He sat back again as he thought about leaving Taryn behind for what would undoubtedly be the last time. His chest tightened up at the idea of it. Part of him wanted to ask her to stay out here with him, but the realist in him knew that it was an impossibility. She couldn’t stay on the Phoenix, that much was certain. It was simply too dangerous, and a threat to crew cohesiveness to have her aboard permanently. He could ask Crisstof if she could serve on the Diligent, but she would have no real function for some time, and would be the only human on board a ship with hundreds of aliens. What kind of life was that for a woman in her twenties? Not to mention they went months and months without ever being in the same sector as the other ship. No, the right thing to do was to get her back to Earth as soon as practically possible and let her get on with her life.
The tightness still in his chest, he shut off the terminal and exited the com room.
By the time he got to the bridge, everyone was already there. Kage looked like he had been told some very bad news.
“What is it?” Jason asked apprehensively.
“The data has been recovered off the A’arcooni device you brought back from the planet, and the computer has completed the translation,” Kage said. “It isn’t good.”
“You watched it?”
“Enough to know that things are a little more complex than they appeared,” the Veran said.
“Let’s see it,” Jason replied as he sat down. The rest of the crew perked up and watched as the canopy darkened and began to play the video data Twingo and Kage had recovered off the alien device. The scene resolved into a shot of the room Jason had found the device in; sitting center frame was a dignified looking A’arcooni. The translation matrix wasn’t perfect, so the computer also provided Jenovian Standard subtitles along the bottom of the projection.
“Hello. Due to events taking place on my planet even as I speak, my comments may be cut short, so I will get to the point.
“My name is De’Tarioas Mal. I am the Vice Chancellor of Economic Affairs, and as far as I know I am the last remaining vestiges of the government of the planet A’arcoon. We are currently under attack by no less than ten ships in orbit that we have no ability to repel, but worse than that … the ships are crewed by our fellow A’arcooni.
“These ships have the capability to shut down power sources completely, and on a planetary scale. So even if we did have weapons that could reach them, they would already be rendered inert at this point. The ships arrived eight years ago and we were contacted by the beings who flew them. They would only tell us that they were travelers who had come from across the galaxy, rendering aid to those who needed it most along the way. They were benign and immediately set about helping us take steps to clean our industrial processes, waste management, and power production.
“These aliens were trying to help underdeveloped species avoid the mistakes that had destroyed their own home, now so choked with pollution it could no longer sustain them. For the first few years it seemed these wondrous people would transform A’arcoon into a utopia, as our skies cleared and our oceans recovered from even our most destructive habits.
“When it became clear that the aliens intended to continue on their journey, a vocal sub-sect of the population implored them to stay and claimed that they hadn’t yet gone far enough in changing how we lived our lives. While initially ignored as a zealot and an opportunist, their leader, De’Astor Ka, continued to gain followers until the movement reached cult-like status … and then it transformed into something far more sinister. The group militarized and had every intention of forcing us to their will through a series of planned attacks on our remaining infrastructure in order to, as he put it, return us to balance with nature.
“Unfortunately, when they heard about the unrest, our alien benefactors landed one of their ships near De’Astor Ka’s stronghold in order to make him see reason. The travelers are without guile and were unprepared for how far this group was willing to go. Their ship was boarded and seized before anyone knew what was happening, and the cult was then able to execute their attack. They numbered a little over five hundred individuals and were able to capture a total of six ships before the remaining travelers broke orbit and escaped.
“De’Astor Ka then transmitted a list of demands, but before we could respond or negotiate, he began the attack in earnest. Major governmental centers were hit first by particle beams, and our remaining technology was taken out by the unique weapon their ships carry.”
De’Tarioas Mal paused in his narration to bow his head as the screen flickered and other A’arcooni voices could be heard shouting in the background. When he looked back up, the expression on his alien visage could only be described as utterly devastated.
“My hope is that this transmission finds similar civilizations before this cult does, for make no mistake: these are crazed fanatics. Their religion is to return planets to what they deem to be the natural order, which they will accomplish by wiping out the dominant species and its technology. At the end of this transmission will be a data package that contains all the knowledge of my people that we were able to save. It is our only legacy, as I am certain no A’arcooni will survive on the surface.”
With nothing more to say, De’Tarioas Mal pressed a button on the desk and the screen faded out. When the canopy cleared, the crew of the Phoenix sat in stunned silence.
“That … was not what I was expecting,” Doc said quietly.
“Contact the Diligent,” Jason said slowly. “They’ll need this information. Ask Crisstof if that helps him identify who made those ships, since we now know they aren’t A’arcooni in design.”
“This explains how Deetz got them to help,” Taryn said from her seat in the front of the bridge. When Twingo made a motion for her to continue she went on, “He offered Earth up as a target. We’re highly industrialized, with a ballooning population and a significant pollution problem. For a group of religious zealots bent on stamping out harmful civilizations, humanity would make a tempting target.”
