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

by Ryk Brown

  “I guess it’s just the two of us, then,” Jessica said, also rising.

  “Hold on,” Cameron objected, looking at Nathan. “You’re not going.”

  “Actually, I am,” Nathan insisted, coming around his desk to head out.

  “Nathan,” Cameron said, standing and grabbing his arm as he passed. “We’re sitting out here for a reason, remember? If the Dusahn attack, your place is here.”

  “The Dusahn are just now getting the message,” Nathan insisted. “It’s going to take them at least two days to get their ships into position to attack.”

  “Assuming they haven’t already moved them,” Cameron argued. “You can’t go.”

  “That’s my ship that went down,” Nathan told her. “My family.”

  “I know, but…”

  “But nothing, I’m going,” Nathan told her.

  “And if the Dusahn attack while you’re gone?” she asked as he headed for the exit, with Jessica hot on his heels.

  “Then you’ll kick their asses,” Nathan replied. He stepped through the exit, calling to the comms officer as he passed. “Notify Reaper Six to prepare for immediate takeoff,” he instructed.

  “Mission package?”

  “Hot SAR, with two additional shooters,” Cameron ordered for him.

  Nathan turned to head out of the bridge, stopping to look at Cameron.

  “I’ve got the conn, right?”

  “Right.”

  “Then let me handle it,” she told him. “Get to the hangar bay. Everything you need will be waiting for you.”

  Nathan flashed a smile as he disappeared through the aft exit.

  “See you soon,” Jessica promised as she passed Cameron and turned to follow Nathan out the exit.

  “Make sure you do,” she replied. “Flight Ops, XO,” she said, tapping her comm-set. “Fit Reaper Six for SAR, carrying two shooters, rescue for six. Best arms package.”

  “Hot LZ?” the dispatcher at Flight Ops asked.

  “Unknown,” she replied. “Highly probable.”

  “Aye. Ready in five.”

  “Make it three,” she insisted.

  * * *

  The young Dusahn lieutenant ran through the gardens of the Dusahn palace. Once the home of the ruling house of Takara, it now served as Lord Dusahn’s personal residence, and headquarters of the Dusahn Empire.

  The lieutenant ran down the walkway, through the rose garden, pausing momentarily at the intersection, searching for his superiors. “My lord!” he shouted, spotting them in the distance. He continued running toward them, slowing as he grew closer. “My lord! Word has come!” he exclaimed, panting as he came to a stop.

  “Lieutenant!” General Hesson scolded.

  “Apologies, General. I knew you would want word. The Aurora has left the Rogen system,” the lieutenant explained, handing the data pad to the general.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” the general said, taking the data pad. When the lieutenant did not immediately depart, the general added, “that will be all.”

  The general studied the data pad for a moment.

  “Well?” Lord Dusahn asked as he enjoyed the morning sun.

  “The Aurora departed the Rogen system twenty hours ago,” the general reported. “Their departure heading was in the direction of the Pentaurus cluster.”

  “Then our plan is working,” Lord Dusahn commented without show of emotion.

  “Possibly,” the general said. “Prior to her departure, the Rogen system’s readiness state was increased. She is expected to be gone for as long as four days.”

  “Precisely the amount of time required for a round-trip to Takara.” Lord Dusahn smiled. “Captain Scott is a confident young man, I’ll give him that.”

  “It appears his gunships have departed, as well,” General Hesson added.

  “His gunships are of little concern. How long until our ships are in position to attack?”

  “If the Aurora is indeed on her way here, then we already have enough ships within striking distance to destroy the Rogen system, twice over.”

  “Then give the order to attack, my dear General,” Lord Dusahn ordered, the slightest of smiles on his lips. “It’s time the entire quadrant learns the fate of those who oppose the Dusahn.”

  “My lord, if I may, would it not be prudent to confirm the Aurora’s position, prior to launching the attack?”

  “Nonsense.”

  “Respectfully, my lord,” General Hesson pressed, “with the reinforcement fleet so close to the Rogen system, delaying the attack a mere day would not only guarantee our success, but would provide a victory so overwhelming, the Dusahn would never again be challenged.”

  Lord Dusahn cast a menacing gaze the general’s way.

  “That is the effect you seek, is it not?”

  “Keep in mind, General, that I occasionally do not share all of my plans with you,” Lord Dusahn stated. “However, I shall consider your words.”

  “Your consideration honors me, my lord,” the general said, bowing respectfully.

  “I shall give you my answer within the hour,” Lord Dusahn promised.

  “I shall alert our forces to be ready, once word is given,” the general added, withdrawing carefully. It was a delicate game that he played with the leader of his caste. One that was both necessary and dangerous.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Nathan and Jessica passed through the forward hatch to the Aurora’s main hangar bay, and moved briskly out across the deck, turning left toward the waiting Reaper.

  “Nash!” a voice called from their right.

  Jessica turned her head to see Lieutenant Commander Hechler and Master Sergeant Willem coming toward them, carrying gear bags. The two men doubled their pace to catch up, intercepting Nathan and Jessica halfway to Reaper Six.

