by Marc Stevens
“Nathan Myers! I see no evidence that the Legacy sustained battle damage in your engagement with the Quill. Why has our line of communications been disrupted?”
Looking back to where Tria had walked off, I just shook my head.
“Sael, there are days I don’t want to hear any scat from you! I told you I would get back with you when we have a solid plan of action. Unless you have data on the research facility that you are willing to share, we are still working on a plan. I felt you should know what we stumbled into when we were testing the Daggers. Do you have information pertaining to our engagement?”
“I have not thoroughly examined the data but can say that we do not have any intelligence on that class of Quill ship. The size of the new vessel and the power of the main weapon are certainly troubling. I must commend you on your victory; it was an impressive display of courage and valor. While your tactics could have been more sophisticated, the outcome proves their viability. We all mourn the loss of life on the unprotected planet. If I have your permission, I would like to pass the battle data and coordinates of the planet to my superiors. We would like to show the Galactic Union what the Crits have been doing while they attempt to peacefully negotiate with them.”
“You can share the intelligence with your superiors but not with the Galactic Union. Not all members of the Galactic Union council are trustworthy. I am sure several are tied to the illegal artifact trade. Any data shared with them must be completely sterilized of our complicity.”
“Nathan, if we can involve the Galactic Union, they will go to the planet to search for evidence. If there are survivors, they will most assuredly give the planet protected status and possibly help with decontamination.”
“I tell you what, Sael, you can claim whatever you like and invite the Union to see, but none of our involvement can be revealed! Are we clear?”
“Yes. I will transfer the data to my council with another recommendation to allow me to contact you concerning the research station. When the council finally comes to their senses and asks for your help, I will give you a complete briefing to disclose the nature of the research center defenses.”
The signal ended. I was fairly sure I could trust Sael but still had doubts about her council. At some point in time, the Legacy will be in close approximation to Sael’s flagship, the Fury. Justice had covertly infected the ship’s AI with one of his subsystems, and we would secretly get a data dump of all pertinent information recorded by said subsystem. I knew Sael suspected Justice was aboard. I didn’t think it would be a healthy idea to confirm that fact, at least not for the foreseeable future.
I used my implants to try to locate Tria. For some strange reason, I could locate my other crewmates but not the Chaalt warrior. Evil robot! I needed to have a private talk with Justice but would avoid my personal cabin to do it. I instead headed for the hangar bay.
“Justice, jump us back to Alpha Base,” I called out to the conniving AI.
He gave me no response, which was really starting to get on my nerves. “Justice, I believe you should now have a fairly complete library of my interactions. I really need you to get back to business!”
The evil robot decided it would be a good time to make a DEHD core jump. Everything went still and started glowing brilliant white. It was a surefire way to put a halt to the rant that was forming on my lips. When my awareness returned to normal space-time, my mood was taking a turn for the worst. I continued toward the hangar.
“Justice, I have had just about enough __”
Suddenly I felt my legs getting rubbery and tried to steady myself by leaning on the bulkhead next to the science lab hatch. I was grabbed from behind and dragged inside.
“Tria!”
Forty-five minutes later, I was adjusting my uniform and trying to gather my wits. I moved to the hatch with a frown on my face. I was still determined to confront Justice for his speechless shenanigans, but now it would be difficult to be angry. Looking back over my shoulder at Justice’s coconspirator laying naked on the lab table, the frown melted from my face. I began wondering why Tria seemed so carefree. A lot of lousy crap was going on, and we were about to be up to our eyeballs in it. It didn’t take but a few more steps for reality to sink in: She had doubts about the outcome of the upcoming mission, and to tell the truth, I did as well. The thought of possibly being incapacitated before our boots hit the ground put the frown firmly back on my face.
I accessed my implants and found that Justice had already landed at Alpha Base. Klutch and Xul had departed more than thirty minutes ago and were in the base cafeteria. Graf and Jaran sat outside the Legacy, apparently waiting to talk to me. I didn’t know if Klutch or Xul briefed them on my possible whereabouts, and I had no intention of explaining my tardiness. A shower was in order, but I thought it would be best to at least find out what the two Grawl wished to speak with me about. I heard something behind me and whirled around in a defensive stance. Tria walked by with her uniform in one of her hands and nothing else on. I felt just the smallest touch of her Sha’Leen, and I backed up a couple of steps. I heard her giggle, but she never turned around.
5
I went to the boarding hatch, and both Graf and Jaran stood to meet me. I apologized for making them wait, but the little smiles they gave me suggested they might have got a thorough briefing on the nature of my activities. The cringe that crossed my face sobered their expressions.
Graf stepped forward. “Commander, we have come to ask permission to check on engineer Coonts. We have been told he has volunteered to undergo the Oolaran weaponization procedure and you granted him permission.”
“Yes, I allowed it, but the engineer chose the extent of the modifications. As far as we know, he is the first of your race to undergo the procedure. I personally believe he should have limited some of his selections. Coonts exercised his right of free choice and will now have to live with the outcome. Due to the extent of his modifications, Coonts will have an extended recovery time. Justice found it necessary to sedate him because of his inability to cope with the discomfort associated with the recovery process. He is in the med bay, and I am sure Justice will answer any questions you might have.”
