Jeremy only shook his head. Now he was beginning to understand why so much of the Avenger had always been off limits. Evidently, the ship was much more functional than his father and others had let on.
Kelsey checked the com system once again and, with relief, she found the interference from the nuclear explosion was gone. She hurriedly sent out a broad beam broadcast in the direction of Earth giving their situation and their coordinates. She boosted the signal as far as possible, burning out the com system. If the WarStorm wasn’t within three hundred light years, the signal would never be heard.
“Jeremy, tell everyone in back to buckle up. This descent is going to be fast and rough. We need to get down and hidden as quickly as possible.”
-
In the Arkon, First Leader Makill looked on in anger as the nuclear explosion dissipated. All that remained of the alien ship was some glowing wreckage and expanding gases.
“What happened?” demanded Makill, looking over at his Second Leader.
“It looks like a self-destruct was activated or the ship’s drive detonated,” replied the Second Leader, studying some sensor data. “I have replayed the explosion in slow motion, and the nuclear explosion originated in the Engineering section of the ship.”
“Sensors, are you detecting anything else?” First Leader Makill demanded. He was fearful of contacting the Vengeance and informing First Leader Shrea of what had just happened. He knew Shrea would hold him personally reasonable for this. It could result in a loss of honor for him and his family.
“I have a small shuttle on the sensors,” replied the sensor operator, gazing intently at his screen. “It is making for the planet.”
“I have an outgoing com message,” the communications operator reported. “It was very brief and not in any known language in our data banks.”
“Perhaps it was an accident,” commented Makill, nodding his head as he thought about what had just happened. “Launch two of our fighters to follow that shuttle. I want to know where it lands. Can we tell what direction that com message was sent?”
“The dispersion was set to wide,” the com operator replied, shaking his head. “We know the general direction, but we will not be able to narrow it down to do us any good.”
Makill nodded his head in disappointment and then turned back to the Second Leader. “Get those fighters launched now; I don’t want to lose that shuttle!”
“Yes, sir,” the Second Leader responded. He moved hastily to obey First Leader Makill’s orders.
-
Downward the small shuttle flew as Kelsey fought to keep it under control. She knew her entry into the atmosphere was too fast and too steep, but it was expedient that they get down and hidden quickly. Already the scout’s short-range scanners had detected two small vessels leaving the Hocklyn ship. Kelsey had a sinking feeling that those were Hocklyn fighters. They were faster than the shuttle, but she had a good head start.
“They’re coming after us,” Kelsey said, pointing toward the scanner screen.
“I see them,” Jeremy replied as he did some quick calculations on the shuttle’s computer. “They can’t catch us before we reach the surface. I figure we will have about ten minutes to find someplace to land before they can detect us on their scanners.”
The shuttle continued to arrow downward, leaving a glowing trail behind it in the atmosphere. Kelsey fought to maintain control as the shuttle shook from the results of their sharp reentry profile. She just prayed that the shuttle didn’t come apart around them. It hadn’t been built to handle the stresses she was putting it through. Already, several red warning lights were flashing on the instrument panel.
“The hull’s overheating,” Jeremy warned Kelsey as he read one of the readouts. “You need to reduce the angle of our reentry, or we’re going to burn up.”
“I know,” Kelsey responded in a strained voice as she adjusted their downward course slightly to take some pressure off the hull. She also fired the forward jets and began braking the shuttle, slowing its rapid rush through the atmosphere.
“Jeremy, see those two levers on your right side?” she asked, tilting her head in that direction. She didn’t dare take her hands off of the controls.
“Yes,” responded Jeremy, looking down and spotting the two levers.
“Pull both of them all the way back. I need the flaps fully extended so we can level out our flight path.”
Jeremy pulled them both back and felt the shuttle reduce its shaking.
Kelsey fought the controls and finally got the shuttle’s nose to start to pull up. It finally leveled out and they were flying parallel to the surface, heading toward some small mountains in the distance.
