The recovery net had been braided from special artificial fibers with an immense amount of flexibility, able to absorb and distribute force with an efficiency no natural substance could match. But when they slammed into it Lochan still felt as if he’d suddenly fallen face-first onto a street from the roof of a building.
The fact that, by chance, he was on the bottom when they hit, with Freya on top, meant that he also felt as if someone else had fallen on him from the roof of a building.
Lochan’s breathing was still ragged when the net was pulled in, compressing around him and Freya to form a comforting cocoon that didn’t tighten enough to hurt. They were pulled inside one of the Bruce Monroe’s big cargo air locks, the large hatch sliding closed behind them.
He wasn’t sure if the air inside his suit was really starting to get bad or if it was his overactive imagination feeding his fears. When the net was pulled away, and a figure without a helmet appeared before him to signal he could remove his hood, Lochan gasped with relief.
The line holding him and Freya tightly together was cut, allowing them to move, but Lochan lay there, hurting, as the crew member knelt by him. “Anything broken, space cowboy?”
“I don’t know,” Lochan said. “I don’t think so.”
“What about you, valkyrie?”
“I’ll live,” Freya said with a groan. She slapped Lochan on the arm. “Come on. We made it.”
Lochan got to his feet with the help of the crew member, seeing two others waiting for him and Freya. One was a solemn-looking man who somehow looked like the captain of the Bruce Monroe without having to announce the fact. The other was a short woman with a disconcertingly intense gaze.
The captain spoke into a nearby comm panel. “We’ve got them. Get us back on vector for the Eire jump point. Don’t worry about sparing the fuel cells.”
Lochan could hear the reply. “Aye. Getting back on vector at best acceleration.”
“What’s that other doing?”
“The Miho? Looks like he’s trying to come about. He won’t come within a hundred thousand kilometers before we jump out of Tantalus, though, even if he pushes as hard as he can chasing us.”
“They’re short one fuel cell,” Freya said, grimacing as she stretched her back. “That might limit their ability to accelerate again.”
“A fuel cell? Is that what accounted for the pirate ship?” the short woman asked.
“Maybe. The answer depends on who you are?”
The woman smiled. “Let’s go talk somewhere private. Is that all right with you, Captain?”
The captain of the Bruce Monroe shrugged. “You’ve already guaranteed costs for this diversion from our course. Do what you like. Those two will have to double up, though. We’re full up on passengers already.”
“We’re not that kind of partner,” Lochan said hastily.
“Work something out with the other passengers, or I’ll work it out for you,” the captain said as he left the cargo air lock.
The short woman led the way to a stateroom that while small still felt large and luxurious after the cabins on the freighter. “The captain is letting us use his stateroom for privacy so we can speak candidly with each other,” she announced.
Freya dropped into one of the two chairs the stateroom boasted. “And just who are you that the captain is willing to lend you his stateroom?”
“Officially on this ship’s passenger manifest I’m Alice Norton, librarian. But to you two, I’m Leigh Camagan, a member of the governing council of Glenlyon.”
Lochan, who’d been sagging with weariness against one wall, jerked to alertness. “You’ve been sent out to get help for Glenlyon?”
“Get help, hire help, buy help.” Leigh Camagan looked from one of them to the other. “And you two are from Catalan and Kosatka. I assume your missions are the same?”
Freya examined Leigh Camagan closely before finally nodding. “Officially, I’m a trade negotiator. But what I’m looking for is the sort of help Catalan realized it needs. We’re already blockaded. Not officially, but that’s just a formality at this point.”
“You saw what’s happening to Kosatka,” Lochan said to Leigh Camagan. “But I guess your ship is helping? That destroyer?”
“Yes,” Leigh said, smiling for a brief moment. “You got lucky because that ship is commanded by someone who might be able to save the day if anyone can. But we have to assume the worst, that Kosatka might fall.”
“Leaving both Catalan and Glenlyon isolated deep inside space controlled by three star systems that want to start their own empires,” Freya commented. “I take it you’re arguing that we have the same mission and the same priorities?”
“Yes. We all need the same thing. Sufficient force to repel aggression against any of our homes. And allies who will stand with us to deter any further aggression. The three of us can either compete for forces and allies, or we can cooperate.”
