by Neal Jones
Saveck slapped his commlink. "Saveck to Criswell!"
"Go ahead, major!"
"I need a site-to-site transport to the station's ER now!"
"One second ..."
It seemed more like a minute - or five - before the field appeared next to the chair. Saveck, Hiller and Ranoss lifted Gabriel and carried him across the threshold while a startled pair of nurses looked on. Doctor Eppler appeared from somewhere, took only a moment to assess the situation and started barking orders.
( 16 )
Major Ri'Lmor and Lieutenant Shadric were crawling through an access junction on deck seventeen when main power came back on line. The major was leading the way, and he stopped to check his scanner's readout.
"Central engineering is still clear." He finished crawling to the exit hatch and opened it.
The pair of officers dropped into a corner of the central engineering deck, and eleven soldiers were waiting for them. Lieutenant Major Norith, Tl'Keth's chief of operations, stepped forward and saluted the Major.
"Report," Ri'Lmor ordered.
"All main systems appear to be on line, but we are completely locked out." She motioned to the console interfaces. "The computer is asking for a decryption key."
Lieutenant Shadric marched to the nearest station to confirm Norith's report. He was right. As soon as a hand was placed on the interface, a dialogue window appeared and requested an access code. The tactical officer slammed his fist against the console in frustration, while the major pondered this new development.
"They must have rerouted all computer control to a central location. All we have to do is find their bio-signs and direct our assault on that location."
"We already tried that," the operations chief replied. She motioned to a portable tac monitor that had been set up next to the primary console. "They're masking their bio-signs. All we are detecting are Chrisarii signatures."
"They might have left the ship," Shadric suggested.
Ri'Lmor shook his head. "No. They're still here. They're going to use the Tl'Keth to attack the other ships in the fleet." He realized there was only one option left. He looked at Norith. "Lieutenant Major, is there a cache of plasma grenades stored on this deck?"
The engineer nodded.
( 17 )
"The virus worked on the other ships!" Criswell crowed, grinning. "All main systems are off line."
"Good," Lieutenant Ccert replied. "Fire at will."
"Target one in position now. Send the signal to Commander Scoletti."
The Tl'Keth slowly pivoted to her right, turning her main batteries on her sister dreadnought, the Km'Mec. The forward disruptor ports lit up like miniature novas, and the Km'Mec was pummeled with a level ten force rating. The deadly beams of phased energy carved up the massive warship as if it were no more than paper origami. Bulkheads shattered, conduits ruptured, plasma lines blew, and the dying crew was belched into space along with the ship's atmosphere. The stardrive core was the last to go, and, for a few moments, its fiery bloom illuminated the floating dead and the chunks of debris like dandelion seeds in morning sunlight, and then all was silent.
The Tl'Keth pivoted to her left, locking her targeting scanners on a destroyer.
( 18 )
Inside Exxar-One's primary AGC hangar, the firepower of two dozen hornets blasted the launch doors, obliterating them in a matter of seconds. The stingers weren't normally launched from a hangar, but because main power was off line, this was the only option. Three squadrons was all that would fit in here, and their pilots expertly navigated their ships into space without colliding with one another or igniting each other with their exhaust wake.
It was like shooting starfish in a galactic barrel. The Haal'Chai fleet was utterly defenseless, and the Federation pilots trained their targeting scanners on the stardrive sections. One by one, the scout ships, frigates, destroyers, and the remaining dreadnought were blasted to pieces. After twenty minutes, all that remained was the Tl'Keth.
( 19 )
"That's it!" Criswell crowed again. "They're all destroyed."
"Excellent work, petty officer." Lieutenant Ccert clapped her on the shoulder. "Set the auto destruct sequence and activate the cardon field." She tapped her commlink. "Ccert to Major Saveck." It took a moment for the major to answer. "Sir, our phase of the plan is a success. We're transporting back to Exxar-One."
"Good work. Tell Criswell to activate the field at my position."
"Aye, sir."
