Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series

by Hystad, Nathan

  “You are a big softy, aren’t you?” She laughed. “I always knew it. Tom, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine, as will the Concord. With you, me, and Starling taking charge of the fleet, no one’s going to be able to stop us.” She smiled, relieving the tension. “Not to mention the fact that I’m carrying a Baldwin.”

  Tom froze. This was part of the relationship he hadn’t begun to consider. “Do you think he’ll have my name?”

  Rene gave him an appraising look. “He?”

  “You know it’s going to be a boy, right?” Tom joked.

  “I didn’t want Nee to tell us for a reason. If you went behind my back…”

  Tom raised his hands. “I did nothing of the sort. But you’re prepared to raise the baby together?”

  “I think it might be for the best. A child needs a strong male role model, after all.”

  It was Tom’s turn to laugh. “Like I had with Constantine?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far. I haven’t told my parents yet,” she said.

  “When will you?” Rene’s parents were on Earon, retired from the local Concord administration office at the capital.

  “When this is all over,” Rene said.

  “And us?” He stayed close.

  “We’ll have to see, Tom. Are you hoping to make an honest woman out of me?” she asked.

  “You’re already better than I deserve.” Tom broke their stare, and she seemed to sense his trepidation.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s this. The Ugna targeting Nolix. I can’t help but feel like Wylen has something up his sleeve,” Tom told her.

  “He might be caught off guard. He thinks the fleet is still at Earon. We’re going to surprise him.”

  Tom crossed his arms and paced the office. “I don’t think so. He already knows we have the fleet from Obilina Six. I just can’t shake the fact that we’re missing a crucial detail.”

  “Likely so, but we’ll deal with it when the time comes. Prime Xune and Admiral Benitor will arrive tomorrow. Maybe they’ll have a better idea.” Rene tended to keep a good outlook on things.

  “You’re a great leader. I can see it in the eyes of your crew,” he said.

  “If we win this, we have our baby. What then?” He finally saw the façade crack slightly.

  “Then we keep going. Maybe there’ll be a spot for a retired officer on Shu.” He grinned, but she wasn’t buying it.

  “I doubt anyone is going to let Admiral Thomas Baldwin retire. How about we agree to play it by ear?” Rene walked toward the door, stopping to kiss him on the cheek. “Kan’s here with the Obilina fleet. Let’s go debrief him and set everyone up for tomorrow.”

  Time was moving too fast. They were hardly able to breathe, and everything was coming together at the last moment. It seemed to be a common occurrence since he’d taken the captaincy of Constantine.

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Rene departed, and Tom was alone in his office. He still couldn’t believe he was going to be a father. It made him think of his own dad, a man of simple tastes. He was a good man, without the need for politics or exploration. What kind of dad would Tom be?

  As he left the office for the meeting with Kan Shu, he wondered how Treena and Constantine were faring on their dire mission. He needed Starling back in time for the showdown, and the clock was ticking.

  ____________

  It took much longer to track the Kad down, but once they did, Treena gave the orders to destroy them without communication. They’d just committed genocide against one of the Concord’s partners, and there was no returning from that. The Kads’ homeworld would be seized, the title of partner stripped from them, and the government tried. But that was for a later date, by someone farther up the chain of command than Treena. Today, she had to be grateful she’d been able to pass some form of justice on for the Evertol after Yuwer X9 was destroyed.

  Treena watched the composure of her crew and was proud of their actions. They’d finished their task without complaint, even though killing would always take a toll. She longed for a time when the constant war and battles they’d been fighting since she’d been brought aboard this flagship would come to an end.

  “Orders, Captain?” Darl asked.

  Conner brought up the last two distress calls, Treena trying to gauge which they had the best chance of assisting. One was better defended than the other, a hub for trade between Earon and Leria, connecting a series of ten systems.

