Frontiers of the imperiu.., p.14
Frontiers of the Imperium, page 14
He won the next round. His speed again took Norum by surprise and threw him to the ground. With the edge of his hand Daniel imitated the death blow over his throat before stopping. This time it was he who helped the Marine to his feet.
But in the next few rounds, Norum clearly had the upper hand.
He had made a few mistakes but was used to learning from them. Daniel was still faster and still had faster reflexes, but it was always he who ended up on the mat with Norum making the fatal-blow gesture above him. They tried again and again and Daniel realized how little he as an Enhans was trained for a real fight. For genetic reasons, he possessed brute strength, but Norum was well ahead of him in terms of technique.
After his tenth defeat he noticed that he had begun to breathe heavily, something else he was not used to.
“Do you want to take a break, sir?” asked Norum. He wasn’t laughing and there was no hint of malicious glee in his eyes. He looked like a teacher trying to analyze the shortcomings of his pupil. Thousands of greenhorns like Daniel must have passed through his hands.
“Yeah, no problem.” He rolled onto his front and got up without help.
Kelvin bustled up to him, carrying a plastic bottle of water and a towel. Apart from the two of them, Kelvin was the only one in the gym.
“I am glad that you are not hurt, sir. I am sorry that I cannot protect you this time. But if you say the necessary password, I would be glad to.”
“This is practice, Kelvin,” Daniel reassured him, and drank. “I don’t think the sergeant would appreciate it if you shot him in the head.”
“No, absolutely not!” laughed Norum.
“I did not wish to offend Staff Sergeant Norum,” Kelvin assured them, in his “Christopher Lee” voice and manners of an English butler. “I am only thinking of my master’s safety.”
“Sure, Kelvin. What about thinking about your master’s safety by going to the mess to fetch me and the sergeant something to eat?”
Kelvin wanted to object, but changed his mind. “Certainly, sir.”
He marched off. Daniel drank some more water and turned back to the sergeant.
Norum was probably waiting for the opportunity to begin. Daniel made it easier for him. “So, how am I doing, sergeant?”
Norum folded his arms. “You have good speed and stamina, but you know yourself that they won’t hold out forever.” He picked up the towel and water bottle off the floor and threw them to Daniel. “You have genetic potential and, if you build on it, you can do a lot. But you need to master technique. You are, in fact, the equivalent of a 6-foot hulk, all muscle, but who has never trained because he’s always just known that he’s the strongest. Anyone who has trained even a little can defeat such a guy. As we have proved.”
“Except that I am not a 6-foot hulk and I have trained a little,” Daniel smiled, not wanting to appear to be making excuses. Norum understood and himself smiled a little.
“Yeah, and I’m not just anyone who has trained even a little. I have a black belt in Wangun Anyar. But the point is, if you want to succeed in unarmed combat, you need to rely on more than just what is inborn.”
“And do you think it’s worth it? How often am I likely to get into unarmed combat?”
This was a rhetorical question and Daniel knew it. He was the one who had approached Norum.
The staff sergeant just shrugged his shoulders.
“You tell me. I know what you yokels in the Navy think. Only Marines and Neanderthals fight with their hands. The good modern warrior sits on the bridge and pushes buttons. But how did that help you in that club on Hub Central? Your speed saved you – and your robot – but you had more luck than sense and we both know that.”
“That is true. And yes, you’re right, that’s the reason I came to you. Maybe I should learn to move a bit better, in case it comes to that. I’ve also gotten into action occasionally before. When I was participating in the advanced intelligence training on Ferrel Kast, we did joint exercises with Marines in operations to spot an enemy vessel. The new doctrine says that someone from Intelligence should be in the second wave of the boarding team, so they can analyze the information obtained right at source.”
“I’ve heard about that too. But on the Hermes, we don’t yet have such operational procedures, or at least Captain Aiden hasn’t told us about them.”
