Smoke on the Wind

by Sean Benjamin

  Rafe accepted the card. “Thank you for your kind words and all your support. It has made this task much easier. You have done much for me already, and all I am giving you in return is two useless admirals from two now-extinct squadrons.”

  Wu flashed an evil smile. “That is more than enough in trade.” Hawkins smiled back. He believed Admiral Wu meant that. Hawkins thought he might actually pity those two poor bastards. No, he had to admit to himself, he didn’t pity them at all.

  The two men shook hands and Raferty went through the palace door and into the shuttle. He moved into the cockpit and the copilot’s seat. Tactical looked at him calmly as she started the engines. He smiled. “It’s a go. All went well.”

  She nodded and said, “Dinner at Haven Hill?”

  He nodded, and she lifted the shuttle into the air. As they headed to the family estate, it suddenly occurred to Raferty that the Queen never mentioned Skyler Mallory to him.

  Chapter 12

  The shuttle landed at the Haven Hill pad without an incoming radio call. Tactical had arranged this visit so their grandfather already knew the approximate time of their arrival. The shuttle shut down, and the two siblings exited the craft. Tobias Gallagher, 6th Duke of Black Hallow and Raferty’s predecessor to the title, came out the back door and walked toward them. George, head of household, was right behind him.

  Hugs were exchanged between the four people and everyone moved inside. An early evening meal was served before retiring to the library with after-dinner drinks. The two men settled down in chairs while Tactical moved among the books. Their grandfather never told her of the new additions to the reading material. She enjoyed the challenge of finding them herself and adding the ones that interested her to her ever-growing reading list. Her voice came out from among the stacks. “I see leather-bound copies of Churchill’s The Second World War series, a Levi Malteen book written during his exile on Mars, and two Sasha Sabik tomes from the Orion Confederation.” Tactical came into view smiling. “That might be treason, Grandfather.”

  The old man smiled back at his granddaughter. “I’ll take my chances, Rebecca. If charged, I’ll blame you two for being a bad influence on me.” He gestured toward the rows of books. “A few more in there but those were the big additions. The leather-bound Churchills are rare. We were lucky to get them.”

  Tactical was all smiles when she took a seat near the others. She loved spending time in the library. She looked her grandfather over. “You are looking well. How do you feel?”

  Raferty leaned forward to hear the answer. The man beamed. “Never better, especially when you both are here. I have many months, if not a few more years, left. It will be fine.”

  Rafe gave him a critical look. “You’re not lying to the grandkids now, are you?”

  Gallagher shook his head. “What good would that do? I know you’re going to check with George before leaving.”

  All three smiled at each other. The two grandchildren had already agreed they would check with George before departing.

  Rafe changed topics. “Something I’ve been wondering about, Grandfather. Regarding the peer title, I recall the title was supposed to revert back to you upon my departure back to the Badlands after the Measure 200 vote, and I would pretend to be a peer in the Badlands. If things went bad between me and the Goths, the truth would come out, and I wouldn’t be dragging the Empire into an altercation with the Goldenes Tor. I kept waiting for a P4 telling me the title transfer back to you was complete, but I never got one.”

  Gallagher shrugged and smiled. “The Queen and I felt you were doing a great job as the Duke of Black Hallow. We came to the mutual conclusion that you should keep the title for a while. It really worked out well when the Queen decided on issuing a Call-to-Service for you.”

  Hawkins gave a slight smile. “Do you think she wanted me to keep the title so she had the Call-to-Service available for future use just in case it became necessary?”

  Grandfather laughed. “She never discussed that with me, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all. She does plan ahead, and she has been frustrated with the senior combat leadership for some time.”

  Hawkins and Tactical looked at each other. Both were convinced the Queen had it in mind all along.

  Gallagher leaned forward now with a serious expression. “Tell me what is coming.” They did. They talked for many hours late into the night.

  The next morning there was a light meal and then the inevitable departure. George joined them for the farewells. He confirmed to the two visitors that their grandfather was doing well. Hugs were exchanged and heartfelt words were passed between the foursome.

