Kaine's Retribution

by D. M. Pruden

  “I think so. Gunney has the armoury stocked, all of our engines are running at maximum efficiency, and the FTL drive is operational. With all of our damage now repaired, we are as prepared as we ever will be.”

  “Nobody is ever prepared for combat, Kaine. No plan survives first contact with the enemy.”

  Hayden frowned. “I can’t get used to the idea of doing battle against UEF ships. There’s something wrong about it.”

  “You still live in your family’s fantasy world about a happy and united empire. Trust me, it has never been like that. With the collapse of the network, I think you will find similar scenarios like this unfolding in most systems.”

  “So you think there are more men like them?”

  Pavlovich huffed. “Far more than you realize.”

  “It makes me wonder why it might be worth saving, if that is so.”

  “It’s about time you came to that realization, son. The Confederation was dying. Thomas, Stromm, and the others are all just a symptom of the rot.”

  “Do you think my father knew that?”

  “He would have been a naïve fool not to realize it. Your father is no fool.”

  Hayden did not try to mask his surprise. “You know him?”

  “We met shortly after I became a captain. It was on one of my furloughs, when I used to take them. I returned to Earth and was introduced to him at some fancy function that the woman I was dating dragged me to. He impressed me with his sharp mind. So, when I learned that Thomas was sending you to me, I had a good idea of what to expect.”

  “And did I meet your expectations?”

  He smiled. “I am not sure yet.”

  Cora’s voice over the speaker interrupted them. “Cap’n, some of the approaching ships have begun their deceleration burn.”

  “So it begins,” said Pavlovich. “Cora, what is the count and the timing for their arrivals?”

  “It looks like it’s mostly the smaller vessels slowing down first.”

  “They won’t arrive here until after the dreadnought does,” said Hayden. “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “It does if Stromm knows about our alien weapon. I might have let something slip when I was with him. Maybe he thinks his flagship can take hits from us and drain our power. Then the latecomers can clean up. It’s not a terrible plan when I consider it.”

  “That, of course, only works if his assumption that he can survive our weapons bears out,” said Kaine. “After what it did to Kovacs’, it might be a tactical error.”

  “But he can’t know that. He’ll have to assume the worst with none of his ships answering. In my mind, this can only mean he’s going to come in with guns blazing.”

  “Like you said, he doesn’t know what happened. For all he knows, we are damaged too, which would not have been a bad guess a few days ago,” said Hayden. “I think we have to be ready for damn near anything from him. I’m worried that we may be running with the wrong plan. It was crazy enough when we assumed we knew what Stromm would do. Now, however...”

  “Take my advice, son, don’t second-guess yourself once you commit to a course of action. Adapt, yes, but the minute you begin to doubt, the mission is doomed to fail.”

  “Are you speaking from experience, Captain?”

  “I have more failed plans behind me than you can imagine.” He lifted his head to speak. “Cora, what is the absolute minimum time to expect Stromm’s dreadnought to arrive?”

  “Based on the specs I have on file for that ship, the latest he can put off his deceleration is coming up fast. But there’s a lot of error in my estimate.”

  “What about the other ones that have not begun decelerating yet?”

  “They have to start their burn sooner, which means the fleet’s arrival will be staggered. Wait a minute, the dreadnought just fired braking engines. Some of the support ships are still burning hot, but they’ll have to put on the brakes soon.”

  “Best time estimate to first arrivals, Cora?” said Kaine.

  “My computations say that they’ll get here in forty minutes. Stromm’s flagship looks like it will arrive about fifteen minutes later. The last wave will be coming in an hour after that. But it’s just a guess right now.”

  “He’s going to let his first pass soften us up before his arrival,” said Hayden.

  “We should prepare for our guests,” said Pavlovich. “You had better get your team ready to go.”

  “My place is here during the battle.”

  “You’re assuming there will be one. I am still betting that he intends to intimidate us first. Scare us into surrendering. He can’t use the hostages as leverage over us if they all die in combat, and I don’t think he wants to risk damaging his prize.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “So do I, Kaine. So do I.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  A Rescue Mission

  HAYDEN WAS KNOCKED off balance as he made his way to the bridge. When the battle began, he was aboard the stealth ship with the squad of Rangers, waiting to deploy the moment the dreadnought appeared. He couldn’t raise Pavlovich, and the fighting sounded heavy. Something had gone terribly wrong, and he needed to learn first-hand what happened.

  He spoke into his headset. “Cora, what’s our status?”

  After an unusual delay, she responded. “I’m a little preoccupied, Hayden.”

  “I can’t raise anyone on the bridge. What’s going on?”

  “Some of the internal comm channels went down. Everyone is fine.”

  Scimitar jerked again. He fell forward, slamming his shoulder into a bulkhead.

  “How are we holding up?”

  “Our armour is solid. They’re firing missiles without nukes. So far no one’s used a rail gun. I don’t think they’re trying to hurt us.”

  As if to belie her comment, the bulkheads rattled again as Scimitar was struck by another projectile.

  “Well, it feels like it from where I am.”

  “I think they’re testing us. Seeing how much we can take.”

  “Who started shooting first?”

