by Ryk Brown
“Standby to jump all weapons to their targets to engage,” Cameron instructed.
“Standing by,” the tactical officer acknowledged.
“Three……two……one…” Lieutenant Commander Kono studied her sensor displays carefully, but said nothing.
Cameron looked at the sensor officer to her left. “Anything?” she asked, trying not to make it too obvious that she did not want to give the order to engage the weapons.
Five more seconds passed before the lieutenant commander had anything to report. “Targets are changing course. They’re turning to starboard… Still turning…” The lieutenant commander breathed a sigh of relief, her stiff posture suddenly relaxing. “Targets are turning back toward Jung space, Captain.”
“Safe all missiles but maintain their tracks,” Cameron instructed.
“Targets are going to FTL,” the sensor officer added.
“All missiles are safed.”
“Targets are gone, sir,” the lieutenant commander finally reported.
This time, it was Cameron who breathed a sigh of relief. “Cancel the missile tracks and recall, Mister Vidmar. Comms, launch the missile recovery shuttles. And tell those Cobras to maintain a close track on those ships until they are clear of Alliance space.”
“Yes, sir,” the comm officer reported.
“Standing down all missiles and recalling,” the tactical officer confirmed.
“That was close,” Lieutenant Commander Kono commented from the sensor station.
“Too close,” Cameron agreed.
* * *
“We’re receiving recon data now,” the communications tech reported to General Telles as he entered the Ghatazhak Command Center, along with Jessica, Loki, and Deliza.
General Telles stepped up to the main planning table, switching on the 3D display. An image of the Takar system appeared, floating in the air above the table. Red icons materialized over the system, most of them clustered around the many inhabited worlds of the Takar system, with the majority of them in the vicinity of the system’s main world, Takara. The general touched one of the red icons with his finger, causing the icon to expand and change into an image of the ship it represented. He tapped the image again, expanding it further, allowing him to closely examine its markings and structure.
“Those are definitely Jung ships,” Jessica commented.
“Indeed they are,” General Telles agreed. “The question is, are the Jung the ones operating them?”
“Initial recon data shows a total of twelve ships currently occupying the cluster,” Commander Jahal began. He glanced at his data pad. “Recon One reports that on average there are about eight ships in the Takar system, as ships are jumping in and out quite often. We’re assuming those other four ships are patrolling the other systems of the Pentaurus cluster.”
“What about Darvano?” Loki asked.
General Telles pressed several buttons on the side of the planning table. The image of the Takar system became smaller and slid to one side, making room for an image of the Darvano system next to it.
“There are currently four ships stationed within the area of the Darvano and Savoy systems,” Commander Jahal said. “Recon Two reports no movement there.”
“How many recon ships do you have?” Deliza wondered.
“Just the two,” Jessica replied. “They’re the Falcons that you converted into Super Falcons. Once the Alliance had enough jump fighters and gunships, they retired the line. We got the last two working ships, as well as two more inoperable ships to use for parts.”
“And you’ve kept them going all these years,” Loki commented in amazement.
“It was a challenge at times,” General Telles admitted.
“What other ships do you have?” Loki asked.
“Four combat jumpers, two cargo jumpers, and a boxcar that spends more time in maintenance than on the line,” Commander Jahal replied.
“Cycle the crews on the Falcons, and get them back out,” General Telles ordered. “I want as much data as possible.”
“What about old light?” Commander Jahal asked.
“We’ll wait until that light gets well outside the systems,” the general replied. “The Jung have not shown any sign that they have detected our recon Falcons, so let’s keep them in close as long as possible.”
“Or, they have detected them, and they just don’t care,” Commander Jahal commented.
“Or, they are pretending they aren’t aware of our Falcons, and they plan on tracing them back to us.”
General Telles pondered the idea for a moment. “By now, our presence on Burgess is known throughout the sector, and the Jung will undoubtedly be interrogating the populations quite vigorously. They will discover the threat we represent quite soon on their own, without tracing the Falcons back to this world.”
“Or, they had spies on the surface and knew about us long before they invaded,” Jessica suggested.
General Telles looked at Jessica. “You’re not making this any easier, Lieutenant.”
“Just tossing out ideas, Boss,” Jessica quipped.
“Had they known about us ahead of time, we wouldn’t be standing here talking about it,” Commander Jahal insisted.
“Quite right, indeed,” the general agreed. “Nevertheless, make sure the Falcon pilots are taking measures to prevent being tracked. And have everyone prepare to bug out, should it become necessary.”
“General, there are over five hundred of us,” Commander Jahal reminded him. “Twice that number if you count our wives and children. We do not have the capability to move that many people on short notice.”
“I’m well aware of that, Commander.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Have the families disperse and blend into the general population of Burgess. They all have relatives on this world that they can stay with for now. We will pre-stage our equipment in another system, and we can fit all of our men in a single cargo pod, if necessary.” The general raised his hand to stop the commander before he could object. “I agree, it is not the ideal solution, but it is the best one we have at the moment.”
“When the Jung come, they will interrogate the people of Burgess as well. They will find our wives and children and use them as leverage against us.” The commander objected.
