by Scott Baron
“But why didn’t you come sooner?” Mrazich asked. “People died because we were shorthanded. Your fleet could have made all the difference.”
“Because, Commander, Daisy came to us too soon in her own timeline. The Váli had not yet even arrived here at Dark Side. If we had used that technology to interfere, we would have caused a fatal paradox and negated the entire event from the timestream. Or at least, that’s what the AI conglomerate believes would have happened.”
“So you waited until after her jump, timing your arrival to ensure no such paradox,” Sid noted.
“Precisely,” she said as they entered the mess hall. “Oh my, what smells so good?”
The Chithiid team all rose to their feet in greeting, while Finn eschewed protocol and ran up to the fleet’s commander and gave her an enormous hug.
“Celeste! Oh my God, it’s so good to see you!” he gushed. “Arlo, this is Celeste Harkaway. She pretty much runs the entirety of our fleet.”
Arlo dipped forward and kissed her hand.
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said with a warm smile.
“Oh, quite a charmer, I see.”
“Yeah, and he comes from another faction of survivors. One that escaped in a different direction than the rest of us,” Finn said. “He only joined up with us a little while ago, but he’s already proven himself a valuable teammate.”
“Aww, thanks, dude.”
“Well, it’s true,” Finn said. “And he’s even turning into a decent cook, if you ask me.”
Chu walked over and offered his hand.
“We haven’t met before, though, of course, I know who you are. I’m Alfred Chu, the lead scientist working with the Chithiid on the warp technology. It’s a great pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah, so these aliens are working under you?”
“With me, is more like it. We’re a collaborative unit now that the Ra’az are gone. These guys have been giving it their all, and it looks like we’re making some real headway.”
“And they understand English?” she asked, surprised.
“Oh, no. Sid and the other AIs have a Chithiid translation protocol now. They’ve been translating for us.”
She turned to the assembled aliens and walked down the line, shaking each of their hands in greeting.
“Sid, would you please translate for me?”
“Of course.”
“Please tell our friends that I am pleased to meet them, and that we are grateful for their hard work.”
Sid quickly relayed her words in Chithiid.
“Tell them we have returned at this time of need to help bring the fight to the Ra’az. With the warp technology our fleet possesses, we will have the edge. Soon we will be able to strike a crippling blow to the Ra’az.”
The Chithiid reacted with smiles and a murmur of excitement as the message was relayed.
“We also look forward to having them assist our technicians with the warp cores.”
“Thank you,” Chu said. “We could use all the help we can get. We’ve made great progress, but we keep hitting stumbling blocks when we––”
“Oh, you misunderstand,” she interrupted. “We are not here to help you complete your warp drives. We are here to help you install the ones we have already built and brought with us for integration into your fleet.”
“You have extra warp cores?” Chu asked, beside himself.
“Yes, many of them, and all we need now is your Chithiid friends and their expert hands to help install them.”
Sid relayed the message, and the aliens could barely contain their surprise and excitement.
“Now, what was that you were saying about fresh produce?” Celeste asked.
“I can whip you up some––” Arlo began, before Finn pushed him aside.
“Whatever you want, Celeste, I’ll be happy to prepare it for you.”
“Then surprise me, Finnegan. I know you never disappoint. Commander, will you join me?”
“I really should talk to the fleet. To the people on the ground,” he began.
“Oh, let Sid handle that,” she said. “He’s not a toaster, after all. He’s a fully functioning top-tier higher intelligence. I think he can relay this information, and I could use the company. Plus, I need you to fill me in on everything else that has happened since Daisy’s return.”
The transmission that reached the sisters as they rested in their suites in the historic building in the center of Los Angeles gave both Daisy and Sarah a massive jolt of adrenaline, keeping them from any hopes of a restful evening. They both opened their doors at the same time, eager to wake the other.
“So you heard?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, yeah. The fleet is here,” Daisy said, excitement flooding her body.
“And you know these people?”
“Met them when we jumped back in time. We tracked them down and were trying to embed the AI virus cure on the Váli before she launched, but, unfortunately, Freya jumped us a bit too far forward in time. This was just before we saved you, Sis.”
“Hang on, are you saying they know you can time travel?”
“No, I mean, not more than that one time. Time travel is too risky for anyone but us and Freya to know we did it more than once.”
“Though I think she probably has it pretty well dialed in now, wouldn’t you think?”
“Likely. But it’s really not something we should ever be toying with. I mean, who knows what kind of problems we could create if we started accidentally messing with time?”
“So they really bought it? The whole, stuck in cryo thing?”
“Looks that way,” Daisy replied.
“Then we’re all good,” Sarah said with a growing smile. “And if they’ve actually come all this way with a bunch of functional warp drives, that means we’re golden.”
“I know. Things are looking up, Sis.”
“What do you two say we head up to Dark Side and say hello?”
“I’d say that’s a great idea. Sarah?”
“Yep, though we’ll have to explain me and this arm and whatnot,” Sarah added.
