Although each side remained within easy missile range of the other through the entire operation, nobody considered shooting. By mutual silent agreement, the two foes engaged in recovery operations with one eye toward the enemy. Regardless of the uniform, everyone here was a space sailor, and nobody wanted to leave anyone to die in a mangled ship or to suffocate in an escape pod that was not picked up. Besides, there had been enough for one day. Enough destruction, enough fear, and certainly enough death. Best to reset the counter and begin again on some other day.
Gunfighter and her charges moved to the edge of the debris field, and Predator led her group to join them. They waited on the edge of the space graveyard. Raferty Hawkins wanted to ensure nobody would think the pirates were up to something. He had the formation drifting as repairs were made, magazines reloaded, and tactical assessments conducted. No pirate paid any attention to the pod recovery. None of the pods were from Flot 1 ships.
Raferty sat in his seat reviewing damage reports for his ship and the other ships as they came in. Every ship had taken multiple hits. Every ship had lost people. He did not have any names, but would get them when available. He always transferred the casualty reports to his own computer in his day cabin. Later, he would print them on to paper and file the sheets in a file he kept in his safe. On each page, the crewmember’s names would be under the name of the ship, the battle location, and the date. Hawkins had done this from the very beginning. The first page had the list of people who had died on Bolindale. The first name on the first page was Aberdene Lindstrom. He had originally done it to ensure he would remember all the people who had died with his mother. Then he did it to remember all the people who had died carrying out his plans and orders. Now he did it to remember all those who had died for the cause. It was the least he could do. The people who joined Pirate Flotilla One often had no family or, maybe, nobody who would acknowledge them as family. Their ships became their home, and the crews became their family. Hawkins had no doubt that was true of all those crewmembers who stayed in Flot 1 despite the risks and the seemingly hopelessness of their aspirations. They had found a place and a cause bigger than themselves. Many had made the ultimate sacrifice for that cause. They deserved to be remembered by the man who had lead them at that time. If Hawkins had had a home planet, he would have put up a monument with all the names on it. But there was no planet. As Hawkins thought about that, he threw out a caution flag for his train of thought. Maybe there would a place. Not right now but in the future. He would have to give it some thought.
Hawkins came back to reality. He spoke over his shoulder to Baby Doll. “The war is over for now. Raise the window shades, please.”
Baby Doll reached above her bank of computers and pressed a button. The armored shields protecting the large portholes around the bridge slid up. The view was of black space with pinpoints of light all around. Only the drifting carcasses of a few nearby ships marked this as a battle site.
Tactical came up and stood beside the command chair. “Scanned everything out there. All the stationary ships are cold tits. Most of them couldn’t be repaired in the best space dock with six months to do it. All the moving ships have various problems. Nobody is faking damage as an ambush technique.”
Rafe nodded. “We’ll stay here well out of the way to ensure nobody reads anything into our actions. When the Zeke sweep is abeam us, we will move out and form on them.”
He glanced down at the live image of Ringo on his command net. She looked calm but was regarding the scene with roving eyes, as if looking for an opening. Rafe spoke quietly to Tactical. “Your assessment on Ringo doing something stupid?”
Tactical glanced across Raferty to stare at the image on the floating screen. “That is always in play. Hopefully, the peer pressure of the rest of us doing nothing will keep her in line. If she decides to fire on an OrCon ship that would be bad.” Tactical considered a course of action and then leaned toward Hawkins to ensure privacy. “I’ll talk with Renegade’s OpsO over the operations net. We’ll ensure nothing crazy happens.” Hawkins nodded without looking at her and she turned away.
The pirate vessel Corsair drifted astern Nemesis. Captain Flint Colfax leaned back in his seat. He tried to remain stoic and in command, but he knew his hands were shaking. He was glad he hadn’t had time to think while Flot 1 was engaged in actual fighting. He might have ordered his ship to run away or something equally as stupid. Listening to the command net during the fight, he realized every pirate ship had been hit repeatedly, including his own Corsair. He didn’t need to listen to those reports to know two pirate ships had been lost with all hands. He had seen both vessels come apart with his own eyes. Colfax had met the captains of the two ships at two recent flotilla gatherings at the Hitching Post Hotel. Now they were dead. If veterans like that didn’t last, what the hell chance did he and his ship have?
