Resolute

Chapter 17

Kris watched the Incredible cut loose its last tie-down with her station, very mixed emotions riling her gut. Hank was leaving, which was cause for much rejoicing. That Hank was leaving without paying an Earth dollar for the damage his men had done, left a very sour taste in the financial markets dirt-side.

That the young women who'd been assaulted chose not to retaliate on the sailors, was no comfort to Kris. Part of her wanted to be down there with a thick leather strap. But there were five hundred sailors and only two rapists. And those rapists might very well have snuck out with the initial release of sailors that first night. Whenever Kris felt the need to pound on a Greenfeld sailor, the mental image that always came to her was Chief Meindl… and his wife and two children.

''I'm glad this dirty business is over,'' Kris muttered. This was part of the Longknife creed she'd never faced before. We do the least lousy thing when all the other options are worse. Grampa Trouble, are there any more things about being a Longknife that you haven't mentioned?

The first launch connected with the Incredible. There were more on the way, now. Carefully spaced, Hank was rewarded with fifty more sailors every time a ship started to pull out or completed the process. The sensor suites on the Resolute, Wasp, and even the Patton were up. At the first sign of hostility from the ships, Kris would be on the horn to Hank. If she didn't get immediate satisfaction, the station's 6-inch lasers would do their best to fillet and fry those ships. At this range, a 6-inch laser could do horrible things. Of course, return fire wouldn't leave much of the station in one piece.

Matters could still go south in a hurry.

Kris stood the watch, hand never far from the mike. Jack sat at the weapons station, his thumb next to the Weapons Release button. Today, full crews manned the lasers; they were fully charged and tracking. Kris expected a complaint from Captain Slovo, but the commlinks between ships and stations stayed at only those low levels necessary for getting underway details.

The last ship, Max Göckle's Eager, trundled down the pier, unlocked its bowline, and angled for the last launch. ''Now we're most vulnerable,'' Kris whispered. ''He's got all his crew back. We hold no cards.''

''Hank ordered the squadron to form line on the flagship,'' Steve said from the comm desk. ''No hostile sensor reports from our ships.'' The former and very recent commander of the station was in jeans… a chicken farmer once more to all appearances.

''Keep our lasers sighted on his rocket motors,'' Kris said.

''That's what I'm doing,'' Jack whispered. Out in space, the cruisers jockeyed into their positions. They were now a battle line. Kris held her breath.

''Message from the flag,'' Steve reported, the relief in his voice already telling Kris what would follow. ''Begin one g deceleration on his mark. His mark is… now.''

And the squadron broke orbit.

And the bridge broke out in cheers. Decorum regulations were excused long enough for everyone to hug someone… or two… or three. Well, not quite everyone. Kris stood like a rock at her station, watching as the ships continued their orbital change. Beside her, Jack sat, eyes on his board, looking for any change. Then, as the ships fell further and further away, he said, not looking up at Kris. ''Permission to stand down.''

Kris took a second to make sure she saw nothing wrong. Nothing changing. Then she sighed and sat down in the chair next to Jack. ''Permission granted, Marine.''

Jack eyed the people celebrating around them. He reached over and gently stroked Kris's back. She shivered at his touch. And his hand went away after one ''pat on the back'' that wasn't. ''You did it, Kris. You took this planet through a major crisis, stopped a patented Peterwald takedown, and did it without a single person dying. This is better than Turantic.''

''I had more support here. Ron was for me. And we did have two rapes. Them and buildings burned.''

''Kris, no one gets a perfect score on one of these.''

''What are your orders, Your Highness?'' Steve asked.

''You know you don't have to do that,'' Kris said. ''I don't think Chance will ever recognize Wardhaven nobility.''

''No, but I think a lot recognize you. Now, again, I ask what are my orders, or do you want me to salute?''

''Genuflecting should suffice,'' Jack said.

''And when did a squid ever take advice from a jarhead?''

''Gentlemen,'' Kris said, ''I've avoided one war this week. I don't have enough in me for another. Steve, tell your personnel to stand down. They can order whatever they want from the station's restaurants, watch a movie, whatever. The station will pay. I want a minimum staff left on all sensors. Keep the lasers charged. Hold everyone here for the next six hours. I want to make sure Hank's got a solid head of steam up for a jump point… and I want to know which one he's headed for.''

Now Steve did salute, an informal thing that bore more respect than most in the history of that honor. ''Aye, aye, ma'am. Now, if you don't mind me saying so, you look exhausted. You, too, Marine. Why don't the two of you get some sleep. I'll keep the watch. Anything goes wrong, you'll hear real fast.''

''I could sleep the clock around,'' Kris said through a yawn.

''Me, too,'' Jack agreed, offering her a hand up. Somehow the hand stayed on her back as they left the Command Center. It was good he did; she kind of needed steering toward her stateroom.

Jack opened the door. Kris thought of inviting him in for a drink. But she saw her bed and had just enough energy to fall in that direction. A moment later she felt Jack removing her shoes.

She rolled over. And found herself smiling at Abby as her maid slowly unrolled her from undress khakis. Kris was asleep before her maid was done.

Quite awhile later, Kris awoke to find the clock across the room smiling at her as it told her it was eight o'clock. Having slept six hours solid, Kris hurriedly pulled on a shipsuit and shoes and headed out to look in on the Command Center.

''What're you doing here this early?'' Kris asked Ramirez.

''I'm not the one that's early. You're the one that's late. Steve called to ask if I minded taking an extra half watch so he could go back to sleep.''

Kris glanced at the duty board. ''Oh lord, it's not eight p.m., it's eight a.m.! Where's Hank?''

''Still got his duckies in a row, following the leader right out of my, now quiet, system. Long may we never see him again.''

''Which jump?''

''He's going for Alpha. Strange that. I'd have expected him to head home by Beta.''

Kris slid into a seat next to the old chief. For a moment she studied the board. Yep, Hank's squadron had done a flip over and now decelerated toward Jump Point Alpha. ''That is strange. Any idea where he's headed?''

''Nope, and no way am I calling that bunch of hooligans and asking. You want to?''

''No,'' Kris said. ''Anyone else up?''

''We've got a full crew working. I'm powering down the laser capacitors; feeding their charge into the main power grid. We've got the reactor dialed down. They're doing maintenance they put off while that wild bunch was here. We're also policing up all the ammunition we signed out, getting it back under lock and key.'' Ramirez smiled. ''We've got a couple of extra boxes of grenades. I understand they're from your personal reserve?''

