The Captain sat back in his chair, raising his own hands. "You must be talking about a different war, Mr. Beutcher. The war we have been fighting is one of conquest. We were told when we first went out there that the Dullex family had abandoned those planets and they were rebelling against the Alliance by building and equipping their own armies. When we arrived, the first planet fell without much resistance.
"Did you know? The other galaxies? They don't all speak Alliance English? I thought every planet in the Alliance spoke the same language. Anyway, on the second assault we took some casualties, but the rebel population soon surrendered. The third planet, Harkaz, that was a bloody war. It took over a year for us to conquer that place. The inhabitants fought to the last man, woman, and child. I'm not in charge and I just follow orders, but I saw a lot of excesses in that war.
"Since then, all efforts have been directed at Doomlight III. Most just call it Doom. That's when the new ships showed up and our progress stalled. It's been a war of attrition for almost three years now. Everything we've tried to liberate on that planet since the initial raids have failed."
I drew a long breath. "That doesn't sound at all like what we—what I—have been told by Harden Salton himself. I was told that outside forces had invaded Andromeda and we were there trying to bail out the Dullex family because no one else would."
The Captain frowned. "I suppose it's possible that's what happened. Maybe these planets were taken and resettled by this new force and we are just taking them back. I don't know."
After many hours of deep discussion, Go interrupted our conversation. "We are three hours out from the portal gate, Mr. Beutcher."
I nodded. "Thank you, Go. Well, Captain, if you can give us any insight into that gate's operation, I would be happy to leave you there if you can help us get through it. That of course only applies if Joni Salton has been taken through. If not, I'll want your input on how to disable the gate until we can grab her."
Jack Carson offered a half smile. "I risked my life for that alien ship you are carrying. If you dump me and my team at the portal gate with that ship, I'll tell you all I know."
I thought for a moment. "That would be a fair trade. If you help us get Joni Salton out of there, I will personally take you and that ship to the shipyards."
The Captain nodded. "I can live with that. I can tell you what I know, but you have to keep in mind that the information I have is five years old. I was an admiral's aide when I first came through. He managed a walkthrough of the portal control room before we went through. If was five decks down from the top of the structure. Two decks below that is a docking bay that can handle smaller, shuttle-size ships. They had a small garrison of troops to defend it, but other than a few guards, the garrison was located on a destroyer parked outside.
"If you can take control of that gate, I think opening the portal may be as simple as pressing a button. If you can get control of that room, you can have that gate open in about thirty seconds. I think it stays open for about three minutes, unless something has changed since I last went through."
I gestured away with my hand. "And what of the other side of the portal? Is there a gate there to come back as well?"
The Captain shook his head. "One way sweep. If you want to come back through you have to be waiting there when the portal opens. And get this, the location is adjustable from the control room, so there is no guarantee that they will open the portal in the same place twice. But they do send transports back, so I would guess it probably doesn't change."
I leaned back in my chair. "Well, let's just hope they haven't gone through, Mr. Carson. That would not leave us many options."
Chapter 7
The Talisan Lieutenant I had assigned to oversee the enemy vessel came over the comm. "Sir, we managed to open the ship. If you're interested in seeing inside, we are in cargo hold three. Otherwise, we will begin documenting the ship's systems."
I looked at an eager Jack Carson as I replied, "Hold it open, Lieutenant. We'll be right there!"
The fifteen meter long, silvery ship looked like a near perfect, and otherwise featureless, teardrop. The Talisan engineers had managed to open a hatch by reverse engineering a beacon signal the craft was emitting. The hatch had opened to a horrid smell; the pilot was not there.
The Captain waved his hand with a grimace on his face. "Aw, that's a horrible stench! When we caught the ship, the pilot jettisoned himself into space. One of our gunners blasted him before we could bring him on board. We're probably lucky he didn't set off a self-destruct before he got out."
The Talisan Lieutenant spoke as he pointed to a display of the alien's vital signs. "Still showing a flatline, Sir. The environmental systems are offline. The layout of this health monitor is not unlike our own, although the language is unknown."
I replied, "Do we have any translation technology aboard?"
The Lieutenant shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Sir. We have a handful of translation algorithms that were in use as teaching aides from the AMP archives. We made use of those to help us decode the beacon signal, but there was no translation of language within that signal, just the breaking of a series of numeric keys. I'm afraid linguistics is not something we have anyone trained for either. In the Alliance there was no need."
I half laughed. "Yeah, having a universally written and spoken language in the Alliance was one of those things hailed as being a catalyst to help us better settle our differences, regardless of species. It worked for the last couple thousand years. Now we see the flip side of that reasoning. We have ultra-powerful computers but no linguistics abilities. Lieutenant, have your men do their best to record and log everything they can about this ship. We may be giving it back to the Captain in a few hours' time."
The Lieutenant replied, "Yes, Sir."
I looked over the cockpit as I attempted to wave away the smell. "It actually smells a lot like an unwashed Grunta kid. They avoid baths if not forced to take them. That smell will stay with them into adulthood if not cared for when they are young.
