“Jumping,” the helmsman said. Everything flashed.
“Got him,” the OSO said. “Coming up on firing range…damn it, he jumped again.”
“Jumping!” the helmsman said.
“Not this time,” the OSO muttered. “You’re mine. Firing!”
“It jumped again,” the OSO said after a few seconds, “but the missiles are locked, and the three jumpers followed it….the cruiser is jumping back and forth, trying to shake ‘em…missiles still tracking…got him! The ship jumped back right into the path of the normal missiles, and it got creamed! Scratch one cruiser!”
“What do we have? One more cruiser?” the CO asked.
“No sir,” Steropes replied. “It got too close to the Falcon, and the Jotunn killed it. We’re clear to the stargate.”
“Great,” Captain Sheppard said. “Set a course for HD 40307. We need to get back and grab the Mrowry so we can end this war.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Alkalurops System, January 9, 2022
“Sir, the Falcon is calling.”
“On screen.”
Captain Magnusson’s form appeared. “It has been good fighting alongside you,” he said without any greeting, “and I have observed your performance with great interest. You fought with honor and bravery far beyond your stature, and you have been true to your word. It would have been easy for you to escape and leave us to fight the Shaitans on our own. I am glad you did not; it would have been…difficult…for us to be victorious without your assistance.”
“We do not seek battle for battle’s sake, but when we are forced into it, we know who our allies are, and we fight to win,” Captain Sheppard replied. “Above all else, we honor our commitments.”
“You have given us much to think about. I was chosen to accompany you so I could report on your performance to the Council of Jarls. We have much to discuss as we determine our future direction as a race, including a re-evaluation of who our allies and enemies truly are.”
“I’m sure my civilization would send an ambassador to yours if one would be welcome.”
“Perhaps, in time,” the Jotnar said; “however, we are men of action. We have no time for the squawking of politicians. You are also a man of action; I would like you to return to Jotunheimr with us while the Council decides our direction. Your voice might be needed to help some of the Jarls overcome their past mindsets.”
“Thank you for the invitation,” Captain Sheppard replied, “but our ship has been damaged, and we’ve lost a lot of our crew. We need to return to Terra to repair and replenish so we can come back and finish off the Shaitans before they have a chance to recover from the damage we inflicted.”
“We need you to be available for this meeting. I need you to be available. I would take it as a personal boon if you would return with me to Jotunheimr.”
“I understand the gravity and magnitude of your decision,” Captain Sheppard replied; “however, I am worried about what might happen to us if the decision goes against us. For example, I know you would like to acquire the technology to jump into the Shaitans’ universe, and you have already tried to take it by force once before. Can you guarantee the safety of my ship and crew if we return with you?”
“I will personally guarantee your safety and the safety of your ship and crew. Additionally, while I doubt I can find people to crew your ship, we can repair it while you are there to ensure your safe journey home.”
Captain Sheppard chewed on his lip, torn between the duty to report back to Terra and the opportunity to advance the Terrans’ long-term diplomatic relations with the Jotunn…which would also make the war against the Shaitans much more winnable.
“Hey, Skipper,” Calvin said in a low voice, “if we go back, I can also finish off the quest with the Progenitor’s Rod.”
Captain Sheppard looked at Calvin several seconds then nodded. “True,” he said. He turned back to the front screen and smiled. “We would love to return with you to Jotunheimr.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Jotunheimr System, January 23, 2022
“Have we heard anything back from the Council of Jarls yet?” Calvin asked. “I mean, we’ve only been waiting here three days.”
“Not yet,” Captain Sheppard replied. “Apparently, it takes a while to decide to change your alliance from someone who betrayed you to a race that’s allied with your ancient enemies. Being friends with the Aesir does complicate things somewhat.”
“No doubt,” Calvin paused for a moment then asked, “Well, if you’re not going to need me for the next little while, can I have your permission to take the shuttle to the planet?”
“Comms, call the planet and see if we can get clearance to bring down a shuttle.”
“Yes sir.” After a few moments, the communications officer reported, “The Jotunn have granted permission for Calvin to take a shuttle down to the mountain.”
“Awesome,” Calvin remarked. “Skipper, if you don’t mind, I’ll grab a WSO and go down now before they change their minds.”
“Permission granted,” Captain Sheppard replied.
“That’s going to be difficult,” the OSO said. “The shuttle just launched.”
“What?” Calvin asked. “What do you mean it just launched?”
“It did an emergency launch. It blew the retaining bolts and launched itself.”
“Find out who is piloting the shuttle, comms,” Captain Sheppard ordered.
“Umm…sir, you’re not going to believe this,” the communications officer said after a short pause, “but the pilot of the shuttle is Lieutenant Commander Hobbs.”
“Damn it!” Calvin exclaimed. “That’s not me! I’m right here.”
“Assuming you really are you,” Captain Sheppard said, “who is in the shuttle? Could it be Farhome, posing as you?”
“I guess it could be Farhome, but that doesn’t make sense. What does he have to gain from taking a shuttle? Where would he go? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, if it’s not Farhome, and it’s not you, who’s piloting the shuttle?”
