Frontiers Saga 10: Liberation

by Ryk Brown

  “Yes, it is hard to imagine.”

  “So do you trust these guys?” the lieutenant commander asked, one eyebrow raised in doubt. “You guys were at war with them. You even attacked their capital and destroyed many of their ships. Now you’re just going to trust them?”

  “I understand your concerns, Lieutenant Commander, but the Takaran scientists and technicians that came with us were selected by Prince Casimir himself,” Commander Taylor explained. “If he says they can be trusted, that’s good enough for me.”

  “Just checking, sir. That is my job, right?”

  Cameron smiled. “Yes, it is.”

  * * *

  “Jump flash,” Mister Navashee reported from the Aurora’s sensor station. “It’s the Falcon, sir.”

  Nathan and Jessica both turned toward Naralena at the comm center at the back of the bridge.

  “Falcon reports they were unable to establish contact with Earth’s resistance, sir,” Naralena reported. “They’re requesting instructions.”

  “How long until the next contact window?” Nathan asked.

  Jessica looked at her data pad. “A little over three hours.”

  “Have the Falcon land and top off. Then they can relieve the Talons on lookout duty,” Nathan instructed.

  “Captain, the resistance cell that I made contact with would not miss a comm window, not without reason.”

  “Such as?”

  “If they aren’t making contact, it’s because they can’t,” Jessica said, “which means they’re either on the run, captured, or dead.”

  “We missed several contact windows,” Nathan pointed out.

  “True, but we have limited opportunities. They don’t. Don’t forget, we were ambushed during our evac, which means they either followed us or they had someone on the inside. Either way, it all adds up to one thing. The cell I contacted was probably compromised.”

  “They’re the ones that told you where the Celestia was located. If they were captured, that would explain those gunships. The conundrum is why they only sent two gunships,” Nathan said. “If they didn’t have faith in their intel, it’s possible they didn’t want to risk significant assets.”

  “Even if they did have faith in their intel, they were probably expecting an unarmed ship. Regardless, we’re still going to need to make contact with another cell,” Jessica insisted.

  “Why? We found the Celestia.”

  “We’re going to need crew as well,” Jessica reminded him. “There have got to be a lot of EDF people still alive down there. According to the resistance cell I made contact with, most of the Intrepid’s crew made it out before she went down. Word has it they made it down to Australia. If we could covertly make contact with them, we might be able to pull off a couple of evac jumps and bring some of them back to crew the Celestia.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Nathan admitted. “We barely have enough crewmen to fill a full shift on each ship, let alone key relief staff.” Nathan looked at Jessica. “You do realize that you got lucky last time. You managed to make contact fairly easily. You might not be so lucky next time.”

  Jessica smiled. “I wasn’t planning on using luck this time.”

  * * *

  Tony entered the bridge, his eyes growing even wider when he saw the image of the Celestia sitting on the surface of Metis, hovering above them, and inverted. He paused and turned his head to the side to try to make sense of what he was seeing when Sergeant Weatherly called to him.

  “This way, Mister Guerrero.”

  Tony turned and looked at the sergeant, surprised by the use of his last name. “Yeah, sorry,” he apologized as he followed the sergeant into the ready room.

  “Tony,” Jessica greeted, “I heard Synda finally woke up. I’m sorry I haven’t had time to go down to medical to see her.”

  “She sleeps most of the time,” Tony said. “They keep her pretty doped up because of the nanites.” Tony turned and pointed back at the hatch. “What was that other ship on the view screen out there?”

  “That’s the Celestia,” Nathan told him.

  “I thought she was destroyed when the Jung attacked.”

  “No, she escaped as the Orbital Assembly Platform was destroyed.”

  “And she’s sitting on a moon? That’s Jupiter, right?”

  “Yes, that’s Jupiter,” Nathan confirmed. “And that moon the Celestia is sitting on is Metis.”

  “So, the Aurora was reported lost but wasn’t, and the Celestia was reported lost, but wasn’t… What about those other ships that were lost… what, twenty years ago or something? Are they still alive as well?”

  “What ships?” Jessica wondered.

  “I think he’s talking about the Defender and the Valiant,” Nathan told her. “No, Tony, what reportedly happened to those ships was true, at least as far as I know,” Nathan admitted.

  Tony’s eyebrows raised and then lowered. “They said you wanted to see me about something.”

  “Yes,” Jessica said, “why don’t you take a seat.” Jessica pointed at one of the chairs in front of Nathan’s desk.

  Tony looked at Jessica and Nathan as he took his seat, suspicion in his eyes. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  “The resistance cell we made contact with isn’t answering our hails. We suspect that something has happened to them.”

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  “We need to establish contact with another cell, preferably several of them. I was hoping you could help us make contact through those mobile routing servers again.”

  “Sure, but you’d have to be on the surface to do it.”

  “That’s kind of what I figured,” Jessica said, her face cringing slightly. “Are those mobile routing servers all over the globe?”