  The alternative was Meer, a huge planet with few resources. They even needed fresh water shipped in, since theirs had been contaminated centuries ago by some unknown radiation. Even today, with all the technology of the Concord, they hadn’t been able to eradicate the damaged lakes and oceans. The good news was that the people had evolved enough to not be affected by the rainfall. If they drank the water, they’d grow sick, but otherwise, they could survive and continue on. Something about the filtration from evaporation to release.

  They also had something buried deep in their mountains that was mined and melted, and painted on each Concord ship’s hull as an additional layer of protection. That was the trade. With the Concord, there was always a barter for the partners to enter the alliance.

  “The Meer. Set course for Daniver.” Treena saw the nod of reassurance from Brax, telling her he agreed with her decision.

  Missy was behind Commander Pol Teller, her face ashen. “Missy, are you feeling okay?” Treena asked her.

  She appeared to pale even more. “I… I’m well, Captain. I didn’t sleep much, thinking about all the fighting.”

  Pol grunted, shooing her off with his fingers. “Get some sleep. I’ll be fine. Just give me my shot.”

  Missy fumbled with a pack around her waist, pulling out a medical device. She pressed it to the commander’s neck, and it hissed as the medication released. “Thank you, Commander.”

  He didn’t respond, and Treena watched the girl exit the bridge. There was something off about that one, and even more so today. “Pol, how long has she worked with you?”

  “Couple of years. I ignored having a health care worker forever, but once things progressively deteriorated, I didn’t have a choice,” he told her. “Why do you ask?”

  “No reason,” Treena said, though her suspicions had been raised. It was probably nothing. “Conner, what information do we have on Meer’s attackers?”

  “The Alixes are a newer partner. Their entrance vote was close, which explains why they were so easily swayed by Wylen to turn on us.” Conner’s fingers darted over the console, sending an image of the Alixes over the screen. The 3D rendering spun slowly, showing a thick and powerful creature, scales on its face, dark deep-set eyes. Treena wouldn’t want to meet one head-on in a dark alley.

  “Pretty things,” Pol said. “They’ll bleed just the same.”

  “Maybe not red,” Brax commented, receiving a coughing laugh from Teller.

  Darl glanced from his helm position, hand over his keypad. “Captain, course is set for Daniver. The chief engineer says the Nek drive is charged.”

  “Let’s go,” Treena said, and the ship crossed the countless light years in the blink of an eye.

  The battle was in full effect. Brax was on it, identifying the allies on the radar, and seconds later, Constantine was engaged in combat. The AI stood beside Treena, discussing tactics that she relayed, ceding to Pol’s advice on their strategy.

  The Alixes’ ships were stout and circular, with dark green thrusters located in a three-sixty line around the vessel. They darted around the battle zone, outrunning the much longer and slower Meer ships. They wouldn’t have stood a chance without intervention. The scans suggested twelve Meer ships had been destroyed already, with only two of the enemy vessels being obliterated.

  One of the Meer appeared on the screen, and Conner put audio through. “Thank the Vastness. We’ve thrown everything we could at them, but they’re relentless. Help us, Constantine.” She was in a dark purple uniform, her face spotted with w
hite circles.

  “We intend to. What do we need to know?” Treena asked.

  “They’re protecting the underside, near the matte black paneling. We think that’s the key.” She spoke hurriedly, and the crew behind her seemed to be in shock.

  “Brax, hear that?” Treena asked.

  “You bet, Captain.”

  “We’re going to help you now. Until we meet in the Vastness.” Treena ended the communication, and they got to work.

  The Alixes’ vessels all seemed to notice the arrival of the huge flagship at the same time. They each dropped their attacks on the weaker targets and turned their attention to Constantine.

  Just let them try, Treena thought. There were seventeen of them, and Treena sent the fighters out, with Lieutenant Basker in the lead. The Alixes were three times the size of the fighters, but even they couldn’t match the speed of the versatile Concord assault vessels.

