BairnGefa- The Akashic Expedition
Page 12
“The nearest hyper-tunnel is I-80 and bypasses Cedar Rapids, where the bad guys are waiting. If we jump off I-80 on to I-380 North, headed to Cedar Rapids, the bad guys will know we are coming. Tell me again why we are planning on taking on a destroyer that probably knows we are coming?”
“What is this Cedar Rapids?”
Jirmina interrupted NT’s tirade and asked the question that caused the humans to erupt in giggles and guffaws. The entire crew of the Jaguar was in the galley, meeting, planning, and waiting for the crew of the Marissa to finish loading the Ajawlil fighters. Lucinda eased the confusion.
“Jirmina, Jirxena, Cedar Rapids is a town in the middle of the United States. The terms I-80 and I-380 are references to highways that are similar to the hyper-tunnel system. Highways for ground transportation. NT is saying we will have to travel far and will not be able to surprise Admiral Jymind.
“Landry, I assume the Jaguar does not outgun the Defender of Lak’tsil.”
“It depends on the context of your question.”
“Do not be a smartass. Answer the question.”
The Plentari looked to each other and fist bumped when their translators translated Lucinda’s use of the word smartass.
“Apologies, Lucinda. In numbers of weapons, the Defender of Lak’tsil has a significant advantage. The Defender of Lak’tsil has plasma cannons installed to create a spherical coverage zone around the ship. However, the Jaguar’s armaments are more powerful, and more accurate at a further distance. The Jaguar can stand-off and put plasma bolts on the destroyer.
“Unless there are upgrades of which we are not aware, the Jaguar’s forward plasma cannon will easily penetrate the Defender of Lak’tsil’s shields. We would have to be within the effective range of the Lak’tsil’s plasma cannons to utilize the Jaguar’s rail guns.”
“Landry, how long will you require to create a battle plan?”
“Lucinda, I have a plan ready. When Corb asked me to research the Defender of Lak’tsil, I took the liberty of creating several battle plans.”
“Why did you do that, create the battle plans?”
“It seemed appropriate, considering our intent to find and talk to Admiral Jymind.”
Ragnar stepped over Lucinda.
“Landry, how many battle scenarios did you create?”
“Sixty-three thousand.”
After a few seconds of surprise, Ragnar continued with a nod from Lucinda.
“What is the percentage of battle scenarios where the Jaguar is successful?”
“Without modifications, fourteen percent of the scenarios result in the Jaguar disabling the destroyer.”
“Why is the probability of success so low?”
“The Ajawlil fighters will defend the admiral and the Defender of Lak’tsil. They will hamper the Jaguar’s ability to engage the destroyer at distance.”
Lucinda jumped in.
“That is the wrong question. Landry, in how many of the scenarios is the Jaguar successful?”
“Lucinda, without the modification, there are seven scenarios that will result in the destroyer being disabled and the Jaguar remaining flight capable.”
Corb stepped up to the conversation. “Landry, if we apply the modification to the scenarios, what is the new probability of success?”
“With the modification, the percentage of battle scenarios where the Jaguar is successful is ninety-eight-point-four.”
Everyone fixated on Corb and waited. Janish answered everyone’s question.
“The Triad is the modification.”
Time to complete fighter loading: 19:11:12.
Time to Entry: 17:32:11.
Time to Emergence: (2D) 02:02:02.
Chapter Sixteen
“You wanna make a deal? How about this?
You give me Neo, or we all die,
right here, right now.”
Trinity, The Matrix Revolutions
“He sees us. Yep, there he goes.”
Nick was reporting an Ajawlil fighter had actively scanned the Jaguar. It leaped into hyperspace, presumably headed for the Degora system.
“Report.”
“Lucinda, we are inside two light-years of the perimeter of the Degora system. It looks like Jymind knows about this hyper-tunnel endpoint. I can’t image that fighter was on patrol and got lucky.”
“Thank you, Nick. Ragnar, active scans. Landry, is there anyone else in range?”
“Negative, Captain, we are alone.”