  “They did, the moment they arrived. Malkovich’s ships returned fire, and then all hell broke loose. I’m sorry, Hayden, I can’t speak any more. My attention is required elsewhere.”

  Disturbed by what he had heard, he picked up his pace.

  When he entered the command centre, what he saw was strangely familiar. Every station was manned, something he hadn’t seen for over ten years.

  “Kaine, what are you doing here?” said Pavlovich. “You’re supposed to be prepping for the launch.”

  “Is there going to be a mission? Why is there a shooting match going on?”

  “We have a good idea what Stromm’s plan is, or at least we think so. He sent in this first wave to test our defences. He hopes to soften us up and make us more agreeable to surrender when the dreadnought arrives”

  Hayden noticed Gunney scowling.

  “Have you returned fire?”

  “No,” said Pavlovich, “I don’t want to tip our hand too soon. Malkovich’s ships are carrying the battle at the moment.”

  “I’ve lost one vessel so far,” said the general. He occupied a station from which he directed fleet operations. “But we’ve taken out five of theirs. We are drawing a lot of the fire away from Scimitar. Cousin, I am going to need to put my ships in stealth mode. I don’t want to lose any more before Stromm gets here.”

  Pavlovich acknowledged him with a wave of his hand. “Do what’s necessary. Kaine, haul your ass back down to your ship and be ready to launch as soon as Stromm’s flagship shows up.”

  As he spoke, one of Malkovich’s officers called out, “The bulk of the fleet is now in visual range; arrival pending in six minutes. They have launched missiles. They’re registering hot.”

  “Nukes? He’s not pissing around.”

  “They may not all be aimed at this ship, Yegor. I would appreciate it if you took them off the board.”

  “You read my mind, Cousin
. Gunney, you’re up.”

  “It’s bloody well about time,” said the cyborg as he turned back to his station.

  “Use only one percent juice. Don’t overdo it. We don’t want to tip our hand just yet.”

  “Understood, Cap’n. Targets locked; firing.”

  The lights on the bridge dimmed slightly as the energy cannon drew the required power. Hayden watched the tactical schematic. One moment the blips representing the nuclear missiles were there, the next they were gone. For being such a powerful weapon, he thought the entire operation was anticlimactic.

  “Targets neutralized, sir.”

  “That’s got to shake him up a bit,” said Pavlovich. “Now what will you do, Stromm?”

  As if in answer to the question, the other ships ceased shooting.

  “Captain, we are receiving a message.”

  “Let’s hear it.”

  “Pavlovich, I knew I couldn’t trust you. Where is Kovacs?”

  “He pissed me off. You should withdraw your fleet or you’re going to find out first-hand what happened to him.”

  “You are not the only one with surprises. Tell Malkovich to pay attention.”

  All eyes turned to the general.

  “What is he talking about?” asked Pavlovich.

  A worried-looking Malkovich shook his head. “I have no idea.”

  Gunney shouted, “Multiple rail gun launches from the dreadnought.”

  “What are they targeting? Are they shooting at us?”

  “That would be crazy,” said Malkovich, “he needs this ship.”

  “Then what the hell?”

  “Impacts registered,” announced the tactical officer. “They’re hitting the stealth ships.”

  “Impossible!” shouted Malkovich. Yet even has he spoke, one by one every marker on the display that denoted one, cloaked or not, vanished.

  “How did he do that?” asked Hayden.

  “He discovered a way to see them,” said Pavlovich.

  The image of the massive dreadnought grew and filled the screen.

  “Tell Malkovich that I said hello,” said Stromm over the still open channel.

  The captain made a slashing motion at his throat to signal that communications were to be ended.

  “How did he do that, Cousin?”

  “The only possible way he could detect them is from their transponder codes.”

  “Where would he get those?” said Hayden.

  “From your spy?” said Pavlovich. “Did he torture the information out of him?”

  Dark fury grew on the general’s face. “I’m betrayed. He had a suicide pill in case of capture.”

  “Is every ship destroyed?” asked Hayden.

  “Yes,” said Cora. All except for the one attached to our docking port.”

  “Why didn’t they target that one? Is its transponder active?”

  “Yes, but being so close to Scimitar, it may have gone unnoticed.”

  “We are being hailed again, sir.”

  Pavlovich nodded and sat back in his chair to listen.

  “Did Malkovich like my surprise, or was he on one of those ships?”

  “I got your message, Stromm, you bastard.”

  “Good. Now I have one for you Yegor. Surrender your ship, or every member of your crew in my custody will die.”

  Hayden dashed toward the communications console and shoved the ensign sitting there aside. After shutting down the comm link, he said, “Cora, shut off that transponder now.”

  “What are you thinking, Kaine?”

  “As long as they can’t see it, we still have a chance to pull off our plan. The hostages are on Stromm’s ship.”

  “How can you be so certain?” said Malkovich.

  “Because…” he hesitated. “Because I can sense Stella on that dreadnought. I have somehow been linked with her for the past few days. The...signal...grew stronger as it approached. She’s aboard it. I know it.”

  “Son, there are a dozen ships out there. She could be on any one of them.”

  “There is only one way to find out for sure, General. I need to get close to that ship.”