  Brax hit the main shields on the lead row of incoming ships, while Basker and his team of four set to targeting their undersides. Five minutes later, they’d managed to destroy the first two crafts, without taking a casualty of their own.

  “Captain, the rear Alixes vessel is trying to communicate,” Conner said, and Treena noticed she was gripping the arms of her chair tightly enough to leave indents.

  The gunfire ceased, and Treena ordered Brax to stop for the moment.

  Pol leaned in. “It could be a trick. I say we blast them.”

  “On screen.”

  The Alixes that stared at her was larger than life on the giant viewscreen. “I beg forgiveness, Captain.” He wore a dark armor over his chest, his arms sleeveless and exposed. She noted the gun strapped to his back, but also the expression of devastation over his face. Teller’s words of caution rang through her mind.

  “Stand down. Tell your fleet to shut their drives off now and stay put.” Treena strode to the center of the bridge, staring hard at the enemy.

  He turned away, whispering to his first mate, and within a handful of breaths, the fleet began powering off. “We were only doing what we were ordered.”

  “You didn’t have to side with the Ugna,” she said.

  “That was not up to me to decide, Captain. Our chief made the order, though we were hesitant. We were threatened by them. Our families’ lives were at stake. We had no choice,” he said, and despite the fact that they’d just been firing on one another, Treena almost believed him. She understood bad decisions by leadership teams only too well.

  “You expect us to trust you?” Treena asked.

  “No, but I would like to work on it. Bring me aboard as a prisoner. I have some information that might prove valuable to your cause. We seek amnesty for our people,” he said.

  “What is your title?” she asked, not wanting to continue to barter with a nameless enemy.

  He pounded his chest with a fist. “I am Karle, Primary Captain of the Divine.”

  “Well met, Karle. I’m Captain Treena Starling of Constantine, and I will accept your surrender. Conner, prepare a shuttle to transport Karle. Alone.” The man nodded, and the image disappeared.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Conner asked.

  “I’m willing to hear anything that might help us at this point.” Treena headed to the hangar, ready to see just what this “Primary Captain” had to say.

  Fifteen

  The countdown was upon them. Tom tugged at his collar, feeling the heat rising. They’d figured out the Ugna’s plans, and from what he’d been told, Treena Starling had done her best, saving three of their partners so far. One had had dire consequences, but neither Tom nor Treena could dwell on that at the moment. There would be many more losses if they didn’t focus on winning this coming fight.

  He checked on his tablet for an update on the EN-01 devices. That was the name R-Emergence had linked to their En’or-blasting ray weapons, and Tom figured it was as good a name as any. So far, nothing had arrived from Doctor Gaad or Reeve on the subject.

  Tom’s head ached, and he took a drink of water. Despite the fact that he was racing with adrenaline, he was still tired, devoid of sleep over the last week. He ordered a strong carafe of Raca to his office and checked their current fleet status.

  With Legacy, they also had the two recently-arrived replica ships from Obilina Six. They lacked any of the creature comforts of the other flagships, but they would be mounted with the EN-01 units as soon as they were manufactured. They hadn’t decided who would operate the ships yet, and that was dragging on Tom. He was going to have to split up their already thin crews. With Rene’s crew of Shu still not here, and Constantine away on her mission defending the partners from Wylen’s distractions, there weren’t a lot of options.

  Sure, he could wait until the Earon fleet arrived and throw in some previously retired captain to run the ships, but they wouldn’t be up to speed. It pained him to say this, but he was going to need to ask for volunteers.

  The door chimed, and he advised the computer to open it. Tarlen stood holding the Raca and two cups. “Sir, do you have a moment?”

  “Sure, come in.” Tom pointed at the chair opposite his desk, and Tarlen took the cue, pouring the steaming beverage before sitting. “What can I do for you?”

