by C. R. Daems
* * * *
We remained in orbit around Saipha, while the Riss were being acclimated to the translators and their new responsibilities. There were few problems, because the crew was used to working with the Riss and the new Riss had support from other Riss and Riss-humans. After seven days, I felt the transition was proceeding reasonably well. They needed experience but that could only come by doing, so I decided to begin our mission.
I called a staff meeting for my direct reports, including their Riss counterparts. It was a scary sight and overwhelming for me to see everyone that reported directly to me in one room. I had the primary Bridge officers, section chiefs, Striker Commander, Iglis, and Starken. In addition, I’d included Master Chief Drock and Gunny Terril. I had kaffa and snacks brought in an effort to make the meeting less formal. Everyone sat there in silence, me included. I think I’d expected some one else to run the meeting.
“Please start eating. I’m too new to be formal. I want an open and honest discussion. I may not follow your suggestions, but I want to hear them. I won’t be mad at anyone for an honest opinion. I will, however, be upset if I get yes ma’am when you don’t mean it. In the end, it’s my responsibility for the final decisions. I and only I will be responsible for them.” I thought I saw some relaxation. “Commander Iglis, please begin with your assessment of the raider’s collaborators.”
“Yes, Ma’am. The merchant Vancil has been identified as looking for and providing information to the raiders on targets of opportunity in the Darkov sector. They were responsible for the attack on the Snowcat, while it was being repaired. The Vancil is currently in Wallowa. Its next scheduled stop is Yamhill. Ironically, they appear unaware that we know they work for the raiders. If they were, they wouldn’t have stopped at Elbe when we were there. The other merchant, Horace, is in the Oracle sector at Sellis Ledge.”
“Captain, since we know their schedule, do you intend to find and destroy them? That will at least cut off the raiders’ information,” Commander Byer, the Shark Commander, asked.
I shook my head in the negative. “Like you, I’d love to pay them back for the suffering they’ve caused. But destroying them accomplishes nothing except some temporary satisfaction. The raiders appear to have a large number of spaceships—both Heavies and Lights. We’d be back trying to find their new spies, and faced with the distinct possibility that they would change tactics. It could be years before we could determine their new strategy for selecting targets. In the mean time, many planets will suffer.”
“What about a boarding action. With luck we might be able to get information on the raiders,” Colonel Starken asked.
“Yes, Colonel that’s why we’re here—to find raiders, not to engage them. While I agree an action against one of the merchants for information probably fits into our orders, I doubt the merchants are going to leave us any information that will incriminate their clan. I think you’re right. With luck, we might find some. But, we would be risking our present advantage on luck. I’m not denying that we’ll need a lot of luck, but we need a solution that increases the odds in our favor. And we can’t rely on capturing a raider and getting useful information from him. They are clan and will fight to the death. If captured, I can tell you from experience that they won’t talk even if tortured.”
“Iglis,” I said, bringing the discussion back to the briefing.
“Captain Reese believes that the raiders are composed of several or more clans that occupy a planet like Eden, with equal manufacturing capability.”
That started many small discussions, some very animated. Varisko appeared ready to bring the meeting back to order. I shook my head.
“If I’m right, our objective is to find a planet, not a rag-tag group of raiders operating from some lawless colony. To do that, we need every scrap of information those merchants have, and we need it intact.” Heads nodded around the table. “Ladies and gentlemen, when we finished this meeting, we leave for Yamhill. I plan to capture the Vancil intact. I’ll want a plan to board the Vancil, which provides contingences if the raider doesn’t cooperate.”
That produced smiles all around the table.
“How many Scorpions will we need? How do we insert them without raising suspicion? How do we convince Yamhill that we’re on a routine patrol? How do we keep the Vancil from being suspicious? What happens if... I’ll want input from each of you, even if you don’t feel your department’s involved. Commander Iglis will coordinate with each department’s input. Before we drop out of the Wave into Yamhill space, I want a plan. I want to find that planet.” I looked round the table, and raise my cup. “To our success.”
Chapter 25
“Why are we in Yamhill waiting for the Vancil to arrive? They’ll rendezvous with us soon enough. Won’t it be better for us to be hunting?” Imrade Te’Salle, the Coral’s second in command, asked. He and Da’Maass sat at a small oval red-looking-wood table. Six empty Tseri ale bottles littered the table along with plates littered with scraps of meat and potatoes.
“Something isn’t right, my friend. The SAS found Anton Ja’Tuva in Saipha, Tamerland, and again in Lords Landing, and Sa’Velte in Elbe. Once is an accident, twice you might be tempted to say a coincidence, but four times goes beyond accident or coincidence,” Da’Maass said, slamming his massive fist on the table, causing bottles to shake and two to fall. Da’Maass was a big man in height and girth. Right now his full, unruly beard and mustache gave his broad face the look of a enraged North American grizzly. Imrade flinched with the impact. Unlike his Captain, Imrade was a thin, wiry man with a narrow face, scarred from his many fights. He was quick to take offense and deadly with a knife.
