Commander Higgins rubbed his lower lip before saying more. His body language suggested subterfuge, but he did his best to not give anything away. Nate could tell something was going on, though.
"As I understand it, there's been some kind of violent trouble with CTC Corporation. Victorious and the others were passing Helios when something happened."
"Something?" Valdis asked.
Commander Higgins focused on her.
"Yes, but I don't know more, other than they turned back and headed this way immediately after it, and at full-speed. So it must be important."
"To Karnak?" asked Nate.
Commander Higgins shook his head.
"No. They were heading further inwards."
He then leaned in as far as the straps would let him.
"Where to, Sir?"
Commander Higgins gave him one of those keep quiet looks that stopped him asking any more questions. So they waited in silence as the craft made its way onto an unseen deck inside the Confederate Class warship. Nate felt nervous until finally the side door slid open, and bright light burst into the Jackal. He lifted his hands to his face to shield his eyes.
"Everybody out."
First out were the marines, and they formed up into a line. Then went the officers, and finally Nate and his friends. The temperature dropped, and then they were on the deck. Nate hoped to see Spartan, but there were only a few crew from the ship, plus several dozen dark grey workers. Nate looked to the right. Matilda was looking right back at him. A wide grin drew across her face as she mouthed a single word to him.
"Thegns!"
Nate looked back and was surprised to see several of the officers from Furiosa vanishing inside the ship. Valentine and the other marines also moved away, joining the marines already on the ship. Soon it was just them and the handful of Alliance technicians that had also served aboard Furiosa. He opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately drowned out by a voice on the ship's tannoy system.
"Engines powering up, all crew to stations. Leaving in sixty seconds."
Commander Higgins approached and checked that each of the unit was there. He counted them and seemed confused as he checked the Byotai. Nate suspected he'd forgotten about their recent loss, and soon returned to the front of the group.
"Okay, you've got quarters inside. Make yourselves at home and get cleaned up. The Lieutenant Commander and I have a meeting with the brass."
* * *
Nate leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes for what must have been the tenth time. They'd been on the ship for hours now, and still he couldn't feel the engines, or the subtle gravitational shifts that marked changes in velocity. They'd been told they were leaving, but clearly something had gone wrong. He was tired, but not from work, just the sheer boredom of having nothing to do. Hours earlier he'd been part of a crew on a major warship, and now he was a passenger, with nothing to look forward to but the journey home.
I've had enough of this.
He sat up, slid his feet off the bed, and walked down the length of their new quarters. Cassandra watched him pass her.
"What's wrong?"
Nate paused and showed her the chronograph details on his Secpad.
"We've been here over seven hours," said Cassandra, "What about it?"
He looked around their new home. The quarters given to the pilots were surprisingly spacious, and much nicer than on Furiosa. Like most modern Alliance ships, this one was designed for medium duration missions of many months, so crew comfort was important. The room was rectangular and big enough to house up to fifty people. Nate had finished unpacking his modest number of possessions hours ago, and with no access to the onboard network, there was literally nothing to do. Billy looked to him and then cocked his head.
"Listen."
All of them turned to the door just as a shape entered. It was Lieutenant Commander Holder, and she seemed a little flushed as she rushed inside.
"Sir, everything okay?" Nate asked.
The officer nodded and then looked about the place.
"You're all here...good. I've been speaking with Commander Higgins, and you've been granted basic access to the crew levels."
Nate looked to his friends and could already see signs of relief from them.
"Check your Secpads for clear areas. Obviously the bridge, engineering, and weapons are off limits. This ship is locked down securely, much tighter than any ship I've seen before."
Matilda slid off her bed and indicated towards the door.
"What happens now? Do we just stay here until we get back home?"
Holder shrugged.
"Commander Higgins is meeting with the Captain and the other senior officers. When I know something, so will you."
That didn't seem to change the despondent mood inside the room.
"So what now, Sir?" Nate asked, "Our security clearance won't allow us to leave this area. It says we're authorised as passengers."
A smile formed across the officer's face.
"Well, for starters, your clearance has been changed."
She lifted her hand, tapped her Secpad bracelet, and nodded to herself as the information popped up.
"It would appear the Captain was unaware of our Squadron's status. We've been upgraded to crew clearance, and that gives us access to the canteen, mess, recreation hall, and more."
Billy and Cassandra appeared excited at hearing the news.
"So that means we can leave this room?"
Lieutenant Commander Holder nodded in agreement.
"Exactly, Billy. Due to your official, albeit temporary status, you may also be assigned duty roles aboard the ship. It may not be exciting, but it will be better than staying in here."
Valdis didn't seem to like the sound of that.
"We're pilots, Sir. We should be flying."
Lieutenant Commander Holder lifted up her hands.
"I'm not arguing, but this is not a carrier, and it's not our ship."
She sensed the mood beginning to sour, so nodded back to the door she'd entered from.
