by G. P. Hudson
“That’s terrible. I’m sorry.”
Miira smiled sheepishly. “I’ve accepted it. My father is a stubborn man. It is his way.”
“Well, when we return from our journey, you can show everyone that you were right all along.”
Miira thought about the dead Dvorkan soldiers in the elevator. “That may not be possible,” she said, as realization dawned on her. “I was with your men when they killed the Dvorkan soldiers. I will be implicated in the crime.”
“You hurt no one.”
Miira shook her head. “Killing an Imperial soldier is a high crime, punishable by death. Accompanying you is enough to convict me.” A chill pulsed through her body. If she truly was implicated, she couldn’t return to the Empire. What would she do?
She began to panic. Then another line of thought presented itself. Do I even want to return? The question caught her off guard. It was at once terrifying and liberating. Her whole life she had always felt trapped in Dvorkan society, never quite fitting in. What if I never belonged there in the first place? What if these people were my destiny all along?
“Do you think Admiral Pike will let me return with you to your region of space?” Miira said earnestly.
“You do not want to return to your people?” said Breeah, visibly confused.
“No. I don’t think I do.”
Breeah crossed her arms in front of her chest, quietly studying her. Miira was struck with how much strength emanated from this small being.
“We are at war,” said Breeah. “Do you realize that? It may not be safe for you there.”
“I understand,” said Miira. “I accept the risks.”
“You will be the only one of your kind. You may feel isolated.”
“I have long been isolated by my own kind. What difference would it make? At least with your people, my knowledge is valued.”
“What about your friends?”
“I do not have any.”
“Romantic relationships?”
“No. I’ve never been any good at that aspect of life.”
Breeah nodded. “I will speak to Jon. Please don’t make any rash decisions. Consider this carefully.”
“I will,” said Miira. She had already made up her mind, and was not going to change it. Like her father, she had a stubborn streak. “Is it alright if I have another plate of food?”
“Yes, eat as much as you like.”
“Thank you.” Miira rose from her seat. As she piled more of the strange food onto her plate, she tried to come to terms with her luck. She had found an escape from her solitude, and that escape came with the potential of meeting the Builders, and even studying the Erinyie. She couldn’t ever remember feeling happier.
Chapter 30 29
“Approaching final jump gate,” said Commander Henderson.
“Jump status?” said Jon, eager to continue their voyage. Their foray into the Empire had been interesting, and educational, but also a distraction. They were not out here to gather information. Their mission was to contact the Builders. Even so, the knowledge they had gained about the Empire was valuable. Jon felt confident that they hadn’t seen the last of the Dvorkans.
He hoped the addition of Miira would prove wise. She knew more about the Builders than any of them. Hopefully that knowledge would improve their odds of finding the ancient beings.
“Jump system is at one hundred percent. All ships are synced. We are jump ready,” said Henderson.
“Good. Be prepared to jump to our next coordinates once we cross through that gate.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jon had no reason to visit the desert planet again. He would put a little distance between his ships and the traffic coming and going through the gate, and then jump away from the Empire.
To Jon’s surprise, the return journey through Empire space had been quiet since Kaizon One. Though this didn’t do much to ease his concern. He would not feel better until they were safely out of the Empire. He had no real explanation as to why the soldiers had taken him prisoner. He expected severe repercussions. There was no way aliens killing Dvorkan soldiers would stand. Soon, someone would come after them.
He wondered if the battleship that had stopped them earlier wasn’t responsible. They extorted credits from them once already, perhaps they planned to hold Jon hostage to get some more? It was plausible, but it didn’t sit quite right. Something else was going on, but what?
The battle group crossed through the gate without incident. The necessary credits were withdrawn from Jon’s account, and his ships steadily accelerated away from the transit point. Everything went smoothly which told Jon that they had not been implicated in the incident on Kaizon One, otherwise their transponder would have triggered some sort of response. There was every reason to believe that cloaked warships watched them as they passed. If they had been implicated, those warships would have acted. But they didn’t, and now his ships were almost free and clear.
Explosions soon shattered that idea, and the Freedom began to decelerate. “Report!” said Jon, as the General Quarters klaxon blared.
“We’ve suffered several direct hits to our engines, from an unidentified enemy,” said Ensign Petrovic, the tactical officer. “Jump system is offline. Deploying countermeasures, and bringing point defense system online.”
“What about our escort?”
“They are under attack as well, Sir.”
Jon pulled up a tactical display. No sign of any enemy ships. They were cloaked. How could he defend against an enemy he couldn’t see? More concussions ripped through the Freedom, jostling everyone on the bridge.
“Hull breach deck nine,” announced Henderson. “Emergency containment field is in place.”
“Are the jump bombs still active?” said Jon.
“Yes, Sir.”
“AI, can you calculate the location of the enemy ships based on their fire?”
“Not accurately,” said AI. “They are using a type of energy weapon I am unfamiliar with. It is invisible to our sensors.”
“They fired on our engines, though. It’s a safe bet that they’re behind us, right?”
