Haven Ascendant

by Robert M Kerns

  Sev nodded and turned to Stone. “See me after the meeting, and we’ll set something up.”

  Stone smiled and nodded.

  Cole continued, saying, “Okay, people, we have five systems who have asked for our help. Where are we in being able to liberate those systems and hold them from the Coalition?”

  “If matters have calmed over at Baldur,” Sato said, “we could recall a few of those system pickets. We sent nine system pickets with you, and if we scale back just to two—one for Baldur and another for Midas—we’d have seven system pickets.”

  “May I ask a question?” Stone interjected.

  “Of course,” Cole replied.

  “What constitutes a system picket?”

  “Four cruisers, eight destroyers, and sixteen frigates,” Cole replied, “but there are twelve line frigates and four scout frigates. We based the system pickets on Haven’s battlegroup.”

  Stone nodded. “So, these system pickets are utilizing Haven’s technology base?”

  Cole nodded.

  Stone took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Does anyone realize you have the most powerful fleet in known space?”

  “My people and I work very hard,” Garrett said, “to see that others don’t realize it.”

  “This operation to liberate these systems will kind of be our unveiling party, though,” Sasha opined. “I don’t see how we could hide the ships we use.”

  “True,” Garrett agreed. “At that point, it becomes a matter of keeping people guessing on just how many we have.”

  Cole chuckled. “You won’t even be able to do that once we start rolling out home fleets for all these systems.”

  Garrett nodded. “Yes, but there’s nothing to be done about that.”

  “What constitutes a home fleet?” Stone asked.

  “Well,” Cole replied, “right now, we’re looking at a dreadnought, four battle-carriers, sixteen cruisers, thirty-two destroyers, and sixty-four line frigates…but that’s a little up in the air at the moment. We’re still building our first dreadnought.”

  Mattias’s expression made him look just a little shell-shocked.

  “Okay. I’ll issue a recall order for seven of the system pickets, pending an okay from Scarlett. I haven’t really heard anything from her outside of basic reports, so I don’t really have a good feel for how things are going over there. Oh…that reminds me. Painter, let’s allocate five mining ships and ten freighters to Midas; I want them to ramp up production to give us an additional revenue stream. I don’t mind footing the bill for Beta Magellan, but if those five systems are serious about founding a federation, I’m not paying for that, beyond some initial setup-type stuff. Sev, how many scout frigates do we have available?”

  “Available?” Sev repeated. “None, but they’re very easy to build. What’s on your mind?”

  “I think we need to start doing comprehensive surveys of all the unaligned and unclaimed systems in the area. I realize Midas is probably a lucky strike, but there’s no reason not to check for additional systems with a similar resource mix. Get with Painter and work up survey expeditions, and be sure to load them up with system claims buoys.”

  “Once the recalled system pickets arrive,” Sato said, “we should begin reconnaissance flights through those systems. We need better intelligence than we have, and we also need to make the freedom fighters aware that they need to be ready.”

  Cole nodded. “That’s an excellent idea. We’ll meet with those four emissaries and find out if there are any recognition codes or some such our scout ships can use without alerting the Coalition forces to what we’re saying.”

  “I would also suggest taking Admiral Trask as overall fleet commander,” Sato added. “While you are coming along very nicely, you will need to focus on the system Haven is liberating. An actual flag officer and staff can oversee and coordinate the operation as a whole without distracting you.”

  “Good thought,” Cole replied. “Thank you. I’ll add that to my list, too. Okay. Anything else at this precise moment?” When no one offered anything, Cole nodded once and stood. “Very well, then. Let’s do this. Paol, schedule a meeting with the emissaries.”

  That said, Cole led the group out of the conference room.

  Conference Room, Babylon Station

  Gateway

  6 October 3003, 09:45 GST

  Cole entered the conference room to find Paol and the emissaries already waiting. A marine followed Cole into the room, with another assuming station just outside the hatch.

