Frontiers 05 Rise of the Corinari

by Ryk Brown

  The many different ways that Nathan could think of to utilize a fighter equipped with a jump drive seemed endless. “You know, ever since we got back from chasing down that drone, I’ve been thinking about all the different ways the jump drive can be used,” Nathan explained as they entered the main hangar deck. “And I’m not just talking about military applications, either. Exploration, resource utilization and distribution, commerce, communications; it boggles the mind just thinking about it. Abby’s father was right when he said it would change everything.”

  “All I care about is that it helps us knock Caius the Great off his throne and then gets us the hell out of the cluster and back to Earth,” Jessica stated in no uncertain terms. “After that, it can change everything as much as it wants.”

  “Attention all hands. Corinari Aerospace Command, arriving,” came blaring over the loudspeakers. Four men in standard black and gray Corinari uniforms approached from a shuttle that had only just arrived. Two of them appeared to be older and of higher rank than the other two, both of which were at least ten years younger and obviously more fit. As they approached, Nathan found it amusing that even when separated by a thousand light years of space and a thousand years of time, pilots still wore wings on their uniforms.

  “Captain,” the Corinari guard escorting the guests greeted as he snapped a salute, “may I present Generals Valachin and Senegora of the Corinari Aerospace Command.”

  Nathan returned the guard’s salute and extended his hand to the visiting generals. “An honor, gentlemen. Welcome aboard the Aurora.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” General Valachin greeted in a heavy Corinairan accent.

  It was not surprising to Nathan that the general’s Angla was perfect, as he had come to expect as much from the elders of Corinair. In fact, after finding so many that did speak Angla on Corinair, he found it surprising that the Prime Minister did not. “This is my chief of security, Lieutenant Commander Nash.”

  “Gentlemen,” Jessica greeted as she politely shook their hands.

  “Allow me to introduce Major Prechitt and Lieutenant Saren.”

  “Gentlemen,” Nathan greeted, “welcome aboard.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Major Prechitt answered.

  “I’ve heard your name before,” Nathan said, trying to remember exactly where.

  “Major Prechitt was one of the pilots that chased down the missiles that nearly destroyed your ship,” General Senegora stated in slightly less perfect Angla.

  “Then it is definitely good to have you aboard,” Nathan stated. “As a pilot myself, I would love to hear the details of that engagement.”

  “I am sure there will be plenty of time for that, Captain,” General Valachin announced. “Major Prechitt has been selected to command the fighter wing being assigned to the Aurora,” the general explained. “Lieutenant Saren will be his second.”

  “Excellent,” Nathan stated. “Then I suppose you’d like to get started with the tour.”

  “Sir, if you’ll excuse me,” Jessica pleaded, “I have a shuttle to catch.”

  “Of course, Lieutenant Commander,” Nathan granted.

  “Sirs,” Jessica stated as she stepped back and away, then turned and headed for the waiting shuttle.

  After a moment, General Senegora spoke up. “A very confident young woman.”

  “Sir?” Nathan wondered.

  “We have few women serving in our military,” the general commented.

  “Really?” Nathan stated. “I find that surprising.”

  “Oh, we have no rules against it, mind you,” the general defended. “I suspect it is because the Ta’Akar do not allow women to serve in their military and have never inducted any from our population.”

  “We were much the same,” Nathan admitted, “up until about a century ago. After the plague, women were revered as the bearers of children and therefore the only hope of repopulating our world. Over the centuries, as the population grew, those ways gradually faded.”

  “Some believe our women are too smart to waste their time rolling around in the muck playing soldier,” General Valachin added.

  “I think you’ll find Lieutenant Commander Nash to be more qualified for her duties than most men,” Nathan boasted as he turned to lead them to the starboard side of the main hangar.

  “Of that, I have no doubt,” General Senegora stated as they turned to follow Nathan.

  “As you have probably all read in the ship’s specs, this is the biggest of four bays. This main bay is used for most normal flight operations. On either side we have what we call ‘fighter alleys’. This is where our fighters would normally be housed and launched through the forward launch tubes, of which there is a pair at the front of each fighter alley.”

  “How many fighters can each alley hold?” Major Prechitt inquired.

  “They were designed to hold twenty-four of our fighters,” Nathan explained as they approached the forward transfer airlock on the starboard side of the main hangar. “I’m not sure how many of yours might fit.” As he reached the forward end of the hangar, he stopped and turned around to face aft. “On either side of the forward end of this hangar there is a transfer airlock. Inside is an elevator that can run from the auxiliary bay below us all the way up to the topside of the ship, where the elevator pad can then be used for launch or recovery operations. In addition, there are four smaller transfer airlocks located on either side at the middle and aft ends of the main hangar. Their elevators only go between this deck and the one below.”

  “I have to admit, Captain,” General Valachin stated somewhat sheepishly, “that I did not have the time to read through all the details sent to us on your vessel. I was wondering why it is necessary to have the additional airlocks inside the ship.”

