“Say what?” Kelsoe interrupted.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Mia asked sweetly. “I was rather upset that you were injured, so I gave the residents of the building fair warning, five whole minutes, and dropped a small half kiloton atomic device down the hole you conveniently drilled to the center of the building.” Mia’s eyes were as cold as space, and Kelsoe sincerely hoped that she never made the AI mad at her. “I believe that everyone exited in time, but I really don’t care.”
Horatio was chuckling, and Kelsoe gave him a sour look. “What’s so funny, Uncle?”
“The Fleet, and thus the Empire, doesn’t know that you called up the deployed units and gave them new orders, and even if they did…they have no way of calling the Fleet to tell them to disregard.” He bowed to Mia. “Very well done, dear lady.” Mia gave the man a glowing smile.
Kelsoe rolled her eyes. “Oh, go ahead and encourage her.” On the other side of the bridge Dashtra was wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes while G’Fleuf was making tinny squawking sounds from his speaker.
She wiped her own tears from her eyes, and looked up at Horatio. “Did Donovan and his wife have any children?” Horatio’s eyes went bleak, and Kelsoe regretted that she’d ever brought up the subject.
“Sophie was pregnant with their first child.” His look and his voice were flat. “That was about six months before you met Donovan. He and I,” Horatio continued, “were deployed in the Sierra Echo quadrant on a scouting mission when the Empire forces led by Jochim Howarth raided the Smith compound. Always the hothead, instead of running, Argo fought back. The Empire forces brought in a destroyer and leveled the entire wing, killing twenty eight people including Argo, his wife and son, and Sophie.” Kelsoe gasped in horror. “Sahdina was off-world visiting friends. When she discovered what had happened she came back to be with her family, realizing that she would be arrested as soon as she stepped off the ship. That decision almost cost her her life.”
Kelsoe sat and considered what Horatio had said. “So, there was more than one reason you sent Donovan along with me.”
Her uncle gave her a thin smile and nodded. “I gave him an important job to do with a young and attractive single woman. He might still miss his dead wife and unborn child, but now he has something else to occupy some of his thoughts. I never counted on him getting the Abreeza Vector, but now that I think on it…it’s probably the best thing that could have happened to him.” He chuckled dryly. “I never counted on getting infected myself.” He gave her a considering look. “It’s funny how things happen sometimes.”
Kelsoe gave him a small smile. “I seem to remember that I was taught once there is a reason behind everything that happens in the universe. Call it karma or call it god in whatever name you choose to call her, there is still a reason. You might not like it, but that never was up to you.” Her face grew somber. “You can’t see a plan when you look forward in time, but you get glimpses when you look back. My birth and survival were astronomically improbably, as was my meeting with my father while he was still alive.”
G’Fleuf’s speaker emitted a tinny laugh. “I would have called it simple luck, until I look back at the series of impossible escapes we’ve pulled off to get Kelsoe to this point. Not I’m not so sure.”
Horatio leaned back in his seat. “There is an old saying I’ve heard; ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence and three times is enemy action.’ You my dear,” he murmured, looking at Kelsoe, “have passed the three times mark long ago.”
“I’m not sure that I like the idea of someone else pulling the strings in my life,” she shrugged, “but what can I do?”
“Smile, my dear, and soldier on.”
Kelsoe was about to make a pithy comment when Mia interrupted. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we should resume our deep space routine, Captain. You can start out with classes, or martial arts.”
Kelsoe rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. “What do we have for classes this trip?”
“Astrophysics, contemporary literature, mathematics and music; your choice of instrument.”
“My father played the…mandolin, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Kelsoe. He played the mandolin.” G’Fleuf added.
“Then sign me up for basic mandolin 101. Right now, however, I feel like martial arts.”
“Very good. Would you prefer a short staff or long?”
Kelsoe thought for a moment. “Let’s try short staff this time.”
“As you wish. Lieutenant Varoshi, if you wish you may observe.”
Dashtra smiled widely. “I wish.” She grinned at Kelsoe, who shot her an acerbic look.
