“Couldn’t have done better.” Treena closed her eyes as Constantine entered the wormhole.
Sixteen
Ina immediately knew something was wrong. The ship, Savior, had lowered toward the neighboring planet of the world she’d inhabited her entire life. When Adept Feerez showed her the screen with images from outside the vessel, her heart skipped a beat. The ships were huge, arms protruding at all angles. But what really caught her off guard was the sheer number of them.
She tried to count but lost track after around thirty. “Where are we?”
Adept Feerez stood proudly, his cloak draping over his shoulders. “We are at our birthplace,” he said.
“Where did I live?” she asked.
“At the traitors’ world.”
“The Concord?” She was confused.
“No. Centuries ago, our cousins lived below ground there. We didn’t share a vision, so we disposed of them when they caused trouble.” He said this with detached emotion, his expression unwavering.
If they’d kill their own cousins so easily, what did that say for her people? Her mother’s words rang through her mind. This isn’t our way. You’re human, Ina. Your grandfather was from Earon, a lieutenant in the War, the same War that ended with him captured. We are slaves. Don’t forget it. Never forget.
It was one of the last things she’d heard from the woman, and true to her word, she never did forget it. “What do you want me to do?”
“Things have escalated. They will be here soon.”
“Here?” Ina looked around, as if expecting trouble to storm through the corridors.
“No, my girl. Not here, but out there.” He pointed to the sky.
She failed to understand, his words familiar to her, but the meaning of them beyond her capacity. Growing up below the surface and having little interaction with the Adepts was a predictable disadvantage. “What do you have to fear? Surely they cannot compete with this.” She pointed to the screen, where dozens of the immense Adept ships hovered across the open sand. The land was different here than home, and she wondered what it would have been like to be raised here among the Adepts rather than in their numbered underground city sections.
“Sorry, you haven’t answered my question, Adept Feerez. What do you need me to do?” she asked.
He gave her the strangest version of a smile, his mandibles clicking together a few times wordlessly. “You, my sweet Ina, will be the face of your people. You’re going to stand before this camera and tell the Concord exactly what I say.”
She glanced to the right, where one of the Adepts grunted, this one wearing choppy armor. It pointed to a screen, where clusters of red lights moved closer to two planets on what she understood to be a map of some kind. She was suddenly nervous. “I am?”
“That’s right.” He set a hand on her shoulder, and she cringed at the touch, trying not to let him notice. “Here’s what you do.”
____________
“Ven, what’s on the radar?” Tom asked the moment they emerged from the wormhole. Constantine shuddered as they slowed, entering the Statu system. It felt like he’d just been here, and Tom almost expected to find Captain Yin Shu in Cecilia, defending their escape.
It was quiet now; nothing but their own fleet occupied the space.
“Captain, there is no indication of the…” Ven started, and stopped as something did appear on their screen. It was a solitary warship. “There’s one, sir. And it’s moving toward us.”
Tom rose, walking toward the viewer. “Get me Shu.”
“Yes, sir.” Ven tapped his console, and half of the viewer filled with the other flagship’s bridge. Rene was there, her face pale.
“You made it without incident?” he asked her.
“We’re fine. You could have warned me about that. I thought the effect was immediate,” she said, her voice shaking.
“Sorry,” he told her. The fact that the trip took somewhere around ten minutes must have slipped his mind while they’d talked strategy. There were too many moving pieces to remember them all.
“Captain, the Ugna vessels have checked in, as requested, and are in working order,” Brax advised him.
“Good.”
“What do you make of this, Baldwin?” Rene asked. “Why is there a solitary ship?”
“I don’t know, but we’ve deployed the probes.” Tom waited as they flew toward the planets, their tiny jump drives sending them there far faster than any other device could have made the distance. With the recent discovery of the Nek mines, the Concord would be able to implement the technology into the cruise ships eventually, but not until they’d been tested, which would take years on a safety hazard like that.
“Sir, the probes are revealing the first planet to be much the same as it had been. Some life forms are active.” Brax pushed the details onto the viewer, and to Shu and the Ugna fleet.
“What about the other planet?” Tom asked. They hadn’t had time to investigate it their previous visit, and he hated going in blind like this.
“Sir, there’s too much atmospheric interference for the probes to do their job,” Brax advised.
Rene was still on-screen, and Tom heard her mumbling something, catching the words “big surprise.”
“Do you have something to say, Captain Bouchard?” he asked.
“Why is there one ship heading for our position?” she asked. “It moved swiftly, as if they’d been expecting company.”
Tom considered this. She might be correct.
“Sir, there’s something else showing up on the sensors,” Ven said.
“What is it?”
Ven changed the image on the viewer and used the zooming feature to show chunks of metal floating halfway between them and the planet. “Readings tell me they’re Statu, sir.”
Tom blinked, walking closer to the screen. There had to be a dozen warships’ worth of debris there. “Who did this?” he asked, wondering if someone else had already done their dirty work.
“There are no residual Star Drive particulates around them, so it had to have occurred at least two weeks ago,” Ven said.
Tom tried to take in the whole picture but was struggling to piece it together.
