One of the many things that Geary had never expected to have happen was that his name and the legend the government had manufactured around it after his supposed death would be attached to a psychological disorder describing those who believed they were uniquely qualified to save the Alliance. The irony was that he himself, the real Black Jack, had never believed that he was such a person even though it seemed like most of the rest of humanity did. Nor, as far as he could tell, did his grand-niece Jane Geary think so highly of herself. Gearys seemed to be uniquely immune to Geary Syndrome.
“And if Bloch’s not there?” Vitali pressed. “How can we be sure how those dark ships will react?”
“We cannot be,” Duellos said.
“Is there something in particular that concerns you, Captain Vitali?” Geary said. “Something about the dark ships that we’ve seen but the rest of us might not have noticed?”
Vitali glared at the table, though his upset clearly wasn’t aimed at Geary or the question. “If there was one thing I saw that causes me to question how they . . . think . . . it was what the second battle cruiser did just short of Ambaru Station. Falling back to be with its crippled comrade. None of us expected that.” He looked around the table, his grim expression challenging anyone to claim otherwise, but no one did. “How long would you wait, sir?” he asked Geary. “How long before you assumed the enemy was doing something other than what you wanted?”
“That’s a legitimate question,” Geary said. He paused to think, aware of all of the eyes upon him. “There are two things we have to consider. One is that I wouldn’t have set things up that way. If I had the superiority in maneuverability and firepower that the dark ships do, and knew that this fleet had as much maintenance work going as it does, which also means this fleet is spread across a wide swath of this star system and not concentrated for battle, I would have come charging in here to see how much damage I could do.”
Desjani grinned in approval.
Vitali nodded. “That’s true. They’re being more cautious than you would be. That does sound like Admiral Bloch is calling the shots at Bhavan, or at least planned the action.”
“It’s also old doctrine for confronting a strong opponent,” Geary said. “They may just be using that doctrine as a template for action. The second thing we need to remember is that the AIs controlling the dark ships are not really being human. They’re just acting human. Right?” Geary asked of everyone. “That second battle cruiser didn’t fall back to its stricken comrade because of any emotional imperative or loyalty. It did it because its programming told it to do that.”
Captain Casia of the battleship Conqueror rubbed his chin. “It wasn’t acting human, it was simulating how it thought a human should act. That’s what you mean, isn’t it? How you, specifically, would act, Admiral.” Casia turned a keen look on Geary. “Would you have dropped back if it had been you commanding that second battle cruiser?”
Geary frowned, thrown off-balance by the question. “I haven’t really considered that.”
“You wouldn’t have,” Captain Badaya announced confidently.
“What makes you so certain of that?” Casia replied, sounding genuinely curious.
“Because we’ve seen it.” Badaya pointed at Geary. “He knows what the mission is. He doesn’t abandon us, but he also doesn’t make futile gestures. He is willing to accept when losses must be taken to get the job done.”
“Your example being . . . ?”
Badaya, undiplomatic and socially inept as he was, still managed to look uncomfortable as he answered. “Repulse.”
It took Geary a few moments to realize that he had closed his eyes and was striving to settle the emotions that had uncoiled inside him. He took a deep breath, opening his eyes and focusing on Badaya, who was frowning in distress but also defiantly.
Tanya looked ready to bite off Badaya’s head.
“You’re right,” Geary said into the silence that had fallen, surprised at how steady his voice sounded. “It is not easy for me to acknowledge that, but you are right. For anyone who is unaware, when I assumed command of the fleet at Prime, Repulse had already suffered serious propulsion damage. When I made the decision to lead the fleet in an escape, the commanding officer of Repulse”—Michael Geary, his own grand-nephew, Jane Geary’s brother—“volunteered to help hold off the Syndic pursuit long enough to ensure the rest of the fleet escaped.”
“And you accepted what Captain Michael Geary offered,” Captain Tulev said, his own voice as dispassionate as usual. “Because you knew the necessity of it. As you knew the necessity of fighting your heavy cruiser Merlon to the end at Grendel. Captain Badaya is correct. The dark ships are programmed to follow a model of your actions that does not give sufficient weight to your ability to recognize when you must do what is required no matter the cost.”
“They still think you’re soft,” Badaya added, rousing himself again now that the wave of disapproval had faded. “I did, too. A lot of us did. You came out of the past and reminded us that our ancestors would never have accepted the practices that we had grown to accept without even thinking. Killing prisoners. Bombarding cities. It took many of us a while to see that your objections reflected wisdom, not softness. But the people in charge of the people who did the programming, to them who have not served directly under you, they still think you’re too humanitarian, and that’s the model the dark ships are working on.”
“He has an excellent point,” Duellos said, looking at Geary. “How we can use it, I don’t know, but at the least it would imply that the dark ships will assume that you will come to rescue the people of Bhavan no matter the risk.”
“Admiral Bloch would assume the same,” Tulev said.
“What about those two agents?” asked Captain Parr, commanding officer of the Incredible. “The ones who tried to take over Ambaru?”
