Triton: The Descendants War Book 1

by John Walker

  “We’re not quite there in our conversation yet. Do you know what happened to the Triton a couple months back?”

  Rhys shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Scuttlebutt suggested some kind of major overhaul at an unknown dry dock.”

  “Accurate. But prior to that happening, we encountered an enemy threat that nearly destroyed the vessel. They did take out two of our destroyers. They did it with only two ships and we couldn’t touch them.”

  “That’s…”

  “Hold back the impossible word, we’ve got a long way to go.” Rhys clapped him on the shoulder, pausing before the door. “This room hasn’t undergone too radical of a change. New panels, different controls… an upgraded computer system. Which reminds me, you’ll need to turn yours in. You’ll be assigned a new one.”

  “Alright…” Rhys frowned. “Sir, what’s going on? What’s the big surprise?”

  “Tell me, who do you think has the ability to take out two destroyers and a battleship?”

  “I… don’t know. A pirate fleet certainly.”

  “Don’t forget that I said two ships.”

  “That’s why I was about to call it impossible. No one has the firepower for that.”

  “We do now,” Titus said. “And the defenses to go along with it. And then… there are our allies. I was going to introduce you to them right away but something’s come up. We’re going to have to depart immediately.”

  “To get into a skirmish?” Rhys asked. “I don’t know the ship’s systems yet. Haven’t even had a tour.”

  “You’ll have a couple hours to get acquainted with key parts. Mostly, I need you running ground crews and security again. At least until you’re caught up to speed.”

  “I should’ve been involved from the beginning.”

  “I don’t disagree with that. Unfortunately, the first couple weeks involved a lot of admin. Arguing with high command. Intelligence had their opinions too, as you can imagine. I didn’t receive my promotion until four weeks ago though I’d been in command of the project as if I’d already taken it.

  “Now, we’re ninety-five percent operational. The assignment we’ve been tasked with should be easy enough, giving us a chance to shake off some bugs while in transit and during the mission. We’ve got a lot of new people aboard, Commander. We lost fifty personnel including the captain.”

  Fifty! Rhys cleared his throat, struggling to swallow past a dry throat. That’s twenty-five percent of the crew. Jesus…

  “I can tell by your expression you understand the gravity of what happened.”

  “Who are these allies?” Rhys asked. “Are they why command had such a debate?”

  “Partially. They’re called the Prytins. And we’ve learned about some other cultures as well.”

  “Cultures?”

  “They’re aliens. We’ve discovered other sentient life. Not only them, but the ships we fought belong to a different species. They’re the Kahls and from all the data we’ve collected, they are the greatest threat the galaxy’s known in a long time. We stumbled on them testing our defenses, checking the lines.”

  “Why would they declare war on us?” Rhys shrugged. “What did we do? Infringe on their space?”

  “The Kahl race believes they are superior to all others. They are on a crusade to effectively conquer the universe through slaughter. The Prytins are the only other faction with serious war experience. Them… and us. Which is why they’ve granted us access to their technology. You’re about to find out exactly what that means.”

  “So let me get this straight. We’re at war with aliens, good ones are helping us, and we’re about to rush out on an assignment using untested foreign equipment?”

  “Some of it they built, yes,” Titus said, “but we did the rest. Believe me, without their technology this would’ve taken a year or more. Even their builders are faster. They make extensive use of nanotechnology and…”

  “Begging your pardon,” Rhys interrupted, “but does anyone think this is a good idea? We’re putting a lot of lives on the line here.”

  “All of humanity,” Titus replied. “The schematics are with the Engineering Corps. They’ll be implementing the weapons and defenses throughout the fleet after this first assignment.”

  “Forgetting all the other questions for a second…” Rhys rubbed his eyes. “What is our assignment?”

  “We’re heading out to a planet called Cordal Three. Have you heard of it?”

  “I’ve seen it on a star chart,” Rhys asked. “Why are we going?”

  “We picked up a distress call. Human… it’ll take a bit to get accustomed to making the distinction.”

