Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  Prime Zennick turns to Voknor and grins as he says, “Now that was a close one!”

  By some miracle, the rest of the bridge crew is also alive, battered and bruised, but alive.

  Zennick leans forward as he states, “That was some fine piloting. Now get us out of this hell hole before we perish!”

  Amazingly, the main viewer still functions, and immediately displays the cascade of colors associated with faster than light travel. Moments later, a repair crew arrives on the bridge, and begins patching up the hole.

  Voknor frowns as it is clear that these are newer recruits, and have little experience. He strides toward them and says, “I will show you how to repair this kind of damage.”

  Prime Zennick turns, but says nothing. It is highly irregular for a bridge officer to do the work of younglings. Zennick is astonished by the speed in which Voknor has the hull integrity to a point where the shields are no longer containing the atmosphere.

  Voknor continues to show the younglings how to complete the repairs, then says, “Never apply a temporary patch when a permanent fix takes but moments longer.”

  The younglings stare at Voknor in awe, then glancing at Prime Zennick, one of them fretfully says, “Please forgive my inefficiency, I hope this won’t reflect on my performance report.”

  Prime Zennick stares at the youngling, and then says, “Officer Voknor shall make that determination.”

  The bridge crew all turn to look at Voknor, who glances around, then nods respectfully to Zennick. He turns to the younglings and states, “I had knowledge to share, take it and learn from it and your performance report will reflect favorably.”

  Zennick watches as the repair team departs the bridge, then orders, “Make for the rendezvous point.”

  By the time they rejoin the fleet, most of their damage has been repaired. But they no sooner arrive, than the Regent orders the fleet to move on once more. The fleet continues to explore world after world, with none meeting the Regent’s requirements.

  “Alarm!”

  Voknor wakes in a nervous sweat. He looks around his small room anxiously, then realizes that the alarm was in his dream, and not what woke him. Of the last eight worlds, six have held Atlan forces of one kind or another, and yet the Regent still has Zennick’s craft performing the role of lead ship. Each engagement causes minor damage, which unto itself would not be issue, but the cumulative effect is taking its toll. Systems are beginning to fail one after another in a cascade effect. It is only a matter of time before they are destroyed.

  Prime Zennick sits on his command chair, staring at his console in disbelief. He leans back as the ramifications of his discovery sink in. The fleet is steadily moving closer to known Atlan occupied worlds, no wonder they have seen more combat. He stares at the world before him, and watches as a small fleet of transport shuttles steadily transfer resources to the flagship.

  “Atlans!” Exclaims out one his officers as he adjusts the main view to display an Atlan force of some forty craft. One of which is an all too familiar carrier.

  Prime Zennick stares at his console, then deciding on a course of action, orders, “Swing us around, put the flagship between us and the enemy.”

  The bridge crew says nothing at the unusual command, but complies.

  “Alarm!”

  Voknor bolts upright this time, that alarm was real. He rushes toward the bridge, but is stopped on the way by a burly Gamin. The muscular Gamin points to Voknor and says, “It’s all your fault. I kill you now.”

  The muscular Gamin charges at Voknor, his arms outstretched as if to grab and crush his target. Young Voknor recalls his training from Prytec, and waits for the last possible moment before sidestepping harmlessly out of the way. As the attacker rushes past, Voknor strikes the back of the attacker’s head as hard as he can. The hulking Gamin slams into the wall, then shakes his head to clear the spots that dance before his eyes.

  With a roar, the burly Gamin rushes at Voknor once more. The younger Gamin has been well trained, and once again avoids the outstretched claws. Voknor quickly steps back in, and trips his attacker.

  Voknor then holds up a hand and states with conviction, “I do not wish to kill you, but if you persist in your attacks, I will.”

  His attacker growls angrily, but steps back. The muscular Gamin retreats down the wide passageway, then turns a corner, vanishing from sight.

