The Raygin War

  “Stand up.” Dreng moved behind him, put her hands onto his hips, and lifted him above her head in one easy motion. Mac was staring at the ceiling. She set him back down on his feet. “Could any of your other girlfriends do that?”

  Mac smiled, liking it that she considered herself his girlfriend. He got butterflies in his stomach thinking about what the words implied. Yes, it would suit him fine. “To be honest, I have never had a girlfriend.”

  Dreng made a face, as she looked him in the eye.

  “I told you, I like women. I have been with women. It’s I have never had the time to invest in a relationship.”

  “Mac, you have joined with me. Are you telling me it carried no deeper meaning to you than a physical feeling?”

  “No, I’m not saying that at all. With you, it’s the opposite. I love everything about you.” Oh no, I’ve done it now. I said love. Why did that come out of my mouth? Stupid, stupid, stupid! I find a girl who likes me, and I rush into a relationship. Everything I ever read said never ever tell a woman you love her after first sex.

  Mac was so busy fretting over saying he loved everything about her that he didn’t see her approach. Her lips locked onto his lips as her arms embraced him, sending him to heaven once again. His heart was pounding so hard, he was afraid she could hear it. So much for all the crap I had read about girls.

  Dreng released his lips, and stepped back. “Do you have any questions?”

  “Yeah, I have a few. What you said explains a lot. But tell me why did you take a four-year consignment on Rayne?”

  “It would seem the answer to your question is fate. I searched the databanks at Finder’s Station. I came across a United Fleet Command recruiting video with you in it. Your story was interesting. Your looks appealed to me, so I hacked into a docked military battle cruiser. I read your military biography, which seemed sketchy at best. The deeper I dug, the better the story got. They were hiding something about you. When I found you would be going to Rayne as the senior NCO, I decided we needed to meet. Besides, I share a common problem.”

  “Your mean you signed up to meet me?”

  “Yes, but in a way it was my father’s doing.”

  “Your father wanted you to meet me? Come on now. That’s hard to believe.”

  “It’s true, but as I said, in a way.”

  “Sounds like what we in the military call weasel words. They’re used when someone doesn’t want to lie, but has to answer a question.”

  “Okay, I said I wouldn’t lie, and I didn’t.” She smiled. “I used weasel words instead. Don’t be a jerk. Quit digging. Yes, I did all this to meet you, and – a little more.”

  As she talked, Mac realized the last time he heard so many weasel words was during a court-martial.

  “You should be more worried about our common problem than why I took a military consignment.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you off the hook. I guess a girl can have a few secrets.”

  Dreng hugged him.

  “Tell me about our common problem.”

  Dreng told Mac everything her people knew about the Raygin. It blew him away. The universe existing in rings shocked and intrigued him. She covered ship design and weapon systems. She described their bio computers, plasma rifles, body armor, and propulsion system. He learned about Raygin physiology all the way down to their soft web like brain tissue. It was one bombshell after another. It was too much to make up. It had to be the truth.

  She described the Raygin in detail. She discussed how the People’s Nation shared technology with the People of the Stars. How they infiltrated schools, businesses, and the military itself. Why? They did it to share their important discoveries with us and still stay isolated. They let their human cousins think they discovered the singularity drive, longevity drugs, weapons, and so much more. Mac did a quick verification of everything she said using joint databases on the ship.

  Dreng was either a spy or was telling the truth. If she were a spy, she didn’t have to come clean. She could have stayed under cover. She also passed on the opportunity to go to Fleet Officer Candidate School. It would be the best place for a spy. Where she was now, she wouldn’t have access to secret information. Mac concluded again, she had to be telling the truth.

  The conversation with Dreng filled in all the blanks. It even made sense, with the culprit being aliens. Mac decided he had to get a message to Fleet Command as soon as possible.

  “Dreng, my people are walking into what could be an enemy forward operating base. I have to meet with the ship’s captain and get him to drop a com probe. I have to warn Fleet Command.”