  “Wait. Cordal Three is days away at maximum warp speed. It’s uninhabited. Not even a colony there. I remember now. There’s no way we’ll get there in time to help them with anything too serious. So unless they’re just stranded…”

  “Ah,” Titus interrupted. “We’ve performed some upgrades in that regard. It won’t be days, my friend.” He motioned with his head. “Come on. I’ll take you to the bridge. Introduce you to the others.” They started walking. “Listen, I handpicked you for a variety of reasons. I hope you don’t mind, but I think you’re ideal for this assignment.”

  “I appreciate that.” I think. Rhys hadn’t decided if he’d walked into a nightmare or what. This whole situation, the concept of aliens… of new technology… even as he walked he noticed things here and there that looked different than any other battleship he’d been on before. Different panels, strange new screens… the core looked the same for the most part.

  “You really did it,” Rhys said. “You’ve genuinely altered this vessel with new tech.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” They got to the elevator. “The bridge received a fairly extensive alteration. New consoles, updated helm, better viewscreen. I’m not entirely sold on the chairs… but I’m told you get used to them.” He shrugged. “Anyway, we’ve got direct controls to Engineering. That little stunt you pulled on the station? Can’t work here.”

  Rhys felt his cheeks burn. Christ, even he brought it up. “How so?”

  “We’re hardwired into key systems up there. No relays through Engineering. Yes, they have all the access you’d expect but it’s also more difficult to get to. You’d need command codes and biometrics. We took some pretty serious precautions.”

  “What do they think is going on at Cordal Three?”

  “Don’t know.” Titus boarded the elevator as it arrived. “Two people registered an archaeological permit out that way. They were digging for something. The Prytin database said that it could be the site of an old colony from any of the cultures we’ve encountered now. Um… speaking of which, most of these folks don’t look entirely like us.”

  “Oh? What are they, green men?”

  Titus chuckled. “I’d check that humor at the door when we disembark. They’re humanoid, but with different coloring. Though one in particular… they’ve got some… cat-like qualities. You’ll see. Try not to stare too much. Full disclosure on that, everyone’s stared a little since we’ve started this. They don’t seem offended. Not much, at least.”

  “How fast do you think we can get to Cordal?”

  “Our pilot plotted a course. She believes we’ll be there in three hours.”

  “What?” Rhys scoffed. “Impossible. Absolutely impossible. There’s no way! There’s just… I mean, wait… you’re actually serious about that. You really think we can make that kind of distance in such a short run?”

  “New tech.” Titus shrugged. “Don’t worry. I had a lot of the same reactions. Unfortunately for you, I had the luxury of scoffing. You’ll have to accept until you see it all work out. But at least you’ve got three hours to read some technical data and pick up on what we’ve done here.”

  Three hours to unlearn everything I know about space travel, Rhys thought. And learn an entirely new ship. I’m both flattered and pissed. I can’t believe anyone thought this was remotely okay. Something occurre
d to him. Maybe they didn’t. It might be a situation where there wasn’t a choice. In that case, I guess I should be grateful they thought I could handle it.

  But could he? He didn’t know. He felt overwhelmed and hadn’t really seen anything. Titus might even still be pulling some elaborate prank on him, a hazing for the new officer on board. That seemed childish but it made just as much sense as aliens and new technology capable of making a days long journey into a few hours.

  Then they stepped onto the bridge and all his doubts vanished. At least about the captain’s claims. His ability to be effective on the other hand… that came into sharp contrast. He’d been on some amazing ships in his day, seem some advancements through his career. The bridge of the Triton looked like something out of concept art.

  The structure of the room remained the same but the helm had changed significantly. Typically, they were square, boxy affairs connected to one another. The pilots sat in front of them with all the connections and circuitry contained around their legs. They were bulky, unattractive but effective at holding all the parts required for standard operations.

