by PJ Strebor
“How soon till you restore shields, Commander?” From the briefing room, Nathan spoke on a secure channel to Deception’s Captain.
“About thirty minutes.” A short pause. “You need to get back aboard.”
“I have a duty to this boat and its crew.”
“As soon as I have my buffers fully restored I’m going to make a run for the frontier. I want you with us.”
“That would be a mistake,” Nathan said.
“Why? It’s the most direct route and it’s not as if they know we’re here.”
As succinctly as he could, Nathan explained about his encounter with Captain Reinhardt and what he had to do to protect the operative’s anonymity.
Spotiswood didn’t reply for nearly a minute. “What are you going to do?”
“Head west.”
“West?”
“They won’t be expecting us to do that,” Nathan said. “It might give us an edge.”
“Hmm, west, aye?” the Commander said. “Then what?”
“I was thinking of running the shoals.”
“The Poseidon Shoals?”
“Yep,” Nathan said. “They shouldn’t be expecting that either.”
Another lengthy pause. “It’s a fair plan. So, we just tag along with you?”
“Think of Adroit as your escort.”
“Right. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to go. What are you doing now?”
“Preparing to kill some of my crew.”
***
Nathan hyperventilated, filling his bloodstream with an abundance of oxygen. When the isolation tank hatch opened, the freezing airless environment of space would hit him like a stun blast. He checked the seat harness. Don’t hold your breath or you’ll rupture organs. Breath out slowly. Ten seconds, you only have to last ten seconds.
The last time he had been exposed to vacuum he’d been a lowly acting ensign on the monitor Truculent. Back then the pressure had been far more intense than now.
Through the clear composite window, Moe and the others waited. Like him they wore V suits, helmets off. Moe, he felt sure, would continue to fret. He took one last breath and nodded to Doctor Jahn.
The hatch snapped open and the bitter cold clawed at his eyes. He breathed out slowly between pursed lips while blinking his eyelids to prevent them from freezing.
His lungs had almost deflated when the hatch closed and air flooded into the tank. He removed his right glove and placed his hand into the sleeve. The seals cut off the blood flow. Jahn took a blood sample and examined it.
“Call clear, Captain,” the doctor said over the speaker.
Moe held up her right thumb. Because of his immunity to the plague it was all for show. Nathan donned his helmet and gloves to give the impression of avoiding being contaminated by the crew. Moe was next. She’d be fine.
Nathan left the isolation tank, arriving at the bridge a minute later.
Ensign Perrie hovered over the tactical display.
“I’ll take over, Leah,” Nathan said.
“Yes, sir.”
Her anticipation clearly showed on her face. He placed a big brotherly hand gently on her shoulder.
“Just remember your training and you’ll be fine,” Nathan said. “And what don’t you do no matter what?”
“I won’t hold my breath, Captain.”
“Good. Off you go.”
He had no doubt that the young officer had kept a close watch on the surrounding space but ran a search pattern anyway. Not surprisingly, clear space greeted him.
***
“If I had access to proper medical facilities I could have saved Heng.” Doctor Jahn shook his head. “Same with Cosperica. She’ll be dead by morning. Too much damage to her lungs and organs. She held her breath.”
“She was young,” Grace said, “she panicked.”
“It’s a tough thing,” Moe said. “But on the big scale, two out of eighty-four are pretty good odds.”
“Unless you’re one of the two.” Nathan knew she was right. They could have lost more. Still, as Captain, the two deaths were on him.
“Thank you doctor,” Nathan said by way of dismissal.
“Mind if I take a look at your hand?”
Nathan held up his left arm and the doctor ran his scanner over it. “That’s coming along nicely. Very nicely. Do you heal quickly, Captain?”
“Yep,” Moe answered for him. “Even as a kid he recovered from injuries that would have anyone else in bed for a month.”
“Then keep doing whatever you’re doing.” Jahn left.
