A Dark Oceans Descent: (Heridian Saga, Book 1)

by Darryl J. W. Temple

  Draethus looked away and wondered if expressing what he felt might scare the girl, then replied with a simple nod.

  Rel was silent, something she wasn't accustomed to being, before throwing her arms around the man, 'I love you too! I'm so happy, but,'

  'But?' he replied.

  'Will you consider not going to Heridia for me?'

  Draethus thought about it for a moment before replying, 'I haven't changed my mind on this Rel. I can't send my men on this mission and just sit back; I must lead from the front and see it through.'

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she buried her face in his chest, 'I know you have to, I do, just please come back to me, please.'

  *

  With the Heridian forces now completely off their trail, the pirate fleet was free, at least for the moment, to find an area to rearm and refuel. Flying in formation, the vessels opened their solar sails and collected the energy from a nearby red giant. Silver glistened as the expanded panels consumed radiation in a glorious light show, metal behemoths basking in an ocean of fire.

  Towards the back of the formation the Vidar, its enormous sails expanded also, resembled an aquatic predator chasing food through the glowing waves as it trailed the smaller capital craft. The city ship would take four revolutions of the star to fill its buffers, transferring the energy to the building sized storage banks. Only then would the vessel return to full power, which it would need for the coming battle.

  On the observation deck, Talon Commander Xain Raeson walked across the transparent floor and marvelled at the impressive display as a solar flare erupted and appeared to reach out to him.

  'Thank you for coming, Raeson,' the Khan said as he entered through the sliding automatic doors, 'it was important for me to have this meeting with you.'

  'You're welcome my Khan, how can I be of service?' the pirate Commander replied standing to attention.

  'I've read your report on the journey to Tiberous, the duel with the Heridian leader and also the ensnarement. I'd like to hear your account of this, especially the detour.' the Khan asked. 'Why was this deemed necessary?'

  Raeson relaxed his stance, 'Commander Draethus was piloting when we discovered a derelict vessel adrift. Not only did I find a missing crew member, but we discovered a set of co-ordinates written next to Draethus' name. He altered course to investigate as it only added a couple of days to our journey.'

  'And in doing so fell into a trap organised by a group of Scroungers in the service of the Heridians?'

  'Yes Sir, that is correct. My stranded crew member gave us the inscribed item with the location, so we deemed it safe. We did however scout ahead, but unfortunately Draethus ordered our ships to move in as the scouts missed the check in time.'

  'What you should have done was advise Draethus to leave the scouts behind and proceed to Tiberous. Putting the ship at risk in such a reckless act could have cost us the advantage. If your crew member, Tek, wasn't such a damn war hero, I would think he aided the Rids by sending you on that path.'

  Raeson felt the heat of anger reach his eyes at the mention of his crew accused of being a traitor. 'Tek doesn't remember how he ended up on the derelict vessel but he is no traitor, Sir.'

  'Aye, that I agree with. I paid him a visit earlier to commend him for his actions in saving the fleet, something I should have done years ago.'

  'Thank you Khan, I'm sure he would have appreciated that.'

  'He was thankful in fact, although I feel being alone has broken his mind. He was not shall we say, himself.'

  'Give him time my Khan, I'm sure he will heal.'

  Khan Hayreddin stroked his dark beard, and Raeson wondered if he was devising a plan that included an airlock. Hopefully Xain would be on the breathable side.

  'How many Scroungers were there?' the Khan asked.

  'Dozens, I would say. I believe they stole the mines from our own arsenal, the ones we scattered along the trade lanes years ago.'

  'That is what Stark tells me also,' the Khan replied. 'If the ship hadn't time shifted, they would have captured both vessels.'

  'You have already spoken to Stark?'

  'I have indeed,' the Khan touched his small ear piece and activated his coms unit. 'You may enter.'

  The sliding door opened again to reveal the man Raeson had grown to mistrust. Napier Stark, the member of his wing that continuously disobeyed orders and acted on his own initiative.

