All the while the Karduan ladies searched for them the Wolf Squadron would repair, restore and train. They had destroyed two enemy squadrons and a Karduan response had to be on its way to hunt them down.
“Well, this is where we find you?” Rufo Cappillo said peeking in the sick bay’s door. The young Italian’s face was dirty and he was dressed in a set of grimy engineer’s coveralls to protect his uniform underneath.
“Yep, lazing about relaxing while the rest of us are busting our butts working around the clock,” added Martin stepping around Rufo to enter the room.
Behind them came a third friend, Alistair Dover who squeezed passed his two friends blocking the door.
“Come now men let’s let the old chap have a proper rest before we pile on him,” he said his British accent coming out.
Mike was glad to see them and smiled back at them.
“So what’s going on?” he asked and added, “Someone give me an update and that’s an order!”
They were all still smiling as they crowded around his bed. The four of them had all been midshipmen at Harpers Military Academy. Even after his graduation they had been his friends among the senior class. Alistair Dover was a rich kid from old England who’s clipped upper class accent seemed to work magic with the local Austro girls. Rufo Cappillo was of Italian decent and had come from a colony world that had been settled by a group sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church. His brown eyes and big warm smile made everyone like him.
Martin Daley was a bit of a nerd, though a top runner, and yet he seemed to understand computers and technology even better than some of their professors. It was a surprise to many of his friends’ back home that he had decided to go to the distant Harpers Military College. He could have easily attended MIT or any one of the other Ivy League schools of Earth. When asked why he chose a military school, his response was usually a shrug of his shoulders. He later revealed that his grandfather was in the resistance during the Voorshan Occupation of Earth. To Mike that said all that needed to be said as his own family had a history, what little he knew of it, of service.
Since then they had each proved to have skills that made them assets in the fight against the Karduans. Rufo was their engineering genius or as some labeled him as the Dr. Frankenstein of engineering. He had taken part and took a lead in the restoration of the ISS Star Wolf, and later two old battle class frigates - the ISS Alamo and the ISS Java. He directed the fixing more than two-dozen damaged or derelict star fighters giving them a decent fighter wing.
Martin Daley had been indispensable since their escape from Austro Prime. He was a computer wiz kid and guru tech god. He had repaired and restored Confederation ship systems and had figured out intrusion programs to circumvent enemy systems. Without Daley’s brilliance, Mike and many others would be sitting in a Karduan prison or even dead.
He helped reprogram the engine startup of the Star Wolf when they had swapped out one of its engines. He reprogrammed the ISS Mammoth’s security systems when they took the captured ship from the enemy’s control. Martin created the intrusion program’s that let the Were Wolf boarding parties infiltrate enemy prison ships as well as helping Mike to capture the bridge of the Karduan Star Destroyer at the Battle of Austro Prime. He was another friend and fellow soldier that proved himself over and over again.
Alistair Dover was their Englishman, who was the voice of calm, being cool and collected in battle. A bridge officer, pilot and weapon’s officer who guided the Star Wolf like an artist guided a brush to canvas. Even before they stole the attack cruiser he had been obsessed with piloting a large starship and had spent countless hours in the school’s flight simulator racking up time and experience.
Besides their individual talents, during their time on the Star Wolf they had all been trained as bridge officers, fighter pilots as well as serving as members of the boarding parties. All in all, Mike couldn’t ask for better friends and brothers in arms.
It was Collins who had recruited them into the plot to fix and steal the Star Wolf which started all of this. They and a group of old veteran retirees, who had refused to surrender, had worked for weeks to fix the attack cruiser and escape.
He was also a full lieutenant while they were all lieutenants junior grade.
“Well sir, the story goes that the Kardies are going nuts trying to find us,” Martin said his American Midwest face grinning broadly as he spoke.
“They sent a squadron into the sector but they haven’t found anything,” Alistair added and continued “Though they have put pressure on the Austro Prime government but as we cleaned up the system of all of its ships and debris before they got there the Austro government told them that their ships came and left with the Confederation prisoners.”
Mike looked at him with a doubting face.
“How can that be? I’m sure the Karduan Fleet Mistress probably had one of their telepaths along to see if they were lying?”
“Yep, they sure did but we had Commander Hutton pretend he was the new Austro Prime Representative. He met with them and they left buying his story.”
Lt. Collins knew Commander Hutton was not only his former teacher and the second officer of their ship but he was once a navy commando and had been trained in passive and active ways to resist telepathy. He would be the perfect person to meet with the Karduans. Most of the crew of the Star Wolf had been trained to shield their minds yet Cmdr. Hutton was probably the best trained.
Mike had gone through the training as well but it was probably best that he wasn’t involved. It seemed that he was something rare and was a natural Psi-Void and without doing anything he was able to block Karduan telepathy. He didn’t know how he did it and assumed he was born with this strange ability. Unfortunately, it also made the Blue ladies very curious when they tried to read him and instead of reading his surface thoughts they found nothing at all. It was like he wasn’t even there and that made them even more interested in him.
