“Humanoid,” answered Nower. “They’re not Human, but they do walk on two legs and have two arms. Their heads are a little large, and their bodies are covered in a fine layer of fur. Also a few other species are on the planet, so they must allow interstellar visitors. I am not detecting any Humans. The total population is about one and a half billion. There is also evidence of orbital bombardment in the five-thousand-year to seven-thousand-year range.”
“May I make a suggestion?” asked Lieutenant Nower. “Instead of going to the planet, a small interstellar vessel is in orbit near us. I’ve scanned it, and it appears its entire crew has gone to the surface. Why don’t you board it? If we can access its computer systems, we may find much of the information we’re searching for.”
Derrick blinked his eyes and slowly nodded. “Good idea. Have Sergeant Bright meet me at the shuttles. Let’s go see what we can find out.”
-
A few minutes later Derrick left the Destiny in one of the small shuttles. He had Sergeant Bright and a full squad of Marines on board—as well as Kala, who would attempt to hack into the ship’s computers. Particularly the navigation computer.
-
Kala felt extremely nervous, her heart beating rapidly. This was the first time she had ever gone on this type of a mission. The danger was further highlighted by the energy pistol strapped to her waist.
“Is everyone as scared as I am?” she asked Private Jenkins, who sat next to her.”
“Nah,” he replied. “Some of us are scared even worse.” Then he smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone has fears and worries the first time they do something like this.”
“Does it ever get better?” Kala hoped her voice wasn’t quivering.
“Some. I guess you just get better at hiding it. Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on you. The ship we’re boarding is supposedly empty, so this should be a piece of cake.”
“Piece of cake?” said Kala, looking confused.
“An old Earth saying,” replied Jenkins. “Just relax and try not to worry. The less you think about it, the better off you will be.”
-
A few minutes later Corporal Bower docked the shuttle to the small cargo ship that was their destination. “Atmosphere is within acceptable limits.”
“Let’s go people,” ordered Sergeant Bright, as he stood and opened the hatch.
All the Marines went first, followed by Kala and Captain Masters. In moments they stood in a dimly lit corridor.
“The Command Center should be this way,” said the sergeant, as he motioned two Marines to take the lead.
“Why is the lighting so dim?” asked Kala, as she stared ahead.
Derrick looked at his science officer. “They probably come from a star system where the light hitting their planet is partially restricted. It could be due to the distance their planet is from their sun or even the type of star their planet orbits. I’ve seen planets like that in the past.”
It didn’t take them long to reach the Command Center.
Kala found the main computer terminal and, using her laptop, was soon plugged into the computer’s hard drive. She quickly downloaded all the information available, including the ship’s library. Once she was finished, she moved on to navigation and did the same thing there.
Done, she turned to the captain. “I’ve got everything.”
Derrick nodded. So far this had been easy. He hoped it stayed that way. “Let’s head back to the Destiny. We’ve already taken more risks than we should have.”
-
The Destiny had moved to the outer edge of the star system, while Kala used the ship’s computers to analyze the data they had taken from the computers on the small cargo ship. While they waited on that analysis, Derrick and Audrey discussed what to do next.
“It appears the Confederation is keeping the populations of the worlds inside their space low,” said Audrey. “Perhaps low enough so they don’t rebel.”
“Maybe,” replied Derrick. “Keep in mind some of these worlds have been under Confederation rule for thousands of years. It’s all they know.”
Audrey frowned and then asked her next question. “Where do we go next?”
Derrick let out a deep breath. “I think we need to scan some actual Confederation worlds. That’s where the captive Humans most likely are.”
“Do we send a mission to the surface?”
Derrick nodded. “We may want to talk to these Humans and find out exactly what’s being done with them and how they’re being treated.”
“Captain, I have something,” interrupted Kala. “I have the locations of 27 Confederation worlds and 112 inhabited planets the Confederation controls.”
Derrick and Audrey shared looks, and then Derrick spoke. “How far away is the nearest Confederation world?”
“Eighty-seven light-years,” replied Kala. “It’s inhabited by the Zynth.”
Derrick frowned. The Zynth were a reptilian race that resembled an ancient Earth raptor, only slimmer, with actual arms and hands instead of claws. He had never personally seen one but had seen some videos. The Zynth were the second-most aggressive Confederation race after the Druins.
“Let’s take our time getting there,” suggested Audrey. “This could be very dangerous.”
“I agree. Lieutenant Viktor, set a course for the Zynths’ planet. I want to take about a day to get there.”
That would give the crew time to rest. It would also give Kala time to analyze more of the data they had taken from the small cargo ship.
Moments later Derrick felt the slight wrenching sensation that indicated the Destiny had made the transition into hyperspace. Leaning back in his command chair, he wondered what awaited them in the system of the Zynth.
-
Andrew was in the commons, eating a light lunch, when Ensign Allert came in. Seeing Andrew sitting alone, she got her lunch and came over and sat down across from him. She knew how Kala felt about Andrew and knew it was better if she sat across from him rather than next to him. She liked both of them, and she and Kala were becoming good friends.
“Exciting enough for you?” she asked, as she took a sip of her strawberry-flavored water.
