Eagle (Jacob Hull) (22 page)

Al-shira thought for a moment, then sighed. “I could guarantee you about ninety percent of them. These agents can’t have that much skill or subtlety to be attacking so openly or so quickly.” She grimaced. “The remainder, though, are probably the key players in their network. If we miss them during the sweep, then we might still be facing serious troubles down the line.”

Jacob frowned. “Wouldn’t the ones we captured be able to identify the rest of their agents?”

She shook her head firmly. “No. Whatever other skills they lack, these agents were trained very well in how to infiltrate our security, and they’ve established a kind of cell system to limit exposure between agents. The only reason I know so many of them are here is because Admiral Yeseti spent a significant amount of time editing files for personnel assigned to Tiredel. I was able to uncover several of her agents stationed there and noticed some of them were taking the opportunity to perform false background checks on some of the incoming traders. We can feed those agents false information, but we can’t find all of them.”

Unsatisfied, Jacob sat back. “Okay then. Will you be working from the
Eagle
or from the First Shore base on Tiredel?”

Al-shira hesitated. “It would be better to work from First Shore. Being on the ground in Tiredel would give me a better perspective on how things are going.”

“As well as avoiding other problems, I’m sure.” Jacob couldn’t quite keep the bitterness out of his voice, and Al-shira looked at him sharply.

“I’m not avoiding anything. I’m dealing with it, which is more than you’ve done, Ironsides.”

He met her glare steadily, and she finally looked away. “Anyway, that’s all the information I’ve brought for you. I’ll report to First Shore immediately so I can get started.” She stood and dusted off the front of her uniform. “While I’m gone, can I trust you to take care of yourself?”

Jacob couldn’t help a bark of laughter. “I think I can do fine, Al-shira. Or at least, that’s what the High Seat seemed to think when he put me in charge of the entire Navy.”

There was no humor in her tone. “Jacob, I’m serious. You’ve made enemies for life out of both the separatists and the Odurans, and that’s before we even take into account how much the Telosians hated you since Reefhome. Any one of them wouldn’t hesitate to infiltrate an assassin, plant a bomb, or do anything else that might lead to your death. Keep your security high and your bodyguards alert.” Al-shira glanced at the door where Jacob’s Marine sentries were waiting just outside. “Yeseti might have failed, but I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more assassination attempts. Sooner or later.”

Jacob leaned back in his seat, raising his hands defensively. “All right, all right, I’ll make sure Major Rasband knows about the extra threat assessment.” He grinned. “The Marines are already paranoid when it comes to me; apparently Ashford had a few words with his replacement before he left. I have the impression I’m lucky no one has locked me in a cell for my own safety, yet.”

That comment brought a smile back to Al-shira’s face. “Well, if you would stop running into dangerous, subversive factions, maybe you’d get more slack. You have no one else to blame for your reckless behavior, Admiral Ironsides.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s
High Admiral
Ironsides, to you, Captain Al-shira.” Jacob grunted when she straightened up and gave him a mocking salute. “Thank you, Captain, for your concern. I will try to be more careful.”

“That’s all I could ever ask for, Jacob.” She shook her head. “We still have a long ways to go before Intelligence can recover—some people are recommending we just try to start from the ground up, build up all new contacts and new sources, since the ones we had are all probably compromised or suspect by now. I’ll get the job done for you here, though. You can count on me.”

Jacob grinned tiredly. “I would never dream of doubting you, Captain.” Then he stood. “All right, I have a meeting with Captain Martino in fifteen minutes to talk about the readiness state of the
Eagle
. Do you have time to grab a bite to eat before you go?”

He made the offer almost without thinking, and his breath froze in his throat when his mind caught up with his words. For a long moment, Jacob braced himself for her refusal. The moment stretched for what seemed like an eternity.

Then Al-shira glanced at her reader, and then set it aside. “I might have time.”

“It’s not inappropriate for me to be seen taking a junior officer out on a date?” Jacob’s voice was harsh from both confusion and disbelief.

“A date? Why would you think it was a date?” Al-shira raised an eyebrow at him. “I’m more or less your local Intelligence chief now. I think a meal wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.” She waved to where the guards were still standing outside the door. “Besides, we have the world’s best chaperones waiting right outside.”

Jacob snorted. “True.”

