Embracing Oblivion: Wolfpack Book 3

by Toby Neighbors

  The southern corridor was where the machine shop was located. The north section was where a team of engineers and researchers would be monitoring the ship’s gravity. Finally, in the long eastern section of the bottom level, Dean found a Recon wonderland. In the ready room he found armor for his entire platoon, two sets for each specialist. There was a fully stocked munitions room, a theater for mission briefings, and a small workshop where his platoon could tinker with armor and weapons. The fitness area was large and state of the art. There were cardio machines and a wide section of both universal and band weight machines. A sparing mat, climbing wall, cryo booths, and an infrared sauna completed the workout space.

  “This is impressive,” Dean said.

  “Wait until you see the training room,” the admiral said with a smile.

  The final room in the Recon section was the most impressive space Dean had seen in the new ship. It was a dome, with full 360 degree motion treadmills in various spaces on the floor. The admiral used his wrist link to activate the room’s controls. The walls and ceilings were essentially one giant vid screen. Dean felt as if he had suddenly been transported to a tropical rain forest. Everywhere he looked, except for the deck, was a forest in high resolution. He could hear birds singing, and insects chirping. He turned around and then looked up, seeing a bright blue sky above his head.

  “You can almost smell the pine wood,” the admiral said. “To be honest, I’m a little jealous. It’s completely immersive and connects with your armor to run simulations. We’ve got training weapons in a locker just outside.”

  “Does that include the new weapons?” Dean asked.

  “Yes, we have enough EMR rifles and plasma cannons for your entire platoon. I hear they take some getting used to, but that’s what this space is for. As the Recon officer on this vessel, you’re in charge of this space and your platoon’s training regimen, but I suggest leaving some free time in the schedule for other people to come down and take a stroll. It’s the best stress reliever I’ve encountered on board any ship, or space station for that matter.”

  “It’s impressive,” Dean said again.

  “Well, the brass gave us a fine ship and a good crew. Now we just need to complete the mission and get back home for what promises to be a long and unpleasant debrief.”

  Dean laughed, but he knew the admiral was right. They were going to face a new race of potentially hostile beings, in a ship that hadn’t truly been tested. But even that couldn’t dampen Dean’s spirits. He thought the Apache was incredible and he couldn’t wait to get his platoon on board so they could put the training room through its paces.

  Chapter 24

  Dean returned to his quarters after the tour to get settled. He still didn’t know the admiral’s name – although he’d seen a last name that started with M stenciled on his fatigues, the well-worn uniform was hard to read. The light gray stenciling easily blended into the black fatigues, so Dean was still in the dark about his commanding officer, but he had liked the man. The admiral seemed friendly, and while Dean knew it could simply be that the admiral was excited about his new ship, it appeared that he was genuinely pleased to have Dean as his Recon officer.

  He had dropped his rucksack just inside his quarters without really looking around, so when he returned he was pleased to find that he once again had an office, a bedroom, and his own private bathroom. On the Apache his rooms were in a straight line. From the hallway he entered his office, passed through to the other side to enter his bedroom, and through that small space into the bathroom.

  It only took a few minutes to stow his toiletries and arrange his personal belongings in the locker that served as a closet of sorts. The bedroom, while small, had space for a bed which was already made up for him, a chair that looked comfortable enough, and a vid screen on the wall near the storage locker. The lights were motion triggered or operated via voice commands. In his office, he once again had a desk just to the left of the doorway, with two chairs on the far side. The new desk had a touch screen surface which automatically linked with his data pad. The desk was activated with motion controls and utilized a holographic projection system instead of a display. He could bring up a vid feed and launch it into the air right in front of him, or he could just watch it on the surface of his desk, or send it to the blank wall on the other side of the small room which was in fact a large, high resolution vid screen much like the one Colonel Davis had in his office.

