The Curanian Dominance: The Linda Eccles Series - Volume Three

by Robert Woodard

  Sylvia remained quiet for a little while as she appeared to be thinking over Linda’s response. She finally said, “It’s probably not my place to say anything, but I believe you’re trying too hard to convince yourself you’re ready to retire. I think you had the right approach in taking short hop freighters to balance time in command with time with your parents. I think it’s a mistake to give up one for the other.”

  Linda stared out into space as she absorbed Sylvia’s words. Was she right? Was it a mistake to give up command altogether? Should she resign with the Guild and continue with the short hops, even if it was not as challenging as what she was used to? Linda wasn’t sure it was that simple. She would have to reflect on it more before making up her mind.

  “Nothing is ever simple,” Linda said. “We are only guaranteed two things in life. We will be born, and we will die. Whatever happens in between seems like pure chance. We make decisions that influence the life we lead, but seldom do we understand the impact each decision will have until the outcome is experienced. We lack the ability to undo those decisions and reset our lives, so we can only hope what we choose is the right path. But no matter where the path leads, death awaits us all when we get there.”

  “That is a morbid thought, Linda,” Sylvia said. “I like to think we leap into death by sheer chance. Some die before they ever really get started. Others die long after they had wished for it. Since we only get one shot at life, and it is short in the relative span of this universe, I like to believe we go all out for as long as we can. Your race isn’t over yet, Captain, so why stop running.”

  Linda had to look over a Sylvia, who suddenly seemed wise beyond her years. “I’ll be damned if you aren’t beginning to sound like my mother, Sylvia. I think you should have been a psychiatrist.”

  “I’ve come to learn that in a way all Captains have to be a psychiatrist in some form.” Sylvia went quiet, and then suddenly added, “I just had another thought. Why can’t you continue to share your experience by teaching at one of the academies? You have a natural talent to teach.”

  The idea intrigued Linda. She hadn’t even given that option a thought. She did love to work with young officers, and she seemed to have an inbred talent for coaching the good ones and weeding out the bad. She suddenly thought of Sharon and how little attention she gave her former XO, and how she had written her off before really giving her a chance. When Sharon was killed during their Kracks encounter, Linda never had the opportunity to correct it. Perhaps teaching would be a good way to repay for what happened to Sharon.

  “That is an interesting idea, Sylvia. I’ll have to mull that over for a while,” Linda said.

  “I graduated at the Boeing Academy. It’s a good one,” Sylvia said. “You’re not far from there, right?”

  Linda could hear the encouraging tone Sylvia used. It almost seemed like Linda was a child sitting on the toilet with Sylvia holding a cookie over her head to encourage her. Go potty, Linda. That’s a good girl. The analogy forced a smile across her face.

  “I take it by that smile you’re considering it?” Sylvia asked.

  “I might.” Linda returned to staring out at space and the stars that always seemed out of reach, even at warp.

  Chapter Ten

  “Look, Ron, I don’t care how badly the science team wanted that alien ship, sending the Auspicious back to Kracks was pure stupidity.” Admiral Philip Litton looked directly at the small imager mounted on his monitor as he recorded his message. He noticed Captain Roger Murphy flitch at his comment. Roger sat to the right of Philip’s desk, so he could see the monitor. Philip pressed send, and then said to Roger, “That ought to wake the dumb son of bitch up.”

  “I’m sure it will,” Roger replied.

  Philip had to suffer the transmission delay between Rapatine and Earth. Distance was the enemy of any decisions that needed to be made quickly. Word had only just reached him of the orders given to the Auspicious to proceed to Kracks to retrieve a buried ship. Philip was pissed that the Chief of Staff—Earth had neglected to notify and coordinate with him. He was, after all, only the Chief of Staff—Rapatine, and thereby responsible for the protection of all ship traffic outside of the Earth's system. Besides, who knew better than he what risks ESD was taking in going back to Kracks.

  “They must want that alien ship badly enough to take such a risk,” Roger said.

