by Ryan Krauter
That was as big an answer as Ravine had ever heard. The council chair had essentially told her that all avenues were open at that point, from total war to an actual, legitimate arrangement with Confed and perhaps the rest of the galaxy. She tried to stop her head from spinning.
"The fleet is yours to command," the chair woman reminded Ravine. "Do you have a flagship chosen?"
"Captain Vol and the Scythe," Ravine replied quickly. She'd sailed on his ship many times and found him to be capable, loyal, and smart.
"Then you are dismissed, Commander. Retrieve the Representative and stop him from anything else that might bring doubt and shame to our people."
Ten
Loren and Velk sat next to each other in the shuttle as it approached a Priman heavy cruiser. Their bindings were tight and there were severe looking guards sitting across from them; no talking allowed, apparently.
Loren saw through the viewports the ship they were docking with. Something was different; there were extra blisters by the engines and a protrusion ran around the circumference of the ship around the waist. It took a second, but he finally placed it. It looked like the experimental Priman stealth ships Avenger had discovered what seemed like ages ago. The Primans had attempted sensor cloaking technology like Confed, but they just couldn't master it. Avenger's fighter screen had detected the arrivals and attacked, decimating the formation. Apparently there was one more in the inventory. Interesting that Tash would use it for his flagship.
The shuttle set down and the guards roughly prodded Loren and Velk to their feet.
"Looks like you're more prisoner than you thought," Loren muttered to Velk, and got a rough shove in the back as a consequence.
They were paraded across the landing bay, then down a corridor a few frames and into a conference room of some sort. The Commander was waiting there. He stood and indicated the guards should stand Loren and Velk up against the bulkhead across from him.
"This will make things considerably easier," the Commander said simply as he nodded, as if checking something off a mental to-do list. "Commander Stone, anything I can do to impede Avenger and her crew is appreciated. And Representative Velk. You are going to ruin the Priman takeover of this galaxy. Why bargain with these savages?"
"Many reasons," Velk said. "They've earned our respect, at the very least. They won't stop fighting us until we've laid waste to this entire part of space. And the longer we do this, the more we lose our own way. I'm absolutely convinced of that now; we have gone astray as a people."
"On the contrary, Representative. We will win. And I'm going to do it right now." The Commander touched a panel on the bulkhead behind him. "This is the Commander. Execute my previous cached order; we move for Confederation space."
Loren and Velk both looked at him in shock. "What are you doing?" asked Velk.
"I'm going to settle this now," the Commander explained as if he were talking to a dim pupil. "We have a treaty with Confed. We will approach and your fleet will do nothing. Once we are in your midst, we will open fire and ravage your fleet before you can fight back. We will repeat this until we are at Delos itself and I raze the planet to the bedrock. No more of this talk of concessions, of negotiations. We are in charge here, and after we destroy the Confederation nobody else will stand against us either. We will take back this galaxy! And once that is done, the council will see I was right after all. You have grown weak, Representative. You started this war with such purpose; where has it gone?"
"I look at you and see why we must change, Commander. That's what happened."
The Commander stared daggers at Velk, then turned to leave, motioning for the guards to stay with the captives.
In orbit above Callidor, seventy Priman capital ships formed up, cruised away from the planet's gravity well, and engaged their hyperdrives.
"That is all kinds of not-good," Lieutenant Caho muttered as she watched the sensors at her bridge station on Avenger. The ship was far out-system, floating just above the surface of a rogue moon with the mag-shield at full and passive sensors cranked up to their maximum.
"Problem?" asked Captain Elco as he walked back to her station.
"The biggest, Captain." She pointed to the large display in front of her. "The Priman home fleet just detached most of itself from orbit and formed up before jumping into hyperspace. They're headed roughly back towards Confed territory."
Elco sighed. It was always something, and in this case 'something' was enough firepower to seize a planet or take on any fleet Confed had. "Any news about Loren and Velk?"
"Nothing I've been able to-" she stopped talking as she snapped her head back towards the screens. "Comms?" she called out to the communications station.
"Got it!" the young human male replied. "Incoming tight beam message from the surface to the Ravine cruiser. It's in the clear; not coded at all."
"Think we were meant to hear whatever they're about to send?" asked Elco of the comms officer.
"Maybe sir. I'll have something shortly."
True to his word, the officer put the message up on the main viewscreen on the forward bulkhead. It was a translated text-only message. It read: Representative Tash has been relieved as Commander pending an inquiry into his actions. Representative Ravine named new Commander. Will arrive shortly. We will gather remaining fleet and pursue Representative Tash; he may be headed to Confed territory. Had Representative Velk and the Confed officer with him. Will depart as soon as Commander arrives aboard Scythe."
"Yes, I definitely think that was meant for us," Elco said heavily. He'd seen enough to know that this was destined to end in a shooting match. He sat back down in his chair and keyed the shipwide intercom. "Attention Avenger. The XO and our Priman ally Representative Velk have been taken into custody by a large Priman fleet that just left this system. We don't know where they're headed for sure but they can't be up to any good. More Primans are forming up for pursuit; it seems like there might be a power struggle here. Our plan is to shadow them and keep track of our XO and Velk. We'll attempt a rescue if it warrants. Battle stations, all crew. Let's be ready."
