CHAPTER 83
Date: 19th January, 327 ASC.
Position: Pruessen naval base, Virtus. Imperial space.
From his balcony window, Captain Dermot Winstone gazed out over the immense complex that stretched to the horizon. The scale of Pruessen’s largest naval facility sent a shudder down his spine.
The League of Allied Worlds could never stand against the Empire’s might. Acknowledging this most obvious of facts, Winstone reconciled his treachery. All that he knew, he had given willingly to his hosts. No dark smelly cell for him. The Pruessens proved to be a pretty decent lot once he’d gotten over his initial fear. A comfortable apartment had been provided for him, together with the finest food and drink, and women. Oh, so many willing slaves. Yes, life within the Empire was good, for those who cooperated. He didn’t see himself as a traitor, but more of a rationalist.
He glanced at the wall-mounted timepiece. Two-thirty in the afternoon. Helga was overdue for their appointment. Ah, lovely Helga. He would have to chastise her for being so tardy. Yes, he enjoyed spanking her. She was only a slave so he could do anything he wanted to her. The thought brought a pitiless smile to his face.
“Yes, anything I wish,” he whispered.
The door-chime sounded. Winstone strode to the door and hit the admit button. His anticipation together with his smile waned. Commander Meyer nodded as he let himself inside.
“How are you today, Dermot?” the Commander asked. As he did on every visit.
“I’m fine, Hans, but I’m expecting company, so could we make this quick?”
“Helga has been reassigned.”
“Shit,” Winstone said. “She’s my favorite. Oh, well can’t be helped. So, what can I do for you?”
“A decision has been made by my superiors regarding your disposition,” Meyer said. “Frankly, they do not feel that you’ve been totally forthcoming with us.”
“But Hans, I’ve told you everything I know.” For the first time since his capture, Winstone felt the cold hand of fear wrap around him.
“Your everything amounts to very little, I’m afraid to say.” Meyer’s usual relaxed manner suddenly hardened. “Unless you expect us to believe that you were appointed to command an Athenian monitor, one of their most valuable assets, without the requisite training? Athens may be weak when compared to the Empire, but they don’t put incompetents onto one of their most advanced warships. So, we can only conclude that you are lying to us.”
A shudder ran down Winstone’s spine.
“Hans, I swear to you, I’ve told you absolutely everything I know. I swear it!”
“Even if I believed you, my superiors do not. So, effective immediately, your circumstances will be changing.”
As Meyer talked, he walked to the door and hit the admit button. Winstone gasped as the door opened.
Two large brutes stepped inside. From their brown, high-collared tunics and knee-length black boots, Winstone knew who they were.
“Very well,” Meyer said, “perhaps the HRS will have better luck at extracting information from you. Take him out of my sight.”
“No, please Hans, please!” Winstone pleaded. “I swear I’ve told you everything.” He began to weep. “Please, Hans, not this. Not this!”
The door snapped shut behind him as the most feared men in all the Empire dragged him away.
CHAPTER 84
Date: 27th January, 327 ASC.
Position: In orbit of planet Cimmeria. League of Allied Worlds space
Nathan battled against his rising anger.
“You put my crew in shackles, Admiral?” he said. “They came here seeking asylum, fought and died beside us against invading forces, and you treat them like this?”
“They are enemy combatants, Lieutenant,” Admiral Symonds said.
“Not any more. They’ve proved that.”
“What’s this, Lieutenant? Going soft on Pruessens?”
Nathan suppressed a spark of rage. “Pruessens who have proven themselves as allies, yes. Pruessen the society, never. Admiral, if you release them into my custody I will take full responsibility for their behavior.”
“No. And I do not wish to speak of it further.”
Nathan wanted to strangle the old man to death. The hatch to the admiral’s briefing room opened and an officer stepped inside.
“Hello, Nathan,” Commander Spotiswood said. “How’s everything with you.”
“I’d be a lot better, Commander, if my crew weren’t being treated like criminals.”
Spotiswood stared at the Admiral.
“Yes, I’ve heard about that,” he said. “Repairs have been completed to the Acting Captain’s boat so I will be taking it and her crew with me. Be good enough to inform your staff to release them immediately.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, and while I think of it, remove their shackles.”
The Admiral nodded. Fear shone from his eyes.
Nathan had never seen such a complete reversal of attitude. Pompous arrogance one minute, meek servitude the next. Spotiswood’s formidable reputation must be even more feared than Nathan had suspected.
“Very good,” the Commander said, and together with Nathan they left.
“Thank you,” Nathan said, as they headed for the lift.
“Your Pruessen crew accounted themselves well. How many did you lose?”
“Two, plus one Athenian. But they were all my crew. They’re good men, Commander.”
“Yes they are. Don’t worry Nathan. The big bad Commander isn’t going to treat them badly. I’ve spoken with Commander Ryden. He’s more than willing to divulge all the intell he has. The boat itself will glean some small fragments of intell but the crew are the gold nuggets.”
“They’ll be run through the system. I’ll see that they’re processed as quickly as possible.”
