James, you must get out of there! Kalrea said with concern in her voice.
‘WARNING! DECOMPRESSION IN SECTION 28, LEVEL 16.’
Antaio looked down the corridor.
‘Quick, we don’t have much time. This way,’ he said.
They rushed along the corridor and rounded a corner.
‘We’re nearly there,’ Antaio said.
Ahead was a closed blast door. The floor behind them twisted and buckled.
‘WARNING! DECOMPRESSION IN SECTION 28, LEVEL 17.’
*****
Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Lonori, Isistia ordered,
‘Tell me what’s happening, Commander!’
‘We’ve just dropped from light speed, Captain,’ Adonti said, listening into his headset. ‘There’s been an explosion in the port defence matrix… battery thirty-four.’
Isistia put on her headset and looked at the holographic image of the Lonori. Section twenty-eight was flashing blue.
‘Blast doors activated in sections twenty-seven, twenty-eight and twenty-nine,’ Adonti continued.
‘All stop,’ Isistia ordered. ‘Scan the area for any ships.’
‘Repair crews are en route,’ a lieutenant said.
‘Lieutenant, how many people were in that section?’ Isistia asked.
‘Sixty-eight,’ he replied.
‘Captain Treno reports that the Yemolopila has severe damage to her starboard,’ Adonti said. ‘The full force of the explosion hit their lead fighter bays.’
‘Damn,’ Isistia said angrily. ‘At that speed we could have lost half the fleet.’
She shook her head.
‘I want to know what happened, commander. Get us underway as soon as the repair crews have sealed the hull breaches.’
*****
In section twenty-eight the lights flickered again before going out.
‘What now?’ James asked, staring into darkness.
Londuo grabbed hold of his hand.
Kalrea, we could do with some help here.
‘Come on,’ Antaio said, looking impatiently at the blast door. ‘They should have opened by now.’
There was a faint crack and a line of light appeared between the doors. As soon as the doors had opened enough, they quickly squeezed through. There was a loud boom behind them from a bulkhead collapsing. Their section was now open to space, and they were at risk of being blown out.
I can only save you, Kalrea said. The face of the telementor turned white, ready to protect him.
Antaio lunged for an air vent.
‘Grab something!’ he shouted.
James and Londuo held onto a small rail on an access panel, as the rush of air intensified.
James looked at Londuo. She looked terrified.
I’m scared, too, Londuo. Kalrea, you must be able to do something. I want you to save Londuo and Antaio.
‘We’ve got to get that… blast door closed,’ Antaio said, gasping for air. ‘The manual lever is… over there.’
I’ll do what I can, Kalrea replied to James.
On the other side of the corridor, adjacent to the door, was a blue lever.
Kalrea, James thought, struggling to look at the large letters, alongside the lever. He was finding it difficult to breath. We’ve got to close blast door… two-eight-one-seven-seven delta. Can you—
I’m on it already, she replied.
‘Hold on,’ James said. ‘Kalrea’s… accessing the… control…’
While he spoke the doors slammed shut, stopping the shrieking whistle of air. They all fell to the floor.
Chapter Sixteen
James entered the Atenol room for the mission briefing. Nine captains were already seated on chairs, arranged in a horseshoe shape around a Kimlo holographic table. Some of the captains were chatting to one another. James sat in one of the empty seats and watched four more people enter the room.
A young man sitting adjacent to him turned.
‘You must be James Brasdoi. I’m Regyio Keivom.’
James acknowledged him.
‘That’s some ship you’ve got there. I wish I had someone like Kalrea to take care of mine.’
‘Which ship is yours?’
‘Oh, she’s the destroyer Thardopila, one of the quickest ships in the fleet,’ he said, with a broad smile.
‘One of the slowest you mean, Regyio,’ a captain sitting nearby commented. ‘Don’t listen to him, James, he’ll want you to do a swap next,’ he said in jest.
‘That’s Lonil Gurlio,’ Regyio said. ‘He commands the Horopila. The last ship to reach the Lomj belt, as I recall,’ he said loudly.
