Jethro 3: No Place Like Home (20 page)

“We dropped the lightly wounded off in Agnosta ma'am,” Shelby said. She looked around the compartment. Most of the senior staff was there. Lieutenant Fuentes and Commander Vargess weren't of course, but an ensign she didn't recognize was filling in for the AI. She looked nervous. A First Lieutenant was sitting in the ops chair.

Matilda was there in her position as G-3 schools; she nodded to Shelby. Shelby nodded back. Firefly was supposed to fill the G-6 position, but apparently another AI she didn't recognize was now filling that slot. There was another unfamiliar face, a Lieutenant taking the resource manager seat.

“Lieutenant Jeremy won't be making it; he's tied up in court still,” Matilda said.

“Yes, ma'am,” Renee replied. She stepped up to the podium, and Shelby stood behind her on her right. She looked over her shoulder briefly to her XO who nodded.

“I think we can wait for the details and get the story straight from the beginning here,” Horatio said, waving a hand. “Your debrief starts now.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Now, from the top...”

“Yes, sir.” Renee inhaled. “It started when Lieandra jumped into Agnosta with word of a Horathian fleet...”

---( | ) --- ( | )---

When the Captain finished her presentation she answered a battery of questions from the command staff. They took a break after an hour so she could get a drink. “Man, I could use something stronger than water,” she said.

Horatio smiled. Most of the staff was up and stretching their appendages. Matilda had muttered something dark about age and bladder sizes and had wandered off to the wash room. He shook his head mournfully. “You think this is a grilling?” he asked, clearly amused. Renee cocked her head at him. “This? This is nothing,” he said, waving a hand. “Back in the day, a combat incident during peace time would have hearings and investigations and what have you for weeks. Reports out your ass,” he said chuckling at her expression.

“I think I'd rather fight the Horathians. It's a quicker death.”

“Death by paper cuts my former commanders used to say,” Horatio chuckled. “And yeah, sometimes combat seems welcome. Or dying in combat. I swear, they say it's to glean as much knowledge out of an incident and pass on what was learned, both the intel, command decisions, and hardware issues...but you'd think they'd make it easier.” He smiled. “There was a belief, not completely unfounded by the way, that the grilling was to make captains think twice about entering combat.”

“For fear of what comes after,” Renee murmured. She eyed Horatio. “Thanks for carrying on that tradition,” she said in mock disgust.

“No problem Commander, anytime,” he said, clapping her on the shoulder. She snorted.

“Did I pass?”

“Formal review and a vote of confidence by the board. This is an impromptu board of inquiry really. We're still getting things straight. Dotting our I's and crossing our T's.”

“Sometimes a little rough edges doesn't hurt, sir,” she said.

“Yeah, well,” he smiled ferally. She felt ants; ants with cold feet run up and down her spine. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“I don't. I actually want perfection. But I am a realist. I can compromise, but don't tell the crew that. I still need an excuse to find something wrong for them to get right.”

Horatio snorted softly and nodded. “True. It works for me too.”

“So what next, sir? If you don't mind my asking.”

“We hold a vote with you absent.”

“And...”

“And we decide if you get to keep your command or not,” he said simply. She blinked and sucked in a breath. She hadn't known the stakes were quite that high. He nodded soberly, eyes locked on hers. “Yes, there is indeed a chance in being bold Commander. For the next few hours you are no longer Captain of the Firefly. We'll settle that, then see about your proposal,” he said.

She nodded curtly, sternly telling herself to not let them see her sweat or see her fear. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Matilda return to her seat. Horatio looked at her again with stern eyes for a long moment. Whatever he saw there he didn't respond too. Instead he nodded simply and then turned and rapped a gavel. “Board of inquiry is now returned to session. Commander Logan, Commander Mayweather, please excuse us while we discuss your report,” he said.

Both commanders nodded and left the compartment.

---( | ) --- ( | )---

“So, I mean, the board...is it as bad as I think it is?” Shelby sent in a tight text message to her Captain.

