Glory for Sea and Space (Star Watch Book 4)

by Mark Wayne McGinnis

  Dira said, her voice now more serious, “Still no heartbeat. Nanites are starting to degrade as well.”

  “Christ … poor Rizzo. Is there anything I can do?” Jason asked.

  Dira shook her head. “For now you can clear out of here. Tops is next.”

  * * *

  Jason found both Ricket and Bristol on the Jumelle’s bridge. Ricket, noticing him enter, quickly hurried over.

  “You look no worse for wear, Ricket.”

  “Yes, Captain, I will need to thank Boomer … for helping me. Without her prompt action, phase-shifting me into Medical, and Dira then getting me into a MediPod—”

  “What’s he doing?” Jason interrupted, nodding toward Bristol, who was lying flat on his back on the deck, toward the front of the compartment. Gazing upward, he was gesturing with his arms.

  “He is talking to Jumelle … the AI. It has been very informative, Captain. As you know, The Lilly’s memory core was almost completely scrubbed.”

  “Yours too, Ricket,” Jason added.

  “Yes … Jumelle is filling in quite a few of the blank areas for me,” Ricket said.

  “If and when there’s time, I look forward to learning some of these things myself,” Jason said. “Right now we have far more pressing issues.” Jason stopped and tilted his head. “Who the hell is speaking?”

  “Jumelle,” Ricket said.

  “That’s the AI?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “She has a French accent now?”

  Ricket nodded, offering an accompanying smile, as though proud of some kind of accomplishment. “We thought you might be pleased, since you christened the vessel with a French name.”

  Jason, who’d never warmed up much to the French, was about to suggest the AI’s voice be converted back. But the more he listened … to her soft vowels and ultra-feminine inflections—he began to find the voice quite soothing … if not provocative. It was uncanny, to him, how human Jumelle was sounding.

  “It’s fine, Ricket. Right now we need to talk about extracting her from her present position … one hundred and fifty feet beneath the surface.”

  Bristol, sitting up now, looked over at them. “What do you think of the bridge?” he asked.

  Jason looked around, thinking it identical to the one on The Lilly—then realized there were some differences. He’d have to ask Ricket more about them later. “Status?”

  “Yes, Captain,” Ricket said. “For the most part, the ship is ready. Engineering … the propulsion system … seems to be in good working order. As we discussed, the AI is fully operational.”

  “And …?” Jason urged, hurrying him along.

  Ricket looked to Bristol, who stood and ambled over, and said, “He’s afraid the Jumelle might take a crap trying to phase-shift out of here. Like all Caldurian spacecraft, the Jumelle’s onboard phase-synthesizer integrates with its phase-shift functionality. The problem, if there is one, is this vessel has a lot more unknown stuff on board than her sister ship had.” Bristol made a face. “To be honest, I don’t have a clue what some of that stuff even does.”

  “Why is that a problem?” Jason asked.

  “Well, because some of that stuff includes that blown-to-shit obelisk your daughter destroyed in the hold. And … by the way … that may have been the one and only reference key to the multiverse … which is what we’ve been searching for … and it’s gone … lost forever!”

  Jason said, “What, Ricket … why are you shaking your head?”

  “I … well I downloaded it. Before Boomer …”

  Bristol said, “Yeah right. Impossible.”

  Ricket looked perturbed. “It’s here.” He looked at Jason and then to Bristol. “I had some extra storage space.” He pointed to his large—misshapen head. “It’s all here … it just needs to be interpolated. I’m still working on that. And don’t forget … we can speak with the Drapple … there is much to do.”

  Jason put a hand on Ricket’s shoulder. “That’s incredible, Ricket … amazing, actually. I would have hated for so much sacrifice to have been for … naught.”

  Bristol said, “Whatever … getting back on point, we still need a few days to test things adequately.”

  Jason said, “Unfortunately, we’re out of time. We need to get back to the Sol System. Did you forget about the Sahhrain fleet? Let’s do a small test right now … maybe shift the vessel up closer to the surface.”