  “During prolonged combat operations, the main transfer airlocks to the flight apron outside can be lowered into the deck, opening the entire back end of this bay to space. This enables us to recover spacecraft without having to use the main airlocks, which take far more time. The combat configuration allows us to cycle spacecraft through the refueling and re-arming process more quickly so we can get them back into action.”

  “An interesting concept,” the general admitted.

  “If you’ll follow me through the airlock, gentlemen,” Nathan said as he turned to his left and headed through the airlock into the starboard fighter bay.

  A minute later, the five of them strolled out of the airlock and into the starboard fighter bay. It was more dimly lit than the main hangar bay and was still packed with crates of equipment and components that had been there since they had first left Earth on their training flight almost a month ago.

  “Is this a cargo bay?” General Senegora asked, somewhat confused at the sight of all the crates.

  “As you may remember, gentlemen, we departed Earth before all of our systems and equipment were properly installed. In order to make room for the building of another ship, the plan was to make us space worthy and then continue installing the rest of the Aurora’s internal systems and equipment while still in orbit. All of this would have been installed and this bay would have been clear long before our fighter wings came aboard. We are currently working on getting the higher priority items installed and the lower priority items moved to the cargo holds below this deck. But it may take some time before these bays are completely cleared. In the meantime, you should be able to operate your fighters from the main bay and use only the launch tubes here and on the port side to launch your fighters.”

  “Assuming that our fighters can be adapted to work in your launch tubes,” General Valachin reminded him.

  “Yes,” Nathan agreed.

  “My chief flight engineer feels confident that it will not be a problem,” Major Prechitt insisted.

  “That’s good to hear,” Nathan stated as he headed forward to the launch tubes.

  “The real challenge will be getting the fighters converted back to their original configurations,” Lieutenant Saren added.
<
br />   “Their original configurations?” Nathan asked.

  “Our interceptors were once Takaran short-range space interceptors,” Major Prechitt explained. “They were converted for atmospheric and orbital intercept before they were given to us by the Ta’Akar. In order to be used primarily as space-based fighters, we will have to change over the fuel systems, which primarily feed the atmospheric propulsions systems at this time. We will also have to install different targeting systems and navigational software.”

  “Navigational software?” Nathan wondered.

  “In space, there is no horizon,” the major said with a grin.

  * * *

  Jessica purposefully kept her eyes on her data pad as Travon Dumar entered the hospital meeting room where Commander Taylor and Chief Montrose had been interviewing candidates for over a week. The man’s credentials were impressive, as was his experience, having participated in several actions during his mandatory service with the Ta’Akar.

  “Thank you for coming in, Mister Dumar,” Cameron began. “I hope you did not wait long.”

  “Not at all,” Mister Dumar answered.

  “As you are already aware,” Cameron continued, “these are the final rounds for selection of the first group of volunteers to be trained for service aboard the Aurora.”

  “Thank you for considering me,” Mister Dumar said.

  “You remember Chief Montrose from your first interview, and this is the Aurora’s chief of security, Lieutenant Commander Nash.”

  “A pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Commander,” Mister Dumar stated.

  Jessica looked up briefly from her data pad to meet Mister Dumar’s eyes. They were steely and confident, and they spoke of a man who had seen and done things that most others had not. At first this worried Jessica. However, it was the kind of experience that the Aurora’s crew was currently lacking. “Likewise,” she mumbled as her gaze returned to her data pad. She also noticed that the candidate’s composure seemed unaffected by her brisk manner of speaking. This too was a good indicator of the man’s confidence and demeanor. The last thing Jessica needed in her intelligence unit was someone who was not confident in their own abilities, and so far her first impression was that this man appeared to fit the bill nicely.

  “You worked in intelligence for the Ta’Akar?” Jessica asked, already knowing the answer from her data pad.

  “Yes, that is correct,” Mister Dumar answered, “but only as an analyst.”

  “Only?” Jessica wondered.

  “Meaning I did not participate in field work.”

  “Were you trained for field work?”

  “Yes, as were all those in my unit,” Mister Dumar responded.

  “What were your duties as an analyst?” Jessica asked.

  “To predict likely strategies and tactics that might be used by the enemy, in order to develop defenses and take advantage of opportunities when presented.”

  “To take advantage of opportunities?” Jessica inquired further.

  “There are generally three ways to win a battle:” Mister Dumar explained, “through the use of overwhelming force, superior tactics, or by taking advantage of opportunities as they arise. Such opportunities are quite often the deciding factor.”

  Jessica considered Mister Dumar’s words for a moment. They were quite similar to the edicts she had been taught back in the Fleet Academy on Earth, although overwhelming force had never been an option for them. “It says here that you served an additional two years. Why is that?”

  “At the time my service was fulfilled, the ship on which I was serving was in the Palee system, which is about as far from Corinair as one can get. The odds of finding a way back to Corinair on my own were unlikely at the time.”

  “Understandable, but two years?”

  “I had not expected it to take that long. Unfortunately, there were some troubles in that region of space that occurred shortly after I agreed to stay on until we reached the Darvano system.”