Andrew nodded. “What do you think about us going to this world of the Confederation?”
“Scary,” replied Brenda. “I don’t care for any of the seven races. How is your program coming that’s been searching for their comm frequencies?”
“Found them early this morning. However, they’re all encrypted. I’m running another program now to try to break the encryption.”
Brenda was confused. “Why would they have all their hyperlight communications encrypted?”
“I don’t know. Unless they’re hiding something.”
All of Brenda’s life she had heard stories about the seven races of the Confederation. Now they were on their way to one of their worlds. “What could they be hiding?”
Andrew shook his head. “I have no idea. I’m recording all the hyperlight messages we’re intercepting, but we may have to wait until we get back to the Solar System to break the encryption. The computers on the Destiny might not be able to.”
Brenda took a bite of her chicken sandwich, as she thought over what Andrew had just said. “The seven races have always been a mystery. This only adds to it.”
Andrew leaned back and looked at Brenda. She was a nice-looking woman. “What was your life like on Golan Four?”
Brenda closed her eyes briefly, as she thought about her parents and those she had left behind. “It was wonderful. Golan Four back then was like a garden world. The sky was clear, with absolutely no pollution of any type. Parties were held at the Royal Court, where, if you were in the military, you could occasionally attend. I was at a Royal Ball once and actually saw Prince Starguard. He was a handsome man and extremely polite. I was hoping to get to dance with him, but the line was just too long.”
“What’s the Princess like?”
Brenda smiled. “A lot like her brothe
r. She has a good head on her shoulders and has the love of the people of the Empire in her heart. She’s also very beautiful. I think the captain has a thing for her, but he’s been doing a good job of hiding it.”
-
Andrew nodded. He had noticed anytime he mentioned the Princess that the captain got a faraway look in his eyes. “I understand the stories being spread around the Empire speak of the Princess.”
“It was a decision made by the Imperial Council on Pallas. They have been spreading the rumor that the Princess did not die in an aircar crash, as believed. That she’s been hiding in cryo, waiting to return to the Empire and reclaim the throne. Pictures of her have been passed around and even some videos posted of the days back before the Druins invaded, all showing what life in the Imperial Palace was like.”
“I guess if this is the beginning of the war, she’ll be coming out of cryo shortly.”
“Yes, she is the symbol the Human Empire will rally around. Once the word gets out that Princess Layla Starguard and Princess Krista Starguard survived, we hope the Humans of the Empire will come out fully against the Druins and the Confederation. I understand the Imperial Council is already preparing videos to be shown across all the worlds of the Empire when the war begins.”
Andrew grinned. “Propaganda. Earth has used that for years in their wars and even in their politics. I guess Humans are the same, no matter where they’re from.”
“Do you and Kala enjoy being together on this ship?”
Andrew laughed. “This is a warship, so there are some rules for associating with members of the opposite sex. Both of us are looking forward to getting back to Pallas.”
Brenda grinned. “The rules are there for a reason. It helps keep ship morale up and prevents problems. I’m sure the two of you will survive until we get back to Pallas.”
“We will,” replied Andrew. He didn’t mention that it gave both him and Kala something to look forward to. He still hoped to arrange a trip to the mountains when they got back.
Suddenly Lieutenant Commander Banora’s voice came over the ship’s comm. “Everyone, report to your stations. We will be dropping out of hyperspace within the hour in a system of the Confederation.”
Brenda stood and took a deep drink of her flavored water. “Well, here we go.”
“Yes, I’m curious to see what we find in this system.”
Brenda paused as a serious look crossed her face. “Let’s just hope the Zynth don’t realize we’re in their system. We have no idea what science advancements some of the seven races possess.”
Andrew well understood what Brenda was saying. This next part of their mission would be the most dangerous by far. Andrew just hoped they made it through it. He really wanted to go to the mountains with Kala.
Chapter Seven
The Destiny dropped from hyperspace in the system of the Zynth. Instantly alarms began sounding, and red lights started flashing.
“What’s going on?” asked Captain Masters, leaning forward in his command chair.
“Our general area is being scanned, but I don’t think they’re picking up anything,” replied Lieutenant Nower.
“Stealth fields are active,” confirmed Lieutenant Commander Banora, as she checked her console.
Derrick’s gaze shifted to the tactical display. Dozens of red threat icons appeared. Most of them around the fifth planet of the system. “What’s our distance from the fifth planet?”
“Two billion kilometers,” answered Nower. “The entire system is covered with a sensor web designed to pick up ships. It may also detect the release of radiation from a hyperspace jump. We may want to move away from our current position.”
Derrick’s eyes widened. “Lieutenant Viktor, take us deeper into the system. Lieutenant Nower, let me know if there’s any reaction to our hyperspace exit.”
The Destiny accelerated away from their dropout point, heading deeper into the system and closer toward the fifth planet. On the tactical display, more red threat icons appeared with every passing second.
“There has been a response,” called out Nower. “Four ships of an unknown design have jumped to our former location.”
“Audrey, can you put them up on the viewscreen?”