Al-shira stood, tucking her reader into a pocket. “So, High Admiral, will you escort your Intelligence chief to the nearest officer’s mess?”

“I’d be glad to, Naomi.” Jacob stood as well and led her to the hatch. He glanced back at his desk for a moment, and realized something. If the Odurans made it to Tiredel in spite of whatever trap he set for them, they would want to raze everything on the planet. They wanted the Oathbound dead just as badly as Carmichael wanted the refugees, and that meant they’d bombard the place just as severely as they had done to Rigannin. He wouldn’t put it past the League to leave the world a smoking, uninhabited ruin.

Unfortunately, that meant Al-shira, working in the Intelligence center on Tiredel, was going to be at risk. Unless he stopped them here, the Union wouldn’t be the only thing he lost—Naomi Al-shira would die as well.

Somehow, that fact made all the difference to Jacob, as he closed the door behind him. Shaken at how much the possibility worried him, he turned and walked to catch up with Al-shira. He had plenty to do without imagining a nightmare for
himself—but all the logical reasoning in the world couldn’t keep that scenario from haunting his thoughts for the rest of the day.

Chapter Twenty-One

Someone knocked at Jacob's door, and he looked up from his work. Leon stood there. Jacob smiled. “Captain Nivrosky, I’ve been expecting you. Come in.”

Leon didn’t smile in return; his expression was woodenly professional. He stepped across the doorway and saluted. When Jacob returned the salute, Leon slid the door closed and walked over to the desk. He paused for a moment, as if arranging his thoughts, and Jacob waited patiently for Leon to compose himself. When Leon did finally speak, his words were cold and formal.
“Permission to speak freely, High Admiral.”

“Granted.”
Jacob smiled. “We’ve known each other a little too long to stand on that kind of formality. I imagine you’re here to tell me why you shouldn’t go to the Manassas Fords.”

The muscles along Leon’s jaw bunched.
“Yes, sir. I feel
Galahad
would be of more use here, with the rest of your task force. You need every ship you can get when the Odurans get here. Sir.”

Jacob nodded. “I understand why you would say that, Leon.” He stood and walked over to the projection unit. “Unfortunately, while I do value your ship and your help, I need you in Manassas much, much more.”

He activated the display, showing the stars all along the border. The systems of Tiredel, Erad, and New Manassas glowed a bright yellow, marking the weak spots of the Union's defenses while the rest of the stars remained a non-threatening blue. “To lure the Odurans, we have to make them think they have an opening. Their intelligence likely has a strong estimate of our deployment patterns, thanks to Admiral Yeseti, and they probably know where our strongest commanders are posted as well.”

Jacob highlighted Erad with the touch of a button. “This morning I sent orders to Admiral Mirov to redeploy the strongest forces he has to Erad. Admiral Borgens and Siddiqui have already been building up their own forces in the area as well. Between the three of them, they should be able to create a significant level of protection for Erad, or at least enough to hold the Odurans at bay until reinforcements arrive.”

Leon frowned. “Which means Erad won’t be the target the Odurans go for.”

“No. It will not.” Jacob shrugged. “We have to eliminate some of their possibilities in order to lessen their ability to surprise us. Reinforcing Erad takes it off the board and leaves us with Manassas Fords and Tiredel to worry about.” He paused. “It also reduces the amount of ships available to attack the Odurans when they
do
arrive.”

“All the more reason to keep me and my command in the system, Sir.”
Leon’s voice gained a determined edge. Jacob hoped it came from the strain of seeing what risks they were running rather than any impatience on Leon’s part.

“That would be the more responsible idea, Captain Nivrosky, but we are going to have to risk your departure anyway.” Jacob motioned to the map again. “Since Mirov is
reinforcing Siddiqui, New Manassas is going to be left with fewer ships available for its defenses at the Fords. If the Odurans head in that direction, we could lose the system and suffer for it. Alongside that risk, I need to make Tiredel a more inviting target for the Odurans and their allies. That means I can’t afford to continue to maintain a high concentration of force out in the open in this system.”

Leon blinked. Then his eyes narrowed. “So you’re going to pretend to send the
Galahad
to Manassas in order to fool the Odurans into attacking?”

