by Saxon Andrew
Stoney shook his head, “I’m impressed.”
“We could take the cart to another city that’s being built but it won’t be necessary. We’ll leave from the construction facility.”
The cart came to a stop and Cami led Stoney across the giant cave to a small ship. A Naval Captain greeted them and smiled, “We have your ship provisioned and fueled Planet Leader.”
“Thank you Captain.” Cami walked into the small warship’s port and Stoney followed her to the small bridge. Cami took the pilot’s chair and Stoney sat down beside her. She put on her combat helmet and nodded for Stoney to do the same, “The ship’s hull is coated with thought blocking material, but I want to see the tactical as we leave.” Stoney nodded and put on his helmet. Cami switched the power system to the dark matter containers and lifted the ship off the floor. She flew it into a large tube and flew it to the end of the tube. The front wall rose quickly, and Cami flew the ship out just before the wall moved back down.
“There’s not a risk of the Colony Scouts seeing this wall?” Stoney asked.
“No, the exit is located far under an overhanging prominence that can only be seen from directly in front of it. I’m waiting for one of our warships to lift from the spaceport next to the city and we’re going to follow close behind it into orbit.”
“And they won’t be able to detect this ship?”
“No, Stoney. The black matter energy system doesn’t appear on their stealth scanners and our stealth systems prevent them from detecting the structure of the ship. The warship we’ll follow will account for the disturbance in the atmosphere as we leave.”
“That’s how you destroyed my ship.”
Cami shrugged, “We didn’t need to see the disturbance in the atmosphere. Our stealth scanner detected your ship and Sweets ordered it destroyed.”
Stoney watched Cami as she flew the ship in behind a warship lifting from the planet and said, “I’m surprised you’ve been able to hide that system from the Colonies.”
Cami sighed, “It’s not been easy. We’ve avoided using it anywhere near one of their ships on the off chance it might be seen by an accidental mistake. That system is the only real protection Britannia has in its arsenal.”
“So, you’re not scouting the Colonies?”
“I didn’t say that.” Cami replied. Stoney stared at her and Cami sighed, “I have sent scouts to keep track of the Colonies’ fleets. Admirals Charlotte Kessler and Wade Alexander are our best officers in scouting threats, and they won’t make a mistake in being detected.”
“What possible mistake could they make?”
“A mistake by nature is an unknown. But she won’t allow her scouts to put themselves between a light source and the Colony Warships. She also won’t allow them anywhere near the range of an optical scanner.”
Stoney’s eyes narrowed slightly, “I’ve heard about Admiral Kessler from others here on Britannia, but I don’t know who this Admiral Alexander is.”
“He led the scouting efforts against the Core Aliens and Fagan during that war. He’s come out of retirement to help us during this crisis.” Cami paused and added, “He’s not the only one to come out of retirement. Desmond and Louisa Fry have also taken command of one of our fleets.”
“That name sounds familiar.”
“He was with Grady when they found America and the colony the original Britannia settled. He’s an outstanding officer and we can use his help. You probably know his daughter.” Stoney’s head tilted. “Admiral Kendal Fry is their daughter.”
“She’s commanding a Fleet of thirty carriers in the Colonies,” Stoney replied. “Why isn’t she here?”
“Her heart is with the Colonies.”
“It might not be for much longer.”
“Why do you say that?” Cami asked.
“I’ve seen the list of Admirals the Prime Minister is forcing into retirement and her name was at the top of the list. I suspect if the Prime Minister knows her parents are on Britannia, he won’t allow her to continue commanding Colony forces.”
“Do you think he might do something to her?”
“Do you mean a possible assassination?” Cami nodded. “Well, I know several Admirals have had accidents.” Cami’s eyes narrowed. “Some Admirals have too large of a reputation to just force them into retirement.”
Cami started shaking her head and said, “The trip to the Colony is off.”
“What are you going to do?”
We’re headed to New Sydney.”
“WHAT?”
“I can’t allow anything to happen to Kendal. I’m going to try and save her from being killed by the Prime Minister.”
