The Ocoda Chronicles Book 1 Paladin

by Daniel OConnell

  Jackson curious, asks, "How sure are you he is still alive?"

  Caleb nonchalantly replies, "Fifty, fifty Colonel." Caleb takes in a deep breath, twitching, as the pain from his wound seems to distract him. He continues, "About eight hundred years ago, the scientist’s on X’enablanca picked up a signal from the outer moon of the colony. It had no audio transmission. It did, however, have a complex data stream on the X152… err I mean Paladin project. Only that X’ena scientist would have been able to transmit the information. Unfortunately, nothing else has been heard from him in over eight hundred years."

  Jackson asks, "You think we should try and go there?"

  Caleb replies, "I’m not sure Colonel, if we go and he is dead. We’ll add a month to our journey to X’enablanca, and I’m not sure I can last that long."

  Jackson says, "Well Caleb, I want those coordinates just in case something happens to you and I have to make that decision."

  Caleb sighs answering, "They are locked in the ship's navigation under the name Bach."

  "Bach?” Jackson curious, asks, "Why Bach?"

  Caleb replies, "That’s his name, well, I should say that’s as close to it as a human can pronounce it. You could say he’s Paladins father."

  Jackson annoyed, asks, "Does every sentence out of your mouth have to be smart-ass?"

  Caleb shakes his head, smiling, "Yeah, sorry Jacks, old habits die-hard.” Caleb pauses, as he collects his thoughts and says, “Val tells me that me that you and I have more in common than not.

  Jackson replies, "Yeah, he said that to me too. He also says you had the misfortune of serving under my father."

  "Worst assignment I ever had. I can’t even imagine the life you must have had with him.” Caleb answers,

  Jackson awkwardly replies, "Trust me Caleb we don’t want to go down that road."

  Elsewhere, down on the decks below, a very drunk and very big Marine is currently walking naked through the corridors.

  "Colonel Benton!” Lieutenant Cooley screams, "What the hell are you doing?"

  Colonel Benton snaps a salute to the Lieutenant, and slurs, "Hello Lieutenant Beauty Queen. I seem to have run out of whiskey. Would you happen to know where I could find some more?"

  Just then, four Marines run up from behind with a blanket covering Benton. One of them says, "Sorry Ma’am. He got away from us."

  Benton drunkenly says, "What the hell are you guys doing?"

  The Marine says, "We found more whiskey Colonel, just come with us."

  "Good job men.” Benton drunkenly slurs, "I see promotions in your future. How would you all like to be General’s?"

  The men scramble the drunken Colonel back to his quarters.

  Elsewhere on the ship, back in the engine room, Val and Onatof take readings from the engines and discuss Paladin.

  Val asks, "Professor, can I ask you what you think of Paladin?"

  Onatof answer, "Well, as a ship, it’s perhaps the most impressive thing I have seen in my life." He takes a deep breath, "Its technology is so far beyond anything I could even imagine, but as a living sentient being. It seems lost, like a child. Sometimes I find it is easily offended."

  Val curious, says, "Well, we have long talks about God and faith. Paladin sometimes seems obsessed with what will happen to him when he dies."

  Onatof smugly replies, "Like all things, when our time passes. It is over."

  Val snaps back, "Well, that’s your right to believe, but I feel that he will see God."

  Onatof rolls his eyes and replies, "God, please. The pipe dreams of the hopeless."

  Val angrily snaps again, "Professor please, you insult my faith, yet I give you respect for your lack of any belief."

  Onatof says, "Well, I apologize to you if what I said offends you, but I say what I think. You will need to grow a second skin when dealing with me my small Filipino friend."

  Val frowns, and goes back to making minor adjustments on the engine's secondary power distribution nodes.

  Back in the hangar deck, Commander White is working on Cavalier. He pulls up multiple systems, then starts going over energy readings and power distribution. When Lieutenant Rachel Cooley finally makes her way to the hangar bay, she sneaks her way up the cockpit and yells, "BOO!"

  White jumps, dropping computer data crystals all over the cockpit yelling, "Lieutenant, arggghhh!" She giggles and sits on the edge of the cockpit. Smiling, she leans over and says, "Well Commander, my name is Cooley. Not arggghhh, but if you're very nice I‘ll let you call me Rachel." She chuckles a little more, saying, "So is this your big bad fighter Commander."

