Ep.#6 - For the Triumph of Evil (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  Josh looked at Loki. “Guess I should set a course for Rakuen, huh?” he said as he entered a new course. “After all, we don’t want to miss all the fun, right?”

  “I will never understand you, Josh,” Loki replied, shaking his head.

  Two flashes of blue-white light, in the area of the approaching battleship, warned Nathan to brace himself. Even with his eyes closed, the light from the antimatter detonations was nearly blinding. But before the light had faded, his finger was already on the reactor start button. Unfortunately, it would take nearly two minutes for his systems to come back to life.

  Static filled his helmet comms as he watched the antimatter flashes fade out his window, and waited for the field of debris to slam into him. But it never came.

  “If anyone can hear me, I’m powering back up,” he called over the secure channel.

  There was still only static.

  “…Move immediately to the emergency departure areas. This is an emergency evacuation. This is not a drill. All attendees are to move immediately to the nearest emergency departure areas,” the automated message repeated.

  Scared and panicked spectators rushed in all directions, while race platform personnel attempted to provide direction, and prevent utter chaos. Spectators crowded the nearest emergency departure areas, fighting to be the next to get into the emergency evacuation pods located throughout the race platform.

  “Why the fuck is everyone so panicked?” Jessica wondered as she and Quory pushed their way through the crowd toward the entrance to the Yokimah Racing Center.

  “Rakuen has not seen a war in over three centuries!” Quory informed her. “Of course, the fact that this race platform is an easy target, and is loaded with fighters, does not help matters.”

  “Good point,” she agreed as they reached the entrance.

  The first thing Jessica noticed as they approached the entrance was that now, the guards had weapons.

  “I am Quoruson Insimi,” Quory announced, holding up his credentials for the first guard to see. “I have important information for Mister Yokimah.”

  The guard looked at Quory’s ID, then at Jessica, who had hidden her credentials after her last failed attempt to get into the Yokimah facilities. “Who are you?” he asked Jessica.

  “She is with me,” Quory insisted.

  “Where is your identification?” the guard asked Jessica, ignoring Quory.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Jessica warned.

  “I am a lead engineer for Yokimah Racing…”

  “You may enter,” the guard told Quory. “She must remain outside.”

  “Wrong answer,” Jessica told the guard as she sprung into action. In a fluid-like motion, she caught the first guard’s foot with her own, kicking it out from under him as she shoved the butt of her open hand into the base of his nose, pushing him back and toward his, now, unsupported side. As the guard fell over, she pulled his stunner from his holster, and quickly reached around Quory to put two shots into the second guard, before he could get his own weapon out of its holster.

  “Oh, goodness!” Quory exclaimed in shock. “What are you doing?”

  “Improvising,” Jessica replied as she bent down, and pulled the door card from one of the downed guard’s uniform shirt pockets. She stuck the card into the slot, and the door opened. “Let’s go,” she said, stepping through the doorway as she tucked the stunner into her belt, and pulled her jacket down over it.

  “What about them?” Quory wondered, looking down at the two unconscious guards as he followed her into the Yokimah facility.

  “They’ll be taking a little siesta,” Jessica replied as she looked about before advancing. “Which way?”

  Quory glanced back at the guards on the floor as the door closed behind him.

  “Which way?” Jessica repeated.

  “Uh, that way,” Quory said.

  “Perhaps you should lead?” Jessica suggested. “You do have the credentials, after all.”

  “Yes, of course,” Quory agreed, remembering the plan they had discussed. “What’s a siesta?” he wondered, leading her down the corridor into the Yokimah Racing Center.

  “Jump complete!” Ensign Bickle reported from the Aurora’s navigation console.

  “Target bravo one’s starboard, midship shields are down to forty percent!” Lieutenant Commander Kono announced.

  “That’s it?” Cameron replied in surprise. “Tactical, put everything you have into that shield section, and don’t stop firing until you bring it down!”

  “Aye, sir!” Lieutenant Commander Vidmar acknowledged as he started his barrage.

