Victor was here officially as part of the Gryphon’s escort while the high councilor conducted negotiations with the Taborians to convince them to join the Free Worlds’ Alliance. Victor didn’t expect the negotiations to be successful, and he suspected Quill didn’t either. Why else bring Victor along in the first place?
The high councilor’s summoning of Victor to the Gryphon after the negotiations failed was no surprise. What was a surprise was the presence of a Mustanger naval officer seated in front of the high councilor’s desk. The man had more than a passing resemblance to the high councilor.
“Ah, Victor, it’s good you arrived.” The high councilor gestured to his guest. “This is my son, Captain Harlan Quill, of the Waynesburg.”
The younger man stood and offered his hand to Victor. “My father has told me much about you. I’m glad to have someone of your experience working with us.”
Victor stared at Harlan for a moment, then glanced at the high councilor. “Just how much have you told him about me?”
“Everything,” the high councilor said.
“I wish you had consulted with me first,” Victor said.
“My son is trustworthy, Captain,” the high councilor said. “And, since you’ll be working with him, I believe he has the right to know you.”
Harlan Quill lowered his hand. “I know about Savannah, Captain Selan. You have my deepest sympathies.”
“I’m sure the ghosts of my people appreciate your sympathy,” Victor said.
Holace Quill cleared his throat. “None of that is relevant right now. My son knows who you are and can be trusted with that. Can I trust you to work with him?”
“As long as it furthers my goals as well, yes,” Victor said.
Holace Quill nodded. “Good. You and Harlan will help me convince Tabor to join the Alliance.”
“I gathered that,” Victor said. “What exactly do you plan?”
“Chancellor Forsythe, the head of Tabor’s legislature, will be traveling aboard the cruiser General Ian to attend a trade conference on the planet Guthrie.”
“And you want me to destroy that ship?” asked Victor.
“No, I want you to save it actually,” the high councilor said. “The General Ian will come under attack by a flotilla of pirate vessels hired by the Lysandran Empire to take the chancellor hostage.”
Victor arched an eyebrow. “That’s not how Magnus Lacano works, High Councilor.”
“I know. It wasn’t him who hired the pirates.” High Councilor Quill smiled. “It was me.”
Victor blinked, then glanced at Harlan Quill. “Does he really tell you everything?”
“No, not everything,” Harlan said, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Just as it happens, my son will also be visiting the planet Guthrie to assist them with integrating their military into the Alliance,” Holace Quill said. “Your ship will be accompanying my son’s for added security. If your ships depart the Tabor system precisely twelve hours from now, you should ‘stumble’ upon the General Ian as she’s coming under attack. The Alexander and Waynesburg together should be more than enough firepower to deal with the pirates.”
“How many pirate vessels are we talking about?” Victor asked.
“At least half a dozen, possibly more,” High Councilor Quill said. “Enough to overpower a single cruiser.”
“This strikes me as a bit risky,” Victor said. “What if they kill the chancellor?”
“It will complicate things, but it will by no means be devastating,” the high councilor said. “And, besides, there’s a lot more money in it for the pirates if they take Forsythe alive.”
“In that case, I should return to my ship and get her ready to depart,” Victor said. He nodded to Harlan. “Captain Quill.”
Quill nodded back. “I look forward to seeing you work, Captain Selan.”
“If you stop using my last name, we should work together just fine,” Victor said, before departing.
***
Fara smiled up at him from her seat at the Alex’s helm. “So, Captain, how was your trip over to the Gryphon?”
“Short and to the point,” Victor said. “We’re on a false-flag operation.”
“False flag?” she asked.
“We’ll make it look like the Lysandrans tried to kill the Tabor’s chancellor,” he said.
“And how will we do that?” Fara asked.
Victor shrugged. “By saving him from the pirates who are intent on capturing him.”
“I see,” she said. “So when do we head out?”
“Less than twelve hours from now. Get in an escort formation with the Waynesburg. We’ll be working with the high councilor’s son.”
