The System Commander slowly breathed a sigh, “Not as bad as I feared, at least.”
“I don’t follow you,” I frowned. Even having trained away my entire youth learning innuendo and the nuances of social engagements, I had no idea what he was getting at.
“What we’ve done here, taking an Imperial warship by force,” LeGodat shrugged helplessly, “nothing will make that go away. The best we can do is not compound the problem by executing the Imperial Crew for piracy.”
“Ah,” I said, finally seeing what he had been getting at. “I see your point.”
“I hope you understand that no government will thank you for adding a captured Imperial ship to the Confederation Fleet. The Imperials will take it as a personal affront and the Assembly, once it's reformed in the Spine, won’t be happy at provoking them by parading the ship around from system to system,” he said seriously.
“Are you saying you want to keep it here,” I asked dryly.
The Fleet Officer looked aghast. “I want that ship as far away from Easy Haven as possible,” he said earnestly.
I bit my lip. “I hate the thought of losing any ship, when we already have so few,” I muttered, then an idea came to me. My eyes narrowed and I flashed a smile. “What if my engineers found the Imperial Cruiser too damaged to be repaired and it was destroyed, never to be seen again,” I asked slyly, a seed beginning to sprout in my mind.
“Nothing will make things better. But that should at least head off the worst of the outrage and any impetus to ‘deny the Spine any technological or strategic assets’ by sending in a punitive expedition,” LeGodat said with measured relief.
“I’ll make the arrangements. So unless there’s anything else, Commodore…,” I prompted.
“That’s still Lieutenant Commander, Admiral,” protested the officer. “Not Commodore.”
“My Legal Department is drawing up a new commission as we speak,” I said firmly. “The commander of a star base, Corvette squadron and recently acquired Heavy Cruiser should have the rank to go along with the job.”
“I thought that was all an act, pretending to promote me in front of Commander Cornwallis in some kind of off-handed manner,” protested LeGodat.
“I was hoping it would add to my aura of noble insanity and rattle him enough to back off,” I said, permitting myself a smile, “and while I might have even gone so far as to fire on the Constructors, I wouldn’t have destroyed them. The threat against the Constructors was what I would consider an acceptable ruse of warfare. The rest of it…” I trailed off, “I like to think of myself as a man who keeps his word.”
“I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how much of all that was an act and how much of it wasn’t,” said the System Commander. “There’s no need to make me a Commodore just because you needed to rattle Commander Cornwallis.
I chuckled. “Well, for my part I’m still not sure how much of your threat to fire on my Flagship was a ruse. You seem to be in the business of picking winners and losers here in Easy Haven. If you’d come in on the side of the Imperials, like you originally threatened, it would have been curtains for us,” I said in a casual tone, but I locked my eyes with his pointedly.
He met my gaze steadfastly. “My first obligation to the Confederacy is the preservation of my Squadron and this Star Base,” LeGodat said firmly.
I noticed the way he very carefully didn’t say anything about his previous comments to destroy the Lucky Clover in front of the Imperial Commander. Well, as I’d learned for myself, sometimes you had to play it fast and loose with the rules in order to make it in a galaxy gone mad.
“Well regardless,” I said, acutely aware of how tender my facial scars had become, “the commission stands. Until the Confederation gets its act together, this base needs someone to handle things, and I have to believe that civilian merchant captains are going to be more impressed with Commodore LeGodat than with some Lieutenant Commander running things around here when they arrive in system.”
“They’d be more impressed with a few capital ships and a lot more firepower than they will a fancy new title,” said the newly-minted Commodore, shaking his head.
“We make do with what we have, the best way we know how,” I said with a shrug. “I’d like a real fleet to patrol this sector with. Instead, I’ve got one big obsolete Battleship to roam around with and a hand full of lighter units pinned down covering a previously unheard of system out on the Rim of human space that is under threat from an impending Bug invasion force.”
I paused, momentarily taken aback at just how many balls I currently had in the air. “We do what we can,” I finished harshly.
“Of course, Admiral,” said Commodore LeGodat. “Like every military commander throughout history, I just wish I had more in the way of working assets, either movable or fixed. As it is, I have a lot of mothballed equipment but no way to activate it and get it running again. Honestly, I’ve more than a few old ships and facilities in the bone yard, but no way to make them usable.”
“About that,” I said with a smile as another idea came to me. “I noticed right now we have a grand total of five Constructor ships in the system. After we get a few Imperial Marine Jacks off of those ships,” I said, waving my gauntleted fingers as if to shoo away a couple flies, “I have to think at the very least the three that were locally owned and operated would be willing to help out your ailing Star Base, in exchange for the service the Confederation Fleet and its personnel just rendered by saving them from Imperial Pirates. All they would need to do to repay this debt would be to spend a small amount of time fixing things up, say a couple of weeks or however long they were originally planning to hide out here in the first place. They would be doing their patriotic duty, repaying a debt they owed and, at the end of it all, you’d have much more in the way of usable facilities and equipment,” I said with a grin at my marvelous plan.