  “One would think. There is no way for us to know if the Curanians have returned to Kracks. They will surely sing a different tune if the Auspicious winds up in their hands, along with that stinking alien ship they just have to have.”

  Exactly twenty minutes after hitting submit, the screen finally came to life, and Admiral Ron Ackerman’s image began to move. “I don’t think I like your tone, Philip. This venture had the backing of the ESD and the Governments. I’m simply following orders.” The image of Ron froze again as his words came to an end.

  Philip sighed, and then said, “Even if they were too stupid to make sure I was in on the discussion, you sure should have known better. We’re supposed to work together, remember? I could have sent a ship and had it waiting for them in advance. Assessing the situation before the Auspicious got there would have been a whole lot smarter.”

  After another twenty-minute delay, Ron responded, “There seemed to be great haste to get that alien ship back here to Earth, Philip. If they hadn’t needed one of my destroyers for escort, I’m not sure they would have included me in the discussion loop. I’m not even sure they would like it if they knew I was talking to you about it.”

  Philip paused the recording, sighed again, and looked at Roger. “I suppose he’s right. It does seem that the Governments act like the military is an inconvenient necessity at times.”

  Roger nodded. “True. I suspect that if piracy hadn’t presented its ugly head all those years ago there wouldn’t even be a fleet in existence these days.”

  “What a horrible thought, Roger. You and I could have ended up running freighters for a living. I would have jumped ship mid-warp if that had happened.”

  Shaking his head at the terrible thought of possibly spending his life at the mercy of the Guild, Philip un-paused the recording, and said, “All right, Ron, I suppose it isn’t fair for me to be kicking your ass over this. What is the plan if the Auspicious reaches Kracks and the Curanians are sitting there?”

  When Philip sent his response, Roger asked, “What do you think the chances are that the Curanians did go back?”

  “That is the million-credit question, Roger. In the limited communication we have been able to have with our captives, we know they came in search of technology. The Kracks sure as hell won’t provide them anything worth taking. They want us, and they will come looking for us if they get the chance. The best thing we could have done was stayed as far away from Kracks as is humanly possible. They’ll come back. You can bet on it. It’s only a matter of when.”

  “God help us if they find their way to Earth.”

  “You got that right,” Philip said while studying Roger’s face. The Captain showed the same level of concern that Philip felt. From what they had learned from the two Curanian Commanders, they had a large number of ships to bring into any battle. Way more than he and Earth could counter, combined. “Going back to Kracks scares the living hell out of me, Roger. The risk is just too high.”

  Roger nodded his head in agreement, and said, “You and me both, Admiral.

  When the delay ended, Admiral Ackerman jumped to life on the screen, and responded, “I share your concern, Philip. I only offered a single escort with the idea that two ships could bug out of a bad situation quicker than a large force. The destroyer is leading the way, so it will drop in first. If they encounter trouble, they will shoot a message to the Auspicious to warp-out the very moment she drops in. The destroyer will run interference and then bug out too. They will shoot over to Rapatine, rather than Earth, just in case these Curanians have a way to track them.”

  Philip could feel his ire ris
ing again. Shaking his head in frustration before activating the recording, he said, “That’s just great, Ron. All I need is to have their fleet drop right into Rapatine space seeking revenge. Maybe I’ll negotiate a peace with them by agreeing to give them your location so you can deal with them.”

  While he waited Ron’s response, Philip turned his thoughts over to Roger and how he was grooming him for promotion. He wondered if Roger had any idea that Philip was grooming him to become an admiral. Roger was smart, so Philip suspected he probably had figured it out on his own. If not, Philip’s adjutant, Paula, who he considered smarter than them both, sure would have. With her and Roger being an item, it was a good bet she would make sure he was aware of it.

  The thought of Paula and Roger made him frown slightly. If Roger did get his admiral title and his own fleet command, it was a sure bet he would take Paula with him. As devoted as Paula was, he couldn’t see her turning down the opportunity to be at Roger’s side. She would be a hard person to replace.

