by Tom Chattle
Chen frowned. "Honestly, the way everyone has treated me since Arcturus, I've found it best not to divulge things that people might say make me bat shit crazy."
McCann gestured for her to continue with a chuckle. "Fair enough. What did you see?"
Lingering aches from the memory arose, and Chen rubbed her temple. "I think I was seeing the warrior on board their ship, passing through whatever is in front of us now. A portal of sorts."
"Like to transport the ship?" Moreau asked.
"I think so." Chen nodded. "Arcturus was one of the Syrax's furthest outposts, right? Perhaps these devices are what they use to travel from wherever they live?"
McCann scratched his chin. "I thought you said it wasn't Syrax."
"It's not. That much I'm sure of." Chen knew what she saw was correct but didn't have enough information to explain it further.
Her friend frowned. "Regardless of who made it, if it's here, why haven't we found traces of them before? Why aren't their ships all over the sector?"
"The information Lieutenant Chen got from their databases in the Arcturus system indicated their empire had gone into a terminal decline hundreds of years ago," Moreau answered. She cast a nervous glance at the viewscreen. "If this is a transportation portal, should we be getting so close to it?"
"You're right." Chen turned to Arnesen, about to advise him of the possibility of danger. Before she could speak, clusters of azure beams of light strobed out from the ring's edge and the Valiant shuddered.
"What the hell is that?" Arnesen demanded of Moreau. His hands firmly gripped the arms of his chair. "Back us away, Ensign Vega."
A high-pitched whine echoed through the bridge when Vega tried to comply, but the Valiant only continued to close on the rippling disk. The ensign turned, eyes wide. "Helm is unresponsive, sir!"
"Moreau?"
The science officer finally replied while the shaking got worse. "Tractor beams, sir. They're dragging us in."
Arnesen grimaced. "Target the emitters and fire."
The wait for the rail-cannons to deploy felt like an eternity to Chen. Finally unfurling from their armored bulwarks, they rotated and sent streams of kinetic rounds toward the ring. Whatever Moreau had targeted them at, it seemed to do no good—the rounds disappeared into the lights with no apparent effect.
Arnesen tapped his armrest and opened up a link to engineering. "Chief Cartwright, can you get anything more out of the engines?"
The reply came back, laden with distortion. The proximity to the portal must have been wreaking havoc with the ship's systems. "They're running over max capacity, sir. What the hell is going on up there?"
"No time to explain," Arnesen growled. "Just give me everything you can. Vega, full reverse!"
Vega wrestled with the controls while the crackling maelstrom rapidly approached them but shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, the engines are overheating, and I still can't back us off."
"Shit," Arnesen muttered. "All hands, brace for impact!"
The Valiant shuddered violently, and Chen grabbed the corner of Moreau's console. A terrible screech arose in her mind, and she staggered, her mind overwhelmed moments before the light from the portal blinded her and the Valiant plunged into the alien gateway.
- 19 -
2208.10.20 // 06:32
UVS Valiant, unknown space
A thunderous sound roared in her ears, and Chen's eyes snapped open. She touched a hand gingerly to the immense pain at the back of her skull. Her vision swam back into focus, and people scurried around the bridge, their distressed voices muffled. She turned her head and realized she was sprawled against the bulkhead wall. Given how slowly her brain processed everything, she must have hit it pretty hard. A hand grabbed Chen's shoulder, and McCann's face was before her, mouthing something. She opened her jaw to try to equalize the pressure in her ears, and sound suddenly flooded back.
"Are you okay?"
Chen took McCann's offered hand, and he hauled her off the floor. "Yeah, I think so. I must have hit my head. What happened?"
"That's the million-dollar question." Arnesen steadied himself in his chair while alarms continued to echo throughout the bridge.
Chen glanced at Moreau, who was busy studying her console, then she stumbled over to Arnesen. The Valiant's movements were unsteady, systems still not at full capacity. "I think we were drawn into the portal, sir."
"Yes, I figured that much," Arnesen snapped. "What was it and, more importantly, where the hell are we now?"
