The silver fleet the com.., p.116
The Silver Fleet: The Complete Series, page 116
Today, however, he would have his revenge as he would be issuing everyone with their new standing orders and Jacobs’ would be to take up position at the rear of the fleet. Jacobs would no doubt kick up a stink but he’d thought about a way of making it seem quite equitable. He intended to give the other captains their orders first, creating a feeling that what he was asking of them was entirely reasonable so that when it came time to give Jacobs his he wouldn’t be in a position to question them.
The Da’al were still two days out and hadn’t changed their heading for some time. Space was vast but Winterson intended to keep things nice and simple by meeting the opposition head on. He might not have the genius for military strategy or the guile of a Napoleon but he got things done. He liked to think of himself as a great communicator whose successes came about because everyone, from the executive officer on down, knew exactly what was required of them. And that, when the time came, they would do their job to the best of their ability.
He believed that his greatest opponent wasn’t the enemy itself, it was one thing: confusion. When communication broke down on the battlefield then confusion would reign. The other ships might not be up to much militarily but if their comms teams were good, he believed that he could achieve a significant victory.
Which reminded him…
“Did we manage to get through to the Renheim?”
The rather garbled report that had come through the previous evening had been concerning in the extreme.
“Yes, sir,” Hoyt said. “They sent through another communication this morning. It’s in your box, sir.”
Hoyt had a very good team working for him, their work was always first rate but they somehow lacked that sense of urgency. Perhaps it was down to Hoyt himself. The man was extremely bright by all accounts and was unflappable, almost to the point of seeming disinterested in what was going on. That clearly wasn’t the case, but Hoyt was so assured that it could come across as though he lacked any real sense of urgency.
“Yes, I’m sure it is, but I’d like to know now.”
“Very well, sir. It appears that Captain Meyer along with his XO, Commander Farnese have been arrested.”
“What both of them? Together?”
Hoyt checked his data pad.
“That seems to be the case, sir. We’ve verified the information twice and everything seems to be in order.”
“But this is highly irregular, isn’t it? I mean, the only time that something like this happens…”
He didn’t want to use the word ‘mutiny’ but didn’t need to. Hoyt knew his job well enough.
“It’s all been verified by the senior personnel on-board,” he started reading. “The Chief Medical Officer. The head of the Marines. Governor Ardent. I’ve been in touch with all of them.”
“So, what on earth’s happened? What’s gone on?”
“Details are sketchy at the moment. Both men have been charged with Gross Professional Misconduct but I’m sure that will change when we get more details through.”
“And this wasn’t deemed important enough to alert me?”
Winterson was good at playing the victim when it suited him. He shot an angry look at Duvall who replied by simply opening and closing his eyelids languidly.
“So who’s in charge now? Don’t tell me it’s the Chief Medical Officer, or even worse, that Ardent woman.”
“Er, no, sir. Neither of them.”
Hoyt didn’t even look at him. He was too busy doing something with his screen.
“This is the officer commanding the Renheim, at the moment, sir.”
He handed his pad to Winterson who squinted at the screen in disbelief.
“But this is impossible.”
“All checked and verified, sir. Will there be anything else?”
*
Everyone had moved back off the ice for the first part of the lifting procedure. Webster was amused to see that even at this point, the Marines and the scientists refused to mix with the Marines gathered over to his right while the scientists and technicians congregated on his left. Webster stood next to Markham while Nash was some way in front of them.
The only thing which hadn’t moved, other than the ghostship itself, was the Motar. There were concerns that moving the big salvage ship might create more problems than it would potentially solve and so it had been allowed to stay put, although Kaminsky and his team of roughnecks were in place should the unthinkable happen and the ice began to give way.
The young Kaminsky brother seemed confident that he could get the ship into the air if that happened and Webster had had too many other things on his mind to worry about it.
Basically, this was a simple dry run for what they hoped would happen when the Montezuma finally showed up the next day. The cables were activated so that they began to envelop the ghost ship in a massive cat’s cradle, the pressure increasing as the tension on the cables were ratcheted up, the ends of the cables reaching up like villi, stretching out for a connection which was currently denied them.
As Webster had had it explained to him, the cables would ‘mate’ with a salvage deck suspended beneath the Montezuma. The plate had enough coupling holes sunk in it to accommodate all the corresponding cables and they would all meet up in the central manifold where it would be transformed into an unbreakable electro-magnetic circuit.
It all sounded highly technical to him and it wasn’t helped by the fact that the racheting up process was so slow. Everyone had expected fireworks of some magnitude but there was virtually nothing to see other than the cables themselves getting higher and tighter. In fact, the only sign that anything was actually happening was the groaning of the ice as it shifted imperceptibly and the various subtle pings and hisses from the six scaffolding towers as the pressure was applied.
“Ever seen anything like this?” Webster asked.
