Surrender Demand

(Book 4 of the Halberd Series)

John J. Spearman

Copyright © 2019 John J. Spearman

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1077205000

DEDICATION

For Alicia, who has made my life so wonderful.

OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

Halberd Series

Gallantry in Action

In Harm’s Way

True Allegiance

Surrender Demand

Pike Series

Pike’s Potential

Pike’s Passage

FitzDuncan Series

FitzDuncan

FitzDuncan’s Alchemy

FitzDuncan’s Enlightenment

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to acknowledge my readers. They are the whole reason to do this.

1

Following the public memorial service for Amy, Jonah traveled with her parents and his mother to the planet of Carolina. A small group of friends joined them, including Admiral Pierre Delhomme and his new fiancée Captain Elaine MacLeod, Lord and Lady Thorner, and the foreign secretary Brian Stewart-Crosland and his wife, Joanna. Anne and Mark Davidson, Amy’s parents, prepared a small informal ceremony on the beach near where Amy grew up and on which Amy spent many pleasant hours. They scheduled the ceremony for sunset.

Everyone was casually dressed, even agents Lewis and Sauer. Jonah thought it was the first time he ever saw agent Sauer in a skirt. At the conclusion of the ceremony, just as the sea breeze changed to an offshore breeze and with the tide going out, everyone waded just into the edge of the water and threw a garland of flowers onto the waves. Jonah went last and scattered Amy’s ashes to the wind. They floated into the sea she loved.

The rest of the group returned to the Davidson’s house, but Jonah stayed on the beach, watched at a discrete distance by Lewis and Sauer. He sat on the sand and said his farewells to Amy as twilight deepened into evening. As Amy often advised him, he tried to focus on the joy of the time they had together and not grieve over the time they were forced to spend apart. He wasn’t entirely successful. When he was finished, he stood up, dusted the sand from his pants, and joined the agents who drove him to the Davidson’s home.

Upon his return to Caerleon, Jonah was assigned light duties at the Admiralty’s Bureau of Personnel (BuPers), where he reviewed hundreds of fitness reports. He continued his meetings with Dr. Abramovich. At first, he met with her three times a week. After two weeks, she claimed her appointment calendar was booked solid, and his visits were reduced to one per week. After six more weeks, she pushed his next appointment out to four weeks later, using the excuse that the Thanksgiving holiday was upon them, and she couldn’t meet with him until after. At this point, Jonah realized she was trying to let him know that she felt he moved past the need for regular counseling.

“Instead of four weeks from now, doctor,” Jonah suggested, “why don’t I call you when the next time I need your guidance?”

“That’s an excellent idea, Jonah,” she replied with a slight smile.

“Would you please let Admiral Lothes know I would like to return to regular duty?”

Abramovich smiled more broadly. “I let her know a month ago that you were getting close. It has just been waiting for you to realize it.”

The next day, Tuesday, November 2, Jonah was summoned to Admiral Lothes’s office. After the ritual exchange of salutes, she indicated for him to sit.

“Dr. Abramovich has cleared you for a return to full duty,” she confirmed. “I’ll bet you’re happy to see the last of BuPers for a bit.”

Jonah chuckled in agreement.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like some folks to join us,” she said.

Jonah shrugged his shoulders in acceptance. Director Niven of Advanced Warfare and Director Sweedler of the Office of Naval Intelligence came in moments later. Jonah had not seen Niven since their last meeting in the Twelfth of Never when Jonah took command of Third Fleet, created from superdreadnoughts: ships that had been mothballed a hundred years before, but refurbished and seriously upgraded.

After exchanging greetings, Admiral Lothes explained, “Director Niven is here to give you a comprehensive update on the status of repairs and new construction. Director Sweedler will provide an update on what we know about the Chinese.”

She nodded at Sweedler first. He began, “As expected, the Chinese are nearing completion of ten superdreadnoughts and fifteen battlecruisers. As far as we can tell, they are still due to be commissioned in five-to-eight months. We have no proof but think it extremely likely that the new ships will have some type of enhanced artillery. The reason we think it is extremely likely is that they had ample opportunity to examine sensor data from their ships that survived battles in which our particle burst weapons were used. Using that data, it is reasonable to think that they have reverse-engineered something similar.

“We suspect that it will either not be as powerful as ours or have the range that ours does. This is due to powerplant limitations. As far as we and our allies know, they have not upgraded their powerplants. Their weapon will likely have longer range and more punch than their photon cannons, but how much more we cannot determine at this point. Director Niven will be able to give you a better idea of what is involved.”

“Right,” Niven took up the thread. “You’ll remember, admiral, when you took over Severn, that you and I had a discussion about the enormous power demands of our version of the weapon.”

Jonah nodded. “We needed to add powerplants to be able to use them.”

“Yes,” Niven confirmed. “Not only that, we added new types of powerplants, more efficient ones, so more, and more powerful, reactors.”

Jonah nodded again.

“So far as director Sweedler can determine,” Niven stated, “the Chinese are still using the same powerplants, in the same configuration as before. The ships they are about to commission are the same design as the rest of their SDNs and battlecruisers, with perhaps these new weapons slapped onto their hulls.

“The problem they will face is there is a finite supply of power. The drives need power. Life support needs power. Plasma shields need power. The computer systems, the sensors, the navigational thrusters, the photon cannons—everything that makes a ship more than a lifeless block of metal in space—requires power.

“Ships are built with slightly more power than they would need in order to make everything work all at the same time. That is done in case there is damage to the ship that limits energy output from the reactors. This creates a ‘reserve’ of power if you want to think of it that way. Typical power reserves are no more than ten to fifteen percent of the total power output. When power output is reduced by more than the limited amount of reserve, then trade-offs need to be made.”

“I’ve had to face some of those trade-offs,” Jonah confirmed.

“Exactly,” Niven agreed. “Our particle burst weapons use forty to fifty percent as much power as all the other systems on the ship combined. We know from the Chinese ships we are working on right now that the 527-type SDN with their existing powerplants has a power reserve of just under fourteen percent and the 461-type battlecruiser has a reserve of roughly twelve percent. As a result, in order to utilize this weapon, they will need to make trade-offs.”

“What sort of trade-offs?” Jonah asked.

“Big ones, obviously,” Niven said with some humor. “You have to analyze power requirements during battle conditions. You start with the biggest energy hogs, which would be plasma shielding, life support, photon cannons, and the EM drives. You wouldn’t want to touch your shielding—obviously. But you could bleed off some power from the rest temporarily.”

“For instance?” Jonah asked.

“Well, the trade-offs are situationally-dependent,” Niven explained. “You would need to program the parameters into the system. For instance, outside of photon cannon range, I would take all the power from their systems, but I would still need more. Given that the typical engagement only lasts a few minutes, I would likely shut down life support as well. If I were within photon cannon range and needed to use them, I’d also have to shut down the drives, so I would not be able to accelerate or decelerate while using the weapon.”

Trying to think of the longer-lasting battles he had been in, Jonah asked, “What would be the effect of cutting life support for, say, ten minutes?

“Cold, mostly,” Niven replied. “The areas closest to the hull would cool rapidly. In ten minutes, it would get cold enough to become unpleasant, though not life-threatening.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Jonah stated.

“No,” Niven admitted, “but I haven’t discussed performance yet. The kind of power I’m talking about so far is the amount of power needed to make a basic particle beam weapon function at a fairly minimal level, at least in terms of power, range, and cycle time. We move into the realm of guesswork here because of all the variables. Our PBGs are designed to have fifty percent more range than photon cannons with the maximum amount of punch they can deliver and a reasonably short cycle time. On our Columbia-class refits, we can fire every 30 seconds, and on the Regents, every fifteen seconds.

“Because the Chinese have less power available, they need to make sacrifices. We think the Chinese will want to match the range of our weapon, so they will have to sacrifice punch and cycle time. Our PBG is three times more powerful than a typical photon cannon. They will not have the power available to match that. They also want to keep cycle times reasonably short.

“Our best guess is that the Chinese will settle for a weapon that delivers a blow fifty to seventy-five percent more powerful than a typical photon cannon. This would mean that a Chinese 527-type would be able to get one shot off every 40 seconds, and a 461-type would have a cycle time of roughly 75 seconds. If they want to reduce the cycle time, they must reduce the effectiveness of the weapon.”

Jonah sat quietly in thought, absorbing the information. “Is there anything else?” he inquired.

“More guesswork than actual knowledge, I’m afraid,” Niven cautioned, “but I’m thinking they are going to have trouble with the power conduits. In our own experience, the powerplant issue was the biggest nut to crack, but once we solved that, it took us quite a few tries to engineer the conduits to be strong enough. We developed the PBG, hooked it up to a power source, and fired it. No problem.

“We thought we had the whole thing licked. Then we decided to test-fire the PBG under simulated battle conditions—firing repeatedly with the shortest cycle times possible. In the beginning, that was 30 seconds. Without getting too technical, the conduits kept, well, melting down is the best way I can describe it. We could get five or six shots off, and then the conduit would fail. We tried a wide variety of different materials and cooling methods before we found the right solution. It took us over six months. I don’t think the Chinese have had that kind of time.”

“What is the status of the repairs to our ships from Avalon?” Jonah asked.

“We have good news and bad news on that front,” Lothes said. “The good news is that the three Chinese SDNs and six battlecruisers that served as the blocking force allowing the rest of the Chinese fleet to escape are nearly ready to be rechristened and commissioned in the Commonwealth navy. Along with those, there are two more SDNs and seven more battlecruisers captured in earlier action that are as far along. Two of the Victory-class SDNs and four of the Dakota-class battlecruisers are also nearly finished. Within the next six to ten weeks, we will restore a total of seven SDNs and seventeen battlecruisers to service. We will be ready to re-establish Fourth Fleet with those ships.”

“That is good news,” Jonah agreed. “What’s the bad news?”

“There’s more good news, but the bad news is that the Roosevelt will take longer to restore to active duty than we hoped,” Lothes informed him. “And we’ve decided Yukon is too far gone to repair. We are also not going to refurbish any of the other Chinese ships, but we will continue repairing our own. That’s another five SDNs and three battlecruisers, plus Roosevelt. They should be restored to service in nine months or less.”

“Hmmm…and the rest of the good news?” Jonah inquired.

“With the new appropriations bill that passed six weeks ago, we received a huge boost to the budget. As you know, we laid the keels for six new Defender-class SDNs and ten new Retribution-class battlecruisers over a year ago. We laid the keels for eight more Defenders and nine more Retributions when Parliament approved them several months back.”

“I thought we had the funding for ten more Defenders and fifteen more Retributions,” Jonah interrupted.

“We do,” Lothes confirmed. “It’s just that we’re not building all of them.”

“Why not?” Jonah asked incredulously.

Lothes held up her hand to calm Jonah. “I didn’t say they weren’t being built. I said that we are not building them.”

“What?”

“One of the many projects your wife completed was a unique arrangement with Edo and the Germans. Both of them had excess shipbuilding capacity in their naval yards. We had none. Two of the Defender hulls are being built at Edo. Six of the Retribution hulls are being built at the German yards at Bavaria. They started as soon as we had the approval from Parliament on the funding. The costs are in line with our own estimates, but the time to completion is far shorter. By the end of January, all eight of those hulls will be completed and towed here to Caerleon for us to finish. We are also bringing with the hulls just under a thousand Edoan and two thousand German yard workers on a contract basis, primarily to work on the frames and hulls of the more-recently begun ships.”

All of a sudden, Jonah realized some of the odd moments he had noticed in conversation months ago with Admiral Niimura. Yoshi must have thought Amy would have told Jonah about the work given to Edo, but she had not. Jonah hadn’t known a thing.

“Edo and the Germans also have excess capacity for smelting and making hull plates and framing. We’ve jobbed quite a bit of work out to them. They have already begun to deliver in sizeable quantities,” Lothes continued.

“The new appropriations bill also gave us the funding to hire civilian shipbuilding companies on a contract basis to help us complete the interior work on the first set of new ships. Director Sweedler and his staff have been extremely busy conducting security reviews of the employees of the civilian contractors. The first of them begin work as of the first of the year.

“The end result of all these gyrations is that we have been able to accelerate the timetable of the new construction quite a bit. A couple of months ago, we were at least two years away from commissioning the new ships. With the new resources, we hope to have the first eight Defenders and sixteen Retributions commissioned and in service by this time next year.

“We also laid keels for fifteen more Defenders and twenty-five more Retributions here and elsewhere. They should be completed in a bit under three years based on our current production pace. Six months from now, we plan to begin another group of fifteen Defenders and twenty-five more Retributions.

“That is outstanding news,” Jonah admitted.

“Here’s the rest,” Lothes added. “I’m putting you in charge of the reconstituted Fourth Fleet. I’m reassigning Hotspur as your flagship.”

2

Buoyed by this revelation, Jonah was as happy as he had been since learning of Amy’s death. The only thing that offset his happiness was just outside Admiral Lothes’ office when he caught himself thinking that he could hardly wait to tease Amy about keeping secrets from him and also tell her the good news, then remembering instantly that he could not. Weeks before, that realization would have torn open his emotional wounds.

At present, though it did make him hesitate mid-stride to think for a moment, he calmly shook his head with a rueful smile and continued on. He realized he would have many flashes like this in the years to come. Since his father’s death many years ago, he still had those times where he wished he could share a thought or an occasion with his dad. Those moments no longer held any grief or sense of loss, just a wistful yet warm feeling.

He had a little more than a month before he would rejoin Hotspur and take the reins of the newly-reconstituted Fourth Fleet. Since Admiral Lothes already determined the officers and crew for the ships nearing completion of their repairs, he feared Admiral Lothes would assign him back to reviewing files in the bowels of BuPers as a bit of payback. He was relieved to find himself temporarily assigned to Advanced Warfare instead, reporting to Director Niven. He did learn to his dismay that Lieutenant Srp, who served so ably as his flag lieutenant, was transferred to a ‘line’ position—getting her out of the bureaucracy onto a ship as she wanted. Her replacement was not yet chosen.

Jonah’s holiday plans had been set for a few weeks. Geoff and Laura Thorner invited him to stay at their house and invited his mother, Marian, to join them as well. Lord and Lady Thorner became good friends and were able to give Jonah insight into the machinations of government and politics. Captain MacLeod would also be joining them for some of the festivities. Elaine MacLeod and Jonah had enjoyed a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship a few years before. She was high in the chain of command of the Royal Navy’s Office of Public Affairs. Jonah looked forward to hearing more about her recent engagement to his friend Pierre, Admiral Delhomme. With the help of Laura, Jonah purchased suitable small gifts for everyone. Elaine MacLeod helped him pick out something for Laura.

He had a tremendous time catching up with Elaine. She shared with him the details of how Pierre had proposed to her. Jonah proposed to his late wife Amy in the middle of a state ball celebrating the signing of a peace treaty with the Rodinans. As far as proposals go, it was choreographed nearly perfectly. Elaine warned Jonah that her engagement story was nothing like that.

Pierre appeared unexpectedly at her office. He interrupted her in the middle of a meeting, telling her he had something urgent he needed to discuss with her right that instant. She recounted to Jonah that she was surprised and more than a little bit irritated. The meeting was the day before she left to attend the memorial service for Amy. Elaine was going over things that she needed to have done while she was out of the office for two weeks. Her surprise mounted when, without waiting for the meeting to break up, he entered the conference room immediately, followed by two guys playing the violin and a fat, hairy man with the stub of a cigar in his mouth, dressed in a light pink leotard wearing small wings.

The violin players began some sappy romantic tune, exaggerating their movements and leaning in closer to Elaine than she thought polite, leering at her suggestively. The fat man in the cupid costume began skipping around the room, scattering rose petals. In the midst of this bizarre commotion, Pierre dropped to one knee and seriously, sweetly, and quite soberly asked her to marry him, holding out the kind of plastic bubble that comes out of a gumball machine. Jonah could not help but laugh out loud. It started as a chuckle and quickly grew. Elaine started laughing hard as well.

When they finally regained their composure, Jonah asked, “Then what?”

Elaine shook her head. “All the people who work for me are watching this, not knowing what to think. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see their expressions. They wanted to laugh but were afraid Pierre was playing some sort of practical joke on their boss that was going horribly wrong because my first reaction was to be furious. I thought he was playing a joke too, and I certainly didn’t think it was very funny.

“Then, in my fury, I looked in his eyes. I could see he was scared—really scared. Then he opened the stupid plastic box, and this gorgeous ring was in it. Meanwhile, the violin players are still sawing away, and cupid is still prancing around.”

Elaine showed Jonah her engagement ring.

“Then he asked sincerely, ‘Please?’ All of a sudden, I realized he was completely serious, that this wasn’t a joke, and he really did want me to marry him. Lucky for him, I’d already thought about it and liked the idea just fine, so I said yes. As soon as I said yes, the cupid guy yelled, ‘Ta-Da!’ and skipped out of the conference room. The violin players immediately stopped playing and followed him out.

“He put the ring on my finger, and it fit perfectly. I pulled him up. He thought I was going to kiss him, but I slapped his face—hard—because I felt like it. Then I gave him a smooch. That’s when my employees started to applaud.”

Jonah was chuckling again. “That is a classic,” he stated.

“I know,” Elaine admitted. “He’s awfully lucky I’d thought about it beforehand. If he caught me cold, we’d probably be over right now.”

The rest of his stay at the Thorners’ was pleasant. Elaine already told Laura about how Pierre had asked him to marry her, but Geoff and his mother had not heard. She told the story again, and it was even funnier to Jonah and Laura the second time around.

It was nice to see his mother. As Boxing Day and what would have been the second anniversary of his marriage to Amy grew nearer, the pangs of loss began to plague him. He realized he might not be alone and scheduled a comm to Amy’s parents Mark and Anne Davidson on their home planet of Carolina. Knowing he would talk to them helped ease his mind, and he was able to enjoy Christmas.

When he called on Boxing Day, he spent the better part of three hours chatting and reminiscing with the Davidsons but not in a maudlin way. When they ended the comm he was sure all three of them felt better than they had before. The next day he returned to his quarters at the Admiralty.

Before and after the holidays, Jonah spent his time in simulated combat against the staff of Advanced Warfare. They ran at least one full simulation each day, pitting the soon-to-be-completed Chinese ships against various formations of Commonwealth ships. In every simulation, they altered the variables of the new weapon they suspected the Chinese had developed; sometimes shortening range or lengthening cycle times in order to gain increased effectiveness or shortening cycle times with a less effective shot. In most of the simulations, the variables were what Niven had predicted. The conduit problem Niven suspected the Chinese would have was not included in the simulations.

Sometimes Jonah commanded Commonwealth forces, sometimes he commanded the Chinese side. He learned right away that the new Chinese weapon, while not as effective as the Commonwealth’s PBG (or as it was known by everyone in the navy: the BFG, for Big…Gun) was still dangerous. If the Chinese could neutralize the Commonwealth ships armed with the PBG early in an engagement, then their new weapon would wreak havoc on the other Commonwealth ships. Jonah also learned that the personnel of Advanced Warfare were devilishly clever.

He managed to catch up with his friend Pierre, reaching him on the comm in early January. “I heard a rumor you were going to get off your butt and start working for a living,” Delhomme said by way of a greeting.

“Working for a living?” Jonah retorted. “Do you know what Lothes had me doing for two months? Reviewing FitReps for BuPers! I think it’s one of the circles of Hell!”

“I’m sure she thought it would be conducive to your desire to return to active duty,” Pierre sniffed, like an officious government clerk.

“It was—” Jonah said with mock agony. “It was…horrible.”

“Well, I, for one, am glad you’re getting back in the saddle,” Pierre admitted. “It’s been nothing but work, work, work since you’ve been out. Now that you’re coming back, maybe I’ll get some free time.”

“Uh, huh,” Jonah countered, “you managed to find time to swing by Caerleon and propose to Captain MacLeod. She told me all about it. You outdid yourself.”

“Did that ginger-haired madwoman tell you she slapped me?”

“Of course, she did. You deserved it, you cheeky sod.”

“Cheeky? Is that what you all think of me? Cheeky?” Pierre exclaimed. “Well, I never—”

“Yup,” Jonah confirmed, “cheeky. I wish I’d been there, though. It sounded like quite a production. As I said, you outdid yourself.”

“Well, what can I say? Some of us have a sense of style.”

On Monday, January 17, Jonah boarded a shuttle that would deliver him to HMS Henry V, also known as Hotspur. The previous week Jonah presided over commissioning ceremonies for the refurbished Chinese ships: three superdreadnoughts and six battlecruisers. The three superdreadnoughts had been rechristened as HMS Salamanca, HMS Blenheim, and HMS Yorktown. The six battlecruisers were rechristened HMS Denali, HMS Logan, HMS St. Elias, HMS Foraker, HMS Lucania, and HMS Steele.

One of the Commonwealth Victory-class superdreadnoughts damaged in the Battle of Avalon was returned to service, HMS Audacious. Three of the Commonwealth Dakota-class battlecruisers damaged there also returned to service: HMS Manitoba, HMS Alberta, and HMS Idaho. The other Commonwealth ships damaged in the Battle of Avalon—SDN HMS Erin and four battlecruisers: HMS Wyoming, HMS Nebraska, HMS Sefton, and HMS Magellan—would be joining Fourth Fleet individually over the next five weeks.

Joining Hotspur was HMS Duke of Marlborough, captained by Christian DiAntonio. Like Hotspur, Marlborough was a refurbished Regent-class superdreadnought that had been resurrected after a stay in the mothball fleet for over 100 years. Jonah’s shuttle docked with Hotspur. When he boarded his flagship, Captain Hayes was waiting, and the ship presented him with full side honors.

Jonah’s new flag lieutenant, St. John Baxter, followed him aboard. Jonah introduced him to Captain Hayes. After the crew was dismissed, a petty officer ordered two crewmen to take Jonah and Lieutenant Baxter’s luggage to their quarters. Jonah knew his way, so didn’t need Captain Hayes to escort him.

Jonah had met Lieutenant Baxter only a few days before. Baxter was tall, 200 centimeters, with short-cropped curly hair and dark skin. So far, Jonah had been blessed with two great flag lieutenants: first, Jackson Colehower and then Martina Srp. Though it had only been a few days, Jonah’s first impressions of Baxter were that he might be the best one yet. He seemed intelligent and perceptive and was demonstrating a knack for anticipating Jonah’s requests.

Jonah led the lieutenant through the ship. Along the way, crewmen stopped to tell Jonah, “Welcome back, admiral.”

“They seem genuinely happy to see you, sir,” Baxter commented. “I wouldn’t expect that of enlisted personnel.”

“You’ve heard the expression, ‘a happy ship,’ lieutenant?” Jonah remarked. “This is likely the happiest damn ship in the navy. It’s all due to Captain Hayes. You’ll learn a lot about leadership from observing her.”

They reached their quarters. Jonah showed Baxter his workstation, his quarters, and the admiral’s ready room. He left Baxter to unpack his luggage while he went to do the same. After he had stowed his gear, he went to the ready room and logged himself onto the console, re-establishing his identity to the computer’s satisfaction.

He had just finished when there was a knock at the door. Captain Hayes stood there with two cups of coffee. He ushered her in, and they sat.

She peered at him closely. She put her hand on his and asked, “How are you, Jonah?”

“I’m…better,” Jonah replied. He withdrew his hand gently but gave her hand a small squeeze of reassurance.

She smiled warmly. “I guess that’s all anyone could expect. Welcome back.”

“It’s good to be back,” he admitted, “especially on Hotspur.”

They engaged in idle chitchat for an hour, exchanging fleet gossip. Jonah told, as best he could, the story of how Pierre had proposed. Captain Hayes laughed uproariously.

3

Wang Xhu was summoned to meet with Dong Li. Still held in seclusion at the lakeside estate, he spent his days in reading and long walks on the grounds. His guards never left him by himself. His access to any sort of computer was forbidden. That day he was in the library of the house late in the afternoon when his guard told him he was expected in the drawing room of the house.

Dong Li was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. “Sit!” she barked, pointing at a chair.

Wang sat and watched as Dong continued to pace for a few more minutes. She had done this before—summoning him and then making him wait. He did not recall seeing her so upset since they argued just prior to the attack on the Commonwealth’s Avalon system seven months before.

She returned after that battle to gloat over its success. She thought that the Commonwealth would be near collapse after the engagement. Wang had no sure idea of anything that happened beyond the grounds of the estate other than what she wanted him to know. He waited with his hands in his lap.

She stopped pacing and glared at him. “We have brought them to their knees, and they still refuse to negotiate!” she snapped.

Wang waited for more.

Dong resumed pacing. “We destroyed two orbital stations and a shipyard. We eliminated their entire Fourth Fleet. Our new ships are due to be commissioned in two months which will give us the opportunity to return to the offensive. They must know that. And yet we made an overture through the Rodinans to open peace talks, and they refused!”

“What intelligence do you have from the Commonwealth?” Wang asked gently.

“Next to none,” Dong replied, clearly frustrated. “All of our networks were taken out of commission right after the battle in Avalon. We haven’t been able to set up anything since.”

“Do you have any information at all?” he asked.

“Only what we’ve been able to purchase from the Patagonians and Nyumbani,” she replied, “at an extremely high price that keeps getting higher and higher. I don’t trust either of them very much to begin with.”

“What have they been able to tell you?”

“Little of value. No hard intel at all. We get as much by reading the news media as we do from them, and that’s all propaganda anyway.”

“Don’t be so sure, Chairman Dong,” Wand counseled. “The media in the Commonwealth are not under government control.”

“I know that, you old fool,” she snapped, “but since they are in the middle of a war, everyone knows the Commonwealth censors the media.”

“Their idea of censorship and your understanding of censorship might be very different,” Wang warned. “They would certainly try to prevent any sensitive information from leaking out, but I think that is the extent of their censorship. They do not try to exercise control over the tone as we do.”

“So you say,” Dong spat. “I don’t believe that.”

“Whether you believe it or not is immaterial,” Wang chuckled softly. “Since I have no access and have no idea what their media are saying, I don’t think I can be of much help.”

“Fine,” she snapped. “I will arrange for your minders to allow you closely monitored access to Commonwealth news media until tomorrow afternoon. By this time tomorrow evening, you will tell me why they are being so ridiculous.”

After dinner, Wang was allowed to look over his guard’s shoulder as he accessed the various Commonwealth news media sites. Wang was not allowed to touch the keyboard; he needed to direct his guard on what to do. He had the guard search back to the time of their attack on Automedon and Avalon.

He started with what was generally considered the most impartial of the news agencies in order to get a feel for what took place. He only had the time to do a cursory scan to learn what the important issues might be. In the morning, he resumed his review in greater depth.

He looked at several news sites, some that supported the Conservative Party currently in power in the Commonwealth and others that supported their opposition, the Liberal Democrats. He was surprised at the consistency of the tone in the last five months or so between groups that normally couldn’t agree on the weather.

He finished his review by looking at the tabloid news sites. The tabloids usually stayed away from political issues, but he found them uniformly strident in support of the war effort. From past experience, he felt that the Commonwealth’s tabloids were a great way to determine the mood of the populace. Normally the tabloids were concerned with celebrity gossip and scandal. This is the information to which the average citizen wanted access. Yet Wang found that the Commonwealth’s tabloid press continued to feature support for the Commonwealth’s war effort in every issue since the death of a certain diplomat, a young woman married to a naval hero.

Wang then went back and examined a group of articles regarding the outcome of the battle at Avalon. In these articles, the tone from the media that supported the Liberal Democrats was critical of how the military performed. The Conservative-leaning media were supportive of the military.

He then looked at articles written about a naval appropriations bill that was approved months ago by the Commonwealth Parliament. In comparing the coverage of the bill from the Conservative-leaning sites to the coverage from the site which were more supportive of the Liberal Democrats, he found that the tone of both was remarkably similar. He also noted that even the tabloids stated their support for the appropriations bill. He thought that was quite unusual. While that might support Dong Li’s belief that the government was now censoring the media heavily, Wang worried that instead, it reflected near-unanimity of opinion.

Wang finished by examining articles written about the death of the young diplomat. He found this most disturbing of all. The Liberal Democrat media sites, the Conservative media sites, and the tabloids were united in their condemnation of the Chinese government. The tabloids were particularly strident. All the different sites were given access to information that showed that the death was ordered by Sun Haiming, the director of the Ministry of State Security. They all surmised that Sun would not approve such an action on his own, so it must have been ordered by the chairman of the governing council.

All the articles were effusive in praise of the dead woman, especially the tabloids, which included some photographs from the woman’s honeymoon. The woman had been married for less than two years to Rear Admiral Halberd, a name with which Wang Xhu was familiar from the last year or two of the Commonwealth’s war with the Rodinans. All the different media sites reported on the memorial service held for the woman, and all three gushingly praised the speech made by the Commonwealth’s king.

Though the king of the Commonwealth had less formal power invested in him than the prime minister of their Parliament, and that prime minister had far less power than the chairman of the governing council of the Chinese republics, nevertheless, the king exercised enormous influence. Wang analyzed the text of the king’s speech. It laid the blame for the war, and for the woman’s death, squarely on the Chinese. Wang knew the one point to be true and suspected the other. The king’s speech was a call to arms.

Wang had the guard scan through the headlines of the last five months from the most neutral media agency. The more he read, the more convinced he was that the Commonwealth was responding to the king’s call. He ruled out the possibility of government censorship in favor of unanimity of opinion.

He had just taken a short break when he was informed that Dong Li was waiting for him. He was taken to the drawing room. She was seated.

“Well?” she demanded.

“I understand why they have refused to talk,” Wang replied.

“And?”

“They will fight you to their last breath,” Wang stated.

She started to splutter in protest, but Wang held up his hand. “Please let me explain,” he said gently.

“Fine. Explain.”

“Months ago, you and I spoke. I mentioned to you that the Commonwealth just won a war against the Rodinans that lasted seven years. Yet the average citizen of the Commonwealth was unaffected by that war—he was hardly even aware of the war until the last year or so of it.

“The Commonwealth military is such a small part of their population that many people did not know anyone who served. Unlike here in the republics, service is voluntary in the Commonwealth. The average citizen of the Commonwealth cared little about that war until the heroic actions of one man captured their interest.

“That one man went from one heroic action to another. Not all of them were victories for the Commonwealth, but even in defeat, his actions prevented the Rodinans from causing further destruction. That man became the face of the Commonwealth military, well-known on all 31 Commonwealth planets and a hero on the most important non-aligned planets as well.

“This same man defeated Admiral Denisov at Patagonia and Admiral Xu at Hercules. He led the attack on our forces at New Delhi and at Hǎiwángxīng. You killed his wife six months ago.”

“Yes, I did,” Dong admitted smugly. “He is the best soldier the enemy has. Heading into the battle at Avalon, I wanted him upset and unsettled.”

“I think you misjudged how popular this man and his wife were in the Commonwealth, Dong Li,” Wang cautioned. “Their love affair and marriage were covered by the Commonwealth tabloid press as though they were star actors or athletes. They approached the king and queen in popularity: the handsome, brave war hero and the beautiful, talented diplomat. By killing this woman, I’m afraid you roused the ire of the entire Commonwealth against us.”

4

As July came to an end, there was heightened tension throughout the navy. Nothing significant had happened for months, but everyone knew the Chinese had commissioned their new capital ships earlier in the month: ten superdreadnoughts and fifteen battlecruisers, most likely armed with a weapon similar to the Commonwealth’s PBG, with range equal to the PBG. Everyone was sure another attack was coming. The big questions were where and when.

Fourth Fleet had reached full strength. Admiral Lothes had redistributed all the available ships through the five fleets. Each of the border fleets (Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth) had six superdreadnoughts and eleven battlecruisers. Each had one of the refurbished Columbia-class dreadnoughts and two of the refurbished Regent-class SDNs, except Second Fleet. Second Fleet had only one of the Regents but did have three refurbished Columbia-class dreadnoughts and the three reworked Viceroy-class battlecruisers. Home Fleet had eight SDNs and eleven battlecruisers. Home Fleet was poised to act as a reinforcement for Fourth and Fifth Fleets, while Third Fleet would do the same for Second Fleet.

The Chinese had three probable routes to attack Commonwealth space. The first would be through the Hercules system, where Second Fleet was stationed. The second route was through the Automedon system into the Avalon system, where Fourth Fleet was stationed. The last was through the captured New Delhi system and into the Southhampton system, where Fifth Fleet was stationed. There was also a possibility they would travel through Rodinan space to the Roosevelt system where Third Fleet was located.

An attack on Hercules or Southhampton would give the Royal Navy the most advance warning, while an attack on Automedon would provide the least. The four border admirals had argued amongst themselves where they thought the attack would come. Delhomme and Blutarsky argued for Hercules, while Jonah and Von Geisler felt the Chinese would come to Automedon. All dismissed an attack coming through New Delhi since, as far as intelligence knew, the Chinese had not fully replaced the forces that the Commonwealth had devastated in the attack there and at their base at Hǎiwángxīng.

Though she was not part of the discussions between the four admirals, Jonah asked Captain Hayes to review the same information that he had. She independently reached the conclusion that the attack would come to them at Avalon. She summed it up as, “The shortest route, the least advance notice, and it’s the easiest location for them to transfer assets to add ships to an attack.”

The anniversary of Amy’s death passed. Jonah spent some time in quiet reflection. He tried to focus on the happiness they had shared and the contentment he had felt and not on the loss. His meetings with Dr. Abramovich taught him how to do a better job of it, plus he knew Amy would not want him to spend the rest of his life mired in depression. He did miss her. It did hurt. He acknowledged the pain and let it move through him and not linger.

Flag Lieutenant St. John Baxter had proven to be extremely capable. Jonah had thanked Admiral Lothes profusely at different points for the quality of the officers she had assigned to him as flag lieutenants. Colehower, his first, had been outstanding. Srp, the second, was even better than Colehower. Baxter was better than either of them, demonstrating a knack of foreseeing Jonah’s requests for information.

After their initial meeting where she touched his hand in concern, Captain Hayes had immediately returned to calling Jonah ‘admiral.’ She had only called him Jonah twice—on that occasion and months earlier when she learned about Amy’s death and had given him an unexpected hug. Though Jonah would have preferred a more informal tone, he respected her wishes and addressed her as captain. Baxter had no qualms in meeting Jonah’s desire for a more informal tone, calling him ‘boss’ most of the time with occasional utterances of ‘big guy’ or ‘fearless leader’ every so often.

Jonah (and Captain Hayes) had kept the patrol boats assigned to Fourth Fleet busy, planting numerous stealth sensors in the systems bordering the Automedon System. These sensor drones would give them the first and best indication of a Chinese attack. Every day that passed made the next day more tense as they and the rest of the Royal Navy waited for the Chinese attack.

Fourth Fleet ran simulated exercises almost daily for the past two months. The level of success varied depending on how big a gamble the Chinese were willing to make. If they accompanied the newly constructed ships with a substantial portion of their existing fleet, there was a strong possibility they could break through the Commonwealth’s defenses and reach Caerleon. If that happened, the war would be over. The Commonwealth would be forced to surrender or face a lethal bombardment from space. Even with only the new construction, the Chinese were able to reach Caerleon about fifty percent of the time.

Jonah and the other admirals positioned massive banks of missiles at the hyper corridor entrances and exits along the probable routes the Chinese would take. While the Chinese anti-missile defense system was effective, its cycle time was slower than that of the Commonwealth, and their ships did not have magazines as large as the Commonwealth ships. There was a slight possibility that the Commonwealth’s huge missile banks might be able to fire so many Vulcan ship-killer missiles at one time that they would overwhelm the Chinese defense system. It depended on the number of Chinese ships in the attack and how close the Vulcan missiles were when they were fired. It was more probable that they could force the Chinese to “shoot themselves dry” or use up all the defense missiles in their onboard inventory.

The misfits at Advanced Warfare added several enhancements to the missile banks as well. It had occurred to them that the Chinese might send a group of escort ships ahead of the body of the fleet to fire anti-matter missiles at the pre-positioned arrays to reduce the number of Commonwealth missiles. Advanced Warfare armed each set of missile banks with five dozen pods of Swordfish defense missiles and established a kewpie relay back to the mainframe of the flagship. The flagship could control the individual missile pods to defend the array. By doing so, they planned to maximize the number of Vulcan ship-killer missiles that would be fired.

The Royal Navy had decided that there was no point in saving anything for tomorrow. From the moment the Chinese were in range, standing orders were for every Royal Navy ship to fire as many missiles as possible as quickly as possible. If the engagement were prolonged, it became more possible they could force the Chinese to use up their missile stocks.

No matter which scenario Fourth Fleet faced, one thing was certain: if the Chinese attacked them, Fourth Fleet would suffer damage that ranged from moderate to extreme.

5

Wang Xhu was summoned again. He put down the book he was reading and went to the drawing room, accompanied by his escort. He found Dong Li sitting comfortably in an armchair, with the afternoon sun behind her in the window. A faint smile played around her lips.

“You’re looking exceptionally well-pleased, Dong Li,” he commented, “like a kitten with a bowl of cream.”

“No,” she countered, “I am merely pleased. I expect to be well-pleased in four or five days when I hear our strike force has broken through the Commonwealth’s defenses and is on its way to Caerleon. And when they reach Caerleon and force the Commonwealth to surrender, then I suppose I shall be exceptionally well-pleased. And after that, when we impose our will on the Rodinans without needing to fire a shot, then I believe I will be positively ecstatic.”

“You sound confident of victory.”

“I am,” she purred. “The Ministry of State Security was finally able to determine approximately how many ships we will be facing and roughly what type. Each of the Commonwealth fleets has between five and seven normal SDNs, no more than two or three of the ships with their new artillery piece, and between nine and fifteen battlecruisers. All of our new ships are armed with our version of that artillery. Granted, it is not as effective, but our numbers will more than compensate for that difference.”

“When will you launch your attack?” he asked. “I’m surprised you waited this long.”

She glared at him. “The strike force is underway already,” she snapped. “They will enter Commonwealth space in the Automedon System sometime tomorrow morning. Three days after that, they will enter the Avalon system and destroy the Royal Navy’s Fourth Fleet.”

“How many ships did you send? Just curious.”

“All of the new construction,” she replied. “It will be more than enough.”

“And if it isn’t,” Wang Xhu commented, “at least you’ll be no worse off than a year ago, and the Commonwealth will undoubtedly be weaker as a result of your attack, even if it is not as successful as you hope. Probably better than risking everything on one battle.”

“What would you know?” she barked. “If it were left to you, we would have done nothing. Nothing. You were content to allow the Republics to be subservient to the Commonwealth and the Rodinans. Thankfully, you’re not the chairman of the governing council anymore.”

“That’s certainly true,” he admitted with a rueful smile. “Why do you keep me around? I’ve been wondering. Is it so you can come gloat and show me how wrong I was?”

She gave him a hard look with a smile that was far from friendly. “In a few weeks, when I have all of civilized space under our control, perhaps I’ll no longer have a use for you.”

“That is certainly your choice, chairman,” Wang Xhu bowed politely.

6

Less than five days before Wang Xhu’s meeting with Dong Li, Jonah was awoken in the middle of the night by a ping from his console, alerting him that the Chinese fleet had entered system C0815, which bordered the Automedon System. The sensor reported ten Chinese 527-type superdreadnoughts and fifteen 461-type battlecruisers, all with unregistered emissions signatures. There were also a number of escort ships: heavy and light cruisers, and frigates. Jonah relayed the information to the Admiralty. He thought to himself, so it begins. His 20 capital ships against the 25 Chinese.

When he woke in the morning, he checked on the progress of the Chinese force. A group of eight heavy cruisers and thirteen light cruisers had advanced ahead of the rest of the fleet. As Advanced Warfare had predicted, it appeared as though the Chinese were sending the escort ships ahead to try to attack the missile gauntlet they suspected was waiting for them or to attempt to spring the trap prematurely.

In the past, these missile arrays had required the presence of a ship nearby to control them. The kewpie relay Advanced Warfare had built meant that Jonah could control the missiles from two systems away using the interlinked ability of the powerful computers aboard the capital ships of Fourth Fleet. ‘Kewpie’ was navy slang for Quantum Particle (QP) communications devices. It enabled instant communication regardless of distance, provided both quantum particles were in ‘normal’ space and not in hyperspace.

The Chinese would use the escort ships to fire anti-matter missiles at the Commonwealth missile arrays. Jonah had demonstrated in action against the Rodinans that this had been effective in reducing the number of missiles in a tightly-packed arrangement. In the past, a ship would need to be present to launch the missiles from the array. By attacking the arrays ahead of the bulk of their force, the Chinese also figured they would either compel that ship to fire all the remaining missiles prematurely or to retreat and be unable to fire the missiles at all. The kewpie relay and the Swordfish defense missiles scattered through the array gave the Commonwealth the ability to defend the array and to launch as many missiles as needed to eliminate the escort group without having a ship present. With the kewpie relays, it would be a suicide mission for the crews of the Chinese escort ships and, even worse, would likely be ineffective.

The computer showed the time remaining until the escorts reached missile range of the array at forty-one hours and seven minutes. After the Chinese passed that array of missiles, they would encounter another at the end of the hyper corridor when they entered the Automedon System and a third waiting for them at the corridor from Automedon to Avalon.

The sensors reporting from system C0815 also picked up the drive signatures of seven military fast transport ships traveling with the main body of the strike force. Jonah suspected these fast transports were carrying additional defense missiles for the Chinese ships. If the enhanced control provided by the kewpie relays enabled the Commonwealth to hit those freighters, it was possible that the Chinese might postpone their attack.

Advanced Warfare knew from the ships the Commonwealth had captured that each of the Chinese battlecruisers had a magazine that held 1,200 of their version of the Swordfish defense missile, and that each of the Chinese superdreadnoughts had a magazine that held 1,800. This gave the Chinese an onboard inventory for their task force of 36,000 defense missiles. The four Commonwealth missile arrays they would need to pass (at the exit of system C0815, the entrance and exit of Automedon, and the entrance to Avalon) would total 36,000 Vulcan missiles. Without resupply by their fast transport ships, the Chinese would be able to progress no further than Avalon.

Jonah thought about the conversations he had held about his ‘blind spot’—his need sometimes to create a miracle in order to feel that he’d done a good job. In this case, he decided he would not be disappointed if the missile arrays convinced the Chinese to turn back before they reached Fourth Fleet. Though he was sure the Chinese would try to attack again later if this attempt failed, it would not happen immediately. The one thing the Commonwealth needed was time. Forcing the Chinese back, even temporarily, would give the Commonwealth a small chunk of time.

The rest of that day and all of the next, he kept an eye on the computer’s estimated time to engagement. The Chinese escort ships were due to reach missile range of the arrays at three minutes after midnight that night. The rest of the Chinese force would be in range of the array just under an hour later. He invited Captain Hayes and Lieutenant Baxter to join him in his ready room.

After dinner, Jonah had time to reflect on the changes he had seen and of which he was a large part in deep space warfare in the last few years. The idea of being able to control missiles two hyper-jumps away, and do it accurately, would have been completely impossible even four years ago. Thanks to the kewpie relay and the kewpie links between the ships, the powerful computers on his capital ships would work together to control the huge number of missiles. This sort of computing capacity was, to Jonah, mind-boggling.

Jonah had done the math several times and had Captain Hayes and Lieutenant Baxter check it. Firing all 9,000 Vulcan missiles would not even scratch the paint on the Chinese warships if he fired as soon as they came in range. That length of distance would provide their anti-missile defense all the time it needed to be able to destroy the Vulcans. He needed to wait until the range was as short as possible.

The missile array was set up over a large area in the shape of a ring, positioned close enough to the entrance of the hyper corridor that the Chinese could not avoid it. While one could exit hyperspace at any point, the entrance to a hyper corridor was relatively fixed, and one could only enter hyperspace safely at that spot. The diameter of the ring of Vulcan anti-ship missiles was 30 light-seconds across. The missiles were evenly distributed through the ring, so there would not be huge ‘clumps’ of missiles that the enemy could target and destroy. Jonah had learned from experience to travel right through the middle of such arrays in order to give his defense missile system the greatest amount of time to react.

Jonah planned to ignore the warships and target only the fast transports. If he waited to fire until the Vulcan missiles would meet the fast transport ships at fifteen light-seconds of distance from the launch point, the middle of the missile array, the Chinese defense missiles would have six seconds to intercept the last of the Vulcans. He felt fairly confident that some of the Vulcans would detonate before the defense missiles reached them. Whether it would be enough, he did not know. First, though, he had to deal with the escort ships and eliminate them.

At 23:45, there was a knock on his ready room door. Lieutenant Baxter came in, bringing a carafe of coffee and three cups. Captain Hayes followed him. Jonah activated the holographic display, which showed, in three dimensions, the missile array in system C0815 and the approaching Chinese ships.

When they sat down, he decided to quiz Hayes and Baxter a bit. “Captain Hayes,” he asked, “tell me about this group of escort ships ahead of the main Chinese force.”

Hayes was ready. “There are eight heavy cruisers and thirteen light cruisers. No frigates or patrol boats.”

“Lieutenant Baxter,” Jonah inquired, “what’s their throw weight? How many missiles can those ships fire at once?”

Baxter did the calculation in his head. “They can launch three hundred Shark anti-ship missiles at a time, on 75-second intervals.”

Jonah followed up with, “And their point-defense network, lieutenant? How many incoming missiles is it designed to handle?”

“The same number, boss. Three hundred,” he stated confidently, then added, “if they haven’t upgraded the computer systems and added their version of Swordfish.”

“Based on what ONI reports,” Hayes confirmed, “they haven’t done that. Neither have we. Only capital ships have the Swordfish.”

“I’ll accept that,” Jonah said with a smile. “So how many Vulcan missiles should Captain Hayes launch, and at what range, in order to assure we eliminate or neutralize all twenty-one ships and prevent them from doing damage to our missile arrays?”

Baxter again worked the numbers out in his head. “I’d launch 44 pods of nine Vulcans each. If their missile defense net is one hundred percent effective, that provides Captain Hayes with between four and five missiles that should strike every target. That should be more than enough to neutralize ships of that size. I would launch at max range. Even though they will be able to get a second salvo off, we have enough Swordfish to handle two salvos.”

“What if they get three salvos off, captain?” Jonah asked.

“Nothing we can do about that,” she shrugged. “We only have 600 Swordfish. The bright side is that the third salvo will be flying without guidance since the ships that launched them will be neutralized or destroyed. Missile pods are much smaller and have much less mass than even a patrol boat. It would be quite difficult for the targeting sensors on the missile itself to obtain target lock. I’d estimate that damage would be minimal.”

Jonah grinned. “Good.”

They watched the display update, and when the computer indicated that the ships were within range, Jonah pressed the ‘execute’ button, launching 396 Vulcan missiles at the Chinese ships. The display showed the missile tracks reaching out. Shortly after, the display updated to show the Shark missiles launched from the Chinese ships, then the tracks of Swordfish missiles stabbing out, seeking to destroy the Chinese Shark missiles. Sensor blooms appeared in the space between the missile array and the Chinese ships, as the Swordfish missiles successfully destroyed the Chinese Shark missiles.

The display showed a second salvo of Shark missiles launched from the Chinese ships. A salvo of Swordfish took off to intercept them. The Vulcan missiles drew closer to the Chinese ships. More sensor blooms appeared as the second salvo of Chinese Shark missiles was destroyed. A third launch rose from the Chinese ships.

Individual Vulcan missile tracks fell off the screen as the Chinese point-defense lasers found them in space. Sensor blooms began to appear as the Vulcan ship-killer missiles detonated in space, each a nuclear explosion that powered an x-ray laser. Chinese ships disappeared from the display, and parts of the third Chinese missile salvo began to skew in random directions as missiles searched for targets and couldn’t find any.

When all the sensor blooms faded from the display, only seven Chinese ships remained. Very few of the missiles from their third salvo were still heading in the direction of the missile arrays. Three of the surviving ships were heavy cruisers, and four were light cruisers. It took another minute and a half for the first sensor readings to register. The preliminary readings indicated all seven ships were without power or shields. A few of the Chinese missiles reached their targets. They destroyed twenty-seven pods of nine Vulcan missiles each.

“We have a few minutes,” Jonah remarked. “Let’s take a look at the data from the sensors and see if we could have done it better.”

Over the next 45 minutes, they reviewed the data, twisting and enlarging the holographic display from time to time to see some of the finer details. At the end of their review, they concluded that they had not overlooked anything and that the results were better than satisfactory. Jonah then switched the display to show the current picture of the Chinese force approaching the missile array.

Jonah had expected the main Chinese force to launch anti-matter missiles at the Commonwealth arrays. He was surprised when that did not happen.

“They couldn’t have put their entire stock of anti-matters on the escorts?” Captain Hayes said to herself.

Baxter thought a moment and murmured, “They did launch 900 of them from the escorts. A force of 25 capital ships…we carry 24 in the magazines of Hotspur…yeah,” he concluded. “I don’t know what the standard load-out is for a Chinese SDN or battlecruiser, but it’s entirely reasonable that they just fired all the anti-matter warheads they brought.”

“I’m not disagreeing,” Jonah said, “but let’s wait until we see what happens when they hit the missile array at the entrance to Automedon. If you’re right, I think I like that.”

The Chinese force neared the missile array, having slowed to 0.23c, the highest safe speed at which one could enter hyperspace. Jonah watched as the computer ticked down the seconds until the Chinese reached the range that would give them the least possible time to respond to the Vulcan missiles he would launch. When the counter hit zero, the display lit up, showing the tracks of 8,361 Vulcan missiles as they launched at the Chinese force. The display then showed tracks of defense missiles leaving the Chinese ships. When those tracks met the tracks of the Vulcans, sensor blooms appeared, showing the explosions happening in space. The waves of defense missiles appeared every eleven seconds. After each set of sensor blooms, there were fewer Vulcan missiles.

Jonah enlarged the display as the Vulcans closed the distance. The last few dozen Vulcans disappeared in sensor blooms. For a moment, none of them could tell whether the blooms were from being intercepted by a defense missile or from the detonation of the warhead that powered its deadly laser. Within a second, larger sensor blooms overlapped them. The sensor blooms had just faded when the Chinese ships began to wink off the display as they entered hyperspace. Less than two minutes later, there were no Chinese ships on the plot except for the seven drifting escort ships, now far past the entrance to the hyper corridor.

Jonah realized he was gripping the conference table tightly. He forced himself to let out a deep breath. “Let’s see how we did, eh?”

7

Wang Xhu was woken sharply by his guard. “Wake up, old man. She wants you right now.”

It was still dark outside. As soon as Wang stood up, the guard grabbed his arm and hustled him down the hall. Wang tried to protest since he was wearing only his underwear, but the guard ignored him. They reached the drawing room where Dong Li was waiting, pacing furiously back and forth. The guard marched him to a chair and threw him down into it.

Wang realized from her fury that the attack on the Commonwealth did not succeed. He wondered how many lives had been lost, how many ships destroyed. Still, he could not resist. “You do not seem well-pleased, chairman.”

“Shut up, old man!”

“Am I to understand from your agitation that you are not yet the master of civilized space?”

She crossed to him and slapped him across the face once, twice, then again. She straightened briefly, then bent and spat in his face. Wang Xhu sat calmly, not bothering to wipe his face or rub his reddened cheeks. Though he enjoyed teasing her, he realized she was near to losing control of herself.

Wang Xhu was not a coward. He had known from the time her thugs had pulled him from his house that this would only end one way: with him dead. He simply did not want to die in his underwear. Plus, the failure of her grand scheme pleased him in a petty way.

She resumed pacing. Wang watched her in silence, not moving. Eventually, she stopped and sat facing him. “We did not even reach the Avalon system,” she said through gritted teeth.

Wang sat and waited her out.

“Wipe your face,” she ordered.

She waited for him to do so then continued. “The Commonwealth has developed some way of controlling vast quantities of missiles from two or three hyper jumps away,” she explained, calming as she talked. “We sent ships to destroy their missile array, but they had protected it with their Qí yú defense missiles. They then fired just enough ship-killer missiles from the array to destroy those ships. Then, when the rest of the fleet arrived, they targeted the fast transports carrying our Māo yòu defense missiles and the extra anti-matter warheads for the Shāyú missiles. They destroyed them all.”

She took a deep breath. “When we entered the Automedon System, we were forced to slow as rapidly as possible or else their missiles would have overwhelmed the Māo yòu defense system. We had no way of thinning out their missile arrays without the anti-matter warheads. We had expended nearly half of our Māo yòu missiles and had no resupply. We were forced to turn back.”

“I see,” Wang Xhu said gravely and vaguely sympathetically. “What damage to the new ships?”

“None,” Dong replied. “So, I will try again.”

“Will you?”

“Of course,” she stated, matter-of-factly. “We are so close. It would be a crime to stop now when we are so certain of victory.”

Wang Xhu said nothing.

“I miscalculated,” Dong Li stated, her anger rising, “because I was thinking too much like you and not enough like myself. You fuss and fidget and worry about all the things that could go wrong and always make sure you have a safe place to land. I did not commit enough ships to the attack because I feared failure. We have more new ships nearing completion within a year. Our last reliable estimates put the completion of the Commonwealth’s new ship construction several months after that. I will have another opportunity.”

“The ‘last reliable estimates’ you mention,” Wang asked, “how old are those estimates?”

“Those were estimates the Ministry of State Security developed when the Commonwealth began construction of the new ships. They have been building ships at the same pace for well over one hundred years,” she stated confidently.

“There has been no update to the information?” Wang asked politely.

“No,” Dong replied quizzically. “Why?”

“Things can change.”

“As I told you, our networks in the Commonwealth were rolled up after the Battle of Avalon,” she said as though explaining it to a child. “We have not been able to re-establish them yet. But we have heard not a whisper about any new ships being available from the Patagonians, the Nyumbani, or the Rodinans. And in case you’re wondering, we do ask.”

“I bring it up because of your earlier request of me,” Wang explained. “From the media review you allowed me months ago, I felt the Commonwealth had been kindled to anger. I would be surprised if they did not try to respond in some way. I say this not to contradict you but to warn you.”

“The Commonwealth are notorious for their fickleness and short attention span,” Dong replied.

Wang shrugged in acknowledgment.

8

With the construction of the new ships nearing completion, Jonah was happy he was not in charge of filling out their crews as he had for the Regent-class refits. The number of new ships coming online was three times more. Already transfer orders were being issued throughout the navy.

He learned that Genevieve Gessert was promoted to Rear Admiral and was in charge of the new construction. He commed her to congratulate her on her promotion. She served as his chief of engineering on HMS Indomitable. She was not in her office, so he sent her a text congratulating her. She called back a few minutes later from her personal comm unit. In the background, Jonah could see that she was in an engineering section of a ship. “Hi, admiral,” she said, “what can I do for you?”

“Hi, admiral,” Jonah replied. “Congratulations on the promotion!”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she commented. “I think they did it to shut me up and make it so I couldn’t complain anymore.”

“Well, congratulations regardless,” he said. “With you being so busy, I didn’t really expect a comm back.”

“I needed a sanity break,” she said. “Talking to you is as close as I’m going to come today, I think.”

“Oh, Lordy,” Jonah remarked. “That bad? Where are you, by the way. It looks like an engineering bay.”

 “Got it in one,” she answered. “One of the Retributions.”

“How is everything looking, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Considering everything,” she said, “amazing. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you see them. In spite of the accelerated timeline on which they were built, you’ll find the quality noticeably better than what you saw on Indomitable.”

“Why?”

“Fit and finish mostly,” she said, shrugging. “When the Edoan and German workers came over, we were just going to have them work on hulls and frames. They knew that but still seemed a little disappointed that they couldn’t see the jobs through to the end. I guess there were some high-level negotiations that went on, but we ended up letting them do some interior work also—just the structural stuff, none of the electronics.

“I’m glad we did. They are so proud of these ships. They worked their butts off but still maintained a meticulous standard of quality. When I saw what was going on, I started rotating them around to all the ships so our guys could learn from them. It made us a lot better.”

“When you say ‘fit and finish,’ what are you talking about?” Jonah asked.

“Things like seams, joints, and welds,” she answered. “If you compare the quality of workmanship on the Indomitable to what you saw on Achates or one of the Columbias or Regents—that’s sort of what I’m talking about. The Edoans and Germans taught our guys to produce the same sort of quality as on Achates but with greater speed than they’d been able to achieve before doing it the fast and sloppy way they were.”

Jonah understood what she was talking about when she said ‘fit and finish.’ He had commanded the HMS Indomitable, a Dakota-class battlecruiser that he watched being built. At the time, he thought it the finest ship he ever saw, but after being on Achates, Severn and Hotspur, all built during peacetime well over a hundred years earlier, he became, well, spoiled. He never really noticed the occasional untidy weld, rough edge, sloppily finished corner or metal burr on Indomitable, but the older, peacetime ships had none of those things; every weld was perfect, every corner tight, everything pleasing to the eye and to the touch.

As far as the new ships, the captains, those selected as executive officers, the new chiefs of engineering, and the senior non-com for each ship were summoned to a briefing on the capabilities of the new ships that would begin on Monday, October 10. They would have ten days of intensive training and be allowed to tour their new assignments. The balance of the crews would report on Monday, October 24. They would begin training on all the new systems. Their training would last six weeks. Then they would begin tuning the EM drives the next week with a target date of December 20 for a mass set of ship christenings and commissionings.

Because of the need for secrecy during their construction, none of the ships were yet christened. With all the movement of personnel required to staff the new ships, it was felt that information about the new construction would leak regardless, so all 24 ships would be christened and commissioned on the same day. It would be a huge public event, broadcast on all the video networks throughout the Commonwealth. They would then begin a shakedown cruise that would last a minimum of two months and longer if any problems developed.

On the Sunday evening, before training was to begin, Jonah’s comm buzzed with an alert. He looked and saw the same message: “Chinese fleet has entered Lutetia system and is broadcasting a demand to surrender.”

The next morning, in a conference with the four admirals, Director Sweedler opened with an update on what was happening in Lutetia. “Overnight, we learned more about the Chinese invasion of Lutetia. The Chinese entered the system with a relatively small force of capital ships: three SDNs and five battlecruisers, plus escorts. Given the technological advantages of the Chinese ships, the Lutetian fleet surrendered without a shot being fired. Just a little while ago, troop transports began arriving in the system. Once the troop transports showed up, the Lutetian government capitulated. From the sensor data transmitted to us before their surrender, it appears as though the Chinese were bringing as many as a half million troops, just as they did on New Delhi.

“Speaking of New Delhi, from what we have heard, the Chinese have not withdrawn those troops. In fact, the Chinese now have nearly 1.5 million soldiers on New Delhi. As you may have seen on the news reports smuggled out, the New Delhians have been following a course of non-violent non-cooperation with the Chinese since the occupation. The Chinese have needed to bring the extra troops in so that they can maintain the basic functions of providing power, security, and other essential services. Lately, there are signs the Chinese are growing frustrated with the continued non-cooperation, and there have been reports of reprisals. It is too soon to say what course the Lutetians will follow,” he concluded.

Admiral Lothes then appeared from her office via viewscreen. “At this point, other than condemning the actions of the Chinese, the Commonwealth has no response. As with New Delhi, we do not have the resources available to dislodge the Chinese from Lutetia without causing significant loss of innocent life. We need to gain control of space to do that. I don’t think I need to impress you further with how serious your role is. The road back begins with you.”

The director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Mtumbo Sweedler, then stated that they believed with the recent Chinese occupation of Lutetia, he felt it was unlikely the Chinese would attack until their own new construction was finished. They had another seven 527-type superdreadnoughts and ten 461-type battlecruisers that would be ready for combat no earlier than May the next year. The Commonwealth’s second group of eight Defenders and nine Retributions would be finished a few months after that.

Jonah did not share the same confidence and said so. “News of the Commonwealth’s achievement in finishing the first group of new construction significantly ahead of schedule will put the Chinese in an uproar. If they learned that eight more Defenders and nine more Retributions would be completed before this same time next year, then I’m sure they will attack as soon as they can. They will try to strike a blow while our new ships are still going through the shakedown period. I don’t think they’ll wait for their new construction.”

Lothes had heard enough. “Admiral,” she said, “we have certainly considered your point of view on this. We have consulted the foreign office extensively, and they agree that the Chinese will wait. They will have enough to keep them busy trying to bring Lutetia to heel.”

