I shook my head.
Joni asked, "What are you thinking?"
I replied, "What I'm thinking is that we still don't know anything about the Grumar or the Greens. We know they are in control, but we don't know anything else. The rest of the cities on that planet, they might all be empty. Our troops and Dovit's troops, they may have been taken off the planet for all we know. Other than those killed down there on the battlefield, the rest might still be alive for all we know."
Garrett sighed. "Tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
I looked up. "If we are to advise the New Alliance on what to expect out here, we have to know what the Grumar are up to."
Garrett reached over and set the Jess to stop. "OK, first, there is no way I can operate this ship with five other people and these boxes all jammed in here if we are heading back. I need room. I need to be able to think and to operate this ship quietly. Voices, walking, inadvertently banging something around or even tearing open one of those supply boxes, sends vibrations through this hull. Those vibrations can be detected if the right equipment is used. And I have to assume you are talking about trying to grab a Grumar for interrogation purposes?"
I nodded. "We have to know. We cannot plan a sufficient response if we don't know what we are up against."
I took a deep breath. "We need to find Jack and the Garmon. Take us to where the portal opens. Jack will be waiting somewhere near there."
Garrett rubbed his chin. "You are assuming that Jack made it out of there."
"I am. If we are to learn what the Grumar are up to, we will need Jack."
Karrissa spoke: "OK. I told you who I was. I know who these two are, and I have a general idea of where they are from, a system about halfway between here and the nighttime feature we call the Barnlight nebula."
Dovit sat up. "You know of our home world's location?"
Karrissa smiled a crass smile. "Your people squeal just like everyone else if the right pain is applied."
Dovit's expression turned to one of worry. "Only a few knew the location of our worlds. They must have gotten to one of those."
Dovit grabbed my arm. "We must go there instead of through your portal! My people have to be warned!"
Joni patted Dovit on the shoulder. "You said yourself it would take six months to get there. If she knew about your home world three years ago, the Grumar knew about it too. It's very likely they have already gone there. And if so, your people know."
Dovit leaned back. "This is horrible."
Karrissa replied sarcastically, "Welcome to my world. You attacked us, now it's coming back to haunt you. How does it feel to think of your planet being destroyed and your people all dead or enslaved?"
I raised my hand. "OK, one thing I think we can agree upon is that everyone on this ship is on the same side for the moment. The real enemy is the Grumar and whatever it is they are up to. Dovit, your worlds may still be intact. And Karrissa, your people may still be in the other cities on that planet. We did see at least one family being taken away from a farm not far from the city we were kept in.
"And just so we are all of the same mind, we are heading to the portal where we hope to find Jack. Once that is done, Garrett and I will return in the Jess with a mission of grabbing a Grumar for interrogation. After that, we go back through to let the Alliance know what's really happening out here."
Dovit looked angrily in my direction. "And what of Tobik and I? What of our people?"
I raised both hands. "Please, let me finish. After giving the news to the Alliance, I will be coming back through the portal. Karrissa, we will attempt to find your people first. Dovit, we will then travel to your worlds so that you can be returned to your people. After that, I will remain out here. I have to know more about the Greens. How many are there? Are they a threat? Do my people need to prepare to once again fight our most feared enemy?"
Garrett shook his head. "Sounds like you are planning on saving the universe. I'm guessing you are going to need some help."
Joni chided in. "Yeah, we can't let him take that on all by himself. You can count me in as well."
The ride back to the portal was long. I used the time to quiz Karrissa about the Doomlighters and Dovit about the Moddles. Dovit was free with his information. Troops, ship types, the politics of his empire's leadership. His lack of a family. He had grown up in government care as an orphan. His life had been dedicated to his work, which is where his only friends existed. He had never taken a wife.
Tobik was the opposite. He had a large extended family and many friends. He had only achieved the rank of Commander after passing up several opportunities that would have brought promotions with them. His focus was on his family, the military had come second.
Karrissa was young, only out of her primary education when the Moddles first arrived. The Doomlighters had achieved space travel, but they had only had their first visit to a nearby star system the year before the wars began. They did not have a fleet of warships with which to defend themselves. The Moddles had easily taken control of their space.
Shortly after our arrival at the portal area, Garrett received a comm call from Jack. "Tell me the others are still alive!"
Garrett replied, "They are here, though we are crammed in here, so, I'd appreciate it if you could take them off my hands!"
Jack laughed. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
As the Garmon pulled alongside, Garrett piloted the Jess through her gravity wall and into the main docking bay. When the rampway dropped, Jack Carson was standing there with a smile.
Joni was the first down the ramp, with Raptor by her side. "Hello, Miss Salton."
Joni replied, "We are very glad to see you, Mr. Carson. Did any of the other ships manage to escape?"
Jack nodded. "Three. They are waiting at another location not far from here. The Adican called Jontik was among them. He has been extremely helpful at keeping order and calm. I'm sorry to say that probably only twenty thousand of the Adicans escaped. I don't know how they got that transport safely out of there, but they did."