The lift arrived and they stepped aboard. Spotiswood examined Nathan’s face in a way that made his squirm internally.
“You’ve gone through quite a life changing transformation, haven’t you?”
Nathan’s brow furrowed.
The Commander snorted. “All of these years detesting everything Pruessen, then all of a sudden you come to the startling realization that they’re human after all. Must have been a shock to you.”
“I didn’t have much choice. We were serving together for months. Believe me, no one was more surprised than I.” The lift opened and they stepped out.
“You did good work, Nathan,” the Commander said. “Your mission was to locate Adroit. You did that and by some miracle managed to rescue her and her crew. Amazing. Then you commandeered an E boat with crew. That’s a big bonus. But the biggest boon to come out of this mission is the intell you gathered on Saint Joan. Our analysts will take months to go through it all. Well done. I will look forward to working with you again, some day.”
Nathan stopped walking and stared him in the eyes. “No thanks,” Nathan said. “That was a one-off. Never again.”
“Hey, I gave you an opportunity to rescue your friend,” the Commander said with a smile.
“Bullshit. You intended to destroy her from the outset. You owe me one Spotiswood.”
“You were doing your duty, Lieutenant.” He considered Nathan for a time. “However, you prevented Adroit and her crew from falling into enemy hands. I suppose that’s worth something.”
“You can have that one for free,” Nathan said. “But think of what would have happened if Deception, and you had been taken. They would have squeezed every gram of knowledge from you and would have had access to one of the fastest stealth boats in the region. That one I’ll collect on one day.”
The Commander snorted. “Perhaps.”
“So what happens now?”
“First things first, Nathan.”
The hatches to the ship’s brig opened as if by magic when the guards spotted the Commander’s ANSIO i
nsignia.
Nathan’s crew were corralled into a single large cell with barely enough room to sit. Their shackles remained fixed. Nathan turned to the senior non comm.
“Let them out of there and get rid of those fucking shackles,” Nathan growled.
“Yes, sir. The order just came down from the Admiral, sir.”
Ernst Ryden stepped from the cell, rubbing his chafed wrists.
“I’m sorry,” Nathan said, addressing the entire crew. “I didn’t know about this until today.”
“We knew you’d come for us, Skipper,” Krause said.
A mumbling of agreement from the crew.
“What now?” Ryden asked.
“Hot showers, clean clothing and a good meal.”
The glum faces came to life at the news.
***
Two hours later, after seeing to his crew’s needs, Nathan stepped into Odenwald’s lounge area. Crews from the Odenwald, Adroit and E 692 mingled as if they were at a family reunion.
Moe stood in a group comprising half Athenian and half Pruessen officers. Kellerman and Hoppe, leaning against the bar, raised their glasses. Nathan nodded to them.
“There he is,” Moe said. “Where have you been?”
“Checked in with the dock supervisor. It’s all good with both boats.”
“I could have told you that,” Moe said.
Ensign Willet offered him an Oceanian beer.
“Thanks, Rudi.”
“So, what’s the word?” Ryden asked.
“We ship out tomorrow morning,” Nathan replied. “Ernst, you and the crew will be debriefed at a location as yet to be divulged. Odenwald’s people will be assimilated into Athenian culture then placed onto a world of their choosing. After what they’ve been through counseling is not optional.”
“What about us?” Moe asked.
“You, Acting Captain, will report on your miraculous escape from internment and your brave journey through hostile Pruessen space pursued by the enemy.”
“Yeah, I got the gist of that from the Commander. But Commander who? No one calls themselves just Commander.”
“He does, and you’d be well advised not to question that.”
“And you, Nathan?” Ernst asked.
“I’ve been on Corinth all this time. Extended leave.”
“You should get recognition for what you’ve done,” Krause said. “A medal, at least.”
“I can’t receive commendation for something I wasn’t a part of.” He ran his eyes over the officers. “Remember, Captain Vogel doesn’t exist. Make sure you and your crews all remember that.”
“The Commander made it abundantly clear what would happen to us if we didn’t stick to the cover story,” Moe said.
“Once I hand Ernst’s crew over to the Commander’s people, I’ll transfer to Adroit. You can give me a lift home.”
“Aren’t you already there?” Moe said.
“Funny,” Nathan said.
Nathan tried to concentrate on the ongoing conversation but thoughts of Livy and the kids vied for his attention. He’d never been apart from Livy for more than three months. His heart ached for his family but he would have to wait another three weeks before he could hold them in his arms. It would be the three longest three weeks of his life.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
CHAPTER 58
CHAPTER 59
CHAPTER 60
CHAPTER 61
CHAPTER 62
CHAPTER 63
CHAPTER 64
CHAPTER 65
CHAPTER 66
CHAPTER 67
CHAPTER 68
CHAPTER 69
CHAPTER 70
CHAPTER 71
CHAPTER 72
CHAPTER 73
CHAPTER 74
CHAPTER 75
CHAPTER 76
CHAPTER 77
CHAPTER 78
CHAPTER 79
CHAPTER 80
CHAPTER 81
CHAPTER 82
CHAPTER 83
CHAPTER 84