A Faded Star 3_The Battle for Lashmere

by Michael Freeport

  “Send a message to Harpy and Banshee to push in under max stealth and take a look.” Stokes leaned back in his chair.

  “Aye, sir,” Lokin said. He tapped commands into his console and markers for the two stealth corvettes began to move ahead of the fleet. The small ships were fast, and they quickly put enough distance between the fleet and themselves that the lightspeed laser used to mark their locations became nearly useless.

  More than thirty minutes from when the ships were dispatched, Harpy returned to laser range and initiated comms. Captain Fuchs’ broad face appeared in a window on the main plot. “Admiral, it looks like a satellite around one of the moons of the gas giant. Banshee is moving on for close observation.”

  Stokes nodded and said, “Very well, Captain. The fleet is about thirty minutes behind you. Keep your eyes open for anything else.”

  “Aye, sir,” Fuchs said and then closed the comm channel.

  Stokes waited impassively while Victorious approached the gas giant. The satellite orbited the third moon of the massive planet. “Mister Bendel, are you detecting any active emissions from that satellite?”

  “No, sir. Only the power signature.”

  “Any match on the power signature?” Stokes asked.

  “It looks like Ulef to the sensors. Harpy should have a better analysis since they’re so much closer,” Bendel said.

  “Good. Miss Woodard, Have Stalwart launch a full spread of sensor drones. Get as much sensor range as possible so the Woduur can’t catch us by surprise.”

  “Aye, sir,” Woodard said. She tapped out commands into her console. “Captain Charis responds that he will have a full sensor spread in about half an hour, sir.”

  “Very well. Signal to the salvage ring to start gathering materials I want to start drawing up a schedule for repairs and refit.” He waited until Woodard acknowledged him before continuing. “Mister Lokin, work with Mister Bendel to get a full specification for railgun refit to all ships. Have a schedule on my desk by oh-seven-hundred tomorrow morning.”

  Lokin and Bendel acknowledged their orders. Stokes watched the fleet until all ships were fully refueled. He turned the bridge over to Bendel and retired to his quarters. The cabin was spacious and well appointed. He brought up his desk computer interface. The holographic display hovered in the air above the working surface. He scrolled and flicked his way through a mass of reports, all waiting for the fleet admiral’s personal attention.

  He worked steadily through the paperwork with grim determination. His desktop comm unit chimed softly. Stokes put aside the readiness report from one of his destroyer captains and punched up the incoming communication.

  “Stokes,” he said as the channel connected.

  Fuchs’ dark, eyes stared back at him. “Admiral, I wanted to comm you and ask if I can have permission to go looking for Gorgon.”

  Stokes weighed the options. If the Woduur managed to backtrack Harpy’s entry vector, they might be able to catch back up with the fleet. “I’m sorry, Captain. Until the fleet is fully repaired and upgraded, we can’t risk another confrontation with the Woduur. We have to have a way to defend ourselves.”

  Fuchs’ eyes narrowed. “If the Woduur cornered him, he may need help. We can’t just abandon him out there, sir.”

  “Captain Patho is more than twelve hours overdue at this point, Mister Fuchs. He knew our flight plan.” Stokes almost gave Fuchs permission to leave, despite how foolhardy the mission might be. He had to protect the fleet. “I’m sorry, but we have to accept he is likely dead. If he weren't, he would not have taken so much time to catch up with us.”

  “Dammit, sir, don’t you want to find out for sure?” Fuchs slammed his hand into the desk he was using, causing the image to jump and blur for a split second.

  Stokes’ frustration threatened to boil over. “Of course I want to know what happened. We can’t risk the safety of the fleet. Everyone else is depending on us to keep them safe, and we can’t take the chance.” Stokes gritted his teeth as he finished speaking. He felt his fists clenched. He’d spent so much time and effort protecting Patho and his career. He’d begun to think of him as a surrogate son of sorts.

  Fuchs nodded back at him from the comm. “Sorry, sir. I just want to bring him back.”

