by C J Klinger
Later that evening the McKinnah clan gathered at the family residence and celebrated. After dinner, they gathered in Jonathon’s old office and sat silently while Young Jon described the action against the Khruellian fleet.
Jon’s father asks the critical question on everybody’s mind. “Do you believe we can hold them off, Jon?”
Jon considered his answer carefully, knowing he was speaking to the most influential group of people in the CSF. Neither his grandparents nor his parents had any direct experience with the Khruellian Hegemony. What Jon said would be their source for any comments they may make about the Hegemony. “I think if the ADO had a fleet of ships like the Constitution, we could not only defend ourselves, we could also discourage the Hegemony from coming anywhere near the Orion-Cygnus arm of the galaxy.”
There was a brief silence while the former leaders of the CSF space force considered Jon’s answer. Jon’s grandmother asked the second question on everybody's mind. “Can we defeat them?”
Again Jon took his time thinking about his answer. “We could in time if the existing technological imbalance remains the same, but that’s not likely to happen.”
The elder McKinnah turned to his friend and guardian. “What do you think Talo?”
The android did not take any time to consider his answer. “The Hegemony lacks two things to beat the Confederation, the IS-Drive and a willing Ares. As long as I am functioning, they will get neither.”
With that pronouncement, the party turned to happier subjects. Jon and Annika left shortly after that to spend as much time with each other as possible before their next assignment.
Early the next morning Jon reported to a relaxed Admiral Dexter. The committee meeting had served to clear the air over who had control of the IS-Drive. Operating under the conditions laid out by the Ankh, Talo had authorized the installation of the IS-Drive in all of the Allied Defense Organization’s warships. The allies had immediately agreed to share their technology with each other. Now it was a race against time. The Khruellians were obviously sending some scouts to Orion-Cygnus cluster based on the three scouts that had discovered the planet Hylox. The Gruenwald early alert system had not detected any more Khruellian incursions, but no one assumed it would not happen again. Jon’s attack on the Hegemony fleet in the Perseus arm might redirect their curiosity to their original path of conquest, but it was not a certainty.
“Good morning, Jon,” Admiral Dexter said as Jon took his seat at the admiral’s conference table. Six other officers, most of whom Jon recognized were already seated. Talor took a seat at the admiral’s request. The Admiral started the meeting with a brief recap of Jon’s mission and the recent round of committee hearings.
The admiral said, “There has been a development that may benefit us as much as the IS-Drive. Cleric-General Bradley-Kinsley, the colony Leader of the humans on Vajrashila, has been helping us interrogate the three Khruellian prisoners taken on Hylox. In spite of their conditioning, they are unable to hide what they know from him. It turns out the Hegemony fleet has previously encountered a super weapon in one of their recent conquests. The Khruellians called it a ‘dissembler weapon’ because it can disintegrate a spaceship without any apparent cause. I have no doubt the Khruellians are scouring the planet for the secret to that weapon. We need to get it first.”
After the stir of comments died down, Admiral Dexter asked Admiral Barbara Chen-Warren, commander-in-chief of the Alien Defense Organization to continue. She wasted no time getting to the details of the next mission. “Group Captain McKinnah, your ship is still in the repair yards at Evenia. Your new temporary command is the CSF General Brunner, a destroyer escort.”
In spite of Jon’s plan to wait till the end of the admiral’s comments, he was compelled to ask, “A destroyer escort, Ma’am?” A destroyer escort was fifty meters long with a displacement of six-thousand cubic meters, less than five percent of the CSF Constitution.
Admiral Chen-Warren smiled at the commander’s reaction. “Don’t worry, Commander, she’s a real warship equipped with all the allied technology available on the CSF Constitution. She has one advantage you’ll need on your next mission. She’s small and will be almost impossible to detect when under stealth cover.”
Jon connected the dots. “I gather I’m going to go look for this weapon.”
Admiral Chen-Warren handed Jon a file chip. “You leave tomorrow morning. A contingency of four Hylox warriors will accompany you for ground protection.” She turned to Talor and said, “You are the key to our success, Talor. You can penetrate any computer system this planet might have and locate the information on this weapon. If you discover the Khruellians have already discovered it, take whatever steps you can to corrupt the information.”
After the meeting, Jon and Talor hurried to the field to see his next command. The current ship’s captain, a Lieutenant P. J. Warren would retain control of the ship but operate under Jon command. It would be interesting to see how they were going to fit six additional bodies, including an Ares and four Hyloxian fighters into the small ship.
Lieutenant J.P. Warren turned out to be a steely-eyed young woman who may have topped one-hundred and fifty centimeters. She wasn’t the least bit awed or intimidated by Talor or the legendary Group Captain McKinnah, nor did she react when Jon told her there would also be four aliens traveling with them.
She asked, “When do we get underway, Sir?”
