by Danny Brown
There had never been a formal peace treaty between the two empires, only a long series of “misunderstandings” that led to planet-grabs, minor skirmishes, and the occasional war.
“Wow! Well, I think the Colt will do an excellent job of protecting missile battery number five for that behemoth!” Jeri joked. “But really, why would a ship like that need an old destroyer to escort it?
“You know the rules. Capital ships have a certain number of escorts of various classes. They are short a destroyer because of an ‘incident.'”
“An incident? What sort of incident?”
“The kind of incident that gets a chief engineer court marshaled,” Josh responded.
“Wow. And why can’t they get a new chief engineer?”
“He might have hocked certain critical parts that were still in use, such as one of the reactors, reducing the readiness of the ship until a proper replacement can be located.”
Jeri whistled.
“How did he think he was going to get away with that?” Jeri asked.
“Seems he and his girlfriend had a getaway plan, but the authorities foiled it.”
“Man oh man!”
“So anyway, it’s your lucky day, Jeri! Pirate duty has been officially suspended!”
“Well, that’s worth another beer, my treat!” Jeri chirped, motioning to the barkeep for another round. “And perhaps in the meantime, you’ll catch a break and finally retire!”
“That would be grand!”
Chapter 13
McKenzie Belt
WFS Colt
On Approach to the Space Gate
Having just dropped out of FTL, the Gate was coming up fast on the Colt’s wall screen. The Anderson Station was one of the few populated systems without a Gatekeeper. The reason was simple. The station itself was stronger than a squadron of dreadnoughts. Even so, the absence of Gatekeepers was almost weird.
Best to protect the system at the Gate, not in-system. But what do I know, I’m just a little old destroyer captain, Jeri thought to himself.
“Lieutenant Turov, activate the Gate, send coordinates for the Loyola Sentra system,” said the captain.
“Activating the Gate and sending coordinates, sir,” Marko responded.
At that moment, various pieces of the Gate glowed that familiar faint, red color. Then suddenly the view of the stars within the Gate changed from that of the McKenzie Belt to one of the most active systems in the Westerly Federation.
“Lieutenant Turov, send command authorizations,” commanded the caption.
“Sending commanded authorizations,” Marko said. “Authorizations received and confirmed. We are good to go, Captain.”
“Very well, Lieutenant Mansfield, take us through at one-quarter thrust,” commanded De Vitis.
“Yes sir, one-quarter thrust,” Rachel responded.
One moment they were in a rather remote star system, the next they were in the heart of Federation space.
Before they were the Gatekeepers for the Loyola Sentra system, and in this system, there were four of them. Large, fixed dreadnought-sized battlestations. These stations were mostly automated, not having the need for a much more than management of the gun emplacements. While piracy remained a problem, the pirates were not so bold as to challenge a system this well protected.
“Lieutenant Mansfield, plot a course for Smirnov Station,” Jeri said.
“Yes, sir. Capacitors have a full charge. Course plotted for Smirnov Station.
“Engage.”
“Engaging FTL,” Rachel responded.
Just then the wall screen dimmed again, but only for the few minutes, it took to get to the space station. Smirnov Station dwarfed Anderson Station at four hundred kilometers wide, two hundred kilometers in width and fifty kilometers in height. It was constructed by pulling in several rather large asteroids and attaching them together. They were hollowed out, using much of the materials mined in the station's actual construction.
As a major space station, it also doubled as a battlestation, protecting the nearby shipyard, conveniently name Loyola Shipyard. The power of this battle station easily tripled the firepower of Anderson Station.
The shipyard, one of the largest and most important ones in the Westerly Federation, was not entirely defenseless in of itself. With the various emplacements, it contained the equivalent power of a dreadnought. Which was saying something being as there was a dreadnought stationed in the range of the Loyola Shipyard and Smirnov Station at all times.
Not that all this firepower was to protect their shipyard alone, the Loyola Sentra system contained a large habitable world, Loyola Prime, with over seven billion inhabitants. Loyola Prime was one-third of the way around the primary star in this system from where Smirnov Station was, so it was not visible from the Colt.
“Will you look at that,” Jeri said, a little out of breath.
Before them was the WFS Nemesis, a Titan-class battlecarrier. It was the newest ship and ship class in the Federation. Except for the heavy dreadnoughts, it was also the largest of the warships they had.
It was just over two and a half kilometers long, three-quarters a kilometer high and one kilometer wide. The beast had fifteen-meter thick armor surrounded it. It was run by approximately ninety-five hundred naval personnel and included a small regiment of two thousand marines.
The defenses were none too light having eight massive railguns, sixteen long range lasers, forward and aft, one hundred and twenty-eight point defense batteries, ninety-six missile batteries and a constellation of one hundred and twenty-eight Smitz drones, each far more modern and capable than that which the Colt possessed.
Even though he was not the captain and could never hope to captain a ship like that, Jeri De Vitis could not help but smile. The Nemesis was massive and truly intimidating.
“Sir, we are being hailed, it the Nemesis,” Lieutenant Turov said.