''Give them back to Abby, my ofttime maid. Let her see if any are missing.''

''Will do. You hungry?''

''Starving.''

''Well, someone declared chow free yesterday, and I didn't get my meal. I don't think you did either. And, since, if the budget don't cover all the free food, Tony Chang says you get the bill, you might as well enjoy one.'' Kris laughed, and followed the chief down to a rather scrumptious breakfast buffet that did its best to make up for the last couple of days.

Stuffed to the gills, Kris did a friendly walk around the station, recognizing jobs well done, hearty efforts and, in general, letting all hands see that the boss was very grateful. Kris also did her own check that stairwells were no longer booby-trapped and auto guns had no belts. She eyeballed all the things that told her the station was back to normal and wouldn't give some unsuspecting kid a 4-millimeter buzz cut when someone leaned on the wrong section of board.

And there were plenty of kids underfoot. The Patton was booked solid for the next month with high school and junior high school classes doing sleepovers. The oldsters… and the high schoolers that had been working with them… put the final touches on everything before putting ''their'' ship up for viewing. Penny was up to her ears in that.

Kris corralled her for supper that evening.

''You should see what they've done with the old boat,'' Penny said, ignoring the menu. Kris told her of Captain Slovo's shock at being scanned by a fully commissioned if somewhat long-in-the-tooth light cruiser.

''I've got to tell the crew that. No, Your Highness, you have to tell the crew. Coming firsthand from you, they'll be good for another thousand hours of volunteer service.''

''Don't they have lives?''

''I thought you were pretty happy with your Navy life?''

''Yes, but it's not like they can join up with Wardhaven or United Sentients. Chance is for Chance.''

''Maybe things are changing. I know these folks have helped me change… see things…'' Penny glanced away. ''See that there is life after your heart's been ripped out of you.''

Penny scanned the menu for a second. ''You know that half of the old ladies working on the Patton are widows. About half of the old men are widowers. Despite all the hell we were in, two of them got married a couple, three days ago. Life goes on, Kris. It goes on and we might as well go along with it. Cause, kicking and screaming or willingly, we're going. It's either that… or get off. Tommy'd kick my butt if I did that.''

''Both of ours,'' Kris said. She put her menu down. ''You like these folks. I figured that you'd be concentrating on the Wasp, not the Patton.''

''Oh, I've shanghaied a few folks from the Patton to get the Wasp good to go. And I've stolen a few hours out of Captain Drago's crew to get both of the other ships up. Fact is, Drago wants to swap me Resolute for the Wasp.''

''I'm the one he has to talk to about that and there is no way I'm trading him even. He'll owe me if he wants my hot rod.''

And that was the way the dinner went, half banter, half serious, half something far deeper than that. Right up to the time when both women refused the dessert tray and Penny got ready to go. ''Oh, wasn't there something you were excited about when you came back from your vacation? You were going to tell me about it, but Hank jumped in.''

''Right,'' Kris said, and leaned back in her chair, checked that they were pretty much alone, and said, ''You're a very wealthy woman, or likely to be.''

''Not from the last pay stub I looked at.''

So Kris told Penny how she'd sworn the crew of the Resolute and her team to secrecy and what she was paying them to keep quiet about. ''I guess I'm glad you included me in that, whatever it is, but since I don't know what you found, I don't really feel like I deserve being a part of it.''

''Penny, if you hadn't been holding the fort back here, there's no way I could have gone off,'' Kris leaned forward and reduced her voice to a whisper ''and found the biggest alien treasure chest since my Grampa Ray stumbled onto Santa Maria.''

''Aliens!'' Penny said, leaning forward herself and, if anything, getting out an even softer whisper.

Kris nodded. ''A planet full of the stuff. Actually, two, but one of them's kind of gone back to nature. The other one is in pristine condition.''

''Pristine condition?''

''Too pristine. The defensive gear is still on-line. Almost reduced us to dust. Getting there is just a start. Staying alive while we figure out the stuff will be a huge challenge.''

''You've been sitting on this the whole time Hank was here!''

''Not exactly the thing I'd tell him. ‘Pardon me while I run back to Wardhaven and give them the greatest news since humans first went into space. Oh, and by the way, don't bother anything here.' '' Kris snorted. ''No. I sat on it. But as soon as Hank jumps out of this system, the Resolute and I are headed back to Wardhaven, fast as we can go. You up to holding the fort again?''

''I'm getting good at that.'' Penny glanced at her wrist. ''About time for Hank to make his jump out. Come watch it from the Patton.''

So Kris found herself aboard Grampa Trouble's old ship, making nice noises to some very eager high schoolers and older folks. The kids were delighted to show Kris just what they could do with the ship's sensors. She was watching Hank's ships on their main screen as he came up to the jump.

The Incredible slowed to a crawl, taking the jump even more carefully than Kris would have, but there was no accounting for just what risks Hank was willing to take.

Then the Incredible flipped, goosed itself away from the jump and blew the jump buoy to bits.

''There is a call for you at the Command Center,'' Nelly said.

''No surprise,'' Kris muttered. Into the murmuring of the bridge, she said loudly, ''Let's pipe down folks. We're about to face that gun-happy nut. Let's look professional here.''

She stood, knowing her game face was back on. Beside her, Penny eyes had narrowed; her lips were thin. Game time. Kris glanced around the bridge; young faces eyed her, swallowed their shock, and put on the bland, if not deadly, face she showed them.

''They've seen what the Patton can do. You worry them. Let them stay worried. Okay, Nelly, tell the Command Center to pipe it through to the bridge of the Patton.''

And there were Hank's perfect features, bigger than life. He had the camera tight on him, leaving his bridge out of focus behind him. ''So, I caught you wasting time with kiddy cruisers. I thought you'd have bigger fans after what you did to me.''

''I did nothing to you that you didn't do to yourself.''

''Well, I know what you were doing. You may hoodwink that planet, but you can't keep a secret from good Peterwald intel. I know what you found on your little cruise. I know why you were willing to risk massacring all those people on Chance.''

''I don't know what you're talking about,'' Kris said. At least, not the way you're talking about it.

''What's the matter, Longknife, don't want to admit you found a fortune in alien goodies even now. Afraid of what they'll do to you now that they know you were playing them for suckers.''

