Dreadnought_WarMage

by Charles R Case

  “It is not a problem. Please, don't let me keep you; my crew is returning from leave, and there is a resupply shuttle on the way,” Grimms said with a tight smile.

  “Thank you, I shall return to my duties at once, Colonel.” He sketched another bow before turning and marching from the bay.

  On his way out, he passed by Gonders coming in. They exchanged quick greetings, and then she saw Grimms and hurried over. Unlike Grimms, in his uniform, she was dressed in her black, form-fitting battlesuit.

  She gave him a salute. “Sir, I’m glad I caught you.”

  Grimms returned the salute. “What can I do for you, Specialist?”

  Gonders checked her arm tablet. “There is an inbound shuttle carrying some special ordnance from UHF Command, along with our supplies. They just sent me a message, wondering where they should store them. I’m guessing they will message you as well, but I didn't know how to answer.”

  Grimms frowned; he hadn’t heard anything, but he had been busy this morning. He checked his messages, saw the one in question, and opened it up to read the specs. His eyebrows rose higher with every word.

  “Is this correct? These are unbelievable,” he said excitedly, forgetting momentarily that he was talking to a specialist.

  “Oh, um, I guess, sir. I don't know why they would lie about them,” Gonders said. She was unsure how to respond, and her light brown skin flushed to a light maroon. She decided now was a good time to become busy with something. As Grimms continued to read, she redid her ponytail, pulling back her long, black hair.

  Grimms smiled at her embarrassment of his excitement, and said, “Sorry, but with something this powerful, we might stand a chance against the Teifen. When did the R&D guys come up with this?” he wondered out loud, not expecting an answer.

  “I heard that the plans came from the core that Captain Sara took with her to the debriefings. The word is the molecular printers are churning out all kinds of new things; I guess the Elif only had the plans for a few artifacts from the old days,” Gonders said with bright smile. “With these, we could take out a cruiser in a few shots.”

  “Hmm, yeah. This says they can be fitted in a special slug for the gauss cannons, or used as a warhead on a missile. We don't have missiles, so slugs it is.” A thought hit him, and he activated his comm. “Captain Cora, are you there?”

  Cora’s voice came over his comm instantly. “Where else would I be, Grimms?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your television viewing time,” he teased, making Gonders raise an eyebrow at the familiar tone he used.

  “Har har. What can I do for you?” she replied dryly.

  “Have you seen the specs on these new ordnances the fleet is sending us?” he asked, as Gonders stood watching the bay door for the incoming shuttle.

  “Yes. I just got the message. These weapons are vicious,” she said.

  “If they are supposed to be used in the gauss slugs, is there a place to store them for the auto loaders?” he asked, making Gonders tilt her head in consideration before nodding.

  “Hang on,” Cora said, going quiet for a few beats. “Well, I’ll be damned. There sure is. We need to fit them in the slugs first, but those should be a quick print.”

  “So where should Gonders put the ordinance?”

  “I’ll let her know, and then I’ll start manufacturing the slugs,” Cora said.

  A message beeped on Gonders’ tablet, and she gave it a quick read, “I’ve got it, sir. Cora wants me to take them to the printer. Thank you, sir.”

  Grimms gave her a nod and started for the door, but before he got three steps, his comm buzzed. With a sigh he answered, “This is Grimms.”

  “Sir, we have a communication from the UHFC. They are trying to contact Captain Sara, but are unable to raise her. They want to know if we know of her location, or if we are able to contact her,” Mezner said through the comm channel.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” Cora said, still listening in.

  Mezner sounded surprised. “Oh, Captain. Thank you. They said they had a few questions about the Familiar spell.”

  “I’ll try and raise her, but maybe I can help them out in the meantime. Send me the channel, Mezner,” Cora said.

  “Do you still need me on this, Captain?” Grimms asked, taking a steadying breath. It’s always something.

  “I’ve got this, Grimms,” Cora answered.