  “I brought your combat gear,” the lieutenant commander told her. “We brought gear for you, as well,” he informed Nathan. “You’re about the same size as us. Might be a little snug around the middle,” the lieutenant commander added in jest.

  Nathan took the bag from Master Sergeant Willem. “This is the general’s gear?” he asked, noticing the label on the bag.

  “None of the backup gear has been equipped with personal shields yet,” the master sergeant explained. “I figured the general wouldn’t mind…much.”

  “Just be sure to clean it when you get back,” the lieutenant commander joked.

  “Thanks,” Nathan replied. “How are we looking?” he asked the chief in charge of the Reaper’s deck crew as they approached the ship.

  “Double-teamed her to change her load,” the chief replied. “Pretty sure we set a record.”

  “Good job,” Nathan replied, patting the chief on the shoulder as he passed. Nathan quickly tossed his gear bag into the Reaper’s open side door and jumped up inside, with Jessica doing the same immediately after.

  “Bring ‘em all back, Jess!” the lieutenant commander barked from outside the Reaper.

  “Damn straight!” Jessica replied as she slid the door closed.

  “Let’s get going!” Nathan ordered to the Reaper’s flight crew as he opened the general’s gear bag and pulled out his combat helmet. “I hope you’re going to show me how to use this stuff.”

  “I’ll have you chewing glass and spitting shards before we get there,” Jessica promised.

  Nathan scowled at the expression.

  “A Ghatazhak expression,” she explained as she opened her own gear bag. “Doesn’t translate well from Takaran; do as I do.”

  “Captain, XO,” Cameron called over comms.

  “Go ahead,” Nathan replied, watching Jessica and pulling out the bodysuit as she had.

  “I managed to get you four Gunyoki, and I sent
a comm-drone to contact the Falcon and redirect her to Eralit Seven Delta.”

  “Good thinking,” Nathan replied. “Where are we going to rendezvous?”

  “I took the liberty of making a quick mission plan and sending it to all the elements involved. Everyone should know what to do.”

  “Thanks, Cam.”

  “Good luck.”

  “We’re cleared for emergency departure,” Ensign Weston reported over Nathan’s comm-set. “Hang on.”

  Nathan and Jessica both braced themselves, knowing the Reaper’s inertial dampening systems would not be active while she was still within the influence of the Aurora’s artificial gravity. They both swayed to their right as the ship turned sharply from the airlock into the unpressurized starboard departure deck. Nathan turned to look between the bulkheads and out the forward windows, just as the ship began to float up off the deck. Lieutenant Haddix pushed the Reaper’s throttles forward just a bit, and the ship quickly accelerated through the remainder of the open-ended compartment, shooting out into space as the bow of the Aurora quickly slid past on their port side. A split second later, the ship turned sharply and jumped.

  Nathan turned back around, surprised to see Jessica already stripped down to her bra and panties.

  “What are you waiting for?” she asked. “Strip.”

  Nathan smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Shouldn’t you send another crew?” Tariq suggested as the eight of them moved quickly toward their waiting Gunyoki fighters.

  “She said to send her four best crews,” Vol replied.

  “Then why are you here?” Alayna joked.

  “Any idea of our mission profile?” Tham wondered.

  “Not a clue,” Vol replied.

  “Captain Taylor sent over a loose plan,” Isa said, holding up his data pad. “Nothing more than a few waypoints and alternates.”

  “What’s the mission objective?” Gento asked.

  “Fly cover for a SAR mission, rescuing the crew of the Seiiki from some moon called Eralit Seven Delta,” Isa explained.

  “They went down?” Alayna asked.

  “Hard. Had to eject.”

  “Rules of engagement?” Isanu inquired.

  “If they aren’t ours, kill them,” Vol instructed.

  “Understood,” Tariq replied as he and his weapons officer peeled off from the group to board their fighter.

  “See you at the departure rally point,” Alayna called out as she and Isanu headed for their fighter.

  “Hot LZ?” Tham asked Vol as they approached their fighters.

  “Unknown,” Vol replied. “But if the captain is asking for cover, I’d assume so.”

  “Let’s do it,” Tham stated confidently, turning to climb aboard his fighter.

  Vol looked back at the other two Gunyoki fighters. The newly remodeled ready deck was being tested for the first time, and the design seemed good. He turned and continued the last few steps to his cockpit, which was sticking up through the ready deck like all the others. He stepped over the edge and dropped into his seat, the deck chief handing him his helmet from the opposite side.

  “She’s good to go, sir,” the chief assured him as he waited for Vol to put on his helmet, and then connected it to the Gunyoki fighter’s systems. “Good luck,” he added over the helmet comms. The chief stepped back, and the canopy quickly closed. Two seconds later, they slid forward and covered the canopy from the outside.

  “All systems show ready. All elements show ready. Cleared for combat launch,” Isa reported from the back seat.

