Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series

by Hystad, Nathan

  Treena felt his compassion for her situation instantly, and she found herself liking the Kwant doctor even more. He crossed the room and lifted a gloved hand to her face, pressing a loose flap of artificial skin across her eye.

  “What happened to you?” he asked.

  “The Statu happened,” she whispered, and Yephion and the others at the table stopped chatting as she used their race’s name.

  “Where are we with the plan?” Tom asked, standing at the end of the table.

  Constantine’s AI translated, and Yephion replied, “We have created the theory, but the amount of molar mass of Bentom needed isn’t available.”

  Treena watched Captain Baldwin’s face twist in anger. “You said it could be done.”

  “That was before we understood the extent of the wormhole. I apologize,” Yephion said through Constantine’s translation.

  Treena considered the problem. “But we do have enough Bentom, correct?”

  “If we broke open our Star Drive and cut the ball of Bentom in half, then yes,” Constantine said.

  Treena considered the problem. They were trained to solve problems; that was what the executive crew was on board the cruise ships for. She tapped her finger on the tabletop, leaning over their screens full of hypothetical reactions.

  “I have it!” she said. “Cecilia.”

  “What about her?” Doctor Nee asked.

  Baldwin appeared to understand. “She does have a Star Drive powerful enough to help us out. It’s smaller than ours, but also older. It runs on Bentom as well, though.”

  “We could evacuate them,” Nee started, but Treena shook her head.

  “Or we latch them to us, like we did with the Statu ship,” the captain said before she had the chance to.

  “With all due respect, sir, that worked in hyperlight, but we have no idea what effect traveling through the wormhole with a ship of that magnitude strapped to us would do,” Constantine said.

  “That’s fair. Then how?” Doctor Nee asked.

  Baldwin turned to the awaiting Statu. “Make it. You’ll get your Bentom one way or another. It’s the only way we ensure they don’t return, at least for a long time.”

  The Statu assured him they’d already begun the detonator, and they rose and raced out of the room, heading back into the hangar bay, where Treena saw a workstation set up.

  “Do you trust them?” she asked Baldwin.

  “I have to.” The captain grimaced. “Now I have to see if Captain Shu is willing to leave her ship behind.”

  Treena was unfamiliar with the woman. But Shu had a reputation as being fair, as well as loving to do everything by the book. It was one of the reasons Thomas did as well, at least until he’d disobeyed direct orders and chased an old enemy through a wormhole to rescue the Bacal and his crewmate.

  They stood side by side, arms touching as they watched the Statu work through the hangar viewport. “Hard to imagine they want to help us,” Thomas said.

  Treena’s finger twitched. “Sir, I killed at least a hundred of them today. And a few Bacal slaves as well.”

  Thomas set a hand on her arm. “You did what you needed to. I’d have done the same.”

  She nodded toward the Statu beyond the door. “We can’t let the sins of their people become their burden.”

  “We won’t. Much like we can’t be blamed for the Concord’s part in all of this,” the captain said.

  “Will things be okay?”

  He took a deep breath, and Treena heard the anxiety in his voice. “One way or another.”

  ____________

  Tarlen hated being on the warship, but that was where his people were.

  “Stop arguing. We’re going to have food and water soon enough. We’re only a couple hours from the wormhole, then…” Penter was cut off by everyone around them speaking at once.

  “The wormhole?”

  “What wormhole?”

  “We’re all going to die.”

  “Why bother? We’re never going to win.”

  “Did you see how many of us they killed? The Concord did it.”

  “I think this was all the Concord’s doing.”

  Tarlen closed his eyes as his angry people bickered amongst themselves. Truthfully, he was surprised they even had the energy for it.

  Belna was beside him, sitting cross-legged like she used to do. That gave him hope that part of her was awake inside the husk of her body. So far, she wouldn’t respond to him. She had no idea who he was, but with the help of the Concord, maybe she’d be saved.

  He remembered the chain around his neck, holding her ring, and he slipped it from around his neck, sure it would spark a memory in her. He held it out, but Belna made no move for the jewelry.

