by G J Ogden
Just at that moment, Ensign Keller stepped out of the deck-one rest room. He was straightening his tunic and not looking where he was going. As a consequence, he almost walked straight into Admiral Griffin.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t see you…” Keller began cheerily before looking up and realizing who he’d almost flattened. “Admiral, sir… sorry, sir. I mean, ma’am. I mean Admiral!”
Griffin sighed loudly and obviously, but didn’t respond to the helmsman. As a result, Keller just remained where he was, struck dumb. It was like Griffin was the White Witch of Narnia and had just turned him to stone.
“You can return to your post now, Ensign,” said Sterling, offering his helmsman a lifeline.
“Yes, sir, thank you, sir,” Keller said, shuffling along the wall to slip past the group. Once he was clear, Keller accelerated and practically ran onto the bridge. “He’s not always like that,” Sterling said, as Griffin’s cold blue eyes turned to him. “Not often, anyway.”
Griffin sighed again and continued along the corridor, finally entering the small briefing room at the rear of deck one. She walked around the table and sat in the chair that would have normally been reserved for the captain.
“Am I to assume that Project Obsidian is still alive and well?” Sterling asked, dropping into one of the other chairs in the briefing room. Banks sat across from Sterling, quietly but keenly observing the exchange between the two senior officers. “Because unless you have a thousand of those little black ships out there, I can’t see what difference these robots can make against the full force of the Sa’Nerran armada.”
“My Obsidian ships will not be a difference-maker now, at least not in the battle for Earth,” Griffin answered. “I have a different purpose in mind for them, however. One that I hope will not be required.”
“Care to enlighten me, Admiral?” Sterling said. However, the fact that Griffin had not already detailed this mysterious ‘other’ purpose suggested she was still keeping some cards close to her chest.
“Not yet, Captain,” Griffin replied, confirming Sterling’s suspicions. “Our priority should still be to neutralize the Sa’Nerran neural weapon. Unless that is achieved, the battle for Earth will be lost.”
The door to the briefing room then opened and James Colicos walked in, closely followed by Lieutenant Shade. The weapons officer had a pistol to the scientist’s back.
“James Colicos, as ordered,” said Shade.
“Ordered by who?” asked Sterling.
“By me, of course,” replied Griffin, with a touch of snark. She then turned to Lieutenant Shade. “Remain here, Lieutenant, the doctor’s presence is only required for a moment.”
Shade nodded to the Admiral then looked to Sterling, seemingly conscious of also getting his approval this time.
“That’s fine Lieutenant,” said Sterling, wafting a hand at her. Fleet Admiral or not, Griffin was still every bit the pugnacious tyrant she always had been. “Far be it from me to contradict the Admiral…”
“If your duties permit, Lieutenant, I would like to speak with you before I depart,” Griffin then added, with a softer tone that did not suit her. “Perhaps in the wardroom for coffee?”
“Yes, Admiral, thank you,” Shade replied. The weapons officer glanced across to Sterling for a second time. “With your permission, Captain?”
“Granted, Lieutenant,” said Sterling, flatly.
Sterling suspected his permission wouldn’t have mattered to Griffin one way or another. However, knowing their family history, he wasn’t about to deny Opal Shade and Natasha Griffin a moment together. The Omega officers of the Invictus were all the products of tragedies, some real and some the result of their harsh Omega Directive tests. The war had been hard on many members of the Fleet, and few of his crew had any family left. If he could allow Griffin and Shade some time together then even Lucas Sterling wasn’t cold-hearted enough to deny it.
“What a truly touching moment,” said Colicos, his tone thick with sarcasm. “And what a genuine pleasure it is to see you again, Natasha,” the scientist added, bowing courteously to Griffin. “Do you want to start torturing me now, or later? I hear that a hot needle in the eye is particularly excruciating.”
“Very droll, doctor,” replied Griffin, unamused. Though unamused seemed to be the Admiral’s persistent state of being, Sterling thought, idly. “I am hoping that we can come to an accord.”