Chen ran a hand through her hair. "It wasn't Syrax, and I have no idea."
"Moreau?" Arnesen asked. "Do you know where we are?"
Her eyes flicked up from the console briefly before Moreau shook her head. "Sorry, sir, no. I'm having a hard time getting the navigation systems back online, and what I can see right now doesn't match any of our star charts."
"Wonderful," Arnesen growled. "Vega, is the helm responding?"
The young man turned. "Barely, sir. Systems seem to be coming up now."
"Okay, stabilize us as quickly as you can," Arnesen ordered.
The Valiant finally steadied itself, and a flash of movement drew Chen's attention to the viewscreen. Laced with static and digital errors, the view forward was barely visible. She peered intently at the screen to try to ascertain what she had seen. Her eyes widened, and she thrust a finger at the screen. Arnesen followed it.
"Moreau, shields!" the captain cried.
"The portal damaged them, sir." Moreau's hands flew furiously across her screen. "Coming up now, but not at full strength."
Arnesen grimaced. "It will have to do."
The rumble of the void shield generators peaked moments before a sizzling beam of light impacted the prow of the Valiant, and unprepared crew members were sent staggering for support.
"Evasive maneuvers," Arnesen ordered. "Open a comm link to the ship, see if we can talk them down."
"They're not responding, Captain." Moreau grabbed the edge of her console as Vega threw the old ship into a particularly tight turn. "It's a small ship, but the energy signatures match Syrax technology. A scout, perhaps."
"They aren't the chatty types, I take it." Arnesen glanced at Chen.
"Not so much," Chen replied.
Arnesen clucked his tongue. "Very well. Return fire, Ensign Moreau."
"Aye, sir." Moreau's commands sent lancing streams of projectiles toward the Syrax vessel, but they disintegrated before impacting the alien ship's hull.
McCann shook his head. "Guess an active warship having no shields like their old satellites was too much to ask for."
Chen was about to respond when another beam of incandescent plasma cut into the Valiant's superstructure. The void shields fought to deflect the heavy impact, and the power flickered. An access panel popped loose above Chen's head, and she was forced to duck when it swung toward her and clattered onto the deck. Sparks flew when several systems overloaded, and Vega was flung back from his console, landing heavily on the floor, unmoving.
With no time to think, Chen leaped for the helm. She slid into Vega's seat and ignored an indignant cry from Bennett that was immediately silenced by another violent impact. She gunned the engines and sent the Valiant into a hard bank. More Syrax fire streamed past, narrowly missing the hull.
Sustained fire from the rail-cannons was barely making a dent in the power output of the Syrax ship. "Moreau, send a pair of nukes its way," Arnesen ordered.
Moments later, two hatches slid open along the Valiant's spine just in front of the bridge, and two sleek torpedoes shot out on columns of blue fire. They immediately angled sideways and rocketed toward the alien vessel. They crossed the space within seconds, and two spherical balls of light enveloped the enemy ship.
"Shields are partially down!" Moreau cried, but her jubilation quickly turned to frustration when the Syrax shields regenerated themselves before more than a few kinetic rail-rounds could breach the energy barrier.
Angered, the Syrax warship threw back
a barrage of energy and hammered the Valiant hard. More systems on the bridge overloaded, and a shower of sparks spewed across the deck.
"Goddamn it," Arnesen growled, and Chen jinked the cumbersome ship away from more fire. "Chen, take us away. Moreau, shore up the rear shields and charge the plasma cannon."
While she didn't have the level of expertise on large ships that a dedicated helmsman like Vega did, Chen had spent enough of her life in the pilot's seat of starships of many sizes. She'd also undergone the mandatory basic capital ship piloting courses at the Academy—which she'd largely breezed through with the usual disdain of her more youthful years. They took another hit to the stern, and Chen swore. Ponderous in its movements, the Valiant didn't have the quick reaction times of smaller vessels.
"Moreau?" Arnesen inquired.
She glanced up, hair escaping the usual tight braids she kept. "Almost there, sir."