  Red-orange plasma torpedoes streaked out from under the Aurora’s nose, illuminating the bridge’s interior with repeated flashes of the ominous color.

  “Bravo one is launching fighters!” Lieutenant Commander Kono announced.

  “CAG, XO, Time to go to work,” Cameron called over her comm-set.

  “XO, CAG, on our way!”

  “Where’s Nathan?” Cameron demanded.

  “Three kilometers ahead of the target, one below, and closing fast,” the lieutenant commander replied. “He’s powering up now.” Kaylah’s eyes widened. “Bravo one is targeting the captain!”

  Cameron quickly tapped the keys on the right arm of her command chair, adding a new frequency to her comm-set. “Gunyoki Two Four, Aurora Actual! Target bravo one is targeting Seven Five! Can you assist?”

  “Actual, Two Four,” Master Koku replied calmly. “I’m already en route.”

  “Targets golf one and golf two have changed positions,” Lieutenant Commander Kono warned. “They are now off our port side, and closing. They’re locking on to us.”

  “Port rail guns and plasma cannons on those gunboats,” Cameron ordered.

  “Targeting the gunboats, now,” Lieutenant Commander Vidmar replied.

  “Bravo one has locked onto us with their big guns!” Lieutenant Commander Kono warned. “They’re locking missiles, as well!”

  “Continue firing!” Cameron insisted. “Ready escape jump, delta seven.”

  “Escape delta seven, aye,” Lieutenant Dinev replied from the helm.

  “Escape jump ready!” the navigator added.

  “Missile launch!” Kaylah warned. “Ten seconds!”

  “Execute delta seven!” Cameron ordered.

  Their jump fields were forming, before the words left her mouth.

  “What are you doing?” Nathan questioned.

  “I am following your executive officer’s orders,” Makani replied over comms.

  “You ignore my orders, but follow hers? Is that the Gunyoki way?”

  “It is the way of a man long-married,” Makani replied.

  “Your shields won’t hold.”

  “The tricks I have yet to teach you are many, my young friend. I am merely trying to ensure that you remain alive, long enough for me to show you a few more.”

  “Are all Gunyoki as stubborn as you?” Nathan wondered as his reactor finally began putting out power, and his systems started coming alive.

  “Only the ones who are still alive,” Makani replied. “How long until you are back in action?”

  “Things are spinning up now,” Nathan replied. “Thirty seconds, tops!”

  Makani streaked past Nathan’s, still-drifting, Gunyoki fighter, turning toward the approaching battleship, and putting his ship directly in between the aggressor and his young friend. Once in position, he flipped his engine nacelles over, and went to full thrust to decelerate sharply and match Nathan’s rate of closer with the enemy vessel. “So, this is what a Dusahn warship looks like. Not as menacing as I had imagined.”

  “It’s not a Dusahn ship, it’s a Jung ship,” Nathan corrected. “I mean, it is being operated by the Dusahn, but it’s of a much older design. Probably one of the original ships they had when they were exiled. It’s just painted to look like a Jung ship.”

  “An interesting strategy, this ‘false-flag’ operation you spoke of,” Maka
ni commented as the battleship opened fire on him. A stream of plasma bolts struck his forward shields, immediately draining them, but he angled them just enough to send much of the incoming energy bouncing harmlessly off into space. “Your plan seems to be progressing swimmingly thus far, don’t you think?” he commented as he launched a spread of stub-missiles at the battleship.

  Nathan shook his head as the last of his systems came to life. “You’re a real piece of work, old man.”

  “I am not familiar with that expression, but I’ll assume it is a compliment. Are you ready to get to work, Captain?”

  “I assume I’m flying your wing?”

  “You are not quite ready, but I suppose I will have to make do, given the circumstances.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment,” Nathan replied as he pushed his throttles forward and lit up his main engines. “Lead the way, Master.”

  Ito stared in disbelief at the massive view screen on the wall of his office, within the Yokimah Racing Center. “This cannot be,” he stuttered, his eyes wide.

  “It seems that Captain Scott has managed to circumvent your device,” Mister Seeley said, his voice seething with disdain.

