The Sakkara

by Donald Nicklas

  “Yes captain.”

  The destroyer came abreast of the Tempestas and saw all of the battle damage. The captain of the destroyer asked permission to come aboard. When it was granted, he took a shuttle over to the battleship. The destroyer captain came out of the shuttle and Christopher Slone was there to meet him. He snapped a salute and said, “Captain James Turner of the NR Alpha Decimanus requesting permission to come aboard, captain.”

  “Permission granted,” Slone stated and gave a return salute. “I’m Captain Christopher Slone of the NR Tempestas.” The formalities were necessary for the recordings, which were constantly being compiled as part of the video log.

  “Captain Slone, you have a lot of damage. We saw your sail ring is damaged. There is no way you could have taken the slipstream here and we see no wreckage to suggest a battle in this system.”

  Slone was not sure what he could say, since their mission was classified at the highest level. “We were in combat as part of our mission, which I would love to tell you about but it is classified at the Senatorial level. The sail ring damage happened when we arrived here as the result of an explosion from ordinance that did not detonate until we tried to remove it. We thought it was a dud.”

  “What can we do to help?”

  Slone knew he would have to give them something to do or they would be constantly concerned about where their damage came from. “I could use some eyes at the inbound slipstream from the direction of the Sinclair Corp. I doubt there are any ships left to fight, but I don’t want to be caught making repairs and having to fight. As soon as we are finished repairing the sail ring and sealing the open compartments enough to take the slipstream, we can be on our way back to Nova Romae.”

  “Very well captain, we will do picket duty until you are ready to leave.”

  “Thank you, Captain Turner. When we are ready, perhaps you and your officers could join me for some refreshments before we part ways. It’s the least I can do.”

  “We would enjoy that. I have read about these battleships in the briefings, but have never seen one. She is huge.”

  “I will be happy to give you a tour of her when we are finished with the field repairs.”

  “That sounds like a plan. I’ll return to my ship now and head to the inbound slipstream,” Captain Turner saluted and took his shuttle back to the destroyer that then moved to the inbound slipstream.

  After Captain Turner left, Slone was on his way back to the temporary bridge, when he was called to the sickbay by Dr. Tirpak. He made a slight detour from his trip to the bridge and entered the sickbay area. There he found Dr. Tirpak. “Doctor, you had a report for me? Are we losing more casualties?”

  “No, captain. All of our combat casualties are now on the mend and should be able to return to duty, though some will need to have body parts cloned first. The problem is our Saltic prisoners. They are becoming sick with some kind of wasting disease.”

  “Wasting disease? Are they eating or do we not have the food they need?”

  “That is not the case. So far, they have eaten everything we put in front of them. This seems to be a disease of unknown origin. I have used the translator device to talk with them and all they can tell me is they never felt this way before and they are inoculated against all forms of illnesses. Yet I think they are fading and will probably die. They have no resistance to whatever this is.”

  Slone thought a minute, “It can’t be from us, they have been dealing with humans for centuries it appears and have not succumbed. Could this be something to do with the serpents? As far as we and the serpents are aware, there has never been contact with the Saltic before this mission.”

  “If that is the case, captain, and they are foolish enough to attack us, then they may fall prey to whatever this is. Since none have made it back from encountering us directly, they are unaware of this biological weapon.”

  “And it will remain that way, doctor,” Slone flatly stated, “I have no intention of losing a moment’s sleep worrying about their well being.”

  “I agree, captain.”

  Slone returned to the bridge and within the next few days, he was informed of the death of all the Saltic prisoners they had. Another week went by before Diana reported that the ship was patched as best they could without a shipyard and the rear sail collar was functional. She could take the slipstream and they could go home the normal way. It is true that they could have used the wormhole drive to propel them to Nova Romae, but that had two downsides. First was the fact that it was still classified under the Sakkara mission and secondly, it was not wise to drop into the Nova Romae system unannounced. They tended to shoot first and ask questions later. Slone turned to the communications console, “Tom, order the destroyer back to us. Tell them we are repaired enough to take the slipstream home.”

