by Rick Bentsen
"K'Alan," Crovax said. "I hope you have a plan. Just sitting here, we're going to get caught sooner or later."
"I know," K'Alan sighed. "Crovax, do you know where we might be able to borrow a ship?"
"Borrow? Surely you don't mean to come back and return it?" Crovax said with horror.
“Poor choice of words.” K’Alan frowned. “How about acquire? Do you know where we might acquire a ship?”
“About the best I could suggest would be get a roid skimmer. They’re not great for deep space, K’Alan, but you can hide on one of the asteroids until a rescue party arrives.”
“I’m not sure a rescue party will come, Crovax,” K’Alan said quietly. “I left Mario with orders not to bother with me, but to make sure the mission succeeded. Stubborn as he is, he’ll follow orders.”
“You underestimate your worth, K’Alan,” Chancellor G’Kiron said. “Yes, Mario will follow orders. But I’ll wager that as soon as M’Bek Tarmos has been delivered to the Star League, Mario will be back to pick you up.”
“Well, I hope you’re right, Chancellor,” K’Alan said. “I miss my wife and son.” He turned back to Crovax. “Can you get that roid skimmer, Crovax?”
“Of course I can,” Crovax snorted. “It may take some time though. Wait here. I’ll be back as soon as I have the ship.”
Without waiting for a response, Crovax quietly crept from the house into the city. K’Alan busied himself the best he could while the Cor’vat was out picking up the ship.
It was very late at night when Crovax slipped back into the house.
“Come quickly,” the Cor’vat hissed. “But be very quiet. There are guards about.”
Crovax led K’Alan and G’Kiron out on a winding journey into the city. There were many twists and turns. K’Alan had to refrain several times from asking Crovax if he knew where he was going.
Eventually, K’Alan found himself looking at one of the ugliest ships he’d ever seen.
“She’s not much to look at, but she’ll get us where we’re going,” Crovax assured him. “It’s the best I can do, K’Alan.”
“Then it’ll be good enough,” K’Alan smiled. “Thanks, Crovax. For everything.”
With that, K’Alan entered the little ship.
Chapter 46.
2.10.2136
0712
SLS Creighton
Main Conference Room
TOM Keevan sat quietly in his chair in the empty conference room, waiting for the rest of the command staff to show up. He hadn’t slept well the previous night; visions of Erin Sykes kept going through his head. He was very afraid of how she’d respond when he proposed marriage to her. He was more nervous about that than he was about the rescue mission.
Rescue missions I can plan in my sleep, he reasoned to himself. This is different.
To keep his mind off Erin, he’d gone over his own notes about the Brentax and Brentax space.
He knew his ship and crew could handle any ship that was unlucky enough to try and stop them from picking up Captain Bryce. He also knew that overconfidence had led to the deaths of many a captain. Although he never said it aloud, he thought that may have been part of what happened with the Grange. Good as she was, Perrin Hawkes had gotten overconfident.
What I’d like more than anything is a simple in and out, Tom thought to himself. It’s not likely to happen though. We better plan for the worst.
“Morning, Tom,” Jack called as he walked into the conference room and sat down. “Sleep OK?”
“Kept thinking about her,” Tom admitted. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Thought so,” Jack shook his head. “Listen, I was thinking about the Brentax problem. At least about the problem about our likely attracting every ship they have in Brentax space.”
“Yeah,” Tom said. “I’ve been thinking about that too. We’ve proven we can take out their Duhari class cruisers.”
“Thing is, Tom, we’re not going to have the chance to pull the same trick we’ve been pulling,” Jack said. “The only reason that trick worked was that we had the time to sit back and plan the shots. We won’t be given that time when we’re on the attack.”
“What have you got in mind, Jack?” Tom asked.
“Well, first of all, when we get to the Gamma Epsilon Station, I want to get a triple load of torpedoes.”
“All right, I’ll requisition them,” Tom nodded.
“I’m going to modify the forward torpedo bays so I can set them to do an automatic rapid fire,” Jack said. “That way, we don’t have to be as precise. We’ll get, oh, six or seven hits in the time it would take us to line up and fire once.”
“That’s crazy, Jack!” Tom exploded in a way that he hoped Jack’s crazy torpedo set up would not. “Suppose one torpedo jams? The rest would likely go boom.”
“I thought about that too. I’m going to wire in some safety measures. Should a torpedo jam, the bay will shut down and disarm the remaining torpedoes, including the jammed one.”
“I still think it’s crazy,” Tom said. “Sounds like a plan though. We’ll go with it.”
The rest of the command staff started filing in. They had no sooner sat down when Tom’s wristlink sounded.
“Captain Keevan, we’re on approach to the Gamma Epsilon Station,” Kim Ericson said. “Admiral Bonetti wants to talk to you.”
“Patch him through to the conference room.”
“Acknowledged, Captain. Patching him through now.”
The wall viewer sprang to life, and Admiral Bonetti appeared, sitting behind his desk.
“Captain Keevan,” Admiral Bonetti said.
