"The conflict is over," Jenetta said, "for the present. One of our spotter ships has confirmed that the fleet passed their location after one hour; and we're waiting now to hear that the last ship has passed. We have the coordinates of the bases that they established and we'll need to send someone to verify that they've gone, but that will be left to someone else."
"I'm dying to know, Admiral," Gavin said. "Where did you find all those mercenaries? And I didn't even know that Arrosa had any warships capable of taking on the Milori."
"I sent our agents to Scruscotto with two objectives. One was to learn anything they could about the Milori fleets. It was their information that allowed us to prepare properly for the arrival of the two Milori fleets today. Their second objective was to hire as many ships as possible for a simple job. They were to come here and wait to be called upon, and then move in just close enough for the Milori to pick them up on their DeTect monitors."
"There was a fleet of mercenary warships at Scruscotto?"
"No. The fleet was only to move in close enough to appear as a blip on the Milori screens, but not close enough for them to see that the ships were all freighters, adjusted in size to appear like battleships, cruisers, frigates, and destroyers."
"Freighters?" Captain Gavin exclaimed loudly. "You hired freighters? You got the Milori to surrender, sign a peace treaty, and retreat by threatening them with a fleet of freighters?"
The captains of all the ships started to laugh, and laugh hard. A couple laughed so hard that they started to choke and their First Officers had to slap them on the back. The laughter was their release from the tension of the past days, weeks, and months.
"Essentially," Jenetta said, shrugging. "If it hadn't worked, we would have been no worse off."
"What about the Arrosians?"
"They provided their merchant fleet for free. And all freighter captains had orders to go immediately to faster than light speed if I issued the order to 'scram'. They couldn't be harmed once they were moving."
The captains burst out in laughter again.
"Admiral," Captain Payton of the Thor said, as tears ran down his cheeks, "that's the wildest, and the greatest, example of innovative battle strategy that I've ever heard. You had that Milori officer soiling himself, and all the time those 'reserve' warships were mere freighters."
"But why didn't you tell us, Admiral?" Captain Powers of the Chiron asked.
"I didn't want to create any false expectations of hope with what was a last ditch attempt to avoid a battle. If it didn't work, there was just the twelve of us against two-hundred-six enemy ships, less the dozen destroyed by our minefield. I was bluffing all the way, from the minute that the Milora first hailed me."
"I, for one, am very glad that Admiral Jenetta Carver was here to develop and execute the tactical plan for this engagement," Captain Hyden of the Bellona said. "I doubt that anyone else in the service could have routed the enemy today without firing a single shot."
A chorus of exuberant voices echoed the sentiment.
"We were all very lucky today," Jenetta said. "A celebration party for senior officers will be held on the Prometheus tonight at 1900 hours. I suspect that your crews are waiting to hear the good news about the Milori retreat so I won't keep you any longer. After the shipboard expressions of jubilation die down, we can link up the ships. I hope to see each of you later. Dismissed."
Jenetta arrived at the celebration party a few minutes before 1900 hours and welcomed with applause from everyone who had arrived before her. All of the captains were there, including the three from the damaged ships. They had arrived earlier by space tug. Most first officers were still on watch but a few had exchanged their duty schedule with their ship's second officer and made it to the party. Most of the intelligence agents had come, and there was a large contingent of Arrosians.
Jenetta moved around the room speaking with everyone. The officer's mess had really outdone themselves when they laid out the fantastic buffet. There was an entire table for salads, another for entrees, and another for deserts. Few people at the party weren't carrying a dish filled with all of their favorite foods. To accommodate the Arrosians, engineering had constructed a temporary, raised platform in the front of each table. The taller people at the party could simply lean over it.
Few of the officers were talking with the Arrosians, so Jenetta spent plenty of time with them. She listened to their troubles and praised their bravery and generosity. She had them all eating out of her hand before the party was half over.
Jenetta found Vyx standing against a wall by himself, sipping a drink, as she wandered about the room. "Reminds me of the first time that we met," she said.
He nodded. "Yes, it does have a familiar feel. But you were just a mere Commander back then."
Jenetta laughed. "Yes, things have changed. At least you're not walking off this time."
"I didn't walk, Admiral, I ran. You scared the hell out of me. I couldn't fathom how the first officer on a ship could know so many details about my supposedly secret investigation. You knew more about my activities than I did."
"I'm sorry that I made you so nervous," Jenetta said. "The Alliance owes you a great debt of gratitude for the job you've done for us out here."
"I'm glad that I could help."
"I can just imagine what your expense account is going to look like this month."
"It won't be too bad. I mostly used money that I earned as a trader. Speaking of which, I'd like you to arrange to get me through Kopprecon customs without being checked."
"Kopprecon? What's up? A little smuggling work?"
"Yes, but nothing harmful or dangerous. I wouldn't do anything that would cause problems. The individual who provided the information about the Milori, offered me the job. I have to keep my reputation as a thoroughly disreputable person intact."
Jenetta smiled. "Okay, Trader. Get the details to Commander Ashraf and I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, Admiral."
"Where's Brenda?"
