by Rick Bentsen
K’Alan chuckled softly to himself, knowing it was going to be fun springing this surprise on his beloved. “You know, Kit. If you turned on your video display every once in a while, you might not have to ask that question all the time.”
“Kal?” K’Itea Bryce asked. The video flared to life showing Kit in all her regal beauty. Long curly golden hair flowed in waves around her. Bright blue eyes blazed from under thin eyebrows. But her most beautiful feature as far as K’Alan was concerned was the broad smile that broke over her features as soon as she saw who was on the viewscreen. “That really you?”
“Yes, my beloved,” K’Alan’s grin broadened even further. He reached over and touched her face on the viewscreen. “It is I.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear from you.” K’Itea reached up and placed her hand against K’Alan’s on the viewscreen. “I was afraid you’d been killed.” Her voice turned to a sad note when she mentioned that she thought he’d been killed.
K’Alan nodded reassuringly. “You’d have known if I’d been killed, Kit.” He grinned conspiratorily and gave her a knowing wink. “Besides., you know as well as I do that the Brentax don’t have anything that can touch me.”
“Don’t get cocky,” K’Itea smirked. “Anyway, it’s been far too long since we’ve talked.”
“Forget talked!” K’Alan chuckled. He took his hand back down off the viewer. “It’s been way too long since I’ve been there to visit you.”
“Yes,” K’Itea nodded sadly. “Eleven years is way too long a time. I miss you greatly.”
“And I miss you,” K’Alan sighed. Then he brightened as an idea hit him. “But I’m going to come see you soon. I’ve got a lot of personal time saved up. I’m sure my new CO will let me take some time off.”
“New CO?” An eyebrow raised in surprise. “Did you get transferred again?”
“And promoted,” K’Alan grinned, tapping his new rank insignia. “They made me a full commander and made me the executive officer on this tug.”
“Congratulations, Kal!” K’Itea smiled broadly at K’Alan. The smile was touched with a hint of sadness, though, although K’Alan didn’t recognize it as such. “I am so happy for you.”
“There’s only one thing that would make this better,” K’Alan said, suddenly sounding very sad. “I wish you could be here with me.”
“Someday we’ll have a chance to travel the stars together, my love,” K’Itea said. She smiled again, but this time, there was no trace of the sadness from before. “When do you think you’ll be able to take time off?”
K’Alan shrugged and tapped a finger lightly on the table as he thought about his answer. “Not until after our first mission, but I don’t really know how long that will be.”
“Well, I look forward to seeing you, my beloved,” K’Itea said. She looked down for a few moments, as if wrestling with whether or not to say something else. “There is something we need to discuss,” she said finally, apparently having decided to just go ahead and say whatever it was that was on her mind. She tapped a few commands on her terminal and sighed again. “But it’s something far better discussed in person. I’ve just sent you an encrypted message. Promise me you won’t view it until you’re on your way here.”
“I promise.” He checked his chrono quickly. “Listen, we’re due to launch soon, and I still have things I need to do here before I go up to the bridge.”
“I understand,” K’Itea pouted, obviously wanting to prolong the conversation. “We both have things we need to do. I’ll see you soon?”
“Count on it,” K’Alan grinned.
“I love you K’Alan Ilan Bryce.”
“And I love you now and always, K’Itea Alana Bryce.” He kissed the tips of his first two fingers and touched them to her lips. “Commander Bryce out.
1.30.2136
1221
SLS White Knight
Main Engineering
Sarah stood just inside the doorway to her office looking out at Main Engineering. She had an ice cold root beer in her hand. She took a sip as she watched her crew performing final checks in final preparation for departure.
“Any problems, Major?” she asked one of the techs as he walked by.
“No, ma’am,” the major grinned. He waved at a display panel nearby for emphasis. “Everything is working just the way you designed it.” There was a touch of pride in his voice. He felt the pride Sarah felt in the engines. It was the brotherly pride all engineers feel in their engines.
