“Yeah,” he replied, his voice trying to hold back the emotions swimming in his gut.
Fran opened the door, walked in, and sat next to him on the bed. She said no words and instead put her arms around him to hold him close to her body. After a few minutes of rocking him, Fran asked, “Was your sister in the fleet?”
“She was a gunner on the Milgard. She said she loved being on the flagship of the Corps and never wanted to leave.”
“Is it possible she transferred?”
Kel nodded in the negative. “Even if she asked for a transfer, it would have taken about a year for it to go through. I hoped she was in the galley or had somehow gotten trapped in an air pocket but . . .” he trailed off.
“Are you going to tell Captain Cook?”
“I can’t,” he whispered.
“Why not?”
“If she knows I have a personal involvement in this, she’ll tell me to stand down. I can’t have that. I need to know what happened and I need to be the one who finds out. If those damn Gyssyc did this, then I want to be a part of that payback.”
“Kel, this is going to affect your judgment.”
He turned to look at her. “I know you’re trying to help but please, don’t tell me how to deal with the death of my sister.”
“But Kel—”
“Please leave.” Kel stood from the bed and turned his back to her. “I need to write up my report to the captain.”
Fran’s heartbreak didn’t hide on her face as she stood from the bed. She paused at the door as if wanting to say something. She said nothing as she walked out of the room.
Chapter Seventeen
After a day of traveling through the remnants of the taskforce, the Arwen had a clear route to Ulliam.
The now visible detail from the egg-shaped Gyssyc ship was impressive. The skin, it didn’t seem right to call it a hull, had a rocky camouflage. What looked like craters were silos for rockets and housing for powerful energy guns. Those would have been the weapons that sliced the fleet into pieces.
The Arwen was outgunned and any attack would be suicidal. Captain Cook understood her mission was information gathering. Her first order of business was to get in touch with Ulliam.
“Steady as she goes,” Captain Cook said. “Communication, do we have any word from Ulliam?”
“No, sir.
“Captain Cook,” her sensor officer said. “I’m picking up some wormhole activity near Ulliam.”
“Show me on my screen.”
Several wormholes glowed around Ulliam. Dozens of Ulliam battle cruisers, each the size and strength of the Arwen, burst into real space. They appeared as close to the comet as they dared.
Without hesitation, Captain Cook pressed her communication icon. “Ulliam Fleet, this is Captain Marjorie Cook of the Arwen. Stand down. Do not attack, repeat, do not attack.” She waited for a reply and got none. Her voice got more desperate as she continued. “Ulliam fleet, do not attack. The Gyssyc ship is too powerful. Stand down and wait for our fleet to arrive. Repeat, stand down.”
Flashes of energy discharges blinked from each ship, striking the Gyssyc’s rocky surface. Sheets of rock blew off into space and tumbled away. The Ulliam fleet continued its assault with a wave of missiles. The comet took the brunt of the attack but the sheer size of its surface overmatched the fleet as they continued to pound with wave after wave of missile and energy attacks.
The full firepower of the comet erupted. Six beams of pure gamma energy dissolved force fields before melting the ship’s armor plating. Space cruisers split in half. Others exploded as their damaged reactors could not contain the awesome power they held. Some desperately tried to get away and, in their haste, crashing into debris or other damaged ships. The perfectly disciplined battle formation was now a chaotic mess of wreckage, ships, and nuclear born explosions. It was over within minutes. The second Ulliam fleet had been destroyed.
Kel ran onto the bridge, out of breath from his sprint from his room to the bridge. “Captain, what happened?”
“I think the Ulliam declared war on the Gyssyc and I’m not sure what side we’re on.”
~*~
“Captain, you realize I am not a military man,” Professor Ricter said.
“Yes. But I trust your insight and your professionalism.” Captain Cook laid the computer report on the professor’s desk.
“Isn’t this something Commander Lipton should be looking at?”
Captain Cook sat on the chair in front of his desk. The weight of events sagged her face downward as if it they were literally on her head. “Commander Lipton has been acting oddly and I don’t trust his objectiveness.”
“I see,” Professor Ricter replied. “I will take a look at this right away. Is there anything in particular you want me to look for?”
“I want you to try and tell me why the comet didn’t fight back right away. It took a lot of punishment before it destroyed the fleet.”
Professor Ricter picked up the report. “If I need anything else, I’ll let you know. Expect a report from me by tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you decided to stay and not travel with the comet.”
“And I wished I had stayed with the comet,” he replied with an equally sly grin. “But, we all can’t have what we wished for, can we?”
“No, I guess not.” She did nothing to hide the melancholy in her voice. “You let me know when you’re done with that. I’ll be on the bridge.”
“Marjorie, if there is anything you’d like to talk about you can always talk to me. I’m not the most”—he paused to trying to find the right words—“I’m not the most social person, but I do know I can listen when the mood strikes me.”
“Are you in the mood now?” she asked.
He waved at the seat and then folded his hands on his desk. His eyes focused intently on her as she sat. She didn’t start talking right away, years of sealing herself off from her own fears and feelings stopped her.
