Rising Star

by Donald Nicklas

  “Captain Abramov, as you may have noticed, our Sinclair friends decided to forget about you. I invite you to come alongside our fleet and join me for dinner. Feel free to bring any of the resistance leaders with you. You have nothing to fear from us and we will defend you as long as you are with our fleet.”

  The lag time was now minimal. “Captain Slone, the resistance has only two leaders, me and General Alisa Golov, who you may also remember.”

  “Indeed I do. Give my compliments to the general and tell her I will have the vodka ready for her. Do you need help with your repairs?”

  “Our generator room took a hit when the Sinclair ships jumped us. Some of our techs were killed. Any help would be appreciated.”

  “I will have our engineer send over some of our techs. Inform the general we will notify you when dinner is served. It will be in a while to give you time to rest up a bit. Slone out.”

  Paul McMann turned to Slone, “Captain, if they come aboard they will see the serpent troops.”

  “I know, but the serpents will no longer be a secret if we use them in combat, which is the plan. Anyway, unless people see them with their own eyes, no one will believe they exist, would you?”

  Slone ordered the fleet to remain visible and set up a combat watch with the remaining crews at rest. Eight hours after the encounter, the Gladius returned from her mission and reported the Sinclair cruisers left the system without stopping. No other ships were in system. Alaya had monitored the communications with the Kiev and had dropped invisibility when the cruisers entered the slipstream. This caused a stir on the Kiev and Captain Abramov asked what the ship was, since they had no identification their computers could recognize from the Romani vessels. They were told by the bridge crew it was a Romani scout ship and would be joining the fleet in six hours. Ten hours after the encounter, Romani engineering techs aboard the Kiev reported all repairs were finished and the Petrov cruiser was again operational. Slone then sent the dinner invitation to Captain Abramov and General Golov along with any others they would like to bring over.

  Aboard the Kiev, Abramov and Golov discussed what to do. “Peter,” the general said, “How much trust can we put in these Romani?”

  “I was wondering that myself, but we have little choice. We are in the middle of their fleet and they have helped us repair the ship with no attempt to delay us. Don’t forget, ultimately our mission would have involved them.”

  “That is true, my friend. How far we have fallen that we cannot even defend ourselves anymore. Curse the day Alexi Petrov, may he rot in hell, brought Sinclair down on us.”

  The resistance leaders put on their best dress uniforms and went down to the hangar deck, where their shuttle was waiting. Each took an adjutant with them, but no other officers. Slone had called the captains of each ship of the fleet to join them along with Alaya. This included Captain Artok, who took one of the serpent ships over. When Captain Abramov saw the serpent ship, he grabbed General Golov’s arm and pointed the ship out to her. “Look at the design of that ship. I’ve never seen anything like that. It looks like a flying animal, with wings and a tail. That defies any corporate design I have ever seen.”

  The Petrov shuttle followed the serpent ship into the hangar and as luck would have it, the deck crew signaled for both of them to land next to each other. The Slones were in the hangar to receive their guests and they wanted to be there when the first outsiders meet their first aliens. The Petrov shuttle opened its side door and the four Petrov guests came out. As they set foot on the deck, the Slones could see they were fascinated with the design of the serpent ship. As they were taking it in, the hold opened, Captain Artok, and the ship crew came out on the wing and jumped down to the deck. Slone hoped the security cameras were getting this, the expression on the faces of the Petrovians was priceless. Captain Artok was not sure what the protocol was among humans, but serpents never really hung on formalities. Therefore, she went straight over to the Petrovians and her lips began to undulate to indicate she was about to speak. Serpents knew they made humans uncomfortable, but the Romani were used to serpents. To the Petrovians, they were frightening. They stood as tall as a human did but much more muscular. They looked like dinosaurs with very sharp, mammal-like teeth and clawed hands and feet. The scales and the piercing blue, human-like eyes were still disconcerting to the Slones and they had been around serpents for years. Finally, Captain Artok spoke.

