All Enemies Foreign and Domestic (Kelly Blake series) (26 page)

      There had been enough dissension against the colony movement since the last queen turned 97 and her replacement queen was chosen from the same colony as before, violating the clan power sharing law.
 
This had the potential to be a bad situation as they went through this colonization campaign.

      The Queen Captain wrote up other quite fanciful heroic actions by various deceased crew so that appropriate awards were issued to crew from all the clans, in concert with their power in the Conclave of Queens.
 
The Queen Captain knew how to maintain her position in the hierarchy.

* * * * *

      Evan monitored the progress of the flagship as it entered a system with a yellow dwarf star almost equal in size and age to Earth’s Sol.
 
Here was the true test of the T’Kab as a threat to the Galactic Republic.
 
Their environmental needs were the same as Humans, K’Rang, and Angaerry.

He coasted into the system, using a gas giant as cover.
 
He situated his ship just outside the atmospheric cloud and turned the sensor recorders on in the full spectrum mode and kept a record of all there was to see.
 
After a week, he withdrew into the cloud and reviewed the data.
 
The annihilation ship went immediately into a dry dock for major repairs to her superstructure, spectral generators, gunnery computer, and a tune up of everything else.
 
The Vengeful’s sensors recorded everything and quietly left the system in a max speed run through open space to deliver Captain Gardner’s assessment.

* * * * *

      The Behemoth arrived at Gagarin to load the kit and baggage of the 16th Armored Division.
 
The Behemoth’s lighters landed in the staging area and that afternoon the vehicles were directed to the appropriate parking lines as they arrived.
 
The vehicles came initially in groups of two to 17, and then in groups of a hundred, followed by groups of hundreds.
 
By midnight, all the vehicles had been inspected and lined up.
 
At the loadmaster’s signal, the first line of vehicles were driven on board the lighters, tied down, and secured.
 
The loaders relaxed for an hour, while the lighters flew up to the Behemoth and unloaded.
 
This sequence continued through all three brigades, the Division Artillery, Division Troops, and the Aviation Brigade.
 
The entire operation took less than eight hours.

      The division commander authorized block leave for all personnel.
 
Everyone was released for thirty days.
 
This caused Sergeant Ingrid Solbrig a problem.
 
She had been so busy getting the command tank prepared for movement that she had forgotten to make plans.
 
She walked back to the barracks and while everyone else was packing for the pleasure enclave of Cooper or to visit the adrenalin adventure venues on Grissom, Ingrid made last minute arrangements and packed for Earth’s Virgin Islands.
 
She wanted to go somewhere away from all other soldiers and do something she had always wanted to.
 
She signed up for a three-week open water sailing course.
 
She packed several swimsuits, some resort clothes, and caught the shuttle to the spaceport.

      A cute guy sat next to her, so shy he wouldn’t look at her, except when he thought she wasn’t looking.
 
When they arrived at the terminal, she turned right inside the terminal and he turned left.
 
Checking in, she dropped her bag on the scale and took her boarding pass.
 
She headed for her gate and saw him in the line she just left.
 
She wondered if he got lost or just turned the wrong way entering the terminal.

      She got to her gate early and found a coffee shop.
 
When she went to pay she heard, “I’ll get this.”
 
She turned to find Mr. Cute Guy standing there with his credit chit in hand.

      “Let me get this.
 
It’s the least I can do seeing as we’ll be sitting together on the trip to Earth.”

      “How do you know we’ll be sitting together?”

      “Because I paid extra to switch seats to be next to you.”

      The barista broke in and said, “Do you want this coffee or not?”

      “My name is Brad Mason,” he said to Ingrid, then told the barista, “I’ll have another of the same.
 
Here’s my chit.”

       Brad paid, Ingrid took both coffees, and they moved to the still empty gate area and sat down together.

      He smiled and said, “So tell me, where we are going?”

      “Where we are going?
 
I don’t know where you are going, but I’m going where there aren’t any soldiers.”

      He looked devastated.
 
“No soldiers?
 
Where is this paradise?”

      Ingrid was about to answer when she stopped and asked to see inside his backpack.

      He smiled sheepishly and showed inside his pack.
 
There were ski goggles, a ski hat, and heavy gloves.

      “It’s a place you would be way overdressed for.”

      With pleading eyes, he said, “Please, when I saw you on the shuttle, I had to find out who you were.
 
I cancelled my plans and changed my flight to follow you.
 
If I’m overdressed, I’ll buy what I need when I get there.
 
Where are we going?”

      Ingrid laughed.
 
“I’m going to the Virgin Islands on Earth to spend three weeks on a sailboat learning to sail, but I have the last berth on the boat, which I booked this morning.
 
Here is their number.
 
Maybe there will be a cancellation.”

      Brad picked up his coffee from the small table where Ingrid had set it.
 
He walked off, saying he’d be right back.
 
Twenty minutes later he returned as they were calling the flight for first boarding.
 
He sat down next to her and said, “How many swimsuits do you think I should pick up?”

      Ingrid’s eyes got big, “You are joking!
 
You got in on a cancellation?”

      “Yes.
 
What make boat shoes do you recommend?”

      Ingrid could not believe this guy.
 
He was starting to grow on her, though.
 
Having your own guy onboard a sailboat on the open sea could be quite handy.
 
