by Trevor Wyatt
Jeryl knew he shouldn’t be divulging operational secrets to the doctor, but it was Mahesh, after all. What harm could he do? Perhaps, who was he going to tell? The nurse?
“We didn’t work together per se,” Jeryl corrected. “He was captain of the The Ghost during the Earth-Sonali War.”
Jeryl went on to explain the close relationship he had shared with Kaine. Memories danced in his mind like rotten shadows.
“He’s perhaps the only one who knows me in and out,” Jeryl ended saying. “He knows all my fears. He knows all my secrets. He knows everything about me.”
“If he’s dead, how is he attacking Armada convoys?” Mahesh asked.
“That’s what I’m still trying to believe,” Jeryl said. “I mean, I watched him die. I watched his ship go down.”
As Jeryl recalled the event of Kaine’s death, his hands began to tremble. In some distant part of his mind, he could hear the screams in the CNC as The Seeker went toe-to-toe with Sonali cruisers. He could hear himself bark out bearings to the navigations officer and commanding the tactical officer to fire. He could hear himself gasp as a terrible explosion rocked the ship. He could feel the cold silence that descended on the ship, when everyone realized that the explosion hadn’t been aboard The Seeker, but that The Ghost had burst into flames.
“Did you actually see his body, Jeryl?” Mahesh asked, bringing Jeryl’s mind to the present.
Jeryl glanced at his hands. They were still shaking terribly. He’d been traumatized for days after the event. Kaine had been like his counterweight. He had been like Jeryl’s anchor to the world of moral righteousness amidst the overwhelmingly insane world of war and senseless brutality—when they had to do what they had to do to survive the Sonali’s merciless onslaught.
“No,” he answered. “But his ship...it was falling apart. The fuselage was coming off, there were explosions all over it. Nobody could’ve survive that. Nobody.”
“Well, seems like Kaine did,” Mahesh said. “He’s alive and he kicked your ass. He commands one of the most powerful starships ever made by the Terran Armada, and he heads one of the most dangerous crime organizations in the galaxy.”
“Right,” Jeryl grumbled. “Like I don’t know that.”
“I don’t know how I’m going to defeat someone like him,” Jeryl thought out loud.
The room was momentarily filled with silence.
“Did you leave him for dead?” Mahesh suddenly asked, his dubious voice cutting through the silence like a careless butcher cuts through meat.
Jeryl looked away from Mahesh, blinking away the tears that were beginning to pool in his eyes. He glanced up at the immaculate, white ceiling as though to ward off the guilt that was now tightening his throat.
“Honestly, doc, I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s a question I’ve kept asking myself since the warehouse.”
Did I really abandon him?
Chapter 21
Flynn
Admiral Flynn marched down the halls of The Seeker en route to the sickbay. He had been told upon arrival that Jeryl was currently recuperating from his failed raid on one of the Syndicate’s warehouse.
“Kaine,” he hissed softly to himself. “This is madness.”
Things had gotten so hectic for Flynn and the Armada that he was talking to himself out of stress.
Soon, though, he would be able to talk to Jeryl. He had read the reports, but he needed to hear it from the captain himself. If what was reported was true, these were dark times for the galaxy.
Flynn entered the sickbay with purpose. He froze on his tracks the moment he saw Jeryl, his whole body bruised.
“My God,” he whispered.
He turned to Mahesh.
“How is he?”
“He’ll be fine once he mends. Nothing that time won’t heal,” the doctor replied.
The admiral looked back over at Jeryl. He certainly seemed worse for the wear, but Flynn knew how tough the captain was. He would try and get back on his feet as soon as possible.
The man won’t rest until this whole thing is over, Flynn thought.
“Can you give us a moment, Mahesh?”
“Absolutely, Admiral.”
The doctor exited the sickbay, but not before looking back at Jeryl over his shoulder one final time. As Flynn sat on a chair by the side of Jeryl’s bed, the captain forced his eyes open.