  'I believe it's time to reveal information about your nemesis here,' the Khan said.

  Stark stood to attention and saluted his leader with the customary nod of respect. 'Yes Sir,' he said.

  Raeson, now fully confused, felt the anger return to his eyes from earlier, 'What is this?'

  The Khan nodded to Stark to acknowledge his salute and let the man relax before saying, 'I assigned Napier Stark to your Reaper wing about five years ago now I believe?'

  'That is correct,' Raeson replied, 'so why is he here?'

  'Stark's true purpose is to keep a watch on you and overall, for protection,' the Khan said.

  'Protect me. Why would I need protecting? Why spy on me when others in the fleet could actually be harmful to themselves and others?'

  'I told you once that I knew your father and as you know I spend time with your mother.' The Khan began pacing along the observation window.

  'Yes, I remember, and just about everyone aboard the Vidar knows you dine with my mother.'

  'I was your father's closest friend before he abandoned the fleet. I made a promise to watch out for you, and that I have, through Stark.'

  'And why him?' Raeson asked.

  'I'll let Napier explain that, for now I have a ship to run. I wanted to tell you this in person as you have a dangerous mission ahead and I believe I owed you an explanation.' The Khan returned the acknowledgements from his men and exited the observation level.

  'I didn't need you shadowing me all these years, I've been quite capable of looking after myself,' Raeson started.

  'How capable would you have been if I hadn't intercepted the attempts on your life by the multiple assassins over the years?' Stark replied. 'You have seen only a few of them yourself, yet I am the one that stalks the shadows, protecting your life.'

  Shock crossed Raeson's face as he said, 'What do you know of such assassins?'

  'I've intercepted a dozen assassination attempts on your life since being assigned to your wing. Most of which were family members of the crew your father left to die. I couldn't blame them really, however I disposed of them quietly. Others, more trained individuals, I couldn't extract the information from, they died before giving me their motive.'

  'I see, then I apologize for any grief I have given you. If I would have known sooner, things could have gone smoother.'

  'If you were told, others would know and would have made things more difficult.'

  Raeson relaxed as events unraveled in his mind. 'I've had to deal with assassination attempts myself, though I hadn't the patience to question their motives, I even spaced one of them. Was that all the Khan assigned you to do, what were you doing in the destroyer?'

  'Heridian ships of that class and size contain an item that stores a library of information about their race. The Khan assigned me to steal it.'

  'The core you mean,' Raeson asked, 'that caused a lot of trouble.'

  'It put you in harm's way which was against my original mission but was never my intention. I read your report on the Sky Lord Theradin and your capture and I apologise for what happened. It was a failure on my part.'

  'Accepted,' Raeson said as Stark headed for the door, 'why would the Khan choose you though?'

  Stark smirked, a feature that had infuriated the pirate Commander from the day they met. 'Maybe I was just good at my role, Commander Raeson.'

  'Or maybe you're Dark Ops,' Raeson replied.

  Stark grinned as he disappeared behind the sliding doors.

  CHAPTER 20.

  In Honor of Actions.

  Raeson winged over his Widowmake
r class fighter, rolled above the top of Draethus, who was piloting his own craft for the first time, and levelled out beside the soldier. They had decided that Draethus needed to learn how to pilot in case he needed the experience in the future, plus the pair needed some downtime. In the background, the fleet continued its refueling so seemed the perfect opportunity for training.

  Draethus held the fighter steady and felt every slight movement through the duel flight sticks on each side of him. The holographic lens in his eyes displayed three-dimensional icons representing different systems. The left side of his view showed targeting and navigation in the right. His fighter bucked unexpectedly as the micro reactor pulsed energy into the buffers causing the engines to scream.

  'How does it feel Draethus?' Raeson asked looking through his canopy across at the man.

  'This differs from what I imagined. I can feel every movement like it were a part of me.'

  'Good, then it shouldn't take long to convert you from a dirt pounder.'

  'Dirt pounder, you mean a ground soldier?'

