To-Ling returned to the bridge and wordlessly handed him a switch that was obviously handmade. They exchanged significant glances.
“Ships, sir!” The cry made Kas whirl toward the sensor station. “Four… no, six vessels, sir! And Commodore!” The voice cracked with excitement. “Two of them are battle cruisers, sir!”
Hope surged. Only the Empire and the Alliance had that many battle cruisers. “Ident!”
“They’re Empire, sir! Battle cruisers are Dauntless and Tur-Kan. Flag is Tur-Kan. The others are destroyers Hawk, Eagle, Goshawk and K’Taun.”
Kas’ released pent-up breath in relief as he returned his attention to the screen and the remaining two Glories. “Keep firing. Those ships are still a couple of hours away, even at max boost!”
“ Tur-Kan calling, sir.” The com tech said. The sensor display on the main screen faded, and then lit to reveal a large, jowly man wearing the uniform of an Empire Vice Admiral. “Need some help, Commodore?” The man asked cheerfully.
Kas smiled. “Actually yes, sir. I’m a bit short-handed, and could use a hand shooing some Glory flies.”
The man’s answering grin was merry. “Glories, eh? My pleasure.” The grin faded. “You’d be Preslin. You’re one of Pankin’s bad boys. I’m Rol Tu-Ker.”
Kas nodded. “I know your reputation, sir.”
The merry grin resurfaced. “They could never prove any of it! But I’ve heard of you, too, of course.” The grin faded.
Tu-Ker straightened. “All right, Commodore. As soon as we get the Glories off your back, I know you will be busy dealing with damage and casualties. When you’ve finished, please report to me on a secure com laser link. We have classified matters to discuss. Say, three hours after the Glories break off battle?”
Kas straightened to attention. “Yes, sir. Uh, there are the two Glory destroyers. Sword of God is their flagship. There’s also a frigate chasing an Empire DIN-class, Starhopper, and there’s a courier claiming to be a diplomatic vessel and carrying someone claiming to be an ambassador.”
Tu-Ker’s grin resurfaced. “We’ll give the ambassador an escort to the jump point. First, though, we’ll give those destroyers a bit of exercise. Can’t have the Glories thinking they can attack Empire warships. Tu-Ker out.” The main screen image faded to the sensor display.
The Glories were drawing off, running for the jump point by which Kas’ ships had arrived. However, chances were slim they would get that far. Tu-Ker’s destroyers were approaching at high speed and the two battle cruisers lumbered in pursuit.
Kas scanned the screen for Starhopper and the Glory frigate. After a moment, he spotted the blip representing the freighter. There was no sign of the frigate. “Comm,” he ordered, “Get me Starhopper. Put it on my console.” What he had to say to Ler-Traken might need to be private.
The console’s screen brightened to show Ler Traken. “Report!” Kas snapped.
“No damage, sir, and no casualties. Enemy destroyed,” Ler-Traken replied crisply. “I was right; they thought we were unarmed. I figured we could draw him away from you, and let you concentrate on the big boys. Sure enough, he followed right along. He fired a few projectiles across our bows, and ordered us to heave to. I slowed down, and he just closed. He moved right into the lasers at close range. We took out his bridge, but we really didn’t do that much damage. I think they suicided.”
Despite his relief, Kas’ expression remained grim. “I ordered you to stay close so our weapons could cover you, Captain. If that Glory had decided to destroy you instead of capture you…”
Ler Traken flushed. “Yes, sir. But with all due respect, sir, you were quite occupied protecting yourself. You couldn’t afford to divide your attention in an attempt to protect us. I felt that my course of action had the best chance of survival for my ship and crew.”
“You may be right, Captain.” Kas said stonily. “But there is no doubt you disobeyed my clear and direct orders. When Starhopper rejoins Rekesh, you will report to me in person. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
The news from Rekesh was nearly as good. The battle cruiser had been hulled twice, but both hull breaches were in unoccupied areas. They had less than a dozen casualties and no deaths. One woman was in a coma with a serious head wound, but she should survive. Most of the rest consisted of cuts, scrapes and a few broken bones. The results of the damage survey were also encouraging. Tremling reported twenty-two weapons emplacements damaged or destroyed, and the shields had been weakened in several more areas, but none of the damage seriously hampered Rekesh ’s spaceworthiness. Rekesh was in excellent shape to continue the voyage — as long as he could keep her out of further combat.
Tremling asked permission to dispatch repair parties; and he did so with proper military courtesy. Marveling, Kas told him to wait until he checked with Vice Admiral Tu-Ker. The man accepted Kas’ decision with none of his usual anti-military grumbling. Perhaps Tremling had learned something.
At the appointed time, Kas reported to Tu-Ker by laser com. The Admiral was in an expansive mood. His ships had caught and destroyed the Glory destroyers, and two of his own destroyers were escorting the Glory “ambassador” to the jump point. Kas’ damage report only increased the admiral’s good humor.
As he had mentioned, Kas knew Tu-Ker by reputation. The Vice Admiral was an innerworlder originally from Prime itself. Nevertheless, he reputedly had little patience for innerworld bigots. Or outerworld ones, for that matter. He was also an excellent battle commander, with a string of victories in border clashes and minor uprisings extending over the past thirty years. Kas had no doubt that the bluff, cheery officer was prominent on Fleet Admiral Pankin’s “short list” though, of course, neither man mentioned the existence of any such list. After a few minutes’ chat, Tu-Ker sighed and straightened. “All right,” he said, “I guess we’d better get to it. Fleet Admiral Pankin sent me out here as soon as we learned your route had leaked. He figured you would need some help.
“Unfortunately,” the admiral continued, “the only way he could get it past that bastard Ta-Lank was to convince him you might run off. So, I’m afraid I’m as much prison guard as bodyguard. I’m supposed to keep you from running amok and either using the Rekesh to turn pirate and attack a string of civilized planets, or going from system to system spreading plague.” He snorted. “Nobody seems quite certain whether you’re a pirate or a plague carrier, but either way, I’m here to thwart your dastardly plans.” He flashed Kas a wide grin and a wink.
Kas grinned back. “I’m afraid we’re fresh out of plague to spread, Admiral. Dr. Ro-Lecton did an excellent job of curing it. We haven’t had so much as a sniffle since everyone was inoculated.”
The admiral snorted again. “Of course you’ve cured it! D’you think I don’t know you would all be dead or dying by now if you hadn’t? The whole idea’s absurd.”
Kas nodded. “Thank you, sir. I’m afraid we’re out of eye patches and cutlasses, too. I guess I could assemble the crew for a hearty “Yo-ho-ho,” but I doubt many of them would understand the allusion.”
“Pah!” Tu-Ker’s expression was disgusted. “I don’t tolerate fools well. I suspect Pankin was as anxious to get me away from those fatuous civilians as he was to get help to you.” He waved a dismissing hand. “Anyway, I see no reason to alarm your crew-either of them. There will be no further nonsense about arrest and guards. As far as your people are concerned, we are here to make sure you get to your destination safely. Of course, you know that no one will be permitted to leave your ships, and no one will go aboard?”