Kelly rode the Admiral’s gig to the Golden Eagle for Admiral Minacci’s commander’s call. He thought it was a pretty cushy ride. He could have docked the Vigilant to the flagship, but Admiral Minacci insisted that he would send his gig instead. Kelly imagined the Golden Eagle’s captain didn’t trust his helmsman’s capabilities.
Upon reaching the flagship, Kelly was escorted by a young Marine second lieutenant to flag country. The Marine saluted him, opened the door for Kelly, and left once Kelly was inside. Admiral Minacci’s Executive Officer, Commander Oliver Digg, met Kelly just inside the door.
“Lieutenant Commander Blake, come in. The Admiral is held up, so we’re a little behind schedule. I always hate it when we come into a system and are able to receive broadband message traffic. Every bureaucrat in Fleet HQ wanting a piece of his time bombards the admiral with questions. The admiral will join us shortly. He was quite impressed with your report. Did you really land a man on the planet?”
“Yes, sir, I had a Fleet Reporting Officer embarked and he wanted to conduct a personal reconnaissance of the planet, in an attempt to locate the Debran women. He hopes to find them and move them to a place where we can pick them up and get them off planet before things heat up.”
Captain Digg tensed up slightly. “We can pick them up? Who do you mean?”
Kelly realized that Scout Force’s independent operating style sometimes grated on more traditional Fleet officers, so he chose his words carefully.
“Now that I am under the command of the 3rd ALG, ‘ we’ means the 3rd ALG.”
Commander Digg relaxed slightly and said, “Good, you guys tend to be a little too independent at times for our way of operating. For instance, Admiral Minacci would have preferred that you cleared landing your agent with him first.”
Kelly looked Commander Digg in the eye and said, “I didn’t come under 3rd ALG command until our rendezvous an hour ago. Up until then I was still operating under Scout Force orders, which were to assist Mr. Bennett with his investigations. That is exactly what I did. Mr. Bennett didn’t work for me. Under the terms of my orders I was actually working for him.”
CDR Digg backed up a half step and said, “Oh, I see. That explains a lot. I would appreciate a copy of your orders and any amendments to them.”
Kelly pulled out his pocket terminal and beamed them to CDR Digg’s terminal.
CDR Digg led him over to the table with the coffee and pastry and left him to go greet another arriving captain. Kelly fixed a cup of coffee and left the pastries alone. Another CDR came over to Kelly and introduced himself as CDR Mike Milton, the captain of the Landing Assault Carrier Yellow Jacket. His carrier had the heavy brigade embarked and the Special Operations Company. He thought Kelly might know the commander of his Spec Ops Company, Captain Mary Chen.
“Why, yes, Commander, I do know Mary Chen. We shared my cabin on one mission.”
CDR Milton laughed at that and said, “You’re a better man than I. Mary has put a plan together. She proposes that if and when your reporting officer finds the Debran women, you would transport one of her platoons down close to the location, they would secure the women and load them on your ship to bring them out of the combat area. The admiral has seen an initial proposal. He sent it back with questions. Her briefing is after this commander’s call. I’m sure the admiral will want you there to offer your expertise.”
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?”
“Neither. Let me ask you something. Do you like it here living in slavery?”
Sally exploded, “Do I like it? Do I like it? What are you, a moron? Of course I don’t like it. Who the hell would like being someone else’s property?”
Alistair let her calm down some and said, “I’m with the cavalry. In a day or two all hell is going to break loose. This pirates’ den is going to be turned upside down.”
She looked at him with wariness in her eyes, “What are you trying to pull?”
“I’m not trying to pull anything. These pirates thought they were invulnerable in this star cluster. That is no longer the case. The Galactic Republic is tired of their raids and retribution is coming. You say you have a chip. Show me where.”
Sally put down her fork and stood up. She pointed to where her Adam’s apple would be if she were a man. “See the scar?”
Alistair pulled his hand sensor from his pocket and waved it at Sally’s throat. He did the same for Russell.
“I don’t know what they told you, but there is no chip in your neck. I bet it hurt like hell when they poked you, too.”
“What do you mean there is no chip? If I didn’t have a chip I couldn’t travel to the moon and I’ve been there twice.”
“There is no chip in your neck.”
“But I could feel it after they put it in!”
“What you felt was probably a grain of rice or the scar from them poking you with a big damn needle.”
