“Maybe something went wrong on Adroit,” Desjani said, her voice still reflecting disbelief. “They’re brand-new. Some glitch in the maneuvering controls.”
“Maybe. That was Duellos’s best chance to slow down that flotilla. The battleship with the former Syndic leaders on it is dead meat unless it surrenders and releases them.”
“Which it will,” Desjani said bitterly.
“No. Rione didn’t think so, and neither do I. As long as the battleship fights, her officers stand a chance of survival. If the Syndic leaders they mutinied against regain power, every officer on that ship will die or wish they had.”
The flotilla was closing the remaining distance rapidly, angling slightly so that the single battleship and the three heavy cruisers with it would pass between two corners and the concentration of battle cruisers in the center of the formation. Abruptly, the heavy cruisers with the lone battleship angled away, veering off in different directions as the battleship swung left in an attempt to counter the flotilla’s maneuvers.
“They left that too late,” Desjani commented, as the flotilla overtook the fleeing warships. Two of the escaping heavy cruisers vanished into clouds of wreckage as their former comrades poured fire into them. The third jerked from dozens of impacts, then broke apart, the pieces rolling away.
Even given the firepower it was facing, the Syndic battleship didn’t go easily. It lurched onward as its shields collapsed, and its armor was penetrated repeatedly, firing back with enough effect to knock out one of the battle cruisers and two heavy cruisers.
The Syndic flotilla braked as it went past the battleship, slowing enough to match velocities with the crippled warship. Escape pods began spurting from the battleship, spreading out as they fled the wreck.
The Alliance strike force had re-formed and was approaching again when the Syndic flotilla merged with the battleship once more. “Ancestors preserve us,” Desjani said in a shocked whisper. “They’re shooting up their own escape pods.”
“What the hell is CEO Shalin up to?” Geary asked. “Some of those pods might have members of the former Executive Council on them.”
He hadn’t noticed Rione coming onto the bridge, but she spoke now. “CEO Shalin is eliminating the competition. He intends taking over since he commands the last significant Syndic mobile military force. I wondered if he would realize the opportunity that provided, and it seems he finally did.”
“Then he’ll try to take out the new Executive Council as well.”
“If he can get through us, yes.”
“He won’t. Why the hell are his ships following orders to fire on escape pods carrying Syndic personnel?”
Desjani gave a grim laugh. “Some of them aren’t. Look at his formation.”
The neat box, already in slight disarray because of the rapid braking maneuver, was stretching out of shape as some individual warships veered away from their stations. Geary wished again that his fleet was closer to the action instead of being hours of travel time distant. “We could tear the hell out of them while they’re disorganized like that.”
“They just have to figure out whose side they’re on,” Desjani said. “How many sides do the Syndics have now, anyway? Three?”
“Two,” Rione replied. “Since Shalin has surely killed all of the members of the original Executive Council, that ‘side’ no longer exists, and the choice is now between him and the new Executive Council.”
“If I can get close enough to him,” Geary said, “I’m going to do my best to bring the number of Syndic sides down to one.”
“And I will return to the negotiations, to see how the elimination of the former Executive Council affects the attitudes of the new Executive Council.”
As Rione left, a window popped into existence beside Geary, showing Lieutenant Iger with a delighted expression. “Admiral, sir, we’ve got it.”
“Got what?”
“The flotilla flagship, sir. It’s usually impossible to sort out the flagship because it’s hidden in the local net traffic, but the Syndic flotilla communications are flailing about in some sort of internal dispute, and we were able to spot the flagship. It’s this battle cruiser, sir.” One of the Syndic warships on Geary’s display glowed a little brighter.
“Outstanding.” Geary felt his teeth draw back in a feral smile. “Let’s make sure we keep track of that ship.” He checked distances and times again. The running battle between the Syndic flotilla and the now-wrecked battleship had kept closing the distance to the Alliance fleet, and the surviving Syndics were still heading down the same vector as they focused on whose orders to follow. With the Alliance fleet coming on as well, the travel time to encounter the Syndics was down to just over four hours.
Duellos was a lot closer, but the strike force was in a stern chase after the Syndics, who were still barreling through space at just over point one light speed. It would be close to an hour before Duellos could manage another firing run on the flotilla.
But should he do it even then? Geary took another look at the disorganization spreading through the Syndic flotilla’s formation. Even if the Syndic warships totally lost their order, though, they would still be too tough for Duellos to break. But an attack by Duellos could have the opposite result. “Captain Duellos, this is Admiral Geary. Reduce your closing rate on the Syndic flotilla. The Syndics are engaging in internal debates, and if you hit them, it may resolve those debates quickly in favor of dealing with a common enemy. I want you to slow down enough to be ready to hit them from one side at the same time as the rest of the fleet approaches on the other side. I emphasize that this order does not indicate any lack of confidence in you or your ships. Monitor the Syndic flotilla closely, and if you see what you believe to be an important opportunity, you are authorized to use your discretion in taking action before the rest of the fleet reaches engagement range. Geary out.”
