by Chris Hechtl
Medicine was a serious concern, even with the replicator. They couldn't make a lot of the things they needed since they didn't have some of the raw materials to start with. They had lost a couple of people who had run out of medicine, and two to heart attacks. It was hard to see a friend pass and feel helpless to do anything about it. She didn't envy Doc Humphrey.
Ana and Betty had pulled out all the stops to supply the doctor with medicinal herbs. Ana had even managed to cultivate penicillin for him out of mold, though the doc was doubtful about it. The duo had cultivated a few other things like Tussilago for cough medicine, Ginger, Mint, Linseed Flax and many others plants that they had either kept as seed or had found in the wild.
She looked down slope to the cottage. She saw smoke drifting up from the chimney. Her sister Bobby was there, undoubtedly cooking. It was easier to bring wood to the cottage, do the cooking, and then run it up to the cave than it was to bring the wood up to the cave. The care package had included electric heaters, which they used instead of a fire. They used them sparingly though since the heaters were energy hogs, and besides, Adam liked the cave cool.
She saw Luca riding up the path with a bike loaded with wood bundles front and back. She waved; he waved back but then had to steady himself on the bike. Claudia stifled a laugh as he wobbled and then got control of the bike once more.
Luca and some of the men had insisted on trying to camouflage the cottages and dwellings. Luca had taken to the air to be sure they could not be seen. It had been a good effort according to some, but Adam had bluntly pointed out that their work was all in vain. The aliens no doubt could see the paths leading up to the dwellings easily enough. They also could see in infrared, so they would be undone quickly. His acidic statements at dinner one evening had hurt morale. He hadn't been wrong, but his acerbic way of delivery hadn't endeared him to anyone involved.
Claudia blew out a breath and then shaded her eyes as she checked the sun. Another half hour to an hour before Betty came to relieve her. She got up and brushed her rearend off and then stretched. She had a knitted cushion stuffed with feathers on the rock she was using as a seat, but it still made her rump numb over time. She grabbed her love handles and rolled her back and shoulders as she checked the herd status. They were cropping in a good area so she left them to it and sat down again just as one of the dogs came over panting and flopped down beside her. She reached out and patted him, ruffling his fur, then reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of jerky and her water bottle. She poured some of the water into a bowl and then tossed the dog the jerky. The dog scarfed it up with a snap and made quick work of chewing it up, then went to slop at the bowl.
She grimaced as he splashed the water around, but when he was done, he went back to lying down and enjoying the sun and breeze as she went back to knitting.
(@)()(@)
“Boy, aren't they going to be happy to see us,” Lieutenant Roger Daringer murmured as Galahad secured from hyperspace in the outskirts of the Protodon star system.
“Probably,” Captain Jody Gomez murmured absently. Her eyes were focused on the plot and the feed from CIC however. She'd made the transfer from sublight ships to the navy and eventual starship command easier than many others. She had spent time in her youth playing naval strategy games and was in love with the navy.
Roger turned to the CIC feed with a frown. So far so good, there were no signs of any betraying enemy ship signatures. It would take hours to be sure however. Until they were certain the star system was clear, the destroyer had to remain on yellow alert.
“I think they'll be glad to see us … right up until they realize we're not going to be here long. And we can't exactly give them a lot of stuff. We're going to get provisions, water, and fuel in return, right?” Ensign Galahad asked from his holographic pedestal.
“That's the plan,” Captain Gomez replied.
(@)()(@)
Bobby McDonald glanced out the open window and up the hillside to see her sister knitting. She wasn't too worried about Claudia; the girl was wearing a hat and had her sweater and pants on. She'd learned over the years to be careful of the sun when she was outside for long periods of time. Trying to sleep with sunburn sucked.
She sniffed the stew she had going, took a sip to taste it, then went and checked on some of the other things she had going. She turned and checked the radio again. Nothing, but that was to be expected. She'd almost given up on hearing from anyone else. In a way it was sad, each of the communities were not talking to each other except through notes or word of mouth during rare bouts of trade.
She smiled as she heard a clatter outside the back door. She went over to the half door and looked out the top to see Luca piling wood. “Thanks, Luca,” she said with a smile.
“No problem. How is it going?” he asked.
“I'm just about done with the stew. Getting it up the path to the cave is going to be a pain,” she grumbled.
He turned to judge the path and then grunted. “Yeah,” he said in reluctant agreement.
“You don't have to do it now,” she said with a laugh. “It has to cool, silly,” she teased.
“Ah.”
“Did you get some good thermals in this morning?” she asked, leaning against the door jam.
His face broke out into a lively grin of memory. “You bet,” he said.
“See anything new?”
He shook his head. “I would have reported it. I saw a couple fishing ships out on the water. Nothing new.”
“Okay,” she murmured with a nod.
They heard a door squeak open and turned to see Betty come out of the nearby greenhouse dusting off her hands. She went over to the faucet and washed most of the soil off, then grimaced as she dried them on her thighs.
“Can I get something to eat before I go relieve Claudia?” she asked plaintively.