“Kosatka trusts Glenlyon,” Lochan said. “You know that. Both because of the old debt, and now because Glenlyon’s destroyer came to help again.”
“But can Glenlyon and Kosatka trust Catalan?” Leigh asked.
“Yes,” Lochan said immediately, drawing a surprised look from Camagan, who had apparently expected debate. “If Freya Morgan represents who they are, then we can count on them.”
“How much do you know about her?” Leigh Camagan asked.
“I know that she risked her life to save mine, that her priorities are the same as mine, and that she can be trusted to stand by her friends.”
Freya smiled. “I’d say the same of you, Lochan. Thank you. But I don’t know you, Council Member Camagan.”
“I’ve heard of her,” Lochan said. “From my friend. Mele Darcy told me that Leigh Camagan was someone she knew she could count on. If Mele says Leigh Camagan is to be trusted, then I won’t question that.”
“So you’re the go-between in this relationship?” Freya asked, smiling again. “We don’t all know each other, but we each know enough it seems.”
“All politics is personal,” Leigh Camagan said. “For my part, Lochan Nakamura, anyone like you with Mele Darcy’s approval, which is not easily won, has my trust. And clearly Darcy approves of your judgment, so I will accept it in the case of Catalan’s representative. So, here we are. The representatives of three star systems. Can we work together?”
Freya eyed her closely again before replying. “This is about more than the current emergency, isn’t it?”
“Yes. We need something there when the next emergency happens, something that lets free peoples live without the fear of constant attack or predation. If we work together, we might be able to lay the foundation for treaties that will bind star systems to help each other without binding their peoples otherwise.”
“You’re talking about some kind of alliance,” Lochan said. “A long-term set of mutual security agreements.”
“Yes. I suppose so,” Leigh Camagan said. “Do you think we can sell that to Eire and other star systems? And do it in time to make a difference in the fate of our homes?”
“We can try,” Lochan said. “Nothing about agreeing to work together binds us to accept the final product if we think it’s bad for the interests of our homes.”
Freya Morgan nodded. “All right. As long as it’s understood that we’ll work together on a final product, but I’m not bound to it if it comes out wrong for Catalan, I’m in. But there’s something else we need to think about.”
“What’s that?” Leigh Camagan asked.
“Scatha and its friends not only had a privateer waiting in this star system for us, they had an agent on the Oarai Miho who nearly forestalled our mission,” Freya said. She leaned forward, eyeing Lochan and Leigh. “How certain are you that there isn’t an agent of our enemies aboard this ship? Perhaps waiting to act until other attempts to stop us fail?”
Lochan looked at Leigh Camagan, who shook her head, her expression bleak. “I can’t be certain that there’s no one aboard this ship working for our enemies,” she said. “That’s why my real identity has been kept secret and why our plans involving Saber weren’t divulged to even me or the captain of the Bruce Monroe.”
“So we’re still on guard,” Lochan said. “And still in danger, until we reach Eire.”
“I’m not relaxing at Eire,” Freya commented. “I have old friends there, but I might have some new enemies as well.”
“I understand,” Leigh said. “I’m not relaxing either.”
“In that case,” Lochan said, “I suggest we practice being allies starting now. We can watch out for each other, and watch for trouble. I’m not going to fail Kosatka or my friends.”
“You’re on,” Freya said.
“Agreed,” Leigh Camagan said. “Now let’s figure out your sleeping arrangements since you two say you’re not that close. It’d be easier to protect each other if you were.”
“I couldn’t do that to Brigit,” Freya said.
“Brigit?”
“It’s a long story,” Lochan said. “I guess we’ll have plenty of time to tell it while we’re watching each other to make sure none of us gets poisoned, drugged, kidnapped, or knifed in the back.”
* * *
Saber accelerated back toward the jump point for Jatayu at point zero eight light speed. Even though she’d taken on more fuel cells from Kosatka’s badly battered orbital facility, Rob was still concerned about having enough reserves to get through Jatayu and to Glenlyon if Saber ran into any more trouble on the way. But he couldn’t afford to waste any time getting home.