  Voknor hurries to the bridge, and arrives to find a scene unlike any other. Hundreds of small craft are swarming the Regent’s Flagship, while other Atlan craft are engaging the Gamin fleet on a one to one basis. As far as numbers go, this should be an evenly matched engagement, but the numbers do not take into account the technological advantage the Atlans have.

  Voknor stares in shock as the flagship streaks away on a stream of light. The Regent retreated without any warning, or instructions.

  Zennick immediately orders, “Tell the fleet to evacuate.”

  None of the other Primes argue about being given orders from an equal; all happily disengaging from the enemy.

  It takes three full duty cycles before the fleet is all together once more. The last craft to arrive is Prime Roggard’s vessel. His vessel’s engines are still not as efficient as they should be.

  Voknor is reviewing Prime Roggard’s vessel on his long-range sensors when the Regent’s features unexpectedly dominate the main viewscreen.

  Xasturz issues his orders impassively, “Make course for planet Oglan. We will land the fleet and complete repairs.”

  Young Voknor is confused by his father’s decision to take the fleet back toward a world they regularly visit, and wonders if the Atlans will be waiting for them yet again. He reflects on Roggard’s craft; it is in worse shape than Zennick’s, but only barely.

  Oglan’s lights go out

  Young Voknor is stunned by the view of Oglan. Even from orbit it is easy to see where major cities once existed, and where others yet flourish. Vast tracts of land reveal extensive damage, either from open cut mining, or some unknown cataclysms. Patches of the planet look as though some great thing scooped out the ground leaving huge craters in its wake.

  Regent Xasturz stares at the report before him, his rage ignites as he demands, “Get my shuttle ready!”

  His crew ensures that their Regent is not delayed in his wish to depart the flagship. The shuttle’s pilot follows due diligence as he transports his still furious leader to the planet below.

  Regent Xasturz stands before the Oglan representative and shouts, “Where are my metals? You are to provide the metals as instructed, or I will destroy every last city on this pathetic world!”

  The Oglan stands as tall as the Regent, yet he cowers as he replies, “We have provided all we can, there is literally nothing left. Also, there are still the reports of people being rounded up and never heard from again; you promised an investigation.”

  Xasturz grabs the Oglan by the throat, and squeezes as he spits, “You dare question me? I have generously let you live, and this is how you repay me, with insolence!”

  The Oglan reaches for his throat as he struggles to breathe. His face goes red as the Regent crushes his neck. A loud crack resounds as the Oglan’s neck breaks. In disgust, the Regent hurls the corpse to the ground, then departs. The other Oglans stare fearfully at the departing figure, but say and do nothing.

  Xasturz considers the failed experiments, and the lack of resources, then in a fit of rage, decides the Oglan’s fate.

  Young Voknor turns as Regent Xasturz’s features dominate the main viewer once more. His anger is evident as he orders, “This race is useless to us. Eliminate them!”

  Prime Zennick responds, “Yes Regent.” He turns to his bridge crew and emotionlessly orders, “Commence fire on the remaining cities.”

  Young Voknor watches impassively as the cities below are turned into burning ruins. He considers the Oglan who helped him long ago, then recalls his teachings from the Den Mothers. He wonders about the ethics of the situation. He has been ta
ught that no other race shall gain the technology needed to match them, and that they have the right to eliminate all who could one day become a threat to their existence. He frowns as he wonders if this is what the Atlans did to them many years ago.

  The Oglan’s are defenseless; the last of their cities fall quickly, leaving the planet in ruins. Industrial waste spews into the lakes and oceans, while fires of unimaginable ferocity devour vast forests. Nothing is spared in the attack, effectively driving the civilization back into the stone age.

  Regent Xasturz sits in the flagship’s command chair, staring at the carnage below and grimaces. He turns to his subordinates and states, “Well, there goes our primary repair facility. We need another planet like it, begin long range scans.”

