Two final missiles streaked forward and collided with the frigate, the resultant impact causing Diana to be jerked left and right in her station seat, only her safety harness and the shock–frame of her chair keeping her from being spilled across the deck of the bridge with bone–bruising force.
“Lieutenant Jaxx, report!” Marcus spat out, coughing like someone who had just mis–swallowed lunch.
“Shields absorbed much of the impact; minimal damage to Deck 11. Systems and Shields still fully functional.” The red–haired Senior Systems Officer answered calmly and succinctly, deft fingers flying across his console as he monitored and managed the results of the hit.
“Good.” Perez responded, then cocking his short–shorn head to the side, rapped out “Naxos, prepare to fire all Quad cannon batteries; Starburst 6 pattern.”
Nodding grimly to herself as she worked, now that the Decoys were spent and had executed their purpose admirably, Diana knew Marcus’s intent was to capture missiles that would be only too imminent, as well as eliminate Karukai starfighters.
“Karukai fighters firing missiles once more.” Lieutenant Chopa conveyed, and Diana could hear the slight catch in his otherwise steady voice.
“Firing all cannon batteries!” Lieutenant Belgrum Naxos rasped even as he keyed the final command.
Reminiscent of an exploding star in design, all of the frigate’s cannons simultaneously discharged in four–burst patterns, ammunition slicing through space, incoming missiles, and Karukai Scorpions alike to devastating effect. So quick was the attack and impact, Diana had absolutely no time to register the effectiveness of the cavalcade, before another series of jarring slams rocked Excalibur like the hand of an angry titan grasping the ship and shaking the vessel in fury.
Feeling the coppery taste of blood bloom in her mouth from the unintended slashing of tooth to tongue, Diana raked her gaze over incoming data feeds while Jaxx grated out “Decks 9, 10, and 11 hit; assessing damage.”
“All but two Karukai fighters have been eliminated!” Diana announced a moment later, a feeling of fierce triumph racing through her entire being as she worked on assessment.
“Excellent. Diana, send Ghost Squadron to mop up what’s left of those Karukai bastards!” Perez growled, jaw fixed.
“Yes, Sir. Command issued.” Diana knew Marcus wanted to set Ghost Squadron to work rather than spend the Excalibur’s precious, heavy–hitting ammunition stores that were the ship’s best defensive and offensive recourse against larger vessels.
“Commander, significant damage to Deck 11.” Tildon Jaxx reported a moment later, his freckles standing in stark contrast to his pale skin as he looked down his long nose to capture the life–lending data. “The Cargo Bay is all but blown and Cannon Batteries 7 and 8 are out; Missile Batteries 5 and 6 are still functional. Minimal damage to Decks 9 and 10.”
“They were targeting our Computer Core and Information Systems on Deck 9.” Claudius Chopa hissed.
“And probably, our Engine Core on Deck 10.” Engineering Officer Gareth Philips supplemented from his CIC station over the ever–open Command Deck Comm Channel.
“Ghost Squadron is engaging.” Adeline announced, attention split between her job as starfighter squadron coordinator and damage assessment responsibilities as the ship’s Operations Officer.
The Bridge and CIC crew could hear the four Ghost Squadron fighter pilots chatter as they engaged the remaining Karukai Scorpions, and if one thing was clear above all else, it was that the Quorum pilots were out for blood.
Whether due to pure skill or because the Karukai had lost heart from the whipping they’d taken, the starfighter battle was short–lived. Wing–Commander King and her subordinates cut through the last Karukai like a scythe through ripe fields of golden wheat at harvest time. When the last Scorpion became a soon to fade memory in the impersonal starlight, the entire crew of the Excalibur let out a cry of triumph.
A huge grin on his face, Marcus announced over the Comm “My compliments, Major King and Ghost Squadron! I owe you a drink.”
“Drink? Commander, I think you owe me and the rest of Ghost Squad dinner, and I mean to collect.” King’s lazy drawl sounded in response, and Diana could hear the humor and…
Was that a slight challenge in the Major’s voice?
