Resolute Strike (The War for Terra Book 7)

by James Prosser

  Lee shouted in his command voice. “Na’Tora, release the boy back to his father.”

  “Father?” Na’Tora replied. “Are you sure? This one is far too small to have been born of this creature.”

  “Release him now!”

  “Yes, Captain,” Na’Tora replied, setting the boy down.

  Instead of running to his father, the boy waited, marveling at the appearance of the Ch’Tauk. Na’Tora stood up to his full height and looked back at the father. Both men stared each other down. Waves of aggressive pheromones were flowing from the confrontation, nearly gagging Lee. Finally, the boy stepped back to his father, raising his hand without looking at the large felinoid. The Vadne took his son’s hand and pulled the boy close. After a moment, he stepped backwards into the crowd, never turning his back on the Ch’Tauk. The crowd began to disperse, many eager to try and sell holos of the confrontation to the local media outlets. Alice pulled away as Lee turned to his first officer.

  “Thank you,” Lee said. “I didn’t know your vocoder could go that loud.”

  “You are my captain and I have been told letting you die would be bad,” the Ch’Tauk responded. “It was my duty.”

  “Captain!”

  Before Lee could respond to Na’Tora’s strange reply, a familiar voice cut through the noise of the crowd. Lee turned to see a white-furred face flashing security credentials to spaceport security. The familiar face of Lee’s former first officer bobbed above the crowd as he made his way through. Alice let out a shout of delight as Captain Farthing, resplendent in his own white uniform, knifed through the departing crowd to join his friends.

  “You know, they never crowd around me that way,” Farthing said as he grasped his former commander’s hand. “It’s insulting, really.”

  “Don’t take it personally,” Lee replied. “It’s not as nice as you might think.”

  “I saw. Are you alright?”

  “Thanks to your successor,” Lee said, turning to wave a hand at Na’Tora. “Have you met Na’Tora?”

  “No,” replied Farthing, his crest rising slightly. “We never met.”

  The Vadne and the Ch’Tauk looked each other over for a moment before Farthing bobbed his head in a greeting. For his part, Na’Tora just stood at attention. Lee watched the exchange with interest. His friend had displayed a ready reaction to the Ch’Tauk as if he had met the man before. The fear of the Ch’Tauk was understandable for humans, but the Vadne had always struck him as being above that kind of fear.

  “I have a private skimmer waiting for us,” Farthing said, turning away from the Ch’Tauk officer to face Lee again. “I had hoped to arrive before you, but…”

  “I was early,” Lee said. “Seems to be a problem I have these days. Lead on.”

  The group moved through the spaceport, aided this time by the security guards. Alice held Lee’s hand as they moved. He was not sure if it was for security after their encounter or if she simply needed to feel his hand on hers. Either way, the group moved in silence. True to his word, there was a long black ground skimmer waiting just outside the main terminal. Although entering last, Farthing made sure to sit far away from Na’Tora inside the official car. Alice moved in beside him, leaving Lee sitting nearest his first officer.

  “What security breach allowed Captain Pearce to be accosted in that manner?” asked Na’Tora. “If I had been in charge of security, I would have been put to death for that lapse.”

  “Luckily,” Lee said, holding up a hand to stop the Ch’Tauk’s comments. “The Alliance is a bit more forgiving.”

  For a moment, there was only clicking from Na’Tora’s vocoder. Apparently whatever he was saying could not be translated easily. Farthing’s crest rose again slightly but settled down almost as quick. Alice looked back to her friend, reaching a hand out to touch his arm gently and defuse the tension.

  “It’s still a good question,” she said. “How did those crows know we were coming?”

  “The chancellor’s office put out a statement announcing your arrival only a few minutes before you landed. Security didn’t have a chance to get into place. I was only there by chance. I was also on my way and heard the broadcast when I found the skimmer.”

  “The chancellor’s office?” Lee said. “Or the chancellor himself?”

  “I believe it was an old friend of ours who put the release to the public, Lee,” Farthing said, alert to the implied suspicion. “Preston McGraw thought it would seem the chancellor was being proactive by calling in the hero of the Alliance before announcing the loss of the admiral.”

