Promises & Prophecies

by Lee Watts

  "Who cares. Keep up, or you'll I'll leave you here too."

  Clear of the rocky field, and out of Crimson's range, Jaiden relaxed a bit and set course to dock with the Fortune.

  "Nice flying," Mei complimented. "See, I knew you could do it."

  "Well, that makes one of us," he responded. "Mei, back in the cave you said Crimson chased a colony ship into an energy distortion, and it was never heard from again."

  "Yea, it was about twenty years ago, but I still remember. We just finished a raid to get some supplies and a piece of the map. The captain took a shuttle and was going to meet us at the usual spot, but Crimson got into some kind of a scuffle with the passengers. His eye was gouged out, so he wanted to blow their ship to pieces. The ship ducked into a distortion to get away. He would've followed them in if I hadn't stopped him. It probably got ripped apart in the distortion."

  Jaiden remained silent as he dwelt on this revelation. Recognizing the other half of the story from what Aulani and their father had told him, he, at last, knew who was responsible for the nightmare that befell the Morningstar. His mother's death, his and Aulani's existence in that god-forsaken jungle, everyone who died during those long years, it was all Crimson's fault. Crimson… Crimson, the name pounded in his mind as a knot formed in his stomach. His father often said there are no coincidences only situations the Elder has crafted. Jaiden was more certain of that than ever and promised himself he would make Crimson pay for what he had done.

  Returning to the ship, Sosimo met them in the docking bay. Mei informed him about the Fame and how it got inside The Cloud.

  "Crimson?… Figures. That changes things. The Fortune is only invisible on sensors, not the naked eye," Sosimo reiterated. "I'll bet he's got a visual on us right now. We need to get out of sight until everything is set. Jaiden, head up to the bridge and take us back in The Cloud. Not too deep - just enough where Crimson can't see us. Though Jaiden moved the ship as the captain wanted, it did little good because of the homing beacon aboard informed Crimson of their every move.

  CHAPTER 13

  "The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way." – Job 18:10

  The Dauntless held back from the main fray of the starfighter battle and instead positioned itself on the station's far side. By doing this most of the station's weapons were directed away from the fighters. While the super battlecarrier bore the brunt of the weapons fire coming from the station, it didn't strike back with its main cannon. Concerned that the main weapon of the Dauntless was too powerful, Balin thought it might cause an overload, destroying the station prematurely. With sufficient shields and armor plating to absorb a prolonged attack from the station, the admiral had his ship's secondary and tertiary cannons do the striking. When the station's shields collapsed, then the Marines could board the station and get the target data.

  Outside the station, Realm and Ramillie starfighters whirled about in a deadly frenzy.

  "Concentrate all fire on the lead cruiser," Lieutenant Commander Hammond ordered the fighters of the thirty-sixth fighter squadron which he now commanded. "Its targeting the shuttles. We've got to give them cover."

  "Ironman, if you can keep the fighters busy, Stinger squadron with take care of that cruiser for ya," Dakota called over the radio.

  "Copy that, Stinger One. We'll hold them off as long as we can," Ian replied.

  "You heard the man," Dakota announced. "Stingers Seven and Nine, form up on me." The two Arrowhead class ships quickly took up position to Dakota's left and right. "Excellent. The rest of you Stingers, I want y'all to concentrate fire on the top section of that cruiser."

  Zooming through the wild melee of opposing starfighters, Dakota's squadron sped toward the Ramillie cruiser. While the other fighters vectored for attack runs against the vessel's top, Dakota and his two escorting ships ducked under a Ramillie carrier to approach the cruiser from the bottom.

  "Reduce speed," Dakota ordered.

  "Stinger One, did you say reduce speed?" asked one of his wingmen.

  "Roger that. We've got to give the Ramillie time to figure it out."

  "Admiral," reported a Dauntless bridge officer, "The station's shields are offline."

  "Acknowledged. Balin to boarding party, screens are down - repeat screens are down. Proceed. All fighters, shuttles are making their run. It's time to see how good you are."

