“Colonel Khatter, the Enlightened One’s plan will work.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Colonel, because it was foretold in the legends.”
Jirmina’s comment refocused the group.
“I see. Please, tell us the story.”
“It is a child’s story about protection and sacrifice. It is not something adults consider important.”
“Jirmina, everything is important. We need a break. Please tell us the legend of protection and sacrifice.”
Jirmina looked to Corb for approval before retelling the legend.
In the sky, there is a warrior who sees all, a warrior who is everywhere.
In the sky, the warrior protects the Plentari from the rocks raining from the stars.
In the sky, the warrior sleeps when the stars are bright, and the moons are full.
In the sky, above our heads, the sky warrior protects the love of the Plentari.
“Jirmina, can you explain some of the references?”
“References, Colonel?”
“I can help. Landry, will you translate and interpret Jirmina’s child’s poem?”
“Of course, Corb.
“In the sky, there is a warrior who sees all, a warrior who is everywhere. There is an omniscient presence looking over the Plentari.
“In the sky, the warrior protects the Plentari from the rocks raining from the stars. Interpreted as the omniscient presence preventing asteroids and meteors from hitting the planet Plentari. By extension, the omniscient presence protects the planet from attack.
“In the sky, the warrior sleeps when the stars are bright, and the moons are full. The Plentari moons cannot be seen full at the same time. Therefore, the omniscient presence never sleeps, never stops protecting the planet.
“In the sky, above our heads, the sky warrior protects the love of the Plentari. The symbolism in this passage has many meanings. In the context of today’s discussions, the omniscient presence’s love of the Plentari is all-encompassing and protective.”
Everyone waited for Davinder to resume the discussion.
“Corb, whose connection point is the brightest? No, sorry, whose connection point is the strongest to you?”
Puzzled by the question, Corb considered before responding.
“Michelle’s connection point is the strongest. It has always been the strongest.”
“When you look, whose connection point stands out? Consistently the brightest?”
“I have not thought about it much lately. It used to be Janish’s connection point was the brightest. She was the most powerful.”
“Was the brightest? Whose is the brightest now?”
Turning and looking, Corb shocked the group with his answer. “Jirmina’s connection point is the brightest.”
Lucinda immediately understood the implications of Corb’s statement.
“Do you possess the abilities we call Summitate?”
“Yes, Captain Raitt.”
“Why did you not tell us of this before now?”
“It is information I was ordered to withhold until necessary. It is necessary now.”
“Are there other Plentari with the abilities?”
“No, Captain Raitt.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, we are sure. I am the only Plentari with the abilities. It is why I was chosen for the mission.”
“You are not one of the Madame’s personal guard?”
“Yes, I was a member of the Madame’s personal guard. Everything we have provided is true. We simply withheld the information about my abilities.”
“Corb, did you know?”
“Yes. I knew from the moment Jirmina kneeled in the Open Meeting Hall on Plentari.”
“I see. Secrets within secrets. How does revealing this information now help us with the plan?”
Corb intercepted Davinder’s question. “Lucinda, I know the answer to that question.”
Time to Defender of Lak’tsil: 07:06:05.
“The fighters are deployed in the requested hemispherical patrol pattern. The support vessels are on station with the fighters. We will not rest until the evil one is no more.”
The leadership team had rested and resumed their briefing session.
“Thank you, Colonel Jyrode.”
“Are you sure, Corb? There is still time.”
“Davinder, I am sure. The backup plan is a good one, but I don’t think we will need it. Lucinda, is the fighter loaded and refueled?”
“Yes, the oldest of the fighters is in the Jaguar’s main bay, magnetically secured. The antimatter pile has been topped up.”
“That’s it, then. We wait. Jirmina, do you think you can create the star-portal on the Jaguar with Lucinda and Janish?”
“Enlightened One, I do not know. I do not have the nanobots to help control the beam.”
“I remind you, here on Earth, you are to refer to me as Corb.”
