For a moment Commander Jackson’s face betrayed her surprise.
“So what exactly do you need my ship for?” She asked.
“And why was it necessary to have my entire crew reassigned and replaced with a skeleton crew of five people?”
“If you’ll all follow me aboard, I will explain our mission in greater detail”, replied Sarah.
Five minutes later they were crammed around the Twilight’s tiny conference table. The large view screen hanging above the center of the table, showed a frigate with a giant hole running clean through her from stem to stern.
“Three days ago this image was captured by our remote observation platform in sector SX523.” She explained.
“As you can see, the ship has been completely crippled. The military high council has already been briefed on the situation and they are discussing an appropriate response. Our mission will be to take the Twilight to the ship’s last known coordinates and investigate.”
The entire room was silent for a while, finally Chief Nolan spoke.
“What happened to it? What could have done that to a frigate?”
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that Chief”, replied Sarah.
“Nor can I tell you what our exact mission will be; I can’t even tell you the name of the ship. At least not until we get there.”
Commander Jackson frowned.
“So you want me to risk my ship on some mission that I know basically nothing about?” She remarked in a cold voice.
“I don’t want you to risk your ship Commander”, replied Sarah calmly.
“But it’s what the situation requires. Once we get there I’ll explain and you will understand. Until then you have your orders, dismissed.”
Slowly, the conference room emptied as the crew set about preparing the ship for departure. Sarah leaned over the table, resting her head between her hands. She could perfectly understand the Commander’s feelings. In fact, on some level she shared them. They had absolutely no idea what they were going to find out there. The only thing they knew for certain was that whoever or whatever was waiting for them out there, they were dangerous.
The com panel next to her beeped.
“Major Clark? This is Lieutenant Dolohov, there’s a message coming in for you, high command encryption code.”
“I’ll take it in here, thank you.”
The view screen dissolved into static and then refocused.
“Major Clark,” Admiral Constantine’s face appeared.
Sarah stood at attention and saluted.
“Admiral, this is a surprise.”
Constantine returned her salute.
“I’m afraid I have bad news Major,” he said without preamble.
“The transport ship carrying Sergeant Williams dropped out of contact twelve hours ago and hasn't been heard from since.”
Sarah stiffened.
“Do we have any idea what happened to him sir?”
“Unfortunately not, but the area he was last in is right in the middle of a shengyet pirate gang’s hunting ground.”
“I see, Admiral request permission to initiate a search and rescue operation.”
The Admiral sat there contemplating her for a while.
“I understand how you feel Major but time is of the essence. I’ve been dragging my feet as much as possible on this mobilization of the fleet. I can only hold it off for so long and you must complete your mission before then.”
Admiral Constantine looked genuinely sorry but Sarah knew he was right. If she wasn’t able to complete her mission before the task force was assembled, then there was really no point.
“How long do you estimate the deployment to take sir?” She asked.
“About another week, maybe a bit longer if I really dig my heels in, why?”
“Then how about a compromise Admiral?” She suggested.
“I can leave immediately, maybe spend the next day or so looking for Sergeant Williams. That would leave roughly six days to investigate. If we rush it a bit we should be able to complete the mission and make it back in time.”
Admiral Constantine nodded.
“Very well Major, I am giving you permission to conduct your search. Just make sure you get back here in time.”
“Thank you Admiral.”
Constantine shook his head.
“It is I who should thank you Major, you and the rest of your crew,” he said gravely.
“You may end up saving the entire Human Empire from another costly war.”
Sarah smiled.
“Just part of the service admiral, if there's ever anything else you need, just let us know.”
Admiral Constantine chuckled.
“Now that you mention it Major, I've got major rebel uprisings in three sectors that need dealing with. Two shipyards that are at least six months behind schedule. Oh, and Senator Barns is hosting a party tonight, which she insists I attend. Any chance you could make all that just go away?”
“I might be able to help with the first two,” she said wryly.
“But only a fool messes with the Senator and her parties.”
“Easy for you to say,” the Admiral muttered.
“You're not the one who has to go.”
“Oh it can't be that bad sir.”
Constantine's eyebrows arched.
“The last party of her's I attended, she got it into her head to serve and I'm quoting here, 'a rich and diverse pallet from the far corners of the galaxy'.”
“That doesn't sound too bad sir.”
Constantine snorted.
“Let me tell you something about bessra gaan cakes Major,” he said grimly.
“They are definitely not compatible with the human digestive system.”
Sarah laughed.
“Well Admiral, good luck with whatever the Senator decides to serve tonight.”
Constantine grunted.
“I better let you get to it Major,” he said, in a more serious tone.
Sarah nodded and the view screen turned back to static.
She moved to one of the ship's intercom panels.
“Lieutenant Graham, initiate a tactical records search. Look for a Leviathan class drop ship called the Gorgon.”
“Yes Major,” came Graham's reply.
“I want to know the name and course of the ship that docked with it twelve hours ago. As soon as you have the coordinates tell Ensign Aziz to plot a course.”
