by G J Moses
“And of course, what I learned from the records of the war with Hawke’s people. Nowhere did we see any attempt to communicate in peace or exchange dialog. Only communications were to make demands. Surrender or die.”
“The Chohish look to have a feudal type of social structure. And before you ask, I base this on the information we learned from the Chohish we captured at Niflhel and from our experiences on the Chohish ship we were able to board. It was obvious after the skit done by Danny’s troupe on the ones we have on the Lucky Strike and confirmed by the Sovereign we just captured.”
“But let’s stick with what we know. The Chohish were here after the ore, that I do believe is true. Why were they willing to sacrifice so much to get an ore transport full of Lendolium? The amount in that container ship would have been enough to supply many ships and a planet or two with power for a year at least. Or support an invasion, at least for a while.”
“But why? If they had their own, why would they go to such lengths to get more?” queried Will.
“Again, I have put some thought to that. Several reasons come to mind. It could be that a system or a group of allied systems is looking to expand, or as I believe more likely, their empire wants to spread out and conquer more territory. It could be they do not know how or want to terraform so they conquer planets already terraformed. I am making a calculated guess that they are running out of Lendolium, at least in this section of space.” theorized Zeke.
“Why do you believe the latter, that it is their entire empire attacking us, if you do not mind me asking?” asked Gunner.
“Because of what happened to Hawke’s people. That was a protracted war that encompassed many years and thousands of ships before it ended. That lends me to believe it was more than just one group.” responded Zeke.
“Again, I must ask as I am having a really tough time to believe any species would kill so many for an ore that is common throughout the galaxy, why Lendolium?” asked Hawke.
“Because of the lengths they went through to get the ore located here on Nocuous. Remember the battles we have had so far. The Chohish lost a lot of ships and personnel, yet they did not change their tactics, attack, never retreat. But the ore container ship now, they went to great lengths to try and protect it. The only time they ever withdrew from a fight with us.”
There was a pause while Zeke let everyone absorb what they heard and saw. He knew it was a lot, but he had more, and that was going to be even harder to accept, much harder!
Watching, waiting, Zeke glanced sidewise at Jeanne, where he saw her staring at him with concern written all over her face. Smiling, trying to put her at ease, did not help. The attempt only increased the pain he felt in his chest. But he had no time to worry about his injuries right now, they had to take a back seat now, no matter how severe.
“I do not think that the Chohish are out of Lendolium totally, but that they need new deposits of the mineral if they are to expand, maybe even just to survive, and large deposits of it. And they do not ask or trade for anything, they take it. And it is not as plentiful as you may all believe. If you look at the charts, you will see whole sections of space that are void of any Lendolium deposits.”
Every individual started murmuring with their neighbors about what had been discussed. Zeke was ready to drop the next, but not, the biggest bombshell of them all.
“But that is not all about the Chohish that you need to consider. I do not believe they built the ships they came here in. Or not the designs anyway.”
The gasps were audible not only in the room, but also came through the conference speakers.
“The Chohish ship did not feel like it was made to accommodate the Chohish. The dimensions were all off, the ceilings in the rooms and passageways should have been higher, doorways much wider, less angles for such large bodies, chairs that fit better. They were good enough to work in, barely, but even though the Chohish do not seem to care for comfort, they would have done a lot more than what is present when they first developed ship building. If only to accommodate their Sovereign’s size and wants.”
“You know Zeke, that is what I and Meghan have been discussing. The whole ship felt wrong for creatures of that size. More like the ship had been made for someone else. Is that possible?” asked Jeanne.
“On that, no idea, but it is a possibility. In fact, that would fit into my train of thought. I have been bothered since the first engagement as to the amount of destruction we caused. It was way out of scope on what we should have been capable of. Which is why it was so critical… excuse me for second…” at which he leaned to the side next to Jeanne, where he groaned in pain before coughing heavily into a dark handkerchief held tightly within his hand.
Unless Jeanne was mistaken, there was blood in that handkerchief, old and new.
From the sudden tenseness in the room, it was obvious that all were affected by the display. When Zeke raised back up, it was evident from the tightness of the eyes and mouth that the pain had not subsided even though he resumed talking with the strong voice he was known for.
“Sorry about that, it will be a bit before my ribs heals properly, unfortunately. But to get back on target, the ships. It was obvious that the Chohish ships were taking a lot more damage than they should be and it was imperative that we know why. Hence why it was critical that Jeanne and I visit the ship personally. As Jeanne mentioned, she also determined something was off. I was able to go a step further with Jax’s assistance.
Pointing to Jax with his right hand “If you would?”, Jax rose and stood next to Isolde. Whispering into her ear, he slid a small card to her. Taking the card, Isolde slid it into the slot under the workstation.
On one of the monitors, a video started showing the insides of the Chohish ship. The individual filming was thorough in that he made sure he captured everything in the hallway he was walking down. The storage rooms, walls, ceilings, anything he traversed through, he took clear images of.
