noteworthy.” He hesitated. “Have you told Chack?”
Keje approved of Chack and Safir Maraan’s relationship, but he also wanted happiness for his daughter, Selass. It was a tough situation, but one Selass had brought on herself, as far as he was concerned.
“Yeah, I expect he’s in the firerooms now, pestering them to step on it.”
“What of Amagi?” Shinya asked, carefully neutral.
Matt looked at the Japanese officer. Shinya had been given considerable time to resolve his inner turmoil concerning Amagi, maybe too much time. Now he must quickly decide where he stood. The luxury of time for contemplation was over for all of them. Matt felt a pang of guilt, however. He’d read only most of Kaufman’s message to his assembled officers, and suggested Kaufman might have subverted a single sailor to let him send it-which might be the case. He’d deliberately withheld the possibilitit wouldn’t make any difference.
“Jim didn’t see her, so she hadn’t sailed with the enemy vanguard, at least.”
“Oh four hundred, Skipper,” Dowden interrupted.
“Very well. Sound general quarters.”
The alarm reverberated through the ship, and the relative peace was shattered by frantic activity. Most of the crew was already up, anticipating the daily ritual and eating breakfast, so there was literally no delay before Campeti and his fire-control team scampered up the ladder behind them, and Silva-and now the Bosun too-began loudly exhorting their divisions. Even in the dim light, Matt saw that O’Casey was impressed by the discipline.
“That leaves us with you, Mr. Sean O’Casey… if that’s really your name. You didn’t seem as pleased by the prospect of ‘rescue’ as the young lady did. Is there some reason you don’t want this Jenks to find you?”
“Ye… might say that.”
“Well. The last thing we want right now is war with your people-the war we already have is quite sufficient! But if Jenks is as big a jerk as the Bosun says, we’re liable to have one if you don’t tell me what I want to know. They’re obviously looking for you, or more probably the girl, and they’ve gone to extraordinary lengths to do so. Each of those ‘rescue’ ships might have suffered the same fate as yours. That’s a hell of a risk to take on such slim odds, and I have to know why. Is Jenks a threat? Now, you may not believe it, but this single ship, battered as she is, could slaughter his entire squadron without working up a sweat.” He glanced at the others and shook the message form. “Hell, according to this, Donaghey ’s repairs are complete and the new frigates Kas – Ra – Ar and Tolson will join her and the guard ship, Big Sal, currently on duty.” Keje formed a predatory grin. If plans had gone apace, his Home, Salissa, had become even more formidable during their absence. “Jenks can hurt my frigates, and it’d probably be a hell of a fight, but based on Gray’s estimates I’m confident they can take him. So, do I send those frigates after him, or keep them here, where we really need them?”
O’Casey slumped. “All right. I may be on the run, but I’m no traitor-although Captain Jenks might disagree. I’ve told ye nothing of the location of our homeland, an’ won’t, because that’s been pounded into us since birth: safety from secrecy. Aye, ’tis a tradition passed down from our ancestors who first came to this world. They knew of the Grik, and the Ape Folk, as they called them, but assumed that eventually the first would conquer the second, an’ they didna want anyone knowin’ where ta find us. They set a colony on some secluded islands in the middle o’ the Pacific, what the Ape Folk-Lemurians-call the Eastern Sea. Over the last two-hundred-odd years, their colony’s grown into an empire, the ‘Empire of New Britain Isles,’ an’ now includes many islands, as well as larger lands. It’s become prosperous an’ powerful but, over time, tyrannical as well. The governor-emperor is a good, kindly man, as have been most of his predecessors, but the company has supplanted the Cour terrible wrong, an’ we didna succeed. I’m sorry for that, but not for tryin’.”
She still seemed stunned. “So you will stay with these people? Fight with them?”
“Aye. Theirs seems a cause worth fightin’ for, after all, an’ hopeless as they make it sound, it isna over yet.” He lowered his head. “Me last cause is finished, an’ there isna any hope a’tall.”
“Perhaps,” she hedged, still uncertain. “We shall see. In any event, I shall not betray you. If Captain Jenks arrives, I shall tell the entire truth of our ordeal, but at first I shall not reveal you live. Enough?”
He nodded. “Enough, Your Highness. Thank ye.”
Silva had drifted over. “What the hell’s all this ‘Highness’ shit?”
