They were met by Mr. Delphant and ushered into a side office.
“Captain Blake, so nice to meet you, and who is this with you?”
“Mr. Delphant, this is my Chief of the Ship, Senior Chief Petty Officer Blankenship. She will be assisting me with my briefing to Mr. Debran.”
Mr. Delphant turned away, paced a few paces, turned back, and said, “Mr. Debran abhors formal briefings. He would much prefer a deskside one-on-one conversation.”
Kelly looked at Chief B and shrugged.
“All right, Mr. Delphant, if that’s the way he wants it. So, what are we waiting for?”
Mr. Delphant turned to a tablet on the desk, punched a few buttons, read what came up, and turned to Kelly. “Mr. Debran is in a video conference. He will be ready to see you in ten minutes. Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea?”
“Nothing for me. Would you like something, Chief?”
Chief B shook her head and they waited. Ten minutes later, Mr. Delphant’s tablet buzzed and he led Kelly, without Chief B, in to see Mr. Debran.
Mr. Debran was sitting behind a large desk, but got up as Kelly was led into the room. He was a smallish man about five foot six. He used the trick of many short men of having his chair higher than those in front of his desk.
“Captain Blake is it? So good of you to come see me.”
Kelly shook his hand and felt a firm grip meet his.
“Actually, sir, I’m LCDR Kelly Blake. Captain is my title on board ship.”
“Ah, I see,” Mr. Debran responded. “I’ve actually never really understood military ranks and titles.”
Kelly said, “Mr. Debran, first let me say how sorry I am for the trouble that has befallen your family. My mission is to do the initial reconnaissance into the star cluster. Fleet Intel has done some initial surveys of the area and we will be using that information to focus our reconnaissance. There are two areas of interest and we will be investigating both of them over the next few days.”
“In addition, the Third Assault Landing Group, commanded by Rear Admiral Paulo Minacci, will be arriving within the week. We will then have sufficient force to conduct a cordon and search or direct assault, if required. If the marauders are in there, we’ll find them, deal with them, and rescue your family.”
Mr. Debran paused in thought, then said, “Thank you, Captain, that is quite concise and to the point. I would like to ask you that if you can’t save my family that you, at least, reduce this pirate stronghold to dust and cinders.”
“Sir, there are limits to what we can do. We will see to it that the pirate base is destroyed and they are eliminated as a threat in this sector.”
Captain, pass this on to your admiral when he arrives that I want that base reduced to rubble and all the occupants eliminated. If that doesn’t happen, I will make it my job to make things miserable for the Fleet. Your own career is on the line. I could make yours the shortest command in history. Senator Coleen Santori is a close family friend and is personally interested in my family’s situation.”
Kelly quietly said, “Mr. Debran, Fleet will do everything possible to return your family to you and remove the pirate threat wherever they hide. Before you threaten someone, however, you should know who they are.”
“My mother’s maiden name is O’Toole. Her younger brother, my uncle, is Brian O’Toole. You may be familiar with that name. If there is nothing more, I’ll be heading back to my ship and my mission.”
Kelly stood up, walked out of the room, and with Chief Blankenship, left Mr. Debran‘s offices for his ship.
Debran spoke to Mr. Delphant after Kelly had departed. Mr. Delphant pushed some buttons on his pocket tablet.
“Yes sir, LCDR Blake’s uncle is the majority leader of the Galactic Senate. I think he’s just seen your senator and raised you.”
Friedrich Debran grimaced at the odds that a mere Fleet officer could have shut him down like that. He told Mr. Delphant to get his hooligans ready to shadow the Vigilant.
Standard operational procedure for Scout Force ships on patrol and the physics of deep space did not normally allow for receiving or sending personal messages. Kelly made use of a captain’s prerogative to authorize receipt of emails while docked at Rigel Station. The fact that the sleek, black Vigilant was visible to several view ports along the spaceport’s promenade negated any operational security concerns. Probably none of their observers noted the blue E, the red V, and campaign star, or understood their significance.
Kelly did not allow the crew any outgoing messages even though the operational security filters in the comms system would have scrubbed out any references to mission, destination, or location. However, he did send two carefully worded messages to his mom and his dear uncle Brian.
The normal Senate Monday morning party leadership coffee was spirited as Brian O’Toole reflected on their recent passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill and its value to the Colonial party in the upcoming Fall elections. With a final push to all his leadership to get the votes out for the Defense and Commerce Enhancement Bill authorizing an increase in funding for the expedited construction and broader deployment of transporter gates, Brian closed the meeting.
Brian asked Senator Colleen Santori to remain behind. He reminded her that her dual hatting as Party Whip and Chairman of the Galactic Defense Committee was unprecedented and only an experiment. He expressed his concern at the narrowness of the vote on the recent appropriations bill and how more important that was to the party’s future than her micromanagement of the Defense budget. He opined that if things didn’t improve on this next bill he might ask her to choose which was most important to her. She responded that she had just gone through a critical series of hearings on the upcoming Defense Budget, but there was now nothing in the way of her focusing her attention on Party Leadership matters. Brian thanked her for her efforts on behalf of the party and the Republic and held the door for her as she left his office.
The pressure on Fleet over the Debran affair miraculously evaporated.
The sources of all the commotion were very comfortable in their captivity. The VIP Manor House they occupied left them wanting for few creature comforts. There were copious and well-maintained gardens, a fully equipped stable, fishing streams, a large pool and spa, tennis courts, a well-stocked library, a nine-hole golf course, and numerous other distractions for their pleasure and relaxation.
Christine and Sylvia spent most afternoons by the pool working on their all-over tans. Julia spent her afternoons in the library. Julia was pleased that Thorson (she didn’t know if that was his first or last name) had been chosen to captain the soon to be launched pirate cutter Eclipse, and thus was free to visit her often. It allowed him to spend a good deal of quality time with her. She was always so regenerated after his visits. She so enjoyed being a desirable woman again.
Steven Maynard (the head pirate as Sylvia referred to him) also paid them a call. He told them they were to be ransomed and should enjoy their confinement for the short time they were expected to be there. He informed Julia that he was asking 100 million credits for the three of them. Julia thought they were asking too little considering her husband’s worth, but kept that thought to herself. Although the thought amused her to bid their price up, she never knew what true value, if any, Friedrich might assign to them.
The capture of the Nebula Queen caused all sorts of logistical problems, as it carried over 500 passengers, male and female, and 130 crew. It took 12 shuttle flights to bring them all down to the receiving facility. They were identified against the roster, chipped, sorted by use categories, and eventually sold. Irina Bugarov and Terri remained together because of some skillful camouflage and even more skillful makeup usage. Suspecting what was coming; Irina made Terri look old and used up. She emphasized wrinkles on Terri’s face, and wrapped an elastic band around her bust to de-emphasize her breasts. Irina then dressed both of them in their worst looking clothes.