"It's a shame," Brenda said, again looking at what remained of the Scorpion. "I'm going to miss that little ship. Especially the cozy spot you prepared for us in the hold."
Vyx smiled as he turned to look at her. "Next ship we'll make a better love nest."
Brenda returned the smile and took his hand. "How about a nice warm shower at the hotel? I'm feeling a little dirty after seeing this mess. We'll have a meal sent up to the room and not come out until noon tomorrow."
"You're on." He took one last sad look at his former ship, sighed, then left the pad with Brenda. Since their first job together, they'd been exploring their mutual feelings and interests. Byers, Nelligen, and Kathryn, who'd been standing nearby, followed, but would have to get their own rooms at the hotel.
"What now?" Nels asked during lunch the next day.
"We get another ship," Vyx answered, after chewing the food in his mouth and swallowing.
"Do we have enough credits?" Byers asked.
"Not for anything as large as the Scorpion, but we can get a ship. We'll still have about eight hundred thousand credits left after setting aside enough to pay the informants who provided leads to the Milori and paying for the damages to the Whirm."
"What about Carver?" Brenda asked.
Vyx looked at her. "You mean get a ship from Stewart?"
"Why not? You've done it before."
"Hmmm, that's a possibility, if they have anything that might be suitable. The last time we were there, the pickings were slim. The Admiral had sent all the small ships out to function as spotter ships."
"Then take something bigger."
"If we get too big we can't land. We'd have to leave the ship in orbit and take a shuttle down to the surface."
"What's wrong with that?" she asked.
"For one thing, it leaves your ship undefended, unless someone stays aboard."
"Doesn't that make it less susceptible to tampering than a ship on the ground would be? Just rig an anti-tampering charge as you did on the Scorpion. I think that people will take your warning seriously now," she said smiling.
He smiled back. "You're probably right; I doubt if anyone will try getting into any ship of mine for quite awhile. That doesn't really apply to the Tsgardi, of course; they never learn their lessons. But that still leaves the other problem; a large ship is harder to conceal and a bigger target. In the past, I've simply landed on a moon or planet to hide from my enemies, but I couldn't have done that in a large ship. When I borrowed the Maid of Mephad from Admiral Carver to move the shipment of illegal weapons for Shev Rivemwilth, we had to leave it in orbit and shuttle the ordnance up to it for loading. Like Rivemwilth said, it was like a huge sign proclaiming 'Secret Base Located Here.'"
"Yes, I can see that being a problem," Brenda said. "Well then, we'll just have to a find a ship that can land."
"That leaves us back where we started. I suppose before we consider leaving Scruscotto, I should check out what's available here. The spaceport administrator said he knew of some available ships; let's check them out this afternoon. You never know, we might find someone who's desperate enough to sell their ship for a song."
* * *
"We're approaching the deployment point, Captain," the helmsman of the Thor said.
"All ahead slow, stop when we reach the coordinates. Tactical, where are the Berlin and Atlanta?"
"Just off our stern; larboard and starboard, Captain. Both ships are slowing also."
"Com, notify the shuttle bay that the tugs responsible for placing the IDS band-jamming satellites and the electronic barricade equipment should commence operations as soon as we drop our envelope. Notify the Berlin and Atlanta as well, using a narrow laser beam."
"Aye, Captain," the com operator said. A few seconds later, he added, "Messages sent and receipt acknowledged, Captain."
Captain Payton relaxed in his bridge chair to await the conclusion of the first stage.
Several hours later, the com operator said, "The Berlin and Atlanta report their space tugs have returned. They're ready for stage two, Captain."
Payton looked down at the small monitor mounted on the left arm of his chair. The chronometer showed that it was not yet time for the coordinated attack to begin. It was imperative that all eighteen task groups move in on their targets at the same time.
Some eighty minutes later, Payton looked at the tactical officer and nodded. The Thor's tugs had returned over an hour earlier. The nod to the tactical officer was a signal to activate the jamming satellites and electronic barricade equipment. "Com, advise the Berlin and Atlanta that we're commencing the attack following the established battle plan. Helm, engage."
The helmsmen entered the commands and the enormous battleship surged forward. They were ten billion kilometers from the reported location of the Milori ship, well outside the range of even the most sensitive scanners, but at Light-275 they would close the distance to the target in a few minutes.
* * *
Jenetta sat in the Combat Information Center at Stewart anxiously waiting for the first reports from the ships sent to find the hidden Milori warships. She had, several days ago, established the time for the coordinated action to commence once all ships reported they'd reached their initial rendezvous locations five trillion kilometers from the reported positions of their Milori targets. By now, they had sprung their traps and Stewart should begin to receive reports any time. No doubt, some would be reporting that no enemy ships were at the locations provided by the informants, but with any luck they'd bag at least a couple.
Jenetta was on her fourth mug of coffee when the first report came in. The captain of the Calgary, Captain Charles Hoyt, reported finding no Milori at the target location. That didn't bother Jenetta, but over the next several hours they received three more messages from task groups who also hadn't encountered any Milori ships at the reported location. Jenetta began to wonder if they had a leak in the command structure, and the Milori had learned that a surprise attack was set to begin.
