StarFight 3: Battlecry

by T. Jackson King

  “Oh,” murmured Alicia from below Jacob. She looked up, catching his attention. “Sir, speak very carefully. This is both good news and dangerous news.”

  He understood the good news part. The large ship on which Hunter One had arrived was three times the size of a normal wasp fighter ship. And it contained the black hole generator device and gravity plate extrusion ability. While its three rings of lightning bolt emitters and lasers would be powerful combat weapons, nothing in the Star Navy compared with its invulnerability when it entered what One called its Pull-Down mode. While he would have preferred six wasp fighter ships, this single giant ship would give his fleet a unique element. If it could meet them before the shark-heads arrived at the ambush spot.

  “Hunter One, I correct my flight path. It is a welcome honor to encounter your Matron Prime. Will she fly her nest to us so we may fight the wet ones together?”

  The yellow wasp slowed his wing beating. Behind him rose the red and black-striped body of a wasp twice his size. Which made her four times the size of the Servant wasps who were the equal of his Bridge crew. She flew forward.

  “Human leader, I have viewed the sky battle records brought to me by my Hunter One,” she said in what he assumed was a massive gush of pheromones. Thank the Goddess for the signaler block! “Your defense of Support Hunter Thirteen’s nest was like that of a master Fighter and a Hunter combined. You killed the killers of my larvae and their Servants. For this alone, the Swarm will grant you humans the right to occupy the fifth world of this system.”

  Jacob swallowed hard. Clearly this massive female was one of the seven wasps who ran the wasp home world. And she was more than a politician. She was the source of the new genetic patterns that yielded superb Fighters, Workers, Servants, Hunters and other Matrons. Which made her far more than an admiral. Or a national president.

  “Matron Prime, your generosity is wondrous,” he said, hoping there were decent pheromone analogs to human adjectives. “We humans accept your gift. We also pledge to defend your colony of Food Enough.” Jacob waved to Andrew, who nodded and turned back to his control pillar. “My Servant for communications now sends you records of our newest sky battle against wet ones who recently arrived on the outer edge of this sky light system. Twenty wet one nests flew to the edge of this sky light’s boundary. We destroyed nine of them and injured two. Sadly, we had to fly to our current location to make repairs, before we could seek a new sky battle. We now fly inward to a spot in the ring of rocks that lies far out from Food Enough. I have a battle plan for attacking the wet ones as they cross the rock ring. Will your large flying nest fly to that spot and join with us in fighting the wet ones?”

  The giant wasp twisted in flight. “Hunter One, is this true flight? Are there wet ones already in my system?”

  The wasp who had planned the sneak attack on his fleet’s original captains and XOs now lowered his flight level, as if giving obeisance to this Matron Prime.

  “Our mineral devices beat with that flight news, Matron Prime.” His brown wings sped up their beating. “And Support Hunters Twelve, Fifteen and Seventeen have sent me perception records that confirm what the human leader has scent-cast. There are eleven wet one nests now flying into your system.”

  The Matron returned to a hover that faced Jacob. “Human leader, my flying nest will fly swiftly to any spot in the rock ring. Send us that battle site locatioin. We will join you. And together, we will bite off the heads and tails of these wet ones!”

  “Louise, give Andrew the rendezvous coordinates. Com, transmit them to the Matron Prime.”

  “Coordinates transferred,” she said.

  “Received, sir and ma’am,” Andrew said quickly, sounding impressed by the sudden appearance of wasp royalty. “Transmitting.”

  Jacob unlocked his seat straps and stood up. “Matron Prime, the location for the new sky battle is sent. I stand to honor you and your Fighters. We humans cannot fly like the Swarm, but we know how to defend younglings. My Servants and I now fly inward. May your flight be swift.”

  The Matron’s two large compound eyes and three simple eyes all stared at him. Or at Jacob’s image as it appeared in the yellow-white illuminated Flight Chamber of the giant wasp ship.

