Smoke on the Wind

by Sean Benjamin

  The first and only altercation took place that evening. Kit was watching the assembly of the missile system in cargo bay 1 with several of her old crewmembers as part of their hands-on instruction on the system. Captain Yardley came in and watched for five minutes. At a break in the instruction, Yardley stepped forward and directed some changes in the watch bill as the newcomers were integrated into the existing crew. This was routine, but one of Kinkaid’s old crew took exception.

  “I’m not taking the mid watch!” he exclaimed. He turned on Yardley. “And I’m sure as hell not taking orders from you!”

  Before Yardley could respond, Kinkaid stepped in. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to? That’s the captain, and you will treat her with respect, Grimes!”

  Grimes turned to her. “Look, Captain, I-.”

  Kit cut him off. “I’m not the captain. I’m the first officer.” She pointed at Yardley. “She’s the captain, and you goddamn well better remember it, or I’ll kick your ass off this ship so fast it will take you a week to figure out what happened.”

  Grimes sulked now as he stared at Kinkaid’s feet. She stared into his face. “Gonna be a problem here?”

  Grimes shook his head. “No, First Officer.”

  Kit turned to the group. “Gonna be a problem with any of you? Tell me now so I can get rid of you.”

  The group shook their heads as they looked at anything but Kinkaid. Mutterings of “No, First Officer” filled the bay.

  “Then get your asses back to work!” Kinkaid ordered. The group turned back to the missile assembly giving it their full, undivided attention. Kinkaid and Yardley walked out together.

  They walked silently up the passage side by side. Yardley spoke quietly, “I knew it had to happen sometime. Thanks for the support. Sorry it was one of yours.”

  Kit smiled slightly. “No worries. It was a show for the crew.”

  Yardley stopped and stared at her first officer. “A show?”

  Kit stopped and nodded. “Grimes has been with me for years. We worked out that little routine before we came on board. Once word gets around I went off on one of my own who has been with me for so long, the others will figure out I mean business. I’d rather meet these situations head on than let them fester. This should go a long way toward putting out any fires before they start.”

  Yardley gave Kinkaid a smile and a nod. Kit nodded back and the two women started their walk again.

  Chapter 9

  The Fort was Flot 1’s gathering place on a flotilla level. A former mining facility in the middle of a man-made debris field, the Fort was hidden and secure. It was located at almost the exact center of Flot 1’s Badlands operating area so was easy to get to. There was docking room for all the ships. There were no distractions such as bars, men, women, or gambling. This was the place where serious flotilla business was conducted and far-reaching decisions were made.

  Every Flot 1 warship was here including the newest ship, Habu, under Mia Wo. All captains, operations officers, and intel officers gathered in the large briefing room. A short social period always preceded these briefings as the pirates renewed acquaintances. Soon the gathering took seats, and Raferty Hawkins stood on the briefing platform at one end of the room.

  He scanned the group and smiled. “Good to see you all.” He got nods and smiles in return. Pirate Flotilla One was a happy unit at the moment. “One thing I want to emphasize from the start is I am not issuing any orders today. I will be telling you what I and my ship will be doing, and you will make your own decisions as to your own course of action. Four days ago, I told each of the squadron commanders what I would say here and the decision needed from each of you. I knew they would pass it on to you so you could think about it and discuss it with each other while traveling here. I’m going to go over it again to ensure nothing got lost in the translation.”

  He stopped briefly as he considered his next statement and then continued. “As you know, I am a peer of the realm in the Aurora Empire. There is an obscure law in the Aurora Empire allowing the monarch to call a peer to serve in times of crisis, usually in command of military forces to achieve a specific goal in a specific time period. The time period can vary, but it is limited to three months. This edict has not been used in one hundred and fifty years. The law is named Call-to-Service. The Queen of the Aurora Empire has issued a Call-to-Service in my name. I have to respond or the family home, lands, and peer title are forfeit. The truth is I want to go for Skyler Mallory’s sake.”

