Chapter 91

TJ was in and out of his cabin on "Sundowner" to check on events with the Armada when his other tasks spared him a few minutes. The views of the exploding courier as it was apparently returning to Sol were tagged by the 'puter as "significant". TJ played back the tape and assessed the situation. The courier had made contact with the Armada flagship and locked on. Enough time had elapsed to pass whatever orders had been on the courier, and TJ had high order confidence as to just what those orders were. The destruction of the courier from an internal event implied those orders, whatever they were, were not likely to be obeyed. It was unlikely the courier would kill itself so the courier was unlikely to have "adjusted" those orders but someone did not want that record around for any post operation critique. TJ advised Clare he was camping in his cabin to observe events as he considered a denouement was at hand. Within hours the Armada, less its fleet train, moved en masse into Mountserrat space. By leaving its train behind, the Armada signalled it was probably going in harm's way. TJ issued a galaxy wide alert on the mutie net with a short vid of the courier's destruction.

TJ had informed Clare who ordered an immediate recall. "Sundowner" worked up to readiness for departure and by the time the Armada was in the Settlement Harbour Control Area, Morg had informed Clare "Sundowner" was ready for departure, destination 'Pest.

A certain politician in Settlement had been making plans for months – shortly after the USW Senate had given the mandate to the Chencons - and, after spending only moments examining the entrails of the fragmented courier (the polly had confidence in the source), was issuing orders activating his plans to evacuate Settlement and disperse the population. He did give explanations which no one questioned as his subordinates "knew" the Home Secretary spoke directly with the Deity.

The Palace received the information from Sir Jonathon Bruges. The Queen had been uncertain as to the Chencon Armada's intentions but then so had everybody else. Her public persona was to maintain calm and attempt to speak to the Armada. Her attempts at negotiating were fruitless as there were no replies from the Armada. Admiralty communications experts assured the Queen that the signals had been received as initially a "wait" acknowledgement had been received. That information dealt the final blow to any hopes of even surrendering and the Queen ordered the Palace cleared but continued to broadcast her offer.

Real time vids of the Settlement and its orbitals were coming down the FTL net and someone, probably Baron Westlake, had managed to convince one minor newsfax channel to run the take. TJ suspected McCock was responsible for organising the feed. The vids voiced-over Queen Elizabeth's broadcast over open bands offering her surrender was heard.

The pictures were indeed extraordinary and the channel had talking heads familiar with Settlement and its orbital approaches who identified the landmarks but challenged the claim of real time alleging the vids were tapes. Interspersed with allegedly real time vids of Settlement were sequences showing a mass of manoeuvring warships identified by an expert from Jane's as being Chencon vessels. It was this manoeuvring that raised a doubt about tapes as no one could place the alleged tape in time or place.

(Westlake could not explain the technology, which didn't help, but another commentator challenged the Ambassador over a recent correction obtaining the admission that instructions from Mountserrat had forced the volte-face accompanied by the admission that Mountserrat appeared to have FTL level communications. Westlake was cornered into another admission that he had never been officially informed by his Government of the existence of FTL coms. His firm statement that a foreigner had just walked into his Embassy and handed him a hand-held and told to speak to "The Palace" was met with almost general disbelief. The 'almost" was a group of Int chiefs of various nations who had had been wondering about certain of Westlake's statements which were months "ahead of time".)

Old London Harbour Control (and nearly everybody awake on the planet) was aware of the vids even if they weren't sure about Baron Westlake's claims. Clearances were arranged and "Sundowner" singled up her magnetoclamps.

For the "Sundowners, the last forlorn hope that the Chencons would accept Elizabeth's surrender was blasted by the timed barrage of the Armada which turned Settlement to cinders.

The real time holo of the Old London harbour surrounded the bridge console as Clare calmly ordered "Sundowner" to depart for the hyper,

"Mr Windsor, 'Pest please."

"'Pest, aye Ma'am. Miss Ember, notify Control we are moving. Helm, take us out."

"Casting off for the parking area exit, aye Sir" 'Nita in the left seat acknowledged as she deactivated the magnetoclamp. A soft thud was heard as the clamp retreated into its housing and the last red light on the console turned green. As 'Nita applied steerage way power and swung "Sundowner" for the exit, Dorothy was contacting Inner Harbour control,

"Movements, "Sundowner" departing this time for the hyper to 'Pest, request onward clearances."

""Sundowner" maintain fifty knots to the exit. Track to Golf Three and then to the outbound hyper via gate seven. Contact Orbital Control on four eight one seven at the exit."

"Fifty knots to the exit, four eight one seven to Orbital, Golf Three to gate seven, "Sundowner"."

"Bon voyage "Sundowner"."

Dorothy double clicked her PTT to acknowledge Orbital, entered the navigation details into her 'puter and sent them to the seat screens.

"Orbital, this is "Sundowner" at the park exit."

""Sundowner", increase to two fifty gravs and passing Golf Three call Departures on four nine one seven for translation clearance."

