by D. J. Holmes
Smiling devilishly she continued, “The head of my security thinks I am meeting a daughter of an American senator who wanted my advice. I told him she was in some personal trouble that was of a delicate nature. I managed to get him to order his subordinates to allow me to arrange a meeting without them knowing expressly who it was with. As long as you were unarmed they were to let you in.”
At the last sentence her cheeks had reddened slightly. “I’m afraid they insisted on having a live video stream of the room to make sure I remained safe.”
“What?” James asked with incredulity as he looked around the room. “You mean someone has been watching us the whole time?”
This time her cheeks really reddened. “I didn’t think we would get so carried away but moment got the better of me!” She said as her devilish grin returned.
“But if someone was watching your father will eventually find out. There is no way you can stop all of your security detail from talking.” James warned.
“Don’t you see though? Everything has changed.” Christine countered. “We don’t need to fear my father anymore. Yes, everyone knows your name,” she delicately said trying to avoid saying James’ father’s name. “Yet now they know it for a different reason. Your face is on all the news outlets as the one who discovered the Void. You are already making a new name for yourself. You could take your reward from making the discoveries, reinvigorate the businesses your father ran into the ground and re-establish the Dukedom of Beufort as a major economic force. My father would have to take you seriously then.”
Stroking her hair, James ran his hand down to her neck. Hanging there she had a heart shaped locket. James opened it to reveal a small picture of a red rose.
“You still have it?” He asked her.
“Of course my love. No one will ever take it from me.”
“Good,” he replied with a smile as he leant in to gently kiss her again. “I’m afraid I have already met your father since my return. He and the Prime Minister came to my uncle’s office to hear my report. It certainly didn’t seem like he has changed his mind. In fact, he went out of his way to let me know nothing has changed.”
Christine bowed her head to stare at the ground for a moment. As James watched, a small tear left her eye and ran down her cheek to touch her mouth. Wiping her cheek she gritted her teeth and looked back at James.
“My father is a stubborn man but that just means we have to be stubborn too. One way or another he is going to have to realize that what we have isn’t going to pass in a month, a year, or even a decade. He can send you to the outer reaches of space again if he wants but I promise you, I’m not going to give up on us.”
James couldn’t stop himself from kissing her again. He didn’t care who was watching, this might be his last chance to see her in person before her father tried to part them again.
When their lips parted, Christine tried a different approach. “Maybe you could retire from the navy. You could invest in the Void; become the champion of our colonial efforts there. That would get you world recognition and praise. If you made a success of one of the colonies you would get a lot of political power as well. That way our marriage would be advantageous to my father. I know what he is thinking. He wants me to marry for politics, not for love.” As she spoke Christine clenched her fists, betraying the suppressed anger that had been building up over the years. There had been countless arguments between her father and her about her future, even before she had met James.
“Never worry my love.” James soothed her. “We’ll figure something out. If I can continue to progress up the chain of command, your father will have to take me seriously.”
“I know,” she said. “But we have already been waiting for years. How much longer are we going to have to wait? I want to start our life together now, not in ten years.”
Silence descended on the room as they both held each other, thinking of the future. After more than ten minutes of just enjoying being so close, Christine spoke up. “Let’s talk about something different. Tell me about the last two years. Are you enjoying commanding a spaceship?”
James didn’t reply immediately as he reflected on the last two years. His feelings about the RSN were constantly changing, initially, when his father had sent him to the RSN academy, he had looked on the whole experience as a joke. He had grown up as the second son of one of the wealthiest nobles in all of Britain. He had always dreamed of having a bigger role to play in the world than serving as a Lieutenant out in the far reaches of space. Slowly over the four years of training he had come to see that there was a much stronger sense of family in the RSN than he had ever experienced at home. He was actually able to earn the respect of his tutors and, in time, develop real friendships with them and his classmates. Indeed, it was through his tutors that he also began to see the significance of the RSN and the pride that ran through it. In reality, the navy was the only thing standing between a continued British presence in space with all the wealth and freedom that came with it and another space power coming in and taking everything Britain had spent the last four hundred years building.
Then, as he had spent his first two years after graduating aboard HMS Percy as an ensign he had his first taste of real responsibility. Growing up, his entire life had been one big party where he was always at the center. In hindsight James knew he had been a spoilt brat. What the academy had not been able to drive out of him, the Captain of HMS Percy had finished; he had ruthlessly forced his new ensigns to grow up and live up to the responsibilities they had been entrusted with. For the first time in his life, James had found himself actually feeling like he was doing something worthwhile.
After attaining his promotion to Sub Lieutenant James’ responsibilities had continued to grow. It was only then he had seriously begun to consider the possibility of continuing a long-term career in the navy. That had only been cemented when he met Christine. He had fallen in love overnight and James knew that if he were to have a serious chance of marrying her he would need to be seen as a respectable consort to a princess, even if she was only second in line to the throne. His party boy past would not have been acceptable and so throwing himself into the navy gave him his best chance of getting what he wanted.
