Chapter 17 - Backdoor Dealings
Upon entering the CIC, Berger and Jonathan found there was fluster of activity among all the operators and officers who were manning their respective display screens and computers. Captain Baren, Major Brandt and the young Sergeant Evans were among them.
"Report!" Berger ordered as he approached Brandt.
"General Dolmen finally made contact with us about five minutes ago," replied Brandt. "He reports that the Württemberg has taken severe damage with half of her engines knocked out."
"Good Gosh…" muttered Berger. "Can you put me through to the Württemberg?"
"Yes sir, we have General Dolmen on the line along with Commodore Davenport from the Dauntless."
Just then Otto entered the CIC and approached Jonathan.
"What's going on?"
"General Dolmen's forces have been attacked," Jonathan answered.
"Is it that space fortress again?" asked Otto. "Or the Gatlanteans?"
Jonathan shook his head. "I'm not sure Mr Geizeler... I'm not sure..."
Opening up on the big main viewscreen, the video call split into two halves with one showing Davenport with his clean pristine bridge of the Dauntless, while the other showed General Dolmen who was as rough and banged up as the Württemberg's bridge which was dimly lit and filled with smoke.
"Colonel Berger, good to see you again," greeted Dolmen. "Good work on saving Kaldaria 3 and finding the Audacious!"
"Likewise, General Dolmen," Berger replied. "What happened? Were you attacked by the Gatlanteans?"
Dolmen's face dropped to a serious frown. "We're not sure what hit us to be honest. We were patrolling near the Levia Asteroid Belt two hours ago when all of a sudden we were struck by a couple of torpedoes that just came out of nowhere."
Jonathan's eyes went wide at the mention of Levia Asteroid Belt.
"Out of nowhere?" Berger asked.
"Yes, we couldn't detect any ships or spacecraft bombers that could have launched those missiles from the directions they fired," confirmed Dolmen. "After the first salvos destroyed two of my cruisers and four destroyers, I dispatched a couple of my escort ships to the vector where the torpedoes had appeared in our radar scopes, but they found nothing. The second volley of torpedoes came in from a different direction from the first which mortally wounded the astro battleship Heureux and sank one of the Terron Kongos."
"Which one?" asked Davenport in concern.
"I think was the UNCF Kako," replied Dolmen. "Two of your patrol frigates were also sunk in that attack. At that point, I ordered the rest of the fleet to make a hasty retreat out of the sector to avoid whatever had attacked us at full speed. I thought we were in the clear, but eight minutes later, a third wave of torpedoes struck us from the front. That was the most devastating attack as it destroyed nearly eight of my ships and severely damaged the Württemberg's bow. I had enough and decided for all ships to make an emergency Geschtam Jump. But just seconds before we could exit the sector, a fifth and final wave of torpedoes struck our rear. That's when the Württemberg's port engines were knocked out. But thankfully, we managed to make the jump and found ourselves near the Llaretis System."
"Good Gosh," muttered Brandt. "That sounds like a massacre."
"Are you sure you couldn't detect a single enemy ship or spacecraft?" asked Davenport skeptically. "I had two of our patrol cruisers attached to your task force and they have the best radars and sensors of our fleet. And you're telling me they didn't even find anything that could have launched those torpedoes?"
"Believe me Commodore Davenport, they tried," insisted Dolmen. "They even scanned for any spatial wave motion echoes for traces of a possible SMITE teleportation, but none were found. The captain of the UNCF Glasgow was up in arms and cursing about their inability to find any hostile contacts and was wondering if they were dealing with witchcraft!"
As Berger pondered over what could have attacked Dolmen's fleet, he noticed that Jonathan's face was white as sheet. "Commander Lee is there something wrong?"
"The Levia Asteroid Belt…" Jonathan replied shakily. "After the Audacious escaped the destruction of Garmillan Starbase 239, we arrived at the Levia Asteroid Belt to temporary hide there for repairs… If we had stayed there and didn't head off to Kaldaria 3… Damn, I guess I made the right call to leave once basic repairs were done. It could have been us."
"Actually… I think we were luckier than you think we are," said Otto uneasily.
"What do you mean?" asked Jonathan.
"I finished reviewing the data logs from Garmillan Starbase 239, and the description of the attack on the space port is eerily similar to the attack on Dolmen's fleet."