Jonah knew when he was being told to sit down and shut up. He didn’t have any hard evidence or facts on which to base his hunch that the Chinese would attack sooner rather than later. He still believed they would, though. The occupation of Lutetia did not involve the Chinese navy in any significant way.

9

“Believe it or not, it was a member of the former government on Lutetia that provided the information,” Dong Li said expansively.

Dong Li stopped by the lake house again to speak to the former chairman of the Governing Council of the Republics, Wang Xhu. Since she seized the reins of power, she kept him captive, held in seclusion at an isolated estate.

Wang could still not understand why she had not killed him yet. He had no hope at all of surviving long-term. His only thought was that keeping him alive amused her in some way. She stopped by today to tell him about her latest plans, he assumed.

“Really?” Wang replied.

“Yes. Apparently, the government on Edo asked to reschedule a meeting to discuss trade issues that was set for December. The people from their foreign affairs office would be unavailable. The French, rude as they are, demanded to know why. They were told that the people they wanted to meet on Edo would be in the Commonwealth attending the christening of a number of new ships being added to the Royal Navy.”

“So, the old estimates provided by MSS turned out to be incorrect,” Wang Xhu suggested.

“Yes, you’re right,” Dong agreed, “they were. I know you had a hunch, but I thought you would enjoy finding out you were correct.”

“It gives me little pleasure, I’m afraid,” he answered.

“What I’m about to tell you will give you even less, then,” she said smugly.

“If I were to guess,” Wang said quietly, “I would say that you plan to attack the Commonwealth as soon as you can before these ships are able to change the balance. Do you know how many ships, or of what type?”

“They must be capital ships,” she stated, “or else Edo would not be attending such an event. I do not know how many, but since MSS believes it will only be one or two and they were so wrong about the timeframe, I’m inclined to believe it might be as many as the full sixteen they started first: six battleships and ten battlecruisers. That would come close to enabling the Commonwealth to reach parity with us, so I obviously cannot have that happen.”

“And so?”

“And so, I have ordered an attack,” she confirmed. “This time, I will hold nothing back. This attack will succeed where the other failed. We have assembled the assets to strike with overwhelming force. At the very least, I expect to eliminate one of their fleets. With success, we will reach Caerleon and be able to destroy the new construction before it can join the war.”

“And the occupation of Lutetia?” Wang asked.

“Will continue,” Dong Li replied easily. “Having forced the defeat of the Lutetian fleet and overseen the landing of the occupation force, a couple of heavy cruisers will suffice to keep everything running smoothly. The Commonwealth will think we have bitten off as much as we can chew and will certainly not expect an attack so soon.”

“You sound confident of success,” Wang commented.

Dong Li smiled in a predatory way. “I am. Did I mention that MSS uncovered an Edoan operative on my staff?”

Wang shook his head.

“They did,” she continued, “and we are using her to feed information back to them and their friends in the Commonwealth that we are so busy absorbing Lutetia that we couldn’t possibly think of attacking until a year from now, at the very earliest.”

“I must give you credit, Dong Li,” Wang offered. “You know I do not believe in how you are going about things, but you do seem to be making the most of the opportunity, even with the setbacks we’ve taken.”

“You just summed up the differences between us,” she acknowledged. “You always focus on potential setbacks. I focus on the opportunities. There are still more opportunities for success, and I mean to pursue them all before I am through.”

10

One of the many things Jonah missed about Amy was her ability to provide insight into the workings of international diplomacy and the easy rapport she developed with Laura Thorner that gave her information on the inner workings of the Commonwealth government. Jonah was closer with Geoff, Lord Thorner, but they did not often share information. Jonah was still troubled by how Admiral Lothes and Director Sweedler shut him down. Amy would have been able to explain it to him and satisfy his curiosity, likely as not.

He thought about it and decided to call Geoff and Laura. He hadn’t spoken to them in some time and felt slightly guilty about it. This was as good an excuse as any. He booked a call on the TelStar network for that evening.

He reached them just after they ate dinner. After exchanging preliminary greetings, Laura asked, “What do you think about Lutetia?”

“It bothers me,” Jonah stated, “but it doesn’t surprise me. The Chinese could have scooped up Lutetia, and Rotterdam for that matter, at any point since they first attacked, and we wouldn’t have been able to do much to stop them. We’re stretched so thin—even adding the new ships pulls us only slightly ahead of the Chinese, and even then, only for a little while. We have so many border routes to cover, and our information from the Republics has never been that reliable.”

“I thought it was better lately,” Geoff commented.

“It’s the best it’s ever been,” Jonah agreed, “thanks to what the Edoans share with us.”

“True,” Laura added. “We’ve never been able to establish a viable spy network in the Republics. At least we’re on somewhat equal footing with them lately. Your Director Sweedler and MI-5 have done a wonderful job of rolling up their networks in the Commonwealth. I think they’re just as blind as we are—perhaps even more so.”

Her comment reminded Jonah that Amy was convinced that Laura had been a spy. A wry expression crossed his face.

“What?” Laura asked. “You find that amusing?”

Jonah blushed. “No,” he answered hastily. “Just remembering something Amy used to say.”

“Which was?”

“Amy was absolutely certain you were a spy in your younger days, Laura,” Jonah confessed.

Jonah looked at them to see what sort of reactions might show on their faces. Geoff sat expressionlessly. Laura smiled as though he cracked a joke, but Jonah felt there was a slight delay in her reaction.

“What an interesting idea,” Laura said idly, “I wonder where she got that?”

“I don’t know,” Jonah answered, “and I don’t care to know. I do know that you and Amy had tremendous rapport and that you were occasionally able to help her put things in context. Of the many things I miss about her, right now, I find myself missing her insight.”

“What’s bothering you, Jonah?” Geoff asked. “And is this the reason you called?”

Jonah blushed in embarrassment. “I hate to admit it, but yes—it gave me enough of a push to get off my butt and to make an effort to contact good friends. And seeing the two of you, even if it’s just on a comm, is reward enough—we don’t have to talk about anything in particular. It might even be more relaxing than to focus on inter-planetary goings-on.”

“HA!” Laura barked, a short, crisp laugh.

Geoff smiled broadly, shaking his head. “Jonah, you would never survive as a politician or a diplomat. You’re too honest, and you lie so poorly. No, you’re in the right career, that’s for sure.”

“Jonah Edwin Halberd,” Laura said with mock sternness, “other than your mother, we’re the closest to family that you’ve got. So, if something is bugging you enough to get off your butt and make the effort to reach out to us, then you’d better get it off your chest.”

With some hesitation, Jonah shared his hunch that the Chinese would not wait to mount another attack. He confessed his feelings of disloyalty for even mentioning it, especially when Admiral Lothes informed him that the matter was not subject to debate. “My doubts keep gnawing at me, though,” he explained, “and I want to bash them around with the two of you so I can put them to rest and return my focus to getting my fleet ready.”

“What do you base your ‘hunch’ on, Jonah?” Geoff asked.

Jonah took a deep breath and began. “Now that the Chinese have begun to occupy Lutetia, it’s no longer a concern for their navy. We don’t have the resources to counterattack and drive them off without exposing ourselves badly somewhere else—it’s why we haven’t done anything about retaking New Delhi. It would take us months to mount such a counterattack even if we did have the resources.”

“Go on,” Laura suggested.

“From the beginning, the Chinese have been aggressive,” Jonah explained. “Their initial attack against us, taking New Delhi, the follow-up attack in Hercules, and the attack on Avalon have all been forceful moves. The most recent attempt through Automedon was perhaps their least aggressive move so far but invading Lutetia seems to indicate they have returned to a more belligerent frame of mind.” He paused for breath. “But I don’t have any facts to back it up.”

“And in return, you have Admiral Lothes telling you that the considered opinion, shared by her, Director Sweedler and the Foreign Office, is that the Chinese will not likely attack. Is that right?” Geoff asked.

Jonah nodded. Hearing it repeated like that made him feel foolish for not letting it go.

“Well,” Geoff continued, “I don’t know what their ‘facts’ are either, but I’m sure they have something of substance behind it. They did confirm that they considered your points earlier, so I wouldn’t imagine they’ll reduce the state of alertness in the border fleets. And from what I know of Admiral Lothes, your strong feelings on the subject may inject a bit more doubt into her assessment of things. You having a ‘hunch’ has probably cost her some sleep, regardless of how abruptly she stopped the discussion. You are a Rear Admiral with more success in combat than anyone else in your generation. I doubt very much she is ignoring your words of warning.”

Hearing this from someone with a more objective view calmed Jonah. He still felt foolish for being so wrapped up in it that he couldn’t let it go. If Amy had been… he caught himself thinking. He stopped with a slight shake of his head and a slight, wry smile.

“Something occur to you?” Laura asked.

“No…well, yes,” Jonah replied. “I was just thinking that if I was able to talk to Amy about this, she would have set me straight before now. It’s alright,” he continued, “I’m going to have those moments.”

“Yes, you will, dear,” Laura agreed. “Just out of curiosity, where do you think the Chinese will attack this time?”

“Back through Automedon and Avalon,” Jonah replied without hesitation.

“You sound certain,” she stated. “You’ve given it some thought?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Why?” Geoff asked, “why not Southhampton or Hercules?”

“Of the three choices, the only one I’m reasonably sure of is Southhampton,” Jonah answered. “I’m pretty sure they won’t attack there.”

“Why not?” Laura countered.

“Not enough of our ships,” Jonah responded. Noticing the quizzical look on their faces, he continued.

“The first attack came through Hercules and caught us unprepared. They were able to wipe out Second and Third Fleets. In that one move, they upset the balance of power. For the first time ever, the Chinese had more ships than the Commonwealth. The follow-up attack through Hercules failed, but only because we deployed a new weapon. We then followed that with the raid on New Delhi and Hǎiwángxīng, then helped Edo reclaim Goryeo. Both these actions brought fleet levels to near-parity again.

“It took them some time to regroup and reconsider. Then they countered by attacking Automedon and Avalon. If we had not received advance notice before they launched the attack that they were mustering their ships, I would not have reached Avalon in time to prevent them from punching through to Caerleon and Home Fleet. As it was, the number of losses was slightly in our favor, but they were willing to trade ship for ship for two reasons.”

“Which were?” Geoff asked.

“They had twenty-five ships that were nearing completion, and they knew every ship we lost made our coverage of the border systems that much thinner. The most recent attack against Automedon and Avalon was unusual in that they did not bring overwhelming force to the engagement. Even so, if they had not tried to get cute, they would have damaged or destroyed most of Fourth Fleet and again been able to reach Caerleon.

“So, back to my original point, every ship of ours they take out of the fight, the thinner our coverage of the border. By destroying our ships, they prolong the war. We don’t dare launch a counterattack for fear of leaving ourselves vulnerable. In hindsight, I appreciate even more how bold we were in attacking New Delhi and Hǎiwángxīng.”

“Aren’t they just as thin on their borders as we are?” Geoff asked.

“Yes,” Jonah replied, “but I sense they feel the potential gains from attacking outweigh the risks. For us, the risks are too great. Anyway, I think they’ll come through Avalon again. It gives them a chance to do some more damage to our numbers and gives them a chance at punching through to Caerleon. If they’re content merely to damage and destroy ships, then they’ll come through Hercules and attack Second and Third Fleets, as they did at the beginning.”

“Do you know what their goal is?” Laura asked.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Jonah admitted.

“If they break through to Caerleon,” Laura cautioned, “that could end the war with a Chinese victory. Even if they don’t achieve that, I think they’ll be trying to drag this out as long as they can. They took New Delhi just a bit under two years ago. They just took Lutetia. Rotterdam is likely next. If they can stretch this out for two or three more years and then approach peace talks from a position of military superiority or even parity, then they will likely drag out the peace negotiations as long as possible—another two or three years at least. After five or six years of occupation, how can we force them to leave those systems they took? Lutetia and Rotterdam have unexploited systems like Goryeo that the Chinese would terraform. They then would approach the Commonwealth in terms of the number of systems and pass the Rodinans.”

“The only way we can force them to leave New Delhi and Lutetia,” Geoff added, “is a clear-cut military victory. I think they believe the more damage they can do now, the better their chance of dragging it out to the point where the Commonwealth loses interest in pursuing the war. If that is the case, I think they have misread us.”

“Have they?” Jonah asked. “You know I don’t follow the media at all, happy to stay in my navy bubble.”

Geoff and Laura both smirked at this. “We know,” Laura confirmed.

“My career is tied to reading the mood of the people,” Geoff remarked. “I can tell you I have never experienced what is going on throughout the Commonwealth. The Chinese have awakened our patriotic sentiment on all 31 planets. I would wager that the average Commonwealth citizen is more emotionally invested than at any time since the heady early days when we became a Commonwealth.”

“Different from the war with the Rodinans?” Jonah asked.

“Exponentially different,” Laura confirmed. “Until the last bit of the war with the Federation, people hardly knew we were at war and cared even less. It wasn’t until we suffered some setbacks due to incompetent boobs being in positions of command that people woke up. Then, fortunately, a hero appeared—that’s you, by the way—and with courage, boldness, and ability, almost single-handedly won the war, suffering gruesome injuries in the process.”

Jonah blushed. This made him uncomfortable.

“I’m not saying this to flatter you, dear,” Laura counseled, “but to inform you of how people feel. I know it makes you squirm to hear it. But the man-in-the-street believes it. To make the story even better for the average person, the hero—humble, handsome, and bearing a visible but somehow dashing war wound—then weds a beautiful, brilliant, and talented woman in a ceremony watched by more people through the Commonwealth than even Edward’s marriage to Celeste. The couple is clearly madly in love, both good-looking, charming in their own ways—the poster children for their generation.

“Then, this war starts with the Chinese tricking our hero onto a wild goose chase to Patagonia and attacking during his absence. As soon as our hero returns, he thwarts the next attack. He then leads a raid on enemy territory that buys us some breathing room. The dastardly enemy, unable to defeat our hero, kills his beautiful wife and launches another attack. It’s almost like one of those video dramas.”

“People are riled up,” Geoff confirmed. “Recruitment in the armed forces, even the army, has never been higher. The three offerings of war bonds offered sold in minutes. The biggest demand the government faces is why we can’t provide more resources faster. We have more capital ships under construction than at any time in history, and the public is concerned they won’t be enough.”

“But if I recall my lessons from my history teachers,” Jonah offered, “one thing about the Commonwealth is that it tends to have a short attention span. How long can we expect this level of support to last?”

“Who can say?” Laura said with a shrug. “Though historically the Commonwealth does tend to be somewhat fickle, I sense there is an undercurrent of feeling that the Chinese haven’t ‘played fair’ so far—the sneak attack to start the war is one thing, and the assassination of Amy has furthered that view. A significant component of the ethos of the Commonwealth—one of our shared values—is fair play. I believe this is what is fueling the current public feeling, and if I’m right, that will offset the tendency of people to move onto the next thing.”

11

Laura and Geoff put Jonah’s mind at ease. He was slightly chagrined at how he reacted and realized he was keeping to himself too much. He made a resolution to talk to his friends more, or at least text them once a week.

Thanksgiving arrived, and on Hotspur, they served a traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Jonah made a point of dining that evening in the enlisted mess. He wanted to feel the pulse of the crew. Jonah was glad to see spirits were high. The enlisted men and women were pleased to have their admiral join them for dinner.

That same night, he was woken by a ping on his console with an alert message. The Chinese again entered system C0815, bordering the Automedon System. Jonah rubbed the sleep from his eye and looked at the report. He was wide awake in an instant. The sensor reported twenty-two 527-type superdreadnoughts and thirty-one 461-type battlecruisers, plus escorts, were on their way. He coded a high-priority alert and passed it along to the Admiralty.

He received a message back quickly from Admiral Lothes that there would be a comm conference at the top of the hour. He sent an alert to Captain Hayes and Lieutenant Baxter, then went to shower and change. Once dressed, he returned to his console.

At the appointed time, the comm conference began. Holographic images of Jonah, Admiral Blutarsky, Admiral Von Geisler, Admiral Gessert, and Admiral Lothes appeared around Jonah’s conference table. Lothes opened the meeting. “A quick summary to bring everyone up to speed. Fifth Fleet has been ordered to Caerleon at best possible speed. The new ships are going through reactor start-up and will begin tuning drives as quickly as possible following that.

“Admiral Gessert will be in command of the newly constructed ships,” she stated. “I realize there is still some wrap-up work taking place on the new construction, primarily in final wiring of workstations. For any work that cannot be finished in the next five days, can we establish workarounds where the functions can be controlled by individual consoles, similar to how training has been conducted?”

“Short answer,” Gessert replied, “is yes. The long answer is that we will have nearly one hundred percent of the workstations wired by then. What we’ll be skipping is the normal testing to eliminate cross-talk and interference between stations due to connection and insulation faults. There will be some—there always is. Every workstation can be run from individual consoles, though, so there’s already a workaround for when that comes up. I’m going to recommend keeping the work crews on board to be able to identify and fix those issues as they come up.”

“Will the ships be able to fight?” Lothes asked.

“Yes,” Gessert answered, “at least to some extent.”

“Other than the ongoing wiring issues, what else?” Lothes requested.

“The ships have nothing in their magazines; tuning the drives can take some time, twenty-four new crews on twenty-four new ships and no time for testing any of the systems,” Gessert listed. “That’s the high-level summary.”

“Admiral Gessert,” Lothes turned to him, “arrange to have as many Swordfish missiles as possible loaded. Don’t worry about Vulcans unless you have time. To make things easier to coordinate, your ships are now part of Home Fleet,” she instructed her, “so I’ll be in overall command here in the system. Will that be a problem?”

“No.”

“Good. Here’s what we’re going to do,” Lothes continued. “Depending on the rate of progress the Chinese force makes, we’ll have an H-hour for when drives need to be tuned. Those that are able to tune drives by then will proceed to the Avalon corridor entrance. Those that cannot, will form a planetary defense line. Admiral Gessert, you will be in charge of that group.”

“Understood,” Gessert replied.

“Admiral Halberd,” Lothes turned to him. “Please stay on the comm after I dismiss the others.”

After the others dropped off the comm, Admiral Lothes said, “Admiral, you need to buy us as much time as you possibly can. If you can slow them down, you’ll give Fifth Fleet a chance to reach Caerleon before the Chinese. If I were to pull you back to Caerleon, Fifth Fleet would never be able to make it in time. We can’t count on a single one of the new ships being available. They’re so new that the reactors are just now beginning initial start-up. The drives need to be tuned. The crews are unfamiliar with their ships. None of the systems have been tested together, only in isolation. It will be a miracle if more than five can join us at the hyper corridor. The rest will be down the gravity well, and if it comes to that, we’re done for anyway.”

“Understood,” Jonah replied.

“Admiral,” Lothes offered, “if any of us think of a better idea in time to make a difference, we’ll implement it.”

“I know, sir,” Jonah answered. “We’ll do our best. You can count on that.”

The atmosphere on board Defender and the other new ships was one of barely controlled chaos. The reactors were being started, and nearly half the ships had already fallen behind schedule. Nothing had gone wrong; it was simply a complicated process that needed to be followed carefully. Most of the engineering personnel were unfamiliar with the new power plants. Even though they had been training for them, the difference between training and reality was always sobering.

Personnel not involved in reactor start-up were undergoing an accelerated course in their damage control assignments. This was complicated by the lack of their marine units. Each battlecruiser would carry a long company of 216 marines. Each superdreadnought would carry a short battalion of 400 marines. The marines would normally be assigned damage control duties, so without them, coverage needed to be changed. The marines were not scheduled to join the ships until after commissioning—almost a month away.

Almost 36 hours after beginning start-up, the final reactor on the last ship came online. Admiral Gessert ordered the last ships to pull out of their construction slips and proceed a safe distance away from the yard, following the ships which were able to fire their reactors earlier. The ships used only their navigational thrusters.

In the Avalon system, Jonah was watching the advance of the massive Chinese force along with his flag lieutenant, St. John Baxter, and Captain Hayes. The Chinese were not attempting anything cute. They had plenty of missile defense capability and were slowing to 0.23c as they approached the entrance to the hyper corridor to the Automedon System.

The Chinese traveled right through the center of the array of anti-ship missiles positioned at the corridor entrance. All 9,000 Vulcan ship-killer missiles fired, and all 9,000 of them were destroyed before reaching their targets by the Chinese missile defense. The Chinese ships winked off the sensors as they entered hyperspace. They would emerge in the Automedon System in seven hours. Seventy-three hours and forty minutes later, they would appear in the Avalon system if they followed a least-time course.

It was nearly midnight. Jonah dismissed Baxter and Hayes and went to try to grab some sleep before the Chinese arrived at the next missile array. He was unsuccessful in his quest for sleep. His mind raced, trying to come up with something, anything, that might tilt the odds. When his alarm signaled it was time to rise, he had no better ideas.

He was joined again by Baxter and Hayes. They watched as the Chinese force winked back into existence in Automedon. Again, traveling right through the middle of the Commonwealth anti-ship missiles, they proceeded unscathed into the system.

Automedon was a small system. There were two planets, both small and uninhabitable. Its main value was as a navigational waypoint. There were seven hyper corridors that linked Automedon to other systems. The Automedon system’s small size also meant that transiting from one corridor to another took at most 30 hours.

The Chinese maintained their course for Avalon. The sensors picked out a dozen fast transports traveling with the warships. Jonah knew they were replenishing stocks of defense missiles along the way. The great number of ships in the Chinese force gave him no opportunity of trying to beat the cycle time to pick off the transports. After the missile array fired, he dismissed Baxter and Hayes again. He decided to grab some breakfast at the enlisted mess. He figured that showing his face to the crew with a huge battle looming was the least he could do.

At Caerleon, Admiral Gessler, and many others, had also been watching the progress of the Chinese forces as they left system C08315 and entered Automedon. One of the Retribution-class battlecruisers, HMS Mars Ultor, had tuned its drives within hours of starting the process and was heading out to join the rest of Home Fleet near the hyper corridor to Avalon.

In Avalon, Jonah thought back to when he was placed in a similar position several years before. Admiral Antonelli ordered him, with only a heavy cruiser, to try to slow a Rodinan attack, led by a battlecruiser, on Commonwealth space. Thanks to some brilliant ideas from his crew, they pulled a rabbit out of the hat and managed to cause enough damage that the Rodinans were forced to turn back. It cost him his ship, though, most of his crew and his right eye. That he somehow survived the engagement was, as he often phrased it, ‘blind luck.’ He didn’t think there were any rabbits or any hats left for him to produce a miracle.

The next evening, he watched the Chinese force leave the Automedon System and enter the corridor for Avalon. The missile array again had no effect—the Chinese force sailed right through it with their defense missiles completely effective. Mid-morning tomorrow, just after ten o’clock, the Chinese would emerge into normal space in the Avalon System.

The Chinese were traveling at 0.23c on what would be the least-time path to reach Caerleon. Jonah positioned his forces to match course and speed with the Chinese when they emerged from hyperspace. He placed Hotspur, HMS Duke of Marlborough, and HMS Fraser slightly ahead of the rest of Fourth Fleet. Ideally, when the Chinese force emerged, they would be in range of their particle burst weapons but out of photon cannon range.

He hoped to buy enough time for the PBGs to do as much damage as possible before the greater numbers of the Chinese force began to take effect. They would likely be in range of the Chinese version of the PBG, according to what director Niven had estimated, but better that than the full weight of the Chinese photon cannons.

In the Caerleon system, Admiral Gessert saw four of the Retributions and one more Defender tune their drives by H-hour. They departed and went to join Home Fleet. The ship she was on, Defender of the Realm, managed to tune her drives but too late to join the rest of Home Fleet at the entrance to the hyper corridor. Two other Defenders—HMS Drake and HMS Boudica—also tuned their drives too late. Five of the Retributions also managed to tune their drives after H-hour. Three Defenders and seven Retributions were still frantically trying to tune their drives when the Chinese entered the Avalon system.

In the midst of this, Captain Hayes buzzed Jonah. “Admiral, I just learned that the sensors on the missile array at the corridor entrance to Caerleon picked up a ‘ghost’ a few hours ago—a blink of an Alcubierre bubble. I’m guessing a Chinese patrol boat has come to take a look. I’m having sensors go through the records from the Automedon array to see if there’s anything corresponding to a departure from Automedon.”

Jonah sent a message to Admirals Lothes and Gessert, informing them that there might have been a Chinese patrol boat that transited the Avalon system and that he would confirm if he could. Lothes responded. Gessert did not.

Just then, the Chinese force was dropping out of hyperspace into Avalon. Jonah had positioned himself in the TAC—the Tactical Action Center—on Hotspur. Originally built as a secondary bridge, it was converted into a node where he could monitor all the sensor and weapons information for all of Fourth Fleet. He observed that the Chinese force dropped back into normal space 30 light-seconds short of the boundary in order to give themselves time to respond to the missile array the Commonwealth positioned at the end of the corridor.

Fourth Fleet was moving at 0.23c towards the center of the Avalon system, slightly too far ahead of the Chinese to be within the range of the PBGs. He ordered Fourth Fleet to maintain course and speed but to flip the ships so the vulnerable EM drives would not face the enemy and to begin evasive action. He waited to see if the Chinese would accelerate to engage the Commonwealth ships. Within a minute, he had his answer as sensors reported the Chinese were boosting to join battle.

Based on what Director Niven suspected about the trade-offs the Chinese would make due to their power limitations, he expected they would have matched the range of the Commonwealth PBGs. The power of the Chinese weapon would be just over fifty percent of the PBG but still roughly seventy-five percent more powerful than a photon cannon. He would learn whether that was correct in a few minutes.

The Chinese were moving as a unit, with all their capital ships matching the maximum acceleration rate of their superdreadnoughts. Jonah watched the holographic display as the range closed. Sensors had identified from the emissions signatures which of the Chinese ships were the ones with their long-range weapons mounted. Eight of the Chinese superdreadnoughts and twelve of the battlecruisers mounted the new gun. Those were the targeting priority for Hotspur, Duke of Marlborough, and Fraser.

Once the range closed, both forces fired. Jonah felt Hotspur buck and shudder as the first Chinese shots hit. Checking the displays quickly, he verified that all three Commonwealth ships with the PBG were hit. The Chinese had fired ten shots at Hotspur, and six connected. Hotspur had lost its forward shields and sensors, and the front third of the ship was a mangled mess. Captain Hayes ordered the ship to flip. Even though that would give the Chinese a shot at Hotspur’s drives, the plasma shielding was intact on the rear of the ship. Marlborough, the target of five shots, was hit twice and lost forward shielding. Fraser, also the target of five shots, was hit three times and lost forward shielding, and suffered a significant hull breach.

Jonah kept track of the Commonwealth’s gunnery. Two of the first three shots connected. Hotspur and Marlborough fired again, with one hit and a miss. The Fraser joined them on the next salvo, and he was gratified to see that all three shots struck home.

Seconds later, Hotspur shuddered again as Chinese shots hit home. The starboard bulkhead of the bridge crumpled, then exploded outward. Shipsuits activated, with the protective hoods snapping over the heads of the wearers. Exposed to the vacuum of space, a crewman’s chair was ripped off its anchors with the crewman still strapped in. The chair and crewman smashed into Captain Hayes’ side on his way into the cold emptiness of space.

Jonah watched the destruction of the bridge with distress but immediately took command of Hotspur from his seat in the TAC. His ability to continue offensive action with Hotspur was to last only seconds. The damage to the bridge was only a small part of what had happened to the ship.

12

Jonah watched the battle unfold, frustrated and powerless to help. In the first salvo by the Chinese, ten shots targeted Hotspur. The second salvo, fired by only the eight Chinese SDNs, also targeted Hotspur. From that second salvo, forty seconds after the first, six shots hit, and she was reduced to a drifting hulk—shields down, reactors ejected, riddled with multiple hull breaches, and her captain gravely injured. Damage control teams fanned out through the ship as quickly as possible. They reached the bridge quickly and brought the survivors out of vacuum as fast as they could. Captain Hayes was still alive, though unconscious, and seriously wounded. She was taken to sickbay and placed in a medical stasis pod. She suffered a fractured skull and numerous other broken bones on her left side, along with internal injuries.

Even without sensors, though, the TAC had sensor data from the kewpie links with the remaining Commonwealth ships. Thirty-five seconds after Hotspur was taken out of the battle, Jonah watched as the twelve Chinese battlecruisers armed with the new weapon targeted Marlborough. After another five seconds, eight of the Chinese SDNs fired at Fraser. Both Marlborough and Fraser were out of the fight, having taken severe damage.

The range closed between the two forces. Jonah noted that the Chinese stopped firing their version of the PBG when they reached photon cannon range. He wondered as he watched whether it had anything to do with the conduit problems Director Niven had predicted or whether the power required for the photon cannons meant they could not use the longer-range weapon or some combination of both. The display Jonah had been watching had fuzzed several times as the different ships lost sensor capability.

Within minutes, the greater firepower of the Chinese force had beaten the Commonwealth fleet into submission. Of the twenty capital ships in Fourth Fleet only sixteen remained. Seven of those were on emergency power. None had shields, and sensors were shot away on all but two.

The Chinese lost two ships, one from a reactor explosion, the other when its mass compensator failed, and the ship imploded. Three others appeared to have lost their EM drives and were following ballistic courses. The other Chinese ships suffered lesser damage but were maintaining their position.

Three hours later, the Chinese began broadcasting via radio signals that the Commonwealth must evacuate the sixteen damaged ships within thirty-six hours. This puzzled Jonah, and he queried Admiral Lothes, asking what this meant.

“Admiral,” Lothes said, appearing on Jonah’s comm, “I believe the Chinese will not press the attack further at this time. They will likely orbit the Avalon primary and return home but mean to destroy our ships on their way back, as is their right under the Concordat of ‘09. Do an inventory of the emergency lifepods available on the remaining ships and make sure the worst wounded are loaded onto whatever shuttles are left intact.”

Jonah issued the orders to the captains to provide an update on the status of their emergency lifepods. The damage control team reported to Hotspur’s XO, Commander Derek Moon, that the ship’s shuttle bays were completely destroyed, and many of the lifepod nodes were as well. Jonah and Lieutenant Baxter were compiling an inventory of assets available and, on the fly, developing a plan to account for all the surviving crewmen of the remaining ships in the fleet. Shuttles from the ships which took less damage would be taking on the severely wounded. The Marine Assault Shuttles would be loading lightly wounded crew and any of the uninjured for whom there was no space in the lifepods. There was a limited time to do this. Everyone needed to be off the ships by the time the Chinese force reached missile range. It was a near thing but, thanks to Lieutenant Baxter, space in a lifepod or on a shuttle was found for every Commonwealth survivor.

The Chinese force had already scuttled their three ships without power, activating self-destruct mechanisms once the crews had been transferred. The rest of their ships were on course to swing around the star at the center of the Avalon system and return the way they came.

A hospital ship and four troop transports had left Caerleon Station to pick up the survivors from the lifepods. They were already heading to the hyper corridor. A pair of frigates had been dispatched to find the Chinese patrol boat that had entered the Caerleon system, though Admiral Lothes joked darkly that she didn’t know whether to capture them or thank them. She believed that the Chinese called off the attack when they saw the newly constructed ships positioned to join the battle.

Jonah, Commander Moon, and Lieutenant Baxter joined the crew of the last lifepod to eject from Hotspur. When the Chinese reached missile range of the surviving ships of Fourth Fleet, they launched anti-matter missiles. Within minutes all the Commonwealth ships were obliterated. The Commonwealth crewmen were, like Jonah, in lifepods or shuttles waiting for rescue. It could have been worse if the Chinese wished to take them prisoner, but the Chinese force never slowed on its way out of the system.

The new ships that succeeded in tuning their drives returned to the Caerleon Yard. There was still some work to be completed on all of them. Training of the crews was not finished, not to mention that the ships were not christened or commissioned. The ceremony for the christening was pushed back a week to December 27. Having just lost all twenty of the capital ships of Fourth Fleet, the ceremony would be taking a much more somber turn than originally intended.

With no ship to return to, his whole fleet destroyed, Jonah would be returning to Caerleon like all the surviving members of Fourth Fleet. The only bright spot about any of this was that the survivors would likely be granted holiday leave planetside on Caerleon for the Christmas weekend unless they received orders for reassignment to one of the newly constructed ships.

The Thorners invited Jonah to join them for Christmas. They also invited his mother. After learning that Captain Hayes was taken to the Royal Naval Hospital on Caerleon, Jonah adjusted his plans to include visiting her while he was planetside.

The day after Christmas would have been Jonah’s third wedding anniversary to Amy. It also was a bit more than a year and a half since her death. It would be good to spend the holiday with family and friends.

Jonah arrived at Caerleon Station on the day before Christmas on a troop transport. The Royal Naval Hospital was on the grounds of the Admiralty, so he went to visit Captain Hayes before heading to the Thorners. When he arrived at Captain Hayes’ room, he saw her sleeping. He did not wish to wake her, so he sat quietly. She looked pale, and her beautiful features were marred on her left side by bruising in shades of green and yellow. The left side of her body was immobilized, surrounded by a semi-cylindrical metal structure that gave off a faint hum. The left side of her head was covered by a sort of cap with wires attaching it to a console. A lock of her hair drifted down to cover her right eye, and Jonah could not resist the temptation to reach out and move it aside.

As he did, Captain Hayes opened her eyes to see him sitting there. She smiled easily. “Much more pleasant to see you than one of the damned nurses,” she commented.

13

“I woke you,” Jonah said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said, quickly grasping the hand that had brushed her hair away. “I’m glad you’re here. I hoped you would come.”

“With what happened,” he began to explain, “everything has been pushed back a week, so we were all given leave to spend the holiday planetside. I came down to spend Christmas with Lord and Lady Thorner, who also invited my mom. It also gives me a chance to check up on you.”

“Thank you,” Hayes replied, squeezing his hand.

“You look better than I thought you would,” he said, then added with a smile, “though still pretty beat up, to be honest.”

“I feel better than someone who just got out of a stasis pod has any right to,” she responded. Indicating with her eyes to the left, she added, “Nanites. That thing over there is telling them how to knit my bones back together. That ugly skullcap is doing the same to tell them how to fix my skull. Yet they tell me I’ll be released from here just after the first of the year.”

She took a breath. “I’m sorry about Hotspur,” she said. “She was a yar ship.”

Jonah grinned. “I haven’t heard that expression from anyone since my dad. My last frigate command was a yar ship. I suppose Hotspur was too, come to think about it.”

Captain Hayes asked after her crew and about the outcome of the battle. Jonah told her, “It wasn’t much of a battle. They pretty much rolled right through us. Shots from the same salvo that hit the bridge also forced the reactors to eject and caused a couple of other hull breaches. We were out of the fight. I got to watch the rest of it from the TAC. Marlborough and Fraser didn’t last much longer. Fortunately, Admiral Gessert managed to have enough of the new construction in fighting condition that the Chinese decided to turn around and go home. We’re pretty sure the sensor ghost you spotted was a patrol boat that reported what they saw in the Caerleon system. The Chinese ordered us to abandon our ships, and they blew them to smithereens on their way out of Avalon. They lost only five.”

“Good grief,” Hayes muttered. “All twenty of the capital ships?”

“All twenty,” Jonah confirmed.

Hayes blew out a heavy sigh. “What happens next?”

“Wish I knew,” Jonah admitted.

They spend several hours in idle chat before Jonah took his leave. He was met near the entrance to the Admiralty compound by agent Sauer, who took him to the Thorners. This time he did not want to arrive at their house empty-handed. He made Sauer stop along the way so he could buy some flowers. His mother had already arrived.

The next day was Christmas. He felt sorry for Captain Hayes, so decided to visit her again. He stopped in the hospital gift shop and bought some flowers and a Santa hat. He sat down next to her. “I felt awful for you, spending Christmas in the hospital. I thought I’d come by and waste some of your time.”

Hayes laughed. “Well, I’ll try to find some time in my schedule to accommodate you. Then again, there’s no one I know of who has spent more time in the hospital than you have, so you have a pretty good idea of just how busy-busy-busy my day is.”

After a somewhat awkward start to the conversation, she began telling him about her life growing up on Ilium, on a huge farm owned and run by her parents. She was one of six children and the oldest daughter, though she had an older brother. She and her sisters were tomboys. She and her siblings were schooled at home via video conference since the nearest community was nearly an hour away by flitter. Growing up, her favorite video show was “Etienne Masterson, Bane of the Space Pirates,” about a Royal Navy officer who had marvelous adventures and thwarted pirates at every turn.

At the age of thirteen, she went to an all-girls boarding school located in a rural setting outside Pergamum, the capital city of the planet. That is where she said her real education began, and not all of it was pleasant. Most of her schoolmates were used to a more urban environment and considered themselves far more sophisticated than the pretty girl from the farm. She first met boys who weren’t her brothers during socials with the all-boys school on the other side of a large lake. She wasn’t impressed with them, though they were with her.

Despite her rough start, she soon found her way. Being intelligent, athletic, possessed of a sense of humor, and good-looking, she began making her mark quickly. She excelled in sports, particularly field hockey and lacrosse, and was elected captain of both teams. Her grades put her in the running for being the top student, though she ended up settling for fourth place. After a couple of years, she also obtained a boyfriend, who she said was “merely less of a jerk than his classmates.”

She went to Ilium University and joined the ROTC program. By graduation, she was the leader of the Corps of Cadets and joined the Royal Navy, something she had wanted to do since her days of watching Etienne Masterson. She enjoyed her first posting as an ensign, but things deteriorated from that point. After earning promotion to lieutenant, she was transferred to HMS Colossus, an SDN in Third Fleet under Admiral Johannsen. There she was subjected to sexual harassment, which Jonah already suspected. She was on leave when the Rodinans invaded Roosevelt. “I was home talking with my parents,” she said, “about whether to resign my commission and leave the navy when I received the news about Roosevelt. When I heard that Admiral Johannsen and his cronies were being rounded up and prosecuted, I decided I’d give the navy another year and see what happened.

“With my ship destroyed and my mediocre FitReps, I suppose I was lucky that Admiral Sayyah kept me around, even in the boring staff position I had. That year was a different kind of hell, tracking toilet paper and such. It was about as far away from being Etienne Masterson as you can possibly imagine.”

“After Amy was killed,” Jonah offered, “I was assigned to BuPers to review FitReps. I firmly believe it’s one of the circles of hell. Pierre suggested that they gave me such an awful assignment to motivate me to get my head together as quickly as possible. I think he’s probably right.”

“Pierre?” she asked, “Admiral Delhomme?”

Jonah nodded.

“During that year of tracking toilet paper usage, I resolved to do my best,” Hayes continued. “I committed to myself that I would give it a year. It was unspeakably hard. Admiral Sayyah was obsessed with detail and micro-managed every aspect of Third Fleet. I waited until my first positive FitRep was posted and applied for transfer back to a line position. I requested transfer after every FitRep and finally made it to Fourth Fleet where I was posted as second officer on board the light cruiser Rockport. I was on Rockport for about nine months, and then Admiral Von Geisler plucked me away, promoted me, and placed me in command of the frigate Tinsdale. After that, well, you know the rest.”

“I’ve seen your files,” Jonah admitted. “Once you had a chance to show your abilities, there was no way to hold you back. The consensus opinion is that the navy is lucky you decided to stick it out.”

Hayes blushed at this. Jonah smiled. It was then he noticed that at some point, she grasped his hand and was holding it. Now that he noticed, he felt it was perhaps inappropriate but didn’t know how to withdraw his hand without awkwardly drawing more attention to it. He left it where it was.

The conversation turned personal. Katie started it, mentioning that she had been in three serious relationships up to now, each of which lasted a couple of years. Although this sharing of personal information made Jonah acutely aware that she was holding his hand and made him slightly uncomfortable, he felt compelled to respond.

“I’ve only had two serious relationships myself,” he admitted. “The first ended badly, and it set me back for a few years. The other was Amy.”

“Does it still hurt?” she asked.

“Hurt?” Jonah considered. “No, it doesn’t hurt. I worked through that. I still miss her, of course, and there are so many things I wish I could still talk to her about. But she would have wanted me to get on with my life and keep moving forward, not pine away and mope.”

Katie nodded solemnly at this and turned the conversation in a less uncomfortable direction. “My parents are still alive and still running the farm. The three oldest of my other siblings are married. All of them married right out of university. My older brother, Tim, and his wife are back at home helping run the farm. Molly and her husband and Bob and his wife are living with their in-laws, helping on their acreage. So far, I’m an aunt to two nieces and a nephew. The children are all quite young. Though I rarely get to see them in person, we stay in touch using comms. My other sister and brother are still in school.” Wrapping up her narrative, she said, “Besides all that, I like being cozy in front of a fire, long walks on the beach, puppies, and chocolate chip cookies. How about you?”

Jonah laughed as her final summary was a stereotypical online dating service profile that had appeared in advertisements all over the Commonwealth. Jonah had enjoyed listening to her. When she spoke of the things she loved and enjoyed, her natural beauty became even more transcendent. Her sense of humor was vigorous, and she clearly did not take herself too seriously. Before he answered her question, he noticed the time. He had spent the entire afternoon with her and had to leave for Christmas dinner at the Thorrners.

“I hate to leave you hanging,” he said apologetically, “but I’m due for Christmas dinner at Lord and Lady Thorners. If you can wait until tomorrow, I promise to bore you to tears with my stories. I feel really bad about it since I’ll be dining like a member of the nobility—”

“Ahem, which you are, Lord Halberd—” she said, teasing him.

“Harumph, which I am,” he responded, with pretend pompousness, “whilst you are forced to eat hospital food.”

“Unfair! Unfair!” she protested.

“Maybe, in the Christmas spirit and all, I’ll bring you some leftover dessert,” he offered with a twinkle.

“Anything chocolate,” she suggested.

“Got it,” he replied, standing and dropping her hand finally. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Same place?”

She laughed. “Get out of here. Please do stop by tomorrow if you can.”

He shared an enjoyable Christmas dinner with his mother and the Thorners. Other than an inquiry as to where he had spent the afternoon, the conversation stayed away from serious topics. Indeed, much of it concerned the engagement of Pierre Delhomme and Elaine MacLeod. The dinner was of roast beef. The dessert was a steamed chocolate pudding. Jonah asked if he could take some to Captain Hayes the next day. Laura set some aside for him.

The next day, Boxing Day, would have been his third wedding anniversary. When he woke, he thought about that day, the promise it held, the pageantry, the disappointing ending when he was called to war. He held a whispered conversation with Amy. He spoke out loud, telling her the latest developments in the war and about finding himself holding Katie’s Hayes’ hand the day before and how it made him feel awkward. He admitted to Amy and himself that there would come a time for him to move on with that aspect of his life, but he also admitted that the time had not yet come.

He stopped by Katie’s room on his way back to the Admiralty. Nurses were fussing over her, adjusting her skullcap, and Katie was arguing with them. Jonah waited for them to finish, then sat and presented her with the slice of steamed chocolate pudding covered in whipped cream. Her eyes lit up when she saw it, but her face fell quickly. She confessed, “I didn’t sleep last night, so they just slipped me a sedative. That’s what I was arguing with them about. I’m afraid I won’t be good company today. If I pass out before I eat this, please hide it from the nurses so I can eat it later.”

“I’ll do that,” he agreed

“Please stay,” she asked, reaching for his hand.

Jonah sat by her bedside, holding her hand. Within minutes she had drifted off to sleep. After a few minutes, he rose and returned to the BOQ at the Admiralty.

14

Dong Li entered the library where Wang Xhu was reading. In all the conversations since she had conducted the coup that put her in power and made him her captive, this was the first time she had come to see him instead of having his guards bring him to her. Wang rose out of politeness. “Good afternoon, chairman,” he said pleasantly.

“Good afternoon,” she responded, sitting in an armchair across from him.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” he asked.

“I just wanted to let you know how well things are going,” she said smugly.

“Please do,” he replied expansively. “Thus far, you have been much more successful than I would have thought. I am glad to hear the success continues.”

“Are you really?”

“Chairman,” Wang responded, “we both want what is best for our people. We disagreed on how to achieve that. If I was wrong and you were right, that is unimportant, as long as the people of the republics benefit.”

“Very gracious of you to say so,” she smirked, “though I’m glad your tenuous position helps sway your thinking. As a matter of fact, I am here to report on another success. Our navy just succeeded in destroying another Commonwealth fleet. Our new ships and new weapons performed well. We were thwarted in our hope to continue to Caerleon. The Commonwealth managed to complete their new ships well ahead of what we estimated. They also built a few more than we thought. Fortunately, the losses we just inflicted almost balance out their new construction.”

“That is good news,” Wang agreed. “How are things on Lutetia?”

Dong laughed. “Far better than on New Delhi,” she snorted. “New Delhi continues to have difficulty accepting the reality of our control. Lutetia has been much more…persuadable. The French seem so convinced of their cultural superiority that they don’t seem to mind our occupation. As long as we allow them to behave like the snobs they are, they remain docile. So docile, in fact, that I am accelerating the timetable for occupying Rotterdam. We have already begun drawing down troops from Lutetia.”

“I doubt Rotterdam will be as acquiescent as Lutetia,” Wang commented.

“We agree,” Dong replied. “I expect they will be foolishly violent in resisting us. We are prepared for that.”

“If you don’t mind, would you tell me more about the Commonwealth’s new construction?” he asked.

“We sent a patrol boat ahead of the main force,” she explained. “This scout was able to report that six ships with unknown drive signatures joined nineteen existing ships, with another eighteen ships with new drive signatures in a planetary defense line down the gravity well. We had achieved total destruction of the Commonwealth fleet in Avalon, so I found no reason to risk further losses. Several of our ships required time for repairs in order to jump into hyperspace and giving the Commonwealth more time to prepare a response would not help our odds.

“Even with the new construction, the Commonwealth is stretched thin all along the border. When our additional new ships come into service in a few months, we will hit another of their border systems. It looks like we should be able to draw things out for another three years. Then we ask for peace talks and drag those out for two to three years. By then, we will have occupied New Delhi, Lutetia, and Rotterdam for a minimum of five years. No reasonable peace agreement would take them away from us. As long as we can maintain military parity, we will be able to achieve our objectives.”

15

Upon their return to the Caerleon Yard following the emergency mobilization, the remainder of the final work was being wrapped up on the new ships. Starting the reactors, leaving the yard, and trying to tune the drives had exposed a number of faults on every ship. Workers and system diagnosticians were busy through Christmas fixing those. The twenty-seventh was the mass ship christening and commissioning ceremony.

Admiral Lothes contacted Jonah with his new orders on the afternoon of the twenty-sixth, which he received after he had left the hospital. With the loss of Fourth Fleet, she had needed to adjust things quickly, rearranging distribution of the newly constructed ships. The crews and captains of the new ships had already been chosen, but Admiral Lothes decided to distribute the surviving members of the crews of Hotspur and Duke of Marlborough among the new ships due to their familiarity with the new computer systems and the PBGs. Jonah and Flag Lieutenant Baxter were to proceed immediately to his new flagship, which would be Defender of the Realm. Jonah would once again reassemble Fourth Fleet.

Lothes determined that the newly constructed ships would be spread between the four border fleets. Each of those would be getting two of the Defender-class superdreadnoughts and four of the Retribution-class battlecruisers. Second, Third and Fifth Fleets would each be transferring two Victory-class SDNs and four battlecruisers of older construction to Fourth Fleet. Three of the four remaining Columbia-class dreadnoughts, Severn, Murray and Clyde, would join Fourth Fleet. The six remaining Regent-class ships would stay where they were in Second, Third and Fifth fleets, at least for the time being.

Jonah learned his new flag captain would be Renee Fung. That brought a smile to his face. Renee had been his XO on HMS Cumberland and was one of the few to survive the ship’s destruction. Jonah caught a shuttle up to Caerleon Yard and from there flew over to the Defender. Along the way, he sent a message to Captain Fung to let her know he was on his way. Lieutenant Baxter had acknowledged his orders as well and was also on his way to Defender.

Fung greeted Jonah when he arrived at the entry hatch with a salute and then a hug. There were no other people present. She apologized for the lack of traditional pomp and circumstance but explained that everyone was still busy cleaning up after sorting out all the faults they had uncovered during their hurried start-up. Jonah asked if they would be ready to move out after the christening ceremony the next day, and Fung assured him they would be.

She escorted him to his quarters and took her leave, explaining she had things to do. Jonah turned his attention to getting to know more about this new ship. He sat in front of his console and opened the briefing Director Niven of Advanced Warfare had prepared on all the features of the new ships. The Defender-class superdreadnoughts mounted four of the particle burst guns, two on the dorsal surface of the hull and two on the ventral. Like the Regent-class ships Niven had pulled from mothballs and refurbished, the Defenders could fire two shots at a time on a 30-second cycle or a single shot at a time on a fifteen-second cycle. The Retribution-class battlecruisers had two PBGs, one mounted atop and one below. Like the Columbia-class dreadnoughts, they could fire a single shot every thirty seconds.

The ships were designed to take advantage of all the recent developments in technology. With the advanced computer systems on board, many of the functions that used to be labor-intensive were now automated. The ships had expanded magazines for the Swordfish defense missiles. All of them had the new powerplants and featured upgraded EM drives.

The Retribution-class battlecruisers were able to accelerate and decelerate eleven percent faster than the most recent Dakota-class battlecruisers in the Commonwealth navy and slightly better than twelve percent faster than a Chinese 461-type. The Defender-class superdreadnoughts were fifteen percent quicker than both the Victory-class SDNs of the Commonwealth and the 527-types of the Chinese and came near to matching the performance of a Dakota-class battlecruiser. Before he knew it, Jonah realized he spent the rest of the day reviewing the materials. He took a break and headed to the officers’ mess for dinner.

When he finished, his comm alerted him that he had a conference scheduled by Admiral Lothes along with all the captains to go over the protocol for the christening ceremony tomorrow. Queen Celeste would be reading a list of the new ship names, then press a button to launch the traditional bottles of champagne, which would smash into the ships and ‘christen’ them. After that, Admiral Lothes and the First Space Lord would officially commission the ships and captains.

After the ceremony was complete, the ships would pull away from their slips. Once they had reached a safe distance, they would engage their EM drives. His ships would proceed to the Avalon system. Somewhere along the way, Jonah expected to receive further orders. Certainly, he would prefer taking all the new ships on a raid to strike back at the Chinese, but even in his own mind, he couldn’t justify the risk. They simply had too little information about where the Chinese navy positioned its ships or their readiness for a counterstrike. He was resigned to maintaining the border until perhaps the next wave of new construction might provide an opportunity.

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Representatives from the governments of Edo and the German planets joined King Edward in giving speeches. Jonah thought the king’s speech was good but not as stirring as his speech at Amy’s memorial. The new ships pulled out of their slips, and he sailed off to the Avalon System.

After leaving the slips, the newly commissioned ships began to scatter, heading for different hyper corridors. About half continued to Avalon and would proceed to Automedon, using corridors located there. On the way to Avalon, Jonah had fun reconnecting with Captain Fung. She had gotten married since they had served on Cumberland, and he insisted on seeing the pictures, explaining that it was only fair since she had seen his.

Along the way, they were accompanied by a number of freighters carrying pods of Vulcan and Swordfish missiles. Jonah oversaw re-establishing the missile arrays at the hyper corridors leading into Avalon and Automedon. No effort was being made to rebuild Automedon Station. A communications satellite was put into orbit to handle the traffic control functions that had been handled from the station in the past. Once that work was finished, they settled into a patrol routine. All in all, Jonah found it rather dull. He apologized to Fung for the lack of action. Renee assured Jonah that a little bit of dullness wasn’t the worst thing.

Jonah stayed in casual contact with Captain Hayes. As she predicted, she was released from the hospital after the first of the year. She was assigned to BuPers while she completed physical therapy. Jonah was able to sympathize. The intimacy of their hospital conversations seemed to have dissipated somewhat, but the tone of their messages was more friendly and less formal than it was. Jonah didn’t dwell on it.

After two-and-a-half months on station, in mid-March, he received orders. Jonah and the Defender were directed to travel to Aries Station for an unspecified assignment. When he arrived at Aries Station, he noticed that four of the Regent-class superdreadnoughts were there. Centurion, Elizabeth Regina, Eisenhower, and Black Prince were present. He also saw a host of escort ships. He counted six heavy cruisers, nine light cruisers and eleven frigates.

He noticed that Aries Station was only about forty percent rebuilt. It was functional but had a long way to go to reach its former opulence. Shortly after docking at the station, his comm pinged.

The alert told him he was scheduled for a conference that afternoon with Admiral Lothes and Admiral Von Geisler. His curiosity was piqued. The presence of the Regents gave him hope that he would not be spending the next few months chained to patrol duty.

When the conference began, Jonah was slightly surprised to see Brian Stewart-Crosland also included. Admiral Lothes opened by acknowledging the foreign secretary’s presence. “The foreign secretary is here to discuss your new assignment, Admiral Halberd.”

“The government of Rotterdam fears an imminent attack by the Chinese and has requested our assistance. We will be joined by ships from Edo and the German systems. Although our own resources are stretched, we do not believe we can allow any other independent systems to fall to the Chinese. We will be sending Defender and the six Regent-class superdreadnoughts to Rotterdam along with escorts.”

“I noticed four were here already,” Jonah commented.

“The other two are in transit,” Admiral Lothes clarified. “Roosevelt and Edward I are due in-system in a few hours. They were delayed for a quick stop in the Southhampton Yard.”

“Our participation is tied to our being in command of the space-based defenses,” Stewart-Crosland explained, “meaning you, Admiral Halberd, and to maintaining absolute secrecy. We have no degree of trust outside of our own service, so only five people outside of the Commonwealth know of this, and all have been sworn to secrecy.”

“Due to the secrecy concerns,” Admiral Lothes stated, “the coalition force is being gathered under the command of Admiral Schwarzkopf. Only two people in the Rotterdam government know that we will be answering their call for assistance. The public message is that we would love to help but cannot render assistance at this time—for which we are being blasted by the media on Rotterdam.

“Schwarzkopf knows,” she continued, “as does Admiral Niimura. The head of the German navy knows. Beyond that, it should be a surprise to everyone else.”

“Why so concerned about secrecy?” Jonah asked.

“The Chinese invaded Lutetia with a token force,” Lothes answered. “A couple of SDNs and a handful of battlecruisers. We suspect they knew exactly what assets the Lutetians had in place and sent a force that would easily cow them into a quick surrender. If they know we have sent you and the Regents to Rotterdam, they will send a much larger force. As it is, they know the Germans and Edo are assisting Rotterdam, so they will likely show up in greater numbers. If they don’t know we’ll be there, our odds of success are much greater.”

“What will define success, admiral?” Jonah inquired.

“Stopping the occupation of Rotterdam—at least this attempt,” she replied. “Destroying or capturing every damned ship the Chinese send, particularly their troop transports. The transports are critical. The Chinese have the capability of moving half a million soldiers at a time. Given that their shipyards are maxed out building capital ships, it will take them more than two years to replace these transports. That alone will prevent another attempt at Rotterdam and prevent them from reinforcing New Delhi or Lutetia.”

“Eliminating the transports,” Stewart-Crosland added, “gives a potential revolt on New Delhi a fair chance of success—if we can gain control of their space and supply some military advisors and weaponry.”

“What about Lutetia?” Jonah asked.

A pained look appeared on Stewart-Crosland’s face. “A revolt on Lutetia will likely only break out when it is clear that the war is nearly over, and the Chinese will lose. Now, unless you have further questions, admirals, I’ll leave you to it.”

With no more questions for the foreign secretary, he blinked off the comm.

“Your operational orders will be sent in a minute,” Admiral Lothes informed him. “We have one other bit of news for you. At the conclusion of this operation, I will be stepping down as Admiral of the Fleet. I’m 79 years old and feeling every minute of it. Karl will be taking over from me. You’ll likely be taking over Fifth Fleet from him. We will be informing the rest of the navy the day after tomorrow. Defender and the Regents, however, are going into a communications blackout as soon as Roosevelt and Edward I arrive.”

As promised, Roosevelt and Edward I arrived in system a few hours after his conference. By then, Jonah read his orders. He summoned Renee and all the captains of the Regents and the escorts to a conference via comm. Captain Fung and Lieutenant Baxter were the only people physically present in his ready room, seated at the large gleaming conference table. The others appeared holographically.

“Captains,” Jonah began, “I hate to tell you this, but other than routine traffic control, we are on a communications blackout as of right now. Understood?”

The captains nodded their heads. Jonah saw them activate the necessary security protocols for their ships via their consoles. When they finished, he resumed.

“We are on our way to prevent the Chinese from occupying Rotterdam,” he announced. Some tight smiles greeted this information.

“We will be working with Edo and the Germans in addition to Rotterdam. We have kewpie connections with both those fleets here on Defender. In addition to preventing the occupation of Rotterdam, we also strongly desire to capture or destroy the Chinese troop transports.

“We will be taking an indirect route to avoid any chance of being spotted on the way. It will take us to system R7677, known as the Krakow System. From there, we can reach both the Rotterdam System and the system from which the Chinese will attack, which is R7812.

Jonah activated a holographic display that showed the Rotterdam System and two systems linked to it by hyper corridors. “This system, R7812, is the one through which the Chinese will enter Rotterdam. As you can see from the display, the corridor between it and Rotterdam is a long one, with a transit time of 52 hours plus. We will approach Rotterdam through this corridor from Krakow. Krakow has a Goldilocks planet claimed by Rotterdam but unsettled to this point. The planet is ideal for terraforming, except it has two moons, making the tidal forces sometimes violent and the planet seismically active. Krakow is also linked to R7812. The corridor from Krakow to Rotterdam has a transit time of ten hours plus, and the corridor to R7812 from Krakow takes almost nine hours exactly.

“We will be lurking in Krakow until we receive confirmation that the main Chinese force has entered the corridor to Rotterdam. The Germans have already positioned a patrol boat in R7812 that has landed on an asteroid and is waiting for the Chinese. This patrol boat will be able to inform us of the disposition of the Chinese fleet and any assets they leave behind with the troopships. We are hoping the Chinese leave only a token force of escorts with the transports while they wait to receive word that the defense of Rotterdam has been neutralized. If they do, our escorts will head to R7812 and force their surrender. The astrography of system R7812 is such that if the troopships are poised to jump into Rotterdam, our escorts will be able to head them off if they try to return to safety.

“Defender and the six Regents will split off once the Chinese attacking force has entered the long hyper corridor to Rotterdam and join the defense forces in the Rotterdam system. I will be in overall command of the coalition operation once we arrive in Rotterdam. Rotterdam’s superdreadnought and two battlecruisers will be joined by one SDN and two battlecruisers from Edo and two SDNs and three battlecruisers from the Germans, along with their escort ships. I am sharing information regarding the route we will follow and the timing issues, now,” he said, sending the material from his console.

“You should have just received your orders,” he confirmed. “Along with those orders are joint communication protocols you must follow when we join with the coalition forces. Now, I’d like to go over the astrography that will make this all work for us.

“If the Chinese leave a more significant force with the troop transports, we will divert as many of the Regents as needed to ensure victory. The other Regents will cross into Rotterdam and lead the defense in that system. Captain Reed on Geauga will be in charge of the escort force in the absence of any of the Regents. Otherwise, I will delegate authority to one of the Regent captains. Understood?”

There were no questions at that point. Jonah issued the navigational orders, and the task force set off for Rotterdam.

16

It took the Commonwealth forces nearly ten days to reach the Krakow System. The other coalition forces fielded four SDNs and seven battlecruisers. Jonah expected the Chinese to bring just over that number, given the advantage of their new artillery. So far, there was no sign of them in system R7812.

Jonah was exercising both parts of the Commonwealth forces—the capital ships and the escorts. Defender and the Regents ran simulations where they and the Coalition forces defended Rotterdam from Chinese forces ranging from seven to ten SDNs and twelve to twenty battlecruisers. He also made sure the sims included ships with the new artillery weapon the Chinese had developed. He also ran simulations pitting the Commonwealth escorts against varying numbers of Chinese escort ships.

Captain Jenny Reed on HMS Geauga started slowly but gained experience and confidence with every encounter. He held discussions with Captain Reed following each run of a simulation. She was a sponge for information.