“We are not on Earth, and everyone here knows who you are.”
Corb appreciated Jirmina’s sassy reply.
“You have been reading or listening to Nick too much. Either way, your point is noted. Do you wish to experiment, to expand the Triad into a Quartet?”
“It will always be a Triad that creates the star-portal conduit. Yes, I will accept the nanobots to aid the Coterie.”
Corb did not miss the reference.
“It is your choice. I am not insisting or demanding you alter your body. However, joining the Coterie is not something easily accomplished. It will require I confer with my friends. Whether you consume the nanobots or not, I will confer with my friends when Admiral Jymind is no longer a threat.”
“I will accept the conditions.”
Corb stood and teleported out of the docking platform’s conference room. The group waited in silence for him to return.
“I remembered you like peach yogurt.”
Handing Jirmina a spoon and a container of peach yogurt, Corb placed the chrome coffee can and a small scale on the conference room table.
“Landry?”
“Yes, Corb?”
“Are the nanobots compatible with the Plentari?”
“Yes, Corb. It should be noted only the clone species are not compatible with advanced nanobots. The clone species metabolisms attack the foreign bodies.”
“Landry, that is good information. Why did you not tell us this sooner?”
“No one asked.”
Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes. It was Jan who spoke up. “He still has a lot to learn.”
Measuring out the point-five-gram dose of nanobots, Corb pushed the scale gently to Jirmina. Without a moment’s hesitation or personal regard, she opened the yogurt, dumped in the nanobots, and began eating. Lucinda closed the meeting.
“We will take you two back to Q’eqchi. Then we will wait on the Jaguar until Admiral Fuck-Nuts arrives. Davinder …”
Interrupting the stressed captain, Davinder closed the meeting.
“Lucinda, in a few days, we are all going to drink a well-deserved beer.”
Chapter Thirty-One
ᚴᚼᛅᛒᛏᛁᚱ•ᛏᚼᛁᚱᛏᚢ-ᚬᚾᛁ
“It is a mere question of time when men will succeed in attaching their machinery to the very wheelwork of nature.”
Nikola Tesla
Time to Defender of Lak’tsil: -19:18:17.
“Landry, is there any way, theoretical or otherwise, to know when something is about to emerge from a hyper-tunnel?”
“No, Corb, the infinite nature of the hyper-tunnels prevents analysis from this dimension.”
“What is the soonest the Gungnir will arrive?”
“One day, seven hours, forty minutes.”
Lucinda growled at the persistent pestering.
“Corb, sit down! Enough! You are driving everyone crazy.”
Chastised, Corb looked around the bridge of the Jaguar at his friends.
“Sorry.”
Slumping into his seat, Corb bega
n slowly breathing to control his impatience. Thirty-three seconds later, the Klaxon began to wail.
“Report!”
“Lucinda, the Defender of Lak’tsil just emerged from the hyper-tunnel. Colonel Jyrode has ordered his men to engage.”
“Thank you, Landry. Put their communications on the speakers.”
“Until we move closer, there will be a delay in the monitored communications.”
“Understood. Jirmina?
“I am ready, Captain.”
“Corb, Janish, let’s go.”
The Triad slipped the Jaguar to a point one-tenth of a light-year from the hyper-tunnel entrance.
“Landry, put it on the screen!”
The monitors changed to a long-range view of the Defender of Lak’tsil.
“It looks the same, except for the holes in the mushroom deflector. What is he doing?”
“Admiral Jymind is insulting Colonel Jyrode. The Defender of Lak’tsil is turning to a course that will take it in system.”
“The fighters have not engaged, Jyrode is waiting. What are they saying? Put it on audio!”
“Colonel Jyrode, they gave you a command? It is a pity someone so promising will die defending this blue sphere. Take your fighters, Jyrode, pull them back and maybe I will let them live.”
“Admiral Jymind, you are required to come to all-stop and prepare to be boarded. Your ship will be inspected.”
