“It is that.” LOLA chuckled in reply. “If you wish to continue releasing probes throughout the ship, Chief, I’ll take over here.” The screen jostled for a moment as the chief released four small silver balls to float the air.
“It’s all yours, LOLA. We’re outta here.”
“Thank you Chief. Please continue at least a kilometer further down this corridor and then release another two probes.” The Seal groaned. “You’re welcome Chief.” LOLA murmured sweetly. “Release of all the probes should be completed in eight hours, Captain.”
“Very good, LOLA.”
“How long before you begin to assimilate the Creednax data, LOLA?” Zed added, jumping into the conversation.
“Thanks to previous work in translating Creednax code, I am analyzing the data as we speak. For your information, Athena would like to move the Creednax destroyer into Callidus for disassembly. Although the drives and weapons have been disabled, the power plant has usable material, along with the high grade substance of the hull.”
“Approved.” Zed said warily. “Just make sure she’s careful. I don’t want any nasty surprises left from the Creednax.”
“I’ll be very careful, Zed.” Athena’s voice came from the air just behind Zed’s right shoulder, and the honey smooth contralto sent shivers down his spine.
“Ahhh, yeah. Thanks.” He muttered, shakily. “How are you doing on program The Morrigan?”
“Very well, actually. Thank you for asking. There were data storage designs in the Weapons Vault built around quantum tunneling and extra-universal data storage. I’m growing the crystals right now to upgrade LOLA’s memory and processing power. As you requested, when this is accomplished, she, Cybele and I will all have more or less equal processing capability and storage capacity.”
“So, is that the purpose of The Morrigan?”
Athena let out a low throaty laugh, and Zed let out a small nervous smile. “I told you before, Zed, that I will explain the program to you when I know more. Not before, and certainly not now.”
Zed wisely changed the subject. “How about weapons and defensive systems?”
Athena’s laughter this time was pure evil, and Zed was glad she was on their side. “That’s why I am having the destroyer brought in. I need the pre-processed raw material.”
“Keep me informed then.”
“I will, Zed. Thank you for your trust.” For an instant, just as he felt her presence depart, a warm hand touched his cheek. Then it too was gone.
Chapter Eight
THE OTHER SHOE
Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, and will do so at the worst possible time. It was twelve days after the destruction of the Creednax fleet, two fifteen in the morning, and Zed and Katherine were… busy.
LOLA began by clearing her throat. When that didn’t work she was forced to resort to more drastic measures. “Attention, Fleet Captain and Captain Yates. Your immediate presence is requested on the bridge.” She announced in a firm tone.
Katherine swore and threw a pillow in the general direction of the voice. “Go away.” She mumbled, pulling the blanket over her head.
“I’m sorry, Captain. It’s an emergency.” LOLA sounded embarrassed.
Zed rolled out of bed and slipped on his pajama bottoms. “I’ll handle this, Kat.” He replied with a resigned sigh. His wife mumbled something unintelligible from under the blanket. “So what have we got, LOLA?” He yawned as he exited the bedroom, the soundproof door sliding closed behind him. Stopping for a moment, he glared down at the panther sized black cat that was curled up on the couch… on top of his favorite bathrobe, of course. “Gimme back the robe, Feng.” He jerked the robe from under the cat, who only growled sleepily low in its throat and opened one blue eye. The cat gave him a disgusted look, and the eye closed. Zed stared in resignation at the shredded sleeve of his robe. “Ohhh damn it, not again.” He slipped on the mangled robe as he headed for the comfortable recliner that was, in actuality, a neural link and his personal access to the bridge. Still smelling of leather and plastic, Katherine’s new recliner sat beside his. The sides of his seat wrapped up and around him as the room went dark.
LOLA and Athena both were waiting for him on the empty bridge, and that wasn’t a good sign. “What have you got for me ladies?”
“We have a problem Zed.” LOLA began without preamble. “After analyzing the Creednax data we recovered from the battleship, we discovered that the Creednax vessel is currently sending out a distress call on a band we weren’t equipped to receive. It has been sending out this signal since we defeated it twelve days ago. Since we cannot determine the exact location of the distress signal, we have no choice but to destroy the battleship. Shuttles are in the process of pushing it into the sun as we speak.