She made a novel suggestion to Jonah, who alerted the Admiralty and asked for permission to implement it. She suggested that the Commonwealth escort ships bring pods of Swordfish missiles to counter whatever opening barrage the Chinese threw at them. Though the escorts did not have the powerful computers to guide the missiles, the Regent-class superdreadnoughts did and were linked to the escorts via kewpie pairs.

The computers on the bigger Commonwealth ships could provide missile defense for the escorts even though they were a hyperjump away. Not surprisingly, the Admiralty approved the idea quickly. In two simulations run with this added feature, the Commonwealth escorts had little difficulty defeating an equal number of Chinese ships.

In the simulations run with the capital ships, results varied depending on how many ships with the new artillery were in the Chinese force. The overall outcome was positive for the Coalition forces, but the Commonwealth ships took serious damage when the new Chinese artillery weapon was added in.

The Commonwealth forces had been on station for nineteen days before the alert came in from Admiral Schwarzkopf on May 8. The Chinese invasion force had begun to enter system R7812. Schwarzkopf forwarded the sensor data to Jonah. There were five 527-type superdreadnoughts, and the emissions signatures of three of them showed they were equipped with the new weapon. There were eight 461-type battlecruisers, and, again, three were equipped with the new weapon.

There were twenty gigantic troop transports, each capable of carrying two Chinese army divisions: 25,000 men and all their equipment. The Chinese had brought eight heavy cruisers, eleven light cruisers, and ten frigates as escorts. Jonah would need to wait to see how many of the escorts accompanied the Chinese force in the invasion of Rotterdam. That would determine whether he would need to send one or more of the Regents with the Commonwealth escorts when they went to capture the troopships.

Rotterdam did not have the sophisticated computer systems needed to make use of a remotely deployed missile array. Neither Rotterdam nor the Germans had a missile defense system like Swordfish. The Edoans had their own version of Swordfish. The arrival of the Commonwealth ships, though, would be enough to provide a missile defense umbrella for all the Coalition forces.

Jonah moved his ships so they could begin accelerating and reach the respective hyper corridors at the standard 0.23c entry speed. Fortunately, the two corridors were quite near one another. He had chosen Black Prince as the ship which might join the escort force, possibly assisted by Roosevelt. If the Chinese kept all their escorts back with the troopships, then the Commonwealth escorts would need to slow at max thrust to allow the Regents to veer over to join them. They would then enter the corridor more slowly but would still be able to prevent the Chinese from escaping as long as they had traveled at least halfway through system R7812.

As the Chinese force moved across system R7812, the situation became more clear. Four of their heavy cruisers, along with six each of the light cruisers and frigates, were keeping pace with the SDNs and battlecruisers. Four heavy cruisers, five light cruisers, and four frigates were lagging behind with the enormous troop transports. The Commonwealth escorts would be able to take them on without assistance.

The Chinese troopships passed the center of system R7812 and appeared to be heading to orbit a large rocky planet on the side of the ecliptic nearer Rotterdam. Jonah waited until the attacking force of the Chinese winked into hyperspace before confirming the orders to the Commonwealth ships to make their jumps as planned. If all went well, by the time the Chinese invaders exited hyperspace into the Rotterdam system, the troop transports they left behind would be captured.

Jonah’s seven superdreadnoughts winked into hyperspace. In ten hours and seventeen minutes, they would appear in the Rotterdam System. A few minutes later, the escorts jumped into hyperspace. They would appear in system R7812 in nine hours.

Once Jonah and his ships reached Rotterdam, they would need to adjust course using one-hundred-fifty percent max thrust to change direction. The hyper corridors from R7812 and Krakow were along a chord of the Rotterdam heliosphere. Jonah would need to carve an S-shaped course to bring his ships into the optimal position to engage the Chinese. They would join formation with the rest of the Coalition forces a few minutes before the Chinese were expected to emerge from hyperspace.

When the Commonwealth SDNs appeared in the Rotterdam System, the secret would be out. By then, it would be too late for the Chinese to call off their attack. The bulk of their warships would still be in hyperspace, and their troop transports would not be able to escape system R7812.

At the appointed time, the seven Commonwealth SDNs reappeared in ‘normal’ space in the Rotterdam System. Sitting in his ready room aboard Defender, the system display updated showing the real-time position of the coalition’s forces, with information provided by the kewpie links between Admiral Schwarzkopf’s flagship, München, and Admiral Niimura’s flagship, Akagi. Jonah issued the orders for the course corrections necessary to join them.

“Greetings, Admiral Halberd and the Royal Navy of the Commonwealth. Your appearance is most welcome,” read the message from Admirals Schwarzkopf and Niimura.

Over the next twenty-one hours, while Jonah’s ships were following their twisting course to join the rest of the coalition, Captain Reed’s group of ships was shooting along a straight line to intercept the Chinese troopships and their escorts. The Chinese were slow to react and did not begin to pull away from their planetary orbit for nearly two hours after their gravimetric sensors would have detected the arrival of the Commonwealth ships. Jonah and Captain Reed both believed the Chinese commanders had needed to ask headquarters on New Beijing for orders.

Captain Reed’s group of twenty-six ships had little difficulty closing the range. Reed deployed pods of Swordfish missiles from the heavy cruisers. When the Chinese ships launched their missiles, the Swordfish defense missiles made sure that none of their first salvo reached the Commonwealth ships. The Commonwealth salvo of skip-killer Vulcan missiles was nearly double what the point defense of the Chinese ships could handle. Just over 100 Vulcan missiles survived and detonated their deadly x-ray laser warheads. All fourteen of the Chinese escort ships were destroyed or disabled in the first salvo.

The twenty Chinese troop transports did not heed the Commonwealth demand for surrender. Captain Reed closed her ships within photon cannon range and began targeting the EM drives on the transports. After the first two ships were hit, the remainder lowered their shields and cut their power. Reed ordered the Chinese to reverse course and return to the hyper corridor leading to the Rotterdam System.

She and Jonah discussed this with Admiral Von Geisler beforehand. If the Commonwealth marines tried to board the ships, they would be outnumbered by a vast amount—in effect, becoming hostages. There was also the likelihood that the Chinese would scrag their computer systems, making the ships unflyable. No one in the Commonwealth had the desire to blow up ships carrying half a million troops, so they would try to force them to fly to Rotterdam. By then, the Coalition fleet should have prevailed, and the 500,000 soldiers would be off-loaded as prisoners of war.

A ship was already enroute to Rotterdam, carrying technicians and the equipment necessary to repair the expected computer damage the Chinese would enact before surrendering the ships. This would enable the transports to travel to the Commonwealth as they were simply too large for salvage tugs to pull.

To ensure that the transports flew the entire distance of the corridor between R7812 and Rotterdam, teams of Royal Marines attached a series of mines to the EM drives of the Chinese ships. The mines were connected by kewpie to Defender. If the Chinese tried to drop out of the hyper corridor in deep space, the mines would be detonated. With their drives disabled, the transports would be marooned in deep space.

Advanced Warfare developed the mines. They were fiendishly difficult to disarm. Even trained specialists would find it impossible to do, working in a vacuum and with less than 52 hours to accomplish the task. Captain Reed made sure the Chinese captains knew about the mines. The Chinese protested, but Captain Reed turned a deaf ear to their complaints.

17

In the Rotterdam System, Jonah watched these developments from his ready room aboard Defender of the Realm. The seven Commonwealth SDNs were slightly more than halfway through their slewing course. In another twenty hours, they would meet up with the rest of the coalition force, and shortly after that, the Chinese would emerge from hyperspace.

Jonah briefed the coalition force about the capabilities of his ships. The Germans were, at first, dismayed that the Commonwealth had sent a force mostly composed of long-obsolete ships. Admiral Niimura quickly informed Schwarzkopf that the ships were far more than they appeared, as he could vouch for their effectiveness from personal experience. Schwarzkopf remained skeptical until Niimura shared the damage assessments from the engagement in the Goryeo System.

Jonah and the others agreed that the Chinese would likely travel to the end of the hyper corridor, not fearing a missile array. The Coalition force would attempt to be just out of photon cannon range, heading in-system ahead of where the Chinese would return to normal space. That way, if the Chinese dropped out of hyperspace earlier, the coalition would still have a positioning advantage.

The coalition force ran two simulations that Jonah provided. In these, the power of the Commonwealth SDNs was apparent. The six Chinese ships armed with their version of the PBG caused some damage to the Commonwealth ships, but in the sims, at least, it was not disabling. Admiral Schwarzkopf was very puzzled by the complete effectiveness of the Swordfish anti-missile defense system. Having fought with missiles his entire career, the need to close within photon cannon range was something new to him.

The Commonwealth ships completed their S-shaped course and were closing in on the rest of the Coalition ships. Looking at the countdown to engagement timer, Jonah put on his shipsuit. Lieutenant Baxter joined him, already wearing his. Jonah activated the holographic display showing the positions of the coalition ships.

As the clock counted down, Jonah ordered the Commonwealth ships to rotate, keeping their EM drives away from the expected arrival of the enemy. Within two seconds of the estimated time, the Chinse force dropped out of hyperspace, traveling at 0.23c towards the center of the Rotterdam System. Jonah’s ships were within range of their PBGs. The seven Commonwealth ships targeted the three Chinese 527-types armed with their new artillery weapon. The six Chinese ships with long-range guns all fired at one Commonwealth ship, the Black Prince. The other seven Chinese ships boosted to near two hundred percent of max thrust to attempt to close within photon cannon range of the coalition forces.

Black Prince, hit by four of the shots, lost shields on its forward half and suffered a significant hull breach. Five of the Commonwealth’s shots connected, eliminating plasma shielding and punching holes in hulls. Fifteen seconds later, the Commonwealth ships fired again at the same targets. Four of the seven shots connected. One of the Chinese 527-types, now hit four times, veered off course, venting atmosphere, its shields down. Another, hit three times, had also lost its shields, and its nose was crumpled inward about a third of its length. The third, and luckiest SDN, only hit twice, had no shields and small but deep hull breaches.

Jonah switched the targeting to the 461-type battlecruisers. The enhanced powerplants on the Commonwealth ships enabled them to fire a shot every fifteen seconds. The Chinese were limited to a 40-second cycle on the 527s and a 75-second cycle on the 461s. Since shields were down on all three Chinese SDNs and lowering shields was the universally accepted sign of surrender, Jonah did not want to fire on an unshielded target. If any of the Chinese SDNs without shields fired again, then he would be justified in blowing them out of space.

At the 30-second mark, all seven Commonwealth ships fired at the three specially armed Chinese battlecruisers. Four shots hit—one each on two ships and two shots on one. The two 461s hit by one shot had lost shields on the front half of their ships. The other lost front shielding and suffered a gaping hull breach nearly half the length of the vessel long. Sensors indicated massive damage. At the 40-second mark, the third, least-damaged Chinese SDN fired again at Black Prince but missed. Jonah ordered Black Prince to return fire, with the other six Commonwealth ships targeting the battlecruisers.

At the 45-second mark, the seven Commonwealth superdreadnoughts fired again. Black Prince connected with her shot, blowing a large hole in the hull of the Chinese ship, forcing its reactors to eject. Three of the five shots aimed at the Chinese battlecruisers hit, one on each target. After these, none of the three Chinese ships had plasma shielding. Jonah issued a surrender demand.

The surrender demand went unheeded. At the 60-second mark, the Commonwealth ships fired at the two least-damaged Chinese battlecruisers armed with their version of the PBG. Five of the seven shots connected, destroying both of the targets. The seven remaining Chinese ships, two 527-type SDNs and five 461-type battlecruisers, were still charging forward and had reached photon cannon range of the Coalition force. The Coalition group of ten superdreadnoughts and seven battlecruisers returned fire.

Black Prince suffered drive damage and was out of the fight. Other Coalition ships were reporting shield failures and minor hull damage. At the 75-second mark, the PBGs of the six least-damaged Commonwealth ships fired again, targeting the Chinese superdreadnoughts. All seven shots hit home, taking advantage of shield failures from the photon cannon barrage. Both of the Chinese ships were destroyed. One crumpled in an implosion as its mass compensator was damaged. The other exploded when its reactors were hit.

The next fifteen seconds saw more damage inflicted by both sides. The Chinese battlecruisers were focused on the Commonwealth superdreadnoughts. Black Prince was gashed several more times where its shields were down. Roosevelt and Elizabeth Regina each reported that one of their PBGs had been shot away. Eisenhower and Edward I had damage to their EM drives and minor hull breaches. Centurion and Defender had several hull breaches, though none critical.

At the 90-second mark, the PBGs fired again. All six shots found their targets, destroying three Chinese battlecruisers and leaving yawning holes in the hulls of the other two. Seconds later, the Chinese escort ships lowered their shields in surrender—the two remaining battlecruisers, heavily damaged, had no shields left to lower.

18

After the battle, Jonah filed his report to the Admiralty. They captured or destroyed 13 Chinese capital ships. The seven Commonwealth ships suffered damage, but would all be able to return to Commonwealth space under their own power eventually. One hundred and seventeen members of the Royal Navy had lost their lives. Another 321 were wounded.

The Commonwealth ships were headed to Rotterdam Station to make the repairs necessary for them to return home safely. Due to the damage to the EM drives, they would not arrive until the next evening. The remainder of the Coalition ships waited by the entrance to the hyper corridor for the emergence of the Chinese transports. Admirals Schwarzkopf and Niimura sent their congratulations and thanks to Jonah and the Royal Navy. Though Jonah rarely paid attention to the news media, he did check this time, and news of their successful defense of Rotterdam made the headlines.

Before Jonah reached Rotterdam Station, there was an alert about the Chinese transports. They dropped out of hyperspace roughly 200 light-hours away from system R7812. Navigational sensors the Commonwealth attached to their hulls notified Captain Reed of their location via kewpie. Though Captain Reed threatened the Chinese captains with the destruction of the ships if they did this, the Chinese called her bluff.

Captain Reed’s escort ships were on their way to intercept the transports. They would drop out of hyperspace where the transports were and then shepherd them back to R7812. It would end up taking the better part of a month to complete the journey in regular space. It would be unpleasant duty for the marines who would be positioned on the hulls of the enemy ships to prevent the Chinese from trying to disarm the mines.

The Coalition ships would then force the Chinese to return to Rotterdam via hyperspace along the corridor without further delay. By this time, the transports would likely be short of food, so they would have to comply. The government of Rotterdam was probably relieved to have more time to prepare. They were scrambling to come up with a way of holding 500,000 prisoners of war and secretly must have welcomed the delay.

There was also a possibility that the Chinese would try to rescue these ships by sending a force to system R7812. If that happened, the mines placed on the drives of the transports would be detonated. The Chinese would then be responsible for retrieving their own people safely, but the transports would be unusable. The gravity of the star at the center of system R7812 would capture them and pull them to their destruction. This information was being shared with the Rodinans, who still had diplomatic relations with the Chinese republics.

Jonah oversaw the necessary repairs to his ships with the help of Lieutenant Baxter. By the third day, Eisenhower and Edward I were able to restore function to three of their four drives without developing a harmonic tremor. By the fourth day, Black Prince was able to form an Alcubierre field, enabling hyperspace travel. He ordered his force to return to Caerleon.

Because of the drive damage on different ships, it took slightly longer than normal. When they returned, Jonah reported to the Admiralty office on station. It was odd to realize that he would not be meeting Admiral Lothes. On the walk through the corridors to the office, Jonah ruminated about the many things that happened in the last few years. He did not doubt that any sane person would need a break.

Lothes guided the Royal Navy through a tumultuous time and her record of accomplishment in a fairly short period was amazing. On a personal level, she presided over the rise of his career. On a larger level, she was responsible for keeping the Royal Navy fighting through the lack of public support during the Rodinan war and through the extremely difficult years of this war, dealing with incompetent admirals and officers put into position by political influence in the first and the setbacks suffered at the beginning of the second. Her championing of the innovations brought forward by Director Niven and Advanced Warfare was, Jonah felt, her masterstroke.

Jonah arrived at the office and greeted the yeoman outside. The yeoman ushered him in without waiting. Admiral of the Fleet Karl Von Geisler stood, and they exchanged salutes.

“It seems like yesterday,” Von Geisler began, “that I gave you command of Cumberland and kicked you out of Fifth Fleet.”

Jonah thought about that meeting. It was only seven years ago. So much had happened, both good and bad, both for Jonah and the Commonwealth. He shook his head. “It’s been a pretty wild ride,” he concurred.

“And it’s not over,” Von Geisler commented. “At least, not any time soon, I think. You’ll be taking over Fifth Fleet. Your flagship, HMS Francis Drake, is waiting for you at Southampton. She’s one of the new Defenders. I can see the wheels turning in your brain, so I’ll confirm what you’re wondering—your flag captain is Joe Jacobs.”

“I thought he was placed in command of the Drake,” Jonah said. “It will be nice to work with him again. I’ll be sorry to leave Renee Fung behind. She’s special. Thanks.”

“Things have been interesting lately,” Von Geisler continued. “The Chinese transports are returning to system R7812. When the Coalition ships arrived, they were working feverishly on trying to remove the mines from their drives but were not successful. I would expect the Chinese will try to rescue the ships in R7812, but we will blow the drives. We announced that publicly to the Interplanetary Court so we cannot be accused of any sort of war crime. I still think they’ll do it since they don’t want us to have that kind of transport capability.

“The operation at Rotterdam was a big success,” Von Geisler continued. “Once again, people are singing your praises.”

“Honestly, Director Niven deserves the praise,” Jonah commented. “His new weapons on those sturdy old ships have kept us in this war.”

“And we know it,” Von Geisler confirmed. “He’s up for a knighthood, confidentially.”

“He deserves it.”

“Agreed,” Von Geisler commented. “One thing I need to let you know before you head to Southhampton is a policy I put in place in Fifth Fleet regarding pirates,” Von Geisler said.

Jonah’s eyebrows raised. He and his friend Pierre had enjoyed great success tracking down pirates and bringing them to justice in the Fifth Fleet area. That part of space offered access to New Delhi, Patagonia, Edo, Lutetia, Nyumbani, the Chinese, and the Rodinans. A clever operator, and there were a few who had been exceedingly clever, could find plenty of prey as long as he or she was willing to keep moving from system to system. Jonah could think of at least three that he had never been able to catch.

“I’ve offered a limited form of immunity to some of the bigger operators,” Von Geisler stated. “Think of it as what the old wooden-ship earth navies would have called a ‘letter of marque.’ As long as they restrict their depredations to Chinese shipping, I won’t go bothering them. A handful of them are using bases in empty systems along the borders that we claim. As long as they don’t attack a Commonwealth-flagged vessel, I’ve turned a blind eye to their activities. We have found it useful to trade information from time to time as well. They know that any attack on a Commonwealth ship will bring the full weight of the law upon their ears.”

“What sort of information do you exchange?” Jonah inquired.

“We don’t have all their ilk dancing to our tune,” Von Geisler explained. “Those who do work with us sometimes pass along where we might find one of their competitors who doesn’t, and we are happy to help in those circumstances. I am sending you a file with what you will need to know.”

“Who are the big players with whom you’ve set this up?” Jonah asked.

“Some old friends of yours,” Von Geisler said, smiling. “De la Cruz, Razin, O’Rourke, and Bikila are the main ones. They’ve brought some smaller operators along with them—the names are in the files.”

Jonah gaped at the names. Maria de la Cruz, Stenka Razin, Patsy O’ Rourke, and Abebe Bikila were the biggest pirates in the sector; ones that Jonah never had any luck in apprehending. He and Pierre both came close at times.

“You’re right, Karl,” Jonah admitted, “those are names I know well, though I wouldn’t necessarily call them friends.”

“Neither would I,” Von Geisler agreed, “but for the moment, they aren’t enemies.”

19

After boarding the courier boat that would take him to Southampton, Jonah accessed the comm console. He found the file Von Geisler had sent on his arrangements with the pirates in the sector. It made for interesting reading. The group of four pirates Karl mentioned were the most successful in that part of space for decades. At the moment, they were helping the Commonwealth by attacking unescorted Chinese shipping and were having a fair amount of success.

They were also helpful in transporting several unnamed ‘operatives’ to New Delhi and Lutetia. These ‘operatives’ were attached to MI-6, also known as the Special Intelligence Service—the Commonwealth’s spy agency. There was an MI-6 agent on board the Drake, whose job was to be the contact point with the pirates.

Later that day, Pierre Delhomme contacted him by comm. “Is this my old friend, Admiral Crapaud?” Jonah asked.

“The word ‘friend’ depends,” Pierre replied, “o Scourge of Rotterdam, on whether you’ll answer a few questions.”

“Hmmm… ‘Scourge of Rotterdam’…I like it,” Jonah responded. “Is that what they’re calling me now?”

“How the heck should I know?” Pierre protested. “I just made it up. Now, to the questions.”

“Fire away.”

“Who is taking over Fourth Fleet? When you got back from Rotterdam—good job, by the way—I didn’t expect them to put you in charge of Fifth Fleet.”

“No clue,” Jonah replied. “Who do you think it will be?”

“Why would I be asking you if I had any idea?” Pierre answered sarcastically. “Sheesh!”

“Well, given that Karl is the guy making the decision,” Jonah surmised, “it’s going to be someone we like, I’ll bet.”

“Probably,” Pierre agreed. “I’m thinking Mellon, but Hayes and Jacobs might also be in the running.”

“Not enough time in position for those two,” Jonah pointed out. “Great records, tremendous officers, well-qualified, but not enough months in the seat. Might be one of his people from Fifth, too. And don’t forget Renee Fung. By the way, have you set a date for your wedding yet?”

“I would love to, and so would Elaine. The only problem with that is it takes being in the same place as one’s fiancée to get married, and we have no idea when that will happen,” Pierre sighed.

“Feeling lonely?”

“You could say that,” Pierre agreed. “Well, I hate to do it, but I’m going to dash off. Since I know your life is as dull as mine, I at least have that satisfaction.”

“See ya,” Jonah said in farewell.

“Not if I see you first,” Pierre closed.

When he arrived at Southhampton Station, a shuttle from HMS Francis Drake was already waiting for him. He climbed aboard and flew to the ship. When he entered, Captain Jacobs prepared full side honors. “Welcome to the Drake,” he said after saluting.

Captain Jacobs served under Jonah before on HMS Severn. Severn was the first of the refurbished Columbia-class dreadnoughts to be returned to service and the first to be armed with the PBG. Jacobs later transferred to take command of a battlecruiser, HMS Indefatigable.

HMS Francis Drake was identical to the Defender of the Realm that was briefly Jonah’s flagship. From entering the ship, he proceeded to the enlisted mess where the transfer of command ceremony for Fifth Fleet would take place. It would be streamed live to the other ships.

After the ceremony, he returned to his ready room for a comm conference with the captains of the other capital ships and all the escorts. He reviewed their files on the journey out, and Admiral Von Geisler left him in good shape. Following that, he had a meeting with a Mr. Lynch, the MI-6 agent on board who was responsible for the unusual arrangements with the pirates in the sector.

Lynch was a non-descript man, a person that no one would look at twice. He appeared average in every way: moderate height, bland features, mouse-brown hair. Jonah did not know what he expected a spy to look like, but Lynch looked like an average everyday businessman. That illusion was dispelled once Jonah began talking with him. Lynch was sharp. He had a very solid grasp of the kind of people he was dealing with and their fundamental lack of trustworthiness.

“Right now,” Lynch commented, “they’re using us as much as we’re using them. They are with us because they prefer a universe with us in charge. The Chinese have a reputation for treating the pirates they capture quite brutally. We treat them according to the rule of law. As soon as the war is over, they’ll go back to being pirates, and we’ll go back to hunting them. For the moment, we are working together.”

A few days later, Renee Fung was promoted to Rear Admiral and assigned to command Fourth Fleet. She served under Jonah, so it was no surprise that he called her to congratulate her and give her a hard time. Captain Hayes, already cleared to return to duty, would take over Renee’s ship, HMS Defender of the Realm, as Renee’s flag captain.

20

The Chinese sent a group of five SDNs and eight battlecruisers to system R7812 in early June to try to win back their troop transports. The Coalition forces had no intention of fighting the Chinese for them. Instead, they set off the charges planted on the transports. The charges destroyed the EM drives, shearing them off the transports. The Coalition forces stopped and stayed in deep space. The transports continued on a ballistic course into system R7812.

As the transports coasted into the system, eventually, they would be trapped in the gravity well of the star. Once that happened, there would be no way for the Chinese to prevent the ships from accelerating past the 0.3c threshold at which the mass compensators would fail. The ships would implode and then fall into the star. The transports were so massive that salvage tugs could not save them. The Chinese would have nearly ten days to retrieve their soldiers before that happened.

The Chinese protested loudly, but the Commonwealth had been clear about the consequences. The Interplanetary Court refused to hear the Chinese complaint. An Edoan patrol boat sitting on an asteroid in system R7812 kept the coalition informed on the Chinese rescue efforts. A stream of freighters began entering the system and taking the soldiers from the transports.

Wang Xhu was out for a walk when the flitter arrived. He cut his walk short and returned to the house, expecting a summons from Dong Li. It was some time since her last visit. Before he reached the building, his guards grabbed him by the elbows and frog-marched him the rest of the way. They shoved him into the drawing room and forced him into a seat.

Dong Li was pacing, agitated, and clearly in a bad mood. Wang Xhu knew better than to speak. He waited for her to begin. It did not take long.

“We have had a setback,” she hissed, after making him wait a few minutes.

“I’m sorry to hear it,” Wang replied neutrally.

“Our invasion of Rotterdam failed,” she spat.

“That is a setback,” Wang offered.

“The Commonwealth came to their aid. They showed up at the last minute. Our intelligence failed us. We did not learn of it until our attacking force was already in hyperspace,” she said, the words coming out of her like air leaving a balloon. “Our attacking force was destroyed. The transports were captured. We tried to get them back, but they destroyed them.”

“With our troops on board?” Wang asked, horrified.

“No,” she said resignedly. “They gave us the opportunity to off-load them. But our transport capability is gone. We have some old transports in mothballs that we can restore to duty, but that will take time, and they are only one-quarter the capacity. Fortunately, our latest new construction has just finished. Another seven 527-types and ten 461-types will be joining the fleets as soon as their shakedown period is over. I am planning on dealing another blow to the Commonwealth.”

“Are you sure that’s the right thing to do?”

“The very fact of your asking me erases any doubt I may have had,” Dong said smugly. “We must. With us having no transport capability, the Commonwealth will surely try to liberate New Delhi—I would. I will be ready for the attempt, and when they commit to that attack, I will deal them a huge blow. Plus, we will know when they’re coming.”

“You have restored an intelligence operation?” Wang asked.

“In a sense. The Lutetians had a network of operatives in the Commonwealth, focused primarily on industrial espionage,” she explained. “Those operatives now work for us.”

“And you’re confident they have not been turned?”

“Completely,” she stated. “The consequences for them, and their families, would be most severe if any take a single misstep. We have already picked up rumblings from the Germans that they desire to mount an offensive on New Delhi as soon as possible. Edo is going along grudgingly. Rotterdam is all for it, though the resources they can add are minimal. I have moved enough ships to New Delhi that they must call on the Commonwealth for assistance. Consider it as the cheese for a mouse. When they arrive, I will use those ships to draw them into my trap and launch my attack.”

21

On July 5, Admiral Von Geisler held a comm conference with Jonah and the foreign secretary, Brian Stewart-Crosland. Stewart-Crosland opened the discussion. “With the success of the operation in Rotterdam, we have been receiving a bit of pressure from the Germans and Edo to mount a liberation effort for New Delhi. The Germans are particularly keen on the idea, as they suffered having their planet of New Bremen occupied by the Rodinans in the last war.”

“The Germans will supply the bulk of the troops,” Von Geisler added, “committing 250,000 men to the effort. Edo is willing to supply 100,000 soldiers. The Commonwealth will only be sending two Ranger divisions, just over 20,000 men, to act as advisers to insurgents on New Delhi. Though the Chinese have 1.5 million men on New Delhi, with control of space, the help of armed insurgents, and these resources, all the military minds agree that it is likely the liberation effort will be successful.”

“Where you come into this, admiral,” the foreign secretary continued, “is in securing the New Delhi System from the Chinese. The Chinese transferred what looks to be the better part of an entire fleet to New Delhi. Intelligence confirms there are six 527-type superdreadnoughts and ten 461-type battlecruisers in the New Delhi system right now.”

“We are going to commit Fifth Fleet to the attack,” Admiral Von Geisler confirmed, “along with the four Regents that just completed repairs and three of the Columbias. With the six SDNs and twelve battlecruisers in Fifth Fleet, plus the ships the Germans, Rotterdam and Edo are providing, we believe that will give us the strength to defeat the Chinese and force them out of the system.”

“What’s the launch date for this?” Jonah asked.

“Our Rangers will be ready to ship out as soon as we get the word from the Germans,” Von Geisler replied. “The Regents and Columbias are already in transit. I’d say within two weeks you’ll leave Southhampton. If you can clear the system, we’ll hope to be landing a month or so later. We would expect the Chinese to try to retake the system and don’t want transports in the middle of that.”

“Do you have more detailed information regarding the Chinese ships in the New Delhi System?” Jonah inquired.

“I’m sending you a file with everything we have now,” Von Geisler stated. “Please review it and holler with any questions.”

When Jonah received the file, he wondered what sort of forces were positioned at Hǎiwángxīng, the nearest naval base. He asked both Von Geisler and Mr. Lynch, the MI-6 agent. Both replied to him that the forces in New Delhi were the forces positioned earlier at Hǎiwángxīng but that no reinforcements had filled in behind them at the base, as far as they knew.

Knowing that the Chinese navy was stretched as thin as the Royal Navy, Jonah thought this reasonable. With the addition of the ships from the Coalition partners, Jonah would have a healthy advantage of better than 2-to-1 over the Chinese. He had nearly the same advantage in the number of ships with the PBG compared to the Chinese version.

Eleven days after the conference with Admiral Von Geisler, the four Regent-class superdreadnoughts, Edward I, Centurion, Elizabeth Regina, and Roosevelt, arrived. The next day the three Columbia-class dreadnoughts, Clyde, Murray, and Severn, arrived. Jonah held a comm conference for the captains of all the capital ships and the few escorts who would be accompanying them into the New Delhi System.

From Southhampton to New Delhi would take less than a week. There were two short hops through intermediate systems, K6923 and K6875, both claimed by the Commonwealth and controlled by them in times of peace. The coalition would rendezvous in the system nearest New Delhi and launch the attack. The Commonwealth and Edoan ships were equipped with the Swordfish missile defense, so they would lead the way into the system. The Chinese placed a large missile array just inside the hyper corridor entrance.

The rest of the warships would follow behind with a limited number of escorts. Once the coalition force held the system against an expected counterattack, the transports would arrive. The escorts with Jonah’s force would be tasked with destroying any space-based installations or satellites the Chinese established. The escorts accompanying the troop transports would then back up the ground forces from high overhead, ready to drop kinetic warheads on the Chinese if the ground troops called for them.

At one point, Pierre commed him, just to shoot the breeze it seemed. Jonah asked him if he and Elaine were any closer to setting a date for their wedding. Pierre exploded. “Goddamnit! If one more person asks me that, I’m going to tear his arms off!”

“Whoa, brother,” Jonah said, raising his arms in surrender. “Relax. I’m curious—not trying to press your buttons.”

 “I know,” Pierre said grumpily, recovering his temper. “It’s just…damned war.”

“I hear you, brother,” Jonah said, nodding sympathetically. “I hear you.”

“It doesn’t seem like it’s getting any closer to wrapping up either,” Pierre added. “And the Chinese aren’t willing to stand pat the way the Rodinans did. Hell, that war lasted seven years, and five of those were just sitting around and launching the occasional small raid. The Chinese keep rolling the dice.”

“Well, they knocked us down in the beginning, and they’re trying to keep it that way,” Jonah offered. “I think they’re trying to drag it out as long as they can so that they can walk away with at least New Delhi and Lutetia. If they can keep us on our heels for another couple of years, they’ll ask for peace talks and drag those out for a few years. Then removing them from Lutetia and New Delhi becomes a more difficult negotiation.”

“Do you think that will work?” Pierre asked.

“I wonder myself sometimes,” Jonah remarked. “I don’t think so. I think if we can hang on for another year or so, the pace of our ship-building will put us in control. We have another seventeen new ships due in a couple of months and forty more a few months after that, and another forty about six months later. Since the opening attack of the war, we’ve been trading losses back and forth with the Chinese. They had just enough new construction that they started mostly before the war that they’ve been able to replace their losses. We didn’t start any new construction until after the war began, so we’re still playing catch-up. And you have to admit the Defenders and Retributions are pretty sweet ships.”

“But what about the politicians?” Pierre asked.

“From what little I know,” Jonah replied, remembering his conversation with Lord Thorner, “the politicians do what the people want, and my understanding is that the Commonwealth is pretty pissed off. How long that feeling lasts, I won’t guess.”

“Then,” Pierre sighed, “another couple of years of this, at least.”

“Probably,” Jonah replied. “I just remember how bored I was for those few months in between. I guess I can say that, as frustrating as it has been, at least it hasn’t been boring.”

“Amen, brother,” Pierre agreed. “Look, I’ve got to run. I’m sorry for blowing up at you.”

“I’m sorry I pushed your buttons. I’ll catch you later,” Jonah closed.

22

On July 22, Jonah jumped out of the Southhampton System and headed for New Delhi. The Commonwealth ships would rendezvous with the Coalition forces in system K6923, and the plan was to enter the New Delhi System on July 30. The passage was uneventful. Jonah sent escorts ahead to scare away any Chinese patrol boats that were lurking in the systems leading to New Delhi, but he figured the Chinese would know they were coming even so.

The ships from all the coalition forces gathered in system K6923, adjacent to New Delhi. After exchanging kewpie pairs, Jonah assembled the Coalition forces in formation to enter the hyper corridor. They would exit 30 light-seconds before the end of the corridor to deal with the expected missile gauntlet. At 21:00, the first ships entered the hyper corridor. They would emerge in New Delhi at 06:37 the next morning.

When the Coalition ships winked back into normal space, they faced the expected missile array. The Swordfish defense systems on the Commonwealth and Edoan ships had no difficulty in disposing of it. What was unusual was the positioning of the Chinese fleet. The sixteen Chinese capital ships were not waiting at the hyper corridor but were instead deep in the gravity well, arranged in what would seem to be a planetary defense line.

Jonah made up his mind quickly and gave orders for the Coalition ships to shift to a new formation. The thirteen Commonwealth ships armed with the PBG would advance ahead of the rest. They would ease to within range of their PBGs and hammer the Chinese ships into submission. Because he wanted to match speed and course with the Chinese when he reached the range, the fleet would take nearly two days to be in position.

After issuing the orders, Jonah went to breakfast. Captain Jacobs was there, and they sat together. Jacobs had impressed Jonah as being very sharp. Jonah had heard from Captain Donan about Jacobs’ experience in OCS boot camp. He was an ROTC graduate. ROTC officers had to attend OCS boot camp to obtain their officer’s commission. According to Donan, Jacobs earned the highest scores on the exercises that the instructors ever saw but married that with the greatest number of demerits anyone ever accumulated and still managed to graduate the course. Jacobs had an irrepressible sense of humor that he learned to manage since.

As they ate, Jacobs asked, “Is there something about this that bothers you? I was expecting the Chinese to be waiting at the corridor. It bothers me a little that they weren’t.”

“I was expecting them to be there too,” Jonah admitted. “Finding them deep down the gravity well is unusual. It was bothering me a little, but your instincts are pretty good, so the fact that it is troubling you tells me maybe I’m missing something. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that they put themselves there on purpose so that we’d have to go down the gravity well to engage,” Jacobs replied. “Once we went down to engage, slowing to match their course and speed, what’s to stop them from dropping a force on top of us from L7233? We’d be caught like a mouse in a trap.”

Jonah thought through what Jacobs had said. After a minute, he nodded in agreement. “I think you might be right,” he admitted. “Now we’ve got to figure out a way of springing their trap early.”

Jonah commed Admiral Von Geisler. “Karl,” he began, “I have a dilemma.”

He popped the system astrographic up on a display that appeared for both of them. “The Chinese are waiting down the gravity well. We can’t accomplish our mission of paving the way for the troop transports without going down to get them. If we go down to get them, there’s a possibility that the Chinese will pop on top of us from L7233. There was something a little bit off about the way they were positioned, but Joe Jacobs had an even stronger feeling about it. The more I consider it, the more sure I am that is their plan. If I can’t figure out a way to spring their trap early, I’m tempted to scrub the mission. I want to get you on board before I do.”

Von Geisler paused a moment in thought. “I see what you mean,” he agreed. “I’m not so sure about scrubbing the mission just yet. There are a lot of pieces that needed to be put into motion to get this far, and I’ll wager that some won’t want to walk away so easily. Let’s think about how we can spring the trap without getting caught in it. What’s the transit time from L7233 to New Delhi?”

“Twelve hours and a bit,” Jonah answered.

“And we have no idea what’s hiding there,” Von Geisler murmured.

“Not at all,” Jonah confirmed.

“Hang on,” Von Geisler said, a smile on his face. “Get Agent Lynch on the comm.”

“Lynch?” Jonah asked.

“Lynch,” Von Geisler confirmed. “I’m pretty sure Patsy O’Rourke used to have her main base in L7233. She’d never admit it, but…get Lynch. I’ll wait.”

Jonah used his personal comm to buzz agent Lynch and ask him to come to his ready room. A few minutes later, there was a discrete knock on the door. Jonah opened it, and Lynch entered. Jonah ushered him to a seat where the console’s camera would pick him up easily.

“Hello, agent Lynch,” Von Geisler greeted him genially. “You might be able to help us quite a bit.”

“I’m all ears, admiral,” Lynch responded.

“Jonah, please explain the situation to him,” Von Geisler asked.

Jonah showed the astrographic projection to agent Lynch, detailing why he was concerned the Chinese were setting a trap for him. Lynch nodded in understanding. “If there is any way we can find out what sort of force is waiting to pounce, we could make an intelligent decision on whether to fish or cut bait. Karl said he thinks Patsy O’Rourke had a base in system L7233.”

“Whether she did, or does, she’ll never admit it,” Lynch remarked.

“I don’t care if she does or doesn’t,” Von Geisler retorted. “I just want to know if any Chinese ships are there and if so, how many and what type. How about this—offer a reward for information to your contacts. Sensor data, not hearsay. If any of them respond that they can obtain such information, let them know the offer is time sensitive—we need to know yesterday.”

“How much of a reward?” Lynch asked.

“How much would get their attention?” Von Geisler asked in return.

“£5 million,” Lynch replied, after giving it some thought.

“A bit less than I thought,” Von Geisler said, smiling.

“They don’t like the Chinese,” Lynch replied. “Not that they’re in love with us or anything.”

“Make the offer,” Von Geisler commanded. “If it makes them less uneasy, you can be the cut-out—we don’t need to know who supplies the information. You can handle getting them the funds. I’ll authorize a transfer to MI-6.”

“I need to contact some people,” Lynch said as he stood. “It will take a couple of hours to check with my superiors and then reach my contacts.”

23

Jonah rescinded his earlier movement orders and kept his force stationary just outside the hyper corridor that would take them back towards the Commonwealth. The Chinese in the system stayed where they were. They did not try to rise from the gravity well to meet the coalition force, nor did they retreat to the corridor leading to L7233. That, as much as anything, helped convince Jonah that there was a trap waiting to be sprung.

Jonah allowed Admiral Von Geisler and the foreign office to smooth things over with the Coalition governments. He had no such problems with Admirals Schwarzkopf, Niimura, and Kaminski. After Jonah explained his reasons for hesitating, they gave him their full support. Each of them thought it odd that the Chinese were waiting patiently down the gravity well. None of them wanted to rush headlong into a disaster.

A few hours after the initial meeting with Agent Lynch, Lynch confirmed that one of his contacts was sure he could get the information Jonah required. It took two more days for the information to arrive, during which time the stand-off between the Commonwealth and Chinese forces continued. When the information did arrive, Jonah felt it was worth every penny it cost to get it.

Lynch supplied Jonah with sensor data that showed the Chinese had a force waiting in L7233 of another five 527-type SDNs and eleven 461-type battlecruisers. The sensor data also provided emissions signatures. Four of the 527-types and six of the 461-types had emissions signatures not registered before. The unregistered emissions signatures meant those ships were built recently and not yet seen by a Royal Navy ship. They would be armed with the new artillery weapon.

Between New Delhi and L7233, the Chinese had a force of 11 SDNs, of which seven had the new weapon, and 21 battlecruisers, twelve armed with the new artillery. Jonah led the coalition force with fourteen SDNs—six armed with the PBG—and twenty-one battlecruisers, four of which had the PBG, plus the three Columbia-class dreadnoughts. If Jonah had been caught between the two Chinese forces, his coalition force might have been destroyed.

He passed the information along to the Coalition admirals and to Admiral Von Geisler. The Coalition admirals were united in their opinion that pressing on was foolhardy, but they needed to wait for orders. Within minutes Jonah heard back from Admiral Von Geisler with new orders: pull out. Jonah passed the order along to the other Coalition forces. The ships began to head for the hyper corridor.

Once they exited, the forces split up and went their separate ways. The Regent-class SDNs were ordered back to the other fleets. The other Coalition members went back to their home systems. Jonah had a comm conference with Admiral Von Geisler to wrap things up.

“If I had the Regents or a greater concentration of the Defenders and Retributions in one of the other fleets,” Von Geisler complained, “I would have launched an attack. To pull that many ships to New Delhi, the Chinese had to be thin everywhere else. We could have hit them hard. Damnit!”

“In another few months,” Jonah asked, “aren’t more Defenders and Retributions due?”

“Very soon,” Von Geisler answered. “Eight new Defenders, and nine Retributions, with another fifteen Defenders, and twenty-five Retributions a couple of months later.”

“Let’s try again,” Jonah suggested, “but not the same way.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Chinese knew we were coming, likely due to some leaks from the Coalition partners. If we form a task force for another attempt, they will try to set the same trap. Make our force massive, as though we were planning on taking them on in the New Delhi system but use mostly Victory-class SDNs and Dakota-class battlecruisers.”

Catching on, Von Geisler added, “When you enter New Delhi, if Lynch can confirm that the Chinese have assembled another large force in L7233, then we should be able to attack elsewhere. Good idea, Jonah. Let me take it from here.”

It took another six weeks, but Jonah did receive orders detailing a second attempt at landing troops on New Delhi. The Coalition force would reassemble in a month. Jonah would meet them in the same place, system K6923. This time, though, Jonah would have only his own two Defender-class SDNs, four Retribution-class battlecruisers, and three Columbia-class dreadnoughts that would be armed with the PBG. The rest of the Commonwealth force was older Victory-class SDNs and Dakota-class battlecruisers, which had conventional artillery.

Ships were being transferred between every fleet in the Royal Navy. When they assembled in the Southhampton System, Jonah had a task force of 15 SDNs and 25 battlecruisers, plus the three Columbias. They would add the Coalition ships to those: another four SDNs and seven battlecruisers. At Jonah’s recommendation, Admiral Von Geisler had shared the make-up of the Commonwealth force with the Coalition allies at the beginning of planning for the mission. At no point did he communicate that this mission might only be a feint. Indeed, if all went well, Von Geisler hoped to accomplish two objectives.

He provided Admiral Delhomme and Second Fleet with a force of eight of the new Defender-class SDNs, plus the six Regents. He also increased the number of the new Retribution-class battlecruisers to twelve in Second Fleet. Pierre would launch his attack through the Hercules System, timed to begin shortly before Jonah entered the New Delhi System. Von Geisler hoped the threat from Second Fleet would force the Chinese to withdraw the forces waiting outside New Delhi.

Second Fleet was to advance into Chinese space until they encountered significant resistance. Von Geisler was confident they would reach the Chinese naval base in the Límíng System and be able to destroy it before the Chinese were able to transfer ships to counter that attack. If the Chinese did not counter, there was a possibility Second Fleet could advance to New Beijing and force an end to the war. Admiral Delhomme was not to engage the enemy unless the numbers were greatly in his favor. Jonah and the Coalition task force would wait for confirmation from agent Lynch’s contacts that the Chinese force lurking outside the New Delhi System in system L7233 had withdrawn. Once word was received, Jonah would launch his attack.

Admiral Delhomme and Second Fleet set off from Hercules. They would travel through system H2813 then through system H2896, with the goal of entering the Chinese Múxīng system on the same day that Jonah’s force would rendezvous with the Coalition ships, on October 15. Jonah and the coalition forces would enter the New Delhi System the next day.

Jonah met up with the Coalition forces. In his briefing, he warned them that intelligence reported the Chinese added to their forces in the New Delhi System. ONI and MI-6 estimated the Chinese now had eight 527-type SDNs and fifteen 461-type battlecruisers. Of these, seven 527s and eleven 461s were armed with the new artillery. As before, the warships would enter the system first while the troop transports waited to proceed. Jonah cautioned that while the Coalition had enough force to win the battle against the Chinese ships in New Delhi, it would not be a bloodless affair.

Admiral Niimura asked whether there was any intelligence regarding Chinese forces waiting in system L7233. Jonah told him he was waiting on an update. He didn’t know whether Admiral Von Geisler’s plan would succeed in drawing off the Chinese ships he expected to be hiding in system L7233, and the plan was not shared with the allies.

Just after he finished the briefing, Jonah reached out to his friend, Admiral Delhomme. When he connected, he greeted Pierre, saying, “Bonjour, Admiral Crapaud!”

“Well, if it isn’t the monocular man himself,” Pierre retorted. “Jealous much?”

“Jealous?” Jonah asked.

“Jealous,” Pierre confirmed. “They normally give these plum assignments to you—blasting into enemy space for a bit of sacking and looting, then giving you a fancy medal at the end. I’ll bet your nose is seriously out of joint that they’re making you be a decoy.”

Jonah knew Pierre wasn’t serious, so he took the dig with good humor. “When they asked me to take it on,” he countered with an aristocratic drawl, “I told them I was bored with the whole sacking and looting thing. It gets old when you’ve been as successful as I’ve been. I told them it was someone else’s turn. I recommended Blutarsky. I wonder whose butt you had to kiss to get the assignment.”

“The list is long and distinguished,” Pierre commented proudly.

“Don’t be in any hurry for the medal, though,” Jonah suggested. “Both of mine came after losing body parts.”

“Yeah,” Pierre said, “I kind of forgot about that part. Maybe if I blow enough crap up and manage to return without getting blasted to bits, they’ll finally realize there’s more than one way to get the job done.”

“Jeez, I hope so,” Jonah replied. “That’s really why I turned it down. Don’t want to have to wear those regen tubes again. Did I ever tell you how much my arm and leg itched, even though they weren’t there?”

“Only every single day for a year,” Pierre cracked.

“What can I say? Suffering I like; it’s just the pain I can’t stand.”

Pierre cracked up at that. “Good one. I’ll have to remember that.”

“First one’s free,” Jonah remarked. “After that—”

“So, if you’re not jealous,” Pierre inquired, “why are you calling?”

“Can’t an old friend wish another old friend good luck,” Jonah protested, pretending to be aggrieved, “without his motives being called into question? What a cynical age we live in…ok, I am a little bit jealous.”

“I knew it,” Pierre cackled. “Nyah, nyah!”

“But I do wish you the best of luck,” Jonah said sincerely. “Do it the right way—without getting body parts blown off.”

“Will do, buddy,” Pierre replied. “Good luck on your part too. I’d offer the same advice, except you seem to like dismembering yourself.”

24

Admiral Delhomme’s incursion into the Múxīng system found the Chinese had no capital ships in the system. After announcing his intentions, he blew up the orbital station and some industrial facilities circling the main planet. Second Fleet continued on, heading to the Límíng system, where there was a naval base.

Von Geisler contacted agent Lynch to purchase information from system L7233, particularly for news regarding the Chinese pulling out and returning deeper into their own space in the direction of New Beijing. Jonah and the Coalition force jumped into New Delhi on schedule. When the Coalition force arrived, they found the Chinese force boosting out of the gravity well, heading to the hyper corridor to system L7233. There was a missile array set up to meet them, but it posed no problem.

Jonah issued orders to accelerate on a course towards the L7233 corridor. Twenty-four hours later, they received two pieces of news. The first was when seven Chinese 527-type SDNs and nine 461-type battlecruisers emerged out of hyperspace from the L7233 corridor. Only one of the 527s and two of the 461s were armed with the new weapon. The other news was from agent Lynch who confirmed that the Chinese stationed a massive force in system L7233 that broke in two directions. There were seventeen 527s and twenty-two 461s. The ships not heading to New Delhi were aimed in the direction of New Beijing.

Jonah smiled to hear it. The Chinese were forced to abandon their plan to trap his force. Now it would be a straightforward dog fight for control of New Delhi. He wondered how Pierre would fare and when he would encounter his first serious opposition. He sent Admiral Von Geisler a message informing him that the Coalition force was intending to attack.

On paper, the numbers favored the Coalition slightly but hidden behind the numbers was the fact that the Chinese forces had 21 ships armed with the new artillery while the Coalition forces had only nine. Jonah planned to neutralize the Chinese advantage by making the battle a long-distance engagement to start. One thing he was looking for in previous engagements was the failure of the massive electrical conduits on the Chinese ships. It hadn’t happened yet because the engagements had been too short.

He hoped to stretch things out and prolong a long-distance engagement between his PBG-armed ships and their ships with the Chinese version of it. The emissions signatures of the Chinese ships with the new artillery were all known, so all had seen action before this point and fired their new weapons. If their electrical conduits failed, as he and Director Niven both thought they would, then he should see evidence after two or three shots.

The Chinese forces were converging, with both angling toward the Coalition ships. Jonah directed the Coalition force to head on an oblique angle, heading further away from the center of the system. The course was neither a retreat nor an advance. His goal was to entice the Chinese into eventually adopting a parallel course. If the Chinese did not change course to match him, this route would at least allow Jonah to stay further out of the gravity well, giving him a slight advantage.

The two groups of Chinese ships merged and then began to slow. Over the next twelve hours, they moved into a course that orbited the central star of the system. It appeared they would position themselves between the Coalition and the planet of New Delhi. Jonah ordered the Coalition to swing around now. They would approach the Chinese ships from further out and from behind as well.

The Chinese did not react to his change of direction, staying on their orbital course. It appeared they were content to allow Jonah to bring the battle to them. Jonah allowed the distance between the two forces to close gradually, waiting to see if the Chinese changed their minds. Gradually the two forces neared one another.

Given the advantage of position, Jonah could choose the time of engagement. He contacted the Coalition admirals and shared that information so they could make any adjustments to their duty rosters. He asked his captains to do the same. On the morning of October 21, the Coalition fleet was easing into position. Closest to the Chinese were the two Defenders, Francis Drake and Montgomery. Aligned with them were the three Columbia-class dreadnoughts, Severn, Murray, and Clyde, and the four Retribution battlecruisers, Mars Ultor, Allecto, Francis Marion, and Sheridan.

These nine ships were armed with the PBG and would engage in a long-range artillery duel with the twenty-one ships of the Chinese with their version. The Commonwealth ships could generate more than twice the rate of fire. Jonah knew that if Director Niven’s supposition were true about the conduit issues the Chinese might have, then he would win this battle. If the Chinese solved that problem, then the battle would be tooth and nail.

Jonah had no illusions. He knew his nine ships would get hit hard. He felt they would all survive. Even better, he was confident they would whittle down the numbers of the Chinese force and enable the conventionally armed Coalition ships to overwhelm the Chinese. Whether the Chinese stayed to fight, he could not predict.

As the hour crept to 08:00, the gap between his ships and the Chinese closed. The nine Commonwealth ships began to spin slowly to lessen the chance of multiple shots hitting in the same spot. They also began evasive action, referred to as ‘drunk walking’ since the maneuvers resembled the lurching of a drunk trying to make his way down a street.

Jonah’s two Defenders could fire every fifteen seconds. The four Retributions and three Columbias could fire every thirty seconds. The Chinese SDNs could fire only every forty seconds and their battlecruisers only every seventy-five seconds. Every minute that elapsed would give a larger advantage to the Commonwealth ships.

Jonah and Lieutenant Baxter, in their shipsuits, watched the action on the holographic display in his ready room. Jonah eased his ships into position. All nine of the Commonwealth ships armed with the PBG and all 21 of the Chinese ships armed with their version fired at the same time. Jonah felt a jolt in the Francis Drake as a Chinese shot hit home. Sensor blooms lit up the display. In the first salvo, the Commonwealth’s gunnery was slightly better than that of the Chinese, at least on a percentage basis. The Commonwealth aimed at the eight specially-armed Chinese SDNs and one of their battlecruisers. Six of the nine shots found a target, all on SDNs. Eleven of the 21 Chinese shots hit the Commonwealth ships.

There were some shield failures on the Commonwealth ships but no hull breaches. After fifteen seconds, Francis Drake and Montgomery fired again at the SDNs, again with a miss and a hit. At thirty seconds, all nine Commonwealth ships fired with the same targets as the first salvo. Five of the nine shots hit, all on SDNs again. The Commonwealth gunnery was focused on the eight Chinese 527-type superdreadnoughts armed with their new artillery since they had a quicker cycle time, at 40 seconds, compared to their 461-type battlecruisers at 75 seconds.

So far, all eight of the Chinese SDNs received a hit, with three of those having been hit twice. Sensors indicated that those there were hit twice suffered significant damage. At the 40-second mark, five of the Chinese SDNs fired again. Only three of the shots found their targets. Another shot hit Francis Drake, causing more shield failures. Montgomery was hit twice and suffered a minor hull breach. Drake and Montgomery returned fire at 45 seconds, aiming at two SDNs that only absorbed one hit. Again, there was one hit and one miss.

At sixty seconds, all nine Commonwealth ships fired another complete salvo at the four less-damaged Chinese SDNs and five battlecruisers. Five shots found their targets: three SDNs and two battlecruisers. Sensor blooms appeared on the display. Notes appended to each ship’s icon, detailed damage observed or, in the case of the Commonwealth ships, reported. Six of the Chinese SDNs were showing large-scale shield failures. Two had hull breaches big enough to have been noted by the sensors.

When the 75-second mark arrived, eleven of the thirteen Chinese battlecruisers fired a salvo, all aimed at Drake and Montgomery. Drake was hit by four shots, Montgomery by three. In his ready room, the impact of the Chinese artillery was enough to knock Jonah from his seat. More shield brownouts and outright failures were reported, along with a yawning hull breach on Drake and a second breach on Montgomery. Drake and Montgomery also fired, with both shots finding their targets.

Five seconds later, it was the turn of the Chinese SDNs to fire. Only two of the nine got a shot off. Drake and Montgomery were both hit once. Both ships suffered significant hull breaches, but so far, none were serious enough to lessen the combat performance of either ship.

At ninety seconds, the nine Commonwealth ships unleashed a full salvo. Five more hits were recorded on the two Chinese SDNs that were able to fire. The display updated a few seconds later, indicating significant hull damage on all the Chinese SDNs with the long-range weapon. Jonah issued orders to his ships to move their targeting to the Chinese battlecruisers.

Fifteen seconds later, the two Defenders fired again. Both shots hit. At the two-minute mark, all nine of the Commonwealth ships launched their own salvo, with five shots hitting home. Immediately following, the display updated. The Chinese ships were breaking off the action, turning away in the direction of the star at the center of the New Delhi System. None of their damaged 527-type SDNs were able to match the course change, and three of the 461-type battlecruisers continued to drift forward.

Jonah issued a surrender demand to the eleven ships that did not turn away with the others. Only two of them had any semblance of plasma shielding left. When those few remaining shields dropped, he ordered the Retributions and Columbias to pursue the departing Chinese force and to engage when possible. The seven Commonwealth ships would have a long chase but might have the opportunity to pick off a few more of the Chinese who were obviously planning to swing around the star and return to system L7233.

Jonah issued an order to commence search and rescue operations and broadcast that same permission to the Chinese ships. He was pleased to see shuttles departing from two of the Chinese ships a few minutes later. Between Drake and Montgomery, they suffered sixteen crewmen dead and one hundred forty-three wounded, with another thirty-two missing. Those missing were sucked into space when the hulls of their ships had been breached.

Royal Marines from the Commonwealth’s Victory-class SDNs and Dakota-class battlecruisers flew over to take control of the surrendered Chinese ships. The marines on Drake and Montgomery were engaged in damage control operations and could not be spared. Jonah would wait until he was certain those ships were secure before he relaxed.

As Jonah’s excitement from the battle began to lessen, he wondered how his friend Pierre was doing on the other side of Chinese space. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, he had his hands full. Two of the five Chinese ships completely lost power, and their batteries could only sustain their life support systems for a few more hours. The Chinese crewmen would need to be transferred to the Coalition ships and kept under guard. Search and rescue operations were continuing.

Damage control was another area that was of concern. Both Drake and Montgomery suffered hull breaches, plasma shield failures, and their Alcubierre fields, necessary for faster-than-light travel, had large holes in coverage. Two of the hull breaches, one on each ship, were large enough that they would need a visit to the shipyard for repair. Damage control teams were already busy replacing the plasma shielding and relocating the Alcubierre field generators.

The four Retribution battlecruisers and three Columbia dreadnoughts were still in pursuit of the Chinese force that was heading to the hyper corridor exit. If the Chinese slowed to enter hyperspace at the customary 0.23c, twenty-three percent of light-speed, the Commonwealth ships would have some opportunities to close the distance and engage in a long-range artillery duel. Entering hyperspace at faster than 0.23c did not affect the transit time through the hyperspace corridor but did involve the risk of premature ejection from the corridor into deep space or what was termed a re-entry paradox. At 0.23c and slower, a formation of ships would leave hyperspace in the same formation as they entered. Above that speed, it was believed minute gravitational forces influenced the relative positions of multiple ships. A re-entry paradox was two ships trying to return to normal space in the same spot.

Fifty-six hours after the Chinese force broke off the engagement, they reached the hyper corridor leading to system L7233. After coming around the star at the center of the system, four more of the Chinese 461-type battlecruisers that Jonah’s force had hit in the earlier encounter began to decelerate. They were forming a blocking force to slow the Commonwealth ships pursuing. Jonah figured those ships had damage to their Alcubierre fields and could not make the transition to hyperspace. He weighed the risk to his ships which were pursuing. He ordered them to match course and speed with the Chinese ships that were slowing instead of trying to force their way past.

When the Commonwealth pursuers slowed enough to prevent them from catching the bulk of the Chinese forces heading to the hyper corridor, the four ships left behind lowered their shields in surrender. The Coalition troop transports were poised and waiting to make the jump into the New Delhi System from system K6923. When the twenty-four Chinese ships left the system, he ordered salvage tugs to come for the four most recently surrendered Chinese ships. The eight SDNs nearby that surrendered were all badly damaged and would likely be scuttled instead of salvaged.

Jonah received a comm from Admiral Von Geisler. “Well done,” Von Geisler congratulated. “I’ve received your action reports and understand that Drake and Montgomery took damage. At this point, you’ll just have to tough it out. I can’t pull you from the system since I expect the Chinese to counterattack. Pierre is already on his way back. He got as far as the Cǎodì System before running into serious opposition.

“There were only a handful of escort ships at the Chinese base at Límíng. He did blow a lot of stuff up along the way, though: three orbital stations, a naval base and shipyard, a bunch of industrial facilities, and half a dozen cloud scoops. All in all, both operations a success, so far.”

Admiral Von Geisler had sent Third Fleet to reinforce Fourth Fleet in the Avalon System. He did not know whether the Chinese would counterattack and if they did, whether they would come directly into the New Delhi System or whether they would come through the Avalon System. The only place he knew they would not come was through the systems Admiral Delhomme and Second Fleet had just attacked.

He had spoken with Admiral Belyaev, who had made a personal promise that they would not allow the Chinese to traverse Rodinan space without at least passing along a warning to the Commonwealth. This freed the Commonwealth’s Third Fleet to an extent. The Rodinans were still recovering from the seven years of war they had waged against the Commonwealth and were not in a position to prevent the Chinese from crossing their space. Advance warning, though, would give the Commonwealth the ability to move ships from Avalon and prevent the Chinese from reaching Caerleon unopposed.