Morg had heard the clearance via his left earbud (pure com, no companion),

"Helm, two fifty gravs..."

"Two fifty gravs, aye Sir" "Nita acknowledged and signalled Mary to dial it in.

" ... Nav, collapse the harbour holos."

"Screens' vid returned to positions, Sir." Dorothy at navcom acknowledged as Bet worked the menus on the nav screen.

"Miss Ember, compliments to the guard ship" Clare instructed.

"Compliments ... acknowledged, Ma'am."

"Very good."

"Departures, this is "Sundowner" passing Golf Three."

""Sundowner", you are cleared for translation through gate seven. Be at fifty gravs as you enter the gate."

"Fifty gravs at gate seven, "Sundowner"."

Clare ordered the scouts deployed as per her standing orders,

"Mr Cahlewis, scouts."

Cedric hadn't quite been giving an image of a thoroughbred straining at the barrier but there was no delay as he deployed the pre-programmed scouts.

"Scouts away, Ma'am"

The scouts cleared the hull and sped for the hyper. Cedric followed their progress, established the command link and activated FTL active scan as soon as the first scout translated.

"Hyper clear, Ma'am."

"Very good."

TJ interjected with the up-date on the Armada,

"McCock has taken out the fleet train's task force escort..."

Clare gazed sceptically at TJ and "waved him on".

" ... apart from there being no other likely player, I got a visual on that so called frigate of his. Stealth don't block visual."

"Who gets that fleet train? I mean the prize money" Mary Fogg wanted to know.

"Probably 119;" TJ shrugged. "McCock's got Letters of Marque."

"Nice work when you get it" AB Annette S.Downer muttered as the Gennies* began calculating the likely / possible / wish in one hand spit in the other, amount of prize money.

(*With the completion of basic and advanced training of the Gennies, Shirley had begun specialised training and Clare had re-instituted the traditional spacing watches to allow for this.)

"Space idle, helm" Morg quietly ordered.

"Throttles space idle, aye Sir" 'Nita acknowledged "Engines answered, Sir" as the power telltales on 'Nita's screen slid down the ladders.

The velocity gauge began to ever so slightly flicker and infinitely edge lower.

Morg eyed the nav screen and at his decision point,

"Main engines power off and bow thrusters eighty percent reverse thrust."

"Power off, reverse bow thrusters eighty percent, aye Sir."

There was a slight thrum heard through the hull and the velocity gauge made slighter quicker downward progress.

"Do y'hear there, make ready for translation; do y'hear there, make ready for translation ... Miss Ember, notify approaching the gate."

""Sundowner" approaching gate seven."

""Sundowner", safe journey."

"Second scout moving to hyper now, Ma'am" Cedric announced.

"Very good."

"Helm" Morg ordered "stop reverse thrust on my mark; line us up."

"Turning seven degrees to starboard, Sir" 'Nita said as she gently brought the bow around to point.

" ... Helm, two, one, mark!" as the bow lined up. Mary already had the menu on her screen and, at the command, tapped the screen.

"Thrusters off, Sir."

"Very good" Morg acknowledged and then spoke into his boom mic (selected to the tannoy) "Translation, four, three, two, one, zer..."

And the world turned over to the tune of TJ's moan.

As usual, some few minutes passed before the crew stabilised.

"Helm, come to heading one nine seven, zero five zero, five hundred gravs..."

"One nine seven, zero five zero, five hundred gravs, aye Sir."

" ... Transition in eleven minutes." Morg finished.

"Ma'am, scouts answering and headed for the layer."

"Very good."

"Ma'am, scouts positioned."

"Very good. TJ, what's the latest with the Armada?"

"Not much new, Boss. We lost the take from that com link almost as soon as we moved out of the direct signal path. The Flock has that directional line so tight it must hurt screwing it down. The Armada was hove to over Settlement with a lot of small craft bustling about and 119 was getting the crews out of the captured freighters."

"The Junction?"

"Hard to tell but the facilities were destroyed and that makes the wormholes inoperative for a while. It will depend how much the openings were disturbed."

Clare nodded acceptance.

"Do y' hear there, prepare for transition; do y' hear there, prepare for transition..." Morg warned over the tannoy and went on speaking directly "Helm, space idle..."

"Throttles space idle ... engines answering, Sir." 'Nita responded.

" ... EW, expand the triple shield."

"Shield deploying, Sir"

The loss of momentum was felt through the various parts of the anatomy in contact with the hull structures. "Sundowner" decelerated towards the hard space boundary.

"Shield deployed, Sir."

"Very good, EW."

"Scout in hard space reports no contacts to FTL active, Ma'am."

"Very good."

Morg continued observing the holo of "Sundowner" and its surrounds thrown by the battle 'puter's compilation of the EW inputs including visual from the hull mounted sensory line.

"Retract the triple."

"Coming in, Sir ... on the skin, Sir."

"Very good, EW. Helm, steady as she goes. (into the tannoy) Transition in..."