The Price of Liberty (Empire Rising Book 4) Read online

  “Welcome everyone,” Rear Admiral Rooke said as he stood up from his seat at the front of the room. “Now that the elements from the New France Fleet have joined us, we are up to our full number. In total, we have two battlecruisers, five heavy, seven medium and ten light cruisers, along with fourteen destroyers, sixteen frigates, twenty corvettes and of course, our two exploration cruisers. Our mission is to retake Haven from the Indian fleet and ground forces that invaded the system four months ago. However, it is not our immediate mission.”

  Anywhere else James would have expected a low rumble of surprised whispers to interrupt Rooke’s speech but the navy personnel were too disciplined. Or, James thought as he gazed around the room, they are just too eager to hear what the real mission is.

  “The First Space Lord Admiral Somerville and Prime Minister Fairfax have a plan that they believe will end this war without risking a major fleet battle. While such a prospect may be a disappointment to you, let me remind you, the Indian fleet, whilst not our equal, is still impressive. If we are forced to go toe to toe with them we will lose a lot of ships and crew members. Our fleet is still rebuilding after the war with the Chinese. If we can avoid any unnecessary losses, I believe it is right to do so.

  “That said, it doesn’t mean we aren’t going to take this opportunity by the horns. Rather than going straight for Haven, as the Indians are expecting. Our immediate mission is to break into the rear of the Indian colonies. We are to avoid a major fleet action, but we are going to hit the Indian’s infrastructure and orbital industries as hard as we can. And, if the opportunity arises, we will engage the Indian fleet if and only if, the odds are highly stacked in our favor. After we have devastated the Indian economy, we will turn our attention to Haven. That way, when this war is over, India will no longer be a threat to us. Now, let me go into the finer details of what I propose.”

  As Rear Admiral Rooke continued to outline his plans James listened intently. A lot of what Rooke had in mind depended on where the Indian fleet chose to confront the British. As the Fast Reaction Fleet had left the Sol system, a number of Indian messenger corvettes had been spotted leaving as well. No doubt bringing news to Vice Admiral Khan of the approaching British Fleet. Khan could choose to oppose the British in the Aror System, it was the only way the British could enter the Indian colonies after all, yet such a scenario was unlikely.

  From Aror there were a number of minor systems that the British fleet could attack, but if they wanted to get deeper into the Indian colonies, they would have to go through the New Delhi system. As the capital of the Indian colonies it was heavily defended and so the colony itself wasn’t a viable target for the fleet. Even if there were no Indian warships in the system, Rooke’s fleet would be hard pressed to break through the battlestation in orbit. New Delhi was therefore the most likely place the Indians would choose to make their stand. Though nothing was certain and so the British fleet had to be ready for anything, a point Rooke was making strongly.

  Even so, as James listened, he grew concerned. As he looked around the room, he recognized a number of Captains who had fought in the final battle with the Chinese fleet in the V17 system. That fleet battle had been the largest the British fleet had ever fought in. Though it wasn’t larger than the one that was likely to occur if the British and Indian’s fleets met, there were many things the British fleet should have learnt from it. From James’ memory, the battle had quickly descended into a mess of ships fighting for survival. What Rooke seemed to be proposing was a good idea on paper, but once the missiles began to be thrown about, it could quickly disintegrate. Rooke’s plan seemed to rely on his ships being able to carry out a series of complicated maneuvers while under fire. One wrong move and it could all fall apart.

  Despite his concerns, he kept silent. There were other far more senior Captains in the room and if they weren’t going to say anything, he knew he wasn’t. They had all served with Rooke for many months and no doubt knew more than a few things he didn’t. Perhaps there was more going on that James didn’t know yet.

  “And that is what we are about,” Rooke said. “I requested you all here so you could hear for yourselves what I plan to do. I don’t want there to be any miscommunication once we get into the thick of it. You have each been assigned to separate flotillas, we are going to break now so you can meet with your flotilla commanders and run through the specific roles I expect of each of you. Thank you for your time.”

  Before James could open his datapad to see where Endeavour had been placed, Mallory had already beaten him to it. “Damn,” he whispered. “We are still assigned to the Flagship’s flotilla. And look, Discovery is a part of the raiding squadron that will be commanded by acting Commodore Lightfoot.”

  “Lightfoot?” James queried.

  “Yes, he has been given a field promotion to acting Commodore. Once the fleet breaks past the Indians he will lead his ships deeper into their colonies. That is the squadron we should be in.”

  “Perhaps,” James said, knowing there was no ‘perhaps’ about it. “But we have our orders, come on, let’s go to our briefing.”

  As James walked out of the main briefing room he bumped into Gupta and Lightfoot. “Captain Somerville,” Lightfoot said holding out his hand. “It is good to see you under somewhat better circumstances.”

  “Yes,” James agreed. “It’s nice not to be on trial.”

