Captain Crosby was on the bridge as they approached the solar system, although it was the second watch and the first officer had the bridge. He sat in the command chair as Commander Upton occupied the First Officer's chair and ordered the ship slowed.
"Tactical, any signs of ships in this system?" Commander Upton asked.
"Nothing's under power, Commander. We'll have to get in closer for the sensors to pick up ships that might be in orbit around the planets."
"Commander," the com operator said, "I'm picking up com traffic. It appears to be coming from the second planet."
"Tactical, concentrate on the second planet. Helm, take us in. Light-37."
Both crewmen said "Aye, sir."
A few minutes later, the officer at the tactical station said, "I'm picking up the presence of multiple ships in orbit around the second planet. They match the configuration of Milori warships, according to the computer."
"How many ships, Commander?"
"I've identified eight so far; six destroyers and two cruisers."
Commander Upton and Captain Crosby exchanged glances.
"Sir, we're being hailed by one of the ships."
"By name?"
"No sir. They're addressing us as 'the ship that has just entered the Elurra system.' The message is in Weutrak, the principal language used by the Milori."
"Tactical," Captain Crosby said, "how many ships have you identified in orbit now?"
"There are sixteen ships in orbit; eleven destroyers and five cruisers."
"Is that all?" Commander Upton asked.
"Affirmative, sir. That's all the ships in orbit around the second planet. And I'm not picking up any sign of others in the system."
"Helm, all stop. Leave our temporal envelope intact."
"Answer the hail, com," Captain Crosby said, "and put it up on the main screen."
The image of a Milora appeared on the screen. Remembering the unique communication system used by the Milori, Captain Crosby said nothing. He simply stared at the Milora.
After several seconds the Milora said, "I'm Lord High Space Marshall Gulqulk of the emperor's Imperial Cruiser Reguffa."
"I'm Captain Crosby of the Galactic Alliance Space Command Destroyer Ottawa."
There was silence for several seconds as each officer sized up the other.
"Your ship is trespassing in Milori space," the Milora said. "I demand that you leave immediately."
"Actually, the reverse is true, Lord High Space Marshall. This system is part of the Galactic Alliance Frontier Zone. You're approximately a hundred light-years inside our border. You are the one that's trespassing."
"The Milori Empire doesn't recognize your claim to this part of space. You don't patrol it and you don't enforce your laws here. Therefore, your claim is invalid. The Empire has officially annexed this space."
"Really? Just when did this annexation occur?"
"The proclamation was made eleven of your Earth months ago."
"I'm afraid that you were too late. The Galactic Alliance laid claim to this part of space more than four Earth years ago."
"Your claim was invalidated when we proclaimed ownership. Leave now and we won't destroy you. And don't stop before you're across the Milori border."
"The Milori border?" Captain Crosby said.
"We claim all space up to the border with what you call your 'regulated' GA space. Immediately pull all your ships out of Milori space or we shall be forced to destroy them."
"Are you declaring war on the Galactic Alliance?" Captain Crosby asked.
His question went unanswered as the screen suddenly went blank.
"I guess that the discussion is over," Captain Crosby said. "I guess I was asking more questions than giving answers."
"The signal was terminated at the source, Captain," the com operator stated.
"Captain," the Lt. Commander at the tactical station shouted nervously, "sensors show that six of the ships have started to move." A couple of seconds later, he added, "Now eight are moving, sir."
"Helm," Captain Crosby said calmly "get us out of here. Top speed. Take us back towards Stewart."
"Aye, Captain."
"We're running away, sir?" Commander Upton inquired calmly.
"Shakespeare wrote, 'The better part of valor is discretion.' I don't think it wise that we remain and take on this entire Milori task force by ourselves. My first responsibility is to apprise Space Command of this situation." Captain Crosby stood up. "Tactical, are those ships still following?"
"Aye, Captain. I picked up thirteen ships maneuvering to leave orbit before we were out of range."
"How many actually followed us?"
"Unknown, Captain. They fell into line behind one another. I can only see one ship on our sensors. They're emitting a signal that's confusing the DeTect system. It can only see a long blur behind that first ship."
"That's one of the Milori tricks," the captain said to his first officer. "When in pursuit they travel in a straight line so that the quarry is never sure how many ships are still engaged, and emit electromagnetic signals that blur the DeTect beams. It might be all sixteen, or just one. Let's think of it as sixteen and keep plenty of distance between us, Commander."
"Aye, Captain. I'll keep our speed at one hundred percent."
"Carry on, Commander," Captain Crosby said as he strode towards his briefing room.
News of the confrontation with the Milori spread rapidly throughout the ship. When Vyx learned of it, he hurried to visit Captain Crosby.
"Come in, Trader," the Captain said from behind his desk in his briefing room.
Vyx walked over and, without an invitation to sit, plopped into a chair. "I understand that we ran into an overwhelming force of Milori ships?"
Captain Crosby nodded. "Eleven destroyers and five cruisers. I guess that qualifies as overwhelming."
"And they're behind us now?"
"As far as we know; I think it better we not stop to count noses."