  “Shenza Leader; launching,” Vol announced. He pressed a button, and his ship dropped away from the underside of the ready deck. The well-lit departure corridor appeared before him, and Vol pressed the combat departure button, sending his ship barreling down the long corridor toward the opening at the far end. Five seconds later, his ship shot out the end of the departure corridor and turned toward the departure rally point.

  “Shenza One, away.”

  Corporal Amund scanned the area from his perch atop an outcropping of rock, fifteen meters from the cave entrance. From his position, he could see all three routes up the side of the mountain. Unless the Dusahn decided to blaze their own path through the dense forest, there was no way they could approach without him knowing.

  Planet rise had come sooner than he had expected. Eralit Seven’s angry amber light had come on quickly, already washing away the pale shadows from her third moon that had provided their nighttime illumination. By the time Eralit Seven’s horizon spanned the entire length of the valley below, the nearest group of Dusahn soldiers had closed to within a few kilometers. They could no longer afford to wait. He only hoped that the minerals obscuring his sensors equally interfered with those of their enemy. If not, their demise would come sooner than expected.

  The corporal slid down from his perch, sliding backwards on his belly, being careful not to stir up any dust that might be detected by his approaching enemy. Once down from his perch, he turned and moved quickly back into the cave.

  “Time to go,” he ordered, waking the others.

  “What’s wrong?” Loki asked, snapping awake.

  “The Dusahn are approaching. The nearest party is about three to four kilometers away.”

  “The nearest?” Josh said, realizing the implication as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “There’s more?”

  “Two others, but they are further away and headed to either side of our position.”

  “Wait, you can see three or four clicks?” Josh asked in disbelief.

  “The Ghatazhak have very good eyesight,” the corporal replied. “I will act as a decoy and lead them away, while the rest of you continue up the mountain. Try to remain under the trees at all times, and mask your trail.”

  “Wait, what about you?” Loki asked.

  “I will be fine,” the corporal assured him. “If you see a friendly ship, find a clearing big enough for them to land, and fire in the air at opposing angles so they can locate you.” Without another word, the corporal disappeared out the cave’s entrance.

  “I think that guy is a robot, or something,” Josh stated as he rose to his feet.

  “Let’s get going,” Deliza insisted.

  “After you, Princess,” Josh said, gesturing for her to go ahead of him.

  “How does it fit?” Jessica asked.

  “A little snug in the crotch, actually,” Nathan replied.

  “Yeah, right.”

  “How do these pajamas work?” he wondered as he snapped the last of his leg armor onto the assistive undergarment.

  “They sense what you’re doing with your body and adjust the tension, and the direction of that tension, to help you out.”

  “This thin, little fabric?”

  “You played hockey, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t all hockey players wear that second-skin stuff?”

  “Knees, ankles, and elbows,” Nathan replied as he donned his pelvic armor. “Never hit the ice without them.”

  “Think of it as a high-tech version of that, then.”

  “So, it protects me from getting hurt?”

  “Oh, it does a lot more than that,” she assured him as she donned her chest and shoulder armor. “Everything you can do: run, jump, punch, kick…with that, you can do it all better. Just take it easy at first,” she warned. “It takes a bit of getting used to.”

  “I’ll try to remember that,” Nathan promised as he wrapped the abdominal section around himself. “Tell me about the personal shield.”

  “You activate it with this button,” she showed him, pointing to the button at the center of her chest. “Just remember, it’s a single, flat shield that always runs parallel to your chest.”

 
“How wide is it?” Nathan wondered.

  “About a meter, so don’t go flailing your arms about or you just might end up without one of them.”

  “And I can shoot through it?” Nathan asked.

  “Yup, but always try to poke your barrel through the shield first. Shooting from behind it tends to drain it faster.”

  “It drains?”

  Jessica sighed. “This is going to take longer than I thought.”

  Josh moved quickly through the forest as he led the others up the side of the mountain. Behind him, Deliza, Naralena, and Loki were keeping up, but the pace was taking its toll on them all, including Josh.

  “Didn’t Amund……say to……mask our……trail,” Deliza reminded Josh, noticing that he was sticking to animal trails as much as possible.

  “Our distress beacon……should have reached the Aurora……by now,” Josh replied between breaths. “We need to find……a safe LZ for extract.”

  Two distant booms interrupted Josh, stopping him dead in his tracks, spinning around to look at the sky behind them. Seconds later, two flashes of blue-white light, just above the treetops behind them, followed a split second later by two more thunderous booms.

  “That’s eight in the……last five minutes,” Loki said.

  “Those last two……were right over……Amund,” Josh noted, a concerned look on his face.

  “No, Josh……just no,” Loki warned.

  “What?”

  “I know……that look. Amund told us……to head up the mountain……for a reason. If the Dusahn’s sensors aren’t working……they’ll start at the crash site……and work their way out……based on how fast they think……we can travel over this terrain. They won’t be looking……on the other side of that ridge,” Loki explained, pointing up the mountain toward the summit less than a kilometer away.

  Distant energy weapons fire sounded down the mountain, in the direction from which they had come, grabbing Josh’s attention.