Heart of Steel: Book II of the Jonathan Pavel Series (28 page)

“Captain please excuse me if I don't salute,” Perkins said barely looking up from a nasty gash on a Technical’s leg he was suturing with nano-stitches.

“Not a problem Doctor, I just came by to see how our people are faring,” Jonathan replied.

“You doing alright lad?” Jonathan asked the Technical who was wincing

“Aye sir, doc says I’ll live though..OWWW JESUS JUMPING JOSEPH..” the Technical cried out.

“Well if you would hold still, it wouldn't poke as much,” Perkins said.

“Bloody hell, just put me out of my misery now doc,” the Technical cried.

“God damn infants the lot of them,” Perkins said. “There all done. Now you need to go easy for at least a week or it will tear open. Come back here in seven days, and I’ll let you know if you're clear for duty,” Perkins said.

“Aye sir.”

“Alright who's next,” Perkins said moving to the next man waiting, an Able Spacer with a broken hand.

Jonathan slowly sidled up to the Pharmacist Mate who was folding some re-sterilized bandages.

“How's the Sawbones making out?”

The Pharmacist mate an older reserve who was a Registered Nurse in Civilian life shrugged his shoulders, replied louder than Jonathan expected.

“He’s an arrogant fucking blow hard with a God complex, but he’s a good goddamn doctor.”

“I heard that Qui,” Perkins said walking over.

“You were suppose to sir,” The Pharmacist Mate Qui replied.

“Major Kern needs her bandaged changed,” Perkins replied.

“I will be there swiftly,” Qui said picking up a tray.

“After that there is bedpan duty,” Perkins said.

“I expect you to handle it with your usual efficiency sir,” Qui said walking away.

Perkins rolled his eyes. “Rule one in the book of doctors. Nurses are the ones who truly run any medical institution large or small, and you battle them at your peril.”

“Glad to see you are settling in so well Doc,” Jonathan said his eyebrow raised slightly in bemusement.
Perkins shrugged, “It’s not what I expected, it's so much better.”

Jonathan looked at him quizzically.

“And I know what you're thinking. No, it's not because of the interesting cases. It’s because I get to be a goddam doctor again,” Perkins was positively beaming.

“Captain do you have any idea what high end hospital bureaucracy does to you? It eats away at your soul. Patients become statistics, and if you screw up you have seven layers of ass covering between you and responsibility. Here though, it's just me and I have 800 patients who rely on me.” Perkins shook his head. “The are going to think I am a complete ass at the Office of Personnel with those complaint letters.”

Jonathan shrugged, “You won't be the first or only. I am glad to see you are taking to ship board life though.”

“I have to admit sir, I am highly considering making the change permanent,” Perkins replied.

Qui returned, “The Major’s bandages are changed sir, and we have a new one. Idiot got his fingers stuck in the auto loader.”

“That’s serious,” Perkins said. “What took them so long to get down here?”

“They were looking for the fourth finger,” Qui said.

“Of course. If you’ll excuse me Captain,”  Perkins said.

Jonathan nodded, “By all means.”

Jonathan watched as the doctor walked over to the Navy Corpsmen and the Able Spacer with the mutilated hand.

Perkins was adapting. Jonathan could see that. Actually come to think of it, all the officers were beginning to find their niche and the crew was starting to find its rhythm. Combat tempered a group of people. It gave them a shared experience, which became a touchstone. It was something wholly unique that they had lived through. No matter how close they grew with someone else who hadn’t been aboard a ship, standing shoulder to shoulder in combat was a bond they would only keep with the people who were with them that day. Jonathan headed over into Bay 2, which was one of the ship's three sick bays. All told, it could host about 80 patients, twice that in an emergency. Entering it, Jonathan saw Major Alicia Kern with her arm bandaged on her feet moving between a group of injured Marines who were confined to their beds. Looking up she smiled and walked over to Jonathan.

“Sir, sorry if I can’t salute.”