  Grimms closed the channel, and took a breath. Finally, I can get some lunch.

  His comm buzzed again, and he hung his head slightly as he stepped out into the corridor.

  “This is Grimms…”

  30

  “There is a core attempting to contact this ship,” Alant said, surprising the two women.

  They were inspecting the core they had created, and trying to figure out what each of the spellforms did individually. Alister and Silva were just as interested in the conversation, trilling and meowing along from their perches on their Mages’ shoulders. Sara wished Cora were there; with her knowledge of spell theory, she would be a great help.

  So far, they’d figured out that there was a binding spell, a shield spell, and a creation spell, but the final spell was unlike anything they had ever seen. In some ways, it reminded Sara of the spellform used to warp a ship, but only vaguely. They were getting ready to attempt each spell on its own to see its effects, when Alant had interrupted them.

  “A core?” Sara parroted him, looking at the one in her hand. “This one?”

  “No. That core is not in an active state. The core attempting to contact the Exitium is designated as the Raven,” he said.

  Boon and Sara perked up at that.

  “Can you put it through?” Sara asked.

  In answer, there was a crackling of a speaker coming to life, and then Cora’s voice came out. “Hello? Sara? Are you there?”

  “Cora! How did you contact this ship?” she asked, then, “Why didn't you just contact me?”

  “There you are. You’re somehow out of range. Where are you?” Cora said with relief.

  “We’re on the Exitium. It’s a dreadnought class human ship. You are not going to believe what we’ve found here,” Sara said excitedly.

  “It’s still in working order?” her sister asked, amazed.

  “Yeah. It’s powering up now and doing maintenance. I’m told it will be ready to take off in a few days’ time. But that’s not the best news… We learned how to make cores!”

  There was silence on the line for a second. “That is so good to hear. I was worried we were going to be fucked. This whole war is stressing me the hell out,” Cora said. “That reminds me, the UHFC was trying to contact you about the Familiar project. I handled it, but we have a bigger problem.”

  Cora then relayed the events of the last two days, including the ship’s new abilities, and the prince’s being whisked away on a shuttle with his men.

  At the end of her account, she let Sara in on what was bothering her. “The UHFC is convinced that there was only the one traitor; they are not seeing the larger problem beyond the politics. There could very easily be a second traitor. In fact, I’m sure of it,” Cora finished.

  “Why do you think there’s a second traitor?” Sara asked, her face hardening with concern. Her sister didn't make huge jumps in logic, like she tended to do herself.

  “It was too easy. The Teifen have thousands of years of experience in war and deception. There is no way they gambled on an obvious tracking device and one guard. There is something else happening here,” Cora said, grinding her teeth the way she did when she couldn’t find the proper answer to a question, when she thought it should be obvious.

  “You think we’re going to come under attack?” Sara said, worried that Cora was right.

  “I do. It’s just a gut feeling right now, but I need you back on the Raven and ready for the worst. We could easily be the turning point for the Navy. I need you,” Cora said, sending a shiver down Sara's spine.

  That was the first t
ime her sister had ever said that.

  “We’re on our way,” Sara said simply.

  The channel cut off, and she contacted Baxter. “Meet us at the airlock. We’re heading back to the Raven. There might be a Teifen attack force on its way.”

  Sara felt a spike of fear and determination vibrating through her and Baxter’s new connection. It was faint, like talking between two tin cans attached with a string, but it was still there. This is going to take some getting used to.

  “Yes, ma’am. On my way.”

  Next, Sara turned to Alant. “We need to go, but we will be back in a few days when the ship is ready. We can talk again then.”

  “Would you like me to make a copy of this program on the core you have?” Alant volunteered.

  Sara hadn’t even considered that as an option, but agreed right away. She would be able to give the core to Fleet Command, and they would have a teacher for the new War Mages, when they came along. With the program’s built-in safeties, the secrets would stay safe.