“If we can reach those mountains, we can hide the shuttle,” Kelsey said, her hands shaking. “The mountains should shield the shuttle from their scanners.”
It was taking all of her concentration and effort to keep the shuttle under control. When she had been learning to fly a shuttle the previous summer, she had never attempted something like what she was doing now. If her father could only see her, he would be amazed.
Reaching the mountains, Kelsey and Jeremy gazed out of the cockpit windows, looking for a good place to hide the shuttle. The area they were flying over was heavily forested, and they could see a few small streams and mountain lakes. It looked similar to some of the mountainous regions back on Earth.
“That cliff over there,” Jeremy said, pointing downward and to the right. “It has a slight overhang, and there are several trees next to it. Can you set the shuttle down between those trees? Between the overhang and the trees, it will be hard to see.”
“I’ll try,” Kelsey replied as she turned the shuttle.
Carefully working the shuttle’s engine and maneuvering thrusters, she managed to get the shuttle where Jeremy had indicated. Setting it down, she turned off the engine and then leaned back in her seat. She started shaking, realizing how lucky she had been to be able to get the shuttle down safely with no one getting hurt.
“You did fine, Kelsey,” Jeremy said, reaching over and taking her hand. “No one else on the shuttle but you could have done this.”
“I don’t think the Hocklyn fighters will be able to spot us now,” Kelsey spoke with obvious relief in her voice.
“What now?” asked Kevin, coming into the cockpit. “Where are we?”
“We need to go outside and try to cover the shuttle with whatever we can find. Also, if there are any burn marks from our landing, we need to cover those up too,” Jeremy answered. “Kelsey says that alien ship we saw will come looking for us. No matter what happens, we can’t let them take us or capture this shuttle intact.”
For the next several hours, the five of them covered the burn marks left by the shuttle’s descent. They gathered large amounts of brush and tree limbs, which they laid up against the shuttle’s hull, making it difficult so see.
Kelsey and Jeremy looked critically over what had been done to conceal the shuttle, knowing it was the best they could do, but it probably wouldn’t be good enough.
“It will be night soon,” commented Jeremy, seeing the dark shadows slowly descending down the mountain slopes. They were in a small valley, and the sun was already behind the mountain peaks.
“We need to get as far away from the shuttle as we can,” Kelsey stated with her hands on her hips. “Jeremy, what are we going to do if the Hocklyns find us?”
Jeremy reached over and put his arm around Kelsey, pulling her close. “Don’t worry, we will get through this.”
For a moment, Kelsey felt safe in Jeremy’s arms, and then she stepped back. “We can spend the night in the shuttle and get some packs ready. In the morning, we need to find a safer place to hide. It probably won’t take the Hocklyns long to find the shuttle, and then they will send their protectors after us.”
“Protectors?” Jeremy asked, arching his eyebrows. “What are those?”
Kelsey took a deep breath. “Let’s get everything ready for in the morning
, and then I guess I owe everyone a big explanation.”
“I would say so,” spoke Angela, walking up to the two. “I think you and Katie both have a lot of explaining to do.”
Kelsey nodded. If they were going to survive, everyone needed to know what was at stake and why Lieutenant Nelson had destroyed the New Horizon.
Jeremy looked around in the fading light. It was time to get inside the shuttle. He had a suspicion that the nights up in these mountains would be cold. “Everyone in the shuttle,” he ordered. Taking Kelsey’s hand, he turned and led her back inside. Once everyone was safely in the shuttle, he shut and secured the hatch. They should be safe here for the night, at least.
Kelsey sat down with Jeremy beside her on one of the bunks that had been pulled down. “It all started over one hundred years ago back in the Human Federation of Worlds,” she began. For the next two hours, she described the Federation’s encounter with the Hocklyns, the destruction of their worlds, the desperate flight to Earth, the fleet coming down with the Spanish Flu, and finally settling in Ceres. When she was through, she looked expectantly around the small group.
