Rafe smiled in response, “Also for you, Captain. I know you want the OrCons bad.”
Sky took the three steps to leave the room but paused at the door and turned. She looked directly into Hawkins’ eyes. “You’re a good observer, Raferty. The fact is I do want the OrCons badly. My first tour, the one which convinced me to career the navy, it was in Pearl.” With that said, Sky turned and departed.
Captain Mallory walked the short distance back to the briefing room where her people had gathered after the breakdown briefings. She conferred briefly with them and returned to their ship. Six minutes after their return to the ship, Mackenzie pulled out with the other Zeke combat ships in trail. The two Zeke supply ships remained behind. They would move to the Nomad asteroid belt with the pirate supply ships.
Once settled into CIC, Sky held a visual conference with all her captains and key people to sum up the briefings and to make sure the plan was understood. She also instructed her captains to ensure any reference to the pirate’s stronghold location and its physical appearance was purged from their ship records to protect the pirate stronghold. It would be referred to as a rendezvous point only. Although unusual, all the captains knew they owed the pirates and had no problem with the request. The coordinates for the Fort were erased from all Zeke databases.
Chapter 38
Rafe walked down the main corridor to the entrance to the C pillar. Shane Delacruz and Emily Legrand waited outside the cylinder. Both were edgy and ready to depart, so Rafe made it brief.
“Good hunting,” Hawkins remarked as he extended his hand to Delacruz. “Do what you think is necessary to put this thing right. We’ll back you no matter what you need to do or how long it takes.”
Delacruz shook the offered hand with a tight grip. “Thanks, Rafe. Sorry about the timing. I know it is bad pulling out a couple of ships when you need us most, but this thing has to be run down.”
“Wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Raferty turned to Legrand. She looked tired and withdrawn. Rafe had no doubt she had taken their house destruction hard. She had scouted the location, made the recommendation, and helped move people and equipment to Ulatar. She had no loved ones at the location but she had known many of those who had been there.
“Emily ... ” Rafe began.
“I’m fine,” Legrand harshly cut him off, but then softened. She spoke softly but intensely, “Rafe, I need to be in on this. We got to kill the men responsible, and I have to help and see it with my own eyes.”
The two of them stared at each other. Rafe now noticed Shane had quietly stepped several feet away and was now further down the corridor looking out a space porthole with his back to them.
“You had nothing to do with this going bad, Em. It happens some-.”
She tried to maintain a whisper to ensure some privacy but didn’t quite pull it off. “Don’t try to protect me, Rafe. You always want to make it easy for me. I don’t need it!”
Rafe stared at her for a few seconds, and then spoke loudly enough for Delacruz to hear. “I wish both of you good hunting and a quick return.”
Shane took his cue and returned to the two of them. Handshakes were exchanged again and Rafe turned to go.
Emily spoke unexpectedly, “Rafe, I appreciate you supporting our chase here.”
Legrand was obviously trying to make amends for her brief outburst. Rafe decided to go along with the gesture. “Your squadron commander has to get this done. And you have the heaviest armed corvette in the flotilla. You might have to take out the two brothers before you can get to the cousin. I don’t think they will stand in your way but I’ve been wrong before.”
Rafe and Emily smiled at each other and everyone turned away. Rafe went back up the corridor and Delacruz and Legrand stepped into the pillar. The two captains rode the elevator on the inside of the cylinder to the berthing points of their ships at the top. Once arriving there, the two moved along the parameter walkway to the docking hatches for their ships. They reached the hatch for Vindictive first. Legrand would have to continue on the walkway around the cylinder to the entrance hatch for her ship.
Delacruz stopped in front of his hatch and stared at Legrand. “You’re my backup. I need to know I can depend on you.”
Emily grimaced, “You’re as bad as Hawkins. I’ve been Bandit’s captain for almost two years. Have I ever let you down?”
“No,” Shane had to admit. “But you have never gone through what you are dealing with now. Hawkins was right. None of what happened was your fault and nobody blames you.”
