“Was that the source of your father’s information?”
“It is a possibility but I don’t believe so.”
“Were any of the weapons salvageable?”
“There were remains of several weapon systems. None were intact, but that is not to say they could not be re-engineered. It is a theory the explosion that destroyed the Oolaran ship was a device designed to destroy the AI cores. I believe battle damage to the vessel created an unlikely chain of events that somehow partially disabled failsafe munitions that should have reduced the ship to atoms.”
The revelation Coonts had related to me about an anti-matter trigger in the central core of the Legacy was now verified. “Is there a possibility your father might know where we could get a DEHD core?”
“I have given the subject considerable thought and have decided to contact my Father and make inquires. What we are talking about Commander would set a precedence that would infuriate the Galactic Union. The consequences could result in breaking a very old agreement meant to protect my race from outside interference. It may require a covert visit to my Father. The Union blockade in place will be hard to penetrate and if caught we will be fired upon. We do not want conflict with the Galactic Union. If it is found out what race you are, your planet will be removed from protected status. The repercussions of such an outcome could doom your race.”
I was again reminded just how vulnerable Earth was and how lightly I needed to tread in order for Earth to remain a protected planet.
“I have no intention of firing on anyone that doesn’t shoot at us first. If it can’t be done safely, then we’re not going to do it. I’d much rather go about the galaxy as an unknown than make stink everywhere I go. We will be leaving here in two more cycles and it is my intention to go to Eiger’s trading depot. I think it would be wise to sell as many of the artifacts as we can and acquire the battle suits. I want you and the Troop Master to select and purchase modern weapon systems we could use to protect our ship and ourselves. In time, those who see us as enemies will feel the repercussions of our operations. When that time comes they will want retribution and I intend to make it a very one sided affair.”
Tria locked me up with her emerald eyes and said, “I believe it is your destiny to make a stink everywhere you go.” With that said she gave me another smile and left to finish the project she had been working on.
The two work cycles past quickly and we were finally ready to leave the station. I had my final meeting with Xul and gave him the extra million credits. The surprised look and the now familiar Grawl smile told me I wouldn’t have to fear him disclosing any information about my visit or our activities while we were here.
I had Klutch prepare his shuttle for departure and a rendezvous with The Legacy a safe distance from the outpost. Coonts was convinced Rak’s shuttle was now his property, but I quickly burst his bubble. I informed him it was now my personal pinnace. I had him take the transport away from the outpost and meet at Klutch’s location. The hangar was now clear for normal flight operations and had plenty of room so they could both come aboard the Legacy.
The now uncluttered bridge with its full 360 view was incredible. Tria sat just below me monitoring the shuttles movements through the dense atmosphere of the gas giant.
“Justice, signal Xul the ship is secure and ready to get underway as soon as the hangar is ready for negative atmospheric operations.”
“Message sent Commander.”
I watched as the warning lights next to the big hangar doors went from green to a blinking red. The hangar doors parted and a light stripe on the floor started flashing and then pulsing out towards the open doors.
“Justice, take us out and set up a course to intercept Coonts and Klutch.”
The exhilaration of piloting the ship had elevated my heart rate and the awe of the view as we came out of the thick swirling atmosphere of the gas giant kept me speechless. High up on the domed ceiling just to my right were two blinking blue triangles. They quickly turned to solid stationary blue indicators as the ship seemed to leap at them. Within seconds the blue triangles were the now visible shuttles with blue outlines around them as we slowed and Justice pulled them into the hangar bay with the tow beams.
“Justice, jump us to the location of the outpost but keep us far enough out we can do a quick scan. I want to know if Eiger’s warship is at the outpost.”
“Yes Commander, destination is plotted and ship is ready for transition on your order.”
“Attention crew, prepare for transition.”
“Justice, give them ten seconds then transition.”
