by C H Gideon
“I did, indeed,” the AI replied. “Looks to me like you’ve tied your two societies together.”
“That’s precisely what we’ve done,” Shal Ura stated. “Now that the Orau threat is gone, we decided it would be best to reconcile with our brothers and sisters and connect our worlds, as they always should have been.”
“Seems you succeeded, if the grin on Lek’s face is any indication,” Jiya teased.
“It’s nice not having to sneak into Ocelora to visit family,” Lek told them. “Now I simply ride the tube over, and no one tries to shoot me. Well, no one but my ex-wife.” He laughed.
Reynolds grinned. “And how about the people on Krokus 1? How are they progressing?”
“We’re in regular contact with them, and they’re doing well. They’re prospering, at their own pace,” Roe explained with a grin. “Colonel Raf and his people helped them get situated and built them a better outpost to live in, and we send regular supplies to them to keep them healthy and fed. Beyond that, they are building their own lives out there, happy and content and free from the damaging influences of the Orau invaders.”
“That’s good to hear,” Reynolds replied.
“Speaking of damaging influences,” Shal Ura started, “Colonel Raf noted the condition of your craft. Is there anything we can do to help with repairs?”
“Appreciate that, but we mostly need a place to lay low while we repair it and make plans,” Reynolds explained. “We’ve stirred up some shit, and we need a few days to figure out our next move.”
“Then you have it,” Roe assured them. “You’re welcome here for as long as you want to stay.”
“And if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask, Reynolds,” Shal Ura told the AI. “We’re in your debt.”
Reynolds shook his head. “Not at all, but we are grateful for the kindness. We’ll stay out of the way while we fix our ship and scheme,” the AI said with a laugh. “You won’t even know we’re here.”
“Absolutely unnecessary,” Roe replied. “We’re happy to have you, and we can entertain your crew while you work to repair your ship. We have plenty of room to transfer over as many of them as you want while you’re here.”
“That’s very generous of you,” the AI told her. “We’ll likely take you up on the offer. Most of the crew rarely get a chance to leave the ship since our stops are usually fairly short. They’d be delighted.”
“Then consider it done,” Shal Ura confirmed.
Reynolds nodded his thanks.
“It’s probably best we be off to get to work, but we’ll coordinate the transportation of our crew to the city at your convenience,” the AI told the pair. “And if you need anything, please, let us know. We’re happy to provide anything we can in return for your kindness.”
The presidents thanked them, and Reynolds and the crew returned to the Reynolds to prepare for their next encounter.
There was simply too much to do for the primary crew to lounge around now that they had Phraim-’Eh in their sights.
That evening, once all the arrangements between the ship and the Krokans had been finalized, Reynolds summoned his crew to a meeting room to discuss their plans.
Jiya strolled in first, along with Geroux and Asya. Takal joined them a short while later, setting a small computer down on the table in front of him. Ka’nak and Maddox dragged in last and plopped into seats.
Reynolds stood at the head of the table, looking at the crew as they settled in. Cups of Jiya’s favorite coffee littered the table.
The AI figured they might need the caffeine.
“Now that we’ve finally gotten the chance to sit down and discuss things, what do you think of our enemy?” Reynolds asked.
“Speaking for myself, he doesn’t look like any god I’ve ever imagined,” Jiya admitted. “Of course, him flying in with a fleet of thirteen ships didn’t exactly instill awe, either. What kind of god needs that many warships to make himself feel good?”
“He’s overcompensating for something if you ask me.” Asya chuckled.
“A small godhood?” Ka’nak asked, laughing.
“Kind of what I was thinking,” Reynolds told them. “He’s hiding behind a hell of a lot of firepower for a guy passing himself off as a deity.”
“That doesn’t make him any less dangerous, though,” Maddox said. “Thirteen are a lot of ships.”
“Only nine now,” Jiya corrected, “but I realize that doesn’t change much. It’s still a lot of ships to face off against.”
