“Thanks, Skipper, and damn straight! But all we had to do was make a stir while everyone else woke up.”
“And he knew that,” agreed Matt, “so my bet is he’s gone. Damn!” he repeated. “Having that sick bastard on the loose is like walking barefoot and blindfolded through a pen full of rattlesnakes.”
“Silly devil in a red dress—he don’t scare me,” said the Bosun.
“He should, Boats,” Matt told him, “because I’ll also bet that most of this crackpot, shoestring scheme—that almost
worked
—was his. Had to be. Reed was a true ‘convert,’ and he might’ve even had some pull, but I don’t think the Dominion was taking any orders from him.”
“I doubt our Imperial friends would call a major fleet action a ‘shoestring’ affair either!” Courtney said.
“But it wasn’t
supposed
to be a fleet action,” said Spanky, “and it wouldn’t have been if us and Jenks hadn’t sniffed a rat.” He shook his head.
“So, Courtney,” continued Matt, a little hesitantly, “you thought you’d wrap up your other ‘negotiations’ today?”
“Um, yes. The Empire of the New Britain Isles formally requests full membership in the Grand Alliance—pending ratification by the other members, of course.”
“That’s what I figured,” Matt replied flatly.
Courtney’s face reddened. “Captain Reddy, you’ve done your job and now I’ve done mine! One reason we came here in the first place was to secure an alliance with these people.”
“Yeah, and maybe we’ve ‘done that job,’ ” Matt ground out, “but we haven’t accomplished our mission.”
“The Company is dead, at least as it was,” Chack offered lamely, blinking uncertainty.
“Yeah, but we didn’t ... find the girls . . . and damn it, we didn’t get . . .
even
!”
“You killed Reed,” Gray pointed out.
“Not good enough! Not anymore.” Matt gestured around at the ravaged fleet in the harbor and the damage to his own ship. The destruction and loss suffered ashore weren’t visible, but it was present in all their thoughts. The civilian casualties from the indiscriminate Dom artillery had been appalling. “And the list has gotten a whole lot longer. To ‘get even’ now, we’ve got a full-blown, two-ocean war on our hands! You think Adar will thank us for that?”
“Adar will understand, Cap-i-taan Reddy,” Chack said. “Never forget the person he is. He knows the evil of the Grik. Do not doubt he will recognize the evil of the Dominion, and he is not alone. Most of our people have come to understand that evil, in whatever form, cannot simply be ignored. We have as much reason to help these people against their evil enemy as they have to help us.”
“I guess we’ve just got to fight the ‘war we’re at,’ Skipper, like you said,” growled the Bosun softly. “Wherever we are.”
Ed Palmer rushed back onto the bridge, flourishing another sheet. “Skipper!” he almost shouted.
“What now?” Spanky growled. “Every time you show up like this, somethin’ has just come off the rails. Makes it easier to understand why folks used to kill messengers!”
“We got another transmission from the resupply squadron out of Respite! They finally heard from Manila—good news for a change, sir!” Ed said, glancing at Spanky. “Well, not all good . . . but the good part’s
great
, I swear!”
Almost reluctantly, Matt took the sheet and began to read, skipping the preface.
TALAUD ISLAND OBLITERATED BY UNPRECEDENTED VOLCANIC EVENT X MASSIVE WAVE UNKNOWN SIZE HAS STRUCK SOUTH FIL-PIN LAND MINDANAO X NO SURVIVORS FOUND VICINITY OF PAGA—DAAN X SEARCH CONTINUES X SLIGHT DAMAGE MANILA BUT MANY OTHER SETTLEMENTS SEVERELY AFFECTED X RESCUE EFFORT COORDINATED BY COLONEL SHINYA AND ARMY—NAVY ELEMENTS X MAY DISRUPT LOGISTICS TRAIN CEYLON OPERATION X ADMIRAL KEJE-FRIS-AR AND GENERAL ALDEN ADVISED TO COMMENCE OPS AT DISCRETION XXX
US SUBMARINE S-19 DISCOVERED BADLY DAMAGED BUT UNDERWAY WEST OF SAMAR X EXPEDITION HAS SUFFERED SEVERE CASUALTIES BUT HAS RESCUED SEVENTY ONE (71) SURVIVORS TAGRANESI PEOPLE X LT IRVIN LAUMER ALSO BEGS TO REPORT RESCUE XXX
IMPERIAL PERSONNEL X PRINCESS REBECCA ANNE MCDONALD X MIDSHIPMAN STUART BRASSEY XXX
ALLIED PERSONNEL X MIDSHIPMAN ABEL COOK X TAGRANESI LAWRENCE X SISTER AUDRY X CHIEF GUNNER’S MATE DENNIS SILVA X CAPTAIN LELAA-TAL-CLERAAN X MINISTER OF MEDICINE SANDRA TUCKER X GOD THE MAKER BLESS THEM X MESSAGE ENDS XXX
The page began to shake in Matt’s hand and a bright sheen covered his eyes. “My Lord,” he said hoarsely and wiped his face with his sleeve. He cleared his throat. “Uh, please send this to Government House, with my congratulations, to the Governor-Emperor and his wife.”
“What is it, Captain?” Spanky asked.
Matt’s lips formed a genuine, delighted smile, and he handed over the message. “Read it aloud, Spanky, then post a copy. Everybody aboard deserves to see it.” His eyes started to fill again. “Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I’ll . . . take a short nap on my cot in the chart house. I’ll be along shortly with a reply, Mr. Palmer,” he said, and turned away before the tears spilled down his face. “Carry on,” he added, closing the chart house hatch behind him.
Spanky read the message, but then he, Gray, Courtney, Chack, and Palmer remained by the rail in silence. They were exuberant, but also a little uncomfortable. Unspoken, all their thoughts were on Captain Reddy and how this latest news would hit him. He’d always been a rock—but a hot rock will crack when you pour cold water on it. Less than a minute later, to their surprise, Matt banged open the hatch and strode back to face them, a huge grin splitting his lips. His eyes were still red, but no trace of moisture remained.
“Belay that, Palmer,” he commanded. “Let’s go send a reply right now; then I’ll take the message ashore to the Governor-Emperor myself! I’ve got some ideas about this ‘new’ war I’d like to kick around with him anyway.”
“Well, sure, Skipper . . .” Palmer said.
“What about that . . . nap, Captain?” Gray asked, a little concerned. “You been pushin’ yourself awful hard. . . .”
Matt laughed, and the sound was . . . right. “So have you, Boats. So has everybody. The hell with that. All of a sudden, I’m not really tired anymore!”