“That does make sense,” Lucky agreed. “I had been pondering how Deetz was able to convince the A’arcooni to help. He told them of Earth and then bribed them with the promise of a more powerful weapon with which to continue their crusade.”
“The maser-based disruptor,” Jason agreed. “That would be a hell of a score for them. De’Tarioas Mal told us they had captured six ships, but we only saw three, and took one of those out already. It’s safe to say they’ve been meeting some resistance along the way and have been looking for something to even the odds with.
“Twingo, Doc … go through the data package that was included and see if there’s anything useful in there.”
Chapter 11
Another full day passed and both ships were still in orbit over the planet, both crews poring over the data that had been on the A’arcooni device. While Crisstof was delighted with the cultural treasure trove, there was little of any real use to Jason and the problem he now faced. How do I find Deetz before he leads me into another of his traps?
“Com request coming in from the Diligent, Captain,” Kage said, not looking up from his console.
“Got it,” Jason replied as he punched the control to accept the channel request. Kellea’s face appeared on his main display.
“Hello, Captain,” she said somewhat stiffly. “The Diligent will be breaking orbit and leaving this system within the hour. We have other engagements we’ve ignored for as long as we can. We will respond to any emergency requests you make, however.” It was clear from her demeanor that she was still upset with Jason and assumed he would raise hell about her ship leaving the hunt.
“I understand, Kellea,” he said, surprising her. “You’ve done all you can, and we don’t even have a firm plan of action right now. We’ll let you know if we come up with anything.” She opened her mouth to say something, but instead simply reached over and closed the channel.
“You’ve got some serious damage control to do with that one, Captain,” K
age said, not even the least bit embarrassed he’d obviously been eavesdropping.
“How would you know anything about that?” Jason asked innocently.
“I …” Kage floundered and realized he’d screwed up. There was no way he should know exactly how far his relationship with Captain Colleren might have gone.
“Stop hacking into my com channels or I’m going to shut down the wireless network on the ship,” Jason said in as calm a voice as he could manage.
“Yes, sir.” Kage’s unique wetware kept his Veran brain in constant contact with the ship’s main computer. Jason sometimes used cutting him off from it as punishment. It was petty, but there was little else he could threaten the little alien with that he would even notice.
“Listen up,” Jason said over the intercom, still glaring at Kage. “Family meeting in the galley in twenty minutes.” He climbed out of his seat and walked off the bridge.
He quickly made his way to his quarters with the intent of getting cleaned up and changing his uniform out for one that wasn’t quite so fragrant. The six members of Omega Force were all of different species, and each came with their own unique funk. While in close quarters aboard the Phoenix, all of them had entered into a gentleman’s agreement to make sure laundry and cleaning regimens were strictly adhered to.
Quickly stripping off his uniform, he climbed into his private shower and activated the jets. As often happened, the steam jets were almost hypnotic, and he found himself dozing off while standing in the stall. In just such a state, he was completely unprepared when a set of small arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed. He yelped and lunged away into the far wall of the shower, eliciting peals of delighted laughter from behind him.
“Who did you think it was?” Taryn asked. Jason turned and raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him. She was leaning against the edge of the shower, wearing nothing but a small grin.
“Well … I was praying to God it wasn’t Crusher,” he said as he pulled her into the shower stall. She squealed as the jets hit her, then leaned into him. He kissed her gently for a moment before things become quite a bit more serious. Whoever designed this ship with a private shower in the captain’s quarters was a genius.
*****
“You said twenty minutes,” Twingo complained loudly when he walked into the galley. “We’ve been sitting here for almost an hour.”
“Stop whining,” Jason told him. “It’s not like you had anything else going on. Besides, I see the wait didn’t stop you from stuffing your face again.”
“Where is Taryn?” Crusher asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
“I don’t know,” Jason said unconvincingly. “I don’t keep track of every person on this ship.”
“She is currently in the shower in your quarters, Captain,” Lucky offered. “According to internal sensors she has been in there for fifty minutes.”
“Thank you, Lucky.”
“You are welcome, Captain.”
“OK,” Jason said, facing a group of now-unfriendly faces. “Do we think we know anything that can be actionable?”
“No,” Doc said simply. “We’ve gone through the data with a fine sifter and nothing is standing out. It doesn’t look like Deetz has left any obvious clues this time. That may not be a good sign.”
“Yeah,” Twingo agreed. “If he’s not leading us around anymore, that may mean he doesn’t need us. He could give us the slip at this point and we’d never find him.”
They batted around ideas for the better part of an hour and at the end they still had nothing to act on. The frustration was palpable. They couldn’t just orbit a dead planet waiting for something to happen lightyears away, but rushing off in the wrong direction would be just as unproductive.
“Hi, guys,” Taryn said brightly as she joined the group. “Did I miss anything? I was just working out in the cargo bay.”
“Oh, shut up,” Crusher snapped. The fact that Jason had a female of his own species aboard, while initially a source of amusement to the others, was now only highlighting the fact that they didn’t.