“I think maybe I do at that, Major.” Perez responded, nonplussed, though Diana caught the warm glow of appreciation in his expressive eyes before he turned his attention to the rest of the company of Excalibur.
“Well done, crew!” Marcus proclaimed, and Diana could see the pride he felt at that moment alight his ruggedly fetching features. A smile was tugging at his mouth that threatened to dissolve the “Commander’s Mask” and let loose the excited boy within. “I want…”
“Commander, Commander!” Rygel interrupted, and Diana could swear that the pale–eyed Communications Officer would have literally leapt straight out of his station chair in excitement, if he’d not still been held in place by a safety–harness. “I just captured an incoming transmission, bounced through our Communications and Sensors relays.” Waving his hand about the air like a man madly trying to flag down a transport, Rygel blurted, “It’s the Captain and Lieutenant Z’arr! They’re alive and have made Outpost J2!”
Diana literally felt the breath snatched from her lungs and vision was momentarily reduced to a scattershot of fine pin–points. Her entire frame shook with warring emotion; carefully gripped fear, anxiety, and newborn, tentative relief all colliding into an overpowering crow of joy.
Avara!
The name was both an appellation and prayer, life and love made manifest. For once losing some of her hard won discipline, Diana could feel the tears immediately rush and gather in her eyes.
Marcus’s full–bellied laugh of unfettered jubilation bounded throughout the Bridge as his “Commander’s Mask” was finally relinquished and his ever lurking, child–like joy of the surrounding world broke through like sunlight chasing away storm clouds. Reacquainted with sight and meeting her dear friend’s gaze for a heartbeat, at that moment and for the first time in weeks, Diana witnessed the stuff of life return to Marcus, as it had to her.
Their shared moment muted but unbroken, Marcus queried “What else, Dane?”
His body literally aquiver with suppressed excitement, Diana watched as Dane rapidly scanned the incoming data and communique. “A reissue of coordinates; matches those left by the rescue beacon we’d found… Let’s see, let’s see… ah… yes… oh no… plus troublant,”
Diana, somewhat familiar with Old Terran French, cut off Dane’s self–directed ramblings and asked sharply “What is most troubling?”
“It seems that they have infiltrated the Outpost… and having sliced into terminals, discovered that the Outpost is a Cloning Research and Production Facility.” Dane responded immediately, a slightly sheepish expression on his face though he refused to remove his eyes from the still incoming data streaming across his station’s holo–display. “Captain Serros has determined that it is imperative to the safety of the Quorum Systems to destroy the Clone Tanks and ensure word reaches the Quorum because… given the locale and number of clones in production, the Karukai must be preparing for a large scale offensive.”
“Also,” Dane appended, his voice dropping an octave as excitement wavered, “the Captain says that their presence has been detected.”
“Damn!” Marcus let loose. “Has Ca’rrakk made contact yet?” Perez asked Diana, intent.
“No, not as of yet.”
“I want Ghost back here on the double, ammunition replaced and refueled, and then sent out as back–up and an escort for Ca’rrakk and Captain Serros.” He ordered, all business once more, yet his eyes held a dangerous glint.
Though she would never spend any life needlessly, they both knew Avara well enough to understand the full implications of her message. Having deemed the cloning facility a severe threat, without any other alternatives, Captain Serros would destroy the base herself, no m
atter what the risk to her person or life. They had to give Avara alternatives, before it was too late.
“Yes, Commander.” Diana answered, she and the EXO understanding Avara and one another perfectly.
“Also, Dane, send out an offer to the Karukai Captain for a peaceful separation as well as help in rescue efforts.”
Peering at his console, Rygel added minute later, “Captain Ner’kai refuses the offer on both counts, and says that any who attempt to board will be immediately attacked and that the crew of the Watcher will fight to the last soldier, as befitting the glory of the Karukai.”
