Jack nodded. “That is correct, Captain Syvon. But I would like to add one thing. It is imperative that me and the remaining officers from our landing party return to the Atlanta and deliver food to them immediately. Their food stores are either completely depleted, or they soon will be. After the briefing is completed, I request that we be allowed to the Atlanta and deliver the food and the other resources they need.”
“Request granted, Mr. Vade,” Captain Syvon responded. Syvon quickly contacted Commander Ton, and instructed him to load the fighters with food and medical supplies from the Thunderfox. Ending the transmission, Captain Syvon turned back toward the group. “Is there anything anyone would like to add?”
“I have a question, captain,” Lieutenant Olo asked “Are the ships assigned to the task force still going to rendezvous in this location? Would it not be wise to meet somewhere else?”
“I appreciate your concern, Lieutenant, but I don’t believe that it will be necessary to change the location of our rendezvous.” Captain Syvon replied. “With the Ocean-Walker’s bombardment on the island, I believe we have destroyed any Ribiyar that were stationed in the area. Besides, the ships are scheduled to arrive within a few hours, and we need to start our mission before the Ribiyar have the chance to launch another attack on us.” Syvon paused a moment to take a good look at the officers before him. “I have to be honest with you. The odds of us successfully completing this mission are slim, and the probability of surviving it is even slimmer. But we must make some sort of stand for ourselves if we are to fight against the Ribiyar. This war can’t be won with small skirmishes and random attacks. We must attack the installations so important that the whole invasion force will feel the effects of it. Will you stand with me, and the rest of the soldiers coming on those ships?”
When everyone replied yes, Captain Syvon said, “Then this meeting is adjourned. Jack, I want you and your fellow officers to head back to the Atlanta on the double and deliver the supplies they need. Inform Captain Rickman that he, his crew, and the captured Ribiyar battleship will be required for this mission. Afterwards, have Rickman head back to the surface and attend the briefing that we will be conducting with the other captains once they arrive. It is then we will plan for our mission, and devise a way to strike at the Ribiyar like never before. You are all dismissed.”
Location: Aboard a Ribiyar fighter stationed on the main deck of the U.S.S. Ocean-Walker.
“All systems are online and fully operational. Course has been plotted, and engines are on standby. Requesting clearance to take off.” Jack stood at the command console in one of the three fighters assigned to the Atlanta’s search party. In addition to their three fighters, Jack had taken control, with some assistance from the Recon Drones, of the eleven other fighters the crew of the Ocean-Walker had taken from the Ribiyar that attacked the ship, as the crew of the Atlanta would have better luck making use of them with the hacked computer assisting there efforts of mastering the alien technology, and so the presence of the fighters aboard the Ocean-Walker wouldn’t attract the attention of the Ribiyar. The crews of the Ocean-Walker and the Thunderfox had graciously donated a large amount of food and other supplies that the people of the Atlanta desperately needed, and were now safely stored in the empty fighters for transport. Though Jack had not had near enough time to allow the drones to complete the repairs on himself, they had completed enough of the critical repairs that his condition was, for the moment, stabile enough to allow him to perform his needed services.
After receiving clearance to depart from the Ocean-Walker’s crew, Jack activated the fighters’ engines, and the fourteen fighters gently rose off the Ocean-Walker’s main deck. When the fighters had risen several feet above the Ocean-Walker, the fighters’ engines hummed softly as they accelerated away from the island. After breaching the surface of the water, and traveling roughly fifteen minutes through the ocean, they were finally able to get a visual of the alien ship, which was currently landed on a large span of sand near a large coral reef.
“Captain Rickman, this is the search party. We have returned with supplies for the crew and are requesting permission to dock with the alien ship. Captain Rickman, can you read me?”
