by Chris Burton
“I think you have summed that up very well. Perhaps Ms Stevenson would feel more comfortable at a higher rank. Would you have any objection?”
Harrington was struggling himself but was quick to reply.
“No, of course not, Sir. She is a good officer and would be worthy of a promotion.”
“Good. Lieutenant Stevenson, I am promoting you to Major. I trust this will help you digest what I am about to discuss.”
Carla blushed and thanked the CIC, not knowing whether to laugh or cry but managing to keep control of her emotions. Koenig quickly moved on.
“The Residual Surge Enhancer is a last gasp attempt to keep the shields up and running. I have just given the authority to engage it. The enhancer will help but the shields will fail in the next three hours or so. Time is now of the essence.
“Alpha has a Contingency Fleet in the Styros Cluster. This is a fleet of last resort and is there fundamentally to perpetuate our species. There are over one hundred and fifty ships in attendance and the number is growing. Admiral Martin commands the fleet and he will keep a watchful brief on proceedings.
“The Kryl will stand down their major forces at some point in the next few weeks, months, or maybe even years. At that time, Alpha will launch its contingency fleet and liberate Earth.
“I am telling you this, because it is critically important that Alpha remains in existence here on Earth. We have a significant underground facility to which the command center will shortly transfer. Once this agreement has been consented to by us and ratified by the Kryl, there will be no further contact between the senate, myself, and the senior fleet commanders. A senior commander will remain at this facility to deal with the aspects of the agreement which effect Alpha. Obviously, the whereabouts, the contents, and personnel of the underground bunker will remain classified.”
Harrington remained passive throughout Koenig’s speech but now felt compelled to speak. “Thank you for divulging this very sensitive information to us Admiral. I think we have a grasp of what Alpha is trying to achieve. I have to ask why we don’t deploy the fleet now. The Kryl fleet is surely not as strong as they were.”
“Once they are gone, they are gone. If we deploy the fleet now, it will be defeated and we will have nothing. Regrettably, we have no choice but to accept the agreement. I suggest we take five minutes and then sit down to get this agreement finalized.”
* * * *
Ninety minutes later, Lieutenant Colonel Harrington and Major Carla Stevenson boarded the senate shuttle and headed off-world to rendezvous with Kravos. The agreement was about to be ratified.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Heading Out
He sat in his ready room, watching the hands of the old-fashioned clock face turn slowly. He must have stared for a long time because when he reached for his coffee, it was luke-warm.
Commander Jacques entered
“We are clear for launch.”
“Good. Do we have a full crew compliment? How many of the crew took shore leave?”
“Ninety-five percent. Most of them were able to see family. However, they have all returned if that is what you are alluding to. Let’s hope this is just a short tour. Any idea where we are going?”
“I can’t divulge, I am afraid. You stayed on the ship didn’t you?”
“Nothing out there for me at the moment . I would rather see action and try to kill off a few more of these Kryl while we still can.”
“Okay, let’s get some clearance coordinates and get underway. Our provisional heading will be 74 .45. 12. Stellar speed as soon as available. It goes without saying that we launch away from the Kryl fleet.”
“That’s roughly where we were three days ago. Are we after Carter again?”
“No, if he is still alive, Jake Carter is on his own now. We have a different path to tread.”
* * * *
Ten minutes later, the Halo 7 launched and drifted quietly into orbit from deep inside the southern hemisphere. It moved away from the Kryl fleet and their prying eyes.
Hoskins sat at his station on the bridge, monitoring their progress.
“Number One. Let’s make the calculations for Jump Speed straight away.”
“Just finishing now. The stellar drive is off-line.”
Hoskins sighed deeply. “Okay, run diagnostics and get it back up. In the mean time, auxiliary drive, maximum thrust to the same coordinates. Scan the area for Kryl ships. We don’t want any surprises without light-speed. I’ll be in my ready room.”
Hoskins headed for the ready room. He was tired, he was angry, and now even the bloody ship didn’t work properly.
The comm. link sprang to life just as he sat down.
“S drive, will be back on line in about an hour.”
“What was wrong with it?”
“Calibration error. Basic stuff which should have been picked up in dock. I guess everyone is a bit pre-occupied.”
“That’s no excuse and you know it. You should have checked the calibrations yourself.”
* * * *
Commander Jacques did not answer. There was something troubling his CO and he wanted to find the underlying cause of it. He headed straight to the ready room, knocking before entering.
“Yes, what do you want?”
“Five minutes of your time.”
“Who is supervising the Stellar drive reboot?”
“I am but I am not needed right now. May I take a seat?”
Hoskins said nothing and gestured his XO to a chair.
“There is something troubling you. I am pretty sure you would not normally get quite so upset over a calibration issue.”
Hoskins yawned and then laughed. “Astute as always Number One. This is not going to be a short trip.”
“Are you able to tell me where we are going?”
“Well I shouldn’t but I am sure this will not be the only regulation we break on this tour. We are heading for the Styros Cluster.”
“You have got to be kidding me!”
“Doesn’t look like a joke does it?”
