Command Authority, page 8
part #5 of Last Hunter Series
He also couldn’t wait to tell Amanda about everything he’d seen. This was definitely not the usual sort of affair, and he knew she’d appreciate the story. He could do it over dinner.
With those pleasant thoughts in mind, he and the engineering team started back. He hoped the data chips they’d recovered had information they needed to know about the Novarites. If they didn’t, someone would have to break into the main computer, which might be challenging, though he wasn’t going to count Lisa Gane out just yet.
In fact, he’d stop by and talk with her about what they’d found. Regex would want to know about the strange detector, and she could look at the data chips. Maybe with their combined knowledge, they could figure out what he’d found. Any edge they could get might just save their lives later.
9
Jack walked around the alien device that had been installed in a compartment just off engineering and compared it to the one sitting next to it. The two were very similar, but that didn’t mean they were identical. The hyperspace detector they’d recovered from the colonization ship was a single milky white sphere of metal, whereas the new one had three, and they were individually half again larger.
“Do you think they’re the same thing, Regex?”
Lisa was standing next to him, and she shrugged. “According to him, they have to be related, but he’s never seen anything like this. If it’s a hyperspace detector, it’s significantly more advanced than what he’s been working on, and he finds that annoying since he thought his was a breakthrough that the Novarites did not have.”
“We already knew that wasn’t true,” Jack said with a shake of his head. “The Novarites were tracking the colonization fleet, and they were at least far enough back that they weren’t detectable. It might be fun to imagine that your enemies are stupider than you are, but it’s rarely good tactics. If this is their hyperspace detector, it’s more capable than what you’ve been working on, Regex. My apologies for that.”
She smirked a little. “Yeah, he’s really annoyed. He and I can start figuring out how it works in short order. The technology can’t be radically different because it looks like it has the same basis to work off of. He must not have considered that if the Novarites didn’t have anything like this, they got a sample of the detector from somewhere. One of those colonization ships must have gone missing at some point. Or, one of the locations they had detectors at is missing one.”
“If you’ll see what you can figure out over the next few days, that’ll let us get into position to test it on the ship we’re going to ambush. It’s only about seventy-two hours from dropping out, and I’d like to get a more precise location if I could.”
“We’ll get on that.”
“Thank you.”
Leaving them to their work, Jack headed back toward his office. He hated taking the young hacker away from her work breaking into the Tardan military computers—and eventually the contents of the captain’s safe from the Novarite ship—but this was time sensitive.
“Just the man I was hoping to see,” Sara Nastasi said as she stepped out of a side corridor. “Are you busy, or can I talk you into having a private lunch? There are a few things I want to chat with you about.”
“I could do lunch,” he said with a smile. “We can have somebody deliver something.”
“Or, you could have your brand-new staff whip something up in that refurbished kitchen of yours,” she said with a crooked smile. “David Chen hired them for a reason, didn’t he?”
“I suppose he did. Let’s go see what they can work up.”
Rather than hiring a single person to see after Jack’s needs, David had found people down on New Copenhagen. Their leader was his new steward, Noah Redmond. Rather than working alone, the young man had half a dozen people to assist him. It seemed like overkill to Jack, but he wouldn’t argue. Besides, the deed was done.
He’d have preferred to go with someone in the military, but no one with that particular skill set was available among the crew. These people came highly recommended, so he’d probably manage just fine. In any case, it was time to find out, wasn’t it?
Jack felt as if he rattled around in the large quarters he had aboard Hunter. The amount of space that one of the old flag officers felt was appropriate for their personal use was ridiculous. He had a formal dining room that could seat dozens of people and still have more than enough room for servers and even people wandering around chatting at the edges of the compartment. Who needed that?
Honestly, it felt like some of the videos he’d seen of the rich and famous, always surrounded by staff that kept everything looking like it was a museum. That wasn’t how he wanted to live, and it wasn’t going to happen on a warship. Far better to just keep things clean and neat.
Nevertheless, his crew and the Sons and Daughters of the Locust War had put everything together, and he’d look ungrateful if he avoided the place.
The engineers had finally added an entrance to his quarters that didn’t have to go through the formal dining room. That meant he didn’t have to see that monstrous table every day.
He led Sara to his quarters and dropped off his Marine guard to join the two standing outside his private entrance. It wasn’t even in the same corridor as the entrance through the formal dining room, so he couldn’t avoid multiple sets of guards making sure no one intruded into his quarters.
The front few rooms were overly done, but he walked through them to the kitchen and what he thought of as his actual living room. It had shabbier furniture that was more comfortable to be around, though he couldn’t complain about the ornate furniture because it was designed for comfort in addition to being ostentatious. Apparently, whoever had designed it could multitask.