I continued, "That display looks like nav. And I would say that is weapons. Was this ship a fighter craft?"
The Captain nodded. "Yes. It's equipped with faster than light missiles that we have a tough time stopping. We've gotten better at detecting them, but we have to run deep scans almost continuously in order to pick them up. They are deadly accurate too. One of those will punch a twenty centimeter hole all the way through a large ship. Command needs to find a defense against those missiles. It could be the one breakthrough that turns this war around."
I stepped down from the hatchway. "As I said, help us get through that portal if needed and we will leave you and the ship at the gate."
The Talisan Lieutenant emerged from behind the craft. "Sir, I believe we have determined the reason for the ship's capture. On the aft of the ship is a plate that appears to be used for propulsion purposes. The plate has a blackened spot with a small pinhole in the center. We believe the strike from an ion cannon caught it directly from behind, shutting down the ship's propulsion and possibly other systems as well. The pinhole is through hull, Sir."
The Captain replied, "That could be why they abandoned the ship: no propulsion, and no weapons. Probably lost their life support as well."
The Lieutenant spoke. "Sir, we believe the occupant to be a biped. They would be approximately your size, Sir."
I nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep us informed. Mr. Carson, could I get you a cup of coffee?"
The Captain's eyes lit up. "You have coffee?"
I replied, "I have a small supply."
The Captain smiled. "I haven't had a cup of that sweet nectar in four years. You used to occasionally find it when new ships came through, but none have had it in years. At least not any that would share."
We walked towards the mess hall. "Yeah, it seems the Salton's sectors grow very little. Trade disputes have cut the supply down to a trickle. You'll pay tenfold for a cup as what you did ten years ago. It's become an
item of luxury in the Triangulum."
The Captain shook his head as he laughed. "I remember before the assaults on Doomlight started, I was desperately hoping it was a world rich in coffee, but I think all they grow there is misery and death."
As the Captain sat, I brewed two fresh cups. "Tell me about the war, Captain."
The Captain sat back in his chair. "Hmm. What a huge waste of life on both sides. Each time we bring in a new fleet, we have to fight our way through a reinforced enemy. Our space battles are all about getting our transports, with the soldiers, down to the planet's surface. We'll typically lose a third before we make it to the ground. It's the same for the enemy as well.
"Down on the planet, the fighting is sometimes hand-to-hand. The enemy battle-suits do a good job of defending against our blasters, and our battle-suits against their laser weapons. It's not unusual for both sides to expend their powerpacks just blasting back and forth at one another with little effect. After that it's hand-to-hand. I noticed troops on one of the last transports carrying a bludgeon weapon. It's about time. They keep it strapped to the back of their suits. From what I hear, when the fighting gets to that point, our side doesn't always do very well.
"The Humans do OK. I've seen a couple other species that could hold their own in hand-to-hand also. Most species are smaller than I am, and much smaller than you. I would bet your people would clean house under that scenario."
I set a steaming cup down in front of the Captain. "Have you found there are strategies or tactics that work well during a space fight?"
The Captain sipped. "Ahh! That is good. Thank you, Mr. Beutcher."
The Captain sipped again. "Just good flying and weapons aim is all I can say. Every battle, even though orders are put in place beforehand, devolves into complete chaos on both sides. After an initial maneuver, which is generally ineffective on both sides, it's every man for themselves. For a while I had a somewhat successful strategy of pairing up with two other captains that I knew and trusted. We kept each other alive for a long time. I lost them both in the last battle before I took on the ship capture venture."
I sat my cup on the table before sitting down. "We are completely unpracticed at war, Captain. We've been training for a month, trying to figure out strategies that might help should we get into battle. I can't say I am confident in what we've come up with."
Jack Carson waved his hand as he shook his head. "All you have to do is get past that first wave of missiles they fire at you. After that it's a free-for-all. Your gunners have to be precise and your defense personnel have to take out any remaining missiles they fire. If you can spot the missiles just as they drop from light speed, you have a second or two to take them out. We believe their guidance system only functions below that speed, so they slow before they lock in on you."
I sighed. "We don't have strictly defensive personnel, Captain. What can you recommend?"
The Captain thought for a moment. "Our destroyers are equipped with hundreds of small ion cannons. We primarily use them to fight off the missiles, as they usually don't do critical damage to a bigger ship. Tell me you have a number of these cannons."
I shook my head. "Each of these ships has a single heavy ion cannon. We believe them to be close to an order of magnitude more powerful than what has been sent out to Andromeda before. Of the smaller cannons, each ship has about a dozen."
The Captain winced as he looked down at his cup. "Hmm, yeah, I think you are gonna get hammered by that first volley of missiles. We have a hundred skilled gunners firing at everything coming our way and we still lose about 10 percent of our ships before engaging with the enemy. I like the sound of that heavy cannon. Will those be on new ships coming through?"
I sipped and replied, "I can't say. The Orwallians have complete control of all ion amplifiers at the moment. We acquired these straight from them, but I don't think they are providing any to the Saltons, especially since the rebellion."