  “I wanted to thank you for letting me on the crew of Legacy. I know you would prefer to have someone with more experience, and—”

  Tom raised a hand as he slid the cup toward him. “Tarlen, I’ve seen what you can do. You were a scrawny kid from Greblok, with more determination and drive than I’d ever witnessed in anyone.”

  Tarlen spoke assuredly. “I had to help my people.”

  “And your sister. How is Belna?” Tom asked.

  “She’s well. Everyone that was affected by the Statu has recovered, at least physically. We’ve had some unresolved issues from the trauma. But the Bacal are a resilient people, and we’re doing very well thanks to the support of the Concord in the aftermath.” Tarlen sipped his drink, and Tom appraised him.

  “You’re a bright man, Tarlen. I’m sorry I haven’t spoken with you much over the last year, but…”

  “You’ve had your hands full. And congrats on becoming an admiral,” Tarlen said.

  Tom felt he could be honest with the kid. “Thanks, but I’m not so sure it’s what I want.”

  “Seriously? What would the Concord do without you? You’re the only one even making a difference here. I heard about you having to finish the calls for the rest of them on Ridele. No one would listen to those old timers. They wanted assurance from the great Thomas Baldwin.” Tarlen grinned as he spoke, making Tom laugh.

  “How in the Vastness did you hear that?”

  “Rumors move quickly through these ships, sir.”

  “It seems they do. Be that as it may, I have…”

  “And congratulations on the baby. You’re going to be such a great father—” Tarlen cut himself short and Tom realized he was frowning at the young officer. “Sorry. Everyone was talking about it. I thought it was common knowledge.”

  “I guess it is,” Tom replied. “Thank you. Are you planning on staying on Bacal?”

  Tarlen sighed, gazing into the screen on the wall. An Ugna ship flew by, moving to dock at the giant station a few dozen kilometers away. “It’s not easy, sir. After the Statu, all I wanted to do was return home and help my people. Now that they’re okay, and that Greblok is in good hands, I…”

  “Feel compelled to return to space?” Tom understood the sensation only too well.

  Tarlen nodded. “That’s it. The Academy was outstanding, and since you enrolled me in the expedited classes, I was done in the blink of an eye. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of late nights and early mornings, but…”

  “You’re ready for a posting,” Tom finished again.

  “That’s right.”

  “We’ll see what happens over the next while, but I’m sure there’s a position on a flagship somewhere for you, okay?”

  Tarlen brightened at the news. “That w
ould be great, sir. Thank you.”

  The Raca hit Tom quickly. It wouldn’t last, and he’d need some real sleep before tomorrow, but it would do until then. “I have to meet with Kan and Rene soon. I appreciate you coming to speak with me.”

  Tarlen rose, taking his cup with him, and exited.

  Tom checked the tablet again, but there was no message from Reeve.

  ____________

  The manufacturing bay was a cacophony of noises. Smoke from soldering bots drifted into vents in the ceiling as the EN-01s were being produced.

  “We usually don’t make the goods here, but we have the capability when necessary,” Aimie said as they walked the long line centering the plant floor.

  “This is an astonishing endeavor, Commander Daak. I’m impressed by your timeline,” Commander Kan Shu said, using Reeve’s newly given title, and her spine tingled at hearing it.

  “Without the resources of R-Emergence and the cooperation of Doctor Gaad, we never would have accomplished it,” Reeve told him.

  Kan had assisted her and Hans aboard Shu working on the first Nek shuttle, and his mind was attuned to engineering almost as much as hers; only he’d taken a different path after the Academy, following in his mother’s footsteps.

  “What choice did I have?” Aimie didn’t elaborate.

  “You could have pawned the project off on someone else and evacuated like so many of your colleagues,” Reeve reminded her.

  “That’s not my style.”

  They stopped at the end of the line, seeing the very first finished product since the prototype. The box was about three feet wide, four tall, and connected wirelessly to the beam emitter, which would be placed alongside the weapon barrels under the flagships.

  “How many are you building?” Kan asked.