  The screen jumped back to life, and Ron said, “Even an old hard-ass like you wouldn’t stoop that low, my friend. With that said, I understand your concern Philip, but this was decided way over my head.” Ron shrugged. “It’s all in play now, so all we can do is wait and see.”

  Philip looked over at Roger, shook his head, and said, “Ron is a good man, but he has allowed Earth politics to cloud his judgment. I would have fought against the entire thing, and when I lost, I would have insisted heavily on sending in a sizable support unit to ensure they could get back out of their again. And, while it might have cost me my career, I would have ordered any ship that became disabled to be destroyed to avoid capture. Those idiots back on Earth don’t seem to understand how serious all this really is, and they could pay a heavy price for being so ignorant.”

  “That’s why they stuck that fifth star on your collar, Admiral,” Roger said. “You know how to think for yourself.”

  Philip gave out a snort of disgust, activated the communication recording, and said, “These aliens got their asses kicked, Ron, and they are going to be pissed about it. Giving them any kind of opportunity is just asking for it.” Philip then submitted the message.

  “Perhaps it would be best if the Auspicious and the destroyer returned here even if they don’t encounter anything, just to be safe.” Roger said.

  “You are probably right. They already screwed the pooch on this one, so damage control is warranted.” Philip turned his head toward his cabin door, and yelled, “Hey, Paula, there was a time when coffee seemed to greet me before I had to ask for it!”

  “Coming, Admiral!” Paula yelled back. She then appeared gingerly carrying two cups of coffee, already filled. After setting them down, she asked, “Anything else, Admiral?”

  “Yeah, dump this bum and marry me.” Philip smiled and received polite chuckles from Paula and Roger.

  “I would love to, Admiral, but Roger would be lost without me.”

  “So true,” Philip said. “You can go, Paula, and thanks for the coffee.”

  “Anytime, Admiral.” Paula then turned and left the cabin.

  Ron’s image came to life again. “So, Philip, just what are you asking me to do? It’s too late to recall them. They will arrive at Kracks in two more days, and we can’t communicate with them until they come out of warp again.”

  “You need to make sure they get the message upon arrival not to return to Earth,” Philip responded. “Send them here to Rapatine instead. At least we can prevent someone from following them back to Earth. From here, the Auspicious can return to Earth without the risk of being followed.”

  Philip looked over at Roger when his message was on its way, and said, “Let’s just hope that the Curanians are nowhere near Kracks. With any luck, the Auspicious will get in and out of there without anyone being the wiser. After that, who cares if the Curanians return or not?”

  “I imagine the Kracks will care, Admiral,” Roger said.

  “Maybe they will blow each other up and save me the hassle of ever having to deal with either species again. I’ve seen all the aliens I care to in my lifetime.”

  Roger and Philip sat back to enjoy their coffee. While he awaited Ron’s response, Philip replayed the entire encounter with the Curanians in his mind. He had been lucky the first time they met. He wasn’t counting on such luck if they ever came to blows again. The stars had aligned that first time. He wasn’t counting on it happening again.

  The Kracks’ minefield created enough interference to prevent the Curanians from detecting the arrival of his fleet. They had scrambled the airwaves to prevent the scout ship that had been providing rear guard from putting out a warning. Then he was able to sneak into their rear.

  Catching the Curanians between his fleet and the Kracks had been pure luck. The Curanians had been smartly led, and Philip felt lucky to have driven them off without suffering more losses than he did. He had absolutely no desire to ever again face them in battle. Without that surprise, and without numbers on his side, Philip had no delusions that the end result could have been far different.

  “I think you are paranoid, Philip.” The sudden response from Ron could not have been timed better. It was almost like he was addressing Philip’s current line of thinking. “But you have made your point. They’ll receive a message shortly after arrival to return to Rapatine upon completion of their mission at Kracks to await your orders. Oh, and I’ll want my destroyer back, so don’t plan on keeping it there for yourself.”

  Philip noticed that Ron smiled for the first time since the message stream started. Deciding to end the message on an upswing, he said, “You can have your broken-down old destroyer back. You probably sent one that was commissioned before I was born. With any luck, everything will go off without a hitch and this entire conversation will be for not. Let’s keep the lines of communication flowing, shall we? Philip, out.”