  “Sss. I am Captain Artok of the Romani dreadnought NR Avenging Talon. It is a pleasure to meet with you, Captain Abramov and General Golov.” The hypnotic effect of serpents speaking human standard began working on the Petrovians immediately and the Slones could see them relaxing. General Golov found her voice first.

  “Captain Artok,” she said, a bit incredulously. “Are you an alien?” The only thing she could think to say or remain speechless.

  “Sss. To humans we are aliens, to ourselves we are not.”

  Under his breath and to no one in particular, Captain Abramov said, “We are not alone.”

  The Slones felt it was time to rescue the Petrovians, so they went over and Christopher said, “Welcome aboard, Captain Abramov and General Golov. It is good to see both of you again.”

  “You have aliens aboard. How is that possible? And how did you discover there are aliens in our galaxy?”

  “We call them serpents and they are not alien to us. They are valued members of the Republic of Nova Romae and sit as part of our government. They have been part of our existence for centuries.”

  “I am overwhelmed. Never did I think I would live to see a sentient non-human, yet here they are. Entire human history is being rewritten,” General Golov said.

  “Feel free to chat with them. They are friendly to those with whom we are friendly. Ambassador Perminov works with them routinely.”

  This last statement snapped the Petrovians out of their funk, as they quickly came to accept the presence of intelligent reptiles next to them. Abramov now spoke up, “Igor Perminov has been in contact with us and never mentioned them?”

  “I am not surprised,” this time Alaya answered. “He is now a Romani citizen and, until recently, the serpents did not want us to divulge their existence. Ambassador Perminov and his family live on our home world now.”

  “He was smart to stay. I wish we could have.”

  “Let’s go up to dinner and we can discuss what is happening on your side of the border and fill you in on why we are here.”

  The Slones led the way as the Petrovians followed and Captain Artok came up the rear. As they walked through the hangar, Golov could see the 8th cohort practicing in their area and saw the serpent troops maneuvering along with them. As part of a crack fighting force, the serpents did not look out of place, and by the time they got to the conference room, they were used to the presence of Captain Artok in the group. As usual, the Romani put out a nice dinner spread. They never travelled with ration packs.

  “Again you give us the best food we have had in a long time. I am not sure what your serpent friends are eating though.”

  “They prefer their food live. It’s an acquired taste,” Slone said, remembering his time during the serpent civil war. “So, let me tell you why we are in your space.”

  “Technically that would be an act of war, but I am glad you are here.”

  “Trust me, General, we did not want to cross the border, but one of our destroyers was lured into your space by a distress call from a starliner named the Rising Star. It turned out to be a Q-Ship and everyone on the destroyer was killed. Does that Q-Ship belong to Petrov?”

  “Absolutely not,” General Golov practically shouted as her face turned red. “We would never do anything that cowardly. That devil ship belongs to Sinclair Corp and she has taken out many good ships with her disguise. She even took out one of our civilian ports for no other reason than to show she could do it. The port was defenseless and most of the civilians died before they could put on spacesuits as the station decompressed.”

&nbs
p; “I’m sorry, general, but I had to make sure. I suspected as much. We are waiting for word from our government to proceed deeper into your space. If you will help us, we will fight Sinclair Corp with you.”

  “We could use all the help we can get. The war has not gone well for us,” Golov began. “After our defeat at New Wales, we returned to find our planet bankrupt. Apparently, Alexi Petrov, our CEO, made a deal with Sinclair Corporation to invade New Wales on their behalf. Your people were right about the plague, it was a ruse concocted by Sinclair to give our troops a reason to fight. Alexi Petrov went to Sinclair headquarters to beg for financial help and never returned. Instead, the Sinclair Mobile Fleet arrived, destroyed what was left of our fleet, and landed troops on Petrovia. We lost all of our equipment on New Wales and could do nothing to stop the invasion. Several military leaders and I were able to escape the planet, while most of our command structure was executed. Sinclair is in control of just over half our space, the rest is loosely held by the resistance and some of the stronger pirate groups. Sinclair has been taking its time consolidating those areas. They mostly border your space and a small sliver of border is with Lagarde Corporation. We have no dreadnoughts and just a few cruisers and destroyers. We also have limited dry-dock facilities so we maintain our ships with difficulty. We were on a mission to New Wales in the hope we could somehow reach the Romani for help. We will give anything if you will help us drive out Sinclair.”