“They’re still aboard Dauntless, in our most secure confinement conditions,” Desjani replied. “And they’re still not saying much. We got some initial self-justifying statements, but since then nothing. Our interrogators say they’ve been well trained on dealing with interrogation methods and equipment.”
“If they are legitimate, sooner or later orders will come in telling us we have to release them.”
She smiled at Parr. “We’ll have to ensure the orders are legitimate. It might take a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of time, to be absolutely certain.”
Parr grinned. “Good. I want them aboard our ships when we face the dark ships. Maybe that will loosen their lips.”
“Speaking of loose lips,” Captain Duellos said, “are we certain that the dark ships cannot monitor our own comms, cannot break into our fleet net?”
“They could have at one time,” Geary said. “We’re now operating on a unique set of codes for comms within the fleet. Our code monkeys swear the dark ships cannot break those codes before we do automatic changes at random intervals.”
“How much are you taking to Bhavan, Admiral?” one of the heavy cruiser commanders asked. “How much of the fleet?”
“As much as I can,” Geary said. “Even if we only find the dark ships that were there in the last report, four battleships and their escorts, it will still be a tough fight. There is a possibility that someone will arrive with the necessary codes to shut down the dark ships before they do more damage, but odds are we’re going to be responsible for cleaning up the mess before it gets a lot worse. Prepare your ships for action at Bhavan.”
As the images of the commanding officers vanished in a flurry, the apparent size of the conference room and the table shrank at a matching rate, until Geary was standing in a moderately sized compartment at a table that could have sat ten people comfortably, the only one left with him the real presence of Tanya Desjani.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He nodded, not saying anything.
“Badaya shouldn’t have b
rought that up. He’s a clueless oaf, but he’s not usually that brainless—”
“Tanya.” Geary gave her a rueful look. “He was right. In a critical situation, the dark ships might well assume that I will go for a crippled companion, abandoning the mission in the process. If Badaya hadn’t brought that up directly, I might have shied from considering it. You know as well as anyone how I never like to think about watching Repulse die, and wondering whether or not Michael Geary made it off the ship in time.”
She sighed heavily. “I guess Badaya has his uses. That must be why I haven’t killed the idiot yet.”
“That, and it would be against regulations.”
“Yeah. I have to set a good example for the junior officers, who thanks to you have a much better chance of living long enough to grow into senior officers.” She ran one hand through her hair, grimacing. “Badaya is lucky Jane Geary wasn’t here, though. Speaking of which, in case you haven’t noticed, Jane Geary forgave you some time ago.”
“I noticed. She had a lot to be angry about.”
Desjani’s grimace changed into a scowl. “No, she didn’t. You didn’t create the legend of Black Jack that meant every Geary in your family had to join the fleet in order to carry on the great tradition. You didn’t start the war in the first place. You didn’t choose to get stuck in a damaged escape pod that had nearly exhausted its power when we finally found you after a century—”
“I really don’t like to think about that either, Tanya,” Geary objected.
“Sorry. And you didn’t take the fleet to Prime to fall into a Syndic trap that nearly destroyed the fleet and lost the war.” Desjani fixed him with a demanding gaze. “Did you? And you didn’t even ask Michael Geary to cover the retreat. He volunteered, sparing you having to ask him. Jane Geary was angry at Black Jack. She never should have been angry at you, and, eventually, she realized that.”
“Thanks,” Geary said. “It’s still hard . . .” He paused, looking toward the star display floating over the center of the table. “And speaking of hard, I need to call Roberto Duellos back.”
“Do you mind if I stay?” Desjani asked.
“No, I guess not.” Geary tapped the controls, and after a few seconds, the image of Duellos reappeared, standing beside the table.
“Admiral?” His gaze shifted to Desjani. “Personal or professional?”
“Professional,” Geary said. “Inspire will take at least another week in dock before she can get underway again.”
Duellos hesitated. “I am going to make that happen faster than scheduled.”
“A week is already faster than scheduled. I assumed you would get things done faster, but a week is longer than I can wait before heading for Bhavan.” He could see the disappointment that Duellos was having a hard time hiding. “That actually works out to our advantage. I want some insurance against the possibility that dark ships might attack Varandal while the fleet is gone. Inspire, Formidable, and Implacable can provide that insurance along with a scratch force of cruisers and destroyers that will also be getting operational again in the same time frame. And I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that having you in command of the remaining elements of the fleet at Varandal will be a source of great comfort to me.”
“I see.” Duellos pursed his lips as he thought, then nodded. “I understand both your logic and your reasons. I’m not happy, but it’s not your job to make me happy, and it is my job to do what is needed. What am I supposed to do if dark ships do show up?”
“That depends on how many there are,” Geary said. “If it is a force small enough that you can handle it, try to bring it to battle and wipe it out. I’m sure that you’ve been studying the records of the engagements we’ve already fought with the dark ships and know what a challenge that will be. They’re tough, fast, and nimble.”
Duellos smiled. “So are my battle cruisers.”
