Brianne nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her back against the hatch combing. “I’m forced to agree, ma’am. I don’t think we’re going to accomplish anything out here.” She got a faraway look, as she checked something on her implants. “The yard dogs say that they’ll have the ship done in four days, with three days of trials and shakedowns. After that, we can go.”
“One week. Not soon enough, I think.” Theodosia grimaced. “All right, when is the worm supposed to hit?”
“Eight days,” she replied without missing a beat. “It’s going to be close. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to be here when it does.”
Theodosia chuckled. “No, I think that would fall into the Very Bad Thing category. I think we’d be hard pressed to deal with all of their defense forces, though they wouldn’t be able to hammer us all at once. Which actually would be good for us. But I don’t want to fight these people. I want to get out of this system and I’m seriously considering never coming back.”
“You’re just going to let that pirate scum go about their business as if nothing has happened?” Brianne demanded.
“What do you want me to do, Brianne?” Theodosia thundered. “We have one ship. One ship, no backup and a six month trip back to the Republic. Once we get back there, even if we get the go ahead and the resources to come back here and smash the pirate lord like the bug he is, by the time we could get everything together and get back here, he could be long gone. Probably would be.”
“So we do nothing?” The Secaaran’s frustration was clearly overwhelming her sense of decorum.
“No, Commander,” she said harshly. “What we do is get out of this system and head back to the Republic. There’s nothing more we can do out here.” She frowned at the flag captain. “I know it’s frustrating, Brianne. Hell, I’m angry as hell over it. You think I want that pirate and his ships lurking around? It goes against everything we’ve been trained for, everything I believe in, to leave those bastards at Byra-Kae. But we can’t do anything about them. Samair and her people have fixed the old boy up,” Theodosia said, patting the bulkhead, “But we still can’t stand up to two light cruisers and those armed merchant ships.”
“We could take the merchant cruisers, Commodore,” Brianne said, cracking a smile.
“Well I surely hope you could, Brianne,” McConnell replied. “I’d be looking for a replacement Flag Captain if you couldn’t.” She nodded. “All right, so we get back to getting everything together and leaving this system before they figure out that there’s a worm in the computer files we gave them.”
“No, I don’t think we need to be here when they figure it out.” Brianne nodded to her commanding officer, turned and exited the small stateroom.
“Nasir? How is the de-worming progressing?” Tamara asked, looking up at her display. The race to finish the Horus had been consuming her time over the last few days, and the clock had nearly run out. Nasir had been giving her regular updates on his and Magnus’ efforts, but it was almost time. Tamara had called Korqath’s Aplora Squadron from the Kutok mine to do training maneuvers with full combat load-outs on their ships, and had even brought the Maitland in to supplement the Cavalier here at the yard. She was taking no chances that the Republic people would escape unscathed. The repairs made to Horus had included her broadside missile launchers, but Tamara had not provided any missiles to fill the ship’s magazines, which gave her own ships a bit of an edge. According to techs working on Horus’s weapons, they reported that the destroyer did have a few missiles left in her magazines, but no where near a full complement.
“Excellent, ma’am,” the lupusan AI replied happily. “We are just closing on the last subroutines now. We’ve stripped the worm of nearly all its defenses, its vitals are laid bare.”
“Very well,” she answered. “Make sure you keep me in the loop.”
“Of course, Tamara. I will absolutely do so.” The lupusan paused. “In fact, I believe we are ready.” The display shifted. The status screens in the background all minimized, bringing up what could be security footage, taken of an outdoor scene. The darkened clearing was back, with Magnus holding his sword which was sheathed in sparks, electricity humming up the blade and discharging. Nasir was standing on the opposite side of the fire pit, his eyes blazing with a golden inner fire, stamping his feet and moving side to side; swaying in what could be charitably called a tribal dance. It wasn’t one that Tamara recognized, but that didn’t much matter. It wasn’t a real spell, or even a real dance.
