Star Odyssey - Rain's Gambit

by T. J. Jones

  “Their goal?”

  “We aren’t sure, Your Holiness. They incapacitated a series of patrols leading to a comm chamber but were halted by a pair of elites until they were forced into retreat by incoming security teams. It is assumed they were attempting to cripple our tightbeam comm relay to silence any calls for reinforcements.”

  Vay scoffed. “What a wasted attempt. Didn’t even sabotage our vessel.”

  Cor nodded. “Exactly. We scanned the vessel head to toe for any lurking devices or explosives and have found none. Whatever they came to do, they were unsuccessful.”

  “Pathetic pink skins,” Vay mused.

  Vay noted a tight beam transmission was sent from the chamber. “What’s this?” He asked pointing the file transmitted from the ship. Cor looked nodding. “Ah yes, the elites in the chamber called for additional elite vessel backup as well. They noted that the pink skins were quite formidable in warfare and felt that you would appreciate having a sure hand in the coming battle. As a result, vessels from all around are converging. Your victory will be witnessed by a substantial portion of the empire.”

  Vay liked the idea of an audience as he subdued the pink skins’ vessel. “Good. A fitting climax to this scenario and a triumphant beginning to a lasting legacy.” He handed the tablet back to Cor. “Pass my regards to the comms chamber operators and thank them for their forethought.”

  “Yes, Your Holiness.”

  Vay leaned back at his position watching technicians work around officers manning their stations with approval. The empire was the most efficient machine he’d ever seen. And soon he would be driving it toward the future. But not the future of the prophets, but rather his decided future. With as much control as he would have, few would dare oppose his bid for becoming the unchallenged herald of the gods.

  Once the repairs had progressed on the ship so that it would be over seventy-five percent combat ready, he would progress to his next phase of the operation. But first, there was the matter of securing the information he needed to make his dream a reality. That meant he was going to have to stage a ruse for the enemy captain.

  He’d present the captain with a gift so irresistible he wouldn’t be able to look away from it. Vay was going to offer up the rest of his crew. He knew now how much the enemy captain prized her people. Were it Vay in her shoes, he’d have preserved the tactical situation and simply returned home. Instead, Vay planned to make the enemy captain pay for her tactical ignorance by robbing his computer of the data he needed by his own crew’s hand and then recapturing the whole lot of them. Once he had this ship subjugated, he would lead a battle fleet to their home space and conquer the whole of it, planet by planet, sector by sector, race by race. In one fell swoop, he would triple the size of the empire under his own name. His place in history would be locked down. Immortality would be his.

  He tapped a talon to his lip thoughtfully. He would start making preparations once the second phase of Kaine’s treatment had concluded. As he was now, the enemy would see right through the ruse. The plan counted on repairing Kaine’s mental state and planting the suggesting he had made deeply within his mind. This would make him a sleeper agent in the perfect position to get him exactly what he needed to make his dream a reality. Truly the gods were smiling blessings upon him.

  He noted the distance of his battlegroup. They were still some ways out. He’d like to have what he needed from the enemy ship’s navigation matrix and be prepared to finish their vessel off just as they arrived. The timing was serendipitous. He laced his fingers together watching the repair reports tick through. Soon, he told himself. Very soon now.

  USS Odyssey

  Deck 1, Captains quarters

  Adrian woke up slowly. The weight of the last few days was still slowing him down some. He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled over to the food printer to get a chai tea. As the caffeinated beverage slid down his throat smoothly, he started to perk up a little bit. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he made his way to the mirror and looked himself over.

  “You look like shit, Rain.” And now he was talking to himself. “Great.” He splashed some water on his face and wiped off with a towel before shuffling back into the bedroom to throw on his uniform. He sighed for a moment as he looked at his jacket. The gold rank emblem specifically grabbed his attention. He was the commander, not the captain. Yet here he was out here stranded away from home, trying his best to be one.

  “What a mess.”

  He tossed the jacket on, zipping it up, and then made his way out into the corridor en route to the bridge. The bridge was quiet for a moment until Jarod caught sight of him. “Captain on the bridge!” Jarod announced. Everyone stood and he waved them down.

  “As you were.”

  Mary Jo, Trident and a few others seated themselves at their stations. He rounded the tactical station past a standing Jarod Tiaahl and sat down in his chair.

  “Good morning, folks.”

  “Sir,” they all greeted him.

  He set his tea down in its cup holder and glanced around. “Let’s start with a sitrep.”

  “Well, sir, sensors indicate the enemy ship has essentially gone into full triage mode. We’ve detected repairs to primary systems are in effect, notably their engines with secondary efforts focused on shields and weapons.”

  “Same as us then.” Rain turned to face Jarod.

  “Engineering reports that most of the damage to the warp core has been repaired. The QT drive stressed a lot of our systems, but we’ve been working to get the power grid-hardened and back online because of that. Weapons and shields are back online. The fighter bay reports all green.”

  “Good. Now all we need is a deck of cards.” Adrian turned back to the main screen and stared at the nebula for a long moment. “If I were you, and I had some of your people what would I do?”

  “Your presumption is flawed,” Jarod said candidly.