  “This is yours, Belna.” He clasped it around her neck, letting the ring dangle on her chest. She drooled, and he sighed, his hope for her recovery dwindling.

  “I think we should take over the ship.”

  “Yes. Let’s run away with it.”

  “We should attack the Concord.”

  Tarlen had heard enough. “Stop it!” He stood in a rush, the room going silent. “Just stop! We’ve been used in a sick game by the Statu. Don’t blame the Concord, specifically Constantine. Captain Baldwin will protect us. They saved us, rescued you all from certain death. Why would they do that if they wished you harm?”

  No one spoke, and Penter looked up at him with a grin on his face. “Well said, son.”

  Tarlen sat on the floor again, happy for the silence. He was exhausted, and he leaned against his sister. Penter stared at him and spoke softly. “You get some sleep, Tarlen. I’ll keep an eye… on Belna.”

  Tarlen nodded his thanks and closed his eyes. In a couple of hours, they’d be across the wormhole and free of the enemy. Then came the next step for the Bacal people.

  ____________

  “Reeve, I think I have it figured out,” Brax told his sister.

  “Good, because we wouldn’t want you accidentally killing our thrusters again, would we?” She said it mockingly but with a loving smile. Her braids hung over her eyes, covering her red irises.

  “That appears to be it, Lieutenant Commander Daak,” Constantine told Brax. “You should be able to defend us, should the need arise.”

  “ETA to wormhole is thirty minutes. We’re trailing just behind Constantine,” Reeve said.

  “And how about our friends?” Brax switched seats, moving to one with a radar screen in front of it. The six angry red dots were flashing on the screen. “Looks like it’s going to be tight. From what I can tell, they’re over thirty minutes out as well.”

  “That gives us two minutes to enter, leaving our present for them. I don’t think it’s enough time,” Reeve said.

  “By the Vastness, this will be close. Do they have the device ready?” Brax asked.

  Constantine flickered, and he returned to a solid projection. “They’re waiting for the last piece of the puzzle.”

  “Well, they better hurry, because the warships aren’t slowing. They want to win this race,” Reeve said.

  Brax thought they might have the upper hand against six warships, but the others that had made it planetside had adjusted trajectory as well and were trailing behind the Concord’s tiny fleet.

  He cracked his knuckles and returned to the weapon’s helm.

  ____________

  “Is that everyone?” Yin Shu asked Tom, and he nodded.

  “And just in time.” They’d ferried the entire crew of Cecilia to his ship over the last hour, using all their resources.

  “If you would have told me I’d be losing my ship, I’m not sure I’d have joined you on this mission,” his former captain admitted.

  “I don’t blame you. This is the only way. We have to shut this wormhole down,” he explained.

  “I know. It doesn’t make it any easier.” Shu ran a hand along the engineering wall, a wistful look across her face. “We had some fun times, didn’t we, Baldwin?”

  “We sure d
id. Don’t worry, we’ll get you a new ship.”

  “Is that so? Do you really think the Concord will be the same after what happened? Even if we can convince the Founders that the Prime acted nefariously, and that Admiral Hudson is a war criminal, they might still silence us. Don’t be surprised if they hang us all out to dry,” she said.

  “Then I’ll take the blame. Maybe you’ll have my ship,” Tom said with a grim smile.

  “That’s the best thing you’ve said all day. But no, I think I’ll retire.”

  “Retire?” Tom was shocked. “You’re a legend, Yin. One day there’ll be a Concord cruise ship named after you, with your AI built in.”

  She smiled at him and set a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll see.”

  “There’ll be an open admiral position,” Tom reminded her. She’d be perfect for the role previously filled by the corrupt Hudson.

  “One thing at a time. Are we set?” she called over to her science officer. The Star Drive was shut down, and the entire black Bentom ball was enclosed in a portable case, the ball visible through window slots in the side. Tom stepped closer, almost expecting to feel the energy it held.

  “The Bentom is ready for transport,” the Tekol man told her.

