Embers of War (Adventures of the Starship Satori Book 8)

by Kevin McLaughlin

  "They're being held for crimes against our people. An invasion of our world. A failed invasion, I might add, but the survivors of that assault are still our prisoners of war. Unless you can give me some cause to release them?"

  Chektak gave a long hiss, easily audible over the channel, that the translation software didn’t manage to convert to anything human. Dan read the hiss as frustration, but could he be sure? The Naga acted much like humans, but assuming anything could be dangerous.

  “Mammal, if you do not release our people, then we will invade your planet with force and take them back,” Chektak said.

  “If you were going to do that, why haven’t you already?” Dan shot back. “We’re stronger now than we were before. It’s going to take a lot more than three ships to take us down, this time. How much of your fleet are you willing to send here?”

  He was making this all up as he went along, bluffing for all he was worth. But everything pointed to the idea that the Naga simply didn’t have the ships to spare on another attack. That they were even bothering to talk instead of launching another strike; the fact they’d silently accepted defeat, not sending more ships for all these months; it all shouted to him that they were in trouble elsewhere. Something was up in Naga space, and whether it was an outside invader or a civil war didn’t matter much. It was buying Earth time to recover and prepare.

  A sharp, barking noise came from the speakers. Dan jumped, but then he realized that he knew that noise. It was Naga laughter. The alien was chuckling to himself. He glanced over at Martelle who shrugged and shook his head. He didn’t know what to make of it either.

  “You are not so different from us, after all. Incredible. I’d heard you were mammals with courage and fire, but I had to see it for myself to believe it,” Chektak said. “I’ve read every report on your people. You risked everything to save one of your own, more than once. Understand then, Captain Wynn. We are much the same in this regard. We do not leave our people behind in captivity. Whether I can afford to send ships or not is immaterial. I do not leave Naga behind.”

  Dan sucked in a breath. Chektak was right. The Naga and humans were perhaps more alike than he’d ever imagined. Not identical, but if they held some of the same values - maybe there was a possibility of some future relationship other than war.

  “I understand. We are much the same in that way,” Dan replied. “I would never leave my people behind, either.”

  “Then you will return them to us without combat?” Chektak asked.

  That was within the bounds of what he was authorized to give them. “Yes.”

  “Very well. We shall send a ship shortly to repatriate our people,” Chektak said. “It may take us some time, but we will come for them.”

  That, however, was not within the bounds of what he was allowed to give them. Dan had skimmed the diplomatic packet. Keeping the Naga out of the Sol system was considered of paramount importance. Under no circumstances did the President want another Naga fleet coming in toward Earth. Not yet, anyway. They were still too weak. Given time, they would be able to mount a decent defense, but until then they would only be showing a dangerous predator how vulnerable they were.

  “I’ll do you one better, Chektak,” Dan said. “We’ll bring them to you.”

  Eight

  The Satori flashed into space a fair distance from the world they'd called Dust. The planet filled the main screen in front of Beth, appearing closer than it really was. They'd intentionally come into the system further from the planet than they had to. Dust had a ring of Naga defensive satellites around it. In the past, the Satori had been able to slip by detection using their cloaking technology, but no cloaking device meant those days were long gone.

  Loading the ship had been completed rapidly, under Beth's direction. The stop by the lunar base to pick up Charline went off without a hitch. But Beth had a knot in her stomach about this place. Bad things had happened every time they'd visited Dust. She didn't like the planet, and the idea of leaving her friends here to fend for themselves made her feel a little sick.

  Andy was still locked in her quarters. Beth still wasn’t sure what she was going to do about him. He was bound and determined to land with the other people she’d taken on. Two hundred and eight would-be colonists, all crammed into the Satori in every nook and cranny they could manage. The cargo hold was so full of people that it was impossible to walk through it without stepping on someone.

  “How’s life support holding up, Majel?” Beth asked.