‘Yes, but that was before the new drives—’
Captain Gurlio stopped abruptly when Milonri and Executive Captain Isistia Hirniol entered the room. They all stood to attention, James followed suit.
‘As you were,’ Isistia said. ‘Please sit.’
Isistia went to the far end of the Kimlo table to activate it, while Milonri looked quickly around the room. Then, he said,
‘Before we start the briefing I have some sad news. The current death toll from the explosion is forty-three from the Lonori and thirty-seven from the Yemolopila. There are five people still on the critical list.’
Milonri paced slowly around the room while continuing,
‘I’m sure you’re all aware an accident like that should never have happened.’
An image of the Lonori and Yemolopila appeared over the holographic table.
‘This is the recording from a monitoring eye onboard the Rellopila, which captured the explosion.’
James watched the image, which played through slowly, showing the two ships travelling alongside each other. It zoomed in on the laser turret.
‘The defence matrix records show that the laser turret was activated for a simulation firing two minutes before it exploded and charged to maximum.’
The image zoomed out from the turret, which exploded outwards from the Lonori, engulfing the side of the Yemolopila and tearing into its hull. The holes left from the explosion widened and tore as the ships decelerated rapidly.
‘As you can see from the size of the explosion, it couldn’t have just been the laser turret that caused this. The remains found inside the Yemolopila have been analysed. We found traces of a plutonic element. This wasn’t an accident; it was a deliberate act of sabotage.’
There was a solemn pause. James glanced at the other captains. Some looked at each other in astonishment; others shook their heads.
Milonri continued,
‘The Telqintre have known for the last two days that a Dreh agent has been operating on Brinoli, which is why we took the precaution of deactivating the long-range communication systems. That Dreh agent is now most definitely onboard the Lonori. Security will be doubled in all key areas. I want this agent found before he or she can cause any more damage.’
‘Sir, what about the Lonori’s security scanners?’ Captain Keivom said. ‘They must have recorded whoever entered that turret.’
‘Yes, they should have, but whoever did it knew the Lonori’s systems,’ Milonri replied. ‘The security scanners and their backups were shut down ten minutes before the explosion.’
‘Sir, if we double the security, the crews will wonder why,’ Captain Lemix commented. ‘What do we tell them?’
‘I’ve already considered that.’ Milonri paused. ‘I must tell you that the mission target is Dagnamk.’
At that moment, James saw an image of Dagnamk appear over the holographic table.
So that’s where the Treitans come from, he thought.
‘There’ll be rumours floating about the increased security, but the crews will stop questioning it once we inform them about this mission.’
Milonri paused once more to look at each of the captains in turn.
‘We may not get another opportunity like this again. Our objective is to discover any weaknesses the Treitan have and if possible destroy their command centre. I’m going to give you details o
f your assignments.’
Another planet appeared next to the image of Dagnamk.
‘Jomi,’ James read.
‘The destroyers, Yemolopila and Vinzot, supported by the frigates, Rellota and Satiota, are to attack the Treitan supply base at Jomi. This attack force will be led by Captain Treno of the Yemolopila—’
Captain Treno nodded her head.
‘Your mission will be a decoy for the main assault on Dagnamk,’ Milonri continued, pointing to the image of Dagnamk and Jomi. ‘You will attack Jomi on two fronts and send communications indicating that you are only the first wave in the attack. We are counting on the Treitans sending cruisers from Dagnamk to repel our offensive. You must strike quickly and ensure you can escape, without compromising any of your ships.’
‘These will be given to each of you, detailing your objectives.’ Isistia handed four small devices to Captain Treno.
Kalrea, what are they? They look like mobile phones.
Holographic notepads, she replied.
Milonri walked around behind the chairs.
‘Executive Captain Hirniol will command the Dagnamk attack fleet. Your objective is to get as close to Dagnamk as you can, to give the Aurora the best chance of making it into the Dagnamk atmosphere. This is Captain Brasdoi of the Aurora.’