  He paused and scanned his audience. They were listening intently. “Now I’m taking our three squadron freighters and two new freighters with me. I have already sent them on their way. We’ll be able to run them down on the way to Navy Base Hartley. I need those missile boats for a plan I’m putting together. Any crewmembers on those ships who don’t want to go left their ships with no prejudice. They were transferred to the two remaining freighters at Agra 5 and will get them ready for service. I don’t know the numbers and I don’t want to know. We’ll welcome them back to their old ships when we return. As for Flot 1 warships, coming with me is a decision you will each make on your own. Our two previous missions into that damn war were for revenge so it was flotilla business. This is completely personal, and I cannot command anyone to come with me. If you choose not to come, nothing will be said, and we will join up together when I get back. I know you may have already reached a decision, but if you need a little more time to talk it over among yourselves or take it up with your crews, we got some time here. I need an answer before I leave, as I am going to the Aurora Empire directly from here.”

  He had hardly completed his last sentence before Killian O’Hare spoke up from her seat. “Wolfpack goes!” she stated with finality. Hawkins was not surprised. O’Hare was loyal to him, and her captains were loyal to her. She would have discussed this situation with all of them before arriving here and gotten them onboard. He also knew why she had spoken so quickly. If anyone was on the fence on this, the fact that all of Wolfpack was going might get others volunteering in a hurry and start a stampede. The fence sitters would be too embarrassed not to go with the majority.

  “Renegade goes!” Ringo needed no such urging from O’Hare or anybody else. She loved a fight and didn’t much care against who.

  “The Deuce goes!” Ace was Predator’s former engineering officer and now was captain of Rebel II. He would never desert Hawkins.

  “Rogue goes!” Captain Duncan Murphy committed his corvette. Quiet and dependable, Murphy could always be counted on. All the ships of Hawkins’ Alpha squadron were going with him.

  “Charlie squadron goes!” Shane Delacruz was as emphatic as O’Hare.

  “Habu goes!” Mia Wo’s voice was a little high with nervousness, but she got her point across. As the newest captain, she waited until the end to voice her decision.

  Hawkins gave them a heartfelt smile. “Thank you all.” He paused as he looked at the deck and then looked at the crowd again. “I don’t have the words to say it properly, but I am very grateful to you and your people, and I am in your debt.”

  He paused to switch topics. “One final note. The last voice there was Captain Mia Wo. She has the Snake class destroyer Habu which just came out of the yards. She was captain of Habu before that ship and crew joined us. The reason her ship is out of the yards ahead of the others is that she kept Habu in the best shape of any the Snake class destroyers. I think she will do just fine with us. All of you be sure to say hello before you depart. The other three Snake destroyers are still in the yards. When they come out, they will work up with the Royal Navy squadron to get the crews up to speed and guard our house on Agra 5. Their captains know to report to Captain Lisa Cassidy when able.” He looked up at Mia Wo. “Mia, you are assigned to Charlie squadron for the duration. Please report to Senior Captain Delacruz.”

  Mia nodded and spoke quietly. “One more thing, Flag Captain.”

  Hawkins stopped as he was about to step off the briefing platform. He looked
at Mia and waited. She looked at Llewellyn Terrant seated next to her. Captain Terrant said, “We would like to go into battle with new names for our ships. My crew went with Wicked.”

  She looked back at Mia. The young woman said, “My crew opted for Ronan.”

  Hawkins clapped and everyone joined in. Rafe made one last remark. “We move out in thirty, people.”

  As the group broke up, he noticed all the captains and several of the other officers offering congratulations and best wishes to both Terrant and Wo and their new ship names. Even Killian O’Hare made it a point to have words with both. He went to Mia, shook her hand and exchanged a few words. Then he moved on to Terrant.

  “Good ship’s name, Lew,” he said as he shook her hand.

  She shrugged. “We picked it thinking we would soon be a squadron leader, and the squadron leaders don’t have the criminal theme names like the squadron ships. We stayed with it despite the change in plans. Both crews are painting the names on the hulls right now. We’ll have it done in time to move out, but the artwork will have to wait. We have to get more chameleon paint anyway.”