Legrand looked off into the middle distance. “I can’t help but think Fred Halder may have followed me around and just recorded what Bandit did and then sold it to the Goths. I should have known.”
“You don’t know he did that and even if he did, everyone knows it is against the rules to sell out somebody’s house, no matter what information an individual has. The guilt for this is on him and him alone. He will pay for that.” He reached forward and touched her upper arm lightly. “I need to know you’ll be there and focused on the job.”
“Don’t worry about me. Bandit will be exactly where she needs to be. We are primed for this.”
Delacruz smiled at her. He nodded and turned to go through the hatch to his ship. Legrand moved around the cylinder to the entry hatch for Bandit. Two minutes later, both ships broke seal and moved out at the highest safe speed as they worked their way through the debris field.
Chapter 39
Rafe moved back to the original briefing room. The side briefs had broken and individual operation officers and intel officers were talking in small groups or returning to their ships. The place was emptying out rapidly. Hawkins joined Tactical at the briefing table she had used for the main brief and watched as she packed away her briefing materials.
“We good to go?”
“Everyone has the brief and nobody has punched any holes in it so far. The log dogs have picked up their supplies and whatever minor ship repairs have been started should be done now.” She checked her watch and added, “Don’t see why we won’t make our sortie time in twenty-four minutes.”
Rafe nodded, “Thanks for the hard work on this. It was time critical and you and Baby Doll met the schedule.”
“Many people helped,” Tactical returned. “Hell, even you pitched in.”
Rafe smiled, “I had lots of free time.”
Tactical changed the subject, “Think the GorCons will beat us there?”
“Since our Fort is closer to Harper’s Reef than Gammatiga, the only way the OrCons and Goths beat us there is if they moved as soon as we dropped off their sensors at Gammatiga and took a direct route to there. But I doubt they did that. First, they would have to argue among themselves over the supply ships and then argue over the next course of action. The OrCons would have to check border sources to ensure the Zekes didn’t cross the border toward home. Replies would take time so I don’t think they moved right away. Once they got at least some assurance the Zekes didn’t bolt for home, they would move. Probably to the Reef as the OrCons will demand a supply source from the Goths to make up for the lost supply ships. And, quite frankly, there aren’t a lot of other places to draw their attention. If the timing is good, they will show up just as we finish off the base and then chase us to Nomad. There we will finish it.”
Tactical nodded, “Hopefully, events work that way. For once, it would be nice if it all actually went the easiest and most straightforward way. I don’t think it is asking too much to have that happen just one damn time in our lifetimes, is it?”
“I don’t think so. I think God probably owes us one straightforward, easy plan that goes to perfection. Of course, we probably would die in the ensuing battle. It would be his little joke.”
Tactical tilted her head in thought. “If the plan goes as envisioned, and we win the battle, that might be a good trade.”
“You think that now but after we died, you’d regret it,” Rafe chided her.
“Be
t?”
“Okay. If the plan goes to perfection, we win the battle but both die in it, we’ll get together on the other side and see if you want to take it all back. If you do want to take it back, you buy dinner and massive amounts of alcohol. If you don’t regret the dead part, I’ll buy.”
“Where are you buying dinner at?”
“The best place in heaven, of course.” Rafe acted as if that had been obvious all along.
“Heaven? You have serious hopes or serious delusions. Not sure which.”
Rafe sighed, “After all this,” he waved his arm around him, a gesture that took in the entire universe. “We deserve heaven.”
Tactical nodded solemnly, “You’re right we do. Then heaven it is. But you’ll be buying.”
They smiled at each other and departed the now empty briefing compartment. After a short visit with Bill and his family, the two returned to Predator. A few minutes later, the flagship broke the seal with the docking hatch and led the pirate force away from their hideout.