“Yes, Admiral. That conclusion is logical,” said AI. “However, they could also be above us, or below us. They may also have moved since the initial attack. And I do not know what type of range their weapon is capable of.”
“AI, it’s not like you to doubt yourself.”
“Doubt is irrelevant, Admiral. I am merely presenting the variables.”
“Okay, based on your variables, I want you to launch high yield nuclear jump bombs at the most probable enemy locations. Spread them out to cover the widest possible territory. Deploy Chaanisar jump bombs as well.”
“Understood. Initiating nuclear strike.”
Jon watched his display as one nuclear explosion after another took place. He looked for any sign that the enemy had been hit. Nothing. More explosions rocked the Freedom instead.
“Recalculating,” said AI.
Several nuclear detonations followed, but still nothing to indicate that the enemy had been hit.
“Sir, we are being hailed,” said Henderson.
“Patch it through to my comm.” Jon was eager to find out who was responsible for this attack.
A Dvorkan face appeared on his display. One he had never seen before. “This is Captain Keer, of the Imperial Navy. Your position is helpless. Surrender and you will not be destroyed.”
“What is the meaning of this?” said Jon. “Why have you attacked my ships?”
“I need not give any explanation. You will surrender, and allow your ships to be boarded, or you will be destroyed. You have one minute to make your decision.”
“One minute? That’s not enough time.”
“It is what you have,” said Keer, vanishing from the screen.
“Initiating nuclear strike,” said AI.
Jon watched his display, hoping for something he could fire at. Nothing. “AI, this isn’t working.”
“Understood
. Expanding parameters. Launching nuclear strike.”
The Freedom was hit again by the alien energy weapon, but the ships remained invisible.
Captain Keer’s face reappeared on Jon’s display. “Your time has run out Admiral. What is your answer?”
“That wasn’t a minute. You owe me more time, Keer.”
“Nonsense. It will accomplish nothing. Surrender now and I will be merciful.”
“Initiating nuclear strike,” said AI.
“Contacts!” said Petrovic. “Twelve alien contacts have just appeared.”
Jon smiled. “Any last words, Keer?” he said, terminating the connection.
The enemy ships unleashed a torrent of weapon fire at Jon’s battlegroup, sending multiple concussions through the Freedom.
“Evasive tactical jump to grid coordinates AF7,” ordered Jon. The battle group disappeared, reappearing one hundred thousand kilometers behind the enemy ships, away from their line of fire. “AI, destroy those enemy ships.”
“Shall I continue the deployment of nuclear weapons, Admiral?”
“No. Save the nukes. Conventional jump bombs should do the trick. They can’t hide anymore.”
“Yes, Admiral. Launching jump bombs.” Jon watched on the main viewscreen as multiple jump bombs detonated inside each of the massive Dvorkan battleships. AI had expertly placed each one where it would inflict the maximum amount of destruction. Right on top of the ships’ cores.
“Direct hits,” said AI. “Launching secondary strikes.”
Tiny suns began to chase each other across the viewscreen as each ship blew apart, the light so bright that Jon had to shield his eyes. On his tactical screen the icons representing each enemy ship disappeared one after another in rapid succession.
It was almost disappointing, Jon had expected that the giant ships could stand up to a little more punishment. Then again, when was the last time these ships had seen real action? Or had been fired on by a determined enemy? They were clearly more accustomed to bullying, and extortion.
He now understood why so many in Dvorkans longed for their age of glory. The Empire had gotten fat, and soft. There can be no strength without adversity, and the Empire had long since forgotten what adversity felt like.
“Enemy destroyed, said AI, as the last Imperial battleship blew apart.
“What disabled their cloaking device?” said Jon, relieved that the encounter had ended.
“The radius of the nuclear strikes was not sufficient to destroy the enemy ships, but the last strike was close enough for the subsequent electromagnetic pulse to reach them. The EMP appears to have disabled their cloaking technology.”
“Interesting. Their cloaking technology is vulnerable to EMPs.”
“That is a logical conclusion, Admiral.”
“Commander, have a cache of EMP jump bombs manufactured in case we run into this problem in future,” ordered Jon.
“Right away, Sir,” Commander Henderson said crisply.
“Thank you, AI. You saved our asses once again.”
“Your most welcome, Admiral.”
“Commander, do any of our ships have a functional jump system?”
“Only General Tallos’s ship is jump capable, Sir.”
Jon sighed. “It’ll have to do. Let General Tallos know that we’ll need him to piggyback our ships to safety. A few light years should be enough. We need to make repairs.”
“General Tallos has acknowledged receipt of orders. His ship is beginning jump operations.”
The hulking Diakan battleship moved into position directly above the Freedom, before activating its jump system. The jump field enveloped the Freedom, and jumped both ships to safety. Tallos’s ship then vanished, to continue its task of retrieving the remaining damaged warships.
“Begin repairs immediately,” ordered Jon, happy to finally be out of Empire space.
