Victory in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 6)

by D Patrick Wagner

  “Of course, Commander.”

  “Captain Kakkarna, for the charge of criminal insubordination, would you be willing to accept a plea of ‘guilty’?”

  “With her stripping of rank and removal from my ship, yes. I would accept that.”

  “Honorable Vidhee, would Clan Kaporine accept a plea of ‘guilty’ and a five solar cycle prison term from Sub-Captain Desinal?”

  “According to tradition, there would need to be a public shaming. Sub-Captain Desinal would need to go to trial before she pled guilty. Then the sentence would be passed.”

  “Where would she serve her term of incarceration?”

  “Since Clan Kaporine has relocated to Ballison, Sub-Captain Desinal would serve her sentence here, on Ballison. We would need to construct a prison for her.”

  “Why are we having this discussion about Sub-Captain Desinal, Commander Marston?”

  “We need captains, Captain Kakkarna. Except for her lack of loyalty, you have stated that Sub-Captain Desinal is a good officer and leader. I do not wish to offend, or in any way undermine your authority or laws, Honorable Vidhee. But, let me ask you this. If I could get Sub-Captain Desinal to plead guilty to all charges and accept a five-year prison term, would you postpone her incarceration until the ending of the Mortek-Human war?”

  “Are you thinking of giving her a ship? Betrayal should not be rewarded.”

  “And it won’t be, Captain.”

  “I understand, Krag,” Keiko interrupted. “We have captured many Mortek. We have created a prison on the planet Tolimar. Through Ballisonian technology, every Mortek is monitored every second of every day. Everything they say, every action they take is recorded and stored.”

  “Preceptor Igaklay is handling this?”

  “Yes, Honorable Vidhee. Each Mortek wears an unremovable collar containing a quant-com communicator and tracker. As Preceptor has done for hundreds of years for hundreds of thousands of Ballisonians, he will continuously monitor the Mortek which we have taken as prisoners of war.”

  “And, you are proposing this for Sub-Captain Desinal.”

  “Yes, Captain Kakkarna. Honorable Vidhee, once an Elonian has paid for his or her crime, is she a free being?”

  “Yes, Ambassador. Once the penalty has been paid, there are no more restrictions, penalties or constraints.”

  “But, she will still be ostracized from Clan Kaporine.”

  “That is correct, Ambassador.”

  “Captain Kakkarna, I know that you carry a great deal of anger towards the sub-captain. I offer this for thought. If Sub-Captain Desinal accepts this proposal, her immediate life will be one of war and possible death. If she survives this, she will still serve five years in prison. And she will still be ostracized from Clan Kaporine. The trade-off will be that she has a place to go, a place to live out her life.”

  “This is a discussion I will not have. If you are willing to accept responsibility and she will be severely shamed and punished, then you may have her. I want nothing more to do with that betrayer.”

  “When I return to Ballison, I will assume full responsibility, Captain Kakkarna.”

  “Good, Commander. I want her off my ship.”

  “Honorable Vidhee, have we violated any laws or offended you with this discussion?”

  “No, Ambassador Suzume. Negotiations like this occur all the time in legal cases. I might say that this is a good solution to a bad situation, if you can succeed in Sub-Captain Desinal accepting your proposal.”

  “The trial?”

  “I shall arrange a meeting with the Kaporine Elders to plan the trial.”

  “We will be there. Thank you, Honorable Vidhee.”

  Cencore, Mortek Shipyards

  First Administrator sat, slurping dissolved meat off a bone as he listened to First Commander. Setting the now-clean bone aside, he focused his attention on the fleet commander’s description.

  “Per the information and orders from War, we have realigned our formation into a defensive sphere. As commanded, the Cruisers are at the center, surrounded by destroyers and, finally, frigates.”

  “First Builder, where do we stand in the increased energy generators?”

  “My Leader, since the cruisers required the most expansion and they are the most valuable, we constructed and installed their additional fusion generators and capacitors first. We also increased the number of particle cannons by twenty-four percent. That is complete.”

  “The destroyers?”

