Mulvey snaps a salute, saying, "Ok sir, where’s that at?"
Mulvey abruptly collapses to the deck.
Kitanna immediately turns to Gaul and snaps, "Don’t you think this could’ve waited, till after we found that last fleet."
Gaul drunkenly smiles and says, "Uhmm yeah sure …err... hey I gotta go back, and do some leader thingy, back on my ship, bye."
Gaul activates his shifter, and vanishes from the recreation room.
Klaus looks to Kitanna and says, "Since when did I become the voice of reason. I thought I was the kid here."
Kitanna smiles, grabs Klaus by his shirt, and pulling him to her, gives Klaus a long deep kiss. Saying after, "You’re more of a man today than I have seen before, and every day you show me just how much you have grown."
Klaus is stunned, begins to stutter, saying, "Uh yeah... err ... ok, yeah I … I Uhmm, I should err... "
Kitanna grabs Klaus again and they both kiss deeply for almost a minute. Then Kitanna smiles and says, "I’m going to my quarters, if you get bored."
Kitanna smiles, as she leaves Klaus standing in shock next to an unconscious Captain Mulvey. Klaus looks down at Mulvey, and back up to Kitanna who is leaving. He looks back down again, then up and says to himself, "Sorry Captain, you look ok to me. See ya."
Klaus leaves chasing after Kitanna.
The next day, Jackson goes down to visit Qui Shi in suspended animation. Here Carla sits and stays every minute, trying to find Qui Shi.
Jackson grabs Carla up in his arms, asking, "Any change yet Carla?"
Carla shakes her head no, and says, "No Papa Jacks I keep hearing her calling out, but I can’t find her. I can’t bring her back."
Jackson reluctantly asks, "Carla, I need you to do something for me. Do you know what it is?"
Carla timid says, "You want me to find Toth."
Jackson lowers his head in shame and says, "I’ll go with you if you want me too."
Carla says, "No Papa Jacks. I can do it by myself."
Jackson apprehensive asks, "Are you sure?"
Carla doesn’t answer for a few seconds she finally replies, "I found him Papa Jacks, and he is not very far away. He’s heading toward a lot of ships, and he’s getting real close to them. I can see all the other T-Challa there too."
Jackson curious asks, "Ok, can you show me?"
Carla touches Jackson’s head, and the location is downloaded into his mind.
Jackson concerned asks, "Why did you not want me to go with you?"
Carla replies, "You’re the only parent I have left Papa Jacks. I have to be a big girl now. I have to do this alone. Mama Qui Shi got hurt because I was afraid, I can’t be afraid anymore."
Jackson holds her tight, and says, "Listen Little Flower, you’re not alone. Your father and mother are alive, and I’m going to find them, and it wasn’t your fault.” Jackson stares intently at Carla, stating, “What happened to Qui Shi was beyond anything expected. Your father made sure I stayed alive, just to keep you safe. So please don’t feel you have to protect me."
Carla hugs Jackson, and cries.
After a few minutes, Jackson returns to the bridge and says to Kitanna, “Set sensors on grid zeta four, by delta two.”
Kitanna sets sensors there, and after a few moments says, "Sir, I have an energy trail sir, albeit very faint."
Jackson looks over to Mulvey who is obviously very hung over, asking, "Are you feeling ok Captain?"
Mulvey tries his best to maintain a professional response, saying, "Yes sir, just a little headache sir."
Jackson smiles and says, "Diplomatic relations with Gaul was it?"
Mulvey lowers his head and says, "Sorry sir, it won’t happen again."
Jackson still smiling says, "I seriously hope not Captain, or the world would miss out on that great singing voice of yours."
Mulvey lowers his head embarrassed, more so than before.
Jackson refocuses his attention on Toth, saying, "Captain Mulvey, Carla believes the last fleet is here in zeta nine by epsilon eight, and if what Kitanna just scanned is Toth, then he is heading right to them."
Mulvey looks over the data reporting, "Sir, we can’t catch Toth before he makes contact with the fleet, but if we just use the Super Carriers. We can be there in less than three days. The rest of the fleet will take an additional three hours and fifteen minutes."
