“Admiral, sir, we’ve picked up a shadow.”
“I’ll be right there, Captain.” He’d had a good sleep—once he’d achieved that state. Too many thoughts of how he could turn defeat into victory made falling to sleep difficult. Most of them called for the use of Tenth Fleet as a diversion. Cenet must have at least forty vessels under his command, if the majority of those out on missions had returned. The emergence of a fleet of that size in a sensitive Tlartox position would have the enemy scrambling. It would give him time to regroup First Fleet. It would be hard on Tenth Fleet, but that could not be helped.
Vice Admiral Knerden strode onto the bridge. “What is the situation, Captain?”
Yrgren turned from his screen. “Single vessel, sir, shadowing.”
“Ours or theirs?”
“Impossible to tell. Shall we activate our nav-beacons?”
Knerden considered. “We do and we give away our identity if she’s hostile.”
“We don’t and we might engage a friendly, sir.”
“Yes, I know. Turn on the beacons, Captain. A hostile would know Tlartox movements and, unless their attack is to start now, they know who we are. We don’t need an incident with a friendly. Few enough of us anyway. But prepare for evasive maneuvers.”
“Aye, sir.” Yrgren passed the order along and everyone waited.
“Comm coming through, Captain,” the Communications Lieutenant reported. “Aud only.”
“Relay it to my station,” Yrgren ordered.
“Welcome back,” the voice stated, the accent strange.
“Vessel has detached and is heading away, sir.”
“Yes, Lieutenant, I see. A Tenth Fleet scout. Lormar will expect us, now.” Yrgren relaxed. “How long until we reach the emergence beacon?”
“Two hours, sir.”
Vice Admiral Knerden left the bridge. He ate, then returned to his cabin to plan his assault on Tlartox targets. Before he knew it, the comm activated.
“Admiral, we are ready to drop to Lormar.”
“I’ll be right there.” He closed the file under his personal cipher and headed for the bridge.
“Drop!”
The screens showed a wavering starfield which steadied. Five Confederation frigates stood by the emergence zone, all weapons hot. Cenet had moved the emergence zone far from the Primes and Lormar.
“Captain,” the Detector Officer sounded rattled, “detectors reading over one hundred ships, sir. I’ve never seen readings quite like these before.”
“Action Stations, Captain.”
“A moment, sir?”
Knerden nodded.
“Are these strange ships moving to intercept?”
“No, sir, no movement at all in our direction. Readings indicate about thirty of those ships are Confederation. The others...” Detection Lieutenant Vraiborn let his words trail off. He had no idea what they were.
“Contact Prime Alpha. Perhaps they can explain.”
It annoyed the Vice Admiral that the Captain had taken this initiative instead of following his suggestion to go to action stations, yet he recognized it for its worth. The strange vessels made no aggressive moves and, if friendly, which it appeared they were, he would feel a fool for having gone to action stations so precipitously.
“We have a Fleet Admiral Fenton on the Comm, sir.”
Fleet Admiral Fenton? No such person existed in the Confederation Navy. What games did Cenet play? Knerden looked at Yrgren, who shrugged.
“Put him on.” Vice Admiral Knerden saw little choice in the matter.
“Her,” the Comm Lieutenant corrected gently.
The slight woman wore a dark blue high-collared uniform, much like the ones worn by the Navy centuries earlier. She appeared composed and very sure of herself. Beside her stood Commodore Taglini.
“Welcome to Lormar, Vice Admiral. We are glad to have you and your ships here.”
Knerden stared at her. Whoever this was, she had no right to take charge of Prime Alpha, a Confederation base. Where was Admiral Cenet? “Taglini, what is going on here?” he asked, ignoring the Fleet Admiral, who frowned at the insult.
“Vice Admiral Knerden, I’m pleased to introduce Fleet Admiral Fenton of the Adian Navy. The vessels you have on your detectors belong to the Vandoo, the old 22nd Fleet. The ‘Ghost Fleet’, if you will. They have come to reinforce the Lormar garrison.”
“Sir,” Detector Lieutenant Trindol interrupted, “we have one of their vessels on screen.”
