by Sarah Noffke
“Sir, what is this?” asked Julianna. “From what I can see, this is a battleship. I don’t know of too many with cloaking technology.”
“That’s because we don’t have any yet,” said the General.
“Then, what is this? A secret one? Did you build this in private?”
He chuckled. “That’s not far from the truth.”
The shuttle landed and the door opened. Lance walked out onto the platform and stretched his arms. Eddie, Julianna, and Hatch quickly followed, waiting for the General to explain just what the hell was going on.
Lance held out his hands, almost in an inviting way. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you are standing on the ruins of a once-dead ship, the QBS ArchAngel, the original flagship of the Queen’s Fleet.” He grinned again. “And, I might add, your new home.”
CHAPTER TEN
Loading Dock 01, QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.
Julianna wasn’t sure if this was an elaborate joke or the blatant truth. Based on what she’d seen with her own eyes, back when the QBS ArchAngel had been destroyed, there was no way she could be standing on it now.
But here it was…or at least, that’s what the General had claimed. How could it, though? She’d been a member of the Black Eagles during the war. Back then, the QBS ArchAngel had been destroyed, following mankind’s move through the Gate. Much of its database had been salvaged and transferred to another ship. That vessel was consequently dubbed QBS ArchAngel II in honor of the first. Even the A.I., also known as ArchAngel, had been transferred.
The whole thing was beginning to give Julianna a headache.
“Sir, can you please explain what exactly is going on? I saw the ArchAngel blow up firsthand. Are you telling me this is the same ship? Did you just rebuild it from scratch?” she asked.
“It’s the same ship,” Lance confirmed. “In fact, you’ll never guess who else is here.”
“Who else…?”
A screen lit up on a nearby wall and a woman’s face appeared on it. Her eyes were so large that they seemed intimidating. “Greetings, everyone,” she told them. “I’m ArchAngel. It’s good to meet you. The General has told me a great deal about each of you.”
“ArchAngel?” asked Julianna. She stared at the face before her, the same face that also belonged to Empress Bethany Anne, a face that Julianna had not seen in years. “Sir, how can that be?”
“What’s wrong, Commander?” asked Lance.
“I thought the A.I. was moved to the other ship, QBS ArchAngel II?”
“Ah, I see where you’re confused,” he said, nodding. “No, she was only copied, not transferred. The original A.I. had to be left behind.”
“I was salvaged, though, after several decades, I’m told,” said ArchAngel.
“Salvaged? So, this is the original copy?” asked Eddie.
“Can’t be a copy if she’s the original,” said Hatch.
“Oh, right,” Eddie replied. “Say, why does she look so familiar? I feel like I’ve seen her before.”
“That’s because she’s modeled after the Empress,” explained Julianna.
“Queen Bethany Anne?” asked Eddie, staring at the screen in awe, his mouth fully agape. “Holy shit.”
Lance chuckled. “Imagine being the Empress’ father and seeing ArchAngel’s face. It’s definitely strange at times. We had to leave the ship behind for a while during the war, but a few decades ago, I had her rebuilt. We used the original as much as possible, but scrapped everything that wasn’t up to code.”
“That’s amazing,” said Julianna. “Sir, with all due respect, why didn’t I know about this?”
“A few reasons,” said the General. “To start with, this project has been on a need-to-know basis since it began. Until this moment, there was no reason for you to know. More importantly,” he said, smiling. “I like surprises.”
Hatch stepped forward. “This is all fine and impressive, but where are my birds?”
“Birds?” asked ArchAngel.
“The Q-Ships,” explained Lance. “Those are in the second holding area. ArchAngel, can you show him the way?”
“Of course,” said the A.I.
Impressive design. I must inquire with ArchAngel regarding her regulatory protocols.
Are you asking me to network you in so you can chat with her, Pip?
If you don’t mind, Julianna.
“ArchAngel, my E.I. would like to talk to you about something technical. Do you mind if I upload him?” asked Julianna.
“Certainly not,” said ArchAngel. “I would love to meet him. What is his name?”
“Pip, unless he beats me in the next bet, but that’s not going to happen.”
We shall see about that.
What did I tell you about that sass?
That you like it.
Julianna pretended to laugh. Honestly, the banter reminded her too much of Ricky Bobby, her previous A.I. Well, he’d been an E.I. and then evolved. That had been the problem. She didn’t need something in her head that was real. It was too much for her, so she’d sent him away. That was what was best for Ricky Bobby, she told herself.
The General started to walk toward the stairwell. “Get your E.I. taken care of and meet me on the bridge in the next twenty minutes, Commander. Captain Teach, you’re with me.”
“Yes, sir,” said Eddie.
You heard the man, Pip. Just let me know when you’re done playing around.
***
Eddie hurried after the General as they made their way down one of the corridors, toward the ship’s bridge. From what he could tell, there weren’t a lot of people onboard. In fact, it seemed like a skeleton crew.
“Sir, where is everyone?” he asked, after a while.
“What do you mean?”
“I only see a few personnel walking around. Are we picking more people up at Onyx?”
They approached a set of doors, which opened automatically, bringing them to another corridor.
