by Chris Hechtl
And more importantly, to bring them into the fold … and their massive shipyards and industrial complex. They were his true ace in the hole.
“If you are asking about Caroline, no. Sally Ride noted the ion trail of a recent ship's passing. They are assuming it is Caroline.”
“Okay.”
“The captain is asking for orders, Admiral. Should she continue on to Bek anyway? Let them know the ansible platform is in B102C? Or should they start back now to B101a1? Or go to Nuevo?”
“Have them head back. Order them to transfer their helm team to the picket in B101a1. Wait,” he held up a restraining hand. “Sorry, have them swap with the helm team of the picket.”
“I was about to say, they'd still need a helm team. All right, orders … waiting, waiting … This is going to take a while. A long while,” she drawled in disgust.
“Rome wasn't built in a day, Commander,” Protector stated.
“Ha! Just don't expect to send your speeches or daily news dumps through this. My word is this slow!” Sprite complained.
It was the admiral's turn to roll his eyes. “Just get it done and spare me the complaints. We'll send another shipment when we can.”
“Speaking of …,” Sprite brought up. “You have a conversation scheduled with Admiral Subert in an hour. That might be a topic that comes up.”
“Joy,” the admiral said as he wrote a quick text to April.
“You're letting Miss O'Neill know ahead of the rest, sir?” Protector asked him.
“Yes,” the admiral said. “She'll be happy about the minor scoop.”
“And keeping the lady happy is important,” Sprite said dryly.
“You know relationships so well,” Admiral Irons said as he looked up with a smile. “So before I talk to Phil, what else can we do? This is a small positive piece of news. We need to build off of it. Get some momentum building again.”
“Rebuild trust in other words. Okay, well, I know people aren't happy about losing the dreadnaughts and First Battle Cruiser Squadron. The naval press office has tried to point out that we still have the second, third, and are starting the fourth squadron here. I think we need to make some headway on the flag rank front while also pointing out the new squadron. The tricky thing is how we go about doing that without being too obvious about it. We don't want to look like we're grasping at anything to shut them up.”
“But we don't want to be too subtle or they'll latch onto that too,” Protector warned.
“That part we can leave to them grumbling about how bad ass we are,” Sprite replied.
“Or they could think that we're not taking the threat of this enemy fleet seriously enough,” Protector warned. “If we suffer another setback, it could do even further damage to public trust and administration prestige. People need to know when the admiral says something; he means it and has the means to back it up.”
“Agreed. So, setting the right tone is important. No obvious grab for attention,” Sprite said thoughtfully.
“I can talk about it with Phil while we toss around ideas. A minor press release about the latest battle cruiser commissioning might be nice. Or …,” the admiral frowned, “I was going to say have a middy public tour or even a general public tour, but I'm now thinking … what about a scout campout?”
“Sir?”
“Antigua scouts. Kids, all genders, open to all who are interested, let them camp out for a weekend on a ship. Set it up a month or two off, not something now.”
“Which would be too much of an obvious distraction ploy,” Sprite inserted.
“Right. Set it up, and then let it play out. The kids will be excited. Didn't I read someone requesting this?” he asked.
“I'm writing a bot to check, Admiral,” Sprite stated. “Bot away.”
“Good. If they have, act on that. If it comes up, point out that it was suggested earlier. Joke about taking so long, that sort of thing.”
Sprite nodded. “I have several requests on file so we're covered.”
“Good. Good. Do that. Also …,” he frowned thoughtfully, “set up a meet and greet with kids. I'm avoiding the college for the time being …”
“Since you want to avoid the picketers laying in wait there,” Protector said.
“Ahem, yes,” the admiral drawled, shooting the A.I. a moderate glower. “So, maybe if I can't come to them, I'll pop in somewhere—an in and out.”
“Hand shake, photo op. Gotcha,” Sprite said.
“You let the other departments know about the ansible?”