''The people of Chance stood up to you because you were a bore and a bully who let rapists hide behind your uniform, Hank. I had little to do with you falling flat on your face.''

''Oh, you're good, Longknife. Just like your old man, those old dotards pretending to lord it over the eighty worlds they're tyrannizing. But you screwed up, little girl. You're hanging out with no support. And now that I know your game, I'm going to pluck you like a chicken. This will be Peterwald space.''

''Hank, I'm not out here alone. As you've already seen, there's a whole planet of folks that don't much care for you and what you're doing. Now, if you don't mind, I apparently have some unfinished business that needs taking care of.''

''I'm coming for you. I'm going to slash your space station to wreckage, and that old wreck you're on, too,'' Hank was shouting as Kris cut the connection.

She paused for a moment to clear her mind, then said, ''Steve, did you copy that message?''

''Kris, I've passed it dirtside. You want to talk to Ron?''

''No, I figure he's got enough problems at the moment,'' Kris glanced around the bridge of the Patton. Eager eyes, some youthful blue, others gray and bespeckled, looked back at her.

One of the old ones stood. ''Your Highness, the Patton may be old, but she's no wreck. We'll show them. They'll see, right crew!'' The shout echoed through the whole ship.

Kris bit her lip. Now was not the time to force these enthusiasts to face reality. That would come later. ''Thank you. I have to talk to Commander Kovar. Penny, you're with me.''

As Kris fast marched for the Patton's gangway, she told Nelly to raise either Chief Beni or the Resolute's Comm Chief. They both came up together. ''We've got a problem,'' Kris said.

''So we heard,'' both answered.

''Close down the buoy at Jump Point Beta. No communications in or out and see that it doesn't make any jumps. Also, after you've done that, check its buffers and see if it sent anything from Hank in the last three days.''

''We've been monitoring it. Nothing was sent,'' Beni said.

''Had the destroyed Alpha buoy sent anything from Hank?''

''No. Nothing. Other than playing boats right, boats left with his toys, Hank didn't send any messages.''

''Double-check that. There's a lot riding on it.''

''And it ain't our bonus for silence,'' the Comm Chief said.

A fast walk brought Kris to the command deck. There were several watchstanders, some in Patton greens. ''I'd like to talk to Commander Kovar in private,'' Kris said, then waited as the rest filed out of the center.

''I, ah, didn't cut the commlink between me and you,'' Kovar said. ''I heard the Patton crew offering you their services. I also remember you saying you'd buried enough enthusiastic amateurs after that Wardhaven dust-up.''

Kris nodded. She studied the system board. While two ships hovered at the jump, four of Hank's ships were incoming at 2 g's acceleration. He'd be back in a day. Not much time to prepare even Kris's paltry force.

''Commander, I need your help.'' Kovar nodded.

''As I see it,'' Kris went on, ''the odds against me are two to one, assuming I can get the Wasp and Resolute both fully crewed and involved in the fight.''

''Four cruisers against an armed merchant ship and a corvette look like worse odds than that,'' Kovar said.

''I won't argue. The station has no ice, and its lasers would be powerless once the cruisers cut the cables to them. We can't fight the station. You'll have to order it abandoned.''

Kovar nodded, but said nothing.

Kris turned to Penny. ''How far does that contract you and Abby signed Captain Drago to go? Can I count on him in a fight?''

''I don't know. You'll have to ask him. And a few things may have changed since then, if you know what I mean.''

''Nelly, find Captain Drago, send him my compliments, and ask him to meet me in my cabin. And where is Jack? I'd have figured him to be locked onto my elbow by now.

''He's in your cabin,'' Nelly answered. ''With Abby.''

''Good, that was my next stop. Commander Kovar, can you begin arranging for the evacuation of the station?''

''I think I can arrange things on the station the way you'll need them. What do I do about the Patton?''

''That's something I'll take care of myself.'' Kris glanced at Penny. ''Maybe we can use whatever respect they have for my Princessness to keep them from letting their optimism kill them. Now, Penny, let's go see what Jack's doing with my maid.''

In Kris's quarters, Abby sat in a high-back chair facing Jack. ''When did you tell Hank?'' the Marine demanded.

''I didn't tell Hank anything.''

''What did you tell him?'' shot back in rapid fire.

''I didn't tell him anything.''

''Why did you tell him?''

''I didn't tell him anything.'' Despite the repetition, Abby made each answer come out fresh.

''How much did he pay you?''

''I'd never take money from that self-centered snot.''

Jack turned and seemed to notice Kris for the first time. ''She's your maid. You try getting something out of her.''

Penny, the professional interrogator, sat down on Kris's bed, apparently content to leave this matter domestic. Kris got comfortable in the chair across from Abby, crossed her legs, and said, ''Hank's headed back here with lasers charged.''

''I heard something to that effect.''

''He knows about our alien discoveries.''

''Strange that.''

''What side agreements do you have with Captain Drago?''

That did catch the maid by surprise. ''Penny, here, signed the contract. Why ask me?''

''Because I can't help feeling you and Drago go together, not like salt and pepper. More like nitro and glycerin.''

There was a hint of a smile at the edge of the maid's mouth. But she worried her lower lip for a moment before attempting an answer. ''I suspect that you'll have to ask him, maybe his whole crew. What they signed for back then, and what they might do just now could maybe be two different things.''

Kris nodded. ''Not a bad idea. Now, back to what is such a bee in Jack's bonnet. How do you think Hank came to find out about our little secret?''

''I don't know. I do know he didn't get it from me.''

''You didn't send him a message, like you sent that message after we jumped into this system on the St. Pete?'' Jack snapped from over Kris's shoulder.

''I did not.''

''Did not send the message to Hank, or the message from the St. Pete?'' Kris fired back.

''I said I sent no message to Hank. Nelly, you haven't cracked the cipher on the message from the St. Pete, have you?''

''No, I could not break the code.'' There was a pause. ''Oops, was that a question I was not supposed to answer?''

''Don't worry, Nelly,'' Abby said. ''I paid good money for that cipher. Even you shouldn't be able to crack it.''

''And what are you sending in such a muscle-bound code?'' Jack demanded.

Abby eyed Kris who raised an eyebrow to reinforce Jack's question. ''That the princess, here, arrived safely at Chance.''

''Nothing else?'' came from both Kris and Jack.

Penny leaned forward from her place on the bed. ''So that's how you earn extra money, reporting for the social circuit?''

