by Trevor Wyatt
The place was clustered and small for the size of the ship. It almost looked like the cockpit of a fighter or a shuttle. It had several workstations that were crammed into its tiny space and a small square view screen ahead.
The room was dark and looked of death. There were dead Sonali everywhere: on the work stations, on the captain’s seat…all lying with no dignity on the bare ground.
As the others spread into the control room to look for clues, the first place Mahesh’s eyes went to was the view screen. It was blank, which meant that the distress signal wasn’t coming from the ship’s internal components.
“Is there any other way you can send a distress signal?” Mahesh asked. “Or must it be on this control room?”
“There are other ways,” Sef replied. “Nevertheless, the fact still remains that even if they had succeeded, it shouldn’t be working until now. This may mean that the power isn’t totally off…”
“Or it could mean that the distress signal is coming from an external device of a foreign origin,” came Vu’s voice at the very right corner of the control room. He was crouched over a workstation, tinkering with a small, black, metal looking cube.
“What’s that, Vu?” Mahesh asked, his heart picking up the pace.
Vu sighed before looking up at Mahesh.
“It’s the device that’s sending out the distress signal.”
He held it up for them all to see.
“That’s not ours!” Sef said with a frown.
“That’s because it’s Tyreesian,” Vu said.
“It’s a trap,” Mahesh and Vu said at the same time.
Mahesh was about to spring into action when Adachi spoke up in a tensed voice.
“Guys, look out the view screen.”
Mahesh glanced at the view screen. He could see the Seeker at a distance from them. But then he could also see another ship that was bigger than the Seeker. It had a design that didn’t exist in the Terran Union. It had just entered the system, and was approaching the Seeker.
Mahesh didn’t need to be told that it was the same Tyreesian ship that had set the trap.
Fuck, Mahesh thought to himself, his eyes glued to the screen.
He really, really hated war.
Chapter 6
Jeryl tried to act normal. He stood with his hands behind his back while he observed the readout on the view screen, watching as the ship drifted towards them.
Earlier, he asked for information on the ship’s drift speed and bearing, which warranted sending out a team to measure the ship’s speed.
The information they were able to collect was astounding. They discovered that the ship wasn’t just moving; it was actually decelerating—which meant its speed had changed through time. With that information, they were able to project the ship’s position at the time they received the distress call.
The calculation put the ship in a nearby star system, which their limited intelligence suggested was a high traffic system for the Tyreesian.
They’re involved in this, Jeryl thought, gritting his teeth.
Just after Jeryl stopped the Tyreesians on their initial plan to sabotage the Galactic Council, Leader Greer had made a lot of noise about the Tyreesian’s abhorrence for the Council; he made a solemn oath to attack any Galactic Power’s ship that entered Tyreesian space. Jeryl rolled his eyes at the thought.
He detested the Tyreesians. They were on the wrong side of history.
Of course, Jeryl refused to take the Tyreesians’ threats seriously. He refused to believe that a race as advanced as the Tyreesians could descend to such a pitiful low. And he especially refused to believe that a simple diplomat such as Greer could decide for an entire race.
Surely, there were people in the Tyreesian home world that didn’t share the same view as Greer. There had to be some form of democracy—even if only at the higher levels—where people voiced out their opinions so that no single leader could lead the species on a path of personal vengeance.
But when he found out what had happened to the Sonali mining vessel, Jeryl’s hopes began to fade. Maybe the Tyreesians were holding on to their threats. Maybe they were setting a trap. The Sonali vessel could’ve been abducted and brought into Tyreesian space as justification for starting a war.
The Tyreesians were very aggressive, Jeryl knew that much. He also knew that one had to consider every step when it came to dealing with them, as the Tyreesians were extremely tricky.
What are your secrets? Why are you drifting in Tyreesian space? Jeryl thought as he observed the drifting Sonali vessel. He couldn’t help but feel that he was missing something important. There must be some vital piece of information that he had missed.
“Are our long range scanners currently active?” Jeryl asked the substitute science officer.
He was a young, ruddy ensign that couldn’t have been more than eighteen. Jeryl wondered how he had managed to get a posting aboard the Seeker. It was, after all, one of the most prestigious vessels in the entire Terran Armada. Getting assigned to the Seeker as a first posting was a sign that he was extremely adept at the Academy.
Jeryl didn’t really appreciate book-smarts. He preferred recruits who were able to work under pressure, were disciplined, had a good handle on their subject matter; reliable and efficient.
“No, sir,” the ensign replied. He was a dark skinned boy of African descent. He gazed at Jeryl with worried eyes.
“Calm down, kid,” Jeryl said in a soft tone. “You can do this. Just keep your head in the game and remember your training.”
Jeryl made a mental note to talk to his First Officer about making sure ensigns who got assigned on CNC duties had enough experience.
He highly doubted that was the case with this one.
“Why aren’t they operational?” Jeryl asked.
“Well, sir, they’re technically operational, but they’re currently inactive,” the ensign said, his voice quivering a bit.
The communications officer chirped in.