Russell said, “Wave that thing at my neck again.”
Alistair did the same for him and said, “No chip.”
“This is what they use in some prisons to cut down on escape attempts. They’re cheaper than using real chips that prisoners sometimes cut out.”
Sally asked him, “Okay, now that that is settled, why are you here?”
“I’m looking for three recent captives. These are three women that are worth a lot of credits in the form of ransom.”
Sally and Russell looked at each other and exclaimed at the same time, “That’s what that was.”
Alistair looked at them and said, “That’s what ‘what’ was?”
Sally started off. “We got three special orders in here a few days ago. One of the orders was for pearlfish fillets. I thought, what moron thinks we can get pearlfish here? It had to be someone new and rich or showing off. I substituted another local fish and fixed the meals. The guards were in a big hurry, so I had to drop everything and make those meals. Well, we plated and packaged the meals, but the Ascetics guards were scared they would spill them, so they took Russell along to wrangle the meals. Russell, you take it from here.”
“They took me to this big house up on the ridgeline. This house looks like something out of Pride and Prejudice. It comes complete with liveried servants in powdered wigs and the long coats and short pants. I spoke to one of them and he told me there were three important women there.”
Can you show me on this screen where the house is?”
Russell looked at the hand sensor screen and pointed to the general vicinity. Alistair zoomed in until Russell was pointing at the exact house.
Alistair finished his breakfast and thanked them for saving him a lot of useless walking. He warned them to stay away from military facilities for the next few days and wished them luck. He would look them up after this was over.
Alistair set off to the northeast in search of the big house. He stuck to the alleyways as much as possible. While the chips were a fraud, the neck scars were not and he didn’t have one. When he left the northern outskirts of town he sat behind a tree and sent out a special report. He told the Vigilant that he had probably found the women, but he was going to verify they were there.
Captain Ben Alden arranged his ships in the formation he wanted for the initial assault on the pirate world. He led with five missile boats, followed by the two corvettes. The fighter carrier came next, followed by the medium gunboats. The armed cargo ships with their troops trailed in the rear, protected by the remaining missile boats. His four special operatives were on the fighter carrier, ready to ride in the jump seat behind the pilots.
His plan was to go in and just tear things up. He assumed there would be additional patrols, seeing as how the scout ship had gone in and kicked over the hornet’s nest. He needed to tear up their defenses so the fighters could get his operatives down on the planet. He needed them to find the women.
Once he had them arranged and briefed on his plan, they were ready to go. He came up on his communicator and said, “Tally Ho.” He didn’t know what it meant, but it sounded cool to say it.
The formation accelerated slowly and entered into the star cluster. He had given instructions to the missile boats to kill the early warning sensors as the came up on them. They did their job and the first dissolved into a cloud of debris.
One of the lead missile boats called out, “We got company — twelve ships dead ahead, coming in fast. These are probably those torpedo ships. We’ll launch on them when they come in range.”
Ben looked ahead, but saw nothing. He saw one of the missile boats turn into a fireball.
Another called out, “They have active mines deployed out here on the flanks. Keep your eyes open. Range on the torpedo ships in five seconds. Prepare to fire.”
Ben saw twelve missiles streak away from the missile boats ahead of them.
One of the missile boats reported, “Missiles away, but they have fired on us, too. I count 22 torpedoes inbound. I’m switching to guns.”
All the missile boats switched to guns and fire bursts reached out toward the speeding torpedoes. Ben added his long-range fire to the missile boats’ gunfire.
Success against missiles and torpedoes was measured in black clouds of smoke, failure for manned ships a short blossoming of orange flames, before the breached atmosphere dissipated in space’s vacuum. Ben counted two missiles boats taken out by torpedoes and 16 torpedoes destroyed. He saw that the two destroyed boats had ripple-fired their missiles before they were hit. Those had been good pilots. He kept up his fire and looked over to Captain Mac’s ship, whose corvette was matching fire with his. He watched the massed missiles hit the torpedo squadron and saw eight ships burst into orange flames, as their internal atmosphere fueled their demise. That left only two missile boats to sweep the path clear and four torpedo boats left in their way.
Ben saw one of his long-range bursts take out another torpedo ship. He swung right and killed another. Captain Mac took out the other two. Ben ordered Captain Cho to launch her fighters and get the operatives on the ground before the next torpedo squadron got between the planet and his fleet.