  Did he?” Lee said dryly. “And I suppose the massing of the fleet in orbit is also for effect?”

  Lee had noticed the traffic as soon as they had entered the system. It had made docking with the military center nearly impossible. Resolute had eventually been ordered to the civilian station where his father had been killed. The unusual number of ships in orbit made Lee suspicious. During wartime, it was normal to spread the fleets out to avoid a surprise attack. A quick count of the ships had told him more than ten percent of the Alliance fleet, Tonal, Vadne and human, were on one side of the planet. There were no formations in place, so the idea of a defensive perimeter was ruled out, but he still couldn’t figure out why. Having all of those ships on the dark side of a planet begged the question of how many were on the other side as well. Kama had reported a near total blackout of communications from the daylight side as they docked with the station.

  “For that, I think I will wait until you meet with the chancellor,” Farthing replied. “We have been here a little longer and I understand the situation a little better, but not much. Suffice it to say, there is something big happening soon and the loss of the admiral has upset those plans.”

  They rode along in silence for another few minutes. The architecture of Vadne was spectacular. Buildings like pagodas stretched hundreds of meters into the air. Vadne tended to build stacked buildings for their own use without stairs or ramps. As the Confederacy and the new Alliance had grown, buildings were built with internal access to the upper floors, allowing for taller structures. As the skimmer glided to a stop in front of the main plaza of Alliance Central, Alice grinned to see the sunrise between two of the great buildings. They exited and waited while the brilliant light of day illuminated the beautiful center of Alliance government. It had been under construction during the fall of the Confederacy and only completed after the war was over, but it was a brilliant monument to the three main powers of the Alliance.

  Triple spires reached into the deep red sky above. The central spire seemed to have been stacked from native stone, while the other two were built from metal and glass. It represented the Terran, Tonal, and Vadne governments perfectly. In the center of the semi-circular plaza, a fountain shot water thirty meters into the air. Vadne, being a desert planet, was displaying its generosity by wasting water in this manner; the spray sent rainbows of color in every direction. It was an awesome display of power and grace and put the small group in the right mood for their meeting.

  “You have a beautiful world, Farthing,” Alice said softly. “Thank you for getting us here in time to see this.”

  “I hope someday to have you show me the sights on Terra,” the former first officer replied. “Now, I believe the chancellor is waiting for us.”

  “Farthing,” Lee asked. “Is your first officer joining us? We were told to bring Na’Tora to the meeting.”

  “Commander Telexo is already waiting. He arrived ahead of me. I’m afraid I needed to oversee the last of the communications upgrades on the Kongo.”

  “Oh,” Lee said, ready to chide his friend about the new command. “I thought your ship was top-of-the-line. Having problems already?”

  “Not nearly as many as Resolute, I think,” Farthing replied as they stepped into the cool atrium of the capital building. “I wonder if you will ever finish fixing that ship.”

  “Well, Kama had a bit of a time repairing all the issues with the comms system when
she took over, but she got it worked out,” Alice said, interrupting the two men., “Other than that, the ship is better than new. She’s got a new micro-fusion generator, and the software upgrades to the M-space fields have allowed a quantum flux conduit to be installed in the—”

  “The ship’s fine,” Lee said, stopping Alice from rambling. “Let’s get upstairs.”

  The group passed the security checkpoints quickly and moved to the lift stations. Again, Lee noticed the furtive glances and careful stances as Na’Tora passed through. At one moment, he thought one of the burly Vadne might draw his weapon when the Ch’Tauk balked at having to raise his arms for a scan. The behavior was out of the ordinary for the felinoid race, even as a result of the war. They stepped into the lift alone, as two other visitors refused to enter with the Ch’Tauk.

  “Alright,” Lee said, rounding on the other captain. “What’s going on? I know your people are cautious, but their behavior towards my first officer is bordering on rude. Have the Ch’Tauk done something to upset the Alliance?”