Professor Ricter’s gaze never left Marjorie. She opened her mouth to talk, then closed it and gave a short, humorless laugh. “I’m not used to telling anyone how I feel. The last person I could talk to freely was Payton.”
“Your ex-husband?”
“Yes. We’ve been divorced for about fifteen years now.”
“Must have been hard.”
“Not really. Not at that time anyway. I’d been captain of the Arwen for five years; he was captain of the Samwise for three. We never really saw each other and neither wanted to leave their ships. It was a mutual choice to separate.”
“Ah, you chose your ship over your marriage. Most people think I’m crazy for dedicating my life to science.”
“No, professor, I do understand that much about you.”
“I’m glad someone does. And I think I understand you. You want to be the rock in this situation but I have the feeling you’re having some doubts.”
The one thing Marjorie found fascinating about Professor Ricter was his keen observation skills. She bit her lip knowing she was about to lower some of her well-erected personal walls. “Remember when the Plick attacked the comet at Regal?”
“I was in the comet but yes, I remember it well.”
“You weren’t on the Arwen. It was pretty scary.” She closed her eyes, reliving the moments. “There was a point when the Plick ship had us. We had no power. We were dead in space and I was about to die. I looked death in the face and you know what I did? I froze. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what order to give. I just sat down and waited to die. If not for Rulla Plooma, I would have died.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t faced death before.”
“I’ve faced death more times that I’d like to admit. That’s not what bothers me. I’d rather die fighting than to freeze in battle, and that’s what I did.”
“I don’t think you should blame yourself. From what you’ve told me that was a no-win situation.”
“Maybe. I can’t help but worry it might hap
pen again. We were attacked when we entered the system. I should have had the ship on yellow alert until we were sure the Plick threat was over. When they did attack I wasn’t ready for the suicide attackers. I made a major error in judgment just like I did at the Lansing corridor.”
He cocked his head to the side, confused. “The Lansing corridor? What was that?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard of that incident. We had just come out of wormhole space on our way home from a long mission. I had the shields down because of an energy leak when the Hellamites attached us. They had a gun ship waiting to ambush any Corps ships. The Arwen was too big a target to ignore and they attacked with brutal accuracy. It ripped a hole in the Arwen and killed four hundred of my men. I froze then too, watching from my chair as over a quarter of crew died.”
Ricter said nothing as he leaned back in chair. He pursed his lips, something she’d seen him do while analyzing test results.
She continued. “I don’t want to make another mistake like those two. I don’t want to lose any more crew.”
“Captain, we’re all going to make mistakes. I thought the Gyssyc were friendly; the evidence has proven me wrong so far. I thought my assistants were under-qualified and I was wrong then too. I thought we could never get along or be friends and I’m very happy to be wrong about that as well.”
Hearing him say that made her feel at ease. “I am too.”
“I also know you have a lot more to worry about right now than if you’re going to make a mistake. I suggest you concentrate on what you need to do and not the mistakes you’ve made.”
“That’s exactly what Payton would say,” she replied with a chuckle.
“Well,” Professor Ricter said, his face somewhat flush. “I’m not sure how I like being compared to your ex-husband.”
With a smile still on her face, she said, “I really doubt he would like the comparison either.”
Chapter Eighteen
True to his word, Professor Ricter produced a well thought out report on the attack. However, his ideas made no sense. He speculated the Gyssyc were just defending themselves and waited until they had no other choice but to retaliate. The evidence he used to support this were a few faint energy readings within the comet’s core right before attacking. He thought that indicated some damage and if they didn’t act they would be destroyed.
Marjorie saw it differently. She saw it as a power build up after a surprise attack. Professor Ricter had his own prejudice; he refused to believe the Gyssyc would fight unless it was to defend themselves.
Kel, on the other hand, went the opposite way. He wanted to go in guns blazing. That was a suicidal action and Captain Cook wouldn’t even entertain the idea. She began to question Kel’s judgment. That bothered her more than anything.
She needed more information; she needed to know what provoked the original attack. The fact the Gyssyc have been so quiet seemed odd. They had the firepower to destroy one of the most powerful fleets in the Corps, why hadn’t they attacked Ulliam or the Arwen? The only ones who might know the answer were the Ulliam and she intended to head down there to find out.
Marjorie walked down the hallways of the Arwen with grim determination toward the shuttle. It was uncommon for a captain to leave the ship in times of emergency but this was a special circumstance. She had given Kel instructions to retreat should the Gyssyc attack. He wasn’t happy with the order. She hoped he could keep a level head if there was an emergency situation.
“Captain Cook,” Fran yelled from the other end of the hallway. Marjorie turned to see her running at full speed toward her carrying a small backpack. “Permission to come with you.”
“Why?” Marjorie asked.
“I’ve studied Ulliam history for a few years now. I figure if we get down there and establish contact with the ambassador, he might let me into their databanks. The Arwen doesn’t have much beyond the basic schoolbook stuff and I was hoping to gather more information.”
“What do you think you’ll find?”
“Not sure. I’d like to cross-reference some of the information we downloaded from the comet’s computer with what I can find there. Maybe I can find some pattern that could help.”
“Okay. Welcome aboard, Doctor.”
