Four Tomorrows: A Space Opera Box Set

by James Palmer

  Chapter 13

  The Cagliostro hurtled through space, on the trail of their enigmatic foes. All six people aboard the ship were now on the command deck, including General Abruzzi.

  “All systems are restored and operating at one hundred percent efficiency, Mark.”

  “All right Dan, thank you. Good job, by the way.”

  Sledge laughed from behind his console and display, “What’re you thankin’ me for? You did half the work.”

  “And I couldn’t have gotten it done without you Dan, so once again, thank you.” Mark answered stoically before turning toward Red, “How are we doing Red? Is the trail still there?”

  “Yes the ion component of their engines energy signature is easily readable, Mark. It’s glowin’ like a beacon to the sensors.”

  “How long till we intercept them?”

  “Hard to tell Mark, we can’t see that far ahead with the sensors, but I’m trying to recalibrate them for that energy signature and not much else.”

  “Do what you can Red. If you need help, let me know I designed the damned things, I know how to mess with them better than anyone.

  “I’ll help ya out Red. I know those systems, an’ I am the ships engineer.” Dan offered.

  Ariel looked at Mark cautiously then turned back to the main viewer, stoically.

  “Dan, our speed?”

  “One hundred percent of hyper-warp capability Mark. We can’t get an iota more speed out of her.”

  “Dan, how are the engines holding up? I mean at this velocity?”

  “So far no problems, boss, but that doesn’t mean they can do this indefinitely.”

  “They don’t have to. All they have to do is maintain this speed until we overtake our enemies.”

  Ariel swiveled her chair around and faced Mark, “How do you know they can’t get away from us? These beings have been flying through space, deep space for who knows how long? I’d guess thousands of years. What makes you think we can catch them? And once we do, then what? They defeated this ship once already, what makes you think they can’t do it again?”

  “Because Ariel, Mark began, uncharacteristically grimly, “I wasn’t in command.”

  The hours drained by interminably as the command crew sat restlessly, watching the main viewer.

  “Eddie, we need coffee up here. Do me a favor and get us each a cup from the commissary. You’ll have to make a fresh pot.”

  “No problem, chief.” Eddie replied with a lopsided grin. “Just don’t forget me if you find somethin’; that needs to be shot.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it, Eddie. When we find those ships, and our people, you’re the only person I want behind the trigger of the Cagliostro’s guns.”

  Eddie nodded and smiled, “Okay Mark I got it. Be right back.”

  “Hey Mark, can I talk to you a minute?” Danny stood up.

  “Uh, who’s flying the ship?” Red asked.

  “Auto pilot, following the trail. It’s all fine.” Dan replied as he walked towards the maglovator. “C’mon boss, I need a word.”

  Mark rose from his seat, “Ari keep an eye on things?”

  “There are six people on the ship and everyone except Eddie is right here,” she replied.

  “All right,” he agreed with annoyance, “just make sure we’re flying straight and you don’t hear anything over your comm console.”

  Mark joined Dan as the doors shut behind them.

  “What?” Mark asked, annoyed, and showing it.

  Dan halted the maglovator before it went anywhere.

  “We need to talk.”

  “We’re doing that now. What is it?”

  “You’re pushing, badly, man. You have to stop. It doesn’t even sound like you talking up there.” Dan jerked his thumb towards the command deck.

  “It’s me, you know that.”

  “Obviously Mark, but you sure ain’t actin’ like yourself. What’s goin’ on here?”

  “You know what’s going on. We’ve had this conversation before.”

  “I thought you went all through that with Ari? C’mon man, you have to be yourself.”

  Mark turned and looked Dan directly in the eyes, “I am myself, more than ever, trust me buddy, and I know what I’m doing.”

  “I do trust you, definitely. I just wanna make sure you’re straight in the head with this. It’s us against maybe an army.”

  “Dan, I know what I’m doing. Believe me.”

  “See? This is what I’m worried about. You’re not even really listenin’ to me. You’re ‘yessin’ me an’ ignorin’ me at the same time. What is wrong with you?” Dan asked wide eyed.

  “Listen to me Danny; I was taking this whole thing too lightly. I got so caught up in the adventure, the thrill of going where no one had gone before. It was amazing stuff. Who wouldn’t be? But for once the General was right about something, hell,” He cocked his head sideways and smirked, “I’m sure he’s been right about a lot of things in his military career, otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten where he is now. The man is a professional soldier, and that’s what I was missing when we took off, the right attitude. The business-like attitude to do what had to be done, no matter what it takes.”

  “What are you talking about, man? You took out one of those star ships that attacked us.”

  “No Danny, you’re wrong. I didn’t take it out, I damaged it. If I had been a soldier, a man like Abruzzi is, I’d have destroyed that ship and sent a message.”

  “Mark you can’t think like that man.”

