The Queen nodded. “Exactly so. Raferty Hawkins, the Duke of Black Hallow. Before you object, name somebody else who has won as many battles as he has.”
Silence followed for five seconds, but it seemed much longer. The Queen nodded her head. “Yes, those are the same names I came up with. The list is goddamn short, isn’t it? In fact, there is not a single name on it.”
Cunningham knew this was a losing fight so was inclined to let it go without argument, but he did offer one observation. “Raferty Hawkins has never handled a significant number of ships in a large battle.”
Alexis nodded in agreement with the statement, but her words implied something else. “Judging from our results so far in this war, neither have any of our people. We have fought many battles to a standstill but have not had a clear-cut victory in any major engagement. Besides, he may not opt for a large battle. I am tasking him with winning one significant victory. A victory akin to his win at Murmansk would be acceptable. The losses the pirates inflicted in the Electra System, four strike carriers, one battlecruiser, and several light cruisers and destroyers, I would find that highly agreeable. Right now, a battle fought to a standstill but forcing an enemy retreat as in the Electra System would be a step up.” She now took all three men into her gaze. “Gentlemen, I realize we have many outstanding officers in our military, but the ones who have been in charge have not succeeded in turning the tide. We haven’t the time or resources to continue the search for great commanders. Black Hallow has a record of battlefield accomplishments. I do not see him as the man to lead us to ultimate victory, but he can win us one fight. I’m not demanding a smashing defeat of the entire OrCon Navy here. I want something to reverse the trend, break the stalemate, and give the people some hope. They have to see that we can win this, and all their sacrifices have not been for nothing.”
Now the tone of her voice changed from reasonable explanation to hard-edged demands. “You’ve all had your turn. In fact, you have had several turns. I’m taking my turn now. Black Hallow is smart enough not to demand the entire Royal Navy be turned over to him, but you better support him with the forces he requires for whatever plan he produces. I personally believe he will not seek the grand battle but will do what he does best, and that is being crafty and devious. We could use more of both traits on the battlefield while having less of those traits being practiced around here.” She pointedly looked at Cunningham as she rose to signal the meeting was over.
Chapter 4
The first thing to catch his attention in his message queue was a P4. Rafe had no idea who it was from. News, especially bad news, always travels fast and the news of Mallory’s death had been no exception. Within days Rafe had heard from all the ships of the flotilla. He had also heard from Captain Lisa Cassidy with the Royal Navy squadron at Agra 2. Destiny Flores, Kit Kinkaid, Doctor Pierre Bergeron, Greg Paulsen, and Catherine Putinsky who also sent condolences. He had even heard from Angus Colandra. Rafe reviewed this list of people as he stared at the P4. He couldn’t think of anyone else he should be hearing from regarding Mallory. The only thing to do was to open it, but he was hesitant to do it. Everyone meant well, but it had been a draining process.
As he stared at the unopened P4, his mind wandered. He wasn’t sure why, but Skyler’s death had hit him harder than even Emily Legrand’s death. He had had a much longer and more involved relationship with Emily than with Sky, so he should have mourned more for Emily, but he didn’t. He had given it considerable thought and had a theory. Maybe it wasn’t just about Emily and Sky. Maybe the bad events were all piling up for him. There were his mother and the rest of the group dying in an ambush. That was immediately followed by the deaths of several of the kids in his group and the capture of others. Then the Bolindale prison escape and long years of learning how to be a pirate and a criminal. Pirate Flotilla One was formed and then there were the battles and deaths in building Flot 1 into a viable force. Since the OrCon/Zeke war, there have been more pirate ship losses and pirate missions in the Aurora Empire and Orion space. There were fights with Goths while training for the Murmansk mission. Then Emily Legrand was killed at Murmansk. Two ships were lost in the Electra System fighting. Killian and he were wounded on Bolindale. Now it was Skyler Mallory. It was a steady buildup where no single event was shattering for him but, it all took a toll. For the first time, he wondered if they were really accomplishing anything, anything of lasting value that would survive all of them.
He thought of putting his hand in calm water and agitating the water. As soon as the hand is withdrawn, the water settles down, and it is as if the hand was never there at all. Was that true here? If Flot 1 was largely destroyed tomorrow, would everything in the Badlands quickly return to the way it was before? He thought it might and, in the end, he and his people wouldn’t have accomplished a single thing of lasting consequence. The fighting, the deaths, and finally, his own death and the deaths of many of his comrades he held dear would ultimately mean nothing at all. Could that really happen? Would it all be smoke on the wind? There for the moment but quickly dissipating into nothing? He shook his head as if to drive the thoughts out. It was best to focus on the task at hand. He stared at the message queue on his screen. Now there was one more P4 to respond to. One more time for him to acknowledge that, yes indeed, he would miss Skyler Mallory very much.