  “It’s not. We’re losing ground steadily. The recyclers were never meant to support this many people,” the AI replied. “It’s going to start getting stuffy in here soon, and eventually you’re going to have carbon dioxide issues.”

  “How long before it becomes a real problem?” Beth asked.

  “Just under three hours.”

  It would be enough time. Either they would be past the satellites by then, or they would have to give up and jump for home. The wormhole drive would only require an hour to recharge. Worst case, they’d simply jump back the way they’d come.

  “Captain, I’m not picking up the satellites,” Hernandez said. He was the Air Force sergeant on the scan console.

  “Are you sure?” Beth asked.

  Major Ayala crossed the room to stand over Hernandez’s shoulder, checking his results. Ayala was her second in command. They’d had a rocky start, but at least for the time being he seemed to have set aside the reservations he’d expressed about Beth’s posting as Captain of the Satori.

  “He’s right,” Ayala said, looking up at Beth. “The scan is clear. There’s some scattered debris in orbit, but nothing larger than a basketball.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad one,” Beth said. “Can we get readings on the debris? Is it what’s left of the satellites?”

  If something had destroyed the entire defensive grid that the Naga had placed over the planet, it might give them more clues about the strange enemy they suspected the Naga were fighting. But if a ship had come through and blasted those satellites apart, it was armed and dangerous. A battle would be rough on the civilians packed into the ship, and running was out of the question. Beth glanced at her console. There were still fifty-six minutes remaining until they could jump out.

  “Impossible to get a clear reading on the debris until we’re closer,” Majel said. “The fragments are too small to analyze at this range. But there’s something you might want to see on the planet’s surface.”

  “Put it on the screen,” Beth said.

  Majel complied. The main screen changed, showing a closer view of the planet’s surface. At this magnification, it felt like they were hovering in low orbit.

  “My god,” Beth breathed. “It worked.”

  “It looks like Earth,” Lieutenant Foster said. “Well, like a desert on Earth, anyway.”

  He wasn’t wrong. The screen was showing barren yellow ground and blue ocean. Beth wasn’t sure, but it almost looked like there were small patches of vegetation on the surface as well.

  “Is it like this everywhere?” Beth asked.

  “Negative. Only about thirty-one percent of the ocean’s surface seems to be clear. The rest remains covered with the Naga bio-weapon,” Majel said.

  On their last visit to Dust, the crew of the original Satori had seeded a little patch of ocean with a strain of genetically engineered bacteria, designed to eat the black ooze that the Naga had used to coat the surface of the oceans. The Naga weapon was diabolically simple. Once the black goo - which was itself a colony of single-celled organisms - came in contact with water, it reproduced explosively. One drop might contaminate an entire ocean’s surface in weeks. It proliferated so quickly that efforts to clear it out were useless.

  But they’d figured out a bacterium that ate the Naga one, and it seemed like it was working beyond all their hopes. If things continued the way they were going, in a year or two Dust’s water might be entirely clear of the stuff. Evaporation was already
beginning to happen. Beth could see bits of cloud here and there in the planet’s atmosphere. Clouds meant rainfall. Rain would mean rivers, which would allow plants to grow. In time, the entire planet might be restored to a real biosphere.

  “All right. We need to get closer to check out that debris, and we have to land to let people off, anyway," Beth said. "Foster, bring us in, but slowly. There's at least one ship out there somewhere which does have a cloaking device, and I'd rather not be taken off-guard if we can avoid it."

  "Bringing us in," Foster replied.

  "Still nothing on scans," Hernandez reported.

  Beth watched the screen, alert for anything that might give her some warning. But she knew better than most people how complete that cloaking device really was. In an atmosphere, they might be able to detect it by watching for air movement and Doppler effects, but out in space there wasn't enough material for a cloaked ship to interact with. Out in space, the cloak rendered a ship effectively invisible. It had always been one of the Satori's greatest strengths.

  Now she was on the other end of that ability, and Beth had to admit it wasn't much fun.

