“It’s going to be one of those days,” muttered Cole. “How about Jacovic? Is he awake or asleep?”
“He’s awake, sir. He’s in the mess hall. He just asked me if his presence is required on the bridge.”
“Tell him to stay there,” replied Cole. “I need some coffee. I’m on my way.”
He arrived a moment later and sat down across from the Teroni.
“You heard the news, I gather?” he said.
“Yes, Captain Cole,” replied Jacovic. “I assume we’re going to retreat. We can’t possibly hold our own against twelve armed Navy warships.”
“Hell, this old tub couldn’t fight even one of them to a draw,” said Cole.
“So we’re retreating?”
Cole frowned. “I don’t know.”
“What is hindering us?”
“We’ve
got
to get those patients to a hospital. We came here because they couldn’t go four days before reaching one. If we retreat and go back to the Inner Frontier, I’ve cost them another half day.”
“But the alternative is to face twelve ships that have doubtless been ordered to destroy us on sight,” Jacovic pointed out mildly.
“I figure that gives me half an hour to see if there are any other alternatives before I sound the retreat. And there’s another consideration.”
“Oh?”
Cole nodded. “If they’re within two hours of us, they can probably chase us halfway across the Inner Frontier and claim hot pursuit.”
“Can they catch us?”
“Probably,” said Cole. “The
Teddy R
should have been decommissioned half a century ago. To the best of my knowledge, it hasn’t even been re-outfitted since then.”
Forrice’s image suddenly appeared.
“What is it?” asked Cole.
“A transmission from one of the Navy ships. They’ve identified us and order us to surrender or face the consequences.” The Molarian smiled. “I gave them a totally human answer,” he continued. “I told them to go fuck themselves.”
Cole laughed. “I approve.”
“I knew you’d be proud of me. I’ve had Domak run a quick survey on what we’re facing: an aggregate of more than one hundred and fifty cannons—half thumpers, half burners.”
“Got any more cheerful news?” said Cole.
“Yes,” said Forrice. “Our number four laser cannon isn’t responding to computer controls.”
“Deactivate it before it shoots one of the hospital ships,” said Cole.
“Any further orders?”
“You’ll be the first to know.”
“I wouldn’t wait too long, Wilson,” said Forrice seriously. “They’ve got a couple of class-MV ships in that group—and those things are
fast
.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” said Cole, breaking the connection.
“Will the Navy fire on a convoy carrying patients to a hospital?” asked Jacovic.
“If they know for a fact that’s what they’re carrying, they won’t shoot at the hospital ships. But if they shoot at the
Teddy R
and the other four ships that clearly
aren’t
carrying passengers, there’s always the possibility of collateral damage.” He paused. “I suppose the best course of action is to convince them that these really
are
hospital ships, get their commitment not to fire on them but instead to escort them the rest of the way to Meadowbrook, and have our five ships beat it hell for leather for the Inner Frontier.”
“Will they believe the man they’ve been ordered to kill?” asked Jacovic.
“Not a chance. But they may believe someone like Bertha Salinas.”
“The administrator?”
“She can make a better case for them to help her patients get to the hospital than I can,” said Cole. “I know you’ve been fighting the Republic for most of your life, and there’s no question that they’ll destroy the
Teddy R
if they can, but they’re not monsters. Once they know the situation, I guarantee they’ll give the patients safe passage to Meadowbrook.”
“I never thought they were monsters,” replied Jacovic. “Just wrong.”
“Hell, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what we’re even fighting about,” said Cole. “Probably one of my long-dead great-uncles said something offensive to one of your long-dead great-uncles or vice versa, and both sides have been killing each other ever since.”
“It’s comforting to know you do not credit the Teroni Federation with one hundred percent of the blame,” replied Jacovic.
“There’s more than enough blame to go around,” answered Cole. “And like most wars, only the innocent get killed until the final few days. Let’s hope the patients aren’t among them.” He raised his voice. “Jack-in-the-Box, put me through to Bertha Salinas.”
“Give me a few seconds,” said the Mollute. “I have it now.”
“What do you want?” demanded Bertha’s image, and it was clear that she’d been tending to the patients, just as the doctors and nurses had.
“We find ourselves confronted by a fleet of Navy ships,” said Cole. “I had hoped most of them would be stationed further into the war zone, and probably most of them are—but for whatever reason, they’ve left a dozen warships and fighter ships behind. The
Teddy R
has what you might call a long-standing disagreement with them, so I think they’re more likely to listen to you than to me. I’ve going to have one of my people feed the communication codes to your computer and let you try to convince them of the gravity of your situation and the urgency of your needs.”
“But—”
“Believe me, you can make a more convincing case, especially if you can transmit images of the patients,” said Cole. “And we can’t afford to waste any time. Will you do it?”
“Yes, Captain,” said Bertha.
“I’ll have one of my officers feed the codes into your computer. You should have them within twenty seconds.” He broke the connection. “Jack?”
“Yes, sir?” said Jaxtaboxl.
“Feed all the com codes for Meadowbrook and the Navy into Bertha Salinas’s computer. You might as well also send her any maps we have of the hospital, any lists of its personnel, anything at all that might prove useful provided she survives long enough to get there.”
There was a brief silence.
“Done, sir.”
“All right,” said Cole. “It’s up to her now, and good luck to her, because we’re sure as hell not going to be any help. Hell, I wouldn’t if I could.”
“I don’t follow you, Captain Cole,” said Jacovic, frowning. “You say you wouldn’t help her if you could. Excuse me, but that doesn’t sound like you.”