  Cat and Mouse

  Regent Xasturz stands before the main viewscreen, staring at yet another useless planet. He turns to his officers and demands, “Your level of incompetence is astounding. You call this a class four planet? They’re short furry creatures who wear animal skins and huddle in caves.”

  The Regent frowns as something comes into view.

  “Regent, incoming vessel.” States one of the officers.

  Xasturz stares at the officer and reprimands, “You truly are stupid. I can see the ship; now tell me what it is!”

  Before the admonished officer can reply, the answer becomes self-evident as hundreds of small craft launch from the Carrier.

  “Tell the fleet to evacuate.” Xasturz orders as he strides to his command chair, and sits down.

  The days turn into weeks, and then months, and still the fleet is unable to locate a world that meets the Regent’s exacting requirements. Atlan forces continue to harass them on world after world, forcing them to retreat farther and farther away from the other clans.

  Young Voknor and Prime Zennick develop a great relationship, and as if by some miracle, they continue to survive each and every battle. The constant engagements are taking a toll however; the engines are less efficient, and many of the ship’s other systems require constant maintenance and attention.

  To enhance their survivability, and to minimize crew casualties, Voknor debates making a daring proposal to his Prime. As if by sheer chance, he finds himself alone on the bridge with Zennick that very day.

  Voknor boldly strides from his workstation, stands in front of Zennick, and states, “I have an idea about how we can reduce casualties.”

  Zennick leans forward in his command chair and states, “You may speak you mind to me Voknor.”

  Voknor maintains a steady gaze at Prime Zennick as he states, “If we evacuate the outer decks, install additional bulkheads, and increase the thickness of our armor, we may just be able to go head to head with the Atlans.”

  Zennick rests back in his chair as he considers the ideas. He then says, “Have you any idea where you would add the bulkheads and additional armor?”

  Voknor nods vigorously as he replies, “Yes Prime, I have located a number of sections where I believe we would benefit.”

  Two officers enter the bridge and sit at their stations.

  Zennick stands, and says, “Voknor, show me!”

  The two of them tour the ship as they discuss Voknor’s idea in greater detail. As they stride down long corridor after long corridor, Zennick feels a strange helplessness overcoming him. He turns to Voknor and demands, “Just how do you think we can achieve what you are proposing? We can barely repair our existing damage!”

  Voknor gazes at a section of hull plating that has been poorly repaired, as he states, “We will need help, and I think I can get it!”

  The two of them suddenly pick up on a faint whistling sound. They both turn to see a tiny fracture in the hull, through which atmosphere is venting.

  Prime Zennick stares at Voknor for a moment and then says, “If we do this, we do it for the fleet!”

  “Agreed!” States Voknor with conviction.

  “Then, you shall apply the same changes to Roggard’s vessel.” Zennick adds with a hint of compassion.

  Voknor is surprised by Zennick’s statement, and turns his attention to him as he lifts his hand in the air, forms a fist, and states with conviction, “My life is yours Prime Zennick!”

  Zennick stares at Voknor as he replies, “I accept your oath of loyalty Voknor. Now, you do whatever you have to, just protect my ship, and all of its crew.”

  Voknor personally oversees the endeavors, and although it takes time to secure the resources required, once done, he is pleased with the end results. Suit wearing repair teams are stationed at strategic points throughout the ship, allowing faster response times to hull breaches and system failures.

  “Alarm!”

  Voknor stares at the bridge speakers and grins as his systems report three Atlan warships in the area. This will be the first real test of his ideas.

  Prime Zennick relays the information about the Atlan forces to the fleet which has yet to arrive, and then upon reading his orders, also grins as he states, “It seems our Regent wants us to engage all three enemy craft, until the main force arrives.”

  The bridge crew turns to look at Zennick with trepidation. A single Atlan vessel is more than a match for them, three is virtually suicide.

  Voknor grins as he states, “They are no match for us, we are Gamin!”

