by D. J. Holmes
“We will not help you Captain, and your anger will not change that fact,” Way-isal responded. “If we shared our star maps with you, then it would only invite the Karacknids’ wrath upon us. At the moment they only divert a small percentage of their fleet numbers against us. If they thought we were actively helping other races, that would quickly change. And as to your other point of concern, the Karacknids destroyed our homeworld five centuries ago. Since that time we have watched them conquer many species. Why should yours be any different? We have suffered at their hands enough. We will not intentionally allow them to kill more of us.”
Emilie closed her eyes as her hands tightened into fists. She wanted to scream at the Mothers, to grab their tentacles and shake them. She knew that would not work, however. Instead she desperately sought for one more argument, one more line of reasoning that would convince them to keep their minds open to working with her. Before anything came to her, Way-isal spoke again. “We will take our leave of you now Captain. Do not worry, we will make sure our people look after you. But we have other matters to attend to. Farewell.” Emilie’s eyes snapped open. She had nothing to say, but she still wanted to scream at them. It was already too late. Both Kalassai had turned and were rapidly swimming away. Emilie’s mouth fell open as she started to shake from shock. She completely forgot about her breather. It slipped out and her mouth quickly filled with goo. Coughing and hacking she grabbed it and shoved it back in place. It took several deep breaths for her to get control of her coughing. By time she did, both Mothers were out of sight. Wide-eyed, she turned to Walker. He had listened to the entire exchange in silence. The look she saw on his face stunned her. She had never seen such an expression on any marine before. It was one of defeat. Even without a mirror, Emilie knew her face would be etched with the same emotions. They had failed. Utterly. The Mothers had been nothing like Wal-sma. For some reason Emilie couldn’t fathom, they had not listened to her. No, she corrected herself, they listened, they just do not want to believe.
For the first time it dawned on Emilie just what she was dealing with. If the Mothers were centuries old that meant they and their parents had seen the destruction of their homeworld. They had spent their entire lives in hiding. They will not take any risks. Not without proof. And the kind of proof they wanted was the one thing Emilie could not give them. Not when she had been all but abducted from her ship and brought to meet the Mothers on her own.
Looking around, Emilie felt helplessly trapped. She was floating in the middle of a massive goo filled chamber, at the center of a colossal ship in the middle of unknown space. She was completely at the mercy of the Kalassai and she had no way of getting home. Nor of getting the evidence she needed. Emilie closed her eyes again. I don’t even have a way to tell James that the Kalassai will not help us. Despair engulfed her. A deeper despair than Emilie had ever felt before. If she was truly trapped, then the war would rage on without her. Earth, her uncle, Alvarez, and everything she knew and loved could be destroyed and she wouldn’t even know about it. Probably, she would never even find out.
With no energy left nor a will to fight, Emilie didn’t resist when Walker took her arm and gently pulled her through the goo back towards the door to the chamber where Wass-maka was likely waiting for them. She simply didn’t care what happened to her now.
Chapter 33
Twice civil war has threatened to engulf the Empire. Thankfully the first revolt stalled before many systems were corrupted to its cause. That Imperial Rupert allowed himself to be used as a figurehead for the attempt to seize power showed the wisdom of the Empress and Emperor in removing him from the line of succession.
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.
Intrepid, unnamed system, 12th December 2482 AD (same time).
“How much longer?” Alvarez snapped as he changed position in his command chair once again. He was looking over at the two remaining members of his intelligence team.
Matthews and Seth were hunched over the sensor console on Intrepid’s bridge. Lieutenant Maguire was hovering beside them as well. Matthews shook her head as she looked up at Alvarez. “It’s complicated. Other ships have been in orbit of this world. Non Kalassai ships. So there are other trace amounts of heavy metals. Deciphering the trail from Seth’s drone isn’t going to be easy.”
