by Dave Bara
“I think you should know I’m ovulating,” she said out of the blue.
“What?” I said, and sat up on my elbow. “That’s a hell of a thing to say on our wedding night. Or day.”
“I’m sorry. I hope you’re not upset, but it’s something I thought you should know. At least there’s a possibility.”
“So you’re not on pregnancy repressors?” I asked. She shook her head.
“I never have been. As I said, I’ve never been with a man before, and thus, no real need. What about you?” she said.
“Well, not regularly. And I didn’t know until last night that I would be getting married,” I said. “It kind of slipped my mind.” She pulled herself in close to me, and a warm wonderful softness enveloped me. I lay back down next to her.
“I just wanted you to know. It’s not something we have to worry about right now,” she said. I rolled over on my back.
“Absolutely. The Union is splitting up, the old empire is attacking, I just married a princess, I’m heading into a war zone and, oh, hey, maybe you just made your new bride pregnant. Nothing like that will cross my mind out there, I’m sure,” I said. She smiled and rolled her body on top of mine.
“There are circumstances we can’t control, Peter,” she said. “And like it or not we have been brought together, now. Is it too much to ask to just let your worries go, and be in the moment with me?”
I looked up at her. She was beautiful. “It’s not too much for a wife to ask of her husband, no,” I said. Then she smiled, and I kissed her, and felt my passion for her begin to rise again.
Roughly fourteen hours later I strode onto the bridge of Starbound at High Station Candle, and greeted Maclintock and Serosian, as well as many others of the crew. Maclintock didn’t waste a minute getting us underway to Pendax.
It would be a short two-hour traverse to the jump point using the HD impellers on full max, and from there the jump to Pendax. It would be a 48.5-light-year jump, and thus we would be in a hyperspace bubble for about sixteen hours. All of us would undoubtedly be worried about the situation during that time, but there was nothing we could do about it but prepare.
Maclintock called a staff meeting fifteen minutes after we left Candle in the Command Deck Briefing room. Serosian was noticeably absent, but all the major department heads were present and seated around the oval table: Babayan, Layton, Marker, Jenny Hogan, and Duane Longer along with me. Missing were several important section chiefs who would be joining Maclintock on Valiant. What was also missing in the room was any sign of Carinthian officers besides Babayan. Most had left for home, some had simply removed themselves to barracks on Candle, staying loyal to their Union oaths but not willing to fight their countrymen.
Maclintock cleared his throat. “First order of business, congratulations to Mr. Cochrane, both on his promotion and his recent, unexpected nuptials,” he said. There was applause around the room. I fingered my new wedding band.
“Thank you all for the good wishes,” I said. “I just wish the circumstances were different.”
“As do we all,” said Maclintock before continuing. “Mr. Marker, did you get your replacement marines aboard?” he said.
“Aye, sir,” replied Marker. “Full complement of sixty, trained and experienced, but not a one from Carinthia.”
“Can’t say as I blame them,” said Maclintock.
“Nor I,” said Marker.
“Do you anticipate any problems getting the new recruits integrated?” Marker shook his head.
“None, sir. All of them to a man and woman volunteered, even after what happened at Jenarus. I had more trouble sorting through all the applicants to pick the best mix of skills than worrying about recruiting or getting them to work together,” he said.
Maclintock nodded. “Good,” he said, then looked down the table to Lena Babayan, who was functioning as our intelligence officer on this portion of the mission. “What’s your latest report, Commander?” Maclintock asked, using her new navy rank.
“We’ve received regular updates from Pendax. All is quiet there, eerily so. It’s like they’re waiting for us to show up before they attack,” she said.
“And how would they know when we’re coming? Either they have very sophisticated detection equipment we know nothing about or they’re telepaths, which I doubt,” said Maclintock.
“We do know their dreadnaughts can jump into a star system without using jump points,” I said. “Perhaps they have other capabilities as well.”
“There is one other possibility that I feel I should raise,” said Babayan.
The captain looked at her, waiting for her to finish.
“There could be spies aboard Starbound.” We all contemplated that for a long moment. Maclintock looked down the table to Marker.
“Marine details on all critical ship’s systems, Master Chief. Security alert for the duration of this mission. Passes and personnel checks required at all secure stations,” he said.
“Aye, sir. May I also recommend silent running and a catchnet over all com traffic?” said Marker.
“Noted and logged, Mr. Marker. I’ll leave it to you and Commander Babayan to implement.”
“Aye, sir,” they both said.
“Anything else to report?” said Maclintock to Babayan. She nodded affirmative.
“Admar Harrington’s network has reported that while we were waiting for Mr. Cochrane to arrive a courier jumped in to the Sol system from Carinthia on a diplomatic mission to High Station Earth. The courier ship had one passenger, Prince Benn Feilberg. He was sent with the Union Secession papers drawn up by the Carinthian Regency government. Those papers were rejected by the Union Council because they were not approved by the grand duke himself, which is a requirement of the Concord Agreement that has never been amended,” she said.
“Political posturing,” I said. “What of Prince Benn?”