“The High Councilor has a son?” Fara asked.
“Yep. He’s the Captain of the Waynesburg,” Victor said.
“I’ll get on it right now then,” Fara said.
Victor left Fara to fly the ship and headed to engineering in the back of the ship. There he found Cormac with his long frame drooped over a control console.
The starchild looked up from his monitor. “Captain?”
“We’ve got a job,” Victor said. “It could get a bit hairy, so I want you to run a full check of the ship’s systems. I want us ready for a hard fight.”
Cormac nodded. “Of course, Captain. What is the mission?”
After Victor outlined their job, Cormac said simply, “In that case, I will begin right now.”
“Good,” Victor said. “You should have plenty of time, so no need to rush it.”
“I never rush, but I do appreciate having time,” Cormac said.
Victor nodded and turned to leave. At the exit, he ran into Gaz.
“Hey, Cap, Fara filled me in on the mission,” Gaz said.
“Then you know what we’re going up against,” Victor said. “How are your new recruits?”
“Better than the useless fucks Warwick always gave me. No offense, Captain,” Gaz said. “They should be more than able to deal with some pirates.”
“Good. Keep drilling them as best you can. I know you don’t have a lot of room on board for that,” Victor said.
Gaz chuckled and flashed his spiked teeth. “Compared to the Fortune, I got loads of space. I’ll keep my people as sharp as you need ’em, Captain.”
“Good, because this next mission will be pretty delicate,” Victor said.
***
Upon arrival in the Wilks system, the General Ian was where she was supposed to be, just a few million kilometers from the jump point. However, there were twice as many pirate vessels as expected, and one of them was docked with the Ian.
“Shit,” Victor said. A tightbeam message came from the Waynesburg. He accepted it. “Captain Quill?”
“We’ve got a problem, Alexander,” the other captain said.
“Yeah, your father said we’d only be facing six pirate ships,” Victor said.
“No, he said at least six,” Harlan said. “But I don’t think he expected them to already be aboard the Ian.”
Victor gritted his teeth. He wasn’t sure how long ago the pirates had boarded the Ian. For all he knew, he and Harlan were too late. Then a broadcast came from the Taborian cruiser.
“This is Captain Indira Gale of the Taborian cruiser General Ian to Mustanger vessels. Our ship has been boarded by pirates and requires assistance.”
Victor was about to answer the call, but Harlan Quill beat him to it. “This is Captain Quill of the Waynesburg. I read you, Captain Gale. Help is on the way.”
“Please hurry, Captain Quill. They’re already cutting through the bridge’s hatch.”
Quill switched to the tightbeam. “Captain, we don’t have a lot of time. We’ll need to work together on this.”
“What’s your plan?” Victor asked.
“Your ship is smaller and nimbler than mine. You get to the General Ian and try to launch a counterboarding action. My ship will deal with the other pirate vessels.”
Victor nodded. It wa
s what he would have suggested. “Affirmative, Waynesburg. I’ll board the Ian while you provide cover.”
Harlan Quill nodded. “Get to it, Alexander.” Then the screen went dark. On the tactical screen, the Waynesburg’s drives lit up, and the cruiser flew off to engage the pirate vessels, launching a volley of missiles to get their attention.
“Fara—”
“Close and dock with the Taborian cruiser. Got it,” she said.
The Alexander’s drives then alit, and the frigate leapt away at just under 100 gs of acceleration. It was less than half of her rated acceleration, but it kept the larger and more powerful Waynesburg between them and the pirates.
The twelve pirate vessels not docked with the Ian scattered from the stricken cruiser as they tried to evade the missiles launched by the Waynesburg. A panicked, undisciplined response to a surprise attack.
“Amateurs,” Victor muttered.
Some of the pirates got off missiles of their own, all directed toward the Waynesburg. However, none of them got through the cruiser’s defenses.
On the other hand, two of the Waynesburg’s missiles hit pirate ships, dropping two hostile contacts from the tactical screen. The Waynesburg then turned on the nearest isolated pirate vessel and fired her main guns, and a third contact dropped.
