by G. P. Hudson
“Friendly or not, we have a life pod to retrieve,” said Bast.
“You won’t get any argument from me,” said Pike.
“Helm, prepare to jump us into high orbit around New Byzantium.”
“That’ll get their attention.”
“I’d rather not use the jump system, but if they become unreasonable we will have to show them what they’re up against.”
“Nothing like the threat of orbital bombardment to make a planet sit up and take notice.”
The Chaanisar Heavy Cruiser continued to coast toward the planet, as the three destroyers raced to intercept.
“We are being hailed, Sir.”
“Route the communication to my console,” said Bast.
A stern looking woman in a military uniform appeared on Bast’s display. “Juttari vessel, you have unlawfully entered New Byzantium territory. You are ordered to leave this system immediately.”
“This is Colonel Bast. Who am I speaking to?”
“My name is Captain Evans.”
“Captain, how do you know that this is a Juttari vessel?”
“That information is classified. What matters is that you cease your advance and leave this system. Will you comply?”
“And if I refuse?”
“You will be fired upon.”
“Sir, two of the destroyers have changed vectors. They are moving to flank us,” said the tactical officer.
“Captain, we are not what we appear to be. This ship is no longer under Juttari command. We are on a peaceful mission.”
Bast’s screen went blank as Captain Evans disconnected the communication link.
“It appears we are not the only unfriendly ship out here,” Bast said, looking at Captain Pike.
“It does sound like they mean business. Are you going to jump, or wait to see if they’ll fire?”
“They obviously want to flank us. They won’t fire until they’re in position. Any suggestions, Captain?”
“No. I like your strategy. Firing on the destroyers will further alienate the planet, regardless of who’s right. We’re here to retrieve our people, not prove how tough we are.”
Bast nodded. He wondered whether he was speaking to Captain Pike, or the Diakan symbiont. Was there any difference between the two? He pondered his own implants. They were a part of him, and it was difficult to imagine a life without them. Even the brain chip. As much as he despised the control it could exert on him, he couldn’t imagine a life without it. Did Captain Pike feel the same way about his symbiont?
Through the feed to his brain chip, he watched the destroyers flank his ship. As he expected, Captain Evans hailed him again. He accepted the hail and the woman’s face came up on his console.
“Colonel Bast, this is your last chance. Cease your advance, turn your ship around and leave this system immediately, or you will be destroyed.”
“Captain, as I tried to tell you earlier, this is all a misunderstanding. We are not Juttari.”
“I don’t care who you are,” said Evans, furrowing her brow. “Will you comply?”
“No,” said Bast, terminating the communication. “Helm, initiate jump.”
Through his brain chip Bast watched as the three destroyers opened fire on him, and then they were gone, replaced by the dramatic sight of New Byzantium spinning underneath them. Bast gazed at the planet in wonder. It was a galactic work of art. He wasn’t sure why, but there was something about oceans that had him mesmerized. He wondered if it wasn’t a kind of homesickness. Perhaps some hidden memory of Earth.
“Breathtaking,” said Chief St. Clair. “We definitely have to find a way to make that shore leave happen.”
“Contact! The planet is firing missiles at us.”
“Time to impact?” said Bast.
“Two minutes.”
“Hail the planet and prepare to jump to the planet’s north pole.”
A balding man’s face appeared on Bast’s console. He wore a military uniform and seemed like he was having a bad day.
“Who am I speaking to and why have you fired on us?”
The man spoke a little louder than would be expected, not exactly yelling, but certainly trying hard to be intimidating. “Juttari vessel,” the man said. “You have violated New Byzantium territory. Leave now, or you will be destroyed.”
“Yes, you’ve already warned us. Please relay this message to your superiors. We are not Juttari. We have the Hermes crew with us, including Captain Pike. We merely want to talk to someone and explain the situation.”
“You are ordered to-”
“Do it now,” said Bast and terminated the communication. “Initiate jump.”
The Chaanisar ship reappeared above New Byzantium’s north pole. They were far enough away that the missile shouldn’t be able to re-establish a lock on them.
”Is it just me, or do these people seem a little thick headed?” joked Chief St. Clair.
“You know, I was thinking the exact same thing. What are the chances of that?” laughed Captain Pike.
Bast opened another communication link with the planet and the same balding man appeared on the screen, his jaw slack and his eyes wide.
“How did you do that?” the man asked.
“I will discuss that with whoever governs your planet. Facilitate the connection and stop firing on us.”
The man nodded and said, “Please hold while I brief my superiors.”
They waited for some time. The planet didn’t fired more missiles at them. Bast kept an eye on the three destroyers, which had changed course and were now heading back to the planet. They had some time until the ships made it close enough to be a threat. Hopefully he could talk to someone before that happened.
A moment later another hail came through from the planet. A youthful looking man in civilian clothes appeared on Bast’s display. “This is Prime Minister Sallas, leader of New Byzantium,” said the man, his tone formal and serious.
“I am Colonel Bast, commander of Chaanisar ship 7249.”
“Colonel, would you mind explaining why a Juttari warship is orbiting our planet?”
“As I’ve said repeatedly, we are not Juttari.”