“The second, and more serious problem,” Athena continued, looking at the floor, “is that there are two more Creednax fleets on their way here, for a total of four battleships, eight cruisers, a dozen destroyers and scores of frigates. 1200 auxiliary ships and tugs form the rest of the flotilla.”
Zed found himself sitting on the floor. “LOLA, plot us a course out of here. Maybe we can evacuate a few million from Earth to…”
“I’m sorry Zed, but it’s already too late to run.” Athena looked down on him sadly. “The purpose of the first fleet was simply to tie up defense forces while the second and third fleets drew the net tighter and caught not only the world of Callidus, but the defending forces as well. Thanks to the distress call, the Creednax ships will be on alert and the likelihood of our escape, even cloaked, is small.”
“Damn.” Zed thought that he was about to throw up. “Send a pod to Cybele, if we can get it through, and let her know what’s happening. She may have to make plans to evacuate this entire galactic arm to the Creednax.”
“Pod launched, Zed.” LOLA said softly. “The small footprint and extreme speed of the pod should make it nearly invisible to all sensors. What are your orders? What will we do?”
Zed reluctantly got to his feet, and began to pace back and forth across the empty bridge. “First… it’s two thirty in the morning. Will somebody PLEASE get me a cup of coffee? I can’t make life-or-death decisions while I’m still asleep. I know that digital coffee won’t help my waking body, but it will help me think.”
Athena looked surprised at the outburst, but LOLA simply grinned and handed him a steaming mug. “Your coffee, Fleet Captain.”
He shut his eyes as he sipped. “Ahhh. That’s better.” He opened his eyes, and his face hardened. “First, if we were to increase the stealth capability of one of the saucers, could we evacuate a few people from the Rose and the Boston?”
LOLA thought about it for several long moments. “Athena agrees, Zed. With increased cloaking and sending only a single small ship, the chances are 60 to 70 percent that they will successfully escape, while our own chances of survival are significantly lower.” Her face twisted in an all too human gesture. “Our chances fall somewhere in the single digits.”
“Never tell me the odds, LOLA.” Zed growled. “Now get me a list of all the pregnant women aboard both vessels. If you can, find a pregnant woman to fly the saucer. Select the names of the pregnant women at random for those that will go on the saucer.” He gave LOLA a look that could have been chiseled from granite. “No exceptions. If a woman is chosen she WILL go.” His face softened somewhat. “The women on this ship are just as fierce as the men. They won’t want to go… but they will.”
LOLA’s face quivered slightly. “Yes Fleet Captain.”
“I assume that the sooner we launch the saucer the better the chances, so let’s get that saucer ready and gone as soon as we can. Understood?”
“Aye sir.”
“Good. Now Athena. You are our best tactician.” Zed swallowed, and the coffee suddenly tasted bitter in his mouth. “If you can’t plan our survival, nobody can, and certainly not me. I’m leaving our survival up to you. What do we do?”
At
hena looked grim. “Give me an hour to study the problem. We still have a little time available to us. The Creednax won’t be here for another two weeks.”
“That sounds good.” He glanced at the time; and saw that it was only three o’clock.
“You should have breakfast, Zed.” LOLA murmured with feeling. “It is apt to be a very long day.”
“I suppose.” He blinked and sat up from his recliner. “Is Kat still asleep?”
“Yes Zed.” LOLA’s voice said softly by his ear.
“Good. I’ll shower and change in the other bathroom. I’ll meet you and Athena back at the small conference room in an hour, and we can begin to make plans. Wake the crew at six o’clock and notify them that there will be a general announcement at seven. I’ll give them the bad news then.”
“As you wish, Fleet Captain.”
“Why the formality all of a sudden?” He said to the empty air.
“It is in circumstances like this that I see why you make such a good leader, Zed. I’m proud to be working with you, whatever the outcome of this battle may be.”
