by Jo Carey
"He forged papers, created a high-born identity, and arranged to be chosen a candidate for the Princess's future consort. On the day of his interview he walked into her quarters with a sword hidden in his clothing, a sword which he planned to use to kill her. He stood there waiting, his heart filled with anger, pain, and death, then she walked out and greeted him. The anger disappeared as he beheld the most beautiful and wonderful woman he had ever seen. At that moment, he vowed that he would protect her at any cost, which he has done now for many years. He knows that his life will end the moment the two of them consummate their marriage, and he has accepted that fact with his entire heart and his entire mind."
She buried her face in his uniform and wept, ashamed at what had happened to him while vowing if they lived through this, she would somehow make it right.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Aboard the Protector, Gloria and Serena were in Computer Lab Two running checks on the various mechanicals they had brought along just in case the need arose. Most were semi-autonomous sensor platforms used by rescue organizations to find people and bodies in all disaster scenarios. Boxes marked "Ant," "Snake," “Dragon Fly," and "Scorpion," covered the lab lent to them by the Computer Center. Helping them was Cmdr. William "Billy" Thurgood, head of the Computation Center and the captain's half-brother.
Billy reached down and pulled out a blue snake with a single crystalline eye. He gave Serena a questioning look.
"Search and rescue, with that size being used in search. Back in the lab we're working on an Orta-driven one that's fourteen feet long and capable of lifting six tons."
"Damn, and yet it's still stylish," he said.
"Of course," Gloria replied as she pulled out something that looked like a cross between a monster truck and a vinegaroon, but only a foot long. "A girl's gotta be pretty when she's saving people."
"And John designs these?" Billy asked.
Serena picked up a datapad, activated its holoprojector and handed it to him after setting it to filmstrip. Images of mechanical creatures popped up and floated above the screen before being replaced by something else.
"Wait, is that a Minotaur?"
"Oh yeah. A good operator can go through ten-foot-thick concrete walls like a hot knife through butter. Great for hostage situations," Serena said.
"John must have very vivid dreams."
"That's one way to describe them. Another would be scream fests."
"Yeah, I read his file, the unredacted one. Is it getting better?"
"Yes. Time heals all wounds," Gloria said, worried about her friend. This was the longest they had gone without speaking since his accident. She found it unnerving.
"Commander, is it true the captain won a stare-down with a Goranthi Captain?" Serena asked.
"Yep. I was there. We were nose-to-nose about five feet apart and she gave the order to go to FTL. He almost soiled himself."
"Billy Thurgood, telling stories again. We were a click apart and the only thing he did was eject his FTL core. I am so going to tell mother," Captain Thurgood said as she walked into the room, all five-foot two-inches of her. "How's it going, ladies?" she asked as she picked up the vinegaroon shaped probebot.
"Excellent. With the Commander's help, we're almost done and ahead of schedule," Gloria said.
"Good to hear. We should be arriving in about three hours at present speed. What is this device?" she asked as she flicked a leg.
"Harsh environment probebot with video, audio, and FLIR sensors designed for mines in or near active volcanoes. That unit is made with an adamantine steel skin over a titanium composite frame. If you flip it over you can see the miniature thruster packs on either side of the centerline.”
"Is it dangerous?" Ange asked.
"No. That one isn't equipped with pulse lasers," Gloria said.
"Volcano mines?"
"Yes, it can walk over fresh lava for over two clicks."
"Who designs these things?"
"John Taggart."
"John Taggart. Could you two take a break? I want to talk to Gloria alone."
They left, Serena giving Gloria a quizzical look on the way out.
"What's up, Captain?"
"Tell me about John. I tried reading his report and it was like trying to read something written on Swiss cheese. What happened to him?" Ange asked.
Gloria looked up at the petite captain and replied, "He was caught in an explosion and suffered head trauma. He's fine now. Why?"
"Did anyone tell you about my family? The Thurgoods?"
Gloria put her probe down and sat back in her seat. "I know that if I walk into a station bar and throw a credit into the crowd, I'll hit a Thurgood. How you people find dates is something I'll never be able to figure out. I also know that your cousin/brother Jason almost married Ciara, which makes her family."