Von Geisler issued orders to transfer three of the new Defender-class SDNs and five of the new Retribution-class battlecruisers to Jonah’s command. Jonah would, in turn, release three of the older Victory-class SDNs and five Dakota-class battlecruisers to head back in exchange.

Jonah expected the Chinese to counterattack as soon as they could muster their ships. Repairs to Drake and Montgomery would be incomplete without a visit to the shipyard. While they managed to restore shielding, there were still holes in their hulls that could not be fixed. They managed to restore the Alcubierre fields in spite of those holes.

Jonah established missile arrays at the entrance to the New Delhi System and the exit of system L7233. He stationed a patrol boat parked on an asteroid in system L7233 so they would not need to rely on pirates selling information to them. He set up his ships near the hyper corridor.

If repairs were made to the two Defenders in time, Jonah would have a task force of 15 SDNs and 25 battlecruisers, plus the three Columbias. They would add the Coalition ships to those: another four SDNs and seven battlecruisers. The Chinese would have at least the 24 ships that had escaped New Delhi earlier, likely joined by some of the 23 that had been pulled out of system L7233 to chase Delhomme away. If the Chinese did not pull any other ships into the fray, the numbers would be roughly even. Having dinner in the Officer’s Mess, Jonah and Jacobs discussed what was to come.

“This could be the battle that wins or loses the war,” Jacobs suggested. “Whichever side comes out of this engagement stronger will have the upper hand.”

25

Wang Xhu woke to the sound of a flitter approaching. Given that it was the middle of the night, he figured Dong Li was coming to visit him. At that hour, it would likely not be good news, so he forced himself out of bed and quickly got dressed. If she were going to kill him, he wanted to be clothed in more than his underwear.

When the guards arrived, they found him sitting calmly on the side of his bed. “C’mon, old man,” one barked, “she wants to see you.”

The guards led him to the usual drawing room. When he entered, he saw Dong Li pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. When she saw him, she imperiously commanded him to sit. She continued to pace for several minutes. She stopped and glared at him.

“How may I be of service?” he asked mildly.

“You’re dressed,” she snapped back.

“Yes,” Wang Xhu answered. “I told you I would prefer not to die in my underwear if it can be helped.”

“You think I came to kill you?”

“I think it is a possibility on every visit you make,” Xhu replied. “I’m somewhat surprised it hasn’t happened already. My continued existence must still be of some use to you, though for what I can’t quite determine.”

“It amuses me to keep you alive,” she snorted. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Given the hour,” he said, changing the subject, “and given your state of restlessness, I can only imagine we have had a setback of some sort.”

Li dropped herself into an armchair. “Yes,” she sighed, “you could say that.”

“What has taken place?” Xhu asked gently.

“The Commonwealth and a smattering of ships from the remaining non-aligned powers have forced our ships out of the New Delhi System. Knowing the non-aligned powers wanted us to be removed from New Delhi, we baited a trap for them.”

“I take it from your unhappiness,” Xhu suggested, “that they managed to spring your trap before you could catch the mouse.”

“Yes,” she admitted, “but at least they did not take the cheese…yet. New Delhi remains under our control for now. The Coalition opposing us has not yet brought troop transports into the system. They are waiting for us to counterattack.”

“And we will?”

“I don’t know yet. It seems they used the invasion of New Delhi as a feint. We had a force poised to attack in the system adjacent, but the Commonwealth launched an attack through Múxīng and continued to Límíng. They finally turned around at Cǎodì without engaging the force we sent to intercept them. In order to counter that threat, we needed to draw down the force we positioned to trap the Coalition in New Delhi. We lost another fifteen ships in the engagement.”

“It sounds as though the attack through Múxīng was the feint,” Xhu suggested.

“Whatever,” Li replied, waving her hand. “There is other unsettling news.”

Xhu waited for her to continue. When she did not, he prompted, “Which is?”

“It appears there is a problem with the new artillery weapon that has proven to be so successful,” she sighed. “Some of the ships which escaped New Delhi reported failures in the electrical conduits that power the guns. The engineers tell me that the power conduits collapsed after a certain number of shots. Some failed after ten shots; some withstood as many as a dozen. We have compiled an analysis of all the ships and will need to replace the power conduits on nearly all of them before we can trust them in another battle. That will delay the refits we already started.”

“Refits?”

“Yes,” Li confirmed. “The design of the 527- and 461-type ships armed with the new weapon is little different from earlier construction. We began equipping older ships with the new weapon about a month ago.”

“The need to replace the conduits,” Xhu said, returning to the previous subject. “This will delay your counterattack?”

“Yes,” she admitted, “but I do not know yet if it will prevent it. For now, the Coalition forces have not brought their troop transports into the New Delhi System. They do not want to begin a landing that might need to be aborted if we counterattack. Every day they delay works to our advantage.”

“I can see how it would,” Xhu admitted. “Are you committed to a counterattack?”

“I am…uncertain,” Li admitted. “What would you do?”

“What is the state of any new construction?” Xhu asked. “The ships we authorized before the war have by now all been built. Are there any others under construction?”

“Yes, there are seven SDNs and ten battlecruisers that are nearing completion. After that, there are eight SDNs and sixteen battlecruisers that will be completed in roughly fourteen months,” Li informed him, “with another like number due twelve months later.”

“Are the numbers of our forces in parity with the Commonwealth right now?” Xhu asked.

“Roughly,” she replied. “They may have the advantage, but their borders are more extensive, spreading them more thinly.”

“From your Lutetian contacts, do we know how many ships they have under construction?”

“The numbers those people have reported are ludicrous and cannot be trusted,” Li spat. “They have claimed the Commonwealth has begun building nearly a hundred ships that will be completed in the next fifteen months. That is impossible. MSS estimates the actual number will be half of that.”

“Mmmm, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Xhu suggested. “If your counterattack on New Delhi succeeds, what would you do next?”

“If we are successful and destroy the Coalition fleet,” Li stated, “I would make another attempt to take Rotterdam. At some point in a bit over a year, I would approach the Commonwealth and offer to begin peace talks. I would stretch those discussions out as long as possible and end the war with New Delhi, Lutetia, and Rotterdam under our control.”

“And if your counterattack on New Delhi fails,” he asked, “or is a draw? Leaving the Commonwealth in control of the New Delhi System?”

“Then I would approach the Commonwealth and offer to begin peace talks immediately,” she shrugged. “I would call for an immediate cease-fire and leave all forces in place. That would still give us control of New Delhi and Lutetia. So, what would you do if you were still in power?”

“I would approach the Commonwealth immediately to begin peace talks,” Xhu responded. “I would not wait for the outcome of your counterattack. I would want to come to the table with near-parity in the sizes of our fleets. Like you, I would drag things out as long as possible. I would insist on keeping Lutetia but would be willing to bargain away New Delhi if necessary.”

Dong Li gave him a feral grin. “Thank you for your wise counsel,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I now know what I must do.”

“Which is?”

“I must press forward with the counterattack, of course,” she stated smugly. “Doing the opposite of what you suggest has worked well for me and the republics so far.”

26

Two days after his dinner with Captain Jacobs, Jonah received a comm from Admiral Von Geisler: “Jonah, I have interesting news. ONI has been crawling all over the Chinese ships that surrendered. They found actual or imminent conduit failure on the SDNs that surrendered in New Delhi.”

“Director Niven was predicting that would happen,” Jonah mentioned. “I’ve sort of been hoping it would have already happened by now.”

“Well, Niven claims that the lower power load available to the Chinese has given them an extra couple of shots before they fail, compared to his earlier calculation. His earlier calculations were based on our power draw.”

Jonah shrugged, acknowledging the logic of this.

“Regardless, Jonah, if we know, so do the Chinese,” Von Geisler continued. “This will likely delay their expected counterattack. I’ve bounced this information upstairs, and discussions with the Coalition partners about when to proceed with the liberation of New Delhi have moved to a higher level. I expect we will order the transports forward soon any minute.”

Jonah queried back, “How much time does the conduit problem buy us?”

“ONI estimates a minimum of thirty days,” Von Geisler answered. “With transit times, likely six weeks.”

“Enough time to get Drake and Montgomery to Southhampton and back?”

“Already have some of Southhampton on its way to you,” Von Geisler replied with a grin. “I sent a group of yard dogs and a bunch of equipment on a fast transport. They reviewed your damage-control reports and feel confident they’ll be able to patch you up in plenty of time. There is more bad news, however.”

“How bad?” Jonah asked.

“Because the Chinese 527-types armed with their version of the PBG are little different from the older 527s, Director Niven at Advanced Warfare believes it is possible that they have begun retrofitting the new weapon onto older hulls. It is possible that some of the older ships have the new weapon.”

“Given that, any chance you could find another couple of ships you could send my way?” Jonah asked.

“I would if I could,” Von Geisler said, shaking his head. “But until we see more of how the Chinese deploy, I can’t take the risk. And by the time we know how they’ve deployed, it will likely be too late to get you any help.”

“Understood, admiral. I had to ask,” Jonah explained.

“I know,” Von Geisler agreed. “I suppose I don’t need to tell you that this battle, if it happens, might determine the outcome of the war.”

“Joe Jacobs and I were discussing that over dinner a couple of nights ago,” Jonah admitted.

With a smile, Von Geisler stated, “Just wanted to make sure you knew what was at stake. Not like you’ve ever been in this position before—”

Jonah laughed. They ended the comm shortly after. He buzzed Captain Jacobs and passed along the information he’d received.

The next day, Jonah read a message that stated the troop transports entered the hyper corridor to New Delhi, and the landings would take place. An H-hour for the start of the landings was given, roughly 31 hours away. Jonah transmitted the orders to the escort ships of the Coalition force to begin kinetic bombardment of previously identified targets on the schedule already prepared by the ground forces commanders. Once the Chinese left the New Delhi System, the escort ships began destroying any Chinese satellites they could find and seizing any Chinese shipping in the system. With those tasks complete, the escorts moved into orbit of the planet, waiting for the orders he just transmitted.

The Chinese were careful to position air-defense installations and troop barracks as near to civilian populations as they could. Though this was contrary to the spirit of the Concordat of 3009, it was not specifically prohibited. Fortunately, the resistance to the Chinese takeover was well-organized from the beginning. The Coalition knew where every one of these installations was. The Concordat did specifically prohibit an occupying power from preventing a civilian population from leaving a threatened area. The Coalition ships began broadcasting the coordinates of the targets they had identified in Hindi, English, and Chinese to warn residents of the need to evacuate. They also had the ability, through the resistance networks, to communicate the same warnings if the Chinese tried to jam the transmissions. Undoubtedly, there would be a very few defense installations in more rural areas that would not be known, but with the Coalition ships in orbit, their destruction would be a matter of moments.

The Coalition would only be landing about 400,000 soldiers to face the 1.5 million-member Chinese force, but agent Lynch had been diligently smuggling small arms onto New Delhi to support nearly 500,000 insurgents. In addition, the invading force would be bringing enough weapons to arm at least that many, plus heavier weapons that might be needed. The key to a successful liberation, though, was control of the space above the planet. If the Coalition controlled orbital space above New Delhi, any concentration of Chinese troops could be targeted and eliminated within seconds.

Unfortunately, the ground forces commanders had told Jonah that how the Chinese soldiers reacted to the invasion would not tell him a great deal about what he should expect in terms of a naval counterattack. They cautioned that even a mass surrender and a complete capitulation by the ground forces meant nothing. If the Chinese regained control of orbital space, the role of victor and vanquished could change in an instant.

The landings proceeded on schedule with very few surprises. The Chinese dispersed their forces and were forcing the Coalition and the insurgents to fight for every inch of territory. They shunned large troop concentrations that could be targeted from space and were using small unit tactics to make the fight house-to-house and street-to-street. The Coalition and insurgents were making progress, but it was slow and costly.

A week after the landings, the promised fast transport carrying repair technicians and equipment arrived. The yard dogs immediately swarmed over Drake and Montgomery. They even brought sections of hull plating to cover the breaches. Jonah made a point of visiting the enlisted mess when he knew they were eating. He thanked them for their help.

An enormous dark-skinned man with a bald head but full beard stood up from the table, stuck his hand out, and said, “Happy to help, admiral.”

Jonah’s hand was engulfed. He noticed the command master chief’s stripes on the man’s shirt, and his nametag read: Robinson. Taking a chance, Jonah asked, “I know Robinson isn’t the most unusual name, but are you—”

“Yessir, admiral,” the man responded, his voice sounding like gravel being rolled in a can. “Dolores is my cousin. I’m Gene.”

“Pleased to meet you, Gene,” Jonah said.

“The pleasure’s mine,” the man said, chuckling. “And besides that, we’re all friends of Tom Bradshaw and Dougie Allroyd.”

Jonah broke into a big grin. “You mind if I sit down and join you guys?”

Tom Bradshaw joined the navy after being on a ship captured by pirates. Jonah, a young lieutenant at the time, was assigned to take the ship to prize court after its recapture. Unknown to them, two of the pirates hid in a smuggling compartment and retook the ship, killing the other members of the prize crew. With Bradshaw’s help, Jonah managed to overpower them and return to safety. Bradshaw then shadowed Jonah throughout his career, always managing to get posted to whatever ship Jonah was assigned to. He claimed it was to keep Jonah out of trouble. Doug Allroyd was a good friend of Bradshaw’s and was on the cruiser HMS Cumberland when it was destroyed under Jonah’s command. Bradshaw later died when the battlecruiser HMS Indomitable was blown up during the operation to liberate the New Bremen System from the Rodinans. Dolores Robinson was Jonah’s master chief after Bradshaw and survived a couple of harrowing assignments under Jonah’s command.

Jonah spent the better part of the next hour chatting with the yard dogs. They traded stories about Tom, Doug, and Dolores, sharing quite a few laughs. Jonah shared with them Tom’s last moments and how he left his unexpected fortune to support the orphans of navy crew who died in action. Gene shared that Dolores was now a command master chief like him, still assigned to Second Fleet. The time flew by, and Gene and the others had to get back to work. Jonah shook their hands as they left the mess and thought he had just spent one of the more pleasant hours he had enjoyed in quite some time.

27

Over the next five weeks, repairs to Drake and Montgomery were completed. The three Defenders and five Retributions arrived, while three Victories and five Dakotas departed. Freighters arrived with supplies for both the naval forces and the ground forces on New Delhi. The liberation of the planet continued. The Chinese were still fighting, and losses were growing on both sides. The patrol boat Jonah stationed in System L7233 reported the arrival of the first Chinese ships. More ships arrived day by day.

Forty-five days after the Coalition forces had landed on New Delhi, the Chinese had assembled a force of 51 ships: 18 superdreadnoughts and 33 battlecruisers. Jonah was no longer sure how many of them were armed with the new weapon but knew at least seven of the SDNs and thirteen of the battlecruisers had it. To oppose the Chinese, Jonah had a force of 55 ships with seventeen armed with the PBG: five Defenders, nine Retributions, and the three Columbias.

Jonah kept the Admiralty apprised of the information. They agreed with him an attack was imminent. Sure enough, the latest of the Chinese ships to arrive in system L7233 headed on a course directly for the hyper corridor leading to New Delhi. The other part of the Chinese force began boosting out of the system heading for the corridor as well. In little more than a day, Jonah expected the Chinese to enter the corridor at a normal speed of 0.23c.

Jonah convened a comm conference with the other Coalition admirals. When Schwarzkopf, Niimura, and Kaminski appeared holographically, he began the meeting. “I don’t expect much in the way of fancy maneuvers,” he explained. “If anything, the Chinese will likely drop out of the corridor a few light-seconds early if they think we would be in a trailing position, plus they will want some time to deal with the missile gauntlet we have prepared at the exit. Since there is that small risk, I plan to position our forces so that we are traveling at 0.23c in-system, just inside the range of our longer-range artillery to the normal hyper corridor exit. If the Chinese drop out early, then we will still maintain the advantage of position.”

None of the other admirals had anything to offer, so Jonah continued. “I anticipate the Chinese will keep their 527- and 461-types that are armed with the new artillery out of photon cannon range for as long as they can and try to close within cannon range with the rest of their force as quickly as possible. I expect the battle to unfold in a way very similar to the simulation we ran the day before yesterday. So, unlike our earlier engagements that were long-range artillery duels, the upcoming battle may involve every ship in our force.”

Admiral Kaminski spoke first. “Much as we enjoyed watching you do the fighting for us last time,” she said, “we did come all this way to make a contribution.”

Schwarzkopf and Niimura nodded in agreement at this. “Not that we have any great desire to expose ourselves to danger,” Schwarzkopf added, “but we will be glad to play a part.”

“We will do our best to keep your ships with the long-range weapon out of photon cannon range as long as they can keep fighting,” Admiral Niimura contributed, “however long that might be.”

After exchanging final reminders with each other, the conference ended. Before Jonah could get up from his seat, his comm console buzzed with another incoming message. Seeing it was from Admiral Delhomme, Jonah connected.

“Admiral Crapaud!” Jonah exclaimed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Frustration,” Delhomme replied.

“Sexual,” Jonah quipped, “or other?”

“Both,” Pierre replied flatly. “Karl has ordered the rest of us to pull back in case the Chinese decide to try to sneak in the back door and try to reach Caerleon again. I tried to argue that this was the perfect time for me to punch through to New Beijing, but he wouldn’t listen. ‘Better safe than sorry,’ he told me. I think he’s playing favorites again and wants you to get all the glory.”

“Again?” Jonah asked incredulously. “Back when we were in Fifth Fleet under him, he always gave you the plum assignments!”

“Says you,” Pierre retorted petulantly. “I remember things differently. Face it. He always loved you more.”

Jonah laughed. “What about your sexual frustration? How in the world can I help with that?” he asked.

“Well, not to put any pressure on you or anything, seeing as how the fate of civilized space seems to be resting on your scrawny shoulders, but if you kick their asses, maybe I’ll be able to get away and finally marry Elaine. No pressure, though.”

“Sheesh!” Jonah exclaimed. “I hadn’t thought of that aspect. I’ll do extra special primo good now that I know that your wedding is dependent on this. Golly. Thanks for letting me know.”

“You’re welcome,” Pierre responded. “I figured you’d want to do the right thing.”

“And how is your lovely fiancée?”

“Pining away for me,” Pierre replied, “with every day that we’re apart an unbearable eternity.”

“I think you might be projecting your own feelings onto her,” Jonah commented.

“You think?” Pierre answered in a snippy tone.

Jonah chuckled.

“Seriously, buddy,” Pierre continued, changing his tone, “good luck over there. I wish I were there to help.”

“I appreciate it,” Jonah said sincerely. “From the sims we’ve run, it looks like it’s going to be a slugging match. I can’t say if either one of us will be left standing when it’s over.”

“Looks like that from here, too,” Pierre admitted. “Just don’t lose any more body parts. Otherwise, people will start to expect me to do the same and, well, I’m sort of attached to mine.”

“Good one,” Jonah commented.

“I thought so too,” Pierre added. “Anyway, now that I’ve let you know that you’re responsible for hurrying up my wedding day, I’ve provided you with as much motivation as one man can bear. I’ll ring off and let you ponder that.”

“I appreciate the incentive,” Jonah smirked. “See you soon, buddy.”

“Not if I see you first.”

Jonah ended the comm with a smile on his face. He noticed that Captain Jacobs updated the progress of the Chinese force in L7233 and started a countdown clock. The clock showed a bit more than 31 hours until the expected arrival of the Chinese in the New Delhi System.

28

When the arrival of the Chinese force was less than two hours away, Jonah went to eat an early dinner. He headed to the enlisted mess on Drake, wanting to show his face before the battle. He found the mess crowded. Much of the crew had the same thought he had, that once the battle began, there might not be much of an opportunity to eat. He loaded up a tray with food and looked for a place to sit.

Several tables noticed him looking around and waved him over in invitation. He headed to the nearest and sat down, thanking them for allowing him to join them. As he expected, there was some hesitancy to engage in conversation due to his difference in rank, but he knew someone would break the ice eventually. Able Seaman Cohill was the first to ask a question.

“Admiral,” she began, “the rumor mill says we’re heading into the biggest battle in a couple of hundred years. Is that true?”

Jonah thought for a moment before answering her. It also gave him a chance to swallow his food. “For once, I think the rumor mill is right,” he admitted. “I wasn’t thinking in those terms, but with over a hundred capital ships involved, this will be the biggest battle in a long, long time.”

“What do you think our chances are?” asked a seaman down the table.

“I think,” Jonah began, weighing his words carefully, “that it’s going to be a brawl. I’m sure we’ll give at least as good as we get. How it ends up will likely depend on you guys. I don’t think they will be able to force us to abandon New Delhi.”

“Could this be the end of the war?” another asked.

“Only if we lose badly,” Jonah stated, “and I don’t see that happening.”

“Damn right,” came a mutter from someone, accompanied by heads nodding.

“What about the other Coalition guys?” Cohill asked. “Can we trust them? Someone said they might cut and run.”

Jonah laughed at this. “No way,” he stated flatly. “They’ll be in this to the bitter end. For us, it’s an important battle, but even if we lose, the Commonwealth will survive. For them, if we lose, they likely lose their freedom. No, they’ll be with us all the way. And I’m glad they are on our side. I’ve worked with them before, and they are good, honorable people.”

“Any chance the Chinese will call it off, sir?”

“There’s always a chance,” Jonah smiled, “but I don’t think they will without giving it a try first. If things don’t go so well for them early on, maybe they’ll try to back off. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Another crewman called out to Jonah, “Red shirt or brown pants, admiral?”

This referred to an old joke Jonah had shared with a crewman years before. The story was apparently now known throughout the Royal Navy. The joke was about a captain in the old wooden-ship navies on Earth. Before every battle, the captain would ask his steward for his red shirt. When someone asked him why he wore a red shirt in battle, the captain explained that it was in case he was wounded, the blood wouldn’t show and dishearten his crew. One day the captain was sailing into the biggest battle he’d ever seen, with his ships outnumbered by a vast margin. That day, the captain asked the steward for his brown pants.

“Red shirt,” Jonah called back. “No doubt about it!”

With that, Jonah picked up his tray, said his goodbyes, and left. He headed back to his ready room, where he planned to observe the battle. In the corridor along the way, he came upon a crewman with an old-fashioned mop and bucket. Most routine cleaning was done by service ‘bots, but there was still the occasional need for a mop or for crewmen to get on their hands and knees with brushes and a bucket of soapy water. The crewman saw Jonah approaching and moved to the right to let Jonah pass.

When Jonah came abreast of the man, he felt the sudden sharp pain of a knife stabbing him just below his ribs, angled upward. Jonah’s body immediately went into shock, and he collapsed. The crewman withdrew the knife. He turned and palmed the control panel of the airlock two steps away and waited for the hatch to open. When it started to swing open, he grabbed Jonah’s body under the arms and dragged it in the airlock. He palmed the airlock control again to shut the hatch.

While waiting for the hatch to shut so he could activate the airlock and open it to space, he surveyed the scene. There was a smear of blood on the floor leading to the airlock. The crewman grabbed his mop and started swabbing. Just after he heard the thunk of the airlock door closing, he heard voices approaching from a connecting corridor. He continued his swabbing, trying to act normally, hoping that whoever was coming would turn the other way.

They didn’t. Even worse, one of those approaching was the petty officer in charge of his section. “What the heck are you doing, Barrett?” she barked, still twenty meters away.

Barrett dropped the mop and spun to the airlock control panel. He quickly activated the device to open the outer door. Realizing something was wrong, Petty Officer Runyon and her companion, Petty Officer Orba, ran to the airlock and shoved Barrett away. Barrett spun away and pulled out his knife. Orba quickly deactivated the airlock while Runyon faced off against Barrett, who had dropped to a crouch, waving the knife in front of himself slowly.

Runyon made a grab for the knife, but it was merely a feint. When Barrett moved to one side in response to her approach, she followed up with a spin kick to the side of his head, dropping him unconscious. When Orba saw that Runyon had been successful in stopping Barrett, he opened the airlock. When he saw who was inside, he slapped the emergency comm button on the airlock controls and called for medical help.

Jonah was unconscious, lying in a pool of his own blood. More blood continued to pulse from his wound, though less and less with each beat of his heart. The medical team arrived less than a minute later, sized up the situation instantly, and lifted Jonah’s body onto a stretcher they grabbed from the emergency locker at the airlock. They loaded Jonah onto it and immediately began to sprint back to the med bay. The flight surgeon met them on the way. She looked at Jonah’s body and yelled into her comm, “Med pod, stat!”

By the time they reached the medical bay, orderlies were wheeling the stasis pod out to meet them. They lifted Jonah’s body and quickly put it in the pod. The surgeon directed an orderly to cut Jonah’s uniform away from the wound while she searched for and found a vein into which she could insert an IV needle. Another orderly put an oxygen mask on Jonah’s face. Within seconds the stasis pod began providing readings of Jonah’s vital signs: thin and thready pulse, extremely low blood pressure, and poor oxygenation of the blood.

The surgeon spun to a cabinet on the wall, opened it, and grabbed a large syringe. Without aiming carefully, she inserted the syringe into the wound and pumped the solution into the hole. When the syringe was empty, she grabbed a green device, activated it, and held it above the area of the wound, moving it slowly, scanning the area. The results of the scan appeared on a view screen on the wall.

Petty Officer Runyon arrived, breathless. “What happened?” she demanded.

“Stab wound,” the flight surgeon said tersely. “Up under the rib cage. Loss of blood. Punctured lungs—one collapsed, possible damage to the inferior vena cava. Weapon?”

“Knife,” Runyon answered, holding up the weapon.

The flight surgeon turned her head to see. Addressing the orderlies, she continued as she straightened up, “Let’s move the pod back into one of the bays. Get me a Mark VI scanner. We’ll position it and close the pod and let it do its work.”

She put the portable scanner away and followed as they wheeled the stasis pod further back into the medical area. One of the orderlies brought a green device about 40 cm wide. The surgeon fastened each side of the device to the walls of the pods over Jonah’s wound. Satisfied it was activated, she stepped back and closed the lid of the pod.

Ignoring Petty Officer Runyon, Flight Surgeon Felicia Kleinschmidt activated the wall comm. “Captain Jacobs,” she told the computer.

Immediately she was connected to the captain. She could see he was in the command chair on the bridge. “Code Red,” was all she said. This was an indication to Jacobs that she had sensitive information and he needed to move to a private location.

Seconds later, Captain Jacobs’ face appeared on her comm console. Now he was in his ready room. “Code Red?” he asked.

“Code Red,” Kleinschmidt confirmed. “Admiral Halberd was just brought in with a deep knife wound to the chest. A petty officer found him before it was too late. I just injected over £1 million worth of medical nanites into the wound site, and we have a scanner directing them to fix the damage. Preliminary scans show both lungs punctured, with one collapsed, a nick to the inferior vena cava, and significant blood loss. He’s in a stasis pod now. Another few seconds, and it would have been too late to save him.”

“Is the petty officer still there?” Jacobs asked.

Kleinschmidt waved Runyon in front of the console.

“Yessir,” Runyon responded. “Petty Officer Orba and I were in corridor E3H and noticed Seaman Barrett mopping the floor. Barrett is in my unit, so I know he wasn’t assigned to do that. When we questioned him, he tried to activate the outer hatch on the airlock. I disarmed Barrett while Orba opened the hatch. We called for emergency medical right away.”

“Good work, petty officer,” Jacobs stated. “Sounds like you saved the admiral’s life. Is Barrett in custody?”

“He was unconscious when I left the scene,” Runyon admitted, “but I heard Petty Officer Orba calling security as I was leaving.”

“Very well,” Jacobs confirmed. “Jacobs out.” The console screen went dark.

Jacobs drew a deep breath. The countdown clock showed 51 minutes until the expected arrival of the Chinese force. “Admiral Von Geisler,” he said to the computer. “Priority One.”

When Von Geisler’s face appeared, Jacobs wasted no time. “Admiral,” he started, “Admiral Halberd was just attacked on our ship. He suffered a severe knife wound, and the perpetrator was attempting to ‘space’ him when he was caught. Admiral Halberd is in a stasis pod. The Chinese force is due to arrive in the New Delhi System in 50 minutes. We need to inform the other Coalition partners and choose someone to lead our defense of the system.”

“Sweet Jesus,” Von Geisler breathed. “Right. Get Schwarzkopf, Niimura, and Kaminski on the comm. Add them in but stay on.”

“Aye-aye,” Jacobs confirmed, then instructed the computer, “Admiral Schwarzkopf, Admiral Niimura, Admiral Kaminski, Priority One.”

In a matter of seconds, all three appeared on the console. “Admirals,” Jacobs acknowledged, “I also have Admiral Von Geisler on this comm.”

Von Geisler took up the thread without hesitation. “Admirals, Admiral Halberd was just attacked on HMS Drake. He is currently in a stasis pod recovering from a severe knife wound. We need one of you to take command of the Coalition force to lead our defense of the system. In ordinary circumstances, I would talk this out with you and reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion, but there is no time for discussion. Unless you have strong objections on military grounds, I request that Admiral Niimura take command of the Coalition forces since he has the most experience trading shots with the Chinese in the current conflict. Do any of you have any objections?”

Stunned, it took them all a moment to respond. Schwarzkopf and Kaminski both answered, “No objections.”

Niimura waited for their response and stated, “You honor me, admiral.”

“From Jonah’s reports,” Von Geisler continued, “I know you have run simulations and have a tactical plan in place. Admiral Niimura, it will be up to you to implement the plan as the battle unfolds. Treat our ships as you would your own. Understood?”

“Understood, admiral,” Niimura confirmed.

“Ours too,” Schwarzkopf added.

“And ours,” Kaminski confirmed.

“Very well,” Von Geisler stated, then sighed heavily. “I will inform our captains that Admiral Niimura is now in charge of the operation. Godspeed to you all. Von Geisler out.”

29

Within minutes, the captains of all 44 Commonwealth ships acknowledged they received the directive to follow Admiral Niimura’s orders in the upcoming battle. With only minutes to go before the expected arrival of the Chinese force, the sudden change was unsettling. The Commonwealth captains were told that an unexpected accident prevented Admiral Halberd from commanding the Coalition. Rumors ran rampant, speculating.

Von Geisler’s yeoman, Petty Officer Amanda Stackhouse, overheard enough to figure out what was happening. She knocked on the admiral’s door. “Enter,” he called.

“Admiral,” she began firmly, “though I’m not supposed to know what’s going on, I do. You can’t leave all those sailors in doubt. You need to level with them immediately, or else things might fall apart at a critical time. The rumor mill is likely going crazy right now. There’s only one way to shut it down. You need to make an announcement to those Commonwealth ships and tell them exactly what happened.”

Von Geisler absorbed what she had to say. “You’re right, Amanda. You’re out of line, again. But you’re also right that I didn’t handle that well. Thank you for telling me. Put me through to the ships—shipwide communication override.”

“Right away, admiral,” she stated. She went to her console and keyed in the protocol to give him access to all the Commonwealth ships in the New Delhi System. In less than a minute, a green light on Von Geisler’s console indicated the system was ready for his message.

He activated the link and stated, “Men and women of the Commonwealth forces in the New Delhi System. This is Admiral of the Fleet Karl Von Geisler. In a few minutes, you will begin a battle with a Chinese force trying to take control of the system. Many of you have heard about a sudden change in the overall command of the Coalition forces. Admiral Niimura of the Imperial Navy of Edo will coordinate our defense of the system instead of Admiral Halberd. Admiral Halberd was attacked and almost killed a few minutes ago. He received a severe knife wound and is currently unconscious in a medical stasis pod. I requested Admiral Niimura to take command. He has the experience and ability to command our successful defense of the system. I have complete confidence in his ability to lead you to success. Godspeed to you all, and God bless the Commonwealth.”

Von Geisler’s message took everyone on the Commonwealth ships by surprise. No one could remember ever hearing of such a thing. It did, however, completely shut down the rumor mill. It also inspired a desire for vengeance on the Commonwealth ships, as everyone assumed the Chinese were behind the attack on Admiral Halberd.

Just under eight minutes later, the Chinese ships began to wink into normal space, short of the hyper corridor limit. The early entrance gave the Chinese enough time to deal with the missile gauntlet the Coalition forces had set up at the hyper limit. Admiral Niimura had just been able to establish the proper communications links between his flagship, Akagi, and the Commonwealth ships. They were routed through the kewpie connections aboard HMS Drake. Captain Jacobs also set up redundancy in case Drake was heavily damaged or destroyed. If that happened, the central node would be shifted to a different Commonwealth ship automatically by the interlinked computer systems.

Admiral Niimura (Yoshi to his friends) considered how events thrust him into such a key position. He was well aware of the historical significance of the battle, both in terms of it being the largest naval combat in hundreds of years and also in terms of the importance of preventing the Chinese from regaining control of the New Delhi System. He was confident in his ability while also concerned for his friend Jonah.

The Coalition forces were deeper in-system than the entering Chinese and out of range of even the PBGs. The 38 conventionally armed warships were placed in a ring around the seventeen Commonwealth ships armed with the PBGs. Sensors showed him the Chinese forces were split similarly, with a tight group of eight of the eighteen 527-type SDNs and fifteen of the thirty-three 461-type battlecruisers positioned in the middle of the Chinese ships—the other ships loosely arranged in a sort of outer ring were likely the ones without the long-range guns. Sensors also showed that the Chinese forces had moved to maximum acceleration immediately.

Within minutes the Chinese reached the missile gauntlet. Twelve thousand Vulcan missiles ignited, heading to the Chinese ships. The Chinese defense missiles rose in waves and eliminated the threat. As the Chinese closed to within missile range of the Coalition ships, more ship-killer missiles were launched by the Coalition force. No one expected the missiles to penetrate the Chinese defense, but there was the forlorn hope that if the battle lasted long enough, they might drain the Chinese supply of defense missiles.

The previous encounters between the Royal Navy of the Commonwealth and the Chinese began with long-range artillery duels with both sides trying to knock out the other’s ships equipped with long-range artillery. The conventionally armed ships would try to close the gap between the forces. In discussions Jonah held with the Coalition admirals, he explained that his mission in those earlier battles was to prevent or slow the Chinese advance through the system he was guarding. In those earlier encounters, he was outnumbered, with less than a handful of his ships armed with the PBG. Those circumstances made it necessary for him to close with the enemy in an attempt to disable their ships equipped with long-range artillery. That would not be the case in New Delhi. Here, with 17 ships carrying the PBG, with its quicker cycle time than the Chinese weapon and massive punch, the Coalition forces could afford to trade space for time. The plans they developed took advantage of this.

Admiral Niimura issued the order for the Coalition forces to begin boosting away from the Chinese at pre-arranged thrusts. The differing thrust amounts would have the effect of splitting the Coalition formation, placing the conventionally armed ships further from the Chinese, keeping them out of range. The Coalition would allow the Chinese to close the gap slowly, but if the Chinese hoped to use their conventional ships as a screen, the long-range PBGs would savage them before they came into range of their photon cannons. To protect their conventionally armed ships, they would need to put the ships with long-range artillery in the lead.

Though fewer in number, the Commonwealth ships armed with the PBG had a cycle time of less than half their Chinese counterparts, and the PBGs hit twice as hard as the Chinese version. If the Chinese matched the Coalition formation by putting their long-range artillery ahead of their conventional ships, Jonah hoped to stretch out the length of the engagement. The much shorter cycle time of the Commonwealth weapon would then tilt the odds in their favor.

Over the next half-hour, the Coalition allowed the Chinese to close the distance slowly. The Chinese forces were still advancing together. By now, the differing thrust levels separated the Coalition ships, so the Defenders, Retributions, and Columbias were slightly closer to the Chinese. Admiral Niimura gave the order to the Commonwealth ships to flip so their EM drives would not be exposed to enemy fire.

The Chinese force crept into range of the PBGs. Both forces fired at the same time. Two shots from the PBGs were aimed at each of the eight Chinese SDNs and one at a battlecruiser. The shots connected on six of the SDNs and the battlecruiser. Two of the SDNs were hit with both shots.

Twenty-three of the Chinese ships fired. Sixteen of those shots were aimed at HMS Drake, while the other Defenders and the Columbias were targeted once. Seven of those shots hit Drake. Captain Jacobs was jerked around in his command chair by the impact. Drake lost forward shielding, and the front third of the ship looked as though it had been hit repeatedly by a giant sledgehammer. Jacobs, after clearing his head from the impact, ordered Drake to flip and to begin maximum acceleration to pull out of range of further shots.

Montgomery and Malley, two of the Defenders, were hit. Clyde and Severn of the Columbia dreadnoughts were hit as well. The only damage these four ships suffered was some loss of plasma shielding.

Fifteen seconds later, the four Defender SDNs of the Royal Navy that were still in the fight fired their PBGs again, targeting the two undamaged Chinese SDNs and the two SDNs already hit once, which the sensors indicated had the least damage. Two of the shots hit home, one on an undamaged SDN, and one hit an SDN for the second time.

Yoshi watched the sensor data carefully. Quickly he saw the loose outer-ring ships of the Chinese flip to full deceleration. This was just enough to pull them out of range. It appeared as though most of the portion of the Chinese force originally positioned in the center of their formation continued to accelerate. There were three SDNs that were already hit twice, and four had been hit once, with one undamaged. Eight of the 461-type battlecruisers advanced, including the one that had already been hit, with seven from the center group breaking away and decelerating. Yoshi knew that the advancing ships were armed with the Chinese version of the PBG.

Yoshi issued orders for the Commonwealth ships armed with the PBG to reduce acceleration to allow the sixteen Chinese ships now advancing ahead of their formation to close the range. The other Coalition ships continued as before, now dropping behind the Defenders, Retributions, and Columbias. Drake had also begun to break away. Yoshi was now confident the Chinese had decided to call off the attack quickly rather than stomach any more losses. The ships still advancing were undoubtedly doing so to provide a screen for the remaining elements of the Chinese force to escape.

The sixteen Chinese ships that had not flipped to decelerate crept closer while the gap to the rest of the Chinese ships grew. Yoshi issued targeting instructions to the captains of the Commonwealth ships. All eight of the advancing Chinese SDNs would be the targets of two PBGs each. At the 30-second mark, all 16 of the Commonwealth PBGs fired.

Three of the Chinese superdreadnoughts were destroyed, hit where plasma shielding had already been stripped away. The PBG blasted into their hulls, wreaking enormous damage. One of them imploded when its mass compensator was hit. One exploded when its fusion reactors were breached by the blast from the PBG. One simply broke in half. Three other Chinese SDNs were hit by single shots.

At the 40-second mark, three of the five remaining Chinese SDNs fired at HMS Montgomery. Two of the shots connected. Captain Martin, strapped into the command chair, felt the impacts. The shots eliminated plasma shielding on the forward half of her ship and caused significant damage to the front quarter of the vessel.

At the 45-second mark, the four Commonwealth Defenders fired again. They aimed at the three Chinese SDNs that had been able to shoot seconds before and at the battlecruiser previously hit. They hit two of the SDNs and the battlecruisers. The battlecruiser targeted had previously lost its shields, and the effect of the PBG on the unshielded hull made it look like a tin toy dropped nose-first from a two-story building. Sensors showed massive damage.

Sixty seconds into the battle, the sixteen PBGs on the Commonwealth ships fired again. They aimed two shots at each of the other seven Chinese battlecruisers and one more shot at two of the three SDNs that were able to fire in the previous salvo. All seven of the battlecruisers were hit, three of them destroyed. Both of the SDNs were hit and destroyed.

Of the eight Chinese ships remaining in range, only two of the battlecruisers had any portion remaining of their plasma shielding. Those shields were lowered, indicating their surrender. Yoshi then turned his attention to the part of the Chinese force that had dropped behind. It had continued full deceleration. He queried his flag captain to see if the Coalition forces would be able to intercept those ships before they could leave the New Delhi System. Almost immediately, Captain Takahashi informed Yoshi that the Coalition would not be able to catch the undamaged Chinese forces that had broken away earlier.

Yoshi sighed, then issued orders for the Coalition force to begin deceleration and for Edoan and German marines to take control of the damaged Chinese ships. Then he called for an interpreter. When the interpreter arrived, Yoshi opened a channel to the Chinese captains and began to discuss search and rescue operations. The remaining Chinese SDNs and one of the battlecruisers were drifting on ballistic courses, unable to decelerate. They were the immediate priority.

While waiting for that to play out, Yoshi busied himself with the after-action report. Admiral Von Geisler contacted him to offer his congratulations and thanks. The prime minister of Edo also offered her congratulations. There were no updates on Jonah’s condition. Noticing it was now 03:00, Yoshi sent a quick text to his wife, Niko, letting her know he was safe, then went to his bunk.

30

Wang Xhu heard the approaching flitter and decided to put down his book and go wait in the drawing room where Dong Li usually met him. He was standing waiting for her when she strode in. There was a look of fierce determination on her unhappy face.

“Come,” she barked. “You are leaving.”

She spun on her heel and strode out of the room without looking to see if he were following. He wondered if today were the day she would finally execute him. As he followed her, he began to speculate as to how she would do it. Gun? Torture? Shoving him out of the flitter?

Dong Li did not slow or stop. She headed to the flitter and climbed in. Xhu followed and climbed aboard. He sat facing her and strapped his seatbelt. One of her guards closed the door, and within moments, the flitter lifted off the ground. Xhu waited patiently for her to speak.

“There has been a setback,” she stated, after a few minutes of silence. “The time has come to open peace talks with the Commonwealth. I am placing you in charge of those talks. You will be my mouthpiece.”

This was not what Xhu had expected. Though he tried to mask it, a faint look of surprise crossed his features. It did not escape Li’s notice.

“You will still be my…guest, and I will have my people monitor every syllable you utter and every keystroke you make on a comm console. You will say nothing, do nothing, without my approval. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he agreed, “but why use me? Surely it would be more efficient for you to control this directly?”

“Undoubtedly,” she stated, “but positioning you as the spokesperson will give the Commonwealth the impression that a more moderate faction is now guiding policy for the republics. This will feed their hopes and allow you to drag things out for the next two years.”

“I take it,” Xhu said, choosing his words with care, “that there have been unexpected developments?”

“Yes,” she barked, then in a snarky tone, “there have been unexpected developments.”

Angrily, she continued, “Our idiot admirals lost another 16 ships and failed to regain control of the New Delhi System. Even with their Admiral Halberd out of the way, they were unable to seize the opportunity!”

“What sort of damage did we cause to their ships in this encounter?”

“Not as much as we received,” she said, anger still simmering in her tone.

“And their Admiral Halberd,” he asked, “how was he neutralized?”

“He had an unfortunate accident before the engagement began,” she informed him, “though I am told by the Lutetians that this, too, was ultimately unsuccessful.”

“You attempted to have him killed?” Xhu asked for clarification.

“Yes.”

“So, you launched both a failed assassination attempt at the biggest hero in the Commonwealth and an unsuccessful invasion to regain control of the New Delhi System,” he summarized. “Now I am expected to open peace talks…talks that they have, so far, refused to consider. What makes you think they will negotiate now?”

Li smiled in a feral way. “They will begin negotiations because you will be the one to approach them, not me. They will assume there has been a change of leadership and the more moderate faction has regained control. If your approach is unsuccessful, then your usefulness to me has come to an end.”

“Either I bring them to the negotiating table,” he summed up, “or I die trying.”

“If you wish to put it that way,” she shrugged. “It is what is best for the republics.”

31

When Jonah woke up, he realized he was in his own quarters. Flight Surgeon Kleinschmidt was sitting next to his bed. He was propped up, not flat on his back. She offered him a glass of water.

“Welcome back, admiral,” she said.

Remembering there was a battle he thought was about to commence, Jonah began to panic. Seeing the look on his face, Kleinschmidt quickly reassured him. “You’ve been unconscious for five days. The Chinese attempt to regain the system was beaten back with minimal losses for the Coalition, though not necessarily on Drake. We received almost all the damage the Chinese were able to inflict. Admiral Niimura was in command and did a fine job. Does that put your mind at ease?”

Jonah absorbed the information, silent for a few seconds. “What happened?”

“To you?” she asked, “or in the engagement?”

“To me,” he clarified. “I can look at the sensor logs and after-action reports for what happened in the engagement, I guess.”

“You were stabbed,” Kleinschmidt informed him, “by a Seaman Barrett. He put you in the airlock and was in the process of opening the outer hatch when he was stopped. The knife hit both your lungs and nicked one of the main veins taking blood to your heart—another millimeter, and you’d be dead whether he ‘spaced’ you or not. We got you to the medical bay just in time, squirted a bunch of nanites into you, and kept you unconscious, so they could do their thing and fix you up. The nanites have stitched you together to the point where it was safe to wake you up. Any of the other questions you have, you’ll need to ask someone else.”

“Okay,” Jonah confirmed, a bit uncertainly.

“Before you go racing off for answers,” she cautioned, “I need to go give you some medical instructions. Give me your full attention for just a few moments.”

Jonah took a breath and tried to quiet his mind in order to listen. He nodded fractionally, and Kleinschmidt began. “You are cleared for only extremely light duty,” she explained. “In a moment, I will allow you to take a shower and then will put a new dressing on your wound. You can then dress, receive visitors, and check the logs. You are to stay seated or reclined as much as possible. That is the strict limit of your physical activity for the next few days. You are not to leave your quarters. Do you understand? Repeat back to me what I told you.”

Jonah recited her instructions.

She nodded. “In a few days, I will allow you to leave your quarters. At no time in the next two weeks are you to begin any strenuous physical activity beyond a slow walk. You are to lift nothing heavier than a loaf of bread—white bread, not whole wheat. If you make it that far without any setbacks, I’ll see what the next steps are. Do you understand? Do I need to ask you to spit it back to me?”

Jonah shook his head. “No,” he confirmed, “I’ve got it.”

“There are marines stationed outside your door,” she informed him. “No one gets in unless they approve. Security is currently reviewing the files of every member of the crew to learn if there might be anyone else like Seaman Barrett.”

Jonah nodded in understanding again.

“Then it’s time for your shower,” she stated, offering her hand to help him up.

Jonah attempted to sit up on his own but learned he was incredibly weak. He took the hand she offered and let her pull him to a sitting position. Slowly, carefully, he pulled the sheets off his body. He was naked. He gingerly swung his legs over the side of his bunk. After a few seconds to get used to the position, he nodded, indicating he was going to stand. She helped pull himself up. She guided him to the head.

Jonah’s face flushed red. Already uncomfortable being naked, he realized he needed to relieve himself. Noticing his embarrassment, Kleinschmidt told him, “Go ahead. Take care of business. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Oh, and one more important instruction. When you need to take a dump, do not strain.”

As embarrassed as he could ever remember feeling, Jonah nodded. Fortunately, it was only his bladder that needed attention now. When he finished, she guided him to the shower.

“No vigorous scrubbing,” she warned. “Let the shower do the work. We’ve been giving you sponge baths, so you’re already clean. I’m letting you take a shower so that you feel clean if that makes sense.”

Jonah nodded. It did make sense. He reached in and turned on the shower, then adjusted the water to the right temperature. When he stepped into the spray, he understood Kleinschmidt’s last comment even better. The warm water was soothing, and it did make him feel better. He rotated under the spray slowly. After a couple of minutes, he turned the shower off and stepped out. Kleinschmidt handed him a towel.

“Pat yourself dry,” she counseled. “No rubbing.”

She stayed close when he bent over to dry his legs in case he started to wobble. He did begin to feel light-headed and put his hand on the washbasin to help pull himself up. She put her hands on his elbows and help him straighten.

“You lost a tremendous amount of blood,” she explained. “The synthetic blood we gave you keeps you alive, but it’s not as good as the real thing. It’s going to take a month or more to replenish your system. Go ahead and shave. When you finish, I’ll put a new dressing on your wound and help you get dressed.”

After she left the head, Jonah looked at himself in the mirror. His face was drawn and tight, his cheeks hollow and his skin pale. His appearance was not improved by the stubble of his beard or the sight of his missing eye. He looked down and saw the scar left by the knife. It was small, less than three centimeters long. He shaved and combed his hair.

When he finished, he stepped back into his room. Kleinschmidt quickly applied a new dressing, then helped him step into his boxer shorts. She handed him a shirt and let him put it on himself. She then helped him put on his trousers but let him fasten them and adjust his belt. She indicated he should sit. When he did, she put on his socks.

“That’s it,” she said. “Tomorrow, an orderly will assist you and change your dressing.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Jonah said. “I’ll try to be a good patient.”

“You’d better,” she warned. “If you’re not, I’ll just put you in a coma until we get back to Caerleon.”

Jonah sat down at his desk and logged onto his comm console. He had just begun scanning the list of messages that were waiting for him when there was a knock on the door. When Jonah called, “Enter!” Joe Jacobs walked in with a tray of food. Seeing what he brought, Jonah shook his head and suggested they move out to his ready room.

“Doc sent me over to make sure you ate,” Jacobs said as he put the tray down on the conference table. “She told me I’m not allowed to leave until you clean your plates.”

“Plates?”

“Plates,” Jacobs confirmed. “We have fake eggs and fake sausage for protein. We have pancakes for carbs. We have fruit for vitamins. And we have coffee, for the soul.”

Jacobs sat down at the conference table and, as he was doing so, began speaking. “It’s good to see you up. I heard Doc just woke you up, and then she ordered me to bring your breakfast. I know you haven’t had a chance to get back to speed, so I figured I’d save you some time.”

“Thanks.”

“Everything unfolded just as you predicted,” Jacobs explained as Jonah ate, surprisingly hungry. “We tagged them pretty good in the opening salvo. They sent half their battlecruisers with the long-range guns forward while the rest of their force hit the brakes. With their sixteen against our seventeen ships with the PBG, we let them close the range. We neutralized all of them in the next few salvos. The rest of the Chinese force kept braking and eventually headed back home.”

“What about our damage?” Jonah asked.

“We took almost all of it on Drake,” Jacobs explained. “Most of their ships targeted Drake in the opening salvo. Seven shots hit. We got tagged pretty hard, so I flipped around and boosted out. As it turned out, only three of the Chinese SDNs got another shot off. We lost 42 dead or missing and 103 wounded. Flight Surgeon Kleinschmidt has her hands full.”

“What else?”

Shaking his head, Jacobs replied, “I don’t know much else. With you unconscious, there hasn’t been the normal flow of information. Once Doc let them know you’d survive, I think they decided to wait for you.”

“Then I guess I’d better get to the messages stacked up for me,” Jonah said with a smile. “Thanks for clueing me in.”

“No problem, boss,” Jacobs said as he stood.

Jonah turned back to his console and scrolled through the messages. There was one dated the day before from Admiral Von Geisler with the heading, “Orders.” He opened it first.

The message read: “Admiral Halberd, upon acknowledgment of this message, you are hereby relieved of duty until your convalescent leave is complete and you are medically cleared to return to duty. In the interim, Fifth Fleet will report to Admiral Fung. Most of the ships will return to duty in Southhampton or be assigned back to the other fleets from which they were gathered. Drake, Mars Ultor, Allecto, and the three Columbia-class dreadnoughts will remain under the direct command of Thornton Mellon of HMS Murray, who is hereby named as commodore until this group of ships is recalled from the New Delhi System.”

Jonah acknowledged the orders. Within moments his console indicated a priority call from Von Geisler. Jonah opened the connection.

“Jonah,” Von Geisler greeted him with a smile. “Pierre says he told you, ‘no missing body parts’ this time.”

Jonah grinned back. “Nothing’s missing, sir. It just got rearranged a little.”

Von Geisler laughed. When he finished chuckling, he resumed. “Your flight surgeon tells me you’re not going to be fit for much during the next six weeks. Seeing you on-screen, I believe her—you look like hell. So, there’s a courier boat on the way to pick you up that should be arriving in-system any minute.”

“You’re pulling Fifth Fleet out of New Delhi?” Jonah asked.

“Yes,” Von Geisler confirmed. “I believe your friends the Thorners plan to bring you up-to-date when you contact them. The short version is that there are a lot of pieces in play, but we don’t expect the Chinese to make another attempt at regaining the New Delhi System for some time. They have fewer ships than they did before their new construction was finished.”

“Have they surrendered on the ground?” Jonah asked.

“No, but that’s all I can say for now. There are, I’m sure, a lot of people that really want to talk to you since they’ve been bugging my yeoman non-stop for the last few days. You start working through the list, and we can talk in a day or two if you still have questions.”

32

When Von Geisler closed the connection, Jonah went back to the list of messages on his console. As he was scanning the list, a new message popped up. Jonah was copied on the message, but it contained assignment orders for the Commonwealth ships currently in the New Delhi System and informed the ones remaining of Thornton Mellon being named as commodore. Drake was to remain in-system until the necessary repairs were completed enabling her to travel back to Southhampton for more extensive work.

From the list of messages, Jonah quickly prioritized, sending messages to Admiral Niimura, then Admirals Schwarzkopf and Kaminski, his mother, and Elaine. After finishing those, he was about to contact the Thorners when there was a knock on the ready room door. When Jonah called, “Enter!” his flag lieutenant, St. John Baxter, came in.

Baxter told him his perspective of the battle, beginning with Admiral Von Geisler’s unusual communication with all the Commonwealth ships about the attack on Jonah (“It shut the rumor mill down instantly,” he reported). He shared that Seaman Barrett was being held in the brig until ONI agents arrived, presumably on the courier boat that was coming presently. Baxter mentioned that the crew of Drake was horrified that one of their people had attacked Jonah and that they would tear him to pieces if he weren’t under lock and key.

When Baxter left, Jonah sat at the console in the ready room to make the other calls on his priority list. First of those was Geoff Thorner. Jonah was curious to learn what was happening outside of the New Delhi System.

When Lord Thorner answered, he immediately said, “Jonah—let me bring Laura into the call.” A few seconds later, her face appeared on a different portion of the screen.

“Hello, Jonah,” she greeted him. “Nice to see you sitting up and taking nourishment, though you do look ghastly.”

“It beats the alternative,” her husband chimed in with a smile.

“Yes, it does,” Jonah agreed.

“We wanted to talk to you for a couple of reasons,” Laura explained. “First, the courier boat that is picking you up is taking you to Aries, where you’ll stay at our cottage for four weeks. If you even think about arguing, I’m supposed to tell you that this is a command from his Royal Highness.”

“Okay then, I guess,” Jonah said with a shrug.

“You need to convalesce,” Laura stated, “and that’s probably the best place to do it. You’ll be there for Christmas.”

“The other reason is that Laura and I, and Edward and Celeste, want to bring you up to speed on the big picture. Your fellow admirals were all briefed a couple of days ago, but we wanted to brief you ourselves.”

“What’s going on?” Jonah asked.

“A lot,” Laura responded, “and at the same time, nothing.”

Seeing Jonah’s quizzical expression, Geoff continued. “Four days ago, after the Chinese were forced to turn back from New Delhi, the Chinese government, in the person of Wang Xhu, made a formal request in front of the interplanetary tribunal to open peace talks. Edward’s response, with the near-unanimous agreement of both Lords and Commons, was, ‘no’ and that the Commonwealth would only accept an unconditional surrender by the Chinese at this point in time.”

“Holy smokes!” Jonah breathed.

“Word of this hit the press,” Laura continued, “and the vast majority of public opinion throughout the Commonwealth strongly supports the king’s position. The king deems it unacceptable to begin any peace talks while New Delhi and Lutetia are still occupied. ONI reports that the Chinese losses have weakened their fleet to the point where further large-scale offensive action is simply not possible. Further, the numbers are in our favor enough that we could probably force the issue but would not be able to liberate Lutetia first. In four to five months, both the Chinese and the Commonwealth will be commissioning a like number of new ships, seventeen to be precise, but after that, the Commonwealth will bring 80 new capital ships into service in the four to ten months following. This will dwarf anything the Chinese can do, so waiting makes us stronger.”

“The appearance of Wang Xhu was curious,” Geoff added. “I realize the name means little to you. He was the chairman of the governing council of the Chinese republics. He was ousted back at the beginning of the war by Dong Li and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Normally when a high-ranking politician in the republics disappears, he or she disappears forever. We think Dong Li is still in control, which means she was keeping him on ice all this time.”

“Why would she do that?” Jonah asked.

“It’s never happened before,” Laura said, “so I don’t know. He’s known to be more moderate than she is. Before he lost control of the government, he reached out to us through the Rodinans to begin discussing an end to the war. Dong Li took control shortly afterward. In this particular case, if Dong Li is still in charge, she is putting him forward as the face of the peace effort because he is known to be more moderate, hoping that will bring us to the conference table. Meanwhile, she will still call the shots, which means their aim is not so much peace as it is holding on to what they’ve grabbed so far. I’m guessing she’s betting on dragging things out in negotiations so that it becomes more difficult to force them to relinquish New Delhi and Lutetia. Edward and Parliament seem dead set against allowing that to happen.”

“How are things on New Delhi?” Jonah asked.

“Still fighting house-to-house,” Laura responded. “Though with the failure of the Chinese to gain control of the system and with their peace overture now public knowledge, I would expect that the resolve of the Chinese ground forces will begin to crumble. It will start with a pitter-patter at first, with individual units giving up, but I figure it will become an avalanche within six months, or sooner if supplies run low.”

“Shortly after you return from Aries,” Geoff jumped back in. “Edward intends to present Yoshi with the DSC and induct him into the Order of the Bath. Ostensibly for his role in the recent battle, but it is more for the other help he has given the Commonwealth that we cannot recognize or reward publicly.”

“Wow!” Jonah commented. “Thank you for letting me know. Um, Laura?”

“Yes, dear,” she responded.

“In your vast repository of contacts,” he began, “do you happen to know of a swordmaker?”

“I might,” she said coyly, “what are you thinking of?”

“When I was knighted, Karl Von Geisler gave me my sword. It seems fitting that I do the same for Admiral Niimura.”

“I told you he would figure it out,” Geoff crowed to Laura. “I win!” Turning his attention to Jonah, he explained, “Laura was afraid that would zoom over your head. I bet her that you would make the connection.”

“What was the bet?”

“One pound,” Laura said with a sigh. “And yes, I do know someone who can help you.”

“Would it be appropriate to have a katana made for him?” Jonah asked, “instead of—”

“A katana would be incorrect, Jonah,” she explained. “The proper sword would be a kai-guntō. In either case, it should be made in the traditional manner. My contact could help you with that as well, but if it is acceptable to you, I will handle the purchase. The manufacture of swords is strictly regulated on Edo. There would be many questions if you were to try to obtain one. I can do it much more…discretely.”

“Thank you,” Jonah said warmly.

“Just make sure you authorize your broker to release the funds to me,” she requested. “What you’re asking for won’t be cheap.”

After wrapping up this discussion and providing Jonah with information about what he would find at their cottage, Lord and Lady Thorner ended the comm. Jonah then called his friend Pierre.

“Monsewer,” Jonah greeted him. “I understand from the queue of messages on my comm that you wish to speak with me?”

“Well,” Pierre responded, drawing out the word. “If it isn’t the drama queen himself. This latest mishap proves my theory that when you were a boy, you never learned the difference between positive attention and negative attention. Getting body parts hacked off, now a stabbing—”

“Don’t project your issues on me, garlic breath. I only ever got positive attention,” Jonah said smugly, “because I was a good boy. The stories I’ve heard about your degenerate youth—”

“Lies! All lies,” Pierre sputtered. “Allegedly. Allegedly! I’ll have you know, I was never convicted.”

Jonah cracked up. “Don’t make me laugh,” he begged. “If I mess up her work, the flight surgeon will kill me.”

“So, I asked Karl if you were going to get credit for this one,” Pierre commented, “seeing as how you were unconscious through the whole thing. He promised me that he was strongly considering charges of dereliction of duty. So, when they come for you, act surprised. Don’t let on that I gave you the heads-up.”

“As a matter of fact,” Jonah informed him, “I’ve been relieved of duty.”

“Mhm,” Pierre hummed, as though that confirmed what he had just said.

“And I’ve been sentenced,” Jonah continued.

“Let me guess…Salt mines? Hard labor? Forced to make big rocks into little rocks?”

“Close,” Jonah admitted. “I’ve been sentenced to…”

“Yes, go on,” Pierre replied, rubbing his hands together in glee.

“To go to Aries and stay at Lord and Lady Thorner’s cottage on the beach for four weeks.”

“Oh, cruel world,” Pierre exclaimed, “that has such injustice in it!”

“I know,” said Jonah, with mock gloom. “It’s going to be awful.”