“The news went out but I think Knox News … yup, they broke the story seventy-eight seconds ago,” Sprite said.
“Ooops,” Admiral Irons said with a shrug and boyish grin.
“Boys and mischief,” Sprite sighed theatrically. That just made the admiral's grin widen.
:::{)(}:::
April smiled when she heard the afternoon anchor break into the normal cycle to report the connection to the Bek nexus had been made. It hadn't worked out as planned, but at least they had a tentative link that could be reforged over time. For the moment, it was a step in the right direction … and a small bright glimmer of good news in a heavy news cycle filled with rancor and hand wringing.
The demands for action were getting old, even with the public. She knew it. She wasn't sure if the complainants knew it. She certainly knew John had already had his fill of it. She typed out a quick text thanking him for the heads-up before she flipped the channel feed to Galactic Spotlight News, Toni Chamber's channel. “We're receiving unconfirmed reports from other news outlets that the ansible link to Bek has come on line. I have to stress; this is unconfirmed at this time. It is reported that the link didn't get to Bek itself; instead it was set up in an empty star system on the other side of the rapids. Unfortunately, this information … okay, we're getting confirmation of our own now, and an announcement from the administration's press secretary that a news conference will be announced shortly.”
April flicked her implants to change the channel and then cracked her knuckles. “Eat that, witch,” she growled softly.
:::{)(}:::
Moira heard the news that they'd gotten a link tentatively forged as she ate lunch with the news playing. She used her implants to turn the volume on, interrupting the verbal brief from a stammering staffer. She frowned then smiled as it sank in. “Good to know,” she said nodding. “I wish they could have gotten it all the way in, but they did well to plant it there I suppose,” she said.
“A football analogy, ma'am?”
“What? No, just reflecting on what they achieved. They did what they could with what they had, and now we can build off of it. See if you can work that into a press release; maybe tie it into what we've done so far, and what we're going to do, and what White is going to do. Try to build up morale a bit,” she ordered.
“I'll um, see what I can do, ma'am,” her press secretary said, making a note.
“You do that,” Moira said, eyes turning back to the news channel.
:::{)(}:::
“Phil, nice to see you,” Admiral Irons said, nodding to his fellow flag officer's holographic avatar. “Before we get too far into it, I wanted to let you know I'm sending you a fresh shipment of ansible cores. That way you can set up the B101a1, another to Destria, and transfer two or more of them to Nuevo and Bek if possible, while keeping one in reserve.”
“Thank you, Admiral. Sending the one to B101a1 tapped me out.”
“I know. And I know it's always a good idea to have one or more handy in case of need,” Admiral Irons said with a smile. He picked up his coffee mug and took a sip before he put it down in front of him. “How goes things in Pyrax?”
“The usual,” Admiral Subert replied. “Same political crap, different day,” he admitted.
Admiral Irons snorted. “Just be glad you don't have to deal with Congress. It's not just the delegates and senators; it's their staffers you have to worry about too. And they want state functions now more than ever,” he said,
rolling his eyes. “I've fostered as many of the state dinners off on Secretary Sema as I can get away with,” he said.
“Watch that one. She's ambitious,” Phil warned.
“Aren't all political animals that way? It goes with their predatory nature.”
“Yes, well, that one is liable to take a bite out of your ass if you turn your back on her for too long.”
“The same could be said of any woman who doesn't like being ignored,” Admiral Irons replied, cracking a smile.
Admiral Subert snorted. “True,” he admitted. “Just remember, she can go for the jugular. She wants your job,” he warned.
“She can get in line,” the admiral replied with a shrug.
“I know you were grooming Governor Randall for the job, but he screwed up by not taking the VP slot when he had the chance,” Phil stated.
“He didn't want to be divided between Antigua and the federation. I think once his kids are in college he'll step up more.”
“Possible. But by then it might be too late. The political stage is going to be crowded once Bek and Nuevo and the other sectors get involved,” Phil warned.