He’d also taken aboard “Lieutenant Commander Ivanova” from Shark, as well as two wounded Marines and Mele along with the other Marine who could still walk, and the remains of the two Marines who had given their all for Glenlyon and their fellow Marines.
First Minister Hofer, in a transmission sent from his world an hour and a half earlier, looked weary and not particularly jubilant. Given how badly Kosatka’s cities and other infrastructure had been damaged during the fighting, Rob had no trouble understanding why Kosatka’s people weren’t celebrating in the streets. Plus, there were still enemy forces operating around the third city of Ani, promising more fighting on the planet.
“I’m attaching to this transmission,” Hofer said, “a message for your government, Commander Geary. It’s long past time we made a formal commitment to each other, though Glenlyon might be forgiven at this point for wondering when Kosatka will start coming to your aid. Nonetheless, we mean to do it when we can.
“You need not worry about the three badly injured crew members from Saber who were sent down to intensive care facilities on the planet’s surface. They will be given the best care we can, taken care of afterward, and returned to Glenlyon along with the two captured freighters Kosatka is yielding to Glenlyon as thanks for its assistance. It may take a while to put together trustworthy crews for those ships, but Kosatka will get them to you.”
Hofer paused, managing a smile. “We’re still fighting. We hope you’ll have the chance to visit Kosatka someday when we’re not facing imminent attack. May your ancestors watch over you as you journey back to Glenlyon. Hofer, out.”
Vicki Shen snorted as the transmission ended. “Two freighters? There were five ships captured, including the passenger ship that surrendered specifically to Saber, and they’re giving us only two.”
“Do they know the role you played in getting Shark operational in time to make a difference?” Rob asked her.
“Commander Derian said he’d keep telling people until someone acknowledged it,” she replied.
“According to what Mele heard, Derian is catching a little heat from his government for placing Kosatka’s militia on the orbital facility under her command.”
“Some people are idiots,” Vicki Shen said with a sigh. “I owe Mele Darcy, too. None of us on Shark thought that the militia could hold off the invaders long enough. But she did it.”
“She’ll never bring it up,” Rob said. “Mele doesn’t work that way.”
“I’m going to keep thanking her anyway.”
“I’m going back to visit the wounded. Want to come along?” They found Mele in the small compartment holding the bunks for the Marines. Two of those bunks were empty. Two others held Corporal Giddings and Private Lamar.
“Is Doc Austin taking good care of you?” Lieutenant Commander Shen asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Giddings replied. “Three hots and a cot, and nothing to do all day but lie in my rack.”
“Living the dream,” Lamar agreed.
“As soon as you’re well enough, you’ll both be out of those racks,” Mele warned them.
“Is there going to be a space burial for Griff Buckland?” Private Lamar asked. “I’d like to be there.”
“Buckland would want a space burial?” Rob said.
“Yes, sir. He’s one of those star believers, that new thing spreading out from the Old Colonies.”
Vicki Shen nodded. “They prefer burial in space. Not drifting, but launched on a trajectory toward the nearest star.”
Rob gave her a surprised look. “That’s taking cremation to an extreme.”
“They say everything came from stars, including everything that made up them, so it should all go back to the stars when they die,” Shen explained. “It makes sense, actually.”
“No grave marker?”
Shen laughed. “Captain, it’s a star! Can you imagine a greater grave marker?”
“When you put it that way, no,” Rob said. “Do we have the right materials aboard for a burial service in accordance with Buckland’s beliefs?”
“Yes, sir. One of the sailors we lost, Petty Officer Ibori, was also part of that belief system. We can do their burials together before we jump.”
“Good,” Rob said. “Are you okay, Captain Darcy?”
Mele nodded. “Been worse. Oh, I need you to confirm some battlefield promotions. Giddings to sergeant, and Lamar and Yoshida to corporal. Gamba posthumous to sergeant, and Buckland posthumous to corporal.”
Rob saw the looks of surprise on the faces of Giddings and Lamar. “I won’t have any trouble approving those promotions.”
“And I’ll have my after-action report to you this afternoon so you can see it and approve transmitting a copy to Kosatka’s government,” Mele continued. “I want Kosatka to know what those militia sacrificed and accomplished on that facility.”
