“We will leave the two light cruisers to guard the convoy as it continues on its present course at best possible speed. The remaining ships will move at maximum sustained speed on the base course to accomplish rendezvous with Admiral Kaufmann as soon as possible. Increase speed in thirty seconds.”
Splitting his force and leaving only two escorts for the slow moving supply ships was a risk but, in Dietrich’s view, a small one. He had the intel showing all of Pirate Flotilla One was departing from Harper’s Reef with friendly forces in pursuit. The two light cruisers could handle any pop-up threat that showed itself after Dietrich’s departure. It would be unlucky, indeed, if a strong force attacked the convoy while he was giving support to Admiral Kaufmann. Offhand, Dietrich could recall no such threat in his recent briefings. Besides, he had a difficult time believing the Zekes and pirates did not have a few more surprises to dispense before this escapade ended. The way events were shaping up was a little too convenient for Dietrich to accept at face value. Now his force of two battle cruisers, two heavy cruisers, and four destroyers leaped out ahead of the convoy like a pack of dogs set loose on the scent. Their scheduled arrival on scene just moved up several hours.
He leaned back in his command chair and glanced over at Captain Bergman. The captain was returning his gaze. Bergman had been reading the same reports and sensor logs. He gave no sign of agreement or disagreement. He simply reflected the Admiral’s gaze. Dietrich knew what it all meant. If the situation resolved in victory, Bergman would be able to claim he was there and supported the command because silence is consent. If this situation turned bad, Bergman could rightfully claim to have had no input in the process, as he was merely an observer. Now Bergman gave no indication as to his thoughts as he made himself at home on the flag bridge. Dietrich found himself thinking, yes, I could dislike this man very easily. He turned back to his work.
Chapter 48
Raferty Hawkins lay on his couch in his day cabin. Sleep never came but he hadn’t expected it would be that easy. He simply rested his body while his mind reviewed the battle plan and all the contingencies. He played “what if” from every angle he could see. There were always risks and luck. He was confident Tactical and Baby Doll had done all they could to minimize each. He knew his captains and their staffs would also troubleshoot the plan. Any gaping holes should have been discovered by now, but still he thought through the upcoming fight one more time. And then one more time after that.
One of the key components in the plan was complete cooperation between the Zekes and his pirates. His mind took a sudden turn and went to Captain Skyler Mallory of the Aurora Empire Royal Navy. He suddenly realized she had been on the edge of his thoughts for some time. He now examined her from every possible angle. Again, he couldn’t come up with any gaps in his relationship with her. He also saw he trusted her completely to support his force, and he felt supporting her ships was the correct course of action. He could not remember the last time he had such trust of an outsider. He knew he couldn’t recall such a situation because it had never happened before.
In the years leading up to this campaign, he had always avoided the Zeke Badlands squadron. He knew he might well defeat any of the Zeke ships in combat but such a victory would be short-lived, as it would draw the wrath of the Aurora Empire down on him. Besides, there had never been a reason to engage a Zeke ship. The Zekes had never tried to grab planets or power in the Badlands and had functioned as a police force trying to stem the slave trade and destroy other pirates. He had never talked to any of their ship commanders or the squadron commander. They were all just names to him. His flotilla had avoided contact with them, and they had never gone out of their way to hunt him down. He suspected they had had enough to do without looking for him and he had no desire to add to his enemies list, so a de facto live-and-let-live policy had developed. As long as he and his flotilla had never committed any particularly heinous acts, that policy could have gone on for years.
Captain Mallory would not stay in the Badlands. She would be needed at home. If the Aurora Empire took the hit which Hawkins thought they would receive in the opening attacks of this war, it was possible the entire Badlands squadron would be called home to make up for losses. Hawkins smiled to himself. If events unfolded as he believed they would, he would soon be visiting the Aurora Empire and might see Mallory then. With that happy thought, he rose from his couch and moved to the hatch leading to the bridge.
Captain Skyler Mallory leaned back in her chair and put her feet up on her desk in her day cabin. She had finished her sitrep home and now wondered if the report would ever be read. In the scant free time allowed in this campaign, Lisa Cassidy and her staff had gone over the briefing forwarded by Baby Doll covering the attacks on the Aurora Empire. The plan had called for many more Orion ships than Royal Naval Intelligence believed they possessed but if they had that many ships then the plan was highly feasible. Mallory had no idea where the pirates got their information, but it had been perfect up to this point, and she saw no reason to believe the attacks on the home worlds were not as briefed. After all, the fact they were fighting here lent credence to the idea that a much broader war had been launched. That war had a more immediate impact at home than what happened in this far off region of marginal importance. She knew what happened in the Badlands would not impact the overall strategic situation, but she had no intention of abandoning the Badlands to her enemy. Regardless of the stakes, she would try to win here.
