That brought looks of terror from the other diners, and some abandoned their meals to head for the exit.
“Both stations are made of Smart Metal,” Jack said in a raised command voice. “If anything rips, they can have it fixed in seconds.”
The exit slowed.
The hull rang as the two cylinders made contact. Canopus Station lurched backward, but hardly enough to make Kris sway on her feet. “Not bad,” she said in admiration.
“Want to bet your buddy Katsu-san is at the bottom of this?”
“Good Lord, if he came out again, I just might have to send him back,” Kris said.
“Then again, he might be very helpful in respinning ships.”
“Now you’re taking on my nasty role.”
“Whatever,” Jack said with a shrug. “Want to bet the fleet’s in, and you need to see a lot of new officers? Let them see you?”
“Oh, yes. Nelly, send to all the ships, frigates, auxiliaries, and merchants. Officers’ call in two hours. Captains and execs required. Marines, boffins, engineering and weapons and chiefs of the boat may also attend. The location is the Wasp’s Forward Lounge. Two-drink limit.”
Kris had been approached by Mother MacCreedy as spokesperson for all the tapshops on station, requesting the two-drink limit. “It will stretch the supply. Besides, we’ve got a foul drink that the Alwans guzzle coming up. Two of them will put any old drunk under the table.”
Kris had signed the order.
Kris did paperwork before the meeting. This time it was the good kind, a promotion list. Kitano went to full commander and was frocked up to commodore. She’d find out why later. All the frigate skippers got full commander. They’d have to do the paperwork to promote their XOs and division heads themselves. The Wasp presented Kris an interesting challenge. She solved it in the usual Longknife way.
“Nelly, activate Captain Drago’s reserve commission, bring him out of retirement, and give him a captain’s rank.”
“Kris, I’m not sure I can jump a man from lieutenant to captain in one afternoon.”
“Nelly, he dropped himself from rear admiral to lieutenant in less time. If you have to, ask him how he did it.”
Of course, Nelly found a way. The magnificent Nelly did not ask mere mortals for help.
47
Two hours later, the Forward Lounge was going strong. The crews of Kris’s squadron had arrived first and occupied the tables closest to the bar. Apparently Musashi had been first to dock, probably on their own section of the station, and Commodore Miyoshi and his command teams were catching up with the Musashi Navy folks who had come out on the Wasp. Commodore Hawkings had set up shop for the newly arrived U.S. contingent against the far wall, and officers from Lorna Do, Savannah, and Wardhaven mixed freely. The Helveticans joined the Musashi Navy in the middle.
The four merchant skippers and their first mates had a table next to the door.
As Kris entered, she took all this in with a glance, even as someone shouted, “Atten-hut. Admiral on deck,” and she got “As you were” out before most people could even start to get to their feet.
The merchantmen didn’t even make an effort. They would be a challenge.
Kris marched to the table in the front Penny had reserved for them. Her shoulder boards showed commander’s stripes. Jack stayed two steps behind Kris. Once at the front of the lounge, Kris turned and let her eyes rove over the young men and women before her. Silence quickly fell.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” Kris said, and let chuckles roll around the room at the double meaning of her words.
“Commodore Hawkings, I haven’t gotten a copy of your orders. Can you share them with us?”
The man pointed his wrist at the screen behind Kris and it came to life. “I am ordered to report to you, Admiral, and conform to your orders.”
“Thank you,” Kris said. Will I for once have a chain of command that isn’t a knot fit only for a kitten to play with?
She turned to Commodore Bethea from Savannah. She stood to attention, and announced, “My orders are the same. We are U.S. Navy, and we follow you.”
Apparently, Grampa Ray was getting more United in his societies than when Kris last passed though. Or maybe they’d just sent her the committed Federalists.
The captain from Lorna Do quickly rose to her feet. “Same here. We are at your command, Your Highness.”
Kris would have preferred Admiral, but she’d answer to whatever got her a fighting fleet.
Now she turned to the hard one. “Commodore Miyoshi, it’s so good to see you again.”
“And very nice it is to see you in better circumstances,” he said. He also pointed his wrist unit at the screen and his orders appeared. “I am to place myself and my command under your orders and serve honorably at your side, Admiral. You will note that my orders were endorsed by the Emperor himself. I know of no naval force that has ever sailed with that kind of an endorsement from the throne.”
“I am honored,” Kris said, giving the commodore a deep bow from the waist that he promptly returned.
Now it was the Helvetican captain’s turn. “It looks to me like everyone’s been drinking from the same beer mug. My orders are identical to yours, Commodore,” he said, raising his wrist and letting the screen show basically the same orders, without the imperial chop.
That settled, Kris asked the obvious question. “How was your voyage out?”
The three commodores glanced around at each other, seemed to toss a coin among them, then Hawkings began. “Not bad. We took a separate route than the king took. We did pass through a system with something going on. Definitely a reactor, but it was planet-bound and nothing hailed or shot at us.”
“Good. Your auxiliaries, will they be staying here?” Kris asked.
“The repair ships, certainly. Having two dockyards should be nice, but having your own repair ship that I command for my division is better. The supply ships? That’s an interesting question. I have no orders there. Do any of you other folks have orders?”
That was met with a lot of head shaking. Commodore Miyoshi seemed to speak for all. “What are your orders, Admiral?”
“They’re Smart Metal, and we’ve found a lot of uses for it,” Kris said, vaguely, then turned to the table with the merchantmen in the rear. “What about you? You’re from the Star Line.”
They took stock among themselves, then an old salt stood. “We were told to unload and head back, immediately.”
“You’ll be going without an escort,” Kris said.
That brought another look around among the skippers. “We can’t sail without an escort,” someone still seated said. “No insurance if we do.”
“Aren’t you going to give us an escort?” the standing salt asked.
“I need all the frigates here with me,” Kris said.
“I told you they was going to get us good,” came from someone.
“I think we ought to make a run for it,” was someone’s input.
“May I point out,” Kris said, softly, “that Star Lines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nuu Enterprises, and I’m the authorized CEO of said enterprises here on Alwa.”
That was met by groans from the back and quite a few chuckles from the Navies.
“We been had.”
“Yes, I think you have,” Kris admitted. “Please continue off-loading tomorrow. When you’re done, I’d like you to dock your ships in the yard portion of the station. We’re likely going to use you for ore carriers. We want to make our own lasers. We’ve found the ore and are mining it, but we need to ship it from the asteroid belt to the moon here.” That was met with more groans.
“There is, however, one other possibility.” Several heads came up. “I want to dispatch a ship on a dangerous recon mission. We’ll arm the ship, but it’s not intended that you will fight. Just take a peek and run back.”