Gripping the armrests, Arnesen leaned forward. "Lieutenant Chen, bring us around and line us up for an attack run. Moreau, shunt shields forward the moment we turn and prepare to fire."
"Aye, sir." Taking orders on what had been her bridge not long before was strange, but Chen shook it off and hauled the Valiant around toward the Syrax vessel. The old ship groaned with effort at the tight turn, and the blue flares of the reaction control system burned bright around the prow. Amber warning icons indicated two of the three main engines were damaged. Slowly losing power, they struggled to respond to Chen's commands.
A tone sounded, and Arnesen hit a button on his control pad. "What's happening, Chief?"
"What's happening?" Chief Cartwright's indignant voice filled the bridge, distortion rippling through the comm as systems tried to maintain functionality. "Tell Vega he's about to rip the engines right out the hull if he asks much more of them."
"Vega's down, Chief," Arnesen responded. "Lieutenant Chen's on the helm, and we need everything you can squeeze from the engines for just a little longer."
An angry grunt came back over the comm. "Aye, I'll see what I can do."
The Valiant's prow lumbered around to line up with the Syrax ship, the forward view partially obscured by the incoming weapons fire that raged across the shields.
"Moreau, ready?" Arnesen leaned forward.
Moreau nodded. "Yes, sir. Plasma cannon fully charged."
"Then kill that damn ship," he ordered, his tone laced with anger.
Chen held directly toward the Syrax ship and watched the fairings around the newly added heavy weapon slide open. The massive barrel exposed, a lethal glow built up from within it. The enemy vessel seemed to sense the danger and started a hard turn, but it was too late. Energy pulsed out the blocky vents on either side of the weapon, and a searing blue beam of light stretched out to briefly connect the two warships.
Even though the viewscreen automatically adjusted for the painful brightness, Chen still squinted, blinking her eyes to clear them of the lights that now danced around her vision. The energy bloom faded almost as fast as it had grown—two ships left in its place. Surprised, Chen examined them again to realize the beam had severed the entire rear third of the Syrax ship. The parts tumbled away from each other in slow motion. Lights flickered and died while fire and gasses vented into the coldness of space.
Arnesen stood, his voice cold. "Moreau, finish them off."
Glancing over at the ensign, Chen saw her hesitate for a moment, but then her jaw tightened, and a brace of torpedoes shot from the Valiant. Moments later, the unshielded remains of the Syrax ship were turned into a cloud of dust that rapidly expanded across the viewscreen. Chen throttled the engines down to save any more complaints from Chief Cartwright, leaned back in Vega's seat, and breathed a sigh of relief.
- 20 -
2208.10.20 // 06:50
UVS Valiant, unknown space
"Damage assessment." Arnesen turned in place to catalog the chaos around the bridge.
Chen followed his gaze. Loose panels and wiring harnesses littered the deck, and sparks still fizzled from some of the holes that gaped in the bulkheads. The acrid tang of burnt electronics hung around them, the bridge filled with a faint smoky haze that the air processors struggled to clear. Medical personnel were already on hand, lifting the unconscious form of Vega onto a grav-stretcher. They scanned him and headed for the medical bay and Doc Corrigan's care.
Moreau gathered her straggled hair behind her head and coughed. "Engines took a beating, sir. Minor hull breaches on decks three and eight." She scanned the information that constantly updated on the screen before her. "Weapons are mostly fine, but a lot of sub-systems overloaded during the battle."
"Even with all the refits, she's an old ship," Chen muttered and wiped the film of sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
"That she is," Arnesen replied, "but still doing the job. McCann, get a backup helmsman up here." He stepped back over to the comm. "Chief, what's it look like down there?"
There was a pause before a squeal over the speakers made everyone wince. "It's a bloody mess, sir." The chief yelled instructions to unseen engineers, numerous warning tones obvious in the background. "We're pretty much running on one engine. I can't get you very far."
Arnesen clucked his tongue. "How long, Chief? We can't just sit here."
"It's going to be a few hours, at least. I can't make any promises until I fully power engines one and three down and get my head in there to assess the damage."
