The Queen's Hammer: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 5

by Sean Benjamin

  “These folders contain identical packages. I will be giving you this second one once we conclude here so you can give it to Admiral Hochstadt yourself. I’ll also be giving copies of all this to the Goldenes Tor ambassador upon my return to Zelenka.”

  Hawkins was intrigued. He had no particular reason to meet the Goth military commander for the Badlands and couldn’t imagine her wanting to meet with him unless it involved killing him. He glanced down at the papers and discs.

  Alexis continued in a formal tone. “The top set of documents is several copies of Letters of Marque and Reprisal. In response to the actions of the Goldenes Tor government in supporting the Orion Confederation in the opening stages of the current war, I have decided to issue these letters to the military squadron known as Pirate Flotilla One. You are no longer pirates but privateers in the service of the Aurora Empire.” She paused and looked up at Hawkins. He was staring at her. She cocked an eyebrow in a question.

  Hawkins leaned toward her and quietly asked, “When was the last time Letters of Marque and Reprisal were issued by the monarch?”

  “Eighty-six standard years. My grandfather.” Alexis smiled. “I looked it up.”

  She looked down at the documents and continued. She covered the legal protection now extended to Pirate Flotilla One by the Aurora Empire. Many protections. The legal restrictions were laid out. Very few. The nationalities of all targets were enumerated. It was a long list that could be summed up in one phrase: everyone was a viable target. The next item to be covered was the offense committed by the Goldenes Tor that led to this commission for Pirate Flotilla One. The offense was the Goth support for the Orion squadron that attacked Skyler Mallory’s squadron in the opening phase of the war. The final items in the letters were the time limit for these privileges and geographical restrictions. There were no time limits or geographical restrictions.

  Hawkins read through the paperwork as the Queen covered the highlights. These documents, with their lack of restrictions, allowed him to do as he damned well pleased, and it would all be in the name of the Aurora Empire.

  He gave the Queen a direct look. “You sure?”

  “Yes. You will be a valuable asset working with Captain Cassidy. Besides, we can’t have a peer of the realm running around committing acts of so-called piracy. The Goldenes Tor would be protesting every day.”

  “Bet this didn’t go over well with your government officials and advisors.”

  “I didn’t tell them.”

  “When do you plan on telling them?”

  Alexis shrugged. “Whenever.” She paused and smiled. “I suspect they don’t even know I have the power to do this, so it will not be something they would have been on the lookout for. I won’t mention it. It will be more fun if the Goths bring it up to them and catch my officials by surprise.”

  Rafe tilted his head. “Payback?”

  The Queen continued to smile. “You are right. My government will no doubt be unhappy about the surprise. When they talk to me about it, I will respond as to my unhappiness about the surprise Orion attacks, my unhappiness and surprise at receiving fake shipbuilding reports, and my unhappiness and surprise about private navies taking ships and people from my Royal Navy. I will assure them that they have surprised me much more than I have surprised them. It seems only fair they get a taste of their own medicine.”

  “I guess they will have to make the adjustment. We are living in unusual times,” Rafe responded in a light tone.

  “You seem to be one of the few who understand that. It is amazing how often I have to say that to people.”

  “Does Captain Cassidy know about this?”

  “Yes, I informed her at my palace, and she has copies of all this. She will cooperate with you at all times.”

  Hawkins looked down at the folder. “This is basically a blank check with your name at the bottom.”

  “Spend it well.”

  He looked at her directly. “You risked much,” he stated simply.

  The Queen nodded her head. “Perhaps, but the enemies of the Aurora Empire also risked much.”

  After leaving the Queen in the day cabin, Rafe gathered his staff to brief them on the new development. There was only one question.

  “Do we have to call ourselves Privateer Flotilla One now?” asked Baby Doll immediately.

  Hawkins shook his head. “Nope. Doesn’t have the same ring.”