  “Yes, captain,” Tom Gardner said and a few seconds later, “Message sent.”

  A little over four hours later the destroyer came back and Slone gave Captain Turner the promised tour of the battleship. He was suitably impressed and wished them a safe journey home, after he and his officers had some light refreshments. The destroyer departed to another outbound slipstream to return to its normal patrol area. Slone ordered the Tempestas to take the quickest course back to Nova Romae. Just over two weeks later, they were in the final slipstream to Nova Romae and they had unloaded the cannons and emptied the missile tubes.

  “Captain, we are about to come out of the slipstream,” Paul McMann reported.

  “Depolarize the sails.”

  The ship dropped out of the slipstream and was immediately contacted by the nearest planetary defense base. This one was planetary defense station 25 and the sensor officer on duty was Aloysius Stubs. “Attention incoming vessel, this is Sensor Officer Aloysius Stubs. Please state your business and transmit your permits for entrance to this system.”

  Due to the nature of their mission, Slone had decided not to send a message ahead. He had also told the destroyer that met them not to send any messages to the home world. He wished he could have done without meeting the picket destroyer, but he was not sure what his condition was and decided to enter a system with an automated warning station. Now it was time to tell the sensor office that he could not answer all of his questions.

  “Tom, open a channel to the defense base.”

  “Channel open sir.”

  “S.O. Stubs, this is Captain Christopher Slone of the battleship NR Tempestas returning from a mission. Our mission is classified at a Senatorial level. Refer to file SKKR on your computer.”

  There was a short delay for the distance and then another while the sensor officer looked up the file. He then came back on, “Tempestas you are cleared to the home world. Welcome back.”

  “Thank you,” Slone replied then said, “Tom, contact planetary command and tell them we have lost our bridge and are working with a temporary setup. Ask them for a tow if they are able. I don’t want us crashing into the station.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What is our transit time?”

  Paul McMann responded, “Seven hours, 34 minutes.”

  “Set the ship to transit status but keep a very close watch. Paul you have the con.”

  Slone left the bridge and went out to the flight deck from which he could look out and see the Nova Romae system. News had spread that they were finally in the home system of the people who were exiled by the corporations over the last eight centuries. The Heimat colonists wanted to see the world their ancestors’ fellow travelers had founded. When they saw the planet, Nova Romae, itself, tears came to their eyes because of its beauty. At this distance, it was just a small marble but it looked inviting to anyone who saw it. The residents of the old Heimat colony were being reeducated and had been helped to acclimate to their new life. Even Eugen Ebner was realizing that the Saltic had been false gods. However, he was still not certain if it was better to be without gods as opposed to worshiping one that was false. If only, there was a real one.

  Jul
ia Hammond had tears in her eyes. She was the only one alive from that original exodus and she had finally made it into the Matsua Rim, after eight centuries. To discover that the people she had tried to lead to safety had made a new life on a paradise planet was worth her joy. She had also worked closely with the ship engineer and the ship navigator. The engineer, Diana Gardner, was remarkable. She helped wire the captured drive to the battleship’s computers and the electrical system. This allowed them finally to use it, once they figured out how. However, the person she was most happy to have met was the navigator, Paul McMann. They shared a love of the stars. Not just visiting them, but also using them as beacons of navigation. Their brains were wired to see the symmetry and directionality of the star systems. In the eight centuries she slept, they had moved slightly, but not enough that she could not recognize the ones she learned in her time. What was difficult for her to realize was the fact that everyone and everything she knew was gone. She may look good on the outside, but she was a dinosaur on the inside. She was the last of her kind and it was left to her to evolve or perish. She had no intention of perishing.

