So It Begins (31 page)

  He hesitated before answering, then ran some quick checks using the maneuvering system. “That’s not good enough. The transports are too slow. We could all beat the Syndic heavy cruisers and the corvettes to the jump point, but the Syndic light cruisers and HuKs could intercept us before the jump point if they separated from the rest and used their best acceleration. It wouldn’t take much damage to the transports to leave them unable to outrun the heavy cruisers and HuKs.”

  Decala was now staring at Geary. “Sir, you’re talking as if this was a combat situation.”

  “Maybe it is. Don’t we have to plan as if it is?” He wished he had days to think about this, or at least a few more hours, but he had to act quickly or not at all. The slow, cumbersome transports needed all the lead time they could get if this was indeed a threat.
Think of it as a combat exercise. A drill. They’re presenting me with this situation. What do I do? Hold off acting until my options are gone? Or do something knowing it might be wrong, and might get me laughed at for over-reacting and disciplined for ‘wasting fleet resources?’
He’d probably even get that annoying “Black Jack” nickname thrown in his face again. But. . . “They didn’t make me commanding officer of a cruiser because they expected me to do nothing.”

  “Sir?”

  “I’m just lecturing myself.” Geary punched his controls, calling up an image of Lieutenant Commander Lagemann on the
Pommel
. “I’m splitting the convoy,” Geary announced without any preamble. “You are to take
Pommel
, all three destroyers and all of the transports, accelerating at the best pace the transports can achieve so as to reach the jump point for T’shima as soon as possible.” The transports would accelerate slowly, but could eventually manage point zero eight light speed themselves. After factoring in how long it would take the transports to reach their maximum velocity if they started accelerating now, it would be thirty-four hours before they reached the jump point. Time enough to beat the Syndics there, as long as none of the Syndics accelerated. But time delays worked both ways. It would take the Syndics two hours to see what the Alliance ships had done, two hours before the Syndics could react in any way.

 
Pommel
’s commanding officer didn’t quite manage to conceal his surprise at the orders. “Sir, if you think those Syndics might be a threat, we should keep our forces concentrated,” Lagemann objected.

  Geary shook his head. “Our job is to get those transports safely to T’shima. That’s the overriding priority. I will take
Merlon
and use her to block the movement of the Syndic light cruisers and HuKs if they are detached to try to intercept the transports.
Pommel
and the destroyers will be responsible for defending the transports and stopping any Syndics that get past
Merlon
.”

  Lagemann gave him the same look which Decala had earlier. “You really think this might turn into a combat situation, sir? If so, we shouldn’t split our combat capabilities,” he urged again.

  “If that entire Syndic flotilla catches us, our entire combat capability won’t stand a snowball’s chance in a star’s photosphere. You can see that as well as I can. If we weren’t encumbered by the transports we might be able to wear the Syndics down until they had to withdraw, but we are responsible for those transports. We have to keep the Syndics from getting enough of their forces within range of the transports, and this is the only way to do it.”

 
Pommel
’s commanding officer looked away, clearly unhappy. “Sir, you’re asking us to leave
Merlon
to face the Syndics alone, to fight alone if necessary.”

  “I realize that, and I appreciate your loyalty to your comrades.” Geary smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring and confident manner. “This is our best course of action. Most likely, they’ll stay clear of us and then leave after making whatever point they’re trying to make. But if the Syndics do prove to be hostile, and if any of them get past
Merlon
, those transports will need
Pommel
and the destroyers. That’s where your duty lies.”

  “I understand, sir.” Lagemann saluted. “When do we detach?”

  “Immediately. I’ll send the message notifying everyone. Get those transports moving.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  That done, Geary called the Syndics. “This is Commander John Geary of the Alliance heavy cruiser
Merlon
calling the Syndicate Worlds’ warships which have entered the Alliance star system of Grendel. You are to immediately identify yourselves and your purpose for being in Grendel.”

  “Firm
and
resolute,” Decala observed.

  “Yeah.” In another four hours or so, he would know if the Syndics were going to answer him. “Get the crew some rest while we can,” he told Decala. Any executive officer’s instincts were to keep a crew working, but at the moment Geary felt he should override those instincts. “We might need to come to full readiness and stay there for a while.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  He had either already made a major fool of himself by over-reacting, or had set up a situation where
Merlon
might have to actually trade shots with the Syndics. He wasn’t sure which one of those things would be worse for his career.

  “We finally have a reply from the Syndics.”

  Geary accepted the transmission in his stateroom, where he had retired for a little while to avoid driving his bridge crew crazy out of his own frustration as the hours had gone by without any answer from the Syndics. His comm panel lit, showing a female Syndic CEO with the usual perfectly done hair, perfectly fitted uniform, and perfectly insincere smile. “Greetings to Commander Geary from CEO Third Rank Fredericka Nalis on the Syndicate Worlds’ heavy cruiser C-195. Our flotilla is on a peaceful diplomatic visit to Alliance space, arranged through your own fleet headquarters. It seems you were not informed of our impending arrival, but I trust there will be no incidents which might imperil a visit designed to reduce tensions between our peoples.”

  It sounded plausible enough, especially given fleet headquarters’ tendency to forget to tell operational units what was supposed to be happening. “Commander Decala, have you seen the Syndic response?”

  Decala’s image appeared on his panel and nodded. “Yes, sir. I don’t like it, sir.”