The Hermes had a crew of 1082, of which 65 were members of the Imperial Marine Corps. The Marines did not usually fight on planets, nor even participate in the first landings. They left that to the much more numerous and better-equipped Imperial Army, like the 195th Mechanized Regiment travelling with the Task Group on the transporter El Guettar. Marines were responsible for boarding and occupying enemy vessels. This did not happen often in modern warfare, but despite this, every large warship had aboard an Imperial Marine Corps unit, whose usual business was monitoring suspect ships, securing enemy vessels that surrendered, and leading rescues from wrecks. Also, aboard their own vessels, they acted as the ship’s police and ensured the security of strategic weapons, like the gravitational ejectors that the Hermes was equipped with.
Captain Aden, then, led the unit on the Hermes and was responsible for embarkation. Norum, as the third highest NCO, would certainly have heard of anything like intelligence officers joining the landing force. This of course meant nothing. A memorandum on something like this could arrive tomorrow.
“Well, I would simply like to brush up on my technique a little,” said Daniel finally. “Or rather gain some technique.”
“I can help you with that. And I have two or three people who might be able to train with you. I won’t be able to always.” He pulled a face. “We can do that, sir.”
“Lieutenant Hankerson?”
Daniel turned around. In the hatch leading to the gym stood Hila Eban.
He stood up quickly. He had not noticed her arrival. He didn’t even know that she was back aboard.
“Ms. Eban. Hello.” He took several steps towards her. “I thought you were still on the El Guettar.”
“I came back this morning.”
Hila had transferred to the troop carrier shortly after they had left Madras and had wanted to spend some time with the soldiers. War correspondents have a habit of trying to observe everything. But Daniel had not known that she would return so soon.
The Hermes had sailed from the station Madras two weeks ago, and life aboard had slid back into the routine so well known by every space traveler. Three days previously the ship had arrived at the planet Arion, which was the first world on their planned itinerary of visits. Daniel had visited the surface once, but Arion was a relatively dull, uninteresting colony that would probably develop into a relatively interesting exporter of local timber within a few years. The planet’s trees were blue in color and would certainly be made into luxury furniture on Hub or Earth; this was undoubtedly the reason why Xerxes Combine was financing colonies here. The world itself, meanwhile, did not have much to offer and had a mere four hundred thousand inhabitants.
Tomorrow, the entire Task Group was to fly off again, to Lundin. Hila Eban could have returned at any time during a stop en route, but it was probably logical to return now.
In a way, Daniel had the feeling that she had left for the El Guettar because of him. She had even stopped pursuing him about the interview. She had been much more cautious after they had played poker together. He felt bad because he had probably hit a sore point when he had analyzed her, but she had asked him to do it.
Not that she hadn’t hit a sore point herself.
“I see that you are enjoying your training. I admit that I had never guessed it would be so easy to get an Enner onto his butt.”
“How long have you been listening to us?” asked Norum. Daniel wondered if the big Marine was annoyed because she had been eavesdropping or because he hadn’t noticed.
“Only a moment. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, but... well, I was interested. I thought that Enners automatically win in any fight.”
Again she said that half seriously, half ironically.
“As the sergeant so aptly told me, I have potential, but don’t exploit it.” Daniel drank some more from his bottle. “Technique beats genetics.”
“But you’re faster, stronger and have a better metabolism.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t help much. In fact, the metabolism is a problem. Do you know the best way of telling an Enner from a normal?”
“No, how?”
“How your mom found out whether you had a fever. Kiss them on the forehead. Our average body temperature is thirty-nine to forty degrees. A faster metabolism needs more energy to burn. That’s why we also need to eat more.”
Hila nodded. Something told Daniel that she already knew most of this, and was asking for the sake of it. To say something.
She took a deep breath. “I... I wanted to apologize. I know, I snapped... and... well, I maybe went to the El Guettar a bit suddenly... I simply wanted to get away.”