  “I must apologize for my part in that,” Lightfoot said. “It was a disgrace.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” James replied. “You were just carrying out your duty.”

  “Still, the whole experience left me feeling dirty. None of us are perfect. But you didn’t deserve to be treated the way you were,” Lightfoot said.

  “I’m just happy I am back on Endeavour,” James said. “It’s a pity I won’t be joining your squadron.

  “Indeed,” Lightfoot said. “I could have used you, you have already proven you can handle Endeavour behind enemy lines.”

  “It’s absurd,” Gupta cut in. “You should be with us. With Endeavour, we would be able to do far more damage to the Indians.”

  “I plan to speak to Rooke,” James said. “Hopefully, he will reassign Endeavour.”

  “Well good luck Captain,” Lightfoot said. “We best be going.”

  As Gupta turned to walk away, Lightfoot caught James’ arm. “Be careful James,” he said in a low voice no one else could hear. “I don’t know what is going on between you and the Rear Admiral, but it’s obvious he doesn’t like you. Watch what you say to him.”

  “I’ll be careful,” James said, “thanks for the advice.”

  “Just make sure you look after yourself,” Lightfoot replied.

  “You too,” James said as Lightfoot turned to walk away.

  “What was that about?” Mallory asked. He had been straining to hear what Lightfoot had whispered to James but had been unable to make anything out.

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” James said. “Let’s find out what our role in all this is going to be.”

  “Ok,” Mallory responded.

  When they got to the smaller briefing room assigned to the flagship’s flotilla, James was disappointed to see Rooke wasn’t there. His Flag Captain was taking the briefing instead.

  “Thank you all for coming promptly,” she began. “My name is Captain Sarah Valance. Most of us know each other very well by now so let’s skip past the introductions, except of course, we can welcome Captain Somerville into our midst. Welcome Captain,” Valance said as she peered at James.

  “Thank you,” James said, not sure what else was expected of him. “This is my First Lieutenant, Seamus Mallory,” he added to fill the silence.

  “Well I’m sure I speak for the rest of us when I say we are looking forward to working with you Captain,” Valance said.

  “And I you,” James replied.

  “Very well then,” Valance continued, “let’s get down to business. Your main job throughout our time in Indian sp
ace will be to protect the flagship. We will be fighting as a single unit and we need to understand one another. While Rooke will be commanding the rest of the fleet, I will be responsible for Hood and her flotilla. You will answer directly to me and I to the Rear Admiral. Most of us have already spent the last few months drilling together. Since we left the Sol system we have run a few drills but from now until we get to Indian space we’re going to intensify our drills. We need to be able to operate as a single unit. Endeavour is going to have to fit in to the tactics we have already worked out. I see from your file you’ve served as an escort ship before Captain Somerville?” Valance asked.

  “Yes,” James answered. “Though it was only for a brief time, I’m used to operating on my own. That’s what Endeavour was designed for.”

  “Hopefully you’ll be able to remember what captaining an escort ship entails,” Valance said. “Rear Admiral Rooke has decided that Endeavour will join Hood’s flotilla, it’s our duty to make sure we work together to the best of our ability.”

  “Endeavour will do her best,” James said.

  “I’m sure she will,” Valance replied. “Now, let’s run over a few formations together shall we?”

  For more than an hour James and Mallory sat in almost silence as Valance talked through a number of formations and tactics that the flotilla had already worked out together. Occasionally James asked a clarifying question, but captaining a ship assigned to escort a larger capital ship largely involved simply being told what to do.

  When the briefing came to an end, James leaned over and whispered to Mallory, “Still want your own command?”

  “I think so,” Mallory said, his tone of voice indicating that he was just as disappointed as James that Endeavour wouldn’t be being used to her full potential.

  “You go back to the shuttle,” James said to Mallory. “I want to have a word with Captain Valance, I will be right behind you.”

  “Okay,” Mallory said not needing to guess what James wanted to talk to the Flag Captain about.

  After the room cleared Valance looked up to see James standing in front of her, “Yes Captain?” she asked.

  “I am willing to do my duty,” James said, “no matter what that looks like. If Endeavour is going to escort the flagship, then she’ll be the best escort in the fleet. However, I have to ask, why isn’t Endeavour in the raiding squadron? That’s where she can do the most good, my crew have already shown their ability to fight independently.”

  “That’s not for me to say,” Valance replied. “I simply carry out Rear Admiral Rooke’s orders. If you have a problem with your assignment I suggest you talk to him. I for one am looking forward to working with you Captain. Your past exploits are impressive and I’m sure you have a thing or two to say about our tactics. If we had more time, I would have liked to invite you to dinner on Hood so I could pick your brains, but alas, Rooke will want the fleet to jump into shift space soon. We will just have to talk via COM link.”

  “That we will,” James said. He had more he wanted to ask Valance, but if his time was short, he wanted to try and find Rooke. “I will take my leave then.”

  “Good bye Captain,” Valance said as he turned to go.