Ben watched the four fighters accelerate past him and streak forward to the planet. Now all they had to do was hold on long enough to recover the fighters.
The message from Alistair caused quite a stir in the 3rd ALG flag country. Kelly’s communicator buzzed during CPT Chen’s briefing. Several scowling eyes stared at Kelly until he read them the message that Alistair thought he had located the Debran women. Kelly interrupted the briefing to take over the holographic projector controls. He found the house that Alistair referred to and centered it in the hologram.
Instantly the concept briefing became a planning meeting as the admiral started looking for the best place to land the Vigilant. In fifteen minutes, the concept had gone from a plan to an execution order. Kelly instructed LTJG Cortez to dock the Valiant to the Yellow Jacket and prepare to embark a platoon of Marines and their equipment. He instructed her to clear out the starboard stores locker and consolidate anything in it to the port storage locker.
Just as quickly, everything came to a screeching halt when his emplaced sensors showed combat taking place in the star cluster. No one could figure out just who the pirates were fighting. Admiral Minacci ordered Kelly to get in there and figure out what was going on. Kelly ran for the admiral’s gig’s airlock and made a speedy trip back to the Vigilant. When he was on board and the gig was away, the Vigilant was already moving. LTJG Cortez had taken Kelly literally when he said get us moving as soon as I’m aboard. By the time Kelly sat in the command chair, they were already at FTL Power 3 and accelerating.
In an hour, the Vigilant was in amongst the brown dwarves, parallel to the main avenue of approach. Their sensors showed the hulls of destroyed torpedo ships, spent torpedoes, and the burnt out hulls of ships Kelly had never seen before. With the exception of a squadron of torpedo ships, no other ships were within sensor range.
Chief Johnson called to the bridge that he could identify them and he was enroute to the bridge.
Chief Johnson pulled up his pocket tablet and showed Kelly data and images of an obsolete commercial missile boat. He said they were mostly parked in bone yards or melted down, but there were still a few used by fleets for hire.
Chief Johnson said, “Kind of makes you wonder who would have the need and enough credits to hire a private fleet, doesn’t it sir?”
Kelly had already made the connection. It had to be Debran working both ends against the middle. Bastard probably didn’t care about his family. He only wanted to make sure the pirates paid for their affront to him. Kelly considered him a sick individual.
Kelly had the Vigilant held at their current position while they prepared a report for the admiral and waited for Alistair’s latest report. When Alistair’s report came in and the admiral’s report went out, Kelly made another high-speed dash across the sector.
A beat up transport ship badly in need of a paint job and TLC moved slowly into the Rigel Aldebaran sector. Its pitiful exterior did not match the interior, which was K’Rang state of the art. The K’Rang research vessel H’Gou moved toward Rigel, having been ordered to provide data on this sector. Its twin, the T’Rak, concentrated on Aldebaran.
Between the two, they catalogued every vessel within sensor range. The captain of the T’Rak was attempting to resolve a cluster of ships between Aldebaran and the star cluster that he thought might be Fleet warships. The H’Gou was attempting to resolve what appeared to be a dispersed small fleet of corvettes and smaller combatants. Both captains agreed that there were enough warships in this sector for it not to be a backwater. In their judgment, the Humans considered this to be a frontline sector. Their independent reports to the K’Rang Imperial Analytical Cabal and Fleet commander read almost word for word.
After they fought off another torpedo ship squadron long enough to recover the four fighters, Ben Alden retired his reduced fleet from the Pleiades star cluster. Upon rallying above Rigel Prime’s pole, he had the ships disperse as before. He had accomplished his goal at the cost of three missile boats and many good men and women. He calculated their death benefit and thought that at least their beneficiaries would live comfortably, cold comfort that it would be for them.
While he waited for his operatives to do their job, he prepared his report for Mr. Debran.
Fleet Commander J’Kalt completed his personal inspection of the ships assigned to his command. He caught many discrepancies, improved his command knowledge, and it gave him something to do while awaiting the arrival of the two Shadow Force scout ships. He wouldn’t move without his eyes and ears. The K’Rang could ill afford to waste ships by barging into the unknown; the debacle at G’Dranu taught them that. He would move when he knew what he was up against. This could easily be another Human trap.
