by Britt Ringel
“We’ll see you in four days, Komandor,” Heskan said to Lombardi’s image on Kite’s wall screen. He shifted his gaze slightly to his right to address Lieutenant Arnold. “Alan, watch over Phoenix for us.”
The New Londoner nodded. “Will do, Commander. We’ll be only twenty minutes behind you anyway.”
The three ship captains had agreed to send a Brevic ship ahead of the flotilla to prepare any nearby ships in Narvi for Phoenix’s arrival. Heskan knew that Narvi should only have corvettes and patrol craft on-station but still worried that the sudden appearance of the Hollaran heavy cruiser could instigate an unfortunate incident. Whichever ship the planet-side Narvi commander had positioned to monitor the Skathi tunnel point was in for a memorable day. Heskan had volunteered Kite to act as a vanguard to ensure nobody fired at “the enemy.”
Heskan looked a final time at the wall screen and smiled. “See you in Narvi, Isabella.”
“Buona fortuna.”
The screens went blank and Heskan leaned back in his chair. “Diane, take us home.”
The two-toned dive alarm sounded and Lieutenant Selvaggio responded, “Commencing dive in thirty seconds, Captain.”
“Four more days,” Vernay said. “Just half a week and we’ll really be home. To be honest, I never thought I would see Narvi again.”
“Me neither, Stacy. We certainly aren’t the same people we were the last time we dove in.”
Vernay reflected briefly on his statement and answered, “That’s a fact.”
“Initiating tunnel effect, Captain,” Selvaggio announced as her hands played over the navigation control panel.
* * *
Four days later, those same hands reactivated Kite’s tunnel drive to permit entry into normal space. Heskan heard the dive alarm fade as his body rebelled against the transition. Bile rose up his throat, causing him to choke. He instinctively brought his hands up to cover his mouth and swallowed savagely despite the overwhelming urge to deposit the contents of his stomach onto the deck of the bridge. He could hear Truesworth’s voice over his nausea. “Captain, we have arrived in Narvi. I’m not receiving a response from the Skathi tunnel point buoy. No contacts are near us.”
Gradually, the wave of disorientation began to fade. That was a rough one. “Jack,” he croaked, “send a greeting to the ship monitoring this tunnel point.”
“Captain, there isn’t one.” Truesworth searched his panel screen again. “Nearest contact is thirty-seven light-minutes away. It’s a freighter heading in-system to Hulda.”
Heskan looked up at the tactical plot. Kite was alone at the Skathi tunnel point. A line between Narvi’s habitable planet, Hulda, and her most traveled tunnel point leading to Tarvos was inlaid with sporadic symbols of freighters and other commercial ships. Nestled among the civilian vessels was a single corvette, 42lm away.
“Why am I not surprised?” Vernay asked disgustedly.
Heskan sighed. The policing of this entire tunnel chain is a joke. “Okay. Jack, which ‘vette is that?” Heskan asked, pointing toward the lone corvette near the Tarvos tunnel point.
“Stylet. Her beacon IDs her as Stylet.”
Kelly Gary’s old ship, Heskan thought mournfully. “Fine. Send this to Stylet and to Narvi Command on Hulda.” He cleared his throat before beginning. “Greetings, Narvi system defense forces, this is Lieutenant Commander Garrett Heskan aboard BRS Kite. We will be navigating across your system and diving at the Tarvos tunnel point on route to Anthe. Accompanying us will be the remainder of CortRon Fifteen and the Hollaran heavy cruiser, Phoenix. I say again, we are escorting a Hollaran heavy cruiser. She is sailing under a banner of truce and is to be considered neutral. I repeat, the Hollaran ship is not to be fired upon. Heskan out.”
“That should keep them from freaking out,” Vernay said. “I wonder what Durmont would do if he were still the planet-side commander.”
Heskan smiled briefly at the thought but soon felt a sadness well up inside him. He’s dead now in Helike, Heskan thought. And Moore in Sponde… And Gary in Kale. Weariness overcame him. “Stacy, have Kite hold station for Curator and Phoenix; I need to get some air. You have the bridge.”