  “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The problem is too big. Our peoples are going to have to work together. Mac, can you do me a favor and don’t tell the troops about me? I’d rather they not think of me at as an outsider. I’d like them to learn who I am before they judge me.”

  “Sounds like we are in the same boat. I have some confessions I have to make tomorrow.”

  “Should I be worried?” asked Dreng.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. I’ll tell the troops tomorrow.”

  “Okay. You go make your notifications and I’ll go back to my room. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

  Mac tried to get in contact with Lieutenant Phlop, but the lieutenant wouldn’t answer his calls. He left him a message. Next, he contacted the ships administrative officer. He asked for an emergency meeting with the Argosy’s captain and the governor. The admin officer explained the captain and governor were both busy with preparations for their arrival at Rayne.

  Mac didn’t want to flex his muscles. Not yet. Not until he spoke with his troops. He told the admin officer, “Did you hear me say I have an emergency? Can you at let him know it’s why Master Sergeant McCormack is asking for the meeting right now?”

  “I’ll call the bridge, but don’t hold your breath waiting for a meeting.”

  “Thank you. I’ll wait on line,” said Mac.

  Three minutes later the admin officer came back on line. “Master Sergeant McCormack. The captain said to escort you to the private planning room on bridge level. He and the governor will be waiting for you. I have to tell you, you must have connections to pull this off. Please meet me at the ship’s admin office.”

  The admin officer escorted Mac to the planning room. She stepped into the room to introduce him. The captain stood up, moved in front of Mac and shook his hand like they were old buddies.

  “I’ve been hopping to shake your hand one day. I’m Captain Jake Tanner. We’ve met before. Do you remember me?”

  The young admin officer turned around and left the conference room.

  Mac smiled as he studied the captain’s face. “I know who you are captain. We met on Titas, the large moon of Traykon.”

  “I wouldn’t call it met. I’d call it you saved my life.”

  The governor looked at Mac with new interest.

  “I was a young pilot on my first mission during the mining wars. I was brash and cocky. I got myself shot down by a better fighter pilot behind enemy lines. I survived the crash but was hurt pretty bad. I couldn’t remove myself from the cockpit. I was stuck until help arrived. I freaked out when a team of five mercs started to move in on me. It was well known mercs didn’t take prisoners unless there was money in it for them. I wasn’t worth anything. They were crossing an open field in front of me when I heard a buzz inches above my head. It was so close I felt the air as it dragged behind the projectile.”

  “The gun’s nickname is a buzzard rifle because its projectile makes a buzz sound,” said Mac. “I still use one when given the opportunity.”

  Captain Tanner laughed and patted Mac on the shoulder. “I thought the mercs had the worst shooters. Five shots at me, and I was still alive. I was so scared I was shaking. I looked up to see how close the foot soldiers were. All I saw was five dead mercs in the open field. An armored med vehicle picked me up only minutes later. The crew said a ghost called in my crash coordinates. I’d never hear
d of a ghost. They said a ghost is a crazy ass military sniper who operates behind enemy lines. I told them about the buzz sound I heard inches over my head. They laughed and told me the only one using a Buzzard was crazy ass Corporal McCormack. Thank you for saving me. Now, tell me how can we help you?”

  After about fifteen minutes of talking, Captain Tanner agreed to launch a com probe for him. The governor sat with his arms folded. He had not said a word, up until this point.

  “Are you proposing we not colonize Rayne? We have a presidential order. Do you want all the work to get us here wasted? I won’t have it! If I understand what you are saying, you don’t even have proof the Raygin exist. We are going down, with or without your protection.”

  Mac thought, another politician willing to risk everyone’s life to protect his empire. “How about this? You put my three platoons on the ground. Monitor us while hiding behind a planet. Give us three days to snoop around, and if there are no signs of aliens bring all your people down. If aliens are here, or show up while we are on the planet, leave us, and get word back to the UFC.”

