“Easily, Commander.”
“Mack, check out the consoles. Give me a status.”
“Will do, Cap.”
“Captain, Limpet has just arrived.”
“Thank you, Sue. As soon as we are done here, we’ll check her out.”
“Hawk?” Krag heard through his quant-com.”
“Hornet?”
“Yup. We have a problem.”
“Why is it that good news is always followed by bad?”
“Cosmic Karma, Hawk.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Cencore. The Mortek have gone into the same defensive sphere that we saw in Arium.”
“We know how to attack that.”
“That’s not the problem, Hawk. They’ve also laid hundred of sensor drones in a wide parameter. The moment we jumped in, we were spotted.”
“We can work that problem.”
“Yes, but, the Mortek have upgraded all of their ships. The moment we appeared, a defensive weave appeared and held for almost five minutes. Then, it began to cycle, with different ships dropping their beams and rays for cooldown, coming back up and others dropping out. It was all very well planned.”
“What’s your assessment?”
“We have no chance of getting close enough to do damage with our gravity rockets. We can’t dig them out of Cencore.”
“There is some good news.”
“Really?”
“That fleet is locked in place. It will need to collapse its defensive sphere when it decides to enter any gates.”
“There is that.”
“For now, we just keep an eye on them. We keep building up our own fleet. When we are ready, we re-address the problem.”
“I can buy into that. I’ll keep the scouts running.”
“Heimdallr took some down time. They took a day on Tolimar. Maybe you should set up a rotation for your Stingers.”
“Jack’s Flash is taking a couple of days off. I’ll set up a schedule.”
“In the meantime, I’m heading over to Ballison to arrange the arrival of these ships and their crews.”
“See you on the flip side.”
Aboard Gazelle - Arium
“Jesse, get Vagabond on the horn. I have a job for Dwayne.”
Jean waited while Jesse made the quant-com connection.
“Sullivan, here. What’s up, Hornet?”
“Are you up for a little jump, Sully?”
“Sure. It’s been getting boring, poking around Corrinar, acting all big and burly around the Mortek ships while they sit there and do nothing.”
“They’re waiting for that flag ship, what did they name it? Ravage Maker? It’s been eight days. That ship and the carrier should be there by now.”
“Yeah, well.”
“You and the rest of the Stingers have done a good job keeping our presence felt. Anyway, I need you to check out Bridgelen. Get us a count. There’s a pretty big fleet there. I want to see what it’s doing.”
“Will do, Hornet. When do you want it?”
“As soon as you are ready.”
“Give me an hour. Then say, a couple of hours to scout. I’ll call back in about three hours.”
“I’ll be here.”
“See you, then.”
“Lizzy, could you take High tail over to Corrinar and give me another peek? See if the Mortek flag ship and carrier have arrived?”
“No problem, Hornet. See you in a couple.”
After many days, many hours of practice, Jean, Mandy and Jesse avoided going stir crazy, doing nothing and waiting for Vagabond’s return.
Captain Dwayne Sullivan brought her back early. In just over two hours, she popped back into existence in the Arium system.
“Hornet, you there?”
“Mandy, here. Is that you, Captain Sullivan?”
“Yup.”
“Just a moment. I’ll get Captain Forsythe.”
“Hey, Sully. What’d you find?”
“If the intel you gave us is true, about half a Mortek fleet. Without any dreadnaughts.”
“What’s the count?”
“Three cruisers, six destroyers and thirty frigates.”
“We can add a carrier and a flagship. Doable when we get more ships.”
“That’s my thought, Hornet.”
“So, we’ve got one cruiser, two destroyers and six frigates in Bridgelen. Lizzy should be back shortly from scouting Corrinar.”
“Speaking of the devil, Hornet, High Tail is back.”
“Thank you, Jesse. Lizzy, you there?”
“Yup, Hornet. You were right. Ravage Maker and the carrier are in Corrinar.”
“Add those to the Corrinar fleet. What are they doing?”
“Everyone’s steaming to the Bridgelen gate.”
