Admiral Minacci viewed the entirety of the K’Rang fleet arrayed in the free space before Barataria. Now the advantage shifted to the K’Rang. He had one more trap to spring, then the battle would devolve into a slugfest, one he was ill suited to win.
The massed fighters, attack craft, and torpedo ships flew at the K’Rang left flank. They launched 48 medium missiles from the F-48s first and peeled off to return to the carrier. The remainder flew on, using the missiles as a shield. The A-76s were next to launch 144 medium missiles and peeled off. The Charybdis launched 120 torpedoes and pulled off to return to base. This left 40 Scyllas to hide in and behind the missile and torpedo cloud boring in on the K’Rang fleet.
The K’Rang defensive missiles launched, in response to the inbound missiles. It was obvious to Admiral Minacci that there weren’t going to be enough K’Rang defensive missiles. The Scyllas fired off their 48 fast torpedoes and retired back to their base. Minacci watched as intensive fire erupted from the K’Rang fleet.
The defensive missiles reduced the cloud of approaching missiles, but only by a third. None of the fast torpedoes were hit and they bore into the midst of the K’Rang fleet. The remaining gun frigate and two destroyers took direct hits. The large antimatter warheads broke the ships’ backs and sent them spinning through the formation.
The remaining missiles and torpedoes caused assorted damage, but none that would disable or destroy a ship. Most of the damage appeared to knock out several of the gun mounts on the remaining K’Rang destroyers. The heavy cruiser was left with only one turret operational.
Admiral Minacci ordered in what he hoped would be the killing stroke. His two plasma frigates, the two assault landing carriers, and his flagship popped out from behind Barataria and fired all their anti-ship missiles at the K’Rang heavy cruiser. They opened up with their plasma cannons at the remainder of the fleet, concentrating all their fire on one ship at a time. If it was to be a slugfest, it would be at his instigation.
The first group of anti-ship missiles slammed into the K’Rang cruiser and destroyed its remaining turret, and one of the frigate’s rear turret and missile pod. The cruiser was now weaponless. The plasma barrage aimed at one of the destroyers burned holes through the ship and destroyed its hull integrity. Life giving atmosphere rushed out into space in an expanding fog.
The defanged cruiser and four fighter defense frigates were all that was left of the mighty K’Rang fleet. Admiral Minacci pressed his advantage. He ordered Captain Alden to attack the K’Rang left flank. Alden’s 27 ships swarmed out from behind Barataria’s artificial moon and bore in on the K’Rang left flank. Captain Alden intended for them to earn their pay. He had all ships film the encounter with their gun cameras for Mr. Debran’s enjoyment.
The K’Rang frigates put up as effective a defensive fire as they could. As a last desperate measure, the K’Rang frigates fired all their offensive missiles. Sixty-four offensive missiles sped toward the admiral’s flagship.
The K’Rang frigates formed a wall before their flagship cruiser and switched to area fire. One Hooligan missile boat unluckily ran into a super heated plasma bubble and dissolved into a mass of molten metal. The rest of the missile boats raced on. As they came within missile range, Alden ordered them to salvo fire. The Hooligan missiles, programmed to take out the frigates, bore in through the defensive fire and the 35 surviving missiles slammed into the four K’Rang frigates. The antimatter warheads exploded against the frigates like miniature suns, totally consuming the ships. The K’Rang offensive missiles continued on toward the Human carrier and flew into a cloud of defensive missiles. One missile, thrown off course by a near explosion, tumbled past the defensive missiles, righted itself, and flew into the superstructure of one of the Human bombardment frigates. The burning Human frigate quickly became a total loss and escape pods started ejecting from the crippled ship.
The K’Rang heavy cruiser stood alone and defenseless in the glaring light of the Baratarian star. Fleet Commander J’Kalt looked at his situation calmly. He had no guns but his close in defensive guns, and they would only protect him from a small fraction of any inbound missiles. He and his ship were doomed; nothing could save them now. J’Kalt decided to make one last desperate attempt to save K’Rang honor. He turned his ship in the direction of the Human carrier and ordered best possible speed. Even though his FTL engines were damaged in the missile strike that took out his rear turret control center, he could make nearly 0.4 c. He aimed his ship and left his fate to fortune.
