by Ben Winston
“Del’nire, I’m really sorry we didn’t get to spend more time getting to know each other. Perhaps next time we see each other we can,” Ariel said, smiling at the timid man.
“No, it was important that you and grandfather get to know each other. I know something big is coming soon, somehow I doubt I will survive it, but I really do appreciate your words, Ariel. Perhaps we will see each other again, before the end,” Del’nire replied, morbidly.
“You really are more beautiful than Estelle was.” He turned and walked, his shoulders slumped, quietly up the ramp. The rest of the Imperial guard boarded smartly and the ramp retracted into the ship as Ariel, Hs’ean and Ariel’s Guards hurriedly walked back to the house.
“You know, I really am going to miss him, Sean,” Ariel said to her friend.
“I am too. Being Emperor is a lonely job. Since his wife died, he’s been mostly alone. I think he feels like he has family again.”
“What about Del’nire? Doesn’t Cr’ale talk to him at all?” Ariel asked.
“Not so much. Del’nire was correct; he never should have been born a noble. He has gambling debts, and has made too many deals with the wrong people. Baron Altrov all but owns him, and Del’nire knows it.
“He wasn’t kidding about not being around after the fireworks start. Altrov will have him killed for not letting him know it was coming,” Sean replied sadly. “It really is too bad, other than the gambling, he really is a good administrator.”
“Why will Altrov have him killed? He doesn’t know anything!” Ariel asked.
“Altrov won’t believe for a minute that he didn’t know; he’ll torture him for hours before he’ll kill him. But in the end, he’ll die and he knows it. I think it speaks well of him that he is willing to go to his death rather than try to betray anyone.”
“Well, I don’t think he needs to die a senseless death. On the eve of the first party, I think we’ll need to send him an invitation,” Ariel said.
“That might not be possible, Ariel. We’ll have to look at it once we get to the planning stages,” Sean said. “First we have to get the troops together.”
“No, first we have to find a place to train them and build their ships,” Ariel said grinning. “I take it Tal’ba and Thorn are still getting reacquainted?”
Sean chuckled. “She picked Tabitha for her name here, and it would take a nuke to pry those two apart.”
“Just dropping the contraction and using ‘Talba’ probably would have worked here. It is a pretty name,” Ariel replied.
“Well, I think you have an admirer in her. The announcement of your title was broadcast, so the better part of the known Galaxy knows what you look like. She asked me non-stop questions about you all the way down here. I thought I was going to have to order her to be quiet,” Sean said grinning.
“Well I hope you told her that I’m just a normal girl that happened to get named heir to the throne,” Ariel replied. “I’ve got enough people walking around here in awe of me.”
“One of these days, you are going to figure out there is nothing normal about you. However, I did try to down-play you to her; but I don’t know how much it helped.”
“Well, once she gets to know me, I’m sure the bubble will get shattered,” Ariel said. “I hope she won’t be too disappointed.”
Sean walked with Ariel into the house, toward Ariel’s study. “I don’t think that’ll happen, Ariel. The more I’m around you...” She paused, and shook her head. “You are going to do great things, Ariel. I can see that in you. I don’t have any abilities or anything, but you look the part of the Emperor’s Heir.”
“Well, what people think of me is really irrelevant, we have work to do, and the sooner we get it done the better off our people will be.”
Almost a week had passed when Denise asked to see Ariel. “Highness, we have a problem with the recon network. We’ve gotten about forty percent of the probes out there, so we powered up the control systems here. During testing, we keep getting false readings.”
“What kind of false readings?” Ariel asked.
“The probes are reporting multiple ion trails in this system. The ones not in this system only report either empty space, or the isolated, random trail. The isolated ones can be explained away as sensor ghosts since these are really sensitive, but the ones in this system have to be defective. I need your authorization to have them replaced,” Denise told her.