  "Are we close enough to get a reading on that debris yet?" Beth asked.

  "Almost...Yes, ma'am. Confirmation on the debris. It's almost definitely the remains of the satellite network," Hernandez said.

  "Something blew up the Naga satellites," Ayala said softly, stepping up to stand beside Beth.

  "The question is, are they still in the neighborhood, or did they leave?" Beth asked.

  "And are they friends or foes?" Ayala muttered.

  "Another good question," Beth said. "Foster, bring us in at a higher speed. I'd like to get into the atmosphere as quickly as we can safely manage."

  "You sure?" Ayala asked.

  "In atmosphere, a cloaked ship won't be able to sneak up on us, hook us with a tractor beam before we can even see they're around, and board us," Beth said.

  "Good point."

  The planet grew larger on the screen, eventually filling it as the ship began to glide through the upper atmosphere, slowing down to enter a long, gliding descent toward the surface. The tension remained, though. Beth could see it in the way each of her crew watched their console, eyes barely blinking. Everyone was alert for the signs of an enemy. But none was showing up, and now that they were in the atmosphere the odds of someone sneaking up on them had been decreased dramatically.

  "Bring us over to the area where the Satori set down before. That seems to be the focal point for the cleared out water," Beth said. "It will be as good a place as any to drop our survey team."

  Ayala made a coughing sound. "Survey my ass."

  "It's one hell of a Hail Mary pass, I'll give them that much," Beth said. "A colony, right here of all places? But when we're talking about survival of the species, nothing is off the table as a possible solution."

  "I guess. I wouldn't want to be going down there, though," Ayala said. "Poor buggers. Dust might have some water again, but it's clearly contested between the Naga and whoever they're fighting. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of that tug of war."

  Privately Beth agreed with him. Half of her wanted to abort this entire mission. Fly back to Earth and drop everyone off, tell Hereford that it was just too hot a site to risk. They'd find some other habitable planet someplace else. There had to be a lot more of them, after all. They'd already located a couple. All they really needed was one planet that wasn't on the radar of the Naga or their foes, and Earth could have a reliable back-door if things went south badly.

  But they didn't know of such a planet, not yet. Which made this move the best possible scenario, for the moment anyway.

  "Set her down, Foster," Beth said. "Gently, if you please. Ayala, with me. We'll help them unload. Foster, you have the bridge until we return."

  Nine

  Beth led Ayala down the hall toward her quarters. She'd been trying to figure out how best to bring the Major in on the secret she had stowed there, but finally decided the best method was simply to tell him.

  "This is not the way to the cargo hold," he observed.

  "No. I've got something to show you first," Beth said.

  "Something?

  "Someone."

  He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything more, for which Beth was a little grateful. She tapped the panel next to her door. It slid open at her touch, revealing Andy, sitting inside at her desk.

  "Ah, this is the someone?" Ayala asked. "You two are mad, you know that, right? I suppose Majel already knew he was here, right?"

  "Yes, I was the one who spotted him," Majel said.

  "You could have brought me in on it too," Ayala told Beth.

  "I wasn't sure precisely how you'd react," Beth said. "Frankly, though, I'm hoping you have some good advice on what to do with him."

  To her surprise, Ayala laughed. "Well, he's here for - what? - protecting Charline, is my guess, right?"

  "Pretty much hit the nail on the head," Andy said with a rueful smile. He stood up and extended a hand. "We've never met. Andrew Wakefield."

  "Luis Ayala. It's a pleasure," the Major said, accepting the handshake. "I still think you're clinically insane. Isn't this the world those bugs we faced on the moon came from?"

  "Well, we'll try to avoid them, at least most of the time,“ Andy said, flashing his teeth.

  "Try?" Ayala asked. “Most of the time?”

  "Andy was the man who ran up to the first one we met and tossed a stun grenade practically down its throat," Beth said. "Then he went back and stole a larva to lure the mom into chasing him up a tunnel so that he could get it to engage the Naga who had us pinned down."

