by Ryk Brown
“What?”
“She’s going to be fine.”
Nathan sighed again. “I told you he was strong,” he said, nearly choking up. After a moment, Nathan pulled himself together and rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?” Neli wondered, looking up at him.
“To talk to Kyle.”
Nathan went over to the door and stepped into Miri’s room. Just like Neli, Kyle didn’t turn around…he just kept staring at his mother. Nathan walked over and put his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “How’s it going, Kyle?”
Kyle looked up at his uncle, trying not to cry as he forced a smile. “She made it, Uncle Nathan. She made it.”
Nathan wrapped his arms around his nephew, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. “Was there ever any doubt?”
CHAPTER SIX
The Seiiki’s cargo ramp was already coming down by the time the inner doors to the Aurora’s starboard hangar bay were completely open. Before it reached the deck, Nathan, Jessica, and Vladimir were already heading down.
“Welcome back,” Cameron greeted as she approached the bottom of the ramp. “How’s Miri?”
“It was close,” Nathan replied as they reached the bottom of the ramp. “They actually lost her for more than an hour.”
“What?”
“Yeah, apparently, this guy Symyri really is some kind of miracle worker, at least, according to Doc Chen.”
“I figured something must have gone wrong,” Cameron said. “We were expecting you back more than a day ago.”
“Yeah, well, I had to go rescue these two from halfway across the galaxy,” Nathan replied, pointing back at Jessica and Vladimir with his thumb.
“I’m sure that’s going to be an interesting story.”
“You didn’t rescue us,” Jessica insisted as she and Vladimir came to a stop alongside Nathan, “and it was only a few hundred light years.”
“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” Cameron said, “after you’ve all had a chance to clean up.”
“That bad, huh,” Nathan said.
“Doesn’t that ship of yours have showers?”
“We picked up a little damage along the way,” Nathan explained. “I want to meet with you, Telles, Abby, Deliza, Prechitt, and Verbeek in the command briefing room in one hour.” Nathan turned to look at Vladimir and Jessica. “You two, as well.”
“I’ll let everyone know,” Cameron assured him.
“I’m going to want full readiness reports on all forces, and all vessels, as well as what’s happening on Rakuen and Neramese,” Nathan added. “Also any new intel on the Dusahn.”
“Of course. What’s going on?”
“We have a lot to discuss,” Nathan replied, “but first, we need to wash the stink off,” he added, continuing toward the exit.
* * *
“Captain on deck!” the guard at the door to the command briefing room announced as Nathan entered.
“As you were,” Nathan ordered before anyone could reach a full standing position. “I’ve reviewed most of the readiness reports, as well as the status reports on Rakuen and Neramese,” Nathan announced as he took his seat at the head of the conference table. “So, for the sake of expediency, I’ll dispense with the usual formality of each of you making presentations and get straight to each topic.” Nathan glanced around the room, looking for a hint of any objections from those in attendance before continuing. “Commander Kamenetskiy and Lieutenant Commander Nash made contact with a broker selling one hundred working Sugali fighters. Unfortunately, the broker had promised to sell them to a world in desperate need of the fighters to protect themselves against pirates from a neighboring system, who have been raiding their world on a regular basis. Lieutenant Commander Nash correctly recognized the increased risk the purchase of these fighters represented to the buyer, given that they have no pilots, no military, and no infrastructure in place to support them. Therefore, we offered to provide pilots, support personal, and equipment, as well as training, in exchange for a number of fighters, yet to be determined.”
“You want to send one hundred pilots?” Commander Verbeek asked, surprised. “Pardon me, Captain, but do we even have that many pilots? I know I don’t.”
“Actually, there are two hundred and thirty-eight unassigned Corinari pilots at the moment,” Commander Prechitt said. “More than half of them have combat fighter training.” He looked at Nathan. “In fact, eleven of them are also flight instructors. I doubt it would take much time for them to become adept at piloting the Sugali fighters, and I am certain they would welcome the opportunity to serve the cause.”
“Still, you’ll need airframe and power plant mechanics, engineers, weapons systems technicians, avionics technicians…”
“I’m not talking about sending a combat-ready unit, capable of supporting one hundred fighters,” Nathan explained. “Enough to support twenty to thirty fighters would likely be enough to get the Casbons going.”
“There’s also the logistics of feeding and housing that many people on a foreign world,” Cameron pointed out.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but I believe it is necessary.”
“Just how many fighters are we talking about getting in return?” Commander Verbeek wondered.
“I’m hoping for fifty,” Nathan replied, “but we need to get some intel on their enemy’s forces, industrial capacity, and so on, before we can determine just how many fighters they can spare, and still be able to adequately defend themselves.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to simply destroy the enemy’s ability to strike?” General Telles wondered.
“I am considering that option, as well,” Nathan admitted. “Still, we need intel first.”
“Captain, it will take at least a few days to get everything ready to move,” Cameron stated. “How often do these raids occur?”
