SHU'KAN

by Martin Durst

  As she regrouped her vessels, she took the opportunity to fire on the Human ships. They were doing well defending themselves as they turned to flee. A simple but effective defense was being mounted as they accelerated hard to the jump limit. She was pleased when she realized a human ship would not make it. It was taking heavy damage and was losing thrust. The other four suddenly flashed into a bright light and were gone. They’d crossed the jump limit. The last ejected what she assumed were escape pods, and then exploded in a bright fury. The Dark Ones ships jumped as soon as they’d crossed the limit and gave chase to those that escaped.

  She ordered her damaged ships to the surface and put her remaining ships into a defensive perimeter. The escape pods from the exploded Human ship began to enter the atmosphere one by one. At first, she was tempted to open fire. They were easy targets and it would prove useful to be rid of the Humans while the opportunity presented itself. She decided not to. If they survived the landing, it’d be a shame to waste a potential food source.

  Commander Stone winced in pain as his ears screamed for mercy. The temperature in the escape pod was stifling. He wanted to tell Shi’la that everything would be alright, but the noise was overbearing. The pod screamed with friction as its Negrav shield worked overtime to prevent it from burning up. He looked carefully around as he helplessly waited for fate to deliver them all safely to the surface of the planet. He’d managed to get the people he cared for the most safely aboard before his ship had been destroyed. He only prayed that the remaining crew members made it safely to their pods as well. He probably set a record in Earth Fleet as having the shortest command in history. But right now, the very thought seemed trivial.

  He pushed his head up as the gravitational forces finally began to ease. Escape pods weren’t designed with inertial compensation, but the Negrav drive was beginning to compensate. A few moments later, he was able to open the faceplate to his battle armor and wipe the sweat from his brow. ‘Is everyone ok?’ Looking around to the other three passengers, they each nodded wordlessly in turn to indicate that they were alright. He was relieved that he wasn’t the only one still shrugging off the hard G.

  Ensign Santos, give me a bearing. I want to know where we’re headed.’ It still felt strange calling Matheus ‘Ensign.’ He’d grown close to the young man over the last year. In fact, he’d grown very close to each of them: Shi’la, Matheus, and Tr’al. He knew now he was in love with Shi’la, but the idea of a Shu’kan and a human still seemed … strange. He wondered how she felt about it?

  ‘Sir, we are four hundred thirty miles from the Northern continent. At this speed-,’ he paused to double check the instrument panel he was sitting at. Stone was impressed with the speed Matheus had absorbed basic navigation during their journey from Earth. ‘-we should be on the surface in twenty four minutes.’

  ‘Lieutenant Shi’la, give me a sensor reading as to how many other pods are in our vicinity.’ He could have checked himself, but he was not afraid to delegate. It gave him time to think.

  They would need to pull together their resources. More than likely, this planet was swarming with Hiver’s. Their survival would be marginal at best. Each pod held up to six personnel. –Another reason he was feeling guilty each time he looked at the two empty seats in his pod. There just hadn’t been enough time! But to defend against the Hiver’s, he was going to need to know how many personnel he had left. And since he was still in command, his men were his responsibility.

  ‘Sir, there are fifteen pods within our sensor range. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do,’ she finished with a cracking voice. ‘The other pods burned up because of a bad trajectory or they were destroyed. If they’d survived, we’d be picking up their signal.’

  Stone tried not to show his conflicting emotions. His ship carried a compliment of six hundred Soldiers. Now he had just over ninety; assuming all the pods were full. He willed himself not to look at the empty seats behind him again.

  ‘Patch me through to all pods, Shi’la. I need to communicate to them.’ He waited a few more moments while she worked her control panel quietly observing her determined calm. He was amazed at her discipline.

  ‘We’re broadcasting, Sir. –Now.’

