Ruins of Talamar (Syrax Wars Book 2)

by Tom Chattle

  "Sir, one tiny scout ship almost destroyed us." Chen leaned forward. "Their ships are far superior, and if we call more ships in, what do you think they will do?"

  "A fleet of battleships stands far more chance than we do."

  "Sir, we'd have a much greater chance with a mission of stealth. Gathering information and potentially a powerful weapon without alerting the Syrax further is a better idea than if we risked the entire fleet at such an early stage." Chen took a deep breath to slow her words. "With Sina to guide us and access to the information she is willing to provide us, we can pull this off."

  Cupping his chin with a hand, Arnesen stared at the desk. "Lieutenant Chen, while I agree with your general premise, I'm still leaning toward returning to the portal so we can report to Fleet Command. While she seems amenable to our cause, we don't truly know we can trust this woman or her species as a whole."

  "Sir, please," Chen started. "I trust Sina. The Talamar have suffered far more against the Syrax than us. They were at war for generations."

  "Who's to say they didn't broker a peace with the Syrax to save themselves from extinction?" Arnesen asked.

  Chen was dismayed at the suggestion. She'd expected Arnesen to be far more open to the Talamar. "I've seen some of the horrors the Syrax inflicted upon them." She shook her head. "There's no way they could ever be anything but enemies."

  "While I agree with the suggested course of action from this...alien, I don't share Lieutenant Chen's assessment of their trustworthiness. Of course, she'd follow along with their ideas like a puppy," Bennett scoffed. "I mean, look at her clothes, she's already out of uniform. Lieutenant Chen has a dangerous habit of being influenced by aliens. We should gather all the information and technology we can from this species while treating them as the hostile race they could well be."

  Full of frustration, Chen balled her fists until her knuckles cracked. She was about to say something that probably would have got her court-martialed when an all too familiar burning sensation exploded across her forehead. She felt someone grab a hold of her when she staggered sideways, but her vision had already faded too far to see who it was.

  A fleet of Syrax ships approached the portal. Weapons bristled, and they prepared for war. The spread-out ships were so numerous, it was impossible to see where the fleet ended. Vast leviathans powered through the void and smaller ships darted between them, on the hunt for prey.

  Chen's head swam—the voices that called out her name dull and muffled. Surely, there was no way the Syrax could have assembled such a war host so quickly. She grunted when another lance of pain burned through her temple. No, this couldn't have happened yet—a possibility to come?

  A rough hand grasped her shoulder, and Chen cried out in confusion. She shoved away the hand—trying to warn them of the threat she'd seen. Voices yelled, and only the steady hand on her arm stopped Chen from collapsing from the pain.

  A sudden fire erupted from Chen's neck. It shot down her spine and ignited all her nerve endings. The visions of the Syrax fleet lingered, then evaporated and she stiffened, limbs uncontrollable from the overstimulation. The pain ceased and she slumped, blurred vision fading in and out before the darkness took her.

  - 28 -

  2208.10.20 // 12:17

  UVS Valiant, Orotari

  Chen groaned and lifted a hand to tenderly touch her forehead. A steady throb lingered behind it, and her mouth was dry and tasted faintly of blood. She slowly opened one eye but winced at the bright lights above her.

  "Sorry, let me turn those off." McCann stood and dialed down the ambient lighting from a recessed console in the wall.

  "Thanks," Chen mumbled, letting her eyes adjust to the gentle glow from the monitors. They were still in the briefing room, although everyone else seemed to have left. "Bennett shocked me, I assume?"

  "Of course," McCann confirmed. He reached out, glass in his hand. "Here, have some water."

  Chen took it and gulped down a mouthful of the cool liquid before she set it aside. "When are we heading back to the portal?"

  "Oh, we're not—at least, not yet," McCann chuckled.

  That wasn't at all what Chen expected given how the conversation had been heading. "What? Why the change? Arnesen seemed to be all for heading back."

  Her friend laughed. "Well, after he took exception with Bennett shocking you into a drooling mess on the deck—"

  "Gee, Wally," Chen growled, "I'm glad my extreme pain is funny to watch"

  McCann raised his hands. "I didn't mean it that way." The corner of his mouth raised. "Although, I've seen you look worse after a night drinking."

