Crineal Chronicles 1: In Hera's Service (34 page)

“Good
evening, Sybil. How are you doing?” he asked solicitously.

“I
could be worse, Rath. We’re still looking for survivors from the Krystalee. I
guess I’m going to have a long night,” she replied wearily.

Ken’Rathel
nodded. “How’s the search going?”

She
sighed. “Better than I expected. We’ve picked up two hundred crew members so
far.” That was better than he had hoped for but still less than half of the
destroyer’s crew. “Still, it could have been a lot worse today,” Sybilene added
reflectively. “So what do you think happened? Arizankis make one too many
stupid mistakes?”

“Maybe,”
Ken’Rathel sounded uncertain. “I keep wondering about all of those transfers.”

“Why
so? One of the new crew unfamiliar with procedures over there managed to screw
up perhaps?” she asked speculatively.

“Perhaps.
I’m wondering about something other than an accident, though.” Ken’Rathel’s
finely sculpted features took on a troubled look.

The
silver-haired woman’s eyes widened. “You think someone sabotaged today’s
operation just to get rid of them all?”

“I
don’t know, Sybil. I’m starting to think that what happened today was exactly
according to plan.” He leaned forward to look at her earnestly. “The whole
thing is bothering me. Crineal is one of the Fleet’s best tacticians, but he
comes up with a standard frontal assault plan that would cause us heavy
casualties.” Sybilene nodded for him to continue. “That plan is then approved
by Sar’Clax, who’s also no slouch in the tactics field, and Crineal is
appointed to implement it under my oversight. Suddenly, all of our rotten eggs
are moved to the Devastator, which then makes a fatal mis-jump into the middle
of the rebel positions. Fortuitously, this distracts the rebels and allows us
to sweep away their defenses at very little cost to the rest of the task
force.” He shook his head. “I stopped believing in that kind of luck decades
ago.”

“Let
me see if I have this right, Rath. You think that your general, along with
Sar’Clax, came up with a plan to sacrifice a big chunk of the fleet’s problems
in order to capture a rebel base whilst limiting the damage to the rest of us?”
Sybilene looked at him through narrowed eyes.

Ken’Rathel
let out a breath. “That’s exactly what I think.”

His
fellow admiral looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. “Then give him
a medal. If you don’t want to I’ll come over there and pin one on him.”

He
looked at her in shock. “Sybil!”

“Rath,
look at it this way. Would you rather we were both sitting here, sorting
through massive casualty lists, coming across the names of our friends and
comrades? I’ll tell you now that it’s bad enough to be here looking at the list
of missing crew from the Krystalee. What were the casualty projections for the
plan we were presented with? Thirty to forty percent?” The black-haired admiral
nodded. “And what did we actually suffer over all?”

“A
little less than twenty,” Ken’Rathel said quietly.

“And
taking out the Devastator losses?” Sybilene probed.

“Less
than five,” he admitted, not able to meet her eyes.

“So,
if you’re right, then Crineal decided to spare his comrades and instead get rid
of the scum of the fleet?” She shook her head. “That took a lot of guts. If he’s
found out, they’ll shoot him.”

“I
know that, Sybil. It’s the calculation of it all that bothers me,” Ken’Rathel
replied, unable to hide the unease in his voice.

Sybilene
watched him sympathetically. “I know it’s hard, Rath. But you know Crineal
better than I do. Do you think he did this to increase his own power? Or for
petty vengeance or something?”

He
sat back and considered that for a few moments. “No, that’s not his style.
You’re probably right, if this was his idea he did it to save his friends and
help clean up the fleet.”

She
looked at him gently. “Then let it go, Hon. Bury any evidence you find and pat
him on the back. He just did what we’ve all wanted to do on a number of
occasions.”

Ken’Rathel
smiled at her wanly. “You’re more cold-blooded than me, Sybil. But I take your
point.”

“Good.”
Sybilene studied him for a moment to reassure herself he had taken in her
words. “I notice that the base has been sealed and the prisoners are being held
in isolation with no interrogation?”

“Yes.
On the advice of Crineal and confirmed by Fleet HQ. We’re awaiting an Intel
team to take the whole thing off our hands.”

“Interesting.
Did anyone say why?” she asked.

“No.
Crineal said it was need to know and I’d be told if necessary. He seems to know
what it’s about though.”