“It’s Nightsong,” Calvin said in a flash of clarity. The Aesir had tried to take over his government, but had been thwarted by the Terrans. He had escaped by pretending to be dead, and then had vanished.
“Nightsong?” the CO asked. “How the hell could it be Nightsong? Where did he come from? How did he get here?”
“I don’t know,” Calvin replied, “but that’s the only other person it could be. He’s a master of disguise. He could have been onboard ever since we left Golirion, or he may have taken someone’s place when we were on the surface of Jotunheimr. I’d recommend doing a muster; whoever is missing is the person he was impersonating.”
“Do you want me to destroy the shuttle?” the OSO asked. “That would put an end to him.”
“I would recommend not blowing it up,” Calvin said. “If it’s Nightsong, he’s probably stolen the rod to take down there himself.”
The CO nodded in agreement. “As much as I would like to say, ‘Yes, blow the shit out of him,’ I can’t,” he decided. “Not only because of the rod, but also because we need the shuttle. It’s the only one we have.”
“I’ve got to go after him,” Calvin said.
“How? He took the only shuttle we had.”
“I’ll take one of the fighters. Night can sit in the WSO seat. If I’ve got to go up against Nightsong again, I want Night at my side.”
“Well, that’s the first thing that’s made sense in this whole damn conversation,” Captain Sheppard said. “Go get Night, chase down that bastard and kill him once and for all!”
“Yes sir, I’d be happy to.”
“Good. Quit standing around and get on it!”
Cockpit, Viper 06, Jotunheimr System, January 23, 2022
“Viper 06, Vella Gulf,” departure control commed. “You are cleared for launch. Release in three…two…one…release.”
The fighter jerked as it was pushed away from the larger
ship. Calvin took the controls and turned toward the planet as Night began punching buttons on one of the controls.
“Do you know what you’re doing over there?” Calvin asked, a tinge of worry in his voice. Some of the controls and circuit breakers on the WSO’s side of the fighter turned off important components and systems.
“I do. I got a download or two in basic WSO systems knowledge. I can’t run the weapons systems, but I can punch waypoints into the navigation system so we get to where we need to go.”
“You downloaded WSO training? What did you do that for? Too much time on your hands?”
Night giggled. “There are always opportunities during long transits and boring meetings for gaining additional knowledge.” Night giggled again.
Calvin sighed. “What did you do with Night?”
Night’s features changed to Farhome’s. “He’s fine,” Farhome said. “I just knocked him out for a bit.” He paused and then asked, “What gave me away?”
“The giggle. Night doesn’t giggle. Ever.”
Now it was Farhome’s turn to sigh. “Sorry, can’t be helped. We giggle when we’re nervous. You aren’t going to take us back, are you?”
“I would, but there isn’t time. Nightsong already has a lead on us; I don’t want him to get the prize and get away.”
“Where would he go with it? He only has a shuttle, and it isn’t stargate jump-capable.”
“I don’t know,” Calvin replied, “but he’s resourceful. There’s no telling whether he’s staged another ship somewhere nearby or has friends in the Jotunn society who will help him.”
“That’s true.”
“I just hope we can kill him when we find him. That’s proven to be a very difficult task; I was counting on Night’s assistance.”
“We could turn back into Night if it would help.”
“That’s not the same thing as being him. Just stay yourself; we’ll work it out some other way.” Calvin sighed. “I don’t know. With your skills, you may actually have a better chance than Night at stopping him…although how we’d know who actually won a fight between you two is beyond me. Let me think about it.”
The rest of the flight passed in silence until Calvin brought the fighter in for a landing next to the shuttle. “Let’s go,” he said as the motors wound down.
“I’m right behind you,” Farhome replied.
They exited the fighter and crept over to the ramp leading into the shuttle’s cargo bay, weapons at the ready. Their caution was unnecessary; the cargo compartment was empty.
“Can you use your nanobots to go invisible?” Calvin asked.
“Not that I am aware of.”
“So we’re safe?”
Farhome tilted his head and stared at Calvin before replying. “We are as safe as we can be,” he said with a giggle; “considering we’re on a planet where everyone in general would like to kill us, and one person in particular.”
“I was asking if we were safe from having Nightsong jump out from somewhere around the shuttle.”
“Well, it’s always possible he could be hiding somewhere…or maybe he buried himself in the dirt so he could spring out unexpectedly.”
“That’s not what I meant, either,” Calvin said with a sigh. “I was just asking if he could turn himself invisible.”
“Not that I’m aware of,” Farhome replied.
“Good. That much, at least, is nice to know.”
“That doesn’t mean he didn’t acquire a combat suit from the Vella Gulf before he left. That would give him the ability to remain unseen.”
“Oh, forget it,” Calvin said. “I’ll take my chances.”
“So we can quit fooling around and get on with it then?” Farhome asked, looking at the red mountain a short way off. “He’s probably half-way there already.” He shook his head. “And they say I’m the crazy one.”