As they sat, he pulled his comm off his belt and called Noah. The young man was undoubtedly over in the quarters David and Tina Chen had used until recently. Now that he had somebody to take care of him, they’d moved out, freeing up the area for Noah’s use. Jack wasn’t sure where the other assistants lived, but he doubted there was a dormitory in there now. He should probably ask about that.
A couple of minutes after being summoned, the dark-haired young man dressed in a ship suit without insignia stepped into the room and bowed slightly. “You called, Commodore?”
“I hate to spring this on you without warning, but Commodore Nastasi and I are going to take a private lunch. If that’s too much trouble, just send someone to the mess hall, and we’ll deal with whatever they’re eating.”
The corners of the young man’s mouth quirked upward. “It’s no trouble at all, Commodores. Do you have any meal preferences? I can arrange for an appetizer to tide you over until the meal is ready. And before you can suggest them, Commodore Romanoff, we can do better than sandwiches. I can surprise you if you’re unsure what you’d like.”
Before Jack could respond, Sara leaned forward and smiled. “Why don’t you surprise us? And I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Sara Nastasi.”
The young man bowed somewhat more deeply. “Noah Redmond. As you might have guessed, I’m Commodore Romanoff’s personal steward. If I might say, being a flag officer yourself, if you’re looking for someone to perform similar work for you, I might be able to make a few recommendations.”
“I’ll see if I’m interested once lunch is finished.”
His smile widened a little. “A wise choice, Commodore. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see about getting everything in motion.”
Sara turned to him as soon as the steward had left. “I know some flag officers have personal stewards, but that’s never appealed to me. Now that I’m living on a ship, maybe I should be thinking about it. After all, I can’t just go to a restaurant and eat if that’s what I feel like doing.”
“Spontaneity is a little hard in the middle of an invasion,” he agreed. “I’ve only had a little while to get used to him, but he seems competent. He’s got half a dozen assistants that make sure everything is kept spick-and-span. They also do other tasks that I’m sure are critically important. Whatever they are.”
She laughed. “You’ve got a lot of personal space to keep in shape, so I wouldn’t doubt they’re busy keeping everything working and the dust at bay. There’s also your office. Whatever your personal work and relaxation areas are, they’re responsible for that. Whatever happened to the cook David hired for you before all this started?”
“He decided that he liked working in the mess hall better. Having a large staff and cooking lots of meals to a higher standard than most people think is possible appealed to him. That’s good because I wouldn’t stretch anyone when it comes to meals. A couple sandwiches and a drink, and I’m good.”
“Low maintenance, are you?”
“I’d like to think so. So, while we wait for whatever food comes our way, what exactly did you need to talk about?”
She opened her mouth to say something, but one of Noah’s associates came in with a pitcher of water and two glasses filled with ice. He set them down on the table and poured before bowing slightly and leaving.
“It really is like having servants,” she said. “I’m not sure I could get used to that kind of treatment. Please tell me they don’t lay your clothes out for you.”
He smiled a bit wryly. “As a matter of fact, they do. Thankfully, it’s not in the same room I’m in, but they’re always ready for me when I get up in the morning. I’ve tried to tell them I’m more than capable of dressing myself, but they don’t seem interested.”
In the beginning, it had been more difficult, but he’d finally gotten the hang of being dressed up like Horatio Hornblower. Dealing with a complex and overly fancy uniform wasn’t something to cheer about, but he was done complaining about things he couldn’t change.
Jack wasn’t a fan of having someone laying out his uniform and involving himself in his daily preparations, but they’d eventually find a comfortable balance between what he was willing to allow them to do and what they felt was appropriate. As far as he was concerned, finding that point couldn’t come soon enough.
“So, I suppose I should mention how bathing works?” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“Now I know you’re baiting me,” she said with a chuckle. “There’s absolutely no way you’d let anyone bathe you. Well, not unless you liked them much more than I suspect you like Noah and his people.”
She paused for a few moments before continuing. “As I was saying, since I’m going to be working aboard Hunter, and you’re going to need someone to be a continuing diplomatic presence as you expand across the cluster, I think the two of us need to start working more closely together. While it’s true that I represent the Judge Advocate General’s office, I’m out of my assigned territory, and there’s no reason that I can’t continue to operate as a somewhat neutral third party. I do have my biases, but you’re going to run into people who might be more difficult to get along with than those we’ve encountered thus far.”
“More difficult than Connor? Trying to figure out a solution to working with smugglers and the like has been a challenge.”
“Almost certainly much more difficult,” she agreed. “Connor was willing to work with us right from the beginning. Once we start reaching some of the larger worlds, ones that maybe don’t have any of the Tardans already on the surface, you’re going to run into resistance trying to get the support you need to conduct the war. I wish I could say that every politician we encounter will get behind you one hundred percent, but we both know that’s not true. Someone—probably several someones—will declare themselves in charge and order you to do things you don’t think are in the best interests of fighting the invasion. What do you do then?”
“Fight the war that I need to fight. If they have any objections, they can complain to Confederation Council.”
