The Ocoda Chronicles Book 1 Paladin

by Daniel OConnell

  Secretary Chan says, "Caleb we are not done, discussing this."

  Caleb says, "Ok, keep talking, I have a planet to save, unless you have someone there with saving planet experience, I think I will consult with myself, and my crew of planet savers." Damn, why am I saying this stuff, I gotta reel this in, and I have to stop this contempt for them. They're only children in my mind, but they deserve the respect of their positions.

  With that, the transmission ends abruptly.

  Cooley says, "I didn’t do it."

  Caleb, who is ascending to his quarters and says, "Sure you did Cooley.” Gotta add some levity, and I have to stop myself from saying something more I’ll regret.

  Caleb smiles as he ascends to his quarters.

  Paladin says, "Lieutenant, I am sorry, Caleb had me cut communications. I believe he was trying to be funny."

  Jackson continues to hold his hands over his face, saying, "Cooley, please get the President and the Secretary-General back on the com." Cale, we really have to sit down after this one.

  Later in the day, in Caleb’s quarters, Jackson and the rest of the command crew arrive.

  Caleb is floating above in a meditative state, as his daughter is playing with holographic images created by Paladin.

  Jackson says, "Caleb, you know that stunt got me an hour worth of diplomatic headaches. They would have me throw you in the brig, if they thought we could." Don’t be doing the holier than thou crap either.

  Caleb opens his eyes and says, "Are we ready to discuss the fleet, or are we going to complain more about my diplomacy?" I’m sorry Jackson, I wish I could just say it, but I can’t.

  Jackson says, "Cale, I know you don’t like it, but you better start accepting that these people deserve a certain level of respect, and your childish, foolish ways don’t help them do their jobs. Look, I may agree with you on many different things, and you may be right in threatening the leaders of those six nations, but you need to start working with the people in power, instead of doing it your own way."

  Caleb looks at Jackson and the rest of the command crew and says, "Paladin, please bring up the asteroid field."

  A hologram then appears in the center of the ready room, displaying the T-Challa fleet and Paladin as well as a planetary system nearby. The hologram focuses on a planet surrounded by an asteroid field.

  Caleb says, "This planet had a moon that for unknown reasons, broke up over the past billion years. It created a very large asteroid field, very dense and extremely difficult to navigate. My plan is to draw the T-Challa fleet in here." Caleb points at the holoimage, continuing. "This will allow us to position the two support fighters to hit their ships with the new boarding pods outside the field, and maybe force them to come into the field.

  During the X’enablanca assault, Benton and his Marines did an incredible job taking over the T-Challa ships, and so after the boarding pods have been dropped. Colonel you and Commander White will cloak and go after that gateway. Both your fighters will be loaded with four nukes combined. My plan is for you to force as many ships to pull back to the gateway as you can, and then to detonate it, hopefully taking out as many ships as you can."

  Jackson interrupts, "What’s to stop them from bringing in more ships through the gateway?” I wish he would discuss these plans with me first, so that I can, at least can look like I am in charge.

  Caleb answers, "None Colonel, but they won’t do it unless they feel that they need the help, and it would be dishonorable to call in for more ships, especially when they outnumber us two hundred to one. That is why I want you to destroy as many ships as you can with the nukes near the gateway. You see if they have any doubt of victory, only then will they call in for reinforcements, but only if things look helpless, and when they activate the gateway. That’s when you should hit it. The explosion should destroy everything within a few thousand kilometers of it."

  White concerned asks, "What if they bring the gateway too close to Paladin? If we detonate it, you could be destroyed in the blast as well."

  Caleb adds, "Yes, and that’s why you will need to make your attack before they can get into range."

  Jackson says, "You’re putting a lot of hope that they follow their standard operating procedure Caleb."

  Caleb says, "No, not hope Colonel, deception is what I plan. Paladin will use the jammer to send out commands in the voices of their fleet commander. This should keep the gateway further back, and out of range of Paladin, and we will do this before Cooley will jam them. One more thing Colonel, even if the gateway isn’t activated, destroy it anyways."

