The Dark Star War (Codex Regius Book 3)

by Chris Kennedy

  “Well, we know the Ssselipsssiss call the Shaitans’ system the “Dark Star” and the “Dark Planet.” Sonar may have been necessary for them to evolve in an environment with reduced lighting. It is also possible they initially evolved underground in caves where it might have been warmer, which may have resulted in the necessity for an ultrasound navigation and communications system.”

  “But you don’t know.”

  “No sir, I cannot say for sure without additional information.”

  “Solomon, how confident are you that you can understand their language?” Captain Sheppard asked.

  “I can understand a number of their words, but without access to actual conversations, it is impossible to determine how those words go together to make up Shaitan speech.”

  “Have the two prisoners been in contact with each other?”

  “No sir, they have not.”

  “Let’s allow them to talk with each other, but keep them separate,” Captain Sheppard said. “I’d like to see what they have to talk about, and that will give you the opportunity to hear their conversation.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” the operations officer, Commander Dan Dacy, replied.

  Captain Sheppard nodded. “What’s the status of the Shaitan shuttle offload?”

  The operations officer pushed a button and an exterior view of the ship appeared on the conference room’s video screens. A variety of ship’s crewmen and the platoon’s soldiers, distinct in their different suits, covered the shuttle and formed a trail into the interior of the Vella Gulf. “Everyone from off duty pilots and WSOs to crew coming off watch are working to get the material in and processed,” he explained. “They’re all aware that we can’t follow the Jotunn until we either get the material processed or jettison it.”

  His tone indicated which way he thought they should go. The fact that no one else had mentioned jettisoning the metal also gave a good indication.

  “Have we found the stargate?” Captain Sheppard asked. The Jotunn ship had jumped while the Vella Gulf was in the Jinn Universe, and the Terrans had been forced to search for it. At least they knew the Jotunn’s line of travel, which narrowed it significantly. They had jumped back into their universe three times to take scans.

  “The sensor sweeps from the last survey are still being analyzed,” Commander Dacy said. “We should know something—”

  The screen changed to the face of the helmsman. “Captain Sheppard!” he interrupted. “We’ve got the location of the stargate!”

  “Very well,” the CO replied. “Full speed ahead to the stargate.” He turned back to Commander Dacy. “We’ll settle with what we’ve unloaded so far. Jettison the Shaitan shuttle and get everyone back inside. We’ve got a ship to catch.”

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-186 System, December 19, 2021

  “Five minutes to stargate,” the helmsman noted.

  “Understood,” Captain Sheppard replied. “Sound General Quarters.”

  “Sound General Quarters, aye!” the duty engineer replied. Within moments, the horn began sounding and the warning lights flashing.

  “I’m sorry we weren’t able to go back and advise your countrymen,” Captain Sheppard said to Lieutenant Rrower.

  “I understand,” the Mrowry officer replied, “just as they, too, will understand. I’m sure my father would have done the same to rescue one of his cubs.”

  “How long will they wait?”

  “As long as is needed. We can be very patient hunters. You do not need to worry about them. They will prepare our defenses and will be ready to attack when we return.”

  “Captain Sheppard,” Steropes said, “I’m sorry, but I fear I must apologize too.”

  “For what?”

  “I have failed to advise you appropriately. When we go through the stargate, the Jotunn will know we are following them. The stargate pulse will give us away. We should have slowed to minimize it.”

  “I am aware of the consequences of what we’re about to do,” Captain Sheppard replied. “You assume I don’t want the Jotunn to know we’re following them, but you’re wrong. I want them to know.”

  “Are you hoping to frighten them? They do not scare easily,” Steropes warned.

  “I’d love it if they were afraid of us, or at least afraid of our capabilities. Based on what I know about the Jotunn though, I doubt that is going to happen. My goal is to get inside their heads and make them wonder why we’re chasing them, and what we intend to do once they get to their destination. If I can do that, I’ll be happy.”