  Predator arrived at Royal Navy Base Hartley a short time later. Compared to the war atmosphere gripping the Aurora/Orion border, the feeling here was of an antiquated, quiet backwater region with a leisurely pace of operations. The only ships in port were the six ships of Cassidy’s Task Force 31.2. The majority of the ships stationed here before the war had been transferred to various war zones, and the few remaining were out patrolling the border with the Goldenes Tor. There were too few ships for the long border sector assigned to this base, but such were the demands of current events.

  The Queen’s arrival had been kept secret from all but the base commander and Captain Cassidy. Orders had been issued that it was to be business as usual at the base and no honors or ceremonies were to be conducted. The Queen would visit with the base commander and his people prior to her departure the next day. The majority of her time would be spent with the newly formed Badlands squadron.

  Predator took a berth in a floating dock just beyond Captain Cassidy’s Drake. On the other side of Drake, the Gemstone class destroyers were tied up in a neat line. Predator’s shuttle made the short run to Drake. Once the shuttle set down on Drake’s hangar deck, Queen Alexis and Captain Hawkins stepped out. The Queen was duly announced over the ship’s sound system. A greeting party, led by Captain Cassidy with her senior officers and the captains of the other ships, greeted the two new arrivals. They bowed as the Queen approached.

  “Welcome aboard Drake, Your Majesty.”

  Alexis smiled at Cassidy as she approached. “Thank you, Lisa. It is a pleasure to see you again.” The two women shook hands.

  Behind Cassidy, the other officers looked at each other in response to the Queen’s statement. Lisa had never mentioned the Queen, so they were surprised to learn their commander and their monarch were pals.

  Cassidy introduced the Queen and the Duke of Black Hallow to her ship’s officers and the captains of the destroyers. She then turned to one last person. “This is Commander Kathie Hollingsworth, captain of Cobalt. If Your Majesty pleases, you will be spending the day and one night in Cobalt as she has to do an engine calibration run and munitions firing to align fire control sensors and weapons systems.” Cassidy indicated a bag at her feet. “We have a working uniform prepared for your use, if you are so inclined.”

  Lisa Cassidy waited in silence and hoped this would not backfire. The Queen smiled. “An excellent idea!” She reached down and picked up the bag. She peered inside and saw blue coveralls, shipboard safety boots, and a standard shipboard working cap with AES COBALT stitched across the front. Each Royal Navy ship had its own ship’s color, so the cap was cobalt blue.

  “Perfect!” Alexis now looked at Cassidy expectantly. Cassidy gestured to the hatch. “Madam, let me show you to your stateroom here so your luggage can be dropped off and you can change. Then you can take a bag and transfer to Cobalt.” She turned to Hollingsworth. “We’ll meet you at the airlock, Kathie.”

  Hollingsworth nodded. Cobalt’s shuttle was attached to Drake at the port airlock. The party departed the hangar bay and Hollingsworth turned in one direction as the remainder of the party went the other way. The Queen went to her stateroom and changed into an engineering officer’s working uniform of one-piece blue coveralls and black safety boots. As she exited her stateroom, she donned her cap over her hair now tucked up in a bun on the back of her head per Fleet Regulations. The leather nametag above her left breast pocket read QUEEN ALEXIS I and under that was inscribed MONARCH OF THE AURORA EMPIRE. Over the right pocket was the ship’s patch for Cobalt. It depicted a lean and mean blue hornet. Until the name
tag was read, an observer would think the Queen was just another engineering officer wearing new coveralls.

  Captain Cassidy escorted Alexis to the airlock and turned her over to Hollingsworth. She watched them depart in Cobalt’s shuttle and returned to the officers’ mess where Hawkins sat at a table drinking water. She poured herself a cup of coffee and joined him.

  “You still sure this is the right move, Captain Hawkins?” Cassidy couldn’t keep the doubt out of her voice.

  Raferty nodded. “Call me Raferty. I’m not that formal unless the situation calls for it.”

  Now Cassidy nodded. “I would like that. Don’t like being treated as a duke?”

  “Not really. Meet a better class of people as a pirate.” Both smiled at the remark. Rafe went on. “As to the question about the Queen, I think she will have a great time. Is Captain Hollingsworth going to give her an OD period and put her in her old stateroom for the night?”