  Zennick chuckles at Voknor’s enthusiasm as he orders, “Engage all three, but do not let them draw us between them!”

  The Atlan spacecraft fire their energy weapons, striking Zennick’s craft with their powerful cutting beams. In reply, the kinetic pounders of the Gamin craft shoot back; the near light speed projectiles find their mark, and on occasion, penetrate the shields of their target, wreaking havoc when they do.

  Zennick watches on his chair’s small console as the energy weapons strike his ship. Where the armor has been increased, they do not immediately penetrate. He frowns at the ramifications of this and suddenly shouts, “Roll the ship, make it harder for them to target the same area.”

  The bridge crew watches with fascination as the Atlan energy weapons dig deep furrows in their armor, but do not penetrate where it is thicker. Additionally, the repair teams begin patching up damaged hull segments the moment they are able to. Something usually not done during combat. The maneuvers make it difficult for them to fire back as often, but when they do, it is a massive volley, and all at one enemy ship.

  Voknor feels a sense of pride as the crew continues to fight on, even as the rest of their fleet arrives. Ordinarily they would have to retreat to avoid annihilation, but not today.

  Prime Zennick stands proud as the Atlan craft retreat. He lifts his fist as the last of the three Atlan craft streaks away. “Got ‘em!” He states with conviction.

  One of his bridge officers reports sardonically, “Our Regent has arrived.”

  Regent Xasturz stares at the scene before him in stunned silence. Zennick’s craft is not only intact, but it is not venting atmosphere into space as he expected. He reviews the combat logs, and confirms that they did indeed engage three Atlan craft, and held their own until the main body of his fleet arrived.

  The fleet does not stay in orbit for long, for fear of the Atlans returning in force, but they do remain long enough for them to examine the desolate planet below. It is an uninhabited, mineral rich world, one with a thin and barely breathable atmosphere. The beginnings of numerous Atlan mining operations are evident, with multiple sites existing on virtually every continent.

  “Destroy those settlements!” Xasturz orders, “I want every structure reduced to rubble.”

  As soon as the last structure is a burning wreck, the fleet departs the planet, heading deeper into Atlan occupied space. Zennick’s ship begins to earn a reputation of being indestructible, with Voknor now being deemed a good luck charm, instead of a curse. All who doubt the rumors are directed to look at Roggard’s craft. It too, survived unimaginable odds, and strangely, now survives battles with less and less internal damage, and more importantly, fewer crew casualt
ies.

  Chapter Five - Changing of the Guard

  Voknor smiles as his shuttle departs once more from the fleet’s resource collection ship. His small load of resources will be shared between Roggard’s and Zennick’s vessels, all without the Regent’s knowledge, or permission. If Xasturz knew what was happening, he would undoubtedly be furious, and could even consider this action a challenge to his authority.

  The fleet is orbiting a world with a thick atmosphere, one far too harsh for Atlan physiology, but tolerable to the Gamin. The bulk of the resources collected go to restock the flagship’s immense reserves, with the remainder being divided amongst most of the fleet. Roggard’s and Zennick’s craft are not assigned any resources, something even the Prime of the Resource Collection ship finds unacceptable. As he was not specifically ordered not to give them anything, he decides to turn a blind eye to the shuttle which docks from time to time.

  Voknor is almost to Zennick’s craft when a distant streak of light catches his attention. This streak is followed by another, and then another. He swallows hard as he counts fifty-seven incoming craft. He pushes the shuttle’s engines to the limit as he gets under Zennick’s craft and enters its hangar deck.

  Elsewhere in orbit, Regent Xasturz seethes as he watches the shuttle disappear. “Insolence!” He shouts, startling his command crew with his outburst. One of his crew members nervously taps his claws, the Atlan forces are more than a match for their fleet, and still he has not received any orders.

  Voknor sprints to the bridge, and arrives just in time to feel the ship shudder as it engages in a series of violent maneuvers designed to throw off the Atlan targeting systems.