Alpha One - Chris Burton [51]
Jake believed he created a perfect symmetry of mind and joystick control for the Hunter to get round the circuit in the best possible time. As his time approached, he held the ship at zero velocity and released the thrust within a split second of the start signal firing.
Jake had honed his skills on the Hunter to perfection. While it lacked the absolute power of the Rapier or the maneuverability and pace of the Sabre, the Hunter was still a fine vessel. He felt totally in control as he accelerated to full velocity. In no time, he rounded the Kuiper Belt, hugging the ice formation closely as he looped under and over the ice rocks. Next, he headed back towards Jupiter in a near perfect display of balanced high speed jump ship piloting. Today was Jake’s day, and he finished twenty seconds faster than the rest of the field. He finished the day in second place overall with Steve thirteen seconds ahead.
Carla didn’t fare so well. She was unlucky, and was eliminated as the number of Top Gun candidates were reduced to thirty-six. Maria continued her excellent flying and finished the day in fifteenth.
Back on solid ground, Jake allowed himself the luxury of reflecting on the day. The events of the last twenty-four hours were not forgotten. His grief manifested itself as first anger and then passion.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Pressure of High Office
Admiral Koenig sat at his desk and stared at the figures in front of him. The costs of the Sentinel offensive escalated by the day and were way beyond budget. He was not an accountant, but it was clear funds would not be adequate to cover the offensive as planned. He had three options. The first was cut costs for the operation itself and run the risk of jeopardizing the offensive overall. Alternatively, he could approach Alpha’s funders for additional resources. The third was unpalatable. Cutting costs across the board was a transparent move portraying Alpha as financially stricken. It reflected badly on Alpha’s decision to cut itself from Earth central funding.
Earth’s central government cushioned the blow of budget excesses in the past, by allowing the overspending, funding it and worrying about the consequences after the event. His new funders would not be as forthcoming. The dilemma began clear but was quickly clouded by a suggestion from Admiral Tresco, suggesting a fourth option. Perhaps given Earth’s continued vested interest, it might be acceptable to ask for funding again from Earth. Koenig was troubled but decided to push his worries to one side and enjoy the evening with his family. He would sleep on it and decide how best to proceed in the morning.
In the meantime, the small matter of the fiasco on the Partacian border must be addressed. Admiral Shenke’s taskforce destroyed thirty Partacian ships and lost seven crew in the process—one of whom was a star academy graduate sent out into battle and killed in action. She should never have been out there, and the loss of so many Partacian vessels was catastrophic.
The senior Admiralty bench met earlier that day to discuss the latest events and to remedy the growing political problem developing in Partacian space. The general consensus was that the confrontation should never have taken place and that Koenig didn’t have the power to act unilaterally. He should have consulted the bench before the invasion commenced.
The ‘threat’ from the Partacians should have been eliminated by the mini-task force before they were well into Partacian territory. However, this wasn’t the case, and the bench made it clear they didn’t support Koenig’s stance. An unofficial show of hands suggested the mini-fleet should remove itself from Partacian space immediately.
Koenig stood and stated that it was too late. The fleet would continue on its current course, irrespective of the bench’s position. He was voted as CIC and his word was final. The bench stood silent as Koenig delivered his decision. The Articles of his office gave him this authority, but they