The Commodore frowned. “I don’t know. I mean what if they are unwilling to help? Do we force them? That seems a little too much like we’re bordering on the use of strong arm tactics, Admiral,” he said reluctantly. “Besides, what about the two ships the Imperials brought with them? They’re registered out of the 28th Provisional. Somehow, I don’t think those two are going to be very willing to help us out, even if they aren’t exactly Imperials born and bred to the purple.”
“You let me worry about the ships from the 28th provisional,” I said with a shark's smile. “Any of the crews that want to be repatriated to the Empire can do so right alongside our Imperial Prisoners. When we have the ships and time to spare, I’ll make sure the Constructors are escorted back to Sector 28.”
The newly-made Commodore looked very doubtful. “That might take awhile, unless you’re willing to make a detour through the part of the Confederacy still under active Empire patrols, the much larger and more developed part,” he said pointedly.
“Exactly,” I said, expanding my already predatory smile.
LeGodat gave me a searching look, “I’m not going to ask, because really, I honestly don’t want to know,” he said finally.
“Oh, don’t worry yourself,” I said, “I’ll handle things with the Constructors. You can play the beleaguered System Commander, helpless in the face of a belligerent, higher ranked commander, and go on ad nauseam about how if things were ordered your own way none of this would be happening, you are just a man trying to make the best of a bad situation,” I said, explaining my cunning plan. “Just tell them that the sooner they satisfy me and help send me on my way, the sooner things can get back to normal around here.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard, since it's essentially the truth, Admiral Montagne,” said Commodore LeGodat with an enigmatic look.
I quirked my lips. “Somehow, after that little firefight with the Imperial Cruiser, I don’t think that’s entirely true. I have to imagine that if you were completely opposed to any of my proposed actions, you’d find some way to throw a monkey in the wrench and Murphy up the whole situation beyond repair,” I said
.
“I don’t know why the Admiral would think that, Sir,” Commodore LeGodat said with a slow smile.
“Perhaps because it's essentially the truth, Commodore LeGodat,” I said with an answering wink.
“I like the way you operate, Sir,” said the Commodore, his smile spreading even further. “But somehow, I don’t think Sector Command or the rump-Confederation Assembly, when it forms, will be too pleased when they find out what you’ve been up to.”
“They’ll just have to learn to live with it, at least until they can send someone out to replace me,” I said bluntly. “Until I’m not stuck out here all by my lonesome, I don’t see how there’s much they could do about it in the first place. To say nothing of the pirates and Bugs and all sorts of other threats I seem to be the only one around to deal with.”
“Things won’t always be this way, Sir,” warned the newly minted Commodore. “You keep going like this and I’d expect some push back. Being replaced is a real option if you torque off the government.”
“First off, there has to be a government so that it can be torqued with me, and then once there is, it has to catch me first,” I said playfully. I had a few ideas for dealing with a recalcitrant or belligerent government. The first being, do so well patrolling the Rim that they didn’t become belligerent in the first place. But if they were anything like the Caprian Parliament and quite simply didn’t want to see someone they didn’t firmly control gain any fame and/or military power…perhaps it was time to make a few contingency plans of my own.
After the Commodore signed off, I just sat in the Throne and thought. Then thought some more. Speaking with the new Commodore had helped bring into focus certain elements of the long game in which I’d been coasting until now. It's hard to make long-term plans in the complete absence of anything resembling concrete information and feedback. Yes, it had been a very interesting conversation indeed.
Chapter 10: Coping With Loss
“Officer Tremblay,” I said in a brisk tone. At least I was starting to sound like someone who was in charge, I thought to myself.
“Yes, Admiral,” said the former Intelligence Officer.
“Get me the Chief Engineer. I have a few questions for him." I needed to get some of those balls that were in the air rolling along on their way.
Tremblay hesitated. “I’m sorry, Sir,” he said with what might even be a hint of genuine remorse.
“What is it,” I asked, disarmed by one of the few displays of genuine emotion I had seen out of the man that hadn't been directed at me in some negative way.
“The Chief Engineer was one of over a thousand casualties we sustained during the fight. He’s in ship’s medical, listed as in extremely critical condition,” reported the First Officer.
“What?!” I blurted without thinking. “How?”
“It was during the fight when we lost power, Sir,” said the Lieutenant. “The number 2 fusion reactor was damaged, so while the rest of Engineering was busy working on fixing the breakers banks and power trunk lines, the Chief Engineer went inside the fusion reactor to fix a cracked core.”
“Sweet Murphy protect him,” I said, slumping in the Admiral's Throne. I sat back stunned. “That must have been when I told him to get more power to the ship, no matter what the cost,” I said thinking out loud, and then a realization popped into my head. “I sent him to his death without a second thought for the risks he might be running.”
Feeling ill, I looked over at my First Officer.
“What are his chances,” I asked finally, feeling sick to my stomach. I wanted to throw up.
The First Officer shook his head. “One of the Engineering crew learned Spalding had gone in to fix the core alone and went in after him. He found the Chief and pulled him out of the reactor, then took him straight to medical. The Doctor isn’t sure if he’ll pull through. He’s recommending a transfer to a facility with top of the line medical equipment,” Tremblay said with a shake of his head.