* * *
Heskan’s door chime roused him from his spell. He blinked several times as his eyes focused on the cabin’s wall screen. Upon it was the six-week-long path Kite had sailed through unknown space that began at Kale and ended at Skathi. He had flagged the locations of the significant events that took place in each star system. What began as a short walk to clear his mind had evolved into a four-hour escape inside his cabin.
The necessary task of compiling a detailed report of the last one and a half months of CortRon 15’s activities had, somehow, turned into a catharsis for Heskan. As his door chime rang a second time, Heskan realized that he had been absent from the bridge his entire shift without a single interruption. The chime’s disturbance, which would have been an intrusion four hours ago, was like a natural conclusion to his therapy. “Enter.”
The door slid open. Lieutenant Vernay peered at him from the passageway. “Captain, I’m sorry to bother you.” She let the sentence hang.
Heskan appraised her. She gave me far more time than most people would have. She’s been an outstanding first officer and a loyal friend. “It’s okay, Stacy. It’s time.”
Vernay smiled in understanding and said, “We’re due to dive out of Narvi in about thirty minutes, Captain. Stylet intercepted us a little over an hour ago and sent her regards and permission to proceed, not that she could stop us if she wanted to. She’s been escorting our flotilla through the system. We also received a message from Lieutenant King, the planet-side commander, requesting that we don’t approach within one light-hour of Hulda but that’s all. It’s been quiet, sir.”
Heskan acknowledged and looked down at his datapad to ensure he had saved his last four hours of work. Vernay’s eyes moved to the cabin wall screen. The sheer amount of information on it was astounding. Her eyes focused on the Junction Two system and saw tabs leading to over ten pages of data related to the events in that system alone. “Captain… Garrett,” she said, her voice unsteady. “Are you okay?”
Heskan closed his work and the wall screen switched to standard “window” mode. He stood and walked to the door of his cabin. Vernay blocked his way, waiting for an answer. “Yeah, Stacy. I am, now.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for giving me these last few hours. I needed it to work out all the stress. You always seem to know exactly what to do.”
Vernay blushed at the compliment. “Thank you, Captain. Chief helped some too. He said every fleet commander needs to decompress after a big campaign. I’m glad you’re back.” She smiled playfully. “Now, shall we get back to our assigned posts?”
Heskan returned the smile but said, “Not you, Lieutenant. It’s your turn to decompress. I don’t want to see you for twenty-four hours.”
Vernay submitted without argument. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” She spun in place and disappeared down the corridor. Heskan turned in the opposite direction. Ten meters in front of him was the bridge door. He began to move but froze. It’s time to face the burdens of command again, Heskan. Turning, he retreated into his quarters and sat himself at his desk. He pressed a button, hailing the bridge.
“Spencer here, Captain.”
“Tony, I need to speak with Komandor Lombardi on an encrypted channel. Reroute it to my cabin, please.”
“Aye-aye, sir,” Spencer answered. Two minutes later, Spencer said, “Rerouting now, Captain.”
Lombardi appeared on Heskan’s wall screen and smiled. The delay between Kite and Phoenix was only a handful of seconds.
“Garrett, I have moved to my quarters. I assume you wanted privacy given the encryption.” Lombardi’s voice was smooth but touched with concern.
“Yes, Komandor.” Heskan sighed. “Isabella, I need to ask you something but I don’t know how.” As he struggled to find the right words, he saw the concern on her face grow. “I fear I must
place our relationship, and my personal respect for you, in jeopardy.”
“Garrett, I want you to know it is a mutual respect,” she said solemnly. She averted her eyes and said sincerely, “I am… confused as to why I told you so much about my personal life. It has been a long time since I have spoken about my family… and to a Brevic captain no less.” Her gaze returned to him and she added, “But I am glad I did.”
Heskan’s heart lifted even as his stomach churned into knots. Just say it, Garrett. “Komandor, back in Kale, what was that task group doing at Maub?” he blurted.
Lombardi’s jaw dropped open as the question reached her. She stared downward and remained silent, lost in deep thought. Looking forward again, she broke into a nervous smile and awkwardly said, “I was not expecting that… obviously.” The silence resumed as Lombardi, looking miserable, was once again lost in thought.
