by Dietmar Wehr
After the attack on New Caledon and a short period of leave, which had been both for Strider’s own sake and for the emotional well being of his family, he had taken Retribution back to Haven. By then, Admiral Morningside had accumulated intel on not only the two raider bases at Katmandu and Draconia but also the new base at Exeter. He was able to determine the frequency that each base received a visit from a freighter loaded with spare part, supplies, ammunition and missiles from New Atlantis. A light cruiser had also visited Valhalla to determine the situation there after Wolfgar’s raid. The Supreme Leader was dead, and his autocratic rule had been replaced by a newly-elected republic-style government. They had been only too eager to enter into a formal alliance with Haven, similar to what New Caledon had agreed to. With Retribution available, Morningside had finally decided to move against the raider bases. Retribution had escorted a freighter loaded with ground assault troops to Exeter. Each of the Navy’s two light cruisers had escorted two more troop-carrying freighters to link up with the heavy cruiser on overwatch duty, one to Katmandu and the other to Draconia. All three assaults had succeeded in taking control of the bases with minimal casualties. Incoming raiders and, more importantly, incoming re-supply freighters from New Atlantis were either captured on the ground or destroyed in space.
A total of nineteen raider ships were neutralized over the following three months. From captured computer records, Morningside’s Intel people had been able to determine that there were only two raider ships left unaccounted for. With the bases dismantled, all Haven ships had returned home to prepare for the final mission to the source of the raiders. By then, Haven had completed its new battlecruiser, and a second Retribution-class cruiser had arrived from New Caledon. None of the Navy’s Savannah-class cruisers had the supply capacity to last the long trip to New Atlantis and back. That meant that the attack force would be composed of two New Caledonian ships and one Haven ship. And that was why Morningside had insisted that Strider, now a Colonel, assume overall command. And because Dreadnought had been designed with a Flag Bridge for a task force or fleet commander to use, Strider had elected to fly his flag on the Haven battlecruiser. At his request, command of Dreadnought was given to Karl Jaeger.
“I’d like to have a video conference with all three Captains,” said Strider to his com officer. The main display split in half with the right half showing the faces of Jaeger, Pavlov and Courvosier, the Captain of the Vengeance.
“Are we ready to make the final jump?” asked Strider. All three Captains said they were ready.
“My FAO will control the micro-jump.” Strider turned and nodded to his Fleet Astrogation Officer.”
“All ships! Jumping in three…two…one…now,” said the FAO in a slightly nervous voice. The three ships were using his jump co-ordinates, and if he made a mistake, Colonel Strider would be both embarrassed and annoyed. With a micro-jump taking only a fraction of a second, he was able to quickly determine that he had not made a mistake.
“We’re thirteen thousand miles from the no-jump zone threshold, Colonel. All three ships jumped successfully.”
“Very good, Lieutenant.” Strider waited for the video connections to be re-established. Jaeger’s image was still there because he was on the same ship, in the Captain’s Bridge. “Begin active scanning, Karl,” ordered Strider. By this time the other two captains were back on the display as well. Strider waited until the tactical display had the results of the radar scans. There were no ships within detection range.
“If they’re paying attention down there, they’ll pick us up in less than a minute. Let’s move in closer and see what happens,” said Strider.
Strider was surprised at how long it took to get any kind of response from the planet. It was almost ten minutes later when the com officer finally received an incoming transmission.
“This is Traffic Control. Identify yourselves and state your intentions.”
Strider nodded to the com officer who flipped a switch and nodded back.
“Traffic Control, this is Colonel Richard Strider, commanding a multi-star nation task force. We’re here to put an end to raids by ships originating on New Atlantis. Go find your King and get him in front of a video cameral fast. He has one chance to co-operate. If I don’t hear from him by the time we get within attack range, I’ll assume he doesn’t want to talk and act accordingly.”
Due to the distance, the minimum wait time for a reply was 34 seconds. The video transmission, while not that fast, arrived faster than expected. The image that appeared on one of the smaller screens of Strider’s command station was that of a well-dressed and clearly angry man.
“This is King Lucas. We have no knowledge of any so-called raiders originating from New Atlantis. You’ve obviously been misinformed. Any hostile act against my planet or any nearby ships will be regarded as an act of war between my planet and yours. If you value your lives, you had better turn around and head back the way you came!” The transmission stopped.
“Karl, turn off our radar and make sure the Retribution and Vengeance have theirs turned off too. I want King Lucas to get a taste of our capabilities.”
Less than a minutes later, Strider heard another message from Traffic Control. “This is Traffic Control calling Colonel Richard Strider. Can you hear us?”
Strider grinned. The man speaking was clearly nervous and Strider was enjoying this cat and mouse game. “You had your chance to co-operate. We’ll let our missiles do the talking from now on.” Five minutes later he was looking at a new video transmission.
