Mutineer (Empire Rising Book 7)

by D. J. Holmes

  James, I don’t have long before Lightfoot’s ships leave orbit so I will be short. I’m writing from Earth. Representative Kapoor and others on the Military Subcommittee orchestrated things to lure me here. Rumors were spread of a military tribunal to relieve you of command. As soon as I heard, I left Haven and came to Earth.

  However, Kapoor wanted me on Earth. She is threatening to use her connections to cancel military contacts with Haven’s shipyards and encourage other companies to pull out of investing in our system. She wants me to publicly agree with the finding of the tribunal. As much as I hate her for it, it is a smart play. If you come back as the all-conquering hero, then the focus will be on me, the wife who betrayed her husband. No one will care that Kapoor was the one behind the tribunal. And if you don’t come back victorious, then she will have won anyway.

  I don’t know why they hate us so much that they would do this to us, but I wish you were here with me. The last few days have been difficult. I’ve been beside myself. You know I love you, but I also love Haven. I’m sorry to say Kapoor’s threats made me seriously consider doing what she wants. How can I let the livelihoods of tens of thousands of my people be threatened?

  However, I cannot deny who I am. I am your wife, your partner. I love you. I will not betray you. I must do what I know to be right. I want you to know that. Though I won’t be physically with you when you hear you have been relieved of command, I will be there. Just as you have been with me as I have faced Kapoor’s threats. I hope that brings you some comfort.

  I plan to return to Haven tomorrow after I meet with Kapoor and tell her of my decision. But be assured I will be here when you get back. The tribunal will be held in absentia. There will be no one to defend you. That means there will be a full court martial when you get back. We have plenty of time to plan your defense.

  Fairfax warned me that Lightfoot was leaving with orders to relieve you of command. That’s the only reason why I knew to write this letter. Hopefully it gives you plenty of warning to prepare for what awaits you when you get back to Earth. I’m sorry your homeworld is doing this to you. I know it is of little respite, but I want you to know that you always have a home in the Haven system.

  Farewell for now. And don’t worry about my people, they will respect my decision. They love you almost as much as they love me. Until we meet in person. You are my strength.

  Suzanna.

  When he finished reading, James sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. The anger that had welled up inside him when he had heard about being relieved of command had doubled, if not tripled. It was one thing for Kapoor and his political opponents to launch an attack against him. But his wife? And her people’s homeworld? That was unacceptable, totally unacceptable!

  The only thing that kept his anger in check was his sense of shame. It was his fault Suzanna had been put in such a situation, it was because she was married to him. It wasn’t hard for him to put himself in Suzanna’s shoes. Forced to choose between her husband and her people, she would have been tearing herself apart, and it was his fault.

  For a moment, James felt despair threaten to take over and dominate his emotions. There were just too many things bombarding him at once. One phrase from Suzanna’s letter saved him. Though she had faced an impossible decision, she had made her choice. She did what was right, James said to himself. At that instance, two memories popped into his head. His wedding day, and the day he had transferred from the RSN into the UN fleet. On his wedding day he had vowed to protect his wife. When joining the UN, he had vowed to protect Humanity. He knew what he had to do. His head and his heart were pointing him in one direction. No matter the consequences, that was what he had to do. He owed it to Suzanna and his species, he had to do what was right.

  With a tap he opened a COM channel to Golden Hind’s bridge. “Emilie, arrange a conference with my staff and senior commanders. I want them all to join me in Golden Hind’s main briefing room.”

  “Certainly Vice Admiral,” Emilie replied. “What time would you like to schedule this conference for?”

  “Immediately,” James answered. There was no time to spare.

  Chapter 26

  By the time of the third battle of the First Antarian War our commanders knew what they were up against. It made little difference. The Battle of Wismar was a complete route. Knowing what was going to happen to the population they left behind, several senior commanders committed suicide rather than face the public disgrace.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.

  Just ten minutes later James stepped into the conference room. Along with his staff officers, Vice Admiral Sato, Rear Admirals Gupta, Ramirez and Bai and Captain Becket were all there. “Thank you for coming,” James said as he took his seat. “This is going to be the hardest conversation I’ve ever had. I don’t know how you’re going to react, but I am prepared for whatever you decide.” Knowing he had their attention, James told them that he had been relieved of command.

  “That’s impossible,” Scott said as she jumped to her feet. “How can they do something like that? This fleet needs you. We might have been destroyed by the Flex-aor without you.”

  “She’s right,” Gupta said in a serious tone. “It is the Military Subcommittee who have abandoned their duty. This cannot stand. What can we do?”

  James smiled at Gupta. “Nothing my old friend. There’s nothing we can do. Lightfoot has orders to make sure I am sent back to Earth. He is now the commander of the Outer Defense Fleet. We can’t undo what has already been done.”

  “There’s more isn’t there?” Sato asked. He at least wasn’t getting caught up in his emotions. “What happened between you and this Varanni Captain? What decision do you have to make that we are going to accept?”