Commander Shen nodded to her. “Back on Earth a lot of places have old battles whose memory still serves as foundations for their sense of identity. Thermopylae, Hastings, the Alamo, Puebla, Sekigahara, Sinharat . . . that’s just a few. Maybe you helped forge Kosatka’s sense of self.”
Mele Darcy shrugged, looking to Rob as if she was uncomfortable with the idea. “I just want what they did to be known and remembered. It’s more important that Glenlyon remember what Gamba and Buckland and my other Marines accomplished.”
“Weren’t you there, too, Captain Darcy?” Shen asked dryly.
Mele shrugged again. “I demanded a lot of my people. So did the situation. What matters is that they rose to those demands. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to work on that report.”
Vicki Shen shook her head at Rob as they walked onward to visit the wounded members of Saber’s crew. “How does Darcy think she’s going to make general with that sort of attitude?”
Rob smiled at the sarcasm. “She really doesn’t care about that.”
“She got downsized by Franklin, right? Any idea why?”
“Ask her and she’ll tell you. She made a lousy private.” Rob smiled crookedly. “There’re few things worse than a private who really ought to be a general or a general who really ought to be a private.”
“What about you?” Shen asked. “Before you left Alfar?”
It was Rob’s turn to shrug. “I got tired of beating my head against walls trying to accomplish things.” They reached the bunks with the wounded sailors in them, and Rob smiled at them, genuinely happy that they’d survived their injuries. “How are you guys doing?”
They smiled back, and for a moment he could find satisfaction in knowing their losses could have been a lot worse. He hadn’t done a perfect job, but Kosatka had been able to repel the invasion, Claymore had been partly avenged, and Saber would make it home.
* * *
The return trip proved to be devoid of excitement, which was fine with Rob. Jatayu didn’t betray any sign that any other ships had visited since Saber and the Bruce Monroe. The destroyer raced across the star system without any side trips, “straight” along the curved vector from the jump point from Kosatka to that for Glenlyon.
The urge to get home, to learn what might have happened in Saber’s absence and the fear that he might have misjudged the danger to his home, made jump space even more difficult to handle than usual for Rob. He sweated out the days, trying not to take out his nerves on his crew.
The last minutes before arrival seemed the longest.
“There’s another light,” Ensign Reichert commented. “Way off to the right.”
“Is it way off?” Lieutenant Cameron asked.
“Hell if I know. I’ve tried tweaking our sensors, but they still don’t show anything except the image of the light. It’s like it’s there, but nothing is generating it.”
“Preparing to leave jump space,” Cameron said.
Vicki Shen called from engineering. “The ship is at full combat readiness.”
The infinite gray of jump space went away and the infinite dark filled with infinite stars of real space appeared around Saber.
No alerts sounded. As Rob’s head cleared, he saw no indication of trouble at Glenlyon Star System.
“The communications we’re picking up are routine,” the comms watch reported.
Rob let out a sigh of relief. “Stand down from full combat readiness. Go to standard ship’s routine.”
His hand reached to send his action report to the government, pausing just above it before finally touching the control. They’d see the light showing Saber’s return and immediately after get his report.
He’d labored over the wording, trying to keep it dispassionate and professional, trying not to make it sound like his own actions had been particularly laudable, emphasizing the importance of what others such as Mele Darcy and Vicki Shen had done. Knowing that the higher the rank someone had, the more likely that they’d only read the short summary paragraphs at the beginning, Rob had done his best to put everything important in those.
. . . after destroying the enemy warship at Jatayu, I made the decision based on intelligence discovered at Jatayu to continue onward to Kosatka instead of immediately returning to Glenlyon. Full responsibility for that decision rests with me. Once at Kosatka, we discovered an invasion under way. I made the decision to support Kosatka’s sorely pressed defenders, judging that our mutual enemies could not have enough forces to simultaneously assault Kosatka and Glenlyon. After sustained combat, the enemy invasion force was crippled, with two more warships destroyed. In addition, four ships of the enemy invasion force were destroyed and five captured. Fighting was continuing on the ground near one city on Kosatka when we left, but the invasion force had sustained severe losses and no longer posed a threat to Kosatka’s control of its primary world. The combined forces of Scatha, Apulu, and Turan have taken a major blow and lost many military assets. Balanced against that, Saber sustained damage and we lost a total of ten personnel from ship’s crew and the embarked Marines. Responsibility for these losses is mine. I made the command decisions involved.
