Star Odyssey - Rain's Gambit

by T. J. Jones

  “Transmission received. We’ll be seeing you soon.”

  The transmission cut as Adrian felt himself exhale. “That guy is really annoying. How did you ever stand to work with him?” he asked looking at Dekav.

  “I didn’t.”

  “Point taken. Come on; let’s get ready to greet our ‘guests.’ Mary Jo, the bridge is yours.” He and Dekav rounded the tactical station and boarded the lift in the rear of the bridge. They were both silent. He felt a little nervous. This was not like flying where he was in control of his bird. He felt like an exposed nerve. Vulnerable in a way. Still, Captain Garrett felt he could do this, and the crew had faith in him. That gave him the strength to follow through. He was going to need it.

  Docent Vay was the last to board the transport, his personal guards getting on just before him. Loaded into the troop seats at the front of the shuttle were the last of the alien crew command staff. Lt. Kaine included, looking just as disgusted about having to sit in the same cabin with Vay as the others did. His lip curled into a faint smile. Good. The rehabilitation had gone smoothly. He took his seat in the officer’s chair at the rear of the shuttle, affording him a view of everyone. He liked the position. It made him feel dominant. The remainder of the non-crew and junior crew were in the other shuttles. They weren’t important to him. Not in the long game. Not when there were entire worlds for the taking.

  The shuttle lurched gently as it fought against the artificial gravity of the Truth’s hangar bay and swung its long body around to face the bay exit. The inertial dampers kicked in as the shuttle pushed forward into motion. The alien crew exchanged glances with each other as he simply watched ambivalently. He could almost taste the end state of this ploy.

  He turned to look out of the window as the shuttle entered the nebula followed shortly after by the Odyssey coming into view. While the Truth and Jubilation was much larger than the alien craft, it was still immense. The Odysseys hull was sleeker and more elegant than his own vessel with different design priorities. The Truth’s design placed it as a war vessel. This one seemed designed around travel more than warfare, yet still packed a punch from what his repair crews had imparted.

  “Nearing the coordinates,” the shuttle’s pilot announced as the craft banked and turned for the aft of the vessel. He sat forward, eager for the shuttle to land so he could finally put the next piece of his plan to motion. The anticipation always made what he did worth doing — the moment when he knew victory was at hand and all he had to do was follow a well-executed plan. These poor fools had no clue how hopeless they truly were.

  The shuttle shifted as it entered the Odyssey’s hangar and gently swung itself around to settle on the deck. Vay felt the subtlest of lurches as the shuttle surrendered to the deck plating and cut its engines. Gravity was the victor once again. Even if it was artificial in this case.

  The cabin seal hissed as the hatch began to lower and the climates in the shuttle and the hangar intermixed. When the hatch lowered, he stood out of the way allowing the alien crew to exit the vessel first. “Captives first.” He gestured out of the shuttle. They stood with a glare on their expressions and left the shuttle, then his armed guards, then him. He inhaled the air and noted that it felt clean and sterile.

  The other shuttles followed suit, their large doors opening up, and the other crew and families filtered out in a timid uncertain flow. Alliance marines and security greeted them to take them to the medbay after seeing Doctor Dorren.

  He glanced around and noticed that there was not much difference in the hangar short of a long table and a few chairs. Commander Rain and some of his people stood nearby. He could also see several soldiers on the second floor of the shuttle bay with weapons pointed his way. He grinned. His assumption was right. The commander was playing it cautiously.

  “Commander Rain, your people as promised.” He gestured to Kaine and Vail and a few other officers and stray family members. Doctor Dorren pulled a medical scanner from a side pouch and began to scan the crew. He fought the urge to smile. His machinations would not be detectable.

  “They’re tired and a little underfed but should be fine otherwise. No other injuries.”

  “Thanks, Doc, you guys go ahead and get out of here. Get some rest. Somethin to eat. Whatever ya need,” Rain told his crew.

  They all nodded and exited the shuttle bay.