  Bridge, Jotunn Ship Falcon, Unknown System, December 20, 2021

  “Sir! I just received a pulse from the stargate behind us. We are being followed.”

  “And? Who is it following us?” Captain Magnusson asked.

  “I only captured a few seconds of video before the ship disappeared. I’m trying to identify it now.”

  “What do you mean, ‘disappeared?’” the captain asked. Not known for his patience at the best of times, it was in even shorter supply after his recent dealings with the Shaitans. “Did it jump to the other universe like the Shaitans, or did it go into stealth like those drinkers of sheep’s piss, the Terrans?”

  “I can’t tell which it did, sir; it just vanished. I can, however, tell you it was the Terrans. It was their ship with the smaller craft mounted on both ends.”

  Captain Magnusson sat back in his command chair and stroked his beard. “The Terrans, eh? They probably saw our shields flickering and hoped to get close enough to use some of their weapons on us while our shields were down. How close are they?”

  “They are almost a full day’s travel behind us, and I don’t believe they will catch up with us before we reach Jotunheimr.”

  “Good. Continue at full speed. We’ll have a reception waiting for them when they get there.”

  Ducting, Jotunn Ship Falcon, Kepler-186, December 20, 2021

  “Your friends are here in this system and are still following us,” Burkuri said to Calvin and the assembled group of bipeds and bugs.

  “Good,” Paxton said. “Hopefully they will catch up with us shortly, although I have no idea how they are going to get us off this ship.”

  “I don’t know that yet, either,” Calvin replied, “but we will work something out. How far back are they?”

  “Almost a day’s travel, according to the bridge crew,” Burkuri said. “There’s a problem though. It doesn’t sound like your friends will catch up with us before we reach the Jotunn home system, and the captain referenced a ‘reception’ they would have waiting for them.”

  “We have to warn them,” Calvin said. He rubbed his chin while he thought. “I’d even risk trying to comm them, but if they are as far back as you said, they’ll be out of range. We may have to try to communicate with them using the shields again…”

  “Well, you can find someone else to be the rabbit next time, because I’m not doing it,” Farhome stated. “Besides, I’m almost out of nanobots and won’t be able to get any more until we get back to the Vella Gulf.”

  “We need to come up with another plan then,” Calvin said; “we’ve got to warn the Gulf.”

  Everything flashed as the ship jumped through a stargate.

  “Too late now,” Burkuri said.

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-11 System, December 20, 2021

  “There they go,” the OSO said. “The Jotunn just hit the stargate out.”

  “Well, at least we know where the gate is,” Captain Sheppard replied. “Steropes, have you figured out what system we’re in yet?”

  “Yes sir. We are in the Kepler-11 system. Kepler-11 is a G-type star that is very much like your sun, with about 96% of its mass. It is about twice as old as the sun and slightly cooler. The system has six planets that orbit close to the star; all six lie inside Venus’ orbit around the sun. None are habitable.”

  “Captain Sheppard?” the AI asked.

  “Yes, Solomon, what is it?”

  “I have been listenin
g to the Shaitans talk with each other, and I believe I have deciphered most of their language.”

  “And? What are they talking about?”

  “Most of their discussion revolves around being on the devils’ ship, and what they can do to destroy us. The soldier continues to urge the pilot to attack us, and if he won’t do that, then the soldier says the pilot should kill himself. I would recommend caution when dealing with the soldier; I believe he will attack without provocation or advance warning.”

  “Understood,” Captain Sheppard said. “I believe it’s also time to cut off communications between them again. It’s not in our best interest to have the pilot subjected to that kind of influence.”

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-11 System, December 21, 2021

  “Five minutes to stargate.”

  “Understood,” Captain Sheppard said. “Sound General Quarters.” He turned in his chair. “What do you think, Steropes? Is this going to be the one?”

  “There is no way to know, sir. With each passing stargate we cross, the odds increase that the next system will be their final destination.”

