“What matter is this we must discuss?” Marphissa asked, trying to mask her tension. Mercia was older than her, had more experience with mobile forces, and had more experience in command positions. Was the old veteran about to attempt to slap down the young pup?
“I have been around awhile longer than you,” Mercia began, apparently oblivious to the way her words caused Marphissa to shift into a defensive posture. “That has the potential for problems which I know would concern me if I were in your place. However, I wanted you to know that I accept my role as your subordinate. I will not conspire against you in the Syndicate way because from all I have seen and heard, you are not operating in the Syndicate way. Just now, we discussed what to do, and you listened, and you asked questions, then you decided. I know I am respected. That will take some getting used to after my years with the Syndicate, but I am grateful for the chance to use my skills and experience for those who value what I can offer.”
Mercia waved around her. “I have command of a battleship, and I am fighting for a good cause. I have no complaints, Kommodor. I will support you and comply with your orders. I did not want you to have worries on those counts.”
“Thank you,” Marphissa said. “I did have some concerns. Was it obvious?”
“No. You actually hid it very well.”
“Do you understand that you can trust Honore Bradamont? She is Alliance, but to her, we are no longer Syndicate.”
“Syndics,” Mercia said with a twist of her lips. “I admit I am having some trouble at times seeing an Alliance officer on my bridge. But, yes, her insights are useful, and she admits when she knows less on a matter than one of us. She does not act like a conqueror, which I had anticipated from an Alliance battle cruiser commander. Her lack of arrogance and superiority is unexpected and welcome.”
“I trust Captain Bradamont,” Marphissa said. “In time, I hope you will trust her as fully. How is your crew handling having her around?”
“Oh, that!” Mercia rolled her eyes. “It has been… interesting. But they understand that any display of hostility or aggression toward her will result in serious consequences. She has bodyguards as well, of course, to keep her safe from the crew.”
“At first, it was like that on Manticore,” Marphissa said. “Now Bradamont is seen by the specialists as one of us. She is Black Jack’s.”
“The one who destroyed my flotilla?” Mercia asked. “But also the one who captured us instead of destroying our escape pods.”
“And it was Bradamont who suggested getting you all from the Alliance, bringing you back to us.” Marphissa shook her head as memories rushed in. “We wouldn’t have made it back, made it through Indras Star System, without her advice to me. I called all the maneuvers, but Bradamont told me how I should use the escorts to protect the freighters. I had never commanded such an operation.”
Mercia raised both eyebrows. “I saw enough of the action there from the command deck of the freighter I was on to be very, very worried. One of the reasons I didn’t object to your being my boss was knowing how you handled your ships at Indras. I hadn’t heard about Bradamont’s role, though.”
“It was between her and me. She never undermines me in front of my crew when she offers advice.”
“That’s good.” Mercia sighed, grimacing. “I haven’t had much time to learn things about all of you. I’ve been so busy getting the weapons on this ship operational, it hasn’t left much time for anything else. I admit I was surprised, and a bit resistant, when President Iceni insisted that Bradamont accompany Midway to Ulindi. But Kapitan Kontos thought it was a good thing, almost a natural thing, and I wasn’t about to defy Iceni and have them thinking I might be like Ito, so I went along.”
“If anyone thought you were like Executive Ito,” Marphissa said, “you wouldn’t have been given command of Midway.”
“Thank you. Bradamont didn’t mention it, but she is worried about the ground forces.”
“So am I. I’ve done all we could up to this point. Once we take out CEO Boucher’s flotilla, Midway should be able to offer major support for the ground forces.” Marphissa looked down, then back at Mercia. “Hopefully, it won’t be too late. Is there any other matter we should discuss?”
Mercia shook her head. “No, Kommodor.”
“Good. I have full confidence in you. You’ve achieved a miracle by getting Midway ready to fight as fast as you did. I have no complaints.”
“No complaints? What kind of supervisor are you? How am I supposed to be motivated unless you treat me like dirt?” Mercia laughed.
“You know what? If we destroy Happy Hua’s battleship, I’ll also praise you. Publicly praise you and give you your fair share of the credit. You’ll just have to get used to that kind of thing.”
The Syndicate flotilla’s warships remained in Standard Box Formation One as they rushed to intercept, rising a little and coming along a slightly curved path just off to port of the Midway flotilla. The center of the box was occupied by CEO Boucher’s battleship, the two heavy cruisers at the upper front corners and the light cruiser at a lower front corner. One of the three enemy Hunter-Killers was at the other lower corner, and the other two at the back upper corners. The enemy ships had closed to within five light-minutes, and had braked down to point one three light speed.
“No imagination at all,” Kapitan Diaz scoffed. “Except for the velocity being too high, she’s doing it exactly by the book.”
“Which is good for us. We should be able to do some damage to those escorts.” Marphissa had arranged her ships in the Modified Diamond, which was not a by-the-book formation at all. She had kept the formation flat, all of the ships in the same plane, but had given it a three-dimensional quality by slightly canting the formation downward relative to the Syndicate ships, so it would pass through at an angle rather than evenly. Midway occupied the front and lowest point. Gryphon, one of her two heavy cruisers, was at the point behind and to the port side of the battleship. The light cruiser Hawk was on the point opposite Gryphon, while the light cruiser Eagle was at the highest and rear point. At the center of the diamond was Manticore. Spread out at equal points within the diamond were the four Hunter-Killers Sentry, Sentinel, Scout, and Defender.
“Are you sure?” Diaz had asked, puzzled, as he saw the formation.
“Yes,” Marphissa said. “It’s not aimed at the Syndicate battleship. I want Midway to be leading to ensure she draws their fire, leaving our escorts to hit some of the Syndicate escorts hard while ignoring the Syndicate battleship.”
“Won’t they expect that?” Diaz said. “It’s what we did last time we encountered CEO Boucher.”
“Yes, but last time we did not have a battleship with us. The forces were very lopsided. And Syndicate doctrine insists that the major combatants be targeted first. In our last fight, that was our heavy cruisers as far as Happy Hua was concerned. Now it’s Midway. She will assume we will do the same since we now have a battleship, and that is doctrine.”
“Twenty minutes to contact,” Senior Watch Specialist Czilla reported.
Marphissa studied her display. The projected tracks of both formations went directly through each other at a slight angle, the sort of head-on clash that lacked finesse and led to brutal engagements. That had increasingly been the usual sort of battle in the last several decades of the war with the Alliance, as both sides lost the skills and training to try anything less direct and concentrated on trying to hit the enemy harder than the enemy hit them.