  A panel opened on the podium, revealing a half-sphere indentation where a core could be attached. “Insert the core, and I shall copy it over,” Alant instructed, indicating the open panel.

  Sara pressed the core in, and it fit perfectly. There was a hum as it spun up for a few seconds, then it stopped.

  “The copy is complete. We shall talk again soon. It was a pleasure, War Mage,” he said with a slight bow, then returned to his standby pose, falling still.

  Sara grabbed the core and slipped it into her hip pouch. “Come on, We need to get back up to the ship.”

  Boon nodded and followed her at a jog across the park. She looked around one last time, wondering what the place would have looked like when it was filled with vegetation. Then she had a random thought that unsettled her slightly.

  Who’s going to fly this thing?

  31

  Grimms was finally sitting in the ready room, about to take a bite of his sandwich, when Cora broke in over the speakers. “I don't like it, Grimms. This was all too easy. The Teifen have a backup plan, I know it.”

  Grimms sighed, putting the sandwich down, and took a quick sip of coffee. “I don't disagree, but there is not much we can do about it. The UHFC has the prince and his men, and we have given our warnings.”

  “It’s not good enough. The whole system is at stake. The entire race. I’ve been monitoring the Elif embassy, but there is so much comm traffic, I can't discern if a signal is being sent to the Teifen,” Cora growled.

  Grimms’ comm buzzed, and it was all he could do not to roll his eyes. All I want is to eat my damn sandwich. “This is Grimms,” he greeted.

  “Sir, Sir Reitus is here to see you. Should I send him in, or do you still need a few minutes?” Mezner asked, knowing he was eating lunch—or trying to—and got cranky if he missed a meal.

  “Send him in, Mezner. Thank you,” he said, finishing off the coffee and giving the sandwich a long look before pushing it to the side.

  Sir Reitus came in and gave a bow. “Colonel, I’ve made a development with the prisoner. I thought you should know right away.”

  Grimms indicated the chair on the other side of the desk. “Please, have a seat. What have you learned?”

  Sir Reitus sat, and Grimms noticed the deep frown lines around his scowl. “I normally would not put any credence to this information, as it was retrieved by using drugs, as you suggested. Though given a very small dosage, the prisoner could not resist revealing what he knew. His information fits with what I’ve observed since our escape from Effrit.”

  Grimms nodded. “You made the right decision, I think. I understand your concern, but we are pressed for time. What did you find?”

  Sir Reitus took a breath and, for the first time that Grimms had seen, tugged on the tip of an ear before continuing, “When pressed, the traitor admitted that he had been ordered to send our location. He was not aware of what the message meant, but he said that Prince DeSolin had ordered him to send it.”

  “The prince? Why would he tell the Teifen where he was?” Cora asked, surprising the knight, though he recovered quickly.

  “Captain, I wondered the same, so I put the question to the prisoner. He said that the prince promised him it was for the good of the empire. I honestly don't think the prisoner knows more,” Sir Reitus said. He hung his head in shame at his next words. “Normally I would not believe such a story, but the prince has been acting strangely ever since we left Effrit. It is as if he thinks this is all a game, and he will simply be returned home after. The prince is young, so it could be that he is being manipulated.”

  “If the prince is sending those messages, we could be too late! The guards are all being watched, but the prince was sent directly to the embassy, where I’m sure no one will suspect a thing. He could be sending the messages now! We need to get in there and stop him!” Cora was nearly shouting, she was so angry.

  Grimms slammed his fist down on the desk. “Cora! This is not the time. We need to get in contact with the embassy, and prevent the prince from sending anything more out. They have an Aether dampening room; we need to have him moved there.”

  “If they will listen to us at all. That’s their prince, the next emperor; I doubt they are going to lock him up on the word of a drugged up prisoner and the hunches of a starship captain and a guard,” Cora spat back.

  “I agree that the embassy will do little to help us in this, Colonel. They will take the word of their lord over our word. I will have to go talk with him directly. He may listen to me, as I have served him faithfully all his life,” Sir Reitus reasoned.

