Boomer looked at him with a strange expression, before asking, “What is it? Captain …”
“Brith.”
“Captain Brith, what were your orders?” Drom asked.
Captain Brith raised his chin ever so slightly. “To find her … the child warrior.”
“I’m hardly a child,” Boomer spat back defensively.
This time the other officer spoke. “It was foreseen … on the ancient tablets. You are the child warrior. You are the one who must be defeated.”
“Enough with this child crap,” Boomer said. “Exactly what do these tablets say I’m supposed to do?”
“Bow before Rom Dasticon.”
Boomer snickered. “You know, I once had a glimpse of him … years ago. I’ll die before I bow before him, or that tub of lard, Shakrim.”
The offensiveness of that remark was clearly apparent on the two Sahhrain faces. Even Drom and Bren looked taken aback. Boomer didn’t care—Dasticon wasn’t her god and Lord Zintar Shakrim didn’t frighten her in the least.
“Show me the nearest of the locations,” she commanded.
Captain Brith hesitated, then tapped at the second section on the map.
“How far? How many days to reach that planet?”
“Not days … hours. We are quite close.”
Boomer resisted the urge to high-five Drom, keeping her expression flat instead. “What else does it say?”
“There are four different locations; four different hardships to endure. One must overcome, best, each hardship in order to uncover the four wons’ positions. I’m sure you already know that or you wouldn’t be here.”
“Are any specifics given regarding the closest hardship?”
The captain reassessed the map and shrugged. “Only the one in perfect balance will prevail.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Bren asked, still standing at the hatchway.
The captain shrugged again.
* * *
They arrived, orbiting Clorvious Noles three hours and ten minutes later. Boomer debated how to best handle the crew on board the Sahhrain gunship. She obviously couldn’t trust the captain, or his first officer—named Commander Brolin. In the end, she decided to lock them in the hold with the other crew prisoners.
Boomer brought their small team of Tahli warriors together in the mess compartment. For the last hour, they’d filled their canteens and rummaged around for food in the galley. There was no telling when they’d again get the opportunity to find something to eat. Although a food replicator was in the kitchen, none could make heads or tails on how to configure it to Blues’ tastes. Sahhrain liked their food hot and spicy—to the extent most non-Sahhrain couldn’t tolerate.
Rogna sat on a tabletop next to Boomer, eating something brown and rice-like from a bowl. Her mouth full of food, she asked, “And you’re sure the coordinates are correct? That little map is like … impossible … to read.”
The others nodded their heads in unison.
“Again, how can we trust anything Captain Brith said?” Bren asked.
“We’ll know within the hour. We’re closing in on the drop location now.” Boomer wasn’t sure why so much apprehension was coming from those around her.
“Drop location? We’re flying down to the surface?” Drom asked.
“No, it’s safer if the ship remains in orbit. We don’t really know what’s down there, and we can flee back here to safety, if it becomes necessary.”
“So how are we getting down there?” Rogna asked, swallowing.
“Phase-shift. I should be able to get all five of us down there at once.”
“You’re talking about that flash thing you do …” Gain said.
“Uh huh.”
Boomer watched as the others got wide-eyed. Drom looked as if he was about to be sick. “There has to be another way. We’re … I’m … not comfortable doing that.”
Boomer found their pre-phase-shift jitters amusing and made no attempt to hide it. She initialized her combat suit and waited for it to expand over her body. Drom began to protest, still shaking his head. She held up a single finger and placed it over his lips. “Shhhhh … it’s all right. I promise.”
She took his hand in hers, then phase-shifted them 2,800 miles down to the drop location on the planet’s surface.
Drom staggered, holding out both palms to steady himself. He nervously looked around, taking in the alien environment, as Boomer scanned her HUD readings—finding no other life forms in close proximity. She then assessed the atmosphere and radiation levels and noted they were well within safe, comfortable levels.
The landscape seemed like an extinct volcano site. Although some trees and sandy areas could be seen, for the most part the terrain was flat and rocky. Visible in the far distance were snow-capped mountain peaks.
“You okay?” Boomer asked, smiling at Drom. He seemed to be calming down some.
He nodded and then smiled back. “Actually, that was rather enjoyable.”
“Told you. I’m going back to get the others. So hold tight here.”
“Grab my satchel and a pratta-shaft, okay?”
Chapter 24
Boomer phase-shifted back onto the gunship. She was somewhat apprehensive about leaving Drom below alone—almost tempted to phase-shift right back to the surface. She let the thought go, needing to bring the rest of them down too. Rogna was going to be a problem. Boomer knew from experience that sometimes one needed to show—rather than explain; especially to those uncomfortable with the prospect of having their molecular particles phase-shifted across far distances in space. The most expedient way, to her, was to provide them with an example—in this case Drom—illustrating the procedure was safe. Unfortunately, her reasoning may have backfired.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Rogna said, obviously upset.
“Where’s Drom?” Gain and Bren asked at the same time.
“He’s down on the planet … waiting for the rest of you,” Boomer said, looking around for Drom’s satchel. She found it on the deck, near where he’d been sitting earlier. She threw it over her shoulder, next to her own rucksack, and hurried out of the mess. Behind her, she heard someone call after her, “Now where are you going?”
