by C H Gideon
“Then let’s get to work…if you don’t mind,” Reynolds said.
Gorad shook his head. “Not at all. We should have this cracked before dinner.”
“Did someone say dinner?” Ka’nak asked from across the room.
“I did indeed.” Gorad laughed as he ushered everyone out of the room. “Please, dear council, take our guests to see what changes their presence has wrought on our world, and we three will work the puzzle of this device.” He held up the computer.
Reynolds nodded to the crew when they looked his way for approval. “Oh, and, Takal, do not wander too far. I want you and Gorad to sit down and go over your project with Xyxl and provide his thoughts.”
“I’ll be available when he is,” Takal assured the AI. “Both Xyxl and I would appreciate his input.”
Reynolds nodded and waved the crew on to enjoy themselves. There was work to be done, but it would be good for the crew to relax as much as possible.
Given what was coming, he had no idea when the next battle would start or when it would end.
Whenever it happened, he wanted to be ready.
And they would be.
Chapter Nine
“The Voice is hailing you, Master,” one of Phraim-’Eh’s disciples told him, easing open the door to his chambers after being invited in.
Phraim-’Eh growled, knowing, much as he had with Jora’nal, that an unexpected message was never good news.
“Route the call through on my private channel,” he told the disciple, who muttered his assurances that he would before darting from the room, closing the door behind him with reverent silence.
It was but a few seconds later when the monitor buzzed. Phraim-’Eh waited a moment before activating the comm.
“I am not in the mood to be disappointed, Voice,” Phraim-’Eh told his servant, the edges of the words sharp.
“My sincerest apologies, Master, but I have grave news,” the Voice answered, and Phraim-’Eh could hear the terror in his warbling tone.
“I expected no less,” Phraim-’Eh stated, biting back his frustration at the utter incompetence of his disciples.
How difficult can it be to destroy a Federation superdreadnought and its crew?
“I have received a report that Jora’nal is dead,” the Voice went on.
Phraim-’Eh grunted and closed his eyes, reining in his fury. It would do him no good to unleash his rage while aboard his command vessel, the Godhand.
When Phraim-’Eh said nothing, the Voice went on.
“Disciples remaining behind tell me that the crew of the SD Reynolds attacked him in his headquarters on the planet, trapping him inside.”
“I know all this, Voice,” the god told his disciple. “Tell me something I do not.”
“The Federation crew blew the place up without mercy, taking out nearly all of our people on Aspar as well as a portion of the city in their eagerness to lay waste to Jora’nal. What foothold we had there is now gone, only a handful of your worshipers remaining alive.” The Voice swallowed hard. “And—”
“There is more?” Phraim-’Eh asked, and he could hear the Voice struggling to speak despite the distance.
“The Pillar has also been destroyed, Master,” the Voice informed him. “The SD Reynolds struck it down before slipping away in the aftermath of their destructive visit.”
“Were they followed? Do we know where they have gone?”
“No, I’m afraid not, Master. We had no one there tasked to do so, and no other ships in the area, so we have no idea where they Gated to. It could be anywhere, and without the Pillar, we have no way of tracking them.”
“You seem to have ignored my disinterest in disappointment today,” Phraim-’Eh said, growling low in his throat.
The Godhand trembled beneath him as his power fought to be free. He pulled the reins of his will tighter and resisted the urge to tear his ship down around him.
He said nothing for a long while, and the Voice knew better than to break the lingering silence.
Only when Phraim-’Eh felt he could control his temper did he speak again.
“How near are you to Aspar?”
“I can be there within a few hours,” the Voice answered. Phraim-’Eh heard the question in his voice before he even spoke it. “But with Jora’nal gone, do you still need me there?”
“I do,” the god answered. “Jora’nal was a fool. He left us no means to track the Federation superdreadnought, and I have no faith in his effort to obfuscate his tracks, let alone mine, as evidenced by how quickly the Federation scum found him.