Mr. Debran read Captain Alden’s report with interest. Who would have thought that there was a habitable world in the star cluster? He had anticipated some type of pirate base, an asteroid or moon facility perhaps, but not a living, breathing planet. The scientists for years had said the star cluster was impenetrable. How wrong they were.
Friedrich Debran saw the possibility of a large profit here. Land equaled credits and an entire world would equal a world full of credits. He called Delphant to arrange for an armored executive transport ship to be brought to Rigel station and kept on stand by. He just might need to visit this pirate world soon.
Steven Maynard was not having a good week. Yesterday, a mystery ship came in and killed one of his torpedo squadrons. Today, a mystery fleet came in, killed a second, and wounded a third. Fortunately, the damage to the third was only superficial. His ships killed three of a ship type he’d never seen before. What was going on? He couldn’t keep taking losses like this. He only had six squadrons left.
He notified his Undefeated captains that they would be put onto the shift schedule and one of them would be on patrol around the planet at all times. He would put two torpedo squadrons flying cover at all times. That should give them an edge, being able to support one another.
He considered that his troubles started when the Debran women were brought in. He discarded that idea as soon as it came into his head. He knew that his pirate brotherhood couldn’t last forever. He knew that the Fleet would come after him, but who owns this other ship and fleet? He had some credits stashed away in various world banks. If he pulled it all together, it made quite a tidy sum. He could live quite comfortably on that sum. He also knew that he would have to survive this current situation before he could even consider that.
He reviewed his defense plans again and decided to increase the numbers of mines placed by each shift. He also put one torpedo squadron from the next shift on stand by. That would give him 37 ships to defend the planet, if necessary. He also notified the Templar Corps Bishop-Commander that they might have company in the next few days, to pull out his heavy equipment, and start preparing ground defenses. Of course, he would also have to notify the populace and dust off his civil defense plans. Satisfied he had done all he could, he put himself to bed. Sleep did not come easy to him that night.
The two Shadow Scout Commanders reported into Fleet Commander J’Kalt. “Sir, Shadow Scout Commanders D’Lon and V’Tagg acknowledge your command. How may we serve the Empire?”
Admiral J’Kalt surveyed them with interest. D’Lon was a poster perfect Shadow Warrior, resplendent in his crimson cape. V’Tagg was something unexpected, a female Shadow Warrior. J’Kalt had known females were being recruited into Shadow Force, but V’Tagg was the first he’d seen. She was a perfect example of a K’Rang female. She was long of limb, sleek of fur, and bore the brow markings that were all the rage at the moment. He would be more than happy to fight for her submission when she came into season.
Admiral J’Kalt tossed these thoughts from his head and prepared to give these two their patrol orders.
“Shadow Scout Commanders, you will enter the star cluster at the location where the Human ship appeared. That appears to be an area of low gravity. Advance into the star cluster and determine a path sufficiently broad to allow my fleet to advance in battle formation. Identify all Human defenses, forces, and settlements. Find the path through the star cluster into Human space. Return when you have accomplished these tasks and report to me. Do you have any questions?”
They both came to attention and answered in unison, “No, Fleet Commander J’Kalt.”
“Then you are dismissed. Accomplish your mission. Long live the Empire!”
They came to a stiffer attention and echoed, “Long live the Empire!”
Alistair Bennett walked across the unoccupied golf course behind the large manor house. He stealthily moved from a grove of trees to ornamental shrubbery, always keeping out of view of the house. He made a quick dash from the last shrub 20 meters to the pool house. He crawled under a hedge and waited to see if there was to be any reaction from security forces.
After a reasonable time he peered around the edge of the pool house and froze. There, ten meters away, were two young women, nude, soaking up the sunlight. One was face down on the lounger and the other face up with a large hat covering her face. The view was breathtaking.
Alistair assumed these two were the Debran daughters, but needed to see their faces to confirm. He thought to himself, as he settled in to wait for one of them to show her face, that it was a dirty job, but someone had to do it. He didn’t have long to wait. The woman laying face up sat up, looked at her arms, and started applying lotion to them. She poked the other one and said she should turn over, as she was looking pink. As the second turned over and sat upright, Alistair confirmed he had found the Debran daughters. He stared for only a few seconds, but it seemed like an hour. Now he had to find the mother.
Julia Debran decided to join her daughters. Unlike them, she did not feel the need for an all over tan. She was perfectly fine with the tan lines left by her minimal swimsuit. She walked out to the pool, put down her book bag, took a quick dip, and climbed out to join her daughters. Not wanting full sun, she took the lounger in the shade of the hedge.
