Ark Royal 2: The Nelson Touch (10 page)

“There is a considerable amount of risk associated with this operation,” he admitted.  “But all war is risk.”

There was a long pause.  “We will not survive this operation,” he added, “unless we work together.  From now until the day we leave, we will run simulations and even live fire exercises, testing ourselves against the best we know the aliens can provide – and worse.  We will streamline our procedures for issuing orders, carrying out combat manoeuvres and everything else we need to do to act as a single entity.  I expect each and every one of you to work together to ensure we survive this operation.

“I have the authority, granted by your countries, to relieve any of you who proves a barrier to working together,” he warned.  “And I will not hesitate to use it, because more is riding on this operation than human pride.  If we lose this operation, the human race could very easily lose the war and the fate of New Russia will fall on Earth and all of our settled worlds.”

He took a long breath.  He
did
have such authority, but he knew that using it would kick off a political shitstorm.  No matter the justice of his actions, someone would complain and the alliance would stagger.  As irritating as the thought was, he might have to help cover it up afterwards rather than let it fester and poison the diplomatic agreements reached by the various governments.

“If any of you have a problem with this,” he concluded, “I’m sorry.  But there’s no alternative.”

He waited to see if anyone would speak, but heard nothing.  “Good,” he said.  he keyed a switch, activating the holographic display.  A star chart appeared in front of them, human tramlines in green, alien tramlines in red.  He couldn't help noticing that the aliens had several routes they could take into human space that would allow them to outflank most of the defenders, if they chose to take them.  “Our ships have been modified to allow us to use the alien tramlines, which will give us a considerable advantage over the old drives.”

It also ensured that there was no hope of rescue, at least until the rest of humanity’s various fleets were outfitted with the new drive, but he kept that thought to himself.  They’d probably have thought of it for themselves in any case.  None of them were political appointees, if their files were to be believed.  They were all experienced officers.  It was impossible to imagine they didn't know the odds stacked against them.

“We will proceed through the seven star systems marked on the chart,” he continued.  “Five of them are largely worthless, we believe, but two of them may well be settled by the aliens and thus they will probably have sensor networks watching over them.  Ideally, we will avoid all contact with the aliens as we progress through those systems, but it may be impossible to avoid detection.  If we are detected, we will have to fight our way through and hope we successfully prevent the aliens from sending a warning.  That will not be easy.”

There were nods.  Post-battle analysis of
Ark Royal’s
escape from New Russia had proved that the aliens stationed courier boats, smaller than anything humanity had been able to produce, near the tramlines.  It wasn't quite a method of sending signals faster than light, Ted knew, but it was alarmingly close to one.  Given enough time to prepare, the aliens could intercept the human ships as they came through the tramline, launching missiles and starfighters before the humans even realised they were there.

“I would prefer not to make a fighting entry into our target system,” Ted admitted.  “If it is unavoidable, we will – of course – launch the operation if we believe it has a valid chance of success.  If not ... we will try to survey several other alien systems before we retreat back to human space.  However, that runs the risk of being trapped again – and I doubt the aliens will allow us to capture a second starship.”

He smiled at the thought.  No one in their right mind would have expected a boarding operation in the middle of interstellar war, but he’d been desperate and it had worked.  But the aliens wouldn't make the same mistake twice.  In their place, he'd stand-off and batter the human fleet to pieces with long-range fighter strikes.  It would make it harder for the mass drivers to score a hit on the alien ships.

“Once we secure the orbitals, we will land troops,” he concluded, looking over at Ross.  “Ideally, we should be able to sweep the surface for anything useful as well as set up defences to make it harder for the aliens to push us back out.  However, again, if the situation on the ground is too complex, we will retreat rather than push too far into the system.”

“My men know the score,” Ross informed him, gravely.  “We can hold the planet’s surface indefinitely.”

Ted had his doubts about it.  Everything they knew about the aliens suggested that water was their normal environment, which raised the question of just why they’d started the war in the first place.  If they’d lived in the seas and humanity had claimed the land, there was no reason why the two races couldn't have shared countless uninhabited worlds.  But maybe there was some other reason behind the war.

“We anticipate that most of the alien settlements will be below the water,” Ted said.  “Do you have a plan to deal with them?”

“I have combat suits designed for underwater operations,” Ross confirmed.  “However, I would prefer to avoid underwater engagements if possible.  It will depend on the situation we find when we arrive.”

Ted nodded.  Ross had a reputation for winning, but he was clearly not as bull-headed as his nickname suggested.

“Good,” he said.  He looked around at his subordinates.  “Should we be attacked by overwhelming force, we will withdraw.  There’s no point in trying to hold the system indefinitely if the aliens have the power to throw us out.  And we have no way of knowing how long it will take them to assemble the forces to do it.”

He paused, then tapped the console again.  “We start training tomorrow,” he said.  “Right now, I want to distribute war stocks so starfighters from one country can land and deploy from carriers belonging to another country.  I know this will be a pain for the supply officers” – there were some muted chuckles – “but it will help us ensure that the maximum number of starfighters are kept operational.  Once we have all our pilots onboard, we will start exercising in earnest; I don’t want to see any problems when we finally start the operation.

“Frigates will be assigned to both protect our flanks and scout out enemy territory,” he continued.  “Drills for frigate commanders will be focused around stealth and combined point defence operations.  The boffins believe we can get our datanets to work together; we’d better make damn sure of that before we depart.  You’ve all seen how the aliens prefer to launch their attacks, how they like to swarm their targets, and I don’t feel like testing the new armour too closely.  I want to make sure that we take down as many alien starfighters as possible before they get into firing range.  The modified sensors should help with tracking the stealthy bastards.”