''I'll never get rich like Kris here, but it does add to my retirement account.''

''You're reporting on my movements?''

''Only what you'd read on any social page in a few days,'' Abby said, evenly.

''Social spy?'' Jack didn't quite get it out evenly.

''I'm surprised you didn't spot it sooner,'' Penny said. ''I used to get those reports and, frankly, I'm glad that no one asked me to write them. Saved me time.''

''You knew!'' Kris said, half out of her seat.

''Kris, servants have been making extra money reporting on their, ah, clients for years. It's part of my basic training to know who to hit on; how to. Not really necessary, now that most of them are working for your standard information providers.''

''But if she gave out the wrong thing, it could…'' Jack sputtered. ''Kris could get killed if people knew…''

Kris, now standing, looked hard at her maid. Abby seemed intent on studying her hands. She didn't look up when she said. ''I have never passed information that I knew or even suspected could lead to my employer's harm.''

''But it didn't always work out that way,'' Kris said.

''No.'' Abby looked up. ''There was one time when what I said, and what a couple of other people said, not all of us in her employ, added up to what someone needed. Yes.''

Kris shook her head. ''I need time to think about this, absorb it. Abby, consider yourself under house arrest. Don't even try to send out a message, coded or not.''

Kris turned to the door. ''Kris, I've been there for you,'' Abby said to her back. ''I covered for you. I've never done anything to harm you.''

Kris said nothing, but continued out the door. Jack and Penny followed her to collect in the hallway.

''Should I post a guard?'' Jack asked.

''We don't have anyone,'' Kris said, thinking on her maid's words. ''And who could stop her? You want to guard her?''

''I'm supposed to be guarding you,'' Jack said.

''Captain Drago is in the Command Center,'' Nelly said.

A moment later, Kris found Captain Drago at a workstation playing a complicated game against the computer. He stood when Kris entered. ''Steve said you needed to see me.''

''You know about Hank's U-turn at the jump point?''

''Rather hard not to.''

''What are your plans for the immediate future?''

''I was thinking of heading for Jump Point Beta, until Sulwan showed me where it went. Peterwald. Peterwald, or, ah, Peterwald. Not so good an idea, I decided.''

''What are you under contract for?'' Kris asked.

''Ah, I signed up to check and restation jump buoys, at least that was what your lieutenant told me. But I've been rereading my contract and find that it's rather vague in key sections. Sections I don't much like at the moment.''

''Hank and I are about to have a fight.''

A wave of relief flowed over the captain's face. ''Oh, much better. You two, pick your weapons, find a nice field down on Chance. Then you and him fight. Man to man, or girl to girl.'' ''Peterwald to Longknife,'' Kris said dryly.

''Right. You know what I mean! Just the two of you, cause if you were thinking of fighting it out, his squadron against whatever you can scrounge, and I know you're quite a scrounger, but, señorita, even you couldn't win against those odds. My Resolute, that ancient cruiser, and maybe your Wasp if you could find a crew for it. No. That is not a fight. It is suicide.''

''We won't be using the Patton,'' Kris said.

''Right, good,'' the captain smiled. Then swallowed his smile. ''We. Won't. For what?''

''For the coming fight. Just me on the Wasp, you on the Resolute,'' Kris said.

''Señorita!''

''You want the money for keeping the news about the aliens quiet?'' Kris said.

''Woman, you drive a hard bargain,'' Captain Drago said, scowling. ''I will talk to my crew.''

''And check in with them about who might want to fight the Wasp with me,'' Kris called as he stomped out.

Kris turned to Steve, but he was eyeing his board. ''Ron's calling. Want to take it here or in your room?''

''How are things dirtside?''

''Went from dancing in the streets to digging shelters in about two seconds,'' Ron said. Kris hoped that was hyperbola. ''I think I know how Hank found out about your alien find.''

''What's your guess?'' Kris said.

''No guess. I just finished talking to a barkeep of a small bistro on the south side. A couple of days ago, some of the crew from the Resolute took to drinking there with that chief of yours.''

''I think I heard about it,'' Kris said. Jack nodded.

''That last night, while all of us were otherwise occupied, it seems two fellows, decked out like locals but as strange a pair as this barkeep ever saw, were buying drinks for that table. After your chief and sailor left, the strangers and the last two did some serious drinking. They talked in whispers, got real quiet when he was around, but one word came up several times while he was in earshot. Aliens.''

Kris said a very unprincesslike word.

''Yeah, kind of my thoughts, too.''

''Well, it takes a lot of pressure off my maid, though I've found out more about her than I really wanted to. How are things really down there?''

''About what I'd expect. Some of our businessmen are making plans to profit from the coming adjustments. Other folks are stocking food and ammunition where they figure to need it. Have you noticed how some of the planets that the Peterwalds take over just drop off the news coverage. I don't think Chance will be getting many tourists if Hank takes over. Much of anything.''

''I'll try to do something about that,'' Kris said.

''That a Longknife promise?''

''Yep.''

''Don't promise more than you can deliver.''

''Right,'' Kris said. ''Now, I've got to talk to some folks on the Resolute, then explain to some optimists that they can't fight a ship as old as the Patton, then get ready for a fight. At least this time, we won't have to wait so long. Hank's coming in at two g's.''

''Good luck on the Patton,'' Ron said, and hung up.

Kris headed for the door, but paused. ''Steve, can you get four shuttles up here to evacuate the Patton?''

''I've got six shuttles due in two hours. That enough?''

''Probably,'' Kris said, and headed for her contract ship. On the Resolute, Penny did the interrogation. It quickly became apparent that Chief Beni and the Comm Chief had left the bistro early to catch the midnight shuttle. That left the Engineer and Doc. Both returned late the next morning and claimed to remember little of their talk with their benefactors. Pressed on the point of aliens, they allowed that the topic may have come up but that they had said nothing, or had no memory of it. Really, they had no memory of saying anything.

Captain Drago took Kris aside. ''You think my guys spilled the chili peppers?'' Kris nodded.

''You're going to fight this Hank fellow.''

''Can't let him take this planet down. Folks dirtside are getting ready to form a guerilla resistance. Least I can do is try to hold the space above them.''

The captain shook his head, then glanced around his bridge. Sulwan Kann shrugged. Most of the crew looked like they'd rather be boosting out, but… ''I guess we'll be fighting with you.''

''Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to rain on some happy optimists' parade.''

''You aren't cutting us out of any support, are you?''

''None that would really matter,'' Kris said, and left the Resolute before the captain could raise further debate.

At the Patton's pier, Kris had Penny go aboard and order all hands to form divisions on the pier. Then Kris took position at parade rest, facing the quarterdeck. Slowly at first, then in a flood, the green and blue shipsuits poured out of the cruiser. The kids in green seemed to come at a gallop; the blue suiters came slowly, some hobbling with canes. They formed in divisions across from Kris. Maybe they were a bit ragged at first, but the old hands hadn't forgotten and the new kids were quick learners.

It would have been easier on Kris if it wasn't so. Finally, two lone women, their gray hair in buns marched across the brow as smartly as their wooden canes allowed. They marched through the space between Division 2 and 3 to stand at attention before Kris. The one on the right saluted.

''Ship's crew is formed, Commander. We await your orders.''

''Place the crew at ease,'' Kris ordered, and it was so.

Kris reviewed the speeches she'd made. She'd talked unprepared troops into a firefight… once or twice. She'd talked ships into mutiny and battle. Talking willing hands into standing down was something she'd never figured to be a part of.

''You have done a fantastic job of turning a hazard to navigation into a functioning ship. And you did it in an amazingly short time.'' The ranks rumbled with pride at that.

''You have formed yourself into one of the finest crews that a commander could ask for.'' That got a roar of approval.

''Four cruisers, however, are heading in, only a day out.''

''We can beat'em,'' someone shouted from the rear ranks. That also got a cheer.

''You are not going to make this easy for me, are you?'' Kris said. That brought silence.

''The heart of a warship is steel and gear, lasers and crew. It also is training. And training for a fight is one thing that time has not allowed you. Will not allow you.''

The old woman who'd ordered the crew to stand easy frowned into the silence that brought. ''A lot of us that fought the Iteeche didn't get much training before we faced those monsters.''

''And a terrible lot of you died because of that,'' Kris shot back. ''It makes for heroic vids, but I've seen the look in my great-grandfather's eyes as he remembers the orders he gave. Sees again the faces of those who died on his words.''

Kris let her gaze wander over the puzzled faces before her. ''I do not want to be seeing your faces for the rest of my life. You will not take this relic into battle.''

''But we want to, Your Highness,'' the older woman said. ''You see this ship as just a hulk your great-grampa once sailed in. We know it's better than that. It's good to go, ma'am. We may be gray or green but we're ready to take her out. We can do it.''

Kris took a deep breath, and closed her eyes for a second. That was a mistake. She saw the faces of a family that had crewed its system runabout. It had been converted into a missile boat, a decoy for Kris's mosquito boats.

Every system runabout died defending Wardhaven.

''You are correct that you are gray,'' Kris said, saying her words carefully; slowly. ''To stay alive in a fight, the Patton must dodge at two or three g's. It must jink at those g's. Do you honestly think that your bones could take that punishment?''

''Yes,'' the gray head replied.

''I respectfully disagree,'' Kris snapped back. ''All it would take is one person crumbling at a key moment to cost all of you your lives. Just one green sailor's misstep and again, you are dead. Battle is not forgiving. I know. I've been there.''

''So have we,'' the woman said. She turned to look around. ''I dare say none of us ever wanted to go there again.'' Gray or bald heads nodded agreement. ''But here we are. Chance needs us. I figured I'd done the bleeding and sweating for my family. I sure as hell didn't want my great-granddaughter to ever go through what I did when I was her age, but she's here, and I know she's training and she says she wants to fight for Chance. Who am I to say she can't? And who are you, Kris Longknife?''

Kris had tried all the logic she had. She hated to be reduced to what was left. ''I am Commander, Naval District 41. That ship behind you is in my jurisdiction. The station you stand on is under my command. You are trespassing on Wardhaven Property. I order you off this property.''

That caused consternation in the ranks.

''We could refuse your orders,'' the woman said. ''I understand that you've had some experience in that.''

''I have,'' Kris admitted. ''If you refuse to go, I will give you no orders. You will be a rogue ship in the middle of a battle. You'll be a danger to yourself and those around you.''

''You are a hard, obstinate young woman.''

''I'm a Longknife. I do what I have to do. Now, please face your crew left and march them down to the shuttle bay. There will be transportation in fifteen minutes to take you dirtside.''

''You already had your mind made up.''

''Yes,'' Kris said. ''I've buried all the optimistic amateurs I can bear for one year.''

''Maybe you have, but you're making a mistake here.'' Then the woman did an about face, steadied herself on her cane, and in a voice that belied her years, announced, ''Ship's crew. Left. Face. Ship's crew, by divisions. Forward. March.'' And a moment later. ''Incline to the right. Green suits take the stairs. Blue suits, as necessary, fall out and take the escalators. We're heading for the shuttle bay.''

''Jack, I saw a couple of kids duck out of ranks and sneak back aboard. You and Penny police up the ship for strays.''

''As you wish, Lieutenant,'' Jack said, his voice brittle.

''What's the matter, you agree with the old lady?''

''I just never figured you to discourage service.''

''I'll get better with practice,'' Kris grumbled.

''I hope you're right to send them away,'' Penny said. ''We are in quite a mess.''

Kris had no answer. She turned on her heels and hurried to catch up with the Patton's erstwhile crew. They'd broken ranks to get up from the pier area. At the top of the stairs, Kris found divisions marking time to give the escalator contingent time to rejoin, then they marched off at a slow pace. The scene would give any Gunny Sergeant DI at OCS apoplexy, but—in its own way—it was smart enough.

Kris slow marched with them. Every once in a while, she'd catch a head turned her way. The eyes were puzzled, angry, and stubborn. But they marched. The drop to the shuttle bay meant another stair/escalator exercise. There, the woman tried twice to order the crew into the waiting shuttles, but broke down both times. ''I can't do it. You'll have to,'' she whispered to Kris.

''By divisions into the shuttles,'' Kris ordered. ''Column of files from the right to the left.'' She paused as file leaders shouted, ''Follow me'' or ''Stand fast.'' Damn but someone had trained them well. If only she could trust them with lasers.

''Forward March,'' Kris ordered.

''Belay that order,'' boomed from Deck 1 above Kris.