“Go to Aspar and ask about, and see if there is some clue that will lead us to the SD Reynolds. More importantly, I would have you be certain Jora’nal left no way for Reynolds to trace me back to my location. Until I have prepared the fleet, I want no interruptions from upstart pawns.”
“Your will is mine, Lord,” the Voice replied. “I will report my findings to you as soon as I have answers.”
“As I’m sure you understand,” Phraim-’Eh warned, “do not fail me, Voice. My patience is thin of late. I will not tolerate any further disappointment.”
“I will not fail you, Lord,” the Voice assured him.
Phraim-’Eh chuckled and killed the connection, believing such promises out of the hands of such a puny creature as the Voice.
Reynolds had proven to be a worthy foe, defeating his minions time and again and spoiling his every plot to advance his agenda across the galaxy.
That would end now.
No longer would Reynolds be a thorn in Phraim-’Eh’s side. Around him, his fleet grew, ship after ship arriving and falling into place alongside the Godhand. Soon, his entire armada would be amassed, and he would strike out to find Reynolds and confront the pawn of Bethany Anne and her accursed Federation.
He would wring the life from her sentient machine, and revenge himself upon the foul creatures that inhabited it.
Phraim-’Eh smiled at that thought, pleasure filling him, his blood tingling in his veins.
Calming at the thought, he returned to his seat and settled back to await word from the Voice and for his fleet to be ready.
He would embark on a journey to lay waste to the SD Reynolds soon.
Then he would set his sights higher.
He would take the fight to Bethany Anne and assure his godhood for the entire universe to see.
Chapter Ten
The crew of the SD Reynolds spent the entire day on Grindlevik 3, enjoying the sights of the new society and feasting among the locals.
The experience was so completely different than Jiya had expected that she couldn’t stop smiling, even as the crew made ready to depart the planet and return to the Reynolds.
L’Willow and L’Sofee saw them to the shuttle, offering them warm hugs and the best of luck for the trials ahead. They knew some of what the crew faced, having spoken about it while they visited, and wished them good fortune in their endeavors before returning to the vehicle to await Gorad.
“It’s too bad you must leave so soon, Reynolds,” Gorad told the other AI. “This was hardly a visit worth counting.”
Reynolds nodded. “I’ve no wish to bring Phraim-’Eh and his minions down upon you and your people after all the hard work you’ve put into bettering your world. This is our fight, and it’s best if we head off before trouble follows us.”
Reynolds held up the computer Jiya had taken off Jora’nal.
“Besides, we have a set of possible targets to look into, thanks to your help,” the AI went on, the three of them having hacked the coding and revealed what Jora’nal had been hiding. “I’m looking to take the fight to Phraim-’Eh and finish it. Now, we have a chance to do just that.”
“Then I wish you luck, and hope to see you return soon,” Gorad said. “You’re welcome anytime.”
“Thank you for that,” Reynolds told him. “That you abide by your word means much to me, Gorad. It will not be forgotten.”
“Nor will it be by me,” the oth
er AI assured him. “Be safe, Reynolds.” He turned to the crew and said his farewells.
Reynolds grinned once they were done and Gorad had returned to his vehicle, departing seconds after.
“Guess our vacation is officially finished,” Ka’nak muttered.
“We need to kill this would-be god so we can take a real vacation,” Maddox stated as he started up the ramp of the shuttle. “This place will be fantastic once they get that Gate built. I can see it becoming a must-see destination within a few years, tops. I’d love to come back and see how the planet evolves after that.”
“Once we take care of Phraim-’Eh, we can,” Reynolds said.
“Then let’s get to it.” Ka’nak laughed. “We haven’t even left, and I already want to come back.”
The crew boarded the shuttle to greetings by Fulla Hirvin and Vor Gerfur, the two pilots glad to see them again.
It was an interesting change from the last time they’d been there, when the Grindlovians had been polite but hardly friendly or outgoing. Now, they were practically bubbling with the same energy and optimism as the Telluride.
