Once Jason entered the Craing bridge, he contacted Ricket.
“Go for Ricket,” he replied.
“Remotely, can we navigate this vessel from The Lilly?”
“What did you have in mind, Captain?”
“I want to capture this ship, along with the other two, take them out of orbit and park them back in the Chihuahuan desert. Can you do that remotely?”
Ricket was quiet for a moment. Then spoke up. “I’d need to set up three virtual helm stations, right here on The Lilly’s bridge. To configure that, I’ll have to access their bridge as well as their AI. I’ll be right over.”
As Jason and his team waited, he looked around the Craing bridge. Again, it was dirty and a strange mix of new and old technology. Billy had assembled the Craing bridge officers into a group and sat them down on the floor. They wore the same gold, silver, copper and bronze medallions. Jason took the gold medallion from the Craing leader and placed it around his own neck.
“What can you tell me about the approaching fleet?” Jason asked.
The group of Craing officers looked nervously from one to the other. Finally, the captain spoke. “Please do not harm us. This is a great honor for your people. Understand, the Craing cannot be defeated. Our numbers are too great. We are bringing order all across the universe. Your world will be added to the Craing Empire, subject to serve the emperor’s regime. This planet has been seeded for many years now. It is all but done; the only thing left for your people is obedience.”
Jason watched as the alien spoke. He didn’t shoot the captain, although the thought crossed his mind. What he needed was information. Truth was, Jason didn’t think it would take much effort to convince any of them to spill what they knew. It seemed the Craing hierarchy was about fear and subjugation, certainly not about empowering their lower-level leaders. But that would be for Admiral Crawford and her people to determine.
Ricket entered the bridge, a satchel hung from around his shoulder. He went directly to the helm console and started unpacking a myriad of things, including fiber link-type cables, two small cell phone-size devices, and a larger box that everything connected to, including the helm of the Craing ship. Ricket held two fingers up to his tiny ear and connected to the AI. “Lilly, we’re ready for navigation and systems tests,” Ricket said.
Although Jason couldn’t hear what the AI said back to Ricket from his expression, it obviously irritated him. An uncommon emotional response from Ricket. He really didn’t like the Lilly AI—that was apparent. After a few inputs and settings changes, Ricket turned to Jason. “This vessel is now under the helm control of The Lilly. Not only its navigation, but all systems ship wide.”
Billy’s team added the Craing bridge crew to the other captured prisoners. A small contingent of Allied crewmembers would be left onboard, primarily as a security detail.
* * *
Within ten minutes of being back onboard, they had shifted back into Earth’s orbit to hunt down the other two Craing vessels.
The XO said, “Contacts—the two Craing ships. They’re together.”
“Distance?”
“Five hundred miles out, sir. We’ve been scanned and they’re approaching fast.”
“Make the announcement for General Quarters, XO.” Jason said, now seeing the two Craing vessels come into view on the display.
“We’re taking fire, Captain. Sustained plasma blasts to our aft. Not sure how long shields will last with so much hitting us all at once.”
“Well, it’s about time this ship was put to the test.”
Two Craing warships attacked in earnest, and came at them from two apposing flanks, throwing everything they had at The Lilly.
“Captain, we have plasma fire coming from both battle cruisers. Every gun is firing. Shields are holding at 98 percent,” Orion reported.
“Stay on course, Helm; bring us right up close and personal.” Jason commanded.
“Yes, sir,” McBride acknowledged.
“Multiple new contacts, sir. Craing Drone Fighters.”
The wrap-around display came alive with additional activity. Fifty insect-like fighters emerged from both Craing vessels and quickly moved to engage The Lilly from multiple angles.
“Captain, the fighters are firing plasma as well as small rail-gun ordnances. Shields are holding at 96 percent.”
“Captain, the AI is requesting automatic tracking and firing dispersal to engage the fighters,” the XO inquired.
Jason watched the display as over one hundred ships fired continuously at their hull.
“Gunny, how far out are we from intersecting with either of these warships?”