“Admiral Bonetti,” Tom smiled. “What can I do for you this fine morning?”
“I notice you’re on final approach to the station, Captain. When you dock, I’d like you to join me in the commissary for breakfast.”
“I’d be delighted to, Admiral. We should be docked in about an hour,” Tom said.
“Then I’ll expect you around 0900 hours in the commissary, Captain. Admiral Bonetti out.”
The viewscreen faded to black, and Tom turned back to the table and his senior staff.
“All right people. Here’s what Jack came up with.”
2.10.2136
0857
Gamma Epsilon Station
The Commissary
“Glad you could make it, Tom,” Admiral Bonetti said. He wasn’t smiling when he led Tom Keevan to a table.
“How could I refuse, John?” Tom said sitting. “You have real eggs here.”
“True enough,” John chuckled. He sighed before continuing. “I was against this mission, Tom. I think it will cause problems with the peace process. But the President thinks it’s necessary, so I’m letting it go through. What can I do to make sure this mission is successful?”
“You should be receiving a requisition list, John,” Tom said, buttering a piece of toast. “If I can get everything on that list, we should be all right.”
“All right. I’ll see what I can do. You’ll leave as soon as the White Knight arrives and Colonel Bonetti can get his temporary transfer order.” John took a bite of egg. “And Tom? Try not to leave anyone behind.”
“I don’t intend to, John.”
Chapter 47.
2.10.2136
0722
SLS White Knight
The City
K’ITEA Bryce hadn’t been able to sleep all night. Even though she knew that K’Alan was safe, it didn’t help. She was still worried about him. All she wanted was for him to be back with her on board the White Knight. Even Elam had been little comfort the past two days. She watched him sleeping peacefully and sighed.
When will you be home, my love? She thought to herself. When will you return to me?
She sighed again and slowly dressed. Unwilling to stay cooped up in her quarters any longer, she stepped out into the city.
2.10.2136
0814
SLS White Knight
Forward Observation Lounge
She’d had Masha draw up security and honor guard duty details and a security plan using all available crew members. What Masha came up with was an incredibly complex set of plans that looked quite good. There were few, if any, security leaks in the entire plan. Erin was pleased with the plan, especially when Masha volunteered to be the coordinator, thereby allowing Erin to just take a security shift.
Let Masha do the hard work on that plan for a change, Erin had thought to herself.
It made sense. Masha was first and foremost a security officer. Erin was a soldier. A career pilot before she was promoted to Commander, Erin felt much more comfortable in the cockpit of a Starfire than stuck on the bridge. K’Alan’s only response when she mentioned that was to shrug and say that she’d adapt.
Adapt, she thought bitterly. Hell, I should be the one out there lost on Brentax III instead of K’Alan. I can’t believe he left me here on the White Knight while he risked his neck on a fool mission. And I’m the one who’s supposed to adapt? I’m going to wring his neck when he gets back.
With that pleasant thought in her mind, she tapped her wristlink.
“ETA to Gamma Epsilon Station?” she asked the bridge officer on duty.
“ETA to Gamma Epsilon Station is about 2330 hours, Commander,” the voice of Mara Silvermaine responded. ‘I don’t think we can push the engines any more than we already are. I’d like to get there in one piece personally.”
“Understood,” Erin sighed. “I’ll be taking the third duty shift tonight, Ms. Silvermaine. I expect primary crew to be on duty then. Get some sleep as soon as you get off shift.”
“Aye, ma’am.”
Erin nodded at her wristlink and flicked it off. She stared out the viewport some more, scowling to herself.
2.10.2136
1311
SLS White Knight
Soran’s Bar.
Colonel Mario Bonetti sat by himself in a corner of the bar. He’d been spending a lot of time by himself over the past two days, trying not to think about K’Alan, and trying to avoid talking to too many people about what had happened on Brentax III. He was trying to avoid S’Era too. He felt extremely guilty about leaving her brother behind, even though he was following his orders. And every time he looked at her, he could see how upset she was about K’Alan being missing.
He wondered idly if she’d ever forgive him for leaving K’Alan behind.
“Feeling sorry for yourself won’t change anything,” a familiar voice said from nearby.
“I’m not feeling sorry for myself,” Mario muttered.
“Mind if I sit?” the voice asked again. Mario nodded, not looking up. Soran sat across the table from him and smiled. “Sure you are. Mario. See, I know how you’re feeling right now. I’ve been there.”
“Soran, no offense, but you can’t possibly know how I’m feeling right now.”
“You think I was a barman all my life, Mario?” Soran chuckled as he slid a large flat box across the table. “Open it and look inside.”
Mario opened the box and his eyebrows shot up.
“The Platinum Star?” Mario said, surprised. “I didn’t know you were in the Defense Force, Soran.”
“I was. About fifty years ago. I made Captain before I resigned my commission.”
“Why’d you resign?” Mario was truly curious.