"On top of that, we've been granted a crew tour of the ship, with the Captain's complements. He would like us to see the operations level, their command and control systems, and the new front-line combat units."
"Like the Grunts?"
Matilda groaned at Billy’s incessant questions.
"Yes, that includes the Grunts. I understand there are a few other interesting pieces of equipment here. If my information is correct, they also have Maverick armour, and latest model Mules. Interested?"
Every one nodded in agreement.
"Good, then follow me."
They filed out of their quarters and into the passageway. Waiting there was a single marine. He wore conventional, though heavily upgraded personal armour, and a handgun at his flank. He held his helmet in his left hand and smiled at them as they approached.
"We've met before. I'm Lieutenant Armstrong. Apologies for the delay in coming to see you, we were informed you were Academy students hitching a lift. Commander Higgins has explained the confusion. Welcome aboard Victorious. We need all the help we can get."
The man motioned for them to follow, and he led them away and into the ship. Lieutenant Commander Holder moved alongside him, the pilots followed, like a school trip following behind their teachers. They travelled through multiple passages and then stopped in one with tall, flat walls. He placed a hand on the wall and then grinned as most of the surface changed texture until morphing into what appeared to be a long metallic plate.
"Wow!" Billy exclaimed.
Cassandra moved closer and touched the surface with her fingers. It appeared no different to the rest of the wall.
"There are no windows on the ship, but we do have nano-screens installed at key locations."
"Nano-screens?" asked Valdis.
The Lieutenant nodded and glanced to Lieutenant Commander Holder. She said nothing and waited for the explanation.
"Yes. The surface of certain walls chang
es to become a display that repeats exactly what is outside the ship, and in the same place."
Matilda nodded along as he spoke.
"So it gives the effect of a window, but from within the safety of the ship."
"Yes."
"We use the same technology on the canopies of our gunships and fighters."
The officer looked a little surprised as he listened.
"On your drones? Yes, I heard some of you piloted drones from Relentless, isn't that right?"
Matilda sighed, and Nate stepped passed her to continue the conversation.
"At first, until we ran out of drones."
Lieutenant Armstrong smiled, and then tapped the display wall again. This time it flickered once and changed to show a perfect view from the ship’s starboard. The young pilots moved closer and looked out at the incredible view. The glimmer of stars filled the distance, with some of the nearest celestial bodies moving at a barely perceivable speed.
"Wait," said Nate, "We're moving?"
The Lieutenant nodded slowly.
"We have been since you boarded. Were you not told, this ship is fast...very fast."
Nate noticed Matilda's hands pointing to the rear of the ship. At first it looked as though they must have just connected to a space station or other similar structure. But it became apparent that the large object to the rear was part of the ship.
"What is that?"
"That, Nate," said Matilda, "Is a space-time warp field generator. So it's true, you did manage to get the Alcubierre Drive system working."
Lieutenant Armstrong looked surprised at her description.
"I don't know the specifics. But I do know it creates a bubble, and that bubble distorts space-time around the ship. The way it was explained to me...was..."
The man looked confused, clearly struggling to remember. Matilda had little patience and explained herself.
"The ship travels through space at apparent speeds faster than light. All with travelling without ever moving."
Valdis shook her head and interrupted Matilda.
"No, that is not possible. Even I know it is impossible to break the physical laws."
Nate raised his eyebrows in mock surprise.
"Yet we use the Spacebridges to travel between star systems."
Valdis said something in her own tongue and then muttered to Nate. He laughed and looked to Lieutenant Commander Holder. She pointed to the rings at the back of the ship.
"May I?"
The IAB marine nodded politely.
"Of course."
"As Ensign Croft was explaining, this technology is based upon twenty-first century work on Einstein's field equations. To make the system work it is necessary to create a configurable energy-density field lower than that of a vacuum. If successful, the onboard systems could then contract space-time in front of the distortion, and expand space behind it. The engines would effectively shift the space bubble so the object travels faster than light, but locally never moves."
Even as she said the words, it sounded as though she was still unconvinced.
"I studied this principle at the Academy. I'm quite frankly amazed that you fixed the issue of finding a negative energy density using exotic matter to even power the thing."
It was obvious the marine was well out of his depth. He signalled further off inside the ship.
"Let me show you some other parts of our newest ship."
The group moved away, but as Nate passed the artificial window, he looked forward instead of backwards. It was hard to see, but he was sure there were other ships nearby. One in particular was close enough that he could see the glowing ring fitted on struts around the stern of the craft. Then he spotted a ship a few hundred metres below them, and off their starboard flank. At first he thought it was another of the Confederate Class ships. The hull was much the same, and had the same oversized, brutish look. But it lacked the large ring nacelles, and the forward gunnery sections were also noticeably absent.
The IAB is going to war. And we're right in the middle of it.