  “But, that is impossible,” Ito insisted. “The device is tamper-proof. The only way would be to route power around the device. But even then, I’d know, because the power levels on his main trunk would be reduced by fifty percent as it was distributed across…”

  “Apparently, you are not as clever as the young captain appears to be,” Mister Seeley interrupted, his right hand sliding behind his back. “And not as clever as the Dusahn had hoped.” He moved closer to Ito, menace in his eyes. “Such a lovely little civilization your people have created. A pity, it has nothing to offer us other than its copious amount of water.”

  Ito stepped back, noticing the look in Mister Seeley’s eyes. “But…” That’s when he noticed the flash of Seeley’s blade. He tried to call out for his guards, but found no voice at his disposal. For in a swift, highly skilled move, Jorkar Seeley’s weapon had taken it from him. In an instant, one of the wealthiest, and most powerful, man on all of Rakuen was on the floor, gasping for air.

  Jorkar knelt down beside Ito’s lifeless body, reaching into his jacket pocket as he spoke. “The Dusahn do not tolerate failure.” He removed Ito’s access card, and slipped it into his own pocket, then wiped the blade of his knife on his victim’s jacket before departing.

  Ito stared at the ceiling, his hands around the gaping wound on his neck, desperately trying to hold back the gush of blood spurting from his severed carotid artery as the last few beats of his heart ran their course. As his vision faded, he wondered how it had all gone so terribly wrong.

  “Jump complete,” Ensign Bickle announced as the Aurora’s jump flash subsided.

  “Come about. Prepare attack pattern beta four,” Cameron ordered.

  “Beta four, aye,” the navigator replied.

  “Four jump flashes!” Lieutenant Commander Kono announced. “Cobra gunships.”

  Cameron changed frequencies again. “Striker One, Aurora Actual. Target bravo one’s starboard midship shields, and welcome to the party.”

  “Hope we’re not late,” Captain Roselle replied. “Watch this!”

  “Executing beta four, jump one,” Ensign Bickle announced as the Aurora’s jump fields formed, and the bridge momentarily filled with its subdued blue-white flash. “Jump complete,” he added, two seconds later.

  “Turning toward target,” Lieutenant Dinev reported as she rolled the Aurora onto its starboard side, and started her turn.

  “I’m counting over fifty fighters,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported. “Twenty of them are heavies, and are headed toward Gunyoki Seven Five and Two Four.”

  Cameron switched frequencies again. “Gunyoki Two Four, Aurora Actual. You have twenty heavy fighters pursuing you.”

  “We are leading them away from your attack corridor,” Master Koku explained.

  “The heavies are firing,” Lieutenant Commander Kono warned.

  “Easy for you to say,” Nathan added. “I’m the one in their crosshairs at the moment!”

  “Consider it evasive training,” Master Koku told him.

  “You cannot take on twenty heavy fighters,” Cameron warned.

  “Which is why we are leading them toward the race platform,” Master Koku explained. “More precisely, toward the flight of twenty-seven Gunyoki who just departed from it.”

  Cameron turned to look at her sensor officer.

  “He’s right, Captain,” Kaylah confirmed. “Twenty-seven Gunyoki just left the platform, and are headed Master Koku’s way at full power.”

  “I guess he wasn’t as overly optimistic about his fellow Gunyoki pilots as we’d thought,” Cameron admitted.

  “Holy shit,” Aiden exclaimed, looking at the threat display at the center of his gunship’s console. “I’ve never seen so many enemy contacts…not even in simulations.”

  “Let’s join the rebellion. It’ll be fun. We’ll get to hang out with Na-Tan.” Kenji chided as incoming fire struck their forward shields and rocked their ship. “Sure, we might get our ASSES BLOWN OFF in the PROCESS……but it’ll be fun, trust me.”

  “Would you let it go, already?” Aiden begged as the gunship continued to shake. “Besides, how many people from our class are attacking a Jung battleship right now?” he asked as he put the gunship on Kenji’s selected course. “I’ll give you a hint.” Aiden turned to look at his copilot. “None. That’s how many. They’re still flying training exercises, back in the Tau Ceti system. This is way more fun.”