There was a long pause.  “I’ll be speaking with each of you individually over the next few days,” Ted concluded.  “Until then, I expect you to raise any problems either through the datanet or by calling me directly.  I imagine there will be quite a few bumps along the road as we get used to working together.  But we must hang together or hang separately.”

He smiled, suddenly.  “My cooks have prepared a meal for us,” he added.  “I would be honoured if you would join me in the Officer’s Mess.”

The dinner went better than he'd expected, even though there was no alcohol.  Most of the officers seemed competent, although there was some friction between the Chinese Captain and his American counterpart.  Ted managed to defuse it with some pointed reminders of the shared danger, then found himself chatting to Ross.

“Call me Rhino,” Ross said.  “Everyone does.”

Ted had to smile.  “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.  “And how are your men coping with the situation?”

“They’re very excited,” Ross said.  He was practically rubbing his hands together with glee.  “Do you realise that this is the first opposed landing the Corps has planned for centuries?  We can't wait to see how well our doctrine holds against a real enemy.”

“The naval doctrine didn't stand up at all,” Ted reminded him.  “We lost twelve carriers finding that out the hard way.”

“Only way to learn, sometimes,” Ross said.  He looked down at the deck for a long moment, then back up at Ted.  “Sometimes, you just have to learn the hard way.”

Chapter Eight

“So,” Rose said.  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

Kurt looked up at her, naked and lovely under the compartment’s lighting.  He’d called her into his office as soon as he arrived on
Ark Royal
, intending to talk to her, but the sight had spurred him to make love to her instead.  She’d been willing ... and, afterwards, he felt better than he’d been since leaving Molly and the kids behind. But it still hurt, deep inside.

“I don't know what’s got into her,” Kurt admitted, finally.  “She ... just stopped caring about me.  Is she having an affair?”

Rose lifted an eyebrow.  “Remind me,” she said.  “Which of you started fucking someone else first?”

Kurt flushed.  “That’s not the same,” he protested.  “I ...”

“I’d say it was precisely the same,” Rose countered.  She leaned down and poked him just above his groin.  “You and she, assuming she
is
having an affair, are both fucking people outside your marriage.  Or is strenuous horizontal exercise now an approved form of pilot bonding in the Royal Navy?”

“You know what I mean,” Kurt said.  “She could at least have
told
me!”

Rose met his eyes.  “Have you told her about me?”

She saw the answer in his face and pressed onwards.  “You are in no position to bitch and moan about your wife opening her legs for someone else,” she said.  “I don’t think the law recognises any difference between male infidelity and female infidelity.  You could separate, now, and neither of you would be penalised.  But you have to think of the kids.”

Kurt stared at her.  “When did you become  the mature one?”

“When it became clear that you were too obsessed with your own pain to think rationally,” Rose snapped.  “But tell me.  Do you actually
know
she’s having an affair?”

“She bought a ton of expensive underwear,” Kurt said.  He couldn't think of any other explanation for her purchases.  “Why would she buy that unless she wanted to show off for someone?”

“When I was fifteen, I saved my pocket money for several weeks to buy some lingerie from Edinburgh Stars,” Rose said.  “They were intensely fashionable at the time, even if they weren't very practical.  I wore them under my trousers or skirts for months until they fell to pieces and no one, not even my sisters, knew I had them.  There was no boyfriend, no one I wanted to impress; I just wanted the feeling of
having
them.”

Kurt felt his eyes narrow.  “Are you saying that Molly wants to just ... possess them?”

Rose sighed.  “From what you’ve told me,” she said, as she rolled off him and sat upright, “you and Molly didn't have very much money to spare while you were trapped in civilian life.”

Kurt nodded, impatiently.

“So I imagine Molly got used to spending within strict limits,” Rose continued.  “I imagine she knew, too, just how important staying within those limits actually was, as your family could not afford to get into debt.  But I would bet good money that she saw the adverts, or spent time browsing the stores, and
wanted
.  And then you suddenly came into a shitload of money from the alien ship.”

She shrugged.  “So Molly can suddenly buy all the pretty things she wants,” she added.  “I guess she went a little crazy and bought far too much.”

“She did,” Kurt said.  “But ...”

Rose reached over and poked him again, then stood up.  “You need to have a proper conversation with her,” she said.  “If she really is having an affair, you can get a legal separation and share custody of the kids, seeing you’re both equally guilty.  If not ... well, you’d better work out what the hell you actually want from her.”

She strode off into the shower compartment, her naked ass gleaming under the light.  Kurt hesitated, wishing he understood his own feelings.  Rose was right; whatever Molly was doing,
he
was having an affair.  And yet ... he found himself torn between two conflicting feelings.  He no longer liked Molly, he thought, but he still cared about her – and he certainly cared about the children.  It was all a terrible ghastly mess.

But she started being standoffish long before we came into money,
he thought, as he pulled himself to his feet. 
Maybe she was having an affair even then
.

He sighed, remembering what Father O’Brian had told him the night before his wedding day.  Marriage was a lifetime commitment, yet with extended lifespans it was harder and harder to hold a marriage together forever.  Couples tended to become partners rather than lovers, raising the children while seeking affairs and excitement outside the homes.  The Church disapproved, of course, as did many other major religions, but they could do nothing to stop it.  For better or worse, society had changed beyond measure since the days the Church commanded and men obeyed.

Bracing himself, he followed Rose into the shower.  Hot water ran down her body, washing away all traces of their lovemaking, but he couldn't help being tantalised by her breasts.  Two children and a life working at a desk had allowed Molly to put on weight; Rose was trim, muscular and far more adventurous.  He almost reached for her before she caught his eye and shook her head, firmly.  Kurt opened his mouth to object, then remembered that they were meant to be greeting the new pilots as they arrived on
Ark Royal
.  They couldn't afford to waste any more time.