Valor At Vauzlee (20 page)

When the age prolongation process was lost with the destruction of Raider-One, it proved Strauss's point of Arneu's unsuitability for a seat on the Lower Council. In the ‘interest of security', he hadn't allowed detailed documentation regarding development of the new processes and formulas to be sent to another base, or even headquarters. If Gagarin had been able to get his hands on Arneu the day after Raider-One was destroyed, he would have throttled him on the spot. And if getting their hands on Carver would have allowed them to reverse engineer the process, they would have spared no expense or effort to do so. But their scientists said that it wasn't possible. The entire process would have to be developed again from scratch. At least they knew now that it was possible. Carver was a constant reminder that the human body can be remolded into whatever form they chose. And not just through careful gene manipulation prior to birth. Changes can be inaugurated from any point in the subject's lifecycle.

"Did Carver have any part in our defeat at Vauzlee?" Gagarin asked Strauss.

"How could she? She wasn't sent to the cruiser until
after
the battle."

"I don't know how. That's why I asked. You're supposed to know such things. Your department is charged with gathering intelligence about everything the Spaccs do and why they do it."

"It's too early to know why she was sent to the Song. It takes time to gather intelligence. There was a blackout on personal communications from the ships that fought at Vauzlee until a few days ago. We've only just heard from our contact aboard the Song. There hasn't been time for a full briefing or reassignment of tasks."

"You have somebody on the ship?" Gagarin asked, his face reflecting a malevolent eagerness.

"Yes."

"Are they capable of assassinating Carver?"

"The individual would have no reservations about it, but it's difficult to get close enough to a captain aboard their own ship, commit the act, and get away clean. Our people are in it for the money, not the cause, so we can't expect martyrdom."

"Promise your person anything. I want Carver dead."

"Anything?"

"Up to a million credits."

"A million credits? Just for killing one little girl? Wait five months until they reach Earth and the deed will be accomplished for no more than ten thousand."

"I waited once before and look where it's brought us. You promised that she couldn't hurt us again, yet she shows up in a command position at a place where we again suffered severe losses. I can feel it in my bones that she had a hand in that defeat. I want her killed, with all possible haste. I'll pay the million credits from my own slush account. I want her DEAD before our big operation commences. Do you understand? DEAD-DEAD-DEAD!"

"Very well. I'll pass the order along to our contact aboard the Song."

* * *

On the day prior to the announced departure, Jenetta still hadn't been relieved of command aboard the Song. She fretted about it all morning, and then finally called the Prometheus just after 1400 hours to speak with Gavin.

"Captain, I‘ve received no contact from my relief as yet."

"Are you having problems, Commander?"

"No problems, sir. It's just that the Prometheus is preparing to leave for Earth."

"Yes, most of the task force is preparing to leave for Earth. We'll depart just after the Peabody convoy leaves at 2100 hours tomorrow."

"Yes sir, but I'm still attached to the Song."

"I realize that Commander, and you've done an excellent job over there. Rather than changing things around now, just remain where you are until we get to Earth. In a few months, when the Song goes into the Mars facility for repair, you'll report back to the Prometheus."

"Aye, Captain."

"Prometheus, out."

"Song, out."

Jenetta stood and paced around the room for several minutes while biting on her lower lip. After she had worked off most of her angst, she activated her CT by pressing her thumb onto the top of her Space Command ring. When the carrier was activated, she summoned Lieutenant Ashraf to the briefing room.

"Yes, Captain?" Ashraf queried when she entered.

"How are preparations for our departure proceeding?"

"Here's a report on the state of the ship, ma'am," Ashraf said as she held out a viewpad to Jenetta. "We'll be ready to leave at the scheduled time, assuming our new captain has arrived."

After glancing at the information on the viewpad, Jenetta said, "I've just been informed by Captain Gavin that I'm to remain in command until we reach Earth."

Ashraf smiled widely. "That's wonderful news, Captain. I'll inform the senior staff."

As the doors closed behind Ashraf, Jenetta began pacing around the office again, this time slapping the viewpad against her leg. It wasn't that she was displeased to be in command of the Song, it was just that she thought of the Prometheus as
her
ship, even if she wasn't its captain. Before being posted to the Prometheus, she would have delighted in being even a minor member of the Song crew; but that was before. This would be the first time that the Prometheus had embarked without her since being commissioned.

* * *

Awakened from a sound sleep by the buzzing of his bedside com unit, Gavin glanced up at the wall chronometer and saw that it was 0246. He grunted a couple of small expletives as he first rubbed his eyes, then rolled over and positioned himself to lift the com cover. As the small unit was activated, the face of Lieutenant Kerrey filled the screen. The captain's bedside com unit was set for blackout, so the command chair's right-hand monitor was only showing Lt. Kerrey a graphical simulation of the captain sitting in his office. The word ‘simulation' was printed at the bottom of the screen.

"What it is, Ensign?" the captain mumbled.

"It's Lieutenant Kerrey, sir."

"I'll decide that when I know why you've bothered me at 0300 hours."

Kerrey hesitated, swallowed nervously, and then said with a hint of desperation, "I'm sorry, Captain. I tried to put him off, but Commander Kanes is demanding to speak with you immediately. He won't tell me what it's about, but he threatened to have me arrested and
court-martialed
if I didn't wake you."

Gavin mumbled something and then said, "Put him on, Lieutenant."

"He's not here, sir. He said that he'll be waiting outside the door of your quarters."

"Outside my door?" Gavin asked, suddenly much more alert.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, Lieutenant," the captain said as he pushed the cover of the com unit down.

