Loyalty to the Cause (TCOTU, Book 4) (This Corner of the Universe) (37 page)

Vernay’s
exhaustion evaporated at the mention of construction of her own house.  “It’s
unreal to think that we could fight this battle, win and then buy some
oceanfront property to build our homes on with the proceeds.  Maybe I should’ve
become a mercenary sooner.”

Heskan
nodded and began to walk toward
Elathra’s
bridge.  “Well, I’m sure a lot
of those credits we’re taking would normally be paid back to our privateer
company.”

“Are
we giving Elathra to these Secure Solutions people after the battle?”

Heskan
shook his head.  “Not unless they come asking for it.  To be honest, based on
what our privateer service jackets look like, I don’t even think they’re aware
of us or Elathra.  Covington seemed
very
interested in the ship if we
get out of the privateer business.”

“I
caught that too,” Vernay agreed.  “I think it’s one of the reasons we were
offered such attractive terms.  Did you notice that all of the really favorable
options in the contract kick in only if we exercise the landed part of it? 
Cheap, gorgeous land and massive incentives to build on it… it all points to a
man that wants us to retire and then sell our ship to him.”  They turned a
corner and descended one deck by ladder. 
Elathra
had two elevators to
transport personnel between her three decks but the ladder was convenient.

“Sure,”
Heskan said as he climbed down to the main deck.  “It’s how many billions of
credits to build a snow?  If we retired here, he could probably just build our
houses using corporate contractors and reduce his payout even more.”

Heskan
waited for Vernay to reach him and they continued in tandem toward the bridge. 
Vernay’s hopeful eyes looked up to Heskan.  “Captain, are we really going to
retire?  Won’t you miss the military?”

Heskan
grinned and retorted, “Why would I miss it?  With you living next to me, I’m
sure I’ll hear ‘Captain’ at least ten times a day.”

Vernay
gave him a sly smile.  “Oh, I might eventually start calling you Garrett on a
more frequent basis.”

The
bridge’s portal sensors detected their approach and slid the door open. 
Lieutenant Truesworth was
Elathra’s
acting captain with Heskan and
Vernay off the ship.  The lieutenant was in lively discussion with two Seshafian
lieutenants.

Heskan
approached and surmised, “You must be part of the supplemental crew.”

The
two officers came to attention.  The three-bladed propeller badge on the female
lieutenant’s chest designated her occupation as an engineer.  The crossed
cannons of the male’s badge marked him as a weapons specialist.

“Lieutenant
Miranda Ayala, Engineering.”  The woman saluted crisply.  Heskan nodded
amicably and shook her hand.

“Lieutenant
Mark Hall, Weapons, Captain.”  After another salute, handshakes were again exchanged.

Heskan
smiled sheepishly and consoled, “I’m sorry you two are stuck with a privateer’s
ship for the duration.”

The
lieutenants exchanged surprised looks before Ayala explained, “Captain, we’re
just excited to be able to take part in the battle.  The Navy wants combat-experienced
officers; they don’t care on which ship you receive it.”

“I
beat out nearly fifty other applicants for this billet, Captain,” Hall stated
proudly.  “This is our big chance.”  He looked longingly at the WEPS station. 
“To serve on a snow is an even greater distinction.  I would have been thrilled
with a corvette.”

“Well,”
Heskan replied, “hold your opinion until my first officer has put you through
the wringer.  She grew up through WEPS and her standards are pretty high.”

Truesworth
suffered a coughing fit next to Heskan that sounded curiously like the word
“Understatement.”

Hall
smiled at Vernay and stated, “I’m looking forward to that, ma’am.  For as long
as I can remember, I’ve wanted the ‘WEPS’ moniker.  I’ve worked hard to earn it
but I’m not fool enough to think I know everything there is to know and,
besides, I’ve heard Hollaran weapons officers are amazing.”

Vernay
returned his smile and nodded affably while saying, “Indeed they are, second
best in the galaxy.”

The
seemingly conflicting statement earned a curious expression from Hall but he knew
when it was appropriate to nod and smile.  Vernay looked to Lieutenant Ayala
and said, “Do you have any experience with Junkkers drives, Miranda?”

