First Command (33 page)

      
Kelly agreed with CDR Milton and looked forward to the briefing.
 
He was about to ask how CPT Chen was working out, when the admiral walked in and the room was called to attention.
 
The admiral looked around and saw Kelly.
 
He made a beeline to Kelly and pulled him away from CDR Milton.

      
“Have you heard from your man on the planet?”

      
“Yes, sir, he reported in just as we arrived here.
 
He’s on his way to his first target.
 
He should be there by now.
 
He was covering ground at a good pace.”

      
“Good, keep me informed.
 
I see you’ve met CDR Milton.
 
Has he told you of his SOC’s proposal?”

      
“Yes, sir, he has.
 
If we time it right and there are not too many enemy defenders, we can be in and out before they react.
 
They should dress light.
 
I was just down there and it’s hot and humid.”

      
Admiral Minacci laughed, which caused every eye not on them already to swivel in their direction.

      
Admiral Minacci called the room to order and they all moved into his briefing room.
 
Kelly entered, went to take a seat in the back row in accordance with his rank and was pulled up and put in the first row by CDR Digg.
 
He leaned close, whispered, “Admiral’s orders,” and walked away.

      
The admiral stood at the front of the room and activated the holographic projector.
 
The sector came up in the projection.
 
It was Kelly’s reconnaissance report.

      
Admiral Minacci started to brief the situation and expanded the projection to highlight the main avenue of approach and the pirate planet.
 
It showed the locations of the early warning sensors, the newly seeded mines, and torpedo ship patrol routes.
 
He zoomed in further to the surface of the sparsely populated planet and centered the projection over the main city.

      
Kelly thought that someone had done some good work in a short time.
 
All the major roads were highlighted and identified by number for north-south streets and by letters for east-west streets.
 
Security stations and government buildings were highlighted, as were the spaceport, Security HQ, Defense HQ, and the Government administrative HQ.
 
The three Ascetic barracks were also highlighted.
 
The admiral pointed out that the Ascetics appeared to be light forces only.
 
He pointed out that his analysts saw no indication of heavy equipment, not even artillery.
 

      
This prompted some murmurs from the three Marine brigade commanders.
 
The admiral had Kelly stand up.

      
“Ladies and Gentlemen allow me to introduce LCDR Kelly Blake of the Scout Ship Vigilant.
 
We owe him and his crew for all the information you’ve just seen and loaded on your ship’s data systems.”

      
“Now that I have this information, my battle staff will be formulating my plan.
 
I am favoring a direct assault from the entrance of the star cluster.
 
I think my F-48s and MJ-9s can clear us a path through the mines, sensors, and torpedo ships.
 
We bring up the plasma frigates and the A-76s to destroy all ships at the spaceport, soften up the Ascetics, and take out planetary defenses, if any.
 
Then we land the 1st Brigade west of town and the 2nd Brigade east of town.
 
The two of them push to link up and clear any hostiles in their path.
 
3rd Brigade will land its heavy units north of the Ascetic barracks and clear them off the ridgeline down into the valley, where 1st and 2nd brigades will be coming together.
 
A platoon of the SOC will be embarked on the Vigilant to retrieve the Debran women, if the reporting officer currently on the planet’s surface locates them in time.
 
The remainder of the SOC will assault the artificial moon to disable the space doors, trapping any ships inside.
 
I will have plans out tomorrow first thing.
 
Review them carefully and get your recommended changes back to me by 1200.
 
I will issue my final order by 1800.
 
We will attack just before local dawn day after tomorrow.
 
Are there any questions?”

      
There were no questions, so the room was called to attention as he left.
 
CDR Milton grabbed Kelly by the elbow and escorted him to follow the admiral.
 
He was led to a smaller briefing room deeper in flag country.
 
CPT Chen was already there.
 
Her smile upon seeing Kelly lit up the room.
 
She was just as beautiful and deadly as she was before.

      
“How you doing bunky, sir?” she said with a mischievous look on her face, as she vigorously shook his hand.

      
This got several strange looks from the three officers around the table.
 
Kelly saw their looks and suggested CPT Chen should explain that they had shared a cabin on the Vigilant, when she and her platoon were embarked on a mission.

      
The admiral entered the room and they all came to attention until he told them to take their seats.
 
Kelly again had taken a back row seat, but the admiral motioned him to come sit at the main table.

      
Kelly moved up and CDR Wilton beamed the briefing slides onto his pocket tablet.
 
Kelly settled back as the room lights dimmed.

      
The admiral looked at him and said, “Kelly, I don’t know scout ships like you do, so don’t let me do anything stupid.”

      
Kelly said, “Aye aye, sir.”

      
CPT Chen presented a well thought out plan and Kelly could see no flaws in it.
 
Provided Alistair found the Debran women, Kelly would take the Vigilant down in close proximity to their location, far enough away to not alert security forces, but not so far as to impede the platoon closing on the location and subduing the security forces.
 