“And what accord is that, Natasha?” said Colicos. “By any chance is it that I agree to do exactly what you say, and you agree not to kill me?”
“Very astute, doctor, I’m glad we understand each other,” replied Griffin. However, unlike Colicos, her words contained not even an iota of sarcasm.
“I’ve already explained to the captain that reversing the effects of the neural weapon is not possible,” Colicos went on, correctly assuming what Griffin had called him into the meeting to discuss. “I’ve already agreed that I will endeavor to create a method of blocking the weapon, so that no more crew can be turned. So there really is no need for threats.”
“We shall see about that, doctor,” Griffin replied. Sterling felt a chill run down his spine. “A defense is not enough. A rectification of the effects is what is required.” Colicos was about to protest, but Griffin did not allow him the chance. “Captain Sterling will return you to Far Deep Nine, where you can resume your work, doctor,” the Admiral went on. “No doubt, you still have a number of human and Sa’Nerran test subjects in cold storage there. I trust these will be sufficient to continue your experiments. If not, procure what you need from the Void colonies.”
Colicos’ eyes raised up and he glanced across to Sterling. However, he was just a shocked as the scientist appeared to be. The way that Griffin had so casually sanctioned the kidnapping of Void colonists for human experimentation was dark, even for her.
“You can go, now, doctor,” Griffin added, nodding to Lieutenant Shade. The Admiral then glanced to Sterling. “Assuming you are also finished with your officer, Captain?”
Sterling was surprised to be asked, though it made for a welcome surprise. “No, you can go, Lieutenant,” he said, waving Shade off.
Colicos protested, as was to be expected from the excitable genius. However, the man quickly piped down when Shade shoved her pistol into his gut and ushered him through the door.
“I guess we have our orders then?” Sterling said, once the door had swished shut. “Far Deep Nine it is. I assume you have an uncharted route for us to get there from this location?”
“You assume correctly, Captain,” replied Griffin. “However, Commodore Wessel will have monitored your surge at New Danvers, so we will need to be careful.”
“I thought you said they wouldn’t be able to surge without the field data you provided to us?” Sterling replied, frowning.
“That is correct,” said Griffin, removing an ID chip from her breast pocket, along with another device that Sterling did not recognize. “However, they will be able to scan the aperture and determine its unique configuration. This may be enough to allow Admiral Wessel to uncover details about the Obsidian Project from the Top-Secret archives.”
“But they can’t surge through these apertures,” Sterling hit back, though he was suddenly unsure of himself, “or can they?”
“In time, Fleet Science Division would figure it out,” Griffin admitted. “That is why I erased as many of the aperture locations as I could from the archives years ago, precisely for this eventuality.”
Sterling huffed a laugh. “Talk about playing the long game, Admiral,” he said, with admiration. “You’ve been planning this for some time?”
Griffin very nearly smiled, but Sterling accepted it could also have been a twitchy muscle. “It is always helpful to have a contingency, Captain. One that takes into account the very worst possible outcome, and offers a route to retribution. Even so, the less Wessel knows about the project the better.”
Sterling nodded. Keeping the Wessels in the dark was a plan he could def
initely get on board with. Even better would have been a plan that involved blasting them to atoms, he thought.
“Hold out your hand, Captain,” Griffin said, rousing Sterling from his murderous thoughts. She removed two objects from her pocket and held them out to him.
Sterling reluctantly extended his hand, palm up, glancing nervously across to Banks as he did so. Without warning, Griffin pressed the second of the two objects into his palm. Sterling heard a sharp click and felt a stab of pain. He pulled his hand away in a reflex action and stared at it. Blood was pooling in the center of his palm from a tiny puncture wound.
“What the hell?” he protested, but Griffin did not explain her actions, or apologize for drawing blood. Instead, she pressed the ID chip into his hand, covering it with his blood.
“This ID chip is now hard-coded to your DNA,” Griffin said, sitting back and placing the device that had drawn blood onto the table. “When you insert the chip into your captain’s console it will program a surge vector that will return you to my location. All you need to do is activate it first.”