The view shifted, rotating very slowly around the fire pit, in a slightly overhead view. Hovering above the flames was a crystal, now riddled with spider web fractures. Every so often a blast of lightning would shoot out from Magnus’s blade and slam into the crystal. On the other side of the fire, waves of heat were radiating into Nasir’s side of the crystal, hitting it with a regular circular pattern the size of the lupusan’s fist. Nothing was coming from Nasir directly; it was as though he was summoning it, causing it to happen, increasing the intensity of the pulses hammering the crystalline shell.
Inside the crystal, Tamara could see the serpent writhing against the walls of its prison. There was no longer any smoke inside the prison, it was just a multi-faceted container, riddled with cracks, its cargo clearly visible. The serpent was angry and scared, from the images Tamara was seeing. It was slithering around inside, hissing and striking at the sides of the container; trying to attack the two AI’s who were determined to destroy it.
“Ready, Magnus?” Nasir asked, never slowing in this steps.
The boarborn grunted, pointing his sword at the crystal. “I am ready.” His low, powerful voice was determined.
Nasir, never ceasing his footwork, suddenly raised his hands to the sky, spreading his fingers, displaying his race’s terrible claws. Then at some unspoken signal, he leapt straight up into the air landing hard and dropping down to his knees. As his knees bent, his palms hit the dirt. There was a BOOM of thunder and a huge pulse slammed into the side of the crystal. It shattered, the pieces of clear crystal flying high into the air. The serpent inside apparently was waiting for this, having timed its attack for the instant the crystal cage exploded. It burst forward, lunging for Magnus’s throat, its fangs gleaming in the firelight.
But the warthog warrior was ready. A powerful swing of his blade sliced the head of the serpent from the body. Magnus pivoted his broad form to the side, and the head hit the ground at his feet, the long body slightly to the side. Reversing his grip, the blade pointed down, the sword suddenly erupted in electricity which surged down the blade. A mighty thrust down speared the serpent’s head and the energy coursing down the weapon obliterated it. Wrenching the blade free from the dirt, Magnus did the same again to the body, leaving nothing behind.
Tamara smiled. “All good then, boys?” she asked.
The screen blanked for a second and then the status screens returned. Nasir appeared on the holo projector. “The worm has been destroyed, Tamara. Magnus and I have scoured the data files down to the smallest level, every single nook and cranny. It’s been eradicated.”
“And not a moment too soon,” she replied. “There wasn’t much time left.”
The lupusan AI shrugged. “We had a little over an hour left. An eternity of time to an AI, Tamara. You should know that.”
She chuckled. “You’re right, I should have remembered. Thank you for the very good work, Nasir. And please make sure to thank Magnus for me.”
“I’m not sure he’d want the thanks, Tamara,” Nasir confessed. “I think he’d take it almost as an insult. He’s primarily a security AI after all. He’d say it was his duty to destroy threats like that.”
“Well then, I hope that he continues to perform with such alacrity.”
Nasir grunted, flicking his ears in amusement. “I’m sure that he will, Tamara. But I will tell him you are pleased with his performance.”
“Please do. I am very happy with the result. Though if you’re not already�
��”
“He and I are continuing to scan the data files. We don’t need any surprises, though we are both confident that we got them all.”
“Good,” she said. “Keep checking, even after that time elapses.”
“Of course. I don’t want to lose those files any more than you do, Tamara. Magnus and I have scrubbed each file, sanitizing them from the worm and we poisoned its ability to self-replicate. Then it was just a matter of peeling away its defenses and ability to activate and then, well…” He smiled wolfishly.
“You killed it,” Tamara finished. She gave a lazy salute. “And I liked the little movie you two made for me to watch. I hope you don’t mind, I kept a copy to show the engineering teams. I think they’ll get a kick out of it.”
Nasir shrugged. “I think Magnus would say it was foolishness, but I also think he’d be lying. Any chance to show what a fearsome warrior he is.” Another flick of his ears.
“Yes, that’s my impression of him as well. But he is very good at his job.”