Renee looked at her and then shrugged slightly. “It could be,” she texted back. She didn't like to send texts; she wasn't good at it. She always wanted to use a virtual keyboard.

“You're out of practice, Captain,” Shelby replied reprovingly.

“So sue me,” Renee replied. She sighed. “This sucks,” she said out loud.

“Never let them see the fear,” Shelby sent, then sat back, resting her head against the bulkhead. She glanced at the Marines and then closed her eyes. “Damn, you can talk a lot skipper,” she sent. “I didn't know you could do that.”

“Funny, really funny,” Renee replied. “Just for that you can do catch up paperwork when we get back.”

“If we get back. Can they really beach us?” Shelby asked.

“Me, yes. You, I'm not so sure about.” Briefly she considered the situation from Horatio's point of view. She could see someone else pushing her aside for nepotism, clearing the way for his daughter. Horatio though...she'd gotten to know him. He was a straight shooter. He probably wasn't happy about her taking such a risk with Firefly, but he understood. Or at least seemed he did.

“We'll see. I'm betting you get a medal,” Shelby said.

“Thanks but no thanks. I just want to get my ship back,” Renee replied, forcing herself to remain seated. She wanted to get up and pace, but knew better. “If I could, I'd be in combat right now. It's simpler. Safer.”

“That too.”

“But think of the paperwork afterward,” Shelby teased.

“You are so not helping, Mayweather growled mockingly.

Shelby snorted. “Sorry,” she giggled. Mayweather sighed.

---( | ) --- ( | )---

Ensign Esh'z was one unhappy bug. The Veraxin Marine was doing what he loved, intelligence. He loved a good mystery, he loved teasing the clues out of seemingly mundane stacks of material, and then either putting them together himself or passing it on to an analyst who had the larger picture. He wasn't an analyst in his MOS though; he was a field intelligence officer.

Which was a problem, Pyrax had only three major sources of intelligence, the prisoners, and the replicated databases. The AI were all over the databases, and well, since he was a Veraxin, he couldn't very well participate in the prisoner interviews with Naval Intelligence. He'd tried, but the bigoted apes had clammed up.

The third major source of intelligence of any value was on the ships that passed through the system. Well, the ships and the people, but for the most part the ships. Interviewing the people was hard, tedious, and time consuming. Worse, most didn't want to participate in the first place, and none wanted to throw in hours of their time, or even days if it something seemed of value.

The ships databases fell in the purview of Naval Intelligence. They were all over that. Lieutenant Teague sometimes took charge, if she was around. But did they share? Never. Well, almost never.

Which had, in his frustration, led him to put in for a transfer. When he'd heard about the activity in Antigua he'd thought that getting to Agnosta would allow him to see what was coming in, and perhaps allow him to eventually transfer to Antigua to be in on the action. He realized now that was a mistake.

Because he was free, he'd been tapped for something worse, duty on Firefly. Firefly was where the action was, and he'd get his chance at getting the clues he desired...but he had to stay alive first.

Which bothered him. He was a Marine, he admitted he was a soldier, he went where he was told. But he was an intelligence officer not a grunt. His job was to be behind the lines, or on a senior officer’s staff, not boarding ships and getting shot at! He clacked his mandibles a few times in annoyance as he finished packing.

The one good thing about it all was that he would be getting out of Pyrax. And whatever happened in B101a1, he'd have the trip out to go through Firefly's records of the Antigua action in transit. Once the shooting was over in B101a1, if there was any shooting to begin with that was, he'd have plenty to go over there as well.

---( | ) --- ( | )---

Commander Shelby Logan tried to act relaxed as she waited outside the compartment. With nothing better to do, she signed onto the Annex net and got caught up on the news. The political crap disgusted her so much though that after a few minutes she switched to doing paperwork. That was simpler, and it made her feel...she winced. She really was coming down in the world if she actually liked doing paperwork! She snorted to herself quietly and then glanced at the others.