"Wait," said Evans as an awful realization began to sink in with everyone present. "Are you suggesting that-"
"The same enemy that crippled Starbase 239 also attacked Dolmen's fleet?" finished Otto. "Yes, I think there's a strong possibility. The only recoverable data logs were the first forty minutes of the attack on the space port. But from what I observed, the sentry ships that were guarding Starbase 239 were also destroyed by an unseen enemy and were all picked off one by one. All of their crews reported that they were being attacked by waves of torpedoes and missiles that seemingly appeared out of thin air."
"Yeah, that sounds about what happened to us," replied Dolmen. "The only exception is that we lived to tell the tale."
"Mr Geiszler, is there anything else you found that could give us any clues to who attacked both Dolmen's ships and the starbase?" asked Berger anxiously.
"I-I-" Otto began stuttering as all eyes were focused on him. "Erm… I'm… really sorry! There isn't that much. Most of the recorded data after Starbase 239's defenses were either destroyed or corrupted. The last report that the base commander mentioned was that there were Gatlantean Needleslaves that had breached the space port's interior… After that nothing…"
"Well that is a start," said Brandt. "I think we can safely assume that whoever destroyed the sentry ships and crippled Starbase 239 are either Gatlanteans or someone that has full access to their tech."
"I agree," Jonathan added. "This also confirms that the Needleslaves we encountered inside the ruined space port were from the first attack on the starbase. That Gatlantean fleet we encountered must have been sent to finish the job. Good thing we got out of there before that enemy Medulusa-class battleship blew it to kingdom come with its firestorm direct strike cannon."
"Wait a minute, hold it for one second," said one of the Garmillan lieutenants. "Considering that both Garmillan Starbase 239 and Dolmen's fleet were attacked by an enemy that couldn't be seen. Does this mean that the Gatlantean's now have stealth technology?"
A pregnant pause filled the CIC as everyone began to realize the terrifying possibility and consequences of Gatlantis capable of having such a technological power.
"By the holy light of Iscandar," gasped Evans aloud. "We're so screwed!"
"How do you beat enemy ships that we can't even see?" exclaimed one of the lieutenants.
"Calm down," replied Baren, who was trying to cool the escalating hysteria that now gripped the entire CIC. "If it's just stealth ships we could eventually develop the means to detect and track them down!"
"What if it isn't stealth ships?" cried another who began to panic. "What if the Gatlanteans actually stole our dimensional submarines' technology and adapted it to their ships!? Those things would be virtually untouchable even if we calculated the trajectory of their torpedo attacks!"
"If we can't even track them, they'll be able to get though all our detection and radar grid nets and probably penetrate deep into our space and attack all our planets with impunity!"
"Zaltz, Vesper, New Alteria, Malan, our home planet of Garmillas and even Iscandar itself could be attacked without warning!"
At this point, the entire CIC erupted in mass panic as everyone began arguing and yelling about all the worse possible scenarios that Gatlantis could wreak havoc on. Jonathan watched as both Baren and Brandt tried to calm their crew members down but to no avail.
"SILENCE!" Berger roared which prompted everyone to zip their mouths shut and look at the stoic Garmillan commander.
"We're not going to panic and cower in fear just because Gatlantis now has either stealth or dimensional technology," continue Berger with firm determination. "This isn't the first time they have bested us with stolen or new technology. As soldiers of Garmillans, we don't give in or give up when things go tough! If we can gather more data and information regarding these sneak attacks with the help of our resourceful terron allies, we will find a weakness and develop a countermeasure against whatever the Gatlanteans have been using against us. Rest assure, we shall crush those cowardly green barbarians and send them back to extinction where they belong! Is that understood?"
"Zar Belk!" replied all the Garmillan men inside the CIC.
"Good," Berger nodded his head in approval. "Now get back to work!"
As everyone went back to their stations, Jonathan looked at Berger with a sense of awe. Even though Berger had recently expressed his own doubts on whether he could continue Domel's legacy, he certainly was able to boost morale and build confidence in his men the same way that his late superior officer did.
"Colonel Berger," said Davenport from the main viewscreen. "I think it would be best if we continued our discussion in a more discreet location."
"Of course," replied Berger. "We'll talk in the conference room like before. I'll see you later in half an hour."
As the most of Berger's command staff left the CIC, Jonathan noticed Otto sighing.
"What's wrong?" asked Jonathan.
"Me and my big mouth," mumbled Otto. "I shouldn't have spoken aloud about what I found out about the first attack at 239 in CIC."
"That's okay Otto," Jonathan reassured him as both exited the CIC. "Honestly, we should have resumed communications with both General Dolmen and Commodore Davenport in a more secure room in the first place."
"Yeah, I guess."
"How's Anika by the way?" asked Jonathan anxiously. "Is… Is She feeling okay?"