  The governor agreed to a three-day delay. He refused to tell the colonists the alien story without proof. To Mac, it sounded like Lieutenant Phlop may have already spoken to the governor. At least he didn’t have his hand forced too early, thanks to the captain. He would have time to explain everything to his troops.

  Mac created the message for United Fleet Command. True to his word, the captain launched the probe. Mac went back to his room and got a good night’s rest.

  The next day, he started the morning by briefing his troops. “We are already receiving data from Rayne. Today the temperature is 25 degrees Celsius, and the humidity is 45 percent.”

  The troops cheered. It was perfect weather for reconnaissance operations.

  “Planetary orbit commences in nine standard hours. We will be the first humans on Rayne. Our job will be to take three days to scout the planet. We need to ensure it’s safe for the colonists. We load the skiff today. Thirty minutes after planetary sunrise we leave for the planet’s surface. Departure is at 0732 ship time.”

  The troops cheered again. They didn’t understand the danger yet or they wouldn’t be cheering. The Argosy was a big ship but after three months everyone couldn’t wait to feel the pull of real gravity. There is nothing like the feeling of sunlight on your skin. The air on the ship is well filtered, but it would be nice to smell the aroma of a healthy planet.

  “What I’m about to tell you is restricted information. Keep it to yourself.”

  The words got everyone’s attention. Not the best start to the day, but he wanted his troops ready for what they might have to face. No surprises. The room became silent as everyone focused on his words.

  “I know everyone has heard stories about the Nomad. The truth is, what we know of it has been kept a secret. It’s a need to know basis. Now, you need to know. So, here’s what happened. A commercial ship found one of Nomad’s probes near a shipping route. The body was so plasma burned all we recovered was a partial message. ‘Implementing evasive maneuvers’ is all it said.”

  “Since Rayne is deep in uncharted space, the military thought it was a conspiracy carried out by the Priest Synod or a corporate consortium. There were some who thought it could be a secret group operating within our own government. They might be able to steal the plans for the new singularity drives. It might also be possible to have a secret group operating within the military to steal plasma cannons without anyone noticing.”

  A trooper voiced her concern to Mac. “Why are you telling us now? What information has changed? Did the UFC send us here knowing the risk?”

  “I’m telling you now because I have learned more information. I have confirmation the threat is from hostile aliens who call themselves Raygin. I’m willing to bet they are operating somewhere out here in uncharted space. Before we left Trinity Prime, the UFC didn’t understand the risk, as we know it now. They sent us here to protect the colonists, from other humans. Besides us, they sent two battle cruisers to protect everyone. The UFC war ships have been shadowing us all the way here.”

  “I didn’t sign up to fight aliens,” said a conscript.

  “No, you didn’t. But, remember what I told you earlier about luck? Right now yours is shitty. Let’s see if we can change it.”

  “It’s not fair,” said the same conscript. “You’ve been in wars, battles, skirmishes, firefights, and who knows what else. You’re comfortable with fighting. More than half of us have never had someone point a gun at us!”

  “Everyone has to start somewhere,” said Mac. “You had three months of holodeck training. I have made sure you’re as ready as practicable within the time parameters we had. All of you are more ready than I was for my first skirmish. Each scenario you went through was something I experienced in my career. Dwain, remember what you told me after the Skulderon holodeck program ran? After the shooting broke out, you said your heart was racing. The program was based on what occurred on Darkmore.”

  “The same Darkmore the mining wars started on?” asked Dwain.

  “Yep. It was my first firefight. I can still remember how my heart raced. The difference between your experience and mine is, I shit my pants. I didn’t even know it until we climbed aboard the armored transport.”

  The classroom went up for grabs as everyone laughed at him. Troopers slapped each other as they pictured him running with his pants loaded with crap. He glanced at Dreng. She smiled at him, and wrinkled her nose. He assured them, other than experiencing a real firefight, they were as ready as they could be. To be a little afraid and apprehensive was okay.