  White slightly uncomfortable laughs, "Well, yeah… This is… Ahhh... Cavalier."

  Cooley laughs, "Really, wow, that’s so fascinating."

  White rolls his eyes, "Ok, so I’m not much on the flirting stuff Rachel. Anyways, why didn’t you want anyone to know what’s in your file?"

  Cooley frowns, answering, "I prefer some modesty, I guess luv. I have always been looked upon for what’s outside, not inside. When my brother was lost at sea, I changed from party girl to bookworm. It took years until I was acknowledged for my mind and not my body. I had to fight for every inch of the respect I got."

  White smiles, saying, "Well beautiful, I read your file and that one hundred seventy-seven I.Q. is looking pretty sexy to me."

  Cooley smiles back, "And I thought you didn’t know how to flirt luv."

  The two continue to flirt back and forth for several minutes. Until the hangar lights mysteriously go out.

  White spooked calls out, "Hey! Who the hell shut the lights off? What the. . .?"

  Paladin responds, "I did Commander White. I thought you two would prefer privacy."

  White jumps up shocked, as does Cooley.

  Cooley spooked, says, "Uhmm no. I have to get to bed. I’ll talk to you later Commander."

  Cooley then runs out of the hangar, and White sits back down in the cockpit slightly disappointed.

  Paladin says, "I’m sorry Commander White, I was just trying to help."

  White laughs, saying, "It’s ok Paladin, just a little unsettling. We will get used to you, as you do to us. I just find it amazing how you interact with us Paladin."

  Paladin responds, "It is difficult, but I try to do the best I can Commander White. Caleb is not a very social person to start with. So my interaction with others is sometimes limited."

  The following morning, everyone reports to his or her duty stations. Caleb reports to Dr. Qui Shi’s office, with Carla in tow. They sit down, waiting until Dr. Qui Shi approaches Carla with a lollipop, as she does every day.

  "Hello Carla.” Qui Shi stares at Carla and speaks softly, "Are you going to talk to me today?"

  Carla turns her head, holding her father’s shirt trying to hide.

  Dr. Qui Shi looks up, saying, "Caleb, I really think we should start some therapy with her."

  Caleb answers, "I agree with you Doctor. You set it up and I will bring her."

  Caleb rolls up his sleeve, as Dr. Qui Shi injects him with her daily treatment. Caleb then gets up smiles, saying, "Thank you Doctor. Just let me know when you want me and Carla to come down for her counseling."

  Dr. Qui Shi asks, "Can you leave her with me now?"

  He looks down at Carla and says, "Little flower, Papa needs you to stay with Dr. Qui Shi for a little bit."

  Carla starts to cry, when Caleb sternly says, "Carla, Papa needs you to do this. Please be strong for me, and Dr. Qui Shi will bring you right back to me when you’re done. I promise you will be ok; no one will hurt you."

  Carla cries some more, but takes Dr. Qui Shi’s hand. They both walk off to her office.

  Caleb stares as he watches her go with the Doctor. I’m at a total loss with what to do for her. Maybe Qui Shi can help. She is so good about seeing things others miss. It has to be worth a try.

  Caleb then walks back to the Bridge. Jackson, seeing him in the gangway walks over to him calling out, "Hey Cale! I want to ask you a question. Th
is came up back when we first met the T-Challa."

  Caleb says, "Ask away Jacks."

  Jackson asks, "Why are the T-Challa so interested in the Earth? Lieutenant Cohen has shown me thousands of planets that have similar resources. All are Earth like?"

  Caleb answers, "The T-Challa have less than fifty years’ worth of resources to maintain their massive empire. They have exhausted virtually every populated world within their empire, just to maintain their war. They need the Earth for its resources that’s true, but what is most important to them are its people. Those people are needed to gather those resources for them."

  Jackson stunned asks, "What are you, saying, that every populated world in their empire has been stripped by captured slaves?"

  "Yes and no.” Caleb replies, "T-Challa warriors use slaves to mine worlds. However, if a slave cannot cope with different planetary conditions then they are deemed unworthy, and then they become food. Because of this, and usually after the race has stripped their own world of all its resources, the T-Challa finds them to be of little use, other than food."