Knerden turned and gasped. It was huge and, worse, undeniably a battleship from out of the past. He recalled what he’d said to Taglini when he’d teased him about ‘Ghost Ships’. Taglini now had the last laugh. Knerden frowned. Then the frown disappeared. Along with Taglini’s fleet, these antiques could create quite a diversion.
“Fleet Admiral,” he smiled, “I am pleased to meet you. We will be there in...”
“Three hours, sir.”
“... three hours and my staff and I will be honored to meet with you and your staff in person.”
“We await you.”
It irritated Knerden that she closed the comm with that. He was a Confederation Vice Admiral, after all. She could call herself what she wanted, Fleet Admiral or Minister of the Navy, but she merely led a small, antiquated fleet.
* * *
Everywhere, Adian Marines moved about. They marched up and down the passageways, arms at the ready, conducting drills. A Confederation Marine or Spacer, familiar with the station, accompanied each group of Adians.
Knerden still didn’t believe it, though the warships he had seen were proof positive. Ships out of time. He’d always known the old ships were big. However, knowing and realizing were two different things. Seeing them right there in front of him, so to speak, stunned him.
Though impressive, great ships like that, this age’s quick turns would cause structural damage. Huge and intimidating, but unmanoeuvrable. And those great turrets: also impressive, but probably ineffectual. He shook his head again. The Adians had returned.
“Vice Admiral.” Taglini greeted him and escorted him to the conference room where the Adian staff waited. He should, he thought belatedly, have had them come over to Starburst.
“Commodore. So, your young Lieutenant-Commander dug them out of hiding after all, eh?”
Taglini didn’t rise to the bait. “The Fleet Admiral awaits us within, sir.”
“Yes, of course, the ‘Fleet Admiral’. Let us join her at once.”
Fleet Admiral Fenton came to her feet when Knerden and Taglini entered. Her staff surrounded her and Knerden had the sinking feeling that she belonged and not he.
“Vice Admiral Knerden. Your ships are a welcome addition to the defense of Lormar. They will provide a powerful core around which we can do battle. My staff has come up with several strategies we might use. Your opinions would be most welcome.”
Knerden’s eyes narrowed. In one quick move she’d put him on the defensive. “Remaining here isn’t an option. That’s just what the Tlartox would want.” He moved to the holo showing Lormar and the four Primes. Mixed squadrons of Adian and Confederation ships guarded each, with the mass of the fleet orbiting Lormar in battle formation.
“That’s the wrong holo,” Knerden told the Adians, nodding at Rear Admiral Cenet, who just arrived. “We need to look at ways to attack, to disrupt their lines of supply. If we defend here and lose, we have nothing left to stop them from taking several planets before help can arrive from the Combine front. And help is on its way. Now,” Knerden reset the holo to show the sector, “if your 22nd fleet strikes here, now, that’s a different story.”
“Vice Admiral Knerden.” The Fleet Admiral’s voice was flat and emotionless. “We have come because Lormar is our old home planet. We have ties to Lormar and are loath to allow it to fall to the Tlartox. We are not going anywhere.”
Knerden stopped listening half way through her little speech. “What is this?” He suddenly noted a vid cam recording. He looked at T
aglini, who remained expressionless. Rear Admiral Cenet finally answered the Vice Admiral.
“The Adians believe in open communication with their people. All Adian ships have access to this channel, as do their Marines on the station.”
“What!” Knerden had never found himself in such a situation before. To have his subordinates privy to private discussions? Unheard of!
“Also,” smiled Rear Admiral Cenet grimly, “because the Adians have ‘adopted’ Lormar, any citizen on the planet can access this channel.”
Knerden glared at Taglini. He should have warned him. Civilians watching the Fleet at work? What did they know of strategy, tactics, or necessity?
Stiffly he turned to Cenet. “Rear Admiral, you will report to Starburst to receive orders for Tenth Fleet.”
“Sir, with all due respect, I have orders for Tenth Fleet, direct from Fleet Headquarters. My orders require me to protect the Primes until evacuated.”