  “I have just viewed the image records of your recent sky battle. Your black beams were deadly. As were the sky light beams of your nests, and the flying nests of Support Hunters Twelve, Fifteen and Seventeen. They may continue in flight with you. You are their flight leader.” The translated speech stopped as her brown wings, each as long as Hunter One, moved her back slowly. “Scent-cast what we must do in this new sky battle. My nest will fight like no nest you have ever seen fight!”

  The Matron receded into the rear of the Flight Chamber. Hunter One’s shape moved to the center of the image above the wallscreen.

  “We come to you,” he scent-cast.

  Jacob waved to the wasp. “We look forward to your arrival. Uh, Hunter One, a query. Are humans and Swarmers now entered into an armistice? An agreement that neither will harm the nests of the other?”

  The wasp’s wings sped into a blur. He rose higher. “Do you land-crawlers not understand? This scent of armistice is in the past! The Matron Prime, back at our Colony Nest, declared you humans to be Cohort Allies of the Swarm! From this wing beat forward, no Swarmer will harm any human! And humans are welcome to live and fly and give life to younglings on the fifth world of this system. Is this understood?”

  “Your scent-cast is understood clearly,” Jacob said, feeling shock at the achievement of his father’s orders, even as it was clear another battle lay ahead. “We humans accept the role of Cohort Allies to the Swarm. We fly to you!”

  “As we fly to you.”

  The image of Hunter One vanished from the wallscreen. As did the images of Support Hunters Twelve, Fifteen and Seventeen. He sat down in his captain’s seat, tapped his armrest and waited for the straps to move out and crisscross his chest and legs.

  “People, we have a powerful ally.” He caught the attention of Joy, Joan and Rebecca. “Captains, make repairs as needed. Move missiles to your silos. And give your people a break from wearing helmets and vacsuit! Melody, change ship status to Alert System Entry. Crew, go to regular shift rotation. Eat, drink, sleep, hug some trees if need be, play a game of soccer, and restock your energy. We have 38 hours until we hit the asteroid belt. And I, for one, will be taking a break!”

  Cheers came from his Bridge crew.

  “Human of mine, ship alert status is changed to Alert System Entry,” Melody said in a voice that sounded almost seductive.

  Alicia looked up. She pushed back her helmet, her brown hair coming free in a flare of big curls. Amber eyes scanned him. “That was well done, captain. I am sure the admiral will be pleased.”

  He hoped so. But he did not look forward to another, more violent battle in space. The shark-heads would see his ships moving through the system. They would set an intercept vector track. That he expected. What he did not expect were the feelings inside he now felt. It was a feeling of worry for all the 320 people who made the Lepanto work like an antique timekeeper with intertwined gears, wheels and springs. All too soon their lives would be at risk. As would the life of Daisy. And the lives of Lori, Carlos, Quincy and Kenji. Risking other ships he had done, and he regretted the loss of four battle group ships. But risking the lives of his ship crew felt different. It felt like risking family in the face of an approaching hurricane. Whatever made him think he could be a captain?

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  Daisy walked into Jacob’s quarters, past the furniture in the relaxation room and turned left through the bedroom’s open archway. On the queen size bed in the middle of the room lay Jacob, asleep, his head resting on his left arm as he slept. The room’s lighting was a low green from a few wall spots that allowed one to see the entrance to the bath and toilet alcove. His metal worktable stuck out from the left side wall. Like every worktable in officer’s quarters on the ship, it closed up against
the wall when not in use. The small table partly filled the space between the left-side wall and the bed. Jacob had not closed it up after arriving from the Bridge for this long-needed rest. She put her sheer white negligee on the end of the bed, then pulled off her camo shirt and slacks. Her bra and panties were next. Shoes followed, with socks joining the stack of discards. Her wide brim officer’s hat sailed to land on the top of the pile. She grabbed the negligee, pulled it on over her head, shook it loose, then turned and sat on one corner of the bed, moving softly so as not to wake Jacob. She looked at the worktable and its wall opening.

  The three shelves in the opening held a few sea shells, his comp pad, a holo cube that showed him and his Dad right after his graduation from the Stellar Academy, and an old-fashioned ink pen and small paper tablet. All were gifts from his Mom, except for the holo cube. Stuck on the wall above the shelves were two flat digital pictures he had brought from home.