“Sir, that’s because of the possibility of being noticed while here,” Mary said. “Using the long range scanners will help us see far, yes…however, it will also alert other people to our presence.”
“Is that so?” Jeryl asked the ensign.
He nodded.
“What if we lowered the power?” Jeryl asked. “I just want to know what’s around. I have a bad feeling.”
“Low power will affect the range of the transmitters, sir,” the ensign said with a little more confidence. “It doesn’t affect the strength of the transmission.”
“What does?” Jeryl asked.
“I can modify the scanners to be undetectable,” the ensign said. “However, it will mean we’ll barely be able to detect anything.”
Ashley came to Jeryl’s side, her head focused on the view screen and the drifting Sonali vessel.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
“I’m thinking the Tyreesians are lurking somewhere beyond the range of our scanners, waiting for something,” Jeryl said.
“If they already know we’re here, then we’re screwed,” Ashley observed.
“True,” Jeryl said. “We’ve already been here for too long. If they don’t know we’re here, then it’s unlikely they’ll ever know that. But if they do know we’re here, then I’m sure they’re brewing up something big, because they still haven’t jumped on us. You know how the Tyreesians work.”
Ashley turned to the ensign.
“What if we sent out a multidirectional burst of scanning energy, like a sonar? Could we remain undetected?”
The ensign made calculations on his workstation before looking up and replying.
“We will remain undetected, but if the Tyreesians are within the vicinity of our scan, they will also know that there’s a Terran Union ship in the vicinity…but they won’t know our precise location.”
Jeryl glanced at the navigator. “How long will it take the Tyreesians to find us if they methodically searched this area?”
/> “Anywhere from between ten to fifteen minutes,” he replied.
“Is there any way you can modify the scanners to work on a frequency much like the Tyreesian frequency?” Ashley asked the ensign.
“No,” he replied. “Not without a full detail of their radio transmission properties. However, I can modify the scanners to work like the Tyreesian scanners. If we’ve been scanned before, then we may have a blueprint of their scanning frequency…”
“How long do you need to get it done?” Jeryl asked.
“About fifteen minutes,” he replied.
“You have five. Get it done and prepare to scan. Let’s flush out these bastards,”
“Uh… Sir, you’re forgetting one possibility,” the navigations officer said.
“Enlighten me, Mr. Ferriero,” Jeryl replied.
“If they already know about the Sonali vessel,” he said, “then they already know where to look for us. They can be on us before we engage our FTL drives.”
Jeryl thought about this for a long time. Pedro was right. The tricky bastards had them cornered. The only viable option was to retrieve the away team and get the hell out of there.
“Belay that last order, ensign,” Jeryl commanded the science officer.
“Aye, captain,” the young man replied.
Jeryl returned to his seat, while Ashley remained standing. He had a good look at her, leaning back against the captain’s chair. It had been long since they had some fun. Too long, actually. He missed her badly.
Jeryl pushed the thought out of his mind, focusing on the task at hand. He had a decision to make: to either proceed with the mission and retrieve the ship and its crew, or to haul ass and record the Seeker’s second loss.
Jeryl had a sudden feeling that this was all déjà vu. When he made first contact with the Sonali, he had the option to stay and demand that the Sonali prove that they didn’t destroy the Mariner, or to return back to Edoris and report what he had found. At the time, he made the decision to run. Maybe if he had stayed his ground, they would’ve been able to sort through their differences and prevent five bloody years of war.
Focusing back on the moment, Jeryl considered his options. If they remained, they could get caught…and that would definitely lead to a brutal war with the Tyreesians. If they left, they were condemning the Sonali to war, which would have repercussions in the Galactic Council. And since the Terran Union was the convener and the major proponent of the Council, they would be compelled to come to the aid of the Sonali, embroiling them in another bitter war.
Either way, we’re fucked, Jeryl thought.
The only option that looked good enough was to stay and get the ship and crew out.
Ashley turned to look at Jeryl.
“What do you want to do?” she asked. “Call in the away team?”
Jeryl was about to respond when the ensign yelled in a high pitched voice:
“Sir, unidentified vessel is approaching this location at FTL 5!”
Jeryl leaped to his feet. He didn’t think twice about it. He knew that this was the Tyreesians; their trap had been sprung.
“Battle stations everyone!”
As the words leapt off his tongue, the CNC descended into a red tint and the klaxons pulsated. Ashley hopped back to her work station.
“Prepare to jump!” Jeryl roared.
“Sir, may I remind you that the away…” Ashley began.
“Team is still onboard the Sonali vessel. Yes, I know,” Jeryl replied. He turned to Pedro then.
“Get ready to jump back to Terran Union space. Those are officers of the Terran Union. They’ll know how to survive.”
Out of nowhere and preceded by a flash of light, a ship dropped out of FTL space. It was as big as the Sonali vessel and more sinister.
“Shields up!” Jeryl said.
“Shields are up,” replied the lieutenant who took Adachi’s place.
“We’re ready to jump, sir,” said Ferriero. “Course has been set for…”
His voice broke off as the view screen drew his attention.