Captain Alden ordered all ships to close on the K’Rang heavy cruiser and open fire as they came in range. The four fighters fired two medium missiles each and pulled away. The close in defensive weapons took out one missile, but the others bore in and turned the damaged cruiser into a boiling mass of atmosphere-fueled flame. The atmosphere was consumed in seconds and the flame died out. The smashed hull of the cruiser glowed red in the space above Barataria. Captain Alden and his entire Hooligan fleet did a victory roll.
Admiral Minacci didn’t rejoice for long. His cruiser squadron reinforcements were still four days away. If more K’Rang showed up, he was running out of ordnance. He still had a large supply of mines. He decided to move his force closer to the K’Rang space and lay a minefield in depth across the entrance from K’Rang space. He took his force to a position beyond which K’Rang sensors could penetrate and provided security for the Leviathan. The Vigilant moved to the edge of K’Rang space and scanned for any enemy combatants. Except for some planetary defense ships near the two main worlds, the scan was empty. The Leviathan, with its stealth coating, was able to move right up to edge of the star cluster and start laying a layer cake of mines.
The first layer were the Fleet’s dumb mines so the K’Rang would have no doubt who put down the unwelcome mat. The second layer was autonomous mines. The third were missile pods covering the first two layers. Next came a repeat of the first three layers and then a further repeat of the three layers. Minacci intended to make sure the bottle was plugged. He had the Vigilant seed the minefield with the remaining sensor pods. Once Minacci was sure the border was secure, he pulled his fleet back to Barataria.
When the news of the K’Rang defeat hit the evacuee camp, there was a great celebration. After the impromptu and raucous party came the decisions by the released captives whether to stay or go. A surprisingly large number decided to stay. People lacking family roots, which was not uncommon among spacers, decided to stay. Those with family ties or ongoing business interests decided to go. Those that left were provided with a moderate credit balance to get them back home. Transport ships, including the newly liberated Nebula Queen, were chartered to deliver them to Rigel Station. Irina Bugarov and Terri were first to book passage and got their old cabins back, with their belongings still inside.
The large number that stayed were offered membership in the Brotherhood. All accepted and took the new modified oath. The Brotherhood swelled by just under 50,000.
A ceremony was scheduled to honor the fallen and celebrate the victory over the K’Rang. The events were to take place over two days. The first day would be dedicated to honoring the GRS Yellow Jacket’s crew, the Frigate Jacob B. Grandis’ crew, the missile boat’s crew and the Baratarian defenders lost to the K’Rang. The second day would be to celebrate the victory. The second day would start with a ceremony honoring Admiral Minacci, Captain Alden, LCDR Blake, the Undefeated cutters, and the brave Torpedo Squadrons. The rest of the day would be a series of smaller events throughout Lafitte City. One of those events would be the marriage of Russell Obwobwo and Sally Halstead. Steven Maynard would preside. One-eyed Pete would give away the bride, and Alistair Bennett was asked to stand in as best man. Admiral Minacci was requested to come as an honored guest.
The K’Rang reinforcement task force arrived opposite the entrance to the star cluster on the day of the memorial. They found a multi-level minefield blocking off the way forward into the star cluster. They were able to see the depth and complexity of the minefield and concluded that it would be too costly to penetrate. The Humans also could quickly have forces in place to block any attempts. They spent a few days exploring, looking for another way into the star cluster, and determined the gravity hazards were too great to risk their ships.
After conferring with K’Rang Fleet HQ and receiving concurrence from the Elders, they established their own combined mine and sensor barrier layered opposite the exit. The D’Rin star cluster was no longer a backwater.
The military-only memorial ceremony for the defenders of Barataria was a somber affair. The Bishop-Commander led the invocation and prayers for the souls of the lost. Kelly saw quite a few wet eyes on and around the raised dais of one of the Ascetic battalion chapels that had been set aside for the memorial. To tell the truth, his eyes felt a little steamy when he thought about CDR Milton and his warrior spirit that led him to put his ship in harm’s way, when he could have remained safely in the rear.
