Chapter Four- Honor, Glory, and the Road Ahead

Captain Black sank into his chair in his new office at Navy Headquarters on Planet Manhattan. It felt very good to be back in Liberty. He had been very close to becoming space dust at times, but he had come through.

After the Myoko had been destroyed, his radar operator picked up over two dozen new ships coming into the system from New Tokyo. It was a whole Kusari fleet! His ships managed to fight off the rest of the Myoko's fighters, and then, just as they were about to leave, another group of convoys came out of the trade lane! They said that the Kusari fleet was right on their heels, and that they were the last living convoys still in Kusari. He told them to take the trade lane to the Galileo gate. They moved through slowly and meticulously. As the last Startracker cleared the ring, the Kusari fleet came out of the other trade lane ring!

"Fighters, get out of here! Warn the Oklahoma! Cruisers, cover them!"

His cruiser slowly turned to face the huge Kusari fleet. There were two battleships, three cruisers, eight gunboats, and over two dozen fighters! All at once, they opened up with a wall of fire on the three cruisers guarding the gate, and the crews prepared for battle.
The first volley from the fleet did enormous damage to the Liberty cruisers, but they held together.

"Sir, all fighters are through the ring."

"Order the Providence through next! Fire the main gun!"

Black watched on his screen as the Providence moved toward the ring.
"Intrepid, get out of here!" he called over the comm.

"NO! I will stay here while you go. I won't let you do this! You'll die for sure!" cried Captain Morrison.

"Look, you will go, or I will fire on you!" "Get out of here, that is a direct order!"

Black watched as the Intrepid moved towards the ring. The Providence had just gone through.

Another huge shaking. The ship was barely holding together! He didn't want a report, he was afraid of what he'd hear. The Intrepid made it through the ring! He ordered his pilot to guide the ship into the trade lane ring.

So, they had made it out of Kusari alive. When he returned to the Norfolk Shipyards, the technicians had said that the damage was the most extensive they had ever seen! The whole operation became very famous in a short time; mostly due to the Liberty media calling it, 'The first major victory for our side in this war.' Captain Black had become famous as well.

Today, he was going to another ceremony, yet this one was only for him. He would receive a promotion, probably to the rank of Commodore. He was also told that he might receive a medal.

A few hours later, Black was standing on the stage in the gym of the Liberty Training Academy on Manhattan, the very same one he had gotten a degree from. Admiral Johnson walked up to the podium before a crowd of over a hundred high-ranking Liberty officials and media correspondents.

"And now, the real reason that we are all here, I will present a few awards to Captain William Black, who is the hero of the Shikoku campaign."

The Admiral then gave a brief summary of Black's actions in Shikoku.

"Now I present, to Captain Black, the rank of Rear Admiral in the Liberty Navy."

Wow! Rear Admiral? He had just skipped two ranks! This was incredible! As Admiral Johnson pinned the insignia to his uniform, Black smiled the biggest smile that he had ever smiled.

"Now, I will give Admiral Black his next award. I present to you, Admiral William Black, the Liberty Cross. His courage, bravery, and dedication in battle is incredible, and that is why he deserves this medal."

At that moment, when Johnson pinned the medal on his uniform, Admiral William Black was then happiest man in the galaxy.