Athena Lee Chronicles 10: War to the Knife

by T S Paul

  I felt the slight bump as we exchanged weightlessness for gravity. I knew without looking that the shuttle had entered the hangar bay on the carrier. Mars had force shield technology on all their modern capital ships. I chanced a quick glance out the port and saw Navy personnel in ship's formal dress whites with the distinctive Martian red stripe down the left side of the uniform.

  Normal procedure was for a visiting Admiral to exit first followed by each rank of officer. I was not an Admiral nor was I technically Martian. I still represented Hong Kong. We would do this my way.

  Dar was actually the first one piped aboard. The surprise on the Admiral and other officer’s faces was priceless. Old Navy men and women like it when tradition is followed. Too bad. Half my team disembarked along with the CATTs before I stepped off to the sound of pipes. They were actual pipes, unlike the recording that the Old Imperial fleet used. The rest of my team brought up the rear.

  As I stepped forward, I could see some of the Admiral’s aides tense up. My protection team did look rather menacing. Dar and her six troops were dressed in their new Martian Special forces Shadow armor. They could hide almost anywhere in those outfits. Our planet didn’t have the tech yet, but it was a gift. Each Marine was equipped with the latest Manderle assault rifle and carried their individual personal weapons. I was wearing one of the gowns grandmother had bought me last Noodlemass.

  “Ambassador Lee, I’m Admiral Kanak. Welcome to the Sydney.”

  “Thank you, Admiral. We are happy to be here.” He introduced his officers, and I introduced Dar and her team. The Admiral was familiar with the CATTs and barely mentioned the six that accompanied me. Promising a tour later I was shown to my cabin on the same deck as the bridge. The Ambassadorial suite was both state of the art and more luxurious than a fancy hotel room. I quickly changed to more comfortable ship gear and talked to my team.

  “OK. We are visitors here, but we don’t know any of these people and they don’t really know us. So try not to get into any trouble. I will inform the Admiral and Captain Janszoon that my people need to get acquainted with the ship and be assigned fall back defensive positions. Be sure you unpack our kits and get everything stowed properly.”

  Both Dar and the members of the team gave me incredulous looks. “Sorry, it’s the Engineering Captain in me. My grandmother told me before we left Mars that I was her Heir, officially. Until we know what that means to these people keep it to yourselves. Keep OPSEC please. The Cabal shouldn’t be an issue among these people now that the Earthies have shown their true colors, but be careful. The CATTs will be scanning the room and exploring the ship if they need assistance please treat what they say as if it came from me. It might. Now I need two of you and Tree and Bee to accompany me to see the Admiral.”

  The five us left our suite of rooms and headed for the Bridge. Two armed Martian Marines were guarding the door.

  “Could one of you gentlemen inform either the Admiral or the Captain that I would like to speak to them?”

  The Marines looked at me in my Hong Kong Captain’s uniform and my guards and whispered a code into their network. Shortly the hatch opened and Captain Janszoon stepped out. “Ambassador Lee, is there something I can help you with?”

  I smiled. “Yes, Captain. I need to meet with you and the Admiral to discuss shipboard decorum and our mission details. Now should be a good time. I noticed that your engines have yet to spool up. We should have jumped at least an hour ago. I need to know why this is?”

  The Captain looked outraged for a moment then regained his composure. “Let me confer with the Admiral.” He stepped back onto the bridge. I smiled at the two confused Marines. I glanced over my shoulder at Dar. She smiled back at me.

  The bridge hatch opened again, and the Captain stepped out. “Ambassador Lee, the Admiral sends his regards, but regrets that he does not have time for you at the moment. As for our schedule he reminds you that you are a passenger on this ship and one from another Navy.” He turned and stepped back closing the hatch behind him.

  “So that is how it will be, is it?” I turned and found Bee and Tree looking at me. “Bee, contact Bellona for me please.”

  “Yes, Athena.” The two Marines goggled at the talking Catt at their feet. “Bellona is online.”

  “Bellona, please pass to Grandmother that her Navy is being somewhat stubborn and has not even powered up their engines yet.” I looked at Tree. “Can you send a recording of our meeting just now along to them too?” Tree nodded to me.

  It took what felt like seconds to receive a response from Bellona.

  “Athena, Bellona states that the Primus just threw a vase through the display. The blockage should be cleared momentarily.” The two Martian Marines looked at each other in surprise at the word Primus.

  “Athena, Bellona says expect change in status in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now.” We could all hear raised voices as both Admiral Kanak and Captain Janszoon were escorted off the bridge of their own ship by armed Martian Marines.

  “This is outrageous! How dare you arrest me! I’ll have you up on charges!” Both men were protesting at the top of their lungs as they were carried past us.

  An officer wearing a full commander’s uniform stepped out and scowled at the departing officers. She turned toward us and smiled. “Ambassador Lee? Thank you for that.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Didn’t you? That pompous ass and his lackey ruled over us for too long. According to the Primus we are at your orders, Captain Lee.” Dar chuckled at the look on my face. She told me later my eyes bugged out, and I went sheet-white in the face.