The
woman flinched slightly.  “Not in actual combat, just in simulated battles, ma’am. 
However, I was stationed on Dash my first two years as a lieutenant and she has
Junkkers.”  She looked between Heskan and Vernay briefly before stating, “About
two-thirds of our brought-in equipment is Hollaran.  All the corporate systems
in the LMA have strong relationships with the Hollies.”  She immediately
brought a hand over her mouth as she blushed.  “No offense meant by that term,
Captain.  We don’t mean it like ‘Vics do.”

“We’re
not too caught up on nicknames, Miranda,” Heskan regarded.  “In fact, you might
be surprised at how open some of my crew is to both the Commonwealth and the
Republic.  All we care is that the person next to us does their job well.  We
don’t care where you come from.”

“We
won’t let you down, sir,” Ayala promised.  “As Mark said, this is our big break
and we’re both willing to do anything that’s required.”  She grimaced knowingly
and added, “Our performance reviews from you will mean everything so, please, give
us feedback on what we need to do to ace them.”

In all
his time with the Brevic Navy, Heskan hated the hours spent wordsmithing
officer performance reports.  Heskan smiled wickedly at his next thought.  “I
only sign them, Miranda.  Commander Vernay writes the reports and I’ve found
feedback from her to be nearly continuous.”

Vernay’s disapproving
scowl made Heskan’s grin brighter by contrast.

*  *  *

Heskan’s
mirth was short-lived. 
Elathra’s
participation in the Seshafian naval exercise
held late into the night had been grueling.  Admiral Cooke demanded absolute
perfection in his fleet, from the most important maneuvers down to the most trivial
of details.  How his ships communicated with each other, how they sailed as a
unit, and how they coordinated targets were all carefully scrutinized.  Shortcomings
were noted but not railed on.  Instead, Cooke offered constructive criticism while
always mindful that his aim was enhancing a ship’s performance and its commander’s
self-confidence. 

Though
drained after the exercise, Heskan was impressed.  Cooke was an outstanding
leader who enjoyed the admiration and respect of his subordinates.  At the
previous night’s ball, the recurring theme from Seshafian officers had been
their unequivocal trust and faith in the admiral, and Heskan now understood why
Cooke commanded such devotion.  He possessed the charisma of a natural leader
and a mastery of naval tactics.  That he controlled the fleet not from a combat
ship but from a Communications, Command and Control, or C-3, ship cruising
behind the line of battle made his skill more remarkable.  He had privately
explained that fleet admirals were kept separate from the battle chaos not only
to retain undamaged command and control capability but also to ensure
uninterrupted communications with the opposing admiral for negotiation and, if
necessary, capitulation.  Cooke’s soothing yet sharp voice was a constant
source of strength and calm for the fleet during even the most hectic moments
in the exercise.  Heskan found himself buoyed by the knowledge that Cooke would
be constantly guiding the fleet from a sheltered position.

The
feelings of respect seemed mutual based on the praise Cooke lavished on
Elathra
. 
Although Selvaggio possessed extensive experience in station-keeping a vessel
in line ahead and line abreast formations, she never expected to use the
antiquated formations in actual combat.  When she expressed her shock, Lieutenant
Hall explained from the WEPS station that the use of such formations made the
bloodbaths experienced in the major powers’ wars nearly impossible to achieve
by design.  “After all,” the young weapons officer clarified, “annihilation isn’t
the objective, just forcing the other side to retire from battle.”  There was a
certain logic to it, Heskan admitted.  Today’s foe could be tomorrow’s ally and
fighting a war of utter destruction would only weaken both sides and make them
vulnerable to other rival corporations.

By
the time Cooke signaled the fleet to retire from the practice field, Heskan and
his crew were exhausted but armed with a far greater understanding of corporate
naval tactics.  Each fleet organized itself into three sections: the vanguard
or van, the main and the rearguard.  The sections lined up like ducklings in
their respective formations.  There were no shielding escort squadrons as each
ship was, by tradition and honor, expected to protect itself.  As the lines
sailed toward each other, maneuvering skill became paramount.  Passes against
foes became a series of feints as each admiral jockeyed for the best position. 
Oftentimes, just as Heskan thought a pass would end in an exchange of fire, the
computer-simulated enemy would, sensing disadvantage, reorient its fleet at the
last moment to avoid battle.  Both fleets would then scramble to position their
lines for best effectiveness on the next pass.