I turned toward the hatch and called out louder than was necessary, “Won’t you, Justice!”
His answer was elevated in volume as well. “Affirmative, Commander!”
The Grawl looked somewhat mystified by my exchange with the AI. Waving the Grawl on, I stalked back through the hatch to what I hoped would be an uneventful shower. As I made my way to the command deck, the big security doors opened, and I cautiously peeked around. I queried my implants, which seemed to be working properly, and noticed that Tria was in her quarters. I hurried down the corridor to my cabin and entered. I kicked off my uniform and treated myself to a hot shower that soothed most of the aches inflicted upon me. When I was done and dried off, I stepped out to get a fresh uniform and found Tria sitting on my bed. I thanked my maker she was clothed because I could really use some recuperation time and a hot meal. She fixed me with a smile that made it a toss-up whether I would get either. When she got up, I stepped back and she just laughed.
“Nathan, I am starved. Shall we go see what Tam Lin sent us in the way of human and Chaalt rations?”
I was famished and quickly offered an arm. She looped one of hers in mine, and we went down tube and out the boarding ramp. We met several of the Grawl on our way the cafeteria. They reached out and touched our hands in passing. When we stepped out of the lift, we could hear what sounded like a party going on. We were going to go in and see what the ruckus was about, but Tria and I stopped in our tracks at the entrance. Klutch was standing with his back to us and flailing around with one of his fists. The Grawl took notice of us and immediately went quiet. That’s when we heard what the big lummox was saying.
“Then Tria punched him and threw him up on her___”
The short, wide buffoon finally noticed the silence and ceased his theatrics. He slowly turned around to face
us, then promptly sat down and commenced eating like nothing had happened. To say the least, we were slightly embarrassed and a tad irritated. If it were not for the fact we had grown used to the Tibor’s antics, I would have probably given him a black eye. Tria, on the other hand, didn’t take it as well as I did. As we walked by him toward the food dispenser, she shoved him face-first into the large pile of rations on his tray. This brought a roar of laughter from the Grawl and a big toothy smile from the Tibor. He just shrugged his big shoulders and went right back to eating. I don’t think I have ever heard the Grawl more joyous and happier. I was genuinely surprised that everyone was ignoring the upcoming mission and the perils that it would entail. It was as if Tria could read my mind.
“Nathan, our clan has seen us persevere against impossible odds. We have walked through the place you refer to as hell and we have always returned. They now refuse to accept any other outcome. All believe we will succeed.”
I had considered more than a few times to ask the quirky AI what our odds of success would be but quickly cast the thought aside. I knew they were questionable and didn’t want negative apprehension creeping into our mindsets when it was go time. Looking around at my people, I decided I would never try to change that mentality.
Tria and I finished our meal and went to the fabricator building to check on Felix. The young fabricator operator was consulting with several Grawl scientists and engineers. The word among the Grawl was that Justice, along with the help of the scientists and engineers, had a breakthrough in reverse engineering the IST system. It was something that the Chaalt would not take kindly to if it became general knowledge that we had managed such a feat. The Chaalt had made it an extremely difficult process, but Justice was relentless when it came to new tech. Felix was putting the final touches on the new comms equipment so it could be installed on the Daggers. It would fill the gap that the Backscatter transmitter left in our comms array. For now, what the Chaalt didn’t know would not hurt them.
As we entered the building, Felix was all smiles and met us at the production line. Sitting on a table were four basketball-sized globes.
“Commander, Tria, the devices are complete and ready to be installed. Justice is waiting for me to bring them to the hangar on the Legacy.”
“We will save you the trip so you can continue your work schedule,” I said. “Thank you for your hard work and dedication.”
The young Zaen bowed to us and turned to other pressing matters. Tria and I gathered up the transmitters and headed to the Legacy. Justice had the hangar doors open, and we could see he had the pilot modules pulled out of all four Daggers. He extruded two long arms from the bay, and we placed the devices in them.
“Commander, I will have the communication devices installed and tested in the next three hours. It will take an additional four hours to reassemble the Daggers. Once complete, they will be ready for the upcoming mission.”
“What is Coonts’s current status?”
“It is unfortunate that the Grawl cannot embrace the Oolaran weaponization as well as human and Chaalt physiologies. Coonts’s body is attempting to reject the enhancements. I am actively suppressing his immune system, which will lead to an extension of my previously estimated recovery time. He is slowly stabilizing, but I do not think he will be capable of participating in the strike on the research station. I will be forced to keep him in a medically induced coma until his body accepts the modifications and begins to properly heal.”