“Looks like they’re going to link up with that half fleet that Sully just told us about. So, judging from our intel, that means in fourteen days, there will be three-quarters of a Mortek fleet plus the flagship.”
“That would be my read, Hornet.”
“Don’t forget about those eight ships coming from Cencore.”
“Damn, Lizzy. I forgot. So, we have almost a full fleet, minus the dreadnaughts.”
“And, another fleet getting ready in Cencore.”
“That too. Almost two fleets. We’ve got to stop them now!. Sully, Lizzy, pump your intel over to Griffin and Gazelle. We need a sitrep and attack plan. If those two fleets link up, we won’t stand a chance.”
Aboard Ravage Maker – Corrinar
War, upon learning that Flag Pilot was about to fly Ravage Maker out of the worm hole and into what the soft skins called ‘Corrinar’, had taken his place of power, sitting on his command stool and staring at the viewing port. He saw the moment when the Mortek flagship passed from the grey into the star-lit space of Corrinar.
“Communications, get me Cruiser Four.”
“At your command, My Lord.”
After a moment, War heard the Captain of Cruiser Four.”
“Welcome, My Lord. How may I serve you?”
“Fourth Cruiser, you are now First Cruiser. Cruiser four is now Cruiser One.”
The startled Mortek Captain expanded his vestigial wings in both fear and honor.
“At your command, My Lord. I am deeply honored.”
“As you should be. Prepare your ships. We are returning to the remainder of Fifth Fleet, in the system the soft skins call ‘Bridgelen’.”
“Immediately, My Lord.”
Without further acknowledgement, War broke the connection and viewed the results of his command. Immediately, War observed the single cruiser, two destroyers and six frigates begin to form up. As they achieved their formation, the carrier which had been accompanying Ravage Maker, World Crusher, assumed its position at the rear.
Upon completion of the small fleet’s maneuvers, War gave the command.
“All ahead, full.”
Chapter 12
Aboard Ravage Maker – Bridgelen Gate
With six of what the soft skins called ‘days’ of travelling the gate between Corrinar and Bridgelen, War had plenty of time to do nothing. So he thought. Thinking, he wondered about that strange, blue cloud which engulfed those small jump-ships. Making a decision, the insectoid Mortek tapped a claw on the intercom.
“Science, come to my office, immediately.”
War switched off without waiting for a response, knowing that Science would drop everything and rush at his command.
Again, tapping a claw on the intercom, War commanded, “Weapons, my office, immediately.”
War barely had time to reposition his four legs before both of his subordinates rushed in and came to attention.
“Sit.”
The two sat.
“Science, what can you tell me about this blue cloud that the soft skins use to disrupt our particle and laser beams?”
“From our readings, I can make a guess, My Lord.”
“Guess?”
“Yes,
My Lord,” Science answered as he pressed his head comb tighter to his skull.
“Since we do not have a soft skin ship with one of these clouds to study, I can only surmise from our data.”
“What is your guess?”
“We in science believe that it is an ionic disrupter. We believe that the cloud creates positive atomic charges which collide with the negative charges on the particles and photons to create a null charge. At the atomic level, this causes the particles and photons to dissipate.”
“Those jump-ships, when they attack, they remain in place for less than a clack. Does this mean that they have a limit to how many positive atomic charges they can generate?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
What about something solid, say a rocket or torpedo?”
“It would depend on the size of the rocket. Theoretically, one large enough could penetrate the cloud and reach the soft skin jump-ship. However, it would be severely damaged.”
“My Lord,” Weapons interrupted.
“Speak?”
“May I ask a question?”
“Yes.”
“Science, would the insertion of a solid object leave a path through the blue cloud?”
“For a short time, Weapons. The cloud of positive particulates would reform almost immediately.”
“My Lord, I believe that, if we can punch a hole with a very dense rocket, we can have a second rocket closely follow it to its target.”
“What are you proposing?”
“Very old technology, My Lord. Nuclear weaponry.”
