“I know that doesn’t forgive what I have done, but I needed to tell you of all people. I have a plan, Lee. It’s wild and relies on some pretty unorthodox action, but that’s why I need you. You and your ship, I’m afraid. I can’t really tell you any more just now. You have to take a leap of faith and trust me one more time. In the meantime, the mission you are now on, the war games, are vital to the plan. I need you to treat these games as if they are life and death, because they just might be.”
“In closing, I want you to know how much I regret everything; and I mean very thing I have had to do but I have to hope you understand I did it for the best intentions. Take care of that ship, Lee and Alice. They may be the only two things you can rely on when things are at their darkest. Good luck and Godspeed, Resolute. Chang out.”
The red linked blinked off as the recording ended. Lee sat for a long time, staring at the dark panel. In the end, he moved to the bed and climbed in beside his love. As his troubled mind tried to process the message, he felt Alice’s arms around his chest. In the end, that was the last thing he thought about before sleep claimed them both. Troubled waters greeted him in sleep, but even in slumber he clung to her for support, and it made the nightmares less dangerous somehow.
4
Preparations for launch were in their final stages by the time Lee returned to the bridge. He had managed the three hours the doctor had prescribed and arrived in a fresh duty uniform. Alice had risen as well to wait out the first transition in the new pilot ready-room near the expanded launch bays. The command center was abuzz with activity as Lee settled into his new chair.
The old bridge was a testament to function over form, providing the captain with easy access to all his duty stations, but it had always felt cramped and stuffy. The redesign had simplified the outdated control systems and made the bridge feel more spacious despite being nearly the same size. The dual pilot console, damaged during the war, had been replaced by a single console. New systems allowed Josh Goldstein, the ship’s navigation officer, to pilot the vessel less like a warship and more like a fighter. Astrogation had been moved behind Lee and was a largely automated system. Communications had been upgraded, and Kama Yu sat as efficient as ever in the seat recently vacated by Farthing, his former first officer. Tactical was immediately to Lee’s left, with the Octopod in charge. The engineering station was behind and to the left of the captain’s chair and was being manned by a young ensign Roy Booth had taken an interest in training. The young woman, Tate, seemed bright and intelligent each time Lee spoke with her.
“Time to depart?” Lee asked his first officer, who was standing beside the chair with a straight back.
“We have been cleared by the station for departure at your command,” Na’Tora said crisply. “We are ready to clear all moorings and proceed.”
“Josh,” Lee asked his pilot, “do you have coordinates for the jump?”
“Coordinates received and entered. We are ready to follow markers. Awaiting your orders, sir.”
“Good. Tactical? Shields at the ready?” Lee asked the Octopod.
“Affirmative. All tactical defensive and offensive systems standing by.”
“Engineering, report,” Lee said, swiveling his chair to look at the woman directly. “If we shift into first, will anything happen?”
“Sir?” Tate replied with a strange look. “First what?”
“Are engines at the ready, Ensign?” Lee clarified with a grin.
“Yes, sir. All flight modes ready. M-space conversion systems are nominal. We are go for launch, although…” The young woman hesitated. “The port thruster is still sticking a bit.”
The odd phrasing caught Lee off guard for a moment. His love for ancient vehicles was known among the old crew, but this new ensign had not yet been indoctrinated to her captain’s quirks. Her use of the old language for firing a chemical rocket had caught his attention. It seemed the young woman had done some research herself into Earth’s ancient history. Lee nodded to Tate and turned his chair back around to face his comm officer. Kama had her head down over a scanner. The blue light gave her exotic face a strange, alien look.
“Well, that’s just a trademark of the old girl,” said Lee. “Commander Yu, signal dry docks to clear all moorings and give the signal to the crew to prepare for launch.”
“Sir,” Kama replied. “We are receiving a signal direct from the admiralty.”
“Put it on the screen,” Lee said with concern. His message with Chang had left him shaken but determined to complete the mission. “I guess they want to see us off.”
“It’s not to us, sir,” Yu replied. “It’s being sent direct to engineering.”
“Tate?” Lee said, turning back to the young woman. “What’s this all about?”
“I don’t know, sir,” Tate replied, tapping keys on her panel. “It’s being received directly into the engineering systems. Commander Booth is relaying as it comes in.”
“Kama?” Lee called. “Is there any word from command?”
“Aye, just coming in. They are saying it is a software upgrade for the new systems. A patch to the stabilization systems. They send their apologies for the inconvenience.”
“Is Booth concurring with the patch?” Lee asked Tate.
“Um…” the woman replied, her face turning red. “I think so, sir but he’s…”
“Swearing like a sailor?” Lee said. “Then it’s probably okay. Don’t worry, Ensign, he doesn’t do that more than three or four times an hour. Kama, signal all clear and activate transponders. Josh, blow the lines and get us out of here.”
A chorus of acknowledgements answered the captain as the ship began to come alive. Na’Tora stayed beside the command chair as Lee watched the fuel and supply lines being retracted. The Ch’Tauk officer fielded the minor requests with sharp, efficient commands taken directly from the Alliance manual. Although Lee detested the man and everything he stood for, he was forced to admit he did seem to be able to follow orders well. His smell was something he was getting used to, and the crew seemed to be accepting a Ch’Tauk as first officer as well.
