Slipspace: Harbinger

by P. C. Haring

  The communications channel closed. She opened the throttle, accelerating through the launch pattern taking directly over the Mjöllnir’s main hull as the battleship’s weapons grid deployed.

  Her comm crackled. “Four dozen enemy fighter craft inbound.”

  The Remali capital ships were launching fighters, either as a response to her own squadron’s scramble or a move intended as an attack.

  “Confirmed!” Mjöllnir, request that you launch the reserve fighters and roll a third wave onto the grid. It’s going to get messy out here.”

  “Understood, Strike 1,” the voice of Cassandra Amado responded. “Launching reserve fighters. E.T.A. Two minutes.”

  She keyed her on board computer to lock onto her target. “All fighters, all fighters, advance and screen enemy inbound. Defensive fire only! Let’s not turn this into a shooting war unless we have to! Sanchez, Rindle, form up on my wing.”

  The orders were acknowledged and the three-fighter craft diverted from the main body of Gryphon squadron. Instead of turning to starboard, where the mainstay of the enemy flight wing approached, Labonne led her group to the port to double back to the Mjöllnir. Her ship rolled wingtip over wingtip as she descended to level the nose to the target.

  A quick check of her panels told her what she knew as she approached leading edge of the Mjöllnir’s nose. Her target area measured only a meter and a half wide.

  “Child’s play.”

  The computer beeped at her, indicating an error. The target was too close to a friendly and risked collateral damage. There was no time to override, she was already at the Mjöllnir’s heavy cannons. She switched to manual and pulled the trigger.

  Under her, the bay doors opened from within the fighter’s belly. The missile lowered itself before igniting and launching forward. Labonne watched as the weapon streaked away, shooting directly ahead and, despite the lack of computer assisted guidance, locked on target.

  The warhead slammed into the gangway connecting the two ships and exploded.

  “Break off!” Labonne ordered as she approached the fireball.

  She hit her directional thrusters, shooting up and away from the Mjöllnir while at the same time pitching her nose downward to watch the results of her actions. As predicted, the explosion had engulfed the immediate area of both vessels. Being the larger of the two ships by far, the Mjöllnir did not appear to suffer any displacement from the blast. Her hull had been scorched, and the airlock and immediate surrounding areas had been destroyed, allowing the ship’s atmosphere to escape to the void. The Remali transport, however had not been so lucky.

  Being the smaller of the two vessels, the Remali transport had taken the brunt of the blast as well as whatever energy had been reflected back to it from the Mjöllnir. Its airlock had also been destroyed, to say nothing of the gangway. But beyond that, the smaller transports hull all along its starboard side had been breached and ripped apart. The ship now floated away from the Mjöllnir like a piece of dense wood falling through water, fires fueled from the inside and burning into space.

  Labonne kicked in her main engines and shot towards the disabled vessel. She passed it and leveled out, observing the damage for herself. For a moment, it appeared as if a piece of the Remali vessel’s hull had been moving under its own power. It remained attached to the rest of the ship by but a sliver and even as Labonne looked at it she could swear the narrow sliver was growing wider as if the hull were rebuilding itself. She shook it off. It was just an illusion of the light and the angle.

  “Gryphon Strike One to Mjöllnir. Mission accomplished. Remali transport is adrift. You are free and clear to navigate.”

  Her wingmen reformed around her and they turned to re-join the rest of the squadron.

  October 17, 2832

  17:12

  Mjöllnir - OpCom

  IN OPCOM, the result of Labonne’s precision strike felt like little more than a shudder of the deck beneath them. The ship’s sensors registered the attack and various alarms responded as appropriate. One panel on the deck might have shorted out, but Cody could not say for sure.

  “Gryphon Strike One to Mjöllnir. Mission accomplished. Remali transport is adrift. You are free and clear to navigate.”

  Cody and Cassandra Amado exchanged smiles. “Roger that, Strike One. Good shooting.”

