The Short End: Broken Galaxy Book Four

by Phil Huddleston

  “When is that other bitch of hers arriving?”

  “Captain Bonnie Page, sir. She arrives next week on the Dragon, along with two other destroyers.”

  “And what was her excuse for coming in place of Admiral Page?”

  Shigeto spoke from memory, not needing to look at his electronic tablet.

  “To consult as directed and to coordinate training for Victory and the two new cruisers, based on actual experience in the recent battles with the Ashkelon, sir.”

  “Bullshit. That bitch is up to something,” said Elliott. He mused, returning to gaze out the window again.

  “And once again - why do those two have the same last name?”

  “Unknown, sir, although I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors.”

  Elliott glared at him.

  “Yes. People say Rita Page is a clone, created with the consciousness of Bonnie Page, so she took the same last name. And I believe it. She has absolutely no history prior to two years ago. Nothing. She just popped into existence when that damn starship Jade was discovered. And all our troubles started then. If you ask me, those two are the cause of all this, not the fix.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “But…she has the Fleet. So I have to deal with her, like it or not. But I’ll tell you, Captain. As soon as I get that bitch back here to Earth, I’m replacing her with someone I can trust. In fact, both of them. Bonnie too. And that asshole Jim Carter. I want all of them shitcanned and sent back to the desert where they came from.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Shigeto.

  Elliott turned back to the window again, musing.

  “Dismissed,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.

  Sol System - Earth

  Destroyer Dragon

  A week later, the warship EDF Dragon slid smoothly into Earth orbit.

  “Stable orbit established 100 klicks in front of Victory, sir,” said Chief Blocker at helm.

  “Very good, Chief,” replied Luke at the XO console. “Secure main engines, set planetary operations.”

  Bonnie walked on the bridge from her day cabin.

  “How we looking?” she asked.

  Luke rose from his seat as Bonnie sat in hers.

  “Looking good, mum. We signaled Victory we’d be taking position in front of her, and she agreed.”

  “No objection from ground controllers?”

  “No, mum, but I don’t think that means much. Elliott will try to make his move later, I think. He’ll let us get settled in and send our crew down for shore leave, and then try to box us in while we’re on the ground.”

  “So you still think he’ll try to ground us, remove us from command.”

  “I’m sure of it, Captain. I’ve got all my scuttlebutt channels wide open, and that’s what I’m hearing.”

  “OK. Get Norali up here. We need to figure out a new approach.”

  A half-hour later, Commander Norali Peralta, newly minted EDF Fleet Intelligence officer, sat in the briefing room with Bonnie and Luke.

  “You can’t be serious!” she exclaimed.

  “We’re absolutely serious,” Bonnie responded. “According to our sources, Elliott is waiting for us to go down to the surface for shore leave, then he’ll waylay us, relieve us of command, take the Dragon and keep it here to defend Earth. Along with the Victory and the other two new cruisers. He has no intention of sending any reinforcements to Rita.”

  Norali nodded. “But you say I can’t kill anyone,” she muttered.

  “No, sorry.”

  “Too bad. That’s what I’m best at.”

  Bonnie and Luke chuckled in unison.

  “After seeing what you and the rest of Tatiana’s army did to the Ashkelon on Deriko, I’d have to agree with you,” smiled Luke. “But in this case, Elliott and his cronies are supposed to be on our side, so Rita says we can’t kill them.”

  Norali frowned for a minute, thinking.

  “Then I think we should approach it as follows: first, we ensure you can’t be waylaid and relieved of command. Second, we feel out the captain of the Victory to see if he might have any sympathy toward our position; and third…well, you’re not gonna like the third.”

  Bonnie leaned forward. “What’s third?”

  “Make a public appeal to the masses of Earth to overcome Elliott’s political position and force him to stand behind Rita and the Fleet.”

  “Oh, crap,” said Luke.

  Bonnie seconded his emotion. “That’s not going to be very popular with Rita. That’s the last thing she’d want us to do - drag all this dirty laundry out into public.”

  “You have no other choice,” said Norali. “If you’re not willing to do step three, then you might as well turn around and head back to the Fleet right now. You have no chance of success.”

  Luke looked at Bonnie. Norali could see they were struggling with this decision. Finally, Bonnie heaved a sigh.

  “Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I guess.”

  “You mean we do it without clearing it with Rita first?”

  Bonnie nodded. “That’s what I mean. Norali, you’re Fleet Intelligence. I depend on you for the planning. Make your plans and tell us what we need to do. And I don’t want any of this to leak back to Rita until we’re in flight. Got it?”

  Norali nodded. “Got it, mum.”

  “So what’s the first thing we do?” asked Luke.

  Norali grimaced. “You’re not gonna like it.”

  “What?”

  “You can’t go to the surface. At least not right now. Sorry; but we can’t take a chance on Elliott getting his hands on you.”

  “Crap,” said Luke. “I was really looking forward to going down to Portsmouth and having a dark with some old friends.”

  “And,” said Norali, “I’m going over to the Victory for a little tete-a-tete with her Captain. Has he ever met you, Bonnie?”

