Star Crusader: Siege of Kalar

  I could bring up Rex, but that is just low. What would she stay silent about, and not kill me for it?

  Then it came to him, as though struck by lightning. He spotted the shadow in the doorway, and then in came the pilot. The other pilots hadn’t seen her yet, but she approached them at the table.

  “Who is the most skilled fighter pilot in our Squadron? You, or Lieutenant Holder?”

  Cassandra hesitated and then blurted out the answer. “Lieutenant…no, me. I am…”

  “Incorrect response,” responded the sphere, “Single answer only.”

  Cassandra banged her hands down on the table in mock frustration, sending her long locks of pale blonde hair scattering about her shoulders. Her eyes were wide, and she looked straight at Nate.

  “Did you have to?”

  Nate did his best to hide a smile, but he had a terrible poker face. Billy burst out laughing as he watched his friend doing his utmost to stay quiet. Cassandra shook her head, and then without warning hurled the contents of her drink at Nate. He lurched to the side, missing both, but splashing Lieutenant Commander Holder’s flight suit as she moved closer. Cassandra leapt to her feet, mortified at what had happened.

  “Sir…I’m so sorry.”

  Holders looked down at the patches on her clothing and then back towards Cassandra.

  “What are you playing?”

  Valdis twisted around in her seat so that she could get a better view of what was happening. She focussed her attention on Cassandra at first, and then to Holder.

  “Truth or Feat, Conquest.”

  The Lieutenant Commander looked surprised to hear that.

  “I see. That is a very…interesting game to play. Who showed it to you?”

  Matilda answered before anyone could give it a moment’s thought.

  “Some of the injured pilots on Relentless showed us days after the attack. They thought it might be a good situation for us.”

  “That it is. But…and this is a big but. Truth or Feat is a terrible game if you play seriously. I’ve seen more friendships lost than made with that game.”

  Her eyes appeared to linger around Nate, Cassandra, and Valdis.

  “Remember that. I need you all working together when we get back into the fight. Got that?”

  “Yes, Sir,” all five said in unison.

  She took a step away, but stopped.

  “Remember these days, pilots. One day, when this is all over, you’ll sometimes forget the way it was. Right now you’re young, and you’re fighting for the same thing. ”

  She then headed towards a pair of technicians that had just arrived and were making their way to a table. Nate found his eyes locked onto Cassandra’s.

  “Ready to spin again?”

  Nate nodded.

  The game went on for another twenty minutes, each pushing the other to tougher and tougher questions. It took until the ninth turn, when Billy and Valdis were tied for landmass control before the first feat was called for.

  “Okay,” said Cassandra, “Tell me about your first kill.”

  It should have been a light question, but the expression on Valdis’ face quickly vanished. She looked down to the table and opened her mouth. It wasn’t to speak, but her usual way to regulate her temperature. Cassandra didn’t quite realise what she’d done and looked to the others before turning back to Valdis.

  “Uh…feat?”

  Valdis nodded, still saying nothing.

  “Maybe we…” started Billy. Valdis had other ideas and leaned in over the table, “Do your worst, Human.”

  It was the first time any of them had seen her so angry looking, but what stood out more than anything else was the tone she used for their species. The word might have been the same as in Byotai, but the dialect and accent made it obvious she was speaking in her own tongue, and she was not happy. Cassandra was unimpressed, shook her head, and planted her hands firmly to the table. She leaned in slightly, and Nate could see an expression forming on her face. It wasn’t anger or irritation. It was something he’d seen before, and it wasn’t pretty. Indignation.

  “Hit your head against the table.”

  Valdis looked right back with a face as cold as ice, and just as hard. She was utterly expressionless, as she often was in the most dangerous of situations. Then, without hesitating, Valdis smashed her head down onto the surface of the table. It was a powerful strike and made a loud thud that made all of them jump, Cassandra included. The impact stunned them with its power and ferocity, as well as the fact she’d even considered doing it. When she looked up, there was blood dripping from two cuts to her cheek, and on the table the shattered remnants of the glass. Half remained, but one section had snapped off. There was blood along the jagged part, yet Valdis seemed unconcerned.