“Just say you don’t remember anything but waking up in a cryo pod. I think Celeste is too well-mannered to dig beyond that, at least for now,” Daisy said. “Hey, Freya, come pick us up, will ya? We need a ride up to Dark Side. Your buddy Zed and the gang are back.”
Celeste was finishing up the pasta primavera Finn had whipped up for her when she got word that Daisy was coming up to see her.
“Excellent. I’ve been looking forward to continuing our talks, albeit several years later.”
She rose from her seat but was quickly knocked back into it as a series of blasts shook the base.
“Sid, what’s going on?” Mrazich yelled into the comms.
“Unknown, Commander. It seems explosive devices are cutting off my systems.”
“Where are the attackers targeting from? Mal, Bob, do you see hostiles?” he said, rising to his feet.
“No, Commander, you don’t understand,” Sid interrupted. “The explosions are coming from inside the base.”
A look of panic flashed across his face as he turned toward the Chithiid technicians seated across the mess hall. All but one looked shocked. The one holding a remote trigger in his hand.
“Chu, look out! Loyalist!” he shouted, reaching for his sidearm.
A massive hand smashed down on his head from behind, knocking him unconscious. A second loyalist had been standing nearby, pretending to be startled by the explosions. In fact, he was waiting for just such an opportunity to neutralize the lone armed human in the room.
“Commander, I’ve lost my internal scans. What’s going on in there?” Sid called out.
“Loyalists in the base, Sid!” Arlo shouted as he lunged for the traitorous alien, a chef’s knife in his hand.
The large alien slapped it away, quickly wrapping the boy up in his arms.
“All of you stand down or the child and woman die!” the other Chithiid said, brandish
ing Mrazich’s commandeered sidearm.
“He said to stand down or people will die,” Sid rapidly translated.
“You can’t do this! We were making such progress! We’re a team!” Chu said in disbelief.
To make his point clear, the alien fired a shot into the refrigerator near his head.
“The next one will not miss, puny human.”
“He said the next one won’t miss.”
“I gathered as much,” Chu said, sliding back to his seat.
“Stengg, gather cordage and bind the hostages,” the armed loyalist directed.
“I shall, Huraan. Have you triggered the other charges?”
“Not all of them. We must first secure the communications relay before sealing off the rest of the base.”
“Very well. I will be quick, then we can both proceed to phase two,” his partner replied. “You, in the kitchen. Berrk. Come here. You will help bind these people. Do not try any heroics, or you will die a slow death.”
Finn gave him a little nod to go along with the commands.
While Sid was remaining silent over his speakers, the small earpiece he wore was quietly translating for him. Arlo, on the other hand, didn’t require the device.
“We can’t let them do this,” he growled.
“Stand down, kid. This is not the time.”
“But they’re taking over the base.”
“And if we want to take it back, we have to be alive. Stand down, and keep your eyes open.”
“This one speaks our tongue,” Stengg noted.
“Yes,” Huraan replied. “Gag him as well as binding his limbs.”
“It shall be done.”
Outside in the cold vacuum, Mal had received a burst transmission from Sid before his comms went silent. She quickly relayed the message to the fleet, as well as her friends en route from the surface.
“Shit. We should have known this would happen,” Daisy growled as she strapped her sword to her back and a veritable arsenal to her body.
“You couldn’t have known, Daze. They were checked and double-checked. No loyalist markings and no history of loyalist behavior from what we could find.”
“But records were lost. And the Chithiid in that facility were sequestered. Stupid, stupid, Daisy!” she chided herself. “Should have seen this coming.”
“She’s right, Daze. There’s no way you could have predicted this. And now you’re flipping out, and we need you calm and collected if we’re going to fix this.”
Daisy knew Sarah was right and forced herself to slow down, taking a deep breath and dropping a few of the armloads of weapons she had hastily gathered up.
“That’s better,” Sarah said. “Besides, you only have two hands. I don’t know what you were going to do with that many guns.”
“Make them extra dead,” she replied, not a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “If we’d left just a few minutes earlier, we’d have been inside when this all started.”
“I know, but we’re not, so we need to come up with a plan.”
“Freya, where the hell are Arlo and Marty? We could really use them right about now.”
“Arlo is inside Dark Side. He was with Finn last I heard. As for Marty, I haven’t spoken to him in a day. He does tend to go silent at times. He did say he had something to do, but being a stealth build like I am, I haven’t seen him on my scans.”
“Just fucking great. It looks like it’s up to us.”
“And that massive fleet, Daze.”
“We’re the only stealth ship, Sis. Anyone else gets close, they may escalate the situation.”
As if on cue, more explosions ripped through Dark Side, sending it into further lockdown. A situation report relayed the information to all who were keyed in to the secure comms line.
“Let me guess. Shelly and Omar are still down on Earth training Chithiid,” Daisy said angrily.
“Actually, no,” Freya corrected. “They’re up on Dark Side. Went back up a few days ago.”
“Hell yeah! Now we’re talking!”