  ‘All Destiny pods, this is Commander Stone. I’m tracking at least fifteen pods in my vicinity. I want you to lock-synch your guidance systems onto my pod. We will descend to the Northern continent to a location determined by me. We are probably facing an enemy threat as soon as we land, therefore, my intent will be to distance us from them as much as possible.’ He paused to let the meaning of his words sink in. They faced a very real threat. Some of them would probably die though he would do everything within his power to prevent it from happening. ‘We will ‘circle the wagons’ as we land. The pods will provide excellent shelter as well as a defensible perimeter.’ He waited a moment longer before his next comments. Many of them would not take the news well. He took a breath and got it over with. ‘We are more than likely marooned. Our ship was destroyed, and the remaining fleet jumped from the system. If the unknown ships gave chase, we’ll have to assume the worst. Our remaining ships may have been destroyed. That being said, we will need to focus on the survival of us all. If a rescue attempt is made, and that possibility is very slim given the circumstances of our mission, then we have some hope to hold onto. If we’re wrong, and Earth Fleet takes years to mount another mission here, then we will have to survive.’

  He paused expecting someone to comment or ask a question, but there was only silence over the comm. If it weren’t for Shi’la monitoring the comm board, he’d swear it was dead. He suddenly realized at the same time the level of trust and confidence his men had in him. No one was questioning, just waiting for orders. ‘Standby as we begin to level of and recon the area for a potential landing site.

  –Commander Stone, out.’

  The view from his comm screen was limited. The systems had only a fraction of the Destiny’s capabilities, but even so, he could see a valley below that had a definite water source. A large river flowed and stretched as far as he could see. Starting about one hundred yards on each side, thick forests carpeted up the sides of the valley until reaching a high rocky elevation. The valley was surrounded by high snow covered peaks. Here would be a good location. –Steep mountains to protect us on each side, and thick brush to hide us.

  He signaled his landing pattern to the other pods showing what positions each should take while landing. No Hiver’s seemed to be in the area, but that didn’t mean anything. They could be ambushed at any moment, and he wasn’t about to lose anymore men. He’d lost enough already.

  ‘All pods are reporting a good landing, Sir. What are your orders?’

  Shi’la looked at him waiting for a reply. He turned to each of them seeing in their eyes that they were nervous. He wondered if he looked the same way to them.

  ‘Our first priority is to get a head count and set up a defensive perimeter. How does the air quality look out there?’

  Shi’la answered without looking at the pod instruments. ‘I’ve already confirmed a breathable atmosphere. The air has a slightly higher content of nitrogen than Earth, but we should adjust in a couple days.’

  Of course, he thought. The other pods probably have already confirmed the same. I feel like an idiot. ‘Order a dismount. I want all personnel to meet at the center of the landing zone for accountability.’

  Commander Stone paused just below the ridge at the mouth of the valley. He was winded, but hoped his difficulty was because of the different atmosphere. Lieutenant Shi’la was right behind him. She appeared no worse for the wear.

  It’d been almost six hours since they’d landed the pods. Immediately, he’d set his men to building redoubts that included the pods and their weapons systems. Within two hours, his now confirmed eighty-seven soldiers had connected the pods together into a large circle that included wooden walls of felled trees between them. With the help of the pods laser systems and several heat pistols, the woode
n logs were cut and stacked. It would have taken them days to cut them by hand and lift them into place, but by using a couple Negrav pods to do the lifting made things much easier. He retained four pods at the center of their perimeter for maneuverability, air defense, and command and control. Now with a small security team, he was hoping to gather some intelligence and get a good view of what was outside this valley. They’d flown a pod the couple miles to the valley entrance, but stopped short of cresting the ridge. He ordered the team to walk the last three hundred feet to the top. He wasn’t about to announce their presence with trumpets. Negrav pods put off a huge tech signature, and he was sure whatever tracking system the Hiver’s used would detect them if they hadn’t already. The cloud cover had been thick just prior to discovering this valley, but he was certain his sensors had detected something just prior to landing.

