The Queen's Hammer: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 5 Read online

  The Queen’s Hammer

  Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 5

  Sean Benjamin

  Copyright

  © 2017 by Sean Benjamin – All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be copied or reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  Dedication

  Robert J. Roth

  1940-2017

  Thanks for the motorcycle and everything else

  ~ ~ ~

  Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

  Sun Tzu

  The Art of War

  ~ ~ ~

  If you are going through hell, keep going.

  Winston Churchill

  Table of Contents

  The Queen’s Hammer

  Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 5

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Table of Contents

  Author’s Note

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Epilog

  Glossary

  About the Author

  Author’s Note

  When it comes to depicting war, movies and books tend to focus on the battles and major political decisions within the war’s context. Quite understandable, but the truth is war is not a continuous fight nor a long series of noteworthy occurrences. Military forces have to plan and prepare for upcoming battles. After battles, win or lose, they have to recover, resupply, integrate new people into their units, replace equipment, and begin the cycle over again. In short, there is a lot of downtime for soldiers and sailors between battles. I don’t know who coined the phrase, “War is long periods of boredom interrupted by moments of stark terror,” but it is true.

  I do know who wrote “War is the continuation of policy with other means.” That famous sentence is translated from Carl von Clausewitz’s (1780-1831) book On War. A Prussian staff officer, he began his book in 1816, and it was unfinished when he died of cholera in 1831. Since its publication by his widow after his death, his work has been endlessly analyzed and debated by military scholars and leaders. Even the above quote is usually translated “… by other means.” However, Clausewitz wrote “… mit anderen mitteln” … “with other means.” He considered war one of several methods to achieve a nation’s goals. Just because one is fighting did not mean one gave up on diplomatic, economic, or informational efforts.

  While battles are fought at intervals, the three methods listed above must be applied continuously to be effective. A successful warrior must employ all means at his or her disposal, especially when that warrior knows achieving a complete military victory on the battlefield is not possible.

  Foreword

  The ships of Pirate Flotilla One are concluding their time at the Royal Navy base of Wanderlust. It has been a time of change. Two frontline destroyers from the Royal Navy have been given to the outfit as replacements for the two ships lost at the Battle of the Electra System. All Flot 1 ship engines have been upgraded to the latest engines used in the new Spinnaker class of Royal Navy destroyers.

  Times are changing for Captain Raferty Hawkins as well. Now the acknowledged grandson of the Duke of Black Hallow, Hawkins is involved in Aurora Empire politics. He has cast the key vote in helping pass a contentious bill in the Upper House. His vote has earned him friends and enemies among the peers of the Aurora Empire. Strategic leaks to the media have highlighted the pirate contribution at the Battle of the Electra System and an earlier pirate attack on a secret Orion base codenamed Murmansk. These military successes and the colorful history of Hawkins have made him a media darling throughout the Empire.

  Word of all these events will have been passed to the Goldenes Tor Empire. The Goldenes Tor government and military will have to reevaluate how to treat this new peer when he returns to the Badlands. Of course, killing him remains the most obvious answer.

  But first things first, preparations continue for returning home.

  Chapter 1

  “Drag Strip Control, Predator.”

  “Predator, Drag Strip. Go ahead.”

  “Predator is ready for a primary run.”

  “Roger, Predator. Recorders on and instruments ready. At your convenience.”

  “Thank you, Drag Strip. Commencing.”

  Captain Raferty Hawkins looked up from his screens and forward at the helm. “Take us through all the paces, Eli.”

  Eli nodded to his captain and smiled. A helmsman’s dream. He was about to take two brand new, most technically advanced small ship engines in the Aurora Empire from idle to full emergency power with several stops along the way. What could be more fun than that? He pushed the engines from idle to ten percent. Predator smoothly moved forward at a stately, leisurely speed. Measurements were taken throughout the ship. Now the ship maneuvered in increasingly abrupt turns, climbs, and descents and then leveled out as minute adjustments to the engines were made. Eli increased power to twenty percent, and the evolution was repeated.

  So the evaluation went. At one point Hawkins called on the comm line that was continually open between the bridge and engineering. “Blondie, where we at?”

  Hawkins got a voice reply only, and the voice sounded far away. “We are looking good in all respects, Captain. Instruments show us well within limits. No stress. No strain.” Now the face of Predator’s new, young chief engineer appeared on Rafe’s screen. Her face and overalls were streaked with sweat. She smiled at her captain and generally looked like she was having a good time. “I think the hard work is paying off now. We should continue to push the power up and do the maneuvers. I am confident we will pass.”

  Rafe nodded and added, “Nobody has worked harder than you, Blondie. Thank you for that.”

