by Amy DuBoff
“Do I have to pay close attention?” He slid his hand up the back of her shirt.
“Absolutely not.”
CHAPTER 4
It was time.
Wil looked out over the empty TSS spacedock above the moon. Only the Vanquish and a handful of shuttles remained. The fleet was deployed, committed to the war. His fleet. I can’t believe we’re leaving.
But, the reality was sinking in. A place that was once so filled with life was now barren, grim. When Wil and Saera had been married on that same spacedock two years before, the war had still seemed so far off. Even with the TSS backdrop and Banks as the officiant to serve as reminders for his other duties, the wedding had highlighted a commitment in Wil’s life that transcended anything to do with the Bakzen and impending war. Yet, as much as he wanted that love to be the driving force in his life, he had to focus on his responsibility to the TSS—a purpose he was born to fulfill.
“Ready?” Saera’s voice pulled Wil back to the present.
He turned to see that all the Primus Elites had gathered behind him at the dock. Saera was standing a few paces in front of the group.
“Yes, let’s go.” Wil led his team up the gangway onto the Vanquish, with Saera by his side.
Cris, as captain of the Vanquish, met them at the top of the gangway. “Welcome aboard,” he said as Wil crossed over the threshold.
“Reporting for duty, sir.”
“You and Saera can accompany me in the Command Center. We have the officers’ lounge reserved for your men during the trip over.” Cris gestured down the hallway.
Wil nodded. “Thank you. Michael, make sure everyone gets settled in.”
“Yes, sir. See you on the other side.” Michael led the Primus Elite trainees away.
Wil, Saera, and Cris were left alone in the hallway. “How are you doing?” his father asked.
“Ready to get to work,” Wil replied.
Cris smiled. “I know that feeling.”
Wil glanced in the direction of the Command Center. “We should get going.”
“Right.” Cris led the way down the hall.
Saera grabbed Wil’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m here for you,” she said telepathically.
“Partners, just like always.”
The Command Center was abuzz with final systems checks in preparation for departure. Wil’s mother, Kate, was in the First Officer’s chair directing the cross-checks. She smiled at Wil and Saera when they entered, but quickly resumed her duties as Cris made his way to the Captain’s chair next to her.
Wil and Saera took seats at the back of the Command Center by the main door. The spherical room curved overhead and below the transparent floor, wrapped in a massive viewscreen that gave a 360-degree view of the surrounding space. The two command chairs were in the center of the room, and the pair of consoles in front were occupied by the ship’s pilot, Alec, and the tactical officer, Kari. They had been a part of the crew for almost Wil’s entire life, and he couldn’t imagine the Vanquish without them.
After a few minutes, Kate nodded to Cris. “Everything is in order.”
Cris took a deep breath. “Okay. Alec, lay in a course for the Prisaris rift gate to H2.”
“Aye.” Alec made the necessary inputs on his console. “Ready.”
“Take us out,” Cris commanded.
Wil felt a wave of anxiety as the Vanquish pulled away from the dock. A knot started forming in his chest. Stars! Keep it together. He reached over the armrest and took Saera’s hand. Her soft touch gave him the reassurance he needed. I’m not in this alone.
The Vanquish pulled away from the spacedock and into open space beyond the moon.
“Make the jump to subspace when ready,” Cris instructed Alec.
“Initiating jump sequence.” Alec made the final inputs.
A low vibration emanated from the floor and soon filled the air. The space surrounding the vessel changed to shifting blue-green as it made the jump to subspace. The Vanquish followed the set course through the SiNavTech navigation beacons. Wil held Saera’s hand and sat in silence for the duration of the travel, trying to keep his mind from wandering too far into thoughts of what would come next.
The Vanquish dropped out of subspace near the Prisaris shipyard. As a key production facility for TSS ships, it was a familiar location for Wil. Five years ago, he and his father had brokered the arrangement that allowed the TSS full use of the shipyard in exchange for licensing his independent jump drive design to SiNavTech. The shipyard had enormous production capacity, but lack of TSS resources had caused production to begin winding down several months prior, and most of the finished ships had already been sent through the rift gate.
On the far side of the shipyard, the rift gate was suspended in open space. The ring dwarfed even the largest of the vessels at the shipyard, designed to accommodate several carriers in one transfer to the other dimensional plane. It had replaced the smaller rift gate located several star systems closer to Bakzen territory, which had previously linked H2 with the rest of the Taran worlds. Traditional rift gate designs required the entry and exit points to be at an identical place relative to normal space, but Wil had consulted with some of the TSS’ other engineers to successfully link the new gate to the existing gate at H2, despite the relative physical distance in corresponding normal space. The innovation had enabled more effective transportation of the new vessels from the Prisaris shipyard, and had also allowed for a greater buffer between the vulnerable mid-production vessels and the encroaching enemy.
Wil surveyed the remaining ships throughout the production yard as they passed through. If these are the only reserves, then I need to make sure to limit losses. We couldn’t begin to replenish the fleet with so few.
