A King's Ship (Empire Rising Book 2)

by D. J. Holmes

  There was no doubt that James would try and take on the Vestarian fleet, and he might get the ship damaged or destroyed in the process. Ferguson had said that was the height of irresponsibility, especially when the Captain had no orders about what to do about alien threats. They were supposed to be out hunting down Chang. Not tearing across the galaxy attacking alien planets and fleets.

  Yet is it irresponsibility or bravery? Is it needlessly endangering RSN lives or is it leading RSN crew members to fight for the very ideals the RSN stands for? And is Ferguson doing what he thinks the Admiralty wants him to do or is he only trying to save his own skin? Mallory couldn’t decide.

  To distract himself Mallory looked back at the Vestarian fleet. They were forming up into an attack formation and heading towards one of the less populated Kulrean worlds. The image brought back another memory. James sitting in the command chair Ferguson now occupied. They were over Haven and had just fired off their last broadside at the alien fleet. To the crew it had looked like the battle was over. They had failed to stop the Vestarians. Endeavour was about to shoot past the planet and leave the Haven fleet to make one final stand before they were destroyed.

  Then James had broken through the gloom that had set in on the bridge. He had ordered Endeavour to fly into Haven’s atmosphere to slingshot her around the planet. Mallory had been on the auxiliary bridge at the time but he had been watching the Captain on a holo display.

  The look in his eyes had been infectious, Mallory remembered. He knew he could still win and he made everyone else believe it. Mallory knew that those moments had been what had really changed him. The battle as a whole had set him on a new path but it had been James and his confidence that had awoken something inside him. I want to be like that, Mallory acknowledged to himself. Then what am I doing?

  “Everything ok Lieutenant?” Ferguson said, “you seem to be staring off into space.”

  Mallory almost jumped out of his command chair. “Eh, yes Sir,” he answered as he made up his mind. “I just remembered I need to go and check on a few of our men. If you don’t need me here I better do that now.”

  “Ok,” Ferguson said, “but don’t be too long, we need to keep a close eye on the Vestarians.”

  “Yes Sir,” Mallory replied.

  Once he got out of the bridge he made his way down to one of the storage rooms near the brig. On his way he tried to come up with a story that would explain his actions. In the end he settled on staying as close to the truth as he could. He had been forced to join Ferguson’s mutiny; now that Ferguson was distracted he was doing what he had planned to do all along, double-crossing Ferguson.

  When he got to the storage room he entered his command code and went inside. He made his way to one of the locked containers and pulled out the electrical stun guns Major Johnston had brought on board Endeavour.

  He spun around when the door to the storage room whooshed open. He grabbed a stunner and aimed it at the intruder, “Hold it right there,” he said.

  “Lieutenant Mallory,” Jil’lal replied with a low growl when she saw who it was. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Mallory said. “Aren’t you supposed to be locked up in your quarters?”

  “I am supposed to be yes,” Jil’lal said as she took a step closer to the Lieutenant hoping to get within striking range.

  “Don’t come any closer,” Mallory said, picking up a strange looking weapon from a rack beside him as he took a step back. “I have seen images of your people fighting in the Overlord’s palace. You’re not to come any closer.”

  Jil’lal let out another low growl, she needed to take care of Mallory quickly or else her window to free the Captain would close.

  “Now tell me this,” Mallory said. “What are you doing out of your quarters, are you trying to free the Captain?”

  “Maybe, or maybe I just thought I would go for a stroll. What is it to you?” Jil’lal said.

  “Here, take these,” Mallory said with a smile as he tossed two pairs of handcuffs towards her.

  “You are a fool if you think you can get these on me human,” Jil’lal said.

  “Ha,” Mallory said, “I know better than that. I’m hoping you will put them on yourself. You see I am in here getting the weapons I need to free the Captain. I think we can work together.”

  “Free the Captain?” Jil’lal asked, “but you are the reason why he is locked up in the first place.”

  “Not exactly,” Mallory said. “Ferguson came to me with his plan just minutes before he made his move against the Captain. He had already recruited a number of the crew members from Chester who are, or at least were, loyal to me. I had no choice, if I had refused him he would have locked me up then and there. The only way I could help the Captain was by going along with his plan. Now that the Overlord’s fleet are here and attacking the Kulreans Ferguson is distracted enough that we can make our move and release the Captain.”

  “Even if I believe you,” Jil’lal said carefully, “what am I supposed to do with these?” she asked as she held up the handcuffs.

  “You put them on of course,” Mallory said with the same smile as before. “How else are we going to walk into the brig? I don’t think the guards would believe that you captured me and were escorting me to the brig.”

  Chapter 27 - Jailbreak

  Mutiny is the worst crime a crew of an Empire warship can commit. The penalty is death.

  -Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD

  10th August 2466 AD, HMS Endeavour, Kulthar System.

