She started to slide off of the desk, but Lee placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She stopped and slid backwards, looking at him with the same expression as before. Her brows knitted together with concern as he tried to take a deep breath.
“Lee, what is it?” Alice asked. “Is everything okay?”
“Alice,” he replied. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a while, it’s just been so hard to find the right time.”
“Lee,” she began, her eyes widening. “What are you…”
“Just let me finish, okay,” he said, trying to calm himself down. “Alice, I wanted to tell you how much I loved you. You mean more to me than even the Resolute and I cannot think of what a single day would be like without you.”
Alice’s eyes grew bigger as realization dawned on her. She started to open her mouth, but Lee placed a finger onto her lips, silencing her. He drew out another long breath as Alice stared at him.
“Alice, I know what happened to you before we met was hard, but that was a long time ago and so much has happened since then,” Lee continued. “I want you to spend the rest of your life with me, Alice. Will you marry me?”
Lee pulled his finger down and off of her lips. Her mouth hung open in shock as she tried to understand what he had just asked her. Lee stared back at her, waiting for her reply and dreading what she might do if he had been too premature. She regained her composure and closed her gaping mouth, licking her now pale lips as she tried to calm her blood pressure.
“Lee,” she finally said, leaning close to him. “I don’t know what to say. I never thought that you would…”
“Just say you’ll think about it, Alice,” Lee said quickly, not wanting to lose the moment. “Look, I have this.”
He reached into his breast pocket to pull out the ring. His hands were sweaty as he pushed his fingers deep into the pocket of his dark uniform shirt. He fished around in the pocket for a few moments, panic setting in as he realized that what he was looking for was not there. He switched to the other pocket and patted the front.
“Oh damn,” he said. “I must have left it in my other shirt.”
20
Ch’Tauk Dreadnought
The command center of the dreadnought was crowded with Ch’Tauk Centurions going about their duties with precise efficiency. The Quartero for the dreadnought, Du’Monu, was tending to his crew carefully, knowing the price of failure. He monitored the communications relays very closely; waiting for the transmission that his master, Primero Ki’Bontri, had told him would be coming.
His ship had been waiting on the edges of Ch’Tauk Imperial space for several rotations and had now been called upon to host the Quartero of the fleet as well as the local Tercero. Ki’Bontri had cleared out the main cargo hold in anticipation for their arrival and Du’Monu was watching as the last Tercero’s ship detached from the dreadnought and pulled away to wait. The dreadnought was closely surrounded by ships, each awaiting the return of their own Quartero.
There was a sharp klaxon of sound as the communications center alerted him to an incoming transmission from their relay network. Du’Monu strode across the bridge to look over the scrolling information. There was a glyph only report from the operative that Ki’Bontri had sent to infiltrate the human. What Ki’Bontri had shared with Du’Monu of his plan made the information vital to the Primero and thus necessary for the Quartero to hand deliver it.
“There is more, Quartero,” said the Centurion. “We are receiving a report from the patrol cruisers in the system.”
Du’Monu halted and pulled up the report. It was a visual transmission from two small ships that they had left behind to monitor the system for human activity. After a few moments, Du’Monu stopped the playback and turned to the console. He held a thin sheet of transparent paper which he slid a finger down. The glyph report was transferred to the sheet immediately, but he did not transfer the visual. He looked to the Centurion who was still waiting for an order.
“Transfer this report to the cargo hold monitors and store it in the Primero’s personal files. Then delete it from all other records,” he ordered the other man. “I am taking this to the Primero directly.”
“Yes, Quartero,” replied the Ch’Tauk soldier. “At once.”
The Centurion started sliding his fingers across the monitor panels, transferring data from one place to the next and erasing other bits. Du’Monu turned and walked out of the command center and into the short corridor outside. The moving platform hovering inside the nearby transport tube took his weight and began to descend into the ship. He slid the controls, indicating his desired location in the cargo hold, and waited.