Admiral Irons shrugged. “It's not my problem. He'll deal with it when the time comes. For the moment he's content to stay where he is. And I'm content to let him. Any problems with sending more ansibles to the Bek nexus? I noticed you didn't object,” he said in a questioning tone of voice.
“We're going to need a better method to get them there. Or they are going to have to go at the first octave of alpha and take a hell of a long time to get there,” Phil stated. “Barnes got too cute, and it cost us. She was too impatient.”
Admiral Irons nodded. “Sometimes the turtle wins the race in the end. The important thing is to get them there safely. Speed can be a killer,” Admiral Irons retorted.
“True,” Admiral Subert replied.
“I read your status reports, so I think we can dispense with them for the moment. I was talking to Yorgi and Monty. They brought up a couple interesting things, including your interest in another duty assignment? ONI?” he asked, cocking his head and raising an eyebrow in inquiry.
Phil's image shrugged. “It's just a thought. I have experience in ONI.”
Admiral Irons nodded. “Understood.”
“You know I'm the best candidate. Monty is a screwup, though I admit he's been trying to bootstrap the entire organization while trying to learn how to do so at the same time. That's all the excuses I'm willing to give him though,” Phil growled. “Sienkov is a political animal. I admit, I didn't get much of a feel for him when he and the other Bekians were here in Pyrax.”
“Oh no?”
“I was busy doing my job. I can't run personal tours,” Phil replied tartly.
“Understood. A couple of lunches or …”
“A few. Minor things, I kept getting interrupted. Twice we had people come over for a photo op or to chat with the new guy,” Phil sniffed. “Fans,” he said in disgust.
“Right,” Admiral Irons drawled. He wondered briefly if Phil was jealous. Most likely he was, and most likely he was intimidated by Yorgi's elevated rank. “Well, hopefully you two will get a chance to know one another better. I suggest taking up a correspondence or something. Maybe intelligence related?” he frowned.
“Always trying to fix things,” Phil replied with a shake of his head.
“I'm an engineer. It's what we do.”
“Sometimes you don't need to fix what isn't broken Admiral,” Phil replied. “We get along. A working relationship and understanding is all we need to function.”
Admiral Irons blinked then nodded slowly. “As you wish. But you will need to talk with him soon. This problem with Amadeus has brought our lack of additional field officers, specifically flag officers to a head. I know you need someone to handle Third Fleet. Several someones actually,” he said. “I need them here as well.”
“What about Harris? I thought you solved it by promoting him out of the zone?” Phil asked acidly.
Admiral Irons frowned. He didn't like Phil's tone of voice. He reminded himself that the other man was a staff weenie, a paper pusher at heart. When someone stepped outside the bounds of the rules to get something done, it rubbed his types the wrong way. “I frocked him. We can run it past the board … if Amadeus doesn't confirm the promotion with a battlefield one that is,” Admiral Irons stated.
“See, it’s things like that that bother me. We have a system; it shouldn't be bypassed,” the admiral growled.
“Unless it needs to be. Unless the system is stopping us from getting the job done in an efficient manner. We need flag officers, Phil; you know that.”
“Yes, I admit we do. What about the ones from Bek?”
“They aren't here. They will need time to get implants and get up to speed. They are an unknown,” Admiral Irons pointed out. “For the moment we need to promote to fill the voids we have. It'll be months before we get anything back from Caroline.”
“I'm glad you are admitting that,” Phil stated.
Admiral Irons snorted. “Was that part of the problem? Worried about them?”
“Yes and no. I know I can do better than Montgomery. Sienkov …” He paused and shrugged, letting the comparison die unsaid.
“Is an able administrator, just like you are, Phil. He's still learning some things though. He's juggling a lot of roles. You know he's stepping up to take the helm of ONI more?”
“I heard something to that effect,” Phil said cautiously. “And you mentioned it a moment ago.”