Audrey made some adjustments on her console, and instantly four wedge-shaped vessels appeared. They were about the size of a normal battlecruiser. The ships were covered in weapon turrets and had numerous hatches, which probably concealed missile tubes.
“Definitely warships,” said Derrick, his eyes narrowing. “Can they detect us?” If they could, he would order an immediate jump back into hyperspace.
“No indication they can detect us,” answered Nower. “They are scanning the area we just left intensely.”
“Lieutenant Viktor, keep putting distance between them and us.” Derrick leaned back in his command chair, deep in thought. The Zynth had just demonstrated a technology the Empire never possessed. The ability to detect the limited radiation from a hyperspace jump could be an invaluable tactical advantage.
“How close do you want to come to the planet?” asked Audrey. “There’s a chance the Zynth may have sensors powerful enough to burn through our stealth fields.”
Derrick knew Audrey was right. They had no idea what some of the Confederation races were capable of. He was taking a big risk bringing the Destiny into this system. “Make it four million kilometers. We’ll take scans from there before going any closer.”
Lieutenant Viktor looked at Derrick. “Do you want to risk a hyperspace jump or continue with our subspace drive?”
“The subspace drive,” replied Derrick. “It’s too dangerous to try a hyperspace jump if they can detect it.” It would take nearly four and a half hours to reach the fifth planet from their current location. However, Derrick would rather err on the side of caution than risk detection.
-
Time seemed to pass slowly as they journeyed deeper into the enemy system. They were taking scans constantly, adding to the growing mountain of information they were compiling. Finally the Destiny reached their targeted region of space and came to a stop.
-
“What do we have as far as enemy ships?” Derrick needed to know what he would be up against, if they had to fight their way out of the system.
“Counting the four battlecruisers from earlier, I still count thirty-eight more in orbit around the planet and what appears to be seven battleships. Sixteen other battlecruisers are on patrol in different regions of the system.”
“Any cargo or passenger ships?”
“Two large space stations are in orbit around the planet. Numerous cargo and possibly some passenger vessels are docked to both of them.”
Audrey stepped closer to Lieutenant Nower. “Can you tell if any Humans are on the planet?”
“Not from this range.”
Derrick frowned as he knew what had to be done next. “Take us to two hundred thousand kilometers. Slow approach to limit the chance of detection.” The closer they got to the planet, the more danger there was of being spotted. No Human ship that he was aware of had ever been in a system inhabited by one of the seven races of the Confederation.
-
The tension in the Command Center mounted as the Destiny moved closer to the Confederation planet. Its sensors were constantly recording data, as it might prove invaluable in the coming war. Several times they detected vessels exiting hyperspace close to the planet. Sensors indicated the newly arrived vessels were all cargo ships. Finally the Destiny eased into orbit around the planet at two hundred thousand kilometers.
“Initiate short-range scans,” ordered Derrick. “Lieutenant Nower, let me know if there is a reaction from any of those warships.”
“Scanning,” replied Nower.
-
Several minutes passed as the Destiny’s powerful sensors scanned the surface of the planet. Finally Lieutenant Nower turned toward the captain. “I have confirmed a population estimate of 320 million Zynths on the planet. There are
no Humans.”
Derrick looked surprised. “No Humans? Where the hell are they?” He had expected a large number of Humans to be on this world.
“Perhaps on some of the other Confederation worlds?” suggested Audrey.
Derrick was confused. As many Humans as the Confederation took every year, he had expected to find them on every Confederation world. “Lieutenant Viktor, take us back into hyperspace and set a course for the next nearest Confederation planet.” Derrick was now more determined than ever to discover where the missing Humans were.
-
The Destiny made the transition into hyperspace and headed for the next Confederation world. Over the next week the ship would drop out of hyperspace in seven different Confederation systems with the same results in each one. In none of the systems were there any signs of any Humans.
-
“Captain,” said Lieutenant Nower, a trace of excitement in her voice. “I’m detecting a cargo ship, and my scans indicate over seven hundred Humans are on board. It dropped out of hyperspace in a system two light-years distant.”
“Finally,” said Audrey, as she stepped over to the sensor console. As she examined the readings, the cargo ship made the transition back into hyperspace.
Derrick leaned forward. Perhaps finally they would have the answers to some of their questions. “Do we know where it’s going?”
Nower spent a few moments checking the course and the probable speed of the ship and then sent the information to Lieutenant Viktor. Viktor then checked his navigation computer.
“They’re headed toward a system nearly 220 light-years distant.”
Derrick would not miss this opportunity. “Follow them.”
-
On board the Lamothian cargo ship, the Humans were being kept in crowded cargo holds that stunk of sweat and excrement. In one corner of one of the holds was a husband and wife, the wife holding an infant.
“Where are they taking us?” asked Anna, fear in her voice. She gently rocked her daughter to keep her quiet.
Kalar looked at his wife and child. “I don’t know. When they loaded us up, they didn’t tell us anything.” For seven years he and Anna had worked on the core worlds of the Confederation. One thing Kalar had quickly noticed when they had first arrived was that no older Humans were anywhere. There were many rumors as to what had happened to them, but no one knew for certain.
The Forgotten Empire: Earth Ascendant: Book Two Page 8