As the divisions fell into the confusion of ''Order. Counter order. Disorder,'' Kris whirled to find Lieutenant Steve Kovar standing at the top of the stairs. Before she could get out a demand, he answered her question.

''You can't load a shuttle until it's unloaded, Your Highness, and those shuttles are loaded.''

Kris whirled again… this is making me dizzy… to see old chiefs and petty officers in uniform, younger folks in blue shipsuits, and more in green file out of the shuttles. Kris quick marched for the stairs as Steve came down them. She waited until they met in the middle to ask, ''What's going on here?''

''The retired staff of Naval District 41, the associated volunteers, their kid brothers, big sisses, dogs, and cats are coming back to roost. We've got a station and three ships to crew and that's going to take quite an effort.'' He coughed into a hand. ''It's not for me to tell you how to crew your district assets, ma'am, but you might want to reconsider sending all these folks home. Some of them, the grayest, the greenest, do need to go dirtside, but all of them?''

Kris felt a flash of anger. ''I told you I wasn't going to fight a defenseless station, a museum relic. I won't have people dying for nothing.''

''If we lose the high ground, Lieutenant, a lot of my friends are going to die in a hopeless resistance. Kris, Chance was never meant to be occupied; ordered around by someone like Hank. He's called us out. It's personal now. We fight him on the high ground. We fight him on the shuttle landing grounds. We fight him in the streets and in the hills. I read that somewhere. Forget who said it, but he could have been talking about us here.

''As I see it,'' Steve went on, ''your job now is to command the force we crew. Hank's inbound at two g's so we don't have a lot of time. Shall we quit wasting what we have?''

''You know we're all crazy,'' Kris said.

''Better to be crazy than defeated.''

Jack and Penny smartly marched up six girls and boys in green shipsuits. He took in the scene and raised an eyebrow. ''So, what do I do with this bunch of fire-breathing dragons?''

Kris eyed the shuttle bay. The new arrivals were forming up at their chief's orders, facing the Patton's crew.

''What would you do?'' Kris said, not looking at Steve.

''I'd authorize my chiefs and petty officers to comb through the Patton's crew; find the ones they can put to use. Sign up the green suits as trainees, the blue suits as assistants. Then I'd get this station and that cruiser ready for what's coming.''

Kris wanted to say ''be it on your head,'' to wash her hands of what she saw coming. But a Naval officer can't do that. Instead, she stood to attention. ''Proceed as you propose.''

Steve saluted. ''With your permission, Your Highness.''

Kris returned his salute. ''Carry on. I'll be in the Command Center. Report there when you're done here.''

Penny waved the dragons to rejoin their crew. Having heard the officers, they raced to spread the word. Jack and Penny formed on Kris. ''So now we fight with everything we can beg, borrow, or steal,'' he said.

''Again,'' Kris said. ''You'd think just once we could do this with a decently trained and ready bunch of ships and sailors.''

''Why send a fleet when a certain princess will make do?'' Jack said.

Which almost made Kris miss a step. Was she getting so good at yanking miracles out of hats that someone thought all they had to do was send a hat and her. She very much hoped that wasn't true. Because if they thought Grampa Trouble was a problem, they had no idea what Princess Kris could be.

Assuming she survived this particular hat trick.

''Which ship will you take out?'' Penny asked.

''I think Steve wants to fight the station,'' Kris said slowly. ''Drago probably will be best with the Resolute. I'm thinking I should take out the Patton. It's got the most fire power and ice armor. If it actually can fight, it's our best ship. You've spent time on the Patton. Is it good to go?''

''They coated it with a few inches of ice last week. It'll need more. The lasers look fine, but none have been fired. The engines look good, but, again, they haven't actually been run. We need to break her loose and give her a test run. Soon.''

Kris nodded. ''What do you say we both do that.''

''So if you take the Patton, who gets the Wasp?'' Penny said.

''You want it?''

''I've studied what you did at Paris debriefing the Typhoon's crew. I was with you at Turantic and Wardhaven. Who do you have here that's better at conning a small combatant? Yes, I know I've been an intel weenie my whole career, but, Kris, you got to know there isn't a JO hatched that doesn't want her own command.''

Kris considered the request; there wasn't anyone handy close to her experience and qualifications for the Wasp. Should she bounce Penny to the Resolute and give Drago the bigger ship? Change this late was never good. No. Penny deserved the Wasp.

But was Penny a good call? Was a grieving widow the best person to command what might be Kris's best combatant, if the Patton went flat? Would she command the ship as well as she said she could… or would she go berserker on Kris at a critical moment? Would she follow orders, or lose herself in a killing rage to get Hank, the son of the man who killed her husband?

Neither giving Penny the Wasp, nor giving someone else the ship was a good bet, but Kris would have to lay her money down, and now was better than later. ''Is the Wasp ready for a shoot?''

Penny mulled that over as they came to the escalators down to the Resolute. ''Materially, she's good to go,'' Penny said. ''I assume we're going to talk Drago into loaning a few hands. Steal some from Steve. But yes, you give the order and the Wasp will answer all bells, and be underway with all pulse lasers loaded.''

''Then she's your baby. Take good care of her,'' Kris said with a smile she really felt. ''I don't think I've made the last payment on her.''

''I'll try not to scrape the paint.''

Down the escalator, they headed for the ship. ''Shall I call Abby and tell her she's out of hack?'' Jack asked.

''Let her stew for a while,'' Kris said. ''I don't like the idea of someone selling news about me. I've never liked the newsies. I don't see any reason I should like it in my maid.''

''We might could use her?'' Penny pointed out. ''She brought twelve steamer trunks this trip. Who knows what's in them?''

''I'll talk to her about that later. Right now, we need to juggle crews.''

Captain Drago was not at all happy to have a draft put on his ship to seed the others. Interestingly, he never asked Kris for the Wasp. He did ask for Smart Metal. Kris promised him all she had left to coat the Resolute and headed back to the Command Center. There, she relented and sent Jack to explain what they now knew and release Abby from house arrest.

''Do I bring her back?'' he asked.

''You decide. If she's got some good tricks to share… and knows what she sees here isn't shared.''

Jack returned with Abby about the same time Steve arrived. ''I've got our folks organizing. You going to need any of them for the other ships?'' Penny beamed him a list of what she wanted for the Wasp and what they'd stolen from the Resolute. He glanced down the list. ''We can do that. Hilary,'' he shouted.