Later, Kelly helped the admiral place a wreath at the future site of the Defenders Memorial by the parade ground. The large civilian presence around what was a hastily constructed marble pad was heartwarming. The audience was equally composed of Old Brotherhood and former captives, all grateful to those who died ensuring their safety and freedom. After the ceremony, the admiral called Kelly aside.
“Kelly, are you aware that Fleet has been studying whether to assign scout ships to groups, task forces, and fleets during operations? On the basis of your service to the 3rd Assault Landing Group, I am forwarding my recommendation to Fleet HQ that this be made a routine assignment for scout ships. I would be happy to have your ship under my command at any time.”
“It is my considered opinion that the K’Rang fleet would now be threatening Rigel and Aldebaran, if not for the excellent reconnaissance work carried out by you and your crew. You are to be personally commended, as well as your crew. I will see to it that your ship is awarded another campaign star and a special engagement star for your destruction of the two K’Rang scout ships. I will also forward award recommendations for you and any of your crew you deem worthy. Get the recommendations to my flag secretary before you’re chopped back to Scout Force control and leave sector.”
Kelly said, “I appreciate your sentiments, sir. You’re an easy admiral to work for. I hope we work together again some day.”
The two clasped hands, then departed to their next event, the wedding.
Sally’s wedding was to be held at the Ruin View. One-Eyed Pete would allow nothing else. He had flowers from all over the planet brought in to decorate the place. Sally insisted that only she would work in her kitchen, but Pete and Russell shouted her down. They were not going to let her work on her wedding day. They borrowed the best military cooks that she had trained in her style of cooking, and had them cater the meals.
Sally was dressed in a traditional white satin wedding gown, not seen much these days. It covered her from her shoulders to the floor. It had a simple white beaded headband that held up her veil. The gown had belonged to one of her Brotherhood customer’s wife and had cheerfully been given to Sally to do with as she wished. An afternoon at the tailor assured a perfect fit. She looked positively slender in it.
Russell was dressed in formal wear suitable for a GR ambassador. In fact, it had once belonged to one, before an Undefeated class cutter liberated it. All the preparations were complete. One-Eyed Pete stood at the front of the restaurant ready to give away the bride. Russell and Alistair stood at the back of the restaurant with the Steven Maynard. Six military cooks watched carefully over the ovens, pots, and pans, with plates lined up on the prep table.
Kelly sat on the bride’s side in the second row, in his dress uniform. Mary Chen sat on his left and Connie Cortez on his right. Admiral Minacci sat in the first row with his executive officer, CDR Digg. The restaurant was packed. Not a seat was empty and people were standing outside looking in the windows. This was a big event for Barataria.
The wedding march started and everyone stood and faced to the rear. As One-Eyed Pete and Sally marched up the aisle, Connie and Mary started sniffling. Kelly, prepared, pulled out two handkerchiefs and passed them over. Kelly had to admit that plain old Sally looked beautiful. Her face beamed with a too infrequent smile. She stood up straight and not her usual slump. Love looked good on her.
She and Pete reached the end of the aisle. He raised her veil and gave her a polite peck on the cheek then handed her over to Russell. Maynard started the wedding with a brief welcome to all the guests and an explanation of why all were here. He then proceeded to the vows and exchange of rings. Women all over the restaurant were sobbing quietly, including Kelly’s ladies. Before he knew it, it was time for Russell to kiss his new bride, which elicited a round of cheers and applause from the assembled dignitaries.
The reception followed immediately. The guests were hustled into the bar for wine and cocktails, while the caterers cleared the chairs and set up the restaurant for the meal. Kelly mingled with the assorted guest and dignitaries. Steven Maynard came over and brought him a fresh drink.
“LCDR Blake, I want to thank you for all you did for Barataria. Admiral Minacci tells me that without your support he might have lost to the K’Rang. Let me assure you that we appreciate what you and your crew have done or us. Also rest assured that there will be no repercussions for your unfortunate engagement with Torpedo Squadron Six. We were pirates then and we took a pirate’s chances. We bear you no ill will.”
“Thank you, Mr. Maynard.”
“Please, call me Steven.”
“Okay, Steven, call me Kelly. I appreciate this gesture. I wish there had been a way that I could have accomplished my mission without the loss of your squadron. As a fighter pilot myself, I can assure you that I’ve never faced finer or braver opponents. You can be proud of Torpedo Squadron Six.”
