I start in sickbay.
Two of Chief Turner's deck crew are unconscious in bed, one more sitting up getting his wounds dressed.
"Doctor, how are they?"
"Sir," he doesn't stop working to acknowledge me, which I prefer, "two head injuries, no permanent damage, a variety of flesh wounds and small burns for all three. Petty Officer McNeil here should be back on duty tomorrow, the other two at least a week."
"Thank you, doctor, we should be home well before then. How's the Senator?"
The third unconscious bed occupant looks better than when I saw him last, but still awfully pale.
"The battle didn't help him, but he'll survive to get home. That opiod really messed with his systems, he'll need a long stay in a real hospital."
Which leads to puzzle number two. Is Osborne drugged? Must be, which means a lot of drugs on board my ship, and possibly included with the food if there are surviving containers on Hornet.
I take my leave and float down to the boat deck, where Chief Turner, in his space suit, is leading a squad of suited Marines who are now the damage control crew. I make sure he knows I'm there and that he should let me know if he needs anything without interrupting his work.
A quick check with Powell to show my face and provide moral support in Engineering, back to the bridge, slip into my ready room, quick shower, grab a bottle of tea, then go over to Courtney, who has returned to her station.
"Lieutenant, how are you doing?"
"Skipper, if you had told me a month ago I'd be happily working with a couple Libor and a traitor, I'd have said something unprintable. These ones don't seem so bad, and they are completely open about their technology. We'll have the probe ready to go in a couple hours."
"Good. And, Courtney, just because we believe this group might be okay, doesn't mean we let our guard down around them. We have a long way to go before they are anything resembling allies."
"Aye, Skipper, I'll watch myself."
I get to my couch and settle in just in time for the comm light to flash, Hornet wants me.
Chapter 39
Admiral Sutherland's face fills my screen an instant after I tap the key.
"Yes, sir?"
"Captain, we are jumping home in two hours. We'll move to the local star, jump to Gamma Upsilon, and from there direct to Canada 2. Coordinates available on your tactical system. We'll jump above the star in Gamma Upsilon, somewhere we shouldn't be noticed, and then make an immediate jump out. Opinion?"
"I'm go, sir, sounds like a sound plan."
A few too many sounds in there.
"Good. Have your staff coordinate with mine."
"Yes, sir. Sir, we're sending a probe to the Libor homeworld at Khan's request providing details of the explosives."
Once again, I didn't let him know what we're up to until it's too late. Not good.
"Approved."
He snarls that at me. I should have gotten his approval before agreeing, I'm too used to being on my own.
"And, Captain, once we get to Canada, Hornet will coordinate with local authorities to have the Ambassador's party transported down."
"Aye, sir. What about the Senator?"
"We'll arrange for his transport as well. Anything else?"
"No, sir."
I can see his hand move, reaching for the controls.
"Hornet out."
He's gone before I can acknowledge.
"Maria, check the tactical feed, see if we have movement orders from the Admiral."
"Aye, Skipper."
There's a 10 second or so pause.
"On your screen, sir."
They are exactly as described.
"Mr. Garcia, coordinate with Hornet's pilot, and let Chief Turner, Lieutenant McAdams, and Mr. Powell know the schedule. Let me know if they have any reasons to want a delay."
"Aye, Skipper."
Nobody has any reason to change, especially when that means a delay in getting to human space. Canada 2 isn't quite home, and, in fact, it's just as far from home as we are now, but that doesn't matter a lick to anybody on board.
Palmer gets back aboard, reporting that they only found human remains. He's got the ship's hard drives, which McAdams takes as another in a long line of Christmas presents.
An hour before departure, I "supervise" as McAdams launches the probe with the message to Alexander. Powell has all the engines back on line by 30 minutes prior, Chief Turner has the boat deck clean and ready for thrust at 20 minutes prior, and Courtney admits she can't find any other ships in this system at 10 minutes.
We get everybody strapped into their couches, no prodding needed. As usual, the normal tension is absolutely gone, and a literal sense of joy rolls off of every bulkhead and makes the air vibrate with happiness.
Given that I was sure this was never going to happen, I should be as happy as everyone else, but I'm not. Too many unknowns, too sure I'm going to be right here going the other direction all too soon.
We're 30 minutes from the jump point, no one on the bridge says a word until we're three minutes out.
"Mr. Garcia, engines to standby."
"Engines to standby."
"Mr. Powell, jump engines active." Usually there's a pause, not today.
"Jump engines one through four report ready."
"Mr. Garcia, set jump coordinates."
"Coordinates set."
