Valor At Vauzlee (24 page)

"So we're still at square one," Jenetta said. "Any of the twenty-one-hundred crewmen on board could be the guilty party."

"I'm afraid so, Captain."

* * *

Admiral Bradlee took a deep breath and expelled it quickly and loudly. "This is extremely distressing news," he said to the other nine admirals seated at the large horseshoe shaped table in the Admiralty Board Meeting Hall at Supreme Headquarters on Earth. They had just viewed the initial report filed by Captain Gavin in which he apprised them of the recently discovered message about a planned attack on Higgins.

"Especially coming on the heels of such a great victory over the Raiders," Admiral Ressler said.

"Great victory? We lost an entire ship and most of its crew," Admiral Hubera said. Then added, "Thanks to Ensign Carver."

"Donald, we've already discussed that at length," Admiral Hillaire said. "There is no way that a case can be made for laying
any
blame at the feet of
Lt. Commander
Carver."

Using his right index finger to pointedly poke the table in front of him for emphasis as he spoke, Hubera said, "Captain Gavin ignored a first-rate attack plan developed by our best minds at the War College and followed one that he credited Carver with developing, didn't he, Arnold?"

"Yes, he did," Admiral Hillaire admitted as he leaned comfortably back in his chair. "And the strategy was brilliant. The proof is that we saved the convoy while destroying thirty-four Raider warships. The Delhi was not lost in battle, Donald. It was lost following the battle, when a frightened Raider captain tried to run away, and engaged his sub-light engines before checking to see if he had clear space ahead. That could have occurred no matter whose battle plan was being followed."

"Peabody lost over five hundred crewmen and we lost nine-hundred twenty-seven," Admiral Hubera said doggedly.

"We,
this board
, made the decision to allow the convoy to be bait for the Raiders, not Lt. Commander Carver. And the Raider fleet lost fifteen-thousand six-hundred seventy-one crew members; most of whom were killed in battle."

"And now Captain Gavin has appointed Carver to captain the Song," Hubera persisted.

"He's following his orders," Admiral Hillaire said. "After this board decided to promote Carver, and place her aboard the Prometheus as the second officer, I contacted Admiral Holt and asked him to see that Carver had opportunities to show what she can do. He passed that request on to Captain Gavin, who appointed Carver as captain of the Song because of her command experience. I also requested that the senior SCI officer in that deca-sector, Commander Kanes, prepare a full evaluation of Commander Carver's time since graduation from NHSA. You probably recall that he worked with the JAG office to develop the prosecution's case for the Carver court-martial.

"I admit that having Carver become captain of the Song is a bit beyond what I had intended, but according to Captain Gavin's reports she's done an outstanding job aboard the Prometheus as acting XO, and now she's done an excellent job of getting the Song's command reorganized after the entire senior staff was killed in battle. She's even managed to get the ship fully operational again after it withdrew from battle before the fight was over as the result of a crippling torpedo onslaught."

Admiral Hubera was listening with keen interest, but saying nothing.

"Why did you make such a request of Admiral Holt, Arnold?" Admiral Moore asked.

"Instead of establishing a career path for Carver that would first see her attend the War College and then have her posted to a line officer position, we at the Academy steered her into becoming an astrophysicist. While I sincerely hope that Carver is the only officer whom we've failed to evaluate properly, I can't help but wonder if there were other superior command officers that were directed away from that career path because of our misjudgment. Oh, we all knew Carver was a brilliant student at the Academy, with a particular genius for mathematics and science. On IQ tests that don't require rapid response, she always scores in the genius range. She would excel at almost any task assigned her. But we misconstrued just how much her superior intelligence affected her performance in command and control exercises. What we perceived as indecisiveness was apparently a natural tendency to evaluate every detail in the extreme. She was over-analyzing every scenario. We should have been teaching her how to proceed with her first instincts, but instead we simply gave up on her and directed her to a career path in astrophysics that allowed her as much deliberation as she desired. Fortunately for us, she somehow gleaned the ability to make the split-second decisions required of a command officer on her own. I was hoping that by closely monitoring her performance I could determine what it was that made her change so remarkably."

"And have you learned what you sought?"

"I believe so. We're convinced that finding herself in real danger was responsible for the metamorphosis. As real as our command and control simulations at the Academy are, they never impart a sense of real danger— the belief that anyone's life is truly on the line. You might feel a sense of anxiety or nervousness, but never real fear. We've been discussing the creation of a special testing program for individuals of superior intelligence who appear indecisive. During their third year they would participate in an off-world exercise that would lead to their realistically being cut off from command. Of course, we would be monitoring them constantly, but they wouldn't know that we were watching, or realize that they were in no real danger. They would believe that they were really facing death. Then we would evaluate their efforts to survive."

"Is there any further need for Gavin to extend special opportunities to Carver?" Admiral Moore asked.

"No, none. I've thanked Admiral Holt for his assistance and informed him that I don't require further special considerations for Carver. We'll continue to monitor her performance closely though. She's an exceptional young officer and bears watching."

"What are we going to do about her right now?" Admiral Platt asked. "She's still in command of a heavy cruiser. I can't help but wonder what effect that's going to have on senior officers looking to advance their careers through progressively responsible command opportunities."

"More importantly," Admiral Hubera said, "she's now taking the Song into battle as the ship's captain. She's too inexperienced and too immature for such an important role."

"I'm sure that our senior officers will recognize the temporary nature of her command and the valid reasons for her appointment," Admiral Moore said. "And as Captain Gavin said in his report, a new senior staff will be waiting to take command of the Song as soon as it reaches Higgins."

