by D. J. Holmes
The global news outlets had taken up the story with a fervor. Some were calling it the love story of the century. The young dashing naval Captain who was also one of the wealthiest Dukes in the British Star Kingdom and the foreign politician he had saved from being killed or enslaved by a hostile alien race. Even James had to admit the spin Fairfax was putting on things sounded impressive.
It had worked so well in fact, that Fairfax had been forced to push back the vote on the Haven situation by two days to make sure the media attention on the wedding didn’t interfere with the coverage of the vote.
James’ mind was wrenched into the present and his heart skipped a beat when the organ started playing. “Here we go Sir,” Mallory said from beside him.
“Aye,” James said quietly as he turned around to watch the bridal procession file in. He would have loved to have Captain Gupta beside him along with Mallory, but she was commanding her own frigate in the Britannia system.
Even without Gupta, the wedding party was almost entirely a naval affair. Suzanna had become friends with Lieutenants Julius and Becket on the flight to the Alpha system and then to Earth. As Becket walked up the aisle James was stunned by how good she looked, he had never seen her dressed up before. Lieutenant Julius would be the first to admit she wasn’t as pretty as Becket but even she looked amazing. Next were two of James’ cousins. James hardly knew them but the King and Fairfax had insisted that the bridal procession be as big and lavish as possible and they had been drafted in to make up the numbers.
Then Suzanna appeared on the arm of James’ uncle. No words came into James’ mind to describe her. He was simply mesmerized. As he watched her approach, all his fears disappeared. He had known even before the marriage had been suggested that he could be falling in love. Now, seeing her like this, he had no doubts.
When she stepped up beside him she gave him a beaming smile. “No turning back now Captain,” she said.
“No turning back,” James agreed as he took her hands in his and they turned to face the Archbishop of Canterbury.
*
The rest of the day was a complete blur for James. After exchanging their vows, they had been whisked away with the bridal party to take images and recordings that Fairfax could use in his media campaign. Then they had spent more than three hours at the reception simply meeting and shaking the hands of the all the important officials who had been invited.
The meal had been delicious but with the speeches scheduled to happen after the cutting of the cake, James hadn’t been able to enjoy the food as much as he would have liked. Mallory had shown a surprising composure in front of so many distinguished guests. James often forgot that Mallory had grown up among the nobility, and though he didn’t often cut the most confident naval officer, he was at home at grand events like James’ wedding. Given the fact that Mallory hadn’t known James for very long his speech had also been rather good. Fairfax had ensured the entire wedding would be a propaganda opportunity and so the speeches had been recorded to be made available on Sol’s datanet. Mallory had therefore been given a little help by Fairfax’s staff. Though Mallory hadn’t known him long, someone had obviously done their homework for there had been more than one embarrassing story about him from his time at the academy.
James too had been given a drafted speech. This was the first time the British public would hear from him. Fairfax had intentionally kept him out of the spotlight up until the wedding. He had said it would have more of an impact if James first spoke on his wedding day.
The speech itself had been what James had expected. Focusing on the aspirations and tenets of the RSN he had made a forceful argument for a British intervention on behalf of the Havenite people. Even though Suzanna had known that he hadn’t written the speech he had still seen a small tear run down her cheek as he had spoken. He guessed that his passion had come across, for though they hadn’t been his words, he had believed every one of them.
Despite the reception running on until past midnight, Fairfax, the King and James’ uncle had insisted on accompanying them back to Badminton House. There they had discussed the strategy they had in place for the next three days until the vote. Finally, after more than an hour of discussions they had left.
Once he had seen them off James took Suzanna’s hand and led her back up to the main bedroom. When they entered the room, Suzanna spun round in front of James and smiled up at him. “Here we are,” she said, “it’s hard to believe it was only three nights ago we talked the night away together. Now we are husband and wife.”
“I don’t think we have had more than a few minutes alone together since this morning. I haven’t even told you how stunning you look in your dress,” James said pulling her into a hug.
“You didn’t have to, my husband,” Suzanna said, laughing. “The look on your face when I walked into the Abbey said it all.”
As she pulled out of the hug, her eyes went to the bedside table. James followed her gaze. “I put it away. I decided I didn’t want it anymore,” he said.
“Don’t lie to me,” Suzanna said in a mock scolding tone. “I know you love her. I already told you I don’t want to compete with her. We are going to start something new.”
With that Suzanna walked over to the bedside table and opened the top drawer. She reached in and lifted the vacuum sealed rose and placed it back on top of the bedside table. Then she pulled James into a deep kiss. “You see,” she said.
“Now, I have to freshen up for a minute,” she added as she walked towards the adjoining bathroom.
