She stared at him for a time, then O’Brien. “Each of the visions I’ve received has been of significant import to the war. If that’s the case here, each of you is destined to fill a meaningful role in whatever is to come.” She focused on Washburn again. “You’re not alive because of anything I did. You’re alive because of something you’re needed for in the future. I don’t know what it is.”
He put his utensils down. “That’s a terrible burden to throw my way.”
“I know, but you are not alone. Others carry the same burden, including me.”
“You are a Knight, My Lady.” He reached for her hand and engulfed it in both of his huge hands. “We’ll stand beside you as long as you’ll have us.”
She nodded. “I know you will. My crew has stood behind me and beside me and in front of me when necessary. I’m nothing without all of you. I never forget that.”
R eba
Chapter Twenty-one
A full training package had been prepared by Admiral Korban’s staff for the arrival of the Terrans, Reba’s Raiders as they had taken to calling themselves, but time was short. Korban estimated he would be replaced as Sector Commander of Orion Sector within the next two or three months. He knew for a fact that the Rebel governor had sent a request for additional support to Struthers. He did not know what form that support would take, but he was certain it would come. Before it arrived, he needed to control the planet and his ships.
Waverly organized Reba’s Raiders into ten groups of 100 men, each group considered sufficient to clear all the Chessori from one squadron. The Raiders refined their tactics under the guidance of Empire Marines using mockups of ships, and troops shuttled to and from firing ranges on the military side of the spaceport for training with live weapons, though weapons training took little time for these special operations troops from Earth.
As soon as the first one hundred completed the training, Val, Reba, and Colonel Waverly led them on a training mission. They boarded Korban’s finest squadron, the only local squadron as yet untouched by the Chessori. There, the Terrans worked closely with the ships’ crew to hone their plan. Many revisions were made, many at the suggestion of the Terrans themselves.
The final plan included stationing seventy Raiders aboard the cruiser and thirty aboard the frigate. The twelve fighters of the squadron would be brought aboard the cruiser and emptied of crew before the Raiders arrived, so no additional resources were required to deal with them. Heavy squadrons, those with an extra frigate, would borrow an additional thirty Raiders to deal with the second frigate.
A trusted staff officer from Korban’s headquarters would accompany each team to each ship. The loyalty of the commanders aboard those ships was not in question – each had been handpicked by Korban himself. The senior Raider and two backups would secure and hold the bridge. Other Raiders would be assigned to Communications, Weapons, and Engineering, while the remainder sought out individual Chessori wherever they were located aboard the ship. Assistance from ships’ personnel would be extremely helpful during this process, but it could not be relied upon.
Korban knew the makeup of his fleets and the theoretical position of each Chessori within it, though no one knew the actual dispositions of the Chessori once they had reported to their assigned ship. Individual captains would undoubtedly have moved them around for various reasons. However, the numbers were known precisely. Cruisers would have, on average, 50 Chessori, and frigates would have 20.
Fundamental to the plan, and discussed at great length by Admiral Korban and Colonel Waverly, was whether the Chessori should be confronted and allowed to surrender. Korban wanted only to cleanse his ships, to exterminate the Chessori, then deal with other crewmember loyalties when time permitted. Val and Reba supported him, insisting that no warning be given the Chessori. Their plan was to kill all Chessori at the same moment aboard all ships in the squadron. If they failed in that effort, the Chessori would warn each other telepathically.
Waverly and his commanders balked at killing without warning. For all they knew, the Chessori would be unarmed. They would not pull the trigger on unarmed men.
In the end, Colonel Waverly prevailed. Since his men would be the ones doing the shooting, he just said no. Val and Reba argued with him in private, but to no avail. He held true to an unwillingness to cold-bloodedly kill unarmed beings.
Reba was proud of him in a way, proud that her group of trained killers held to such high standards. Other than she and Val, none of them, including Admiral Korban, had yet experienced the scree, and simply describing it was not sufficient to convince. They would have to experience it for themselves.
Chandrajuski could wait not longer. He knew that time was running out for Admiral Korban on Orion III, but he had no way of communicating with the sector.
He dispatched ten squadrons to Orion III, none of them fast ships. Since Parsons’ World was so far out beyond the Border, It would take them ten weeks to get there. He waited a month, then set out with six additional squadrons, all of them fast ships that would reach Orion III well before the ten slow squadrons.
Four fast squadrons remained behind to protect Parsons’ World, and more were in the pipeline for completion soon, though there were only enough Terrans to man two of them. They would be held in reserve for the anticipated battle at Aldebaran I.
The Terrans aboard all the squadrons were untested in combat, but they were battle ready and would continue refining their skills aboard their squadrons during the voyage.
Chandrajuski’s six fast squadrons arrived at a rendezvous point one short jump from Orion III. They would wait there until joined by the slow ships. Chandrajuski took one squadron and completed the final jump to the far fringes of Orion III.
He, M’Coda, and Trexler studied the display from the net in the tactical operations center at the heart of the cruiser and discovered seven of Korban’s squadrons within the system. Four held station near the planet, and three were spaced geometrically equidistant within the system, each about one week out from Orion III.
Very unusual positioning, and Chandrajuski knew its purpose instantly. The three outer squadrons were there to intercept and question inbound ships, and the three squadrons near the planet were, most likely, protection demanded by the governor. He had no way of knowing if any of these squadrons remained loyal to Korban.
The nearest squadron headed in their direction as soon as they emerged from hyperspace. To their surprise, the initial query came from a Gamordian.
“Admiral Zygtta here. State your intentions.”
Chandrajuski’s squadron commander handled the call. “We’re here to request help from Admiral Korban. Since the change, several groups of smugglers have banded together, and we’re pretty sure they’re operating in your sector now, too.”
“We’re seeing the same thing. I wish I could help, but smuggling isn’t high on our agenda right now.”
“Why not?”
“We’re in a defensive mode for the moment. Orders from the governor. You’re wasting your time here.”
“Well, we’ve both got our orders. I’m supposed to meet with the governor and Korban. They might not be interested in helping, but I’m required to try.”
The Gamordian considered. “Your squadron will have to remain here. I will send a ship for you alone. It will take you the rest of the way.”
“Surely, you’re joking. We’re all on the same team here.”
“Well, that’s the problem. We might not be. Certain new leaders have a long reach, my friend.”
“You mean Struthers. I’m not getting involved in that mess, and I’m not the only one. There’s a lot of uncertainty out here. How about you?”