Eagle (Jacob Hull) (9 page)

Al-shira broke into a wide smile. “So glad you asked.” She picked up her reader again. “Since Admiral Siddiqui is probably going to be the first to respond, I’m guessing she’s going to come directly to Tiredel to try and figure out what your plans are. Her next move from there, if she thinks you’re headed to San Marcos, would be to try and intercept you. If we don’t want her finding out about what is really going on, and setting off to stop you. We need to stall her here.”

“Not an easy thing to do.” Jacob smiled. “Yet somehow I bet you have a plan.”

“You’re damn right I do,
Admiral
.” Al-shira tapped a few keys on her reader. “Admiral Siddiqui’s main source of distrust comes from her belief that we are trusting too much in the power of a centralized military. She buys into the Independents who believe the military can be used to crush local freedoms and enforce totalitarian rule, like the Odurans do. That’s why she’s pushing so hard for the militia to arm themselves—and why she would expect us to ignore, or feel threatened by, any well-armed militia in the area.”

It sounded all too much like an accurate assessment of how most Navy officers would have reacted to the presence of militia, but Jacob shrugged that fact off. “There’s not much I can do to stop her from thinking that way—especially with Carmichael’s group giving us so much trouble.”

“Maybe there’s more you can do than you think.” Al-shira handed over her reader, a smug look stamped on her features. “I took the liberty of drafting a message for you to send.”

Jacob took the reader.
“A message?”

“To an old friend.”

As he ran his eyes over the message, Jacob couldn’t help a grin. “A request for aid from the Navy to Commander Miguel of the Reefhome Defense Force. If possible, we ask that they reinforce our positions at Tiredel until further notice.” He read a bit further and then looked up at her. “Captain Al-shira, you’re a genius.”

Al-shira snorted.
“As if you ever doubted that. When Siddiqui gets here, she’ll be facing a militia force ’s agreed to operate under your command. Or, technically, under the command of a brilliant officer whose capabilities you trust.” She tilted her head to one side expectantly.

Jacob held up his hands in surrender. “Well, I guess I got outflanked on that already. You’ll be in command here until I get back, or until the Admiralty Board revokes the orders. Do you think you can keep them from doing that?”

“As long as you don’t take too much time, yeah.” Al-shira shrugged. “When Siddiqui finds a militia force opposing her, she’s going to have to stop and think. I can try and draw things out and prevent her from figuring out your plan. The other members of the Board won’t want to move, especially when they see how we’ve tied up Siddiqui. Hopefully that confusion will last until you get back.” Then Al-shira grew sober. “This is just a short term solution, Jacob. I might be able to stall them during your operation, and if you pull this off, it’ll be a big boost in your favor, but eventually we’re going to need these people on your side. Not just too embarrassed to fight you openly. We’ll need to be able to count on their support.”

“I don’t suppose you have any suggestions on how to make that happen?” Jacob threw up his hands in exasperation. “I haven’t exactly been successful there.”

Al-shira let her arms fall to her sides. “No, I don’t.” She shook her head as well, clearly unhappy having to give that answer. “It’s a political battle now. You can’t win just by smashing them to bits. If you really want to solve the problem, you’re going to have to talk them around.”

Jacob sighed. “I know.” He scratched at the back of his head. “Well, at least I’ll have something to keep me occupied on the way back from this attack. Not that I needed any more to worry about.”

“Don’t make me smack you again. Sir.” Al-shira’s smile faded. “Even with everything, I do wish I could come along. Just to keep an eye on you, at least.”

“I know. I wish you could too.” Jacob sighed. “You’re right, though. I need someone here, and I know I can trust you to get things done.”

Al-shira walked over and cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. “You idiot.” Then she grabbed his shoulder and studied him for a moment. “You’re going to come back to me. Otherwise, I’m going to track you down and kill you.”

“As ordered, Captain.”
He heard her chuckle, and then she stepped back. She straightened to parade ground attention.

