Galactic Council Realm 2: On Duty

by J. Clifton Slater

  “Granted and welcome aboard,” I said before Stone Angel could ask.

  “Iñaki Uxue,” Warlock said letting the final member of the team step into the cabin, “My Right Side Sky, call sign Fire Dove.”

  “J-Pop. Welcome aboard,” I said then directed them to the aft section, “Stow your gear below and we’ll do a walk around.”

  “Aye Sir,” they replied while shuffling to the rear of the DS and the spiral stairs.

  “These are the recon pods,” I said pointing to the open hatch, “Notice the ends are capped in ceramics. On a scanner, it looks like space rock.”

  We were on the deck looking up at the seven-meter-long pod. It was tucked tightly behind the Ion Wall of the DS. There was a twin on the other side.

  “The ride feels like you’re in a rock as well,” Iñaki Uxue, call sign Fire Dove, said reaching up to pat the side of the pod.

  “It’s a tight fit,” Shigeko Amaya, call sign Heavy Rain, said with a shiver, “Too tight.”

  “It’s not too bad once you get accustomed to it,” Lieke Steyn, call sign Stone Angel, added.

  “When do you get used to it?” I asked.

  “Never, J-Pop, you never get accustomed to being entombed in an artificial, Ion powered rock,” Arna Thorsten, call sign Thunder Eagle, relied.

  “Alright people, let’s wrap up the tour,” Warlock stated, “We’ve got a mission. J-Pop, where do we start?”

  I explained my idea of retrieving the tracking rocket as Warlock and Lieke Steyn watched me go through the startup sequence.

  “It’s a beginning point,” Warlock stated as she moved to a seat and pulled up the Admiral’s brief.

  “Flight Control. DS GCN 48, requesting a launch tube,” I said to Flight Control.

  “Flight 48. I don’t have you on the roster,” Flight Control responded.

  “Rodger, Flight Control. We are on a training mission to Planet Dos,” I replied, “Admiral Folkert is the authenticating Officer. Please contact his office.”

  “Standby 48,” he responded and a minute later came back on the radio, “Flight 48, you are cleared for launch. Move to air curtain one.”

  The sled lifted and the DS moved on a track to the first stage of the launch tube. And the first leg of our mission to rescue two of the most powerful people in the Galactic Council Realm.

  Chapter 35

  I plotted a course taking us out beyond the Edge of the Realm. The only hairy segment of the plot was when we crossed the shipping lanes. Twice during this leg, we’d sail blindly through transport routes. Without the assistance of Naval Movement Command or the Fleet’s Master of Transit we stood a chance of slamming into another ship. It was a move we’d have to risk if we were to remain undetected.

  The algebra completed and doubled checked, I waited for the DS to clear the protective screen. Once we left the Bricks, Fighters and GunShips behind, I matched powers and clocks and engaged the External Drive. Yellow Ions covered the scanner screens and I stood up from the pilot seat.

  “We’ve evolved to External Drive,” I announced to the Strikers, “As the Captain of this ship, I’m calling an all hands assemble in five and a half hours.”

  I received five scowls in response. The Team, especially Warlock, were holding onto their mistrust of pilots. At this point in our cruise, I didn’t trust myself so I couldn’t blame them. As a group they stood and stomped off to the spiral stairs.

  Five and a half hours later, Warlock, Heavy Rain, Thunder Eagle, Fire Dove and Stone Angel trudged up from the lower deck. At least they were punctual. They selected seats and stared at me with hooded eyes. Mistrust was the correct word.

  “I have bad news and good news,” I announced as I stepped down from the raised pilot’s area.

  Two nodded their heads as if they expected bad news. The other three gave no response.

  “Per orders, we have not registered our route,” I said, “In half an hour we’ll cross the first of two shipping lanes. Usually, we’d have clearance and be added to oncoming transport’s danger spots. But, we aren’t.”

  “So the bad news is, we could all die in the next half hour,” Lieke Steyn said flatly.

  “Stone Angel, you’re correct,” I said, “In the next few minutes, we could be vaporized.”

