“That could never be, Amanda Williamson. Even if the Amulet had been stolen and one with an evil heart attempted to gain control, they would find they could not. This ship has but one purpose and one purpose only.”
“To defeat the Karang?” she asked.
“Indeed. You are most perceptive. It was built for one specific task. The ship cannot be used for anything other than its original purpose. Before I take my leave you must remember that your heart must be pure and you must pass the tests put to you. If you can do what is required and complete these tasks, the ship will protect you and your kind, as well as any life forms with which we have seeded other planets. One last piece of information for you, child. This vessel can only be used in self-defense. The systems have been designed to defeat any vessels that contain living Karang DNA. Keep that in mind. Amanda Williamson.”
“Wait. I have so many more questions.” But before she could say another word she had awakened.
“Amanda, can you hear me?” asked her father. “We will be landing in five minutes. Are you okay? You were mumbling in your sleep.”
“I saw them again, sir. The Semina Vitae.”
“The gods,” said Kyron. “You are very fortunate, Amanda Williamson. The gods are communicating with you. This is indeed a very good sign.”
“Dad . . . I mean sir,” said Amanda. “I think the legends of Atlantis are true. And if they are, the ship we are looking for is there as well.”
The intercom beeped. “Admiral,” said the ship’s captain. “We are preparing to land. I have the tribe on visual below us.”
“We’ll talk more about your dream after we land, Amanda,” said the admiral.
Amanda nodded. She hoped Kyron was right, that it was a good sign. She had to admit to herself that it was helpful to gain more information. The more she could learn, the more confidence she would have. The pressure was mounting by the minute. Shouldering the entire weight of saving two worlds was a heavy burden. She prayed that she was up to the task.
Admiral Thompson entered the bridge and took his seat. It had been a long and restless night. Needless to say he hadn’t slept well. With the impending contact of the Karang less than five hours away, anxiety levels were high throughout the fleet, and he was no exception.
Not that they weren’t prepared. They certainly were. But regardless of all the preparation, lives would be lost today, and that never sat well with him. His men and ships were his responsibility—a responsibility he didn’t take lightly.
“Captain Thames,” said Thompson. “I trust all of our systems have been checked as well as the rest of the fleet and that all ships are at one hundred percent?”
“Good morning to you as well, Admiral,” said his exec. “According to Ms. Barnes, all ships have reported all systems are green. We are armed and ready, sir.”
“Very good, Captain.”
Turning his attention to his communications officer he continued, “Ms. Barnes, patch me through to Supreme Commander Granthaxe.”
“Yes, sir,” came the reply. “Contacting him now, Admiral.” It took only a few seconds for Barnes to reach the Altarran commander. “I have him on the com, sir. Patching him through to you now.”
“Supreme Commander Granthaxe,” said Thompson. “I wanted to go over our plan of attack before we reach the Karang armada.”
Granthaxe’s voice boomed over the bridge. “What type of plan do you have, Admiral Benjamin Thompson?”
“That depends on whether the Karang armada is still flying in the same formation as yesterday. Do you have the display handy?”
“Indeed,” replied Granthaxe. “I am examining it as we speak. What do you suggest our course of action should be?”
“There is a tactic we use called hit and run. We used it against your fleet during our second altercation.”
“What is this hit and run tactic you speak of, Admiral Benjamin Thompson?” asked Granthaxe.
“It’s a fast attack and retreat maneuver,” replied Thompson. “They have way too many ships for us to come barging in and go blow for blow with them. If they are flying in the same formation we have on the visual from yesterday, I’d suggest that we split up into attack forces of three ships each. Their formation is very wide and spread out. If we target one ship with each group of three and hit them fast, we should be able to take out fifteen to twenty of their ships and get away without too many casualties. Then we could retreat and plan our next maneuver.”
“Retreat?” said Granthaxe. “We do not retreat, Admiral Benjamin Thompson. It is not our way.”
Thompson knew he’d have a tough time convincing the supreme commander, but he had to make him understand it was their only chance.
“Supreme Commander, I understand your way is to meet your enemy head on. Show no weakness. And in most circumstances I’d agree with you. But considering the sheer numbers of the enemy, we need a different plan. If we want to have any chance of stopping the Karang, we must be able to slow them down and maintain a viable force against them. If we go after them head on, the results would be disastrous. We do not know how powerful their weapons are, nor do we know if they have shields. And we are greatly outnumbered. We must find out exactly what we are dealing with. Only then will we have a real understanding of what we are up against.”
There was silence for a moment. Only static could be heard. “Your plan appears to be most reasonable, Admiral Benjamin Thompson,” said Granthaxe. “I will acquiesce to your judgment. Send over the flight paths that you wish for each group of three vessels to navigate and I will discuss the plan with my ships’ captains.”
“Understood,” replied Thompson. “And one more thing, Supreme Commander Granthaxe.”
“Of what thing do you speak, Admiral Benjamin Thompson?”
“You do not always have to always address me as Admiral Benjamin Thompson.”
“And what would you wish for me to address you as, Admiral Benjamin Thompson?”
“Just Admiral or Ben would be fine.”