“Thank you, Kelly. Excuse me, I see my assistant waving me over.”
It was time for the dinner. The bridal party led the multitude into the dining room. Place cards showed everyone where to sit. Kelly wound up at Admiral Minacci’s table with his ladies on either side. Alistair was at the head table next to Russell. Connie blew a kiss in his direction.
The meal was excellent. Even Sally was pleased. The toasts were long and witty; the wine flowed freely.
After a while, One-Eyed Pete stood up. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have a gift for the bride and groom, if they will accept it.”
He pulled out a pocket terminal and turned it on.
“This is a legal document I’ve had drawn up. It deeds Sally and Russell a full partnership in the Ruin View Restaurant, if they will agree to stay here on Barataria and help me run it.”
Sally stood up and pulled Pete’s face down to kiss him. Tears streamed down her face. She choked up and couldn’t speak, so Russell spoke for her.
“Pete, this is an unexpected pleasure. This is what we were hoping, but felt we couldn’t ask for. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Pete disentangled himself from Sally, who clung to his neck weeping with joy, and had them thumb the document. He held it up after to a round of applause and cheers.
After the dishes were cleared, the bride and groom circulated around the room, thanking all their guests for coming. When she finally came to the Admiral’s table, she told him and Kelly she’d better never hear either was in the sector without coming by for a meal. There would always be a table waiting.
They made their way around the table and One-Eyed Pete was there to hustle them along to change for their get-away.
The bride and groom changed into street clothes and the guests lined the entrance to wish them well. Rice flew as they ran to a waiting hover limo and it sped off into the night. Folks found out later that Pete had lent them his cabin by a lake for their honeymoon.
A long line for the taxis had Kelly, Mary, Connie, and Alistair waiting, until Kelly felt a tap on his shoulder. It was CDR Digg, motioning him to come with him. The four of them followed him around the corner to a large ground car. Admiral Minacci waved them all in, and they rode to the spaceport.
Mary rode up to the Golden Eagle in the Admiral’s gig. Her company would be embarked on the Golden Eagle until the 3rd ALG reached Gagarin. The remainder of the Marine Brigade from the Yellow Jacket would be split between the Assault Landing Carriers Wasp and Bee. Temporary berths were set up in the AS-500s to house the Marines. The Yellow Jacket’s dozen AS-500s would be parked at the Baratarian Main Spaceport until a carrier could be dispatched to pick them up. The pilots, copilots, and a small Marine detachment became honored guests of Barataria, as they remained behind to guard the craft.
Kelly, Connie, and Alistair spent a sober night on the Vigilant. A large part of the crew was out on the town.
The Vigilant lifted off the next morning, bright and early, with the crew only a little hung over. When they hit orbit, Admiral Minacci contacted Kelly to tell him he had been released back to Scout Force control and, again, how much he appreciated having him around. He hoped they could work together again some time. Kelly expressed similar sentiments. The Admiral signed off and Kelly heard a knock on his door. It was Yeoman Benitez, with a dispatch from Scout Force ordering him back to Antares Base. Kelly ordered Connie to set course for Alistair’s ship to drop him off first.
They docked with Alistair’s ship and transferred his gear over. Kelly watched as Alistair pulled Rojo out of the stasis chamber. He lifted him out of the carrier and placed him on the warm spot next to the command console. In but a few minutes, Rojo was up and purring, rubbing up against Kelly’s leg. Kelly had an idea and excused himself, leaving Connie and Alistair alone. He came back a discreet time later, making sure to make noise as he approached the control room.
“I understand Rojo likes sailor fish fillets. If that’s still the case, here’s a package of them for him.”
Alistair was astonished.
“You have sailor fish fillets in your galley stores?”
Kelly replied, “No, but a replicator is a wonderfully handy thing to have.”
They all three laughed.
Kelly told Connie that he had some things to take care of on the Vigilant before they left, so she could stay here to say farewell for a while. Kelly went back to his cabin, called in Yeoman Benitez, and finalized his award recommendations to transmit to Admiral Minacci’s Flag Secretary before they left the sector. He approved the list and had Benitez transmit it to Admiral Minacci’s staff.