The Captain looked up. "Orwall rebelled? When did that happen?"
I nodded. "They and two of their neighbors. Adicus followed with them. That's why Harden Salton attacked and forced them into conscription. I don't think they can do that with Orwall because they need the ion amplifiers and blaster tips that Orwall makes. As one of the original members of the AMP, they have pledged to never divulge the amplifier's secrets. Now, for two thousand years no one has needed them, so they are the only suppliers."
The Captain frowned. "I loved the AMP as much as anyone, and I can see the reasoning behind hiding away so many of the secrets they did. Blasters, wormholes, those are powerful weapons and easily abused. I think all of our species have a propensity to fight each other when others have more than we do. It seems to be in our nature. For a while, everyone had all they needed.
"Now, with the New Alliance, there are a lot of haves and have-nots, and as always there are some who aren't willing to work for what they see others enjoying every day. I tell you, I can easily see why the Orwallians rebelled. A hundred other colonies like them are probably waiting to do the same. I don't think most people recognize the stability being in an alliance brings, even if it is as faulty as this one."
I sat back and crossed my arms. "Huh. You are the first person I've come across, besides myself, that has that opinion. The New Alliance, even with its imperfections, keeps us from fighting one another. Without it, the colonies will all break down into war with hundreds of little fiefdoms emerging that will constantly fight with each other for control. I've been criticized for my allegiance to the New Alliance. I think others are just blind to what it has to offer. Primarily because of all its other problems."
I continued my conversation with Jack Carson for several hours as we fast approached the location of the portal gate. I was excited to find a kindred spirit who also believed in the New Alliance and the benefits of stability and fair trade that it had to offer. The ruling families, in their greed to control, or out-earn the other families, were its main point of failure. Over time those families could be dealt with. If the Alliance failed, I had no doubt that billions would perish in the inevitable wars that would follow. Captain Jack Carson saw things my way.
Go came over the comm. "Mr. Beutcher. We should have our first visual of the gate area in about five minutes."
I replied, "Thanks, Go. We're on our way up there."
As we walked onto the bridge, Go transferred the output of the visual sensor to the main holo-display. "We should start to see the gate any second. It will be in the center of the display."
I sat in the captain's chair as a static image of the gate complex began to form on the screen. Missing or fuzzy bits of the image began to fill in as the visual sensors gathered more data. Five minutes into the viewing, the image went live.
Jack Carson walked up to the holo-display and pointed. "This is the deck the control room is on. Last I knew, it was situated between these two pillar structures."
I stood. "Where would the ships be that were waiting on the portal to open?"
The Captain stepped back and looked over the display. "Last I knew they would have been right here. The portal opens right beside that complex and sweeps backwards."
Jack Carson turned back to face me. "I'm sorry, Mr. Beutcher. If your people were waiting to go through, they would have been right here."
I plopped back in my chair in deep thought. I now had no choice but to travel through the portal. Garrett and Joni were in Andromeda. I was their only hope of getting home.
Go touched me on the shoulder. "Sir, we are going to be in detector range of that complex in a few minutes. What do we do?"
I looked up at Jack Carson. "I don't suppose there is any way I could convince you to come with us, is there? We could surely use your help."
The Captain shook his head. "I need to get that ship back to Command, and I want to see my family. I've been away from Barrington Station for far too long. I want to see home."
A chill came over me. "Did you say your family was on Barrington?"
The Captain gave a worried look. "Yes, why?"
I replied with a solemn stare. "Barrington Station was conscripted some time ago. You may have escorted them down to one of those planets."
Jack Carson froze for a moment before stumbling over to one of the open chairs. "I have to sit down."
I sighed as I reached out to place my hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Captain. That all happened many months ago. They would have long since been through that portal."
The Captain slumped back in the chair, crossing his arms. "They would have gone to Doomlight ... I can't believe this."
"How did you come to be in the fight in Andromeda?" I said.
The Captain replied, "I was a policeman on Barrington Station when I was approached by a group called the Organization."
I pulled my arm back. "You were a member of the Organization?"
The Captain nodded. "Yes, I did a lot of spying for them and was eventually recruited as an admiral's aide in the first of the fleets going through. I was in it for nearly a year before I was assigned to make a jump through to Andromeda. A team from the Organization came through the portal with me. We had the assignment of capturing one of the alien ships. After the first couple failed attempts, they just gave up. It had been a few years, and I wanted to come home, so I took it upon myself to capture a ship. I saw it as a way to come back through. I'd like to go back there now if I could."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Carson. After a colony gets conscripted, the salvagers show up to pick over whatever is left. Barrington is probably nothing but an empty husk now. It may have a few resettlers from elsewhere. The infrastructure would be in shambles, and the natural processes would be working to take back everything that's left."
Jack Carson looked up. "This changes everything. If I have family left, they are on the ground on Doomlight. I have to try to rescue them. If you promise to take me there, or to a place where I can get to there, I will help you recover Joni Salton … although, I don't know why I should now that I know it was the Saltons who took my family from Barrington."
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