Milonri touched him on the shoulder.
‘Captain Brasdoi, you will not engage the enemy, no matter what is happening around you. You will get to Dagnamk as quickly as possible and will locate the Treitan command centre. Kalrea must access their main computer systems. We have to discover their weaknesses. You will assess the situation on Dagnamk and destroy as much of the base as you can, but you must get the data back to Brinoli, no matter what the cost.’
Isistia handed James a holographic notepad. He took a long lingering look at it, while Milonri continued,
‘The notepads contain details of the Dagnamk attack plan,’ Milonri added. ‘Your crews will be briefed tomorrow at seven hours.’
He nodded to Isistia.
Each of the captains looked at their notepads.
James was slightly frustrated and tried to see how the other captains were using them. How did they turn them on, he thought, while running this fingers around the edge. I can’t find any buttons.
Press the face firmly, Kalrea said.
James pressed the face and a menu of symbol was displayed. Great! Now what? What do the symbols mean?
‘Thank you, Milonri,’ Isistia said. ‘You’ll be going up against their best cruisers.’
While Isistia spoke, the Kimlo table displayed a tactical image of Dagnamk and Qinant ships.
‘The Lonori, Rellopila and Horopila will lead the attack. Captains Lemix and Gurlio, you will move ahead and below the flight vector of the Lonori. Captains Lexu, Keivom and Gani, the Beruopila, Thardopila and Atenopila will provide additional firepower if required.’
Kalrea said,
Do you want me to download the contents of the notepad and give you a run through later on our Kimlo table?
Yes, please, Kalrea. Thank you.
‘Are there any questions?’ Isistia said.
‘Captain, why is our attack speed much faster than normal?’ Captain Lemix asked, reading his notepad.
‘Because we need to get close to Dagnamk, before the Treitans have a chance to intercept us,’ Isistia replied.
‘What about our fighters? We’ve never launched them at that speed before,’ Captain Lemix added.
‘I know, but I’m afraid I have no choice,’ Isistia replied. ‘To slow down would waste precious time.’
‘Captain, that also means that the frigates and fighters will barely have time to attack ahead of the main fleet,’ Captain Keivom said.
‘Yes, I know, but this will give us an advantage against the Treitan fighters. Because of our unpredictable speed, they will very likely misjudge the point of engagement and overshoot our ships. This will mean they will have to turn and catch us up before attacking again,’ Isistia said.
‘But what about the Treitan cruisers around Dagnamk? We’ll be on top of them too quickly,’ Captain Keivom said.
‘The plan is not to engage those cruisers. Once the Aurora is launched we’ll turn and withdraw,’ Isistia said. ‘Are there any more questions?’
She looked at each of the captains.
‘Good. Prepare your ships. Dismissed.’
As James got up to go, Isistia gestured to him.
‘James, we need to speak to you.’
James walked over to where Isistia and Milonri were standing, while the other captains left the room.
‘We understand you were caught up in the explosion,’ Milonri said.
‘Yes, it all happened very quickly. If it hadn’t been for the quick thinking of Antaio—’
‘Antaio?’ Milonri repeated.
‘Lieutenant Antaio Woip,’ Isistia said.
Milonri nodded.
‘—we wouldn’t have made it out of there,’ James said. ‘He managed to open a blast door for us to escape.’
‘Antaio’s in security,’ Isistia said to Milonri.
‘Then you were very lucky that he was with you at the time,’ Milonri said.
‘You don’t think the Dreh agent was trying to kill me?’ James said, feeling worried.
‘No, there’s no gain from it,’ Milonri replied. ‘If they kill you, then we’d be able to replace you with someone more experienced. No, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were trying to destroy the fleet or slow us down.’
‘Fortunately, they failed on both,’ Isistia said. ‘We can make up the time we lost over the next few days, but we’re concerned they may try again. The Dreh agent may already know our plan.’
