“I had the cruiser hulk towed to the jump point, and I retained command. But I had trouble finding sufficient officers to man the defenses. I drafted nearly every officer I could find.”
He sighed. “Evidently, I wasn’t selective enough. The Lieutenant Commander that I assigned to one of the fortress moons turns out to be a Jonas loyalist. He’s seized control of the moon and its weaponry.”
“What’s he got?” I asked tightly. A lot of lives could be lost attacking a fortified moon. And if he controlled armed satellites, we could be in danger even now.
Chard grimaced. “Heavy lasers, for a start. He could hit and hurt any ship on his side of planetary orbit. Then, he has particle beam weapons, mass drivers, and missiles.” He sighed again. “Sheol! He could damage the base on the planet itself. He could do a lot of damage.”
I thought furiously. “Does he have control of automated armed satellites?” I sighed with relief when Chard shook his head. “He must have some reason for doing this. Any ideas?”
Chard shook his head. “Not a one. I can’t see that he could accomplish anything except kill a lot of people. He couldn’t win; a fortified moon is a defensive weapon, not offensive.” He sighed again. “I guess I’d better talk to him. Would you like to listen in, Admiral?”
Good manners would probably have called for me to bow out and allow Chard to talk to his man in private, but manners be hanged. The lives of my people were at stake. “Yes, Captain, I certainly would.”
The man must have been waiting for Chard’s call; he responded almost immediately. The man who appeared in the vidscreen was in late middle age. Old for a Lieutenant Commander. He had to have been passed over for promotion at least once. His sour expression and insolent manner seemed to confirm that.
“Hello, Captain!” he said with sarcastic emphasis. “I see you’ve got the imposter with you!”
Chard replied, “Admiral Kedron’s no imposter, and you have to know it. What do you think you're playing at?”
The man's face flushed with anger. “You might have betrayed your oath and your people, but I haven’t! You've surrendered without a shot to this rim rabble, and condemned your people to abandonment by the Empire.”
Chard was stung. “Ridiculous!” he snorted. “You’ve seen the tapes of the Emperor’s visit to Haven. You have to know Jonas lied to us.”
“NO!” the man shouted. “A crude fake! You’ve betrayed us for a fake and an imposter!”
Chard started a hot reply, but I put a restraining hand on his arm. “And just what is it that you want, Commander?” I asked calmly.
“Nothing from you, rim scum!” The man yelled. “But you’d better tell your tame Captain to see to it that we get a ship. We’re going home! We’ll let His Majesty know what’s being done out here in his name. If we don’t get a ship within twenty-four hours, we’ll start picking off those juicy targets orbiting Thaeron!”
Chard was about to reply when both his and my signalers went off at once. We each answered our own, while the Lieutenant Commander scowled at us from the vidscreen.
“Ships, Admiral,” Jax, my comm officer, reported. “Two ships just emerged; well, they must have emerged half an hour ago, but we’ve just detected them.”
“Tell me,” I ordered.
“One’s small and one’s large. The small one’s ID signal identifies her as Greyhound, a courier. The other's a cruiser, Ruthless. The cruiser is signaling ‘Flag on board’.”
I looked at Chard, whose face echoed my own surprise. “A Flagship? Whose?”
Jax looked puzzled. “Uh, that’s got to be a mistake, sir, but I’ve reconfirmed twice. Her ID signal says CINCFLEET!”
My astonished gasp was echoed by Chard. “But that’s Chu-Lo!” cried the Lieutenant Commander.
I whirled to the vidscreen. “I hope so!” I hissed. “Maybe you’ll believe the Commander in Chief of the Empire Fleet himself — and I won’t have to fire on any more Fleet people!” I cut the connection, and spun to Jax.
“What’s happening?” I demanded.
“Sir, a signal from Ruthless. ‘I am downloading safe path through mines, and will boost maximum. CO, Thaeron report to CINCFLEET upon arrival. Request presence of Vice Admiral Val Kedron. ETA twelve hours. Message ends.’ That’s all, sir. Latest fixes show Ruthless inbound at maximum boost.”
Chard turned to me. “If you’ll excuse me, Admiral, twelve hours is hardly enough to get ready for a visit from CINCFLEET!" I nodded, and he hurried off.
I spent most of the next twelve hours trying to figure out how a Vice Admiral in a nonexistent rim Fleet should greet the Commander In Chief of the real Fleet. I wanted to go put on my merchant Captain’s uniform and be done with it, but I knew that was impossible. I even considered trying to locate a marine major’s uniform — which shows how nervous I was. Vinlen Chu-Lo had been CINCFLEET for five years before I quit. During that time, he’d seemed almost a god to me, remote and omnipotent. Now he’d had the job for fifteen years, and he was the fleet. It was impossible to conceive of a fleet without him.
In the event, it was much easier than my fears had led me to believe. When Chard and I arrived aboard Ruthless, a flag Captain in an impeccable uniform met us. He barely nodded to Chard, and then awarded me a slight bow before asking us to follow him. “The Fleet Admiral is expecting you,” he said with masterful understatement.
When we entered the flag cabin, I was surprised to see the small, wizened man occupying the desk. A few wisps of white hair crossed his almost bald pate.
However, when he looked up, I forgot all that. The man’s gaze held power. His entire manner radiated it. This small, frail old man became power personified when his hard eyes met yours. Chard and I stood at attention.
A smile crossed the lined face, though it didn’t reach the eyes. He rose and came around the desk. "Please sit down, gentlemen. Captain Danought, I believe, yes?"
Chard nodded. “Yes, sir! I’m honored and a bit surprised you knew the name, sir.”
The smile firmed up. “Don’t be surprised, Captain. When I learned that idiot Jonas had suborned Van-Lyn and boosted for Haven, I hoped it would be you he’d leave in charge." Chard looked pleased and embarrassed.
The Fleet Admiral turned to me. “And you must be Kedron.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good of you to greet me, Admiral. I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’ve seen your record, of course,” he continued, shaking his head. “You’re another one of those young men we lost after Haskins’ World. Damn that planet! One small outlying system full of religious fanatics, and it nearly destroyed the Fleet. Cost us many of our best and brightest.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. What else could I say to a statement like that?
The old man's smile turned to a genuine grin. “Would you excuse us, Captain?” he inquired. “I’d like to speak with Admiral Kedron in private.”
“Of course, sir. Uh… the welcoming ceremonies…”
“… can wait,” Chu-Lo finished.
“Yes, sir,” Chard replied hastily and fled.
“Now we can really talk,” Chu-Lo resumed. “Do you mind if I call you Val?”
“Not at all, sir. I’d be honored.”
He waved a dismissal. “None of that nonsense. We’re just two old Fleet mates here. Call me Vin.” He turned those blazing eyes on me. “The officer commanding that hulk at the jump point told me that you destroyed a battle cruiser and a dreadnought with a couple of damaged fleet ships and a flock of tramps!”
“Actually, sir, I used a bag of rocks and an asteroid,” I replied.
His eyes jerked to mine. “You mean that, don't you?” I nodded. “You know I’m going to want a detailed report,” he continued. “But you’re not under my command. Would you mind?”
“Not at all, sir. But if I may suggest…”
“Don’t be so damned humble,” he grumped. “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “It’s just that it’s not quite over yet. There’s a Fleet Lieutenant Commander and twenty-two others sitting out there on a fortified moon, threatening my ships.