"She went to find out what's happened to Kathryn. Ah, here they come now."
Jenetta stayed and talked to the three agents for a while and then moved on to a group of captains who were laughing loudly. As soon as Jenetta was out of hearing range, Vyx said to Brenda, "Still think that Admiral Carver has been mothballed at Stewart?"
"Okay, I was wrong. And I still can't get over the fact that she looks so much younger than me."
As Jenetta approached the group of captains, they parted to admit her.
"Join us, Admiral," Captain Crosby of the Ottawa said. "We were trying to see if we could come up with a recorded battle plan even more audacious than yours, but we haven't been successful."
"The Bible talks about Gideon," Jenetta said, "who with three hundred warriors defeated the Midianite army. He attacked in the middle of the night, having his men smash jars and blow horns or yell, while waving torches. The enemy awoke startled and confused. Believing that it was an attack by an overwhelming force, they fled their camp. Gideon's men pursued them and slew many. Gideon was able to slay the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunnah, the people allegedly responsible for the death of his brothers."
Captain Crosby smiled. "As I recall, Gideon started with thirty-two thousand warriors and purposely sent all but three hundred home, just before the battle. He must have wanted the victory to look spectacular. He obviously wasn't worried about the outcome, believing that divine intervention would produce the desired result."
"Still, I think that anyone would have to admit that Gideon's plan was pretty audacious," she said, smiling. "Mine was simply a plan born in desperation. I hope that I'm never put into such a position again."
"That's what makes it so incredible, Admiral," Captain Yung of the Song said. "Unlike Gideon's, our situation seemed hopeless. We were all resigned to the fact that this would be our last day. I doubt if there was anyone on board my ship that didn't prepare a "final" message home. And then, with seemingly nothing left to do except en
gage in a fight to the death, you bluff the commander of an enemy force that outnumbered us more than sixteen to one, into unconditional surrender and signing a peace treaty. I'd like to watch you play poker sometime."
"I'd like to see the face on that Milora when he learns how you fooled him," Captain Goran of the Beijing said. "With so many freighter crews involved, there's no way that this will remain secret for long. I bet Dwillaak throws a temper tantrum that frightens his entire crew out of ten years of their lives."
"We're not likely to see him again," Captain White of the Romanov said. "He'll probably be relieved of command as soon as the Emperor learns of his surrender. He'll be disgraced and probably expected to fall on his sword so that his clan can save face."
"Will they abide by the treaty that he agreed to?" Captain Remia of the Plantaganet asked.
"They'll probably abide by it for a while," Captain Wong of the Buenos Aires said. "They'll want to rebuild their fleet before they attack again. Then they'll find some pretext to void the treaty the way they tried to void our prior claim to this territory."
"They obviously have expansionist plans for their Empire, and see us as a significant impediment to those plans," Jenetta said. "Given the distance from the Milori Empire, those fleets must have been dispatched within months of the Galactic Alliance's Declaration to annex this territory. The Milori probably decided that they had to stop us before we annexed even more of the territory they planned to annex. Although their border is five hundred light-years beyond our new outer border, they must have had designs on this space. With luck, we'll have several years to prepare for their return."
"So we clearly can't let down our guard," Captain Pope of the Geneva said. "By the way, what's happened to those ships that were on their way to Stewart, Admiral? We could have used some help."
"I decided to have the ones who reached Stewart, form a picket line one light-year this side of the base, where they set up another electronics grid to stop the Milori. Most couldn't have reached us in time for the battle, so they became the second line of defense for the GA. It was my hope that we could damage the Milori so badly that they'd have to stay here for months while they made repairs. If they had decided to push on immediately, with just the ships that were still battle ready, I hoped that we would have whittled their number down by as much as half. In any event, the next line of ships should have had a much smaller force with which to contend. By the time the Milori got past Stewart, they might have only had one-quarter of their fleet still intact. They couldn't continue their invasion plans like that. They would have been forced to wait while they repaired more ships. That would have given the sixty-five additional ships headed for Stewart, some much needed time to assemble and prepare to meet them."
"When then Commander Carver was promoted to the rank of captain, following the Raider attempt to seize Stewart," Captain Powers of the Chiron said, "I was honored to stand in for Admiral Holt and pin on her new insignia. At that time, I told her that I couldn't think of anyone who deserved the promotion more. I feel that way about her promotion to Admiral as well. I know, as all of you do, that she greatly desires a ship posting, but as Admiral Holt has said, she serves where sent without complaint, and serves spectacularly. I'd like to propose a toast to Admiral Carver. She has served the Galactic Alliance most spectacularly during this difficult period, as she always does."
Everyone raised his or her glass to complete the toast, saying simultaneously, "Admiral Carver." Jenetta smiled and swallowed the lump that suddenly materialized in her throat. Billy, there as captain of the Mentuhotep, was looking at her and smiling. She could tell from the look that he was proud of her.
"Thank you. I appreciate your dedication to duty, and the support that you've always given me. Steve is correct when he says that my heart is with all of you on board your ships, but HQ sees me in a different role, at least for now. We're Space Command officers and we go where sent and do the job assigned.