  Blondie’s smile widened. “Enjoyed every minute of it, Captain.” She now leaned closer to the screen and her smile vanished. She spoke in a low, tentative whisper. “I had to fire one of my men earlier today. He has made it clear from the get-go he had no intention of getting with the program. I gave him some time to reconsider but he…” She faded to silence.

  Raferty took up the conversation. “That’s fine, Blondie. No explanation needed. You run your division as you see fit. Do I need to shove this guy out an airlock?”

  That was a serious question on Raferty’s part. Pirate justice was informal and quick, and there was seldom an opportunity to become a repeat offender. At
least not on Raferty Hawkins’ ship.

  “No, Captain. He didn’t create trouble. Just a guy who didn’t buy into the changes.”

  Raferty nodded. He was not surprised. He had seen more than a few cases of that over his career. Sometimes he himself had been the change people refused to adapt to. It happens. Deal with it and move on.

  “After this test is over and deemed a success, I’ll be down in engineering to congratulate everyone. We’ll go through this conversation again in front of your people. They need to see how seriously I take this.”

  Blondie nodded. “Aye, Captain.”

  The conversation ended. The test continued. Predator repeated maneuvers at increasing speeds and power demands. As each stage ended, results were reviewed and adjustments made. Several hours later, Predator was streaking at full military power, and the engines performed well within parameters. Blondie tweaked the engines more so they could be shoved beyond maximum power for an additional level of speed. This would greatly reduce engine life but might save the ship. Predator had this ability with her old engines and Hawkins had insisted on it being part of the package with the new engines. He had used the burst of speed on a few occasions and was convinced it was a necessary requirement for all Flot 1 ships. The new Predator in overdrive would be faster than any ship in any navy.

  As the tests concluded, Rafe stood up from his command chair. He turned to Baby Doll standing behind him. “Let’s visit Engineering.”

  The Intel Officer was a bit surprised at the invitation, but her face did not reflect it. She nodded as Raferty turned to Mason Reed at the operations station. “You have the bridge, XO.”

  “I have the bridge,” Reed responded as he quickly moved and occupied the captain’s chair. He really liked that chair. Baby Doll and Hawkins watched Reed make himself at home and then looked at each other.

  “If he mutinies to try to take the captaincy, I get to kill him,” Baby Doll decreed.

  Rafe smiled. “He’s all yours.”

  The two pirates departed the bridge and moved down the passageway past their staterooms and past the officers’ mess to the elevator at end of the corridor. Now that they had some privacy, Baby Doll spoke. “Why do you need me to escort you to Engineering? Expecting a mutiny down there?”

  Rafe shook his head. “Nope. Blondie fired one of her people and I need that to play out in front of the troops.”

  Baby Doll spoke once more. “Do I have to escort this guy to an airlock?” Again, everyone knew Raferty’s brand of justice.

  Hawkins smiled. “I asked that question, but Blondie said no.” Hawkins shrugged. “Just a guy who refuses to recognize and adapt to the recent changes in our happy little ship so he needs to find a new situation.”

  “So I’m not coming along as the IntelO or as the Captain’s bodyguard but as the ship’s paymaster.”

  “Correct.”

  Baby Doll nodded. She got it. People who couldn’t adapt to the changes happening in Flot 1 had to leave before they could infect others. There had been many recent changes so there was ample opportunity not to adapt. Pirate Flotilla One had lost two ships in recent fighting and the Aurora Empire had generously provided two replacement ships. Manning these ships required a shuffling of crewmembers with many assuming positions of greater responsibilities in the new ships or moving up in responsibilities in their old ships. Although a few people from nearby planets joined the flotilla, manpower was stretched thin. Pirates routinely manned their vessels at minimum levels. Now, with the need to fill out two new ship crews, all ships, with one exception, were below minimum manning so everyone was required to do more work and work longer hours. Coupled with putting new engines on each ship and repairing battle damage, several crewmembers were reconsidering their commitment to Flot 1. The one exception to the tight manning was Cottonmouth of Charlie Squadron. Hawkins had expressly forbidden any member of that destroyer’s crew transferring to another ship.

  Raferty understood the manning issue and the maintenance/repair/engine upgrade challenges. He also understood he had to get all his ships back to the Badlands in a combat-ready condition. He normally let people leave the flotilla if they desired, but he had modified that position to recognize the reality of the current situation. He said everyone had to stay with his or her ship now but could leave upon return to the Badlands. Once he got back home, he knew he could get new crewmembers for all his ships, but he needed to get there first. He also believed some unhappy crewmembers might make the adjustment given more time, and he was willing to provide it.