“Permission to transfer to First Shore until my new command arrives, Sir?”

Jacob felt his own relaxed demeanor fall away. “Permission granted, Captain Al-shira. The crew down at First Shore should be able to ferry you back up to them without any problem.”

For a long moment they stared at each other, each measuring the other’s chance of success and survival. Then Al-shira brought her hand up in a salute.
“Until next time, Admiral.”

Jacob returned her salute.
“Until then.” He watched her head for the door, and briefly prayed  he would see her again. Then he turned to his desk and started in on the orders he was going to send to his forces in Adamson and Ersvad. It was time to move.

Chapter Nine

Two weeks later, Jacob watched his assembled task force from the command center and asked himself if he’d really managed to pull it off.

The
Eagle
left Tiredel with her entire escort of Navy craft. Her scheduled riftjump would have taken her along a route for the Macy system out on the edge of the border. There, official details would suggest the fleet would engage in a few war games while remaining close enough to secure the border. Hopefully any scouts from the Odurans would still be looking for his force there by the time he reached his real target: Kryshaen.

Jacob had already sent some of the frigates as a diversion, having them jump against the Oduran bases at Pylar and Siegfried. They weren’t meant to do any real damage, but they’d followed the standard—and somewhat dated—method for a Celostian attack force. They were precisely what the Odurans would expect from a set of scouts surveying ahead of a larger Celostian task force. If they’d received any word the
Eagle
and her consorts had left Celostian territory, they would move to defend those two areas against Jacob’s fleet. Given that their precious dreadnaughts were being refitted in both of those bases, they wouldn’t expect him to strike elsewhere while they were occupied.

Unfortunately for them, Jacob didn’t want the dreadnaughts. The Odurans could upkeep all the massive warships they wanted, since without the reactor fuel, supercoolant, and other supplies stockpiled at Kryshaen, they wouldn’t come anywhere close to Celostian space. One strike would set back the Oduran offensive for months, and if everything had gone according to plan, he’d find only a light garrison to guard the system. The only way to find out if his deceptions had worked, however, was to jump in. He couldn’t afford to send in scouts and allow them time to pull their forces back—he had to go in blind.

The timer on his computer reached zero, and Jacob drew in a breath, then let it trickle out slowly. He touched a control on his console, broadcasting a transmission throughout his task force. “This is Admiral Jacob Hull. We are about to strike back at the Oduran League for their depredations against our people. Prepare to riftjump in five, four, three, two, one. Jump.”

Space flickered, warped, and the task force riftjumped, right on schedule. One moment they were hovering in the darkness between stars. The next, they arrived in Kryshaen.

It was a heavily populated place for a border system. There were at least three worlds with signs of human populations. One was a rocky planet in the habitable zone, with an appropriate atmosphere and several dozen cities. Two gas giants both showed a large collection of orbiting extraction facilities and refineries. Ships were everywhere, ferrying materials and other goods between those locations, and a few merchantmen traveled out of the system to places further within the League’s territory.

The shipyards were right where they were supposed to be, planted in orbit around the outermost gas giant. A massive installation, it was nearly three times the size of the yards at New Vermont and could have swallowed the Reefhome yards whole without
even noticing. Ships of all types hung suspended from those docking slips, helpfully tagged by the sensors officer as hostile craft. There were corvettes, frigates, destroyers, cruisers…

Jacob’s breath caught. The six bulky forms sheltered within the yard were something he’d not expected to see at all. Keeping his voice steady, he spoke into the stunned silence of the command center. “Lieutenant Urchel, can you confirm the presence of dreadnaughts at the enemy base?”

The officer stared at the projection for a few more moments, and then nodded sharply. “Yes, Sir.” She glanced at her console, fingers flying over the controls. When Urchel looked back at Jacob, his face was calm. “First assessment is that they are all still nonoperational.”