“Mooring cleared,” Goldstein said. “We are free to float.”
“Power us up to point oh-one and take us out.”
“Aye, sir. With pleasure.”
Lee felt his hands tighten on the arms of his chair. The ship and crew had been stationary far too long for his tastes. Resolute was built almost a century before but she had been built to fly. Sitting still and being peeled and repaired had been an indignity his old girl needed, yet it still felt wrong to have feet planted on a deck that wasn’t moving. The free to fly message had made Lee feel for the first time in a while as if he truly were free to fly. As the ship began to move, the brief feeling of vertigo that swept over him as dry dock moved away was the feeling of freedom Lee had been missing. He waited to hear the information which would mean he was truly in command of his ship again, and when it came he had to push down the elation.
“We are clear of dry dock and free to maneuver,” Goldstein informed him. “Resolute awaits your command, sir.”
“Thank you, Mister Goldstein,” Lee said. “Take us to Alpha jump point and secure all stations for transition to M-space. Power up the generators and bring us up to point one-two. I want to enjoy the ride while we still can.”
“Aye. Point one-two and taking the scenic route to Alpha,” Josh replied with a smile.
Resolute began to stretch her legs as the ship accelerated. The dry dock facility orbited a twin star system in Vadne space where the admiralty had set up a command post. Hundreds of ships in varying states of refit were occupying nearby space. Orderly movement was managed by opening and closing jump points in three designated areas. At the center of the activity, the carrier Baal sat like a lord in his court. Lee again had the feeling he might not see the ship again and tried to shake the superstitious nagging. The massing of ships meant Chang was preparing for something big, and soon. It felt wrong to be going off to a war game w
hile the Alliance fought the enemy, but he knew his ship needed to be tested before going into real battle. There were too many new systems to leave the voyage to chance. In the distance, Lee saw the frames of two of the new Trinity class keels being laid out. The original had been lost in Terran space when the Gizzeen had taken the system. The ships were the best hope the Alliance had of fighting back against the invasion.
“Jump point clear, sir,” Goldstein announced. “I have coordinates entered and am receiving navigational data from the relays. We are good to go.”
“Time of arrival at the games, Commander?” Lee asked his XO. “Do we have time to catch a nap?”
“Nap?” replied the Ch’Tauk. A pungent odor wafted from the creature in his confusion. “I don’t think my translator understand that word. Are you planning on sleeping for a short time during this mission?”
“It’s an old Earth expression, Commander Na’Tora,” Lee replied with a grin. “Estimated time of arrival?”
“According to our coordinates, the navigational system estimates six hours to the Tonal game zone. Engineering reports they may be able to do it quicker, but I don’t understand how our arrival could be bloody.”
“He said we’d get there in our own bloody good time, didn’t he?” Lee asked. “You have a lot to learn about slang, Commander. In any case, Josh, take us in.”
“Aye sir. Activating jump portal.”
Lee stared at the big screen as the familiar blue brown spiral opened in front of his ship, though from the corner of his eye he noticed something odd about the vortex. Reports had been coming in of disturbances in M-space. The disruption to travel had not been severe in systems far away from the cataracts, but the effect was disconcerting. Streaks of yellow and gold shot through the edges of the vortex. It reminded Lee of a light panel which had blown out and was shooting sparks. The vortex came closer as the ship moved inside. Immediately there was something wrong. The ship bucked violently as she passed the event horizon and entered into the void between universes.
“Engineering, report,” Lee ordered. “What the hell is going on?”
“The new software, sir,” Tate called over the noise of the bucking ship. “It activated as soon as we entered.”
“Can we get back out?” Lee asked. “Josh, pull us out of here now.”
“Helm is not responding. Whatever that software is doing, it’s in charge. I’ve got nothing here,” replied the pilot, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I can’t even tell you if we’re going in the right direction. Navigation is dancing the tango with the engines.”
“Kama, can you purge the program from the system? That might force a reboot and drop us out of M-space.”
“Negative,” Kama replied, an uncharacteristic element of panic in her voice. “I’ve got static from the main computer.”
Another quake on the ship reminded Lee of the one time he had tried surfing in the Gulf of Mexico. The nose of the ship rose and slammed down again as waves of exotic energy swept over them. The view out the screen didn’t help either. Streaks of light were moving past the ship too fast to be made clear. Instead of the blue-brown globs of energy, the screen was displaying streaks of energy and light which didn’t seem to make sense. M-space was a membrane between this reality and the next. It was normally a calm ocean of energy and void. What he was seeing was a stormy sky near the center of the eye of a hurricane.
“Engineering reports they have a solution,” Tate shouted over the chaos. “They can stabilize the ride but the generator is on automatic.”
“Do it,” Lee ordered, holding tight to his chair. “Maybe we can figure it out when we aren’t being shook to pieces.”