She glanced at Criswell and the PO was nodding. "Done. And done. I don't have the authorization codes to set an auto destruct sequence, but I was able to override the failsafes on the reactor core. She'll breach in about one min-"
A distant roar rocked the decksole, and the dissonant chorus of a dozen alarms blared from Criswell's terminal. It took her only a moment to discern what had happened.
"Oops. We have to get out of here now! The core just breached!"
The sixteen officers charged across the threshold of the cardon field, and they made it through barely in time. The field fizzled, popped, and then vanished as the weapons room was suddenly engulfed in fire.
The Tl'Keth split in two like a severed body, and her stardrive section was quickly engulfed by the chain reaction that was started by the core's destruction. The forward hull, however, remained intact until it collided with the primary hull of Exxar-One. Compared to the behemoth size of the station, the explosion was minimal, a small blossom of orange and crimson against a backdrop of steel gray that died almost as soon as it was born.
( 20 )
The twenty-two Federation officers that had been taken prisoner from the command deck were now grouped in the ER.
"Is everyone still armed?" Saveck asked.
A chorus of "Yes sir's!" answered him.
Commander Hiller walked over to a small locker next to the admin station. He traded his Chrisarii scanner for an EarthCorps one and activated it. "There's a small arms locker on deck fifty-three. We should stock up."
"And then what?" Lieutenant Greene asked. "There has to be at least four thousand Haal'Chai on the station."
"And most of them probably aren't aware of the fleet's destruction," Criswell chimed in.
Saveck glanced around the ER, noting the expressions of the doctors and nurses who were watching the exchange. They were relieved at the good news, but there was still fear in some of their eyes. The battle was far from over, and there was no way to restore main power. If that had been possible, Saveck could have transmitted a public message, warning the Haal'Chai that unless they surrendered, they would suffer the same fate as their fleet. If main systems were on line, it would be a simple matter to mass transport infantry to the various sections under enemy control.
But none of that was an option at the moment.
It was time to come up with a new plan, and Saveck was forced to admit to himself that he was out of ideas.
But then he remembered the DrayH'M battle group that was conducting training exercises in the Karravac system. And what was it that Commander Hiller had suggested after Saveck had brought up that fact? "The Challenger," he murmured.
"What was that, sir?" Greene asked.
Saveck faced his crew. "Commodore Gabriel ordered a security team to the Challenger just after the Haal'Chai fleet arrived. It was before he and I came up with the plan to destroy the fleet."
"And he never rescinded that order?" Hiller replied.
"No, not I'm aware of. The Challenger is in shuttledock one."
"So we get a message to them and they get to the DrayH'M," Ranoss finished. "The stingers are still out there, right?"
"But how do we get a message to them?" Hiller replied.
"We could modify a portable comm array," Criswell suggested. "In fact, if we had enough of them we could set up a network throughout the station that would enable us to lead a coordinated assault against the Haal'Chai."
"Why wasn't such a network set up before?" Lieutenant Ccert wondered.
; "Because there wasn't time," Saveck replied. "And that may be a problem now as well, especially if the Haal'Chai are aware of their fleet's destruction."
"All we need is an hour, at most," Hiller interjected. "That's more than enough time for the Challenger to get to the Karravac system and for the DrayH'M to get back here. That fleet has what - ten, fifteen - ships? At least?"
Saveck nodded. "You're right." He turned to Criswell. "Set up your array. Send a message to the closest hornet as soon as you're able."
"Aye, sir. Lieutenant Greene, will you assist me?"
While the pair disappeared down a side corridor, Saveck turned to the closest nurse. "What's the commodore's condition?"
She pulled a compad from her pocket and inputted a command. "No update yet. Doctor Rosenberg and Doctor Eppler are operating on him now."
The major sighed, and he suddenly realized how exhausted he was. "Everyone take a seat. Get some rest now while you can. Nurse, please distribute ration packs."
"Aye, sir."
