“Joker, put me on fleetcom.”
Compton’s AI dutifully obeyed. “You are connected, admiral.”
“Second Fleet, this is Admiral Compton.” He paused and took a breath. He’d been under unceasing stress for the past six months, and it was starting to take its toll on him. He could face combat and danger; he done it countless times. But now he felt he was struggling every minute to maintain command, and it was draining him in ways he’d never experienced. He was uncomfortable on his own flagship, and he could feel the unspoken doubts, even from the officers who’d pledged their loyalty.
“We have detected a large number of fleet units inbound from the YZ Ceti warp gate. It appears that at least a significant number of these ships are vessels that were scheduled for demobilization. Apparently, the vessels of the strategic reserve had been appropriated for use by authorities unknown at present.” Compton hesitated. All his professional life he’d been decisive, but this was new territory…a situation he couldn’t have predicted. He wasn’t sure exactly what to do other than lay it all out for his crews and let them decide for themselves.
“In my estimation, this is further evidence that the naval chain of command has been somehow compromised. I have no information whatsoever regarding the personnel manning and commanding these vessels, other than the certainty that they are not part of the naval organizational structure.”
Compton paused again, wanting to give his officers a chance to consider the implications of what he had said. Someone was trying to run their own private navy, using naval vessels that were supposed to be mothballed in the long term reserve. Any naval officer would be concerned about a situation like that. “I would prefer to avoid conflict with the incoming forces, however, I do not intend to abandon this position, and I am prepared to fight if compelled to do so.” His voice was clear and calm; he was comfortable with his decision. Now the chips would fall where they may.
“Although we do not yet have a complete order of battle, it is apparent that the approaching forces are substantially superior to our own. Indeed, it is possible that we will be overwhelmed if we engage this fleet.” Compton took a deep breath – he’d decided what he was going to say, and he was about to take a calculated risk. “We are in a situation none of us could have foreseen. I will not order anyone to remain with me in this. Any ships that wish to stand aside from this fight may do so. I will take no action to interfere.”
He paused again, counting off a couple beats before he continued. “I believe this is the right course of action. Indeed, to me there is no other possible choice. This inbound force will undoubtedly bombard civilian targets on the surface of Columbia, and as an Alliance naval officer, I take it as my duty to stop them if I am able.” He swallowed hard and continued. “Duty is a hard taskmaster, and the essence of my duty is to protect the civilians of the Alliance. Regardless of political affiliations or opinions about rebellion, indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets cannot be justified.”
Compton was standing dead center in his control room. His staff had thrown in with him to the bitter end; he was sure of that. But what about the rest of the fleet? Remaining with him on station was one thing, but engaging other Alliance forces was another.
“I am resolved to make a stand here, and to engage any forces that attempt to seize control of the space around Columbia. I feel without reservation that this is where my duty lies.” After a pause he continued, his voice a bit softer. “As I said, I will not order any vessel to stand with me. You must make your own choice in this. Any who remain will have my deepest gratitude. Any who feel their conscience or personal interpretation of duty does not allow them to stand with me may maneuver to disengagement range with my best wishes.”
That’s it, he thought. Let’s see what they do, and then I’ll know where I stand. It’s a lot to ask…not just to fight against other Alliance units, but to engage an overwhelmingly superior force. In all likelihood, the only reward anyone would get from following him was to die branded as a traitor.
The Directorate fleet was almost in missile range. Jantz and about half his forces had joined with the invaders, but most of the fleet rallied to Compton. Only six ships elected to leave his command, and they maneuvered deeper into the system, setting a course to link up with Jantz’ dropouts. They wouldn’t attack the incoming fleet, but neither would they fight against Compton. They had assumed neutrality.
Compton was relieved and gratified that so many of his people stood with him. The odds were still long, but at least he had a fleet. He was about to give the order to fire when fleetcom crackled to life and began broadcasting a message. “Attention all Alliance personnel.” The warp gate scanners were reporting incoming vessels just as the comm signal arrived. “This is Fleet Admiral Augustus Garret.” The message was uncoded, broadcast in the clear.
“This message is directed to all Alliance naval personnel in-system. Orders issued from my office during the last year have been compromised and misrepresented through the actions of unauthorized parties.” Garret’s voice was strong and steady, with an undercurrent of anger that was detectable only to those who knew him well. “I want to make this perfectly clear. Admiral Terrance Compton is confirmed in command of the Second Fleet, and I hereby ratify and approve any decisions or orders he has issued.”
Compton exhaled softly. Cain and his people must have gotten Garret out. He couldn’t imagine how they’d managed it, but the relief was considerable. He hadn’t really believed he’d ever see his friend alive again, and he felt pure joy at hearing Garret’s voice.
“All forces in this system are ordered to stand down. This order is being transmitted under Priority One protocols, with DNA scan identification verified at this time.” So there was no doubt…this was the real Augustus Garret. And he had a score to settle.
The Directorate fleet had no intention of following Garret’s order to stand down. Fleet Commander Warne had orders, and they were clear and inflexible. He was to seize control of Columbia, arrest Compton, and destroy any ships that resisted. Then he was to render any assistance requested by Governor Cooper.
The tactical situation had changed considerably, however. He was going to lose Jantz’ ships now, Warne was pretty sure of that. But the Directorate forces still represented almost two-thirds of the tonnage in the system and the Alliance navy forces were divided into four groups, in poor position to coordinate or support each other. Warne had the tactical advantage.
Jantz’ ships were closest. They’d been ready to attack Compton’s force alongside the Directorate ships, but Jantz acknowledged Garret’s order and his vessels began to change course, attempting to pull off from the Directorate fleet and disengage.
Warne had his own agenda, however, and he was prepared to fight all of the navy forces in the system. He had the edge right now, not just in tonnage, but in position. Jantz’ squadron was still nearby, within energy weapons range. He decided to engage them first, taking them out of the equation before they could link up with the other naval units.
But Compton anticipated Warne’s action, and he ordered his fleet to immediately launch a full missile barrage. It was technically a violation of Garret’s stand down order, but Compton and Garret were light hours apart, and there was no way to get confirmation in time. If Compton didn’t do something immediately, Jantz and his crews were lost.
Compton’s attack gave Warne a choice. His ships detected the missile launch just as they were positioning for the attack on Jantz’ fleeing vessels. If he went ahead and engaged Jantz’ fleet at energy range he’d be strung out, not in position to counter the missile attack. Compton or Garret might have gambled, launching a fast assault on Jantz and quickly turning to face the incoming missiles. But that would be a bold move, and the Directorate commander simply didn’t have it in him. Nor were his crews experienced enough to pull it off. He had no real choice but to let Jantz go and engage Compton in a missile duel.