General Telles looked at the commander. “Do you have an alternative?”
“I do,” Deliza interrupted.
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
“The Glendanon,” Deliza continued. “She’s got more than enough room in her cargo bays to hold your entire operation. Soldiers, equipment, ships, and all your families as well.”
General Telles looked at the commander.
“I’ll get those recon ships examining the old light to track her course right away,” Commander Jahal said.
“Captain Gullen is an old friend of my father’s,” Deliza explained. “He served as a tactical officer aboard a battleship under Caius’s regime. It will not be easy to track him.”
“We will find him,” General Telles promised.
* * *
“Admiral, we have another sighting,” Commander Macklay reported.
“Where?” the admiral asked.
“You called it, sir. Eighty-two Eridani. Three contacts, one large and two small, about three light years out.”
“Damn it,” the admiral swore, pounding the arm of his chair, getting the attention of everyone in the command center. “That’s one of the most heavily patrolled corridors in the entire sector. How the hell did they get that far in without being detected?”
Commander Macklay had no response.
Admiral Galiardi sighed. “Order the Tanna to intercept. Same rules. Maximum force, single warning.”
“Aye, sir,” the commander replied.
“What’s the latest from Mu Cassiopeiae?”
“The last report from the Aurora indicated that the Cobra gunships have not yet located the fleeing cruisers, and they have searched the len
gth of their original departure course,” the commander explained. “If they maintained that course, the gunships would have located them by now.”
“Which means they purposefully changed course to try to elude us,” the admiral added. “That means they never had any intention of leaving Alliance space.” The admiral looked at the commander. “We need to know where those cruisers went to, Commander.”
“I’ve already sent additional gunships to the area,” the commander assured him, “and the Aurora is examining the tracking data, trying to determine where the cruisers changed course by examining their old light.”
Admiral Galiardi sat and thought for a moment.
“This could still be a coincidence, sir,” Commander Macklay commented, noticing the admiral’s concern.
“I don’t believe in coincidences, Commander,” the admiral replied resolutely. “Not where the Jung are concerned.”
“No offense, Admiral, but I very much hope you are wrong,” the commander replied.
“So do I, Commander,” the admiral agreed, “for all our sakes.”
* * *
“How are we going to get word to the Alliance?” Jessica asked. “We can’t spare any ships, not if we might have to bug out at any moment.”
“And the longer it takes to alert the Alliance, the longer it will take for them to send help,” Commander Jahal added.
“Your company has its own jump comm-drone, does it not?” General Telles asked Deliza.
“Yes. It is kept in a midrange orbit, just inside Kassabol.”
“Can we use it to contact the Alliance?” the general inquired.
“It doesn’t have the range,” Loki warned.
“What do you mean, it doesn’t have the range?” Jessica challenged. “It has a mini-jump drive, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, but it does not have the programming for such a long jump series,” Loki explained. “Its jump navigation database only contains the systems within the Pentaurus sector.”
“So it can’t even find its way here?” Jessica asked, shocked by the idea.
“No, it cannot.”
“No matter,” the general said. “Better that we recover it elsewhere and bring it here.” He looked at Deliza again. “Can you direct the drone to jump to an arbitrary point between systems?”
“I can send it anywhere within the Pentaurus sector,” Deliza assured him.
“And you can reprogram the drone to make the trip to Sol?” the general inquired.
“Of course,” Deliza replied. “However, I will need physical access to the drone.”
“We will signal the drone to jump to the halfway point between the Darvano and Savahal systems,” the general decided. “Then we will redirect it to the halfway point between Savahal and Ursoot, and we shall recover the drone there. That way, if the Jung attempt to track it, we should have enough time to recover the drone before they catch up to us.”
“I will give you the access codes for the drone,” Deliza replied. “Of course, you’ll have to be in the Darvano system to activate it.”
“Maybe we should try to contact Dumar while we’re there,” Jessica suggested. “She did tell them to try to find him before they jumped out. If they did contact him, at least we would know their status.”
Deliza looked concerned. “You are planning on rescuing them, aren’t you?”
“In due time, yes,” the general replied.
“In due time?” Deliza frowned at the general’s vague response. “What is that? In due time?”
“The Darvano system is occupied by at least four, heavily-armed, jump-enabled, Jung warships,” General Telles reminded her. “Each of which carries numerous jump-enabled fighters and shuttles. Furthermore, by now, there is a heavy Jung presence on the surface of Corinair. To make matters more difficult, we do not even know where your people are at the moment.”
“If we jump in blindly and stir things up, we’ll probably just make matters worse for them,” Jessica added, placing her hands on Deliza’s shoulders comfortingly. “Trust us, Deliza. After all, we are Ghatazhak.”
“She’s right,” Loki told her. He suddenly turned his head and looked at Jessica after realizing what she had said. “Wait… What?”
* * *
“Our contract clearly states that we have the right to refuse making port at any designated stop if it puts the safety of the ship, the crew, the passengers, or the cargo, at risk,” Captain Tuplo argued.