“Very good.” Mia intoned, addressing Dashtra. “Simply recline in your sleeping berth and I will initiate a neural feed. When Kelsoe is finished with the program, you can replace her in the educator to begin your own training session.”
“But…”
“You must maintain your physical fitness even in deep space.” Mia murmured, turning to a grinning Horatio. “That goes for you too, Fleet Captain Smith. I noticed in your Fleet records that you are also a Kran-Chak Brown Belt. You may use the program when Lieutenant Varoshi has finished.”
The next morning the three humans limped painfully onto the command deck, Kelsoe sporting a new black eye, but neither Dashtra nor Horatio gave the slightest thought to laughing. They had their own problems. Groaning, Kelsoe collapsed into the command chair while Dashtra simply slumped to the floor.
“Is it always this…intense?” The blond woman asked, her eyes shut.
“Usually.” Kelsoe admitted. “You get used to the pain after a while.” She grumbled, as she shifted again to try and find a comfortable position in the command chair. One of the staff strikes in the previous training session had caught her squarely across the gluteus maximus, both cheeks, and for the moment she found sitting—problematic. Fully tactile-kinesthetic biofeedback had its drawbacks. Getting dressed, she found, had been a horror that didn’t bear remembering.
“You may be out of shape in the martial arts,” Mia cut in, “but you seem to have received your father’s gift for playing the mandolin.”
“I felt like such a dunce.” Kelsoe complained, but Mia simply laughed. “The astrophysics is amazing stuff though.” She declared enthusiastically. “I can’t get enough.”
“It is my favorite, too.” The AI admitted.
They sat that way for some time, watching space slide around them until finally Horatio broke the companionable silence. “What are your plans on reaching Wecarro, Kelsoe?”
“As you might have noticed, this ship is faster than anything else in the Empire, and is almost completely invisible when she wishes to be.” She smiled at Mia. “My idea is to be a backup for the frigate, which will have to stay close to the transport. After the loss of their agent Howarth, and the destruction of Fleet Headquarters, the Empire is apt to be a little jumpy right now, and the appearance of a strange transport and warship in Wecarro skies is apt to lead to a running fight to get the Smiths to safety.” She paused in thought. “If everything goes well they will never know we are there. If not, Entela Dosti in the Grazer will figure things out by the second shot. She’s been through this before.” She turned to Horatio. “Have I missed anything?”
He rubbed his jaw. Kelsoe noted that his hair was already returning to its original dark glossy brown. “What will you do if there are Fleet warships around?”
Kelsoe winced. “I thought we took care of that problem.”
Her uncle sighed. “What happens if there were a few warships left behind, to cover this very contingency?”
“Do you know that for a fact, Uncle?” She couldn’t keep the nervous note out of her voice.
“No, but I can’t say for sure that all the ships are deployed either. There are bound to be a few in the shipyard or down for maintenance.”
Kelsoe shut her eyes. “Up to this point I’ve just been trying to save the Smith family from extinction. If we take one more step we’ll
be committing treason.”
From her position on the floor, Dashtra opened one eye. “Is it treason for the rightful heir to the throne to defend her reign, and her family?”
Kelsoe sagged. “I guess it depends which side you’re on. The press will probably paint us as bloodthirsty war criminals.”
“Are you doing this for the press then?” Dashtra asked curiously.
“I’m doing this for my family.” Kelsoe growled. “Where are the Fleet warships likely to be located, Uncle?”
“A number of centuries ago a small moon was towed into the nearest Lagrange Point, and a shipyard was built there. Half the moon is given over to military vessels, and half to civilian. The Fleet would be there, or in close proximity.”
“That’s simple then.” Mia injected. “I fly in stealthed, plant the remaining anti-matter mine and depart. When we detonate the mine the blast will destroy any nearby warships.”
Kelsoe frowned, and said something before her uncle had the chance. “What happens to the moon?”
“It will be split, at the very least, and probably shattered.”
“And the pieces?”