  “You and I have such different ideas of fun, it’s unbelievable,” Kenji replied as he charged the plasma torpedo cannons.

  Aiden smiled as he pressed the firing trigger on his flight control stick, sending the first wave of plasma torpedoes toward the Jung battleship looming before them.

  Jessica burst into Yokimah’s office, expecting to find both Ito and his friend, Jorkar Seeley, tracking the progress of the battle.

  “Do you always leave a collection of unconscious bodies behind you, wherever you go?” Quory asked, looking down at, yet, another pair of unconscious guards outside of his employer’s office. He turned around to enter the office, stopping short when he spotted the body on the floor. “Oh, goodness,” he exclaimed in shock. “What did you do?”

  “I didn’t do this,” Jessica insisted as she knelt down next to Ito Yokimah’s pale, lifeless body.

  “Oh, my God… I’m definitely going to be out of a job, now.”

  “I think he’s still alive,” Jessica said as she bent over him, placing her cheek next to his mouth to check for breathing.

  “How do you know?”

  “There’s still blood gushing out with each beat of his heart,” she said, taking off her jacket and placing it on his neck to prevent the last of his blood from leaking out of his body.

  “How could there possibly be any left?” Quory exclaimed, gesturing at the enormous pool of blood surrounding Ito’s head. “There’s so much blood!”

  “I know there’s a lot of blood!” Jessica yelled. “I’m fucking kneeling in it! Now get over here and help me!”

  “What do you want me to do?” Quory asked.

  “Get over here and hold this against his neck,” she instructed.

  “Oh, God,” Quory said, stepping carefully into the pool of blood and squatting down. “These shoes are going to be ruined,” he said as he reached out and held the bundled-up jacket for her.

  “Tell me about it,” Jessica said, standing up. “That was my only civilian jacket.” She looked around, surveying the scene. “This must have happened within the last few minutes, otherwise he’d be dead.” She reached into her pocket as she stepped over Yokimah’s body, pulling out a small single-dose pneumo-ject. “Pull the jacket away for a moment,” she instructed as she squatted down on the other side of him.

  “Oh, goodness,” Quory exclaimed as he removed the bundled-up jacket
, and got his first close-up view of the gaping wound in his employer’s neck.

  “Who the hell says that?” Jessica asked while she sprayed the contents of the pneumo-ject across Yokimah’s wound.

  “Says what?”

  “Goodness. Seriously.”

  “What is that stuff?” Quory asked.

  “Medical nanites,” she replied. “Trauma nanites, to be more accurate. Put pressure back on that wound.”

  “What do they do?” Quory wondered as he pressed the bundled-up jacket against Yokimah’s wound again.

  “Think of them as microscopic mechanics that go straight to the damage and begin repairing it.”

  Quory’s eyes widened. “Will it save him?”

  “No, not with only a single dose,” she replied. “But it might keep him alive long enough to get him to the Aurora.”

  “But, there are medical teams all over the race platform,” Quory told her. “There’s even a small hospital.”

  “Trust me, Quory, he needs to go to the Aurora’s medical department, and quickly. If I call them, can you get them in here?”

  “Yes, but shouldn’t we at least get some of our medics in here to help? They may not be able to save him, but they might be able to help your nanites keep him alive a bit longer.”

  “Good idea,” Jessica agreed. “Call them.”

  “MEDICS!” Quory yelled at the top of his lungs. “HELP! MEDICS!”

  “Really?” Jessica asked, dumbfounded. “Quory, think quickly. If you just killed Yokimah, how would you get away?”

  “Emergency evacuation areas, just like everyone else.”

  “No, that would just get you back to Rakuen. I’m talking about getting away, as in out of the system.”

  Quory thought for a moment. “Oh! Mister Yokimah has a private shuttle! A Ranni shuttle, ironically. It’s in the last bay. It has its own private airlock and everything.”

  “Would the killer be able to get it launched?”