  Cooley, confused asks, "Caleb, how can Paladin do that? We don’t know who the Commander is, or how it speaks to its crew."

  Caleb smiles, "As Colonel Jackson has pointed out on many occasions, I am an expert at pissing off people in power, and so I will get their fleet commander to talk to me."

  Jackson groans and shakes his head.

  Caleb continues, "After which, Paladin will use his image, and voice, to command the reserve fleet to stay out of range of the jammer, and to wait for his signal to open the gateway and call in reserves."

  White asks, "And if this plan fails, will there be a backup plan? I know it’s a stupid question."

  Caleb smiles and says, "Always so negative Commander. We’ll use the same plan as always Commander."

  White smiles and says, "We wing it like always, then sir."

  Caleb still smiling, "Now Onatof, I need you and Val to create a small mobile drive system, which can be used on the asteroid in the field. We will need you to install as many as you can make to be placed on as many of the surrounding asteroids as possible, and then we need to tie them into Paladins defense systems. We need to have Paladin maneuver them to block incoming missiles, and ships. As well as give us a way out of the field should we need to escape?"

  Val says, "We can use torpedo drive systems. I can have about a hundred ready in about a week."

  Onatof, concerned states, "They will be limited in how long they will last Caleb, they only have so much fuel, and they will not be easy to maneuver."

  Caleb unconcerned replies, "They don’t have to be pretty, just have to do the job."

  Caleb, turns to Klaus, and says, "Klaus, your job will be the toughest as you will have to maneuver the ship like never before. You will have very little space to work with, and the risks will be even greater, but I know you can do it."

  Jackson asks, "Why not just do hit and run missions on the fleet, whittle them down?"

  Caleb exhales as he answers, "Thought of that Jacks, but then they can justify calling in support ships from their home world. If we show our superiority to early, it will justify their reason to call enforcements and that gateway is just too well protected, in the center of their fleet, and their sensors scans are far too tight for us to sneak through their forces. Paladin has determined we have less than a four percent chance of destroying it that way, and we may lose all of our support fighters in the attempt, and Paladin as tough as he is now, cannot stand up to the firepower of two hundred ships."

  Anders reviewing the battle information asks, "With the four nukes on the two support fighters that will only leave us one in reserve."

  Caleb says, "Yes Scott, if we fail, I need that to be set to a remote detonator from the Bridge. We cannot let them take even one part of Paladin back to their world. They have a unique ability to reverse engineer anything they can get."

  Anders still concerned asks, "Caleb, why not meet up with the current Earth fleet? With the combined force of even the eleven, they have added to this ship, we could easily destroy them?"

  Jackson looks at Caleb, and says, "Because their ships are not as powerful as this ship, Commander." Your ball Cale, it’s up to you if you want to tell everyone the truth.

  Anders confused states, "Well, we were upgraded of course, but they should still be a significant threat."

  Caleb says, "Their ships are a little bit stronger than a T-Challa Dreadnought Scott, and their ships
have the potential to be as good as Paladin, but they are no way as powerful as Paladin is, or was.” Well, I guess I had better come clean.

  Anders, condescending, asks, "Excuse me, are you saying they built substandard ships? Why would you let them do that, especially when the fate of our world weighs in the balance?"

  Jackson stands and says, "Watch your place Commander, I did not agree with what Caleb did at first, but after seeing the power of this ship, and the potential abuse that we have shown throughout our history I have to agree with what he did." Now I am starting to sound more like Cale.

  Caleb sighs, as he states, "There are great people back home, but there is corruption as well. We have a long way to grow. There are many things in the systems of their ships, which they unknowingly installed, and that I can override. I can increase the ships powers by tying into each ship with Paladin. I can also deactivate their power core as well. I would never give a child a gun without any sort of safety to protect themselves, from themselves. Their weapons are about sixty-seven percent as strong as ours are, but their range is the same as the Dreadnoughts. Their top speed is much greater than the T-Challa's, but they are only seventy-five percent as fast as we are."

  Onatof asks, "When do you plan on informing the governments of our world about your little adjustments?"

  Caleb says, "I’ll leave that up to the people in this room to decide."