  The additional generators and capacitors are installed and operational.”

  “Extra cannons?”

  “No, My Leader. We focused that effort on the cruisers. Although the destroyers do not have additional weaponry, the weaponry they possess can sustain their discharges much longer. Also, from the intelligence we received, their thicker armor can withstand the strange rockets longer.”

  “That is acceptable. Frigate status?”

  We have just begun the frigate additions. Because of their smaller size, we are not capable of installing large enough fusion generators or capacitors to allow for continuous beaming. However, their capabilities are greatly increased.”

  “Your efforts are acceptable, First Builder. Finish the upgrades to the frigates with all haste.”

  “Thank you, My Leader. It will be done.”

  “First Sensors, what have you done to increase our detection capabilities in locating these soft skin jump-ships?”

  “First Commander offered a suggestion which I agree with. If it pleases you, My Leader, I will defer to First Commander for the explanation.”

  “First Commander?”

  “In all cases, we have discovered that the soft skin jump-ship’s first arrival is at extreme distances. From there, they seem to be plotting their next jump sequences. It is our plan to discover them immediately upon their first arrival. This will allow us time to activate our defensive screen.”

  “How do you plan on doing this early warning?”

  We are using one of the lesser shipyards to construct sensor drones. Thousands of them. We will build a sphere of these drones at the outer edge of this star system. Then, no matter where the soft skin jump-ships arrive, we will have immediate knowledge. That, in turn, will notify our defenses and the grid will be activated.”

  “That sounds plausible.”

  “Further, My Leader, this allows us to keep our ships on standby with fully charged capacitors for when the soft skins do arrive.”

  “Excellent thinking, First Commander. I assume that, since we do not have the personnel required to man our fleet, all this is computerized. Is that correct?”

  ”Yes, My Leader. All the control computers in all of the fleet are slaved to the master A.I. on my flag ship. Since the fleet has been maneuvered into its defensive sphere, the Avenging Fury possesses more than enough computing power to handle the weaponry of the entire fleet.”

  “The sooner we form our sphere and distribute our sensor grid, the sooner we will be protected against the soft skin threat. Get it done, First Commander. With all due haste.”

  “I live to serve, My Leader.”

  Chapter 10

  Aboard Griffin, Atlantius

  “You know, Krag, I don’t think I will ever get used to being in one system then, blink, I’m in another.”

  “It’s a new day, Keiko.”

  “That it is.”

  “Did you find Fairstar?”

  “Yes. She’s laying off Jewel of the Stars. I see her shuttle returning to her bay.”

  “Igaklay, take a dive into Jewel. Tell me what you see.”

  It took less than three seconds for Igaklay to access Jewel’s systems and evaluate their worthiness.

  “Jewel of the stars appears ready to power out of the system, Captain.”

  “Thank you, Igaklay. Griffin Actual contacting Fairstar Actual,” Krag spoke into the air, knowing that Igaklay would handle the quant-com communications.

  “Ahoy, Commander.”

  “How
are your passengers?”

  “About what you would expect after a three-day shore leave. Pounding headaches. Some tossed their cookies. Nothing major.”

  “Did you get them on board Jewel?”

  “Yup. Just finished. We’re stowing the shuttle, now.”

  “What about Mrs. Bailey?”

  “She’s a tough one. So’s her husband. They’re in better shape than most of the crew.”

  “Good to know. Then, you don’t think that those two will have any problems jumping to Ballison?”

  “Not a bit, Hawk.”

  “I’ll head on over there now. Do you still have Pilot Rizzman aboard?”

  “Yes. Even with his headache, he’s antsy for his new ride.”

  “Leave him on Jewel. Once we get Galactic Express powered up, he can play on his new ship.”

  “Will do. See you in a bit. Out.”

  “Gopai?”

  “Stay sharp. No twitchy fingers.”

  “You got it, Vassal. Keiko, you have the bridge.”

  “I have the bridge.”

  “Igaklay, keep us safe.”

  “I will! That is why I am Griffin’s protector.”

