by Dietmar Wehr
“That makes sense,” said Hara. “When the rest of the squadron is back in formation, have TacComp check with the other ships’ systems to see if we can pin down the K’s location via triangulation of her ID signals. I need to know how far apart she and that bogey are. I’d like to send a long-range data signal to Captain Steele without tipping off that other ship. When TacComp has that triangulation data, pass it on to NavComp and make sure the HO knows about it.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
She nodded to him and stepped over to the Helm Station. “As soon as the squadron is back together, I want to get to within a hundred thousand klicks of the K’s position with a terminal velocity of five hundred KPS, and I want the squadron to get there as soon as possible.”
“Understood, Admiral.”
As she returned to her Command Station chair, she said almost as an afterthought, “And we might as well go to Condition Two while we’re at it. If those are RSN destroyers, they might be foolish enough to think they can take us on.”
Steele checked the chronometer again and shifted position on his Command Chair just for something to do. The Alpha probe, which had been sent into the wormhole over three hours ago, should have been back long before now. He expected Commodore Sogard to query him about the missing probe any second now and he didn’t have any answers to give the RSN officer. Survey probes were programmed to turn around as soon as possible after exiting a wormhole and head back. And while it was theoretically possible that a wormhole might be so turbulent that the probe was incapable of returning, the odds of that happening were low. He’d been assured by the company that built them, that they had been designed to withstand the most turbulent wormhole discovered so far.
“We’re getting hit with a very weak comlaser, Skipper,” said the Com Officer.
“From Excalibur?” asked Steele.
“No, sir. It’s from Vanquisher. I’m sending it to the main display.”
[Hara to Steele. My four cruisers are approaching your position. Report your situation if you’re able. End of message.]
Steele felt almost giddy with relief. The cavalry had arrived at last! “Com, record this for comlaser transmission to Vanquisher.”
Hara willed her body to relax when the tactical display pinged to notify her that a reply had been received from the Diamond K.
[Steele to Hara. No damage or injuries to ship or crew. RSN destroyer Excalibur under Commodore Sogard is letting us continue the mission of surveying this wormhole with a probe. Probe is overdue and may be lost. Sogard thinks the K is an unarmed SA freighter. Standing by for your orders. End of message.]
Hara couldn’t resist a chuckle. Mac had played it very cool and had resisted the instinctive impulse to either run for it or fight when the RSN destroyer had arrived. If the Commodore thought the K was an unarmed freighter, that would explain why he allowed Mac to continue with the wormhole survey. She looked at the Com Officer.
“Record for Captain Steele. Hara to Steele. Be ready to fire on Excalibur if Diamond K is fired upon when the Commodore becomes aware of the squadron. I would prefer to force him to withdraw without a fight if possible. End of message.”
Sogard’s patience was beginning to wear thin. Radar had detected the Diamond K’s probe entering the wormhole hours ago, and despite assurances from Steele that it would return quickly, it hadn’t. He was now wondering if Steele had lied to him or if something else was going on. He was reluctant to order the Diamond K to withdraw without getting that survey data first, but there was a limit to how long he was prepared to wait.
“Commodore, we’re being hit by a comlaser,” said the Com Officer.
“From the freighter?” asked Sogard.
“No, sir. Shall I put the message up on the main display?”
“Yes; do that.”
[From Vice-Admiral Akane Hara, HRCN to Commodore Eugene Sogard, RSN. This star system and its wormholes are under the jurisdiction of the HRCN. As long as your squadron does not interfere with or attempt to exploit wormhole traffic, no hostile action on our part will be taken against RSN ships. End of message.]
“Who the hell does this bitch think she is laying down conditions on what we can do?” snarled Sogard. He turned to the Tactical Officer. “Do we have her ship on radar?”
“No, sir, just the Diamond K, and we’re not being hit by any radar either, Commodore.”
Sogard shook his head. “So how did she know where to aim that comlaser?”
“The freighter might have passed on their positional data,” offered the TO.
“That has to be it,” said Sogard after a moment’s reflection. “Com, record this reply as a text message to be sent back to Admiral Hara. Commodore Sogard to Admiral Hara. The Kingdom of Socorro does not recognize your navy’s claim to this system. My orders from the King require that my squadron stand its ground and retain control of this system’s wormholes. If you approach my ship closer than fifty thousand kilometers, I’ll interpret that as a hostile act. I also remind you that Diamond K is within my laser range. If fighting breaks out between our two vessels, your unarmed freighter may be caught in the crossfire, thereby putting innocent lives at risk. I doubt if your superiors will be pleased with you about that. The rest of my squadron, all eleven of them, have been given the same orders as I have and will respond in the same way. End of message.” Sogard waited until the message had been sent before speaking again. “Get Captain Steele on the visual, Com.”
