Wings of Steele - Flight of Freedom (Book2)

by Burger, Jeffrey

  “I don't know, any ideas?”

  “How about, the Revenge. To get even for all the crap that went on down here.”

  “I like it. The Revenge. It's got a nice ring to it. Let's open her up and see what's inside.”

  Connected up and hard-wired to the Revenge with umbilicals, the Marine in the control room logged into the ship's systems and opened the cargo ramp, his fingers dancing across the flat glass keyboard. “She's close to a full charge now, Captain. Her cells were almost bottomed out from sitting so long. Air should be good, we've flushed the atmosphere and been running the filters since last night. Computers and systems are booted up and on line...”

  ■ ■ ■

  The ship was as clean inside as it was outside. The corridors, quarters and bridge were absolutely spotless. “Has this thing ever flown?” asked Brian sitting down at the First Mate's station, flipping on the screens and controls.

  “It had to come from somewhere,” said Jack examining the tactical station. “But where the hell did the crew go? And why would they have left the ship here?”

  “Think they got caught up in the revolution?”

  “Mmm, maybe.” Jack was standing in the center of the bridge with his arms folded across his chest, scanning the stations. “One of the shuttles is missing, but it's only a four man job, the crew had to be bigger than that...”

  “Twenty five or thirty at least.” Brian was nosing around the systems, flipping through the options. He decided to check the navigation records to see if there was a file of routes or gate transfers.”Son of a bitch...”

  “What?”

  “They scrubbed all their travel routes. The maps are clean. Zero records.”

  “You're kidding?” Steele pinched his lower lip. “Man, I'm starting to think Black Ops. These guys are way too thorough.”

  Still nosing around, Brian visibly stiffened in his seat, “Dude, this thing's got a GOD drive!”

  “You're shitting me.” Jack was instantly at his side, looking over his shoulder, “Holy crap! We've hit the jackpot!” As silly as it was, they executed an exploding fist bump with sound effects.

  “Wait, what's this? I've never seen this before...”

  “Call up the stats, maybe that will tell you.”

  Brian swept to the ships schematics, “See, the system is there...” when he touched the image of the system on the screen the shape of the hull on the schematic changed, growing slightly wider. “Valkyrie.” He looked over his shoulder at Jack.

  Jack shook his head. “Never heard of it.”

  “Captain?”

  Jack keyed the mic on his earpiece, “Steele here.”

  “Sir, whatever you're doing, please stop.”

  “What's going on Sergent?”

  “It looks like you've just opened an anti-ship missile bay... and her carousel is completely loaded.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  UFW 77, VELORA PRIME : HELLOS & GOODBYES

  Lisa was busy packing her duffel bag. Her German Shorthaired Pointer, Gus, was lying next to it on the narrow, twin-sized bed. He wasn't taking any chances that she'd forget him, he was staying with that bag. “Relax Gustafer, I'm not going to forget you. See? Here's your chewy bone and your tennis ball, I'm putting it in the bag.” His stubby little tail wagged vigorously. When the door chimed she didn't stop folding clothes, instead calling over her shoulder, “It's open, c'mon in!”

  The door slid open and Truck's sizable bulk stepped into the room. He was just barely shorter than the doorway but ducked out of reflex, the dog jumping off the bed to greet him. “How're you doing Mr. Gus?” he said, dropping to a knee. The dog leaned into him and snuggled, while Truck's big hands patted him down. “You getting everything squared away Ms. Lisa?”

  She stopped her task and plopped herself on the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I guess...”

  “You don't sound so sure.”

  “It's not just a matter of packing, Truck. I'm... kinda...” her eyes watered.

  “You're not scared, are you?”

  “No. Yes, maybe. I don't know.” She watched his face plump as he smiled. “No, it's just that everybody's been so good to us...”

  “You have friends with us.”

  “Yeah,” she said, standing up.

  He stood too and moved over to her. “You need a hug?”

  “Uh, huh,” she nodded, tearfully. His arms wrapped around her, squeezing gently. She felt like she was being hugged by a grizzly bear, her arms only reaching half way around him. “I'm going to miss you, Truck.”