“Colonel Jyrode, you were a lieutenant commander when I left Gowah, a full colonel in a few short years. Admiral Jexond must be desperate. No matter, you will fall before me as the others have done.”
“That is enough, Landry. Put me on their channel.”
“Channel access confirmed, Corb.”
“Admiral Jymind, you are ordered to come to all-stop and await the inspection team. Failure to comply will be viewed as an act of aggression. Failure to comply with the order to stand down will be met with force.”
“Mister Johnson, an act of aggression is my intent. Oddly, you seem to be everywhere. Sticking your nose into business that is not for you to understand. Now, if you will permit me, I have a flight plan to confirm and a planet to destroy.”
“The admiral closed the communications link.”
“Yes, Landry, I am aware he closed the comms link. Get me Jyrode.”
“Enlightened One … Corb, the time for talk has passed. It is time for action.”
“Agreed, Colonel. May your fighters be brave, their aim true, and their hearts pure.”
“Interesting wording, Corb. Those who are not pure will be met by those willing to defend the innocent.”
“Good luck, Colonel.”
The video feed turned from Colonel Jyrode in his cockpit to an image of the accelerating Defender of Lak’tsil.
“What was that about pure?”
“Lucinda, Jyrode does not trust all his men. He has dispersed those he suspects of ulterior motives throughout the battlegroup. There are several trusted pilots ordered to watch the suspects.”
“I see. Nothing is easy, is it?”
Unbuckling his harness, Corb’s response was half-hearted.
“Who wants everything to be easy? Hard is where the fun is found.”
Striding off the bridge, Corb noticed Jirmina unbuckling her harness, but she remained at Ragnar’s combined weapons-navigation console. Lucinda noticed beads of sweat on Janish’s forehead and gave the slender woman a bright smile and hollered after Corb.
“Hey, Corb!”
Hollering back but not stopping his march to the main bay and his fighter, Corb responded. “Yes, Lucinda?”
“If you die out there, I will hunt you down and kill you again myself!”
“I love you too!”
Arriving in the main bay, Corb folded himself into the old fighter and made a disturbing realization. Using his nanobots, he began to correct a significant oversight.
“Landry?”
“Yes, Corb?”
“I need to you be quiet about something I am going to ask. Can you keep it a secret?”
“Yes, Corb.”
“Landry, I don’t know how to fly this thing.”
“That is a problem. It seems everyone was so focused on the defensive planning they missed a basic requirement.”
“Yeah, yeah. Shut up and tell me how we are going to fix this.”
“This isn’t the Matrix, Neo. We can’t just insert complex abilities into your brain and muscle memory. I can put the basic flight instructions into your nanobots but nothing more. You will have to learn to control the ship’s attitude and flight parameters on your own.”
“Do it, now!”
It required a few seconds for the nanobots to receive the data, to form up, and to create the new synaptic pathways in Corb’s brain. Corb sealed the fighter’s cabin. Landry evacuated the atmosphere in the cargo bay, opened the bay doors, released the magnetic clamps, and allowed the fighter to drift away from the Jaguar.
“Lucinda?”
“Yes, Corb?”
“What’s going on?”
“Well, while you were learning to fly a fighter built for someone half your size, Jyrode unleashed his fighters.”
“What happened to keeping it secret, Landry?”
Lucinda intercepted before Landry could respond.
“You were right to be worried. Four fighters turned on Jyrode’s group. They killed two good guys before they were taken out.”
“Jyrode is down six fighters. You should see this attack. Jyrode’s fighters look like bees buzzing around a hive. The Defender of Lak’tsil is a mess, its defensive laser cannons appear to be underpowered and are missing badly.
“Oh crap. Two more fighters are down. Jyrode is pulling his group back and forming up to make another run. Landry, using the current acceleration curve, what is the ETA for Defender of Lak’tsil to reach Earth?”
“Twenty-two hours, forty-three minutes.”