  He edged over the ridge on all fours with Shi’la while the rest of his team pulled rear security. The cloud cover was just beginning to dissipate below on the other side. At first he couldn’t’ make out more than shadows, but then shapes started to emerge. He was about to point it out, but realized that Shi’la was probably seeing more than he. Shu’kan eyesight was twice as good as a Human.

  He suddenly heard her catch her breath.

  ‘May the Gods help us! I’ve never seen so many in one place before!’

  He strained his eyes harder then got a good look as the last of the haze moved away. Thousands of Hiver’s were moving about in what could only be described as a large city. Ships of all sorts were coming and going attending to whatever missions they’d been assigned. A large pyramid like structure clearly dominated the center of the city. Hundreds of smaller buildings or complexes surrounded it. Their purpose could only be guessed. As they watched, a large opening at the top of the pyramid appeared. A ship, instantly recognized as one of the Hiver battleships, slowly emerged then disappeared in the blink of an eye as it pushed into hard acceleration. The opening again closed to complete the pyramids smooth appearance.

  He pulled back slightly realizing he may have been exposing himself. At least a dozen large land vehicles were heading right for them. He was sure he knew what was in them. He looked at Shi’la, and without exchanging a word, realized that she understood the urgency of the situation. They’d have to mount a defense at the pods. They could probably try to get the pods airborne again to flee, but to where? –And for how long? How many times could they evade contact before the inevitable? No, they’d make their stand here before the food ran out and starvation made them too weak to fight. If they were all going to die, then it would be here and on their feet.

  He grabbed Shi’la’s hand again admiring the warm leathery texture. ‘I just want you to know something before all this happens.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said looking back into his eyes. She understood he needed to tell her something important.

  ‘I’m in love with you Shi’la. I’m pretty sure I have been for awhile, but the idea just seemed … ridiculous.’ He looked away embarrassed at his loss of words.

  She grabbed his chin and gently pulled his face back towards hers. ‘I have had the same feelings, Michael. We are silly, are we not?’ She laughed slightly; the sound of futility now in her voice. ‘We have little time left, now. Is that not what humans call ironic?’

  Her smile calmed him even as he realized the convoy of Hiver’s crept steadily closer. He shrugged and pulled her to her feet. ‘No point in hiding now. They know we’re here. Let’s go. We’ve got friends down there that are going to need us.’

  Hand in hand they walked down the ridge enjoying the precious minutes they had left before the beginning of the end was dealt them by the cruel hand of fate.

  Commander McConnel sat in his command chair brooding over the loss of his friend Commander Stone and the crew of the Destiny. Admiral Cook halted the Flotilla at the rendezvous point hopeful that the Destiny would appear. That was almost five hours ago. Lieutenant Belk, the Stargazer’s Chief Medical Officer and his fiancé, stood behind his chair resting her hand on his shoulder. It provided little comfort though he was glad she was here.

  ‘They didn’t make it, did they?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘I don’t think so. We shouldn’t have left them behind. Why did the Admiral order him to turn around? What chance did they have?’ He kept his voice at a whisper. His bridge crew stole glances their way and could see he was agitated about something, but he didn’t want them to hear their conversation. It was bad policy to questions orders in front of subordinates. ‘I’ll get an explanation later at our Staff meeting. But I want an answer. Those were good men!’ he spat.

  ‘Sir, we have in-coming!’ his tactical officer yelled.

  ‘Navigation, push our sensors to max and put it on the comm screen.’ He waited for a few seconds then an image abruptly appeared. ‘Magnify.’ There in mass formation were the same strange ships they’d accidently ran into at Alpha Centauri. The unknown vessels had followed them here; and like before, they were grossly outnumbered.

  ‘Sir, they’re hailing.’

  ‘Put it up.’

  A being of slender build appeared on the comm screen. It looked female and had light grey skin, no hair, and showed a hard jagged ridge-line on its brow. It was assumedly bi-pedal but only showed two limbs from the waist up. The only clothing it wore was a white half tunic around its chest. Small, thin red bands, three in all, were on its left arm above the elbow. The image began speaking, but the words were unintelligible. He listened for several minutes, and then realized it was beginning to repeat. ‘Communications, are you processing this through the ships computers? How close are we to a translation?’

