Scorpion - The Rae Wars

by Kyle Mata

  “If we ever see you again…” Thomas allowed her to fill in the end of the statement on her own. She was furious but decided she had lost this round and would come back better prepared. As she turned toward the exit and cursed revenge for this humiliation under her breath, she found she was staring at the chest of the Shadowri. He looked down at her. She smiled in fear and waited for him to move along. He did not. She sidestepped carefully and made her way out the door. When she looked back one last time, she saw the Shadowri was now turned and facing her. She decided maybe this bounty wasn’t worth it after all.

  The music started playing again and once the crowd saw that the bounty hunter had left, they repopulated the dance floor. Karr went back to the bar to retrieve his drinks, but the tender said she would bring them over personally, and that they were on the house. She explained how the bounty hunter Geisha Nor had been causing trouble at this bar for months and had no problem killing people and leaving the staff to clean up the mess. Karr returned to the booth and took his seat beside Roux.

  “Nicely done everyone,” Thomas congratulated his new team, glad they had operated so well. They all nodded in acknowledgment. “Even you, Coalitionist.” Thomas added with a smirk. Daena just rolled her eyes in response.

  “You know, anthropologically speaking, we have now asserted ourselves as the alphas in the bar,” Roux said.

  “So, what does that mean?” Daena asked.

  “It means I can get any guy I want to buy me a drink.”

  “Drinks are coming,” Karr said flatly.

  “I know but that’s not the point, Karr.” Roux said, her Mason accent flaring on the exaggerated annunciation of his name like never before. She got up from the table. “Coming, Daena?”

  “No, thanks. I think I’ll wait for our drinks,” Daena said with a laugh. “But I bet Thomas would love to join you.”

  “No I don’t…OH!”

  “Powa!” Roux exclaimed, interrupting Thomas as he began to protest. She pulled him by the arm and led him onto the dance floor.

  “That was impressive, carrying two huge men out of here.” Daena said. Karr took his helmet off and attached it to his belt. Daena noticed how most women, and several men in the room made a point to look over at him as he did. “You could probably dance with anyone you wanted here—if you wanted. Abyss, they might even buy you drinks!” Daena said playfully.

  “I do not dance,” Karr said.

  “Well, I assume neither does Thomas, but he seems to be doing well out there.” Daena gestured with a thumb toward the Nyrotsi officer who was dancing with Roux—or attempting to. His movements were very square and structured, unlike the free-flowing motions of everyone else. One girl with pink hair saw Karr looking in her direction and blew him a kiss. Karr noticed; he trained his eyes to notice most, if not all, movement. But the gesture was lost on him and he turned back toward Daena with his usual emotionless face. The pink haired woman huffed in frustration at what appeared to be the Shadowri’s dismissal.

  The tender arrived with four Mustangs on a hover-tray and placed them on the table with a smile toward Karr. “Thank you,” He said, unaware of what she was lingering for. Daena just shook her head slowly.

  “Thomas, Roux, get over here, before Karr attracts every woman in the bar like some sort of hound-pup!” Daena called to her friends as the song ended. They returned to their seats and Karr explained how to drink the Mustang.

  “You take a small vessel of whiskey, and drop it into the large vessel of bier, then you drink the whole thing quickly.”

  “Whiskey? You mean like the ancient drink from Earth? Where in the universe did you find that?” Daena asked. Karr looked up in confusion. “Whiskey distilling is illegal on Gardenia.”

  “Whiskey is pretty common around the galaxy, Daena,” Roux said, prepping her drink.

  “The Shadowri make their own.” Karr added. Daena began to realize how limited her knowledge of the galaxy was. Prior to her drop onto Scorpion, she had never left Gardenia. They lifted their drinks and downed them all together.

  “You know, Karr, I wouldn’t have expected you to be a drinker, or even fun,” Thomas said, putting down the now empty vessels. Karr just shrugged, which made Thomas smile even wider. “You know, for Non-Nyrotsi, you’re not so bad. All of you.”

  “For a Nyrotsi, you’re not bad yourself, Thomas,” Daena replied after choking down the harsh whiskey. “I figured you were all bloodthirsty psychopaths.”

  “No, not all of us, just my ex-girlfriend,” He said with a chuckle.

