The Colonel spoke, “Grange! It’s about time you got here! Take a look on your monitor at the data feed I am sending you. Tell me what you think of those 32 globes out there.”
Located in the middle of a twin star system were 32 of the massive Milgari ships. Surrounding them was a fleet of warships larger than any we had seen. The count was 12,152. Along with the ships were five massive construction docks. I began to wonder if the Torrians were somehow lying about the Milgari’s ability to build new ships.
The Colonel then gave me the answer. “Note the con-docks, they are idle. I would expect them to be going full bore after the Prassi engagement. That cost them about 5,000 ships.”
“I would bet that this is their main base away from Torrus. I would also bet that Barithia is not far from this location. We are going to want to go over those plans for Barithia. If we are spotted and this fleet shows up we could be begging for mercy before we knew what hit us. I’m thinking this Barithia job is for you low profile Defenders. If they see one of us big boys out there this whole area will be nothing but pickets, we will never get close again.”
We returned from the Milgari base to the rendezvous point to discuss our options. The Slaughter, Slayer and Sleuth, along with the Raiders, would return to the Milgari Tantric mine to scout the situation. The Defenders would continue to search the sector for Barithia, when found only two of the ships would lay in wait with the hope of following a freighter back to Torrus.
When the Colonel and his men left, I somehow felt a vulnerability that I had not felt before. We were deep in the Pollus sector with only Defender pilots and their engineers.
Frig broke the silence that I had begun. “Sir, we still have our speed. So long as we keep watch in all directions we maintain the ability to run. You look nervous Sir, and that makes me nervous.”
We were headed towards a new grid in the sector. I leaned back in my chair with my arms crossed. “You know, I sometimes wonder if our luck is going to run out. I mean, look at what we have gone through the last couple years and ask yourself how it was that we made it. Is everything that’s happened even possible?”
Frig shook his head as he looked down. “Here we go again. Sir, why is it that every few weeks you wax nostalgic and go off into this daydream of wonderment? All this has happened and is happening now. We did not drop through some time warp and we are not in a dream. This is real, we did accomplish what has happened and we will continue to accomplish until this war is over.”
“All of these things happened for a reason Sir. And that reason is you. You made the decision to stand up and fight. Maybe it wasn’t a decision that happened all at once, but we are where we are because you chose to lead us here. Accept that which is evident before you Sir and move on. We have an enemy to destroy and having self-doubt will not help with their destruction, only ours.”
Over the course of a week we covered 19 grids before the Sword reported a hit on Barithia. Even though my time might have been better spent back at the Suppressor managing our tiny but growing nation, I chose to be the one to stay along with Davis and the Hammer. If a freighter was to lead us to Torrus, I wanted to be the first to lay eyes on it.
Barithia was a bustling trade port. Hundreds of ships entered and departed from her docks each day. Freighters and transports connected, performed cargo transfers and then were headed back the way from which they had come. In the first day we mapped 17 different trajectories. Of those we gave four the possibility of being the route to Torrus.
We continued our observations for five days before narrowing the possibilities to two. One was a route that would take us to the edge of the sector and the edge of the galaxy arm. The other would take us to the heart of an active star region. Cargoes of precious materials were being sent to both.
I spoke, “I’m thinking we hit the one in the center, seems logical that they would build an empire from a position that had more resources available for their use.”
Frig then offered a different opinion, “Sir, I believe Torrus to be the other location. The cargo of one of those smaller freighters that departed yesterday was made up largely of Gold. Gold Sir, is the favorite of the ruling family.”
I stood and paced about on the deck. “Yes, but the cargo for the other also had Gold along with the gemstones that it carried. I do find it interesting that two such precious cargoes would be headed in two different directions. If you look at these other manifests you will see that the far destination has a lot of construction materials being sent that way. Makes you wonder if someone is building something out there. I don’t think there is much construction going on around Torrus.”
The decision was made to follow the freighter to the center of the galaxy arm. It was an active star region with many young stars that were in the 50 million year old range. They would not be likely candidates for a populated planet as life would have taken much longer to evolve. Of course, there was always the possibility that the Torrians were not native to the sector.
We shadowed the freighter for three weeks before determining its intended destination. I piloted the Swift in a wide arc around the freighter and four days later we were stopped well short of a a bright yellow, main sequence star with five planets in orbit around it. A small rocky world then led out to a beautiful blue green planet which was followed outward with three gas giants at a large distance from the others.
I slapped Frig on the shoulder as I spoke, “I believe we are looking at Torrus. The description of the system fits that of the Torrians we interrogated.”
As Frig typed away on his keyboard I suddenly came to a realization. The Torrians had indeed been lying! This was their home world, of that I had no doubt, but the Torrians could not possibly have been in charge of the Milgari for a thousand years.