“Apparently, they have escalated to at least a weekly event,” Nathan replied. “One occurred as we were arriving.”
“Then, you saw this enemy in action?” Commander Verbeek asked.
“Yes, and to be honest, they weren’t very impressive,” Nathan replied. “Their piloting skills appeared to be rudimentary, at best, and their ships were not very maneuverable. More like armed shuttles than combat landers. Even their shields were not that powerful.”
“Jump capable?” Commander Verbeek wondered.
“Short-range only. They have to be ferried over by a carrier. Initial intel indicates that each carrier can haul twelve raiders, but none of this is confirmed. It’s all based on hearsay and the single attack we actually witnessed.”
“That’s not much upon which to base the commitment of significant resources, let alone get involved in someone else’s war,” General Telles warned. “Do we even know the enemy’s side of the story? Perhaps there is a reason they feel justified in attacking these Casbons.”
“The enemy is called the Ahka,” Jessica chimed in. “They are a young colony who suffered considerable setbacks and are struggling to recover. They steal the minerals and precious metals mined and refined by the Casbons to pay for the things they need to keep their colony alive and growing. They even kidnap Casbon women to use as breeding stock.”
“And where did you get this information?” General Telles wondered. “Hopefully not from the Casbons.”
“Actually, from the seller of the fighters,” Jessica replied a bit defensively. “And I personally witnessed the Ahka trying to kidnap Casbon women.”
“I presume you stopped them,” the general remarked.
“Damn right, I did.”
“I agree that we need to be certain of our intel,” Nathan agreed, “which is why I’d like to send the Falcon to recon the Ahka system before we commit any resources to the Casbons.”
“Then you are
uncertain of the legitimacy of their claims?” General Telles asked.
“No, I believe them,” Nathan replied. “I just want more intel so we’re sure of what we’re getting into. However, I’m not providing aid to the Casbon’s because I think they deserve it. I’m not even doing it for the fighters. Let’s face it, fifty Sugali fighters aren’t even half as deadly as fifty Gunyoki.”
“Then why?” Cameron wondered.
“Because Casbon is rich in raw ores, minerals, and precious metals, all of which we desperately need if we’re going to build up the Rogen system’s defenses.”
“Especially the Aramenium,” Vladimir added.
“They have Aramenium?” Abby asked, surprised.
“Apparently, a lot of it,” Jessica replied. “And the Ahka don’t even know about it. If they find out, they’ll probably attack with a lot more firepower than before.”
“I’m not familiar with Aramenium,” Cameron admitted.
“It is a rare element that can store tremendous amounts of energy,” Abby explained. “It also stabilizes the flow of energy passing through it.”
“Then it might be something we could make use of,” Nathan surmised.
“Possibly, yes,” Abby confirmed. “There was also a theory about using Aramenium in jump field emitters, as it helps to stabilize the distribution of energy into the jump fields, allowing for much larger instant energy dumps. This is just a theory, of course. We were never able to experiment with it because the element is so rare, especially in the Sol sector. However, I read the theorem, and if the assumptions within it are correct, it could quadruple our current single-jump range.”
“By just replacing the emitters?” Cameron asked in disbelief.
“The emitters, the power distribution grid, and the energy banks,” Abby replied. “The jump field generators simply modulate the energy as the fields are produced, and are already designed to handle considerably more power than currently used.”
“They use Aramenium in the Volon system,” Deliza added. “They make high-capacity batteries out of them. They recharge very quickly. Perhaps you could adapt their battery technology to the energy banks?”
“And reduce the recharge times,” Cameron added.
“No, but they might be able to power repeated short-range jumps, just like the mini ZPEDs do for smaller ships.”
“Intriguing,” Abby agreed. “If we greatly reduce the time it takes to recharge the Aurora’s energy banks…”
“Then our operational range would be improved,” Nathan realized, “and without having to overhaul the emitters or the power distribution grid.” He looked at Abby. “By how much?”
“That’s hard to say,” Abby admitted, looking to Deliza.
“We studied the idea of using Aramenium in the energy banks for cargo ships. At the time, we estimated a fifty-percent reduction in the recharge time,” Deliza replied.
“Why didn’t you ever develop them?” Jessica wondered.
“The cost of the Aramenium made the idea impractical. Cargo ships already finish recharging their energy banks faster than they can cycle cargo.”
“That would reduce our transit time between Rogen and Takar to twenty hours,” Cameron calculated.
“If that’s the case, maybe we should send the Cobras along as protection, at least until the fighter wing is up and running,” Jessica suggested.
“We can’t spare them,” Cameron argued.
“She’s right,” Nathan agreed. “We need the Cobras in order to continue harassing Dusahn shipping routes.”
“Can’t we use the Gunyoki for that?” Jessica asked.
“The Cobras are far more powerful than the Octos the Dusahn usually send to guard their cargo ships,” Nathan told her. “Together, they can even stand toe-to-toe with a frigate. A Gunyoki is basically an even match for an Octo. Besides, it’s too soon to start using the Gunyoki for anything other than protecting the Rogen system. Not until we get at least a few hundred of them fitted with jump drives.”