  Adrian rolled his eyes with a sigh. “I realize this. I’m simply trying to think of this from another angle.”

  “Well, tactically, the enemy likely views us as a considerable commodity. It would stand to reason that either use of force or deception would be their next moves employed.”

  Adrian nodded. “Yeah, I figured the same thing.”

  The computer chirped with a notification and Mary Jo’s hands danced over her console. She glanced up at him with a confused expression. “Sir? It’s the enemy ship. They are hailing us.”

  “Now?” Adrian asked confused. It seemed like an odd time for them to feel chatty now. “Put it on.”

  The insectoid appearance of Docent Vay blinked onto the main screen of the Odyssey. Jumping occasionally from interference caused by the nebula they were in.

  “I am Docent Vay. The docent in charge of the Truth and Jubilation. To whom am I speaking?”

  Adrian stood up and tugged his jacket down to smooth it out. “Commander Adrian Rain, of the USS Odyssey. Acting captain. While I appreciate the gesture, it’s a little late in this fight to reach out now, isn’t it?”

  Vay smiled. “Quite the contrary, Commander. I believe my vessel struck out on a misunderstanding. You see, we’ve been conversing with your senior staff member and have come to the conclusion this is all a big confused mistake. To that end, we’d like to meet to discuss a cease-fire and afford the opportunity to return the rest of your missing crew to you.”

  Adrian blinked. So. Deception it was then. “Uh, well that’s a mighty appealing offer. Please allow me a moment to discuss the matter in private with my crew.”

  He turned and gesticulated for Jarod to mute the audio. “So. He’s up to something. But we haven’t got much of a hand to play with yet.”

  Jarod glanced down at his console. “If we were to engage them now, I couldn’t guarantee our odds of success.”

  “What about the spinal lance cannon?”

  Jarod shook his head. “Their shields would need to be substantially weakened. If they had no defenses, a guaranteed hit would likely d
isable their vessel completely.”

  “And the escort and star drive separation. Still not enough punch?”

  Jarod didn’t look enthusiastic. “Difficult to say. Thus far they have demonstrated an impressive ability to sustain considerable damage and bounce back rather quickly.”

  “Wouldn’t it be worth humoring if it means we can get Kaine and Vail back?” Mary Jo asked.

  Adrian turned to face her, blue eyes pleading with him. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. All right. Let’s see how this plays out.” He gestured for Jarod to unmute the audio.

  “We appreciate your offer and happily accept. How would you like to proceed?” Adrian said, trying to sound as genuine as he could.

  Vay’s lips pursed in thought. “As a show of goodwill, I’ll meet you aboard your vessel and bring your crew to you. From there we can discuss the matter of the cease-fire once you are satisfied I’ve honored my end of the obligations.”

  That got Rain’s back stiff. His end? If anyone was keeping count, they’d arrived and opened fired first. He sighed. There was always that one jackass. He’d have to find the only one a hundred lightyears away from home.

  “That would be most agreeable. I’ll make the preparations on my vessel to receive you as a guest of honor. As you can understand we’re currently trying to make some repairs to the damage caused by your marines when they boarded my vessel.”

  Vay nodded placating him. “Of course, Commander. Do as you need. We shall await your word.”

  Adrian nodded and then the screen went blank. He turned back to Jarod. “I need a location for this charade to go down.”

  Jarod’s hands danced on the console for a moment. “Well, if we want to keep them isolated from the remainder of the ship, Shuttle Bay 1 should suffice. We could make arrangements to accommodate for a meeting there and they wouldn’t need to see the rest of the ship.”

  Adrian snapped his fingers pointing to Jarod. “That’s good. Make it happen.”

  He turned to Mary Jo. “Get with Dr. Dorren and see what you can learn about those ground troops. Go over their biology and gear and see what more we can find out about what we’re going up against. I don’t want to accidentally open the back door and invite them in to have the rest of the ship.”

  Another officer came in and relieved her as she made her way to the lift. Adrian turned back to the screen and bit at his lip in thought. This would get him his crew back, but just what the hell was this guy up to? Something was not right and Adrian didn’t like it. He would have felt better keeping them at arm’s length.

  “Jarod, you’ve got the bridge.” He turned and headed for Tenport. After a short lift ride and walk, he finally got there and saw Linara still minding the bar. She had picked up a little bit, which made the area look a little cleaner. The shot up furniture was missing and the scorch marks on the bulkheads, scrubbed clean almost back to launch conditions. A bucket of darkened cleaner and a scrub brush sat next to a partially faded blast mark.

  “Commander, welcome! Back for another chat?”

  “Yeah.” He folded his arms leaning against the counter. “The enemy, Docent Vay, just hailed the ship. He wants to bring back the rest of our missing crew and negotiate a cease-fire.”

  Linara did not look any more impressed than he felt. “Clearly he’s lying.”

  “Clearly.”

  “So are you going to let him do it?”

  He frowned and shook his head unsure. “I dunno. I mean, he is offering to hand me back my crew. After that, there’s nothing stopping us from firing up the QT drive and getting the hell out of here.”

  She nodded. “True, but there’s also the extremely likely possibility this is some kind of ploy that would complicate that plan for you.”

