Jason had seen this look in Traveler’s eyes before. It was a look of eager anticipation. Challenges such as this one were what the rhino-warrior lived for.
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Brian was well aware what the new crew of Her Majesty was saying behind his back. Truth was, he didn’t particularly care. He’d been walking the corridors of the converted luxury space liner for the better part of the afternoon. Bristol, shuffling along at his side, he guessed was harboring resentful feelings of some sort. Perhaps he felt the massive ship was still his brother’s vessel, or Bristol felt he should be captaining the vessel for this next mission. Ludicrous.
Betty and the hopper walked several paces behind them. And that was another thing. Betty was getting more and more impatient to return to her own people, to go home. Well, that would just have to wait. Actually, he didn’t mind having her around. She was different from the women he typically associated with. There was a quiet intelligence about her and she didn’t make airs—didn’t try to impress him, or anyone else, for that matter.
“So here’s the toric-cloaking section of the vessel,” Bristol instructed them. “Anything happens to this part of the ship, you’re screwed. No replacement parts anywhere. This is one area where keeping the shields up will be imperative. You got that?”
“Yeah, we’ll keep the shields up. Got it. What else do you have to show me?” Brian replied, sounding bored.
They passed three drones that were moving in unison, making repairs to a breached inside hull bulkhead. As Brian passed an expansive window, he saw that the admiral had brought over another few hundred warships from Allied space. The Lilly and the Minian occupied the center of the growing fleet’s presence. Viewing all the vessels maneuvering here and there, Brian wondered why his father wanted him to lead this next mission. He certainly hadn’t done anything to garner that kind of responsibility, in fact, just the opposite. Brian knew he’d always placed himself and his own needs well above those of others. Hell, he’d been working hand-in-hand with the Craing up until a few weeks ago. The money was great, over-the-top ridiculous. But it was having the freedom to be his own agent that had been the most compelling. So what had changed? Not only in the admiral’s unfounded faith in his abilities, but in himself. Why had he agreed to take on the mission—a mission that held a strong possibility he’d get himself killed?
“Brian, he asked you a question,” Betty said.
“Yeah, weapons. What about them?”
Bristol stood with his hands on his narrow hips and glared back at Brian. “What my brother intended to accomplish was to outfit a warship that could go up against anything in space. This ship was his ticket toward building an undefeatable fleet of pirate ships. What he didn’t take into account was that much of the weaponry he’d pilfered from other ships was far from state of the art. With the admiral’s help, we’re now in the process of correcting my brother’s mistakes and short-sightedness. Shields are being updated; new, more powerful rail and plasma cannons are being retrofitted. Added to that, with the toric-cloaking device, Her Majesty should be able to hold its own against several Craing heavy cruisers. That is, if the captain is up to the task.”
Brian let the dig go. He couldn’t care less what the geeky kid said or thought.
Betty moved to Brian’s side and spoke in a hushed voice. “What am I supposed to be doing while I wait for passage home?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I’m pretty good on comms or nav. Anything but tactical.”
“Comms it is, then.” They continued to follow Bristol down one of the ship’s many long passageways. Betty nodded, looking down.
“Or Navigation. Whatever you want,” Brian said, realizing she probably wasn’t thrilled with either option.
“It’s just that I feel out of place here. Not really sure what I’m—”
“You’re here because you’re my best friend … Other than the hopper behind you, I’ve pretty much alienated everyone I’ve come into contact with. Listen, if you really want it, I can get you home.”
She looked up at him and held his eyes. “That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard come out of your mouth since I’ve met you. Why don’t you ask me to stay? Not because you need the help, but because you want me to … and I will?”
Brian wasn’t used to this level of emotional communication, especially when it came to women. Women in the past who’d attracted his attention had always been paid for their time spent together. Again, someone was showing trust in him, and he didn’t really know why.
“And as far as the hopper goes, you might want to consider asking him if he wants to be here.”
Brian stole a quick glance over his shoulder toward the hopper. He wasn’t there. Then, looking farther back down the passage, he saw the hopper squatting. For God’s sakes, what’s it going to take to housebreak that thing?
“I’ll do that, Betty. And thank you.”
She simply smiled and looked down the passageway. Bristol had stopped and was waiting for them to catch up.
“We’re back at the bridge soon; it’s only a little farther down the corridor. As the new captain, your suite is here,” Bristol said, gesturing toward a double hatchway, with gold scrollwork painted above and on the side bulkhead. “It was my brother’s—”
“Hey, if you want your brother’s old quarters, have at it,” Brian snapped.
“No. The round bed and mirrored ceiling tend to make me want to puke. It’s all yours, Captain.” Bristol said the last word with enough disdain to show he clearly didn’t consider Brian captain material.