“Glory, huh?” Marcus repeated, the exasperation and derision he felt clearly audible. “Very well. Respond that we’ll leave them to their own devices, Dane. Any hostile actions will be met with an immediate and final response.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Damage and Systems report?” Perez asked a second later, giving Adeline the time she needed to manage his search and rescue commands as he turned towards Lieutenant Jaxx.
“Tech teams are working on emergency repairs. All systems functional except for the damaged batteries.” Tildon responded, voice cautiously optimistic.
“We’re still up and running.” Adeline supplemented a second later. “We lost most of our back–up provisions with the damage to the Cargo Bay, so repair supplies will be limited. So far, two casualties reported. Six crew members are in Medical Bay too injured to perform their duties; seconds already put in place.”
“Good. After hull–breach repairs, I want repair priority given first to our Quad Cannon Batteries, then to restocking repair supplies with our Assemblers.” Marcus rattled out, his rumble a font of determined efficiency. “Also, make sure…”
“Commander, another communique pick–up!” Rygel interrupted for the second time.
“Captain Serros?” Diana asked before Marcus could, her heart slamming painfully against her ribcage.
Shaking his fair–haired head, Rygel answered “No, our extended sensors have picked up the signature of incoming ships, two in total, including… oh, mon Dieu! A Karukai Dreadnaught!”
Diana could feel the heat of her body seep away as if she’d been locked inside of a casket let loose into the frigid nothingness of space.
“How far out are they, Dane? Claudius?”
“They will break QGST… in approximately two and a half hours, Commander.” Lieutenant Claudius Chopa answered, collating Rygel’s communication data with sensor and navigation scans.
“Then we have two and a half hours to retrieve the Captain and Lieutenant Z’arr and jump system.” The Executive Officer announced through gritted teeth, jaw quivering with tension. “That, or send a message back home including our final requests.” His voice and gaze were filled with intensity, the sentiment matching Diana’s own resolve.
Two and a half hours.
CHAPTER 26
“I have it!” K’llan exclaimed, almost forgetting to keep her voice to a whisper in the excitement of discovery. She could see her own eagerness mirrored in Avara’s cerulean eyes, glowing in dark of the low–lit research office as she turned her questioning gaze to K’llan.
“Here, on the first floor; the Communications Hub is located in the same room as the Systems Core.” Shifting impatiently in her seat as she rapidly scanned the speeding data spilling over the feed for the second critical location they required, K’llan found her efforts answered with frustration.
“I do not understand why I cannot locate the Cloning Tanks! The information seems to have been deliberately kept clean from local system files. It simply does not make sense; the volume of the projections necessitates a major investment in space.” Z’arr muttered, feeling precious time trickle by as she wrestled with the mystery.
“My guess is that the production purpose of the facility is kept secret even from most people stationed at the Outpost.” Avara offered a moment later, brow crinkled in thought. “Instead of directly looking for our missing tanks, see if you can capture programs and resources that would be necessary for breeding an army.”
“Ah! Like energy expenditure and routing!” K’llan exclaimed, immediately understanding what her Human companion was suggesting.
“Exactly.”
“Let’s see… no, no, irrelevant…” With her hands and mind moving at a rate that, thanks to her Arca Enhancements, all but matched a speeding air–car, K’llan exerted every ounce of focus and mental processing power to finding the missing link.
Where are you?
Where was the connection, the key to identifying the tank placement?
“And… there!” The former STF Agent announced several minutes later, slowing to process and fully trace the data. “Mm. The unusually potent and numerous power generators seem to primarily supply an underground facility, constructed some… thirty–eight feet below where we are now on the first floor.”
“That’s great!” Avara whispered in clear admiration.
Ignoring the flush of pleasure she felt at the praise, K’llan continued, “By cross–referencing the power relays with air–duct and ventilation placement, it seems that the production part of the facility spans some two–miles and is accessible through… an entrance on this floor in a small room that is suspiciously unlabeled on the outpost schematics.”
Almost absently cracking her neck to release gathered tension, Z’arr switched her focus and drilled deeper into the facility’s systems, accessing Security by means of the terminal she sat at and her CPA software.