  Adrian frowned. “Yeah. That was my thought too. This feels too staged to be authentic. He is up to something. Not knowing what scares the hell out of me, to be honest.”

  “So what are your choices?”

  “Not much. We can fight now, but the odds are not in our favor at all. We can try to see how this plays out and allow him the initiative to try to pull off whatever it is he wants to try. Or we could leave now.”

  “Well, we both know you won’t leave. Moreover, it doesn’t sound like you are willing to commit to a brawl just yet. So that leaves Vay’s plan.”

  He sighed. “Yeah, kinda does, doesn’t it.”

  Linara nodded with a light smile. “You’re no fool, Commander. You are not going into this blindly. You know he is looking to set you up. That already makes you dangerous to him. Chin up. The way out of this will present itself when the time is right. You just have to have some faith.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  HWE Retribution

  The arbitrator paced the corridors of his ship restlessly. His mind drifted to his branding as the Arbitrator. It all came about because of a costly defeat, placed at his feet by none other than Docent Vay. Getting the opportunity to remove that scum from existence and strike a blow against the empire would be deeply satisfying.

  He rounded a corner and observed some marines conducting inspections and battle drill rehearsals. He lingered a moment and his mind remembered a simpler time when he was simply Legan Subass, commander of the Vanguard fleet. He was never a family man so thankfully no one else bore his shame. No distractions for his mission now. Other men may have struggled to adapt to their new life.

  “Arbitrator.” One of the marines greeted him and snapped to attention stiffly. He waved a dismissive hand. “At ease.” The men relaxed and resumed their work.

  Legan fell right into his role as arbitrator. He had been a soldier all his life. The only thing that had changed was how others viewed him. No, that was a lie. Much had changed. Specifically, his faith in the prophets following their hasty ruling of guilty after Docent Vay’s testimony of his heresy being the cause of the defeat that cost him most of his forces. Vay’s poor handling of the situation however led to the costly defeat that tarnished Legan’s name, branding him the Arbitrator.

  In retrospect, Legan was curious if that had not simply been a calculated move on Vay’s part to push aside another political opponent within the empire and clear his path to Heraldship one more accused body at a time. Vay was a cunning and crafty warrior and an equally skilled wordsmith in the courts. Legan had taken him for a fool once. That mistake would be the only time it occurred.

  He pushed off the bulkhead he had been observing the marines from before being lost in his thoughts and marched down the corridor in strong smooth strides with deliberate purpose. His fingers curled softly as he marched, head up and eyes at horizon level. He was the embodiment of the elites’ values. Even if he bore the mark of heresy and the armor of the arbitrator. The mark on his back itched as his thoughts drifted to it.

  He shifted in his armor to try to scratch it, knowing the itch was a phantom pain. He intentionally dragged his mind from the Heretics Branding ceremony and thought about the battle to come. Vay would have the more powerful ships of the group, so it would come to Legan’s more numerous vessels to overwhelm the Deacon Class command ship. Even with the numbers he was bringing, he was not sure he had the firepower to do it. Part of his plan hinged on the alien commander being able to bring enough firepower to bear as well.

  He disliked putting so much faith and hope in another he did not know, but then he assumed the alien was probably in the same shoes — waiting for a variable he was not certain of and hoping it would play out for him. Legan stopped in the corridor as a thought struck him. Perhaps it was time to reach out. He tapped the comm device key on his gantlet.

  “Subcommander, how long until we reach tight beam transmission range?”

  “Two tenths of a cycle at top speed, Arbitrator.”

  He nodded approving. “Good, notify when we reach tight beam range of the nebula and boost the array with power from the auxiliary sources. I wish to speak with our allies of circumstance.”

  “Yes, Arbitrator.”

  Legan cut the si
gnal resuming his walk along his vessel. Personal pre combat inspections were a habit of his. He believed the crew felt better knowing he personally cared enough to check them before an engagement when the opportunity allowed. Many of the elites saw the arbitrator armor on him as something more than the insult the prophets had meant it to be. They had come to recognize the Loerians’ push in power and hierarchy within the empire.

  The thought of the prophets replacing the elites for their new pets made his lip curl. The elites had carried the weight of the empire upon their backs at the behest of the prophets for so many generations few were aware of a time before them. Even he himself was not versed in his people’s history before the prophets — before the empire. However, he did know the Writ of Promise. The promise of eternal salvation to the Elites for their work with the Prophets.

  “All except me,” he growled.

  As pretenders like Vay, however, pushed higher and higher in the echelons of the empire, he began to doubt the writ’s authenticity. Did the prophets really believe what they said they would give the elites? Was it just lip service so the elites would carry out the heavy lifting for them?

  Legan was feeling irritated at this point, so he stopped off at the PT chamber. He picked up one of the ivory colored staff weapons his people established a reputation for using and began to practice several move sets, striking a dummy target and going through the motions with a fluid like grace. He had worked himself into a bit of intense frustration, so he anticipated being here until his vessel was within transmission range of the alien ship.

  “And then…” he said between blows. “Then we will see if you are trustworthy, or if you deserve Vay’s fate as well.”