Knerden could feel his face starting to redden from anger. “Cenet, I have seen no sign of evacuation since arriving.”
“No, sir, that’s the mystery of it. Since the Adians arrived no one seems of the mind to leave. Instead we have volunteers coming up from the planet to help in defense.”
Knerden tightly controlled his mounting rage. “If they want to commit suicide, that is their prerogative, Rear Admiral. With no evacuation, you are free for new orders.”
“Sir, I respectfully submit that my orders remain valid. If you contact Fleet Headquarters, perhaps they will issue new orders. Until then I am bound.” Both admirals knew all attempts to contact HQ had failed; they stared at each other, one angry, the other calm and defiant.
“I don’t know what you are playing at, but you’ll regret it.” Suddenly realizing that his threat had gone out to everyone tuned in and watching the vid, Knerden turned on his heel. “Let’s go,” he called to his Flag Lieutenant.
Commodore Taglini escorted him back to the shuttle dock, more to ensure that he had left than out of any sense of duty.
“Tag, surely you see that Lormar cannot be defended. If we distract them, though...” He noted that Taglini had absolutely no enthusiasm for the subject.
“If we try that again, they’ll cut us to pieces, bit by bit, same as before, sir.”
“You, too, will regret this, Taglini.”
Taglini suddenly smiled. “If I live, Vice Admiral.”
Knerden could say nothing to that. He boarded his shuttle and placed a comm to Honor. “Captain. You will join us as we regroup First Fleet. Hyperspace in two hours.” The reply had his hands shaking.
“Sir, we are detached and under orders of Tenth Fleet.”
Knerden broke contact before he could say anything else. One hour later Starburst and her escorts returned to hyperspace.
* * *
“Your Vice Admiral Knerden is a rather hot-headed man,” Fleet Admiral Fenton remarked to Rear Admiral Cenet over a glass of wine.
There were no vid-cams here—at least Cenet didn’t think so—though the Adians seemed intent on placing them along every main passageway and in every major compartment.
“He believes what he believes,” Cenet answered.
Fenton laughed. “No, my friend, he plays at war. It is a game to him. Those good people down below on Lormar are not real to him.” She allowed that to sink in. “They are real to us and we shall not let the Tlartox walk in and destroy their lives without a fight.” Her vehemence surprised Cenet. She softened. “They pay us for this, do they not?”
“Aye, Admiral. The question is how best to accomplish that mission. You have your idea and the Vice Admiral has his.” He held up his hand to forestall further discussion of Knerden. “On to practical matters: to have any hope of success, we cannot fight as two separate entities.”
Fenton’s eyes sharpened. She was willing to wait him out, however.
“You have the larger fleet and the rank. I am willing to place my ships under your command.”
Fenton relaxed. “I do not think that rank has any place, here. You lead your fleet: I lead mine. We command as equals. You are correct, though, we must operate under a common plan. Together you and I—and our staffs—must decide how to use our fleets to best advantage.” A Signals Lieutenant stood at the door. “Yes, what is it?”
“Message for Rear Admiral Cenet, sir.”
Cenet took the message stick and placed it in his reader, entering the proper cipher. He looked up to Fenton. “We have two reinforcing fleets on their way, Admiral.” He did not look very relieved. “They will take at least two weeks to get here.”
“The Tlartox will hear of this.”
“Undoubtedly. Our navy won some battles, freeing up those fleets. The Tlartox will not know how many or how soon, but they will prepare for the worst.”
“Then we had better get to work, Admiral.”
“Aye, we’d better get to work.” Heavily, Cenet rose from his chair and, together with the Adian officer, returned to the conference room where Taglini and Captain Kaldon studied the holo.
“Gentlemen, Ladies,” Fenton’s voice stopped all discussion, “We have some good news and some bad.”
CHAPTER 25
PRIME ALPHA
Bel Frincol charged down the passageway at the head of her detachment. She spun left at the Officers’ Mess, and hit the slide pole running. Down two decks, she jumped out and looked up and down the passage. The repair dock should be ... that way. She turned right and her people followed close behind.
