Payback Is a Given: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 2

by Sean Benjamin

  Sky smiled in agreement. “I fully concur.”

  Rafe rose, retrieved two beers, and placed one in front of Mallory. She drained her first bottle and picked up the new one. He sat down again across from her. An amicable silence followed. Both were comfortable with it and neither felt the need to fill the void with small talk. Sky reflected that not once in their short relationship had they engaged in idle talk. She thought Hawkins had probably never engaged in idle chatter in his life.

  The two hatches of the day cabin were open. Rafe had left them open to ensure the rumor mill would not have fresh information to gnaw on. It turned out the open hatches served another purpose. They became an invitation for crewmembers to stop by and pay their respects to Captain Mallory. All the bridge members and department heads came in to say goodbye. Even Doc Windsor paid a visit. Raferty was impressed and a little surprised. “First time I’ve ever seen my crew act like that. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. Your crew is superb. I was honored to serve with them.”

  “Hell, to get Doc Windsor to remember your name is a feat in itself. I’m not sure he knows my name.”

  Sky laughed and then got serious. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. I actually felt like I was contributing to the war effort there for a while.”

  “Home Fleet staying glued to Wanderlust?”

  “Yes. Our AOR has been expanded as other units are sent to other areas. We are spread thin and the demand that several squadrons stay at Wanderlust doesn’t help. We got large gaps out there and some units way out are basically on their own if something bad happens. There are plenty of soft spots in our dispositions but it can’t be helped.”

  Raferty snorted. “Your politics are going to get a lot of military people killed, but I suspect that has been true throughout history. Is this your Queen’s doing?”

  “No. She is all for carrying the war to the enemy. It is the business leaders in the lower house and several of the peers in the upper house. They need a night light to keep the dark out.”

  Rafe nodded and then switched topics. “How well do you know Admiral Hargrove?”

  “Not well at all. We’ve never met in a military setting. His father is a viscount and the Admiral is heir to the title. His father had him sit in the upper house in his place on several occasions. We met there but are barely acquainted.”

  “You can have substitute peers?”

  “Any peer can appoint a family member to stand in for him or her. It is usually the heir to the title. That person is accorded all the rights, honors, and privileges of the titleholder. We even address the stand-in by the title. I know a couple of cases where the titleholder had a child do the duties for so long everyone thinks the titleholder is dead and the child had the title now. In reality, the titleholder is sitting at home and just doesn’t want to go through the motions anymore. The Empire is rather casual about the whole peerage thing.”

  “I thought you and Hargrove might have known each other and you had some insight into the man.”

  “Not really. Don’t know him that well and he obviously had no problem killing me.”

  Rafe smiled at that. “You would have been collateral damage, and it wouldn’t have bothered him at all. As long as you don’t get in Cunningham’s way you’ll be safe now.”

  “Agreed. You should be safe in the Badlands. Of course, Cunningham will hope the Goths get you.”

  Rafe nodded. “He has designs on the Badlands. If he wanted to return to the status quo of the pre-war situation in the Badlands, I’m not a threat to him. If he wants to expand there, then I am a threat.”

  Sky thought for a moment. “Cunningham has always voted with the slave block in the upper house. Several corporations benefit indirectly from the slave trade by doing business with companies that benefit from the slave trade. Maybe you’re more effective against the slave trade than you think.”

  “I hope so.”

  They continued to talk and people continued to stop in. Two people who didn’t stop by were Tactical and Baby Doll. Neither Rafe nor Sky were offended. They knew those two were in Blondie’s stateroom drinking heavily and downing chocolates.

  The next day the repair work was completed and, true to his word, Admiral Barrett had a fleet inspection team go through the vessels. They nitpicked everything and several minor problems were found. Captain Ellis had the good sense to have repair crews standing by and they immediately corrected all problems. The destroyers were in top condition. Admiral Barrett had the ships stocked with supplies and the ordnance magazines filled. The final payment of fifty million credits was paid by bank transfer. The arrangement with the Aurora Empire was at an end. Almost.

  There was a final meeting in the Admiral’s flag briefing compartment. Admiral Barrett made it a point to personally shake each pirate captain’s hand and offer his own thanks. He thanked Delacruz and moved to O’Hare. She clutched his hand and leaned toward him. “In light of Lord Cunningham’s recent behavior, I would have shoved those six chairs he gave me out an airlock as a matter of honor. But I really like the chairs and since they came from your briefing room, I have decided to consider them as a gift from you instead of his Lordship. Please indulge me in that whim.”

  “Of course, Captain O’Hare,” Barrett replied instantly. “I hope you enjoy my gift to you and think kindly of me whenever you use them.”

  O’Hare dropped his hand from her grasp and brought her own hand up to point a finger at him. “I knew I would like you.”

  Barrett leaned toward her and stage whispered. “I find that really scary.”

  O’Hare leaned toward him so their faces were only a few centimeters apart. “You probably should.” She smiled and her wolf’s head hallie smiled too.

  Barrett gave a warm smile in response. It was clear he liked O’Hare a great deal. Hawkins thought the Admiral was a bit of a renegade at heart and welcomed more color in his life. The man turned to Hawkins. “Thank you for the plan and the execution of it. We could not have asked for better.”