“Sounds
like more spook games. Well, I need to get on and finish up here. You need to
get some rest, Rath. Take some leave, go on vacation with that wife you so
hideously neglect,” she teased him knowing how much he loved his partner.

“I
might just do that,” he smiled back at her. “You get some rest too, Sybil. Good
night.”

“Night,
Rath,” she said fondly as she closed the relay down.

Crineal’s
evening was spent cuddling, kissing and generally reassuring Cyndora of his
love. They eventually went to bed and snuggled up happily with each other,
before falling asleep peacefully wrapped up together.

Breakfast
the following morning was equally intimate and filled with kisses. Cyndora had
decided that his lap would be a suitable chair for the morning meal, which was
pretty distracting as she was still in her nightwear. Crineal noticed the bag
he had provided for her was lying on the sofa, seemingly empty. He pointed to
it with a spoon between mouthfuls of cereal.

“So
what happened to all the stuff?” he asked.

She
looked around at the bag. “Oh, I shared out the chocolate between all the assistants
in the rec dorm on the Forge. I gave the cosmetics to Jay, Marsh and Xian. I
told them I wouldn’t need any of it because you’d be coming back.” Cyndora
snatched another kiss.

Crineal’s
data pad beeped at him and he looked at it. “Damn, the admiral wants me for a meeting
as of five minutes ago. I need to go, Love,” he told her, giving her a kiss.

She
pouted at him. “Not fair!” Cyndora protested before sighing, “I can go to the
gym I guess.”

He
took a last swallow of orange juice before giving her a final kiss and went to
find out what the admiral wanted.

Ken’Rathel
was waiting for him in his office. “Good morning, General. How are you feeling
today?”

Crineal
smiled wearily at him. “Tired, Sir. Yesterday was a busy day.”

The
admiral nodded in agreement. “Can’t argue with that. I’ve had a message from HQ
and an Intel team is due to arrive later today. The task force is to remain on
station until they’ve stripped the base computers down. I’m told it won’t take
more than three days. Then our strike force has been ordered back to Earth for
repairs to the damage we took. Forge is doing what it can but some of it will
need to be fixed in a yard.” He paused to study Crineal for a moment. “I’ve
ordered engineers from the Forge to carry out demolitions on the wrecks of the
Devastator and its escorts, along with any other wrecks, of course. The small
craft from that force that made it back were fairly badly damaged and I’ve
ordered them all scrapped, too, after a complete systems wipe. We’ve recovered
a few hundred survivors from those ships that mis-jumped and we’ll be taking
them with us to Earth for transfer to other assignments. We haven’t found any
bridge officers from any of the ships so far.”

Crineal
considered the second part of the admiral’s information before replying. “That
seems prudent, Sir. Wouldn’t want to risk any information falling into the
wrong hands. There’s no telling if the rebels might return and try to salvage
anything.”

Ken’Rathel
looked at him steadily. “My thoughts exactly, General.” Neither man was fooled
by the other and both of them knew it. “I’ll be recommending the Devastator
Strike Force for an Imperial Unit Citation for its bravery in the battle here.”

“They
deserve it, Sir,” Crineal agreed. “They might have been unlucky, but they fought
well under impossible odds.”

“Also,
HQ has sent me a list of commendations and promotions for personnel involved in
the encounters during our stay in Earth orbit. I’ll forward you the list. I’d
like to have the ceremony once we’re back in dock. That should be about a week
away.” The admiral finally smiled at Crineal and the general felt some of his
uneasiness disappear. “If Hera Squadron gets any more medals, Crin, they won’t
be able to move at official functions.”

Crineal
chuckled. “We could just strap them into grav chairs, Sir. May need heavy duty
ones, though.”

Ken’Rathel
laughed. “That would be a sight, wouldn’t it?” Then his face grew serious once
more. “I just want you to know, Crin, that I do appreciate your efforts and
dedication to the fleet. Admiral Sybilene does, too.”

“Thank
you, Sir. I only want to serve the fleet the best I can and, through it, the
Emperor too,” he replied solemnly, understanding the words that Ken’Rathel hadn’t
said.

“I
understand that, Crin. Now go and start getting your after action reports
ready. I’ll let you know the exact time and date for the ceremony once we’re
back at
Earth
. Dismissed, General.”

