2 Hours Later. March 20th, 2267. 06:50 CNS Waukesha Bridge en route to the Tau Ceti Shipyards
The crew of the Waukesha had been in a flurry of repair work. Engineering crews were replacing burnt-out energy relays throughout the ship. Several zero-G teams were carefully working on patchwork jobs to fix some of the more lightly damaged armor plates.
They had disengaged the locks to the poor armor plate that had been totally shattered. The best they could tell was a rail round that struck them at a high angle and embedded itself into the ablative armor. The armor plate did its job, but the force imparted upon it shattered it into a thousand smaller pieces.
“Please tell me they have a replacement…” John was interrupted by his chief engineer.
“They do. We’ll be replacing twelve plates. Which is all we’ll have time for. And about half of our kinetic relays. I’d like to do a full and proper refit but that’s not happening. We'll replace the ones in the worst shape. And before you ask. Five hours is what we and the shipyard crews need.”
“For what it’s worth, sorry,” John said as he slapped Marty’s shoulder, “What about a new drive cone?”
“Yeah, we found a replacement. It’s in the category of good enough for use. It’s not the correct model but I’ve already got the burn calculations ready to make it work like our old one.”
Marty nodded and left the bridge. John sat back down in his chair and looked at a data slate. The reported damage was excessive. In any other situation, he’d be brought up on charges of failure of command.
Then he looked at the next screen, or more accurately screens. Five hundred-forty-four pirate ships had been destroyed. That number wasn’t as impressive when the appropriate context was applied, over five hundred of them were corvettes and shuttles. But a substantial amount of the pirates’ forces had been laid low. The Waukesha alone accounted for ninety-six confirmed kills, with just under two hundred assists.
“Yeah, that was a proper fight,” Walter said from his station, “Got some good news, the shipyard has sufficient munitions to restock us.”
“Are the other captains docked there?”
Tessa nodded, “All but the Basilone are present. We just received docking clearance to Bay A5.”
“Find out where she is. I want all the other captains to meet with me over there. I don’t care what room we can get together.”
“I’ve been to this station several times,” the commlink from engineering opened up, “Use the greeting room where we are docking. Plenty big enough for what you are going to talk about. And it’s not used for anyone but the ships that are docked.”
“Thanks, Chief,” John said.
The bridge quieted down as the Waukesha neared the shipyards. Eventually, helm control was handed over to their tower. The Waukesha fit in neatly to one of their new cruiser pens. Giant restraining arms gently latched onto the ship and set her in place.
Docking umbilicals were immediately extended. They puffed up with air and atmosphere the moment a hard seal was made with the Waukesha. Smaller arms immediately moved out and began the process of removing armor plates. Efficiency was key here, while their stop wouldn’t quite be like a Formula 1 pit stop, they would be refitted far more quickly than any other ship had been in the past.
07:05 Tau Ceti Shipyards-Welcome Room A5
John transferred temporary command to Ingrid before literally running off the bridge. Numerous technicians were walking in the umbilical towards the Waukesha. John zipped past them in a flash. His destination wasn’t far away.
He was the last of the captains to arrive. That was to be expected as they had arrived over two hours after the others. Tessa Rose had the biggest smirk on her face when she saw John. The smirk died away when she realized the kind of physical specimen he was. He physically towered over the others.
“Good to see you again John,” Vanessa Davis said as she extended her hand to him.
John quickly shook it in return, “Nice seein’ ya again. Thanks once again for coming,” John turned to face his peers, “First off, fucking amazing job out there. I’ve already thanked the planetary governor and made it abundantly clear that their militia exceeded expectations today. I’m going to try and get them some decommissioned ships added to their arsenals.”
“Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?” Brady said calmly.
“Bad news.”
“The pirate fleet, headed by the Icarus, jumped into slip space ninety-six minutes ago,” Brady shook his head as he looked at the floor.
“And the good news?” John sighed.
“The Basilone is following them,” Tessa said, “Sneaky bastard, right?”
“That he is.”
“He sent over this intel,” Vanessa motioned to the holographic projector that the captains had hijacked.
It replayed a video of the transition to slip space. At least four slip space generators exploded on the Icarus. John smiled when he saw that.
“All is not lost. They aren’t going to be able to travel long in their condition. They don’t need to generate the exit portal, but they need those generators to safely navigate the tides,” John smiled despite hearing the crushing news, “Where are they heading?”
“Oscar thinks it’s the Cygni system. There’s a pretty sketchy shipyard in the outer solar system that the pirates will likely use to enact some repairs,” Vanessa said, “My money is on shield emitters and their slip space generators. They won’t have much time to work on their guns.”
“Nice shooting on that by the way,” Brady said, “We’ve got confirmation that those two remaining turrets are locked into place. They can’t even elevate the guns.”
“Have we heard from Fleet Command yet?” John asked innocently.
All of the assembled captains shook their heads.
“Ok, I can’t order you to come with me. But we need to kill this ship. Our reinforcements have hit a snag in slip space and are thirteen… maybe fourteen hours out. This is spicy intel; we can’t let it cool down.”
“I’m in,” Brady responded immediately.
“We’ve got your back,” Tessa said.
