Hutton spun his chair around and flew over to the young officer.
“Mike, it is very good to see you!” he exclaimed in excitement.
“Sir, it good to see you too. Sorry about the legs,” he said trying not to look down at the blanket covering the stubs of his former teacher’s severed limbs.
“No worries, it will only be until we can get back to the Wolf’s Den and they put me in that regeneration tank.
“What about Heal X or ReGen-X?” he asked thinking that it might be able to help.
“Beings my wounds are fresh, Dr. Beilor is considering starting the process,” he explained “but it is going to take a lot of small injections over a month’s time.”
“That still sound great,” Collins said with a smile.
“Gentlemen, let’s get to work,” Hope said from his desk.
Mike took a seat between the two commanders. No sooner than he was seated Mr. Lucas, the captain’s steward arrived with a chicken salad sandwich and a coke. Collins was starved and shook his head with thankful smile as he accepted the simple fare.
“Thanks to all of our efforts we’ve survived two more separate engagements,” Hope started and added “I like to say a well done to each of you and your crews.”
“Against all odds,” Richards remarked in praise at their unexpected battles.
Cmdr. Hutton and Lt. Collins were both quiet and almost sullen at their kind words.
“Gentlemen, what seems to be the problem?” the old captain inquired sensing their discomfort.
Mike looked to Sir Alfred who shrugged before he answered for them.
“We lost both of our ships and at least half of our crews,” the former commando replied. He had lost men and women before in firefights and on various operations but he had never lost a starship and a crew before.
Collins nodded in agreement having his own struggles with his victory.
Richards cleared his throat drawing their attention.
“I’ve lost a ship before and it weighs on your soul as do the lives of those we lead. I think you need to remember those that you’ve led who are still alive are alive because you were at the helm. I don’t have to tell you what taking out so many enemy ships mean to the war effort and the ultimate survival of humanity. We’ve been lucky and have used superior tactics and surprise to defeat more ships than any of us could have believed when we started this mad venture. The recent battles that you fought was a surprise to us all yet against those odds the Star Wolf and your ships managed to turn defeat into victory. I’d say that you’ve already done more than what has been asked of you or any man.”
“Thank you, sir,” Mike said swallowing hard as he accepted the praise.
Captain Hope nodded, “Well said Mark, very well said.”
Hutton also nodded without saying anything.
“I have to say that the Randori and Cody were well spent in battle and the intelligence we recovered from the Nathaniel Green and the San Quintin has given us more insight into where the enemy is and what lies ahead,” the ancient officer informed turning his meeting back on course.
“What is our next move, sir?” Cmdr. Hutton asked.
“We will be here at least another day or so making repairs to the Wolf and to the other ships. We also have to transfer crewmen from other ships to fill in the gaps in staffing. Luckily, Commander Richards has already been working on that for the 12th ships and he has some personnel suggestions to help fill out the crews of the Grey Hound, San Quintin and the Nathaniel Green.”
“Both transports were full of supplies which we are distributing amongst the fleet. We’re also using any materials taken from the wrecked enemy ships but that will take more time to sort out and install,” Richards informed.
“What about crews?” Hutton asked wondering if he would still be of use or if he would be left behind with the 12th Defense Fleet.
“Captain Hope and I have discussed this. When the Star Wolf leaves again she will take a Karduan destroyer escort or sloop, as we just captured one that came into the system after the Wolf’s battle. The Task Force will take the Green Machine as she is in good shape and has been modified with extended range Karduan bender drives.”
“But she only has ten fighters,” Mike interjected “two of which are Karduan knock offs of the SF-18s.”
“The Templars are willing, almost eager to equip her with some of their star fighters,” Richards said as Mike made a face.
“I find it hard to believe that they would just give us fighters,” he commented suddenly feeling very tired.
The commander grinned, “Only if they get to fly them.”
Everyone laughed as they knew that the Knights of the Poor Temple of Solomon were very anxious to get into the fight.
“So, the new task force will be the Star Wolf, the Nathaniel Green, the Grey Hound express freighter and either a sloop or a destroyer escort. Except for the Wolf, the other vessels are known Karduan ships and won’t raise suspicions,” Hope explained having given it some thought after losing the Randori.
Hutton and Collins didn’t ask the question they really wanted to ask. So Richards answered it without having been asked.
“Commander Hutton, if you are feeling up to it. You have the choice of either commanding the Grey Hound or the Karduan warship.”
The old commando looked relieved that he was not being left behind due to his injuries but he still had a question.
“Not the carrier?” he inquired after all he was a skilled fighter pilot and could still command a carrier’s bridge if not a cockpit.
“No, the Templars made a demand before they’d agree to transferring their pilots and fighters to the Green Machine,” Hope interjected making a face that indicated he clearly did not liking be negotiated with over crew assignments.
“They wanted Lt. Collins here to be their ship captain,” Richards said and added, “it seems that you made quite an impression when you defeated their knight as well as during the Randori’s battle. It seems that recordings of both of our recent battles have been widely distributed amongst the Confederation and Templar ships.”