The word alone resonated poorly with the crew, forcing them to realize they were far from home under hostile circumstances.
“Proceed as planned. Put us at point-two-five light-years outside the elliptical plane, fifteen degrees declination.”
Jirxena pressed the correct sequence of icons and looked over her shoulder to Nick, who nodded affirmation. The Jaguar dipped into its antimatter supply and vaulted into the slipstream. Eleven minutes and two seconds later, command consoles lit up with red triangles indicating dozens of Ajawlil fighters. Nick’s unusually calm demeanor settled everyone’s nerves.
“We got bogies between us and the destroyer. Resolving numbers now. Landry?”
“Nick, there are seventy-one ships in system. Four support vessels, sixty-six Ajawlil fighters, and the destroyer Defender of Lak’tsil. Stand by.”
Everyone paused, waiting for the unusual request from Landry to stand by. Landry’s news was unpleasant.
“Thirty-one of the fighters have upgraded plasma cannons.”
Lucinda further eased the crew’s nerves.
“Navigation, where are we?”
Jirxena’s response was professional. “We missed the emergence target by one hundred meters. Our orbital path coincides with the third planet and the destroyer.”
“Thank you. Future reference, any emergence under ten thousand kilometers is on target. Anything under one thousand meters is a bull’s-eye.”
When her translator figured out the word bull’s-eye, Jirxena smiled at Lucinda.
“So far so good. Landry, can we initiate an FTL communications link with the destroyer?”
“Yes, Lucinda.”
“Do it.”
“Link established, audio only.”
“Corb, you are up.”
“Admiral Jymind, I am Corb Johnson. May we initiate video communication?”
“I know who you are. Why are you here?”
The admiral’s nasty question surprised the crew. Corb took it in stride and instructed Landry privately.
“Landry, broadcast this system-wide, make sure everyone, all of the Ajawlil fighters hear this.”
“Done.”
“Admiral Jymind, I came to speak with you.”
“Did you come to surrender?”
“I did not come to surrender, I came …”
“Did you come to help me restore the Ajawlil honor?”
“Admiral Jymind, Ajawlil honor has been restored. The Xjaal have been corrected. Zerain is under martial law, Admiral Jexond is in charge.”
“You mean Gowah.”
“Yes, if you prefer, Gowah is under martial law and governed by the Ajawlil.”
“What is your offer?”
“You and your fighters may return to Gowah. Admiral Jexond is prepared to hear your grievances. The production facilities are operating again, and new Ajawlil are being produced.”
“That is a lie. If I return, I will be tried and terminated. My fighters will be terminated.”
“Yes, Admiral, there will be an inquiry. I give you my word, you will be treated fairly.”
The words Stand By – Communications Muted appeared on the monitors.
“Landry?”
“Corb, I used the FTL link and hacked the Defender of Lak’tsil logs. Admiral Jymind is correct, he will be terminated. You can’t promise otherwise.”
“Landry, why not? And be short about it.”
“Corb, Admiral Jymind has committed a genocide.”
“What are you talking about?�
� Lucinda asked.
“Lucinda, Admiral Jymind ordered the Degoraians eliminated. To purchase the destroyer and fighter upgrades, he killed them all and took their resources.”
Janish threw up. Cass’s tears flowed for a species she had never known. Jirmina and Jirxena grabbed the hilts of their personal blades. Corb was the first to speak.
“Landry, are you sure? I need proof and I need it now.”
“I am using the Defender of Lak’tsil sensors to scan the third planet. The cities are devastated. There is an extremely high particulate count in the atmosphere. The destroyer’s sensors are adequate. There is no life in the cities.”
“Open the communications channel.”
“Admiral Jymind, did you eliminate the inhabitants of Degora Three?”
“This is now the Jymind system. We will build Jymind Ajawlil production facilities. When we are sufficient in number, we will reclaim what is ours. Do not presume I will be fooled by your words of fairness.”
“Why are you afraid to show yourself, Jymind? A great leader is not afraid to stand before his people. What is it you are hiding, Jymind?”
