The Exxar Chronicles: Book 01 - The Erayan

by Neal Jones

  ( 6 )

  "Brantar?" Sergeant Olmos prodded Varis' shoulder. "Brantar, wake up. We're within scanning range of the coordinates you specified."

  The Ralorian stirred, blinking, and then sat up quickly as her brain registered Olmos' words. When she glanced at the chrono on the far wall, Varis cursed to herself for sleeping for so long. She had meant to be awake an hour ago. "Thank you, sergeant. Give me a minute."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Olmos left the cabin, and Varis scrubbed a hand over her face and through her hair. She reached for her uniform jacket and slipped it on, taking a few moments to review the events of the last few days. The Ares' trip since crossing the border almost two days ago had been quiet and uneventful, a fact that Varis found expected, yet surprising. She was sure that Jha'Drok stealth technology was superior to that of the Federation's, especially if what had been discovered in the makeup of the Haal'Chai raider was any indication. The Ares had passed within sensor range of more than one Jha'Drok warship, yet none had diverted course. And now, Varis and her crew were about to enter a star system on the far side of the Jha'Drok Emperium, and the brantar was eager to see what would appear on the tactical screen once Ritano initiated a scan.

  Varis entered the flight deck and walked quickly to her station next to Weber.

  The navigator glanced up as she sat down. "We're holding position at two hundred kilometers, per your orders."

  "Thank you, lieutenant. I assume you've already initiated a scan, Mister Ritano?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Defense perimeter is same as the border, a type two tachyon grid. There's a border drone bearing two-seven-seven-mark-four-one."

  "Alter course," Varis ordered Weber. "We're going to use the same code," she said to Ritano.

  Both officers obeyed, and Olmos kept his gaze riveted to his engineering screen. One glitch in the SIC or a sudden imbalance in their stardrive emissions would give away their position, and they were too deep into enemy territory to get out alive.

  "I don't believe it," Ritano laughed. "It worked. There's an opening in the net."

  "Thank the gods," Weber murmured.

  Varis agreed with the sentiment but said simply, "Ahead full thrusters, lieutenant. Disengage cloaking shield."

  As before, everyone remained silent, not quite holding their collective breath but not daring to break the silence either. The Ares sailed through the opening in the grid, and Ritano didn't need to be ordered to reactivate the cloaking shield. Nor did Weber need to be told to maintain course and speed until they were out of sensor range of the drone.

  Jeff's console beeped, and he pulled up a readout. "I've got something on long range scanners." He frowned, then his eyes widened. "Correction. Make that a whole lot of somethings." He expanded the range of the sensor field, pulled up two more readouts, and then gasped. "My gods! Mister Weber, set a course for coordinates three-three-seven-mark-two-six!"

  Varis tapped a command into her panel to upload Ritano's data to her own console. Her expression reflected the tac officer's. Hundreds of stardrive signatures were appearing across the sensor field, multiple jeweled dots collected like candy in a dish; a dish that was several million kilometers across and deep.

  "Mister Weber, increase speed to full thrusters." Varis' gaze digested the telemetry that accompanied the data, and she nodded smugly. "Those signatures match the Haal'Chai raiders."

  "How many are there?" Olmos asked.

  "The data's still coming in," Jeff answered. "The computer's not finished counting. We're up to nine hundred ... now past the thousand mark ... now eleven hundred - "

  "We're in visual range," Weber interrupted.

  All eyes snapped to the forward viewport, and the four officers could only stare in utter astonishment at the awesome sight that stretched before them. Massive, sprawling shipyards orbited one another, and connected to their lengthy docking arms were hundreds upon hundreds of warships.

  "Take us in closer to the nearest station," Varis told Weber. "Bring us around for a full pass."

  "Aye, ma'am," the navigator murmured as he obeyed.

  "All of those ships are the standard battle carrier design," Ritano said, glancing over another readout.

  "Not all of them," Varis corrected. She pointed to a large, triangular shaped vessel that was orbiting the dockyard at a short distance. "I've never seen that design before."