Dovit and Tobik escorted Karrissa down the ramp. "I see you picked up some strays as well. Welcome to the Garmon."
Dovit and Tobik nodded as Karrissa looked around.
I replied, "This is Dovit and Tobik. They are our guests until this is all straightened out. Consider them the ambassadors from the Moddle Empire. They are who we were originally fighting."
Jack's demeanor changed to one of disgust. "I lost a lot of good friends to these people. Why are they here?"
I placed my hand on Jack's shoulder. "They are here to make peace. Neither of these two ever pulled a trigger on a weapon aimed at anyone we know. They came late to the war and were made immediately captive by the Grumar. This young lady is a native Doomlighter. Take these three and see that they are fed, given a change of clothes, and given quarters."
Jack held out his hand. "OK, let's have the weapons. You won't be needing them here."
Dovit withdrew. "I would prefer to keep mine if you don't mind."
Jack shook his head and gestured for the weapons. "I do mind. This is my ship, and as Captain I make the rules. Look around you. Do you see anyone else carrying weapons?"
Dovit reluctantly held out his laser pistol. Tobik followed.
Jack smiled. "Sergeant Holmes! Get these three fed and settled in quarters. They are ambassadors. Please treat them as such."
The sergeant saluted, escorting the others.
Dovit spoke. "Why is a sergeant on a ship?"
The Sergeant laughed as they turned to walk away. "I think you'll find our military style here is run a bit on the loose side. We aren't really official, so things can be a bit messy on the protocol front."
I looked at Jack. "Can you get us some help with moving some of those supplies off of the Jess. Garrett and I have to go back out."
Joni stepped in. "I'm going too."
I shook my head. "Sorry, two on that ship is already a crowd. We may end up
with more than one Grumar if we are successful. You might spend the time with the Adicans. Fill them in on what has happened. They will want to be a part of any future effort to find and rescue their people."
Joni sighed. "Agreed. But the two of you better make your grab and get back here. I don't want to have to wonder if you're alive or not any longer than I have to."
I smiled. "I am glad you care. It's a trait that separates you from the likes of your uncle."
Joni frowned. "He cares. I think he just gets bad advice and is a little too prone to accept it. When we get back, maybe we can all talk some sense into him."
I took an hour to fill Jack in on our adventure. When the talk was over I walked back aboard the Jess, where Garrett was waiting.
"Are we all set?" I asked.
Garrett replied, "Supplies will last the two of us six months. Depending on how many passengers we pick up, that number drops accordingly. If you are ready, we can head out."
I nodded. "Make it so, Mr. Rourke."
The Jess was soon out of the docking bay and speeding away from the Garmon. The journey back to the Doomlight system passed quickly. Garrett maneuvered the Jess to come in from behind the methane covered planet nearest our target. Deep scans were run continuously. Garrett leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
I looked over the scan data. "I hope we are able to pull this off without a long delay."
Garrett replied, "You know I have my eyes closed. That means I'm resting."
I laughed. "You can rest when the mission is complete."
Garrett shook his head. "Now you're sounding like the Saltons. They don't care about you personally, only that you get the job done."
I half smiled. "Well, the job has to get done."
Garrett leaned forward and began to look over the results. "Wait a minute. How long has that been there?"
I replied, "What?"
Garrett scowled. "That. Can't you see that blob?"
I looked over the display image with a bit of confusion. "Hmm. I thought that was a reflection. How long has it been there?"
Garrett scrolled back through the data. "Twenty-six minutes ago. And from the looks of it, that thing is huge! Probably five or six kilometers across! Here, let me refocus the sensors."
Thirty seconds later we had an image of a Grumar battlecruiser.
Garrett continued. "Those are ion cannons, only much bigger than ours. And there looks to be at least a dozen of them on this side alone. All of those secondary guns are the size of our biggest cannons. And look at the density readings. The armor on that thing is at least five meters thick. We could beat on that with the cannon here on the Jess all day and hardly make a scratch."
Two additional blips flashed on the screen. "It looks like they have company."
Garrett scratched the side of his head, ruffling his thick hair. "They have three of those monsters right here. No wonder they easily overran the Moddles and our troops when they showed up. Just one of those ships could take over an Alliance planet. We have nothing to match that firepower or shielding."
"Just one more thing to report," I said. "Do you think you could get us in closer?"
Garrett whipped his head around to face me. "Why did I know you were going to say that?"
"Well? Can you?"
Garrett sighed and nodded. "So much for my resting. What if I set us down on that moon in the same spot I was in before?"
I replied, "Would you still have sensor access from down that tunnel?"
Garrett shook his head. "No. But I could put us right at the end of it. Unless someone was to fly directly over us they wouldn't see us. Our issue with that moon will be the fact that it rotates. We'll only get a good look at those ships for about six hours out of sixteen. Being down in that hole will probably limit that view to two hours."
I nodded. "Two hours of data from that distance is going to be a lot of data."
Garrett punched in a path to the moon. "I'll say. Especially when the moon is passing over their position. That may take us within a hundred thousand kilometers. If they have windows, we'll be looking in them."