“That contract also says we don’t have to pay you for any uncompleted stops,” the agent rebutted.
“All four of those were at risk,” Captain Tuplo continued, ignoring the company agent’s words. “If we hadn’t aborted our approach and escaped, you’d be dealing with the fallout from not only the loss of your cargo, but probably the deaths of every passenger as well. How much do you think your premiums would go up if your insurance carrier had to pay out all those claims?”
“I am not disagreeing with your decision, Captain Tuplo,” the agent said placatingly, “only with your assertion that you should still be paid for the run, which, as I pointed out, you did not complete.”
“Why should I be out the propellant, and the cost of repairs?” Captain Tuplo argued. “It’s not our fault the Jung suddenly decided to invade the Pentaurus cluster.”
“Neither is it ours. Please, Captain, be reasonable. We are still willing to pay you for the remainder of your contracted stops, assuming of course that you complete them. We are even willing to cover the cost of your lost propellant. However, you will have to speak to your own insurance carrier about the cost of your repairs,” the agent reasoned. “You do have damage insurance, do you not?”
“You know damn well we don’t,” Marcus sneered. “That’s why you gave us the run, because we were cheaper than everyone else…”
“…Because we don’t carry damage coverage,” Captain Tuplo added.
“Not carrying such coverage is indeed a risk,” the agent said. “However, it is a risk that you chose to take, not us.” The agent stood for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between Captain Tuplo and Marcus, worried that one of them might suddenly lash out at him. “Now, do you wish to complete the remainder of your contract, or should I find another ship?”
Captain Tuplo scowled, then looked toward Dalen, his engineer. “Is she safe to fly?”
“As long as we get to jump into the atmosphere,” Dalen replied. “The shield emitters on the port side are completely fried, Cap’n.”
“Paradar is a jump-down port, Cap,” Josh reminded him.
“I know,” Captain Tuplo snapped. He looked at the agent, scowling again. “We’ll make the Paradar run on one condition,” Captain Tuplo said. “You pay for our propellant back to Haven.”
“I’ll do you one better,” the agent offered. “I’ll give you a full cargo bay on your return trip to Haven.”
Captain Tuplo stared at the agent in shock.
“Do we have a deal, Captain?” the agent asked, holding out his hand.
Captain Tuplo sighed. “Deal.” He turned away from the agent and headed back up the Seiiki’s cargo ramp, refusing to shake the man’s hand.
“Captain, why do you want to come back to Haven?” Marcus asked, following the captain up the ramp.
“The port fees are cheaper,” Captain Tuplo replied.
“So are parts,” Dalen added.
Marcus winced as if he was in pain. “I fuckin’ hate Haven.”
“I’m not a fan of this dirt world either, Marcus,” the captain said. “But if we’re going to be laid up for a few days for repairs, better we don’t waste our money paying higher prices on Paradar.”
“How many days are we talking about?” Marcus asked.
Captain Tuplo looked at Dalen.
“I don’t know yet,” Dalen admitted. “I haven’t had a chance to do a detailed inspection.”
“Guess,” Captain Tuplo insisted.
“Three, four days, maybe.”
Marcus groaned. “Capta
in, please…”
“Stop whining and get this ship loaded, Marcus,” Captain Tuplo ordered. “Dalen, help him. Josh, run full diagnostics on all flight systems.”
“Where are you going, Cap’n?” Josh wondered.
“I’m going topside to check out the damage to my ship.”
* * *
The cold blackness of space lit up with flashes of white light, as dozens of antimatter warheads suddenly detonated simultaneously. The blast created a wall of light that stretched over more than one hundred square kilometers of space. It was only visible for a few seconds, but was enough to disrupt the FTL fields of any ships attempting to pass through.
The wall of light vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, revealing three Jung warships: a cruiser flanked by two frigates. Seconds later, a blue-white flash of light appeared only a few kilometers behind the Jung ships. An Alliance destroyer, whose design closely resembled that of the Jung frigates, appeared from the jump flash.
Missile launchers atop both Jung frigates quickly rose from openings in their hulls, rotating to face astern. Within seconds, flashes of yellow-orange announced the launching of their weapons, as four missiles streaked away from each launcher, headed for the destroyer pursuing them.
“Multiple contacts!” Ensign Bottrell reported in earnest from the destroyer’s sensor station. “Incoming missiles! Eight of them! Twenty seconds to impact!”
“Ready the escape jump,” Captain Nash instructed. “XO, light’em up.”
“Firing all tubes,” Commander Poschay replied from the tactical station.
“So much for the warning message,” Captain Nash muttered.
“Ten seconds!”
“Torpedoes away!” the XO announced.
The Tanna’s bridge flashed reddish-orange several times as balls of plasma energy shot from the Alliance destroyer’s mark four plasma torpedo tubes.
“Five seconds to…”
“Execute escape jump,” the captain ordered calmly, not waiting for his sensor officer to finish his warning.
“Escape jump, aye,” the young ensign at the Tanna’s navigation console replied, as the subdued blue-white light of their jump filled their main view screens.
“Jump complete,” the ensign continued.
