by John Walker
Trellan recovered his gun and took cover behind the door. He heard footsteps on the deck, two sets. “Gar!” Kuln’s terrible voice called out, sounding like some kind of lizard given the ability to speak. “Pree, what’s going on?”
“That’s Remus!” Caz shouted. “Look at that foot!”
“Oh no…” Kuln cursed. “Must’ve been that…hey! Come out! You got no where to go in there.”
Trellan turned to his computer and brought up a scan of the room. The tactical program was one of his own, a modified application of the alliance military. He didn’t have access to such things before but the computer he stole from the security officer on Novalat provided him the building blocks for it.
He noted the position of the two men out in the open cargo hold. Trellan knew aiming would be tough but he’d be able to get a decent idea of where they were at. They’d have to come in for him eventually but he didn’t have time to wait. Instead, he took a deep breath and prepared himself for the riskiest part of stealing their vessel.
“I said come out!” Kuln barked. “Last warning!”
Or what? Trellan wanted to ask the question but kept quiet. They weren’t going to throw a grenade in there. They didn’t know if their boss was alive or dead. Trellan drew Pree’s pistol from his holster and blind fired it out the door. The gun kicked like crazy, jarring his elbow but it had the desired effect.
The two men cried out and when he heard them hit the deck looking for cover, Trellan emerged from the room and aimed his weapon at each of them. They stood quickly but didn’t lift their weapons. He definitely earned some glares but neither of them spoke up. It surprised him really.
“How’re the stabilizers?” Trellan asked.
“You’re going to a dark place for what you did here,” Caz said. “We didn’t do anything to you. Why would you do this?”
“I’ve already tried to do a job to get close to the Orion’s Light. Don’t really feel like doing another on the hope I find them.” Trellan frowned. “Besides, you murdering bastards don’t have a lot of moral high ground to stand on. Now answer my question. Did you finish the stabilizers?”
Kuln smiled. “Find out yourself, scum.”
Trellan nodded. “Okay.”
He fired the weapons, taking them both out with well placed head shots. As the bodies hit the deck, Trellan dropped Pree’s weapon and holstered his own, rushing outside to check their work. Fortunately, they hadn’t taken anything apart and were simply cleaning the area and running the diagnostics.
Thank the Fates. Trellan rushed back onboard and checked Gar’s body, taking his computer. He plugged in his decoder and cracked the feeble security, quickly locating the codes to launch the ship. It was a larger craft than the one he had in the port but this one carried the coordinates he needed to complete his mission.
Finally. Time to get moving.
The others would be back soon and he didn’t want to be there when they arrived. Trellan closed up the ramp and started his preflight check. Pirate bays didn’t care when you left, they were only worried about you landing on an already docked vessel. No one even questioned the engines powering up or the unscheduled launch.
By the time the other pirates came back, he’d be long gone and once he achieved orbit, he could jettison the bodies. Orion’s Light didn’t need to know he stole the ship or that this one’s particular purpose involved stealing metal. All he planned to tell them was that he survived the battle over Novalat and he still had their prize.
Those weapon schematics were his way into the inner circle. Time to make this happen.
Chapter 1
Exhaustion clung to Kale’s senses, making his eyes ache and head throb. He had no intention of leaving the bridge, not when they were so close to arriving home. The rest of the crew seemed to share his enthusiasm. Those around him sat up straight, some of the edge of their seat, watching the view screen.
Home never looked so gorgeous. Kale returned there over a hundred times in his military career but after their latest adventure, he cherished the image on the screen. They hadn’t been able to inform friends and family of their return yet, a restriction placed on them through intelligence. That was the one thing that soured their arrival.
Kale had Wena lock all communications to internal only, a command he loathed to give. Surely, the news of their detection would’ve spread through the rest of the planet. Leaks were common with buoy traffic, which is why the military typically used their own partition of them. When they broadcast their need for help, they sent it wide.
