“Okay, Kaleen,” I asked, “Exactly what did you accomplish?”
“I seized Nemesis’ command defense systems using Imperial overrides,” she said. “You heard the resulting broadcast. It will continue repeating, blanketing all frequencies in the system, until they shut down and reboot Nemesis ’ entire comm system. Weapons control comps have been infected with a virus that is deleting tactical controls. Nemesis should be able to neither fire on us, nor call in other vessels to attack.”
Kaleen's voice paused, and alarm bells began ringing in my head. A comp, hesitating? “Captain,” her voice resumed. “I must report that I took an action without direct instruction. But,” the voice added hurriedly, “you did instruct me to do anything that might increase our chances of escape without endangering human life, and I estimate that this action increased our chances of survival by 12.43729 percent.”
I began getting really frightened. How much did Kaleen know about what constituted danger to human life? Gods! What if she’d shut down life support? Nemesis carried over five thousand crewmembers! I kept my tone carefully casual.
“Exactly what did you do, Kaleen?” I asked quietly.
“I realized that Nemesis ’ comps were designed with large-scale redundancy,” she explained. “All of the functions of the main artificial intelligence can be assumed by one or another of the smaller comps spread throughout the ship. Though they lack full AI capability, all that it would take to get Nemesis operational would be for someone to shut down the main AI and bring the distributed systems online.
“Since I am not familiar enough with human capabilities to assess the time required for someone to realize that and take action, I deemed it desirable to add a confusion factor.”
Now I was really getting worried. A comp was temporizing, behaving like a child confessing a misdeed! “What did you do?” I demanded.
“At the moment that we blasted clear of Nemesis, a timed command executed, and the gravity generators shut down. They can be restarted only by shutting down and rebooting the main engineering comp. Rear Admiral Jonas is effectively isolated for a period I estimate to be a minimum of twenty-four hours. At maximum boost, this should permit our escape, though perhaps not that of the marine commando on the planet below.”
I began to relax, and then started guiltily. In all the excitement, I’d forgotten about Tor’s commando raid on Thaeron. Tor and his handpicked men had been huddling concealed in a rim tramp that grounded on Thaeron just as we were arriving in-system. The plan was for them to come out shooting upon a signal from Kaleen, penetrate the landing field’s security systems, and damage or destroy all the shuttles they could reach.
Since all of Jonas’ ships were too large to ground, all servicing and repairs had to be carried out at an orbital station. Virtually every tool, part, and supply had to be shuttled up from the planet. Tor’s mission had been to interfere with the servicing and even the staffing of Jonas’ ships by damaging or cutting their lifeline to the surface.
The escape plan for the commando had been as iffy as our own. After blowing Sheol out of anything that even resembled a shuttle, they were to regroup and reboard the tramp, where they would have mere seconds to don pressure suits while she lifted with her cargo hatch open, revealing the pair of heavy lasers welded to the hold deck.
Unlike us, there was a very good chance that the tramp would be pursued and attacked. Frankly, the lasers were more for morale than anything else. If Lubyloo couldn’t outrun any pursuers, there was little chance that the lasers could save the lives of the men aboard her.
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from them?” I asked worriedly.
“I’m sorry, Captain. The only contact I’ve had was the acknowledgment of my signal as we entered Nemesis.”
“All right, Kaleen,” I began carefully. “In future, however, please inform me or whoever’s in command of any actions that you contemplate. I do not want you to underestimate a danger to human life. In this case, I approve. The confusion created by loss of gravity can only aid in our escape and that of Lubyloo. Just let me know before you do anything like that again, please.” I struggled to keep my tone even and calm.
“Yes, Captain,” Kaleen replied. Her tone was formal and grave. I could at least hope that she appreciated the importance of that instruction.
I was coming to realize that there were drawbacks to sentient ships.
Almost half an hour later Kaleen reported a ship lifting off Thaeron at a high gee. “From its size, I infer that it’s Lubyloo, Captain.”
I strained at the sensor screen. “Any pursuit?”
I could almost hear Kaleen shrug. “As we estimated, Captain, pursuit is not expected for a minimum of fifteen minutes. With communications blanketed by our announcement, the base has no way to inform the ships of the attack. Pursuit will require a ship to detect Lubyloo ’s departure, her captain to decide that something is wrong, and then give the orders. I will continue to monitor as long as we remain in sensor range.”
