Ep.#14 - The Weak and the Innocent (The Frontiers Saga)
Page 26
“You’re looking at her,” Deliza replied firmly.
“Oh, come on.”
“Don’t like it?”
“No, I don’t,” the technician admitted.
“Well, I don’t give a damn. The door’s that way, asshole. I’m sure the admiral can find you a new job scrubbing carbon scorching off the inside of shuttle thrusters…you know, man’s work?”
Admiral Dumar smiled, both eyebrows raised, looking at the technician, who immediately backed down.
“Gentlemen, my name is Deliza Ta’Akar,” she began, pacing up and down the line of men as she spoke, “and I’ve been working on 402s since I was tall enough to climb her service ladders. I know every bolt, every wire, and every circuit in that bird, probably better than anyone in this whole damned sector. Now, the Falcon’s a flying brick in the atmosphere. The only reason she can cut through the air is because of her overpowered engines and her damned lift fans. So I say stop using her in the atmosphere, and fit her out correctly… For space! Yank her atmo drives. She doesn’t need them. Her space drive is more than powerful enough to keep her speed up for basic aerodynamic flight, and she’s got a damned jump drive to get up into orbit and back down again if need be. Rip out her lift fans. This isn’t Palee, gentlemen. The Super Falcon won’t need to takeoff and land vertically, because she’s a spaceship, not a jet plane. We’ll have more room for reactors. More reactors means stronger shields, more powerful plasma cannons, more plasma cannons, and greater jump range. We can combine the weapons bays into one big bay, holding all kinds of fun stuff designed to blow the damned Jung to hell and back. We can elongate and widen the cockpit, and give her more crew space for longer duration missions, or for additional crewmen to operate more complex weapons and ECM systems. We’re gonna make the Super Falcon the bad-ass bitch of space she was always meant to be! When we’re done with her, she’ll be able to take a Jung Frigate all by herself. Two or three of them will be able to take out a cruiser!”
“I think they get the point,” Admiral Dumar muttered, ending her speech. “Gentlemen, this isn’t an invitation, it’s an order. You will follow Miss Ta’Akar’s instructions to the letter. I expect this to happen and happen in short order. Any questions?” The admiral looked over his men. Although none of them looked genuinely enthused about the project, he knew they would all do as ordered. If not, he would find them another job, or simply send them back to the Pentaurus cluster, preferably on a nice, slow, propellant tanker. “Very well, as you were.” Admiral Dumar turned to Deliza.
“Too much?” she asked.
“Maybe a bit,” he replied. “Where did all that come from, anyway?”
“I tried to pretend I was Jessica.”
“Good thinking. Now go and build me a Super Falcon.”
Deliza smiled. “Yes, sir.”
* * *
Suvan Navarro strolled casually through the crowded dusty street market, feigning interest in the occasional items so as not to look out of place. He was wearing the traditional overcoat that men of this world generally wore, and carried a bag filled with various items he had purchased, to keep up appearances, over the last hour.
He paused momentarily to take in the alien sky. It was not often he got to set foot on such worlds. A pale-amber sky, with its distant orange-hued sun rising slowly on the horizon after its long absence. The massive gas giant, around which this moon orbited, filled the bottom half of the sky, its reflected light casting eerie secondary shadows opposite those cast by direct sunlight.
He wasn’t looking at the sky to enjoy the view, however. He was scanning the rooftops for snipers. He was sure they were there, and he had spotted at least three men that looked suspicious to his trained eyes. But here on Haven, suspicious was normal, as many unsavory characters from every system in the sector seemed to flock to this dirty, strange little world.
He had arrived several hours ago, having come out of his jump just outside the system. He then used the Corinairan shuttle to finish the trip, using its old FTL drive, which had yet to be removed. He even had the gravity adjusted in his quarters, on board the Avendahl, to match the lesser gravity on Haven, so as not to appear awkward or overly ‘bouncy’ in his stride, a sure giveaway that he was not a local.
Satisfied there were no overt threats on any of the nearby rooftops, Captain Navarro wiped the sweat from his brow and made his way over to a nearby cafe. Business was good that day, just as he had expected after fifty days of darkness. More importantly, it meant that there were unlikely to be any empty tables, forcing him to share a table with another patron, which is exactly what he wished to do.
Captain Navarro spotted the person he was looking for. He had no description to go by, but the well-groomed hair and mustache, and properly fitted local attire gave him away. He wondered for a moment if the man he was to contact had made such an obvious faux pas by intent, or by accident. He hoped for the latter, as it meant he was likely to make other errors as well.
He stepped up to the man’s table and reached for the chair. “Mind if I sit a spell?” he asked, using his best Haven accent. “I won’t be much bother to ya, I swear.”
“Of course, my good man.”
Good, it was an accident, the captain thought. If there was one thing about Takaran nobles that seemed truly universal, it was that they were all rather arrogant, himself included. “Thank you, kindly,” he replied as he took his seat, purposefully not bothering to dust it off first, despite the fact that he desperately wished to do so.
“Glad you could join us,” a third voice said as he came and sat down in the other empty chair.