  “We should go to Grainor,” Karr said abruptly. He couldn’t relax for long knowing there was a mission he could—and should—be furthering.

  “Relax, palbert,” Thomas said, stretching and leaning back in the bench seat. “I’ve been monitoring Nyrotsi fleet chatter. After what happened at Gardenia, the first fleet has decided to stand down and reassess. They may not even go to Grainor after all.”

  “Then where?” Karr asked.

  “We don’t know, but wherever the first fleet goes, we’ll get there first, hopefully to contact Admiral Majex before the inevitable Rae engagement. I’ve served under Majex; the man is no fool, that is for sure. Far more strategically sound than Foxe, for certain. And he is loyal to the Dominar.”

  “Until then?” Karr asked.

  “We drink and get some rest. I haven’t slept in a bed since I was aboard the NRS Red Drake.” Thomas said, and he waved at the tender for another round. Karr put on his helmet. He contacted Mory using a heavily encrypted tight beam channel that only worked due to their relatively close proximity. He told him to keep a look out for the Nyrotsi first fleet and their battle plans. Mory added it to his list of things to do. He was delighted to be a part of a mission once again, chasing raumgeld just didn’t do it for him anymore after he earned his first few billions.

  Karr pulled the helmet off once more when the drinks arrived, rejoining the conversation. “So how did you become a Mason, Roux? I know you mentioned something about ‘being back on Yix’ when the maintainer spilled hydraulic fluid on the landing pad. That’s an independent planet,” Thomas asked, distributing the drinks.

  “You’re observant. I was born on Yix and went to Aurumon when I turned twenty-five to apply to become a Mason,” Roux began to explain. Aurumon is the Mason’s Guild capital planet. It is the smallest habitable Class-B planet in the galaxy, so much so it is nearly Class-C. It is also the wealthiest planet in the galaxy. “In order to become a Mason, you have to offer them three marketable skills. Based upon the type of skills and your proficiency in them, you are assigned a tier. I was placed in tier fourteen when I was accepted.”

  “What were your skills?” Daena asked.

  “Piloting, anthropology, and painting.”

  “Painting, really?”

  “Yes, I studied anthropology at Yix Capital Universollege; after I graduated, I served four years in the Yix military as an atmo-fighter pilot. When I got out, I went to Aurumon—back when I was a kid, Mason citizenship only required two skills. But when I showed up, the law had unknowingly changed to three skills for acceptance. I used to paint a lot as a child; I was even called a prodigy back on Yix. So, I used painting as my third skill, but it turns out a prodigy on Yix is quite average in the Guild,” Roux said with a half-smile.

  “That’s fascinating. I don’t even know if I have three marketable skills,” Daena said with a laugh.

  “That reminds me, Karr, why haven’t you painted your armor? I saw that the other Shadowri had wonderful paint schemes.” Roux asked. Karr thought back to his old paint scheme. He figured he would normally clam up and say he never wanted to, but it would be a lie, and he didn’t want to lie to his new friends. Lies sowed distrust, and distrust lead to failure and death on the battlefield.

  “It used to be dark blue. I painted it shortly after I earned it,” Karr began, the memory of his blue armor stained his past. He nearly told them it wasn’t tactically sound, so he got rid of it, but that would h
ave been a lie too. So, he continued, “During the Zebra Nebula War, I was attached to a Coalition Marine Raider unit which specialized in ship-to-ship combat and boarding. I was young and the men and women of the seventh Vipers really took me under their wing and taught me tips and tricks. They became like family. During one battle, just weeks prior to Vir and Tique, and the end of the war, we boarded a Ny—a frigate, NRS Faeryfire. The frigate was a trap; it was a drone packed with explosives. As soon as the Seventh and I reached the bridge, it detonated. They all died. I only survived because I dove out the nearest airlock and locked up my armor at the very last second. I floated helplessly in space for thirty-two standard hours before I was picked up. The heat from the explosion melted the paint right off.”

  “Oh,” Roux said softly, sorry she had asked.

  “The Zebra Nebula War… Logos. Is there any tragic event you haven’t been a part of in the last two decades?” Thomas asked. Karr shrugged, glad Thomas had not focused on the fact he fought the Nyrotsi for most of his life.