Fourteen hours passed before Stewart received the first report of contact with the enemy. The Thor and its two companion ships had encountered a Milori ship exactly where it was supposed to be. They had set their electronic gear before moving in and the plan worked as scripted. The Milori had tried to run, but couldn't engage their FTL Drive. Before they could deactivate their ACS and build a new envelope, gunners aboard the Thor destroyed their temporal generator. After that it became a simple shootout, with all ships firing for all they were worth. The Milori ship, almost as outnumbered as the Lisbon had been, took a real pounding from the Space Command ships, while the SC ships escaped without major damage. The new Phalanx weapon system prevented any torpedoes from getting through and damage was limited to laser hits. In a more evenly matched fight, torpedoes might have breached the defense, but the battle was over so quickly that it wasn't much of a test for the new weapon system. No one was anxious to give the new system any more of a test than was necessary and dispatched the Milori ship as quickly as possible. The video log from the Thor was included in the transmission.
After that, report after report was of a quick battle with successful results. Jenetta realized all the earlier messages had been reports of no contact because the other operations had been too busy fighting, and then mopping up, to file immediate reports.
Unfortunately, a few torpedoes had gotten through in a couple of the encounters and there had been Space Command fatalities. But overall, the operation was a resounding success. Only one Milori ship had managed to make its way out of the trap laid for it. It found an area that the grid from the electronic gear didn't cover. The large cruiser successfully engaged its Light Drive, but not before suffering multiple torpedo strikes and sustaining considerable laser damage. In fact, its escape came as a complete surprise to the captains of the three Space Command ships, because they thought it disabled by that point. It had ceased firing torpedoes, and the laser fire had decreased by over seventy-five percent.
Aside fro
m the good news that Space Command had captured or destroyed fourteen ships, two at one location, was the news that spotter ships had detected eleven unidentified ships traveling at speeds in excess of Light-375. They plotted the courses and other spotter ships watched for them to the extent possible. Several Space Command ships, not part of the operation because there hadn't been any reported sightings in their patrol areas, had identified Milori ships deserting their hiding places and given pursuit, but the faster Milori vessels quickly outdistanced the Space Command vessels.
It took several days for all the reports to come in, and Jenetta was exhausted from spending long hours in the CIC. She looked forward to spending a night in her own bed, because she'd been sleeping on a cot in a room near the CIC since the first reports arrived. The ships were still cleaning up the battle sites, collecting prisoners who hadn't killed themselves to avoid surrendering, collecting bodies blown out into space, tending to the injured on both sides, and making emergency repairs to the Space Command vessels. One of the SC ships in each task group, likely the one with the worst damage, would tow the enemy ship back to Stewart where intelligence groups would take over. Experts would examine any intact computer records and begin the interrogation of the Milori prisoners.
Jenetta prepared and sent a report to the Admiralty Board once the actions were over and the captain of each ship involved in an action had forwarded his initial reports and vid records. Over the next few days, she would again review each of the videos carefully. As commanding officer at Stewart SCB, responsibility for rating the performance of each captain and ship under her command fell to her. However, her immediate interest was in getting to bed as quickly as possible. She had one last task to perform before heading for her quarters, and that was to stop at her office and send a message to the Hudeeracs. She touched the special data ring on her left hand to the spindle in the media drawer to load the proper encryption algorithm.
"To Vertap Aloyandro, Minister of Intelligence for the Hudeerac Order, from Admiral Jenetta Alicia Carver, Base Commander of Stewart Space Command Base.
"Minister, in a series of coordinated raids upon suspected locations of Milori warships, we've been able to capture or destroy fourteen vessels. A fifteenth escaped our grasp, but we damaged it sufficiently for us to remove it from consideration as a serious threat. I believe that either it has retreated to a place where the crew can transfer to another ship, or they might be quitting Galactic Alliance space entirely.
"I trust that this news will be greeted as warmly by your people as it has by mine. We'll continue our efforts to find and destroy the other Milori ships that have entered our space and are by no means complacent about the larger threat we anticipate.
"Admiral Jenetta Carver, Stewart Space Command."
She closed the media drawer, stretched, yawned, and left for her date with her bed.
* * *
"Well, Donald, what do you say now?" Admiral Hillaire asked of Admiral Hubera after the Admiralty Board had reviewed Jenetta's latest report. "Admiral Carver destroyed fourteen Milori warships without losing any of our own. And we only lost thirty-one crewmembers in the entire operation, while capturing or killing almost twenty thousand Milora."
"I say she was damned lucky after leaving her patrol routes uncovered to engage in this dubious operation. We need the ships out there watching for the invasion fleet, not a few rogue Milori ships. The warships involved will now have to travel back to Stewart for repairs."
"Although she didn't elaborate in this report," Admiral Platt said, "It appears that most of the ships only suffered minimal damage. They'll make their repairs quickly, at the site of the battles, and return to their patrol duties. Only the more seriously damaged ships will have to return to Stewart and remain there for a short time. And we did forever remove the threat represented by fifteen of the empire's newest, fastest, and most dangerous ships. That's half the group that left the fleet during its journey out of our space."