Ariel felt cold panic in her stomach. “Cole! Warm up the engines and power up the weapons systems. Please get me Admiral Hs’ean aboard the Divine Light, this is an emergency! Call Alex, Thorn and Tabitha in here as well please.”
“Right away, Ariel. I’ll put the Admiral on your speaker phone.”
“Hs’ean here, what’s up?”
“We may have a big problem. Denise just reported multiple ‘false’ readings as they powered up the recon net. I don’t think they’re false. I’d like you to go to action stations, and analyze the data she received,” Ariel replied.
“They could be false readings, Highness. Those buoys are really sensitive, and we have been flying around a lot in this system. They might simply be picking up our ion trails,” Hs’ean replied.
“With respect, Admiral. The first thing we did was interface with the flight control computer aboard the Divine Light so we couldn’t get false readings. The readings we are getting are for medium and heavy freighters and more recently several smaller craft,” Denise reported. “A few stop at one of the moons of the forth planet, but the rest come here.”
“The smaller craft; where did they go?” Hs’ean asked quickly.
“They all came to this planet, Admiral. No deviation at all.”
“How old are the signatures they reported?” There was no doubt in Hs’ean’s voice now.
Denise answered hesitantly. “The larger craft are the oldest at about four days. All the smaller craft would have arrived here in the last twelve hours.”
“Highness, I recommend you triple your guards immediately. I’m setting condition red and manning the fighters. Chief, please return to the control center, and immediately report any new traces whether they are coming or going, false or real. Understood?” Hs’ean ordered. “I’ll get one of my shuttles loaded with combat ready marines. If anything shows its head, I’ll drop my assault troops on them.”
“Highness, Admiral, How can those have been ships? In order to arrive here this fast, they would have had to have been sitting right on the edge of the system!” Denise said. “Besides, none of the ion trails are coming from the right direction for them to have dropped out of warp outside our sensor range.”
“Chief, five days ago, a long-duration worm-hole opened up twenty light-hours from this primary. Astrophysics says the other end is near Canis-Orbalisk,” Hs’ean replied. “The terminus is thirty-nine degrees off of solar north and well outside the plane of the ecliptic for this system.”
“Oh gods! Those were ships, not a malfunction!” Denise said almost panicking.
“I’m willing to bet the smaller ones are either assassins or assault teams trying to take Ariel out. Altrov isn’t wasting any time,” Hs’ean said. “Highness, in light of this development, may I suggest you bring Cole up here for those upgrades the Emperor wanted you to get?”
“You can suggest it, but it isn’t going to happen. How are we supposed to catch these fuckers if I run every time things get interesting? It’ll also tell the Baron, I’m afraid of him; something I am definitely not. Let’s just locate these idiots and have a chat with them. I have an idea how to send the good Baron a very special message,” Ariel said cryptically.
A knock on the door announced the arrival of the three people Ariel had asked for. “Sorry we’re late Ariel, we were out in the hanger,” Alex said by way of explanation.
After filling the trio in on current events, Ariel asked Denise the status of the special satellites Ariel had asked for.
“They were sixty percent complete at the last report earlier this
evening. With Cole and Tewney in orbit with them, we could get almost full coverage. The ships have a more sophisticated sensor suite then the satellites,” Denise suggested.
“Then that’s what we’ll do, at least to begin with. As soon as you return to the control center, I’d like you to start scanning the area around Las Vegas first. Cole and I will get up there as soon as we can. If you find anything before we get there relay the information to Cole, and inform the Admiral we are initiating a strike. Maybe we can surprise those pricks,” Ariel told Denise, and the girl left hurriedly. “I suppose I should have asked first, but am I ready for this?” She asked Thorn.
Thorn laughed. “Yeah, but I get the feeling that wouldn’t matter much. Could I talk you into taking Master Chief Bri’tell with you? Just until you get used to fighting for real?”