Alvarez ground his teeth together as he looked away from them and glanced at Jones. For a month and a half Acting Captain Jones had diligently followed the breadcrumb trail left by the drone Seth had attached to Wayfarer. It had been slow progress for they hadn’t been able to travel too fast for fear of missing the trail. Yet not once had Alvarez had to try and talk Jones into keeping going. They had been in orbit of the small rocky planet for eight hours though. The trail had definitely led them here but figuring out where Wayfarer broke orbit and in what direction was proving difficult. The longer it took, the more nervous Alvarez got. He knew Jones was happy to keep searching for Emilie as long as there was a trail. But if the trail went cold… Alvarez was unsure what would happen next.
“What kind of ships do you think have been in orbit?” Jones asked the three people hunched over the sensor console.
“I’m not sure there’s any way to tell for sure,” Maguire answered. “Though given where we are and who we know frequents this sector of space. We could probably guess.”
“We can more than guess,” Seth said, full of his youthful confidence. “There’s definitely been Karacknid ships here. Maybe they were hunting Wayfarer as well?”
“How do you know that?” Alvarez asked in a tone that wasn’t entirely friendly. He didn’t like the idea of Karacknid ships hunting Wayfarer. Not at all.
“It’s simple really,” Seth replied, seemingly unaware of the edge in Alvarez’s voice. “When the Karacknids attacked Earth, my classmates and I were carrying out a school project looking at Earth’s upper atmosphere. We were investigating the impact several centuries of space exploration has had on our homeworld.”
“And?” Alvarez pressed.
“Our sensors were able to get a before and after snapshot of the upper atmosphere,” Seth continued. “After the Karacknids’ attack so many of their ships were destroyed there was a spike in tritanium and a magnesium cadmium alloy that we named magdium. Intrepid’s sensors are only picking up microscopic traces of either alloy, but they are both here.”
“That’s good work,” Maguire commented as he clapped Seth on the shoulder. “It’s possible that other civilizations in this sector of space use similar alloys, but pretty unlikely.”
“It just gives us one more reason to be extra cautious,” Jones commented, loud enough for all his bridge officers to hear. “So everyone, keep your wits about you.”
Alvarez grunted in response and turned back to the image of the rocky world Intrepid was orbiting. Emilie was here, he thought. She probably looked down on the planet just as I have. Despite the frustrations of their delay, Alveraz forced himself to take comfort in that. Though he didn’t know for sure if she was alive, he had to believe so. And that meant the world in front of him was the closest connection he had with her. Though he kept staring at the planet, his mind wandered over the many hours they had spent together after they had come clean about their feelings. “We will get her back,” he whispered to himself.
Even as Alvarez spoke, Seth jumped up from his seat. “I’ve got it!” he shouted. “At least, I think I have,” he said as he looked up and found everyone else staring at him.
“Matthews?” Jones asked the astrophysicist.
“Hold on, I’m checking,” Matthews responded. Moments later she and Maguire looked up and turned towards Jones. Matthews nodded. “Yes, we have it. I’m relaying the coordinates to navigation.”
“Plot us a course navigation,” Jones ordered. “Keep us in stealth for now. Let’s make sure we’ve got a firm track on the trail before we boost our speed.” Jones looked over to Alvarez. “We’ve still got a chance. We may not be hot on her heels, but we are coming.”
Alvarez nodded back to communicate his thanks. Then he focused on the holo projection and the new course that traced a path away from the rocky world they were orbiting and out towards the edge of the system. Weeks ago they had passed beyond the edge of the star maps the Gramrians had given them. Now they were exploring blindly. But presumably the trail led to a shift passage out of the system and onto wherever Wayfarer had gone next. Just as Alvarez’s frustration was passing, a flurry of alarms made him jump.
“What was that?” Jones demanded.
Matthews, still at Intrepid’s sensor console was the first to answer. “It was another negative photon wave! There must be Karacknid ships in the system!”
“Did it detect us?” Jones followed up.
Before Matthews anyone else could answer, more alarms blared. This time Alvarez recognized them as alerts that new contacts had been detected. Twisting his head to the sensor display he saw two contacts that had just lit off their engines.