  Raeson laughed, 'You will get the hang of the lingo, in time my friend.'

  I hadn't considered Xain a friend, but I guess we have been spending time. Then again we've been killing Rids together, so it makes sense, Draethus thought. Friend to an outlaw.

  The pirate throttled forward and ignited his engines, 'There is a toggle button on your throttle to the left that will engage the engine burn and give you a little extra boost. Don't use it too often though, or you'll cause damage and end up stranded. I've set a way point on your navigation, keep on my wing and try to match my speed.'

  Draethus did as instructed, although not nearly as smooth as the pirate, but kept on his wing, regardless. Both fighters screamed through the dark until the fleet was just a spec in the hazy distance.

  'It's not as easy as you make it look,' remarked the soldier.

  'All Cygnian Pirates grow up in the saddle; it's in our blood and our way of life.' He jinked his craft from side to side then said, 'I'm going to perform some basic manoeuvres, try to keep up.'

  Raeson twisted his fighter on the center axis, a perfect one-hundred and eighty degrees, and pulled back on the stick. His comrade, who although made some errors followed his craft, and dove to the polar south, still completing the maneuver. Raeson tipped his wing left and then right, swaying and dodging to each side, simulating a fighter being targeted from behind. Draethus tried his best to mimic the moves before the pirate disappeared underneath him.

  'Where did you go, pirate?'

  'That was a standard bait and re-vector tactic. Give your enemy a false sense they've got you, then strafe down and re-position.'

  'That was a fast move, I'll try it,' Draethus replied.

  He pulled back on both sticks; the left stick strafed his craft down regardless of the direction the fighter was facing, the right stick pointed him toward his intended target. As he was still accelerating forward, all he did was spin out of control and lose sight of Raeson.

  He lost his bearings, cut his engine and talked into his coms again, 'The gravity from that star is harsh, wait are you laughing?'

  Raeson couldn't help himself as it had been a long time since he'd trained anyone. 'I'm sorry, but if you saw yourself just then, you would laugh as well.'

  For a moment Draethus felt embarrassed, then laughed at himself and said, 'It's been a long time since anyone has trained me.'

  'Next time cut your engines with the kill switch on your left thumb; that will engage the manoeuvring thrusters and allow you to strafe using your left stick. In combat that will give you an advantage as speed will limit how sharp a turn you can make. Fighting in the void can be a tricky task especially against the Rids as their ships can match our vectors. The better the pilot, the more chance you have of surviving.'

  *

  The two fighters continued their training with Raeson at the lead and Draethus doing his best to keep up. As the pirate had been flying his entire life, he slowed down his vectors to let the soldier keep up and learn the tactics that might save his life one day.

  'Good roll in,' Raeson said, 'now try it in reverse as you cut engines and strafe to the high right, this will move your fighter off the line, as we call it.'

  'The line?'

  'It's what we call the path your enemies' weapons will follow, from its guns to your hull. Once they fire, the plasma travels along a perfect line. By moving off that line you avoid the danger and if done correctly, will avoid their targeting systems and even their field of view all together.'

  'Sounds complicated but I understand what you're saying, let's try it.'

  Raeson strafed backward and down, then flew at Draethus, imitating a Heridian fighter veering in for the kill. He turned his targeting systems to active, locked on to the other fighter and rested his fingers on the triggers.

  I could end this soldier's life right now if I desired, the pirate thought. Then maybe Rel could be mine, if she ever forgave me that is. Do I want her in that way?

  Before he could brood further, Draethus disappeared from his field of view. The locking reticule turned from red to green and an alarm sounded in the cockpit. Draethus had performed the manoeuvre perfectly, as instructed, and the pirate's lens displayed an enemy lock-on warning.

  'Finally performed it correct this time,' Draethus said enthusiastically over the coms.

  'Well, it's about time soldier,' Raeson replied. 'Let's simulate using weapons, select your weapon load-out on your display and change it to training. This will alter the level of plasma in the guns to harmless, well it will only scratch the paint, but you will feel the hit.'