“And it looks like they’re locked down in Hangar Three, which has been sealed from the base, along with all of the other hangars and most peripheral facilities,” Freya added. “Hang on, there’s a message coming through. It’s on all frequencies, and transmitting in all directions. It’s coming from Dark Side.”
“Put it on.”
“The planet Earth has been taken by humans and Chithiid rebels. Our communications centers have been destroyed, and the rebels control the planet. They have acquired a powerful warp technology and are preparing an assault on the fleet. Defend yourselves, and send help.”
“It’s set on a repeater, broadcasting over and over,” Freya said.
“We have to stop that signal,” Daisy said. “Freya, can you block it?”
“No, it’s from the base’s main transmitter. They’re powered by the solar arrays. It’s too powerful a signal to jam, and I’m cut off from Sid’s systems.”
A short burst of static filled their ears, then quieted.
“Freya, do you copy?” Mal transmitted on a tight-band line.
“I hear you, Mal. What happened? What do we do?” Freya replied, a tinge of panic to her voice.
“Freya, I need you to sneak up on Dark Side and take a position outside Section Five. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, shouldn’t be a problem,” the AI replied, quickly making her way to the designated area and dropping into a smooth hover.
“Good, I see you there. Now I need you to charge your cannon and fire into that section.”
“But our friends are there!”
“I know, but the hostiles have taken control of Dark Side Base, and we cannot allow that.”
“Hang on, Finn’s in there,” Sarah added. “Freya, you can’t kill Finn.”
“I know, Sarah.”
“You’re not listening to me. This is bigger than a few lives. With the data stored within those walls, the loyalists could cause irreparable damage to the rebellion. You have to fire,” Mal ordered.
Freya powered up her main cannon, but hesitated.
“Daisy? I-I...“
“I know, kiddo. It’s okay. Power it down.”
Freya disengaged the cannon.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t––”
“Nothing to be sorry about. You’re not a military ship. Never have been. Making those kinds of decisions just isn’t in your DNA.”
“You realize what you’re doing, Daisy?” Mal said angrily. It was a tone she had never heard come from the AI, no matter how bad things had become.
“Yes, I do,” she replied. “Freya?”
“Yeah?”
“Power up the smaller cannon.”
“But I thought you said I didn’t have to––”
“And target the comms array.”
“But Sid will be cut off! We need that transmitter,” Mal objected.
“We can build another. Fire when ready, kiddo.”
Freya didn’t hesitate, letting loose a single pulse, cleanly taking down the primary comms array, effectively silencing the loyalist’s transmission.
Beneath them, on the surface of the moon, Sid frantically scanned his remaining systems, trying to find anything he could use to stymie the loyalists. Time and again, his commands would not reach their intended systems, cut off by the carefully placed charges the loyalists had stealthily positioned over the prior month.
He pulled up the only systems that seemed to possibly be receiving his signals, though he had no way to be sure. With a roll of the dice, he sent his commands. All he could do now was hope they worked.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“How long will it be until that transmission reaches their fleet?” Reggie asked from his pilot’s seat aboard the Váli.
“No idea, Reggie. It could be months, it could be years. We simply do not know how far away they are,” Mal replied.
“So we have to finish our retrofits and get to their fleet first, then.”
; “Obviously, but that’s not the only problem.”
“Seriously, Mal? What else?”
“The transmission was sent on a wide spectrum burst. Disabling the comms accomplished nothing. The message was already sent in all directions.”
“Shit, so it’s a ripple in a pond,” Reggie said.
“Precisely. It will spread, farther and farther, until it not only reaches the Ra’az fleet, but the ships surrounding the Chithiid homeworld as well.”
“And from there, it will continue on.”
“Yes,” Mal replied. “All the way to the Ra’az world itself.”
Reggie sank lower in his pilot’s seat.
“It just gets worse and worse for us, Mal.”
“I know, Reggie.”
“At least it can’t get much worse than this. I don’t see how it could.”
He looked out the porthole windows at the massive fleet orbiting the moon, all of them impotent, unable to approach, and the one ship that could, too scared to do much.
The hostages inside Dark Side were trussed up tight, the key corridors between hangars sealed shut when the blasts took out the hardline connections.
In the event of an external attack, those systems would have been safe and sound inside the thick walls of the base. With an intruder sabotaging them from within, however, Sid’s strength was quickly turned into his weakness.
The loyalists had separated those they considered lower value hostages from those of more worth. The commander, Celeste, and the young man who spoke their language were among the latter. Though they hadn’t felt the impact that severed the comms, the aliens nevertheless suspected that something was wrong.
“Stengg, activate one of the small portable communications devices. Open it to receive on any frequency.”
The Chithiid did as he was asked. Silence greeted him.
“Try another frequency. Cycle through them if you must.”
One after another, they heard nothing. Their message, though still sending from their apparatus, was no longer transmitting from the base.
Arlo smiled at their realization.
The loyalist leader walked over to the bound youth and slapped him hard across the face.
“You would be well-served to keep your mirth in check, human. Very soon you may have little to smile about.”
