He knelt down to examine the corpse. He could see a trail of soot that ended back at the edge of the crater. Whoever it was must have barely escaped the explosion. Wounded and burning, the man had crawled as far as his burning form could carry him. When Ev touched the shoulder, the skin crackled like overcooked chicken skin. Gorge rose in Everett Pearce’s throat as he pulled the body away from the ground.
The face that stared up was not William’s. The skin was blackened, but still recognizable as one of the farm hands. Everett sat back on his haunches and let out a breath. The air was hot and smelled of death. He could not believe that he had outlived his oldest son. He must have been in the barn during the attack. Everett hoped that his son did not suffer.
He stood up from the burnt ground and went back to the mare. The horse was frightened, but had refused to leave her master. Ev reached a calming hand to her long neck and stroked her gently. After whispering some words to the last survivor of the ranch, Ev reached up to his pack and pulled out the camp shovel that he always kept with him. It would be painful work, but he needed to dig the grave himself and lay the loyal hand to rest. He scanned the sky again, hoping to see some sign of a battle against the night sky, but his vision was not up to it. Ceasing his fantasy, Everett Pearce started back towards the burnt body. He had works to do.
26
Now
Perigee Station
Diamond Sole shed its halo of energy as it resolved back into normal space. Lee watched the scanner clear and was amazed at what he saw on the projection. He had expected to see the remains of the Alliance fleet waiting for them around the blasted planet. The carrier Baal and its support fleet had accompanied Resolute, Phanoi, and Diamond Sole back to the Alliance base so he should have seen nearly two dozen ships. What were revealed were nearly one hundred vessels of varying configurations?
To Lee’s astonishment, he saw several more Independence class battleships orbiting the outer asteroid field. After the introduction of the much larger Zeus class battle cruiser, he had assumed the remainder of the venerable old battleships had been scrapped. The revelation that Resolute had even existed had come as a surprise two years ago and now he saw three. Floating alongside these ships were the light cruisers and frigates of the last half century. On the other side of the station, he saw four carriers of the Presidential class.
Baron, sitting at the tactical station, let out a long whistle that drew Lee’s attention. He walked to the end of the panel and looked at the scanner. He had been paying so much attention to the projection that he had ignored the surrounding space. The tactical readout was staggering. In addition to the Terran Confederation ships, there were Vadnean ship behind them and more.
“We’ve been away too long, Goldstein.” Lee said to his pilot.
“Yeah…” the young man replied. “It looks like about a century. Where did they get these antiques?”
“Watch your mouth, kid.” Baron interjected. “We just went from a group of ships to a fleet. I’ll bet they have the old Peregrine class fighters on those carriers.”
Lee looked to his tactical officer. Baron had been injured in the attack on the Ch’Tauk destroyer. He wore a sling around his left shoulder and was tapping keys with his right to bring up tactical displays. Apparently, he had tried to keep enraged former slaves from getting to the bridge and attacking Jackal. He had been knocked cold and the woman had needed to defend his body. She was piloting Phanoi above and behind Diamond Sole.
“Devereaux,” Lee started. “Can you get Perigee on the com?”
“They have been hailing us, Captain.” The woman said. “I am just waiting for the two of you to get over your fan boy crush.”
“Put them on.” Lee ordered with a grin. “But I can’t promise we won’t keep talking about the ships.”
“Diamond sole, this is Perigee Station control. We are sending you rendezvous coordinates for docking…” The voice of Kama Yu drifted over the bridge speakers. Lee had forgotten how much he missed the pleasant tones of the Japanese woman. “Commodore Chang has requested you dock with carrier Baal as soon as possible. Have your communications officer signal by comm only to Baal…Diamond Sole, this is Perigee Station…”
The message repeated until Lee signaled to cut the transmission. Chang had been very secretive about their return, sending travel documents by encoded message rather than voice or visual images. In one message, Chang had acknowledged that the transceiver had been damaged and requested no reply. Lee assumed it was part of Chang’s master plan regarding their rogue status.
“Devereaux, keep radio silence and transmit by text only.” Lee ordered. “Let them think we are still damaged.”
“Got it, boss.” The communications officer replied. “Signals sent and received. Baal is turning towards the far side of the asteroid field. We need to dock on their starboard airlock. They are sending escorts to meet us.”
Lee walked to the tactical station and watched as a dozen fighters were launched from the carrier. They surrounded Diamond Sole in an attack formation that left Lee wondering what Chang’s plans really were. Goldstein was already moving the ship closer to the Alliance carrier. Behind the ship, a new jump point opened and a Ch’Tauk destroyer emerged from its energy cocoon.
For a moment, the fighters turned away from the slave ship to attack the enemy. Lee heard the signal from Chang to hold fire as the ship began sending out an Alliance transponder code. Lee recognized the ship as the one captured by the former slaves on Phanoi. Wellick had led an epic battle against the crew of Ch’Tauk and had managed to capture the ship. The human survivors had fought with the strength of desperation and overwhelmed the enemy forces. The porcine security man had told Lee about the fighting and how the deranged humans had slaughtered the alien crew to the last. The casualties on the human side had been dramatic and sad as well, but Lee could understand their fury.
