Then there was Sadrona, the other Tri-Axis officer. She was one of only two female Solveron tactical experts. And, as was the case with most Solverons, Helen found difficulty in covertly reading her mind as Solverons seemed to be able to sense her mental touches.
Last, but not least, David Patterson, who was an attractive young man, casually dressed in light blue slacks and a white top with an emblem of a nucleus on its left shoulder.
She mentally probed David’s memory looking for areas that stored his personal information, and soon found the color pattern that denoted that location.
To a pure mentalist, most areas of the human brain would appear as colored segments. Each color representing the type of memory, which made searching through someone’s mind surprisingly easy.
Helen noted that David’s parents were on the Illustrious. His father was Captain Patterson, and his mother, Ensign Lopez. It seemed that David was conceived onboard, well before the end of the Garoden war.
Single was Helen’s last extraction before withdrawing from his mind.
David looked at her. “Did you get all you needed,” he politely asked.
Even though Helen was a little surprised that David had felt her intrusion, she didn’t directly answer him having already decided that she would like to spend some time with him before leaving the HQ complex.
Admiral Hartington turned to Helen.
“Young lady, can you throw any light on the reason for a covert meeting, between Captain Adams on Intrepid and a Solveron vessel?”
“Are we really in a dead zone, Admiral?”
“Naturally. This area is continually swept for listening devices etcetera.”
“Very well then Admiral. Simply put, tactics, and a bit of luck,” Helen replied. Then, decided to wait for the next question before adding to her reply.
“There must be a plan in there somewhere?” Sadrona queried. The communiqué from Captain Sitrea the 7th was extremely vague on the reason for an unsanctioned meeting.”
“Very well. Intrepid and your Solveron vessel met with Alex to discuss how they could recapture the Invincible’s group. That is all I’m prepared to say at this moment in time.” Helen firmly stated.
“How?” Sadrona asked, showing signs of frustration.
“Don’t ask again,” Helen snapped at her.
“It’s rumored that Frank and Susanna have met Charlotte. Is that true?” Admiral Tripicac asked, changing the subject slightly.
“It seems so, Admiral Tripicac,” Helen politely answered, knowing that her parents treated him as a friend.
“So, err…. Helen,” Hartington said, speaking slowly. “Alex is setting up some sort of action that may or may not be successful…. Andromeda is off doing something, but we have no idea what…. And, to cap it all, the powers that be have requested a section of the Galactic Navy to be ready for battle at a moment’s notice.”
“Admiral, I’ve seen Alex’s request in the communiqué, and if Alex and Carina have a designated location in mind, they must be fairly certain that that is where you should be.”
“But Helen, surely you can see we are worried?” David ventured. “We’re blind as to where we might be hit next. And, all of us, including the Crillons and the Solverons, can’t keep losing ships without any losses on the other side.”
“We understand that. But, you’ve all seen how mentally strong Charlotte’s offspring are,” Helen said, then paused a moment before continuing.
“Go up against them on your own, you would lose every time,” Helen cautioned them.
“Unfortunately, you are right,” Admiral Hartington acknowledged.
“Then, has this meeting ended?” Admiral Tripicac asked.
“It seems so,” Sadrona said.
“Agreed. We can go no further today,” Hartington stated.
With that, the meeting broke up.
“David,” Helen called out to the young man. “Take a drink with me, please.”
Even though she wasn’t quite seventeen, Helen acted like a twenty-year-old with all the desires and aspirations that went with it. She also enjoyed dressing in tight-fitting simulated leather one-piece garments that clung to her shapely body as if they were a second skin. And, had built a reputation for using men for her own gratification.
David studied Helen for a moment. “Okay, I’d like that. As long as that’s all it is.”
Helen smiled at him, thinking, Drinks to start with. But you’re mine till midnight.
Chapter 19
Rendezvous
Gerry was feeling annoyed. They were still waiting for this other ship to rendezvous with Ronin, and the longer they waited, the more impatient Gerry felt. He wanted to move on and meet these Varons.
“Ronin. Any contact yet?”
“None yet, Captain,” Ronin answered. Having left the control interface again, the sphere was now drifting around aimlessly.
“Whoever they are they’ll be here soon, Gerry,” Cindy stated, feeling sure the ship was now underway.
“Ah, I have an update, Captain…. One hour fifteen minutes,” Ronin told them. “You might as well continue with what you were doing to each other.”
“It has to be spontaneous, Ronin. It’s not obligatory.”
“In my time, humans were decent enough to use the ship’s boudoir.”
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what on earth is a boudoir?”
“An ancient term for a private room, or suite of rooms for upper-class women,” Cindy said smiling.
“And of course, you’d know all about that wouldn’t you,” Gerry snapped, but more at himself for forgetting what the word meant.
“Ouch, that hurt.”
“Do you wish to visit the room?” Ronin interjected.
“Why not? Let’s see if it’s worthy of us,” Gerry replied, and almost immediately felt giddy, then his eyes closed, and he blanked out for a second.