“Maybe I’ll tell you sometime. It’s not relevant to your problem. You say I don’t know how you feel. Well, let me tell you a little story. About sixty years ago, I was a Commander. I was Strike Leader in my unit. I was cocky.
“I was in love with this sparky Lieutenant Commander that was one of the squad leaders. She was a lot like your S’Era. She was kind, caring, and full of life. Her name was K’Aria Danare. She and I were inseparable. We did everything on the ship together. I made it so we had the same duty shifts.
“We went on a ground mission. In those days, more often than not the pilots were also ground pounders. K’Aria and I got separated from the rest of our detachment. I don’t know what happened. We were under attack. K’Aria was shot in the stomach. I patched her up the best I could.
“The rest of the mission is still a blur. I wish I knew how it happened. All I remember is that when we got back to our dropships, K’Aria wasn’t there. I led a rescue mission to find her that day, but it was no use. She was gone.
“I never married. I always felt it would be a betrayal of her love. I’ve been reliving that day for a long time, Mario. So, yes, I know how you feel.”
Soran was looking away from Mario, and the young colonel felt a little ashamed.
“I’m sorry, Soran,” Mario said quietly.
“It’s all right, Mario,” Soran smiled. “I just wanted you to know that if you needed to talk, there was someone here who knows what you’re going through.”
“Good to know,” Mario said. He knocked back the rest of his drink and smiled. “I have to go, Soran. There’s some things I need to get done.”
“Stop by any time, Mario,” the barman smiled. “I’m always here.”
“I will,” Mario smiled and headed out of the lounge.
Chapter 48.
2.10.2136
2310
Gamma Epsilon Station
Admiral Bonetti’s Quarters
JOHN was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. He was tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable.
“Admiral Bonetti,” the admiral’s wristlink squawked. “There is a Star League ship on fast approach to the Gamma Epsilon Station. Markings indicate that it’s the White Knight.”
“I’m on my way,” John said as he tapped his wristlink.
He got dressed and hurried out of his quarters.
2.10.2136
2329
Gamma Epsilon Station
Command and Control.
John Bonetti strode into Command and Control, fidgeting nervously as he took the command seat. It was rare that the station commander actually was in command and control, but this was a special case.
“ETA of the White Knight?” he asked.
“They just requested docking clearance. They should complete docking in about half an hour,” a station tech said, swiveling in his chair.
“Grant clearance for Docking Bay 12. And have Colonel Bonetti and Commander Sykes report to my office as soon as they dock,” John ordered.”
“Understood, Admiral,” the tech said.
2.11.2136
0004
Gamma Epsilon Station
Admiral Bonetti’s office.
John paced his office as he waited for Commander Sykes and his son to arrive. He’d been hoping to put this moment off a bit longer, but now that it was here, he had no choice but to go through with it. As soon as the door chime sounded, he straightened his uniform and sat behind his desk.
“Enter,” he called.
The door slid open and Erin and Mario stepped through into the office.
“Commander Erin Sykes and Colonel Mario Bonetti reporting as ordered, Admiral,” Erin said, snapping to attention. Mario followed suit and stood at attention, although a bit slower than Erin had done.
“At ease,” John said. “Sit, the both of you. We have a couple situations that need to be worked out.”
“Situations?” Erin asked.
“Yes, Commander. First of all, do you have the security plans drawn up for the peace conference?”
“Yes, Admiral.”
Erin passed over a
data pad with the security plan on it. John took it and looked it over.
“It looks good. Except that there is one small problem.”
“Problem?” Erin asked, furrowing her brow.
“Yes. You’re going to have to reassign some of these duty assignments. Colonel Bonetti will not be staying on the station.”
“I won’t?” Mario asked.
“No, Colonel, you won’t.” John sighed. “You have orders directly from President Jameson, Colonel. You are being temporarily reassigned to the Creighton.”
“That’s Tom Keevan’s ship, isn’t it, Admiral?” Erin asked.
“Yes, it is. The Creighton is being sent to Brentax III. It seems the president is most anxious to have a certain package that was left on the planet returned to Star League space.”
The light that seemed to go on in Mario’s eyes told Admiral Bonetti that the young colonel was more than happy to get the change in orders.
“Why send the Creighton and not the White Knight?” Erin asked.
“I would think that it’s because the Creighton has a much more extensive battle record against Duhari class heavy cruisers, Commander,” Mario said. “It makes sense. Send the ship you know can handle the situation the best.”
“That’s right, Colonel,” John nodded. “Since the Creighton has taken out two Duhari class cruisers this week alone, that makes them the best ship to handle the mission.”
“Mario,” Erin said. “Make sure you keep an eye on Tom. Don’t let him do anything stupid, OK?”
“I promise, Commander,” Mario said. “I will do everything I can to keep Captain Keevan safe.” The colonel looked at Admiral Bonetti. “If I may be dismissed, I need to go get ready. I have some, ah, supplies I need to get from my quarters.”
“The Creighton’s docked at Bay 3. Dismissed,” John nodded.
Mario stood and hustled out of the room. John turned to Erin and smiled weakly.