“We’ll go in a second,” Calvin said, “after we check out the inside of the shuttle to make sure Nightsong isn’t hiding in it. If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I don’t want Nightsong sneaking up from behind me.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Jotunheimr System, January 23, 2022
“Have we heard anything from Calvin?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“No sir,” the communications officer said. “He said he was landing behind the shuttle, but he hasn’t said anything since. Do you want me to comm him?”
“No, that’s okay,” Captain Sheppard replied. “I don’t want to distract him by looking over his shoulder. He’d call if he needed us, and I’m sure he’ll check in once he’s accomplished the mission.”
“Unless he gets killed,” Lieutenant O’Leary said.
“He’s not dead, is he?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“No sir,” Steropes replied. “His bio monitor is strong although we seem to be getting some interference from the planet or possibly the red mountain. His vital signs are strong, but some of them are a little…peculiar.”
“What do you mean by peculiar?”
“Just that, sir. They are fluctuating like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They keep returning to normal, but the fluctuations are strange.”
The Red Mountain, Jotunheimr System, January 23, 2022
“Do you see him?” Farhome asked as Calvin reached the top of the plateau.
“Shhh,” Calvin whispered, turning around to glare at the Aesir. “No, I don’t see him, but he’s sure to hear you if you don’t shut up!”
Farhome giggled. “Oops,” he said. “Too late. He seems to have found us.”
Calvin turned to find Nightsong waiting for them with a laser rifle. Calvin couldn’t see much of it aside from the muzzle, which was pointed dead-center between his eyes.
“I hoped you’d follow me down,” Nightsong said. “It’s only fitting that you get to be part of my moment of glory.” He held up the rod in his other hand; it was glowing. “All I have to do is push this button, and I will receive the reward I so richly deserve. I do not know how many people have been given this quest over the ages, but I am the only person to complete it. I alone will claim the prize!”
“How can you claim to be the one who completed the quest, when I collected some of those symbols?” Calvin asked. “You only got the last one because we brought you here.”
“It doesn’t matter how I got them, it only matters that I am the only person to complete the quest.”
“Of course it matters who got the symbols, you little cookie maker,” Calvin said. “You couldn’t have done it without me.”
“I acquired all but two without you,” Nightsong said. “It’s my quest to complete.”
“Ha! You could never have completed the quest by yourself, you little tree hugger. You were too afraid to go to the Psiclopes’ planet.”
“I would have gone, eventually, when it was the last one remaining. We’ll never know now though because your race turned it into a black hole.”
“Isn’t that convenient for you? Just like every other time you’ve faced a challenge you couldn’t overcome, you’ve found some way to wriggle out of it.”
“What do you mean? I’ve overcome every challenge that has come my way. I brought a plot to fruition that took over a millennium to unfold. You won’t even live one tenth of that time!”
“Actually, the fact it took so long is just one more indication of how incompetent you are, and how you ran away from challenges rather than face them head on. You would have completed the quest long before now if you weren’t such a chicken.”
“Me? A chicken?”
“Yeah, it’s a flightless bird we eat on Terra. It’s so afraid of everything that it even runs away from its own shadow.”
“I know what a chicken is!”
“Of course you do. You see one in the mirror every morning. Bawk. Bawk.”
“Stop that or I will kill you, and you will miss out on seeing what the prize is.”
“Is Santa’s little helper mad at me? Oooh, I guess you’ll have to shoot me because I’m sure y
ou’re far too much of a chicken to face me in single combat.”
“I see what you’re doing. You’re trying to make me angry, just like your soldier did on Golirion. It’s not going to work.”
“Of course it won’t, you big chicken. You’ve been afraid of me all along. Have you ever fought me? No. And you won’t because you’re a big chicken. Bawk. Bawk. You know that Terrans are better warriors than elves. Just like O’Leary kicked your ass, you know that I’ll kick your ass too. That’s why you’re afraid to face me.”
“O’Leary cheated! There is no way he could have beaten me in a fair fight!”
“Oh, so that’s what we’re calling it now when you research the rules of someone else’s contest and beat them at their own game? Cheating? Of course you’d think it’s cheating because you lost.”
“I didn’t lose!”
“They don’t carry off the winner’s body, like they did yours. You lost. Bawk. Bawk.”
“Stop doing that!”
“Or what? You’ll come fight me? We both know that’s not true because you’re a big chicken. Bawk. Bawk. Bawk.”
“I don’t have to fight you; I won! I completed the quest, and you didn’t! I won!”
“Bawk. Bawk. I’m so scared.”
“Make no mistake, I will shoot you. You won’t get to see what the prize is!”
“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about the prize you didn’t earn. I almost think that death would be a mercy, rather than see you walk away with the fruits of my labors. Bawk. Bawk.”
“I earned it!”
“No you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did!”
“No you didn’t, and you’re a great big cookie-making, tree-hugging, worthless elf!”
“That’s it!” Nightsong screamed. He dropped the rod and aimed the rifle. “Stop it right now or you die!”
“Bawk. Bawk.”
Nightsong fired, the bolt striking Calvin in the chest. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he fell forward into the dirt.
The Dark Star War (Codex Regius Book 3) Page 32