  They were towed the last few kilometers into the overlarge slips designed for the new battleships. By order of the Senate, the slip for the Tempestas was declared off limits without high-level security clearance. Of course, the consuls were both there as were some of the senior senators. The crew of the Tempestas was all in their dress uniforms and met the dignitaries on the hangar deck, which was level with the docking bay. The Consul Strabo was the first to speak, “Permission to come aboard, captain.”

  Slone snapped to attention, as did all the personnel on the deck, “Permission granted and welcome aboard Consuls and Senators.”

  “At ease,” Strabo said then continued, “Welcome back. We were beginning to despair and thought you might have become stuck outside the slipstream.”

  “No we found the Sakkara and that lead us to the other side of the galaxy.”

  Now everyone perked up. “Care to elaborated captain?”

  “Perhaps we should move to the officer’s mess for some refreshments and to discuss what we found?”

  All agreed and Slone ordered the bridge crew, the Marshals, Alaya, Julia Hammond and Eugen Ebner to join them. When all were comfortably seated and refreshed, Christopher Slone began the story of the long mission, which they started one and a half years ago. He also learned what they knew and never told him. The senate’s secret file on the Sakkara indicated that it was an alien ship, which had been discovered and then vanished along with three freighters during the Great Spinward Exodus. No one knew anything about the ship, or why it was called the Sakkara, but the file indicated that it was imperative to find it and find the missing freighters full of refugees. For eight centuries, there had not been a trace and all hope of ever finding it was lost. Slone was glad there were no secrets that could have helped in the mission or reduced the casualties. However, it was clear from the discussion that they had no idea the ship belonged to the Saltic. The senate and consuls had all seen the Hayden video log when Slone first arrived and they were appalled by the Saltic. During his telling of the story, Slone mentioned the Heimat colony and they met Eugen Ebner, but he was saving the best for last.

  “Consuls and Senators, I would like you all to meet Commander Julia Hammond.”

  They all nodded in Julia’s direction. Consul Lorenzo then spoke up, “I have studied the files of the Exodus since the Sakkara was located and there was a Julia Hammond who was the navigator for that part of the exodus. Are you related to her?” Lorenzo thought she could be a descendant from the navigator of the exodus.

  Slone then said, “She is not a descendant of hers. This is Commander of Navigation Julia Hammond from the Great Spinward Exodus. We found her in stasis aboard the Sakkara.”

  The visitors were stunned. It was already stunning that they found a colony of descendants from the exodus and now they were being told they had a survivor of that very exodus before them.

  The Consul Strabo was the first to recover, “You are actually a survivor of the Great Spinward Exodus? No stasis chamber can keep someone alive that long.”

  For the first time Julia Hammond spoke, “I was supposed to be recovered in a decade. I certainly didn’t expect to be out for eight centuries. I am now a person out of time and it doesn’t feel good. All I know and everyone I knew are gone and I am like a fish out of water.”

  Slone continued, “Despite that, Commander Hammond, Commander Diana Gardner and Commander Paul McMann were able to decipher the wormhole drive mechanism and get it to work properly. I highly recommend Commander Hammond as a valuable member of our team in getting us back home. She is aware that the drive is classified by the Senate. Thanks to the work of the three individuals mentioned, we now have the ability to instantly travel anywhere in the galaxy and perhaps beyond.”

  Slone let that sink in and he could see the Consuls weighing those words. Then Consul Lorenzo said, “That means the Saltic can come here anytime they want. Am I correct in assuming that?”

  “Since the Sakkara was found in human space, I think we have to assume the Saltic know how to get here. Though we took out their capital ship, it was with severe damage and high casualties. If we have to deal with a fleet of them, it could be a problem. We did find a weakness though. Something the serpents carry appears to cause disease in the Saltic. We have the bodies of the Saltic we captured, frozen in sickbay. I’m sure our scientists will be anxious to examine them. Dr. Tirpak has been studying them and has files of observations, both in life and death.”

  Consul Strabo then said, “What do we know about the hand weapons the enemy used?”