  "You're just supporting my argument," Ayala said. "None of this sounds like evidence that Mr. Wakefield here isn't a little nuts."

  Andy ran his fingers through his hair. “To be honest, I don’t know if we can avoid them entirely. That lair we found? The underground one? It looked like it was once an old base of some sort. Well constructed, plenty of water…”

  “And a bunch of things that thought we looked like tasty snacks living in it,” Beth added.

  “You managed pretty well against them up on the moon,” Andy countered.

  “I got lucky,” Beth said. She grimaced, pushing away the memories. It had been a very close thing, that final battle. She’d been damned near out of options. If Majel hadn’t managed to fry the last of the alien insects, it probably would have killed her.

  “Well, that spot is likely the best place for the new colony, the way I see it,” Andy said.

  “Really?” Beth asked. “What is Charline going to say about that? She is in charge of this mission, remember. Which brings me back around to my original point. What do we do about you?”

  Andy shrugged and let his hands fall at his sides. Beth felt torn. If she allowed Andy to go along with the mission - even assuming Charline let him come, but Beth was betting she would - and something happened to him? Would she be able to forgive herself for allowing a friend to go into danger like that?

  “I think we should let the mission leader make the call,” Ayala said. “But if she’s OK with him coming, I don’t see why we ought to stop him.”

  “Really?” Beth asked. She was surprised by her second in command’s sudden agreement. “You’re the last person I would have expected to agree with this. You’re usually so by the book.”

  “I’m learning that sometimes you need to go off-book when it comes to dealing with the unexpected, in space,” Ayala replied.

  He wasn’t wrong. They’d gone off the rails more than once, in their early adventures. Doing whatever it took to survive and get home was more or less their usual mode. It was still a little unusual to hear it from him. Maybe she was rubbing off on the man?

  “Majel, why don’t you call Charline up here? I think we need her input on this,” Beth said.

  “Roger,” Majel said. Then, after a pause, “She’s on her way.”

  The trio waited in silence a few minu
tes until they heard a knock on the door. Beth answered it, and Charline walked in.

  “What’s up? Majel just said you needed me, and…” Charline’s voice trailed off as she took in who was in the room.

  “Hi,” Andy said, flashing her a grin.

  “I should’ve known something was up when you didn’t reply to my messages,” Charline snapped. “I wanted to say goodbye before I went off on this insane mission. Instead, you’re here.”

  Charline whirled on Beth. “And you knew? You helped him?”

  “I didn’t know what else to do, under the circumstances,” Beth said.

  “You knew too, didn’t you Majel?” Charline asked.

  “I did. You were distracted with issues about the mission,” Majel said.

  Charline walked over to Beth’s bed and sat down. She shook her head, then pointed her finger at the group standing sheepishly in front of her.

  “I don’t know whether I’m more flattered or angry, but I’m a good mix of both,” Charline said. “You should have said something. All of you.”

  “I just wanted to help,” Andy said, coming over to kneel down in front of her. “I wasn’t trying to get in your way. This isn’t about stealing your thunder. The mission they’ve set for you - it’s dangerous.”

  “I’ve faced danger before.”

  “You have. But like this? With stakes like this?” Andy shook his head. “Before, when we were in trouble, we always had each other to rely on. Let me be there for you, to have someone you can trust at your back.”

  Then he stood up and took a step back. “Or give the word, and I’ll go back home with Beth. Up to you.”

  “You know I’ll be glad to have you along,” Charline said, cracking a small smile. “It’s always damned hard to stay mad at you. But no more secrets!”

  “No more secrets then, I promise,” Andy said.

  Beth rolled her eyes. That the two of them were smitten with one another was obvious to everyone. Even Majel seemed to sense it. Everyone but them, apparently. She was glad that they’d been able to smooth things over so quickly and easily. It was more or less the result she’d expected from them. But there was more they needed to talk over with Charline, and soon - before the Satori departed the system.