Kris Longknife Stalwart

by Mike Shepherd

  "Do you think that will keep you safe if there is an uprising?"

  "That, and a major presence of military intelligence. You can't make a rebellion if you can't speak the word. Also, we may not have the tiny listening devices you have, but we have some pretty good ones, now that we've learned how much of an advantage they bring. These hicks haven't had the intrigues and back-stabbing we have in the capital. We should be able to run them ragged."

  "Don't underestimate your, ah, well, in this case, your sudden ally."

  "Oh, I assure you I won't. However, in my study of you Humans I came across a word you sometimes use. Paranoid."

  "Ah, yes. A good word. I've often thought that my own paranoia has kept me alive more times than I can count."

  "It is strange for you to admit such feelings. I understood the word to mean people are 'out to get you' when they aren't, and that that is a bad thing. As an Iteeche, it is just considered good Clan business."

  Kris started to open her mouth. She started to say something funny, then she thought better. She hadn't been raised in a mating pond like an Iteeche. She hadn't spent the first several years of her life in constant fear of being eaten by something bigger. Of course that was imprinted on every Iteeche's psyche. What for Humans was an aberration was for the Iteeche just the normal attitude toward life.

  Kris listened while Admiral Linn further outlined his plans. Apparently, he and his friendly general had gotten quite down in the weeds. After a half hour, Kris was reasonably sure the Iteeche understood her intent and was prepared to carry it out.

  "I will keep my eye on the local Planetary Overlord, but I will not keep him under my thumb. I will not start throwing my weight around unless they mess with ship production and supplies to you. That, and if intelligence begins to hear chatter of a rebellion."

  "You understand my intentions clearly," Kris said, "I'd like you to develop a comfortable relationship with the Planetary Overload so problems can be handled over a shared dinner."

  "I will do my best to do that, Most Eminent Admiral."

  With that, the meeting ended.

  26

  That left time for another call to Admiral Tong before supper.

  "I was expecting your call, My Most Eminent Admiral," Tong said for greetings.

  "So I could tell you that you sent me a great manager for the Overseer job?"

  "Well, I was expecting to hear how the job interview went."

  "It went very well," Kris said. "He sounds like a good choice. He understands where I want a tight hand and where I want him to hold the reins loose. I think he'll do us both proud. I discovered that he was already discussing with an Army general how to distribute the Balan troops among our loyal soldiers on the troopships, and the same for the troops we leave behind."

  "Yes. He gave me a quick rundown on what they thought. I agree it's a good business. No doubt, some senior personnel in both the Army and Navy will hitch a ride on one of the local Battleships of State. Two of them have kept their reactors hot. No doubt, someone wants to make a gracious exit."

  "Oh, I missed that. I was concentrating on the battlecruisers. Thanks for pointing out that there are options for as many as want to run to do just that. Now, what about the fleet. How do we manage a thousand new rebel ships?"

  Admiral Tong didn't even hesitate. "It just so happens that their thousand are organized into thirty-two flotillas, each with four squadrons. If we pulled one squadron out of each of their flotillas, we'd have thirty-two squadrons to distribute among our flotillas. If we took two squadrons out of each flotilla, half of the ships that stayed here would be Balan, half would be ours."

  Kris nodded agreement. "And the sixty-four squadrons would be swallowed among our two hundred and sixteen flotillas. However, the fleet here would only be fifty-fifty."

  "Yes," Admiral Tong said. "So, may I suggest we take one more squadron out of sixteen of Balan's flotillas. That would leave half the flotillas here with three loyal squadrons and half with two. Exactly how we staff one or two task force headquarters will depend on who runs for the battleships. Same for the ship captains. I may shuffle some COs and XOs around until I'm comfortable that I can trust them not to try to stab us in the back."

  "I like your attitude. Even with eighty former rebel squadrons in my fleet, they will still be a small part of those flotillas and the rest of my fleet would be all loyalists."

  "Very much so, My Most Eminent Admiral," Tong said.