  'I'm sure Rel yelling at us for scratching her fighters won't be completely harmless,' Draethus laughed.

  Raeson accelerated away from the soldier to gain some distance for the fight before replying. The subject of Rel was still on his mind.

  'I've known Rel my entire life and I guess I just expected the two of us would make something of it, that was until you arrived,' the pirate said.

  'I'm shocked to hear you say that but I wondered the same, being completely honest Raeson, are you jealous?'

  Raeson thought for a moment, remembering all the good times with his childhood friend. 'I think maybe in the beginning, though I realise I might just miss her company. I've never seen her this happy before, so I'm glad she has found someone that makes her feel that way.'

  'I'm relieved you said that, I didn't want any animosity between us, especially with the mission ahead.'

  'Know this though,' Raeson continued, 'if you hurt her, you might find yourself on the wrong side of an airlock.'

  The soldier smiled, 'It's good to hear you will protect her as well.'

  The pirate charged his fighter in for the simulated kill, rolling his craft so the laser fire scattered over the area. Draethus could see the line of fire and strafed off to the side. The weapons fire shot off into the darkness, missing completely, but Xain followed up by performing an aggressive manoeuvre. Raeson flipped his fighter onto its back, side strafed, and fired off another dozen rounds of heated plasma. It surprised the pirate as Draethus returned fire blindly and a single shot slammed into his wing. Blood rushed to Xain's head and excitement filled his soul.

  Damn this is fun, he thought to himself.

  *

  Raeson's fighter touched down on the dock platform inside the great bay of the Vidar, with Draethus hovering behind in his own craft, waiting for clearance. The landing skids contacted the surface, then secured as claws locked them in place. The fighter couldn't move if the capital ship performed any evasive manoeuvres.

  'What do you call this!?!' Rel yelled running over the deck. 'Look at this paintwork, it's ruined!'

  'Don't be mad little one, we were only,' Raeson cut his words short as Draethus touched down on the nearby platform.

  'Only what exactly?' she asked, 'Out to make my job harder by giving me more work to do?'

  'I was teaching your lover over there how to fly, just
in case he needed to in the future. It would give him a better chance of survival.'

  'My what, my lover?' she mumbled as her face flushed red.

  Draethus climbed down from his cockpit, removed the pirate helmet and walked over to the arguing pair.

  'We've got to do that again, was quite a rush,' the soldier remarked. 'Are you all right, Rel?'

  'She's fine, Draethus, I was just telling her how I was teaching her lover how to fight in the empty.'

  'Oh, I see,' the Commander of the Eclipse replied.

  'I hate both of you,' she said as she began storming off, embarrassed.

  'There is nothing wrong with people knowing that we are in…' Draethus said as the girl cut him off.

  'Will you stop, you're making me go red,' she replied.

  As Rel finished, Tremon ran down the steps towards them. The docking lights reflected off his white and blue armor, giving an impression he had cleaned it.

  'There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you,' the Paladin yelled. 'Have you heard the news?'

  'What news is this?' Raeson asked.

  'To prepare for the coming battle and because of our efforts so far, the Khan has extended an invitation for us to join the Cygnian Pirates, officially,' Tremon replied.

  'That's good news,' Rel said with delight. 'You'll officially be one of us.'

  No smile reached Draethus' face; he was loyal to his people and to his cause. The idea of becoming a pirate wasn't something that excited him.

  'Does that not make you happy Draethus?' Raeson asked.

  'I've been SOV for most of my life, the idea of becoming a pirate doesn't really appeal to me and is against who I am.'

  'This person you think you are, would he have allowed another to step in during an honorable duel? Would he have aligned himself with a nefarious military fleet even for a greater cause?' Raeson asked.

  Tremon clasped his armored hand on his Commander's shoulder, something he wouldn't have normally done, however he felt the situation needed a personal approach. 'We haven't always agreed, especially in the beginning, but one thing has always been with us.'