The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Guardian

“That’s all right. If I wasn’t having to react to your anger, I’d probably be mad as hell myself. Help me set this up. But I’m going to make our attackers’ job a little more difficult while we’re doing that.” Geary tapped his comm controls. “All units in First Fleet, immediate execute down one eight zero degrees.”

That would bring them back toward the threatening derelicts right at the jump exit, but on the other side of them since the fleet had curved upward and now would bend downward, looping high over the old ships. He would still have to watch for any unit getting too close to those old ships, though.

Unless . . .

“I’m seeing that the old ships near the jump exit are not broadcasting any identification. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Lieutenants Castries and Yuon replied in unison.

“Emissary Rione, does anything in the peace agreement with the Syndics restrict any action by me against hazards to navigation?”

She looked puzzled. “I will have to check, Admiral.” Rione began entering queries, studying her display intently.

Desjani paused in her work arranging ships around the sphere of the Armadillo formation. “Hazards to navigation? Does that mean what I think it does?”

“I hope so,” Geary said, drawing a slight smile from her. Maybe this particular Tanya storm would pass quickly.

Rione blinked as she refocused on Geary. “Admiral, all the peace agreement says is that standard navigational practices are to be respected. I believe that is only in the agreement because it’s part of the boilerplate for treaties.”

“Thank you, Madam Emissary. Captain Desjani, have the rules for dealing with navigational hazards changed in the last century?”

She shook her head, smiling wider. “No, sir. Any ship encountering a navigational hazard to the movement of other ships is to either post warn-off beacons or take necessary steps to eliminate the hazard.”

“I don’t think we need to expend any warn-off beacons,” Geary said. “Especially since those derelicts are so close to the jump exit. An arriving ship might not have time to avoid them in response to a warn-off.” He studied his display briefly, watching the increasingly shabby formation of the First Fleet as it came over and headed straight down relative to the plane of the star system.

The way the fleet’s formation was now arranged, one of the battle cruiser divisions would be on the side closest to the old ships as they went down past the jump exit.

“Captain Tulev, this is Admiral Geary. The ships I have just designated as derelicts pose a hazard to navigation. You are to alter the course of the Second Battle Cruiser Division sufficiently to target and destroy the derelicts using specter missiles. Do not close within hell-lance range. Return to the formation after firing missiles. Geary, out.”

Ten seconds later, Captain Tulev called from Leviathan. “I understand. We will destroy the derelicts.”

Desjani nodded approvingly. “Those small groups of Syndic warships won’t want to tangle with Tulev’s division of battle cruisers. Permission to ask a question?”

“Dammit, Tanya—”

“I’ll take that as a yes, Admiral. Why are we destroying those things? Not that I object to destroying them.”

He gave her an annoyed look. “We’re destroying them, Captain Desjani, because I don’t want to have to worry about them anymore, and because I can eliminate what are very likely Syndic booby traps without the Syndics being able to object or complain.”

Rione broke in. “You are certain those derelicts are dangerous?”

“I am, Madam Emissary. You remember what we did at Lakota, rigging badly damaged ships to explode? You told me while we were at Midway that President Iceni said high-level Syndics had seen detailed reports on the tactics I used after I assumed command of the fleet.”

“And you think the Syndics are trying to use your own methods against you?” Rione asked.

“From what we heard at Midway, I think they’re going to do their best.”

The sudden reversal in the track of the Alliance fleet had forced the four groups of Syndic ships to make dramatic changes to their own vectors. Groups Alpha and Bravo found themselves far out of position, required to alter course to dive in pursuit of the Alliance formation. Groups Cable and Delta, coming up toward the Alliance ships, faced the opposite problem as their intercepts with the Alliance fleet abruptly threatened to occur much sooner and at much higher relative velocity than planned.

Geary watched Cable and Delta closely, wanting to see how they reacted. Would they adjust their tracks on the fly to manage a quicker and riskier encounter or pull off to come around again under more controlled conditions?

“Scared them off,” Desjani commented in a neutral voice as Cable and Delta both curved outward, avoiding contact with any Alliance ships. “What do you think of this?”