  Hawkins smiled in response. “Thank you for the kind words. Also for the series of raids to support our return. Those raids were key to getting us back here. I have one question for you. How did you know where to intercept us at the border crossing?”

  “We can’t decipher Orion codes but we noticed the great increase in volume when you hit the base the first time. Several hours later, there was another jump in volume. My intel people thought it was because you had been caught. I knew better. I did a timeline and realized that if you had gone out to the outer moon and returned to the base via subspace, the timing for the second increase in comm chatter fit. I knew if you hit the base again, you couldn’t come out the briefed route so I looked at the star maps and came up with several return routes. I covered them all with my squadrons. You just happened to come out at the crossing where I was personally located. I had squadrons on the border closer to the base and further away so we had the border covered.”

  “So did Lord Cunningham.”

  “He probably made the same deductions I did, but did not have the number of ships at his beck and call, so he could not cover everywhere.”

  “But you both found us. I’m not nearly as clever as I think I am. I’m going to have to give that some consideration.”

  The Admiral patted him on the shoulder. “You did just fine, my boy. Your options were limited. You were time critical and I had a great many ships at my disposal. Odds were in my favor.”

  “You are too kind. Big space, little ships, and you still found us. You should be out there winning the war, Admiral.”

  Barrett gave a slight shrug. “Tell the government that. Not that they’d listen.”

  Barrett now moved on to exchange words with Baby Doll and Tactical, and finally stopped in front of Blondie. “You are last but hardly least, Blondie.” He smiled at her. “I can call you Blondie one last time before you return to us. I have heard nothing but the best about you from all the others involved in this operation. I admit I wa
s a little concerned about your participation because of your youth and inexperience. I am happy to also admit I was woefully wrong in that. Thank you for your knowledge and bravery. Because of young officers such as you, I believe we will win this war.”

  Blondie nodded slightly in response while standing at attention. She had dreaded the pirates’ departure and did not trust herself to speak without breaking down.

  Sensing this, Raferty quickly stepped into the pause. He held out an info plug to the Admiral. “I am under no illusion that my opinion counts for anything in the Royal Navy, but I have put down a list of Blondie’s considerable accomplishments over the last several months. She has performed better than any of us could have hoped. You have a superb officer there.”

  “Thank you,” the Admiral took the plug. “I will use this to complete our reports on this mission. It will also be consulted when we complete Blondie’s performance eval.”

  The pirates departed for the shuttle bay, accompanied by Sky Mallory and Blondie. Once there, Captains O’Hare and Delacruz shook hands with the two Zeke officers and moved to the shuttle.

  Hawkins shook hands with Mallory. “Thank you,” he said softly. “For everything.”

  She returned his shy smile. “Thank you… for everything.” They nodded at each other. This was not the time and place to say more. Maybe there never would be a time and place. Maybe there would be. Both captains knew there were too many variables. Such as time and space and distance. And a thousand other things.

  Raferty turned to Blondie and gave her a sad smile. “On the occasion of our first meeting I made you several promises. I think all of them have come to pass except the last promise. That one will have to wait for our departure, but I think that last promise will come to pass also.” He then looked intently at the young woman. “As long as you keep the dagger, you will be a member of my crew. Regardless of time, distance, or circumstances, that will always be true. If you need us, let us know. If I am in a position to help you, I surely will do that.” Another pause. “And you will always have a place aboard Predator.”

  Blondie had silent tears rolling down her cheeks. “Oh, Captain.” She sobbed softly and then hugged the pirate commander. Raferty smiled and hugged her back. She hugged Tactical and Baby Doll. The hugs were returned in the same heartfelt fashion. A shipmate was staying behind.

  The pirates turned to the shuttle. Captain Mallory gave a parting remark. “Fair winds and following seas, Captain.”

  Hawkins paused at the shuttle hatch. He turned and smiled. “Also to you, Captain.”

  He turned back and entered the craft. The two Royal Navy officers moved outside the bay and watched the shuttle depart. Then Blondie went to her stateroom and put on a uniform. She was back in the Royal Navy.

  The shuttle returned each captain to the appropriate ship and came to rest in Predator’s bay. The three occupants moved to the bridge. Hawkins took his command seat as the two women moved to their stations. Everyone was all business.

  “Predator?” Rafe asked.

  “All departments report ready, Captain.” Logan was manning the ops station.

  “Nemesis and Vindictive?”

  “Up and up,” informed Hyatt Renaldo from the communications station and then added, “Wanderlust Control has cleared us to depart via most direct route.”

  “Eli, best sustained speed. Let’s go home. We have been away far too long.”

  The three pirate ships accelerated from the Wanderlust anchorage.

  Epilog

  Admiral Beck leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Despite the midmorning hour, he was tired. It seemed he was always tired these days. Of course, he had not had a good night’s sleep in weeks but he knew it was more than that. It wasn’t just a physical condition. There was an emotional and psychological aspect to it.