"Half of a group that Donald didn't believe existed," Admiral Hillaire said. He was deriving great pleasure from teasing Donald, although his features remained completely impassive.
"All right, I admit there were at least fifteen Milori ships in our territory," Admiral Hubera said. "But fifteen ships hardly pose the threat that you espouse. Admiral Carver has a hundred warships in her command."
"Even one Milori ship is a violation of the treaty, Donald," Admiral Bradlee said. "If they were not planning an attack, they wouldn't have taken the reckless action of secreting these ships inside our borders. By finding and destroying half this group, Admiral Carver has no doubt upset the plans of the Milori Empire. I'm not saying they won't attack now, only that the loss of so many ships will surely affect their plans. I'm extremely pleased by this operation and we've once more been shown that the confidence we've placed in Admiral Carver is justified."
"As far as posing a threat, Donald," Admiral Hillaire said, "let me remind you it was just three Milori ships that attacked the Lisbon and killed or captured Admiral Vroman and the entire crew. Just how many ships does it take to pose a threat in your opinion?"
"I haven't said they don't pose a danger, I'm only saying I don't like Admiral Carver setting aside her other responsibilities to chase after a few enemy ships. The real threat will come from the enemy fleet when it arrives."
"The enemy fleet is the real threat, as Donald says," Admiral Moore said, "but the ships that have been secreted in our territory pose a very real danger as well. If our ships move into the Frontier Zone to meet the enemy fleet while there is a substantial enemy presence inside the inner border, we'll be leaving ourselves open to an attack from the rear. By destroying an important part of this enemy fleet, Admiral Carver has significantly strengthened our position. I'm going to send her my congratulations on a job well done. What else do we have for discussion today?"
Admiral Moore's aide told Admiral Hubera to go right in as soon as he arrived in Moore's outer office later that morning.
"Come in, Donald," Moore said when the door opened. "Coffee?"
"No thanks, Rich. I've had my three cups already this morning. I'll be running for the head every twenty minutes if I drink anymore before lunch time."
Moore smiled pleasantly and then got right down to business. "Donald, I'm concerned by this increasingly hostile attitude that you're exhibiting towards Admiral Carver. With each of her successes, you seem to become more antipathetic to her. I want Board members to speak their minds, but I believe your personal attitude towards Admiral Carver is affecting your judgment."
Hubera turned his head and looked over at the beverage synthesizer. "I think I'll have that coffee after all." He rose and walked to the equipment, where he ordered a steaming cup of Colombian with five percent chicory and a spoonful of sweetener. Returning with his coffee to his seat facing Moore, he said, "I don't like her, Rich; I admit that. I think that she's risen too high, too quickly. She's only thirty-three years old for god's sake, when you discount her stasis time, and she looks twenty."
"Her appearance isn't her fault, Donald. She's not using medical techniques to look younger; in fact, I understand she has long believed it to be a great handicap, fearing people won't take her seriously because of her perceived age. And as for her age, since when has it been criteria for promotion? We promote on merit and Admiral Carver has consistently displayed abilities and judgment far beyond her years, justifying her rank and position."
"She's had much too much success, too quickly. I'm sure that she's become over-confident in her abilities. She's heading for a major fall, Rich, and I don't want half of Space Command to go down with her. Over the past several years, we've incrementally placed the fate of the entire Galactic Alliance in her hands. We've made ourselves dependent upon this child's ability to stop the Milori invasion fleets."
"Granted she's half our age, Donald, but she's hardly a child. Answer this question for me. Whom would you really prefer to see as base commander of Stewart right now? Do you think someone
never tested in battle, such as Admiral Vroman, would do a better job than Admiral Carver simply because of his age and administrative experience? Would you have supported his replacing Admiral Carver if we knew that the Milori were already commencing another invasion, or would you have insisted that Admiral Carver remain on as base commander to meet the new enemy threat? You don't have to answer me right now. All I ask is that you be honest with yourself."
* * *
Chapter Nine
~ July 8th, 2279 ~
Exalted Lord Space Marshall Berquyth entered the Emperor's study quietly and walked silently to the desk where the Emperor was reading.
"What is it, Berquyth?" the Emperor asked, his voice suggesting displeasure at being disturbed.
The tone of voice intimidated Berquyth and made him dread the chore ahead even more. "My Lord, I–– have word from our ships secreted inside the Alliance's inner border."
The Emperor stopped reading and looked at his minister with impatience. "Out with it, Berquyth. What is it?"
"The Alliance has apparently captured fourteen of the thirty ships," he said quickly, as if conveying the information rapidly would somehow make it more palatable.
The Emperor jumped up from his chair. "What? How? How could they?"
"We don't know, my Lord. All we know for sure is that fourteen ships aren't responding to hails. One ship, the Xiouthet, reported an attack by three Space Command vessels that left it with crippling injuries. It managed to evade capture, but the captain reports that they're returning home. The ship is no longer able to fight or even mount an effective defense because of battle damage. The report states that Space Command had jammed IDS band communications, but once they got far enough away, they were able to send a warning message to all other ships."
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