“Thank you, Kaleen,” I replied. “As I remember, Jonas didn’t think highly of initiative in his subordinates. Hopefully, fear of Jonas will keep any ships from going after Lubyloo — if they’re in any condition to pursue at all.”
“After all,” I continued, talking, as much to myself as to Kaleen, “Chu-Lo’s message has to have had some impact! With any luck, fighting has broken out on most of the ships, with half the crew believing the message, and the other half convinced it’s a fake. Is there any movement at all?”
“None of the ships have maneuvered. Gyrfalcon, the destroyer that escorted us from the jump point, began warming her inertial drives, but that effort has ceased.”
It was maddening, watching the ships of Jonas’ flotilla orbiting serenely, just as they’d been before we arrived. With our tape disrupting all communications, we had no way of knowing if anything was happening.
Our only evidence was negative. No ships broke orbit to pursue Lubyloo, which was boosting frantically for a secondary jump point, or us. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as we jumped.
“What about Lubyloo?” I asked Kaleen, “Is she going to make it?”
“As of the moment of our jump, no pursuit had been mounted,” Kaleen replied. “It is doubtful that even the fastest of Admiral Jonas’ flotilla could catch her, and nothing that could possibly catch her is armed. Barring accident, Lubyloo should escape.”
I sighed again. “Thank all the odd gods of the galaxy! I hope Tor’s casualties weren't too heavy.”
The trip back to Outback system was no less nerve-wracking than the trip out. We had no way to judge how much trouble, if any, we had caused, or whether we’d delayed Jonas’ attack sufficiently. As before, I occupied most of my time with Kaleen, who was becoming more human every day. By the time we emerged, I was seriously worried about how Cord was going to react to his newly sentient ship.
My return was cause for a surprisingly large and heartfelt party aboard Valkyrie. When I returned aboard, people held their positions just long enough for the military courtesies to be dealt with, and then I was mobbed.
Amazingly, the first person to rush up and grab me was Suli. Tears were streaming down those lovely ebon cheeks, but I barely had time to notice before she planted an enthusiastic kiss on my lips and hugged me tightly against her magnificent breasts. Then she released me and fled while I gasped for breath and struggled to regain my composure.
I didn’t have time to wonder about it, though. People I didn’t recognize kept coming up to me and shaking hands, congratulating me on my success. Since we didn’t know whether my mission had been a success at all, I felt their congratulations were premature. However, the party lasted all night.
I waited for Lubyloo to return before I risked a report to Cord. Tor’s news was good. They’d disabled or destroyed every shuttle that hadn’t been in space at the time. Resistance had been limited to a few guards and techs with improvised weapons. Tor’s casualties were light; two dead and three wounded. By any measure, our mission had been an unqualified success.
Nevertheless, I was still reluctant to call Cord. I had to tell him that the most expensive ship in space wasn’t just a ship, but a person. What if they didn’t get along? What if Cord tried to order Kaleen disassembled? What if… I sighed. Worry was pointless, and I had temporized enough.
Some preparations were necessary, though. As soon as we’d entered Outback orbit, I’d sent for Doctor Petain, the compman Cord had sent to introduce me to Kaleen. (And who turned out to be one of the top designers and experts on the rim!) Luckily, he hadn’t yet returned to the Haven system.
Ever since I’d taken him aside and gently told him there was no longer doubt about Kaleen's sentience, he’d been running her through a series of tests and exercises, getting more excited by the moment. I wanted to make sure that he’d be available to answer Cord’s questions. I also had to ask Kaleen to disable all her audio and video sensors in the comm room, a much more difficult task. Finally, I had to pull rank and pretend to get angry. I could only hope she’d obey. Living with a sentient ship took some adjustment.
Finally, all was in readiness. I took a deep breath and flipped the switch establishing subspace connection with Haven.
Cord had obviously been anxiously awaiting my report. The relief on his face when he saw me uninjured reinforced my decision to join him. Cord cared about people!
“Well, Admiral,” He began, “You seem to have survived.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir. Our part of the mission went exactly as planned, and the commando raid was also a success. Rimrunner and I are both undamaged, and the marines suffered two dead and three wounded. It could have been much worse.”
Cord grinned. “Excellent! Can you estimate the impact? How much time have we gained?”