"A wise decision, Captain," Vyx said, grinning. "But as long as they're on our six, we can't stop and investigate any other situations."
"That might be the intent. The Milori commander has ordered us out of the Frontier Zone. The ship or ships on our six might just be a sort of escort. Perhaps they don't intend to engage us, as long as we keep moving at top speed. They haven't tried to close the gap, but we're not outdistancing them either. Our database doesn't include any information on the speed capability of Milori ships."
"We've had very little contact with them before now. Our translator capability came from the Wolkerrons, or we wouldn't even be able to speak to them."
"We'll just keep heading for Stewart at top speed until we either reach the border or the Milori drop off our six. Just relax and enjoy the trip, Trader."
* * *
Chapter Fourteen
~ June 10th, 2276 ~
Jenetta was just sitting down to dinner when she received notification via her CT that a Priority-One Stage-One Emergency message was waiting for her. The status meant that she could only listen to it in a secure area so she jumped up from the table and hurried to her office, leaving her mess attendant to stare after her in open mouthed astonishment.
The message from Captain Crosby began to play as soon as she had completed the required retinal scan identification procedure.
"Jen, we've really stirred up a hornet's nest out here. We found eleven Milori destroyers and five cruisers in orbit around the second planet of the Elurra system. As soon as we arrived, they hailed us, told us we were trespassing, and ordered us out of their space. They're claiming all territory outside regulated GA space, in other words, our entire Frontier zone. Right now we're headed back towards Stewart at maximum speed with anywhere from one to sixteen warships on our six. We can't determine the number because the Milori pursue in a straight line to confuse their quarry. We know that at least thirteen ships were preparing to leave orbit when the chase began.
"From what I understand of Milori
tactics, they'll pursue us right up to the border and perhaps beyond. I'm just hoping that they don't have any ships positioned ahead of us to cut us off. We're prepared to deactivate our ACS system immediately if they attempt to stop us by cutting across our bow. I've sent a report to Supreme Headquarters and I included a copy of the bridge video log. I'm appending a copy to this message as well. I'll be grateful for any assistance you can provide.
"Jeffrey Crosby, Captain of the GSC Destroyer Ottawa, message complete."
Jenetta played the attached video log showing the communication with the Milori commander. There was no doubt in Jenetta's mind that the Milori were committing open acts of aggression against the Galactic Alliance by declaring their ownership of Galactic Alliance territory and hostile pursuit of a Space Command ship. She sat up straight in her chair and depressed the record button on her com unit.
"Priority One Message from Captain Jenetta A. Carver to the captains of all GSC ships in the sectors around Stewart Space Command Base.
"Captain, at this moment a fleet of Milori warships is pursuing the GSC Destroyer Ottawa inside the Frontier Zone. The Ottawa is racing towards Stewart with what we believe to be as many as sixteen destroyers and cruisers, on their six. From statements made by the Milori commander to Captain Crosby, I'm assuming that the intentions of the Milori are hostile. Treat any contact you have with Milori warships, with the utmost caution. We must be prepared to meet this threat when it arrives. On my authority, I'm ordering the immediate return of all ships to Stewart SCB. Please keep the contents of this message secure until we verify the intentions of the Milori.
"Jenetta A. Carver, Captain, Base Commander, Stewart Space Command Base, message complete."
The Priority-One status would insure that the captain be notified immediately, regardless of how he or she might otherwise be occupied. Jenetta also marked the message as a Stage-One Emergency notice. Calling up a map of the sub-sector containing the Elurra system, she studied it for a few minutes before composing a message to Space Command Supreme Headquarters. Her second message about the Milori was an assessment of the situation and notification that she was recalling all ships on patrol. By issuing the recall, she was overriding the individual patrol orders issued by Supreme HQ to each ship's captain, so it was important that they knew of her action.
After sending off the message, she returned to her dining room to continue her dinner. Nothing more than what she had done, was required or necessary at this time.
As she sat down at the table, the mess attendant hurried over with a fresh salad. She knew that things had been going too well lately. She'd had a wonderful month with Hugh, followed by several months of relative calm. The terrorist activity on Arrosa had stopped, the delegates from Selax and Arrosa were actually being cordial to one another, and the document work for the hearing was almost complete. The JAG section had compiled a very short list of Arrosian documents that actually had any bearing on the case, and best of all, a convoy of ships, one of them containing the new diplomatic corps for this sector, was set to arrive in a few weeks. Jenetta would still have to complete her duties as arbiter, but the diplomats would be there to help smooth the waters afterward.
The ships on patrol began to report in the following day that they had altered course for Stewart as soon as they received the message from Jenetta. The command center, knowing their location, speed, and destination began tracking their progress. If a situation developed, Jenetta could divert them, but all ships were expected to be back at Stewart within a hundred eighty days. Traveling at maximum speed, the Ottawa wouldn't cross the border from the Frontier Zone for two hundred seventy-eight days.