After several moments of silence, the face of Captain Rickman appeared on one of the computer displays, with the layout of the bridge of the alien ship shining brightly behind him. From what Jack could see, Captain Rickman was using the central console in the middle of the bridge to communicate with him, and the console’s display allowed both of them to see each other. The captain looked a little pale and weak from lack of food and sunlight, and Jack could only hope that none of the crew had died from starvation while they had been away. “Affirmative, Jack. We hear you loud and clear. It’s good to see you again. Permission to dock is granted, and I request that you dock close to the Atlanta to reduce the distance the crew needs to travel to recover the supplies? Wait a minute,” Rick said as he studied the visual display on the front of the bridge, which likely showed a readout of the approaching fighters. The captains pause was most likely caused by his realization that Jack had more fighters than he did when he left the ship. “Jack, your flying with more fighters than you took with you. You didn’t encounter the Ribiyar, did you?”
“Unfortunately, we did, Captain Rickman, and I am afraid to report that the majority of our group was killed during the conflict with the Ribiyar.” Jack paused to allow the captain a moment to process this information. Though he briefly looked like he was going to weep over the loss of his officers, the strain of recent events so overwhelming, he was able to regain control of his emotions and bury his feelings inside him. Jack knew all too well what Rick was going through, as he had lost several crewmen during his time in command as well, and the feeling of dread never completely left those in command, even after many years have passed by. “A report of recent events is in order, Captain Rickman, but there are more pressing matters to attend to. Once we dock aboard the ship, we need to begin distributing the food among the crew immediately.” Jack could tell that Rick wanted him to discuss what had happened, but the captain was also acutely aware of the need to get the crew fed before discussing recent events.
“You are correct, Jack. We need to get the crew taken care of first. But I do want to get the briefing done as soon as possible.” After Rickman turned away from the camera briefly and gave an order to someone on the bridge, he turned and said, “The crew is being informed the crew of your arrival, and people should be there soon to receive you and help unload the supplies.”
“Understood, Captain Rickman. I am bringing the fighters in now. Signing off.”
One hour later…
Location: Aboard the U.S.S. Atlanta, at the bottom of Atlantic Ocean and docked aboard the Ribiyar vessel.
“Are you sure this is the best course of action?” Commander Hayley asked. After the crew had finally been fed, the senior officers, including Jack and Ambassador Zephier, had gathered around the table in the briefing room on the Atlanta. Though the crew was anxious to determine what they would do now, especially if it meant participating in an attack on the alien forces, some of the officers were concerned that the mission that Captain Syvon had proposed was too risky to take part in.
“Commander Hayley,” Jack responded, “I believe this may be our only course of action that we can take. If we restrict our attacks to random skirmishes on the Ribiyar’s forces, we may never be able to inflict any lasting damage against the invasion force. To be truly effective, we must coordinate our attacks with our allies, and combine our forces to strike hard against these aliens.” After a moment of silence, Jack turned to Captain Rickman, who had been silent ever since the briefing started. “Captain Rickman, the decision is, of course, ultimately yours. What do you think that we should do?”
Slowly, the captain took a deep breath, and responded, “I think that Captain Syvon’s plan, though full of risks, is the best possible option available to us.
We must take up arms alongside our allies, and fight for our planet.” Captain Rickman looked at Jack. “Jack, I want you to head back to the surface and attend the mission briefing. Your job will be to represent the Atlanta and Ribiyar ship in my place. I would go myself, but I need to be here and supervise the crew as we attempt to figure out how this Ribiyar ship works. Besides, you have already been in contact with some of the chief commanders there, and you’ll know them better than I would if I attended the briefing.” Though Jack felt the urge to object with working with his brother, knowing the possible conflict that may ensure, he kept his mouth shut, and could only hope that he and his brother could maintain a professional air and focus and the task at hand. “I trust your decision making, but if you do need my input on a decision, you can always contact me, though I wouldn’t advise it, in the interest of keeping the Ribiyar ship as hidden as possible.”
Jack nodded and said, “Understood, Captain Rickman. I will do my best to make the best plan of attack, and increase the odds of success as much as possible.”
Captain Rickman looked at the rest of the officers. “Is there anything else anyone wants to add?”