The humans had a phrase for the act: any port in a storm.
“Anthar,” Wena broke his thoughts and he turned to her. “I’m receiving a message from Siva Wih’Faren. She wishes to meet you at the space port immediately upon our arrival. Um…the rest I sent to your terminal.”
Clever girl. Kale appreciated her discretion. She knew when to speak in the open and when not to. He didn’t know when she acquired this experience but she put it to good use. As he brought it up, he understood why. The rest of the crew would be unhappy and he didn’t blame them. Unfortunately, he was responsible for giving the command.
Kale, Siva’s message began, I need to speak to you in private before we allow your crew to run free in the station and go home. It won’t be a long talk but I’m sure this won’t be too popular. Consider it a test of their discipline if you’d like. I’ll be in the office of Docking Bay Seventeen, which I believe you will be attached to shortly. Thank you.
Kale sighed. “Wena, put me on a ship wide com.”
“Go ahead, Anthar.”
“Crystal Font, this is Anthar Ru’Xin.” Kale pursed his lips. “I first want to congratulate you all on a job well done. Your bravery, ingenuity and skill kept us alive in some of the strangest circumstances I’ve ever heard of in my military career. Thank you.
“As I’m sure you are all aware, we are rapidlly approaching home. We’ll be docking with Space Station Lyka but I’m afraid we will not be immediately cleared for departure.” Kale scowled in thought. He needed to tell them something that didn’t vilify intelligence yet lying to them felt wrong too. “We will be undergoing a brief scan for decontamination.”
Vinthari Deva Thi’Noch, his tech officer, spun in her seat, brows creased. She didn’t say anything but he knew what she was thinking. She’d been involved in the scanning process with the Behemoth and already had clean scan data for everyone aboard. Her expression was mirrored by half the crew of the ship.
“This is a formality but believe me, we will not be delayed any longer than necessary. I am to be scanned first to speak to the commander in charge and I will push to allow you all to see your friends and family as soon as possible. This includes lifting the lock on communications. Thank you for your understanding.”
Wena killed the connection but the questions flooded his terminal, asking for explanations and requesting to understand how command could be so heartless. He intended to ask Siva the second he met up with her. Considering what his people had been through, she needed to have a good reason to delay them.
Most of them never believed they’d survive what they encountered. To come home from it was a miracle but to slow down the process of getting back felt unnecessarily cruel. Either way, he prepared himself mentally for the visit. Straightening his uniform, he moved for the elevator but Deva caught up to him.
“Sir, forgive me for speaking out of turn but…” Deva lowered her voice. “Why is intelligence pushing us like this?”
Kale’s brows went up. “How exactly do you know about that?”
Deva’s cheeks flushed. “Tathin An’Tufal talked to me about their assignment with them. Now that we’re back, I’m guessing they’re the ones who want to talk to you. Am I correct?”
Kale smirked. “You’ve got big ears and too much curiosity, Vinthari. But yes, you are correct. And since you know so much, you’re coming with me now.”
“Me?” Deva’s eyes widened. “But sir, I…”
&
nbsp; “Have the best working knowledge of what we encountered out there,” Kale replied. “And I won’t be able to answer all their questions. They wanted to meet me alone but they get you too. Let’s be a little defiant since they’ve decided to tell us how it is, huh?”
“Um…yes, sir.” Deva swallowed hard. “I’m ready.”
Vinthari Athan Du’Zhatha, their pilot looked back at them as the elevator opened. Kale nodded. “You have the bridge.”
“On it, sir.” Athan offered a brief salute and went back to his duties.
He didn’t seem overly concerned about being stuck on the ship for a while longer. Interesting. Kale wondered if the pilot didn’t have any family left, a rare but painful thing for a kielan to go through. The man did seem stoic most of the time. Maybe nothing really bothered him. I guarantee most of the others won’t feel that way. We have to make this fast.