  Ritano focused his sensors on it, and then pored over the ensuing readout. "From this, I'd say it's a medical frigate or a SAR vessel. There's dozens of docking doors along its outer rim."

  "On this station alone, there's fifty warships," Olmos said.

  "The computer stopped counting at one thousand, one hundred and twenty-six," Ritano replied. "The rest of the ships and fleet yards are out of range."

  Varis nodded. "Let's get a complete count then. Mister Weber, back us out and let's do a full pass around the perimeter of this fleet."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  ( 7 )

  Since the Ares was making a pass around the perimeter, her crew wasn’t able to see the large, spherical operations hub that sat at the center of the Scorpion shipyards. The giant station served as the brain of the computer network that linked all the docking stations and the warships berthed in them. A crew of almost three thousand manned the hub, and it was the size of a small moon. But because of the height and depth of the dockyards surrounding it, one would completely miss the hub unless one navigated to the core of the sprawling, technical mess.

  Which was exactly what Senator Nejra's personal shuttle was doing right now. Jolan was making an unscheduled visit to the shipyards, and he'd been careful to keep it entirely off the records. No one knew he was coming, not even Third Lovar D'raal, the shipyard commander. While First Lovar Prakra was tasked with commanding the actual invasion force, D'raal was in charge of making sure that it was ready on time and under budget. He had succeeded on only one count, but the Imperial Senate had seen no problem with raising taxes to bring in more money to satisfy the continual budget revisions. Most of those revisions wouldn't have been necessary in the first place had the Drigald decided not to blow up the southern quarter of the shipyards. The loss of two-hundred-and-forty ships and almost nine thousand personnel had created a significant crisis for the project's budget.

  Jolan had decided that he would use this as his cover story. He would tell D'raal that he was here to inspect the southern quarter, and that he would make the inspection as painless as possible. He didn't want to be in the third lovar's way, and as soon as he was satisfied that everything was back on schedule, he would be gone. Jolan's last name was enough to make any common citizen – much less a military officer – bow and scrape at his feet, and if he told D'raal that this unscheduled "tour" was to remain confidential and off the records, then the commander would obey without question. The fact that Jolan was a senior member of the senate - let alone one of the Sholm'Ryy - only cemented his power further, and if he were to tell D'raal to throw himself out the nearest airlock, the Third Lovar would obey that, too, without question.

  That was the most comforting yet deeply disturbing aspect of Jolan's plan. He was certain that he could get away with what he was about to do, but it meant exterminating the lives of thousands upon thousands of Jha'Drok soldiers and civilian slaves from the member worlds of the Emperium. No one among the senior ranks would question his sudden and unexpected presence this close to the launch date, and by this time tomorrow, this entire star system would be one giant debris field. The act of terrorism would be immediately placed at the feet of the Drigald, and Jolan would be long gone from the Emperium's territories. The senator closed his eyes and forced the faces of the dead from his mind as his shuttle's crew performed the standard system checks prior to docking with the hub.

  Because of the heightened security protocols surrounding the shipyards since the last terrorist attack, Jolan's crew had been forced to reveal the identity of their passenger, as well as transmit the latest pass codes. Everything checked out, and
the ship was permitted to dock, but now the station's crew was alerted to Jolan's presence, and until Third Lovar D'raal made it down to docking port seven, an anxious third krin would be the one to greet Jolan at the airlock. As it turned out, however, First Krin Rhosk was the one standing on the other side of the airlock doors, and he saluted crisply as Jolan crossed the threshold.

  "Senator Nejra, this is a welcome surprise."

  "Yes, of course it is," Jolan replied as he returned the salute. "You made it down here in record time, first krin. My compliments to you." He began walking to the PTL.

  "Actually, sir, I was already in this section when the docking commander contacted me. If we had known in advance that you were coming, Third Lovar D'raal would have been here with a proper honor guard to welcome you aboard."