McCann scratched his head. "Are the rift drives still operational, Chief?"
"Aye," was the curt response.
"Could we build up enough speed to translate to rift-space?" McCann asked.
"Sir, even if we could," Moreau spoke up, "I have almost no information on where we are. If we travel far, we could plow straight through a sun or a black-hole or something."
Chen stared at the distorted viewscreen. A weak star burned dimly in the distance. Its light flickered from the passage of unseen objects passing before it. Nothing else was visible—the battle with the Syrax warship had taken them far from wherever the mysterious alien portal had spat them out. "Where are we?"
Moreau shook her head helplessly and stared down at her screens. "I...I don't really know. Sensors can't map the visible star patterns to anything in our database. It could take a while for them to identify any markers." She looked up, eyes anxious. "We could be half-way across the galaxy, for all I know."
"Can you get information about the space around us, at least?" McCann asked.
"Uhh," Moreau bit her lip and gathered the data. "White dwarf solar system. Remains of several planets."
"Remains?" Arnesen frowned. "Any idea what destroyed them?"
"No, sir," Moreau replied. "There are at least four planets in orbit of the star that are in various states of disintegration."
Movement on the viewscreen caught Chen's eye. "Like that one?"
A dark disk slid into view to eclipse the light of the weak star. Faint reflections shimmered; an indication of icy debris rings—fairly common for a planet—but the outline of the globe seemed utterly wrong. With a few taps, Moreau overlaid sensor readings on the viewscreen, and the odd shapes began to make sense. The entire planet was ripped apart. Vast fissures reached deep through the crust and into the remains of the mantle. Continent-sized chunks seemed to be entirely separate from each other, held together merely by the lingering effects of gravity while the planet span at a lazy rate around its tilted axis.
"Super-Earth, atmosphere largely nonexistent, some faint heat traces still coming from the core." Moreau glanced up. "Radiation storms all over the place. Pretty dead."
Arnesen dismissed the ruins with a wave of his hand and scratched his thinning hair. "How far back to whatever the hell we came through?"
Chen had been plotting a course back as Moreau figured out their surroundings. "A little over eight million kilometers," she announced. "That transit spit us out at a hell of a pace, then the battle..."
"Lovely," Arnesen grumbled. "Take us bac
k, best speed you can get on one engine. Let's not make the chief too mad."
Chen turned the ship in a gentle arc back toward the portal. She had almost coaxed the single active engine back up to low power when Moreau called out, an edge in her voice.
"That may not be possible, sir."
Arnesen's gaze snapped to the ensign. "Explain."
"I have multiple incoming signals." Moreau's brow furrowed. "They're long-range but..."
"But they'll get here before we can get anywhere close to that alien portal," Arnesen finished her sentence. He sighed and tapped to open a link down to engineering. "Chief, we have incoming. I need those engines."
Muffled cursing filled several long seconds before Cartwright responded. "Captain, if you try to run power through those two engines right now, they're liable to turn us into half a ship. I had to take them completely offline. The damage is pretty bad."
"Copy that, Chief." Arnesen closed his eyes, no doubt racking his brain for a solution.
Chen cleared her throat. "Captain, I may have an idea."
Arnesen's piercing eyes snapped open and focused on her. "Go on."
Chen nodded toward the husk of the planet that now drifted off the edge of the viewscreen and narrowed her eyes. "The fissures on that planet are huge, and the gravity is minimal. I think we could fit the Valiant in there with some careful flying." She turned to Arnesen. "Hide it out, you know?"
"You want to fly us into the middle of a collapsing alien planet?" Bennett called from the back of the bridge, incredulous. Chen had forgotten he was even there given all the chaos. "That's suicide."
"I'm pretty sure limping across open space with compromised shields, weapons, and engines is suicide," Chen snapped back. "At least this gives us a chance to evade detection. Maybe if they can't figure out what happened, they will leave."
Bennett was about to snarl something back when Arnesen raised a hand. "Moreau, is there any indication the incoming ships have detected us?"