“Funny that you should mention it,” Pierre said with a different tone, “but Elaine I and were invited just the other day by Lord and Lady Thorner to spend some time in their cottage. We’ll be there in two weeks. We figure it will be a perfect time to nail down our wedding plans. Did I tell you we’ve set a date?”

“You’re kidding!” Jonah protested.

“I am not kidding,” Pierre said emphatically. “You’ve known about our engagement for months now.”

“No, dummy, about coming to Aries.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, we’ll get there a couple of days after Christmas,” Pierre said nonchalantly. “I think we’re staying for eight days. Elaine asked if she could bring a friend, and they said okay. Did I tell you we’re planning a June wedding? Wedding planning is a lot of work, you know. You’re going to be my best man unless I find someone better or you get killed between now and then. Is that okay?”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Jonah protested. “Run that by me again?”

“June wedding,” Pierre stated.

“Nope. What else?”

“You’re going to be my best man.”

“Nope, but that’s nice. Thank you. I’m honored.”

“We’re getting there after Christmas.”

“Nope. Keep going.”

“Oh,” Pierre exclaimed, with mock surprise as though he finally caught on as to what Jonah was asking. “Elaine bringing a friend?”

“There ya go,” Jonah said. “You two wouldn’t be trying to fix me up, by any chance, would you?”

“Fix you up?” Pierre asked. “Sorry, pal. Not everything is about you. It’s just some work friend of Elaine’s who promised to help with the wedding planning.”

“Whew,” Jonah sighed.

“Why? Would that be so horrible?”

Jonah thought before responding. “Nooooo, not really. I just…I don’t want things to be forced if that makes sense.”

“Well, like I said, not everything is about you.”

“Got it,” Jonah nodded in understanding. “It will be nice to see you and Elaine again.”

“It will be nice to see Elaine again,” Pierre said, acting forlorn. “Oh, and you too, I guess. Except you’re so ugly, and she’s so…not.”

“Well, this might be less horrible than I thought,” Jonah admitted.

“With me around? How could it not be?” Pierre stated. “I’ll see you later, buddy.”

“Back at ya.”

“I managed to get through the call with only a couple of fibs,” Pierre explained.

“Fibs. What kind of fibs are you talking about?” Elaine asked.

“Well, one of the fibs was that we would be arriving two weeks from now,” Pierre admitted, “instead of the day before he does.”

“That’s acceptable,” Elaine agreed. “And?”

“I mentioned you were bringing a friend,” Pierre said, cringing slightly, expecting her to explode in anger, then continued quickly before Elaine reacted. “I explained it was a work friend who was coming to help with the wedding planning. Jonah doesn’t respond well to surprises like that. He asked if we were trying to fix him up, and I told him that not everything was about him.”

“Just when I think you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this—” Elaine muttered, shaking her head, “and totally redeem yourself,” she finished, smiling.

“So…the wedding is still on?” Pierre asked with pretended fear.

“For now,” Elaine said in a mock warning. “That was just about the perfect thing to say, I have to admit, even though Jonah will now start to overthink it. Still, good job. I guess it’s true that even a blind squirrel finds the occasional acorn.”

33

The next evening, Jonah left HMS Drake on a shuttle and boarded the courier boat. Before he left, Lieutenant Baxter had packed all of Jonah’s belongings. He filled a suitcase with the things Jonah would need for the trip while everything else was boxed and would be sent to the Admiralty on Caerleon and stored until the location of Jonah’s next posting was known.

Expecting the usual navy courier, he was pleasantly surprised to find it was a much more comfortable ship belonging to the diplomatic service. The petty officer piloting the shuttle insisted on carrying Jonah’s bag aboard. Looking around, it seemed Jonah was the only passenger on the eight-day journey to Aries. The steward, Chet, greeted him and let Jonah know that Flight Surgeon Kleinschmidt had given him a full list of instructions regarding diet and making sure Jonah did nothing physical. Chet then picked up Jonah’s bag and carried it to the stateroom, unpacking and putting his clothes away.

Jonah spent the duration of the trip doing not much. He spoke with his mother to assure her he was on the mend. He worked his way through the list of messages that had stacked up while he was unconscious. He bought Christmas presents for his mother, Geoff, and Laura. He spoke with Laura asking for her help with a particular set of gifts. He bought Elaine a present for her wedding when he learned of the engagement but felt this Christmas would be a perfect time to give it to her. He asked Laura to retrieve the item from his bank and also asked for help for a different present that he told her was for Pierre. When she learned what they were, Laura agreed enthusiastically and took care of arranging to have them delivered to her cottage on Aries. He heard from ONI and heard the results they obtained from interrogating Seaman Barrett. Geoff and Laura called shortly after that to discuss it.

Jonah found he did not have much energy. Dr. Kleinschmidt warned him that fatigue would bother him for a few weeks while his wounds continued to heal and while his body replenished his blood supply. She counseled him to pay attention to his body and to sleep when he was tired for at least the next four weeks.

Upon arrival at Aries Station the morning of Saturday, December 23, he was met by agent Sauer and agent Lewis. They had obtained an electric cart to carry Jonah to the shuttle heading down to the planet. The shuttle down also belonged to the diplomatic service and was at Jonah’s disposal that day. Before reaching the shuttle, Jonah explained that he had no suitable beach or casual clothing and asked if they could stop and purchase a few things before departing the station.

After a couple of quick stops, Jonah had what he needed. He and the agents boarded the diplomatic shuttle and headed down. When they arrived, the shuttle steward loaded Jonah and the agents’ luggage into a waiting flitter parked next to the shuttle’s pad. Within moments they were in the air. Agent Sauer guided the flitter with a sure hand. After twenty minutes, she took the flitter along the coastline, then swooped to the left, over what appeared to be a small hotel, and landed in a clearing on the other side.

Jonah was still trying to grasp the size of what Geoff and Laura had called a ‘cottage’ when he noticed a dark-haired man in a white shirt and khaki shorts was waiting with an electric cart. The man loaded their bags onto the cart. Agent Lewis indicated the Jonah should sit on the cart. Jonah thought briefly about protesting since it was only 150 meters to the house but knew Lewis would cite orders. He took a seat. Halfway to the house, he was glad he did. The tropical heat would take some getting used to.

When they reached the house, a woman came out. She was dressed similarly to the man. The man asked Jonah to point out his bags, lifted them, and said, “Follow me.” The woman took the other two bags and indicated the agents should follow her. Lewis did. Sauer tagged along with Jonah.

Jonah followed the man who led him to a bedroom. He set Jonah’s bag on a luggage stand and opened it. He then turned and said, “When you’re ready, take a left out the door until you come to the large open room we went through on the way here, then turn right. You’ll find the other guests on the veranda.”

After the man left, agent Sauer briefly inspected Jonah’s room. When she finished, she nodded, saying, “Looks good.” She left, closing the door behind her.

Jonah unpacked his luggage and put away some of his new purchases. He chose a shirt and a pair of shorts and quickly changed. The whole time he was wondering what the man meant by the “other guests.” He wondered if this were some sort of exclusive hotel and not Lord and Lady Thorner’s cottage. If it were their cottage, though, who would the other guests be? He did not expect Pierre and Elaine for almost a week.

He left the room, turning left down the corridor, then right when he reached the big room off the entrance. Ahead he could see expansive windows looking onto a shaded veranda. Beyond that were the white sand beach and the sea. He headed that way. As he grew closer, he recognized Pierre’s laugh. Closer still and he heard Elaine’s voice. The other voice, female, he recognized but could not place. With a smile, he realized Pierre had fudged the truth about when he would arrive.

Pierre, shirtless, was sitting on a rattan loveseat next to Elaine. Elaine was wearing a rather skimpy royal blue bikini, leaning against Pierre. The other woman had her back to him and was wearing a broad straw hat, so he could not see who it was. She, too, appeared to be wearing a bikini.

When he crossed through the doorway, Pierre saw him and jumped up to greet him. “Surprise!” he said with a wide grin and clasped Jonah in a hug.

Jonah couldn’t help but grin back. “I was sort of wondering what I was going to do, rattling around here all by myself for a couple of days. I’m glad you took pity on me and decided to come early,” Jonah teased.

“Early?” came the voice from under the hat. “We’re not early, are we?”

“No,” Elaine confirmed, “we’re not. Just another one of Pierre’s little amusements. Hi, Jonah,” she said as she stood and crossed to give him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

“Hi, Jonah,” came from under the hat. She, too, stood and crossed to Jonah. Jonah was stunned as the hat tilted up to reveal Captain Hayes. She gave him the briefest of hugs and the slightest peck on the cheek.

“Hi, uh, Katie,” Jonah replied, almost calling her ‘Captain” from habit. He had trouble looking away from her and didn’t want to seem as though he were staring with his one eye a-goggle. “Hi, Elaine.”

Elaine waved at a seat facing the one Captain Hayes was in. “Lemonade?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” Jonah answered. Trying to buy himself some time, he fussed with the chair cushions for a moment. His mind was racing. Was Elaine trying to fix him up with Captain Hayes? Then he remembered Pierre had said, “Not everything is about you.”

Jonah forced himself to look at Pierre, even though he wanted to drink in the sight of Captain Hayes in her bikini with his eye. “So, Monsewer, you have deceived me once again,” he said in a bad fake French accent.

“Think of it as an early Christmas present,” Pierre responded. “After all, you get to spend extra time with me.”

Elaine, returning with Jonah’s lemonade, rolled her eyes.

“I don’t know,” Jonah responded with a yawn. Then in an extremely bored and sarcastic manner, “I’d better check with my doctor. I don’t know if I can handle that much excitement.”

“Elaine, is this what I have to look forward to?” Hayes asked.

“Don’t worry, Katie,” Elaine replied. “They’re not always like this.”

“Sometimes we’re worse,” Jonah and Pierre said in unison.

“Oh, Gawd,” Hayes said with a snort.

That drew Jonah’s eye back to Katie. Standing about 165 centimeters tall with dark brown hair to just below her chin and brown eyes, with a dusting of small freckles under her eyes and across the bridge of her nose, fit but with a few more curves than Elaine or Amy had, Katie was as pretty a woman as Jonah had ever known. Added to that, knowing her vitality and exuberant spirit made her even more attractive. Seeing her in a black bikini made Jonah think of her in a way he never had before.

He realized he was staring and also that she had noticed. He coughed from embarrassment. “Ha-hm. You’re looking a lot better than you did when I last saw you, Katie.”

“When was that?” Elaine asked.

Recovering his wits, Jonah quipped, “In bed, last Christmas.”

Hayes blushed at his comment. “When I was in the hospital,” she amended.

Elaine giggled. “Good one, Jonah,” she commented.

“You, on the other hand,” Katie responded, “look like hell. What happened?”

Jonah explained what he was told about the attack (since he didn’t remember anything) and about his injuries. During the journey to Aries, ONI had released the information they obtained from their interrogation of Seaman Barrett.

“Barrett was contacted by someone who convinced him that his wife and daughter would be captured, tortured, and killed if he did not follow orders. He panicked and did what they demanded instead of following regulations and letting his superiors know that he had been approached.

“MI-5 followed up and found that someone installed surveillance cameras in his apartment on Lincoln. They obviously tracked his wife and daughter’s comings and goings and sent him videos to convince him that they could do what they threatened. They told him if he informed anyone about this or tried to warn his wife, that they would act.”

“That’s horrible,” Elaine commented. “Are they okay?”

“His wife and daughter are unhurt and completely unaware of what was happening,” Jonah confirmed.

“Amazing,” Pierre stated. “Does this mean that the Chinese have rebuilt the networks that MI-5 and ONI took down?”

“Well, according to what I’ve heard,” Jonah explained, referring to a discussion he’d had with the Thorners after he’d heard the report from ONI, “the Chinese never had much of a presence on Lincoln, but the Lutetians were engaging in industrial espionage there. There is a strong suspicion that whatever networks the Lutetians had are now being controlled by their new Chinese masters.”

The conversation continued, moving onto naval gossip and other mundane matters. After about a half-hour, Pierre stood and stretched, saying, “I’m going for a swim. Anyone care to join me?”

“Not cleared for that yet,” Jonah shrugged.

“I’ve already had as much sun as I dare for today,” Elaine explained.

“I’ll join you,” Katie said, standing and doffing her hat.

Jonah watched the two of them cross the beach, heading for the surf. When he judged they were out of earshot, he asked, “Elaine, what are you up to?”

“Me?” she said with false innocence, batting her eyelashes.

“Yes, you.”

Elaine sighed dramatically. “Alright, I confess. But all I’m doing is putting two terrific people in close proximity to one another. That’s all I did before if you recall.”

“Yeah,” Jonah said, “and I ended up getting shot.”

“Not my fault.”

“True.”

“Look,” she explained, “I’ve gotten to know Katie in the last year. She’s an amazing person—”

“I agree.”

“And she’s got a bit of a crush on you. Because I know you, I know you’re completely clueless about that. If I’m doing this to help anyone, I’m trying to help her. If you guys connect while you’re here, great. If you don’t, at least she gets some closure.”

“But Elaine—” Jonah started to protest.

“But Elaine,” she said, mocking him, using a whiny voice, “I don’t know if I’m ready to move on yet.” Changing her tone, she snapped, “Bullshit, Jonah. Amy died over two years ago. The last thing in the world she would have wanted you to do would be to waste your life pining away for her. Agreed?”

“Yes, but—”

“Amy was incredibly talented, charming, beautiful, brilliant—I was her friend too, remember? I know all that. Guess what, Katie is incredibly talented, charming, beautiful, brilliant and, God help her, she likes you a lot, in that way. I’m not saying that anyone could ever replace Amy because no one could. I’m also trying to tell you that you have a chance with a woman who is just as amazing and, even with only one eye, you’re not so blind that you don’t already know that. I can also tell you that you’re amazing. You deserve to love someone amazing too. You would be an idiot not to give it a chance.”

Elaine stopped and looked at Jonah. He was paying attention. She leaned forward and took his hands in hers. “My mom was one of five children. When I was little, I asked my grandma how she could love her five children, her husband, and all of us grandchildren and love us all as much as she said she did. She told me there are no limits on how much love you have to give and that when people come into your life, your supply of love magically expands. I would never suggest that you stop loving Amy. The love you have for her will remain. But I think you underestimate your capacity to love someone else in a very similar way and just as deeply. Don’t think that someone new would somehow be competing with Amy or replacing her. It’s not a competition. It’s an addition.”

Jonah was silent for minutes, thinking about what Elaine had said. It rang true with him. He thought about Katie and how amazing she was and about he had felt something last Christmas when he visited her in the hospital.

“Elaine, I need your help,” he said finally.

“Sure,” she responded easily. “With what?”

“I already got you and Pierre Christmas presents since I knew I would see you, but I don’t have anything for Katie.”

“What sort of present are you thinking?” Elaine asked.

“The sort of present that says I really like you, and I suspect you really like me too, in the same way, and I’d like to see where this goes between us,” Jonah blurted out.

“That’s an awful lot to convey in just one gift,” Elaine said with a warm smile, “but I’ll put my mind to it. We’ll have to go shopping tomorrow.”

34

Elaine gave Jonah a lot to think about. Now that he knew that Elaine was playing matchmaker, he decided to be grateful that she cared enough to bother. Katie was, he admitted to himself easily, incredible. She impressed him with her ability and intelligence from the time he’d met her. She was capable, motivated, charming, and, oh yes, beautiful. The more he thought about it, the more he appreciated the genius of what Elaine accomplished. She put two like-minded people together in a way that minimized the pressure on either of them. That they were in a tropical paradise just made it more perfect.

Over the course of the afternoon, Jonah gleaned that Katie knew he was coming. She already figured out from his reaction when he first saw her that he was unaware that she would be there. He hoped that didn’t bother her. During dinner, Elaine announced that they would be heading into the town nearby in the morning to do last-minute Christmas shopping. She looked pointedly at Jonah and Katie when she said this.

Katie looked at Jonah. “£100 limit?” she asked.

“Strict or hazy?” Jonah inquired.

“Hazy,” she agreed.

“Gag gifts acceptable?” he asked.

“Only clever ones. Nothing ham-handed,” she smirked.

“That takes Pierre out of the running,” Elaine quipped.

“Hey, now,” Pierre protested.

“Done,” Jonah said, offering his hand across the table.

“Done,” Katie agreed, shaking his hand.

The next morning, they went into town and split up. Katie complained about having to babysit Pierre. Elaine assured her that they would trade off in ninety minutes or less. Agents Lewis and Sauer followed Jonah from a discrete distance. After splitting up, Jonah demanded Elaine’s help. Elaine took Jonah’s arm, and they headed off.

“Okay,” she said, “based on what you told me yesterday, that rules out clothing, lingerie, or jewelry. Given that you both live like nomads, it needs to be something that’s easily portable and needs to be something she will want to bring along with her, so we’re looking for some kind of keepsake. Since you two haven’t spent much in the way of personal time together, that makes it kind of hard.”

With a flash of inspiration, Jonah stopped. “Elaine, you’re fabulous. I know exactly what to get.”

“What?”

“A digital picture frame,” he explained. “All of us can load the pictures we take over the next week or so on it. If we have a happy time these next few days and these are pleasant memories, then she’ll want to keep those photos on it. If things don’t work out, well…she can delete those and put whatever she wants on it. Either way, it’s a great answer.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Elaine added, “It also handles a gag gift, if you want.”

Jonah turned to her with a grin. At the same time, they both said, “Pierre!” and began cracking up.

They set off and found a shop that sold digital picture frames. One with a sterling silver case in the perfect size came to £103.57. The shopkeeper asked if Jonah wanted it to be monogrammed. Jonah looked at Elaine, who shook her head ‘no.’ He also refused to have it gift-wrapped since he would need to load a picture on it before wrapping it. He and Elaine then went in search of gift-wrap. When they were done, she sent a text to Katie telling her that her babysitting stint was over and asked her to meet them at a café nearby.

They met at the café. Elaine and Katie did not linger, heading off immediately. Jonah and Pierre sat down for a cup of coffee. Lewis sat at the table next to them, and Sauer sat at the counter near the door. Jonah asked, “Pierre, I need to take a picture of you with your most smug expression.”

He explained to Pierre about the picture frame and that the ‘gag’ part of the gift would be when she opened it and saw Pierre’s picture. Pierre chuckled, agreeing with the idea. He asked for a moment to compose himself, then leaned back with an extremely self-satisfied look on his face. “Perfect,” Jonah said and used his comm to take the photo.

“You realize,” Pierre commented, still looking smug, “that she may never want to change the display?”

“Knock it off,” Jonah warned. “It’s just me—no audience.”

“Golly. You’re no fun.”

Jonah waved his hand in dismissal. “I do want to thank you for lying to me, though.”

“Lying is such a harsh way to put it,” Pierre complained. “I preferred to think of it as smudging the truth. But why thank me?”

“Having you and Elaine arrive earlier than you told me was a nice surprise,” Jonah explained. “Having Katie appear as Elaine’s mysterious friend from work was also well done. If you’d told me in advance Katie would be here, I would probably have thought too much about it and made an ass of myself.”

“A bigger ass of yourself,” Pierre commented. “I thought your remaining eye was going to pop out of your head yesterday.”

“Well, in my own defense, you have to admit Captain Hayes does look good in a bikini.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Pierre said with a sniff, “I only have eyes for my fiancée.”

Jonah laughed and Pierre, unable to keep a straight face, joined in moments later.

“Okay,” Pierre admitted, “maybe I have looked once or twice.”

“Now admit that you and Elaine are trying to fix us up,” Jonah asked.

“I am innocent of any conspiring,” Pierre stated, holding his hand up as though swearing an oath. “Okay, well…mostly innocent. It wasn’t my idea, but I can’t say I disagree with it. And remember, it’s not always about you.”

“You told me that before. Explain.”

“Long version or short?”

“How much time do we have before they come back?”

“Medium-length version then. Elaine got to know Katie last year, between when Katie was released from the hospital and when she returned to Defender. Elaine had been doing a series of interviews of high-ranking women in the Royal Navy, with the goal of assisting recruitment. In the process, the two of them really hit it off and became instant best friends. They spent a lot of time together before Katie rejoined Defender. A week or so later, Elaine asked me about you and whether you had any feelings for Katie because she figured out Katie had feelings for you.”

“What did you say?” Jonah asked.

“That I didn’t know,” Pierre protested. “I mentioned that when the two of you were first posted on Hotspur together, you were married and wouldn’t have even thought about any other woman.”

 “True.”

“And then after Amy was killed, I told Elaine you were in a pretty dark place for quite some time and that even though you were better now, you probably were unsure about things.”

“Also true.”

 “Then Elaine told me about your visiting Katie in the hospital last year at this time.”

 “Maybe I just felt sorry for her and didn’t have anything better to do,” Jonah stated.

 “Maybe,” Pierre admitted, “but when Elaine told me you showed up three days in a row, including Christmas and Boxing Day, which would have been your anniversary with Amy, and that Katie had reported you had traded life stories with one another—”

 “Maybe I just—”

 “Oh, bullshit, Jonah,” Pierre said quietly, looking at his best friend intently. “You can tell yourself that all you want but being a nice guy who feels sorry for someone involves one trip to the hospital, maybe a get-well card, and about an hour’s worth of time at most. Coming three days in a row, including Christmas and your anniversary, bringing flowers and spending pretty much all of those days chatting with her while holding her hand—”

 “I didn’t stay that long on Boxing Day,” Jonah protested.

 “Because they knocked her out with a sedative,” Pierre countered. “And she told you she had argued with the nurses about it. Do you know why she argued with the nurses?”

 “I just assumed she didn’t want to sleep,” Jonah said lamely.

 “You’ve spent more time in the hospital than any other three people I know,” Pierre sputtered. “Have you ever argued when they wanted you to go to sleep?”

 “Only when I knew someone was coming to visit, and I…” Jonah trailed off.

 “So,” Pierre stated, “Elaine and I established that there is some level of mutual interest between you two. Then Elaine asked me if there were a chance you’d act on it. I laughed in her face. ‘Not going to happen,’ I told her. She agreed. Then I asked her if there were a chance that Katie would act on it. Same answer: no way. We both thought that was sad, but there wasn’t a darned thing we could do about it. Then you jump on a knife and almost kill yourself—again—while letting Yoshi take care of the Chinese. By the way, the general consensus, after we destroyed a bunch more of their ships, confirmed by ONI, is that not much is going to happen for at least ten months. I’m happy because I’m finally able to schedule my wedding without fear of another disaster looming.

 “Then Laura calls Elaine, out of the blue, and tells her that she’s finagled it so that you will spend your convalescent leave here at their ‘cottage’ and she can probably also arrange for the two of us to join you for a couple of weeks if we’d like. That’s an easy decision—getting to spend a couple of weeks on the beach with Elaine is worth it, even with having to tolerate you gimping around. Then Elaine asks Laura if she can bring Katie and explains what we think is going on—and not going on—between you two. Laura jumps on the idea and says she’ll arrange it so that Katie can get leave at the same time if she wants to join us.

 “Elaine calls Katie, tells her we have the use of this cottage over the holidays and asks if she’d like to join us. Katie worries about whether she’ll be granted leave, but Elaine tells her it’s all set, that her fairy godmother will take care of it. Katie mumbles something about going to visit her family if she’s granted leave. Elaine then mentions that you’ll be here, recovering from your wounds. Katie says she’ll think about it, waits a day, then tells Elaine she’s coming. Elaine communicates with Laura, and—presto—everything is arranged.

 “So, don’t think of it as trying to set you two up,” Pierre summarized. “We prefer to think that we’re facilitating putting the two of you in close proximity to one another for a period of time in a non-navy environment in the hopes that you figure it out for yourselves. It’s not just about you, Jonah; it’s about Katie too. Don’t overthink it—just enjoy spending time with one another and with us. There’s no pressure and no expectations. Just hope for two people we care about.”

 “I’m trying not to overthink it,” Jonah admitted. “I’ll even confess that I knew a year ago that my interest was more than that of someone who is just a friend or colleague, and it made me feel…conflicted. I didn’t know quite where she stood and, well, the whole navy thing. Since I outrank her, it makes everything…complicated.”

 “That’s you overthinking things, buddy,” Pierre advised. “Don’t think that far ahead. It’s not time for baby names. Just be in the moment for the next two weeks. Enjoy the company and the surroundings. Enjoy, don’t evaluate.”

 “Good advice,” Jonah agreed.

 “Not mine,” Pierre admitted. “Do you remember the first time Elaine and I spent with one another? When you relieved me out in Hercules?”

 “Yeah.”

 “Elaine set the ground rules,” Pierre explained. “She said that we’d spend a week together. If we were having fun with one another, we could extend it a couple of days at a time, but only if we were having fun. She said she planned on just being in the moment and enjoying a nice vacation without thinking of the future. I listened to her and did the same. I try to treat all my time with her that way.”

Jonah smiled. “That’s something Amy used to try to get me to do, though not in those words. She’d always say to enjoy the time we had together and not to fret about when a visit was coming to an end or about how long it might be until the next time. It’s also how I’ve dealt with her death, focusing on the time I did have with her and not on the loss. Anyway, good talk, Pierre.”

 “Good talk, Jonah,” Pierre agreed.

Jonah had noticed a patron of the café who seemed to show unusual interest in him while he was chatting with Pierre. Agent Lewis had noticed it too and had unobtrusively moved his chair out in case he needed to spring into action. The man who had been looking at Jonah rose and came over hesitantly. “Are you Admiral Halberd?” he asked.

 “Yes, I am,” Jonah replied, standing.

 “I thought that was you!” the man exclaimed quietly. “I’m so honored to meet you. I just want to shake your hand and thank you for your service.”

Jonah shook his hand. He had a devilish thought. “This is your lucky day, sir. May I introduce Admiral Delhomme?” he said, gesturing at Pierre.

 “Delhomme—” the man muttered to himself, trying to place the name. Then, brightening, he said, “Oh, you led the decoy force so that Admiral Halberd could pave the way for the landings on New Delhi. I’m pleased to meet you as well, admiral.”

He stuck his hand out to shake. Pierre stood and shook the man’s hand. Jonah told the man, “Actually, Admiral Delhomme headed the main force during those operations. My group was supposed to be the decoy.”

The man shook his head incredulously. “It’s really refreshing to find that a big hero like you is still so humble. Thank you for your service, admirals. I will never forget this day.”

 “Nor will I, sir,” Pierre told him.

35

Elaine and Katie rejoined the two men afterward. After the women asked whether to stay in town for lunch or return to the ‘cottage,’ Pierre grumpily said he’d had enough of town to last him. When they returned, Louisa made them lunch. Pierre was still somewhat cranky. When Elaine asked what was wrong, Jonah told her the story of the hero-worshiper. Elaine tried to repress a laugh but failed. She then showed mock sympathy to Pierre (‘Awwwwww’).

 “Don’t let that moron ruin your day,” Katie suggested, taking Pierre’s side. “He has no idea of how valuable you are.”

 “Thank you, Katie,” Pierre said. “Would you marry me? You seem much more supportive than my fiancée.”

 “I’m sorry, Pierre, but no,” Katie replied. “You need Elaine, and you know it.”

 “But—” Pierre protested.

 “She only strokes your ego when you need it, not when you want it,” Katie said, smiling and patting his hand.

 “Pierre, for my part, I’m sorry about that,” Jonah said. “It’s only funny if I’m laughing with you. I really didn’t want your feelings to get hurt.”

Pierre’s face cracked with a grin. “It would have been really funny if you’d set that up on purpose. As it is, still funny, though I hate to admit it. And Katie, you’re right—the guy’s a moron.”

 “What about me?” asked Elaine.

 “Oh, I know a way you can make it up to me,” Pierre leered and leaned into her.

Elaine shrieked and pretended to fight Pierre off as he gave her a sloppy kiss.

After lunch, when the others went for a swim, Jonah stayed on the veranda in the shade, enjoying the view as the two women walked away in their bikinis. Within moments, he stretched his feet out onto a stool and fell asleep.

Sometime later, he woke when he felt someone wiping the corner of his mouth. He opened his eye to see Katie perched above him on the arm of the chair. She smiled at him. “You were drooling,” she explained.

 “That’s me,” Jonah said, realizing she wiped it off with her flimsy cover-up, “Mr. Smooth.”

She chuckled softly. Under the gauzy, translucent shirt she was wearing as a cover-up, he saw she was still in her bikini. Her collar-length hair was still wet. He fought his desire to drink in her appearance and focused on looking her in the eye. From the time he knew it was her, a smile lit his face. She, too, was smiling.

 “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she apologized. “You looked so relaxed.”

 “It’s okay,” he said. “Drool. Was I snoring too?”

 “No. Do you snore?”

 “I don’t think so,” Jonah replied with a shrug. “At least, no one has told me that I do. How about you?”

 “Same. I will admit to drooling in my sleep sometimes, though, if the puddle I sometimes find on my pillow is any indication. You going to be here for a bit?”

 “It seems to be the thing to do,” Jonah answered.

 “Why don’t you find us something cool to drink while I go shower and change,” she asked as she stood and began walking inside.

 “I can do that.” Jonah stood slowly and enjoyed watching Katie as she walked away. He headed inside towards the kitchen and ran into Louisa, the woman who worked in the cottage as a housekeeper and cook. She told Jonah she would bring some lemonade right away.

He returned to the veranda and sat on the loveseat. He saw Pierre and Elaine approaching, walking across the sand, holding hands. She was laughing at something, and Pierre had a huge smile. Seeing his two friends so happy made Jonah’s heart fill.

Louisa brought the lemonade just as Elaine and Pierre arrived. They sat in the chairs on either side of him. “What have you been doing?” Elaine asked as she toweled her bright red hair.

 “Drooling,” Jonah admitted. “I fell asleep. Katie woke me when she tried to mop up the puddle.”

 “Good job, buddy,” Pierre quipped. “Please tell me you didn’t fart, too?”

 “I’m saving that for later,” Jonah said. “I don’t want to show all my finer points right away. Need to leave some arrows in the quiver.”

Elaine giggled. “Do you guys ever stop? Have the two of you ever had a purely serious conversation?”

 “Purely serious?” Jonah asked.

 “Like, one hundred percent free from wisecracks or teasing?” Pierre inquired.

 “Right,” she confirmed. “One hundred percent serious. No baloney.”

Jonah looked at Pierre as Pierre looked at him. They both turned to Elaine and at the same time said, “No.”

Elaine roared with laughter. When she recovered a little, she asked, “Do you guys practice that? Or are you long-lost twins or something?”

Jonah and Pierre looked at one another again, turned to Elaine, and again, in unison, said, “No.”

Elaine was now curled in a ball, clutching her sides, laughing so hard she was having trouble breathing.

 “Elaine,” Katie called as she came outside, wearing a cute sundress with a bright floral print, “are you alright?”

 “No,” she gasped, “Help me! The boys are trying to make me wet my pants.”

 “Have they been tickling you?” Katie asked.

 “No,” Elaine responded, still gasping, “they’re doing this thing—”

Pierre and Jonah looked at one another, then turned back to Elaine and said, in stereo, “What?”

Elaine burst into new paroxysms of laughter, waving her arm at the men to indicate ‘that’ to Katie.

 “Cut it out, boys,” Katie said.

Pierre looked at Jonah, adopting an expression of complete innocence. Jonah gave the slightest twitch of his head to indicate he understood. They turned to Katie and, shrugging, said, “We’re not doing anything.”

Katie’s mouth opened in shock, then she snorted. Jonah and Pierre were so pleased that they each guessed what the other would say that they complimented one another (“Good one.” “You, too.”). It took a couple of minutes, but eventually, Elaine and Katie regained their composure.

 “Seriously,” Elaine pleaded, “how do you guys do that?”

 “When you were little,” Pierre said, “did your parents ever tell you, ‘Nobody likes a smart-aleck’?”

Elaine and Katie both nodded.

 “They were warning you about us,” Jonah stated.

Katie sat down next to Jonah on the loveseat. “You never struck me as much of a smart-ass,” she said to Jonah.

 “It’s all his fault,” Jonah explained. “He makes me.”

 “That’s only mostly true,” Pierre explained. “Normally, he’s the straight man and merely creates opportunities for me to dazzle people with my sparkling wit, but I will admit, he does rise to the occasion every so often.”

 “Thank you. That’s very generous of you to say,” Jonah said, with mock sincerity and a slight bow.

 “You’re welcome,” Pierre replied dismissively.

 “How do you deal with it?” Katie asked Elaine.

 “They haven’t been in the same room together with me since Pierre and I got engaged,” Elaine explained, giggling, “so this is new to me as well. I certainly knew about Pierre being a smart-ass—everyone does—and Jonah has a great sense of humor, too—just a little drier. I didn’t know that when you put them together, they could finish each other’s sentences.”

 “You say that like it’s a bad thing, honey,” Pierre complained.

 “No. It’s actually amazing,” Elaine clarified. “It shows that clueless as you both are sometimes, there’s someone out there who completely understands you.”

 “When did you guys realize,” Katie inquired, “that you had this kind of connection?

 “Hebrus,” said Jonah.

 “Snotties,” said Pierre.

 “Uh-oh,” Elaine pointed out, “you’re out of synch.”

 “No, we’re not,” they both replied.

 “It’s the same answer,” Jonah explained, “just a different way of saying it.

Katie and Elaine both giggled at this.

 “We knew one another at the academy,” Pierre continued, “but we weren’t friends (“Not at all,” agreed Jonah). We were unfriendly rivals. He was a prig.”

 “He was a jerk,” Jonah stated.

 “It was obvious to everyone that we had a low opinion of each other,” Pierre went on. “We were leaders of different units of midshipmen and competed against each other in just about everything. When we graduated, someone had the great idea to post the two of us to the same frigate, HMS Hebrus, where we’d be sure to grate on each other and wouldn’t be able to avoid one another.”

 “Under Commander Karl Von Geisler,” Jonah added, “so, Hebrus, and what do you call ensigns on their first posting?”

 “Snotties,” Katie answered. “Sheesh. It was the same answer.”

 “Did Karl straighten you two out?” Elaine asked.

 “No,” Jonah replied, “he never had to because of Wisner.”

 “Wisner the whiz kid,” Pierre concurred. “The dumbest, laziest, most arrogant bully of a lieutenant in the entire Royal Navy. It took less than an hour before Jonah and I figured we had a common enemy and that we would need each other.”

 “We never really talked about burying the hatchet,” Jonah continued. “As a matter of fact, this might be the first time Pierre and I have ever talked about it. Anyway, we realized immediately that it was us against him and that he was going to try to blame every one of his shortcomings on one of us. Whatever feelings we had towards one another were dwarfed by our instant dislike of Wisner and fear of what he could do to ruin our careers.”

 “The magic moment you’re looking for,” Pierre stated, “was when I whispered, ‘Wisner, what a piece of work,’ and Jonah replied, ‘yeah.’ Not exactly Shakespearean.”

The conversation continued up to and then through dinner, with a small break when Elaine and Pierre took a shower and got dressed. After dinner, Elaine caught Jonah in a yawn.

 “It’s bedtime for you, Jonah,” she stated flatly.

Even though he was enjoying the conversation, he knew he was done for the day. “Right,” he agreed. “The sooner I fall asleep, the sooner Santa Claus gets here, right? Goodnight, everyone,” he called as he headed to his room.

 “He didn’t put up much of a fight,” Pierre commented after Jonah left.

 “Hush, honey,” Elaine cautioned. “I chatted with Lewis today to learn more about what kind of shape he’s in since he looks so pale. Lewis told me the stab wound pierced his lungs and hit the inferior vena cava. That’s the really big vein that brings all the used blood back to the heart from the entire lower portion of the body. Jonah lost over three-quarters of his blood supply before the nanites stopped up the hole in the vein. They pumped him full of synthetic blood to keep him alive, but it’s not as good as the real thing. His body is struggling to make new blood for him right now. Plus, the wounds need to heal. He’s going to be pretty wiped out for a couple of weeks.”

 “Thank you for doing that,” Pierre said. “I meant to ask Lewis or Sauer about it, but I forgot. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

 “Me, too,” Katie chimed in.

 “You’re off to a good start,” Pierre commented. “Wiping up drool usually comes much later on.”

 “Stop it,” she protested. “He just looked so calm. I’ve never seen him look like that. It was so…different.”

 “What do you mean?” Pierre asked.

 “This will probably sound ridiculous,” she cautioned, “like really cheesy pop psychology.”

 “I promise Pierre won’t laugh,” Elaine stated, giving Pierre a meaningful look which he caught.

 “Okay,” Katie resumed, taking a deep breath. “All four of us have something in common. We are all energetic people. I don’t mean that we’re hyperactive; I mean that we project a lot of energy, and people around us respond to that. Does that make sense?”

 “Keep going,” Pierre said. “I think I get what you’re trying to say.”

 “The three of us,” Katie said, gesturing around the table, “our energy sort of fizzes and pops. I tend to be exuberant. You’re a smart-ass. Elaine is driven. Even people who don’t know us at all can see our energy. Jonah has a different kind of energy. His energy doesn’t fizz and pop; it hums, like this.”

With that, Katie started to hum in as deep a register as she could, as loud as she could before she started to laugh at herself. “You guys probably think I’m nuts.”

 “No, you’re not,” Elaine stated. “I completely understand what you’re saying. Jonah is like a dynamo—he just keeps going, strong and steady.”

 “Exactly,” Katie agreed. “When I saw him asleep this afternoon, that dynamo was completely shut down. I never saw that.”

 “You were on Hotspur with him when Amy was killed,” Pierre said. “Didn’t he shut down then?”

Katie shook her head vigorously. “No. It was kind of scary. It was like he was full of dark, negative energy that wanted to explode, but he was keeping it under tight control by force of will. It was awful to see. A couple of days after that battle in Avalon, he reached the limit of his ability to keep it under control and disappeared.”

 “He was relieved for medical reasons,” Pierre stated.

 “They wanted to relieve him as soon as he found out while we were still in transit,” Katie shared. “He refused. I heard he told them that doing his duty in that crisis was the only way he could retain his grasp of sanity. I think it was because it let him burn off some of that negative energy.”

36

When Jonah woke up in the morning, he realized he needed to load the picture of Pierre onto Katie’s present and wrap it. After he loaded the photo, he headed out in search of the wrapping paper. Elaine intercepted him before he left the corridor.

 “Stop right there, buster!” she hissed in a whisper.

 “I need the wrapping paper,” he responded.

 “Go back to your room,” she whispered. “I’ll bring it to you.”

 “What’s going on?”

 “You’ll find out soon enough. Now shoo.”

In a few minutes, she returned with the wrapping paper. “When you’re finished, you can come out,” she instructed.

Jonah wrapped the present and went back to the central room. The rest of the group was already there, wearing Santa hats and matching lightweight pajamas. Someone hung stockings on the mantelpiece of the fireplace. The stockings had each of their names embroidered. There was a small Christmas tree with blinking lights. Pierre tossed him a Santa hat and a wrapped package. “You’re out of uniform,” he advised. “Go change.”

Jonah did as he was told. The package contained pajamas to match the others. He put them on, along with the Santa hat.

 “Much better,” Elaine said when he returned.

Elaine and Pierre were sitting on a sofa. Katie was on a sofa facing them, so Jonah sat next to her. He put the present he wrapped on the table. With a wide smile, he commented, “This is very Christmas-y,” as he nodded, indicating the decorations. “Delightfully unexpected.”

Katie was beaming. “I grew up in a big family,” she explained, “so Christmas was always a really big deal, even as we got older. As we children grew up, it became less about the presents and more about the traditions. Last Christmas, I was stuck in the hospital, and I really missed feeling the Christmas spirit. Maybe I’m overcompensating, but I really wanted to have a Christmas tree and stockings for Santa, at the very least.”

 “And Christmas pajamas,” Jonah commented.

 “It looks like Santa filled the stockings, too,” Pierre remarked.

 “Why don’t you get them down,” Elaine asked, “and hand them out.”

When everyone had a stocking, Katie requested, “Let’s go one at a time, so the rest of us can comment.”

 “Before we get started,” Elaine stood up, “let me get some quick pictures.”

She snapped a handful of photos with her comm before sitting down. “Since this was your brainchild,” she told Katie, “why don’t you go first?”

Katie reached into her stocking, pulling out a candy cane first, then a bag of gumdrops. Then there was a box of chocolates. “Yum,” she commented, “Santa always knows what to get.” Following that, there was a pair of sunglasses, a yellow bikini, and a gauzy beach cover-up. The last items she pulled out were an orange and a penny.

 “We always got an orange in the bottom of our stockings, too,” Pierre remarked. “I asked my mom why and she never explained. She just said it was traditional.”

 “Same here,” Katie agreed.

 “What’s the penny for?” Elaine inquired.

 “Good luck,” Jonah answered. “At least, that’s what mom said.”

 “And prosperity in the New Year,” Katie added.

It was Pierre’s turn next. He also received a candy cane and a bag of gumdrops. Instead of chocolates, there was a small bottle of port, suitable for after-dinner. Wrapped around the bottle were swim trunks with candy canes on them. Finally, there was a pair of sunglasses, an orange, and a penny.

In Jonah’s stocking, after the candy cane and gumdrops, he too had a bottle of port. He had a pair of swim trunks like Pierre’s. Instead of sunglasses, there was an eyepatch in Christmas green with a caricature of a smiling Santa on it. There was a box of children’s bandages printed with cartoon characters (“For all your accidents,” Elaine explained). He, too, got an orange and a penny. Without waiting to be told, Jonah quickly slipped off his usual black patch and put on the new one. He turned to the group, telling them, “It’s a perfect fit.”

 “Santa always knows,” Pierre commented.

Throughout this, Elaine was taking pictures as they each opened the stockings. Jonah told her to hand over her comm so he could take over as photographer while she went through her stocking. The contents of hers were similar to Katie’s, though the bikini was lime green instead of yellow.

When she finished, Jonah waved the comm at Pierre and Elaine, saying, “Give us a kiss.” They obligingly smooched while Jonah took the picture. Elaine took her comm back and asked Jonah and Katie to do the same. Like Pierre and Elaine, they gave each other a brief smack on the lips. All four of them were sporting broad smiles.

Pierre commented, “This is really fun, Katie. Thank you.”

 “Well,” she replied, “I’ll take credit for the big idea, but Elaine deserves credit for the execution.”

 “When did you get this all done?” Jonah asked.

 “Yesterday morning,” Elaine said. “Except the eyepatch. I made that myself.”

 “You weren’t gone that long,” Pierre commented.

 “Power shopping,” Katie stated. “We were on a mission.”

 “I’ll say,” Jonah added. “Good job! And Elaine, I didn’t know you were so talented.”

 “Aw shucks,” she replied.

 “Is it time to open the presents?” Pierre wanted to know.

 “No,” Katie said firmly. “The rule is we have to eat breakfast and get dressed before we can open presents.”

 “We had the same rule in my house,” Elaine giggled.

 “Me, too,” Pierre said, pretending to pout.

 “Same here,” Jonah agreed.

 “Breakfast won’t be ready for about 25 minutes,” Katie informed them. “So, that will give everyone a chance to shower and get dressed. You need to wear what Santa brought, too.”

They adjourned to their rooms. Jonah showered and shaved. Looking in the mirror, he noticed how gaunt he looked but also noticed he had a smile on his face. He put his Christmas eyepatch back on, tugged on his new swim trunks, and found a white shirt. He went to the dining room, where Louisa told him that breakfast would be ready shortly. He wished her a Merry Christmas.

A few minutes later, Katie came in. Jonah heard the snap-snap-snap of her feet in sandals before he saw her, wearing the thin pullover cover-up over her new yellow bikini. From what Jonah could see, the bikini was even smaller than what he had already seen her in. The bottoms were a tiny thong. Katie caught his eye, catching him looking.

 “Ha-hm,” Jonah coughed. “I apologize for staring, but, in my defense, you look simply amazing.”

Katie giggled.

 “Louisa said that breakfast will be ready soon,” Jonah explained.

 “The big question is whether we want to wait for Elaine and Pierre,” Katie stated. “I have a feeling they might be a while,” she said with a smirk, “based on what I heard coming from the bathroom.”

 “I vote for not waiting,” Jonah said. “I’m starving.”

Louisa came in and told them breakfast was ready and for them to come help themselves. On the counter in the kitchen, Louisa had prepared eggs benedict, an assortment of pastries, and fresh fruit. She said, “The coffee is almost ready. I’ll bring it out in a minute.”

Katie and Jonah just finished eating when Elaine and Pierre came in, both looking flushed.

 “Hey there, slowpoke,” Katie teased Pierre. “I thought you wanted to open your presents.”

 “I think someone distracted him,” Jonah quipped.

Pierre didn’t respond, but Elaine blushed. “Let’s leave them to it,” Katie suggested. “C’mon.”

She took her cup of coffee and went out the veranda. She put her cup on the railing, leaned against it, and stood looking at the sea. Jonah stood next to her, not touching but extremely close.

Jonah felt the need to say something. “This morning is really fun,” is what came out of his mouth. He cringed inwardly at how dumb that sounded. “Ha-hm,” he cleared his throat nervously. “What I’m really trying to say is, I’m glad you’re here.”

She closed the little distance between them bumped him lightly with her shoulder. “I’m glad I came.”

They stood in silence, looking at the ocean. Jonah was acutely aware of where her shoulder touched his, and her closeness was making him nervous. He remembered Pierre’s counsel to just enjoy the moment. Jonah forced himself to relax, blowing out a long sigh.

In a little while, they heard Pierre’s return to the main room. “Time for presents,” he called. Jonah and Katie sat on the same sofa as before but closer, with their sides touching. Katie, Elaine, and Jonah started to discuss who should open the first present. Pierre solved that problem by not waiting. He tore the wrapping off the present that Jonah had asked Laura Thorner to buy.

When Pierre opened the box, he flushed in embarrassment, cleared his throat, and said, “I think I opened someone else’s present by mistake.”

 “No, you didn’t,” Jonah reassured him. “That’s my present to you. Hold it up so everyone can see.”

Inside the box was lingerie. Pierre pulled out a white bustier and held it up, then a pair of white thong panties and a pair of white stockings. Elaine was taking pictures as fast as she could, Katie was chuckling, and Pierre’s face was bright red.

 “I don’t think they’ll fit me,” Pierre stated, puzzled.

 “Dunce!” Elaine exclaimed. “They’re my size—I’m supposed to wear them. That’s why they’re a present for you.”

 “Ohhhhh,” Pierre said, then with a leer, “Will you model them for me?”

 “Sure,” Elaine agreed. She took the bustier and thong from him and tossed them on the floor casually. “There,” she said.

 “I thought you were going to model them for me,” Pierre complained.

 “They’ll spend much more time tossed on the floor like that than they will on me.” Peering down at them, she commented, “They look marvelous, Jonah. Say ‘thank you,’ Pierre.”

 “Thank you, Jonah,” he said, now smiling.

Elaine decided to open her present from Jonah next. As she was tearing the wrapping paper, Jonah explained, “I bought this when I heard you two were engaged. I was going to give it to you as a wedding present but thought this is the perfect time.”

When Elaine opened the box, she cried, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh.” She started to cry, her hands over her face.

Katie, puzzled, asked Jonah, “What is it?”

Jonah, getting choked up himself, croaked, “Something blue.”

Pierre peered into the box and made the connection. He lifted the box and showed it to Katie.

Through her tears and sobbing, Elaine gasped, “Oh, Jonah, you dear, sweet man.” She crossed over and gave him a kiss, then returned to the sofa and indicated that Pierre should help her. In the box were the sapphire and diamond choker and cuff that she wore to a state ball on Lutetia several years before. With Pierre’s help, she put them on. When Katie saw them on Elaine, she recognized what they were since pictures from the gala had appeared all over civilized space. Elaine and Jonah’s late wife, Amy, wore jewelry borrowed from the George Armontrout Company for the evening, coordinated with their outfits and each other. Katie started to cry as well and burrowed her head into Jonah’s shoulder as she sobbed. A tear was rolling down Jonah’s cheek, and Pierre’s eyes were glistening as Elaine sobbed into his chest. Twice Elaine almost stopped crying but started anew when she looked at the cuff on her wrist.

Katie and Jonah regained their composure. Jonah excused himself and returned with a box of tissues. Elaine took off the jewelry and returned it to its box. After everyone took advantage of the tissues and regained composure, Pierre quipped, “Way to ruin the mood, pal.”

 “Shut up, doofus,” Elaine warned. “That was really sweet, Jonah. Thank you.”

Katie opened her present from Elaine and Pierre next. It was another bikini in red, with a pair of sandals.

Jonah opened his present from Elaine and Pierre. Inside was a small mobile, with miniature versions of all the different ships Jonah commanded so far, replicated in sterling silver. “Wow,” he breathed softly, recognizing what it was. He held it up and showed it to Katie. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

 “Who’s the doofus now?” Pierre asked Elaine, sticking his tongue out at her. “I told you he’d like it.”

 “This was your idea?” Jonah asked.

Pierre nodded.

 “It’s brilliant,” Katie agreed.

Pierre opened his present from Elaine. It was a mobile like Jonah’s. “I thought you said it was a stupid idea?” Pierre protested.

 “I changed my mind,” Elaine shrugged. “Do you like it?”

 “I love it,” he said. “Thank you.”

Elaine then opened her present from Pierre. It was a diamond necklace. The diamonds in the necklace were connected by the thinnest platinum strands. She whispered, “It’s gorgeous.” She tugged off her cover-up, lifted her hair out of the way, and indicated that Pierre should put it on her. It covered her upper chest with a swath of diamonds, which looked as if they were fixed to her skin. It was truly beautiful. “Thank you, honey,” she told Pierre as she gave him a passionate kiss.

When she came up for air, she realized that Jonah and Katie still had their presents for each other to open. “I think you should open them together,” she said.

Jonah and Katie both shrugged and began tearing off the wrapping. When they saw what was inside, they both looked at Elaine, who threw her hands up and exclaimed, “I didn’t tell either one about the other, I swear!”

Katie and Jonah had given each other the same present: a digital picture frame. The two of them started to laugh.

 “Each of you came up with the same idea independently,” Elaine explained. “And for pretty much the same reasons. Though I think Jonah will like his better.”

Jonah activated his, seeing it had a series of photos of Katie on the beach from the day before, copying different pin-up model-type poses. Katie activated hers and saw the picture of Pierre that Jonah had taken. “Ewwww!” she reacted.

After they put their presents away, they went out onto the veranda. Elaine stretched out on a lounge chair and removed her top, explaining as she rubbed sunscreen on, “I don’t know how tan I’ll get, but I hate tan lines.”

Katie picked a lounge chair next to her and did the same. Jonah tried not to stare at Katie but was unable to tear his gaze away. When Elaine finished oiling up her front, she rolled onto her stomach and asked Pierre to do her back. When Katie rolled over, she asked Jonah to do her back.

 “Ha-hm,” Jonah reacted.

 “Ha-hm,” echoed Pierre, then Elaine, then Katie. They all started laughing.

 “What?” Jonah asked.

 “Whenever you’re around someone who makes you nervous, Jonah,” Elaine said, “you ‘ha-hm.’ It’s the only time you make that sound.”

 “I do not,” Jonah protested.

 “Yes, you do,” Katie responded. “Elaine and Pierre tipped me off and told me to keep count. That makes fourteen in just over a day and a half. Now, are you going to do my back? Or do I need to ask Pierre?”

 “Ha-hm,” Jonah uttered without thinking.

 “Fifteen,” Pierre said with a chuckle.

 “Damnit!” Jonah muttered but took the sunscreen and began rubbing it in on Katie’s back, gradually working his way down. As he massaged the lotion in, Katie made small mmmms of pleasure. Her suit in the back consisted of a narrow horizontal and vertical strip of fabric. Before he continued below her hips, he made his ‘ha-hm’ noise again.

 “Sixteen,” Katie murmured. “Keep going.”

Over the next couple of days, the group just enjoyed being in a tropical paradise. They slept, ate, lounged in the sun, and everyone except Jonah went swimming in the ocean. Jonah and Pierre kept the wisecracks flowing while Katie and Elaine jumped in whenever the opportunity arose. Jonah relaxed around Katie. She was easy to be around: sharp in conversation, with a great sense of humor. Jonah’s nervousness melted away, hour by hour.

The fifth night after Christmas, Pierre and Elaine retired early, leaving Katie and Jonah alone on the veranda. She snuggled into the crook of his arm. They sat quietly, neither feeling the need to speak. After a few minutes, Jonah let out a deep sigh. He remembered this feeling of contentment. He thought he would never experience it again.

The sound of a moan carried to them on the light breeze. Realizing what it was, Jonah tried to repress a chuckle. Katie felt Jonah’s reaction, and she started to laugh, which made Jonah laugh as well. When they stopped, he looked down to see Katie gazing up at him. He saw affection in her eyes.

Katie closed the distance and kissed him softly but passionately. When they ended the kiss, they heard another soft moan. They both laughed.

 “Ha-hm. I’m not cleared for that yet,” he stated bluntly. “I checked.”

 “You checked?” Katie asked teasingly. “We just had our first real kiss. Aren’t you taking a lot for granted—”

 “Ha-hm,” Jonah cleared his throat, feeling his face burning from embarrassment, all his nervousness flooding back. “I, uh…um—”

Katie shut him up by kissing him again. This time when the kiss ended, she sighed. “Don’t worry, Jonah,” she said. “I’m not mad. I don’t think we’re ready for that yet, but we seem to be heading in the right direction. Besides, Elaine explained to me that you are a bit slow on the uptake and that it would be up to me to make the first move. She told me that she needed to make the first move with you, Amy did too, and even Manon Beart told her the same thing. For now, kissing and cuddling feels about right.”

The next night was New Year’s Eve. Jonah went to bed when he felt tired, which was shortly after dinner. He apologized for not being able to stay awake and ring in the New Year with them. They told him not to worry about it.

In the middle of the night, Jonah woke, sensing movement on the bed. It was Katie. “It’s midnight,” she said, giving him a soft kiss. “Happy New Year.”

 “Happy New Year,” Jonah murmured back. Katie snuggled into his side, her head on his shoulder. They woke that way in the morning.

The time flew by. The last night, Jonah and Katie sat next to one another on the sofa, going over the pictures they were putting into their digital picture frames and laughing at some of them. They continued to grow closer each day. When they finished loading the pictures onto the devices, Katie looked at Jonah, nibbling on her lower lip.

 “I think I’m going to file the paperwork when I get back,” she stated. She was referring to the forms they needed to file with the Admiralty, requesting permission to engage in a personal relationship with each other. Relationships between members of the same branch of service needed official approval.

 “If you don’t want to,” Jonah agreed, “I will.”

 “It will look better if I do it,” Katie said. “I don’t mind.”

They cuddled on the sofa together, and both fell asleep. In the morning, they woke in each other’s arms. It was, Jonah thought, perfect, or as near to it as was possible given his medical limitations. The goodbyes later that morning were heartfelt as Katie, Pierre and Elaine headed back to duty.

Jonah spent the next hour looking through the pictures they had taken. There were many of Katie, of him with Katie, and of all four of them in various combinations. He concentrated on his feelings of happiness for the time together and not on parting or how long it might be until they were able to see one another. Jonah would be there another four weeks before returning to Caerleon and a physical that, he hoped, would return him to active duty.

After lunch, he took a nap, something he had been doing regularly. He woke to a sense of noise and commotion. He went into the main room and saw Geoff and Laura Thorner.

 “Hi, Jonah,” she called out. “We came to keep you company during your convalescence.

37

Geoff Thorner only stayed for five days, but Laura informed Jonah that he would be stuck with her for the duration of his convalescence. Not only that, but she had a medically-approved program of exercise for him to follow beginning in two days. Jonah always enjoyed being with the Thorners. They walked in the highest corridors of power in the Commonwealth and shared their different perspective with him from time to time.

Geoff explained that, barring a disaster, it was apparent that the Commonwealth would win the war. “The one storm we need to weather will be if the Chinese finish their upcoming seven superdreadnoughts and ten battlecruisers before we finish the eight Defenders and nine Retributions. That will be their last chance to mount any sort of offensive action. Even so, we should have the advantage of numbers. Though they might be able to inflict some damage, they will not be able to force passage to Caerleon. In addition, we have another eighty ships coming along, thirty Defenders and fifty Retributions, and the Chinese cannot match us. Planning has already begun for the liberation of Lutetia.”

 “The liberation of New Delhi isn’t complete yet, is it?” Jonah asked.

 “Not yet,” Geoff responded, “but with the Chinese failure to regain control of the system and the announcement that their government asked to begin peace talks, individual small units have begun to surrender. The liberators gained more ground in the last week than they have since the landing.”

 “By the end of April,” Laura commented, “the Chinese on New Delhi will be defeated. That will give the troops a couple of months to rest and recuperate before we head to Lutetia. Lutetia will be far easier than New Delhi.”

 “I know the number of Chinese troops is far less on Lutetia,” Jonah commented, “but I heard that the Lutetians put up little in the way of resistance. On New Delhi, the Coalition had no difficulty gathering over a million natives who wished to fight. Would any of the Lutetians lift a finger to assist in their own liberation?”

Laura gave a grim smile. “Believe it or not, the Lutetians will rise up by the millions in a patriotic fervor.”

 “Edward is already thinking of the terms of the peace,” Geoff added. “Though the war will have been far shorter than the one against the Rodinans, it has been far more destructive. While he is not considering forcing them to pay reparations, he is strongly considering a military occupation during which he wants to accomplish restructuring of the government and election process, the introduction of a multi-party system, a new constitution, and a list of other social and economic reforms that he would want the new Chinese government to address over a period of five or six years.”

 “Sounds ambitious,” Jonah commented.

 “It is,” Geoff agreed, “but he is buoyed by what we have seen in the Rodinan Federation. Without the same pressure from us, the leaders of their government have revised their government and adopted a multi-party parliamentary system.”

 “More impressive,” Laura added, “has been the economic progress they’ve made so quickly. Before the governmental reforms were even drafted, your friend Admiral Belyaev and the other leaders implemented sweeping economic reforms, moving away from the command economy to a free-market system and allowing private ownership of economic assets. They encouraged the formation of employee-led corporations and provided loans and opened up access to foreign capital. At the same time, they actively prevented former government officials from seizing control of any economic assets.”

 “In a matter of months, after an initial period of doubt and mistrust,” Geoff continued, “the average Rodinan citizen saw the opportunities of the new economy and have thrown themselves behind it. Productivity and economic growth are strong and steady.”

 “All this is fueling Edward’s vision,” Laura said. “He longs to shape policy between the three largest powers so that all can enjoy economic prosperity in cooperation with one another, not cut-throat competition. He hopes to create a system where war, like we have seen, would be unthinkable., since no one would gain from it, and everyone would lose.”

After Lord Thorner departed, Laura began Jonah’s exercise regimen. She started him slowly. For the first week, his scheduled exercise was no more than walks along the beach, where she encouraged him to swing his arms in an exaggerated way. In the second week, she added walking in chest-deep water back and forth across the width of the swimming pool. Also, during the second week, Jonah received a notice from BuPers requiring him to complete his portion of Form 5602, which Captain Hayes had filed. The third week saw light hand weights added to his beach walks and swimming in the pool. Jonah was allowed in the ocean but not without supervision and not for vigorous swimming.

The first two weeks exhausted Jonah. Already plagued by fatigue, even this limited exercise drained him. By the third week, he felt himself growing stronger. He was eating more than he could remember since he was a teenager and yet almost painfully hungry an hour or two before the next meal. Laura explained that his body needed the raw materials to rebuild his muscles and his blood supply. As their time drew to a close, Laura noted that his color was better. He no longer looked so washed out, and his cheeks weren’t so hollow. She pronounced him almost fit to return to Caerleon. The day before they were to leave, Jonah received an invitation to attend a ceremony on Saturday, February 24, honoring Admiral Yoshiatsu Niimura of the Imperial Edoan Navy and a ball afterward in his honor.

When they began their walk on the beach, Jonah asked, “Laura, I’m already so far in your debt that I have no way of ever repaying you, but I would like to ask for another enormous favor.”

Laura looked at him with a smile. “You received the invitation?” she guessed.

Jonah nodded. “If it’s possible, I’d really like to escort Captain Hayes to the ball.”