“Still five miles out, sir.”
“XO, let’s see what the AI does with those fighters. But watch that we don’t engage the battle cruisers. We need them intact.”
Jason felt the bridge subtly vibrate beneath his feet as the big plasma cannons, two forward and two aft, snapped into position. Tracking, the gimbal-mounted cannons spun until they acquired proper firing solutions. Almost simultaneously all cannons fired. The display erupted in a blaze of plasma fire. Within ten seconds the screen was still.
Orion, speechless for several moments, shook her head and then spoke. “All fighters destroyed, Captain.”
“We’re now within two miles of both Cruisers,” McBride reported.
* * *
Jason ordered The Lilly to shift into the first Craing vessel’s hold, and dropped off two SEAL teams. They waited several minutes and then shifted directly into the other nearby Craing vessel and dropped off two more teams. Then they shifted back out to open space. From The Lilly’s bridge, they watched the action unfold from multiple helmet cams on the segmented display. As Jason watched the battles play out, he couldn’t help but admire the rhino-warrior’s unwavering courage under fire and their passion. First on one ship and then on the other, the lights went out. The other alteration Jason had made to his battle plan was to issue secondary weapons: thick, massive projectile handguns that fired multiple narcotic-laced projectiles. This time, he didn’t want to kill the rhino-warriors.
By the end of the day, all three Craing vessels had been captured, without any additional losses on the side of the Alliance. It took a little trial and error navigating the three Craing ships out of Earth’s orbit simultaneously, but once Ricket, McBride and Perkins spent enough time at their makeshift remote control stations, they ultimately were successful and able to shift the ships to the desert outpost.
Chapter 16
The Four Craing vessels were situated in a large circular configuration on the Chihuahuan desert floor. Right in the middle was The Lilly. The Army had been infiltrated far more than the other military branches. Through a blitz of disinformation, they were quickly separating themselves. Admiral Crawford hadn’t wasted any time procuring her own military assets from the Navy, Air Force, and Marines, but not from the Army. In a matter of hours a city of tents and portable administrative structures had popped up all around the periphery of the small fleet of alien ships. Still a mere drop in the bucket compared, in magnitude, to the approaching Craing armada.
Ricket had come up with dozens of hand-held vetting devices: Simply point and click and you’d know if you were in front of a Craing-Human hybrid. With close to six hundred new personnel to the land base, thirty-seven of the military had been hybrids and taken into custody. But tonight was about celebrating their recent victories in Earth’s orbit.
Jason hadn’t seen Mollie and Nan since the previous day and he was excited to reunite with them. In the midst of Jason fighting the Craing, Nan had opted to move herself and Mollie to another two-bedroom suite along the officer’s corridor. As Jason stood under a hot shower he let his mind wonder to Nan. How was she dealing in the aftermath of such a traumatic course of events? Where do they go from here? What about Dira? An interesting woman. Was she a woman? Certainly beautiful in her own regard. She had been working non-stop moving people into the Hyper-learning modules. Even Admiral Cra
wford had opted to get the procedure over with sooner rather than later. Wearing a towel around his waist, Jason opened his closet where, to his surprise, was a new, all white dress uniform hanging in front of his standard captain’s jumpsuits. In Mollie’s handwriting was a note, Wear this one tonight, Dad!
Halfway down the gangway Jason stopped and took in the scene. They’d gone all out. Strings of colored lights had been strung high up in-between The Lilly and each of the Craing ships. A band was playing center stage; various crew members from navy, marines and air force units had joined together. They missed a few cords here and there, but for the most part Jason was impressed.
Across the impromptu courtyard, Nan and Mollie were setting out large vats of food on long tables. Both had dressed up for the occasion—Mollie in a floral party dress and Nan wearing a cream-colored blouse and a form-fitting black skirt. The courtyard was bustling with crew and base personnel. The band erupted with their own rendition of Sweet Home Alabama, prompting hoots and cheers from the growing crowd. Mollie was up on one of the tables dancing, then singing into a large wooden spoon. Jason laughed out loud and shook his head, Shy she isn’t, he thought. Then to his surprise, Nan joined her up on the table, laughing and singing into another spoon, as if they’d rehearsed this bit for hours. A growing crowd of onlookers formed to watch the performance. Nan didn’t notice Jason had joined the group—then their eyes met and held. She continued singing, but now her singing was directed in only one direction, towards Jason.