"She feels miserable alright," answered Otto. "She regrets for having lashed out at Berger over the incident with that old SO of hers. Miss Welmer despises him for blackening Major Langscroff during his court martial."
"So I heard," Jonathan replied. "Did you also tell her that Berger asked me to come to his quarters?"
"Yeah, she didn't take it well," said Otto uneasily. "She really distrusts him. What did the Colonel want to discuss with you in his quarters by the way?"
Jonathan was silent, he had promised Berger not to tell anyone regarding most of the details regarding that ill-fated mission but nevertheless felt compelled to answer Otto honestly.
"Nothing that I'm allowed to share," said Jonathan. "But all I can say is that Colonel Berger has his sins and had make up for them. He isn't proud of what he did."
"I see…" replied Otto. "I guess decorated heroes do have their dark moments..."
"Indeed they do," mumbled Jonathan quietly as he briefly remembered how he was awarded a medal for his 'valor' on the Dover.
"Boy things have gotten really depressing," sighed Otto in frustration. "Especially with Lieutenant Commander Welmer getting herself detained in the brig. If only we could find some way to help her... But to go up against that Major..."
Jonathan suddenly stopped in his tracks and remembered something.
Otto looked back and saw Jonathan gazing at one of the adjacent corridors that led away from the direction of the conference room. "What is it Commander?"
"I just remembered something that could be useful," replied Jonathan as he dashed towards the corridor. "I'm going back to the Seagull transport in the starboard auxiliary hangar. I'll catch you up later in the conference room."
"But what about the rest of the post-battle debriefs we're suppose to do?" asked Otto.
"You can handle them on your own for the moment! Won't be long!" yelled Jonathan as he disappeared from the distant corner.
"B-b-but I…" stammered a flabbergasted Otto as the thought of talking to the senior officers of both Garmillas and the UNCF on his own intimidated him to the core.
Realizing that he had no other choice but to go ahead without Jonathan, Otto sighed helplessly and resumed his stroll down the opposite direction. "First Miss Welmer goes into the brig and then Commander Lee runs off on his own," Otto moped to himself. "Am I seriously the only one left in this group? What a debriefing mission this has become…"
21st October 2204 – Sector NGC 1869 – UNCF Dauntless
Inside the bridge of the UNCF Dauntless, Commodore Davenport was currently discussing with his command staff regarding the dire situation. Unlike some of the D-class ships in UNCF, the Dauntless was given a command bridge which had more consoles than a typical Dreadnought which meant it was manned by a larger bridge crew to suit her role as a fleet flagship.
"Right gentlemen, you've heard from the young Garmillan lad and General Dolmen," said Davenport. "Apparently the Gatlanteans now have stealth technology which allows them to strike our ships with complete immunity. As such, we need redistribute our forces in the LMC to help support our Garmillan allies and hold the line till reinforcements from the Milky Way can come. If Earth's command permits it."
"Forgive me sir, what good would it do by bringing in more ships?" asked Lieutenant George O'Hare, the chief weapons officer of the Dauntless. "If these 'resurrected' Gatlanteans do indeed have stealth technology, we would be sentencing them to the same fate as Garmillan Starbase 239 and Dolmen's fleet, especially since our patrol cruisers were unable to detect them."
"That remains to be seen," replied Davenport skeptically. "I still doubt that our patrol cruisers failed to even detect even a trace of a faint contact considering their surveillance abilities. Once I look though the post-action reports of both the Glasgow and the Jintsū, I'll determine whether our SEWC (Space Early Warning and Control) cruisers' radar and sensors are indeed fully blind to whatever tricks the Gatlanteans have under their sleeves. Until then, I'm requesting General Serizawa and Admiral Todo for a few more Dreadnought task groups with patrol cruisers to be sent to the LMC to help us out."
Turning to his comms officer who was working at his console. "Lieutenant Mullroy."
"Yes sir?"
"Has Earth Command responded to our report regarding the return of Gatlantean ships?"
"Not yet sir," Mullory replied.
"Very well, inform me once they reply."
Turning back his attention to his staff, Davenport continued. "In the meantime, we'll need to redistribute some ships to reinforce the Audacious. With the loss of her escorts, she'll be needing new ones. Also, I want a senior commander to take charge of that new flotilla. I don't trust overall command be given to a young acting captain who is far too young and impulsive to handle an Andromeda-class battleship."
Theodore grimaced at the lofty remark of his old academy classmate which caught the notice of his superior officer.
"Something wrong Lieutenant Commander Gregson?"