  His Mom’s photo showed her smiling at him from within their kitchen. Her long brown hair was full of spiraling curls and she was smiling at him. Daisy liked the flowered spring dress of green and yellow, with a white cook’s smock hanging from her neck. It resembled the dress she had worn for Dance Night. Ruined now thaks to the shark-heads. Next to his Mom’s image was a flat pic of the old barn at the back of Renselaer property. His mom’s gelding horse was standing in front of the barn, its reins tied to a post. She recalled Jacob telling her how the brown and white Appaloosa horse had been the first large animal Jacob had ever been around. Next to the gelding was his Mom’s Arabian stallion, Butch, hitched to another pole. It had become Jacob’s favorite riding horse. With a sigh she looked away, saw that Jacob lay on the right side of the bed, so she walked up the left side, her hip bumping the edge of the worktable. She ignored the discomfort. Moving slowly she lay down on top of the purple silk sheets, resting her head on a pillow.

  She looked right. Jacob’s bare chest rose and fell slowly as he breathed in a low rumble. His black chest hairs were barely visible in the pale green light of the room. She liked his hairy chest. His strong nose. His broad shoulders. His gray eyes. And his shy smile had been the first thing about him that made her pay extra attention to him. The fact that he was a good chess player, knew and practiced Okinawan karate and was a sensitive lover had all been nice additions to the person she had found hiding inside a somewhat formal manner. Months earlier, Jacob had opened up to her, Lori, Carlos, Kenji and Quincy. He’d even shared stories about his mother Sarah. He’d talked about riding his Mom’s Arabian. To Daisy, riding a horse that was bigger than any human was very daring. Maybe riding horses with his Mom was how Jacob had learned the daring he’d shown in the space battles against the wasps and the shark-head aliens. And perhaps his focus on facts and on being ruthless was something he’d learned from his father Gordon. And likely inherited from the man’ genes. She didn’t care. She just knew she loved him, trusted him as the ship captain and felt certain that Jacob would always do his duty the best way possible. She reached out to his bare arm and shook it.

  “Jacob, wake up.”

  His light snoring stopped. The sudden tenseness in his arm gave way to relaxation as he realized who was beside him. He turned to her, his curly black hair falling over his forehead. His eyes opened. His mouth moved to a half smile.

  “Hello, lovely. Glad you’re here. But who’s minding the Bridge?”

  He had handed Bridge command to her when he’d left for this rest. It was a logical, guy question. “Alicia. Richard is there to back her up if need be. Do you like what I’m wearing?”

  His left arm reached out and plucked at the shoulder strap of her gown. “Pretty skimpy. Not good winter pajamas, you know?”

  “Jacob!” she growled, pushing back at him with her right hand, then pulling on a few hairs on his chest.

  “Ouch.”

  She moved her hand in a caress of his bare ribs, moving to his hip. Jacob liked to sleep naked. She preferred a gown. They both accepted what each other preferred when it came to sleep. “Are you so tired you are romantically clueless?”

  He chuckled low. “Hardly. You please me. You arouse me. And I love you deeply. But can your back handle the pressure of fun times?”

  She recalled how, during the tactical conference, she had avoided sitting back against the unpadded wood of her chair. Clearly he had noticed. “Yes. Especially if I’m on top. You ready for a Chicago cowgirl?”

  He rolled closer, his minty breath touching her face. His left hand moved up to her neck, caressing, then cupped her head. “Very ready. Kiss me.”

  She shifted over, her hand pulling his hips closer. Her lips found his. They kissed. His mouth opened. Hers opened. Their tongues did the dance of enticement. Then she moved to sit astride him and his hardness. It felt good. She had wanted him ever since they had arrived at their retreat location. He felt good inside her. She rocked forward, lowering her breasts and face.

  “I love you.”

  Jacob cupped her breasts, then his hips pushed upward, driving himself deeper. “Love girl, you are my heart. Stay with me always.”

  Together they made love, holding each other close.