“Ships we can now track, and which remain in orbit around Hajh,” Takal grinned. “I’ve examined the tracer rounds, and while many of them were cleaned off or deactivated by the automatic repair systems of the Godhand, over thirty are still active.”
Takal opened his computer and turned it around so everyone could see it.
“I took a moment to better adapt the tracer rounds after our first failure at using them when I realized I could do more than simply trace them,” he said. “I implanted small scanners, which emit pulses too low and infrequent to be detected.”
“To what end?” Reynolds asked.
“They will give us snippets of intelligence regarding the fleet above and beyond their location,” Takal explained. “Because they are pulsed to avoid being found, the updates will not be in real time or even consistent, but it might provide us with information regarding their efforts and actions while we prepare to face them again.
“And since we used Gulg technology to craft them, they will continue to transmit their locations, no matter where in the universe the Godhand travels.”
“Speaking of the Gulg,” Reynolds interrupted. “Has Xyxl approached his people with our request yet?”
“He has, and they have agreed,” Takal answered.
“Excellent.” Reynolds rubbed his hands together diabolically. “And the coding?”
“We’ve had a breakthrough, but it’s premature to say the process is complete,” the inventor went on. “Geroux and I will work on it more while we await Xyxl, but I believe it will only be a matter of weeks before it is fully functional.”
“We don’t have weeks,” Reynolds reminded him. “I need you to push harder and get the program done, Takal.”
“I’ll do what I can.” The inventor climbed out of his seat. “Speaking of which, I should get back to it.”
Reynolds nodded, and Takal left to return to his work.
“So, what’s our next move, boss?” Jiya asked. “We going to wait here until we’re ready to take Phraim-’Eh on again?”
The AI shook his head. “We won’t be prepared to face down all of Phraim-’Eh’s ships until Xyxl and Takal come through.”
“Then we’re staying put?” Asya asked.
“Nope,” Reynolds told her. “We’ve got Phraim-’Eh’s people scrambling, and part of the mission is to eradicate all of the Kurtherian influence he’s introduced to the universe. I think we keep the old god on his toes and hit the next target in line. As long as we know where Phraim-’Eh’s ships are, we can lash out at his holdings with impunity.”
The crew agreed.
“Once the ship is fully repaired, we’ll head out,” Reynolds said. “Who’s up for a game of Whack-A-Cultist?”
Chapter Seventeen
The repairs were finalized two days later, and Reynolds and the crew said their goodbyes to the Krokans, promising to return soon.
Once that was done, they set off again, returning to space and Gating through to the final cult installation on their list, Suri.
Alarms sounded as soon as they entered open space above the planet.
“No sneaking up on folks here,” Asya said. “They clocked us the second we exited the Gate, Captain. We’ve got four destroyers headed our way already, weapons armed.”
“No hails,” Comm reported.
“How rude,” Reynolds replied, shaking his head. “The least they can do is say hi before they try to fuck us. Dinner would be nice, too.”
“They’re serving up a meal o
f hot lead, from the looks of it,” Tactical said. “Although I have to question why they’re firing already when they aren’t in range yet.”
Reynolds looked at the screen and confirmed what his other personality was saying. The enemy ships had already engaged the SD Reynolds, despite not being close enough to have any accuracy or do any damage.
What few shots did reach the ship were easily deflected by the gravitic shields, the blows not even testing their integrity.
“Maybe Phraim-’Eh’s got them all riled up,” Jiya suggested. “The shithead might not be that scary to us, but he sure seems to whip his converts into a frenzy everywhere we go.”
Reynolds nodded absently, but he wasn’t sure that was the case here. Something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Scan the planet,” he ordered. “Let me know what’s going on down there.”
“These seem to be the only ships they have that are big enough to threaten us,” Jiya replied after a short pause. “There’s a large installation down there, a lot of people and equipment, but it’s not geared up like Rolant was. I’m only pinpointing a tiny fraction of the AA installations we faced down there.”
