N elly woke Kris gently. Intellectually, Kris knew that her bed, pillow and even linens were made of Smart MetalTM , but it was a surprise to find the sheets gently massaging her back into wakefulness.
"Kris, the convoy is an hour away from taking over a ferry."
"Thank you, Nelly. I guess it's time for me to put my admiral face on."
"The battle dress you ordered is in your day quarters. Should I bring it in here or will you finish dressing out there?"
"Battle dress?" Jack demanded.
"Yes, I had a scout battle suit brought up for both of us."
"And you need armor because . . .?"
"If matters go sideways, I expect I'll be leading a relief column out from the embassy."
Jack sighed. "I take it that there's no way I could talk you into staying put."
"You know your wife, Jack."
"Oh, do I," he said, ruefully.
The two of them donned their spider silk; Kris always was a belt and suspenders kind of gal. She put a cotton liner over the nude bodysuit armor. Thus, she and Jack were minimally clad when they left their quarters.
The day quarters were staffed by a Marine colonel and five others, all monitoring screens created by Nelly. A male and female Marine quickly came over to help Kris and Jack get into their full battle rattle.
The convoy was still a half-hour away from rolling out onto the space station's A Deck and making a surprise charge to the space elevator station. There, it would take over the next ferry due to drop down the beanstalk. This was basically a repeat of yesterday's operation.
Kris reviewed all the reports and found them good.
Admiral Tong was contributing three brigades, for a total of nine battalions in full battle mode. The human Marine brigade was spread around many more rigs, all loaded with supplies, spare parts and key personnel that wanted to join the embassy staff. Lieutenant Megan Longknife, Kris's aide de camp was first among them.
Dressed in her play clothes, Kris watched as matters slowly developed. There was little else to do. Well, there was one matter.
"Crew, I'd like to thin out the protestors that are in front of the palace just before the convoy gets here."
"What's your idea?" Jack asked.
Kris outlined it to Jack. Abby and her husband, General Bruce had joined them by this time. Admiral Tong arrived only shortly after them. Nelly pulled up battle boards and tables for the five of them, then added two more when Grampa and Gramma Trouble joined the party.
Kris did not bother asking the two how they learned about this shindig. She seriously doubted much happened in this embassy without those two old troopers knowing about it before the instigators thought it up.
"Nelly, can you or any of your kids hack into the Iteeche net?" Kris asked.
"That is still a no," Nelly said. "It's painful to admit, but we can't seem to get a port into their landlines. Maybe we can work something out with Megan when she gets down here.”
Lieutenant Megan Longknife hailed from Santa Maria. She seemed to have inherited the strange lump in her brain that Grampa Ray had grown his first few months on that long-lost planet. She "heard," and "talked" to computer nets.
For human computers, all she had to do was be close to them. It had seemed like a wonderful ability to a teenager. Then teachers began questioning how her grades were so perfect. Suddenly, reading Friday's calculus test on Wednesday didn't seem like such a good idea.
Still, this was a skill that Kris dearly wished Meg could use to hack into the Iteeche main net. To date, the Iteeche had kept their Capital's network well away from the humans. Kris hoped when Meg arrived she could finally solve this problem.
Kris's six subordinates set up shop in her expanded day quarters. Nelly focused their battle boards on specific areas of interest.
General Bruce monitored the US Marine preparations here in the embassy. General Jack Montoya observed the arrangements the US Marines were making in orbit.
For his part, Admiral Tong kept one of his four eyes on both goings-on by his Iteeche Marines in orbit as well as those standing by in the embassy drill field that had been cobbled out of the inner square of the Pink Coral palace.
Teams of Iteeche Marines stood by, next to blocks of Smart MetalTM . When the time came, those would form themselves into waves of gun trucks or infantry fighting vehicles. Once the first wave was formed up and moving out, the second wave would switch from a block to combat rigs and the troopers would mount up and move out.
Kris had a major force waiting in a very small space.
Abby kept a watchful eye on her civilian staff as warehouse workers and storekeepers made ready for an influx of everything from fresh steaks to modulating devices for the reactor's superconducting containment vessels.
Only Kris and her great-grandparents had nothing specific to oversee, so they kept a watch on everyone else's board. No doubt the hostile Iteeche would hit her with surprises enough for the night. There was no need for the humans to generate their own collection of unplanned mischief.