Jackson looks out at the fleet, activates the holocom, and says, "Ok, all ships listen up. We are heading cloaked to zeta nine by epsilon eight. The Super Carriers can cover the distance in much less time, so we will head out first. I need you to do whatever you can to get there, as soon as you can. I will be holding a meeting with all ships Captains in a few minutes to go over my plan."
Mulvey asks, "Should I bother to inform Earth."
Jackson smiles and says, "Sure.” Well, if it’s going to be my last mission, I might as well go out with a bang.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
DESTINY
Four days earlier, back at the Paladonian system. Tess and Val wake confused and dazed. They try and regain their bearings in the entrance chamber of the First Ones.
Tess sees Val and asks, "Are you alright? What happened?"
Val disoriented replies, "I’m not really sure, but I feel ok. What happened to us? I can’t remember anything."
Tess sighs, saying, "Yeah, well I did this one time before, about a hundred years ago, and the same thing happened then too. We aren’t supposed to remember what happened to us."
Val confused asks, "Do you think the Flower Stone fixed me?"
Tess smiles, "Well, you’re not acting like an emotionless robot. So I guess so."
Val says, "I don’t feel like I did before. I think I lost all the technical data Caleb gave me. I think I’m normal again."
Tess smirks as she says, "Well, you may be wishing you still had them Val, because I don’t think it’s going to be very easy for us to leave the Paladonian system without that knowledge."
Val is subconsciously aware that he has some advanced knowledge still in his head. He decides not to share that information with Tess, saying, "Well, maybe we can scare them enough to stay away from us."
Tess says, "Well, we can hope that works, but we still don’t have enough food to make it back to the Earth fleet. We may have to stop on my moon Whitefeather, and take on supplies, and I'm afraid no one is going to believe you don't have your superior intellect."
Val smiles, saying, "Well, I can try and stay cloaked in the ship."
Tess chuckles and says, "We have equipment that detects PCD’s Val. So that won’t work."
Val asks, "We can ask the people here, maybe they will give us supplies."
Tess looks down the corridor and says, "Well if they answer us they might."
Tess gets up and says aloud, "Hello! If you can hear me, we need some supplies to get back to the fleet. Can you assist us please?"
Val hears a noise and looks around, noticing a few boxes he hadn’t seen before. He says to Tess, who is looking in the other direction, "Tess, I think they heard us."
Tess looks over and sees the two boxes. She looks into them and sees they are stocked military rations. She sees no one else around. Her eyes look upward and says, "Ok Val, I’m going to take you up first. Then I’ll come back for these two boxes."
Val gets up and says, "I’ll carry one of the boxes Tess."
Tess smiles, saying, "It’s ok Val, you’ll be too disoriented trying to phase shift, especially through the field. I will do it."
Tess grabs Val, and makes her way back to Cavalier, and as she predicted, Val is unconscious. She lays him on the deck, and returns to get the two boxes, and as she does, she hears something in the room. She looks around and asks aloud, "Who is here please."
No one answers. She grabs the boxes and prepares to phase one last time. She activates her shifter, as she does. She hears a voice, saying, "Goodbye child."
Tess is unable to stop to see who said that, as she reappears bac
k in Cavalier. On the deck of Cavalier, she sees Val just regaining consciousness. He coughs, saying, "My god that is brutal, the strain is inhuman. However, do you deal with it?"
Tess replies, "Years of training Val, ok, no time for chit chat. We will soon have a whole lot of ships looking to repeat what the Valens failed to do. So let’s try and get out of here fast."
Val concerned asks, "Why do they want me so badly for? Can’t we just tell them I don’t have all that super knowledge?"
Tess smiles and says, "Yup your back to the normal old Val. Unfortunately, my people are not very trusting. Even to the most honest man in the universe, Val Arao."
Val confused asks, "Your people consider me the most honest man in the universe?"
Tess laughs, "Val, we have watched you from your birth. You could no more lie, than you could kill someone. You’re the kindest, most honest person, I personally have ever met."