  “And you do it very well. Gopai, stay at your station. Take over sensor duties. Keep scanning. I don’t want any surprises.”

  “At your command, Captain.”

  With everyone set to a task, Krag headed to the Captain’s Quarters which he shared with Keiko. After donning his rarely worn mag-grav liner and Captain’s overalls, he headed to the cargo bay, where he climbed into his hazardous environment suit and gear. While finishing, Tribune Ambakai approached.

  “My Commander, do you have need of us?”

  “Good idea. Just you, though. Suit up. You will need your magnetic boots. We don’t have gravity in Jewel, yet. I want to bring back our guardsmen and marines.”

  Krag waited for the Elonian Tribune to finish his preparation then the two of them passed through the pressure hatch and jetted over to Jewel of the Stars.

  Once aboard, the two made their way to the bridge. As they passed through the passageways and open rooms, they saw many of the hundred new crewmen performing their tasks of learning about their new ship. Reaching the bridge’s hatch, Krag halted.

  Eyeing Senior Pilot Liam Overman, the Captain of Griffin requested, “Permission to come aboard.”

  “Permission granted,” The now Captain of Jewel of the Stars Responded.

  Approaching, Krag and Tribune Ambakai joined Liam in viewing the three-dimensional hologram of the huge cruise liner.

  “In her day, this was one magnificent ship, Commander.”

  “She will be, again, Captain. How are you coming in getting your crew squared away?”

  “Commander Kelly knows his people. He picked a good crew. Well rounded. Every system is covered. Give us a day and we will be ready to go.”

  “Have you received the jump drive?”

  “Just this morning. We’re installing it now. Well, a couple of Preceptor Igaklay’s robot mechanics are installing it.”

  “Let’s have a look.”

  As the three exited the bridge, Liam commented, “The lifts are working. Seeing how big this girl is, I don’t admire the ones who first came on board and needed to hike her.”

  “Wait until you get the gravity generators. You will think you’ve gone to heaven.”

  “Yeah. We all experienced the real thing on Fairstar. None of us can wait.”

  Reaching the lifts, they entered and exited on the engineering deck. Walking between the nine massive fusion generators, they reached the very stern of the ship. There, they saw the two multi-armed robots floating around a cylinder larger than Griffin’s cargo bay.

  “Igaklay, how are we doing with Jewel’s jump drive?”

  In response, one of the robots floated over to a large tool container, pulled a data pad from a side pocket and floated over to Krag.

  “Don’t give that to me, Igaklay. That’s Captain Overman’s.”

  The robot changed its target and floated over to Jewel of the Stars’ new Captain. Holding out one of its eight arms it waited for Overman to take the tablet.

  Looking at it, Liam, Krag and Ambakai saw a large, round, red icon covering almost the entire screen. In its center, in large white letters were displayed, ‘Press Here’.”

  “Igaklay has a sense of humor, Liam.”

  “An A.I. with a sense of humor.”

  “That would be a moon sized A.I.,” everyone heard as Mack, Sue and Buster came around a generator and joined the group.

  Both Mack and Sue held their helmets under arms while Sue pulled off her gloves.

  “I hate these things. Igaklay, you definitely need to get me a better H.E. suit.”

  “I did, Sue,” everyone heard through their wrist quant-coms

  The same floating robot which delivered the tablet returned to its tool container, extracted a shoebox sized case and flew over to Sue. Holding out its manipulator, it waited for Sue to take the case.

  She did. Flipping a latch, she opened it and pulled out a belt with something that resembled a pouch.

  “What is this?”

  “It’s your new hazardous environment suit!”

  “Really.”

  “Yes, Really! Take off your current suit and put on the belt!”

  “I’m not wearing anything underneath but my liner. I’m not going to strip in front of all these people.”

  “Oh.” The dejection in Igaklay’s voice came through.

  “Oh, alright. But, if anyone of you so much as stares, even a little bit, well, don’t you dare.”

  “Nah, Lassie. We’re all gentlemen here. We won’t”

  “All, except one, Wrenchy. Not a word.”

  “You wound me, Love.”