“Excuse me a moment,” said Norum, and quickly disappeared through the door to the bathroom. Undoubtedly he didn’t need it, but had the impression that the conversation was heading for places where his presence would not help.
Daniel continued to look at Hila.
“I should apologize too. I probably stirred up some unpleasant memories.”
“I wanted to ask you to... but... well, it doesn’t matter.” She came closer. In her black eyes Daniel could still see some wariness, but something else too. “I... well, I just want to apologize for jumping down your throat like that and then disappearing. I wanted the interview, but I admit that I had no idea about what to ask and... well, you were right, I’ve had bad experiences with Enners and... it doesn’t matter. I just wanted to see you as some arrogant neo-aristocrat. Maybe that’s still what I want to see, but... well, I don’t actually see it very often.” She smiled. Even the smile was a bit wary. “Maybe sometimes.”
“That’s who I am, sometimes.” Daniel took another step closer. They were almost close enough to touch each other. “Well, I would definitely like it if we... well, if things were better between us. You really don’t need to want to kill me.”
This time she laughed. “Yes, I sometimes longed to do that. Instinctively.”
“You can try to floor me on the mat. You were in the army, you must have some basic training?”
“Yes, but... I’d rather not. I was never very good and you’d wipe the floor with me. Like Sergeant Norum did with you.”
“So, in any case I am at your disposal for that interview. And the day after tomorrow we plan to connect with the Seventh Fleet. They’re going to have me talk to my uncle two and a half thousand light years away. Maybe that’s a subject for your newspaper.”
“Definitely. And... I would like to buy you a drink in the officers’ bar beforehand. As a peace offering.”
“I’d like that.”
Daniel nodded slowly. They were still watching each other closely and no longer needed any words. He took another step closer. Hila straightened herself up.
“Here’s your snack, Mr. Daniel. I am very glad to see you, Ms. Eban.”
Kelvin arrived directly between them and gave Daniel a baguette from the mess. “Where is Staff Sergeant Norum?”
Daniel heaved a sigh. Hila moved back several steps. She was smiling, but the magic of the moment had gone.
“He went to the bathroom. Put it there for him.”
“Of course.”
“See you, Lieutenant Hankerson,” said Hila, and was gone.
Daniel wondered if acquiring a robot had really been such a great idea.
“Welcome back aboard, Commodore, Captain.”
Commander Bossev was waiting in the hangar to the starboard of the Hermes when Wabara and Golna emerged from the shuttle.
“How was your last visit to Arion?”
“The negotiations with the local government were interesting,” said Wabara. “I understand – they repeated this from the welcome reception on – that they have problems in their forests with illegal logging, but somehow I did not understand why they assumed that warships in orbit would help them with that.”
“To be fair, ma’am, they did talk about wanting the Navy to inspect all departing private vessels and search the decks in case they had, coincidentally, a felled blue tree. That certainly makes sense, but for that they need a permanent Naval presence, and that’s impossible.”
“I hope we explained that to them.”
“Yes, ma’am. Incidentally, our communications center has connected with Madras using the FTL technology and Admiral Greene wishes to speak to you.”
Golna could see Wabara stiffen. “Did he say when?”
“He said that he would wait near his office and you should connect with him ‘at the first available opportunity’.”
“Hell,” exclaimed Wabara. Everybody knew that when an admiral says “at the first available opportunity”, that means “immediately”.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I will take it in my cabin.” She turned to Golna. “Excuse me, Captain.”
“Certainly, ma’am.”
She strode away and Golna looked at his executive officer.
“Any idea what the admiral could want?”
“None, but given how old he is and how sedentary, it sounded quite urgent.”
Golna began to unfasten the uncomfortable collar of his dress uniform. “Well, we’ll probably know soon enough. I’m going to get changed.”
“Of course, sir.”
“And XO, at the next stop I’m not going to any reception if I can help it.”
“Of course not, Captain.”
The dress uniform was hellish to wear.