Chapter 40
The Zekes warships had moved out first but at a slow speed and the pirate flotilla easily ran the formation down. Once joined, the mixed flotilla moved at maximum sustained speed toward Harper’s Reef. Time enroute was twenty-two hours. This formation was warships only. The three pirate and two Zeke supply ships were bound for the Nomad asteroid belt.
Rafe posted a pirate ship far out on each flank to give early warning of approaching traffic so the formation could avoid unwanted sensors. He sat in his command chair and reviewed the attack plan on his floating screens. He employed three screens covering the attack plan, all intel known on Harper’s Reef, and the capabilities of the enemy forces arrayed against them. He flipped between the screens and probed for weaknesses in his attack formation, timelines, and proposed munitions employment. He reviewed the enemy order of battle. He checked the status of his ship and then all ships in his force. Tactical watched the entire evolution from her ops station. Finally, she could take it no longer. “Just can’t resist the temptation to mess with the plan, can you?”
“Just looking to cover all contingencies.”
Tactical moved over to the command chair and stood by his right side. “Gee, I wished I had thought of doing that. Don’t I feel stupid.”
She watched him in silence for several more seconds. “Any breakthroughs?” Her voice was quiet and had lost the sarcastic edge. She wanted the plan to be the best and, if Rafe came up with an improvement, she was all for it.
“No.” He looked at her now. “I know it’s a good plan. Hell, we don’t want to take the place so it’s quite simple actually.” He shook his head. “Just needed something to do. I hate the “before battle” part more than I hate the battle itself.”
She nodded in agreement. “I know. Just want to get on with it.”
Tactical returned to her station, and Hawkins finished his review of the plan. He didn’t change a thing.
At exactly the same time, the combined OrCon/Goth force was twenty-seven hours from Harper’s Reef. The faster pirate/Zeke force would gain a several minutes advantage but this had all the hallmarks of a meeting engagement, one that would favor the heavier armed OrCon/Goth force.
Chapter 41
Captain Shane Delacruz sat silently in his command chair. He reviewed all activity on his ship through his command screen and then checked all the incoming sensor data by the same method. A taciturn man by nature, recent events had made him more so. Intellectually, he knew he was not responsible for the hit on his squadron’s house. Emotionally he couldn’t let it pass that easily. He was in command, and his command had suffered an irreplaceable loss. He had to take responsibility for that. He was anxious to get moving down the road to revenge. He knew his squadron would never recover from the attack but would fixate on it until the perpetrators had been killed. Only after revenge was taken could his people get on with life.
He had not lost anyone in the Ulatar attack for the simple reason his wife and two children had been killed years earlier in the civil war that had racked his home planet. Back then he had been a junior officer in the space navy of his home planet of Rialta. His nation of Marbella had attempted to secede from the Commonwealth of Nations, the governing body of Rialta for decades. Shane had followed his nation. After he resigned from the navy, he was commissioned into the Marbellan space service. The war had been three standard years long and ended in total defeat. Looking back on the events, it was obvious the war had been lost in the first six months. Marbella had been outgunned and outnumbered so had no margin of error, but the errors had come early and often. Many of the political leaders who had lead the secession moved on to assumed high rank in the military. They may have been skilled at the political aspects of the crisis, but few had military expertise. This had led to few victories, numerous defeats, and the loss of irreplaceable people and equipment. The longer the war dragged on the more vicious it became. Each side claimed retaliation for earlier atrocities committed by the other side. Delacruz’s family had been killed in the second year during this back and forth trading of massacres. After that, he had done things he never wanted to talk about and to this day never mentioned them. There were few advantages to being a pirate, but one benefit was nobody ever asked about one’s past. After the defeat, he had departed Rialta and wandered space. Eventually he had ended up in the Badlands and soon became a pirate. His previous experiences help moved him up the ladder of responsibilities from operations officer to executive officer to command of the corvette Marauder. As captain, he had brought Marauder into Pirate Flotilla One four years ago. He was not flashy or given to bold statements or acts. He quietly and efficiently made Marauder into a dependable money-making vessel for Flot 1 with no fanfare or self-promotion. Therefore, he was very surprised when, after Rafe Hawkins had secured the ships from the Edinburgh Navy, he had offered command of one of the three destroyers to him. Apparently, others were equally surprised, but Hawkins had planned and carried out the raid securing the ships so he could do with them as he pleased. Hawkins and Delacruz were friends but Shane was under no illusion he was part of Hawkins’ inner circle of O’Hare, Tactical, and Baby Doll. He gladly accepted the ship soon to be known as Vindictive. He honored his Marbella roots by adorning his new ship’s hull with the crossed swords of the short-lived Marbella space service. With this new ship and his own squadron, he continued to quietly carry out his duties. Raids were done, slaves were freed, and his pirate losses were minimal. He ensured his squadron always funded their share of the flotilla’s finances. He kept his ships and crews off the sensors of planetary authorities and out of the reach of the Goths. After a short time, it became obvious Hawkins had made the right choice. The destruction of the squadron house was the first serious setback for his squadron and the flotilla. How this was handled would set the tone for months to come. Captain Shane Delacruz was a determined individual.