‘They will certainly know tomorrow after the crew briefing,’ Milonri said. ‘James, we have a task for Kalrea. We want her to monitor the fleet. We’re looking for anything unusual: communications; access to restricted areas of the fleet; anything that could point to the Dreh agent.’
Did you get all that, Kalrea? James thought.
I’ll start monitoring immediately.
‘Kalrea’s started.’
‘Excellent,’ Milonri said.
Isistia looked surprised.
‘I did tell you Kalrea’s very special, Isistia,’ Milonri said, with a grin on his face.
‘James, you’ll be in situations on this mission that you haven’t faced before,’ Isistia said. ‘Kalrea is very capable, but I’d like you to listen to Gulino and Londuo. They both have extensive combat experience, which could be valuable to you.’
‘Thanks, Isistia, I’ll remember that.’
Chapter Seventeen
James was in the cargo bay of the Aurora, playing with Kira. He was feeling frustrated at being unable to throw the triangular disc for Kira to chase. It would not travel very far or go in the direction he wanted it to.
‘James, Londuo has finished her duties in Lonori engineering and is on her way over,’ Kalrea said over the Aurora’s address system.
‘Can you tell her I’m in the cargo bay, please?’
‘Will do.’
‘Kira, let go!’ James said, trying to get the disc from her mouth. ‘I’ll stop playing with you, Kira. Let go!’
Kira pulled the disc from his hands and sprinted across the room.
‘Kira, come back here,’ he said and then thought, why does she ignore me? With Londuo she is just the opposite.
The lift opened into the cargo bay, and Kira ran over to it with the triangular disc in her mouth. Londuo exited and bent down to take it from her. She then rubbed the side of Kira’s head.
‘Hello, Kira,’ Londuo said. ‘Are you pleased to see me?’
Kira brushed her head against Londuo’s legs, as James walked over.
‘I’ve been trying to throw that thing for the last ten minutes,’ James said, pointing to the triangular disc in Londuo’s hand.
‘Any thoughts on where you’d like to go?’ Londuo said, standing up
.
She threw the triangle into the centre of the cargo bay.
‘I don’t mind,’ James replied.
He watched Kira sprint after the triangle.
‘How do you get it to travel so far?’
‘It’s all in the angle you throw it.’
Londuo paused and began to think of potential places to go.
‘The communal area is about the only section of the ship that isn’t set aside for the military, but you have already seen it. Why not begin with a look around the port fighter bays, which are nearby? This will also give me the opportunity to show you the observation platform, which I can assure you, will be a nice surprise.’
‘That’s fine with me,’ James replied.
Kira returned, dropping the triangular disc at their feet. She looked up at James and Londuo expectantly. James glanced at Londuo and they tacitly agreed to stay a little longer to play with Kira.
‘Come on, then,’ Londuo replied, picking up the triangle once more.
She jogged into the centre of the room, with Kira following very close behind.
Londuo and James played with Kira, throwing the triangle to each other so Kira would run after it. However, James found that he couldn’t get the triangle to fly straight or far enough to reach Londuo, which made her chuckle each time.
‘I’m no good at this,’ he said. ‘It just frustrates me.’
‘It’s all in the way you throw it, James,’ Londuo repeated, before moving over to him.
‘Kira,’ she said. ‘Come on; bring it here. Good girl.’
Londuo gave Kira a fuss, and then she passed the triangle to James.
‘Let me see how you’re throwing it.’
James did a practice swing.
‘That’s not bad,’ Londuo said. ‘Here, let me try and help you,’ she said, moving behind him.
She looked over his left shoulder and took hold of his hand, with the triangle in it.
James suddenly felt butterflies inside his stomach. What is this strange feeling?
‘Let me guide you.’
Londuo pulled James’ hand across his waist, and then moved it away in an ark, lifting his hand as she pushed it away.
‘And again,’ Londuo said.
I’ve never felt like this before. Why do I feel this way? James thought.
The Aurora (Aurora Saga, Book 1) Page 18