  “Fleet
has
screwed up in the past about notifying us.”

  “Yes, but not about something this big. A large Syndic flotilla entering Alliance space? Sir, they’d have been assigned an Alliance escort, wouldn’t they?”

  “That’s the proper procedure.” Geary tapped another command as an alert sounded. “Damn. The Syndic light cruisers and HuKs are accelerating away from the slower warships.”

  The image of Decala nodded again. “On an intercept aimed at
Pommel
and the transports, or maybe just the jump point. Same difference. Sir, this stinks.”

  “It surely does, Cara. Work up a direct intercept for us, bringing
Merlon
in toward those Syndic light cruisers and HuKs. I’ll be on the bridge in a minute.”

  By the time he arrived the maneuver had been calculated. Geary studied it for a moment, thinking things through. Relative to
Merlon
, the Syndic heavy cruisers and corvettes were just abaft the port beam and just above, their course slowly converging on
Merlon
and their distance slowly decreasing. The accelerating Syndic light cruisers and HuKs would be creeping forward of
Merlon
’s port beam, their paths aimed ahead of
Merlon
and toward the rest of the Alliance convoy which now was off the starboard bow of
Merlon
and slightly below, drawing steadily away as the lumbering transports burned through fuel cells at a rate that would probably make the budget geeks at fleet headquarters faint from distress. If the maneuvering system estimates proved right, the Syndic light cruisers and HuKs could intercept the transports in less than eight and a half hours, half an hour before the transports reached the jump point for T’shima. There wasn’t any time to waste. “All right. Let’s go.”

 
Merlon
’s thrusters pitched her bow around and slightly down, then the main propulsion units lit off and accelerated the heavy cruiser onto a vector which would cross just ahead of the path the Syndic light cruisers and HuKs were on.

  As
Merlon
steadied out, Geary checked the time to intercept. The Alliance heavy cruiser would cross the path of the Syndic light cruisers and HuKs in seven and a half hours. He took a calming breath, then transmitted another message to the Syndics. “Syndic CEO Nalis, this is Commander Geary. We have no notification or clearance for your ships to transit Alliance space. Your light cruisers and Hunter-Killers are to rejoin your main formation at the earliest possible time, and you are requested to assume an orbit about Grendel until we receive confirmation that your visit has been approved.”

  Decala was shaking her head again. “If the brass try to nail you for causing a diplomatic incident, I’ll back you up, sir.”

  “Thanks.” Geary tried to ignore an increasing sense of disquiet as he watched the movements of the Syndics. “Let’s hope a diplomatic incident is the worst that can come of this.” He indicated the latest updates on the maneuvering display. “If those Syndic light cruisers and HuKs don’t turn back, either we stop them or they’ll get to the transports before the transports can jump out of this star system.”

  “Surely they wouldn’t—Captain, I’ve reviewed the latest intelligence and news we have. It’s just as we thought. There’s nothing going on that should have triggered Syndic hostile actions. Things are tense, certainly, but they’ve often been tense.” Decala made a baffled gesture. “I don’t trust that Syndic CEO at all, but her story is the only explanation that makes sense for what’s happening.”

  “The only explanation that makes sense to us, you mean.” Geary rubbed his face with both hands. “Before the convoy jumps, I’ll tell Lagemann to ask the brass at T’shima for guidance once he gets there. If there was a Syndic flotilla coming through a region of space that T’shima was responsible for, even fleet headquarters wouldn’t forget to notify them. The commodore at T’shima can send instructions back with one of the destroyers, telling us what to do with the Syndics.”

  “Assuming the Syndics do as you directed and maintain an orbit here until we get those instructions.”

  “Yeah. Assuming that.” Geary looked at the course vectors curving through space on his display and shook his head.

  The eventual reply from the Syndic CEO, once again hours later than it should have taken to arrive, was accompanied by the same artificial smile but a chiding tone. “We have been ordered to meet with certain Alliance officials and Syndicate Worlds diplomatic representatives at T’shima, Commander Geary. You’re asking us to violate our orders and the Alliance’s own agreement to our passage. My flotilla was delayed earlier by propulsion problems, so my light cruisers and Hunter-Killers are going on ahead to arrive at T’shima on time and bring word of the imminent arrival of the rest of the flotilla.” The Syndic CEO’s expression grew a little stern. “I hope you will not take any further steps to attempt to impede this important diplomatic initiative, Commander Geary.”

  “She’s definitely pressuring us,” Decala said. “It is possible they had propulsion problems. Those nickel corvettes are nothing for the Syndics to brag about.”

  Geary nodded. The Alliance fleet had nicknamed the Syndic corvettes “nickels” because they were small, cheap, and would be easily expended in combat. “If they didn’t have four heavy cruisers backing them up, I wouldn’t waste sleep worrying about the nickels. But otherwise, I feel like you do. That Syndic CEO is trying to push us into letting them pass, and she’s dragging her feet in dealing with us as much as she can while she keeps pushing. Why?”

  After a long moment, Decala replied. “It’s what I’d do if I was up to something I wasn’t supposed to be doing. If T’shima really expects them, then why hasn’t a ship arrived here from T’shima by now to escort them?”

  “And if the Syndics were delayed,” Geary added, “it makes it all the odder that no one from T’shima has come here yet. None of that is proof the Syndics are planning anything hostile. But if they are . . . Cara, I have the distinct feeling that no matter what we do, we’re going to be screwed.”