  “I don’t have the power to make that decision. What we can do is send a message capsule with your request. I need to warn you, the Romani will only help if you become a protectorate with the hope you will join the Republic sometime in the future.”

  “We are a shattered corporation. You could have what we have by simply invading us. We will do anything you want just to be able to call our world home again. Since I am all that is left of the Petrovian government, I can speak for those who resist.”

  “Very well,” Slone said. “Record what you wish to send and I will include it along with a report on the incident with the Sinclair cruisers. Send us the recording as soon as possible. It is a three week round trip for a message capsule to Nova Romae. In the meantime, we will wait here and you can do needed maintenance on your ship with our help.”

  “Anything you can do would be much appreciated,” Captain Abramov said.

  “Commander Diana Gardner will be in touch. Now, before you go, do you have any idea where we could find that Q-Ship?”

  “None. She appears to fly through a system as if on a cruise and attacks whomever she wants by appearing to be harmless. She even carries regular passengers to complete the deception. She uses normal dry dock facilities and can change her name and designations whenever she chooses.”

  Slone then asked the question on everyone’s mind, “Don’t you find it unusual for a cruise ship to be taking passengers into a war zone?”

  “We talked to passengers who have taken her and she bills the cruises as adventure cruises and assures the passengers that she is well armed in case of trouble. She probably took your destroyer out with passengers aboard and they watched on closed circuit monitors thinking it was all part of the adventure.”

  Alaya now spoke up, “War as entertainment. The Sinclair way.” She shook her head knowing this was just the sort of thing her stepfather would package and sell. He would make money on the cruise and take out remaining Petrov forces with a Q-Ship. Now with a new corporate war looming, even more opportunities. If they accidently entered a fleet battle zone, they would be warned off as a civilian ship. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was sheer genius. Later when she shared her thoughts with her husband, he had to agree.

  “We will wait here on station until the second message capsule returns with instructions about your offer. I will let you know when that occurs and in the mean time, we can continue working on your cruiser.”

  The Petrovian commanders thanked them and General Golov dictated her desire to relinquish the remaining Petrov territory in exchange for the protection of her people by the Romani. Everything now settled down into a routine with patrols maintained by the smaller serpent ships from Captain Artok’s command. After two weeks, the response came back from the first capsule. The Senate ordered the reconnaissance fleet to seek and destroy the Q-Ship but avoid involvement in the Petrov/Sinclair war. Slone had a feeling that was going to change when they got the second capsule.

  A week later, the second capsule arrived and the message from the Senate was received. Slone invited General Golov and Captain Abramov over to the Invicta for an intimate dinner in the captain’s quarters. Slone’s adjutant, Ensign Samuel Rathbone, set a dinner table for four in the dining area of the captain’s cabin, which was quite spacious. When General Golov and Captain Abramov were ushered into the private quarters, they could hardly believe how much they were like a home.

  “I thought we were to dine in your private quarters, Captain Slone,” Abramov said.

  “These are my private quarters.”

  “This is like a large home; do all your officers live like this?”

  “The married bridge officers do. The non-coms along with the lower ranks have varying accommodations. The ground troops and their support have their own section of the ship. We carry more personnel than the standard corporate dreadnought.” Just then there was a ring at the door. “Allow entry,” Slone said to the computer that monitored everything on the ship and the door slid open to allow Diana Gardner to enter.