“You may refer to me as Admiral Jymind. When I return to rule Gowah, I will be known as the Great Leader.”
“You evaded the question. Why not show yourself?”
Corb heard Landry via his nanobots.
“You do not want an image from Jymind. Corb, trust me, do not demand an image.”
Corb ignored Landry. He sensed what he would see and pressed Jymind.
“Are you afraid, Jymind?”
“You are taunting me. I will grant you the privilege of looking upon the true leader of the Ajawlil.”
The video image emerged with Admiral Jymind, covered in trophy pelts, sitting in the command chair on the bridge of the destroyer Defender of Lak’tsil.
“Admiral Jymind, on Earth we have a saying. Fear the reaper. Fear the grim reaper, for he is a personification of death. I am your reaper, and I will come for you today. Cut the comms”
“Comms cut.”
The crew sat passive, unsure of what they had seen. Corb severed the silence.
“Landry, can you reconnect the FTL without Jymind knowing?”
“Yes, I thought you might ask.”
“What am I going to ask next?”
“You are going to ask me to copy the destroyer’s logs.”
“Correct. Do it.”
“What was he wearing?” Jirmina asked.
Gravely, Corb looked each crewperson in the eye before responding to Jirmina’s question.
“Those pelts draped over Jymind’s shoulders and covering his command chair are from Degoraians. He hunted them for sport when they would not swear loyalty to him and turn over their credits. When he tired of the hunting, he started destroying cities until the Degora Council gave him their credits. He killed them all when he received the codes to the credits.”
Shocked and physically ill, the crew sat motionless. Cass eventually asked a question.
“How do you know all this? I mean, we just got here. How do you know?”
“Cass, I felt it. The Triad felt it. The evil in Jymind is its own force and we sense it. His point in the connection is bright and evil. Landry scan the logs. Am I correct?”
“Corb, it is worse than you describe.”
Nick, his face red with anger, was pointing at Landry’s avatar with revulsion. “Fuck you, Landry. Fuck this and fuck Jymind. What is worse than hunting another sentient for sport?”
“I am sorry, Nick. There are things worse than death.”
Nick’s jaw dropped when it dawned on him what Landry was alluding to and why.
“Landry, are there any Degora alive, anywhere in this system?”
“No, Nick, they are all dead.”
“Were any Degoraians alive when we arrived in this system?”
Landry did not answer, shocking everyone.
Lucinda, choking out the words, set the crew’s resolve. “He killed the Degoraian slaves when we appeared.”
“We have a plan. Any objections?”
The Coterie had been in discussions for an hour when they settled on an attack plan. The goal was to capture Jymind, but no one expected him to be taken alive. Jirxena spoke for the crew.
“We will kill many today. It will be a good day.”
“Cass, NT, we are counting on you to help us. When the Triad is focused, if one of us falters, yank the other two. Make sure we break the link.”
The serious “Yes, Corb” was simultaneous.
Lucinda issued the final orders. “Nick, Ragnar, we have done this before. You two keep us alive. Jirxena, Jirmina, please support Nick and Ragnar, but be ready if it goes badly and we are boarded.”
Jirxena and Jirmina had replaced their personal knives with laser sabers. They grabbed the hilts of their sabers and nodded to their captain.
“Landry, your protocols prevent you from firing on sentients. I expect you to do everything possible to assist Nick and Ragnar. Monitor the Ajawlil fighters, if any of them pick up our pattern, change the pattern. If we take damage, help NT locate the damage and assist with the repairs as quickly as possible.
“We are agreed. We do not stop until we have Jymind, he is dead, or we are dead. Last chance, any objections?”
Everyone focused on the data provided by their consoles, pulled their harnesses a little tighter, and concentrated on their role in the battle plan. The Triad rotated their chairs to the center of the triangular riser. They nodded to each other, pulled on their blindfolds, placed their hands on the armrests, feet flat on the floor, and closed their eyes behind the masks.
The symbols at the center of the riser immediately glowed brightly. The rest of the crew put on their sunglasses. The Plentari used makeshift welding goggles to shield their oddly shaped eyes.