As the Vanquish neared the giant ring, Alec initiated the start-up sequence for the rift jump. The ring lit up, and components along the inner track began rotating around the ring’s circumference. The rotation accelerated until the movement was soon a complete blur. The space at the center of the ring began to take on the familiar blue-green hue of subspace. With a flash, the subspace portal became a fully formed tunnel to the other dimensional plane. It was difficult to see the portal, but Wil’s trained eye detected the bending of light around the surface of the event horizon where light was being reflected back.
“Gate is stable,” Alec announced.
“Take us through,” commanded Cris.
The Vanquish slipped through the event horizon at the center of the ring. A shudder ran the length of the ship as it made the transition to subspace. For a moment, everything was still. Then, the ship dropped into the rift on the other side of the gate.
Wil shifted in his chair. The energy on the other side of the rift felt different from his home plane, and it always took a minute or two to adjust. Looking around the Command Center, it was apparent that the other Agents felt uneasy, as well. Better get used to it. We’ll be here for a while.
Gazing out the front of the spherical viewscreen, Wil was struck by the changes around the headquarters structure. When he had last visited H2 five years before, to test the prototype IT-1 jet, the cylindrical structure and rift gate ring were the dominant features in the echoed starscape. To his relief, Wil saw new spacedocks branching in all directions from the core H2 structure, hosting several massive carriers and fleet support vessels for medical, food, and repairs. In his limited view, the combat fleet had multiplied by at least twenty-fold. This is more than I was expecting.
“They’ve been busy!” Cris commented from the captain’s chair.
“I can’t believe this is all here, just out of view,” Saera said with audible awe.
“There’s a lot we can’t normally see.” Wil rose from his seat at the back of the Command Center and stepped forward to stand next to his father’s command position. “I wonder where they want us to dock.”
“I already sent out a docking request,” Alec said. “It looks like we’re being directed to one of the outer platforms. They�
��re full up.”
Cris frowned, his brow knit with confusion. “Bomax.”
They knew we were coming, right? “I’ll take one of the shuttles over. That way, I can begin getting oriented as soon as possible. I hope it’s okay if my men remain here for a few hours, until I know where we’re staying.”
Cris nodded. “Yes, of course.”
“Thanks. Saera, want to come along with me?”
“Sure.” She rose from her seat. “Where is it we’re going?” she asked him telepathically.
“I’m working on that.” At the door, Wil turned back to give a parting wave to his parents and the rest of the Command Center crew. “See you soon.”
“Good luck!” Kate called out as Wil led Saera from the Command Center.
They made their way to the shuttle hangar several decks below, and Wil selected one of the smallest transport vessels. They better find room for this.
Wil initiated the start-up sequence. “This is ridiculous. How could they not have berthing set aside for the Vanquish?”
Saera buckled into the passenger seat next to Wil. “No kidding. I thought they were expecting us.”
“Me too. Banks made it sound like they’re pretty desperate for backup.” Wil completed the pre-flight check and pointed the shuttle toward the shuttle bay exit.
Saera smiled playfully. “I don’t blame them for wanting you here. I mean, you are pretty great—not that I’m biased, or anything. I’m not surprised you’re so in demand.”
Wil’s heart warmed. She always knows just what to say. The shuttle passed through the force field, and Wil swung it around toward H2. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“Thank you for taking me! I’ve been curious to see this Taelis guy in action.”
“He is amazingly dedicated to his job, that’s for sure.” Knowing what I know now, his matter-of-factness makes a lot more sense. I definitely misjudged him when we first met.
The command console chirped with an incoming message. Wil opened the audio channel.
“This is fleet command,” said a weary female voice. “What is your destination?”
“This is Agent Wil Sietinen. I’m en route to see High Commander Taelis.”
A pause. “One moment.” The comm channel muted.
Wil rolled his eyes.
Saera’s brow knit with exaggerated sympathy. “They need your logistical skills more desperately than we ever imagined,” she joked.
The comm channel reconnected. “So sorry, sir. The docking coordinates have been sent to your nav computer. The High Commander will meet you at the gangway.”
“Thank you.” Wil ended the transmission. “I wonder what all that was about.” They should be far more organized than this—something is definitely off.
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
Wil piloted the shuttle to the designated docking coordinates. They passed by dozens of vessels of various classifications. Some looked brand new, but others had charred sections, or were even missing components. He suppressed a wave of anxiety. We’re in a war zone now. This will be a common sight.
When the clamps were securely on the hull, Wil powered down the shuttle and exited with Saera.
They had walked half the distance down the gangway when Wil spotted Taelis and some of his officers coming to greet them. He recognized the Lead Agent, Connor Ramsen, and several of the other officers from his previous visits, but there were also some new faces. They all looked tired and distraught, but they smiled with genuine happiness at the sight of Wil.
“Hi, Wil. It’s good to see you again,” Taelis said as they approached.
“Hello, sir. You, as well.” Wil placed his hand on the small of Saera’s back. “This is my wife, Saera.”
“Yes, of course. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Taelis raised his hand in greeting, in the traditional Tararian custom. “You’re even lovelier in person.”
Saera bobbed her head. “Thank you, sir.”
Taelis sighed, deflating a little. “Please forgive the modest welcome for you and your men.”
