I’d barely got to my cabin before Toms Tindarr was knocking at the door.
“Ye can count on alla us, Admiral,” he said with a cheery grin. “We’re wi’ ye!”
I shook my head. “Thank you, Toms,” I said in a heartfelt tone. “But I must admit I don’t understand. Your casualties were so high, yet you’re still willing to serve.”
Toms shrugged, and looked slightly uncomfortable. “It’s ye as don’ unnerstand, Admiral. See, rock jock ain’ zackly a respected perfession. Mostly we’re loners ‘n misfits. We generally loses a couple dozen a year, but don’t nob'dy care. ‘Cept Ye! Ye ‘n th’ Viceroy, Ye care!”
He shrugged. “Take Lar Quiston. He were a bum an’ a ne’er-do-well. His fambly threw him out — that’s how he ended up a rock jock. But ye an’ Cord, ye sent a ship’s cap’n allaway t’ Keth’s World t’fetch his whole fambly to Bolt Hole, so’s ye c’d persent ‘em a medal fer ‘im. Now he'll be ‘membered by his fambly as a hero, ‘steada a bum.” He shook his head. “Naw, Admiral, we’ll go ennawheres wi’ ye!”
I could feel warmth creeping up my face. I hurriedly thanked Toms and ushered him out. Sending Jamro to Keth’s World for Lar Quiston’s family had been strictly Cord’s idea. It seemed I owed him another apology.
Ultimately, all but one of the privateer crews elected to stay. I thanked each of the eleven crews, even the one that was opting out.
After some discussion, Cord agreed that I should take the entire force to Outback with me. That way, we could jump straight to Thaeron without time-consuming delays returning to Haven. He also agreed to send our scout tramp on to Outback to report.
The news at Outback was good; at least, as good as I could expect. Relentless was barely capable of maneuvering and jump. But if we couldn’t get her to Thaeron’s orbital shipyards, she’d never fight again. Though Fearless ’ jump comp was still out, all her other systems were operational. That meant that one of our two cruisers and three destroyers would be available for the Thaeron campaign. Even Jamro’s Harpy was now battle-ready. Perhaps we wouldn’t have to rely so much on the privateers and boats.
But captains are captains. They’re never satisfied with the condition of their ships; and they’d been hogging the orbital repair docks. I put a quick end to that.
To be honest, though, most of the repairs to the privateers had been completed in the planetside yards. Despite the complaints, there was little remaining to be done to make all the privateers spaceworthy. I was even able to get our one defector yard space for disarming. Frankly, I didn’t want his crew hanging around complaining and inducing others to change their minds. My one fear was that his disarming would be complete before we heard from Thaeron. If the other crews saw him lift off to trade, well…
Actually, that was what happened. Luckily, though, the day before she was scheduled to lift, our scout arrived in the system. All the crews were so busy betting on whether we’d have to fight that the tramp’s departure was almost unnoticed. I didn’t make any effort to keep the scout’s crew from talking on their way in from the jump point. If the crews wanted to gossip badly enough to tolerate communications lags of as much as an hour, they were welcome. I didn’t want the privateer crews thinking I was witholding information.
When she finally arrived in Outback orbit, I sent for her captain and asked for his report.
“The man in charge was an old man, a Captain. He’s the CO of the base on Thaeron.” He grinned. “But don’t underestimate him because of his age,” he added, “His chest is covered with ribbons. This is no armchair officer.”
He shifted in his chair before continuing. “I think he figured me out in about five seconds. Knew what I was doing there, and that you sent me. I told him about Jonas and Van-Lyn bein’ dead and Nemesis and Dauntless destroyed, and gave him a copy of the tape of the Emperor’s visit. After he pumped me for every bit of information I had, he gave me a message for you.”
I was startled. “What kind of message?”
“He said, ‘Tell Kedron that I said to leave us alone for a while. I’ve sent a courier to HQ on Prime for orders. If he’s telling the truth, all he has to do is wait until that courier gets back, and he’ll have nothing else to fear from us. But if he shows up here with a fleet before the courier gets back, we’ll fight!’”
I thought, hard. The elderly Captain seemed a competent leader. Unfortunately, I couldn’t afford to leave him alone. In fact, I couldn’t afford much delay at all, without risking the dissolution of half my fleet. On the other hand, did I really need the privateers?
I raised my eyes to the scout Captain. “All right. Now, tell me everything you saw and heard.”