Boomer returned, carrying four pratta-shafts, along with two Sahhrain enhancement shields. She handed shafts to both Bren and Gain, then two to Rogna. “One is for Drom.
“Okay … everyone ready?” Boomer asked. She saw the anxiety on their faces and fought back a laugh. They were among the most highly-trained Tahli warriors in the system and they were afraid of something as easy as phase-shifting.
“Maybe we should reconsider taking the gunship down to the planet,” Gain said.
The others nodded, appreciating his suggestion.
“I think you may be right,” Boomer said. She looked from one face to the next, then the next. “Maybe we need a group baskile. It’s a big decision … right?”
“As a group?” Rogna asked, making a face.
“Of course. It’s easy. Truth is, I’m a little surprised none of you have heard of it. Maybe your Kahill Callan training hasn’t progressed to that level yet …”
“Oh … I’ve heard of it; I just forgot,” Gain replied with confidence.
Again, Boomer had to stifle a giggle. “All right then—gather around and have hand or arm contact with another person.” Boomer was fairly certain none of them knew she’d transported Drom to the surface simply by holding his hand.
With pratta-shafts grasped vertically in one hand, their free hand held on to the person’s arm next to them—making a circular link.
“Close your eyes and center yourselves,” Boomer said. Then, observing they’d complied, she double-checked—noting they were each in proper contact. She instantly phase-shifted all four of them down to the surface.
The intense flash was enough to startle them into instant hyper-awareness of their new surroundings. But Boomer was more concerned with Drom. He was gone. She checked, then rec
hecked, her HUD and then her phase-shift coordinates.
“I knew you were going to do that,” Gain said. “You didn’t fool me, not for a second.”
“You think you’re real smart … don’t you?” Bren asked, annoyed. “I don’t like being deceived like that.”
Boomer, still preoccupied with her HUD readings, thought, Where is Drom? Where is his life form? Suddenly, feeling guilt, she looked at those around her. Only then did she realize none of them were showing up as life forms on her HUD either. Must have something to do with the landscape here, she thought. Studying the composition readings of the volcanic rock they were standing on, she realized the site was actually highly magnetized. She used her settings to compensate—increase sensitivity—for the organic composition of the rocky surface. Immediately, the bottom of her HUD lit up. Oh my …
“There he is!”
Boomer spun around, watching Drom emerge from a cleft in the surface rocks. She strode over to him, and the assembling group around him. “You shouldn’t have gone down there,” Boomer told him, in a more accusatory voice than she’d intended.
“Why … what was I supposed to do? Stay in one spot till you returned? You said it was safe here—”
“Well, I was wrong … or possibly wrong. I’m picking up life forms here now.”
They waited for her to continue, with expressions of guarded anticipation.
“What kind of life forms?” Rogna asked.
“There’s a few different species here, in different sizes. The most prevalent, according to my suit’s database, are called Pogoes.”
“I’ve heard of them,” Gain said.
Boomer gave him a wary look, getting fed up with his know-it-all bullshit.
“Seriously—they’re on several worlds within the Dacci system. Freaky one-legged things.”
Boomer checked her HUD to find he was actually right.
“They bite. Some of them are poisonous,” he added.
Drom said, “I haven’t seen anything alive around here, including below ground. Although it was so dark down there …”
“We need to stay together until we locate the first won site,” Boomer said.
“Well, there’s nothing here. Just look around—it’s totally barren,” Rogna said, again making a face; Rogna’s immaturity was becoming more and more apparent to Boomer the longer she was in her company.
“According to Captain Brith, this must be the location. The symbols provided a mathematical equation that are based on nearby planetary landmarks—in conjunction with the location of this world’s two polar caps.”
“Why would we trust that Sahhrain ass in the first place? Now we’re stuck down here without transportation,” Bren added. Her pessimism was starting to wear on Boomer almost as much as Rogna’s naïvety.
“Fan out … but keep close enough to still hear each other,” Boomer said. She headed off in her own direction. Her HUD readings weren’t accurate and she felt frustration building up. She thought of her father. How does he do it … lead a crew of hundreds, a fleet of thousands? I can’t even lead a team of four without wanting to scream. She felt a pull on her heartstrings—she made the conscious decision two years ago not to think of her father, or any of her family, as she missed them so much it could almost be crippling at times. Especially Mollie, which was strange, since she’d actually been with her the least over the past five years. Their mental connection had inexplicably grown, though. She’d heard of such things happening with twins, but they weren’t actually twins. What are we then? They were close—they were the same person—at least they were, at one time. Time … time performed a miraculous phenomenon in their case. Her thoughts returned to Mollie. How different they were—she was so much smarter. Who enters college at sixteen? And she knew about boys. Somehow, Boomer had been there too—her consciousness pulled into that dimly-lit college dorm room—when Mollie received her first kiss. Her face flushed, re-experiencing the memory—the passion. More and more, it was like that in recent years whenever a highly charged or emotional situation occurred. She suspected Mollie was with her during her own super-charged experiences. She was certainly there during the Goldwon trials. And knowing that comforted her still.