"No sir, I don't disagree with you placing overall command of the new flotilla with someone with more seniority," replied Theodore. "But with all due respect, Commander Lee may be aggressive, but he isn't stupid. He's one of the smartest and talented tactical officers I know. You shouldn't dismiss him so easily because of his age."
"Thank you Mr Gregson, but I'll be the judge of that," replied Davenport flatly. "For the record, I need you to appoint a new CO for the flotilla based around the Audacious. Preferably from one of our two patrol cruisers. It's either Commander Dobson from the Southampton or Commander Vivian from the Manchester. Once you selected your man, have him come to my quarters for the upcoming meeting."
"Aye Commodore," replied Theodore as he received a data tablet for him to look though.
"Alright, you may be dismissed gentlemen," said Davenport.
Before Davenport left the bridge for his quarters with Gregson in tow, Mullroy suddenly called up from the comms console. "Lieutenant Commander Gregson! There's someone calling for you from the comms! It's urgent"
Theodore raised an eyebrow. Who could possibly be calling him around this time? Looking back at Davenport he gave an apologetic look which prompted the Commodore to quietly allow Theodore to respond to the call with a discreet nod. Right after Davenport left the bridge, Theodore promptly went over to the comms console and wore the headset to talk to whoever was paging for him.
"Hello? Lieutenant Commander Gregson here. Who is this?"
"Hey Theo! It's me!" came the voice of Jonathan.
"Jonathan? Hey buddy how you're doing? So glad you're still alive! Had me worried when your ship suddenly went silent."
"Same here," replied Jonathan. "Was relieved to hear that the Dauntless was still intact too!"
"Hold on a second," Theodore frowned. "How and why are you directly contacting me all of the sudden? Aren't you supposed to be in the Neu Balgray's conference room by now?"
"Listen, I don't have much time," replied Jonathan in an urgent tone. "I'm contacting you from the Seagull's comms via a piggyback transmission from the Audacious to you. Which thankfully I may add, finally got its comm fixed at last."
"Why the secrecy though?" asked Theodore. "Can't you just call from the Neu Balgray's comms instead?"
"Unfortunately I can't. At least not when Major Brandt is around! Look, I know Commodore Davenport is probably going to send some ships to reinforce the Audacious if my ship is still going to be deployed in operations against Gatlantis. I'm guessing that the flotilla command will be centered on a patrol cruiser. Am I right?"
"Yes, you're spot on about that," replied Theodore. "Why do you ask?"
"Is there any senior officer aboard those Edinburgh-class ships that served aboard the Indefatigable?" Jonathan asked. "Specifically, around the time I was serving aboard the Kongo-class vessel?"
"I'm not sure," replied Theodore as he went through the crew listing of both ships from his tablet. "It will take a while to look through the crew manifest of both the Southampton and the Manchester. I was actually just tasked to assign one of their captains to lead the flotilla you spoke off. Once I choose my candidate, he'll be brought aboard the Dauntless for the upcoming meeting. I'm either going to pick Commander Dobson of the Southampton or Commander Vivian from the Manchester-"
"Wait, hold it right there!" exclaimed Jonathan's voice. "Did you say Commander Vivian? As in Jacob Vivian!?"
"Just a second, let me check," replied Theodore as he scrolled though the list to find the CO of the Manchester. A few seconds later, Theodore found his answer. "Well what do you know, that's him alright! You know him?"
"Yeah, he was one of my senior officers aboard the Indefatigable and Captain Pellew's second in command. He is a good friend too as he helped me adapt to life aboard that ship."
"I see… And I presume you would want him to be the CO of your flotilla, right? May I ask why?"
"Look, what I'm asking is not for my benefit but for somebody else," replied Jonathan. "This is also a strategical decision that will benefit my ship and crew for the hard days ahead. However, I want you to keep my involvement in this a secret for now. I know it sounds crazy, but I need you to trust me on this one! Could you do that for me please?"
Theodore sighed, although he would possibly get into trouble with Davenport for this request, he knew he couldn't let his friend down.
"Alright, I'll do it," replied Theodore after thinking about it for a minute. "But you're going to be owing me more than just that bet you paid me recently!"
Jonathan chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you later I promise. Anyway, I got to go now before the rest start wondering when I'm going to up. Remember to get Commander Vivian and the Manchester!"
"Ok but Jonathan, why exactly are you-" Theodore couldn't finish his sentence as the call was cut off.
"Damn it…" Theodore muttered to himself. "I guess I'll ask him later."