  “No Danny, I have to think like that, exactly like that. We were attacked and they would have killed us all, and we know that for a fact now, because of the message they sent and left just for me. Message received. Clearly. If I had thought like that forty people, whose names I know personally would still be alive. Hell, Danny, there’s another sixty out there who may be dead already too. This stopped being a game and just became deadly serious. In fact it always was, and it’s my fault for not treating it that way to begin with.” He exhaled and started the maglovator returning to the command deck, then turned back toward Dan, “I knew what we were getting into and I treated it like a video game instead of what it was. I have to not only avenge the people who were killed because of my own foolishness, I have to save the ones who may still be alive, and heaven help those monsters who have them, because if they are hurt, these aliens are truly going to find out what this ship can do.”

  The maglovator doors opened and the two men walked back to their stations, Dan eyed Mark silently.

  Ariel looked first to Mark, then to Dan, yet said nothing. Sitting in a chair at the back of the deck, General Abruzzi creased his brow as he folded his arms across his barrel chest and exhaled thoughtfully.

  Suddenly an alert siren blared to life, then quieted to a less jarring volume within five seconds. “We’ve got contact, Mark.” Red advised. “One ship, currently one hundred million miles ahead of us and losing ground quickly.”

  “Slow down to match speed to theirs. I want to be on the outskirts of our sensor range.”

  “Roger, Mark.” Dan confirmed.

  “Eddie prepare all weapons. When we do intercept them I want it to be done quickly. Also we’re going to have to be ready to go on there and get our people back from them.”

  “What if they already dropped our people off somewhere?”

  “Then Red, we’ll find out where they are before we destroy that ship.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Red agreed.

  “How do you want to do this?” Eddie asked.

  “Very simply Eddie, hard and fast. Keep all solar cannons at full power and fire tight beams. I want to punch holes in their shields and then their hull.”

  The General smiled silently, in his seat behind Mark.

  “Red, can you pick up any of the uniform tags?”

  “No, nothing yet, we are pretty far off though.”

  “What’s this ‘tag’, Johnson?” the general asked.

  “The unif
orms we all wear have various properties built into them. They can protect against small arms fire as well as energy resistance to anything short of a heavy energy rifle. They also have a locator transponder built into them, as well as a communicator in the sleeve.”

  “So these tags as you called them are broadcasting a signal all the time?”

  “No general, it’s a passive system, meaning we have to scan for them. If you don’t know what to scan for, you’ll never find it.”

  “Ingenious, but it must be limited to the range of your ships sensors then?”

  “Yes, but these sensors are the best built on Earth.”

  The General smiled, “And since you said that son, I believe it, knowing the magic you can engineer.”

  “Thanks General, I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Mark smiled without looking behind him where the General was sitting.

  “Well don’t get used to it. I wouldn’t want to ruin my reputation,” the General replied with a smirk.

  “You two lovebirds can stop your mutual admiration society,” Red broke in, “that ship’s starting to slow down.”

  “Danny, Eddie, are we ready for action?”

  “Yeah, chief, we are. As ready as we’re ever gonna be I think.”

  “Do they know we’re here Red?”

  “I don’t think so, Mark. It’s not what they slowed down for.”

  “What’d they slow down for then?”

  “That.” Answered Red as he brought up an image on his display, an image of a sprawling space station, a great wheel spinning slowly, majestically in space.

  “Wow.” Dan exclaimed, “That’s some piece o’ Engineerin’.

  “Yes, it is, Danny. Okay we have to stop that ship from docking with it.”

  “I think we should get out of here,” Red announced.

  “Why?”

  “I’m counting thirty eight ships exactly the same as the one we’re following that are docked there.”

  “That ain’t good,” Eddie replied.

  “Dammit!” Mark punched the arm of his chair angrily, “I’m not leaving our crew in these creature’s hands.”

  Ariel turned towards Mark and began to speak, her voice loud, “We may not have a choice. There are thirty eight ships there. How can we even hope to take them all on?”

  “I want that one. That ship.”

  “We don’t even know if that’s the one that took our people.” She countered.

  “It is, logically it has to be. It waited around the longest. The Cag’s engines may have been powerless, but the sensor system still retained the barest amount of energy in its own emergency back-up battery pack. We all know three ships left from the video replays, and one remained. That one.” He stood up and pointed from his chair at the view screen, “If they don’t have our people anymore, they know where they are.”

  “Mark,” Red began, “we’ve been following this ship for days now. But we’ve always been at least a day behind them. They could have dropped our people off anywhere along the way before we caught them.”

  As if in reply to Red’s comment, a small alert began to blink and buzz on his own virtual display.

  “Ummm, okay, scratch I said that. That’s the ‘Tags’ being read by our sensors. That ship was shielded but that space station not so much. Sixty tags just appeared.” He turned back to face Mark, “You were right boss, they’re all here.”

  “Not for long.”

  “Johnson,” The General began, “You can’t really be thinking of taking that thing on can you?”

  “I thought you of all people would be behind me here, General.”

  “I don’t believe in fighting losing wars, son. There’s no way you can win here and save your people.”

  “I disagree with you, General. I’m just working out the kinks of all this right now.” Mark sat back and rubbed his chin pensively.

  ‘I hate when you look like that,’ Ariel commented telepathically.

  ‘Why is that?’ Mark replied.

  ‘Because it usually means trouble that leaves me questioning why I started dating you.’