“So, what’s the plan?” Moe asked.
“Dec, the mystery ship should have her buffers charged by now so we’ll head roughly north-west.”
“North-west?” Grace said.
“Yep,” Moe said. “We get into the shipping lanes for Midway. A lot of traffic to help cover our tracks. I suppose you’re going to make a run for the shoals?”
“You bet. And as you know, only headhunters and lunatics run the Poseidon Shoals.”
“You’re taking us through there?” Grace asked.
“Relax Grace,” Moe said. “You have not one but two command pilots on the crew roster. What could possibly go wrong.”
CHAPTER 25
Date: 25th July, 326 ASC
Position: Saint Joan orbit.
Status: Freighter Cormorant, engaged in rescue operations.
Although Cormorant had arrived on time, Captain Reinhardt’s mood remained dark. Nearly a day trapped aboard the claustrophobic landing boat had used up what little patience he had.
“You’ve scanned our boats,” he repeated to the freighter Captain, “have you detected even the slightest reading of plague contamination?”
“No, Captain Reinhardt, not a trace. But I would like to await orders from Midway, sir.”
“You know what I do for a living, right Captain?”
Over his comm he heard the civvy gulp. “Yes sir, you’re sector chief for the intelligence service, sir.”
“Very well then. Under that authority I order you to open your boat bay hatch and let us board.”
“Respectfully, sir, you’ll have to take responsibility for that. Ah, sir.”
“I just did. Now open the fucking hatch.”
After boarding Cormorant, Reinhardt marched directly to the comm room. The communications officer turned as he entered. His mouth opened in protest.
“Get out,” Reinhardt said. The tech froze, noted his insignia, then left.
Finally alone, he reported on the disaster to headquarters on Midway. It would take weeks to receive a reply but he’d done his duty. In this sector of the Empire, four complete battleship task forces were engaged in naval exercises along the frontier. That was a turn of luck.
Switching to military frequency he sent a broad band transmission to all Pruessen naval units in the sector. After sending verification of his status he took a breath and began.
“To all warships. Be aware. There are two enemy vessels in our space. One is an Athenian monitor the other is of unknown designation. They are not to be destroyed unless absolutely necessary. Capture intact if possible. However, they must not be allowed to escape. Cover all routes leading south.” He was about to sign off when he remembered the final formality. “Long live the Emperor.” It irked him to have to send the comm. At no better than light speed the message would take weeks to get to Midway. Bloody stupid regulations.
He keyed his comm. “Captain, this is Reinhardt.”
“Yes, sir,” the freighter captain said.
“How many courier boats does your ship carry?”
“Four sir.”
“I’m requisitioning them,” Reinhardt said. “Have them ready to go in twenty minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
He cut the connection. Good dog.
Sitting back he rubbed his face. “I’ll send two couriers to locate and inform the southern fleets to set a search grid,” he mused aloud. “One will go to Midway and rally forces
. The last one will seek out the fifteenth and twenty-fourth fleets patrolling the Oberon Cluster. The battlegroup has E boats. I like stealth boats for this mission. Once they arrive I will personally track down Hans.” He went to work creating four sets of orders that the couriers would hand to the fleet commanders. Under his considerable authority no one would be foolish enough to refuse. He stood and tried to stretch the kicks out of his back. “I need a hot shower. And an E boat squadron would be nice too. Yes, I’d love to be the one to catch up with Hans. Or whatever the fucker’s name is.”
CHAPTER 26
No shame in running, fleeing disaster, even in pitch darkness. Better to flee from death than feel its grip.
Agamemnon, in Homer, The Iliad, c. 800 BC.
Date: 29th July, 326 ASC
Position: On course for Midway.
Status: Adroit transiting hyperspace.
After transiting hyperspace south for an hour, Adroit and Deception egressed and set course north-west. The ploy had been for the benefit of the Pruessen landing boats sitting in orbit and undoubtedly observing their heading.
