by Chris Burton
“Sarah!”
“Two hours, Jonathan and then I want you gone.”
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Imprisonment
Jake awoke with a thunderous headache.
It took him a few moments to grasp his surroundings. He realized he was still aboard the Eagle shuttle, but something felt different. He managed to stand and clambered over to the pilots chair before collapsing again. God his head hurt.
He reached above his head, grabbed the medikit from its compartment, and pulled out a small hyper syringe. Clumsily, he then pulled up his sleeve, hovered the syringe over his forearm and administered his contents. That should take care of the headache, he thought.
He could see from the cockpit window that the Eagle traveled at sub-light velocity, which was curious given that both drive systems were off-line. Closer inspection confirmed his worst fears—the shuttle was attached to the side of Morvalt’s cruiser.
Now Jake understood what was different. His mind was clear of all encumbrances, Morvalt no longer controlled him. Now he had him in his clutches, there was obviously no need to control him.
The pounding in his head was clearing now. Where was Morvalt taking him? He looked outside again to try to gauge his surroundings but it did not look familiar. They were travelling at sub-light-speed, so he assumed their journey would be a comparatively short one. If that’s the case, he thought, I have to prepare quickly. He needed a survival pack, weapons, a comms device and anything else he could lay his hands on which he could conceal on his body to make ready for whatever Morvalt had planned for him. Quite what that would be filled him with dread, but he had to be ready. He would not let the Kronan win.
It all became clearer as a further gaze outside revealed their destination. The Kryl fleet stood in front of them, stretched out as far as the eye could see. It was a formidable sight with the red glow of the Kryl fleet underbelly glowing against the backdrop of the sun. There in front of the Kryl was Earth, resplendent in blue, quite the most beautiful planet and yet surely, she would fall to the power of the Kryl.
They headed into the fleet now. The Queen ship was dead ahead. Morvalt’s ship slowed as she prepared to enter the cavernous void that was her hanger bay.
Jake tried not to panic. The Queen Ship was vast. Whatever happened now, somehow he had to try to escape from it. His confidence ebbed when Morvalt’s ship entered the hanger bay.
It was so much more than that. Stretching far into the distance in every direction, there were literally hundreds of Kryl cruisers. Some were docked, some on landing pads, and others were stacked ten high and across. This was a vast fleet in its own right. How had they ever expected to defeat this? The sheer scale of this ship was unbelievable. The vast space sport stretched as far as you could see and yet this was just a small section of the Queen’s ship. This was not just a city ship, it was a small planet!
Morvalt’s ship slowed. It headed for a large platform landing shelf which was two to three hundred meters across. It was empty but lit up with guiding lights to aid the landing process.
The Kryl Cruiser landed cleanly. There was a hive of activity as Kryl drones appeared from nowhere. It all seemed rather surreal. Jake tried to think. He did not know whether he would be given a chance to escape, but he had to be prepared. He tried to establish his bearings and manually reset his digital compass so that north was his ship. As long as they did not move it, he would know which direction to head if given a chance.
The security door section to the Eagle was meant to be impenetrable from the outside. Jake proved that wrong before when he blew the doors apart with explosives. The Kryl had just opened it. Two drones searched him but found only a comms device and not the items carefully hidden inside his tunic and trousers. He was gestured to follow them out of the shuttle onto the surface of the landing deck. He did not resist—it was pointless to try anything at this stage.
A loan figure stood on the deck. He looked more important than the others, still with the same pallid grey complexion but he stood out. It was Morvalt.
“Jake Carter. I finally get the chance to meet the killer of Navalion.”
Jake did not speak. He had no idea what to say. Even if he could think of something relevant as a reply, the words would not have come out. He was so scared. He shook violently.
“I would have expected courage from someone who killed a Kronan and yet you shake uncontrollably. I presume you decided I am one Kronan to many?”
This time Jake forced himself to speak, “What do you want of me?”
Morvalt laughed. “Want? I want you dead. However, the Queen has other plans. Perhaps when she has seen you, she will return you to me so I can finish you off! For now, Mister Carter, you are our guest. Tomorrow you will be escorted to attend an audience with the Queen. You are indeed very fortunate—no human has ever had the privilege.”
Jake said nothing. He was in control again. The sight of the Kronan reminded him vividly of his recurring dreams, which had , at least in part become reality. Now, he needed to be strong. If he was going to get out of this, he needed to concentrate.
Two drones gestured for him to follow and a third followed behind. They were heavily armed but he could still take them out. He just needed the right opportunity.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
The Final Jump Ship Battle
Over a third of the twelve thousand SED Jump Ships were lost on the first day as the campaign extended into its thirty-ninth hour, less than half of the original number remained.
Admiral Koenig just met with his SED commanders and their summary of the battle situation was bleak. Koenig needed to make a decision. Is surrendering a possibility? He tried so hard to avoid this scenario but his commanders were right. What was the point of losing endless, needless lives if the end result was the same?