“Admiral…what brings you all the way down to The Seeker?” Jeryl asked, his voice frail.
“I didn’t want to talk over things over the slipstream. We can’t risk it right now. I mean, if we’re dealing with Kaine…we can’t be too careful,” Flynn replied.
The captain sat up, groaning every step of the way.
“Don’t strain yourself,” the admiral warned him.
Jeryl dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand, adding, “I’ll be fine. I’ve been in worse shape.”
“Maybe, but you’ve also never had to deal with somebody like Kaine,” Flynn countered.
The two men sat in silence for a moment. The gravity of the situation was almost too much to bear. Finally, the admiral spoke.
“Is it true? Is everything I heard true?”
With a heavy sigh, Jeryl confirmed Flynn’s worst fears.
“It’s all true. I was there. I saw Kaine with my own eyes. I saw the hatred in his eyes. I saw him hold a gun to Tira’s head. Hell, we fought. He’s the reason I’m in this bed right now. Kaine’s alive, Admiral, and he wants revenge on all of us…especially me.”
Flynn closed his eyes, reeling from Jeryl’s words. When was the last time he had seen Kaine? The Sonali war still raged on, and Kaine was the most brilliant captain in the whole fleet at the time. When The Ghost went down with its captain, Flynn knew they had lost one of the Armada’s best assets.
“If we’re going up against Kaine, we’re in trouble. Deep trouble. No wonder the pirates were having so much success taking transport ships. If Kaine’s involved, that might only be the beginning,” he said.
“I know,” Jeryl replied, looking straight ahead at the wall, almost as if he didn’t want to look into Flynn’s eyes
If Kaine’s truly back, Flynn thought, we’re truly fucked.
Kaine Reed was the most dangerous operative the Armada had during the war. Hell, he may have been the best operative either side had. The missions he ran as captain of The Ghost were the most dangerous assignments the Armada had, but he came out successful almost every time. Thousands, if not millions, of Sonali had died at Kaine’s hands.
Even though Flynn was reticent to heap too much praise upon Kaine for his lethality, there was simply no denying it—the man was a force of nature, a god when it came to the battlefield.
That was what made the current reality so concerning. Kaine was even probably on par with No One. He did that without nanites, either, a man born to excel in battle. Incredibly smart, extremely cunning, and utterly ruthless. The kind of things you respect when he’s on your side, but the things you dread when he’s not.
Flynn still remembered Kaine’s ‘funeral’, a private ceremony barely anyone attended. The man was, after all, part of the Intelligence division of the Armada. But then, a few months later, some of the operations he was part of made their way to the media. Flynn tried to stop it, but Kaine’s name was dragged through the mud. Painted as a war criminal by the media, the Armada simply excused itself and pretended Kaine had gone rogue. The man was dead after all...what was the harm in throwing him under the bus?
“Admiral?”
“I’m here, Jeryl. Just trying to process the gravity of the situation. Knowing that Kaine is alive, and that he has The Ghost at his disposal...well, I don’t need to tell you how dangerous that can be for us,” Flynn replied.
Jeryl nodded solemnly. They were both profoundly aware of what Kaine was capable of. Deep down, Flynn wasn’t entirely sure that they would be able to stop him and the Syndicate. The Seeker was a fine ship, one of many the Union had at their disposal. However, The Gh
ost was a Union ship once upon a time, and with Kaine Reed, it had a tremendously accomplished individual leading it.
The admiral continued to voice his concerns, noting, “The man knows us very well, and he knows the inner workings of our organization. He’s familiar with The Seeker, and he sure as hell knows how to get around your Hunters.”
“Sure,” Jeryl replied. “But on the flipside of that, we also know a lot about him and The Ghost. That goes both ways. I know it’s Kaine we’re dealing with, but I don’t care, Admiral. I’m not going to let him steamroll us this easily.”
“Happy to hear it,” Flynn said. “But, still, what are his goals? He might want revenge, but there has to be more.