“Monty has long-range plans like you do it seems,” Admiral Irons stated. Phil's image scowled. “Part of them is clearing the decks for you and looking out for what's best for the federation and ONI.”
“I … see.”
“Talk to him about it. You might warm up to the idea.”
“I'll see,” the admiral drawled slowly.
“In the meantime, I think we need that flag board sooner rather than later. You, me, Yorgi, and Jersey. If all four of us can arrange it, I'll bow out and let you three wrangle it. Or we can take turns, submit personnel, then abstain from voting to keep it fair,” Admiral Irons stated.
Phil nodded. “I like that last idea. I've got a short list. A couple of people from Lemnos fit the bill. They'd do well in a commodore's slot, though I'm loath to lose them as skippers,” he admitted.
“They aren't gone; we can keep them around to pass down the information they've learned—at least those not in the field,” Admiral Irons stated.
“True,” Admiral Subert stated. “And we do need people to handle the fleet. The administrative parts alone are biting into my time managing the star system let alone the yard.”
“See? Delegation. I've been thumped about it often enough. It's time to delegate a bit more since we're growing.”
“Vargess is also on my list. Not Mayweather for obvious reasons,” Phil said, holding up a restraining finger.
“Make your list and arguments. I'll have each of us do the same and consult with BUPERS on who they think as well. Obviously we can't get Amadeus's input at the moment.”
“Obviously.”
“Okay. I'll bump Vargess up to the top of the list, but that'll put a hole in Amadeus's command structure since Trajan is his flag captain. I'm interested in your Lemnos list.”
“Understood. Shall we handle the captain's promotion's board at the same time?” Phil asked, seeming to cool a bit.
“I think it would be wise.”
“That way you can sneak Shelby Logan onto the list,” Phil replied with a sniff.
“Sneak isn't necessary since you just brought her up. You and I both know she's overdue. She's done an excellent job, and I've got plans for her. She'll need the rank.”
“Understood. We can discuss it I suppose,” Phil said gruffly.
“Good. Now …”
Chapter 23
The arrival of reinforcements from Protodon came as a relief to the tired but still game crews of the warships an
d factory ship. Weary cheers and smiles abounded. Some were nervous about the enemy arriving before the reinforcements crossed the star system, but others weren't as pessimistic.
They'd all been waiting for the axe to fall. Now it seemed either the enemy had pulled back or had delayed their own arrival to make repairs and resupply. Either way, things were starting to look up.
Admiral White felt intense relief at the sight of their emergence. Two CEVs, the seven cruisers, two squadrons of destroyers and the support ships didn't seem to add up to a lot of fire power though, not with what they were up against. But at least it was something, he thought, fighting off the gnawing discomfort.
His relief intensified when Stinging Swarm transmitted her logs to him along with a copy of orders from Admiral Irons. The news that John was rushing Bismark and her division mate along with the First Battle Cruiser Squadron to Protodon was further relief to him. He made certain that was announced to the various crews.
After they spent three days crossing the star system, he ordered the senior officer to report on board Lady Liberty while Jojo and Kyle coordinated the transfer of fighters and bombers as well as beginning the steps to integrate the new ships into their data network.
A rating led the Chimeran ship captain to the flag bridge. Admiral White exchange salutes with the Chimeran. “Lieutenant Commander Mrix. Your reputation precedes you,” the admiral said with a grin.
“Reporting aboard, sir. We didn't break any speed records, but we damn well did try, sir.”
“The effort is much appreciated,” Trajan said with a smile. “Nice to see you, Mrix,” he said with a nod.
“Captain, it is good to see you as well,” the green, blue, and yellow being stated. He was tall and slim, with golden cat eyes. His fur was arranged in a bright blue mohawk that went down his spine to a thin tail. He had curled backward-facing horns on his head and goat-like ears that stuck out. To some he might have looked like a comical creature … that was, right up until they came up close and saw his sharp predator teeth and claws.