  “Ok,” Jil’lal said after taking a few moments to consider her options. She really didn’t have much choice. Mallory had her caught. If he was just bluffing in an effort to get her to come peacefully he could shoot her at the first sign she was trying to get away. On the other hand, if he was telling the truth then this was her best chance to get into the brig.

  “I’ll do it,” she added. But I’m not telling you about O’Brian and Speers.

  “Well get those cuffs on then,” Mallory said. “No time to waste.”

  Jil’lal gave him another growl but she picked up the cuffs and put them on.

  “Lead on,” Mallory said as he hefted his gun and pointed it at her. Before she turned to head out of the storage room he picked up a few more of the strange looking weapons and stuffed them into a backpack he had brought with him.

  Jil’lal took a deep breath and pushed the button to open the storage room door with cuffed hands. As it swished open she stepped out and headed for the brig. To her relief the guards she had heard earlier had already passed by.

  When they got near the brig Mallory poked his head around the corner of the corridor they were in. There were four guards standing outside the brig guarding the entrance. Before he could formulate a plan a small vibration rumbled through the floor plating that caused Jil’lal to jump.

  “What was that?” Mallory asked.

  Before Jil’lal could say anything alarms began to go off and Ferguson’s voice came over the ship intercom. “All non-essential personnel report to engineering. All non-essential personnel report to engineering. We believe some of the crew are trying to retake control of Endeavour’s power generators.”

  “Does that have something to do with you?” Mallory asked

  “Maybe,” Jil’lal said.

  “Well let’s make use of the distraction,” Mallory replied as he poked his head around the corner again. Two of the guards were already heading off in the direction of the engine room. “Time to go.”

  As Jil’lal rounded the corner that led to the brig the two remaining guards raised their weapons.

  “Hold your fire,” Mallory shouted as he rounded the corner. “I’m escorting a prisoner to the brig. She escaped from her quarters.”

  “You made us jump out of our skin there Lieutenant,” one of the guards said. “It’s not every day an angry looking alien comes running around the corner at you.”

  “Ha, I guess not,” Mallory c
huckled. “I think we will all be a little happier once she is safely locked up. She was roaming around the ship on her own.”

  “Do you know what that explosion was?” the other guard asked.

  “I don’t know anything more than what Lieutenant Ferguson just said,” Mallory answered. “I was on my way here when the alarms went off. I’m heading to engineering as soon as you get this alien locked up.”

  “This way then,” the first guard said as he opened the doors to the brig.

  When they stepped through the guard called out, “it’s ok Hanson, we’ve just got another prisoner for you.”

  Hanson had been sitting behind a monitoring station but he had jumped to his feet as the doors had opened. Behind him there were three cells that formed a semi-circle around the monitoring station. One of them was full of Endeavour’s command crew.

  “Ah, Lieutenant. Do you want to put her in a cell of her own?” Hanson asked.

  “No, she’ll be fine with the rest of them. At least until Ferguson decides what to do with them,” Mallory answered.

  “Alright,” Hanson said as he leaned over the monitoring station and input his authorization code. “Stand back,” he called to the prisoners. “You know what happens if you stand too close to the doors when they open.”

  James and the Lieutenants jumped back before the electric shock that was designed to stop anyone rushing out of the cells when their doors opened could hit any of them.

  “In you go,” Hanson said as he pointed his plasma rifle at Jil’lal.

  Before she could move Mallory turned his electrical stunner on Hanson and hit him with an electrical bolt square in the chest. He turned to take out the guard who had followed them into the brig but Jil’lal was already launching herself at him. She knocked him to the ground, sending his weapon skidding across the floor. With one strong punch she knocked him unconscious.

  “Time to get out of here Captain,” Mallory shouted as he opened his backpack and handed out more stunners to the Lieutenants as they came tumbling out of the cell.

  “Why the sudden change of heart?” James asked Mallory after he had picked up Hanson’s plasma rifle and leveled it at the Second Lieutenant.

  “There was no change of heart Captain,” Mallory said earnestly. “I was always on your side. Ferguson came to me just thirty minutes before he made his move against you. He had already convinced a number of the crew members from Chester to join his cause. He wanted me to persuade the rest. If I had refused, he would have knocked me out and stuffed me into my quarters. The only way I could see to help you was to go along with his plan and wait for a chance to free you. I bumped into Jil’lal as she was planning the same thing and so we decided to join forces.”

  “Why did you decide to help me at all?” James asked. “I’ve watched you closely since I took command. You don’t look out for anyone but yourself. Don’t forget I have read your record and the appraisals your previous Commanders have given you. Why didn’t you just keep your head down and go with Ferguson’s plan?”

  Mallory hung his head in obvious shame. “You’re right captain. In the past I’ve always looked out for number one. But I’ve changed,” he said as he raised his eyes to meet James’. They were burning with a newfound passion.