  The door swished open and Nina entered hand-in-hand with Layora Cress. “Oops,” said Nina, “didn't mean to interrupt...”

  “We're just saying goodbye,” sniffed Lisa.

  “She needed a hug,” offered Truck.

  “Hey, whatever,” replied Nina, “no judgment.”

  “No really...” insisted Lisa.

  Nina shrugged, “I just stopped in to tell you I'm not going...”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I'm staying here, with Layora...”

  Lisa watched Layora shrug, her hands waving outward in dismay. “You can't stay here, Nina, this is a military ship.”

  “I keep trying to tell her that,” volunteered Layora.

  Truck shifted his bulk. “Ms. Lisa's right, Commander Ribundell would never allow that, she's very by-the-book. She's never been fond of civilians on her ship.”

  “That's not fair,” stomped Nina, “I finally find someone I love and I have to leave her.”

  Layora hugged Nina, comforting her, “It's a small universe, Ne-Ne, we will be seeing each other again. Don't worry.” She steered her gently toward her bed, “Now you really need to pack, sweetie, or the Commander will have my head. Let's go Truck, they need to finish up.”

  Finally alone, Lisa looked at Nina. “Ne-Ne..?”

  Nina blushed, “That's what she likes to call me.”

  Lisa just shook her head, “Whatever.”

  “I have a name for her too.”

  “Oh please,” waved Lisa, “don't tell me, I'm sure I don't want to know...” She watched Nina make a pouty face. “Oh for the love of... I know I'm going to hate myself for asking, what is...”

  “Layme!” interrupted Nina happily.

  “Ew, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little...”

  “You did not. Besides,” she said coyly, “it's cute.” Gus sat in between the beds watching the exchange like a ping-pong match.

  “If by cute you mean, shoot myself in the head revolting, then yeah, I guess it's cute.”

  “You're just jealous...”

  Lisa plopped down on her bed, next to her finished bag. “Of what?”

  “Of having fine, sensual, earth shattering sexxx...” she hugged herself, sliding her hands playfully up and down her own body.

  Lisa put her face in her palms. “Oh. My. God! Just kill me now...”

  ■ ■ ■

  “Sir, incoming message from - the Revenge?”

  Pappy looked up from the screens at the Freedom's command seat. “Who?” He waved his hand, “On screen.” A video insert appeared on the big screen, Jack and Brian standing on an empty bridge. “What the fu...” he caught himself. “Skipper, where the hell are you?”

  “On the bridge of our new ship, Pappy... a brand new missile frigate...”

  “I thought it was supposed to be a research vessel.”

  “Yeah, that was the cover story. The reality is quite different. This baby is all black ops and loaded for bear. Including a GOD drive and a Valkyrie anti-ship missile system.”

  “Jeez-us! I can't fathom someone abandoning that. What the hell's been going on down there?”

  “Suffice it to say it's been a strange trip so far.” Brian nudged him in the ribs. “I am reminded by my cohort here, to extend greetings and salutations from the Queen...”

  “So you found the royal family then?”

  “Yes. And no.” Steele watched Paul's curiously baffled expre
ssion. “The royal family fell as casualties of the revolution. The Princess is the new Queen of Veloria.”

  Paul's eyes widened and more than a few faces on the Freedom's bridge looked up from their stations. “Your Princess? As in, Alité? Your wife? Please tell me you're pullin' my leg...”

  “Wish I could.”

  “What..? How..?”

  Jack waved off his question, “I'll tell you all the details later, Pappy. We just wanted to test the ship's comms. She was stowed in a hanger with all her towers down; we wanted to be sure everything was functional now that we got her outside.”

  “Crew,” reminded Brian.

  “Right,” nodded Jack. “And we'll need a few people to run her, just a skeleton crew for now. I need Ragnaar for navigation, Raulya for tactical and Toncaresh for engineering. Pick another ten. I'll probably use a couple of our Marines as well. Brian will bring the Zulu back up tonight, but he needs to come back on the shuttle, I'm going to need him here.”

