Daring

25

“So good to see you, Your Highness,” Admiral Krätz said, as soon as the Wasp jumped back into the system where the battleships waited. “A messenger packet has arrived from your king. You are ordered home immediately.”

The admiral made no effort to suppress his glee.

“Fine,” Kris said. “I’m ready to report to him.

The admiral’s grin vanished. “You’re not going to argue?”

“Nope. I’ve already drafted my report. One that I think all human space needs to see. Would you like a copy?”

“Of your report?”

“Yes, Admiral, my report.”

“I guess I should look at it.”

“After you read the report, you might want to crank up your battleships and go take a look at what we found.”

“I doubt it,” the Greenfeld admiral said, but his eyes were on something offscreen. He was quiet for a long moment, then frowned. “They strip-mined an entire planet!”

“Down to its water and air. Massacred the intelligent civilization that had grown up on the planet. We’re debating whether they attacked the planet despite the civilization present or because of it. Hard to tell from the evidence.”

The admiral seemed torn for a moment, but then he shook his head. “We admirals voted for all of us to go home. Even your king has issued you orders to go home. We should go home. Right now!”

“Not yet, Admiral. Have any other ships of PatRon 10 reported in?”

“No.”

“Then I intend to wait for them.”

“Your orders are to return immediately!”

“Admiral, may I remind you that I have not yet seen my orders. Will you kindly give me a chance to read them and decide for myself what they say.”

The Greenfeld admiral slammed his fist down on his commlink, ending a flood of language very unfit for a princess’s ears.

“Kris, Vicky is holding for you,” Nelly said.

“Put her through, and while we’re talking, could you please find this set of orders I’m supposed to have from Grampa Ray.”

“Yes, Kris,” Nelly said.

“Hi, Kris. Did you have fun gallivanting around the galaxy?” Vicky asked, not even trying to sound like she meant it.

“It wasn’t my idea of fun. Have you seen our report? I just sent your admiral a copy of it. I think copies are going to all the admirals.”

“Haven’t seen a thing. Admiral Krätz is charging around the flag bridge like a man back from a six-month cruise who found a five-month-pregnant wife. I decided to make myself scarce and see if I could get the skinny straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“I’d say neigh except I want my report distributed as far and wide in human space as I can get it.”

“That sounds bad.”

“Take a look.”

The Grand Duchess of Greenfeld read from a different screen, her face going from puzzlement to a frown. She ended in a scowl.

“That looks bad.”

“Huge population. Not willing to talk. Ready to kill anything in its way. Yeah, I think we need a whole new definition of bad for this.”

“So you’re going to take this report to your king.”

“I’m going to send a report to my king just as soon as I can order up a courier ship and transfer some of the bodies we found. I’m told I have some orders around here, but Nelly hasn’t found them yet. Once I read them, I’ll decide if I have to go running back to Wardhaven, like your admiral insists, or can wait for my squadron to re-form, then go back looking like a decent Navy formation. I hate leaving anyone behind.”

Kris thought for a moment, “Especially now that I’ve seen what I’ve seen.”

Nelly interrupted their girl talk.

“Kris, I’ve got a copy of your orders.”

“Let me look at them,” and a copy appeared on the screen under Vicky’s image.

To: CO, PatRon 10

From: Chairman, Joint Staff

You will report here at your earliest convenience.

“Well, that certainly comes from the top,” Kris said.

“And it doesn’t leave much doubt as to what they want from you,” Vicky said.

Kris pulled at her right ear. “I’m not so sure. If they’d wanted me to drop everything and run to Papa, or rather Greatgrandpapa, they would have addressed it to my Highnessness or my Longknifeship. Something personal. This is to the Commander, Patrol Squadron 10. That’s the Wasp, Hornet, Fearless , and Intrepid, methinks.

“So,” Kris said, letting a big grin out to play, “I’ll wait here to get all my ducks in a row, then we’ll all go home together.”

“On your head be it,” Vicky said. “I think this is one of those things they don’t want me to learn from you.”

“Sister, some things we just have to learn on our own,” Kris said.

“You want to tell my admiral, or shall I?” Vicky said.

“I think I’ll give him some time to calm down,” Kris said. “We have to refuel the Wasp, anyway. I want my boffins to put together a set of physical remains to go with my report. I do want to get that off as soon as I can. Anything exciting while I was gone?”

“One explosion on the Fury. Missed me by five minutes,” Vicky said, casually. “They’re still trying to decide if it was an accident or something else.”

“What do you think?” Kris asked.

“I think somebody doesn’t like me and really takes offense that I keep on breathing. Any chance your Chief Beni could meet with one or two of my guards? Ones I trust.”

“Let’s arrange that today. You want to come on board for a visit? Ron the Iteeche is a fun guy to hang with.”

“I just knew you’d been doing things with the Iteeche. How’s he hung?”

“They are not hung, Vicky. Nothing. Nada in that area. Haven’t you read the autopsy reports from the war?”

“I read them. I didn’t believe them.”

“Sorry, girl. Believe them.”

Vicky seemed to think the matter over for a while. “Okay, I’ll come over. Say in three hours. Have your chief standing by to talk to my bomb sniffers. I’ll have them bring all their gear. If I’m going to stay alive, I’ll need all the help I can get. Oh, and you will have your pet Iteeche out for me to see.”

“Vicky, I keep telling you. He’s nobody’s pet.”

“And I’m supposed to believe you Longknifes,” Vicky said, and rung off.