Kelly piddled for a bit longer then called over to Alistair’s ship and asked if he could have his XO back. Alistair responded that he would send her over presently and asked to meet Kelly at the airlock.
Kelly walked to the airlock and called for Alistair. Alistair and Connie approached. Connie excused herself and went on into the Vigilant.
Alistair said, “I want to thank you, Kelly, for helping me to accomplish my mission. I wouldn’t have been able to without your help. I also want to thank you also for the chance to be shot at and missed. It was most exhilarating, but I think I’ll give it a miss in the future.”
Kelly thanked him for his valuable insight and hoped they could work together again some time. Kelly and Alistair shook hands and both captains cycled their airlocks closed.
Kelly returned to the bridge, confirmed readiness to undock, and separated the two ships. As Alistair’s ship pulled away, Kelly gave orders to set course for home at FTL power 4. Kelly took it easy on the crew on the return voyage. He only ordered three drills.
Alistair received a message containing his new orders. He and his cat were ordered to take a month off. He was pulled off mission status until the month was over. He was authorized to take his ship with him and use it during his leave. Working during these four weeks would be grounds for dismissal.
Alistair talked to Rojo, “I assume from the tone of the order that they are serious this time. Now all we have to do is figure where we can go for the next four weeks and not work. Rojo, I hear Armstrong is supposed to be nice this time of year. I hear Armstrong is supposed to be nice anytime of year. Now who do I know on Armstrong? You know, if I’m not mistaken, Connie Cortez is on Armstrong.”
Rojo wasn’t listening; he was too busy batting a fuzzy ball about the command console.
He continued, “Rojo, I vote for Armstrong. What do you say?”
Rojo let out a Merow!
“I take this as an affirmative response, boy. Did I tell you they have wing fish on Antares? I hear they taste very much like sailor fish fillets.”
Rojo jumped down off the command console and started doing figure eights around Alistair’s legs.
“Oh, so that sounds good to you, does it, boy? Armstrong it is, then. I wonder if Connie can get some time off?”
The Vigilant was cleared for a standard approach into Antares Base. Kelly had expected to be directed into Antares Station first. He guessed the Admiral must be planet-side today. The Vigilant was directed to a parking space and the helm sat her down smoothly, without a bump.
As the Vigilant was hooked up to water, power, and sewage, Kelly received a message to report to Admiral Craddock’s office. Kelly grabbed his logs and found the nearest shuttle to take him to Scout Force HQ. He was shown immediately into Admiral Craddock’s office. CDR Timmons was there.
Admiral Craddock came around his desk and shook Kelly’s hand.
“I just got a long message from Admiral Minacci about you. He was very impressed with your performance in support of his operations. He’s recommended the Vigilant for another campaign star and an Engagement Star for your combat with the two K’Rang scout ships. He assured me you’d get them both. Edgar, if this is going to become a regular occurrence I’ll have to see about putting out a policy on it.”
“Minacci’s recommending that all task forces, fleets, and groups deploy with a Scout Ship in support. I think we can support this with our current strength and I am going to agree with his recommendation. We might need to add some ships to be able to accompany all groups, fleets, and task forces, but we can definitely support those heading into combat situations.”
“Good work on this mission. I saw your report on the K’Rang scout encounter. We had your back if Paulo hadn’t been as appreciative as he turned out to be. That was a gutsy move. If the K’Rang had been smart enough to see what you were doing, you‘d have been in a tight spot. How did you know the pirates would surrender so quickly?”
“Sir, I didn’t, but thought the presence of the K’Rang might have a positive effect on the Baratarians’ attitude once the 3rd ALG showed up.”
“Well, good work, Kelly. Fleet Intel wants to conduct a series of debriefings with you and your crew on the K’Rang, the pirates and these Hooligans you mentioned, but you’ll have a few days to give your crew some time off. I’m taking the Vigilant off patrol status for the next 30 days. I need to give the other captains a chance at glory. The yard will want a few days to check out your ship. Plan on being here for a month, then we’ll talk about your next mission. Give your people some leave. Take some yourself.”
The Admiral went back and sat behind his desk. CDR Timmons got up from the admiral’s couch and led Kelly out of the office.