“Will fall on Wecarro.” Mia concluded in a hard voice.
“You might consider shortening Mia’s leash a little, Kelsoe.” Dashtra said from the floor. “She’s beginning to scare me.”
“Me too.” Kelsoe admitted. “I don’t think that plan will be advisable, Mia.” Kelsoe said in a small voice. “I don’t want to go down in history as one of the greatest killers of all time.”
“Don’t be too quick to discard the whole plan.” Horatio muttered, frowning. “Mia’s instincts are good, but her execution of her idea is a little extreme. Perhaps…,” his eyes were bright, “we should think a bit smaller. If Mia were to track down the Fleet ships and target their drives only, the ships would be disabled, and the crews left alive.” He turned to look at Mia. “Could you target the drives of a dozen ships?”
“I can target the drives of up to fifty separate ships.” She announced. “I said that I replaced all my munitions and I meant all, including the small missiles I fired at Task Force Seven that were filled with paint. I simply change the payload and the targeted area of each ship. Drifting and lifeless, the missiles will look like so much debris to Empire scanners.” She smiled. “Until they receive the GO command. By they will be much too close to stop.”
Kelsoe was frowning in thought. “Could you program a missile to take out the communication antenna on the moon?” Horatio nodded in approval.
“I could.” Mia returned immediately. “I would suggest, however, that you allow me to target ALL communication antennas on the moon, and not just one. It won’t kill them to sit for a day while parts are brought up.”
On the floor Dashtra shut her eyes. “I’m afraid that I’ve fallen in with brigands and pirates.”
From the overhead speaker came a deep “Aaarghhh!!”
Kelsoe was almost glad when their scanners picked up the distant signature of Wecarro. Sitting comfortably several light seconds back from the frigate and transport, the last half of their trip had been totally boring as they seemed to creep along at a relative snail’s pace. At the very least their arrival meant that Kelsoe wouldn’t have to exercise for a while. She glanced across the command deck to where Dashtra sat, and smiled. It was the blond woman’s turn to sport a black eye, while hers had healed in record time.
“I’ve been thinking about it.” She announced to the small bridge crew. “I’m going to let Lieutenant Entela Dosti in the Grazer know that we are trailing them. I don’t want her making a mistake if we have to set off some fireworks.”
“I was going to suggest that.” Horatio murmured, working the kinks out of one of his stiff shoulders.
“Put me through to the Grazer please, Mia.” The view screen cleared to show the surprised face of Entela Dosti. Kelsoe smiled. “Hello Entela. I just thought I’d let you know that your guardian angel is back on the job.”
The red-haired woman snorted a laugh. “I had a feeling you might show up.” Her face sobered quickly. “It’s actually good to see you. There are a lot of parts to this operation, and too many things could go wrong here.”
“Horatio pointed out that there may even be some Fleet warships hanging about.”
“Oh, thank you for that lovely thought.” Entela commented tartly.
“The warships I will take care of.” Kelsoe continued calmly. “Ignore any explosions you had no hand it. You guard the transport. I’m sure there will be swarms of police and surface to space fighters to play with.”
“You leave me with the easy jobs, don’t you?” Entela chortled.
Kelsoe chuckled. “Of course. If you need us call us. Wyvern out.”
The screen went back to the view of the approaching planet, and Mia scowled. “That young lady pointed out something we have forgotten. Adjacent to the Fleet HQ there is a five mile runway to handle surface to space fighters. Capable of sub-orbital hops, they will be on the Grazer like flies as soon as the planetary scanners detect her.”
Horatio leaned back in his seat. “Those fighters need at least two thousand feet of runway to get off the ground.” He smiled at Mia.
“You are just as bad as I am, Horatio. I’ll take care of it.” Mia grinned. “They won’t be using THAT runway for weeks, and I’ll time things so the explosions coincide with our little fireworks display at the shipyard.”
Kelsoe gave the man a speculative look. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I haven’t had so much fun in years.” Horatio admitted. “And, of course, there is the matter of payback.”