“Second time someone’s said that in as many hours. One combat action and my officers are positively mutinous.”

Alicia smiled at that her eyes flashing, “Well combat puts an edge on people sir.”

“Noted. How are your men?” Jonathan asked.

Alicia quirked her eyebrow slightly as she answered.

“Well enough. If you don't mind walking with me,  I’ll fill you in on our combat action.”

“I would, but shouldn't you be confined to bed?” Jonathan asked.

“I should but I’ve been laying down for hours now. I want to get a little exercise,” she said.

“Aren't you afraid of what the Doctor will say?” Jonathan asked.

“You know for some reason he seems scared of me.”

Looking up at her 6’5 frame from his 5’7 height, Jonathan could see why that was possible.

“Very good Major lead on,” Jonathan said.

They exited the med bay. Perkins did look over and start to open his mouth to object, but Alicia shot him a look and he resumed what he was doing. Jonathan did his best not to chuckle. They walked the corridor as Alicia briefed Jonathan on the seizure of the
Maltese.

“They had a full platoon of Colonial Marines standing by to repel boarders. We had seven injured including myself. God be good no KIAs though. Hinun is in rough shape. Doc says he’ll make it though. After the Flagship folded, the
Maltese
Captain signaled the crew and Marines to lay down arms and surrendered the ship. All told sir, it was pretty text book. If you hadn't  taken out the flagship, I would have pulled out. It was a pretty hot action.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you Major. As it is, I’m sorry we sent you in blind.”

“Don't sir it was the right move, if you hadn’t taken out the collier it would have gotten away. As it is, any Colonial warships that escaped have to make course for home.”

“True Major, you know you have a good mind for the bigger picture.”

“Thanks sir,” she replied.

“Are you planning on making the Marines a lifelong career?” he asked.

“Probably, I’ve been in since I was 17. Opted to volunteer rather than do the National service. Next thing I know, they tap me for OCS.”

Jonathan nodded, unlike the Army and the Navy, the Solarian Marines didn't have a military academy for officers. Instead, recruits who exhibited strong leadership skills would be selected for a two year Officer Candidate School. This involved one year of intense academic training and one year serving in the field as a
subaltern, basically an apprentice officer. It was a highly unorthodox system, but it kept the Marines true to their philosophy of every Marine being a rifleman. It also meant a good number of senior officers were much younger than in other branches.

“Well, I’m glad your people made it through Major.”

“Me to sir,” she replied. “I did want to ask if you’ll let us do some boarding practice in the near future. My grunts are a good bunch, but they are a couple points we could improve on.”

“There always is. I’ll see what we can do.”

“Thank you sir, also I heard you are quite the boxer. Let me know if you’d like to spar with us sometime.”

Jonathan laughed, “Maybe ten years and ten pounds ago I’d agree to that, but I think you're quite out of my league.”

A mischievous grin hovered at the edge of the Major’s smile. “I don't know sir, I’d go easy on you. Now, If you’ll excuse me I have to get back to bed rest before Perkins gets up the courage to come looking for me.”

She turned to go before Jonathan could say anything else. Had she been..no Jonathan dismissed the idea from his mind. She was a lovely woman, but aboard ship it was professionalism first and foremost, and sometimes a lot of cold showers.

Chapter XII

Matosa System, Solarian Republic

On board
RSNS Sound of Fury

November 14th 844 AE

The reshuffling of cargo, loading of prisoners and reforming of the convoy took a bit longer than Jonathan had planned, but finally on the 14th of November the
Fury
and her escorts arrived in the Matosa system. As he resumed his seat on the bridge following the transition, Jonathan asked Tai Heath to do a data pull from the system’s com relay. The high volume of high priority traffic streaming through the com relay was causing less urgent communications such as general updates on the war and personal correspondence to be shunted into the com relay’s data buffers, only to be sent through the wormway when higher priority traffic had cleared. A data dump would pull those low priority messages into the
Fury’s
own data banks were Heath and his staff could sift through them at will.