Jacob moved his attention to those ships
outside
the yards, the ships he’d hoped would not be waiting for him. His heart beat faster when he recognized them, and he counted them as they scrambled to organize themselves to face his force. “We’re going to have a fight on our hands. Put the fleet on alert status.”

“Yes, Sir.”
The communications officer on Jacob’s staff did not add anything to his simple acknowledgement, and Jacob was left alone to consider the situation. There were twelve cruisers waiting for him—four more than Intelligence had predicted, and six to eight more than he’d hoped for after his diversionary attacks. Alongside those ships were nearly forty corvettes, thirteen frigates, and six destroyers—all in all, nearly four times as many ships as he had with him. Those ships were close, positioned only an hour from his formation. The instant the Odurans picked up his force’s arrival, they started accelerating.

The enemy was positioned too well for their presence to be a coincidence. They’d been waiting for him. If he tried to retreat, Jacob couldn’t get his entire task force out of the system in time. The
Eagle
’s Capistan took too long to charge. Some of his escorts would be destroyed while they screened the flagship’s retreat. Instead of a victory, he’d take costly losses when the Union was so short of warships already. He’d have to forget about being High Admiral; in fact, he’d be lucky to avoid a court martial. Regardless of what happened to Jacob personally, he’d be forced to watch as the Odurans destroyed the Union system by system until they killed him too.

Jacob let his fists clench. He signaled the fleet. “
Kay, Galahad
, take up flanking positions with your escorts.
Eagle
will take the center.
Khan, Edward,
stay to the rear. We’re depending on you to shell the docks once the Odurans are out of the way. No matter what happens to the rest of the task force, you’re going to hit our targets.”

A response came almost immediately from the
Crown
-class cruiser
Khan
. “Admiral Hull, we’re facing significant—”

“
Kay
responding. We acknowledge your orders.” Isaac’s steely voice cut the other captain’s protests off, and the cruiser moved deliberately to take up position on the
Eagle
’s starboard flank.
Galahad
moved smoothly into place on the port side, though Leon offered no comment. The other ships wavered for a moment, and then they slid into their assigned positions. Both
Crown
-class ships stayed tucked in behind
Eagle
while the escorts gathered alongside the larger ships. They advanced together, their DE sails gathering energy as they moved away from the site of the riftjump.

The Odurans were still on the way, gathering speed at an alarming rate. His Sensors officer was already updating the projection display with more data on the enemy craft, filling in information as quickly as the sensors could drink it in. Jacob counted at least three
Brute
-class cruisers in the center, their railgun banks and plasma lances optimized for close combat. There were three
Scythe
-class ships as well, with their missile bays already primed for longer distance shots. Obviously, their commander was hoping to engage and destroy the
Eagle
before the dreadnaught could respond. Under most circumstances, six cruisers would be more than enough for the task.

On each wing, a
Scythe
-class flanked by two
Brute
-class ships moved to engage Isaac and Leon. Jacob’s eyes narrowed. They obviously wanted to overwhelm the ships on the sides before surrounding the flagship—no matter how bad the odds against
Eagle
were, neither of the wings was going to last long outnumbered three to one. He could almost see the Oduran ships battering both
Knight
-class cruisers to wrecks before sweeping around behind the
Eagle
to hit the flagship from behind.

Jacob made the decision without hesitation. “
Bulldog
, take your squadron and cover
Galahad
.
Mastiff
, your squadron is going to escort the
Kay
. Keep our flanks clear.”

He watched the destroyers veer to the sides of the formation, leaving the
Eagle
suddenly much more exposed in the center. Jacob tried to ignore how vulnerable his flagship now appeared to be. The flanks needed the help more than the dreadnaught did. Perhaps Leon’s analysis of the scouting force at Adamson had been accurate and the Odurans would be intimidated by the
Hunter
-class destroyers.