He must have some plan beyond simply robbing transport ships and taking them under his control. If he’s selling the cargo, who is selling it to? Who is he working with?”
“You mean besides the Syndicate?”
“Yes. There’s something bigger going on. These aren’t mere thugs we’re dealing with. Besides...I think we may have a mole,” the admiral reluctantly admitted.
How else could Kaine know the transport routes? How could he know exactly when and how to strike? There was someone inside the Armada feeding him that information. Either that, or whoever was buying the weapons off Kaine had planted the mole. Either way, it was a dangerous situation.
Jeryl winced as he closed the fist of his injured hand. He was trying to fight through the pain, perhaps hoping that he could acclimate himself to the feeling and press on.
“I know,” he said.
Glad that he and Captain Montgomery were on the same page, Flynn looked around the room and checked the door to make sure nobody was standing out. At this point, he felt like he couldn’t be too careful. Believing the coast to be clear, he learned in closer to Jeryl.
“Alright, so it seems that we have a mole. That certainly complicates matters. However, that just means we have to be careful. We still have to move forward. The most important thing right now is figuring out who Kaine’s working with...and then putting The Ghost and its fleet on the scrapyard.”
Jeryl seemed reinvigorated by the admiral’s words. He was clearly itching to get started. Even if he was beaten up physically, he was still the same courageous and intelligent leader he’d always been.
“So, we need a plan,” the captain said.
“Yes. We need to think of a new way to handle this situation. Kaine has gotten the better of us every step of the way. Now that we know who we’re dealing with, though, we won’t let that happen again,” Flynn replied.
Jeryl gave the admiral a mischievous smile. There was already something brewing within the captain’s mind.
“I think I have something.”
Chapter 22
Ashley
So much for not doing anything dangerous, Ashley thought as she checked the small shuttle’s dashboard sensors.
Jeryl was barely out of the sickbay when the orders came down to prepare for this operation. Of course, since they were going after Kaine, it was imperative that the very best on hand piloted the shuttles used to lure in someone as dangerous as The Ghost's captain. Jeryl protested at first, but this time, Ashley managed to convince him otherwise—just as long as she kept out of harm's way.
The convoy, comprised of a few shuttles and transport ships, had left The Seeker just a few hours earlier, hoping that the distance between them and the nearest Armada ship would tempt The Ghost and its ancillary ships to drop in for an easy snatch and grab.
The mission was designed to be simple enough: plop the convoy in the middle of an uninhabited system for routine checks, and just wait for the pirates to come calling. The difficult bit was making sure that no one knew it was a complete setup.
“Attention, fleet captains. Check the status of your cargo now. Relay all outgoing communications through my terminal for approval before sending to Armada Command,” Ashley said, touching the communications grid.
She glanced at her assistant, a young man fresh from the Academy, and smiled. “I know this is your first mission. Just relax, all we’re doing is taking some supplies needed to New Washington’s shipyards.”
She felt a bit guilty over lying to the man, but it was an essential part of the ruse. Somehow, Kaine had managed to infiltrate the Armada without alerting the usual array of counter Intelligence systems.
Then again, the man happened to be one of the few capable of giving No One a run for her money...
“Man the consoles for a second. I’ll check the cargo reports in the back.”
The shuttles were simple two compartment ships, a small cabin in the front with constant artificial gravity, and a large storage bay that could be held in microgravity to make moving goods between ships easier. That little trick was key to making this work—after all, who would want to open a box filled with small items in zero-g? The mess would be atrocious and fixing it would be next to impossible.
The other ships only had empty boxes, but this ship had one thing guaranteed to draw The Ghost in: high-end weaponry with energy traces that could be picked up by even the most basic of scanners.
Ashley went to the box closest to the door and opened it. Inside was a simple masking unit concealing the materials. All it took was a simple push of a button, and they were glowing brighter than the star located in the center of the system. Any sensor would be able to pick it up fast.
When Ashley returned to the shuttle deck, she smiled at the young pilot. “Thanks. Anything interesting?”