“Highness, I can’t authorize this since you don’t have your shoulder guard yet. However, I know better than to try and stop you. I suppose Thorn will just have to classify this as a training mission,” Hs’ean said from the speaker phone.
Ariel looked up at the ceiling. “Cole? Please tell the Master Chief he has fifteen minutes to get geared up for a live assault on planet.” She glanced back down at the phone. “That’s a good idea, Admiral. It would be good training for me.”
“Just remember, if you get killed, I have to load up everyone down there and make a run for uncharted space, because your grandfather will kill me!” Hs’ean said.
Ariel ignored the joke for the time being. “Admiral, please ask me about the training and ship building facility when we get done with this. I think I’ve figured out where to put what.”
Tabitha was quietly talking into her communicator while Ariel was speaking to Hs’ean. Ariel was tempted to ask her what that was all about, but time was wasting. “Let’s get out of here, Thorn.”
“Ariel, you better use the tunnel; I’m detecting multiple intermittent contacts converging on this property. They’re carrying laser rifles,” Cole said.
Chapter Fourteen
“Damn!” Ariel said in frustration. “Cole, put the house guard on full alert. I don’t suppose that cloaking device the techs put in can function as a shield can it?”
“I’m afraid not, it was decided that if shields were to become necessary, the ship could engage its own,” Hs’ean answered before Cole could. “The techs thought an active shield would disrupt the guidance devices on any of your aircraft in the area.”
Ariel stood thinking for a minute. “Tabitha, can you deploy your fighters to assist the satellites in the scanning, while we get this situation handled down here? Thorn, Bri’tell, and I will be hunting these bastards down here while you find their ships. We should try to capture one of them, but if we can’t, we’ll need to take them out with the least amount of collateral damage as we can.”
Tabitha grinned. “I was hoping you’d invite us to have some fun too! We’ll be in place in less than thirty minutes, Highness! May I have your leave to join them?”
“Stay safe and good hunting, Commander,” Ariel said by way of dismissing the woman.
Tabitha grinned, turned and left. “Let’s go get suited up, Thorn. We have a party to throw for some uninvited guests. Admiral, I’ll have Cole let you listen to the comm.”
“One more thing, Highness; have Alex get everyone down to the control center. It’s safer down there,” Hs’ean suggested.
“Good Idea, Admiral.” Ariel glanced at Alex to see her nod. She was pale and looked frightened. “You’ll be safe down there, Mom. Please just get everyone down there. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Alex grabbed Ariel and pulled her into a hug. “Be careful! I love you!”
“We will, Mom,” Ariel said as they broke the hug. She looked at Thorn, “Let’s go do this.”
After they left, Alex stood staring at the door. “Sean, she can do this can’t she? I mean, she’s not running out to die is she?”
“Alex, in combat, there are no absolutes. I can tell you she is very well trained. All she needs to become a Guardian is the hostile environment training. All of her instructors agree she is one of the best they’ve ever seen. Given that, I would say she is going to be as safe out there as she would be staying in the house with you. Don’t ever tell her this, but I’m not only impressed with her, I’m proud of her as well,” Hs’ean answered.
“I am too. I didn’t even know I had a daughter, and now I’m afraid I’ll lose her.”
“We’ll all do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen. Now please get the rest of the household down to the control center. It’s likely to get really scary down here shortly,” Hs’ean said softly.
When Ariel and Thorn arrived in the hanger, the first thing Ariel noticed was Tabitha’s fighter was missing and Ariel briefly wondered if the woman wore her flight suit under her clothes. The second thing they saw was not only Bri’tell getting suited up, but Wendy and Taylor as well.
“Slight change in plans, kids. We won’t be taking Cole and Tewney out yet. There are several people approaching the mansion armed with laser rifles,” Ariel looked at Thorn as she suggested the next, “Wendy; I’d like you stay here and protect our family. You’ll have most of the house guard to help you, so I would suggest listening to Corporal D’shear’s advice. Taylor; you get to be Thorn’s playmate while the Master Chief comes with me. Questions?”