“Commander Hutton and several Wolf crewmembers met with them. Each had a scenario running through their minds to distract the telepath. Hutton even showed them the satellite vid of the Karduan fleet leaving as well as the prisoner transfer reports,” Alistair Dover reported smiling like the Cheshire cat.
Mike nodded, “That’s probably what every official on every planet they visited told them as they retraced their missing squadron’s route.”
“That’s what Captain Hope said,” Rufo chimed in having moved over to a nightstand where Mike’s lunch tray was sitting and helped himself to his pudding.
“Ok pudding thief, tell me how is the ship rebuilding going?” Mike asked.
“It going great as you know we captured several Karduan ships with only minor damage including that big ass Star Destroyer you captured almost single handed.”
Mike frowned and ignored the last part not wanting anything said about it, as he was tired of hearing how brave ad courageous he was. He was just damn lucky and in the right place at the right time to act.
“Captain Hope is calling it the IPS Half Moon,” Martin remarked, “probably because it is so damn big.”
“I believe that he named it after one of Henry Hudson’s ships,” Dover said disagreeing with his friend for last several days over the origins of the name. Henry Hudson was a famous English explorer and he thought it was only right that the large Karduan ship be named after one of his ships.
Mike shook his head and smiled as his friends were still his friends and would never changed.
“I agree with Alistair, as Captain Hope is an avid naval historian and seems to always name the ships that we capture after important ships from the past.”
“Good! I’m glad that is settled,” Rufo said as he picked up an apple from the tray and took a big bite. He had made a point of staying out of their argument leaving the two of them in a deadlock.
“What about the other ships?” Mike pressed to his distracted friends.
Cappillo paused from taking another bite.
“Well,
we have numerous repair teams working on about a dozen ships. Others teams are training the new crews on the captured Karduan ships and their systems.
“That’s been a bit sticky as none of them speak or read Karduan,” Alistair added.
“Details, what ships are we working on right now?” Mike pressed.
Martin spoke up next.
“We moved the Lexington to the repair station and have been busy repairing her fire damage. The repair teams working on her hope to have her life support systems up and running in another week, and an engine startup a week after that.”
Mike nodded remembering first seeing the burned out escort carrier floating dead in space.
The ISS Lexington had once been a premier warship but over time it had been downgraded to reserve defense fleet duty as other more powerful ships had been created and replaced her. The Lady Lex’s last assignment had been part of the 12th Defense Fleet that had been attacked by two Karduan fleets at Jericho Six. The modern heavy frigate ISS Bastogne and the light cruiser ISS Patton had managed to reach the embattled fleet as enforcements. They had helped several remaining ships to fight their way out before they had been forced to escape using the system’s other gravity well.
Unfortunately, it was already too late for the old Lady Lex as she took a hit to one of her hanger bays, which ignited a fire throughout the ship’s air system. A cascade failure of her fire suppression systems left the old girl dead in space and gutted by fire.
“They towed the remains of the old heavy cruiser Ajax into the Mammoth’s port repair bay. Their crew feels confident that they can have her back together in another month to six weeks,” Martin continued.
Cappillo snorted at his statement, “Those guys on the Mammoth always think they can get it done fast but that ship was in two pieces when we found her.”
“You’re just jealous you’re not working on her,” Alistair Dover interjected slapping him on the shoulder and smiling.
“Yeah right, like I’m not busy enough,” the Italian engineer replied.
“Good point, what are you three scoundrels working on?” Mike inquired narrowing his blue eyes as he watched them for any telltale signs. He knew that the three of them would have worked their way into something more than just station keeping duties and training details.
Rufo looked to his other two friends, shrugged his shoulders and smiled that shit-eating grin of his that told you he had something to hide.
“You know how it is, Captain Hope has us doing lots of side jobs, cross-training and various projects.”
“Bull, spill it what are you three up to?” Mike said giving them his best don’t piss me off frown that pretty much indicating that they’d better start talking.
Dover let out a sigh, “Well lads, he’s going to find out soon anyway.”
The three of them looked at each other for a moment. Martin nodded before he started to explain.
“Well you see …” he said and then quickly stopped as the door to the room slid open.
“Visiting hours are over,” Dr. Duarte announced shooing them out of the room.
“No wait!” Mike cried but the French doctor had already forced his friends to the door.
“Sorry, we’ll talk tomorrow,” Rufo said with a smile as he was literally shoved out of the doorway. The automatic door then shut with a swish.
“Why’d you kick them out?” Mike asked, glaring at her questioningly.
Angelique shook her head thinking he was so clueless.
“Computer, lock this room door,” she said speaking toward the ceiling.
Mike was still looking at her curiously when she unbuttoned her white lab coat and let it fall off of her shoulders and to the floor.
Underneath her coat she was dressed only in a black silk nighty.
“I think you are well enough to be off bed rest,” the doctor said and moved over to his bedside and climb in.