The freighter Bruce Monroe was seen to jump safely for Tantalus en route to Eire.
I must single out for praise the actions of Captain Mele Darcy, Glenlyon Marines, who led the defense of Kosatka’s orbital facility against grave odds and ensured that Kosatka’s warship Shark was not captured or destroyed by the enemy. Sergeant Cassie Gamba and Corporal Griff Buckland died in the engagement, while Sergeant Victor T. Giddings and Corporal Penny Lamar sustained serious injuries. Corporal Gary Yoshida received a less serious injury. All behaved in exemplary fashion and deserve the highest praise.
Lieutenant Commander Vicki Shen risked herself to join Shark and use her expertise to accelerate their propulsion repairs, thus saving Shark. The importance of her actions in contributing to victory over the invasion cannot be overstated. She has demonstrated exceptional command skills and personal courage.
The crew of Saber carried out their duties with perfect skill and professionalism, never flinching and rising to every challenge. Glenlyon can be justifiably proud of her fleet and the men and women who crew it.
“What do you think they’ll do?” Vicki Shen asked him.
Rob spread his hands in the age-old gesture of uncertainty. “Maybe they’ll give me a medal, then shoot me.”
Mele Darcy nodded. “Or if they’re really unhappy, they’ll shoot you before they give you the medal.”
“I don’t want command of Saber,” Shen said.
“Thanks,” Rob said. “You might get it anyway.”
“All the personal messages from the officers and crew to their families have been sent right after the official messages were done being transmitted.”
“Good. Let me know if there’s any trouble receiving the replies. I’m sure there are going to be a lot of happy people in Glenlyon today.”
The reply to his official report came nearly half a day after the minimum time required for a message to go from Saber to Glenlyon’s inhabited world and back again. Whatever it contained, Rob thought, at least they’d taken time to look at his report and discuss things instead of shooting off an immediate response.
He was a bit surprised to see the image of Council President Chisholm appear. Did that imply good or bad news? Chisholm gazed out of Rob’s display as if she weren’t a recording but someone watching him in real time. In the seconds before she began speaking, Rob unsuccessfully sought clues in Chisholm’s eyes and expression for what this message would say.
“Commander Geary, welcome back,” Chisholm began, making the welcome back sound both glad and accusing. “Needless to say, your return to Glenlyon is a very welcome event. The circumstances regarding your extended delay in returning led to considerable debate among the members of the defense subcommittee.”
Chisholm paused as if thinking, but Rob was sure that she’d memorized this speech before beginning. “There was nearly unanimous agreement among the members of the defense subcommittee who are present at Glenlyon that you should be immediately relieved of command for both risking Glenlyon’s sole remaining warship on a mission that required very generous interpretation of your orders and for risking Glenlyon itself by leaving it unprotected for so long.”
Another pause. Rob waited, nerving himself for whatever came next.
“As I said,” Chisholm continued, “the agreement was nearly unanimous. I did not agree, and as president, my vote counted for more than the others. My decision was not an easy one. I am worried about your taking it as a sign that adventurism will be rewarded, or at the very least that the government will turn a blind eye to such broad interpretations of the orders given to our military.
“But I’m not a fool. Your reasoning, that the forces arrayed against us could not simultaneously assault Kosatka with such strength and also attack Glenlyon, was sound. Your account of the events at Kosatka, supported by the records from Saber’s combat systems that you forwarded, and by the message from First Minister Hofer of Kosatka, show that Saber’s presence there, and your decision to act in conjunction with Kosatka’s forces, made a decisive difference. I can’t ignore that. The forces that would have subdued Kosatka would surely have regrouped and headed next for Glenlyon, vastly overmatching our own defenses. Instead, we now have a firm commitment from Kosatka to contribute forces to our defense if we should call for them.
