First Command (32 page)

      
He arrived at his house and poured himself a stiff drink.
 
He thought how his fortunes had shifted in the last two weeks.
 
He had found a prize target, his share of which was enough to cover advanced weaponry and engines for his new ship.
 
His captaincy came through and it was in the newest Undefeated class cutter coming off the ways.

      
He remembered how angry Captain Mabry was that she was losing her pilot/navigator.
 
It took a sizable increase in her cut of the Debran shuttle prize before she would stop howling.
 
Oh, but he was thankful he was no longer part of that crew.

      
Steven Maynard had personally escorted him up to the moon base to tour his new command.
 
Maynard took him onto the bridge of his ship and had him swear the oath of the Brotherhood.
 
The words were old, but still had meaning.
 
He pledged his loyalty to the brotherhood; to come to the aid of any member in distress; to inflict no unnecessary injury on captives or their ships; and to fairly share the proceeds of his captures with the brotherhood.

      
After the pledge, Steven offered to give him a tour of his new ship that would be ready to launch in a week.
 
The engines and weapons modules had been removed to make room for their advanced replacements.
 
It was missing an engine synchronizer that would be installed starting tomorrow.
 
Steven told him to take two weeks to shake out the bugs and he would be cleared to go hunting.

      
Even though this ship was almost identical to the Undefeated, he allowed Steven to give him the tour.
 
It was obvious how proud Steven was of his shipyard’s capability, and it would have been unfair and impolite to deny him the pleasure of showing off.
 
He followed Steven through the ship as he pointed out the almost microscopic differences between the Eclipse and the Undefeated.

* * * * *

      
Alistair Bennett asked for a meeting with the captain in his cabin.
 
Kelly led him into his ready room and the two sat down to talk.

      
His first question was, “Captain, when do you expect the 3rd ALG to arrive?”

      
Kelly looked at his chronometer and replied, “The 3rd ALG’s ETA is in six hours.”

      
“Captain, I would suggest that I can come up with a better use of those six hours than floating free in space here at the rendezvous spot.”

      
Kelly looked at Alistair with a suspicious look and asked, “What do you have in mind?”

      
Alistair brought up the holographic display in Kelly’s conference table and focused on the pirate planet.
 
He zoomed the display to the main pirate city and highlighted several locations.

      
“Captain, I believe these are the most likely locations where the Debran women are being held, or at least where I can gain info on their location.
 
This, I believe, is the main security force HQ for the planet.
 
This is the Defense HQ, and this is what I believe to be the main pirate administrative HQ.
 
If I poke around and ask the right questions in the right way, I believe I can make the rescue easier to effect.”

      
Kelly could see the sense in what Alistair was proposing, but had misgivings.

      
“Alistair, you’d be on foot.
 
How do you propose traveling around onto all these far-flung locations on a hostile planet?”

      
“Captain, this wouldn’t be my first ground recon on a hostile planet.
 
If I can walk about on a K’Rang world, this will be a piece of cake.”

      
Kelly was surprised by this revelation, but it gave him the confidence to believe Alistair could do it.
 
He called the bridge and ordered a course change, back into the star cluster.
 
He figured he had a six-hour window to put Alistair on the ground and return here to meet with Admiral Minacci.
 
It was time to put their increased speed to use.

* * * * *

      
Friedrich Debran was not a patient man.
 
He hadn’t received a report from Captain Alden in over two days and he was starting to smolder.
 
Because he was out of contact with Captain Alden, his chief of staff had become the recipient of his ire.

      
A very relieved Roger Delphant entered Mr. Debran’s office with a communication from Captain Alden.
 
He keyed it up on the tabletop holographic projector and stood back.
 
Captain Alden’s image appeared on the screen.

      
“Mr. Debran, I thought you might like a status update.
 
My fleet has rendezvoused here at Rigel prime and all ships are in combat status.
 
I have them dispersed at the moment but we will join up in four hours at the pathway into the star cluster.
 
This is to allow the pirate planet settlement to be on the night side of the planet.
 
We will move into the star cluster in force, move along a path the pirates were so kind as to point out to us yesterday, put our special operatives onto the pirate planet’s surface, and stage a rescue as soon as they locate your family.
 
Once your family is secure, we will remove them from the area and conduct an attack on the pirate base to destroy any combat capability they have.
 
Then we will systematically reduce their facilities to rubble, at which point I believe we will have executed all the requirements of our contract with you.
 
Do you have any questions, sir?”

      
Friedrich Debran rubbed his hands together, “Captain, that sounds like an excellent plan.
 
I would request one more thing from you.
 
I would like to see copies of your gun camera and sensor files from the attack.
 
They might prove useful at some future data when in negotiations with a tough customer.”

      
Captain Alden laughed and said, “Yes, I can see how that could be an effective negotiating technique.
 
Sure, Mr. Debran we can do that and at no extra charge.”

* * * * *

      
Kelly’s high-speed run pushed them through the Rigel-Aldebaran sector and into close proximity to the pirate world in less than two hours.
 
He held the Vigilant at max sensor range from the planet until the sensor section had time to resolve what reactions to their previous visit had occurred.

