Incoming standing wave message.
Accept.
Unknown warship. The people of Beldora thank you. We would appreciate it if you would please convey the attached to the nearest Hyndji embassy or consulate.
Van frowned. Why couldn’t the Beldorans send such a message themselves? He called up the system coordinates and checked the notes.
Both Beldora and Islyn were in blank zones—areas where, because of transdimensional tensions, standing wave could not be sent or received over interstellar distances.
After a moment, he checked the attachment. It was encrypted, as he had expected, but there were standing wave address coordinates.
He replied. Will forward attachment.
Our thanks.
Van had the feeling that he’d just involved the Coalition in brinksmanship with the Revenant Community of the Revealed, but it would come out sooner or later that a warship with Coalition signature drives had wiped out a small Revenant force in Beldora system. He hoped it was later.
As he turned the Joyau out-system, he began to prepare a message torp that requested a rendezvous with Trystin at one of the pre-arranged points—the uninhabited Hyksos system. On the way, he could also stop at Neuquen, the regional capital of the spinwardmost section of the Argenti Commonocracy. Coalition ships were still welcome there, and they might be able to pick up replacement shield generators there.
And…just after he reentered normspace outside Neuquen, he would forward the encrypted message, both to the Hyndji embassy there, and to Dhyli itself. He’d also keep a copy. While he couldn’t decode it, it was possible that Trystin or someone in IIS could.
Chapter 54
The Joyau was locked into M-2, a maintenance lock of Neuquen orbit station two. Van was sitting before the console in his stateroom, going over the local news feeds, scanning through the political happenings.
Montaje Increases Out-Space Defense Budget…
Keltyr Executive Denies Cruiser Lost in Syrenae…
Director Defends Rising SocSer Costs…
High Court Denies Revealed Community Appeal…
He caught sight of Eri in the open doorway and looked up.
“The shield generators are in and hooked up. The maintenance supervisor asked three times about them,” Eri said. “I told them we blew them on debris in an uncharted system, and that sort of problem was why we needed such heavy generators.”
“How are they?”
“They’re good generators. Too good.”
“Too good?”
“They’re military-issue. Designed for small cruisers. They don’t call them light cruisers here.”
“How do they mesh with our systems?”
“You’ll have about five percent greater holding, and six percent greater power draw. That’s within parameters. It might even be a better trade-off, considering what you’ve been doing with the shields.” The last line was delivered deadpan, with but the faintest glint in the tech’s eyes.
“Thank you, most honored senior technician.” Van couldn’t help grinning. “I will try to destroy attackers with less strain on the systems.” The grin dropped. “Unless we get more torps, we won’t be doing much of anything that way.”
“You haven’t heard anything?”
“Just a confirmation of the rendezvous. No details. I did say that we were very low on message torps. On an open wave, I didn’t want to say more.”
“He will understand that.”
Van hoped so. “How long before we can depart?”
“At least six hours. That’s if all the reprogramming takes and if the systems checks don’t reveal something else.”
“The way things are going, they will.”
“It’s possible.”
Incoming from Captain-General José Marie Marti, Argenti Space Forces.
From Colonel—General Marti? Van wondered. Marti had supposedly gone off to intelligence, but that had been almost three years earlier. Accept.
Eri slipped away as the holo image shimmered into being in the space beside the console. The holo image was definitely that of Marti, if in a far more impressive uniform.
“Commodore Albert.”
“General Marti.” Van smiled, answering in Hispyn. “I’m merely a retired commodore, while you are a rising general. What can I do for you?”
“I had hoped you might visit Neuquen at some time. I just returned on the Garcie. It’s one of our newest class dreadnoughts. You might be able to pick it up on your screens. It’s too large to dock at the station…”
Van linked to the monitors. There was definitely a dreadnought holding station off Neuquen orbit station two. “I see. It is very impressive.”
“If it would not delay you unduly, would you mind being my guest for a meal here on orbit station? There is a private dining area that is quite good—The View. I could meet you in half a standard hour.”
“I would be pleased to have dinner with you.” Van wasn’t about to go anywhere that Marti didn’t want him to go—not with a dreadnought that close and able to follow him anywhere in-system. He could devise an exit strategy that would probably work…but that was high risk, and the Joyau was not going anywhere soon. He might as well see what the general wanted.
“A half hour, then.”
Van spent fifteen minutes getting cleaned up and donning his best gray shipsuit. Then he told Eri and left the Joyau, using his implant to seal the ship’s lock behind him.
The View was halfway around Neuquen orbit station two, and down a corridor paneled in dark cherry with actual carpeting. A single attendant stood by an old-style wooden podium.
“Ser?”
“Commodore Van. I’m supposed to be meeting General Marti.” Van spoke in Hispyn.
“Ah…he is here and expecting you. If you would…”
Van followed him toward a large booth against the wall on one side. The View was aptly named, with a full-screen holo view on all walls above head height, displaying the view from the orbit station, with Neuquen below. Van could even make out the bulk of the Garcie.
Marti stepped out of the booth and waited as Van approached the booth and its shimmering white linen cloths, silver cutlery, and deep leather seats.
“Commodore!”
“General.”
The functionary slipped away.
“I took the liberty of ordering you a pale ale. I hope you do not mind,” Marti offered after he reseated himself.
“That is what I would have
