The Exxar Chronicles: Book 01 - The Erayan

by Neal Jones

  Since there was no command chair on the small, but comfortable flight deck, Varis was seated next to Lieutenant Weber, who controlled the navigational station. Weber was the only non-security officer on the Ares' crew, and Varis instructed him to slow to one-quarter stardrive. "Transmit the codes that I gave you, lieutenant."

  "Transmitting now." Ritano punched in the thirty-digit sequence, while everyone else pretended not to be holding his or her breath. Sergeant Olmos was the only other one present, and she possessed a poker face that would make the most seasoned players jealous. If Ritano didn't know better, he'd think she was downright bored with the mission thus far. "Code has been received and verified. A window has opened in the security net."

  "Locking on to the coordinates," Weber said as he punched in a course change. "Twenty minutes to entry."

  "Increase speed to half stardrive," Varis ordered.

  "Half stardrive, aye. ETA now eleven minutes."

  Each of them busied him or herself at his or her station, as though any spoken word would somehow jinx the entire enterprise and blow their cover. They'd disengaged the cloaking shield two hours earlier, and as long as no patrol ships passed within sensor range, they should get by the border drones with no trouble. Under Varis' tutelage, Ritano had modified the SIC – Starship Identification Code – to make the Ares appear as a class two merchant freighter. Now was the test, as the small stealth ship sped closer to the invisible tachyon net, or, as Jeff's great grandmother used to say, "The proof of the pudding." Either the drone would accept the SIC and allow the ship to pass unchallenged, or it would alert the nearest patrol ship and close the opening in the security net.

  J'Soran concentrated on her screen and the countdown that it displayed in its upper left corner. Only through years of practiced skill did she keep her entire body relaxed, her expression as stoic and neutral as ever. Yet inside, she was a clenched fist of fear and anxiousness. It had taken her best efforts and almost all of her resources to procure a passage code for the security net, and even then she wasn't sure this would work. The codes were changed on a regular basis, and while her contact in FCI assured her that this was the latest code, it was very likely that a newer encryption key had been generated in the two days it had taken them to get here.

  Ritano, too, was watching the countdown, and he felt a strange mixture of fear and eagerness as he tapped an anxious rhythm on his console with his right finger. He was thrilled when his name had been called for this mission. Not that life on Exxar-One in the last several weeks had been dull by any stretch of the imagination, but it was always nice to get off base and stretch one's space legs. The interruption to the routine never bothered the lieutenant, and the fact that the stakes of this mission were as high as they were only sweetened the pot as far as he was concerned. Even in the modern age of Wolcott's Therapy, where one could expect to live to be at least a hundred, if not a hundred and twenty, life was still too short to be experienced from the sidelines. Missions like this were the whole reason Jeff had enlisted in the navy in the first place, and he took a deep breath as he savored the adrenaline rush.

  "Two minutes," Weber murmured.

  "Still no sign of any patrol ships," Ritano stated. "And no indication from the drone that it's detected something amiss."

  Sergeant Olmos was seated at the engineering station, and she checked a readout. "Our stardrive signature is still within its reconfigured parameters."

  "One minute," Weber said, a little more confidence in his voice this time.

  All eyes darted back and forth between the computer screens and the forward viewport. The security net was composed of interlocking strands of tachyon particles, a giant fishnet in space that wrapped completely around the Jha'Drok Emperium, forming a sphere that measured thousands of light years across and deep. To the naked eye there was nothing out there, but only when one glanced at the navigational and tactical screens could one see the gaping maw that had been opened in the glowing, pulsing network of the tachyon grid.

  "Now passing through the opening," Weber said, inputting a minor course correction.

  "Still no change in tactical status," Ritano added.

  "Opening has closed, and we're in the clear." The lieutenant coughed to cover the slight tremor in his voice, and Varis laid a reassuring hand on his forearm.

  "Set a course for the next set of coordinates, lieutenant."

  "Aye, ma'am."

  "Mister Ritano, re-engage the cloaking shield."

  "Yes, brantar."

  "We made it past hurdle one, people. Until we know otherwise, we're assuming we made it through without tripping any alarms."