“We need to send something,” Jessica insisted. “Otherwise, our own people will be at risk, as well.”
“Good point,” Nathan agreed, thinking.
“Send our Eagles,” Commander Verbeek suggested.
“Send our fighters?” Cameron asked, obviously disagreeing with the commander.
“The Aurora isn’t going anywhere until the Rogen system can protect itself,” the commander pointed out, “not unless you manage to increase our single-jump range. And the Dusahn Octos have our Eagles outgunned anyway. If they should attack, the Gunyoki are better suited to take on the Octos. You said so yourself, Captain.”
“Sugali fighters are similar in size and capability to an Eagle,” Commander Prechitt added. “The Eagle ground crews could take care of the Sugali fighters and help get the Casbon ground crews trained.”
“Good thinking,” Nathan agreed. “Which is why I’m sending you to command the entire operation.”
“You are?”
“The Corinari are your men, Commander, and you’re certainly qualified for the position.”
“Of course, sir,” the commander replied. “I’d be happy to.”
“Very well, it’s been decided,” Nathan said. “Commander Prechitt, select and assemble your staff, and coordinate with Commander Verbeek.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Verbeek, get ready to mobilize your air wing; lock, stock, and barrel.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just one question,” Cameron said. “Who’s going to transport them? The Glendanon’s the only ship big enough, and she’s busy assembling more fabricators.”
“Move the Gunyoki back to the race platform for now, and move our Eagle air wing to the Inman and the Gervais. Eagles are smaller than Gunyoki, so we should be able to fit ten on each ship.”
“What about the support personnel and equipment?” Commander Verbeek wondered.
“The Torrecun can haul the gear, and Hunt’s ship can haul the personnel,” Nathan replied.
“We should bring the Forenta, as well,” Commander Verbeek added. “Unless the Casbon have a big propellant depot.”
“You’re talking about sending half our fleet,” Cameron warned. “And with only twenty Super Eagles to protect them.”
“Considering the potential rewards, I think it’s worth the risk,” Nathan said.
“I’m not disagreeing with you, Captain,” Cameron replied. “Just pointing out the fact.”
“Great. Let’s make this happen, people,” Nathan said, rising from his seat to exit.
* * *
“We have our first new intelligence from the Rogen system,” General Hesson announced as he entered Lord Dusahn’s office. “There are some disturbing developments.”
“Such as?” Lord Dusahn inquired, his eyes still on the view screen on his desk.
“The entire Karuzari fleet is in stellar orbit around Rogen, near the Gunyoki base, including the Aurora.”
“That is good news, is it not?” Lord Dusahn said, finally looking up. “Now that we know their location, we can destroy them.”
“There is unusual activity, as well,” the general continued. “There is considerable expansion of the Ranni plant,” he explained, turning on the larger view screen on the wall. “They are also repairing and, apparently, expanding upon the Gunyoki base.”
“That was to be expected,” Lord Dusahn assured him while he studied the images being displayed on the large view screen.
“Also, there are indications of new factories being built on both Rakuen and Neramese.”
“What kind of factories?”
“One would assume they are building some type of defensive weapons,” General Hesson insisted.
“They could be building toilets,
for all we know,” Lord Dusahn commented.
“While that is certainly possible, my lord, it would be safer to assume they are building weapons.”
“I take it you have instructed our people to leave assets on the surface before they depart.”
“I have, my lord.”
“Very well, then we shall soon know what they are building.”
“Regardless of what they are building, the presence of the Karuzari fleet and the number of shuttles transiting between the fleet and the Rogen system’s populated worlds, we must conclude that the Karuzari have convinced both worlds to join their cause.”
Lord Dusahn smiled. “Then it is time to put my plan into action.”
“Of this, I am not certain,” General Hesson replied. “Our reinforcements are still ten days out, and now that we know where the Aurora and the Karuzari fleet are located, time is on our side.”
“Just because they are in the Rogen system, now, does not mean they will always be there,” Lord Dusahn reminded his general.
“Perhaps, but there are risks to your plan, my lord.”
“Which are mitigated by our knowledge of the Aurora’s location,” Lord Dusahn insisted. “We set our bait, drawing her into our trap, away from her fleet and her only supporting worlds, and attack both at the same time. The Karuzari and her allies are destroyed, and we are free to expand our empire, unfettered.”
“But our reinforcements are still too far away…”
“They are closer to the Rogen system than to Takara, by at least two days,” Lord Dusahn pointed out. “Send word for them to reroute to within single attack-jump range of the Rogen system, and await orders. We will use our own ships to destroy the Aurora, in full view of the people of Takara.”
“It was my understanding that you wished our ships to be the ones to destroy the Rogen system,” General Hesson reminded his leader.
“In war, one must be flexible,” Lord Dusahn replied. “All that matters is that the Aurora and all her allies are destroyed, and that everyone knows it was the Dusahn who wiped them from existence.”