The Jaguar merged into the dark matter realm and reappeared ten thousand meters off the port bow of the destroyer Defender of Lak’tsil.
Landry’s analysis was correct, the Jaguar emerged in the only location that would require more than two seconds for the destroyer’s cannons to achieve target lock. The Jaguar’s shields were up in one-point-eight seconds. In one-point-nine seconds, her plasma laser cannons erupted with a continuous volley. The forward rail guns were pummeling the Defender of Lak’tsil with dozens of high-velocity hardened bolts.
The three-second attack left the Defender of Lak’tsil with massive bow damage. The Jaguar was on target for a total of three-point-nine seconds before the Triad’s focus slipped the Jaguar into the dark matter realm. In the dark matter realm, the Triad circumvented the Degora star and, for the moment, were hidden on the opposite side of the system.
The symbols on the riser dimmed when the Triad pulled off their blindfolds.
Lucinda was all captain. “NT, report.”
“We took one laser shot. It appears to have gone through the starboard dorsal stabilizer.”
“Is it repairable?”
“On it, captain.”
“Ragnar, Defender of Lak’tsil?”
“We hurt them. Badly. Landry?”
“Our lasers penetrated six decks. They are venting atmosphere from nine locations. The rail guns took out three levels of the upper decks and exposed the entire bow to space. The complement of the forward plasma cannons is gone or inoperative. They have a blind spot dead ahead, directly off their nose. However, the Defender of Lak’tsil is still battle- and flight-capable.”
“We gave them a gigantic bloody nose.”
Everyone ignored Nick, and Lucinda continued the status reporting.
“Did any of the fighters engage?”
“No, Lucinda, they were ordered not to endanger the admiral or the Defender of Lak’tsil.”
“Good. We got lucky. Any adjustment to phase two?”
Chapter Seventeen
“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you, without flinching—they are your family.”
Jim Butcher
�
�Agreed, we should have seen a search party by now. Nick, how much longer until we can put sensors on the Defender of Lak’tsil and the Ajawlil fighters?”
Forty-two minutes after disengaging from the battle, Lucinda was insisting Jymind must not escape. Nick plotted a wide course, approved by Jirxena and Landry, to swing the Jaguar around the Degora star.
“Two minutes to horizon. Sensors report no contacts.”
“Thanks, Nick. Let’s stay sharp, people, this could be a trap.”
The two long minutes required to appear over the horizon and give line-of-sight to Degora Three dragged on. The crew’s tension steadily increased.
“We have contacts! What the hell is going on? Landry, can you interpret this?”
“Yes, Nick. The Ajawlil fighters have split into two forces. Twenty-one of the upgraded fighters are defending the destroyer. Twenty of the sixty-six fighters have been destroyed. The remaining ten upgraded fighters and fifteen others are attacking the Defender of Lak’tsil.
“We are looking at a mutiny in progress.”
Lucinda’s head was bobbing with ideas before she spoke.
“Any objections to assisting the mutineers in attacking the destroyer and Jymind? No? Good, I have an idea.”
Lucinda explained her idea. Ragnar, Jirmina, and Landry offered positive input and tweaked the plan.
“Is everyone ready? It’s payback time.”
Nick gave Lucinda a wink in response to the correctly timed Predator reference. The Triad donned their blindfolds. The crew pulled on their sunglasses. The symbols burst into light before the Jaguar entered the slipstream realm of dark matter.
“Emerging … targeting lock … firing!”
The Triad slipped the Jaguar to a position one thousand meters above the destroyer, a position inside the six-thousand-meter defensive sphere of upgraded fighters. Correctly assuming the destroyer’s cannons would be targeting the attacking fighters, the Jaguar’s attack profile was critical. At the eleven o’clock position, directly above the destroyer, the Jaguar was “nose down” in relation to the target. The Jaguar’s nose-down attitude put the upgraded plasma cannons and high-velocity rail guns on target. Continuously firing while circling the destroyer, the Jaguar severed the forward third of the Defender of Lak’tsil before it reached the three o’clock position.