He knew he couldn’t just sit there. He had to do something, anything. He decided to talk because that seemed the easiest thing to do right now. “Damage report and casualties, OpsO?” He already had a good idea about both from looking at internal scans and the hull cameras, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Dallas Keitel looked up from her screens. “Damage throughout the ship. We took eighteen hits to the shields and five got through. Three of those penetrated the hull. Still compiling casualties.” She paused and added in a quiet voice. “At least nine dead and twenty seven wounded. Partial list so those numbers likely will go up. The XO is directing repair efforts and compiling the casualty lists.” She added, “We are down to twenty percent in offensive missiles and ten percent for interceptors. Fifty percent gun ammo left.”
“Thank you,” Colfax replied. He mentally kicked himself for not bringing up the ordnance. A good captain quickly finds out about his ship’s ability to fight in the immediate future regardless of current events. He was so consumed by the recent battle, he had forgotten about the future. Lapses like that could get his ship destroyed.
He looked around the bridge. Everyone looked like he felt. This was their first fight. It was not how he envisioned it. He suspected that was true of everyone’s first combat. He pictured battle as an orderly progression to victory. In reality, it is semi-organized mayhem. Too fast to grasp and too intense to do anything other than attend to immediate concerns. It was all he could do to keep up with his ship, let alone view the entire battle and plan all the tactics, and quickly adjust as circumstances demanded. His respect for O’Hare and Hawkins increased tenfold today.
He thought he should say something to the crew, but nothing came to mind. He couldn’t even come up with the right tone to use. Sympathy for the sacrifice? Proud to serve with you? We helped win a big one? He allowed himself a small smile. He really want to say, “I’m damn glad to be alive, how about you? Let’s never do this again.”
He was spared further thought as the communications tech reported, “Call from Nemesis, sir.”
Colfax briefly wondered why O’Hare didn’t call him over the command net and speak to him directly. He looked down to his left and saw his floating comm screen was blank. He must have inadvertently turned it off via the chair controls when he was gripping the arms of his command chair while the ship was shaking under gun impacts from that OrCon destroyer. His command net had been off for some time. He hadn’t even noticed the absence of the almost continuous talk that went on over that channel. O’Hare had probably given up on him coming back on net so had called through the general communications net.
Colfax brought up the command net and pressed O’Hare’s image. “Captain O’Hare,” he said in what he hoped was a steady, calm voice. He knew as soon as the words were out, it was a forlorn hope. He sounded like a drowning man just pulled out of the water and surprised to be alive.
To his surprise, she ignored his tone. She talked in a soothing voice with an easy demeanor. “What’s your status, Flint?” He quickly responded with the information he had just received. He was silently grateful Dallas had prov
ided the munitions update without being asked. He suddenly realized she was turning into a damn good operations officer. He wished he could say the same about himself as a captain.
O’Hare nodded at the report. “Everyone’s low on missiles but we’ll make do. We can get a resupply soon enough. Get a damage assessment to my ops people as soon as possible so we can prioritize repairs.”
He started to nod, but she went on as she looked him right in the eye. “I know this was your first fight. A damn big one to have for your first time out. You and your ship did well. Very well. I’m pleased you are in my squadron and look forward to serving with you for a long time to come.” She gave him a rare smile and nod.
Colfax was dumbstruck. He thought for a moment to try to organize a response, but his brain felt like it was in low gear trying to run through sand. He finally stammered, “Thank you, Captain. I…” He faded away as O’Hare calmly watched and waited. He thought he should be matter of fact and say something heroic or something smart-ass cool, but he couldn’t come up with anything. Finally, he quietly blurted out, “My crew did well. I was surprised at how fast everything…” He faded again as he immediately regretted the admission.