Mike let out sigh, “I think I’d rather not be so well known.”
Hutton smiled and slapped him on the back.
“The carrier all yours! Hell, it was your command anyway,” he said rethinking the idea of a Knight of the Order of St. Michael having to give orders to a bunch of stiff necked Templars.
Collins took a bite of his sandwich and shrugged.
“Everyone eat up, Lt. Daily will be here shortly to give us a briefing on the data downloaded from the enemy ships,” Captain Hope said changing the topic once more but this time to relieve the young lieutenant’s embarrassment.
As the officers enjoyed their food and drinks the ship’s red alert alarms went off. A moment later their food was quickly abandoned as they rushed to the nearby bridge.
Mike beat the other officers by a good ten feet as he stood by the captain’s chair where Lt. Dover sat. Looking up at the main viewer he could see why they went to red alert.
“Report,” Sir Randolph Hope commanded being the last to catch up with the other officers.
“A stealth cruiser has suddenly appeared off our bow,” Dover stated calmly.
“It is a Confederation shadow cruiser,” Hope announced correctly identifying the light cruiser class of stealth ships.
Mike nodded having seen this ship before, “It is the ISS Raven.”
Hope made a face, “Open a channel to Commander Bannon.”
“They are signaling us,” Parker said from the communications station.
“On screen,” Richards said slipping into his old role as XO as Dover got up and Captain Hope sat down in his command chair.
“What can we do for you Commander?” Hope inquired before the naval intelligence officer could say a word.
“Sir, I’m afraid that I do need your help,” Bannon declared not sounding happy at having to do so.
“Do tell, what can we do f
or you? We at least owe you a favor for helping our ships and crews,” the Hawk said watching the other officer’s body language. The commander was agitated and it showed as he fidgeted just a little in his seat.
“Captain Hope, it is good to see you again,” Commander Bannon said with an easy smile as he changed the subject for a moment.
“Sir, I believe you have me at a disadvantage,” Hope said and continued, “Though, I have met your father several times in the past.”
“It was at a naval strategic planning seminary at Star Base 4 before the war. You gave an extremely insightful lecture on the use of close quarters combat in ship to ship fighting.”
The Hawk nodded in remembrance but didn’t smile. The intelligence officer was referring to a meeting back was when he was still on active duty and just before he took his post as Commandant of Harpers Military Academy on Austro Prime.
“What can we do for you?” Hope again asked dismissing the pleasantries.
“I believe we need to speak face to face for this,” Bannon said not wanting the Wolf’s bridge staff to hear his request or any eavesdropping Templars.
“Very well, I’ll see you within the hour,” Hope said and stared at him with his hawk like eyes waiting for his acknowledgement.
“Aye sir,” the commander of the Raven said and then cut off the comm. signal.
“Do you remember him, sir?” Dover inquired.
“No, not really but he comes from a family of heroes, some of which are well placed in the military as well as in the civilian government. Some of them even have the ear of the Emperor,” he commented.
“So, what do you think this is all about?” Hutton asked.
“He needs more firepower than a light cruiser can muster,” Mike said remembering Cmdr. Bannon’s reluctance to get into a fight or to vary his mission’s orders.
“What was his mission?” Richards wondered still unsure why the stealth cruiser hadn’t joined them.
“He was looking for the Star Tiger and seemed very disappointed when he found out that it was the Star Wolf causing all of the problems for the Karduans in this sector,” Hutton remarked.
“The question gentlemen is - why does he need to find the Star Tiger so badly?” the Captain posed.
“I don’t know that but I know where the Star Tiger is,” Martin Daily said coming into the bridge and catching the tail end of their discussion.
Everyone on the bridge turned and looked at the lanky officer who was so good with computers.
“In my office,” Hope said standing up and turning the bridge back over to Lt. Dover.
Once more they gathered around the captain’s desk as Daily set down his palm pad and linked it to the desk’s holo screen. He could have used the pad’s holo emitters but the desk could project a larger and more impressive field of view. A second later they were looking at the 3-D holo image of a space station surrounded by starships.
“What is this?” Hutton asked from his grav chair.
The image looked like two spinning tops stacked on top of each other. There were three levels of docking arms for ships to moor at. Two were at the thick round middles of the two oval spheres. The third was at the center section between the two spheres were they connected. This middle level docking arms were much longer and were clearly intended for large capital ships. It looked like it could service at least thirty ships with ten docks on each of the three levels with five arms each.
After a moment of marveling at it Daily added the missing pieces and numerous additional ships appeared along the three levels of various docking spurs.
“That’s the Star Tiger!” Mike exclaimed knocking over his chair as he leaped to his feet.
“Where is this?” Hope asked his eyes riveted to the holo image.
“It is a Karduan Forward and Recovery Base,” he announced and added, “Actually, it looks like it is two smaller base stations that have been connected to each other right here at this middle docking ring.”
The large center ring where the two tops met glowed red on the holo projection for them to better see.
“Yes, we can see that but where is it?” Commander Richards pressed. He knew that an FRB was a mobile base station used just behind the front lines to repair damaged ships and support front line operations.