There were four Marines with them, three human, the other a Veraxin. The Veraxin was stiffly standing at attention, but something about the tall blond human standing on the other side of the hatch seemed relaxed but alert. The other two humans were sitting in seats, looking bored or asleep.

The blond Marine guarding the hatch cocked his head, and then cleared his throat. Shelby opened one eye. He nodded to the hatch. “They are ready for you, ma'am,” he said simply.

She nodded and got to her feet. She turned to her Captain as Renee rose slowly. She brushed off her seat and then did a quick check before they turned to the hatch.

“Back into the fray,” Shelby heard her Captain mutter as they entered.

The hatch closed behind them, and they came to attention.

“The board has come to a preliminary decision in regards to the Antigua combat,” Horatio intoned, all business. “As senior officer on scene, you exercised your initiative, responded to a threat to a civilian system and neutralized it. Well done. Very well done.”

Captain Mayweather nodded mutely.

“We'll go over the report and recommendations from the board and decide on any awards at a later time.”

“Thank you, sir. I'd prefer to retain my command.”

“Done Captain.”

“Thank you, sir,” Mayweather said, keeping her shoulders from slumping in relief. She felt a knot in her back; she had been standing straight for so long it and her shoulders were starting to bother her. She ignored the annoyance as unworthy of her.

“Now, you have a proposal for us. I am a little leery about it, but go ahead,” Horatio said, sitting back and drumming his fingers briefly. After a moment he indicated the podium once more. “You have the floor.”

“That's ominous,” Matilda said.

“No, what's on the other side of the Beta 101a1 jump point is ominous ma'am,” Renee replied moving to the podium as the lights dimmed.

“Oh?”

“As I said in my after-action report, we gathered intel from the Horathian survivors and their computers. Admiral Cartwright committed suicide, but we managed to get some limited intel on a second Horathian task force, this one commanded by a Rear Admiral Rico. Its aim is this system.”

“Here?” Matilda asked.

“Yes, ma'am,” Renee nodded. She glanced at Monty. “I received my orders to return to this system because intel had other signs of an impending attack,” she said nodding her head to Monty.

The intel chief frowned but then nodded. “Some, but not a lot. I've gone over what your people picked up and what we've got. It dovetails neatly. But we're still shy on details.”

“You knew?” Matilda demanded.

“It was classified as rumor. We picked up some intel from a bar along with some other sources. Not enough to go on though,” Monty said. “Nothing concrete.”

“Nothing is ever certain,” Horatio said. “Setting the intel question aside for the moment, you had something specific in mind?” He asked.

Renee nodded.

“What is it?” Matilda asked, voice rising in exasperation. “You have a proposal in mind?”

“A reconnaissance in force, ma'am. A spoiler raid. A hit and run attack to break up their attack, stall them, and buy us time,” Renee replied.

“No,” Matilda growled, shaking her head. She looked at Horatio but he was quiet and seemingly made of stone.

“Time to do what precisely?” Decius asked, ignoring Matilda's knee jerk reaction.

“To arm more, train, get forces to the jump point area. Time is a precious thing sir.”

“Agreed.”

“No,” Matilda said shaking her head. “We can't
afford
a repeat of Antigua. Sure it went well, but that was luck! I know you don't rely on luck when you plan these sorts of things. We can't afford to lose Firefly let alone any other ships that go with her! We're thin enough as it is!”

“Ma'am, my plan to pop in and hit and run has an alternate strategy,” Renee said, signaling the holotable to change. A strategic diagram of the systems was presented. Firefly's icon was there. It went into the system. “My proposal is if they are there, jump short, outside the normal jump point coordinates, assess the situation, and either jump back into hyper, or hit them in cloak. Come in on a flank, hammer what we can and then jump for home. If they follow...” she paused as the map updated, showing Firefly jumping into Pyrax. Around her were the fortresses and other ships waiting.