Chains of Destiny (Episode #2: The Pax Humana Saga)
Page 35
“Sir?”
Trajan stood up, and paced to the center of the bridge, staring up at the glimmering red giant star on the viewscreen.
“I’ve just received word, Captain. Several months ago, I dispatched a warship to the Titanis Sector, containing the Empire’s most highly trained and effective special operations teams. And they’ve finally reported back.”
The Admiral paused, as if drawing out whatever tidbit of information he had for maximum suspense. And frankly, Titus was tired of it.
“Yes?” The Captain nodded, tiredly. And yet he couldn’t help the tingling on his neck hairs as he regarded the Admiral’s posture. Clearly the man was excited—as excited as Trajan ever got. The news must be huge indeed.
Trajan turned to face him. “They’ve succeeded in their mission, Captain.” The Admiral closed his eye, and turned back to the screen, looking down, as if in quiet triumph. “This was the final piece, Captain. Now, The Plan can commence in earnest.”
“But sir, what about Mercer? What about the Phoenix? And the Heron? We haven’t even found that—“
Trajan held up a hand. “Patience, Captain. Those two ships are not my concern at the moment. The Phoenix is now a heap of spare parts, and the Heron was in just as bad shape when it disappeared. All that matters now is The Plan. And survival for the Empire.”
***
It was late, and Jake needed sleep. Doc Nichols had insisted—after the required scolding, of course. The doctor had reiterated, once again, his diminishing trust in the Captain, especially now that he’d reported back with one less man than he’d left with.
He looked up from his command console. Good. Po had finally left. Presumably to sleep as well. He supposed that would be the first time she’d slept in days.
Standing, and making for the rear of the bridge, he called out to tactical. “Ayala, you have the bridge.”
The white-haired young woman nodded curtly at him. “Yes, Captain. And blessings as you sleep.” She flashed a knowing smile.
“Thank you, Ensign. If you see any Imperial cruisers while I’m out, just blow the shit out of them, ok?”
She winked. “Got it.”
The hallway was deserted. Debris still littered the floor, but at least it had been pushed to the wall. He limped. His sprained ankle, the one he’d injured in his ill-advised stunt jumping over that ravine in San Bernardino just weeks ago, still had not fully healed. He shook his head at the unreality of the situation. That was less than a month ago, and yet it felt like a lifetime.
“Captain Mercer? This is Ensign Falstaff on the bridge, sir.”
He approached a wall panel and touched the comm button. “Go ahead, Ensign.”
“Sir, we’ve just received a gravitic pod. Origin unknown. But it’s marked for your eyes only.”
He raised his eyebrows. Who in the world would be contacting them? How on Earth did anyone even know they were there?
“Thank you, Ensign. I’ll take it in my ready room.”
He paced down the hall and entered the room—he’d hardly used it since taking command. Po had used it more.
And it was meant for Ben.
He shook his head of the thought, and sat down in the chair. A section of the screen flashed red.
Priority One Message.
He tapped the screen, and entered his command authorization code. Shortly, the flashing notification disappeared, replaced by the message itself. He shook his head and blinked, at first thinking he was misunderstanding. Or dreaming.
It couldn’t be.
It was true.
This changed everything.
He checked the sender information, and just as Ensign Falstaff had said, it was blank. Every source metadata field was meticulously erased. He checked the gravitic signature recording—perhaps they could triangulate its source. But that, too, had been scrambled. The sender had overlapped a noise filter on the gravitic wave that carried the pod, removing all information about its origin.
Damn peculiar.
He read the message one more time, just to be sure he’d not misunderstood, and then bolted out the door. He repeated it over and over again in his mind as he raced for the bridge:
Admiral Pritchard found.
Titanis Sector.
Imperial custody.
***
The story continues in
Into the Void (EPISODE #3)
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Other books by Nick Webb
THE PAX HUMANA SAGA
Episode 1: The Terran Gambit
Episode 2: Chains of Destiny
Episode 3: Into the Void
THE LEGACY FLEET TRILOGY
Book 1: Constitution
Book 2: Warrior
Book 3: Victory
THE ROHVIM CHRONICLES
Book 1: Metal and Flesh
Book 2: Water and Blood
MASKS OF TERREMAR
Book 1: The Maskmaker’s Apprentice
SHORT STORY CONTRIBUTIONS
The Robot Chronicles
The Telepath Chronicles
The Galaxy Chronicles
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