Bobby nodded mutely. Obviously, Ana had been forced to remind Betty of her commitment to relieve Claudia again. She couldn't blame Betty for not wanting to be out in the open or for being up on watch. It was boring and being exposed bothered a lot of people, herself included.
“The stew is just about done,” she said.
“Ah,” Betty said, eyes lighting as she licked her lips in anticipation of a hearty meal.
“Come on. I'll feed the both of you while I can. But be warned, we're having stew for dinner tonight too,” Bobby warned.
“Okay. At least we can lighten the load before I have to haul it up to the caves,” Luca grumbled as Bobby opened the lower half of the door and stepped aside to let them pass.
“And Claudia, Ana, and I will lighten it even more. But don't bet on it being that light,” Bobby teased as they brushed past onions, garlic bundles, and drying herbs to get into the kitchen. They had to duck under some of the other things hanging from the rafters but didn't seem to mind.
“I used a lot of the sea salt. We'll need to get more from the fishers next week,” Bobby said as she picked up the ladle, stirred the stew in the black pot on her stove, then turned as the duo fetched wooden bowls to use. “And yes, you have to wash the bowls after,” she warned.
Betty snorted. Anything to put off her sentence on the hillside she thought as she watched Bobby carefully ladle a helping into her bowl.
(@)()(@)
As Galahad crept closer to the unsuspecting planet, CIC painted in a better feed of the star system and the planet. They located the former cities and towns from the massive craters on the surface. The crew was silently enraged by the reported devastation on the planet.
“Hail them,” Captain Gomez ordered when they got to orbit.
(@)()(@)
Bobby heard the crackle of something and turned tiredly to try to figure out what it was. Initially she thought it was a branch on the window glass, so she ignored it. But then it repeated, that same crackle sound. “Wind,” she muttered, stretching. But then the sound repeated itself. She could hear something tantalizing, like someone talking softly.
“You lot better
not be up to something,” she said in a dangerous voice as she worked on the red onion. The thing was a monster and strong. “Ana, you grow them big,” she murmured in appreciation, trying to keep her nose from breathing in the fumes from the thing.
She paused her chopping to wipe at her brow with the back of her hand, then she turned to wipe her face on her shoulder and sleeve. She knew better than to touch her face after chopping an onion. The damn things always got to her despite all the precautions she tried to do. It didn't help that she was also hot and sweaty even with the doors and windows open. The cottage was getting hotter with the stove on in the summer months.
When she heard the sound again, she localized it. She turned to the radio set with a frown. She saw lights blinking and frowned. She wiped her hands off on her apron. “Now what the devil is wrong with this thing? Have we left it on for too long?” she muttered as she went over to the device. She frowned and turned the volume knob up.
“Come in Protodon; this is the Confederation Naval destroyer Galahad. Is anyone listening?” a voice asked, startling her. She listened to the voice repeat, eyes stinging with tears that weren't just from the onion.
“They're here,” she murmured softly, feeling the tears track down her cheeks as her knees buckled. “They are here. We're saved,” she said again as she knelt in front of the precious radio. She listened to the voice again.
“Maybe we should try another channel,” the voice said.
With a shaky hand, she reached out to pick up the microphone and then switch the transmitter on.
(@)()(@)
B-92c picket force
The resupply force had been delayed by an engine malfunction for four eight of days. When they returned they expected to be castigated for the delay. Instead, they jumped in to find alien ships in possession of the space nearby.
“Get us back into hyper!” the cruiser's Alpha bull roared.
(@)()(@)
“We've got an unexpected and unwanted arrival,” Willard said as Jan wiped at the sweat on her brow. She'd taken the time to exercise, something she didn't care to do but preferred to do when she was going cross-eyed from boredom and paperwork. Typical that the aliens came during her workout. She could feel the burn.
At least they'd shown up now and not when she was indisposed she thought.
“Location?”
“Sixteen million kilometers out. Almost right on the money for where the Taurens had been parked. It looks like five ships.”
“Oh?”
“The hyper wake is dissipating … Ma'am, we're seeing their hyperdrives recharging now,” CIC reported.
“It makes sense,” Ensign Lex said. “They most likely saw us here and panicked.”
“How did they see us so soon?” Jan asked carefully as the CAG launched the alert five fighters. Not that they'd do any good she thought.
“They've got neutrino detectors and grav detectors, ma'am,” Ensign Lex stated as the CIC tech started to answer as well. “They are cruder than our hardware, but since there are no friendly ships where they expect and we are here, logically, they realized something was wrong.”
“And decided the better part of valor was to flee. Smart,” Alton said as he came onto the flag bridge. Jan turned to him. He had suited up, but it was obvious that he'd stopped halfway because his skin suit top was tied around his waist.
“They are at 50 percent and climbing. They are also running away,” CIC reported. “We are getting better readings on them now. One is a warship, cruiser class. The other three are support ships,” the woman stated.
“A resupply mission,” Willard said with a nod.
“Undoubtedly,” Jan agreed.
“Backtrack their heading. Where did they come from?” Alton ordered as he took his station.
“Navigation is on that now, sir,” CIC reported.
“Checking the feed from navigation now … it looks like they came from B-93G. It is an empty star system, just rocks,” Ensign Lex reported.
