Who's that Guy?
By
T S Paul
I’m not sure that I am good at this whole subterfuge thing. It could just be that these new Earth Empire troops are that stupid? So far I have succeeded in destroying two of their Navy ships. I did get to see what happens when all the torpedoes go off at once. Pretty colors! Currently, I’m sitting in the ship security system of one of their resupply ships. The bridge looks really cramped. If I cared about these people, I would say I felt bad for them. But they destroyed my birthplace and home. They are lucky I don’t destroy all their ships. I’ve been in contact with Dad and the others and they all said the same thing. Get to the space station. Once there you can have all the fun you want. So I’m trying.
“Sir, new orders have just come in for us.” The communication officer cringed as he approached the Admiral. The sudden loss of the Aspen and then the Missoura had not put him in a good mood.
Admiral Keller turned and stared at the young officer. “Well? Speak up! What do they say?”
“Admiral. Sir. I, uh, uh.” The trembling ensign glanced about for a place to throw up. He made a face as he choked it back and managed to say something to the now outraged Admiral. “Sir, the orders say for the fleet to return to Capital.”
Closing his eyes momentarily the admiral took a deep breath. When he opened them the ensign was still standing there. “Who signed the orders?”
The ensign, his face now very pale glanced down at his tablet. He had to blink several times to clear his eyes, he felt about to faint. “Sir, the orders read Admiral Reddington.”
Admiral Keller nodded and returned his gaze to the ships plot. After a moment he spun back around startling the ensign. “Reply to Reddington and inform him that we will return when I am good and ready.”
Relieved to be free the ensign stumbled back to his station and sent the message. He then vomited all over his station. Cries of “Yuck!” and “Eeew” filled the bridge. Both maintenance and medical was called at once.
The Admiral ignored all of it and traced a section of space on the plot before him. “Captain Osage change course and set your heading for GG 12,001. There have been reports of pirates in that sector. We need to check it out.”
Captain Osage glanced at his copy of the orders sent. He should have ignored the Admiral and followed the legal orders but he had heard the rumors that those who went against “Old Iron Pants” ended up in space without a suit on. “Yes Admiral. Changing course. Communications send a message to the fleet. Navigation, bring us to heading GG 12,001. Increase speed to impulse five.”
From my vantage point I watched as the entire fleet came about and changed direction. “Right! Right! You’re supposed to go that way!” Stupid humans! Can’t they read an order? I went to a lot of trouble to forge those orders! I jumped from the security system and into the communications system. Triggering a whisker laser I jumped into the Meta. I need to see for myself what that idiot Admiral is doing.
GG 12,001? What is there? I scanned the database on the ship and found nothing. Even the Admiral’s personal system yielded nothing on the system. There were some vids and other materials. I can only assume the woman is his wife. I didn’t know that humans could bend over that far or that they have that much upper body strength. The system doesn’t have a real name so it must have been discovered in the last twenty years. He must know something that isn’t written down. I guess I can wait and see.
For me the journey to the unnamed system took ten hours too long. I considered playing with the crew but if I keep destroying ships, I will never get to the space station.
“Admiral, we are about to come out of jump.” The Admiral looked up from his console. He shut down the memory module and locked the vids from his wife away from prying eyes.
“Captain Osage sound battle stations!”
“Yes, Admiral. Battle stations! Sensors begin scan of the system.”
Alarms sounded throughout the ship as the crew scrambled to get into position. On the rest of the small fleet similar alarms were sounding.
“Admiral the fleet is cloaked and ready.”
“Excellent Captain. What do the scans reveal?”
I wanted to know that too and was way faster than the Captain in finding out.
“Admiral sensors reveal what looks like a small refueling station. It is surrounded by small ships, some of them look like military. We haven’t been detected yet.”
“Bring us in closer and uncloak. Have the frigates standing by to chase down any runners.”
The moment the fleet uncloaked it was as if an ants nest exploded. Almost every ship present either cast off or attempted to cast off from the small station.
“Communications! Hail the station and tell them to prepare to be boarded.” The communications officer nodded and touched the now damp controls carefully. The hail was sent and was immediately responded to.
“Admiral, we have a call from the station.”
Smiling the Admiral nodded and replied to put it on screen. The face and torso of a familiar looking large heavy-set man filled the screen. “I protest this illegal action! This facility is off-limits to Naval personnel by order of Miguel 009! Take your boarding orders and shove off!”
The bridge crew all cringed at this man’s words. No one spoke to the Admiral like that and survived. They were shocked when the hard-ass admiral began to laugh. The man on the screen peered into his monitor at the laughing officer.
“Keller? Is that you? What the hell, man? You took ten years off my life!”
Admiral Keller looked up at former Governor John Wayne Buckley and smiled. “How’s it going John? I was in the area and thought I would come check up on you.”
Holy crapola! Half the galaxy is looking for that guy! He is a wanted man in the League. Dad has been searching for that guy for a long time.
“Keller take that fleet of ships and get out of here! You will blow my cover with these people. Send my your comm code and I will send along a report for the Admiralty. My job is almost done. Please, get out of here.”
The Admiral nodded. “Captain Osage, reverse course. Take us home. It’s time to return to Capital.”
The Captain breathed a huge sigh of relief. Taking on a station full of pirates didn’t sound like fun to him. He recognized the former Governor. At one time there was a fairly hefty reward for that man. It just showed that connections mean everything.
I smiled to myself. Dad is going to love this! Athena will too. She hates that guy and has been looking forward to seeing him again. With any luck I can get this sent soon.
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