The song ended to enthusiastic applause. Mollie and Nan continued to ham it up, taking bows and curtsies, and then both jumped down off the table. Mollie caught sight of her father and waved. Nan moved in close, wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him tightly, more intimately than he’d ever remembered her doing, even before they were married. Finally, when they separated, Jason’s expression must have said it all. Why? She reached up and took his face in her hands, much like he’d done to her in that Craing cage.
“While laying there on that slimy disgusting floor, hearing the desperate pleas of the others and their horrific screams as they were slowly killed, I was resigned to my fate. Knowing that my time too was coming, I handed my life over to whomever, God maybe… Jason, when I saw you there, crouched before me in that cage, that you’d kept the promise you yelled to me while I was being taken onto that ship… Oh my God, Jason, you came for me. As impossible and inconceivable as that could possibly be, you came for me.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Nan.” He replied, wiping his own eyes.
Billy and Orion had joined the group—towering over everyone. By the goo-goo eyes they had for each other, they’d definitely progressed past playing footsies under-the-table stage.
The music stopped and a hush came over the crowd. A detail of ten marines entered the courtyard surrounding three people: Admiral Crawford, Secretary of State Walker, and the President of the United States, Howard Ross. The president was a stout man in his mid-fifties and wore glasses. He had a brusqueness about his manner. He’d been compared to Teddy Roosevelt and now Jason could see why. Like the parting of the Red Sea the crowd, which had opened wide to the dignitaries, now came together to encircle them. The desert had returned to quiet stillness.
“Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration, Captain. I will not be here long, but I felt it important to personally extend my gratitude to you and your team,” the president said, shaking Jason’s hand. He slowly turned to look at the crowd, then back at Jason. “In a matter of days, you’ve accomplished a staggering amount of success. My advisors had briefed me on the approaching Craing fleet. It was a foregone conclusion that an invasion was imminent. A dire situation for the country and the world. What their occupation would mean, I wasn’t really certain. Perhaps slavery, mass-genocide…? But now we have hope, Captain, and sometimes that’s all that’s needed. A little hope.” The president turned and looked at the small fleet of alien ships encircling the camp, smiled, and shook his head.
“Thank you, Mr. President. No victory would have been possible without the crew of The Lilly and perhaps, most importantly, that of my father, Admiral Perry Reynolds, who’s been fighting the Craing in other star systems, light years from ours, for over fifteen years.”
Jason knew what the next question would be and he was about to signal Ricket on his NanoCom when he spotted a Dodger baseball cap already moving in his direction.
“Mr. President, I’d like to introduce you to several people. This is my daughter, Mollie, and my former wife, Nan. And this is Ricket, our Science Officer aboard The Lilly.”
Smiling, President Ross shook Mollie’s and Nan’s hands. “I am very pleased to meet you both. I heard we nearly lost you. I’m looking forward to hearing the details of your adventures.”
Mollie stepped up closer to the president and gestured for him to bend down. “I was shot in the heart and actually died, Mr. President.”
“Well, you’re a remarkable young lady, Mollie, and that goes for your mother too,” the president said with an appreciative smile. The president’s eyebrows rose when he noticed someone shorter than Mollie looking up at him, someone not quite human.
“Mr. President,” Jason said, “This is Ricket, our Science Officer aboard The Lilly.”
