by Jerome Kelly
“Captain!? You can’t be serious…”
“Just do it!” James dismissed all the protests, “I don’t want to actually ram them, I just want to scare them enough to give the rest of the fleet the time they need to retreat. Set a course then pull up at twelve hundred meters distance.”
“Captain, remind me to recommend you for a psych evaluation when we get back to Earth,” Daniels shook his head as he moved the ship on course towards the fast approaching Al’cari battlecruiser, “sending us to our graves in five… four…”
“Yeah, I get the picture helmsman, just hold your course and draw their attention. As soon as the fleet is on the move, turn us around and get us out of here! I have no plans to die today.”
Daniels sent them forward at full attack speed right into an intercept trajectory with the leading Al’cari ship. A couple of alliance ships had started to make a move and were leaving the area but the majority were still blind and confused. Facing it down, the Evening Star was heading right into the front of the approaching Al’cari battlecruiser. It was not going to be intimidated though. Three blasts of the shock cannons were not enough to deter it and it held course.
“PULL UP!”
The entire command crew held their breath as the Al’cari ship passed within less than three hundred meters of the Evening Star, totally ignoring their maneuver. The Al’cari passed straight by them and continued towards the fleet, ready to fire on the closest Vulian cruisers.
“Captain, I have a stable link to the fleet,” said Iyacs, it’s timing could not have been any better in this instance, “you are free to relay your message.”
“This is captain James Tavarez of the Evening Star, I am ordering a full retreat! I repeat, full retreat! Get yourselves out of here and head back to Tolis, the Al’cari are right on top of us. Move now or you will be destroyed!”
The message had got through but it was going to be too late for some of them. Every last ship in the fleet made a move, turning away from the incoming Al’cari attack and going full speed in the opposite direction. James watched anxiously as they scrambled for safety but the message had come too late, the first Al’cari cruiser opened fire, hitting two Vulian battlecruisers and tearing through their defences. The Vulian fleet was returning fire frantically but the Al’cari shields were shrugging off all the damage. In small numbers, they were not able to inflict the sort of damage the full force of the fleet had previously dished out.
“Come on! Come on! Get moving!” James said anxiously as he watched another Al’cari ship reach weapons range of the alliance fleet. Two Naisan battleships managed to dodge out of the way but another Voronian cruiser was not so lucky and it was quickly overwhelmed and destroyed. A few ships had managed to make the jump to warp and get clear of the system but the vast majority were still trapped and scrambling to get away. The Vulians were getting the worst of it, three of their ships had already gone down and more were in harms way, including Kyrakian’s capitol ship which was dangerously close to the lead Al’cari ship. As much as James could never forgive them for the atrocities they committed under the leadership of emperor Mordan, he could not just stand by and watch them torn apart, even if this alliance was only temporary. But no matter what they tried, they couldn’t stop the Al’cari attack, all they could do was try to rally the fleets and get them out of the fight before they were completely overwhelmed.
More and more ships were making the jump, at least half of the fleet, including Raviano and Juarez’s ships had escaped to hyperspace but others were still struggling to get away. Valentina’s capitol ship was still caught in the fray though, the Churian admiral fighting to cover the escape of the rest of his people and the others in the alliance. Even a ship as durable as his would not last long against Al’cari firepower though and nor would Kyrakian’s. Without a seconds warning, the young Vulian executor’s ship was hit with a wave of fire from two Al’cari ships and it was blown apart, scattering debris throughout the scrambling Vulian fleet.
“DAMN IT!” James exclaimed. The young executor had been a shining example of the potential that the Vulian race might have had. To lose him would be a major setback for Darien’s empire.
“James, there is nothing more we can do here, we have to go,” Isha urged him, “I don’t want to lose any more people but we can’t do anything for them now, the Al’cari are too powerful.”
“We can still save them!” James contested, “just keep firing on the Al’cari, draw their attention away from the other cruisers.”
“James, they’re taking out the rest of the fleet to get to us,” Kalmar warned, “they know we have the Shadow Bringer, thats why they’re not going for us. They’re scattering the fleet to get us alone so that they can take the weapon from us.”
As long as there were still people to save, James could not abandon them. He never wanted to abandon another soul and leave them to die just as he had done in the past but Isha and Kalmar were right, they could not do any more. Most of the fleet was at warp, the last stragglers were being chased down and destroyed. There were distress calls from all around them, escape pods and shuttles flying all over the place with some people lucky enough to get off their doomed ships in the nick of time. Still, the Al’cari continued to ignore the Evening Star while they went about destroying the last few trapped ships.
“Get us out of the system,” James resigned, sinking down into his chair, “move us away from the Al’cari ships. Set a course for Tolis once we’re at a safe distance. I’m going straight to the council ship and I’m damn well doing to make Artennes realise what he has allowed to happen here.”
James watched through the view-screen as it showed the battle behind them fading into the distance. From the wreckage, he estimated that the alliance had lost a total of nineteen cruisers and the Vulians a further seven. Losses they could simply not afford while they had barely finished rebuilding from six years ago. The last few ships made it to warp leaving the four Al’cari ships alone among the debris field. The battlefield went silent, dead.