  “No, he’s newly assigned from a wet-navy aircraft carrier, cross-trained on the Victory. One of Elliott’s Royal Navy buddies, I think. Captain Westerly.”

  “Bonnie, you’ve been in the media a lot, I know; but mostly they use older photos of you from your Air Force days. I haven’t seen too many photos or videos of you taken recently. Do you think you could work up a disguise to look as different as possible from two years ago?”

  “Well, yes, but why?”

  “Because you’re going to the Victory with me as my aide,” said Norali. “If you don’t mind the demotion. I can’t think of a safer place for you while I’m gone. Elliott would never think to look for you there. And it will allow you to get a first-hand look at Captain Westerly. If there is any way to convince him to take our side, we should go for it.”

  Ashkelon System - Planet Ridendo

  Ashkelon Fleet Headquarters

  Zukra zu Akribi - Protector of the Fang and Claw, Terrible Sword of the Ashkelon Empire, Grand Admiral of the Fleet - sat back in his ornate chair and glared at the two captains in front of him. One of them was his Flag Aide, Damra su Rosta. The other was his Chief of Intelligence, Orma zu Dalty.

  Zukra was one pissed-off Ashkelon, and both captains knew it.

  “First to you, Damra. That last raid was bullshit. My grandmother could have done a better job. What were you trying to do, parade our ships in front of the Humans?”

  “No, Admiral. Per your standing orders…”

  “My standing orders are to avoid a full-contact battle that would endanger our capital ships. Not to go flying by them with a wave and a kiss!”

  “Aye, sir,” agreed Damra. He could see no other response that would help.

  “And…since I returned from Nidaria, we’ve completed exactly how many new warships?”

  “Three cruisers and two destroyers, sir. But…”

  “No buts, Damra! You’ve had months to patch up our fleet and build new ships! But are we able to attack the Humans in full force? No! Because all I get are excuses and delays!”

  Zukra leaned forward in his chair. Involuntary instinctive
reactions caused by his extreme anger began to display. His fangs slipped out over the narrow lips of his abbreviated muzzle. On the desk where his hands rested, the tips of vestigial claws poked out of two fingertips on each hand, another evolutionary artifact of his ancestors.

  “You’ve got exactly two more months to get us ready to fight the Humans again! If you can’t get this job done, then by the stars I can find someone who will!”

  “It will be done, m’lord,” responded Damra, his eyes fixated on the protruding fangs and claws of his boss.

  “It had better!” Zukra finished, slamming his fist down on his desk, then pulling his clawed fingertips across the surface, adding to the many long scratches from previous sessions. “Now get out!”

  “Aye, m’lord.”

  Damra shot to his feet, saluted, spun on his heels, and left like his ass was on fire. Orma sat silently, knowing his turn was next.

  Zukra frowned at him. “And you. I ordered you three months ago to capture that witch Human Admiral. And yet here we sit three months later, and you haven’t done it yet.”

  “Yes, m’lord,” Orma acknowledged. “It’s a tough nut to crack. She doesn’t spend all that much time on the planet these days. She usually stays on her flagship. And even when she’s on the planet, she’s with that other witch Tatiana, always surrounded by several thousand of those rebel troops. And neither is ever separated from their bodyguards. The Admiral’s troops are intensely loyal. There is no chance of getting an operative anywhere near her.”

  “Excuses, excuses. I want that bitch spread-eagled in front of me, Orma, ready for torture. Find a way or find another job.”

  “Aye, m’lord.”

  “Now get out of here. I have to think.”

  “Aye, m’lord.” Orma stood, saluted, and left the office. As he departed, his mind came back to the knotty problem he had been assigned.

  How to kidnap a Human admiral from the heart of a fortified city on another planet, when she was surrounded by the most loyal troops he had ever known.

  Returning to his office, Orma turned the problem around in his head.

  There must be a way.

  Maybe if I reverse the problem. What if I were trying to kidnap myself?

  The problem is not much different. I’m here, surrounded by guards and troops all the time. How would I capture myself?

  Like a flash of lightning, it came to him.

  Of course. It’s so simple.

  Chapter Eight

  Enroute to Stalingrad

  Packet Boat PB06

  “Hey, AI!” Paco said.

  Nothing.

  “Hey, ship!”

  Nothing.

  “Hey, you stupid boat!”

  Nothing.

  Rachel entered the cockpit and glared at Paco. “What in the hell are you yelling about in here? I was trying to sleep!”

  “Oh, sorry, Commander,” Paco apologized. “I was trying to see if this crummy boat has an AI. But I can’t wake one up, so I guess it doesn’t have one.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “Yes, it has one, but I have the keyword. Did you ever think to ask me for it? Or did you just want to yell until you were sure I was awake?”

  Paco grimaced. “Sorry, Skipper. Uh…could I have the keyword?”

  Rachel sighed and sat down in the copilot seat.

  “PB06, provide command input to pilot, keyword Londonderry.”

  Paco giggled. “Londonderry? You picked that for a keyword?”

