“Loss of approximately 65% hull integrity over 1000 simulations.”
“That’s all? Nothing out of the ordinary?”
“No, boss.”
“I want five of our missiles loaded up and sent 500 miles from the bow of the ship. I want controlled detonations half a mile from our bow each, two minutes apart with no shields.”
“Boss, do you want us to blow missiles at our own ship?”
“Exactly. I want you to record hull integrity with every blast, compare data and feed it into my INAS. Don’t let the missiles hit directly or they’ll ricochet off the SI material. And Mitto, disable the repair bots while this goes on. I want permanent damage.”
“I very much dislike harming myself, Captain.”
“I’m testing a theory, Mitto. I need your cooperation on this. Trust me, this is the first and last time I’m firing at my own ship.”
Mitto reluctantly agreed to my experiment after some more protesting but did as I told him to. Vogron was curious, but he said nothing. He pulled out a piece of dried Shia meat and chewed on it, never closing his lips. He had the horrible habit of picking up the corpses of his victims and later either cooking, frying, or drying them in his quarters. The smells were horrendous and so was most of what Vogron did and thought. Even worse was the smacking of his lips, but it was a necessary evil.
“You eat what you hunt, human, don’t you?”
I just shook my head. Humans didn’t hunt anymore, not even for fun. Mostly because there was no wildlife on Earth or any of its colonies. Races that spread over solar systems usually abandoned the practice long ago, but the Jareet and especially the Eres kept hunting for many different cultural, social, and political reasons.
The ship shook for the briefest of moments. That was the first missile.
“Now that was anticlimactic,” Vogron muttered.
“It wasn’t supposed to be dramatic, Vogron. Just eat that damn Shia and give me a break.”
Two minutes later another explosion came. Several more exploded in equal distance from each other. Once the fifth exploded, I asked Mitto for the analysis.
“Processing. Hold on. The first missile caused 0.5% damage, the second 0.4.%, then the next two both were 0.5% and the last missile caused the hull to lose another 0.4%. Bringing the hull integrity down to 97.2.%. No anomalies there, Captain, as expected I might add. Suffered a beating for no reason, the poor thing. May I introduce the repair process now? I hate to see Tanaree in this state.”
“Hold the repairs and report anything out of the ordinary.”
I mulled over the numbers for a couple of seconds, but there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. I had a hunch that seemed to have been misplaced. I wasn’t getting anywhere with this and I had plenty of other things to take care of, so I decided to drop the issue for now and focus on getting back to the Federation.
At just enough fuel for ten jumps we’d have to rob two more ships just to be in the clear. Probably more if we wanted to get ahead and get there faster, but one more or less didn’t matter much to me.
“Captain, one more thing though. There seems to be a discrepancy with the percentages of the hull integrity. The external analysis shows that the hull is at 97.5% while my calculations set it at 97.2%.”
“Did you send out the damned repair bots?”
“No, boss. All bots are offline.”
“Could it be that the damage percentages were off?”
“No, external analysis shows the same numbers.”
“So something repaired our hull when we weren’t watching?”
“No sir, not quite. The hull was never down to 97.2%. It was at 97.5% the whole time. It’s as if something caught part of the missile explosion saving our hull’s integrity.”
“Give me a hypothetical.” I wanted Mitto to confirm what I already suspected but still thought to be crazy. Still, crazier things happened throughout my now pretty long life.
“Well, it seems as though, and I’d have to run more tests to be sure, but it seems as though our hull has added the SI material from the drone. It didn’t, however, pile on a new layer of protection but it may be the case that the atoms from the drone are kept in a suspended state outside our three dimensions. When the hull is damaged, the suspended atoms are beckoned from the fourth dimension to absorb some of the damage. That would also explain why we have no increase in mass.”
“But who beckons them? I thought you were in control here, Mitto?”
“I am, boss, totally, absolutely, and unquestionably 100% in control.”
