* * *
All eyes were on them as Jason and the admiral entered the bridge together.
A bosun’s whistle blew and The Lilly AI announced, “Captain on deck.”
Jason took the command chair while Admiral Reynolds sat to his right and slightly behind him. Ensign McBride, XO Lieutenant Commander Perkins, and Ricket were seated at their stations and awaiting instructions. With the exception of engineering—Chief Horris and a skeleton crew scattered around the ship these past few weeks—everyone else had been deployed to the Alliance outpost to provide training and support for the newly acquired Craing ships. Jason, like his father, kept within close proximity to The Lilly. With their latest exploits in space and victories against the Craing fleet, word had gotten out.
Governments and militaries from virtually every nation, as well as the world’s largest science and technology companies, were all applying what political juice they had to pressure Washington and the Alliance for more access to the newly acquired Craing fleet, but more so to The Lilly. That may well happen with the Craing fleet. But not The Lilly. It was obvious to Jason that no one nation could control this technology, especially the phase-shift capabilities, without causing a total imbalance. Even the Alliance outpost, which was a self-contained entity separate from any of the U.S. military branches, had become more and more politically inclined, and having several hundred Craing warships in its arsenal, it had quickly become the most powerful military force on the planet. Jason had insisted that Admiral Cramer break all ties to her Navy commission before being placed in charge of the outpost. But Jason knew she still had a lifetime of prior loyalties—loyalties that would be hard to ignore. For the most part he trusted her, but he wasn’t stupid. Jason and his father agreed: The Lilly needed to be kept under wraps—hidden underground here in the aquifer or at other secret locations around the country.
“Status, XO?” Jason asked, pulling up his virtual tablet and reviewing the ship’s daily systems report and crew roster.
“All systems are operational. Last of the hull repairs were completed yesterday. As requested, Ricket and I found another potential subterranean drop location.”
“Dry? Big enough for The Lilly’s wide keel?”
“All the above, sir.”
“Distance from the outpost?” Jason asked.
“Just under three miles. Actually, closer to two,” Perkins replied.
“That should work.” Jason closed down his tablet and looked up towards the large wraparound display.
“One other thing, Captain. It may be a systems glitch, and Ricket is checking on that, but we’ve been out of NanoCom contact with any of The Lilly’s crew since last night.”
“I’ve been using my NanoCom all morning,” Jason said, shrugging.
“The problem seems to be with those at the outpost or still in orbit. Their vitals are normal, we just can’t communicate with them.”
“Keep me appraised—I don’t like being out of touch with our people.”
“Aye, sir. There’s something else.”
“What is it?”
“The military, all branches, are on high alert. Something’s up with the outpost.”
“Let’s find out. Secure the gangway and disconnect umbilicals. Helm, once you’ve determined that things are clear above—go ahead and phase-shift.”
Within several moments, The Lilly was less than a hundred feet above the scrapyard. “Take us into the stratosphere, Ensign.”
The scrapyard disappeared in a blur and The Lilly reached for the sky. Jason felt the internal dampeners engage as G-forces increased. He noticed the admiral had gotten to his feet, turned, and was watching as their home disappeared behind them. Bright blue skies transitioned to grey and then to the blackness of space. The ship leveled off for several moments and began its descent back towards Earth.
The familiar landscape of the Chihuahuan desert came into view. Jason had ordered McBride to approach the outpost from the east. At fifty miles out, they were skimming thirty feet above the desert floor. Jason wanted to keep their visit unannounced. Fortunately, unless you were looking right at her, The Lilly was virtually impossible to detect with any technology currently available on Earth, or anywhere else for that matter. The ship slowed and then came to a complete mid-air stop. Hovering two miles from the outpost, Perkins said, “We’re right above the subterranean cavern, sir.”
Ricket scurried over to another station, entered something on a keypad, and the wrap-around display changed to a virtual below the ground landscape.