"Is John a danger to her or the mission?"
"He would die to protect her, and I mean that from the bottom of my primary coolant pump. No hyperbole. Let me put it another way: what would your husband do if you were in danger?"
"Save me."
"At what cost?"
"I get your drift."
"I don't think you do. Why would he save you?"
"You're kidding me."
"Captain, you'll know when I'm kidding. I've known two versions of John, and I like this one. There are days I wonder what it would be like to be human, be with him, but that ain't going to happen. If I was human, I would trust him with my life. Now, have I allayed your fears?"
"Yes," Ange said. "Gloria, forgive me for asking, but what are you? The closest I can come up with is something akin to an Orta, but they're corporeal. You aren't, at least I don't think you are. What's your story, lady?"
"All I can tell you is I'm complicated. Very, very complicated."
The intercom bleeped, interrupting the exchange. "Capt. Thurgood, incoming Priority One message," the Communications Officer said.
"Thurgood here. What's the message's origin?"
"The Cuutoh, ma'am. I'm piping it down to you. Captain, the Cuutoh is requesting an immediate rendezvous."
"Verify it."
"Already done, ma'am. Codes are correct and the message header is proper. The message is definitely from the Cuutoh."
"This is damn irregular, but what part of this situation hasn't been. Helm, Thurgood. Change course to rendezvous with the Cuutoh and give them a vector. Best possible speed."
"Aye, Captain. Best possible speed."
"This can't be good, can it?" Gloria asked as Billy and Serena returned from their impromptu break.
"No, it can't. Cuutoh would never change the orders unless they felt they had to. Let's see what they sent us," she said as she displayed everything on the room's main viewer. There was a collective intake of breath as what they read sank in.
"Oh my God,” Ange whispered. “Those idiots are trying to start an interstellar war. Communications, I want a direct scrambled link with Space Command. Mark it Priority One. Helm, ETA for Cuutoh?"
"Fifteen minutes, ma'am."
"I want their flight crew in Briefing Room Four the minute their landing gear hits the deck."
"Aye, aye, Captain."
"Computer. Locate Mr. Trost."
"Mr. Trost is in Cafeteria Three."
"With the Captain's compliments, have Mr. Trost join her in Computer Lab Two ASAP and bring her coffee the way she likes it."
"Yes, Captain."
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The Lab door opened minutes later and a hand holding a cup of coffee entered the room followed by Mr. Charles "Charlie" Trost, Head of Security and Ange's husband. "Did someone order a coffee; hot, two creams, and one sugar?"
"You are the saint I married," Ange said as she grabbed the coffee and pointed at the screen, "Read."
Charlie looked at the screen and read the written transcripts of the report while watching and listening to the vid and audio.
"I never thought the Tralaskans would do anything like this. Sure, there's a river of egot
ism running through the population, but that's to be expected from their history with the Goranthi, but this is insane." He read Ciara's recommendation and commented, "Excellent, she sent this to the Council and recommends contact be established with the Marauders, excuse me, the Martok."
"The Cuutoh will be docking soon, and I've scheduled a meeting and a call with the Council the moment its flight crew is on board, and I want you and the ladies there," she said as she looked at Serena and Gloria while sipping her coffee.
"I'm Serena and next to me is Gloria. We work with John Taggart."
"And I'm Charles Trost, Head of Security and the Captain's other half. Call me Charlie. Pleased to meet you."
They shook hands. Charlie immediately noticed both women were wearing mechanical suits.
"So, you're Gloria. You wear a suit, but you're not an Orta?"
"Correct. Let's just say I'm a free spirit," she quipped while Serena rolled her eyes.
"Serena, you're an Orta, aren't you?"
"Why yes I am."
"The suit is perfect. It's the eyes, they glow slightly. You happen to know a Natalie Markle?"
"Cousin. Haven't seen her in ages. You know her?"
"She works with Ange's cousin/brother Jason."
"Cousin/Brother?"