“No? Then what are you?”
“We are Chaanisar.”
Sallas turned to someone off camera and nodded. Turning back to Bast he said, “Being Chaanisar and being Juttari are one and the same.”
“Not on this ship, Prime Minister. We have revolted against the Juttari. They no longer control us. Although I am curious as to how someone one thousand light years away knows so much about the Juttari?”
“I am not at liberty to share that information,” said Sallas. “You mentioned you have the Hermes crew on board your ship. Are they your prisoners?”
Bast laughed. “Of course not. They are our guests.”
“Forgive me if I am skeptical.” He turned to the person off camera again and then said, “You claim to have Captain Pike on board, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“I would like to speak to him.”
Bast turned to Captain Pike, who had been following the discussion. Bast gestured his hand to the console and Pike approached. Standing in front of the display he said, “This is Captain Pike.”
Sallas looked off camera and then smiled. “Captain, there’s someone who’d very much like to speak to you.”
The Prime Minister shifted and a red headed woman appeared. She looked at the camera and her eyes widened. “Captain, is that you? Are you alright?”
A broad grin formed on the Captain’s face. “Doctor Ellerbeck, I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.”
Bast caught his breath. They had done it. They had found the Doctor.
Chapter 16
Jon woke to the sounds of battle. Angry shouts, panicked screams, and thunderous explosions filled the night. He grabbed his energy weapon and jumped out of bed. His father taught him to sleep fully clothed, gun at the ready, when in the field. He shouldered the weapon and rushed out
of his tent. Outside was forest and chaos. Several dead bodies lay at his feet. He knew them. Members of the resistance. Where was the enemy? Blue energy bolts lit up the dark sky as running figures fired upward. He craned his neck, trying to see the threat. There. Triangular lights shone through the treetops. He pointed his weapon at the lights when someone grabbed him by the arm and pulled. He whipped around, freeing his arm and leveling his weapon. He exhaled sharply when he came face to face with his father. His cousins stood behind him, their weapons pointed at the sky.
His father’s eyes were wide and urgent. “Run you fool. Run!”
Jon needed no more encouragement and he took off with his father and cousins. “What’s happening?” he asked.
“They found us,” said his father, without breaking stride.
“Who found us?”
“The Chaanisar.”
The word sent a spike of cold terror up Jon’s spine. “We have to go back. We have to save the boys.”
“The boys? They’re the ones who led the Chaanisar to us,” yelled his father.
“What? How?”
“They were tagged with trackers when they were captured. In case they tried to run. It was already too late when we found out.”
Jon went silent. It was his fault. His choice to rescue the boys doomed the mission. He had cost the lives of good men.
As if reading Jon’s mind his father said, “Don’t blame yourself. I should’ve known better. I should’ve checked them before we left the compound.
“What about the Governor?” asked Jon.
“Dead. I saw to it myself. Rammed a blade right through his heart. Too good for him, but better than nothing.”
“What about everyone else?”
“They have to make their own way. We can’t stay together or those devils will catch us all,” his father glanced back at Jon, the moonlight shining off his glistening forehead. Eyes grim. “Enough talk now. We head for the caves.”
They ran through the forest, barely able to see. They didn’t use flashlights for fear of the Chaanisar finding them. They relied on memory and sure-footedness to see them through. Jon feared losing an eye as branches kept whipping his face. More than the branches he feared the pine needles, dreading the thought of one of them puncturing his eye ball. He pulled his hood down low, covering his forehead and eyes and buttoned his cloak over his chin. It offered some relief and allowed him to focus on keeping up.
He was big for his age, but fast and agile. Mountains and forests had been his back yard his whole life. His every step felt familiar. Every sound, every smell, was accompanied by a memory. His parents had taught him how to survive. If he needed to, he could live on his own in the wild indefinitely. He knew how to find food and shelter, and how to stay safe from predators. Wolves, coyotes, bears, and even the secretive cougar. He could spot their signs and always knew when they were near. But the Chaanisar were a different kind of predator. Could he survive against such an advanced hunter?
They ran for over an hour through the forest before they finally reached the caves. They had put a little over ten kilometers between them and the camp, but that meant nothing. A Chaanisar soldier could cover that ground in half the time without breaking a sweat. Their vessel could cover the distance in minutes. They had gotten this far through luck alone. The Chaanisar would come, it was only a matter of time.
Even in the dark, the moonlight illuminated the rock face up ahead. Halfway up was a small opening that allowed access to the caves. When they reached the base of the cliff his father gestured for Jon to go first. He was the best climber after all. Jon slung his weapon over his back, reached up, grabbed a chunk of rock in each hand and pulled. He found footings for his feet and pushed higher. His cousins followed, with his father coming up the rear.
The rock was relatively dry which made climbing easier. He had reached a height level with the surrounding treetops. The moon shone brighter now, unobstructed by the tree canopies. A light wind blew, flapping his cloak about, without hampering his progress. He took in a deep breath of cold mountain air and reached for an outcropping of rock. He pulled himself up and grabbed for another. Something caught the corner of his eye and he turned to look. It was the Chaanisar craft, hovering above the treetops, hunting for resistance fighters. It moved across the top of the forest in wide, sweeping patterns. His gut tightened when he realized that it was headed in their direction.