Shaking his head, James guessed he probably wouldn’t stop being surprised by his new wife. Absentmindedly, he picked up the glass frame and examined the rose held within. Almost everything after the wedding ceremony seemed like a daze to him. He had been pulled from talking to one person to another and another. Yet one moment stood out in his mind.
Christine, as the daughter of the King of England and Empresses of China had of course been invited to the wedding. She had intentionally avoided talking to James and for his part, he had been glad. He wasn’t sure he could have trusted his own emotions. Yet, at one point during the evening he had glimpsed Suzanna pulling Christine into a secluded alcove for a private conversation. When the pair had returned to the reception James could tell Christine had been crying. He had no idea what had been said between the two women but James knew Suzanna hadn’t spoken to Christine to hurt her.
The sound of Suzanna returning refocused James’ mind and he quickly set the rose down. When Suzanna stepped out of the bathroom he couldn’t help gaping. She had let her hair down and removed her shoes. The back of her dress had been loosened, allowing it to sink down and reveal more of her bosom.
“Would you like to help me with the rest of my dress Captain?” she asked, smiling seductively.
All thoughts of Christine gone, James stepped towards his new wife with a smile. “I think that is a mission I can accomplish.”
*
30th March, 2467AD HMS Endeavour, Earth orbit.
Three days after the wedding, James and Suzanna were in his quarters on board Endeavour. James was sitting with a cup of coffee, relaxing at the small desk in his office. Around him Suzanna and his steward Fox were frantically arranging all the boxes Suzanna had brought on board. She had gone shopping for him yesterday, insisting that a naval Captain should have more uniforms and clothes to relax in when he was off duty. She had also bought a number of items to decorate his quarters and make them feel homelier.
As James watched her running around scolding Fox and rearranging everything he tried to stow away, he had to suppress a giggle. Suzanna was nervous. The combined vote in the Commons and the Lords was going on right at this minute. Poor Fox was suffering for it.
A beep on his datapad alerted him that he had a message from his uncle. Suzanna stopped what she was doing behind him. James scanned the message.
“The vote has been finished,” he said. If it was anything else, he might draw out the suspense to play with
Suzanna but this was too serious. “It passed, both the Commons and Lords passed it with more than eighty percent of the votes. Haven’s petition has been accepted.”
As James stood to smile at Suzanna she had no words. He pulled her into a hug. “We’re going to help your people,” James said. “My government has sent a formal request to the UN and the Indian government demanding that all Indian ships pull back from Haven. The Prime Minister and the King have publicly issued an executive order allowing all British ships to engage any Indian warships that try to prevent Haven from holding a free democratic vote on becoming a British protectorate.”
“Thank you,” Suzanna said.
“I also have orders from my uncle,” James added. “I am to take Endeavour through the Gift to Haven to assess the situation there. If possible, I am to make contact with whatever elements of your government are still functional and inform them of the situation. I am to depart within the next two hours.”
“Today?” Suzanna asked.
“Yes,” James replied.
“But we haven’t even been married a week!”
“I know,” James said, pulling her into another hug.
“Right,” Suzanna said, pushing herself away from James. “Fox.”
“Yes Ma’am?” Fox responded.
“Out,” Suzanna said.
Before he could reply she turned on the COM link built into James’ desk. “Lieutenant Mallory,” she said.
“Yes my Lady,” Mallory answered.
“James has just received orders to break orbit in two hours,” Suzanna said. “You are in command until he comes to the bridge. He’s mine until then. I don’t want us to be disturbed.”
“Yes my Lady,” Mallory said. James detected a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Ok Captain,” Suzanna said, turning to him. “If we only have another hour or two let’s make the most of them.”
*
Ten hours later, James sat in his command chair watching Earth get smaller and smaller on the holo display. Never before had he been sad to leave Earth on a mission. Usually the thought of a new adventure had him full of anticipation. He had no doubts as to why this time, things were different. Nevertheless, he knew he would do his duty, for his government, but even more so, for Suzanna. Her people were now his people.
Chapter 12 – Independence
Rogue Captains have always been a problem in the Empire’s Navy. With FTL communications limited to industrialized systems, most naval Captains operate outside the purview of their commanders. More than once they have taken actions the Emperor has come to regret. My research suggests this was not a problem that began with the Empire.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD
21st April 2467 AD, HMS Endeavour, edge of the Independence System.
Twenty-one days after leaving the Sol System, James sat on the bridge of Endeavour surveying the Independence System. According to Suzanna, the system had been settled by Haven forty years ago. Since then, a small colony and mining outpost had been established on the system’s fifth planet.
Independence was the last system Endeavour had to pass through before she came to Haven and James wanted to get as much intel on the system as possible. If a British fleet was going to use the Gift to attack whatever Indian forces were at Haven, they would have to pass through this system. James didn’t want there to be any surprises waiting for them.