“So you’re an alien,” Kevin said, looking at Kelsey. She looked human enough.
Kelsey allowed herself to laugh. “No, I’m just as human as you are. The remote ancestors of the people of the Human Federation of Worlds were actually taken from Earth thousands of years ago, but that’s another story.”
Jeremy had listened to Kelsey’s explanations, shaking his head in disbelief at what all his father had kept a secret from him. He wondered if Greg’s son Mathew knew the truth. Turning his head he looked over at Katie, who had remained quiet throughout Kelsey’s explanations.
“Alright, Katie,” spoke Jeremy, looking straight at the teenager. “I want to know your part in all of this, and how you know abut Ceres and the Hocklyns. Also, how in the hell did you sneak aboard the New Horizon?”
Katie looked over at Jeremy. She knew he wasn’t happy with her being here. She couldn’t blame him, there were so many things she had done wrong. Taking a deep breath, she began telling the small group about her first contact with Ariel and how it had grown into a friendship. She finally explained how she had used that friendship to sneak on board the New Horizon.
“I can tell you one thing,” admonished Kelsey, shaking her head in amazement when Katie was finished. “Ariel is going to be quite upset with you if we ever get back home. If you think the lecture that Jeremy is probably going to give you is bad, just wait until Ariel gets a hold of you. I’ve spoken to Clarissa on the Vindication, and both AIs are very human.”
“I know,” Katie replied in a regretful and hurt voice. “But if I hadn’t stowed away on board the New Horizon, you all might have died on the ship.”
“There is that,” admitted Kelsey, looking over at Jeremy.
“What you did was wrong,” began Jeremy, seeing the frightened and lonely look in Katie’s eyes. “But I think we can wait until we get home to talk this over.” He patted the bunk next to him. “Come sit over here by me.”
Katie stood up, walked over, and sat down next to Jeremy. Then losing control, she started crying uncontrollably and buried her face in Jeremy’s shoulder. Jeremy put his arms around the fifteen-year-old, knowing she had been through a lot. Kelsey stood up and came and sat down on the other side of Katie, reaching out and patting Katie on the back.
“You will be fine,” Kelsey said soothingly to the young girl. “You saved all of our lives. When we get back home, we will make sure everyone knows that.”
“I’ll be grounded forever,” sobbed Katie.
“Perhaps,” Kelsey said, letting a fleeting smile cross her face. “We will talk to your parents and Admiral Strong.”
“Will you?” asked Katie, sitting back up and wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Yes,” spoke Jeremy, nodding his head. “After all, you’re just like a member of my family.”
Katie smiled at this. She felt safe with Jeremy and Kelsey here. She knew they wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
The small group of close friends continued to talk as darkness covered the small valley. In the morning, they would have to destroy the computers on the shuttle and then find a safe place to hide.
-
On board the Arkon, First Leader Makill gazed angrily at the reports coming in from the two fighters. The small shuttle had managed to land before the fighters had gotten into range. All they had was a general area of where the shuttle had landed, and darkness was already falling on that section of the planet.
Letting out a sharp, frustrated breath, he turned his dark eyes toward his Second Leader. “Contact the Vengeance and tell them the alien ship exploded due to unknown reasons. However, a shuttle escaped the destruction of the ship and managed to land upon the planet. We may need their contingent of protectors to help search the area the shuttle landed in. It is mountainous and will not be easy to search.”
“Yes, First Leader,” the Second Leader responded. He then turned to the communications operator to ensure the message was sent.
Makill walked to the front of the War Room and gazed speculatively at the large viewscreen, which was now covered with an image of the planet. They were orbiting at ten thousand kilometers using the ship’s sensors to try to pick up the shuttle, but because of the numerous ore deposits in the mountainous region in which the shuttle had landed, the scans were coming back negative.