Elco turned to the front of the bridge. "Helm, keep us to the aft quarter of this second Priman fleet with the Ravine cruiser in it. They'll probably be able to track their own ships better than us, so we'll just stay passive and tag along for now."
"Yes sir," was the crisp reply.
Aboard the battleship Majestic, Admiral Bak paced around the flag officer's plotting room just behind the main bridge. While originally sequestered aboard Fleet Admiral Privac's carrier and on a short leash due to his house arrest, he'd recently been cut loose and had placed his flag aboard Captain Montari's battleship. His orders from Fleet Admiral Privac had been to use this fleet to patrol this particular section of the Confed/Priman front lines.
The real reason, of course, was that the off-the-books op he'd been running for the fleet admiral required him to be hereabouts in case Avenger came back from Priman space in need of assistance. He'd given Avenger loose orders and plenty of discretion on how to get Velk back among his people; Captain Elco knew that a small fleet was here waiting if he needed help.
He'd been keeping to the flag plot against his normal patterns. He usually liked to be seen in the main bridge, especially one so large as a battleship's that he wouldn't get in the way. But for now, it was best if fewer people saw him and remembered his presence here.
"Admiral," an aide called from over at a bank of consoles, "I have a transmission you might want to see.
Bak walked over and inspected the message packet the woman was showing him. It was logged by Majestic's comm officer; an in-the-clear message that was apparently emanating from a beat up old freighter a half hours' time out from the fleet. The odd thing was, the computer had flagged it as having a number of SAR recognition and distress codes in the text.
Bak stood up and stared out a porthole as he ran through the operations he knew about. No reason any SAR op he was privy to should be anywhere near here.
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"It's going to cross into Confed space?"
"In about thirty minutes, Admiral," the crewwoman replied.
"But it's definitely not a Confed ship?"
"Nothing our computers recognize."
Bak pulled in a big breath and held it for a second, then turned to her. "Have Captain Montari send a destroyer to intercept and investigate once it crosses into our territory. If there's a SAR mission going on that's leaving Priman space, I want in on it."
"We've received a response to the hail," Web said softly to Halley. They were alone on the bridge, the senators off to plan their return to the halls of Delos. Many talked of action against Senator Dennix; some wanted trials, some wanted a simple investigation, and a few old allies scoffed at the stories Halley and Web had told of his treachery.
Halley and Web had tuned them out by remaining on the bridge. Several times, a senator had approached them about either supporting his or her cause or trying to somehow draft them into working for the politician or demanding constant updates on everything from their position in space to the water supply. They'd politely declined and learned a quick lesson; other than Senator Thyatt, they weren't in any big hurry to get to know their elected officials.
The freighter's bridge was a sharp contrast to Avenger's. The freighter's control area was dimly lit, with a section of ceiling lighting inoperative. Fans wheezed and scraped in their enclosures as they blew cool air around the electronics. Even the environmental system was noisy and finicky; it had stopped working twice in the day they'd been in hyperspace. It would all be over soon, they hoped.
"Good news or bad?" Halley replied as she leaned closer to Web's display to see the information.
Web was immediately distracted by Halley's proximity, and he figured she knew it. She could probably hear his ragged breathing. "I won't be able to fly this tub if you keep being all sexy with your female charms and all that."
She didn't move her head, just looked at him out of the corners of her eyes and smiled.
"I could fly us right into a sun or something."
"You like it."
"Maybe."
"Besides," she countered, sitting back in her chair again, "I'm bruised up, have a gimpy leg, and am wrapped in bandages. That's not so not, I think."
"I just imagine helping you remove all those bandages. And the clothes under them, of course."
"Of course."
Halley continued to smile, but pointed a finger at Web's display. "While you daydream dirty thoughts, can you show me what the message said?"
"Ah, I don't remember," Web said as he glanced at the display. "Something about a fleet, Confed, Admiral, yah yah yah. Get back over here."
Halley laughed again as she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before getting to the display. She tapped a few commands and reviewed the information.
"Um, Web," she said, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and concern. "You really didn't read this, did you?"
"Nope; busy staring at you." He glanced over at her again as he adjusted course a bit and gave a quick once-over on the engine readouts. Running hot, naturally, but they probably wouldn't explode before they were well into Confed space. Life was good.
"It's a Confederation destroyer, attached to a fleet patrolling near here. We're supposed to heave to and prepare to answer some questions about what we were doing in Priman space."
That finally broke through to Web. He sat up straighter and tried to get something more out of the freighter's paltry scanning suite. "What's the info on the fleet?"
"Fourteenth, it says." She pursed her lips and stared out the front viewport for a minute. "I can't recall that number. Might be new, which means we don't know anything about the people attached to it. Are they loyalists, independents, report directly to Senator Dennix, that sort of thing. I'm not quite ready to have those people back there stolen from us."
"Let's get on the radio and answer the hail, then," Web said. "We'll run some Confed Navy protocols so they don't fire on us, then we'll make it up as we go based on who's in charge."
