Retribution

by Dave O'Connor

  “I don’t know Admiral. The life support system needs a new design. We’re starting right now but it may take…”

  “Yes?”

  “Months, Admiral. It may take months.”

  “That’s not good enough. This is our…secret weapon…our ace in the hand. We can’t afford for it to be out of action.”

  “Let me explain the problem Sir” said Dave and he went on to explain how the life support system caught fire and how the new carbon scrubbers smouldered and re-caught fire.

  “Mmm” said Phil. “OK they need to be replaced. So why can’t we install systems from some other ship?”

  Mani responded by explaining how efficient these systems were and that if they were to use the older systems they would need four times the space on board and they don’t have that space available without losing significant capabilities - the prime options being to halve one of the flight hangars.

  Phil sat there with a very frustrated look on his face. Everyone watched as his mind worked overtime trying to come up with a workable solution. Finally, Phil exclaimed “Oh fuck it” as he slapped his hand on his knee. No one responded. A minute passed in silence. Finally Phil said “I might understand it but I’m not happy.” He could see from the look on the faces around him that he had just stated the obvious.

  “Alright Mani you make sure you devote whatever resources are needed and I want a report by the end of the week on how you propose to solve this issue.” Mani just nodded. “OK then” said Phil looking to Dave and Rihan “We need to get out of the good doctor’s hair and have a chat. How about you show me this ship of yours Dave?”

  Maria dropped them back at the Resolute which was now a beehive of activity. The wounded were being transferred on gurneys to the shuttle that the Admiral had arrived on. They would be hospitalised in Nova Vista. Dave looked to see Art but he must have already been moved onto the shuttle. He hoped he would be OK. Sue would be with him. Dave felt good about that.

  Val was outside demonstrating the magGrab system to some of the facility staff. When she saw the Admiral get out she came to attention and saluted. Phil returned the salute but gestured for Dave to lead him on board.

  For the next hour Dave and Rihan showed him around the ship. The flight decks had their hangar doors opened to provide breathable air, though with no air conditioning it was very hot. Phil once again took off his jacket. After a few more minutes in the heat he said “I think I’ve seen enough. Can we go somewhere private and talk?”

  Chapter 12. Resolute at Tumos 1730, 1 June

  Dave took the Admiral up to his office on A deck. Rihan closed the door behind her. Phil sat down. With his big strong jaw between his hands he pondered how to begin. He sat back upright and looked at them both.

  “All right here’s the thing. I passed onto the Fleet Admiral your report about Felis’ offer as soon as I received it. That was six days ago. I expected to receive instructions to suss out this fellow and explore possibilities for peace. But instead, late this morning I received advice from the Fleet Admiral that the Supreme Council passed a secret resolution two days ago that calls for retribution against the Rogan empire. In short they want pay back. I was going to order you to deliver that payback. But now that’s not going to be possible.”

  “What do you mean by retribution?” asked Rihan.

  “Nuclear strikes at rogan cities.”

  “What, tit for tat?” asked Rihan.

  “Afraid so.”

  “That’s not very smart Sir” said Dave. “You know where that will end and they have a lot more cities than we do.”

  Phil nodded. “But this comes from the highest government authority in the Federation.”

  “Do the Alliance know about this?” asked Dave. “They will be the ones first to cop the retaliation.”

  “I don’t know whether the Alliance has been consulted.”

  “Do we really know that this directive comes from the Council?” said Rihan.

  Phil squirmed in his seat. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered this himself but one thing he had learnt in a hierarchical organisation like the military that you were responsible for upholding respect for superiors within your own command.

  “Ooh” said Phil. “Your impugning the integrity of either the Fleet Admiral or the Combined Chiefs. I have no reason to do that. I’m a little surprised but I still find it plausible that the Council has directed this. You need to understand the political mood now. The revelation about the rogan nuking New Hammersley and then this latest strike at Klaster, not to mention the insurrections on Beta Phi have, well they’ve created this huge ground swell of ….”

  “Revenge” contributed Rihan.

  “Yes revenge” said Phil shaking his head. “God only knows I would like some of that too.”

