''Yes, but if you're bucking for that vacant job of knight errant, it's right up your alley.''
''Who said I wanted that job? False rumor. You've been getting your news from Adorable Dora too long.''
Still, Jack made a fast run to the yacht pier. Adorable Dora was waiting impatiently beside the small watch hut at the yacht basin. With a face and body the best that money could buy, she was just the thing that people wanted to watch for their news and entertainment, assuming there was a difference between the two. The two young men lounging on the large luggage carriers were just as expensive to the eye. Since they were never on camera, Kris could only suspect what they were paid for.
''Where's my yacht?'' lacked the usual two o'clock teaser.
''Why do you ask?'' Kris counted.
''You're taking a fleet out to fight those ships. I want to follow you. Film it.''
''You could easily get killed doing that. There won't be any cheap seats at this show.''
''Comes with the territory,'' Adorable shot back. The looks the two men swapped said this was news to them. ''Guys, start setting up for a shoot. We're going to interview Princess Longknife. Get an exclusive before the battle. You're wearing that small units command badge. Does that mean you're commanding the fast patrol boats? Are they fixed up enough to leave the pier?'' Behind her, the guys had seemed surprised by her order, but as she fired off questions, they broke out their gear. And you had to give Dora credit. She had done some homework.
''Put the gear away, fellows,'' Kris said. Jack sidled over, friendly like, hand on holster, to give them his official smile.
The guys quit unpacking.
''I have my collar camera. Not as good, but this kind of story will go far. Princess interferes with the news!''
''Did you talk to your boss before you headed up here? Did you check with anyone? Didn't you wonder for a moment why this wasn't already on the news?'' Kris said, trying to be as rational as she thought Adorable Dora's brain was capable of.
''Lazy reporters are easily scared. I ain't lazy.''
''National security mean anything to you?''
''Try scaring me with something real, honey.''
Kris gritted her teeth. The urge to have Jack chuck the woman out an airlock was overwhelming. No, the urge to chuck her out an airlock herself was too much to pass up.
''You're stuck with me, deary. Let's make the best of it. You don't want me to report the story until you say so. I want to report the story up close. You say I could get killed. I'm willing to risk it. Where's my yacht? I've got a right to sail out in my yacht and do what I want.''
''No you don't, because I need your yacht for a communications relay ship,'' Kris snapped back.
''You've stolen my yacht!''
''Borrowed.''
''Stolen, in my book.''
''Would you two ladies stop for a moment?'' Jack put in. ''Kris, I know she's easy to hate, but all I hear her asking to do is trail the fleet and take pictures, record her story. Now, if I understand what you have in mind, you want her yacht to trail the fleet and pass along any messages that we need to hear when you're behind the moon. Right?''
Kris didn't want to, but she saw the logic of where Jack was going. ''So let her ride along with Gabby and Cory. They do our job, and she does hers.''
''Right,'' Jack said.
''That's all I want,'' Dora said.
''You guys going along?'' Kris asked
They looked at each other and slowly shook their heads.
''I'll double your pay,'' Dora said.
Heads kept shaking.
''Jack, I don't like the idea of her on the same yacht with Gabby and Cory. They'll follow orders, but with her yelling, I'm not so sure they'll be following my orders.''
''And you want me to ride shotgun on her.''
Kris nodded.
''You gonna double my pay?''
''Triple it,'' Kris said.
''What's she paying you?'' Dora demanded.
''Nothing,'' Jack said.
''She's got to be paying you something. She sleeping with you? You look good enough to eat.''
''You sure you want me on the same boat as her?''
''Space her if she makes a pass. Kind of accidentally like.''
''I can do that.'' Jack grinned.
''You wouldn't,'' Dora said.
''I suspect Gabby and Cory would testify in a court of law that you thought you were just opening the door to the little girls' room. Want to bet?'' Jack grinned around hard eyes.
''Sure you want to go?'' Kris asked. ''I'm going.''
''Select your minimal gear. Jack, drop me off at the Halsey, then you head for her yacht. What do you call it?'' ''All the News That's Fit to Print.''
Contact: -9 hours 15 minutes
''WE have an intercept,'' said the Chief of intel, ''that you may be interested in. That Dora Evermorn couldn't seem to find her yacht and ended up talking to someone.''
The Duty Lieutenant listened to first one person talk to Dora. Then someone else came on-line, seemed to be recognized, but cut Dora off. ''Was that who she almost said she was?''
''That was Princess Kristine Longknife. She is on the station.''
''Where?''
''We could not get a fix on the call. The commlink is not standard, and what with all the liners getting up plasma, the whole station is a mess.''
''But that is definitely a Longknife.''
''Definitely. A little one. Not King Ray, but the troublesome brat herself.''
''What kind of ship is this Dora Evermorn looking for?''
''It's a system runabout. No weapons. No military value of any sort.'' There again was that quick, disparaging assumption from the intel Chief. ''Will you wake the Chief of Staff now?''
Ah, and now, not content to toss off his own conclusions so lightly, the Commander was ready to poke his nose into flag plot's job, but not with a clear ''You should wake him.'' No, just an ambiguous question. The hot potato stays in your lap, Lieutenant. Nice toss, Commander.
''I will look into it,'' he said, cutting the link.
The Lieutenant drew in a troubled breath. What had changed since the Admiral and Chief of Staff had layed down? Kristine Longknife has been identified on HighWardhaven. Passenger liners are being allowed to evacuate non-Wardhaven citizens from Wardhaven. Some of them may cross our path, even attempt to suicide crash us.
And how does this raise the threat against this battleship for the next hour and a half above what it was three hours ago?
Simply put, it did not. Could the Admirals do anything in the next hour and a half that they could not do in the first fifteen minutes after they awoke?
No.
His father had often talked of the pressure of battle. Of the need for men to go into it prepared for it. His father swore he'd won half his battles by getting a good night's sleep and a good breakfast. Oh, and a good cup of coffee.
Was father just feeding him a sea tale?
The Duty Lieutenant took a deep breath and let it out slowly. What a tale he'd tell the Chief when he got back.
The Lieutenant stood again and watched the technicians watch the intel feed from the target. Things were certainly happening now. But was it all that different? Were there any warships in evidence? Anything the intel Chief would identify as having significant military value?
The Lieutenant paced, and time passed.
Contact: -9 hours
Kris found a mob scene in front of the Halsey's pier. On a more thorough review, it clarified into a very well-organized riot. She spotted Captains van Horn and Luna in the center of it and figured them for the best explanation of the content and process of what was going on, so she headed their way.
''Howdy, dear. You're up early,'' Luna said, now decked out in a blue shipsuit with Captain's shoulder tabs and an underway command badge, the mirror image of van Horn beside her.
The Navy Captain nodded. ''Your Highness, I understand you had a media problem.''