  The old peer held Raferty close and spoke. “I didn’t bring it up last night, but I have to say a few words even though I know they will be totally inadequate. I cannot tell you of the pain I feel for the loss of Skyler Mallory. She was a fine peer, a superb naval officer, and a good friend to all of us. It is a great blow to the Royal Navy, the Upper House, and you. I know what she meant to you and what you meant to her. I am so sorry for your loss, indeed, the loss to all of us. Anything I can do to help, just tell me.”

  Rafe teared up at the kind words and great feeling behind them. He could only nod as he didn’t trust himself to speak. “Well, we got to go,” said Tactical hurriedly. “Wars don’t wait.”

  Everyone understood, and the two travelers boarded their shuttle with final waves and departed. The shuttle returned to Ruby, and the destroyer set course for Hartley.

  Chapter 13

  At Third Fleet Headquarters on the Imperial Navy base of Rosstrappe, the staff meeting was going into its second hour. All the squadron leaders sat along the sides of a large rectangular table with Admiral Cynthia Hochstadt at one end and the briefer at the other end. Other chairs along the side wall were for other briefers awaiting their turn. At the moment, silence ruled the room as Admiral Hochstadt looked at the current briefer, the Third Fleet intel officer, Captain Felix Senger. She asked in a doubting voice, “Are you sure?”

  From the far end of the table, Senger nodded as he replied, “Yes, Admiral. The whole pirate unit has gone to ground somewhere. We have no reports on them in over a week. No sightings. No raids. No pirate safety of flight reports from merchant ships. No ships reporting they have been stopped and searched. Nothing. Spot observations on Agra 2 and Agra 5 have seen no active pirate ships in either place. There had been the four freighters they took from the AC orbiting Agra 5. Two of those freighters have disappeared, and the other two AC ships stayed at Agra 5 but have been recently moved to Agra 2. They are at the Zeke base there in low orbit. A Marbellan Mamba class destroyer has also joined the Agra 2 orbit, but we do not know where the destroyer came from. She looks like she just got out of the yards but we cannot confirm that. There are no active pirate warships at Agra 2. Building is continuing at the Agra 2 base and on Agra 5 but nothing unusual is being done in either place. It is our opinion the pirates have departed the quadrant or moved to a single isolated location within the Badlands.”

  As she considered this information, Admiral Eugene Muller of Green Squadron took this opportunity to push his favorite topic, bringing Pirate Flotilla One to battle by any means possible. “We can force the issue at Agra 5. We move in there; word will get to Hawkins regardless of his location. That will bring Hawkins and his people to the field of battle on our terms.”

  Hochstadt stared at Muller. He had not been in the Badlands during the Ulatar incident. He would have been told about it as part of his series of theater in-briefs when he arrived here. It was clear those were just words to him, and he had no appreciation of the event itself. Admiral Erich Dietrich was about to speak, but Hochstadt glanced at him, and he let the thought go. She looked at Muller then expanded her gaze to take in all eight of her squadron commanders. She spoke slowly and distinctly. “Let me be clear here. Very clear. You all know about Ulatar, so I won’t cover it except to say we will not, I say again, we will not have another such incident here. There will be no taki
ng control of the pirate settlement on Agra 5. No actual or implied threats will be made against it by anyone under my command nor by anyone representing the Goldenes Tor. No communication will be made to the pirates or the Zekes regarding it. That is Gold Squadron’s AOR and I see no reason for any other squadron to be in that region. The Royal Navy has done some construction on Agra 5, and reports are a Royal Marine force of undetermined strength is being established there. It can’t be more than a reinforced platoon or the equivalent but, if true, the Royal Navy squadron will defend Agra 5 as vigorous as they would defend Agra 2. We would win any battle with them, but I think the emperor would be more than a little displeased if he found himself in the middle of an incident with the Aurora Empire over damn Agra 2 or damn Agra 5. All the while, the media here would be screaming about us taking women and children as hostages. No, I don’t see our chain of command or the emperor being happy about any of that.”

