by C H Gideon
“I’d rather he didn’t,” Jiya said with a laugh.
“Any luck with the tracer rounds?” Reynolds asked.
“None,” Tactical responded. “The ship’s shields are too damn powerful. It’s not helping that his destroyers are closing him off, putting themselves between him and us.”
“All we need is a crack in his shield,” Reynolds stated, examining the data scrolling across the screen in front of him.
“Not sure we’ll get the chance, Captain,” Maddox warned. “We’re getting pounded.”
The ship shuddered as if to emphasize the general’s point, and the lights flickered.
Reynolds snarled as he examined his options. Without backup or an ace up his sleeve to turn the odds in his favor, he couldn’t see standing his ground against Phraim-’Eh’s fleet as being a smart choice, no matter how much he wanted to blow that bastard apart.
He wasn’t ready to turn tail and run just yet, however.
“Bring us about and prepare the Gate drive, Ensign!” he ordered. “Tactical, have the tracer rounds ready to go.”
“What are you thinking, Reynolds?” Jiya asked.
“We need to mix things up. Be creative,” the AI replied. “We can’t take these guys head-on, but we also can’t afford to lose track of them now that we have Phraim-’Eh in our sights, either.”
Reynolds took a second to process a million ideas, discounting all but one.
It wasn’t without its risks.
“Follow the coordinates I’m feeding you, Ensign, and be ready to Gate again on my command,” he told Ria.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, always willing to follow an order.
More fire rained down on the SD Reynolds, and if it hadn’t been for the ensign’s slick maneuvering, Reynolds knew they’d be taking far more damage than they were. As it was, there were damage reports streaming in from all over the ship.
There were no casualty reports, though, for which he was grateful.
He didn’t want to lose anyone this time around, especially without Xyxl being there to bring them back before they truly died.
“Gate!” Reynolds ordered.
Ria didn’t hesitate.
Seconds later, they appeared nearly nose to nose with Phraim-’Eh’s command ship, the Godhand.
“Holy fuck!” Asya shouted as the ship filled the viewscreen, looming directly ahead of them. “Didn’t see that coming.”
“I’m hoping Phraim-’Eh didn’t either,” Reynolds commented, motioning to Tactical. “Hit them with the ESD.”
Tactical triggered the weapon. Its power hummed through the ship, then it spilled away from the SD Reynolds and ripped across the short distance between the two ships.
The Godhand reacted with fervor, going into a steep dive.
The ESD strafed its shields, ripping them away from the top of the craft as if they were peeling the lid off a tin can. A wave of energy rippled through the remaining shields, distorting Reynolds’ view of the Godhand.
It looked as if it were underwater as it dove, scattering the fleet around it as they desperately avoided colliding with their master’s ship.
The ESD streaked past the dodging command ship, but the two ships at its back didn’t fare as well.
The first took the brunt of the beam head-on, and there was little more than dust and debris left of the destroyer by the time it sliced through the craft.
The other destroyer, offset just a little so as to avoid the bulk of the beam, still felt enough make them regret their positioning.
The ESD beam scraped the entire starboard side of the ship away from stem to stern. The destroyer listed as the whole right side of the craft was evacuated into space, crew included.
Atmosphere streamed from the destroyer’s gaping wound.
There would be no saving that ship.
Ria veered off as soon as the ESD died, following the coordinates Reynolds had fed her console.
Tactical didn’t wait for Reynolds to follow up, unloading everything he had into the gaping space the ESD had scorched in the Godhand’s shields.
Tracer rounds mixed with railgun fire scored the hull of the massive ship and Tactical whooped as he added a few missiles to the mix, making sure to delay their impact so they didn’t take out the tracer rounds that had successfully struck home.
Small explosions pattered the hull of the Godhand, but Reynolds noted little damage beyond scorched and pocked armor.
“Gate!” Reynolds called.