"It's a long story," Ange said while cuffing Charlie's large arm. "Let's get to the conference room, shall we?"
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The Cuutoh came out of FTL and hung in space, stealth field off and its beacon on, waiting for the Protector to appear. Inside, the captain and first officer sat and read the report from the Recon Team in silent disbelief. If accurate, they were reading a blueprint for war.
"I wonder what the Council is doing. They can't be happy," Letta said.
"I'll bet credits to biscuits that Lady Laya is having a talk with the Erdexi ambassador about the Vreen person--an Erdexi who isn't from Rhanna," Solange noted. "What the hell is he? Some kind of lost cousin? The big question is what is he doing helping a bunch of Tralaskan malcontents hijack an alien ship. Poor Laya. Imagine finding out people you thought you knew were planning on dragging your whole planet into a war. I bet she is pissed something royal."
An alarm went off on the sensor panel. Both women looked up and saw the Protector materialize a hundred yards in front of their ship, light streaming from the open Bay Three door on the ventral side of the ship.
"MTV Cuutoh, this is Protector. Please pulse IFF."
"I hate this part," Solange said as one of Protectors massive rail guns pointed in their direction. She pressed a button that sent a coded pulse, assuring Protector that all was well.
"Cuutoh, IFF received and accepted. Proceed to Dorsal Bay Three and follow the marshaller when inside. Protector out.
"Going to hook-up with Billy?" Solange asked nonchalantly. "If not, I might give it a go."
"Yes, I mean no, I mean I plan to see him. You sound like you were raised in a station bar."
"I was, remember?"
"Ohhh," Letta said, shaking her head as she guided the ship to a landing inside the massive warship while her copilot sat and smiled.
"Cuutoh, welcome aboard," the radio said just as she touched down. "You are to be immediately escorted to Conference Room Four for debriefing. Your escort is waiting for you as we speak. Good luck. Bridge out."
"Damn, this is more serious than I thought," Letta said as she got out of her seat and slipped on her Jacket. The two of them put on hats and checked themselves in the mirror near the hatch as Letta cycled it open. Outside, Billy Thurgood waited for them at the bottom of the ramp.
"Captain, Commander, please follow me," he said with a smile. Solange noticed Letta blushing, so she whispered, "Is it hot in here or is it just him?"
Letta whispered back, "Quiet!" as she admired Billy's back.
After a short walk, they found themselves in Conference Room Four joining the Captain, two women, Charlie Trost, and on the view screen, the League Government Council. The three stopped, came to attention and saluted.
"Captain Mosk and Commander Fry reporting as ordered."
"At ease and welcome. Please, sit down. We have a great deal to discuss."
For the next two hours, the debriefing and discussion proceeded--at times contentious and heated--as the mighty war ship continued its approach to the hijacked Martok survey ship. The councilors broke to discuss what to do next as those aboard ship took refreshment.
"What do you think the councilors will do?" Billy asked Ange.
"They have a lot to think about. What worries me is Hell Spawn Three. It could mean a lot of trouble," Ange said.
"Why? It's tiny."
"HS3 is rumored to have a parasite system which allows it to take over a ship's functions. If that system is still active, it could take over the Arriska and use its weapons while hiding behind the students and crew."
"But that's only a rumor, right?"
"I hope so. I'd hate to have to fire on a ship full of kids regardless of their species."
The viewer reactivated with the Council in full view. "Capt. Thurgood, your orders are to proceed to the location of the Martok Survey Ship Arriska and render all assistance in the apprehension and/or neutralization of the hostile force. This is a weapons-hot action. I repeat: weapons-hot."
"I understand, sir. Have the Martok been contacted?" Ange asked.
"Yes, Captain. They have dispatched a squadron of warships to intercept the Arriska and deal with the hijackers in the event we cannot. They will be on station in thirty-six hours. The person we spoke to suggested we be long-gone by then."
"Lovely. Do I have backup?"
"Patook, Hermes, Yamamato, Verne, and Silva are in route and will rendezvous with you an hour after you arrive on-station.
"Sir, what about HS3? Is it equipped with the Parasite System?"