Val feeling slightly guilty at hiding the fact about his knowledge says, "Tess I’m sorry, but I am not always that honest. I still have access to some of that knowledge, although, I can’t seem to access it as quickly as I use too."
Tess smiles, saying, "And your also the most gullible person in the universe too Mister Arao. I knew you still had the X’ena knowledge in your head, I just wanted to see if you would tell me."
Val confused asks, "You lied to me? You tricked me?"
Tess smiles and says, "Sucks doesn’t it. So get over it, use that big brain of yours, and go figure out how to get us out of here, because I’m picking up ships from all the moons approaching us fast."
Val feeling foolish quickly begins to look over the controls. He starts trying to figure out a way to escape, saying, "I can get us out if we jump to hyperspace, but only if we can get around that one ship."
Tess looks at the data screen, and sees which ship Val is speaking about, frowning she says, "Val, that’s a Tof ship. They are loaded with all kinds of advanced technology from the alternate timeline. That’s no easy task."
Val starts hitting the control panel buttons as a musician plays his instrument. He rush’s to the back of the ship, and locks onto Cavaliers shield emitters. He then says to Tess, “Activate the shields on the port side only.”
Tess hits the portside shield generator, and right beside Cavalier appears a T-Challa Super Dreadnought. Tess screams, "Oh my god, what did you do? My sensors are telling me that’s real."
Val smiles, saying, "Yeah and it should be telling the Tof ship that too."
The Tof Battleship locks all weapons on the Super Dreadnought, and prepares to fire. The Tof Battleship maneuvers into a firing solution. Tess takes advantage, and hits hyperspace, escaping from the Paladonian system.
Val smugly says, "That won’t last long, they will figure that out soon enough. We’ll need to contact the Earth fleet."
Tess laughingly replies, "We won’t be in range for at least five or seven days, but I can relay a message through my worlds communication grid telling them, we are on our way. We just won’t be able to hear their response."
Back with the Earth fleet, current time, and only a few days after Jackson’s decision to disobey Earth command.
Jackson is setting up his plan of attack, with all the ships Captains in attendance, by the use of a holocom conference mode. Jackson speaks, "Attention please! We have one last battle to fight, and I know you may have your doubts about whether to follow me, or head for home. I also know most of you have been ordered to leave. I want to thank you for giving me this chance, but as we all know, so many of our friends have died in this campaign. Therefore, if we go home now we say their deaths meant nothing. I won’t let them die for nothing. I can’t live with that on my conscious. I would rather spend the rest of my life behind bars disobeying orders, then to allow their deaths to be for nothing. For that reason, I can only ask you to follow me into one last battle. Help me destroy that last T-Challa fleet, and send those T-Challa lizards back to hell." Jackson pauses as he looks over the command crew. He lets his last words sink into his officers then states, "If anyone feels they don’t want to follow me. I will understand, but we are going to destroy that last gateway, and we will give the Earth all the time it needs to protect itself. So please decide now."
Jackson waits for a few more minutes to see who amongst the three hundred ships Captains decides to leave.
Finally Gaul speaks, "Jacks, if you’re all done waiting to see who’s a coward and who’s a hero. Could you just skip a head and finish telling us your plan so we can go kill Toth and bust us some of the T-Challa junks."
Jackson smiles and says, "Ok then, I'll begin. The Super Carriers are the fastest ships we have, so we will head out first, and do what we can to slow down their forces as much as possible. At least until the rest of you can arrive. We will be using hit and run tactics on them, trying to gain intelligence on the true size of their fleet, and hopefully destroy that last gateway."
Gaul concerned asks, "Jackson, you will be without Battleship, Cruiser and Destroyer support for almost four hours. You’re risking a lot, should you be detected."
Kalen adds, "You will need our support to have any chance of defeating them in an all-out battle, and you also risk giving them a chance to increase their fleet anticipating our arrival. I suggest you wait, till we all arrive and we strike them in unison."
Jackson replies, "Toth is heading there Kalen, he will not hesitate to call in for reinforcements the moment he gets there. My plan is to prevent them from activating their gateway, for fear of us destroying it."