“What will you have to do to take care of that runway, Mia?” Kelsoe asked in a neutral voice.
“I’ll probably need to take a quick run over the entire island and check the runway out, get targeting coordinates, that sort of thing.”
“If you were to accelerate to flank speed, would that give you enough time to do all that and still get into position to hit the shipyard?”
“If I left right now, yes.” Mia replied.
Kelsoe glanced over at Fleet Captain Smith. “I think that it would be best if I drop you off to the Smith compound to get things ready to depart. The transport will arrive in a few more hours, and the evacuees should be set to go.”
“I knew that there was another reason you brought me, Kelsoe, besides my winning personality.” He gave her a dry look.
“You should have known it was coming, Uncle. The people at Isla del Diablo don’t know me, and Donovan isn’t with us.” She shrugged.
His face was expressionless. “I understand why you did what you did, and part of me approves, in a tactical sense.”
Kelsoe gave him a winning smile. “I still have Dashtra and G’Fleuf. I’m fine.”
He stood to leave for the airlock. “You are so full of shit, Kelsoe.” Dashtra laughed aloud at the comment.
“Fleet Captain,” Mia began, “on your way to the airlock, stop in the wardroom. I’ve left a sidearm on the table for you to wear.”
“Anything special I should know about it?” Horatio raised an eyebrow.
“Not really.” Mia said calmly. “It’s a standard Mark Eighteen Disruptor.”
Horatio raised both of his eyebrows. “Eighteen? I’ve only ever heard of the Mark Fifteen.”
“The operation is basically the same; point and click.” Mia explained. “The Mark Eighteen has variable power settings, and is generally a much more powerful weapon.” She gave him a feral smile. “Think a firecracker to kiloton range. Only the Empire Special Forces were slated to get them, but production was delayed. It seems that there was a breach in their data security, and the weapon design was stolen and the file erased. They should really be more careful when it comes to OPSEC.” Kelsoe was surprised that she said that with a perfectly straight face; but then she was an AI, and capable of many impossible things. Horatio let out a low guffaw as he turned to depart the command deck.
The
central parade ground of Isla del Diablo was virtually the same as the first time the Wyvern had arrived. Despite the fact that it was rapidly approaching the winter season, the air still shimmered with the heat. Horatio winced as a fist of oven-like air struck him in the face just as he stepped off the ramp and onto the dusty ground. He looked back at Kelsoe, who was standing in the airlock doorway to see him off. “Be careful, Kelsoe.” He murmured in a subdued voice. “If you were to die it would leave the responsibility of leadership squarely on my old shoulders.”
Kelsoe smiled. “Whatever you wish, Horatio. I’ll see you back on Charybdis with the family in a few weeks.” He gave her a brief nod and, squaring his shoulders under his crisp black uniform, turned toward the sun-blasted adobe buildings where people were already beginning to gather.
The Wyvern lifted off silently, and was already streaking invisibly toward the distant airfield when Kelsoe reached the command deck.
“What is it?” Mia asked as Kelsoe sat brooding in the command chair, her knees drawn up to her chin.
The young woman sighed, and looked around the empty bridge. Both Dashtra and G’Fleuf were in the wardroom having a quick lunch. “It may be somewhat longer than a few weeks before I see Horatio again.” She said softly.
“You’re quite bright, for a human.” Mia declared in a flat voice. “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure it out.”
“Yeah.” Kelsoe scowled at the view screen. “If we head back at flank speed after the transport and frigate have cleared Wecarro and are heading back to Charybdis, that should put us there just in time to help our Fleet with the Armada.”
“The people back on Charybdis are going to go wild, Kelsoe. The Primus shouldn’t be putting herself in such danger.”
Kelsoe snorted. “There is only one Wyvern, I’d like to point out.”
“Someone else could captain me.” Mia said in a neutral voice.
“Not bloody likely.” Kelsoe rumbled. “You are family, and I wouldn’t trust you to anyone else. We’re in this together, like it or not.”
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