“Captain, what you’re looking at is a best-guess representation of what lies approximately one mile below us,” Ricket explained. “The cavern walls are solid granite. The floor of the cavern isn’t quite level, but we believe this area here to be no more than a three or four percent grade.” Ricket pointed to an area of the cavern highlighted by a red circle.
“A mile down, solid granite.” Jason stared at the display for several more moments. “How do we know this doesn’t push the limits of The Lilly’s phase-shift capabilities? Hell, we could get marooned down there.”
Ricket removed his LA Dodgers baseball cap and placed it onto the console. “If our calculations are correct, we have adequate leeway for three to four times that distance—even into solid rock.”
Jason shook his head. “I don’t like it. I’m not willing to risk ship and crew on a good guess. Don’t forget how old Gus initially found The Lilly, partially buried underground fifteen years ago. Can you imagine? This would be a hell of a place to get stuck.”
Admiral Reynolds shrugged. “Why don’t you phase-shift one of the fighters down there first—check it out and shift back.”
“I like it. Who do we have …”
“Sorry, Captain, all of our fighter pilots are currently in orbit—training the new pilots,” Perkins replied.
Jason looked concerned, but no one was buying his act. Jason’s newly acquired love of flying the Pacesetter was no secret. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to go myself.”
* * *
Entering the flight deck, Jason was accosted by the stillness and utter silence. With the exception of several small maintenance drones, he was all alone. Two large shuttles sat idle at one end of the deck, while six sleek red fighters were secured and kept under wraps along the back bulkhead. Even before he’d settled into the cockpit of the Pacesetter fighter, Jason felt his heart rate start to increase. Like a kid with a new toy, Jason had a hard time keeping a silly grin off his face. He brought the fighter to life and maneuvered it onto the middle of the flight deck. Jason double-checked the phase-shift coordinates and ran through his standard pilot’s checklist. He was ready. He hailed the bridge.
“Go for XO,” Perkins replied.
“If I’m not back in fifteen minutes, or if you haven’t heard from me—you can pretty much assume I’m stuck down there. It will be up to you to figure out how the hell to get me out.”
“Aye, Captain. Rest assured, we’ll be tracking your every move,” Perkins replied.
With that, Jason phase-shifted the Pacesetter to the underground coordinates. He was surrounded by total and absolute blackness. It was only the soft amber glow of his HUD readout and dash backlighting that provided any semblance of connection to the living. Where are the lights on this thing? After several long moments of fumbling around in the dark, he had it. With the flick of one switch, the Pacesetter’s running lights somewhat illuminated the darkness. Better, but not great. He found the other switch for the big forward spotlight. The cavern came alive. Reflected light bounced off pristine white granite walls. Minute flecks of mica and other reflective compounds twinkled like a million tiny stars. Spellbound by an ethereal world no man had ever witnessed, Jason sat quietly for a long time. Slowly, Jason brought the Pacesetter several meters off the ground and cruised the inner perimeter of the cavern. From what he could see, just as Ricket had indicated, the center of the cavern was the flattest and best location for The Lilly. He hailed Lieutenant Comm
ander Perkins.
“Go for XO—I can hear you loud and clear, Cap,” Perkins said.
“Good to know. I’ll be ready to phase-shift back in a few moments—just checking in.”
His HUD indicated breathable air here, although the temperature was a chilly 38 degrees. Coming to a narrower end of the underground space, there appeared to be an adjacent cavern, almost as large as this one—but someone would need to be on foot to access it. As far as he could ascertain, this cavern would work just fine. He set the return coordinates and entered the command to phase-shift.
Nothing. He rechecked his coordinates—double-checked them. He could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. He tried it again … Still nothing. Jason looked around at the pristine landscape. This wouldn’t be the worst place to end up. He hailed Ricket.
“Go for Ricket.”
“Ricket, I can’t seem to phase-shift out of here. Am I doing something wrong?” Jason asked, hearing his own nervousness.
“You won’t be able to phase-shift—”
Jason could not believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean I won’t be able to phase-shift?”
