The Delkar Job Prologue
23 Jan 2017Jellicoe
OOC this is another buggering up of the chronological order of my stuff. I had written this before I started Operation Prism but lost the notebook, Operation Prism is intended to be a collaborative story so I need something to do while my cowriter finishes his bit and having found the notebook decided to finish this. The following occurs immediately after the First of the Few.My summons to Nanomam was short, terse and completely unexpected, having still received no word from Admiral Craddock and as I had largely abandoned privateer work for the president I had assumed that I would be left to my own devices, the coded transmission proved otherwise. I gave my crew a fortnights leave and took a naval transport to Gresley Dock where I notified command, booked into a hotel and settled down to wait to be seen. I knew from experience that those officers in line for the plum postings are seen on the day they arrive, those in the brass's good books the following day, middling commanders after two days and those out of favour three. I had been in Nanomam for five days before being summoned to the admirals office and knocked on the door with some concern, a concern which only increased when I noticed that Craddocks' name had been replaced by a new sign reading 'Admiral S Sleer.'
"Come." Came a sharp, female voice and I entered the room to see a small woman in the uniform of a full admiral sitting behind what had been Craddocks' desk. She was attractive in a severe sort of way with short, almost black hair and sharp, angular features. She sat reading her data-slate while studiously ignoring me for several minutes in the way senior officers do when they want to make their juniors feel uncomfortable before giving me her attention.
"Rear Admiral." She made the words sound more like an insult than a rank.
"Ma'am." I replied politely.
"Would you explain to me exactly what you have been doing since leaving your posting in Ra?"
"I fought in the Pleiades campaign Ma'am, a commendation from my commanding officer should be in my file, since then I've been attending to to my business interests and personal affairs."
"It is your personal affairs which concern me the most." She said in a voice that could have cut steel. "What is your interest in Raan Corsen?"
"I'm a curious sort of fellow."
She raised a single eyebrow, a look of amused disbelief on her face and a dangerous twinkle in her eye. "Were you in Cemiess?" She asked.
"I've been there."
"You know what I mean."
"Am I being accused of something?" I asked.
"Not yet." She gave me a long look through her eyelashes of the kind powerful women do when they wish to intimidate their male underlings without using overt femininity. "You're playing an extremely dangerous game Mr Jellicoe, be very careful you don't push your luck too far." Her eyes glittered and her already severe beauty oozed menace.
"With respect Ma'am I'm assigned to Admiral Craddocks' command."
Her mouth turned up very slightly and her eyes gleamed with triumph and contempt. "Admiral Craddock has been placed on indefinite medical leave, while we all hope he will one day be able to resume his duties until that happens I have taken over his desk. From now on you report to me." We both knew what indefinite medical leave meant and I was sure we both knew the game Craddock had been playing, and that he had embroiled me in. It appeared he had lost, which had put me in an extremely dangerous position. "Your last official posting, "she put great emphasis on the word 'official' giving me to suspect she knew at least some of what I had been up to in the Pegasai, "was to the Federal Reclamation Co. Why did you abandon that?" Her voice held a threatening edge.
"The FRC was a front corporation set up to keep the Empire out of Ra, when that was achieved it was mothballed until it was assigned a system."
"It has now been assigned one, the Delkar system."
"I suppose I should report there then?" I asked with a hint of levity.
"Indeed you should Rear Admiral." She replied with no hint of mirth, again making my rank sound like an insult. "I have been reviewing your crew, I'm promoting Skirving to Post Commander and making him your first officer."
"I already have a first officer." I replied.
"Dismiss him. And give very serious thought to replacing your tactical officer. Their records are not fitting to service on a Federal warship."
"Ma'am, with respect, my commission is in the Auxiliary, that means my ship is owned by me personally not the navy and while regulations allow me to be offered regular personnel all appointments regarding crew rest with me alone."
She gave me a smile of pure malice. "Mr Jellicoe I could have you charged with obstructing a Federal investigation, misuse of navy personnel for purposes contrary to the public good and abuse of your rank and authorisation over the MetaDrives affair alone."
"Oh come on I obstructed nothing and everything I found out I shared with Beskov and the navy, all personnel were assigned to me personally to be used as I saw fit. The most you could pin on me is abuse of rank which is what? A reprimand and loss of seniority, I'll take that over losing two trusted friends."
Her smile never faded though her eyes flashed. "From now on your navy personnel are for use on Federal missions only." She said in a voice as cold as ice "And I suggest you make sure I receive the most glowing reports from Delkar about both your performance and your loyalty. Now get out of my sight."
That night I dined at the Hinde Club with Captain Somerville, once Admiral Craddock's adjutant now attached to Sleer's staff.
"You do realise you're probably committing career suicide being seen with me?" He said with a grim chuckle.
"I suspect I've done a good enough job of that myself." I replied. "What have you done though? You're one of the best captains on the list."
"I was too close to Craddock, I kept his secrets, hid the things he wanted hidden. As soon as Sleer realises I'm not going to share them with her I'll be shunted off to some dead end posting in the middle of nowhere and left to rot."
"Where is Craddock?" I asked.
"That's the question. Officially he's on medical leave on Mars but the truth is nobody knows. He thought he was onto something and I hope he was right, there's something very dark at work Stannis, and the navy's being drawn into its web."
"Who's this Sleer? I'd never heard of her till this morning?"
"A lot of people have been asking that. Meteoric rise, was given a battlecruiser at thirty two, full admiral before forty. She's exceptionally intelligent, very driven and entirely without scruple."
"Friends in high places I assume?"
"Of course." He laughed without humour. "Tenim Neseva is a particular admirer of hers, as is Karl Devene. She's also very ruthless and is climbing up the service one body at a time, not always metaphorically if the rumours are true. You were close to Craddock so watch your back. Literally."
I nodded. "Have you heard anything from Craddock?"
"Very little. He did give me a message for you though on strict orders only to pass it on in person."
"Yes?" I asked with interest.
"Nothing concrete just two words, he doesn't know what they mean but he's convinced they're significant. Keep a look out for any mentions of 'dynasty' or 'exodus.'"