  Paul was taking notes. “Heken Noer's probably going to want to see that GOD drive...”

  “You're right. Send him down on the shuttle with the crew; we'll get him back to you in a few hours.”

  “Will do. By the way, the convoy has arrived. The engineers are on the way down, you're probably going to see several trips, they've got about two-hundred guys. The supply ship is also in-atmosphere but she's taking her sweet time - she's heavy.”

  “The guys in the tower will guide them down, no sweat. Everything quiet up there?”

  “Almost too quiet. They know we're here though, that atmosphere GOD jump proves it. I just can't believe we missed them.”

  “Don't worry, they'll make another mistake. We'll find them...”

  ■ ■ ■

  The Air and Space Port was starting to look a little more like an actual operational base. Shuttles depositing waves of Army Engineers and their gear on the concrete near the control tower stayed just long enough to disembark their human cargo and under direction of the tower, rotate away, taxi a short way out and lift off again to repeat the process later.

  The lights all around the field and facility were the bright spot on an otherwise darkened planet, a welcome beacon of light that drew the shuttles and ships like moths to a flame. The tower greeted the first real traffic it had seen in months. The terminal and hangars accepted personnel and equipment; coming to life like a like a sleeping giant awakening from a long nap. Marines driving repurposed vehicles shuttled the newly-arrived soldiers from the landing zone to the entrance of the subterranean base, a flat, unassuming, concrete building between the two main hangars. This is where they would set up shop, their home away from home for the duration of their stay, with all the amenities of any permanent operational base.

  Sitting out under the stars in front of Hangar Two, the Revenge's long, black hull caught a lot of glances from the soldiers as they passed while being shuttled to the underground entrance and disembarking in her shadow. She looked fast and stealthy.

  “Zulu One, Skipper, see you in a bit.”

  Standing at the base of the missile frigate's ramp, studying her specs and systems on an e-Pad, Steele keyed his mic, “See you in a bit, Bri.”

  Alité walked up from behind him, her carbine slung over her shoulder, helmet dangling from her hand. “She's beautiful...”

  Steele smiled, “Yeah she is.” He grabbed her free hand, pulled her closer and kissed her, just long enough to quicken their pulses. “But not as beautiful as you... So how was your meeting?”

  “I think it went well, we covered a lot of ground. The biggest topic will be food and water. It's available, it's just getting it to them. We still don't know why they never left the city. People in the small towns and outlying areas seem to be doing much better than the people in the city.”

  Jack nodded, “Sure, people in rural areas are more self-reliant, and they work together better. There's a reason city living is called a rat race...”

  “A what? I've never heard of that,” her brow knitted.

  “In the city, it's all about who gets there first and can fight to take the most.” Jack shrugged, his armor barely moving, “It makes for competitive commerce, but it's not too good for the humanity in humans.”

  “But what do rats have to do with it?”

  Jack snorted, clenching his teeth to keep from laughing. “Nothing sweetie, it's just a saying. So, we were busy today too,” he added, changing the subject.

  She looked up at the Revenge, “I can see that. Where'd she come from?”

  “There's a subterranean hangar right below this one attached to the base. She was sitting on the elevator pad. They charged her systems and bought her up. She's a ghost ship, no records.”

  “Well she's not the Maultier you were hoping to steal... does this count?”

  “Pssch,” waved Jack, “this is way better.” He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, “She's got a GOD drive and a Valkyrie anti-ship missile system.”

  “EXCUSE me!”

  Jack spun on his heel, faced with the Army Engineer's command officer. “Major, good to see you, welcome to Velor...”

  “Is this how you people behave in the Marines? Officers fraternizing with enlisted personnel?” He motioned to Alité, scowling. “Marine, didn't you learn how to salute a superior officer?”

  She glanced sideways at Jack, not sure how to respond.

  Steele was determined to do his best to clarify the situation diplomatically. “Sir we are in fact, in Indian territory. The natives are not fully compliant as of yet, we are working on...”