He stared at me intently. “You're going to attack? After what the Captain said?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. However, before I make the decision, I want to have all the facts. Now, what did you see and hear, and what do you think about it?”
He stared at me for another long moment, then sighed and began. “Well, they towed an old hulk of a battle cruiser out to picket the jump point. It looked like they’d been stripping it for years; I was surprised it held atmosphere. Still had enough weapons to scare me, though.
“After I emerged, they sent a pilot aboard to guide us along the cleared lanes through the mines. Seems they’ve sowed mines over the whole system, thousands of ‘em. If you go there lookin’ for a fight, you’d better worry about them.
“Then there were the fortified moons,” he continued, “Two of ‘em. I didn’t get to see ‘em, of course, but it turned out that our pilot liked to talk. They’re armed with mass drivers, lasers too big to mount on ships, particle beams, and missiles. Not to mention a string of armed satellites. I couldn’t find out how the satellites are armed.
“Finally,” he said grimly, “There was a Destroyer in an orbiting repair dock. Gyrfalcon. I dunno how bad off she was, but workers were swarmin’ on her like ants. I figger the base has some defenses, too, but I didn’t get to see ‘em.” He shrugged again. “I dunno, Admiral, it’s your decision, but I gotta tell you, it won’t be easy. Or cheap.”
I dismissed him, and thought. The scout captain didn’t realize it, but what he’d told me made it essential for me to attack Thaeron. With that much firepower concentrated in the system, I had to go there while I still had all my forces. What if the Captain's courier didn’t make it back? Or if the elderly Captain died? Who would command then, and would he be as reasonable?
Oh, the hulk at the jump point wouldn’t be too much of a problem, and I could use the boats to clear a path through the mines. However, it would take everything that I could muster to deal with fortified moons and armed satellites, especially since they'd have days to get ready for us.
And I was already on borrowed time. As soon as that scout skipper got talking to the privateer captains, I’d begin losing them.
I called Shar. “I want you to send that scout ship back to Haven immediately, to report to Cord. Tell him I want him to boost in an hour, and I’ll have dispatches for him to take. And, Shar,” I continued, “if you can keep him busy until it's time to boost, I’d appreciate it.”
Shar grinned. “Palming aces again, Admiral?” He didn't wait for an answer. “I’ll take care of it.”
I cursed as I signed off. I hated manipulating people. But I needed every ship I could muster — as well as a lot of luck.
I taped a message for Cord, detailing the scout’s report and the actions I was planning to take. I also explained why I was sending the tramp, and asked Cord to keep close tabs on the scout captain until it was over, one way or another.
I rang for my aide. “Give this to the scout ship captain for delivery to Viceroy Cord.”
“Yessir,” he replied. “The scout ship skipper’s with Captain Tan-Li.” I suppressed a grin. Shar had found a way to delay the man’s departure.
I called a Captains’ conference for the next hour, and then got busy drafting orders. I put most of the boats aboard Valkyrie, so they could use her huge cargo doors to get into action quickly. The rest clustered on the destroyers.
Jumping a fleet is a delicate business. Unless the ships jump precisely at the same moment, they may emerge hours, or even days apart, and be cut up piecemeal. We slaved all the ships’ jump comps to Valkyrie’s, and boosted for the jump point. Suli could have used at least one more pair of hands as she tried to juggle all the variables in the jump computations, but she began counting down just as we approached the jump point. We jumped.
The absolute worst part of being a commander is jumping into a battle. You know the battle is coming, but you have to wait days for it to happen. You constantly second-guess yourself, but since comms don’t work in null space, you can’t make any changes to your battle plan. Luckily, I didn’t clearly remember the agony when we attacked Jonas at Haven, but this time I knew it would stay with me forever. If it hadn’t been for Suli, I think I’d have expired from anxiety exhaustion.
Suli devoted herself to distracting me from my doubts and anxiety. It didn’t work completely, but it helped a great deal to watch her try.
An eternity later, I stood on the bridge as Suli counted down. 5.. 4… 3… 2… 1… We emerged.
My first action was to check for my fleet. A quick look at my screens seemed to suggest that we’d all made it together. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Shar had already depressurized Valkyrie’s holds. Now he opened the cargo doors, and boats began zipping to battle stations. It was almost heartbreaking. What had been a cloud of dots on the screens was now only a pathetically few discrete blips.
Suddenly the comms came alive. “Forlorn Hope to unknown vessels. DO NOT FIRE! I say again, do not fire! We are not hostile! Do not fire!"