21st October 2204 – Kaladria 3 – Neu Balgray
The debriefing inside the conference room went well as expected. Both Jonathan and Otto continued to explain in detail regarding the events that happened inside Garmillan Starbase 239 to their respective superiors. However, when they came to the part where Erickson was killed near the terminal docking bay, Jonathan stumbled on some of his words as he recalled that traumatic event. After he had finished, there was a silent paused as the higher-ranking officers took a while to absorb the details of Erickson's demise. This made Jonathan nervous and wondered if he was going to be punished for what had happened.
"It's unfortunate how Erickson was killed," said Davenport quietly. "But considering the circumstances, I don't think it could have been avoided. No need to mope about it, Commander Lee."
"Yes sir," replied Jonathan in a whisper.
Although Jonathan was relieved that there was no blame being placed on him, he still felt somewhat responsible for Erickson's death.
"So, if Erickson was killed and you sprained your arm, who exactly took over the helm of the Audacious?" asked Davenport.
"Oh… About that," Jonathan stammered slightly. "I erm… Gave Lieutenant Commander Welmer the control of the helm."
"I'm sorry, you did what?" exclaimed Davenport, clearly displeased by Jonathan's answer.
"This is outrageous!" roared Brandt, clearly both shocked and enraged Jonathan's answer. "You let a Zalti take control of the helm of your ship!?"
"Brandt!" Berger glared back at Brandt for mentioning Anika's heritage irrelevantly.
"Apologies Colonel," mumbled the Major as he controlled himself. "I was just expressing my disapproval for that Terron captain giving control of one of the most powerful ships in the Cosmo Navy to a… questionable candidate."
"Care to explain Commander Lee?" asked Dolmen from the main screen. "Why pick a Garmillan officer? Especially if she has no experience or knowledge of using the controls of a Terron ship. How did she learnt to use the controls so quickly?"
"With all due respect General," answered Jonathan. "Miss Welmer actually has experience operating a Terron helm interface. Specifically when she was on the Indefatigable during the Battle of Kelpier System during the early Earth-Garmillas joint missions. You should look it up. It took her a few minutes to get used to the controls as they were more modern than the old Kongo's, but she mastered it pretty well!"
"It's true!" added Otto as he brought up a visual display of the Audacious' flight path during the battle for everyone to see. "The way she maneuvered the Audacious was beautifully done! You should have seen her weaving and dodging all those enemy ships like a fighter pilot! If it hadn't been for her, we wouldn't have broken though the Gatlantean ships!"
"Yes, thank you Mr Geizeler," said Brandt flatly. "You don't need to describe in detail of Miss Welmer's piloting abilities as you clearly have shown us on the screens."
"Impressive indeed," commented Davenport although he shot a glare of displeasure at Jonathan. "I'll admit that I've never seen anyone pilot an Andromeda so proficiently. Especially considering how quick she was to master it. However, like Major Brandt has expressed, I'm not pleased that you let a minor Garmillan officer be given the controls of one of our most powerful ships. That is a security risk that shouldn't be taken so lightly."
"Believe me sir, I didn't," replied Jonathan firmly. "I wouldn't give her access to the helm if I knew I couldn't trust her. I've known her long enough to know she isn't the kind to betray her allies or her own country regardless of what skin color she has."
Jonathan shot a glare at Brandt who said nothing in return.
"Anyway," continued Jonathan. "After we destroyed the last enemy battleship, we warped to the Levia Asteroid Belt where we hid inside one of the larger hollowed asteroids to do basic repairs on the Audacious and later had a memorial service for the fallen. Between that time, I made the call to head to one of the nearby planetary bases to borrow its long-range comms to contact either the Dauntless or Württemberg regarding the disaster at Garmillan Starbase 239 and of course our first contact with that mobile space fortress. Unfortunately…"
"Unfortunately what?" asked Davenport as his eyes narrowed.
"Well we had a hiccup on getting permission from Kaldaria 3 to borrow their comms," replied Jonathan uneasily. "The base commander's aide was… Stubborn to reason with… Took nearly three hours to finally get through to Major Goer. So, we just spent most of our time finishing our repairs."
"Yes, we know," replied Berger. "Major Goer and Captain Kolin told us the rest of the story. And rest assured, we've taken care of Gisilbert and given him an appropriate punishment."
Jonathan sighed in relief. "Thank you…"
"Anyway we don't have time to discuss further details regarding the Skirmish at Kaldaira 3," said Dolmen as moved the discussion to the main current crisis. "You'll all just have to send us further witness reports along with Lieutenant Commander Welmer's as well. Right now, due to the current state of emergency, I would like our forces to be redistributed to contain and deal with the resurgence of Gatlantis. If they're indeed responsible behind all these attacks."