  "But then it wouldn't be a surprise inspection, would it?" A smile played around the edges of Nejra's mouth as he stepped briskly into the PTL. "Central engineering," he told the computer.

  Rhosk coughed, struggling to hide his surprise at the destination command. He was also fighting to hide his confusion and embarrassment at needing to be told the obvious, and he couldn't think of anything else to say.

  "Relax, first krin. I have been satisfied with the operational updates of the shipyards and the project as a whole. I was already in this sector on other business and decided to drop by for an impromptu look at the fleet, especially the southern quarter."

  "Yes, of course, sir."

  The senator offered no further conversation and First Krin Rhosk was too nervous to think of something to add, so he clasped his hands behind his back and fixed his gaze on the display screen. The ride was blessedly short, and just before the doors opened, Jolan turned to Rhosk.

  "First krin, you may return to your task. I won't need your assistance on this tour."

  "Yes, senator."

  Jolan stepped into the corridor and the doors closed behind him. He walked quickly to central engineering, where his presence was immediately made known to Third Krin Denon, the operations master. The engineer was just as flustered as Rhosk, but he had enough experience and professionalism to hide most of his discomfort as he greeted the senator.

  "Third krin, I would like to see the latest technical reports from our war group in the southern quarter."

  If he was confused by the odd request, Denon didn't show it. Instead he replied, "Of course, senator. It will take me a few minutes to download them. If you'll follow me to my office..."

  Jolan nodded and fell in step beside the young officer. Around them, the operations crew busied themselves at their respective posts, casting furtive glances at the senator as he passed. Once they were in the privacy of Denon's office, and after operations master had pulled up the reports on his terminal, Jolan said, "Thank you, third krin. You are dismissed."

  Denon saluted and left the room. Jolan inputted a locking code into the door's com panel and then sat behind the desk. From a pocket inside the left breast of his jacket he took out a data crystal and inserted it into the slot on the terminal's keypad. The senator swallowed, quelling his anxiety as he punched in an access code, then initiated an upload command. The single program on the disc stored itself on the terminal's hard drive in only a few minutes.

  Now was the hard part. In order for his plan to succeed, Jolan needed to access the operational network mainframe that linked the entire fleet. During his younger years he had displayed an amazing aptitude for computer science and engineering. Despite his father's objections, Jolan continued to nurse his interest in private while earning his political degree at L'loun Omeress. As he prepared himself to take over this project, Jolan immersed himself in the technical aspects, learning all he could about the alien technology and its applied uses in the new fleet. Now, he was going to put that vast body of knowledge to the test, uploading a deadly virus to the network mainframe. From there, it would copy itself and download to the mainframe of every vessel in the fleet. This is what he needed two days to prepare for, and he was certain that it wouldn't be discovered before the ships were launched. Most of them were already operational and had passed their shakedown cruises with high marks. The fleet in the southern quarter would be left behind as a reserve force, and it was the one that Koden had spoken of to the senate.

  Jolan extracted the data crystal and returned it to its hiding place in his coat and then remained several minutes more. He reviewed the reports that he had requested Denon to show him, and after a reasonable amount of time had passed he decided to finish his tour and return to homeworld. His private ship was fueled and its crew was waiting to take him away from the Emperium. As he walked out of the office and left central engineering, Jolan frowned to himself as he considered the next step of his plan. He hadn't yet decided where to go once he was outside the Emperium borders. He wanted a place where he could live in secret, isolated from all inhabited star systems and empires; some place far from here where he and Annaias could start a family. Thanks to modern medical science, both of them were still young enough, despite their actual age, and Annaias would never say as much but she had always resented her husband for not setting aside the time to start a family. Jolan had not told her any of this yet. He was waiting until they were off homeworld and well underway. But he needed to select a destination soon, and as he stepped onto the hub's command deck he made a mental note to access the Emperium's library database during the trip back to homeworld.