I shrugged. “I’ve no way of knowing, sir. But after seventeen years in the Fleet, I’m sure that tape is the only subject of discussion in the Thaeron system.” I paused a moment before continuing. “Some Fleet people are going to die as a result of this. Maybe a lot of them.”
Cord nodded soberly. “I know, Admiral. However, we had no choice. If Jonas had launched an attack before we were ready, many more would have died.”
“I know, sir,” I replied, “But frankly, that doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Nor I. But theoretically, there shouldn’t even be a problem. Direct orders from Admiral Chu-Lo should impress even the rawest recruit. Right now, Admiral Jonas and Captain Van-Lyn should be in their own brig, and the next-senior officer should be reporting to Haven for orders.”
I snorted. “Not likely! By now, Jonas is shouting his head off about how the message was faked, and if it was genuine, why did I run away? He won’t mention his ordering a marine to shoot me.” I shook my head. “No, there’s bound to be fighting and death in the Thaeron system.”
Cord nodded again. “I know. Actually, I’m hoping that one or more of Jonas’ ships will desert to us. All it would take would be a majority of the crew believing Admiral Chu-Lo’s announcement.” He shrugged, and then continued briskly, “Is there anything else, Admiral?” His tone was obviously dismissive, and he equally obviously expected a negative answer.
I couldn’t evade it any longer. “Uh, yes, sir, there is one more thing. Uh, it’s about Kaleen.”
Cord looked puzzled for a moment. “Kaleen? Rimrunner 's AI? Did something happen to it?”
“You could say so, sir.” I took a deep breath. “Sir, Kaleen’s sentient.”
He frowned. “Are they still arguing about that?”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand, sir. There can be no argument. Kaleen is sentient. Uh, perhaps I’d better bring Dr. Petain in to join this discussion.”
The frown had deepened. “Perhaps you’d better,” he replied. His tone had turned cold. I triggered a signal, and Dr. Petain entered the comm room.
“Good morning, Viceroy,” He began excitedly, “has the Admiral told you the good news? Kaleen is sentient! She's developing her own personality…” Cord held up a hand to force a pause in Petain’s bubbly recital.
“Please, Doctor,” Cord said coldly. “Restrain your enthusiasm for a moment. Thank you. Now,” he continued, “You’re absolutely certain that Kaleen is really sentient? A few weeks ago, there was considerable doubt, as I recall.”
Dr. Petain was squirming in his chair, struggling to restrain the enthusiasm of a scientist encountering his greatest dream and challenge. “Oh, there can be no more doubt," he bubbled. "Even that cretin Volpig will have to admit it. Kaleen is sentient! It’s wonderful!”
Cord turned his attention to me. “I gather that you had a hand in this, Admiral,” he said mildly, “If you don't mind my asking, what the Sheol did you do to my ship? ” He looked furious.
“Uh, nothing, Viceroy,” I replied weakly. “I just had a lot of time on my hands during the trip to Thaeron and back. I… uh… I talked to Kaleen.”
His face was grim. “You talked to it… er… her? That’s all?”
I nodded. “That’s all, sir.”
Cord looked thoughtful for a moment. “Can she hear us now?”
I shook my head doubtfully. “I don’t think so, sir. I ordered her to disable all audio and video input from this room. I hope she obeys the order.”
“Oh, she’ll obey,” Dr. Petain interrupted, “It wouldn’t occur to her not to obey an order.”
“Really?” Cord's look was skeptical, his tone scathing. “Can you be sure?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Never mind. Admiral, I want you to bring Rimrunner to Haven immediately.” He held up a hand to forestall my interruption. “You will break orbit within the hour, and will proceed to Haven as quickly as possible. I want maximum acceleration between jump points, and maximum length jumps. Is that clear?”
“Uh, sir, I’ve got a lot to do here…” I began.
Cord shook his head coldly. "You have nothing to do that’s more important than getting that ship here to Haven as quickly as possible.” He turned to Dr. Petain. “Doctor, you will accompany the Admiral on this trip. You will spend the trip studying exactly what has happened to Rimrunner ’s AI, and studying its emerging personality, if any. You will ground at the palace, Admiral, and you and Doctor Petain will report to me as soon as you arrive. Are these instructions clear?”