  The commander watched them all leave, and once they were gone, his cordial expression hardened. He tugged his jacket down tightly to smooth it out and took a seat at the table, indicating Vay to do so as well. “Docent. Have a seat,” Rain said with a pointed tone.

  Oh, this was going to be too good. Vay nodded and took his seat, lacing his fingers together on the tabletop. “Now, Commander. It would seem we have some matters to discuss.” He noticed Adrian’s expression. The human did not look amused at all.

  “Well, you’ve given me back my people, and this was your planning. So please, start the process,” Rain said, doing his best to keep his composure.

  Vay had to hand it to the man, for being thoroughly and soundly defeated, the man was taking it rather well.

  “The first matter would probably be to declare a cessation of hostilities. When we first arrived on the scene, we had incorrectly assumed your vessel was a military force composed of the classes in our empire attempting an insurrection. Such an act would understandably be unforgivable, so we erred on the side of caution and opted to fire first rather than later.”

  “Your attack cost me the lives of several crewmen who won’t be going home to their families after this is finished,” Rain said through strained teeth.

  Oh, his defiance was enjoyable. Rain really had no clue, did he? Vay feigned concern. “A regrettable result. Our empire is unfortunately rather unforgiving with first contact scenarios. It’s normal procedure for us to simply absorb your crew into our empire.”

  Adrian’s brow lifted. “But you aren’t going to do that this time?”

  Vay shook his head. “No. Are you simply wayward travelers, yes? You are clearly not from our quadrant of space.”

  Rain’s shoulders sank. “Yeah, it’s been a hell of a ride getting here. I don’t even know if we’ll be able to replicate the accident that brought us here.”

  Vay’s brow ridge perked upward. Perhaps he could glean some unclassified information from Rain before activating his sleeper. “I’m curious, what is your home like? I’m certain things are different from our empire as clearly we have different cultural stances.”

  Adrian looked confused. “Uh, well. The Alliance has a parliament-style government. Member worlds must be of a certain “age” to join. Each World offers itself to the Alliance and receives back in kind.”

  Vay felt his lip curl in disgust. “It sounds like a democracy.”

  Adrian shrugged. “Pretty close, yeah. It’s the best we can do to keep the peace.”

  Vay’s antennae twitched as he fought back a sense of revulsion. “How appropriate.” He took a moment to regain his composure then resumed. “To that end, I’d like to end our hostilities to prevent further bad blood between our respective bodies of government. My empire would be no welcome home for your people.” He struggled to keep the smile off his face at that statement.

  It would be their home soon enough, they just did not realize it.

  Adrian shifted in his chair. “So you’re just going to wash your hands of what’s happened and let us go. Is that it?”

  Vay nodded. “Yes, of course. We are willing to look the other way in this situation.”

  Rain’s eyes narrowed. He seemed unconvinced. Vay’s antennae drooped. Had he seen through Vay’s ruse somehow? He turned to his guard and nodded. The Loreian then activated a trigger device. He sat back and smiled. The victory was at hand. Now all he had to do was wait.

  Elsewhere on the ship, Solamen Kaine was on his way to the lounge with Trident Vail. She had been discussing her time as a prisoner in the cages with the others. The uncertainty that she would ever see the s
hip or crew again.

  “The commander wouldn’t have given up on us. I’m sure of that.”

  Vail nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

  The low EM band signal broadcast from the shuttle bay finally reached him. He halted in the corridor as the subluminal programming activated. His expression flattened.

  “Kaine? Are you well? What is wrong?”

  He shook his head and then smiled, the life coming back to his face. “Nothing. Sorry. I need to go somewhere and take care of something quickly. You go on ahead. I will be right there. I will not be long. Promise.”

  She looked concerned but convinced all the same. “Alright, want me to get you anything?”

  He thought for a moment. “Just a water would be nice.”

  She nodded. “All right. See you later.” She turned and continued as he about-faced continuing down the corridor heading back for the lift.

  “Deck Three. Astrometrics,” He ordered.