  Rafe nodded and replied, “I’m sorry for the delay in getting your squadron up and running. This call to the Aurora Empire has cut all our timelines to shreds. You’ll get Delta squadron when we get back. I consider you a squadron leader already and will treat you like one.” He looked at her closely. “Thanks for coming on the mission. I wouldn’t have blamed either you or Mia if you had decided to stay here. There is plenty to do for your people on Agra 5 and getting the other destroyers out of the yards.”

  Terrant shook her head. “We would never have passed this up. You supported me when I needed it, and I will always support you.”

  Just then, Jim Concannon of Marauder touched her shoulder and offered a quick congrats on the new name. With a nod to Rafe, he moved on.

  Terrant watched him depart and turned back to Hawkins. “Everyone seems willing to let bygones be bygones regarding my rocky road to this point. I am grateful for that.”

  Hawkins smiled. “They know a good captain and comrade when they see one.” Terrant smiled at Rafe, and he stepped over to O’Hare.

  The two of them stood alone in a corner watching the crowd slowly disperse as people said their goodbyes and returned to their ships. Hawkins said, “Thanks for getting the ball rolling there.” O’Hare shrugged as if it was unimportant but then said, “If any of them hadn’t come, you may have not held it against them, but I sure as hell would have.”

  Hawkins knew that would be true. He smiled at her. “That’s why I can be the nice guy. I got you to do the dirty work.”

  She smiled back. “Roles we are both very good at.”

  Rafe got down to business. “You get to look at the broad outline of the plan’s objectives?”

  She nodded. “Ambitious. Are you sure they will give you the forces to do it?”

  “No. I sent the plan to Admiral Wu with an info copy to the Queen. I also said I wanted both private squadrons that Cunningham regards as his own. Wu will support that for sure. He hates the competing navy taking his people and resources. I figure Wu will give me whatever forces he can spare just to stick it to Cunningham while he has the chance.”

  “Wu versus Cunningham. I like it. What Zeke people are you asking for?”

  “I haven’t asked for anyone yet. I want that to be an FTF conversation with Wu and the Queen. I only need three commanders, one for each operation. I plan to ask for Admirals Barrett and Levant and for Captain Jack Wilson. I need fighters, and those three fit that requirement for sure.”

  “Who pairs with me on the Metal Moon raid?”

  “Jack Wilson. It’s a long way to go in subspace and through enemy defenses. Big ships make for big subspace signatures, so I only see destroyers on the raid, and he is a good destroyer leader. I think he can be sneaky too.”

  Killian smiled and so did the wolf hallie on the right side of her face. Although she and Wilson had only met briefly once on comm just before the Electra fight, they were two rebels who had instantly discovered a kindred spirit in the other. They would work well together.

  “I can live with that,” she replied in a neutral tone.

  “You love it, and you know it,” Rafe gently chided her.

  “Maybe.”

  Raferty decided to catch up on some old business. “I sent a comm to Cathy. I told her you gave her the nice wedding present of Horst Manstein and his gang dying on Silverdale.”

  Catherine Putinsky was the commissioner for government security on Potenka and an old comrade of decades standing. She was getting married soon. She had been after Manstein, a major criminal who thought he was beyond the reach of the law. Events proved otherwise.

  O’Hare nodded. “I got a comm from her a few days ago. She must have gotten yours before sending anything to me because she thanked me and said it was the best present she will get.”

  Hawkins looked at her intently. “I would have gone with you to Silverdale if I’d known you were going there.”

  Killian shook her head a bit. “No need. The gunfight lasted about three seconds, and they didn’t get their hands on their weapons let alone get off a shot. We surprised them while they were drinking at Jeb’s. It was no problem. Jeb even cleaned up for us afterward. In fact, the whole town pitched in on cleanup.”