“How do I activate it?” asked Sterling, grabbing a tissue from the center of the meeting table to mop up the residual blood on his palm.
“You bleed on it, of course,” replied Griffin, coolly. For a moment, Sterling thought she might have been joking, but then he remembered it was Natasha Griffin he was talking to. There was more chance of the deck plates telling him a joke than the stern admiral. “Now, please have a number twenty-seven meal tray brought up to me in here,” she added, adjusting her chair to get more comfortable. “I will eat while the repairs to the Invictus are conducted.”
Sterling and Banks glanced at each other, though it seemed clear that this was their cue to leave.
“Aye, sir,” replied Sterling, pushing himself out of his seat. He was suddenly unsure of whether he was on his own ship or not. As he reached the door, Banks stopped and turned back to Griffin.
“Admiral, would the other two robot-controlled ships out there be able to escort us into the Void?” she asked. “There may still be Sa’Nerra at Far Deep Nine, and the last time we were in the Void, it was crawling with aliens.”
Sterling hadn’t considered this option, and was keen to hear Griffin’s answer.
“It is a good suggestion, Commander, but I’m afraid you will have to make do on your own,” Griffin replied. “The AIs in the Obsidian Soldiers currently only respond to me. They have grown up with me, so to speak. Their behavior is too unpredictable to place under your command at this stage.”
Sterling thought for a moment. “Maybe you could upgrade them with gen-fourteen code from the Invictus?” he asked. “I’m sure Lieutenant Razor would be able to assist.”
Griffin looked surprised – it was another expression that did not suit her. “The Invictus is still running a gen-fourteen?” she asked. “Fleet standing orders were to downgrade to gen-thirteens.”
“That’s correct, Admiral,” Sterling replied. He then considered how best to phrase the remainder of his response. “I may have ‘overlooked’ that order,” he added, deftly.
“Very good, Captain,” said Griffin. “Have Lieutenant Razor report to me in thirty minutes.”
“Aye, sir,” said Sterling. He then opened the door and stepped outside. Banks followed and the door to the meeting room swished shut. Sterling felt an immediate sense of relief, as if he’d just walked out of a police interrogation room. However, it wasn’t long before he noticed that Banks was grinning. “What’s so amusing?” he asked, feeling suddenly uneasy. He then hurriedly checked his pants. “I didn’t spend that entire meeting with my flies down, did I?”
“No, it’s worse, I’m afraid,” said Banks, still grinning.
“Out with it, Mercedes,” Sterling snapped. He’d already lost patience with his first officer’s game.
“There’s only one number twenty-seven meal tray left in the wardroom stores,” Banks said, coolly.
Sterling cursed. “Damn it, really?”
Banks nodded. “I’m afraid so…”
Sterling cursed again then made a snap decision. It was one he hoped he wouldn’t live to regret. “Enough is enough,” he said to Banks, standing tall. “Swap her order for a twenty-eight,” he added before turning and heading toward the bridge. “Admiral or not, no-one eats the last twenty-seven on this ship, but me.”
Chapter 13
Rebound surge
The tranquil nothingness of surge space was violently ripped away and Sterling found himself face down on his console. Alarms were wailing in his ears and he looked up at the viewscreen to see that the Invictus was spinning out of control.
“Ensign Keller, report!” Sterling called out, pushing himself upright. The deck was shaking, transmitting powerful vibrations into his body through his boots and his hands, which were clasped around the trembling captain’s console.
“Helm controls restored,” Ensign Keller called out. The helmsman was barely clinging on to his station at the front of the bridge.
“All stop, Ensign,” Sterling called back before glancing over to his first officer and adding, “then give me a damage report.”
The crew responded and within seconds the vibrations began to subside and the alarms were silenced. Instead of a blur of spinning stars on the viewscreen, Sterling could now make out a yellow sun and a greenish-blue planet in the distance.
“Answering all stop, Captain,” said Keller, flopping back into his seat as if he’d just endured the world’s scariest rollercoaster ride.