“Yeah, once,” Markham said. “We got evaced off some rock orbiting Thetis once. Our exfil plans had all gone south and we were in danger of getting surrounded by the local militia. They dropped off three of these Evac units, each one capable of holding thirty of us at a time. Similar sort of technology, I imagine.”
“I’m assuming it worked?”
“Yes and no. Course, you couldn’t see anything once you were strapped in. You had to just sit there and wait for pick up. Then: Wham! No warning and you were up, up and away. That was one scary ride, I can tell you.”
“But you all got off safely?”
“Not on that day. One of the three units didn’t make it. There was an inquest, of course, but you know how those things go.”
Webster nodded. By this point, Nash had moved up to join them.
“What do you think? Think they’re going to be able to pull it off?”
“Long as they don’t tear the ship in half while doing it, I think they’ve got a decent chance.”
“You worried about what Kekkonen was saying? That this thing’s got a mind of its own?”
“It’s not my biggest concern.”
“Well, commander, perhaps it ought to be.”
Webster didn’t respond, just kept his eyes fixed on the top of one of the towers.
“You know, I think he might have a point?”
Webster and Markham both turned to see Dalbiri standing behind them.
“About this thing having a mind of its own. There’s nothing to suggest that once we get it into orbit it’s not going to cut and run. I think we need a few more safeguards in place.”
Webster squinted at Dalbiri who, up to this point had struck him as being a fairly level-headed individual. This kind of paranoia was the kind of thing he expected from Nash.
“I’m not sure what else we could do.”
“Well,” Nash said. “Normally, you’d want to de-activate the whole system just to prevent anyone else from meddling with it. But since we don’t even know how to activate the systems in the first place, that puts us in a difficult situation.”
“Yeah,” Dalbiri agreed. “You don’t want to go to all this effort only to discover that once we get it into space it suddenly locks us out and refuses to comply to our demands.”
Webster indicated the huge network of cables. “That thing’s not going anywhere. It’s going to be completely contained.”
“But for how long?” Nash mused. “If it’s capable of punching holes through a mountainside, I don’t see how a few cables are going to hold it.”
Webster was only just starting to get his head around this when Dalbiri said.
“I’ll go.”
“Go? Go, where?”
“On-board the ship. I’d like to volunteer my services.”
“What?” Webster couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You want to be on this thing while we’re trying to get it into orbit? No. That’s a terrible idea.”
“Perhaps I should go,” Nash said.
“Did you not hear what I just said? No. No one’s going. It’s too dangerous. That thing doesn’t even have life support.”
“Really, Commander?” Nash said. “Is that your only concern? Do I have to remind you that I travelled all the way here in a comms drone? If I can manage that, I think I can cope with this.”
Webster turned to Markham.
“Am I the only sane person round here?”
Markham pulled a face, as if in acute pain.
“If they’re going, I’d want a man up there with them.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Conscious that people would be looking for his reaction to this one, Winterson had the room cleared of all nonessential personnel. Then he had to wait while a link with the Renheim was established.
Winterson’s mother had been a doctor and she’d once given him an excellent piece of advice.
“When a patient comes to see you, they’re inevitably anxious about speaking with a doctor. As a result, they’ve usually gone over their account several times, rehearsing it, if you will. All the information you’ll need to make your diagnosis will be included in those first few minutes. All you have to do is listen.”
So, for the first several minutes, Winterson had said virtually nothing, allowing the people on the other side simply to state their case. It was an extraordinary set of circumstances and every time his attention started to wander he found his eyes being drawn towards Lieutenant Commander Schwartz’s stomach. The fact that she’d managed to get herself pregnant seemed to him the most bizarre aspect of this whole debacle.
After a while, he started directing his questions towards Lieutenant Vance. She had a clipped, precise air about her and seemed the only one capable of giving a straight answer to a straight question. The others seemed more than a little embarrassed by what had occurred, as well they might.
The only person who appeared unaffected by all this was Faulkner himself, sitting in his wheelchair looking as if he’d just been roused from his daily nap. His answers were the most nebulous affairs promising great insight while actually delivering nothing of any real value, particularly when it came to questions about Meyer himself. If Winterson hadn’t known better, he’d have said that Faulkner was trying to protect him, though God knows why.
When events had gone on long enough, he nodded twice, a clear signal that the interview had ended.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Needless to say that this incident falls under the normal rules of operational security so, please do not discuss them with anyone outside of this room - including one another. Governor Ardent, as our guest, I hope that I can rely on your discretion in this matter. Lieutenant Vance, I’d like to thank you personally for your testimony here today. Your contribution was very much appreciated.”
It was an old trick of his, picking out a more junior officer for praise. Tended to keep the higher-ups on their toes. Plus, it showed he’d actually been listening. He’d been very impressed with Vance. He’d have to keep an eye on her.
“Now, if I could prevail on you all, I’d like a moment to speak with Captain Faulkner in private.”
Faulkner didn’t reply, didn’t even look at the screen, simply raised his hands as if in resignation and waited for everyone to leave.
