Legacy of the Saiph

by P P Corcoran

  “Care to share John?” Jing asked with a degree of mild irritation.

  John stopped pacing and turned to address the table as a whole. “We can do this! I’m confident we can do this. It’s going to cost us dearly no mistaking that however, you were right sir.” He said leveling a finger at Jing. “If we don’t cease this opportunity then the Saiph will defeat us in detail at least if we take the fight to them, we have a better than even chance of pulling it off.”

  Jing lent back in his chair and pulled out a small box which he slid in Johns direction. John automatically reached out and stopped the box from sliding over the tables edge.

  “You might be needing those.” Chortled Jing.

  John looked from the box to Jing and back again. Taking a deep breath, he opened the hinged top of the box to reveal five silver stars resting on a bed of black velvet.

  “Technically I suppose you outrank me now -” Jing stood raising his right hand until the upper arm was parallel to the ground and the forearm at exactly forty-five degrees. The tip of his forefinger touching the outside edge of his eyebrow. “Congratulations on your promotion, Admiral.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  THE GRAND ALLIANCE

  INTERSTELLAR SPACE | 100 LIGHT-YEARS FROM THE DYSON SPHERE

  John Radford had decided that time had been in too desperately short supply for him to break in a new command crew so had elected to remain aboard TDF Itus much to the consternation of Captain Cecilia Bose who abruptly found herself responsible not only for fighting her carrier but for keeping the commander of the biggest fleet ever to be assembled safe.

  After his last staff meeting John was pretty sure that he had heard Bose mumbling to herself something about she should have listened to her mother and married a dentist instead of joining the navy.

  Right now, John stood behind a side party of marines resplendent in their blue dress uniforms. Number One Landing Bay had been cleared pending the arrival of the single largest contributor to the Combined Fleet. The Turak.

  Buzzing like the sound of a bee flying past your ear signaled the passage of the small craft through the wavering energy field that kept the cold vacuum of space beyond from causing the entire bay to suffer abrupt and violent decompression ensuring a short, violent death for all who stood here.

  The Turak craft hovered less than a meter off the deck and completed a neat 180-degree turn so that its nose was pointed back the way it came. Ready to make a quick exit thought John.

  As the craft kissed the deck John noted the thick scarlet colored band that ran completely around the ship. If his briefing notes were to be believed that identified the craft as belonging to Clan Orlak though intelligence had identified a further fifteen distinct colors banding the huge armada of Turak ships which had emerged from fold space in the past two hours. It didn’t take a massive leap of reasoning to conclude that this armada represented the combined resources of sixteen clans. A fact which was already causing the sociologists to reconsider their thoughts on Turak society.

  Two parallel lines formed on the hull of the craft and expanded vertically before making a ninety degree turn and joining top and bottom. The entire section dropped back a couple of centimeters before slipping to the left and receding into the hull allowing a set of steps to extend until they touched the deck. Almost immediately a pair of Turak in crimson colored battle armor complete with helmets descended the steps and formed up on either side of them. In their gauntleted hands they held energy rifles of some description and at their waist hung a short broad sabre. John found it strange that a society that had developed energy weapons and the gravity drive employed something requiring such physical dexterity as a sword.

  Movement at the top of the steps caught John’s eye and he was surprised to see a Turak similarly armored with the exception of a helmet descending the steps. This was John’s first opportunity to see a Turak in the flesh. The head was roughly shaped like a human skull though the skull was completely hairless. The skin was a dark and leathery though without creases. This Turak struck John as relatively young however, it was the eyes they drew John’s full attention. A fierce ruby red that looked like at any moment lasers would burst from them and skewer you with their intensity.

  As if on cue, the marine side party snapped to attention and with a clash of hands striking carbon fiber, brought their rifles to the present arms.