Have I ruined everything? “Isabella,” Heskan asked softly, “were Dogaru’s ships searching for a new route to the Republic?” The accusation held serious consequences. Per treaty, neither government was allowed to explore the space extending coreward from the disputed zone. In a rare fit of rationality, both governments agreed that permitting such exploration and expansion along the border would only end in disaster. The Republic had abided by the terms of the treaty. If the Hollarans had not, the result could be never-ending war.
“I am just a komandor podporucznik,” Lombardi said matter-of-factly. “I do not plan theatre strategy, Garrett.”
“Your uncle…”
“Is dead!” she snapped. “Killed, by you.” Lombardi stared hard at Heskan, the raw emotion erupting in her eyes easy to see. After several more seconds, her face softened and her shoulders slumped. “Not by you but by people like you.”
“I am nothing like Admiral Hayes,” Heskan stated bitterly but immediately exhaled in frustration. “Dammit, if I was, this wouldn’t be so difficult for me.” Heskan finally said quietly, “I trust that you wouldn’t lie to me, Isabella. I care about you. I have faith in you. If you tell me you don’t know, then I believe your answer.”
Lombardi brought her hands up to the side of her face. She ran her fingers through her hair and said, infuriated, “Why do you have to say things like that? Why do you have to be different? Can you not just march in time with your precious Republic and grant me one peaceful night’s sleep?” Her hands moved forward to her brow, covering her face. After sighing, she brushed her hands back through her dark hair and said, “I was unaware of Dogaru’s task force until it appeared in Kale. He did, however, send me a detailed report of how he had arrived.” She began to type at her desk console while speaking. “The task force left the Honos system with orders to establish a new route into the Brevic Coreward Zone… what you call your Northern Sector.” She looked up at Heskan. “You are smart enough to figure out for what purpose, Commander.”
“Do you have an entire route now, Komandor?” My God, am I unknowingly complicit in giving the Hollarans a map to a back door to our star systems?
“Yes,” Lombardi answered truthfully. “Garrett, I will delete the files. Neither government should have them. We would only be condemning our people to fighting an ever-expanding war.”
A war with each side sending fleets farther north in an unending contest to wrap around the other’s territory. How many lives would be wasted because of it? “Do you think the Commonwealth will send another task force?”
“No,” she said. “I believe the Kalli, the carrier we could not reach in Kale, has already alerted High Command of the Parasites. I think that they will be enough to prevent further violations. Dogaru’s task force was considerable in power and losing it would give High Command great pause.”
Heskan recalled the planning meetings at Sponde and the growing apprehension over a “missing” Hollaran task force. Maybe the Parasites did Bree a favor. Exactly how the introduction of a new alien, spacefaring race would influence the two governments and the war was beyond Heskan’s estimation. Instead of fighting each other, we should be preparing to defend humanity. Heskan’s thoughts returned to the consequences of informing Bree of Hollara’s treaty transgression.
Lombardi stopped typing and held a finger over her console. “Shall I proceed, Commander?”
It might not be the loyal thing to do but it’s the right thing to do. “Delete it, Komandor.” He looked pointedly at his counterpart. “Let’s pretend we never had this conversation, Isabella.”
“Oh,” she said and smiled pensively, “there are some parts I wish to remember.”
The channel closed, leaving Heskan to look at a blank wall screen. I see that Christova is not the only one who likes getting the last word.
* * *
Kite’s appearance inside normal space did not surprise the ships assigned to Tarvos as it had Stylet in Narvi. She had once again dove ahead of her comrades to ensure no misunderstandings occurred. The tactical plot on Kite’s wall screen revealed two Brevic black space vessels racing toward the Narvi tunnel point at .22c. Traffic around the tunnel point was virtually nonexistent and it was obvious that civilian ships in Tarvos sailing for the Narvi tunnel point had been diverted once news from freighters diving into Tarvos from Narvi had warned of the approaching Hollaran warship.
“We’ve entered the Tarvos system, Captain,” Truesworth reported. “Tunnel point beacon is yellow. Closest contacts are thirty-nine light-minutes from us: a frigate and destroyer.”
“That would be Carbine and Hoplite,” Heskan said.
“Aye, sir,” Truesworth confirmed. “There’s also an out-bound courier ship three light-minutes from the Anthe tunnel point.”
