It was almost cute.
“You’ve got me all wrong. I merely ask out of professional interest. You see, back when I was running things, coming into a star system and telling them the Confederation Fleet was here to take command of the fight was pretty hit and miss,” I said wryly, “almost like herding cats—and that’s when they didn’t tell me to stuff it right up front.”
“I take it from your response you are inclined to ignore my lawful assertion of authority,” said Captain Starborn, suddenly looking like a hunting beast hard on the scent of its prey.
“Once again, you’ve got me all wrong, Captain Starborn, almost belligerently but certainly repeated so,” I tut-tutted sadly, “but unfortunately, I have found that to be all too common nowadays.”
“Then you agree to the principle of Confederation Fleet primacy in space combat and acknowledge the chain of command, pledging yourself to the defense of this star system for the duration any violations to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law under the Confederation Fleet’s code of conduct,” said the Flag Captain, “I’m sure you recall the Fleet’s code of conduct. You know. The one you so flagrantly violated?”
My eyes hardened momentarily and then, like a flash, it disappeared, replaced with a neutral expression.
I drummed my fingers along the arm of my chair and then shook my head sadly.
“Oh, I have every intention of defending this star system, make no mistake about that, but the King’s Own Multi-Sector Patrol fleet is an organization with the greatest respect for the rule of law and as such, I have no choice but to reject your unlawful attempt to impose your authority over a foreign fleet, Captain Starborn,” I said.
“Once again, it’s Flag Captain and I am noting your formal rejection of…” he paused as what I’d just said must have registered.
“What foreign fleet are you referring to, Admiral Montagne? All I see before me are warships built in the Confederation, crewed by military officers and crew who are citizens and commanded by a man who is also a Confederation citizen?” he asked shortly, “and please for the sake of clarity, do not confuse my simple use of your former title for brevity’s sake as any kind of recognition as to your former Confederation rank.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said solicitously, “in many ways, you are right yet at the same time, oh so deliciously wrong.”
“If you could please clarify your position, I would very much appreciate it, Admiral,” he said sternly, still playing the no-nonsense professional talking down to a frivolous part-timer in great danger of imperiling everyone and everything around him with his flippant attitude.
“Why, of course! You see, all of these men and women you see around me, save for a few strictly Tractoan officers and such, have all been loaned to the Tractoan System Defense fleet! A foreign organization based on a world that not only isn’t a member of the Confederation but which has been tariffed, embargoed and actually had its provisional status stripped from it by no lesser body than the Confederation itself! Stripped, I say again—stripped. So that there can be no level of confusion about its status,” I exclaimed as if pleased to relay information that the Flag Captain had simply been unaware of previously.
“While I want to be very clear that the actions of each sector are its own independent decisions and not a referendum on the Confederation as a whole, I acknowledge Tracto is not a member of the Confederation, provisional or otherwise,” the Flag Captain said, “that doesn’t mean that you as individual Confederation military officers and citizens are not risking mutiny charges by refusing to accept my lawful orders. Tracto’s status and its military requirements have no bearing on the requirement that you obey my lawful orders.”
“Well there you have it!” I grinned as if he’d just made my point for me, “Tracto is not a provisional member, a partial member or any sort of member of the Confederation whatsoever.”
“As such, any attempt to assume command of its warships utilizing Confederation Fleet authority is unlawful seizure at best and an act of war at worst. Ordering me or my men to do anything that violates Tracto’s sovereignty or opens them up to charges of mutiny in cold space is specifically forbidden in your own Confederation Fleet Code of Conduct, such as seizing control of Tracto’s fleet for the Confederation. See the Taurus League Conflict before it sought for and accepted inclusion into the old Confederation as the Taurus Sector,” I continued seriously.
“Now if you are declaring martial law and instructing us to break our current contract with Tracto, leave our current warships un-crewed in the face of this bug threat, so that we can come over to help fill any of your undermanned warships… well I can’t say such would be the act of a gentleman or an officer but I won’t deny the technical legality,” I said grumpily, “but just like during the nationalization of Star Mercenaries, you’ll need to be ready to cover any breach of contract penalties as well as compensate the Tractoan People for any warships lost due to your dangerous and highly ludicrous actions,” I said.
I then paused and waited. The ball was in the Flag Captain’s court.
A realization that seemed to be sinking in the redder his face turned.
Not that I cared. His sideways digs and accusations didn’t sit well with me, probably because I felt guilty and they had more truth to them than I’d like to admit. But by the same token, he must have thought I was a fool not to be aware of the law and how to take advantage of it.
“I need to confer with my flotilla’s legal department,” he finally said shortly.
“Take all the time you need,” I said gravely, which only seemed to infuriate the Captain.
“Technicalities and loopholes,” the Flag Captain finally spat out in disgust when he turned back to face me.
“Are you denying your previous orders were unlawful?” I asked miming shock.
“Everything you said was correct. Or at least, one valid interpretation of the law. I am informed there are others,” the Flag Captain said shortly.