  "Uh-huh." Chen rolled to the side and reached around behind Arnesen's desk. "Speaking of..." She opened the lowest drawer and rummaged around while McCann raised an eyebrow. "Ah hah!" She pulled a small bottle of amber liquid from behind some documents. "Guess he didn't fully clear out my stuff."

  "Anyway," McCann continued like he couldn't see her pull the top off the bottle and take a long swig of the burning liquid. "With Bennett's support for once, as well as a little gentle persuasion on my part, he agreed Sina's proposal was the logical way forward." He nodded over to the corner of the room, and Chen straightened when she noticed Sina for the first time.

  "Aurichen." Sina nodded. "I am glad you are well. The man in black should not treat a warrior the way he did."

  "No argument there." Chen flexed her neck, and her spine popped. She gingerly felt the neural dampener on her neck. The skin around it was raw and cracked from the powerful shock it had delivered.

  "Arnesen dressed him down pretty hard for what he did to you. Felt like he was about thirty seconds from dumping him in an airlock and venting him to space."

  "That would be a fitting punishment," Sina muttered darkly.

  Chen laughed and pushed herself up. Hand placed on the desk, she paused for a second until the blood returned to her head. "So, when are we leaving?"

  McCann scratched the back of his neck. "The chief still needs some time to get the Valiant back in running order. We probably have at least a good eight hours based on his last report."

  "Of course," Chen grumbled. "Well, I can't sit around doing nothing. Sina, how about I give you a tour of the ship?"

  "I would like that very much," the alien woman replied. "Your vessel is fascinating."

  "I've got to get back to work," McCann said. "But if you run into Wilde, please take her with you. She's been driving me insane with her constant questions ever since you left."

  Before Chen could agree, McCann stopped in the doorway. "Oh, and Auri? Might want to back off speaking for the captain quite so much. He's tolerant, but I wouldn't push it."

  With that, he left, and Chen sat there. It felt natural for her to be in charge on the Valiant, but she had been overstepping her bounds when it came to decisions, especially in regard to Sina and the Talamar. She needed Arnesen on her side, so McCann's advice was sound.

  Chen sighed and headed for the exit. "Come on, let's show you around."

  ***

  The moment Chen exited the turbolift, she practically collided with an excitable Wilde.

  "Auri!" the holo-star cried. "I'm so glad you're—" She stopped cold when she saw Sina exit the door after Chen. "Oh, I'm sorry." Wide eyes darted from Chen to Sina and back. "Who's this?"

  "Katrina, this is Sina, a member of the Talamar." Chen made the introduction. "Sina, this is Katrina Wilde, former..." She cleared her throat at the scathing look she received from Wilde. "Err, current holo-star and a consultant on this mission."

  "Holo-star?" Sina cautiously extended her hand as she had seen Chen do.

  "Yes!" Wilde grabbed the alien's hand with hers and pumped it up and down enthusiastically. "I'm an investigative reporter, exposing the truth behind myths and legends."

  Sina glanced at Chen. "I do not know what that means, but it sounds...interesting."

  "Katrina." Chen nodded down, and the woman removed Sina's hand from her grip with an apologetic smile.
r />   "Oh, I'm sorry! I've just never met an alien before." Her eyes hardened. "Well, at least not a humanoid alien who's not trying to brutally murder me."

  Seeing Sina's confusion, Chen clarified. "Katrina was on the mission with me when we encountered the Syrax." She snorted. "Actually, we were saving her ass from getting in way over her head."

  "Ass?" Sina narrowed her eyes.

  "Ignore Auri." Wilde snorted, wrapping her arm through Sina's longer one and pulling her along the corridor. "Come on, let's show you around."

  Chen shook her head, a smile on her face, then followed the pair while Wilde asked Sina a constant stream of questions. Chen had been unsure how the Valiant's crew would react to Sina, but so far, it was largely a mixed bag of fascination and uncertainty. Chen watched Sina's deep blue hair wave back and forth whenever she ducked between compartments. It contrasted vividly with the red hair of Wilde. Chen found it both unnerving and oddly comforting to not be able to read anything from her mind.