“What are we going to do when we get there? There’s nothing of any substance there and it will takes us two months at least. Shouldn’t we be here, defending Earth? What’s going on?”
“I cannot divulge at present but I will let you know soon. In the meantime, we are still at war and we are vulnerable. I suggest you concentrate on the S Drive before we become target practice—that would not look good on your record.”
Commander Jacques left the ready room to attend to the stellar drive. Whatever was bugging the CO must be big. He was in a seriously bad mood.
Chapter Seventy-Five
Flight to Freedom
Jake took his time. He needed to make sure all systems were operational and that the limited power reserves were apportioned appropriately. Now he was ready.
He engaged the NAVCOM in silent mode and brought the thrusters on line. Then he powered up the laser cannons, life support, gravitational leveling, and the cockpit head-up display. He took a long sip of coffee, pulled back on the stick, and allowed the Eagle to lift and pivot round to his intended exit route. That was the easy part. The docking clamps snapped as the power of the thrusters pulled the Eagle upwards. Good no need to start a fire show.
Still nothing from the Kryl. That won’t last.
The Eagle moved forward on its thrusters. Slowly at first, Jake controlled the shuttle round the first two curved hanger decks and then repositioned for his run through the middle of the gigantic hangar bay’s free space.
It is just a matter of time.
Two Kryl plasma cannons fired as he rounded the next hangar deck. Jake managed to avoid them by swerving beneath the next deck. Now he was being pursued. Two Kryl fighters were on his tail but strangely, they were struggling to keep up. The shuttle coped well with the low velocity but the Kryl ships pilots had nothing between their thrusters and full on speed—the latter being impractical in such a confined space.
Jake was making
progress. The two fighters backed off and monitored his movements rather than following a tight pursuit strategy but the hanger bays plasma weapons caused havoc. He managed to avoid most of them but they adapted and appeared from everywhere.
Now he was hit: twice on the port side, on the underside, and three more times on both sides of the shuttle. The Eagle’s limited shields were failing. Jake stuck to the task. It must be a matter of time before he saw the exit. Yes, there it is!
Jake enthusiasm waned as he took another two plasma burns to the rear of the Eagle—this time to the exhaust manifold and just short of his main drive systems. To make matters worse, he saw the exit clearly now but it was getting smaller. They are closing the blast doors!
He had less than thirty seconds to clear the exit. He needed to engage his auxiliary drive—which in the confined space of the Queen’s Hanger Bay was suicidal. He had no choice. He flicked the drive switch, held onto the column, and closed his eyes. This would be close. One tiny blast of power and the Eagle would be out or straight into the blast door.
He opened his eyes. He was out. Christ...that was close!
The danger was far from over. Jake glanced up and remembered why his escape was virtually impossible. In front of him and all around him stood the entire Kryl fleet. He needed a quick exit strategy.
Jake took the auxiliary drive up to full power but then powered back when he remembered his reserves were low. If he were to get out of this, he needed to force all of the available power reserves into his Stellar drive and then hope he did not end up smashing into Earth’s shields.
Jake engaged the S drive and for the second time in as many minutes. He closed his eyes and hoped. Thank God, this Eagle is the S Drive Variant. The burst of power took Jake ten thousand kilometers clear of the Kryl fleet in an instant but he was far from safe. The NAVCOM showed three fighters and a cruiser had separated from the main Kryl fleet and were in pursuit. He sighed.
This was never going to be easy!
He pulled back on the stick and engaged seventy-five percent auxiliary power. He estimated ten minutes power left.
The Kryl ships were catching and they would smash him and his shuttle to pieces.
Now they were almost within firing distance. Jake dispatched an automated distress call and waited for the inevitable. It was unlikely there would be anyone out here who could help. Again, he felt a deep sense of unease. His mind was being probed again—the chasing Kryl vessel must be Morvalt’s ship. He tried to block him by concentrating hard on the shuttle schematics. Morvalt was strong and forced his way in. It was just a matter of time.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Ratification
Kravos was in a good mood when the senate negotiation team arrived from Earth.
The negotiations were truncated but the Kryl’s main objectives were met: to domicile his people and source a local and enduring supply of food. The only thing required now was his ratification and the battle would cease. His people could commence their settlement and repair the damage that so long without habitation and relief from pain had brought.
Harrington and Stevenson were now aboard and he waited patiently. The Queen had already expressed her gratitude and Morvalt was ready to assume his responsibility as Governor of the Kryl’s Earth Colony. The negotiators entered the sanctuary and Kravos moved forward to greet them.
“I presume that your superiors have now ratified the agreement?”
“Yes. Have your people completed their verification of the document?”
“Of course, Colonel Harrington. I should address Ms Stevenson now as Major. Everybody has benefitted.”
Carla saw red mist and could not hold back. “Are you for real? What benefit do we have?”
“Major, I have been through this many times before. Without this agreement, your people would be lost and your species would die. You may not accept it now but in time you will. I think it is quite remarkable how someone with your background has grown during this process. Your hatred of the Kryl was clear when you first walked in this room and look at you now—a senior officer and an architect of the most important agreement in Earth’s history. Your name will be immortalized over time.”