A girl in greens ducked in the door; Steve printed out the list Penny had sent. ''See that this gets to Chief Ramirez.'' And the girl was gone like a rabbit.

''I kept some spare troops that didn't make it to permanent party as runners. Let's keep our communications to something Hank can't hack, and let these track stars earn their keep.''

''How many did you keep as permanent?'' Kris asked.

''A bit over half of Patton had bigger brothers or sisters willing to stand for them. If Momma Howe said they knew their job, we took them. Then I added the runners. I'll get them out of here before the shooting starts, okay, Your Highness.''

''Momma Howe?''

''Yeah. The woman you were bulldogging when I came up. She's good. A might bit slowed down by the hip replacement, but with that cane, a solid traveler. I'll use her and a lot of the blue suiters on the station. There won't be any high g's here.''

''How do you fight a station that just has to sit here?''

''Who told you a station just sits and takes it?''

''Nobody, they just all do. Sit,'' Kris said. ''The 6-inch lasers on Hank's cruisers can reach out sixty thousand klicks and are really effective at twenty thousand. If they can see you, they can shoot you full of holes.''

Steve took a seat at a workstation. Leaning back, he put his feet up on it and his hands behind his head. ''I spent ten years worrying about what I could do if someone wanted my bit of space. Ten years—with some of the most twisted minds on the Rim—can be quite an education.''

Kris settled into a chair, leaned back and got comfortable.

Captain Merv Slovo brought his high g station alongside that of his superior. ''Commodore, I believe it would be better for our coming combat if we dropped down to 1 g now.''

''And why delay the moment of truth for Longknife?'' asked Commodore Henry Smythe-Peterwald the Thirteenth, Hank to some.

''Our men have been confined to their high g carts for most of the last day, sir. They need a hot meal and time to make ready for battle. Equipment needs checking. That is best done at 1 g, Commodore.''

Squadron 38's commander turned to look directly at his flag captain. ''I was told this squadron is experienced in long cruises. Didn't you practice high g ops on that four-month cruise of yours?''

''We most certainly did, Commodore.'' Captain Slovo ignored the slap… with an effort. A well practiced effort. ''However, over half of that crew was reassigned to new construction or filling out the crews of recommissioning ships. Our present crew is heavily spliced with green sailors fresh off the farm. The last day will have been hard on them. If you want their full effort against Lieutenant Longknife, you will need to make some accommodations to their limits, sir.'' Always end with a ''sir.''

The young commodore gnawed his lower lip. ''That will delay our arrival, give that Longknife girl more time to do things.''

''With what, sir? As you pointed out, all she has is a broken-down cruiser, a rented buoy tender, and that other ship of strange antecedents.'' It was usually good to quote Hank back upon himself. Usually… not always.

The young commander looked away. ''You can never trust a Longknife. That is the first thing I remember my dad saying. ‘Never trust a Longknife. They'll say one thing and do whatever makes money for them.' ''

Captain Slovo had found it was usually better to leave references to the senior Peterwald untouched. The younger of the title tended to swing widely in his attitude toward the senior.

''What do you think she'll do when we get there, Merv?''

The question was both unusual and difficult to answer. The captain weighed his options, and spoke. ''That is very hard to say, Commodore. Any rational person would take advantage of our arrival to duck behind the planet and bolt for a jump point.''

''Longknifes are never rational. She's going to fight me. How will she fight me, Captain? You've studied war for twenty years. I'm supposed to listen to you. Well, talk.''

Was the boy getting that nervous, or was this another one of his traps? The flag captain chose to take the risk and do his duty. ''That very much depends on what she has to fight with. We know the station has a dozen lasers. However, a station is very vulnerable. We should be able to silence it quickly. The ancient cruiser is a question mark. It has nine 6-inch lasers. How many work? It could be fully iced and armored. Then again, its motors might fail to contain plasma, and it could blow up first time it pulls away from the pier. They has a strange history of late. Let's assume they are hiding at least one, maybe two 12-inch pulse lasers. The Wasp is truly an unknown, but why would a Longknife give it a name like Wasp if it has no sting. I'd assume another pair of pulse lasers.''

The captain shrugged. ''Our squadron mounts thirty-six 6-inchers and two dozen 21-inch pulse lasers. If she fights—no matter how—it will be a short fight.''

''And a bloody one for her.'' The commodore seemed to like the sound of that. ''A very bloody one for her and those foolish enough to follow her.'' He clenched his fist. ''Wait until my father sees what I've got him. This time it will be all ours. And I made the deal. I made the deal.''

''Yes, sir.'' There was nothing more to add to that.

''Slow the fleet, Merv. Tell the navigator to come up with a new course. And tell him to have us go into orbit and then come up on the station, like you suggested. No need to wave our vulnerable sterns even at what little Kris has.''

''Aye aye, sir.'' And Captain Slovo went to do his master's bidding; praying softly that one Longknife would be smart enough to take the time he was offering her, coming up slowly on the orbit of her station, to yank up her skirts and run as fast as she could for Jump Point Adele. The boy wonder here would be greatly disappointed when there was no battle, but even Merv couldn't calculate the disaster for humanity if the Peterwald heir killed a Longknife heir.

Much better that these two don't meet.

Kris tightened the buckle on the command chair of the Patton and surveyed her domain. It was good to be in 0g again. Sensors were on-line, crewed by a chief, an old blue, and two young greens. They tracked Hank's squadron on final approach. Good.

Hank was going to make an orbit before approaching the station. Kris had hoped he would. If it was to give her time to run, well, even Hank must know that Longknifes don't run.

The delay had given Kris time to finish armoring the Patton; the cruiser now sported a meter of ice on her bow, half that elsewhere, beneath a thin coat of aluminum spray for added reflection. The ice was courtesy of Hank. His ships had pulled out without reclaiming the sewage they'd passed to the station. Treated, it now protected Kris.

Chief Ramirez was almost giggling when she reported that they had found two packets of high explosives when they drained the sewage out of the holding tanks. Rigged to explode when they came in contact with methane, they'd been jettisoned. The Patton used them for gunnery practice. Seven of the nine lasers had worked the first time. Two were being worked on.

To Kris's great relief, the superconductors in five motors held their plasma. The Patton hadn't blown her stern to kingdom come and they were now parked at Pier 7, a tie-down Kris had only learned about when Steve introduced her to it. It put the old cruiser's engines right in the middle of the station's backside. A perfect place for what they had in mind.