  The computer chirped and the lift went into motion. The only driving thought in his mind now was, Download the star map and broadcast it for Docent Vay. The lift doors parted, and he marched into the astronomy lab to work on copying all the navigational data the Odyssey held.

  “Can I help you with anything, Lt.?” the Lab tech asked.

  He turned smiling. “No, thanks. I’ve got it under control.”

  He went back to his copy of the data. It was still compiling. She tried to look over his shoulder and he turned looking a little irritated. “Do you mind?”

  “Sorry. I was just curious what you were up to?”

  “The commander wanted me to make a copy of our navigational records in case the ship suffers too much damage. Want to be able to make it back home safely.”

  The lab tech looked confused. “Why wouldn’t he have Lt. Hunter come do it?”

  “Mary Jo is busy on the bridge. I had some free time.”

  The lab tech did not look entirely convinced. She backed away and allowed Kaine his space to work. Once the copy finished compiling, he sent a tight beam message to the Truth and Jubilation. He blinked a moment. His programming had run its course. He turned around trying to figure out why he was in Astrometrics. “Why am I here?”

  In the doorway, an armed marine stood with a weapon leveled at him. “I think its best you come with me, sir.”

  On the bridge, Mary Jo noticed some odd signals originating from the ship. “Lt. Tiaahl, I’m getting some EM band irregularities.”

  “Explain.”

  “It’s a localized signal source. Projected distance only covers within the span of the ship.”

  “Is it causing any effects?”

  Mary Jo shook her head. “Doesn’t seem to be.”

  “Monitor it. Notify me of any changes.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Ten to fifteen minutes later, she noticed another irregularity. “Lt., someone just tight beamed a coded message to the enemy vessel.”

  Jarod stood up activating his comm device. “Commander Rain, we have a situation.”

  “Go ahead, Lt,” Adrian said still keeping an eye on Docent Vay, whose expression seemed to shift into smug satisfaction.

  “Commander, someone just tight beamed a coded transmission to the enemy ship. It was a large packet of data.”

  Adrian’s eyes narrowed when he noticed Vay’s expression get even more amused. “Guesses?”

  “None yet, sir. We’ll have to look it over in more detail.”

  “Keep me apprised.” He shut off his comm, folding his arms. “Now why do I get the sneaking suspicion this is somehow your doing?”

  “Me? Why I am innocent in this matter, Commander. I honored my word and brought your crew here.”

  Adrian sighed. He didn’t have anything to act on yet. They had to keep playing by Vay’s rules. At least for the end of this hand anyway. “Alright. Then I think we have reached an agreement for now. I believe it’s time you get the hell off my ship.”

  Vay stood up, flanked by his guards once upright. “I believe you are right, Commander. There is much to do yet.”

  “On that, we agree,” Adrian noted.

  Once Vay boarded his shuttle and left the hangar, Adrian turned to the marines. “Clean this shit up and batten down the hatches. We’re going to war soon.”

  “Commander?” One of the marines asked confused. “We just arranged for a ceasefire, right?”

  “It was all show. He was up to something. Now we have to figure out what.” He left the shuttle bay at a near trot. His commlink chirped again, when he hit the corridor. “Rain here. Go ahead.”

  “Commander, it’s Lt. Tiaahl again. We have something else you may want to know. Lt. Kaine was in Astrometrics. The lab tech says he was acting suspiciously. He does not recall ever being there. Doctor Dorren is going to want to have a word with you.”

  “Tell the Doc I’ll be right there.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  "A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week." – Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.

  When Adrian got to the med bay, Doctor Dorren had Lt. Kaine seated on a bed with several scanners laid on a table next to her. She was waving something in slow sweeping patterns across his head. She turned when Commander Rain got closer.

  “Commander. You are here. Good.”

  “Doc. What’s going on? I thought you’d cleared Kaine?”