“Sendin’ word about us, no doubt,” Chief Brown theorized.
“Yeah,” Heskan agreed. “Chief, what do we have in Anthe?”
Brown looked upward as he recalled. “Just Claymore’s stationed there, Capt’n, but we got a whole mess of ships at Titan that could enter Anthe instantly. Admiral McMurray might even request Titan’s dreadnaught dive over.”
“You really think so, Chief?” Heskan asked. “Isn’t having two DDEs, a standard destroyer, a frigate and a heavy cruiser enough of a show of force against Phoenix?”
“I think so, Capt’n, but I bet McMurray will want somethin’ bigger than Phoenix just to prove a point. Besides, who knows who Vice Admiral Morgan will send over from Titan to take control of the situation.”
Heskan felt a chill. I’m going to lose control very soon. Technically, the planet-side commander on Tarvos already out-ranks me. What happens when they split Phoenix from the CortRon? Dread began to fill him. How am I going to keep my promise? He shook off the ill omens. “Jack, send the message notifying Tarvos of our intentions.”
Kite remained at relative rest, content to wait for her Tarvos sisters sailing out-system toward the tunnel point but still unaware of Kite’s arrival. Twenty minutes after Kite’s transition from t-space, two additional disturbances emanated outward from the Narvi tunnel point when Curator and Phoenix joined her.
The three-ship formation oriented toward the Anthe tunnel point, 81lm distant, and began to sail at .2c. They had been underway for forty-two minutes when Truesworth announced, “Incoming message from Hoplite, Captain. It’s encoded, sir.”
“Decrypt and play it, Jack.” Heskan’s eyes looked at the tactical symbol of Phoenix. Poor Isabella. Sailing deeper into an uncertain future and now her enemy is sending secret messages. It’s not fair; she deserves better. He shook his head. To hell with it. “Jack, as soon as it’s decrypted, courtesy copy Phoenix.”
“Yes, sir. The message is coming up now.”
The tactical plot yielded to a Brevic lieutenant commander. “This is Captain Hill commanding BRS Hoplite. I have to say we’re all a bit curious on your path back to us, Kite.” The man smiled briefly before continuing. “Congratulations on a job well done returning home. Admiral Hayes sent word about the disaster at Helike. We’re happy to have at least some of you make it back and please accept my co
mpliments on your prize. Hoplite and Carbine will send both of our marine contingents over to that big bastard to help manage the POWs. Do you require any technical help to sail her, Captain? Our ships are to act as an honor guard for your squadron all the way to Anthe. Sailing orders for our combined formation will follow this message.”
In front of Heskan, Selvaggio acknowledged receipt. Heskan saw her hands tighten before turning to face him. “We have new sailing orders, Captain. You’re, uh, not going to like the formation.” She flashed the prescribed formation to Heskan’s chair arm console.
The standard attack formation leveraged the strengths of each Brevic ship into a wall that best projected its power toward the enemy. The Brevic ships were well-supported, with each warship no farther than 5ls from additional assistance. In contrast, Phoenix was shunted 7ls away to the out-system side of the fleet. No mistaking the distrust in that formation, Heskan thought. He flashed the orders to Vernay’s station and said, “Fix this, Lieutenant.”
“Incoming message from Phoenix, sir,” Truesworth said.
The tactical plot again faded, replaced by Komandor Lombardi. Her icy smile did little to hide hostile emotions. “Commander, please inform Hoplite that we will not receive his marines and that we require no technical assistance.” Her eyes turned dark and defiant. “We can damn well sail Phoenix ourselves, thank you very much.”
That tender woman in my quarters seems so far away now. Heskan nodded and replied, “Komandor, I have no intention of letting any Brevic marines loose on your ship. Please remember that until we can explain the full circumstances and situation, the Brevic Navy is going to assume that Phoenix is a prize ship. Surely, your navy would assume the same if our positions were reversed.”
Lombardi closed her eyes and assented. “Very well. Just remember our discussion, Commander. I will never turn my ship or crew over to your Republic.” She opened her eyes to stare intently at Heskan. The first glimmer of warm emotion shined in them. “Please. Do not let them force my hand.”