“Of that I have seen ample proof. Good work, keep it up.”
Nasir spread his hands to the sides, bowing slightly and then vanished.
Her comm panel beeped. “Yes?”
“Tamara, this is Galina on the bridge. We’re receiving a signal from Koolidge on the mining station. There’s the same light speed delay as always, so we can’t respond immediately.”
She snorted. If there was anything Tamara wished had been invented in the two and a half centuries she’d been trapped in hibernation aboard that damned escape pod it was a faster than light communication system. As it was, she was forced to deal with the same realities of delays in communications across space.
“Send it through.”
The display changed again, showing the middle-aged man’s face. Koolidge was the mine supervisor aboard the station at the edge of the belt. He had a huge grin on his face. “Commander Samair! Our latest survey bots have come back from asteroid number MJ2061167. I sent a shuttle out to confirm and you’re not going to believe what it was that we found!”
“This is Dessica Joon with ISC News. An amazing turn of events here in Seylonique as the First Principles Corporation has just discovered a huge amount of the rare mineral gadolinium in the system’s asteroid belt. As some of our viewers may know, gadolinium is a mineral that is used in the construction of hyperdrive systems. The value of such a mineral is calculated in the hundreds of thousands of credits per gram and apparently the FP company miners have struck the mother lode. We here at ISC News are trying to see if we can get a crew out to the station to confirm this amazing find but from the number of reports that have been received at the Orbital One station today, I don’t think there can be any doubt. The question that everyone is asking now is: How long can this string of victories run? It’s coming up aces for First Principles and everyone is trying to get themselves a piece of the action.”
“Market trading in the mining industry has risen to unprecedented levels today, in response to FP’s discovery…”
Chapter 15
“Unbelievable,” Commodore McConnell muttered to herself as the news broadcasts continued on her display. “How stars-damned lucky can one company possibly get?” On the very eve of Horus’s departure from this system, FP Inc had discovered a huge vein of gadolinium in the asteroid belt, a rock nearly a kilometer long with a vein consisting of nearly a third of the total mass. The FP reps were over the moon about this find, of course and they should be. The monetary value of that find was in the millions of credits, no hundreds of millions, more likely even in the billions. In less than a day, FP had gone from one of the biggest companies in the system to rivaling the monetary power of the entire star system.
“And of course they’re going to be sending out survey probes to the rest of the nearby rocks in the belt,” Theodosia muttered to herself. “A find like that? More than likely there’s more than one rock with minerals they can use. Damn them.”
Her comm panel beeped. She pressed a control, muting the news. “Yes?”
“Ma’am, we just received clearance to depart,” Brianne’s voice sounded crisp and professional. She, like many of the officers, was long past ready to leave this place.
“Excellent,” she said, hauling herself out of her desk chair and hobbling to the door. Her legs were getting stronger every day. Pulling up her HUD, she thought-clicked an icon which transferred the call from her desk comp to her implants. “I’m on my way up. I’m sure you’ve had everything ready to go?” She was out of her stateroom and walking down the corridor now.
“Of course, ma’am,” Brianne replied, a hint of a smirk on her rocky face. “Kept the engines hot for the last few hours, ever since we got back in from that last shakedown. All the supplies are loaded and all crew is back on board.”
“Good,” she said, stepping on to the bridge. The crew looked her way then quickly went back to what they were doing. She’d done away with the “Commodore’s on the bridge” nonsense. Yes, it was a part of life in the Navy, a sign of respect shown to senior officers, but it had a tendency to distract the various crewmembers there and she’d been happier just to do without. A blink and the call ended. Making her way to her command seat on the very cramped bridge, she plopped into it, marveling that her legs had managed the very short journey without so much as a twinge or a wobble. She might be nearly ready to do away with the blasted cane.
Pulling up her displays, McConnell checked things over and nodded. “Looking good. Any word yet from the FP people about the data files?”
