In a moment, Captain Drago had joined them, and the other seven captains were watching from the wardroom’s own screen. Also watching were a lot of junior officers who were paying only partial attention to their meals as they watched the elephants go about deciding their fate.
“We have a battle to plan, as much as possible,” Kris said, without preamble. “From what we’ve seen of the aliens, they’ve adopted a line ahead, twenty-two ships long. I propose to fight them in a line ahead of seven ships. Endeavor, we’ll keep you in orbit around the planet.”
“Pardon me, ma’am, but we’d like to have a place in the fighting line, if we may,” said Captain O’dell.
She’d started life as a merchant-ship skipper, as had the Endeavor. Her ship only had six 18-inch lasers, three forward and three aft. That was intentional. Kris wanted the Endeavor to be as dangerous running as chasing.
“This is going to be a knock-down drag-out fight, Captain O’dell,” Kris said.
“I know, ma’am. Me and my crew know it will be, ma’am. But we’ve seen the inside of that damn pyramid. We’d all kind of like to get a chance to make our own statement that they ain’t gonna get our skulls for their horror house, if you know what I mean.”
“I think I do,” Kris said.
The crew thrown together for the Endeavor was a very mixed batch. Some merchant marine, some Navy, and a lot of the gun crews were Ostriches. If a crew such as that were voting for a fight, Kris had quite a team on her hands.
“Nelly, put our assumptions about the enemy up on the board.”
A line of twenty-two ships appeared on a second screen. It showed the aliens decelerating toward the cat planet. “Physics decrees that they must be braking as they come in on final approach. However, as we saw in the attack on the Hornet, they have learned to break a bit farther out and gain some tactical flexibility as they get in range. We’ll have to be prepared for that. Still, their tactical problem is governed by the laws of physics, and they can only get around them so much.”
Kris eyed Captain O’dell. “You will be in the lead position as we join the enemy in deceleration. I intend to use the moon to loop out to meet them, then fight it out with them in that final approach. Endeavor, you will be at the head of the line.”
Nelly added a name to the ship closest to the cat world. Endeavor.
“You know, ma’am, some might say we were at the end of the line.”
“In space, it’s often hard to tell,” Kris said. “But that is your position. I intend to cross their T and concentrate our fire on the head of their line.”
“That means the ship that’s at the other end of the line could be in for a heap of trouble,” Captain Taussig said in a soft drawl. “Any of their other ships that get in range will be firing away at that poor soul.”
“It does look that way,” Kris admitted.
“May I claim the honor of that position for the Hornet, Admiral?”
“Are you sure it’s an honor you’re asking?” Kris said.
“It’s where I think we’d rather be, Kris. We got a bone to pick with these bastards. They clobbered the old Hornet. I want them to know they’ve been solidly stung in this next fight.”
Kris knew that Phil came from a long line of Navy heroes, going as far back as the wet Navy. She’d always thought it was a pain in the ass to be one of those damn Longknifes. Maybe she was seeing how hard it could be to bear another proud name.
“You will have that place, Captain Taussig.”
“Thank you, Admiral. I think my great-grandfather would be very proud.”
Yep, some names were just a pain in the butt.
“Which leaves the question of who gets the honor of the next hot spot in line,” said the skipper of the Constellation, Captain Sims.
Kris nodded. “I hope none of you will think me less courageous than those who have already spoken up, but General, please retrieve my cover from my quarters. Oh, and the printout Nelly’s making.”
WHAT PRINTOUT AM I MAKING?
ONE WITH ALL THE NAMES OF THE OTHER SIX SHIPS, WELL SPACED OUT SO WE CAN CUT THEM INTO SLIPS OF PAPER AND DRAW THEM FROM THE HAT.
COVER, Nelly corrected.
WHATEVER.
Jack returned with her cover, complete with admiral’s scrambled eggs. Nelly and Abby had had a ball constructing just the right gold braid for the bill of her hat.
Captain Drago produced a pair of old-fashioned scissors from some drawer in the wardroom.
Scissors. What delightful old tech.
“I’ll have the lovely Amanda Kutter serve as our honest broker here. This sheet has the names of the other six ships of the squadron. Each of them capable of fighting just as well as the next and holding any place in our line.”
“Yes the paper does,” Amanda said, holding it up for all to see.
Kris handed her the scissors. “Cut the flimsy up and fold them over. Then put them in my cover.”
She did.
Kris stood and went to stand behind Amanda. She held the cover above the economist’s head. “Now draw out the name of the ship that will fight right behind Hornet.
“Constellation,” Amanda said as she opened the first slip and laid it on the table in front of her.
Captain Sims grinned proudly from his place on the screen.
“Royal,” Amanda read next.
Another skipper seemed just as glad.
“Wasp.”
Captain Drago’s grin was full of pride.
“Congress,” was followed by Intrepid. Bulwark would fight next to Endeavor.
“That, my good captains, is our fighting order. Captain Drago, please arrange for the ships to take their station in our new line.”
“And may God help us all,” Captain Drago was heard to mutter.
42
They made orbit, and then the problems started.
The squadron was in its second orbit, and the ships were busy maneuvering to get nose to nose and swap anchoring cables. Being at zero gravity, Kris was belted into her chair at her desk reading the latest set of guesses about the planet beneath her.
“Kris, three missiles have been launched at us,” Nelly reported curtly. “They are still in boost stage.”
“Shoot them down,” Kris ordered just as curtly.
Suddenly, the Wasp lurched as it brought its aft batteries to bear on the planet below.
“I’ve fired three aft lasers, just a short burst,” Nelly reported. “We hit all three.”
“What the hell is going on with my ship, Kris Longknife?” came as a bellow from the bridge.
“I take it, Nelly, that you didn’t inform Captain Drago of our little problem?”
“There wasn’t time, Kris. Is he mad at me?”
“No, he’s mad at me, Nelly. Are there any more launches?”
“No, Kris. But the missiles fired were atomic-tipped. One had a low-order explosion when it crashed. The others spewed radioactive plutonium.”
“Thank you, Nelly,” Kris said, as she undid her seat belt and pushed herself off for the bridge.
“Can I have my ship back, Your High-handedness?” Captain Drago said with a scowl.
“I’m sorry, Captain. Missiles were fired at us. I told Nelly to shoot them down quickly because they were still in boost phase and an easy target,” Kris said as she latched onto the back of the captain’s chair. “Next time, I’ll tell her to inform you and let you do it the proper Navy way.”
“The hard way,” the skipper said, and, if possible, his scowl got even deeper. “I hate to say this, but thank you.”