“You believe that we can destroy these jump-ships with obsolete, fission rockets. Why don’t we just fire a nuclear missile at the ship and explode it before it reaches the blue cloud?”
“For the same reason that our particle and laser beams aren’t successful, My Overlord. The energy of the explosion may cause damage to the jump-ship, but any radiation will be absorbed by the blue cloud.”
“Continue, Weapons.”
“We know that our particle and laser beams are ineffective due to the on-target time requirements. However, a fission explosion would be instantaneous. If we can get close enough, I believe that we could destroy these jump-ships.”
“Science?”
“Weapons’ concept is sound, My Lord. I concur. Nuclear fission could work, with a proper delivery system.”
“Weapons, Science, you now have one task. Begin designing and constructing your fission weapons. We will test them in Bridgelen.”
“At your command, My Lord,” Science answered for the both of them.
Aboard Griffin – Ballison
After the two-day stopover to recharge the dark matter tanks, Griffin performed her second jump and blinked into existence in the Ballisonian star system. With no worries of invading aliens or deadly enemy ships, Keiko brought the transmogrified executive transport just outside of Igaklay’s orbit. One synthetic and Three biological Humans and stared out the transparent transilium window at the moon sized A.I. Gopai, sitting at his weapons station, joined in.
“Well, Iggy, you’re home.”
“I’ve always been home, Mack.”
“Ya, well, your avatar is home.”
“That it is.”
“Whenever I think of you, I visualize your avatar, Igaklay. Not your moon. Is that disrespectful?”
“No, Mz. Sue. It is very understandable. My avatar is something more relatable to you, whereas an intelligent moon is less personal. Something else is very interesting. My new emotional matrix registers that this is extremely pleasurable. Your identifying with my avatar makes me feel more a member of Den Griffin.”
“I am glad, Igaklay. I consider you my friend.”
“Thank you, Mz. Sue.”
“Och, Iggy. Why do you call Sweet Sue ‘Mz. Sue’ and nae me ‘Mr. Mack’?”
“Mz. Sue deserves more respect, Wrenchy.”
“Not funny, Iggy.”
“But, oh so true, Wrenchy.”
Mack feigned a glare at Buster.
Krag and Keiko laughed at the interaction.
“Keiko, get us down.”
“On it, Oh, Captain, My Captain.”
Keiko brought Griffin around Ballison until she reached her target point, the landing pad beside the governmental pyramid.
After touching own, Griffin’s bridge crew saw a welcome committee waiting patiently.
“Let’s shut everything down, people. I think we’re safe here.”
Krag waited while everyone followed his order, powering down Griffin and shutting down their consoles. Once done, he led his team down to the cargo bay where seven Elonian Guardsmen and four Sasanian Marines milled around, waiting for orders. Remembering that the two medical officers still remained on Jewel of the Stars, Krag looked over his fighting squad.
“Shore leave, gentle beings. You won’t be needed for at least two days. Maybe three. Gopai, you too.”
Oy, Cap. We really need to give the governmental pyramid a new name. ‘Governmental Pyramid’ is nae a good name for all us different species.”
“Igaklay, would it be permissible to rename the Governmental Pyramid?”
“Of course, Captain. You are my Overseers. As such, you are Overseers of all which is Ballisonian.”
“You heard the Preceptor. Put your heads together. Think of something.
“I have a thought. Cap. We’ve got Humans. We’ve got Elonians. We’ve got Iggy, him being the lone Ballisonian. So, we call this the Human, Elonian, Ballisonian Alliance. The H.E.B. Alliance.”
“Not bad. Keiko?”
“I like it. Sue?”
“Every once in a while, Lug-Nut comes up with a decent thought. I like it.”
“Igaklay, do you like it?”
“Yes! The Human, Elonian, Ballisonian Alliance! Ballison has never had that before!”
“Okay. The Governmental Pyramid is renamed the HEB Alliance Headquarters. Now, let’s greet our reception.”