“Take us in,” he ordered the Navigation Officer.
For the next eight hours Endeavour slowly worked her way into the inner system under stealth. Initially, there were no signs of any warships in the system, but as they neared the planet an Indian medium cruiser appeared from around the edge of the planet.
“There can be no doubt Sir,” Mallory said. “If the Indians are here, then they must have taken Haven.”
“Indeed,” James said. “And something tells me this cruiser isn’t alone. I want a spread of passive recon drones launched. Assume there are at least two or three smaller ships patrolling the approaches to the colony in stealth. Work out their likely positions if they are trying to ambush unsuspecting Haven ships and focus our drones on those areas.”
“Yes Sir,” Mallory said as he walked over to Sub Lieutenant Malik at the sensor console to work out James’ orders.
Within ten minutes Mallory had launched the first spread of drones towards the colony. Passive recon drones were recon drones with their engines removed and more passive sensors put in instead. Being so small, they were hard to detect, yet they were expensive. Thankfully though, Endeavour’s compliment of recon drones had been fully restocked for this mission.
Using Endeavour’s two forward missile tubes, the drones were fired along ballistic trajectories to try and detect any ships hidden in stealth. Most warships had sophisticated stealth technologies but at close enough range, even passive sensors were able to detect the stray electromagnetic radiation that leaked from the ships or the ionized particles from a ship’s impulse drive.
“I think I have got something,” Malik said after another forty minutes.
“Where?” Mallory asked.
“Here,” Malik said as he transferred his readings to the main holo display. “Drone three is picking up an intermittent source of gamma radiation.”
“Alter course fifteen degrees above the ecliptic,” James ordered. “We don’t want to come close enough to them that they might detect us.”
“Aye Sir,” Jennings, who was at the navigation console, said.
“Track it,” James ordered Sub Lieutenant Malik. “I want to know its course.”
James stood and walked over to Mallory’s command chair. He leant in and whispered to his First Lieutenant, “I want you to prepare a normal drone and launch it on a ballistic trajectory towards that ship. If we can get close enough to the cruiser we’re going to try and take it out. If we do that however, we will need to stop this second contact from fleeing back to Haven. I don’t want to show up at Haven with an Indian welcoming party already waiting for us.”
“I understand Sir,” Mallory said. “If we can get a recon drone close enough we can use its radar to give our missiles the targeting data they will need.”
“Exactly,” James said, pleased that Mallory was able to follow his thinking so quickly. “As soon as we open fire on the cruiser I want to fire a volley of missiles at this contact. We won’t have very precise targeting information but once our missiles get closer we can activate the recon drone and ping the Indian ship.
“On the other hand, if it looks too risky to attack the cruiser we will pull back and send in Johnston’s stealth shuttle. A landing on Independence will be a good dry run for when we get to Haven. I’m sure the locals will have some useful information to share with us.”
“But an Indian medium cruiser added to Endeavour’s kill list would be even more satisfying,” Mallory whispered back.
“And be one less ship Rooke and Cunningham will have to worry about later,” James agreed.
“I’ll get right on it Sir,” Mallory replied with a grin.
James went back to his command chair. “Send everyone to their battlestations,” he ordered. Endeavour wouldn’t get to her closest point to the Indian ship that was in stealth for another hour but he didn’t want to be caught by surprise.
For a moment, James paused to consider his decision. It was second nature now for him to launch straight into an attack. Technically his orders were to gather intel on the Indian fleet dispositions. However, he thought to himself, if we can destroy the Indian ship we can talk freely with the locals, in a way this is the ideal approach to gathering intel. We are supposed to treat Indian warships as hostile after all.
After the order went around the ship, James opened a COM channel to Major Johnston, the commander of Endeavour’s marines.
“Major,” James began, “I want you and your special forces marines to prep the stealth shuttle for launch. There is an Indian medium cruiser orbiting above the Havenite colony. We’re going to try
and take it out so we can contact whoever is in charge on the planet and get some intel. If it proves too dangerous to attempt to take on the cruiser, then I want you to take the shuttle down and make contact with the locals. It will have to be a quick in and out mission.”
“No problem Sir,” Johnston replied. “My men can be ready to go in thirty minutes.”
“Get them ready then,” James said. “I’ll let you know if we are engaging the cruiser once we get closer to the colony,” he finished as he closed the COM channel and switched his attention to the main holo display.
One of the first things Mallory had taken him to see when he had returned to Endeavour after his wedding had been the new stealth shuttle. It had come on board with a squad of special forces marines. Coated in the latest stealth coverings and incorporating much of the technology that went into making Endeavour so stealthy, it was the perfect tool for their mission to Haven. Being so new though, it wouldn’t hurt if Johnston got a chance to try it out under less dangerous circumstances.