Damn! Coonts was unable to go before, and now that he had undergone the weaponization procedure, he was incapacitated. The little Grawl was an intricate part of our team and was our dedicated tail gunner. He had grown adept at covering our backs, and it made me nervous to not have the additional eyes going into the research complex. I didn’t know how much longer we could afford to wait. If the Prule Hivemind was indeed in control of the facility, it would not be sitting idle waiting for someone to figure out a way to bring in the troops. We could not continue pushing off the mission. Our plan of action needed to be enacted sooner rather than later. The only good thing I could think would come out of this predicament was that if we did not return, Coonts would be able to carry on our primary mission.
Again, Tria seemed to know what I was thinking. The Chaalt warrior was now more than ever attuned to the emanations of my aura. She took me by the arm, and we walked out of the fabricator building.
“Nathan, we must not give the Hivemind the time it needs to assimilate the research station’s systems. When the Daggers are ready, we must be prepared to go, whether we are invited or not. The council is foolishly wasting precious time and resources. We must set a deadline for our actions and let the Operative know we will go with or without clearance from the council. We are already at a huge disadvantage, and waiting only makes it worse.”
Tria was right. We would be putting ourselves at great risk as it was. I would not throw away our lives because of the indecision of her people’s leadership. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xul hastily moving in our direction, a look of deep concern on his face.
“Commander, I have just checked on Coonts’s status and ask permission to speak freely.”
“Xul, you do not have to ask permission to speak freely. I want all my clan to give me their honest opinions, no matter the circumstances. What is on your mind?”
“Commander, I believe Coonts may have erred in his quest to be mission capable. While he may have had the best of intentions, the extent of his choices may prove to be detrimental. His condition is fragile, and without Justice’s continuous monitoring and interaction, there is a possibility that Coonts might permanently be disabled.”
Apparently, Justice was giving me a best-case scenario. Xul, on the other hand, saw Coonts’s condition from a different perspective. Either way, I had already determined he was a no-go for our mission.
I nodded to Xul. “You are correct, Xul. It will not be possible for Coonts to recover in time to accompany us. We are currently changing our mission parameters to account for his absence. He will remain here during the mission.”
Xul looked me in the eyes and swallowed. He then puffed his chest out like Coonts was quite fond of doing.
“Commander, I volunteer to stand in engineer Coonts’s place, no matter the outcome!”
I was surprised by what the little Grawl just said. It had already been determined a Grawl of normal physique would most assuredly perish during the insertion. This was not normal Grawl behavior. It’s a known fact the Grawl prefer to leave the dying to someone else. As long as it was up to me, I had no intention of letting anyone die needlessly. It warmed my heart to know this little alien was offering up his life to try to protect ours. I could not help but smile and wonder what part of interaction with humans caused such an inordinate amount of testicle growth.
“No, Xul. You honor us all with your bravery, but I must decline the offer. We need your scientific expertise, and you would have to step up into a leadership position if the insertion goes badly.”
The Grawl’s chest deflated, and his shoulders slumped slightly. He gave me a dejected nod and then turned away. As Tria and I started toward the Legacy, Xul’s face brightened and he suddenly looked determined once more.
“Commander! What if I assembled a scientific team to explore the possibility of finding something in our Prule salvage that might give us an advantage? We have a tremendous number of unknown devices that the Prule decided was valuable enough not to destroy. Perhaps we could spend our remaining time before you execute the mission researching the salvage with a focus on new weaponry?”
Tria and I stopped in our tracks. With everything that had been going on, I hadn’t given any thought to messing with the salvage. We looked at each other in surprise. It was an option we were overlooking. Since we did not have a firm mission plan other than to get inside the facility and shut down the shield, it would be a good idea to let Xul run with his idea.
I grabbed the little Grawl and embraced him. He was a surpr
ised but returned the gesture.
“Xul, assemble your team and get them to the Legacy as soon as possible. We will immediately DEHD core jump to the Sig’s new base of operations. I want you and your team to begin searching for useful items. I know we only have a limited time to search and can only investigate a small fraction of our finds. If you can come up with anything useful, I will take any advantage we can get.”
Xul took off at a dead run. He had renewed purpose and was delighted he was able to do something to help prepare us. The uncertain future that awaited us all didn’t seem as bleak as before.
Justice broadcast on the PA system so all would hear. As usual he was always listening. His normal deadpan voice had an edge of urgency to it.
“I have commenced charging the matrix, Commander. We can depart for the Sig base in fifty-seven minutes.”
To the last Grawl, they all volunteered. I did not want to be the bad guy and decide who needed to stay behind. Felix would need help with materials handling so he could keep the replicator running at capacity. I would have to decide between Graf and Jaran who had to stay and keep the base running smoothly. They would have the unenviable task of telling the other Grawl who stayed and who could go. Twenty minutes later, Graf and twenty very excited Grawl were boarding the Legacy. As Tria, Klutch, and I boarded, I waved to Jaran and the skeleton crew he had selected. While Jaran kept up the act that he was indifferent to his orders, the other Grawl looked dejected. Depending on the outcome of our mission, we were all overdue for a break. I pushed the thought from my head that every time I let pleasantries like that cross my mind, the universe always took a turn for the worst. I pulled Tria close, and she smiled; it erased my pessimism.