Second Born

Opinions as to how the Demons would strike Medusa varied, but all agreed with me that the invasion force would hit Aytont first. The only disagreement was on whether kinetic energy weapons would be used, or if they would try to get the troops on the ground by stealth and overwhelm the defenders, thus minimizing damage. Vamana asked Diana and the Grafin to project first a representation of the system, then a representation of the planet showing the major cities. He and the staff began manipulating the controls, putting the ships we knew Sonellion had in various positions and fleet configurations, operating on the assumption the Demons would land unopposed and catch the Medusan military napping. The Grafin contributed observations on the speed with which the Demons could deploy and on how much damage they could do with the armed aircars against what Medusa had. It wasn't promising.

The subject shifted to how we might best deal with the invasion once we got on the scene. The staff consensus was there was no percentage in being subtle; a straight hammerblow by the Grafins at the orbiting Alphan ships, then sending down the Marines with fire support from our heavy and light cruisers. This plan had the advantage of simplicity, but it was what I would expect if I were in Sonellion's place.

I had to presume word that there was now a Royal Medusan Navy had reached him before he left the Sarawak system. Our recruiting had been public, and it was possible one of the merchant ships that used Sarawak as a waypoint had carried a Demon agent who had sent a message while transiting the system.

I suddenly sat up.

"Diana, Grafin Ilse, pull all the sensor records of the leading ships as they jumped in at, or inside, the orbit of the larger moon. Make a composite and run it slowly. I want to see which ships managed to escape, and what you can tell me about them."

There was a pause. The 3-D display blurred and stabilized showing a view of the upper quarter of Dyak. Off to the notional left of the viewpoint was the smaller of the two spacedocks. There were eight ships in view: one newly-built frigate sitting by the spacedock, the Carmania, three Alphan scoutships, two converted merchantman with turrets and single tube rocket launchers stuck on wherever the ship's structure was strong enough to take them, and an old destroyer, the Ruhkkum, that had been stricken from the Demons' naval list years before the late war. I remembered her from a course in tactics at the Academy, where we had to figure out how to capture a Demon pirate.

"Move ahead, half speed." The view began changing. Red tips lashed out at the scouts and the Ruhkkum, and rocket-assisted 200mm shells headed for the former liner, which broke orbit and dropped into hyperspace. Two of the scouts vanished in globes of white light; the third, more alert, blasted the incoming rockets with her constant repeaters but fell victim to a 200mm that nicked her stern and damaged the engines. She tumbled out of orbit into the atmosphere, where even if the Demons managed to make it to the surface without burning up they would not be going anywhere any time soon. That left the old destroyer, the frigate, and the two armed freighters. I knew the frigate had been taken by the Alpha Gray and the Alpha Green, her skeleton crew overwhelmed by my Royal Medusan Navy spacers. Hyperfields began to form around the merchant-hulled pirate ships and the Ruhkkum. They winked out, the former Alphan Navy ship a blink ahead of a shell that passed through the space she had occupied a second before. The picture froze.

"Has anyone seen any of those three ships since?" I asked.

Heads shook around the table. "We've checked our records, Admiral," said the Grafin. "The converted cargo ships are the Burasieen and the Hayniaax. The former was captured from the Normands, the latter from the Socratics, both before the Junker War. There is information that suggests they have teamed up. It is possible Sonellion recruited them as garrison ships to hold his rear area so he did not have to leave more capable ships behind. They have been pirates for decades."

"And based on actions we know they have taken, they are independent freebooters," said Vamana, who had been consulting his handset. "I think they jumped out for parts unknown. Which leaves the Ruhkkum. What do we know about her?"

"Ruhkkum spent the whole of the Junker War raiding the fringes of human space. She is confirmed to have hit two frontier planets in Tuscan space, Merano and Volterre. Vessels from Nouvelle Luxembourg, Moselle, the Clyde system, Illion, Yawata, and Puyerredon all reported encounters with a ship answering her description. There are reports from other systems, as well as sightings in Novalbion space. If her captain was taking orders from Narstavietta, those orders were to be an irritant, to tie down warships so they would not be available for front line duty.