-
On board the war cruiser Vengeance, First Leader Shrea read the communication from the Arkon. He stared angrily at the viewscreen in front of him where the planet they were orbiting was being displayed. Already a large amount of material and personnel, including some of his protectors, were being used to build the food and water processing facility.
He turned and looked at Second Leader Vrill. “Contact all of our support cruisers and have them rendezvous in the system the Arkon is currently in. We must find that shuttle and its crew. There is much honor at stake here if we can find their world of origin.”
“Yes, First Leader,” replied Vrill, hurrying to follow the order.
Shrea then turned to the helm operator. “Take us out of this planet’s gravity well and prepare to jump to the Arkon’s location. I want to get there as rapidly as possible.”
Shrea walked back to the command pedestal and saw with satisfaction that the Vengeance was already breaking orbit. If they could find this missing shuttle and alien crew, he would send a support cruiser back to Commodore Rateif. He would request that the forward base be moved to this section of their search area. It would take a while, but it could be done. Yes, if things worked out, there would be much honor and advancement for all of them.
-
Two days later, Amanda was busy working out in the WarStorm’s weight room. It had been a disappointing four months as there had been no trace of the New Horizon. She stepped back and swung at the punching bag in front of her feeling the satisfaction of contact. This was a good way to let out her pent up frustrations. She knew with growing concern that they must be nearing Hocklyn space.
“Colonel Sheen, please report to the Command Center,” a voice announced suddenly over the ship’s internal com system.
Amanda stepped over to the unit on the wall and touched it. “This is Colonel Sheen,” she said simply.
“Colonel, the light cruiser StarFury is reporting that they have picked up an emergency signal from the New Horizon.”
Amanda froze upon hearing the words she had been waiting on for so long. “I’m on my way,” she said.
A few moments later, she hurried into the Command Center. No one said a word about the fact she had obviously been working out and wasn’t in her full uniform. “What do we have, Major Fields?” asked Amanda, stepping behind the command console.
“It’s not good,” Major Fields replied from where he was standing at the holographic plotting table, entering some coordinates.
“What’s happened?” demanded Richard as he charged
into the Command Center.
“The Hocklyns have found the New Horizon,” Fields answered.
“Crap,” uttered Richard, feeling that their world had just crashed in around them.
“Fortunately, Lieutenant Nelson managed to activate the ship’s self-destruct and destroyed the ship before the Hocklyns could board her.”
“So everyone’s dead,” said Amanda, trying to control her emotions. Admiral Strong’s son and Admiral Anlon’s daughter were gone. How was she going to explain that to them?
“No,” replied Major Fields, shaking his head. “Evidently one of the shuttles managed to escape the destruction and landed on the planet they were orbiting. It’s habitable and the crew is going to attempt to hide until we can reach them.”
“Do we know who is on the shuttle?” Richard broke in. He prayed it was Jeremy Strong and Kelsey Anlon. Lieutenant Nelson would have made sure of that if at all possible.
“Yes, we do,” replied Fields. “Cadet Lieutenant Jeremy Strong, Cadet Ensign Kelsey Anlon, Cadet Ensign Kevin Walters, Cadet Ensign Angela DeSota, and Katie Johnson.”
“The stowaway,” spoke Amanda, thoughtfully. She knew that Nelson had made sure that these five survived. “What type of Hocklyn ship did they encounter, and how far away are they?”
“It was an escort cruiser of the standard type from the information that Ensign Anlon sent. However, they are over two hundred and seventy light years away, and this message was sent two days ago.”
Amanda looked over at her husband. Two days were a long time for four cadets and a teenager to survive on a planet being searched by Hocklyn protectors. Amanda walked over to the plotting table and gazed at the glowing star that designated their destination. “Major Fields, order the light cruisers to meet us here,” she said, pointing to a set of coordinates that would put them on the extreme outer edge of the star system. “We will go on ahead and see what the situation is.”
Moon Wreck: Fleet Academy (The Slaver Wars) Page 26