  Cora took an audible breath, which Grimms found odd, considering she was projecting her voice with her mind, and not actually speaking the words. “That may work, but it would be too late by the time you got down there. I have another idea. You’re not going to like it…” she said, her tone defeated.

  Grimms sighed. “Sara?”

  “Sara.”

  The surface of the ocean bulged upward for a second before bursting in a foamy spray, as Sara shot the five of them out of the water in a shield bubble that she had formed while in the airlock leaving the Exitium. She figured the group bubble would be much easier than trying to get to the surface individually, and, as a bonus, there was no pressure difference that they had to take into account.

  The shield hovered above the waves while Sara turned in a circle, looking for the shuttle. She found the hovering craft a little ways off, its back ramp still open. She’d begun moving her group toward it when her comm buzzed.

  “This is Sara,” she said, guiding the shield bubble into the open cargo bay, and letting the spell fade. There was a clang as all three armored mages landed on the deck. The shuttle swayed at the sudden weight, but righted itself almost immediately.

  “Sara, it’s Cora.” There was a slight hesitation. “We have some news. It looks like the Elif prince is the one that’s been sending messages to the Teifen.”

  Now it was Sara's turn to hesitate. “Are you sure? Why would he do that?”

  “We’re pretty sure. The traitor started talking, but the details are fuzzy. If it is the prince, though, he’s currently in the Elif embassy without supervision, and we can't monitor all the messages going out from there,” Cora said. She took a breath before continuing. “We need you to get there and keep him from getting a message out. They have a dampening room you can put him in, but I don't think they are going to just let you walk in…”

  Sara's face hardened. “You need me to force my way in? How sure are you that he’s the culprit?”

  There was silence on the line, and Sara imagined Cora talking it over with Grimms one more time. “We’re sure enough to ask you to do this. Don’t hurt anybody, and they can't complain too much. I mean, they will, but we need to be sure. The UHFC is not acting on this, afraid it will cause an incident.”

  “Oh, it’ll cause an incident, all right. I don't know if I can do this without hurting anybody, but I can be sure not to kill
anybody,” Sara qualified. She closed the cargo ramp and tromped to the front of the craft to squeeze into the pilot’s seat. “Cora. You’re sure about this? You know it’s going to be a shit-show.”

  “I know. I just can't think of a way to get this done quickly enough. Every minute could be a minute too late. We cannot let the Teifen know where Earth is.”

  “Right. Okay, see you back on the Raven.” Sara ended the call and grabbed the control sticks. She took a breath and looked over at Boon as the girl slid into the seat next to her. “Hang on, everybody. Turns out we’re in a hurry.” She slammed the throttle open, rocketing the ship to supersonic speed in less than a second.

  The internal dampeners compensated for the acceleration, so they weren’t turned to paste by the sudden thrust, but they were still thrown back in their seats. Sara pulled up on the stick, and they were soon above the clouds, where she pushed the limit of the engines. The nose of the shuttle was a dull orange as they plowed through the upper atmosphere.

  “What’s going on? Who was that?” Baxter said from the back of the ship.

  “It was Cora. Evidently, the Elif are going to try and betray us again, and we’re the only ones who’ll stop it.”

  “How are we supposed to do that?” Boon asked, her eyes wide.

  “We need to go scare the shit out of a prince,” Sara said, gritting her teeth.

  32

  “This is Captain Sara Sonders of the UHS Raven, I am requesting assistance in preventing a potential attack on the Sol System,” Sara shouted into the comm.

  She had been yelling her way up through the command structure of the UHFC for the last five minutes, as the shuttle screamed across North America, heading for Hawaii. She was finally talking to the base commander.

  “You are to stand down, Captain. We cannot risk the political fallout. We need the Elif if we are going to win this war. The embassy is Effrit ground; we have no authority there. We are attempting to contact the ambassador, and we will deal with this diplomatically,” the commander said for the third time.