When the platform slowed, he stepped off onto the cargo deck of the massive ship. He adjusted the burgundy Sash of Authority that he wore, not wanting to appear disheveled in front of the Primero or his guests. Satisfied that he was at his best, he strode down the hallway towards the hold. Despite the thick metal separating him from the cargo bay, Du’Monu could hear the Primero speaking to his subordinates.
“…And the humans, who treated our Artist and Priest caste with such disdain, now seek to return to their status as conquerors of the galaxy,” the Primero pontificated to his people. “They want to return to their weapons factories to create new and more destructive weapons to wipe us out. I will not allow this! The Empress; may the light that shines upon her enrich all of our souls, does not want this! Together, we will rout the attacking fleet and wipe the human vermin from existence!”
The crowd began to hiss in adulation. Ki’Bontri stood tall on the newly constructed pulpit where his voice was being amplified. The Primero shook his shoulders, fending off the appreciation of the group and indicating his wish to continue. Du’Monu stepped into the room and to the podium where he waited for his superior to finish his oration.
“I have been waiting for word from one of our operatives, someone that the humans would never suspect, to report the operation should proceed,” continued Ki’Bontri. “I estimate that they will send the bulk of their pitiful fleet to try to defend their scientists. As soon as this fleet arrives, when we will jump back into the system and crush them with one mighty blow. The victory that eluded Ki’Bara will be mine!”
At the mention of the former First among Equals, several of the Secundo present looked to each other. The Tercero continued their adoring hiss along with most of the Quartero. Du’Monu held the transparent sheet close as he waved his four-fingered hand in agreement. He knew what the report he carried meant and he was anxious to deliver it and return to his bridge.
Du’Monu had never actually met the former First, but had read about the Primero’s lightning tactic when invading the Terran home planet. As a loyal officer of the Empire, he would never question Ki’Bontri or his strategy of subterfuge and traps, but as a Quartero of the majestic dreadnought that they were on, he preferred the head on battle to pouncing on a weak prey.
“Primero,” Du’Monu whispered, trying to attract the other man’s attention. “I have reports for you.”
The Primero shook his shoulders again, quieting the crowd as he leaned in to Du’Monu.
“I have a visual feed from the patrol ships,” said the Quartero. “And a glyph report from the operative.”
“Transfer the visual to the imager, but turn off the sound. I want to show these subordinates what they will be facing.”
Du’Monu tucked the transparent sheet under one arm as he moved over to the imager panel near the wall. He slid his finger over the control, calling up the visual and turning off the audio. He waited for the Primero to indicate to him when to begin the projection.
“My people,” the Primero began. “I want to show you the savagery of the humans. I have a report from our ships in the system, defending our Empire with their lives. See what the Terrans will do the proud Ch’Tauk who stayed behind.”
The Primero waved his hand towards the Quartero and the image began. A solid three dimensional view from the Ch’Tauk relay projected
over the heads of the assembly. The view of the green planet was clear and showed the two patrol ships gliding slowly through space.
A blue-brown swirl of color erupted dramatically from near the center of the image, followed by two large ships exiting in their fiery coronas. The ships were massive compared to the small Ch’Tauk ships, causing the relay to pull out its focus wide. The two Ch’Tauk ships moved to intercept the bigger of the two, firing in what seemed to be a warding off gesture. The technological advantage of shielding showed brightly as the plasma beams were absorbed by the shields.
One of the patrol ships peeled away, heading for the long, silver ship with a wide annular ring surrounding it. The human ship responded by turning away. Ki’Bontri clicked in a sound that indicated his disgust with the humans. It looked to the Ch’Tauk Quartero as if the big ship was running away from the fight.
The bigger Terran ship began to fire back at the Ch’Tauk ship, cutting through the thick armor as if it were thin meat on a table. The Ch’Tauk assembled clicked in protest to the sight of one of their own, being torn apart like prey by the massive human warship. The patrol ship tried to fire another burst, but a rupture in the plasma fuel erupted into a fireball, destroying the ship immediately. Clicks of anger resounded in the large room as the Secundo seemed to want to leap through the projection to attack the images.