  Third Lovar D'raal was a thick, stout man whose body always reminded Jolan of a professional athlete's. That, combined with his tall stature, made most people feel instantly intimidated by him, no matter their rank, and Jolan was no exception. But he was pleased, as always, by that look which flashed through D'raal's eyes as he watched the senator approach him. It was a combination of fear and respect, and the third lovar immediately came to attention and saluted. Jolan returned the gesture and then faced the other man who was standing to D'raal's left.

  Sul Thraun was the Talik'Jhor representative assigned to the shipyards. Like all the other civilian agents of this particular arm of the Emperium's government, he had that practiced, calm veneer about him that always made one instantly more suspicious and nervous in his presence, even if one had nothing to hide. He was the primary reason that Jolan had kept his visit here a secret, and he tried to take comfort in the fact that the Talik'Jhor answered only to the Imperial Senate and the lord emperor, which meant that Jolan was technically Thraun's superior. Still, it took him a moment to compose himself as he addressed the agent.

  "Sul. Good to see you again, as always."

  "You as well, senator."

  Jolan turned to D'raal. "Third lovar, I would like to speak with you in private. I promise I won't take much of your time. Sul, please join us also."

  The senator could just as easily have left Thraun out of the conference without arousing suspicion, but it was better to err on the side of caution when one was dealing with the Talik'Jhor. The trio entered D'raal's office, leaving the rest of the officers on the command deck to exchange silent yet nervous glances amongst themselves while trying to appear busy.

  ( 8 )

  "That's it," Lieutenant Weber stated. "Pass complete."

  "Hold position," Varis ordered, then turned to Ritano. "Final count?"

  "Two thousand, two hundred and seventeen."

  "Jesus Christ," Olmos murmured.

  "And the fact that they're all gathered in one place is not at all suspicious or portentous," Weber added dryly.

  J'Soran brought up a holo-display of the shipyards on her console's imager and then stared at it thoughtfully for several moments. For the practical purposes of data analysis, the computer had split the shipyards into four quadrants.

  Ritano got out of his seat and stood behind her right shoulder. "These ships here," he said, pointing. "They're not docked, and the bioscans suggest they're fully crewed."

  "Whereas the ones in this quadrant here-" Weber thrust his own finger into the display "-are barely operational, and ther
e's almost no crews aboard them."

  Varis nodded. "That's the only quadrant whose ships appear in that condition. The rest of them appear ready to ..." She pursed her lips as she trailed off.

  "Ready to fight," Sergeant Olmos finished. He, too, had risen from his seat and was staring at the holo-image from over Varis' left shoulder.

  "I'd say that's a fair assessment," Ritano agreed. "Why else would you amass a fleet of this size? Especially in light of what we now know about the Chrisarii and the Haal'Chai?"

  "It makes sense," Varis murmured. "The Haal'Chai serve as a nice diversion, keeping the Federation's gaze fixed on that sector while the Jha'Drok pull together their new armada and then launch it en masse in multiple surprise attacks. That explains the mining incident in the Emr sector four months ago."

  "Wait a minute," Weber said. "What are we talking about here? An invasion?"

  "Of course," Ritano replied with a slightly irritated tone.

  "We need to get back to Exxar-One ASAP," Olmos said.

  "As much as I'd like to stay and gather more data, I'm afraid you're correct," Varis said as she shut off the holo-imager. "Mister Weber, take us away from here at maximum thrusters. We're going to follow the same course out that we came in on."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  Ritano and Olmos returned to their stations and buckled themselves in. The silence on the flight deck wasn't broken until the Ares was well outside the system's tachyon net.

  ( 9 )

  Jolan sighed with relief as he sat at his desk in his private cabin aboard the battle carrier Etath't. It had held position outside the shipyards during his tour, and it was now en route to homeworld. Jolan had left strict orders with his steward that he wasn't to be disturbed. He sipped his mug of tea as he accessed the Emperium's library database and searched for a suitable destination for himself and Annaias. But after several minutes of fruitless labor, the senator shut off his terminal and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. While he had succeeded in planting the virus, only time would tell if the overall mission was a success.