The Void War (Empire Rising Book 1) (14 page)

Even so, as time wore on and James had begun to step into the role of Captain, especially since the discovery of the Void, he had changed his mind again. Being a good Captain, leading his crew members well, fulfilling his duty to the navy and Britain had all been ambitions that had slowly grew on him.

As James began to speak, all this and more came spilling out. Christine listened carefully, glad that James could open up to her so easily despite having been separated for the last two years. She knew this was the man she wanted to marry. As he spoke, he only confirmed it. His concern for his duty, for the men and women under his command, impressed her. Command had matured him. She also respected his desire to repay all the families his father’s lies and greed had hurt. As he told her about his plans to get Andrea Clements to begin offering compensation packages to all those who had lost their jobs two years ago when his father’s businesses had begun to go under Christine resolved to quietly contact Andrea and offer to help her finance the packages.

“So you see,” James concluded, “it is becoming a part of who I am. I don’t think I can give it up. We’ll find a way to convince your father but I think it needs to include earning his respect and if I can prove myself in the navy he and the rest of the nobility will have to respect me.

“I understand,” Christine said once it was clear James had finished. “You’ve certainly matured in the last two years. It suits you. I guess we’ll just have to see how we can speed up your promotion to Captain and then even to Commodore or Rear Admiral. My father will have to respect you then. And you’ll no doubt look very handsome in a flag officer’s uniform,” she said breaking into another devilish smile and giving James a kiss.

“So tell me, what was it really like in the Void?” she asked as she sat back and enjoyed the moment as James excitedly told her all about his adventures.

*

Sub Lieutenant Becket had been summoned from the bridge to the boarding hatch with
Vulcan
by the RSNI security detail. It seemed that
Drake
had some visitors that needed escorting aboard. The Commander was on his way back to
Vulcan
from a meeting while the Second Lieutenant was busy overseeing the installation of the latest sensor tech onto
Drake’s
hull. That left the meet and great to her. As she approached the boarding hatch, she realized why someone had been called down. There were twelve men waiting to board
Drake
. Each had a large pack over his shoulder. Behind the men were a number of techs organizing crates that were twice the height of Becket. As she walked through onto
Vulcan
two of the men approached her. It took her a couple of seconds to recognize them as they were both in uniform but when she got close they both smiled at her, obviously pleased to see her again.

“Good afternoon Lieutenant, my name is Mr. Jones I’m with the RSNI and this is Major Samuel Johnston RSNM, formerly retired,” Jones said formally, acting as if they had not met before. “My men and I have been assigned to
Drake
, I have orders that I am to personally hand to your Commander.”

Becket shook hands with Jones and then Johnston. “Very well Mr. Jones, welcome aboard
Drake
. She is not the biggest ship so you and your men may be a bit cramped but I’m sure we’ll find some room.”

Becket eyed the crates behind Jones. “We may have to get the pursuer here to ensure we get all your equipment aboard.  The Captain is away from the ship at the moment although he has just signaled that he is on his way back.”

“Odd,” Jones said. “I thought he was not allowed to leave
Drake
. No matter, we’ll get settled in and then I can meet him.”

An hour later Gupta walked into the briefing room, she was the last to enter. It was as full as she had ever seen it. All the Sub Lieutenants were present, along with the Chief Engineer, Mr. Jones, Major Johnston and the Commander. 

As Gupta sat, James stood and addressed the assembly. “By now all of you know we have some visitors with us aboard
Drake
. Well, we have also received our orders. We’ll be heading back to the Void.”

Mummers ran through the Sub Lieutenants, there had been a betting pool running over whether
Drake
would get to go back to the Void.

“As I’m sure you can also guess Mr. Jones’ presence here has something to do with this. What you’re about to hear is rated top secret. As of the beginning of this meeting all outgoing COMS on
Drake
have been disabled. They will remain so until we leave Sol. Mr. Jones, if you would like to take over.”

Standing, Jones addressed the crew of
Drake
. “For all intents and purposes my name is Mr. Jones. I have been with RSNI for over twelve years. I oversee special operations, typically insertions. With me is Major Johnston. He is here to help train my men.”

Major Johnston stood so everyone in the room could see him. Despite having been retired for fifteen years Gupta thought he looked very comfortable amongst fellow officers again. And he certainly didn’t look out of shape. Gupta listened closely as Jones continued.

“RSNI have seen an opportunity to retrieve valuable intel from the Void. Specifically from the Chinese destroyer
Drake
identified in the V2 system. Before he retired Major Johnston designed and tested a scenario involving an EVA boarding of an enemy ship.  The Major was testing the idea in case the marines ever had to deal with a hostage situation on a ship. It is our intention to proceed to V2 and attempt to locate the Chinese destroyer. If she is still there we will board her and capture her. If we can take her intact there will be a wealth of information we can make use of.”

Again murmurs ran through the Sub Lieutenants. Gupta tended to agree with the surprise. What Jones was purposing was an act of war. 

Sensing the mood James stood to speak. “By now you have all had a chance to go over the details of the Damang Incident. There can be no doubt that the fleet that attacked
Resolution
and
Renown
was the one we saw in the Void. If their orders remain unchanged, they will likely attack any British ships they see. For all intents and purposes there is already a state of war between China and Britain. The politicians may well be explaining away the Damang Incident as a misunderstanding. We, however, know better. I have my orders from the Admiralty. We will be going back to the Void but we will not be alone this time. This mission is simply the first step towards securing our new planets and ensuring we have the breathing space to colonize and develop them.”