  She did not speak of her fears about the upcoming battle. Nor did he, though she knew him well enough to know that he, like Joy, Rebecca and Joan, worried at the risk to his crew. He did not want to lose people. Nor did she. But their service oaths bound them to take that risk. It was a risk they both needed to forget about. For a while, at least.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Halfway to the asteroid belt, Alicia and Lori walked into the Bridge, came forward and stopped before Jacob. That surprised him, and likely Daisy and Richard who were in their seats below. The science geeks had been on a meal and sleep break. Their shifts on the Bridge were not yet due to begin. Yet here they were.

  “Commander, Lieutenant, is sleep not a requirement for you?”

  Black-haired Lori looked left to her boss. Who was standing at parade rest before Jacob and the command platform.

  “Sir, my xenolinguists have compiled a very basic English-to-seal dictionary.” She pulled around a carrybag she had brought in with her. “In this bag is one of the color signaling control panels that the Marines recovered when Chief O’Connor zapped our captives in their control room. We’ve attached a microphone to the back, along with a speaker and translator module.” She pulled a gray square the size of a laptop out of the bag and held it in front of her camos. “When someone speaks to the back of this panel, the front turns on and displays a color pattern that replicates those words. Its front sensor picks up the color pattern displayed by a walking seal alien when its chromatophoric skin changes colors. Would you like to try it out?”

  Amazement filled him. Then appreciation. Clearly both women had used their off time to push along the project that he had assigned them back in Kepler 22. Was there a chance to prevent the upcoming battle? He dared not let hopes override combat preparation. The four shark-heads in the Park Room might refuse to reply, or not have the status to agree to an armistice. But it would not hurt to try.

  “Yes, I would. Excellent job, ladies.” He stood up, giving thanks again for the lack of having to wear a vacsuit and be strapped in. “Antonova, what is your role in this matter?”

  The slim, blue-eyed graduate of the Moscow Exobiology Institute turned to face him as he stepped down and stood next to the seat of Daisy. Who, like Richard, was paying close attention to this new development.

  “Sir, I have some ideas about amphibian social structure that I hope to pursue if the walking seal aliens will communicate with us.”

  “Shark-heads,” Richard muttered from his seat. “They are deadly, nasty opponents. My people call them shark-heads. So do I. Walking seals is too polite a term for aliens who nuke-bombed defenseless wasp civies.”

  Lori frowned. Alicia shrugged. “Chief,” the Science Deck chief said. “We all saw the escape video and their electric zapping of the XO. Yes, they are dangerous aliens. Which is exactly wh
y it is useful to adopt neutral language in referring to them. Let them define themselves.”

  “They already did. When the shark-heads zapped the wasps with electric bolts, knocked down me and my troops and killed the slidedoor electronics to escape into the hallway. Ma’am.” The Marine chief warrant officer stood up and stepped to one side of Alicia. He looked at the woman. “Commander, if you two and the captain plan on entering the Park Room wearing anything less than a Shinshoni, I must insist that I accompany you. We have some metal body shields that you can wear. They will shunt any electric bolt down into the meadow soil. And with three Marines in hard suits guarding you, I doubt the bastards will try anything. My guard troops have already taught them about our flamethrower tubes and shotgun shells.”

  Alicia gave a half smile. “So the meadow has some black spots on it already?”

  “It does,” Richard said, stepping around the two women and coming to Jacob’s side. “Plus plenty of steel shotshell beads scattered here and there. At my orders, right after the escape attempt, my troops torched one pig and killed a second with a shotgun blast. Then Diego riddled the body with laser beams. The shark-heads have stayed far away from my people ever since.”

  “Well,” Lori murmured, “we hope to change that with this translator vidpanel. We’ll have to get close to them in order for them to see its color patterns.”

  Richard grimaced, looking sour. “So I suspected.” He looked Jacob’s way. “Captain? Will you accept the escort of me and my troops?”

  “Definitely.” He turned to Daisy, who was still seated. Worry filled her face. It was a look he had seen too often, lately. And their time together yesterday afternoon did not change their current reality. “XO, I give you command of the Bridge.”