Thorn and Bri’tell both nodded their heads in agreement with her suggested deployment, but Bri’tell voiced a question. “Earth weapons or Imperial? You said the enemy is carrying laser weapons.”
Ariel thought for a moment, before she spoke. “Wendy can have whatever she thinks she’ll need, but we should carry silenced 9mms. I would suggest an advanced side arm as well, but if we can leave the least trace of alien involvement, I’m sure our local police department would appreciate it. I would like to get a few of them alive, but don’t risk your life in the attempt. If you can’t capture them, take them out. If you find a ship, make sure either Cole or Tewney knows where it is.”
The tactical overlay in Ariel’s vision changed to an animated aerial view of the mansion and the surrounding area. The mansion was delineated in green, and had six red dots slowly moving toward it. The closest looked to be about a mile away and was holding position. The rest weren’t that much farther away, but didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry as if they were waiting for something.
Bri’tell almost laughed when he saw the looks on the faces of three of his four companions. He knew that the ships had just sent some data to them. The first few times it happened to potential Guardians they got the strangest looks on their faces. Thorn just seemed to glance up slightly and his eyes lost focus.
“What are they waiting for? They would have a better chance if they just charged right in,” Wendy asked.
“They’re waiting for sundown. But I don’t understand why; in the dark, their weapons will be more visible when they fire them,” Thorn said, confused. “They’ll be a lot easier to find.”
Taylor slapped her head. “Ariel, it’s the Fourth of July! No one will notice the extra fireworks!”
“Shit! I forgot all about that! Wendy, be sure to tell the guards about all the fireworks. We don’t want them accidentally shooting some kid with a sparkler,” Ariel said.
“I don’t understand, what’s ‘the Fourth of July’?” Bri’tell asked.
“The fourth of July. Roughly two hundred and thirty years ago, this country won its freedom from the British Monarchy in a very bloody war. Every year, it’s celebrated with lots of fireworks. Sky rockets that burst in multicolored displays; firecrackers that sound like gunfire, and give off a flash, bottle rockets that fly a short distance and explode like a firecracker. Lots of different stuff that could easily be mistaken for weapons fire of almost any kind. Locating those pricks by seeing the weapons fire won’t be reliable at all,” Wendy said. “Mix that with the extra people that will be outside to watch the displays, and we've got a mess.”
Ariel w
as pulling up the skin-tight, Black body armor over her panties. “It means we are all going to have to be very careful choosing our targets. It would be very easy to mistake a regular human celebrating the forth, for one of these off-world assassins.”
“Wonderful; our only point of identification will be the laser rifle. If they’re wearing a camo-suit, visual identification will be next to impossible!” Bri’tell said in frustration.
“May I suggest using multi-spectral enhancers?” Tewney suggested via her external speakers so everyone could hear her. “That way, no matter what they are wearing, you should be able to see them.”
“That would work okay for us, but the Master Chief would have to wear the external unit,” Taylor said. “Everyone and their mother would see it.”
“It’s built into his helmet, Taylor. They only gave us the implants because we tend to go into combat without much advanced notice. Bri’tell and his buddies hardly ever visit hostile planets alone,” Thorn replied.
“I’m not so sure we should be doing it this time either,” Bri’tell replied. “I’d at least like to be wearing full crysteel battle-armor. These skin suits will burn through in one or two shots.”
“The whole point of this is to not get shot, Master Chief,” Ariel said. “These suits will work just fine against the guns the local police will use on us, if they happen to get involved. Which we don’t want.”
“Do we have holsters for the 9mms, Cole?” Ariel asked as she fastened the power unit harness. She looked at Thorn and noticed his armor had the shoulder guard with his rank and position pinned to it, denoting him as a Guardian. Thorn caught her looking at the guard and winked at her, he mouthed the words ‘soon’ to her, and she smiled.