  “I can paint it for you,” Roux suggested, trying to cheer up the conversation. “If you want me to.”

  “After we find the first fleet,” Karr stated.

  “What about you, Daena?” Thomas asked.

  “Me? What about you?” Daena shot back. She was afraid her background was too bland for this group.

  “I’m just a new Lieutenant Commander who went to the Nyrotsi Military Academy, became a pilot, and eventually ended up leading a battle group to its untimely demise,” Thomas said, masking the pain and regret of his loss with a joking tone. “Now, spill.”

  “I grew up on Gardenia and wanted to be a Planetary Senator of Gardenia. So, after universollege, I joined the Coalition Defenders as a logistician in order to boost my resume. I never expected to get handed a rifle and told to go colonize a Nomen.”

  “And now we’re all here, on a mission to save humanity.” Roux said, with a small hiccup.

  CHAPTER 16

  THE ADMIRAL

  Karr woke up a few minutes before he intended to, as the inside of his armor’s vambrace squeezed him slightly, a silent and tactically comprehensive indication that his comm was being hailed. He stood up from the bed, which was strained under his armored weight. He pulled his helmet on and heard Mory’s voice as he opened the channel.

  “Karr, the Nyrotsi first fleet is deploying to Carmine! The Coalition fleet knows about it and is sending counter forces. It’s going to be pretty devastating if the Rae show up and wipe out two of the largest fleets in the galaxy in one shot.”

  “Got it. Anything else?” Karr replied.

  “I’ll update you with what I get—as I get it—as always. May fate watch over you Karr, not that you need it to,” Mory said, as he closed the channel.

  “Thomas, we need to go.”

  Thomas laid on the other bed in the room. Daena was next door. Mory had purchased two sleep rooms at the spaceport for them to use. Roux elected to stay in her quarters on the Athena’s Owl, and while the Owl could fit them all, they weren’t sure of the next time they’d have the luxury of a full room. As Thomas got up, Karr went next door and knocked, as the room had no hailer. There was no response. He knocked again and, still, nothing. He used the spare keycard the clerk had given them. He went in and found Daena asleep under a single sheet, showing off her curves. He stood, stunned, for a second before he quickly shook himself back to reality.

  “Daena,” Karr said quietly. Daena shot up, clutching the thin sheet to her chest.

  “Karr? What are you doing in here?”

  “We need to go,” Karr answered flatly. He had served with several Coalition units and they were all co-ed. He had seen several of his brothers and sisters-in-arms nude before and no one thought anything of it; there was never a need to be modest or shy around those you fought alongside. He was confused when Daena refused to get out from under the sheet until he left. He decided it must have been a civilian issue as he headed toward the ship.

  He found Roux was doing a walk around inspection of her newly modified rocket when he arrived. “Good morning, Karr, or, good evening, if you operate on galactic time,” Roux said with a big grin.

  “Majex’s fleet is moving to Carmine,” Karr said. “And good morning,” He added.

  She smiled, noticing that Karr was becoming more open and social around her. “You know I could make a fortune off the cargo contracts here… Where are the others?” Her question was answered as Thomas and Daena rounded the corner, each sporting their faction’s battle armor. “Good morning. Is everyone ready to go?”

  “As ready as we’ll ever be,” Daena replied, stretching her shoulder. “What’s our play, team?”

  “I’ll explain on the way,” Thomas said, stepping up the ramp. The others joined him onboard, once Roux finished her inspection.

  With proper clearance and the newly modified engines, the Athena’s Owl took off and began its warp-jump toward Carmine.

  Carmine was the first planet to revolt against the tyrannical Lazorus Federation and became the birthplace for the Coalition of Freed Planets. Although Grahnd was the chosen capital of the Coalition, Carmine was the heart and soul of the organized worlds. Many believe the only reason Carmine was not chosen to be the capital was due to the rain. It never stopped raining on most of the surface, and where it wasn’t raining, it was snowing. Every manmade structure on the planet was devoid of color. The rains of Carmine washed everything plain sooner or later—so much so that many religions make regular pilgrimages to the wet planet for various cleansing rituals. The people of Carmine are generally very patriotic and far more loyal to the planet itself than to the Coalition; after all, it’s this collective planetary patriotism that initially led to their secession from the Lazorus Federation. A Nyrotsi capture of Carmine would deal a huge blow to the morale of the Coalition.