To his amazement once again, O’Hare merely nodded. She knew what he really meant. “It comes fast and furious and everyone is scared. The fear is not a big deal. It is what you do despite the fear that matters. Courage is functioning despite the fear and the terror. You don’t banish your fear, you do the right thing despite it. You did well and so did your crew.” She leaned close to the screen and looked at him intently. “Walk around your ship and tell them that. Not over the ship-wide comm or at some crew gathering in the hangar bay. Do it on an individual basis, close up and personal. They know the truth about combat now and you can’t BS them with heroic talk. Heroic talk is for war’s bystanders or for political speeches. Combat veterans don’t need or want it. They need to know you appreciate their performance despite the fear and the death. They need to be told they were not only working with the people around them during the fight, but they were always a part of the ship, the squadron, and the flotilla. Their efforts helped the ship, the squadron, and the flotilla survive and win. They need to be told that what they did mattered and the sacrifices were worth it. Do that now. It shows you considered it important enough to do right now and not whenever you get around to it. You have to shape and define their memories while those are still fresh in their minds. If you wait, they will do that for themselves and you may not like the final product some of them come up with.”
Colfax nodded. It was sound advice and he knew he never would have thought of it on his own. He would have given some rah-rah speech over the comm and that would have been it. “I’m on it, Captain O’Hare.” He added quietly. “Thank you.”
O’Hare nodded. Then she smiled again and added, “And if you ever fall off the command net again, I’ll come over there and shoot you myself.” Colfax smiled in response and she was gone. He rose from his chair and announced to nobody in particular. “I’ll be around the ship somewhere.” He headed for the hatch.
Chapter 44
As the Aurora formation came abeam to the pirates, Hawkins had his ships fall in on the left flank. They joined the Zekes in quietly following the Orion ships toward Lilitu. Progress was slow as both sides picked up escape pods but nobody was complaining. Admiral Levant called up Hawkins on a private command frequency. He looked completely wrung out. “Captain Hawkins, pleased to see you’re still alive.”
“I feel the same about you, Admiral. Tough day for everyone. On both sides.”
Levant nodded. “Congratulations on your victory over the carriers. You swung the battle in our favor.”
Hawkins smiled. “The credit goes to my IntelO. Admiral Kupin is a big advocate for carriers. She wrote many articles in professional literature over the last ten years or so. My IntelO took it upon herself to read every damn thing Kupin ever authored. Kupin practiced what she had been preaching so her tactical set up was no surprise.”
Levant smiled. “I’ll look to thank your IntelO in person. Until then please do it for me.” He paused and then added. “And thanks for the three missile boats. Saved us every time they put a volley downrange. Hard to believe your Captain Takahashi is a supply officer. She can get it done on the battlefield.” The Admiral glanced at other screens floating around him. “Gotta go, Captain. When the OrCons depart the area, come back to Signe, I’ll get you into their docks for any immediate repairs that can’t wait until you get to Wanderlust.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I appreciate it. I’ll get a list of immediate repairs needed ASAP.”
The two men exchanged nods and the Admiral was gone.
The Zekes and pirates picked their way through the kill zone as they trailed the Orion warships. Recovery of pods went smoothly for both sides. The impromptu ceasefire held throughout the evolution. The Orion warships passed Lilitu and Aegis base. They did not fire on it. They moved to the site of the carrier ambush. The recovery operation was complete there and those ships fell in to the departing formation. The OrCons set course for home at a reduced speed. They would beat the reinforcements bound this way by many hours. Admiral Levant formed a makeshift squadron of ships in good condition to shadow the formation at a respectful distance to ensure their departure. He ordered his remaining ships to Signe.
His OpsO, Captain Bond, stepped up to his command chair. “You might catch some hell from home by not continuing the fight.” His tone was not accusatory nor was he suggesting that course of action. Just a warning.
