Jessica glared up at the man, returning the scowl. Even seated, he towered over her physically. Not that she cared, but Navin liked to use his immense bulk to intimidate people. Plus that terrible scowl he wore.
And it still worked on other people.
“Because you’re too old to be off doing things like that,” she replied in an even tone that still showed how angry she was. “We’re supposed to be mature adults, Navin. Commanders. We send others to do this.”
“Like you did at Petron?” Navin retorted, relenting some.
He was one of the few people who could argue with her on a topic like this. He had been there, too, and done things no commander had any reason to.
Even when they were the right thing to do.
“That was the heat of the moment, for both of us,” Jessica said, also relenting. She would out-stubborn even Navin the Black. “This is a thing that will be planned ahead of time. And I’m still not sure it’s worth doing. There are other places we could hide.”
“True,” Arott broke into the conversation from his place on Jessica’s left. “But I agree with Navin that this is an operation we should undertake.”
“See?” Navin asked, suddenly smiling.
“And I agree with Jessica that you should stay here with us and send the kids to do it,” Arott continued.
Navin’s face fell again. Arott had spent the year that she was gone being this man’s boss. And done a good enough job that nearly the whole crew had been happy when he came with them here.
Navin grumbled something under his voice, in a tone pitched so low that it was almost inaudible. Earthquakes might answer, if there were any in the vicinity.
Jessica looked around the rest of the group, the team she thought of as her command force.
Denis, Robbie, Alber’, and Tamara. da Vinci as Fleet Flight Commander. Kanda and Elzbet from Ballard, plus Glenn from CP-406 as her scouts. Kigali in his role as Escort Team Commander for the other corvettes. Enej and Casey as her flag centurions. Cheng Yin Dominguez as Arott’s.
Plus one exceptionally grumpy Command Security Centurion in Navin the Black.
She missed having Vo handy. This was exactly the sort of mission he would excel at, but he would be doing better things with Emmerich, assuming he survived St. Legier and the hero worship he would have to endure for the rest of his days. Much as she would.
“Having settled that,” she announced simply, “I agree with Arott. We need better intel. I am in no rush to poke a hornets’ nest if I don’t have to. My plan here is another iteration of The Long Raid.”
Historians were already publishing definitive tomes calling it Keller’s Raid, but she never would. It had simply been her first campaign in the quest to push Fribourg back enough that there could be a peace. Before she ended up here, trying to save the galaxy.
Jessica looked forward to the day she could return to Petron and simply walk away from her military career. If that day ever came.
“They wouldn’t be here if there wasn’t a reason,” she continued. “We need to find out what that reason is. Navin will assemble a mixed-capability team, its mission to board the station, if possible. Kigali, you will be in tactical control of the immediate team: 264 and 406, with VI Victrix as close backup. The support ships will stay well out at the edge of the system and below the ecliptic with Ballard. VI Ferrata, II Augusta, Auberon, and the rest of the corvettes will be close enough to engage if something happens, and far enough away to ghost if not.”
There were nods from around the table.
“If this is The Raid, do we blow it up when we’re done?” Arott asked. “Not counting this wrinkle, the rest of the vicinity is actually pretty good. We’ve doubled back on them from the gulf side, and this place has almost all of the characteristics I want in a secure location.”
“We know they come across the gulf somewhere,” Jessica replied. “And we’ve found some evidence of a high-speed navigational network. That’s why we’re here. This was as far from it as we could get and still stay close to my intended targets. But we’re not building here if there is a highway in the backyard.”
“Fair enough,” Arott agreed. “We’re okay for supplies right now, but I’d like to send Mendocino for our first run in another two weeks, with your permission.”
Jessica nodded to the man, then turned to Alber’.
“What about Senior Centurion Bhattacharya?” she asked. “Auberon’s marines are mostly ground force specialists these days, but I know Amala has the best combat EVA ratings in the squadron right now.”
“She would be an excellent choice, Fleet Centurion,” Alber’ growled, nodding to Navin as he did. “Not quite as good as zu Arlo, Navin, but as capable as you and a generation younger.”
“Don’t remind me,” Navin huffed. “She’s the same age as my daughter, Khulan. Send her team over with all their gear. I’ll add Moirrey and some of her folks for the engineering side, and Gaucho can fly his shiny, new sled into battle for the first time.”
That got a general round of laughs, since Gaucho hadn’t been in a hot landing zone since he got shot down on Thuringwell, a point he complained about regularly to anyone who would listen.
“Any other questions?” Jessica asked the room. “Seeing none, next order of business is…”