  Bristol and Ricket glanced at each other. “Whether we phase-shift ten feet or thirty miles, the results will probably be the same,” Bristol said. “Oh, and the compartment where we found the obelisk is a mess … lots of damage in there. We’ve cleaned up the Void-Feculence, but most of the accelerators will need repairs. The problem is … much of everything is interconnected.”

  “You think we should clear everyone off the ship … send them off in shuttles? Test the ship’s ability to phase-shift with a minimum crew on board?” Jason asked.

  “That’s up to you; you’re the captain.”

  Jason had engaged in similar frustrating conversations with Bristol a thousand times. He turned around when both Sergeant Major Stone and Lieutenant Polly entered the bridge. Stone looked solemn, obviously dealing emotionally with Rizzo’s deteriorating condition.

  Jason said, “I need two volunteers. One to stay here with me when we attempt to phase-shift the Jumelle into space; and one to shuttle everyone else off the ship until we know she’s operational.”

  “I’m staying here with you,” Stone said, leaving no room for argument.

  Polly shrugged. “I’ll go … when are we doing this?”

  Jason looked to Ricket. “Are we ready?”

  “Yes, Captain. I too request to be allowed to stay on board. There could be technical issues that will need addressing.”

  “Fine! Polly, make an announcement. I want everyone off the ship in ten minutes. They are to meet you on the flight deck as soon as you get them there.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later, Jason hailed Polly: “What’s happening?”

  “Not much … I couldn’t get anyone to meet me here.”

  “Did you tell them it was an order from the captain?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Did you inform them the ship very well might blow up?”

  “Yes, Captain. They said that’s always a possibility … but it comes with the job, blah blah blah.”

  Jason was ready to tell her to return to the bridge when he noticed her walking through the entrance. Shrugging, she said, “Hey, I tried!”

  “Well, since you’re here, you can double-up … man both comms and tactical.”

  Jason was just about to sit in the captain’s chair when Boomer and Mollie walked in with Billy behind them—a lip-dangling, unlit cigar in his mouth. Taking seats at different consoles, they turned to face him expectantly.

  “Helm … status?”

  Sergeant Stone said, “Both drives are doing what they’re supposed to do. Systems check is coming back all green, Cap. I’ve set phase-shift end-point coordinates to high orbit, right above us.”

  Jason noticed Bristol, again lying on the deck at the front of the bridge, was deeply engaged with Jumelle. Ricket was standing off to his left.

  “And you, Ricket, you’ve configured what’s necessary to call up an interchange wormhole?”

  “Yes, Captain. It is a rudimentary … temporary … configuration, but it should suffice for our pressing needs.”

  “Well, then I guess we should give it a try,” Jason said.

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Helm … go ahead and phase-shift the Jumelle into high orbit.”

  * * *

  The bridge, momentarily awash in a bright royal blue, wasn’t exhibiting the usual white flash that normally accompanied every phase-shift Jason had experienced. But one look at the overhead wrap-around display, and the desolate-looking planet now before them, confirmed they were indeed in orbit around Endromoline.

  “So far so goo
d,” Jason said to himself. “Polly … try to hail the Parcical. Ricket, it’s time to call up a wormhole.”

  “Captain … I’ve reached the Parcical. The fleet Omni has ordered us back to Liberty Station.”

  “Where is she … where is the Parcical?”

  Jason watched Polly hurry over to the tactical station. Sitting down, she faced the board. When she looked up, her expression showed a mixture of confusion and concern. “Captain, the Parcical seems to be engaging the Sahhrain fleet. I think I’m picking up telltale signs of a space battle … though, truthfully, tactical isn’t my expertise.”

  “Wait! You’re telling me that the Parcical is there? Going up against thousands of Vastma-class warships? On her own?”

  Polly quickly rechecked her board. “Looks that way to me, sir.”

  Jason eyed Ricket, who hurried to her side. He saw him nod his oversized head and, turning back toward him, said, “She is correct, Captain. It is indeed the Sahhrain fleet and the Parcical is fighting alone.”