      
Sensors picked up a patrolling torpedo ship squadron and new mines emplaced along the original path, but nothing further.
 
The mines were concentrated back toward the Rigel-Aldebaran direction, as were the torpedo ships.
 
Space around the planet was devoid of activity.

      
Kelly and Alistair chose a location on the southern ridgeline for him to be put down, a large clearing in a forested area, just the right dimensions for the Vigilant to slip into.
 
It was a good distance from the three locations Alistair was to recon, but was the best they could do.
 
It was also in the radar shadow of the planet’s spaceport.
 
Alistair said it would only be a good stretch of his limbs.

      
Kelly ordered the Vigilant to make standard approach to the planet’s surface 100 kilometers west of the drop-off point.
 
This minimized detection from burn in and sonic booms.
 
Then he ordered a subsonic run to the wooded clearing.
 
The navigator put them right over the clearing and the helmsman put them down softly.
 
Alistair came out of the Exec’s cabin in what had to be typical garb for the planet.
 
He handed Chief Blankenship a note and came over to Kelly.

      
“I’ll need twelve hours to make my way to all three locations.
 
I gave Chief B my comms channels for you to monitor.
 
I will report every three hours.
 
Wish me luck, Captain.”

      
Kelly shook his hand and walked him to the gangplank.
 
A blast of warm moist air blew up into the quarterdeck as the gangplank lowered to the ground.
 
He watched as the Fleet Reporting Officer, displaying another unknown skill, blended into the woods and disappeared.

      
Kelly brought up the gangplank and took the ship up and out to make his rendezvous with Admiral Minacci’s group.
 
He dropped a communications relay halfway to the entrance so Alistair’s signal would carry out of the cluster.

      
Chapter Thirteen

      
Kelly rode the Admiral’s gig to the Golden Eagle for Admiral Minacci’s commander’s call.
 
He thought it was a pretty cushy ride.
 
He could have docked the Vigilant to the flagship, but Admiral Minacci insisted that he would send his gig instead.
 
Kelly imagined the Golden Eagle’s captain didn’t trust his helmsman’s capabilities.

      
Upon reaching the flagship, Kelly was escorted by a young Marine second lieutenant to flag country.
 
The Marine saluted him, opened the door for Kelly, and left once Kelly was inside.
 
Admiral Minacci’s Executive Officer, Commander Oliver Digg, met Kelly just inside the door.

      
“Lieutenant Commander Blake, come in.
 
The Admiral is held up, so we’re a little behind schedule.
 
I always hate it when we come into a system and are able to receive broadband message traffic.
 
Every bureaucrat in Fleet HQ wanting a piece of his time bombards the admiral with questions.
 
The admiral will join us shortly.
 
He was quite impressed with your report.
 
Did you really land a man on the planet?”

      
“Yes, sir, I had a Fleet Reporting Officer embarked and he wanted to conduct a personal reconnaissance of the planet, in an attempt to locate the Debran women.
 
He hopes to find them and move them to a place where we can pick them up and get them off planet before things heat up.”

      
Captain Digg tensed up slightly.
 
“We can pick them up?
 
Who do you mean?”

      
Kelly realized that Scout Force’s independent operating style sometimes grated on more traditional Fleet officers, so he chose his words carefully.

      
“Now that I am under the command of the 3rd ALG, ‘
we’
means the 3rd ALG.”

      
Commander Digg relaxed slightly and said, “Good, you guys tend to be a little too independent at times for our way of operating.
 
For instance, Admiral Minacci would have preferred that you cleared landing your agent with him first.”

      
Kelly looked Commander Digg in the eye and said, “I didn’t come under 3rd ALG command until our rendezvous an hour ago.
 
Up until then I was still operating under Scout Force orders, which were to assist Mr. Bennett with his investigations.
 
That is exactly what I did.
 
Mr. Bennett didn’t work for me.
 
Under the terms of my orders I was actually working for him.”

      
CDR Digg backed up a half step and said, “Oh, I see.
 
That explains a lot.
 
I would appreciate a copy of your orders and any amendments to them.”

      
Kelly pulled out his pocket terminal and beamed them to CDR Digg’s terminal.

      
CDR Digg led him over to the table with the coffee and pastry and left him to go greet another arriving captain.
 
Kelly fixed a cup of coffee and left the pastries alone.
 
Another CDR came over to Kelly and introduced himself as CDR Mike Milton, the captain of the Landing Assault Carrier Yellow Jacket.
 
His carrier had the heavy brigade embarked and the Special Operations Company.
 
He thought Kelly might know the commander of his Spec Ops Company, Captain Mary Chen.

      
“Why, yes, Commander, I do know Mary Chen.
 
We shared my cabin on one mission.”

      
CDR Milton laughed at that and said, “You’re a better man than I.
 
Mary has put a plan together.
 
She proposes that if and when your reporting officer finds the Debran women, you would transport one of her platoons down close to the location, they would secure the women and load them on your ship to bring them out of the combat area.
 
The admiral has seen an initial proposal.
 
He sent it back with questions.
 
Her briefing is after this commander’s call.
 
I’m sure the admiral will want you there to offer your expertise.”