“I think Quill Junior’s got this,” Victor said. “Fara, get us to the Ian.”
Fara pushed the Alexander to full acceleration, sprinting past the Waynesburg as it picked off the remaining pirate vessels.
They were soon close enough for the visual sensors to make out the Ian and the pirate vessel boarding it.
“Oh, shit, that’s the Fortune!” Fara said.
Victor glanced at the long-range camera feed. It did look like the right class. “Are you sure, Fara?”
“I flew that piece of shit for two years, Captain. That’s her.”
“Then let’s take advantage of that. Move to dock with her,” Victor said.
“What about the Ian?”
“Gaz and his people will board through the Fortune and take the pirates from behind,” Victor said.
“There may not be time to do that,” Fara said.
“That’s not all I have planned,” Victor said. He activated the intercom. “Gaz, one of the pirate vessels, the one boarding the Ian, may be the Fortune.”
After a brief pause, Gaz’s voice came from the intercom. “Oh, I hope that’s the case, Captain. I’m looking forward to getting some payback.”
He opened a channel with the Ian. “Captain Gale? This is the Alexander. We’re almost close enough to dock. What is your status?”
“Alexander, this is Captain Gale. The pirates are cutting through the hatch as we speak,” Captain Gale said.
“Roger that, General Ian. Help will be there in a few minutes,” Victor said. He switched to the intercom. “Gaz, is your team ready?”
“Already lock ’n’ loaded. What’s the plan, Cap?”
“You and your team will board the Fortune and hit them from behind. With luck, Warwick in still on board.”
“Why not just blast the Fortune?” Gaz asked.
Victor shook his head. “No. Too dangerous for the Ian. And, besides, I figure you’d like to deal with Warwick personally.”
“Damn straight,” Gaz said. “Just give the word.”
“I will, when I get to the airlock,” Victor said, getting up from his seat. “Fara, you have the bridge.”
She looked over her shoulder. “Wait, what? Captain, what are you doing?”
“The Ian will need all the help she can get. Plus I have a plan,” Victor said.
“If you say so,” Fara said. “We’ll be close enough to attempt a boarding in two minutes.”
Victor nodded and closed the visor of his armored suit and then left the bridge. He stopped by the armory first, grabbing an assault rifle and a belt of ammunition. He then checked to make sure his pistol and variblade were secured to his combat suit. The suit itself was a new model, made of interlocking reinforced plating. Only powered armor offered better protection.
At the airlock, he found Gaz and his team of armored boarding specialists waiting.
Gaz nodded at him. “Hey, Captain. You coming with us?”
“Not quite. I’ll board the Ian directly to reinforce them,” Victor said.
Gaz arched an eyebrow. “Do you want some of my team to go with you?”
“No, take them to the Fortune and secure her. Try to get their captain if you can,” Victor said.
“So you’re going alone?” asked Gaz.
Victor nodded. “It’ll be too crowded to send a whole team. And, in any case, I’ll just disrupt their attempt to breach the bridge and distract them while you take them from the rear. Got it?”
“Got it,” Gaz said.
“The Alex is in position to begin boarding, Captain,” Fara said through his suit comms.
“Thanks, Fara.” He grabbed a thruster pack from the side wall and attached it to his combat suit.
“Let me help ya, Cap,” Gaz said. When he was done, he looked Victor in the face and nodded to the other thruster pack hanging on the wall. “Not too late for me to put on one and join you.”
Victor laid a hand on Gaz’s shoulder. “You lead your people, Gaz. I’ll be fine.” He nodded toward the airlock’s inner door. “Shall we?”
Gaz nodded. “We shall.” He locked his helmet over his head.
They entered the airlock and sealed the inner door. While the chamber depressurized, Victor opened a comm to the Ian.
“Still with us, Captain Gale?” Victor said.
“Yes, but I think they’re about one-third of the way cutting through the hatch. Best guess is they’ll be through in less than ten minutes,” she said.