  The desktop came to life as soon as Dean sat down in his chair. It showed a schematic of the Apache’s Bravo deck, including the names of the officers who had reported in and their respective quarters. Dean scanned the list and was pleased to see Lieutenant Owens’ name. And right across the hall from his rooms Captain Vanessa Parker was listed. Dean was happy to have another senior Recon officer on board and he hoped she would have time to train with his platoon.

  There was also a list of messages. Dean had reports waiting to be filed, and an officers’ reception that evening at 1900 hours in the ward room. There were no personal messages, except for a request for Dean to join the admiral at his convenience. Luckily, the admiral’s name was listed in the message, Bradley Masterson. Dean filed the short report notifying EsDef of his arrival on the Apache, then decided the other paperwork could wait.

  Admiral Masterson was on the bridge, and Dean had no problem finding his way back up to Charlie deck, then around the atrium to the bridge. There were a dozen stations with large vid screens and a variety of controls, but most were empty. Admiral Masterson was in the center of the room at a circular station with a mix of touch screen and manual controls.

  “Captain Blaze, thanks for coming up so quickly,” the admiral said. “Here, this is your station, although Captain Parker may make more use of it than you.”

  The admiral waved toward a seat in front of a bank of vid screens. Dean sat, but didn’t bother looking at the various feeds from around the ship. Instead he swiveled his chair, which was stationary but could be rotated around to face the commander’s console in the center of the room.

  “Can we talk candidly?” Masterson asked.

  “I’m at your disposal, Admiral.”

  “I’m concerned. I read the reports from your debrief, but there isn’t much in the way of specifics. They only record what the committee finds pertinent, and I rarely agree with the committee.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Dean said with a hint of a smile.

  “I’ve seen the pictures, but you’ve seen the enemy with your own two eyes. What do you think of them? Don’t hold back.”

  “I think they’re dangerous,” Dean said. “Even with the information from the Urgglatta ship we don’t know much about them. I didn’t even get a good look at the Kroll when we fought them on their ship.”

  “They use other creatures to fight for them,” the admiral said encouragingly.

  “In many instances, yes,” Dean agreed.

  “You think they don’t want to fight?”

  “The Kroll? No, I wouldn’t say that. We took out the creatures they sent against us, but had no luck bringing down the Kroll.”

  “Do you think that’s because they’re smart enough to avoid your weapons or because Rear Admiral Chancy sent you in with non-lethal ordinance?”

  “Both,” Dean said. “I have no doubt they’re intelligent. They cut the power, which forced us to use infrared to see them. That’s not ideal fighting conditions under any circumstances, but throw in the fact that they fly and it becomes very difficult. Our computer aiming systems were thrown off. I don’t think we’d have had much luck bringing them down with live ammunition.”

  “A report has come in from Alrakis. You were right in thinking they still had propulsion. They used the wreckage from their ship as cover to escape.”

  “Then I have no doubt they were studying us,” Dean said. “I don’t think we’ve seen anything they didn’t want us to see.”

  “So what do you think they wanted?”

  “I think the p
lan was to capture our tech and at least a few of us alive.”

  “But they weren’t prepared for your assault,” Masterson countered. “And they could have left as soon as they captured the ship yards or the Roosevelt.”

  “True, but the ship yards didn’t have much in the way of weapons to defend themselves and the Recon platoon on the Roosevelt was caught off guard.”

  “You really believe that?” the admiral asked.

  “When we boarded the space station, they had no idea we were there or what we were capable of. They sent a small force against us and we were ready for them. Narrow passageway, overlapping fields of fire. We held off two waves of attack, but not without casualties and we had an almost perfect tactical setting.”

  “What are you driving at?”

  “I’m saying that perhaps they stuck around in system because they didn’t think we were much of a threat. When the Roosevelt was boarded, the artificial gravity knocked the Heavy Armor specialists on their heads. Without solid footing the entire platoon would be easy targets. And the feline creatures we fought were fast, Admiral. Not to mention they can cling to walls. I haven’t seen the footage, if it even survived the Roosevelt, but I doubt that they were easily beaten. And to be honest, my own platoon with non-lethal ammunition didn’t do much to change the perception that we’re a race of ineffective fighters.”