It made Reynolds proud to have had a hand in the new Grindlevik.
The AI watched the planet as they rose into the air and returned to the SD Reynolds. The mood of the crew was somber yet determined when they said goodbye to the two Grindlovians and returned to the bridge.
The visit had been a nice distraction, but there was work to be done.
They had a god to kill.
“How’d it go?” XO asked as they returned.
“Looks like Jora’nal was sloppy regarding security protocol,” Reynolds answered, grinning. “Once we got past the firewall system, we were able to suss out several possible locations where we might find Phraim-’Eh.”
“Not a specific target, though?” Tactical wondered.
“Unfortunately, no,” the AI came back. “There is a reference to a home base, Phraim-’Eh’s base of operations, but Jora’nal wasn’t high enough in the hierarchy to get an invite. He doesn’t know where the planet is, or even what system it’s in, from the looks of it.”
“The other three locations,” Geroux took over, “are apparently places Phraim-’Eh frequented recently on something Jora’nal referred to as his pilgrimage. Sounds like it’s supposed to be some sort of holy journey to shore up and motivate his cultist base, and maybe to recruit more disciples.”
“So, he’s running around drafting people for his army?” Tactical asked.
“I think that’s exactly it,” Reynolds agreed. “People apparently come from all over to visit some of these locations and catch a glimpse of their god.”
“Goes to show you there are radical extremists everywhere you go,” Tactical stated. “Fucking nutjob meatbags.”
“Where are we going to first?” XO asked.
“The closest of the three systems is called ‘Rolant,’ so we might as well visit these fuckers in order,” Reynolds replied. “I’m uploading coordinates into the system, so once we’re at stations and ready, we can head out and see what we find.”
Ria clambered into her seat and settled in, signaling to the AI that she was ready when he was, and he fed the coordinates in.
Asya and Jiya flanked the captain’s chair as Reynolds took his seat. Maddox dropped into Tactical’s position, earning a grunt from the AI personality, and Ka’nak, Geroux, Takal, San Roche, and L’Eliana left the bridge to go about their duties.
Reynolds gave them time to reach their stations before he addressed the bridge.
“There’s no telling what we’re walking into, but it’s guaranteed to be hostile territory, so I want everyone on their toes and ready. This is the home turf of the cult, and even if Phraim-’Eh isn’t there, he’s likely to have numerous assets in place.”
“No details on that?” XO wondered.
Reynolds shook his head. “Jora’nal was consumed by his duties aboard the Pillar. He was a good servant who knew very little, and Phraim-’Eh clearly liked him that way. For obvious reasons, given the coordinates we were able to pick up from scraping his hard drive. All he knew was in basic terms, vague references. If he had deleted his communication logs, there wouldn’t have been shit to go on. But he didn’t, so…”
“We have his boss,” XO finished.
“Well, we have another lead,” Reynolds corrected. “There’s nothing definitive, since it appears Phraim-’Eh is a hell of a lot smarter than Jora’nal.”
“Speaking of the little shit, what are we going to do with him?” Tactical asked. “He’s pretty damn useless, especially now that you hacked his computer. Can I strap him to a Pod and use him as target practice?”
Reynolds chuckled. “Not yet. He doesn’t know we’ve broken his system, so he’s likely stewing in his thoughts, wondering what the hell he’s going to do. So, for now, we let his ass rot in the cell.”
“You’re no fun,” Tactical grumbled.
Reynolds motioned to Ria. “Ensign Alcott, open a Gate and take us to the Rolant System. Sound General Quarters and be ready for anything.”
“Yes, Captain,” Ria replied, getting to work.
A moment later, a Gate opened before them, and the SD Reynolds slipped through it into the unknown system. There was a flash, and the ship arrived in the Rolant System, the Gate closing behind them.
“Sweep the system and tell me what we’re looking at,” Reynolds ordered.