  “We will lose everything if we go down this path Admiral” said Dave.

  “I was hoping we could conduct a demonstration strike against two of their cities and then try and sue for peace using Felis. Is he genuine and can he deliver? That’s what I need to know.”

  “Sir it is one thing to nuke a military target and another to ask us to nuke millions of civilians. That’s genocide. That’s a war crime no matter who authorises it. I had to use nukes over Beta Phi because there was no other way to stop those transports but believe you me I didn’t like it. I’m not going to agree to nuke cities, even rogan cities.” Dave was staring directly and strongly into Phil’s eyes.

  “All right I can see that…I’ve been wrestling with this since I received this order late this morning. I don’t like it either but I don’t see a way out.”

  “I’m sorry Sir but you can’t send the Resolute in her current state and even if you could it would be without me.”

  “And me” added Rihan.

  “Hmm” said Phil and a sad smile came over his face. “What is this? Tag team? I knew having a husband and wife together was going to be trouble.”

  “We need to speak with you about that Sir” said Dave.

  Phil slunk back into his chair. “What more problems?”

  “It’s been a very long day” said Dave. “We need fresh minds to focus on this problem. Can it wait till tomorrow morning? If so, we’d be happy to have you stay on board as our guest.”

  Phil thought about it for a moment. “OK I can do that. I could really do with a beer right now” and he gave Dave a desperate smile.

  “Too easy Sir. We could adjourn to the mess or would you like to freshen up first?”

  “If you can bear it, the mess sounds good.”

  When Dave walked into the mess and headed for the lounge area with the Admiral, Cranky Jack raced over to the bar area ready to serve. He had already anticipated the arrival and had pulled out all stops. Everything looked spick and span. “What will it be Sir” he asked.

  “Do you have any Stohl bitter?” asked the Admiral. He was pleasantly surprised when Cranky put the long neck bottle in front of him replete with the tall frosty Stohl glass. He wrapped his big hand around the ice cold glass and smiled in anticipation. “Very nice” he said and nodded his appreciation.

  “The usual Sir, Maam?” asked Cranky of Dave and Rihan. They nodded and he placed Dave’s lager and Rihan’s merlot on the bar. Dave leaned over and quietly said “Well done.” A big smile came over Cranky’s face.

  “Is the Admiral staying for dinner?” whispered Cranky.

  “Yes and he’s staying the night.”

  “Right Sir. Formal dinner then?” Dave nodded. “I took the liberty of obtaining some fresh provisions from the base Sir. I could do a nice filet mignon for dinner.”

  Dave gave him the thumbs up and Cranky felt very pleased with himself even though he knew extra help was needed.

  Rihan had led the Admiral over to one of the lounge chairs. Dave followed. Rihan excused herself while she hailed the watch officer and told them about the formal dinner with the Admiral. She went back and sat down confident that behind the scenes officers would be scurrying to get thems
elves ready.

  Ivan who had handed over the watch at 1600 was one of the first to enter the officers mess dressed in his navy whites. Dave called him over with a hand gesture and he was introduced to the Admiral.

  By now Phil was feeling a little more refreshed. His glass was almost drained in a few big swallows and Dave was indicating to Cranky to bring over another. As Cranky replaced the Admiral’s glass and laid down a bowl of nuts, Phil nodded his thanks and then said to Ivan “Your exploits on Klaster, young man, have been noted.”

  Ivan blushed slightly. “I know I have been a bit tardy” continued Phil “but please forgive me. Now that I have a face to the name I’ll make sure I sign off on that recommendation tomorrow.”

  “Sir?” asked a puzzled Ivan.

  Phil looked to Dave and smiled. “You haven’t told him, have you?” Dave shook his head. “Your good Captain here put you up for the Fleet Medal for your action in the assault on Klaster.”

  Ivan looked to Dave for confirmation. He couldn’t believe it.

  “That’s right Ivan” said Dave. “You deserve it.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Thank you might be a start” suggested Rihan.