All that was missing was the women’s location.
 
Kelly hoped Alistair was still safe.

* * * * *

      
Alistair had already checked out the security HQ.
 
It was a guardhouse and nothing more.
 
He observed it from across the street in an alley for an hour before sending in one of his bugs.
 
The flying sensor, disguised to resemble a moth, flew across the street.
 
It searched for an entrance and quickly passed through the door as it was held open to let a guard with a heavy box through.
 
Alistair watched its progress through the facility.

      
He went through room by room and found nothing but duty personnel, bunks of sleeping Ascetics, and assorted supplies.
 
After it had mapped out the facility and seen inside every room, Alistair had the moth return to him.
 
He held open its box a few minutes later and the moth flew in for a landing.
 
Alistair closed the box and left the alley, heading for his next target, the Defense HQ.

      
It was a good ways off so he picked up the pace, looking like a late shift worker in a hurry to get home.
 
He favored alleys and used them whenever they were going in his direction.
 
It was starting to get light and almost time for a report.
 
He sat down in an alley near what looked like a vegetable garden and composed his report.
 
He must have been too focused on it, because he suddenly realized there was a man standing in front of him.

      
The man looked down at him and asked, “You aren’t planning to steal my herbs, now are ya?”

      
Alistair, caught off guard, stuttered for a second or two and composed himself.

      
“No, I’m not a thief.
 
I’m on my day off and trying to get to the park downtown.
 
I seem to be lost.”

      
The man looked at him like he didn’t believe him and asked, “Why are you out so early?”

      
“It’s my first day off and I wanted to get there early.
 
I hear they have a flea market and I wanted to see if I could find uniform insignia.
 
I collect them.”

      
The man softened his stare as he listened to him.
 
“Man, you are all messed up.
 
The flea market is on Fifth Day.
 
The only thing you’ll find in the park today is people flying kites.”

      
Alistair stood up, looked down, and kicked the ground.
 
      
“There you go.
 
My day off is wasted.
 
I know my boss won’t let me change days.
 
If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.”

      
The man laughed and said, “Come with me.
 
We were just getting ready for breakfast.
 
You look like you could use a meal.”

      
Alistair, realizing he had no local currency, tried to beg off.
 
“I can’t afford to eat here and I never accept a gift when I can’t give one back.”

      
The young man held out his hand, “I’m Russell.
 
I work here and my woman is the chef.
 
Breakfast is on the owner, who is probably sleeping off last night’s drinking.
 
What he don’t know won’t hurt him.”

      
Alistair went with the young man into the restaurant, not knowing how to get away without raising further suspicions than he had already.

      
Inside he was introduced to Sally, the chef.
 
She asked him where he was from.

      
Alistair answered truthfully, that he was from Archimedes.
 
This elicited a strong reaction from Sally.

      
“So you’re from the lost settlement?”

      
Alistair answered that he was.

      
She asked, “What was it like to quickly go from the 19th Century to the 23rd?”

      
He responded that it was easy for some, not so easy for others.
 
Some embraced it.
 
Others ran from it.
 
Those that couldn’t make the transition were allowed to stay on Archimedes in a nineteenth century enclave, protected from the outside universe.
 
He occasionally heard of people leaving the enclave and of others entering the enclave who could no longer cope with outside.
 
Himself, he enjoyed the future.

      
She asked him how he got here on Barataria and he changed the subject by saying that he had been invited in for breakfast, not twenty questions.
 
Sally apologized and started heating three skillets.
 
A handful of eggs were set next to the first.
 
Bacon went in the second.
 
Potatoes went into the third.

      
Alistair asked if there was someplace he could wash up and was directed to the staff restroom.
 
He closed the door behind him, pulled out his communicator, uploaded the report, and sent it.
 
After he put away his communicator and washed his hands, he went out to the smells of glorious food cooking.
 
It was real food, not anything processed or manufactured.

      
“My, but that smells wonderful.
 
I haven’t had real food since I left Archimedes.”

      
Sally spoke up, “Well, that’s all you’ll get here.
 
We don’t use replicators or ready-made meals.
 
Everything is made fresh.”

      
Sally moved over to a prep table, scooped out equal quantities of eggs, bacon, and potatoes onto three plates.
 
Alistair was handed a plate and flatware and they all sat down at a small table in the kitchen.
 
She let Alistair get his first fork full of eggs then asked, “Now who are you really?
 
You may be from Archimedes, but you sure as hell aren’t from here.
 
Are you from security checking up on us?”

      
Alistair took a bite of bacon chewed it and asked, “What makes you think I’m not from here?”

      
She looked at him like he was an idiot, pointed at her neck, and said, “First thing, you don’t have a scar on your Adams apple where they put the chip in.
 
This means you are either slumming or from security.
 
Which are ya?”