She spoke acoustic language that sounded like “This is the home of the four wasps we captured.”
He smelled a phrase that meant “Your new nest is here. Four others is here.”
Such was obvious as he hovered just inside, his five eyes viewing the vegetation and tree filled room. Some distance away lay a large ground hole, from which stuck up the gray fiber of the home built by the three Workers and the Worker Leader. The two males and two females now flew out of the nest and hovered above it, clearly alert to the sound of the entry wall being opened. He inhaled deep all the scents in this place.
“So, you have been sexing rather than biting these Soft Skins,” he said in a flow of disgust, trail and signal pheromones that flowed across the space between him and the four Swarmers.
Behind him a signaler affixed to a wall repeated his comments. The two Soft Skins in white hard shells followed him inside and then closed the entry. They watched from their ground-bound location.
The Worker Leader’s brown wings fluttered faster. He slipped through the chamber’s nicely warm and wet air until he stopped halfway to him.
“Hunter One! So glad are we to see you! And you have about you the scent of a Hunter Prime! Does this mean you and other Hunters are here to free us?”
“Foolish one, of course I have the scent of a Hunter Prime on me. His dominance is akin to my dominance. We both were born to lead, just as you were born to work,” he said in a flow of aggregation, trail and command pheromones. “Many nests have arrived at this sky light. We fly now to the third world to lay down our larvae Pods, just as we did on Warmth! Why are you here? You should have died on Seven’s nest, fighting these terrible Soft Skins!”
The black antennae of the Worker Leader flared back. “We would have died! But as we crossed a tubeway intersection, each of us was struck by wires that carried power flows. The Soft Skins rendered us unaware. We awoke in a small chamber on a Soft Skin flying nest. They later moved us to this larger chamber on a bigger nest. They feed us. They use a signaler to scent cast to us. We thought it best to eat and be healthy for the moment when your nest defeated this nest. Has that happened?”
One felt impatience and irritation. It was clear this Worker Leader had made sex with the two females, who of course would do whatever his scent commanded. Their wings, short yellow hairs and their entire bodies looked healthy and bright under the Nest-normal light of this chamber. Even the air of this place helped them feel good, as it held the prime gas all Swarmers needed to live and work. It was clear the Soft Skin ruler of this flying nest had chosen to create a chamber that closely copied the landscape of Warmth. But why?
“It has not happened. I am here as part of a . . .” He stopped just before he made the scent flow ‘temporary bite stop’. It was clear these Soft Skins behind him were listening to everything he and the four Workers were scent casting. So far he had said nothing not already known to the Soft Skins. Best to keep it that way. “I am here as a guest of the Soft Skin ruler of this flying nest. Soon, you and I will be released to fly through the skies of the third world.”
“Soon? How soon?” scent cast the Worker Leader as the other three Workers flew up and joined him in hovering above a soil area covered in green plant fibers. “Has the Hunter Prime’s Colony nest killed the Soft Skins on the fourth world? Or do they still live? Support Hunter Seven told us that the Soft Skins had proposed each of us stay on their own colony world, with no biting among us.”
“End your scent-casting!” he said in a rush of Hunter dominance pheromones. “I am the Hunter here. You are Workers. You do what I command. You do nothing I do not command. Obey!”
“I obey!” scent cast the Worker Leader in a flow of alarm and trail pheromones. “We all obey. What do you wish of us?”
He flew closer to them, hoping the listening Soft Skins had not understood the reference to Hunter Prime’s flying nest aiming to kill the Soft Skin colony world. “Bring me food. Alert me to the small lifeforms that can be hunted in this chamber. And describe the behaviors of all the Soft Skins who have dealt with you.”