“Are you saying we have traitors among the clan?” Imrade’s glass hung in the air, halfway to his mouth as he stared at his Captain.
“No. I don’t believe we have anyone among us who would betray us. To do so would mean the death of his or her family and clan. No. The SAS, UFN, and JPU have taught us well. We have clan or we have nothing.” Da’Maass stood to empty his glass. He retrieved several bottles of ale from a cooler and placed them on the table. “No. I think someone, probably our dybbuk, discovered the Compton was spying for us and deduced their pattern of stopping at planets, rendezvousing with us, and us subsequently raiding planets they’d visited.”
“But the Compton is in the JPU now. And we’ve changed tactics. We no longer target planets, but ships.”
“The dybbuk is in our heads. She’s deduced that we continue to use merchants for spies and have changed targets, and she’s identified the Vancil. According to Le’Uenben in Eden, the SAS has given her a cruiser to hunt us!” Da’Maass flung the bottle he’d just opened across the room, leaving a trail of ale splashing across the table and floor as it flew towards the bulkhead. Shards of glass exploded when the bottle slammed into the conference room wall. It seemed to calm him. Imrade smiled. He’d served with Da’Maass for years and his Captain’s appearance masked a shrewd mind and brilliant tactician. He would bet Da’Maass was right. He raised his glass in silent salute to him.
“The dybbuk bitch has had the nerve to name the ship the Mongoose. She will be at one of the Vancil’s ports eventually, and we will be there to pluck her out of space. I only hope that when we destroy the Mongoose, she remains alive. I’ve never bedded a dybbuk. What sport that will be!” He leaned back in his chair and roared with laughter.
“Speaking of bedding—normal women, that is. Why the restriction on the fifteen women we kept from our capture of the Traveler. Limiting each woman to three
men a day means a crewman has to wait over a week before he gets another turn. Are we saving them for something?”
“The crew and you, my friend, tend to think only about today. I can’t help but consider tomorrow. We only kept fifteen. If I give the crew unlimited access to the them, they would soon fuck one or two to death, one or two more would commit suicide, leaving eleven. And before long, there would be none. Twice a month is better than none a month. Besides trying to get a quicker turn is keeping them entertained. They’re now gambling for turns. Otherwise, they would be bored and irritable.”
“Does the Vancil know we are waiting for them?”
“No. I want them acting normal. We can’t be sure how the dybbuk is going to determine the right place or moment to attack. I know Toma Ka’Baako’s crew wouldn’t do it on purpose, but I don’t want them to act differently and potentially give away our presence. We’ll wait and they’ll eventually come. I’m sure of it.” Da’Maass rose and stretched. “Speaking of waiting, have someone bring the Lady Shirin to me. I’m in need of entertainment while we wait on the dybbuk. Anticipation, my friend, is the sweet nectar of life.”
* * * *
The capture of the passenger ship Traveler had been almost boring. They had waited on the path the ship would take to enter the Wave for its scheduled run to Neosho, but well out of Wallowa’s observable space. With the Coral’s power reduced to the minimum to maintain the ship’s environment, they were almost invisible—little more than one of the million asteroids floating in space. When the Traveler reached an area where it would be in missile range for twenty-five minutes, the Coral struck.
“Traveler, this is the cruiser, Coral. You will cut your engines and prepare to be boarded. If you choose to run, you will be destroyed.” Da’Maass had waited five minutes for an answer. When none came, he fired a missile, which detonated a hundred kilometers from the Traveler. Close enough for the crew and passengers to feel energy from the explosion. The response had been almost immediate.
“Coral, cease fire. We are complying.” The Traveler, cut its engines, allowing twenty raiders to board. The ship held over a hundred passengers, who were either rich, in positions of power, or related to someone who was.
“Listen up. Remain in your seats. If you attempt to resist, bad things will happen to you and those around you,” Lieutenant Wadin Da’Maass said. Big like his uncle the Captain, he led the boarding party.
“Sergeant Celio, you and your team take the passengers on the left side. Corporal Fidel, take the ones on the right. Corporal Leon, you take the crew.” Wadin ordered. Not five minutes later, a tall man, wearing an expensive silk suit, stood and pointed at Wadin.
“I’m Governor Claudio of the planet Tseri. When the SAS hears of this outrageous act of piracy, they will hunt you down and hang each of you. If you leave now, I’ll see that you are granted leniency.”
Wadin nodded to Celio, who turned and drove the butt of his laser rifle into the Governor’s face. Bones cracked and blood flew from his month and nose as he spun into the woman sitting next to him. She looked like she wanted to scream, but managed to remain silent.
“Anyone else would like to lodge another ridiculous complaint? If we are caught, they will hang us whether we stay or leave you unmolested. He,” Wadin pointed to the man now lying on the floor, “would be the first to demand we be hanged regardless of his word not to. And lastly, the SAS isn’t here, we are. You live or die at our will.”