“I’m afraid this is it for now,” he answered. “You’ll have to make do with the staff on hand. If it were up to me, I’d fully outfit you with all the people you need, but I can only relocate so many Federation personnel without someone noticing.”
“How many of them are there?”
“Including your team?” asked Lance. “About Forty.”
Eddie was surprised. A standard battleship had about three hundred active personnel working at any given time. That accounted for three overlapping work shifts for every department. It was hard to believe that a ship of this size could sufficiently get the job done with such a miniscule crew.
“I’m sure you’re wondering how this ship can even be operational with so few people manning it,” said Lance. “Let me assure you, Edward, it is.”
They came to another set of doors, which opened, and General Reynolds walked onto the bridge of the QBS ArchAngel. There were three people sitting at a large workstation, with several open seats throughout. All of them stood when they saw Lance and Eddie enter.
“General on the bridge!” barked a young woman with blonde hair as she snapped to attention.
The two men in the room locked their bodies at the position of attention, all three of them completely still.
“As you were,” said Lance. “Carry on.”
“Yes, sir,” said the woman, sitting back down.
Lance turned to Eddie. “This ship has been upgraded with a largely automated system, which means ArchAngel, the A.I., not the ship, can handle most of the smaller tasks. I expect this ship to avoid combat, unless it is absolutely necessary, so you’ll be relying largely on the Q-Ships. When you aren’t using them, this will act as your home and a place to regroup.”
“I understand,” said Eddie.
“I know you do, Edward. I also know you’ll take good care of what I’m giving you. This ship means more to humanity, more to the Federation, than anyone can possibly know…and now she’s yours to command, soldier.”
Eddie blinked. “Me? I don�
��t think I understand. Isn’t there a captain?”
“In this case, that’s you. Think you can handle a ship like this?” asked Lance.
“Are you—Are you sure about this, sir? Giving me a team is one thing, but an entire battleship?”
“I’m comfortable with it, and for what it’s worth, I trust you. You won’t be alone, though. Commander Fregin will be at your side the entire time, backing you up. I hope this ship reflects the importance of your mission, Captain.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Eddie, standing at attention.
“Relax, son, but you’re welcome. You proved you’re up to the job when you took out Ox and his men, so now we’re moving on to the real fight. I was going to wait until you’d had a few more missions under your belt before I gave you command, but it seems the timeline has been accelerated.”
“How so?”
“ArchAngel is already combing through the data we retrieved from Ox. Early analysis suggests a threat, a damn big one, coming out of nowhere. We aren’t sure of their exact goal, but tearing up the Federation seems to be a big part of it. If they’re successful, they’ll undo every inch of ground we’ve gained. They can stand the fuck aside, though, because we’re not going to wait for them to come to us. Hell no! Prepare yourself and your team. Somebody’s ass is going to be kicked, and it sure as hell isn’t going to be ours, is it, Captain?”
“No, sir!”
The General nodded proudly. “I’ll call when Archangel completes her analysis, and we can launch you like an arrow at the bullseye.”
“Yes, sir! But how am I supposed to do prep for a mission with no parameters?”
“By training with your team and by learning exactly what your Q-Ship is capable of. It’s a lot to take, I know, but right now this is all we’ve got.”
Eddie nodded, looking out across the large view-screen, which currently had Onyx Station on it, several ships coming and going as they docked and undocked. The people on that station, as well as the rest of the Federation, believed they were safe. They believed, perhaps naively, that nothing would ever threaten their safety or security.
It was up to Eddie and his team to continue that belief…to keep the charade going. The boogeyman was out there, somewhere, getting ready to try and hurt them, but Eddie wouldn’t let him. With every inch of his being, every piece of his heart, he would fight to keep the people safe.
Loading Dock 02, QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.
The two Q-Ships sat together in the bay. One was older, its mangled design far less aesthetically pleasing than the other, but it was like that for a reason. Practicality over sleekness. This was a ship built by someone who cared more about efficiency and practicality than how pretty it should be.
Hatch stood a dozen meters from the ship, his cheeks puffy with excitement, amazed at the sight before him. He’d spent years building this by hand, so much time that he knew it backwards and forwards. He understood every facet of it, from the smallest bolt to the gate drive. Every subsystem was special, every tube and wire a treasure.
Next to it, another ship was waiting. Nothing but a copy, he knew, soulless and devoid of heart, built by hands who didn’t understand, couldn’t understand his vision. That was always the case with pretenders, with copiers and replicators. They always tried to recreate the master’s work, but always came up short.
If Hatch had stayed away forever, perhaps a fleet of other insufficient copies would have been built, eternally damaging his legacy.
But no longer. Hatch was back, and that meant things were about to change.
“A.I., are you here?” asked Hatch.
“My name is ArchAngel,” said the A.I. She suddenly appeared on a display screen against the nearby wall. “Welcome, Doctor Hatcherik.”
“ArchAngel,” repeated Hatch. “Right, well, tell me something. How many engineers have touched these ships since the start of this assignment?”
“The Q-Ships were only recently transferred here, but based on the records associated with them, at least several dozen.”
“That many?” asked Hatch.