  "With that settled, I can now get an early supper. Thank you."

  "We should dock during the third watch tomorrow morning. I will call you as soon as we know how many of the local Battleships of State want permission to leave for the far jump."

  "Thank you," and Kris cut the circuit.

  "Nelly, can you get Jack? Damn, I almost said Jack and the kids. I miss those cuties."

  "I miss them, too," Nelly said. "Ruth asks such interesting questions and the view she takes on things is always a surprise. I find talking with her so refreshing."

  "You need to share some of those moments with me," Kris said.

  "I keep them in a special storage. I guess you would say close to my heart. Johnnie is a scamp. More often, Hippo is trying to keep him in line. Fortunately, we removed the off button on Hippo and Johnnie can't turn him off. Ruth wouldn't think of deactivating Daisy. She wants to talk to her all the time. Daisy is getting to be quite the chatterbox on the family net."

  "No surprise there," Kris said, smiling fondly. She remembered herself at Ruth's age, when she could laugh and ask any question she wanted of their nanny. That was the year before little Eddie was kidnapped.

  "Oh dearest, I so hope we can keep your laugh, your smile, your questions," Kris muttered to herself.

  "Here is Jack," Nelly said.

  "Hi, hon. Has your day been survivable?" he asked on net.

  "The question is will the decisions I make today be survivable a month from now."

  "You hungry?"

  "Terribly, Jack. Can I meet you at the wardroom?"

  "Admiral's or ship's?" Jack answered back.

  "I need to feel the background chatter of my fellow soldiers," Kris said. "We can talk about the classified stuff over a nice pillow, or maybe turn the shower into a hot tub."

  "I vote for hot tub."

  After a nice supper, Kris and Jack had just gotten comfortable in the newly created hot tub in their quarters when Nelly announced she had a call coming in from Admiral Tong.

  "Audio only, Nelly. Yes, admiral. You've caught me in the bath."

  "I hope you are not alone in it," the admiral shot back.

  "She isn't," Jack contributed, and got a splash for his reward.

  "I promised that I'd immediately get back to you if any of the Battleships of State took flight."

  "Yes," Kris said.

  "Both of the ships that had fusion up are underway for the farthest jump. Six battlecruisers detached from the station and took up position on their flanks."

  "I thought all the battlecruisers were cold steel," Kris said.

  "We were both right. All the battlecruisers are cold steel. However, just before they sailed, we got some very strange readings off the battlecruisers and battleships. They first transferred plasma to the battlecruisers who shared the piers with the battleships. Then another pier got plasma from one of them. It is not like the signature for this action is in our standard book for analyzing signal intelligence. Sorry, My Most Eminent Admiral."

  "These things happen. I've tried a few moves that aren't in the book. Tell me, Admiral, how many passengers can an Iteeche Battleship of State carry?"

  That got Kris a shrug. "I don't know, my Most Eminent Admiral. It all depends on how big they are. I think these ships are of a middling size. They likely were designed to carry a thousand in luxury. If desperate, they could probably take on four or five thousand before the air got seriously bad. Mind you, with five thousand crammed aboard, comfort would not be on the passenger list."

  "I don't
imagine so. And the battlecruisers?" Kris asked.

  "Again, we use a crew of a thousand. They could likely carry twice as many. Some would sleep on the racks. The other half could sleep in the high gee stations."

  "So, basically, you're telling me that we don't know."

  "Correct, My Most Eminent Admiral."

  "Tong, you're going to have to cut back to just admiral or we'll lose a year out of our lives."

  "It is not easy to change a habit of a lifetime. However, Admiral Coth warned me this might happen. Very well, Admiral. Have you considered calling the Planetary Overlord?"

  Kris blew out a troubled breath. "I really didn't want to get out of this tub and get dressed in uniform again, but I guess I have to."

  "I would offer to call," Admiral Tong said, "but I doubt I'd have the necessary pull."

  "Still, thanks for the offer."