  “Sir,” Farthing replied, his crest rising in apprehension. “I don’t think it has to do with the Alliance as a whole.”

  “Then what?”

  I think it’s best we wait until you’ve spoken to the chancellor,” Farthing replied. “It’s not really my place to—”

  “Dammit, don’t play games with me,” Lee said, stepping closer to the much taller alien. “If you know what’s going on, tell me.”

  The lift stopped as Lee pushed in on Farthing. The felinoid stammered in reply. As the lift doors opened, Lee heard Alice gasp. He turned to see the chancellor, his robes a brilliant white in the morning light, standing next to a black-armored Ch’Tauk with a long neck and a set of jewels dangling from her throat. Na’Tora’s vocoder let out a squeal as he sank to his knees on the floor of the lift. Lee looked back and forth between the chancellor and the alien. When he finally regained his composure, he stepped from the lift, standing between the alien and the woman he loved.

  “Captain Pearce,” the chancellor said, stepping forward and extending a long, clawed hand. “Thank you for coming so soon. I would like to introduce the Ch’Tauk Queen Mother and her son, the Emperor.”

  Lee looked back to the Ch’Tauk female. At her hand was a smaller version of the species. The creature was armored as the rest of his species was, except in a slightly lighter shade. The child, who Lee estimated was only four or five, looked back at him with an expression he thought was amusement. There was a sound from the lift which made him turn. He saw Alice slumping back into Farthing’s arms. When he turned back to the chancellors, the felinoid was looking at the lift with a strange expression.

  “Have you met?”

  12

  Farthing and Lee rushed Alice onto the outer lobby couch, cradling her head and trying to gently check her pulse. The chancellor called to the med-techs in the building and waited while Lee held his fiancée’s hand. Alice was lucid, but a look of terror told him she had recognized the Ch’Tauk female. For her part, the Mother had pulled her child from the room and into the inner offices of the Chancellery. When the techs arrived, Lee moved away to let them work. Farthing placed a calming hand on his friend’s shoulder, knowing what the woman had gone through and wanting to offer any strength he could.

  “Your females are weak,” Na’Tora said. “Not like our exalted Mother, may her reign be eternal across the void.”

  Lee felt Farthing’s hand hold him tight. He wanted to leap for the creature and tear out his throat for the impertinence. One look at the frightened chancellor, however, convinced him to stand down. The situation was obviously more tense than he had believed. Not wanting to upset the delicate balance, Lee nodded to the chancellor and Farthing and moved closer to Alice.

  “Princess?” Lee called softly. “Hold position and await orders. I’m beginning my run.”

  “Watch your sixes, Flyboy,” Alice said with growing strength. “The engagement zone is hot with friendly fire.”

  With a slight smile, Lee turned back to the chancellor. Na’Tora had taken a position closer to the inner office doors, and Farthing stood casually between Lee and his first officer. The chancellor, a large Vadne with black fur and a white chest, stepped closer to the captains. His crest was raised slightly and his whiskers were twitching in a sign Lee had learned was near panic.

  “Captain Pearce,” the chancellor said quietly, not wanting to let his voice carry. “I understand your reluctance to leave your mate, but…”

  “It’s okay. I think we’re ready to begin,” Lee said, straightening his dress jacket and holding out his hand. “Lay on.”

  The chancellor led the way into the inner office of the Alliance government. Like most offices, it was wide and built in a half-moon shape, which served to encompass a huge amount of empty space as well as enclose and constrict. The walls were painted a pale blue, and the emblem of the Alliance, a three-pillared tower with stars at the base, was woven into the thick blue carpet. The chancellor’s desk was sandstone, the same color as the center tower, and was surprisingly small. Arrayed around the desk were chairs of many configurations. Lee stepped behind a smaller chair meant for humans and waited. Farthing found his own first officer, the thickly-muscled Telexo, waiting in a far corner looking out from the window. Na’Tora held himself at a respectful distance from his Emperor and his mother while a new arrival made his presence known.

  “By order of the Emperor,” the new arrival stated with a grand wave of a large metal staff. “You are under orders to bow and present proper graces to your Emperor.”