Updates were coming in from Duellos’s ships, most of which had sustained only minor damage, and from Agile, detailing the much more extensive damage she had taken. Geary bit back a curse as he read the data, then called Tanuki. “Captain Smyth, I want one of your auxiliaries ready to head for Agile as soon as we eliminate the threat from the Syndic flotilla. I need Agile able to maneuver again as soon as possible.”
Smyth’s reply appeared several seconds later. “I understand you want Agile to be sprightly once again. I’ll send Witch, sir, but I’m not liking what Agile is sending about her structural damage. It may be more than any of my auxiliaries can handle.”
“Understood.” Geary settled down in his seat, glowering at his display. “The people who approve stupid designs for warships should be required to ride those warships into battle.”
Desjani twisted her mouth. “Agile got shot up that badly because of what a fleet officer did.”
“We don’t know yet why Adroit changed course.”
“Aren’t we receiving status updates from Adroit?”
“Yes, we are.”
“Have any of those updates reported problems with the maneuvering systems?” Desjani pressed.
“No. The course change was the result of a helm order being entered. I just don’t know why that change was made.”
“Does it matter?” She paused before speaking slowly. “I read about Beowulf, about Kattnig’s other recent actions, and I thought, why is an officer who has fought such hard and bloody battles acting like a brand-new ensign who is talking big because he’s secretly unsure of how he’ll do in a real fight?”
“I know. It doesn’t sound like the same officer.”
“Maybe he’s not the same officer,” Desjani continued in a very low voice. “Maybe he’s seen too much blood, lost too many ships. Maybe Beowulf was one brutal fight too many, and he couldn’t stand it anymore. It happens.”
Geary stared at her. “I thought the fleet medical teams could spot that.”
“Not always. It’s just like an interrogation cell, which just tells you what someone believes is true. If someone convinces t
hemselves that they’re fine, that’s how it shows up.”
She shook her head. “Maybe Kattnig didn’t really know, maybe he just suspected that he’d lost his nerve. But we lost at least one ship because of what he did. Maybe two.”
“We still don’t—” He looked away.
“Captain Duellos has temporary tactical command over Adroit, but he does not have the authority to relieve Kattnig of command and order him placed in protective confinement. You do. You need to do that now.”
Geary swung his head to glare at Desjani. “It would take an hour for that order to reach them. Why are you so eager to hammer Kattnig? The man has an outstanding record. The fleet medical staff cleared him.”
“He had an outstanding record. If he was pushed too far, it was his responsibility to recognize that fact, before it cost lives.”
“If he’s relieved now, it will be the same in most people’s eyes as if I’d declared him guilty of cowardice before the enemy! Why do you want to judge so quickly and destroy a man who has given so much to the Alliance?” His tone grew heated.
Desjani’s eyes flared, and she leaned close, inside his privacy field, her face reddening, whispering fiercely. “He’s already destroyed, Admiral Geary. You know what this fleet is like. You know how we think. Do you still not understand something so basic? Kattnig is publicly disgraced. He avoided battle. Officers and sailors died because of his actions. But he is not a pompous, oblivious fool like Numos. Kattnig knows what he did. He knows how everyone will look at him. He knows the fate that awaits him. What will an honorable man who faces such a fate do, a man already pushed past his limit?”
Her meaning finally hit him. “He needs to be relieved and arrested to protect him from himself.”
“Yes, Admiral Geary. And you had better never again even imply that I would ever seek the destruction of a good officer!” She leaned back abruptly, out of the privacy field, staring angrily at her display.
Geary tried to relax himself, then called Adroit. “Captain Kattnig is hereby relieved of duty and ordered placed in protective confinement. Adroit’s executive officer is to assume temporary command pending further notice.” Ending the transmission, he gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry, Captain Desjani. I shouldn’t have said that. It was unprofessional of me to accuse you of such a thing and unjustified by everything I know about you.”
Desjani just nodded, her eyes still fixed straight ahead.
“One of these days, I’ll learn to listen to you the first time you tell me something I need to know.”
Her face relaxed a bit. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Do you think the order will get to Adroit in time?”
“No. I hope I’m wrong.”
“I don’t think you are.” They sat silently for a while then, watching the formations of warships slowly converge on their displays.
They were closing on both the Syndic flotilla and the Alliance strike force at a combined velocity of close to point two five light speed. As a result it only took a long hour and a half before they saw Duellos slowing his strike force in response to Geary’s orders. As the strike force settled onto its new vector, Desjani nodded approvingly. “If nothing changes, the strike force will hit the flotilla at almost the same instant we do.”