  "That's my favorite time," Dakota announced over the radio. A gleam caught in his eyes as sensors showed his squadron's attacks against the top of the Ramillie cruiser had caused it to divert shield power there.

  "Stingers Seven and Nine," Dakota called to the two ships with him, "time to move. Follow my lead."

  "Roger that, Stinger One."

  Dakota slammed his throttle forward causing the fighter's engines to flare to life. His two escorting ships followed suit and the trio went into a steep dive. Far enough out, Dakota pulled up hard and charged the Ramillie cruiser from the underneath side.

  "After 'em, Boys! Give 'em the gun! When their shields fall, launch missiles," Ian instructed and loosed the full brunt of his ship's multi-barreled cannon against the bottom portion of the enemy cruiser.

  Blue streaks of energy slammed against the Ramillie craft. Dakota's shots were almost immediately joined by his two wingmen's, and within seconds the enemy shields collapsed.

  "That's it," Dakota cheered. "Launch missiles!"

  In rapid succession, half a dozen missiles pounded the cruiser, each successive one penetrating deeper into the damaged ship. The last one hit the engine core the ship went suddenly dark then electrical charges started crackling around the hull.

  "She's gonna blow," Ian shouted. "Peel off! Peel off!"

  As the Realm starfighters veered off at sharp angles, the cruiser exploded in a billowing ball of orange and red.

  "YEE-HAW," Dakota shouted. "I love this job!"

  Concentrating on the enemy capitol ships and fighters, the Realm pilots didn't notice the small drone launching from the space station.

  "Warlord," Captain Crex announced, "we're receiving an automated signal. "Remnant troops have boarded the station.

  "Excellent," Ra'daq replied. "Open a portal and set course for Kademah."

  On the bridge of the Dauntless, the Admiral received a strange report.

  "Sir, there are five Ramillie ships launching from the station and heading toward us."

  "Configuration?"

  "Sordes class."

  "Odd," Balin noted knowing that the Sordes class was fairly small and used primarily as a communication ship.

  "One is vectoring to a position below us, another heading above, and there is one on each side taking up flanking positions. The last one is still right in front. They're staying outside of weapons range."

  "Are they positioning for suicide runs?" Balin asked. "Scan them. Maybe they're loaded with explosives."

  "Sensors read negative on explosives and show minimal weapons. They're slowing, coming to full stop."

  The move was greatly puzzling and not knowing it purpose made every instinct Balin go on high alert.

  "They're boxing us in," pointed out a bridge officer, "but why? We could punch through any of them with minimal effort. I don't understand?"

  "Neither do I," grumbled the Admiral, "and that's what worries me."

  "SIR, detecting a hyperspace portal to aft!"

  "Give me a visual," Balin ordered.

  Appearing on the command station's main display was the image of a massive rip in the fabric of space. Sliding out of the hole was a gargantuan monster.

  "The Tyrannus," Balin said in a near whisper.

  He knew, as well as everyone else in the Realm fleet, that the Tyrannus was the most powerful ship in the Hegemony navy. Rumors abounded about its destructive power. Some stories told how it wiped out entire fleets by itself and even sported doomsday weapons that could destroy a planet. The cunning and cruelty of its commander, Warlord Ra'daq, were equally infamous.

  "It's al
l a trap," Balin said aloud. "Recall the boarding teams. There’re no secret tech plans here. This was all to ensnare us."

  "If we open a portal now, we could get out of the system before the Tyrannus gets in weapons range," offered an officer at the HPT.

  "Negative, we're not leaving the fighters and boarding teams behind."

  "It'll take several minutes for them all to redock. If the Dauntless is lost then-"

  "I know the consequences if the flagship is destroyed," Balin shot back. "I also know the consequences to the morale of every fighting man and woman in the entire Realm if they learn that we'll leave them behind just to save our own necks! Hold position until our people are back on board!"