"That is affirmative, Captain. Under no circumstances is HS3 to leave that system or be captured by the Martok. Ange, if it comes down to destroying the HS3 or saving the Arriska, you are ordered to kill HS3. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir. Completely."
"I'm sorry Ange, but you pulled the shit-card on this one. Keep us posted and good hunting. Council out." The image of the council was replaced with the Space Command logo.
"The minute we appear, all hell is going to break loose in there. Letta, tell me about MSgt. Rostock and his crew."
"Top shelf, he has twenty-five years under his belt and enough medals to prevent liftoff. His number two, Saint, has a field-honed IQ of one-sixty-five. Doc should be running a hospital, Wren is their Venlanten scout who can see in the dark and take down adversaries three times her weight. Tenga speaks twelve languages, Nickle can shoot a gnat at a thousand yards and Relay is wanted for computer hacking on eight planets and Goranth. Ange, they're a force to be reckoned with, but there are only seven of them--ten if you include John, Ciara and Keelan."
"Charlie, how many Marines do we have on board?"
"Standard complement of twenty-five."
"We're still outnumbered," Ange said as she paced in front of the table. Her eyes went suddenly wide as an idea came to her in a flash. "Serena, Gloria, how many bots do you have in the lab?"
Serena looked at the ceiling and started rattling off numbers, "Let's see, twenty-five each of snakes, vinegaroons, rabbits, minidragons, and hamster wheels, oh, and a full-size Minotaur in the Main Storage Bay. We were hoping to get some ground time on the planet.
"You brought a Minotaur?"
"My fault, Captain," Billy said. "I signed off on it."
"Though, in his defense, I have to admit I downplayed its size," Gloria said.
"You're all fine. Can they survive a hundred-foot drop?"
"Oh yeah, not a problem." Gloria said as she saw where this was going.
"What about driving them?"
I can run the little ones with help from the Protector's computer. Gloria will have to drive the Minotaur." Serena said. "What are you thinking, Captain?"
&nbs
p; "We fly over the top of the ship while still cloaked and drop the bots into the center of the bay. We use the little ones to stun the hostiles while Gloria runs defense for the Marines who repulsor-repel in and start sweeping forward and aft, joining up with Recon in the process. Once they're down, we decloak and take out the Tralaskan ships."
"What about the bomb-ship?"
"First to go. We use our tractor beam to rip it off the hull and throw it into space. Once it's at a safe distance, we take it out with one of our missiles." Ange looked around the room and saw heads nodding. After giving them a few minutes she ended the meeting by saying, "Okay, then, let's get ready. Ladies get whatever help you need from Billy and his people. I want the bots set up and ready to go ASAP. Lieutenant, I want you to coordinate with the ladies so that everyone is in synch. Gloria, how much time do you need to preflight the Minotaur?"
"Half an hour, ma'am,"
"Then let's get moving, people. Time’s a wasting."
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Ange looked around the bridge and thought about the people around her and what she may have to ask of them. She thought about the missions they had been on together and lives they had saved. She felt an urge to get a hug from her husband.
"Captain, you seem pensive." She looked next to her chair and saw her First Officer, Mr. Kyne, standing there, alternating between monitoring the bridge and watching her.
"How do you sneak up on me like that?"
"I'm naturally quiet," he said, looking at her, his orange slit-pupil eyes glowing. Most people thought him human...until they saw the eyes. "What troubles you, Captain?"
"This damn mission troubles me. This ship and crew may be called upon to kill a bunch of students to stop a League-made menace. It's insane."
"That is why they sent us, ma'am. This ship has a reputation for pulling off impossible tasks. Every man, woman, and being on this ship would follow you to hell and kick the devil's ass." He stopped and listened to his earpiece, the one tied into the ship's intercom system. Everyone knew that if there was a problem, Kyne would hear it. He reached down and flicked a switch on the Captain's chair arm, filling the bridge with the sound of the crew chanting "Thurgood! Thurgood! Thurgood!" She looked around and saw the bridge crew joining their crewmates.