* * *
Admiral Reynolds chose to hold the Allied Forces officer’s conference on the Minian. Not only did the spaceship have an adequate-sized conference room, the commanders who were attending had been chafing at the bit to see the advanced Caldurian ship ever since they’d joined him in Earth space. Each of the major planetary system commanders was here. Not all were on board with the admiral’s decision to take a more offensive approach—first in dealing with the Craing, and also with the Caldurians. And that’s where Gaddy would come in. Young, and still full of piss and vinegar, she held the right kind of passion to get these old farts off their collective fat asses. If anyone could convey the seriousness of their current situation, he was hoping she could.
The conference tables were set up in a large U-shape. No one was placed in a position of importance over another. The admiral sat at the farthest end of the U and scanned the room. Those assembled were both male and female, representing the military might of their respective governments. It was a strange collection of aliens. Eighty-four beings in all had made the decision to attend: the Blues, the tall aquatic beings, in cocoon-looking environment suits; the moss-covered, earthy-smelling Knogs; even the Carz-Mau were represented. He recognized Ti, with her frightening open-mouthed grimace. Happy to see that she’d been elevated to the rank equivalency of admiral level, he nodded at her and smiled. He had no idea if she returned the smile, but she did nod her head back in his direction.
The admiral stood and walked over to the pedestal at the center of the room. As the room fell silent, the admiral was surprised when a general from the Gorthow system stood and steadily began to clap his hands. Soon, all were on their feet, applauding the admiral. Touched, the admiral raised a hand in a gesture of thanks. At the back of the room he saw Brian and the pretty young woman from the freighter enter and lean against a bulkhead.
“Thank you. Thank you very much. There’s no one in this room who hasn’t sacrificed a tremendous amount over the last few decades. Mere months ago, we were at the brink of defeat at the hands of the Craing. The Alliance was crushed in a matter of minutes by their fleet of two thousand without losing many casualties themselves. Those of us who survived limped home to lick our wounds, and we were left to wonder what the future fate of our home worlds would be. Would we see our wives and children forced into slavery to serve the Craing Empire, or would our worlds simply be o
bliterated, like so many others had, across the universe? But then something unexpected happened—”
A robust, spidery-looking being positioned next to Ti interrupted. “Yes, Captain Reynolds is what happened!”
The assembly clapped again and the admiral was all too pleased to let them show their appreciation. “Less than a year ago,” he continued, “Captain Reynolds indeed did save the day at the very edge of this solar system by taking out close to five hundred Craing warships. And just weeks ago, he again was instrumental in bringing down the remaining fifteen hundred ships of that same fleet. The truth is, Captain Jason Reynolds is quite the innovative thinker. Obviously a risk taker, but also someone who rarely follows the orders he’s been given.”
That produced more chuckles and side conversations. The admiral held up both hands to quiet them down. “What we’ve all accomplished is remarkable. But we need to be realistic, as well. The Craing Empire is vast. Much of the known universe has, in some way, been affected by their aggression. Thousands of worlds have been subjugated into slavery. Those that are too difficult to control are simply blasted into space dust. The Craing Empire has shipyards in every major system, working night and day, building more and more ships. Our estimate, and it’s only a rough one, is that there are now well over one hundred and fifty thousand Craing warships throughout known space.”
The admiral let that sink in. The room went quiet at the sobering numbers. “We’ve been fortunate and had a bit of good luck. But let’s not kid ourselves for one moment that we can match those numbers, in either ships or military forces—forces often composed of the inhabitants of the worlds they conquer. So, my question to you, what I have brought you here today to ask, is this: are we finally ready to begin warring aggressively, offensively? Take the battle to their worlds, before they visit ours?”
More side chatter erupted among the military leaders. This was obviously a heated subject among them. The admiral took this time to motion toward the side of the large room. Gaddy appeared through a door and slowly made her way toward the pedestal. Wearing all white and with her hair tied back, she looked nothing like the scraggly young Craing who had recently traversed, and survived, the perils of HAB 12. The assembly went quiet as the admiral stood aside. Gaddy stepped onto a small footstool, enabling her to be seen, and nervously returned their hostile stares.
“I am Craing. Until recently, I have always lived among the Craing worlds, specifically a world called Halimar. I am proud of my heritage and I love my people.”
“Then why don’t you go back there!” retorted a dignitary, dressed in a long gold robe.
Unfazed, Gaddy continued: “I certainly do not love their political system, nor the blatant disregard the Craing Empire has for other life forms. I am ashamed and I’m sorry. Please know we were not always this way. Several hundred years ago, our civilization was not so different from your own. We were a culture that loved the arts, sciences, and exploration; we were even good neighbors.”
Gaddy paused for a moment, then continued: “I am young—a student at university. But my opinions are shared by many, and not just by the young. Our people, millions of them, are ready for change but are too frightened to act. We are a people ready to coexist with the other planetary systems. I am here to help … but not destroy, the Craing people. Please don’t think that. A political change is needed. In secret, I am a dissident and an underground leader. But I am also the niece of High Priest Overlord Lom, who is now the interim-emperor of the Craing Empire.”