“Have your scouts found out anything?”
Cami glanced at Stoney and turned back to her console, “We have learned the Prime Minister is systematically replacing all the high-ranking officers in the Colonies’ Fleets with officers loyal to him. Admiral Tarangelo has been moved to command the fleets located at the Colonies away from their Fleet Operations. An Admiral Bellemy is now commanding the active fleets away from the Colonies.”
“He’s the one that ordered me to go on my mission.”
Cami shrugged, “Before the Prime Minister can take aggressive action against Britannia he has to insure the fleet will follow his orders. That process will take a while and that buys us some time to try and head this off.”
“Where does Earth stand in this?” Stoney asked.
“They’ve incorporated the dark matter systems into their Defense Platforms and they’re currently being built on the colonies Earth founded before the war with the Core Aliens. Earth is secure; the planetary defenses are capable of defeating any attack against their planet.”
“Wouldn’t the Colony Scouts see their additional defenses?”
“The dark matter system prevents their newest Defense Platforms from being seen,” Cami replied. “Most of them are hidden inside Earth’s Solar System where they can respond to an attack before the Colonies’ fleets could arrive at the planet.”
“How many of those platforms do they have?”
“A lot,” Cami replied. Stoney stared at her and Cami blew out a breath, “I’m reluctant to share that information with anyone, even our own Admirals. I promised Admiral Martov to keep that information secret and the fewer that know it, the less chance of it being discovered by the Colonies. But you’re working directly with me and I think you might believe I’m not telling you because I don’t fully trust you.” Stoney was silent and Cami said, “More than two hundred thousand.”
Stoney’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “That makes Earth a real danger!”
“That’s the Colony part of you talking. Anyone more powerful than you represents a threat.”
“But Earth was a threat to mankind for hundreds of years.”
“That was then; this is now. I trust Earth more than the Colonies and you’ll need to take a trip to Earth and make that determination for yourself. Earth and Britannia have a special relationship and that was forged by Grady Henricks and Admiral Martov. Earth’s current leaders have watched their planet saved from the Core Aliens even when they were a danger to Britannia. They haven’t forgotten that and know that Britannia will never be a threat to them. Earth and Britannia do represent a united humanity and that bond is solid.”
“New leaders could change that.”
“Earth’s government is not directed by one person like the Colonies and Britannia. A committee leads Earth, and no one power hungry individual will ever be able to take control. Earth is focused on improving the lives of its citizens and they’ve decided conquest is a folly that only leads to putting the planet in danger. They’ve grown up faster than the rest of humanity and I trust them.”
Stoney nodded and blew out a soft breath, “I responded out of fear that’s always been a part of me. The Colonies have always been fearful of being conquered.”
Cami nodded, “And that fear makes them see any advanced civilization as a direct threat. That’s why we’re in thi
s situation now. Do you even remotely think that Britannia would attempt to conquer the Colonies?” Stoney was silent and Cami added, “You know we could do it years ago.”
“If you were going to do it, you would have done it by now. It’s just so hard not to think that way.”
“And that fear is what will allow this Prime Minister to get away with subjugating all of humanity. At some point in time, you and the Colonies are going to have to let go of that fear and grow up. Conquest is a folly. Those you conquer will always be a threat to make you pay for your actions.”
“Not if you totally eradicate the threat.” Cami turned to Stoney and stared at him. Stoney shook his head, “I think that’s how we’ve acted in the past. If Britannia and Earth were eradicated, what would happen if a more advanced outside civilization attacks. The odds of survival increase if all of humanity is there to meet it.”
“Are you just saying that?” Cami asked.
“No, I just came to the realization. There are more galaxies in the universe than there are grains of sand on all the beaches on Britannia. You can never know where a dangerous threat could come from and fighting against each other is incredibly stupid. One need look no further than what we found in the Andromeda Galaxy to know the Universe is a dangerous place.” Cami turned back to her console and Stoney hesitated before continuing, “You are right to not trust me.” Cami turned back to him. “I am at my core from the Colonies and I’ve not examined what makes me who I am. I think this conversation has helped me see myself in a new light. If you can’t trust your own species, you can never trust anyone.”
