Defender

35

Frigate Squadron 4 pulled away from the station right smartly next morning at 0900 sharp. But it wasn’t just the officers and crews who had learned a thing or three. So had their commodore.

“Flag to squadron, set Condition Charlie,” Kris ordered.

“Right, of course,” Captain Kitano was heard to mutter under her breath.

Five minutes later, the squadron accelerated smartly to three gees and held that speed for most of the trip out to Alwa’s closest gas giant. Along the way, an asteroid belt provided them with ample opportunity to practice their gunnery and reloading speed. Kris hated the long wait for the lasers to recharge. She felt naked waiting fifteen seconds for the forward lasers to be ready again. Once, when the Princess Royal had targets both fore and aft, it took twenty seconds to get the lasers back online.

“Could we recharge three lasers forward and two aft in ten seconds? Or fewer lasers in shorter time?” she asked.

Captain Kitano shook her head. “If we try to pour too much juice too quickly to one capacitor, we’ll fry the power cables.”

Kris nodded. NELLY, SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND OUT ABOUT COOLING THE CABLES MORE.

KRIS, THEY’RE ALREADY SUPERCONDUCTORS. THERE’S A LIMIT.

THEN MAYBE WE NEED TO HAVE MORE CABLES.

I WILL RESEARCH WHAT CAN SPEED UP RELOAD TIMES, KRIS.

When they made orbit around the gas giant, the real fun began. Each frigate spun off a pinnace, powered by a single reactor, and stood by as the smaller ship went cloud dancing for reaction mass. Once, twice, then a third time, the pinnaces did their dance, each time bringing a supply of hydrogen, helium, and maybe other heavier slush, back to its frigate.

Kris could only smile as the pinnaces did easily what the old Wasp had nearly wrecked herself doing. Here was another reason to love the new Smart MetalTM.

The frigates began to look like they had broken out in hives as they converted their armor to more and more storage tanks for the reaction mass. When the pinnaces returned with their last load, they kind of hitched onto their ship, leaving the whole squadron with a lumpy, bumpy look all over, and a very pregnant bulge where the pinnace settled in.

“I hope we don’t need to fight,” Captain Kitano said, but under her breath.

Kris chose to hear the question. “If we do have to fight, we’ll vent most of this to space. If we don’t, we get back to Canopus Station with needed reaction mass so the private ships can fuel up, and the ships that we send out to plant buoys can depart with a full load. There should even be some to spare in case we do need to fight.”

“So this was a training and logistics run,” the captain observed.

“We have to kill three birds with each stone if we’re going to survive out here.”

The trip home was slower, never more than 1.5 gees, but they still got in a good shoot as they passed the asteroids.

Captain Drago was waiting on the pier as the Princess Royal pulled in. He met Kris as she was just settling down to read more fun reports from dirtside and the potential moon base.

“The Wasp is out of the yard. Do you still want to chase after the Hornet’s ghost?”

Kris frowned. She wasn’t sure whether it was the question or the reports. Or the fact she was starting to like reading reports. That would be a truly horrible fate.

“The Hornet is not a ghost until we bury her,” Kris said. “We leave no one behind. I will not have a ship stumbling upon that wreck twenty years from now to find that they survived for one, two, three years hoping for someone to come for them.”

“‘Leave no one behind’ is a good motto,” Captain Drago said, “but you’ll be leaving a lot behind you if you go. Can you afford the time to bury those who are most likely dead? We’ve already found the expanding gas clouds that were all that was left of the battleships.”

Kris eyed the contract captain. “Why are you arguing with me?”

Captain Drago took a seat beside Kris’s desk. “Commodore, there are good reasons to go and good reasons to stay. I want to know if we’re doing this for the right reason. If we’re going just because you feel you have to, or maybe it’s a Longknife legend thing, I might have a problem. Since we’re in private, I’m asking the question.”

Kris shoved away the report she’d been reading. Captain Drago had followed her to hell . . . and gotten back only by the skin of his teeth. He’d earned the right to question her decision when all hell wasn’t snapping at their heels.