Hunter One listened as the Workers scent cast in a wild flow of many scents. He flew toward a bowl filled with yellow liquid that the Workers said was similar to the tree hole sweetness created on Nest by the small flyers who kept the flowers and fruits on Nest able to reproduce and become many. As he lowered down to sip the yellow liquid, he wondered the same as the Workers. How long must he stay a captive, until Hunter Prime led his damaged nest and Prime’s own nest in an attack on the Soft Skin flying nests?
♦ ♦ ♦
“Chief, did you hear that!” called Jane over their suit comlink. “They plan to attack Valhalla!”
“I heard it,” Richard said, keeping both arms aimed at the five hovering wasps even as his mind raced through the implications of what had been said before the boss wasp shut up the Worker wasps. “It’s clear this new wasp is one of the top bosses, and that he commanded the giant wasp ship that attacked us in Kepler 22. Sounds like this Hunter One went out and recruited a super big Hunter wasp to help him do what he failed to do the last time.”
“This new wasp is larger than the Worker wasps,” Jane said. “He looks to be a third bigger. But not as large as that Hunter Prime wasp we saw talking to the admiral.”
“Agreed. I wonder—”
The slidedoor opened behind him. His helmet’s HUD display showed it was young Renselaer entering, still clad in his basic vacsuit. Giving thanks for his HUD display’s all-around vision ability, he stepped to the right, opening a space between him and Diego.
“Captain, please stand here between me and the Gunny. We can cover you better that way.”
“I’m here,” the captain said in his calm baritone, sounding as curious as Richard felt. “Just heard all that the Hunter One was saying along with what the Workers said. And what your gunnery sergeant observed. What’s your take?”
Richard wondered if everything he said over the Shinshoni’s comlink was being rebroadcast on the All Ship vidcom and even out to the other ships and the admiral. Then he realized that made no sense. While he approved of the open vidcast of Bridge events and neutrino chatter with other ships over the All Ship vidcom, there was no way the captain would allow routine, in-ship chatter to be broadcast outward. Or even to other decks of the Lepanto.
“My take is this supposed truce is a temporary thing. It will only last until they put down their baby wasps and adult minders on the third world. Then watch out!”
“That’s what my gut has been telling me,” Jacob said.
He was growing used to calling the captain by his first name. Not common on most ships, whether wet Navy or Star Navy, but it was in keeping with the transparency and amiable openness of the man who had claimed captaincy and then battle group leadership. The arrival of his father the five star admiral had changed things. An admiral was automatically in command of all ships within a fighting unit. Which now numbered eighteen after their losses in both systems. He gave thanks for the nearly fifty days they’d had to make repairs on the Lepanto, the Chesapeake, the St. Mihiel and the Tsushima Strait. True, they’d all taken new hammering right after the surprise attack on the incoming wasp ships. But it had been worth it. He liked very much how the admiral had decided to be first on the doorstep into this system, with all guns aimed at the spot where the enemy would arrive. Young Renselaer might yet learn some of his old man’s craftiness.
“I think your gut has the sense of it,” Richard said, still watching the flying antics of the five wasps. “Do you think the wasps will take out the Inchon as they pass her on the way to planet three?”
“Doubt it,” Jacob said, sounding distracted. “I think they will not do anything violent until after they put down these pods. They may even wait for us to return to Valhalla before they launch our way. Their ships took some heavy strikes from our proton lasers. Maybe they’ll spend a few days doing hull repairs, like the admiral suggested.”
“They may. But I
don’t trust this truce for a minute,” Richard said bluntly.
Jacob gave a sigh. “I’ll urge the admiral to have the Inchon join us on our trip back to Valhalla. We can leave the wasp watching to spysats we put out.”
Richard liked that point. Conserve your forces. Don’t split up into two groups unless you had to as part of a better plan. “Sounds good. Any need for me and the gunny to stay here?”
“Nope,” Jacob said. He turned and headed for the exit slidedoor.
Richard walked in reverse, still keeping both arms aimed at the five wasps hovering about twenty meters from him and the gunny. Who copied his backward walk, keeping her gun arms aimed.