  “Thank you, Mjöllnir. Sorry about the scratched paint.”

  Cody stifled a laugh. “I’ll have it docked from your pay. Good hunting.”

  “Pilot, check the helm now,” Cassie ordered. “Begin combat maneuvering.”

  Cody and Cassie returned their attention to the central display, where the three Remali vessels were turning. Like their attack before, two charged forward to flank the Mjöllnir, matching broadside to broadside. The third turned in place, showing its port side to the Mjöllnir’s forward nose. The cloud of fighter activity swarmed furiously between this forward Remali vessel and the Mjöllnir herself.

  An energy burst shot forward from the ship on the Mjöllnir’s starboard side but streaked high, passing a few hundred meters over the ship’s flight pod. The vessel to port fired a similar shot, which also missed by a solid margin. The vessel forward held her fire, but maneuvered to counter the Mjöllnir and keep her cut off from any viable escape vectors.

  The flanking destroyers lit up a second volley, but like their shots before, nothing connected to the Mjöllnir. This was not how Melor said the Remali would fight. If her information had been correct, the Remali did not believe in warning shots. “Get on the line to Labonne, I want a sitrep and casualty report.”

  Half a minute later, Cassie muted her headset. “Labonne reports no shots fired by either side. Everyone’s flying fully defensive. In her words, ‘it’s just a lot of hot dogging and games of chicken.’”

  Cody stroked his chin in contemplation.

  “They don’t want to risk damaging this ship because they don’t know where their boarding parties are...” his voice trailed off. Then with a snap of his fingers he whirled around. “Get me Foster!”

  The deck bucked again as the ship rocked under another near miss.

  “I have him.”

  Cody put on his headset. “Report.”

  “Captain,” an out-of-breath Foster began, “the intruders are cornered into Cargo Bay twelve and are dug in. They still have Lieutenant Melor, but for now they’re contained. We’ve exchanged some hostile words back and forth, but I don’t think they’re going to hurt her. I’ve made it clear that if my fix on her life signs wavers in the slightest, we will storm in with everything we’ve got.”

  “Good work, Colonel. Casualty report?”

  “Hard numbers are unavailable, sir. But I’m estimating 50 casualties, of which seven are serious, and two were fatal. No fatal injuries to hostiles, sir. My men were armed with tranquilizers.”

  “Well done. Standby for further orders.”

  The deck bucked again.

  “Aler, analysis of enemy weapon output?”

  Aler consulted his console before responding. “Captain, I’m detecting a magnitude at the emitters of an intensity one and a half times our own. I can’t tell you if that’s their full output or not, but my gut tells me they’re holding back. Any cadet should be able to calculate a firing solution against a ship like this at close range.”

  The missing piece fell into place.

  “Put me on dual comm,” Amado instructed his comm officer. “I want the Remali in the cargo bay as well as out there to hear me.”

  A moment passed before the ship’s PA beeped the announcement of an address. “This is Captain Cody Amado, commanding the Alliance battleship Mjöllnir, to all Remali both aboard and attacking my vessel. How long are we going to keep this charade up before you stand down?”

  He paused for the rhetorical question to sink in. “My people have contained the attack from within my vessel and we know your ships are checking their fire.”

  The deck bucked once more.

  “General, I ca
n only conclude that your ships are under orders not to attack us, possibly out of concern for your own wellbeing. To that end, I offer you an option. You have one minute to stand down your forces before I order my marines to storm the bay and recover my officer who you have hostage. If you kill her or cause her serious injury, I will vent that bay into space. I promise you she’d rather be spaced, than tortured.”

  Cassie’s hand snaked around his arm stopped him from continuing and he muted the comm.

  “Cody, that cargo bay doesn’t have an exterior door.”

  Cody merely smiled. “The Remali don’t know that and I doubt Melor is going to contradict me.”