  He looked at her and grinned boyishly, ‘Probably more for my looks then my brains.’

  ‘Actually it was probably more for your money.’ she smiled gently back at him.

  “Well? Are you two going to stop the mental love making so we can get back to what’s at hand?” Eddie cut in.

  “Already back on it, Eddie. Just crunching the numbers, and seeing where things are going to land.”

  Mark leaned forward in his chair then, “Red, where are our crew, can you pinpoint them?”

  The view screen changed to a grid type pattern before their eyes, blotting out the view of space and the station. Then it zoomed in and overlaid a schematic type diagram of the station itself. “This appears to be a subsection of the station that I have to assume is a jail. There are what I would call cells here, and in six of those cells are our people.”

  “So ten to a cell, nice, jam them together, very hospitable of these aliens.”

  “How close are they to the ships that are docked?” Dan asked.

  “The ships are docked along the outer rim of the wheel of this station. The crew is being kept at the hub, it seems most of the population is at the hub. The ‘spokes’ of this wheel are tubes they use to travel to and from the ships docking ports. The outer part of the wheel seems to be maintenance areas as well as defenses and the docking ports themselves.” Red finished.

  “This gets worse and worse,” Eddie commented, and shook his head disgustedly.

  “Not really, the problem just changed, that’s all Eddie. They are keeping everyone together, at least for now, and that’s a major plus for us.”

  “So what are we going to do? We can’t just charge in there, guns blazing, to use your own terms. We’ll be annihilated.”

  “You’re right Eddie. But we still have to get our people back.”

  “So what are you thinkin’?”

  “Bait and switch.”

  Everyone turned towards the General sitting behind them on the Cag’s command deck.

  “What are you suggesting, General?” Mark asked.

  “You draw them off, while some of us go onto the station as close to our people as possible and free them.”

  “How do you expect to pull that off?”

  “Your other ship, the smaller one.”

  “The Stargrazer? What are you talking about?”

  “Listen Johnson, you make a run at them with this bird, while the Stargrazer sits hidden behind a moon in stationary orbit, like you did earlier. Then when all their attention is on this ship and they leave to chase it, you have someone go in with the Stargrazer, punch a hole in their hull and get our people out.”

  “Wait,” Eddie began, “You want to stuff sixty people into the Stargrazer? They’d be packed in there like Sardines.”

  “Maybe so, but who’d notice they were gone with all the mayhem this ship would be causing?”

  “That’s a valid point, General, but we’d have to work out shield generator emplacements on the station as well as the ships.”

  “No Mark,” Dan interrupted, “We’d need to work out where their engines were the most vulnerable.”

  “What’re you thinking Danny?”

  “We wound as many ships as possible as quickly as possible, in as many ways as possible. Get the number of ships cut down as far as we can, then hightail it out of there. The remainder will be chasing us, hopefully and leave the Grazer free to attach itself to their hull near the cells. We cut through the hull grab our people and hyper-warp out of there to meet up with the Cagliostro at a pre-determined place.”

  Mark turned towards Abruzzi, “What do you think, General, it was your idea?”

  “I think it’s a solid plan. I also think we’ll need some luck on our side.”

  “Red? You’re my security man, what are your thoughts?”

  The burly security chief shook his head with downcast ey
es and then looked up at his boss. “I really can’t think of a better idea. I think it’ll work. The Cag is heavily shielded, and if they try their power draining weapon with the modifications we came up with, I think we should be able to handle them.”

  Dan Sledge nodded in agreement, “Even without the ‘Grazer here, we’ll be fine if they hit us with that thing again.”

  “Only thing that remains is who goes with what ship?”

  “I’m staying with you, wherever that is.” Ariel demanded.

  “Son, I have a suggestion as far as your teams go. Your two big men and the sharp shooter have to go rescue those civilians. Being that your pilot is super humanly strong and fairly invulnerable will make him plenty useful in that raid. The born warrior with the red hair will be very helpful in that firefight and the marksman is a necessity. That leaves you, me, and your girlfriend as the crew here. That’s my recommendations, as a military man I think that’s the best plan.”

  Mark nodded slowly and began to grin slightly, “I’m learning more from you every hour, General.”

  “Ha! I’m just a bull headed old fool who has seen a few missions under fire, son. I picked up a few things along the way, that’s all.”

  “All right. Let’s get this show on the road. We need a technical scan of one of those ships.”

  Red touched a virtual button and a display went up before Mark and Dan on their consoles, “Already done when we were following that behemoth in.”

  “Good man, Red. Now we have to look over their engine design for flaws and weaknesses while the rest of us get ready.”

  “You do know we have a better chance of being blown away then we do of succeeding, right boss?” Eddie asked.

  “Yes Eddie, I do, just as well as you do, but we have no choice in the matter. Too much is riding on this.”

  “What about the people back home?” Ariel asked.

  “The Earth is safe, Ariel. There are almost two hundred destroyer class war ships between the outer edge of the solar system and Earth.”

  “Only problem there, Mark, is the General’s clone,” she replied.

  “Which only means we have to get back to Earth before any of these ships do.”