I keyed the command channel. “Flag to all ships and boats. Hold fire. I say again, do not fire! Take up battle positions, but stand by. DO NOT FIRE!”
I looked at Shar. “What do you think?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Forlorn Hope? Someone has a sense of humor. That.. thing out there was obviously a decommissioned battle cruiser being salvaged. When the Captain or whoever decided to tow her out here, he needed a name.”
I snorted in exasperation. “Not that, you idiot! Do you think they’re just trying to delay us while they get to battle stations?”
He shrugged again. “I doubt it. It wouldn’t make much difference in the ultimate outcome, and would just make us angry. I think he’s trying to surrender.”
“Then why doesn’t he just say so?” I muttered, irritated. Just at that moment, the com ceased its pleading not to fire. The voice was replaced by one with much more authority, and the Ensign's face was replaced by that of an elderly man with Captain's bars on his shoulder boards.
“Forlorn Hope to commander, unknown ships. Please respond.” He didn’t repeat himself. He knew I’d hear.
I flicked the switch to intership. He straightened slightly as my image formed on his viewscreen. “You’d be Kedron,” he began. “I’m Captain Chard Danought. It seems patience isn’t one of your virtues.”
I nodded. “I’m Vice Admiral Val Kedron. Are you surrendering?”
He grinned. “No need, now that you’ve held fire. No battle, no surrender!” He waved a hand. “Welcome to Thaeron, Admiral. Feel free to kick the cat and drop ashes on the carpet.”
I chuckled. I liked this man. “Thank you, Captain,” I replied dryly. “Am I to assume from this that you’ve heard from your courier?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Not yet. However, I did come across a couple of interesting prisoners in the brig on the base. Two officers from JAG. Together with that tape your spy left, I knew my duty.” He sobered and his voice went soft. “How many Fleet people did Jonas kill, Admiral? How many ships?”
I shook my head. It wasn’t a pleasant memory. “ Nemesis and Dauntless died with virtually all hands,” I reported grimly. “But over three thousand were saved from Relentless, and Raptor surrendered intact.”
He blanched. “That’s more than eight thousand people!”
I shrugged. “I couldn’t take chances with a dreadnought.”
He sighed. “I know, Admiral. But it’s still a tragedy. All because of one man’s greed.” He straightened. “Well, Admiral, I’d ask you aboard my ship while we proceed to Thaeron, but my ship, such as it is, lacks a few amenities like engines.”
I chuckled. “Captain, I’d be honored to offer you a ride on my flagship, such as it is!”
We secured from battle stations. The boats returned, and we buttoned up and headed for the planet.
Captain Chard Danought was excellent company. Urbane and witty, he captivated everyone he met. There was more to him than a sense of humor, however. His chest held an impressive display of ribbons. I recognized most of them, and they weren’t for good attendance.
We had almost reached planetary orbit when he received an urgent message from his headquarters. He took it in my cabin. When he emerged, his normally cheerful face was grim.
“We have a small problem, Admiral,” he began. “You may get your battle after all.”
Uh oh. “What is it, Captain?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, perhaps we’d better go to your cabin, sir,” he replied. Captain Danought was back on duty.
In my cabin he continued. “It’s one of the moon forts. Admiral Jonas pretty much stripped the system to get his fleet underway. I was left with responsibility for the defense of the system, but without much in the way of real firepower or battle-ready personnel.
“I had the cruiser hulk towed to the jump point, and I retained command. But I had trouble finding sufficient officers to man the defenses. I drafted nearly every officer I could find.”
He sighed. “Evidently, I wasn’t selective enough. The Lieutenant Commander that I assigned to one of the fortress moons turns out to be a Jonas loyalist. He’s seized control of the moon and its weaponry.”
“What’s he got?” I asked tightly. A lot of lives could be lost attacking a fortified moon. And if he controlled armed satellites, we could be in danger even now.
Chard grimaced. “Heavy lasers, for a start. He could hit and hurt any ship on his side of planetary orbit. Then, he has particle beam weapons, mass drivers, and missiles.” He sighed again. “Sheol! He could damage the base on the planet itself. He could do a lot of damage.”
I thought furiously. “Does he have control of automated armed satellites?” I sighed with relief when Chard shook his head. “He must have some reason for doing this. Any ideas?”
Chard shook his head. “Not a one. I can’t see that he could accomplish anything except kill a lot of people. He couldn’t win; a fortified moon is a defensive weapon, not offensive.” He sighed again. “I guess I’d better talk to him. Would you like to listen in, Admiral?”