  “Just great,” Iñaki Uxue stated then asked, “So what’s the good news?”

  “Well, I’ll tell you Fire Dove,” I said looking at my PID, “On this ship, I’ve revised the time honored tradition of a ration of rum. Only I don’t have rum.”

  I reached into a cabinet next to the cockpit and slid out my bottle of rare scotch and six glasses.

  “The good news it’s ration time,” I said holding up the bottle, “If I’m going to die, let me first toast my brave shipmates.”

  “James Daily. I’m in,” Arna Thorsten said standing and taking a glass, “If I die today, let it be with the taste of good scotch on my lips.”

  I poured her a healthy amount and waved the bottle around. The rest hesitated, then Thunder Eagle put a fist on her hip and held the glass up.

  “Will you have me drink alone?” Thorsten challenged, “If I’m to die, you’d let me pass without a farewell drink? Shigeko, Heavy Rain, we’ve been Left Side partners for two years. You’re my Earth. We’ve shared success, blood and sweat, will you not share one last thing, with your Left Side Sky?”

  Slowly, the big man rose from his seat. On the way forward he slapped, a really hard belt, the shoulder of Lieke Steyn.

  “Get your fat butt up, Stone Angel,” Heavy Rain said as he ambled up the aisle.

  “Who are you calling fat?” Lieke, the Right Side Earth, asked as he stepped into the aisle.

  I watched Warlock. She was secretly keeping an eye on Iñaki Uxue. Fire Dove hadn’t moved a muscle or displayed any emotion throughout the exchange.

  Their glasses filled, Heavy Rain and Stone Angel turned.

  “Are we not a team?” Stone Angel asked, “We fight as one. Let us die as one.”

  A look passed between Warlock and Fire Dove. Together they stood and came forward to join the rest of the Strikers.

  “To J-Pop. He may get us killed,” Iñaki Uxue said, “but at least he brings good liquor.”

  Six glasses of James Daily raised and we drank as the DS sped through the first shipping lane.

  “Another meeting in seven hours?” I asked looking at the clock.

  We evolved to Internal drive far over the Edge of the Realm. I ran low power scans. Nothing and no one was in our vicinity. As we cruised, I began to plot our next evolution. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned.

  “Get some rack time, J-Pop,” Lieke Steyn suggested, “You’ve been on watch for twenty hours. I’ll watch the scanners for a few hours.”

  “Stone Angel. That sounds like an excellent idea,” I said standing up stiffly, “I’ll do the math later.”

  As I passed through the passenger seating, each of the Strikers nodded. There’s something about shared danger to pull a ship together. Or was it the James Daily?

  Our next evolution to Internal Drive found the DS closer to the Edge. Somewhere in this sector was the Tracking Rocket. Both Stone Angel and I were hugging a scanner.

  “Tell me about this Left and Right, Sky and Earth designation,” I asked Lieke.

  “It’s simple. Most of our missions are on ships. That means passageways, big ones and tight quarters,” Stone Angel replied while keeping his eyes on the scanner, “Warlock is the center of the universe. No matter which way she faces. Up, down, forward or the opposite, her Earths are beside her. High up on both sides of the bulkheads are the Sky Elements. The unit moves in unison with all corners covered.”

  “So you are the Right Side Earth located on Warlock’s right, standing with her on the deck?” I asked for clarity.

  “And Fire Dove’s above me, watching my head,” he replied.

  We went back to the boring but necessary job of watching our scanners report on empty space.

  “Mar
i,” I felt the name brush my mind.

  Looking around, I saw the Space Cat gliding up the aisle.

  ‘Piran,’ I concentrated on my name.

  ‘Knight,’ came back an image.

  Alright, I’m that. So the cat, Mari, recognized my Clan title. He put his front paws on my command chair and stretched. ‘One huge Space Cat,’ I thought forgetting he could sense my thoughts.

  ‘Known,’ Mari sent back.

  Great, I was on a ship with an arrogant cat. Cats hunt by sight and smell. Was this something I could use? Stone Angel and I were scanning, so in a sense, we were using our eyes. But, what about smell?