Vindictive and Bandit were making good time to the planet of Lorelei and the first step to getting payback for their house destruction. The two crews ensured their ships were combat ready. They knew the mission and were anxious to get there. Revenge is a great motivator.
As the ships approached their destination, they went to battle stations in case one or both of the Halder brothers decided to hit the ships. As a general rule pirates avoided fights in a planet’s established ship orbit. Planetary defenses would fire at all combatants and those who escaped would find a price on their ships and many people anxious to collect it. In fact, Delacruz had collected two bounties himself over the years. So a fight here was a remote possibility but still a possibility. The two ships entered Lorelei space and joined the dozen ships in orbit above the capital city of Westrose. A shuttle was launched from Vindictive soon afterwards.
Shane Delacruz and three crewmembers disembarked from their shuttle at the city’s spaceport and bought a ride into the center of town. Their destination was a bar/restaurant/whorehouse known as Destiny’s. Their reason for going there had no
thing to do with those three services. Destiny’s offered an additional service for a fee. It served as neutral ground for warring parties to meet and talk without the fear of attack by their opposition. This was an invaluable service for people who inherently distrusted everyone and were not above setting up their opposition with the promise of talks to lure them to an ambush. Destiny’s was one of three places to provide this service. The others were Mother’s and the Hitching Post, one in the center of the Badlands and the other on the far side. All three had steady business as conflicts and deals were discussed in relative safety.
The four pirates arrived at Destiny’s exactly on time and entered the large barroom. They were immediately greeted by armed guards and taken to a space known simply as the meeting room. It was a rectangle with a concrete floor, four concrete sides, and a high ceiling. One wall at the end of the long axis had three narrow slits in the wall slightly more than one meter above the floor. These were firing ports for three men behind the wall to cover the people in the room. Presently one rifle barrel protruded from each slit. The opposite wall was solid concrete but three meters up the wall ended. Then there was a one-meter gap between the top of the wall and the ceiling. This opening allowed two men standing on a scaffold behind the wall to look down on the room. If the three men at one end didn’t get their targets with horizontal fire, then the two men shooting down would accomplish the job with their rifles or with grenades. The only furnishings in the room were a large narrow table with four chairs on each side. The table and all chairs were bolted to the floor so could not be moved to provide cover in case of an impromptu shootout. The concrete walls and the floor were pockmarked with divots covered with fresh paint. There was one armored door on each of the two long walls. The pirates and their escort had entered through one of the doors. They stood calmly and waited.
A small thin woman of undetermined age and nationality came through the other door in the opposite long wall. She wore old-fashioned clothing and wire rimmed glasses. A stoic demeanor and weathered features marked her as a person who had seen much in her time, had survived, and maybe even thrived.
Allies of Convenience: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 1 Page 20