  “For the most part,” Tony said, “at least, in all the most populated areas, anyway.”

  “So they’re in Australia as well?”

  “Sure, at least in the major cities. Why?”

  “That’s where we were hoping to make contact next,” Jessica explained, “in Australia.”

  “Why Australia?” Tony asked.

  “Most of the Intrepid’s crew bailed out as she was going down over Sidney.”

  “Oh, yeah. I remember that. Didn’t it crash into Sydney?”

  “Yes. We’re a little shorthanded, crew-wise. We thought the local cells in Australia might be able to round up members of the Intrepid’s crew for us to use on the Celestia.”

  “Makes sense.” Tony thought for a moment. “So you’re going back to Earth?” Tony looked at both their faces.

  “I am,” Jessica said, looking directly at him.

  “You want me to go back with you, don’t you?” He looked at Jessica, then at Nathan. Neither of them responded. “What about Synda?”

  “Synda’s going to be recovering for weeks,” Nathan said. “She needs to stay here.”

  “Will I be able to come back,” Tony wondered, “so I can stay with her, help her out?” He looked at both of them as if pleading his case. “She needs someone to take care of her while she recovers, right?”

  “Sure, you can come back,” Jessica promised, “same way we came back last time.”

  “Only with less shooting, right?” Tony asked.

  “Definitely with less shooting,” Jessica answered.

  “Okay, I don’t see why not.”

  “The mission isn’t without risk,” Nathan pointed out. “Maybe you can teach Jessica how to access this mobile network.”

  “It’s not that easy,” Tony explained. “You actually need to have some hacking skill in order to get in. They made it that way on purpose. I mean, I might be able to teach you how, but if you fail, the system will lock out your device, and yo
u’ll have to find another one.”

  “How likely am I to fail?” Jessica asked.

  “It took me six tries to figure it out. I’m no major league hacker, but I do have some skills. It would probably be much quicker to have me go down there with you.”

  Nathan and Jessica looked at each other. Nathan looked back at Tony. “You’re not a member of the EDF, so I cannot order you to go. In fact, it’s probably against regulations for me to even ask you to go.”

  “I get it,” Tony said. “Really, I do. Besides, how dangerous can it be? We’re just going to jump down to the surface in one of those jump ships of yours, right?”

  “Not exactly,” Jessica admitted.

  * * *

  Jessica and Tony exited the outer doors of the bridge security airlock into the main corridor. “I’ve got to take care of a few things before we go,” she told him. “Maybe you want to go and say goodbye to Synda before we leave.”

  “Yes, I’d like that. How long do I have?” Tony wondered.

  “We’ve got about an hour before the Earth is at the correct point in its rotation for us to execute the insertion jump,” she told him, looking at her watch. “We’ll need about twenty minutes to gear up before we go, so don’t take too long.”

  “Okay. Where should I go after I say goodbye to Synda?”

  “I’ll meet you in medical,” Jessica told him. She turned to the security escort who was accompanying Tony as he moved about the ship. “Take him back down to surgical recovery. I’ll join up with you later.”

  “Yes, sir,” the Corinari guard acknowledged.

  Jessica watched as Tony and the security guard headed down the ramp, then turned around and stepped into the security office. The compartment had several desks around the perimeter, each with several large view screens used to monitor the thousands of cameras located both within and outside of the ship. “Who wanted to see me?” she asked as she entered the compartment. A technician at the far corner desk raised his hand. Jessica headed across the room toward him. “What’s up?”

  “I thought you might want to see this,” he told her. “I’ve been reviewing all the footage from inside the Aurora, as well as the Celestia, starting from the moment we first rendezvoused with her.”

  “How’d you get the Celestia’s files?” Jessica wondered. “They don’t even have a functioning security office.”

  “Maybe not, but many of their cameras are working. In fact, they have been recording since they left Earth nearly three months ago. I just copied them over to our video storage system,” he explained. “Look at this.” The technician typed in a command and started the replay of a video clip on one of his screens.

  Jessica leaned forward, studying the images on the screen.

  “Watch what the subject does,” the technician told her.

  Jessica continued watching. Her head suddenly jerked back slightly, and her eyes squinted in concern. “What the hell is that thing?” She leaned forward. “Can you pause and zoom in on that?”

  The technician typed another command, then tapped the screen with his fingers.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Jessica wondered.

  “It’s either a transmitter or a transponder of some type. It doesn’t match anything in your tech database, and it certainly isn’t Corinairan or Takaran technology.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Jessica mumbled.

  “Shall I send a team to apprehend the subject?” the technician asked.

  Jessica sighed. “No, not yet. Monitor only. I have a better idea. Tag that file for the captain and my eyes only, and send it to his ready room video queue. I’m going to go talk to him right now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Need to know only on this, and no one else needs to know, understood?” Jessica ordered.