Good manners would probably have called for me to bow out and allow Chard to talk to his man in private, but manners be hanged. The lives of my people were at stake. “Yes, Captain, I certainly would.”
The man must have been waiting for Chard’s call; he responded almost immediately. The man who appeared in the vidscreen was in late middle age. Old for a Lieutenant Commander. He had to have been passed over for promotion at least once. His sour expression and insolent manner seemed to confirm that.
“Hello, Captain!” he said with sarcastic emphasis. “I see you’ve got the imposter with you!”
Chard replied, “Admiral Kedron’s no imposter, and you have to know it. What do you think you're playing at?”
The man's face flushed with anger. “You might have betrayed your oath and your people, but I haven’t! You've surrendered without a shot to this rim rabble, and condemned your people to abandonment by the Empire.”
Chard was stung. “Ridiculous!” he snorted. “You’ve seen the tapes of the Emperor’s visit to Haven. You have to know Jonas lied to us.”
“NO!” the man shouted. “A crude fake! You’ve betrayed us for a fake and an imposter!”
Chard started a hot reply, but I put a restraining hand on his arm. “And just what is it that you want, Commander?” I asked calmly.
“Nothing from you, rim scum!” The man yelled. “But you’d better tell your tame Captain to see to it that we get a ship. We’re going home! We’ll let His Majesty know what’s being done out here in his name. If we don’t get a ship within twenty-four hours, we’ll start picking off those juicy targets orbiting Thaeron!”
Chard was about to reply when both his and my signalers went off at once. We each answered our own, while the Lieutenant Commander scowled at us from the vidscreen.
“Ships, Admiral,” Jax, my comm officer, reported. “Two ships just emerged; well, they must have emerged half an hour ago, but we’ve just detected them.”
“Tell me,” I ordered.
“One’s small and one’s large. The small one’s ID signal identifies her as Greyhound, a courier. The other's a cruiser, Ruthless. The cruiser is signaling ‘Flag on board’.”
I looked at Chard, whose face echoed my own surprise. “A Flagship? Whose?”
Jax looked puzzled. “Uh, that’s got to be a mistake, sir, but I’ve reconfirmed twice. Her ID signal says CINCFLEET!”
My astonished gasp was echoed by Chard. “But that’s Chu-Lo!” cried the Lieutenant Commander.
I whirled to the vidscreen. “I hope so!” I hissed. “Maybe you’ll believe the Commander in Chief of the Empire Fleet himself — and I won’t have to fire on any more Fleet people!” I cut the connection, and spun to Jax.
“What’s happening?” I demanded.
“Sir, a signal from Ruthless. ‘I am downloading safe path through mines, and will boost maximum. CO, Thaeron report to CINCFLEET upon arrival. Request presence of Vice Admiral Val Kedron. ETA twelve hours. Message ends.’ That’s all, sir. Latest fixes show Ruthless inbound at maximum boost.”
Chard turned to me. “If you’ll excuse me, Admiral, twelve hours is hardly enough to get ready for a visit from CINCFLEET!" I nodded, and he hurried off.
I spent most of the next twelve hours trying to figure out how a Vice Admiral in a nonexistent rim Fleet should greet the Commander In Chief of the real Fleet. I wanted to go put on my merchant Captain’s uniform and be done with it, but I knew that was impossible. I even considered trying to locate a marine major’s uniform — which shows how nervous I was. Vinlen Chu-Lo had been CINCFLEET for five years before I quit. During that time, he’d seemed almost a god to me, remote and omnipotent. Now he’d had the job for fifteen years, and he was the fleet. It was impossible to conceive of a fleet without him.
In the event, it was much easier than my fears had led me to believe. When Chard and I arrived aboard Ruthless, a flag Captain in an impeccable uniform met us. He barely nodded to Chard, and then awarded me a slight bow before asking us to follow him. “The Fleet Admiral is expecting you,” he said with masterful understatement.
When we entered the flag cabin, I was surprised to see the small, wizened man occupying the desk. A few wisps of white hair crossed his almost bald pate.
However, when he looked up, I forgot all that. The man’s gaze held power. His entire manner radiated it. This small, frail old man became power personified when his hard eyes met yours. Chard and I stood at attention.
A smile crossed the lined face, though it didn’t reach the eyes. He rose and came around the desk. "Please sit down, gentlemen. Captain Danought, I believe, yes?"