  “Good. We’ll bring it now,” Captain Yin Shu advised her crew member. Tom turned to leave, and alarms rang out around them. His earpiece notified him of a communication.

  “Bridge to Baldwin. The warships have increased velocity. They’ll be here in ten minutes, sir,” Ven said.

  Tom panicked. That wasn’t enough time. “How did they catch up?”

  “That’s unknown, sir.” Ven’s voice was calm, as always.

  Tom met Shu’s gaze, and her lips pressed tightly together. Her ship was currently latched to his, and they walked to the connecting hatch.

  “Bring this to your ship, load the device, and send that wormhole into the Vastness, Captain Baldwin...Thomas.” Captain Yin Shu touched his cheek. He saw the tears forming in her eyes.

  “Wait. What are you going to do?” Thomas asked her.

  “The only thing I can. Slow the enemy down. Release my ship when you cross to Constantine. I’ll stop them, Tom. It’ll give you enough time.”

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I do. One more thing.” She glanced at the science officer, who held up a heavy-looking box. “This is Cecilia’s AI Link. Bring her with you. I couldn’t bring myself to lose her too.”

  Tom wasn’t shocked at her connection to the AI. He’d often walked in on the two of them having conversations, and she was a wealth of knowledge, as were the AIs on all the new generations of Concord cruise ships. “I’ll ensure she’s rebuilt.”

  The alarms were loud here, the red flashing lights too much to bear as he watched her walk away, running for the bridge.

  “Until we meet in the Vastness!” he shouted after her.

  Her voice was quieter. “Until we meet in the Vastness.” Then she was gone.

  Tom pushed aside the sadness and guilt, and rushed to his ship, the Bentom ball encased in metal in his arms, the science officer with the Link right behind him. As soon as they crossed the gap, he ordered the crew standing there to unlatch Cecilia. They stared at one another for a second before doing just that.

  Tom watched it float away, and moments later, the impulse engines kicked on. They acted independently of the Star Drive, and Captain Shu was moving her ship into an intercept position with the incoming warships. He couldn’t see them yet, not without a Zoomer, but they were there, their threat palpable.

  “Thanks for your work on this.” Tom hefted the box and nodded to Cecilia’s science officer, and headed for the waiting Statu. They’d moved their device into the fighter hangar, where it would be remotely controlled in one of their vessels. The trip took five minutes, and he was sweating by the time he pressed the doors open to the bay, half from exertion, half from recognizing how deadly the Bentom inside the box he held was. One wrong move, and their entire ship could be destroyed within seconds.

  “Captain Baldwin, did you find it?” Yephion asked through Constantine.

  Treena Starling was there, leaning against the wall. She’d changed her clothing, but her face was still uncovered and half removed.

  “Right here. We’re out of time. The Statu are closing in on us, and we might not make it to the wormhole first,” Tom said.

  “What if we stand our ground and fight them?” Treena asked.

  “What if we lose? They’ll have access to Concord space again, and with a dozen warships this time,” he said.

  “Surely we can win?” Treena said.

  “We can’t risk it.”

  “You’re right,” Treena agreed, and he was glad his commander did.

  “Why aren’t you on the bridge?” Tom asked.

  “Nothing for me to do there. I need to keep an eye on the Statu, in case they’re trying to pull a fast one,” she said.

  Tom didn’t think they were, but she was right to keep a close eye. Especially after learning they’d had someone on the ship this week, trying to sabotage Constantine.

  The Statu worked quickly, carefully adding the Bentom ball into their contraption. They moved it into the rear of the fighter, and Tom heard arguing from them.

  The AI was standing nearby, and Tom got his attention. “Con, what are they saying?”

  Constantine listened for a moment before turning to Tom. “There’s an issue. The device cannot be triggered remotely. It will need a manual detonation.”

  Tom’s stomach sank. All this for what? Maybe they should stay and fight.

  Ven’s voice cut through the hangar’s speakers. “Captain, we’re approaching the wormhole. Awaiting orders.”

  What was the right move? Tom was the captain of this ship, grandson to the most famous Concord captain ever, and there was no give-up in him.