"Mr. Jones?" He's flying with Garcia.
"Coordinates confirmed."
"Mr. Powell?" The Second officer always has to answer, despite being in Engineering.
"Coordinates confirmed."
"Mr. Perez?" The First is last as always.
"Coordinates confirmed. Recommend we proceed."
"Mr. Garcia, jump authorized."
"Aye, sir, jump authorized."
I enter my authorization code into the nav computer and press enter. Green lights go on.
"One minute," Garcia lets us know what we all know, "Systems nominal."
Seconds later, she starts counting.
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Skipper!"
It's McAdams. A too late Courtney McAdams. I see it too.
And we're in Gamma Upsilon.
"Shelby, advise Hornet, hold jump! Maria, stand by. Courtney?"
She and Shelby start in together, then she lets Shelby finish, reporting that she contacted Hornet. Both ships are holding station. Courtney continues.
"Contact, Skipper, ship contact bearing 075 mark 020 from the jump point."
"Copy. Continue hold."
I'm about to call the Admiral, but he's way ahead of me. I hit the button under the light he lit.
"Kreiger, what now?"
"Sir, we had a ship contact, bearing 075 mark 020 from the jump point, at the moment of jump. What are your orders?"
He thinks for a good minute, has a side conversation with one or both of his aides.
"Let's go to Canada, we'll re-coordinate the parameters with your pilot. No reason to endanger the Ambassador, and neither of our ships are at their combat peaks. The Navy can send a cruiser to investigate."
"Roger that, Admiral."
No chance, but it makes a good excuse. He hangs up without saying goodbye.
"Maria, coordinate with your counterparts, let's roll."
"Aye, Skipper, new data already transmitted."
Sixty seconds later, we're staring at the blue oceans of Canada 2.
Chapter 40
We're 200,000 klicks from normal orbit, jumping into a clear zone designated for Navy use only. With all the traffic at the Union capital, it's a wonder they let us get this close. We wait for almost five minutes before my comm light is on once again.
"Yorktown, aye."
"Captain," the Admiral looks beyond happy. "Transfer the Libor to Hornet, then you are to proceed to Earth, maximum speed."
"Aye, sir, on their way."
I call up to the Mar
ines.
"Mr. Palmer, get an LS fired up, we're transferring our guests to Hornet. Have the doctor get the Senator on board as well."
"Aye, Skipper, crew is already on board and the Senator is being packed up, they'll be ready in under five minutes."
Great Marine commanders can read their skipper's minds and be a step ahead at all times.
I float over to Osborne.
"The Admiral's ship is going to take Khan and his staff to the planet. We spotted an enemy ship in the transfer system, we need to go to the Navy yard, get some help and go back. We've got a boat waiting for you, at your pleasure."
Much signing ensues, a couple of which I recognize.
"Khan thanks you for your skill at battle. He understands your need to return to the fight. He will accept the short voyage aboard the lesser vessel with it's weak commander out of respect. He hopes to see you again before he returns home."
I sign him the honorable thank you once again, then give him the sign to follow. He floats with me, his aide, security guard, and Osborne behind. We get down to deck four and I see the four of them safely aboard, with another exchange of finger thanks.
The Marines seal the hatch and the boat heads off. I turn away from the boat, face Hornet, and make the Libor sign for knife before floating up to the bridge.
"Mr. Garcia, plot a course to a jump point, four gees. Set course to Grissom Station."
"Home, aye."
"Mr. McAdams, please use the transit time to put together a report. We've gathered an awful lot of data on this trip."
"Aye, Skipper, a few too many terabytes in my opinion."
"Copy that, but I suspect Admiral Quintana is going to kiss your ring when you bring her that pad and all the copied comm traffic."
"Based on this trip, Skipper, I've given up guessing what admirals are going to do."
"Courtney, there's good and bad everywhere, Quintana is as good as it gets. You'll end up working for her or for Baylor or for ChiNO, so be happy they're good bosses."
"Skipper?"
"There's apparently a bidding war for you, I thought you knew. Quintana and Everingham both want you assigned to them, I suspect Baylor too."
"Sir, shouldn't they ask me?"
I laugh, as good a laugh as I've had in a while.
"Nine silver stars don't ask one silver bar, or even a silver eagle."
"Aye."
It's a dejected aye, one I appreciate very much.
"Courtney, let me teach you the Libor hand sign for knife."
That out of the way, I return to business.
"Mr. Garcia, call planetary departure control, let's roll."
"Aye, Skipper, clearance already received, we're go at your discretion."
Another person reading my mind.