The projection screen showed the imposing sight of Baal approaching them. Lee knew that it was Diamond Sole that was moving, but he couldn’t shake the feeling they were being attacked. He returned to the command stool and waited. It was unusual that the carrier would use one of its starboard docking ports for the operation. Despite being fully restored after three years of being on the run, the carrier’s starboard hull was still slightly twisted and the ports had proved unreliable. Lee had been told that they only used them for remote cargo transfers and not for personnel.
The sounds of Devereaux and Goldstein tapping keys and coordinating computer systems with the carrier brought Lee back to reality. The image on the screen rotated away as Diamond Sole pivoted and reversed into position. Now facing away from the carrier, Lee could see the new fleet arrayed around the planet. The last time he had seen so many ships in one place had been Earth over five years ago. He had been waiting for reassignment while trying to repair his personal fighter when the attack had occurred. If the Ch’Tauk had invaded two hours later, he probably would have been at his family’s home in Wyoming. As it was, he had been forced to eject from the carrier after it fled Earth and was stranded in deep space. He saw the Terran Hope floating near the entry point they had just come from. Phanoi was maneuvering in for docking to offload the remaining humans.
There was a slight shudder in the deck as Goldstein piloted the ship close to the umbilical connection. The tube attached itself via magnetic locks to the docking ring of Diamond Sole. Clamps sealed the connection and pulled the slave ship close to the carrier.
Lee stood and straightened his tunic. He had left his uniform on Resolute before he left and felt awkward returning to a military vessel in civilian clothing. He brushed his hand along his head and felt the stubble of returning hair. The quick costume and identity changes had forced him to keep his head shaved during the mission, but he had let it grow again before they had gone to Kaya. He tapped Baron on the shoulder as he headed for the bridge door.
“Goldstein,” Lee ordered over his shoulder. “You have the bridge.”
“Aye, sir.” The yo
ung pilot answered.
Baron and Lee left the bridge and started down the short corridor to the stairs. Lee had already called Aztec, who had needed to see the doctor for a minor injury, to meet them at the docking port. The doctor had been kept busy by the battle and had informed the bridge of only a single casualty. One of Roy Booth’s engineers had fallen against the M-space engine casing and had partially phased out of reality. The man had screamed constantly until finally dying of a heart attack. Lee would need to deliver the loss reports to Chang. The thought of his duty slowed his pace slightly as they descended the stairs.
“Captain!” A voice came from around the corner as Lee shuddered to a halt. “Wait up!”
Aztec was limping as he hurried to catch up with the two officers. His trousers had been torn up to the hip and a long bandage was wound around his leg. He had an old-style crutch under his right arm to steady his walk, but it left him with an awkward gait that Lee found oddly amusing.
“Doc insisted on wrapping the whole leg.” The dark man said. “Merlin is gonna have a field day with this.”
Merlin, the other man in the Demons, had transferred over to Phanoi to replace Baron. He had been in the cargo area during the attack, trying to secure the Silver Eagle’s and had been unable to get to the bridge when the fighting started. The two men had been flying together for years before Lee had ever met them and had a bet about who had been hurt less. If Lee’s count was right, Merlin had just moved into the lead.
“Well suck it up and get ready. We’re docking with Baal to speak to the Commodore.” Lee said. “You know how he feels about pilots being out of uniforms.”
The three men looked at each other for a moment before each chuckled. Lee’s tunic was stained with soot from the exploding console and he had blood from Aztec’s injuries on his sleeve. Baron had his arm in a sling and his pants leg ripped at his calf. The three officers looked exactly as if they had been in a battle together. The laughter eased the awkward mood of the moment. Returning to the Alliance felt strange to each of them after being rogue for the last few months.
The three men turned and continued down into the ship to the docking ring. The door had just hissed open as Lee stepped to the opening. There was a puff of cold air in the corridor as the two ships finalized pressurization. The cool air felt good against Lee’s skin. He hadn’t realized that the ship had grown warm and stale. Compared to the life support systems on board the military ships, Diamond Sole’s air processing was primitive. Slavers only cared for their own luxury and not much for their cargo.
Lee stepped into the umbilical corridor followed by Aztec and Baron. Aztec’s crutch made a metallic sound as it struck the flexible deck. He smiled sheepishly as Lee turned to look at him.
“Can’t help it.” The man said. “I’m a bird with a broken wing”
“I’ve got the broken wing.” Baron said, raising his arm with a wince. “You’ve got a broken flipper.”
“Birds don’t have flippers.” Aztec said indignantly.
“Both of you shut up.” Lee said. “We can save the ornithological discussions for after the Commodore briefs us.”
Both men looked at each other with embarrassment. They would have to get used to military bearing again and quickly. They waited while the interior airlock cycled open and the door slid aside. Lee and the two pilots stepped onto the deck of the Alliance carrier for the first time in months. The comfortable sound of thick deck plating and uniform grey paint made Lee unconsciously relax. Shipboard life was home to him and the familiar sounds and colors were like a poultice for his soul.