Earlier that day, odd groups of U.S. Marines in civvies meandered over to the six attack transports in port with their loads of food. Kris doubted their action went unnoticed. Face it, a Marine in civvies just looks like a Marine in civvies. There was, of course, some chance that the Iteeche may not have noticed.
Reports began coming in to Jack and Admiral Tong's boards that all was ready.
Then the Iteeche sprung their first surprise of the night. Someone cut all the power to all the elevators down from A deck to the docks beside the ships. Apologies immediately came in, begging the humans' pardon for this need to perform maintenance. Still, this time of night should not create a problem.
"You think someone knows we're up to something?" Jack asked.
"There are many aboard my ships that still have sympathy for the rebellion," Tong answered. "No doubt, someone leaked our plans."
Kris nodded. "It's hard enough keeping secrets during a war. Toss in the conflicted allegiances of a civil war and your forces leak like a sieve. Nelly, you remember that ramp you put in so we could get our US Marines up to join Admiral Tong's forces when we dropped down here?"
"Yes, and I was already on it. The option is being added to the Iteeche battlecruisers’ central computer and they can create them when it's time for the troop movement."
"Very good, Nelly. Now, let's wait and see what the next surprise is. By the way, Admiral, do you have a backup crew and ferry in mind if this one drops out as we're arriving at the beanpole station?"
"Actually, I have two backup plans. One batch of old chiefs is drinking at a bar not too far from the arriving ferry boat dock. A bit before they arrive, they're going to drunkenly waltz out of the bar, singing loudly, and then turn hard right and board the ferry. That sucker is not sailing without us on board. Oh, and if that ferry crew think they can abandon ship, they’ve got another thing coming."
Both Jack and Kris were enjoying a chuckle at the vision of the old chiefs hijacking a ship.
"That sounds like a good solution to a problem we don't know we have yet," Kris agreed. "And your plan B?"
"The last ferry crew to go ashore is being plied with drinks by another batch of old chiefs. If, somehow, someone manages to disable the ferry we're aiming for, this crew will man the warmest ferry at the station. Do not fear, Most Eminent Admiral, your reinforcements and supplies will drop on time. You will have reasonably fresh eggs and bacon for breakfast tomorrow."
"That will be most appreciated, Admiral Tong. Most appreciated," Jack said.
"Now we wait," Kris said. "Grampa Trouble, you see anything interesting?"
"Your gramma and I are following the drone feed you have coming in from the route between here and the ferry station. You might have one of Nelly's smart kids watch this feed and see if they can spot any patterns."
"You don't have one of Nelly's kids?" Kris said.
"Nope."
"Well, that was something we overlooked," Kris said. "Nelly, we need two of your kids for Ruth and Johnnie, and two for our Troubles. Order a dozen, and we'll find homes for them, no doubt."
"I agree, Kris. We need matrix for sixteen."
"You sure know how to spend my money," Kris said, ruefully.
"Well, you are not spending much of it, living in quarters way out here."
"She's got you there," Gramma Trouble said with a laugh.
"When's the next fast transport leaving?" Kris asked.
"Later tomorrow," Abby said, "assuming someone I know doesn't start a war this morning."
"I will try not to, Abby, but you know me, I'm one of those damn Longknifes and you can never tell what will blow up with one of us in the house."
"So I've noticed," Abby said, dryly.
It is not easy to spot consternation on the face of an Iteeche, but Kris was pretty sure that was the effect her usual pre-battle chatter was doing to Admiral Tong."
"Is there a problem, Admiral Tong?" Kris asked. "Do you get a lot of respect from your subordinates before they follow you into a battle?"
"As a matter of fact, I do. Indeed, any Iteeche crewmen that behaved this way would be quickly tossed out of the airlock by the nearest Marines."
"You hear that folks?" Kris said, "Aren't you glad you're in the US Navy and not the Iteeche Navy?"
"I ain't got enough arms and legs to pass the Iteeche Navy's physical," Abby snapped back.
"Admiral," Kris said, getting serious, "we humans often work off our pre-battle nerves with jokes and inane chatter. Not every commander will put up with it, but I cause these people enough trouble. I have to cut them some slack at times like these."
"And in the war you beat us?" the Iteeche officer muttered, incredulously.
"Say, rather, that we fought each other to a negotiated peace. All those who survived that war won it," Grampa Trouble said.
"That is so true," his wife added.
Then their focus shifted. The morning’s work had begun
Sadly, it only went as planned for a few minutes.