  Jackson uncomfortable asks, "So they have little choice, they need the Earth?"

  Caleb answers, "They do, and the next time they come to Earth it will be with a massive assault fleet."

  Jackson asks, "I just find it hard to believe these T-Challa won’t mine the resources they need for themselves."

  Caleb replies, "Believe it or not Jackson, the T-Challa believe themselves to be gods. For thousands of years they did farm, and cultivated their world. Then about three thousand years ago, their Queen for unknown reasons changed. No one knows why she changed. She suddenly believed that she and her spawn where the true power in the universe. Her way of thinking was then passed on to all her brood from that moment on, and once they discovered space travel they focused their might on finding slaves to build up their galactic empire."

  Jackson shakes his head, "I guess as a race, we’re not that bad after all."

  Caleb smirks, "We are only an infant race Colonel. In three thousand years ask me that question again."

  Jackson smiles, saying, "Sure Caleb, you have a plan for us to be here in three thousand years."

  Caleb smiles as he walks to the Bridge. Keep forgetting Paladin gave up so much of its life for me.

  Two more weeks pass, when Lieutenant Kitanna calls out from her station, "I’m picking up distant contacts Colonel."

  Jackson asks, "Lieutenant, can you determine what they are yet, have they picked us up yet?" Looks like Caleb may have guessed right.

  Cohen answers, "I can’t make out what class ships they are sir, but they are definitely T-Challa ships. At least twelve distinct signatures, and it doesn’t appear they haven’t seen us as of yet."

  Caleb finally arrives on the Bridge, having just left Carla for her daily session with Dr. Qui Shi.

  Caleb walks over to Lieutenant Cohen station. He looks over her readings. Yes, T-Challa ships, time to put this crew to the test.

  Caleb says, "It will take them a few days before they will detect us, this must be one of the T-Challa’s outer patrols. They look to be about two years from their home world Colonel. This will be a good test of our ability to perform as a crew."

  Caleb turns to Jackson, saying, "Colonel, set course, and let’s introduce ourselves to the neighborhood."

  Jackson looks over the Bridge crew, and says, "You heard the man. Klaus, take us on an intercept course."

  Klaus replies, "Sir, at top speed we have at least three days until we are in weapons range. Unless they turn towards us, in which case it will be two days."

  Jackson surprised looks at Caleb, and asks, "How long until they see us?"

  "Maybe two days if we head straight at them or a week if we go around them.” Caleb replies,

  "Hmm, pretty good sensors.” Jackson smirks.

  Caleb responds, "The T-Challa operate on three-thousand-year-old X’ena technology. Ours is not only better in range and detail, but it also allows us to see the battle in actual time. Even though the distance is so far away it reacts and compensates for light distances."

  Jackson raises his brow, saying, "Yeah, and you expect me to understand that last part too? Just say ours is better, that works for me."

  Twelve hours have passed, and Kitanna finally gets the classifications on the ships. She reports to Jackson, "I can detect four Light cruisers, four Medium cruiser, three Heavy cruisers, and one ship that is classified as a Dreadnought. Which my data files tell me is pretty close to our ship in offensive and defensive capabilities."

  Jackson calls out to Paladin, asking, "Paladin, how dangerous is this Dreadnought?"

  Paladin replies, "The additional ships in the fleet will equal the battlefield Colonel, but I expect we have a twenty-two percent advantage over the T-Challa regardless."

  Anders says to Jackson, "Colonel, sir, let’s take them out. We need the experience, and only battle can give us that."

  Jackson looks to Caleb, who is sitting in his chair, looking down at him. I guess I decide here and now to trust him, or oppose him.

  "It’s your call Colonel, you know my opinion.” Caleb simply smiles.

  Jackson turns back to Klaus and says, "Keep on target.” Ok Cale, we’ll do it your way for now.

  The following day, there is a command meeting in Caleb’s ready room.

  Jackson says, "Good morning everyone, I’ve been going over the tactical information on the T-Challa warships. So far, I’ve determined that we have an exceptional advantage with weapons range over their ships. However, I’ve decided that I don’t want to expose that advantage yet.

