Free Retribution: The Augmented Human Rebellion - Book 2 by Terry Lefler

successful
attack on the Emperor’s Palace - and that is not ever likely to happen. 
    Fleet Admiral Duncons goal was to destroy the augmented human Admiral.  He expected that the
Fleet would be destroyed in the process of attacking the Verm Navy.  But
just in case that didn’t happen, the Fleet Admiral had ordered Admiral Meyers
to claim responsibility for the attacks, so that the Verm Navy would go after
the Sweetwater Fleet, with a vengeance.
    But the unthinkable has happened - the Sweetwater Fleet has
survived.  But there are no spare munitions or parts for the Darinx warships. 
Admiral Meyers has been stashing munitions and supplies for the Retribution,
but there is no source for Darinx munitions.  The most reasonable thing to
do is to ask Fleet Admiral Duncons for additional supplies.
    So she sends an information probe toward Darinx headquarters, addressed
to Fleet Admiral Duncons . 
She reports that all mission objectives have been accomplished, except for the
destruction of the Verm Emperor’s Palace.  She requests additional
supplies and munitions for the Sweetwater Fleet, and gives coordinates, so that
the Fleet Admiral can send a response to her message.
    ***

Chapter
8
     
    Headed for Re-supply
    Fleet Admiral Duncons does respond to Admiral Meyers’ message.  He repeats his order for the
Sweetwater Fleet to complete their mission, before returning to Darinx
space.  Then he gives coordinates for the Sweetwater Fleet to rendezvous
with Darinx re-supply vessels.
    Admiral Meyers doesn’t trust Admiral Duncons and suspects that there
might be a trap for the Sweetwater Fleet, at the re-supply rendezvous. 
She orders an FTL exit that puts the Fleet 10 light minutes away from the
rendezvous.  She will observe the re-supply process from a distance. 
     Her plan is to send 4 crewless Darinx warships to
the rendezvous point, if the re-supply transports are present.  Those
ships will be on auto-pilot and will do an FTL hop to a deep space location,
after they have been re-supplied.  That process will continue until all
Darinx warships have been re-supplied.
    Admiral Meyers makes it a habit to have the Command Deck
view-screen images available, to all crew members.  She knows that crews
get antsy, if they are kept at Battle Stations, with no knowledge of the ship’s
situation.  All crews on all ships are watching the process as it unfolds
    There are 2 Darinx transports waiting at the re-supply
coordinates.  Admiral Meyers orders that the 4 empty ships be hopped into
the re-supply space.  Then, they wait.  …………… …………. After the 4 empty
warships emerge into the re-supply space, a pre-recorded message from Admiral
Meyers instructs the re-supply vessels to begin restocking.  The crews on
the re-supply vessels position the Sweetwater ships for restocking, and begin
the process.
    Everything appears to be going according to plan, and
Admiral Meyers is about to order the next ships to hop into the space, when
Verm Warships begin to emerge en masse.  The Darinx transports and the 4
crewless Sweetwater ships are quickly destroyed.
    Admiral Meyers orders the Sweetwater Fleet to
run-silent, as they watch the 100 ship Verm Fleet lounge around the dead
carcasses of the Darinx ships.  “Thank God, that I didn’t trust Admiral Duncons ,” thinks Admiral
Meyers.
    After some hours the Verm Fleet enters FTL space and
leaves the vicinity.  She lost 4 ships – that is her first real loss – but
Admiral Meyers didn’t lose any humanoids or Artificial Intelligences.  The
relief that she didn’t lose any lives more than cancels out the feeling of
loss, about the destroyed ships.  There were a lot of Darinx sailors
killed on the re-supply ships, though.  Admiral Meyers makes a vow – in
her mind – that she will avenge those deaths someday.
    Admiral Meyers launches an information probe to Darinx
Navy Headquarters giving a status report, concerning her mission, along with a
copy of the orders