Boomer stopped in her tracks. Wait! Do they think I’m dead? Her mind flashed back to the devastation left behind by the Sahhrain warship. The demolished arena—a battlefield strewn with bodies. How could I have been so selfish? Her thoughts turned to her mother—she’d be devastated! Dad—oh God, please know I’m not dead!
Startled, she felt a tug on her shoulder.
“What’s wrong with you?” It was Rogna. “I’ve been yelling to get your attention.”
“What is it?” Boomer asked.
“We found it. We found a … I don’t know what it’s called—like a village in a valley.”
Boomer looked past Rogna to where the others were standing, at least a hundred yards away. Did I lose track of time? Of where I was? She placed a hand on Rogna’s arm and phase-shifted them both across the rocky landscape.
“I hate it when you do that!” Rogna said, pulling her arm away from Boomer. “Would it kill you to warn somebody first, when you’re going to do that?”
But Boomer’s attention was focused on what lay before her. Elder Pauli had not exaggerated. Her training—the Goldwon trials—was designed to prepare them—her—for this event. What they were seeing was an immense obstacle course.
“Look! Is that one of those Pogoes things you were talking about?” Rogna asked, pointing to a one-legged creature ten feet away. Before Boomer could answer her, seven more hopped into view.
Chapter 25
Mollie poked her head in the room from around the corner. “Dad, I think everyone is here.”
Jason, with Orion at his side, was sitting at his ready room desk. He replied, “Thanks, Mollie. Tell everyone to hold tight for a few minutes while we finish up here.”
She disappeared from view, back into the conference room.
Jason and Orion had spent the last hour conducting their own investigation. They both agreed in advance that their inquiries needed to be done in secret. At least, until they figured out who the primary players were—who was responsible for supplying the Blues with their fleet’s highly-classified technical specifications.
“It had to come from Executive level; no one else had the authority to approve such a thing,” Orion said.
“Since there’s not an actual paper trail … or comms trail, it’s evident our traitor has done a good job covering his tracks.” Jason stood. “Let’s join the others.”
Jason and Orion entered the conference room and took their seats. He scanned the faces around him. Noticeably absent was Traveler, dealing with a personal issue back on HAB 170. Present were Billy, Rizzo, Ricket, Bristol, Sergeant Major Gail Stone, Hanna, Leon and Mollie. Mollie looked confused, probably unsure why she’d been asked to attend.
“Feels good to be back on the Parcical. We have a lot to discuss. Let’s start with the Stellar,” Jason said.
All eyes moved to Bristol.
“Easy! I can give it to you in three words—beat to shit.”
Jason stared at Bristol blank-faced, waiting for him to continue.
“Substantial hull damage, drive, antimatter initiator, alignment issues, and the bridge smells like shit.”
“Vomit,” Mollie corrected.
“I stand corrected,” Bristol acquiesced. “Vomit.”
“Status of the repairs?” Jason asked, surprised by his own concern for the vessel.
“To put it in Earth terms, she’ll be up on blocks for an indeterminate amount of time. Since there’s no Mercedes supply-parts depot here in the Dacci system, I’ll have to manufacture what we need.”
“Where are we with your assignment, Ricket?”
“With Beatrice’s help, I’ve been able to make some headway. The technology transfer that was required to build a fleet, such as the one we observed with the Sahhrain, would need to be massive. Their cond
uit, obviously, was the Blues. As suspected, the Blues and the Sahhrain reestablished trade several years back. That much was verified by Prince Aqeel.”
Jason nodded. “Let’s get him in here.”
Mollie got up, preparing to notify him.
“It’s OK, Mollie,” Jason said, gesturing for her to sit back down. “Parcical … please notify Prince Aqeel to join us in the captain’s conference room as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Captain,” came a pleasant voice, from nowhere in particular.
Ricket continued, “I did find something of interest, Captain.”
Jason raised his brow.
“As we all are aware, much of the Minian, plus the other Caldurian Master Class Caldurian vessels, remains virtually unexplored. There are compartments that have remained undisturbed since we acquired the vessels.”
Jason knew that to be true, more so than most others. As the Minian’s former captain, he’d explored a portion of the mile-long vessel, her twenty-three decks—many of them closed off. There were vast amounts of unexplored space—not only on the Minian, but on the other ten similar Master Class ships in the Star Watch Fleet. Jason shifted in his seat, uneasy with where the discussion was leading.
“While exact missing contents are indeterminate, not logged, what I have found are fluctuations in the ship’s overall bulk tonnage.”
“Does that normally change?” Leon asked.
“Oh yes. Every time a vessel lands in the flight bay—or deliveries are made of parts or food stores. Also, crew levels change. The overall tonnage of a vessel is constantly being monitored. Everything is tied into the ship’s AI—a vessel’s weight affects multiple systems in various ways. In our case, subversive actions, if any had occurred, may be tracked.”
“Good work, Ricket. What have you determined?” Jason asked.
“That corresponding log entries were made for every fluctuating weight change, with the exception of these.” Ricket tapped on his virtual notebook, prompting a 3D display to jump forward onto the middle of the table.
Boomer (Star Watch Book 3) Page 14