  She and Jack got out, dried each other off, and threw on a fresh set of khakis. Both then returned to the flag bridge.

  "Nelly, get me the Planetary Overlord on the horn."

  "I advised him immediately that you would want to talk to him. He is awaiting your call. He asked me why you were calling."

  "Did you tell him?"

  "No, Kris."

  "You should have asked me. I might have told you to. Now we'll have to wait for him to find out what happens if he doesn't know."

  The screen came on, showing a very serious Iteeche face.

  "Yes, Your Most High Admiral. How may I help you?"

  "Two Battleships of State and six battlecruisers have detached from the station and are running for the most distant jump out of the system. Would you care to explain?"

  "I can offer no explanation. I did not know about it until your computer asked me to stand by for this call. I polled my subordinates and discovered that several of them were no longer at their post and that my own personal Battleship of State was no longer at the pier."

  "I had thought that we had an agreement that people didn't have to run or disrupt the system's economic operations and development."

  "Some of them remember your reduction of the reigning Clan Lords of Zargoth."

  "Yes, but there was no fighting in the streets there. At Arteccia and the Glorious Golden Eel, matters went much smoother. I hoped they could be that smooth here on Balan."

  "You have not heard that Arteccia has been retaken by the rebels?"

  "I heard," Kris admitted. "That is the reason for this war cruise."

  "Then you do not know how the reconquest went down on Arteccia?"

  Kris frowned, and let a long sigh out. "No, but I suspect I'm about to find out. What happened when the rebels retook Arteccia?"

  "Every clan lord and lordling was marched naked to the center of their city and relieved of their heads."

  Why was Kris not surprised? Hadn't she been told that there was a nice Iteeche way to solve these civil wars that didn't involve a lot of Iteeche getting killed? Well, clan lords and lordlings getting killed. No one cared if the average Iteeche died. However, all that was something to talk to Admiral Tong about. Right now, she had a very skittish Planetary Overlord and a lot of people wondering if they should have grabbed the last boat out.

  "Sir, you have my pledge both as a Longknife and as a Human admiral. We do not commit war crimes. If you surrender to me, you are my responsibility to protect. I will protect you from any Iteeche, civilian, clan, Navy, or Army. Under no circumstances would I abandon you. Anyone who comes for your head, comes over my dead body."

  The Iteeche was blinking his eyes, and when you have four eyes, that's a lot of blinking. "You make me believe that that is true," he admitted. "Why would you do that?"

  "For the opposite reason that the rebels murdered those lordlings on Arteccia. I want to bring peace. They want to prolong war. By jacking up the bloodshed on both sides, they reduce the fight from a war into a slaughterhouse."

  Kris shook her head. "Sir, I most definitely want to resolve this occupation without bloodshed. I need to show other planets that they can surrender to me and not be put to the sword. I hope you are equally resolved to settling this matter the same way. Still, do not doubt that I will use whatever force I have to achieve the Emperor's success. However, if I can, I will achieve it with the least bloodshed."

  The Iteeche studied Kris from his side of the screen. "I find that I do believe you. I have no desire for bloodshed. We can arrive at a mutually acceptable resolution of our situation. I will surrender the entire Army and Navy presence in this system."

  "I will leave you with the same thousand ships, maybe more, to guard you. I hope that you will continue your investment in your own defense. Every battlecruiser built here will remain here for your defense. I may swap some of my ground combats with yours, but you will be as strong when we leave as when we arrived."

  "That means more to me than you can possibly believe," the Planetary Overlord said.

  "Knowing what you know, and I now know, I can believe it. Now, could you get me a list of those who have fled? I will need to pull replacements from my Battleships of State. If Army or Navy personnel are among those who fled, I will need to begin searching my ranks for those to promote, and that usually means two or three promotions to fill all the resulting empty slots."

  "I see your problem. I will have a report to you in the next hour. It may be incomplete, but it will give you something to start with."

  "Thank you. We will dock tomorrow morning on your space stations."