Vanessa nodded confidently.
“Ok, we need a game plan. What is in the Cygni system that is pirate related?”
“There is the retired shipyard in the outer ring. The fourth planet has a small moon that the pirates have made as a resupply base,” Tessa said.
“The inner asteroid belt also has a small base housing a local pirate group,” Brady said, “Their name escapes me at the moment.”
John switched the holographic display to the Cygni system. The two bases were almost directly opposite of the shipyard in the outer ring of the system. He didn’t want to split up his forces, but that’s what it was looking like he had to do.
Just then some station personnel walked into the room, “Is one of you, Lieutenant Lief?”
“I am.”
“There’s a transmission for you. Three ships just made a danger-close jump near the shipyards.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
John nodded, “Patch them into this display.”
The two men nodded. One left the room but the man that talked walked over to a console on the wall. He was inputting several things before the image changed. A familiar face popped up leading John to grin.
“Second Lieutenant Patrice Vernon, what the hell are you doing over here?”
Patrice confidently leaned back in his chair and stared at John, “We were stuck in awful slip tides as we were following our recall orders. We heard of a battle here and diverted course. Imagine my surprise when I found out that you had picked a fight with a bigger opponent.”
“Seeing as how you are here, how’s about joining this motley bunch? We’re going to pop off and put down my most vexatious of foes.”
“Seeing as how my squadron and I are here; it would be a waste of resources if we didn’t reinforce you for the coming battles.”
John couldn’t help but smile, “Ok, that settles that. We’re going to hit both bases in the Cygni system. I’ll manage the attack at the larger base. Patrice, I’m going to have you command the attack on their base in the asteroid belt. I’ll take the Orlando and Boulder with me. The other frigates will also go to the inner belt as it’s the larger of the two bases.”
“When are we departing?” Patrice asked.
“The Waukesha got a little dinged up,” John looked down at the console and began keying in things, “Two hours forty minutes to go on the repairs.”
“How sure are we that they will go to the Cygni system?”
Brady answered, “We’ve got eyes on the enemy fleet from a stealth frigate. The only other system in that general direction would be the Epsilon Indi system. Which is about as hostile as a system can get towards pirates.”
“Alright, let's hash out our plan,” John said slapping his hands together.
The news that the Icarus had escaped was crushing to John. He had hoped for a few hours to catch his breath before coming back and cutting the head off the snake. Rarely do things go exactly how you had planned or hoped in battle. This was but one more example of this.
The rag-tag group of Confederate captains would continue to put pressure on the Icarus. More and more pirate bases would be destroyed, and their people were taken hostage. Morale had to be low in the pirate fleet, there is just no way around that given the horrendous losses they suffered.
How much control of that fleet did the Icarus have? Surely their influence was eroded. Their most devoted and outspoken partners were now dead. Those voices would never be heard again. And what kind of repairs could they enact? John would hear those questions in his mind for some time, and all his spare processing power was devoted to trying to understand and answer those questions.
08:45 CNS Waukesha – Bridge
John walked back onto the bridge after the meeting with the other captains. His old classmate brought his squadron and joined in on the fun. They weren’t explicitly cleared for these actions, but First Fleet wouldn’t contact them with updated orders for at least a day.
That was because the reinforcement fleets were given orders to consume John and his squadron into it. An order will not be given as the reinforcements have been delayed once again. And John’s squadron, if he had his way, would be pushing off within an hour to their next location.
In fact, it was highly likely that his squadron would reach the Cygni system before the reinforcements would arrive in the system. The projected slip tides between Tau Ceti and Cygni were almost preternaturally calm. That made for ideal traveling weather.
“Captain,” Ingrid said standing up, “The station just contacted us and let us know that they are working on installing the two remaining ablative plates. They have another forty-five minutes of patching up the damaged ablative plates.”
“We are refueled and rearmed too,” Willy said, “Engineering reports all blown-out shielding arrays have either been replaced or repaired. We picked up a handful of spares too just in case.”
“Well done,” John said with a smile, “Barbara, get working on clearance and plot the fastest course out of the moon’s gravity well. I want to get in slip space as quickly as possible.”
“Understood sir,” Barbara said from her station.
“It may be impertinent to ask this, but how do you know the new squadron that arrived?” Ingrid asked, “I was under the impression that all squadrons had been recalled.”
“Patrice Vernon, an elitist asshole that was in my class at the academy. Wasn’t a friend to him but he’s a mighty capable captain. I dare say he’s the second most capable one I’ve met.”
Walter laughed from the console, “Behind you though, right captain?”
John grinned, “Of course.”
Tessa whispered to Barbara, “Only he can say something like that with that degree of confidence and not sound arrogant.”
“Pfft,” Barbara chuckled quietly, “He may be right, but he’s still arrogant to say things that one should only think.”
“You know I can hear the two of you right?” John said in a lightened mood.
“Nothing gets by you, does it, sir?” Tessa said with a hint of sarcasm.
“No, no it doesn’t.”
“What do you want me to do if Fleet Command sends us orders?”
The bridge went instantly silent. Everyone waited to hear John’s answer. They were genuinely curious to see what he’d say.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. I’m not going to worry about that until it happens.”