Twenty two hours later we're in the Grissom station jump area for inbound Canada traffic, Earth shining in all its glory above us. We get a quiet cheer across the bridge.
"Shelby, phone home."
"Aye, Skipper."
She plays with her screens.
"Grissom Station, this is Yorktown, request docking clearance."
For once, it takes the normal three minutes before they put their coffee mugs down and talk to us.
"Yorktown, Grissom control. Cleared to dock, bay Alpha 7." "Alpha 7, Yorktown rolling."
Same bay we left from, ages ago.
Garcia takes us in, docks us smooth as silk.
I get a message from Admiral Hilgenberg to wait on board until she and Admiral Everingham come visit. I open the all hands comm channel.
"Folks, once again we've been asked to stay put until FRIGCOM and ChiNO come aboard. By now they know the basic parameters of what happened, a comm drone would have gotten here at least 18 hours ago. Before they have the chance to say it, let me. You are the best crew in space. I couldn't be prouder to be your Captain, and I look forward to our next adventure together." I pause. "Which hopefully will come after an extended shore leave. Krieger out."
We watch on visual as the umbilicals are attached, and I can feel it in a part of my anatomy as each of Yorktown's main systems gives way to the ground systems and shuts down. Once we're firmly established on ground power, two figures float together out of the command center and toward the tunnel leading to the lower hatch. We're lucky that it's still functional after all the damage the boat deck took.
I hustle down to meet them, make sure they are piped aboard, though it is pre-recorded.
I come to attention and snap my salute.
"At ease, Captain, welcome home." It's ChiNO, not my boss.
"Thank you, sir. We're glad to be here."
"Release your crew, with orders to report back at 0800 tomorrow. We'll debrief you on your bridge." That from FRIGCOM.
I go to my collar.
"Commander, release the crew, orders to be on board at 0800 tomorrow, no exceptions."
"Aye, Skipper." I switch off.
"Sirs, I suggest we get out of the way so as not to be run over in the stampede."
ChiNO laughs, Hilgenberg doesn't.
Either way, we float quickly up three decks to the bridge, having to stop only four times to salute someone in a hurry to get off.
Shelby, Courtney, Maria, Olivia, Emily, and Tony are on the bridge when we get there.
Hilgenberg starts to ask them to go, Everingham cuts her off.
"Where's Lt. Commander Rains? I have a message for him from his uncle."
"Sir." I look at him, stunned. "Didn't Admiral Sutherland file his report?"
"He did, Captain, but he didn't mention Rains in the operational summary. I haven't had time to read the whole thing yet, it's several hundred pages long."
"Sir, Mr. Rains was on board Hornet for a staff meeting when a saboteur attempted to kill the Admiral. Mr. Rains died saving his life."
The two of them stare at me. I try not to stare back.
"What else do I need to know?" The Chief of Naval Operations has been left out of a lot of Naval Operations lately.
I start to ramble.
"Sir, the enemy is still in the transfer sector we were using to get into Libor space. We need a presence there if we're going to war or to make friends. Or both. We should clean it out now. I'm not sure I trust Death, but we know for sure we can't trust Life."
He cuts me off.
"I'll read your logs, get them over tonight."
"Aye, sir."
He looks at Hilgenberg. She takes over the questioning.
"What is the condition of your ship?"
"Sir, we are out of air to air missiles of all sizes, we've taken considerable damage to the boat deck from a mine, we're down two cannons. Otherwise, she's ready."
"What intel do you have?"
"Sir, we have terabytes of data, I believe enough to start making full translations of their language. We know a little more about Life and Death than we did before. We still know nothing about the other clan, if there even is another clan. We discovered that the Libor use a sign language among themselves that we can learn and use to communicate."
She cuts me off.
"I'll read your logs, get them over tonight."
"Aye, sir."
Then she looks at me. Hard.
"You disobeyed my orders, Captain. You were on the surface of two planets. Your adventures on Libor Prime, as described by your Marine Recon commander during his debrief, are beyond belief. You left your ship repeatedly."
She stops and glares at me, expecting that I don't have an answer. I try anyway.
"Sir, I was not given the opportunity to obey you by either the Senator or Admiral Sutherland, both of whom made it clear that I could not disobey their orders."
She doesn't stop glaring while she responds.
"I'm anxious to read their reports on the matter. The Senator has apparently not yet regained consciousness. I am headed to Canada myself in the morning to meet with Sutherland, who, despite losing most of his task force, still managed to accomplish the mission."
&nbs
p;
Libor: Katana Krieger #2 Page 32