The Syndics hadn’t fallen apart, but neither had they tightened up their formation again. They hung on their current vector, heading steadily toward the primary inhabited world and a much earlier rendezvous with the Alliance fleet. “What’s he planning?” Desjani wondered. “Blowing past us like he did the strike force and continuing on to wipe out the new Executive Council?”
“The new Executive Council won’t be that easy to find and hit since they have an entire planet to hide on.” Geary rested his chin on one hand, thinking. “Rione suggested that CEO Shalin personally wants me dead and defeated.”
“That’s not exactly an impressive insight, sir.”
He decided against addressing that comment directly. “The point is, maybe he’s planning on trying to beat me.”
Desjani considered that, then nodded. “It’s possible. The last time he faced this fleet commanded by you, we lost . . . a battle cruiser.”
“We lost Repulse,” Geary clarified in a steady voice.
“Yes, sir. But Shalin may think he beat us then because we did take very serious losses in the ambush, we did have to reposition to Corvus to regroup, and he hasn’t faced you since that time. He may be under the delusion that he’s a better commander.” She nodded again, half to herself. “Defeat the Alliance fleet, then get rid of the new Executive Council, and he could claim leadership of the Syndicate Worlds. It’s crazy, but it might seem doable to him. That would explain why Shalin hasn’t had the flotilla run again while it debates following him. He wants to slug it out with us.”
It fit very well. Geary remembered Captain Falco lecturing him on how fighting spirit could easily overcome mere numerical inferiority. Falco hadn’t been alone in the Alliance fleet in believing that, and the Syndics had shown plenty of signs in earlier battles with this fleet of having the same mind-set. “Maybe it’s not even an option for him anymore. He has to keep pushing ahead because if he pauses or hesitates or retreats, his ability to hold that flotilla together will vanish.”
Desjani gave an evil laugh. “If he stops running fast enough, the wolves he is leading will instead start chasing him and pull him down.”
“Which means he’s desperate, too, and he’s been smart enough to stay alive up until now.” He started plotting out in his mind what Shalin might do, and how to counter it, but was interrupted a short time later by a transmission from Adroit.
He recognized the officer staring at him from the bridge of Adroit. She was Kattnig’s executive officer, second in command on the battle cruiser. During Geary’s tour of Adroit back at Varandal, she had been quietly competent.
Now she appeared stern in the manner of someone maintaining control. “This is Commander Yavina Lakova, acting commanding officer of Adroit. Regret to report . . . Captain Kattnig is dead. He . . . he had a regulation sidearm. It . . . discharged. Initial assessment is that he was examining the weapon in his stateroom and it . . . accidentally . . . discharged. Death probably instantaneous. This occurred half an hour prior to our receipt of your orders concerning Captain Kattnig, so I was unable to carry out those orders. Adroit is otherwise ready for combat. I will remain in acting command until otherwise notified. Lakova out.”
The screen blanked. Geary closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. “You were right,” he told Desjani.
“Damn. Damn. Damn. After all his honorable service . . .”
“They didn’t get my order in time to relieve him of command. Doesn’t that mean it officially never took effect?”
“It might,” Desjani agreed.
“It’s my responsibility to judge the fitness to serve of officers under my command. I failed.”
She turned a severe look on him. “Don’t blame yourself. He passed muster with the fleet medical staff, and none of his fellow officers figured it out in time, either.”
“It’s still my responsibility.”
“Then do what you still can. There’ll be an official investigation into the cause of death. You get to approve or disapprove the findings.”
Geary stared at nothing as he pondered her words. “Adroit’s executive officer described Kattnig’s death as an accident. Will the fleet bureaucracy accept that?”
“They won’t have any choice but to accept it if the fleet admiral endorses that conclusion. It’s also up to the fleet admiral whether or not there is any investigation into Adroit’s actions in combat prior to the accident.”
“I don’t see any purpose in such an investigation now. He deserves that much from us.”
“Yes, he does.” Desjani spoke sternly again. “You can handle all of that later. We’re heading into combat. Get your mind back there.”
“Right. Thanks, Tanya.”
She was fac
ing her display again, but he heard her muttering. “You actually did listen to me the first time.”
The Syndic formation slowly began tightening again. “Our estimate from the comm traffic patterns is that the Syndic CEO in charge of the flotilla initially had about a third of the ships backing him,” Lieutenant Iger reported, “but that one-third was pretty hard-core while the other two-thirds were mostly wavering. He seems to have won over everybody now, at least to the extent that no one is challenging his authority.”
Only four light-minutes separated the Alliance fleet from the Syndic flotilla. “They’re going to regret that,” Geary commented. “Thank you, Lieutenant. All ships in the Alliance fleet main body, this is Admiral Geary. Assume stations in modified Formation Fox Five at time two one.”
“You’re reusing that?” Desjani asked. “Won’t the Syndic survivors from Kaliban have provided reports on that battle?”
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