“As you wish, Just Admiral,” replied Granthaxe. “I will contact you in two hours.”
The connection went silent. Thompson looked over at Barnes at the communications station. “Did he really say that?”
Barnes had a stoic look on her face. “Yes he did, Just Admiral.”
“I will have to do a better job explaining myself to the commander,” said Thompson with a huge grin on his face.
The bridge erupted in laughter. It was a much-needed break from the tension and certainly lightened the mood.
After a few seconds the laughter subsided. Thompson grabbed the visual printout of the Karang armada and called to his weapons officer and exec. “Niles and Diego, I want to go over a plan of attack.”
Over the next few hours the three of them discussed the approach and angle of the attack. As they were heavily outnumbered, a straight-on approach wouldn’t be a good idea. Since most ships have the majority of their weapons up front, they would be facing the brunt of the Karang firepower.
“What if we try to come at them from all sides?” said Diego. “That’s what we did against the Altarrans.”
“Maybe if they had a hundred ships,” said Thames. “But not three hundred. It would take too long and give them too much time to react.”
“Which is the same reason we can’t come in on their six as well,” said Thompson. “By the time we would be making our move to come around them, they would be able to break formation and we’d lose what little advantage we’d have.”
Thompson opened his slider and enlarged it. He set up a simulated graphic of the Karang ships’ formation and added the combined forces of his and the Altarrans fleets. “Computer,” he said, “run multiple simulations showing all possible points of attack.”
After watching the simulations Thompson made up his mind. “I’m thinking we come in at them dead on.”
Captain Thames said, “I thought you said that was suicide, Ben.”
“Hear me out, Niles,” said Thomps
on. “As I was saying, we come at them head-on at full speed. Then, seconds before we are in firing range, we dive down below them and come up at them from underneath. We fire all forward weapons and blow right through them. As we pass we fire our aft torpedoes, we do a one-eighty and dive down on them and blast through them once more and then bug out.” He paused briefly to let his idea sink in. “What do you think?”
Thames nodded slowly. “I always said you were a crazy bastard, Ben. But I like it. It’s crazy enough that it just might work. That is, of course if we all don’t lose our stomachs and can handle the G forces without passing out.”
Diego smiled. “It’s certainly a bold move, Admiral. I’m sure it would take our enemy by surprise.”
“Okay,” said Thompson. “It’s settled. I’m going to set up the computer to run multiple simulations taking the Karang’s current positioning and formation into account. I’ll also have Romano set up the ships’ NAV systems to make corrections if the Karang change their flight pattern. Let’s get to work and prepare for the attack.”
Thompson sat back and watched his crew. While he knew his plan was a long shot, it was certainly better than no shot.
As soon as the transport ship landed, Amanda jumped out of her seat. She couldn’t wait to get out and begin the search for the Ship of the Gods. She felt a bit more confident due to her recent communication with the Semina Vitae during her latest dream. She waited for her father to finish talking with the pilot so they could get started.
“Okay,” said the admiral. “Let’s grab our gear and get moving. The Sentinelese tribe is already outside waiting for us.”
“They knew we were coming?” asked Amanda.
“Absolutely,” said her father. “Admiral Thompson stopped here personally before leaving to inform the chief that we would be coming. In fact he told him what day we would be arriving.”
“A wise precaution,” said Kyron. “The Sentinelese people do not react well to unknown visitors.”
“But how was he able to communicate with them?” she asked. “I know he doesn’t speak their language.”
“Admiral Benjamin Thompson told me what he wanted to convey to the chief,” said Kyron. “I recorded the statement and he took it with him.”
“That makes sense,” said Amanda. “Anyway, let’s get moving.”
She made her way towards the exit when Kyron stopped her. “Not so fast, Amanda Williamson,” she said.
“Why?” she replied. “What’s the problem?”
“There is no problem. However, as your personal protector it is my sworn duty to lead the way and ensure your safety.”
“I understand,” said Amanda. “By all means, lead the way.”
“One more thing, Amanda Williamson,” said Kyron. “It would be best that you remove your helmet and let your hair down. If you recall, it was the color of your hair along with your green eyes that amazed the Sentinelese chief last time. Let us not forget, you are the fire goddess.”
“She’s right, Mandy,” said her father. “From what Admiral Thompson told me, they were fascinated by the color of your hair and your eyes.”
“That’s because they had never seen any other females with the exception of their own,” said Amanda. “But both of you are right.” She took off her helmet and unpinned her hair, letting it flow freely. Then she exited the ship after Kyron.
The chief approached them along with a dozen or so other tribesmen. Kyron spoke to the chief in their ancient language. The chief replied and moved closer to Amanda. She could see that he had something in his hands. It was wrapped in leaves. He stopped, laid it at her feet, and bowed in front of her. He spoke to her in his language but she couldn’t understand a word.
Amanda turned to Kyron. “What did he say?” she asked.
“He welcomed you back to the island and since they were aware that you were coming, he brings you an offering.”
Amanda looked down at the gift the chief had lain at her feet. She noticed it was moving, and it was giving her an uneasy feeling. Suddenly she heard a rustling sound as a snake’s head pushed its way up through the leaves. She tried to focus and maintain a calm demeanor. Snakes had to be her least favorite living creature and here was one staring her dead in the eyes.