“Roger that, Captain. Hold tight,” Victor said. The ambient noise in the airlock grew fainter and fainter as the air evacuated out.
“I have a cask of fifty-year-old brandy in my cabin. It’s yours if you get us out of here alive,” Captain Gale said.
“You got it, Captain,” Victor said. The green light on the outer hatch lit, signaling the depressurization cycle was complete. Gaz hit the controls and opened the hatch. “We’re on our way.”
Through the open hatch, the General Ian and the Fortune were visible only as black blobs blocking out the background stars. Victor killed the airlock’s interior lights and activated his light amplification, revealing the linked starships in green scale.
Gaz got to work aiming the harpoon launcher attached to the deck of the airlock. He aimed down on the Fortune and fired the serrated harpoon with attached cable into it.
Gaz then reeled in the line until it went taut. “Spiked ’em good,” he said, turning to his boarding specialists. “You fuckers follow me.” He attached himself to the line and pulled himself toward the Fortune.
Victor waited for Gaz and his boarding specialists to clear the airlock before he walked around the harpoon launcher and stood right on the black and yellow line that marked where the Alex’s internal AG field stopped. He took a deep breath and then jumped into the darkness. The pull of gravity vanished, and he had the sudden sensation of falling, but it quickly passed.
He activated his thruster pack and canceled out the slight spin caused by his jump. He then fired it again and set course for the Ian.
As he drifted toward the cruiser, he studied its hull. The vessel had also been heavily damaged. One of the engine nacelles was gone, and kinetic impacts had peppered the main hull with dents and craters. The warship had been battered into submission.
In many ways, the General Ian reminded Victor of his old cruiser, the Osprey. It was long, thin, and streamlined for flight in atmosphere. Its engines were laid out differently, mounted on a pair of nacelles rather than the X pattern on Savannan cruisers.
Remembering the Osprey brought back the memory of both the joy of commanding her and the pain from the terrible day he lost her and everything else.
Then he realized he was about
to slam into the hull of the Ian at ten meters per second.
“Shit!” he said, cursing himself for losing focus. He fired his braking thrusters at full power, throwing himself forward as he came to a sudden stop just short of the cruiser's hull.
“You all right, Captain?” Fara asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just hit the brakes a bit hard,” Victor said. “Do you still have a connection with the Ian’s captain?”
“Yes, Captain,” Fara said.
“Patch me through,” Victor said.
“This is Captain Gale. What do you need?” she asked.
“I’m just outside the hull of your ship, but I need a way in,” Victor said. “What’s the closest airlock to the bridge you still control?”
“Wait, you are just outside my ship?” she asked.
“Yes, and I need a way in,” Victor said. “To distract the pirates cutting their way into your bridge while my boarding party does their thing.”
“Uh, okay, hold on,” Captain Gale said. “I can open the main cargo airlock for you. It’s on the ventral hull of the ship. I’ll upload a map of my ship’s interior so you can find your way to the bridge. I hope this crazy plan of yours works.”
“It will. They won’t be expecting this,” Victor said. He maneuvered himself under the ship, just in time to see the doors of the cargo bay open. Gas and debris blew out the open hatch, Captain Gale clearly not wanting to waste time depressurizing it.
Shutting down his light amplification, Victor pushed himself into the cargo bay with a puff from his thruster pack. He was then pulled to the deck as he crossed into the cruiser’s AG field. He landed on his feet and slid to a stop.
“I’m in.” Victor hit the release on his thruster pack, dropping it to the deck. He then pulled out his assault rifle and made his way to the cargo bay’s airlock.
As promised, the airlock was unlocked and depressurized, its outer hatch opened in invitation. Victor walked inside and hit the controls to close the outer hatch and begin pressurizing. Nothing happened.
“Captain Gale, the airlock isn’t closing,” Victor said.
“My apologies. We still have control from the bridge. Cycling it now,” she said. The outer hatch closed, and the airlock filled with the gradually increasing noise of air flowing into the compartment.
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