  The pirate attack on his base had been three weeks ago. The damage had been significant but paled when compared to the effects on the morale and psyche. This impact reverberated throughout the base and throughout the Imperial Navy. A Goldenes Tor base had not been attacked in living memory. Now all bases and military centers throughout the Empire were scrambling to upgrade their defenses. Rumors abounded placing the pirates here, there, and everywhere. People throughout the Goldenes Tor were positive the pirates were about to attack them with hundreds of ships.

  The raid also echoed and reechoed within his career. It had taken every favor he was ever owed, every sting he could pull, and every connection his high-borne wife had to hold on to his command. It had been a near thing, but he had been given six months to get the Badlands on course. He still led Third Fleet, but he had gone from a golden boy destined for great things to a pariah living out on the edge of the Badlands. He had not heard from friends or fellow flag officers in days. When he had taken his command in the Badlands, his wife had remained on the ancestral estate in the home system, but now she had joined him out here. In reality, she had had little choice. She had become an outcast also and had no social life left at home.

  His assignment here was supposed to be the final stepping-stone to the military command staff. The plan had been to have the Orion Confederation squadron destroy the Aurora Empire naval presence in the region, and then Beck was to implement and oversee the vast expansion of Goldenes Tor military and commercial power in the Badlands. All this had gone awry when the Zeke squadron had survived and the remnants of the Orion squadron had limped home in defeat. The pirate Raferty Hawkins had been in the middle of that and now had lead the raid on his base. Raferty goddamn Hawkins.

  Beck’s head ached. How could one outlaw have such an impact? Beck wasn’t sure where it had all gone wrong. He suspected he was not the first Goldenes Tor officer in the Badlands to have that feeling. He knew it really didn’t matter where it had gone bad. It only mattered how to get it right. He had six months to achieve that. He had a few ideas on how to accomplish that goal and put his staff to work on implementing them. There was a staff meeting in five minutes. Time to get serious about our back-alley thief.

  ~ ~ ~

  Admiral Barrett motioned Captain Mallory to a seat in front of his desk. She sat down as he pushed his virtual screens to one side and smiled at her.

  “Read your after-action report,” he began. Sky nodded as he continued. “The pirates seem to employ standard operating procedures, tactics, and maneuvers very much like our own. Nothing special at all.”

  “Yes, sir. They are quite good at them, but it is very standard.” She looked at the Admiral innocently. “A problem with the report, Admiral? Incomplete or lacking details?”

  “No. Nothing of that sort. I thought Hawkins would have several clever tricks up his sleeve, and I have just learned he is very conventional in his planning and tactics. Nothing to be learned from him at all. I guess I’m just a little disappointed in him.”

  Sky shrugged in a “go-figure” gesture.

  The Admiral went on. “To think he has been so successful for years doing the same mundane things. The Goths aren’t stupid, so Captain Hawkins must be the luckiest commander in the universe to have survived this long.”

  “He must be,” Mallory agreed.

  The Admiral concluded, “I’ll endorse your report that way and it will probably be quickly buried in the bureaucracy.”

  “Works for me,” Sky agreed, and the two officers shared a wide smile.

  ~ ~ ~

  The meeting had gone well. Prime Minister Strickland smiled triumphantly as he brought his verbal report to a close. He glanced over at Admiral Noah Wu, Chief of the Military Establishment (CME), and the top military man in the Aurora Empire. The Admiral slightly shook his head that he had nothing to add.

  The Queen smiled at both men. “A success all around. A victory at a secret Orion base deep in their territory, and one ship lost on our side. We could not have hoped for better results. I congratulate you on your blessing of this daring mission and the pirates for accomplishing it.”

  She then looked at the pair wit
h hard eyes. “However, you have not addressed the incident during the pirates’ return to force.” She leaned forward. “I am curious as to that.”

  Strickland did not want to stare at his monarch so he glanced sideways at Admiral Wu, but it was obvious the military man was also caught short. Strickland looked back into the hard, unwavering eyes focused on him.

  “Your Majesty, I am unaware of any incident with the pirates’ return. I will certainly check into it and get a full report to you.”

  Queen Alexis regarded him with a direct, undisguised stare. She could easily be opaque if she desired, but now she made her thoughts easy to read. “If you know about it, you are lying to me. If you don’t know, you are a fool. Liar or fool, take your pick.” Strickland swallowed as silent seconds ticked by.

  Finally the Queen spoke. “Excellent. I look forward to your report on the incident.” She then added quietly, “You might begin your inquiry with the Defense Minister.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.” The two men stood up.

  “One more thing,” Queen Alexis continued.

  The two men sat down. The Queen reach for a piece of paper to her left and regarded it. She held it up. “This is the shipbuilding report I receive each week. I recently received other information that contradicts this report, so I naturally thought I had misinterpreted this weekly report so I referred to it again. I did not misread the report.” She eyed both men but then focused on the Admiral. “According to this, the new Spinnaker class of destroyers are about to come on line. Spinnaker herself is just completing sea trials and will join the Fleet in two weeks as the first of her class if all goes well at trials.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Admiral Wu acknowledged. He received the same shipbuilding report and personally forwarded a copy of it to her. He fell silent as he sensed a trap here. He had wondered why the Queen had ensured the prime minister invited him to this mission debriefing and now he knew.