  Lee looked on the man with wonder. It was obvious he was elderly for a Ch’Tauk, something Lee had never seen before, and of great power. His staff was tall and thick with a bright gem at the top. Lee thought he saw some electronics worked into the design but couldn’t be sure it wasn’t part of the scrollwork decoration. He wore a long white sash which covered his lower abdomen and was decorated with sigils of what Lee could only assume were religious icons.

  A motion from behind caught Lee’s attention as Na’Tora prostrated himself to the ground. The clatter of his armored chest against the carpet was strange and had the effect of wet fabric against bamboo. For a long moment, the religious man stared with his dark eyes at Lee and Farthing, neither of whom moved to obey.

  “Captain Pearce,” the chancellor said, wincing at the tension in the room. “This is the Regent of the Ch’Tauk Empire. He is to be afforded all diplomatic courtesy.”

  “I see,” Lee replied, turning to face the Alliance leader. “Does he hold a military rank?”

  “Officially no,” the chancellor replied. “Although as the Emperor’s caretaker and spokesman, he commands the Ch’Tauk fleet which we are allied with.”

  “Thank you,” Lee replied. “I would like to present my first officer, Tercero Na’Tora, of the Imperial Fleet, and my fellow Captain Farthing of the Alliance.”

  “You may rise, Tercero Na’Tora of the Imperial Fleet,” the Regent said through his vocoder. “However, please stand away as you are not worthy of the presence of our Emperor.”

  “And may I present Captain Lee—”

  “Lo’Pearce,” the Regent finished. “You I know. You are the one they say saved our world from another human. We owe you our Emperor’s life.”

  “I was just doing my duty to save lives,” Lee said through gritted teeth. “If that madman had succeeded, it would have resulted in more slaughter on both sides.”

  “Ki’Bara was right then,” the Regent said. “You are a man of peace disguised as a man of war. He held you in high regard, Lo’Pearce. I think he must have been thinking of you when I killed him.”

  “Ki’Bara?” Lee replied. “Was that the Ch’Tauk general I spoke to when we ended the war? And you killed him?”

  “Men of war are useful only in times of war,” replied the Regent, his black eyes dancing in the light. “Perhaps we will see if you truly are a man of peace during the coming mission?”


  Before Lee could reply, the chancellor ushered them to the nearby chairs. Lee did not sit, wanting to wait for the Mother, as he had been taught a gentleman should act. Instead, the entire group, Lee, Farthing, Telexo, and the chancellor, stood staring at each other for a long moment. It was Na’Tora who finally folded himself up into a sitting position on the floor. He kept his head averted from the view of either the child Emperor or his mother, but kept throwing furtive glances towards the Regent.

  “Please, allow me,” the chancellor said, finally seating himself behind the small desk. “Captains, please be seated.”

  Pearce and Farthing took their seats as ordered, and then watched as the Regent performed some small ceremony over the chair for the Emperor. The child’s mother remained standing even as her son climbed into the chair and the Regent was seated. The Mother looked to Lee and their eyes locked. Inside her shiny black eyes he saw only the death of his family, the torture inflicted upon the woman he loved, and the poisoning of his home world. She clicked her jaws together once in a tone that Lee interpreted as dismissive and turned back to the Alliance head.

  “As you all know,” the chancellor began. “We are faced with a grave threat to our safety and security. Admiral Chang spent the last few years trying to prepare the Alliance for the invasion that has now occurred.”

  “These invaders are expanding their empire into your territory,” the Regent replied. “Not ours. They have been content with staying away from Ch’Tauk space. They are intelligent and know an enemy when they see one.”

  “Our best guess,” the chancellor said quickly, seeing Lee about to reply to the insult, “is that in their space the stars of the Empire are either gone or too weak to intersect and create one of the cataract points. This leaves only Alliance space within their reach and Earth’s comparatively young son as a focal point to the invasion.”

  “Sir,” Lee said, “I must apologize, but when you called you said you had a briefing from the admiral to impart?”