  Paladin and Commander Anders have assured me that our shields can handle most of their offense for a little while. Nevertheless, it’s this Dreadnought that I want to focus our attention on. Paladin, can you pull up the data on the Dreadnought."

  Paladin responds, "Yes, Colonel." An image appears of the Dreadnought ship. It is over two hundred and ninety meters long, seventy meters tall, sixty meters wide, and is covered in multiple plasma cannons of various yields. Paladin goes into detail explaining, "The Dreadnought is the most powerful operational class warship, in the T-Challa fleet. It has more guns than we do, and its shields are eighty percent equivalent to our shields. It is, however, extremely slow in maneuvering, which makes for an easier target. Also, while in hyperspace, it must drop from hyperspace every twelve hours for some unknown reason. This drop only lasts approximately five minutes, as of six months ago, the X’ena’s have only been able to determine that some sixty of these ships exists. However, recent X’ena intelligence has information on a new more powerful class ship currently under construction. It should be noted that this new ship was not yet finished when I left X’enablanca many months ago. Its classification is Super Dreadnought. I am unaware if this ship has been made operational as of yet."

  Jackson curious, asks, "Paladin, regarding the Light cruiser, can Templar and Cavalier handle them?"

  Paladin replies, "Yes, Colonel, the support fighter can handle one on one combat with a Medium class cruiser. The Light Cruisers are no match for the support fighters, provided the support fighter is fully armed. In addition, should you choose to use the boarding pods fully loaded with a Marine strike team, you will increase our advantage by some thirty-eight percent."

  Lieutenant Colonel Benton yells, "Hell Yeah! About time we Marines get to kick some alien butt. So... um... what the hell is a boarding pod?"

  Jackson smirks, saying, "Sorry Colonel, I want to limit their knowledge of our offensive capabilities for now. They don’t know about the fighters, and want to hold them in reserve."

  Jackson pauses, looks to Anders, saying, "You want to get battle experience Anders, you get your wish Scott, we do this fight with Paladin alone."

  Qui Shi asks Caleb, "Caleb how are you feeling? Do you think you can handle this strain?"

  A minute passes as Caleb looks at everyone in the room, and then he finally speaks, "I want everyone in this room to know that as f
or now, we are fine. There is still plenty of time, but this idea to attack the T-Challa is mine. I need to draw off the T-Challa fleet from the X’enablanca blockade. I need them to chase after us. You have no reason to worry as we can outrun anything they have. However, we need to pull as many ships from that blockade as we can."

  Jackson says, "Ok, then meeting adjourned. Please report to your duty stations. Let’s get ready."

  Twelve hours later, Cohen announces, "We are being scanned, and as expected, sir, they are turning towards us at flank speed. We will be in combat range in eighteen hours, fourteen minutes."

  Jackson says to Anders, "You ready?"

  Anders, who has started notching his chair, points to the notches in the armrest, saying, "I have plenty of room on this chair Colonel, sir, I have the six ships we destroyed from Earth. I’m looking forward to notching twelve more right alongside those."

  Jackson shakes his head in disbelief and says, "You carve up that chair Commander and you're buying it." That is one twisted person, good weapons officer, but definitely a disturbed individual.

  Jackson then orders all command and key personnel to eight hours rest so that they will be sharp for the battle ahead.

  Fifteen hours have passed. The crew scrambles to battle stations.

  Down in the torpedo room Val, Onatof, and Anders are setting up a new quick loader for the torpedoes.

  "This track will work well Val.” Onatof impressed, asks, "This is quite a setup, however did you come to think of it?"

  Val humbled replies, "It’s something I was thinking of when I first saw this room Professor. You see, I use to design different kinds of assembly lines before. This is a similar set up that I designed once before, so I thought it might work in here as well."

  Anders grins, saying, "Val this is utterly amazing, I can fire torpedoes constantly, the reload is unbelievable, you have more than tripled the load speed."

  Val replies, "Well, it only works on the twelve forward torpedo launchers in the bow. The port, starboard, and aft loaders won’t allow for this type of loader, there just isn’t enough room and since we are a few crew members short, I have been coming up with ways to automate a few systems."