“Bold, but rash. That would be where you need someone that isn’t officially connected with your command structure to negotiate. While it may seem hard to consider right now, someone will set themselves up as the civilian command authority, and they’ll insist that the Navy answers to the civilian authorities. And, to a degree, they’re right.”
He frowned at her. “Are you suggesting that I bend over backward to please whatever stuck-up politician comes along and demands that my battleships stay in their system and protect it against all comers? We both know that would be a disaster.”
She nodded. “And that’s why you need to have someone to lay out the facts of the case in a way they’re going to listen to. When the time comes, you’re going to get into a headbutting contest with them, and neither side will want to compromise. While I’m not completely neutral in this particular instance, I can be a voice of reason. You can’t order me to do anything, and neither can they. I can speak the unpleasant truths neither of you want to hear.”
“You make it sound like this will be an end of the universe kind of event,” he said as he leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. “What will they do if I put my foot down and go on my merry way? There’s not much they can do.”
“What if they deny you supplies that you need? You’re going to run into places where you need more people. For that matter, we should be working at getting the other battleships back into fighting trim. Are you going to trust any of the politicians we meet to send people that won’t steal them right out from under you? There has to be some basis of trust for this to work. They can’t have unilateral control over your forces, but you can’t ignore them either. Do you really want to handle those kinds of negotiations? That sounds like something I’d be a little better at.”
He wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. Every time he tried dealing with people on the civilian side and didn’t get his way, he’d be inclined to do his own thing and see what happened. That might work in the short term, but it wouldn’t be what they needed to win the war against the invaders.
“Okay,” he conceded. “You’re right. I should let you and your people smooth out the ruffled feathers I’m going to cause. That said, I will cause them some grief because there are lines I’m not willing to cross, no matter how much they shout and scream. The Confederation can’t afford to lose this war, and I won’t let them do anything that compromises my ability to fight. Civilian oversight is necessary, but there have to be boundaries.”
“And those are the kinds of things that we need to discuss in advance. How far are you willing to go, and what kind of limitations can you accept? We’ve got time before we speak with any civilian authorities other than the ones at Port Royale and New Copenhagen. We’ve got to settle the details in advance.”
The door opened, and Noah returned with a small cart. He took out several small platters and served them a salad and appetizer. Once he had them suitably provisioned, he departed.
While he might not be that happy with the situation they’d be discussing, he’d be glad to spend the time with Sara. Theirs might be a professional relationship, but it was a comfortable one, and he liked her company. It beat an evening alone, that was for sure.
They dug into the meal and got to work.
10
David rose the next morning, ate breakfast with his wife, and headed for the medical center. He had no idea whether Doctor Romanoff would be willing to go along with what he was going to try today, but it had to be done. Part of him wished his wife was with him, but she had other things requiring her attention. He’d just have to handle this on his own.
Jesse was waiting for him in the medical center, and she didn’t look pleased. As soon as he stepped inside, she gestured toward her office. “Before we get started, I think we should have a little chat.”
He nodded and followed her in, unsurprised when she closed the hatch behind them. Once they were sealed away from prying ears, he allowed himself a slight smile. “You’re still not happy with this plan, are you?”
“Of course I’m not,” she said with more than a hint of irritation. “I may not like these things any more than the next person, but if we perform the surgery, we’ll be condemning a thinking being to death, which goes against everything I believe in.”
“And how do you balance that against the life and sanity of the person this alien is trying to dominate? How do his rights come into play? This invasion has put us all into a difficult moral position, but is this Mister Fogg’s body or not?”
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Yes, but that doesn’t make this any easier. We’ve tried running through various options to save this creature, but his odds of survival aren’t that great. Maybe one in twenty, if we get it into a nutrient solution almost immediately. Even if he survives, we’ll have severed the tendrils he uses to interface with a host, cutting him off from the outside world forever. That’s mutilation, no matter how you look at it. Hippocrates wouldn’t have approved.”
“I don’t have any sympathy for the thing,” David said in a hard tone. “His intention was to erase Mister Fogg’s intelligence so he could steal his body. That cannot go unchallenged.”
She whirled around and pointed her finger at him. “And yet you intend to let him think that it can. You’re going to try to get information from him using the threat of being removed from Mister Fogg’s body, yet you have no intention of honoring any agreement you make. Am I right? I’m not an idiot. I know that’s what you have in mind.”
“I will lie, cheat, steal, and kill to defend humanity from her enemies. That’s as true for one person as it would be for millions. There is very little that’s off limits for me when it comes to protecting our people.”
She started to respond angrily, but he held up a hand. “I don’t expect you to agree with me, but unless you refuse to be part of saving Mister Fogg, it will be on my shoulders. I assume that to sever all the filaments at once, there will be a central switch. I’ll press the button and do the dirty deed, and I won’t lose one wink of sleep afterward.”