"What about your flagship General Dolmen?" asked Berger. "Do you require my task force to escort you to a friendly base for repairs?"
"That won't be necessary Colonel Berger, but I appreciate the offer," replied Dolmen. "I already got another task force to come and aid the Württemberg and her remaining escorts. In addition, my Geschtam engines have almost been repaired and we should be able to get underway soon."
Dolmen soon turned his attention to the commanding officer of the Dauntless. "Commodore Davenport. I've decided to detach the remaining Terron ships from my task force and divert it to yours. Has Earth called you back regarding the situation here in the LMC?"
"Not yet," replied Davenport. "But if Earth Command does approve of my request to continue rendering assistance to your forces, we're more than ready and eager to stay here and fight."
Davenport turned to Jonathan. "Commander Lee, what's the status of the Audacious? I know she has taken some damage in the previous battles you fought in and has a mostly green crew. Will you be able to continue combat operations for the next couple of weeks?"
"Yes sir," replied Jonathan wholeheartedly. "Although we did take some severe hull damage, my chief engineer recently reported to me that it can be fully repaired thanks to the internal factory installed inside the ship, which means we can easily manufacture spare hull plating parts. In addition, most of our weapons systems were undamaged during the fight which means we're still fully combat capable."
"How soon can you be fully repaired and get underway?" asked Davenport.
"Best estimates, I think about thirty hours. But I reckon most of our serious damage will be repaired in half that time," Jonathan added.
"Very well, you have fifteen hours to get your ship and crew ready for combat," replied Davenport. "Since your escorts were destroyed in the previous two battles, I've already arranged for ships from my task force to rendezvous with you to form a new flotilla around your battleship. This includes the patrol cruiser Manchester, the old Kongo-class Thunder Child, and four other Fubuki-class frigates."
"Understood sir," replied Jonathan. "And… will the Audacious still maintain the role of flotilla flagship?"
"No, overall command will be given to someone with higher seniority," replied Davenport as he gestured for someone to come into view. "Step forward please."
Soon, a burly but lean officer in his late-20s stepped into view, Jonathan forced himself to suppress the big grin on his face when he saw his old shipmate from the Indefatigable.
"This is Commander Jacob Vivian of the Manchester," introduced Davenport. "He's agreed to take overall command of the flotilla. Although you still have command of your ship. All strategical and tactical decisions regarding any action will be need to be approved by him. Are we clear?"
"Crystal!" replied Jonathan.
"Hello Commander Lee," said Vivian with a friendly smile on his face. "It's been a while."
"Likewise Commander Vivian!" Jonathan beamed. "I see you've gotten a command of your own! How's life aboard one of those patrol cruisers?"
"Pretty good," said Vivian with a chuckle. "A bit cramped but this elegant lady is very capable! We've got radars and sensors with abilities that would make the Yamato and your new Andromeda envious."
"You two know each other?" asked Davenport.
"Of course," replied Vivian. "He was one of the junior officers aboard my old ship, the Indefatigable, he was quite the troubled and boisterous character back then. But eventually Captain Pellew and I trained him into the fine tactical officer he is now."
Jonathan chuckled nervously as he remembered his old days.
"But rest assured Commodore, if Commander Lee tries to do something reckless or foolish," added Vivian firmly. "I'll keep him in line."
"Good," said Davenport. "In that case, you may prepare your ship and the rest of the flotilla to rendezvous with the Audacious."
"Hold on Davenport, there is one more thing," interrupted Dolmen. "Considering that Terron vessels are now operating in wartime conditions deep inside Garmillas territory, I would like to appoint a couple of Garmillan observers on some of your ships to make sure the actions of their respective commanders are in line with the interests of Garmillas."
"I'm already on it General," replied Brandt. "I've already selected a candidate from our ship to be the Garmillan envoy for the Audacious."
"Really? That was unusually fast," commented Davenport suspiciously. "I would've preferred if you had informed me of this matter beforehand."
"It's called being prepared for all scenarios Commodore," replied Brandt dryly. "Besides I wouldn't want a powerful Terron battleship to be going around the LMC without supervision. Especially, with someone like Commander Lee getting involved in things that shouldn't be of his concern."
"And what would that be Major?" asked Jonathan as he narrowed his eyes in irritation at Brandt.
"Matters that might compromise the good of the Garmillas itself," said Brandt as he glared at the young Terron captain with contempt.
