Zero (50 page)

Hugo nodded.
“Thank you, More.”

More ducked his head then gestured for Hugo to lead on.

Hugo strode out onto the assembly deck trying to ignore the roiling in his belly. His crew were stood together, blinking about, looking awed. Even Webb was staring with his mouth open. The deck was wide and open with scores of uniformed officers and soldiers rushing back and forth, gathering into units, exchanging orders, consulting panels and the dozens of workstations that were wired in around the edge of the huge hall. The lights were on full so the metal walls were an almost blinding silver and the display that dominated a raised platform along one wall was streaming manoeuvres and Analyst data. The dozens of other screens around the room reeled individual unit commands, yet more Analyst data, more footage from the newsreels and he noticed one was looping the report about the
Zero
.

Arching over all this was a vast plexiglass ceiling that looked out onto the infinite roll of stars and space. It was criss-crossed with thruster tracks as Service fighters and ships assembled or manoeuvred to units or were dispatched elsewhere. The two remaining flagships, the
Assertion
and the
Sincerity
loomed, cut about with light and shadow, directly in line with the assembly deck, their squadrons and units gathering around them in a flashing cloud of thrusters and reflected starlight.

It brought back a feeling Hugo had forgotten: the feeling of being small, being a grain of sand amongst the tumbling dunes of consequence. He had taken comfort in that feeling once, of being part of a whole far greater than himself. Now it made everything that ebbed and flowed inside him even more difficult to pin down.

He shook his head and scanned the throng for Gamma Company, just as a figure disengaged himself from the me-lee and trotted over.

“
Commander Hugo,” he called when he came up, eyes bright. “I mean, Captain? I mean...”

“
Fraser,” Hugo said, unable to stop a smile. “Hugo is fine for now, Commander. Where’s the rest of the unit?”

“
Over there, sir,” Fraser said, indicating a formation of soldiers, most of whom he recognised, forming into lines near the platform. “It's an honour to have you back, sir. I mean, when we got the news... well... I had always said it was a mistake for them to let you go.”

“
They didn't.”

“
Yes sir,” Fraser ducked his head. “We know that now. The whole company got the message about twenty minutes ago. I'm sorry...”

“
There's nothing to apologise for, Commander.”

Fraser ducked his head again then glanced over Hugo's shoulder.
“Is this your crew, sir?”

“
Yes,” Hugo said. Fraser looked doubtful. “They are Service-trained, remember, Commander. And more besides. You couldn't hope for better pilots or gunmen.”

Fraser brightened.
“Yes, sir.”

“
And less of the 'sir'. This is your unit.”

“
That's what I came to talk to you about, sir,” Fraser said. “I... well... we...”

“
Yes?” Hugo prodded, aware all the rest of the companies were almost assembled. The lights were dimming and Admiral Wilson was moving up onto the platform.

“
It just feels wrong, sir,” Fraser said, “you being back and not commanding the unit.”

“
Commander...”

Fraser raised a hand.
“We need you to command, Hugo. This...” he gestured toward the giant display which was mapping out predicted positions of Admiral Pharos's fleet. “It's big. We need you.”

Hugo glanced behind him. Sub and Bolt and Rami were talking together, pointing out information from screens and More was gazing at the
main display. Webb was watching him. “Very well, Commander. Lead the way and make sure everyone's present.”

“
Sir, yes sir,” Fraser said with a smart salute and disappeared back into the crowds towards Gamma Company.

The unit was lined up with backs straight and eyes on the platform, but he felt
eyes slide his way as he got closer. He got nods and even a few handshakes and some low words. Webb and the others got uncertain looks. Hugo drifted to the front and took the Commander's spot next to Fraser, reaching inside himself for some certainty.

“
All units, to attention,” Admiral Wilson's artificially amplified voice rang out through the assembly deck. The room fell quiet. All eyes were focused on the platform as the silent ballet of ships went on above them. “By now you should have all have assimilated the situation. At this present moment the Second Fleet is on its way back to Command and will arrive in approximately two hours. All units are to attend to their flagship.” The Lunar Strip appeared on the main display, divided up with a 3-dimensional grid. The same image from a different angle overlaid the plexiglass above them, real space providing the backdrop for the approach vector lines and formation simulations.

“
With the
Resolution
and her fleet on the opposing side,” Wilson continued, “we will be adopting class 2 assault tactics. We shall approach with a pincer movement...”

Hugo felt Webb shifting next to him. He glanced at his commander in the gloom, the light from the screens paling his face. He was staring at the image of the Lunar Strip under attack with fire in his eyes. Hugo glanced around at all the still and stalwart faces focused on the admiral, and elbowed Webb in the ribs.

“What?”

“
Are you sure you want to do this?”

Webb just nodded.

Hugo opened his mouth to say something else but then Wilson was dismissing them and the lights went back up. Hugo shook himself, looked away from Webb's unnerving blank stare and turned to his company.

“
Form up and proceed to the fighter bay.”

Gamma Company moved on their heels as one and marched across the assembly deck to line up with the other companies leaving the hall. The
Zero
crew followed at a jog, only Rami glancing back over her shoulder to see if Hugo followed. Hugo waited a couple of heartbeats to see if he could figure out if he should be worried about Webb, then shook himself and followed. He felt his gait fall back into the regimental step of the marching company and kept at the rear, barking orders from instinct as they wove amongst the wide corridors towards the fighter bays.