Ria jumped on the command, and the SD Reynolds moved out of the cluster of Phraim-’Eh’s fleet and appeared behind it, swinging around to target the engine of the nearest destroyer.
The ESD having bled the SD Reynolds dry, Tactical made do with what he had available.
He released a barrage of weapons fire: railguns, missiles, and cannons without discrimination.
The shields of the trailing destroyer lit up and flared out. The ship’s engines were next, going out in a flash of explosions that flared and died within seconds. Smoke billowed from the craft and the destroyer shifted, rolling sideways as its pilot struggled to bring the ship under control.
He failed.
The destroyer began to topple, tumbling end over end until it crashed into another of the destroyers.
It sliced through that ship’s shields without effort and slammed into the aft section, both destroyers snapping on impact.
Reynolds smiled as the destroyers broke apart and dropped out of the loose formation of Phraim-’Eh’s fleet.
Unfortunately, that was the last substantive blow the SD Reynolds would land.
The fleet turned about and hammered the superdreadnought, each blow pounding the gravitic shields. It only took a moment before the damage leaked through and ripped at the armored hull.
“We have an atmosphere leak in the rear compartments,” Jiya reported. “Crew is sealing off the section and the bots are working to fix it, but the damage is substantive.”
“Shields are fluctuating around fifty percent,” Asya reported. “We can’t take another beating like that last round.”
“Wounded are reported in the crews’ quarters, no deaths,” XO called.
“Give it to them one last time, Tactical, then get us the fuck out of here, Ensign,” Reynolds ordered, sending escape coordinates to Ria for her to follow. “How’s the trace looking, Takal?” he asked over the comm.
“We’ve got numerous solid connections,” the inventor answered after a moment’s pause.
“That’s going to have to do,” the AI answered as Tactical unleashed his full arsenal on the enemy.
It had little effect, the entirety of the fleet advancing and sending back much more fire than the SD Reynolds could muster.
“Get us gone!” Reynolds stated.
Ria Gated them out, the SD Reynolds shooting across the galaxy before they could take any more damage.
Chapter Sixteen
The SD Reynolds appeared in space over Krokus 4.
“Interesting choice of destinations,” Jiya told Reynolds once they caught their breath.
“It’s like the greatest hits collection of our journeys,” Tactical joked. “What’s next, Dal’las Tri?” he asked.
“Ooh, some gambling would be nice,” Maddox said wistfully.
The crew turned on him, and he raised his hands in surrender and slumped into his seat.
“I’m kidding. Sheesh. You people can’t take a joke.”
“The visitations serve two purposes,” Reynolds explained as the view of the watery planet filled the screen. “The first is that we have already cleared these locations of overt cult activity. That means our presence will not be immediately reported to Phraim-’Eh, and now that he can’t trace us, it gives us a nice place to recuperate. Getting to examine the impact we had upon the system is a secondary but relevant reason for returning. It’s always my hope that we have bettered the system by visiting it rather than having harmed it.”
“Bringing us into orbit around the planet,” Ria announc
ed.
“Belay that,” Reynolds told her. “Do we have hull integrity?”
“Lots of damage in the aft section, but we don’t have any holes,” Jiya reported.
Reynolds nodded. “Then takes us down to the planet, Ensign. I want to put down in the water and drop to the ocean’s floor outside of Ocelora.”
“That’ll make their day, I bet—a superdreadnought parked in their garden,” Maddox commented, chuckling.
“Comm, reach out to the Krokan rep, Flor, and let her know we’re popping in,” Reynolds told his personality.
“No need,” Comm responded. “Colonel Raf is reaching out to us. I’m putting him on screen.”
“Hello again, Reynolds,” Colonel Gar Raf called across the channel from the bridge of his ship, the Alfar. “Good to see you. Didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“Greetings, Colonel,” Reynolds shot back. “Didn’t expect to be here so soon. We need a place to set down and make repairs. Mind if we hang out a while?”