“Aham…”
“Boss, our merging with ship AI’s doesn’t mean we are aware of every system and sub-system at all times. You’re not aware of what your stomach does through the day, right? You know what’s in there, you know it’s probably doing what it’s supposed to, but you don’t consciously control the things it does, right?”
I didn’t want to argue about it as my understanding of ship AI’s was fairly limited. What he said, though, made absolute sense.
“A dimension-shifting SIM hull that can theoretically expand endlessly until nothing could breach it,” I said ponderously more to myself than to Mitto. I’ve listened to my share of lectures on military-grade materials and we covered SI materials only partially, more as a thought experiment than anything else. There was one guy at work, I remember, who had this crazy theory that if you add a capable enough AI and dimension-folding technology, you could basically create a material that would virtually be impenetrable. This would have, of course, required unimaginable amounts of SI material, but we didn’t need to be impenetrable; it was enough to be very, very hard to kill.
“Mitto, run the tests and try to confirm our theory. If this is true, then—” I stopped and looked at Vogron.
The big brute was staring back at me with that look of malicious curiosity that promised nothing good. His horse-like head was already calculating how he could use this to his advantage. The implications of this technology stirred my imagination endlessly, and his as well I reckoned. The doors this tech opened were both exciting and terrifying. It meant our ship could grow to be powerful enough to withstand battleship salvos or even more, but it also meant the Aloi had dimension-bending technology and a potential fleet of ship-devouring frigates to which the Federation, at least as far as we knew, had absolutely no answer.
“Keep analyzing the data and report any new findings directly to my INAS.”
I ran down to the brig where Captain McGill was held behind a stasis field. It was a small cell with nothing more than a bunk and a toilet. She was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed.
“Mitto, let me into the brig.”
The door slid open. I got in hurriedly and felt the door slide shut again.
“You were en route to the Space Station Kovar, am I right?”
She just gave me a nod without even opening her eyes and then returned to what seemed like meditation, pretending I wasn’t even there. There weren’t many things that could mess with my mind, but a prisoner disrespecting me was one of them.
I stepped up to the stasis field and waltzed into the cell. Her eyes fluttered open and she jumped up with a small squeal.
“I’m a prisoner! I have rights!”
“I’m a pirate, remember?” I sneered. “Now tell me everything you know about Kovar Station if you don’t want to find out if the rumors about me are true or not!”
She kept her hands crossed and seemed to be squeezing herself into the corner of the cell. I knew I terrified her and that any resistance she feigned came from a very brave place. I respected her for that, but I was also ready to do everything necessary to get myself and my crew ahead.
“The SIM drones in your cargo, they were supposed to go to Kovar Station. Is the station producing SIM ships? How many? Are there other places where they produce the materials? I need to know, now!”
“I won’t tell you a single thing! You’re our enemies!”
“You don’t have to, Capta
in. I can see it in your eyes and you just told me everything I needed to know. This new earthern military sure is weak compared to soldiers from the military.”
“How dare you? We’re not weak! We survived without you for so long!”
“Mitto, prepare the ship for departure. We’re going to Kovar Station right now. We’ll attack it with all we got and then we’ll take the whole thing apart to find what we need.”
“Yes, boss.”
She opened her mouth to protest but she said nothing, deliberating on if she should speak or not.
“Whatever you have to say, do it now and you can save lives, but if you keep your little mouth shut, be sure that every last soul we send to the nether is on you.”
“I don’t know, damn it!” she yelled back. “I don’t know what’s made in Kovar Station. Do you really think the Aloi share their military secrets with us? We’re a drop in the ocean to the Aloi. How can you be so cruel? How can you call yourself human at all?”
She struck a chord with the last sentence. All I ever did was for humankind. Not for the Federation, not for the Ka or Imminy. All these years of war and blood just so an Aloi slave could call me cruel and uncaring.