Cami nodded, “I didn’t see that until I had a conversation with an ancient civilization in Andromeda. I think you’re making progress.” Stoney nodded and watched the monitor as the stars became clear in the forward monitor. “We’re clear of the atmosphere. There’s a Colony scout not far from us.” Stoney looked at the Stealth Scanner and saw the ship directly above Britannia’s Capital City. He blew out a breath and shook his head. Cami smiled, “They are pretty brazen.” Cami turned the ship and accelerated away from the planet.
“Aren’t you taking a risk going to New Sydney? You’re too important to Britannia to risk your life doing this.”
“I’m the only one that can save her.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you and I can find her and communicate telepathically without being detected.”
“I’m not so sure I’m capable of doing that right now. I’m getting better but I have a ways to go.”
“And that’s why I have to go,” Cami replied as she pushed the thruster handle forward.
• • •
“CAMI, YOU CAN’T DO THIS!!”
“Charlotte, I don’t have a choice. I’m the only one that can make this happen and I must do this. However, Wade, you can help me pull this off.”
“And just what am I going to do?” Wade asked.
“I want you to take your ship out beyond the star system and open a communication channel to their Fleet Operations asking them why a Colony Ship was on Britannia. That will force them to focus all of their attention on you.”
“But they’ll be able to scan my ship!”
“Not if you use your telepathic communicator. Stay away from their fleets and send the request to know what was going on. I’m reasonably certain they have a concocted story and you’ll accept it before you end the transmission and then go back to your normal position. They have no way of knowing if your communication is coming from your ship or from Britannia.”
“Cami, this is too dangerous!”
“Charlotte, you know what Kendal did to protect New Britannia and she deserves our best effort to save her.”
“But she won’t believe you, Cami. She’s a Colony Officer.”
“I still have to try. Wade, you need to move out on a line between New Sydney and Britannia and start your transmission when I tell you.”
“Let me go down and do this!”
“No Wade! It’s going to take a telepath that Kendal knows to make this happen.”
“But she doesn’t know you!”
“No, but she knows Stoney.”
Wade and Charlotte were silent, and Charlotte finally said, “Cami, you’ll be taking a Colony Agent who knows everything about us down to New Sydney.”
Cami glanced at Stoney and replied, “I’d do this to save him if he were in Kendal’s place. You are going to have to trust me that he is not our enemy.”
“When are you going to do this?” Wade asked.
“I’m going to find Kendal and I’ll let you know when I start down to the planet. You’ll need to be in position before I do that. You’ll start your communication when we exit the planet.”
“I’m leaving now,” Wade interjected.
“Charlotte, I’ll contact you and you can let Wade know to start communicating.”
“Cami, what happens if something happens to you?”
“Charlotte, Grady will take my place leading Britannia, I’m not irreplaceable.”
“Just don’t take any foolish risks.”
“Charlotte, going down to New Sydney is probably the biggest risk I could possibly take. Everything else is miniscule in comparison. I’ll be in touch.”
Cami looked down at the planet and closed her eyes. Where was Kendal?”
Stoney watched her and asked, “How do you know she’s not on her Carrier?”
“Even the Prime Minister wouldn’t attempt to assassinate her on board her ship. If he’s going after her, it would have to be on the planet.”
“And if she’s on her ship?”
“We’ll come up with another plan.”
“And what if the Prime Minister has already killed her?”
“Then I won’t find her, and we’ll be forced to leave. Now be quiet while I search for her.” After a few minutes, Cami contacted Charlotte, “I’m headed down to the planet. Tell Wade to wait until further notice.”
• • •
Kendal looked at the shuttle pilot and smiled, “You can drop me off at the Outback Park.”
“Yes Sir. We’ll be there momentarily.”