“Glad to hear it,” Sara smiled at the major and took a sip of he root beer. She looked over the display the major had indicate a second time and nodded thoughtfully. She made a small adjustment to the fusion drive and raised an eyebrow at the results.
“What did you just do, Ensign?” a nearby ensign asked as he looked at the display he was working at. “Fusion drive efficiency just jumped two percent.”
“I know. I see that. I just made a slight adjustment to the Harstrom couplers,” Sarah shrugged as she checked over other settings on the display. “It shouldn’t have made that big a difference unless something else is out of whack.” She turned to the ensign that had asked her about the efficiency jump. “Ensign Scherma, run a level three diagnostic, please.”
“Consider it done, Chief,” Ensign Scherma nodded. He turned back and got right to work on the diagnostic.
“Bridge to Engineering,” Captain Ker’sal’s voice came floating in from the intercom.
Sarah took a sip of her root beer then punched the intercom button. “Engineering here.”
“Status check,” Thala ordered.
“We should be good to go on time, Captain,” Sarah said. She looked over Ensign Scherma and nodded. “We’re currently running a Level Three diagnostic on the Harstrom couplers. I made an adjustment and it made far too much of a difference in my opinion. I wanted to make sure nothing else was wrong before we got ready to ship out.”
“Let me know,” Thala responded. “Let’s just hope it’s nothing serious this close to launch.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll be able to deal with it down here, Captain,” Sarah grinned. She had a great deal of confidence and pride in her team. She looked at the display and waved at Ensign Scherma to get his attention. “We’ve got a great team down here. Engineering out.”
“What do you have, Chief?” Ensign Scherma asked as he came to stand by Sarah’s side.
“Look here,” Sarah pointed to a readout on one part of the display board. “The neutrino flow is misaligned. No wonder the Harstrom couplers were out of whack.”
“I’m on it,” Ensign Scherma said as he ran over to another console. “I never would have caught that in my diagnostic, Chief.”
“I know,” Sarah nodded. “Not your fault that it wouldn’t have shown up. I’m just glad we found it.”
“And it should be fixed now,” Ensign Scherma smiled as he finished making a couple of adjustments. “We should be functioning at pretty close to one hundred percent. now.”
“Good work,” Sarah grinned. It was exciting to see her engines working. She’d put a lot of time and energy in their design and now to see them coming alive was like a dream come true. She took a sip of her root beer and punched the intercom button. “Engineering to Bridge.”
“This is the bridge,” Thala’s voice came back. “Report, Ensign.”
“We’ve found and corrected the problem, Captain. There was a slight irregularity in the neutrino flow. It might have caused us some problems, but it’s fixed now,” Sarah replied. She took another sip of the root beer and looked at the now empty bottle, frowning.
“Good work, Ensign,” Thala said approvingly. “To you and your team.”
“Thanks, Captain!”
1.30.2136
1457
SLS White Knight
The Bridge
Captain Thala Ker’sal made herself comfortable in her command chair. She looked out over the bridge and watched the bridge crew working at their consoles
. It was a good crew, she decided. They would work well together. She allowed herself a satisfied smile at having put together such a good team.
“Take us out, Ms. Barros,” Thala said to her Chief Helmsman. She settled further back in her chair and glanced across the upper level of the bridge to K’Alan’s station. She frowned at his not being at his station when they were leaving space dock like he should have been. “Nice and slowly, please.”
“Aye, Captain,” Tyla Barros nodded. “Securing docking clamps. Taking her out.” She manipulated controls on her station. The deck shuddered slightly as the ship accelerated away from the Gamma Epsilon station. “We have cleared the Gamma Epsilon station.”
“Sorry, I’m late, Captain,” K’Alan called as he ran onto the bridge. The sword Mario had given him hung off his left hip within easy reach. “I had a few last minute personal matters to attend to.”
“What is that you’re wearing, Commander?” Thala asked, pointing at the sword.