  Cody turned away and reactivated the Comm. “General Rashar, I await your answer. When you have one, you will find a panel on the wall by the main interior door. Press the blue button twice and you’ll be piped into this communications channel.”

  A silent moment passed before the Comm came to life again. “This is General Rashar. Identity code fourteen garunda three. All Remali units stand down on my order.”

  Cody breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Name your terms, Captain.”

  Cody wasted no time with hesitation. “You will be allowed to leave the cargo bay, at which point you will be stripped of all weaponry and escorted to a meeting with me. You will bring my officer with you, at which time she will be released.”

  “I demand an armed guard for the Verasai.”

  “Oh, rest assured. There will be an armed guard.”

  On the other side of the line, Rashar sighed. “Your terms are acceptable.”

  “Ten minutes, General.”

  The comm line went dead and Cody turned to Cassie. “Stand down to condition two. Recall all fighters to the deck.”

  October 17, 2832

  17:35

  Mjöllnir – Captain’s Office

  THE KNOCK at his door came both quicker and louder than Captain Amado had expected. There was no telling what would happen when he called them in. He could not read the General, at least not yet, and he suspected she preferred it that way. But if he erred with her, this situation would get even worse. More fundamental than that, Cody Amado faced down the prospect of another war. Everywhere he turned, it seemed, there was someone else getting ready to shoot at the ship. If these reclusive Remali were willing to go to war over the sight of a Verasai on board and if they were aligned with the Ralgon in some way, then perhaps their fate had already been sealed and nothing he did here would matter worth a damn.

  No. He refused to believe that. He was here, now, and he could act and affect the outcome. Of that he was certain.

  At least he hoped he was.

  “Enter.”

  The door opened, a marine leading the way. Behind him, Melor shuffled in, appearing a little shaken but none the worse for wear. General Rashar followed close behind, her eyes locked on the engineer in front of her as a second marine brought up the rear. The men and women under Amado’s command stood at attention awaiting orders.

  “Thank you, Sergeant. Wait outside and secure the hatch.”

  “Captain Amado, I must—” the General began before the hatch had barely been secured.

  “Wait your turn, General,” he snapped. He directed his attention towards his engineer. “Lieutenant Melor, are you all right?”

  “Well enough, sir, all things considered.”

  Amado nodded silently, noting both her response and the tired look on her face. “Stand at ease, Lieutenant. If you don’t mind my saying so, you look a little pale.” Then he remembered the high Verasai metabolism. They often needed to eat twice as much as an average human. “Would you care for refreshment?”

  Melor’s stance relaxed. “Thank you, sir.”

  Rashar shifted her stance ever so slightly in response, but Cody offered no acknowledgment of her presence as he pressed the call button on his desk panel.

  “Sir?”

  “Crewman, please bring in some refreshments for Lieutenant Melor.”

  Within a minute the request was fulfilled and Amado motioned for Melor to sit and eat. Rashar remained standing and silent. While Melor tucked in, Cody finally allowed his attention to shift.

  “General, I have exactly one question for you. Who the hell do you think you are to start a firefight while on board my ship as a welcomed guest?”

  Rashar’s chest rose as she took a breath. “I am General Rashar, Captain. I am the Supreme Commander of the Remali Confederate defense fleet.”

  “Yes, General, I know. Now, tell me why I should give a damn.”

  “Captain,” Rashar began, her voice cool and calm, “may I remind you that this started with your ship, in my territory, at a combat site. This was not ‘peaceful cooperation’, but our investigation into your assertions.”

  “Does your investigation include starting a firefight on my ship while you are allegedly investigating?”

  “No, Captain. It does not. I took your engineer into custody on an unrelated issue.”

  Melor shot a look first to Rashar, and then to Cody. “Captain,” she said. “I assure you, I have done nothing...”

  Cody put his hand up and she fell silent. “As you were, Lieutenant.” He kept his eye on Rashar. “Would you care to explain, General?”