Her last remark got everyone’s full attention, including the admiral’s.
“It’s true. What’s more, I have unfettered access to both my uncle and the Emperor’s Palace. You are planning an attack. I am aware of that. But first you will need information. I can get that for you. All I ask in return is that you join me in overthrowing a corrupt, misguided government, but do not destroy all peace-loving Craing people in the process.”
Chapter 38
Chapter 38
A brief nano-text message appeared from Mollie. She missed Jason and was wondering when he would be coming back to The Lilly. She mentioned something about continuing her self-defense classes but the message abruptly cut off in mid-sentence. Again, Jason’s thoughts returned to home at the scrapyard, having Mollie around, and even enduring his father’s cursing as he tinkered with the old ‘49 Ford pickup truck. As Jason finished chewing on an energy bar and watched distant movements beyond the trees where the mother dinosaur had her nest, he knew returning home wouldn’t be an option until all the drone spheres were fully disabled.
Jason had the Perilous shuttle moved over from the other lake and was now sitting on its extended gangway. Having seen the type of life that lurked beneath this lake’s surface, Jason opted to have the shuttle powered up and situated, instead, on the sandy beach. Grimes was instructed to stay at the controls while the next phase of the operation began.
Chameli, the young Cheyenne woman, was back at Rizzo’s side and looked relieved to be free of the shuttle’s cramped confinement. As he let the team take a final few minutes to relax, Jason thought about Mollie and wondered whether he could, realistically, expect to survive the day. If not, what would happen to her? Would his father, or perhaps Brian, step forward and be the father she would need in her young life?
His attention moved to Dira. She had her helmet off and was crouching down at the shoreline. Wetting her hands, she ran her fingers over her face and then through her short black hair. It was times like this, seeing her violet skin and her long eyelashes, that he recognized how different, non-Earthlike-human, she actually was. Yet, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered. More than the sum of her physical parts, she was captivating and spontaneous, intelligent and magnificent. Jason wondered if she knew how important she really was to him. How he hated having put her in harm’s way. He realized he would make it a priority to visit her home planet of Jhardon and meet her father—do whatever it was he was supposed to do when courting a Jhardian woman. What the hell was he waiting for?
Back in the present, Jason realized she was looking back over her shoulder at him, smiling. Yeah, she did know.
Traveler and the two other rhinos emerged from the tree line and headed toward Jason. He glanced again in Dira’s direction, but she had moved further away down the beach.
“We are prepared, Captain,” Traveler said, coming to a halt as he reached the shuttle.
“And you think it will be enough to get her away from that nest of hers?”
“Yes, there is no doubt about it.”
Ricket appeared at the top of the gangway and hurried down to join in the conversation. “Captain, the next probe is ready. With that said, the time realms here are becoming more and more unstable. We have far less time to pair the two drones than calculated.”
“In what way unstable and how much time are we talking about?” Jason asked.
“Perhaps unstable isn’t the correct terminology. What seems to be happening is the opposite of that—more of a process of stabilization? The five probes have begun talking to one another again. They’re synchronizing, as they were originally programmed to do.”
“Setting the timeframe to one hundred years earlier?” Jason asked back.
“It could be that, or it could be any other past or future timeframe. Its priority is to lock down a unified time period—no matter the era.”
Jason’s mind flashed to the Earth’s desolate, glassy landscape that they’d witnessed when paring the third probe, some thirty million years into the future.
“Hell, the chance that a human is even present when the probes lock down a timeframe could be astronomically low.”
“That is correct, Captain,” Ricket said. “I estimate we have no more than two days to pair up these probes, as well as pair the last remaining probe in Asia, before we lose the option to change the timeframe back to our own.”
“Then we need to move it along. You’re ready, Traveler?”
“Yes,
we are ready.”
“You’ve been practicing phase-shifting. You won’t have time to fiddle about setting new coordinates. You’ll need to have that aspect nailed.”
Traveler made no attempt to justify himself any further.
“The drone is sited within the far side of the nest. Well away from the eggs. You get too close to the drone and its proximity sensors will activate. It’ll bolt and we’ll have to start all over.”
“We understand, Captain.”
“One more thing. She’ll be defending her young, or what are her future young-to-be. We’re not here to indiscriminately kill that dinosaur unless absolutely necessary.”
* * *
They’d taken up their positions in the forest around the mother Spinosaurus’ nest. She began acting restless, agitated, seeming to sense the strange activity that was going on around her in the forest.
Jason split his forces into three teams. The first team consisted of the three rhino-warriors: Traveler, Few Words, and Born Late. They would be the egg handlers. Ricket along with Navy combatants Billy, Rizzo and Myers comprised the second group; their duty entailed encircling and guarding the nest once the mother dinosaur was on the run. Chang, Goldstein, Mead, and Jason comprised the third team. Their task was to lure the beast away from the nest for as long as possible. Dira and Chameli would remain with Grimes, airborne and hovering close by, in the shuttle.
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