Walking up to the screen, Jax tapped one image until it enlarged, again and again. Until they were looking at the corner edge where a wall and floor connected. Faintly, but visible at this very high magnification, it could be seen that the floor and wall were not connected the full length. Tiny spaces could be seen regularly.
“Whoever constructed this ship, was either lazy or deliberate in their method. What should be one solid connection for strength and durability, is fragmented. We found that everywhere we looked. It would explain why the Chohish ships were being wholly destroyed when they should have been only slightly damaged. The integrity of the entire ship would be compromised.”
Walking over to one of the side monitors, Jax turned to Isolde and tapped the monitor. Up on the screen popped an image showing a metal segment several feet in length.
“When Zeke first brought this question to me, we thought it was possible it could be the makeup of the material they used to construct their ships. But after my team checked with some of the weapons and metal fragments that we recovered on Niflhel, we determined this not to be the case. Their metal is not as good as ours, but close enough to discount that being a reason. The missing welds though, would explain it. The pieces brought back for examination proved that beyond a doubt. Based on what we have experienced, I believe this is prevalent on all their ships.”
With a tap on the table with his knuckles, Jax walked back to where he was standing. Watching Jax carefully, Jeanne saw his stance and look towards Zeke had not changed. “So that bit of info was not what is bothering him… what is it?”
“Well, before we go on, any comments?” asked Zeke.
“Without further information, conjecture is all we can do. We should be able to take advantage of this some way. I have some thoughts of my own that I want to run through the simulators.” reflected Will.
“Great idea, anybody else? No? Then I have some requests to make prior to my next set of orders for upcoming actions.” asserted Zeke.
Putting his hands on the conference table in front of him,
Zeke gathered himself ahead of rising to his feet before he spoke.
The center monitor cleared and a map of the current system appeared.
“Meghan, with one of the Fox’s engines being compromised and requiring a Navy yard to get it repaired, it makes sense for you to head back to your system using the slipstream in the asteroids marked in yellow. Captain Lance Henry is expected to return through that same slipstream so you may encounter him in your travels. There are some things I will need you to take with you.”
Pausing to catch his breath, Zeke continued on knowing that soon he would be taxed to the limit when he gave the orders he had to give.
“I concur Zeke. We are sitting ducks with the engines the way they are. What do you need us to do?” replied Meghan.
“We need to arrange a transfer of the Chohish captives and any of their material located on the Lucky Strike. It is absolutely critical they are delivered intact to the RGN. I cannot stress the importance of this so do not relax your guard.”
Looking at Meghan’s image on the monitor, Jeanne saw she was sitting back in the captain’s chair with her fingers steepled over her chin. That was a sure indicator that she also noticed something wrong. And from the way Zeke slyly glanced around the room, she knew he was getting a feel of the temperature in the room. She had done the same thing many times.
“If you remember, Isolde has setup scanners and transmitters to visit the other slipstreams in this system, one being the one you will be using. That scanner and transmitter should pass through that area within the next twenty-four hours. It will be necessary to transfer Isolde to your ship so you can make proper use of any data gathered and communicate with Lance if he arrives before you leave the system.”
Startled at this, Jeanne looked at Isolde to see no surprise written on her features. Jeanne met Isolde’s gaze and saw the same sense of dread she was starting to feel. ‘She was not surprised by this announcement. But this is not what is bothering her, she knows something I do not. I am missing something somewhere.’
Still standing, Jeanne saw Zeke close his eyes before he opened them staring straight at her. Jeanne knew that whatever was bothering Jax and Isolde, she was about to find out.
“Finally, Meghan, I need you to take as many personnel currently stationed on the Lucky Strike as you can safely fit onto your destroyer. And I mean as many people as you can. The rest will have to take up residence on Nocuous until relieved.”
With that, pandemonium broke out. Everyone, except for Isolde and Hawke jumped to their feet. Jeanne, now standing, noticed that Jax had not moved except for closing his hands into tightly clenched fists.
“Captain Kinsley, this is General Algernon, what is going on? What happened?” a surprised sounded voice came across the speakers.
Pounding on the table until he had everyone’s attention. “People, please sit, NOW! General Algernon, we have been notified by Governor Muldane of a critical situation. On our way here, we set up a string of small communication units through the asteroid tunnel for Governor Muldane to use in an extreme emergency. The units are powered down until they receive a preplanned signal. Daisy chained; each unit notifies the next until they reach the Lucky Strike. Since the units would now be visible, they can be easily destroyed. It was planned to be used only in an extreme emergency as we expected it to be a one-time shot.”
“What did Titus say Zeke, what is happening at Niflhel?” a concerned Governor Reynolds asked.
“The Chohish have abandoned their efforts in capturing Niflhel. A large Chohish armada is now stationed over Niflhel where several battleships are using their heavy lasers to pound away at the emergency shelters. Governor Muldane has notified me that they will not be able to withstand the attack much longer, a week or two at most. Some lives have already been lost.
The shock hit everyone. And then Jeanne, for some reason thought of Jax and the earlier argument, which gave her an ugly suspicion of what Zeke was planning and glanced up at him in panic. Making eye contact, Zeke bent over until he was next to her ear where he whispered so quietly, she barely heard him, “If only we had met at another time and place, my dear, then I could have pursued my love for you.”