“And none of them are even trying to target us, if my readings are correct,” Maddox added.
“You think we have them spooked?” Asya asked. “We have been hitting these guys hard for months now, and even more so lately.”
Reynolds shrugged, but he felt there was something to Asya’s theory.
“Let’s find out,” he suggested. “I want to Gate in and hit them from the flank. Let’s test their mettle.”
“Setting coordinates,” Ria replied. “Done,” she added a moment later.
“Do it,” Reynolds commanded.
The SD Reynolds Gated and appeared off the starboard side of the rearmost destroyer. Ria brought the superdreadnought right up on top of the enemy ship, and Tactical let loose.
He pounded the ship with railgun fire to soften its shields and followed up with missiles.
Caught off-guard, the destroyer veered off the wrong way, leaving it in the line of fire longer than it would have been had it turned the opposite direction. It left its weak-shield side vulnerable for far too long without reinforcing it.
Reynolds saw panic in the motion, and the destroyer paid for it with every life aboard.
Explosions tore up the side of the enemy ship, cracking its hull and blasting pieces of its armored shell into space. Its guts hemorrhaged and spewed its air into space in giant, frothing vents.
The ship broke along the lines where Tactical had struck it, and the two halves of the destroyer tumbled away, out of control, forever to be entombed in the cold of space.
The rest of the ships swung wide, making an effort to turn about and face the SD Reynolds, but it was a lazy effort and half-assed. They weren’t in any mood to rush now that they had seen their companion ship blown away.
“I guess there’s a limit to people’s fanaticism,” Jiya commented.
“Staring down the barrel of the loaded gun of their leader all the time is stressful,” Maddox said. “After a while, I can imagine folks just want an end to it. Sometimes that manifests in them charging in and taking their chances. Other times, they realize the futility of it all and put their hands up and surrender or simply run away.”
“Let’s find out which type of people these are,” Reynolds ordered. “Hail the lead ship, Comm. Let’s see if they’ll reply.”
Several long moments passed, Reynolds believing the enemy would rather face their fate than talk, and then Comm’s voice rang out.
“I’ve got the commander of the Stark on the line,” Comm announced.
“Put him through,” Reynolds said.
An older soldier appeared on the screen. His hair was trimmed perfectly, and the slim mustache on his upper lip was manicured into what was almost a perfectly straight line.
Reynolds noted the shine of his regalia and the crispness of his uniform as he appraised the soldier, but his face didn’t match the spotless image he portrayed.
He looked tired and worn, and it wasn’t until he spoke that Reynolds realized the captain really wasn’t all that old. He was simply beaten down and exhausted.
“I am Captain Frair Rom of the Stark,” he said. His voice was neutral, but there was no vigor to it. “You have intruded upon his Eternal Majesty Phraim-’Eh’s territory. You are advised to turn about immediately, or we will be forced to destroy you.”
“How’d that work out for the fourth member of your fleet?” Reynolds fired back, meeting the captain’s gaze and holding it. “We can send you to join him if you like.”
The captain swallowed visibly and ran a nervous hand across his clean-shaved chin. “You cannot frighten us, Captain Reynolds,” Rom assured the AI, but Reynolds didn’t believe a fucking word the guy said.
“If that’s the case, why haven’t you and your ships come at us again?” he challenged. “You clearly know who we are, since I didn’t introduce myself but you said my name. That being the case, you know damn well your master wants us dead, so why are you offering us an out?”
“Phraim-’Eh’s fleet is still parked above Hajh,” Tactical reported in his ear. “If this guy is hoping for the cavalry to swoop in and rescue him, he’s shit outta luck.”
Reynolds acknowledged Tactical with the barest of nods.
“This is your last opportunity,” Rom warned, straightening and doing his best to glare menacingly into the camera.
“How about I counter your generous offer with one of my own?” the AI asked. “We both know damn well your master is camped out at Hajh, and he’s not coming to save your asses. By the time he gets here, there will be nothing left of you or your outpost except crispy bits and ashes.”