"Brandt, that's enough!" Berger gave a warning glare at his aide before turning his attention to Jonathan. "Rest assured my fellow Terron allies, this was done under my supervision. I can assure you that there are no ill intentions upon that appointment. Besides, it's just a temporary posting till the crisis has been resolved. I hope you don't mind it Commander Lee."
"Well I do!" Jonathan argued. "I mean no offense, but I don't think my crew will be comfortable with having some random Garmillan officer they don't even know watching every single thing they do aboard my ship!"
"That's true," agreed Baren. "I don't think those young lads will like the candidate you chosen Brandt. He may be a logical choice, but his bedside manner might alienate them."
"Exactly," replied Jonathan. "Which is why I propose that in addition to having an observer to monitor the crew of the Audacious, there should be an aide to mediate relations between the crew and the observer to ease unnecessary tensions."
"That's sounds like a good idea," said Davenport. "We had occasions where Garmillan observers brought in aides aboard Terron ships to help ease tensions between both our crews and yours."
Davenport turned to Vivian. "I presume you had one on Pellew's old ship am I not correct?"
"That we did sir," replied Vivian. "The one we had was extremely useful in helping to simmer down grudges that some of my old crewmates had against Garmillans after the end of the other war."
"And who exactly are you suggesting Commander?" asked Berger. "Sub Lieutenant Geiszler perhaps?"
Otto nearly jumped at his seat at the mention of his name as everyone looked at him. "M-m-me!?"
"No, he's too anxious and nervous to fill in that role," replied Jonathan. "But I would still like to keep him aboard to help us devise a countermeasure against those stealth ships. The candidate I'm proposing is Lieutenant Commander Anika Welmer."
At the mention of Anika's name, Brandt, as predicted, venomously protested. "Out of the question! That Zalti girl is to remain confined to the brig and serve her sentence for disrespecting Colonel Berger!"
"Wait a minute, did you just say Anika Welmer?" came the voice of Vivian.
"That's right," replied Brandt scornfully. "That young miss bluntly insulted and accused Colonel Berger over a four-year old event that has no relevance of today. As expected with these former second-class citizens, always looking to blame us pure-blooded Garmillon officers even after the fall of the Dessler regime."
"That's very odd," said Vivian with a doubtful frown. "If I'm not mistaken, Anika Welmer is one of the kindest, respectful and honest junior officers in the Garmillan Navy that I had the pleasure of knowing. In fact, I would say she is the perfect choice for a mediator between a Garmillan observer and a rookie terron crew."
"And how do you know this?" asked Davenport.
"For starters, she was the Garmillan aide that I was talking about that was assigned to the Indefatigable. I've seen how then Lieutenant Welmer acted under pressure from prejudice from both Garmillans and Humans alike. She never tried to get even with them or give in from their insults. Was always willing to work with and help others regardless of what they thought of her."
"Well, in that case do you have a reason for why Miss Welmer acted the way she did during the previous meeting when she lashed out at Colonel Berger?" asked Davenport.
"Well I don't know what beef she has with the Colonel as I barely knew her past," admitted Vivian. "But I do know that the only time she had lashed out in anger was when somebody went too far to ridicule and make her life miserable. Especially when he poked at something that was dear to her. Even a person as tolerant as her would have her limits."
Everyone inside the Neu Balgray's conference room glared at Brandt after hearing Vivian's last comment.
"Well, I might have been a bit too hard on her," said Brandt, trying to defend his actions. "But after that stunt she pulled with the Audacious by bringing her to an ionic dust cloud which crippled her long-range comms. I still had the right to question her judgement even if she was a fine helmsman and aide."
"But that is also not quite true Major Brandt," said Jonathan.
"And why would that be Commander Lee?" retorted Brandt.
"You claimed that our comms were knocked out by one of the ionic discharges within the Demetrius Interstellar Dust Cloud which prevented us from alerting and calling the rest of the fleet did you not?"
"That's correct," replied Brandt.
"Well I'm afraid to tell you the basis of your accusation is wrong," replied Jonathan as he slid a data tablet to Colonel Berger from across the table.
"What's this?" asked Brandt as he took a glance at the tablet that Berger was reading.
"A report of the damage assessment on our comms assembly," answered Jonathan. "I had my chief engineer look into the cause of the damage. You can look through the details later, but you might want to read the cause of the malfunction."
Berger looked though the translated text and began reading the highlighted paragraph in yellow on the display screen of the tablet.
"'In conclusion: the circuits that were shot out seemed to be the side effect of a powerful energy blast discharge that is consistent with the near impact of a large energy beam from an energy based cannon…'"
"This could have been easily been fabricated!" argued Brandt. "Your chief engineer must have-"
"Must have what?" said Jonathan cutting him off. "My chief engineer doesn't like working with Garmillans. So why would he agree with me to forge a false damage assessment report to save the career of a foreign officer?"