Babayan looked to me. “He immediately caught an Earth shuttle for Quantar. Apparently there was no return ticket to Carinthia on the courier ship.”
I felt bad for the prince, who was now clearly in exile. But I took comfort that Karina would at least have some family support soon at the North Palace.
Maclintock took reports from the rest of the officers present and then turned to me last before addressing the room at large.
“As you all know, Commander Cochrane here is set to take operational command of Starbound once we reach Pendax. However, I think that is too long to wait. Nothing like getting a few extra hours in the Big Chair, in my opinion. Therefore . . .” At this he stood up, and I stood with him. I hadn’t expected this.
“Commander Peter Erasmus Cochrane, I do now solemnly and without reservation, relinquish command of H.M.S. Starbound to you, pursuant to orders issued by Grand Admiral Jonathon Wesley on Union date 01.26.2769. Do you accept command?” Maclintock said.
“I do, sir,” I replied. He shook my hand.
“Congratulations, Captain.”
The other officers stood and applauded then, and Maclintock did, too. I stepped up to the center seat.
“Prepare for the jump,” I ordered. “All stations to be locked down fifteen minutes prior to green-go. And since we have sixteen hours in jump space, expect a full inspection of all stations en route.” I looked to each face around the table, especially to Marker and Layton, Babayan, Longer, and Jenny Hogan, my friends.
“Dismissed!” I snapped, and they were gone.
Maclintock shook my hand one more time.
“Good luck, Peter. I pray we won’t need it,” he said.
I met with Serosian after completing one formal inspection of the ship and two informal ones. Maclintock was staying out of the way in his stateroom and letting me run the ship my way, and for that I was grateful. I entered the Historian’s quarters after my last run-through, after ordering the command staff to take a full eight ho
urs’ break before their duty shift tomorrow when we arrived at Pendax.
Serosian greeted me in the outer room of his chambers, the one furnished like a library. I sat down heavily in a leather club chair and he joined me.
“And how was your first day in command?” he asked, cheerily enough.
“A task. One that I enjoyed thoroughly,” I said, smiling.
“And you should,” he replied. “You won’t ever have a first day in command again.”
“True enough.” I leaned forward and rubbed at my eyes. I was tired. In the last forty-eight hours I’d gotten married, been given command of a Lightship, traveled the length of my home solar system, and was now halfway to a star system I’d never been to but was probably going to have to defend. And then there was the small point of my mission to Levant and the orders to destroy the artificial jump ring there.
“You’ve had a busy day,” Serosian commented dryly.
“Is it still the same day? I’m not even sure.”
“It doesn’t matter. You should get some rest at any rate.”
“Noted,” I said. Then things got quiet again. I was tired.
“Do you remember why you came here?” Serosian asked.
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “I wanted to ask about the gravity weapons systems. Will they be available to me?”
Serosian nodded in reply. “All of them. At their full capacity.”
“And if we have to use them?”
“I will make them available at your command, Captain.”
“Good,” I said. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“You must be concerned about having to face Dobrina on the battlefield,” he said. As usual, he read my concerns easily.
“Of course I am. But I have no intention of using mass-destruction weapons on her, or on any Lightship. Those ships are Union property, and we’ll do all we can to protect them and their crews. But I have no such problem with using them on Imperial ships, if and as necessary,” I concluded.
“You sound very clear.”
“I am.”
He went silent at this, usually a sign of his disapproval or of his opinion that I had missed something important. “What?” I finally asked him.
“So the human crews on the dreadnoughts, they have no value to you?” he asked. “Or perhaps just less than Union lives?”
I replied quickly. “The Imperial ships have shown no regard for our lives. Are you forgetting they took the entire crew of Impulse and turned them against us? They’re an aggressor, an enemy, and until they show us a different face I will regard them as such.”
“Human lives are, perhaps, too precious a thing to waste,” Serosian said. I had no idea what that meant, and now it was my turn to go silent. After a moment he added, “I just want to make sure you aren’t acting out of some sense of revenge for Impulse, and for the lives you lost at the Jenarus station.”
“I’m acting based on what behavior I have seen from the enemy. Until that changes, my approach will remain the same,” I snapped.
He nodded, which signified clarity if not assent. “Perhaps we should discuss more pleasing subjects. How are you feeling about your sudden wedding to the Princess Karina?” He was probing me. I sat back in my chair.
“And now you sound like my psychology professor at the Academy,” I said back. The fatigue was getting to me. When Serosian said nothing more I continued. “Marrying Karina wasn’t what I had planned, but I knew the possibility of a political marriage was always out there. I made the same commitment to Janaan at Levant and I would have kept it had things worked out differently. But they didn’t. And now I have Karina, and we have each other.”
“And Dobrina?”
I shrugged. “My feelings for her were never the issue. Were I left to choose, I might have chosen her. But that’s over now, and we all have to move on.” At that I stood to leave.
“We may need every weapon at our disposal to win this battle, my friend,” I said.
“I will do all I can to help you, Peter,” Serosian said.