Levant nodded in agreement. “I know the armchair admirals will be all over this, but we are still evenly matched. In a rematch, we would lose as many ships as they do. Maybe more if they get lucky. There’s been enough for today. Right now, everyone left on both sides is just happy to be alive. We can’t win the war here today. Maybe somebody can win it tomorrow at some other place. I wish them luck but we are done here. Besides all that, I answer to Admiral Barrett, and I know he will cover me on this. He will agree with my call here.”
Bond smiled. He liked that answer. “Yes, Admiral Barrett will do that.” The Home Fleet commander was well respected throughout the Royal Navy, especially among the warriors in that service. Bond switched topics. “You putting ships into harbor at Signe, sir?”
Levant nodded. “No place else to go for now. Aegis is trashed and Buckler has few facilities and some of them have been hit. I’m taking over their port and their repair docks, too.” He glanced at his staff officer with a slight smile. “Before you remind me of the law, I am well aware of it.” He looked back to his screens. “But after this fight, the Sigs can help out with repairs and replenishment for a short time.”
Bond smiled and nodded. “They might not like it. It will be fun to see them try to get out of it.”
“They will quickly learn that I am not in the mood.”
The Royal Navy and Flot 1 ships returned to Signe. The severely damaged ships entered the repair docks and others took up orbits or moved into docking berths. Gunfighter and Outlaw were put into repair docks for quick engine repairs before departure for Wanderlust. Admiral Barrett and Captain Hawkins had traded communiqués before the battle on a variety of topics, and the Admiral had assured Hawkins that the Wanderlust fleet facilities were available to his ships after the battle. Hawkins was all for it as he knew he would get superb treatment regarding repairs and resupply and, just as important, the Admiral would ensure the pirates had political cover as well.
All the pirate vessels settled into docking berths and began shipboard repairs. Royal Navy ships were berthed all around. The three freighters were given the best docking facilities in the harbor. The Zekes ships pulled ordnance and other supplies off their ships to bring the pirates up to minimum levels of supply.
Chapter 45
The shuttle settled onto the deck of the hangar bay aboard Typhoon. The day after arriving in port, Captain Hawkins was paying a visit to Admiral Levant as his first
order of business. The pirate commander disembarked and shook hands with the Admiral at the shuttle bay entrance hatch. The two men adjourned to the Admiral’s private dining room for a quick bite before getting down to business in planning the next two days in preparing Flot 1 for departure to Wanderlust. They enjoyed an excellent midday meal and settled back in their chairs afterward.
Raferty smiled at his host. “Thank you for all your help here. Your people have been very generous in helping with repairs and sharing supplies. I know all materials and munitions must be in short supply.”
“I’m sorry it couldn’t be more,” replied Levant. “We have a large supply convoy coming this way, but they won’t be here for two days. They will take care of you at Wanderlust. I’ll be sending several of my own ships with you. Some will stop at the few small shipyards on the way for repairs but the majority will go with you to Wanderlust for major work.”
Rafe nodded in response. “No apology needed on the supplies. We know you have to get your own ships back to battle worthiness as soon as you can. We need just enough repairs to make sure Gunfighter and Outlaw will be able to handle the journey.”
The two men talked about several topics and each found he liked and respected the other. Two life-long warriors found they had much in common. Hawkins leaned toward the Admiral. “Let me ask you about a couple of your people.”
Admiral Levant nodded and Rafe went on. “Captain Wilson of Brodie?”
“Brodie took several hits and Jack was wounded but he should be back at it shortly. His ship is probably a write off.”
“Captain Reynaud of Sallet?”
“I assume you’re asking because she is Wilson’s wife?” Raferty nodded slightly. “Sallet got the holy hell kicked out of her. Less than half her pods got off. Giselle was badly wounded on the bridge and her crew got her to a pod as they were abandoning ship. She is recovering now, but I hear she is completely distraught over the loss of her ship. I’ll be visiting all the wounded later today so will get a chance to see her.” He paused and then added. “They were a year apart at The Academy, and got married right after her graduation. He was just promoted to captain, and she will probably be selected for captain next year. They are totally devoted to each other, so I’m glad they both made it.”
Echoes from Yesterday: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 4 Page 25