CDR Timmons grinned and said, “Kelly, it’s good to see you’re keeping up the tradition of the Vigilant being a one ship fleet.”
They both laughed as they walked to the 21st Scout Squadron HQ offices. Timmons escorted Kelly into his office and offered him some coffee. Kelly fixed a cup and sat down in one of the chairs in front of CDR Timmons’ desk.
CDR Timmons sat down and said, ”Damn good job, Kelly. I can’t believe how effusive Minacci was in his praise for you. Even discounting that he’s politicking for Scout Force to send a scout ship with him next time he goes out, he put in some pretty strong words. You’ll get a fairly high award out of him, I imagine.”
“I was just doing my job, sir. Just like you taught me.”
Timmons smiled at that. Kelly did, too.
“I never taught you to take on a whole planet and win. You did that on your own.”
“R amp;R directorate wants to interview you about the increased speed algorithm. It seems the Valiant had some problems with theirs. It sent them corkscrewing through space. It was a hairy ride for a few seconds until they emergency braked. They almost lost their stabilization.”
“I only used the extra speed a few times on this patrol. FTL power five was as fast as we normally got.”
“Well, they want to talk to you and Chief Miller, anyway. I’ll set it up.”
CDR Timmons looked at Kelly with a smile on his face and said, “I have some news of a personal nature to share. Janey is getting out. It seems General Bugarov left a time bomb in her records and she won’t be promoted to Major. So, in the spring after she’s released, we’re going to get married. I’d appreciate it if you’d stand up with me as my best man.”
Kelly beamed, “Congratulations, sir, and I’d be honored to be your best man.”
“Keep this to yourself for now. She hasn’t told her family yet. I just proposed to her this week.”
“I’m happy for you both.”
Kelly turned somber. “Bugarov, it’s a shame she was so vindictive and destructive. She cost Fighter Force a lot of good officers. You’d think, now that she’s gone, personnel would consider some of the records for review and correction. I mean, there’s what, ten officers here alone that she discarded and I’m just one of them?”
“Yeah, she was a real piece of work.”
The yard crew came on board the Vigilant and ran a series of diagnostics on the engines, sensors, shields, and weapons. They pronounced her in fine shape. The only damage they found was some minor stealth coating damage to the nose. They scheduled the Vigilant for two days hence to be put into drydock 7 for the paintwork. Kelly’s debriefing took place while the yard crew was doing its diagnostics.
Kelly’s debrief went quickly due to his detailed logs and reports. They had only minor questions about Captain Alden and his fleet’s consist. A few questions about Steven Maynard were short circuited when Kelly pointed out the detailed biographical report in the file that they had missed. In less than two hours, he had answered all their questions and was released to go.
CDR Johnson called Kelly into his office after the debriefers were finished.
“Come in, Kelly. Sit down. I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Kelly was offered coffee, which he accepted, and he sat down.
“I’d like to talk to you about your next assignment after you give up command. The normal career progression for a Scout Force officer is an assignment with Fleet Intelligence between ships. You’ve really impressed us. We’d like you to start thinking about what you’d like to do next. With your record, you can pick your next assignment. We think we can offer you a more rewarding job than shuffling paper in some headquarters. You have a long time to make up your mind, but think about what you want to do next and include us in your deliberations.”
Kelly, sensing the office call was over, put his coffee down and stood up to leave. CDR Johnson personally escorted him out of the building, making small talk on the way out. All the way back to the Vigilant, he thought to himself that that was the worst sales pitch he’d ever heard.
When Kelly returned to the Vigilant, there were two messages from Candy in his queue. The first was a voice message, “Hey, Kelly, Dad tells me you’re back in town for a while. Do you have time to come over to my place? You know you can stay as long as you like. Tammy has a few days off and she is staying with me. We’d love to have you over even, if it’s just for dinner. Say you will. It’ll be fun.”
The second was a video message obviously from her house. Candy and Tammy were lounging in Candy’s living room, wearing their lounging pajamas — at least the tops.
“Hey, give us a call back. I have a case of the latest vintage of the vidal blanc you like so much. It’s even better than the last year’s vintage, if that’s possible. We’ll cook some steaks and throw in some vegetables and have a feast. Come on.”