He shook his head. “A group of ships is approaching the system. They’re sending out standard identification codes—apparently a trade convoy en route to Sonali Prime.”
She sat down and laughed. “I think that may be a fib, but let’s just wait...”
The two watched as the convoy entered the system. If they were simple merchants, they wouldn’t drop to sub-light speed.
But then, a voice came through the shuttle’s comm.
“The Seeker, this is Convoy Mission. We’re under attack. I repeat, we’re currently under attack.”
Chapter 23
Jeryl
“Alright, our ghost fleet has appeared,” Jeryl proclaimed to his crew. “The battle has begun.”
The captain was in the CNC, and he had just gotten word from Ashley about the fleet’s appearance. This was all part of the plan, of course. Jeryl and his ship were waiting alongside an Armada attack fleet out of sight. Ashley was leading a transport convoy of bait ships, and the goal was to bring on an attack by the fleet of boarding shuttles, and then wait for The Ghost to reveal itself.
“What do we do now, Captain?” an officer on the deck asked.
Jeryl didn’t respond immediately. He was too busy keeping an eye on the action unfolding nearby. He wanted to make sure the time was right. This was a key element of success in battle, and Jeryl knew that a fight was about to happen. The captain wanted the fleet to feel like this was just another mission. He was also hoping The Ghost would appear.
After all, that was the whole point of the plan.
The Armada wanted The Ghost…and they wanted Kaine.
C’mon Kaine, show your face, Jeryl thought to himself.
Jeryl had been baffled the first time he had seen his old friend. He had been surprised, and that surprise almost led to him meeting his demise...and he still bore the damage from that fight.
But this time, it would be Jeryl who would be pulling off the surprise. Now that he knew Kaine was alive, Jeryl was prepared to do whatever was necessary to bring him to justice.
The Ghost hadn’t appeared yet, but The Seeker couldn’t wait any longer.
We have to get in there, Jeryl decided. We have to get the drop on the fleet.
“Prepare to drop in!” he exclaimed.
Jeryl took the helm of the ship himself. He was going to lead The Seeker into battle. This was his fight, and he wasn’t going to leave anybody else bearing the responsibility of what happened. The crew steeled themselves for joini
ng the skirmish.
The captain sent a message down to the flight deck where his pilots were waiting.
“Pilots, man the Hunters. Prepare to be deployed.”
“Roger that, Captain,” Powers responded in kind.
With his own ship and the Hunters prepared, Jeryl turned his attention to the attack fleet alongside him.
“We’re entering the battle. Follow my lead,” he instructed them.
Once the captain got confirmation from all the other ships in the fleet, he knew there was no turning back. Even though the transport ships were empty, that didn’t mean the pilots were out of harm’s way. The ships could still be taken by the pirates, and their crews could still be hurt. Ashley was down there as well, and Jeryl wasn’t about to risk her safety. No matter what.
I hope they aren’t expecting us.
His worries were valid. As he and Admiral Flynn had discussed, there seemed to be a mole in the Armada. That was the reason Jeryl’s plan had been tightly guarded. Flynn and Jeryl didn’t want anybody to know about it unless it was necessary. They still didn’t know who they could trust.
I guess we’re about to find out if the secret is out.
“Here we go,” the captain muttered to himself.
With that, he dropped into the chaos. Boarding shuttles were surrounding the convoy. Some of the transport ships were being boarded already. The Seeker led the attack fleet into battle, each ship helmed by the brightest Armada captains. They had put a great team together.
Would it be enough, though? Could they stop the The Ghost? In order for that to happen, Jeryl would have to outmaneuver Kaine, and that...that wasn’t an easy thing.
I never thought I’d have to do this, he thought. Sure, he and Kaine had been competitive back in the day, but they were always on the same side. They had fought alongside each other during the Earth-Sonali War. The Seeker and The Ghost were both decorated Union ships. Now Captain Reed had essentially risen from the dead, and he had revenge in his mind.