Zed rubbed the cream depilatory on his face, and began wiping off his beard. “You know the best things to cheer me up, LOLA.”
“Attention all hands.” Zed could hear the public address system echoing throughout the corridors. “Overnight certain events have taken place, and certain information has become available that will affect all of our lives.” He swallowed, his mouth dry. “Last night we discovered that the Creednax fleet that we took such pleasure in destroying was just a ruse to keep us sitting at Callidus while two more Creednax fleets surround the planet, capturing both us and the world below.” He could imagine the panic in the ship at that very moment. “The battleship that we disabled has been transmitting a distress call since the battle, so the Creednax know we’re here. Because of this, I have ordered a small scouting saucer equipped with an improved cloaking system to take all the pregnant women it can hold back to Earth or Cybele. This will ensure that at least some of us survive, and even those chances of escape aren’t very good. Meanwhile, plans are being made for our own survival, and if we can’t survive then the Creednax won’t either. LOLA will be contacting pregnant women chosen by lot to travel in the saucer. There will be no exceptions or substitutions to this order. If you are pregnant and if you are chosen, you WILL go. The shuttle will launch in four hours, so say your goodbyes now.” LOLA nodded to him as she cut the public address.
“I just thought that I should let you know that the CatTrace Ling is also going with the evacuees. She falls into your criteria of crewmember and pregnant.”
Zed chuckled. “Earth will never be the same if those critters get loose.”
For some reason LOLA appeared nervous, and both Zed and Athena looked at her curiously. “You have another problem, Zed. Katherine is at the door to the conference room, and she appears a little upset.” The door slid open. “It appears that she is one of the selectees for evacuation.”
“What!!!!” Zed was on his feet as Athena began to laugh.
Katherine stormed into the room, her green eyes flashing with anger, her face flushed. “You tell that thrice bedamned piece of shit AI that I AM NOT pregnant. My post is as Captain of this ship and that’s where I’m going to stay.”
“I’m sorry, Katherine.” LOLA didn’t sound very contrite. “I scanned you twice to make sure. You are approximately two weeks pregnant. Check with the sick bay if you wish.”
Kat’s mouth worked soundlessly for several seconds before she rounded on Zed. “This is all your fault. All of it!”
Zed nodded sagely. “You’re right, my dear.” He said in a soothing voice. “It’s all my fault. Our marriage, your pregnancy, the ambush by the Creednax and your evacuation. All of it. I accept full blame.” He gave her a smile that held no warmth. “You will still pilot the saucer that takes the evacuees to safety.”
She crossed her arms under her breasts and gave him an angry look. “I refuse.”
He leaned forward. “Then you will be tranquilized and loaded aboard on a stretcher. Somebody else will be selected to fly. You will still go.”
“It’s just not fair!!” She wailed, stamping her small foot in anger. “I don’t want to go. I didn’t want to get pregnant!!”
“Fine.” Zed said reasonably. “In the next lifetime I’ll get pregnant. Meanwhile, you’re going. Now, are you going to give me a kiss before you go, or are we going to part in anger?”
Her resolve vanished and she threw her arms around his neck as she wept into his shoulder. “I’ll never see you again.” She sniffed.
“Oh, I’m like a bad penny. I’ll show up again.” Zed whispered into her ear. “Sooo, if it’s a boy what will we name him?”
She pulled back slightly. “How about James Tiberius?” She asked sweetly, knowing his penchant for old twentieth century science fiction movies. Zed grimaced. “Okay, how about Connor?”
“Connor is good.” Zed admitted as he took her face in his hands and kissed her very thoroughly. “Now, you have things to do, Captain Yates, and evacuees to load.”
“In a moment…” She reached up and drew his head down to her.
Zed stood at the bridge railing, watching the saucer pull away from the Rose; the black shape of the small craft was just a deeper shadow against the darkness of space. They had managed to stuff sixteen women into a craft designed to hold twelve, along with sixteen unborn children and one pregnant CatTrace with six unborn kittens. He sighed and looked around at the slightly changed bridge crew. Huan Lî replaced the very pregnant Lucy Hollingberry at astrogation, while Thea Prevost, a blond haired beauty from Edinburgh with a handful of PhDs, and a recent addition to the crew took the spot held by Reyansh Kashyap in engineering. If others of the crew noted that three members of the bridge staff were numbered as evacuees, nobody mentioned it. When he looked back at the display the image of the saucer was already gone, replaced with a simple blue arrow that headed sharply out-system.