  Chapter 59

  Fringe of the Dacci Star System

  Entering interchange wormhole, near Endromoline

  The Jumelle’s bridge

  __________________________

  Jason watched the forming of the wormhole—a flaring multi-colored ring surrounding a black void—some two thousand miles away. A spectacular occurrence that he’d witnessed too many times to count. “Take her in, Helm.”

  “Aye, Captain,” Stone replied.

  There comes a moment, prior to entering an interchange worm hole, where gravitational forces—as well as a myriad of other converging intergalactic forces—put a spaceship past a point of no return. Reaching five hundred miles out, the Jumelle was well beyond that point. All they could do now was sit back and watch as events transpired around them.

  “Turn us around!”

  Everyone looked at Bristol, now sitting up and looking at the overhead display. “Turn us the hell around!”

  Bristol had noticed debris of some kind moving around them, then past them—like traveling through an asteroid field. Jason looked at Ricket and asked, “What is that?”

  “Impossible—the forces of gravity do not move in two opposite, concurrent directions simultaneously. I do not understand, Captain.”

  Jason stood and gestured toward a particularly large object, coming straight at them at a remarkable rate of speed. “That’s ship debris!”

  “It’s not from the Parcical,” Lieutenant Polly said. “Chunk of a Vastma-class ship.”

  The entire bridge crew instinctively ducked their heads as space debris flew by overhead seemingly close enough to touch.

  Mollie, who Jason had forgotten was there, yelled some kind of profanity that made Bristol nervously laugh.

  “We’re emerging from the wormhole, Cap,” Stone said, from the helm console.

  Jason said, “Tactical, put up a logistical display so I can see what the hell’s going on! And Bristol, make yourself useful! Get on comms and hail the Parcical!”

  The logistical feed appeared on the wrap-around display and Jason, looking up, took in the icon-based information. Barely above a whisper, he murmured, “What the hell is that son-of-a-bitch doing?”

  Situated in space beyond the Kuiper Belt—just beyond the mouth of Vanguard’s Breach—was a singular green icon. The Parcical! Moving—more like swarming—and almost surrounding her were hundreds of red icons. Some distance away was the bulk of the Sahhrain fleet, where so many icons appeared they looked like one solid splotch of red—perhaps tens of thousands of warships.

  Jason’s father, Omni Perry Reynolds, appeared in a feed segment up on the wrap-around. He looked angry and—the only word coming to Jason’s mind—crazed.

  “I ordered you back to Liberty Station, damn it!”

  “Well, you’ve obviously lost your senses,” Jason replied. “Where’s the rest of Star Watch? Hell, you need the whole U.S. Fleet here!”

  “I don’t have time for this … they’re back in Sol. Look, we have this in hand. Get the hell out of here. That’s an order!”

  “No! You can throw me in the brig later if you want … if there is a later.”

  Jason watched as the Parcical continued to fire her guns in nearly every direction. Her shields seemed to be holding. Several of the closest Sahhrain vessels were destroyed, becoming floating wreckage. Undoubtedly, others like them blew their way into their interchange wormhole.

  The Omni’s face first flared with anger then, several seconds later, turned to an expression of resignation. “Take that ship, whatever she is, over to the mouth of Vanguard’s Breach. Looks like the Craing are beginning to funnel through there.”

  “Wait—what do you mean the Craing?” Jason asked.

  “Jesus, Jason! I don’t have time for this! Yes, the fucking Craing. They’ve been behind this invasion the whole time. It’s the hybrids, Jason … you remember them? They are manning those vessels. The Sahhrain were patsies … and they’re all dead now, if I were to venture a guess. Now leave! We’re about to turn the tide here.” The feed went black and slid away.

  Billy appeared at Jason’s side, looking amused. “You didn’t want to be Omni anymore, Cap. You can’t have it both ways.”

  Sergeant Stone stared at Jason over her shoulder. “So … do we do what the Omni says, Cap?”

  Jason nodded. “Uh huh, but I don’t like it.” Now looking at Lieutenant Polly, he said, “Please tell me this ship has operational plasma cannons on board.”