Alistair couldn’t ask for better luck. Julia Debran was five meters from him. He took a few seconds to compose a message and sent it off to the Vigilant.
“The Debrans have been found at the manor house-confirmed.”
He pondered whether to retire from the scene and contact them when a rescue was imminent, but figured he may not get a better opportunity than this. He silently moved behind the hedge until he was one meter away and directly behind Mrs. Debran.
He whispered, “Mrs. Debran.”
She reacted and said, “Yes?”
He whispered again, “Mrs. Debran, don’t turn around. I am part of your rescue force. Don’t speak. Just nod your head up and down for yes and side-to-side for no. Do you understand me?”
She nodded yes.
“I am going to leave a communicator in a small jewel case here behind you. Pretend you dropped something and pick it up. Fit it into your ear.”
Julia grabbed at her ear then sat up and looked around. She got off the lounger and looked underneath it and then at the shrubs. She saw Alistair lying there under the hedge. Sotto voce, she said, “This better be real and you’re not just some peeping tom.”
She picked up the box, opened it, removed the small communicator, and inserted it into her ear. Alistair climbed back away from the hedge and moved back toward the golf course.
Once he was safely inside a copse of concealing trees, with good all around visibility, he contacted Mrs. Debran.
“Julia, I have moved away and can’t see you now so you don’t need to nod in response. I have just sent a message to Fleet confirming your identity and location. They will work up a rescue plan, inform me, and then I will inform you. Don’t change your normal activities or act differently in any way. The rescue may take place tonight or tomorrow or next week. I won’t know more until they contact me with the details. If there is an emergency or they move you from this house, remove the communicator from your ear and tap the button on the bottom of the communicator then insert it back in your ear. The communicator has a locator so I will be able to find you wherever they take you.”
“The communicator has transmit capability. You can speak in a normal tone or whisper. Don’t try to speak to me in the house; the house is probably bugged. Come out to the pool by the waterfall or out on the golf course with no one around. I will leave it to you whether you will tell your daughters or not. If you do, make sure they keep their routine the same.”
“I’m going to go find a hide location now. I will be close by and watching. My name is Alistair, by the way. It’s been a pleasure to meet you. I’ll be in touch.”
Alistair moved off to the wooded area where he had accessed the property. He found a soft spot amongst the trees and made himself comfortable. He pulled out the sandwich Sally had made for him and chowed down. He hoped the rescue wouldn’t be too much of a wait. He hated field rations.
Kelly forwarded the message to Admiral Minacci and the 3rd ALG captains, per instructions, and he awaited a reaction. The reaction was swift, in the form of an execution order to dock with the Yellow Jacket and embark a platoon from the SOC. Admiral Minacci decided to conduct the rescue first and the assault after. He felt it was too dangerous for the Debran women to be rescued in the midst of an all out assault on the pirates. The women could be injured in the assault, executed by the pirates, or moved where the Fleet couldn’t get at them so easily.
Kelly dutifully docked with the Yellow Jacket and had his crew assist with loading and securing the Marines’ gear on the Vigilant. CPT Chen came up to the airlock entrance with 1st LT Bob Heron and requested permission to come aboard. Kelly shook hands with 1st LT Heron and welcomed him aboard. LTJG Cortez escorted him to where the platoon was securing their gear. CPT Chen asked him if he would allow her to ride along to observe the platoon. Kelly asked if she didn’t have work to do on the moon attack.
She responded, “We’re already practiced and ready. Admiral Minacci wants to have the fleet ships practice their maneuvers in the attack for the next two days. I’d like to watch my Marines in action, if it’s alright with you, sir.”
Kelly laughed, “Sure Ms. Chen, it’s alright with me. Permission granted.”
She picked up a large duffle bag and said, “My gear. I go nowhere without it.”
As soon as all the Marines and their gear were on board and secure, Kelly asked permission to depart.
Admiral Minacci came up on the circuit and granted permission to depart. He wished them good luck and good hunting, the traditional Scout Force farewell. The Admiral was learning.
Kelly ordered the helm to undock from the Yellow Jacket and set course for the previously determined hold position within the star cluster. The Vigilant smoothly undocked and moved outside the fleet perimeter before engaging FTL Power 3. It was time to go to work.