“Damage is minimal,” Banks chimed in. “Thankfully, that felt a lot worse than it actually was. Admiral Griffin’s surge computations took the sting out of the journey this time.”
Sterling snorted a laugh. “It certainly didn’t feel like it,” he commented.
“Reactor stabilizing, Captain,” said Lieutenant Razor from her engineering stations at the rear of the bridge. “The surge field generator will need a full restart, but that will only take me ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” Commander Banks chipped in, scowling at Razor over her shoulder. “That’s a sixty-minute job, by the book.”
“Aye, Commander is it,” Razor replied, coolly. “By the book, I mean.”
Banks cast a sideways glance to Sterling, but he just smiled back at her. He was getting used to his engineer’s unique way of doing things.
“Carry on, Lieutenant,” Sterling said, addressing his chief engineer. “Just try not to blow us up in the process.”
Sterling then peered out at the star system through the viewscreen again. “Now the only question is where the hell are we?”
He hadn’t specifically directed this question to Ensign Keller, but it was his helmsman that responded.
“We’re in the Oasis Colony system, Captain,” Keller said.
“Oasis Colony? That’s one hell of a surge,” said Banks, confirming the readings on her own console. “We’re actually pretty close to a regular aperture that’s within surge-range of Far Deep Nine.”
Then another alert chimed across the consoles of Sterling, Banks and Lieutenant Shade in unison. Sterling knew the alert tone well, but didn’t need to wait long before his weapons officer confirmed his fears.
“Enemy vessels detected in the system, Captain,” Shade began, as ever making her report with a calm and measured degree of urgency. “Twenty-four Sa’Nerran warships at long-range. It looks like they’re attacking Oasis Colony.”
“There’s nothing we can do to help them,” Sterling said, quick to head off any suggestions from his crew that they might render aid. “Set course for the aperture to Far Deep Nine, and try to keep as low a profile as possible. Hopefully those alien bastards will be too busy with Oasis Colony to bother with us.”
Ensign Keller responded to the order then Sterling felt the thrum of the engines begin to vibrate the deck beneath his feet.
“MAUL is with them, Captain,” Shade pointed out.
Most officers would have reported the pre
sence of the Sa’Nerra’s most decorated warship with a degree of fatalism or somberness. Shade, however, sounded like she was pleased that the deadly heavy destroyer was in the system. Sterling understood her sentiments, since they still had a score to settle with the warship and her commander, but that would have to wait.
“Keep a close eye on it, Lieutenant,” Sterling replied. “But remember that we’re not here for them. Not this time, anyway.”
“Aye, Captain,” Shade replied. As usual, his weapons officer hid her emotions well. However, Shade’s body language still gave off enough subtle cues to tell Sterling that she was disappointed they weren’t accelerating toward MAUL with their weapons charged.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as the Invictus continued its approach toward the aperture that would surge them to Far Deep Nine. A tense silence had fallen across the bridge as all eyes were on the scanners, watching to see if the Sa’Nerra reacted to their presence. Every bleep of a console caused Sterling’s pulse to spike and his muscles to tense up, wondering if MAUL had detected them. It felt like sitting outside an interview room, waiting for the door to open and the interviewer to call his name.
“There’s wreckage surrounding the aperture, Captain,” said Commander Banks. She then tapped her console and a magnified image of the area appeared on the viewscreen. “I’d say it was perhaps a freight convoy, taking supplies either from or to Oasis Colony.”
Sterling studied the wreckage on the viewscreen and on his console and didn’t like what he saw. The Sa’Nerra weren’t known for sneak attacks, but since Emissary McQueen and Crow had joined the ranks of the enemy, the alien’s tactics had changed. And despite the presence of an alien taskforce in the system, there was still a danger from Void pirates.
“Full power to the weapons and regenerative armor,” Sterling ordered, glancing across to Shade.
“Aye, sir,” replied the weapons officer with a controlled measure of enthusiasm.
“You think it could be an ambush?” wondered Banks, as the Invictus entered the debris field.