Saveck headed for the closest treatment bay. All he wanted was a few minutes to lie down and re-assess the situation. He hoped that the solution was as simple as getting a message to the DrayH'M fleet, but if it wasn't, he was out of ideas. The Haal'Chai were outnumbered but they wouldn't go down without a fight.
( 21 )
Va-Krael Ra'Dvor was the commanding officer of the security team that had been assigned to the Challenger. With him on the flight deck were a pair of EarthCorps officers. Ensign Irwin was at tactical and Lieutenant McFadden at communications. Ra'Dvor had been told by Gabriel to stay put, even after the new plan was put into effect. Thus far, no Haal'Chai had attacked shuttledock one, and the three crewmen had spent the last three hours playing poker, but once the Challenger's external sensors had registered the destruction of the enemy fleet, they had abandoned the card game to re-assess the situation. Something beeped on Irwin's panel and he pressed a key.
"We have an incoming transmission. It's from one of our hornets. Audio only."
"Put it on, lieutenant," the va-krael replied.
"This is Lieutenant Shapiro. Do you read me?"
"Loud and clear, lieutenant. This is Va-Krael Ra'Dvor. What's the situation out there?"
"Stable for now. Major Saveck wants you to launch your ship and get to the Karravac system ASAP. The sooner that DrayH'M fleet gets back here, the sooner we can retake command of the station."
"Understood, lieutenant. There's just one problem. We don't have a way to open the launch doors with main power off line."
"We're already on it. Stand by."
"Wait a minute..." Irwin brought up a tactical readout and gasped. "They can't be serious!"
But Ra'Dvor was already way ahead of him, and he'd started strapping himself into his seat. Lieutenant McFadden was doing the same. All eyes turned to the forward viewport, as the launch doors suddenly vanished in a fiery storm that sent a shudder through the decksole, but quickly dissipated as soon as the bay was depressurized. Where the massive doors had once stood was now a gaping hole, just large enough for the Challenger to safely fly out of.
"You're good to go, Va-Krael."
"Thank you, lieutenant. Challenger out."
Ra'Dvor guided the ship into space and waited until they were clear of the debris field before setting a course for the Karravac system.
( 22 )
Sil-Ronlek Jihal stood on the bridge of the DrayH'M battle cruiser Rett Kolsha, watching intently the tactical display that dominated the right half of the forward viewscreen. His ruse was about to pay off, and the commander of the Kolsha had no idea what was about to hit him. Jihal shook his head as he watched the war game play out its final act, wondering why Mi'Sharn had never suspected the deception. This particular trick wasn't the "oldest in the book", as the human expression went, but it wasn't new either. She should have seen this coming and should have moved her destroyers into position to compensate.
Ah well, Jihal mused to himself. He's as inexperienced as I was when I was in his position, and he's smart enough to learn from his mistakes and not take a loss like this personal.
"The battle's over, sir!" Krael Gezri, Jihal's tactical officer was practically crowing, and the sil-ronlek smiled. "Stand down from condition one and end the simulation. Recall the fleet and tell the commanders we'll brief in one hour. My briefing room."
"Yes, sir." Kelolt, the Kolsha's comm officer, relayed the message to the rest of the fleet.
Krael Gezri frowned as his panel beeped and a readout appeared. "Sir, an EarthCorps ship has just dropped out of stardrive. It's the Challenger, sir. They're hailing us."
"Activate the holo-comm."
Va-Krael Ra'Dvor appeared and he saluted Jihal as he greeted the senior officer. The sil-ronlek returned the salute and the greeting.
"Sir," Ra'Dvor said, "I've been asked to bring your fleet back to Exxar-One. A Chrisarii battle group attacked Exxar-One. Apparently its crew is in the service of the Haal'Chai. The fleet has been destroyed, but there's still several thousand enemy soldiers on the station, and without main power and with all but emergency systems off line, we have no way of regaining control of the station without your help."
Jihal nodded, keeping his expression calm but inwardly he was stunned. Small groups of raiders was one thing, but an entire battle group was another, and an assault of that magnitude was a blatant act of war. "Prepare to bring your ship aboard mine, va-krael. It will take me only a few minutes to gather my fleet and set a course."