"Just before the end of the war, the yard at Falkland was compelled to overhaul her at gunpoint. The Governor General filed a report with Novalbion Naval Intelligence after she left. Somewhere along the way our pirate was up-gunned with Junker 150mm Shorts, and her torpedo launchers were replaced by defensive missile batteries. The Falklanders were forced to install more fuel storage and repair hull damage.

"After leaving Falkland, she was caught in the act of attacking the last ship in one of our convoys that dropped out of hyper in the Tasman system. The escorts mobbed her, she dropped back into hyper and ran. That was the last time she was seen until today. There are unconfirmed stories of raids and rumored sightings, mostly in Normand and Californian space, but nothing solid.

"Her captain is a former Demon Navy officer who left the service as a commander well before the war, passed over for promotion -- or at least that is the picture the Demons wanted to present," said Diana. "Intelligence isn't even sure of his name."

The captains, intelligence staff, two avatars, and my lady wife looked at me, waiting for my decision. From where I sat, it came down to one question: had the Ruhkkum fled for her unknown home base, or was she at this very moment enroute to Medusa to warn Sonellion that the game was up, a superior force was heading for the planet he was invading?

"Attention to orders. Recall all the scouts. I have missions for them. Delta and her scouts will remain here, as will the Support Squadron, Grafin Imogene, Grafin Irmingarde, Graf Jachmann, Graf Schilling, and the First Division of the First Destroyer Squadron.

"Commodore Ohndebul, you are hereby promoted Rear Admiral and placed in command of Medusa's naval forces in the Sarawak system. I'm leaving you with two battalions of the First Marine Regiment. The rest of the Marines ship out with me. Admiral, Major Mudgeon of Second Battalion of the First has been charged with running down the Demons that survived our attack, negotiating shore leave rights, dismantling and removing power plants on the surface should the Rajah request it, and in general being the emissary between the Medusans and the local government. Assist him as needed, but don't jostle his elbow. You'll have enough to do setting up patrols and scanning stations so we have security here, finishing the two destroyers we captured, and getting them into commission. Medusa is going to have to station a squadron here for some time to come against Demons and other pirates who won't have heard the Dyaks are now allied with us.

"Captain Vamana, I'll need to speak to the captains of Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, and all their scout captains. Set up a circuit to my quarters for that, and set up another for the rest of the fleet after I'm done with the scoutships. We will proceed to Medusa thirty minutes after I finish briefing the fleet. You can tell them that much when you set up the circuits, but no more. Let's get cracking, ladies and gentlemen." They stood as I strode out of the briefing room, Thia, Diana, and Grafin Ilse at my heels.

The two briefings did not take long. I doubted any large naval operation such as the one I contemplated had been put together in as little time as I was taking since the First Global War of the Classical Period; but when you got down to it what I was proposing was straightforward, if sneaky. I had good ships and good captains, and I was sure we could make my plan work. Thirty minutes after shifting into jump formation, the Medusan battle fleet dropped into hyperspace and headed for the homeworld. In four days, I would learn if my assessment of Sonellion's battle plan was right or wrong.

Alone in our quarters, Thia looked at me with concern. "My kamasuli, I have never seen you as worried as this, not even when we were training the fleet and you were wondering if the officers you promoted to command were up to the task. What is troubling you?"

"We are taking a big gamble, my darling. I hope my read of the Ruhkkum's pirate captain is correct. From what I learned during the war, the Demons don't force officers out, they just stabilize them at whatever their bureau of personnel feel is their level of competence. Sometimes an officer will become fed up with his lack of promotion and retire; sometimes he will 'die unexpectedly' or 'after a brief illness,' both euphemisms for his being murdered for some reason. Because the Demons are always looking to expand their sphere of influence, there are usually slots where officers who have been passed over for promotion can be put to work without official loss of face.

"Whoever he is, this ex-Alphan Navy commander has been a pirate for a long time. A long time. That is what I am banking on. Perhaps he's been separated from the Dominion long enough that his loyalty is to himself and his crew. He may be headed back to wherever his home base is instead of to Medusa.

"There are also the pirates in the converted cargo ships who managed to jump into hyper. It's possible, even likely, they headed off to parts unknown. But they could be headed to Medusa to warn Sonellion that some large warships emerged into Sarawak space and shot up everything in sight. Putting two and two together wouldn't be difficult if that bastard has any current intelligence about Medusa's newly married princess and her consort. If I'm wrong, if the pirates warn Sonellion, I'm leading the fleet into a trap."