  They’d been replaced by flat panels that seemed to be on a swivel of sorts. On the outsides of the chairs, a metal pole rose from the floor to hold them. The pilots had footrests in front of their seats with a panel between them that had some kind of navigational information. It glowed blue with a number of touchpoints.

  Two chairs behind them provided the captain and first officer a place to sit. They had their own panels much like the pilot’s though smaller. Holographic screens provided various views, presumably from cameras spread throughout the ship. He figured they must’ve been intuitive if the captain felt comfortable with him going out on such short notice.

  Normally, only two other stations occupied the bridge but they fit a third one behind the command officers. The consoles they worked at looked more traditional but they had additional access points, more panels, with a variety of screens. The tech officers had to love them.

  The viewscreen was little more than a frame on the wall but it was also a little bigger than normal. That moment it displayed tactical information about the area as well as all traffic traveling about. The details it presented surprised him again, though he wondered exactly how he had the capacity for shock.

  “Welcome to your new home,” Titus said. “The panels are a lot simpler to operate than you might think. They only look complicated because they’re upgraded. We’ve skinned the interface to look a lot like what we’re used to. That was to minimize training. Eventually, we’ll upgrade because the new way of getting around is pretty slick.”

  “I see.” Rhys nodded. “I’m… I’m impressed, Captain. This is incredible. Even if it’s just aesthetic, it looks a lot different. And those consoles…” He gestured to the helm. “What’s that all about?”

  “Efficiency,” Titus explained. “This setup also minimizes the danger of some catastrophic event killing the operator. The panel can surge out, but it wouldn’t blow up. And that tube is strong enough to withstand insane temperatures. Ultimately, besides streamlining, it’s a safety issue. Injuries on Prytin ships from shorted consoles are minimal.

  “Anyway, let me introduce you around.” Titus gestured to the pilot on the right side, a woman. “This is Lieutenant Jane Bennet.” She offered a quick salute before going back to her work. “Lieutenant Commander Ronin James.” He did the same. “Over there is Lieutenant Violet Cromwell on the technical station.”

  “Welcome aboard, sir.” Violet stood, offering a crisp salute. “It’s an honor to serve with you again.”

  Rhys felt like a jackass. He couldn’t remember her. “I’m sorry, Lieutenant.” He returned her salute. “I don’t remember the post?”

  “I was an ensign on the Borgia. We did some brief work together when you lost contact with a ground unit.”

  “Oh my God, yes!” Rhys nodded. “That was fantastic work, Lieutenant. I’m sorry I forgot.” He turned to Titus. “We were conducting a rescue operation on a mining facility and I lost contact with all personnel. Violet here found a way to tap into the network of the station then patched us through the PA system.”

  “I gave them instructions on how to use the reactor there to boost their signal long enough to let us know they were okay. They set their rendezvous and we got them out of there. No casualties.”

  “Fantastic.” Titus motioned to the chairs. “Violet, can you give Rhys a rundown on how everything works? After we depart.”

  “Of course.” Violet nodded. “Let me know when you’re ready, sir.”

  Rhys took his seat, sinking into the chair. The terminal immediately identified him, logging him into the station. Most of the interface did look familiar, but the way he accessed it took him by surprise. The touch screen somehow felt different. Smoother… as if touching the surface of a bubble.

  He thought to ask why, but Titus spoke to the pilots. “Take us out, Ronin. Course set?”

  “We’re ready to go,” Jane replied. “Estimated time of arrival, two hours, fifty six minutes. Rendezvous with the Brekka… three hours twenty minutes.”

  “So about a half hour before we see them.” Titus nodded. “Excellent. Welcome to the Triton, Commander. I look forward to our tour together.”

  “Thanks… me too.” Rhys turned back to the interface as the ship picked up speed. When the engines engaged, it seemed to be smoother than other vessels. The artificial gravity must’ve been dramatically better. He swore they were barely moving but the viewscreen showed they were rapidly approaching the top speed of any other ship.