My 360 degree view seemed to jump to a large white glowing dot as my stomach started churning in protest and my skin got a scratchy tingle. Then the view changed to a kind of slow shimmering dark gray. We all gathered in the galley and Tria laid out some ideas on our next mission. I told her I would think about it and make my decision when we were making our approach to the outpost. We had Klutch squared away in his new quarters in the crew compartment and the three of them headed in that direction.
“Exit transition in twenty eight minutes Commander. We will be point one light year from the outpost and will initiate a passive scan upon exit.”
“Thank you Justice, if you need me I will be in my cabin.”
I had just stepped out of the shower when my stomach did a couple on involuntary flips followed by an itch. I quickly dried off and put on a fresh uniform. As I walked to the bridge, I was formally addressed by all three of my crew. I took the command seat with Coonts on my right at the communications station and Tria on my left at the weapons monitoring station. Klutch sat just below me at the hangar operations position. Now that the bridge was restored, my crew could monitor all aspects of the ships operation as well as the other consoles. The large surround view screen had a square yellow box outlining a large capsule shaped station with several arms extending from it. Magnification increased sharply, and I saw an assortment of bewildering shaped craft at several of the docking arms. Most defied the old dictum of form over function.
“Commander, the vessel designated as Eiger’s flagship is currently not present at this location.”
“Thanks Justice, Xul told me it might not be the healthiest idea to go around asking about Eiger and the DEHD core.”
I turned to my left. “Tria, I want you to make contact with the Zaen freelancers to see if we can come to a deal on battle suits. We should separate into groups of two and see what kind of trade deals we can make for the artifacts. If one group runs into trouble, the other can back them up. When we complete our mission goals, we’ll meet and see what else we can check off of our priority list.”
I looked at Coonts. He was still wearing his new armor. “Coonts I know this isn’t going to set well with you. It would be wise not to show off your new battle suit in Eiger’s backyard. There is a possibility Eiger may be able to identify it as Raks. I don’t think your new sidearm will matter. For now let’s wait till we all have Zaen armor, that way you won’t be the main attraction. We will use the armor you made for us. Everyone should take the Tibor side arms you encrypted to us.” I thought about it a little more because it was a pirate trading post. “Plan for the worst and hope for the best. Arm yourselves appropriately.”
Splitting up wasn’t the most sound military doctrine but for now it made the most sense.
“I think the teams will be Coonts and Tria in the Grawl transport and Klutch taking me in the assault shuttle. Let’s come in at different vectors and we’ll keep in touch by bouncing messages to Justice.”
“Justice, I was wondering if cloaking the Legacy this close to the outpost will trip any alarms if we are detected.”
“Commander, the Legacy’s hull is no longer hindered by environmental corrosion and has been restored to optimal operational specifications. It would take military grade scanning systems at close range to detect this vessel. It would be prudent to move out another point one light years and power down all unnecessary sy
stems before cloaking. The small delay in communications should make little difference in the outcome of the mission unless hostilities become imminent.”
“That sounds like a plan. If you hear one of us call out code red, you’ll know we’re in trouble. If that happens, come in close enough to recover the shuttles and give fire support if necessary. Everybody take care of your personal needs and get your gear on. We all meet in the hangar in two hours for any updates Justice might have for us.”
I could tell Coonts was sour apples over not being able to wear his battle suit but he was becoming disciplined enough not to moan about it. I needed to get rid of some mission butterflies so I headed to my cabin.
There was still thirty minutes until we had to meet and I was geared up and ready. My Grandfathers mantra of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best wouldn’t leave my mind. I pulled out my cape and started threading ten gauge explosive rounds into the loops. The cut down shotgun wasn’t heavy and didn’t give any negligible power source readings. The Tibor fighting knives were presented to me and Tria by Klutch. He informed me it would honor his crew knowing their weapons would be used to strike down those responsible for their deaths. I was more than happy to oblige him. The powered cutting edge cut through things by disrupting the molecules that bind solids. I vividly remembered how deadly they were in close quarters combat. The long sheath I had running from my knee to my ankle was the charging system and the ignition trigger. When pulled it automatically initiated the disrupter field on the edge of the weapon until you put it back in the sheath. I secured the shotgun with its heavy flexible strap and headed to the hangar.