  “Ferguson’s plan showed me just how much. I didn’t think you could keep us alive over Haven, never mind save the planet. Then you managed to stop the Overlord cold and destroy over twenty of his ships. I believe in you Sir. You can make a difference here for the Kulreans and you deserve a chance to show us all what you can do.”

  James was taken aback. He knew mediocre officers could come good. That was what had happened to him after all. But he had been so busy concentrating on his own problems he hadn’t noticed the change that must have been coming over Mallory. “I thank you for your trust,” he said. “I hear-by promote you to First Lieutenant. If we can wrestle back control of Endeavour and help the Kulreans I will be in your debt.”

  “I am just doing my duty Sir,” Mallory said as he saluted James.

  “We all are,” Becket said as she lifted the other plasma rifle off the floor and saluted James. The other officers followed her example and James felt a lump rise in his throat. He saluted them back and gritted his teeth for what was to come.

  “Let’s get back control of our ship and see what we can do about the rest of the Overlord’s fleet,” he said to his officers.

  “We’re with you Sir,” Julius said with a grin.

  “Ok then, Mallory, you and Chief Driscoll will take the Sub Lieutenants and make your way to the marine barracks. I’m guessing they will be heavily guarded but if we are going to get control of our ship we will need the marines’ help. Julius, Becket and I are going to make our way to the bridge. We’ll free as many of our people from their quarters as we can on the way to add to the general confusion.”

  “I have already freed Private O’Brian and Ensign Speers,” Jil’lal said, “they were going to cause a distraction in the engine room so that I could sneak in here and free you. That was before I met Lieutenant Mallory.”

  “Good work,” James said. “You go with Mallory and see if you can meet up with them on the way. Maybe they will have some ideas about how to take back engineering. If they were causing some problems for the mutineers who are in control, there they might have reinforced that area.”

  “Yes Sir, we won’t let you down,” Mallory said.

  “Ok then, let’s move,” James responded. “Becket, you take point, don’t hesitate to fire. We need to regain control of this ship quickly and the mutineers have already forfeited any right to leniency.”

  “Aye Sir,” she said as she started towards the bridge.

  Mallory made sure everyone in his group was equipped with stunners and headed out. “Can you get us a safe route to the marine barracks?” he asked Jil’lal.

  “Of course,” she answered as she pulled out her datapad. After a few seconds she set off towards their destination.

  When they got close Jil’lal accessed the sensor feed for the area around the marine barracks. “There appear to be eight guards,” she told Mallory.

  “Ok, we’ll do our trick from the brig again,” he said. “If you don’t mind donning your handcuffs again that is?”

  “No, it’s ok, I trust you now,” Jil’lal said.

  “Right, the rest of you wait here,” Mallory said to the Sub Lieutenants. “As soon as you hear me open fire you can rush round the corner and open up on the defenders. As quick as I am, I won’t be able to take them all out before they can zero in on me.”

  “Yes Sir,” Sub Lieutenant Jennings said. “We’ll have your back.”

  “Give me a stunner,” Jil’lal said. “I can hide it between my arms and help you shoot them.”

  Mallory didn’t hesitate to reach into his backpack and throw one over to her. “They’re not very accurate so watch where you aim it,” was all he said.

  When Jil’lal had the cuffs on again she set off around the corridor. The marine barracks was a separate section of the ship from the rest of the crew quarters. The marines kept to themselves for disciplinary reasons. It also meant they had their own gym, pool and sparring facilities. There were two main entrances into the marine barracks and Jil’lal had led Mallory to the one that was the lightest guarded.

  Again as she rounded the corner the guards jumped in surprise. They relaxed slightly when Mallory came into view but two of them kept their rifles trained on her.

  “Don’t worry boys, she’s with me,” Mallory said. “I need a couple of volunteers to escort her to the brig. I caught her wandering around out here.”

  “We were ordered not to leave the barracks,” one of the guards said.

  “And I’m the Second Lieutenant,” Mallory almost shouted. “Who do you think is in charge around here?”

  The guard began to mumble something in response but Mallory was already in motion. As he had shouted at them the crew members had instinctively lowered their eyes and tha
t was all the opening he needed.

  “Now,” he shouted for the Sub Lieutenants’ benefit as he opened fire with his stunner. Jil’lal already had hers up and multiple electric bolts hit the guards. Four of them went down immediately. A fifth was hit as a number of bolts came crashing down the corridor from the Sub Lieutenants.

  The sixth and last guard had been shielded from most of the bolts by her comrades and she was able to bring up her plasma rifle and sight on Mallory. At the last second a bolt from Jil’lal hit her, throwing her aim off but not before she fired.

  The bolt almost missed Mallory but the edge of its superheated plasma grazed the Lieutenant’s side, sending him to the floor with a groan of agony.