The president took the mechanical being’s hand while the crew held their breath, knowing their introduction was not merely a formality but an indicator of how far, possibly, the Craing had infiltrated into the highest levels of government. Jason watched the president’s smiling face. It became obvious to Jason that he knew he was being tested; the admiral and Secretary of Defense Walker must have briefed him that his would be a necessary next step.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. President,” Ricket said, and as quickly as he’d arrived, he scurried back off into the crowd. All heads turned to Jason, alarm on their faces. Jason put two fingers to his ear and spoke quietly for a moment then turned back to the group. Knowing there may never be another opportunity to screw with the President of the United States, Jason hesitated, face stern.
The president stood there, brow furrowed in anticipation. “Well?” he asked.
“Oh, the handshake. Yes, yes—we’re good, all good,” Jason answered, maintaining the act.
President Ross looked relieved and turned to the Secretary of Defense as if to say, see, of course, I’m human.
Jason was hailed. “Please excuse me for one moment, sir.” Jason turned and acknowledged the call.
“Captain, we have a problem on Craing ship 1. We’re at the cages,” Lieutenant Morgan told him.
“On my way,” Jason replied.
“I need to attend to a small problem, but I’ll catch back up with you shortly.” Jason bent over and whispered something in Mollie’s ear then stood back up. “If possible, please stay a while longer, Mr. President. Mollie here is our most experienced tour guide. She’d love the honor of giving you an abbreviated tour of The Lilly, if that would be acceptable?” Jason asked. He noticed the president had already turned around and was looking at The Lilly with growing interest. President Ross looked over to one of his aides off to the side, who reluctantly nodded.
“Well, let’s get this show on the road then,” he said, excitedly. Jason shook the Commander-in-Chief’s hand one more time and promised to reconnect shortly. He then ran off in the direction of the first Craing vessel. He wasn’t exactly sure which ship was Craing vessel 1.
* * *
Jason arrived at the bottom deck courtyard area beneath the hundreds of metal Craing cages. From up above on the fifth deck he saw Morgan signaling down to get his attention. He took the lift and got off on the fifth deck, crossing over and joining Lieutenant Morgan. To his surprise, Dira was there too. She averted her eyes when Jason got closer. She was wearing a long silk dress that left little to the imagination of what her slender body looked like beneath. She had applied her makeup in a way that must have been customary on her home planet of Jhardon.
Her accentuated eyes and lips, her whole face, was nothing short of breathtaking. It took a conscious effort for Jason to break his stare and concentrate on the issue at hand.
The cage before them barely contained the seven foot tall rhino-beast. Blood dripped from around his large six-inch diameter horn. A bandage had been wrapped around his right thigh. Morgan had his weapon pointed at the rhino-beast. Jason noticed the gate at the front of the cage was distorted and bent out of shape—its broken latch mechanism lying on the deck floor.
“These cages won’t hold them for long, Captain. There are a hundred and fifty of them and this is the second breech in the last hour,” Morgan said, eyeing the large beast.
“And they’re hurting themselves in the process,” Dira added, now looking at the captain. “I bandaged his leg earlier while he was unconscious. But he won’t let me attend to his injuries around his horn.”
The huge rhino creature stood before them, legs apart and hands on hips. His eyes were on Jason. “Can he understand me?” Jason asked.
“I understand you,” the beast replied, before the others could answer. The Lilly AI had been initiated earlier and was translating real-time.
“Why do you fight with the Craing?” Jason asked.
“To save our mates and offspring. Our planet has been conquered by the beings you call the Craing. Our male warriors must fight to ensure our species will endure.”
“What is your name?”
“I am called Traveler. I do not have a mate or offspring, but I fight for those of my kind who do.”
Jason looked up at the powerful warrior for a few moments before speaking again. “What if your world could be freed from the Craing. What if your warriors could regain their honor? What if we gave you back your weapons—your heavy hammers?”
The rhino-warrior stared back at Jason, blood still oozing from around his horn. “That is not a decision I can solely make for our warriors, our people. We loathe the Craing. Breaking the bonds of our captivity would mean everything. But the Craing are many in numbers. Thousands of planets have come under their tyranny. We fear for the lives of our kind. The risks of opposing the Craing are too great.”
Scrapyard Ship Page 17