  “Okay, okay,” said Nate, extending his hands out to stop whatever was going on, “This is a friendly game. Remember?”

  Valdis remained utterly silent, but something had changed. Nate looked at her as the blood continued dripping from the cuts to her face. He lifted a hand to help, but she shook her head.

  “No.”

  Billy thought he was helping by tapping the sphere and trying to get the game rolling again. Nate looked at him with an obvious expression telling him he wished he hadn’t done that. Billy shrugged apologetically and leant back, as if to say it was no longer his problem. The sphere began spinning once more, but this time the stakes could not have been higher. Nate secretly prayed for it to land on him so he could try and diffuse the situation, but of course it would never work out that way, would it? Instead, the dreaded sphere landed on Cassandra.

  Come on…give us a break.

  They sat in silence, but Valdis seemed quite content to lift the shattered transparent glass and lifted it to her mouth. Incredibly, it still retained some of the oddly colour fluid, now mixed with droplets of her own blood. She took a single sip and waited as the white light rotated. It stopped in front of Valdis, who looked somewhat amused by the sudden turn of events. She looked up from the sphere and licked her lips. A drop of the blood reached her lip. She licked it slowly and provocatively.

  Oh, great. Now that’s done it.

  Nate had seen Valdis when she was angry, but even worse, he’d seen her when her heckles were raised up. She might be young, but she harboured a grudge like an old man. Valdis and Cassandra had never been best friends, but they’d had a perfectly reasonable and amicable relationship until now. After weeks of combat and stress, the emotional drain on both seemed to be reaching breaking point. Nate looked over his shoulder to see if the Lieutenant Commander was still about, but there was no sign of her. He wondered if she was at one of the raised areas, perhaps speaking with some of the other officers.

  “Cassandra.”

  It was Valdis’ voice, and that immediately filled Nate with dread. He looked back at her and could see her eyes glowing. It was the exact same look she bore when firing the guns on the Phantom.

  Not good.

  “Tell me truthfully. Are you jealous of me and Nate?”

  Without moving her head, she angled her eyes to look at Nate. He shook his head in utter frustration and rolled his eyes.

  “Really?”

  Even Billy seemed to have had enough, and pushed his chair back before Valdis lifted a hand. She remained in her seat, just as Cassandra did, and both locked their eyes close together.

  “No. Truth, or feat? We end the round before anybody leaves. Those are the rules, are they not?”

  Matilda had remained silent for the last few minutes but finally piped up.

  “The game ends at the end of a round, by mutual agreement, or if we reach a set time or number of turns.”

  “Or…” Nate suggested.

  Matilda looked at him, and for a second seemed confused. Then she realised quite what he was trying to tell her, without actually saying it. For all her legendary computational skills, her empathy and ability to analyse emotions in others was greatly lacking.

  “Or a playe
r can forgo their turn and drop out. They forfeit their nation and leave the game.”

  “I’ll take the feat. It seems only fair.”

  Valdis angled her head slightly to the right, opening her mouth to let out warm air. She then hissed, but said nothing more. The two looked for a while, and then Valdis spoke. Though the place was lively with the gentle hum of conversation, this particular table was deadly silent.

  “Very well. We will conduct the wrestle of the limbs.”

  Cassandra’s brow narrowed.

  “The what?”

  Valdis hesitated, and then mumbled to herself before changing the words.

  “Arm wrestle, like the marines are always doing.”

  She leant in and separated the broken pieces from in front. Billy joined in and helped clear the space between them. Cassandra looked to Billy, and then Nate. Her expression was hard, but Nate was sure there was something else there.

  Is that anger or sorrow? Why doesn’t she just back off?

