“Yes, sir,” the younger Tolwyn said.
“I hope all of you know just how little I like this,” the battle group commander told them. “Okay. We’re out of options and out of maneuvering room. I’ll draft the orders to get underway as soon as we can take care of all the noncombatant ships and personnel.”
“We could escort them as far as Oecumene,” Admiral Tolwyn suggested. “There’s a small fleet detachment there that could look after the Carnegie and the City of Cashel. That way we wouldn’t have to detach any of our combat ships for escort duty.”
“Good thought, Geoff,” Richards said. “God…there’s a thousand things to do, and no time to do them.” He looked at the younger Tolwyn. “I imagine you’ll want to get back to Landreich before Independence spaces.”
‘Tfes, sir.“ Kevin paused. ”I’d rather go with you, but I have my own Flight Wing to consider. They’re drafting every spare plane that can fly to rebuild from the losses we suffered at Hellhole. And we’re competing with Arbroath, too, for birds and pilots. I have to be there.“
“You always did know where your duty was, Kevin,” Bondarevsky said, rising as the younger man did and taking his hand. “We’ve had to say good-bye a good many times not knowing if one or both of us was going to buy the farm out there. This time…well, who knows. Take care of yourself.”
“You, too, Jason,” he replied. He turned and gave Richards a salute. “Sir, I don’t think luck’s of much use where you’re headed, but good luck to you anyway.”
Richards shook his hand. “And to you. Watch that ass Galbraith.”
Kevin’s uncle stepped up to him last of all. “I brought you out here because I was afraid for your safety back on Earth,” he said. “Now both of us are back in the front lines again. I’m sorry, Kevin.”
“Don’t be, sir,” the younger man said. “This is the job I chose. And you know I’m pretty damned hard to get rid of. Just make sure you’re as hard to kill off, when you hit Baka Kar.”
The admiral looked old as he faced his nephew. “You’ve done the family proud, Kevin. Always remember that.” Then, after the briefest of embraces, he stepped back. “Now get back on that courier and go tell Max Kruger we’ll make his suicide run for him. But if I get back from Baka Kar alive I expect to see every can of beer on Landreich waiting for me!”
Kevin saluted again and left. As the door slid shut behind him, Richards spoke again. “All right, gentlemen, it looks as if we have some planning to do. Let’s break it down into a few main headings. There’s the jump drive…”
Flight Deck, FRLS Mjollnir
Near Jump Point One, Oecumene System
1315 hours (CST), 2371.036
“What do you mean, I don’t have a spot? For God’s sake, woman, I’m a civilian! And I’m not riding this tub into a war zone!”
Bondarevsky strode purposefully across the open flight deck toward the source of the shouts and abusive language. As he’d expected, he discovered Armando Diaz at the center of it all, engaged in a heated argument with Sparks. The woman looked uncomfortable, standing by the ramp up to the shuttle with a computer clipboard in her hand and a harried expression on her face. Sparks was used to dealing with small craft repairs and resupply, where her charges didn’t talk back or make demands. But Bondarevsky had press-ganged her into this detail because every department on the ship was so short-handed.
“What’s the problem here, Lieutenant?” he said loudly as he strode up behind Diaz.
The salvage expert turned. ‘The problem, Bondarevsky, is that I haven’t been given a seat of any of the outgoing shuttles. This is the final evacuation flight to the City of Cashel, is it not?“
He nodded. “It is, Major,” he said, slightly emphasizing the courtesy rank to remind Diaz of his status. “I’m afraid there must have been a mistake made somewhere-”
“There certainly has been!” Diaz interjected.
“A breakdown in communications,” Bondarevsky went on. “Apparently you weren’t informed that the Admiral had requested you to stay on with the other computer experts from your team.”
“What? I’ll do no such thing! I’m-”
“You’re a major in the Landreich Armed Forces, sir, and thus under military discipline. And your services as a computer expert are very much in need right now. We have a great deal of information to extract from the Kilrathi computer records, and only a limited number of people to take care of the problem.”
“Now see here, Bondarevsky-”
“That’s Captain Bondarevsky, Major,” he said quietly. “Look, I’m not happy about the situation either. But you answer to Admiral Richards. You have a complaint, you take it to him. In the meantime, get off my flight deck and stop holding up people who have a legitimate reason for leaving the ship. Or shall I ask Colonel Bhaktadil to have some of his marines escort you to your quarters? Or to see the admiral?”
Diaz opened his mouth, then caught the look in Bondarevsky’s eyes and closed it again. He turned and stalked away without another word.
“Thanks, skipper,” Sparks said. “I’m afraid I didn’t handle him very well.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “Lieutenant Cartwright was supposed to handle it, but he got sidetracked by half-a-dozen other jobs. Not that Richards is likely to forgive him any time soon.”
“I’ve seen a lot of confusion in my day, skipper, but I think this takes the prize.”
“Yeah. How’s it going otherwise?”
“This is the last batch,” she told him. “The only other problem…well, I’m not even sure it is a problem, sir. But most of the Cats didn’t show up for their shuttle. What should I do about it?”
He smiled faintly. “This time I’m the one to blame for not keeping you informed, Sparks,” he admitted. “I just got out of a meeting with Murragh and the Admiral. Most of the Cats want to stay with us.”
“That’s crazy,” she said flatly.
“That’s what I said. But Murragh convinced the Admiral it’s the best hope we have of getting past Ragark’s pickets. And I’m afraid he might be right.”
He didn’t tell her about the fierce argument that had raged in the Admiral’s ready room for the better part of two hours. Murragh had been given instructions to transfer with all of his people across to the City of Cashel along with the rest of the noncombatants on board-excepting the handful who, like Diaz, were needed to help them prepare for the raid on Baka Kar. But the Kilrathi prince had managed to learn the reason for the transfer order, and he had appealed directly to Richards for permission to stay on board.
“My cadre still know the systems better than most of your men, Admiral,” he had said. “And it might be a very good idea to have a few genuine kili on board in case your simulacrums are not effective.” His shrug had been thoroughly human, as eloquent as a Frenchman’s might have been. “You cannot tell, can you? What you might encounter? I would say it was a bad time to throw away your assets.”
“It isn’t your fight, Murragh,” Richards had told him coldly. “And anyway, we’re talking about a suicide mission. This is no place to risk the rightful prince of the Empire. Not when it is likely we’ll be destroyed out there.”
“Unless you think you can persuade your people not to fight?” That had been Tolwyn, who had been summoned to the meeting in haste once Richards and Bondarevsky had learned what the Kilrathi prince wanted.
“That, I fear, is unlikely,” Murragh said. “I am the legitimate heir to the throne, closest survivor to the old Emperor’s bloodline. But that is all I am. Hraijhak…the closest equivalent I have seen in any of your books was in something Graham lent me, a book on Celtic history. I am…tanist, the most likely heir. But until I have been seated upon the Imperial Throne and received the fealty of the major clan leaders, I have no authority. And if it really is Dawx Jhorrad who commands Vorghath, you can be sure that he, at least, will not renounce whatever oath he has sworn to Ragark simply because I may have the better claim. Especially as Ragark is quite evidently a powerful warlord now while I…have but a small following.”