  “We have a large supply of them and we will need to find a way to modify our armor and shields to counter their effects. If we can get better protection against them, then I feel our guns are superior to their weapons.”

  “We will get our weapon developers on them ASAP,” Consul Lorenzo said. “I think we have enough for now. Release your crew and you can all get some rest. It will be months before your ship is fully repaired.”

  The meeting broke up and Slone took the visitors on a tour of the Sakkara. They were shocked to realize it was only a drive mechanism meant as a trap and not a full drive. They were more interested in the functional wormhole drive. All agreed that the ship designers would have to figure out how to build these drives for our use. If the Saltic decided to attack human space, then they would need the wormhole drive to respond to the attack in a rapid manner. That would all have to wait for another time. All agreed that after a year and a half, the crew of the Tempestas needed a break. They were all sent on an extended shore leave.

  The Slones returned to their lake house along with the Gardners. They also invited the Marshals to join them so they could help with little Nubia Umgabe. The baby was still close to being a newborn and parenthood was suddenly thrust on them with no warning. As the time passed, they became more like the parents Nubia needed and five months into their off time, as the ship was still in space dock, Tavia announced to everyone that she and Bill were going to have a baby of their own. This announcement was met with great joy in the lake house. The news spread throughout the entire serpent race and all serpents were happy for the Lady Tavia.

  Two months after they returned, when all the wounded were fully healed, there was the usual ceremony at the Mountain of Remembrance. Since there were no ashes of Roger Umgabe to join his wife’s ashes in the mountain, Alaya asked for a special favor from the burial service. Rather than place an empty urn in the cenotaph tomb, she asked permission to engrave both names on Astrid Umgabe’s urn and it was granted. At least this way his memory would be forever joined to his wife’s ashes, which would be important later when Nubia visited her biological parents.

  The return of the Tempestas also allowed the Slones, the Gardners and the Marshals to renew old friendships and congratulate friends on new situations. While they were gone, the ex-gambler and now ambassador representing the Lagard
e Corporation married former Petrov Corporation officer Larisa Teplov and they had a two-month-old baby. Many of their friends had despaired of seeing them again, and they were ecstatic that they were back. Since the mission was classified, they had to go along with the cover story that they were doing a shakedown cruise of the battleship and they were sent deep into corporate space and back. Most of their friends thought this was a bogus excuse, but they also knew if they could talk about it, they would.

  There was yet another happy development while they were gone. Alaya’s friend, Ann Stout had come out of her shell six months after they left and was slowly becoming herself again. She was thrilled to see her old friend Alaya and she accepted the loss of her husband at the hands of her father. They were both gone now and Ann came to grips with reality and learned to love her new home. Alaya asked her to stay with them, but found out she had already bought the next-door property with a large, beautiful lake house. She was already putting her inheritance to good use and, when she was ready, Alaya suspected there would be no end to suitors for her.

  Julia Hammond was the only one who had problems. She knew very little about the world of the 32nd century, but as Nova Romae was finally informed of the nature of the Tempestas’ mission, the entire planet and, as the information diffused outward, all of Nova Romae space was agog at the fact that they had an actual survivor of the Great Spinward Exodus. She was interviewed and there was much discussion about her, but the true value of her position was to historians. She could fill in some of the blanks of that time. All the adulation and interviewing ended as quickly as it had started, and Julia became just another inhabitant of Nova Romae. She was happy to stay with the people who had found her and she was growing closer to Paul McMann. She also spent her days helping develop wormhole drives for the Romani ships and it soon became evident that she, Diana Gardner and Paul McMann were the resident experts in wormholes. Paul had a small house near the Marshal’s place and Julia Hammond joined him there. Within the year, they were married and she was given a commission in the Nova Romae navy as a navigator. Though her knowledge of navigation was dated, it became obvious that any ship with a wormhole drive would need a specialist, and no one knew more about the drives than she did. Slone made sure she was assigned to the Tempestas so the newlyweds could face the future together.