by PJ Strebor
“Yeah,” Nathan said. “Take it away.”
“Admiral,” Moe said, “I would like your permission to take Adroit, and Captain Vogel, on a scouting mission.”
“To Lucifer?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You and Adroit, yes, Vogel, no.”
“May I ask why, sir?” Nathan asked.
“Quite frankly, captain, I don’t like the idea of your E boat being left unattended. You say your crew are seeking asylum, but there is no precedent for a defecting Pruessen naval vessel. I would prefer you to be aboard her to keep an eye on things.”
“I understand your reasoning, Admiral,” Nathan said, “but I have as many Athenians aboard the boat as Pruessens. Also Lieutenant Willett is a seasoned officer with combat experience. We’ve both been on that boat for months. If the crew were anything but trustworthy one of us would have twigged.”
“Additionally, Admiral,” Moe said, “Nathan and I have worked together very effectively in the past. He’s an asset I need on this mission, sir.”
“Plus, sir, Adroit is the only true stealth boat in this flotilla,” Nathan said. “We transit in, take a quick look around and transit out.”
“Yes sir,” Moe said. “Easy breezy.”
Silence lingered in the air like an impending threat until Knott chuckled. “You two are quite the double act, aren’t you?” He considered the proposal for a moment longer. “Vogel, can you guarantee that your Pruessens will behave themselves during your absence?”
“Without hesitation, Admiral.”
“Captain Okuma, when did you have in mind for your easy breezy?”
“As soon as your doctor gives us both shots of her voodoo juice, sir.”
Knott nodded. “Very well, you two, permission granted.”
***
Nathan stepped onto the E boat’s bridge. “Willett, briefing room. You two as well,” he said to Ryden and Krause. Resting on the edge of the briefing table he took in Ensign Rudi Willett’s boyish face.
“I’ve been called away on an intell mission,” Nathan said. “While I’m gone Lieutenant Willett will be in command.”
“I’m an ensign, sir.”
“No Rudi, you are a highly experienced full-grade lieutenant,” Nathan said. “At least that’s the story you’ll all tell, if anyone checks in.”
The two Pruessens were not impressed.
“After what we’ve all been through,” Nathan said, “you deserve better than this. I’m sorry, but this is how it has to be.”
“Sir,” Willett said, “I’m not up for this. Not yet.”
“He’s right,” Krause said.
“Of course he’s right, and that’s why you two will advise him. Rudi, basically do whatever Commander Ryden says. If enemy ships turn up the boat will be yours, Ernst. Questions?”
“So after all we’ve been through,” Krause said, “your people still don’t trust us.”
Nathan could fully understand the bitterness in Krause’s words.
“It’s the way things are, Werner, so get used to it,” Ryden said. “You don’t undo thirty years of conditioned thinking overnight. I’ve a feeling we’re going get a lot more of that same reaction over the next few years. But since the alternative is death, we’ll take it on the chin and hope for the best.”
“I should be back in four days,” Nathan said. “Mister Willett, the boat is yours. More or less.”
CHAPTER 79
Date: 7th January, 327 ASC.
Position: Adroit traversing hyperspace, en-route to the planet Lucifer. League of Allied Worlds.
Adroit came to a dead stop at Lucifer’s inner marker. Grace sat at the tactical station while Moe hovered behind Nathan who manned the helm. Reaching out with his senses, Nathan could detect no danger around their egression point. He brought the boat through the hyper perforation and into normal space.
From the edge of the inner marker Lucifer resembled a small golden ball. Nathan was mildly surprised that no picket guarded the I-M. Still, if they were so self-assured of their invulnerability, that sort of misguided overconfidence could work in their favor.
“Grace are you getting anything?” Moe asked Adroit’s D-O.
“Even on passive,” Grace said from the tactical station, “I’m picking up a lot of ships.”
“Captain,” Nathan said. “Mind if I go downstairs?”
Moe nodded and leaned into his ear. “Are you going to do that thing you do?”
“Yeah. It’s clearer if I’m in line of sight.”
“Off you go.” Moe slipped into the vacated helm chair.