  “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice,” Cole said as he picked a seat. “I have some news you may enjoy. We’re close to having what we need to liberate and hold your systems from the Coalition. Within the next few days, we’ll begin reconnaissance flights through the systems to get accurate information on what we’re facing, and as soon as we’ve developed an ops plan, we’ll proceed.”

  The emissaries shared looks among one another, all smiling.

  “That is very good news indeed,” the emissary from Oriolis said, apparently taking the lead for her associates once again.

  “So,” Cole continued, “what we need to talk about now is what’s necessary to prepare your people for us liberating the systems. When we first discussed this, you mentioned having everything in hand, except for space superiority.”

  The emissaries nodded.

  “That’s correct,” the Oriolis emissary replied. “We’ve been doing what we can to keep our people updated on the status in a general way. We don’t communicate specific details or anything that would endanger the mission or our people, but we make periodic posts on boards they follow with code words.”

  Cole nodded. “What are the chances those code words have been compromised? I’m thinking of the fifth emissary who’s still enjoying a cell in my brig on Haven.”

  “All our code word matrices are system-specific,” one of the men explained. “Sure…she could’ve compromised the code word matrix for her system, but that doesn’t affect any of ours. We were very, very careful to ensure that none of the code word matrices overlapped even a little long before she came on the scene.”

  Cole leaned back against his seat, nodding. “Excellent. As we get closer to the actual event, I’ll meet with you again.”

  “Captain,” Oriolis’s emissary interjected, “we would like to accompany the ships that liberate our systems when the time comes. It would be good if we could return to our homes and help with the aftermath of the Coalition’s occupation.”

  “I won’t say ‘no’ out of hand,” Cole answered, “but I won’t say ‘yes,’ either. Let me think it over and discuss it with my people. I’ll have an answer for you the next time we speak.”

  “Fair consideration is all we ask.”

  Cole nodded once and stood, the others standing with him. He shook hands with each emissary before turning and leading the way out of the conference room.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Conference Room, Babylon Station

  Gateway

  30 October 3003, 08:47 GST

  Cole entered the conference room with Paol just behind him and he smiled at seeing Yeleth and Wixil waiting for him. Wixil erupted in a huge grin and almost leaped across the room.

  “Hi, Cole!” She exclaimed midair.

  Cole caught her in his arms with a mild oof and returned her smile, saying, “Hi, Wixil. I’m glad you and your mom are back.”

  “I’m glad we’re back too,” Wixil said, purring. “Mom let me pilot the courier, but I missed Haven and everyone here.”

  Cole released Wixil, who dropped to the floor. He noticed she was now almost as tall as her mom. “Wixil, I think you’ve grown since I saw you last.”

  “I have, thank you.”

  Cole ruffled the fur atop her head between her ears and smiled. He approached Yeleth and nodded his greetings, saying, “Yeleth, welcome back. We’ve missed you. Sasha and your deputy especially, since they’ve worked together on your regular duties.�
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  “It is good to be home, Cole,” Yeleth replied. “May I introduce Viskha of Clan Ghrexel? The Clans of Myxtraal have named her ambassador to Beta Magellan.”

  “Viskha,” Cole said, turning to her, “welcome to Gateway. How have you been since Tristan’s Gate’s ISA office?”

  Now, Viskha gave a little purr of her own before she said, “I didn’t know if you’d remember me. I have been well.”

  “Viskha, I’d like to present Paol Thyrray. He advises me on matters of state and will be my foreign minister as soon as he finishes writing the constitution for Beta Magellan.”

  Viskha nodded her greetings. “Well met, Paol Thyrray.”

  “Likewise,” Paol replied.

  “Well,” Cole said, “shall we sit and discuss matters?”

  “Red has also returned from his people,” Yeleth said. “We met in the docks. He should be here shortly.”

  Cole nodded. “Well, in that case, does anyone mind if I call a few more people over from Haven and set up a conference call with Beta Magellan?”