  Lisa nodded. “Kathie has her doubts, but I gave the orders, and I’ll take the heat if it goes bad.”

  Rafe shook his head. “It won’t go bad, but I would take the heat if it did. The Queen deserves some play time. She really has no schedule. Her visit is for publicity only. She arrives on the pirate ship of the Duke of Black Hallow and visits the Badlands squadron and then the base. After she returns to the home system, the press will get a full account of her trip here. The Goth embassy will report this back to their government, and they will realize the Queen is giving the new Duke of Black Hallow and the reconstituted Badlands squadron her personal attention. That will give the Goth military pause if they decide to screw with us when we get back there. This little foray by Queen Alexis could save our lives.”

  Cassidy smiled. “I’m all for it then.”

  Hawkins said, “I understand the Queen told you about the Letters of Marque and Reprisal.”

  Lisa nodded. “Didn’t see that coming. When you give copies to the Goths, they are going to go crazy.”

  Rafe smiled. “One can only hope. If nothing else, it will be fun to watch.”

  Cassidy agreed. “That it will.” She paused and switched topics. “One more thing before you go. There are four ships loaded with building supplies en route to the Badlands now. They’re commercial carriers leased by the Government so shouldn’t attract a lot of attention until we get into the Badlands. We will rendezvous with them just prior to entering the region.”

  “Excellent. The plan is coming together.” Hawkins rose from his seat with Cassidy rising a moment later. “I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll be back at 0830 tomorrow morning. The Queen returns at 0900. Shortly thereafter, she will depart with the base commander to have the midday meal with him. Then she tours the base for the afternoon and dines in the mess hall for the evening meal. Spinnaker arrives at 2100 to whisk the Queen back home to Zelenka. They will stop at three planets along the way so the Queen can visit and say nice things to the natives.

  “More importantly to us, after the Queen departs your ship tomorrow, my staff will arrive here at 1000 for our planning sessions. Is that your take on the upcoming schedule?”

  “That’s it.” Cassidy leaned toward him. “A word of warning for future use. I still communicate with friends back in the home systems. I understand there was much grumbling among some folks at Naval HQ and other places about you bringing the Queen here. Some people viewed it as an insult that she came in your ship and not in Spinnaker.”

  Rafe nodded. “Hadn’t heard that but not surprised. Nothing pisses off bureaucrats more than when they feel their rules and traditions have been violated. Thanks for the heads up. I assume those people think Spinnaker deserved the honor as one of the newest ships in the Royal Fleet and lead ship of her class.” Lisa nodded and Hawkins went on. “Spinnaker may be the name ship of the class, but she is not the lead ship. I ran into four Spinnaker destroyers out in vacuum while Spinnaker herself was still in sea trials. My understanding is the Queen knows this happened and was not happy. This is her way of getting payback for that deception.”

  Cassidy was surprised. “I hadn’t heard Spinnaker class ships were in the Fleet before Spinnaker herself. What squadron had the four Spinnakers?”

  “The Hounds from Hell under Admiral Hargrove. He takes his orders directly from the Defense Minister.”

  Lisa nodded. “I remember the after-action reports on their raids in enemy territory a while back. Did some damage but lost several ships too. I knew they had Spinnakers with them on that raid but didn’t know they had gotten them first. What were they doing when you ran into them?”

  “They were trying to kill me.”

  Cassidy gave Rafe a questioning look, and he smiled at her. “A long story for another time. I’ll get off your ship now so you can get some work done and not have to bother with me.”

  Cassidy walked Hawkins back to his shuttle, and he returned to Predator just as Cobalt was pulling out of port into open space.

  Chapter 17

  At 0900 the next morning, Cobalt’s shuttle settled on the pad in the middle of Drake’s hangar bay. The Queen was first off. She still wore the naval working uniform given to her the day prior. Her two silent bodyguards followed and moved to each side of the group while maintaining a silent vigil.

  Captain Hollingsworth followed the Queen. After greeting the waiting party, Alexis shook Hollingsworth’s hand. “Thank you for the cruise, Kathie. That is the most enjoyable time I’ve had in years.”