“There may be a fine line between a hero and a fool, between someone who accurately perceives what must be done despite the risks and someone who stretches their neck out until it is cut off. Perhaps,” Chisholm said, “that line is simply the difference between winning and losing. Had you lost, had Saber been destroyed and your efforts to help Kosatka failed, then you, Commander, would be not just relieved of command but, if you had survived, also thrown into the worst prison that Glenlyon could build. But you won. Your decisions were validated by the results. Which means that the forces arrayed against both Glenlyon and Kosatka have been badly hurt, Kosatka is once again deeply in debt to Glenlyon, and other star systems wondering whether to support us will know that Glenlyon will risk everything it has to help its friends.”
Chisholm finally smiled, a thin, hard expression. “That last may in the long term prove to be the most important result of all. We’re going to need more friends. So, Commander Geary, you’ve saved Kosatka and your own neck. And there’s no doubt that under your command Saber’s crew has a . . . fighting spirit . . . that wasn’t seen from Claymore. Lieutenant Commander Shen’s willingness to risk herself speaks well of her devotion to duty. And the actions of Captain Darcy have wiped out any resistance among the council to the idea of a Marine force for Glenlyon.
“That’s the good news. Unfortunately, we have to agree with the assessment in the message to our government by the First Minister of Kosatka that simply defeating this attack will not eliminate the danger. Scatha, Apulu, and Turan remain untouched by the aggression they keep launching against others. And that, Commander Geary, is ultimately what decided it for me. Glenlyon is going to need you again. I’m certain of it. And this time I want to ensure that you are there rather than having to beg you to come back to service.”
President Chisholm nodded slowly. “Welcome back,” she repeated.
The message ended.
Rob was still sitting at his desk, gazing at where the message had been, when Vicki Shen knocked on the hatch.
“Sir?”
He looked over at her. “Bad news. You’re not being given command of Saber.”
She gave him a dumbfounded look, then smiled. “Darn.”
* * *
Getting to Glenlyon’s primary world and docking at the orbital facility seemed to take an eternity. Ninja had sent Rob a reply to his personal message, all smiles. “I knew you were okay,” she said. “I knew I’d feel it if something happened to you, and it didn’t. I can’t wait to see you in person again.”
He let most of the crew off the ship first, waiting and thanking them for the jobs they’d done as they rushed off to greet family members, loved ones, and friends, or for those unattached to simply head for the nearest bar before it got too busy.
Rob finally followed, walking off Saber’s quarterdeck and through the access tube to the facility and out into the entry hall, where sailors and families were mingling in a riot of almost feverish celebration.
Life was a truly amazing thing. Sometimes it was too easy to forget that. But not right now.
He saw Ninja, his heart feeling as if it stopped for a few seconds. She looked his way, smiling, and his heart started again. Somehow he was next to her and she was in his arms and they were kissing and Little Ninja ran up to wrap her arms around Rob’s leg and the world that had felt askew for months was suddenly back just as it should be. He’d been briefly startled to see how much larger Ninja was. Despite counting the days and the weeks, it wasn’t until he saw how much farther along her pregnancy was that the passage of time really hit, how long it had been that he’d been away from home.
She finally broke the kiss, smiling at him. “Hey, sailor. New in town?”
“And looking for a place to shack up tonight,” Rob said, grinning. “I know a place. Mele! Come here, girl!”
Rob stood a little back as Ninja embraced Mele. “Thanks for bringing him back, Mele.”
“I did promise,” Mele said.
“Hey, Little Ninja, look who’s here!”
Little Ninja broke her lock on Rob’s leg to race to Mele. “Aunt Mele! OORAH!”
Ninja rubbed her ear at the noise. “She’s been practicing for when you got back.”
“Oorah!” Mele agreed with a laugh as she picked up Rob’s daughter. “How’s my little Marine?”
Rob watched them. “Mele, at times like this I always feel a bit sad that you don’t have a family or other loved ones to greet you.”
“Who says I don’t have a family?” Mele chided Rob. “Hey, Little Ninja, who am I?”
“Aunt Mele!”
“Are we family?”
“OORAH!”
“I stand corrected,” Rob said. “How about coming for dinner tonight?”
Mele shook her head, putting down Little Ninja. “I imagine you and Ninja have a few things to catch up on. How about tomorrow? Tonight I’m going to meet my guys at the bar so we can drink farewells to our missing friends. That’s one tradition I’m going to set in stone.”