  ‘I’m already working it, Sir, but I’ll need a few more minutes.’

  ‘Well, I’ll give you two. The Admiral probably already has his comm’s officer on it. You’re not going to let him beat you are you?’ He looked at his comm’s officer who looked chagrined. He knew the challenge would be met.

  ‘Just one more minute, Sir. –Right … now. Got it. –Feeding through the translation filter,’ he said with satisfaction.

  Commander McConnel made a mental note to give this young soldier a commendation, then gave him a nod. ‘Patch the feed to the Admiral.’ He then listened as the message began translating.

  ‘We are a race called Tular. We are not aggressive towards unknown species. We will not provoke you unless you attempt to harm us. If you understand, signal us and we will engage in dialogue.’ The message began repeating again.

  ‘Tactical. What are they doing now?’

  They’re still maintaining position, Sir, and I have a hard count of eight hundred two. –Looks like they lost a few back there.’

  ‘Sir,’ his comm’s officer interrupted, ‘the Carthaginian is hailing.’

  ‘Patch it.’

  Admiral Cook appeared on his comm screen. ‘Nice work, Commander. My comm officer is over here licking her wounds.’ The Admiral was grinning slightly. ‘We’ve heard the recording and I’m about to try and hail them. Standby while we lock-synch to the other ships.’ A few more seconds went by, and then he heard the Admiral over the comm system.

  ‘Tular representative, we have translated your message and await your response.’ He waived for the external comm to be cut. ‘All Commanders, raise shields to maximum, but keep your weapons powered down.’

  The recording abruptly stopped and faded. It was replaced by the same image, but this time, it wasn’t speaking. The Admiral nodded to his comm officer to try again. ‘Tular representative, we accept your offer for a dialogue. Are you receiving us?’

  ‘We now receive you. We were extrapolating your language syntax. How should I address you?’ The being in front of them was definitely female. Her ridged brow flexed with her question.

  ‘I am Admiral Benjamin Cook, Commander of these vessels; and you are?’

  ‘I am called Counselor Rejanx. I am what you perceive as a civilian leader. Our government exercises direct control of our mi
litary forces.’ A larger, more robust Tular moved beside her. He also had no hair, but his ridgelines were more pronounced. ‘This is General Fjorn. He commands our forces under my guidance.’ The General nodded in greeting. ‘We have much to discuss, Admiral. Would you like to board my ship as a guest?’

  ‘We are few and understandably cautious. May I offer my ship as you have the numerical advantage?’

  She turned and looked at the General who again nodded in agreement. ‘We accept your offer.’

  ‘We are honored,’ the Admiral replied. ‘We’ll prepare to receive you in one hour. –Admiral Cook out.’

  Commander McConnel couldn’t help but admire the Carthaginian. As a warship, it was impressive. Though it was the oldest vessel in the fleet, it certainly didn’t lack modernization. It had been retrofitted to match the technology of the newest ships. Even its hull plating had been hardened to match the new alloy techniques. It was twice the size of the Stargazer. Dozens of personnel walked the decks at any given moment. Even the galley was almost three times larger than Stargazer’s. He’d made a small detour for a cup of coffee on the way to the Commanders conference room.

  The Tular delegation was already on board and under quarantine. As different organisms, humans were as much a threat to them as they were to us. It was fortunate that they understood this and even expected it. However, they were due to be cleared any time, and he was excited to be able to meet them.

  He pressed the conference room door pad and entered as it slid open. Admiral Cook was already present along with the other ships Commanders.

  ‘Commander McConnel, come on in. We’re waiting for the delegation to arrive. Help yourself to some coffee or another drink,’ he said pointing to a refreshment table.

  He was suddenly consciously aware that he was holding a cup of coffee already, but no else seemed to notice. He took a seat on the far side of the rectangular table hoping it was where he was supposed to sit and waited.