Chapter 27

"Aggy, Baron Glanville on the FTL link; do you want to talk with him?" Sally asked from the Purser's anteroom, "line 3?"

McCock pressed '3',

"Prime Minister?"

"Commodore, Willie Bruce, any prospect of patching up the differences?"

Silence.

"Oh, well, I had to ask; not that I was asked to. Blue Hills was suggesting yesterday that you might have access to political intelligence that we can't obtain in a timely enough manner and he suggested that we send a liason officer down to you. He went so far as to nominate Sam Costello, Chief Counter Intelligence in DNI. Would you consider such a request?"

"I'll will always consider such requests but I will have to consult with my Board and particularly my Intel Officer."

"Thank you, Commodore. We would be eternally grateful."

"Aggy, Head Office have just been in touch. They have taken an option on four V and W destroyers which are being replaced with more modern vessel. Appears the Government are giving them away because they are outdated. They were in some strange unit called "The Queen's Own"."

"Angie, if you are joking, I'll use your blood to redecorate your office walls."

"I'm not joking. Head Office might be but they have less of a sense of humour than you do. Talk to Ernie Wells, he is actually waiting for your call."

"Marcel, McCock go secure 37." There was a slight buzz in the PDAs as the encryption was made. "I've just got off the FTL to Wells at MFH in Settlement. He has just obtained four old V and W destroyers, last in "The Queen's Own". Appears RMN have manning problems and they don't want old outdated vessels ... They are coming exactly as we left them. Have you still got that documentation making them privateers? Coming off the Navy List makes those registrations active again ... Fourth Space Lord says they will be at the Bollard docks early morning watch. Will you arrange bunkerage there and I'll have crews up by the time that's done ... I should be able to get them away just before afternoon. I'll have Captain Denholt in command. Thanks Marcel."

"Denny, we have the V and Ws back. Never mind how. Locate as many of the four fifty one as you can to Ferguson's eight second watch; I'll get R2 to transport you to Settlement to bring them back via cosmic; R2 can go safety until we have given them a run through the layer ... How am I going to use them? Scouts Denny, scouts. Armed scouts; hole in space and Period will extend the cover for the AAS so far that we'll be looking into the next galaxy ... You know what I mean. Get to it"

"Captain Avers. Des, Commodore Denholt will be with some warm bodies up to four hundred of them to go to Bollard Line docks in Settlement to pick up the V and Ws. Go safety at the layer for them and follow them home. Cosmic both ways ... Didn't I mention it, at Ferguson's eight second tomorrow ... That's why I have intelligent subordinates to tell me where it is; thanks Des."

McCock was enjoying a bulb of Kenyan Mocha in his office, contemplating his order of battle; he had the AAS, four VWs, a frigate, "Shriek" as independents. As many Armed Cutters as he could fit into his hangars and they had the new 1.8 graser as main armament and an unknown number of Gnats without pilots. Sir Henry appeared before him like an apparition. He was accompanied by Slow and Polack.

"Good news about the V and Ws; I'd have preferred the Grendles but..." commented Polack.

"How did you hear? I only finished talking to Denny an hour or so ago."

"Aggy, I'm up on the frigate thinking how we can get the 'kiddy' computer into her when half my workparty's PDAs sound off and next thing I know Denny comes up on mine asking for 'volunteers' from the four fifty one for the same job as before without the exiting bit at the end. I had to come down hard on my lot because they all wanted to go. Those ships are legends and for some reason are regarded as lucky; I can't see twenty percent losses as lucky but perhaps I'm a pessimist. You know those survivors have formed their own secret society and have their PDAs dialled in. The women have their own and you can imagine what they are like; Trudie, 'Mina and the Nancarrows got inducted during that pre trip brief time.

That's not what I want to talk with you about. While I'm here, that kiddy computer is suitable for a frigate — far more than it really needs but Henry and a couple of the Avers can load the BC programme into it."

"Polack, you are like an old woman" accused Slow "what we are here about is the Gnats. Between us we can make the Gnats remotely controllable from the second GEC 'puter — well actually we only need part of it — with pilot stations to it to the Gnats. I am onto the electronics, Polack is on top of the control module and Henry and his Avers 'sparkies' have got the programme."