Nine
days later saw the pilots from the Annihilator assembled by squadrons in
Fighter Bay Alpha Ten. All were wearing dress uniforms for the awards ceremony;
everyone sparkling in their white outfits. Crineal had bent the rules a little
and managed to find a place for Cyndora amongst the spectators as Feldea and
Saphya were both receiving well-deserved promotions. Crineal took particular
pleasure in pinning the insignia of a 1st lieutenant on Feldea and captain’s
bars on Saphya. Muscovy and Staller each received awards for bravery. Whilst he
had been setting up the arrangements for the occasion with Major Strieger he
had succeeded in withholding one item from her. With the last of the awards
apparently made, Crineal addressed the squadrons.

“The
awards and promotions made here today are a testament to the bravery, courage
and dedication to duty of the pilots receiving them. All of you should feel
justly proud of your performances even if you weren’t amongst the recipients.
Unfortunately, it is my sad duty to report that one pilot here has not acted
according to the rank that they hold. I have found them to be insubordinate,
disrespectful and even unwilling to carry out my commands. I submitted a report
on that person to Personnel HQ.” He paused dramatically and savored the looks
of surprise on the faces before him. “Captain Treynar, Captain Saymes, would
you please escort the offender to stand in front of me?” There was a shocked
silence as the two captains took up positions either side of Major Strieger.

“Ma’am,
if you would accompany us please?” Captain Treynar politely asked. Strieger
looked stunned but marched stiffly to stand at attention before Crineal.

“Following
my recommendation to Personnel they have found that Major Strieger is no longer
fit to hold the rank of Major. Captains, if you would, please?” He nodded to
Saymes and Treynar and they reached up to remove the golden planets that
symbolized her rank. Strieger stood there rigidly, her face pale and
uncomprehending. Once that was done Crineal continued, “However, it grieves me
to say that Personnel HQ have managed to misinterpret my recommendations once
again, as I’ve come to expect.” He put on his best sorrowful look at their
imagined incompetence. “And so I’m forced to say: Congratulations, Colonel
Strieger.” Crineal let his face break out into the wide grin he had been
containing as he stepped forward to pin the four-pointed stars of a Colonel to
the lapels of his second in command. The pilots erupted into cheers and more
than a little laughter as Crineal finished. He hugged her and gave her a small
kiss on the cheek. Cyndora was clapping happily, too.

Strieger
whispered in his ear. “I’ll get you for this, Crin.” The general stepped back
to look proudly into her shining eyes and saluted her. Saymes and Treynar were
also grinning from ear to ear, having been the only ones in on the deception.
Strieger returned his salute and then turned to salute the other pilots who all
snapped back to attention. There were big smiles everywhere she looked.

Crineal
turned to Admiral Ken’Rathel and saluted. “Permission to dismiss the parade,
Sir?”

The
admiral stepped forward. “Not just yet, General. I have one more item. This
morning I received a communication from Lord Sar’Clax commending this strike
force for its actions over the past months. The pilots here came in for
particular praise. I was also informed that General Crineal is to be temporarily
detached from the Annihilator and is requested and required to attend his
Imperial Majesty Hal’Kar’Nilant at his earliest convenience to receive the
title ‘Baron of the Empire’ in recognition of his services. Congratulations,
General Crineal.” Ken’Rathel saluted Crineal with a smile as the pilots erupted
into an even bigger cheer than the one they had let loose for Strieger’s
promotion. The newly promoted Colonel stood looking at Crineal’s stunned face
with a satisfied smile of her own. She stilled owed him though, she thought to
herself, Baron Cri’Neal or not, she’d get him.

The
parade broke up and the pilots headed to the O-Rec for a celebration. The scene
in the lounge was boisterous as the drinks flowed freely and the pilots took
the chance to unwind. After an hour, Crineal made his excuses and left Cyndora
in the company of Feldea and Saphya, with a quiet word in the two pilots’ ears
to look after her whilst he was absent. He made his way to his office and once
there activated his information screens. His orders temporarily detaching him
from the Annihilator were there and he read through them meticulously, knowing
he wouldn’t find what he wanted. He was ordered to the capital, not Cyndora. He
frowned in thought and shut them down before leaving and heading to Lt.
Commander Haraway’s office.

Lieutenant
Draffar greeted him as he entered the outer office. “Good afternoon, Sir. Here
to see Lt. Commander Haraway?”

“If
he’s available, Lieutenant,” Crineal nodded.