  “And where do you think that will be?”

  “That is also unknown,” Steropes said, “although it stands to reason the Jotunn have a destination in mind and are not randomly leading us on a chase to nowhere.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Well, the Jotunn left the front lines of the war, but we have no idea why. Regardless of their reasons for leaving, they are probably headed to a repair facility or fleet base somewhere, both of which are probably in occupied systems. Wherever they’re going, that place probably has more Jotunn; likely a lot more. Also, they know we are following them and have the advantage of being 19.3 hours ahead of us.”

  “What are you saying?” Captain Sheppard asked.

  “When we get to the Jotunn’s destination, they will have some time before our arrival to prepare for us, and there will probably be other Jotunn there to help.”

  The DSO stiffened at his console as he realized what Steropes meant. “Just like Rikki-Tikki-Tavi going down the cobra’s hole,” he muttered as he adjusted his console’s setting.

  “Who is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi?” Steropes asked.

  “It was a fictional mongoose,” the DSO replied. “The story goes that you’re not supposed to chase a cobra into its hole because, at some point, the tunnel is going to widen enough that the snake can turn around. Then you get the fangs, not the tail.”

  “I’m not familiar with the story,” Captain Sheppard replied, “but I fully understand the warning, and that we are eventually going to run into the Jotunn defenses. Solomon, when we do, I want you to immediately jump us into the Jinn Universe and to activate our stealth. Do not wait for orders; if you see us about to be overwhelmed, just do it. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Captain Sheppard,” the AI confirmed. “Upon sighting Jotunn defenses, I will immediately initiate a jump into the Jinn Universe.”

  “Thank you,” the CO replied.

  “Here we go,” the helmsman advised. “Stargate in 3…2…1…”

  Chapter Twenty

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-20 System, December 21, 2021

  “System entry, unknown system,” Steropes noted. “Scanning…”

  “We’re still here,” Captain Sheppard said, scanning the bridge, “so I’m guessing there aren’t any Jotunn defenses, eh Solomon?”

  “No sir,” the AI replied, “my scanners are not detecting any defenses. In fact, they are not showing anything at all.”

  “Solomon’s right,” Steropes confirmed; “the Jotunn ship has vanished.”

  Overhead the Bridge, Jotunn Ship Falcon, Jotunheimr System, December 22, 2021

  Calvin made it to his watch station above the bridge as the front view screen lit up to show an impressive Jotnar. Not only was it one of the biggest giants he had ever seen, it was also the first Calvin had seen dressed in any sort of uniform, and the overuse of gold braid, silver piping and medals on both sides of the giant’s chest made him look somewhat pretentious.

  “Good day, admiral,” Captain Magnusson said.

  “Welcome back, captain,” the admiral replied. “How goes the war?”

  “It goes well; we are well on the way to eradicating the Ssselipsssiss. We have only returned briefly for some necessary maintenance at the shipyard. We have some vermin in our ducting that needs eradicating. I don’t expect to stay more than a day or two.”

  “While you are here, you will have to contact your uncle; he has quite the surprise for you.”

  “Oh? What has he been up to now? He hasn’t brought me home another wife from one of his raids, has he?”

  “He may have; you never know with him. That isn’t what I was talking about, though. His surprise will be of great assistance in our war.”

  “Now you have me curious,” Captain Magnusson replied. “Perhaps you’d like to give me a clue?”

  “You’ll see,” the Jotnar admiral said with a twinkle in his eye. “Once again, he has lived up to his nickname.”

  “He is always full of surprises.” Captain Magnusson shook his head, then his smile faded. “Be on the lookout,” he warned. “There is a ship following me. It will be here in 20 hours or so, depending on how long it takes the ship’s crew to find the stargate. The ship is only as big as one of our frigates, but it must be destroyed immediately upon its entry into the system. Don’t try to talk to them, just destroy them.”