“What?” K’Alan frowned, then looked where Thala was pointing. “Oh. Late birthday present.”
“What is it doing on your uniform, Commander?” Thala frowned. She hated flippancy. Especially on her bridge.
K’Alan tapped his finger on the hilt of the sword. “Star League Regulation 342.571 paragraph C clearly states that a duly appointed member of the Star League Defense Force may wear on their duty uniform a melee weapon for the purpose of ceremonial or functional use. I assure you that this is a fully functional melee weapon, and I am quite proficient in its use.”
“Very well, Commander,” Thala groaned, rolling her eyes. “Take your station.
“Aye, Captain,” he saluted. K’Alan strode over to his instrument panel and checked it over. He noted with satisfaction that everything on the board was clear and in the green. He nodded to Kath, who was manning her communications station right near his own station.
“How was your call, Kal?” Kath whispered, leaning over so that only K’Alan could hear her.
“Pretty interesting, Kath. Thank you,” K’Alan smiled.
“All right, people. This is what we’ve been waiting for,” Thala rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Let’s see what this baby can do. Ms. Barros, take us to the edge of the solar system.”
“Aye, Captain,” Tyla nodded. She manipulated some controls on her board. Now reading a course of 321 mark 3. Speed: one quarter fusion drive.”
Time passed quickly as the ship made its way out of the solar system. The subtle sounds of vibrations and the normal beeps and clicks of the consoles were the only sounds. An hour later, the crew found themselves at the edge of the solar system.
“We’re now leaving the Gamma Epsilon System, Captain,” Tyla reported without looking up from her helm.
“Status, Commander?” Thala inquired as she looked over at K’Alan.
“All systems reading normal, Captain,” K’Alan called out after running another check of his board.
“Good,” Thala nodded. She turned to face the navigations officer. “Ms. Silvermaine, set course for—“
“Captain,” Kath interrupted from her station. She turned to face the Captain. “Distress call coming in from Duterius Prime.”
K’Alan whirled to face Kath, a look of panic on his face. He turned back to his own station and pulled up a copy of the transmission.
“Holo!” Thala barked.
In the open area in the center of the bridge, a holographic image of K’Itea Bryce appeared and began to slowly rotate so that everyone could see her. Even though he’d already seen the transmission, K’Alan had to restrain himself from reacting as she looked as if she were positively panicking.
“This is High Gentlewoman K’Itea Bryce of Duterius Prime requesting assistance from any nearby Star League Defense Force vessel. We are under attack by unknown attackers. I do not know how much longer planetary defenses can hold out.”
“Masha, are there any closer ships that can respond?” Thala asked, pointedly ignoring K’Alan’s pained expression.
“We’re the closest ship, Captain,” Masha reported after checking long range scanners.
“Lieutenant Commander Yeuid, open a channel to Duterius Prime,” Thala ordered. She stood up to face the holo.
“Channel open, Captain,” Kath reported.
“High Gentlewoman, this is Captain Thala Ker’sal of the SLS White Knight. We have received your distress call and are en route.”
“Thank you, Captain,” K’Itea said, relief flooding through her voice.
“Captain, may I?” K’Alan asked after going over what little information was provided.
Thala nodded to K’Alan, indicating that he should say what he needed to say. She only hoped that he’d stay professional and not go all mushy on her.
“Kit, can you send us whatever the planetary scanners have been able to record of the attackers?” K’Alan asked. His tone was all business, even though his eyes clearly betrayed how worried he was.
“Kal?” K’Itea’s voice registered a pleasant surprise at hearing her husband’s voice. It was a comforting sound to her. “Consider it done. Just hurry please!”
The holo fizzled out and K’Alan started going over the data K’Itea had sent.
“Holo disconnected on their end, Captain,” Kath reported.
“Ms. Silvermaine,” Thala turned back to her navigations officer. She gripped the railing as she looked down to the lower level. “How far away is the nearest jump gate that will take us to Duterius Prime?”