Her thoughts drifted to Raferty Hawkins. Prior to meeting Hawkins at the Fort, she had researched all the databases for information on him. Considering the force he lead and the amount of time he had been active, there was surprising little about him. After reading the scant information available through her intel sources, Mallory decided her predecessors in command had concluded he was not a threat to law-abiding citizens or organizations. There were accounts of attacks on slave ships, attacks on Goth vessels, and destruction of other pirates. Hawkins comes off as a vigilante with his own rules, but if you acted within the law, he left you alone. No Aurora commander had sought an engagement with him nor actively tried to track him down. Upon meeting the man, she could see how this situation developed. Hawkins did have his own set of rules, but did not try to enrich himself at the expense of others. He did not prey on the weak or kill for pleasure. The Royal Navy had maintained a squadron in the Badlands to dispute the Goth claim on the region and to advance stability and law and order. Hunting and killing Raferty Hawkins or any of his force would not advance any of those aims. Indeed, a case could be made it would be a step backward, so the previous commanders had occupied themselves with more immediate concerns.
Mallory found she liked Hawkins and, more importantly, she trusted him. She knew if she survived the upcoming battle, she would return to the home worlds. The Aurora Empire would be scrambling for ships and for experienced officers, and the Badlands would not be on the sensors of an Empire trying to survive. She suddenly frowned as she realized she would miss Captain Raferty Hawkins, pirate captain.
Captain Sergei Korlov looked around the flag bridge. He thought he was spending too much time here rather than on his own bridge running his ship. He wished he could just be a simple ship’s captain and not be the sounding board for his commander. He turned to the Admiral. “The enemy will be off our sensors in a few hours.”
Stavka nodded once as he studied the speeds of the two forces. “I concur, Sergei. Admiral Kaufmann has contacted other ships in the area to keep us apprised of the enemy force if they leave our scopes. There are no naval vessels nearby but several merchants and some smaller ships are in the area so he feels there is good reason to believe we can track the force even if we lose them on sensors. We already have a report from a trading ship on the pirate squadron. They are moving at a reduced speed on the same general vector as the Zekes. The Zekes seem to be setting up a rendezvous with them after they drop off our sensors. The pirates probably feel they are not being tracked and are safe for the m
oment even as they are burdened with damaged ships.”
“You believe the Zekes will stay with the slower pirates and risk a battle with us?”
“They might but I don’t think they will. Captain Mallory must save her force, and Hawkins and his people are nothing but damned pirates. She would support them if convenient, but she cannot sacrifice her ships for them or accept battle at a disadvantage. She would not have received any information from her Empire yet, but she must know there are bigger stakes here than the survival of a pirate ally who had been thrown her way by fate. Allies of convenience are, by definition, only valuable until they become inconvenient. Then they become burdens. She must not allow that to happen. She has to save her ships and crews to aid in the protection of the Aurora Empire.”
Korlov nodded but he wasn’t convinced by that conclusion. It was sound reasoning but did not take Captain Mallory’s personality into account. The pirates had saved Mallory at Potenka and done her a great service in destroying the two supply ships at Gammatiga. She owed them and she knew it. Korlov did not believe Mallory abandoned allies when they became inconvenient. He believed they would rendezvous and then fight as a combined force if necessary. If that fight could be delayed until the Goth reinforcements arrived, that would be excellent for his side. Korlov got the feeling neither admiral in this combined squadron wanted that to happen so they would accept battle under whatever conditions existed. Korlov saw nothing good coming out of that.
Chapter 49
The Zeke force gradually closed on the pirate flotilla while slowly moving to the edge of their pursuer’s sensors. The GorCons received another report on the pirates’ location. The pursuers did not know this report, like the first position report, had been sent by the pirates themselves imitating merchant vessels. The reports were accurate. Hawkins wanted the GorCons to know they were also closing on the pirate force which was supposedly unaware they were being tracked.
Hawkins reviewed his screen for what seemed like the millionth time. The timing was the key at this stage and it was coming together well. Minutes after the Zekes dropped off the GorCon sensors, a third position report would place the pirates approximately fifteen degrees off the GorCon course and moving away from them. The GorCons would assume the Zekes had waited until they were beyond sensor range and then moved to join the pirates. Now the GorCons would also alter course to close on the pirates. Once they closed on the slower pirates, tough decisions would have to be made by Hawkins to stay with his damaged ships and by Mallory to support her allies as they are drawn into combat. At least the two pursuing admirals believed that.
“They will be off our sensors in five minutes,” Admiral Stavka spoke to Captain Korlov. “We will also be off their sensors at approximately the same time. We will wait an additional five minutes and then alter course toward the pirates. I believe the Zekes will have done the same and we will acquire both squadrons on sensors. Then we will see what those two commanders will do - fight, or leave their cripples to us.” Stavka reached toward his screen to call the Goths. “I will coordinate with Admiral Kaufmann. We need to ensure we are all of one mind here.”
Korlov knew they were all of one mind. The coordination for this eventuality had been going on for several hours as it became apparent the pirate squadron could be tracked and would be the linchpin to this stage of the campaign. Korlov thought it was extremely convenient that nearby freighters just happened to be in position to report on the fleeing pirates. Without that input, the pirates’ location would have been unknown and, once the Zekes had outrun their sensors, his force would have been flailing to find an appropriate course of action. Yes, mighty convenient indeed. He did not mention this to the Admiral. He thought it obvious, but if the Admiral chose not to see it, his pointing it out would not make a difference. Korlov wondered if the pirates were actually at the location stated, and if they were there, could they be drawn into a fight. He couldn’t see the other pirate ships sacrificing themselves for their damaged comrades. They must know the firepower of the combined squadron arrayed against them would make short work of their small ships. He assumed the pirates would have a tacit understanding among themselves. They would support each other but not to the point of certain destruction. If the undamaged ships ran, their damaged comrades would probably understand. Such things happen and they were the unlucky ones. Korlov did not like the way this was setting up but he couldn’t state the reason for his unease. Too convenient was hardly an excuse to be timid now.