“Yes,
Sir, I’m sure he is.” Draffar hit the comm button. “Lt. Commander? General
Crineal here to see you.”

Haraway’s
voice came back. “Send him in, Lieutenant.”

Crineal
motioned to Draffar to stay put. “I can find my own way, Lieutenant.” He smiled
at the young officer as he entered Haraway’s office.

The
lt. commander was standing and waiting for him. Haraway saluted Crineal. “Good
afternoon, Sir. Is the party going well in the O-Rec, Sir?” he inquired
anxiously.

“Very
well, thank you, Commander,” Crineal replied as he seated himself. “I do have a
problem with my recreation assistant though.”

Haraway
retook his own seat and looked at Crineal with a worried expression. “Is she
not performing well, Sir? I can have her disciplined or replaced.”

“On
the contrary, Commander, she is proving a most excellent assistant.” Haraway
looked relieved. “The problem is that I’ve been temporarily detached to attend
his Imperial Majesty for an audience.”

“Congratulations,
Sir. That’s a great honor and I’m sure no one deserves it more than you.” He
beamed at the general.

“Thank
you. The problem is that I would be most appreciative if my assistant could be
detached to travel with me. Is that possible?” Crineal asked.

Haraway
frowned and brought up a data screen, scrolling through some regulations until
he found what he was looking for. After a few minutes of reading through the
section he turned his attention back to Crineal. “I’m sorry, Sir. Nothing in
the regulations permits detaching an assistant from their assigned ship.” His
forehead creased in thought. “It also doesn’t say it can’t happen, either; but
I’ve never heard of it being done and I don’t have a procedure to use to get it
done. I’m afraid that a decision on this looks well out of my pay grade, Sir.”
Haraway took on a regretful expression.

Crineal
nodded. “Thank you, Commander. I appreciate your time. I’ll have to try
elsewhere.” He stood and left the office, making his way to Ken’Rathel’s
domain. The admiral’s adjutant immediately took him in to see Ken’Rathel.

The
admiral looked surprised at his entrance. “General, I didn’t expect to see you
this afternoon. Did something happen?” He gestured for Crineal to take a seat.

“No,
Sir,” Crineal said taking the proffered chair. “I’ve just been to see Lt.
Commander Haraway.” Enlightenment dawned on the admiral’s face as to why
Crineal was there. “My orders direct me to attend the Emperor on temporary
detached duty and I was consulting with the lt. commander as to Cyndora’s
status.”

The
admiral looked almost amused to Crineal’s eye. “And what did he say?”

“He
said that there was nothing in the regulations about detached duty for recreation
assistants at all, either for or against, and he felt it was something above
his pay grade. So I thought I may as well skip the intervening steps and come
to the top.”

“I
don’t think you’ve ever come to me looking for a favor, General. Not in the
three years you’ve served as my flight group commander.” Ken’Rathel looked at
him curiously. “Why, Crin? You’ve never been one to trade favors. Why now?”

Crineal
took a deep breath. “I feel I can best protect Cyndora if she stays with me. My
presence might forestall any rash actions from certain aggrieved parties.”

The
admiral snorted. “I guess that’s a plausible reason. Alright. Let me think this
through. If I cut orders for her to remain in your company, technically, she’s
not leaving the ship’s complement, just in the same way you’re not. So she’d
still be under legitimate Space Corps authority as a part of Annihilator’s crew
under your supervision, just as she is now, but without being on board ship. It
would take an army of lawyers to argue through that reasoning. How does that
sound?”

Crineal
let out a sigh of relief. “Very twisty, Sir, and much appreciated.” Ken’Rathel
sat back in his chair looking at the general and waiting. Crineal finally
sighed once more. “I guess you deserve to know, Sir, since you’re prepared to
go out on a limb for me. I knew Cyndora back on Earth before I joined the
fleet. We were friends. I just couldn’t sit by and see her in the rec areas.”

The
admiral looked surprised. “So that’s it. I was starting to think it was a love
at first sight thing. It just didn’t match you though. But loyalty to a friend?
That’s the Crineal I know. Well, if anything goes wrong, it’s your head, Crin.
I can only do so much. Do you trust her not to make a run for it?”

He
nodded. “With my life, Sir. And it’s more like love at second sight.”