“I have something to say,” Doctor McGriffen announced. “I think it best that you should be informed of the status of the crew. Without taking into consideration that the crew had been operating for a long period of time without any time to rest and recharge from work, most of the officers aboard are suffering from the effects of food deprivation, and that may take a while to subside. Many are also weak from a lack of energy, sunlight, and sleep, and are also suffering from a lack of focus, caused by those effects. It isn’t advisable to push the crew any harder. Bringing them into a combat scenario, especially one with the odds of survival as low as they are, may cause irreparable damage to their physical and mental wellbeing.”
“I understand, and appreciate your concern, Doctor,” Captain Rickman responded, “But we simply can’t refrain from taking action against our aggressors. This mission may be tough on the crew, but it can, and will be, even harder on them if we allow our fears and concerns to keep us at the bottom of this ocean. We can’t just stay down here and hope the aliens don’t find us. We must take a stand against the Ribiyar, and fight for our claim on Earth.” Captain Rickman again looked at the rest of the officers. “Anyone have other concerns that need to be addressed?”
Ambassador Zephier stood from his chair, focusing his attention to Jack. “I do have concerns to voice, Captain Rickman. But it is not about the wellbeing of your crew in general. It is the wellbeing of you, Vade.”
“Me?” Jack asked, puzzled by the ambassador’s concern “What do you mean, Ambassador Zephier?”
“You have only been in your mechanical body for only a few short days. You require training to fully understand your capabilities, to learn the limits of your functions, and to adapt your current fighting techniques to become truly effective in combat. I want to train you to become the warrior that you can become with your new form.”
“Ambassador,” Jack replied, “I do appreciate your concern, but I don’t think we have the time for you to train me. And, with all due respect, I don’t know how effective you would be in training me on improving performance of my flight systems, or how to better regulate the power distribution throughout my motor systems.
“I myself may not be able to train you, but I could create computer scenarios that would challenge you with your various problems, whether on combat situations, effective deployment of your drones, and so on.”
Jack considered this, and realized the benefit he could have from a program the ambassador was proposing. “I would welcome any help you could provide, ambassador. Once you have finished it, I’ll try it out and see what I can learn and improve from it.”
“If you would like, Jack,” Chief Lexton added, “I could look over your schematics, and your system regulation programs, to see if I can find anything that can improve your performance. I could also do what I can to help Ambassador Zephier with the program.”
“If you can find the time,” Jack responded, “I would appreciate any help you can provide.”
When no one else voiced any other concerns or objections, Captain Rickman said, “I believe that this concludes our meeting. I will be in my quarters if anyone needs me. You are dismissed.”
Twenty minutes later…
“Captain, do you have a minute to talk?” Jack stood outside the doorway of the captain’s quarters, now officially Rickman’s residence. Captain Rickman sat at the desk in the room, and was currently studying information accessed from the Ribiyar vessel.
“Yeah, come on in, Jack. I was just reviewing the weapon capacity of the Ribiyar ship, so I know how much damage we can inflict during the assault. I have to say, the Ribiyar definitely know how to make efficient and powerful weapons. I’ve never seen anything like them.” Jack walked into the room and stood by the desk.
“Captain, I would like to request that Chief Lexton and the engineering crews install several modified Genetic Modulators aboard the Ribiyar vessel.”
Captain Rickman deactivated the computer screen and turned toward Jack, surprised by his request. “Why would you want to do that? We both know that the GM can’t do what it was built to do. What would the purpose be to install them on the ship?”
“As I have found, the Genetic Modulator can be used for more than altering genetic code. I was equipped with a miniature, modified GM during my transformation, and I have successfully used the device to create replacement parts to repair my damaged systems. What I am proposing, is that we use the Genetic Modulators to create a large store of Recon Drones to use in the assault on the Ribiyar base.”
Captain Rickman thought a moment, and responded, “How many drones are you thinking about constructing?”
“To be effective in the assault, we would need hundreds of Recon Drones to be constructed.”
Captain Rickman jumped to his feet in surprise. “Hundreds!? How are we supposed to store that many drones?”