The second Terran ship, the one which had turned away from the fight, had begun to turn back as its escorting warship began to swing around for the kill. The patrol ship tried to come in close, firing all its powerful weapons into the glowing blue shielding, but it seemed to have no effect. As the patrol ship passed by the nose of the smaller human ship, the vessel fired a dark red pulse beam from its nose, cleaving the patrol ship nearly in half. The warship finished the job by blasting the ship with its plasma bolts. The two halves of the Ch’Tauk vessel swirled off into space, trailing debris.
The Primero waved his hand again, indicating that the Quartero should turn off the projection. Just before it vanished completely, the warship seemed to turn towards the relay in an aggressive posture. Du’Monu froze the image, hoping to accent the Primero’s point and win favor with the superior officer. The last sight the assembly had of the battle was the massive Terran ship pointing its deadly bow straight at the relay. The Primero paused as the sight faded from view. He seemed to be gathering himself for his next address.
“My people,” he said his voice barely above a whisper, but rising in volume as he continued. “What you have just witnessed is a taste of the savage race who calls themselves Terrans. They destroy without warning our ship, who were just defending our territory in the name of the Empress; May she reigns forever in peace and tranquility.”
The Ch’Tauk roared to her feet and began to click and hiss in support of the Empire. Ki’Bontri raised his arms and shrugged his shoulders in the gesture for more. The crowd noise reached a blistering crescendo as the Quartero joined in with their superiors to cheer the new First among Equals. Du’Monu saw the Primero look to him approvingly, hoping that his final show of dramatic ambiance would lead to an elevation in status to Tercero before the operation was finished.
“Now, my people,” Ki’Bontri said. “You must return to your ships to prepare for the attack on the Terran fleet. I will be joining you in this glorious victory like the heroic Primero of fable; leading you to victory!”
The assembly roared again in support. The Primero had them in his hand and he knew it. He was savoring the power and authority as the group obeyed his commands. The assembly began to calm and break up, some of the Quartero leaving the cargo hold and heading for the docking platform to await their own ships. Others mingled for a few minutes longer, waiting to speak with their beloved Primero one last time.
As the last Tercero left the room, Du’Monu stepped closer to the Primero. He held out the glyph report to his master and waited as Ki’Bontri took it from his hand. The Primero scanned the report quickly. When his eyes touched on the end of the report, his double set of eyes blinked in surprise. He looked at Du’Monu with amazement.
“Have you shared this with anyone?” Ki’Bontri asked.
“No, Primero,” replied the subordinate. “After I read it, I had the Centurion wipe it from the memory. You are the first to know this in the fleet.”
“The Engineers, Du’Monu,” Ki’Bontri exclaimed. “After all this time they were hiding on that distant planet, aiding the humans against us.”
Du’Monu waited as the Primero seemed to revise his plans in his head. The Primero waved a finger across his chest and then up. He then turned his attention back to the transparent sheet and scrolled the report down. After a few moments, the First among Equals looked back at Du’Monu.
“You say a Centurion download this report?” Ki’Bontri asked. “Do you trust him?”
“He is a Centurion, Primero,” Du’Monu replied. “He obeys my commands.”
“Is Ki’Bara still lurking in the area,” the Primero asked. “Is your Centurion working for him?”
“I don’t believe so, my Lord,” Du’Monu replied. “And yes, the Primero Ki’Bara is still in the vicinity.”
Ki’Bontri seemed furious. Du’Monu knew that the two men had battled over the political status of First among Equals for years and that Ki’Bontri had used his influence to have the former First banished from court. Why he had not been killed was a mystery to the Quartero, but he assumed that the Empress had ordered it so.