Kendal looked out of the viewport at the forest that covered a huge area outside the Capital City and was thankful it had not been removed by the creeping growth of the giant city. She loved getting away from civilization and going out to camp in the wilderness. She hated she was being reassigned to a new command and was being forced to leave her Carrier. But the Prime Minister insisted she take command of another fleet of fifty Carriers. She had been notified of the promotion more than six weeks earlier, but her new Carrier wasn’t ready for her to move on board. She wondered why she had been moved from her ship if her new command wasn’t ready. The shuttle pilot brought the ship to a landing and turned around, “Have a good trip Admiral. Contact me when you’re ready to be picked up.”
Kendal smiled, “I’ll be ready to go in two weeks unless I’m contacted that my new ship is ready. Thank you for flying me out here.”
The shuttle pilot picked up her backpack and took it through the port and handed it to her. Kendal shouldered the backpack and walked away from the clearing into the tree line. The shuttle pilot lifted his communicator, “She’s headed into the forest Sir.”
“Give her some time to move away from the park entrance and carry out your orders.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
Kendal walked into the forest for six hours until she arrived at a stream flowing through the forest. She refilled her water container, sat down, and leaned against her backpack. She waited for the water container to beep telling her the water was purified and safe to drink. After a moment she heard the beep and took drink. She wondered how her parents were doing on Britannia and wondered what Britannia was doing. Why would they have shut down all communications to the Colonies; it just didn’t sound like something they would do. She wished she had a way to talk with her parents but…that just wasn’t possible. She looked at the m
ap and decided there was still a lot of daylight left. She stood up, shouldered her backpack, and started walking deeper into the forest.
• • •
After three hours she arrived at a small clearing with another stream flowing through it. She bent down to refill her water container and took a long drink. She filled it to the top and stood up. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she whipped around. A man was standing there; he put his hand over her mouth and immediately put a thought blocking helmet on her head. She dropped her water container and whipped the hand blaster out of her holster and the man held up his hands and backed away. Kendal noticed he also had a thought helmet on.
“WHO ARE YOU!”
The man took a jar of red fluid and poured it on the ground around her backpack, water container, and then poured a small residue of it off the left of the stream, before replying in a soft whisper, “A friend. I need you to come with me now.” Kendal glared at him and the man started moving off to the right of the clearing into the trees. Kendal’s eyes narrowed and she reached for her backpack. “Leave it here!” the man quickly said.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me who you are.”
“You met me about eight months ago in a meeting with Admiral Bellemy. Please, follow me.”
Kendal stared at the man and remembered him. He was a telepath on Admiral Bellemy’s staff. She kept the blaster in her hand and followed him into the trees. They arrived inside the thick trees and thickets and Kendal asked, “What’s going on?”
The man knelt down behind some thickets and nodded at her to join him. Kendal hesitated and then knelt down beside him. The man put his finger to his lips and nodded toward the clearing. Kendal looked out at the clearing and didn’t see anything. After a few minutes, she looked at the man and he nodded back to the clearing. Kendal turned and saw the shuttle pilot come out of the tree line and walk up to her backpack…he was carrying a shoulder blaster.
Chapter Four
The assassin moved through the trees and cursed as he almost fell when his foot caught a tree root. He shouldn’t have waited an hour to follow the Admiral. He wasn’t gaining on her and she didn’t stop at the first stream for very long. He could hear her thoughts and knew she would eventually stop for the night. He struggled through some thickets and wondered how the Admiral was able to make such good time. He snorted and realized she was an experienced camper and he never went hiking or camping. Suddenly, the Admiral’s thoughts disappeared. He focused intently trying to locate her thoughts and came up empty. He activated his tracker and saw that she was not very far ahead of him. How could she have blocked her thoughts? He was thankful he put the small micro-sender on her backpack when he carried it out of the shuttle. He held the tracker out in front of him and saw he was getting closer…she should be just ahead. He put the tracker in his pocket and took the blaster off his shoulder and raised it. He came to a small clearing and saw her backpack lying next to a stream flowing through the clearing. He waited and scanned the area telepathically but came up empty again.