  Ricket answered for her. “Captain, this vessel does indeed have a full array of weaponry. If you recall, The Lilly had been upgraded … additional firepower added. I will find out more.”

  “Fine. Shields up … give me what you’ve got, Helm. Phase-shift us to the edge of the Kuiper Belt.”

  Again, a momentary blue glow appeared—and the Jumelle was instantly positioned near the mouth of Vanguard’s Breach. A steady stream of ginormous, Vastma-class ships were, one by one, feeding into the partially-cleared belt of celestial objects.

  “They see us, we’re being targeted … they have a lock on us!” Polly yelled.

  Ricket, studying his virtual notebook projection, said, “Captain, the Jumelle is fully equipped with four integrated plasma cannons. Serious firepower … actually far more than The Lilly was capable of handling.”

  “Later, Ricket. Fire at will, Lieutenant.”

  Three Vastma-class ships broke away from the pack, quickly moving toward the Jumelle. Jason said, “Show them what we’ve got, Polly!”

  The three Vastma-class ships were heading at them in a V-formation. The Jumelle opened up on the lead ship and, within seconds, the craft was adrift in space.

  “Ship number one’s shields are down; its propulsion incinerated.”

  No sooner had Polly spoken the words when the other two enemy ships began firing. The one on the left, letting loose with a barrage of plasma fire, shook the Jumelle with enough force to knock all of them off their feet.

  “Shields down to sixty percent.”

  “What the hell!” Polly exclaimed. “Better grab ahold of something!”

  Jason, regaining his footing from the first hit, spotted what Polly was viewing. She’d zoomed in on the second ship—specifically, one of the weapons. Projectile bursts, one after another, followed what appeared to be sprays of water mist.

  Ricket said, “That, I believe, is a wide-spectrum disrupter … a variation of a sound-thrower used for mining … and … apparently, a weapon. They are highly effective …”

  The first impact was devastating. Not only were they thrown from their feet, but also catapulted into side bulkheads, consoles, and each other. As an overhead klaxon began to wail the AI began to repeat, “Emergency … hull breach decks one and five … Emergency … hull breach decks one and five …”

  “Shut her up, Bristol?” Jason barked.

  “Shields are completely fried, Cap,” Polly said. “We cannot take any more of that!”

  “Let me t
ake care of those assholes, Dad,” Boomer said, standing up and initializing her battle suit. “Put me on the bridge of that ship and I’ll … ”

  “There are hundreds of vessels. You going to visit them all?” Mollie asked her.

  “It’s better than just sitting around waiting … doing nothing!”

  “Not now, girls!” Jason ordered.

  Jason and Billy exchanged a quick glance. Billy asked, “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

  “Probably. It worked for us in the past and we’re just about out of options. Helm, calculate the specific coordinates for the bridge of that Vastma-class ship.”

  “Done!”

  “Phase-shift us there.”

  She stared back at him. “What?”

  “Phase-shift us inside that ship now, Sergeant Major!”

  Chapter 60

  Fringe of the Kuiper Belt

  The Jumelle bridge

  __________________________

  The phase-shift completed, absolute stillness lingered. The Jumelle’s bridge lights flickered twice and everyone kept quiet—as if expecting some cataclysmic disaster to follow.

  Jason, still standing close to the captain’s chair, felt Billy’s elbow nudge. He was looking straight up, at something overhead. Following his gaze, Jason took in the gruesome carnage. Master Sergeant Stone had obviously done her job well—phase-shifted the Jumelle to the exactly right coordinates. Above them—as if posing for a still life—were three lifeless bodies. Flattened and compressed like figures in a pop-up book, the crew within the Vastma-class ship’s bridge never knew what hit them. The Jumelle’s 3D display, offering a clear view of what remained of the enemy vessel’s bridge, was both fascinating and frightening.

  Jason said, “Ricket … Bristol … get me a complete damage report for the Jumelle, starting with the status of our two breached decks. Helm, what’s our capability for additional phase-shifts?”