Satisfied that his crew was on the same wavelength, James turned the meeting back to Jones with a nod as he sat down.

“We just have one more thing to discuss at the moment.” Jones began. “Over the coming weeks, as we travel to the Void, we will be war gaming the scenario many times with you all. At this stage though we need a volunteer. My men and I will be making the EVA jump yet we have no training in flying a spaceship. We will be fitting in as many lessons as we can between here and the Void but that will not be enough. We need a volunteer to go over to the Chinese ship with us. Someone with command experience yet someone who isn’t too important. That is you Sub Lieutenants. There is no need for me to explain how good this will look on your service records. Yet, I also need to add that this will be difficult and dangerous. Currently our simulations give us a sixty two percent chance of success. We hope to improve this as we refine the plan on our way to the Void, however, there will be no guarantees.  I have sent you all more information on what will be expected from whoever volunteers. I want you all to read it over and make a decision within the hour. Think hard. You are dismissed.”

As the Sub Lieutenants filed out Gupta walked over to James. “Sir, don’t you think one of us should select who is to go on this mission. If it is as vital as Jones makes out we need to make sure there is no room for failure.”

“I agree, but the risks involved are very high. We can’t order anyone to take this mission. That said I’m fully expecting all of the subs to volunteer. Even if we are facing war, the opportunities for promotion will be slim. This is an opportunity no one can pass up. I have already reviewed their files. If Becket volunteers, I’m going to recommend to Jones that she take part in the mission. Her hand-to-hand combat and weapons training scores at the academy were very good.  She has also studied Chinese engine design, of all the sub lieutenants she is probably the most familiar with their designs and controls.”

A short time later Sub Lieutenant Becket skipped as she left the Commander’s private office. She had just met with him and the mysterious Mr. Jones. They had picked her to go on the EVA mission. Already she had been assigned a mountain of reading. She had to familiarize herself with all of the known Chinese command and control terminals. On top of that she had to undergo hours of simulated EVA training, brushing up on her combat skills whilst helping to train Jones’s men on how to pilot a spaceship. Thankfully, the Commander had given her half duty shifts until the mission commenced to give her time to prepare. She loved working with
Drake’s
chief engineer and her shifts in engineering were the highlight of her week. Yet now she was positively drooling at the prospect of getting her hands on a Chinese designed and built ship.

*

Hours later, as
Drake
disengaged from
Vulcan
and headed out of Earth orbit James’ personal COM unit on his command chair went off. He punched in his password and the feed turned into a video message from his uncle.

“You’ve done it this time boy. I have just had the king biting off my ear. He is furious. If
Drake
wasn’t already on her way out of the system I think you would have been relieved of command. Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I see real command potential in you. But if you keep this up there is nothing I can do for you. My protection only goes so far. You’re going to have to make a choice, continue pursuing this relationship or your career.”

Before James could reply something caught his uncle’s attention. He held his hand up and looked away from the screen. Before he turned around James heard a number of strong expletives.

“Someone has leaked the video of you two onto the datanet. I’m going to have to go. Do not, and I mean do not, make any other communications with Earth. Don’t stop until you meet up with Rear Admiral Jensen.

As James sat in the command chair officially overseeing
Drake’s
departure from the Sol system, his mind was elsewhere. Even as
Drake
accelerated away from Earth she was still updating her data banks with the latest holo news broadcasts. On his personal terminal James was able to watch the news break in London and then spread across the world and the solar system. The Royal Princess of Great Britain had been involved in an affair. Clips from their secret meeting were played and replayed. He was quickly identified as the son of the infamous late Duke of Somerville, then as the Commander who had discovered the Void. He was the princess’s secret lover.

James’ breath caught in his throat as the BBC interrupted their coverage of the story for some breaking news. The Princess herself had contacted the BBC to make a statement. The feed switched to a picture of the princess standing beside a BBC reporter. The audio soon followed.

“It is with great disgust that I wish to acknowledge that the leaked images of myself and Commander Somerville are real. I have no regrets over my actions. I am happy to confirm that James and I have been pursuing a relationship for the last three and a half years. You all know of James and his father. Well, when my father found out he banned our relationship; he didn’t want to be touched with James’ disgrace. Many of you will know that true love cannot simply be switched off, even if a King orders it. It is our hope that one day my father will give his blessing so that James and I no longer have to meet in secret. But, let me repeat my disgust. My love life is not a thing of entertainment and James is not some low life. He is a well-respected, successful Commander in the RSN. Our relationship should not be a thing of entertainment.”

As
Drake
slowly slid away from Earth James longed to reverse course and return. He wanted to stand beside Christine and declare their love to the world. He wanted to stand up to her father as she had just publically done. Yet he knew he had a duty to his country, to his crew and to Christine. The next few months might determine the future of the Britain’s colonial ambitions, his Princess’ kingdom. And, if he was honest, he was not sure if Christine’s course of action had been the wisest. Her father would never forget this. The leak of the video was bad enough; Christine’s public appearance would mean that this news story would go on for weeks.