“Well there you go,” I shrugged.
“I am also informed,” he said sternly, “that you have the power and authority on Tracto as one of her Protectors to give an order to your fleet, bringing them under Confederation control, and no one in the Tractoan SDF or its civilian authority could countermand you.”
“Now where would be the fun in that,” I said.
“How can you play with people’s lives like this so lightly, Montagne!” demanded the Flag Captain.
“Captain, I don’t deny a thing you said,” I said wryly.
“Then why, Admiral!?” he asked.
“If you think I’m going to dance to the Confederation’s tune after the way it’s treated me and my new people, think again,” I said flatly.
“So, it’s ego,” Flag Captain Starborn looked like he was ready to spit.
“Call it what you want. The Confederation likes to rave about soft power but when put to the test, consistently acts like the two-thousand-pound elephant in the room. It’s time the Confederation relearned what diplomacy really means,” I said.
“I urge you to reconsider. Real lives are at stake here. Taking a stand on some hypothetical principle will only get people killed. Do what’s right,” he said.
“What’s right, or what’s legal, or what you want, Captain?” I asked.
“They’re all the same,” said Starborn, “we must have a unified defense or bugs will get through our lines and eat people. They may still if we unify but at least we’ll know we’ve done all we can.”
“Oh, really? So who would you say is the most experienced Fleet Commander in this star system? And I’m talking combat expertise, wins and losses, Flag Captain,” I said.
“That’s completely immaterial,” said the Flag Captain, looking troubled.
“Shouldn’t we put the best commander in charge, isn’t that the right thing to do and let the chips fall where they may, Flag Captain?” I asked.
“I see your game an
d I’m not going to play it,” said Starborn.
“I’ve been where you are. So I get where you’re coming from. I had to deal with a bunch of uppity and unruly allies in a coalition fleet. One of which seemed determined to mess things up, pull the fleet apart over petty points of pride or principle and get everyone killed. So I get it. You have a job to do and putting yourself in charge makes everything easier,” I said.
“ Unfortunately for you, just like it was for me back in the days when I was accountable of this Sector’s defense, your job is to pull out a win while my job as the pesky, touchy, unruly ally isn’t to make your job easier,” I said.
“I’m here to save lives, yes, but just as important is to ensure this fleet and the government it represents isn’t swept under the rug and relegated to the trash can of history,” I said.
“Anyone eaten will be on your head if this fleet falls apart, King Jason,” he ground out.
“Will it? Or will it be on the heads of whoever sent these bugs here. Or maybe just like when I had to take a secondary position in a sector that asked my help, told me I’d be in command and told me to sit down, shut up and soldier when I arrived, it’s time to swallow your own pride and put the people of this star system first, Flag Captain,” I said brutally.
The Flag Captain cut the channel in one brutal movement.
“That could have gone better,” said my First Officer in a shaky breath.
I gave the other officer a cool look. I didn’t mind a little eavesdropping, else I would have taken the call somewhere other than the bridge of the Lucky Clover. On the other hand, I didn’t like comments from the peanut gallery or those whose job it wasn’t to make these sorts of decisions.
“I think it went just fine,” Akantha said sweeping in, distracting me from the First Officer and showing her support for my decisions all at once.
“How goes things with the various government officials?” I asked.
“Oh, they know we have them over the barrel. I’ve been making a mint in trillium sales here in person as well as over the com-stat network now that the tariffs are lifted and the embargo canceled,” Akantha said, looking pleased.
“I’m not surprised at you leveraging them in person but selling hyper fuel during an invasion seems somewhat harder,” I observed. Not to mention a lot like wartime profiteering. Not that I particularly cared considering the level of peacetime profiteering the Confederation had been engaging in.
“A little here, a little there,” she mused, “I think it didn’t hurt when I mentioned in my sales offer that I would put a word in with my husband if any of their star systems were attacked by space bugs.”
I snickered.
“That’s pretty devious. Not that I disapprove,” I said. Way to stick it to them.
“Our mission this time seems to be as much or more about bringing back treasure as it is winning this war with the demon space bugs,” she said judiciously, “not that I disagree with that plan as we are here already.”
Her serene expression was more disturbing than a gloating smile.
“This fleet won’t pay for itself,” I shrugged, nor would the half a dozen secret projects I had on the back burner. With enough funds, they would quickly go from the back burner to the front burner. More important than the cold hard credits almost, was the access to people and technology outside of our world.
Between Capria and the rest of the Spine and even the greater Confederation, now that trade sanctions had been lifted, I could import anything I needed up to and including highly-educated talent.
Theoretically.
My meetings over the comm with the other fleet commanders were surprisingly more cordial than the one with Flag Captain Starborn.
“Admiral Montagne! Sweet Murphy if it isn’t good to see you, Sir,” said the Sector Commandant the moment he got on the horn.
I was surprised and more than a little taken aback.
“It’s good to see you too, Sector Commandant,” I temporized.