Lee could hear relayed commands from behind. Tate was trying to make sense of whatever was going on in engineering, but the shouts and screams he heard were not promising. The ship began to shudder ominously before a massive bump nearly tossed Na’Tora over the navigation console. Lee’s back was aching as he struggled to stay seated. It seemed to last forever before the ship smoothed out and Lee could relax his grip. The image of the strange streaks of light blasting by stayed on the screen. Damage and injury reports began to stream in, handled ably by Na’Tora as Lee tried to understand what had gone wrong.
“Tate?” Lee asked, turning his chair. “What’s going on down there?”
“Engineering reports no damage. The stabilizers weren’t calibrated for that speed in M-space. They assure me the rest of the ride should be smoother.”
“Speed in M-space?’ Lee said. “That’s not possible. The engines don’t work that way.”
“Apparently,” Tate replied. “They do now.”
“Josh,” Lee called back to his pilot. “Do we have any idea where we are?”
“Not really, sir. The navigation system is giving me some strange readings. We have apparently passed seven relay points so far, but I think two of them were the same one. Signals are really phased out.”
“Seven relay points?” Lee replied. “How can that be—”
“Sir!” Kama called from communications.
“Lee looked back to the screen to see a rapidly forming vortex. The edges were jagged, and Lee was worried they wouldn’t be able to fit through the aperture. As he watched, the ship shot from the vortex, trailing a blaze of energy and plasma. Josh was practically slamming his panel in trying to slow the ship as it bled energy from the translation. Lee let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding as the ship slowed and the screen cleared.
“Where are we?” Lee called. “What happened?’
“Getting star chart readings now, sir,” Goldstein called. “Give me a second.”
“Engineering reports all controls have been returned to normal operation,” Tate called. “The M-space generator has been taken off-line. Repairs are underway.”
“I want that program purged from the system, Kama,” Lee ordered. “Relay to command the information and request details of who ordered that upgrade.”
“You might want to wait on that, sir,” Goldstein replied. “I’ve got our location. We’re there, sir. We’re in the game zone.”
“That’s impossible, Josh. There’s no way we could have made a six hour jump in three minutes.”
“I double-checked, sir. We are in Tonal space.”
“We’re receiving an incoming transmission from Alliance carrier Zeus, sir,” Kama Yu announced. “It’s Captain Dalton.”
“Oh great,” Lee said to himself. “Just what this day needed. Put him on.”
The image of Franklin Dalton’s dark face snapped up on the projection screen. Ever since Lee had escaped from the carrier and shamed Dalton in front of the fleet, he had harbored a deep enmity. Dalton had once held the rank of commodore before the Alliance had formally combined Tonal, Vadne and Terran fleets. When the Vadne joined, they insisted on a reduction in rank for the two commodores in the fleet, and a restructuring of the rank system. Although Chang had restored the other captain to a vice-admiral, Dalton had been passed over. The man blamed Lee and his escape for the slight.
“Pearce,” Dalton barked over the comm line. “You’re early.”
5
The next six hours were spent trying to decode the program sent by command before the jump to find out if it was an accident or a purposeful re-tasking of the engines. One clue came when an encoded file produced the name of Melaina Petros, the designer of the new M-space engines and one of Lee’s oldest friends. Booth wanted to tear the program out of the computer core by hand, but was convinced to do the research and discover if they could make the program safe. Alice had taken to the task of calming the man down and working with him on the new engine design. Since her return, Lee’s fiancée had shown an aptitude for engineering she had only barely expressed before. It hadn’t gotten in the way of her duties and gave her something else to do while they awaited the briefing, so he left her to it and went about his own duties without another thought.
Instead of having a meeting of commanders, Dalton opted
for a holo-conference. Na’Tora had taken a seat in the briefing room before Lee had arrived. As Lee entered, the briefing room walls were already beginning to shimmer and change in anticipation of the briefing. Lee sat near the back, two rows behind his first officer, to get a better view of the assembly. As the other officers shimmered into existence, he noticed several Ch’Tauk officers beside other human captains. The last to appear was Dalton, with his own first officer on the stage. Lee had a sharp sense of deja-vu looking at the man. As he aged, he looked, and acted, more like his father. As he stepped to the podium and cleared his throat, the assembled commanders settled into seats. The reconfigured conference room had identical twins on each of the other Alliance ships in the fleet. Standardization was becoming the new norm.
“Thank you all for being prompt,” began Dalton. “I’ll make this quick, as you are all receiving this data as we speak through your comm systems. This will be the first of several training exercises to test out new tactics in our war against the Gizzeen threat.”
Dalton waved a hand over the podium and the lights dimmed. A new image blossomed into view as the walls and other captains disappeared. Lee was engulfed in the feeling of falling as bare space surrounded him. Ahead was the cloud of particulate matter called the Enxy Sea by the Tonal, a milky patch that covered the forward field of vision from port to starboard. The final remains of some cosmic disintegration, the field was heavily polarized and played havoc with scanners. Lee had only seen the place in simulations before coming here, but the location made sense.
Resolute Strike (The War for Terra Book 7) Page 4