  “We're in a secured location, Captain. I expect protocols to be followed completely.” He stood with his hands on his hips waiting. Jack glanced at Alité and shrugged, saluting. She did likewise, mirroring him, using the opposite hand. Seeing this, the Major looked like he was going to go apoplectic. “By the Gods,” he exclaimed, slapping his forehead, “I have never seen such a sorry excuse...”

  “I beg you not to finish that thought, Major,” interrupted Jack. “It wouldn't be a good idea.”

  The Major had an evil smirk, “Idea? It'll be a sad day in Hellion when I need a couple Jarheads to give me an idea. Now point me to your base commander.”

  “Ugh,” breathed Jack, taking a deep breath. He knew Admiral Kelarez would be forced to write yet another report on his behalf if he popped this ass in the mouth. “Let's try this again, Major,” he said calmly, extending his hand. “Jack Steele, Captain of the jump carrier, Freedom, and the temporary Base Commander.” He got a stunned, blank stare and a motorized, halfhearted handshake. “And this,” he motioned to his left, “Is Alité Galaýa Steele. My wife. And the Queen of Veloria. The whole planet.”

  “What..?” The Major's voice was deadpan and his face changed from ruddy to completely blanched, then to an odd pale green. Jack almost felt sorry for him. Almost. He decided to have a little fun at the officer's expense.

  “She is armored for her safety and she is under the protection of the UFW Marines, since she is the last remaining member of the Velorian royal family.” He turned to Alité and winked slyly, “I am sorry for this, your Majesty, he is simply uninformed... a little boorish, perhaps, but I'm sure he meant no disrespect...” he turned to the Major, “You didn't, did you?”

  “N-no of course not,” replied the wide-eyed officer.

  He turned back to his wife, “See? His is apologetic for his behavior, please forgive him...”

  “Yes, please forgive me, your Majesty...”

  Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes, “You are a wise and kind Monarch, my Queen, please tell me it is unnecessary to spill his blood over this indiscretion...”

  “What?” The Major's eyes turned to saucers.

  Alité caught her husband's game, a curl turning at the corners of her mouth. She turned away, her nose in the air. “He has my leniency. Remove him from my presence, immediately.”

  “Thank you your Majesty,” bowed Jack, “thank you.” He tur
ned to the Army officer, “I'd get going, if I were you.” He leaned close to the man, whispering, “See that sword over her shoulder? I saw her cut a man in half with one stroke yesterday,” he motioned across his mid-section. “Horrible,” he shuddered.

  The Major never looked back as he hustled off, hoping he hadn't stepped into some sticky inter-planetary quagmire.

  Hand-in-hand, the pair walked up the ramp of the Revenge, laughing. “We have her all to ourselves for the next few hours,” said Jack, “want to save some water and share a shower..?”

  ■ ■ ■

  Lisa's heart pounded, she was unsure of what to expect, standing there on the concrete, Nina and Gus standing with her. They watched the soldiers from their shuttle pile into a truck that looked different yet the same as any truck back home on Earth. Back on Earth. That was a concept that was increasingly harder to come to terms with. Traveling through space was difficult enough to wrap you head around, but hey the astronauts were capable, so it wasn't that foreign. But then there were the jump gates, created by the Ancients, architects of the universe... who no one knew or could identify. She was told the gates had existed for as long as anyone could remember and longer than records had been kept. Suddenly there was nothing that could be labeled as familiar, even the stars looked different.

  But the air smelled, well, like air. A blast of it hit them in the back as the shuttle they had arrived in, turned and slid away to the first runway before lifting unceremoniously off. And then they were alone, the Three Musketeers of sorts, standing on a landing pad of an alien world. Alien world. That thought made Lisa's stomach jump. Like her heart wasn't pounding hard enough. She was somewhat comforted by the fact that she and Nina were both wearing their Glocks, but you can't kill fear. She took a deep breath and held it, trying to slow her heart rate and quiet her nerves.

  “Hey! What are you doing out there? Get off the landing pad. I have more ships coming in!”