 “She, and Pierre and Elaine, are on the guest list. Admiral Von Geisler has already agreed to make sure the small number of officers who were invited are allowed to attend,” she informed him. “And before you fall on your knees and grovel, Elaine already asked for my assistance in making sure that she and Katie had something to wear. And the sword we ordered for Yoshi is already on its way to Caerleon.”

 “Wow,” Jonah exclaimed.

 “And your broker already reimbursed me for the sword,” she added. With a sly smile, “Anything else?”

 “Um, no,” he stammered. “Thank you.”

At the end of the week, they left the ‘cottage’ and headed back to Caerleon. Agents Lewis and Sauer came with them. Agent Lewis commented that this had been the easiest duty he’d ever drawn. Jonah and Laura and the two agents were booked in adjacent first-class staterooms on the liner back to Caerleon.

Jonah stayed in contact with Katie throughout this period. While he was on Aries, Katie’s ‘ship time’ was 13 hours different from the local time where the ‘cottage’ was on Aries. They spoke face-to-face when her duty schedule allowed her some time when he was awake. When that wasn’t possible, they traded messages. The liner kept the same hours as the Fleet—the same time as the palace—which made communication easier.

Katie was initially worried that having just returned from leave, she wouldn’t be allowed to accept the invitation to the ceremony and ball for Yoshi. She was delighted when she received orders from Admiral Von Geisler that she must attend. They both celebrated when, on Valentine’s Day of all days, BuPers notified them that their Form 5602 had been approved and that, as far as the navy was concerned, they were cleared to pursue a relationship. Jonah also asked for Laura’s help in obtaining a Valentine’s Day present for Katie, even though they wouldn’t see one another until nearly a week later.

During the trip, Laura had agents Lewis and Sauer take Jonah on long brisk walks through the corridors of the liner. She also gave them an approved list of fairly gentle exercises he could do in the gym. On the third day of the trip, over breakfast, Laura informed Jonah that Queen Celeste would be inviting him, Captain Hayes, Admiral Delhomme, and Captain MacLeod to stay in the palace for the weekend of the gala. “Will you need one room or two?” Laura asked.

Jonah turned bright red. “Ha-hm. Uh,” he stammered, “uh, well… we, uh—”

Smiling gently and taking pity on his embarrassment, Laura spoke, “That’s right. You weren’t medically cleared for that form of exercise. Don’t worry. I’ll ask Katie.”

The liner berthed at Caerleon Station late in the afternoon of Thursday, February 22. Though Jonah was now cleared to carry his own luggage, Laura had engaged a porter to take hers to the part of the station where they would board the shuttle directly to the palace. She told Jonah to put his on the cart along with hers. Lewis and Sauer accompanied them.

On the way down to the planet, Laura received a message. “We’re all having dinner tonight,” she announced to Jonah. “You, me, Geoff, Katie, Pierre, Elaine, Karl Von Geisler and his wife Maryann, and Edward and Celeste. Celeste took care to have your dress uniform brought over from the Admiralty. According to Celeste, it’s formal dress but informal agenda.”

When they landed, the late February air was filled with snow. It was quite a change from the tropical sunshine of Aries. Geoff and Katie were waiting for them inside. Though it had only been five weeks since he had last seen her in person, Jonah’s heart skipped to see Katie waiting for him. When he and Laura came in, Jonah gave Katie an enthusiastic kiss and hug, which she returned in equal measure. He disengaged and shook Geoff’s hand.

 “You’re looking much better than when I left,” Geoff stated.

 “I agree,” Katie added.

 “Thanks to Laura,” Jonah offered. “She kept me moving.”

As they headed inside the palace, Jonah found his hand holding Katie’s. They reached the wing where the guest quarters were. Geoff and Laura’s suite was the first they reached. They were spending the night because of the snow. Laura reminded them, “Dinner at 7:00. Dress uniform. A page will knock on your door a few minutes before and will guide you.”

Up to now, Jonah had not asked, and Katie had not volunteered, whether they were staying in separate rooms. They walked down the corridor a few more doors. “Well,” Katie said, stopping. “This is my room.”

 ‘Um, right,” Jonah said, trying to mask the flicker of disappointment he felt. “Ha-hm. Um, which one is—”

Katie laughed. “Gotcha. We’re sharing. C’mon.”

38

With the time already 5:45 p.m., there was no time to start what both of them wanted to do. He did spend some time just inside the door, kissing Katie the way he wanted to kiss her for what seemed so long. Eventually, they broke apart, both panting.

 “If we don’t stop— Jonah gasped.

 “We’ll never make dinner,” Katie gasped in return.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Jonah opened it to find a page carrying his luggage. Jonah put it on a luggage stand and pulled out his toiletries. “Do you need a shower?” he asked.

 “Yes,” Katie admitted. “I just got in an hour before you did, and I’ll probably take longer to get ready. I’ll go first.”

With that, showing only the slightest self-consciousness, shown by the blush on her face and upper chest, Katie stripped out of her undress khaki uniform right in front of Jonah. Jonah had seen her in a skimpy bikini and topless, so he knew her figure was exquisite, but this was a different level of intimacy. He found he was holding his breath. Katie saw him staring and smiled.

 “You can scrub my back another time, big boy,” she said over her shoulder as she sashayed into the bathroom. “We don’t have time right now.”

Jonah responded with an animal growl, which made her laugh as she shut the door. Jonah went to the armoire. Inside were a number of khaki undress uniforms, as well as his formal dress uniform, including his sword. He checked the dresser and found several pairs of boxer shorts, the proper socks, and belts for both types of uniform. He quickly unpacked his bag, putting everything away.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and Katie strode out, wearing only a towel wrapped around her hair like a turban. “Your turn,” she announced.

Jonah, feeling turnabout was fair play, immediately began to strip out of his undress khakis. When he removed his socks, he then straightened and dropped his boxers. He was semi-aroused to be stripping in front of her, with her wearing only the towel on her head. He caught her staring and winked. Then he asked, reaching for his eyepatch, “Are you ready? It’s not as pretty as the rest of me.”

 “Go for it, tiger,” was her response.

As he took off the eyepatch, her response was not of distaste or revulsion but of concern. She crossed to him, saying, “Ohhhhhhh,” and reached up and touched his ruined eye socket gently. Jonah put his hand over hers gently and kissed her softly and quickly on the lips.

 “I’d better hop in the shower, or we’ll be late,” he said.

He grabbed his bag of toiletries and headed for the bathroom. He tried to mimic the wiggle in her walk on his way to the shower. The response he received was a cackle of laughter.

After showering and shaving, he came back into the room. Katie dried her hair and pulled it back with a clip. She was sitting in her underwear at a vanity table, applying a small amount of makeup. She didn’t really need it to enhance her beauty, though. Jonah dressed quickly, donning his formal uniform. By the time he finished, Katie was also nearly completely dressed. Her dress uniform was different from Jonah’s. Her uniform was a white blouse with a black tie, a navy-blue floor-length skirt, a white cummerbund and a navy-blue mess jacket.

They gave each other the once-over, checking the alignment of ties, dusting imaginary lint from each other’s lapels. There was a soft knock on the door. It was a page to take them to dinner. Without conscious thought, they clasped each other’s hand.

The page led them to a dining room. Geoff and Laura were already there. Elaine and Pierre came in a minute later, followed by Admiral Von Geisler and his wife, Maryann. Last to arrive were King Edward and Queen Celeste. Introductions were made, and the king and queen requested that everyone be on a first-name basis for the evening.

They sat where place-cards indicated they should. Once seated, waiters brought a salad course and filled their wine glasses. Von Geisler said, “While Katie is technically the most junior, Pierre—would you do the honors?”

Remembering the little prank the king had played on him, Jonah, like Geoff and Von Geisler, raised his glass and looked expectantly at Pierre since it was a navy tradition (usually for the most junior officer present) to toast the king at the beginning of every meal. Pierre turned red, realizing he would be toasting the king, who was seated two chairs away. He lifted his glass and began to rise hesitantly. When he did, the king burst into laughter.

The king, still laughing, said, “I’m sorry, Pierre. That’s a joke that never gets old to me.” Taking pity on him, he said gently, “You can offer a toast if you’d like. Just don’t toast me, ok?”

Acting as though he had planned it all along, Pierre lifted his glass and said, “God’s blessings on the Commonwealth and to all here!”

The others smiled and repeated this, then Pierre sat down. “Good toast,” Celeste complimented.

 “Thank you,” Katie whispered to Admiral Von Geisler. He nodded with a smile.

 “Edward has played that same joke over and over,” Queen Celeste told Katie. “I’m glad Karl stepped in. It was more fun to see Pierre put on the spot. He has quite a reputation for being a smart-aleck.”

 “I do?” Pierre protested with an innocent look.

 “Spare me your denials,” Celeste quipped. “Elaine and I are good friends.”

When the salad dishes were cleared away, Edward cleared his throat. “Welcome all, and especially you, Katie and Pierre, since you have never dined with us. There is no ulterior motive behind this dinner. I simply wanted to enjoy an evening with some people whose company I enjoy and with whom I wish I could spend more time. Too often, the affairs of state get in the way of what Celeste and I want to do. Tonight, we get to break bread with people we admire and of whom we are fond. Thank you for being here.”

 “Edward wanted us to be informal, but I much prefer seeing everyone dressed so handsomely. I realize it’s extra effort, but, well, I’m the queen,” she said with a shrug.

During dinner, Jonah noticed that Celeste made sure Katie felt comfortable, drawing her out in conversation. It was deftly done, and Jonah would not have recognized what Celeste was doing if he had not seen her do it before. Conversation during the meal stayed on lighter topics in general. Celeste learned that Elaine and Pierre set a date for their wedding, June 8.

 “Where are you getting married?” Celeste asked.

 “Home is Southhampton,” Elaine told her, “and since I was a little girl, I always envisioned my wedding in my parents’ garden.”

 “I’m hoping you will invite us,” Celeste said coyly.

 “Would you be able to come?” Elaine asked eagerly.

 “Well, that will depend on security concerns,” Celeste said with a frown, “but I’d like to.”

 “I can understand,” Elaine said, nodding her head.

Their conversation continued, delving deeper into the details of the wedding as Elaine planned it so far. Katie would be one of her bridesmaids, and that gave Celeste the opportunity to include her in the conversation. Laura joined in since she was also a bridesmaid and was helping Elaine with her wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses. Gradually, Celeste drew everyone at the table into the conversation about Elaine’s wedding.

Later the conversation turned to the ball planned for the night after next and the reason for it. Admiral Niimura was influential in helping open relations between the Commonwealth and Edo. This was already of huge benefit to both parties. Edward admitted that knighting Yoshi was more due to those things than his recent role, filling in while Jonah was unconscious in the last battle in New Delhi, but so much of what Yoshi did had to remain officially unacknowledged.

Eventually, the evening came to an end. There was a page to lead them back to the guest residences. As they reached the rooms where people were staying, goodnights were said. When they reach Katie and Jonah’s room, Elaine and Pierre were the only others remaining. It was then that Jonah remembered what would be happening on the other side of the door. As he started to say goodnight to his friends, Jonah first cleared his throat, “Ha-hm.”

Hearing this, Pierre and Elaine gave one another a knowing look and started to laugh. Katie joined in immediately. Jonah turned scarlet with embarrassment.

 “Goodnight, Jonah,” Pierre called in a sing-song voice as he strolled away. “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Ha-hm.”

Katie opened the door and yanked Jonah inside. She spun him around and kissed him passionately. Jonah yielded to her embrace. Together they removed each other’s clothing, piece by piece, leaving them in heaps on the floor, kissing the whole time.

39

Jonah woke when he felt Katie getting out of bed. The night they spent was everything either of them hoped it would be: romantic, passionate, playful, and loving. When Katie returned from the bathroom, Jonah took his turn, brushing his teeth as well. When he returned to bed, they cuddled.

 “What are we doing today?” Jonah asked.

 “Later, more of this, I hope,” Katie said with a smile, “but in a little while, we have to move. Breakfast is at 07:30, and then at 09:30, I am getting a tour of the palace from Celeste. Then at 11:30, Laura is taking Elaine and me out to lunch and for the final fitting of our dresses for tomorrow night. We should be back by 16:00. At 19:30, we’re having dinner with Elaine and Pierre. After that, the night is ours.”

After a bit more cuddling, they hopped in the shower together, engaging in some soapy fun. They dressed in khaki undress uniforms and headed down to see about breakfast. They met up with the other dinner guests there. Conversation was light. Admiral Von Geisler mentioned to Jonah and Pierre that he would like to see them at 09:30 and to plan to spend a few hours away.

Breakfast didn’t take too long. Jonah and Katie returned to their room and found a way to spend the hour they had free. They had the chance to jump in the shower afterward and then get dressed again before a page knocked on the door to collect them to take them to where Celeste would give Katie her tour and where Jonah would meet up with Admiral Von Geisler.

They separated with a quick kiss. Jonah continued on, meeting Admiral Von Geisler. Pierre arrived a couple of minutes after. Von Geisler led them to a waiting groundcar, and they drove to the Admiralty. Jonah spent the first few minutes of the ride waiting for Pierre to make a smart remark. When enough time passed that Jonah felt Pierre would be kind and not try to embarrass him, Pierre broke the silence. “Ha-hm,” Pierre imitated Jonah’s nervous throat-clearing sound. “Did we have a nice evening?”

Jonah refused to take the bait. He imitated, as best he could, Pierre’s expression of smug self-satisfaction and said nothing. He let a faint smile grace his lips. Waiting out the silence, Pierre eventually gave up, saying, “Rats.”

They arrived at the Admiralty. Von Geisler led them to his office. Director Niven of Advanced Warfare and Mtumbo Sweedler, director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, came in a few minutes later. Von Geisler indicated for Niven to begin the briefing.

 “My part today will be blessedly short,” he began. “I have three items to report. First is that the Chinese have the conduit problem we thought they would encounter. It took longer for it to show itself because the power they can send from their reactors is less than we use. By now, they probably have replaced all the original conduits. The second is that since the 527- and 461-types with the new artillery are little different from older models, they have been retrofitting their surviving older hulls with the new weapons. Director Sweedler will have more information to share about this. Finally, I am pleased to report that we have upgraded Achates, Pallas, and Euryalus, equipping them with the PBG.” Turning to Von Geisler, Niven asked, “Is there anything more, admiral?”

 “Excuse me,” Jonah asked, “how were you able to equip the Viceroys with the PBG?”

 “Trade-offs,” Niven replied. “We examined the power trade-offs the Chinese make to enable the use of their PBG and adapted them for the Viceroys. In addition, our capacitors are significantly better than theirs. Achates, Pallas, and Euryalus will be able to fire their PBGs at full power and range but with a 40-second cycle time. Once they reach photon cannon range, they won’t be able to use both.”

Von Geisler looked to see if there were any other questions. When there were none, Niven took his leave. Sweedler then stood to begin his briefing. “Admirals,” he began, “thanks to your efforts, the Chinese navy is in worse shape than it was over two years ago after it attacked Admiral DiGiovanni and Fourth Fleet and destroyed Avalon Station. Despite the new construction that they have launched since then, including seventeen ships recently, their overall numbers of capital ships are fewer now. Our losses in terms of capital ships have been less, and though we have not launched as many new ships during this period as they have, we have added a handful of captured ships to our forces.

 “By as early as two months from now, certainly before May 1, the Chinese will launch another seventeen new ships: seven 527-type SDNs and ten 461-type battlecruisers. Within weeks of that, currently scheduled for May 18, we will commission eight new Defenders and nine new Retributions. As director Niven explained, we also expect that by May 1, the Chinese will have retrofitted the last of their older hulls with their version of the PBG. If the Chinese are going to attempt any offensive action, it will be shortly after they launch these new ships—between the end of April and mid-May.”

 “Do you expect them to do that?” Pierre asked.

 “They have been aggressive from the very beginning,” Sweedler admitted, “so it might happen. Right now, each of our border fleets has two Defenders and four Retributions, plus the remaining Regents and Columbias and the newly-upgraded Viceroys. After our new ships are commissioned, each border fleet will have four Defenders and six Retributions. That would make their objective much more difficult to attain.”

 “Do they know how many ships we have under construction and when they will launch?” Jonah inquired.

 “Sadly,” Sweedler admitted, “the episode with you and Seaman Barrett has shown that the Chinese have gained control of the Lutetian intelligence apparatus. MI-5 apprehended the Lutetian operatives who planted the cameras in Barrett’s apartment and who followed his wife and daughter. The Lutetian agents were not aware of how the Chinese used the surveillance footage they produced and were, in fact, quite dismayed when they were told—but they did follow the orders they were given. We believe it is likely that other Lutetian operatives have been able to supply their new Chinese masters with intel on our shipbuilding.”

 “Do either of you have further questions for director Sweedler?” Von Geisler asked.

Jonah and Pierre looked at one another and shrugged, then shook their heads. Von Geisler dismissed Sweedler. When the door closed, Von Geisler activated a holographic display that showed the Commonwealth star systems and highlighted the routes the Chinese might take if they were to attack the Commonwealth. The Automedon-Avalon route and the path through New Delhi were highlighted in red.

 “The Chinese will have one of two objectives,” Von Geisler began. “One objective would be to recapture the New Delhi System. The other would be to destroy or disable as many of our capital ships as possible. My hunch is that the need to whittle down our fleet will rule out an attack on New Delhi. A hunch, however, is not enough, so our plan will be to keep Fifth Fleet in New Delhi. We will be sending you the three Viceroys as well.

 “Pierre has done a fine job in setting up a regular schedule of patrol boats in the Múxīng System,” Von Geisler continued, highlighting the Hercules-Aries sector. “We have had a continuous presence in the system since his attack through the system. That would give us an early warning if the Chinese decided to follow that route.

 “Admiral Belyaev has committed to us that he will give us early warning if the Chinese pass through Rodinan space to enter the Roosevelt-Lincoln sector,” he went on, activating that portion of the display briefly. “This also gives us enough advance notice that we can readjust our deployment.

 “I don’t think they will choose either one of those, however, for the same reasons the Chinese selected the Automedon-Avalon route in their last two attacks on Commonwealth space: the others take too long to traverse and give us too much advance notice. As a result, we will be moving the capital ships of Second and Third Fleets out of their sectors and into Caerleon. If we learn the Chinese are heading in the direction of the Hercules-Aries sector or the Roosevelt-Lincoln sector, we have enough time to return Second or Third Fleet to defend.

 “Within the Caerleon System, Second and Third Fleets will be positioned at the hyper corridor to Avalon. When we learn of the Chinese advance along the Automedon-Avalon route, Second and Third Fleets will jump into Avalon. Fourth Fleet will be positioned on the far side of the ecliptic from the Automedon corridor. When the Chinese jump into Avalon and see Second, Third, and Fourth Fleets waiting for them, along with the six Regents and three Columbias, we believe they will break off the attack.”

 “Doesn’t that just kick the can down the road, Karl?” Pierre asked.

 “No question,” Von Geisler answered. “But down the road, only two or three weeks later, we gain another seventeen capital ships. That improves our situation even more. More important to our government, though, is the political situation.”

 “Which is?” Jonah queried.

 “Edward does not want the war to end until after the Chinese have been forced off New Delhi and Lutetia. When he said he would only accept unconditional surrender, he meant it. He wants to achieve a restructuring of their government and election process and a pile of other reforms. The foreign secretary, MI-6, ONI and others who have some insight into the Chinese believe that he would only be able to accomplish those things by forcing the war to the bitter end: forced to surrender on New Delhi and Lutetia, their fleet destroyed, and Commonwealth ships in the skies over New Beijing.”

 “It seems those terms are much harsher than those imposed on the Rodinan government,” Pierre commented.

 “The Rodinan government was already beginning to implement all those changes on their own when peace talks began. Edward’s leniency was based on what he saw already happening in the Federation under the new government,” Von Geisler replied.

 “If the Chinese government changes,” Jonah asked, “would he adopt the same posture?

 “Those more familiar with the Chinese say it is highly unlikely the government would change beyond naming a new chairman of the governing council. That brings with it no reform of any kind, just a new boss.”

The meeting wrapped up shortly after lunch. Von Geisler informed Jonah that he would be returning to active duty and resuming command of Fifth Fleet after this weekend was over. He would travel to Southhampton, where HMS Francis Drake was just finishing repairs. Jonah and Pierre were then driven back to the palace.

Jonah busied himself diving back into the flow of paperwork, letting Admiral Fung know he would be back on the job in a couple of days. At 15:45, Katie came into the room. “Oh good, you’re back,” she commented. “I need you to take a little walk. Come back in five minutes.”

She shoved him out the door. Puzzled, Jonah walked down the corridor. After waiting five minutes, he came back to the room and knocked. “Come in,” Katie called.

She was lying on the bed in a seductive pose, wearing the lingerie Jonah had asked Lady Thorner to help him buy her for Valentine’s Day. It was similar to what Jonah had given Pierre for Christmas, only red. In addition, Katie had a large red bow tied around her neck.

 “Happy belated Valentine’s Day,” she said. “Come unwrap your present.”

Jonah growled.

40

After breakfast, Jonah was summoned by the Royal Seneschal to rehearse for the ceremony later that morning. The seneschal first went over with Jonah what he would be wearing.

 “You will have your formal dress uniform, including your sword. Atop that will be your blue mantle with hood and surcoat, with the gold collar attached. You will wear your circlet instead of the Tudor cap. One of my assistants will come by your apartment at 10:20 to help you finish dressing and make sure everything is in place. Do you understand?”

Jonah nodded.

The seneschal continued, “Admiral Niimura will be standing here.” He pointed to the spot. “You will be standing there,” again, pointing. “My assistant will give you the sword you are presenting to Admiral Niimura. Other members of the Order of the Bath will assist Admiral Niimura with enrobing and his oaths. You’re Garter, not Bath, so you don’t help. Your assignment is only to give him the sword and belt it on him. You will then step backward and down one step, then back to the right.”

With that, Jonah was dismissed. When he returned to the room he and Katie were sharing, Katie told him there had been a delivery. In the closet were the clothes the seneschal had mentioned and the circlet the king had given him when Jonah was named the Right Honorable Jonah Edwin Halberd, Baron Somerset. Katie wanted to know what they were. Jonah explained to the best of his ability.

They dressed in their formal uniforms. Right on schedule came a soft knock on the door. Jonah opened it to find one of the seneschal’s assistants. She came in and went straight to the closet. With practiced efficiency, she helped Jonah put on the strange clothing. She made sure his circlet was on straight. Last, she tied the garter ribbon above Jonah’s knee. She gave him one last look up and down and pronounced, “You’re ready, milord.”

In the anteroom outside the Throne Room, the seneschal was lining everyone up according to protocol. Unnecessarily, the seneschal told Katie, “Ordinarily, captain, you would be near the head of the line and assigned to the back rows, but since you are Admiral Lord Halberd’s companion, you will accompany him.”

 “I was wondering when I was finally going to see something good come from dating you,” she whispered, “other than getting to see you wearing goofy clothes.”

Jonah nearly laughed out loud. Admiral Niimura came into the room with his wife, Niko. Geoff and Laura Thorner greeted them both and told Niko she would be entering with them. Jonah greeted them both and introduced Katie. Yoshi looked sharp in his dress uniform, so dark a shade of blue as to appear black. Niko looked quite pretty in a pink dress. Yoshi looked at Jonah’s strange attire, tried to keep a straight face but began laughing in spite of himself. Katie and Niko joined in. Jonah shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

The appointed hour arrived, and the group processed into the Throne Room. Jonah and Katie were standing in the front row, near the thrones. “Oooo,” Katie whispered, “We’re in the front row!”

King Edward and Queen Celeste entered at last, and the buzz in the room quieted instantly. Admiral Von Geisler stepped forward. He was wearing his red robes that indicated he was a member of the Royal Order of the Bath.

He called, “Admiral Yoshiatsu Niimura of the Imperial Navy of Edo, advance and be recognized.”

Yoshi stepped out from the head of the line, executed a perfect and precise turn, took two strides, stopped in front of Von Geisler, and snapped a salute.

Von Geisler returned the salute, unfurled a scroll, and began to read:

By the command of King Edward XII and Queen Celeste of Caerleon, it is my great pleasure to award the Distinguished Service Cross to Admiral Yoshiatsu Niimura of the Imperial Navy of Edo for his leadership of the successful defense of the New Delhi System. Admiral Niimura took command under difficult circumstances moments before the enemy’s arrival and the commencement of battle. Under his leadership, the Commonwealth and Coalition forces inflicted great damage upon the enemy with minimal losses in return. His extraordinary leadership on a moment’s notice was in keeping with the highest traditions of the Royal Navy of the Commonwealth and reflect great credit upon himself and his service.

Von Geisler took the medal out of a wooden box a page had just handed him. Yoshi bowed his head, and Von Geisler slipped the medal on. Yoshi saluted Von Geisler, then stepped to one side and bowed at the waist to King Edward and Queen Celeste. He took one step backward, executed a precise turn, and resumed his place in the lineup.

Von Geisler stepped out of the way. King Edward rose. “Admiral Yoshiatsu Niimura of the Imperial Navy of Edo and Rear Admiral Pierre Eustace Delhomme of the Royal Navy of the Commonwealth, front and center if you please.”

 “Eustace?” Katie whispered.

 “I never knew,” Jonah whispered back.

Both Pierre and Yoshi looked surprised and nervous to have been called upon. Both stepped out of the lineup and turned smartly on the red carpet. Yoshi waited for Pierre to reach him and matched his stride perfectly. The seneschal indicated with the slightest hand gesture that they were to climb the stairs leading to the thrones. Two men dressed in crimson satin robes lined with taffeta came out of the crowd and stood next to the two. At the same time, a page appeared next to Jonah and handed him the sword he would give to Yoshi.

The king spoke: “Admiral Niimura and Rear Admiral Delhomme, we have selected you for inclusion in the Royal Order of the Bath. Are you willing to accept this honor?”

Yoshi, more poised, spoke first. “Yes, Your Highness.” Pierre quickly said the same.

The king then said, “I will read you the oath. When I am finished, you will say, ‘I solemnly swear so to do.’”

He then began:

You shall honor God above all things; you shall be steadfast in your Faith; you shall love The King, your Sovereign and The Queen, your Sovereign Lady, and them and their rights defend to your power; you shall defend maidens, widows and orphans in their rights and shall suffer no extortion as far as you can prevent it; and of as great honor be this Order unto you as ever it was to any of your progenitors, or others.

The two then repeated, “I solemnly swear so to do.”

The seneschal then gave the slightest of nods. This was Jonah’s cue to come forward. He stepped out of the lineup, executed a sharp turn on the red carpet. Admiral Von Geisler stepped out at the same time and turned at the foot of the stairs, waiting for Jonah. Jonah and Karl climbed the stairs together. Jonah fastened the sword around Yoshi’s waist while Von Geisler did the same for Pierre. As instructed, Jonah went back down a step and then retreated to the right. The two men at Yoshi and Pierre’s side draped crimson robes similar to their own on the shoulders of the two and affixed a golden collar with a cross hanging from it around their necks. While this was going on, Admiral Renee Ogden-Fung, wearing her crimson robes, advanced behind Pierre while Admiral Von Geisler took position behind Yoshi. Renee and Von Geisler whispered instructions into their ears. The man at Pierre’s left then drew his sword about halfway from its scabbard with the hilt towards the king. All the others did the same, in unison with him. Yoshi and Pierre followed suit.

The king spoke:

I exhort and admonish you to use your Sword to the Glory of God, the Defense of the Gospel, the maintenance of your Sovereign’s Right and Honor, and of all Equity and Justice to the utmost of your Power.

The crowd erupted into applause. The king returned to the throne and offered his hand to Celeste. She rose, and they left the room. The members of the Royal Order of the Bath then turned and climbed down the stairs and marched down the red carpet, turning into the anteroom. Jonah followed them. He allowed members of the lineup to precede him until he reached Katie. He offered her his arm, and they followed the others.

Once in the anteroom, they were directed into a reception room. A receiving line had already been established. Jonah shook Pierre’s hand and pulled him close. “Congratulations, Sir Pierre Eustace,” he whispered. “Ohhhhh, are we going to have fun with that.”

 “As long as you remember the ‘sir,’ you cretin,” Pierre sniffed snobbishly.

 “That’s Lord Cretin to you, Sir Eustace,” Jonah whispered with a grin.

He stepped over to Yoshi. “Congratulations, admiral,” he said formally.

 “Jonah, thank you for a princely gift,” Yoshi said, clasping Jonah’s hand in both of his. “I have not had the chance to examine it yet but recognized the mark of the maker. I never dreamed of owning one of his pieces.”

 “I could do no less for you, my friend,” Jonah replied.

Once through the line, a page appeared and took away Jonah’s mantle, collar, garter, and circlet. “Back to somewhat normal,” Jonah commented to Katie.

 “Let’s find Elaine,” she suggested.

It took a minute in the now-crowded room. “Eustace?” was the first thing Katie said.

Elaine shook her head sadly. “Can you imagine my pain?” she asked. “Because of public affairs, I’ve known about ‘Eustace’ for over two weeks now but couldn’t say anything. It’s been sheer torture.”

 “Yes,” Jonah agreed, “but now it’s fair game. All these years, we shared the same middle initial, and I have asked him countless times what his ‘E’ stood for. He would never, ever tell. I plan on having fun with ‘Eustace’ for years to come.”

 “What is your middle name, Jonah?” Katie asked.

 “Edwin,” he admitted. “Not great, but not awful either. Elaine’s is Scoville—I’m guessing it’s a family name?”

Elaine nodded.

 “And yours,” Jonah continued, “is the best of the bunch of us—Dido.”

 “Dido?” Elaine commented. “We’re not in ‘Eustace’ territory, are we?”

 “No,” Katie replied, somewhat shyly, “Dido was a legendary queen. She had a tragic love affair and killed herself when her lover sailed away.”

 “What makes Dido special to me,” Jonah stated, “is not the tragic end. In a period of human history when women were not allowed to contribute to society beyond having babies, she took a group of refugees and founded what would become a great city, all at a young age. Her lover was a refugee from when the legendary city of Troy fell. His destiny was to found what would become the Roman Empire, and he fulfilled his duty to the gods instead of the desires of his heart. It’s a fascinating story. Though it ends tragically, Dido’s ability and accomplishments make her early death that much worse.”

 “Definitely not a ‘Eustace’ then,” Elaine summed up. Katie and Jonah laughed.

Laura came and found them still laughing. “Ladies,” she said, “time to go. We have a ball to prepare for.”

41

Jonah stayed at the reception and ate lunch. He had the opportunity to sit with Yoshi and Niko. Yoshi took out his sword and examined it carefully with Jonah there. “Before molecular knives were invented,” Yoshi explained, “swords made in this fashion were among the sharpest weapons developed by man. The grip is covered with skin from a ray to prevent slipping. The sheath is also made from rayskin also but only for decorative purposes.”

Jonah admired the sword as Yoshi pointed out various features. Yoshi continued, “You may not have known this, Jonah, but you have saddled me with a lifelong responsibility. Swords of this type need to be maintained regularly. It must be cleaned and oiled every few weeks and polished two or three times every year. I’m not complaining, mind you, since a treasure like this is well worth it.”

 “Another toy for him to play with,” Niko smiled. “This was a nice surprise. It’s too bad he can’t use his title in Edo. Since we are not citizens of the Commonwealth, we won’t be allowed to call him ‘Sir Yoshi.’ But maybe I will when he acts too self-important,” she teased.

Niko had to leave shortly after, but Pierre came over to join them. “Eustace?” was the first thing Yoshi said. “Where did that come from?”

 “It’s a family name,” Pierre explained grumpily. “As the only boy in my family, I was cursed with carrying on the tradition.”

 “You can hardly wait to have a son of your own,” Jonah teased, “so you can tag him with it.”

 “As a boy,” Pierre explained, “I dreaded the first day of school since every teacher I had would comment on the name. Then the teasing would start. I was small, so I couldn’t respond physically. As a result, I developed my rapier-sharp wit.”

 “Perhaps it has become so dull through overuse,” Yoshi cracked.

Jonah was about to respond to this when others came to congratulate Yoshi and Pierre. Jonah took his leave and returned to his room, where he changed into more casual attire. An hour later, a page came and took his dress uniform to be cleaned. Jonah spent the next few hours immersed in Fifth Fleet paperwork. At some point, his uniform was returned, but he barely looked up. At 18:00, his comm buzzed, alerting him to the need to get ready for the evening.

A few minutes after he finished getting ready, a page knocked on the door softly and guided Jonah to where the ball was being held. Just after 19:00, he was announced by a herald as he entered the ballroom. He quickly found Pierre and Geoff.

 “I have to admit,” Pierre said, “that hearing the herald announce me as a ‘sir’ was cool. I wish my mom were here to see it.”

 “Why isn’t she here?” Geoff asked.

 “She’s a real homebody,” Pierre explained. “Won’t leave for anything. It’s going to take some real effort to get her to come to the wedding.”

Just then, the herald announced the arrival of Laura, Elaine, and Katie. The men turned to look. On previous occasions, Laura dressed in a more subdued fashion, allowing the younger women to take the spotlight. Tonight, she was dressed to give them a run for their money. She was wearing a sinuous silver halter dress that highlighted her fitness and beauty with her ash blonde hair drawn back in a chignon. Katie wore a dress with a fitted bodice in white and red, with an organza skirt billowing underneath. She was wearing white gloves to her elbows. Her hair was parted on the side and arranged in soft waves, half-covering her right eye. Elaine wore a dress with the top in a harlequin pattern with an assortment of red, purple, yellow, and green diamond shapes. Mixed among those were empty panels that showed her bare skin, located in such a way as to give teasing glimpses but not quite reveal her body underneath. The skirt appeared to be made of ragged strips of silk in the same colors as the harlequin above. They covered her completely, but occasionally, one of her legs would break through as she walked. Her hair was done in a braid, draped over the front of her left shoulder.

As the women drew nearer, Jonah could see that the red spots on Katie’s bodice were hearts and the bodice itself was heart-shaped in the front. There were also hearts printed on the organza below, and her legs could be glimpsed through the sheer fabric. As the women crossed the floor, heads turned, and the buzz of conversation dropped. “Lucky us,” Pierre murmured. The women presented their cheeks for kisses, then stood back.

 “You look amazing,” Jonah told Katie, holding her hand and taking her in with his eye. She was also wearing a heart-shaped pendant and earrings made from rubies and diamonds.

 “In case you were wondering,” Geoff told Laura, “you’ve still got it.” Laura had accessorized with a diamond and platinum necklace and earrings.

Pierre was standing with his mouth open, not saying anything. Finally, he breathed, “Wow!”

This made Elaine laugh. She wore a choker with the harlequin pattern repeated in jewels to match the colors of her outfit and earrings with the same type of jewels dangling at different heights.

 “I would say you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve,” Jonah commented to Katie, “but you have hearts everywhere.”

 “Think of it as another belated Valentine,” Katie said, blushing prettily.

 “She inspired me, though,” Elaine stated.

 “How so?” Geoff asked.

 “Laura worked her miracles and found several designers who wanted the opportunity to show off,” Elaine explained. “They submitted a variety of designs for each of us to look at. I wasn’t moved by any of the ones they drew up for me, but Katie fell in love with what she’s wearing. So, it gave me a great idea that turned into this.” She spun to show off her outfit.

 “How did her outfit influence yours?” Pierre asked. “They don’t seem to have anything in common.”

 “When I saw what Katie had chosen,” Laura jumped in, “I teased her, saying she would be the Queen of Hearts.”

 “Which she is,” Jonah confirmed.

 “Which makes you—” Geoff murmured, his mind racing as he studied Elaine’s dress, “—the joker in the deck?”

 “Close,” Elaine admitted. “Let’s just say, the joker’s fiancée.”

 “Even though you’re trying to make fun of me, again,” Pierre stated, “I don’t care. You look incredible. It is an amazing dress—all your dresses are marvelous—but they merely enhance the beauty that is already there.”

 “Awwww,” Elaine said, giving Pierre a kiss as a reward.

 “Is your dress somehow part of this theme?” Jonah asked Laura.

 “I don’t think so,” Geoff answered. “She’s simply a sultry vixen, as she’s always been.”

 “I got jealous of seeing the younger generation garner all the attention,” Laura admitted. “I wanted some for myself.”

Yoshi and Niko entered with the King and Queen. That was a sign that everyone should find his or her table assignment. Pierre and Elaine were to sit at the head table, as were Geoff and Laura. Jonah and Katie found their place cards. Jonah was delighted to be seated next to Admiral Ogden-Fung and her husband. The others at the table were a banker and her husband, who said he was a freelance journalist, and the trade attaché from the Edoan embassy and her husband, who was also in their foreign service in some capacity.

Conversation during the meal flowed easily back and forth. Though Jonah had not met Renee’s husband or any of the other four, they proved to be witty and intelligent. Though they touched on the war, the first topic of conversation was the rapidly-growing trade relationship between Edo and the Commonwealth. The trade attaché named five different products, consumer and industrial, that were jointly introduced in the last year by Edoan and Commonwealth corporations. All represented a significant improvement over existing offerings, and both consumers and manufacturers would benefit.

The banker’s husband told the group he just finished an extensive trip through seven planets of the Rodinan Federation and related that what he had seen was remarkable. He last visited before the start of the war between the Commonwealth and the Federation over ten years earlier. He told of how prosperity seemed to be on the increase on all seven planets, with new construction everywhere. He said that, before his trip, he was skeptical of the new government’s reports of increased productivity. After his visit, his skepticism was washed away. “You can see it on their faces,” he said.

 “I think,” Jonah offered, “that what you saw is what King Edward hopes to accomplish for everyone—improved quality of life and increased prosperity for all.”

 “Isn’t war, and your career, counter to that?” the banker asked.

 “It is,” Katie stated. “Even though some innovations and increases in productivity come from the war effort, the cost is enormous. If you consider what happens to both sides in a conflict and add all the benefits and all the costs, the costs would far outweigh the benefits.”

 “A sub-zero sum situation,” the trade attaché commented.

 “Precisely,” Katie agreed. “If you were to ask Jonah, or Renee or me whether we would prefer engaging in a fleet action against an enemy or being in command of a frigate, chasing smugglers or pirates—”

 “Smugglers,” Renee offered.

 “Pirates,” Jonah countered.

 “So, you don’t like your work?” the journalist teased.

 “I don’t like my work,” Katie responded. “I love my work. But the things I love most would remain in a peacetime navy—training my crew, motivating them as a group to accomplish things they could not as individuals, developing a sense of shared purpose—”

The band started to play, interrupting the conversation. They all turned to see Edward and Celeste begin the first dance of the evening. Yoshi and Niko were next on the dance floor, then Elaine and Pierre. While the king and queen and Yoshi and his wife were dancing in a somewhat stately manner, Elaine and Pierre were gliding across the floor with rhythm and grace. The ribbons that made up Elaine’s skirt waved and flowed as she moved.

 “They’ve been taking lessons,” Katie whispered.

 “How can they?” Jonah whispered back. “They’re rarely in the same place.”

 “Holographic projection,” Katie replied.

 “Would you grant me the honor of this dance?” Jonah asked, offering his hand.

 “It would be my pleasure,” Katie said as she took it.

Together they crossed to the dance floor. They waited for the first song to end. When it did, they stepped out and took their positions, Katie’s right hand in Jonah’s left, her left hand on his shoulder, and his right hand just below her shoulder blade.

 “Your hand is cold,” Katie commented. “It tickles.”

The music started, and off they went. Jonah had been forced to learn to dance as a youth. It was apparent that Katie had also learned somewhere along the way. By the time the song was halfway over, they had adjusted to one another and were dancing confidently and gracefully. Though memories of dancing with Amy flickered in Jonah’s mind, they did not linger. He was captivated by the beautiful woman in his arms: her beauty, her grace, the way she smelled, the softness of her skin. Shortly after the next song began, they were cheek-to-cheek, moving as if they shared one mind and, as far as Jonah was concerned, in their own universe. At the end of the song, it seemed the most natural thing to do was kiss.

They danced together for five songs, lost in their budding romance. After the fifth song, Katie sighed and said, “That was heavenly, but I’m afraid we should mingle.”

Jonah frowned. “A handful of songs,” he agreed, “but when we’ve done our social duty, I want you back.”

He danced with Laura, complimenting her on her dress. He danced with Queen Celeste, with the banker, and with the trade attaché. He danced with Elaine, who had been quite in demand as a partner.

After they began, Elaine whispered, “You two look perfect together.”

Jonah pulled his head back slightly, cocking his eyebrow in response.

 “A different perfect,” Elaine tried to explain, “but just as perfect.”

Jonah gave her a slight squeeze in response. “I’m feeling it too.”

 “Good,” Elaine replied, then they simply enjoyed the rest of the dance.

Last, Jonah asked Renee to dance. As they started to move, Renee said, “It makes my heart happy to see you and Katie together.”

 “Thank you,” was all Jonah could think of in response.

After his dance with Renee, Jonah reclaimed Katie. They spent the rest of the evening in a happy fog. They danced and, when the band went on break, they chatted amiably with other guests. The evening ended all too soon.

42

The next day, they had to part but first enjoyed a brunch where Elaine shared the latest tabloid headlines about the night before. As a group, they decided their favorite was “Lady Thorner Brings Back the Va-Va-Voom!” showing a picture of Laura from nearly 30 years before in a similar dress. Privately, Jonah’s choice was “Queen of Hearts Captures Halberd.” Pictures of Elaine, Katie, and Laura dominated the coverage.

Parting was hugs and kisses and lingering looks. Pierre and Jonah boarded different courier boats: Pierre to Hercules, Jonah to Southhampton. Katie and Renee were able to walk to where their ship was berthed. It would be just over three months before they could see one another face to face at Elaine and Pierre’s wedding. Admiral Von Geisler had promised them all he would grant them leave, circumstances permitting.

The five-day journey to Southhampton was uneventful. Jonah boarded HMS Francis Drake. He formally resumed command of Fifth Fleet when he left Caerleon. Repairs to Drake were nearly complete. They would depart Southhampton Monday, March 4, and rejoin the rest of the capital ships in the New Delhi System.

On New Delhi itself, two of the three Chinese armies had surrendered. The remaining unit was being pushed back building by building in the city of Mumbai. They suffered serious casualties and were running out of food and ammunition. Their surrender was expected soon.

In the cities recently liberated, the work of rebuilding had already started. Power and water were restored quickly, and supplies of food and medicine were ample. Police and fire protection were set up almost as soon as an area was freed from Chinese control, and schools were already back in session. There were only a handful of cases of looting and destruction. Instead, the inhabitants were throwing themselves into the work of clearing away the destruction from affected areas, reopening businesses, and returning to the life they knew.

As March turned into April and April wore on, anticipation of the probable Chinese attack grew. Second and Third Fleets were recalled to Caerleon. On April 26, sensors in system C0815, bordering the Automedon System, alerted Fourth Fleet that a Chinese force of twelve 527-type superdreadnoughts and eighteen 461-type battlecruisers, along with escort ships, were on their way. There were no indications of any Chinese ships arriving in the Múxīng System or system L7233 which would indicate an attempt to attack the Commonwealth in Hercules or to recapture New Delhi.

Admiral Von Geisler ordered Fourth Fleet in Avalon to shift to the side of the ecliptic away from the corridor entrance to Automedon. He ordered Second Fleet to Avalon to reinforce Fourth Fleet. The Chinese force circled the star at the center of the Automedon System and returned to Chinese space without offering battle. Von Geisler suspected that there was a Chinese patrol boat in the Avalon System that had informed the Chinese of the presence of Second and Fourth Fleets in Avalon. The next day, the Chinese army that had still been fighting on New Delhi surrendered.

Over the following three weeks, tension remained high. On May 18, eight new Defender SDNs and nine Retribution battlecruisers were commissioned. Two of each were assigned to the border fleets, with the remaining Retribution held back for Home Fleet. The six Regent-class SDNs were sent to Second, Fourth and Fifth Fleets. Second and Third Fleets were sent back to their usual sectors. Admiral Von Geisler held a comm conference with his admirals to discuss the situation.

 “The Chinese government is still requesting peace talks,” Von Geisler began. “King Edward is still refusing. Because the Chinese pulled away from their attack three weeks ago, where they had committed over forty percent of their available capital ships, we believe the likelihood of further offensive action on their part is nonexistent. Each of our fleets directly bordering the Chinese now has four Defenders, two Regents, and six Retributions. The shorter cycle time and greater destruction of our PBG make any attack too costly.

 “The next step in the war plan will be the liberation of Lutetia. Our Coalition partners had already pulled most of their troops from New Delhi weeks ago. Losses to the Coalition forces in the liberation of New Delhi were less than expected. The natives insisted on doing the bulk of the fighting and consequently suffered most of the casualties. Ground forces commanders are confident that they will be ready for a landing as early as August 1.

 “If the Chinese were as convinced of King Edward’s determination as I am, they would give it up and begin withdrawing from Lutetia immediately. Sadly, I believe it will take our fleets in the space above New Beijing to bring them to their senses. As a result, I expect them to attempt to defend Lutetia as well. How vigorous that defense will be, I cannot guess at this point. Accordingly, we will begin planning for the liberation of Lutetia. Our target date is currently August 3, but that may change as we move deeper into the process. In the interim,” Von Geisler concluded, “continue to extend patrols as deep into Chinese space as you dare.”

After the conference, Von Geisler sent a message to Jonah, confirming his leave scheduled for June 1 to June 10. Jonah sent a text to Katie, who said her leave was also confirmed, and she would be arriving at Southhampton Station on June 1. Jonah then confirmed his plans with the agents of the King’s Own. He had booked two rooms at a bed and breakfast in the town, Sheffield, where Elaine’s parents lived.

His liaison with the King’s Own, the new agent Winchester, sent him a message back. “Original accommodations unacceptable. Have rebooked you.”

Information on where Jonah would be staying was attached. Only a few kilometers away, it was a lakeside resort with a hotel but also separate cottages. The King’s Own had booked two of the cottages near the lake. In looking at the map of the resort, Jonah noticed these were the only two cottages not surrounded by trees. Out of curiosity, he searched the location of the bed and breakfast. It was surrounded by trees. Jonah nodded his head in understanding. One of the agents had told him a couple of years before that having clean lines of sight was something the agents tried to insist on.

Jonah looked up more information about the resort. While it would likely not be as cozy and romantic as what he had booked, the resort offered much more in the way of recreational activities. He shrugged his shoulders in acceptance and confirmed with agent Winchester that the new booking was fine (even though he had little choice in the matter). He then texted Katie with the information.

She responded quickly: “This is awesome. They have jet skis and offer water skiing. There are ledges nearby for rock climbing. They have zip lines. I haven’t done any of these since college. This is going to be great!”

The next day, Jonah embarked on a courier boat that took him to Southampton Station. When he arrived five days later, early the morning of June 1, he found agents Wesson and Sauer waiting for him. Katie was due in on a courier boat within the hour. When she arrived, she asked if she could do some quick shopping while they were on the station. That was fine with Jonah. When he had left Caerleon to return to duty in Southhampton, he had packed some casual clothing but not for being on the water, so he needed swim trunks at least. Explaining it would be quicker if they split up, Katie went with agent Sauer, and Wesson stayed with Jonah. Jonah picked up his duffel and garment bags and headed for a men’s store where he would find what he needed.

About 45 minutes later, Katie sent him a text indicating she was finished and heading for the shuttle that would take them to the surface. When Jonah saw her, she was struggling with her duffel, garment bags, and the bags containing the purchases she made. Agents of the King’s Own never assisted with luggage, needing their hands free at all times. Jonah threw Katie’s duffel over his other shoulder and picked up her garment bag. Katie was able to manage the shopping bags. He knew better than to ask what she’d bought.

After they landed, agent Sauer obtained a groundcar. Jonah loaded the bags and got in. As they were heading to the resort, Katie explained, “When I returned from Aries, I sent my swimsuits and beach stuff into storage, so I didn’t have any of that packed. The casual clothes I have are fine for parties and strolling around town but not for rock climbing and vigorous activities. Now, I hope you don’t mind, but I messaged the resort. There will be four jet skis waiting for us at the dock closest to our cottages, and I booked us for water skiing tomorrow morning at 10:00. The rock-climbing ledges and the ziplines are in the same general area, so I booked us for those on Monday morning at 10:00. Tuesday, I have a bridal luncheon thing in Sheffield somewhere, so I didn’t book anything. On Wednesday, I figure we can go back and do the things we enjoyed most or find something else. On Thursday, I have a bridal shower, final fitting of the bridesmaid dresses, and Elaine’s hen party. Friday is another luncheon thing and the rehearsal dinner. Saturday is the wedding and the reception. Sunday, there is a brunch. Did I forget anything?”

Jonah, amused at how she rattled off all these activities and the plans she’d already made, merely shook his head. Katie clutched his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. “This is going to be so much fun!” she sighed.

When they arrived at the resort, Jonah and agent Wesson handled checking in. Jonah noticed it was already 11:45. When he returned to the car, he suggested that they eat lunch here in the main dining room, even though it was a bit early. Katie agreed.

After eating, they proceeded to the cottage. It was small and cozy and, Jonah decided, even more romantic than what he had originally booked. Chalk another one up for the King’s Own, he thought. He carried the luggage into the bedroom while Katie brought in her shopping. When Jonah returned with the second load of luggage, Katie was waiting for him on the bed, wearing nothing at all.

 “I missed you,” she said as she reached for him.

Later, Katie hopped out of bed and began rummaging in her shopping bags. In the third one, she found the swimsuit she was seeking. She ripped off the store tags and immediately started pulling it on as Jonah watched. It was a black one-piece suit. Though it covered far more of her than the bikinis he had seen her in on Aries, the way it clung to her body and highlighted her curves made it every bit as sexy to Jonah.

 “C’mon, lazybones,” she urged him, pulling him off the bed. “Get your trunks on and meet me on the dock.”

Jonah put his trunks on and texted the agents to let them know he was heading to the dock. When he went outside, agent Wesson was waiting for him. Agent Sauer was already on the dock, in a one-piece suit similar to Katie’s. Jonah walked to the dock while agent Wesson briefed him on the jet ski.

 “It’s not a jet,” he explained. “It’s a high-speed pump. It takes water in through the front and expels it in the back. The brake reverses the flow and depends on the resistance of the water to slow it. You control it with a throttle, and the handlebars direct the jet underneath, so you use them to turn. They go pretty fast, so falling at speed will hurt—you’ll likely skip on top of the water once or twice if you do. There’s a kill switch attached to a lanyard you put on your wrist or ankle. That way, if you fall, the pump shuts off.”

Katie had already put on a flotation vest and was nearly hopping up and down in excitement. “Hurry up, slowpoke,” she called.

When Jonah arrived on the dock, she handed him a flotation vest. She went to the nearest jet ski, untied it from the dock, and sat down on the seat. “Get on behind me,” she instructed. “We’ll ride tandem to start.”

The two agents also got on jet skis. Sauer untied hers and pulled out first, heading for the middle of the lake. Wesson untied his but was waiting for Katie and Jonah. As soon as Jonah sat down and before he had a chance to adjust his posture, Katie called, “Hang on tight!” She opened the throttle.

Jonah had to clutch at Katie’s waist to keep from falling off the back. She laughed at almost spilling him. “The tighter you hold me,” she shouted over the wind, “the more fun it is.”

Jonah snugged himself as close to Katie as he could, molding his body to hers spoon fashion. He tucked his chin over her shoulder. “Tight enough?” he almost shouted.

 “You tell me,” Katie replied, wiggling her hips against his groin. She then threw the jet ski into a series of sharp turns, laughing at the exhilaration of the speed and maneuverability of the small craft and having Jonah’s arms wrapped around her tightly.

Jonah’s teeth were bared in a grin. He was enjoying the clever little craft and holding Katie so close and so tightly. Most of all, he reveled in her delight. He felt as though his heart were singing.

Katie was pushing the jet ski through a series of sharper turns, maintaining as much speed as she could. In the middle of one sharp turn, just as she hit the throttle, the jet ski hit the wake from one of her earlier turns. The combination of all three launched the two of them through the air and into the water. Katie righted herself in the water, laughing. The grin was still plastered on Jonah’s face. She kicked over to him, stopping a foot away.

A strange look crossed her face. Jonah saw her swallow hard, and then she said softly, “I love you, Jonah.”

Jonah’s grin changed to a look of wonderment. With a barely noticeable pause, he replied, “I love you, too, Katie.”

She drew him close and kissed him. As they kissed, he realized how much he meant what he said. He did love her.

43

Later that afternoon, Katie let him pilot his own jet ski. He learned how to use it to spray someone nearby when Katie did it to him, causing him to lose control and fall off. Water skiing the next day came easily to Jonah. Rather than trying two skis first, he opted for one and quickly got the hang of it, jumping back and forth over the wake of the boat. Rock climbing on Monday was more of a solitary endeavor which they did together. Jonah never climbed before but enjoyed the challenge. Those two days, they ate well, made love often, and both wore smiles you could see from a distance.

Jonah let Pierre know the different activities available at the resort. On Tuesday, when the women were having their bridal luncheon, Pierre escaped and came to visit. The two spent the afternoon racing around the lake on jet skis, laughing and whooping. Pierre invited himself and Elaine to come back the next day. He hinted to Jonah that instead of a night of drunken debauchery for his bachelor party, he would prefer a cookout on the shore of the lake. That suited Jonah just fine, and he quickly arranged it.

Wednesday morning, Pierre and Elaine arrived so early that Katie and Jonah were still in bed. Pierre waltzed right into the bedroom without knocking, sat on the corner of the bed, and acted as though he wouldn’t be leaving any time soon. Elaine finally dragged him out so Katie and Jonah could get dressed. The four of them spent the day on the water until Elaine and Pierre had to leave to have dinner with her parents.

Pierre showed up again Thursday, bringing his other groomsmen: his brother-in-law Bob Roberts (“Bob Roberts,” he said when introduced, “can you believe it? My parents either have a cruel sense of humor or are idiots. I haven’t yet figured out which”) and Karl Von Geisler. Katie headed in for a luncheon, dress fitting, and Elaine’s hen party shortly after the men arrived. Bob turned out to have a similar sense of humor to the others, so there were plenty of opportunities for laughter. The four men spent the day on the jet skis, acting like the boys they once were. That evening, the resort staff had arranged a cookout for them right by the dock. They enjoyed a meal of steak, washed down by a glass of port after dinner, and enjoyed a mellow evening of quiet conversation.

Jonah sent them home at 22:00 and went to bed. Three hours later, a giggly, tiddly Katie woke him up, wanting to play. “We girls have been talking about very naughty things,” she whispered, after sticking her tongue in Jonah’s ear, “and I can’t stand it anymore.”

In the morning, Katie admitted to a headache from overindulging the night before. When Jonah asked how much she remembered from when she returned, she smiled sweetly and replied, “All of it, cowboy.”

Later that afternoon, Lewis and Sauer drove them to the wedding rehearsal at Elaine’s parents’ house. Pierre and Elaine had insisted on casual dress for the evening since they would be in more formal dress for the wedding. The rehearsal dinner followed at a local restaurant, with a great number of amusing stories shared about both Pierre and Elaine.

The weather was beautiful all week long and the day of the wedding was the best yet. A cloudless sky, comfortable temperature, and a pleasant breeze combined for a perfect day. Katie and Jonah slept in, walked up to the main dining room at the resort for brunch, and spent the next few hours curled in each other’s arms in a hammock next to their cottage. Katie’s comm buzzed with an alarm at 14:00.

Rolling out of the hammock, she stated, “Time to get ready. Let’s go take a shower.”

Jonah complained, “It’s only 14:00.”

 “I thought maybe,” Katie said with a wink, “we might have a long shower, if you know what I mean.”

She set off for the cottage at a run. Jonah rolled out of the hammock too quickly to chase her and fell. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw him stumble and began to laugh. Jonah quickly picked himself up and chased after her. She allowed herself to be caught just as they reached the cottage.

 “No fair,” she said, squirming in his arms, pretending to try to get away. “It’s hard to run fast when you’re laughing at a klutz.”

Jonah shut her up by turning her and kissing her. As the kiss went on, Katie wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Jonah carried her inside, still kissing, and headed to the shower. He turned it on, waited for the water to warm up, and stepped in with both of them still clothed and Katie still wrapped around him.

Later they dressed. Jonah was in his dress uniform, Katie in a pretty sundress, cornflower blue with a floral print, and white sandals. Lewis and Sauer drove them to Elaine’s house, where Katie promptly disappeared. Jonah wandered into the house and found Pierre in the study, sitting.

 “How are you doing, brother?” Jonah asked.

“Am I supposed to be nervous?” Pierre inquired. “Because I’m not. Should I be worried about that?”

 “Well—” Jonah began, drawing out the word in an attempt to rattle his friend.

Pierre gave him an annoyed look.

 “I wasn’t nervous at all either,” Jonah admitted. “I was really happy.”

A look of relief washed over Pierre’s face. “Good,” he said, “because that’s how I feel.”

 “Elaine, on the other hand, is probably nervous as hell,” Jonah teased.

 “It’s a lot to live up to,” Pierre sniffed, “being married to me.”

Jonah laughed. The two of them traded barbs and wisecracks for the next hour until they heard music begin to play outside. The wedding planner found them and led them to where Karl Von Geisler and Bob Roberts were waiting. Bob was wearing a navy-blue blazer, with white shirt, a tie of the same print as the bridesmaid dresses, khaki trousers, and white buck shoes. Karl was in his formal dress uniform as Jonah and Pierre were.

The men processed out and lined up by a pergola in the garden. Jonah looked at the guests and was pleased to see Pierre’s mother had indeed come. He was surprised the evening before when she was not at the rehearsal dinner. The music changed, and the bridesmaids entered. Katie was first. Jonah had seen her in the dress and sandals, but she added a garland of flowers in her hair. Laura, Lady Thorner, was next, and Sarah, Elaine’s sister, was the maid of honor, both with garlands of flowers in their hair. When Sarah reached her place, the music changed again to Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Elaine appeared with her father and approached. Elaine looked like a woodland sprite come to get married. Her white dress was simple, with similar lines to the bridesmaid’s dresses, and she wore white sandals. The diamond and platinum necklace Pierre had given her glittered on her chest. She was also wearing the sapphire and diamond cuff Jonah had given her as well. Her hair was up, braided about her head, and she too wore a garland of flowers and carried a large spray of flowers in her arms as well.

The ceremony was brief. Jonah handed over the ring at the proper time and didn’t drop it. Both Pierre and Elaine had wide smiles on their faces through the service. It made Jonah feel happy to be a part of it. At the conclusion, Jonah escorted Sarah down the aisle after Pierre and Elaine, and they walked right to a tent where the reception would be. The receiving line was to be short: Elaine and Pierre, her parents, and his mother.

Jonah made a point of introducing himself to Pierre’s mother. He heard much about her over the years, but they had not met. Pierre always described her as incredibly dull, but Jonah had thought Pierre was making that up. Jonah found that Pierre’s mother was, indeed, dull. Pierre’s sister, on the other hand, seemed to be just as much of a smart-aleck as her brother.

Jonah did not know many of the guests. He concentrated on being affable and charming, something his father coached him to do when he was a boy. When the time came for him to give his toast, he felt he did an acceptable job. He did not waste time with wisecracks at Pierre’s expense since not many of the guests would have understood them. He did point out that Pierre had a strong sense of humor and then, as proof, played the footage of his proposal to Elaine.

It was captured by security cameras, and Jonah obtained it from Mtumbo Sweedler. Many of the guests had not heard the story of his proposal and, at first, they were puzzled. As the footage ran on, they began to see the humor. Those who already knew the story watched eagerly from the start. The conflicting emotions that washed over Elaine’s face in the footage were priceless. By the time the fat man in the pink leotard said, “Ta-Da!” and skipped out of view, all the guests were laughing or chuckling. When Elaine allowed Pierre to stand, only to slap him before kissing him, the guests broke into a cheer. After the footage ended, Elaine rose from her seat and stood shaking her hands clasped over her head like a victorious fighter, eliciting more cheers. Jonah wrapped things up by admitting that Elaine and Pierre were dear friends, who had been of great help in some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable, and by telling everyone how happy he was that they found one another.

When Pierre was given the opportunity to respond, he glared at Jonah, saying, “Jonah, you are an evil, evil man, and I will get you for this.”

