Ep.#9 - I am Justice (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  “You gonna kill that guy, or what, Brilly?” Corporal Vasya called over comm-sets.

  “The fucker’s dancing around like…” His weapons fire finally overwhelmed the targets shields, and the raider came apart in three bright explosions. “Got him!”

  “It’s about time,” Vasya chided.

  “Damn it!” Josh cursed. “One of them is getting up!” Josh shoved his flight control stick to one side, twisting it at the same time. The ship rose slightly and spun around. “Vasya! Tag that guy climbing out!”

  “I’m on him!”

  “Lok! Blast that other guy, will ya!”

  “Hold still, and I will!”

  Plasma fire streaked outside past the left side of the cockpit, slicing the fleeing raider in half, sending it crashing into the ground and exploding.

  “Got him!” Corporal Vasya reported.

  “I’ve got no shot!” Loki announced.

  Josh swung the ship to starboard and pitched up, opening fire with the ship’s forward-facing plasma cannons. He walked the fire through the air, finding the fleeing ship and tearing it open. The target tumbled over and fell toward the surface, exploding ten meters above the ground. “Scope is clear!” Josh declared triumphantly.

  “Settle this ship down so I can finish off the ground pounders,” Nathan instructed.

  “You got it,” Josh replied, doing as instructed.

  Nathan adjusted the aft turrets, locking onto the last group of Ahka firing up at them from the surface. The targeting boxes around all four icons turned green. “Smile,” Nathan said as he pressed the firing button. A second later, all four icons disappeared from his screen. “All targets are down,” Nathan announced, leaning back in his chair with a sigh of relief. He tapped his comm-set as his ship slowly gained altitude. “Jess, you’re all clear!”

  “Did they get into the storage buildings?” she asked.

  “Negative,” Nathan replied. “I’m pretty sure they didn’t. What’s your location? We’ll come to you.”

  “You flew right over us when you jumped in,” she replied. “Meet us in the square by the council building, next to the downed raiders, and we’ll buy you some wampa perinaya…with white sauce!”

  “Hell yeah!” Josh exclaimed. “I could eat!”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The Seiiki’s aft cargo ramp was already partially deployed when she landed in the square a few meters away from Vladimir, Jessica, and Aristaeus. Before her engines finished spinning down, Nathan came down the ramp, an unhappy expression on his face.

  “Nice job,” Vladimir congratulated.

  “You may have just saved this world,” Jessica added as they approached. “How did you find us, anyway?”

  “I had help,” Nathan replied, pointing back over his shoulder.

  Jessica leaned to one side to peer around Nathan, spotting Sosi Orloff coming down the ramp, along with Corporal Vasya and Specialist Brill.

  “What’s wrong?” Jessica asked, noticing the sour expression on Nathan’s face. “I thought you’d be happy to see us.”

  “I am happy to see you,” Nathan replied. “Both of you. I’m not happy that I had to chase you across four sectors to do so, all things considered.”

  “It is my fault,” Vladimir admitted. “I am the one who first met Sosi. I talked Jessica into coming along.”

  “No one talks Jessica into doing anything,” Nathan corrected.

  “We couldn’t wait,” Jessica explained. “Sosi was going to leave before you returned, and we didn’t want to lose the opportunity. I mean, we’re talking about fifty Sugali fighters, here.”

  “I thought it was one hundred,” Nathan commented, one eyebrow raised.

  “It’s complicated,” Jessica admitted.

  “It usually is.”

  “The complication is my doing, Captain,” Aristaeus insisted, stepping forward to join the conversation.

  “Captain, this is Aristaeus Imburjia, the seller,” Jessica introduced. “Mister Imburjia, this is Captain Nathan Scott, commanding officer of the Aurora.”

  Aristaeus stepped forward, nodding his head in respect. “It is indeed an honor to meet you, Captain.”

  “A pleasure, Mister Imburjia,” Nathan replied, shaking his hand. “Perhaps you can explain what is going on?”

  “Walk and talk?” Jessica suggested.

  “Where?”

  “The council of leaders has requested that we return to their chambers,” she replied. “I’ll explain on the way.”

  “This should be good,” Nathan said as they headed toward the council building.

  * * *

  Nathan, Jessica, Vladimir, and Aristaeus entered the council chambers and walked up to the center podium.

  “You have brought another,” the lead council member noticed.

  “I have,” Jessica replied. “This is my commanding officer, Captain Nathan Scott. He has only just arrived.”

  “Then, you are the pilot of the ship that defended our world and destroyed the Ahka raiders.”

  “I was not the pilot,” Nathan corrected, “but I was in command of the Seiiki at the time. My ship’s actions are my responsibility.”

  “Then it seems we are in your debt, Captain Scott.”

  “Not at all. To be honest, my concerns were not with your world, but for my crew on your world.”