Without being told, Buster electronically activated the cargo bay doors, and everyone waited for them to fully open. Once the lower half of the clamshell doors struck soil, everyone walked down the ramp to meet the Elonian contingent. The Guardsmen, accompanied by Gopai, immediately headed towards the pyramid. An opening irised and the twelve hustled in.
Analyn rushed forward. Reaching Keiko, the young, tall Elonian Mistress engulfed the diminutive Ambassador in a strong hug.
“Welcome home, Ambassador Suzume.”
Hugging back, Keiko whispered, “Not very regal, Princess.”
Pulling back, “Just Mistress, Now.”
“Well, for someone with such a modest title, you haven’t done too badly.”
Sir Mahajani, standing stoically, watched the antics of his young charge.
During this moment, Krag saw Buster and Vidhee freeze then unfreeze.
“Buster? Anything wrong?”
“No, Captain. Vidhee and I were just reconnecting after our time apart.”
“But you are never apart. With your quant-coms, you can communicate whenever you wish.”
“That is true, Captain. However, our proximity matrixes have been lying dormant. In biological terms, we missed each other. Much like you miss Keiko when you are not in each other’s presence.”
“Oy, Tinman. You’re in love.”
Buster’s mechanical face failed at its icy stare.
Arm in arm, Analyn walked Keiko over to Lord and Lady Kaporine.
“Welcome, Ambassador Suzume.”
Bowing the traditional Japanese bow, Keiko responded, “Thank you for your gracious welcome, Lord and Lady.”
“Don’t be so formal, Keiko. We are no longer royalty,” Lady Kaporine responded.
“With Mistress Analyn’s permission, let us find refreshments and relaxation in the pyramid.
“Yes, Lord Kaporine. We have some issued to discuss.”
“For that, Captain Marston, you need to talk to Mistress Analyn. She is the leader of the Ballison Elonians.”
&nb
sp; “Really?”
“You have done very well, Anyl.”
“I try, Keiko.”
The four Kaporines, four humans and three synthetics strolled towards the pyramid as they talked. As before, an iris opened and everyone entered.
“Would you like to freshen up? Visit your quarters?”
Krag and Keiko exchanged looks. Krag gave a slight nod.
“Thank you for your concern, Mistress.”
“It is mid-afternoon. We wouldn’t mind waiting here for your return. Dinner then discussion?”
Again, Krag and Keiko exchanged looks. Non-verbally agreeing, Keiko answered, “That will be fine, Mistress.”
The Griffin crew, accompanied by Vidhee, headed towards the lift. At floor eighty-four, Buster and Vidhee exited. At floor eighty -five, Krag and Keiko left Mack and Sue then lifted to their floor. Gopai and Maid Folita met them at the gravity lift’s door.
“Welcome, Captain, Ambassador.”
“Hello, Maid Folita. It is good to see you, again. Are you glad to be back, Gopai?”
“Very much so. I never really had a home since I left my clan to become a Guardsman. Having my own quarters is extremely fulfilling.”
“Ya, Iggy. Now you have a love nest for you and this pretty lassie.”
If he could have, Gopai would have blushed.
“Good for you, Gopai. We will be dining with the Lord, Lady and Mistress. You are free for the evening.”
Gopai and Folita exchanged meaningful glances.
“Thank you, Commander.” The two retreated to Gopai’s rooms.
The Griffin crew luxuriated, and refreshed, finally escaping from Griffin’s confines. At the end of that interlude, Gopai and Folita, holding paws, bade Krag and Keiko off. six beings reconnected in the lift as it descended to the ground level.
For the early part of the evening, the supper became a time of reconnecting and re-establishing the bonds between the Den Griffin and the Clan Kaporine leaders. Even Igaklay, Buster and Vidhee sat at the table, eating and being involved in the conversation and camaraderie.
Finally, the informal meal came to an end. Igaklay called service robots to remove the meal remains. Everyone moved over to the sitting area then sat back into the overly comfortable chairs and couches.
Lord Kaporine opened the discussion.
Victory in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 6) Page 12