  Stokes softened his tone only with effort. “I understand, Captain. We all want to go find him, but it’s a luxury we just can’t afford right now.”

  Fuchs said, “Aye, sir.” His face faded from the comm screen a couple of seconds later.

  The meeting room Senator Allison Unger stepped into was brightly lit. The ostentatiously decorated walls, with ornately framed paintings and vase alcoves set at regular intervals, appealed to her refined sensibilities.

  The room held three other Karn senators. Hugh Eckleson, Geoff Makenzie, and Edward Horn were all Karn representatives in the planetary senate. Allison seated herself at the table and looked at the three men expectantly. “Well, gentlemen, is there a reason I’ve been dragged into the senatorial offices at one in the morning?”

  Hugh started. “It looks like our wayward agent has taken a rather rash action. I received word not long ago that he has obtained the materials he needs to make entry into the Lashmere Intelligence Headquarters building.”

  “And you allow this?” Allison asked. “Why?”

  “If we inform the agency through official channels, we have to explain why we have the knowledge. Our insider will protect us,” Edward said.

  “Can they be trusted?” Geoff asked.

  Edward nodded. “They’ve proven their trustworthiness over the years.

  “I’m not so sure,” Allison said. “If they lose their cool and let anything slip, our involvement in the Behemoth initiative could be exposed.”

  Edward hissed between his teeth. “Don’t even mention that name here.” His voice came out in a harsh whisper.

  “Why?” Allison asked. She was feeling particularly recalcitrant after being hauled out of bed. “As if your talk of ‘an insider’ is any less damning.”

  Hugh sighed. “Knock it off. We need to figure out what our exposure is, here. What’s the possibility this rogue agent can uncover what we’ve been up to so far?”

  Edward shook his head. “It’s tough to tell. My insider hasn’t managed to check what’s stored in the secure server without arousing suspicion.”

  “It sounds like your insider is playing it safe. Tell them to get us a full report by the morning on what is stored on the server,” Allison said.

  Geoff stared hard at Allison for a few seconds before saying, “Are you crazy? All that would do is draw a glowing line straight to us. We have to proceed with caution.” He slapped his closed fist into his palm for emphasis.

  “I am not about to do any such thing,” Edward said. “I spent way too many years and far too much money cultivating this contact. The fact that you even know about it makes me nervous. I’m not about to give you any more information about this person.”

  Allison sneered at Edward. What a coward. “Sometimes you have to take a risk, Edward. We need this information. Without it, we can’t protect ourselves.”

  Hugh watched the exchange silently. His mind worked furiously at the problem. “I have a series of intel briefings already prepared for you.” He reached inside his leather folio and pulled out a stack of stapled papers. “These detail everything the intelligence division’s accumulated on the disappearance of the Behemoth.” He distributed the papers to each of the other senators.

  “Why don’t we already have this information?” Geoff asked.

  “I’m the only one who sits on the naval affairs committee. The Navy, not Lashmere Intelligence, has been running the investigation. Their conclusion is that the Behemoth disappeared due to an unforeseen technical issue.”

  “Well, didn’t it?” Geoff asked. “The loyalists were supposed to come back to get us, along with the rest of the Karn people. The Behemoth not returning has completely derailed our plans.”

  Allison s
aid, “So what are we going to do, then? If this damned Ebrim agent manages to piece together what we’ve done to facilitate the Karn loyalists getting aboard Behemoth, we could be facing some pretty tough questions. I certainly don’t intend to face those questions alone.”

  “Edward waved his hand and said, “We have to back each other up. Firm and unified denial of any knowledge is our best opening strategy to any questions that might be asked. Besides, I don’t think one rogue agent has a chance of exposing us in any event.”

  Hugh said, “Geoff, how did you pass the information packet to the loyalists?”

  Geoff had been the person tasked with passing all of the access codes and lists used to get them onto the massive vessel. “I used a blind drop to one of the northern cells. The information passed south from there. Hell, I never even left the capital.”