“Captain Faulkner, I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“I think I’d remember.”
“Would you mind if I start with a personal question.”
“Go ahead?”
“This role – after all you’ve been through – do you think you’re up to it?”
“I have no medical training, admiral. Perhaps you’d best speak with my doctors.”
Oh, I intend to.
Still he needed some insight into what made this man tick. Of course, he knew about Faulkner’s background – who didn’t – but he’d thought that it had been a real error of judgement to offer the man a commission so late in his career. Undoubtedly a great PR trick but, long term, Winterson considered it to have been a deeply flawed decision.
As far as the destruction of the Mantis was concerned, he had no opinion. It was still too early to judge. It was true that a major catastrophe had been averted but at what price. The idea that someone could survive all that with their faculties intact seemed highly questionable.
And on top of that, there was the question of the man’s age.
Winterson decided to take another approach.
“What about Captain Meyer. What is your opinion on what he did, or didn’t do at Laxx?”
“I hesitate to comment on the actions of a fellow officer, sir.”
“And I respect that, captain, but I’m in a difficult position here. I’m trying to piece this thing together at the same time trying to ascertain whether you’re up to the task of commanding one of these vessels. So, please. As a hypothetical question is it possible to thoroughly protect an orbital space station.”
Faulkner looked down for so long that for a second, Winterson thought he might have dozed off.
“No, sir, I don’t believe it is. Not for a single Confederation ship in those circumstances.”
“So, do you think he… sorry, do you think that in the same position you’d have done things differently?”
For the first time, Faulkner looked directly at the screen.
“I would have done things differently. I would have accompanied the Botany Bay into dock leaving The Galaxian at a safe distance. Then I would have maintained my position allowing Botany Bay to depart and The Galaxian to begin boarding. Only once that was complete would I have accompanied The Galaxian back to her place.”
“And if the Loki had launched while you were exposed?”
“I wouldn’t have allowed them to approach to such close quarters. I would have moved to engage them earlier, giving The Galaxian strict instructions to break off.”
“So you don’t agree with what Captain Meyer did.”
“I didn’t say that, sir. I can only speak for myself. I’m sure that you yourself would go about things completely differently.”
Winterson reflected on that. For such an old dinosaur , there was nothing wrong with his situational analysis.
“Alright, captain. I appreciate your honesty. So, what do you make of our current situation?”
“Naturally, I agree with all your findings, sir.”
“Well that’s very kind of you,” Winterson couldn’t hide his sarcasm. “Is there anything we haven’t thought of?”
Of course he meant ‘Is there anything I haven’t thought of,’ but he’d had various coaching experts go over his phrasing. They’d told him that if he wanted to move up the ladder he had to get into the habit of saying ‘we’ more often. Besides, when things went wrong, as they so often did, it helped diversify the blame.
“I’m sure that you have everything in hand.”
“Well, I’m not so sure. If I’m being honest with you, I’m currently in something of a pickle. When I arrived here I had orders from NAVCOM to engage the enemy at the earliest opportunity.”
“I see.”
“But since then, I’ve received orders from SATCOM instructing me to set up a defensive line while protecting The Henrietta Gate at all cost.”
“I don’t see how that presents you with a quandary, though, sir. Clearly NAVCOM is a lesser authority to SATCOM, as the latter comes directly from Earth Prime and therefore should take precedence.”
“That may be true. But there are times when it is tempting to go with one set of orders rather than another, isn’t it?”
“Especially when those SATCOM orders seem to be contradicting themselves,” he raised his eyes for an indulgence. “You are tasked with holding the line against the three oncoming Da’al ships and yet in doing so you run the risk of neglecting your qualifying orders: Protect the Henrietta Gate at all cost. It could be argued that you are currently failing in that regard.”
Winterson had to laugh. He hadn’t played chess in years but he was suddenly reminded what it was like to play against a truly capricious opponent. Even when you were losing against such an opponent, there was the delicious sense that you were fully engaged – fully alive on an intellectual level, for while on the one hand you were being soundly beaten, you couldn’t help delighting in the sheer sense of possibility within the game.
And that was what he was experiencing now. In some way, this old man was challenging him in a way he hadn’t experienced in years, forcing him to seriously reconsider what he was doing on the deck of a star ship. Why wasn’t he back at the Admiralty, safely behind his desk?
Was he so desperate to prove himself on the battlefield that he was willing to risk everything to do so?
“You’re referring to the Loki, I presume?”
“That’s correct, sir. The Loki currently poses the greatest threat to the Gate.”
“But how can that be? No one ship possesses the sort of firepower to destroy a Gate that size. The best they could hope to do would be to target one of the five nodes.”
Faulkner didn’t respond.
Winterson pushed on. “And that would only disable it. Since they’d have to take out at least three nodes to have any chance of destroying it, I don’t see what the problem is.”
“We both know there’s more than one way of taking down a Gate.”