“Thank you,” I replied, then paused, looking at my friend. “Have you been all right since the jump incident at Jenarus? Resting well?”
He smiled slightly at my concern. “My mind, my decision making, has been unaffected. But I’d be lying if I said that the experience hasn’t affected my emotions. It’s as if my subconscious mind is still sorting through the experience. My dreams are troubled, my body rhythms disturbed. But I am able to function. There will be time to sort it all out after the crisis is over,” he said. I found myself unsure if he was being truthful to me. He looked tired, but then we all were, not least of all me.
“I hope that’s so. Good night, Serosian,” I said.
“Good night, Captain.” Despite my fatigue, I smiled one last time at that, then headed out the door to my cabin, to rest.
At Pendax, and Levant
We jumped into Pendax space sixteen hours and six minutes after our entry into jump space at Candle. Jenny Hogan was her usual efficient self.
I sat in the captain’s chair with Maclintock on my right, as my guest. Officially he was about to become commodore of the fleet, and I his underling. But for the moment, I was the ranking officer aboard.
I ordered us in to the rendezvous with Valiant, and after an hour we met near an outer gas giant of the Pendax system and Maclintock made the transfer over via shuttle. It was strange seeing our two Lightships together, but we were not alone. Harrington’s Wasps and merchant destroyers had set up a picket line of defenses between the main planet and the still-under-construction High Station Pendax, situated near the jump point. She was marginally operable from a military standpoint, but months away from being ready for commercial traffic. We would surely be outgunned by a combined Imperial and Carinthian fleet, especially so with my orders to leave Pendax and take Starbound to Levant to destroy the artificial jump gate apparatus. But those were my orders, and I intended to follow them.
Once Maclintock and his crew were aboard Valiant we said our goodbyes via longwave, and within the hour I had us back on course to the jump point, where we made our hyperdimensional transformation again. I had mixed feelings about returning to Levant. I had made a good friend in Prince Sunil Katara, and an even closer one in his sister, the Princess Janaan. I wondered what her reaction would be to my wedding to Karina.
I spent the traverse working the crew steadily, but not too hard. We needed the rest that traverse space provided, and we would likely not be getting many breaks once we got to Levant. I hoped for a quick and easy mission, just get in, destroy our targets, and get out.
That’s what I hoped for, anyway.
The crew was ready when we jumped in to Levant space, all personnel at battle stations and the ship on full alert.
We found the system quiet and empty of traffic except for the Levantine home-built defensive destroyers and the five Wasps deployed to protect the planet. I immediately opened a visual longwave to High Station Artemis and General Salibi, the commander of Levant’s defense forces. His familiar dark and ruddy face appeared on the main plasma display of the bridge.
“Good to hear from you again, Commander,” he said in his ever-improving Standard.
“It’s captain, now, General. Starbound is mine, at least for the time being,” I replied over the com.
“Congratulations! That’s fantastic news! I’m afraid the prince will be disappointed though. I think he had you in mind to command Resolution,” said Salibi.
“I’m afraid the prince may be disappointed in much of the news we’re bringing,” I said. I then filled him in on the tactical situation at Pendax, and more importantly, my mission orders for Levant. As I expected, he wasn’t happy.
“Of course we’ll clear traffic around the jump ring and the base on Tyre. Are you sure you have to destroy them? I’m sure Prince Katara doesn’t
want to lose such a prized asset,” Salibi said.
“Unfortunately, those are my orders, General. The Admiralty feels the gate could be used for ingress of an Imperial fleet into your system, and that’s a risk we can’t take right now,” I said.
“Understood, Captain. How much time do we have?” I looked to Duane Longer. He showed me six fingers.
“Six hours, General. We have a new hybrid impeller drive that gets us around in normal space much faster than before. We’ll commence combat operations as soon as we arrive at Levant.” Salibi looked unhappy at that.
“We’ll be ready. Our defense forces will be deployed to protect the planet,” he said.
“Acknowledged. Just be sure we have clear firing lanes.”
“As you say, Captain.” And with that we said our goodbyes and the line was cut.
I gave orders to the crew to begin firing drills on both the Tyre (or L-4b) and jump ring scenarios. I wanted us to be prepared so we wasted no time in completing our mission. Pendax was where I wanted to be, for a whole host of reasons. The optimal scenario had us sweeping past Levant’s larger outer moon, L-4a, and taking out the jump gate ring above Levant itself, then picking up the inner moon, L-4b, and destroying the projector to complete our mission.
After two solid hours of firing drills that hit close to 96.2 percent efficiency, I ordered a thirty-minute break and then left Babayan the con with orders to repeat the drills again until we got it completely right. From the bridge I headed to the captain’s stateroom. When I arrived, my belongings had been unpacked and placed around the room, no doubt the work of one of the yeomen. A proper captain’s jacket was laid out on the bed, and I tried it on. It fit nicely; the two captain’s bars at the collar and three gold bands at the wrists felt right. I hung up my old commander’s jacket in the closet just in case, but I hoped I’d never have to wear it again.