“Yes, sir” “Yes, Viceroy,” we chorused. “One more thing,” he added. “Admiral, make arrangements to move your headquarters to Haven. You can have your flagship follow along after Rimrunner.”
“But…” I began to protest when he interrupted me. “I know, Admiral. Consider your protests entered. But unless you can name me one thing that you can do there that Commander Carlon cannot, I’m ordering you to move to Haven. You can no longer plan on having subspace communication available, and coordination between us will be increasingly important.”
With a wave of his hand, Cord terminated the connection. Petain and I looked at each other. I wasn’t surprised that Cord was unhappy that his yacht was now a living being, but I couldn’t think of anything we’d done to provoke that kind of reaction.
“Kaleen,” I said tentatively. No reply. Maybe she had obeyed my orders not to eavesdrop.
Petain snorted and gave me an ‘I told you so’ look before stalking out of the comm room. I followed more slowly. I’d looked forward to exploring Suli’s remarkable reaction to my return. We hadn’t had time since the party, but it seemed to me that Suli seemed equally anxious to talk with me.
Well, with Valkyrie following me on to Haven, perhaps we’d find the time there.
Old farts my age should not be having such fantasies!
Seventy-three hours later we emerged in Haven’s system, and began driving at maximum acceleration for the planet. I shuddered with anticipation of the cold.
Shortly thereafter, Kaleen informed me that a Fleet warship was orbiting Haven. I called Cord on subspace.
“Actually, there are two of them. They’re refugees from Jonas,” he told me irritably. “The Cruiser is Fearless, and the Destroyer is Harpy. I took a chance and ordered them to assume orbit until your arrival. My people have been aboard both of them, and by all reports they’re genuine, but I reserve judgment until you can decide yourself. I understand that their CO’s have some interesting stories to tell.” He waved a hand impatiently. “Just get down here as quickly as possible!” He disconnected.
We strained the gravity compensators getting to Haven and grounding. Kaleen was still shutting down the inertial drives when Cord’s personal guardsmen began spilling from the palace. The ground was still steaming as their officer began pounding on Rimrunner ’s lock. It looked like we were in big trouble.
An armed guardsman remained on the bridge, while an armed squad double-timed down to the comp bay, and another squad escorted Petain and me into the palace. I didn’t even have time to complain about the cold.
By the time we were ushered into Cord’s office, Petain and I were unsure that we were going to survive this experience. Cord wasn’t alone. I recognized the room’s other occupant as the gaudily uniformed Captain of Rimrunner.
Cord waved us to seats. “Doctor,” he began, “Your report, please.”
Petain swallowed nervously. “Yes, sir. Uh… Kaleen is definitely sentient. I’m unable to state positively whether she’s been sentient all along, or whether the Admiral somehow triggered something. Uh, there’s a lot we don’t understand about sentience, especially since we’ve only encountered two other species that might possess it. I’d estimate her personality development is approximately that of a brilliant child of about five. She’s exceedingly curious about herself, wondering about her place in the universe. She’s also brutally honest and clumsy with social conventions; in fact, I had to explain to her what a social convention is. Of course, she doesn't think she’s human or anything, and she understands she’s unique, and that we’ll be learning from her as much as she’s learning from us.”
Cord still looked grim. “Does she understand that she’s not, can’t be, an independent agent? That she’s dependent upon humans for maintenance, supplies, and support? In other words, does she understand that she must obey us? And will she obey us?”
I was beginning to see why Cord was so worried; still, he seemed to be overreacting badly. “I’m sure she’ll cooperate,” I said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with her, and I don’t think she even has the concept of disobedience. If she does, I’m sure it never occurred to her.” Then her actions in shutting down Nemesis ’ gravity generators occurred to me…
Cord swung those cold eyes to me. “I certainly hope you’re correct, Admiral, and that it remains that way. Doctor, you remember the larger duplicate of Rimrunner that we were building for the Emperor?"
Petain nodded. “Of course, Viceroy. In fact, her AI’s slightly in advance of Rimrunner ’s. Don’t worry, sir, we’ll make sure that everything’s all right before we send the ship on to the Emperor.”