“Ah, I may have been hasty in my initial response, Colonel Strider,” said a nervous King Lucas. Strider noted that the king seemed to be blinking a lot. “If ships not under my control have been making raids on your planets, that is hardly my fault and not something I could have prevented. I assure you that there are no raider ships currently on my planet or in orbit. If I could see who I’m talking too, I’m sure we could clear up any misunderstanding.”
“Video,” said Strider to the com officer. When he got the com officer’s nod, he began speaking. “I take it, King Lucas, that your people have told you that your radar can’t find my ships. That capability was how we defeated over twenty raiders and knocked out all the raider bases. Surely, you’ve been wondering why your re-supply ships haven’t returned and why raider ships have stopped arriving. Now you know the reason why. The planets of what used to be the Federation are banding together to end this scourge. There are two raider ships that we haven’t accounted for yet: Harpy and Damnthing. Are they on your planet? I strongly urge you to be truthful with me from now on. My patience with regards to lies and deception is vanishing fast.” Strider snapped his fingers to signal the com officer to end the transmission. He wanted to be able to speak with his officers freely without the King seeing or hearing.
When the light speed lag time had passed plus another five minutes without a reply, Strider began to suspect that something underhanded was about to happen.
“Karl, turn radar back on.”
“Radar’s back on, Colonel,” said Jaeger. Seconds later his expression turned to a frown. “Picking up two ships leaving the planet in one hell of a hurry, and they’re heading in opposite directions.”
Strider was now seeing it on his tactical display too. “Those have to be Harpy and Damnthing. Retribution, you take the one heading system west. Vengeance will intercept the other. Give them one and only one chance to decelerate to zero and be boarded. If they don’t comply, destroy them.”
Both captains acknowledged. When enough time had passed for the planet to detect their radars scanning to track their targets, Dreadnought received another video transmission.
“Ah, I was not aware that Harpy and Damnthing were sitting at my spaceport, Colonel Strider! If I had been aware, I would have told you about them. I’m having the spaceport director flogged for his incompetence! I can now assure you that there are no more raider ships on New Atlantis! In the spirit of co-operation and peaceful contact, I�
�d like to invite you, Colonel Strider, and your senior officers to meet with me in person. Can I assume that you will accept this invitation in the spirit that it’s being offered?” This time the transmission did not end.
“Video,” said Strider. “I’ll take your invitation under advisement and give you my response in due course. That’s all for now.” Strider snapped his fingers again. When he was certain that his image and voice were no longer being transmitted, he turned his attention to Jaeger’s image.
“I’d love to go down there wearing assault armor and smash his duplicitous face with my gauntleted hand, but I suspect he wants me, you and my officers in order to ambush us. What do you think, Karl?”
“Oh, I agree about the ambush. Why he thinks that will save his bacon with our three ships still in his skies is beyond me, but I don’t trust him at all. As for your desire to smash his face while wearing assault armor, I’m willing to volunteer to do that for you. I’ll go down with Dreadnought’s entire ground troop complement as bodyguards, everyone in assault armor, and you can watch the action from my shoulder camera.”
“I can’t ask you to do that, Karl. Even with the bodyguard detail, it would be too risky.”
“You don’t have to ask me to do it, Colonel, I want to do it. Jonas Corso wasn’t just my Captain and superior officer, he was also my friend, and his death hasn’t been paid for yet. Wolfgar is dead, the last two raider ships are about to be blown to pieces. That just leaves King Lucas Traskonen. Please let me do it, Colonel.”
Strider didn’t need a long time to think about it. “Okay, Karl. But after the shuttles drop you and the troops off, they’re to lift off and hold position above the landing site with orders to fire on anything approaching that looks threatening. I’ll let King Lucas know that you and your troops had better not be messed with.”
By this time, King Lucas’ transmission had ended again. Strider signaled for his own video transmission to resume.
“King Lucas, here is my answer to your invitation. My three ships will remain in orbit over your capital city. I’ll be sending down some shuttles. They’ll be armed. They’ll also be carrying my Flag Captain and a…security team. My Flag Captain, Karl Jaeger, will meet with you briefly to deliver a message about future relations between New Atlantis and the rest of the military alliance that my ships represent. I’ll be holding you personally responsible for the safe return of Captain Jaeger and his security team. If anything happens to them while on their way down, while on your planet or on their way back, I guarantee that the same thing will happen to you, King Lucas. The shuttles will be landing in front of whatever building you’re in. Make sure the area in front is clear of obstacles and bystanders. The next transmission you receive will be from Captain Jaeger’s shuttle. Do not bother to respond to me. I will not reply.”
It took Dreadnought over half an hour to reach the planet and settle into orbit over the Capital. By then, both fleeing ships had been destroyed and both cruisers were on their way back to the planet. It was dark now at the Capital, but the shuttles had their own external lights. Jaeger had turned command of Dreadnought to his XO and was boarding the assault shuttle. Three assault shuttles would be going down, loaded with 49 men wearing power-augmented assault armor and carrying rapid-firing weapons. Strider grinned at the mental image of how King Lucas would react when he saw Jaeger flanked by several dozen armed men walking toward him.