The two walked into the hanger to find four security guards waiting for them. Marjorie didn’t want the escort but Kel insisted on it. She could easily refuse and order the men back, but now that she was also responsible for Fran’s protection, she let them stay.
She and Fran sat in the back while one of the security men walked into the cockpit. The other three sat in the back with them, energy rifles slung over their shoulders.
“Captain, I wanted to tell you I talked to Kel,” Fran said as they sat on a bench.
Marjorie felt the shuttle lurch upwards and then forwards as it flew out of the docking bay. “Anything you wish to share?”
“There is something bothering him. Something he doesn’t want anyone to know. That’s all I can really say. I wanted you to know he is dedicated to his duty but he’s hurting inside.”
“Why?” Marjorie asked. The only time he had ever been upset was when he had family troubles. She recalled how depressed he got when his father died. How he took four months sabbatical to take care of his mother when she got cancer and had to get gene therapy on Earth. She remembered how much he talked about his sister Rachel when she graduated from the academy and when . . . The memory hit her hard and she realized why he was so upset. Why hadn’t she remembered it before? “His sister was on the Milgard, wasn’t she?”
Fran’s eyes lowered to the ground. “Yes. She didn’t make it.”
“Why didn’t he tell me? I would have relieved him of duty to grieve.”
“That’s the last thing he wants.” She raised her head to look the captain in the eyes. “He wants to find out what happened. He wants to know that his sister didn’t die senselessly.”
“Don’t try to pull one over on me. He wants revenge and he’ll do what he can to get it.”
Her voice hardened, determined to defend the man she loved. “Is that so wrong? They killed his sister.”
“We don’t know that. If it turns out they did destroy the fleet without any provocation, then I’ll led the Arwen into battle without any hesitation. If they acted in self–defense, I can only defend my ship if they attack us.” She placed a comforting hand on Fran’s knee. “Fran, I need to know that Kel will not do anything rash while I’m off the Arwen.”
“Captain, I told you, he’ll be true to his duty. Has he ever let the Arwen down before?”
“Never,” she replied confidently.
They sat in tense silence while the shuttle entered the Ulliam atmosphere. Captain Cook stood from her seat once the turbulence subsided and walked into the cockpit. She sat next to the pilot who was busy talking on the radio. Marjorie picked up a headset and placed it on.
“Arwen shuttle, you do not have permission to enter our space. Please return to your battle cruiser.”
“I’ll handle this,” Marjorie said. “This is Captain Marjorie Cook. We will not turn around. We need answers before the Corps fleet arrives. I am ordering my pilot to land at the embassy in Ulliam City.”
“You put us in an awkward position. We do not want the Corps’ help in this matter. This is an Ulliam problem and we will take care of it.”
“Many Corps ships were destroyed and we will want answers. We are continuing on our way to the embassy.” She cut the communication before they could respond.
Ulliam City rose from over the horizon. Patches of green fertile ground blurred past the window. Small lakes and rivers crisscrossed the land. Each river flowed toward the city and provided water for the millions of beings who lived there.
In the sky, the Gyssyc ship orbited. The shadow from Ulliam covered the right half of its surface. It seemed tiny next to the Ulliam moon. From orbit, she saw two small silver dots reflecting the early morning light. She watched the specks grow larger, closer.
“What are those?” she asked the pilot.
“Ulliam fighters,” he replied. “Should I take any action?”
She considered this for a moment. “No, let them follow us. If they take any aggressive action, alert the Arwen.”
She found it odd there were no other craft in the air. On a normal day, thousands of jets, shuttles, and hover cars would be zipping to and fro. Now the sky was clear except for her shuttle and the two fighters. No orbiting satellites, no flying machines. It was too strange. She looked forward to any answers she could get from the ambassador.
“Keep on course and let me know when we land,” she said to the pilot and walked to the back.
Fran was busy reading something on her computer. Marjorie walked over to a terminal and turned it on. She stood while the other three guards chatted to themselves. From the casualness of their conversation, they didn’t expect any trouble. Marjorie hoped they were right.
Who was the current ambassador to Ulliam? She was sure whoever it was thought this would be an easy job. She was surprised when she recognized the name. A faint smile appeared on her lips. “Mason Simpson. I’ll be damned.”
“Did you say something?” Fran asked, looking up from her computer.
“Mason Simpson, the ambassador. We were friends when I was training to become an officer.”
“Do you think that’ll help us?”
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked in over twenty-five years. I doubt we’ll have much in common anymore.”
“I think you might be surprised,” Fran said. “My parents got together after not seeing each other for fifteen years. Anything could happen.”
Marjorie sat on the bench. “Bonds of friendship do run deep. I think knowing him will help. I just hope he’s in the mood to tell me what happened.”
~*~
Fran and Captain Cook sat on the bench of a large and empty waiting room. After about an hour of staring at the artwork, an officer came out to greet the captain and told Fran she was to stay there. Fran had the feeling she was wasting her time coming here when she could be back on the Arwen comforting Kel. Too late for that now, she thought and continued staring at the mural on the wall.
The Arwen Book one: Defender Page 14