  “Nevertheless, we are grateful for your efforts, regardless of your motives,” the lead council member stated. “The council is grateful for your efforts, as well, Lieutenant Commander.”

  “It was nothing,” Jessica replied modestly.

  “On the contrary, we may be a peaceful people, but we do appreciate the courage it takes to stand and fight. In particular, Council Member Tudo is grateful for your bravery, without which his daughter would now be in the hands of the Ahka.”

  Nathan looked at Jessica. “The Ahka kidnap people, as well?” he asked her under his breath.

  “Did I leave that part out?” Jessica whispered back.

  “Captain Scott,” the lead council member continued, “if you were so inclined, could not the Ahka be defeated by your ship?”

  “I cannot be certain,” Nathan admitted. “I know very little about the Ahka’s resources, fleet strength, weapons, or even tactics. If they have nothing more powerful than what we just faced then, yes, the Seiiki could handle them. But if they have larger ships, or greater numbers than what we faced today, my answer might be different.”

  “We, too, have very little intelligence on the Ahka’s forces,” the lead council member admitted. “To the best of our knowledge, their biggest limitation is their lack of carrier ships. The Ahka raiders are numerous, perhaps as many as thirty or forty of them, but they are incapable of making the journey from Ahka to Casbon on their own and must rely on carrier ships to ferry them between our worlds. It is our understanding that the Ahka have four such vessels.”

  “And how many raiders can each carrier vessel transport?” Nathan wondered.

  “That, we do not know. Until today, we have never been attacked by more than eight raiders. Our sensors only detected a single, large jump flash just prior to the attack, but our sensor technology is limited. So, we must assume they can carry at least twelve raiders, which is the number of ships that attacked us this day. So, you can see why we feel the need to purchase all one hundred, working fighters from Mister Imburjia.”

  “I understand,” Nathan assured them. “However, I must agree with the lieutenant commander’s assessment of your chances. Without proper training, tactics, and support facilities, your losses will be high, if not complete, especially if you try to take the fight to the Ahka.”

  “Then what would you have us do, Captain?” the lead council member asked.

  “Accept our offer to
provide you with experienced pilots to defend your world, and to train your people so they may someday defend it themselves.”

  “And in exchange, you get half of our fighters,” the lead council member said, sounding displeased.

  “Yes, but only after the Ahka’s ability to attack your world has been eliminated.”

  “Then, you are willing to destroy the Ahka for us?”

  “No, I am only willing to destroy their ability to attack Casbon.”

  “Captain,” one of the other council members objected, “the Ahka have been harassing us for years. They have stolen our resources, kidnapped our citizens…surely we have the right to seek justice.”

  “I am not qualified to pass judgment on the Ahka,” Nathan replied. “For all I know, they have a legitimate grievance with Casbon. What I am offering you is a reasonable solution to your problem, one which benefits our cause, as well. If you are interested, then I will immediately dispatch the appropriate personnel and equipment to your world. You would be protected within a few days. If not, then I wish you and your world the best of luck.”

  The lead council member looked over at the others on the council, then back to Nathan. “We will consider your words, Captain.”

  “That is certainly your right. However, I am not prepared to stand idly by while you think about your problem. My people have a much deadlier foe to contend with than the Ahka.”

  “Captain, surely you don’t expect us to make such an important decision on the spur of the moment?”

  “There are two kinds of people,” Nathan explained, “those who act, when action is necessary, and those who think about acting, usually until it is too late. I depart in one hour,” he added. “Good day.”

  With that, Nathan nodded politely, then turned and headed for the exit, his astonished cohorts following him out.

  * * *

  “What the hell was that?” Jessica asked as she and Vladimir followed Nathan quickly down the steps leading from the council building to the square.

  “It’s called negotiating,” Nathan replied with just a touch of sarcasm in his tone.

  “That’s not negotiating,” Jessica argued. “You just gave them an ultimatum! You’re supposed to have a discussion, make them realize why they need what we have to offer…”

  “You already explained the risks to them, and I didn’t feel like wasting any more time.”

  “So, you figured you’d insult them with all that ‘those who act and those who think about acting’ crap?”

  “All I did was attach a time limit to your offer, which, by the way, you had no authority to make.”

  “I was trying to take advantage of an opportunity before it disappeared,” she defended.

  “That’s not your job!” Nathan scolded, growing angrier by the minute.

  “So, I was supposed to just sit by and watch an opportunity to acquire a much needed resource slip through our fingers?”

  “Yes! That’s exactly what you were supposed to do!”

  “That doesn’t make any sense!” Jessica argued.

  Nathan stopped as they approached the Seiiki’s cargo ramp, turning to face Jessica. “It doesn’t have to make sense to you, Jess. A command structure exists for a reason, and you’re not in command of this alliance, I am.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me!” Nathan took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Look, the Casbons aren’t stupid. They know damn well the risks you outlined are real. The question is, are they willing to pay the price to ensure success with minimal losses? Since they’re primarily a non-violent people, I’m betting they’ll agree to the deal. They just had to be pushed into making a decision. You? You would have negotiated back and forth with them for as long as they wanted, until they got the deal they wanted. Hell, both Orloff and Imburjia were playing you.”