“Inform the fleet that we are to launch the attack immediately upon their return to their ships,” Ki’Bontri said. “We are to attack the human ships only, Quartero. Have the Tercero in charge of ground troops launch a ground invasion. We must capture the Engineers before they give their secrets to the humans.”
“Yes, my Lord,” replied Du’Monu, backing away from the Primero. “I will inform the fleet, sir.”
As Du’Monu left the room, he thought about what he had learned about the Primero and his plans. He would go straight to the command center to relay the orders to the fleet as ordered. When he had finished, he would also transmit an encrypted report to his real master, Ki’Bara.
21
Cruise Liner Terran Hope
Captain Alfredo Ortiz strode across the bridge of the Terran Hope, missing his former communications officer deeply. Kama Yu had been with him for the three years that the cruise ship had hidden from the Ch’Tauk and had been a reliable source of consistency throughout. With his new position within the Alliance military, he had accepted Kama’s transfer request with some trepidation. Now he had a crew made up of former officers on Confederation ships and he felt oddly uneasy.
The new crew was efficient and obeyed orders with precision, but Ortiz had gotten used to the relaxed atmosphere on the former cruise ship and now found that precision uncomfortable. He did, however, have good first officer in Godfrey Rowling. The man was as reliable as the sunrise and had a dry wit that Ortiz loved to hear.
“Sir,” said the commander. “The passenger shuttles report ready to return to the surface.”
“Thank you, Godfrey,” the captain replied. “Are we having any problem with space?”
“No, sir,” the taller man said. “Space is rather large and we have plenty. The staterooms are filling up, but we have many more to spare. The Karisiens are refusing to leave, but the other off-worlders are evacuating without much argument.”
Ortiz smiled at the small joke as he settled back in his command chair. The ship, which had been refitted after the recovery of Perigee station, was running better than he had ever imagined it. His sensors had been upgraded by the Elves as well as the shields. He had also witnessed the newly destructive power of their asteroid clearing laser that was mounted in the nose.
He was unsure how he felt about the addition of the powerful energy beam mounted on the bow of the ship. On one hand, he had been grateful for the firepower when they had recently come under fire from Ch’Tauk patrol craft, but on the other hand, his ship having that ki
nd of offensive weapon made him a much bigger target than ever before. He hoped that any further encounters with the Ch’Tauk would be under the protection of the whole Alliance fleet, rather than just the one cruiser, Mars.
“Sir,” the voice of the new communications officer said. “I am showing jump points opening at three two zero on the horizontal plane.”
Ortiz looked out of the forward view screen for the familiar blue swirl. The officer, a remarkably happy porcine creature called Lellda, had indicated that the vortex would be visible just to the left of center on the view screen and Ortiz found it without much trouble. He noted the size of the jump exit and knew that it meant either the enemy fleet, or his own.
“Do we have a signal, Lellda?” asked Ortiz. “Do we know if they are friendly?”
“Negative, sir,” replied the little female. “There is still too much interference from the exit point.”
A massive object, wrapped in a corona of red fire, leapt from the swirling energy point. The large ship was quickly followed by several smaller vessels and finally about a dozen ships smaller than the former cruise ship. As the fiery shell dissipated into space, the familiar lines of a Zeus class carrier resolved on the viewer. Ortiz exhaled and sat back in his chair. The remainder of the ships shed their shrouds and became recognizable as Alliance ships as well. Ortiz was surprised to spot a second destroyer alongside the Austerlitz. It seemed that the fleet was growing.
“Alliance carrier Baal calling Terran Hope and Mars,” the voice of Commodore Ronald Chang said over the bridge speakers. “We are inbound to your position. Are we alone?”
“Welcome to Karisia, Commodore,” replied the voice of Captain Browning of the cruiser Mars. “We have local space secured for the moment. No sign of hostiles beyond the two we took out when we got here.”
“I look forward to your report, Captain,” replied Chang. “Captain Ortiz, what is the status of the evacuation?”
Resolute Omnibus (The War for Terra) Page 38
