The Black Gate (The Messenger #11) - J.N. Chaney Page 0,46

need it. So we decided to just leave it alone. An ace in the hole, if you will.”

“And not tell anyone about it because?”

“Because if no one knew about it, and they got captured by the Golden—”

“They couldn’t spill what they knew. But it’s a Golden thing, this Scrapyard, isn’t it? Wouldn’t they have already known about it?”

“That’s what we assumed. Custodian kept a couple of drones on-station there, watching over it. We always expected to see the Golden show up and start reclaiming it. But they never did.” He looked at Viktor. “All I can figure is that they somehow lost track of it. Some local commander created it from scrap hauled out of battles against the Unseen but never got the chance to inform anyone higher up about it. In any case, it’s still there, untouched. We have a big enough fleet to take it on now. And once we’ve got it, we can expand the fleet even more.”

“You think that’s going to be necessary?”

“I don’t know, but I won’t make the mistake of operating on a budget again, not with Dark Metal, and not if I can help it. We’re planning to fight on the other side of the Black Gate, all while keeping the gate secure and forces on either side. That’s assuming the Deepers don’t open another gate somewhere else. No, we go hard now, gather Dark Metal, and I’ll feel a lot better about our capabilities,” Dash said.

Dash could sense Viktor’s doubt. He was probably wondering what else Dash knew that he wasn’t saying. But he let it go, knowing that Dash had to carry things no one else could.

“Well, I got the coffee maker ready to go, so the Slipwing’s ready for battle,” Viktor said. “Priorities.”

“Copy that.” Dash smiled.

They both took a last look at the marshaling fleet—a sight that hadn’t been seen from the Forge in almost two years—then turned and headed for their respective ships.

“We’re really doing this again?” Viktor called out, turning to face Dash.

Dash stopped, squared his shoulders, and regarded Viktor—patient, loyal, Viktor—before looking up and out at the endless dark of space. “Is there a choice?”

Dash had decided to bring a full two-thirds of the fleet along to the Scrapyard. Benzel was in overall command, with the Herald leading a single squadron of cruisers, mainly for mutual protection. The rest of the fleet had been divided into two wings—one built around the carrier Victory, commanded by Wei-Ping, the other centered on the older, slightly smaller carrier named the Relentless, commanded by none other than Conover.

He swung his field of view back behind the Archetype and found the Relentless. Conover’s mech, the Pulsar, had been brought aboard her, so he could mount it and bring it into the battle if necessary. But Dash wanted to give him a chance to try commanding a major fleet engagement. The young man who’d started out as a grumpy, abrasive, and reluctant passenger aboard the Slipwing so long ago had proven to be an excellent strategist and tactician. So much so that both Dash and the AIs could envision him assuming full command of the fleet someday. The only thing he lacked was experience. The attack on the Scrapyard was an excellent opportunity for him to gain some.

Dash let his gaze float to Conover’s designated Red Wing, a sprawling array of warships, ranging from battlecruisers to minelayers. Blue Wing, commanded by Wei-Ping, was slightly larger and harder-hitting. Benzel’s plan was to lead with Blue Wing, initially keeping Red Wing back to reinforce or exploit as the battle progressed.

And they still had almost a third of the fleet, based around the command cruiser Sabretooth, on station back at the Forge. And yet, even this formidable collection of ships wouldn’t be enough to prosecute the war the way Dash wanted to. He didn’t want to just defeat the Deepers, he wanted to do it quickly and decisively to minimize the amount of time his people were risking their lives.

The enormous quantities of Dark Metal in the Scrapyard would allow the Cygnus Realm to build another entire fleet, which should only take a few months, given the prodigious fabricating power of the Forge, the four Anchors, and various other assets. The other ships included the heavy loader, a massive new addition to the fleet.

Based on the A-Prime carrier hull, the heavy loaders were factory ships, able to retrieve and process Dark Metal and other salvage right on site. They’d been the brainchild of Bercale and the