by Ryk Brown
“Mom?” Dylan called, spotting her. “What are you doing here?”
“You’ve been gone for weeks, Dylan,” Miss Bindi replied. “Can’t a mother want to see her son?”
“Uh…yeah, I guess.”
“A pleasure to see you again, Miss Bindi,” Nathan greeted as the rest of them followed Dylan through the exit and into the corridor.
“You as well, Captain. Transports are waiting for you outside.”
“Are we going somewhere?” Nathan asked.
“Miss Batista would like to hear about the battle firsthand.”
“We didn’t come to give personal reports,” Nathan replied. “We have more pressing business to attend to.”
“Any business on SilTek will be subject to Miss Batista’s approval,” Miss Bindi politely reminded him.
“Of course,” Nathan replied, catching her drift. “Lead the way.”
“End of the corridor and to the right,” she instructed. “Then through the double doors at the end. Escorts will be waiting for you.”
“I take it you’re not coming with us, then?”
“I’d like to spend some time with my son,” Miss Bindi replied. “I am not accustomed to his being away from home for so long.”
“I had hoped he could continue to provide consult.”
“Are the Aurora’s new computers damaged?”
“No, they are fine,” Nathan assured her. “I was referring to the pressing business we need to conduct here on your world.”
Miss Bindi looked over at her son.
“They’re interested in XKs,” Dylan told her.
“Your favorite ship,” his mother realized. “I’ll see that he is available to assist you,” she assured him. “Once you finish your business with Miss Batista.”
“Then I guess we should be on our way,” Nathan replied, resigning himself to the inevitable. There was no escaping the politics.
* * *
“Wow,” Nathan exclaimed as their vehicle flew in low over the treetops and out over the open, perfectly manicured golf course. “I haven’t seen one of these in a while.”
“It is one of three on SilTek,” the vehicle’s AI announced.
“I guess golf’s not that popular here,” Jessica commented.
“On the contrary, it is quite popular. But due to the amount of land a good course requires, most play is on virtual reality courses.”
“Must be harder than hell to get a tee time,” Nathan said.
“Reservations are usually set months, if not years, in advance.”
“I believe I’ve finally found a flaw in this society,” Nathan joked.
“Goofy game never made any sense to me,” Josh commented. “Hit a ball with a stick into a tiny hole, then walk a kilometer and repeat.”
The vehicle descended as it approached the central arrival park, settling into a reserved spot near the clubhouse. The side doors opened, and the passengers climbed out, just as an automated cart pulled up.
“Please board,” the cart’s AI requested. “Miss Batista is currently on the eighth green. We will take you to her.”
“Why don’t you two head into the clubhouse and find something to do,” Nathan instructed Josh and Loki. “We’ll find you after we’re done.”
“What if there’s a fee?” Josh asked.
“We’re guests of Miss Batista,” Nathan replied as he and Jessica climbed onto the cart.
* * *
Nathan and Jessica approached quietly as the leader of SilTek made her putt. A gentle tap and the ball rolled across the green, broke gently left, and then rolled up to the hole, stopping at its edge. A second later, the ball fell into the hole, making a plinking sound.
“You made that look easy,” Nathan commented from the edge of the green.
“I’ve played this course a hundred times this year alone,” Ariana replied as she handed her club to her android caddy.
“I heard it’s hard to get a tee time on SilTek.”
“Damn near impossible, outside of VR,” Ariana corrected as she approached. “Fortunately, my position has its perks. Glad to see you survived, Captain, Lieutenant Commander. Walk with me?”
“Gladly,” Nathan replied. “My position doesn’t provide for much sunshine and fresh air.”
“I was quite disappointed to hear about your stalemate at Takara,” Ariana stated as they began their hike to the next tee. “However, it does indicate that Lord Dusahn feels backed into a corner, does it not?”
“Yes,” Nathan agreed, he and Jessica walking alongside her. “But that’s not necessarily a good thing.”
“How so?”
“Desperate men commit desperate acts, as evidenced by his willingness to murder millions just to save his own skin.”
“It’s more than his skin he wishes to save,” Ariana insisted. “Leaders of empires tend to feel somewhat entitled. It comes with the territory. We believe our decisions are sacrosanct, and that our desires, and the desires of those we lead, to be one and the same. The truth is that they rarely are.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Nathan told her.
“Which is why I agreed to link our destiny to yours. You seem unconcerned with being a leader. You only care about results. Such leaders are rare.”
“It takes one to know one?” Nathan suggested.
Ariana laughed. “As much as I’d like to think I am one of them, the fact that I get to play this course several times per week while others have to wait months proves otherwise.”
“I expect the responsibilities of your position to warrant some privileges. I also expect this isn’t what you brought us here to discuss.”
“I was wondering what our next move was,” Ariana announced as she walked up to the next tee and took the club offered by her caddy. “We now have an angry enemy surrounded by our fledgling alliance. One whom we cannot attack for fear of causing millions of more deaths, but one who can attack us all he wants, and without fear of significant retaliation.” She stepped up to her ball, settled in, and then swung, sending it flying straight and true down the fairway. “This does not appear to be an improvement over our previous position,” she stated as she handed her club to her caddy and continued walking in the direction of her ball’s flight.