  “What would you have done differently if you could do it all over again?” Masterson asked.

  “If I could have done it my way, sir, we would have gone in hot, with multiple platoons. We should have taken that alien ship at all costs.”

  “You might have been killed.”

  “True, but we’d be in a much better position now. If the Kroll were able to return to their people then they know as much about us as we do about them.”

  “But they don’t have humans to study, you saw to that.”

  “No sir, I disagree. We saved the captives, that’s true, but I never saw the Recon platoon from the Roosevelt. There were no bodies on the ship we escaped in, and no sign of them on the alien vessel.”

  “You think they took those bodies with them?”

  “I would have. And it isn’t just the bodies, Admiral. It’s the weapons, the armor, everything OWFR has was in their hands to study, analyze, and prepare for.”

  “That is worse than I thought,” Masterson said. “It wasn’t in the reports.”

  “That’s because the Kroll ship was still in the Alrakis system. I warned Rear Admiral Chancy that I thought their ship was still functional. Not that we could have stopped them, but now we know they’ve escaped and chances are they got away with the Roosevelt’s Recon platoon.”

  They spent the next hour discussing the way the Kroll ships moved. Dean described the teardrop-shaped vessels and their grappling arms as best he could. Admiral Masterson revealed that the Apache could electrify its outer hull as a counter measure to being captured, and her smooth, egg-shaped design left little for the tentacle arms of the Kroll ships to grab onto.

  “In fact, the outer hull plates can be ejected if need be,” the admiral explained. “They each have small charges that can sheer them away from the ship and the inner hull is strong enough to keep us intact from most space debris until new plating can be manufactured and installed.”

  “Even if the Kroll continue to attack?” Dean asked.

  “No, we’d be forced to run, but at least we’d have options. And the best thing about the Apache is her stealth capabilities. We should be able to drift into the heliosphere without being detected. But just in case, I’d like you to work up a plan of defense in case we’re boarded. I know standard operating procedure, but that did little to protect the Roosevelt. I want us more prepared. Can you do that, Captain?”

  “Absolutely,” Dean said. “I’ll outline a plan and use the training facility to prepare and test the strategy.”

  “Good, and make sure you have contingency plans in place. If those bastards get on this ship, I want them to pay for it through the nose.”

  “I’ll make it my priority as soon as we’re underway.”

  “Excellent,” the admiral said. “You’ll have time. The Urgglatta system is well beyond our territory. It will take us three weeks in FTL to reach it, and I plan to slow us down before we do. I want to come in nice and quiet, utilizing our surveillance drones to get a good picture of the system and what we’re up against.”

  “So a month in transit?”

  “Three weeks in FTL, another week sneaking in, then it’s up to the diplomats.”

  The admiral’s wrist link buzzed and he glanced at it.

  “Oh, they’re here. You’ll have to excuse me, Captain. I want to meet our guests of honor as they come aboard. You’re welcome to join me if you like.”

  “I will, sir. Thank you.”

  A few minutes later they were waiting just inside the airlock as Dwayne Butler and Sloan Fanning stepping through the hatch. Dean’s first thought was how attractive the two diplomats were. He had spent months on a publicity tour, meeting celebrities and VIPs, none of which looked as well put together as Butler and Fanning.

  “Welcome about the E.S.D.F Apache,” Admiral Masterson said, extending a hand to Butler. “This is OWFR Captain Blaze.”

  “Blaze, the hero who won the Planetary Medal of Honor?” Fanning said, in a soft French accent.

  “One and the same,” Masterson said.

  “Looks like we’re getting the royal treatment,” Butler said, shaking hands with Dean.

  “No, my platoon just happened to be available at the right time,” Dean replied.