  Roger got up and looked down into Philip’s empty cup. He picked it up, along with his own, and asked, “Would you like another cup, Admiral.”

  “Yes, Roger, and thanks.” As Roger walked into the other room, Philip frowned at the now black monitor. He couldn’t shake the feeling that trouble was brewing for the Auspicious.

  Chapter Eleven

  “I guess that explains why the Kracks didn’t answer my hail,” Sylvia said while sitting in her command chair and staring out at the debris that was once the Kracks docking station, fleet and defensive platforms. She got her first clue that something was wrong when they dropped out of warp and observed the large gaps in the minefield. “Their receiver was probably destroyed at the same time as all this other stuff.”

  “The way they were neglecting everything at the end, it’s no wonder,” Linda said. She was seated next to Sylvia to observe their arrival into Kracks. “With all the ships moving around and firing at each other, I suspect mines were getting pushed all over the place. They most likely were drifting just about everywhere and blowing everything up.”

  “Perhaps,” Sylvia replied.

  “Captain, we are not picking up any energy readings from the planet,” the tracking specialist reported. “Sensor sweeps of the surface are showing a lot of destruction within the Kracks’ village. It is confined only to the buildings and surrounding areas, and it is extremely heavy in the foothills where their caves used to be. I think they were attacked.”

  “The Curanians, then?” Sylvia said in question.

  “That would be my guess,” Linda said. “I suggest we get what we came for and get out of here.”

  “Let’s get on with it, then,” Sylvia said. “Linda, this is your show now. Round up Peggy and I’ll have a shuttle made ready for your departure for as soon as you can get to the shuttle bay.” She then looked out the portals. “And the sooner the better.”

  ◆◆◆

  Linda stood in the packed dirt before the unearthed alien ship. She had seen images of the ship on her last trip here, but they had not done the vessel any justice. Through her own eyes
, the ship presented such a technical marvel that she could see why Peggy wanted to get her hands on it.

  Watching intently, Linda noticed Peggy placing her hand on the smooth hull. After several seconds, the side of the gloss black ship melted away to create an opening large enough for them to enter one at a time. Peggy disappeared inside without any hesitation at all.

  Linda stood at the opening looking at the bright white interior. Her stomached churned at the thought of entering something completely foreign. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside. The white interior was almost blinding the way it reflected the sunlight coming in from behind her. The way the rounded ceiling, flat walls and deck were all white gave her a sense of vertigo.

  Hearing Peggy moving around in the front of the ship, Linda headed that way, albeit slowly. She couldn’t help but look at every inch of the room as she passed through it. As much as the outside shape and design spelled ship, the inside looked nothing like a ship she had ever been on before.

  The foreign look and feel made her hesitant in believing it was a ship at all. The interior lacked controls that she could reference for comfort in knowing everything was running smoothly. In fact, she felt like she was walking inside a tomb more than a ship. Entering the bridge section, or what she supposed was a bridge, did little to change her mind.

  “How in the world do they fly this thing without any portals, instrumentation or crew?” Linda asked, or more so, whined.

  “Who knows? Maybe they just leave it to the TR17 to fly while they all take a long nap,” Peggy replied.

  “That’s real comforting, Peggy.”

  “Well, here goes nothing.” Peggy reached into the leather case at her hip, held in place by a strap draped over her opposite shoulder and running diagonal across the front and back of her environment suit, and pulled out the TR17. She set it on the small console in front of her.

  To Linda’s surprise, the object melted into the console until it was completely adsorbed. They both waited for the ship to come to life, but nothing happened. In fact, it was so quiet that Linda could hear the ringing in her ears that came with age. While they both waited for the TR17 to react, she looked around the bridge. It was exactly how Peggy has described it to her, and how it looked in the images they had captured before. The bridge area was not very large. It was horseshoe shaped, with a similarly shaped white console that ran close to the nose of the ship.