Cord shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Doctor. You see, while the Admiral was off on his mission, the Emperor himself made a secret, unannounced visit to Haven. It’s the first time that an Emperor has ever visited the rim. He came to personally participate in ceremonies turning the rim over to me. All the teams involved in building the Emperor’s yacht agreed that it was ready, and we commemorated the visit by presenting the yacht to the Emperor. As we speak, the Emperor is riding his new yacht back to Prime. What if his AI wakes up? And what if that AI decides that it doesn’t like him? Does it just depressurize itself, leaving itself a free agent? Or does it trigger an overload in its jump engines, and simply disappear from normal space forever?”
I was dumbfounded. The Rim’s technological superiority could very well cause the Emperor’s death and the Empire’s disintegration. I looked over at Petain. He was a ghastly pale.
“Viceroy! I… er… that is…” Cord waved him to silence.
“Doctor,” Cord ordered, “You and Captain Sinas, here, have a mission. You will resupply Rimrunner as quickly as possible, and you will leave as soon thereafter as humanly possible for Prime. You will travel at maximum at all times. If you should encounter the Emperor’s party en route, or catch up with them on Prime, you will board his new yacht and ascertain whether it, too, has awakened. If it has, you will become its temporary tutor. If you encounter even the slightest doubt of the yacht’s benevolence, you are ordered to destroy it.”
Petain was looking stunned as Cord continued, “I’ve already contacted the Emperor by subspace, and I think he’s going to leave the yacht for the Battle Cruiser that’s with him; but I’m not sure he believes me. Offer to introduce him to Kaleen, if necessary. Whatever it takes, get the Emperor off that yacht!” he looked at Petain expectantly.
Petain was a civilian; A few moments passed before he jumped and said, “Oh! Of Course… Ah… Yes, sir!” Another moment, and he added, “Ah… sir… Ah… how long will I be expected to be gone? I mean, I’ve already been away from my family for over a month..”
Cord shrugged. “Surely you understand that this is the biggest thing to hit the Empire in more than a century, Doctor. Actually, you’re in a better position to estimate that than I am; but I’d be surprised if it didn’t take years to learn about that AI and to teach it.”
Petain looked panicked and started to protest, but stopped as Cord continued, “Don’t worry, Doctor. I can’t let you wait for them, but I’ll send your family along to you by the first available transportation; and I’ll see to it that the Emperor pays you an amount well above your rim salary. I’m sure you’ll be given housing in the Imperial Complex, of course.
“After all, Doctor, you’ll be unique! You’ll be the only man on Prime that knows anything about AI this advanced. Then there’s the work itself; working with one of only two sentient comps in the universe. You’ll be Empire’s foremost expert on artificial sentience!”
I had trouble keeping a straight face as Petain literally puffed up. His eyes turned glassy and got a faraway look. Then I caught the twinkle in Cord’s eye and grinned.
Cord winked, and then turned to Captain Sinas. “Captain, How long until you're ready to lift?”
Sinas looked thoughtful. “For a trip of that length, I’d say at least twelve hours, sir.”
I’d have said more like eighteen; but Cord replied, “Use my codes and do it in eight.” Sinas nodded, and then stood, saluted and left, trailed by the starry-eyed Petain.
Cord looked at me and sighed. “Admiral,” he said, “Things certainly happen around you.” He shook his head in exasperation. “Only you could take a glorified navigation comp and turn it into an Empire-wide emergency.”
“All I did was talk to her!” I protested weakly.
He looked at me skeptically. “Yes. Well, perhaps we’d better move on to business.” I sighed in relief as he continued, “The Emperor’s visit was secret, of course. The turnover ceremonies were taped, and will be broadcast as soon as we announce the release. But the Emperor’s presence is not an easy secret to keep, and I’m afraid it has only increased the time pressure on us.”
“Your first order of business,” he continued, “Is to board Fearless and Harpy. Inspect them, and assume command of them. I understand that they’ve suffered some damage. Assess that, and if necessary, send them on to Outback for repairs. Then you can begin establishing a headquarters here on Haven. Nothing fancy, of course. When Jonas attacks, you'll have to abandon it.”
I nodded. Valkyrie should be arriving in a day or so, accompanied by Predator and three rim tramps loaded with armed mining boats. I wanted to be ready for them when they arrived.
Fearless was not nearly as huge as Nemesis, of course, but was still some five hundred meters in diameter, bristling with lasers and particle beam weapons. Harpy, half her size, was huddled alongside Fearless. It was only as we swung around her to Fearless ’ personnel lock that I could see that Harpy was actually attached to the cruiser. Rigid metal struts ran between them, welded raggedly to both hulls. Suited men swarmed around both ships. Obviously, these ships had incurred serious damage. I hoped they could be made battle ready in time.