“I’ll contact Flor and have her make arrangements,” Raf told him.
“I’d appreciate it,” Reynolds replied, then changed tack. “I notice you don’t have a defensive barrier up yet. Everything okay with the plans?”
“Oh, absolutely,” the colonel answered. “We’re just still in the process of fine-tuning the systems. We’ll be starting in on construction soon enough. Without the Orau bombing the hell out of us, we’ve been able to take our time and ensure the system is perfect before putting it in place.”
“Roger that,” Reynolds shot back. “It’s not exactly a simple build.”
“No, it’s not. Anyway, Flor’s signaled she can meet you on the surface and ferry you down to Ocelora from there.”
“We, uh, kind of have a different idea, Colonel,” Reynolds countered. “Have her meet us on the ocean floor. We’ll be the big-ass ship sitting there.”
Colonel Raf chuckled, nodding. “I’ll forward the message. Take care, Reynolds. I’m sure we’ll speak before you leave. Out.”
The colonel closed the channel, and Reynolds turned to Ria. “Set us down in the water.” He paused for a second, then added, “Carefully.”
Ria acknowledged the order with a laugh and began the descent. She broke through the atmosphere of Krokus 4 and dropped until the superdreadnought loomed over the ocean before easing off the throttle.
The SD Reynolds slowed and hovered over the ocean’s surface for several moments as Ria checked and double-checked the damage reports before she eased into the water.
There was a moment of mild turbulence as the ship adjusted from air to water, and then they were in the depths, drifting down toward the ocean floor.
“Never going to get tired of that view,” Jiya remarked, watching the ocean swirl around them as they descended. “Looks even better from inside the ship.” She laughed, remembering the first time she and the crew had come to Krokus 4.
It hadn’t really been all that long ago.
But like all the other places they’d visited, obvious changes had already taken shape.
Asya zoomed in on Ocelora, the great underwater city of the Krokans. The most noticeable difference was that it didn’t look like a bombed-out husk, as it had the last time.
Where there had been char and scorched buildings marring the beauty of the city, new buildings rose up, shiny and clean, at odds with the war-torn appearance it had had so recently.
The superdreadnought settled on the ocean floor as the crew stared out at the city, glad to see it had prospered during their time away.
That was when they noticed that a second, smaller city had been tacked onto the first. It sat near where the crew had slipped out from under the watch of President Jaer Pon’s guards and visited Lek’s people in the underwater mountain.
In fact, several long tunnel-like appendages reached from the mountain to the new city rising in the ocean.
“I guess everyone’s getting along better now that Jaer Pon has been deposed,” Maddox commented. “I wonder how Shal Ura and Roe are doing?”
“Think they are still in charge?” Geroux asked.
“It was up to the people to decide but, if you ask me, I’d say they still are,” Asya remarked. “Those two were the best candidates.”
“Well, a lot can change quickly, as we’re noticing,” Reynolds warned. “But we’ll find out soon enough.”
“One of those underwater ferries is approaching,” XO reported. “I think you’ll have to take a shuttle out if you want to catch a ride, or I can seal off a small section of the hangar bay and pressurize it so they can come inside.”
“Scan that bubble first,” Reynolds told him.
“Hmm. It’s like a forcefield, but not really. It’s essentially a reinforced air bubble.”
“I thought that might be the case.” Reynolds laughed. “Hey, Takal, you think you’re ready to transport us to a moving vehicle if you have a clear view of the landing zone?”
“What’s the worst that can happen?” Takal answered.
“Death, suffocation, crushed by the pressure of the ocean, eaten by sharks…” Tactical started.
“Rhetorical question, Tactical,” Takal told him. “I can certainly try, Reynolds.”
“Then plant us in the center of that bubble coming toward us,” Reynolds ordered.
“What the hell?” Jiya said. “You only live once, right?”