  James let out a sigh. “You’re right. My being removed isn’t the half of it. Listen carefully, I only have time to say all this once.” As James filled in his friends and colleagues on everything he had seen and heard on the Varanni warship, he watched their faces closely. Surprise, shock, fear and worry were all there. “So you see,” he concluded. “Ya’sia wants me to go to Varanni Prime. In fact, she wants all of us to go. I can’t order you. In fact, I’m not even asking you. However, I have decided I will. I’m sure Ya’sia will take me aboard her flagship. At best my actions will be seen as insubordination, at worst the Military Subcommittee will charge me with mutiny. I will be drummed out of the fleet and possibly even imprisoned when I return. Nevertheless, I feel I have to go and I didn’t want to leave without informing you why I am doing what I am doing.”

  Finally finished, James looked at each of his subordinates, holding their eyes for a brief moment. Silence filled the briefing room. James allowed his mind to wander as everyone processed what he had just shared. He tried to imagine how he would feel if his mentor Vice Admiral Cunningham had announced he was disobeying a direct order from a superior. I would have been shocked too, he realized. And disappointed.

  “That is a lot to take in Vice Admiral,” Captain Becket said breaking the silence. “No wonder you needed some space to think.”

  James raised his eyebrows in response. “Indeed,” he agreed.

  “Well I’ll tell you one thing,” Scott said. “You won’t be going alone. I’m coming with you.”

  James shook his head. “I didn’t arrange this conference to ask you to come with me. You all have a choice now; you can tell Lightfoot what I’ve told you and no doubt he will order you to detain me. Or you can choose to let me go. I recognize the risk I’m taking in telling you, but I couldn’t leave without explaining my reasons.”

  “That’s not a choice,” Scott countered. “None of us will turn you over. In fact, that’s the least we will do for you. I’m being serious, I’m coming with you. If you’re going to the homeworld of a vastly more powerful and advanced alien race, you’ll need me. To be frank Vice Admiral, I have certain skills and knowledge you do not. If your mission is so serious that you are willing to give up your naval career for i
t, then it is serious enough to bring me along as well.”

  “I’m going too,” Emilie said as she jumped in. Her voice cracked as she spoke but there was determination in her eyes.

  “Most definitely not,” James said as he stood and turned around to fully face her. “You’re a Sub Lieutenant. You have your entire naval career ahead of you. I’m not jeopardizing that.”

  “What career?” Emilie responded. “I know you have enemies in the Military Subcommittee. If they have attacked you and Suzanna, right in the middle of a crisis, do you think they will look kindly on me? If you are branded a traitor, what future prospects do you think I will have?”

  James rested both his hands on the conference desk and closed his eyes. He hadn’t thought about that. Being the niece of a traitor would all but guarantee Emilie would never get a command of her own. She probably wouldn’t even make Lieutenant.

  “I think you’re getting too caught up in the minor details,” Captain Becket suggested. When James opened his eyes, she too had a determined gaze fixed upon him. “Golden Hind will be taking you to Varanni Prime. That means Sub Lieutenant Kansas and all your staff officers will be with you. If Ya’sia has requested you accompany her, then you will need your flagship.”

  “And your flagship will not be unescorted,” Gupta followed up before James could protest. “I don’t care if it’s mutiny, I’m not leaving your side. A Human fleet that has no place for Vice Admiral Somerville is not one I wish to be a part of.”

  “I’m in agreement as well,” Sato said. “Whilst I do not think we should send all of the Outer Defense Fleet with Dural and Ya’sia, we must send a portion. The Crians are valuable allies. We must do everything we can to build the same kind of relationship with these Varanni.”

  James sat down and let out a deep breath. “You are all talking about mutiny, about disobeying direct orders and leading our ships and our crews to do the same. I was just going to leave. How can you abandon Lightfoot and disobey his orders?”

  “You are our rightful commander James,” Gupta responded. “Wherever you go, we go. And that is the end of it. We’ll not listen to any more of your excuses. As you said, time is of the essence. If we’re going to take a fleet to Varanni Prime, we need to work out the details and fast.”

  James had to blink rapidly to clear his vision. He had hoped his friends would support his decision, but he hadn’t expected this. A part of him wanted to shut the whole idea down. Yet how could he? How could he stop his friends from making the same decision he already had? If they thought it was their duty to support him, he couldn’t force them to go against their own conscience.

  Unaware of the depth of emotion James was feeling, Sato, Gupta and the others discussed the details of what they were proposing. It was going to be a difficult undertaking. One that could falter before it even began. A lot depended on Lightfoot and how he would respond to what James had in mind. In a matter of minutes they had a broad plan worked out and without even waiting for James’ approval, they agreed on the basics and called the conference to an end. They had work to do.

  James was still staring at the conference table when they departed. Gupta was the last to leave. She placed a hand on James’ shoulder. “Don’t be surprised Vice Admiral. You have spent the last fifteen years showing us what it looks like to put duty and honor above career. Now we’re showing you what we have learnt.”