  Captain Bose tensed as she prepared to step forward and greet their visitor only for her to pause as this Turak reached the bottom of the steps and moved to one side. John was beginning to wonder how many people this small craft was capable of carrying when a single Turak, dressed in a loose gray fitting long sleeved top and matching pants appeared at the top of the steps. John ran an assessing eye quickly over him. This Turak’s skin was more creased than the younger one who awaited him at the bottom of the steps. An intricate sash of multiple colors was wrapped around his waist and, unusually for the Turak that John had seen so far, no obvious weapons were on show. As the Turak started down the steps the hulking figure of a gray armored clad Turak, hand resting on the pommel of the sabre sheathed at his waist stepped out behind him following close behind as the older Turak descended. John recognized a bodyguard when he saw one and this one had the air of a man you did not want to annoy.

  Captain Bose stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back and gave the Turak a curt head bow. “Welcome aboard the Itus. I am Captain Bose, commander of this ship.”

  John’s brief had warned him that the Turak were a naturally aggressive race and that intimidation was a part of their psychological make up so the Turak’s first words did not come as a surprise to him or Bose who had obviously read the same brief.

  “You are not Radford! I came to meet the Human who purports to lead your forces into combat not,” the Turak waved at Bose dismissively, “the driver of a broken down waste hauler fit only to be dropped into the nearest star to burn up!” John inwardly winced as the pride of the Terran Defense Force was described in such a manner. To Bose’s credit she failed to react to the Turak’s blatant insult instead standing her ground and looking the Turak square in the eye.

  “If you wish to speak to Admiral Radford, Commander of the Combined Fleet, then you will do me the courtesy of identifying yourself or you may take yourself and your lackeys back aboard that piece of junk you arrived in and remove it and your stench from my vessel.”

  For a tense moment the pair continued to stare at each other like two children having a staring competition in the school yard before the Turak cocked his head to one side to look beyond Bose to where John was standing silently at parade rest.

  The Turak’s head came vertical and he parroted Bose’s earlier move by curtly nodding to her. “I am Vek, War Chief of the Turak and I am honored to be aboard your flagship.”

  Insults exchanged and repudiated I would call that a draw thought John as he stepped forward to greet his guest.

  “John Radford.” He said by way of introduction keeping it simple.

  Vek decided to follow John’s lead. “Vek. May I introduce my son, Clan Lord Yue of Clan Orlak.” The younger Turak dipped his head sharply once and John returned the greeting.

  “We have much to discuss War Chief.” Said John. “Perhaps you would care to join my staff and I and we can get started?”

  “My son,” Vek indicated Yue, “is keen to learn all he can about your Commonwealth. Would it be possible for him to have a tour of the ship while we talk?”

  John struggled to hide his surprise at Vek’s request however, Bose came to his rescue. “It would be my pleasure to conduct the tour personally, Admiral.”

  “You have my thanks, Captain.” Replied Vek as one of the armored Turak, his crimson armor reflecting the overhead lights, moved to Yue’s side. “Alas, a Clan Lord must be accompanied by at least one member of his personal guard at all times.”

  “I completely understand.” Bose said with a courteous smile while two fingers of her half concealed left hand flicked ou
t. The marine major in charge of the side party interpreted Bose’s message correctly as the major’s deep voice called out sharply.

  “Bennett. Oyer. Front and center.” With that the two largest marines in the side party went from present arms to shoulder arms in a series of deft movements then without a further command took up position behind Bose.

  Vek let out a bellowing laugh that echoed around the Landing Bay. “I see your Captain Bose has a sense of humor, Admiral.”

  “That she does War Chief Vek, that she does. Now shall we get started?” John indicated the doors to the elevator that would take them to the Flag Bridge.

  ✽✽✽

  THE DOMINATOR - FLAGSHIP OF THE TURAK

  Mynut touched a control that rewound the video taken by the video pick up concealed in the armor of Yue’s escort. Letting the video run forward again he paused it as the shape of a sleek, small craft came into shot.

  “So, these are the Human space-fighters that I have heard so much about?”

  “Yes, First.” Answered Yue who relaxed in a comfortable padded seat holding a goblet of grukk. To Vek, who sat in an identical seat, Yue reminded him of a time so long ago when Kal and he would spend long evenings discussing anything that popped into their heads. The resemblance and demeanor were so striking. Even down to that foul-tasting choice of drink.