“Well, my men are still on the Vanquish,” Wil replied. “There didn’t seem to be a docking space for anything larger than our transport shuttle.”
“Yes, sorry about that.” Taelis sighed again. “It’s been a tough few days.”
Looking closer at the faces of Taelis and his officers, Wil noticed a deep weariness. Something definitely happened. “What’s going on?”
Taelis hesitated and looked to Ramsen.
“I’m here now. For you,” Wil reminded them.
Taelis nodded. “Four days ago, there was an uprising on Kaldern, one of the border worlds we use as a TSS outpost. The planetary shield was disabled by the time the Bakzen attacked. We were completely outnumbered and had to retreat. A quarter of the vessels here are those that survived the attack, and we can barely accommodate the influx. We’ve been trying to reestablish our position, but resources are limited.”
They didn’t want to reassign anything they had set aside for me, Wil realized. “I’ll assess the situation as soon as I’m briefed on the details.”
Taelis nodded. “Well, we don’t have a lot of time. Let’s get you up to speed.” He gathered himself. “We have a lot to go over, but I’d like to start out with a bit of good news. We have a flagship for you.”
“Oh?” I would have liked to be involved in the design.
Taelis’ lips parted in a slight smile. “It’s easier if I just show you. The engineering team is very excited.”
“All right, let’s see it.”
“We’ll meet you in the War Room,” Taelis told his officers. “This way,” he said to Wil and Saera, leading them down the hall toward one of the elevators.
They took the elevator up several levels and then followed the corridor around to another section of the spacedock. As they came around a bend in the hallway, a ship came into view. Wil immediately recognized the distinctive telekinetic relay band around the perimeter of the ship—a design he had toyed with and then dismissed due to concerns over its potential destructive power. “You built it?”
Taelis nodded. “I recognize that you had passed over the design, but I knew you would need something beyond our current fleet. I put Laecy to work. It took a lot of trial and error, but the engineering team eventually figured out how to make it come together.”
Saera initially lit up in response to the High Commander’s excitement, but she looked to Wil for an explanation when he didn’t share their enthusiasm.
They went behind my back. Don’t they know what this ship can do? “I had no idea you continued to work on it. You should have told me.”
Taelis swallowed. “I didn’t want to press the issue and distract you from training your officers. We realized that it could be a game-changer if we could make it work. The engineering team picked away at it until they finally had a breakthrough about a year ago. We only finished preliminary testing last week.”
It’s done now. I guess it’s up to me how it gets used. “All right. Let’s see the inside.”
“Of course.” Taelis held out his arm to let Wil be the first up the gangway.
Wil felt an immediate resonance with the ship when he passed through the entry port. The soothing energy washed over him, setting him at ease. It’s like the Aesir ship—it must have a similar biofeedback system.
Saera’s tense expression faded as soon as she stepped off the gangway next to Wil. “It feels different here.”
“Amazing, isn’t it?” Wil closed his eyes and released himself to the vessel, feeling it pulse in response to him. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the TSS emblem opposite the entry portal. The TSS Conquest. “A fitting name as any.”
Saera nodded. “It is.”
“Come on, let’s go to the Command Center.” Wil walked with Saera down the corridor.
The hallway was more utilitarian than most of the TSS ships Wil was used to, but the design was still inviting enough to make the vessel comfortable for an exte
nded voyage. Warm hued lights inset in the ceiling and side panels cast a pleasant glow across the viewscreens mounted at logical intervals along the length of the corridor. The screens currently displayed neutral images of starscapes, but Wil touched one of the panels as he passed by and it brought up a menu for the Mainframe.
The Command Center was precisely where Wil hoped it would be. His breath caught as he glimpsed the design through the open doorway. He flashed an excited grin to Saera behind him, his initial reservations about the ship fading.
A transparent platform extended from the entry door into the center of the spherical room. Five standing-height, minimalist black chairs were arranged in the middle of the room on the main platform, with four around the perimeter and one at the center. Each one was mounted on a swivel base, with an adjustable handhold in front mounted to the same rotating platform. Based on seams and some mechanics in the transparent floor panel, it appeared that the chairs could fold down into the floor for the operators to stand at the handholds as a podium. A step down from the main platform, two consoles faced outward toward the front. Likely, the consoles controlled navigation, weapons, and communications like standard TSS ships.
As Wil entered the Command Center, the dimmed lights rose to full brightness. He looked around in wonder. “This is just like I imagined.”
He strolled to the center chair and ran his hand along the top arch of the back, then brushed his fingertips on the podium in front of the chair. The telescoping base was bent slightly toward the chair for easier access, with a cylindrical grip to either side at the top of the arm. When Wil’s fingers touched the handhold grip, the viewscreen wrapping the walls and ceiling illuminated in vivid color, displaying the surroundings of the Conquest with holographic depth unlike anything Wil had seen in a Command Center before.
“It’s amazing,” Saera breathed as she came to stand beside Wil.
“It really is.” He gripped one side of the handhold, feeling the ship respond to his presence. “Take one of the other stations.”
Saera tentatively grasped one side of the handhold to Wil’s left. “Whoa.”