Fraser dropped back to march beside him.
“We're in Bay 4, Commander,” he said, consulting his panel.

“
Good. Make sure everyone is fuelled, loaded and charged to full. We don't join the
Assertion
until everyone's fighter is ready and fully compliant.”

Fraser glanced at him then looked away.
“Yes, sir.”

“
I don't care about immediacy. My company aren't going into battle unless every fighter is fully energised and armed.”

“
Very well, Hugo,” Fraser said. “I agree, it's just -”

“
I'll take the rap. I'm used to that by now.”

That managed to draw a smile from Fraser and he skipped ahead to start relaying orders to the marching company. They were approaching the fighter bays and Hugo
called away the
Zero
's crew as they came towards a turn off towards the supply levels.

“
Get back to the
Zero
and our fighters. We need their speed and fire power. But I want you to hang together and at the edges of the engagement. Don't get in the middle.”

“
Captain,” Rami said, drawing herself up. “We are perfectly capable -”

“
I know you are, Lieutenant,” Hugo said. “Probably more capable than most of the company. But these officers have drilled and trained together under Service regulations. They don't do -”

“
Creative thinking?” Webb put in.

Hugo shrugged.
“They would struggle accounting for an unorthodox ship with unorthodox methods in their formation. It will do more harm than good if you try to fall in alongside.”

“
Very well, Captain,” Rami said, a little less stiffly.

“
Good. Now. Be prepared. Pharos will throw everything she has to stop anyone from getting anywhere near the strip whilst they're taking it under control.”

“
She'll prioritise defending Tranquillity,” More put in. “That's where Cho-Jin is. That's where Fitzroy is.”

“
It's also where the central servers for the moonframe are,” Rami added. “The newscasts, info sites and communication grids are controlled from Tranquillity. She won't want it taken or damaged.”

Hugo nodded.
“See, you're used to reasoning. Use it. But don't get caught up in the inter-unit fire. Hang back and to the side and engage renegades and assist evac. Keep eyes and ears open and stay on the comm. Webb?”

“
Captain?”

“
I'll leave the
Zero
company in your command.” Hugo watched him for any sort of reaction but Webb's face stayed blank.

“
Yes, sir.”

The formality made Hugo go cold, but he couldn't think what else to do. He looked between the faces of his crew. He tried to speak, swallowed then tried again.
“Come back from this,” he said. “All of you. I think it's time you got some recognition for everything you've done.”

The responses on the faces were mixed. Sub and Bolt looked uncertain, More looked doubtful. Rami's face was still and calm and Webb's face held a twist of anger before he smoothed it out again.

“Go,” Hugo said, gesturing down the corridor. “Report to me and only me. Rendezvous at the
Assertion
.”

“
Yes sir,” everyone muttered then jogged away. Hugo watched them go, suddenly feeling very alone in the thronging hallways.

He was just turning towards the doors to the fighter bay when Quinn came trotting up the supply corridor, heading right for him and calling his name. “Hugo, you bastard,” she said as she drew up and jabbed him in the chest. Her face was flushed and she glanced at everyone that passed by. “You were Service all along? When I’ve been sneaking you through patrols this last year?”

“We couldn't tell you, Quinn. We couldn't tell anyone.”

“
So you’ve been reporting on me?” she hissed.

“
No,” Hugo shook his head. “You don't understand.”

“
I helped you screw procedure…” Her mouth was tight with actual fear. “And all along -”

“
Quinn, quiet,” Hugo snapped seeing people start to look at them. “I’m not going to report you. My remit... well... we were closer to the other side than this, if you see what I mean.”

“
Huh?”

“
It was the trouble outside the Service they were interested in. Not problems at home.”

She pressed her lips together and stared hard at him. Then she nodded.
“Okay. Well. Thanks, I guess. But I would take it kindly, now that you're commander of Gamma Company again, if you forget that we ever met. Deal?”

“
You can trust me, Quinn.”

“
Well, I bloody well hope so.”

“
You can,” he insisted.

She sighed and he thought he saw relief slump her shoulders.
“Good.” Then she looked around at the chaos around her as if just noticing it. “I guess, considering, it would have been better if they had,” she mused “kept a closer watch at home, I mean. Not better for me, mind, but for the poor bastards in the Lunar Colonies.”

“
There's still time to fix it.”

She made a noise, gazing at the wall display behind him. Then she looked back.
“Good luck, Hugo,” she held out her hand. He shook it then she turned and disappeared into the crowd. He watched her go with something shifting inside him, trying not to think about how many more people might look at him that way before all this was over.

He found
Gamma Company in the bay, swarming around a unit of pristine fighters. The other units were already launching, but he was pleased to see Fraser was making sure his orders were being followed and that every fighter was having a full series of checks. Technicians were running amongst them all with fuelling lines, panels, tools and charge readers, obeying the many and impatient commands of the pilots.

“
How are we doing?” Hugo asked Fraser as he came trotting up with his panel full of reports, accompanied by a harried tech with arms full of vacuum suits.

“
Nearly, there Commander,” he said, though he was eyeing the other fighter units dwindling as more and more ships launched. “All fighters are almost compliant and we have 84% pilot capacity.”

Hugo frowned as he took a suit from the tech and started climbing into it.
“Where's everyone else?”