Probably very well, he thought. They know that life isn’t safe.
He turned away from the display as the trainees completed their exercise and returned to their makeshift barracks. They were doing well, for young men who’d only been in space for the last two weeks; they had a long way to go, but the raw material was definitely there. It helped that they were colonials, he told himself firmly. Colonials understood that the universe was red in tooth and claw, something that civilians on more developed planets tended to forget. They also understood that accidents happened.
“I read the latest news from Tyre,” Tanya said. “Is it true we’re getting one final investment?”
William had his doubts. “I wouldn’t take anything for granted,” he said. “The investment will be intended to allow you to purchase supplies from Tyre, not . . . They won’t want to just give you the money and let you do what you want with it.”
“And then we’d have to get whatever we purchased here,” Tanya said. “That won’t be easy either.”
“True,” William agreed. He’d been doing his best to follow the developing political situation, but it was impossible to tell which way the Commonwealth would jump. He hadn’t seen so much vitriol in media broadcasts and private blogs since . . . ever. The tensions that had been a part of the Commonwealth since its founding were coming into the open, while politicians were gleefully throwing gas on the fire. “We may have to wait and see what happens.”
His wristcom bleeped. “Captain, long-range sensors are picking up two starships dropping out of hyperspace,” Patti said. “Warbook calls them midsized cruisers. No IFF. They’ll be in engagement range in ten minutes.”
William felt his blood run cold. “Activate Plan Omega, then alert the planetary government,” he ordered. The intruders were almost certainly unfriendly. Anyone who wanted to open peaceful discussions about trade or political alliances would be broadcasting an IFF code. It was basic good manners. “I’m on my way.”
He glanced at Tanya. “Do you want to get back to the planet?”
Tanya shook her head. “There’s no point in going back,” she said. “I might not get down to the surface before they start throwing rocks at us.”
William smiled. “Then come with me,” he said. “And don’t touch anything.”
He led the way to the bridge, silently noting how well his crew moved to battlestations. The drills and engagements had definitely paid off. They could have passed for a Royal Navy crew from the war . . . hell, they had served in the Royal Navy during the war. He reminded himself, once again, to ensure that the trainees learned from the older hands. It was easy to slip into bad habits once one passed through basic training if one didn’t have proper supervision.
Two red icons glowed on the display as he entered the bridge, both cruisers. It was impossible to be sure, but he’d bet half his salary they were Theocrats. Pirates were rarely so bold unless they were entirely sure their targets couldn’t put up a fight. And besides, Kat Falcone had smashed the local pirate base to rubble. It would be a long time before the pirates managed to recover, if they ever did. The Commonwealth would be withdrawing—William was sure withdrawal was coming—but hopefully the sector would be able to put up a defense. Even a handful of destroyers on patrol would be able to keep a lid on piracy.
“Nonstandard ships, definitely,” Patti said as William waved Tanya to an unoccupied console. He was careful to lock it out, just in case she touched a button by accident. “But they’re built on Theocratic hulls.”
“Theocrats, then,” William noted. This time, they were in for a real fight. Two cruisers would definitely be able to wipe out his entire squadron. Their vectors showed they were spoiling for a fight too. “Establish a laser link to Trojan One.”
“Aye, Captain,” Patti said. “But the time delay . . .”
“We’ll have to deal with it,” William cut her off. It would be neat if the techs came up with a way to communicate in real time across interplanetary distances, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath. Mobile StarComs were hideously expensive and, so far, no one had managed to slim one down enough to cram it into a superdreadnought. “Order the remainder of the fleet to form up on the flag.”
“Aye, Captain.”
William sat back in his chair, wondering just how much the Theocrats knew about what had happened to their missing ship, or for that matter, to the pirates. They’d given him very little room to maneuver, deliberately or otherwise; he rather suspected they were hoping for a clear shot at his ships before they turned and fled. They certainly weren’t acting as though they suspected a trap. A lone superdreadnought would be more than enough to kick their ass.
Which would be nice, if we had a superdreadnought, William thought. He checked his console. An alert had gone out, of course, but it would be hours at best before reinforcements arrived. We’ll just have to make do without one.
“Signal from the planet, sir,” the communications officer said. “They’re going dark.”
“Good,” William said. Asher Dales had dispersed a lot of its population and industrial base, but he was grimly aware that the Theocrats could render the entire planet uninhabitable fairly easily. Merely shoving asteroids towards the planet, after they’d smashed his squadron, would be more than enough. “Let us hope they restrict themselves to tactical bombardment.”
He felt Tanya’s eyes