“Put it through,” responded the captain.
Before them was not the captain, nor the XO, but the communications officer of the Nemesis.
A little perturbed, Jeri asked, “how may the WFS Colt be of assistance?”
“Yes, um, hi. So you’re our, um, replacement destroyer. I’m, um, supposed to extend an invitation to officers of the Colt for a, uh, ‘thing,' aboard the Nemesis at seventeen hundred hours,” the nervous, and very green communications officer said.
“And sending a message would not do? Inform your captain the officers of the Colt will attend as requested,” answered an annoyed Captain De Vitis. “Colt, out.”
More than one officer was looking at Jeri
“Ready room, XO,” Jeri said.
##
“Captain, do I have to go to this? It was an invitation and not a summons. The thought of having to be around all those... who got their jobs by other means,” Jackie asked.
“Ha, I’m on the same page. But make no mistake, this is not a request. It is an order. Yes, it will overflow with annoying personalities that you can’t thoroughly crush and humiliate, but it is a must-attend event. Your absence would not go unnoticed.”
Jeri noted the look of exasperation on his XO’s face.
“Look, it won’t be all bad. And besides, a certain marine commander might be there as well,” Jeri said with a smirk.
At that, her ultra-white skin turned red.
“Jackie, I’m not one to push stuff. I just see Rick as the only other person I’ve seen you loosen up around, and that man could mean something to you. One day. Even if you don't want to go there with him, he’s an honorable man and would be a safe retreat from them.”
Jackie sat there a minute not speaking. Not that she did not know what to do at events such as this, indeed much of her upbringing was spent dealing with regional powers, such as her father. She would often have to attend these events and even interact with guests. She far preferred never to go.
“Thank you, sir. If I feel overwhelmed, I will run to Commander Amori and hide behind him,” she responded joking
ly.
Oh, the joy she mused. An evening filled with butt-kissers. For her part, she would be respectful, but she was not about to pucker up.
“Excellent.”
##
As each officer met down at the shuttle bay, it turned out only a few had dates, to the relief of the rest.
Jackie was relieved, though there was a certain amount of tension seeing Commander Amori there, knowing how he felt. He seemed genuinely happy to see her, so she defaulted back to pretending nothing ever happened, because it didn’t.
As they were each seated in the shuttle, Jackie took the seat next to the captain, her friend, and mentor. It was moments like this that she did the unexpected. Leaning on others was not something she was comfortable with, but between Rick’s interest in her and this ‘party’ on the newly commissioned battlecarrier, she was far out of her comfort zone. She already knew what to expect with the party. A bunch of politicians and those aspiring to be will be rubbing elbows, sizing each other up by various measurements that no longer matter to her, speaking out of both sides of their mouths.
Jackie was familiar with political scenes, as her father, being the head of their sect, was in politics from an early age. Though not global in scope, the Askirti influence was broad in the city of Orlando. She attended many functions just like this since she was little. She understood the reason for these that the big fish wanted to size up just how many little fish they could eat. And the little fish wanted to figure out if they could do a takedown of a big fish.
Her dad explained that it was better this way than for methods that led to violence. Being Askirti meant learning from an early age that violence was the last step, not the first, that it was their role to set a good example, and that meant diplomacy.
My father held such great ideals. And yet he met such a violent end.
Jackie was not as sure as her father was about the role of violence. At least at this point in her life, she found it a useful outlet.
##
Slowly but surely the officers of the Colt debarked their shuttle to the expansive view of the interior of one of the battlecarriers hangers. The other shuttles had already arrived, docking in their order of importance. Everyone knew where the Colt was on that list.
The Colt’s shuttle only landed a few minutes after the previous one. They kept them on a schedule that allowed the hanger transportation to keep shuttling arrivals to the reception while nobody was left to wander around unescorted in the hangers.
After a short, five minute transit, the officers of the Colt arrived at the reception. Jackie was thankful that they would not announce each one of them like was so common at formal events.
The reception was held in a room that seemed designed for just this purpose, and it was huge. It seemed too big for the number of people in attendance and could hold several times their number, which Jackie knew from experience it left an awkward amount of space for people by not forcing them in closer proximity.
##
“Wow, Maron, what do we have here?” said Yusif. “I do believe I am in love,” he joked.
Maron responded with a lustful eye, “ha, thinking of adding her to your collection?”’
“I do believe so,” he said with an evil grin. “Have you ever seen such bright green eyes and such perfect white skin?”
“Perhaps it is time for introductions,” his friend responded.
##
Jackie was sticking fairly close to her captain as he shook hands with other captains, some of whom he knew, others he knew of and deeply loathed. But everything was very cordial.
Jackie was thinking she might have an easy time this evening when she noticed two men working their way through the crowds and coming in their direction.
One was a man wearing the ranking of commodore. He was tall, almost two meters, with dark hair and dark eyes, decidedly unattractive facial features. The other had the rank of a captain. He too was nearly two meters tall, but with blond hair,blue eyes, and a face that was probably surgically altered to near-perfection.