Nathan strapped into the combat chair and descended into the combat sphere. Sitting in the darkened sphere he began the slow deep breathing exercise which would take him into a meditative state.
“SMC, prepare to activate holo-panels on my mark. Maximum magnification, real time image.”
“Confirmed, Captain,” the machine voice said. “Awaiting your mark.”
“SMC, mark.”
It took fifteen seconds for all panels to activate. Nathan took those seconds to go deeper into theta level. Totally calm and focused he reached out with his senses stretching them to their limits.
Danger tore at him. Intense and almost overwhelming. Sharpening his focus he calibrated the strength of the danger to the ship he scanned. Six ships out of the couple of dozen screamed the utmost danger. Battleships perhaps. Heavy cruisers and destroyers. A massive fleet.
Pain seared his exposed mind as the other invaded, probing deeper and deeper. Nathan opened his eyes and fought to break contact. Claws stroked his mind, tearing at him. Intense pain, inexorable pain, and strong, so strong.
“No, no, no,” he screamed. “Get the fuck out of my head,” he roared. He wept as he finally broke free. He sat for some time, resting from his ordeal.
Retrieving to the bridge he tried to rub the pain from the back of his eyes.
He jumped as Moe touched his shoulder.
“You all right?” she asked, concern written on her face.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Nathan said, marveling at the weakness of his voice. “Now.”
“Grace, report,” Moe said.
“I’ve got all I’m going to get,” she said.
Through a blur Nathan sensed Moe taking the boat into hyper. He tried to move but his exhaustion was such that he lacked the energy to unbuckle. He drifted in a sea of nausea and pain. Moe said something, but he couldn’t make it out. Then, as if in a dream, gentle hands lifted him from his chair, before the darkness took him.
***
Slowly, as if rising from a hundred-year sleep, Nathan began to return to the world. A few times he got his eyes open before drifting away again. Once, he awoke to find Doctor Jahn hovering over him. A hiss from a hypo and back to la la land. Finally the shock to his system self-healed and he remained awake.
As his focus cleared he took in the captain’s quarters. Someone must have carried his unconscious body here. Swinging his legs over the rack he tried to stand but his trembling knees refused to cooperate.
“Bugger.”
The hatch opened.
“Wadda ya think you’re doing?” Moe said.
“Nathan,” Grace said, “back into bed with you.”
Although he tried to resist, the two women wrestled him back into his rack then stood back and stared at him like a pair of overzealous guard dogs.
“There’s got to be a regulation against this sort of behavior.” Nathan felt powerless against his two protectors. “I don’t need a pair of nannies fussing over me.”
Moe sat on the edge of his rack and took his hand. She’d never shown affection in that manner.
“You were out for thirty-six-hours.”
Nathan was stunned into silence.
“The doc says you were suffering from extreme mental trauma and kept you comatose to allow time for your body and mind time to heal. So heal.”
“I’m fine.”
“Oh yeah?” Moe smile
d. “Try and get up.”
Nathan did try but Moe held him down with one hand. He stopped struggling against the inevitable and lay back. He couldn’t contain an exasperated sigh.
“That’s better,” Moe said. “Let the doc give you the once over then we’ll see about feeding you.”
He nodded, his irritation clear.
“We were very worried about you, Nathan,” Grace said.
“So, what happened?” Moe asked.
Nathan held her eyes. “Saxon happened.”
“Fuck me,” Moe gasped. “Again? I thought you blew up his ship.”
Nathan couldn’t believe it himself. “This guy is really pissing me off. He’s either very smart or the luckiest prick in Tunguska.”
“He nearly killed you,” Grace said.
“Has he tried something like this before?” Moe asked.
“No, but this time I stretched my senses to their limit. That must have given him a way in.” Haunted by the jarring experience Nathan stared into nothingness.
Doctor Jahn arrived minutes later and made a complete medical examination.
“He’s weakened by whatever did this to him, but he’s healing at a rapid rate. He’ll be fine.”
“See?” Nathan said and tried to get up.