“Granted, it’s not the outcome we’d hoped for,” Nathan admitted as he and Jessica followed her down the fairway. “But there are a few million people on Corinair who are pleased with it.”
“What’s your plan?”
“My plan?”
“You strike me as a man who always has a plan, Captain.”
“You obviously don’t know him that well,” Jessica remarked, only half under her breath.
“The Dusahn have already begun lashing out at Corinair,” Nathan told her. “Their first attack occurred just before we left.”
“How bad?” Ariana asked.
“Bad enough, but we weren’t exactly ready for it. That’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
“You’d like defensive systems for Corinair as well,” Ariana surmised.
“The sooner, the better.”
“We never stopped production. In fact, the moment we received word that the Dusahn Empire survived, we began loading cargo pods for delivery. We should have enough to fill the Glendanon by late tomorrow.”
“The Glendanon is a bit tied up at the moment,” Nathan told her. “She’s helping with the Aurora’s external hull repairs.”
“Those repairs would go a lot faster if the Aurora were here,” Ariana suggested.
“My XO thought so as well. Unfortunately, the mere presence of the Aurora in the Darvano system, even in her battered state, is probably all that is preventing the Dusahn from attempting to retake Corinair. We could use some help fabricating some of the parts we need for repair, though.”
“Of course.” Ariana walked u
p to her ball, then looked down the fairway at the distant green.
Nathan stepped up behind her. “Wind’s left to right, and you’ve got two traps, one in front and one right. Pop it too high, and the wind will carry it into the sand on the right. Might want to consider laying it up, then chip it in close for a one-putt.”
Ariana looked at him, surprised.
“It’s a par four, right?”
“It is. One that I’d prefer to birdie.” Ariana took the club offered by her caddy and stepped up to the ball to settle in.
“Layup is safer.”
“But I usually bogey the tenth.”
Nathan stepped aside, making room for her to swing.
Ariana looked down the fairway, then swung. They watched as the ball soared into the air, curving slightly left as it climbed. Once it reached its apex and began its descent, the wind carried it right, just as Nathan had predicted. But Ariana’s experience paid off, and the ball landed on the green a few meters right of the hole.
“Nicely done,” Nathan congratulated.
“I take it you play?”
“Not in some time,” Nathan replied. “It was my passion in college, however.”
“We must play a round some time,” Ariana insisted, handing her club back to her caddy.
“I look forward to it,” Nathan agreed. “After we close the book on the Dusahn.”
Ariana smiled as she turned and headed for the green. “Then you do have a plan.”
“I do,” Nathan admitted, following her. “I’m not sure it’s a good plan, not yet. I still have to talk to a few people before I can commit to it.”
“I look forward to hearing about it, once you have all the details worked out,” Ariana told him. “In the meantime, I have a few ideas of my own I’d like to share with you if you’re interested.”
“I’m always interested in ideas,” Nathan replied.
“The Dusahn originally began to expand rapidly after conquering the Pentaurus cluster, right?”
“They did. We managed to drive them back over time.”
“Yes, and now they are limited to a single system. The Dusahn will not sit long for this, I can assure you. This is why they are already lashing out at you. They are testing your defenses, trying to keep your eyes on Corinair, to keep you defending it. In the meantime, they’ll reach out to try to conquer other systems as well. Ones who are not members of our alliance.”
“They don’t have the forces to conquer other worlds right now,” Jessica pointed out.
“Which is why they will try to convince these worlds that it is in their best interest to join their empire,” Ariana explained. “They will spin tales of how your irresponsible actions caused the death of those on Ancot, and people will believe it. They will convince them that you are the threat, unless you show them otherwise, first.”
“You’re suggesting that we try to expand our alliance,” Nathan surmised.
“I am,” Ariana agreed as she took the putter offered to her by her caddy.
“Is it possible that you’re doing so to expand your potential markets?” Nathan wondered.
“Thinking like a businessman, are we?” Ariana laughed as she settled in for her putt. “It is true, I wouldn’t mind access to additional markets. In fact, that’s one of the reasons that we joined your alliance.”
Nathan didn’t respond, waiting for her to finish her putt. When the ball dropped into the hole, he spoke. “Nice putt.”
“Thank you.” Ariana handed her putter to her caddy, then turned to Nathan and Jessica. “You should start with all the worlds in the Pentaurus sector,” she advised. “Especially ones whom the Dusahn had once controlled. They should be relatively easy to convince, given their previous experiences with the Dusahn. But that will not be enough. We should be trying to get every world in every sector surrounding the Pentaurus sector on board, and quickly.”
“You’re looking to squeeze the Dusahn out, aren’t you?” Jessica realized.
“That or force them to play by our rules to survive.”
“You want to let the Dusahn survive?” Jessica couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“No empire has ever existed that did not trample the rights of others to come into being,” Ariana insisted.