“Those contacts were not the source of the sensor wave,” Maguire commented. “They’re fleeing in the opposite direction.”
“Show me,” Jones requested. On the holo projection, a new dot appeared. Even as the bridge officers focused on it, three new contacts appeared right beside the dot. They were all accelerating after the two ships that had revealed their presence. Jones nodded. “Those first two contacts have to be Kalassai ships,” Jones concluded. “The three pursuing are Karacknids. No doubt their large sensor ship is still in the vicinity of where it released its wave. Matthews, what’s your best estimate for our situation? Did they detect us?”
Matthews shook her head. “There’s no way to know for sure. We’ve made a few adjustments to our stealth tech but this time we are not hiding in the dense atmosphere of a gas giant. Without knowing how sensitive their apparatus is, I can’t give you a firm answer.”
Jones took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s assume they haven’t detected us for a moment. Clearly the Karacknids are intent on destroying those Kalassai ships. For all we know, one of them could be Wayfarer. Even if it’s not, we have to intervene. If we can contact the Kalassai, they may be able to help us get Emilie back.”
Alvarez ground his teeth. He wasn’t so sure about that, the Kalassai had abducted Emilie in the first place. But he recognized Jones’ logic. If they could show the Kalassai they were worthy friends, then perhaps they would return Emilie. At least these Kalassai might help them find Wayfarer if Wayfarer wasn’t one of the ships being chased. It was a thin hope, but it was something.
“Put us on an intercept course, maximum acceleration. What sensor data do we have on the Karacknids?” Jones asked almost as an afterthought.
“Three light cruisers Captain,” Intrepid’s tactical officer replied. “At least, that’s the computer’s best estimate. Their acceleration rates do not exactly match up to the data we have on Karacknid ships though.”
“That’s okay,” Jones responded. “They’ll be their adapted long-range cruisers. Let’s hope they have less weapons.”
“We’re getting a COM message,” Intrepid’s COM officer reported. “It’s from the Karacknid ships!” she said as she looked up, surprise written across her face.
“What is it?” Jones prompted her.
“The Kulrean translation software is working on it now… I think they think we are a freighter. They’ve ordered us to power down our reactors and await further instructions. They say they have sent a shuttle our way.”
“So they did detect us!” Jones said as he brought his hands together on his lap. He was looking at Alvarez. “But they either didn’t get a good enough look at us to figure out who we are, or they don’t even know about our species. How long do you think it takes news to travel from one end of the Karacknid Empire to the other?”
Alvarez thought about the question. “Six months at least, possibly more. As far as we know they have no jump gates. But that would be the communication line between main Karacknid systems. These long-range cruisers could have been out of contact with their bases for months, perhaps many months.”
Jones smiled. “So they may have no idea what they’re up against. Okay,” he said with a nod as he turned back to his COM officer. “Send them a reply. Tell them we are a species from a nearby system further away from their borders. Pick one at random and name us whatever you like. Let them know that we are at war with the Kalassai. Inform them they have abducted one of our officers and we intend to get her back.”
“Yes Captain,” the COM officer replied.
“Navigation, engage engines,” Jones said as he turned back to looking at the main holo plot. “Show us our course if you would.”
Alvarez watched the holo projection fast forward through time as Intrepid’s computers predicted how the chase would go. He couldn’t help but grimace when it was apparent the Karacknid ships would catch up with the Kalassai before Intrepid could get into weapons range. The Karacknids would have about twenty minutes to freely engage the Kalassai. And there’s no escape for them, Alvarez thought. The Karacknids would catch the Kalassai a full hour before they could jump to shift space. Unless the Kalassai’s weapons were more effective against Karacknid weapons than they had been against Intrepid’s, Alvarez wasn’t sure they could survive that long. Which means they need us. Alvarez wasn’t sure if that was a comfort or not. If one of the ships was Wayfarer, it could be destroyed before Intrepid got close enough to help. On the other hand, if the Kalassai needed Intrepid to survive, they would hopefully be more amenable to offering some help in return.