Navarro looked at the other gentleman. “Ganna. You’re looking rather pale for a Havenite, aren’t you?”
“Probably,” Lord Ganna admitted. “You seem to fit in rather nicely, however. Perhaps there is a bit of commoner in your blood, from a few generations back of course.”
“Is that why you invited me here, Ganna, to make thinly veiled insults about my heritage?” Navarro looked unamused. “I’d suggest that such behavior is beneath you, but…”
“I feel it only fair to warn you that we have snipers ready to fire on your person should something go awry,” Lord Ganna warned. “And of course, they are quite accurate.”
“Probably not as accurate as the ones who just took yours down,” Navarro replied with a wry smile.
Lord Ganna looked to the waiter standing in the shadows along the door to the cafe. The man held out four fingers. “Are you sure you got them all?” Lord Ganna asked.
“I don’t need to. I just wanted to give my men some practice. Killing me would only bring the Avendahl’s fury down upon all your houses, as my executive officer has standing orders to take out every noble house in the Takar system, should I meet an untimely demise during my little shopping trip. Now, would you like to tell me why you asked me here, or are we going to continue having our snipers kill each other?”
“We want to know what your intentions are, Lord Navarro.”
“Well, I was planning on making a really nice molo stew for dinner tonight,” he said gesturing to his shopping bag.
“About Takara,” Lord Ganna added.
“That depends on what your intentions are, going forward,” Navarro replied.
“We simply wish to run our system in peace, and continue with our current business relationships with others in the Pentaurus sector,” Lord Ganna explained.
“And you have no dreams of expansion?” Navarro wondered, in obvious disbelief.
“I cannot speak for each and every lords’ personal desires, but as a collective, we have no imperial designs, I assure you.”
“You assure me?” The captain had to fight from laughing. “You brought me all the way to Haven to lie to me?”
“I am not lying to you, Lord Navarro, and it was your idea to meet on t
his desolate rock, not ours.”
“That part is true.”
“We were hoping you might pledge your loyalty to us,” Lord Ganna stated. “It would put a great many noble hearts at ease, not to mention the Takaran people as a whole.”
Captain Navarro leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as he looked into Lord Ganna’s eyes. “I have pledged my ship to Deliza Ta’Akar. Fortunately for you, she has no interest in reclaiming her family’s rightful title and holdings. Her only interest is in upholding her father’s promise of support to the Alliance.”
“I find that rather hard to believe.”
A small laugh escaped the captain’s lips. He leaned back and took a breath. “Believe me, Ganna, if Deliza Ta’Akar wanted you all dead, you would not be sitting here fouling the air and insulting my senses.”
“Really, Navarro…”
Captain Navarro suddenly leaned forward, startling Lord Ganna, his second, and his bodyguard standing under the canopy pretending to be a waiter. Both the second and third men moved their gun hands toward their jackets but stopped short. Lord Ganna glanced at his body guard as the man’s gun hand slowly lowered, this time flashing two fingers. He then turned to look at the captain once more.
Captain Navarro’s eyes squinted again, taking on a sinister quality, one seething with controlled rage. “If you wish peaceful coexistence, so be it. However, be warned. The eyes of the Avendahl…my eyes…shall be forever upon you. Should even one of your warships leave the Takaran system, I will consider it an act of aggression, and I will act accordingly. Furthermore, should your own forces grow beyond that which is reasonably necessary to defend Takara, I shall also consider that an act of aggression… One that shall also be met with deadly force.”
Lord Ganna did not budge and did not look away. He kept his eyes squarely focused on Lord Navarro’s as he spoke. “Are you sure it’s wise to make such overt threats, Lord Navarro?”
Suvan Navarro leaned back slowly, a confident smile forming at the corner of his mouth. “My dear Lord Ganna. I have the most powerful ship in the entire sector, with enough firepower to destroy your pitiful fleet several times over. The only thing that prevented me from doing so, nine days ago, was a promise I made to the most honorable man I have ever known. A man whose daughter the so-called nobles of Takara had murdered. A man who himself was murdered by the same nobles you choose to associate with.” The captain paused a moment, as he received a transmission in his hidden earpiece. His smile broadened. “Those are the terms of Deliza Ta’Akar, and they are not negotiable. Now, I suggest you and your friends depart while you still can. It seems my men have run out of targets on which to practice.”
Lord Ganna glanced over to his bodyguard. The man had a concerned look on his face and did not hold up any fingers. He looked at Suvan Navarro once more. “Good day to you, Lord Navarro,” he said hurriedly as he rose from his seat and rushed out of the cafe.
Captain Navarro leaned back in his seat, feeling quite pleased with himself.
A man dressed in local attire, with mussed hair and many days worth of whiskers on his cheeks strolled up to Captain Navarro. “You do have a way with words, Captain.”
Navarro smiled. “I have to admit, that was far more satisfying than I had anticipated.”
* * *
One of Gerard’s men burst through the front door, panting. “They are coming, from the north and west.”
“How long?” Gerard asked as he leapt from his seat at the table.
“Fifteen minutes at the most.”