Fortunately, Takal waited until the crew was armored up and had their helmets on before transporting them across the distance between the ship and the underwater bubble Flor had sent for them. Reynolds, Geroux, Maddox, Ka’nak, and Jiya appeared dead center in it.
However, they were about an inch above the surface.
They gasped and fell the short distance to the floor with loud thumps.
“Off by a smidgen,” Reynolds reported once they’d touched down.
“No, you appeared exactly where I intended you to appear,” Takal came back smugly. “Would you rather I risk your toes ending up in the flooring?”
“I’ll pass on that,” Ka’nak muttered. “Thanks for not crippling my toes, Takal.”
“You’re welcome,” the old inventor replied, no hint of sarcasm in his voice.
The crew rode the bubble all the way to Ocelora, where it slipped inside one of the many docks set next to the city and docked.
As the water drained away, Reynolds spied Lek standing alongside Flor on the other side of the barrier that kept the ocean from spilling into Ocelora. They greeted them once the dock had drained and the crew stepped into the city proper.
Lek gave them all a powerful hug, moving through the crew one by one, and Flor smiled at them, prim and proper.
“Good to see you all,” Flor told them. “President Roe and Vice President Shal Ura are looking forward to seeing you again.”
“That answers that question, then,” Geroux said with a smile. “I love a happy ending.”
Flor and Lek led them through the city, showing it off as they did. The tour confirmed what the crew had seen from the bridge of the SD Reynolds.
The vast majority of the damage caused by the Orau bombardments had been fixed and cleaned up, making the city appear as though it were new.
Gone were the bombed-out sections of town, and in their place stood bright new homes and businesses that made the beautiful city even more appealing.
There was no mistaking that the Krokans had made the most of their time out from under the cruel thumb of the Orau and their shithead leader, Jaer Pon.
Reynolds was glad to see how things had progressed.
He’d been proud of their efforts, and while his mind was focused on Phraim-’Eh and how they would defeat the bastard, getting to see the successes were exhilarating.
It brought a clarity of purpose to his mission he believed Bethany Anne would appreciate.
They were leaving the universe a better place than when they’d found it.
He couldn’t hope for a better legacy.
Well, th
at wasn’t entirely true.
Leaving the universe a better place and blowing the fuck out of Phraim-’Eh and his minions would be a better legacy.
They arrived at the presidential palace a short while later, and Reynolds was glad to see that it looked the exact same as it had before.
The new rulers hadn’t spent a dime on the grand palace. Rather, they had focused all their effort on making the homes of the people better before turning their eyes inward.
Reynolds was proud of the young couple.
The crew was led inside, and Jiya thrilled to see the statues were still in place. They’d been shined a bit, cleaned up and dusted, and that only added to the impression they made, stoic and poised as the crew strode past.
This time around, the statues better resembled the actual people of Krokus 4, the war-weary countenances of the populace now more closely matching the prouder, stronger visages of the statues that lined corridors of the presidential compound.
Jiya ran her hand over the statues as they passed.
They were led into the throne room, and the first thing Reynolds noticed was that the dais had been removed, putting the leaders on the level of the populace they’d be meeting with.
Flor led them up the carpeted aisle to the far end of the room, where Shal Ura and Roe stood before their seats, awaiting the crew.
“Greetings!” Shal Ura called as they arrived, gesturing for the crew to sit down in the chairs that splayed out in front of the presidential seats.
Roe smiled at them, letting them take their seats before speaking.
Servants came over and offered drinks.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” Reynolds told the pair, gesturing toward the missing dais.
“Seemed appropriate,” Shal Ura replied. “Especially after all we’ve been through.”
Lek chuckled behind them.
“How have you been?” Roe asked, meeting the eyes of each of the crew in turn.
The group chatted informally for several minutes, catching up on the time between visits until they’d exhausted all the small talk.
When a lull in the conversation appeared, Shal Ura turned to Reynolds. “I presume you saw the additions outside the city?”