“You know nothing about humans, and you know nothing about the universe. Do you think that I’m cruel? The Aloi must have washed your brains out completely. Do you want to talk about what it means to be human? It means your sons and daughters are shipped across the galaxy to die by the millions for the Ka! All of them eventually die at the hands of your masters! That’s fucking cruelty.”
“Not true! You are heretics!”
“I know the Aloi told you all kinds of horror stories about the Federation and humankind in it. I know they painted us as some evil conquerors, but we’re not. We’re survivalists, and if survival means being cruel, then yes, we are very, very cruel. And you better remember that, because if there’s anything you forgot to tell me about that station, if one of my crew gets hurt and you could have stopped it, believe me, Captain, the Dusk Ascendency will be treated the same way as the rest of the Aloi scum.”
She stared at me with a mixture of hatred and sorrow. I knew she wanted to say something, but the way the Aloi ruled over their subjects wasn’t much different than the Ka did.
“You do what you have to do; there’s nothing I can help you with.”
“You better believe your own words,” I said, and she hissed and turned around facing the corner like an angry child. The woman made me furious. I wanted to slam her face into that corner, but I restrained myself.
Dealing with war-hungry aliens for almost two decades made me somewhat rough around the edges, so I had to remind myself I was talking to a human. A very good-looking human female at that. The thought popped in and I suppressed it. No, I couldn’t take that into account. The rest of my crew would lose all the respect they had if I suddenly started flirting with our prisoners. I always had a soft spot for strong women who spoke out and Captain McGill was exactly that.
“We will drop you off at Kovar Station. If it’s true what you’re saying, no harm will come to you,” I said but it almost sounded like a threat. Still, she remained silent and brooding. “Fine. If you don’t even want to save your own ass, that’s all right with me. You’re one lucky brat that you stumbled upon me. Any other pirate ship would have your people enslaved and either killed you outright or have you as a bedmate.”
I stormed out the same way I entered. The thought that I’d been more ruthless if there was a Shia in that cell popped up, and I pushed it away. The truth had a way with people and it usually hurt, but I didn’t care right then and there.
I gathered my crew in the stateroom and laid out my new plan. I wanted to get to Kovar Station for three things: answers, fuel, and more SIM drones. I explained my plan of attack in detail and my crew listened with interest.
“As far as we know, it’s not a military base so there shouldn’t be too many defensive installations. Still, we’ll have to drop in very close if we want to avoid turret fire. Military or not, it’s an Aloi station and it’s going to have defenses of some sort. We can expect boots on the ground, Aloi-Cantari probably, but that shouldn’t pose a problem,” I said, looking at Arthur. “Right?”
“There’s no problem I can think of,” Arthur answered, anticipating the question.
“This stinks of treachery,” Fars said, shaking his head. “What if they knew this would happen? What if they knew we would load the drone and go after Kovar Station to get more? This isn’t beyond them.”
“Fars is right. This could easily be a trap and the human in the brig could be the lure.” Arthur agreed. I pondered the same thought but decided on pushing it aside.
“I don’t think we have a choice. Kovar Station is nine jumps away. We have enough detrium for ten maybe eleven jumps. There’s literally nothing in this sector that we could raid. It’s either Kovar or pulling out our distress beacon hoping neither Partak nor Aloi forces pick us up. I can put the decision to a vote, but I think I know your choices.”
Neither of them spoke for a while, at least until Arthur the Templar spoke.
“Attacking an enemy space station with a single ship while knowing you’re walking into a trap. That’s just classic Richard Stavos thinking, and I love it.”
There was no sarcasm in Arthur’s words. He was looking forward to my plan, which got me thinking. Every time Arthur was psyched to go on a mission it meant people would get hurt, stuff would explode, and the infirmary of the Tanaree would have to work overtime. Despite their warmongering backgrounds, even Fars and Vogron had the sensibility to be worried about this kind of thing. We never attacked a station, our ammo supply was pretty dry, we had just enough fuel for a one-way trip, and they knew we were coming.