  Cassandra placed her arm onto the table. She opened and closed her hand, before Valdis moved to do the same. Nate looked at the pair, noticing how similar, and also how different they were; both hot headed pilots, good shots, and irritatingly argumentative wingmen.

  “Elbow stays on the table,” said Billy, “No standing, and no using your body or your other arm. Understood?”

  Cassandra nodded slowly, and then Valdis did the same.

  “Okay, grip arms and apply a little pressure.”

  Their arms connected together, and they put some force against each other. It wasn’t much, but enough to prepare for the contest.

  “First to put the other’s hand on the table wins. Ready?”

  They nodded simultaneously.

  “Now!”

  The pair bent first to one side, and then another as each put more and more strength into the struggle. To Nate’s surprise, Cassandra was actually hanging in there, but only just. Valdis pushed her arm almost halfway down when Cassandra let out a loud groan and boosted herself back up to the start position.

  “So close!” Billy yelled.

  A couple of Byotai pilots wandered over to watch, as well as a technician. Soon more were coming as the contest reached a full minute without a winner. Cassandra was now dripping with perspiration, but she would not back down. Valdis, on the other hand, puffed hard, leaving her mouth wide open to regulate her temperature. To those unfamiliar with her, it might seem as though she wasn’t trying, but Nate could tell. Her body was pumping oxygen rich blood through her body, and her facial markings became darker and darker.

  “Do it!” shouted one of the technicians, “Push harder.”

  Cassandra twisted her head a little to look at the man. The veins in her body pulsed with blood as she pushed her body to the limit, and then even further.

  “Are…you…kidding?”

  Valdis opened her mouth wider and roared loudly before throwing every last piece of strength into the contest. At that exact same moment, the lights cut, and the artificial gravity disengaged. By the time the emergency lights came on, they were all floating about in the recreation room. Nate looked about, checking his friends were nearby. Cassandra and Valdis were still locked together, but now they were holding on as they lifted slowly towards the ceiling. More light flashed on, and the artificial gravity began increasing in strength.

  “Hold on!” Matilda yelled, “It’s going to get heavy, and fast.”

  Nate dropped down to the ground, but it felt as though he was being pulled down. Even at one-tenth normal gravity, he was now stuck to the ground. Second by second he grew heavier until finally everything was back to normal. The emergency lights faded as main power returned.

  “Look,” said Billy.

  He was looking up, and as Nate’s eyes followed in the same direction, he spotted cracks in the ceiling.

  “What happened?”

  Lieutenant Commander Holder appeared at the bottom of the steps, flanked by a pair of much older looking techs. They moved quickly and headed right out of the area, leaving Holder behind for a few seconds.

  “You five, I need you with me, now!”

  She began to move and stopped to look at Valdis.

  “The others?”

  Valdis nodded to the level two floors up.

  “Get them, too. We’ve got a problem.”

  She tried to move, but Billy and Matilda blocked the route.

  “What’s happening?”

  Holder shook her head.

  “Looks like the nacelles collapsed.”

  She tapped her Secpad and lifted her arm. An image of the outside of the ship appeared. The Byotai ships had separated from the Alliance vessel, and small clumps of debris marked where they’d crashed into the outer armour of the ship.

  “We’re lucky they didn’t pass right through us.”

  Nate looked to Matilda.

  “I guess this is one of the reasons we don’t normally do this.”

  She lifted a single eyebrow in mock confusion.

  “Nobody said it was going to be safe or easy. It was improvised.”

  She checked her own device.

  “This is bad. We were half a day away from the target.”

  “So?” Billy said, “We carry on using normal engines.”

  All of them looked at him in disbelief.

  “What?”

  Matilda sighed once more and explained.

  “Trips we can make in half a day using the interstellar drive will take weeks under normal propulsion. If we can’t repair our systems in the next few hours, we will be unable to rally with the fleet.”

  “What can we do?” Nate asked.