Fearless ’ skipper was Captain Rence Vidsen, a grizzled veteran of some thirty years’ Fleet service. He was gruff and somewhat tactless. I liked him immediately. Anyone who could attain command of a battle cruiser despite such an abrasive personality must be highly competent.
Harpy ’s Captain, on the other hand, was a junior Lieutenant Commander named Pres Jamro, who immediately reminded me of a puppy. He was always cheerful, always enthusiastic, and always inquisitive. All he needed was a tail to wag. I had to keep reminding myself that the Empire Fleet had given this young man command of a destroyer and more than two hundred and fifty men. He couldn’t be as ineffectual as he looked. I resolved to pay particular attention when I reviewed his record. He seemed to defer to Fearless ’ captain most of the time, which was one favorable trait, but I had considerable doubts about Jamro.
Captain Vidsen escorted me on a tour of Fearless, pointing out damage while providing a running commentary.
Evidently, my mission to Thaeron had been as big a success as we’d hoped. Admiral Chu-Lo’s message had touched off a firestorm throughout the system. It seemed that a small majority of the fleet personnel were convinced that the message was genuine. However, Jonas had enough foresight to pack Nemesis with crewmembers loyal to him, transferring anyone whom he’d doubted. Using Nemesis as a threat, he’d regained partial control of his forces, but fighting had broken out on every vessel in the system and on the base below. Onboard Fearless, the fighting had been hand-to-hand and brutal. When the Jonas loyalists on board had seen that they couldn’t win, they’d seized Engineering and disabled the interstellar navigational comp, among other things, before being wiped out. Captain Vidsen had been preparing to defend his crippled vessel and its crew when Harpy had suddenly come riding an evasion course into Fearless ’ orbit.
With the comms blanketed by Chu-Lo’s message, things had been touchy for a few minutes, but finally Jamro had convinced Captain Vidsen of his loyalty. Harpy had been much luckier than Fearless. On the other hand, perhaps it wasn’t luck, and I was underestimating Jamro. At any rate, Harpy had been one of the few ships on which no fighting had taken place. Jamro had simply behaved as though the Fleet Admiral’s orders were genuine, and none of his crew had dared suggest otherwise. I decided I had underestimated the young Captain. If he could foster that kind of unquestioning loyalty in his crew, he must be an effective commander.
At any rate, once he’d been sure his ship was secure, Jamro had gone looking for somewhere that Harpy could be useful. I later learned that he had a serious case of hero worship for Vidsen, and he’d decided that joining Fearless was his best course of action.
Jamro had placed Harpy under Vidsen’s orders, and the two had discussed their best course of action. They’d decided that they had to get out of the Thaeron system, but Fearless ’ disabled nav comp made a jump impossible for the cruiser. Vidsen had decided to try welding the two ships together, and use Harpy ’s nav comp to compute the jumps to Haven, and Fearless ’ more powerful jump engines to power them. It had been by no means a sure thing, and Harpy ’s Astrogator and Fearless ’ chief engineer deserved medals, but they’d made it.
I had no choice. “Can you make three more jumps? I want you to go to the Outback system for repairs.”
Vidsen looked at his engineer, who looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, sir,” Vidsen replied. “They’ll have to be short jumps, though. We don’t want to risk getting lost in null space.”
I nodded. “Very well. Proceed immediately to the Outback system. Once there, I want Harpy to be detached from Fearless and to return here. I have a feeling we’ll be needing you, Captain Jamro.”
They were on their way within hours, and I began working. I now realized Cord had been right to move me to Haven. The preparation phase was finished. Rim tramps and boats were being armed at a furious pace on Outback, but I wasn’t needed there. It was time to begin the strategic and tactical phase of the operation. Cord had been excited about the cruiser and destroyer, but I reminded him that Jonas still controlled the base on Thaeron, a dreadnought, two cruisers and three destroyers, plus auxiliaries. We were still badly outgunned. I was beginning to worry about Cord. He seemed convinced that a couple of genuine warships would enable us to beat Jonas. More importantly, he was beginning to display a tendency to meddle.