“The drones are not that large, Captain Rickman. I have calculated the available space in the Ribiyar vessel’s storage bays, and we will have more than enough room to store the amount of drones proposed. Once we are ready to deploy the drones, we can instruct them to report to the hatches around the ship, and we can simply open the hatches, and allow them to exit the ship through them.”
Siting back down in his chair, Captain Rickman asked, “How many Genetic Modulators would we need to facilitate that size of production?”
“To create them in a timely manner, it is likely we will need at least ten constructed.”
The captain sighed and said, “Very well. I will have Chief Lexton assign teams to begin working on the devices. Do you foresee any difficulties for their construction and installation?”
“I do not, Captain Rickman. To be safe, I will remain on the ship long enough for the crew to have the foundations of the device prepared. I will also alter the Genetic Modulator’s operating programs so there will be no risk of the crew being changed or altered by accident, and program the devices’ programming into the computer so you can operate them efficiently.”
Captain Rickman nodded. “I would appreciate that, Jack. Thank you for taking the time to do that.”
“You’re welcome, Captain.” Jack turned to leave, but he turned back toward the Captain and said, “Captain, could I ask a favor of you?”
“Go ahead, Jack. What do you want?”
“If you can find the time, could you give the Ribiyar vessel a name more fitting to its new mission under our command, so we don’t have to call it by the title its creators had given it?” Jack had found the Ribiyar vessel’s official designation while he had been connected to its computer, the Ra’Ta, and he knew he wasn’t the only one aboard that wished for the vessel to be rechristened under a new name.
Captain Rickman smiled and replied, “I’ll get
right on it, Jack. I have a few ideas for the name, and I should have one by the time you get done with the mission briefing.”
“Thank you, captain. If you need me, I will be on the other ship assisting the engineering crews build the Genetic Modulators, before I leave the vessel to meet with the other captains.”
“Understood. I will be here if you need me. Safe travels.” Jack saluted the Captain, and then traveled to the engineering center of the alien ship.
Chapter 21
Date: July 10, 2132.
Location: Aboard the U.S.S. Ironclad, traveling through the Atlantic Ocean.
“So, does anyone have any bright ideas that can get us through this death trap of an assault mission?” Captain Saria Conner, a tall, tanned woman with fiery red hair, who was the commander of the U.S.S. Ironclad, remarked. An hour after Jack arrived from the Ribiyar vessel, during the time he had finally finished the rest of the repairs on himself, the other allied battleships began to arrive at the island. The ships assigned to the fleet for this mission were some of the few remaining ships with Laser Array’s, one of the few of humanity’s weapons that had had an impressive impact against the Ribiyar craft, and two of the ships also possessed EMP projectiles, devices that would bring any Ribiyar caught in their wake to their death.
When the attack fleet’s flagship, the U.S.S. Ironclad finally arrived, the captains of the other ships, plus Jack, representing the Atlanta and the Ribiyar vessel, boarded the Ironclad and met in the ships’ mess hall, the only room big enough to hold the group, after a Ribiyar attack had destroyed the ship’s briefing room. After the officers boarded the Ironclad, the ships in the fleet immediately began their lengthy journey to the Ribiyar stronghold. The mess hall was a rectangular room, with grey metal plating comprising the surface of the walls, floor, and the ceiling. The room was populated with several tables for the crew to eat on, a large serving counter for the cooks to place prepared food, and a large window on one of the wall’s that ran the length of the room, giving a bright view of the noon sun shining upon the main deck of the Ironclad, and the ocean surrounding the ship. The officers in the mess hall consisted of Captain Whitefield, Captain Syvon, Captain Conner, Jack, Captain Max River of the Tsunami, a civilian ship that had been covertly equipped with several weapons to sell as a destroyer, Captain Carley Lace of the U.S.S. Pocahontas, Captain Grace Gold of the U.S.S. Un-Holstered, Captain Lucy Picket of the U.S.S. Blaze-of-Fury, and Admiral Samuel Tinel, who was the lead officer of the operation. The officers were seated around two tables that had been moved together, and some of the officers were also eating their meals as they participated in the meeting.
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