“Captain, on the old Wasp, how many times did we come within a few kilos of reaction mass from being stranded in space?”

“More times than I care to be reminded,” he agreed.

“I don’t know what we’d have done if it had come to that. No one knew where we were. No one could have rescued us. Maybe I’m heading out on a wild-goose chase, but I owe it to Phil Taussig and his crew to chase them down. To do everything I can to help them if they are in need. We went one way. They went the other and led the bastards off our trail and after them. If that’s not a good enough reason for you, Captain, I can’t think of a better one. It’s good enough for me, and I will be going. You want me to take another ship?”

“No, Commodore. The Wasp is at your disposal. We are resupplied and are taking on some of that fine reaction mass you just brought in. I plan to take aboard enough to make all the jumps we did, and a couple extra for good hunting, then return on one tank.”

“It sounds like you plan a fast trip. Give me an hour or two to sort things out here, and I’ll be back aboard the Wasp.”

Captain Drago rose and saluted. “We await your pleasure, Your Highness.”

Kris called her next meeting. Captain Kitano had only to step inside Kris’s day cabin. Granny Rita and Pipra attended by conference call. Kris quickly told them of her intentions to leave Alwa for a couple of weeks to discover the fate of the Hornet.

Pipra began to object, but Granny Rita cut her off.

“A commander never leaves shipmates behind. I was wondering when you’d go after the Hornet as soon as I heard how you escaped.”

Captain Kitano just nodded, leaving Pipra to shake her head, and mutter, “Navy,” in exasperation.

“My problem,” Kris said once that was settled, “is that I’m wearing three hats at the moment: military commander, viceroy, and CEO of half our industrial wherewithal.”

“And you called us three why?” Granny asked with a sly smile.

“Captain Kitano, I want you to take over the defense mission. You will dispatch two ships to spread surveillance buoys at all jumps within six jumps of Alwa. That won’t leave you a lot of ships here until the four new frigates complete their shakedown process, so concentrate on them. Do you have any questions?”

Captain Kitano seemed a bit stunned by the load that had just been dumped on her but said nothing.

“Granny, can I trust you to function as Ray’s royal viceroy for a month without starting a war between me and Ada?”

“Kris, my child, you wrong me greatly,” Granny said through a grin. “Yes, I’ve been following what you and Ada have been up to. I should be able to maintain your momentum. And if we have any problems, I’ll call the captain here, or Ms. Strongarm.”

“You’re dumping the industrial mess on me!” Pipra said. She greeted Kris’s nod with a serious scowl. “I’ve hardly gotten used to having to juggle Nuu Enterprises and the other two companies that joined us, and now I have to handle the other three as well!”

“Lead,” Kris said, “not handle. If you run into trouble, call on Granny.”

Kris and Pipra both got a look at Granny’s big grin. It had a lot of teeth showing. “Or, on second thought,” Kris added, “you can threaten to bring Granny into it.”

“Yes, that should work,” Pipra finished, almost under her breath.

“I am foully slandered,” Granny said, grinning.

“Some of us have been dirtside long enough to pick up stories of the early days of your colony,” Pipra said.

“Lies, all lies,” Granny said, smiling as she lied through teeth.

“A reputation is a great thing,” Kris said, herself grinning. “Don’t waste it. Put it to use. You can never tell when you’ll need it to scare some kids into going to bed on time.”

“I’ve had a few Sailors bring me up to date on you, kid,” Granny said.

“And doubtless they traded you some good sea stories. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to transfer my flag back to the Wasp and see if I can talk my security chief into coming with me.”

That brought another round of canards which Kris strove not to participate in. While she was letting that wash over her, she had Nelly ask Penny if she’d like to be included in this trip. She did and asked if she could bring along Masao. Kris agreed.

An hour later, Abby had Kris packed and a half dozen Sailors lugging several hand trucks full of gear from the Princess Royal to the Wasp.

A corporal and two privates brought along all of Jack’s gear.

Next morning, they were away from the pier at 0730.