“Then we’re leaving. I’ll enter the lock code after we exit. Nobody else comes in here unless it’s with a Shinshoni escort. Your buddy Petty Officer Watanabe has brought food down a few times. My people cover him.”
In the Habitation Deck hallway, Jacob watched as Richard and Diego exited the Forest Room. “Glad to hear it. You’re doing exactly right to always escort any human who enters that room. Which includes any of the algorithm boffins from Science Deck. And also my XO.”
Richard had assumed that. And he liked how the Stewart woman had taken to being the ship’s new executive officer. She was good at managing competing interests while showing deck chiefs and enlisteds the same kind of appreciation. He felt the captain was lucky to have her, both as XO and as his lover. Maybe Jacob would have better luck in his relationship than Richard had had with his woman. At least he’d gotten three kids and a spunky granddaughter out of it.
“Will do, captain. We’re heading for our Darts. Time to do a functional check of their systems. You may yet have need of launching some Darts against these bastards!”
“I might,” Jacob said softly. “Remind your folks these next few days heading in-system are likely to be the only low-risk time we’ll have until these wasps leave Kepler 10. Tell them I’ve counting on them.”
“I will.”
Richard turned away from his young captain and followed Diego down the hallway to a gravlift that would take them up to the Engines Deck and the hangar for his Darts that lay next to Silo 8. Wayne, Auggie, Jane and all the guys would be there. It was time for a ceremony to name a Dart after Master Sergeant Chao Lee. He had no doubt his people would prefer to paint Chao’s name atop the Dart One number. Its pilot Linda Mabry would have no objection. If anything she would insist on being part of the painting crew!
That thought told him it was time to give a name to the other two Darts. He had one name in mind that would do. Maybe Jane could come up with a second. Whatever. He looked forward to painting fun.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jacob felt relief as the Lepanto came to a halt just above the large white moon that gave Valhalla halfway decent tides. To either side and behind came the other sixteen ships of the two battle groups, which included the engine-repaired Inchon. The eighteenth ship was already there. The frigate Schweinfurt was closer in, orbiting just above the wasp ship that had hidden out in the comet and now held geosync orbit above the colony. The frigate was well within reach of the wasp ship’s lasers and lightning bolt weapons, and she had her nose laser aimed at the enemy, with her tail facing outward toward the moon’s orbit. That moon lay 300,000 kilometers from the green and blue world that held 71,000 people. The Schweinfurt and wasp ship orbited at around 31,000 kilometers high due to Valhalla’s nine-tenths gee gravity that resulted when a rocky world was smaller than Earth. They were eighteen ships against one wasp ship, for the moment. The fifteen surviving wasp ships still orbited above planet three, most of them showing vacsuited wasps working on hull repairs and sensor device fixing. Or so said the neutrino-sent imagery from their multiple spysats.
“All ships, maintain Alert Hostile Enemy,” called his father from his Bridge. “Weapons remain Hot. Kills are authorized when attacked.” The man who had come up with the idea of putting the fleet just where the wasp ships were bound to appear as they exited Alcubierre space-time now looked to Jacob. His expression was thoughtful. “Captain Renselaer, I do not like having a functional wasp ship orbiting above Valhalla. It has the ability to move closer and drop nukes. I’m doing something about that.” He looked aside to one of the holos that surrounded his elevated seat. “Lieutenant Jefferson, take your Philippines Sea down to geosync and coordinate with the Schweinfurt’s Captain Holtzman. He’s almost as aggressive as you are.”
On Jacob’s wallscreen, Joy looked alert. Her XO Aelwen tapped on an armrest control. “Fleet admiral, happy to head down. What are your orders when we arrive?”
“Take out the working fusion pulse thruster of that wasp ship,” his father said, his tone matter of fact. “Kill any working weapons rings. Your proton sharpshooting combined with Holtzman’s nose laser should do the job. But do not destroy the ship. It refrained from launching nukes when the Green Hills base was on the far side of Valhalla. Plus it has major damage from the Marine boarding. I do not see it as a threat, once the engine is taken out.”