  “Now, let’s get back to business. The aliens evolved from a form beetle with an appetite for meat. You can bet they think nothing like us. They evolved from a hive mentality, whereas humans evolved with independent thought. Without getting too into it, they come from an older location in the universe we didn’t know existed. They have had more time to evolve and make scientific discoveries. The weapon systems on their ships are more advanced than ours. Their ships are faster, but their body armor is weaker. Let’s face it, we need to steal some of their technology. Until our technology catches up we are better off fighting on the ground than aboard a ship.”

  “The Nomad never made it to Rayne, so why do you think the aliens may be here?” asked another trooper.

  “Put yourselves in a bug’s exoskeleton,” said Mac, drawing a laugh from everyone. “What do you have to have if you are going to start a war?”

  The troops started yelling out answers. Mac heard, “ships”, “weapons”, “trained personnel”, and “supplies”.

  “You are all right. I am afraid Rayne may be a supply planet. Don’t forget, their technology is a little more advanced than ours. If I were in command of a war fleet, and could have an ideal situation, I would get my food supplies from local areas. Supply lines are dangerous. The enemy can break them or trace them backwards and destroy a war effort.”

  “Humph, this is unbelievable. Now we have a sergeant commanding a war fleet,” said Dwain. “I thought you said the Raygin are carnivorous? Isn’t Rayne full of fruits and vegetables?”

  “Raygin evolved from beetles. The bugs we know are omnivorous and like vegetables and meat. Like humans, I am willing to bet their palate didn’t change as they developed.”

  “So, Mac, the question becomes what are we going to do?” asked Tinker.

  “Our primary job is to protect the colonists. The first order of…”

  The door to the classroom smashed open with a loud bang and interrupted Mac’s discussion with the troops. Lieutenant Junior Grade Phlop stood all red faced. His body shook with anger as he pointed his finger at Mac. He squinted his eyes at him, “What have you done, you crazy son of a bitch? You went over my head, and made a fool of me with your crazy speculations about aliens. You’re removed from the position of senior NCO. I don’t care what you say. I’m still the ranking officer. Do you understand me? Now get out of my
sight?”

  Mac looked at the lieutenant, took a calming breath and turned around. He reached into his ready bag, and took out an official looking envelope. “I didn’t want it to happen like this, but you forced my hand.” Mac walked over to Lieutenant Phlop, and held out a document with Vice Admiral Michael Farragut’s seal on it. The lieutenant snatched the envelope out of Mac’s hands. To: First Lieutenant Junior Grade Theodore Phlop. It indicated it was from: The Office of Vice Admiral Farragut, United Fleet Command.

  The lieutenant broke the seal, opened the courier envelope, and pulled out a letter. He began to read as everyone watched in silence.

  CHAPTER SEVEN: Imperial Station

  On the trip’s sixth day the convoy experienced a problem. A battle cruiser developed a drive synchronization glitch. The convoy stopped to let the engineers fix the problem. During the down time, Mahpee demonstrated the weapon systems on the Wasp. He used a few nearby asteroids for target practice. The admiral couldn’t believe the tiny ship’s firepower.

  Mahpee asked if he would like the Wasp’s engineer to work with the Constellation’s engineering staff to modify her weapons systems. Although against fleet regulations, after the being in Battle of Rayne, the admiral accepted the offer. Gynn Roads, the Constellation’s chief engineer, worked with Nashta. It was the first official agreement to share technologies between the two peoples.

  The engineers repaired the drive, and the convoy was back on its way. For weeks there was no news from Imperial Station. Everyone understood the threat, so upgrades occurred at a feverish pace.

  The speed with which the ships could make major modifications amazed Nashta. They were so well equipped they didn’t need a shipyard for the minor refits. But even with all their capabilities, they couldn’t incorporate the more complex structural enhancements. Those and the miniature circuitry for the tracking systems would have to wait. Nashta sent upgrade designs to the engineering staff of each ship in the convoy. He helped the Constellation first.