Yet...there was still the contingency fleet and Shenke had fifty or more ships formed into a cohesive battle group, which would still join the skirmish if invited. There were some fifteen hundred remaining Jump Ships from Shenke’s original fleet which, combined with the remaining five and half thousand SED ships, meant there was still a considerable force available for a final stand.
Even beyond that, Earth’s shield system was at maximum strength and SED’s other two divisions had their part to play. Surely, they were still a long way from surrender. He avoided calling his two chief advisors in on this thought process. They had already made up their minds so asking for their advice was counterproductive. Quite simply he must keep the battle going—there was still a chance, even if it was only small.
* * * *
Steve Costello was back in the thick of it. With today’s wing man ignoring the rules of engagement, both were enjoying rich pickings while leaving themselves open for blind side attack strategies. Steve exhausted his supply of Tigers and his shields were verging on critical. However, he still had full plasma charge and there were plenty of opportunities to add to his growing tally of kills.
Starting in the middle of the skirmish, they drifted to the more dangerous Kryl side of the battlefield and faced the Malchian Arrows for the first time . Steve’s knowledge of them was based on reputation only and he waited for the opportunity to test his skills. His wing man thought otherwise.
“We are into the big fighter field. I suggest we double back.”
“Ah, come on Baines. If we stick together, we can take these guys on. Let’s give it a try.”
“You and I don’t do teamwork. Okay, we’ll give it one run but you wing me, not the other way round.”
“Okay, I’ll stick to you like glue.”
Baines was a good pilot—an SED graduate of some ten years, who had seen it all and learned his trade the hard way. His kill ratio was one of the best in the command and he knew it. Under normal circumstances he would have done anything not to be paired up with an Alpha graduate—especially a rookie—but he viewed Costello as an exception to the rule.
Baines started the run perpendicular to two Malchian
Arrows, which were coming in from left to right across the Kryl fleet. He allowed them to come in close, before swinging round and setting off behind them. Steve tucked in tightly behind his lead and stuck there. He was not going to let go—not until he had to or a kill prospect became apparent.
The Arrows were fast and the two Rapier 6’s had difficulty keeping touch. They had them where they wanted them.
“These guys are running scared. I thought they had this fearsome reputation!”
“Don’t take it for granted. I have never seen a Rapier out maneuvered by anything other than a Sabre. These guys can shift and we are pulling at maximum G through these turns. I think they’re playing with us.”
“We are still chasing them. Let’s see if we can get a lock.”
“Yeah right. Just remember where you are. If you lock onto anything, it’s gonna be me!”
A trace of Baines’ Scottish ancestry arose when he was under pressure. His accent became stronger the harder things got. Right now, it was broad Glasgow.
A sharp turn to the left confirmed Baines suspicion. Somehow both Arrows were behind them and Steve was suddenly under plasma fire.
“I am taking evasive.”
Steve swung right, then left, and then pulled upwards sharply to avoid Kryl weapons lock but they hung on.
Baines was left behind but he saw the thrusters of the second Arrow. From here, he could get a lock.
“I have one of them. Get back to my wing. We can lock on to this bastard together.”
“Sorry mate. I have one myself and he is not shifting. I am going to try something a bit different to dislodge him, then I’ll pick up your tail.”
Steve took the Jump Ship into a flat spin and accelerated outwards before pulling sharply back. He then flipped away to the left and forced a second spin. The Malchian had not anticipated the second spin and was caught in Steve’s afterburners. Steve swung round and had the Arrow in his sites with full weapons lock. He fired all three plasma cannons directly at his target and then pulled back again. The damage was done and the Arrow lost inertia. He was outmaneuvered and Steve had him where he wanted him. He brought the Rapier close in behind and then applied maximum thrust as he spun the Rapier passed the Arrow while wing tipping at close range. The effect was instant. The Arrow was caught in a vortex. Steve fired two more salvos straight into the path of the Arrow. The plasma fire hit the Arrow pilot’s canopy, forcing it open. The Malchian was sucked straight out. Steve finished him off with two further cannon bursts.
Content with his first ‘Big’ fighter kill, Steve returned to Baines’ wing and hung on, while Baines tried a sequence of his own. Baines used his experience to try to flush out the Arrow but the Malchian fighter just had too much power.
Steve managed to keep pace but now backed off. His power reserves were dangerously low.
“It’s no use. My reserves are creaking. I am going to have to pull out on this one.”
“You’re kidding me. I’ve got this son of a bitch on my sights and you are pulling out!”
“I‘m down to eight percent.”
“Oh, Christ. Okay, I am pulling out and taking your wing. I suggest you take the quiet route back. You don’t want any excitement with so little power.”
* * * *
The Squadron Leader called Costello and Baines into his office.
“Once again, you both flout the rules and disappear into the heavens. What the hell were you doing out there?”
Costello smiled, “Catching big ones...and we got one.”
“Your orders were to stay in the pack and support each other.”
This time it was Baines’ turn to respond. “We did and between us we had twenty hits. We drifted off and they were just there so we thought we’d give it a go. They are a completely different proposition to the normal fighters.”