  “Load it in. Show me how to detonate it. I’ll do it,” Treena said.

  “Treena, you…”

  “I’m not real, remember? I’m in my bed as we speak. I can do this.”

  “But you won’t have a body… you’ll…”

  She silenced him with a look, her one good eye blinking a few times. “It’s okay. I should have died two years ago. I never understood why they put me in this body, but now I do. It was so I could stop the Statu. Let me go, sir.”

  Tom heard the passion behind her voice. “Very well. You’ll be rebuilt. Don’t worry. We’ll give you life again.”

  Treena turned as he said that. “I’d prefer to die, sir. Can you make that happen?”

  He gulped, his throat suddenly dry. “I…”

  “Captain, your presence is needed on the bridge,” Ven said urgently.

  He wanted to say more to Treena, to convince her how special she was, but he was out of time… and words. He left, seeing her climbing into Basker’s fighter. He shut the door, and raced to the bridge.

  Klaxons rang out softly around the corridors, and when he stepped onto the bridge, he saw the big picture of their situation. Reeve’s warship was right in front of them, looming before the huge swirling wormhole.

  Tom had an idea, and he leaned over the Ugna-trained Zilph’i. “Ven, you have abilities. Would you be able to detonate our destabilizer if it were behind us in a fighter?”

  “Through the wormhole, sir?” he asked.

  “Yes, some distance behind.”

  “No, sir. I’m afraid that’s beyond the Ugna’s ability,” Ven said, his eyes downcast as if he’d failed.

  “I didn’t expect you to be able to. It was foolish to ask.” Tom stood tall, walking to the front of the bridge, standing with his hands clasped behind him. His crew was practically skeletal, his executive team spread out as they fought to win the day.

  The six incoming warships were close now, and Cecilia sat between their position and the wormhole. Tom expected fireworks soon. “We’re on the precipice of setting the Statu back another fifty years, hopefully longer.” He was aware his words were bei
ng heard on Captain Yin Shu’s bridge and in Reeve’s ear. “Yin Shu’s sacrifice will not be forgotten, and neither will Treena Starling’s. Prepare to enter the wormhole, Executive Lieutenant Reeve Daak. Zare, bring us in three minutes behind. Commander Starling will follow, awaiting word of our exit.” They hadn’t determined if it was possible to communicate within the wormhole, but Treena would know what to do in that case. He had every faith in his commander.

  The warship they’d stolen from the Statu began its entrance into the wormhole, and soon it was gone, vanished from their sensors. Tom watched through the viewer as Captain Shu began her assault of the warships. Blasts erupted from both sides of the melee, and right before Constantine entered the wormhole, Cecilia exploded.

  The ship’s lights dimmed, and everything shook as they began their journey home.

  ____________

  The warship rattled and groaned as it entered the wormhole.

  “Are we positive this thing will make it?” Brax asked his sister.

  “Theoretically.”

  “And what are you basing this theory on?” he asked.

  “The fact that it successfully traveled through a couple of days ago,” she told him.

  He could only shrug in acceptance at that. “I was inside it, remember?”

  “I hadn’t forgotten.” Reeve stared forward at the computer screens showing the raging wormhole tunnel around them. The ship shook more, almost sending Brax to the floor. He steadied himself at the last moment.

  “We’ve done a good thing. The Bacal are a great people. They’ll be welcome members of the Concord.” Brax had made some solid bonds and was glad he’d been able to help them.

  “Do you think the Concord will commit to the agreement?” Reeve asked.

  Brax noticed Constantine’s AI form was still there, but listening, not joining the conversation. “Why wouldn’t they?”

  “I don’t know; maybe because we’re sitting on the load of ore. There’s no way we hand it over to them. They’ll order us to return to Nolix with it.” Reeve was unable to hide the anger from her voice.

  Brax knew his sister well and could feel her trepidation. “Captain Baldwin won’t do it. He already disobeyed them once. By the Vastness, he has Hudson locked up and the Prime confined to her quarters. If that man doesn’t have some fortitude, then who does?”