  “Lieke. Switch for a spectrum scan,” I said returning to my scanner.

  “What are we looking for?” Stone Angel asked.

  “I detonated two rockets in front of the Tracker,” I explained, “If we locate the residue from the TNC, the Tracker may have dragged some of it behind her.”

  “Like an arrow pointing the way,” he responded, “I’m on it.”

  Lieke Steyn might be a muscular hulk and a highly trained Striker. However, for me in the next minute, Stone Angel showed he was a Master Gunner.

  “J-Pop. Target acquired,” he stated never allowing his focus to drift from the scanner.

  “You found the TNC cloud?” I asked.

  “No Sir,” he replied, “I found your Tracker.”

  I locked onto the rocket and guided the DS alongside it. Then, I reached for a vacuum suit.

  “Where are you going, J-Pop?” Arna Thorsten asked.

  “To retrieve the memory cell,” I replied, laying the suit out on the deck.

  “No Sir, you’re not,” she replied, “We drill for this every day. So I’ll be faster, besides you’re old, and might hurt yourself.”

  I started to tell the young trooper just how old I was and how this old man was going to beat her to a…looking around, I saw all the Strikers watching how I’d handle a little teasing.

  “Fine, you do it,” I said sweeping the suit up and rehanging it, “But don’t forget, this old man is in control of the airlock, young pup.”

  “Aye, Sir,” she replied with a toothy grin, “Wouldn’t have it any other way. Stand by for air breach.”

  All five Strikers were reaching for space suits.

  “Stand easy. In a typical GunShip when you open a hatch,” I explained, “you lose atmosphere because an air curtain can’t handle totally negative pressure. But the DS had a collapsible air lock.”

  I punched in the correct code. A panel emerged from the bulkhead behind the cockpit. The moving section arched around the hatch.

  “Remember, the DS GunShip is designed for Striker missions,” I said pointing to the access hatch in the airlock material, “Also, you wouldn’t be going on a tethered spacewalk. The airlock tunnel on the exterior extends out. So what are you waiting for?”

  After reversing the panel so Thunder Eagle could step inside the radius, I closed the panel. While she was isolated from the cabin, we stood in the comfort of the DS’s environment.

  It took the cell reader on the ship’s computer one pass to download the direction and heading of the Hendrina. The Pirates, after making a speed run, had evolved to Internal Drive, cruised for three hours and, just before the battery died on the Tracking rocket, snapped to External. I compared it with the coordinates from the kidnaper’s relay ships.

  Three points without angles yielded a vast triangular shaped area. By adding a fourth point and a direction, I could plot a searchable area. I punched a course for the center of the sector.

  We snapped to Internal drive far beyond the Edge of the Realm. Dead and dull planets hung in space around us. More giant rocks then planets. None were active according to my passive scanners. I backed off on the power and began to circle. The course was an ever increasing outward spiral.

  I went to the lower deck leaving Stone Angel on watch. The rack felt wonderful as I stretched to my full length. Before I nodded off, Mari shoved my feet aside and curled up. Pushy Space Cat.

  Warlock shook my shoulder.

  “J-Pop. We’ve got contact,” she said with an evil grin.

  “What’ve you got?” I asked lifting my legs to avoid disturbing the sleeping cat.

  “We cruised around it once without seeing it,” she explained as we stopped at the base of the spiral steps, “A transport back in the Realm was the loudest thing on our scanners. Just a tiny electronic signal. When it disappeared then reappeared, Lieke took a closer look at what blocked the transport’s signal. Turned out to be a damper zone.”

  We grabbed cups of coffee from the galley and climbed the spiral stairs. I had grabbed an extra cup for Stone Angel.

  “Lieke. Have I expressed my undying love for you?” I teased handing him the coffee.

  “Not recently,” he replied, “Care to see the invisible?”

  It was only by looking at the negative that an image of the dampers size emerged from the background of space. Something was inside the massive ink blot. It could be one ship the size of a Mercantile Station. However, none of them were missing.

  “The net is active and set at high power,” Stone Angel reported as he pointed to the hexagon shaped outline, “I can’t even get a laser through it.”