“You’ll be fine if you rest,” Jahn added. He turned to Moe. “Captain, I recommend a high intake of protein to help get him on his feet.”
“Thanks, doc,” Moe said. “Grace, could you take care of that.”
The D-O nodded, looked at Nathan and left.
“How far out are we?” Nathan asked.
“Six hours.”
“Then that’s how long I’ve got to get back on my feet.”
Jahn turned to leave.
“Luther, stay,” Nathan said.
“Yes, Captain?” the doctor asked.
“Is there anything in your bag of tricks that can temporarily block neural activity?”
Jahn rubbed his chin. “Yes, but it’s not without risk. Whose brain function do you need blocked?”
“Mine.”
“For how long?”
He looked to Moe for the time it would take to get to Lucifer from the I-M.
“Seven hours,” Moe said.
“May I ask,” Jahn said, “why you would want to do such a thing?”
“I have my reasons, Luther. Can you do it or not?”
“The quick answer is yes,” he said. “The prudent answer is I don’t recommend it.”
“Noted,” Nathan said. “What’s involved?”
“It’s simple enough. I inject sullaroid into your brainstem. That will slow your neural activity within a minute. Then I administer a dose of misalate to bring you back.”
“What are the risks, doc?” Moe asked.
“The drugs are used in extreme cases where extensive cerebral surgery is performed. I’ve heard of people being under for twelve hours and sometimes they awake fully cognizant after surgery. Sometimes there can be complications. Brain damage.”
“That’s it then,” Moe said. “It’s too dangerous. You can’t do this, Nate.”
“Thanks mother, but it’s not your choice. All right doc give me the odds.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Jahn said. “After five hundred years of research and learning we still know remarkably little about the brain. It’s medicine’s last great frontier.”
Nathan frowned. “You get that.”
***
Nathan belched then patted his enlarged stomach. The bowl of venison stew was delicious but he hadn’t enjoyed forcing the second bowl down. The boat’s cook, CPO Driscoll, had outdone himself. Nathan could feel his strength slowly returning. He dozed in his rack until Adroit returned to Cimmeria.
With his two nannies standing by to catch him, Nathan got unsteadily to his feet. His slight giddiness passed quickly.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“Do you think you can make it to the boat bay?” Grace asked.
“I’ll make it,” he said between set teeth.
He was staggering by the time he slumped into a chair aboard LB one. Moe fitted his harness before disappearing onto the flight deck. His vision had cleared by the time the landing boat hadcome aboard HMS Renown.
The same young lieutenant greeted them as they disembarked. A minute later they joined Admiral Knot and Captain Garner in Renown’s briefing room. Nathan stifled a groan as he fell into a seat.
“Are you all right, Nathan?” Garner asked.
He smiled and nodded.
“I have a feeling that I’m not going to like what you have to say,” Admiral Knott said, “but let’s have it.”
“Admiral,” Moe said, “our assumption that the enemy are using Lucifer as a staging area is correct. Our best estimate is that they have assembled six battleships or battle cruisers, eight heavy cruiser, a dozen destroyers and an indeterminate number of E boats. At least one of those E boats is a light carrier, equivalent to an Athenian monitor escort boat.”
Admiral Knott looked as if someone had sucker punched him in the gut. Silence hung in the air for nearly a minute before Knott cleared his throat.
“I’m open to any suggestions,” he said, his voice dull with resignation.
“Attack,” Nathan said.
Knott said nothing but instead stared at Nathan.
“If we wait for them to dictate terms, they’ll massacre us,” Nathan continued. “So if Captain Garner is up for a fight, and I know that she is, I propose that we pay Lucifer a visit.”
“Go on,” the admiral said.
“This will be a pure stealth operation, sir,” Nathan said. “Captain Garner and her three squadrons of mark four Specters, plus Adroit and E 692. Under stealth we close with the enemy hit them hard, hit them fast then withdraw.”
“I don’t like your chances of getting out in one piece,” Knott said.
“That’s why we have to do it stealthily and quickly,” Nathan said. “The idea isn’t to destroy their heavy units - that’s not feasible. The operation will be to damage them enough to delay their attack. Perhaps long enough for our reinforcements arrive.”