  “Nonsense,” Butler said. “It’s a privilege to meet you.”

  “We are indebted to you, Captain,” Fanning added. “This ship, our knowledge of the Kroll, even this mission would not exist if not for your valiant actions.”

  Dean was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

  “It was a team effort. I had a good platoon and we did our jobs.”

  “Well then, let me show you to your quarters then I’ll give you a tour of the ship,” Masterson said, like the host of a party. “We’ll have a reception this evening and you’ll have a chance to meet all the officers on board.”

  “You’ll be there, Captain?” Sloan Fanning asked.

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” Dean said, hoping his face wasn’t as red from embarrassment as he felt like it was.

  “Good, I look forward to getting to know you better,” she said.

  Dean didn’t follow the trio, as Admiral Masterson led the diplomats down the corridor toward their quarters. He did watch them go. Butler was tall, perhaps six feet, two inches, with dark, wavy hair flecked with gray. Dean thought the man looked like a real life action figure, but he had tried to set Dean at ease. That was an important character trait in Dean’s book.

  Sloan Fanning was beautiful. Even in the utility clothing she wore, which was anything but feminine, she was graceful and alluring. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun that seemed casual, but revealed her fine facial features and long, aristocratic neck. She had a thick jacket on, but a belt cinched the garment around her narrow waist. She was tall and striking, so much that it made Dean feel a little childish, but excited at the same time. The thought of a long voyage on a ship with Sloan Fanning suddenly seemed very appealing, and Dean couldn’t help but be happy he was there, no matter what circumstances had brought them together.

  Chapter 25

  The reception in the ward room was part cocktail party, part dinner party. Most of the ship’s officers had returned to the Apache, and the space was full of people mingling, sharing stories, and watching the guests of honor. It was the first time Dean had attended a ship reception where he didn’t feel out of place. He knew Captain Parker and Lieutenant Owens, the latter having had two days in official debriefs, before getting a crash course on the new gravity propulsion systems. Most of the drones in the Apache’s hangar were standard issue, but there was also a line of Gravity Assault Drones th
at used miniature gravity drives.

  Everyone was talking about the mission, about the Kroll, and about who was on board. Captain Parker was Dean’s guide to the who’s who list of officers in the room. Admiral Bradley Masterson was the youngest person to reach the rank of admiral in EsDef history. He was promoted from captain to vice admiral after he saved a space station that was damaged by space debris, his commander having suffered a heart attack, and one of the station personnel was related to a politician on Earth. Since then he’d proven himself in well over a dozen tours, and had dealt in some way or another with every known intelligent race except for the Kroll.

  Dean was recognized by everyone from his media tour and the Planetary Medal of Honor ribbon which he reluctantly wore on his dress uniform for the party. The exploits of his platoon in the Alrakis system were a hot topic as well, but Dean did his best to ask questions and show interest in the other guests rather than relive his own adventures. Lieutenant Owens was all too happy to talk about his exploits with Dean’s Recon platoon, and Dean pointed people to the Aussie lieutenant whenever they had questions.

  The real attraction in the room however, was the two diplomats, Butler and Fanning. Dean kept his distance, but found his gaze returning to the guests of honor time and again. Where Dean felt stiff and a little uncomfortable talking to strangers, the two diplomats seemed right at home. After dinner, while people mingled and most indulged in a drink or two, Dean was approached by Sloan Fanning. He had been talking with Captain Parker, who was a strong, attractive woman by any standard. She could have been in a recruitment vid the way she looked in her dress uniform, and yet she paled in comparison to the Swiss diplomat in her evening gown. Dean couldn’t help but admire the woman’s figure. Fanning was tall, but perfectly proportioned. Her blonde hair was carefully arranged around her neck and shoulders. The frosty blue eyes were alluring, but also penetrating, so that Dean wondered what she was thinking as she stared at him during their conversation.

  “Captain Blaze,” she said as she approached him. “You have encountered the Kroll, yes?”