  Compared to the nervous excitement that rolled off Wilde and the constant bombardment of thoughts from each human crew member they passed, Sina was like a calm pool in a turbulent stormy ocean. Even so, Chen could tell the alien was on high alert in the foreign environment. Her amber eyes darted back and forth to take in every aspect of the ship they passed though.

  They entered the engine room, and the normal racket of voices silenced itself almost immediately, all eyes locked on Sina.

  "Wait, fifty is young for you?" Wilde continued her questioning of their guest when Sina drew to a halt in the entrance. "Just how old are you?"

  "Really, Katrina?" Chen scolded. She caught up and laid a palm on Sina's forearm. She could tell the woman was uncertain at being confronted with so many humans in one space. "It's okay, everyone here is a friend."

  "Of course." Sina inclined her head and resumed after Wilde. Her eyes were drawn up to the multi-level marvel of engineering that was the Valiant's rift drive.

  "Like it, eh?" Chief Cartwright wiped his hands on a rag and moved out from under a control panel. "RD Seventy-One rift core, quad nacelles for streamlined translation."

  Sina nodded. "It is impressive. It seems very large for what it does."

  Cartwright hesitated and glanced at Chen.

  "Don't worry, Chief." Chen laughed. "Her species has had a few thousand years head start on us."

  "Oh, of course," Cartwright chuckled. "Well, pleased t'meet you, Miss..."

  "Sina," she responded. "It is my pleasure."

  "We encountered her people during the mission to explore the energy readings," Chen explained. "There's a whole bunch of them, and they have a lot of experience fighting the Syrax."

  "Well, welcome aboard the Valiant." The broad grin that split Cartwright's face seemed to ease off the nervous tension that emanated from the nearby engineers. They resumed their work, although Chen noticed they constantly shot furtive glances at Sina. Some were fearful, but most just seemed to be fascination.

  "Thank you." Sina gave the chief a half bow. She gazed at the rift drive. The core glowed brightly through the thick, shielded portholes that allowed the engineers to monitor it visually. "Your containment field seems unstable."

  "That would be because it is." Cartwright scratched his head. "You can tell that just from looking?"

  "You cannot?" Sina tilted her head. "The light coming off it is quite erratic."

  Cartwright raised his eyebrows. "We have to use ultraviolet cameras to detect that."

  It had never even occurred to Chen that Sina and the Talamar might perceive their surroundings differently. It wasn't a big surprise they could see near-ultraviolet light—many animals on Earth could as well—but it emphasized just how different they were, even given their general similarity to humans.

  "Chen!" Bennett's angry cry echoed across the engine room.

  "Shit." Chen groaned, turning to face him with a sigh. She had hoped he'd forgotten about her after his earlier dressing down. "What now, Bennett?"

  "Lieutenant Commander Bennett," he snarled. "You'd think you'd have learned some decorum while you were drooling on the floor."

  Chen's face flushed, and her jaw clenched. "What the hell do you want?"

  "Stop this little tour group and get that alien to the quarters McCann assigned her." He stepped closer, looking down on Chen. "Then get your petulant ass back to your room."

  A sudden, inhuman desire to smash Bennett in the teeth and rip out his throat fought with painful tingles that reminded Chen of the damage from the neural dampener. Luckily, the decision was taken out of her hands when Sina stepped forward. "Come, Aurichen, I wish to rest anyway." She turned to Cartwright. "Thank you for allowing me to see your technology."

  Chen took a deep breath and nodded. She pushed past Bennett toward the exit, and Sina followed closely. Wilde caught up with them in the passageway outside. "What a dick."

  "Dick?" Sina turned her head to Wilde.

  "Well, you see," Katrina started, hand moving downward in a suggestive manner.

  "Katrina, come on," Chen snapped, her patience wearing thinner the longer she was around crowded spaces.

  Wilde frowned. "Lighten up, Auri."

  Stepping around a pair of crew members examining an access panel, Chen pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry." She punched the bulkhead with the side of her fist. "I'm sick of being treated like a freakish abomination by that man. Even his presence puts my mind in a dark place, wanting to hurt him in ways I can't explain."