  Balin knew he was outmatched. The new super battlecarrier class was three times the size of its predecessor, but it was still dwarfed in size, weapons, and shielding by the beast now stalking it. It seemed to take forever for the Tyrannus to emerge from its lair in hyperspace. When at last the lengthy ship was entirely in normal space, and the hyperspace portal closed, Balin received a report completing the puzzle.

  "Sir, detecting emissions from the Sordes class ships. They're each sending a wide-angle tachyon beam."

  "Effect on ship systems?"

  The officer ran a quick check of the equipment.

  "None."

  "Then what-" Balin started to say but trailed off as he figured out the tactic. He realized a tachyon saturated area would dissipate the particles used to form a hyperspace portal. In effect, it prevented the Dauntless from escaping into hyperspace."

  "Admiral, detecting a massive gravity well coming from the enemy vessel."

  "And that keeps us from going to standard lightspeed," Balin groused.

  "Sir, the enemy ship is powering weapons. They're launching missiles!"

  "All hands, brace for impact!"

  CHAPTER 14

  "And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold..." - II Kings 7:5

  At minimal power, the Fortune maintained its hidden position within the enveloping mists of The Cloud, with the Fame secretly tracking its every move.

  "How's it comin' down there?" came Byron's voice over the speaker in the docking bay.

  Two crewmen with mining torches continued to cut away on the asteroid Mei, and Jaiden brought back as a third man reported they expected to be finished within the hour.

  "Excellent," Sosimo replied as he heard the news. "Might need a little bit of help once I get to the planet," the Captain added as he gave the matter some thought.

  Interrupting his considerations came the voice of his surrogate daughter and first officer. He turned to her. She was wearing a sleeveless, waist-length burgundy jacket and a black undershirt.

  "You know I'm the most qualified we have when it comes to acquiring something. Why not let me go with you?"

  "No, I need you to take care of the ship. Crimson is out there somewhere, and if he attacks the ship, I want you to have the privilege of killing him."

  "But what if he follows you to the planet?" Mei asked.

  "Then I'll kill him."

  "I'll go, Cap'n," offered the portly Byron.

  "Now see, that's what I like to hear with the crew. Someone showing initiative - someone willing to throw care to the side - someone with no regard for their personal safety as long as it helps the mission - someone who doesn't care if they come back alive or not - someone who knows no matter the inhuman tortures the Ramillie inflict on those caught is still willing to go anyway - someone who-"

  "You know, Cap'n," Byron interjected in cutting off Sosimo's tirade, "Mei might need help up here, and I'm 'bout the most experience one we got. Maybe you otta take someone else."

  "You?! I had no intention of taking you. Jaiden, what are you doing right now?"

  "Nothing."

  "Well, I'm not paying you to just sit around."

  "I'm not getting paid at all."

  "And why should you be? By your own admission, you're not doing anything. So, how about you start earning your keep and head down to the docking bay. I'll meet you there shortly. Oh, and stop by the galley and bring some mopba fruit with you."

  "Are you hungry, Captain."

  "Now that you mention it, a small snack does sound nice. Get us something to eat for the trip, too."

  "Isn't that why we're taking the mopba fruit?"

  "Goodness no. I hate mopba fruit. Make sure you get a juicy one. Now, get going. I've got to take care of something then we'll launch."

  "Aye, Captain," Jaiden replied without further question. Growing accustomed to the oddity that is life aboard the Fortune, he simply adjusted the pistol holstered at his thigh then left the bridge to carry out the instructions.

  Entering the docking bay, he noticed a hollowed-out asteroid with its rocky innards now replaced with an escape pod. Seeing a crewman repairing some equipment on a nearby work table, he crossed to the man and asked what was going on.

  "Captain's orders. That's all I know," the man commented while not even looking up from his work.

  Before Jaiden could ask anything else, Sosimo entered the bay with two long pieces of cloth draped over his artificial arm and a small box in the other hand.

  "Is it ready?" he asked.

  "Just like you wanted, Captain," answered the man at the worktable.

  "Excellent. As soon as we're in have it loaded into one of the missile tubes."

  Not even bothering to ask for an explanation, the crewman said he'd take care of it.