A non-answer was John’s response. Worse than that, it was a non-committal answer. That was unusual coming from John. But in this case, the unusualness of it made sense. By not answering the innocent question John kept his motives and plans to himself. No one could indict his crew for conspiracy or failing to follow orders.
The officers knew that they were playing on a tightrope. With John carrying all of them. If this went sideways it was his ass. But he was covering for them now, if things did go poorly, it appeared that he was the one willing to soften the fall for the others.
Grins crossed their faces as they went back to work. This crew didn’t fail in its missions. John had a preternatural ability to will them to success. They also believed in him.
Forty-eight minutes later, a mere three minutes after its estimated departure, the Waukesha left the shipyard. She led the rag-tag squadron away from the moon. Long-range scanners picked up the wreckage in the pirate fleet. The militia ships escorted them to their departure point.
John bid them adieu and thanked them once again for their courageous and meritorious service. Compliments that weren’t just window dressing, he meant them from the heart. Without their assistance, the battle would’ve gone very differently. But now they were facing that precise scenario in the Cygni system. They had one another, but would that be enough?
17:12 Captain’s Quarters
John was in a deep sleep. He was exhausted from the previous day. A good night’s rest was well-earned. Not only by him but for all his crew. As it happened far too often for his tastes, his restful sleep was interrupted once again by the bridge crew.
“Captain, apologies for waking you up,” Tess Ramsey, the third ship communications specialist, “The Lexington’s CO is wishing to speak with you.”
John rubbed his eyes before reaching up to press the button above his bed, “Patch him through please.”
He stood up and walked across the cold floor to his desk. Thankfully the screen was fairly dim when it was active, so it didn’t stab his eyes with bright light. John was still partially asleep; he was just acting on muscle memory to connect a call.
“Lieutenant Lief, thanks for taking this call,” Patrice said.
“Patrice, do me a favor and spare me the bullshit. Are you really returning from your orders or are you AWOL?”
“We were assigned to the Wise system. About thirty light years from here. We were forced to take multiple detours to get to the Cygni system.”
“Rough chop in slip space?” John said dryly.
“Something like that.”
“You want in because if we drop her your stock will rise.”
Patrice grinned, “Something like that. You and I will never be friends, but I know when you are right, and I know when you could use assistance. We both win in this case.”
“Almost sounds like you’re being a damn parasite in this relationship.”
“You think so little of me?” Patrice sighed.
“Patrice, you know how capable I think you are. I’m giving you fair warning, if you are abandoning your orders this could get you into more trouble than praise.”
“Says the guy that is flagrantly ignoring our standing orders. We were redirected here because of the sloppy seas. How we picked the Tau Ceti system over another isn’t anyone’s concern but mine,” Patrice said confidently, “Captain’s prerogative.”
“Oh yeah, that is a fantastic defense. I would recommend you work on an alternative excuse were I you,” John said with a grin, “Appreciate the offer and assistance all the same.”
“You needn’t worry about me. I’ve got that well planned out,” Patrice said, “What aren’t you telling us? There’s always a reason for the chaos you wrought. I am not seeing this here. It doesn’t quite feel personal, but it is an angry and petulant act.”
“It’s not personal. The Icarus hasn’t done anything directly to me that I’ve taken offense to. It is a petulant act, but think more about what I’m doing,” John spoke as if he were teaching a student.
Patrice was about to speak but paused. It was clear he was now questioning his response. He took a deep breath when it looked like he formulated another answer.
“Your fomenting dissent within their ranks,” Patrice said, “Eliminating their vocal allies will reduce their standing. That they are as damaged as they are is also reducing their influence,” Patrice paused once again, “Fucking hell, are they even aware of this chess match you are playing?”
John shrugged, “We will know shortly after our attacks in the Cygni system are over.”
“We won’t be killing her there, will we?”
John shook his head, “I’d be shocked if they don’t just cut and run.”
“Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
“You’ve known that of me since basic,” John smiled, “Looking forward to working with you once again.
The call ended shortly afterward. John stood up and stretched his arms a bit before walking back to his bed. He was smiling when his head hit his pillow, he felt the pride that instructors must feel when their students understand what they are teaching them.
Patrice was right, everything John was doing was according to a long-term plan. Sure, the plan had been communicated with his peers and squadron mates. Only Patrice had seen John's sheer tactical and chaotic levels of genius. Only he understood the scope of their battles.
The goal has never been the sole destruction of the Icarus. True, that was the primary component of their mission. The mission was to divide the pirates further. They have achieved a degree of success thus far. But the heavy losses will weigh on the pirate leadership.
They are a fickle group, and divisions within them will be destructive. With the Icarus sustaining heavy damage her ability to lead from the forefront is damaged. Without her strongest allies at her side, she needed the other pirates to act as a screen. The other pirates will no doubt be annoyed, much less angry, at the prospect.
The seeds of division had not only been planted, but they’ve taken root. Now John needed to play the role of a good farmer and nurture those seeds. One, maybe two at most, more attacks was all that it would take for the chaos that he had sown to take shape. John’s smile remained as he drifted back into sleep.