  “Me? I’ve never commanded an entire ship in battle or otherwise before Commander.” I fingered my rank markings. “These are engineering tabs, not bridge.”

  The commander smiled. “Primus Dorr said you would object. I will assist you as will the others. I believe we have a mission to start?” She motioned toward the hatch.

  The message from grandmother affected my status as well as the traitors. I was promoted. Grandmother felt that an Engineering Captain was not the proper rank to command a fleet for a raid. She informed me that I was now a Martian Rear Admiral. She would take no objections from me. I did try.

  Chapter 10

  It seems the Admiral, and the Captain had a nice little scheme going on. Fourth Fleet almost never left Mars. It was the newest and was considered Home Fleet. The two Officers were skimming the shipboard supplies and had some sort of deal worked out with the fuel supplier. All it took was a CATT, and a pissed off Primus to take them down. The bridge crew was unaware of the crooked deals as far as we could tell. I immediately ordered the engines fired up and the fleet to prepare for jump.

  “Ma’am communications are lighting up with calls from the other ships.” The Commander was named Abigail Tasman. According to grandmother she had been on board for over five years. The Captain had been blocking any attempt she made to transfer out. She ran the ship better than he had.

  “Can you display all of them on the screen at the same time?” This bridge was a dream. Everything was really new and cool.

  “Of course, Ma’am. ”She gave the order and one by one the ships were displayed on the main screen.

  “Captains, prepare your ships. We begin jump maneuvers in one hour.” I used my command voice.

  “Who the bloody hell are you? Where is Captain Janzoon or Admiral Kanak?”

  “Captain Wallis. The Admiral and the Captain have been placed under arrest for dereliction of duty and at this moment are on their way back to Mars under armed guard. My name is Admiral Athena Lee.”

  “The hell you say! I demand to speak to my Admiral! Who the hell are you to speak to me like that? You look like a trumped up doxie! You are a mutineer!”

  Wonderful. Why is it I end up with idiots like this one? “Tree or Bee can you…”

  “Already taken care of Admiral Lee.” We could see the ships bridge behind the fuming Captain. Armed Marines appeared behind him and dragged him kicking
and screaming off the deck.

  “Now. Once again. My name is Admiral Athena Lee. My Grandmother Amalie Dorr Primus of Mars placed me in charge of the Fleet. I am also Ambassador Lee of Hong Kong and Captain of Engineering for its Navy. Are there anymore questions? Does anyone wish to join the three officers now under arrest?” None of the shocked looking officers made a sound. “Excellent! You have your orders, follow them. We are jumping to the Celtica system to make a deal with Pirates. Any ship that fires first without orders to do so first will be fed to the CATTs at my feet! Prepare your ships, we jump soon!”

  I made a cut off motion to communications. “Well, that was fun!” I looked around at the bridge officers. All of them were women. “Commander Tasman, what is this ship's status?” I motioned her toward the ready room. My new Ready Room.

  The Ready Room looked the same as all the ones on ships everywhere. The only difference is all the new vid equipment and the Captain's desk. I swept the desk clear of the former captains things and threw them all into the trash. Rather than sit in his chair I sat on the desk. “Now, let’s talk.”

  Commander Tasman was watching the guards take up position by the door and my two CATTs jumped up onto the desk and sat beside me. “What would you like to know, Ma’am?”

  “How about we start with that out there?” I pointed toward the bridge.

  She hung her head. “I tried Admiral. I tried so very hard to protect them.”

  “How bad is it?”

  “Bad. The younger ones are the worst. They had no one to turn to. How do you go up the chain of command when your abuser is the whole chain?”

  I actually heard a growl from the two CATTs beside me. I stroked Tree’s head. It only looked like I was petting fur. The hologram was just that good. “Is there a similar problem on board any of the other ships?”

  She thought for a moment. “Maybe the heavy cruiser Kangaroo. That was Captain Wallis’s ship. He and the former Admiral were pretty tight.”

  “Spread the word. Use the Chiefs if you have to. If I hear of any abuse, I will space the culprit. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” She had a big smile on her face.

  “Now, how ready is the ship for our mission? I want the truth.”

  “Maybe seventy percent? We haven’t left the system since the trials over four years ago. We have excellent engineers on board, but the Admiral never took us out. Supplies are full at the moment. The crew. I’m not sure.”

  “Well, we will find out. Our mission could be a dangerous one.” I had Tree put the star maps up on the vid screen.

  The commander was staring at the CATTs. “Have you never seen a CATT before?”

  “No, Ma’am. I read the reports about them but the Admiral he…”

  “I understand. He kept the ship away from them. Well let’s have a CATT lesson. These are CATTs. I brought six with me so don’t be surprised if you see them around. It is basically a robot shell and an Artificial intelligence brain. They are people. They have leaders and they are organized. Bee and Tree here act as my bodyguards and personal secretaries. Don’t discount them. They are very dangerous when they need to be. One thing that is not well known about them is their ability to connect to each other. At this moment our conversation is being sent to your Primus. Don’t expect to see your former officers ever again. My Grandmother is beyond pissed right now.”

  I had to calm the young looking commander down because she just about had a panic attack when hearing who was listening in.