“What is your problem—” Taryn’s wide-eyed response to Crusher was interrupted by a strident alarm sounding throughout the ship. The crew didn’t waste even a split second by staring at each other or asking questions. In a rush, they ran up the stairs to the command deck. Doc dove into the seat at his station and began manipulating the controls.
“We have an enemy ship pushing up out of the atmosphere!”
“What?! Where?” Jason was shocked by the news. He’d thought the planet was clear from the scans they’d taken when they arrived.
“Coming up over the northern pole,” Doc reported. “No indication that they’ve seen us or that they’re moving to intercept.”
“Full countermeasures, NOW! Get a track plot on the main display and overlay the ranging data of their weapon that we got from the Diligent.” Jason’s orders caused a flurry of activity for a moment as Kage activated the Phoenix’s extensive countermeasures suite, effectively hiding the ship from sensors if they kept enough distance. He watched the sensor plot of the other ship on his display. It was lumbering out of the atmosphere at a relative crawl. “Why is it climbing out so slowly?”
“It looks like their propulsion is laughably outdated,” Twingo said, also studying the incoming data. “They’re not using a gravimetric drive, at least not in the way we do. It looks like they’re using something that produces the same effect as our grav platting, but with a much higher output. That, coupled with thrusters, is it. Highly inefficient, really.” They all sat transfixed as the ship finally pushed up into lower orbit and began to increase velocity. It looked like it was accelerating in order to transfer to a high geosynchronous orbit, which was where the Phoenix currently was.
“Let’s stay on passive sensors,” Jason said. “I want to gather as much data as we can. Kage, plot me a course that will keep us above and behind them. Keep us at least twenty thousand kilometers away.”
“Plotting,” Kage answered. “You’re clear to engage on your new course. Thrusters only. We don’t know if they can detect grav-drive emissions.”
The Phoenix fired her maneuvering thrusters to accelerate them to a higher orbit and bring them in behind where the computer projected the enemy ship would be. It was an arduous process if one was accustomed to having a powerful grav-drive to reposition the ship, but it was an almost guaranteed way to ensure they wouldn’t be detected.
The computer had predicted the enemy ship’s course nearly perfectly as they came around the planet and fired the braking thrusters to ease them in behind and above it. The ship then simply flew around the planet for three full orbits with seemingly no intention of doing anything else.
“Do you think they’re waiting on the other ship? Or Deetz?” Jason asked.
“I think it’s likely they’re making repairs,” Twingo said from where he looked over Doc’s shoulder at the sensor station. “We’re reading some pretty nasty radiation spikes coming from their aft drive section. That ship has been through a lot; the optical sensors are showing a lot of hull damage and older haphazard repairs.”
“So … are we going to attack them?” Kage asked. The high-strung alien didn’t fare well in tense situations like the one they were in.
“That seems like a wasted opportunity to learn more about both them and this weapon,” Jason explained. “It would take them a bit to charge it up even if they spotted us, so it looks like we’re safe for now. If they move to break orbit, we’ll take action.”
“I think we’re safe anyway, Captain,” Twingo said. “It looks like their sensor technology is no more advanced than their propulsion. Seems like it’s radar and lidar only. There’s also a large hull breach on her port flank that makes me think they wouldn’t be able to activate their weapon anyway, at least not according to what we think we know about it.”
“Can we get an idea of crew size?”
“Not with the passive sensors, Captain,” Doc answered. Jas
on stared at the ship floating in his display for a moment, torn as to what his next action should be.
“Captain,” Lucky began. Jason braced himself as he knew what the battlesynth was about to say, but had no way to stop him. “The most effective method for us to gather information and neutralize that ship is to board it. The Phoenix is capable of putting us on the hull.” Jason betrayed his fears by glancing quickly at Taryn as Lucky finished. A look of understanding came over her and she walked up to the pilot’s seat and leaned in.
“Do what you need to do, Jason,” she whispered. “You can’t take the safe way out just because I’m here. Too much is at stake.” He just nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. As she stepped back, he cleared his throat to give the order.
“Crusher, Lucky … let’s go get prepped for EVA, full kit. Doc, you’re in the hot seat. Kage, plot a course that will close in slowly and put us just forward of where we think Engineering is on the dorsal hull plating.” Lucky turned to leave and Crusher let out a whooping cry, jumping up with his fist in the air, startling half the remaining crew. Jason just shook his head as the warrior swaggered off the bridge to go and arm himself.
“Do you think that he’ll end up killing us all one day?” Kage asked.
“Hmm,” Jason grunted. “Probably.”
Taryn ran up and gave Jason a firm kiss on the lips before he could get off the bridge himself. Ignoring the laughs and calls from his crew, he made his way down through the ship and to the armory. When he arrived, Lucky had already pulled his armor from its alcove and was running self-test routines on it.
“Thanks, bud,” he said as he began to strip his uniform off to don the form-fitting second skin he wore under the armor.
Omega Force: Savage Homecoming Page 15