  Everyone relaxed but only a little, because they all knew the road was only going to get rougher from this point on. Hurdle number two – along with multiple unknown hurdles of various degrees of risk – still waited, somewhere ahead in the void of enemy space.

  ( 5 )

  Lieutenant Navarr wore a rapid groove in the already threadbare carpet of her and Sikandra's quarters aboard the primary docking station above the Chrisarii homeworld. Talok Navin was seated behind the desk, silently perusing the contents of the disc that Arrul had given to Sikandra. Exxar-One's tactical officer reclined in the easy chair, looking as relaxed as if she was on vacation, and Navarr envied her companion's demeanor. During the trip back to homeworld from Om'Nalu, Navarr had been unable to sleep, and she ate little. The ramifications of the information that Arrul had given them were staggering, for Vi'Sar was attempting an all-out coups. If he succeeded, the new government would most certainly end its treaty with the Federation, and a new war would be declared. Only this time, the Chrisarii would have the backing of the Jha'Drok, something that they hadn't had in the Beta Erendii War.

  "This is...disturbing," Navin murmured as he shut off the computer terminal and extracted the disc. "Thank you for your efforts. I have already booked you passage on a transport that's leaving tomorrow morning. It's an early departure, but it's the best I could do, and the sooner you get back to Exxar-One, the better." He stood, and Sikandra rose as well. Navin handed her a pair of tickets. "I will make sure that my superiors see this information immediately, and Chancellor Kroth is probably going to call an emergency session of the Quorum."

  "And then what?" Navarr asked.

  "It's hard to say. It depends how seriously they believe all of this." He held up the disc. "Once I bring this to my superiors, they're going to compare notes. We have a relatively solid estimate of the Haal'Chai's armament, and now, thanks to you, we know where they've gotten it. Even still, it's hard to believe that Vi'Sar plans to attack homeworld with only a few dozen raiders."

  Sikandra nodded as she glanced at Navarr. "That was our belief as well. Depending on how long this secret alliance has been in place, it's possible that the Haal'Chai may command a few warships."

  Navin nodded. "Thank you, again, for your work here. Goodnight." He shut off the ASD, slipped the tiny orb into his coat pocket, and then walked out the door.

  Navarr shook her head, scowling. "None of this makes sense."

  "I know," Sikandra sighed. "But I'm too tired to think about it anymore, and we've done our job. It's in the hands of people far more capable than us. It's their problem now. All I want at this point is my quarters on Exxar-One and a hot bath." She glanced at the tickets. "We leave at oh-five-hundred. I'll wake you at four."

  Navarr tried to put the situation out of her mind, but her brain fixed on it like a tenacious bulldog with a fresh bone. Something was wrong about the whole thing, something that just didn't add up, and Navarr was afraid that she had overlooked a simple detail, that it was staring her right in the face, but she was too exhausted to see it. It didn't help that she'd used the last of her medication, and her face felt like it was being seared with a dull fire that throbbed with just enough pain to be irritating but not enough to give her real agony. By the time Sikandra came to wake her, Navarr had only had two hours of real sleep.

  ( 6 )

  The Kaurami
de homeworld was five times the size of Earth, but, because of the extreme tilt of its axis, its only habitable region was a wide band around its middle, where the climate was so temperate that the planet had only two seasons: warm and cool. Most of that band was landmass, for only thirty percent of the world's surface was water, and, covering most of that landmass, was the sprawling metropolises that only space faring civilizations could produce. Kauramide's inhabitants didn't so much live beside one another as on top of each other, and their number was nearly seven billion.

  Alikk Vi'Sar had established a private residence several hundred kilometers beyond the Habitable Zone, as the band was often called, in a mountainous region that was always covered in a thick layer of snow and ice. The estate was built of rock and stone, carved out of the side of the largest peak in the chain, and it was fiercely guarded. No less than three dozen Kauramide soldiers stood watch within and without, and the computer system inside its walls was state-of-the-art. Vi'Sar had used his connections in the black market to stage a coup against a Sohnath drug lord, and the small palace had been part of the spoils. That was eight years ago. In the time since, the charismatic leader had capitalized on the growing resistance movement against the treaty with the Federation, setting up his headquarters on the Kauramide homeworld and then seeking out those voices of discontent. Though he hadn't been the one to name the rebel movement "Haal'Chai", he was the one who had brought the isolated factions together, uniting them under a common banner and giving them a clear goal.