  “And this?” Asked Mynut, intruding on Vek’s reminiscing. Vek moved his eyes to the image that had caught Mynut’s attention. The display showed a close up of a compact, stubby missile hanging from a pylon that projected out from the space-fighter.

  “Intelligence is calling it an antimatter missile.” Explained Yue. “I think we caught them off guard as once the fighters ground crew realized we were there they attempted to cover the missile while Captain Bose ushered us out of the area as quickly as she could.”

  Mynut grunted softly. Vek had been surprised at how quickly Mynut has accepted Yue. The War Chief had expected at least blatant resentment from the bullish Mynut however, his selection as Vek’s First and the casting off of all previous clan loyalties seemed to have a had a sobering effect on the man who had once sworn to destroy Clan Orlak. Perhaps Mynut would even come to accept the upcoming bonding of Yue and Waynal. In a complete break with tradition that was rumored to be causing cross words on both sides the soon to be bonded couple intended on combining their two clans under a new clan name. The first entirely new clan since the Turak were forced to flee Home so many generations ago. Vek shook himself out of his daydreaming as Mynut continued to speak.

  “If the Commonwealth have succeeded in incorporating antimatter into a missile that can be delivered by something as small and agile as their space-fighter then that presents us with a threat that our fleet is not equipped to handle.”

  “Truth.” Agreed Vek. “On this occasion though, we are the Commonwealth’s allies.”

  “Truth.” Said Mynut.

  “Truth.” Echoed Yue.

  ✽✽✽

  ADMIRAL'S QUARTERS - TDF ITUS

  “I don’t trust that lot as far as I could fling them?” Grumbled Analisa Chavez, John’s pick for second-in-command for the upcoming battle.

  “Not in a month of Sunday’s.” Agreed Robert Lewis the only other person physically present in the room. The remaining Commonwealth commanders were all attending via holo conferencing.

  “Are we talking about the Turak or the Alonans?” Asked Admiral Dekal, Commander Third Fleet.

  Lela Wilder let out a snort which the high definition sound system repeated faithfully. “Both.”

  For the purposes of command integration John had paired the three battleships of the Janus Space Navy with the seventeen cruisers of the Imperial Navy though it had come as a surprise to everyone that Emperor Lura had taken personal command of the Imperial ships. His arrival had caused a lot of head scratching as John had originally planned for Robert to assume command of the Imperial ships. The problem was solved however, when one of John’s enterprising staff officers pointed out that the most effective way of using the Imperial cruisers technical superiority was as a quasi-independent unit. Task Force Vigilant was born with Robert exerting command and control from the JSN battleship while Emperor Lura remained aboard the INS Vengeance. As if that was not enough for one day the Alonans had brought along Commander Okal. The Saiph ship commander apparently had made it a condition of his continuing technical assistance that he and his ships doctor be allowed to accompany the Emperor. Robert had suggested that perhaps Okal wanted to ensure that the Supreme Leader paid for his crimes this time around. The Saiph had been waiting a long time to see him brought to justice. Even if that justice was on the business end of a nuclear tipped missile.

  “Do we have an update on the Persai?” John aimed the question at Analisa who had the unenviable task of making some kind of sense out of the various ship types to attempt to produce a balanced fighting force.

  Analisa checked her PAD before answering. “Force Leader Tolas is due at zero three hundred hours.”

  “Admiral Dekal, I’m chopping the Persai to you.” The Garundan nodded. “Third Fleet is weak after the battering you took at Dagger Station, and those fast attack cruisers of the Persai are worth at least two standard cruisers on a bad day.”

  “Understood, Admiral Radford.” Acknowledged Dekal.

  John smiled at the diminutive Garundan who had replaced him as Commander Third Fleet when John had been recalled to Earth to take over Carrier Strike Group Itus. The Saiph had wiped out more than half his command when they carried out their sneak attack on Dagger Station and it had shaken the Garundan Navy to the core. Force Leader Tolas was a seasoned commander and the Persai would bolster not only the Garundan’s weakened fleet but their morale also. Something that Dekal was very aware his crews were in need of.

  John switched his attention to the final attendee. Admiral Yula of the Benii Federation had sat silently throughout the meeting her blue on blue eyes gazing out from her lithe silvery form.