  “As I’ve said before, Admiral Aidmen Majex is a brilliant man—a tactical and strategic genius. He helped me fast track toward my own command while I was still a dropship pilot in his fleet.” Thomas explained as the nebulous glow of the warp filled the cockpit. “The moment we drop out of our warp-jump we will hail the NRS Dawn’s Grip. I’ve already put the code in to contact them. The Dawn’s Grip is the first and only Dreadnaught in the Nyrotsi fleet. It’s the most powerful ship we’ve got. If the Admiral still does business as he did during the war, his fleet will consist of two carriers, two or three battlecruisers, six frigates, a dozen corvettes, and at least twenty gunboats, but who knows what other secrets might be up his sleeve.”

  “Okay, so all you’ve really told us is the fleet is powerful. What makes you think Majex will even take our hail without blowing us out of space?” Roux asked.

  “He’ll probably want to save the ammo for the ensuing battle,” Thomas said with a smile and a short laugh.

  “Thomas…”

  “Majex will take the hail. He isn’t a needlessly violent man who would attack a small cargo vessel without reason. And then I’ll talk to him, get us an audience with him on board. With that established, we can weave our compelling tale about the Rae.”

  “You’re a fugitive, and the last time you saw him was years ago? Thomas, this plan is ridiculous; he probably won’t even remember who you are. I say we wait on the far side of Carmine for the Rae fleet to—” Daena began, but Thomas interrupted.

  “I’ve underestimated Majex before, too. He’ll remember me, and he’ll believe us.”

  “I want all ships to give me a status report. It won’t be long before the Coalition sends a fleet or two at us. Carmine is just as important as Grahnd to them,” Admiral Aidmen Majex stated from his chair on the bridge of the NRS Dawn’s Grip. A dozen people got to work relaying orders across the fleet. Majex watched his men and women work like a well-oiled machine as he stroked his cleanly shaven chin; his beard was becoming too gray for him to bear as of late. The chair he sat in was likely older than most spacers on the ship. It was his first captain’s chair aboard the NRS Arcani—
he liked it so much that he took it with him to his second command, aboard a cruiser called the NRS Iron Armadillo, and now it accompanied him on the Dawn’s Grip.

  Majex planned on focusing all effort on the Coalition fleet before invading Carmine. A ground war always went more smoothly with air superiority, plus he didn’t want his forces to be split between escorting the dropships planetside and engaging the enemy fleet in orbit. Majex would never send his dropships off without fighter and bomber escorts. He was simply wondering what was taking the defending fleet so long. They were probably scrambling to assemble a fleet large enough to contend in the first place.

  “Sir, battle groups one through five report all hands to battle stations and are awaiting orders. Of note, though sir, the NRS Cloak of Atlas was late to report in again,” The first officer, Rear Admiral Kip Kroper, reported.

  The Cloak of Atlas was a carrier that had been retrofitted with a pair of mass driver-cannons that were normally only found on battlecruisers or larger capital vessels. The cannons, in addition to the large fighter and bomber compliment aboard, made the Atlas an incredibly valuable asset in battle. But the Lieutenant Commander in command, an older man named Portland, while technically effective, was harsh and did not fit in well with his fleet dynamic. Majex would replace him at the earliest opportunity, but he did not have anyone to compete with Portland’s record. Majex hoped he could find a replacement before the crew mutinied.

  “Sir! A single warp distortion is on scope,” The radar officer announced, pulling Majex away from his thoughts about the carrier commander. The bridge became very quiet. The Dawn’s Grip was the first ship in history with the capability to detect when a ship was about to exit warp nearby with an accuracy of approximately one hundred kilometers.

  “Only one distortion, Ensign Bly?” The Admiral asked, making sure he had heard correctly. He was getting old and wanted to be sure of the younger man’s words.

  “Yes, sir.”

  The Admiral mentally ran through the past battles he had been a part of and extended that cerebral search through the hundreds more he had studied. Very seldom does an enemy fleet announce its arrival with a single ship.