With her heart beating wildly while her mind raced in overdrive, Jeanne feared she now knew what Zeke was going to do. What only a ship’s Captain can do.
“In order to meet this attack, I have ordered Jax to stop all maintenance on the engines. He has already started work on engines one and two so we will be here for at least another six hours to complete that activity. Three and four will just have to wait. I have also ordered Jax to have his teams configure the ships controls to report to the ships AI under guidance and control of one individual, that being myself.”
Again, pandemonium broke out. But it was not just limited to the conference room. A commotion could be heard throughout the ship and through the speakers from the Fox’s connection.
Jeanne had guessed it correctly, just before he said it. Only a Captain can have a ships AI report directly to them. And that is usually only for one reason.
“I intend to take the Lucky Strike in an attempt to stop the Battleships attack on Niflhel. Everyone knows this ship, damaged as it is, cannot last long in a face to face fight against fresh Chohish fleets. I cannot justify bringing anyone else with me. The RGN needs your unique and special talents desperately in the upcoming battles.”
It was obvious from the expressions on the faces around her, they were floored speechless. Who would have thought this would be the end after all they have been through and accomplished?
“We have a lot to do here people. This is not up for discussion. All fighters, shuttles, equipment, personnel, and so much more, must be off the Lucky Strike by the time the engines are back online. That is an order. No matter what, in around six hours the Lucky Strike leaves orbit, with only one person on-board.” ordered Zeke.
The stunned silence in the room did not match what could be heard through the door from the bridge. Strangely, there was only one individual in the conference room that did not seem upset, Hawke. In fact, while frowning, he was shaking his head positively.
With a heavy heart, Jeanne stood up, looked at Zeke, who wore a determined look on his face, and started to make her way out of the conference room.
Everywhere she looked, Jeanne saw nothing but despair. As the officers entered the bridge, they were met by a command group in shock. They had heard everything. They knew what Zeke planned and why, but they had known the risks when they started this journey. To now, have to run while their commander continued on alone, went against the very core of everything they believed in.
Hopelessness was reflected wherever Jeanne turned. Walking with purpose, Jeanne asked Isolde, who had just returned to her workstation, if she could connect Meghan to Jeanne’s link in a private mode. Isolde nodded confirmation with Meghan connecting by the time the question had been finished. What was strange was Isolde never looked at Jeanne nor responded verbally.
“Jeanne, everything ok over there? I know Zeke’s announcement has everyone here edgy and concerned.”
“Hi Meghan, give me a second, I want to get into a more private area… that’s better. And no, it is not good here. The announcement took everyone by surprise except for a very few.”
“That’s a one-way mission Jeanne, he will never make it out alive, not that I can see.”
“Which is why we have to come up with something to make sure that does not happen. I am heading down to get with our people and start having them head over. I will let Will, Isolde and Gunner know to work with you, Anne and Masson on getting their crew transferred over. If we work it right, we should have enough space to accommodate most everyone. Start prepping the ship’s skin to take as many of the fighters and shuttles we can fit. We will have to send the rest down to Nocuous with supporting staff and pilots. Make sure we keep our pinnacle as I think we may be able to make use of it.”
“While you’re doing that, I am heading down to Dr. Prerue
t so I can get a shot of stimulants. Everything is starting to get to me. Let me know if you need anything, otherwise I should be over there shortly.”
“Roger that Jeanne, see you soon. Meanwhile, I will get Anne and Masson to start thinking about what options we have. Jan and Major Richards are still here so I will add them to the brain team.”
Making her way down to the medical bay, Jeanne could see that what she saw on the bridge was repeated everywhere she looked. Even knowing that if they went with Zeke, it would probably mean their death, they were disappointed. “Now this is a good crew, one I am proud to know.”
As she made her way into the medical bay, she saw that preparations to move everyone was in progress. Stepping carefully around a pair of interns picking up a heavyset man with bandages around his torso placing him on a medical sled, she stopped to look around for Dr. Preruet.
It took a few minutes, but she finally saw Dr. Preruet off to the side. Resuming her careful threading walk around the rushing medical teams, she stepped up to Dr. Preruet as he was giving directions on the care he wanted for an individual sealed tight in medical pod.
Waiting patiently, she watched the doctors face carefully to try and catch an inkling of what he thought of Zeke’s current orders. Based on the tightness of his eyes, it did not seem he liked it.
Finishing his orders, Dr. Preruet turned to look at her with an appraising look. “Well, Captain, what can I do for you?”
“I was hoping to get some stimulants to keep me going before I fall down. If I was back on the Fox, I would not have had to bother you.”
Looking at Jeanne like a school teacher would look at a student caught being truant, he lowered his voice like he was talking to a child. “I can do that, but you did not come looking specifically for me for that. You could have gotten those from any of the interns running around. We have been giving them out like candy since this whole mess started. Now Captain, quit wasting my time, and tell me what you really want.”