Harrington could see that Kravos’ antagonistic response worked and Carla was seething. It was time to intervene.
“With respect, I believe we are here to ratify this agreement. It is in the best interest of both our peoples for us to do this straight away. Do you have any objections?”
“Ever the diplomat. Very well, may I have the official document?”
Harrington placed his diplomatic case on the table, opened it, and pulled out a thick leather clad document. He opened it on the ratification page to show Kravos that the ECG President and Alpha’s CIC had indeed ratified the agreement.
“Well, how appropriate that you have bound this document with the skin of one of your own livestock. Let me just refresh the salient points. Please take a seat.”
Kravos started on page one and read.
After twenty minutes passed, Harrington could stay silent no longer, “Do you intend to read the entire document from cover to cover? If you do—given that this document is exactly the same as the draft version you received earlier this afternoon, perhaps we should return to our ship.”
“Do you wish me to verify something to which I am not certain of its content?”
Carla was still fuming and she wanted the matter closed as quickly as possible. “We have software which can verify any differences between the documents. I’m sure you have similar if not more advanced capabilities. People are still dying on both sides. We can stop this if you ratify now!”
“Automated verification can miss things. I am going to continue and I would consider it an affront if you elect to return to your ship.”
Harrington and Carla said nothing and allowed Kravos to continue. He was reading at an astonishing rate and was nearly half way through the document.
Two Kryl drones arrived with refreshments.
“I have taken the liberty of bringing Earth coffee on board. I believe it can be served with milk and sugar. Please help yourself.”
Carla looked at Harrington and shrugged her shoulders before lifting the coffee pot and pouring drinks for both of them.
Kravos finished the document fifteen minutes later, having read over two hundred pages of script and data in just over three quarters of an hour. He took a pen from his jacket and signed the document on the ratification page.
“This agreement is now in place and the war between our two peoples will cease immediately. You will drop your shields, allow our Kronan to land, and visit your leaders. Please have some more coffee while I make the necessary notifications.”
“We need to contact our people.”
“That can wait. You must learn respect for your superiors. You will address me as Mutan Kravos and bow your head when you first greet me. There will be other forms of conduct which you will now uphold.”
Harrington had heard enough but remained diplomatic. “With respect, these are not terms of our agreement. We will honor the terms for which we have agreed and we will do our best to uphold your traditions, in terms of greetings etcetera, and we would expect you to do the same. You are not our superiors—we are equal partners in this agreement.”
Kravos laughed.
“It matters not what the agreement says. You are defeated and you signed a surrender document to prevent your race from being annihilated. Your signature to this document is both humiliating and a clear sign of your inferiority. You will bow to us and you will learn respect.”
Shouting now, Kravos turned on Carla.
“You remain protected by your diplomatic status while on this mission. Please be assured one day, I will find you when diplomacy is not an issue and I will personally squeeze the soul from your body. I hold you and Jake Carter responsible for the death of Navalion and I will not stop until revenge has been delivered.”
Turning back towards both negotiators in a r
age, he shouted again. “You will wait here until my return and then you may leave!”
Kravos turned on his feet and left the room, leaving both Harrington and Carla with the mouths agape. What had they done?
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Morvalt’s Anger
Morvalt was incredulous. Why would she do this? She had him and allowed him to escape. She must have done so deliberately.
Jake Carter was back in his shuttle and fleeing the Queen’s fleet. He would not get far. Morvalt ignored the protests of his crew. He was now governor and the humans could wait. Someone had to avenge Navalion’s death.
They drew closer and Morvalt once again reached inside Carters mind but he was resisting. Carter seems stronger and more resilient than before. What has the Queen done to him? Morvalt pulled himself deeper into Carter’s mind but still he had no control. He should be feeling it by now. The pain should make him surrender. Yet something was wrong, there was no resistance from Carter. It was he struggling to make the connection.
* * * *
The Kryl fighters caught up with the shuttle first. They surrounded the Eagle and peppered it with plasma cannon bursts. The shuttle was in trouble before but now she was listing and yet she continued. Morvalt’s ship was in range and he had no intention of waiting for the shuttle to stutter to a halt. He drew out of Carter’s mind and opened his mind, seeking out the shuttle’s own unique electrical impulses. If Carter would not stop his ship then he would stop it for him.
Now he had partial control of the shuttle but somehow he still had no control over the drive and navigation systems. Carter had blocked him from them. How did he achieve that?
* * * *
Jake was under no illusions. Jonathan Hoskins told him how Morvalt was able to control ships and he already decided he was not getting control of the Eagle. He had accessed the ship’s NAVCOM and placed a complex algorithmic code in the software’s operating program. The NAVCOM tried to resolve the near paradoxical code and moved the less important navigational and drive functions to a secure subroutine. Morvalt would not access it easily from there. He checked the power reserves—two minutes of power—then everything shut down. Not even the distress call had yielded any assistance.