“Is there even a top of the line facility in this system,” I asked thickly. “And get me that crewman’s name," I added before I might have the chance to forget, "he deserves a medal and a promotion.”
The First Officer looked at the flooring. “Everything in Easy Haven is either old or shut down. Most assets are a combination of the two,” he paused, “The crewman’s name is Brence and he’s currently in medical being treated for radiation poisoning,” then he continued the previous line of inquiry. “Honestly, at this point I don’t think that there’s anywhere in this system better than the Ship’s Infirmary to move the Chief Engineer to,” said Officer Tremblay.
I clenched my fists. `“Tell the Doctor to help the old man hold on as long as possible. I need to check on a few things first,” I said finally, feeling numb from head to toe.
“Yes, Sir,” said Tremblay.
“I’ll be in the ready room if anyone needs me,” I barked at nobody in particular. “I have a few calls to make.”
In the ready room I activated the console and selected outgoing ship to ship communications. After the communication section had designated a channel for me to use, I contacted the captured Imperial ship and linked in to speak with Gants from the Armory. He was a crewman trained as an engineering rating, and currently the closest thing the Lucky Clover had to a Master-at-Arms.
He was also one of the few people I realized I actually trusted.
“Yes, Admiral, what did you need?” asked an exhausted looking Gants. He was wearing power armor and in the holo pick-up I could see other armored figures moving in the background.
“Turn the job of transferring the prisoners off of the Imperial ship over to one of the Lancers,” I said, then suddenly had a vision of how one of the Tracto natives might decide to treat the Imperials. “Try for a Caprian or Promethean you trust,” I added hastily.
“Yes, Sir,” he said nodding curiously. “There’s a grey beard I know that seems a reliable sort, for an old Royalist,” he added, seemingly unaware that he was talking to an actual member of the blood Royal.
“Excellent,” I hurried in response. “After that, I want you to gather up a team of men you can trust. I need at least a hundred. Preferably Prometheans and Caprian Royalists, although if you need some Tracto-an’s to round out the numbers, that’s okay too. You can add anyone from the Armory team you trust, but no more than half the team,” at this point I glared at Gants and scowled, “and make sure Oleander isn’t involved, we don’t need another string of plasma grenades going off under our feet.”
“We would have been toast if not for the grenades,” protested Gants, “those Imperials had us dead to rights.”
I shook my head, feeling hot under the collar. “He had no way of knowing that when he set them off. He just reacted by pulling activator pins and dropping them under our feet while he scrambled away. Besides, I don’t like him and Akantha doesn’t trust him,” I said with finality.
“Alright, Sir. If that’s the way you want it. May I ask what I’m to do with all these men?” the Armory Chief asked curiously.
“Grab a shuttle and meet me over on one of the Constructor ships from Sector 28. I don’t care which. If I get there first I’ll feed you the coordinates, if you beat me there, then do the same. We need to get rid of those Imperial Jacks still on those ships. And I can’t go into it right now, but the Chief Engineer is hurt and hurt bad. This might be a way to help save him,” I said grimly.
“The Chief’s in a bad way? Oh Murphy no, say it isn’t so,” said Gants, looking grief-stricken. “I thought that ornery old goat ate depleted uranium for breakfast, was made of Duralloy and destined to outlive the lot of us. If this is for the Chief…” he paused and then nodded slowly, “I know just the boys to take with me, Sir. You can count on us,” so saying, he cut the frequency.
That mission accomplished, I put in another call to Commander LeGodat.
“Yes, Admiral?” the System Commander asked curiously.
“I need a place to put the Imperials
. It's my intention to get them off those ships sooner rather than later,” I said coldly.
“Well we have some stationary facilities that might do in a pinch,” he said hesitating before reaching some sort of decision. “But your best bet is probably an old Dungeon ship left over from the hoary old days when the Confederation was still in its infancy, right before the end of the AI wars. It’ll need a little work, but if we’re going to be able to make use of these Constructor ships, we should be able to get the environmental systems up and running in just a few hours,” he said slowly.
“Alright, I’ll take your suggestion and run with it,” I nodded, satisfied with the Dungeon ship idea. It had a kind of poetic symmetry that I couldn't quite put my finger on at that moment.
“Officially that ship is in mothballs and currently unassigned,” said the Commodore. “Honestly, I don’t have the personnel to crew her right now. Even so, it might be best if that ship remained under Star Base Wolf-9 jurisdiction. For the time being at least…and afterwards as well, I suppose.”
I knew that in a roundabout way the Commodore was actually referring to the potential political situation with the Imperial prisoners. I wasn’t sure how much having the Imperials under the Easy Haven branch of the Confederation military changed things. But if it made the System Commander happy, then it was worth the time and risk.
“You provide the Captain and Officers, I’ll provide the general crew,” then I had a thought, “after you get the former pirate Heavy Cruiser we’ve swapped under control, I’d be happier if you sent officers from her. I know Lieutenant Commander Synthia McCruise and her people onboard that prize ship,” I said firmly. “My crew will trust them.”
“Synthia won’t be happy…but I’ll see what I can do,” the commodore said signing off.
Admiral's Gambit (A Spineward Sectors Novel:) Page 8