"If it reaches Higgins," Admiral Hubera said.

"What do you mean by that?" Admiral Hillaire asked.

"The last time she captained a ship headed for Higgins, she decided to take a few side trips first."

"Now Donald," Admiral Platt said, "those deviations from course were necessary and justified. She saved the Nordakian convoy, didn't she?"

"Evelyn, she merely surprised the crew of a Raider cruiser and destroyed them before they even knew she was attacking."

"Making maximum use of the element of surprise against a declared enemy," Admiral Moore said, "has always been, and will always be, a fundamental part of sound military strategy. I think we've belabored this topic enough, Donald. We have a great deal more to discuss. Lt. Commander Carver will be replaced by a more seasoned officer as soon as she reaches Higgins, and I feel confident that she won't deviate from her course. She knows the importance of getting her ship there as expeditiously as possible. Now, what are we going to do about defending Higgins?"

"I'm sure that Admiral Holt will use his forces to their best advantage," Admiral Hillaire said. "The seven ships from the recent battle will bolster their strength considerably when they arrive."

"The point I was attempting to make before we again got sidetracked onto a discussion about Commander Carver," Admiral Bradlee said, "was that an attack like this, on a Space Command StratCom-1 base has to mean that the Raiders intend to reassert themselves in that deca-sector in a major way. They've never attacked a base before, and they wouldn't be taking such an aggressive stance now if they weren't confident in their ability to achieve dominance there. We can't forget that both the Prometheus and Chiron have only a minimal fighting force on board. Their new crews are still assembling here at Earth. Their present fighting effectiveness is less than one-half what it should be. But that's only a concern if they arrive in time. If the Raiders attack within the next twenty days, there may not be a Higgins base to defend when they arrive."

"Our nearest warship," Admiral Platt said, "excluding the seven from the site of the recent battle, is forty-nine days away at maximum speed. Captain Gavin's message to all warships within the deca-sector will have caused them to drop everything and proceed to Higgins at top speed. There's nothing more we can do. Everything might hinge on how many ships the Raiders are able to muster for this operation."

"Given the time they've had to plan and prepare for this attack," Admiral Bradlee said, "and understanding the importance to them of its successful conclusion, I believe that they'll throw every fighting vessel at us that they can muster. I pray to God that our forces will be victorious, but we should begin making plans to retake and hold the sector if they are not. How many ships can we pull from other sectors to replace those we'll lose at Higgins, and what resources can we commit for constructing a replacement station?"

"I think that's a little premature, Roger," Admiral Ahmed said.

"We must have contingency plans in place, Raihana," he said, "much as I wish it wasn't necessary."

"Roger is correct," Admiral Moore said. "Although we desperately hope that they won't be needed, we must have contingency plans in place." Turning to his aide, he gave a couple of quick instructions then turned back to the officers at the table. "While we're waiting for Admiral Acheson of the Corp of Engineers, let's finish up the rest of our business. We must make a final decision on the proposed expansion of the administrative center on Hawking Space Command Base. All in favor?"

* * *

"Admiral Nazeer is seeking confirmation that we wish to proceed with the attack," Councilwoman Overgaard said as she read the next item on the Lower Council's meeting agenda, "given the fact that his forces will be thirty ships short of the expected task force size and that the Spaccs seem to have learned of the planned attack."

"Of course I want him to proceed," Chairman Gagarin said angrily. "Our agent on the base reports that it's being guarded by just five Spacc ships, just as we planned. We know that the other ships are weeks away, still licking their wounds at the site of the battle. Even without the ships that were destroyed, his task force is more than adequate to destroy the base and bring that deca-sector completely under our control. How much of an edge does he want?"

"I'm sure he feels confident in his ability to crush the Spacc forces," she said. "He just wants to confirm his orders in light of the changes in tactical asset availability and Higgins' preparedness."

"Just how many ships does he need to crush the minimal force at Higgins?" Gagarin shouted.

Overgaard ignored the rhetorical question and took a sip of tea. She knew that Gagarin was feeling pressure from the Upper Council, and he was becoming more and more irrational with each passing day. He'd had operational responsibility for the attack on the convoy, and now the attack on Higgins. Another sensational failure might forever end his steady climb through the ranks, and his goal of ascension to the Upper Council. The powerful people that sat on the Upper Council weren't the sort to forgive and forget.

"Strauss, what's happening with your plan to assassinate Carver?" Gagarin asked.

"We've made contact with our operative on the ship. In exchange for the credits, and a few other minor considerations, we've been assured that Carver's death will be the dramatic and violent event that you seek."

"But
when
is it going to happen?"

"Just as soon as our operative can arrange it. I remind you that you can't spend a million credits if you're sitting in a penal colony for the rest of your life. There must be an escape route open before the attempt is made. Be patient and it will happen."

"It had better happen soon, for your sake."

* * *

"Captain," Jenetta heard through her desktop com unit when she lifted the cover and saw the image of Lieutenant Risco, "Major Galont would like to speak with you." Risco, as acting third officer, was senior officer on the bridge whenever Jenetta was working in her briefing room.

"Send him in, Lieutenant."

A moment later the computer announced Galont's presence at the door.

"Come," Jenetta said, as she finished reading a report and placed the holo-tube down on her desk.

"Good afternoon, Captain," the Marine officer said as he braced to attention in front of her desk.

"Good afternoon, Major. Stand easy. Do you have something new to report regarding your investigation?"

"Not exactly, ma'am. I'm sure that Lieutenant Ashraf has kept you informed of our progress."

"She has. She tells me that you've made very little."