  “Ho, ho, ho,” the admiral guffawed. “Please tell me the mighty Captain Magnusson isn’t running from a ship less than half his size.”

  “Not hardly. The ship has the same ability as our Shaitan allies and can jump out of our universe at a moment’s notice. That is why you must destroy it quickly, lest its crew transit to the other universe and escape.”

  “If it is only the size of a frigate, it should not be much of a challenge,” the admiral said; “I will make sure we are ready.”

  “Any news from the other front?”

  “I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we had some setbacks in the war against the Aesir. The plan to initiate Ragnarok had to be delayed due to contact with a race called the Terrans. Your father, the Odin, was killed in battle.”

  “Terrans? The ship following us is also Terran in origin.”

  “Indeed, they have the secret for transiting between universes. The forces that killed your father were led by one such ship called the Vella Gulf.”

  “The Vella Gulf!” Captain Magnusson exploded. “That is the ship following us! I will stay here and kill them myself!”

  “As much as I would love to allow your revenge, our honor demands that you get back to assist our Shaitan allies as soon as possible. We don’t want them to come looking for you here. There are things in this system we do not want them to see.”

  “What things?” the captain growled.

  “Things you will see in due time,” the admiral replied. “Although your desire for revenge is just, you must honor your father by meeting his commitment to the Shaitans. You can count on me to carry out your revenge.”

  “I am forced to drink a bitter tea, but I will do as honor demands. Just make sure you kill the Terrans…” His sentence trailed off, leaving the threat unvoiced, but it hung there nevertheless.

  Calvin shivered. They had made an implacable enemy of someone who wasn’t afraid to threaten a senior officer. The ship somehow seemed a lot smaller.

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-20 System, December 22, 2021

  Captain Sheppard stared at the stargate on the front screen. So close, and yet the damn thing had been so hard to find. He shook his head. “How far behind them are we now?” he asked.

  “We are 26 hours and 17 minutes behind the Jotunn ship,” Steropes replied. “We lost over four hours looking for the stargate and a little over an hour getting aligned to enter it. We are lucky we knew the Jotunn’s original vector on entering the system; it greatly narrowed our search.”

  “Yea
h, lucky,” the captain said with a snort. “26 hours is a long time for them to prepare for us, or get to where they’re going and flush out Calvin.”

  Steropes didn’t reply. There was nothing to say. The awkward silence stretched for another minute, until broken by the helmsman.

  “Here we go,” he said. “Stargate in 3…2…1…”

  The stars in the viewer expanded into infinity, and everything went black...then sideways...then blue...then sweet...

  “System entry—” Steropes said.

  “Dreadnought!” the DSO shouted, overriding him. The ship rocked as it was hit. “Fuck! Plus two battleships and a butt-ton of other targets! Missiles inbound!” His fingers flashed across his keys, although he knew the end was a foregone conclusion.

  “Firing all tubes at the dread—” the OSO said.

  Everything flashed as the ship jumped.

  “Holy fuck!” the DSO said, slumping back into his seat. “I’ve never seen so much shit lined up to kill me. I recommend we do not go back there any time soon!”

  “Nice job, Solomon,” Captain Sheppard said, trying to control his breathing. “Get me a damage report, ASAP.”

  “Minor damage in several areas,” the duty engineer responded. “Damage control crews are responding; I will have a more thorough report momentarily once they’re on-station.”

  “We got lucky,” the DSO said. “We only took a couple of laser strikes, but they were from the dreadnought, or whatever the hell that big-ass ship was. The second hit collapsed our shields. If any of the near misses had hit us…” he shook his head. “We’re lucky to be alive. Happily, it looks like they can’t make the jump.”

  “Why’s that?” the helmsman asked.

  “You’re still breathing, aren’t you?”

  “Focus,” Captain Sheppard said. “In addition to damage control, let’s get a scan going and see what we’ve got here. Steropes, did you get a scan of the area before we jumped?”