Chapter 27
“Coming up on Abia,” said Sarah.
“Is our stealth system still engaged?” asked Calvin. He wanted to make sure that, whatever was out there, the Nighthawk saw it before it saw them.
“You know it is,” said Miles. “All defensive systems are operational and standing by.”
“Good. Sarah, drop us deep into the system. About three million MCs from the outpost. I want a good look at what’s out there.”
“You got it. Entering Abia System in five minutes.”
Calvin tapped his armrest nervously. He couldn’t believe they were actually going to arrive. They finally were past the many obstacles that’d stood between them and Abia … between Calvin and Raidan. Abia was the key; it had to be. Calvin wouldn’t let himself wonder what he’d do if there was nothing there.
Anticipation filled the room, thick enough that even Sarah, who was always so relaxed, sat on the edge of her seat. “I’ve got something on the scopes,” she said.
“What is it?”
“I … can’t tell. It’s all scrambled.”
Calvin felt his heart quicken. There was definitely something out there then, something that didn’t want to be seen. “How come you didn’t see it until just now? We’re practically there!”
“I did, but I thought it was the planet. Now that we’re this close … I can tell it’s a scrambled reading. Very impressive. I didn’t know this kind of technology existed.”
“It doesn’t,” said Shen grimly.
“Standby, Condition One.”
“Standing by.”
“You’d better strap in,” said Calvin; his crew looked surprised. He’d never given the order to strap in before. But he’d also never had to lead the Nighthawk into a serious combat engagement before. And since he didn’t know what to expect, he thought a battle was quite possible. “I’m serious,” he continued. “If we have to shift power from gravity, or if the system is blown, I don’t want my officers floating around the bridge.”
“Good thinking,” said Shen.
“Oh, very well,” said Miles as they all strapped in.
Calvin did too, taking a moment to figure out how the restraints worked. It really had been a long time. Then he tapped the intercom control and set the broadcast to shipwide.
“This is your captain, and I want you to listen very closely to what I have to say.” He paused. “I know there has been tension and even violence among us on this ship. And that we are divided. But we must unite ourselves right now to survive. Our ship is fast approaching Abia System, and something is scrambling our scanners. Something that will probably want to kill us.
“So now I’m asking you … no, I’m begging you to look past our differences and cooperate once more. When this is over, if it turns out I led us here without good justification, I will resign my command.…”
Miles shot him a glare, but Calvin continued unabated. “You have my word. But, for now, let us be one.”
He pointed at Sarah who sounded General Quarters.
“All hands to battle stations and strap in. CO out.” He clicked off the comm.
“What? Resign your command?” Miles looked like he was about to burst.
Calvin nodded. “Yes, if that’s what it takes. If we find nothing suspicious here, then I don’t deserve command. But don’t worry about it,” he said, “because something is here.”
“Okay … whatever you say.”
“Dropping out of alteredspace into Abia System in four, three, two, one,” said Sarah. “And … here we are.”
If Calvin hadn’t been tied to his chair, he would have jumped up. “What do we see?”
The view from the window was dark and empty, despite how deep in the system they were. As the ship rolled starboard, the bright glow of the lonely sun filtered in.
“Large objects,” said Sarah. “Two are directly adjacent the station, three hundred thousand MCs away. One is orbiting the dwarf planet, and three others are holding position 1.5 million MCs out.”
“I confirm that,” said Miles from his console.
“Ships?” asked Calvin.
“I think so,” said Sarah. “But I can’t be sure. Our sensors are still mostly confused, but, based on their relative gravities, I’d say the objects are equivalent in mass to … heavy cruisers.”
“She’s right,” said Miles. “But, if they are ships, I don’t think they’re ours. The mass of each individual ship puts them between a Telarian cruiser and a Whitefire battleship. We don’t have any ships in that range.”
“Not military ships anyway,” said Shen. “They could be commercial vessels. Heavy freighters?”
Miles shrugged. “They could be, I suppose.”
“Can we confirm that there are exactly six objects?” asked Calvin.
“Negative,” said Sarah. “Two smaller objects close together might look like one larger object. Plus, if they have anything on the other side of the planet, we wouldn’t be able to see that—”
“And”—Miles talked over her—”if they have anything a lot smaller than these, it’ll be too small to get any idea of its gravity. So we wouldn’t see it, unless we move closer.”
“How is our stealth system doing?”
“Operating normally.”
“Good. Let’s move in for a closer look, nice and easy. I don’t want to get noticed.”
Now it was time for a peace offering. He tapped his line to the CO’s office. “Commander Presley,” he said, trying to appeal to Summers’s formal nature. “I’m requesting your presence on the bridge. Your insight at this moment would be most valuable. Our position is deep inside Abia System, and we’re approaching several unknown objects that are not yet identifiable. We’re guessing ships, maybe alien ships. We both know the XO’s position at a time like this is on the bridge. I’m going to release you. I ask that you help us, but I will not compel you.”
The Phoenix Conspiracy Page 71