“Don’t worry, Lucinda, we’ll stop him long before then. Landry, I tried to start the engines, but nothing happened. Why?”
“You failed to release the safety interlock.”
“Which is … where, exactly?”
“Under the panel labeled safety interlock.”
“I don’t read Ajawlil, smart guy.”
“It looks like this.”
Corb saw the image in his fighter’s heads-up display. He reached up with his left hand, opened the panel, and pulled the interlock.
“Okay, I have green lights. Moving away from the Jaguar.”
“Where in the hell did he go?”
“Lucinda, we will refer to the wayward fighter as Corb-One. Corb-One is forty-one thousand kilometers below the Jaguar. He was able to stop his fighter quickly but is now turning it back toward the fight.”
“Put me through.”
“Yes, Lucinda?”
“Corb, we can find another way.”
“No, this will work. Give me some time.”
“Jyrode’s group is moving in again. They are strafing the Defender of Lak’tsil, which has increased its acceleration curve. Jyrode’s fighters are taking hits but are not backing down. It appears Admiral Fuck-Nuts is ignoring the Ajawlil fighters. Landry?”
“That is correct, Lucinda. The Defender of Lak’tsil is unstable. Ninety-four percent of the available power is being used for thrust. The onboard computer is reporting only the bridge and main engineering have life support.”
“If you know that, you must be accessing the Defender of Lak’tsil’s main computer. Tell it to shut down the engines.”
“I am sorry, Lucinda. Admiral Jymind or his crew have reconfigured the control parameters. The computer will only accept control inputs from the consoles on the bridge or main engineering.”
“Are you telling me they are flying that piece of crap manually?”
“That is correct, all controls are manual.”
“It is a one-way trip. Admiral Fuck-Nuts is definitely a kamikaze.”
“That is correct, Luci
nda. Three more fighters are down.”
“Corb-One, are you still there?”
“Yes, I think I have this figured out. Jirmina, get ready, I am going to go for it.”
“Corb?”
“Yes, Janish?”
“A couple of days ago, Michelle told me to tell you, when it was time … it is time.
“She loves you.”
“Thank you, Janish. Corb-One out.”
Landry flipped the Jaguar’s monitors to an image of Corb-One. Accelerating, the Ajawlil fighter adjusted its approach vector and began an attack run.
“Landry, put up an intercept line.”
A red line appeared, stretching from Corb-One to the Defender of Lak’tsil.
“Will he have enough speed?”
“Unknown?”
“Do the fucking calculations!”
“Lucinda, your language deteriorates quickly under stress.”
“Landry, I swear, you tell me this is going to work, or I am going to pull the plug on your fancy little box with a plasma rifle.”
“Corb-One will have enough momentum.”
“Was that so hard?”
“Lucinda, contact Jyrode. Tell him phase two is a go.”
“Roger that, Corb-One. Phase two message sent.”
Within a few seconds, the remaining Ajawlil fighters spun away from the Defender of Lak’tsil, formed up, and began a single-file strafing run. Running from above the stern along the length of the behemoth, the fighters were hitting a singular target, the bridge, but the damage was minimal.
“Lucinda, phase two is a bust. Initiate phase three.”
“Roger that, Corb-One, initiating phase three. Landry, inform Jyrode.”
Jirmina pressed a well-rehearsed series of icons, jumped up from the weapons-navigation console, and buckled herself into Corb’s chair on the riser.
The newly formed Triad of Lucinda, Janish, and Jirmina redoubled their focus. Led by Lucinda, the Jaguar slipped to a point in space seven hundred meters above the advancing Defender of Lak’tsil. Angled down at forty degrees, the Jaguar’s plasma cannons were targeting the Defender of Lak’tsil’s bridge.
Jirmina flipped up her mini-console to see green fire-control icons. She looked up and Lucinda issued the orders.
“Weapons free. Fire!”
BairnGefa- The Akashic Expedition Page 24