“You don’t know me from a hole in the ground but my world was in the path of that Imperial Reclamation Fleet and you and your MSP blew through our sector just in time to save my world. No matter how everything else turns out, I just wanted to offer my thanks,” he said.
I was almost touched.
“That’s nice of you,” I said.
“I hope you’ve managed to work out any chain of command issues with our junior counterpart in the Confederation Fleet,” said the Commandant.
“Meh, no one wanted to give me the time of day when I was doing his job. I don’t see how it’s my responsibility to make it any easier on him,” I shrugged.
The Sector Commandant’s smile faded.
I cocked my head.
“You expected something more from the great Jason Montagne?” I asked with a mocking self-derisive twist to my mouth.
“Hoped, I suppose, is a better word for it,” the Sector Commandant said.
I nodded silently. I’d hoped for a lot of things too, few of which ever panned out when it came to other people. So I could understand his feeling.
“Well, whenever the two of you figure out who is the big officer in my own Sector, but I’d like even less to wake up next week without a sector capital,” the Sector Commandant said seriously, “whichever officer ends up on top, bottom or middle, I’m prepared to work with anyone and everyone if it gets these bugs squashed.”
“Be careful what you ask for; you just might get it,” I warned.
The Sector Commandant gave me a level look.
“I’d work with the Deep Fleet Space Army right now if it meant more warships between that Swarm and five billion of my citizens,” he said.
I furrowed my brows.
“I agree there are lots of bugs in that Swarm but you should have the numbers to deal with them,” I said running the numbers. It’d be tight but they should win.
“Should and did aren’t even brothers,” the Commandant advised, “and you’d be right if we were facing regular space bugs like we’ve seen in the Spine in the past. But these things,” he shook his head, “they’re some kind of mutated strain.”
“We’ve been seeing signs of marine adaptation out there,” I agreed.
“No. Not like this. This isn’t just anti-marine bugs. There’s stealth bugs and bug scout-ships with some kind of exterior coating that shrugs off point defense fire, shedding metallic carapace when its hit like a dog shed’s fur in the winter. No. This is something else,” the Sector Commandant said grimly.
“Which is why I am in no small part happy you’re here, Admiral,” he added, “we can sure use the extra firepower. That’s not assuming we’re missing an entire hidden wave of stealth bugs out there somewhere.”
“Well that sounds awful,” I said repulsed that anyone would do something like this to my people. Even if they were from Sector 26.
“It’s rough out there,” agreed the commandant.
“Yeah almost like someone planned it,” I said.
The Sector Commandant’s face closed.
“I’m not speculating on that, above my pay grade,” he said sounding like a man parroting the party line.
“That’s a cheap answer. Considering all the mutated bugs and modified bugships you say are here and we’ve been running into out there in the rest of the sector,” I said.
“Sorry, Admiral,” he shrugged unrepentantly.
Well, no point in causing a blow-up over an issue the Sector Commandant couldn’t solve even if he wasn’t playing political word games.
Which is why I gave a slow nod.
“Well I appreciate the support. Please forward your sensor results and any analysis you have on these bugs to my flagship’s tactical department. I speak for all of us when I say we’ll study anything you give us closely. We received a basic force breakdown from a local system picket and we have our own scanners but being the Sector Commandant, I’m sure you have better information at your finge
rtips,” I said.
“Not a problem, Sir,” grinned the Commandant, “and my protocol officer informs me you’ve had a promotion. Apparently, your homeworld couldn’t live without you anymore. Let me be the first one in this star system to compliment you, Your Majesty,” he said.
“Took the words right out of my mouth; they really couldn’t live without me,” I said. Considering the bug attacks that were still under way and their missing former King, my homeworld really had decided they couldn’t live without my fleet. A sad state of affairs, but one I was more than willing to take advantage of.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll let you go. I’m receiving messages from the government telling me they’d like you free so they can have a moment of your time,” said the Commandant.
“I’m afraid you’re breaking up,” I said, putting a hand to my ear and squinting at the screen.
The Commandant gave me a knowing eye-roll and cut the transmission.
I shrugged; he’d done his bit for king and country, putting the word in that his people on the political side wanted to speak with me. I didn’t hold it against him. I was just more than willing to let Akantha screen my phone calls for a while.
A good hour passed and the fleet set course for a holding orbit around a world two planets out from the Sector Capital. It was a barely-habited ice ball with deep bunkers and bases used for research purposes and underground inhabitation, and it was where we’d been oh-so-politely requested to park our fleet.
I assumed the idea was we’d be a handy-looking speed bump for the next bug wave, to make it this far into the system.
Not that we were all out here by ourselves. Warships were in motion all over the system and the Confederation Flotilla ships were closer to the outer system than my MSP.
“I’m receiving a request from Flag Captain Starborn. He’d like to speak with you again, Sire,” reported the Com-Officer, looking satisfied that the Flag Captain was the one calling back and not the other way around.
I contemplated that for several seconds, then nodded.
“Put him through,” I agreed and just like that, the Com-Officer sprang into action.
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