  “You must have really wanted to get home,” Jessica commented.

  “Corinair was my home,” he insisted. “I had no desire to live elsewhere. In addition, I had a fiancé waiting for my return. I felt obligated not to let her down.”

  Jessica had no comment in regards to his last statement, instead continuing to read his application and background report from Corinari intelligence. “I see you have done well for yourself since your return,” she commented. “What is it you do?”

  “I forecast in commodities.”

  “Forecast?”

  “Yes. I predict future changes in the availability and prices of valuable resources. My clients pay me for my opinions in such matters.”

  “Then it seems the skills you picked up during your service have been put to good use upon your return.”

  “Most men attempt to return to their original path upon returning from service,” Dumar commented. “Some choose to utilize the training they obtained and put it to good use on their home world, as Chief Montrose has done.”

  “You have a family, correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “You do realize a posting on the Aurora will undoubtedly put you in harm’s way,” Cameron warned.

  “I believe we are all in harm’s way at the moment, Commander. I simply have chosen to take an active part in the defense of my home.”

  “I understand that,” Cameron continued, “but what of your family? Even if the Ta’Akar are defeated, there is no guarantee that any of us will return safely.”

  “My family is already well provided for,” Mister Dumar assured them. “Should I perish in action, they have the means to carry on quite comfortably in my absence.”

  “How practical of you,” Jessica mused.

  “I believe in planning ahead,” Mister Dumar insisted. “Another skill I picked up in the service of the Ta’Akar,” he added with a smirk.

  “Did you lose anyone in the bombardment?” Cameron asked. “Fortunately, no,” Mister Dumar answered. “There were a few acquaintances, perhaps, but no one close to myself or my family. Even our home was spared. We were indeed fortunate in that regard.”

  Jessica continued scanning over the pages of electronic documents that had been gathered about the individual sitting across the table from her. While every detail seemed to be in order, she couldn’t help but wonder why this man had volunteered for duty. He was older than most; by Jessica’s math he was nearly sixty Earth years old. Most of the volunteers were at least half his age. But his stated reasons had been logical; everyone was in harm’s way, whether they knew it or not.

  In the end, Jessica decided that her lingering suspicions were simply because this man thought in a way a similar to her own, doubting and analyzing everything and everyone around him. She had met very few people in her life that had thought in such a manner. Hopefully, he would be an asset to the Aurora’s mission.

  Jessica placed her data pad on the table in front and looked straight ahead at the applicant. “One last question, Mister Dumar,” she said. “Can you ship out this afternoon?”

  * * *

  “I will meet you at the spaceport, sir,” Chief Montrose promised Jessica before he turned and exited Cameron’s hospital room.

  “Thank you, Chief,” Cameron said as the door closed behind him.

  “He’s an interesting type,” Jessica commented as she plopped down on Cameron’s couch. Corinairan hospitals were more like the hotel rooms back on Earth than the hospital rooms she had seen. The Corinairan medical community believed that healing was as much a psychological process as it was a physical one. To that end, most of the rooms were made to be as comfortable as possible. In fact, a lot of the long-term care on Corinair was done in the patient’s home rather than in a hospital. But the nanites still coursing throughout Commander Taylor’s body required periodic monitoring and reprogramming which, although not impossible, was difficult to accomplish away from advanced care facilities.

  “The chief’s a good man,” Cameron insisted as s
he sat down and lay back against the inclined head of her bed.

  “He sure keeps a close eye on you, that’s for sure,” Jessica commented.

  “Yeah, sometimes he’s worse than my father, but he’s been a big help,” Cameron admitted. “I doubt I could have gotten through all those interviews without him. He sorted through the weaker applicants all on his own, cutting thousands in a matter of days. He is very dedicated. The scary part is he really believes that we, or more specifically Na-tan, will defeat the Ta’Akar.”

  “What, you don’t?”

  “Let’s just say I’m not as confident about Nathan’s abilities as everyone else seems to be.” Cameron sighed, relieved to finally be done with her responsibilities for the day and be able to relax. “These people don’t know Nathan like we do.”

  “I don’t know, Cam,” Jessica argued. “He’s changed a lot in the past week.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, for one, he’s acting all captain-like,” Jessica said. “Hell, he’s even got us saluting him—at least in public.”

  “Really?”

  “Don’t get me wrong; I mean, he’s still Nathan, you know? He’s just different.”

  “Different how?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessica said. “It’s like he’s thinking about things more, instead of just making it up as he goes.”

  “You think he’s finally taking things more seriously?” Cameron asked in disbelief.

  “Maybe, or maybe it’s just because nobody’s tried to kill us for a while,” Jessica admitted. “Either way, he’s behaving more like a captain than I ever would have expected.”

  “Let’s just hope it lasts,” Cameron stated.

  “So what about you?” Jessica asked. “When are you getting out of here?”

  “Still a few weeks, as I understand it. As long as I’ve got these nanites swimming around inside of me, I can’t be away from the hospital for more than a few hours at a time, or the buggers start doing something they’re not supposed to do.”

  “What?”