Jonah returned Pierre’s stern gaze with a look of innocence, mouthing the words, “But I didn’t even mention Eustace!”

At this, Pierre cracked up, and he began to laugh. He apologized to everyone, saying, “Sorry…inside joke.”

After dinner, there was dancing. Jonah was looking forward to dancing with Katie but didn’t have the chance after the first dance. Other women kept cutting in. When the band announced, “Last dance,” Jonah apologized to a woman who was hoping to dance with him, explaining that he had not been able to dance with his girlfriend all evening.

As they started to dance, Katie whispered, “I heard that. So, I’m your girlfriend?”

 “If you want to be,” he offered.

 “I’ll think about it,” she said as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Jonah turned and kissed the crown of her head. “I meant what I said, Katie,” he whispered. “I love you.”

 “Mmmmm,” Katie purred as she squeezed him tight. Lifting her head, she replied, “I love you too.”

44

After Katie and Jonah returned to duty, planning for the liberation of Lutetia began. Third Fleet would lead, and Rear Admiral John Blutarsky would be in command. Two of the Defender SDNs and four of the Retribution battlecruisers would be pulled from Second, Fourth, and Fifth Fleets, giving Blutarsky ten Defenders and eighteen Retributions. The six Regent-class SDNs would also be assigned to Third Fleet.

The Chinese, in their most recent attempt at an attack, had fielded a force of twelve 527-type SDNs and eighteen 461-type battlecruisers. Those ships constituted over forty percent of the capital ships available to the Chinese. MI-6 and the Office of Naval Intelligence did not believe the Chinese would risk more ships than that for the defense of Lutetia. If that were the case, Third Fleet would prevail. The attack was scheduled for August 1. If the Commonwealth prevailed, the landing of ground forces would begin August 3.

Pierre returned to command of Second Fleet after his honeymoon, looking tanned and happy. That didn’t stop him from complaining to Jonah about not being chosen to lead the attack on Lutetia. “I mean, sheesh,” Pierre whined, “I had Karl in my wedding and everything.”

Jonah asked, “You are joking, right?”

 “Yeah,” Pierre admitted. “I don’t begrudge John his chance. It’s just…this is going to sound horrible.”

 “That’s okay, I’m used to it from you.”

 “It’s just that there aren’t going to be many more,” Pierre admitted.

 “Many more?”

 “Many more battles. Opportunities for glory. Emergencies. Crises.”

 “That’s not a bad thing,” Jonah pointed out.

 “No, but it’s boring,” Pierre stated.

Jonah laughed. “True, but I have a feeling Lutetia is going to be a non-event regardless.”

 “The Chinese just don’t have the numbers, do they?”

 “They don’t,” Jonah agreed. “If they make a stand at Lutetia, they won’t be able to defend themselves afterward. I’m guessing that they’ll hunker down and make us blast them out of the New Beijing System.”

 “When is the next batch of new construction due?” Pierre asked.

 “Fifteen Defenders and twenty-five Retributions, currently scheduled for commissioning on September 21. Once those come online, there’s no reason to wait,” Jonah stated.

 “We could probably win the day without them, but having them makes it a sure thing, I guess,” Pierre sighed.

Once again, the non-aligned systems of the Germans, Edo, and Rotterdam would be supplying the bulk of the ground forces, 350,000 men. The Commonwealth would add another 150,000. The Commonwealth’s ground forces, primarily Royal Army, had swelled to over 2 million men and women in uniform. They were eager to play a part, but their role, ideally, would be for the military occupation of planetary centers after the Chinese surrender.

Edo managed to sneak a patrol boat into the Lutetia System two weeks before Admiral Blutarsky was scheduled to attack. The patrol boat reported a Chinese force of ten Chinese 527-type SDNs and fifteen 461-type battlecruisers. This force was stationed about halfway between where the Coalition force would enter and the hyper corridor leading back to Chinese space. It stayed in roughly the same position over the next two weeks.

On July 31, Admiral Blutarsky’s force jumped into hyperspace, heading for Lutetia. It exited hyperspace early to deal with the missile gauntlet the Chinese had prepared. Thanks to the Edoan patrol boat, they also knew the Chinese had left thousands of detached warheads as a sort of minefield. Forewarned, the Commonwealth ships used their point-defense systems to destroy the detached warheads. Almost all of them were inoperable, though, since the Chinese had deployed them too early, and they weren’t designed to operate on their own in cold of deep space.

As soon as sensor data became available, it was clear the Chinese were not staying to fight. The 25 capital ships and their escorts began boosting for the exit corridor as soon as their gravimetric sensors alerted them to the arrival of the Commonwealth Fleet. After a brief discussion, the order was given for the ground forces to jump into the Lutetia System and prepare to land. Admiral Blutarsky ordered his escort ships to round up or destroy any Chinese shipping or satellites in the system.

Three days later, when the Coalition ground forces landed, the Chinese ground forces surrendered immediately. Within 24 hours, Lutetia was liberated. Coalition forces were treated as conquering heroes, even though there had not been a single shot fired. Ground forces commanders reported that the Chinese had withdrawn some of their troops since the initial landings, as there were only 300,000 on Lutetia.

The Lutetian government promptly collapsed. Finger-pointing began immediately, with most citizens blaming the government for being too friendly with the Chinese, while the rest complained that they had no choice. Those guilty of being ‘collaborators’ were exposed for public shaming, except for a few who were inexplicably left alone. It quickly brought on a constitutional crisis and the Lutetians seemed to be heading toward the twenty-third or twenty-fourth iteration of their republic since the planet was settled.

With the liberation of Lutetia having turned out to be completely non-violent, at least as far as the war between the Chinese and the Commonwealth, planning immediately started for the invasion of Chinese space. The fifteen Defenders and twenty-five Retributions were still on schedule for commissioning on September 21. The tentative date for the invasion of the New Beijing System was named as November 1.

Admiral Von Geisler had ordered the ships pulled from Second, Fourth and Fifth Fleets to return. He sent the six Regents to Second Fleet, the three Columbias to Fourth Fleet, and the three Viceroys to Fifth Fleet. When the new ships were commissioned, Third, Fourth and Fifth Fleet would each get five Defenders. Of the Retributions, each fleet would be given six except for Third Fleet which would get seven.

Von Geisler would be starting each fleet from its normal sector. The Foreign Office had already obtained permission from the Rodinan government to allow Third Fleet to transit their space on the way to Chinese territory. Since the travel time for the fleets would vary, each one had a different jumping-off date. Second and Third Fleets would rendezvous deep in Chinese space in the Xiānggǎng System. Fourth and Fifth Fleets would rendezvous in the Shànghǎi System. From there, each fleet group would head to New Beijing. Once the fleets joined up, Jonah and Pierre would take control of the two groups.

45

The governing council of the Chinese republics was in an uproar. For the first time since she had seized power, the others were openly questioning Dong Li’s fitness to remain as chairman of the council. Many had been grumbling privately to one another for months, but this was the first instance of open disagreement.

Xie Shije, premier of Shànghǎi, spoke over the tumult. “Chairman, we have been at war for nearly five years. We have spent trillions and trillions. Thousands have died. And what do we have to show for it?”

The other premiers quieted as they began to listen to Xie. “What do we have to show for the trillions spent and thousands dead?” he repeated. “Less than nothing! Our navy is weaker than it was before we started. We hold no more foreign territory than we did before we started. The Commonwealth has demanded our unconditional surrender and seems determined to obtain it—”

 “Seems,” Dong responded angrily, “Seems determined. It is merely a negotiating tactic. Nothing more.”

Dong Li’s five hard-core supporters on the council murmured their agreement.

 “Our steadfast resolve will convince them to negotiate in good faith,” she continued.

 “Nothing you have done so far,” Xie retorted, “has convinced them to negotiate—in good faith or otherwise. Not even pulling Wang Xhu from whatever hole you’d kept him in was able to soften their stance. Where is Wang Xhu, by the way?”

 “Wang Xhu is unavailable,” Dong replied, her eyes flashing and her mouth grim.

 “I suppose I will shortly become ‘unavailable’ for daring to speak against you, won’t I?” Xie snapped. “Well, my fellow premiers, if I am going to disappear in the middle of the night, let me say this first. The war is lost. Continuing to fight will result only in more destruction and loss of life. The Commonwealth has demanded our unconditional surrender. We should offer it now by our own choice instead of later when their ships fly overhead and our fleet is gone. Look at how the Commonwealth has treated the Rodinan Federation!”

 “Oh yes,” Dong broke in, her voice acid. “Let’s look at the Rodinans. The Commonwealth forced them to adopt reforms that ripped apart the very fabric of their culture. I suppose you want the same for us?”

 “The Rodinans enacted the reforms on their own,” protested Xie.

 “If I held guns to the heads of your wife, your children, and your grandchildren,” Dong commented, “you would lick my boots of your own free will.”

 “Premiers,” Dong said, turning her attention back to the group, “our continued resistance will force the Commonwealth to negotiate. They have no stomach to see this through. This meeting is adjourned.”

Dong Li stalked out of the chamber, furious. She slammed the door to her office behind her. She stabbed buttons on her console and summoned Sun Haiming, the director of the Ministry of State Security.

Minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Sun entered without waiting and shut the door before crossing to Dong’s desk. ‘Yes, chairman?”

 “I want them all dead,” Dong Li barked. “All of them, even mine. Make it look like a terrorist act by a Commonwealth spy. Luckily, I will survive and call for new elections in three months’ time. That should stiffen the resolve of anyone else who is wavering.”

 “All of them? Even—”

 “Even them,” she replied. “They’re nothing but toads anyway.”

 “That makes it easier,” Sun replied with a smile.

 “And I want it to happen yesterday,” Dong Li snapped.

 “Yes, chairman,” Sun answered calmly, then turned for the door.

Admiral Von Geisler summoned his admirals to a comm conference. When Jonah logged in, he noticed Brian Stewart-Crosland, the foreign secretary, sitting next to Von Geisler. When everyone was present, holographically speaking, Von Geisler began.

 “Admirals, though we have been preparing for the invasion of Chinese space, some of us have also been hoping it would not be necessary; that the Chinese would realize that the war is lost and would surrender. Events overnight have made that less likely. The foreign secretary will explain.”

 “Last night, there was an explosion at the chamber of the governing council of the Chinese republics,” Stewart-Crosland began. “Eighteen of the planetary premiers were killed—all of them except for Dong Li. Dong has been chairman of the governing council since she seized power from the previous chairman, Wang Xhu. Dong appeared on state video feeds last night, claiming the explosion was an act of terrorism by a Commonwealth spy. Dong was made-up to appear injured in the explosion, but expert analysis of the video indicates her injuries are cosmetic and not real.

 “The Commonwealth had nothing to do with the explosion. MI-6 and other intelligence sources believe that the council was on the verge of breaking away from Dong Li and that she ordered their deaths to maintain control. Many of us in the government hoped that the war might end without further destruction since the Chinese military position is weak. That hope is no more. It appears as though the Chinese will fight until their last ship is blown to bits.”

46

On September 19, Jonah and the other admirals, along with their flag captains, returned to the Caerleon system for the commissioning of the forty new ships that would take place on the twenty-first. Jonah, Pierre, and John Blutarsky and their captains returned by courier boat. Renee Ogden-Fung came in her own ship, Defender of the Realm. That was an added bonus for Jonah since Katie was Ogden-Fung’s flag captain. He was able to have dinner with her that night, and she stayed with him until the morning. Pierre had disappeared immediately after arriving at Caerleon Station since Elaine had booked a room at the hotel on the station.

The next day was consumed by meetings as the group of admirals and flag captains went over the many operational details of the planned invasion of Chinese space. Only capital ships armed with the PBG would be taking part. The conventionally-armed Victory-class SDNs and Dakota-class battlecruisers would be staying behind. Even so, the Commonwealth would outnumber the remaining Chinese ships. The Commonwealth would have 37 superdreadnoughts, 52 battlecruisers, and three dreadnoughts against the 30 Chinese SDNs and 44 battlecruisers. When the Commonwealth PBG’s much faster cycle time and greater destructive force were factored in, the equation became even more lopsided.

Even so, Admiral Von Geisler was quick to point out that there would be casualties if the Chinese decided to fight. He predicted that the Chinese would target the flagships, as they had done in previous engagements. That meant Drake, Defender, Sharpe, and Wellington would likely receive more damage than any of the other ships.

There were also the complicated logistics of the troop transports to discuss. Von Geisler admitted to feeling nervous about discussing this aspect of the operation since the battle was not yet fought but also pointed out that the quicker the troops landed, the more stable the situation would be. The Commonwealth would be sending two million soldiers to enforce a military occupation of the 19 Chinese planets. They would follow closely behind the naval strike force and begin off-loading troops in the planetary capitals as soon as the surrender was announced. The 200 transports would stay in place for the duration of the occupation, which was estimated to last at least five years.

Rear Admiral Gessert made a presentation, reporting on the ships about to be commissioned and those still under construction. She stated that all forty of the new ships were, as she put it, “green across the board,” meaning all systems up and running. The reactors were lit weeks ago, the drives were tuned, and all the ships engaged in limited shake-down trials in Caerleon and nearby systems. The new ships would be undergoing more extensive two-week shake-down trials and then join the various fleets in time for the beginning of the invasion. The remaining forty ships were nearing completion.

The civilian contractors were released over a month before. The German and Edoan workers had begun to return home. Some of the yard workers were already transferred to finish the repair and rebuilding of stations destroyed in the war. Roosevelt and Aries Stations were still only partially finished, Hercules and Avalon Stations were minimally functional, and Automedon Station needed to be completely rebuilt. The shipyards at Roosevelt, Aries, and Avalon needed to be rebuilt as well. Many of the other planetary stations, though undamaged by war, were seriously in need of updates and upgrades, having been largely neglected for nearly twenty years.

As far as operations in the Caerleon Yard, with the capital ships completed, the focus would be on escorts and freighters. The first of a new class of frigate, the DiGiovanni-class, was also due to be commissioned soon. The freighters would take priority, however, as many would be needed to supply the planned occupation of the Chinese planets.

Von Geisler hosted a dinner for all of them that evening in the Admiralty section on Caerleon Station. Later that night, as they lay in bed, Katie asked, “Would you think less of me if I told you that I’m a little bit scared of what’s coming?”

 “No,” Jonah answered, “not if you’re scared about having a target painted on your back. What Karl said today was sobering.”

 “I know,” Katie agreed. “I mean, I understood that the Chinese have been targeting our flagships in the last few battles. It’s happened to you on Drake, it happened to Hotspur…but to hear it come up in a briefing—”

 “If I had a big ego like Pierre pretends to have,” Jonah commented, “I’d say they’re only targeting me, so you don’t have anything to worry about, little lady. Then again, Defender of the Realm was my flagship for a little while, so maybe you’re right to worry.”

Katie smacked him with a pillow. “Don’t patronize me,” she warned. “And I know what you mean about Pierre only pretending to be conceited. Do you think the Chinese know that Sharpe is Blutarsky’s ship and Wellington is Pierre’s?”

 “I’d say it’s 50-50,” Jonah suggested. “The Chinese took over the Lutetian intelligence operations for long enough that they know the names of the flagships, but whether they can match the name to an emission signature, I doubt somewhat.”

 “So,” Katie said, “out of 90-odd ships, the only one the Chinese know for sure is a flagship is Drake. You’re not exactly reassuring me, Jonah.”

 “I’m not exactly reassuring myself either,” Jonah pointed out.

They were silent for a time. Jonah felt a drop of something on his shoulder. He crooked his head and saw tears on Katie’s face. He pulled her close and murmured, “shh shh shh.” He felt Katie’s shoulders shake in a sob.

 “I gave up on love,” Katie mumbled into his chest. “I wanted to meet a man who could keep up with me, someone who could challenge me, who would not only understand why I wanted to be a navy officer but would also encourage me to be my best. I wanted someone on whom I could depend—steady, unwavering, and strong—but not someone inflexible, unyielding, and stubborn. I wanted someone who would command my respect and who would respect me just as much.

 “No one measured up. Then I was assigned to Third Fleet, and not only did I stop looking, but I also withdrew into myself as deep as I could. When I finally escaped Third Fleet, I could breathe again. I came back to myself on Rockport, and then Karl put me in command of Tinsdale. I returned to believing that anything was possible. When I transferred to Severn, I had my confidence back. Working with John Blutarsky was great, and then Pierre made us his flagship, and I got to see how he worked.

 “Working with John and Pierre convinced me that maybe there was someone out there who was worthy of me. They both had all the qualities I hoped to find in someone, and we became good friends, but there was something still missing, not to mention the whole navy and chain-of-command thing. Even so, it gave me hope that there were others and that one of them might have what I wanted. Then you picked me for Hotspur.”

 “On Pierre’s recommendation,” Jonah added.

 “Before or after you saw the video John took of me, hooting and hollering during the battle?”

 “Before,” Jonah assured her. “I named you my flag captain after, but you were already the top pick. The video was the icing on the cake.”

 “If you don’t mind my asking,” Katie rolled over to look in Jonah’s eye, “what put me on the top of the pile?”

 “All the captains we picked for the Regents were outstanding,” Jonah explained. “What separated you from the others was the adversity you faced in Third Fleet. You stuck it out when anyone else would have quit. It convinced me your blood runs navy-blue. None of the others had to face any huge obstacles to their success. When you finally got out of that horrible situation, you took off like a rocket, accomplishing in two years what the rest did in ten. You could have been bitter after what you endured but what people talked about was your infectious joy. Pierre told me that you took Severn from being a happy ship to being ‘positively giddy,’ I think he said. When you came to Hotspur, I quickly saw what Pierre and John were talking about. When Lieutenant Baxter replaced Lieutenant Srp, I told him that if he wanted to learn about leadership, he should watch you.”

 “That’s a really nice compliment,” she said softly.

 “It wasn’t meant as a compliment,” Jonah said with a small laugh, “it was meant as useful career advice for a young officer.”

 “That’s what makes it such a nice compliment. I suppose I can tell you now that coming aboard Hotspur was kind of scary for me,” she admitted.

 “Why?”

 “You are kind of a legendary figure, you know.”

 “I don’t feel like one. I just feel like I got lucky a couple of times—”

Katie started to interrupt, but he stopped her. “A lot of people died under my command, and I didn’t. It’s hard to feel like a legend when you know other people paid the price for it.”

 “It’s the ones who would have died but didn’t who make you legendary, Jonah,” she explained, shaking her head. “Anyway, trust me on this, you’re a legendary figure in the Royal Navy, and there I was, picked to be your flag captain. Now, I knew you had a human side because John and Pierre told me a few stories—actually a lot of stories, mostly from Pierre. Even so, I was intimidated a little, and that made me determined to knock your socks off, to show you I was worthy of being your flag captain.”

 “Well, you certainly did.”

 “Then you told the other captains to copy my methods,” Katie continued, “and the next thing I know, the Admiralty ordered me to write a white paper on them, which was distributed to every ship in the Royal Navy. What’s more, I saw you offer the same kind of support and encouragement everywhere you went. As I got to know you, I became convinced that you were the person I’d always been hoping to find. I developed a huge crush on my commanding officer.”

 “I never suspected,” Jonah admitted.

 “Good. There were only two problems with my having a crush on you. One was the navy and the chain-of-command thing. The other was Amy. Long before I became your flag captain, I had watched your wedding on my comm. I saw the pictures from your honeymoon when you finally got to take it. I couldn’t do a thing about Amy or the chain of command, so I boxed up my feelings and put them away and gave up on love again.

 “I refused to let my feelings ruin the opportunity I had. I enjoyed your friendship, admired your leadership, and learned everything I could from your example. Then, when Amy was killed, I saw the pain you were in. I know this sounds flakey, but you have an energy about you, Jonah. It’s like this really powerful dynamo, humming away. When Amy was killed, it changed to this dark, violent force you could barely control, like thunderbolts. When I sensed it, it broke my heart. The feelings I’d boxed up rattled and shook on the back shelf, but I wouldn’t let them out. When you returned to Hotspur, I was so happy to see you. That box rattled and shook again, but I wouldn’t open it.”

 “I don’t know about the dynamo,” Jonah commented, “but dark thunderbolts…yeah, that’s a pretty good analogy.”

 “Then I got hurt when we lost Hotspur. Man, I loved that ship. I woke up in the hospital with you brushing hair out of my face. Some of those feelings I’d put away squirmed out of the box. You spent those two days with me. At some point, I realized I was holding your hand, but it made me feel so good I couldn’t let go. You even came to see me on Boxing Day—it would have been your third wedding anniversary. I was up all night, thinking about you and about whether there could ever be something between us. Just before you arrived, the nurses gave me a sedative because I didn’t sleep. I wanted to be with you and hold your hand and feel good the way I felt the previous two days. Instead, I passed out. By the way, the steamed chocolate pudding was excellent.”

Jonah laughed gently.

 “The day before they discharged me from the hospital, Elaine came by, doing a series of interviews of high-ranking women in the service to help with recruiting. Elaine and I started talking, and the next thing I know, they’re bringing my dinner. Elaine laughed and said she had no idea she was there so long, and she didn’t even begin the interview. A couple of hours later, the nurses kicked her out, and she still hadn’t started the interview.”

 “Elaine told me that you’d become instant best friends,” Jonah related.

Katie chuckled. “We did. She came by to pick me up the next day when I was discharged. I spent the next few weeks living in her apartment. We talked about everything, and I mean, everything. Of course, your name came up a few times. I admitted to her late one night that I had a crush on you. She laughed and said a lot of women did. I started crying. Somewhere in my blubbering, I told her you came to visit me in the hospital. She said that maybe there was some hope for you yet.

 “We talked about Amy too. Elaine told me that as incredible as she seemed at a distance, she was more incredible close-up. That made me begin to cry again. Elaine was finally able to calm me down so I could tell her why I was crying. I told her that I was nowhere near as awesome and, besides that, how could I compete with a dead woman? Elaine just about snapped my head off then. She claimed I had every bit as much going for me as Amy did and explained why. Then she told me I shouldn’t ever have to compete with a dead woman.

 “When I returned at active duty, I’ll admit I was relieved that you’d moved over to Drake,” Katie admitted. “Elaine and I stayed in touch. I also got to know Renee. Though we were never as intimate as Elaine and I were, we did become friends. She had lots to say about you too. Her story about the days leading up to Cumberland’s final battle is riveting.

 “Then we get to where Elaine invited me to come to Aries for Christmas. I told you, Christmas was a big deal in my family. When she guaranteed I could get the leave, my first thought was to join my family. Then she told me you would be there, recuperating from your stabbing. That’s all she said. That box I’d put my feelings in—it kept me up all night, hopping and shaking on its shelf. I decided that I’d go to Aries to see if anything would happen between you and me. If it didn’t, at least I’d have an answer.

 “So, that’s why what Karl said has me so shook up.”

Jonah sighed. He kissed Katie on the forehead and held her close. After a minute or two, he began, “I’m going to mention Amy—I just wanted to warn you. Once Amy and I began our relationship, she would remind me regularly to enjoy the happiness of the time we were together instead of worry about how short our visits with one another were, or how long it would be until the next one. Pierre told me that Elaine said something similar to him when they first got together—they both had leave for three weeks, but they were only obligated to spend the first week together. If they were having fun, they could extend it, a few days at a time. They ended up spending the whole three weeks with each other. When I arrived on Aries at Christmas, Pierre told me not to overthink, not to let my mind jump ahead of what was happening or not happening.

 “I tend to overthink things,” Jonah admitted, “so Amy, Pierre, and Elaine’s advice helps me.”

Jonah waited for Katie’s answer. She fell asleep instead. In the morning, Katie reassured Jonah that she did not fall asleep while he was talking. She made it clear that what he told her enabled her to fall asleep.

47

On October 17, Fifth Fleet jumped out of the New Delhi system and into system L7233. From there, it proceeded to system L7310, then jumped into the Hăiwángxīng system. At each corridor, the Chinese had set up missile gauntlets. The last time Jonah had entered the Hăiwángxīng system, he had been met by seven Chinese SDNs and fourteen battlecruisers. This time, there were only missiles.

Unlike previous raids, where destruction of infrastructure was an important objective, on this mission they were to avoid damaging anything. There were no warships in the Hăiwángxīng system. From there, Fifth Fleet jumped into system L7471. As before, there were missiles set up at the hyper corridor exit and entrance. System L7471 took longer to traverse due to its larger heliosphere, but the hyper corridor to Shànghǎi was short. There were no missiles positioned at the corridor to Shànghǎi.

Like Hăiwángxīng, there were no warships in the Shànghǎi system. Fourth Fleet winked back into normal space less than an hour after Fifth Fleet arrived, according to the gravimetric sensors. It would be almost two hours before the light showing Fourth Fleet reached Fifth Fleet. Nonetheless, they were able to communicate with one another instantly via the kewpie links aboard the ships. The quantum particle communication system, known as the kewpie, allowed instantaneous communication regardless of distance, provided both particles were in normal space and not hyperspace.

The two fleets headed to the corridor leading to system L7524. L7524 was the final system before New Beijing. The entrance and exit of the corridor to L7524 also had no missile gauntlet in place. Upon arrival in the system, they sent an update to the Admiralty. They were on schedule for arrival in the New Beijing System at 08:30 Commonwealth Standard time, which would be 04:00 on New Beijing Standard time. Second and Third Fleets were also on schedule.

The 92 Commonwealth ships would drop out of two different hyperspace corridors three light-minutes early, traveling at the customary 0.23c, or twenty-three percent of light-speed. Waiting for them would be the 74 capital ships remaining in the navy of the Chinese republics. Minutes before entering hyperspace, Jonah sent a message to Katie: “See you when this is over. I love you.” She replied: “You’d better. Love you too.”

The 48 ships of Fourth and Fifth Fleet returned to normal space three light-minutes short of the end of the hyper corridor at the New Beijing System, traveling in-system at 0.23c. Sensors showed all 74 capital ships of the Chinese were on the same course and speed, three light-minutes ahead. During their transit of Chinese space, Jonah had conducted simulated exercises with varied deployments of the Chinese forces. Several of them had been nearly identical to what they now faced.

Though his 48 ships were outnumbered, the quicker cycle time of the Commonwealth PBG and its greater destructive force balanced the equation. It made it imperative that he stay out of photon cannon range. He gave the order for his two fleets to decelerate at one-hundred-fifty percent of normal max thrust.

Minutes later, sensors showed the Chinese made the same adjustment. Jonah ordered thrust to be reduced slightly. This would allow him to close the distance more gradually. Both the Chinese and the Commonwealth were in similar circular formations, with the more powerful superdreadnoughts in the middle and the battlecruisers surrounding them in a ring. The two forces continued to creep closer to one another as the minutes, then hours slipped by.

Jonah suggested to the captains of his ships that they release their crews from general quarters while the two forces gradually closed. He wanted to delay the encounter to make sure his crews had a chance to eat lunch, then he would close the distance for good. Jonah, though he wasn’t hungry, went to the enlisted mess. Lunch was fake-meat meatloaf and fake mashed potatoes. As horrible as that sounded, it was actually the most popular meal on the navy’s standard menu.

The crew was in high spirits and happy to see their admiral breaking bread with them. Several tables tried to wave him over as he got through the serving line. He went to the closest one. After an initial period of awkwardness, they began to ask him questions, beginning with, “How do you think we’ll do?” (‘Great’) and then, “Why is it taking so long to close with them?” (‘So we can eat lunch’—that one got a laugh). Jonah forced himself to chew and swallow when they gave him a chance. When he finished, he took his leave, thanking them for sharing their table.

He returned to his ready room where Lieutenant St. John Baxter, his flag lieutenant, was waiting. Baxter was studying the holographic display that showed the positions of the Commonwealth and Chinese forces. It was updated to show the position of Second and Third Fleets as well. They entered the New Beijing System 165 degrees opposite the heliopause from where Jonah’s forces had entered. Second and Third Fleets were heading on a course to intercept the Chinese if they decided to return to defend the planet of New Beijing.

Jonah issued the orders to allow the distance to close. Nineteen minutes later, the two forces came within range of one another. The Commonwealth’s 48 ships aimed their PBGs at 24 of the 30 Chinese 527-type SDNs. The 74 Chinese ships aimed three shots at each of the Commonwealth Defender-class SDNs but fired ten shots at Defender of the Realm and eleven at Francis Drake.

In the opening salvo, Defender and Drake were each hit six times by the Chinese. Jonah and Lieutenant Baxter, sitting in the ready room, were both launched out of their seats. It felt as though Drake had hit a brick wall. Both ships lost the plasma shielding on their forward halves and suffered serious damage. The bow of Drake looked like it had been hit with a giant mallet, with the first quarter of the ship crumpled and smashed. Defender looked as though the first third of the ship had exploded, blowing the bow of the ship off entirely, with shredded pieces of the hull peeled outward. Fortunately, the drives and powerplants on both were undamaged. Captain Jacobs on Drake and Captain Hayes on Defender ordered full deceleration at two hundred percent of rated maximum thrust to pull them out of range. Two other Defenders, HMS Bainbridge and HMS Knox, had been hit three times but quickly reported that they were still in the fight. Seven others had been hit twice, and four had received one shot from the Chinese guns. Three Commonwealth SDNs were untouched.

The Commonwealth ships hit 20 of the Chinese SDNs, with eight of those hit by both shots. Three of those immediately began to separate from the rest of the Chinese force, unable to continue the same rate of deceleration. The sensors were updating the holographic display as the computers assessed damage from the readings.

Fifteen seconds after the first salvo, as Jonah and Lieutenant Baxter were still picking themselves up and clearing their heads from being thrown across the room, the sixteen Commonwealth Defenders still in range of the Chinese fired another salvo. They targeted the ten Chinese SDNs that had not yet been hit. They hit seven, with two of those having been hit twice. The display showed that every Chinese ship hit so far had lost forward shields due to the power of the Commonwealth’s big guns. The three ships drifting away from the Chinese fleet were on ballistic courses and had taken massive structural damage. The computer estimated the damage as ‘moderate’ on the other seven Chinese ships that had been hit twice.

At the 30-second mark, 43 of the Commonwealth ships fired. Drake and Defender were out of range and the three Viceroy battlecruisers had not yet recycled. Three shots were fired at each of the three undamaged Chinese SDNs. The Chinese ships that were hit only once up to now were the targets of two shots each. Of the three previously undamaged SDNs, one was hit by all three shots and vanished from the display. One was hit twice, and the other escaped entirely. The seventeen Chinese ships hit once earlier were all hit again, with five of them completely destroyed and the other twelve showing signs of having lost propulsion.

At the 40-second mark, the three Viceroys all aimed at the previously unhit Chinese SDN. Two of the three shots connected. Only four of the Chinese SDNs were able to fire. They targeted Bainbridge and Knox. Only one shot hit, on Bainbridge. The captain of Bainbridge flipped his ship and went to full deceleration to get out of range.

Five seconds later, at the 45-second interval, the fifteen Commonwealth Defenders still in range aimed two shots each for the four SDNs that had been able to fire and one shot at each of seven Chinese battlecruisers. Three of the four Chinese SDNs were destroyed. Four of the battlecruisers were hit. Moments later, the remaining Chinese ships dropped their shields in surrender. Even though the hatch to his ready room was closed, Jonah could hear the cheering of the crew.

Dong Li watched the display in her office as the two fleets drew closer to one another. She was cheered when she saw Defender of the Realm and Francis Drake break off from the engagement immediately. Over the next thirty seconds, though, hope fled from her soul as she watched the Commonwealth ships destroy the navy of the Chinese republics. She was not surprised when Sun Haiming entered her office without knocking. She knew why he was there. Without saying a word, Sun shot her, the fléchettes tearing into her chest and shredding her heart immediately. Sun spoke into his comm. “It is done, general,” he said, then turned the gun on himself.

48

The signing of the formal surrender documents took place five days later, in the shuttle bay of HMS Wellington, Admiral Delhomme’s flagship. General Li Ziqiao headed the Chinese delegation and signed the document on behalf of the Chinese republics. Pierre had been designated as the signer on behalf of the Commonwealth, something that pleased him greatly. Brian Stewart-Crosland, the foreign secretary, had initially asked Jonah. Jonah had suggested that it would mean more to his friend Pierre. When Stewart-Crosland agreed, Jonah further asked the foreign secretary never to reveal to Pierre, or to anyone, that Pierre was the second choice.

Commonwealth troops had already begun landing in the nineteen planetary centers, watched by puzzled but not hostile natives. Fast transports with materials needed for the repair of any damage to Commonwealth ships had arrived with them. Bainbridge, Knox, Francis Drake, and Defender of the Realm could only be minimally repaired. The repair crews worked to restore enough plasma shielding forward to enable safe navigation and made sure the ships could generate a stable Alcubierre field to enable hyperspace travel. On November 7, the four ships would be returning to the Caerleon Yard for more extensive refit and repair.

The surrender documents included the terms stipulated by the Commonwealth. King Edward and his team had drafted the surrender document and developed the conditions after an exhaustive study of what had, and had not, been successful in human history. The goal was not to punish the Chinese people but instead to ensure peace and prosperity for all people.

The first condition imposed was military occupation. The occupation would continue while the Chinese drafted a new constitution. The new constitution was to include a restructuring of the government and the elections process and was to forbid the creation of a single-party state. Economic reforms were also included. State ownership of economic assets was abolished, with exceptions for power generation and transmission, and public transportation. Especially encouraged were the formation of corporations of employee-shareholders and a commission was named to oversee the process and to prevent former government officials and high-ranking Party members from gaining control of production assets. When the new constitution was approved by the Commonwealth and then by the nineteen Chinese republics and after the first successful election cycle under the new laws took place, then the military occupation would end.

The Chinese military was not disbanded. Though the army would be reduced in size, that would have likely happened with the end of the war regardless. The navy was forbidden to begin construction of any new capital ships until the new constitution was adopted but encouraged to build escort ships in order to be able to police inter-planetary traffic successfully. Included was an offer by the Commonwealth and the new Rodinan Federation to assist the Chinese in anti-piracy efforts when called upon. One thing no one desired was for piracy, smuggling, and banditry to gain a foothold during this time.

The Chinese would need to sign peace agreements with the non-aligned powers of Edo, Rotterdam, Lutetia, New Delhi, and the Germans. King Edward had convinced the non-aligned powers not to pursue financial reparations for the war damage. He had done this by offering to rebuild their navies with the refurbished Chinese ships the Commonwealth had captured and recommissioned, and with several Victory-class superdreadnoughts and Dakota-class battlecruisers. The ships were provided by means of 99-year leases to Rotterdam, Lutetia, and New Delhi, for the sum of £1 per ship per year. For New Delhi, Edward sweetened the offer with a foreign aid commitment to help them rebuild.

On November 7, the Commonwealth ships left the New Beijing system, headed back to their normal bases. The four ships most seriously damaged in the attack were heading to Caerleon Yard. Jonah transferred his flag to HMS Forrestal and returned to Southhampton. Katie would be returning to Caerleon. Jonah had contacted Katie discretely as soon as the battle was over to make sure she was safe.

On November 17, the day Forrestal arrived in the Southhampton system, Jonah received a message addressed to: The Right Honorable Admiral Jonah Edwin Halberd, Baron Somerset and guest. Upon opening, he saw:

The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by

The King and Queen to invite

The Right Honorable Admiral Jonah Edwin Halberd, Baron Somerset

and his guest

to a Gala

Celebrating the New Year,

the End of War and the Beginning

of a New Era of Peace and Prosperity.

At Caerleon Palace,

on Wednesday, December 31, 3044 at 7:00 p.m.

A reply is requested.                 Dress: Formal

Jonah wanted to contact Katie to see if she had received an invitation but before he could, his console buzzed with an incoming call from Admiral Von Geisler. He clicked the link. “What can I do for you, Karl?”

 “Nothing major,” Von Geisler commented. “Just help me figure out the peacetime redeployment of the Royal Navy of the Commonwealth.”

Jonah waited, thinking Karl was teasing. After an uncomfortable pause, he queried, “You’re serious?”

 “As death and taxes,” Von Geisler confirmed. “The deeper I have looked at this, the more convinced I am that I need help. Now that the war is over, there is not the same need to have you, Renee, John, and Pierre physically present with your fleets on an everyday basis. I know you just returned to Southhampton, but I’ve sent a boat to pick you up the day after tomorrow. I think getting the five of us together in the same room will generate better ideas. There’s also something about being face to face that makes it more effective than trying to work together over comms.”

 “Agreed,” Jonah replied.

 “Leave your flag lieutenant in Southhampton to act as a conduit for any problems,” Von Geisler said. “Plan on staying on Caerleon until at least the first of the year. That should be fairly pleasant duty for all four of you since all of your significant others will be on Caerleon at the same time. If we manage to get things wrapped up before Christmas, I’ll just give all of you leave.”

 “It doesn’t exactly sound like hardship duty,” Jonah agreed.

 “Besides,” Von Geisler added, “I know you need to be here on the thirty-first for the Gala.”

 “I do,” Jonah confirmed. “Any chance Captain Hayes can have a few days off around that time?”

Von Geisler laughed. “I think it can be arranged.”

When he finished talking with Von Geisler, Jonah immediately tried to contact Katie. When she connected, Jonah could see she was in a room in the Bachelor Officers Quarters in the Admiralty section of Caerleon Station. “Hey, Jonah,” she greeted him in a subdued manner.

 “Hey, Katie. Looks like they kicked you off your ship.”

Katie frowned. “Defender is going to be out of action for about six months. The admiral moved her flag to HMS Grant a couple of days ago. I was just told that it’s more likely I’ll get one of the new ships due to be commissioned in February than return to Defender. In the meantime, they’ve decided to break up my crew and reassign them to the new ships also.”

 “I’m sorry,” Jonah said sincerely. “I know it’s like losing a family.”

 “It is,” she agreed glumly.

 “I just got some news also,” Jonah told her, “but maybe I’ll save it for when you’re feeling better.”

 “Is it good news?”

 “Well, I thought so,” Jonah commented, “but I don’t want my good news to put you in a worse mood.”

 “Oh, go ahead and tell me,” she instructed. “Don’t leave it out there dangling.”

 “Okay, I warned you,” Jonah said. “First, I just got new orders and am recalled to Caerleon until at least the first of the year. Karl is pulling all the admirals together to work out what peacetime deployment will look like.”

 “You’ll be here?” Katie asked, perking up. “Here. On Caerleon?”

 “Yup. A courier boat is on its way already.”

 “I like that news,” Katie said. “Anything else?”

 “Have you heard that the king and queen are planning a gala for New Year’s Eve?”

 “Rumors were all over the tabloids this morning,” she related.

 “Well, it’s true,” he confirmed, “and I was invited. I’m also allowed to bring a guest. Would you like to go?”

Elation flashed over Katie’s face, but she quickly controlled it. “Oh gosh,” she said in a deadpan manner, “I’d love to, but I promised Pierre I’d visit his mom and help take care of her cats. Maybe some other time.”

Jonah laughed. “Good one,” he commented. “Nice to know you’re learning something from us.”

 “Are Pierre and Elaine invited?”

 “I hope so. I’ll have to check,” he replied.

 “Check and let me know. Sheesh,” she said, shaking her head, “a few minutes ago, I was pretty depressed about being grounded for a couple of months. Now, I’m kind of happy about it.”

 “Really? Why?” Jonah teased.

 “Oh, shut up, doofus,” Katie told him. “Call Pierre and let me know what he says.”

Jonah ended the call with Katie and connected with Pierre. “Is this the famous Admiral Sir Eustace Delhomme—the figure who will go down in history for signing the document ending the Commonwealth-Chinese War?”

 “Why, yes. Yes, it is,” Pierre responded, after a small hesitation to drink in the compliment. “Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?”

 “I’m in a good mood. Enjoy it while it lasts,” Jonah replied. “Hey, did you guys get an invite to the Gala?”

 “You have to ask? I am the signer of one of the most important agreements of this or any other century,” Pierre replied haughtily.

 “So, are you invited?” Jonah asked again, ignoring Pierre’s self-flattery.

Pierre glared with mock disbelief. “Yes.”

 “Good. Katie wanted to know.”

 “I just got it,” Pierre admitted. “I haven’t had the chance to tell Elaine yet.”

 “Better get on that, buster. That’s all I wanted to know.”

49

A week later, Jonah was in a conference room in the Admiralty with his fellow admirals. Their first assignment was personnel review. While on his way to Caerleon, Jonah had received a message from the head of MI-5. MI-5 informed him that, with the end of the war, they no longer felt Jonah’s life was in danger and agents of the King’s Own would no longer be accompanying him when he stepped off navy territory. Jonah celebrated this news by signing out a groundcar and taking Katie out for dinner on his first night in the city.

Katie and Jonah were given the Thanksgiving weekend off. Geoff and Laura invited Jonah and Katie to stay with them when they caught wind that they were both in the capital. Pierre and Elaine joined them for an enjoyable and entertaining Thanksgiving dinner. The ladies had appointments that Friday, leaving Jonah at home with Geoff. Geoff called Jonah into his study after the women left and shut the door.

 “The drawdown on the navy is going to be deep,” he explained. “We’re getting rid of all the Victories, Dakotas and the handful of Sussex-class battlecruisers that survived the war. We’re giving away some of them to the non-aligned systems and the rest are going into mothballs. Sad to say, the Viceroys, Columbias and Regents are also being taken out of service. They’ll be stationed as the ready-reserve for at least the next few years.”

Jonah frowned deeply. Geoff caught his look and started to say something, but Jonah cut him off. “I understand the why of it,” he said. “It just makes me sad, that’s all. Those ships saved our butts and probably won us the war if you think about it. And they’re damn fine ships. The Defenders and Retributions are damn fine ships, too, don’t get me wrong. It’s…it’s sad, that’s all.”

 “Understood,” Geoff replied. “Unfortunately, the budget projections don’t have feelings the way we do. At least they’re not being mothballed the way the Victories, Dakotas, and Sussexes are. And, truth be told, we’ll probably be reducing the number of Defenders and Retributions on active service in the next decade or perhaps less. When the king talks about a new era of peace, he might be correct, if only because we hammered both the Rodinans and the Chinese into submission within a few years of one another.

 “Looking at history, wars in the past few hundred years have been between two of the three great powers with the other one sitting out. At the conclusion of each war, the undamaged fleet of the power that sat out the war was viewed as a threat to both victor and defeated, and so both would scramble to rebuild. It’s easy to justify the expense of keeping ships in service when you’re afraid of your neighbors.

 “The Rodinans have been in no hurry to rebuild their capital ships since we defeated them. The Chinese are prevented from building capital ships for at least five years. The Royal Navy is the supreme power in civilized space and has no enemies that will be able to challenge it for years. Without that threat, it will become more and more difficult to justify the numbers.”

 “Nothing lasts forever,” Jonah cautioned.

 “No, it doesn’t,” Geoff agreed. “That’s why what you and the other admirals are doing is important. With the reduction in force, we need to make absolutely certain there are no Johannsens, or even any like Admiral Sayyah. The Royal Navy will not be able to afford to carry any dead weight. I’ve been working with my counterparts in the Liberal Democrats, and we have both agreed that the navy will be off-limits in the future as far as political patronage goes. Of course, as you said, nothing lasts forever, particularly in politics.

 “One of the things Karl has been asked to do is examine the current deployment of both capital ships and escorts,” Geoff continued. “While our current five-fleet organization worked well for the war, it might not be the best alignment for peace. The Royal Navy has been divided into five fleets for hundreds of years, but that doesn’t mean it should be.”

 “One of the biggest changes,” Jonah commented, “that I noticed after we implemented the Swordfish missile defense was that the escorts had no role to play in the battles. They weren’t needed for missile defense anymore. Thinking out loud, maybe their only task in the future is the interdiction of pirates and smugglers. If that’s the case, then it might make more sense to centralize command and take responsibility away from the fleet admirals.”

 “I’m not qualified to say one way or the other,” Geoff admitted. “That’s something for you to bring up with your peers. One thing I do want to sound you out on, though, is your future.”

Jonah raised his eyebrow.

 “Would you be willing to consider an alternative assignment?”

A worried look crossed Jonah’s face. Geoff noticed it and immediately continued, “Jonah, you’re in no danger of being forcibly retired or demoted. There is no one held in higher esteem in the Royal Navy or even throughout the entire Commonwealth than you. You were the right man in the right place at the right time. When new technology became available, you adapted quickly and developed new tactics. Though you are quick to give credit to others, you were the one who saw the potential and put it into action.

 “Who knows what developments will come along in the next thirty or forty years? We need to train the upcoming generations of officers to be ready to embrace change if it comes, not to be pencil-pushing micro-managers. Your name has come up a couple of times in this context. You’re being considered for appointment as the next Superintendent of the Naval Academy.”

 “Wow,” Jonah breathed. “That’s a lot to take in.”

 “I know,” Geoff agreed. “I don’t need an answer right away. Think about it. You can talk it over with Katie if you swear her to secrecy, but not Admiral Delhomme. Sorry.”

 “When do you need to know?” Jonah asked.

 “Ideally, before you and the other admirals finish drafting whatever reorganization plan you develop,” Geoff responded. “Rest assured, if you decide to stay with the fleets, you will.”

Geoff’s comm buzzed then. He apologized but explained he needed to take the call. Jonah left the study and closed the door behind him as Geoff was sitting down at his desk at his console.

Jonah’s mind was racing, with different thoughts tumbling over each other. He went to the guest bedroom he and Katie were using and began some of the calming techniques Dr. Abramovich had taught him. It took a few minutes, but he was able to slow his train of thought down. He went to the desk and activated the comm console. He began to list the positives and negatives as they occurred to him. After nearly three hours, he reviewed his lists and consolidated similar points to boil things down.

One thing he was not able to assign to either list was his relationship with Katie. How would Katie feel about him being appointed to the academy? Underneath that question was another issue, one that his appointment to the academy might resolve. Yet, when he tried to think about it, he felt greedy and selfish. He decided he needed to ask for help. He looked up the number on his comm and called. No one answered, so he left a message. “Dr. Abramovich, this is Jonah Halberd. I have something I would like to discuss with you.”

Fifteen minutes later, his comm buzzed with Dr. Abramovich’s return call. When he answered, she asked, “What can I do for you, Jonah?”

Jonah explained that he had been in a relationship with a fellow officer for nearly a year. “Captain Hayes,” Abramovich confirmed.

 “Yes,” Jonah replied. “Here’s what I am having trouble with. In my marriage to Amy and now in my relationship with Katie, there are periods of forced separation. Our jobs keep us in different places, and we get together when we can and stay in touch using comms in between. I would never have tried to convince Amy to quit her job to be with me because her job was an important part of who she was and because my job would have kept me away just as much. I would not try to convince Katie either. But—”

 “There’s always a but,” Abramovich commented.

 “But I might have the opportunity to stay in one place,” Jonah explained. “If it comes about, I want Katie to be there too. I resented the time Amy and I spent apart and when she was killed, it made it harder for me, as you know.”

 “Yes,” Abramovich agreed, “we discussed that.”

 “And I resent the time Katie and I must spend apart,” he admitted. “It’s necessary because of our jobs, but if my job will keep me in one spot, is it petty and selfish of me to want Katie to be there too?”

 “To want her to be there?” Abramovich commented. “No. To somehow force her to be there or manipulate her—that’s not the kind of person you are. Tell me, Jonah, what sort of commitment are you willing to make to Captain Hayes? Are you thinking of marrying her? It almost sounds as though you are.”

 “I wasn’t,” Jonah admitted, “at least, not consciously. I mean, not that much time has passed and—”

 “I didn’t ask about the calendar, Jonah,” Abramovich admonished. “But if I did, how much time elapsed between when you met Amy and when you proposed? Time that you weren’t in a stasis coma?”

 “Ummmm,” Jonah thought, then realizing the actual number of months, muttered, “Damn!” in self-realization.

 “So, what I suggest,” Dr. Abramovich said, “is that you figure out for yourself whether you would like your relationship to be permanent. If you do, then you need to discuss this opportunity with Captain Hayes, but you need to be prepared that her answer might be ‘no.’ What would you do then?”

 “No, to marriage?” Jonah asked, “or no to staying in one place?”

 “Either. Both,” Dr. Abramovich responded.

Jonah’s mind was a-whirl again, pondering the idea of marrying Katie. The more he thought about it, the more right it seemed. He was certain of his love for her and hers for him. But, if she continued in the fleet and he took the academy position, would he resent the time apart and affect their relationship? He wrestled with this.

Katie and Laura returned from their day out in good spirits. Katie noticed immediately that Jonah was troubled by something. “Everything alright?” she inquired.

 “Yes,” Jonah replied with a sigh. “Just a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

 “Anything you want to talk about?”

 “I will,” Jonah said with a rueful smile, “just not right this minute.”

50

Katie tolerated Jonah’s quiet introspection for the rest of the day and all day Saturday. That night, while in bed, she demanded in a whisper, “Jonah, I have many talents, but mind-reading isn’t one of them. What’s bothering you?”

Jonah paused, then cleared his throat, “Ha-hm.”

 “Oh, God,” Katie whispered, “you’re nervous. What’s wrong?”

 “Ha-hm. Mmm, Katie,” Jonah began hesitantly, “what do you think about getting married?”

 “In general?” she replied, teasing him, “or to someone specifically?”

 “Ha-hm. To me.”

 “Are you proposing?”

 “No. Not yet. Kind of. If I…ha-hm,” Jonah responded, stuttering.

 “That narrows it down,” she laughed quietly. “Well, theoretically speaking, if you were to propose at some point in the future and were to do it in a more bold and confident way, I would likely say ‘yes.’ Is that what’s been troubling you?”

 “Not entirely,” Jonah admitted, “but it’s related to it. And that wasn’t a proposal. That was a ‘sounding out.’ You’ll know it when I propose.”

 “Whew,” Katie sighed, pretending to be relieved, “because that would have been the most lame proposal in centuries. When the time does come, did I tell you I’m fond of emeralds?”

 “Yes, Katie,” Jonah answered, “you’re fond of emeralds. Big rectangular ones, preferably surrounded by diamonds, on a platinum band.”

 “When did I tell you that?” Katie asked.

 “You didn’t,” Jonah admitted. “I overheard you talking with Elaine one time.”

 “So, you’re a sneaky eavesdropper,” she accused him, tickling his ribs.

Jonah tried to tickle her in return. That led to a bit of wrestling. And that led to something that made Jonah forget what was troubling him.

Sunday morning, Jonah woke in a better frame of mind. He had an idea of a way he might have his cake and eat it too—one that wouldn’t sentence Katie to the drudgery of tracking toilet paper usage. If that didn’t work out, or if Katie didn’t want it, he was prepared to let her stay in the fleet.

During breakfast, he asked Katie, “If we manage to get leave for the holiday, what would you like to do?”

Katie looked wistful. “If we could somehow fit it in, I’d like to go home. Is that okay? I haven’t been able to be home for Christmas in so long and I miss it.”

 “Am I invited to come along?”

 “Of course, dummy,” Katie retorted. “It will be just like those sappy video romances they always show near the holidays…the daughter comes home after a long absence…she brings the boyfriend home to meet the parents—”

 “Those always have a bit of drama, don’t they?” Jonah asked.

 “Don’t tell me you’ve actually watched some?” Katie said in wonderment.

 “My mom loves them,” Jonah admitted. “When I was young, I couldn’t escape seeing them. They all seemed to have the same basic plot, though.”

Katie laughed. “The plots are pretty standard, I’ll admit. I’ll do my best to keep the drama to a bare minimum.”

After breakfast, he found a moment alone with Laura in the kitchen. “I’m likely going to propose to Katie soon,” he whispered, “so I’m going to need your help with the jeweler and finding out her ring size.”

 “And when you get married, you’ll need to get her head measured for her circlet,” Laura reminded him. “You’ll trade Amy’s in and get a new one for Katie, of course. And, Christmas is coming. But, ring first. I hope you know what she likes.”

 “Yes, I do,” Jonah confirmed confidently. “Big rectangular emerald, surrounded by diamonds, on a platinum band.”

 “Did you ask her?” Laura asked, surprised Jonah knew so specifically.

 “No,” he replied, “I listened in on a conversation she had with Elaine a few months ago.”

 “You snoop!” Laura teased him in a whisper. “That’s easy enough. I’ll ask my guy to do some drawings. What are you thinking for Christmas?”

Jonah blushed bright red. Laura read his expression and said, “Lingerie. Of course. Well, now that Lutetia has been liberated, I can get you the really good stuff. Anything else?”

 “I’m thinking of an emerald necklace and earrings for Christmas,” Jonah admitted.

 “Rectangular? Diamonds?” Laura asked.

 “Not rectangular,” Jonah responded. “Open to suggestions. Yes, diamonds.”

 “Price range?” Laura asked.

 “Whatever you think I should spend,” Jonah replied, knowing it was the only correct answer.

 “When are you going to do this?” she inquired. “At the Gala?”

 “God, no,” Jonah hissed. “I did that before, at the Rodinan thing, for Amy, so the Gala is totally out. I was hoping my fairy godmother and godfather could arrange leave for us so she and I could travel to Ilium for Christmas. That way, I can ask her father for her hand and maybe propose in front of the family.”

 “You are traditional, aren’t you?” Laura commented. “That’s a big request but much more possible if you let Geoff know you’re interested in his offer.”

 “You knew about that?” Jonah asked in a whisper.

 “Hush, Jonah. Don’t be stupid. Who do you think suggested it?”

 “Well, I am interested,” Jonah agreed.

 “Good,” Laura nodded. “Now, have the little mice been spinning the wheels in your head enough to power up another thought?”

 “Which one?”

 “The one where she gets an appointment to the academy too?”

 “I’ve had that thought,” Jonah admitted, “but I don’t know how to make it happen or whether she would accept it. Katie is a natural leader. I’ve never seen anyone as gifted. I learned things from her. If she wasn’t imprisoned in Third Fleet all those years, she’d have been an admiral before John or Renee…hell, maybe even before Pierre or me. She’s that good. I can’t ask her to put aside her dreams of command.”

 “If you were superintendent,” Laura asked quietly, “would you want her on your faculty based on her ability? Where would she be more of an asset to the service? At the academy, teaching midshipmen about leadership, or cruising around nowhere, running endless drills for a war that is not likely to come in our lifetime? What do you think she would say?”

 “I’ve been thinking about it until my brain hurts,” Jonah replied. “Of course, I’d want her on the faculty. I think she’d take the academy job, but if there is a chance for her to win her admiral’s stars by staying in the fleet, she’ll give that a try.”

 “Mhm,” Laura nodded. “I can understand her point of view. Well, I can get you drawings of ring designs. I already have her ring size from the ball for Yoshi and Pierre. As far as Christmas presents, I can do that. The leave…I’ll need to ask for some help. We fairy godmothers can only do so much on our own.”

 “Laura, you really have been my fairy godmother,” Jonah said softly. “I don’t know why you decided to help me so much, but I want you to know how grateful I am. I—”

 “Jonah,” Laura interrupted, “for a number of reasons, Geoff and I were never able to have children. We flatter ourselves by thinking that if we had a son, he would have turned out like you, or if we had a daughter, she would be like Amy or Katie or Elaine. We’ve met hundreds of outstanding young men and women over the years but were never moved to help any of them until you came along. I don’t know what it was about you that connected with us so strongly—perhaps it was your mom, Marian. I simply don’t know why. I do know that Geoff and I both felt some sort of connection with you from the time we met you after the Cumberland incident. Then, through you, we met Elaine, then Amy, and now Katie—all three amazingly talented, brilliant, and beautiful inside and out. Since Cumberland, it has been a source of pleasure for us to help you on your way.”

 “I’m very grateful,” Jonah said humbly.

 “We know,” Laura said, smiling.

 “What are you guys whispering about?” Katie asked, strolling in.

 “You,” Laura stated.

 “Really?”

 “Yup,” Jonah admitted. “That’s why I had to sneak into the kitchen to talk to Laura. About you.”

 “Cut it out,” Katie retorted, believing they were talking about something else.

 “Okay,” Jonah threw his hands up in the air. “I was asking Laura for hints about what you’d be wearing to the Gala. She wouldn’t tell me. I pried, I wheedled, I begged. Nothing. Not about you, not about her, not about Elaine.”

Satisfied with that answer, Katie replied, “Good. It’s a surprise. I’m just so thrilled that Laura decided to adopt me as one of her fairy godchildren.”

 “If you didn’t think I was having a blast with you and Elaine on Friday,” Laura commented, “you weren’t paying attention. I haven’t laughed that hard in a couple of years.”

 “Me too,” Katie agreed. “Now, dearie,” she said, addressing Jonah, “you go keep Geoff entertained for a little bit. I need to discuss grown-up things with my fairy godmother.”

 “Yes, dear,” Jonah said with a sigh.

Jonah found Geoff heading for his study. Jonah followed him in. He shut the door and crossed to the chair facing Geoff’s desk.

 “I’m interested in what you mentioned to me on Friday,” Jonah stated. “If it were offered, I’d accept.”

51

Sunday night, when they returned to the Admiralty, Jonah asked Katie what she had been discussing with Laura. “Oh, just girlie stuff,” was her reply. On Monday, back at the Admiralty, Jonah and the other admirals resumed their review of command personnel in the five fleets. By Thursday, they divided all the commanding officers into three categories: keep/promote, retire, and watch and wait. It was difficult. After finishing the review, Von Geisler dismissed the other admirals for the day, reminding them they would begin discussing fleet organization and deployment in the morning.

He asked Jonah to stick around for a minute. Jonah followed him to his office. Karl sat on the sofa instead of behind his desk, waving at the armchair next to it for Jonah.

 “I have good news,” Karl offered. “Your request for leave has been granted.”

Jonah looked slightly puzzled since he had not formally requested leave. Karl laughed at his puzzled expression. “You are officially on leave from 16:00 on December 18 until 08:00 on January 2.”

 “Ohhhh,” Jonah said, realizing that Laura had arranged things. “Would I be correct in guessing that Captain Hayes has also been approved for leave?”

 “What a coincidence!” Karl teased sarcastically. “Captain Hayes will also be on leave during that time, though her leave starts two days before. Not only that, but it’s also been suggested to me that I offer you two the services of a courier boat.”

 “A courier boat?”

 “Apparently, commercial liner schedules wouldn’t enable you to travel to Ilium and back in time for the Gala. Your appearance at the Gala is a command performance, I’m told,” Karl said smiling. “The boat will depart Caerleon Station at 19:00 on December 18, arriving at Ilium Station at 14:30 on December 23. It will depart Ilium Station at 23:00 December 25 and arrive at Caerleon Station at 18:30 December 30. Of course, there’s a chance a courier boat might not be available, in which case it’s possible HMS Griffin might be pressed into emergency service,” Karl said, laying his finger aside his nose and winking.

Jonah’s mouth fell open. HMS Griffin was the royal yacht. It was far more luxurious than a Royal Navy courier boat and betrayed the involvement of their Royal Highnesses in what was happening.

 “Wow,” Jonah breathed, taking it in. “Am I allowed to tell anyone?”

 “You’ll have to keep Captain Hayes in the dark until tomorrow,” Karl instructed.

 “Understood,” Jonah confirmed.

 “I understand your purpose in traveling to Ilium is to propose?”

 “And to ask her father for her hand in marriage,” Jonah added.

 “If you were Pierre, I’d tease you and ask, ‘Do you think he’ll allow you to?’ but since it’s you, I don’t have to,” Karl said with a grin. “Congratulations, Jonah.”

 “Thanks, Karl,” Jonah replied.

On his way out of the offices, Jonah used his comm to send a message to Laura: “Thank you, FG. My deadlines are moved up, but I’m guessing you already know that.”

Moments later, his comm buzzed with an incoming message: “My pleasure. I know about your deadlines, silly. Much love, FG.”

That evening was torture for Jonah. He was bursting to share his news with Katie but could not. She asked him several times what was bothering him, and he lied and told her that the meetings he was in were stressful and taking their toll.

The next day dragged on as well, despite Jonah’s interest in the subject matter: the potential reorganization and restructuring of the fleets. All five of the admirals reached the same conclusion about the escort ships no longer being required for the point defense networks in battle.

Von Geisler then activated a holographic display showing Commonwealth-controlled space in green. There were red dots scattered along the edges. Around the area of the Third Fleet sector, there were clusters of the red dots, while around Home Fleet, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Fleet sectors, the dots were scattered and spread out.