Strider listened to Jaeger’s radioed instructions to the King’s staff about providing the location of the King’s Palace as he watched the shuttles descend via the ship’s external opticals. The Palace turned out to be right in the middle of the city. It had large open areas around it, with plenty of room for the shuttles to land.
As the shuttles touched down, a group of individuals emerged from the Palace and walked to the nearest shuttle which Jaeger was in. The main display split in half again, with the right side now showing the image from Jaeger’s shoulder camera.
“Just about to leave the shuttle,” said Jaeger. “First Platoon will exit first. I’ll bring up the rear. When we’ve got ourselves organized, we’ll proceed. Here we go.”
The shuttle hatch opened, and the armed troops stepped out on to the ground. The King must have ordered all external lights turned on because it was much brighter than Strider expected. He watched as Jaeger followed his men out and over to the waiting delegation. Jaeger’s microphone was not able to pick up what the delegation was saying, but it did pick up Jaeger’s breathing just fine. He responded after a few seconds.
“I’m afraid the armor and weapons are necessary to ensure the safety of myself and my men, and no, I will not order my men to leave their weapons in the shuttle.” Now more unintelligible talk from the delegation, with lots of gesturing.
“I’m not interested in a reception or sharing a meal with the King. I have a message to deliver, and you will take me and my escort to see the King right now!”
Apparently, the delegation started to say something other than what Jaeger wanted to hear because the shoulder camera image suddenly swung around as if he intended to go back to the shuttle. Strider heard someone shout ‘wait!’, Jaeger turned back around, and then he heard, “We’ll take you in now.”
“Finally,” muttered Jaeger. He turned to face his three platoon leaders. “First Platoon will accompany me. Second and Third platoons will form a perimeter around the landing area. If you lose contact with me, then all of you come find me. Let’s go, Lieutenant.”
The camera image became so jerky that Strider had to look away periodically to avoid becoming nauseous. The inside of the Palace was quite impressive from what Strider could see. All the Palace staff and guards had either a shocked or tense expression on their faces. After travelling down several corridors, Jaeger and company entered a large room with a high ceiling. At the far end was a raised platform with an impressive throne on it. Sitting on the throne was a man that Strider recognized as King Lucas.
“This is it, Richard,” muttered Jaeger in a low tone. “I hope you’re still seeing this.”
As Jaeger walked towards the King, Strider saw the King start to say something but couldn’t hear what it was.
Jaeger’s plan was to hit Lucas in the head with a fist, but at the last minute, realizing that his armored glove could seriously injure the man if it hit hard enough or on a fragile spot, he changed his mind and kept his hand open. As he slapped the King’s face—hard—he said, “This is the message I came to deliver!”
The King fell down with a cry of pain. Jaeger used his armor’s augmented strength to grab the King by collar and lift him up off his feet.
“Your raiders killed my former captain and friend. Consider yourself lucky that we want you alive. If it were up to me, you’d be dead now. There had better not be any more raiders attacking ex-Federation planets. If we have to come back here, there won’t be any talking. We’ll just devastate your planet with atomics. Have I successfully delivered the message, King Lucas?”
“YES! God, yes!”
Jaeger put him down. Strider was able to see the look of pure terror on the King’s face. He realized that his quest for vengeance had been achieved. I did it, dad, granddad. The raider threat is over.
“My men and I will be leaving now,” said Jaeger. As he turned around, Strider saw that his escort were all facing the King’s guards, whose faces expressed varying amounts of both fear and anger. Their shiny rifles and ceremonial swords looked like toys compared to the assault rifles that First Platoon were pointing at them.
The trip back to Dreadnought took place without incident, but Strider didn’t really relax until all three shuttles were safely aboard. With Retribution and Vengeance back in formation now, all three ships headed to the no-jump zone threshold and a long jump back. By prior arrangement, Strider would transfer from Dreadnought to Retribution so that the two New Caledonian ships could jump directly for home while Dreadnought jumped for Haven.
Strider dreamed of his father that night. He was a
little boy again, standing in front of his father’s grave. His father’s ghost rose up from the ground, but Strider wasn’t scared. His father had a smile on his face, and he spoke in that voice that was so familiar to him. “Congratulations, Richard. Your grandfather and I thank you. We can rest easy now. It’s time for you to return home, and to stay home. Good-bye, son.” Slowly the ghostly figure sank back down into the grave, and Strider woke up.
Samantha and Troy were waiting for him when Retribution gently touched down at the AF spaceport. Terrington, who was standing next to them, stepped forward to greet Strider and shake his hand.
“How’d it go, Richard?”
“Mission accomplished, General. If Traskonen has any brains, he’ll mind his own business from now on.”
