Wolfhound

by Kindal Debenham

  Isaac nodded. “Of course he has. The guy has us starting on practice firing in another hour, and after a couple of hours of that we’ll be going over targeting protocols for another couple of hours. The lieutenant used to keep things running hard, but I have a feeling that Taylor’ll be even worse.”

  Sudden worry crept through Jacob as he heard his friend’s tone. “You know that’s what the crew needs, right? Don’t mess with Taylor. Not until things calm down.”

  The other ensign gave Jacob another smirk. “I make no promises, but I hear what you’re saying.” He paused and looked back towards the door. “So I came by to offer you some help you probably haven’t realized you needed. What do you say?”

  Jacob blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”

  Isaac smiled. “You’re still worried about what else the pirates may have been planning, right? When they were supposed to check in and everything?” Jacob nodded, and Isaac’s smile grew. “I can get you that.”

  Surprised at his friend’s response, Jacob frowned. “How are you going to manage that? Did you intercept some kind of recorded message or something?”

  “Better than that, actually.” Isaac tilted his head to the side. “Lieutenant Morris’ private computer files. Laurie and I cracked them a half hour ago.” He headed for the door. When he reached it, Isaac paused and looked back, as if he was surprised to find Jacob still sitting down. “Well, are you coming or not?”

  As Jacob and Isaac approached Morris’ cabin, they found Laurie waiting impatiently waiting for them. “About time, Isaac. What took you so long?”

  Isaac looked mildly affronted. “You think convincing this guy is easy, Laurie? It’s like dragging a mule sometimes.”

  Laurie sighed and punched a code into the door to the traitor’s room while Jacob looked around to make sure nobody else was watching. Morris had been assigned a bunk apart from the other Marines, close by the rooms occupied by the other lieutenants from the Navy. For that reason, the corridors nearby were vacant; there was no longer anyone living in this particular area, and nobody had any reason to visit either.

  The door slid open, and the three ensigns stepped through the opening. Inside, Jacob found a much larger set of accommodations than those afforded by the Ensign Quarters. The bed lay in a small alcove at the back of the room that stretched from one wall to the other. A fold-up writing desk was pressed against one wall, while a small entertainment screen was set into the other. Above the bed was a series of drawers that would have held Morris’ personal belongings had the treacherous pirate scum still been alive. The whole room seemed void of personal effects, lacking even a single picture of home or family. Jacob heard his mother’s voice. Never trust a person who carries nothing from home. They either are running from something or hiding something, and neither bodes well for you.

  Isaac strode past Jacob into the room and pulled down the writing desk. As Jacob watched, his friend flipped up the computer terminal contained in the desk and started to type away. “So we came here after we searched Schroder’s quarters. We figured that one of these two had to be the leader, and from what we found in the little fake ensign bastard's bunk, he was just here to put a foot in for the separatists back home.”

  Jacob looked at Laurie in surprise. “You searched Schroder’s quarters?”

  The Countermeasures ensign nodded. “The other pirates’ bunks too. We didn’t want to miss anything that could lead to other sleeper agents, and we figured that you had other things to worry about.” She gave him an apologetic look. “We meant to tell you eventually. Here you are, after all.”

  He grunted in response, and then Isaac spoke up as he tapped away on the keyboard. “We found everything we were looking for right here in his computer. There was a hidden cache of files separate from the rest of his data. Message traffic, schematics, that sort of thing. Barely even encrypted compared to the usual Navy stuff, so it should only take me a few moments.” He motioned for Jacob to come closer. “Here, take a look.”

  Jacob looked over Isaac’s shoulder and found an entire directory that had apparently been hidden until Isaac had gotten to it. Isaac selected one of the files and brought up a message that had been sent just as the cruise had begun. It detailed the course the Wolfhound would take and the number of crew members onboard. Morris also discussed the placement of other Telosian and Rigannin agents in the Navy dockyards and bases that had helped to cause the situation. He let a low whistle escape. “This information will help cut back the Telosians a good amount. Quite a few separatists are going to be very unhappy once we get back as well.”