Captain Reddy appeared, dressed in his finest, academy sword at his side. “Yes, Mr. Silva,” he said quietly, looking at the girl. “You’ve been associating with royalty all this time, and never even knew it. None of us did.” He glanced around. He’d already decided to include Silva in the circle of those who had the “need to know,” and he made sure no one else was near enough to hear. “And for now, that’s the way it stays. Tell no one. From now on, if, and until her own people collect her, she’s your responsibility: yours and Mr. O’Casey’s, of course. Her safety’s in your hands.” He paused. “Highness?” The girl nodded. “Well. Perhaps a proper introduction is in order at last?”
“Becky” cleared her throat. “Rebecca Anne McDonald will suffice, I think,” she answered. “As Mr. O’Casey just pointed out, my various titles are rather meaningless anymore. Only one might pertain to the current situation”-she glanced at Silva with a grin-“and I might just trot it out someday, if I get the chance.”
Just then she perceived a clattering, rumbling drone unlike anything she’d heard before, growing louder by the moment. She looked up.
“Damn that idiot!” Matt declared. “Who gave him permission to fly?” He paced to the rail and watched the battered PBY approach from the south. It looked decidedly odd with its shortened wings, and the engines sounded like they’d mixed rocks with the oil.
“I can’t believe he got it up again,” Gray confessed, joining them.
“Ol’ Benny’s a whiz with gizmos,” Silva stated, “an’ pretty sharp for an army aviator.”
“It’s an air-plane!” Rebecca squealed excitedly. “Oh, it is, it is! Mr. Flynn told me about them, but I confess I scarcely believed him! Oh, look! Is it going to land upon the sea?”
The Catalina staggered past Walker, banked delicately, and flew toward the open sea still separating the destroyer and the picket force. Two hundred yards away it thumped exhaustedly onto the calm sea and wallowed to a stop. Gunning the port engine, the pilot began his approach.
“Oh, look, oh, look!” chanted the girl, almost hopping.
When the plane was within a hundred yards, the pilot-it must b cut the engines. The ensuing silence seemed almost more intense than the previous racket. A moment passed; then Signals Lieutenant (JG) Palmer appeared on the wing.
Matt spotted Stites leaning on the rail near the whaleboat. “Don’t just stand there,” he shouted. “Go get him!” He looked at Silva and O’Casey, then glanced at the impatient nun. “Carry on,” he said. “I’d better get to the bridge.”
“Captain!” shouted the nun, her Dutch accent clear. Grimacing, Matt paused while the woman strode quickly toward him. “Captain, I must protest! I have been asking to speak with you for days!”
“My apologies, uh, sister…”
“Sister Audry. I appreciate you rescuing us from our previous.. . circumstances, but now I understand we are steaming directly toward a battle? Have you not thought of the children in my care? Is it possible you will expose them to further risk? I must insist you provide for their safety!”
Matt gritted his teeth. “Lady… Sister, I haven’t got time for this now, but you have my word those kids’ll be as safe as I can make them. If I could drop them, and you, off someplace safe, I would, but there is no safe place. I’ll do what I can, but for now you must excuse me.” He turned and continued on his way, leaving the nun wearing a stormy expression.
Shortly the whaleboat returned, with Palmer standing in the prow. When it came alongside, the signalman scurried up, saluted the flag and Gray, and raced for the pilothouse. “Skipper!” he said with feeling, saluting again. “Am I glad to see you!”
“The feeling’s mutual, but what’s the meaning of this?” Matt gestured at the plane.
Palmer’s face took on a haunted look. “Yeah, well, jeez. Believe me, Skipper, we wouldn’t have gone up in that death trap if we didn’t have to. It flies, but I think that’s only because it hates floating even more.” He gathered himself. “Mr. Letts sent us. You were right; the Griks are on the move. They handled Mahan pretty rough, but we thought that might’ve just been a stab at catching her. No go. It looks like the real deal.”
“Any sign of Amagi?”
“Not with the advance force. Looks like a hundred-plus ships, even after Mahan tore ’em up. We might’ve seen smoke way to the south, but we didn’t want to push the old girl, if you know what I mean.” Palmer shuddered. “I hate to say it, Captain, but I think it’s time we stripped her for the metal.”
“Probably right,” Matt mused sadly. “We might need her to fly once more, but after that…” He shrugged.