Without warning the chief stabbed the snake with his spear and lifted it up in the air. He said something to Kyron and motioned for the little group to follow him.
It took everything within Amanda’s power not to scream as she watched the chief kill the snake. She felt the food she had eaten earlier starting to rise. She hoped and prayed she wouldn’t puke her guts out.
Kyron spoke with the chief briefly. He nodded, turned, and made his way towards the village, which was just a few hundred feet from their current position.
“What did you say to the chief?” asked Amanda.
“I told him we would be there shortly,” said Kyron. “I wanted to give you some time to adjust to our situation and answer any questions that you may have.”
“A very good idea, Kyron,” said the admiral. “Don’t you agree, Mandy?”
Amanda’s legs felt like they were going to give out on her. She looked at her father and noticed that he had a wry look on his face and was obviously trying not to laugh.
“What’s so damn funny, Father?” she asked.
“The look on your face when you saw the snake,” he said. “Even better was the look after the chief speared it. Now I know why they have video cameras on our helmets. I can’t wait to replay that when we get back to the base.”
“Replay it? Seriously? It wasn’t funny.”
“If you did not find that amusing, Amanda Williamson,” said Kyron, then I should not tell you what the chief said after he killed it”
Now Amanda was really worried. “What did he say?”
“He wanted me to inform you that the snake he killed was a delicacy and only offered to the most respected members of the tribe.”
Amanda didn’t like the direction the conversation was taking and was starting to feel sick to her stomach. “And?”
“And that it was being prepared for your dinner, Amanda Williamson. You should feel most honored.”
“I think I’m going to throw up,” said Amanda.
“That is a most excellent idea,” said Kyron.
“What is?” she asked.
“Regurgitation is one of the ways that the females of the tribe share food with their young. You will be seen as a caring and learned tribal female.”
Amanda didn’t know what to say. She turned to her father. She could see that he was still recording the situation and doing his best to keep it together. “Okay,” she said. “Enough talk about snakes and throwing up. Let’s sit down for thirty minutes and take a break. Then we can head to the village and talk to the chief about getting inside the cave where the queen and her envoy stayed all those years.”
“A sound idea,” said her father.
“Agreed,” replied Kyron.
The thirty minutes passed quickly. As they prepared to leave and meet with the chief Amanda grabbed her gear. Her father checked in with the president and informed him that they had made contact and were proceeding as planned. Then the three of them made their way to the area where the chief and the rest of the tribe were waiting. There was a long table obviously made from trees. There was an area across from the chief that was vacant. He motioned for them to sit there. They had tree stumps for seats. Amanda noticed that one of them was much larger than the other two. Obviously it was for Kyron. She sat down with the Altarran on one side and her father on the other. Amanda could see a fire pit behind the chief with a handful of female tribe members preparing their meal.
The chief clapped his hands together twice. Within seconds the female members made their way to the table with trays of food. They placed a plate in front of each person. On the plates were various types of fruit and what appeared to be fish. Unfortunately for Amanda, her plate held the snake that the chief had presented to her upon their
arrival. Making matters worse, the head of the snake was chopped off and staring right at her. She noticed that everyone was looking at her and she turned to Kyron.
“Why is everyone staring at me?” she asked.
“You are the guest of honor, Amanda Williamson. You must eat first. It is the way of the Sentinelese people.”
“This just keeps getting better and better,” said Amanda. She grabbed the knife that had been given to her and started to cut off a piece of the body.
Kyron stopped her. “What now?” she asked.
Kyron moved closer. “It is tradition as the honored guest and as a goddess that you eat the head first.”
Trying to contain herself Amanda took a deep breath. “The head? Please tell me you are joking.”
“Most seriously, Amanda Williamson,” said Kyron. “This is nothing to joke about. It shows the Sentinelese your great strength and strong will.”
“Remember your survival training, Mandy,” said her father. “Don’t think about it. Just do it. And that’s an order, Lieutenant.”
Amanda cleared her mind and stared directly into her father’s eyes. “Aye, sir.” She picked up the knife and in one swift motion sliced the head of the snake in half. She then lifted it and took a bite out of it. It was crunchy and disgusting, but she smiled at the chief and prayed she could keep it down.
The chief stood up and let out a scream. The rest of the tribe followed suit. Then they all sat down and started eating.
Kyron smiled at Amanda. “Well done, Amanda Williamson. I am proud to call you my friend.”
“I got to hand it to you, Mandy,” said her father. “That took guts.”
“Thanks,” said Amanda. “At least you didn’t say that it took brains. Now let’s finish eating so we can talk to the chief about getting into the cave.”
Her father laughed. “Good one.”
“What is a good one?” asked Kyron.
“I’ll explain later,” said Amanda.
The next hour passed as everyone finished their meals. Amanda asked Kyron to speak to the chief about entering the cave of the ancients. Kyron spoke with him for several minutes. He eventually nodded his head and stood up. He motioned to the three of them to follow him.
Cadets: 2 The Ship of the Gods Page 7