As the ship connected with the dock, Kale wondered what exactly Siva might have to say to them and what she hoped they’d do for her. I’m sure she thinks she’s responsible for our recovery. I don’t want to owe this woman anything but I suppose I do. I just hope she doesn’t ask for more than I can give.
***
Siva sat in the office, frowning at the state of it. Military docks were utilitarian with no extra amenities to speak of. Sipping from a paper cup, she wondered why people remained working for these people at all. The private sector proved far more luxurious by comparison, even the low end professions.
Bare walls, a metal desk and matching chairs made her think she might need to siphon money into their coffers just to give them an ounce of comfort. And we expect these people to sometimes fight and die for us. We could at least give them some cushions for their behinds! But opinion on decor aside, Siva was excited.
Kale Ru’Xin proved to be as resourceful as she hoped. The gamble paid off. Clea’s report showed it as they managed to deal with a strange alien world and hold out against overwhelming odds. The Behemoth might’ve tipped the scales but she felt like The Crystal Font might’ve made it on their own.
Given more time at least.
Siva’s com rang and she connected it. “Yes?”
“This is Clea. You wanted to talk to me.”
“Yes, can you monitor my current location? I’d rather not have to tell you everything that’s said down here. We’ll need to talk about it later.”
“You want me to spy on your conversation?”
“You’re about to be a spy,” Siva replied. “Might as well get some practice in now, huh?”
“I suppose so but wouldn’t it be better if I were simply there?”
“No, I don’t want the Anthar to feel any animosity toward you. Let me be the villain this time. I’ll let you ride in as the savior when he finds out that you’re part of intelligence as well.” Siva smirked. “Besides, I don’t think you’ve quite got it in you yet to be play this hard with someone. Don’t worry, it never gets fun but sometimes, it will be necessary.”
“I’m not sure why we have to be coy about it. Why not simply ask them for their cooperation?”
“Your Captain Atwell wasn’t overly interested in simple cooperation without some command authority both from his own people and mine,” Siva pointed out. “So while it sounds like a reasonable idea, proud men tend to require some leverage to get them to do what you want. At times, you’ll find you can placate their ego and others, you have to break it down a little. But all situations are different.”
“Understood.” Clea cleared her throat. “I’ve got the room tapped now and will be on the line.”
“Thank you.” One of Siva’s body guards opened the door and nodded once. “The Anthar is here now. Talk to you later.”
Kale and a young woman were admitted, making Siva’s brows life. Interesting decision. He brought someone along. A witness perhaps. I suppose he might be even more formidable than I thought. Fascinating. They both stopped just inside the door and waited for her to speak. The add on looked nervous but held her head high regardless.
“Welcome back, Anthar,” Siva said. “Forgive me but I thought I said we should meet in private.”
“Any questions you might have, Vinthari Thi’Noch will be able to answer,” Kale replied. “As my technical officer, she holds relevant data and can be a good resource. I appreciate you being flexible with her presence.”
A ha, putting words in my mouth. You are a fun one. Alright, have it your way. “If you trust her, she’s welcome, of course. I’m not as concerned with the events of your previous adventure as I am with the future but if there are any pieces of information I should have, do tell me.”
“Has the quarantine been put into effect?”
Siva nodded. “It has. I see you were able to spark your crystal.”
“Yes, it took longer than expected but ultimately, we were able to get the ship back to functional specs.” Kale shrugged. “The trip was a little rough. Durant Vi’Puren is scheduled to help us ensure we are combat ready as well as to install some upgrades that happened while we were gone.”
“Missing,” Siva said, “is the right term. Fascinating problem you faced, encountering the jump disaster. Too bad we cannot replicate what you did. Imagine the possibilities of such a profound state of stasis.”
“I have readings from the event,” Vinthari Thi’Noch spoke up, “and I’m researching the whole phenomenon for any practical applications or repeatable conditions—”
“We don’t have time to discuss that right now,” Kale interrupted. He turned back to Siva. “Can you tell us when the crew will be released?”