Hawkins took a deep breath and called up the message. He was surprised to see Queen Alexis appear on his floating screen. She gave a sympathetic smile. “Raferty, I don’t have the words to express the loss I know you must feel. Sky was my best friend, and I know how very special she was. I also know how much she cared about you. We have a tradition in the Royal Navy called Last Words. It is basically a farewell message to loved ones or anyone else the sender wishes to address. Not everyone does it, but many of the peers do. Peers and their families have always borne a disproportionate share of the Empire’s wartime casualties. That old saying of ‘to whom much is given, much is expected’ has been a maxim among the peers for generations. Over the decades, peers began the Last Words tradition, and many do it today. Please find attached Skyler’s Last Words to you. She left it with me on her last visit to the palace. I do not know what she said to you nor does anyone else. Knowing Sky, it will be straight forward with no maudlin allowed.”
The Queen paused and then stared intently into the camera. “I will be sending you another P4 one hour from now, Black Hallow. I have a request within it.” She stopped and gave a slight smile. “Actually, it is more of an order. The simple fact is the Empire needs you. I need you.”
The P4 ended. Rafe considered the Queen’s cryptic words. Another P4? It was interesting that she addressed him as a peer when discussing the second message. That would seem to indicate the incoming message was of an official nature. Rafe mentally shrugged. There was no point in chasing his tail here. He would know in an hour, more or less. He had more pressing concerns right now. He looked at his screen and inhaled a gulp of air. He went through a catalog of his time with Skyler. There were not that many occasions, but it covered a great distance. The Badlands. Murmansk in OrCon space. Wanderlust. Rainbow Falls on her home planet of Beryl. Haven Hill on Zelenka. He shuffled the events so he could view them from a different angle. He still thought of her as being “out there” in Mackenzie, fighting the good fight. He knew that was an illusion. He had always believed most things in life were a mirage. He wanted to continue viewing this mirage from a distance so it wouldn’t evaporate as he approached. He knew watching the imagery of Sky talking to him would bring the mirage up close, and it would vanish. He took another deep breath. She wasn’t “out there” and he needed to accept that. He brought up Skyler Mallory’s Last Words.
The image of Skyler Mallory appeared on screen. She was in uniform sitting behind a desk in an official setting. Hawkins knew she was in her day cabin in her heavy cruiser Mackenzie. She looked fantastic. He had heard that knowing you can’t have something makes it more desirable. No argument from him.
/> Rafe froze the image before she started to speak. He pivoted his chair and took out a beer from cold storage. He took a long drink. He frowned and stared down at his beer. It didn’t taste that great. He then stared at Sky. The crisp image on the floating screen made it seem as if she was in the compartment with him. He could almost touch her. The operative word being “almost.” Raferty had always thought “if” was the most important word in the English language. He still thought that, but “almost” was in second place. The word “if” referred to events that hadn’t happened. The word “almost” referred to events that came close to happening. “Almost” was more heartbreaking. At least right now it was. He finished the beer with a second long drink. It still wasn’t that great, but he took out another. He steeled himself and started the recording.
She sat up straight behind the desk. She gave him a small smile and shrug. “Well, I’m dead, but I guess you know that already.” She leaned forward toward the camera, her face holding a soft, poignant smile. “I am so sorry it worked out this way. I thought we had a real chance together. I know we made no promises or commitments to each other. There were too many variables to make that practical. I guess one of those variables came to pass.” She paused for a second as she looked down at her desktop and then looked back into the camera. “I want you to know how much you have meant to me. I know we didn’t spend much time together, and much of that time was mission-driven, but I treasured every moment. The trip to Rainbow Falls was a highlight of my life. I enjoyed the missions, the philosophical discussions, the chess games, the time at Haven Hill, all of it. I wish there could have been many more such moments.”
Sky leaned close to the camera. “Do not mourn me too long. I remember Emily Legrand and how her death affected you. I know these losses can build up in your soul. You know the calling we are in, and you know the risks. So did she, and so did I. Do not let this change you.
“I need you to do me a favor, a big favor. You will think this is odd, but it is important to me. Queen Alexis and I are best friends. We have been since we were children. I have always told her everything going on in my life. She knows all about you and me. Now she will be alone. She sent you this recording so you have her comm address. I need you to be her friend. She likes and respects you, and I’m sure you feel the same about her. She deserves the best, and that’s you.” Sky smiled now. “I know her and I know you. I think you two would be a great team. A great team in many ways. I know that sounds like a reach, especially at this time, but do not dismiss it out of hand. Please, please communicate to her. I am absolutely positive it would be good for both of you.”
She now gave a wide and hopeful smile. “I wish you success, love, and happiness in your life. I also hope we will see each other again, Raferty Hawkins, but not for a long, long time. Until then, fair winds and following seas, my love.”
The image of her and her smile froze. Raferty stared at the image for a long time. He had a hard time seeing it clearly. There were tears in his eyes. He couldn’t tell her how much she had meant to him. How much she still meant to him. It was over. Any unsaid words would remain unsaid. Any wishes would go unfulfilled. Any regrets were seared in place to always remain regrets. Hawkins gave a small rueful smile. As many times as he had been through this, one would think he would take steps to ensure everything was said that needed to be said and all regrets would be handled while people were still alive. It never worked out that way though. Maybe it wasn’t possible to completely wrap up a relationship ahead of time, just in case. He just didn’t know.
He looked at her image one last time. She had said to not let the losses build up inside him. That was exactly what was happening to him. He talked to her. “I hope we meet again too. Fair winds and following seas, Sky.” He turned the program off.