  Hochstadt looked at Admiral Wilma Landau, commander of Gold Squadron. “Wilma, monitor Agra 5 as you are now doing with Agra 2 but nothing cute.”

  Landau nodded. “Of course, Admiral.”

  Hochstadt was confident Landau knew how to play this. Muller flashed through her mind. If the pirates were hiding out somewhere while finalizing a plan, she wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised to learn that Muller was the focus of that plan. He was volatile and a glory hunter. Raferty Hawkins was just the kind of leader who would know that and use it against Green Squadron and any ships that rushed to that squadron’s defense. Hochstadt knew she would have to keep that in mind. She couldn’t do anything about Muller. He was a flagpole officer who was here to get his squadron commander qualification for his record. He was well connected and hoped to leave here for another step up in the military hierarchy. Hochstadt would like to see him take that step as soon as possible and get the hell away from her and her command before he got them all involved in something she couldn’t stop.

  She looked at Captain Senger. “Keep searching for the pirates. If they are still here in the Badlands, we can expect some sort of action soon, as they are preparing for that action now. Ensure all fleet elements are updated on this situation and to be on the alert for the least little indicator that the Hawkins and his gang are on the move. If they have departed the Badlands, it will be for the Aurora Empire, and the media there will inform us of their presence soon enough.”

  The staff intel officer nodded and sat down. Captain Kurt Bergman, Fleet Operations Officer, stood up. He covered a variety of topics. Hochstadt made a few decisions and gave out guidance. When he concluded his brief, Hochstadt asked, “How are things on Bolindale?”

  Bolindale had been under a state of emergency declared by Hochstadt since the pirate attack on a prison there. She had ordered an investigation into their prison system. The investigation had uncovered heinous crimes being committed against inmates there in a number of prisons. Hochstadt had ordered the situation corrected and the guilty tried and punished.

  Bergman thought for a moment and said, “I believe the Staff Judge Advocate can address your questions better than I can.”

  Hochstadt knew there was a problem as Bergman sat down and the fleet head lawyer rose from a seat along the near wall and moved to the briefer’s station at the other end of the table. “Captain Irene Ludendoff,” she identified herself. “The investigations and trials are proceeding without a hitch so far. There have been thirty-one trials with convictions in all cases for a variety of crimes. There are two problems. Problem number one is prison guards and other officials are coming in and surrendering for trial. They are demanding protection. The reason for this is Raferty Hawkins and his people put out blood contracts on several officials of the prison system. We don’t know who or how many. We figure at least five such contracts have been fulfilled, and there have been two near misses. Although our records on regional bounty hunters are incomplete, we believe the planet has been overrun with them. Consequently, word of all this has gotten around among the Bolindale establishment so anyone with a guilty conscience is coming in and asking for protection. Demand is far outstripping our ability or desire to provide such protection.”

  Hochstadt held up a hand to stop the narrative. She asked, “Why are we providing protection to begin with?”

  Ludendoff was a bit surprised by the question. “We feel it is right to protect these people as many of them are not accused of anything nor are they likely to be accused. Quite frankly, some of them we have never even heard of.”

  Hochstadt looked at Erich Dietrich halfway down the table. “You think Hawkins would just throw out blood contracts for fun?’

  Dietrich shook his head. “No, Admiral. He would check his sources and confirm his intel to make sure the people on the contracts have it coming to them. I suspect the great majority of the people coming in for protection don’t even have a contract on them. They just did bad things and are feeling guilty now. Also, Hawkins’ reputation is such they probably think he can read their minds or has been watching them in his crystal ball.”

  Hochstadt nodded. “That’s exactly what I think.” She turned to Ludendoff. “Tell the people coming in they have to confess to something in a sworn affidavit and agree to face the consequences before we will give them protection. If they don’t want to do that, throw them back out on the street.”