Thia stood and walked towards the sleeping cabin. "With a fleet boasting four pocket battleships, a cruiser squadron, and a bunch of Zerstoerers that working together can take on cruisers and beat them, any trap the Demons could devise would be smashed when they tried to spring it. We have good ships and better crews than they do. They can deal with anything those devils can think up."

I said nothing, sipping the zulac I'd poured for myself and staring into the glass. Perhaps Thia was right. Perhaps I was fashing myself over nothing. Perhaps I was giving the enemy more credit than they deserved ...

"Edward, my darling?"

This stood in the doorway of our sleeping cabin. Her boots, jeggings, belt and tunic were gone. Nude, she stepped into my office, lifting her golden breasts, offering them to me, the nipples hard and pointing. The scent of aroused Medusan female caused my nostrils to twitch.

"I know what you need, my sultingas. I know what I want. Don't think about battle planning any more. You've done all you can do there. Now come and do me, my kamasuli. I need you. I need to feel you inside me, bringing me to ecstasy. Come and lose yourself in me, my honey sweet. Take me to our bed and use me. Come and use your lover, my sweet stud. Use me and find peace in my arms, in my body. Take me. Take me and fuck me good!"

I swept her off her feet, her arms going around my neck as I bent to her firm tits, latching onto a nipple and suckling, feeling it harden against my lips. She pressed my head into her boobs, moaning.

"Oh yes, that's good! I like that! Don't stop! Give me more! Lie me down on the bunk and mount me! Give me your long, hard cock! Don't be gentle, do me! Take me hard! Use me! Lose yourself in me! Give me all that you have bottled up inside you! Let me help you! Please, my darling, please!"

I set her down on the bunk and cleared the decks for action. While I was stripping off my clothes, Thia spread her legs and used her vibrating hair to open her clit-lips, exposing the moist treasure they protected. Her eyes widened at the erection waiting to take its pleasure of her, longer hand harder than usual, excited by her bold, eager speech and her obvious eagerness. She didn't resist when I took hold of her and with no foreplay pushed my prod into her waiting quim.

"AIEEEEH!" she shrieked, her vag spasming around my cock as I thrust deep into her, her head twisting as she wrapped her legs around me. "Yes! More! Give me more! Fuck me good! Don't stop! Do me until I can't see straight! Do me, my darling! Do me!"

Her hips bucked against mine as she responded to the rod reaming her pussy, gasping as my pubic hair rubbed against her, not vibrating as her own hair would do but stimulating her nonetheless. I could feel her muscles rippling the length of my prick as I drove in and out of her, listening to her moaning, smelling the odors of her arousal.

"Yes, my damislik! Like that! Hard! Give it to me! Fill me up! I want to feel you shoot your seed in me like a red tip rocket! Give it to me!"

She pulled my head down to her tits, urging me to suckle them as I drove in and out of her, her cries goading me on to forget she was a princess, forget she was my kamasuli, and treat her like a hot, eager woman who wants her man to use her for their mutual pleasure. Forget she was a royal and remember instead she was my hoyden lover. Forget I was an admiral in charge of a fleet and remember that I was a strong, virile male, and prove it to the female in his arms.

I stroked in and out of her coochie, in and out, in and out, glorying in her joyous cries as she climaxed more and more quickly. She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me into her, urging me to drive her to greater heights of ecstasy. Her hazel eyes burned with lust, demanding an equal response from me, demanding that I make her cum again and again until she forgot she was a princess, forgot she was an officer, remembering only that she was being screwed like a whore on payday and loving every moment.

"Don't stop! Don't stop! Do me! I'm cumming! I can't stop! I want it! Do me! Like this! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, Y -- E -- S -- S -- S!"