“Sir, six contacts closing rapidly,” Ben Elman said from his desk.

“Can you confirm they are bogeys Mr. Elman?” Jonathan asked.

“Wait one,” Elman said.

The moments ticked by and Jonathan gripped the armrest of his chair tighter. Matosa should be under Solarian control, but if it had fallen.

“Sir Lidar paints the incoming craft as
Olympian
Class Destroyers. They are ours,” Elman said finally.

Jonathan relaxed a bit, “Transmit the countersign Mr. Heath.”

“Uh, Captain we have not received a signal challange,” Heath said.

Uh oh Jonathan thought. This was obviously the system picket who had been on edge for the last several days. Fatigue and constant combat wore on men. Once that happened, procedure began to lapse and without proper procedure mistakes could be made. Sometimes fatal ones.

“Mr. Heath transmit all appropriate signals and in the clear announce our identity,” Jonathan said.

“Aye sir,” Heath replied.

“Mr. Elman how long till they are in range?” Jonathan asked.

“Ten minutes sir,” Elman replied.

Yes, that tracked. It was a dangerous thing to keep a picket so close to a wormway, but if you wanted to catch an enemy force at their most vulnerable it was worth the risk.

Finally, Heath looked up from his console relief on his face.

“Sir we have confirmation Captain Shun of
RSNS Hermes
sends his compliments, and welcomes us to,” Heth stopped for a minute his face grim then he looked up, “the new headquarters of the 5th Fleet.”

“Shit,” Jonathan said.

Matosa was not suppose to be a headquarters for anything, but as
Fury
and her convoy proceeded into the system escorted by
Hermes
and her fellows, it became clear how bad the situation was. The 5th had held off the Colonial thrust into Sagus, though the San Cristobal dockyards had been damaged. However, the Colonial move on Sagus had turned out to be a diversion. Colonial ships had pushed through League systems and attacked Cyrila directly overwhelming the forces sent to defend it. Admiral Hopper, who Jonathan knew from personal experience was a bastard but a smart bastard, had seen the writing on the wall. The 5th had pulled back to consolidate its line of defense, and acting on his own authority Hopper had ordered all Solarian forces withdrawn from the League as the Republic's former ally seemed to lurch further into chaos with each passing day. Jonathan cringed as he saw the forces in orbit of Xifeng, Matosa’s primary world. The 5th fleet was suppose to be Solaria’s primary fighting force in this sector, but it had obviously been hit badly. The fleet was down to two thirds of her pre-war strength even accounting for vessels in neighbouring systems. It appeared that among the casualties were at least one of the 5th’s carriers and four of her battleships. It was a two day trip to the orbit of Xifeng where
Fury
would deposit her prisoners and hand the convoy over to the 5th’s command and find out what
Fury’s
next assignment was. Jonathan did his best to pass the time in a productive manner. Currently, that meant pretending to go over reactor power levels with Harold Okai and his assistant Hilper. It wasn't a task Jonathan relished. He was well versed in engineering principles, so much so it had been heavily suggested he pursue the engineering tract instead of the tactical one while he was enrolled at Overwatch. However, nothing in the entire universe could make it even remotely interesting to Jonathan. Oh sure he understood what Okai and Hilper were saying, but that didn't mean his eyes weren't going to glaze over.

Okai, on the other hand, had an enthusiasm for this and a meticulous attention to detail that Jonathan could never hope to imitate.

“As you can see sir, during our action in Casaopia the kinetic barriers were creating a pretty heavy draw on on the reactor when we are burning at full power,” Okai was explaining as he and Jonathan huddled over a diagram in reactor control while Hilper her face ever set in something between sullen and sulking stirred her coffee. Despite being onboard for nearly a month, Jonathan still couldn't quite figure Hilper out. Following what happened with
Doneghy
and
Taudown
though, he was happy to have her aboard.