  "Come one, Jaiden. Let's get going," Sosimo prompted as he led the way into the rock-encased escape pod.

  Jaiden followed him into the cramped space and took the only other seat as Sosimo ran a quick check of the systems. Hitting a button, Sosimo had the pod's rear, and only, door close. Jostled about the tiny cabin as it was moved into position then loaded into a launch tube, Jaiden hoped he would get at least a little more information about what the Captain had in mind. Speaking into the small communication panel, Sosimo called the bridge.

  "Mei, we're in position. Take us out of The Cloud and lock the weapon system on the location of that museum we found."

  "Coordinates set. Good luck, Captain."

  "Thanks, Mei. I'll be back soon."

  Jaiden became concerned after hearing this.

  "Don't you mean we'll be back soon?"

  Sosimo gave him a smile then shrugged. Before Jaiden could say anything else, he was thrust against his seat by the sudden acceleration of the asteroid being launched from the ship.

  Onboard the Fame the launch was detected.

  "You mean they're firing on the planet?" Crimson asked in bewilderment.

  "Not exactly. There's some kind of shielding... getting a reading now. It's not a missile; it's an escape pod," the crewman reported in surprise of the information. "Sensors show two life forms aboard."

  "Is one of them female?" Crimson asked.

  "No, both male."

  "Then Mei stayed behind," Crimson noted pensively as he considered what that might mean.

  "Should we lay in a pursuit course?"

  "No. I'll let LaRouche do the dirty work for me. He's going after the prism. If he survives, he'll be back, and we'll take it from him."

  "What if he doesn't survive?"

  "I'm not that lucky," Crimson retorted.

  Inside the asteroid, Sosimo reached for the box he had brought with him. Opening it, Jaiden noticed it contained some clear liquid. Sosimo carefully reached in, withdrew the contact lenses and placed them on his eyes making them appear purple.

  "Open up that mopba fruit will ya," Sosimo said.

  As Jaiden knocked the hard, outer shell of the fruit against the bulkhead, the Captain gave him some much-anticipated information.

  "When we get on the surface, you walk behind me. Everyone will think you're a slave so won't ask you any questions. Then we'll make our way to the museum to get the prism."

  Ha
nding the opened fruit to the other man, Jaiden was still confused.

  "Once we get there... how are we going to get to the surface? The sentry ships will stop us."

  "Why should they bother with us? We're just a random piece of space debris that will burn up in the atmosphere. Their passive sensors will detect this rock one second, and they'll ignore us the next."

  "What if they have some sort of satellite net like they had around Theera and Enty that destroys anything that approaches without clearance?"

  "...Hadn't thought of that," Sosimo answered lowly.

  "Would the asteroid coating protect us from a blast or would we just be incinerated?"

  Sosimo gave him a smile then shrugged.

  "That's reassuring."

  The Captain then dug his fingers into the white center of the mopba fruit and began smearing the paste-like substance on his face. After a long while, snacks consumed, Jaiden noticed something on one of the monitors.

  "Something just pinged us," he warned.

  Hearing that, Sosimo immediately hit a switch that killed all power in the craft except life support. Except for one dim orange button, the entire pod went dark. Fully encased in the asteroid, there wasn't even light coming in the windows from the distant stars. Neither of them knew if it was a ship that just scanned them, or if it was a security satellite. All Jaiden could do was hope the pirate captain knew what he was doing. Sosimo hoped the same thing. They continued in utter darkness for several moments with only the sound of their increased heartbeats breaking the silence. After what seemed like an eternity, the pod began to softly shake.

  "Tractor beam?" Jaiden asked.

  "I.... don't think so," Sosimo stated with a modicum of assuredness. "We're not slowing. My guess is we're hitting the upper atmosphere. Only one way to find out," he announced as he hit an orange button.

  With power restored, light returned to the cabin and consoles came back to life. Checking the equipment, Sosimo confirmed his theory.

  "All we have to do is wait for the atmosphere to burn off the asteroid. Once it's removed, we can use the pod's thrusters to control our descent and make a soft landing."