  Hugh nodded. “Fine. Let’s assume we aren’t in danger of the cell network leaking. I’ll give you all time to read the brief I’ve brought you. Make sure you don’t share it with anyone else. Technically, none of you is cleared to have it.”

  The other Karn senators murmured agreement. Hugh continued. “Based on the information we have at hand, the Navy hasn’t discovered that the passenger lists were altered in any way. We also have some protection from the cutouts inherent in the cell network. I think our exposure is minimal. Despite that, I want to consider some contingencies.”

  Allison smiled. She was on the presidential advisory council. “I do have some information that may be of use. Apparently, the president plans to make an announcement in another day or two that concerns the invasion. He plans to use it as a message of unity and solidarity with the ‘citizens of Lashmere living under the yoke of the Woduur’.” Her mouth twisted into a sneer. “What a joke. If he really wanted to send a message, he’d send a bunch of Ebrim to fight and free the Karn in Istyul City.”

  “Sounds promising,” Edward said. “Maybe we can use it as a rallying point to show how ineffective the Ebrim response to this invasion has been. The more we can weaken their position, the better.”

  Geoff was nodding. “Agreed. Any update on Agent Cobb?”

  Edward tapped at the comm unit on his arm for a few seconds. “Well, I just got the word. Apparently, Cobb made it into the server room. Now we wait to see what he finds.”

  Chapter 20

  Simmons examined the Etyrni ship on the main plot. She turned to Netupliktik and said, “Is she likely to let me just fly out of here?”

  He shook his head. “Not with me aboard. She might let you go if you send me over to her ship, but it’s equally likely she’s decided you’re in some kind of agreement with me to facilitate my escape.” The man’s ears lowered slightly, tucking tightly against his skull. “Sorry. I’d hoped to get off the station before she got so close.” He rubbed his forehead and then ran his hand through his short hair.

  “Computer, bring the sublight engines online. Are there any emissions from the ship?”

  The computer beeped and then said, “Active communications emission from the ship. Sublight engine startup complete in four minutes.”

  Simmons nodded and considered her next action. “Put the communication on the main plot.” She lowered her helmet face shield. A few seconds later, another person with features similar to those of Netupliktik appeared. Her eyes were yellow-green, and her face was exotically beautiful. Her skin was the color of burnished bronze.

  “I am Aktovikirik. By what right have you boarded my space station?” Her eyebrow rose in an expression of expectation.

  “I didn’t know the station was yours. I am investigating old human outposts. I’m doing some, um, research. About their past, and the, um, the impact they’ve had on this part of space.” She could feel the heat of her face flushing bright red under her helmet. She hated trying to lie. She clenched her teeth before she jabbered any more awkward phrases to the Etyrni captain.

  Aktovikirik nodded slightly and said, “I don’t suppose you were smart enough to leave my captive on the station? No?”

  Before Simmons could respond, Netupliktik said, “No, I forced her to grant me passage. I’ll transfer to your ship. Let this person go.”

  Aktovikirik tilted her head to one side for a few seconds and then said, “No, I don’t think I believe you. This is your partner, isn’t it? That’s why she keeps her face covered.”

  Simmons turned to look at her companion. She raised her hands in a silent ‘what now’ gesture.

  “The ship is under my control, Aktovikirik, but only because I’ve threatened the captain into giving me passage.” His lie came out completely smooth. If Simmons hadn’t known better, she would have believed him easily. She added this to her mental checklist of things she knew about the Etyrni.

  “Enough, Netupliktik. I’m here to end you. I was going to grant you the honor of dying by my own hand, considering how close you came to succeeding in killing me, but now, you’ll have to settle for going down with your partner’s ship.” She turned her attention to someone out of the visual pickup. “Power our weapons.” She turned her attention back to Simmons and Netupliktik. “Goodbye, Netupliktik.” The screen switched off.

  Simmons barked, “Computer, maximum emergency acceleration. Make course to pass fifty meters below that ship.” Loki started to shake violently as the sublight engines ramped immediately to maximum acceleration. Simmons was nearly thrown from her feet as the gravity plating failed to completely compensate for the inertia of the drive.