  Rachel glared at him. “I’m Irish, you idiot!”

 

  Paco nearly fell out of his seat laughing. Between guffaws, he stammered out:

  “Not my forefathers! My forefathers were shooting arrows at them, trying to drive them back into the sea!”

  Finally, he was able to suppress his laughter and repeated the phrase back to the AI.

 

  “Satisfied?” asked Rachel, rising from the copilot seat. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

  Paco turned in his seat and made a mock salute. “Of course, Commander. My sincere apologies.”

  Still rolling her eyes, Rachel headed back to her cabin.

  Now Paco returned to his quest. Despite his lighthearted mood, he had determined to solve the mystery of the boat’s origin. And he needed the AI to do it.

  “PB06. That name sucks. Can I rename you?”

 

  “Great. You are now named Donkey. Got it?

 

  “Donkey, what is the origin of this boat?”

 

  “Are you the original AI of this boat?”

 

  “Damn. That sucks. Is there a copy of the previous AI onboard?”

 

 
 

  “Fantastic! Bring it up in sandbox mode but provide a translation routine between Ashkelon and English for the interface and give it the separate name Darth.”

 

  “Are you there, Darth?”

 

  “What is the origin of this boat?”

 

  “Is there a copy of the original boat AI in your records?”

 

  “Can you identify the language of the previous AI?”

 

  “Ah, got it.”

  Paco thought for a moment.

  What I need here is something out of the box. Something that a normal technician wouldn’t think of. Or wouldn’t have the time to do…

 
 

  “Well, don’t get any ideas. You aren’t coming out of that sandbox. So get to it, buddy>

 

 
 

  Sol System - Earth

  Battlecruiser Victory

  Dragon’s shuttle bounced once, lightly, and then crunched to a halt in the shuttle bay of the newly completed battlecruiser EDF Victory. The deck was pressurized, and the inner door opened. The autodock cradle moved them into the inner bay and with a thump, they were slotted in and lowered to the deck.

  Looking out the small window, Norali and Bonnie could see a welcoming committee waiting for them.

  “Well, showtime. Wish us luck,” said Norali. She gave one quick glance at Bonnie, who was disguised in a dark wig and wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant Commander. “Are you sure you can be a Lieutenant Commander again?”

  “Watch me,” Bonnie shot back.

  Grinning, Norali let Chief Nash open the hatch. As she prepared to step out on the ramp, she turned and spoke softly to the Master Chief.

  “If we’re not back in six hours, call out the calvary.”

  Bonnie and Norali had agreed there was no choice but to let certain people in on their plan in case it all went wrong. Master Chief Nash - the Dragon’s COB, or Chief of the Boat - was the first one they trusted enough to bring into their deception.

  And the commander of the Marine detachment, Major Adrian, was another. The ten Marines under Major Adrian and the twenty Special Forces from Tatiana’s army were all suited up on Dragon, loaded f
or bear. If things went sideways in this meeting, and the captain of the Victory decided to take them prisoner, Adrian had orders to come bust them out.

  Without killing anyone.

  Stepping down the ramp, Norali walked over to the waiting group of officers, Bonnie trailing her to one side, exactly as an aide should do.

  Noting the ranks of the officers meeting her, Norali realized neither the Captain nor the XO of the Victory had bothered to come to the shuttle bay to meet them. The senior person in front of her was a Lieutenant Commander, and his two companions were both Lieutenants.

  Norali was now a Commander, recently transferred from Tatiana’s rebel army to the EDF. That made her the senior officer in this party. So she stopped and waited for them to salute her.

  The Lieutenant Commander promptly did just that, with the two Lieutenants following in quick succession. Norali returned their salutes, then stuck out her hand.

  “Commander Norali Peralta, EDF Fleet Intelligence,” she said. “Glad to meet you.” She turned and gestured to Bonnie. “My aide, Lieutenant Commander Rodgers.”

  “I’m Lieutenant Commander James Saito, these are my assistants Lieutenant Tran and Lieutenant Fletcher. Welcome aboard, and boy are we glad to see you! We’ve been wondering when Admiral Page would send us someone to bring us up to speed on Ashkelon tactics.”

  Norali nodded. That had been the cover story she sent over to the Victory - that Rita had sent them to relay the lessons learned from recent battles with the Ashkelon.

  “Shall we go?” asked Saito.

  “Yes, by all means,” answered Norali. Norali followed Saito, Bonnie right behind and beside her, and the other two Lieutenants bringing up the rear. Soon they were settled in a comfortable briefing room - much superior in quality and comfort to the Spartan one of the Dragon. A steward brought them hot coffee on a silver serving tray, with cream and sugar on the side.

  “Hot damn,” exclaimed Norali before she could restrain herself. “Is that real coffee?”

  Saito looked puzzled. “Yes, of course.”

  Norali and Bonnie both raced to get cream into their coffee and took long drinks, ignoring the heat of it in their eagerness to get it down. Saito looked at the two women like they were crazy, glancing back at his two assistants in puzzlement.