“It is in the Sargasso planetary system about a half a dozen bends from here,” Daily replied. “We already knew that the base was there from earlier intelligence but know we know about the ships they are working on,”
Mike had heard that system’s name before but he couldn’t quite remember where he knew it from.
“How long has it been there and how many ships?” he asked.
Martin shrugged a little.
“It seems that it was moved up just after the breakthrough and the collapse of our lines in this sector. That’s probably why the Templars didn’t even know it was there.”
“And they have the Star Tiger,” Hutton said his voice sounding full of dread.
“And are probably tearing her apart for her technology,” Richards commented.
“Why is she still there?” Captain Hope proposed making everyone in the room look away from the Holo projection and look towards him.
“What do you mean, sir?” Lt. Daily asked.
“The Star Tiger is too great of a prize to leave at a repair station near the front especially an area where another attack cruiser has been reeking havoc with their forces,” the old captain replied bringing his hand up and rubbing his chin as he spoke.
“Now I remember!” Mike announced with a grin.
“What is it Lieutenant?” Cmdr. Richards asked.
“That pirate, Alexander the Great,” Collins said, “When he was running from the Randori and trying to get to the gravity well he ran right into Cody.”
“And he said he was working for Station Mistress Bie-Tor of the Sargasso System,” Hutton finished also remembering the incident.
“So, we have a prisoner who may have in-depth knowledge of the system and the station,” Cmdr. Richards commented.
“He won’t help us willingly,” Hutton remarked having sat in on his interview after being captured. He was as they say a real pisser.
Mike smiled, “Well maybe we can trick him?”
Just then a chiming signal indicated a message from the bridge.
“Sir, Commander Bannon’s fighter is approaching our cargo shuttle bay,” CPO Parker manning the comm. station reported.
“Roger that,” Richards replied.
“Mister Collins, please go to the shuttle bay and escort the commander to my ready room,” Hope instructed.
“Yes sir,” he answered turning to go.
“Oh and Mike, make sure you are armed,” the Star Wolf’s captain advised.
Collins turned and locked eyes with the ancient warrior and then nodded with a slight smile.
“Aye sir.”
By the time Mike got down to the cargo bay the Commander’s star fighter had landed and the bay had pressurized.
Looking at the star fighter he was surprised that he didn’t know its class and had never seen its type before. It was smaller than a SF-86 Sabre but larger than the nibble LN-28 Wasp. It was wider than the sleek SF-18 Hornet but didn’t seem to have any exterior weapons pods mounted. If it had atmosphere wings he couldn’t see them but they may have been completely retracted into the bottom of the fighter’s hull.
Bannon climbed out of the cockpit and Mike could see that the fighter was a two seater.
“What type of star fighter is that?” Collins asked as other Star Wolf crewmen slowly approached the unknown craft to get a look at it.
Bannon smiled an easy smile as he walked over to him.
Mike quickly saluted and held his salute until the NIA officer returned it.
“It is a SF-35 Shadow Cat,” he said looking back at the star fighter.
“When were they deployed to the fleet?”
Jake Bannon shook his head, “They haven’t been, she is a proto-typ
e designed for stealth operations,” he informed and then added “Besides an armored shuttle, I have two of them onboard the Raven.”
They turned and walked to the bay’s airlock door.
“What are her capabilities beside having a stealth mode?” Mike inquired
“She is as fast as your modern SF-86 and more agile than your old Wasps,” he commander replied not giving any real specific details.
“Weapons?”
“Rotary and fixed cannons are standard and she can be optimized with various mission specific weapons packages,” he said again not giving a lot of information away.
“What can she do beside hide?” Collins said trying not to sound flippant.
Bannon stopped and looked to him as Mike held his gaze and refused to look away or down. Instead of dressing him down the commander smiled and shook his head.
“Well, in the event the pilot is incapacitated she can go into drone mode and be piloted by my ship’s A.I.” he revealed walking the final few steps to the airlock.
“That’s impressive,” he said following him in. He had held back saying – as long as the A.I. doesn’t get you killed.
The commander turned right seemingly knowing his way to the bridge which told him that he either served on an attack cruiser before or studied the ship’s plans at some point.
“The Captain is waiting for you in his ready room sir,” Mike said and then asked, “Sir, are you the son of Robert Bannon?”
Cmdr. Bannon stopped and looked to him.
“Do you mean Colonel Robert ‘the Bane’ Bannon?”
“Yes sir,” he replied.
Jake let out a sigh being tired of the fan boys who wanted to know all about his famous father. He really wished they’d stop making vids about him.
“Yes, I’m one of his sons,” he answered having several brothers and only one sister.
“Then I know your father,” Mike revealed.
“How’s that?” surprised at the young officer’s statement.
“After I graduated from high school my father arranged for me to spend my summer at your father’s farm. I studied his system of combative swordsmanship and unarmed combat. I stayed there until I had to ship out to start my freshman year at Harpers Military Academy.”
Wolf's Run: The Chase of War (Star Wolf Sqaudron Book 2) Page 37