  “Captain, your engineer wears a marking on her shoulder”

  Cody’s eyes momentarily darted to Melor and for the first time, he noted that she had not been wearing her duty jacket. He knew that to be common place in the machine shops and other engineering compartments, but it had also been his understanding that they were supposed to be wearing coveralls. Melor showed no indication that she had been wearing them, instead choosing to work in her ship shirt. He saw the tattoo just before Melor’s own hand found the marking on her right shoulder and her eyes widened. Still, the significance of the art failed to register.

  “Many of my crewman wear tattoos, General. What of it?”

  “Captain, that tattoo is familiar to my people. It was worn exclusively by a group of Verasai that my people consider terrorists. I have standing orders to capture anyone belonging to this group and in that capacity, I acted to capture her on the charge of terrorism against the Remali Confederacy, specifically the destruction and murder of a Remali diplomatic envoy.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  October 17, 2832

  17:45

  Mjöllnir – Captain’s Office

  AMADO SHOOK his head as if trying to clear a bad dream. “Excuse me?”

  For her part, Melor remained calm, giving no response to either the General or her Captain. She held her place and remained silent.

  “I believe my point is clear, Captain.”

  “Let me make sure I understand you correctly. You are charging a respected member of my senior staff, with terrorism. Your sole basis for this charge is the presence of a tattoo which you claim links her to a group that was responsible for the destruction of an unarmed diplomatic ship?”

  “More or less, correct.”

  “And when did this occur?”

  “Sixty years ago.”

  Amado blinked. This had to be a joke. “Excuse me?”

  Melor coughed, “Twelve of our standard years, Captain.”

  Amado sat back in his chair. This was ludicrous. The Ralgon war had been at its height twelve years ago, and according to her service record, Melor had been on Varem at that time- fighting against the Ralgon occupation of their home. She was not fighting the Remali at the time, unless...

  His thought process stopped there as he realized he may have just found an angle to investigate the Remali.

  “General.” He folded his hands in front of his face. “Would you please excuse us? I would like to speak with my officer in private.”

  He pressed the button on his control panel, releasing the hatch. As though on cue, the security guards stepped inside.

  “Captain,” Rashar started, “I am not comfortable leaving my prisoner,”

  “My officer,” Cody corrected. “I rem
ind you, General, that at the moment, she is not in your custody. You are in mine. Be grateful that I’m treating you as a guest, and not a prisoner

  Rashar held her place.

  “You have my word, General, that Lieutenant Melor will be here waiting for you when I call you back in ten minutes.”

  Rashar offered a curt nod before she turned and stepped to the exit.

  “Captain,” Melor said as the hatch closed, “with all due respect, you cannot possibly believe that General.”

  “For the record, Lieutenant,” Cody offered, “I don’t believe that you knowingly waged a terrorist campaign against the Remali. Your service record clearly puts you on Varem fighting in the Verasai resistance.”

  “Yes, sir. We fought against the Ralgon.”

  Amado nodded. “And what do we currently suspect about the Ralgon and the Remali?”

  Melor started to answer but stopped as realization dawned on her face. “So... if we attacked a Ralgon target and they were or are aligned with the Remali...”

  “Then the General could be correct, and in that manner, she could single-handedly confirm whether or not her people are involved with what happened at Artez.”

  He gave her a moment to work through it.

  “You want to submit to their investigation.”

  Amado gave her a small nod. “We have an opportunity to investigate the Remali while they are investigating you, and I will do everything in my power to protect you and keep you safe. But, this puts you in one hell of a spot and if things go sideways, you’ll likely be the first casualty. I will not order you to submit to this.”

  Melor held her silence and Amado gave her time to think it over.

  “Then I volunteer.”

  “Are you sure, Lieutenant?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Amado offered her a small nod before calling Rashar back to his office.

  “All right, General,” he said when she returned. “Given the circumstances, I will open an investigation into your accusations against Lieutenant Melor. This will take place aboard my vessel...”