Reynolds let the threat sink in for a moment before continuing.
“Or…you can surrender and live,” Reynolds finished, the offer simple and to the point.
The captain continued to stare at Reynolds as if incapable of speaking.
“Guess we’re doing this the hard way, then.”
Reynolds motioned to Ria. “Ensign Alcott, bring us about so we can blow these fools away up close and personal.”
“Yes, sir!” Ria cried.
Jiya stifled a grin at the young ensign’s excitement. A message scrolled across her station, advising her to ignore the order but to act as if she were complying.
“Targeting the lead ship,” Tactical announced, doing exactly that, knowing the captain would know otherwise.
There was little more than a heartbeat of silence before the Stark’s captain broke it.
“Forgive me, Lord,” he whispered barely loud enough for anyone to hear, eyes downcast. Then he braved a look up and met Reynolds’ gaze again. “I surrender,” he said. “We surrender,” he corrected.
The captain turned to an officer Reynolds couldn’t see offscreen.
“Advise the fleet to stand down,” Captain Rom said before turning back to Reynolds.
Fleet?
The AI wiped away his grin before the captain saw it.
I’d hardly call three ships a fleet, but I’ll let the guy have his moment of vanity. What can it hurt?
“Weapons are going offline,” Asya reported. “As are their shields.”
“This feel a little too easy to anyone else?” Tactical asked, muting the channel so Captain Rom couldn’t hear him.
“It does seem a little abrupt,” XO admitted.
“Then again,” Jiya added, “we have been leaving all sorts of cultists’ bodies in our wake.”
Reynolds unmuted the channel and stared at the captain. “If you’re serious about surrendering, here are our terms.”
The AI gave the captain a moment to balk, but instead, he only nodded.
“You will abandon your ships and return to the planet, leaving them behind to be destroyed.”
Reynolds paused again, and although the captain was visibly shaken by what he’d been told, he didn’t conte
st it.
“You will then denounce your god and abandon his faith, vowing to never again take up arms for him.”
One last hesitation told Reynolds the captain was serious when all he got was a quiet, almost whimpering cough as the terms were laid out.
“Abide by those terms, and you will live out your life in peace from here on out,” Reynolds closed. “Since we intend to kill Phraim-’Eh and anyone who maintains their allegiance to him, your choice is clear. Step away or die.”
It wasn’t much of a choice, but the captain made the right one.
“We will abide by your terms, Captain Reynolds,” Rom told him, his chin angling toward his chest in shame.
The channel went black, and Reynolds turned to face the crew, an eyebrow raised.
“Maybe I’m just a pessimist, but that was definitely too damn easy, just like Tactical and XO said,” Maddox stated. “He gave in without any kind of fight at all.”
“Maybe they’re tired of fighting?” Jiya suggested.
“I’m with Maddox on this one,” Asya countered.
“You think he really means it?” Ria asked Reynolds.
The AI shrugged. “Honestly? It doesn’t really matter,” he replied as the first of the shuttles emerged from the enemy destroyers, angling toward the planet. “Either we take out Phraim-’Eh and these cultists have no one to follow anymore, or Phraim-’Eh stops by and murders them all for being cowardly betrayers. Either suits our purpose.”
More and more shuttles emerged from the destroyers, and Reynolds watched the reports as Jiya scanned the ships for lifeforms. With the shields down, it was a simple task.
“Any signs of self-destructs being triggered or people trying to stay aboard?” Reynolds asked.
“Negative,” Jiya responded. “It appears they are doing exactly what they agreed to. Well, the first part, at least. No real way to know about the second.”
Reynolds nodded, also surprised at how easy it had been to take the planet without having to fire more than enough shots to destroy a single ship.
“Scrape the command ship’s databases, but be sure to scan the uploads to make sure there’s nothing harmful in the coding,” Reynolds told Geroux. “My inner paranoid is telling me to be careful, while my inner optimist doesn’t give a fuck as long as shit works out in our favor.”