  Jackson says, "Ok people, let’s get going, we have less than a week to get ready."

  The room clears, as Caleb and Jackson are all that is left.

  Jackson sits and says, "You know they want me to throw you in the brig, put a leash on you, and do whatever it takes to put you in line." Tell me why I shouldn’t.

  Caleb smiles and says, "Well, you can tell them whatever you want, but we both know the outcome of that."

  "Cale.” Jackson says, "Look, I know how you feel, and it’s a good dream to try and make all the people of Earth work together, but you can’t force people to be like the X’ena’s."

  Caleb looks out the sky view portal and says, "Jackson, I know I need to have patience with the people of Earth. Hell, I have over eight hundred years to watch them grow. My daughter has thousands more to watch them continue to grow, but we both know that as soon as the T-Challa are dealt with, we will once again turn back on ourselves. It is human nature."

  Jackson says, "And your human Caleb, don’t forget that." You are not this hybrid. You are, Caleb

  Caleb smiles and says, "Jackson I am an ass, and that will not change anytime soon. I never asked for any of this, and if I could give this to someone else I would, but we both know I can’t, so I have to do things my way. I will try and let you deal with the governments of Earth from now on." I must learn to control my temper and my frustrations.

  Jackson says, "You know you probably shouldn’t have told everyone about what you did to the Earth ships."

  Caleb sighs and says, "Yeah, I thought about that too, but it needed to be said, especially to them."

  Jackson says, "Well, let’s hope the fallout from that goes better than your great and ever so short career as a diplomat."

  Four days later, Kitanna says, "Caleb, they can now scan us. Some of the ships are turning to meet us."

  Caleb says, "Cooley, open a channel to their fleet."

  Cooley asks, "On an open channel, or should I try a direct connection?"

  Caleb says, “Open channel.” Let’s see if I can stir the pot a little bit.

  Cooley says, "Channel open, sir."

  Caleb, says, "TO THE GANTU’AM THAT CHALLENGES US. I AM CALEB, LEADER OF THE SHIP THAT DESTROYED YOUR FLEETS AT X’ENABLANCA. I FIND YOUR RACE TO BE INFERIOR, AND I HAVE DECIDED TO GO TO YOUR HOME WORLD, AND DESTROY YOUR QUEEN, AND THEN END YOUR GANTU’AM EXISTENCE."

  Jackson smiles, saying, "You really love to piss people off don’t you?" Man, I swear he could piss off his own shadow.

  Caleb smiles back, saying, "It’s a natural skill, goes way back to my grandfather."

  Cooley interrupts, "We are picking up a transmission. Shall I open the channel?"

  Caleb says, "Open it.” Let’s see what I managed to fish out of there.

  The largest T-Challa that any have ever seen appears on the holoscreen. It stands almost two feet taller than any other they have seen before. It has two extremely large plasma cannons grafted on its upper torso, and the third a claw like circular blade, leaving only one arm for holding. Its body is riddled with scars, and many other obvious injuries from combat long gone by. The creature speaks in its native tongue, as Paladin translates. "I am Toth, leader of the T-Challa fleet. Your race is nothing. Your threats are nothing. We will enslave your people, and strip your world of all it has to offer, and as for you Caleb. I will personally board your ship, seek you out, and then I will kill you. I will then wear your head as a prize."

  Caleb replies, "You should really call in reinforcements. Your cowardly race is no match for me, or my people. Two hundred ships against my ship. Ha! I laugh at your Gantu’am challenge.” Wow, he’s a big one.

  Toth enraged replies, "I will show you who Gantu’am is!"

  Caleb, smiles, saying, "I am sending you my coordinates where I will meet you. I suggest only your brave come. Leave behind the weak and worthless, and please call in your reinforcements so that I may destroy the rest of Gantu'am race."

  Toth roars and cuts the transmission.

  Kitanna says, "Their entire fleet is now turning and heading for us at flank speed, they will be here in three days."

  Caleb calls out to Val, "Val brother, you have the thrusters ready for deployment yet?"