  No one minded, so Cole arranged a conference call with Sev, Painter, and Sato while Sasha, Harlon, Emily, and Garrett came over to Babylon from Haven. Red arrived at the conference room just about the same time as Sasha and the others from Haven, and everyone took a few moments to welcome Red and make sure everyone was introduced to everyone else. Soon enough, though, they settled and got down to serious business.

  “In terms of my mission to my people,” Red reported, “I expressed our concerns and left the copies of our data, but they were largely unmoved. I’m not certain my people have faced a serious threat in several generations, so they did not have the level of concern about the Coalition that we do.”

  “The Clans have a very similar outlook,” Viskha said, “but we recognize the need to be aware of what happens with our neighbors before it spills over to us. That is why they decided to direct the first ambassador out of our space and to send me here.”

  “Well, it’s my goal to see to it that the Coalition doesn’t spill over anywhere,” Cole replied. “Five systems want to found a federation with Beta Magellan at the center and leading it, and while I’m not wild about the idea, everyone whose opinion I trust loves it.”

  “Founding a federation to act as a counterbalance to the Coalition is an excellent idea,” Viskha replied. “Why are you not enthused about it?”

  Cole shrugged. “I wanted to build up Beta Magellan and make it a safe haven for anyone who wanted a place to live. I never planned to be a freedom fighter or a statesman or a leader on the galactic scale.”

  “We do not always have a choice in our path through this life,” Viskha said, “and it is how we face and rise to the unexpected that demonstrates our caliber. From what little I’ve seen and know, you—Bartholomew James Coleson—are of better caliber than many.”

  A round of “hear, hear” circled the table and the conference call, and Cole felt his face and ears heat. He didn’t do all he did for self-aggrandizement. He didn’t do it to be recognized or cheered. He did it because it needed done.

  “Thank you for your thoughts, Viskha,” Cole said. “Please forgive me for not having an area set aside for embassies. To be quite honest, we’re not really to that point yet, but we’ll get you some quarters, and I’ll speak with Captain Vasquez about some space we can set aside for you until we figure out what we’re doing.”

  Viskha nodded. “That is acceptable.”

  “Okay,” Cole resumed. “Where are we with scouting those five systems?”

  “Do you want me to leave?” Viskha asked. “Most would say it wasn’t appropriate for me to sit in on your war council.”

  Cole shook his head and made a dismissive gesture. “Nah. I’m a very open and transparent kind of guy. You’re welcome to sit through this conversation unless you want to leave.”

  Viskha chose to stay.

  “We’ve had scout frigates in those systems under full stealth for ten days now,” Sato answered from Beta Magellan. “There is no indication they’ve been detected. We’ve not attempted any high-resolution scans of the planets, but I’m confident we know all there is to know about those systems outside of the planets themselves.”

  “I’ve spoken with Admiral Trask,” Cole replied, “and he’s agreeable to acting as overall operations commander on this. Have the two of you put your figurative heads together to develop the ops plan yet?”

  “We have a rough strategy,” Sato admitted, “but we wanted to discuss which contingent will go to Epsilon Anubis. Since their emissary turned out to be a plant by the Coalition, we don’t really have any way to contact the resistance there.”

  Cole chuckled. “I’ll take Epsilon Anubis. Plan on Haven and her battlegroup going there.”

  “Very well. When do you want to launch the operation?” Sato asked.

  “These five systems…they’re not all border systems, are they?” Cole asked.

  “No,” Sasha answered. “The systems make up more of an L-shape or possibly a C-shape than…say…a line along the border. Oriolis is two jumps in from Epsilon Anubis, which is a border system and directly connected to Iota Anubis—also a border system. Spark is one jump anti-spinward from Oriolis.”

  Cole sighed. “Well, so much for my excellent idea of forming up on the jump gate and coming through in one massive transit.”