“Those coordinates you uploaded brought us in close to a planet, Captain,” Maddox reported. “It’s inhabited and modern. Getting lots of Kurtherian energy signatures pinging off the tech there.”
“We’ve got three destroyers peeling out of orbit and heading our way,” XO called.
“We’re being targeted by planetary weapons systems,” Jiya added. “Doesn’t look like these folks want us here.”
The lights on the bridge dimmed, bathing the crew in red as Asya hit the alert. She thankfully silenced the siren before it could rattle their ears.
“We’ve been identified already,” Maddox said. “No hails. These guys know who we are and why we’re here.”
“Any sign of Phraim-’Eh?” Reynolds asked.
“Negative,” Jiya answered. “These look like grunts. He might be on the planet, but I’m not getting the sense that we walked into his hidey-hole. More like a military base of some kind.”
Weapons fire hit the gravitic shields as the planetary defense systems engaged, missiles exploding uselessly before reaching the hull.
“Returning fire,” Tactical announced.
He launched missiles in return, the screen showing them streaking down through the atmosphere to answer the hostility from below. Sensors picked up flares of anti-aircraft fire looking to counter, and bright flashes of light exploded in missiles’ wakes.
“They’ve got substantial defense weaponry down there,” Tactical reported. “We landed a couple of hits, but most of the missiles were shot down.”
“Then we’ll have to fire more,” Reynolds advised.
Tactical laughed. “Now you’re talking my language.”
“Destroyers are on us, Captain,” Ria announced.
The SD Reynolds shuddered as if on cue.
The destroyers spread out and came at the superdreadnought from different angles, each trying to flank it and avoid coming at the ship head-on.
Reynolds chuckled. “They know about the ESD,” he commented. “They’re looking to dance around us.”
“You blame them?” Jiya asked, grinning.
“No, but it makes them look like chickenshits,” Reynolds countered. “Warm up the ESD a little, just enough to make sure they realize we’re arming it, Tactical.”
“I hope these captains are wearing their brown uniforms today.” Tactical would have smirked if he could have. “The ESD is cooking.”
“We’ve got a cruiser rising from the back side of the planet,” Asya advised.
“Then let’s get these destroyers out of here so we’re not playing tag with all of
them at once,” Reynolds commanded.
The ship trembled as more fire pounded the shields. Ria maneuvered the SD Reynolds about to bring the ESD into play…at least as far as the enemy believed.
Reynolds had no intention of firing the weapon and wasting it on the destroyers, but their fear of it offered a perfect tactical diversion. As long as they thought it would be deployed, the captains would be cautious. Reynolds could use that to his advantage.
“You’re right,” Tactical said a moment later. “The destroyers are turning with us, angling to stay on our flanks and away from our nose.”
“Target their likely locations based on our positional shifts, then,” Reynolds called. “Let’s see if we can’t walk them into something.”
Reynolds activated the ship’s comm and reached out to the inventor. “Takal, I want cloaked mines pumped out to the coordinates I provide.”
“On it,” Takal came back.
Railgun fire and cannon bursts streaked from the SD Reynolds as they turned, and the first of the destroyers moved directly into the deadly hail.
Its shields flared and flickered as Tactical poured it on, backing the onslaught up with missile fire. The enemy seemed to freeze in place, surprised at how easily Tactical had pinpointed their direction of motion, only allowing the assault to cause more damage.
In one aft section, the destroyer’s shields buckled and burned out. Railgun fire peppered the hull, spewing debris in a line across the armor. Then the missiles hit.
Explosions ripped across the destroyer’s hull, and the sudden volcano of atmosphere spewing from the ship was a clear sign of success.
“Direct hit,” Tactical called.
The AI personality targeted the downed shields and hammered the hull. A ripple of energy ran along the armor, splitting the ship in two as the accumulation of damage proved too much for the ship to handle.
A moment later, the destroyer was listing, the remainder of its shields fluttering as they died.