Once an enemy commences hostilities, it isn't unusual to find military personnel waiting for a battle to commence, but nine months of waiting was a bit outside the norm. Still, there was little for Jenetta to do except plan and wait; and handle her normal duties. Three weeks after receiving the initial message from the Ottawa, Jenetta received a message from Admiral Richard E. Moore, Admiral of the Fleet, Space Command Supreme Headquarters. Jenetta completed the retinal scan and sat back to watch the message.
"Hello Captain Carver," the image of Admiral Moore said. "I've been following your career closely since I presented you with the MOH almost eight years ago. Your performance and dedication has always been of the highest caliber, and I'm proud to list you among my top officers.
"We've studied the vid log sent by Captain Crosby and we're in agreement with your assessment that the Milori pose an imminent threat to the sovereignty and security of Galactic Alliance territory. We've issued a general alert, and all warships within twelve months travel time are under orders to proceed to Stewart at top speed. The Prometheus should be home shortly, and we expect that at least five additional warships previously reassigned to Stewart will arrive in time to join the ten currently based there with sufficient time to meet the Milori threat.
"An additional nineteen warships are now underway, including three Nordakian cruisers, but they aren't expected to arrive before the Milori reach the Frontier Zone border. The latter ships can however, serve as a replacement force for lost ships, should the Milori really choose to engage our forces.
"I won't minimize the danger that you're facing. The Milori are a warrior race that prides itself on its battle readiness and capability. They are a far more dangerous foe than the Raiders or Tsgardi that you've faced in the past, but with a fourteen ship task force, increased by one when the Ottawa arrives, we feel that the forces will be evenly matched. They'll have one more ship, but we'll have four battleships aligned against their destroyers and cruisers.
"As you're well aware, your post is normally held by a Rear Admiral, Upper Half. Despite your lower rank, we knew that you were well suited to handle the job of establishing a new base, but we never anticipated that you'd have to face such a threat as we now expect. A StratCom-One base commander is responsible for all military activity in the sectors where the base is located, and is therefore in command of any assembled task force. But the Admiralty Board feels that more senior captains might have reservations about following the orders of a captain with much less time in grade; at least in a situation where the battle takes place well away from the base.
"A number of alternatives have been discussed, including the temporary reassignment of one of the more senior captains to base commander for the duration of the threat, but we were quickly reminded by Admiral Holt, who happens to be at Supreme Headquarters for a series of meetings, that we did that once before, and that we later regretted our hasty action. We promised ourselves never to embarrass you like that again.
"We've also discussed the appointment of one of the senior captains to the rank of Rear Admiral, Lower Half, but we know that none of them wish to give up their ship, and the situation would mandate that they surrender ship command and accept a base posting at the end of the conflict.
"Our dilemma was resolved when Admiral Burke recalled that we still have a regulation on the books that allows for brevet rank, although we've never employed it. The military history of brevet appointments goes back many centuries, and the precise definition has varied considerably in the militaries of different Terran nations. Generally, it was of very limited duration and carried with it no increase in pay or privileges. Although its use has greatly diminished since Earth's World War I, Space Command regulations still allow for the temporary promotion of any officer holding a command position consistent with, or greater than, the duties and responsibilities of the higher rank, such as when a senior officer is incapacitated and a lower ranking officer must permanently assume responsibility for the command. Space Command regulations provide that a corresponding increase in pay and privileges must be included for the duration of the appointment.
"Congratulations, Admiral Carver. Your brevet appointment was approved today by act of the Admiralty Board."
Jenetta's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide. From the statements at the beginning of the message, she expected notification
that someone was assuming her role as Supreme Military Commander at Stewart. She expected Admiral Moore to announce that he was brevetting one of the senior captains to Admiral, temporarily, so that he or she could revert to their former position after the conflict was over, and retain command of their ship. But since the rank of captain was normally the most that any senior officer aboard a ship could attain, and since the Admiralty Board obviously didn't want to first appoint one of the captains to the position of base commander, replacing Jenetta, the ship captains weren't eligible for a brevet promotion.
"You'll retain your new rank for the remainder of your tour at Stewart. Until returned to your former rank, you're a fully authorized flag officer, one of just two hundred eighteen such authorized flag positions in Space Command.
"I have every confidence that you'll lead your task force to victory over the Milori. Good luck, Admiral."
"Richard E. Moore, Admiral of the Fleet, Space Command Supreme Headquarters, Earth, message complete."
Jenetta just sat in her chair staring at the Space Command logo on the com unit's vid screen. She didn't know whether to scream or cry. If the promotion were anything other than temporary, she'd already be transmitting a message in which she refused to accept it. A promotion took her from a posting that she loved once before, and she didn't intend to spend the rest of her career behind a desk, a fate that all admirals in Space Command shared. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was an opportunity to get off the base for a while. The leader of a task force normally led from a ship, and as an admiral, she was empowered to appoint someone to replace her on the base for the duration of the conflict. She could even select which ship would serve as her flagship. It wouldn't be so bad after all, as long as the rank was only temporary.
She was still thinking about the possibilities when Lt. Commander Ashraf announced the delivery of a package to the outer office.
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