  The covenant with the Jha'Drok had sped the process along, accomplishing in a few years what would have normally taken two or three decades. A select group of conspirators in the Kauramide government had been responsible for that alliance, and though Vi'Sar was wise enough to not ask for the details, he was also clever enough to ensure that it wouldn't backfire. The Chrisarii Alliance would not succumb to the same fate as the Federation, becoming one more domain of the Jha'Drok Emperium. Though his plans on that front were still in their infancy, Alikk was confident that, by the time the whole of the Federation territories were under Jha'Drok dominion, the Chrisarii would be prepared to defend its own borders from an imperial onslaught.

  Vi'Sar sat in the darkness of his study, brooding upon the latest report from Om'Nalu. Only the wide beam of a full moon dared to intrude upon the privacy of the self-appointed general, but he didn't mind. One of the other reasons he enjoyed living here was the length of the days and nights. The latter was twice as long as the former, and Alikk embraced the darkness. It was a comfort, not something to be feared, and he would sit for hours in his study, watching the moon through the tall, narrow windows that lined one wall. It was at this hour of the night that he could think most clearly, and his thoughts had been especially troubled of late.

  The confirmation of his suspicions regarding Arrul was at once a relief and a torment. Vi'Sar had quietly hoped that a member of his inner circle could be trusted, that the rumors were just that: lies being spread by those who were jealous of Arrul's position in the hierarchy. But the evidence, which had been presented just before Alikk's last visit to Om'Nalu, had been irrefutable. The comm records clearly showed transmissions to homeworld, transmissions that were encrypted with non-Haal'Chai protocols. Vi'Sar had decided then to test Arrul's loyalty, and he presented his ultimate goal to the resistance cell. He would attack homeworld and the Quorum and establish himself as chancellor of the Alliance.

  It had been Vi'Sar's plan all along to create this diversion, but he hadn't intended on setting it in motion so soon. There were still some necessary details to iron out, not the least of which concerned the fleet of fifteen warships that were moored at a hidden base on the far side of the Sohnath territories. That, too, had been part of the pact with the Jha'Drok, only the Jha'Drok didn't know it. They had been too focused on their own agendas and machinations to worry much about how the Chrisarii were using the alien technology that had been given them. Vi'Sar had counted on that fact, just as he now counted on High Chancellor Kroth and the Quorum of Elders to focus their attention on fortifying the defenses around homeworld. They would most likely pull ships from the second and ninth battle groups, which were currently patrolling the sector bordering the neutral zone.

  Which meant that Exxar-One would be nearly defenseless.

  The Federation had not yet assigned a fleet to the Tiralan sector, just the ECS Dauntless, and it was nowhere near Exxar-One at the moment. There was always a chance that it might return during the battle, but even if it did, it wouldn't be enough to turn the tide in the Federation's favor. By the time another Federation vessel arrived, all that its crew would find would be an immense debris field, and the residual weapons signatures would be fresh enough to be identified as Chrisarii.

  Within a matter of days, the Chrisarii Alliance and the Interstellar Federation of Peace would be at war.

  At the same time, the Jha'Drok Emperium would launch their invasion.

  Vi'Sar roused himself and walked to his desk where he entered a series of commands into the keypad of his comm terminal. A secured transmission was sent to the Sohnath base. Alikk had just ordered Colonel Serehl to launch his fleet.

  They would arrive at Exxar-One in three days.

  Chapter 21

  ____________________

  ( 1 )

  "Lieutenant Frazier to Commander Decev."

  Mariah stirred, uncertain if the voice was part of her dream, or if she was really awake. She was standing in her mother's kitchen, naked, and making dinner. She wasn't sure, but she was fairly positive that Marc had made an entrance at some point, or maybe it was Paul. A red alert klaxon had sounded as she was putting the peeled potatoes in the pot, and then -

  "Commander? I'm sorry to wake you, but you said you wanted to be notified as soon as we found anything."