Chapter 3 1 0
“How are you settling in?” said Jon, wondering how Miira could possibly be comfortable sitting in the relatively small chair across from his desk. He wondered what she thought, as she looked around his sparse ready room. From what he had seen of the Empire, the Dvorkans favored the ornate when it came to decoration. They probably preferred larger chairs than the ones aboard the Freedom. He made a mental note to have some fabricated.
“I am acclimating myself to the conditions on this ship, even though many things are not ideal,” said Miira.
“Oh, what type of things?”
“My bed, for example. It is not long enough. My legs hang out so far off the end that I sleep with my feet resting on the floor.”
“Yes, I can see how that would cause some issues. I’m sure you can understand that this ship was built to accommodate a human crew. Your bed, and everything else on board was built with the average human in mind. Rest assured, accommodations will be made for you. We’ve just been busy dealing with repairs.”
“Oh, I understand that your repairs take priority over my comfort, Admiral. This is not an issue.”
Jon smiled. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Has Breeah had a chance to speak to you about my request?”
“Yes, she has. She said you don’t want to return to the Empire. That you want to come back to Earth with us.”
“That is correct.”
“She explained that you are worried about being implicated in the deaths of those soldiers.”
“Partly. That was my initial concern, but it is more than that. The truth is I am not happy in the Empire.”
“How do you know you will be happy on Earth? Or anywhere else in our part of the galaxy?”
“In the Empire I am ridiculed. Among your people, I am not. My knowledge of the Builders is valued, and I believe that my knowledge of the Empire will prove helpful in the future, as more of your jump ships venture into Imperial space.”
“Yes, it would be. Look, I’m not going to argue with you. There are many benefits for us, but I’m just wondering if there are enough for you.”
“The truth is I have never felt fulfilled with my life, yet now I feel I have a greater purpose. That this, here with you, is my destiny.”
Jon leaned back in his chair. There was that word again. Destiny. The close cousin of prophesy. There were days that those two words felt like great iron shackles cutting into his ankles. “Who am I to argue with destiny?”
“Then you will let me return with you?” said Miira, barely hiding her glee.
Jon wondered what she thought she’d find back on Earth. She was looking for an escape. She was unhappy with her life, and anything else seemed preferable. He just hoped, for her sake, that she wouldn’t end up regretting it. All those things that she disliked about the Empire, she may end up longing for in a few years’ time. “You can return to Earth with us.”
“That is wonderful. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You may still live to regret it.”
“Oh, I won’t. Believe me. But I do have another request.”
She probably had lots of them, thought Jon. She had left everything on Kaizon One. She would need more than just a bigger bed. She would also need to visit Doctor Ellerbeck so they could sufficiently meet her nutritional requirements, and any other health related needs. “Name it,” said Jon.
“I want to join your crew. Officially, that is.”
“What? You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I know this is sudden, and you do not know if you can trust me yet, but eventually, I would like to become a member of the crew.”
“But you said yourself that you weren’t a soldier.”
“I’m not. But surely you have members of the crew who are not soldiers. You must have engineers, medical staff, and so on. I can become one of your science officers. I just want to do my part.”
“I don’t understand. You already agreed to help us. There’s no need to join the UHSF.”
“I wish to belong. I know this must all seem very strange, just keep it in mind for future. W
hen you learn that you can trust me.”
“You do realize that I don’t know how long that will take.”
“Of course, Admiral. In the meantime, I will do my best to prove myself to you. For example, I know you cannot cloak your ships. I can help you with that.”
“We do have the cloaking devices we took from those soldiers.”
“Yes, but those are only personal cloaking devices. Reverse engineering them will only give you the ability to make more personal cloaking devices.”
“You’re saying you know how to cloak a ship?”
“I am.”
“How? I thought you were an expert on the Builders?”
“I am. But I am also a scholar. To attain that title in the Empire, you must first be well versed in all the core disciplines. Engineering is one of those disciplines.”
Jon had no intention of looking a gift horse in the mouth. He just hoped she wasn’t a Trojan horse in disguise. “Would you be willing to share your knowledge with our chief engineer?”
“I would be happy to. As I said, I want to prove my worth to you.”
“Alright. I’ll arrange it. Thank you.”
“No, thank you, Admiral.”
As Miira left the room, Jon began to ruminate once again on the concept of destiny. I wonder why the Great See’er didn’t see any of this? he thought.
Chapter 3 2 1
Repairs complete, the battle group had resumed its quest to find the Builders. The days passed without incident. Jon was pleased. He felt no need for any more excitement, and was anxious to reach their destination. This was their eighth day of travel, and they were about to initiate the last jump in this cycle.
This jump would bring them to sixteen hundred light years traveled since they left Dvorkan space. As before, they took the opportunity with each jump to take in as much data as possible. No one had ever ventured this far, and their scans were accumulating a wealth of information on this part of the galaxy.
It struck Jon that even with the reach of the jump gates, there were still incredibly large, unexplored swathes of space left in the galaxy. He had always assumed that the Juttari and Diakans controlled most of the galaxy. But he realized now that this was simply not the case.