The
admiral that could best maneuver his fleet in three dimensions to bear the
highest concentration of each ship’s broadside upon the enemy would generally carry
the day.  “Broadside” was a misnomer as each ship would present its best
weapons profile during a pass.  For the Colossus-class snows, their “broadside”
was actually a frontal attack.  This had proved complicated for the Seshafian
navigators piloting
Elathra’s
sister snows:
Rindr
,
Anakim
and
Ravana
.  The constant maneuvers ordered by Admiral Cooke often
necessitated the snows to be facing one orientation while bringing to bear
their maximum firepower required another.  It was a delicate rhythm requiring
anticipation and a little luck on behalf of the navigator to know the proper
time to yaw the ship to present her broadside without getting caught facing the
wrong direction to accomplish the next sailing order.

Heskan
was not surprised that Selvaggio picked up the ebb and flow of line maneuvers
combined with combat passes quickly.  He was a little distraught that the other
snows in his rearguard section were having greater difficulty.  Fortunately,
the fifth vessel in his section, a Seshafian corvette named
Honor
, was
having no trouble.  As the vessels in the fleet formed up to make way for the
orbital, Heskan sent a section-wide message to his charges.  “This is Captain Heskan. 
It looks as if Admiral Cooke is calling it a day.  My congratulations go out to
each captain and their crew for a magnificent performance.  We have some work
to do before the next exercise but judging from today’s display, I remain very
confident in each ship’s ability to do its job.  At twenty-two hundred hours,
Lieutenant Selvaggio will be conducting a navigator’s debriefing for each NAV
section in the rearguard to highlight some improvement opportunities regarding
presenting the best batteries during combat passes.  I want you all to sleep
well tonight for we’ll surely be back at it tomorrow morning.  Heskan out.”

He
ended the transmission and looked at Selvaggio.  “Diane, you get a little less
sleep than the rest of us,” he joked.

The
raven-haired lieutenant shrugged.  “I don’t mind, sir.  How did Admiral Hayes
say it?  ‘The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.’”

Heskan
saw Vernay nod approvingly but he cringed inwardly at the mention of Hayes with
Lieutenant Hall sitting nearby. 
We’re all too Brevic,
he thought. 
We
may as well just wear Brevic uniforms for all the good this new identity stuff
is doing us.
  “We can learn something from everyone,” Heskan said loudly. 
“Even from a ‘Vic,” he finished while subtly nodding in Hall’s direction.

Selvaggio
ducked her head between her shoulders as she understood his meaning.  She made
a quick, “zip, lock and toss” motion with her hand over her mouth before
turning back to her console.

“Stacy,”
Heskan continued, “talk to the chief and see how our supplemental crew
performed today.  I want the two of you to have exercise evaluations done on each
of them for every day we practice.”

Vernay
dipped her head.  “That won’t be a problem, Captain.  We have plenty of
officers onboard to write those reports.”

Indeed, with sixteen
former fighter pilots,
Elathra
was obnoxiously top-heavy.  Many of them
were performing in billets meant for petty officers or even spacemen. 
Fortunately, the “Kite-16” had grown used to working in positions that other
officers may have considered below their station.  The thought of their
dedication brought a rush of pride to Heskan. 
No matter what we’ve asked
from them, they’ve pitched in with a humble enthusiasm. 
Although some had
expressed their desire to move on from
Elathra
after the battle, many seemed
content to settle on Seshafi with their comrades.

*  *  *

There
were more exercises the next day.  Maneuvering faded to the background and
combat passes became the greater focus.  Heskan’s rearguard did better than the
day before, with most captains succeeding in timing their rotations to bring their
best weapons to bear during each pass.  Coming from
Kite
, Heskan was
appalled by the indecisiveness of each combat pass.  The total of only thirty
seconds in heavy laser range and a mere five to ten seconds within 5
ls
of their enemy made for ridiculously brief engagements.  Further, against the
Hollarans, Brevics fought their ship until it no longer had the capacity to
continue.  In corporate war, Heskan found that after as little as a single
pass, competing ships that had been damaged might retire and be withdrawn from
battle.  Cooke had informed him that the entire “battle” would be resolved in
one or two passes before one fleet would decline further engagement and concede.