Seeton’s office was huge. He greeted Trexler with a tight smile and outstretched hand. “Colonel Waverly has told me all about you. I hope you’re as successful here as you were with Korban.”
“There are a lot of unknowns, obviously. We have no idea of Rebel numbers or dispositions. You probably know there are a lot more of us out there than you can see.”
“I do, and I only just learned of your suspicions that a lot of Rebels will show up without Chessori. I wish I’d known sooner. I’ve pulled in a number of squadrons from my districts. I’ll join them before things get started here on the ground.”
Trexler raised his eyebrows. “I thought you would focus on the ground effort.”
“What good will I be here? As soon as Jim gets started, the scree will take me out. I’ve had a long time to get ready for this, and I haven’t been idle.”
“Hmm. How much of our plan do you know?”
“Darn little, and I’m not pleased about it. This is my sector, you know.”
“You’re right, sir. We’ve done you a disservice, and I apologize. We’re learning as we go. We’ll do better next time.”
“We’re all learning. I hope the learning curve is steep and in the right direction. Truth be told, until today it was my understanding that my ships would be useless against the Chessori. I only pulled them together in case our plan failed. You probably know that our fallback position has always been to leave with as many assets as we could gather together, to join with Buskin to fight another day.”
“Uh, how many have you pulled together? Surely you couldn’t know the timing of this battle.”
“The approximate timing was not difficult to figure out. I sent out orders months ago. They’re here, though they believe their only purpose is to flee.”
“How many, Admiral?”
“All of them. I’m leaving nothing behind for Struthers.”
“How many is all of them?”
“673.”
“Ships?”
“Squadrons.”
Trexler felt the blood rushing to his face, and his legs suddenly felt weak. He reached behind him for a chair and sat down.
“You’re talking about more than 8,000 ships?”
Seeton nodded and sat down behind his desk. Waverly took another chair.
“I wish we’d known,” Trexler mumbled to himself. Lifting his gaze to Seeton, he said, “It’s a gift. We need to get them trained. Does our fleet commander know about these ships? They were not included in my briefing.”
“He does not. Remember, my purpose for gathering them together was to flee if you fail here against the Chessori. But what training do they need? They’re already trained. They’re fully operational squadrons, Admiral.”
“Unless you’ve been doing some special training, they’re not trained to fight a battle of this scale.”
Seeton stared at him. “Perhaps not. Chandrajuski knows our skills and limitations. He’ll provide direction.”
“He’ll have to. We’ll need to get word to him as soon as he arrives.”
“I have a courier in position to reach my ships with just one short jump. It just needs to know if they should flee or fight.”
“How are they positioned?”
“They’re all together. It’s probably the largest massing of ships in the history of Empire.”
Trexler stared at the ceiling in contemplation. “This could seriously change our battle plans. Where and when your ships come into the system needs to be considered. It’s going to be real confusing for a while. We might want them to wait, but they’re slow ships; they can’t wait too long. We have to somehow sort out the Chessori-manned ships from purely Rebel ships before committing them. I’ll get started on it as soon as I’m done here.” He turned to Waverly. “What do you need from me?”
“There are a lot of Chessori ground troops here, Ray, and there are a lot of Chessori ships. Seven are in port here, there are dozens spread around the planet at other ports, and there are lots more of them in space. I need them taken out.”
“I met with a Chessori trader at Orion III. He claims they’re not all bad.”
“Reba set our rules of engagement early on in the battle at Orion III, sir. They’re simple: so long as the scree is sounding, all Chessori, armed or not, will be killed on sight. We learned it the hard way, trust me. I need to know that’s how you’ll operate. I’ll have enough to deal with without having to worry about Chessori reinforcements.”
“Agreed. What’s your plan?”
Trexler learned that Seeton had strategically hidden caches of food, water, heavy weapons, and medical supplies for the Raiders. They would not have to carry supplies on their backs, a matter of great significance to soldiers on foot. Entry codes for every facility on the planet had been provided to Waverly, and every armory and gun emplacement at every port would be locked. The Chessori would not have access to those codes.
Seeton’s door opened as the briefing was in progress, and his executive officer stuck his head in. “The governor is on his way, sir. He’s accompanied by Admiral Hogri and three Chessori.”
Seeton’s eyes narrowed, and the two of them stared at each other. The man nodded his head. “I think they beat us to the starting line, sir.”
“I think you’re right. Activate the plan.” He turned to Waverly. “Are your men ready?”
“Not even close, sir. Most are still aboard ship, and they’re sitting ducks. If your confidence level is high, I’m going to speed things up.”
“Your plan wasn’t based on starting operations at the port, but it’s time, my friend.” Waverly turned away and began issuing urgent orders over his communicator. Seeton turned calmly to Trexler. “If they’re really making their move, this will be coordinated with the nearby Chessori traders. This could be timed with the enemy fleet’s entry into the system, as well. I’m afraid you’re stuck here for a while. It’ll be too dangerous for you to get back to your ship.”
Trexler reached for his own communicator, but Seeton reached out a hand to stop him. “It’s all taken care of, Admiral. My staff is alerting the squadrons as we speak. They know what to do.”
“It’s Waverly’s men I’m concerned about.” He called one of the frigates and spoke to the captain. “Tom, you’ll be under attack in moments. Get out of here.”
“We’ve unloaded less than half of the Raiders, sir.”
“The rest will have to wait. Every one of those Chessori ships at the port is armed, and it looks like the attack is beginning right now.”
“In that case, we’ll boogey. I’ll stay in touch, sir.”
“Let the squadron know, and get them moving in. They’re to take out every Chessori ship on the planet, and they might as well get started on those in space, as well. Every Chessori ship, understood?”
“Understood, sir.”
Seeton’s executive officer opened the door again. This time he left it open. “They’re in the building, sir.” He passed out three blasters, then turned and left. Seeton calmly buckled his on. Waverly, communicator still to his mouth, became a contortionist as he belted his own on. He checked the charge and left the flap open on the holster. Trexler followed his example, but he had never held a blaster in his hand before.
“How do I fire it?”
Seeton couldn’t help grinning. “All that firepower at your beck and call, and you’ve never fired a blaster? Amazing. Here’s the safety, and it’s off. Just point it, squeeze the handle here, that’s a second safety, and squeeze the button under your index finger.” He moved a visitor’s chair to each corner of the room adjacent to the door and motioned Trexler to sit. Waverly was still on his communicator.
“Jim,” he said, “It’s time. Have a seat, and I have a small favor to ask each of you.” Waverly signed off and put his communicator back in his pocket. “I hear this scree is pretty bad. There’s a stunner in my bottom drawer. Would you be kind enough to use it on me and my men if it comes to that?”
He stood up as footsteps sounded just beyond the door. Two men followed by three Chessori walked directly to his desk, not even sparing a glance into the two corners behind them. Did they even know Seeton had visitors?