Daring

18

The letter “Z” was part of a small code sheet that Nelly and Kris had developed before leaving the battle squadrons. In that code, the single letter “Z” told the recipient quite a bit. We have found nothing. We are returning to base. Recall the other scouts.

As a code went, it was simple, brief . . . and unbreakable.

For the jaunt around the local systems, Kris had amended her policy not to leave any traces of their passage. Each scout had left buoys at the jump points they went through. They were tiny devices, just radio relays and maneuvering jets.

If a bug-eyed monster chanced across one of these bread crumbs, it might lead them to a scout ship or the battleships. It could not lead them to human space.

Now the Wasp collected those she’d dropped as she retraced her track.

On the second day, while crossing a system, a buoy popped through the jump point ahead and transmitted the single letter “Q.”

Thus was Kris informed that the other scouts were returning.

Forewarned, Kris didn’t expect any surprises waiting for her at the battleships as the next few days and familiar systems passed quickly.

Of course, Kris was wrong.

A simple code could only carry the messages that were preplanned for it. For example, “I love you,” had not been included as an option in the code. Similarly, “We’ve all voted to go home and we expect you to come along peacefully with us,” was also not available.

Yet that was the first thing Admiral Krätz announced to Kris when she jumped back into the system that had caused them so much trouble.

The Greenfeld admiral had set the situation up to present his case as forcefully as possible. He had the other admirals on net with him. Upon first seeing them, Kris had not offered to have them come aboard the Wasp.

None had suggested that they gather on one of their ships.

Apparently, the last blowout on the Wasp had ended any party inclinations among the gathered fleet.

Isn’t the net wonderful?

Kris listened as Admiral Krätz made his case. The other admirals nodded along. The argument boiled down to a few simple points. Things have changed since we left human space. The present situation is not what was intended when our governments sent us. We must return to our capitals and receive new orders.

Kris nodded. “If you feel that way, then I suppose you must return. My government’s orders, however, give me full authority to conduct a reconnaissance.”

Actually, Kris didn’t have any written orders. Never had a collection of Navy ships gotten under way with less paperwork to back them up.

Once this voyage was over, the Judge Francines of the world would have a field day for years to come.

But, until Kris docked her squadron once more at High Wardhaven, what PatRon 10 did was pretty much up to Kris.

“We’re going back,” Admiral Channing said. “Certainly your small ships can’t go on with no backup.”

“Admiral, before you arrived at Wardhaven, my intent was to sail my small ships with no backup. You might not have noticed, but the only U.S. ships here are scouts.”

“How could we help but notice,” Admiral Krätz grumbled.

“You have your orders. I have mine. My squadron sails on,” Kris said with finality, and had Nelly cut the link.

“Vicky is on the line. Do you want to talk to her?” Nelly asked next.

“Put her through, but if all she does is try to talk me into following her admiral, we might have communication difficulty.”

“Hi, Kris,” Vicky said. “You find anything interesting?”

“My astronomers are in ecstasy, but of bug-eyed monsters, not so much as a hair. How have things been here?”

Vicky snorted. “A lot of scared people telling each other how scared they are and how much more scared they ought to be.”

“Really?”

“Well, in the senior wardrooms that’s all I hear. Among the junior officers and the younger enlisted ranks, I think there’s a lot more excitement. Then again, being the grand duchess, they might just be telling me what they think I want to hear.”

“There is that problem. Have there been any more bombs going off?”

“None since you left, but then we’ve been taking serious precautions. I think the bomber might have slipped aboard the Terror and beat it for home.”

“Is that just a guess, or is there any meat on that bone?” Kris asked, before Jack and Penny climbed all over her to get to the commlink.

“We did find a problem. I don’t like the fact that our security still hasn’t gotten to the bottom of it, but there appear to have been six or seven people aboard the ships of BatRon 12 who were never here.”

“Never here?” Kris said.

“Some one was here using any of the six sets of papers whenever it served his purpose. None of those people has been sighted since that bomb went off on the Wasp, so we’re thinking your Commander Taussig wasn’t the only one who was in a hurry to shove off for Santa Maria.”

Kris glanced at Jack. He and Penny were using their new computers to go down the list of the Wasp’s crew. From the looks of it, they’d be busy for a while.

“Have you heard about Admiral Krätz’s wanting everyone to go home?” Kris asked.

“Yeah. It took him quite a while to get the other two admirals to agree to that ‘unanimous’ decision. Admiral Kōta really doesn’t want to leave.”

“He didn’t have anything to say when Krätz told me they were going home, and they expected me to follow along behind them like a lonely puppy.”

“I told them you wouldn’t call it quits. Kris, could I ask a favor?”

Kris had a strong hunch she knew where this was going. “You can ask. I can’t promise that I’ll do it.”

“If Admiral Krätz bugs out, can I stay with you on the Wasp?”

Jack’s head came up so fast from what he was looking at that Kris hoped he didn’t suffer whiplash or brain damage. He was shaking his head a mile a minute.

Kris gave him a smile. One with plenty of teeth. “Vicky, I’ll have to think about that. You know how risky what we’re doing is. If I got you killed . . .” Kris left that thought hanging in the air.

“Kris, you know my dad has a new wife. And I’m going to have a new brother. I figure that bomb was from her family and meant for me. It’s been fun while it lasted, being the main heir to the Peterwald empire, but let’s face it. I’d be safer chasing after a bug-eyed monster to put my head in its mouth than I’m going to be back home.”

“Vicky, I really have to think about this. I don’t see anyone going anywhere real soon. We’ve got time to decide this.”

“Okay,” Vicky said. “But you will get back to me. You promise.”

“I promise,” Kris said.

Vicky cut the commlink at that, saving Kris from having to do it herself.

“Kris, you have another call coming in,” Nelly said.

“Good Lord, I was never this popular in high school.” Kris sighed. “Who is it this time?”

“Commander Phil Taussig,” Nelly announced. “The Hermes just jumped back into the system. Oh, and there are two, no, three. Make that four big freighters following the courier ship. Oh, and the two battleships are also back.”

“Put him through,” Kris said.

The screen filled with the happy face of one handsome young Navy officer. “Hello, Commodore, I bring greetings and gifts from your grampa, our king.”

“Does he know about the situation we have here?”

“Ah, no. They’re way behind the information cycle,” the commander said with a large grin. “The local government on Santa Maria was none too happy with the gift you sent them. They passed a resolution that I should tell you to come back. And they sent off a fast courier to Wardhaven to get the king to support them.”

“And?” Kris said, when her subordinate wasn’t immediately forthcoming with what happened next.

“These supply ships were already in orbit with orders to join you at the earliest opportunity. So, being a harebrained young officer with way too much initiative, I grabbed them and ran.”

“I think I’m glad to see you,” Kris said.

“Oh, you’re glad to see me. You don’t know how glad you are to see me.”

“Tell me why I am more glad to see you than I realize,” Kris said cautiously.

“Did you recently broach the subject with your grampa as to why the Iteeche War was not fought with nukes?”

“I did. Why?”

“Because three of these merchant ships following me have Marine guards locking down a special weapons magazine.”

“Nukes?” Kris said.

“Nope, something better. You know what a neutron star is, don’t you?”

“I think so,” Kris said.

“Well, your grampa, our king, has sent you a couple of neutron torpedoes.”

“What?”

“I’ll explain it when I can report to the Wasp. Better yet, I’ll bring along a scientist who can explain it all better than I can.”

“I hope you will,” Kris said.