Chard nodded. “Yes, sir! I’m honored and a bit surprised you knew the name, sir.”
The smile firmed up. “Don’t be surprised, Captain. When I learned that idiot Jonas had suborned Van-Lyn and boosted for Haven, I hoped it would be you he’d leave in charge." Chard looked pleased and embarrassed.
The Fleet Admiral turned to me. “And you must be Kedron.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good of you to greet me, Admiral. I’ve been wanting to meet you. I’ve seen your record, of course,” he continued, shaking his head. “You’re another one of those young men we lost after Haskins’ World. Damn that planet! One small outlying system full of religious fanatics, and it nearly destroyed the Fleet. Cost us many of our best and brightest.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. What else could I say to a statement like that?
The old man's smile turned to a genuine grin. “Would you excuse us, Captain?” he inquired. “I’d like to speak with Admiral Kedron in private.”
“Of course, sir. Uh… the welcoming ceremonies…”
“… can wait,” Chu-Lo finished.
“Yes, sir,” Chard replied hastily and fled.
“Now we can really talk,” Chu-Lo resumed. “Do you mind if I call you Val?”
“Not at all, sir. I’d be honored.”
He waved a dismissal. “None of that nonsense. We’re just two old Fleet mates here. Call me Vin.” He turned those blazing eyes on me. “The officer commanding that hulk at the jump point told me that you destroyed a battle cruiser and a dreadnought with a couple of damaged fleet ships and a flock of tramps!”
“Actually, sir, I used a bag of rocks and an asteroid,” I replied.
His eyes jerked to mine. “You mean that, don't you?” I nodded. “You know I’m going to want a detailed report,” he continued. “But you’re not under my command. Would you mind?”
“Not at all, sir. But if I may suggest…”
“Don’t be so damned humble,” he grumped. “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “It’s just that it’s not quite over yet. There’s a Fleet Lieutenant Commander and twenty-two others sitting out there on a fortified moon, threatening my ships.
“I don’t want to fire on any more Fleet people,” I continued. “They won't listen to Captain Danought; they called him a traitor and a coward. They think I’m an imposter. They’re demanding a ship to go back and, quote, ‘let His Majesty know what’s being done out here in his name.’ They went for Jonas’ cover story hook, line and sinker.”
The Fleet Admiral looked thoughtful. “I see. Do they know I’m here?”
“Yes, sir. We were negotiating with them when your ships arrived. I was hoping, well, would you mind, sir? My people have had their fill of fighting for awhile.”
He walked back to the desk and flicked a switch. “Res? I want to talk to a particularly thick Lieutenant Commander squatting on a moon out there. Captain Danought can tell you how to make contact. Call me when you have him.”
He returned to me. “All right. Now, I’ve been hearing that you’ve developed some interesting unconventional ships out here. I’ll take that stupid crew off your hands if you’ll offer me a tour.” His grin was genuine and wide.
I returned the grin. “Done, sir! We’ll board one of the privateers, and we’ll tour her. We’ll even let you have some fun with some interesting weapons. But I think you’ll be just as interested in our attack boats. They’re weird and wonderful.”
We continued to chat for several minutes. Then a buzzer on his desk rang, and he went to talk to the mutineers on the moon.
“I am Fleet Admiral Vinlen Chu-Lo,” he began. “Do you recognize me?”
“Of… of course, sir,” the Lieutenant Commander replied in a small voice.
“Good. That may be the only intelligent thing you’ve done recently! I have orders for you. In one hour, a shuttle will be sent to the moon you occupy. You and your people will board that shuttle for transport to this ship.” His thunderous scowl turned sardonic. “You’re about to get your wish. You’re going ‘home’ to Prime. Chu-Lo out!” He didn’t give the Lieutenant Commander a chance to reply, or even to acknowledge the orders. “That takes care of that,” he said. I could almost hear the thud of twenty-three Fleet careers slamming into a dead end. He sighed. “I guess I have to take the idiots back. I almost wish you’d wiped them out before I got here — would’ve raised the average IQ in the Fleet by ten points.”
I shook my head. “I’ve killed entirely too many Fleet people, thanks to Jonas. Thank you for making it unnecessary to kill more.”
He looked at me intently. “You mean that. I’m surprised you ever left the Fleet, if it means that much to you.”
I shrugged. “I had to. After Haskins’ World, I had to get entirely away from the military. As it was, the nightmares nearly drove me crazy. Thanks to an engineer named Hari Carlon and an old surplus cargo hauler, I made it. But I still feel like Fleet.”