I spoke, “Frig! I just had a thought that turns everything upside down again! The Torrians have only been in these few surrounding sectors. They did not enslave the Milgari a thousand years ago! The Milgari were in sectors far from here. Every time we fire up those gravity drives on the Grid we jump about 500 light-years distance. We have made 42 such jumps in the past, taking us over 20,000 light years distance. We have only scratched the surface of that distance in coming here!”
Frig punched away at his keyboard before looking up. “Sir, I am stunned that this revelation has escaped us until now! I don’t know how the Torrians avoided telling us the truth, but they did. Unless they have been moving along with the Milgari as they chased us, they have not been a part of this war until we passed through this sector heading to our current location.”
“This definitely needs further explanation Sir. I find it highly possible that they were able to take over the Milgari force with the use of the drug as they described, but they are not the ones that have been pursuing the Grid for a thousand years. I would guess the Milgari loyalty to the Torrians is drug induced, but the Milgari’s rage is a rage of their own.”
Again my brain was running in all directions. What information could we trust? Certainly much of what the Torrians had said was true, but they could not have controlled the Milgari for that period of time and had a home world where they had stated.
“Frig. Move us in close enough that we can get a good scan of that planet. I want to know how old the structures on it are.”
Over the course of several hours Frig managed to position us within an asteroid belt that lay between Torrus and the first gas giant in the system. When our deep scans had completed Frig gave me the information I had asked for.
“Sir, the structures on that planet are close to 500 years old. The population is near the seven million citizen mark and they are heavily clustered within three cities.”
“We have a library of the Torrian words and symbols from our interrogations, but I am seeing many symbols down there that do not match with our Torrian data. I am seeing a great deal of reference to the Dakar. I believe the Torrians to not be the original inhabitants of this planet Sir. The data points to another
species.”
I continued to pace the deck as I spoke, “So, we are now back to the Torrians having controlled the Milgari all along. Only this is not their home world, it is a world they conquered and have claimed as a temporary base. I wonder now if the Nellians and Mu Darkers are both rivals, but they are located 20,000 light-years from here, not in an adjacent sector.”
“All of these twists are making my brain hurt. We don’t need a complex enemy. Give me a simple story to understand, something to grab a hold of, something that I can run with! Tell me this is the enemy and let me go kill the enemy.”
Frig responded, “Sir, I understand your consternation, but war is not fought on simple terms. We learn and adapt as the battles continue. If we don’t we die.”
“I have analyzed what data I could find on the Dakar Sir. The star out there is named Mu. I believe the Mu Darkers to be the Dakars. The Torrians indicated that they are still out there and a threat. Perhaps that other Gold shipment we were witness to was a payoff to the Dakar. The Dakar may not be powerful enough to defeat the Milgari, but they can cause them enough issue that they would be a major distraction in their campaign to capture the Grid.”
Frig continued, “If the Grid were to pick up and move today, I believe the Torrians and the Milgari would do the same, leaving this sector far behind. They would pillage what they could and then move it all to a new sector near where the Grid would be positioned. At that point they would attempt to build up their forces for another attack by taking down the local worlds and making use of their resources.”
Our picture of the Torrians continued to evolve. They were pillagers, always on the move and always after the Grid. Our gravity drive was their prize, but I wondered why they felt it was worth chasing us across the galaxy. I also wondered if their continuous moving about was their real reason for the culling. Two million citizens would be far easier to move than five billion. It also made me curious as to the workings of the Milgari.
Where were their birthing centers? Troops had to be replaced as they aged or were lost in battle. The Milgari had to have a base where the replenishment of their kind took place. If we could somehow locate that base we might also be able to land a decisive blow against our enemy.
I sat in my chair and pressed the button for a comm channel with the Hammer. “Barg, I want you to take the Hammer and the data we have gathered here back to the others. Let the Colonel stew over it a bit. Frig and I, we are going to scout the other location, the one where that Gold shipment was headed. We will meet back up with you at either the Tantric mine or back at the Suppressor.”
Barg replied, “I think that’s a bad idea Chief. We don’t split up for a reason Sir. It’s bad practice and leaves our technology possibly compromised should one of us have an issue. If you think that other location to be that important we should both go and then head back home. Besides, the Colonel will chew my ass if I come back without you Sir.”
I sat back in my chair with a response of my own, “I know the policy as I’m the one who came up with it. I think time is critical in this matter even though that might not be evident. If that fleet near Barithia were to attack today the Grid would have a difficult time defending itself. I don’t think the Torrians will attack until they are sure of a victory, but other events could come into play. Take the information and go. We will catch up.”
The Hammer soon headed off towards the others. Frig set the way points for our destination and we flew the route towards the edge of the galaxy arm. It was a three week journey where my time was spent discussing the Torrians with my Gambit friend.
Frig spoke, “Sir, do you think it is possible that the Torrians are on the run just as we are? Perhaps their home world has been overrun and they wish to obtain the gravity drive to help take it back.”
I walked the deck out of boredom, “Or, perhaps they want the Grid for themselves to live on? Think about it, they have two million citizens and a fleet manned by crazy aliens. The Grid would suit their needs perfectly. The thing is, we have room on her for two million more citizens without batting an eyelash.”
