Rodney Smith - First Command

Fleet Commander J’Kalt, speeding forward down the gravity tunnel, came to the realization that the sensors on his flagship were more sensitive than those on the two Shadow Force destroyers had been. He could see branches off the tunnel that must have been invisible to the destroyers. When he compared their sensor record to his, the cruiser’s sensors were more than two times more sensitive. He could see multiple paths out to what must be the main passage. He was about to turn that to his advantage. First, he had to have Captain H’Rak’s force to join with his.

After an hour, the light task force came in range of the heavy cruiser’s sensors. J’Kalt had them guided in to rejoin his formation. They adopted an all-around defensive posture. J’Kalt took stock of their logistics needs and cross-leveled ammunition through the remaining fleet.

When he took stock of his situation at the end of resupply, he saw that he had enough defensive missiles for three Human heavy salvoes. It would have to be enough. His cruiser and the remaining destroyers had enough heavy missiles to do some major damage to the Human fleet, whatever its consist. If it was the assault landing fleet the spies had reported on, he had more than enough. He discounted the dispersed minor combatants as not much of a concern, feeling he could deal with them if they appeared.

He realized they had been at battle stations for 36 hours. He noticed his captains were slurring their words and slow to respond. He held his fleet in defensive posture long enough to rest his crews and get some hot food into them. No need to stumble into battle with a fuzzy head. The final battle would wait for some rest.

Kelly reported the extended halt of the K’Rang fleet and suggested to the Admiral that they probably needed some rest. Over 36 hours of combat would reduce any crew’s combat effectiveness. He had been changing watches on the Vigilant as they moved from overwatch position to overwatch position, shadowing the K’Rang fleet. It was relatively low risk and kept his crew fresh. Kelly assumed most captains had done the same.

Kelly retired from the bridge to his ready room and called up the gravimetric plot for this sector. Kelly assessed the K’Rang commander stopped here for a reason. He always assumed he might have missed something and now he resolved to find out what it might be. He examined the sensor data and could see little to suggest the K’Rang’s intentions until he turned up the gain on his gravimetric analyzer. Five as yet undiscovered gravity tunnels appeared around the space the K’Rang fleet occupied, like spokes on a wheel.

Kelly had made a mistake. Immediately behind the K’Rang fleet was a tunnel leading directly into the main passage to Barataria and thence the exit into GR space. Kelly got on the communicator to the Admiral to inform him.

Admiral Minacci was concerned, but not alarmed. He knew he was taking a chance when he had asked the Vigilant to do a quick survey. The Vigilant had light years of space to survey in a very short time. Of course they were going to miss some detail. Minacci had the Leviathan laying mines in preparation for the defense of Barataria. He added higher priority to some additional fields in their tasking and was done with it.

He thought a bit about the Vigilant’s young captain. He was impressed with him. He had yet to not accomplish a mission. His actions against the K’Rang scouts probably saved the 3rd ALG’s bacon. If the combat power in this K’Rang fleet had come in with knowledge of the gravity tunnels and of Barataria, he’d be the one stopped and licking his wounds with only half his force, or worse. He would have to see what he could do for LCDR Blake, if they all survived this.

Now, it wouldn’t do to let the K’Rang get too rested. As soon as the mines were laid, impeding the shortest gravity tunnel to the main passage, he sent in some sortie orders for the fighters, attack ships, and torpedo ships. There was no use in letting the K’Rang get too much shuteye.

Sally had finished the evening meal and sat down with Russell to eat. The two of them ate quietly, absorbed in their own thoughts. A palpable fear had settle over the camp. Rumors had been flying through the encampment all day. The K’Rang were in orbit! Fleet reinforcements had arrived! The K’Rang had landed and were advancing on the camp!

That last one by a screaming hysterical woman in the dinner line caused Sally to leave the kitchen and slap the nonsense out of her. It brought her to her senses, and Sally wound up holding her in her arms while the woman had a good cry.

Russell got up from his seat and came over to her side. She had been wool gathering, thinking about that hysterical woman, and didn’t realize he had moved. She looked over, saw him and jumped sideways.

“Russell, shuffle your feet when you move around like that. You almost scared me out of a year of my life.”

Russell didn’t say a word. He just knelt down beside her and took her hand. Sally realized what was about to happen and her eyes got all misty.

With only a little quaver in his voice, Russell held up a ring, and said, “Sally Halstead, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

People all around them noticed what was going on and a hush came over the dining hall. People looked on as if they were all holding their breath.

Sally burst into full-on tears, grabbed Russell about the neck and shouted, “Yes!” The dining hall erupted into cheers and applause. People lined up to shake their hands, hug, and congratulate them. The pent up fear and frustration evaporated as people had something positive to focus on.

When the felicitations died down, Sally asked, “Where did you get this ring, it’s beautiful?”

“One-Eyed Pete gave it to me as a going away present. He said our relationship was the most poorly kept secret he’d ever known.”

Sally looked up into Russell’s eyes. “I don’t want to leave. I want to stay here and continue to work at the Ruin View. It’s still the best restaurant on the planet and how many chefs can put that on their resume? I’m sure Pete really doesn’t want us to leave. What say we negotiate a better deal with him and stay on here? I bet this planet will be booming now that it’s out in the open. I heard they’ve negotiated a land agency deal to bring in settlers. Of course, those pesky K’Rang will have to be dealt with first.”

“Sounds good to me. If we could be happy as captives, we should be able to be happy as free members of the Brotherhood.”

Fleet Commander J’Kalt calculated that he had only enough defensive missiles for one more attack and he would have expended all his defensive missiles. The Human fighters, attack craft, and torpedo ships had harassed them for the last four hours. His missiles had saved all but one destroyer that took two torpedoes forward of the bridge, and the resulting ammunition magazine explosion broke the ship apart. His crews were getting more tired and he saw simple mistakes being made that could be disastrous in the wrong situation.

As the Humans were not going to let them rest, he ordered his fleet to move toward the Human base that his sensors indicated was nearby. He avoided the shortest path to the adjacent wide pathway, fearing it to be mined, and chose the next closest. His fleet formed up and closed up to transit the narrow gravity tunnel. When they emerged into the larger passage they spread out, making themselves less vulnerable to fighter attacks.

J’Kalt had his first long range sensor view of the Human base. It was a planet. J’Kalt was amazed that Humans, or any species could exist in this star cluster. It was a medium-sized world with a single moon. J’Kalt wondered if he had sufficient force to expel the Humans and claim this world for the K’Rang. That would put some profit to this expensive expedition. J’Kalt put his efforts to defeating the Human fleet, and saved his dreams of conquest for later.