“Computer, lower the lights,” Collins said quickly realizing that this was the best house call he ever had.
________________________________________________________
Angelique had left hours ago after kissing him once more and telling him that she had to do her rounds. Collins had quickly gone to sleep after having the young doctor give him a complete physical. God he loved playing doctor with her!
Mike was still asleep when the lights were turned on and someone grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him. Instinctively grabbing that hand and he twisted the person’s wrist until he heard a grunt of pain. Most men would have cried out but whoever grabbed him held it together and took the pain with just a grunt of discomfort.
“Sir, the Captain sent me to get you,” Master Gunnery Sergeant Masters announced rolling his wrist and breaking the young officer’s hold on him. Jack Masters had been a Colonial Marine, CCF police officer and ultimately the man who had recruited Mike into the skim to steal the Star Wolf. More importantly he was Mike’s friend and shipmate.
“Sorry Gunny,” Collins said sitting up and looking at the seventy plus year old NCO.
“That was a good move sir, but we must be going if we want to make the briefing,” he said tossing a duffle bag onto the bed.
Mike swung his legs over the edge and opened the bag seeing that there was a uniform neatly folded inside.
“What going on?”
“I’m sneaking you out of here before our lady doctors find out, so hurry,” the tall old sergeant replied moving to the doorway.
Masters was in great shape for a man his age due to better health care as well as advanced longevity medicines. Despite his youthful vigor the service had turned him down when he tried to reenlist. That of course was before the Karduan breakthrough.
“If Edie catches us, I think she’ll skin you alive,” Mike replied with a smile as he quickly dressed. It felt good to be out of that bed and back in uniform.
“Well, she usually forgives me,” Gunny replied with a smile and wink.
Mike got the joke knowing that Dr. Beilor was the Gunny’s longtime girlfriend.
Once he was dressed, they then snuck out of the medical center, headed to the lift and to the meeting.
Travelling through the luxury liner Mike was surprised that so many people were now living and working on the ship. The SS Mary Queen of Scots was one of the largest and most expensive pleasure ships in existence. It was a ship for the rich and had all of the enmities that they demanded.
It had six full spa gyms with four Olympic size pools, a four level restaurant with twelve individually different restaurants, a concert hall size theater, a museum quality planetarium, three arboretums and 2,300 staterooms. It also had a vast library, two casinos, around the clock childcare and masseuse service as well as the largest traveling wine cellar in space.
Throughout the ship’s beautiful interiors were spacious lobbies, halls and rooms that bombarded her guests with a feeling of elegance and wealth. When in civilian use it would have an average crew of over 1800 personnel to man the various shops and services. Even a small stateroom would have easily cost an average person several months’ salary for just a two-week stay.
The liner’s engines were as huge as the ship itself and her system’s drives were said to be the fastest in the civilian cruise line’s fleet.
Despite its speed, the Karduan had captured the luxury ship after the breakthrough. The Star Wolf had liberated her from the enemy’s hands and now the vast ship acted as the headquarters of their ragtag squadron as well as the home for most of their support personnel, civilians and their families.
Reaching the Stuart deck they briskly walked to the conference room where the meeting was taking place. As the sliding door opened, Mike could see that there were numerous officers present but not as many as he thought should have been. Since the liberation of the prison freighters they had an overabundance of officers and crewmen. Many of them were being trained on Karduan system and would eventually be assigned to ships.
Some of the higher-ranking officers had been t
rying to influence Captain Hope and Kirkland. A few had even pointed out that both officers were retired and had no real position or rank. Those officers were quickly given an option to fall in line with the chain of command or find themselves dropped off on one of the breakaway worlds.
Technically they were right, both Captain Hope and Captain Kirkland were retired officers and were only carried on the naval reserve list. Hope had been the Commandant of Harpers Military Academy and Kirkland had been an admiral in Austro Prime’s defense force. Then again, technically speaking all of the ships except for the Patton and Bastogne had been captured or liberated from the enemy. They were all prizes of war and property of the Star Wolf’s crew. Their fleet was mostly privateer ships even though they had Confederation crews.
Looking around the room, Mike saw several faces that he recognized. The Wolf’s XO Commander Richards was talking with Commander Hutton the ship’s second officer. Commanders, Lord Hildebrandt of the Patton – Sir Evan Stout of the Bastogne were seated together near the front of the room. Several other field grade officers were milling around that Mike either didn’t know or barely recognized.
As he and Gunny entered the room things got quiet for a moment. The officers that Mike knew turned and smiled happy to see him up and about. The officers he didn’t know all seemed to frown. After all he was the youngest full lieutenant in their fleet. Hell, he was probably the youngest lieutenant senior grade in the entire Confederation navy. He was also the man whose plan freed thousands of human prisoners as well as led to the defeat of an enemy squadron. Jealousy over success was a funny thing especially during wartime.
“Lt. Collins, over here,” Commander Richards called with a wave of his hand.
Wolf's Run: The Chase of War (Star Wolf Sqaudron Book 2) Page 2