“As I was saying, Captain, you won’t be able to phase-shift for several more minutes. As you’ll recall, the fighters with their limited power supplies need more time to recharge. You’re coming up on the twelve-minute mark soon; try again then.”
He watched the small digital mission-elapse timer on his HUD. He still had several more minutes. Looking at the surrounding terrain, something caught Jason’s eye. Actually, two things caught his attention. First, even the small amount of light from the fighter’s spotlight, which cast some illumination into the area ahead, showed the adjacent cavern looked nothing like the one he was in. The rock walls were not the same sparkling white granite. There seemed to be splashes of color on the walls. And second, Jason could swear there was something carved into the far elevation of the second space. Perfectly straight lines and ninety-degree angles do not typically form in nature. What he was peering at, he thought, were stairs hewn into the rock face. Intrigued as he was, the cavern’s exploration would have to wait.
Once the full twelve minutes had elapsed, he tried again. It worked. He was back aboard The Lilly. Taking a deep breath, Jason guided the Pacesetter back to its mooring position next to the other fighters. Within a few moments, Jason headed off the flight deck.
Chapter 4
Entering the bridge, Jason walked into a flurry of activity.
“What’s going on, XO?” Jason asked, looking up at the display and seeing multiple Allied Craing warships.
“We’ve got five Alliance Craing battle cruisers maintaining a slow perimeter around the outpost, sir. Multiple hails have been ignored. Totally unresponsive with the exception of a repeating message. They’re providing The Lilly with heading and specific landing instructions.”
Jason watched the distant warships and wondered who was manning them. He had his flight crews in orbit conducting training, but they wouldn’t have been ready for this. Perhaps the prisoners, the Craing crewmembers? But he hadn’t authorized their use, at least not here at the outpost.
“Captain, I believe the outpost has been compromised,” the XO said, “Communications to the rest of the world has completely gone dark. There’s definitely something going on.”
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, Jason was back in the cockpit of the Pacesetter and skimming across the desert floor at close to three hundred miles an hour.
“For God’s sake, why so fast? And why so close to the ground?” Admiral Reynolds asked from the second pilot’s seat behind Jason’s.
Just what I need, Jason thought, a backseat driver. “I want to come at the outpost from a completely different direction than from The Lilly’s underground position. Probably being overly cautious, but—”
“That doesn’t explain your flying like a lunatic,” the admiral shot back.
Jason didn’t respond. Truth was, he was worried. Ultimately, the outpost was his responsibility—the outpost was his idea, he had set it up, and he had put Cramer in charge. Coming within a mile of the outpost, Jason pulled back on the stick to gain some elevation. If he hadn’t known better, he’d think he had the wrong coordinates. The outpost he visited three weeks ago, with its ragtag collection of tents and hastily constructed structures, had been replaced by what looked like a sprawling, modern military compound. Multi-level buildings, three runways, several large hangars, ten Apache helicopters, and the remainder of the massive Allied Craing warship fleet, hundreds of them all lined up in perfect rows disappearing off in the distance well beyond the confines of the original base. Fifteen-foot fencing, topped with razor concertina wire, outlined the distant perimeter. Separate and to the east, also surrounded by fencing and more concertina wire, hundreds of small tents were clustered together. Commonly referred to as Craing City, they hadn’t finished erecting this area three weeks ago. More like a prison, this is where the enemy crewmembers and overlords were being held. Jason took in the view of the outpost below. Strange, Jason thought. No activity—not a soul in sight. He wasn’t going to get any answers hovering up here in the air. Jason looked for a suitable place to set down.
“Aren’t you going to request permission to land?” the admiral asked.
“I’ve already left word with Admiral Cramer. Seems to be a real hotbed of activity down there—I think we can find a place to land,” Jason replied sarcastically. Like The Lilly, the Pacesetter was undetectable to sensors, although visible to the naked eye. He scoped out the landscape ahead, entered new coordinates, and phase-shifted from a mile out. An instant later, the Pacesetter was stationary—thirty yards from the entrance into the compound’s largest building.