  “Warning: collision possible along current heading,” the computer said.

  “Continue on current course. Standby all stealth systems.” The computer beeped in acknowledgment. Simmons turned her attention to Netupliktik. “If we get away from her, how likely is she to chase us?”

  He spread his hands and said, “Aktovikirik considers my death a matter of personal honor. She would not easily give up a pursuit.”

  Simmons settled her armored bulk into the command chair. The main plot showed Loki shooting under Aktovikirik’s ship on a reciprocal heading with less than five meters between them. “I’m through being chased. Computer, slow to normal maximum acceleration.” The shaking stopped almost immediately. “Transfer power to the railgun. Prepare for ship to ship engagement.”

  “Warning: No combat drones aboard. One utility drone aboard,” the computer said in its toneless voice.

  “Dammit. Power all defensive batteries. Engage in single fire mode.”

  Netupliktik watched the developing situation with a look of concern on his face. “Do you think you can defeat Aktovikirik’s ship?”

  Simmons raised her faceplate and looked over at the man. “No idea. If she starts hitting me too hard, I’ll use the point to point drive to get away. I am not going to have someone else chasing me. Not again.”

  “Again?” Netupliktik asked.

  Simmons’ response was interrupted by Loki jumping violently as Aktovikirik’s ship got its first salvo through the onboard defenses. “Bring us about. Line up a shot with the railgun.” Simmons said, instead of explaining she was likely still being pursued by Kri.

  A damage alarm began to wail and the computer said, “Warning, damage to navigational control system.”

  Loki started to slew away from Aktovikirik’s ship in an uncontrolled turn to the starboard. A few seconds later, all the navigational controls stopped working, and Loki continued to accelerate in a straight line away from the Etyrni ship.

  “Navigational system failure. Bypass failed. Damage localized to junction Charlie one-one.”

  Simmons cursed under her breath for a few seconds before saying. “Begin varying forward acceleration to reduce efficiency of incoming fire. Random pattern.”

  “Acknowledged,” the computer said.

  “Can you repair the damage?” Netupliktik asked.

  “Yes, but I have to complete an inspection and probably manufacture a new part to replace the one that was damaged. I don’t have time for that right now. I need a way to turn the shi
p.” Her words were punctuated by the violent impact of another salvo of shots getting through Loki’s defensive fire.

  “What can I do to help?” Netupliktik asked.

  “Just wait and let me think for a few seconds,” Simmons growled. “What I need is a way to turn the ship. With the navigational system out, I have to apply thrust to alter the ship’s heading.”

  “Is there no backup system?”

  “No. I need a separate drive system that can be used to get the railgun on that other ship.” Loki jumped again and another damage alarm started.

  “Damage to comms system and port airlock. Outer door breached.”

  “We can’t keep doing what we’re doing. We’re going to get shot apart.”

  Simmons knew Netupliktik was right. The only other drive systems on the ship were in the shuttle bay and on the one utility drone still on board. Her heart skipped a beat.

  “Computer, launch the utility drone. Use the external armature to lock onto the exterior of the boat bay. Orient the drone to apply port or starboard thrust to the hull.”

  The computer beeped and a few seconds later, the dull thump of a single launching drone could be heard through the deck plates.

  “Drone attached,” the computer said less than a minute later.

  Bring us about to point the railgun at the enemy ship,” Simmons said. “Fifty percent thrust from the drone.”

  Loki started to slew around. The unexpected change in direction caused the next volley of shots from Aktovikirik to miss completely. The Etyrni ship slowed and tried to get around to face Loki, but it was already swooping past. This complicated the maneuver Simmons needed to make to bring the railgun to bear.

  “Computer, reverse thrust and get us to face that ship.”

  Simmons watched as the Etyrni completed a turn and came back past, fire spilling from the leading edge of the ship. Loki vibrated under multiple direct hits. The screen flickered and then the image switched to a new angle.