The Landfall Campaign (The Nameless War) by Edmond Barrett

its couch. Willis turned the cabin chair round to face him. The Admiral sighed and rubbed his legs.
    “ My knees Commander, they do not thank me for returning to gravity. My stomach on the other hand, it is always glad to start pulling Gs again. ”
    “ I must admit sir, I’ve always been lucky with space sickness, although I do lose all sense of taste pretty much immediately. Speaking of which, would you like tea or coffee, sir? ”
    “ Coffee, please. You on the other hand, you look like a tea drinker, Commander. ”
    “ That’s an easy one sir. I am Northern Irish after all, ” she replied with a smile before activating her intercom. “ Captain to galley, tea and coffee to be sent to the main cabin. ”
    They were obviously well prepped since the drinks arrived almost immediately in the ship’s fine china. Before he poured his, Shebanova paused to admire the delicate cup. There was gold edging round the rim and beneath that, the ship’s motto in Latin, which loosely translated proclaimed: Striking I Defend .
    “ I’m glad to see these are still here. I thought they might have been lost when the ship was decommissioned. Captain Bezos bought them out of his own pocket. I was a junior lieutenant on board at the time. ”
    “ I think they were forgotten, sir. A few pieces of the set were casualties of the battle, although I think someone in engineering is trying to glue them back together, ” she replied before wondering why the hell she was telling her new commander about broken crockery.
    But he was nodding as if it were highly important data.
    “ I was impressed by your performance, Commander. I was busy with my own ship of course, but I did manage to keep an eye on you on the scope. You did well in managing both immediate concerns and wider responsibilities.
    Willis nodded but made no reply. It was still all too easy to remember the sense of desperation, as she tried to cover a damaged friendly ship, while staying in touch with a fleet that was not waiting for them.
    “ Now Commander, I expect you are wondering about our new assignment. ”
    “ Yes sir. I was informed that we will be joining the force at Dryad. ”
    He shook his head as his face took on a more serious expression.
    “ You were misinformed, Commander. Cruiser Squadron Eighteen will not be joining the force at Dryad. It will be the force at Dryad, in its entirety.
    Willis felt her jaw drop.
    “ Sir, there’s only us and Onslaught left! ” she objected.
    “ Yes for the time being. I have been informed that the Cyclone and Typhoon should be operational within another week or two. Furthermore, the Monsoon and the Thunder will be towed out to Dryad, to use for spare parts. ”
    Willis knew of all four ships. Like Hood , they were first generation starships, all relics of the Contact War, but unlike her ship, these were the ones they hadn’t managed to get going ahead of Alpha Centauri. Monsoon and Thunder had already been part cannibalised. Hood had more than a few pieces from them herself.
    “ No modern ships at all? ” she asked.
    “ Sadly not, ” he replied before taking a sip from his coffee. “ The Nameless are obviously the main concern. Then there is the requirement to keep an eye on the Aèllr Confederacy. We are unfortunately at the wrong end of a very long list of priorities. ”
    “ Isn’t Headquarters worried about the Rizr? ”
    “ Yes. But they are more worried about the Nameless and the Aèllr. As I said, it is a question of priorities. Where there was once an entire fleet, now there will be only four tired old ships. ”
    Willis examined the Admiral carefully over the top of her cup. Was there a hint of bitterness in that last sentence? She wasn’t sure. When she’d got his name, she’d looked up as much about Shebanova as was available on public record. Due to persistent health problems he’d retired from the fleet ten years before after reaching the rank of commodore. The same rush of activity that had put