* * *
They had been ready for them. Even before the cockpit canopy had time to fully open, assault teams were filing out from multiple buildings—easily one hundred men wearing dark grey uniforms and holding automatic weapons were surrounding the Pacesetter. Jason didn’t recognize any of these men; they were definitely from another unit. Some had long hair. Others wore beards. Suddenly, the five Craing battle cruisers dropped from the sky in unison and held position at several hundred feet above the ground. New trainee pilots couldn’t have made that maneuver.
“Shit, Jason—what the hell were you thinking?”
“Oh, come on, Dad … It’s good to be unpredictable sometimes. I’m sure it’s fine.” An alarm claxon started howling from all ends of the compound. “But to be safe, don’t make any sudden movements,” Jason said warily.
“You think?”
They both slowly emerged from the fighter, one following the other. Once down, they stood with their hands raised. No one spoke, no orders were issued. That’s when Jason noticed the flag. Why would the stars and stripes be flying here—and something else. Something was different about the flag.
More armed, grey-uniformed soldiers emerged from the nearest building. It was her bright patch of red hair that caught Jason’s attention. Admiral Malinda Cramer, an air of authority in her hurried gate, was leading a small armed contingent headed in their direction.
“She doesn’t look happy.”
“That’s right. You haven’t had the pleasure yet,” Jason replied.
“I’m not sure if I should be intimidated or strangely aroused. That woman projects one hell of a presence,” the admiral said.
Admiral Cramer halted ten feet in front of Jason and his father.
“Good morning, Admiral. I’d like to introduce you to—”
“Be quiet. Don’t speak unless spoken to, Captain Reynolds,” Admiral Cramer commanded. Her eyes flickered towards Admiral Reynolds and then back to Jason. “Where is The Lilly?”
“She’s safe.”
“Don’t play games with me. I’m the last person you want to fuck around with right now.”
“Actually, you’d be the last person I’d want to fuck around with—ever, Admiral. Are you sure you want to play things this way?”
Jason replied, his own temper rising. “Have you forgotten to whom you report, Admiral?”
Steely-eyed, she looked at him for a long moment before she signaled her team. “Lock them up.” As quickly as she’d arrived, she was strutting back in the direction she had come.
“Just so you know … Seven days, Admiral,” Jason yelled after her. She slowed but didn’t stop.
“Three highly-advanced warships. They make up the new Emperor’s Guard. They’ll be here in seven days,” Jason shouted, wincing as PlastiCuffs were tightly secured around his wrists. He felt a pang of guilt seeing his father, also secured, needlessly shoved towards a row of buildings off to their left. He should have left him working on his old ‘49 pickup or, better yet, remain safely aboard The Lilly. They pushed Jason to follow in the direction of his father.
* * *
They were held several floors underground in a holding cell of sorts. No metal bars, but a cell just the same. Jason and his father sat on a long metal bench that was bolted to the floor. Across the room, three guards stood with M-16 rifles pointed at Jason’s and Admiral Perry’s heads. Jason, getting the younger of the three soldiers’ attention, started to speak. Angered, the soldier flipped his rifle around and jabbed the butt into Jason’s left cheek, sending him sprawling to the floor. He felt the flesh of his cheek hanging loosely beneath his eye. The bleeding stopped almost immediately. Feeling the familiar tingle, the open wound was quickly being repaired by thousands, if not millions, of internal nanites.
What did this harsh treatment mean? Had Admiral Cramer’s commitment to a separate United Planetary Alliance Outpost on Earth been nothing more than a greedy power play? A ruse to obtain The Lilly’s advanced technology? Each question triggered a new one. How high up did this go? Jason found it hard to believe that Secretary of Defense Ben Walker, who seemed a man of integrity, would be a part of this. And what about the president? Perhaps Craing hybrids had made new inroads into the government?
HAB 12 (Scrapyard Ship) Page 3