  “Yes of course Sir. Thank you.” Ivan sat back in his chair. He was glad but also embarrassed. He was spotted by Jasmin as she entered and she looked intrigued at the expression on her lover’s face. Ivan beckoned her over and she was also introduced.

  Phil saw the looks exchanged between the two and immediately knew that they were an item. It gave him great pleasure to say “Young Ivan here is about to be awarded with the Fleet Medal.”

  Jasmin was genuinely and pleasantly surprised. She instinctively leant over and gave Ivan a kiss on the cheek. This only added to Ivan’s embarrassment but it helped brighten the spirits of everyone else.

  “And where is 2nd Lt Hanlon?” asked Phil. “He’s the other one, right?” he asked Dave.

  “That’s right Sir. He might still be asleep. He’s had the dog watch all week.”

  “He hasn’t got one too has he Sir” asked Ivan.

  “Yes he has.”

  “He’s going to be impossible!” said Ivan.

  “He’s always impossible” said Kat as she came over and joined in the conversation. “I should know” and she gave Ivan a consolation smile. “Now what’s this all about then?”

  The subsequent meal was a big success. Ivan was right and Chase was certainly impossible, once he heard the news of his award - well at least towards Ivan. But after they left the table and dispersed, with some sinking back into the lounge chairs for coffee, it was a more subdued Chase that pondered quietly the significance and implications of his award.

  It mattered a lot to him, because he knew it would matter a lot to his father. It was vindication for his decision to get a posting to the Hermes rather than a big capital ship like his father wanted. It was pure luck in the end that he had been posted to Dave Warner’s command – well almost. He wondered whether it would have turned out as well had he been assigned to some other command. But he didn’t wonder long. He knew that it was his good fortune to be under such a skipper. Just as it was his good fortune to have met the woman who was now coaching him out of his seat.

  “Come on my hero” she said “there’s not much time before you’re on watch. We don’t want to waste that do we?”

  Chase smiled, accepted her hand and stood up. He turned around as he walked out and gave Ivan a wink. Ivan smiled and shook his head.

  “Why are you two so competitive?” asked Jasmin as she sat next to Ivan.

  “I don’t know” he said and thought about the question some more. “I suppose because he’s such an extravert and I’m well, you know…”

  “Quiet!”

  “Yeah, quiet.”

  “You’re quite a lover too” she whispered in his ear. “Come on; let’s give them a run for their money.”

  Ivan chuckled. “Let’s!”

  As the younger officer’s dispersed, Jim Bucknell and Li Nahn were in deep conversation with the Admiral. Rihan had excused herself to see that Cranky had all the help he needed for the clean-up. Dave sat next to the Admiral but he was content to let the others talk about tactics and equipment while he pondered a much deeper and darker matter – retribution.

  He reflected back to that moment over Assam when Felis asked him if he wanted peace. He recalled how he felt at the time – the anger and the desire for revenge. He had had to ask himself if he had exacted enough revenge. God only knew he wanted to hurt them more for what they had done. He felt the emotion rising within him as he thought about Amy and his kids vaporised in an instant. So yes he could appreciate that desire in others.

  But he reminded himself how at that time he had chosen against revenge. It was such a negative force. A very powerful one but nothing positive came from it. He recalled the sage advice of his meditation teacher ‘always chose a positive over a negative’. And that advice was what he followed then.

  He contemplated the alternate scenario. If instead of accepting Felis’ surrender he had refused, then he knew he would have lost many of his crew storming the Kunter. ‘Maybe that’s an argument we can use here’ he thought. ‘No that’s just an excuse. The real reason for not choosing an immoral act should always be a moral one. The moral reason in this case is that it is not right to be slaughtering innocents. We do not want to slide down to their level. We owe that to ourselves. I owe that to Amy and the kids.’

  While Jim and Li were arguing some point, Phil turned to Dave. “Are you all right Dave?” he asked, snapping Dave out of his pontification.

  “Yes Sir. I’m fine…just thinking about our little problem.”

  “Right…up until that I was enjoying this evening” he said. “You know this is the most fun I have had since this war started. Seeing these young’uns here tonight made me miss Amanda though – in a good way.”