  The lawyer nodded. “Roger, Admiral. Now for problem number two. We have a situation in two of the trials. Two guards have been convicted of murdering inmates. One guard killed two women. One was accidental as he was too rough with her, and the second had been a witness to it. The other guard, at a different prison, killed another woman as she fought against him. Both were found guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

  The lawyer paused and then said, “Bolindale still has the death penalty as part of their planetary judicial code. In a case involving the death penalty, the trial judge doesn’t impose sentencing. The judge sends a recommendation to his superior, and the superior makes the choice. If death is selected, that decision is reviewed by the next person up the chain of command. Since we declared a state of emergency on Bolindale, we have taken over the responsibility for this. The judge is a military judge following the planet’s rules. The judge’s superior is Admiral Dietrich as he is in charge of Bolindale. His superior is, of course, you, Admiral.”

  Hochstadt nodded. She could see where this was going. Sometime soon, she would have to make a truly life-or-death decision regarding these two guards. She thought it might as well be right now. She looked at Dietrich intently. Dietrich knew her well and had no problem reading her. “I’m thinking death,” he replied to her look.

  “I’m thinking I will approve that,” she replied instantly.

  “That might not sit well with the authorities there. They view the guards as some of their own,” Ludendoff warned.

  Hochstadt looked at her. “I don’t care. The higher authorities are implicated in this as they turned a blind eye to this behavior for years. We will prosecute to the full extent of the law. Anything less will send a message that we aren’t as serious as we pretend to be. I want them to know we are that serious, and there is no pretending going on here.” She now took in the entire staff in her view. “Much more is at stake here than one planet’s prison system. We have tried to beat Raferty Hawkins on the battlefield, and we will keep trying to do that. I think we can beat him in other areas. People support him because they see him addressing the inequities around them. We can do that too. In fact, we can do it better because we are in more places at once, and we don’t have to waste time sneaking around. We get people to believe in us and that will hurt Hawkins.” She looked at the lawyer. “When will we have the paperwork for signature?”

  “Well, Admiral, it is in review in my-.”

  Hochstadt cut her off. “So, you will have the paperwork to Admiral Dietrich by close of business today?”

  Captain Ludendoff could read the tea leaves here. “Yes, Admiral.”

  Hochstadt turned to Di
etrich. “And I’ll have it from you first thing in the morning?”

  Dietrich was looking into the same teacup. “Yes, Admiral.”

  Hochstadt turned back to the lawyer. “When will the executions take place?”

  “It usually takes five days to-.”

  Hochstadt cut her off again. “So, three days you say?”

  Ludendoff quickly nodded. “Yes, Admiral. Three days.” She then added, “You want to know the method of execution?”

  Hochstadt shook her head. “No. Just so they end up dead, and everyone on Bolindale hears about it. That’s all I care about.” She looked at Bergman. “Next topic.”

  Chapter 14

  Raferty Hawkins, his staff, and his pirate ship captains walked into the briefing room on Hartley through a side door. A long table had been set up on the podium at the front of the room for Hawkins and selected pirates. A briefing table had been placed directly below the podium. For the ship captains, eight rows of tables and chairs had been set up in half circles arcing around the briefing table. Each seat had a briefing package on the table before it. Hawkins, O’Hare, Delacruz, Terrant, and his briefers climbed the podium to sit behind the long table. The other pirate captains aimed for seats in the first row. Blondie, as the Royal Navy liaison to Flot 1, also had a seat in the front row. Despite being the liaison officer, she was still in her pirate garb. Admirals Barrett and Levant and a Royal Marine officer were seated in the front row there, but chairs had been left open for the newcomers. As one of the task force commanders, Captain Jack Wilson should have been sitting in the front row but, Jack being Jack, was in the third row with the ship captains of his squadron. Hawkins didn’t mind. Unseen by the Royal Navy people, several pirates had drifted in through the back doors and were quietly standing at the rear. There were also six Royal Marine officers standing along the back wall.