Chapter 5
An hour later, the promised P4 hit his message queue. He was curious and brought it up immediately. The first thing he saw was a document from the monarch of the Aurora Empire. It was elaborate and official with the Queen’s signature at the bottom. It was titled a Call-to-Service. He read through the document. Discarding all the flowery verbiage and legalese, the document stated the monarch can direct a peer to carry out an assigned mission within a given time period. The peer cannot refuse the mission under penalty of forfeiture of all lands and domiciles. The military establishment must support the mission also.
Raferty brought up the second item of the P4. It was a video of the Queen. She stared at him from behind a desk that he assumed was in her office. She looked very official. She also addressed him in that same official manner. “Black Hallow, I assume you have looked over the attached document. The simple fact is I have many idiots running my military and I’m tired of it. The recent debacle at Excandor just crystalizes that ineptitude. I have few recourses to combat this stupidity, but one of them is the Call-to-Service. It has not been used in over one hundred and fifty years but I am calling you back to the Empire for one mission. That mission is quite straight forward. Win a battle. I don’t care where, when, or against what force. You have absolute freedom in that regard. Just win. I do want you to handpick some of your subordinate commanders from my military so, after your departure, they will be in a prime position to command significant forces within my military.
“I have attached all the intel briefings I have received in the last week. Admiral Wu has provided me with his briefings also, and you will find them attached as well. They will give you some basis for planning your operation. Please forward a rough outline of your proposals to me and Admiral Wu so we can get the appropriate forces for you. As you may imagine, your appointment has not been met with universal approval. Only a select few know of it as I wish to keep it from the enemy and from the media if at all possible. I look forward to seeing you in two weeks, Black Hallow. Please visit me at the palace to discuss your plans.”
Hawkins frowned as the P4 ended. He was not opposed to the idea of a mission for the Empire as he wanted revenge for Sky and he truly believed the Empire needed to win the war. The timing was terrible, but any call to the Aurora Empire would always be bad timing. He knew he couldn’t order Flot 1 ships to go. He would ask them, and each ship’s captain and crew would make up their own minds.
Hawkins replied to the Queen with an acknowledgment of receipt and that he would comply with her instructions. He would be there in two weeks. He also let her know that he agreed with her that his return to the Empire should be kept close hold to limit the possibility of the OrCons finding out. The enemy knew his tactics after Murmansk and the Electra System fight. If they learned he was returning to the battlefield, they would adjust accordingly. Although Hawkins didn’t say it, he didn’t trust the Royal Navy establishment to keep the secret either.
Hawkins thought about the mission for a few seconds and then decided he would like to have others think about it with him. He forwarded the Queen’s P4 to Tactical, Baby Doll, and Mason Reed along with his reply. Three minutes later all of them were in his day cabin. He pointed to his briefing table and then retrieved several beers from his unit. This initial planning session would require more than one beer per person. The foursome got to business.
Tactical downed half a beer in one long swallow and then started the discussion. “I assume you want to forego all the bitching and moaning about this and just get to it.” Hawkins nodded, and she went on. “Fine. What about Flot 1?”
“I can’t order anyone to go. This is a personal mission. We’ll ask for volunteers, and we’ll take whoever wants to come.”
Baby Doll said, “We’ll get most of them for sure.” She switched topics. “I need a broad outline of a plan now. We got to task our assets in Orion space, and it will take a long time for messages to flow back and forth so I need to get something out most rikki tikki. Also, we need to send a tasking order to Flicker.”
Hawkins replied, “We got to hit something in the OrCon home system. I’m not looking to burn down a planet, but their civilians and infrastructure have
had a free ride in this war. I want a target that is military but with civilian workers. A shipyard, a headquarters, something like that.”
Mason Reed smiled. “If you want to be really ambitious, how about the Metal Moon? Hit it in a raid. Bound to be ships docked there, both freighters and warships. Have to worry about the planet’s and the moon’s defenses, but you catch those ships cold tits, it could be a ripe target.”
Rafe nodded at Reed. “Not bad. Risky, but it could be done.” He looked at Baby Doll but she beat him to the punch. “I got it for action,” she said as she wrote on a notepad.
The Metal Moon was a man-made sphere that orbited the planet of Zavodila in the Orion home system of Mertsanie. Its official name was Selcouth but had been given its nickname before the plans were even off the drawing board. This space station served as a naval base and commercial center. Ships docked directly to the sphere. Inside the moon were commercial storage spaces, company offices, military barracks, recreation facilities, and supply points. A raid on the Metal Moon would damage both military and commercial interests. Catching some major combat ships tied up there would be a nice bonus.
Zavodila was the third planet settled in the Orion Confederation. The homeworld of Silovik was only twelve hours away at max speed. The attack on the Moon would send a message that nothing was safe in the Orion home system.
Hawkins leaned back in his chair and lifted it slightly back on its rear legs. He rocked back and forth as he deliberated. It was clear this single attack was to be only one part of a bigger campaign.
Tactical put everyone’s thoughts into words. “That should be enough, but you want more, don’t you?”
Smoke on the Wind Page 3