Candy and Tammy stood up and twirled all the way around before sitting back down and closing the video. They were testing his resolve. That’s for sure.
Kelly checked his schedule. He actually could squeeze in a week when the Vigilant went into the yard. It would take a few days to paint her and a day or two to dry. He could manage a week then. He filled out a leave form and emailed it to CDR Timmons. He reviewed other messages, and marveled as his approved leave came back almost instantaneously.
Kelly looked through his calendar entries and saw no conflicts. He sent Candy a message, saying he could come over in a day for a week, and to chill down lots of the vidal blanc. He hit send and almost immediately a videoconference request came back. He saw it was from Candy and accepted.
Candy and Tammy must have just come from the pool, because they were wearing only towels — and those loosely. Kelly looked over his shoulder to make sure he was alone in his cabin. He was.
“Hey there. We just saw your message and had to see you. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m also glad I didn’t have a conference table full of crewmembers.”
Candy and Tammy laughed, cast aside their towels, and Candy said, “Why do you think we were wearing the towels?” The two dissolved into giggles and Kelly assumed they were well into a bottle or two of the vidal blanc, even though it was still a while before lunch.
“Vigilant is going into the yard for a paint job. I can come over late tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
Candy and Tammy said in unison, “Of course it’s okay.” Candy continued, “What time should we pick you up?”
“How about dinner at the club at 1800?”
“How about we pick you up at the club at 1800 and have dinner here at 1830?”
Kelly laughed and said, “Okay, I’ll meet you at the club at 1800. I have to go do captain stuff now. Later.”
He clicked terminate to end the video call and tried to get back to work. It was after lunch before he could fully concentrate again.
Admiral Minacci sipped a soft drink while the Chief of Fleet Operations, Admiral Christos Pouledoris, handled a call from Senator Colleen Santori that interrupted his office call. He couldn’t tell the topic, but by the Admiral’s body language and responses, it must have been good news. He put his drink down onto the coaster on the walnut end table as the call ended.
“Well, that was good news. Senator Santori just informed me the Defense and Commerce Enhancement Bill passed with only one nay vote from that cowardly bastard Livingstone from Shepard and one abstention from that wishy washy Steele from Gagarin. Why does he even show up? He votes present or abstains more than anything else.”
“While you were away, the Republic’s Assembly debated tripling production of transporter rings. It seems the freshman senator from New Alexandria, David Colton, is a whiz at bringing together a consensus. A massive transporter ring production station will be orbited over Carpenter. In a year, when the station is complete, they‘ll be able to produce one every two months after six months of initial production. The rings will be built in three separate pieces, so they can be laid side by side and sent through the existing rings to be opened on site. In another eight months they will have four rings to do a basic outfit of the second tier worlds. In five years most major systems will have a ring and all parts of the republic will be reachable in two days. Pretty soon, FTL power 6 will seem so slow.”
Paulo said, “That’s great news, sir. My nerves really could have used some reinforcements on this campaign. If that private fleet hadn’t shown up, I might have lost it all. Even with them ready to spring the trap behind me, it was very disquieting to see that reduced, but still quite lethal K’Rang fleet in open space before me. A cruiser squadron would have been handy.”
“Paulo, don’t sell yourself short. Of course we all want to have overwhelming force in any engagement, but you did a damn fine job with what you had. You destroyed a fleet more than twice your size, with only the loss of an assault landing carrier, a frigate, and a few light ships. I’m putting you in for the Distinguished Service Star.”
Minacci whistled inside his head. The DSS was the second highest award for combat action in the GR.
The Admiral continued, “If you have any officers or ships that deserve special recognition, let me know and I’ll expedite the processing and Senate confirmation.”
“Sir, I’m recommending CDR Mike Milton for the Galactic Medal of Honor. He was my best assault landing carrier captain and he came up with the tactic of using the emptied carriers against the K’Rang. It was a heavy blow to lose him and the Yellow Jacket, but his attacks took out a large number of enemy ships, especially their support ships. He took out three of their supply ships and three frigates in his first attack. His second attack destroyed a light cruiser and damaged a second before they got him. He took away a large part of their defensive missiles with the support ships and their long-range offensive capability with the light cruisers. The final fight with the K’Rang would have been a lot more in their favor without Mike’s attacks.”