On the other hand, if she found a better deal, she didn’t owe him anything.
 
She could grow to like this.

* * * * *

      Evan completed the run from the T’Kab home world and rendezvoused with the Xerxes and Vice Admiral Conover.
 
The Admiral called for Evan as soon as he could dock and show up, so Evan gathered his briefing material and set out for Flag Country.
 
He was ushered into the Admiral’s holographic tank and saw that every seat was filled.
 
Inserting his data cube, he brought up the image of the T’Kab home world.
 
He pointed out the capitol complex, the main military compound, and the shipyard space stations.
 
A new conquest fleet was forming and one already formed waited on the restored annihilation ship.
 
Three space stations were festooned with Human, K’Rang, and Angaerry ships of every class – missing warships of every navy, even some pirate and marauder ships.

      Vice Admiral Conover wondered out loud, “What happened to the crews?
 
I shudder to think.
 
Do you think any of them are still serviceable?
 
Quite a few of them look like hangar queens just used for parts.”

      Evan answered, “None of them had an internal heat signature, so they are probably not serviceable, Admiral.”

      He changed images to two systems about ten light years from the home world’s system, which Evan described as guard worlds.
 
“Each system has a class M planet with a yellow dwarf star.
 
They are almost Earth clones with open liquid water.
 
They have two home world protection fleets, consisting of one missile defense ship the size of the annihilation ship, eight destroyers, 20 frigates and a handful of resupply and support ships.
 
It’s nothing that our combined fleets can’t handle.
 
I saw no evidence of space defense weaponry, but I was only there a week.

      “On my way back, I encountered twelve systems with signs of T’Kab higher civilization.
 
I overtook and killed six pods as I returned.

      “Sir, if there are no questions, this concludes my briefing.”

      Vice Admiral Conover stood, walked into the middle of the hologram, and addressed his commanders.
 
“I will send this info to Geneva, with a request to hold the Behemoths’ loaded units from invading the fifth planet and instead use them, the Angaerry marines, and the K’Rang unified forces to invade the T’Kab home world.
 
Staff, I want maps prepared from Lieutenant Commander Gardner’s data and circulated to every operations staff, including the K’Rang and Angaerry.
 
I want an analysis of their home world from a military perspective.
 
Get to work, people.
 
I want briefings on these in two weeks, with a draft invasion plan.
 
That is all.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, dismissed.
 
Lieutenant Commander Gardner, come with me.”

      Gardner fell in on the admiral’s left as they left the holographic tank and walked down to the admiral’s small conference room.
 
The admiral stepped through the door and waved Evan in.
 
“Come on in and have a seat, Evan.”

      The admiral poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Evan.

      “Damn good work, Evan.
 
I’m putting your ship in for an E.”

      Evan almost dropped his coffee.
 
An E for excellence from Fleet was almost unheard of for Scout Force ships.
 
He only knew of one other scout ship, the Vigilant, which had gotten one.
 
He would feel pretty good landing at Antares Base and showing it off to the other captains.

      “Thank you, sir.
 
I owe it all to my crew.”

      “Don’t be too modest, Commander.
 
You’d have taken the blame for any misdeeds, so don’t be afraid to take credit where it’s due.
 
Get all your data to my Intel officer and he’ll get it back to whoever needs it.”

      “Aye aye, sir.”

      “Now drink your coffee and tell me about yourself and your fellow captains.
 
They are considering making all scout ship captains’ next assignment as an advisor to Flag staffs on carriers.
 
Let me know what I’d be getting.”

      Evan didn’t look favorably on two space assignments in a row.
 
It would play havoc on marriages and he told the admiral so.

      “Evan, that has been considered, but you guys are a valuable commodity and too many of you get your walking papers or languish in backwater jobs.
 
At least one or two of you should make the admirals’ list each time it comes out.
 
We are wasting valuable and experienced captains. It can’t hurt to have another two or three-star FitRep in your records.
 
Hasselrode can only do so much for you guys by himself.
 
Get some Fleet Flag Officers reports in your record and some of you guys can have shiny sleeves, too.”

      Evan reflected on what the admiral said and then started telling him about the sixteen captains of Scout Force.

Chapter Fourteen

      Ingrid was having a blast.
 
There were three men and three women aboard the
Adventurer
, a 21-meter ketch out of Redhook Bay.
 
In addition, there was Johann, the captain, and Ilsa, the cook.
 
The course was laid in for Saint Martin for two days of clubbing and gambling.
 
It was an easy sail, with plenty of breeze to pull them along and      make the sailing lively.

It was such a pleasure in a high tech world to experience something so raw and elemental as sailing where the wind controlled your fate.
 
If it blew, you moved.
 
If it didn’t, you didn’t.

      At his guests’ insistence, Johann turned off the high tech conveniences that allowed him to sail the
Adventurer
single-handed, if needed.
 
All they used were sightings, speed, log, depth, wind direction, wind speed and course plot, the minimum for safety and sailing.

      Brad turned out to be a gem.
 
He was polite and courteous and knew a bit more about sailing then he initially let on.
 
Johann recognized he was no newbie and had him help teach the rest.
 
He helped Ingrid time the winching to tack the boat without engulfing her in his arms, not that she’d have minded.
 
He had a ton of personality and was the center of evening conversations, keeping the talk going without being domineering.