“Sir, I have an escape capsule coming in hot,” Ivanov broke the silence on the bridge, “it’s Vulian, sir, I think it’s executor Kyrakian.”
“Get him aboard, now!” James exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.
“We went down this route six years ago, James,” Saavoy interjected, “you know how it goes when you bring Vulians on board. Let one of his own people save his ass.”
“Kasha, I know you’ll never forgive the Vulians for what they did to you, nor should you,” said James, “but we need this guy. He might be our best chance at achieving a permanent truce with the empire.”
“If this goes wrong, it’s all on you,” Saavoy sighed, “if he turns into Darien mark two, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Noted. Daniels, open the shuttle bat and tractor his escape capsule in. Once we have them, set a course for Tolis, maximum warp.”
“Bringing him in now sir,” said Daniels, hardly enthusiastic about the prospect of being joined on the ship by the old enemy. There would be a fair few among the crew thinking the very same thing.
As soon as the capsule was safely in the shuttle bay, Daniels set a course back to the Valoran sector and made the jump to warp. James quickly left the bridge and ran for the shuttle bay to meet the new arrivals. Already on scene was Lucy with several of the crew’s security officers, taking no chances with Vulian officers now on board the ship.
“James, what’s going on here?” She was quick to ask him as he arrived on the scene, “this is a Vulian escape capsule, you are aware of this, right?”
“It’s Ok, Lucy, I’ve got this,” James ushered them to one side, “I don’t think our guests will be a problem.”
At least he hoped they wouldn’t. The loading ramp to the escape capsule came down and the Vulian executor Kyrakian made his way down, three of his senior officers alongside him. They were carrying weapons but th
ey were holstered and none of the officers were showing any aggressive intentions. Kyrakian, in fact, looked grateful to him for having saved him. It was hardly a feeling any Vulian officer or soldier would be comfortable with.
“Captain James Tavarez…” Kyrakian began, “. . . I find myself in the rather awkward position of being thankful to you for saving my life.”
“Executor Kyrakian, welcome aboard the Evening Star,” James said calmly, although many members of his security team were not sharing his feelings of calm. They were edgy and glancing down towards their weapons every few seconds.
“I must admit, I took a risk by chasing down your ship in hope of being rescued,” said Kyrakian, “I am glad you saw fit to oblige though, despite the history between our two people.”
“With everything going on right now, I think we can put aside whatever history we might have,” said James, “as long as your people continue to honour the truce, I am happy to work together.”
“As are we,” said Kyrakian, the tension between the officers on both sides visibly calmed by the sight of their two leaders doing away with the hostilities. With so much at stake for both sides, they knew it was in everyone’s best interests to continue to work together.
“I will have my security teams set up accommodation for you and your officers,” said James, “we will stop by with the remains of your fleet when we get back to Tolis and return you to your people.”
“It is appreciated,” said Kyrakian, “however, due to the circumstances, I would like to join you and your command crew on the bridge. From what Darien has told me about you, I know that you will be wanting to find a way to end this before the alliance suffers any more losses. Given the current truce between us, I would like to see what I can do to help.”
“There is a lot we will have to bring you up to speed on,” said James, “this fight goes a long way beyond your empire, our alliance and a group of raiders from the Blue Ring sector.”
Lucy and the security teams lead Kyrakian’s officers away to their quarters while the executor himself joined James as they made their way up to the command deck. It was just like it had been six years ago, a Vulian executor joining the crew in the middle of the alliance’s fight for freedom, albeit under far different circumstances this time. The rest of the team had already assembled at the briefing room, almost as if they knew exactly what James was going to do next. Some of them, especially Saavoy, looked a little uncomfortable at the presence of Kyrakian among them but now was not the time to be picky about where help came from. James did notice that neither Kosare nor Julio were present but regardless, James lead the rest of the team inside.
“That didn’t go according to plan,” Ansare stated as the crew assembled at the briefing table, referring back to the failed incursion into the Blue Ring sector, “if only Artennes had listened to you, all of those people might still be alive.”
“We all lost people in the battle, Kaldun,” said Morelli, “my people took the most casualties of any alliance race out there today.”
“But it isn’t right!” Ansare insisted, “as leader of the Freedom Alliance council, he should have known better than this. He was too stubborn and too short sighted to listen to those of us who knew the extent of what we were facing. His stubbornness will be the undoing of this alliance.”
“I must admit, when lord Artennes approached my people about this alliance between our people, I sensed that there was something not quite right with him,” Kyrakian added, “he seemed weary, panicked almost, like stopping these Al’cari was the only thing that mattered to him in the entire universe. It was as if he feared that all of his work in rebuilding the alliance was coming to an end.”
“After what just happened, it all might be,” said Isha, “he was a fool not to listen to us, now he’s cost thousands of soldiers and officers their lives in a single stupid attack. The Al’cari know all about us now and you can bet that they will bring the fight to us next time. Artennes may just have started another war.”