"Yes, sir. Challenger out."
Jihal turned to Kelolt. "Belay my last order and send a copy of that transmission to the rest of the fleet. Set condition one. All hands to battle stations. Set stardrive countdown for five minutes. That should be more than enough time for all ships to rendezvous and fall into formation."
His crew obeyed with the smooth precision of military discipline, and the fleet was in formation and ready for the jump to stardrive two minutes ahead of schedule.
Chapter 27
____________________
( 1 )
The second battle at Exxar-One was over almost as soon as it began. Because the Haal'Chai had deactivated the EW drones in those sections that they captured from the Federation crew, the DrayH'M infantry was able to transport directly into those sections and take the enemy by complete surprise. Unfortunately, of the four thousand and five hundred twenty-six Haal'Chai soldiers who had stormed the station corridors at the beginning of the assault, only two hundred seventeen were captured alive at the end of the DrayH'M counterassault. And only fifty-seven more fatalities had been suffered by Exxar-One's crew.
The entire ordeal - from the moment the Haal'Chai fleet de-cloaked to the moment when Saveck received Sil-Ronlek Jihal's after action report in the ER - had lasted only six hours, but for many of the station's crew and civilian population, it felt like six years had passed.
As Saveck wearily sank into the closest chair, as he listened to the relieved - yet tense - babble of the officers around him, all he could think about was the Pak'Lar dagger in his quarters and wonder if it was too late to sneak away to complete the suicide ritual. He had missed his opportunity to die at the hand of the enemy's sword, and all he wanted was go to sleep and never wake up.
( 2 )
Lord Emperor Erengaar Valayne closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The frustration and fury that had preoccupied his thoughts and soured his mood for the last three days was gone. The ancient crown that now rested on his brow was a talisman, a source of great strength and power. Erengaar could feel it as if it were a physical force; a living, breathing entity that flowed through him, and nothing could stand in his way as long as he was filled with its spirit. Emkai was dead. His throne and his dominion rested solely in the hands of his son now, and Erengaar was certain that what he was about to do would only further cement his authority and his control over the Emperium. No one would dare defy him after today.
The computer-generated chime above the massive, ornatel
y carved double doors rang softly, and a pair of uniformed guards opened them. Erengaar entered the chamber of the Imperial Senate, and the governing body of the Jha'Drok Emperium rose as one and bowed their heads in reverence. The lord emperor ascended to his throne and all remained standing as Father Intercessor E'vora walked to the dais in the center of the marble floor to offer up the opening prayer. But while the ninety-eight senators kept their heads bowed and closed their eyes, Erengaar refused to do either. The prayer was short and to the point, and the lord emperor motioned for all to be seated.
Erengaar descended to the dais that E'vora had just vacated, and the senate waited quietly and patiently for him to speak. All of them knew why this emergency session had been convened, but while they had been made aware of the destruction of the assault fleet and the shipyards, none of them were aware of the details. They knew nothing of Senator Koden's incarceration, nor that of his wife's. For the last three days - and just before Erengaar walked into the chamber for this session - many of the senators engaged in whispered rumors, wondering not only about Koden's absence but Jolan Nejra's disappearance as well. Now, as they watched their lord emperor, they hoped they were finally going to get answers.
"Citizen senators," Erengaar began, using a formal title of address that his father had considered too quaint to bother with, "I stand before you today to expose a corruption that has infiltrated this body. There are traitors among us, deceivers who have dared to defy my father's will and my will for the Emperium!" He paused for only a moment, long enough to catch his breath before thundering ahead with fire and fervor. "The disease that ravaged my father's life for these past several years was inflicted upon him by two members of this senate! Those same traitors conspired with the Drigald to sabotage our fleet, and thus prevent the conquering of our enemies! Because of them, the Interstellar Federation may have already learned of our plans, and now they have time to build a defense against us!" He turned and motioned to a pair of guards who were standing near one of the side entrances to the chamber.