Brim shrugged. "The IVG was a pretty special outfit, Admiral," he said. "All veterans with years of experience. I think anybody could have set up the base at Varnholm—especially with Chief Barbousse to help."
"You'll have the Chief as soon as we can fly him out here," Gallsworthy asserted. "Emperor's personal orders on that."
"And that's all there is to being a Wing Commander?" Brim asked, cocking his head suspiciously.
"Just like Fluvanna?"
"A few differences," Gallsworthy said. "This time, for instance, you'll be doing all those 'commander' jobs officially."
"And...?"
"Well, you won't start with experienced crews like you did in Fluvanna, either. This time, you'll have to build an organization from the ground up—and see to their training. We'll get you the best people we can lay our hands on, but aside from being individually talented, they won't be a fighting force by anybody's definition. You'll have to turn 'em into that."
"And," Brim continued, wincing. He'd been waiting for something like that.
"And," Gallsworthy continued, "Baxter Calhoun won't be around to let you off the hook after you've got it all set up. It's a permanent assignment—at least as permanent as anything about the Fleet."
Brim nodded as Borodov refilled his goblet. "Where?" he asked. "Here?"
"Avalon."
"Avalon?" Brim exclaimed in relief. "You mean Avalon as in...?"
"As in the Imperial capital planet," Gallsworthy laughed, "—or at least orbiting above it. Now that's not hard to take, is it?
"Not hardly. Admiral," Brim agreed.
"I'd vote for that and lend a hand stuffin' the ballot box," Valerian put in.
Brim chuckled. "The 30 Defense Wing, Admiral?"
Gallsworthy nodded. "They called it 30 Wing during the last war," he said. "Got deactivated right after the Treaty of Garak. This time, it'll have two squadrons: 32 and 610. I've already got 32 Squadron set up in one of the new, orbiting FleetPort satellites under Commander Karen Rumsey. You two met in Atalanta during the Payless Operation years ago."
"Karen Rumsey," Brim said, nodding his head. "Yeah. I remember her. Fine Helmsman if memory serves."
"Fine administrator, too," Gallsworthy added. "Unfortunately, she's not much of a Squadron Leader at the helm. She puts too much emphasis on formation flying—one of those damn-fool ideas the CIGAs pushed so well when they had everybody's ear. Form over function—looks great but doesn't do much for winning wars." He shrugged. "Your problem now. She's running sixteen Defiant-class cruisers in four flights of four and one in reserve. You and she will have to get together by KA'PPA for a while because you'll be too busy helpin' set up 610 Squadron from scratch."
"Who'll I have to command that squadron?" Brim demanded. "I've got a strong recommendation if you haven't assigned anybody yet,"
"How about Toby Moulding?" Gallsworthy asked with a grin.
Brim laughed. "Since Toby's my recommendation," he said, "I'm in violent agreement."
"He'll be tied up for a while helpin' to shut down the IVG," Gallsworthy said. "But I'll have him here as soon as Calhoun releases him." He laughed. "I used all my 'obs' with Calhoun gettin' you assigned directly."
" 'Obs'?" Brim asked.
"As in 'obligations'," Gallsworthy explained. "He owed me a few for supportin' his IVG in Fluvanna."
"Guess I owe you a couple of 'obs' myself, then," Brim acknowledged.
"You'll pay 'em," Gallsworthy said. "You'll take care of quite a few operating 610 Squadron all by yourself."
"We'll be flying 1Cs?" Brim asked.
"Fifteen of 'em," Gallsworthy assured him. "Three flights of four. That'll give you two in reserve."
Brim frowned. "By my count, Admiral," he said, "you're one Starfury short."
"You count well, Brim," Gallsworthy said with a sly smile. "But I think I'll let brother Valerian tell you about your third 'reserve ship'."
"P7350," the designer said. "Killer ships don't get names. She's the first production Starfury 1C off the lines—proved out the manufacture' plan. And she's here, not more than a c'lenyt away in a finishing shed. Skeleton crew from the factory brought her here. They've been checking her out for a week. We'll go have a look in the morning."
"P7350's yours, too, Wilf," Gallsworthy said. "She and her crew will be your personal responsibility while you're forming the new squadron, so you won't lack left-seat time here at Gimmas.
After you get to Avalon, though, you'll be expected to take any available ship into combat whenever you can."
Brim laughed. "Sounds good to me," he said trenchantly, "I become bored so easily...."
"Not much danger of that, Wilf Ansor," Borodov observed, "at least from what friend Nikolai Yanuarievich messages."
"What's Nik say?" Brim asked.
" 'Phony war' will last only so long as it takes Triannic to rebuild what you blew up with space fort at Zonga'ar. Then, Voof!"
"Doesn't take Nik Ursis and the Sodeskayan Intelligence Community to bet that ol' Wilf here is going to be a busy man back on Avalon," Valerian said. "The CIGAs are bound to make a stink about you blowing up one of our own battleships."
"Yeah, Brim," Gallsworthy said with a frown. "Things have been pretty quiet, considering that you destroyed I.F.S. Queen Elidian with every hand on board. Even if she was crewed by a bunch of CIGA traitors."
Brim grimaced. "Except for the CIGAs themselves," he said, "nobody felt worse than I did about those Imperial ships we destroyed at Zonga'ar. But..."
"But," Gallsworthy interrupted, "you weren't a member of the Imperial Fleet at the time. Right?"
"That's right, Admiral," Brim assured him. "At the time, I was working as a mercenary in the Fluvannian Fleet."
"An' all the zukeed CIGAs aboard the Queen were tryin' to keep you from the Leaguers' space fort," Valerian added.
"So the Queen had to go. Right, Wilf Ansor?" Borodov observed.
"Pretty much, that's it, Dr. Borodov," Brim said. "But it was still pretty awful." He shook his head.
"The old Queen.... For years, she was the largest, fastest, and most handsome warship anywhere. Why, she was the Fleet when I was a kid." He ground his teeth and stared into his goblet as if its dark liquid could hide him from the memories. After more than a month, his decision to destroy the historic battleship still bothered him. And it had little to do with the crew of traitors who died aboard her. When he looked up, the other three were still staring at him.
"Word is that Margot Effer'wyck had something to do with that battle, Wilf Ansor," Borodov said softly.
"The word's right, Doctor," Brim said. "Crazy as it sounds, she was aboard the fort through most of our attack. When we ruptured the doors where they were keeping her prisoner—with her zukeed husband's approval—she escaped to one of the fort's message rooms and began transmitting. Everybody on Starfury's bridge probably saw her in my global display. Nadia Tissaurd—my Number One on Starfury—was looking right at her when she told us where to plant the torpedoes."
"You mean Margot told you where to hit the fort?" Valerian demanded.
"None other," Brim answered.
"But... if the scuttlebutt's true, not a month earlier, she was also the big lure in a Leaguer attempt to ambush you in Magor City...."
"That's how it looks to a lot of people."
"Somehow I doubt if that's what you think, Wilf," Gallsworthy said.
Brim shrugged gloomily. The meem and exhaustion were beginning to get the best of him.
"Probably doesn't matter what anybody thinks," he replied with a weary, shrug. "It's not very likely she survived when the fort blew up." He shook his head. "That explosion xaxtdamned wrecked Starfury, and we were a long way off when the energy wave hit us. Close as she was to it... Well, unless she made it to the protection of that asteroid shoal, she's nothing but free ions now."