  “You got that right.” Isaac pointed at some of the names in the message. “I recognize some of the people here. They were high level politicians on Rigannin last time I checked.” He chuckled to himself. “Heads are going to roll.”

  Laurie cleared her throat behind the two of them. “The most important thing, though, is that there aren’t any other pirate agents onboard. We’re safe from them for now; all we have to worry about is this issue, right here.” She leaned over Isaac to tap a few keys. Another message popped up, and Jacob felt his stomach sink as he ran his eyes over the words.

  Laurie summed it up for him. “It says here they were supposed to rendezvous with the main fleet two days ago. Now if I were this Admiral Dianton and my ambush/hijacking fleet was two days late, I wouldn’t wait too much longer before I sent somebody to check on them.”

  “You’re right, Laurie. We should be on the lookout for any enemy scouts who pop up.” Jacob stood up straight. “Good job, both of you. Make sure you get a copy, and send me one version as soon as you can.”

  Isaac turned in his chair and gave Jacob a smirk. “Just don’t forget that some of us appreciate what you’re doing, buddy. Keep going and we’ll stick to it with you.” Laurie nodded, and she laid a hand on Isaac’s shoulder.

  Jacob found it suddenly hard to speak. Gratitude and relief choked off the words. When he finally managed to respond, his voice was rough. “Thanks guys. For everything.” Embarrassed by the emotions, he glanced towards the door. “I’ve got to get back, but make sure to get those copies out. I’ll see you later.” They both gave him farewells, and Jacob returned to his office. He felt strangely lighter than before, and he couldn’t help a small smile. Things were starting to look up again.

  His good feelings lasted another couple of hours as he worked on the drill schedule, and then they came crashing down with yet another knock on the office door. When the door slid open, Jacob looked up to find Al-shira glaring at him. He sat back in his seat. “Yes Ensign Al-shira? How can I help you?”

  The Communications ensign folded her arms. “Well, Ensign, I was just wondering when we could expect our new commanding officer on the bridge. Any time today, or are you too busy?”

  He winced at the pointed rebuke. “I will be up shortly, Al-shira. In the meantime I have a few files that may help you break the pirate’s encryption. You interested?”

  Al-shira opened her mouth for what would have been a sarcastic retort, and then paused. “How did you manage that?”

  Jacob motioned to the computer in front of him. “Isaac managed to crack the files on Morris’ computer. We have quite a bit of information on which group tried to kill us.” He sat back in his chair and tapped a key. “Apparently one of the Deys on Telos is behind the whole thing. Along with a few co-conspirators on Rigannin, he planned to take the ship and add it to his fleet. Before we jumped from New Harel, he sent his highest Admiral to rendezvous with Morris and Schroder.”

  “An admiral? In a bunch of corvettes?” Al-shira’s voice was incredulous, and Jacob had to smile in response.

  “Not quite. The Admiral—somebody named Cyril Dianton—commands a ship called the Bloodthorne. It’s another destroyer class ship, so I’m assuming he sent a small fleet group instead of coming personally. That group was supposed to return to the main clan fleet as soon as the ship was taken.”

  Al-shira frowned. “And when would that
have been?”

  Jacob grunted. “Two or three days ago. They had planned on a bit of leeway to compensate for changes in the Wolfhound’s schedule, but I doubt they will be patient for much longer. We should be expecting them to check up on their ships any day now.”

  “So what will we do then, Ensign? Throw the ship into a valiant charge that gets us all killed?”

  The scornful tone in her voice had started to get under Jacob’s skin. He clenched his teeth for a moment before he responded. “It isn’t likely going to end up that way, Ensign Al-shira. When the pirates jump in, they’ll probably arrive at the ambush point, which is two days' travel from here. That means we’ll see them coming and be able to avoid them if we have to.”

  Al-shira snorted. “Where are we going to run? To Reefhome? That abandoned frontier spacer den you mentioned?”

