by Saxon Andrew
The nine warships moved in smoothly beside the three Insectoid warships and the approaching Gronan Vessels veered away. Leo looked at Embree, “See if you can contact those ships.” Embree nodded and said, “I’ve sent a frequency to your panel that they’re using between their ships.”
Leo saw it appear and pressed his communicator button, “Thank you for your presence. Is there a reason you involved yourself in this situation?”
Shelly patched Sam’s board in and Sam said over his communicator, “I didn’t want to see hostilities break out just as we arrived. I thought moving in beside you might prevent it from happening.”
“Who are you?” Leo asked.
“My name is Sam Oliver and I command the nine ships on either side of you. I see from my scan of your three ships that you probably didn’t need my assistance.”
“Probably not, but thank you anyway. I also don’t want to see a shooting situation happen as well. Why are you here?”
“I’ve coming looking for Bellingham to see if they’ll assist my civilization.”
“It looks like you’ve wasted your time. The filament on the Cartian Maps doesn’t exist.”
“I suspected it wouldn’t be here,” Sam replied.
Leonidas’ eyes narrowed, “What? What are you talking about? We knew the filament wasn’t here but how did you know it?”
“I’ve determined that the humans on Bellingham have the capability of controlling filaments. The planet is there but they’ve removed the filament leading to it.”
Leo looked at Embree with his eye’s wide open and Embree shrugged showing he didn’t know what the man was talking about. “Just how do you know that?”
“I’ve had a conversation with a Pirate that had a run in with some humans from Bellingham several years ago and they shut down a filament leading to Earth in order to attack the Pirate’s leaders there. I was hoping that it might still be open but with this many warships gathered at this intersection, I can see why it isn’t.”
“You know what you’re suggesting is impossible.”
Sam smiled, “I didn’t want to believe it either but if you scan the star where Bellingham is supposed to be located you’ll see a planet in the habitation zone. I suspect that planet is Bellingham.”
“If it is, it’s out of reach,” Leo said rubbing his beard.
“I know. It would take several decades to get there without a filament and I need assistance now. I notice that your ships are pretty advanced. Would you be willing to trade for your weapon technology?”
Gem instantly appeared on Leo’s monitor beside the man and said, “NO!”
Leo sighed and said, “I’m sorry, but that is not a possibility. We are also out here looking for more advanced technology for our ships.”
Sam shook his head, “I’m sorry to hear that. I wish you peace.”
Leo quickly said before the connection was broken, “Before you go. I’d like to discuss this conversation you had with that Pirate. Would you be willing to meet us?”
“Honestly, I need to find a place to allow my crew some shore leave before I do anything else…”
Leo interrupted him, “I know just the place and it’s only two days away from here. You can send your crew down to the planet and I can meet you there.”
Sam paused and said, “Honestly, if you’re unwilling to assist me, I see no reason why I should meet with you? No offense intended in my saying this.”
“None taken. However, you need a good place for your crew to decompress and I know a perfect place for that to happen. You could waste a lot of time finding a planet for shore leave. Isn’t that at least worth a conversation?” Leo asked.
Sam looked at Jek and he shrugged. He turned to Shelly and she nodded from across the room, “He might know someone that will be willing to help us.”
Sam looked at Leo on his monitor and smiled, “Alright, what are the coordinates?”
“Sending them to you now. The planet’s name is Jester and there’s an entertainment facility there that goes by the name of M’s. I’ll contact them and make reservations for two days from now. How many crewmen do you have on your nine ships?”
“Each ship has a crew of thirty.”
“That’s two hundred and seventy. Each of our ships also have about thirty crewmen so we’ll need reservations for three hundred and sixty. I might as well reserve the entire facility.”
“How much will that cost?”
“Don’t worry about it; I’ll pay for everything just for your being willing to talk with us.”
Sam smiled, “That’s generous of you. Why don’t we just follow you there. We should all arrive together if you’re making reservations.”
Leo nodded, “We’ll be moving there momentarily.” The monitor went dark and Gem appeared, “Leo, the King will never approve sharing our technology!”
“I know, Gem. But if you want to find out something about the metal used to make our swords, this man appears to have pertinent information. What would you want to do if we don’t do this?”
Gem stared at Leo and finally shrugged, “I guess you’re right. I really don’t have any other ideas on where to go from here.”
“Alright, let’s head to Jester. John, did you hear all of this?” Leo asked.
“I did. I’ve never been there so I’ll just follow you as well.”
Leo looked at Carl, “Give Barney the coordinates.”
Carl nodded, “They’re already in his stardrive from previous trips there.” He turned around and looked at Embree, “Are you going to be able to hold you liquor this time?” Embree opened his pouch and pulled out a bottle of water. Carl laughed and turned back to his console as he said, “My, but you are a fast learner.”
Desiree looked at Leo, “I wonder why that man needs advanced weapons?”
“I don’t know. For that matter, why do we?”
“I’ve been wondering about that myself, Leo. The Insectoids are already the most powerful civilization in our galaxy.”