“You and Marten head south. We will go east. They know not our number and I will blow this cabin after we depart. With any luck, they will follow only one of us. Now go and good luck to you.”
“Good luck to you as well,” the man replied as he turned and headed back out the door.
Naralena slowly rose from her seat, fear evident on her face. “We have to send a message to the Alliance, let them know what has happened. They might be able to help.”
“There is no time,” Gerard told her. “Besides, they likely do not know which cabin the transmission was coming from. If we send a message now, they will be upon us even more rapidly.”
“But you said you were going to blow up the cabin. Surely that will alert them as to which cabin the transmissions came from?”
“I meant that I will rig the cabin to blow when they enter,” Gerard explained. “If we are lucky, ours will not be the first cabin they search. Now quickly, gather your things and follow me. We must cross the meadow before they are within scanning range. We have only minutes at best!”
“But where will we go?” Naralena asked as she grabbed her jacket and her bag.
“We have other hideouts, other cabins.”
“Are they far?” Naralena asked as they headed for the exit.
“Yes, but they will get no closer until we start walking toward them.” Gerard grabbed Naralena’s hands pulling them up to his heart as he looked into her eyes. “Do not be afraid, Naralena. I will protect you.”
Naralena said nothing, only nodding and following him quickly out the door.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“We now have fifty Tannan technicians on board, as well as Kamenetskiy and his team,” Commander Ellison reported, as he studied his data pad in the poorly lit ready room on the Jar-Benakh.
“So, not including all the Ghatazhak, that gives us what, sixty-two?” Captain Roselle concluded.
“Sixty-three.”
“Hardly enough to run a five kilometer long battleship.”
“About a tenth of what we really need, not including flight operations personnel.”
“Yeah, well, I have a feeling about the only thing we’re going to be flying off our decks are shuttles,” the captain replied. “At least for the immediate future, that is.”
“That’s fine by me, sir,” the commander agreed. “The last thing we need are a couple hundred more roles to fill.”
“And fighter pilots, no less. Cocky fucking bunch.”
The main lighting suddenly flickered, panels popping to life one by one.
“Captain,” Vladimir called over the intercom, “I’m happy to report that main power has been restored.”
“No shit,” the captain muttered as he reached for his intercom control panel. “Nicely done, Lieutenant Commander. How are the engines looking?”
“As best we can tell, propulsion was undamaged, sir. We should be able to get underway at any time. However, I would not advise using the FTL fields until we have had more time to evaluate those systems.”
“How much time are we talking?”
“Several days, at least,” Vladimir warned.
“Very well. Get on it.”
“Aye, Captain.”
Roselle looked at his XO. “Them Tannan boys figure out how to fly this thing yet?”
“They already knew,” the commander replied. “Seems the Tannans that served on the Jar-Keurog kept pretty detailed records. Captain Scott insisted on keeping a copy on board the Aurora, just in case. Even had it updated several times a day.”
“Guess he isn’t as dumb as he looks,” Roselle commented. “Where are we in relation to Sol right now?”
“We’re on the opposite side of the Tau Ceti system from Sol, off to starboard a bit and a little low, relative.”
“And Kohara? She on our way to Sol?”
“Yes, sir. More or less. What did you have in mind, Gil?”
“Well, I figure Dumar is going to send us one of two places. Either back to Sol, or to the Cetian orbital shipyards, assuming he finally decides to take them by force. Both are on about the same line, so why don’t we turn this thing around and make way for Kohara for now.”
“Beats the hell out of coasting in the wrong direction,” the commander agreed.
* * *
Captain Nash entered the hanger, making his way to the small stage along the wall. Once a bay that had housed several Jung fighters, it had recently been converted into a training facility for the Tannan gunship crews. It was a little small for their needs, but it was one of the last remaining buildings on the old Jung airbase that wasn’t being used in support of gunship production.
He stepped up onto the stage and made his way to the podium, pausing to look out at the eighty faces staring back at him. These men and women were the most qualified volunteers that Tanna had to offer. Unfortunately, none of them had ever served in a military environment and none of them had ever been in space. Even worse, none of them were pilots. Most of their qualifications were based on basic assessment scores, experience with technology, and the fact that they spoke English…barely.
“Good morning,” Captain Nash began. “Welcome to your first day of training. I am Captain Robert Nash, and I will be in charge of your training. You will be learning to operate the new Cobra class fast-attack gunships currently being assembled here on this base. You will also be learning how to behave in military service, how to follow the orders of your commanding officer, and how to work as a team. Most importantly, you will be learning how to fight, using your new gunships.”
Captain Nash paused before continuing, scanning their faces for any signs of confusion. He knew that some of their English skills were sub-par, thus it was important for him to speak clearly and deliberately. “Your training will be divided into four categories. Military procedures and protocols, flight operations, weapons and systems, and battle tactics. While each of you will specialize in certain tasks, all of you will receive the same basic instruction. Everyone will learn to fly the gunships, everyone will learn to operate its weapons and systems, and everyone will learn battle tactics. The reason for this is simple… Redundancy.”