Ninja nodded, her expression serious. “Make one round on us. And thank you again.”
Mele smiled and nodded in return. “Thank your guy there. He came through for me, speaking of traditions. The fleet’s always there for the Marines, right?”
“Right,” Rob said, “and the Marines are always there for the fleet.”
“Be careful tonight,” Ninja added. “I hear that the new security chief here is pretty tough on rowdy parties in bars.”
“Now you made it a dare,” Mele pretended to complain. “See you around.” Raising her voice so it filled the room, she called out, “Marines! Muster in the Planet View Bar at Eighteen Hundred! Farewell to absent friends!”
“Eighteen hundred, Planet View Bar!” the reply thundered back from various places.
Rob and Ninja walked back toward their home, Rob carrying their daughter.
“How long will you be here?” Ninja asked in a low voice.
“Awhile,” Rob said. “There’s plenty of damage to be repaired on Saber. The number one pulse particle beam projector will need to be completely replaced. And . . . we’re going to need some replacement crew.”
“That won’t be a problem,” Ninja advised him. “Most of the survivors from the Claymore will be beating down your door to get a job on Saber.”
“I don’t think we’re going to be leaving Glenlyon again. Not anytime soon,” Rob said. “If that destroyer made it back to Apulu, they’ll know Glenlyon played a role in their defeat at Kosatka.”
“And they’ll come here to get revenge.”
“They took some losses,” Rob said. “It’ll take them awhile to hit us again. If Leigh Camagan can get us some extra help before then, things might not be that bad.”
“Did I mention that in his message to the government that guy Hofer from Kosatka attached copies of a bunch of encrypted files they’d captured from the guys who invaded them? And that the government has asked a certain specialist to see if she can break them?”
“Have you had any luck so far?” Rob asked, curious but also worried about what the answer might be.
“A bit.” Ninja jogged her head upward, toward space. “They are planning to hit us again, and I think there are some data in there on how many warships they’ll have left after the fight at Kosatka. We may not have all that much time.”
“I’m surprised you’re not more worried about that.”
“I’m great at hiding my feelings. Remember how long it took you to figure out I was interested in you? But as long as you’re here, we’ll handle whatever comes next when it comes. And I hear you made some new friends out there.”
“I guess. Kosatka finally committed to a formal defense agreement with us.”
Ninja gave him an inquisitive look. “Did I also hear you met Salomon out there? From Alfar?”
“You knew Salomon?”
“Met her a couple of times at, um, disciplinary proceedings before I got kicked out of the fleet. Tough but fair. How’s she doing?”
Rob looked away from Ninja, his thoughts in turmoil. “She’s dead. Died fighting the invasion. Along with . . . I lost some more people, Ninja.”
Little Ninja squirmed wordlessly in his arms, sensing his distress. Ninja’s voice went soft and low. “I know.”
“So did Mele. I wish I could handle it as well as she does.”
“Mele feels it as badly as you do. She just doesn’t show it the same way.”
“I don’t want to do this.”
Ninja stopped walking, holding him. “Hey. If you don’t do this, who’s going to save us next time?”
“Ninja . . .”
“I know.”
“What if Little Ninja does decide to become a Marine? What if our son decides to join Glenlyon’s fleet?”
She laughed. “It’s not like there’s this long tradition in our families of military service, Rob. But if they do, there are worse ways to make a living, right?”
“But—”
“Hey. That’s tomorrow. So is whatever else Scatha and its ugly friends are planning. Tonight, you’re back. Can we have one night? Welcome home, sailor.”
Ron smiled at her, trying not to think about what might happen next, about what Scatha might do when they learned from that destroyer that Glenlyon had frustrated their designs at Kosatka. A vast shadow loomed over tomorrow.
Rob’s comm pad chimed. He looked down at it, seeing a short text message from Mele Darcy. TELL NINJA I’VE GOT YOUR BACK, SPACE SQUID.
He tapped a quick reply. SHE KNOWS. SAME HERE.
Plus Ninja by his side, the officers and crew of Saber, the people like Commander Derian, whom he’d supported in the fighting at Kosatka, whatever Leigh Camagan managed to accomplish . . .
He couldn’t do it alone, but he wasn’t alone. And now neither was Glenlyon.