Jeryl glanced back at the screen to see a swarm of devices spew out of the undersides of Tyreesian ship. These were like thick disks that twinkled, disappearing and appearing all around. Soon enough, the Seeker was in the epicenter of the twinkling disks.
“Ensign Adewale, scan those disks and tell me what they are,” Pedro asked, and the ensign obeyed.
“FTL mines.”
“We can’t jump, sir,” Ferriero said. “Jumping with those things going in and out of FTL space around us can only spell disaster for us.”
Jeryl nodded. He knew all too well what FTL mines were. The Terran Armada had used the technology to even the odds and then turn the tides against the Sonali during the war.
The bastards are using our own weapons against us, Jeryl thought.
“Sir! Four more Tyreesian ships are entering our vicinity,” Ashley called out.
“Sir, the lead ship is hailing us,” said the communications officer.
“On screen, please,” Jeryl said, sitting back on his seat in a relaxed manner.
On the screen appeared a four-foot-tall humanoid being. His distinctive facial feature was the slits he had for eyes and ears, and the third eye on his forehead.
“Who are you and what are you doing in this space?” the Tyreesian commander demanded. His tone suggested he wasn’t really interested in having this conversation, since he had already made up his mind on what he was going to do.
“We heard a distress signal from the Sonali vessel and came to render assistance,” Jeryl replied.
“Who are you?” the commander asked again.
“I’m Captain Jeryl Montgomery of the TUS Seeker,” Jeryl replied.
The Tyreesian just smiled, and then the screen went off.
“Sir, they have cast a tractor beam nest over us,” said the navigations officer as he struggled with his control. “We can’t move. The other ships are deploying FTL mines as well.”
Jeryl knew the Tyreesians had won. The best they could do was figure out a way to win back the day.
The Seeker began to move towards the Tyreesian ship.
“Away team to Seeker, come in,” a voice blurted out in the comms.
“Don’t answer them,” Jeryl said. The communications officer looked at him in surprise. “The Tyreesians aren’t actively scanning the Sonali ship but they’ll detect if we send communication back to it. I don’t want them to know we have people in the Sonali ship.” Before anyone could respond, the Tyreesian ship slipped into FTL space, pulling the Seeker along with them.
Chapter 7
“We’re so fucked,” Mahesh muttered to himself continually. The away team stood in a petrified state and watched as the Tyreesian ship gripped the Seeker in a tractor beam. The tractor beam was so strong that it gleamed blue and green in space.
“Contact the Seeker,” Mahesh found himself saying. “Ask them if they need us to do anything.”
Mahesh didn’t direct the instruction to anybody; he was too focused on what was playing out before them. Vu complied with Mahesh’s instruction.
“Away team to the Seeker, come in.”
There was no response other than the noisome buzz of static. He tried again.
“Away team to the Seeker, please come in.”
“Maybe check if our comms are working?” Adachi suggested.
“I’ve checked it,” Vu replied. “I’ve run a quick diagnostic. There’s nothing wrong with our comms. I don’t know if they’ve been boarded or maybe the onboard communications system isn’t picking our signal.”
“They’re hearing you perfectly fine, Mr. Le,” Mahesh said. “Captain Montgomery isn’t responding to you.”
“That’s highly unlikely sir,” Vu replied in an angered tone. “Why would he leave us behind?”
Mahesh always prided himself in being able to look at the big picture. He had always been the visionary even when he was a small kid, running around the streets of a New D
elhi that was being rebuilt in by the Terran Union in India. His ability to see and recognize patterns helped him realize that Jeryl was a very pragmatic man, and could always be depended upon to take certain decisions depending on the circumstance.
He noticed that pattern in the Captain since the very first mission they had together, when he had just been newly appointed as the captain of the ship and Mahesh had just finished medical school. At the time, he was taking a mandatory one year clinical rotation aboard a space vessel.
Jeryl was the kind of man that always put the mission first. Even if a part of his crew were in harm’s way, he would sacrifice them if that meant a victory for the greater good. Only three crew members were aboard the Sonali vessel—and Mahesh saw no reason why Jeryl would bother himself in fighting to rescue them, knowing they were facing a big opponent.
The pod and their EVA suits could only last so long. If it died out, then they would eventually succumb to death. Jeryl knew this, and yet he had decided not to respond to their hails.
But there was also the probability that Jeryl had decided to ignore their hails to keep the Tyreesians from knowing they were in the Sonali ship. If Jeryl answered the hail and a connection was established, the Tyreesian ship could locate them and send in a boarding team to capture them.
If Mahesh and his away team were arrested, then there was no hope for the Seeker. But if they managed to survive, and the Tyreesians didn’t decide to send in a boarding party, then they could hatch a plan to go back and retake the Seeker.
But there was one other possibility that made Mahesh shiver. What if the Tyreesians decided to destroy the Sonali vessel? After all, they had no particular use for it.
“Seeker, come in,” Vu said in frustration for the last time.
“That’s enough,” Mahesh commanded.
Vu glanced at him with a furious face. He looked as though he was about to rebel against Mahesh’s order. Then he looked away, his shoulders slumping.