Jacob grimaced.
“More or less. Most of the ships assigned to you—the
Kay
, the
Edward
, the
Nathan
, and a few others—will actually be staying in a remote location, within riftjump distance. They will avoid any contact with enemy units or other vessels until I send a signal to bring them back into the system. That way we can hit the Odurans with a second force they didn’t realize was there and crush them.”

Leon was silent a moment. “You said most of the ships.
Why not all of them?”

“Because unfortunately, the Odurans have already marked some of my commanders as high interest targets.”
Jacob sighed. “They know you, Leon, and they are aware of how much I depend on you. Even if they hadn’t picked up on your presence at Kryshaen or other battles before now, Admiral Yeseti would have told them about how closely we’ve worked. They will assume wherever you are is where a significant amount of my forces will be. If I keep you here…”

“Then they will expect most of your forces to be available to fight here as well.” Leon turned to the map again. “Whereas if I show up at Manassas and start digging into the system…”

“They’ll expect a trap there, and come here instead.” Grateful Leon’s tone did not still reflect the anger and frustration he’d shown at the beginning, Jacob sighed. “I need someone to attract attention and make the Odurans think most of my cruisers are waiting for them in Manassas. They’ll come here to catch me off guard, and I’ll smash them instead.” He paused. “If there were any other way, Leon, I’d take it. I just can’t see one.”

Leon nodded. “I know, Jacob.” He fell silent, still staring at the projection. His brow was furrowed; he was deep in thought. Then he glanced at Jacob. “What do I do if the Odurans come my way?”

“Try to hold until I can reinforce you.” Jacob grimaced. “Hopefully they won’t do that, since you’ll only have a small force with you. If they do show up, try to hit the more isolated parts of their formation, maybe slow them down. The Fords should give you some advantages there.”

Again, Leon
nodded, his expression sober. There was never any joy in getting a command to hold at all costs, particularly when one was in direct command of the ships and crews who would be paying those costs with their lives. At the very least, Jacob hoped the unique advantages of the Fords would negate the risk he was ordering Leon to take, but he didn’t know if it was a fool’s hope or not. It all depended on where the Odurans attacked, and in what numbers.

Finally, Leon spoke. His voice still carried regret, but no trace of anger remained. “Thank you, Sir, for explaining the situation. It wasn’t something you needed to do for a subordinate.”

“I think it’s the
least
I could do for a friend.” Jacob shrugged. Then he looked back at the projection and sighed. “I’m going to miss you, though. I seem to be running short on friends. Al-shira’s on the surface, plotting with Intelligence. Ashford’s already stomping around on Carvell, and Isaac’s going to be one of the captains I pretend to send with you.”

Leon smiled. “Well, that still leaves you with Turley. I’m sure he’d like to keep you company.”

Jacob snorted. “He would—if he doesn’t want to bang my head against a wall. Apparently New Vermont didn’t quite get everything put together right. He’s had to crawl through half the ship, tweaking systems and getting everything laid out correctly. You can practically see the mountain of curses he’s edited out of his official reports.”

With a laugh, Leon gestured to the map. “I’m sorry to miss that while I'm preparing my illustrious defense of the Fords, then.” He looked back to Jacob. “I’ve said this before, but I think it would bear repeating. Don’t get yourself killed while I’m gone,
High Admiral.”

“I’ll try not to.” Jacob smiled. “Have a good journey, Leon. I’ll see you once this is over.”

After Leon left, Jacob walked over to the star map and studied it for a moment. None of their scouts had reported in from the Frontier; so far, everything seemed to be quiet on the Oduran side of things. Of course, that could have been because Yeseti had blinded half their Intelligence agents on the far side of the border, but Jacob hoped it meant he still had a little time left before the next attack came. If not, then he would just have to do the best with what he had.

Jacob watched from his seat in the command center as the cruisers left.

It was a little disheartening to see them go. At least eight of the twelve cruisers Jacob had brought to Tiredel were leaving, and the broad majority of them were the newer
Knight
-class ships. They took dozens of smaller ships with them; destroyers, frigates, and corvettes disappeared along with their larger comrades, all supposedly headed out to the Fords to defend them from invasion. The small remainder of his forces looked almost emaciated by comparison, with only a tight formation of cruisers and destroyers around
Eagle
, with a few light formations of smaller ships to patrol the system.