“After you and I discuss our new arrangement,” Siva gestured to one of the chairs. “Would you like to sit down?”
“I’ll stand.”
“I don’t blame you. They’re uncomfortable.” Siva sighed. “Alright, so this is the deal. I’ve requisitioned The Crystal Font for intelligence work. You’re on my team now and I have missions I need you to perform. In this case, there’s an immediate need before I lose you and the Behemoth to the big battle coming up.”
“Captain Atwell told me we were on the verge of invading the enemy’s space,” Kale said. “But not when.”
“Roughly ten days,” Siva replied. “But between now and then, we have a security threat we need to handle, one I’m hoping the Behemoth has informed you about. A little terrorist group called Orion’s Light.”
Kale’s eyes narrowed. “Captain Atwell mentioned them as a problem in one of our briefings. He stated that they were causing some serious grief for the alliance and that they’d engaged them on multiple fronts. What do they have to do with the big battle?”
“They’re a credible threat and one that we need to put down before our entire military force leaves the home world undefended. After all, if Orion’s Light comes in here and devastates everyone here, then there won’t be much reason to win the war, will there?” Siva shrugged. “As you can see, we have a dilemma and I want problem solvers to take care of it.”
“It’s my understanding that you’ve got an operative working on that very task,” Kale replied. “And I also was under the impression you didn’t know how to break them militarily. That’s why you have someone undercover in the first place. Correct?”
“Mostly,” Siva said. “I do have someone undercover to take out their leader. But there are many ships in their fleet and while they don’t equate to one of our warships individually, together they might pose a threat. Couple that with their use of technology that, in some cases, is quite new…and we’ve got a problem.”
“I see…and who is this leader?”
“Krilan Ar’Vax. Former Anthar of our military.”
Kale rubbed his eyes. “I thought he was in prison…”
“You know him?”
Kale nodded. “My brother served aboard his ship. He had nothing pleasant to say about the man, I can tell you that. In fact, he reported him on three separate occasions. I was honestly surprised Krilan finally did something bad enough to warra
nt being taken prisoner but to hear he’s at large…I only wish I was surprised.”
“Well, then you understand how important this matter is to clean up and how badly we need to catch him before he does something unthinkable…like destroys us completely.” Siva turned to her tablet and tapped away. “His real objective is to take over our government, to rule the alliance essentially. But in order to do so, he needs to take us out…those who would oppose him.”
“And you know where he is?”
“His base, yes.” Siva grinned. “And that’s where you and the Behemoth will be going. To take them out at the source.”
“Just two ships.” Kale shook his head. “Your faith in us is pretty incredible.”
“Well deserved.”
“Do you have any intel on this?”
“Of course!” Siva shook her head. “I’m the head of the intelligence division. I won’t send my two best assets into the fray without some solid leads and at least a briefing. I’ll tell you what, I’m going to send you what I’ve got then we’ll talk about it once your people have had a chance to talk to their families and you’re provisioned and supplied or whatever else you need to do. Deal?”
“I suppose I don’t really have a choice?” Kale asked.
“You should have some orders from high command.” Siva checked her chronometer. “If you wouldn’t mind checking, that would be good.”
Kale glanced at his tablet and frowned. “Seems you’ve thought of everything.”
“I do try.” Siva stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I don’t think we want to keep your people waiting any longer. It was lovely to meet you, Vinthari Thi’Noch. I’d love to read a report of your finds if you wouldn’t mind sending them along. Check your calendar for our next meeting, Anthar and have a fantastic time visiting home. Oh! Welcome back…if I didn’t already say so.”
Kale and Vinthari Thi’Noch left the room and Siva sat down, staring at the door with narrow eyes. Much as she expected, he didn’t want to do the job but he was too disciplined to push back hard. That helped things considerably. However, she’d have to reinforce his loyalty at their next meeting…and make sure he didn’t change up her orders again.