Ten seconds later, wearing a robe over his pajamas, Gavin admitted Kanes to his sitting room.

"I assume this is most urgent, Keith?"

"Yes, Captain.
Most
urgent! As you're well aware, the first ship targeted by the Prometheus when we arrived here was a battleship. We've since learned that it was named the Soul Harvester, and that it served as the command vessel for this operation. Among the Raider bodies we've recovered from the Soul Harvester was that of the ship's captain. We found his seared remains in a section that contained the ship's bridge. His body was horribly burned when the vessel was destroyed, but a personal log ring he was wearing was undamaged. We discovered that it contained a number of encrypted files, and we've been working tirelessly to decode them. One of my people has just decrypted a message that you should see immediately."

Taking the proffered viewpad, Gavin read the message on the unit's display.

"Good God!" Gavin said, as he quickly lowered the view-pad. "Are you sure this was decrypted correctly?"

"I verified it personally before I made the decision to disturb you at this unholy hour."

"Send a copy of this to Captain Powers aboard the Chiron, immediately. Priority-One. Tell Powers to contact me as soon as he's read it. I'll get dressed and meet you in my briefing room in four minutes."

"Aye, Captain.

~ April 19
^th
, 2268 ~

Awakened from a sound sleep by Lieutenant Elizi, the bridge commander on third watch, Jenetta looked up sleepily at the dimly glowing wall chronometer before lifting the cover on the tiny com unit next to her bed. It was 0344 hours.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" she asked the projected face of the young officer. Her bedside com was in blackout mode so the small monitor by Lt. Elizi's right hand as she sat in the command chair on the bridge, was displaying an animated sim of Jenetta speaking from her office. It naturally had the ‘simulation' notation at the bottom.

"We've just received a Priority-One message from the Prometheus, Captain. A second later they and the Chiron departed the area at Light-375."

Jenetta was instantly awake. No Space Command officer would dare wake their captain in the middle of the night without good cause. A Priority-One was such a cause. It was to be delivered to the commanding officer immediately, regardless of the hour received and how the captain was otherwise occupied. News that the Prometheus had left the area at its maximum FTL speed with the Chiron was likewise good cause to wake the captain. Plans had called for the Prometheus and Chiron to depart for Earth as part of the task force in just a few hours, at an established convoy speed of Light-262. And no ship left a RP at its top speed, except in emergency circumstances. It built up speed gradually until it was well away from all other ships. With DATFA temporal envelope travel there were no physical limitations to instantly engaging top speed, it was just SOP that it was never done where ships were gathering or assembled. Something serious must have occurred to change plans without prior notice and induce the two battleships to depart as they had.

"Forward the message to my queue," Jenetta said, the urgency in her voice obvious.

"Already done, Captain. Uh, should I alert anyone?"

"Notify all senior officers to be in my cabin office by 0400 hours."

"Aye, Captain."

Jenetta shoved the com panel down and flung the blanket off. "Lights," she said as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and jumped up. Seconds later she was standing in her office, dressed only in her pajamas, as the image of Captain Gavin leapt onto the large wall monitor in response to her uttering the command to play the message.

"This Priority-One message is being sent to the captains of all ships at the Vauzlee battle site," the image of Gavin said. "Additional messages will follow in a few hours. Our intelligence officers have decrypted a communication found on the personal log ring of the dead Raider captain who commanded the convoy attack force. That message contains information about a second planned attack. There is no specific time frame mentioned, but most of the ships involved in the action here were ordered to proceed immediately to a new rendezvous point once the Peabody ships were neutralized and the freighter's cargo was secured. Four of what we believe to be their oldest, slowest, and most vulnerable warships were tasked to escort the cargo to an undisclosed location referred to only as GR, while the more powerful vessels would join a group already assembling at a location referred to as AH. We have no idea how many ships are involved in this second operation, but I suspect that they might be numerous.

"Since the Caracas and Asuncion haven't fully tested their sub-light engine and temporal envelope generator repairs, they will remain behind at the battle site to await the ships from the reclamation center. All other ships should depart as soon as possible at their maximum speed. The Dublin and Calcutta should naturally transfer all Raider prisoners in their holds to the Caracas and Asuncion before departure. Additional orders to follow. The target of the new Raider threat is Higgins Space Command Base.

"Captain Lawrence Gavin, Captain of the Prometheus, message complete."

Until the message ended, Jenetta didn't realize that she hadn't taken a breath since it began. When Gavin said ‘Higgins,' she sucked in sharply, then released it and breathed again. She glanced up at the office chronometer before running back to her bedroom to dress.

As Jenetta left her bedroom, she found Woodrow standing beside the doorway.

"Is there anything I can assist you with, Captain?" he asked.

"Uh, what are you doing up, Woodrow?"

"After passing Lt. Elizi through to your com unit, I got up to prepare a mug of coffee for you. I've served the officers who have arrived for your meeting."

"You passed Lt. Elizi through?"

"Yes, Captain. When the captain is in her quarters, all com calls go through her steward so that she's not disturbed for trivial matters. During third watch even CT access to the captain is restricted. The XO and watch commander
can
contact you directly, but even their calls are routed through me unless they tell the computer to override the normal routing or if the ship is in danger."

"Yes, of course. Well, I'm sorry you were awakened." Reaching for the mug of coffee he was holding, she added, "Thank you for the coffee."

"Would you care for something to eat?"

At the mere mention of food, Jenetta's stomach grumbled loudly, her body's way of expressing a desire to be fed yet again.