“Admiral, will do,” Joy said, giving a salute to Jacob’s father. She looked aside. “Engines, head us down at one percent of lightspeed.” She looked up. “Fleet admiral, we’ll be there shortly. May I take my leave to coordinate with Captain Holtzman?”
“You may. Once the job is done, rejoin us out by this moon.”
“Will do. Sea out.”
Jacob looked down to where Daisy sat at her own XO post. She was checking her ship cross-section holo, clearly focused on confirming all parts of the Lepanto were at Green Operational status. He looked up at the holos that surrounded him. His situational holo showed the inner part of the Kepler 10 system, with the first five planets located and their orbital tracks projected. Planet three still lay 20 degrees ahead of Valhalla’s fourth orbital, though its faster movement around the system’s yellow star, which was indeed called Odin, had moved the wasp colony world a bit further from the human world. Still, the distance was just over two AU. Or only 2.77 hours away from Valhalla at one-tenth lightspeed. And since both fleets could come to a stop from that vast speed in just a few moments, thanks to their powerful fusion thrusters, it meant death lay less than three hours away.
Shaking his head he looked to his true space holo, which now held a view from one of the electro-optical scopes on a spysat. The fifteen wasp ships were clustered in two groups that centered on the two giant ships. Nothing new was happening. Hours earlier they’d sent down their larvae pods, then had put crew out on their hulls to do simple repairs. He checked the sensor holo. There were no new moving neutrino sources anywhere in the system, for which he gave thanks. His own holo cross-section of the Lepanto showed the vital details, with each weapons station marked Green Operational. The three surviving Darts were in their hangar next to Silo Eight, their internal power showing hot, with a pilot seated inside each Dart. Richard had told him his Marines were ready for a boarding or for launch to do laser harassing of wasp targets. Each Dart’s stern laser had the same range as every ship laser in the fleet. And a Dart could move as fast as a frigate. But they were far more vulnerable to counterfire than even the frigates, since their thin hulls had no armor. Still, the Darts were incredibly mobile and fast, as he’d seen while watching them move on the comet-bound wasp ship.
“They’re engaging,” called Daisy.
He looked up at the wallscreen. It held a true space image from his Battlestar’s own electro-optical scope. The two gray shapes of the Philippines Sea and the Schweinfurt now approached the wasp ship at 900 klicks a minute. They were just five thousand klicks out from the target. The wasp ship must have realized this was not a peaceful visit. It fired green lasers and yellow lightning bolts at the destroyer and the frigate.
“Sir, the wasp ship’s middle weapons ring is operational,” Daisy said.
“Noted.”
Jacob wondered what Richard and Alicia, who sat below him, were thinking of this pre-emptive action. No doubt Richard fully approved. Maybe even Alicia. Sh
e had grown more and more concerned as she listened to Hunter One have innocuous chatter with the four wasp captives. It was as clear to her as it was to Jacob that these captives expected freedom sometime soon.
His true space holo now filled with red proton laser beams from the Sea and green laser strikes from the Schweinfurt. Both ships were spinning as they approached in a stepwise spiral corkscrew, doing their best to add random jinks and jerks to their vector track. Most of the yellow lightning bolts and many of the enemy’s green laser beams missed both ships. But the frigate’s spine plasma battery was a smoking ruin. However the destroyer’s spine plasma battery was firing multiple canisters of plasma, even though the enemy lay far beyond the battery’s range. He suddenly realized Joy was building a plasma haze around the vulnerable parts of her ship, since the plasma charges moved forward at the same speed as her ship. He liked her innovative use of what Earth Command always viewed as a close-up defense of a ship from incoming Smart Rocks and shrapnel.
Battlegroup (StarFight Series Book 2) Page 23