  “Warlock. What’s your take?” I asked the Team Leader.

  “We need to get eyes inside that net,” she said leaning in and studying what looked like a Rorschach test card, “We need a physical assessment. We need to send in a probe.”

  I launched a small probe. Three hours later, after poking its nose back through the net, we received images. The probe after completing the mission shut down becoming another piece of undetectable piece of space junk.

  The images were colorless as if someone had done a pencil drawing. But you could see individual shapes jutting out from a dark center mass.

  “Ever hear of boats rafting up?” Warlock asked, “When I was a girl on Planet Dos, my family had a pleasure boat. We’d take it out on weekends and tie up with other boats in the middle of the lake. It gave us kids a lot of dry area to enjoy and let us get away from the adults. At the end of the weekend, the boats would untie and they’d go their separate ways.”

  “And that has what to do with our contact?” I asked pointing to the images.

  “The Pirates are rafting up,” she said, “A lot of Pirate boats tied together creating a small city in the void of space. Some of the ships are Junkers. But others seem to be sleeker models. So, you have Sloops and Yachts and, most likely, Tramps linked together. Plus, they’re emitting only idle levels of power. That means they are sharing resources.”

  “So they’re grid locked in place?” I asked not seeing any separation between the raft elements.

  “It’ll take them time to peel away. But not that long,” Stone Angel said indicating different outlined shapes before settling on one, “Except for this ship. It has a clear run to open space. See the hazy outline of its bow and the separation from the surrounding ships?”

  I could almost see difference shapes of individual ships. Almost, but not with the same confidence as Warlock or Stone Angel.

  “Warlock. What’s your opinion?” I asked.

  “That center ship rates a sneak and peek,” she said, “If you agree, Lieutenant?”

  “Master Sergeant, it’s the best lead we’ve got,” I said, “Your team, your call.”

  “Strikers, saddle up,” she said over her shoulder to the balance of her team, “We’ve got a mission.”

  I saw five smiles as they descended to the lower deck to gear up. After training daily in tight old model GunShips, reacting to make believe emergencies, against pretend enemies, the Strike-Kill team finally had a real mission. It made them, if not happy, at least relieved.

  I dropped the DS to almost idling power and turned on a collision course with the raft city. Before I got too close to the dampers, I opened the aft doors over the recon pods.

  “Warlock, Fire Dove. You are free to launch,” I
said to the drivers in the pods, “Good luck.”

  I felt the DS lurch and settle as the pods separated. My scanners noted two space rocks gently powering away from my ship. Settling back in my command seat was too much temptation for Mari. He vaulted out of nowhere and settled on my lap. Bringing the GunShip on a new heading to circle the damper field, I waited for a message flare from Warlock.

  The DS was a quarter way around the damper net when the Space Cat flexed. Mari was big and the tension in his big body drew my attention. At the same time, my passive scanner got a hit from below the dampers. A ship had done a rapid full scan and immediately shut down. I couldn’t tell if the ship was inbound or out bound, or why they would do a pulse.

  Another hit my scanner a few seconds later. This energy pulse came from around the edge of the dampers in the direction I was heading. There were two ships and they both couldn’t be scanning for travel. They were looking for something.

  The lower ship ran another pulse and this time it was closer. Not near enough to find me but it did register as coming from the edge of the damper. They were looking for something alright. It was me.

  Mari tightened his claws on my right thigh.

  ‘Hunt,’ he thought.

  I looked through the front shield and a ship’s bow was emerging from the damper. It seemed as if the ship was materializing from nowhere. In fact, the dampers had hidden it and now as it passed through the system, it became visible. Enough of the shape had shoved into open space and I recognized it as a Patrol Boat. We were on a collision course.

  For a second, I thought about going to full power and trying to outrun it. Or, I could fight it but there were two more unknown ships patrolling the area. Also, I had a Striker team inserted and didn’t want to leave them. Mari settled my internal debate.

  He began kneading my right thigh. If you’ve ever had a cat extend its claws and pull then release your leg, you may have some idea. When it was a Space Cat; my leg came off the seat and the fabric of my flight suite ripped.