“Seems like we’re almost done here,” Rene said, her color returned to her cheeks. “Let’s blast these bastards and go home heroes.”
Tom stood thoughtfully. “I think we need to consider the world below. We can’t be sure they’re all destroyed.”
“Baldwin, the evidence is there. You thought there were upwards of ten or so remaining, and we have proof of at least that many being destroyed, halfway to their home world. We’ve already won,” Rene said.
“Stay where you are, everyone. I’ll reconvene in a few minutes,” he said, and Rene looked about ready to interject when her image dropped from the viewer.
“Commander, what do you think?” he asked Treena, who appeared deep in thought at her seat.
“Too early to tell. The warship is bearing down on us, and we have to assume that’s an act of hostility, so I do agree we need to destroy it, but we can’t leave this system until we properly investigate their planet. Plus, if Doctor DeLarose and R-emergence are capable of repairing the damage done to the slaves, we have a chance to rescue the Bacal we left behind, and anyone else we find on the surface,” Commander Starling said, making perfect sense.
“Very good, Commander. Ven, on screen.” Tom waited until he saw Shu’s bridge reappear, and the heads of all twelve Ugna captains in two rows on either side of the viewer. “We’ll intercept the warship, fend off any attacks, and return to the planet where we left the Bacal. Folks, this has turned from war to a rescue mission, and we’re going to take our time, ensuring we save every life possible.”
Rene seemed irritated at the suggestion but kept it internalized, only nodding her understanding.
“Ven, set course for interception,” Tom ordered, taking his seat once again.
“Course is set, sir.”
“Time to interc
ept?”
“One hour, sir,” Ven advised, and Tom stared at the images of the debris, trying to determine who or what could have caused the damage.
____________
Tarlen walked closer to Belna, her movements unsure in the aftermath of the surgery. She stumbled and he caught her, urging her through the corridor.
“Will I ever get the hang of this again?” Belna asked.
“Yes.”
“Why are you so optimistic?” Her blank eyes stared at him, and even though he’d been assured countless times that she was able to see just fine, he kept thinking she was blind.
“Because you’ve managed to survive this long, so learning to walk again is nothing.” Tarlen hoped he was right and led her into the courtyard. They’d survived through the wormhole, and Tarlen had made Belna stay in her quarters for the duration of the trip.
She stopped at a viewscreen along the edge of the courtyard entrance, watching as the image showed the incoming warship. “I don’t like this,” she whispered, holding on to his arm for balance.
They were at least a half an hour from contact, but Tarlen had a sinking feeling in his gut as they neared the ship. “Constantine,” he said, trying to get the AI’s attention.
The projection appeared behind him, and Tarlen jumped at the sudden movement. “What is it, Tarlen? Weren’t you supposed to exit the ship with Doctor DeLarose?”
He shrugged. “Belna wouldn’t let us, even though I told her it was the best idea for her health.”
Belna turned to Constantine and placed her hands on her hips. “The Statu are distracting us. I know it,” she said.
Constantine pointed toward the warship on the screen. “We found debris from many more vessels. There was a battle, and they lost.”
“Have you attempted communication with the warship?” Tarlen asked.
“We have, but we’re showing… wait, there has been contact.” Constantine flickered, as the AI could be up to twenty places at once. There was bound to be a version on the bridge. “I must go.”
Constantine was gone, and Belna shook her head slowly. “Something’s wrong.”
____________
Ina stood exactly where Adept Feerez had told her to, and when the timer counted down to zero, she touched the button. Words scrolled over the computer in Standard, and she read them, having practiced for several hours.
The image would be transmitted to their bridge, he’d said, and as much as she’d been fearful of the Adept, she almost wished he was there to support her as she began speaking.
“My name is Ina. I am human and come from Casonu One. We managed to escape, stealing this vessel after a mutiny transpired. My Group took to the skies in their ships, and we were chased down, nearly all of us being destroyed on both sides. We’re injured, in need of food and water, and there are numerous others on Casonu Two, from what we’ve been told. Please, I beg of you… help us.” Real tears streamed over her cheeks, and she hit the button again with a shaky finger, ending the communication.
Now all she could do was wait.
____________
Treena watched the girl’s face, trying to decipher it. The message played for the third time. “Please, I beg of you… help us.” Ven paused it at the end.
Brax was the first to speak this time. “Ina. Do you hear that voice? What kind of accent is that? She’s clearly human, but… remember what Belna said about some of the slaves having their minds unaltered, yet siding with the Statu? If this Ina was born there, she might be working for them.”
Treena had thought the same thing, but the tears and fear in Ina’s eyes felt real enough. Tom hadn’t said anything in a few minutes, and she noticed him sitting patiently, clenching his jaw. He’d been under a lot of pressure and was being careful to make the proper decision.
“Play it again,” he said quietly, and Ven started the short message from the beginning. When it was over, Tom rose, pacing the bridge. “She said they had a mutiny, and that they took to the skies, implying they were pursued from Casonu One. That’s where Yephion and his people used to live, the same planet Treena chased through the underground cities, before using the hover-transports to rescue the Bacal slaves.”
“If this is real, we have nothing to fear,” Ven said.