After several more minutes of work, K’llan reported to Avara “I am downloading the location and facility maps to our CPAs, and, I have hacked into the system and set up an identification and clearance code so we should be able to enter any secure portion of the facility. Firing it to your CPA now.”
“Glad you’re with me, Lieutenant.” Avara offered with a wink and a crooked half–smile, again sending a surge of satisfaction to the Vosaia. “All that’s left is to erase our presence in the systems; just in case.”
She knew! Avara knew exactly how she and her expressions are affecting me.
The thought struck K’llan with the suddenness of a fighter–launch, though surprise quickly faded away with recognition. By means of a rather loudly broadcasted sense of playfulness, the Human woman was deliberately psychically communicating her sincere approbation, all the while reading K’llan’s emotional responses.
Nyeria, indeed.
Pausing a moment to meet Serros’s gaze, K’llan could not help but quirk her brow and shoot her own response towards Avara.
“Yes?” The Shield Operative asked with an exaggerated pose of innocence.
K’llan offered only a mysterious smile as an answer. “Later, Captain Avara Serros; later.”
“You’re on.” The Captain responded, switching her attention back to maintaining vigilance against discovery and the task at hand. “My guess is that our best option to shut clone production down would be to disrupt or overload the power directly supplying the tanks.”
While K’llan worked to negate all traces and electronic signatures of their data mining and tampering, Avara, K’llan noted, was alternating her attention between memorizing the facility’s schematics and maintaining watch.
“I believe you are correct, and so to ensure that the Karukai cannot simply repair the tanks and begin anew, the better option would be an overload.”
“Agreed.”
“Okay, we have finished here.” K’llan communicated a triplet of minutes later, quickly stretching her arms and back as she rose from the seat. She then carefully replaced every item back to its original placement at the work–station.
“Very good.” Keying her armor’s helmet activation toggle, Serros’s head was enclosed and features entirely hidden behind a tinted pane within the span of a few heartbeats. “We’ll make for the Communication’s Hub first, then the Cloning Tanks.”
“Understood.” K’llan rejoined, activating her own helmet.
After peer
ing through the glass door for several seconds, Avara holstered her weapon, assumed a casual pose, and then whispered, “Here we go” before opening the portal and exiting the small office they had been working in.The two moved cautiously though the central building’s wide hallways. At times, soft evening light felt more revealing than Dantis’s three suns combined, especially against the almost glaringly white walls. Relying heavily on their SP and DSA Enhancements to pick up sounds of the night–watch moving about the interior, and then using speed to quickly avoid or make cover, K’llan and Avara ever so gradually closed distance to the Comm and Systems Hub.
Having to maintain a constant awareness and a high level of calm while moving through a building filled with hostiles that if alerted, would not hesitate to painfully torture, enslave, or murder interlopers, was emotionally demanding, to say the least. K’llan was grateful for the extensive infiltration, stealth operation, and sabotage training she had received as a STF Agent, for it served her well now. Watching the easy skill and knowledge that Avara had employed throughout this whole trying mission, K’llan knew with certainty that the Human Captain had received the exact same flavor of training.
Her skillset undoubtedly stemmed from her status as both a Vigil Star Program pick, the VSs’ being the Human equivalent to the Vosaia Strategic Task Forces Agents, and of course, her Shield Operative ranking.
K’llan almost had to stifle a laugh as she considered how at odds Avara’s training must be at times with her instinctual, front–forward, almost aggressive approach to most hostile obstacles.
As they deliberately made their way through lower–traffic, smaller side–hallways rather than one of the Outpost’s major arteries, K’llan and Avara passed several large, long–table lab rooms and numerous smaller offices identical to the one they had occupied earlier. While in–system, K’llan had discovered that Outpost J2 was home to some one–hundred and twenty free souls, including soldiers, techs, administrative and maintenance personal, and a large research team comprised of an impressive forty senior and junior level scientists.
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