  Lieutenant Commander Holder nodded to the entrance.

  “I want you ready with the fighters. Right now we’re dead in the water, and if the enemy reaches us like this, we’re finished. Get the rest of the pilots on the deck and check every bird down there. I’ll be with you shortly. First I need to speak with the Commander.”

  She marched off, leaving the pilots alone in the recreation room.

  “So…” Billy said, “I take it that means nobody wins the game?”

  Valdis laughed.

  “Billy. You really are an idiot.”

  This time even Cassandra laughed.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Alliance Assault Carrier ‘ANS Indomitable’

  Approaching Fiorr Veej System, Deadlands

  January 19th 2473

  The heavy Phantom fighter sat on the launch rail, its nose pointing out to the side of the ship. There were relatively few fast launch sites, betraying its assault role over its ability to function as a carrier. Nate followed the thick rail to the point where it stopped at the inner skin of the ship. Lines marked the shape of the inner doors, which were of course sealed shut. Function lights were on, showing they were set to automatic with the pulsing green. As soon as Nate hit the launch button, they would be hurled outwards, using the electromagnetic sled to send them into space without requiring the use of engines. As they hit the first of the sealed doors, it would slide open. The multi-layered door system would allow him to exit without breaching the pressurised interior of the great ship.

  How much longer? This is taking forever.

  He looked to the counter at the centre of the control console. It was one of many retrofitted screens and pieces of equipment added to the advanced alien spacecraft. The number showed he’d been there only an hour, yet it felt like all day long. The large numbers ticked on, second by second until to his relief it hit the one hour marker.

  “Finally.”

  Even Valdis, perhaps one of the most stoic of all the pilots looked relieved. She reached forward and tapped the system shutdown. Nate waited for the computer system to fully deactivate before removing the harness from his body. He’d been sitting so long his legs were starting to feel a little numb, all while they’d waited for the order to launch that had never come. That secretly pleased Nate, though, not launching meant they actually had
a chance to get home in one piece.

  “Well, that was fun.”

  Valdis said nothing, and Nate wondered if she was still angry about the exchange with Cassandra. They’d not spoken about it, and both had returned to their duties as though nothing had happened. He climbed out of the cockpit of the Phantom and down to the deck. His legs felt weaker than normal, but once on the surface, he let out a long, slow breath.

  “She’s clear,” said Nate.

  Valdis was at his side as normal, as they landed on the metal decking. The brighter lights on the deck showed up her markings and pronounced cheekbones. He could see the cuts on her face from just a few hours ago, though the sealant gel had done a good job of repairing the damage. Billy waited there, along with the others who’d just arrived to take over. Nate looked to his left as Cassandra emerged from the second of the Phantoms. She removed her helmet and twisted her head in a fanciful flourish.

  Well, she’s back to normal.

  The spacecraft looked in good condition but looking more closely, he quickly picked out signs of damage along the hull. Plates had been fitted to hide the worst, but the four fighters had taken a real beating over the last few days.

  “Your turn.” Nate nodded towards the craft he’d just left. Billy tapped his friend on the arm and then moved to the ramp. Cassandra was nearby and looking at the side of the fighter. She moved to speak with the deck crew.

  “You’re serious? We still only have two operational fighters?”

  One of the senior technicians heard her and pointed to the far end of the deck.

  “We’ll have one more within the hour. I’ve got my best people working on it. The gunfire damage was substantial. You’re lucky it got any of you back alive.”

  Seeing no change in Cassandra’s face, he tried to pacify her with a smile.

  “The engines in number four are shot to pieces. When we took them out, there was more bullet shrapnel than there was engine.”

  Nate immediately felt guilty, knowing exactly whose fighter that had been. Frankly, he was still amazed any of them had made it back, especially him. Cassandra spoke a little longer with the man, and then made for the ramp up to the Phantom. Halfway up she looked back to Nate and Valdis.