The Odurans had barely reacted to the shifts in the Celostian formation, though a few escorts in the flanks started to drift a little closer to the center. All three of the
Brute
-class vessels ahead of
Eagle
had climbed slightly, possibly anticipating a chance to dive down on the dreadnaught’s bow if the dreadnaught turned up. The
Scythe
-class ships stayed lower, likely angling to get a better shot at the
Eagle
’s DE sails from below. Jacob wondered when they would realize he didn’t plan on making any course change;
Eagle
wasn’t designed for long range, standoff-style of engagement.

As the range continued to close, Jacob touched a final control and sent one last transmission, this time to the gathered warships ahead of him. “Oduran fleet, this is Admiral Jacob Hull of the Celostian Navy. Your people have continued to attack and harass our territory, despite our efforts to defend ourselves. We have arrived in this star system to limit your ability to continue those attacks. If I cannot carry out that mission without your interference, I will destroy your fleet.
Surrender, and you will be treated in accordance to the laws of war. Admiral Hull, out.”

The response came quickly, in a voice dripping with contempt and anger. “This is Admiral Ricardo Morriega of the Oduran military. I represent the peace and stability of the Oduran League and will oppose your action here today. Your forces are outnumbered,
and your cause is hopeless.” The contempt strengthened. “Do not presume to lecture us on the morality of our actions. We have every right to prosecute the crimes your people have committed and to bring to justice those traitors who take shelter among you. If you surrender, you may serve out the term of your lives in peace. If you resist, we will kill you all. I await your reply.”

Jacob grunted, knowing the rest of his task force had likely been listening in on the conversation. At least he knew where their commander was now. He drew in a deep breath and let his anger leak into his words. “This is Admiral Jacob Hull. We will not surrender. We will not be destroyed. Your numbers do not intimidate us, and we are ready to destroy anyone who continues to threaten our freedom. You have been warned.
Jacob Hull, Celostian Navy, out.”

Finished with the conversation, Jacob turned his next communication to the officer at the communications console. “Lieutenant Mendel, did you get a good reading on where those transmissions were coming from?”

Mendel responded easily. “Yes, Sir. The center
Scythe
-class facing us, probable identification lists it as
Athens
. It wasn’t at Tiredel or Rigannin, but the commanding officer is known from several border incidents along the Frontier and police actions in the League. Very aggressive, very violent.”

“Good. At least we won’t have to worry about him after today.” Jacob looked at the ship Mendel had indicated. He keyed a transmission for the bridge.
“ Captain Martino, I want the ship at the center of their formation targeted by our first missile salvo. Choose remaining targets on your own discretion.”

“Yes, Sir.”
A hint of relief filled Martino’s voice; perhaps the officer had expected Jacob to try to maintain direct control over the
Eagle
for the rest of the engagement. It was tempting to try and take over Martino’s responsibility, but once the shooting started Jacob would have too much else to worry about. Martino could fight with the
Eagle
; someone else needed to direct the rest of the battle without distraction.

The two forces raced toward each other without a response from Admiral Morriega, and Jacob felt tension start to creep up the muscles in his back. His heart beat faster, his hands clenched as the warships came closer. Minute after agonizing minute slipped by, until finally the first missiles streaked out from the Oduran lines, targeting the closest Celostian ships.

Those missiles were met almost immediately by a wave of countermeasures, ranging from the blazing signals of flares to the sharp, fleeting shapes of antimissiles flechettes. Explosions detonated all across the space between the battle lines, and Jacob watched as missile after missile fell victim to the Celostian defenses. For an instant, he thought they’d managed to stop the entire salvo.

Then one missile, dodging and weaving through the chaos, shot past the waves of explosions. As Jacob watched, it continued to track on its target, one of the destroyers near the
Galahad
. The
Bulldog
dove abruptly, trying to generate enough of a course change to avoid the projectile, but Jacob could see the missile was turning too quickly. He braced himself to watch the destroyer die, the first casualty of the engagement.