When I entered the hangar I was surprised to see everyone but Coonts was packing heavy. Everyone must have found counsel in my Grandfather’s words. Tria had her Tibor fighting knives secured to both legs as I did and two of the Tibor pistols on her hips. She apparently took a liking to my primitive projectile weapons because she had the bull pup shotgun strapped across her chest so she could make use of it with either set of hands. Klutch had weapons on his sides and two more in homemade shoulder holsters. I knew he had his fighting knife stashed behind his breast plate because no Tibor mercenary would be caught dead without one.
As we all met by the shuttles inspecting each other’s load out, I noticed Coonts standing with his arms crossed. I guessed he was pouting.
“Coonts I know you would like to have your new armor, but right now it seems like an unnecessary risk. As soon as we get to the outpost Tria is going to arrange for us to get outfitted and you can wear your armor whenever you want after we all have a set.”
My comment did not take the sour look from his Grawl face. “Commander, if I must wear this inferior armor I would like to carry your hand held projectile weapon.”
I wanted to laugh aloud but instead relented to his request. “Justice, could you bring my pistol to the lab along with some 699.”
“Yes Commander, I had anticipated your request after observing your interaction with Coonts. I am currently modeling a suitable holster and surplus ammunition bandolier that would appropriately fit the Grawl physique.”
I looked over at the little Grawl “Coonts if you would report to the lab your additional armament will be ready shortly.” That seemed to mollify Coonts as he hurried out of the hangar. I remember what it was like shooting the big bore .44. I wondered if it was the right decision. I hoped we would not have to use our weapons at all.
“Klutch lets load up and take off from our current position. We can make a short jump to the outpost. Tria when you and Coonts are ready Justice will take you to the other side of the outpost and you can jump in from there. The IFF in our helmets should let us know when you board the outpost. Remember if you get in trouble call out code red and we’ll find you or shoot the place up trying. Let’s move out!”
We boarded the assault shuttle, and I strapped in up front with Klutch. The pilots seats were very close to the deck and had short backs but the rest of the seat was huge and reminded me of sitting in my Grandpa’s easy chair when I was young.
Klutch looked over at me, “We are ready to launch on your order Commander.”
“Klutch, you are pilot in command I’m just along for the ride. Let her rip whenever you’re ready!”
The Tibor gave me a quizzical look and a big toothy grin then said; “Justice, we are ready for void operations.”
“Acknowledged Troop Master, hangar deck is secured for void operations. Doors opening and tow beam set for exit sequence.”
The shuttle was gently lifted and shoved out the doors. Our forward momentum carried us away from the Legacy. The monitor in front of me showed the quickly disappearing Legacy as it turned away from us and headed to another vector. I got a big surprise when I was jammed back into my seat. If it were not for the harness, I would have gone over the short seatback. Apparently, the Tibor did not place a lot of value in quality inertial dampening systems. I gave Klutch a sideways glance and noticed the horrific toothy smile I had become accustomed to seeing on his homely face. He glanced at me and gave me a little shake of his monstrous shoulders. “Prepare to transition Commander.”
I gave him a quick nod, and he chopped our forward thrusters and then reached down between our seats and pulled back a round cover exposing a red T-handle he gripped it then sat there looking at his instruments. There was a flashing orange to yellow light in front of him that started flashing faster when it suddenly went out and a light next to it turned a solid white. He turned to me and showed me those pointy gray choppers and pulled the T-handle up. Everything started to glow a bright blurry white and then it felt like someone was trying to pull every single hair from my body at the same time followed by the feeling of free fall that never stopped. The white light on the instrument panel went out and Klutch shoved the T-handle back down which resulted in the renewal of the hair pulling contest and then it was finally over. Klutch hit the throttle again pinning me back in the seat as the capsule shaped outpost leaped into view. I was desperately fighting down the elevator my lunch had hailed for its attempt at freedom. A decision was quickly reached as to which shuttle I was taking for the return ride.