“They are known as Malchian Arrows. As far as we can tell the Malchians are different castes to the other pilots, hence the larger and more powerful ships. They are a nasty bunch but if we stand any chance in this battle, we need to take them out. You guys have just volunteered to join the battle group going to do just that!”
“Sounds fun. When do we start?”
“You don’t—not here anyway. Take four hours and then report to Squadron Leader Figuera. She is heading up a dozen squadrons of Sabre 4’s and the Arrows are her forte.”
Chapter Sixty-Nine
The Queen’s Sanctuary
Jake was taken from the hanger deck to a small holding cell.
He did not know how long he had been there—only that he had slept. Now awake, he waited.
When the doors to the cell were opened, Jake was ushered outside and escorted once again by three Kryl drones. Two elevators and half a kilometer of corridor later, the drones and their charge arrived at the Queen’s Sanctuary. All three Kryl stood to one side and gestured for Jake to enter. He stepped forward nervously and entered the cavernous hall. They did not follow and the entrance doors shut behind him.
It was dark, but he could still see enough to walk in front of him. Some hundred meters distant there was a faint light source. Jake had no comprehension of why he was here or what he should do. He just kept walking.
As he drew nearer, it became lighter. He saw a single light directed to a large throne-like chair. Is this the throne room? He continued forward nervously. Getting out of this room is going to be difficult enough, let alone find the Eagle. Several minutes later, he arrived at what he presumed was the center of the room and was suddenly bathed in light. The Queen stepped forward out of the darkness, beyond the chair.
“Jake Carter. Thank you for coming.”
“Why am I here?”
“Is that the way you would address the leaders of Earth? Does my presence not warrant at least a less perfunctory greeting?”
Jake was astonished by the clarity and fluency of her voice and suddenly felt the magnitude of her presence. This Kryl presided over the deaths of thousands of his people. He felt hatred.
“I presume I am talking to the Queen?”
She laughed, revealing the characteristic graying mouth and teeth.
“Such bravery in my presence. I suppose I should expect nothing less from the conqueror of Navalion. You are here because I want to see you with my own eyes.”
“What do you intend to do with me?”
The Queen stepped forward further. He smelled her now. Strangely, he was aroused by her presence. Jake tried to hide it but she smiled, Did she sense Jake’s hormonal rush?
She laughed again. “It would never work Mister Carter, although the prospect does excite me.” She licked her lips.
“Why did you kill Navalion?”
The sudden change of direction took Jake by surprise. From temptress to interrogator in a split second. He stuttered his reply. “I presume you mean Winterburn. I did not plan to kill him.”
“Did he tell you that you were to be his killer?”
“Yes.”
“So you obliged him.”
“No! He attacked me and I defended myself. If I hadn’t killed him, he would have killed me!”
“How many of my people have you killed ?”
Exasperated, Jake paused before replying. “I don’t know—ten maybe fifteen directly. Not many. Not nearly as many as you.”
His sentence petered off towards the end. He could not believe he actually said that. Fortunately, the Queen did not rise to the bait.
“We are here for a purpose and your people will die in order to achieve this.”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“No.”
“What will happen to me then?”
“You are free to leave now. You must find your own way.”
“Why did you bring me all this way—just to ask me a few questions?”
“I wanted to see you with my own eyes. We will meet again Mister Carter but not for a long time.”
What did that mean? Then he stopped himself, when he realized why he was here.
> “Am I your killer too?”
No response.
“Is that why you needed to see me? If I am due to kill you, why don’t you just kill me now?”
“Goodbye . One day we will meet again and all your questions will be answered.” The Queen turned and walked off into the darkness, leaving Jake standing in disbelief. Surely, he could not the Queen’s killer too.
He stood transfixed for a few moments before reality checked and he realized this could be his only chance to get off the ship. Quite how he was going to achieve it was another matter. Jake reached into his tunic and pulled out a small battery charged flashlight. To his relief it worked but it lacked penetration. He still did not know which way to go.
He stepped forward into the darkness. In the distance, a light source appeared. He looked around and noticed more than one. There were twenty or thirty surrounding him. Were these exits or were there Kryl guards summoned to take him? He reached into his tunic again and pulled out a small blaster gun. Its power cells were full, but the ops light was off, telling him in an instant it would not work. Some kind of blocking device, he thought as he pushed the gun back inside his tunic and reached down instead to his lower trouser pocket for his hunter’s knife.
He headed back the way he came, toward what he presumed was the point where he entered the hall. As he drew closer, and to his relief, he saw this light source was merely a means to exit the hall.
He thought more clearly now. He tried to keep track of the various changes in direction on his journey from the hanger bay to his current location. The truth was he had no idea which direction the elevators took him. He needed to find a point of reference which would lead him back to the hanger bay. Even then, assuming he managed to get back to his ship, he had to launch and fly through the vast array of Kryl ships before he found the exit point of the Queen’s ship.
It seemed an impossible task and yet he was guided in part, by what the Queen said. If he were to meet her again at some part in the future, then surely—if her prediction is correct—he would make it through this. It wasn’t much and the task ahead of him remained daunting but he kept going.