Garrett laughed as he thought about that statement. "I guess that's going to make you a peeping Grunta."
I looked up. "Was that supposed to be funny?"
Garrett shook his head. "We really need to get you a humor implant. Yes, that was funny. Peeping Grunta!"
Garrett continued to chuckle. Several hours passed before the Jess was safely in position on the Doomlight moon. Our first close-up look at the mammoth ships revealed rectangular superstructures five and a half kilometers long by a half kilometer tall and a kilometer deep. The outer hulls were a deep gray in color and covered by protruding towers, gun turrets, docking bays, and a multitude of antennae. Small shuttles and larger transports were in constant service going to and from the planet. I had to guess the Adicans were being taken away.
With the arrival of the ships, patrol activity in the system had picked up as well. Our previous observation point on the edge of the nearest methane planet was checked several times in the hours since we had left. Our immediate mission had changed. Gathering intel on the massive ships was now our priority.
Chapter 21
Three days of observation passed while parked on the Doomlight moon. With each rotation, a two hour window of viewing placed the great ships square in our view. The data gave us complete three dimensional models of the exterior of each ship, as well as the many small ships that serviced them. It was a trove of data that any military commander would have given a right arm for.
As the fourth window of viewing opened, our moon received a visitor. A large shuttle landed on the abandoned port not far from our location. We stood in the stairwell of an adjacent ruin, gazing at them through an observation scope.
Garrett said, "They are unloading a lot of material over there. The translation app says that big box is a habitat. I have to think they are setting up camp. If they start nosing around, we are going to have to scoot."
I zoomed in on two of the workers as they stacked boxes. "This might be our best opportunity to grab a Grumar."
Garrett replied, "I don't know. How much knowledge are we going to be able to squeeze out of a common worker?"
I turned my focus to the individual barking out commands. "Well then, we grab the boss. He would have to at least be informed at a level above the laborers. He could certainly tell us what their plans are for this moon."
Garrett turned back to look at the massive ships. "I sure would like to get someone off of one of those big boats. An officer of some rank would be about the best we could hope for."
I lowered my scope. "And just how are we going to do that?"
Garrett looked down at the shuttle and smiled. "That boss is a Green. I have an idea."
I raised the scope. "Tell me you aren't thinking what I think you're thinking."
Garrett smiled. "I'm just saying, if we were to grab that guy and green you up, you might be able to walk around on one of those ships."
Again I lowered the scope. "Your idea is ludicrous. First, those workers would recognize that I wasn't their boss."
Garrett shook his head. "I don't know about that. Look at them. Not a one ever looks up at him. And frankly, as a non-Grunta, I really have a hard time telling one of you from another."
I tilted my head. "I think I might be a little offended by that remark."
Garrett laughed. "Well, I don't think it's unique to Gruntas. I have trouble with a lot of species. I'm sure Human traits don't stand out with you as much as they do with us either. Just think, though. You get on one of those ships, grab an officer, steal a shuttle. What a monumental intel grab that would be."
I raised the scope and once again began to observe the workers. "You are living in an insane world if you think I am going on one of those ships. There are too many things that would have to go exactly right for that to work. First, I would have to not get caught."
Garrett began observing again. "That's a mino
r detail, just one of a handful we would have to work out."
"Not happening," I replied. "Though I do like the thought of snatching a Green. My people would absolutely explode if I brought home a Green. Imagine eleven million Gruntas standing with their jaws dropped. The legend of the Greens confirmed. That would be monumental."
Garrett half smiled. "I guess grabbing a Green wouldn't be a total loss. I would still want to grab a couple of those Grumar. Even workers have some knowledge."
I looked over the Green Grunta as he stood on the loading ramp of the shuttle. "Our problem will be with how we grab him. He won't go easily. I don't know how much you've seen of my actions, and I don't like to divulge this, but compared to Humans we are insanely fast."
Garrett lowered his scope. "I've seen you react, and yeah, it's impressive, but I wouldn't call it insane."
I gently set down the viewing scope and held out my hand. "Give me your scope."
Garrett smirked as he handed it over. I gently set it on the stairwell beside the other instrument.
"Now, prepare yourself to react," I said.
Garrett tensed up. "OK, but I gotta say that if I can see it coming—"
In an instant I had Garrett Rourke pinned against a far wall. He couldn't move. The expression on his face spoke of intense pain. I released my hold. Garrett slumped to the floor.
After several heavy breaths and a stretching of his shoulders, Garrett acknowledged the move. "OK, you're right, that was insanely fast. That was wild animal fast. The way you lumber around everywhere, I didn't think you had it in you. I knew you were faster than me, just nothing like that."
I replied, "Please do not tell anyone of those abilities. It is something we guard closely."
Garrett worked his shoulder. "Now I know how your kids took down the Governor's mercs. Those fools never stood a chance."
I nodded as I handed Garrett his scope. "We are proud of our children."
Garrett pulled the scope up to his eye with newfound respect. "So, that Green, are they as fast?"
OMEGA Allegiance Page 20