  Once out in one of Hood’s main walkways he pulled out his datapad and queried it to find out where Rear Admiral Rooke’s offices were. Following the path his datapad gave him, he arrived outside five minutes later. As he approached the doors they automatically slid open. Admiral Rooke’s flag officer was sitting behind a desk.

  “Captain Somerville, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the flag officer said as he jumped to his feet. “I have been following your exploits since the Void War, I hope one day if I get a command of my own I will prove to be half the captain you are.”

  “Thank you,” James said, not sure how else to reply. “I’m glad I can be an inspiration.”

  “Is there anything I can help you with Sir?” the flag officer asked.

  “Yes,” James replied, “is the Rear Admiral available? I would like to speak with him briefly.”

  “Let me check,” the flag officer said. Looking down at his terminal he tapped a few buttons. Moments later he looked up, “The Rear Admiral says he will see you now Captain, you can go on through.”

  “Thank you,” James replied as he headed towards the door the officer pointed at.

  “Ahh, Captain Somerville, I thought you might be paying me a visit,” Rear Admiral Rooke said from his desk. “I presume you wish to discuss your posting.”

  James had expected some kind of greeting, but if Rear Admiral Rooke was going to do away with formalities, he guessed he should come straight to the point. “Yes,” he said. “You know that Endeavour was designed for the kind of mission you’re sending Lightfoot’s squadron on. Discovery is in his squadron; I would like to request that Endeavour be assigned to Lightfoot’s command as well. It is where we can best serve the fleet.”

  “I will be the judge of where you can best serve the fleet,” Rooke replied standing to his feet. “And I will tell you what I know. You were only found not guilty in your court martial because the King and the Prime Minister intervened on your behalf. And in doing so they made a fool of Admiral Blackwood. Who I might add, I believe was right. Your past actions smack of an insubordinate Captain who doesn’t know how to follow orders. That you are here now only confirms my suspicions.

  “I accepted you into my fleet because I respect your uncle and though I think he is biased in this case, I’m willing to respect his judgement. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to risk my fleet and my orders. As far as I’m concerned, you’re going to sit out the rest of this war right under my nose where I can keep an eye on you.”

  As James made to protest Rooke raised his hand. “We are tens of light years away from your uncle now. My mind is made up, there’s nothing he can do to help you and there’s nothing you can say to change it. If you really want to do your duty and love the Navy as you claim to, then accept my orders, go back to your ship, and carry out the role I have given you.”

  James was stunned. He didn’t know what to say. He had expected Rooke to be difficult, but not openly hostile. For a second he paused to collect his thoughts. What can I say? he asked himself. When no answer was forthcoming he decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

  “I understand Sir,” he said. “If that’s what you want, then you’re right, there’s nothing I can do about it, I will take my leave then.”

  “Good,” Rooke said. “And remember, I will be watching you.”

  Struggling to contain his anger, James strode out of Rooke’s office, he didn’t want the Rear Admiral to think he had got to him. He didn’t even notice the flag officer and the stunned expression on his face that James was returning so quickly.

  When he got back to the shuttle, Mallory knew immediately something was wrong from the way James threw himself into one of the shuttle’s seats. Just as he was about to ask what happened, the look in James’ eyes stopped him dead in his tracks.

  James’ tone confirmed he had made the right decision. “Take us back to Endeavour,” James practically shouted at the shuttle’s pilot.

  The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Whatever happened, Mallory thought, it didn’t go well. I guess Endeavour won’t be joining Discovery anytime soon.

  Chapter 4 – Raid on Aror

  The Empire spans thousands of systems and hundreds of inhabitable worlds. Economically, the loss of a world’s orbital industry would mean nothing to the Empire. Even the destruction of a Second-Tier colony would barely cause a ripple. Politically, things are very different. An attack on even one human is seen as an attack on all of mankind. Our enemies have learnt this the hard way.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD

  3rd July 2467 AD, HMS Discovery, edge of the Aror System

  Gupta closed her eyes as she felt the slight tremor run through Discovery as her ship exited shift space. On more than one occasion she had been mocked for her cust
om, it was a habit she formed when she first went into space. Exiting shift space just felt unnatural to her and while everyone else kept their eyes open she always had an irresistible urge to shut them.

  As soon as she was sure her ship was out of shift space, her eyes shot open and went to the holo projector at the center of Discovery’s bridge. Within seconds it updated as Discovery’s finely tuned sensors picked up stray emissions of electromagnetic energy.

  “The gravimetric plot is clear,” her Sensor Officer called. “I’m getting readings from the fourth planet where the Indian colony is. Apart from that, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of life in the system.”

  “It’s almost too quiet,” Gupta said. “Take us forward and launch a spread of recon probes.”

  Forty minutes later, Discovery crossed over the mass shadow created by Aror’s sun. If the Indians had a significant number of warships in the system, they would either stay in orbit over the colony or right here, guarding the shift passage exit.