“A cold jump. I don’t want to be the one to send Helmo to an early grave.”
The comms was open; they weren’t hiding any of the conversation from Renaud Han.
Nineteen minutes later, the reply came back from Renaud. “I’d be happy to explain it in person. Relieved, actually, and I could talk to Commodore Bach while I’m there.”
Vega’s annoyance flooded line one. “Lord Renaud, it will take two weeks to get a jump. If you’re lucky.”
But Renaud was still talking from nineteen minutes ago. “I can be there tomorrow.”
This time Vega did turn the comms off. “I don’t know what world he lives in, but it’s not reality.” She switched back on. “Lord Renaud. If you are unable to get a ship, please go back to our original plan. I will have someone from the barracks contact you.”
She clicked off. “Some people don’t seem to realize there’s a war on.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: EAN LAMBERT
Michelle called in multiple favors to get the Factor an audience after the day’s council meeting. Ean listened to the talk through Orsaya’s comms on his way to his own meeting.
“At this rate, she won’t have any favors left to call in.” Orsaya’s voice was as sour as Vega’s as she and Ean walked down to the council room with the Yaolin captain, Auburn. “She’s definitely using up the goodwill of Aratoga and Balian on this.”
Captain Auburn nodded.
Ean wished Yu would hurry up and go home.
Line training had been canceled that day, pending the investigation by the admirals. That wouldn’t happen until after the council meeting. One thing less to worry about, at least. For the moment, anyway.
Abram had organized a precouncil meeting for him. A private session where no visitors were allowed, and the recorded discussion was not made available to the general public. Line business was for council ears only.
Ean stepped up to the podium and wiped his suddenly damp hands down the side of his uniform. He had spoken to each council member multiple times, individually and in groups, but today, he was nervous.
“Members of the council, thank you for agreeing to hear me.” He looked around at the 140 council members. Michelle and Abram both smiled encouragingly. Ean took a deep breath. “Yesterday, Redmond tried to steal a fleet line ship.”
He had their attention. He heard the sound of a glass being placed down after one of the councilors took a drink of water. If he’d been on a ship, he would have heard the gulp that went with it and tasted the water.
He wanted to be on ship. He wanted to know what they were thinking.
He had no idea.
“They very nearly succeeded.”
That caused a reaction: a murmur of noise that swelled, then died away.
“They didn’t steal the ships.” One could always rely on Admiral Carrell, of Eridanus, to speak first.
“No, they didn’t,” Ean agreed. “But it was close.” He spoke before Carrell could speak again. “Do you want to know why it was so close, Admiral Carrell?”
“Well, of course I do. We all do.”
This time the murmur was an assent.
“Because Redmond brought linesmen,” Ean said. He raised his arm and pointed. He didn’t have to calculate a direction. He knew where the ships were. “Those ships out there are so desperate for linesmen, they’ll take anything they can get. Even enemy linesmen.”
“We have supplied you with linesmen,” Carrell said. “Once they are trained, they will be put on those ships.”
“I understand that. But the ships are sentient. They don’t understand the concept of time. They don’t understand why they have to wait. They want their linesmen now. And if we don’t start allocating them to various ships, the Confluence and its fleet will start to choose its own crew. From anywhere. Even the enemy. Give me a list of which world gets which ship, and I’ll introduce them to their linesmen.”
“They’re line ships,” Carrell said. “We choose their crew. When we’re ready.”
If Ean could convince Carrell, he could convince the rest of the council. “Alien ships are different from any ships we have known before, Admiral. We might have chosen crew for the human line ships, but the alien ships have minds of their own.”
The aliens would have been smart enough to have crew ready as soon as a ship was available.
“So you’re telling us we have no control over who goes on which ship? Is this a plot by Lancia to grab the Confluence itself?”
He was not going to tell anyone about Sale. Not right now. “I am telling you to sort out which ship each world will get. Sort it out now, and I will endeavor to introduce the ships to their linesmen. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee you will get the ship you negotiate for.”
“This is a plot. A plan by Lancia to—”
The noise from the chamber swelled.
“Admiral Carrell.” Ean was grateful for his voice training, which allowed him to raise his voice enough to be heard here on world, even without the lines. “Admiral Carrell. Do you know how we stopped Redmond stealing Scout Ship Three?”
He waited until the noise had subsided.
“I promised it a crew of its own. I introduced the ship to its crew.” Ean searched the hall for Councilor Shimson. He bowed to him. “Councilor Shimson, Admiral Trask,” who was seated next to him. “I promised Scout Ship Three to Xanto.”
The council members started talking over each other.
“Why does Xanto get a ship first?”
“How can a ship choose its own crew?”
“You have to stop this happening. Surely you control the ships.”
“Intelligent ships. It’s a farce, to force us into deciding before we’re ready.”
“Which ships are choosing? We need more time.”
“Mightn’t be a bad idea to move faster. We get our own ship, with entrenched linesmen. Lancia couldn’t drag it back after that.”
The noise of over one hundred people speaking at once battered at him. Ean held his hands up to stop their talking. For a wonder, they quieted.
“These are alien ships. They are sentient.” If the members of the council didn’t know that by now, they were living in denial. “They don’t think as we do. For us to have control, tell me who gets which ship, and I will introduce the linesmen of that world to their ships. As long as they see progress, I think the ships will wait longer.”
“And the Confluence,” Admiral Carrell demanded.
“Give me two linesmen from every world for it. Pledge those linesmen as part of your gaining your own ship.”
Someone whose voice Ean didn’t recognize said, “But the Confluence hasn’t got a captain yet.”
He really wasn’t going to mention Sale. “I’m sure all of you already have a captain in mind. Put their name forward. Let the council decide. Just give the Confluence a crew while you’re deciding.”
He held up his hand for silence again. And got it. “I don’t need to remind you of the fragility of the fleet.” This was a closed session, after all. Everyone here knew facts that weren’t general knowledge. Like how the fleets jumped together unless they had a linesman in control. He wasn’t sure if they all knew it had to be a line seven, but they knew the limitations. “If Scout Ship Three had jumped, the whole fleet would have jumped into enemy territory.”
He paused, then added, “I urge you to act now to be sure the ships are under your control.” Abram and Michelle would have been proud of his double meaning there. “Before it’s too late.”