“Captain Garner,” Knott said, “what do you think?”
She chuckled. “It’s just the sort of ballsy tactics I’d expect from Telford. Yes sir, it’s a sound plan but as he said we’ll have to make it fast. One pass?”
“No more than one pass,” Nathan said. “Any longer and they’ll bring their big guns to bear on us.” He smiled wryly. “That would be bad.”
“Captain Okuma?”
“Yes sir,” Moe said, “it’s the only option we have.”
Knott sighed. “Very well, you have a go.”
It wasn’t hard for Nathan to sense remorse from the Admiral. This was probably the first time in his career he had order people to their deaths.
CHAPTER 80
Attack inspires a soldier, it adds to his power, rouses his self reliance, and confuses the enemy. The side attacked always overestimates the strength of the attacker.
Field Marshal Carl von Clausewitz, On War, 1832.
Date: 10th January, 327 ASC.
Position: Cimmerian outer marker. League of Allied Worlds space.
Acting Captain Moe Okuma brought Landing Boat one aboard E 692 and parked it in a hangar.
Ensign Willet awaited her.
“Welcome aboard, Skipper,” he said.
“I’d like to say I’m happy to be here,” Moe said, glancing about the bay.
“Don’t worry skip, the crew aren’t that bad once you get used to them.”
Willet led the way through the boat. It looked primitive by comparison with a monitor, exposed conduits and manually-operated dampeners. Despite her misgivings the boat had worked most effectively in combat.
She passed a number of the crew who nodded respectfully. Fucking square heads.
The lift opened on deck one. Willet headed for his station while Moe hit the admit button for the briefing room. She stepped across the coamin
g. Nathan awaited her, with a Pruessen officer.
“Welcome aboard,” Nathan said.
“Yeah,” Moe said. She ran a discourteous eye over the square head.
Nathan tucked his cheeks in.
“Could you excuse us for a minute, Ernst.”
“Certainly, Captain.”
After the bridge hatch closed Moe waited. Nathan looked at her in that appraising way he knew would get her hackles up.
“So, are you and Ernst best buddies now?”
“He’s a fine officer, Moe.”
“What the hell’s happened to you?” Moe said. “No one I’ve met hates Pruessens more than you, but here you are getting cozy with them.”
“Okay,” Nathan said, “I see your point but -”
“Okay. Okay? Now you’re talking like them. What’s going on with you?”
“Perhaps I’ve lost my mind,” Nathan said. “Or, maybe, just maybe, I’ve finally grown the fuck up!”
Moe had no answer to that.
“You were aboard Odenwald for months,” Nathan said. “Did you find any monsters hiding under your rack?”
“What?”
“I know you fought the urge to do so, but you made friends on the Pruessen ship. Didn’t you?”
Again Moe had no answer.
“There are no monsters on Odenwald, just people fleeing a monstrous regime. Same here. My crew are good men, good warriors, not monsters. They have no love for the empire.”
“So we just shake hands and forget about the past?”
Nathan’s eyes flared with a familiar dangerous spark.
“I will never forget the past. You of all people should know why. But I will not sacrifice the future for a past that can never be changed. I’ve come to know these people over the months aboard this boat. They are a wretchedly treated group, like the rest of the empire’s population. Nobody likes the way Pruessen operates but …”
Moe could tell Nathan’s blood was up by the way he paced the deck to calm down.
“Five hundred years ago the Pruessen’s ancestors went through something remarkably similar to what’s been happening over the last thirty years. It was called fascism. It snuck up on them quietly, draped in the guise of a progressive regime. Before the population knew it, they were trapped in a totalitarian nightmare that they couldn’t fight. Any attempt to oppose such absolute power was stomped on. Beatings, prison or death awaited anyone who resisted the new order. That happened then and it’s happening now. Do I hate the Empire, you bet your life I do. But the Pruessen people? They’re like any people, some good and some not so good, and yes, some monsters. I remember that from my childhood but I only remembered the monsters.”
