[The Frontiers Saga 05] - Rise of the Corinari (2012) by Ryk Brown

Author:Ryk Brown [Brown, Ryk]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryk Brown
Published: 2014-06-13T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

“Attention on deck,” the guard called as Nathan entered the ready room.

“As you were,” Nathan ordered as he made his way to his seat. “I trust you’ve all read Ensign Willard’s proposal. I’d like to know if anyone has a problem with the idea.”

“Sir, are you saying that we are going to do this?” Jessica asked.

“I’m seriously considering it,” Nathan admitted. “Unless one of you can give me a good enough reason not to.”

“How much more time do you really think it will give us?” Jessica wondered.

“Ensign Willard?” Nathan asked.

“It is impossible to say for sure, Captain. However, assuming that the Yamaro did not show up, and assuming another patrol ship arrived relatively soon afterward, it would only take that second ship one of your months to reach the Darvano system.”

“Is there any way to know when the next patrol ship will show up in the Savoy system?” Nathan wondered.

“We’ve been monitoring communications from all over the cluster, sir,” Jessica reported. “The Corinairans have also shared all their arrival and departure records. The Ta’Akar appear to keep at least one fairly regular patrol schedule. However, they also like to maintain a random patrol, surprising the systems within the cluster with irregular visits. They’ve even been known to double back a few days later just to check. Our best guess is that the Savoy system is due for a visit within the next month.”

“Tug?” Nathan asked, wanting to get the opinion of the Karuzari leader.

“Lieutenant Commander Nash’s assessment is accurate, at least as much as is possible.”

“So, if the Yamaro doesn’t show up, the worst-case scenario is that we get a visit one month later,” Nathan surmised. “That would be about five to six weeks from now. What if a patrol ship doesn’t show up, and they don’t believe we’re the Yamaro? How long do we have then?”

“It would take about two weeks for a message to reach Ta’Akar command,” Ensign Willard stated. “At that point, they would either dispatch a ship from Takara—which would take about six months—or contact a ship that is already in the area which, again, could arrive within a month—even less if they happen to be close by.”

“Sir, what bothers me is that we won’t really know either way,” Jessica pointed out. “Knowing we have to be ready to fight in a month requires a completely different build up than knowing we’ve got six months.”

“I see your point,” Nathan agreed, “but what can we do?”

“We could put a spy in the Savoy system,” Jalea suggested. “We have been talking about trying to make contact with Karuzari that might be hiding out in the Savoy system. We just have not had a way to get anyone in place.”

“What good would a spy be?” Jessica asked. “It would take a year for a message to reach us.”

“Not if you jumped into close proximity to the system,” Jalea suggested.

“She may be right, Captain,” Tug concluded. “We could set up regular contact appointments. We could jump in, wait for a broadcast from the agent on the surface, and then respond appropriately if a message is received.

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