“Yes Major.”
“Also, inform Commander Jackson that I wish to see her in the briefing room.”
“Very well Major, do you require anything else?”
“Get us moving to the nearest vortex staging area.”
“Aye.”
Sarah deactivated the comm. She hoped she’d be able to find Williams alive, but from what she knew of shengyet pirate gangs, the odds weren’t good.
The Twilight’s decks rumbled as the engines engaged. The ship drifted slowly away from the Terra space dock. Once she was a safe distance from the station, the ship's main thrusters engaged. The ship's artificial gravity fields reorienting themselves to counter the acceleration. Soon the ship was hurtling through the system at nearly twenty percent light speed. As they approached the vortex staging area, ports of the front of the Twilight opened to reveal the ship's breaking thrusters. They engaged and the ship slowed. A persistent hum joined the rumbling engines as the capacitors for the Twilight's dimension drive charged. When they were at full capacity, an odd shimmering distortion began emanating from the ship's hull. Thin tendrils of light formed at the nose of the ship. They grew thicker, as they began swirling together. Suddenly the tendrils erupted into a swirling vortex of light, the Twilight moved forward into it. As soon as the ship was completely inside, the vortex collapsed.
Commander Anna Jackson stared at one of the view screens on the bridge. The Twilight was hurtling through a seemingly endless tunnel of light. If she stared at the tunnel wall, Anna thought she could see distorted shapes or images floatin
g there. Perhaps, if she stared long enough, she could divine what the Major was up to. Until a day ago she had never even heard of Major Clark. Now she was being asked to endanger her ship, on what was undoubtedly some half baked mission cooked up by fleet command. To make matters even worse, her entire crew were gone. Replaced by people she had never met before today. Anna tore her gaze from the screen and focused it on the rest of the bridge.
Ensign Aziz sat at the helm gently tapping buttons as he made small adjustments to the Dimension drive. The adjustments weren’t really necessary, the on board computer could easily handle them. She assumed the Ensign liked the hands-on approach. Anna let her gaze drift around the Twilight’s circular bridge. Aziz sat directly in front of the main viewer. To his left sat Lieutenant Graham at the system’s station. On the right was Lieutenant Dolohov at sensors.
Both Graham and Dolohov looked bored and slightly uncomfortable. While the dimension drive was active, there was nothing for either of them to do. They were forced to sit there doing nothing, while the Ensign next to them had found a way to keep busy. Probably not the best way to make an impression on a new ship with a new crew. No, thought Anna. It wasn’t just having nothing to do that was making the Lieutenants uneasy. I wasn't exactly standard fleet protocol to drop everything at a moment's notice, then board a completely unfamiliar ship with an unfamiliar crew. All with absolutely no idea why or where they were going and on the orders of someone who wasn’t even in their normal chain of command.
Right, the Major, she was supposed to report to her. Anna walked through the Twilight’s main corridor toward the briefing room. Major Clark was seated at the far end of the room’s table. She looked up as Anna entered.
“Commander, please sit down”, said Clark indicating the chair opposite her.
“There’s been a slight change of plan Major. We’ll be making a brief stopover in the Eridanus five system.”
“Eridanus five?” Anna thought she hadn’t heard right.
“You have a problem with that destination Commander?”
“Yes, it’s infested with shengyet pirates, lots of them. They supposedly have a major base in the area too. The Twilight’s a stealth ship but she’s not invisible. Sooner or later they will find us and this ship’s no match for a pirate fleet.”
“I don't think so Commander”, replied Clark.
“Two days ago, Fleet Command decided that the pirates operating out of that area were becoming a major thorn in their side.”
“I never thought the top brass considered those pirates worth their attention”, replied Anna.
“Normally you’d be right, but these pirates decided to attack a major bessra trading post. Apparently some high level bureaucrat was there at the time and seemed to take exception to the raid. So in the interest of good political relations with the bessra, Fleet Command decided to close down this pirate gang once and for all.”
“What do you mean?” Asked Anna.
“I mean Commander, that the Invictus Legion, along with a task force of twelve Frigates and three Destroyers is currently deployed in the Eridanus five system.”
Major Clark looked at the data pad strapped to her wrist.
“The operation was launched around five hours ago.”
“I see Major”, replied Anna in a far off voice.
“So by the time we arrive, the system should be quite safe”, continued Clark.
“Commander, are you all right”, she asked scrutinizing Anna’s face.
Commander Anna Jackson’s face had turned to stone. She appeared to be staring right past the Major into oblivion.
“Commander, you still with me?”
“What?” Asked Anna jerking her head back to face Clark.
“Oh, yes…I’m all right. I was just thinking about that task force, isn’t it a little overkill? I mean the Invictus Legion are elite shock troops and one destroyer alone could handle the pirate fleet, let alone three plus another twelve frigates.”
Major Clark didn’t look convinced, but she didn't press the point.
“Well yes, I agree that it’s overkill but apparently the brass want to show the flag while they’re at it.”