“They know we’re coming,” I said more to myself than to anyone.
“Are you all right, Richard Stavos?” Fars said worriedly.
“They know we’re coming and they expect us to be there.”
“Yes, how about you sit down a little bit,” Fars urged me. “You sound like a broken record as you humans would say.”
I looked them over and gave them a toothy grin. “What if it isn’t us they get?”
14
“Are you sensing anything, Arthur?”
“No, there’s no other Aloi mind aboard this station. Mitto was right about that, Stavos.”
Good, I thought. This should go as planned as long as McGill didn’t pull anything stupid. If she did, then we’d all be screwed, but I’d make sure to take her down with me in the very least.
“All right, let’s go through this one last time. You’re an Aloi Templar on a random inspection and the two of us are your escorts. I’m Lieutenant Carp and McGill is herself. If they ask why we’re flying an unidentified ship, what are we going to say?”
“I’m an Inner Circle Aloi Templar and I don’t have to answer their questions.”
I nodded. It was at the same time a stupidly simple trick and a completely audacious idea. It was so cheeky that I hoped nobody would expect anyone to actually try it. Having recovered most of his armor only helped with the charade as if Arthur had come naked without any ceremonial gear, then it wouldn’t have mattered that he’s a damn Aloi.
The doors of the Tanaree opened and we stepped toward a welcoming party of six Shias, a Greth engineer, and a Frey scientist. As soon as they saw Arthur, they bowed their heads low and spread their arms wide in a sign of respect. One of the Shia hovered forward and spoke, and as he did, the other five Shia repeated parts of his sentence like an echo.
“Lord Templar, we are honored you would visit our Station. I’m sure you will find our latest work to be exemplary, yes, exemplary. We are sorry, yes? Sorry, we haven’t prepared for your arrival, no. It comes at such short notice, yes. Our name is Wavemaster Barsar, yes. These are our chief engineer, Baron Ugre of the Greth, and our lead scientist, Raiza Nur of the Frey. Welcome, yes, welcome Lord Templar.”
Though nobody said anything about Ar
thur’s appearance, you could see it on the Frey’s face that he was shocked to see a Templar in such a state. Aloi regularly switched Templar bodies and rarely would an old model as the one Arthur used survive for so long. Mitto did his best with Arthur’s attire replicating an Aloi Templar’s ceremonial armor and the cosmetic work on Arthur’s face was pretty decent, but it only got so far. I hoped the issue wouldn’t be addressed and it wouldn’t have been if it wasn’t for Arthur.
“Is there something wrong, Raiza Nur of the Frey? A reason you look at me with such disdain. Do you wish to offend me, Frey? Do you want me to rip off your limbs one by one?”
“No, my Lord!” the Frey blurted out. He cowered behind the Greth and stepped back while lowering himself even further. “I wouldn’t dare, my Lord!”
“I have come to set eyes on your work. I have traveled a long time only to be met with disrespect. An overview of your work is long overdue, perhaps even a shift of personnel is in order.”
“My Lord—” the Frey muttered. He seemed terrified by the prospect. “Forgive me, I did not intend to offend.”
Arthur just grunted and turned to me.
“These are Dusk Ascendency officials here to help me analyze the situation. The male is called Lieutenant Dumbface and the female is Captain McGill. You will treat them with the same respect as you treat me.”
“Yes, my Lord. The Dusk Ascendency is a respected friend,” the Shia wavemaster said, pushing himself in front of the Frey.
I looked at Arthur, wanting to smack him on the head. Lieutenant Dumbface? Very funny, Arthur, I’ll remember that.
“Come, my Lord. We have arranged a small welcoming celebration. We have Takkari and Oolan Jan slaves, yes, Kardisian snapp, and a whole array of delicacies from all corners of the Partak Sector for you to enjoy, yes?”
Redeemer: A Military Space Opera Series (War Undying Book 2) Page 15