 “Any guess what this is?” Karl asked.

 “I’m guessing it’s a map of pirate activity over the last ten years or so,” John Blutarsky replied quickly. “If it is, can you show just the last couple of years?”

Karl smiled. “Hang on,” he said, keying into the console. The clusters of red dots around the Third Fleet sector dropped away and resembled the other four sectors.

 “That’s more like it,” John stated. “I know it was a shit-show under Johannsen and Sayyah, but not anymore.”

The five of them quickly launched into discussing the challenges involved in patrolling each sector. The conversation was lively and occasionally humorous. At one point, the ‘Piracy 101’ course that Jonah developed and Pierre and John later enhanced was brought up as having been particularly effective in helping new commanders get up to speed quickly. Karl adjourned the meeting just before 17:00. Jonah went back to his quarters, waiting for Katie’s return.

Katie came in about 30 minutes later, a broad smile lighting her face. Jonah stood up when she entered, and Katie waltzed right up to him and gave him a quick peck. “Fairy godmothers are awesome!” she gushed, her arms around Jonah’s neck.

 “Karl told you that your leave was approved?” Jonah said, grinning at her happiness.

 “Our leave,” Katie reminded him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to tell some people we’re coming.”

The next day, Jonah returned to his meetings. Late in the morning, he received a message from Laura. He waited until they broke for lunch to open it. Attached to the message were some renderings of different designs for the engagement ring and photos of a necklace and earrings. Jonah chose the third design and replied to Laura, asking her to go ahead. He then sent a message to his banker, copying Laura, authorizing the release of funds to Laura, informing him that Laura would confirm the amount.

The next couple of weeks flew by. The meetings Jonah was in were interesting, as he and the other admirals worked on developing a new organization for the deployment of the navy. In the evenings, Katie talked about her family, sharing stories about her parents and siblings, and briefing him on names. She assisted Jonah in picking out presents for her mom and dad (a hand-knit sweater and a bottle of aged whiskey). She was busy ordering presents for her siblings, nephew, and nieces. Both of them accessed their storage lockers and retrieved some casual clothing to wear on the trip. Katie warned Jonah that it was actually the summer season on her parents’ farm and that they had a swimming pool. Jonah packed accordingly.

The day before they were to leave, Jonah received two packages at the Admiralty. When he opened the first one, there were three boxes inside, already gift-wrapped. He smiled, realizing they contained the lingerie he had asked Laura to order for him. The second, smaller box contained two gift-wrapped presents. One was obviously the ring. Jonah snuck back to his quarters at lunch and hid the presents in his luggage. Katie was off somewhere with Laura and Elaine.

The next afternoon, as Jonah was returning to his quarters, his comm buzzed. Katie, panicked, was calling. “Jonah!” she exclaimed, “I just learned the courier boat isn’t available! What are we going to do!?!”

Jonah wanted to smile, but Katie’s distress made that inappropriate. Instead, he said firmly, “Katie, relax. Your fairy godmother arranged an alternative for us.”

 “An alternative?” she queried. “What alternative? How are we going to make it—”

 “Trust me,” Jonah said calmly. “There is an alternative and it will get us there and back in time.”

 “But—”

 “I’d rather show you than tell you,” Jonah cut her off. “I just got back to my quarters. Let me grab my luggage and I’ll come by your rooms, then we’ll leave. Are you packed and ready?”

 “Yes, but—”

 “I’ll be there in a minute,” Jonah said and ended the call.

He grabbed his two bags, and checked quickly to make sure he was leaving nothing behind and left. He walked to the lift and rode down to the floor where Katie’s quarters had been assigned. She was waiting when the doors opened.

 “What’s going on?” she demanded.

 “I could tell you,” Jonah answered, “but I’d really rather show you. C’mon.”

Jonah led Katie to the shuttle bay. Before they reached the queue of people waiting for a shuttle, a chief petty officer intercepted them. After saluting, she said, “Right this way, sirs.”

The chief petty officer directed them past the queue and down a short corridor to a shuttle bay. Katie and Jonah boarded and were the only passengers. As soon as they strapped in, the shuttle took off.

Katie gave Jonah a stern look. “I was panicked a few minutes ago, but now I’m starting to get pissed off. What’s going on, Jonah?”

 “I can understand,” Jonah attempted to reassure her. “I didn’t know you weren’t aware of this until you called a few minutes ago, but since you weren’t informed, I figured it was meant to be a nice surprise.”

 “Grrrrrr,” Katie growled. “Nope. Still mad.”

Jonah shrugged in response. During the short shuttle flight to Caerleon Station, Katie’s dour look did not soften. Three times she started to speak but cut herself off each time. There was a bump and a clunk as the shuttle docked, then the hatch opened. Katie and Jonah unstrapped themselves and collected their bags.

Stepping out of the gangway, Katie looked around. Not recognizing the surroundings, she whirled. “Goddamnit, Jonah, where the hell are we?”

Jonah ignored her outburst. He began walking down the corridor. Katie quickened her pace to catch up. When she caught him, she started again with her questions. “Jonah, I don’t recognize this. We made plans to see my family—”

 “We’re going to see your family,” Jonah replied calmly. “If you don’t trust me—”

 “I trust you,” Katie replied with a bit of a whine. “I just…where are we?” she said as the corridor ended and they entered a well-appointed waiting area.

 “We’re in the royal section of Caerleon Station,” Jonah replied, “and there’s our ride, if I’m not mistaken.”

Crossing to the gangway, Jonah greeted the steward waiting there. “Hello, George.”

 “Good evening, Admiral Lord Halberd,” replied the steward. “Would you like me to get your bags?”

 “No, thank you, George,” Jonah answered, “but I’m sure Captain Hayes would appreciate some help with hers. Which stateroom?”

 “Stateroom B, if you don’t mind, sir,” George informed him.

Jonah headed aboard. Behind him, he heard George greet Katie. “Good evening, Captain Hayes. Welcome aboard HMS Griffin.”

When he heard Katie’s gasp, Jonah grinned. He entered the luxurious stateroom and put his bags on the floor at the foot of the bed. Moments later, George entered carrying Katie’s luggage with Katie following behind. George put Katie’s bags on luggage stands and then informed them, “Dinner will be served at 19:00. Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?”

 “Thank you, George,” Jonah responded. “I think we’re all set for now.”

 “Very well,” George replied as he backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Katie stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Jonah. “I don’t know whether to hit you, kiss you, or laugh out loud,” she admitted.

Jonah crossed to her and put his hands on her waist. “If it helps you make up your mind, this wasn’t my idea.”

 “Laura,” Katie stated.

 “With the assistance of Queen Celeste, I’m guessing,” Jonah added.

Katie leaned back and punched Jonah lightly in the chest. “That’s for letting me panic,” she explained. Then she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly, “and that’s for keeping it a nice surprise.” She started to laugh then.

52

They had a pleasant journey to Ilium. On the second day, Katie introduced Jonah to a combat simulation he’d never seen before. It involved propeller-driven winged aircraft from earth’s pre-space era. She explained that she had found it years ago on one of the navy’s training servers when she was looking for something else. At first, Katie kicked Jonah’s butt, shooting him out of the sky within minutes. By the end of the trip, Jonah could stay alive for over a half-hour and occasionally inflict some damage upon Katie’s aircraft, though she still won every encounter.

When they reached Ilium Station, Katie took charge. She directed them to the shuttle heading to Adrianople. They had a small wait before the shuttle departed. When they landed on the planet, she rented a flitter. It was morning in Adrianople, which conflicted with the time they had been keeping by eight hours. Jonah’s body thought it was 17:00. They loaded their bags and themselves into the flitter. Katie took the pilot’s seat. Within moments they took off on a nearly three-hour flight to the family farm.

Katie pointed out landmarks as they flew over. Most of it was cultivated farmland. About two hours along, they flew over a town of what looked to be about 5,000 people. “That’s Sarpedon,” she explained, “the nearest town to my family’s place.”

From Sarpedon, they flew over a rail line, passing the occasional group of buildings. Katie would call out the name of the people who owned the farm as they approached. She swooped the flitter lower as they approached the group of buildings that belonged to her family. Jonah saw a large house with a swimming pool, two enormous barns and a variety of pieces of heavy equipment outside the barns. She landed the flitter softly and taxied it into position alongside three other flitters.

As she turned off the engine, she grinned at Jonah. “You ready?”

He smiled back. “As I’ll ever be.”

A group of people was already halfway between the house and the pad. Jonah opened the door and began retrieving their bags. By the time he finished, they had arrived. Katie introduced Jonah to her mother, Polly, her father, Ned, and her two brothers, who came to greet them. Everyone else was in the house since it was lunchtime.

Her two brothers grabbed their bags and started carrying them into the house before Jonah could protest. As they walked to the house, Polly explained to Jonah, “You two are staying in Katie’s old room. We’re packed to the rafters with the whole family back for Christmas. I’m making Tim and his family stay in the bunkhouse.”

Jonah smiled. Polly certainly did not look like Katie’s mother—more like an older sister. It was easy to see where Katie got her good looks. Katie’s dad was a large man, with a face and body looking as though they were built from granite. The two brothers Jonah just met looked like him.

When they entered the house, the rest of the family was waiting. There were squeals of delight from her sisters when they saw Katie. Jonah got respectful handshakes. Katie’s sisters were just as pretty as Katie and her mom, and Katie’s youngest brother also took his features from his mother. Almost immediately, they sat down for lunch. Katie’s nephew and nieces wanted to sit next to Jonah. After a brief argument, a pecking order was established.

All three of the youngsters began peppering him with questions. Jonah answered each one, sneaking a bite of food every so often. Katie was getting hit with questions of her own and also getting the update on the local gossip: who got married, how old friends and neighbors were doing and the like. Jonah was enjoying the eager attention of the three children. He caught Katie’s eye at one point and saw a sparkle of happiness as she was conversing with her sisters. Katie’s mom and dad kept glancing over at him, checking to make sure he wasn’t being overwhelmed.

After lunch, they retired to the broad porch that surrounded half the house. After another half hour of questions, the children grew restless and wanted to show Jonah around. He allowed them to pull him up from his seat and, with a boy and a girl tugging on each hand, and let them give him the tour. Katie’s dad got up with a chuckle, saying, “I’d better go with you.”

The children showed him the swing hanging from a tree in the front of the house and then pulled him over to show him the pool. After that, they wanted to show him the barns and the machinery. Along the way, they passed a large sandbox and the youngest girl stayed there to play. When they got close to the equipment, the boy and the girl dropped Jonah’s hands and raced each other to the nearest machine. When they reached it, they began clambering up into the cab.

Jonah glanced at Katie’s father to make sure the children were allowed to do what they were doing. Ned seemed unconcerned, standing with his hands in his pockets and a faint smile as he watched them. The children had completely lost interest in Jonah and were instead busy playing on the machine.

 “I’m not good with farm equipment,” Jonah admitted. “Is that a harvester of some sort?”

 “That’s right, a combine. Though now,” he said cocking his ear, listening to the children play and the pew-pew-pew noises they were making, “I think it’s a spaceship.”

Jonah, realizing he had a chance to speak privately with Katie’s dad, swallowed nervously and cleared his throat. “Ha-hm. Mr. Hayes—”

 “Don’t you Mr. Hayes me,” he said, smiling. “My banker, government officials, and people trying to sell me stuff call me Mr. Hayes. To everyone else, I’m Ned.”

 “Okay, Ned,” Jonah started over. “Ha-hm. I’d like to ask for your permission to marry your daughter.”

 “You don’t waste much time, do you? ‘Hello, Ned. Nice to meet you. Can I marry your daughter?’ What if I say no?”

 “I hope you don’t, Ned. That would likely make both of us unhappy.”

 “Why? You think she’ll say yes?”

 “Yes, Ned. I do.”

 “So, if I said no, she’d be unhappy. Can’t have that. No, sir. Any of the women around here get unhappy; they might cry, and that’s just not fair.”

 “I suppose not,” Jonah agreed.

 “She cry on you yet?”

 “Yes, she did.”

 “Hmmmph,” Ned grunted.

Jonah noticed a twinkle in Ned’s eye. When he did, he realized Ned was messing with him. Jonah couldn’t help but grin. When Ned saw Jonah’s grin, he couldn’t keep up his act anymore and started to chuckle softly.

 “I guess you have my blessing,” Ned said. “Welcome to the family. I’ll be proud to have you as a son-in-law. Best let me tell Polly. I’ll do it tonight after everyone’s gone to bed.”

 “I’m going to need her help,” Jonah stated. Jonah explained how he hoped to propose to Katie. Ned liked his idea.

They watched the children play for a bit longer. Ned eventually called them down and they all returned to the house. Katie, her mother, and her sisters were in the living room and Katie was explaining something to them. As soon as she spied Jonah, she clammed up.

 “Jonah, would you go upstairs and get the presents out of our luggage?” she asked.

 “Sure,” he agreed, figuring Katie was either talking about him or possibly about what she, Laura, and Elaine were planning for the Gala.

He went upstairs. After three false tries, he found the room with their luggage in it. Katie’s parents had not changed the décor since Katie had left. On her wall was a poster showing every class of warship in the Royal Navy as of about fifteen years before. There was a schematic drawing of a Sussex-class battlecruiser. Her bookshelf held a number of old textbooks and nine dog-eared paperback copies of books about the adventures of “Etienne Masterson, Bane of the Space Pirates.” He flipped one open and went through the pages until he found the name he was seeking. After returning the book, he dug from their luggage the presents he had been sent to get and returned downstairs.

The rest of the day was spent getting to know her family. They were easy-going, comfortable people to be around. Dinner was another opportunity for the children to argue about sitting next to Jonah and to ask him question after question. The only one he refused to answer was when they asked if they could see his ruined eye socket.

Later, Katie took him by the hand and led him to her room. After shutting the door, she admitted, “This feels sooooo naughty. I never snuck a boy into my room before.”

Taking advantage of Katie’s naughty mood, they began to make the bedsprings squeak. The noise made Katie giggle. Jonah tried to shush her, which made her laugh out loud.

 “What do we do?” she gasped as her laughter faded.

 “Floor,” Jonah suggested.

In the morning, the sounds of the house stirring woke them up. Katie started to giggle again. “I feel like I should make you climb out the window before my dad catches us,” she whispered.

After showering and dressing, they went downstairs for breakfast. Half the family was already gathered, and the other half could be heard getting ready. When breakfast was over, Jonah made a point of going into the kitchen and offering to do the dishes. Polly tried to shoo him away, but Jonah whispered, “I need to ask you something and this is the only way I can do it without someone figuring it out.”

He washed the pots and pans. Polly dried them and put them away. It gave her the chance to whisper how happy she was about him proposing and provided him the opportunity to explain how she could help him.

After breakfast, most of them decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and sit by the swimming pool. Jonah put on his trunks and Katie put on the red bikini that Elaine and Pierre had given her the year before. Katie caught him staring. “Rowr,” Jonah said.

Lunch was by the pool. They came inside in the afternoon and sat in the living room with the Christmas tree. The necklace and earrings were in the pile of presents under the tree. The ring was not. Jonah also decided to give Katie the lingerie when they were back aboard Griffin on their way back to Caerleon. He didn’t feel it was entirely appropriate for her to open it in front of her mom and dad.

At dinner that evening, Katie and the rest of the family were all wearing garishly decorated Christmas sweaters. Jonah commented that he felt as though he were out of uniform and excused himself from the table. When he returned, he was wearing the Santa eyepatch Elaine and Katie had bought him the year before. When Polly saw it, she applauded.

Jonah found a present on his chair. “For me?” he asked. When heads nodded, he asked, “Open it now?” Again, heads nodded. Jonah tore off the wrapping and found his own hideous Christmas sweater. He put it on immediately, sat down and announced, “Whew. Now I feel better.”

When it was time for bed, Polly handed everyone a present. The children immediately tore theirs open and cried, “Yay! Christmas jammies!” Everyone opened the presents to find identical pajamas in red and green. Jonah looked at Katie’s face and saw tears glistening in her eyes.

Christmas morning started early, announced by the sound of the children pounding down the hall and thumping down the stairs, followed by a yell of “He came! Get up, everybody! Santa came!”

The adults came downstairs at a slower pace. There were stockings for everyone, including Jonah. Included in Jonah’s stocking was a new Christmas eyepatch showing a stocking with his name on it. He put it on discretely so everyone could see. The children wanted to open the presents right away and groaned when they were told that presents had to wait until after breakfast and everyone was dressed. The excitement of the children was infectious. Jonah felt the house was filled with good cheer. He understood why coming home was so important to Katie.

After breakfast, they opened presents. Katie and her whole family were stunned when she opened the necklace and earrings. The necklace was large, teardrop-shaped emerald suspended from a trio of diamonds. The earrings were slightly smaller emeralds, also teardrop-shaped. The youngsters had been in charge of handing the presents out to everyone. When there were no more, they announced, “No more presents, grandma!”

Polly looked puzzled. “I could have sworn there was one more. I think it might have been misdelivered, though, since it’s not addressed for anyone here. I think it’s in the hall closet.”

The children tore off to the hall, returning with an enormous box. They took it to Molly, Katie’s sister, for her to read the tag. She read out loud, “To Etienne Masterson, From Dirk Beauregarde. Who is this for?”

Katie blushed and giggled, raising her hand. “Uh, that would probably be for me.” Answering the quizzical looks, she explained, “Etienne Masterson, Bane of the Space Pirates, was my favorite video growing up. She was a captain in the Royal Navy who hunted down space pirates. Most of the pirates she captured were bloodthirsty and evil. There was one named Dirk Beauregarde, who was a handsome, charming, and clever pirate but not bloodthirsty and evil, just naughty. She was never able to catch him, and, uh, they flirted a lot.”

As the children brought her the box, she looked at Jonah meaningfully. He shrugged his shoulders, pretending he didn’t know anything about it. Katie tore the wrapping off the box and opened it. Inside was another box, also gift-wrapped and also addressed to Etienne Masterson from Dirk Beauregarde. She pulled that box out, unwrapped it and opened it. Another gift-wrapped package was inside.

The youngsters thought this was great and offered to help. They unwrapped the third, fourth and fifth boxes, giggling with delight every time they found another box. After the sixth box, Katie complained, “This is getting ridiculous.”

 “Are you giving up?” Jonah asked. “Etienne Masterson would never have given up, especially if she knew it was from Dirk Beauregarde.”

 “Right,” Katie confirmed. “Okay, guys, I’m taking over again.”

The children sighed and watched as Katie unwrapped the seventh, eighth and ninth boxes. Each one was addressed to Etienne Masterson, from Dirk Beauregarde. Jonah was impressed at how Polly had taken his simple idea and overdone it in a fun way. Finally, inside the tenth, she found a small blue-velvet-covered box.

 “Let me help you with that one,” Jonah suggested, kneeling down on one knee in front of her. He took the blue-velvet box from her hand and, as he opened it, asked, “Catherine Dido Hayes, will you marry me and make me the happiest, luckiest man in civilized space?”

Katie had gasped when she saw the small blue box, knowing what it likely held. When Jonah took the box from her, she covered her mouth with her hands. When he opened the box and asked her to marry him, her face turned red, and she started to cry. Her sisters, sister-in-law, and mother all sighed, “awwwww.” Katie couldn’t speak but nodded her head up and down vigorously. Jonah pulled her left hand down and slid the ring on. Katie pulled Jonah up and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him tight and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

 “Yes,” she croaked in a whisper. “Yes, I will marry you.”

53

Katie’s mom appeared with a box of tissues. Katie’s sobs had given her the hiccups, which made her laugh. She was quite a sight. When she recovered herself, she showed the ring to her mom, sister-in-law, and sisters. After a few minutes, Ned spoke up, “I hate to be the party pooper, but Katie and Jonah need to get a move on if they’re going to get back in time.”

That statement galvanized everyone into action. Fortunately, Jonah and Katie were packed and ready. Her brothers went up and grabbed their bags and began carrying them to the flitter. Jonah said his goodbyes and thanked Polly profusely for her masterful job of wrapping Katie’s ring. He shook hands with Ned and thanked him. Katie took longer to disengage from everyone.

When she walked to the flitter, she told Jonah, “You fly.”

Jonah strapped himself into the pilot’s seat. Within minutes, they were in the air, heading back to Adrianople. They arrived in time for the shuttle to Ilium Station. During the flights, Katie had been busy sending messages. When they arrived at Ilium Station, they went through security to reach the gangway where HMS Griffin was docked.

 “Merry Christmas, George,” Jonah called out.

 “Merry Christmas, Admiral Lord Halberd, Captain Hayes,” George replied.

 “Merry Christmas, George,” Katie said, giving George a quick kiss on the cheek. George’s eyes opened wide in surprise.

 “Um, yes…well,” George stammered, taking Katie’s bags. “I understand you have been in a different time zone. I can have a selection of cold meats and cheeses prepared for you if you would like to eat.”

 “That would be lovely, George,” Jonah told him. “Thank you.”

After hoisting Katie’s bags onto the luggage stands, George left. Katie threw her arms around Jonah’s neck and pulled him down for a passionate kiss. When she broke for air, she breathed, “In case I haven’t told you lately, I love you. Thank you.”

 “You like the ring?” Jonah asked.

 “I adore it. And I adore you for making my family a part of it. Did you come up with the idea of the boxes?”

 “No,” Jonah admitted. “That was all Polly. I just gave her the ring and asked her to wrap it and hide it and address it to Etienne Masterson from Dirk Beauregarde. She’s the one who made it a challenge. I think it was a masterstroke.”

There was a soft knock on the door. Jonah opened it. George said, “Dinner is waiting for you, whenever you are ready. I’ll be retiring now if that’s acceptable.”

 “Goodnight, George. Thank you. Merry Christmas.”

Jonah and Katie had a light dinner of cold roast beef and some cheese, washed down with a small bottle of red wine. After dinner, Jonah mentioned, “I didn’t give you all your presents.”

 “Really? I thought you outdid yourself,” Katie commented as she slid into his lap and put her arm around his shoulder.

 “Well, there are three more, if you’re interested. I didn’t think they would be appropriate for the family setting,” he admitted.

 “Mmmm,” Katie murmured, rubbing her face against his. “I think I can guess what they are.”

 “Let’s go see,” Jonah said, standing up, lifting Katie as he did.

She giggled and swung her feet as he carried her into the stateroom. He dropped her on the bed. He reached into the closet and retrieved a present. “Do you want them all now?” He asked, “or do you want to spread them out?”

 “Just one for now,” she said.

He handed her the box. She ripped the wrapping paper off. She oooo-ed when she saw the label on the box. She lifted the top of the box gently and unfolded the tissue paper within.

 “Would you like me to model it for you?” she asked coyly.

 “Yes,” he replied, “but not the way Elaine did.”

She laughed, then banished Jonah from the room and called him back a few minutes later. The same procedure was repeated the next two nights with her other two presents. Katie pointed out that Elaine had been correct; the lingerie spent more time tossed on the floor than it did on Katie.

News of their engagement spread rapidly, both among their friends and even into the public media. Elaine sent them a link to one of the tabloids that gave them headline status, including pictures from the ball ten months before. Elaine also wanted to know if they had set a date yet. They had neither set a date nor determined where they would get married. Jonah did ask Pierre to be his best man again.

On the second day of the trip home, Jonah sat Katie down after breakfast, telling her he had something important to share. Katie’s face looked worried. Jonah immediately clasped her hand.

 “Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s bad,” he shared. “I do need to ask you to keep this confidential, though.” He took a deep breath. “There’s a possibility I might be appointed as the next Superintendent of the Academy.”

 “That’s great news,” Katie exclaimed with a bit of relief. “How much of a possibility?”

 “Geoff approached me at Thanksgiving to sound me out,” Jonah related. “I told him I’d be interested but haven’t heard anything since.”

 “Well, you wouldn’t, of course,” Katie responded in a matter-of-fact tone. “The next thing you’ll hear is when they formally offer you the job or when they announce someone else is getting it.”

 “If I get it, I wish there were a way you could join me,” Jonah continued.

 “What? On the faculty?”

 “Is that so crazy?” Jonah responded. “You could teach a course on leadership right now. It would be the most popular and most useful course the academy could offer.”

 “Flatterer,” she protested.

 “I’m not the one who was asked to write a white paper on training methods,” Jonah pointed out.

 “I don’t know,” Katie said.

 “That’s okay,” Jonah assured her with a smile. “I’m prepared for our life of being posted to different ships, or at least, to different places, most of the time. I never want to stand in the way of your career and would never ask you to give up on something you want. But I have a normal amount of selfishness and greed—I really like waking up next to you and would like to do it every day for the rest of my life if I can.”

 “That’s a nice thought,” she agreed. “Look, you have to be appointed first. After that, someone would need to offer me a spot on the faculty before I even have something to consider.”

 “I know. I just wanted to plant the seed,” Jonah said.

Later that day, Jonah received an invitation from Queen Celeste’s secretary, inviting the two of them to stay at the palace from when they returned on December 30 until January 4. Separately, there was another invitation to join Celeste and Edward for dinner at 19:30 on December 30. The invitation stressed that dress was casual.

When Griffin docked at Caerleon Station, Jonah and Katie did not have far to walk to reach the shuttle waiting to deliver them to the palace. They landed and pages immediately took their bags and led them to the apartment where they would stay. They had just enough time to splash some water on their faces and follow the page to the dining room.

When they entered, they were surprised to find Geoff, Laura, Pierre, and Elaine in addition to Celeste and Edward. Everyone offered Jonah congratulations and Katie best wishes. Everyone wanted to see the ring and many asked if they had set a date. Conversation over dinner was a constant hum.

When Jonah left to use the restroom, Geoff followed him. “I wanted to warn you that your appointment as superintendent will be announced Thursday, January 2 in the afternoon. You will have a press conference at 16:00. Elaine will coordinate it.”

 “I’d been wondering about if it were still in the works,” Jonah admitted.

 “In politics,” Geoff explained, “it sometimes takes time to get everyone pulling his oar in sync with everyone else.”

 “Don’t both Houses of Parliament need to ratify it?”

 “That’s what took a month,” Geoff replied. “There was no opposition—the Liberal Democrats support your appointment. It just took time to be able to meet with the different people we needed to discuss it with. As far as Parliament, we could do it as a voice vote, but I’m certain someone will request a roll call vote so everyone can get it on record that they approved it,” Geoff explained, shaking his head.

Returning to the group, the conversation had turned to the Gala. Elaine, Katie, and Laura had a full day planned, beginning in the late morning. They refused to divulge any details. All of them were staying in the palace, which made planning easier. Jonah and Pierre made plans to ‘hang out and tell lies,’ as Pierre put it. Geoff asked if he could join them. Edward lamented that he couldn’t join them as he had a schedule full of appearances.

The next morning, Katie left with Elaine and Laura. A few minutes later, Pierre knocked on the door. He and Jonah went to a study and sat down in the overstuffed armchairs. Geoff joined them a few minutes later. The men consciously avoided talking about the navy or politics. Both Pierre and Geoff wanted to know more details about how Jonah proposed. He told them about the boxes within boxes, all addressed to Etienne Masterson from Dirk Beauregarde.

 “I remember that show,” Pierre commented. “I always wanted to be Dirk Beauregarde.”

 “That figures,” Jonah cracked.

 “Why?” Geoff asked.

 “He seemed to be having the most fun,” Pierre recounted. “He always had some sort of daring caper he was running. Although Etienne Masterson made sure he never got to keep the loot, he always managed to get away. He was funny and charming and even though he was a ‘bad guy,’ he wasn’t that bad. They had other villains on the show who were nasty, but they disappeared after that storyline ended. Dirk Beauregarde kept popping up over and over. Plus, he wasn’t evil; he was just naughty. Plus, you could tell that Etienne had a crush on him, even though he was on the wrong side of the law.”

The three of them spent the next few hours in conversation no more weighty than that. At 14:00, Geoff’s comm buzzed and he excused himself to go to a meeting. Pierre announced he was going to get a workout in and Jonah decided to join him. When they finished, they headed back to their rooms to shower, get dressed and wait for the Gala.

54

At 18:55, a page knocked on Jonah’s door. He led Jonah to the ballroom. Jonah entered, with the herald announcing him. A minute or two later, Pierre was announced. Jonah saw Karl Von Geisler and his wife, Maryann, and was going to say hello when he was stopped by Brian Stewart-Crosland, the foreign secretary, and his wife, Joanna, who wanted to offer their congratulations on his engagement. When he finished that conversation, Pierre appeared at his elbow, offering a flute of champagne.

 “Drink up, old man. I think we’re going to need it,” Pierre commented, gesturing slightly to the entrance.

Jonah looked and saw Laura entering with Geoff. She looked elegant in a gold dress but not as daring as she had at the last event. Behind her, though, he spied Katie and Elaine.

 “Close your mouth now, Pierre,” he warned, “because I’ll forget to remind you later.”

The two women had seen them and were strutting across the ballroom towards them. Elaine was in a red dress, nearly sheer, a halter with a plunging neckline that hugged her hips and upper thighs, with a slit almost to her hip. On the sheer fabric were what appeared to be flames in non-transparent fabric that covered the bare essentials. Her hair was drawn back and teased, fanning out behind her head from shoulder to shoulder. Her make-up was dark and smoky. Katie was in a dress in the same style as Elaine’s. It, too, was sheer, with strands of glittering crystals running vertically, with the same plunging neckline and high-cut slit. Where Elaine’s dress had flame shapes to conceal what was underneath, Katie’s dress had only the crystal strands. Jonah stared. Nothing was quite visible, but neither was it entirely hidden. She had dyed her hair a light silver-gray, almost white. It was slicked back as though it were wet, ending with a slight curl at the nape of her neck. Her eyebrows were the same color. Her eye make-up was opalescent, her cheeks and chest were dusted with something that sparkled in the light and her lips were silver. Nestled in her cleavage was the emerald necklace and hanging from her ears were the earrings Jonah had given her for Christmas. As the women drew closer, it was clear that the only things under the dresses were Elaine and Katie.

Elaine gave Pierre a peck on the lips while Katie did the same to Jonah. Katie took the champagne flute out of Jonah’s hand and quickly drained it. “God, I needed that,” she breathed.

 “Fire and Ice, I presume?” Pierre commented.

 “Yes, dear,” Elaine patted his cheek. “Let’s give them the full view,” she told Katie.

The two of them spun in a circle. This revealed that the dresses had nothing in the back, dipping almost to the point of scandal. Their spinning also revealed exactly how high the slit in the skirt went.

Jonah leaned in close to Katie and whispered in her ear, “I don’t have the right words, but you are sooooo hot and amazingly sexy and incredibly courageous tonight. Hell, every night but tonight…wow!”

 “Keep talking like that,” Katie whispered back, putting her arms up on his shoulders, “and you might just get lucky tonight.”

 “I’m already the luckiest man here,” Jonah responded.

With that, Katie grabbed the back of his head and pulled his face to hers. They engaged in a passionate kiss while she molded her body to his as they embraced. They broke apart slightly when Elaine cracked, “Hey, I’m supposed to be fire, girlfriend. Not you.”

 “Fire, indeed,” Pierre murmured, his arm around her waist sweeping her to his chest and giving her the same kind of intense kiss he had just witnessed.

When they broke apart, Elaine gasped, “Honey, if you do that again, we won’t make it to the dinner.”

 “Dinner is overrated,” Pierre growled.

 “Hush, child,” Elaine admonished. “We went to a lot of effort to look this good, and we want to show off.”

When the king and queen entered, they found their table. Jonah was pleased to see that Admiral Lothes and her husband had been invited and were seated at the head table along with Karl and Maryann Von Geisler. Jonah and Katie were at a table with Pierre, Elaine, Geoff, Laura and Brian and Joanna Stewart-Crosland. All through dinner, Jonah had trouble trying to keep from staring at his fiancée.

Before the dessert course, King Edward stood and offered a toast. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “New Year’s Eve has always been about ringing out the old and ringing in the new. This New Year’s Eve, we celebrate the end of years of war and hope we are ushering in decades of peace and prosperity—for us in the Commonwealth but also, we hope, for all peoples. So, I offer this toast: peace and prosperity for all!”

Cries of ‘Hear, hear’ popped up as people joined in the toast. Dessert was served. As the dessert course was being cleared away, the band started to play. The king and queen took the floor first. Jonah asked Katie to dance, and they moved to the edge of the floor, waiting for the next song. As the first song ended, they stepped out. When the music began again, they moved as one. Jonah thrilled in the feel of her body against his, the smell of her perfume, the touch of her skin.

After the song, Geoff and Laura appeared, asking them to change partners for the next dance. As they began to dance, Jonah thanked Laura for all her help with the Christmas presents, the engagement ring, and now Katie’s spectacular appearance. Laura leaned back to look Jonah in the eye.

 “Dear boy,” she said, shaking her head slightly, “if you only knew how much fun I have playing Fairy Godmother. Don’t they look fantastic?”

 “Incredible,” Jonah agreed.

 “Geoff told me that you’re aware your appointment will be announced on Thursday. Have you told Katie?”

 “Yes,” Jonah confirmed, “on the way back from Ilium.”

 “How did she take the news?”

 “Positively. I also tried to plant the seed of the idea of her joining the faculty.’

 “I’m guessing she was non-committal,” Laura offered.

Jonah looked at Laura. “She was.”

 “She has a lot to think about right now,” Laura explained. “You just proposed, you told her you potentially have a new job and there was this,” she rolled her eyes to indicate the Gala, “to worry about.”

 “I told her I was prepared to live apart, as we do now,” Jonah added, “and that I would never want to stifle her ambitions, but I also told her that a selfish part of me wanted to wake up with her every day.”

 “She loves you, Jonah.”

 “I love her.”

 “Then it will all work out, one way or another.”

After the song ended, Jonah was claimed by Elaine, while Pierre took Katie for the next dance. As they began to move, Jonah said, “Elaine, I don’t know how you do it, but you continually amaze me. You and Amy back on Lutetia, last year after Valentine’s and now…I think you and Katie are the sexiest women I’ve ever seen!”

 “Well, it helps to have a partner in crime with a good imagination and to have someone like Laura who knows the people who can take our ideas and make them real.”

 “A partner in crime?” Jonah remarked.

 “Oh yes,” Elaine confirmed. “Katie can be very naughty.”

 “I know,” Jonah said with a grin.

 “Down, boy,” Elaine warned. “Fire and Ice for tonight was her idea. When we saw the designers’ ideas, one clearly captured what her idea was, though when she conceived it, I don’t think she realized how risqué it would be. She wouldn’t back off, though. I’m a bit jealous, I must admit.”

 “Jealous? Why?”

 “Well, people are looking at me—”

 “Of course, they are,” Jonah interrupted. “You look hot!”

 “They’re looking at me,” Elaine repeated, “but they’re staring at her. The men want to have her; the women want to be her. Makes me feel like an old married lady.”

Jonah leaned his head back and laughed. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Pierre and Katie. They were both laughing as well. It occurred to him that life was pretty good.

It was three songs later that Jonah finally got Katie back in his arms again. As they swung out onto the floor again, Jonah noticed Katie was radiant. Before the song ended, Brian Stewart-Crosland cut in and Jonah moved to dance with his wife, Joanna.

Jonah was in demand as a dance partner but not to the same extent as Katie. Every man, including King Edward, wanted to dance with her. Jonah didn’t mind too much. Though he would have preferred to have her in his arms, it was clear Katie was enjoying being the belle of the ball. When the band announced the last dance, Jonah claimed ‘fiancé privilege’ and took Katie’s hand.

As the music started, Katie sighed, “My handsome prince, come to claim me at last.”

 “You are the most beautiful, sexiest creature I have ever seen,” Jonah whispered to her. “I was jealous of all your dance partners, but it looked like you were enjoying the attention—”

Katie giggled, interrupting him. “I am enjoying the attention. Is that bad? I was nervous as hell when we got here, but now… now, I feel like a princess in a fairy tale.”

 “I never knew the princesses were this sexy.”

 “It’s a grown-up fairy tale, dummy,” she murmured, laying her head on his shoulder.

55

At brunch the next morning, Elaine regaled them with the coverage of the Gala by the tabloid press. Katie and Elaine were featured in half the photos. They decided the caption they liked best was, “Ice as Hot as Fire, Hearts Melting Everywhere.” Katie’s hair was still silver-gray and would stay that way until Saturday, when she could return to the salon and have the coloring removed. Jonah learned after they returned to their room, when her dress slid to the floor with a whisper, that all her hair had been dyed the same color (“For authenticity,” Katie had said, coyly, “the dress was see-through”). They spent the rest of the day quietly, cuddled on a sofa in front of a roaring fire.

The next morning, they both reported to the Admiralty. Jonah headed to the conference room where Admiral Von Geisler would present the final draft of the redeployment and reorganization plan, along with postings for the different positions. Katie returned to her duties in logistics.

When Jonah arrived at the conference room, he learned that the start of the meeting was postponed to 09:00. He, Pierre, Renee, and John spent the time drinking coffee and chatting. John and Renee wanted to hear all about the Gala.

At 09:00 precisely, Karl returned. While exchanging greetings, he activated the holographic display showing the astrography of the Commonwealth. He immediately began his presentation.

 “After you departed, Jonah, we carried forward the ideas that had already been discussed and fleshed them out. The end result will be that we will consolidate five sectors down to two but with separate divisions for capital ships and escorts. Now, the part you’ve all been waiting for…who will be in command. The escort division of Red Fleet will be based at Southhampton. Admiral Delhomme will be in command. The escort division of Blue Fleet will be based at Roosevelt under the command of Admiral Blutarsky. The capital ships of Red Fleet will be based at Avalon with Admiral Ogden-Fung commanding. The capital ships of Blue Fleet will be based at Aries. The command of this fleet will be determined in the next few days. Any questions?”

 “Um, yeah,” Blutarsky muttered. “What’s Jonah going to be doing?” he pointed at Jonah.

 “In about twenty minutes,” Von Geisler stated, “Admiral Halberd will be announced as the next Superintendent of the Naval Academy.”

Murmurs of appreciation and congratulations greeted the news. Von Geisler continued, “All of you will continue to report to me. Without having responsibility for Home Fleet, I should be able to give you more attention and assistance. I’m hoping you view that as a positive development. Now, Jonah, the rest of the meeting hardly concerns you, so you’re dismissed unless you have any questions.”

Jonah shook his head no. He left the room and returned to the palace, feeling a bit unsettled. Though he rarely watched the news media, he decided to tune in while he was waiting. He expected to receive more instructions and information. At the moment, all he knew was he had a press conference scheduled at 16:00.

There was a scroll on the bottom of the screen stating: “Halberd appointed as Superintendent of Naval Academy, ratification vote underway.” Jonah switched to the live feed from Parliament. The screen was split, showing both Commons and Lords. Roll call votes were taking place in both Houses. In the House of Commons, the updated tally showed 162-0-3. Jonah wondered what the ‘3’ was. As each member voted, the tally on the left increased. The third member he saw, from a fringe party, smaller than the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats, abstained. The tally updated to 164-0-4. In the House of Lords, the current tally was 51-0-1. Jonah flipped over to sports highlights.

As strange as Jonah felt that morning, Katie felt even more out of sorts. When she arrived in the morning, she was summoned to meet with Admiral Von Geisler. When she entered his office, he went to the sofa instead of behind his desk, waving at the armchair for her to sit.

 “Captain Hayes,” he began, “you have earned a very rare opportunity. Since leaving Third Fleet, your work has been outstanding in every regard. Your reputation as a leader and commander is impressive. Today you’re here because I have good news to share with you and a choice to offer you.

 “Good news first, I think.” Von Geisler reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a small box. He handed it to Katie. “Congratulations, Admiral Hayes.”

Katie stared at him in disbelief. She took the box with a trembling hand. Opening it, she saw admiral’s stars. Her right hand flew to her face as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

 “Katie,” Von Geisler said, “if it hadn’t been for that horrible situation you endured in Third Fleet, you would probably have earned these stars a couple of years ago. Though it is terrible you were held back, I am happy to offer you this well-deserved promotion.”

 “Thank you,” she sniffed, trying to regain her composure. “I never expected…I don’t know what to say.”

Karl smiled gently. “You might not thank me when we’re done. I also mentioned I have a choice to offer you. As you know, we have been examining the deployment and organization of the navy. We have decided on that new structure, with two fleets but creating separate divisions within each for the escort ships and the capital ships. The escort ships will be focused on combatting piracy and smuggling. The capital ships will focus on defense of the Commonwealth. At the moment, command of the capital ship division of the Blue Fleet, which will be based on Aries, is vacant. It’s yours if you want it.”

Katie gasped.

Karl continued, “At the same time, we want to reinvigorate the curriculum at the academy, placing more emphasis on innovation, adaptability, and leadership skills. This is why Jonah’s appointment as superintendent, which will become public any minute now, is so important. I would like to add you to the faculty of the academy—not because of your relationship with Jonah, but because of the tremendous leadership skill you have demonstrated. You have much you could teach the midshipmen and our officer corps would be stronger as a result. I would argue that you would make a far greater impact in that role than the other.

 “Admiral Halberd is unaware that I am making this offer to you. You may discuss it with him if you wish, but he will not learn of it except from you. If you decide to join the faculty at the academy, we will also pay for you to obtain your master’s degree in education from Caerleon University, which you can begin pursuing immediately. If you wish to continue and pursue a doctorate, we will also support that.

 “Finally, though I dislike putting any pressure on you, I need to know your decision by 08:00 Monday. I know that is not a great deal of time, and I suspect this is a difficult choice. You are relieved of duty until 08:00 Monday.”

Katie left his office stunned, holding the box with her admiral’s stars. She started to return to the palace but stopped in the corridor of the Admiralty. She used her comm to contact Elaine, hoping to see her before she left the complex.

 “What’s up, Katie? Elaine chirped.

 “You have a few minutes?” Katie asked urgently. “Are you in your office?”

 “Sure,” Elaine responded, noting the worried look on Katie’s face. “Everything okay?”

 “Yes…no…I’ll tell you when I get there.”

Katie closed the connection and headed to the lifts. She climbed aboard and pressed the floor where Elaine’s office was. She walked slowly down the halls until she got there. Elaine was waiting for her.

Elaine hustled Katie into her office and sat her down. “What’s going on? You look like someone knocked the wind out of you.”

 “Someone did,” Katie said softly. “Admiral Von Geisler.” She held out the box with her stars.

Elaine opened the box, and her jaw dropped. “Holy shit, Katie! I mean, Admiral Hayes. This is awesome! What’s the problem?”

 “He gave me a choice,” Katie said dully. “I can be in command of the capital ships of Blue Fleet, based in Aries—”

 “Sweet,” Elaine commented.

 “Or I can join the faculty at the academy.”

 “Oh, wow,” Elaine said softly, immediately grasping Katie’s dilemma. “Does Jonah know?”

 “No. Karl said that Jonah would only find out if I told him. He said that my relationship with Jonah wasn’t the reason he wanted me on the faculty—that my leadership skill was. Plus, the navy will pay for me to get my master’s and my Ph.D. if I want to go for it.”

 “Well, from what Pierre has told me,” Elaine recounted, “your leadership skill is amazing. Before you and I even met, he’d told me about you and some of the things you had done. It’s why I wanted to interview you in the first place.”

 “Can you help me?” Katie begged. “I have to decide by Monday morning, and I don’t know what to do!”

 “I can’t help you decide,” Elaine apologized. “I can sympathize. I know how difficult the choice is for you. I do know someone who might be able to help you sort things out, though.”

 “Who?”

 “Laura.”

 “Laura?”

 “Yes, Laura. I know things about Laura,” Elaine explained, “that, well, aren’t common knowledge. All I can say is that she faced a difficult choice like this and maybe she can help you figure it out for yourself.”

 “Laura?” Katie asked again, still somewhat incredulous.

 “Trust me,” Elaine told her, using her comm to call Laura.

 “Hi, Laura. I have Katie here in my office and she needs to talk to you face-to-face,” Elaine began.

 “Is everything okay?” Laura asked.

 “It will be,” Elaine said. “She’s facing a difficult choice and needs to sort through her feelings. Do you think you could help her?”

 “Absolutely,” Laura replied firmly. “Katie, I know you’re listening. I’m sending my driver to come get you. Come to the house. We’ll have a cup of tea and chat.”

Thirty minutes later, Laura was welcoming Katie to her house. She ushered her into the kitchen and sat her down. Katie moved somewhat automatically, her mind still swirling. The water in the kettle began to boil and Laura prepared some tea.

 “First,” Laura said as she sat down, “congratulations, Admiral Hayes.”

 “You know about that?”

 “You’d be astounded at the things I know,” Laura chuckled. “Like the choice Karl gave you this morning: to command the capital ships at Aries or to join the faculty at the academy. I also know that Jonah’s appointment as superintendent was announced about an hour ago and they are conducting a roll call vote in both Houses of Parliament right now on his confirmation—which will result in nearly unanimous approval. There’s a press conference later today that Elaine is in charge of.”

Katie’s mouth dropped open.

 “Don’t gawp, Katie dear,” Laura told her, patting her hand. “It’s unbecoming, especially of an admiral.”

 “But, how—”

 “There’s very little that happens in the power structure of the Commonwealth that I don’t know about,” Laura explained. “I know you think of me as a typical society matron, and I am one of Celeste’s ladies-in-waiting. I’m good at it. I ought to be—I’ve been playing that part for over thirty years. And that role has its rewards, I must say. Helping you and Elaine, and Amy before—I get to indulge in playing fairy godmother, and that’s enormously good fun.”

 “Well,” Katie responded, “I know you had something to do with Jonah and I being able to go to Ilium for Christmas.”

 “The merest trifle,” Laura said with a smile, waving her hand in dismissal. “At least, that’s what a fairy godmother with magic powers would say. I don’t have magic powers.”

 “But—” Katie began, then stopped. “Jonah thinks you were a spy once.”

 “That’s because Amy told him, and he was clever enough to believe her. She also told Elaine.”

 “Elaine hinted at something today,” Katie admitted.

 “Really?”

 “All she said was that she knew some things about you that weren’t common knowledge and that you had been presented with a choice like the one I’m facing.”

 “That was nicely put,” Laura commented. “For someone in public relations, Elaine does know how and when to be discrete. That’s nice and vague and could mean anything at all.”

 “So, were you?”

 “Oh, Katie. If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” Laura said.

Though Laura’s tone was light and joking, Katie sensed a real menace underneath. She swallowed hard. She looked at Laura, whose gaze was unflinching and hard as steel. Now frightened, Katie nodded her head slightly.

 “I understand.”

 “Oh, good,” Laura said, relaxing. “Then perhaps I can tell you a story that might help you. I can’t decide for you; I can only tell you what the person in this story decided and why she made that choice. Would you like to hear it?”

 “Yes, please.”

 “Once upon a time,” Laura began, “just like all good fairy tales start, there was a young woman. She was intelligent, motivated, adventurous, attractive (so I’m told), and fluent in four different languages. She came from a well-to-do family. One of her university professors brought her to the attention of MI-6. Early in her sophomore year, MI-6 recruited the young woman. They advised her to develop a reputation as a rich, irresponsible socialite—a girl whose interests were dominated by parties, clothes, and rich, handsome boyfriends—and to suppress, in public, her intelligence and ability. Doing so, they said, would get her into places where she could be extremely useful to the Commonwealth.

 “During school breaks, part of the time she would spend making sure her photo appeared in all the tabloids at whatever gathering there was of the beautiful people. Part of the time she spent undergoing extensive training. During those absences from the public eye, her love of risky adventure sports that took place in remote settings, like mountain climbing and white-water kayaking, gave an easy explanation for her absence from the public eye. She diligently hid her light under a bushel and barely managed to graduate from university—it was quite difficult for someone so intelligent to pretend to be so dull-witted. Skipping classes to attend social functions helped, I suppose.

 “She traveled extensively and had a string of high-profile boyfriends, from Lutetia, Rotterdam, New Delhi, Bavaria, Patagonia, New Moscow, Saxony, and Kyiv. The agency had been correct—as an airheaded clotheshorse, she was able to get into places and learn things that were extremely useful to the Commonwealth. She moved up through the ranks. While still maintaining her extensive and very public social life, she began to handle agents of her own and was successful in this as well.

 “Her star rose, and it became clear that it was only a matter of time before she would be running the agency. Then something awful happened.”

 “What?” Katie asked, caught up in the story.

 “She fell in love.”

 “With Geo—” Katie started to say

 “With a handsome young man,” Laura said firmly, cutting her off. “This is just a story, remember?”

Katie nodded.

 “She fell in love with a handsome young man she met at one of the many, many parties she attended. She flirted with him, as was her custom. He flirted back, but not like the pretty boys. The way he looked at her was a challenge. His entire demeanor said, ‘I know what you’re doing, I know it’s all an act, and I don’t care.’ That first night she slapped his face and caused a scene. The second time they met, well, the sex was explosive,” Laura said, grinning.

 “She never appeared with him as one of her dates. The only pictures of them together were in large group settings. She was extremely careful; he was extremely discreet. He never asked what she did. She, of course, never would have told him. After over a year of clandestine rendezvous, one night in bed, he told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and marry her, but he would never stand in the way of her career if that’s what she wanted instead. He didn’t present it as an ultimatum, but it was clear he would not continue things as they had been. The next day, the woman was offered the opportunity to be head of MI-6.”

 “Holy shit!” Katie exclaimed.

 “Language, dear,” Laura admonished. “It’s just a story. Anyway, the woman had a dreadful choice to make—whether to take the position she’d been working towards for over fifteen years or to wake up in bed every morning with the man she loved. This woman, who for fifteen years never cried unless a photographer or reporter was present, sobbed her guts out, alone in a hotel room for three days. When she emerged, she chose love. The agency begged her for whatever piece of her they could still have, and an arrangement was worked out. The young woman managed her social schedule so that her romance could become public. They were married a year later with all the pomp and circumstance you would expect from a socialite’s wedding. The woman changed her image over a few years to that of a respectable society matron, content to take a back seat to her now-hugely influential husband. And they lived happily ever after.”

 “Does the woman—” Katie started to say.

 “Hush, Katie. It’s just a story,” Laura said. “Now, whatever choice you make, you’re still an admiral, correct?”

 “Yes.”

 “And whatever choice you make, Jonah will still love you and marry you?”

 “Yes.”

 “Both jobs would be challenging and stimulating?”

 “I suppose,” Katie offered. “One I’ve wanted since I was a girl. The other I hadn’t ever considered until recently.”

 “I can’t decide for you,” Laura warned again, “but let me give you some additional perspective from an objective observer. If you take the job in Aries, you’ll be in command of a fleet, a life-long dream. That’s nothing to sneer about. We’re about to embark on a lengthy period of peace, however—at least fifteen years, likely thirty years or more if I’m reading the signs right. What will you do in command of that fleet for the next thirty years? Endless drills, maybe the occasional cruise outside the Commonwealth to show the flag. You’ll get to see your husband a handful of times every year.

 “Now, let me talk about your other choice. If you join the faculty at the academy, you will be able to share your leadership skill and help shape the navy for years to come. Every year will bring a new group of midshipmen who will likely present new challenges. You’ll get to further your education and strengthen your abilities. You’ll wake up every morning next to your husband who loves you.”

56

The votes of both Houses were unanimous, with a small number of abstentions. At 16:00, Jonah was introduced to the press as the incoming Superintendent of the Royal Naval Academy. The questions were mostly predictable (“How will running the academy compare to doing battle with an enemy fleet?”— “If you don’t think midshipmen can be a challenge—”) until the end.

 “Is it true your fiancée will be joining the faculty? Isn’t that preferential treatment?” a reporter shouted.

Jonah looked puzzled. While he hoped it would be possible for Katie to join the faculty, there had been no promises. He started to answer, “I’m afraid I don’t kn—”

 “I’ll take that question,” Karl Von Geisler spoke loudly, stepping forward. “Admiral Hayes…and yes, I said admiral…was promoted this morning. I offered her a choice between two different postings this morning. One of them is a position on the faculty at the Royal Naval Academy. The other is a fleet command. She has until Monday morning to inform the navy of her decision.

 “As far as preferential treatment,” he continued, shaking his head, “I don’t really want to dignify your question with a response, but I want to get this on the record. Admiral Hayes has demonstrated extraordinary leadership skill. She has earned the complete respect of every man or woman who has served with her. She is the author of a white paper on training methodology. Her training methods were so effective that they have become standard operating procedure for every ship in the Royal Navy. If she chooses the join the faculty at the academy, I can think of no one better to teach leadership to our midshipmen. If she chooses fleet command, she will do the same outstanding job of command she has displayed so far in her career.”

 “Isn’t it true,” the reporter shouted, “that Hayes almost didn’t make the promotion list earlier in her career?”

 “Yes, it’s true,” Von Geisler responded.

The crowd of reporters immediately began to buzz. Von Geisler held up his hand for quiet and waited until the buzz died away.

 “During her time as a lieutenant in Third Fleet, Admiral Hayes was the victim of repeated sexual harassment by her superior officer. He withheld favorable performance reviews because she refused to engage in sex with him. Though she reported this harassment at the time, nothing was done, and her complaints were buried until after Admiral Johannsen was removed from command. When our internal investigators were able to root out Johannsen’s accomplices, her complaints, and the complaints of many others, came to light. That Admiral Hayes stayed in the navy after this demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt her dedication, her character, and her commitment.”

The same reporter shouted again. “Isn’t Admiral Halberd her superior officer now? Wouldn’t you say this is—” The other reporters started to hiss and drowned out his question.

 “How were Johannsen’s accomplices able to bury her complaints and how many others like her are there?” another reporter shouted.

 “Sadly,” Von Geisler said, shaking his head sadly, “there are dozens who served in Third Fleet who were victims of sexual harassment. What happened in Third Fleet during Johannsen’s command is one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Royal Navy. The navy has contacted every person who lodged a complaint that was buried and later uncovered in our investigation. We have offered every victim financial compensation for their suffering—this money coming from the assets belonging to the Johannsen family that were seized by the government, by the way. Admiral Hayes was offered a significant sum. She refused to accept it.

 “As far as how he was able to bury those complaints, Johannsen had accomplices within the administration of Third Fleet who had access to every record. I cannot divulge the details because they are classified but let me just say that this group of people did things far worse than burying sexual harassment complaints, and burying those complaints was hateful. Any other questions?”

 “Just one,” a reporter shouted after a small lapse. “Admiral Halberd, which posting do you want your fiancée to accept?”

Jonah returned to the podium. “The one that makes her happiest,” he answered.

That response drew some small chuckles from the group of reporters. As they filed out of the room, the buzz of their conversation was loud. Von Geisler took Jonah’s elbow and steered him out of the room. Elaine followed. They headed to Von Geisler’s office. Only after the door shut did he speak.

 “Sheesh! Who was that guy?” Karl asked, exasperated.

 “Andrew Hawkins, the Guardian,” Elaine replied.

 “Is he always a jerk?”

 “Pretty much,” Elaine confirmed.

 “Does he know something I don’t?” Von Geisler asked. “I haven’t heard from Katie since this morning.”

 “I haven’t heard from her since shortly after you met with her,” Elaine responded.

 “Karl,” Jonah spoke up, “I haven’t heard from her either, so I’m a little confused.”

 “I’m sorry, Jonah,” Karl apologized. “I figured Katie would tell you when she saw you. The official announcement was going to come until Monday. I didn’t think word would get out. Which reminds me... Captain MacLeod, find out who leaked what, when and to whom. It shouldn’t be too hard. It might not be anyone in the navy, so if it came from one of the politicians, we can use that.”

 “For what it’s worth, Karl, I’m pleased she got the promotion,” Jonah added.

 “She almost got it on the last go-round,” Karl admitted, “but Renee did instead.”

Von Geisler’s comm started to buzz. He looked at the display. “I need to take this. Why don’t you guys get out of here and go hide somewhere?”

As they left his office, Jonah said, “I’m heading to the palace.”

 “We’re there until Monday, too,” Elaine confirmed.

Jonah signed a groundcar out from the pool and drove Elaine back. As they were pulling out of the Admiralty, she asked, “Would you really be happy if she chooses the fleet position?”

 “I made my decision to marry her when my only expectation was that she would be in the fleet and I might be at the academy,” Jonah answered. “Would I prefer it if we slept in the same bed every night? Of course, but not if it means clipping her wings.”

 “She came to see me right after Karl talked to her,” Elaine said. “She was a mess. I sent her to Laura.”

 “Laura was probably behind the offer of the posting to the academy,” Jonah said. “I don’t want anyone to sell Katie one way or the other.”

 “Laura had a tough choice to make once, just like Katie,” Elaine explained. “No one better to talk with than someone who lived through it.”

 “What are you talking about?”

 “Remember Amy’s theory about Laura?” Elaine asked.

Jonah nodded.

 “Well, it’s true,” Elaine confirmed, “but it’s way more than that. She had to choose between Geoff and being the director of her agency.”

 “You’re kidding!”

 “Nope. What’s more, I think she still has her hands in it,” Elaine offered. “Not to the same extent, and maybe not for that agency, but I think she’s still connected.”

 “How did you figure this out?” Jonah wanted to know.

 “It wasn’t easy, and I’m still just guessing on a bunch of it, but I do know she had to make that choice. By the way, don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. People have been killed for less. I’m serious. Plus, Laura has been just way too good to you and me for us to let her down in any way.”

They arrived at the gates of the palace. A large throng of reporters was there, bigger than usual. When they saw Jonah behind the wheel, they started shouting questions. Jonah ignored them and drove through the gates. He parked in the garage underneath. As they walked to the elevator, he said, “I hope she’s okay and that she knows I’ll love her just as much whatever she decides.”

 “All day today,” Elaine said, “I’ve been thinking about if Pierre were offered the same choice—between being superintendent of the academy or pirate-hunting. If I weren’t in the picture, he’d choose pirate-hunting.”

 “But you are in the picture,” Jonah pointed out, “you’re his wife. Which do you think he’d choose?”

 “He’d choose to be with me,” Elaine said, “and he’d never regret it for a moment. He loves me, I love him, just like you love Katie, and she loves you. It will all work out, Jonah.”

The elevator delivered them to the residence wing where their rooms were. Elaine walked with Jonah to his room and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she continued down the hall. “I’ve got to go find out who Mr. Hawkins was talking to,” she said. “He’s an unpleasant reptile and I’ve already narrowed it down to one of three possible MPs. I’ll have it sorted by dinner. Let Pierre know if you two want company.”

Jonah took a deep breath before opening the door to the suite. Katie was sitting, waiting for him. She started to stand up.

 “Sweetie, please sit down,” Jonah requested. “I’ve got something to say, and I want you to listen to me.”

Jonah crossed to the chair and got down on one knee and grasped her hand. He spoke quickly, trying to get everything out. “When I decided to marry you, my expectation was that you would be in the fleet, and I might, or might not, get the appointment to the academy. My feelings haven’t changed. I just want you in my life, and wherever we each end up, we’ll make it work. Also, as God is my witness, I had nothing to do with you being offered a position at the academy. Congratulations on your promotion. It’s well-deserved. Now,” he said, slowing down, “are you okay?”

Katie smiled and chuckled. “I’m fine, dearie. A little pissed off at that turd from the Guardian, maybe.”

It was Jonah’s turn to chuckle.

 “Now, get up off the floor and give me a hug and tell me you love me,” she ordered.

Jonah stood, as did Katie. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. “I love you,” Jonah told her.

 “My turn to talk,” she announced, leaning back to look at him. “I love you too. I know you will love me whatever choice I make, and you trust me to make the right choice for myself. I know you didn’t have anything to do with them offering me a position at the academy because I know who did.”

 “You made your choice?”

 “I did. I told Karl a few minutes ago. I would have told him earlier, but I could see he was in the press conference and then he was on a call.”

Jonah looked at her, waiting for her to tell him her decision. She just smiled back, a teasing look in her eye. It took a moment for that to sink in, and then Jonah realized what she’d decided.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Spearman (Jake to his friends and colleagues) is a Latin teacher and coach at a prestigious New England boarding school. Before joining the world of academia, Spearman had been a sales and marketing executive for 25 years. In 2006 he walked away from an executive position with a Fortune 500 company to return to school. He earned his M.A. in Latin in a calendar year and began teaching thereafter. The Jonah Halberd series of books arose from his wife suggesting he find a hobby.

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