When the news of his father’s misdeeds had broken, the navy had also offered him a refuge. Aboard the battlecruiser HMS Lion, where he had reached the lofty rank of Third Lieutenant his family problems hadn’t changed anything. His colleagues and subordinates already knew and respected him as an officer. His father’s fraud and subsequent suicide had meant he had not been able to set foot anywhere on Earth without being surrounded by journalists. Only in the navy had he found peace and normality when the rest of Britain was calling for answers and even that justice be dished out to the rest of the Somerville family.
Then Christine’s father had found out about their relationship. Even if the navy had still respected James, the nobility had done everything they could to distance themselves from his father. James and his older brother Richard had become toxic overnight. No one wanted to be seen with them, for it immediately brought up all the images of corruption and greed the nobility went to great lengths to disassociate from their public images. Christine’s father had been no exception, for within days of finding out about their relationship he had pulled enough strings to get James promoted to Commander, given Drake and sent off on a two year cruise out far beyond civilization and the public eye. That had soured his view of the navy. Suddenly those who he had respected and admired had become the ones who had allowed themselves to be manipulated and used to punish an up and coming officer, simply because of who his father was. In those first dark months James had begun to think that everything he had believed about the navy had just been a façade. Behind the sense of duty and the camaraderie, it appeared that the Admiralty was just as corrupt and self-serving as the nobility. In those months, he had become disillusioned with everything; even the prospect of a future with Christine had seemed distant.
Even so, as time wore on and James had begun to step into the role of Captain, especially since the discovery of the Void, he had changed his mind again. Being a good Captain, leading his crew members well, fulfilling his duty to the navy and Britain had all been ambitions that had slowly grew on him.
As James began to speak, all this and more came spilling out. Christine listened carefully, glad that James could open up to her so easily despite having been separated for the last two years. She knew this was the man she wanted to marry. As he spoke, he only confirmed it. His concern for his duty, for the men and women under his command, impressed her. Command had matured him. She also respected his desire to repay all the families his father’s lies and greed had hurt. As he told her about his plans to get Andrea Clements to begin offering compensation packages to all those who had lost their jobs two years ago when his father’s businesses had begun to go under Christine resolved to quietly contact Andrea and offer to help her finance the packages.
“So you see,” James concluded, “it is becoming a part of who I am. I don’t think I can give it up. We’ll find a way to convince your father but I think it needs to include earning his respect and if I can prove myself in the navy he and the rest of the nobility will have to respect me.
“I understand,” Christine said once it was clear James had finished. “You’ve certainly matured in the last two years. It suits you. I guess we’ll just have to see how we can speed up your promotion to Captain and then even to Commodore or Rear Admiral. My father will have to respect you then. And you’ll no doubt look very handsome in a flag officer’s uniform,” she said breaking into another devilish smile and giving James a kiss.
“So tell me, what was it really like in the Void?” she asked as she sat back and enjoyed the moment as James excitedly told her all about his adventures.
*
Sub Lieutenant Becket had been summoned from the bridge to the boarding hatch with Vulcan by the RSNI security detail. It seemed that Drake had some visitors that needed escorting aboard. The Commander was on his way back to Vulcan from a meeting while the Second Lieutenant was busy overseeing the installation of the latest sensor tech onto Drake’s hull. That left the meet and greet to her. As she approached the boarding hatch, she realized why someone had been called down. There were twelve men waiting to board Drake. Each had a large pack over his shoulder. Behind the men were a number of techs organizing crates that were twice the height of Becket. As she walked through onto Vulcan two of the men approached her. It took her a couple of seconds to recognize them as they were both in uniform but when she got close they both smiled at her, obviously pleased to see her again.
“Good afternoon Lieutenant, my name is Mr. Jones I’m with the RSNI and this is Major Samuel Johnston RSNM, formerly retired,” Jones said formally, acting as if they had not met before. “My men and I have been assigned to Drake, I have orders that I am to personally hand to your Commander.”
Becket shook hands with Jones and then Johnston. “Very well Mr. Jones, welcome aboard Drake. She is not the biggest ship so you and your men may be a bit cramped but I’m sure we’ll find some room.”
Becket eyed the crates behind Jones. “We may have to get the purser here to ensure we get all your equipment aboard. The Captain is away from the ship at the moment although he has just signaled that he is on his way back.”
“Odd,” Jones said. “I thought he was not allowed to leave Drake. No matter, we’ll get settled in and then I can meet him.”
An hour later Gupta walked into the briefing room, she was the last to enter. It was as full as she had ever seen it. All the Sub Lieutenants were present, along with the Chief Engineer, Mr. Jones, Major Johnston and the Commander.
As Gupta sat, James stood and addressed the assembly. “By now all of you know we have some visitors with us aboard Drake. Well, we have also received our orders. We’ll be heading back to the Void.”