Wabara was not thinking about dress uniforms. She was still wearing hers – with the collar unfastened – when she sat in front of the computer terminal in the luxurious flag cabin and informed the communications center that she was ready to connect with Rear Admiral Greene.
She hadn’t even had a chance to get herself a drink when the familiar face of the old flagship officer appeared on the monitor.
He had had to wait for a long time.
“Commodore Wabara, I am glad to see you again.”
“I am glad to see you too, Admiral,” she said cautiously. “What’s the matter?”
“I will come straight to the point. Two Silmani cruisers, that on our insistence – and following the instructions of Xerxes – were sent to explore the Robinson station, have disappeared. We don’t know what happened to them, but we do know that the last messages were sent immediately before they entered the system. Our communications center on Tamil Nadu was not able to monitor them for the whole time, but the Silmani had already left several regular reports. Given the previous radio silence from the station...”
Wabara nodded. The silence from the science station could have dozens of entirely innocent explanations. As could the silence from the two cruisers. But both of them at once, and in the same place; that was suspicious. More than suspicious. Something was up in that system.
“I understand, sir. What should I do?”
“Your Task Group is closest to the spot at this time. The majority of the Silmani fleet is on the other side of the Sector and the few patrol vessels we have are also elsewhere. Plus I don’t want to send one patrol vessel there when there is something on the rampage, something that destroyed two cruisers.”
“Certainly, sir. So we are to suspend our mission and head for the Tsiolkovsky System?”
“No, the Hermes is to continue and keep in contact with both me and with any unit you single out for the task. Send something to Tsiolkovsky, but the Hermes must continue on her PR mission. We can at least make full use of her potential, if you are able to coordinate over a distance.”
“I understand, sir.”
“I don’t know what you will find in the Tsiolkovsky System, but your mission is mainly to inform. I still hope that this will just be an intriguing coincidence. But if not...”
“...but if not, then Admiral Greene wants us to investigate and report back. No heroic fight if we are outnumbered,” said Wabara to the captains of her ships, who had gathered together two hours later.
“So the Hermes is to remain behind and continue on her mission?” Golna enquired, to be sure.
He understood the orders of Admiral Greene and Commodore Wabara, but if there was even a potential enemy there, every ship would be needed. The Hermes, although a communications ship not built for battle, was still bigger than any battleship and had the fire-power of several cruisers.
“Yes, Captain. That may have come from Admiral Greene, but I will not pass the buck. I would probably have recommended the same. We still want to impress the locals a little and the Hermes is best for that. Her fire-power could be useful, but if we encounter something so strong that it endangers my detachments, it’s probable that not even the Hermes could help. I’m also not going to leave the Hermes to sail alone. When did you want to leave orbit?”
“In twelve hours.”
“Good. By then I will designate a detachment and I intend to lead it myself.” She smiled. “I very much like the luxury flag cabin on the Hermes, but I should lead this mission. I will therefore temporarily move my flag to the Montevideo,” she said, nodding at Captain Iversen. Her choice was in no way surprising and Golna was not surprised.
“Along with the Montevideo, I will take the Ride and the Lovell with me,” she nodded at the captains of the drone cruisers, Commanders Goldberg and Wilde. “The Hermes will continue on her way with the Astana and the El Guettar. You will command the second detachment, Captain Golna.”
Captain Valentin from the Astana squirmed. “Ma’am, with all due respect, my ship will be more useful to you there than here. I understand why the Hermes must remain behind, and a troop carrier like the El Guettar too, but a second cruiser will be useful to you.”
“I understand your objection, Captain Valentin – and your feelings, I do understand them – but I do not wish to take all the Hermes’ escorts for something that could be nothing. As I was saying, if we encounter a problem we can’t fight our way out of, I will withdraw. In such a situation an extra cruiser will not help. A second reason is that our circular tour is about prestige and the newest Nairobi-class cruiser is almost as interesting as a communications ship.”