“Is something wrong?”
Hatch shuffled over to the side of his original ship. “It just means I’ve got my work cut out for me, undoing the stupidity that those other engineers did while I was gone.”
“According to my readings, both ships are operating within normal parameters. Are you certain they need repairs?”
“Listen, A.I.,” he began.
“ArchAngel,” she corrected.
“Okay, fine. Listen, ArchAngel, because I’m only going to say this once,” said Hatch. “Your standard for acceptable parameters and mine are vastly different. You understand? I expect perfection, not some bullshit acceptable percentage of flaws that inferior engineers use to gauge their work. If you tell me that this ship is operating at 94%, all that tells me is that there’s a 6% drop in quality. I expect 100% at any given time. That means fuel efficiency, gate capacity, acceleration drive, cloaking tech, and even the goddamn air conditioning.” He leaned in, spotting a smudge on the side of the ship, beneath the canopy, and wiped it with his tentacle. “Every piece must be perfect. Every function must perform at optimal standards. Do you understand what I’m saying, Archangel?”
“I believe I do, Doctor Hatcherik.”
“We have a lot of work to do, you and I,” he said, squatting and deflating himself as he slid beneath the ship. “You’d better start calling me Hatch.”
Bridge, QBS ArchAngel, Paladin System.
The doors on the bridge slid open and Julianna stepped through, joining both Eddie and the General. “What did I miss?” she asked.
“Apparently, this is our ship now,” said Eddie. He was trying his best to contain his excitement. It wasn’t every day that someone gave him a battleship.
Julianna tilted her head at the General. “Sir?”
“It’s yours, Commander Fregin. The two of you are in command now. I’ve already had your belongings transferred to your personal quarters,” said Lance.
“You did?” she asked. “When was that?”
“While you were getting Hatcherik,” he answered.
“Pretty wild, right?” asked Eddie. He motioned to the three personnel on the bridge. “I haven’t met the crew yet, but we should do that soon.”
“Of course, right,” muttered Julianna.
Eddie turned back to Lance. “Hey, boss, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s next on our agenda? I appreciate the ship and everything, but I’m pretty eager to keep going.”
“Always ready to fight,” said Lance with a chuckle. “As I expected. Follow me.”
He turned to leave the bridge, with Julianna and Eddie following close behind.
“As soon as I catch up to you two, you leave,” said Julianna.
“We’re busy and important people. Haven’t you heard?” asked Eddie, smiling.
“You’d better not get a big head just because you have a battleship now,” she said.
He pretended to be shocked. “Me? A big head? I have no idea where you’d get such a crazy notion.”
“Uh huh. Anyway, I’ll be exploring the rest of the ship later, if you’re interested. It seems like we have far more room than necessary.”
Lance brought them into a small conference room, not far from the bridge. When they were inside, the lights automatically turned on, and a screen lit up against the far wall. As soon as it did, ArchAngel appeared. “Welcome,” she said.
“Archangel, have you had a chance to decode the data I sent you?” asked Lance.
“I have, sir, but I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
“What I like doesn’t matter,” said Lance. “Show me.”
Archangel nodded, and immediately vanished. In her stead, a large planet appeared, rotating around a yellow star. “This is Exa. It’s a world located in the Seolus system, 20 light years from our present location. As you might expect, it is outside of Federation space.”
The planet rotated, then zo
omed in on a specific continent.
“According to the data you collected,” continued Archangel, “there is a weapons cache located here. I believe it is a key asset of the enemy’s. Presently, if the logs are accurate, I suspect there is a small force occupying it in preparation for an assault on an as-yet unspecified world.”
Eddie walked over to one of the cushioned chairs around the long conference table. “Are you saying they’re already mounting another attack?” He scoffed. “Holy shit, that didn’t take them long.”
“Correct, Captain Teach,” responded ArchAngel. “In fact, I believe their plan is to move forward within the week.”
“What about the man we’re calling ‘T’?” interjected Lance.
“Still unknown,” answered ArchAngel. “I believe we will need more information before I can come to a conclusion on his identity and whereabouts.”
“Sounds like we only have one option,” said Eddie.
“You mean, attack the weapons cache?” asked Julianna.
ArchAngel appeared on the screen again. “I believe the safest course of action would be to detonate tactical bombs at key locations around the facility.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” asked Eddie.
“Do we know anything about their security?” asked Julianna.
“Not much,” admitted ArchAngel. “Presently, the data I have suggests a force of approximately six hundred personnel, but the number could be higher or lower.”
“General, any suggestions?” asked Julianna.
He nodded. “Cloak yourselves in with the Q-Ship, drop the bombs, get out. That’s really the only way.”
“Can’t we just nuke them from orbit?” asked Eddie.
Julianna and Lance looked at him.
“What?” he asked.
“We’re just surprised at how fast you went to that extreme,” said Julianna.
“Is there a reason we’re holding back?” he asked.
“First off, we don’t use nukes,” said Lance. “ArchAngel has about five kinetic devices, which have the same power as a nuke without any of the fallout.”
“Right, and still we don’t want to use those,” said Julianna. “They’re a last resort weapon only.”