He had no problems logging his arrival with port operations, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Two teams of Protectors left the ship to examine the route they would take to Dgoffs’ headquarters. Escorted by Tarn, Washburn, and Borg, Krys entered the building, all dressed as civilians. Borg’s presence opened doors, and they had no difficulty reaching the admiral. Dgoffs answers to certain questions were acceptable, and without further word, Krys laid one of her Knights pins on his desk.
He stared at the pin with narrowed eyes. He glanced over to Borg, then reached a hand out and picked up the pin. He attempted to open the pin, but he could not. He returned it, saying, “Complete the process if you can.”
Krys turned the pin to face Dgoffs, then passed a hand over it. The pin opened, and Dgoffs stared at the hologram of Ellie.
“You have a Queen, Admiral. I carry a message from her.”
He came out from behind his desk and went to one knee, his lips in a thin line but trembling. “Your presence here honors me, My Lady. I just heard from a visiting Imperial Senator that we have a Queen. What is her wish?”
“She commends your loyalty through, what I am certain, have been difficult times, Admiral. Know that the Queen is in command, and her resources are growing. Her message to you is to hold your district for as long as you possibly can. If holding becomes untenable, you are to retreat with as many forces as you can muster. I’ll give you a rendezvous location, but I beg you to hold. I don’t think it will be overlong.”
He stood up. “The sector governor tried to replace me once already. I sent my replacement packing, and his response has been to send a new district governor. The new governor is not taking no for an answer. I am at the end of my holding game.”
“What about the old district governor?”
“He refused to give up his position, saying he did not accept the authority of the new governor. He was arrested a month ago, along with two Imperial Senators.”
“Senators!”
“Yes, My Lady. One was the visitor who carried the message that we have a Queen. They were both meeting with the governor when they were arrested.”
“They’re still alive?” Tarn asked, a little surprised.
“They are. I spoke with the governor last night. His days are numbered, just as mine are. I’ve already set a plan in place. It includes retreat, and it includes taking him and the two senators with us. Now you tell me there’s a specific place to which I can go. I’m pleased that I will be able to continue working for the Queen, but I’m sorry to say that she has lost this district.”
“How many forces do you command?” Tarn asked.
“Six squadrons, each with a support base.”
“Sir, you say the governor is new,” Tarn said thoughtfully. “How well ensconced is he?”
“I don’t understand your question, young man.”
“We observed a number of Chessori military ships on our way in, and four traders at the port. What’s their purpose here?”
“The military ships came with the governor. The purpose of the traders seems obvious.”
“Are individual Chessori with the governor?”
“I haven’t seen him without several by his side, and there are twenty military types waiting for me to train.”
“You’ve allowed them onto your ships?” Krys asked in alarm.
“No, My Lady. The request has been made a number of times, but I haven’t found any of them up to our standards yet, and I won’t. I don’t know what they’re up to, but I don’t trust them.”
“Hmm,” Tarn mumbled. He stared at Washburn and Borg for a time, then turned away deep in thought.
“I would hold if I could, but I want to deny the new governor access to my squadrons. I’m certain the Queen will put us to good use.”
Krys looked at Tarn’s back with a raised eyebrow. “The Chessori are in league with the Rebels, Admiral. Your distrust is well-placed.”
Tarn turned back to the group. “The district’s first priority is to hold, but our larger purpose here in Orion Sector is to help Korban hold. I wonder if we can create a noticeable distraction here?”
“What did you have in mind, Sire?” Borg asked. Dgoffs blinked at the Great Cat’s use of the title. He had not known that Tarn, too, was a Knight.
“The governor here is fairly new. He’s probably not well-established. I wonder if we could remove him from office and reinstate the real governor? Equally important, I’d like to rescue the two senators. The day is coming when the Queen will need every senator she can get on her side.”
Dgoff’s rubbed his chin. His eyes narrowed when he said, “Their rescue is already in the works, Sire. Leave it to me.”
Borg spoke. “How will you deal with the Chessori?”
“They’re the least of my concerns. They’re weak, almost fragile.”
“Not so, Admiral. They are your enemy, and you have underestimated their capabilities. Your plan will fail.”
Dgoffs stared at the Great Cat with disbelieving eyes.
Borg returned his stare. “You’re not the first, Admiral. Your efforts to hold here are admirable, and with a little help from us, you might be able to stay.”
He turned to Krys. “Your assignment is to spread a message. Mine is to protect you. This is outside the boundaries of the assignment given us, but what Sir Tarn proposes is right, the right thing for the Queen.”
Krys studied the Great Cat for a time, then turned to Dgoffs. “Sit down, Admiral. We have some talking to do.”
The ground operation was planned, then they adjourned to the lounge on Resolve to discuss the space-born part of the operation.
Stven spoke thoughtfully. “We can take out the four traders here at the port, especially if we catch them by surprise. We’ve done it before with smaller numbers, and Resolve is much more capable than our last ship. The six military ships out in the system are a bigger problem. We haven’t gone up against the Chessori military, and we don’t know their capabilities. We can expect more skilled fighters, stronger weapons, and harder shields. It looks to me like they’re just loitering. I think their purpose here is to support the new governor while he gets settled. If we could use all of Resolve’s capabilities, we could deal with them one or two at a time, but we can’t. When we make our move here on the ground, they’re going to band together, then come in to find out what’s happened.”
His head swung toward Dgoffs. “We’ll have to borrow a ship from one of your squadrons.” Looking at Borg, he said, “Your brothers did it once before with a frigate. Resolve and a frigate should be able to do the job.”
Borg shook his head. “There can be no uncertainty when it comes to Lady Krys or Sir Tarn. We will not risk them or Resolve. ”
M’Sada’s whiskers had been getting a thorough preening while they talked, but now his hands stopped.
“There is an alternative.”
Everyone’s eyes shifted to him. “Go ahead,” Stven demanded.
“All the Terrans take a cruiser. With nine batteries manned, it will be impregnable. The cats can stay nearby in Resolve, but in a reserve status. Why make them suffer the scree needlessly? Krys and Tarn can board a different cruiser that is prepared to retreat if we fail.”
O’Brien’s face lit up. “You’re right, and I’d love to get back on a cruiser, even if it’s only for one battle.”
Stven’s long neck swayed from side to side as he considered. When he spoke, it was to M’Sada. “It’s a good plan, my friend, but I see a couple of problems. If you were a Chessori, even if you believe the scree will disable both ships, would you take on a cruiser? What would you do with it? It would take days to destroy it, all to no gain. Their purpose here is to guard the governor and his complement of Chessori. They’ll want to land as quickly as possible, hoping to restore them. They would give the cruiser a wide berth, maybe leaving one ship behind using the scree to keep it disabled. We don’t want them reaching the planet with a single ship. Our resources will be out of position if they do.”