  “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  “The Falcon will be on lookout the entire time,” Nathan explained to Cameron over the vid-comm displayed on the view screen on his ready room wall. “If the Jung show up while we’re gone, the Falcon will jump to our engagement area to notify us. We’ll immediately disengage and jump back to defend you. Meanwhile, your fighters will provide point-defenses and intercept as needed until we return. If it appears that the Jung are going to take the ship, set the timer on the containment bottle charges, evac your crew via the jump shuttle, and get clear.”

  “There’s not enough room on the jump shuttle for everyone,” Cameron reminded him.

  “I’m recalling all but thirty of your crew,” Nathan told her. “It will be tight, but you’ll fit. As long as you reach us quickly enough, the extra people won’t overtax the shuttle’s life support systems.”

  “And if you’re no longer available?”

  “Either jump back to Tanna, or take your chances landing on Earth,” Nathan told her.

  “Understood. What about the fighters?” Cameron asked over the vid-comm. “How are they going to get clear?”

  “If you’re about to abandon ship, I suspect there will not be any of my fighters left, Commander,” Major Prechitt stated.

  “Good point,” Cameron agreed. “What are your first targets?”

  “Our first jump is primarily to deliver Lieutenant Commander Nash and Tony to Earth. There is a damaged cruiser in orbit. She’s attached to that grouping of troop ships they hooked together to create a makeshift spaceport. That’s our first target.”

  “I would advise you not to take out that spaceport,” Cameron warned them. “It’s a stationary target right now. If you take out the only thing they have to defend, there’s not much reason for their ships to stay close to Earth and away from us.”

  “Good point,” Nathan agreed. “After Jess and Tony are away, we’ll take out the cruiser docked to her but leave the spaceport alone. After that, we’ll jump out to a turn waypoint, then jump back to you.”

  “And after that? What do you plan to hit next?”

  “I’m hoping that one attack will keep them thinking long enough for us to get you flying. However, we’ll reassess the situation after we return. This is going to be a fluid situation, at least until we get you off of Metis and back into space.”

  “Understood,” Cameron agreed.

  “How long until your plasma cannon is up?” Nathan asked.

  “Lieutenant Montgomery is making the connections to the weapon now; He’s tying it into the ship’s systems, so it can be operated from the tactical console. He expects the first test firing within the hour. If all goes well, it should be ready for full-power operations shortly thereafter.”

  “That’s good news,” Nathan said. “In order for us to drop Jess and Tony and attack that damaged cruiser without having to loiter for too long, we’ll have to jump in forty-eight minutes. Get all but your thirty most necessary people back to the Aurora before then. We’ll see you when we get back.”

  “Good hunting, sir,” Cameron said. “Celestia Actual out.”

  Nathan turned to Major Prechitt and Jessica as Cameron’s image from the Celestia’s ready room disappeared from the main view screen, replaced by the recording of the view from Captain Roberts’ ocean-front property on Earth. “It’s going to take some getting used to, hearing her say ‘Celestia Actual’.”

  * * *

  Eli rose, glaring at General Bacca who was standing on the other side of the desk. The general’s unflappable demeanor never ceased to amaze him. “I don’t suppose you’ve sent anyone to investigate why your gunships haven’t reported in.”

  “The reason is clear,” General Bacca stated calmly. “Either the Aurora has rendezvoused with the Celestia and is protecting her, or the Celestia is not as unarmed as we have been led to believe.”

  “If you had sent greater forces as I had suggested, the problem might have been resolved by now,” Eli grumb
led.

  “Or we might be missing more than two measly gunships,” the general responded, one eyebrow raised.

  Eli looked sternly at the old general. “We have an old expression on Earth. It’s so old, I don’t even know how far back it goes. ‘Fortune favors the bold.’ You might want to try it sometime, General.”

  “The Jung have many such expressions,” the general retorted. He then let loose a string of words in his native language.

  “That almost sounds poetic,” Eli said. “Too bad I don’t speak Jung.”

  “Loosely translated, it means, ‘Bold warriors seldom become wise generals.’”

  “So I assume you intend to wait and see what the Aurora does next.”

  “No, Governor. I suspect that the reason the Aurora is defending the Celestia is because the Celestia is both unable to defend herself, and she is currently unable to leave Metis.”

  “Based on what?” Eli challenged. “A moment ago, you said it was possible that the Celestia was not as unarmed as you were led to believe.”

  “Based on the belief that your father does not possess the training or fortitude to feed us false or otherwise misleading information.”

  “How can you be so sure? My father can be quite stubborn when he puts his mind to a task.”

  “Our interrogators are quite skilled at their jobs, Governor. If they believe he is telling the truth, so do I.”

  “Admiral Galiardi slipped a deception past your interrogators, did he not? Isn’t that why you have a disabled cruiser sitting at your spaceport?”

  “We had our doubts about that bit of intelligence. However, I believe it was at your urgings that we sent a cruiser to investigate the location given to us by the admiral, was it not, Governor?”

  Eli saw the smile on General Bacca’s face and decided it was better not to press the issue. “If you are correct, and my father is telling the truth, wouldn’t now be the perfect time to attack with full forces?”