  James reached up and placed a hand on Gupta’s. He gave it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to do this you know. None of you have to prove anything to me.”

  Gupta squeezed his shoulder in return. “We know. Don’t be so full of yourself. We are not doing this for you. We are doing this because you think it’s right. That means it is, and so we’re doing this because we must. Now,” she continued as she gave him a gentle shake. “Pull yourself together and figure out a way to make this work. This will all come to nothing if Lightfoot orders X-32’s defenses to blow us to smithereens.”

  “Right,” James said as he turned and gave Gupta a wry look. “No problem. I’ll figure that out immediately.”

  “Good,” Gupta replied with a smile. “I knew that would be no sweat for a senior commander of your experience. Now, I better go. I’ve got plenty to organize.”

  *

  Twenty minutes later, Golden Hind came into communication range of X-32. Immediately Vice Admiral Lightfoot opened up a COM channel with James’ flagship and demanded to speak to James. James was already waiting in his quarters.

  “Vice Admiral Lightfoot, despite the circumstances, it is a pleasure to see you again. It makes it easier knowing the Defense Fleet will be in good hands once I leave,” James said.

  “I’m glad you are coming to terms with what has happened,” Lightfoot replied. “As I said, this is not how I desired things to work out. However, we all have our duty to fulfil. With that in mind, I demand that you update me on what has just occurred. You’ll forgive me for being a little suspicious. For nearly twenty minutes after I sent you that personal message, no COM traffic came from your fleet. And now your subordinates have informed me that the massive warship belongs to another species more advanced than the Crians. What is it doing here?”

  “I apologize for the communications blackout,” James began. “It was an instinctive order. Until we knew more about who was flying that ship - they call it a dreadnought by the way, I didn’t want any alarmist reports being sent to you.”

  “So tell me, what this Varanni vessel is doing in our space?” Lightfoot requested.

  “They are here to speak with Admiral Ya’sia. They have news from their own space. Ya’sia took me along to introduce me to the dreadnought’s Captain. His name is Dural. It seems the Varanni are a very reserved species. However, I think first contact went well. I believe it will be beneficial if we can form a bond of friendship with the Crians and the Varanni. They are willing to consider giving us further assistance in dealing with the Flex-aor.”

  Lightfoot nodded. “That is encouraging. I’ve already read the summary report you sent. The number of ships the Flex-aor have is worrying, to say the least. We may need all the help we can get.”

  “I agree. And that’s why I intend to delay my transfer to Wasp,” James said. He quickly raised a consolatory hand when it looked like Lightfoot was going to complain. “Not for long. Perhaps only a few hours. But I need to provide you with a detailed breakdown of what I learned speaking to Dural and my thoughts on the political and strategic implications that have arisen out of our conversation. I think you will find what Dural shared significant.”

  “Perhaps you could enlighten me now,” Lightfoot suggested. “I will need some reason to sign off on your request.”

  “Well, for one, he showed me a space map. The Crian inhabit an area of space roughly twice the size of our borders. The Varanni more than five times the size. They also have highly advanced means of interstellar travel. I believe their shift space speeds are an order of magnitude greater than our own. Dural talked about offering us assistance in improving our own shift drives. Beyond that, there was discussion about a military threat that the Varanni and their allies face. One that may threaten us as well. One that may make the Flex-aor appear to be nothing more than an irritating gnat. Is that enough for you? I could give you more, but it’s all bouncing around inside my head. Getting it down on paper will help me clarify things.”

  “A threat greater than the Flex-aor?” Lightfoot half repeated in a thoughtful tone. “That is a serious concern. I’ll contact Wasp’s Captain and let her know you will be delayed for several hours. I trust you Vice Admiral. If you say this is important I’m willing to put my neck on the line. I’ll let you get to work.”

  “Thank you Vice Admiral and, if we don’t speak again, good luck with your command. I’m sure you’ll give the Flex-aor an even bigger bloody nose than Ya’sia and I have,” James said, filled with shame at how easily the words came to him.

  “Thank you James,” Lightfoot replied. “I wish you well on E
arth.”

  James nodded and switched off the COM channel. He hated lying to a friend, but he had no choice.

  *

  After Golden Hind slotted into orbit, James waited as long as he could. When he thought Lightfoot’s patience wouldn’t last any longer, he left his office and stepped onto the bridge. “How are the preparations coming?”

  Scott spun around in her command chair to face him. “All the Captains have been contacted. There’s no sign that anyone has leaked anything to Lightfoot. Everyone is with us.”

  “And our supply situation?”

  “We’ve received a lot of supplies from the orbital storage already,” Scott began. “Sato has also been organizing the transfer of supplies from his ships. It allowed us to focus on taking on board as many multistage missiles as we can. So far, we’ve got enough crammed into our hangar bays for three salvos. None of the missiles have been put away yet, we’re not wasting time with that. We’re just unloading them and taking the next batch. I think the Captain in charge of logistics at Hauptman station thinks we have become a little hysterical. I’ve been yammering at him that the Flex-aor could attack at any minute.”