Of course, that was precisely what Jacob wanted the Odurans to see. He needed them to think Tiredel was wide open for invasion, and that he’d gambled by leaving his only dreadnaught and the Celostian flagship open for a strike. Only
Galahad
would actually reach the Fords, with its few escorts. Isaac would be in command of the remainder of the cruisers, and they would wait outside detection range of the system for a messenger drone to tell them to return.

Jacob looked back toward the planet, where he was sure Carmichael’s spies were noting most of the ships of the Celostian force had disappeared. He wondered how they were planning on broadcasting the information to the enemy. The blockade worked both ways—Carmichael couldn’t have his
agents riftjump back into San Marcos space to send a message, and there certainly weren’t any real messenger drones jumping back and forth. That move would have been too obvious, even for agents as inept as Al-shira had indicated.

He turned his attention back to the reports from New Vermont, and a beep interrupted his train of thought. A blinking light indicated an incoming tranmission. Jacob frowned. The signal was apparently coming over a civilian channel rather than a military one, which ruled out another call from Al-shira or one of his ships. There were very few other people who would want to talk with him who would have access to get through the officers at the communications center on
Eagle
—who could it have been?

The answer came to him a fraction of a second after he’d accepted the transmission, and Jacob suddenly wished he hadn’t done so. His suspicions were confirmed as an all-too-familiar voice rolled out of the speakers at him. “High Admiral Hull, I was wondering if you would have a moment to spare so I might speak with you.”

Jacob took a few seconds to steady himself before he answered. “Of course, Mr. von Clanrence, I would love to meet with you again. When would be convenient?”

“A few hours from now, when we dock.”
Von Clarence’s voice gave no hint as to his intentions, but given the trouble he’d caused the last time, Jacob wasn’t looking forward to anything the man said. “Until then, High Admiral. High Elder von Clarence, out.”

The transmission terminated abruptly, and Jacob laid his forehead on the palm of his hand for a moment. He was suddenly very tempted to beg off. Yet if he knew von Clarence at all, the former High Seat would be able to read the excuse for what it was and arrange some form of rebuke for Jacob’s reluctance.

No, it would be better to simply bite the bullet and meet with the man. After all, with all the trouble they had already, what was the worst von Clarence could add to the mess?

Jacob looked up when the door to his office opened. Von Clarence was once again accompanied by Al-Kesh, though Nathaniel Maxwell was missing this time. Jacob didn’t mind the smaller number of witnesses, but he hated the fact the man from Rigannin was there. He didn’t like to admit it to himself, but he still had a reflexive distrust of Al-Kesh, no matter how accurate his assessment of San Marcos had been.

Shaking those feelings off, Jacob stood to extend his hand. “Gentlemen, thank you for coming to see me.”

Von Clarence shook his hand firmly. Al-Kesh had a much weaker grip and seemed eager to release Jacob’s hand. As they sat, Jacob noted that while von Clarence appeared as calm and smooth as ever, Al-kesh was much more agitated. The Rigannin survivor almost seemed to squirm in his seat. Jacob allowed a pause, and then he spoke frankly. “Well, what can I do for you?”

Al-Kesh blinked, taken off guard by the blunt question, but von Clarence didn’t show any sort of hesitation when he responded. “I would like to know precisely what your plans are for the defense of this system, High Admiral.”

Jacob stared at him for a moment. He might be a former High Seat, but von Clarence didn’t have the kind of operational security clearance he would need to get a full working knowledge of the current Navy operational strategy. The fool had to know Jacob wasn’t going to answer that sort of direct question; to do so would lead to a possible security breach that would expose his people to the worst kind of disaster. Trying to recover his control over his temper, Jacob took a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m afraid the details of my plans are secret, von Clarence. No one who doesn’t need to know the details is aware of them, and I would prefer I keep it that way.”

Von Clarence spitted Jacob with an irritated glare. “Regardless of your preferences, High Admiral Hull, I need to know you are actually prepared to defend this system as well as Erad and New Manassas. You’ve taken great pains to reinforce both of those areas at the expense of Tiredel, and I would like to know how you plan on defending this place against a fleet from San Marcos—let alone an assault force from the Oduran League! As the situation now stands, you are likely to be crushed within the first exchange of fire. Unless,” von Clarence’s voice dropped lower, “you simply plan on withdrawing and leaving the system to its fate.”