Ensign Leah Perrie hoped they would make the obvious assumption and report that Adroit and her consort, the mystery boat, would be making a run for the southern frontier. Now, within the shipping lanes for Midway, they would, hopefully, be identified as just another light freighter.
Leah had been assigned to gray watch, 2400 hours to 0600, holding down the helm while Lieutenant Okuma got some much overdue rest. The skipper had been badgered by the D-O to do the same. Telford and Okuma were the most obvious of friends, yet the skipper had left her to die on the Saint Joan base. Leah doubted if she could have made the same agonizing choice. They worked as a team with such cohesion that it boggled her mind. It seemed as if they could read one another’s minds. She wondered if they had a thing going on between them but wisely chose to keep her mouth shut on the subject.
She admired the skipper’s decisive nature. He didn’t procrastinate, he acted. Captain Winstone’s incompetency shone like a lone star next to Telford’s no nonsense approach. He’d get his own boat one day and Leah hoped to be part of his first crew. She sniffed. Yeah, you’ve got a lot to learn before that happens.
Lieutenant Ruvera had hacked into the base computer back on Saint Joan, and downloaded a massive amount of intell. Including star maps of the entire Pruessen Empire. Without them, Adroit would be flying blind.
“Helm report.” Lieutenant Rudderman held down the D-O’s position while Ruvera rested. After an eventful two days most of the crew were tucked away in their racks, leaving a skeleton crew to look after the boat. While in hyper nothing usually happened.
“On course, sir. I’ve allowed for hyper drift,” she added hastily. She’d forgotten to do so last time and Rudderman, not a fun character at the best of times, had reamed her. “We are seven point two hours from our egression point.”
“Very well.” Leah heard him yawn. Knowing how contagious a yawn could be she fought the compulsion to copy him.
Grey watch was worthy of a yawn, but someone had to keep an eye out for the boat. Leah rubbed her eyes. The tactical readouts were tied into her panel so the momentary blip caught her attention. She sharpened the image, using passive readings only.
“Lieutenant, I have a reading, sir.”
“What? Ah, do you know what it is?”
“Not at this stage. It’s another vessel. I don’t think it’s on the same harmonics as us but I’m not sure. Should we contact the Captain?”
“Are you kidding?” Rudderman said. “If I don’t, he’ll tear strips off me.”
The Lieutenant reported the situation to the skipper and a few minutes later he stepped onto the bridge. His hair hung loosely and his feet were bare. With his usual purpose he strode to the tactical station and rubbed sleep from his eyes, before examining the readings. Within a minute he’d made his decision.
“We’re in the shipping lanes to Midway so we’ve probably got a freighter ahead of us.” He rubbed the bump above his right eyebrow. “Helm, reduce speed to two-thirds and maintain.”
“Aye, sir.”
“And keep an eye on her, Leah,” he said. “Let me know of any changes, immediately. Understood?”
“Yes, Captain,” Leah said.
“Good.” He stood and brushed hair from his face. “Well done, you two. Keep at it.”
And just like that he returned to his quarters.
CHAPTER 27
Date: 2nd August, 326 ASC
Position: On course for Midway.
Status: E boat, E 911 transiting hyperspace.
Eight days and no sign of the Athenian boats. With hundreds of ships covering the southern frontier, and more on the way, they could not have slipped through the blockade. Captain Reinhardt sipped his coffee while contemplating his enemy. He’s a slippery one, that Hans. But I’ll get you. The Pruessen Captain had an ace up his sleeve that Hans wouldn’t see coming, until it was too late.
“First, you have to find him,” Reinhardt conceded. “Now, if I was an Athenian trying to get home, and a smart sneaky one at that, what would I do?” He examined the three dimensional star map of the sector for the tenth time. “Yeah, I’d head away from the most obvious escape route. Try to stay undetected. But I’d have to turn south eventually. So where?”