Brianne frowned. “No, ma’am. Not even so much as a peep. I’m not sure what that means, exactly. Did the worm destroy the files and they’re pouting? Did it fail to activate? Did they destroy the worm?”
“All very good questions, Commander,” McConnell replied, feeling a frown cross her face as well. “They haven’t delayed us or anything, though the way Samair has repositioned some of her defensive ships here makes me think that they did in fact find the worm. The fact that no ultimatums have come our way makes me concerned that the worm didn’t do the job it was designed to do.” She saw a look exchanged between two of the sailors seated at tactical and she sighed softly. “All right, Commander, take us out.”
“Aye aye, ma’am. Mister Klieg, report.”
“Docking clamps released, Captain,” the zheen replied smoothly. “All mooring lines retracted. Engines are on hot standby. The traffic in front of the slip is clear, we’re ready to depart.”
“Very good. Helm, ahead half thrusters.”
“Aye, Captain. Ahead half thrusters,” the pilot repeated.
There was a hum as the ship eased forward out of dry dock, the displays showing the ship smoothly escaping its steel repair box for the last time in this star system. None of the shuttles, tugs or defensive ships were within five hundred kilometers of the Republic destroyer as she slid from the build slip, out into space and flying free.
“We’ve cleared dry dock, Captain,” the pilot reported, his hands on the controls, but held easy. “We have a clear vector.”
“Navigation, set a course to the hyper limit,” Brianne ordered. “Helm, once you have the course, engage at speed one fifty. No reason to sprint out of here and I don’t want anyone to think that a Republic warship is running out of this system. And of course, Lieutenant Rever, I want you to plot us a course home.”
“Goes without saying, ma’am,” the young navigator said, not looking up from her console as he worked out a vector to clear all the FP traffic and get out to the hyper limit. “I’ll have the course ready and waiting for you.” It was going to be a long trip home, and the ship didn’t have the fuel to simply make one long jump all the way back to the Republic. No, they were going to have to go star by star, but it still required a hyperspace course to be plotted over to the next system. They wouldn’t be going by way of Byra-Kae, of course, but they would make a stop in Ulla-tran before continuing on their journey.
“Course laid in, ma’am,
” the pilot said a moment later.
“Then engage engines if you would please,” Brianne said crisply and Theodosia nodded in satisfaction. Things were running smoothly and efficiently. Soon enough they’d be out of this blasted system and heading back home. Though she was sure that Admiral Tandred was going to want to hear about the wealth of gadolinium here. Perhaps now there might be a reason to get some Navy assets stationed out this way.
They were underway for less than ten minutes when the comms officer spoke up. “Commodore, I have a call incoming for you from Chief Samair on the Samarkand. It’s listed as an eyes-only call for you.”
She sighed. “All right, I’ll take it in my cabin.” Pulling herself to her feet, she hobbled off the bridge and back to her cabin. She sat down in her chair and pressed a control to activate the comms. “McConnell here.”
“Good day to you, Commodore,” Tamara said, her image clearly showing she was in her usual office aboard the constructor vessel. “I just wanted to see you one last time before you left the system, as a send off, you understand.”
“Of course, Ms. Samair. I did want to thank you again for all of the excellent work your people have done in bringing my flagship back up to snuff.” And as much as Theodosia would have liked to object, she couldn’t. The FP workers knew their jobs and even working on Republic gear they had no problems that she could see. Her ship had been old, but refitted less than two years ago back just before she’d been given the assignment in Byra-Kae. Now, a huge portion of the ship was brand new again, and Samair had made good use of the data files she’d manage to pry loose from Theodosia’s and Brianne’s fingers. There was no outdated tech being used on this ship, no sir. Everything was as up to date as the Republic specs would allow and Theodosia had to admit, she was impressed with their work. “She’s riding like a dream.”
“Excellent,” Tamara replied. “I’ll let Ms. Sterling know that her teams are doing good work. We’ve never had the approval of a Republic pennant officer before.”
First Principles: Samair in Argos: Book 3 Page 38