  Captain Abramov stood up. His crew had been working with Diana and her engineering techs for the past few weeks and she was well known on the ship. The Petrovians looked on her as a miracle worker, given what they all had to work with. “Commander Gardner, will you be joining us for dinner as well?”

  “Captain,” she nodded in Abramov’s direction then turned and nodded to General Golov, “Captain, I’m afraid not, I’m here to pick up Olivia.” Just then the adjutant came in with little Olivia on one hand and her overnight bag in the other. The toddler ran over to her parents and the Petrovians could only watch as Alaya took her daughter into her arms and kissed her good night. Then she passed her to Christopher who kissed her and told her to be a good girl and listen to Aunt Diana. Diana then took Olivia for a sleep over and wished the visitors a pleasant dinner.

  Golov was the first to speak. “Forgive me, Captain Slone, but I thought this was a ship of war.”

  “That it is general.”

  “Then why are children aboard?”

  “All of the married couples with children work on the ship as a family. There is a large children’s area in the center of the ship that houses the schools and daycares. In the event of battle, it can sustain enemy hits and has its own life support to function as a lifeboat. Only children under age eleven are kept there.”

  “May I ask where the ones over ten are kept during combat?”

  Alaya answered this one, “They function as runners to convey orders. They are the backup to the communication systems and are stationed in the key areas of the ship. This way they get used to battle.”

  Golov now asked, as a mother and not a general, “Are they then protected along with the non-combatants when there is a boarding action?”

  “No general, there are no non-combatants on a Romani ship of war.”

  The Petrovians were slightly in shock. During the combat with the Romani on New Wales, they came to realize they were different and had a strong military. Now they realized that the entire civilization was completely militaristic. Even the most combative of the corporations would never take children to war and treat it as if it was a common thing to do. After Olivia was gone, the dinner was served and all thoughts of children and battle were put aside. Alaya played the consummate hostess, reliving her days as the fifth daughter of Horatio Sinclair. Christopher always followed her lead, since he never travelled in high circles before the Hayden incident brought him and Alaya together. When desert was over, the waiters, whom the kitchen stationed in the of
ficers’ quarter for meal service, cleared the table and poured each of the diners an after dinner brandy.

  “Captain, is this normal for meals on your combat ships?” Captain Abramov asked.

  “We spend more of our lives aboard these ships than we do planet side. As a result, they must feel like home,” Christopher responded.

  “Does your crew eat like this?”

  “What you ate tonight was one of the menu choices for the ship today. Alaya thought you might like it.”

  “Like it,” this time it was General Golov speaking, “it was exquisite.”

  “I will inform the chef. Now, if you don’t mind, let's enjoy our drinks in the living room and discuss the response from the Senate on Nova Romae.”

  They moved out of the small dining room into a slightly larger living room filled with well crafted, furniture made of wood. General Golov had to ask, “Is this real wood?”

  “Yes, it is,” Alaya answered.

  “In corporate space, this furniture alone would be worth a small fortune.”

  “I find wood is warmer,” Alaya said and gave a shrug with her shoulders as if the value of the furniture was of no value to her. She had learned to value other things among the Romani.

  After all were comfortable, Christopher began the discussion. “As I am sure you are aware, we received two message capsules from Nova Romae while we were here. The first was in response to the destruction of our destroyer by the Sinclair Q-Ship. Since the distress message that lured our destroyer in was purposely sent into New Wales space, it was intentional and meant as a test of our response. Our first mission is to destroy that starliner. The second message capsule is the response to your request for military aid to secure your current position and possibly re-conquer your lost territory. The senate accepts your request to become a protectorate as far as the part of Petrov space you still control. We will help you defend what you still control. It will be the task of this fleet to evaluate how far into the old Petrov Corporation you extend. As far as conquering the part controlled by Sinclair, the senate feels that any such activity on our part would be a declaration of war against the Sinclair Corporation. That is a major step and will only be undertaken if we are attacked while protecting your vessel or if it is proven the Q-Ship belongs to Sinclair Corporation.”