  Everyone exchanged looks around the table, with Sasha finally voicing what they were all thinking, “I—we—thought multi-ship transits weren’t possible once you passed a certain size. That’s what CIE has always said, anyway.”

  Cole grinned. “Yeah…there’s a lot they don’t tell people. The jump gates are rated to transit a combined mass of the Haven battlegroup, and that’s with a safety margin.”

  Multiple pairs of eyes around the table—both physical and holographic—widened.

  “Admiral Sato, my compliments to Admiral Trask if you please,” Cole continued. “Work with him to establish a timeline of when each group needs to depart Gateway and on what setting to run their hyperdrives to allow for a simultaneous arrival in the target systems. Once you have that information, we’ll set the date for the op. Anything else right this second?”

  No one spoke up, so Cole nodded and stood. “Thank you, everyone.”

  Cole’s Day-Cabin, Battle-Carrier Haven

  Gateway System

  30 October 3003, 22:57 GST

  The ‘Incoming Call’ alert dragged Cole out of what had been a very peaceful, enjoyable sleep. The screen beside his bed showed the identity of the caller, and Cole took a moment to force away his immediate grumpy response before selecting the ‘Audio Only’ option.

  “Cole here.”

  “Sir, please forgive the call, but we thought you’d want to know,” the bridge’s officer of the watch said. “The scout frigates reported picking up chatter that the Coalition is sending an invasion fleet to Tristan’s Gate.”

  Cole pursed his lips and mentally growled several words that his mother would not have appreciated. A heavy sigh his only outward reaction, Cole replied, “Yeah, you did the right thing. Does this chatter give any indication as to when the fleet left or will arrive in Tristan’s Gate?”

  “Possibly as early as tomorrow, sir, but as late as next week. The chatter isn’t really specific; it wasn’t copies of operational orders or anything like that.”

  Cole scowled. A part of him really wanted just to let them twist in the wind. After the most recent stunt…but that had been dealt with, and the interim government offered a complete and public apology. The incident had been dealt with to such a degree, in fact, that Mira would have to go to a prison planet if she ever wanted to see her son again. That, at least, hadn’t been too bad of an outcome; the jury voted that Nathyn should face life without parole instead of the death penalty for his actions. So, did the Coalition decide to try the invasion route, banking on Cole leaving Tristan’s Gate to fend for themselves? If that was their guiding thought, they were in for an educatio
n; even leaving aside the formal public apology, there were still a lot of people in Tristan’s Gate that Cole considered to be friends.

  “Okay. Fine. Issue emergency recall orders for any personnel on Babylon. Send orders to the battlegroup to meet Haven in Tristan’s Gate at best possible speed, since they didn’t follow us here. Once we have everyone back aboard, set course for Tristan’s Gate, and take us to max on the hyperdrive.”

  “Aye, sir,” the bridge watch officer replied.

  “Thank you. Cole out.” The screen blanked as the call ended, and Cole rolled back to lay flat on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

  “As many times as I’ve bailed them out, they ought to join that federation those emissaries want me to form. At least then, they’d be entitled to a home fleet.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Battle-Carrier Haven

  Tristan’s Gate

  2 November 3003, 07:35 GST

  Haven and her battlegroup decelerated toward The Gate. The system leadership was already waiting to take their call.

  “What is it with these guys and November?” Cole muttered, sitting in the command chair.

  “Sir?” Sasha asked from where she stood near Cole’s right elbow.

  “The first battle here was in November, too,” Cole elaborated. “I was just wondering what it is about November that makes it so invasion-friendly for Tristan’s Gate.”

  Sasha looked like she was fighting a grin. “I’m not sure there are any specifically invasion-friendly months, sir. I think it’s just how these things work out.”

  “They’re here, Cap,” Haskell at Sensors announced. “Coalition ships just arrived through the Dante jump gate.”

  Cole chuckled, a compromise against an outright laugh. “Well, at least they’re predictable. What’s the comms lag with The Gate, Jenkins?”