  “How much do you know about our mission?” I paused for a moment as I felt a slight vibration. It was very faint. I cocked my head to the side as if listening.

  “Ma’am is something wrong?”

  “No, just the engines spooling up. I noticed the faint vibration.”

  “Ma’am I only know the basics. Where we are going.”

  It took half an hour to explain. For some reason the Admiral had kept his command in the dark about Earth. I told the CATTs to check out the former Admiral and Captains. We may have just caught some Cabal supporters.

  “Ma’am, engineering says they are ready.”

  “Excellent! What is the status of the rest of the Fleet, are they ready?”

  “All ships are ready except the destroyer Tasmania. They have a drive harmonic that their engineer says cannot be fixed without a shipyard.” I made a face at that bold of a statement. I sighed and blew out a breath.

  “Fine. Inform Captain?”

  “George, Ma’am.”

  “Inform Captain George he is to get his ship repaired and join the other fleets in the upcoming exercise. Please have him personally check with Fleet repairs about the harmonic.” I looked at Commander Tasman. “Contact Naval Command and inform them that the Tasmania is staying. Tell them to investigate the Chief Engineer as well.”

  The commander sent the messages and then returned with a questioning look on her face.

  “Go ahead and spit it out Abigail.” The commander jumped at the use of her given name.

  “Why investigate the Engineer? Ma’am.”

  Time for a lesson. “In the past, a drive harmonic was a death knell to any ship of the line. If one popped up during battle it could be disastrous. Standard procedure is to shut the engine down, engage impellers, and return to base asap. However, these new ships don’t have the same style of engines that half the galaxy uses. They don’t get drive harmonics anymore.”

  “Oh. I see.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah. So two idiots over there. An Engineer who will be arrested for at the bare minimum cowardice in the face of the enemy and a Captain who let him get away with it.” I glanced around the room. I could see the other officers and techs straining to hear what I was saying. Raising my voice I said. “Let that be a lesson to all of you. Know your ship. Don’t allow another to make a decision for you without checking first. Now that whole ship is under suspicion. Any one of the other Engineering staff should have known about harmonics and the new engines.” I checked our position. “OK girls lets get this show on the road!”

  “Yes, Admiral! Communications, send the coordinates. Notify engineering we are jumping. Navigation, initiate jump in 5, 4,3, 2, 1, and Jump!”

  The entire bridge crew braced themselves for the jump. I didn’t. New engines and all that. The ship trembled a moment then surged to life and rumbled as we entered jump space.

  “Ladies! Congratulations on your first combat jump! I would suggest you read up on the new features of this class of ships. It surprises me that you haven’t as yet done so.”

  “Ma’am, when the old Admiral came on board he deleted most of the material surrounding the new equipment. His reason was his own.”

  “Well, we shall have to repair that. Tree? Contact Bellona and have her send all the manuals. Commander expect lots of new reading material on your tablets in about a minute.”

  “Athena, Bellona says thank you and everything is ready.”

  “See? All done. I love my CATTs. Now start studying. We may find ourselves in a battle with pirates before too long. I will be in the Ready Room if you need me. You have the bridge Commander Tasman.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. I have the bridge.”

  Motioning to Dar we left the bridge. As I entered the Ready Room, I interrupted a couple of maintenance techs in the process of cleaning up the room and sterilizing the former Captain's desk. “Sorry, don’t mind me. Carry on.”

  Looking at Dar I sighed. “Do me a favor sweetie. I’m pretty sure this ship does not have an NCIS representative or even Martian Special Service on board. Lock down the Captain's and Admiral’s quarters and place a guard. Use one of the ship's Marines for that. If we survive this, I’m sure that MSS will want to examine those two cabins themselves. I’m starting to believe they were both traitors.”

  She nodded. “Thats a good idea, hon. It will give me and the boys something constructive to do.” She grabbed Vince and one of the CATTs and left the room. Bee and Tree remained along with two of my guards.
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  I reached up and rubbed my eyes for a moment. Bowing my head I said a silent prayer to the Gods of Space and FSM to watch over me and my new Fleet. I chuckled for a moment and included Captain Frank Gorshin in that prayer as well. I think I was channeling the man earlier. He would have been very amused at my current situation. He always wanted me as a bridge officer and not an engineer.

  The techs finished their job and left silently. I stood and then sat down at my new Captain's’ desk and console. “Tree can you scan and remove any illegal programs?”

  The CATT jumped up on the console and inserted its tail into the optical port. Its eyes flashed a brilliant blue for just a moment. “All files have been sent to Bellona. It’s safe to use now.”

  “Thank you Tree.” After the CATTs were assigned to me I questioned their names. The answer I received surprised me. They were the best approximations in English of the old Norse names for the two cats that pulled the Goddess Freya’s chariot. I made a mental note to research her and add her to my personal altar. More support in battle can’t hurt. I configured the console to my liking and opened up the files on Celtica again. Kate O'Malley. I should have figured I would see the Irish pirates again. It was a form or Karma after all. May your life be interesting. More of a curse. I set a task for myself and began to read. These new ships were faster than most so we had about two hours more of jump time before we reached the outer marker of Celtica.