“As I know from personal experience,” Geary agreed. “If the dark ships come in force, then your job will be to divert them from attacking other targets in Varandal, attempt to lure them into futile chases and missed intercepts against your force, and in general stall them and prevent them from doing damage while waiting for the rest of the fleet to get back to Varandal.”
“That shouldn’t be too difficult,” Duellos remarked in a dry voice that made it clear he was mocking his own words. “I’ll do my best, Admiral.” He saluted, clearly ready to depart again.
“Roberto,” Desjani said, “how is everything else?”
“Ah, now we are engaged with personal matters.” Duellos paused, his expression shifting, then made a slight, indefinite gesture with both hands. “There is a clearer understanding. My wife knows how much losing this would hurt me.” He waved around, this time including the entirety of the ships and environment of the fleet in the gesture. “And I understand better her concerns for me and for the future.”
He made a face. “Our eldest daughter is complicating matters. She has a strong desire still to enter the fleet as well, despite many now telling her it is a dead end and no longer required since peace abounds and nothing really important will ever happen again.”
Desjani smiled bitterly. “Yeah, I’m loving this peace stuff. I wonder how the folks at Bhavan are feeling about that right now?”
“Not to mention those at Atalia,” Duellos said. “That’s what worries my wife. She knows the risks of being in the fleet still exist. And if our daughter follows me into the service . . .”
Desjani smiled wryly. “I’d offer to look after her, but I’ve had so many ships shot out from under me that wouldn’t necessarily comfort anyone.”
“No, it wouldn’t. My wife and I agreed that we have visions for the future that are incompatible, and we agreed that we still want to have a future with each other. So . . . a dilemma.”
“There are assignments that could keep you closer to home,” Geary said.
“System defense?” Duellos looked offended. “After all we have seen?”
“What about a training assignment? That’s valuable. A chance to pass on what you have learned. At the least, you could save a few lives by teaching people what not to do.”
Duellos paused, then shrugged. “Perhaps. If we can resolve this latest mess. I will keep an eye on the place until you return, Admiral, and if the dark ships show up, I will see what some old, beat-up battle cruisers and some beat-up crews can do against the newest bright and shiny that attracted the eyes of our leaders.”
Three days later, the hastily assembled First Fleet was approaching Varandal’s hypernet gate when a courier ship carrying Captain Jane Geary popped out.
“What’s happening?” Jane Geary asked as the courier ship raced to intercept Dreadnaught so she could rejoin her ship.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t make it back before we left,” Geary told her.
She scowled. “I delivered the information to the people you had specified. I’ll fill you in on that later though I will say now that each of them promised to immediately get on the matter. But, after delivering the materials, I couldn’t get a ship back to Varandal. Delays and excuses and postponements. Finally, I threatened to go public, and this courier ship miraculously became available.”
“I’m glad that worked. Your executive officer can brief you on the situation when you reach Dreadnaught. We’ll enter the hypernet gate as soon as the courier ship delivers you and gets free of the hypernet bubble.” As Jane Geary’s image vanished, Geary turned a concerned look toward Desjani. “They were trying to delay her return. Do you think her threat to speak to the press is really what got her back here?”
“Of course it did.” Desjani said it as if the answer should be obvious. “She’s a Geary.”
“She’s not Black Jack—”
“She’s his closest living relative. I mean, as far as is known,” Desjani said. “Her special status isn’t confined to fleet matter
s or politics. If she wants to talk to the press, the press will come running.” She sighed. “According to everything I heard, Jane never sought out the press. She didn’t exploit her status in any way. But that could have been because it would have been perceived, rightly or wrongly, as her personally benefiting from the family name. Now, she’s working the problem along with us, and she’s using every weapon in her inventory to help us win.”
“Maybe someone at Unity is going to fix the dark ships problem before we get to Bhavan,” Geary said.
“You don’t really believe that.”
“No. I don’t.”
—
GEARY brought the First Fleet out of the jump point from Molnir to Bhavan with all warships ready for immediate action. Having lost Adroit at Atalia, with Intemperate badly damaged during the fight at Varandal, and the three battle cruisers Inspire, Formidable, and Implacable still undergoing critical repairs, Geary only had nine battle cruisers with him. He should have been able to muster twenty-one battleships, but Relentless, Superb, and Splendid were also in dock, leaving only eighteen. Twenty heavy cruisers, forty-one light cruisers, and one hundred twelve destroyers made up the rest of the force. There were no auxiliaries or assault transports along this time. Just front-line warships.
“Oh, damn.”
Geary heard Desjani say that as he tried to shake the disorientation caused by exiting from jump space. He finally managed to focus his own eyes, seeing what had caused her comment.
Sixteen dark battleships orbited near the jump exit from Varandal, along with thirty heavy cruisers, forty-five light cruisers, and an even one hundred destroyers. They were arranged in a rectangular box facing that jump point, only a couple of light-seconds away from it, ready to hit anything arriving at Bhavan directly from Varandal.
“Roughly even odds,” Geary said.
“You mean if the dark ships didn’t outgun our ships?” Desjani asked, her voice bleak.
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