  “Admiral Yula, you and your carriers are a sight for sore eyes.”

  If the Benii commander understood John’s turn of phrase or not she appreciated the sentiment. “The Daughters of the Benii stand ready, Admiral.”

  “Have you had a chance to read the Operations Order, Admiral?” Asked Analisa.

  “I have, and I agree with your decision to disperse our carriers throughout the fleet. It strikes me as an elegant solution to the fleets lack of fighter cover though I am troubled by the lack of available munitions.”

  Robert intervened in an attempt to soothe Yula’s worries. “The fabrication facilities of Janus are working around the clock to produce HVAMM’s as rapidly as possible, Admiral Yula, dispersion of the available missiles will be based on need as per the fleets overall strategic plan and not at the tactical level.”

  By the look on the Benii admirals face she was not overly happy with Robert’s answer though she decided to keep any protests to herself.

  John clapped his hands together and rose from his seat. “Well, I think we will call it a night there. We all have a lot of work to do over the coming days to ensure the fleet is battle ready. Thank you for your time.”

  The various holo cubes blinked out and those physically present began to filter out. At the back of the room Captain Bose caught John’s eye and he signaled for her to wait as the room emptied. With the doors closed John and Bose were left alone.

  “Well?” Asked John.

  In response Bose opened her hand revealing more than a dozen tiny black cubes. “We are finding these in every compartment that Clan Lord Yue visited. They record audio and video as well as being able to tap into any nearby computer system. Pretty neat actually.” Bose said with a note of admiration in her voice.

  “What about the fighter bay?”

  “I made sure the maintenance crew chief played it up to the full. He had his guys running around like headless chickens when we walked in trying to hide the HVAMM.” Bose said with a grin. “I might have to sugg
est he joins the ships drama society.”

  “As long as the Turak got the message that we have not only space-fighters that they don’t have but we also have a nice little missile that they can carry that can kill the biggest ship they have in one pass.” John said from beneath a furrowed brow.

  Bose’s features took on a wariness of their own. “Do you really think its that bad, Admiral?”

  John shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s deal with the Saiph first and worry about the Turak tomorrow, shall we?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  MARCH TO THE SOUND

  OF THE DRUMS

  FLAG BRIDGE | TDF ITUS | 100 LIGHT-YEARS FROM THE DYSON SPHERE

  John had lost count how many times his eyes had strayed to the red numerals of the clock mounted on the bulkhead above the holo cube that was displaying the current positions of the largest fleet ever assembled.

  With aching slowness, the time crept toward zero. As the numbers changed to zero, Itus and the massed firepower of six races activated their gravity drives as one. In less time than it took to blink millions of tons of battle armor, missiles, lasers, space-fighters and the flesh and blood manning them disappeared from normal space to reappear in the belly of the beast. A beast that John Radford was here to slay.

  John slowly released the breath he had been holding as the ship count went from red to green indicating the successful arrival of the various parts of the fleet.

  “Deploy the Blockers.” Ordered John and the Tactical Officer who had his finger poised above the transmit key applied the required pressure and the first part of John’s plan slipped into gear as over a hundred destroyers and frigates once more activated their gravity drives only to reemerge scattered throughout a wide globe completely encircling the Dyson Sphere. John tapped a finger nervously as the clock restarted. When it reached one minute, he gave his next order.

  “Activate!”

  The engineers had told him that it would not be possible to fit gravity drive nullifying generators into anything as small as a destroyer never mind a frigate. They had not reckoned with one Bosun’s Mate and a plasma torch. Each one of the ‘modified’ ships would need a significant amount of time in the repair yards when this was all over but the generators had been squeezed into place and now they formed overlapping bubbles of space where it was simply impossible to activate a gravity drive and enter fold space. These would be John’s Blockers. Whatever Saiph vessels were in this system where trapped and if the Saiph attempted to destroy the Blockers John was sure the fleet footed vessels would have the legs to outrun their pursuer in normal space while the other Blockers would adjust their formation to cover the hole left by their shipmates. At least that was the theory.