  27

  At 0900 hours the next morning, Kris's battlecruiser fleet matched orbits with the three space stations. There was no question, all her ships could not dock. Kris would have to shoehorn as many in as possible, then swing the rest at anchor behind the stations in divisions of four.

  Kris saw to it that Admirals Kitano, Tong, and Linn's flagships were docked close to hers. She had also fielded an "ultimatum" from all three of the future Planetary Overlords that their Battleships of State must be docked as well.

  All agreed that zero gee was not compatible with their good digestion. Kris had intended to dock all nine Battleships of State. They were all of a different size and they were not made of Smart Metal. There was no way to anchor them to each other. Still, ultimatums did not go down well with her digestion.

  About a tenth of the minor lordlings positions had come open with the flight of the two Balan Battleships of State. It took a while for volunteers to be found to fill them.

  "This wasn't what we signed on for," was the most frequent complaint. "We were supported to serve together. Control our own planets."

  Kris kept her temper, if only just. They'd had their jobs drawn out of a lottery barrel. Nobody knew who they would be working with. Of course, working with another junior clan lordling was one thing. Working with people from the major clans, who had been rebels-in-arms just hours before, could be considered something else.

  The Planetary Overlord, whom Kris named Larry, was waiting for Kris as soon as the Princess Royal sealed locks with the station. Kris greeted Larry with full honors and laid it on with gold plate and jewels as the P. Royal went from Condition Able to full Imperial Able Plus.

  The Planetary Overlord's eyes, all four of them, didn't quite bug out of his head as he joined her on the quarterdeck with Admirals Tong and Linn as well as General Compeel.

  Trailing the Planetary Overlord up the gangplank were his acting Navy and Army chiefs of staff. The Iteeche who held those jobs yesterday were beating feet for the exit today. He also had his senior advisors from several Clans as well as what Kris took for a number of lawyers.

  That was fine by her. She had a small gaggle of JAG officers standing by. They'd drawn up the Surrender and Future Management Agreement according to her wishes. It was likely now that her lawyers and his lawyers were about to adjourn to work out any nits.

  Hopefully, they wouldn’t have too many matters to refer to their seniors.

  While Jack led the lawyers off to meet with their Human compatriots,
Kris invited Larry to join her in her quarters for refreshments. Once again, Nelly had done Kris's quarters up fantastic as well as palatial. Then her cooks did her proud, serving up several delicacies fresh from her water tanks.

  Clearly, the Planetary Overlord had not expected such treatment, nor had he even considered it possible from a Navy officer.

  "You are full of surprises," Larry said.

  "If we are to bring this war to a conclusion," Kris pointed out, "we need to pull a few surprises out of our hats."

  Kris turned the conversation over to Admiral Tong and the other Iteeche even after Jack rejoined her. She listened as the two sides swapped questions and answers with them flowing in both directions. She was quite surprised at how well-informed Admiral Linn was on the industrial side of the Iteeche Empire. He probed deep into not only the status of Balan's military and naval capabilities, but also the industrial base that supported it.

  It turned out that Balan could make 160 battlecruisers a month, a full five flotillas. Further exploration showed that the adverse impact on the rest of the economy would be minor.

  "We'd have to cut back on producing any intersystem freighters, but we've got plenty of them and we can work the old ones a year or two past their date with the ship breakers," the Minister of Industry offered.

  The new Navy Chief of Staff agreed.

  Kris turned to Admiral Tong. "If we were to peel five flotillas off of each wing, that would add eight hundred ships to Balan's defense. In two months, they'd have a full two thousand. We were expecting to have to provide protection for the system from minor raiders." She left the rest of the question unsaid.

  "I wouldn't mind that. In two months, they'd be up to two thousand. In four months, they'd be reaching for twenty-four hundred. Might I ask, if we're still campaigning at that time, that Balan second to us two flotillas each month after that?"

  The Planetary Overlord nodded. "You'll help us for the next four months, then we'll still be adding four flotillas each month to our defenses, but we send two to assist you in your campaigns. That seems more than fair."