  But this particular crewmember must have crossed the line to have Blondie fire him. Hawkins didn’t much care. Blondie was not a headhunter, and she needed to show the people in her department she was to be taken seriously. Rafe could support that. If one man had to be sacrificed to prove the point, so be it.

  The elevator came to a stop on the Engineering deck. The two passengers exited and moved to the main space. They found Blondie congratulating her people on a job well done. The two visitors stood to the side while Blondie concluded her comments and turned to them.

  Hawkins stepped forward to address the group spread in a semicircle around them. “Let me echo the chief engineer’s comments. This is the first ship to receive and complete the testing of the new engine packages, and you have established the template for installing and testing these engines for our flotilla mates. The Zeke repair depot and their own engineers have been key players, but nobody knows this ship and our requirements like you do. I know it has been long hours and hard work, but you did the job in quick time. Thank you for this success.”

  The crewmembers smiled and gave each other congratulations. Hawkins went on. “The Zekes are the duty experts on these engines, but you all are the duty experts on ensuring these engines are properly installed in our ships. Be prepared to assist our companions with your experience as they get their engines installed and working.” He turned to Blondie. “I’ve already promised your assistance to everyone in Flot 1 so be ready. That includes going to their ships to lend a hand if needed.”

  Blondie smiled and nodded. “Anything to help, Captain.”

  Hawkins looked around. “Who’s your second down here?”

  “The assistant chief engineer is Preacher.”

  Hawkins nodded. Preacher was good. He was nicknamed Preacher because he was a man of few words. He did not try to stand out or bring attention to himself, but he knew his business and always worked hard to get better. The quiet man could easily be overlooked, but Blondie had not done that. Rafe thought it was a good choice and was impressed by Blondie’s decision.

  He now looked at Preacher standing quietly in the back of the group. “Preacher, you good to go here?”

  Preacher gave a rare smile. “I’m ready, Captain.” The shy man was clearly surprised and pleased he had been picked as second engineer and would work diligently to prove himself.

  Rafe nodded at Preacher and turned back to Blondie. “I understand one of our crew did not perform as well as we all could have hoped.” Blonde nodded. Hawkins did not ask the man’s name or his reason for not getting with the program. He didn’t care. The man was no longer a member of this crew in Rafe’s mind. He turned to Baby Doll. “This man leaves with half of his bonus money. Get him off our ship at the first opportunity.” Baby Doll nodded and replied, “Aye, Captain.”

  All crewmembers had a portion of their bonus money kept in reserve. If the crewmember left the ship under less than ideal circumstances, the Captain decided on the percentage of pay he or she would receive. The decision was not appealable. Baby Doll kept the money accounts and would pay off the departing crewmember. She would also ensure the crewmember was relieved of his ship’s dagger and escorted off Predator.

  Hawkins thanked everyone again, and the two visitors departed. Predator returned to Wanderlust.

  Chapter 2

  Once Predator was back in port, dozens of crewmembers went on a well-earned leave period. Crewmembers would disembark the ship into
waiting shuttles to move them to ships departing Wanderlust for a variety of destinations. At Predator’s airlock, Baby Doll and Logan stood together. They were there to wish everyone a good leave and remind people to be on their best behavior while visiting in the Aurora Empire. Logan was the ship’s master at arms and was good at reminding people about the rules.

  Preacher and Eli stood in line awaiting transportation. As they neared the front of the line, Baby Doll took notice. Eli was always a liberty risk and his hijinks might be less than acceptable in this region.

  Baby Doll smiled at the pair. “Where you off to?”

  Predictably, Eli took up the conversation while Preacher remained silent. “We’re meeting Nori Ozaka and a friend of hers and going to Chisum. First order of business is a drinking match.”

  Baby Doll and Logan were surprised. Not about the drinking contest, that was a given. Eli lived to drink while on liberty. It was his choice of female companions. Both Logan and Baby Doll kept track of personal relationships as they might impact readiness and efficiency of the ship, but this was a new one.

  Nori Ozaka, or Ozzie as she was nicknamed, held the same position in Nemesis as Eli did in Predator. She was that ship’s combat helmsman and a good one. Crewmembers usually ran around with people from their own ship. If they had close friends from other spacecraft, it was people who did the same job as they did. Job discussion was often the basis for the beginning of conversations and then friendships, so this was not unusual, but neither Logan nor Baby Doll knew Eli and Ozzie were friends.

  “You two close friends?” Baby Doll inquired.

  Eli shook his head. “We’ve been on liberty together a couple of times while arguing over who is the best helmsman.” Eli shook his head again. “I am clearly the best, but she refuses to accept the obvious, so we have decided to settle it over drinks.”