"That's a pretty sad plan, but I guess it's all we have." She patted his hand. "Go for it."
Web nodded and tapped the transmit toggle. "Confederation destroyer Magnetar," Web began, "I'm Commander Second Rank Web Exeter, of CSS Avenger. I'm returning from a sanctioned mission and need to know who's in charge of this fleet."
There was silence from the other end. What could be the problem? Web looked at Halley, who only shrugged.
"Unidentified freighter," a voice said through the speakers. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. This is the CSS Magnetar, a Confederation destroyer. I am attached to a fleet that considers you a potential security threat. You will heave-to and prepare to answer some questions. Is that clear, or should I try another language?"
"And here we were hoping to keep this low key, you know?" Halley said as she shook her head. "Magnetar, this is a SAR operative. Check your recognition cards; my passphrase is echo, stratos, thirty-seven, green. I'll wait while you verify."
"You certainly put him in his place," Web joked.
"Needed to be done," she replied. "Besides, we don't have time for games. That passcode commands a communication from the senior officer in the vicinity. We'll find out who's in charge of that fleet he's talking about."
A minute later the voice returned. "Freighter, your passcode is verified, but it's way out of date. We're holding position; when you find us, form up and we'll do a scan before escorting you any further. Based on what the Admiral says, we'll go from there."
"So now what?" Halley asked Web. They were holding station off the starboard bow of the destroyer, the larger ship's shadow blocking the light of a distant supernova which was the scant light source out here in open space.
"They're going over the results before telling the Admiral what to do with us," Web guessed. "I don't know if this was a smuggling ship; if so, the compartments where many of them are riding are potentially shielded. Either way, the ship is seeing a lot of life signs and that's probably striking them as suspicious."
"Wonderful."
"Freighter," came the now-familiar voice on the comm frequency. "Your cargo is curious, but we are ready to patch you through to the Admiral."
"It needs to be a secure frequency," Web commanded. "I have sensitive information."
"The Admiral will be the judge of that."
Web smacked his hand against the scuffed console in agitation. "This guy's just marking territory. He's so impressed with himself because he's in a destroyer and we're in this rapidly decomposing pile."
"I rarely see you so agitated," Halley remarked. "Just let it blow over, ok? We need the Admiral. And I need to know if you have any opinions on whose side he's on. If he's a Dennix loyalist, these senators are no better off now than when the Primans had them."
"Yeah, I know. I'll behave."
"Commander Web Exeter," they heard a voice on the freq. "This is Admiral Nodam Bak. Rarely do I have someone tossing around SAR codes demanding to speak to me. What say we make this a visual conversation?"
Web broke out in a huge smile and actually laughed quickly, something that Halley wasn't expecting as a possible reaction. "I've love to, Admiral."
Web opened the channel and there was the face of Admiral Bak. There was recognition in the Admiral's eyes as well.
"Glad to see you, Commander Exeter," Admiral Bak began. "I was wondering if I'd see you on the other side of this line. Last I heard you were captured by the Primans."
"I was, sir," Web replied. "I escaped, with some help. And I learned something very amazing that you'll need to see. Please, Admiral, come over so we can show you what we found. It will change the war."
Admiral Bak was relieved to see Web, but still a bit apprehensive. The man was very eager to get him over to the freighter. "Commander, do you remember our meeting by the beach?"
Web knew what the admiral was doing. He was giving him a chance to screw up the details of the story, intentionally
or otherwise. It would be a warning; something wasn't right. With no time to pre-arrange a code or phrases, the best they could do was authenticate based on shared experiences.
"Yes, Admiral. Myself and a few of my superior officers were present. You arrived in quite a little hot rod of a ship, something we talked about. I hope you still have it; I thought it was a great little ride. You asked us to go somewhere and find some special jewelry. The friend I went with is right here, actually. You really should see this, Admiral."
Admiral Bak was as happy as he'd been in months. He'd sent Web at Halley's request to meet her, and a while later was rewarded with the data off Senator Dennix's Priman ring he wore all the time. He'd reviewed the data, stayed holed up in his cabin aboard ship for almost two weeks as he catalogued and indexed all the highlights of the man's treachery. It was a jackpot of incomparable proportions; it was enough to run the man off the planet and probably right into prison. He knew Halley and Web had been responsible for the data, but after that, they'd gone dark. He'd received a quick report from Elco on Avenger once stating that Web had been captured by the Primans and Halley was planning a rescue, but he hadn't realistically expected to hear from either of them ever again.
"I owe you two, and you know why," Bak admitted. "I assume you want me to come alone?"
"That would be best," Web replied, trying to keep a straight face.
Admiral Bak flew the Freedom class transport over to the freighter. He'd brought the entire fleet to where the destroyer and freighter were floating, wanting maximum protection for the assets inside. Captain Montari had almost had a heart attack when Admiral Bak told him he was going over alone to talk to a covert ops team, and had tossed around a handful of pointed and perfectly valid rules regarding why Admiral Bak couldn't go alone. Still, he was the Admiral, at least for now, and he flew over by himself.