“Ah.”
“They are crossing the 80 percent threshold. Their sublight drives have switched off,” CIC reported.
“Do we know where they are going based on their current vector?”
“Back to the vicinity of B-93G,” Ensign Lex reported. “Where they will come out and for how long they will be there though is up to them.”
“And their fuel state. If there is fuel there, they can run and keep running,” Alton said peevishly.
“What, wanted to run them down?” Jan asked as a rating came up and handed her a cup of coffee. She took it and took a sip but then grimaced since it was still scalding.
“Something like that,” her staff TO replied. She arched an eyebrow up at him in further inquiry. He shrugged. “It's not so much being bloodthirsty as the fact that they are in this war too, ma'am. They are almost as vital to pick off as the warships that do the actual fighting. They support those ships. For every one we pick off, it means they have to protect the others and have less ships to support them.”
“And they can't go as far from home. Gotcha,” Jan replied with a nod of understanding.
“They are at 90 percent,” CIC reported.
All eyes cut to the main screen. The image of the Tauren ships was already fuzzing out from the hyperdrive.
“In again, out again, finagen,” Willard murmured with a shake of his head as the ships jumped away. “Should we follow?”
“No. it would take at least two divisions of destroyers to take on that cruiser. Or two of our own cruisers. I'm not willing to draw down our forces in the off chance that was a diversion to get us to divide and allow defeat in detail,” Jan said as Alton opened his mouth and then looked thoughtful as he slowly closed it. He slowly nodded.
“Glad you agree,” she said with a brief smile. “Well! At least it is over.”
“Yeah, all over but the paperwork,” Willard agreed.
Jan grimaced. “You would bring that up,” she sighed.
(@)()(@)
Two days later, they saw the return of the destroyer division that had been sent to trail the enemy force. Captain Zilmar on Lancelot called in.
“I'm sorry to report that we lost them, ma'am,” he stated.
“What happened?”
“It looks like we zigged when they zagged. I thought they'd take the least time course to their base in the sector, south through Pyrax. Somewhere along the way we either overshot them or they knew something we didn't and took a different route.”
“Damn,” Jan murmured.
“Again, sorry Ma'am.”
“You did your best. Transmit your reports to me for review. Most likely they got around you or went to Antigua,” she said.
The captain's image nodded with a fresh grimace. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Very well.” Jan cut the channel and then sat back in her chair. It sucked that they'd lost them, but they knew where the enemy was going.
Chapter 24
Antigua
Captain Chloe Presley wondered sometimes if she'd made a mistake. After the battle of Altair, her ship had returned to port for a hero's welcome and a refit. The refit had been brief, and during that time period, she'd been given a tantalizing offer, one she'd passed up on but one that still haunted her.
She had been offered the command of a cruiser. The catch was that the cruiser was six months out from completion, and public affairs would have wanted her to play talking head during a part of that time period.
Or, she could stay with Tau Chan. When the mission to Rho had hit the grapevine, she was glad she'd stuck with her ship. It hadn't taken much finagling to get Tau Chan assigned to the mission.
Somewhere along the way she'd lost Lieutenant Hong, her XO, and half of her crew to the BUPERS goons. Lieutenant Hong had been replaced by a rarity in the service, Lieutenant Zephrain Alpo, a Neodog. Specifically, a chocolate Neolab male. He had proven he was loyal and had a good grasp of his hunter's instincts. He fell short in the conversation and paperwork departments, but
they were working on that.
“No sign of any ships in orbit or in the star system at this time,” CIC reported.
“Keep a sharp eye out. I don't want to be caught flat-footed, especially in orbit,” the captain growled.
“Definitely not, ma'am,” the tech responded.
She pursed her lips as she looked at the plot. “Comm, raise the planet. I know it's going to be at least a week before we make orbit, but let them know we're coming,” she said.
“Aye aye, ma’am,” the communications tech replied with a nod and smile.
She glanced over to Lieutenant Alpo, then over to TC. The A.I. was stoic on his pedestal, but that was fine. She was now used to him being there.
(@)()(@)
“I say again, this is the Confederation Naval destroyer Tau Chan to the planet below. Governor Thrakle or Doctor Grayskull, please respond,” the voice said over the radio.
“The cavalry, or at least the navy, has arrived,” Paki Bello said, grinning in triumph as consternation and celebration echoed throughout the caves as word spread of their liberation.
“It's about frackin' time,” Diedra Thrakle, acting governor, breathed in a sigh of relief. She reached for the microphone and cleared her throat. “This is acting Governor Deidra Thrakle to Tau Chan. It is good to hear from you,” she said. A sudden burst of cheering broke out behind her, startling her into a grin. “Damn good to hear from you,” she said, clutching at the microphone.
(@)()(@)
“You heard?” Malory demanded, turning to Donald and then the ecstatic Tirel and Patricia. Pat's boyfriend, Chase, was there too.
“It's all over the caves,” Donald said with a nod as he put a hand on his twelve-year-old son's shoulder.
“It's good though right, mom?” Pat asked, turning to Malory.
“I'm pretty sure we're safe for the moment. It's just one ship though,” Malory warned.