The discussions continued until we reached our destination. When we dropped through light speed our sensors lit up with activity. Construction was underway on a mammoth ship. It looked as though the ship would have heavy armaments, but it was not a military vessel. It was a transport.
I spoke, “Frig. You see those Gold rooms on that thing? If I were to guess I’d say that ship could support… maybe… 100,000? I wonder what the exact number of the House of Girge is, the Queen’s family. That could easily be a personal transport for just that group of the population. And the only reason I can see that it would be built out here is so the rest of the population doesn’t know it exists.”
“We now know where the Gold was going. Do you think maybe the Queen is planning something big? Or is she hedging her bets, thinking that if they are overrun by the Dakar, she will have a comfortable way to leave? Either way, there is nothing new to learn here, so we best be on our way back to our own territory.”
As we turned Frig set the way-points back to the Milgari Tantric mine. After the first days travel an object came up on our defense screen. We slowed for a deep scan as we passed.
Frig spoke, “Sir, it appears to be a warship, frigate sized and lifeless. It is not Milgari. I believe we should investigate.”
The ship was tubular in shape with a smooth, dark gray exterior. The front and back were covered with antennae. A large hole in its side and numerous scorch marks told of its possibly having been in battle. The scorches appeared to have originated from behind the ship, as if it were being pursued. The ship was dead. A deep scan of the hull yielded data that showed it had been adrift for several thousand years.
“Frig. Pull us up into that hole. I want a look inside.”
Frig turned in my direction, “You plan on boarding her Sir? That seems very risky. If a ship were to come our way I would have to abandon you.”
As I walked back for my helmet and blaster I responded, “Just do it, the faster we explore this thing the faster we get out of here.”
Frig maneuvered the Swift into the hole in the side of the frigate. When the Swift had been sufficiently turned around, placing the rear cargo door near an exposed deck, I stepped through an airlock and drifted onto the dead craft.
From the exposure I could see that the main body of the ship had eight levels. I was on level five. I stepped through a room and into a hall way, the bulkhead doors were all open. I turned left, heading towards the front of the ship and began to walk. The ceilings were low and the halls narrow.
I relayed the information I was seeing to Frig and asked for a response, “Any identifying marks you can pick up on? I have symbols on the walls in here, but the translator has not identified them yet… hang on, I think we have our first dead alien. Looks about the right size to fit in these hallways, his helmet shield is cracked.”
“Looks like they are just under a meter and a half tall, about average build and they have a wide flat head like you, but they aren’t Gambits. Their skin is dark, almost indigo in color and this one is wearing a combat suit. Insignia looks impressive so I am guessing he was an officer. Kind of creepy that he could float here dead for this length of time without being disturbed.”
Frig responded, “With the lack of oxygen the bodies will only mummify slightly, there is no decay. The translations are coming in now… Lieutenant Fuyea was a navigation officer. He was killed from the concussion of the explosion that opened that hole. You will likely find more as you proceed.”
“Sir, I scanned for the existence of life pods and they are all still in place. It looks like no one escaped whatever caused that explosion.”
I soon came across a second body; this one was in a standard uniform without a helmet.
Frig again reported his findings. “Sir that one to your left, their injuries are consistent with an intense radiation burst. A
quick analysis of the damage to this ship tells me that it is highly likely that a fission explosion made this hole. I have yet to see evidence of a fission device being used anywhere in the galaxy as a weapon. Several thousand years ago my people experimented with it for medicine and power, but the waste product was found to be a nuisance and clean ion power came along at the same time.”
Frig punched away at his keyboard while I continued my look around. After climbing two decks up I discovered the bridge. The door was locked and sealed. I removed a plasma charge from my pack and formed it in a circle around the lock. Three minutes later a small thud could be heard, followed by a rush of air. I stepped back up to the door and pushed it open. A dozen dead aliens floated aimlessly, propelled into motion by the rush of air as it escaped from the sealed compartment.
I spoke, “Do we have a name yet for these people? Is there any identification on the hull?”
Frig typed away feverishly at his keyboard, “One moment Sir, I am in the middle of a data analysis on the ship’s power system. At the moment it looks like the explosion was internal. The ship was powered by a fission reactor. This was definitely a sub-light speed craft Sir.”
“I believe that with a few modifications we might be able to power her up. The main power is gone, but I have isolated the forward section of the ship, including the bridge. If we disconnect four circuit breakers I should be able to wire up one of our ion generators to power her. It would be interesting to see what her computer systems contained if they were still operable.”
As I looked around the bridge I asked Frig for direction to the breakers, “Show me the way and I will flip whatever levers you like. If we can get their computers up maybe we can download the data for analysis later. Even though this ship may be old you never know what bit of useful tech you might find. I know you built our signal inhibitors from tech on a salvage ship. Maybe this one has some of the same.”
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