“Fan out!” The Marines went right and left as they entered the dock, taking cover where they could. A surprise commando assault had felled her captain, shot up her lieutenant’s leg. Now she, a sergeant, took command.
Weapons fire sounded from deep within the dock. Signaling left and right she made the motion to advance. They had moved only twenty meters when fire from behind and above cut them down.
“Sergeant Frincol, you and your troops are dead,” called out the umpire. “I suggest you take the next hour or two for a guided tour of the dock.”
A young Confederation worker appeared through the door, leading her captain and lieutenant. “Sorry, sir,” she apologized. The captain looked all around and up. “We learn from our mistakes, Sergeant. At least it won’t happen in a real battle now.”
“Yes, sir.” Bel wished that she were back down on Lormar, back in Brevniz, back with Sillan. But she wasn’t. She was here, and others had taken her place on three days leave. She hoped that they would have as good a time as she had. It could be their last. Would be if she didn’t smarten up. She followed their guide, looking at everything from the perspective of attack and retreat. She also kept in mind how her new weapons would be able to aid her in the mission.
* * *
Commodore Cetph looked over the comm array. Multiple screens showed passageway after passageway, compartment after compartment. The Comm Tech’s fingers flew over the console and the screens changed, following Frincol’s run. An infrared seeker aimed the camera in the dock towards the troops as they entered.
“See the flashing red light in the corner, sir?”
“Yes.”
“That indicates other targets.” His fingers danced again and the camera swiveled until the ambush party came into view. They moved to the rails of the catwalk and began firing down.
“Good. Very good. All in order?”
“Well, we have a few things that need looking at but, yes, we are ready. We’ve checked the sender array, rechecked, tested and declared it ready as well. Works on all channels.”
“All channels?”
“Aye, sir. All channels. Tested and confirmed.”
“Good.” Cetph turned and left. The other Primes had made similar reports. They stood ready.
LORM, LORMAR
Jol Drendol slipped the cap back on the guidance head and looked around. All about him the shift worked. No one complained about overtime, and absenteeism hit a record low.
The tubes on the old Adian war
ships could not take newer Confederation torpedoes, but the guidance heads on their torpedoes could be replaced with updated ones, and these the factory made as fast as they safely could.
Jol looked up to the wall clock. He did a double take. The shift, including the three overtime hours, had ended, yet not a person had made a move towards the doors.
Ral Threntor saw his glance and grinned at him. “I guess one more hour wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
Jol grinned back. “I guess not.” He bent to peer at the next guidance head, attached the test leads and ran the simulation.
It had taken only four days after the arrival of the Adians for the factory to come back to its pre-crisis standards. Another two days and full attendance had been achieved, with workers volunteering for unpaid overtime. The same occurred in the small-arms factories. No one wanted to see the Adian Marines face the Tlartox with antiquated weapons. And as quickly as it could be made, Lormar lifted new body armor up to the Primes.
All of Lormar united behind ‘their’ Marines, and they’d be damned to all the hells if they would allow the Adians to fight the Tlartox without the benefit of whatever Confederation technology they could supply.
TRENTH’S FANG, NORMAL SPACE
Fleet Admiral Tlomega stood in front of the entire Third Commando Division. She had made the speech twice before and would again for the Fourth. She could, she supposed, have done it just once and had it relayed to the other troopships; however, doing it in person made it something special.
General Tlearfong, leader of the Commando Divisions, had frowned upon it, but Tlomega insisted.
“It is unfortunate that the humans have been running away up until now, but they dare not give up Lormar without a fight. We jump for Lormar, and there, I promise you, your Hunt will begin in earnest!” Tlomega stopped and waited for the roar to die.
“Fleet will deliver you to the Lormar Primes, and you will take them for the greater glory of Tlar! The humans will have to fight, but they do not stand up well to a good scratching.” Laughter echoed through the huge compartment. “But don’t fear, if you don’t get a chance to complete a Hunt here, there will be other planets and stations as we move deeper into Confederation space.” General Tlearfong gave her a strange look, but Tlomega went on as if it were nothing. “Remember Tlenfro!”
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