“I see Major, is there anything else?”
“No Commander that will be all, dismissed.”
“Thank you Major”, replied Anna and hurried out of the room.
She walked briskly out of the briefing room and didn’t stop until she reached her quarters. She sat down on her bed trying desperately to stifle the sick feeling rising in her throat. Silent tears started to roll down her cheeks. Why? She thought desperately. Why was this happening, why did it have to be Eridanus five? And what in the universe had prompted Saskill and the rest of those idiots to attack a major bessra trading outpost?
Most of the alien species humanity had come into contact with had been violently conquered and subjugated. The bessra were a rare exception. In bessra culture an individual's worth was not measured by how much power or influence they held, but by monetary wealth. As a result, they were highly industrious and already had a huge trading empire when they came into contact with humans. Rather than fight the imperialistic humans, the bessra had willingly become a protectorate of the Human Empire. This gave them the protection of the massive human war machine and the Empire benefited from the vast influx of materials and trade.
The bessra enjoyed considerably more rights and privileges than any other species under human rule. They were the only alien race with an embassy on Earth and the Empire worked hard to maintain good relations with the bessra. So obviously they would want to ensure that any bessra trading posts were well protected. Saskill and the rest of the clan had to know that, so how could they be foolish enough to attack the outpost?
For a second Anna was furious with them, but it melted away instantly. They were dead now, all of them. That much she was sure of, three destroyers and another twelve frigates. With that kind of firepower, the shengyet’s motley collection of ships would be reduced to atoms by now. And if even half the stories she’d heard about the Invictus Legion were true, the shengyet wouldn’t fare much better on the ground. Suddenly Anna knew who she was angry with, the Empire, humanity in general. Her friends, her family were dead and the Human Empire was responsible.
Chapter 4
Pain, he felt pain which meant he wasn't dead. Andrew’s right thigh was sending waves of it coursing through him. Blinking in the darkly lit room, his mind started to function. The shengyet, the crash.
A beam of light hovered above him.
“You all right?” Andrew recognized it as the freighter Captain’s voice.
He was standing above him holding a light stick. Andrew sat up slowly, surveying his surroundings. He was sitting atop a pile of old blankets in what appeared to be the ship’s cargo bay, or at least what was left of it. Cargo boxes had been ripped open by the impact and their contents strewn all over the place. Through large gashes in the hull he could see the red dusty landscape of the planet. It was only then that he noticed he was wearing a breathing mask.
“So what’s this planet like?” He asked turning to face the Captain.
“Well from what I can tell it’s dry as hell, with a thick atmosphere of ammonia and carbon dioxide.”
“So no chance of finding a source of food or water?” Asked Andrew.
“With our luck the only edible thing on this planet will be some giant predator just waiting for a snack like us to stroll along”, replied the Captain dryly.
“Does any of the communications equipment still work?”
“No, we have no way of communicating with anyone. The entire front of the ship is smashed so there’s no chance of repairing it. Your right thigh had a piece of shrapnel stuck right through it. I managed to get it out and cover the wound with a medical pack, but I doubt you’ll be able to walk for the next day or two.”
Andrew looked down at his leg, a large red bandage covered his left thigh. Grasping one of the cargo bay’s support beams he slowly pulled hi
mself up. The pain was quite severe but manageable. He’d be able to move around, just not very fast.
“It’s not as bad as it looks,” he informed the Captain.
“Whatever you say pal, but you can barely walk let alone over great distances.”
“Great distances?”
“Yeah, look the shengyet obviously know where we crashed and they’ll be coming for us. We have to get as far away from here as possible.”
Andrew shook his head.
“Listen to me,” he began.
“You said there’s absolutely no source of food or water on this planet. If we just wander off aimlessly we’ll most certainly die.”
“Okay then, what do you suggest?” The Captain demanded.
“That we stay here until the shengyet come along and blast us from orbit?”
“I don’t think they’ll let us off that easy,” replied Andrew.
“They know from that transmission of yours that at least one of us is human. That means they’ll want to come down here and capture us. Once they discover that we’re not important enough to make a ransom demand from the Empire, they’ll kill us in the worst and most painful way they can come up with.”
“Wow you’re just great at cheering people up,” the Captain laughed nervously.
“Look at it this way, if they try to capture us we can hold them off for at least a while. Maybe even long enough to get rescued.”
“Fight them off?!” Scoffed the Captain.
“Look man, there's only two of us and I'm no soldier. I'm not waiting here for those savages to get their claws on me, I'll take my chances out there.”
Andrew was getting sick of this man and his panicky attitude. If trying to calm him down wouldn’t work then maybe brutal honesty would.
“Okay, if you feel that way, I can kill you right now.”
“What?!” Yelped the Captain.
“Even though I don’t credit shengyet pirates with an abundance of imagination, I am quite sure they’ll come up with some truly horrible ways of killing us. You head out there and you'll die slowly of hunger or thirst. So it'd be a lot less painful if I just killed you now,” Andrew said flatly.
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