“I’ll do what I can, Paulo. The Senate has been a lot friendlier lately. I don’t know why, but I’ll take advantage of that for you. Is there anyone else?”
“Yes, sir, there is. You know I’ve been pushing to have a scout ship attached to each fleet, task force, and group. I had a young scout ship captain supporting me and he did one hell of a job. I would go so far as to say he was primarily responsible for my victory. His name is Kelly Blake. He’s a recently promoted Lieutenant frocked to Lieutenant Commander by Tom Craddock so he could take over his ship. If Blake is a typical Scout Force officer, I want a dozen. He was smart, capable, intuitive, and deadly.”
“He won’t admit to it, but he forced the pirates’ surrender singlehandedly. He let me take the credit for it, but he lured two K’Rang scout ships into a very visible ambush that convinced the pirates they would rather surrender to us than the K’Rang. He blinded the K’Rang commander in the process. The K’Rang commander had to advance against me with no knowledge of the battlespace or my force. I’m putting a personal letter in Blake’s file to see to it he becomes a real LCDR as soon as possible. I’d like to recommend him for a DSS as well, sir.”
Admiral Pouledoris took a sip of his coffee, thought a moment, and replied, “What other decorations does he have?”
He glanced at his pocket terminal and said, “He has a Space Medal, a Silver Galaxy, a Joint Meritorious Service Medal, a New Alexandrian Order of Valor, and a Golden Shield of New Alexandria.”
The Admiral whistled. “That’s a lot of hardware for only a frocked lieutenant commander.”
“I told you he was good, sir.”
“Put in your recommendations, Paulo. I’ll support them.”
LCDR Kelly Blake moved the Vigilant to the paint dock and gave authority to Chief Blankenship to start releasing half the crew on up to two weeks leave. The other half would start getting their leave after the ship was released from the yard. He put Connie in charge while he was gone. That evening, he met Candy and Tammy outside the O Club. They were both wearing thin shirtdresses that were buttoned low and hiked up well beyond the limits of propriety. They had Kelly sit in front with Candy, while Tammy climbed into the back. They motored out the main gate to a grocery store and left Kelly in the car, while they hopped in for some breakfast items. They came out later loaded down with bags of groceries and tossed them in the trunk.
Candy turned left out of the parking lot and headed toward the outskirts of town. Within two blocks she hit the flight controls and smoothly climbed to 1000 meters. She turned on the autopilot and leaned into Kelly.
“Kiss me, you fool!”
Tammy started laughing. “No, kiss me.”
Kelly kissed Candy because she asked first and then Tammy. They were both good kissers. Candy set her car down softly next to her house with hardly a bump, gathered his things and the groceries and went inside.
Candy showed Kelly up to a guest room and had him put down his stuff. Taking advantage of her being alone with him, she melted into his arms and gave him another smoldering hot kiss. She led him down to the kitchen, where Tammy was busily fixing dinner, wearing a chef’s apron and not much else. She took a break as the pasta was cooking to sit on his lap and give him a kiss.
Tammy got up to tend to the pasta and Alfredo sauce, while Candy poured them all big glasses of the Armstrong equivalent of champagne. She handed one to Kelly and set one next to the stove for Tammy. Tammy came over and all three clinked glasses to toast Kelly’s arrival. Tammy plated up three servings of hot pasta Alfredo and carried them to the table. Candy brought over silverware and they all sat down to eat.
Candy was first to ask, “How did your patrol go?”
Kelly for once had a patrol he could talk about, and did, “Not too bad, rescued three damsels in distress, took out two K’Rang scout ships, and had a world surrender to me. Then for good measure, we helped to defeat a K’Rang invasion fleet. It was a typical day at the office.”
Tammy looked sternly at him, with one breast partially peeking out past the edge of her apron, and said, “Okay, okay, if you can’t tell us, we understand.”
Kelly threw up his hands and gave up.
The next morning a very tired, hung over, but happy Kelly woke up to Candy and Tammy giggling from the doorway to his room.
“Come on sleepy head, the pool’s waiting.”
Kelly said he’d be right with them, as soon as he could find his feet. It made for a very enjoyable week.