Then Gerry opened his eyes and found himself standing next to Cindy in an exotically decorated room with lots of red and orange colors incorporated in the design.
Looking around, he could see that the room was full of luxurious furnishings, comfortable looking seating, expensive drapes, and an oversized bed, he noted.
“Wow!” Gerry exclaimed.
“I’ve never seen this level of splendor in my time…. We must have lost it over the hundred or so intervening years,” Cindy ventured.
“How did Ronin transfer us here without pulling us to pieces?” Gerry wondered out loud.
“Probably a migration tube,” Cindy suggested.
“Never heard of it,” he replied, turning to look at Cindy.
“It was old technology in my time. But, you could compare it with one of your micro-jump wormholes.”
“Best not,” Gerry said, having decided not to get involved with the physics employed, or the fact that humans wouldn’t be able to survive the journey through one.
“Well, Gerry, we might as well enjoy ourselves while we can,” Cindy said, as she moved over to the bed, sat down and beckoned him over.”
One hour fifteen minutes later, the Andromeda exited warp, three kilometers out from Ronin’s port side.
Frank was surprised that Andromeda hadn’t sounded the contact alarm, and that the central control room screen was blank. Then, both he and Susanna felt Ronin’s mental contact.
Welcome, Frank and Susanna, came a human-sounding voice in their minds, albeit with a strange accent. Since I didn’t have a name, only a number, I have been given the name of Ronin by my Captain, Gerry Stevens.
Frank remembered hearing the name from way back. Remembering that Gerry Stevens’s name had come up during the last few days of the Garoden war when Andromeda was receiving support from the Caspian.
Apparently, Gerry was one of the elite pilots out of the technical flight training center, who had won the medal of honor for his quick reaction in saving the damaged service vessel Caspian, which was being boarded by Garoden Troopers at the time.
Interesting that St
evens didn’t seem to be on this out-of-time vessel, Frank thought.
Then Ronin was back in their minds again.
Although I can supply virtually all your needs, please collect any comfort items you may wish to take with you, now. The transfer will take place at the location your ship will be in, in ten ship minutes time. And, from the control room. But please stay well away from the center of the room.
What about Andromeda, and my Marines? Frank asked.
They will be safe here in your ship… I will return you both to your vessel upon completion of our mission. Please be ready to leave at the designated time, Ronin instructed.
Frank wanted to see what this Ronin’s ship looked like, but there was only a hazy image on the main screen, and Frank knew that, at this distance, without image zoom, any visual detail would be lost.
“Andromeda, can you scan that ship?”
“No. Its surface is preventing me from scanning by dispersing my sensor returns. It seems that the ship simply doesn’t want to be probed.”
Andromeda paused a moment. Then said, “I’ve been instructed to park 200 meters from the ship. I’ve also managed to compile a composite visual image, which I am downloading to the main screen now, Frank.”
Both were flabbergasted as the image of a sinuous looking light blue vessel filled the main screen.
“Some ship,” Frank commented as he and Susanna took in its details.
“Beautiful,” Susanna stated.
Ronin’s ship was large and elegant. With its textured surface giving the appearance of waves of light blue slowly flowing across its hull.
Close to the rear of the ship and held by metal bands, a sizeable pulsing honey-comb patterned, and spherically shaped section could be seen. This mesmerized one’s brain for a moment, as its pulse-rate appeared to change each time a person looked at it.
Around the hull, dozens of small honey-combed, weapon-like blisters dotted the surface. Giving a hint of colossal power to the ship.
“Come on Frank. We haven’t time to waste,” Susanna urged.
“Okay,” Frank said as they both started putting clothing, toiletries, tactical pads, and various other high-tech items that might be needed to protect themselves, in a transit bag. Then quickly went back to the control room, making sure they kept well away from the room’s central area, as ordered by Ronin.
Frank then used his transceiver implant as a comms link to talk to Thomas.
“Not sure how long we’ll be away, Thomas. So, Andromeda’s in your hands.”
“Probably the other way around,” Thomas jokingly returned.
“True enough,” Frank agreed then turned his attention back to Susanna.
“I reckon it would have been better if Thomas’s marines could have had a double shot of brain cells before Charlotte pounced on us,” Frank commented to Sues. Then looked to see how much time was left before this Ronin did whatever was needed to transfer them to his ship.
Susanna immediately called Andromeda.
“Yes, Susanna?”
“Can you get one of your medical droids to give Thomas’s Marines a cell injection.”
“Will do, straight away.”
“Thanks.”
“I thought we couldn’t replicate these cells anymore?” Frank queried.
“Not exactly true. You weren’t supposed to know that the replicator in the corridor was a fake.”
“So, when you said that I wasn’t supposed to hear Andromeda’s statement. Was that to make sure Charlotte thought the replicator was genuine?”
“Exactly. Especially as Charlotte would have been more likely to go through your mind than mine.”
“I guess you’re right, Sues.”