  Jacob shook his head. “If we have to. If the pirates only send a corvette or two, however, we should be able to jump back to the site of the battle and destroy them before they can get a message back to Dianton. Maybe we can buy a few more days that way.”

  The answer did not seem to satisfy her at all, and Jacob watched her shake her head in apparent disgust. “And what do we do if they don’t jump in at the spot you think they will? What if they do show up right next to us, and you don’t have all that wonderful time you’re expecting to have? What then, Ensign?”

  Frustration had started to rise to a breaking point again. “I guess I will have to adapt to the situation as it develops, Ensign Al-shira. Unless you have any particular suggestions for me? Otherwise, you're not being particularly helpful.”

  For a long moment Al-shira simply looked at him, and then she drew herself up to stand at attention. “No, Ensign. Your plan is sufficient. Is there anything you would like me to do, Ensign?”

  “No, Al-shira. You’re already doing a wonderful job.” Jacob tried to keep sarcasm out of his tone, but the Communication ensign’s back stiffened anyway. She stalked out before he could say another word.

  He sighed as he turned back to his work, and he wondered if he would have to fight the crew as much as the pirates for the entire rest of the journey. More than anything he hoped the fleet would find them in time, but if they didn’t and the pirates didn’t show up right where he thought they would, it could be fatal to his crew. The crew Rodgers had entrusted him with and who was depending on him to find a way out of this mess.

  Al-shira was right. He needed a backup plan, or else it was looking increasingly likely he would have to take the Wolfhound back into battle. We just aren’t ready yet. We’re outnumbered, outgunned. I haven’t even been all of the training, dammit!

  He shook his head in aggravation, and then stopped. The last thought had stuck in his head, catching there long enough to give birth to a new idea. A cruel smile broke across his features as he brought up the protocols for the training ambush at the mining site. After all, ambushes weren’t only for the good guys, and he needed any advantage he could possibly get.

  After fourteen hours, six gunnery drills, three countermeasures alerts, ten different emergency maneuvers and one well-run Marine exercise where the soldiers set up to repel boarders, Jacob found himself in Engineering. Turley was with him as they walked through the bowels of the computer section near the Capistan. Marks of the battle damage which had rendered most of the computers so much junk were still evident everywhere, from server clusters riddled with shrapnel to the patched hole near Ensign Carver’s ruined station. Jacob shook his head at the wreckage and turned to Turley. “How are we holding up, Turley?”

  The petty officer snorted. “Shouldn’t you be asking Ensign Caddamar, Ensign?”

  Jacob sighed. “Look, I put Gi in command down here because she was the best option. Without her, you’re the next best bet. Now tell me what you’re doing.”

  Turley grunted. “Nice to be appreciated.” He gave Jacob a sidelong glance. “Caddamar’s not a suspect or anything, is he? Should we be watching him?”

  Impatience warred with exhaustion in Jacob’s head. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, Turley, he just couldn’t pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel. Can we get to the report, please? I do have more to be taking care of.”

  “Well, hell, all right then.” Turley continued to grumble a bit as he stomped over to the patched hole in the floor. “The Armor teams from Countermeasures have been doing a hell of a job out there. I almost think that we could take another hit here without too much trouble, but don’t take me up on the offer, you damn fool.” He stomped on the patch as if to emphasize the point, and then gestured to the surrounding wreckage.

  “Most of the rest of the computers are still junk. We haven’t been able to fish any more data from them. We got a couple of the message drones working, but their damned memory banks were blank, so we can only send drones to empty systems. Useless as hell. All the holes in the hull have been patched, so there has been no more atmosphere loss that we can detect. Power fluctuations are taken care of too, so everything is more or less back to normal. So to speak.” Turley eyed Jacob and waited.

  “Good to hear.” Jacob looked around and wondered where the repair crews had gotten to. “Is everyone off resting?”

  “No, just working elsewhere.” Turley folded his arms. “Then again, the word is our damned crazy commanding officer would hand them tasks like detention slips if he caught them doing anything. That hard case Ashford has put the fear of hell into most of them, and the drills have only made them worried that you’re even worse than he is.”