Reinhardt was smart and knew it, but he lacked combat experience. He keyed his mike. “Captain, might I have a word.”
“Of course, sir.”
Captain Kramer stepped into the briefing room. “How may I be of assistance to you, sir?”
“I need a fresh perspective,” Reinhardt said. “A military appraisal, if you will.”
Kramer nodded.
“You are an enemy captain trying to escape Pruessen space, but the most direct route,” he highlighted the approaches to Francorum and Athens, are heavily blockaded. You are in the finest stealth boat in Tunguska. Where would you cross the frontier?”
Kramer examined the map for a minute.
“Am I a risk taker?” Kramer asked.
“Most definitely.”
“There,” he said, pointing to the spot on the frontier.
“Yes, that’s risky all right,” Reinhardt said.
“If I had half the Pruessen the navy searching for me, that risky option would look mighty appealing.”
Yes it would, to him. “Thank you, Captain,” Reinhardt said. “Set course for the Poseidon Shoals.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Reinhardt stared at the map and smiled.
CHAPTER 28
Date: 7th August, 326 ASC
Position: On course for the Poseidon Shoals.
Status: Adroit transiting hyperspace.
“We’ll hit the shoals in ten hours, Captain,” Moe reported. “I suggest we egress in eight hours and charge our buffers.”
“Very well,” Nathan said.
“Scans are clear, Captain,” Willet said from tactical.
“Good to hear.”
Everything looked fine but Nathan could not escape a feeling of uneasiness. Something on the boat felt wrong. He’d been sensing that for the last twelve days but had been unable to isolate it. And something about the shoals didn’t ring true either. Maybe I’m just being paranoid.
Ensign Perrie and Lieutenant Rudderman stepped onto the bridge. The youngsters had done well and almost never disturbed his rest time.
“Reporting for gray watch, Captain,” Rudderman said.
“Very well, David.” Nathan wanted to yawn but held it back. Yes, get some sleep, recharge the buffers and make a run for home through the shoals. Still the uncertainty lingered.
***
“Zero-five-thirty hours, Captain,” the SMC said.
“Very well.” Nathan swung his legs over the side of his rack and groaned. He should be refreshed by his five and a half hours sleep, but a troubled sleep is an incomplete one. He showered and shaved before stepping onto the bridge.
“Good morning, David.”
<
br /> “Good morning, Captain.”
“Anything worth mentioning?”
“On gray watch?”
Nathan chuckled. “Leah, are our scans clear?”
“Aye, sir. I haven’t spotted anything since we turned south.”
Nathan would only get worried if they spotted another vessel. No one, bar the odd foolhardy headhunter, approached the shoals.
“Very well, carry on.”
He stepped into the mess minutes later.
“Mornin’, skip,” Delano said. “What can I tempt you with today?”
“Something less poisonous than your usual foul concoctions would make for a nice change, cookie.”
“I have some of that square head bacon left and one egg.”
“Better include some toast with that. If I’m going to yack it up I’d like some variety in the texture.”
“Not a problem, skip.” Delano grinned. “Just give me a few minutes.”
Delano wasn’t a bad cook but tradition demanded that he receive nothing but the very finest criticism.
Nathan prepared his morning coffee, with the prerequisite quantities of sugar and cream, before joining Moe.
“Did you sleep all right, for a change?” she asked.
“Eventually.”
Moe too had gone for the bacon option.
Nathan rubbed his bump.
“Hey, don’t worry,” Moe whispered. “It’s a good plan. With any luck we’ll be in friendly space by tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not getting one of your feelings again, are you?”
Nathan nodded.
“Nate,” she whispered, “I’m not saying to ignore your instincts but really, what could go wrong? We’ve had zero contact with any shipping for days, so unless the square heads have suddenly become clairvoyant, they won’t know we’re here. Right?”
He nodded then took a sip of his disgusting brew. Grace joined them.
“Some bugger beat me to the last egg,” she complained.