“They don’t seem too bothered by us,” Maguire commented moments later. While they had gone to maximum acceleration, the Karacknid ships hadn’t turned from their pursuit of the Kalassai ships.
“That’s fine by me,” Jones replied. “They can ignore us right up until we run a missile down their throats.”
Alvarez suspected it wasn’t going to be quite that easy, but he shared Jones’ sentiments. At least, to a certain degree. He had no problem with the Karacknids ignoring Intrepid and allowing her to close with them. Yet, if they could be diverted from their pursuit, the Kalassai wouldn’t be forced to fight them alone.
“Another COM message is coming in from the Karacknids,” Intrepid’s COM officer reported. “It is simply a repeat of the previous message. They’re demanding we power down our engines and wait to be boarded. They haven’t responded to what we sent to them.”
“They have never been big on small talk,” Alvarez said. “I guess they don’t care whether we’re from a small single system civilization, or one far bigger and more powerful than theirs.”
“Ignore it then,” Jones responded.
For the next thirty minutes all three groups of ships maintained their heading and acceleration rates. Jones had his crew carry out a couple of simulated defenses against Karacknid missile salvos to steady their nerves. Intrepid’s tactical officer also had plenty of time to get a firm missile lock on his targets. “Missile separations!” Lieutenant Maguire announced just a couple of minutes after the last simulation came to an end. “Gravimetric sensors are detecting thirty missiles. They are all targeting the Kalassai ships.”
Alvarez let out a deep breath as he fought to keep his hands from fidgeting. They still had no way of determining whether or not one of the Kalassai ships was Wayfarer. Both of them were about the right size, but neither ship had responded to the COM messages Jones had ordered sent to them. If they weren’t Wayfarer, given how Wayfarer had responded to Intrepid before, the Kalassai probably thought Intrepid was as much an enemy as the Karacknids. And they’re going to pay the price for that mistake, Alvarez suspected. If they had responded, Jones could have coordinated his movements with the Kalassai. Instead the Kalassai were on their own, for now at least.
If Alvarez wasn’t afraid that Emilie was on one of the ships being targeted, he would have watched the Karacknid missile salvos with fascination. No one had any idea how Kalassai defenses would handle Karacknid missiles. Instead, h
is fists tightened into balls as the Kalassai point defense weapons appeared and shot out thousands of small blobs at the Karacknid missiles. Surprisingly quickly, the Karacknid missiles disappeared from Intrepid’s gravimetric display. Initially Alveraz thought the Kalassai gunners had got lucky but missiles continued to disappear rapidly. Soon there were only a handful left. Before any got close enough to detonate, they were all taken out by the Kalassai point defenses.
“I guess their gunners are pretty good,” Jones commented. “Maybe they don’t need our help after all.”
“They are impressive, but all it takes is for one missile to get through,” Alvarez responded. He had no idea how a Karacknid antimatter warhead would fare against whatever the Kalassai ships were made from, but he suspected it would be just as devastating as when one hit a Human ship.
“The Karacknids are launching their second salvo,” Maguire announced. “Thirty missiles confirmed in it as well.”
As Intrepid’s bridge officers continued to carry out their duties, Alvarez had nothing else to do but watch the missiles. They were quickly destroyed. But not as quickly, Alvarez thought as he leaned forward in his command chair. Either the Karacknids had altered the ECM of their missiles or luck was not on the Kalassai’s side this time. Two missiles got closer than any from the previous salvo. One was taken out at the last second but the final missile scored a proximity hit on one of the Kalassai ships. Intrepid was close enough that Alvarez was almost watching the fight in real time. As the antimatter washed over the Kalassai ship, Alvarez eyebrows shot up. Rather than eating into the ship and annihilating the normal matter it came into contact with, the antimatter appeared to scorch the Kalassai ship’s outer hull. Some of its hull was clearly burnt away, but the Kalassai ship held together. Seconds later a small explosion blew out a section of the Kalassai ship. Its acceleration immediately slowed, though only by about ten percent.