  Can this thing exceed basic operational levels? Rhys wouldn’t have doubted it. He felt as if anything might be possible aboard the Triton… and the most wondrous part of this assignment had not even happened yet. I’m going to meet aliens eventually. That blew his mind most of all.

  ***

  Martin Tiller always thought he’d be assigned to a space station or some boring peacekeeping group. When he had received orders to report to a top secret starship on the edge of colonial space, he couldn’t believe his fortune. He and Wilson had been handpicked for the assignment… an honor he didn’t understand but gladly accepted.

  As they walked down the hall, Vesper nudged him. “You seeing this?” She asked.

  “What?” Tiller looked around. He didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. “What’s wrong?”

  “Um…” Vesper gestured at a wall screen as they passed. “That?”

  “Looks upgraded.” Tiller shrugged. “So?”

  “So,” Corso said, “you’re about to enter a new world. When we’re done with the briefing, you’ll get a chance to spend a couple hours with some new weapons. I’m sorry it won’t be longer but we’ve been called up for a mission. Could mean a ground operation. We’re not sure yet.”

  “Sorry, sir,” Vesper replied, “what do you mean a new world? What’s going on?”

  “There’s a lot to cover and little time.” Corso stopped walking, turning to look at them both. “We’ve onboarded several new people over the last couple weeks. You two were our last additions. We thought you’d have at least seven days to acclimate. That’s not the case but suffice to say, we’ve made a lot of changes to this ship and our equipment as well.”

  “What kind of changes?” Tiller asked. “And how?”

  “You were picked because you’re young and supposedly open minded,” Corso replied. “So I’m going to give you a one word answer to that question. We’ll get into details later. Aliens. That’s how. Now, I need to get you to the Gunny so he can bring you up to speed on the equipment you’ll be using.”

  “Aliens…” Tiller looked at Vesper as the lieutenant started moving again. “Like… legit other life? Sentient? That’s… I mean, I don’t want to say impossible but improbable. Right?”

  “You should’ve taken astral philosophy,” Vesper said. “That course went into the possibility of other life and what it might mean to the human ego. How much it might change ou
r entire culture… the way we think about religion, culture, civilization. Everything, honestly. We explored the good and the bad.”

  “Which is why no one knows yet,” Corso added. “We haven’t made this public. And until we know more, it’ll remain a secret. Especially because some of the aliens have declared war on the galaxy. Which is why you two have come aboard. Supplementing our ground soldiers is essential for our operations.”

  “But we’re just one ship,” Tiller replied. “How exactly can we be expected to do much in a wartime situation?”

  “One vessel can do a whole lot,” Corso replied, “and we have allies. We won’t be alone. Trust me. There’s a lot going on here, son. Some of it you’ll pick up along the way. The rest you’ll gather from briefings. But until then, I need you both to keep you minds open. This is not an assignment for bigots. There’s too much at stake for pettiness.”

  “You’ve got the right people,” Vesper said. “We’re happy to be here.” She smiled, nudging Tiller with her elbow again. “This is what I’ve been talking about! This right here! A real purpose. A chance to do something good.”

  Definitely not boring, Tiller thought. And new equipment to boot.

  Corso led them into a small room directly off the hall. It was then that Tiller realized they hadn’t seen anyone on that deck. That seemed strange. Every other ship he visited had people running all over the place. What’s special about this area? He wanted to ask but kept his trap shut when he saw the Gunnery Sergeant waiting for them.

  Tiller snapped to attention beside Vesper.

  “I’m Gunnery Sergeant Kenzo Stefan. You call me Gunny. I know who you are. I don’t need an introduction. Today, we’re covering the basics of energy weapon tech and the armor you’ll be wearing. Fortunately for you, it’s simple enough that even an idiot can operate it. Basic familiarity will get you through the next assignment.

  “Your records paint a positive picture and they better be real. You two will drill with the rest of your unit later. Right now, you’ll be providing backup when we go down to the surface. I’ve got a requisition order out for an additional twenty people. I got two.” Gunny cast a withering glare at Corso. “So we do what we can.”