“We’re here in the hope that our presence would scare off the isolated Teroni ship,” answered Cole. “We didn’t bargain for a small fleet of Republic ships. If I had the capability of wiping out those twelve ships, I wouldn’t do it. Not unless they were firing at me, and even then I’d sooner run than fight. That’s the Navy in which I served almost my whole adult life out there. I can’t kill a thousand crewmen just for following orders to hunt down a mutineer. They’re mostly kids like Rachel Marcos. They don’t know why I took over command of the
Teddy R
, and no one on their side is going to tell them.”
“You’re a decent and intelligent Man, Captain Cole,” said the Teroni after a moment’s silence. “I can see why the Navy had no use for you.”
“Sir?” said Jaxtaboxl. “She’s contacted them.”
“Good,” said Cole. “I want everyone up there—you, Domak, even Four Eyes, and also the captains of the other four ships—to start monitoring all transmissions from the Navy ships. Especially transmissions from one Navy ship to another. Put me through to Christine.”
“But she’s—”
“Yeah, I know. Do it anyway.”
“Yes, sir?” said Christine groggily as Cole’s signal woke her.
“I hate to do this twice to you in one shift,” said Cole, “but I want you to get up to the bridge as fast as you can.”
“Are we under attack?” she asked, swinging her feet to the floor, suddenly alert.
“No, not yet. But we’re facing a dozen Navy ships. They’re doubtless using scramble codes, and I’ve got to know everything the Navy ships are saying to each other.”
“It’s a good thing I was so tired I slept in my uniform,” she said, getting to her feet. “I’m on my way.”
“Thanks.”
The connection ended, and he turned back to Jacovic. “Theoretically anyone can work the equipment, but she’s got the magic touch—and I’m getting an idea that can utilize it.”
“What is it?” asked Jacovic.
“Soon,” said Cole. “I want to hear what they reply to Bertha Salinas first.” He instructed the table to produce a cup of coffee for him. “I just remembered why I came down here in the first place,” he said with a smile.
“Humans seem addicted to that drink,” noted Jacovic.
“Most of them like it for the caffeine, which is a mild stimulant. It helps keep them awake and alert. Me, I like it for the taste. We insist on using real coffee beans on this ship. Damned near everything else in the galley is artificial, mostly soya products made up to resemble real food.”
“I found my food both authentic and very satisfying,” noted the Teroni.
Cole smiled. “That’s the advantage of being a non-human on a ship built by Men,” he said. “They couldn’t be sure of who else would be aboard, so they made no provision for artificial or substitute food for the non-human crew. As a result, everything we carry for you and Domak and Four Eyes and the others is natural food. Everything we carry for ourselves is phony. Except the coffee,” he concluded, taking a sip.
Christine’s image materialized above the table. “Sir, the Navy has just agreed to let the patients continue to Meadowbrook.”
“And?”
“That’s all so far, sir.”
“Keep monitoring them. What they say to each other in the next couple of minutes will determine what we do.”
“Yes, sir,” she said as her image vanished.
“Will they keep their word, Captain?” asked Jacovic.
“Probably,” said Cole. “They have nothing to fear from a bunch of hospital ships. You can be sure they’ll scan the interiors to make certain we’re sending them patients and not bombs.” He paused. “We might as well assume they’re telling the truth. There’s no way we can stop them if they decide to start shooting.”
“It seems reasonable to assume that if we accompany the hospital ships we’ll become very easy targets,” agreed Jacovic. “Since the hospital ships have been promised safe passage to Meadowbrook, shouldn’t we head back to the Inner Frontier immediately?”
“We will, but as I pointed out, the concept of hot pursuit is especially elastic out here near the Frontier border. I want to make sure they don’t follow us.”
“How do you propose to do that, if I may ask?”
“Like I said, I’ve got an idea,” replied Cole. “I just need to know exactly what they’re up to.”
Forrice entered the mess hall and joined them.
“I thought you were minding the store,” said Cole.
“They’re two hours away—well, an hour and forty minutes, anyway—and Domak or Christine can summon me if I’m needed. In the meantime, I figured you two were sitting here telling dirty jokes, and I thought I’d listen in.”
“You have to excuse my First Officer,” said Cole to Jacovic. “Someone told him Molarians have a sense of humor, and he believed it.”
“All right, I’ll be serious for a minute,” said Forrice. “Have you got some plan, or are we just waiting until those Navy ships are close enough to blow us away? We’re still approaching them, you know.”
“I know.”
“Well, then?”
“Keep your shirt on.”
“Wilson, we’re not going to stay out of range forever,” said Forrice. “If you’ve got something in mind, it would be thoughtful to let your First Officer know what it is.”
“I plan to go back to the Inner Frontier.”
“Good!” said the Molarian. “Let’s go!”
“Not yet.”
“If you tease them enough, Wilson, they’ll follow you all the way to the black hole at the Core,” said Forrice. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I just need to find out if they’re summoning help or coming with just the twelve ships,” said Cole.
“What difference does it make?” demanded Forrice. “We probably couldn’t beat any single one of them.”
“Just relax, Four Eyes,” said Cole. “The trick isn’t getting out of here in one piece. That’s a given. The object of the exercise, now that they’ve agreed to take the patients, is to make sure we don’t have to be looking over our shoulder for the next month.”
“We’ll know in just a second,” said Cole as Christine’s image reappeared.
“It took the computer almost a full minute to decode their scramble code once I found the frequency they were conferring on, sir,” she said. “They have decided that if no military ships—by which it’s clear they mean us and our four satellites—accompany the hospital ships, they will trust to Meadowbrook’s scanners and defenses to ferret out any potential threats, and will attack the
Teddy R
with all twelve ships. They assume that we won’t approach any closer, but if any of the other four do, they’ll leave two ships behind, which is clearly more than they will need against such relatively small ships.”