When he saw Steele’s face appear on the main screen, he leaned back and pretended to examine the fingernails on his left hand. “Captain Steele, I’ve just been contacted by Vice-Admiral Hara, and I can’t help wondering if your missing probe was deliberately programmed to delay its return in the hope that your admiral would chase Excalibur away and you could keep all that wormhole data to yourselves.” Sogard hoped his exaggeratedly calm voice conveyed menace as well. He saw Steele’s eyes open wider for a fraction of a second.
“We did not program that probe to delay its return. We don’t know why it hasn’t returned yet. I’ve just learned of Admiral Hara’s arrival, and I’m just as surprised as you are, Commodore.”
Sogard turned his attention to the fingernails of his other hand and said, “I find that difficult to believe, Captain. Maybe I should send a boarding party over to your ship to check your data records. What do you think of that idea?” To Sogard’s surprise, Steele did not visibly react at all. After a few seconds pause, he heard Steele’s reply.
“If that was intended to intimidate me, it was not successful. If you send a boarding party over here, they will not be allowed to board my ship.”
Sogard snickered. “Oh? And how do you propose to stop my boarding party if they’re wearing powered armor with lasers capable of cutting through your hull?” Again, there was no change in Steele’s expression. He’s not easy to rattle. I’ll give him that, thought Sogard.
“We may not be able to prevent your men from cutting a hole in the hull, but we’re prepared to repel boarders, whether they be pirates or RSN Marines even if they’re wearing powered armor,” said Steele.
“Another incoming comlaser message, Commodore,” said the Com Officer.
“Let’s see it. Keep the channel to the freighter open. Excuse me for a moment, Captain. Your admiral has sent a reply.”
[Hara to Sogard. My squadron can handle 12 destroyers quite easily. If Diamond K is damaged or any of her crew are injured or killed as a result of actions by your ship, retaliation will be swift and deadly. I have two heavy cruisers bearing down on your position as we speak. We’ll be in your radar detection range soon. I suggest you ponder your next move very carefully, Commodore. End of message.]
Sogard managed to reread the message twice before he heard Steele’s voice. “What does Admiral Hara say?”
“She says her single heavy cruiser will be here soon, and she begged me not to fire on your ship, Captain.” Sogard turned from the message to look at Steele’s face and saw a small smile appear.
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br /> “I doubt that very much, Commodore. I know Vice-Admiral Hara, and she doesn’t beg. She threatens, and even though she will sometimes bluff when playing poker, I’ve never seen her bluff when it comes to life and death decisions. Oh, and by the way, she’s coming with more than one heavy cruiser.”
Sogard stopped pretending to be interested in his fingernails and leaned forward. “She’ll need more than one heavy cruiser, Captain. I have twelve destroyers in this star system, and there are only five wormholes. Doesn’t it strike you as odd that you only see one destroyer at this wormhole? Could it be that one or two more are lurking just out of radar range? I’m in contact with them which means they know where you are and when Admiral Hara’s two heavy cruisers come into radar range, they’ll know where she is. I’m guessing you’re in contact with her ship too. You might want to warn her that she’s about to be ambushed, Captain.”
It took all of Steele’s willpower to resist laughing outright. Sogard’s threats were becoming almost comical. The Admiral would have notified him if the new detection system had picked up more destroyers nearby. Steele wanted to tell Sogard that Hara knew his ship was the only RSN ship for millions of kilometers but keeping the new detection system a secret for as long as possible had been firmly impressed upon him by the HRCN.
“I’m surprised that you’re not only willing to let me warn the Admiral but are encouraging me to do so. Doesn’t that eliminate your element of surprise, Commodore?”
Sogard shrugged. “A small price to pay if it avoids an unnecessary battle and casualties, Captain.” Before he could say anything more, he heard the TO’s excited voice.
“Two, repeat, two ships now detected approaching along the same bearing as the comlaser signal, Commodore! Range is two hundred thirty-three thousand klicks. Velocity is five five seven KPS and dropping fast!”
Sogard frowned then quickly realized that Steele could see his expression.
“I told you she had more than one cruiser, Commodore.”
Sogard felt the anger rising. For being the captain of an unarmed freighter, Steele had an insufferably smug look on his face, and the Commodore decided to wipe that smugness off.
“TO! Switch to targeting radar and get a lock on the Diamond K! Captain Steele. I’ve decided that your ship is in violation of His Majesty’s declaration of sovereignty over this system and therefore I’m going to destroy your ship! You and your crew will immediately evacuate it. You have five minutes to get everyone off before I open fire.” To his shock, Steele didn’t even bat an eye.
“No one’s going to evacuate this ship, Commodore. Now is as good a time as any to inform you that I lied about what class of ship this is. It’s not an unarmed SA freighter. It’s actually a captured, RSN Q-ship which means it’s armed with both lasers and missiles. We have just as much firepower as you do.”
“You’re bluffing, Steele. Why would the HRCN use a captured Q-ship to survey wormholes when a modified and unarmed freighter could do the job just as well?”