Brandt gritted his teeth, he couldn't risk further arguing with the Terron commander's words especially if his chief engineer indeed had xenophobic prejudices. Knowing that he couldn't defend his accusations any further, Brandt decided to admit defeat.
"No, of course he wouldn't," Brandt reluctantly admitted. "My apologies Commander."
"As if you really mean it," muttered Otto under his breath.
Jonathan sighed, relieved that he finally got Brandt's influence out of his opposition and decided it was now time make a case to save Anika's career. "Look, I know that what Lieutenant Welmer did earlier today was unacceptable. But right now, in this perilous crisis we're all in, we can't afford to push aside one good Garmillan officer for a single lapse of self-control because we need all capable hands on deck to handle this new threat! Please give her a second chance! Her temporary assignment on the Audacious could be used as a probation period to prove herself under the supervision of the Garmillan advisor. If she has a good conduct throughout the voyage, perhaps you could consider lessening the charges against her."
Seconds tick by as everyone in the conference room contemplated with Jonathan's appeal.
"We'll have to consider it, Commander Lee," answered Davenport. "We will have to look into her career's history carefully before making the decision. If she is good and trustworthy as both of you claim, we'll give her a second shot."
"Yes sir," replied Jonathan gratefully. "And thank you."
"Okay, if there isn't anything else left to discuss," said Dolmen. "We'll conclude this briefing. Be advised we'll pass your respective ships details on your assigned patrol stations and missions. Commodore Davenport and Colonel Berger, I'll leave the final verdict of Lieutenant Commander Welmer to both of you. Aside from that, I wish you and your crews Godspeed! Gentlemen, you may be dismissed and prepare your ships for deployment. That's all!"
"Zar Belk!" replied all the Garmillan officers while the UNCF Captains responded with the traditional naval salute.
21st October 2204 – Sector NGC 1869 – UNCF Dauntless
After the shared transmission with the Neu Balgray and the Württemberg ended, Davenport shook his head in disbelief in his quarters.
"Commander Jonathan Lee," muttered Davenport to himself as he went to his computer database to search up info regarding Anika's career and reputation. "Honestly I'm not sure whether I want to applaud him for how he handled Major Brandt or to disapprove of the lengths he went to defend that Zalti girl. His sincerity is admirable, but I hope his intentions are not misplaced or misused by others. Officers who run with emotions like that won't last long in a brutal war."
"Perhaps," replied Vivian with a smile of admiration. "Either way, it's marked improvement from how he started off those years ago."
"It sounds like you're proud him…" commented Davenport nonchalantly.
"If you see how he started, you would be sir," replied Vivian. "He's come a long way from that narrow minded and despondent midshipman he used to be."
"And what about you Gregson?" asked Davenport as he eyed his second in command who had been trying to suppress a smug grin since Vivian brought up Anika's previous posting. "Did you know anything about this when you appointed Commander Vivian as CO of the flotilla?"
"No Commodore," replied Theodore as innocently as possible. "I just chose Commander Vivian solely on the fact he was a highly professional commander and that he served under one of the best leaders in the Cosmo Navy! That's all to it."
Davenport still wasn't convinced by his executive officer's answer but decided to let the matter slide for now as he had more important business to attend to. If this Zalti girl wasn't worth the trouble, he'll consider interrogating Theodore himself for his discreet involvement in this entire drama.
A/N: Boy was this a very talkative chapter to write... Not much to say about this one as it's quite self explanatory without my usual further elaborations. Theodore and Commodore Davenport weren't originally going to have a bigger role in this chapter. But while writing this chapter, I realized that Theodore had to do something in the story aside from being introduced in Chapter 2 as just Jonathan's old Cosmo Navy Academy classmate. So I gave him the role of giving Jonathan a chance at helping Anika.
In addition, both the Dauntless and her crew are a homage to the British ship-of-the-line with the same name from the first Pirates of the Caribbean film and its crew, in particular Commodore James Norrington, whose actor's last name was used for the UNCF Dauntless' fabled commanding officer along with his POTC counterpart's personality traits. Honestly, the POTC franchise as a whole ought to treat its British naval characters better... (frustrated sigh) Norrington and Groves deserved better... Besides, we owe the existence of 'That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen...' meme to them. XD
I hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter and look forward to the next one which will be hopefully coming out in two weeks time! Stay safe and healthy everyone!