  The three human men and one Elonian looked everywhere except at Sue’s body as she stripped down to her mag-grav liner and put on the pouch belt.

  “Now what?”

  “You have four buttons on the buckle. They are set so that only Den Griffin can activate them. Can you feel them?”

  Now, everyone stared at Sue’s midsection and the belt buckle. Sue began chewing her lip while her cheeks reddened.

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. Press the button second from the right.”

  “My right or yours?”

  “Your right, Mz. Sue.”

  She did. She jumped and tried to look behind her.

  “What’s happening? I can feel something crawling on my back!”

  “Please relax, Mz. Sue. Those are nanites. Just wait. You will love it!”

  The men watched as dark blue nanites swarmed over Sue’s body, covering every square micrometer except for her hands, feet and head. Once they achieved their covering, they reformed into a jumpsuit, complete with the Griffin patch on her right shoulder.

  “That’s a mighty fine-looking jump suit, Lassie. I’m liking the curves.”

  “Well, I’m not, Wrenchy. Igaklay, can you loosen it up a bit?”

  Everyone watched as the form-fitting jumpsuit lost some of its contours and hung a little looser.

  “Is that better, Mz. Sue?”

  “Yes, Igaklay. Much better.”

  “Don’t you like it? Didn’t I say that you would love it?”

  “I do really like it, Igaklay. But I can’t go into space with it.”

  “Wait! Press the next button to the left!”

  Sue pressed the button. This time, the nanites flowed over her hands and feet, leaving her head all that remained uncovered.

  “Okay. Booties and gloves. Nice and tight. Leave them that way.”

  Sue held her hands out and flexed her fingers, making fists, stretching them out and repeating the motions.

  “Very good. Very easy.”

  “Sue reached over and touched Mack’s stubbly cheek.

  “I can feel through them. Mack, you need a shave.”

  “We’ve been busy, Love. Smooth as a baby’s bottom tonight.”

&nb
sp; “This is very interesting, Igaklay. Where are you going with this?”

  “Just one more step, Oh, Captain. The coup-de-gras.”

  “Coup-de-gras?” where did you pick that up?”

  “Is that the right term, commander? The final blow?”

  “Yes, Igaklay. That is the correct term. So, show us your coup-de-gras.”

  Again, the robot floated over to the tool container, only to return, this time carrying a harness of two cylinders separated by a rectangular box. It angled to Sue and held out the pack.

  Sue took it, stuck her arms through the straps and buckled the rig to her back. Seeing a control dangle, she grabbed it.

  “This is a combination gravity pack and recycler. You must be wearing this before you press the last button, Mz. Sue.”

  “Okay.”

  “Also, the nanites need to return to their original configuration. I apologize, but that is needed for suit integrity. That way, the suit is pressurized and heated. Also, once the pack is mounted, it automatically attaches to the suit, supplying everything you need to survive in space.”

  “The recycler. How long does it last?”

  “The entire harness runs on dark matter, Captain Overman. Its collection rate is slower than the consumption rate. If Mz. Sue remains still and breathes normally, it should sustain her for about eleven days.”

  “Eleven days. Unbelievable.”

  “Nah, Captain. Just Ballisonian science. Iggy’s big brain.”

  “Now what, Igaklay?”

  “Now, you press the fourth button.”

  Sue did. More nanites crawled up her neck, face and hair. She jumped again. This time she squeaked, forcefully restraining herself from brushing the ant-like feeling from her face. Once they stabilized, they formed a new shape, one which matched the shape of Sue’s head, but air-gapped. A clear window materialized across her eyes.

  “Very creepy, Igaklay.”

  “Do you like it? How does it feel?”

  “It’s creepy, Igaklay. It feels like I am wearing a plastic mask.”

  “Nanites, Mz. Sue. Now, you are ready for space! You can go out and float around!”

  “That’s not going to happen, Igaklay. I’ll try it first.”

  “Nah, Cap. You’re a dirtsider. I’m the space baby. You said so, yourself. No one’s going to play with Iggy’s new suit but me.”