  “They weren’t playing us,” Jessica insisted. “Aristaeus had already promised to sell the fighters to the Casbons. He only agreed to bring us along to speak with them because he wants them to survive so he can continue trading with them.”

  “Don’t kid yourself, Jess. Aristaeus brought you along so he could drive up the price by showing the Casbons that he had another buyer willing to pay more. Granted, you striking a deal with the Casbons that increases their chances of survival is an additional win for him, but his primary concern is what he gets for those fighters.”

  “As long as we all get what we want, who cares?” Jessica defended.

  “What if the fleet had been attacked while you were running around the galaxy?”

  “Was it?” Jessica asked.

  “No, but what if I had already tasked the forces you’d promised to another assignment?”

  “Did you?”

  “No.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “The problem is, you couldn’t have known that,” Nathan explained. “And you know why you couldn’t have known that? Because I don’t tell you everything I’m planning, or everything Telles, Cameron, and I discuss. And you know why I don’t tell you everything? Because I’m in command, and I don’t have to tell you everything, nor do I have to explain myself to you. What I expect from you is to follow orders and do your job, which, at the time, was to protect my sister and her kids!”

  “Jesus!” Jessica exclaimed. “Is that what this is about? Christ, Nathan, there are twelve Ghatazhak guarding them, with weapons, on a station that doesn’t allow weapons.”

  “Yeah, now, but when you left there were only four.”

  “But I knew eight more were a day away,” Jessica argued.

  “That’s not the point!” Nathan barked. “The point is that I trusted you to protect the last family I have left, and you broke that trust by deciding that your fighter-shopping trip was more important. That’s your problem, Jess. You don’t know how to follow orders.”

  “Of all people to talk about following orders…”

  “The difference is that every order I’ve bent or broken has been within the authority of my position, and until you realize that, you’re going to continue pulling stupid stunts like this one. The only reason I don’t bust you back down to lieutenant, and give you back to Telles, is because you have an amazing instinct for combat and intelligence, but that’s all you have.”

  “She cleans up nice, too,” Vladimir interjected, trying to lighten the mood.

  Both Nathan and Jessica glared at him.

  “It’s true,” Vladimir defended.

  Nathan looked back at Jessica. “I want to trust you, Jess. I need to be able to trust you. Hell, I can’t do any of this without you, without both of you, but you’ve got to know your limitations, and accept them, otherwise you’re just too dangerous.”

  “But hot,” Vladimir added, still trying to keep things friendly.

  Jessica paused, swallowing hard as she got her temper under control. “Alright, what should I have done, Nathan?”

  “You should have tried to convince Orloff to delay his departure until I arrived, or get the name and location of the seller from him.”

  “And if neither worked?” she asked.

  “Then you shrug your shoulders, chalk it up to bad timing, and continue with your assigned mission. Your commanding officer, whoever they should be, needs to be absolutely certain that you will carry out their orders, and not just bail when you think there is something more important to do.”

  “I didn’t just bail, Nathan…”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Jessica insisted.

  “You kind of did,” Vladimir said.

  “Who asked you?” Jessica snapped.

  “Hey, I said you were hot, didn’t I?”

  Jessica took a deep breath, swallowing her pride and putting her ego in check. “I’m s
orry, Nathan, I thought I was doing what you would’ve done.”

  “You did exactly what I would have done,” Nathan agreed, “but you’re not me, and I have a different set of responsibilities than you do. You think you understand what my position is about but, trust me, until you actually have to do it, you have no idea. So please, be that officer, that friend, whom I know I can trust…completely.”

  “I will,” Jessica replied. “I promise.”

  “Me, too,” Vladimir added, smiling.

  Nathan looked at Vladimir, rolling his eyes. “Consider your ass chewed out, as well, Commander.”

  “Understood, sir,” Vladimir replied, giving Nathan a mock salute.

  “Now, everyone inside,” Nathan added. “I want to be ready to depart as soon as possible.”

  “But what about the council?” Vladimir wondered.

  “The ball is in their court,” Nathan replied.

  “Then, you’re not bluffing?” Jessica realized. “You’re really prepared to walk away?”

  “I never bluff,” Nathan assured her as he turned and headed up the ramp.

  * * *

  “I have been thinking,” Vladimir said as he sat down across from Nathan in the small booth in the Seiiki’s galley. “We could take a few of the mini-jump comm-drones that the Reapers use and outfit the Seiiki to use them.”

  “What would that entail?” Nathan wondered.

  “You have two bays that were originally designed as external equipment bays. You turned them into propellant tanks. We could convert them into recovery bays, and install charging systems for the jump comm-drones.”