  The young Cobalt captain smiled at her monarch. “Thank you for the kind words, Your Majesty, but the credit goes to Captain Cassidy who arranged the schedule.”

  Alexis smiled and responded, “Perhaps she ordered it, but you executed it and did it very well. Thank you again.” Alexis turned to Lisa Cassidy. “And thank you for doing the schedule that way. I had a superb time.”

  Cassidy gave her a smile. “In the interest of honesty, Your Majesty, the idea was entirely the Duke of Black Hallow’s. Quite frankly, I had my misgivings, but he was right on the mark.”

  Alexis now turned to Hawkins. He held out his arms with his hands palm up. “Hey, I took a shot.”

  Alexis smiled. “Well, it was a bullseye, Black Hallow. Thank you for thinking of it.” She turned to look at the whole group. “And thank you all for the flawless execution.” She paused and then continued with a note of regret in her voice. “All good things come to an end, usually much too soon. I must be on my way.” She took them all in with her gaze and then turned to Hawkins. “You probably do not know this, but the Monarch of the Aurora Empire can designate a single ship from each type of ship as the Queen’s Own Destroyer, Queen’s Own Light Cruiser, and so forth. My father designated a ship of each type. I could have changed them when I took the throne, but I did not out of respect for my father, so each type of ship had a King’s Own designation for all the years of my reign. Many of these ships have been destroyed in combat including the King’s Own Destroyer.” She swept the group again with her gaze. “When I return to Zelenka, I will designate Cobalt as the Queen’s Own Destroyer.”

  Rafe recognized this must be a great honor in the Royal Navy, but he was startled by the surprise that registered on the faces of the Royal Navy officers. The Queen overlooked their shock as she continued. “I will see that it is announced before you sail to ensure the news reaches the Goldenes Tor in a timely manner.” Alexis nodded at the group. “Thank you for this past day.” She shook hands all around. She kept Hawkins for last. “Thank you for all you have done these last few days and for what you will do for the Empire in the future. Godspeed as you go forth, Duke of Black Hallow.”

  Rafe bowed and then shook hands with the Monarch. “Thank you for the kind words and the great support you have given me and my comrades, my Queen. Fair winds and following seas for your homeward journey.”

  She smiled at Hawkins and then at all the others in the compartment before turning to the base commander. “I will go in this uniform,” she informed him. The man nodded and the two of them, plus the t
wo bodyguards and all the luggage, boarded the shuttle as the other officers departed the hangar. They watched the shuttle departure through the portholes. Cobalt’s shuttle would take the royal party to the planet below before returning to Drake for Captain Hollingsworth.

  After the Queen departed, Cassidy turned to Hollingsworth. “It went that well?”

  Hollingsworth smiled as she shrugged. “I was amazed, but she absolutely loved it. She conned the ship out of the harbor to the range, spent the range period in CIC tracking the ordnance evolutions on sensors, and then spent the engine calibration session down in engineering. She ate on the mess decks with the crew, had midrats with the oncoming and off-going watches, and enjoyed sleeping in her old stateroom. She then was the OD on our return to port. She was all over the ship and talked to everyone. The crew loves her and they will love her more after hearing of the honor she has given us.” Hollingsworth looked at Cassidy. “Thank you for giving us this day, ma’am.” She turned to Hawkins. “And thank you for the idea, Your Grace.”

  Rafe nodded his thanks for the compliment and spoke quietly. “After seeing how much she enjoyed being on my ship, it was not that hard of a decision. If she liked my ship, she would absolutely love a day on her old ship. You both executed this very well. I look forward to working with you in the Badlands.” He paused and then continued on a different subject. “You two seemed damn surprised over the Royal designation for Cobalt.”

  Cassidy took up the response. “I know it is something new to you, but the Queen’s Own designation is a big deal. It usually goes to the newest and best ship of the type at the time the monarch is giving the honor. The monarch can take it away but that is very rare and would only happen if the monarch dies or the ship did something disgraceful or embarrassing. Logically, she should have given it to Spinnaker or to a destroyer that has particularly distinguished herself in battle.”