  “Your people are about as dead as they can be. I know that man, and he’s a butcher. He knows about the connection between you two and has kept your girlfriend alive to make us think there is still a crew to save.”

  Hayden turned to his captain, desperation in his voice. “You have to let me try, sir. There’s no way he could know that.”

  Pavlovich looked to Malkovich. “What would you have me do, Cousin, surely not surrender?”

  The general rose and advanced toward him. “You have the means to destroy him and every other vessel in his fleet. Use it. Wipe that monster from existence. There is no way you can permit him to gain the power of this ship. Your people are dead, there is no other choice.”

  Pavlovich stared at his cousin for several heartbeats then addressed Hayden. “I will buy you the time I can, but I can’t guarantee it won’t come down to shooting. If it does, I have no intention of losing. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Absolutely, sir.”

  Hayden glanced at Malkovich, who was clearly enraged by Pavlovich’s decision. Then he ran from the bridge. There wasn’t much time, let alone hope. But he intended to try or die in the attempt.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Reunited

  AS KAINE CLOSED the docking hatch, a metallic hand grasped the door and pulled it open.

  “Cora, what are you doing?”

  The same synth she had occupied during their trip to the moon stepped aboard.

  “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

  “You’re needed here. We can’t go into battle without you.”

  “Scimitar is in good hands with Chin and the engineers that Malkovich brought over. Besides I’m partitioned and can keep an eye on both you and her.”

  Hayden arched an eyebrow, unsure of how truthful she was being. The synth’s impassive, featureless face offered him no indication.

  He moved aside and allowed her to enter. Cora stepped by him and assumed a seat among the squad of Rangers. Taking one last quizzical look at her, Hayden shrugged and closed the hatch.

  Within a minute, they were launched and en route to Stromm’s ship. The silence in the cabin was deafening, and under other circumstances he would’ve been tempted to make small talk with someone. A quick glance back at the grim-faced Rangers revealed a battle-hardened group of men and women ready for anything.

  Hayden settled into the pilot seat and had a moment’s anxiousness when he realized he wasn’t sure he had any chance of actually zeroing in on Stella’s location. He was certain all previous contact with her had been initiated from her side. The fact that he could not detect her sent a shot of panic through him. What if Malkovich was correct, and Stromm had already executed the prisoners?

  Pushing the thought from his head, he focused on the controls and tried to calm his mind, searching for that feeling that was Stella.

  As the flagship grew larger in the front window, he thought he felt something. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. Lurking beneath all of his anxiety and fear for her, he found Stella’s familiar spirit. He had no other word to describe what he sensed. Two sets of emotions occupied him: his own chaotic and undisciplined self and her natural calmness. It was as if she was a beacon in the darkness, guiding him to her. He had no way to know if this was indeed the case, but the idea comforted him.

  “Do you sense her?” asked Cora.

  “Yes, I think so. It’s growing stronger as we approach that ship.”

  Hayden took the moment just to study the details on the surface of the dreadnought. New fears bubbled up in him. “I sure hope this stealth shield is working.”

  “The transponder is inactive. There is no way for them to track us.”

  “I suppose so...” He realized that because of his worry, he’d lost the trace to Stella. He had to refocus and try to pick up the breadcrumbs that she laid out for him to follow.
He wished he shared her empathic abilities. Then the onus would not be on her alone.

  He scanned the other ship’s hull for an access port. Torn between wanting to act quickly and being certain, he contemplated circling the giant vessel to see if Stella’s signal grew any stronger somewhere else.

  “Hayden, I lost contact with Scimitar.”

  He examined the sensor readout. It had not moved.

  “What could be the problem?”

  “I don’t know, but I am no longer connected to any of her systems, and I can’t even talk to her.”

  Something had happened aboard the ship, but they were in no position to deal with it. Deciding there was not time to survey the dreadnought any further, he selected a docking port and set his course to it. Once attached, he turned to Cora.

  “Can you disable or interfere with their internal sensors? It would be helpful if we avoid any resistance for as long as possible.”

  “Why do you think I came along? I just need access to the terminal in the airlock.”

  The android rose and moved past the still seated Rangers, now all geared up and awaiting the order to deploy.

  “Got it,” she said. “I have inserted a decoy signal into their grid in this section. They won’t detect us, but I can’t do more than that without raising an alarm or attracting attention.”

  “Thanks, Cora, this will be fine.”

  At Hayden’s command, the Rangers moved through the hatch as a disciplined unit. Hayden put on his own battle helmet and picked a weapon from the storage rack. The team had rehearsed several times, and he knew his role was not as a combatant. As desperate as he was to rush inside, gun at the ready, hurrying to where he thought he might find Stella, he deferred to the plan and his training.

  The hatch opened, and the advance guard first checked then exited. Moments later, he received the “all clear” signal.

  Methodically, the rescue team advanced through surprisingly empty corridors, with Hayden in the lead. He had no way to know where to go except by following the strength of his connection to Stella.

  “I think we’re getting closer, but I have no idea how close.”

  He glanced at the schematic in his heads up display, hoping the information was up to date. But what bothered him more was the absence of any crew along the route. He was worried about a trap.