Now, Kris waited.

''Bogies are five minutes from sliding behind Chance,'' Steve reported from the station. ''Resolute, you cut loose first.''

Since the Resolute was the most likely ship to run, her undocking shouldn't tell Hank any more than he wanted to hope for. A few minutes later, it was the Wasp's turn. The two ships hung just off the station.

''Station is rebalancing,'' Steve reported as liquids were pumped from one section of the station to another to perfectly balance her now that no ships hung off the edges.

''Bogies are behind Chance. The station is balanced. Let's rotate.'' Small station-keeping jets on High Chance, aided by the Patton's maneuvering units, reoriented the station until the Patton's engines were pointed opposite to its orbit.

''Navigator, have you laid in a course?'' Kris asked.

Sulwan grinned. ''Down to a gnat's eyebrow, ma'am.''

''Execute on your mark. Station, prepare to change orbit.''

''We're rigged and ready,'' Steve reported.

''Orbital burn commencing… now,'' Sulwan reported, and Kris was pressed slightly back into her seat as the Patton slowed High Chance and started the station into a dive for lower orbit.

This was not something suggested in the station's manual. But High Chance was among the smallest stations built in the last hundred years; that left her with a bit more flexibility than most. And Steve's crew had added reinforcements at certain weak locations. He swore his baby could do it, and just now, she was.

Assuming the Patton perfectly balanced the burn from her five working motors. And the station's tie-downs didn't rip out under the strain. And Pier 7 was still at the exact center of gravity for the station. And about a dozen other assumptions that Kris hadn't thought of yet.

They must have all held. High Chance stayed together and headed down. And at the right moment after High Chance had swung close by the planet, Kris would interrupt the long slingshot of that orbit with a burn that parked the station in a lower orbit.

Kris checked her board. Laser 6 was now taking power. Laser 7, aft, was still down. Well, she planned to tackle Hank head on anyway.

''Where is she?'' the commodore demanded.

Flag Captain Merv Slovo noted that his young superior didn't ask where the station was, where the opposing forces were? No, it was ''where is she?'' Not for the first time he tasted the animosity between the young man and the woman. Letting a fight get personal had never been recommended in Command and Staff School. Clearly, the boy needed more book learning.

The captain leaned forward in his command chair. Normally, a flag officer would have his own bridge, own battle station. Someone high above Slovo had decided that the commodore and the captain should share their space. I wonder if they had any idea how much stomach lining this would cost me?

''Clearly, neither the station nor the ships are where they once were. Interesting first move on her part.''

''I don't need to be told where she isn't. Where is she?''

''Sensors?''

''We have residue of ionized exhaust. Lots of it.''

''Moving a station. Interesting.''

''She's headed for the moon. That's what she did against…'' The flag captain shot his commodore a withering glance. Don't say it… ''Ah, the intruders at Wardhaven.''

Slovo glanced at his board. It didn't make any sense to head for Chance's one moon. It was close, and there was no question the ships could make for it but—moving a station that far? ''I'm not sure about that, Commodore.''

''Boost for the moon,'' Commodore Peterwald ordered. ''She's doing to us what she did to—ah—them. You'll see.''

''That will involve more deceleration, dropping into a lower orbit. We'll be less able to see what's going on.''

''Trust me. I know that woman. She can only think of one thing at a time. And once she's found a good solution to a problem, she'll keep using it. No flexibility.''

Why did that sound so much like a description of the young man saying it? Slovo thought, but said, ''Navigator, lay in a course for the moon.''

''Aye aye, sir. I'm already working on it.''

''Get us on that heading for the moon.'' The young man ordered the older.

''Yes, sir.'' Who knows, maybe the Longknife girl had headed for the moon. And if she hadn't, the squadron would be safe for the trip. Maybe I can talk some sense into this young man. Not likely, but maybe.

The report came in from a ground station when Kris and company were on the other side of Chance. ''Four headed for the moon?'' Steve said. ''They took the bait.''

''At Wardhaven, we attacked the invaders after a swing around our moon,'' Kris said. ''I guess he thinks I'm predictable.'' Big mistake. ''Nelly, run me an assumed 1 g trip for Hank to the moon and back. Then calculate an orbit that will put us coming out from behind Chance as he comes back.''

''Assuming he comes back headed straight at us,'' Nelly said, ''you need to be in a 149 kilometer high orbit.''

''Sulwan, can we do that?''

''Just barely. Starting a burn now,'' she said and the Patton began to push the station into orbit.

''Very good, Sulwan. Nelly. Very good.'' Assuming she'd judged Captain Slovo right. He struck her as a head-on man, not a long tail-chase kind of guy. A few hours would tell.

Kris leaned back in her chair. On her board, Lasers 2 and 6 were now down. Laser 7 was up. It was that kind of day.

''Sensors, keep an eye on Jump Point Alpha. We haven't sent any communications for a couple of days,'' Kris said. ''Sooner or later, someone's bound to get curious. I know I would. With luck, they'll send a couple of battleships to ask what's up.''

''Yes, ma'am,'' the old chief said.

''If I knew there was a Longknife on the other side,'' Jack said from his seat near the helm where he could keep a good eye on everything, ''I'd send a whole squadron of battleships.''

''Not everyone has such a low opinion of me, Lieutenant.''

Jack glanced around the bridge and made a face.

''No fair polling my subordinates,'' Kris said.

''Ah, we've just been scanned by the Greenfeld squadron, ma'am,'' the chief reported.

''I wonder how it will go over?'' Kris said, and smiled.

''I'll be in my cabin,'' the commodore said, stamping from the bridge. ''Call me when you have something useful to tell me.''

Captain Slovo watched him go—and breathed a sigh when he was gone. The entire bridge seemed to relax around him. Then he turned back to his ordered duty. ''How do I force this Longknife girl to battle,'' he muttered. And maybe arrange it so that one or the other of them can realize that they are getting the worst of the fight and run. ''Navigator, when we complete this moon trip, I want us in an orbit opposite that station.''

''Opposite, sir?''

''Yes. I don't want to have to chase her around and around that damn ball. Let us trade shots at each other twice an orbit and with the range on our lasers, we'll be shooting at her a great deal of the time. She may dodge me some of the time, but she can't do it forever. All it will take is a couple of good hits to end this thing.'' And every ship in the squadron had an E for gunnery.

''Yes, sir.''