“Alter course to pursue and close on the pirates,” Admiral Stavka directed over his command net after he had completed his call to Admiral Kaufmann.
Captain Korlov used this order as an excuse to return to his own bridge one deck lower. He rose and spoke to Stavka as he moved toward the elevator. “I must see to my ship, Admiral.”
The Admiral nodded toward him. “Of course, Sergei. Good hunting.”
As he entered the elevator, Korlov responded, “Also to you, sir.” He fervently hoped it would be good hunting, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach could not be denied. He found himself wanting the position reports on the pirates to be false and the pirates not to be there. He was not a coward, but he was not a fool either. From the very beginning, he had disliked this entire mission. He thought it was too costly in time and effort just to curry favor with the Goths by destroying an unimportant Zeke squadron in a disputed territory the home world didn’t even care about. The Goths would benefit from the Zeke destruction without the accompanying blame but their gratefulness would have an expiration date. Korlov suspected that expiration date would be just about the time his Empire would want a favor in return. He had not thought he could dislike this mission more, but he now found he was wrong yet again. He disliked it more right now. The upcoming fight was shaping up as much too opportune for his liking. Before he thought failure to destroy the Zeke force was the worst possible outcome for this mission. Now he had concerns over his force’s very survival.
He walked on his bridge from the elevator. “Captain on the bridge!” was reported in the same time-honored way it had been observed for centuries. Korlov nodded to the officer of the deck, sat in his command chair, and ensured his ship was ready for combat. None of the bridge crew noticed the doubt in their captain; he made sure of that.
Chapter 50
“Zekes altering course and moving toward us,” reported Tactical from her station. “Rendezvous in just over two hours.”
They had been tracking the Zekes for the last thirty minutes. The two forces had been on a slightly converging course and, with the Zeke course change, they would be closing rapidly on the slower pirate formation.
Rafe turned in his seat and looked to Baby Doll. “The Zekes must have outrun the GorCon sensors. Time for the last report from an ever helpful freighter.”
Baby Doll nodded and turned to her station. A minute later she turned back. “Done. Our location has been reported to the GorCons by the happy little trader, Parmalee.”
Raferty nodded without looking over. He knew that ship routinely operated in this area. All three position reports had come from vessels that worked this region of space. The Goth databases would have that information. But all three freighters tried to maintain a low profile so it was doubtful if the Goths would have their exact location at this moment. If the Goths did know the true location of any of the three trading ships, they might believe the position reports on the pirates were false. A calculated risk, but worth taking from Hawkins’ point of view.
The pirates maintained course and speed as the Zeke formation closed on them. No communication passed between the two units. In two hours the Zekes adjusted speed and slid into formation with the pirate vessels. They were out of sensor range of their enemy but if the GorCons responded to the position reports supposedly sent by the freighters, they would adjust their course to attempt to close with the slower moving Flot 1 ships and would reacquire the Zekes.
An hour passed in routine operations. Everyone waited for the
GorCons to appear on sensors as they closed up on the combined squadron from the rear. All ships had reported combat ready. All magazines were reloaded. The combat crewmembers were at their stations. Everything was going according to plan up to now, but this was the difficult part, the waiting. Raferty looked around. People were beginning to fidget at their stations. It was always the same, the waiting and anticipation allowed the imagination to conjure up the worst scenarios possible. The small overlooked detail, the failed system, the unlucky missile hit crossed everyone’s mind in the time before battle. It was always that way, and Rafe knew he could do nothing to stop it. But he would try to mitigate it, at least on the bridge. He rose from his seat and slowly made the rounds to each station. He talked with each of the bridge members. The topic was always personal to each person, and was never about the job or the current situation. Each of them laughed during the conversation, and all smiled at their captain before he moved on. He bypassed Baby Doll and Tactical, they didn’t need the visit. He sat again in his chair as Maddie Hopkins spoke loudly from sensors. “Contact at six o’clock, slightly low. Coming fast.” The GorCons had bought the last freighter report, had altered course to the pirates, and were now closing in.
Three seconds later, Tactical added, “Assuming constant speeds, engagement range in three hours.”
The formation maintained integrity as the pursuing GorCons slowly gained on them. Ten minutes passed. The Zeke ships now increased speed and started to separate themselves from the pirates. The maneuver was immediately noticed by the pursuers.
Admiral Stavka spoke to all ships over his command net. “The Zekes are leaving the pirates. Let’s see how long the pirates stay with their wounded comrades. If they run, we will continue the chase and destroy the cripples as we pass. If they stay together we will take them all.”
Allies of Convenience: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 1 Page 26