He moved up closer to Billy as they walked down the next passageway. The two officers were now busily chatting about the recent events at Karnak. Nate was not really interested in that, though. His mind was already moving in a dozen directions.
"Billy. Have you seen how many ships are here? I see two more, just from this angle."
"So what? They don't need us wherever we're going."
They entered a wide elevator and waited as it took them to the next section of the ship. The two officers chatted, but when the doors opened, there was nothing but silence. Nate and his friends stepped out to see line upon line of robotic warriors.
"This is the upper operations level," said Lieutenant Armstrong, "From here we manage our military assets and provide command functionality."
Valdis pointed to the soldiers.
"And these are the Grunts, like the one you controlled?"
"Yes, follow me."
They moved inside and travelled between the two lines. The robot soldiers remained upright and motionless, and after each group, they came across a Jackal dropship. Eventually, they stopped in front of a single squad of the Grunts. These were a slightly different design to the ones they'd seen aboard Furiosa.
"These are the first generation Grunts, same as those first used on Spascia."
They spread out and looked at the machines, as though walking about in an art gallery. Nate stopped alongside one particular machine with marks along its body. As he examined it more closely, he spotted three deep indentations. He ran his finger over the cool metal, and found the dents to be rough, and as wide as his fingers.
"Well spotted," said the Lieutenant.
He moved towards Nate while the others walked around the machines.
"Those are scars from Spascia. Some of these Grunts took more than ten hits, each one capable of killing a man. They took the bullets, so that we didn't have to."
Nate moved around the machine, and from the back he found several more marks, as well as a point where something had clearly punched through the armour both front and back.
"Would you like to see where we control them from?"
His eyes lingered on the young pilots, and as they started to answer, he turned his attention to the Lieutenant Commander. She gave him a subtle nod, and soon they were off and moving further along the deck in the wide-open space. It had much in common with the main landing deck inside Relentless. This went on for what seemed an age until they reached a centralised control area. Inside were three officers, as well as a small marine detachment. They ignored the pilots as they passed by and into a section with small half open compartments on each side.
"This is where the real work is done."
Billy and Matilda were first to enter the nearest compartment. There were a row of seats, each slightly reclined and wired directly into the ship. To the side was a spider web like interface hanging from a retractable bracket.
"That's it?" said Cassandra.
Another man moved into view, and Nate knew right away that it was Commander Higgins. Though in uniform, he wore no hat, and his approach was clearly informal. He was slightly out of breath and appeared frustrated, rather than pleased that he'd found them.
"I've been looking for you all. I thought you'd be with the drones."
Nate looked to his friends, but Cassandra answered the Commander.
"We've been here with Lieutenant Armstrong, and..."
"Me," said Lieutenant Commander Holder.
He looked inside at them, and then moved into the compartment surrounded by the control equipment. As he stepped, he groaned and then adjusted his posture. Though fully healed, it was clear his injuries were still causing him trouble.
"Okay, Ironclads. You’ve seen your upgraded status, right?"
One by one they nodded in acknowledgement.
"Good. Now, I've been speaking with the General, and it seems our arrival here was no accident."
Nate looked to
his friends and back to the Commander, but the officer was already moving towards Lieutenant Armstrong.
"Perhaps we could continue this technical briefing later, Lieutenant?"
The man nodded politely.
"Of course. Contact me you're ready. I'll get you some time down here with the equipment."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Something tells me we'll need it."
The man walked away, leaving the small group of pilots now alone in the control suite with Commander Higgins facing them. Nate's brow creased as he tried to work out what was going on.
"What do you mean, Sir?"
The Commander lifted his left eyebrow in a slightly bemused look.
"Colonel Gun’s rescue of Furiosa was no accident. They were coming to meet us, whether we were in a fight or not."
"But why?" Cassandra asked.
"Because they were coming for us," said Matilda.
Commander Higgins nodded in agreement. He looked at them, trying his best not to show his pride in the little group. They were all young, and most had never even trained as fighter pilots. Yet as he looked at their faces, he recalled their very first engagement controlling drone fighters, through to them commanding fighters, gunships, and most recently a small ship.
"Exactly. Your reputation has spread far and wide, but there's one thing that makes you critical. More important than me or any other part of Furiosa's crew."
The pilots looked to each other, each as confused as the next.
"I've been speaking with the commanders on the ship, and they want us to contribute to this operation. Are you up for that?"
The chorus of nods was expected, but even so, as he looked at them, he couldn't but feel proud of each and every one of them.
"It would appear they are short of experienced personnel in the drone command roles. Actually, let me rephrase that. All of their fighter drones are currently piloted by IAB Marines. Each has had rudimentary training, but they expect to provide ground fire support and protection, not much else."
He paused before getting to the next part.
"I've got one question for you. Can you operate X1 support drones?"
Matilda started to speak, but Nate interrupted her.
"Yes, Sir. X1 drones are no problem, Sir."
Star Crusader: Battle Fleet Victorious Page 11