"It's been my very great privilege and honor to have served with you during this crisis. I'll be returning to Stewart shortly, leaving most of you to remain here until this mess is cleaned up. We can't very well just leave all these Milori warships here where they can be stripped of their weapons by scavengers. They'll have to be guarded as our tugs tow them to Stewart. A few of you will also have to stand guard over the Asuncion, Buenos Aires, and Cairo as they're towed home. Eventually we'll all meet up at Stewart several months from now because each of the ships in this task force still requires months of work to complete needed repairs.
"Thank you for the toast. I'm also delighted that matters have turned out as well as they have." Jenetta paused for a couple of seconds. "I'd like to propose a toast also. This toast is to you, the other officers, and the crewmembers that have served Space Command so loyally and been prepared to make, or have made, the ultimate sacrifice in defense of comrades and all the people of the Galactic Alliance. To Space Command."
"To Space Command," everyone said in unison as they clicked their glasses and took a sip of their drinks.
"To absent friends and comrades," Captain Gavin said, raising his glass again.
"To absent friends and comrades," everyone chimed in and then took another sip.
"I think that I'll get a plate of food before it's all gone," Jenetta said. "Enjoy yourselves."
As Jenetta selected her favorite foods from the tables, all of which were still overflowing with food, Gavin came up alongside her. "You did good, Jen. Your eyes reflect the sadness you're feeling about losing so many people, but there wasn't anything that you could have done to prevent it. Put it behind you."
"I'm not really blaming myself, Larry, because I know that I did the best that I could, but I am deeply saddened by our losses here. After everyone arrives back at Stewart, we'll have a memorial ceremony. Perhaps then, I'll be able to stop thinking so much about the people I lost. I knew most of the officers that were killed, so I'll be preparing personal messages to their families." She sighed. "And I have far too many messages to send."
Gavin nodded. "Have you reported to Supreme Headquarters yet?"
"No, not yet. I don't know exactly how to tell them about my bluff."
"Just tell them what happened. They can make their own minds up about everything. They will anyway."
"How can I tell them that I hired freighters to scare away an enemy invasion fleet that might have run rampant through our space? They'll think that I've gone insane. You know, I'm still hoping to get a ship someday."
Gavin chuckled. "It does sound a little crazy when you put it like that; but they'll understand that you took practically nothing, and turned it into something. I practically fell out of my chair when all those ships showed up on the DeTect monitors in response to you waving your hand. It was as if you were conjuring them from thin air. I understand how the Milori commander must have felt."
It was Jenetta's turn to chuckle. "I should have told you, but I wasn't sure that the freighter captains wouldn't cut and run at the sight of the Milori fleet. Many things had to go right for it to work. We were very lucky."
"As I've said in the past, I've grown very fond of your luck."
Jenetta stopped procrastinating the next morning and prepared her report to Supreme Headquarters. She included the bridge vid logs and sensor logs from the Prometheus with the report. Each of the captains would also be filing their own reports with all the supporting documentation available and Supreme Headquarters would create a complete computer simulation of the events that would be studied by the experts for months, or longer. They had already expended thousands of man-hours studying the information from the first conflict, and examining the performance of each ship in minute detail.
* * *
Chapter Twenty-One
~ June 23rd, 2277 ~
Admiral Moore took his seat at the center of the large horseshoe shaped table in the enormous meeting hall that the Admiralty Board used for their sessions and called the meeting to order. The other admirals were
all present, their aides sitting dutifully behind them, but the gallery was empty today.
"Now that everyone here has reviewed the simulation data, and we have all the reports from our assessment teams, it's time to discuss the performance of our officers during the conflict," Admiral Moore said.
"I agree with the War College findings," Admiral Platt said. "We know that deaths will naturally occur during any major conflict, and although our losses were quite severe in the war with the Milori, the loss of life was significantly lower than anyone could have hoped for, given the size and armament of the opposing force. The ship captains performed splendidly, and the battle plan for the initial engagement was nothing less than inspired."
"I concur," Admiral Hillaire said, "but I think that we all agreed on that months ago, after Admiral Carver submitted her initial report on the engagement. After all, that's why we gave her a second star. I think that we should limit our discussion to the second confrontation now."
"What are you suggesting, Arnold, that Admiral Carver shouldn't be commended for the second confrontation?"
"Not at all, Evelyn. I think that she pulled off what can only be described as one of the greatest battlefield stratagems in history. If she didn't already have a Medal of Honor, I'd recommend her for one."
"She did nothing heroic," Admiral Hubera said. "All she did was pull a monumental bluff on an enemy commander. You think that she deserves the Medal of Honor for hiring a bunch of freighters to pose as a fleet of warships?"
"Yes, Donald, I do. Space Command was unable to get a battle fleet to her, so she proceeded to convince the Milori that she had an overwhelming opposing force anyway. They believed it, or the Milori commanding officer would never have agreed to surrender and leave the Frontier Zone, then agree to a treaty in which they ceded another hundred light-years of space outside our established border for Admiral Carver's proposed Buffer Zone."
Milor! Page 30