  She nodded looking defeated. “I did. That’s the problem. They did something to him. Some kind of mental programming. It was undetectable. Likely, some kind of sound or sonic band triggered heuristic. I’m running a test battery to see if there’s any lingering programming waiting to spring out.”

  “I feel fine, Doctor. Honest,” Kaine offered reassuringly with a muted expression of guilt.

  She nodded with a practiced smile. “We’re just being safe. That’s all.”

  “Ok, so run through everything all over for me,” Adrian asked. There was a marine nearby, and a lab tech wearing a science uniform. The tech spoke up first after raising her hand.

  “I guess I should go first. I noticed the Lt. come into the astrometric lab and immediately begin working.”

  “On what?”

  “He was copying all of our navigational data and star charts.”

  Adrian twitched. “Why?” It was such an odd thing. He could understand maybe lowering the ship’s shields or weapons. Star maps though. That was such a roundabout way of getting his goose.

  The tech shook her head. “I don’t know, sir. His excuse at the time was that you had ordered a backup just in case we came under attack again. You didn’t want to lose the records. I offered to help, but he got very defensive with me. I got concerned and thought about the suspicious actions warning that Lt. Tiaahl had issued while the Imperial personnel were onboard the ship. So I told the marine here that Lt. Kaine was acting oddly and that maybe he should come have a look.”

  Adrian glanced at the marine. “That’s right, sir. Once the tech notified the computer it pinged me Lt. Kaine was acting oddly, since the lab deck was my watch I entered the lab and asked him to step away from the console. He was just wrapping up as I stepped in. He hasn’t offered any resistance since and seemed confused as to how he’d arrived in the lab.”

  “What exactly did I do? I can’t even remember.” Kaine’s expression sank. Adrian placed a hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out and deal with it. What happened wasn’t your fault.”

  Kaine looked up at him. “Yes, sir.”

  “Let’s head to the bridge and see if we can’t finish piecing this puzzle together.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “I’m not done with him yet,” Doctor Dorren protested.

  Kaine paused looking uncertain. “Go on ahead.” Adrian assured him and turned to Doctor Dorren. Once he heard the med bay doors shut, he spoke. “I need him at his best. This isn’t over.”

  “I can’t promise he is until I’m finished with my t
ests.”

  “Could you find something if you knew what you were looking for?”

  Doctor Dorren hesitated and nodded. “Yes, I believe so.”

  “Then let’s stop looking blindly. Let me find you what you need. Then you can scan him till his eyes leak out of his head.”

  Her jaw clenched. “I could have him ordered off duty for medical concerns. He could be a threat to the ship.”

  Adrian turned back to the med bay doors for a moment then to the doctor again. “Look, I get your concern. However, right now we have bigger problems. If he is not about to die, I need him on the bridge. We aren’t out of hot water yet.”

  The corner of her lips turned downward as her eyes narrowed. “Fine. But at the first signs of odd behavior, I want him restrained and sent back to me.”

  “You’ll be the first to know,” Adrian promised, turning for the door.

  “I better.” She folded her arms.

  After the med bay doors closed behind him, he struggled to keep himself from going to a full trot through the corridors. He was doing his best not to collide into random crewmember as they made their way back and forth. He got to the lift and rode it up impatiently. It was all he could do to keep from fidgeting. If he could have willed the car to go faster, he would have done so.

  The doors opened and he felt himself exhale. He didn’t realize he had been holding his breath. “Alright, report. I want to know anything and everything that’s happened.”

  Mary Jo looked at Jarod who nodded to her. “Well, sir. I detected some very unusual EM band readings coming from within the ship. We were not sure if it was just something within the nebula acting strangely with the ship or not. It wasn’t causing any harm so we just decided to continue monitoring the signal. Then roughly ten minutes later a tight beam data packet was transmitted to the Truth and Jubilation, sir.”

  He sat down in his chair, tapping his knuckles to his lips while he ran all the events over in his head. “The star charts. Somehow, that bastard got Kaine to broadcast all our navigational data to him. He knows exactly where our homes are and how to reach them.”