Insecure, power-hungry scumbags.
“Captain Jeri De Vitis!”
Jeri turned around to see Commodore Yusif Donners standing next to Captain Maron Breaux, the captain of the Nemesis.
“Commodore, Captain. Mighty fine ship you have here,” said Jeri.
“She is a beauty! Performs as well as a heavy cruiser thanks to the upgraded propulsion and inertial dampers,” said Maron gleefully.
“Jeri, I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting your date,” said the commodore, wantonly.
“Commodore, Captain, this is Commander Jacqueline Campo, XO of the WFS Colt,” said Jeri, with a guarded eye.
“Commodore, Captain,” Jackie said tolerantly.
“My, that is an unusual look you’ve got, Commander. I didn’t know the navy allowed for augmentation,” said the captain of the Nemesis, baiting her.
“I assure you there is nothing wrong with the naval scanning techniques as I possess no augmentations and have been repetitively scanned to ensure as much,” she responded, tolerantly again.
“Ah well, just call it good genes,” the commodore said while tossing back another drink. As that point, the man motioned one of his staffers who brought a several fresh drinks, offering them to each.
While Jackie never drank in settings like this, she decided it would be okay to have just one. Just then, Captain Breaux called Jeri away as they went off to discuss who knows what.
##
Off far away, Commander Rick Amori of the Colt marine detachment was watching with disgust. He liked Jackie. But more to the point, he disliked the company she was keeping. To be a captain of this ship, or a commodore meant deep political connections. And politicians rarely had the good of the average person on their minds.
He felt….jealous! That was not something he was expecting, but he felt jealous that Jackie had captured the attention of the most powerful man in the room, along with several other men if he was judging the situation correctly. Rick was not the jealous type. But yet he could not deny what he felt watching her talk to the commodore.
“Major Wenfield!” said Commander Amori.
“Hey there, thought you were going with somebody,” Sean Wenfield realized his mistake the moment he made it.
“Well, women are complicated. Though I will say, you and Lieutenant Mansfield make a very handsome couple!”
“I will admit, she’s pretty awesome! But it’s hard to get attached, you know,” he responded.
The truth they all knew was reassignments or the unlikely death in combat was a risk all military personnel took on. While their little empire was at peace, they knew that was not a sure thing. Still, when one knows they will not see home for several years, it is not frowned upon for people to couple-up, so long as it was not in the chain of command.
##
“And so, after only six months as captain of a heavy cruiser, the good leaders of our federation saw fit to assign me to captain their newest, most deadly warship!” Captain Breaux said, seemingly never tiring of the sound of his own voice.
And he had an audience for that. Most of the crowd surrounding him were suck-up wannabe's, pretending to be hanging on his every word.
“Captain De Vitis, as one former heavy cruiser captain to another,” he said in a mock-sad voice and fake indigent tone, “I just want to say that we were all appalled at your reassignment. I just don’t know how you went from that fine ship to such a pathetic bucket of bolts.”
Jeri had been trying to hold his tongue for some time now. This idiot demanded an audience, and every time Jeri would try to step away, the idiot would notice and address him directly, again!
“Well, I do serve the Federation in whatever capacity they see fit,” he answered in an almost angry tone.
“Just judging from your assignment, I would say they don’t see you as fit,” Breaux said to a round of drunken laughter.
God help me not to kill this idiot, Jeri said t
o himself.
Chapter 14
Onboard the WFS Nemesis
In the Loyola Sentra System
“Now that I’ve told you about myself, I would love to hear from you, Commander Campo,” said Commodore Donners.
“Not sure there is much to tell,” Jackie said in a calm and dead voice. “I am from Copus Prime and have a strong desire to serve in the Federation. I am working to the best of my abilities to support my captain and my crew and help make my ship more combat effective.”
“Make my ship more combat effective. What an interesting choice of words. It is a waste to assign an excellent officer such as yourself to an old destroyer doing patrol duty. I bet I could help you get your own command. A destroyer, perhaps a brand-new one. What do you say to that?”
He was not at all unobvious. The commodore had connections and could make things happen, for a price. Men like this always had an angle, could always leverage people into place and then owning them during their careers to do their bidding.
Jackie was not unaware of this trap but was having trouble focusing. She was not feeling well and felt dizzy.
“Jackie?” she could hear, though it sounded like it was coming from so far away and getting farther.
“Jackie?” she heard it again, or she thought she did, but there must be another Jackie.
The room was moving, almost as if it was spinning. People were staring. Wait, was she moving?
I’m having fun! I don’t even know how I’m managing it, but I am flying through the room!
“Am I on a magic carpet?” she asked with a snicker as her speech began to slur.
The room moved away, there was little car thingy, and she was moving towards it.
Wow, this gets better! I’m going for a ride to the fair! I haven’t been to the fair since I was a little girl! At this point, she was giggling.
After a minute, or two minutes, or who’s keeping count of minutes, anyway? The car thingy stopped. Her friends…I have friends? Gee, life is getting better by the moment! Another giggle.