“Not if we can do something about it first,” said James, “remember, we still have two pieces of the Shadow Bringer and the Al’cari still need them to complete the weapon before they can use it. They will probably come after us before they make any kind of attack against the alliance.”
“I concur,” said Kalmar, “the Al’cari have been tearing up the entire Blue Ring sector for decades to find this thing, they will not let go now. Once they track us down, they will surely come for us and that will put anyone around us in danger. I recommend we stay well away from any alliance worlds so as to not lead them to a potential target. Remember, we wiped the memory banks of all the derelict ships in the sector. They will not be aware of the locations of your home planets right now, not unless they accidentally stumble across one.”
“Then we would do well to keep it that way,” said Ansare, “so what’s our next move?”
“Our next move needs to be to find the last piece of the Shadow Bringer,” said James, “if we can get all three pieces together, we can put together a plan of action for recovering the fourth and final piece from the Al’cari base. One way or another, there is only one thing that will end this conflict and that is the destruction of the Shadow Bringer. If anyone has any ideas as to where the last piece might be, now is the time to say it. Kalmar, any ideas?”
“I’m afraid not,” he said glumly, “we searched every Jaiytid ruin we ever came across and Sharstrom was the only place that held any kind of secret. I’m afraid I can’t be of any help here.”
“And I am afraid that I too cannot give you the information you need,” said the voice of Iyacs, who’s consciousness had now been transferred to the briefing room, “any indications as to the last whereabouts of the Shadow Bringer have either been purged from my memory banks or locked away so that I may not access them. To attempt to search those parts of my memory would likely damage me beyond repair.”
“Jaiden is the one we need for this,” said Ansare, “whereabouts is she right now anyway?”
“Jaiden Kosare is currently in the cargo bay with Julio Castellan,” said Iyacs, “they are currently studying the pieces of the Shadow Bringer along with the many records taken from the underground hangar on Sharstrom. I can assure you, this is the only activity they have engaged in since they have been down there.”
“Thanks Iyacs,” James managed to hide a chuckle, “I’ll go down and see them now, see if they can’t find anything useful. As for the rest of you, you’re free to go about your business. If any of you find anything or you have any suggestions as to our next plan of action, you know where to find me.”
He dismissed the meeting there. The crew slowly filtered away, Morelli heading down to engineering, Saavoy and Ansare returning to the bridge, Kalmar and Melina heading to the war room. Isha, however, stayed behind, making her way over to where James continued to sit deep in thought.
“You Ok there?”
“Yeah… yeah I’ll be fine, things just got a little tense back there, thats all,” said James, “if only Artennes had listened, we could have saved all those people and prevented such an unnecessary loss of life.”
“You did everything you could,” Isha put her hand on his shoulder, “if it hadn’t been for you, the entire fleet would have been wiped out. You saved more than three quarters of the fleet, including a lot of my people, one of whom was one of my best friends back in my academy days. You saved more than you know.”
“I know,” James sighed, “I just wish I could have saved them all. I wish they had turned around and headed back towards alliance space when I had warned them. Marek is a great leader and I know that he knew deep down that he should have turned everyone around and got them home but he is an alliance general, he couldn’t disobey an order from the leader of the council, not that way I did.”
“It’s not his fault, James, it’s not your fault or the fault of anyone on this ship,” Isha reassure
d him, “it’s entirely the fault of the Al’cari that all this happened… Ok, Artennes is to blame too but they started this war. He felt that as the leader of the alliance, he had to do something.”
“What he had to do was listen to us when we warned him what he was going up against,” said James, “I just don’t understand why he did it. You can be sure we’ll confront him about when we get back to Tolis though.”
“Come on, James, you know we can’t go back there yet,” Isha reminded him, “you said it yourself, we can’t lead the Al’cari to any alliance worlds. Lets just focus on finding the last piece of the Shadow Bringer for now. I’m sure we could give Jaiden a hand down there.”
“Yeah, Ok then,” James let Isha take his hand and help him up from his chair but before he could exit the room, she put her other arm around him. “Just remember who we’re doing this for, James,” Isha took his hand and placed it on her stomach, “we’ll get through all of this and once we do, we’ll finally have a family to go back to.”
No matter what the mission threw at them, James could simply not get the thought out of his head… the knowledge that he would soon be a father. It was the kind of distraction that he did not need when he was supposed to be focusing on the mission and yet it was exactly the motivation he needed. Isha was right, it reminded him that he now had a lot more to lose than he had done six years ago. This time, he had something else to fight for rather than just the freedom of the alliance.
Leaving the briefing room behind, James and Isha made their way down to the cargo bay where Kosare was working on deciphering the many clues left behind in the Jaiytid hangar and on the Shadow Bringer itself. James only hoped that they had made some progress since she had been down there. After her years working at the archives, she seemed to know what she was talking about and she was almost certainly their best hope for finding the final piece.
Reaching the cargo bay, James found Julio working at one of the consoles on the near side of the bay with a couple of Kosare’s records from the Sharstrom hangar while Kosare herself was busy working on the Shadow Bringer itself.