  Val answers, "I have seventy-four ready now. They can be launched from the torpedo tubes. I should have another thirty ready before the T-Challa get here."

  Jackson looks to Caleb with a smirk and says, "You know, I’m fairly sure that there is not a person in this universe that you can’t piss off." As much as I hate it when I have to clean it up, it’s pure poetry to watch him aggravating people, err aliens, err things, ahhh hell whatever the damn thing is.

  Caleb smiles, "Told yeah, it’s in my genes."

  Three days pass quickly, as the crew of Paladin makes ready their trap deep within the asteroid field, placing explosives and thrusters on different asteroids. Jackson and White make ready their ships, loading up their nuclear payloads, and the new boarding pods. The last hour’s move by quickly.

  Two hours until the T-Challa are in range.

  Caleb calls out, asking, "Status everyone?"

  Jackson says on the holocom, "White and myself are loaded up. I have Benton and his Marines with me, and White has Shi Reies, with his security force with him, we are also loaded with all four nukes. Let’s hope this works Caleb.” Because it would really suck to mess things up, especially when we're so close to home.

  Anders reports, "We have one hundred and thirteen asteroids online. We can maneuver them for about an hour continuously, or just short burst, at least until the thrusters run out of power. We also installed a self-destruct mechanism in each one, should we need to leave the area."

  Klaus states, "I have us placed well inside the asteroid field, and I have an escape route set, but I can’t guarantee how long it will stay open. Especially once those ships start firing into the field."

  Val then calls up on the com, "I have the new regenerative shields all set, and I have the power core at full power. I also have damage control teams ready on all decks."

  Cooley announces, "All the ships are well within range of the jammer now sir. I am just waiting for your message to order the gateway to stay back before I engage it."

  Onatof arrives on the Bridge and asks, "I am here as you requested Caleb, but I don’t know why?"

  Caleb says, "I want you to work with Kitanna and Anders to point out any weaknesses in their ships defenses."

  Qui Shi then comes down with Carla in her arms from Caleb’s quarters.

  She approaches Caleb and says, "I hope this doesn’t continue for t
his child’s entire life Caleb. She’s only four, almost five, and having lived half her life on this ship in a never endless series of life or death battles. What kind of life is this for a child? She deserves better."

  Caleb says, "Considering her life is a very long one Doctor, I hope that to be true. That this is not the way of her entire life.” Yeah, Doc always has a way of making me feel guilty about the decisions I’ve made for her. She would make a good role model for Carla.

  Meanwhile, on Jackson’s boarding pod, Benton contacts Jackson, "Jacks you want to plant us in one of the Dreadnoughts in the middle of their fleet. We can do some serious damage now that we can bypass their shields with these new pods."

  Jackson asks, "How many PCD’s do you have in your group?"

  Benton replies, "We have twenty, Shi Reies has twenty-five. He needs all the help he can get."

  Jackson opens the com to White, "Reggie, drop your pod near where I drop mine. Let’s give our men the best chance of working together, and once they're dropped, we will head out to the gateway, and pray that Caleb’s plan works."

  White laughs, "Well, there’s always plan 'B'."

  Two hours thirty minutes later, Caleb says, "Paladin, send the message.” Ok Cale, this is all on you. This was your plan, so don’t screw it up.

  Paladin asks, "Caleb, why do you talk to yourself in the third person like that?"

  Caleb, smiles replying, "Yeah, well Paladin, I don’t know why I do that. It’s something we humans do, like talk to ourselves when we are deep in thought."

  Paladin says, "Well, Cale, it’s kind of weird to me, because, I never know if you’re talking to me or not."

  Caleb amused replies to Paladin telepathically, "You can say I’m creeping you out my friend. It’s ok."

  Paladin replies, "Well, yes it does, but you’re my friend, and I didn’t want to be rude."

  Caleb replies, "Its ok Paladin, I prefer that you speak from the heart at all times. I expect nothing less from a friend."

  Paladin replies, "Thank you."

  Paladin sends the false transmission directed at the ships traveling with the gateway. He sends an image of Toth, saying, "This is Toth, hold your ships in reserve, and protect the gateway. I will deal with the humans."