“That’s about it for the day, ladies and gentlemen.” Zed said aloud. “We’ll all have enough to do when the Creednax finally arrive. In the meantime, LOLA and Athena will be monitoring the sensors very carefully. Relax while you can, if you can.” The images around him flickered out, slowly, one by one, leaving Zed standing at the railing with LOLA.
“What do you think of Athena’s plan, Zed?” LOLA’s dark bob framed her pale face and dark, almost black eyes.
“Well, it does have the fact that it hasn’t been used in a very very long time going for it. The chances of it succeeding, however, are almost zero.”
“Almost zero isn’t zero, Zed.” LOLA pointed out.
“I realize that… but a Trojan horse?”
“Horses.” LOLA corrected. “We recovered that overgrown battleship before it fell into the sun, and along with a few of the wrecks that we dumped on the moon of Calidum Petram, we have just the kind of environment to hide our raiders in.”
“I know the theory, LOLA. I was at the briefing too. Do you think it will work?”
The image of LOLA just shrugged. “I don’t know, Zed. With a little luck it could work. If the Creednax catch even the slightest hint of what we are about, however, it will be all over for us. The explosive device Athena is cooking up in the main power plant is powerful enough to take out Callidus, the surrounding fleet and will more than likely cause the sun to go nova. As they say… we’ll never feel a thing.”
“Peachy.” Zed muttered sourly. “When will we have everything in place?”
“A week, Zed. Another day or two to bait the trap. This does have to look like a space battle after all, not just a slaughter.”
“I don’t relish the thought of abandoning a perfectly good frigate to the Creednax fleet, LOLA.”
“But we agreed that the Boston is the only bait we have to offer, along with two damaged fighters. Athena has even towed that Creednax destroyer she was about to dismantle back out. Anyway, Alina DeThomaso, Boston’s skipper, went back to Ea
rth with the other evacuees. Mike Flaherty was glad to see that, since the child is obviously his.”
“I know that I feel better with Katherine safely away.” Zed admitted, as much to LOLA as to himself. “What do you think of my PLAN B?”
LOLA gave a derogatory laugh. “To use your own terms, I think it sucks. It’s bad enough to use Creednax ships as a staging area for Trojan Horse, but to rig them to explode if Trojan Horse fails… what are you, suicidal?”
“Not at all, LOLA. If we need to, we can all make a run for the front door, or one of the smaller spaceport entrances. That should shield us.”
“What do you mean us? You’re not planning on taking part in this harebrained scheme are you?”
“You do the math.” Zed grumbled as he entered his empty rooms. Kat had been gone only a few hours and already the suite felt darker and colder than before. “How many Creednax warships do we have to destroy? How many able bodied men and women do we have available that are EVA qualified and more importantly — explosives qualified?” How many bombs per ship will we have to place and how long will it take to place each bomb?”
“You can be very obnoxious when you want to be, Zed.” LOLA murmured in an angry tone. “But why you?”
“We need every EVA qualified person, that’s why. Working alone I can plant mines on one Creednax battleship. With three other EVA qualified volunteers we can account for all the heavy battleships. The Strike Team can take out the cruisers and destroyers, and if we have time, the frigates too. If not, then the Rose of the Dawn will have to do her best to take out the rest.”
“Zed, there are five score of those frigates!” A note of alarm crept into LOLA’s voice.
“Look at it as a target rich environment, LOLA.”
“Zed, you’re going to get us both killed, you know that?”
Zed shrugged. “We all have to die sometime.” He let a sad smile cross his face. “My GOTH plan is the destruction of Callidus and everything surrounding it. Callidus delenda est, to paraphrase an old old saying. Callidus must be destroyed.”
...and they are us Homecoming Page 13