Leo nodded, “They didn’t get that way by sitting on their claws.”
Desiree tilted her head, “Even so.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed, “Do you suspect something?”
“Nothing specific but remember, I’m a tactician and I can’t help but put pieces together that may not go together. There’s something about the metal in our swords that has the Insectoids’ total interest. I think Gem wants more than just to purchase more swords for his warriors. Do you know what it is?”
Leonidas stared at her and then shook his head, “No, I don’t and purchasing more swords really doesn’t sound like a valid reason to build these ships.”
Desiree nodded, “You need to ask Gem.” Leo turned and looked at the wall monitor as the Thermopylae turned and headed toward a filament leaving the intersection. Desiree was right. He did need to ask Gem.
• • •
Sam ended the contact and looked at Jek, “What’s going on?”
“The one you were talking with is the leader of the three ships but another one provided the warships they’re using. That one is incredibly paranoid about sharing their technology. The Leader, his name is Leonidas something or other, isn’t really against the idea depending on the reasons behind our request. I think this meeting is worth doing to see if we can’t persuade him to talk the other into assisting us.”
“Do you think he can do it?”
“Probably not. However, it’s been fourteen months and our crews need some time off the ships. That is another reason to do this if they really do know a good place for us to do it.”
Sam looked at Shelly and motioned her over to his command chair. She walked over and Sam said, “Why did you think we should meet with them?”
“Have you taken a good look at the scans of those ships?”
“No.”
Shelly tilted her head, “The blasters on the hulls are a design I’ve never seen and it’s clear there are multiple missile ports on all those ships.”
“So?”
“Sam, those ports are incredibly small. The missiles that are fired out of them have to be smaller than any I’ve ever seen. If they’re similar in power to those blasters, I think we could use them.”
“They say they aren’t going to share their technology, Shelly.”
“Well, we’re still talking and we’ve not found anything else on this trip but the use of bretel as an explosive. Time is running out, Sam. Do you have any ideas about where else we could go?”
Sam sighed, “No, not at this point. Let’s follow them and see what we can learn.” Shelly smiled and went back to her console. Sam shook his head; Shelly was right. Time was running out.
• • •
The Tronan Fleet Director sat in his chair and watched the planet being attacked on his monitor. Things were moving smoothly and should be wrapped up in a few months. He heard a ping and pressed a button on his console, “Yes!”
“Director, I sent one of my vessels after an escaping Dojuit Colony Vessel more than a year ago. I received a message probe from it three months back saying my ship was going to attack a civilization that scanned his vessel.”
“Yes, that was the proper thing to do,” the Director replied.
“I’ve not received another message probe telling us its attack was successful and the ship has not returned.”
The Director stared at the Sub-Fleet Director and said, “Perhaps it took longer than normal to remove that civilization?”
“If it even looked like that was a possibility, the Ship Director would have indicated it in the message he sent.”
“Are you thinking something happened to his vessel?”
“I have to say that I am, Director.”
The Fleet Director leaned back in his chair. Was it possible that the missing vessel ran into a civilization powerful enough to destroy it? He looked at the Sub-Fleet Director, “Do you have the coordinates of the civilization it was going to attack?”
“I do.”
“And how far away is it?”
“About a year’s flight.”
“That’s a long way to investigate, don’t you think?”
“It is, Director. But if it was destroyed I would rather go to them than have them preparing to come and attack us. If chasing that Dojuit Vessel for more than a year was a good decision, then going to see what happened has to be a good decision as well.”
The Director stared at the monitor and then looked at the monitor with the images of the planet being invaded. He had plenty of warships to spare and he made a quick decision, “Send a full squadron to investigate. Collect enough provisions from the planet below before sending them; it’s going to be a long voyage.”
“Yes, Director. They should be provisioned within a month and I’ll send them at that time.”
“Keep me informed on what’s happening. Make sure that squadron sends messages as soon as they arrive at those coordinates.”
“Yes, Director.” The Director ended the contact and wondered about the missing ship. However, even if it was destroyed, whoever did it probably couldn’t handle a squadron of main battleships. He looked at his Second-in-Command, “Make yourself a note to mention this to me in a year from this moment.”
“Yes, Fleet Director.” He turned back to the monitor and put it out of his mind.
• • •
The Cartian Traffic Controller had all twelve warships move into orbit in the outer ring of vessels above Jester. Sam appeared on Leo’s monitor and asked, “Why are they putting our vessels so far away from the planet?”
“The Cartians customarily put all armed ships in the outer parking coordinates.”
“Oh. I’ll order my crews to prepare to go down to the surface.”
“Do you have unarmed shuttles to ferry them to the surface?”
“No, all my shuttles are armed,” Sam answered.
“If you’re ok with it, I have enough unarmed shuttles on board our three ships to make the trip. I’ll start sending them out to your ships as my crews start boarding and they can pick up some of your crews to go with us. I think it will take about six trips to get everyone on the surface.”