That final shriek overcame my self-control and I thrust so far into her that our pubic bones met as I erupted into her cooze and her juices bathed my prod. Her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted. I felt the limbs that had been clamped around me loosen and fall away. Thia lay there limp, spent, passed out with the pleasure she had given and the joy she had taken. Barely able to stand myself, I got her under the covers of our bed and climbed in to join her. My head had barely reached the pillow before I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When I woke, I felt more rested than in weeks. I eyed the chronometer and found I'd had slept the clock around, which in hyperspace was all right for an admiral to do. I discovered I had been bathed, shaved, and my hair brushed. I felt wonderful.

"Awake, are we?"

I looked over to see Thia dressed in the Amaterasuan spider-silk gown she knew was a favorite of mine. She picked up her handset and said, "Captain Regneld, you may serve." I reached to the foot of our bed and pulled on my dressing gown, which Thia had left there.

Regneld's serving us, even if he was in his Marine uniform with ribbons and shoulder boards rather than the livery of the Palace, brought back memories of happier times for all of us. When we had finished eating, I asked Regneld to contact Captain Vamana and ask him to attend me at his convenience. He appeared five minutes later, time enough for me to change into uniform.

"Captain, I require access to the simulator for the Grafins you installed in the training bay. I will also want a connection with another simulator so I can game against a pilot as well as the computer." I explained briefly what I had in mind. Vamana was doubtful.

"Admiral, are you certain you want to do this?"

"Set it up, Captain."

"Aye aye, sir."

After Vamana had left, Thia came and settled on my lap. "I understand your thinking, my kamasuli. But when you are not practicing, I want you here with me. I have a part to play in this battle, too, and it is to see your spirit is prepared. Please don't fight me on this."

I stroked her hair and allowed my hand to wander farther south, eliciting a purr from her. "Fighting you is the farthest thing from my mind."

Chapter 29

The Battle Off Medusa

Apart from training on the sims, I stayed in my quarters with Thia for the transit to Medusa. We ate, talked, cuddled, and made love. She made sure I was in as good mental, physical, and emotional condition as I could be when I walked onto the bridge, throwing Captain Vamana a half-salute as I passed the command chair and stood by the helm. Grafin Ilse and the rest of the heavies were well inside the system; Alpha, Beta, and Gamma had gone ahead and according to the battle plan and the clock their scouts were beginning their attack on the Demons in orbit over Medusa.

"Captain, I am taking the conn."

"Admiral has the conn," acknowledged Vamana. Eyebrows rose around the bridge; the captain had not discussed my intentions with the command crew. I looked at the officers and senior enlisted personnel manning their stations.

"Look sharp, ladies and gentlemen. This is going to require precise timing. Guns, this is going to be up to you. You'll only have seconds. Make them count." I patted the Medusan helmsman on the shoulder and smiled down at her. "Relieving you, miss."

The cornet's eyes got big and her hair indicated a combination of surprise and fear. Perhaps she'd never been this close to an admiral who was also a prince before. "I stand relieved, s-s-sir." I took her seat and adjusted it to fit before I threw a command over my shoulder. "Engineering, switch engine control, hyperspace and normal space both, to my station." Eyebrows rose again; I could hear the engineers thinking, "This is so not done!" However, I knew what I was about and they did not know what I had in mind.

"Action stations," I ordered. The lights dimmed, red beacons flashed in the overhead, and hooters made that odd honking which sends thrills of adrenalin racing down the spine. I switched my local viewer on; it would give me more precision than I could get from the main bridge display. Upping the magnification, I saw the dots I was expecting, plus two larger blobs. Throttling the hyperdrive back, I eased in until I was almost on top of the two blobs, pushed the normal space drive to half ahead, and caught the Gunnery Officer's eye.

"Guns, fire as you bear. Secondary batteries on local control; engage any enemies you see. Here we go." I took a deep breath and pressed the hyperfield generator button.

The field collapsed and Grafin Ilse found herself 1,000 kilometers from the Orpermial. By hyperdrive standards within a solar system, that was skin-touch distance. I was already pulling Grafin Ilse's nose up to the right as three of her main turrets fired. A couple of seconds later, the fourth echoed them even as I pressed the hyperfield button and rammed both the normal space and hyperdrive throttles to the stops. My flagship leaped like a spurred horse, sending those standing stumbling backwards even as the field solidified around us and the drive wound up to the top of the audio spectrum. I counted to five, pulled the throttles back to idle, and pushed the button that collapsed the hyperfield.