  “Maybe I am.” He leaned against a recently repaired support beam. “How’s the crew holding up?” When the petty officer hesitated, Jacob smiled. “Come on. You wouldn’t have given us the room if you didn’t want to tell me something.”

  The burley officer shifted his weight uneasily. “You damn sure think you know everything lately, don’t you, Ensign?” Unlike Al-shira’s accusation, Turley’s words seemed more amused than angry. Jacob simply gave him another grin, and the petty officer continued. “They’re worried, Jacob. We all are. We lost Rodgers and the rest of the lieutenants before we knew what was going on, and then you were in charge and the pirates were shooting at us. Half the crew is just waiting for the other shoe to drop and the dream to end. The other half is just pissed off that we’re out here at all.”

  Jacob shrugged. “There’s not much I can do about that. Not until the fleet finds us.” He watched as Turley shifted uncomfortably again. “Is there anything else?”

  “Well, at first rumor had it that you were some jumped-up ensign who didn’t know what he was doing. You were going to keep going through the sheer damned force of incompetence until we were all dead, or until someone better took over. Probably Taylor or maybe Ashford.” Turley paused, and Jacob nodded.

  “Go on.”

  “Now, things have changed. We’re drilling again, you put a Marine in charge of discipline, and you’re still in command. They’re not saying you’re incompetent, just that you’re a cold, fanatical bastard hungry for a war. Rumor has it the pirates only opened fire because we did first. That you’re chomping at the bit to fight again. That you’re on some kind of crazy crusade that won’t end until we’re all dead or worse.” Turley didn’t meet Jacob’s eyes, and Jacob could sense that the petty officer was uncomfortable simply repeating the rumors. At the same time there was that same question in Turley’s tone that Jacob had heard when they discovered the feedback branches in the power grid. He bit back a sarcastic, outraged retort and waited until his voice was under control before he responded.

  “Are there any calls for a mutiny?” Jacob waited until Turley shook his head, and he let out a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. “Good. Keep them working and make sure they know how important these drills are. The pirates are going to be back, and I don’t want them to catch us before we're ready.”

  “Yeah, sure, Jacob.” Turley met Jacob’s eyes finally, and the petty officer nodded. Without another
word, Jacob turned and walked toward the nearest access ladder. He only had a few minutes before the next emergency drill, and he didn't want to miss the action on the bridge when it occurred.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Two days later, Jacob woke to an alert. At first his blurry, sleep-deprived mind thought the mellow throbbing noise battering through the haze of his sleep was the battle alarm, but even as he jerked awake and stumbled to the ladder, his mind cleared enough to recognize it as the general alert signal. Not urgent, then, but I should get up there. He dressed quickly and pulled himself up the ladder and opened the hatch of his small room.

  He left the hatch shut and jogged along the corridor toward the ladder which led to the bridge. Without a heartbeat’s hesitation, he ignored the elevator and went straight for the access ladder; even though the lift system was supposedly operating at one hundred percent again, he had no desire to get trapped inside a lift for a few hours during an attack.

  The bridge was in a state of general chaos. Ensign Singh was there with a pair of petty officers who manned the Communications and Helm stations. Two Marines had stepped inside to make sure that nobody was trying to take control, but when they saw Jacob they stepped back out again to man their posts on either side of the doorway. Jacob nodded to them absentmindedly as he rushed inside. “Singh, what’s going on?”

  “There was a riftjump near the battle site. I’m still narrowing it down to figure out what jumped into the system, but I didn’t want to get caught off guard.” Singh glanced at him nervously, but Jacob simply sat down at the command console and brought up the situational projection.

  The ship was traveling in a direct course toward the training site at the asteroid mine. The petty officers in charge of the Helm had been ordered to maintain course, with the exception of the occasional maneuvering drills, and the mine was already much closer. Unfortunately, it was still a full day away even at the highest plausible speed and if the pirates had just jumped into the system there would be no hope to hide from them. Jacob’s eyes locked onto the blip that showed where the riftjump had taken place. Come on, what are you?