I heard a toneless voice speaking in Tibor directing Klutch to one of the docking arms. Underneath the massive arms were large platforms of varying sizes from very large on the farthest out to smaller ones closer to the station. Ours was three platforms out from the station. As soon as we touched down the platform retracted into a tunnel, which was closed off by an atmospheric retention field. We exited the shuttle and came to a large pressure door.
“Commander we have to pay the station docking fees in order to enter the outpost. The dock fee is ten thousand credits and the atmosphere fee is one thousand. You don’t have to pay the atmosphere fee but as soon as we enter they’ll drop the field. Coonts armor will protect us against the vacuum but there will be no hasty getaway if we run into trouble.
I took out one of my randomly selected my credit vouchers. I plugged it into the slot just below the large orange flashing arrow. It registered over seven point three billion credits and then deducted the dock fees. Klutch looked at the balance and gave me a big toothy smile. The large airlock door slid open, and we were granted access to an enormous clear glass tube that had an amazing array of advertising flashing up on both sides of the tunnel. Klutch stepped close to me and said, "don’t touch the tunnel walls because the advertisements will try to determine your race so it could target you with species specific advertising." The place was the freaking pirate mall complete with advertising. The different species in the tunnel was astonishing. It blew me away that a small percentage of people on Earth absolutely thought we were alone in the galaxy and would not believe anything different from that erroneous philosophy.
We passed through some kind of purple light field Klutch said killed all forms of dangerous bacteria. Me being the not so trusting type I subconsciously reached down and covered the boys. We worked our way deeper into the outpost and I had a very
difficult time not just stopping and gawking. Klutch would give me a healthy nudge with his elbow every time he caught me staring too long in the same place. My inquisitive nature must have been annoying him. He stepped close and said, "staring makes everybody nervous, and can draw the wrong kind of attention." I thought because my helmet was blacked out it would not be so obvious but Klutch’s warning helped get my head back to the mission. I finally managed to keep my head pointed in one direction and look with my peripheral vision. The routine was working right up till I walked into the back of a big furry biped. The creature reminded me of a reject from a bad wolf man movie. It’s translated croaking growl was identified as Murlak by my implants. It said, “Why do you touch me!” He rudely surprised me with a backhand that was hard enough to back me up a step. I am sure the helmet was hard on his big furry knuckles and the shot he gave me brought any thought of an apology to an abrupt halt. I stepped back towards it, lifted my gloved hand, and pointed in its face. When my pointing finger captured the proper amount of attention, I gave its legs a vicious sweeping kick dumping the alien on its back. Before I could say anything else Klutch gave us all a whiff which made me kill my atmospheric sensors and cleared a considerable circle in the tube. It sent the Murlak scurrying to its feet and disappearing into the crowd of retreating aliens.
The look Klutch gave me was enough to convey his disapproval of my behavior. “Commander, you must concentrate on the mission or we will most certainly start drawing more aggressive scrutiny.”
I gave Klutch a quick nod, and we headed through the large tube at a determined pace. The confrontation reminded me I was the alien around here so I concentrated on not acting like a kid at the zoo. My embarrassment finally subsided when I got two small beeps in my helmet and my implants projected two blue dots several levels above us in the outpost. Coonts and Tria had arrived. Tria had told me we needed to locate a race called the Ilor because they were fair and evenhanded in all their trading. Because of that reputation, they should have the widest selection of goods to trade. They were a biped species easily identified by their rotund mottled atmospheric suits. Klutch slowed as we came across an alcove stacked full of weapons, knives and swords of every description. Standing behind the armament counter were two Tibor wearing bright shiny gold armor. I kept my hands inside my cape and my mouth shut. Klutch started giving several weapons the once over. He finally picked up a really nasty looking four barreled weapon that required two hands to operate. He growled out; “How much for the plasma launcher?”
First of my Kind Page 25