Kalen curious asks, "How do you know he will call in for reinforcements?"
Jackson says, "We killed their Queen Kalen. He will do it."
Kalen arrogantly asks, "That is not how the T-Challa operate Jackson. Why wouldn’t he just signal ahead, and have them reinforce now?"
Jackson smiling replies, "It’s not Toth’s way Kalen, and I know Toth very well. He’s a hand’s on leader, you should remember that Toth personally lead an assault on Paladin, and I know how he will take command of this fleet. Toth is vicious, and will have to use every advantage he can. He cannot face another defeat from us."
Jackson pauses as he looks across the room explaining his statement, "First, Toth will have to justify his decision on reinforcements, basing it on what we have done in past battles. He needs to show his superiority, anything less would show him to be weak, a trait that does not lead to a long life as a T-Challa Commander."
Jackson pauses again as he looks over the field of holoimages and says, "We are running out of time, and will be leaving immediately. Do your best to close the distance with us, Jackson out."
Mulvey still hurting from his hangover asks, "Kalen has a valid point. What’s to stop Toth from just calling in reinforcements now?"
Jackson says, "I’ve been on one of their ships before Captain. I know first-hand how they operate. Toth will have to force himself as leader. It’s a brutal style of leadership. He will more than likely kill the current leader, and assume command of this fleet."
Mulvey confused asks, "General, sir? If they can’t really die and their conscience is just simply restored into a brand new body by the Queen, isn’t revenge a constant threat?"
Jackson responds, "I’d think that way too, but from what Cale told me. The Queen decides what memories the T-Challa can keep from their previous life. So I’m guessing when they’re reborn, I would have to believe that she would remove that part. Otherwise she would have a never ending series of revenge killings."
Mulvey stands, saying, "Ok sir, let me get us on our way and ready for immediate action."
Mulvey returns to his station and prepares for the planned operation.
Shortly after, the five remaining Super Carriers head out at full speed. Klaus announces, "We are locked and on course. Estimated time of arrival is just under three days."
Jackson says to Mulvey, "The Bridge is yours Captain. I’ll be in med bay."
Mulvey humbly asks, "Sir is there any change?"
Jackson caught off guard by Mulvey’s concern replies, "No, but thank you for asking Captain."
Mulvey replies, "It was your wife that took me aside and told me not to give up, and hold true to my values if I ever wanted your respect sir. She is a good woman."
Jackson smiles and says, "Yes she is Captain. Yes she is."
A day later, Gaul reports to Jackson, "Jacks, we intercepted a Paladonian diplomatic transmission from the Whitefeather sect. It was sent from Tess to her brother Kalen. She reported that she and Val are on a return vector to rendezvous with us, in eight to ten days."
Jackson surprised asks, "Kalen openly shared this intel? I’m shocked."
Gaul laughs replying, "Kalen doesn’t share anything. We hacked their secure com lines over a hundred years ago."
Jackson smiles back and says, "Trust is a rare commodity amongst your people."
Gaul scoffs replying, "Yeah and it’s in great supply on Earth too."
Later in the day, Kitanna reports, "We have gateway energy activating some thirty-nine hours ahead. I’m recording the data now."
Mulvey curses, saying, "Damn it, we waited too long."
Kitanna says, "I’m picking up multiple targets exiting the gateway, at least two hundred and forty one ships so far."
Mulvey asks, "Any ship classifications Lieutenant?"
Kitanna replies, "Mostly Dreadnoughts and Heavy Cruisers.” She pauses and says, "The gateway has closed sir. Their ships are cloaking, but I'm able to maintain a lock on the gateway for a few more hours."
Mulvey curious asks, "Because of the sensor enhancements from Mister Arao?"
Kitanna replies, "Yes sir, but the residual gateway energy is dissipating very fast, and it will be virtually undetectable unless we are right on top of it."
Klaus says, "Sir, uncloaked we can be there in twelve hours."
Mulvey sighs, "Yes Commander, but we will lose the element of surprise, and that’s not an option."
The com officer says, "Incoming transmission from Earth."
The Ocoda Chronicles Book 2 Lost Heroes Page 19