“Good
for you. I’ll be interested to see how you make this work out, but I have great
faith in your abilities. I’ll cut the orders to the ship’s personnel section
and have them issue her an ID card. Once you’re off the ship, it’s all in your
hands.”

“I
owe you, Sir,” Crineal said gravely.

“Just
take care, Crin. Now go and pick up that ID card and revised orders from
Personnel.”

By
the time Crineal got back to his quarters, Cyndora was already there waiting.
The look on her face told Crineal that she’d figured out the implications of
his orders, even though she was trying to hide her distress.

She
came up to him as he entered and kissed him. “I’m so proud of you, Crin. You
deserve it.”

“Cyndy,
about my orders…,” he started.

Cyndora
put a finger to his lips. “I know, Hon. I don’t suppose they’ll let me stay
here whilst you’re gone. I’ll just have to make the best of it in the rec dorm.
At least I’ll have Jay, Marsh and Xian to look out for me.” She gave him a
brave little smile.

Crineal
kissed her. “Well, I’ve got something for you that might make my time away from
the ship a little more bearable for you.”

“More
chocolate and make-up, perhaps?” she teased him with a few tears starting to
show in her eyes.

He
held up the ID card he’d got from Personnel. “This.”

She
took it from his hand and studied it. “An ID card for me? I don’t understand.
Why would this help?” she asked in confusion.

“You
certainly won’t be able to pass through transit gates without it,” Crineal
pointed out reasonably.

“What
are you talking about? What transit gates?” Cyndora was completely baffled by
now.

He
held up his data pad. “You’ve been given a new assignment. Recreation Assistant
Cyndora is to accompany General Crineal on his temporary detachment from the
IFWSC Carrier Annihilator and provide the required care and comfort as expected
of a dutiful Assistant.” Crineal looked at her smugly as Cyndora squealed and
threw her arms around his neck. “I think you’re going to need a new wardrobe.”

Crineal
was booked on a civilian liner that was heading directly to Branklee, the
Imperial capital. Having arranged for Cyndora to accompany him on the trip he
was looking forward to spending some quality time with her. But first, he had
two things he wanted to do before leaving Earth orbit.

“I’d
like to take you with me, Cyndy, but I checked and you’re not allowed back on
Earth as part of the agreement you signed,” Crineal told her regretfully. She
nodded her understanding. “I’ll only be gone for a day though and tomorrow I’ll
be back to help you finish packing.”

Cyndora
hugged him. “It’s ok, Crin. I think it’s good you’re going to pay your respects
to your parents’ graves. I’ll be waiting here for when you get back.” She knew he’d
need her love and support.

Crineal
gave her a farewell kiss and grabbed his travel bag before leaving to catch the
shuttle to Earth Orbital Two. Four hours later the planetary shuttle he was
aboard was on final approach to Birmingham Port. The port had been built on the
old West Midlands airport site to serve the reshaped industrial heartland of
the island.  Birmingham was now the main departure point for what had been
England and it happened to be convenient for his visit to his home city. He
picked up his pre-rented flyer from the port office and made his way to the
rebuilt Coventry, the flyer skimming over the landscape of his birthplace. As
he neared it, he thought that Coventry looked more like a Galactic city than
Birmingham did. All shiny new Imperial construction and materials. He parked
his flyer and made his way to the memorial for those killed in the attack over
a decade ago. He found the names of his parents and stood there for some time
looking at them, remembering all the love and care they had shown to him
throughout his life. He hoped that they were some place special, together and
happy. Finally he made his way back to the flyer and took off again, this time
to the southeast rather than directly back to the space port. Fifteen minutes
later he stopped at a security check point on the outskirts of Leicester. The
guard took one look at his uniform and ID before waving him through. Crineal
set down in a parking lot in the city center and headed to the local IGO store.
IGO stood for Imperial Goods Outlet and was basically a department store.
Crineal consulted the store map situated just inside the entrance to locate the
perfume section. He looked around for a second to orientate himself before
setting off down an aisle. Crineal could tell he was getting close to his
objective because of the intensified aromas now assaulting his nose. He felt
like sneezing. Crineal wandered amongst the various counters, not paying
attention to the goods, but looking at the name tags of the store assistants.
Finally he stopped. Behind the counter stood a young woman with long, brown
hair and faintly familiar features even though he had never seen her before.
She was wearing an IGO uniform and her name tag read ‘Anddav’.