“Can you get a read on her, Ven?” Tom asked, and the Ugna man shook his head.
“Not from this distance, sir, but perhaps if we were in a room with her,” Ven suggested.
“It may come to that, but I worry that if there’s a trap, then it’ll be too late,” Tom told them.
“Sir, Captain Bouchard is trying to reach you,” Ven said.
“On screen.”
Rene’s face was hardened, unreadable. “Captain Baldwin, it’s decision time. Do we blast it?”
Treena shuddered. Rene always had been a bit of a wildcard, but it was clear she wanted to shoot first and ask for forgiveness later.
Tom crossed his arms, looking confident as he spoke. “We’re going to stay out of range. We’ll send her a message, informing her we’re sending Cleo and a specialized team to investigate and offer supplies. Lieutenant Commander Brax, see to it,” he said.
Brax nodded, and notified Doctor Nee he was wanted on the bridge.
“Fine, do it your way, Fleet Captain Baldwin.” Captain Rene smirked and whispered to her crew. “We’ll send our own team to rendezvous on their warship. Better to have extra muscle, don’t you think?”
Treena half-expected Tom to decline her invitation at assistance, but he didn’t. “Good thought. The ships will need to be scoured for signs of Statu, so bring a discreet contingency of guards under the guise of medics.”
“If you trust her, why the cloak and dagger?” Rene asked.
“No one said I trust her. The whole scenario feels like a trap,” Baldwin said.
“Then I stand by my first suggestion…”
Tom raised a hand, stopping her from finishing. “We have our plan. Now set to it.”
Treena crossed the bridge as the Shu’s crew dropped from the viewer. “Brax, we know the ships better than anyone else. I’ll join you.” She didn’t add that she was the only one that could be resurrected in a new body with her mind intact.
“I’d welcome your company,” Brax told her.
Tom sent a message to Engineering. “Reeve, how’s our wormhole doing?”
Reeve Daak’s voice was clear and concise over the speakers. “Stable and strong, Captain. Nothing to report from here.”
“Good. Everyone to your tasks.”
____________
Brax was fastened behind Cleo’s pilot’s seat, once more leaving on a dangerous expedition. It was part of his role, but he’d come perilously close to dying as a Statu hostage, and he didn’t want to relive the experience.
Cleo was packed with his guards. Kurt, his newest deputy, was taking the lead on the sweep of the warship’s upper half. He was a square-jawed human with a dirty blond buzzcut and a trimmed beard, making him appear older than his thirty years.
Treena Starling was all business, sitting beside him, her hand settled on her PL-30 at her hip. She was ready for this, even more so than Brax. The hangar opened, and Brax remembered flying the stolen Tuber into one of these ships only a few months ago. He closed his eyes after breaching the energy barrier and lowered Cleo, the expedition ship from Shu directly behind them.
Two of the Ugna vessels lingered close to the warship, shields on full and weapons at ready in case something fishy was going on here. Brax hoped it didn’t come to that, because with the firepower the Ugna brought, compared to the low-tech Statu warship, he expected there wouldn’t be time for an evacuation.
“Don’t worry, Commander,” he assured Treena. “It’s like we’ve been here before, but this time, it’s different.”
“We should have checked the planet first,” Treena said softly.
Brax stood, blocking the commander from exiting. “If you had another suggestion, you should have told the captain before we’d
boarded the enemy ship.”
“No, it’s not that. Just my intuition. Maybe we should have brought Ven. He could have read the girl,” she said.
“That’s true, but even the captain doesn’t want to risk everything on Ven’s emotional premonitions.” Brax turned to Kurt and grimaced at the task they were about to endure. The ten men and women were armed, lined at the exit, and ready to enter the warship’s hangar. “Deputy, we’re heading to Deck Ninety, where Ina told us we’d find her. You split the teams into groups of three and comb the ship. Tell them to all keep in touch with you, and you relay to me. Got it?” None of this was new information, but it was Kurt’s first foray as deputy, and Brax wasn’t taking any chances.
“Done. We’ll begin right away,” Kurt said. His people carried water and various medical supplies with them, and formed a line near the elevators.
“Lookie what we have here.” Cedric strode over, holding an XRC-14 over his shoulder, the barrel pointing at the ceiling behind him.
Brax tried to push away his dislike for the man and forced a grin. “Cedric, I’m surprised they let you out without a leash…” Commander Kan Shu exited their expedition ship, and Brax let out a laugh. “Never mind. There’s the leash.”
“You think you’re so funny, Daak? I’m surprised they didn’t name your sister chief of security. She packs more punch.” Cedric smirked.
“That’s the first thing you’ve ever said that I agree with. Okay, people. We have our orders. Move out.” Brax waved them forward, and the four executive officers found the elevator first, the rest waiting behind so they could gather into position.
“Stay vigilant,” Treena told the guards as the elevator doors closed, and they lifted toward Deck Ninety.
Brax’s jaw tensed, his hand clutching his large weapon tightly, and the trip felt like it took far too long. By the time the elevator stopped, he was beginning to feel cramped in the confined space, with the other three crew members surrounding him. He pressed off first and saw their contact.
Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series Page 75