Murmurs ran through the Sub Lieutenants, there had been a betting pool running over whether Drake would get to go back to the Void.
“As I’m sure you can also guess Mr. Jones’ presence here has something to do with this. What you’re about to hear is rated top secret. As of the beginning of this meeting all outgoing COMS on Drake have been disabled. They will remain so until we leave Sol. Mr. Jones, if you would like to take over.”
Standing, Jones addressed the crew of Drake. “As far as everyone is concerned my name is Mr. Jones. I have been with RSNI for over twelve years. I oversee special operations, typically insertions. With me is Major Johnston. He is here to help train my men.”
Major Johnston stood so everyone in the room could see him. Despite having been retired for fifteen years Gupta thought he looked very comfortable amongst fellow officers again. And he certainly didn’t look out of shape. Gupta listened closely as Jones continued.
“RSNI have seen an opportunity to retrieve valuable intel from the Void. Specifically from the Chinese destroyer Drake identified in the V2 system. Before he retired Major Johnston designed and tested a scenario involving an EVA boarding of an enemy ship. The Major was testing the idea in case the marines ever had to deal with a hostage situation on a ship. It is our intention to proceed to V2 and attempt to locate the Chinese destroyer. If she is still there we will board her and capture her. If we can take her intact there will be a wealth of information we can make use of.”
Again murmurs ran through the Sub Lieutenants. Gupta tended to agree with the surprise. What Jones was proposing was an act of war.
Sensing the mood James stood to speak. “By now you have all had a chance to go over the details of the Damang Incident. There can be no doubt that the fleet that attacked Resolution and Renown was the one we saw in the Void. If their orders remain unchanged, they will likely attack any British ships they see. For all intents and purposes there is already a state of war between China and Britain. The politicians may well be explaining away the Damang Incident as a misunderstanding. We, however, know better. I have my orders from the Admiralty. We will be going back to the Void but we will not be alone this time. This mission is simply the first step towards securing our new planets and ensuring we have the breathing space to colonize and develop them.”
Satisfied that his crew was on the same wavelength, James turned the meeting back to Jones with a nod as he sat down.
“We just have one more thing to discuss at the moment.” Jones began. “Over the coming weeks, as we travel to the Void, we will be war gaming the scenario many times with you all. At this stage though we need a volunteer. My men and I will be making the EVA jump yet we have no training in flying a spaceship. We will be fitting in as many lessons as we can between here and the Void but that will not be enough. We need a volunteer to go over to the Chinese ship with us. Someone with command experience yet someone who isn’t too important. That is you Sub Lieutenants. There is no need for me to explain how good this will look on your service records. Yet, I also need to add that this will be difficult and dangerous. Currently our simulations give us a sixty two percent chance of success. We hope to improve this as we refine the plan on our way to the Void, however, there will be no guarantees. I have sent you all more information on what will be expected from whoever volunteers. I want you all to read it over and make a decision within the hour. Think hard. You are dismissed.”
As the Sub Lieutenants filed out Gupta walked over to James. “Sir, don’t you think one of us should select who is to go on this mission. If it is as vital as Jones makes out we need to make sure there is no room for failure.”
“I agree, but the risks involved are very high. We can’t order anyone to take this mission. That said I’m fully expecting all of the subs to volunteer. Even if we are facing war, the opportunities for promotion will be slim. This is an opportunity no one can pass up. I have already reviewed their files. If Becket volunteers, I’m going to recommend to Jones that she take part in the mission. Her hand-to-hand combat and weapons training scores at the academy were very good. S
he has also studied Chinese engine design, of all the sub lieutenants she is probably the most familiar with their designs and controls.”
A short time later Sub Lieutenant Becket skipped as she left the Commander’s private office. She had just met with him and the mysterious Mr. Jones. They had picked her to go on the EVA mission. Already she had been assigned a mountain of reading. She had to familiarize herself with all of the known Chinese command and control terminals. On top of that she had to undergo hours of simulated EVA training, brushing up on her combat skills whilst helping to train Jones’s men on how to pilot a spaceship. Thankfully, the Commander had given her half duty shifts until the mission commenced to give her time to prepare. She loved working with Drake’s chief engineer and her shifts in engineering were the highlight of her week. Yet now she was positively drooling at the prospect of getting her hands on a Chinese designed and built ship.
*
Hours later, as Drake disengaged from Vulcan and headed out of Earth orbit James’ personal COM unit on his command chair went off. He punched in his password and the feed turned into a video message from his uncle.
“You’ve done it this time boy. I have just had the King biting off my ear. He is furious. If Drake wasn’t already on her way out of the system I think you would have been relieved of command. Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I see real command potential in you. But if you keep this up there is nothing I can do for you. My protection only goes so far. You’re going to have to make a choice, continue pursuing this relationship or your career.”