“I am. But, since this is the last we’ll see of Charlotte. Then it’s only fair that you now know the reason for my silence.”
Right on time, an almost borderless, one-point five-meter wormhole established in the now empty central area of the control room.
Moments later, a long cylinder-shaped capsule slid out and hovered for a few seconds, while arcs of energy crackled between its hull and the control room’s metal floor.
Once the capsule was electrically safe, it settled on the floor and a section along one side of the capsule dissolved.
Please enter, Ronin instructed.
“What? Into that?” Frank asked, wondering just how they would both fit inside, with their personal items.
There is plenty of room for both of you, and your luggage, Ronin sent.
Frank noted that Ronin’s statement seemed to have a sense of urgency about it.
Both Susanna and Frank ducked, as they entered the cylinder carrying their transit bags.
The cylinder was just an empty shell.
“Awkward,” Susanna muttered, finding nowhere to sit and not being sure about what to do next.
Suddenly, both felt giddy, and blackness filled their minds.
Chapter 20
CR37
Although somewhat restricted, Commodore Jack Earhart was thankful that the distraction of the embedded holographic images of the Lords Garth and Tara had gone from his mind now. And he was confident that it would be the same for all three Earth ship’s crews.
Earhart studied his main screen’s tactical display, which was showing schematics and data on the three brand-new Crillon Battlecruisers that had come out of Tapin’s Starship construction facilities on Crilla’s moon.
The Commodore knew the schematics and data had been stolen and wondered how. He assumed there had to be some sort of surveillance and data gathering drone at the shipyard. Or, maybe there was a Crillon, who had had his allegiance covertly converted so wouldn’t even be aware that he was spying on the Crillon Navy and sending sensitive information to Lord Garth.
Either way, Earhart’s command of the heavy Cruiser Invincible, hadn’t changed. And, Invincible’s group of five ships would soon be dropping out of Hyperspace to intercept this group of Crillon ships designated as CR37.
Earhart could hardly wait.
Furthermore, Lord Tara hadn’t risked making Earhart and his crews entirely subservient to her and her brother Lord Garth, after realizing that any further level of control would diminish the ships crews fighting instincts. And more importantly, could increase the risk of losing hard gained vessels, due to the likelihood of her inadvertently meddling with the crew’s minds at critical times.
Commodore Earhart roughly knew how this type of mind control worked, from attending Captain Richardson’s lectures.
If Earhart or any of his crew, deviated from an embedded set of things they were banned from thinking about or doing, then they would get a mental prod, to keep them on the straight and narrow. Earhart had already experienced that part of both Tara and Garth’s mind control, and he didn’t like it at all.
Earhart also knew that, even if he and Captain Carpenter could somehow manage to overcome Lord Tara’s control, his bridge crew still wouldn’t be any help to them. He could see it in his crew’s faces, they had no other thought in their minds than to obey their new masters.
He and Captain Carpenter were the only ones with the special brain cells. And, he was sure that was the only reason why he could even think about retaking control of Invincible, without a mental prod accompanying his every thought.
Even so, he knew it was only a pipe-dream, as he would never be able to take any action against Lord Tara without his mind being scrambled.
The exit warning sounded, and Invincible’s group moved to full battle-ready mode as the exit point rapidly approached.
Even though warp exit was relatively painless compared to warp entry, Commodore Jack Earhart braced himself, as he tapped the ‘flip’ tab on his main tactical display. And the schematics and data for the three Crillon Battle-Cruisers that his group was expected to engage were instantly replaced by the predicted location of the ships on exit.
“Shields at fifty percent on exit,” he ordered, trusting the Crillon Commanders wouldn’t feel as if they w
ere under imminent threat from the sudden arrival of Earhart’s group of ships.
Five... four... three... two… one… zero.
Then, everything around them foreshortened, and their stomachs compressed, as Earhart’s group plunged into normal-space amid the din of contact alarms.
The crew felt disorientated for a few seconds. But they knew that the automated systems were active and would have automatically commenced weapons fire if needed.
“Feed me info,” Earhart commanded his crew and AIs.
“Sensor grids confirm it is CR37 Commodore,” Science officer Curry informed.
“Data corrected on your screens,” he added.
“Engage Criton,” Captain Carpenter ordered Invincible’s tactical AI.
“Establishing Criton,” the AI returned.
Criton, the real-time holographic tactical sphere, then established itself in the central area of the bridge. And, as before, all ship placements around a central reference point for the Invincible, were displayed within the sphere.
Earhart knew he’d have to be patient while he waited for Lord Garth and Lord Tara to finish, as they frantically tried to mentally convert and control CR37’s captains and crews.
Earhart also had to be ultra-careful not to broadcast his thoughts, and risk Lord Tara becoming suspicious. Or Tara would then realize that the Invincible’s security AI was monitoring events and passing any relevant information back to the Navy’s central intelligence and tactical HQ on Earth, as well as the Galactic Navy’s HQ.
Galactic War Page 9