  This time the science officer was certain that she was awake, and she pulled herself into a sitting position as one hand fumbled in the dark for the reply button on the comm panel.

  "Yeah, yeah, I know. Report."

  "We finally decrypted the security protocols an hour ago, and we've opened the door. I haven't sent anyone into the room yet. Do you want me to wait for you?"

  Decev was already out of bed and reaching for her uniform. "Yes. I'm on my way, lieutenant. Decev out."

  The security protocols that Frazier was referring to had guarded a double door that the exploratory teams had found on the ground floor of the control cavern on the evening of their first day. A complicated system of software firewalls, a forcefield, and physical locking mechanisms had kept an engineering team busy for two days, even with the help of the linguistic translation matrix. The builders of the cavern had obviously meant to keep whatever was behind that door very protected and very secret. It was the consensus of all involved that the central brain was on the other side of the barrier, and Decev had waken each morning with the hope that Frazier would have good news for her. She glanced at the chrono on her comm display. Well, it was morning, and while she was thrilled to hear about the team's success, she should have told Frazier to wait until at least oh-six-hundred.

  Oh, who am I kidding? The commander thought. She zipped up her uniform tunic, pulled on her boots, and raced out the door.

  ( 2 )

  Lieutenant Allen Frazier was standing on the cavern's ground floor, rocking on his heels, his hands clasped behind him at parade rest as he waited impatiently for Decev. The six noncom engineers who made up his team were seated against the wall, their equipment still scattered about, tool kits open and with various instruments at hand, just in case. The massive double door whose security measures had kept them occupied for two days was opened wide, and while the lighting beyond the threshold was dim, it was enough to tell that the room wasn't very large.

  Commander Decev stepped out of the lift before it touched the floor, jogging across the wide space to Frazier's position. "Report."

  "We've successfully disabled all security protocols, and there's only one bio-sign ema
nating from the other side. Compared to the size of ground floor, that room is pretty small."

  Decev nodded and grabbed a scanner and a flashlight. Frazier didn't draw his pulser, but he unsnapped the trigger guard and rested his hand on the butt of his weapon as he followed Exxar-One's science officer into darkness. The engineering team trailed him, fanning out as they crossed the threshold. Decev forced her breath out in a steady rhythm as her beam stabbed the blackness. Frazier was right. The room was barely large enough for the oblong container that rested in its center. The walls were covered in the same technology as those of the cavern outside, but there was only a dim glow from the conduit pathways and relay circuits. Decev played her beam over them, searching for a visible sign of why this room would be on emergency power, but she didn't see anything. The soft clicks, whirrs and beeps from the scanners and other tech instruments were oddly comforting in the ghost-like atmosphere, and Decev coughed at the clouds of dust that were stirred up by her footsteps.

  "Chief Murray, get a vacuum going," Frazier ordered.

  The engineer quickly obeyed, and it was several minutes before the group could resume their search. The layers of dust had been just as thick in here as they had been in the cavern outside when Decev and Benson first arrived. The science officer focused her attention on the object at the room's center, and now that it was cleaned and uncovered, she could see it was a cryo-tube. It was just over two meters long, and a thick, central cable extended from the top and connected to the ceiling. Several minor cables and strands flowed out from various other ports in the sides and top of the tube, also connecting to specific points in the wall or rounded ceiling. Decev was surprised to feel a thread of fear creeping up her spine as she approached the small window at the head of the tube. A soft light emanated from within, and the face of a humanoid, eyes closed, floated in a clear liquid. It was difficult to determine the gender. Its scalp was smooth and bald, and a tangle of filaments and wiring spread out of it from specific points, like spaghetti poking through holes in the bottom of a strainer. The conglomeration connected to certain ports at the head of the inside of the tube, and Decev tracked with her gaze where those points were on the outside of the tube's head. She followed them up and into a port in the wall, and then looked once more to the central cable on the top of the cryo-tube. The science officer glanced at her readouts on her scanner's screen, and it took a couple minutes for the microcomputer to make sense of the data. The result was both predictable and surprising.