  Jeb Sloan was the owner of the Hitching Post bar where the fight took place. Manstein and his gang had been pushing people around in the town of Crossroads for weeks, and everyone was glad to see them go regardless of the route they took to leave. It is these types of actions that gain Flot 1 support and allies throughout the Badlands.

  Hawkins surprised O’Hare by changing subjects. “How’s the arm and hand?”

  O’Hare looked at him for a second before responding. He had never asked about her physical condition before, not even after she was rescued from the Longwall jail close to seventeen years ago. She knew what was going on here. Hawkins had just lost Mallory, and O’Hare had a close call right in front of him on the prison raid on Bolindale. Now O’Hare was getting in barroom shootouts. It was clear he didn’t like the trend he was experiencing. He needed to be reassured.

  Killian held up her left arm. She wiggled her new hand back and forth within the cast. “Everything is coming along fine. I still have some weeks to go, but my med techs say all is well.”

  She smiled at Hawkins. In a quiet voice she said, “I know I’m not bulletproof. I’ll be careful.” She turned and faced him. “We both know the job we do and the lives we lead. We both know the risks. You and I had a chance to run away together, and we didn’t do it. We must be making some sort of difference here.”

  He briefly flashed back to Skyler Mallory saying almost exactly the same thing about their risky lives in her Last Words. Of course, Skyler Mallory was dead now, so hearing it from O’Hare didn’t ease his concern. He leaned toward her. “Do you really think we are making a difference here? A long-lasting difference that will survive us?”

  Killian was surprised although she didn’t show it. Hawkins had always soldiered on, regardless of the circumstances. He had just produced a daring plan for hitting the Orion Confederation. He would be commanding the largest force he had ever controlled. O’Hare reflected for the briefest of moments and realized he wasn’t concerned about the future. He was not daunted by the task at hand. This wasn’t really about the future at all, but about the past and the price paid to get to this moment. Others had paid the ultimate price but everyone in the room had chipped into the pot in various ways. He was wondering if it all had been worth it and if progress was being made in the Badlands.

  Killian regarded the man who was her life-long friend and would be until the day one of them died. Maybe even beyond that if God was kind. She gently spoke the truth. “No, we have not yet built anything of great importance that will survive our deaths. We have made a positive impact on many lives, but there is no structure to support that once we are gone. We have to win to be able to
make that happen. It is one thing to win on the battlefield, but you have to win over the people, their bureaucracies, their ideals, and their way of life. You can lead and show a better way, but people have to want to choose that way and make the changes to ensure it happens. You can’t make them do that. Once a great many people choose your way and start making changes themselves, then we will have something lasting.”

  Raferty nodded as his eyes focused on that possibility. As always, he had just received a challenge and was running the scenarios in his head. He was looking for the first places to apply what she had just said. She interceded to end that line of thought. “That is a future campaign.” She smiled at him. “We got enough to do in the present. Plan the future later.”

  He nodded as she saw him shift back to the here and now. He confirmed he was back with one statement. “There is a tough fight ahead, but I can’t lose you in it,” he said simply. His mouth upturned a little at the corners. “I know I have said that to you many times.”

  She responded, “I don’t mind hearing it. And don’t worry, you won’t lose me.” She smiled now as she leaned toward him. “Consider yourself kissed.” She turned and walked toward the door.

  Hawkins watched her depart. He was sending her in harm’s way yet again. Of course, she volunteered, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He would be sending hundreds of pirates and thousands of Zekes in that same harm’s way with her. He suddenly realized he needed all of his people to come back here with him so he could accomplish what needed to be accomplished in the Badlands. That thought didn’t ease his mind.

  Chapter 10

  The warships of Pirate Flotilla One departed the Fort and slipped through the debris field to open space. Once in the open, they went to maximum sustained speed and aimed for the Aurora Empire. Each squadron set a slightly different course and slowly diverged from each other. No comm messages from merchant ships would report thirteen warships in formation on the move through the Badlands. Each squadron had a different route but would eventually arrive at Hartley on the Aurora Empire/Goldenes Tor border.