This time Steele did laugh. “I’ll tell you why Commodore. It was in case we ran into people like you! Admiral Hara has just now been informed about your threat to destroy my ship. I think you’ll be hearing from her just about…now!”
“Another incoming text message, Commodore,” said the Com Officer in a resigned voice.
“On the main, Lieutenant,” said Sogard.
[Hara to Sogard. Firing on Diamond K will be considered an Act of War by the Kingdom of Socorro against the Hereditary Republic of Caledonia. Your ship might survive the exchange of laser fire with Diamond K at that range, but you won’t survive my laser fire when my ships get within range. If you’re counting on being able to surrender before that happens, don’t. If Diamond K is destroyed, then I will not accept any offer to surrender, and I will not take any prisoners. You now have three options. Stay and be destroyed, surrender right now and I’ll accept it or leave the vicinity of this wormhole. I’ve advised Captain Steele that he does not have to allow his ship to be fired upon first before he fires on your ship. End of message.]
“Commodore!” Sogard turned to look at his Tactical Officer. “Diamond K is now hitting us with their targeting radar!”
Sogard cut the visual communication channel with Steele. He wanted to be able to communicate with his people without Steele hearing or seeing it. The fact that Steele’s ship had military-grade targeting radar strongly suggested that she wasn’t just an unarmed freighter. He knew just enough about the RSN’s Q-ship program to realize that Steele’s ship might have more firepower than his Excalibur did. If she fired first, Hara might not need her two heavy cruisers except to mop up the pieces. Grand Admiral Beauchamp told him to be aggressive, but fighting against these odds would be insanity. He turned to look at his TO.
“Turn off our targeting radar. Helm, back us away from here at maximum acceleration. We’ll bring the rest of the squadron together before we come back. Steele and Hara won’t be so damned arrogant when they’re facing six destroyers instead of one!”
Hara allowed herself a smile as the new detection system confirmed that the Commodore’s destroyer was moving away from the wormhole. She was willing to bet that he would bring his six destroyers together into a single formation and then come back to test the waters again. The fact that he had tried to bluff her with the claim of having 12 destroyers amused her. She filed that bit of information away to keep in mind the next time she faced off with Commodore Sogard. It was just like playing poker. Knowing your opponent was capable of bluffing puts a different perspective on how to evaluate your opponent’s moves. It also paid to limit how much information about you your opponent had. That was why she had ordered Daedalus and Steadfast to take station behind Vanquisher and Indomitable so that Sogard’s radar will only see two ships, not four. Four heavy cruisers and a Q-ship armed to the gills versus six destroyers. She liked those odds a lot.
Chapter Six
Steele stepped down to Vanquisher’s hangar bay deck and nodded to Captain Lavrov, Vanquisher’s Commanding Office, and Admiral Hara’s Flag Captain.
“Welcome aboard, Captain,” said Lavrov. “The Admiral’s waiting for us in the briefing room.”
“Thank you, Captain. It’s been a while since I was on board a heavy cruiser. What a difference between Vanquisher and a Q-ship.” Lavrov turned to head for the exit and Steele fell in beside him. As expected, Lavrov began singing the praises of heavy cruisers in general and Vanquisher in particular, but Steele was only half paying attention. The other half was focused on the events of the last 24 hours. The probe had finally returned with shocking data the ramifications of which Steele wasn’t completely sure he understood. Normally that kind of discovery would be cause for excitement, but with the long-range detection system showing that Sogard was collecting his destroyers into a single formation with another confrontation likely, excitement was not the state of mind that Steele was experiencing.
The two of them entered the briefing room to find Hara already seated and reviewing Steele’s preliminary report on the probe results. Without looking up, she said, “Find a seat, and let’s get started.” Steele could tell that she was anxious to begin when she didn’t bother to wait for them to sit down.
“Mac, this data is incredible. Is there any doubt at all that the other end of this wormhole is in a system containing a black hole?”
Steele smiled. “Well, Admiral, keeping in mind that I’m not an astrophysicist, I’d have to say that I don’t see how the results could be interpreted any other way. The probe’s inertial guidance system detected a very strong gravitational pull from an object that only emitted if that’s the right word, light around the edges with the center completely black. We’re lucky that the probe’s EG drive was powerful enough to climb back out of the gravity well and find the wormhole when the buoy it automatically deployed upon exit had also been pulled out of position. From what I gathered when talking to the engineers who designed the probe, no one was expecting black holes to have
wormholes. In retrospect, they should have because black holes can be just as massive as super-giants, and in some cases, even more so. It’s the mass of those stars that warp the surrounding space enough for wormholes to form. Given how far away this black hole is from AG38, my guess is that this black hole is an order of magnitude more massive than the blue super-giant star in this system.”
Hara sighed. “That all makes excellent sense, but I still wish we’d had the foresight to bring along an astrophysicist. What I’m still struggling to come to grips with are the implications from your speculation that the black hole system must have dozens, perhaps even hundreds of wormholes.” She stopped when she saw the look of surprise on Lavrov’s face.