“That’s fine. I and my command staff will go on the last shuttle.”
“We’ll be waiting for you in M’s.”
Sam ended the contact and Shelly looked up from her console, “Commander, the Green Hills is arriving to join us within the hour.”
“Connect me with Captain Ardun.” The Cryan Ship Commander appeared on his monitor and Sam said, “What has Engineer Hardy determined about bretel being an explosive?”
“Sir, it’s a good thing you insisted any experimentation be done away from the planet. The first blast nearly destroyed the ship that launched the missile and it was a hundred miles away. Hardy has sent a report to you.”
“Tell me what the gist of it is.”
“Hardy discovered that using more than a very small amount of bretel is too dangerous. It takes a microscopic amount to create truly massive blasts. He’s currently building new warheads for our missiles and the President has sent his congratulations on making this discovery.” Sam rolled his eyes and Ardun said, “I know, Sir. I don’t think he realizes that having a powerful missile is useless unless you find a way to have it hit the target.”
“Good job, Commander. Get your crew ready for shore leave. Shuttles will be arriving to take them down to the surface.”
“Yes, Sir.”
• • •
Leo looked at Barney after ending the call with Sam, “Do you think we should leave some of the crew on board?”
“I don’t know, Captain.”
Embree spoke up, “The Cartians have a no combat zone around the planet. I don’t think anyone in the known universe is going to challenge the Cartian laws.”
Leo nodded and said, “I still want one person left on each ship to take them out of orbit if anything happens.”
Carl spoke up, “I’ll take the first shift.”
Leo shook his head, “Carl, you have got to learn how to be more sociable.”
“Maybe in my next lifetime, Captain.”
Leo rolled his eyes and said, “Get everyone moving, Embree.”
“Yes, Sir.”
• • •
Gem looked at Ana, “I’m going to leave someone on board.”
“I just spoke with Desiree and Leo and John are also leaving someone on board.”
Billy spoke up from is panel, “I don’t mind staying.” Gem and Ana looked at him. Billy shrugged, “I’ll stay here today and Thomas can relieve me the second day.”
Jack looked up from his console, “I’ll take the third day.”
Gem shrugged, “Are you sure about this, Billy?”
“I’ve seen M’s and I’m fine with it.”
Gem nodded and said, “Alright then, let’s get everyone moving to the shuttles.”
• • •
John stood up and looked at Fredrica, “You will be going with me.”
Freddie looked up with her eyes narrowed, “Why?”
“You know why and don’t act like you don’t.”
Freddie smiled and said, “But I’m not as smart as you, Captain. Please tell me why you want me to go with you.”
“Freddie, you’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
“There’s not been an opportunity before now for me to do it. Now is as good a time as any.”
John saw the rest of the bridge crew staring at them and he looked up at the ceiling and swore, “Freddie!”
Abalon smiled from his console, “Go on, Captain. We all can see what’s going on.”
John sighed, “Because…because…”
“You have feelings for me?” Freddie asked with a slight smile.
“Why else would I have invited you to make this voyage with me?”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
John exhaled sharply and said, “You have to know I’ve always felt something. Do you feel the same?�
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Freddie smiled, “Perhaps.”
“That’s not an answer!”
“No, but that’s all you’re going to get.”
“That’s not fair, Freddie!”
Freddie stood up, “Love is never fair, Captain. Give me a few minutes to freshen up.”
John watched the black-haired beauty stand up and leave the bridge. He jerked his head around at the bridge crew and all of them were studying their consoles. John glared at them and said, “Go and get ready for shore leave.” They all jumped up and John quickly said, “Abalon, you will remain on board.”
“But Captain!”
“You can go down later.”
Abalon sighed as he sat back down, “Yes, Captain.”
Rory smiled, “Should have kept the ole mouth shut.”
John quickly said, “You will take his place after twelve hours.”
Abalon laughed and said, “You should take your own advice, partner.”
John turned and left the bridge.
• • •
Sam looked at Jek and Shelly who were standing at his command-chair, “I want the two of you go in one of the first shuttles. I want your opinion of the ones we’re meeting with.”
Jek nodded and Shelly said, “Yes, Sir.” They left the bridge and Sam stared at the three warships parked close to Delilah’s Dagger. They were incredibly beautiful and their entire structure screamed their deadliness. He felt useless. They were so close but so unreachable.
• • •
Shelly boarded a shuttle and took a seat next to a rather good-looking young man. He slid over slightly and said, “Hello, my name is Embree.”
Shelly smiled, “Pleased to meet you, my name is Shelly.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Shelly. What is your position on your ship?”
“I’m in command of the scanner team. What do you do?”
Embree smiled, “I’m primarily responsible for communications.”
Shelly smiled, “And what do you do secondarily?”
Embree smiled, “I’m second-in-command.”
Shelly’s head went back, “Really?”
“Yes, why do you act surprised?”
“I don’t know; you just look rather young.”
“I’m older than I look.”