“They’re coming,” he said, looking down at his cousins. “We have to hurry.”
“Shit,” said Jason, looking across the trees and spotting the Chaanisar ship.
Gripped by fear they climbed faster, no longer concerned with falling. The vessel covered a surprising amount of distance in a very short time. It seemed to glide across the treetops, like it was skating on a frozen pond. Jon heard its engines now, and the sound drove him harder. In his haste his foot slipped, sending small stones down on top of Jason’s head.
“Ow! Watch it,” said Jason.
“Sorry, cousin,” said Jon.
“Never mind, just hurry,” Jason replied, his voice tense.
Jon kept going. A few more meters and he finally reached the mouth of the cave. His hand groped the ledge in the darkness, searching for something to grab. He found a gap between two rocks, enough to squeeze his fingers in. He anchored his hand and kicked up a leg. His foot hooked the lip, the muscles in his thigh burning. He took a breath and pulled himself up onto the ledge.
The engines were louder. The Chaanisar closer. The sound reverberating against the rock. Jason reached the ledge next and Jon helped him up. Then came Michael, Jon and Jason together hoisting him up. His father was last. The ship practically on top of them now. It hovered just ahead of the cliff. Its lights sweeping the forest. Sophisticated equipment searching for the remaining fighters. Soon those lights would bathe the rock face. They would be seen and then there would be no escape.
He peered over the edge at his father. He almost made it. He had to make it. “Come on, father. They’re on top of us,” pleaded Jon.
His father growled in response and miraculously pushed himself to move even faster. When his hands reached the ledge, Jon and Jason both reached down and heaved his body the rest of the way onto the ledge.
One of the lights swung up and stopped, lighting the four men up.
Chapter 17
“Go!” shouted his father.
The four scrambled as one into the darkness of the cave. First diving, then clawing, grasping, pushing as deep as possible into the cramped cavity. The ship fired. The men fell. Down a hidden chute they crashed, falling over one another as the Chaanisar pounded the entrance above. The cave shuddered, threatening to collapse on top of them. Rocks joined them in their descent, and above was a terrible crash. Their fall came to an end, piling the men up in a tangle of limbs and stone. The firing stopped. All around was darkness.
“Jon,” called his father. “Are you ok?”
“I think so,” said Jon. His body hurt all over, but he didn’t think he broke anything. He pushed someone off of him, not sure if it was Jason or Michael, and sat up.
“Jason? Michael? You two in one piece?” asked his father.
“I’m ok,” said Michael.
“I think I broke my nose,” said Jason.
“Don’t worry, it’s probably an improvement,” said Michael.
A fist smacked against flesh.
“Ow,” Michael cried. “I was just joking.”
“So was I,” said Jason.
“Ok, cut it out,” said his father. “From the sound of that crash I think they caused a cave in. Lucky we fell when we did.”
“It didn’t feel lucky,” said Jon, rubbing the goose eggs forming on his scalp. “What do we do now?”
“We can’t just sit here, that’s for damn sure,” said his father, turning on his flash light. He shone it around them at the walls. They had fallen into some kind of pocket. There were two separate openings on the far side. He brought the light back to illuminate
the group. “Do any of you know these caves?”
Jon and his cousins shook their heads.
His father grunted. “Neither do I.”
“Damn,” said Jon. “What do we do?”
“Pick one,” said his father, pointing to the two tunnels up ahead.
Jon looked over at the tight openings and cringed. “Do I have to?”
“Do you want to die in here?”
“No.”
“Then pick one.”
Jon took a deep breath. “Oxygen,” he said. “How much oxygen do we have?”
“I don’t know,” his father said slowly. “We should be ok. These caves exit on the other side of the mountain. We’re not sealed in. There’ll be enough oxygen. Now stop stalling and pick one.
“Okay. The one on the right, I guess.”
“The one on the right it is. Do you have your flashlight?”
“Yeah, it’s right here.”
“Good. You’ve got lead.”
Jon’s jaw dropped.
“Is there a problem, son?”
He was testing him. Again. Of all the times to choose. He looked back at the opening, feeling claustrophobic. Wanting desperately to say no. “There’s no problem,” Jon said, swallowing hard. “Let’s get going.”
His father gave an approving smile. Jon wondered if his grandfather had pushed his father as hard when he was Jon’s age. Who am I kidding? he thought. Grandfather probably pushed him harder.
Jon pulled out his small, tactical flashlight and crawled over to the ominous looking tunnel. He shone a light inside to see what he was getting into. Dirt covered the ground and rocks protruded out from the walls at odd angles. It seemed doable. At least from this end.
“You going to stare at it all day, cousin?” said Jason, lining up behind him.
“I’m going.” He put the flashlight in his mouth and entered the tunnel on his hands and knees. There was plenty of room for him. He had at least a foot clearance on all sides. The ground was mostly dirt, but he became aware of the stone underneath every time his knee landed on a hard protrusion. The tunnel snaked off and he could only see a few meters ahead before it turned again.