“About ten minutes at maximum fusion drive, Captain,” Mara Silvermaine reported after checking what jump gates were in the area.
“Set course and feed it to the helm. Ms. Barros, I want maximum fusion drive immediately,” the captain barked out orders fast and furious. “And prepare the jump engines.”
“Aye, Captain,” Tyla reported. “Maximum fusion drive is ready on your mark.”
“Go,” Thala nodded. She began drumming her fingers on her chair’s armrest impatiently.
“Kit?” Kath whispered as K’Alan stepped over to her station. “You speak so informally to the leader of your people?”
“Only because I’m married to her,” K’Alan smiled broadly. He activated the shipcall. “Lancer, Falcon, and Hawk squadrons, scramble and meet in the flight deck in twenty minutes in full flight gear. This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not a drill.”
“Jump engines are ready, Captain,” Sarah reported from an engineering station.
“Good,” Thala nodded tersely.
Minutes ticked by slowly. The bridge crew focused on the task at hand and K’Alan fidgeted nervously. The wait seemed almost forever. Soon the jumpgate loomed ahead of the White Knight, its iridescent gray energy swirling angrily. Thala closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying her nerves for the first jump in a new ship.
“Jump!” she ordered.
K’Alan ran off the bridge towards the flight deck as the ship lurched towards the yawning jumpgate.
“ETA to Duterius Prime, Ms. Barros?” Thala asked.
“Thirteen minutes, Captain,” Tyla reported.
“Brentax,” Thala growled. She punched the armrest for emphasis. “I can feel it.”
Chapter 2
1.30.2136
1600
Duterius Prime
Capitol Building
THE High Gentlewoman of the Duterian people fumed as she watched the monitors show wave after wave of enemy fighters firing on her people.
“What’s happening to my planet?” she demanded. She said it softly. So softly, in fact, she doubted anyone heard her.
“K’Itea,” S’Era Bryce, K’itea’s most trusted advisor came up to her. S’Era was not only her advisor, but she was also the sister of her husband. “The White Knight will be here in 15 minutes.”
“I hope that’s soon enough, S’Era.”
“Excuse me, High Gentlewoman,” another aide puffed as he came up to her. This aide was far older than S’Era.
; “What is it, J’Anai?”
“Planetary defenses are almost down.”
“Damn,” K’Itea swore as the Capitol building rocked with the impact of a proton shell. Dust fell from the ceiling as the room shook.
“We must evacuate to the shelter, K’Itea,” S’Era took K’Itea’s arm. “It’s imperative that you are safe. You are the leader of our people. We need you.”
“Yes, of course you’re right, S’Era,” K’Itea nodded. She looked her sister in law in the eye to make sure she understood how important the next order was. “Make sure Elam gets to the shelter. He’s too important to me to lose him. Your brother still doesn’t know about him. J’Anai, signal the evacuation then head to the shelter yourself.”
“No, my child. I will remain up here and try to maintain the planetary defenses as long as I can,” the elderly aide said. Only J’Anai could get away with calling her child. He had trained both her and K’Alan when they were children. In many ways, he was a second father to her.
“May the gods look over you and protect you, old friend,” K’Itea said softly as she took his hand.
“And may they protect you as well, High Gentlewoman,” J’Anai smiled at her. “I think you shall see your husband very soon.”
K’Itea did not have a response to that. She sniffled once and fought back tears. She did not think it would be seemly for her attendants to see her cry. She was the leader of the Duterian people after all.
“Come, K’Itea,” S’Era took her friend’s arm. “Let’s get you to the shelter.”
K’Itea took one last look around her command center and sighed. She nodded and led the way to the shelter.
1/30/2136
1610
SLS White Knight
Launch Bay Alpha
Mario was still zipping up his flight jacket when he ran into the launch bay. He skidded to a halt next to K’Alan and looked at his friend. He could tell from the look on K’Alan’s face that whatever was going on was serious.
