Right now, we’re watching the area closely. There was sabotage to a gas pipeline that ran between Finland and Estonia. And yesterday, there was an interruption to the communications cable.”
“Was it in the news?” Halo asked. Somehow, he’d missed that.
“Maybe on page fourteen,” Nutsbe said.
Halo swung his attention to Nutsbe. “Estonia boarders Russia near St. Petersburg. Do they think Russia is saber rattling with another neighbor?”
“Estonia is part of the EU. So we hope not. In this case, area investigators think this was a Chinese attack.”
“I’m sorry?” Halo’s brows drew together as he leaned forward. “The Chinese in the Baltic Sea?”
“The Finnish Navy retrieved a six-ton anchor from the area. There are indications on both the pipeline and the cable that there was contact. The gas line showed immediate signs of damage. The damage to the communication cable took longer to show the effects. It wasn’t a total cable break. It was a tear.”
“Purposeful?” Halo asked.
“Debatable,” Honey answered. “The Finish Navy noticed that the Chinese vessel was moving in the area without a visible anchor, which is against regulations. When confronted, the Chinese said they were unaware of the missing anchor.”
“Improbable,” Halo’s brows knitted.
“Agreed,” Honey said. “And that the Chinese didn’t think the found anchor was theirs.”
“Easily proved,” Halo said.
“And yet, a diplomatic nightmare,” Nutsbe called over his shoulder as he wheeled back to his desk. “Especially as Finland is newly onboard with NATO.”
“Since the picture is unclear,” Honey said, “we need to ensure our client is safe and comfortable on her passage from Helsinki to Tallinn.” He unfolded the shirt and lay it flat on the table. “A few months ago, Cerberus Bravo was in the Caribbean for a training mission at the Iniquus Southern Campus when Dominica lost communications just before the eye of the Cat 5 storm went over the island, complicating rescue. That was an anchor incident, too, but it was a wayward anchor from a yacht and not in any way nefarious. This is different. We know that as the Russian war against Ukraine continues, Russia has reached out to China for bolstering. That a Chinese vessel was operating in the Baltic Sea with mal intent while their navy is also acting provocatively near the Philippines is of global concern.”
“Why Estonia, though? Or are they just being pissy over Finland?”
“Estonia is the Silicon Valley of Europe,” Nutsbe said as he rocked his chair into position behind his desk. “Sorry to be over here, but I’m monitoring operators in the field.”
Halo lifted a hand, “No worries, mate.”
“So Estonia,” Nutsbe continued. “They have more ‘unicorns’ there than anywhere else in Europe and, per capita, the most startups. Our clients want to have their foot in that door, accessing the creativity and technology that is available there at a reasonable price compared to other tech markets.”
“It’s a very safe city,” Honey said. “However, with the Russian border only about a hundred miles from their capital city, a city where a third of the Estonian population lives, we have to keep an awareness of the geopolitical landscape and have exit strategies planned.”
Honey tapped the gunmetal grey compression shirt with the tip of his finger. “This shirt is an important piece of your security and safety apparatus. DARPA—the United States’ national defense research arm—often asks Iniquus to try out their prototypes and give feedback. Less red tape than going through our military.”
Halo looked at the shirt and couldn’t see anything outstanding about it.
“This doesn’t get laundered. It’s too high-tech. Just put it back in the bag and bring it home. Iniquus will replace it with clean versions when you need them for missions. While you float between the tactical teams, getting to know us and how we operate in the field, we want you to practice with the shirt. First, you should understand that they are wired for biofeedback.” Honey turned to point to Nutsbe at his computer. “That data gets sent automatically from your shirt via satellite to Nutsbe.”
Halo leaned forward and rubbed the fabric between his fingers. “This shirt communicates through a satellite feed?”
“While you’re in the field, Nutsbe will be able to keep track of your heart rate, respiration, and body temperature and monitor your hydration levels. This means that as you drop below an optimal level of water consumption, you’ll hear Nutsbe in your ear, encouraging you to drink.” Honey stopped to grin. “We called him Mom before all this started. Now, we’re thinking of getting him tattooed with the name.”
“My hydration levels?” Halo pulled the shirt closer and smoothed his hand over the surface. He felt nothing there until he reached the sleeves. There, he felt a slight quilting between layers of smooth fabric.
“So far,” Nutsbe said, “This prototype works well in the field. This is a second generation. What you’re feeling as you run your hand over that sleeve is a directional system. The researchers have added a GPS compression unit to provide real-time directions.”
Halo looked up to catch Honey’s eye, hoping for an explanation for what that could mean.
“There are compressors in the arm. You or Nutsbe will enter your destination information into the computer.” He pushed the phone-like apparatus toward Halo. “Then, as you move along, when you are to turn right, you will feel your forearm squeezed on the right. Same on the left. You turn in the direction of the squeeze. A gentle squeeze means to veer in that direction to get on course. A hard squeeze means to take a ninety degree.”
“Yeah?”
“We’ve been working with them, and it takes a bit of getting used to. If you’re in line with your target destination, you will feel nothing. That, in itself, can feel disorienting because you aren’t sure if it’s stopped working.”