Lee looked up as the door adjacent the airlock opened and Commodore Chang entered. He was followed by a dozen soldiers in full battle gear. The men took up positions surrounding the pilots. Their weapons drew down on the men who looked to their commander in bewilderment.
“Captain Lee Pearce,” Commodore Chang said with no hint of emotion. “You are under arrest.”
27
The central decks of an Independence class battleship were composed of engine conduit and weapon storage areas. Crew compartments surrounded the main access way through the ship. As the ship tapered back into an ovoid shape near the stern, the crew compartments were replaced with the housing for the M-space engines and plasma storage tanks. Heavily armored and magnetically active, the storage tanks could destroy he ship entirely if allowed to rupture or make contact with the hull. The tanks on board Victory were being moved into new positions to make way for something much more dangerous.
Banu Rao walked around the outer edge of the holding area with Captain Loesser in tow. The man had been transferred, at Rao’s request, to the Victory. Banu had seen that the man was not satisfied with the tactics that Chang was employing and had been openly critical of the Commodore. When Rao had requested the transfer, Chang could not move fast enough to remove Loesser from the military chain of command. Loesser now reported directly to Rao and the Alliance Council.
“You know, if we ask the Commodore for a few of those little trolls this whole operation would go faster.” Loesser suggested.
“Absolutely not!” Rao responded, stopping and turning to the captain. “If we are to be the liberators of the human race, we will do it with our own hands. I will not have our race owing its existence to some alien race.”
Rao stepped closer to the captain. Loesser was several centimeters taller than Rao, but the older man was broader and wore his ministerial robes. Loesser stepped back from Rao but Banu closed the gap. Rao held one hand out to Loesser, showing the man the palm of his hand. There was a small black mark carved in the meat of Banu’s hand. It looked like a recent surgery had implanted something under the skin between the thumb and forefinger of Rao’s hand.
“I alone carry the key to the destruction of our enemy, Captain.” Rao said, close to Loesser’s face. “The human race will be saved from extinction by this hand. It is for you to send the ship all the way to our enemy’s gates. I will be responsible for the destruction that follows.”
“I understand, Minister Rao,” Loesser said, holding his hands up to press Rao away. “I just thought…”
“Captain Loesser,” Rao said. “I understand that you are eager to destroy the Ch’Tauk as soon as possible. You thought that by accepting help from the so-called ‘Elves’, we could complete our great work sooner.”
“Yes, Minister,” Loesser stammered back.
“Captain,” Rao said, adopting a more coherent tone. “I am just as excited as you are about the weapon. Once we have the last piece of information, we will take the fight to the Ch’Tauk home world. You have performed your duties perfectly so far and I expect you will continue to do so in the future.”
“Thank you, Minister” replied the captain, raising his eyes back to the other man. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“It is okay,” Rao said. “Do you have a new estimate of how long the repositioning of the plasma tanks will take?”
“According to the foreman, the tanks will be in position in four days. It might take longer is they can’t cut through the bulkheads on E-level.” Loesser said, consulting the data pad at his hip. “After that, it’s up to your scientist friends to configure the core shaft and charging system.”
“They will be able to have those plans ready in a few days.” Rao responded. “The entire system could be prepared for installation in less than a month. After that, it is simply a matter of following directions.”
“Have there been any issues with the materials request from the Commodore?” asked Loesser. “I’m surprised he hasn’t asked to board Victory to see what we’re doing over here.”
“Commodore Chang is busy planning his own operation,” Rao answered, turning and walking towards an exterior display screen. “I have been slowly acquiring the materials we need for the last six months. The items I had hoped to use on Resolute will fit perfectly into this ship. Besides, with all of the rebuilding going on with the other ships we recovered at Kettering, no one even notices th
e small requisitions I have been putting through.”
Rao activated the small screen, showing a view of the local system. He detested the sight of the alien ships orbiting the Perigee planet. The Vadne were a means to an end as far as he was concerned. Their assistance in the coming battle would be necessary if Chang’s plan would have any hope to succeed. Rao thought the plan was pointless in the end, though. Even with the aid of the Vadne and the other races, their pitiful fleet could not hope to match the Ch’Tauk’s overwhelming numbers. The enemy had used thousands of ships to invade Earth five years ago. A few hundred ships could not hope to stand against that kind of power.
His own plan, however, was dependent on only one ship, the Victory. The new technology being installed had been developed by the traitor Erik Heyerdahl, but Rao would redeem its purpose by using it to destroy the Ch’Tauk. The fleet that had amassed around Perigee would be a distraction for Rao’s plan. If Chang thought his attack on Earth would be a final stroke, he was mistaken.
“Minister Rao!”
A voice echoed across the cavernous room. Rao turned to see Haley Lamont crossing to him. The man was tall and fair haired and had a perpetually crumpled lab coat draped over his bony shoulders. Once, Lamont had been Heyerdahl’s lab partner and had kept records of the man’s work. After the invasion, Lamont had become convinced that Heyerdahl had been killed on Karisia. After learning of the man’s survival, Lamont unveiled the records, strictly and precisely memorized, of the Hyper Velocity Accelerator Cannon. Rao had seized on the technology as the only sure way to defeat the enemy.
Resolute Uprising (The War for Terra) Page 20