Two hours later, each passenger had been identified, as well as his or her function and the reason for this trip. Their possessions had been searched and valuables removed. And the women considered worth bedding segregated from the others. A woman qualified if anyone would consider her worth bedding. That stretched the age range from the teens to the fifties. They were then transferred to the Coral. A prize team then took control of the Traveler and headed for the JPN, where the passengers would either be sold as slaves or kept for ransom.
* * * *
“Come, Princess, the Captain is requesting your presence,” Sergeant Gorka said, after unlocking and opening the door to one of the five cabins reserved for the fifteen captive women. A tall, middle-aged woman rose from the cot she’d been sitting on and straightened her blouse and skirt. She moved confidently, with a certain elegance. If Gorka hadn’t known better, he would have thought she was getting ready to join a party thrown in her honor. Even discounting her age, she was a beautiful woman. She had long red hair, a smooth complexion, heart-shaped lips, and an hourglass figure that would make her a standout at any function. She walked past Gorka and proceeded down the hallway she had traveled many times before. When Gorka and she reached the Captain’s cabin, the door was open. She entered and closed the door. Da’Maass smiled. She didn’t.
“I hope you are being treated well, Lady Shirin.”
“Yes, Captain Da’Maass. The service is excellent and the company enjoyable.” A small smile crossed her lips. Da’Maass nodded. She wasn’t stupid. Although she was royalty on the planet Neosho, she was smart enough to know her treatment here depended on his benevolence. At least by being nice to him, she wasn’t shared with the crew, ate better, and had a cabin to herself. Not much, but better than the alternatives. And of course, Da’Maass subtly kept the hope of release or ransom dangling in front of her. He silently wished the dybbuk stood in front of him. Truly, anticipation was the sweet nectar of the Gods.
Chapter 26
After the Mongoose had cleared Saipha’s space for Yamhill, I decided I’d earned a few hours relaxation. As usual, I headed for the Scorpions’ workout area. It should be the navy area, but I’d grown used to the army over the years. Recently, some of the navy personnel had joined the Si’jin classes in the army area. I hoped some day there would be a common workout area, but today there wasn’t. I couldn’t move my class over to the navy side because they couldn’t depend on me being there. This way at least Terril was there. When I entered the bay, everyone stood and started clapping. Before I could decide what to do, Terril came walking over.
“Captain Reese, you have my Scorpions so hyped up they can’t stay still. They’re trying to decide on a way of determining who’ll be on the raiding team now they found I couldn’t be bribed. From what I heard, the rest of the ship is just as hyped. They see the glory—the little ship that discovered a nation of raiders. Following you is anything but boring.”
“Terril, the key to this plan’s success is going to be up to you and your team. You’ll have to strike like Master Wei—quick and deadly. They can’t have time to destroy one piece of paper.”
“We will. Like them, I want to see that nation. Come, I need to get in shape for your show.” Terril pointed to the middle of the bay.
As we walked, I noticed there were several navy and Riss in the area.
Terril and I taught for an hour and then had our usual practice match. We continued to develop new attacks and counters and had reached a point where we needed Master Wei to polish the rough edges. Our practice attracted everyone in the bay plus others. It appeared the word had gotten out and half the ship showed up. I found out later that half of the senior officers had watched. For days afterwards, I received more than my share of strange looks.
* * * *
Lieutenant Commander Orroto followed me into the conference room. She was the oldest and the most experienced of my bridge commanders. “Skipper, going into your meeting yesterday, I think many around that table felt you were too young for the position. No one doubted your record, just your age and short time in service. I don’t know what they or I expected, but you surprised everyone. I doubt anyone is considering your age or service time now. I hope you don’t mind me mentioning it.”
Not knowing what to say, I merely shook my head no.
“I also understand why you picked Varisko as your XO. Like you, she sees with young eyes and accepts new ideas. I
have to admit I liked the idea of working with the Riss, but I never thought they were as advanced as they are. Their equations are marvelous. I’m looking forward to the day when I can be half as efficient as they are. I think I speak for everyone, I’m glad to be serving under your command.”
“Thank you, Orroto, I’m young and have few years in the service, especially for my present position. But I have fine officers like you and the others to help me overcome those weaknesses. I can’t do it alone.”
* * * *
The next two days were a whirlwind of activity as my staff solidified their plan. I reviewed each phase but had little to add. They’d worked hard and collaborated each aspect of the operation. We met in the meeting room a full day ahead of schedule. Iglis was elected to present the final version.
“Captain, when we enter Yamhill space we’ll act like it’s just another routine visit. We’ll let it be known we have a new Captain and this is his first command. We recommend you stay hidden, as the raiders know you and your reputation. We also discussed claiming we’re the newly commissioned SAS cruiser Peregrine. You said that the clan has spies on the planets and in the SAS navy; therefore, there is a possibility that...” She stopped and looked at me, waiting for my response.