  “That was your wife Sir?”

  “Yes, she’s been gone nearly three years now.” The effects of the alcohol had now moved to depressant. There was sadness in Phil’s expression that Dave had never seen. “You know, work’s not enough, is it?”

  Dave shook his head. In a soft voice he said “No it’s not Sir. That reminds me Rihan and I would like to have kids. Could you give her a staff posting?”

  “Aagh… so that what it was about earlier?” Dave nodded. “You have proved to be a good team though. Are you both sure about this?”

  “Yeah we’re both sure.”

  “I’ll have to find you a new XO. What about Aubrey Bellard?”

  “We promised her an independent command, remember?”

  “So we did, but exigencies of war and all that.”

  “I would not like to be the person to tell her that.”

  “No… me neither. Besides the first of the Phantom class should be ready soon and she would make a fine commander of it I’m sure.” Phil pondered for a bit and then said “Leave it with me Dave. I’ll do my best. I need to go to bed now.”

  “Of course Sir. Follow me and I’ll show you your quarters.”

  The Admiral said his good nights and followed Dave out of the mess. They turned right and walked down to the guest room two doors down from Dave’s cabin. Dave opened the door and turned the light on.

  “Bloody hell. This is the Ritz” said Phil. “Is your cabin as good as this?”

  “Better Sir... it has my wife in it.”

  “That was a low cut Dave.”

  “Oh sorry Sir. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Don’t worry. I envy you Dave. Rihan is a good woman. You are very lucky.”

  “I tell myself that every day.”

  “Good. Don’t stop. OK leave me to it Dave. I’ll see you in the morning. Thanks…for all this” said Phil with a smile.

  “Good night Sir.”

  Chapter 13. Resolute at Tumos 0630, 2 June

  Dave awoke early. Rihan was still asleep, when he rose, washed his face and sat for meditation
. With his back straight and seated cross legged on his asana (his meditation blanket), he closed his eyes and made his opening invocation, offering up his time, focus, love and gratitude to his guru. He took in three big breaths, exhaling long after each before returning his breath to its normal pace.

  The void was there before his inner eye. Years of practice had made it easy for him to get to this point. Normally he would simply repeat his mantra in time with his breath but instead he opted to pose a question for contemplation. ‘How can we prevent this retribution?’ He repeated it twice and then returned to the mantra and his breath. His mind stilled and with the aid of his focus on the mantra the thoughts stopped. He was hoping for an answer but it never came. He soon found the stillness and peace that he so loved and was lost in its embrace.

  Twenty minutes went by as though they were one. He became aware again of his breath. He remembered the question and for a moment berated his lack of focus but then he remembered his Guru’s teaching that whatever happens in mediation happens for the best. He decided not to fight it but instead made his second invocation, asking that he be taken to the blue garden, to sit in repose at his Guru’s feet, to imbibe her teachings, to share in her state and to revel in the bliss of freedom.

  He always found this such a powerful process. He dropped right through the void and into the blackness. At the focal point the blue light appeared. Initially it was just a small spot but as he maintained his focus it grew larger and sparkled with a beautiful dazzling brilliance. He loved it. He felt bathed in divine light. He was lost in rapture and with an intensity that he had not experienced for a long time.

  Rihan awoke to a series of “hmmm” sounds. She searched for its origin within the darkness of their cabin. Her hand did not find Dave next to her. She smiled as she realised it was him making the noise. He was meditating. She had heard him making this sound before. But he only did so when he went very deep. She was pleased for him.

  She got out from under the cover as quiet as she could and pulled on her gown and sat next to him. Recalling her own recent spiritual experience she too was soon in meditation. But unlike Dave she was soon flying at such a rapid exhilarating speed not through the emptiness of the void but through a spectacular star scape – a kaleidoscope of light. She had never experienced anything like this. The vista was moving at such speed she started to get anxious but then recalled Dave telling her of his incredible experiences after his awakening. ‘It’s the Shakti unleashed. It’s been coiled all these years within you. Once awakened it wants to explode. Don’t fear it, ride it!’