“That’s not entirely accurate,” Nathan argued.
“I do not know enough about history to argue the point, but I think you understand my meaning,” Ariana insisted. “If we cannot beat the Dusahn, then we must find a way to coexist with them. If that is the case, then it would be best if it were on our terms, not theirs.”
“There are half a dozen sectors surrounding the Dusahn,” Nathan pointed out. “Each with a dozen or more inhabited worlds. What you’re proposing will take ships and crews. More importantly, it will take time. Time that we may not have.”
“Ships and crews are not a problem, Captain,” Ariana agreed. “Time, on the other hand, is always an issue.”
“I’m pleased to hear that,” Nathan replied.
“That time is always a problem?” Ariana wondered.
“No, that ships are not,” Nathan explained. “We need one. Actually, we need several.”
* * *
“Please tell me this ain’t it,” Marcus grumbled as the five of them stood in front of an XK series freighter, staring up at her.
“I don’t know about this being it,” Nathan replied. “But it is the model that was recommended.”
“By who?”
“A kid,” Josh answered.
“You were a kid when you first came aboard the Aurora, Josh,” Nathan pointed out. “This is supposed to be a robust, easy to maintain, reliable transport platform, with plenty of room in her cargo bays for whatever we need to haul.”
“If you were talking about returning to life as a cargo-hauler, I might agree with your choice,” Marcus said. “But you ain’t talkin’ ‘bout haulin’ cargo, are ya?”
“No, I’m not.” Nathan sighed. “You know, this is the first time I’ve actually seen one of these in person. She’s uglier than I thought.”
“I thought you flew one?” Marcus asked.
“In VR,” Nathan replied, “and we were in a hurry, so I didn’t really have a chance to look her over.”
“Pretty sure this thing will handle like a pig,” Josh decided.
“Compared to the Seiiki, sure,” Nathan agreed. “She’s bigger and heavier. Her jump range sucks, though.”
“You just have to know how to handle ships like this,” Loki insisted.
“She’s got an AI that can fly her as well,” Nathan told them.
“Then what the hell do you need us for?” Josh wondered.
“In case we need some out-of-the-box flying,” Nathan replied.
“Like flying through a waterfall?” Josh suggested.
“Maybe not that out-of-the-box.”
“We’re going to need to arm her,” Jessica pointed out.
“Well, she’s already got shields and point-defense lasers,” Nathan replied. “I figure we can pull the crane from the top and remove the docking collar from the bottom, and that will give us a place for two human-operated plasma turrets. And we could put plasma torpedo generators in the cargo bays to feed torpedo tubes along the sides of the forward fuselage.”
“How many bays does she have?” Marcus asked.
“Four cargo and one utility bay,” Nathan replied. “Each about eight by eleven by five meters.”
“She don’t look big enough,” Marcus insisted. “How is there room for power generation, life support, water, and waste processing? You know, all the stuff that keeps us alive.”
“Those are located between the forward port and starboard cargo bays, directly below the common area,” Dylan explained as he came down the ramp from the XK. “Everything else is in the engineering nacelles. M
ain propulsion, grav-lift, jump field generators, jump energy banks, reactors, all of it. Two sets of everything, so if you lose a nacelle, you can still limp along on the remaining one. Except for the jump systems. You need the systems in both nacelles to jump.”
“Marcus, this is Dylan Bindi, our resident expert on the SilTek XK series light freighter,” Nathan introduced.
“You’re right,” Marcus growled as he pushed past Dylan and headed up the ramp. “He’s a fucking kid.”
“And this one isn’t an XK,” Dylan corrected. “I mean, it is, but it’s the extended version. The XKL. She’s about ten meters wider than a standard XK, and her forward fuselage is a bit longer.”
“Why the XKL?” Nathan wondered.
“Newer systems, better engines, better reactors, and more interior space for the crew. This one’s got four cabins on each side, so you can sleep eight comfortably, or sixteen if you deploy the upper bunks. You said you weren’t sure how you would be using it, so I figured the XKL would give you a bit more versatility.”
“She looks to be in pretty good shape,” Loki commented.
“My mom said to find you a good one,” Dylan told them. “Orders from Miss Batista.”
“I’m starting to like that woman,” Nathan commented as he headed up the ramp. The ramp ended inside the forward airlock, a couple of meters from the main hatch into the ship.
Nathan stepped through the hatch into a two-meter wide corridor that stretched aft about ten meters. There were four doors on either side of the passageway, and a steep stairwell in the center leading to the deck above.
“The crew cabins are in this corridor,” Dylan explained. “Through the hatch at the end is the common room. In there, you’ll find the galley, a large table for dining and meetings, and a medical bay in the corner. It’s also where the lav and showers are located.”
“This go to the cockpit?” Josh asked, looking up the steep stairs in the center.
“Yes, but we call it the ‘flight deck’,” Dylan replied.
“Don’t care what it’s called,” Josh said, heading up the stairs. “As long as it’s where you go to fly this bucket.”
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Loki promised Nathan as he followed his friend up the stairs.