  Sina shook her head. "You are a warrior. Why do you not challenge him to a duel, put the issue to rest?"

  "Is that what you'd do, Sina?" Wilde asked. "Have you dueled?"

  "Of course. Any clan leader will have dueled for their right to guide their people."

  "Well, it's not that easy here," Chen grumbled. "Whether I like it or not, Bennett is my superior officer and, given my status, I fall under his command."

  "You should have McCann talk to Arnesen about it," Wilde reasoned.

  Chen didn't feel like filling Wilde in on what happened earlier and just kept walking.

  "This McCann," Sina started. "He is your mate?"

  "Uh, no," Chen laughed.

  Sina's brow creased in confusion. "But there is a close bond between you, is there not? Is he not suitable?"

  "Oh, Wally's a great guy." Chen snorted. "I just don't have the right...equipment for him." Sina's expression only got more perplexed. "We're just friends," Chen clarified. "Good friends from back in the Naval Academy."

  "Oh." Sina nodded. "Of course."

  "Do you have a mate, Sina?" Wilde asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

  The alien shook her head. "No, although many have tried."

  Chen wondered just what she meant by that, but their arrival at a small door cut her train of thought short. "Here's the cabin Wally assigned you."

  Sizing the entryway up, Sina stepped toward it, halting when it didn't open automatically.

  "Here." Chen leaned in and pressed the wall panel, sending the door gliding into the bulkhead.

  "Thank you." Sina ducked through the entry and took in the cabin.

  Chen stopped at the door. "It's not much, but the beds are pretty comfortable."

  A hint of a smile crossed Sina's face. "It will suffice."

  Chen rapped her knuckles on the bulkhead. "I'll be back in, oh...six hours or so. Try and get some sleep."

  "Very well, Aurichen." Sina bowed then reached for the door panel to shut it.

  Chen turned to Wilde and stretched. A muscle in her back complained, and she winced. "Sleep sounds like a pretty good idea to me, as well. I can't even remember how long I've been up at this point."

  Wilde glanced down the empty passageway. "I agree, but there are some things we need to discuss first."

  - 29 -

  2208.10.20 // 12:49

  UVS Valiant, Orotari

  Wilde entered Chen's cabin and stooped down to pull off her boots, then bounced onto the small bed. She tucked s
ocked feet under her and slipped a datapad from a pocket.

  "Make yourself at home," Chen said with a wry smile. She crossed to the hidden dresser, unbuttoned the stiff Talamar jerkin, and shrugged it off before grabbing a loose tank top and wriggling into it. "As interesting as their dress is, I'm happy to be back in clothes that don't make me look like I'm from a holo-show."

  Wilde snorted. "I dunno, you look pretty cool. All exotic and stuff."

  Chen sat next to Wilde and tugged off the sleek alien boots. She set them aside, then removed the skirt and flung it across the room. A groan escaped her mouth when she lay back on the bed, and she shielded her eyes from the light above. "Okay, Katrina. What did you want to talk about that was so urgent I'm not drinking myself to sleep right now?"

  "Well." Wilde leaned forward, a gleam in her emerald eyes. "While you were off making peace with alien species, I got into Bennett's cabin."

  Chen jerked up her head and stared at the young woman. "Wait, just how the hell did you manage that?"

  "Please, Auri," Wilde scoffed. "This is hardly the first time I've had to liberate information from reluctant sources."

  "I wouldn't exactly call Bennett a 'reluctant source.'" Chen frowned. "He's NI. He must have had that place locked down."

  Wilde flicked red hair back from her face. "He did, although not as well as he thought."

  Chen stared at Wilde. Regardless of her youthful age and the glamorous airs she put on—even with her show canceled—Wilde was a resourceful and intelligent young woman. Even though there was only a handful of years between them, Chen suddenly felt much older. "You're full of surprises, you know that?"

  A wicked grin spread across Wilde's face, and she nodded. "I like to keep my skills hidden. Takes people by surprise, you know?"

  "I can imagine." Chen stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. "Okay, given that I'm prone to falling asleep any minute, do you want to tell me just what you found in the dear Lieutenant Commander's quarters?"