I took him for a tour of one of the privateers. He stood on the bridge as its amazing speed and maneuverability were demonstrated, then thoroughly enjoyed shooting up an asteroid with one of the quick-firers. By the time we headed for Valkyrie, he was dictating memos directing Fleet procurement to look into contracting with the rim yards for a number of privateers.
The privateers impressed him, but the boats were something completely new. We went all out, staging a mock attack on Ruthless with three privateers and all our boats. Cackling gleefully, Admiral Chu-Lo launched Ruthless ' fifty Strengl fighters. The Strengls ‘destroyed’ one privateer and ‘damaged’ another, but were themselves ‘wiped out’ in minutes at the ‘cost’ of four boats. The remaining boats swarmed around Ruthless, registering hit after hit, and defying Ruthless ’ gunners’ efforts to lock onto them. In less than half an hour, Chu-Lo was forced to admit that Ruthless had been ‘destroyed’. When the simulated attack was concluded, Toms Tindarr and his boys went on to give the Fleet Admiral an unscheduled exhibition of a boat dance.
When we returned to the flag cabin, Chu-Lo was looking thoughtful.
“What you’ve done out here is incredible,” he began. “I had my doubts, but His Majesty insisted that the Rim would be the salvation of civilization. Now, I’m not so sure he wasn’t right. I know that I wouldn’t want to take on your forces with an entire battle group. You’re rewriting the book on spaceborne tactics. Once you get your Fleet established, I hope you’ll entertain visitors from the Fleet — we’ve got a lot to learn from you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t expect to be around, sir. Cord shanghaied me by grabbing my ship. Now that it’s all over, maybe I can go back to being just a fat old trader.”
He gave me that intent look again. “Had any nightmares recently?” he asked with elaborate casualness.
“Why, no sir.” I replied, confused.
“Uh huh. Admiral,” he continued, “You’re an excellent strategist and an outstanding tactician. You probably even make a profit as a trader. But mostly, you’re a commander. You can no more walk away from command than breathe vacuum. Cord’s too smart not to ask you to build the new rim worlds Fleet. If you turn him down, you'll regret it the rest of your days.”
“Will you be visiting Haven, Admiral? I'm sure the Viceroy would be honored.”
The old man's grin told me that he’d seen through my effort to change the subject. “I’m afraid not, Val. I’ll have to return to Prime immediately." He grimaced. “The only reason His Majesty unchained me from my desk this time was that we thought a dreadnought might have fallen into the wrong hands.” He shrugged and chuckled. “We were right, but we didn’t count on having you out here to throw rocks at it!”
Fleet Admiral Chu-Lo didn’t participate in the ceremonies that had been hastily prepared. Instead, he ordered that all Fleet personnel tune into a broadcast, during which he announced an amnesty for all Fleet people for any acts committed pursuant to orders from a superior officer. He also mentioned that despite Jonas’ claims, the Fleet had never intended to abandon its personnel on the rim. “Our intent was that you would be rotated back as you finished training rimworld replacements for yourselves. His Majesty was very disturbed to learn that Fleet personnel would believe that he would violate the Round Trip Ticket. I was equally disturbed to learn that our people would believe such a ridiculous story. If you can truly believe that the Fleet is capable of such duplicity, perhaps you should reconsider your career choices.
“Yes, the rim will be taking over Thaeron and the ships currently homeported here. His Majesty has seen fit to present them to his good friend and ally, Sander Cord. However, he has not and will not abandon Empire subjects! On the contrary, His Majesty has asked me to urge you to train the rim people as quickly as possible, so we can bring you home.”
After a few more reassurances and pleasantries, Chu-Lo ended his broadcast.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye. I saluted him, but Chu-Lo would have none of it; he shook my hand. “Admiral,” he said, “It’s been a genuine pleasure to meet you. I’m sure we'll be seeing each other again.” Suddenly he leaned close. “Val, thank you for the most fun I've had in years! Playing with that quick-firer and then commanding during that battle exercise are things I’ll remember fondly when I’m chained to my desk."
His smile faded and his voice got even softer. “I can guarantee you at least five years, Val. His Majesty is positive that he can control the troublemakers for that long. After that…” he shrugged. “Use the time wisely.” He sighed. “I’ll pray that our fleets never have to oppose each other. Good Luck, Val!” He turned sharply and strode away. Ruthless boosted for the jump point within the hour.