Jon liked her ready-to-go attitude and knew he and his mission were in good hands. “Tomorrow morning, Lieutenant. The crew from Hylox will be here in another hour to get settled in. Talor will stay here to act as translator and to make sure all your systems are ready for our task.” Jon handed her a file-chip and said, “This is a copy of our orders for your ship’s Talo. The contents are secret, so access is restricted to you and your XO. Any questions, Lieutenant Warren?”
“None, Sir, we’ll be ready.” She said with a thin smile.
Back on the tarmac, Jon mentaled Talor, “Well, what do you think?”
Talor said, “Very competent, Jon. The Admiral chose well.”
Jon said, “My thoughts exactly. I’m going to spend some time with Annika this afternoon. I’ll come aboard later.”
Jon called Annika and asked her to meet him at the Officer’s Club. He chose the club because he knew they would not be bothered there. He couldn’t share the details of his mission with Annika, but rumors got out and he wanted to reassure her they would be alright. She came in as he was placing his lunch order. The steward took her order, and they had a few moments to themselves.
She looked at him and said, “You’re going on a mission, aren’t you?”
Jon shook his head in wonder and said, “We really don’t need our little silver globes after all, do we?”
Annika smiled and put her hand on his arm. “For some things, no,” She said and then paused for a moment before saying, “I gather you can’t tell me about it.”
“As much as I want to, Honey, I can’t,” Jon said. He searched her face for a reaction but found none. From his own experience, he knew to mask one’s feeling was a defensive weapon all service personnel used to protect their loved ones from unnecessary worry while they were going on a dangerous mission.
Annika was still studying his face when she said, “I thought your ship was still in dry dock.”
“It is. I’m going out on a destroyer escort, the CSF General Brunner.” Jon hadn’t meant to tell her the name, but he was having a hard time holding anything back from her.
“PJ’s ship?” Annika asked in surprise. “She’s a hard ass.”
“You know Lieutenant Warren?”
“She served under me on my last Terran Space Force ship,” Annika said. “You’re in good hands, especially if you get into a pissing contest with somebody.”
Jon wanted to reassure Annika he was not going into battle with the Khruellian in a destroyer escort. “We’re going to be doing our best to keep out of any, ‘pissing contests’ as you call them
.”
He watched Annika visibly relax. She got the message; he was going into Khruellian territory, but not into a confrontation situation. News of the CSF Constitution’s successful raid and the protection she had enjoyed from the alien technologies had rapidly made the rounds in the service. Every captain was clamoring to have their ship so equipped, but only a few CSF ships had been converted. None of the alien ships had yet received the IS-Drive. They were still waiting for the Confederation Assembly to approve their entry into the CSF, one of the Ankh conditions for sharing the IS-Drive.
Until recently, the CIP’s only experience with aliens had been with the Muhyba, and they were not a poster child for friendly neighbors. A few of the members, including the Terran Confederation were concerned about expanding the CIP beyond a society of human-occupied worlds. It had taken Earth many years to gain admittance, and now they were being asked to accept empires that didn’t have the same standards of democratically elected governments as humans had. The only thing pushing the decision was the threat of a Khruellian invasion.
There were also some grumblings that Talo could veto any of their selections. Of the two obstacles, Talo’s power over their decisions was the least objectionable.
Jon and Annika sat in the club and talked about the events and changes that were affecting their lives. The subjects led Jon to tell Annika more of the stories about his family’s life in the early days of the Confederation he had heard from his parents and grandparents. He told her about his grandparents serving on separate ships during the Muhyba wars and how much they worried about each other and how Jon’s dad had come to the senior McKinnah’s aid when his grandmother’s freighter had been shot down.
During a pause, they both looked at their communicators and realized their time together was over. Duty was calling, and duty was the demanding mistress they bother served.
Chapter 53
Newhope
As the sun rose over the horizon, the CSF General Brunner rose from the field, just another destroyer escort setting out on a routine patrol. Very few people in the CSF command knew the exact nature of the little ship’s mission, but those who did knew how important its success was for the Confederation. Admiral Dexter watched the Brunner’s departure from his office window. He understood the significance of finding that mysterious weapon before the Khruellians discovered it had and incorporated it into their weapon’s technology.
Standing outside her sleek frigate, Annika also watched the Brunner leave and felt a pang of worry. “This is what we do,” she reminded herself. “We are warriors and warriors go into battle.”
Aboard the small ship, Lieutenant Warren watched her crew perform with a sharp eye for efficiency. Jon watched as well and recalled Annika’s comment about the diminutive officer being a hard ass. He found the lieutenant to be a decisive leader who expected her crew to deliver without a lot of praise or unnecessary chatter. Jon found he was comfortable with her command style. He went looking for Adalan and found her in the cramped mess hall with her three companions. Jon had not been surprised but was pleased she had decided to lead the small contingent of Hyloxian warriors. He knew her and trusted her with his life.
One of the real surprises the humans had discovered about the Hyloxians was their ability to morph their skin color to fit their mood or surroundings. Their skin was covered with a very fine covering of fur, which changed according to their situation. Adalan had explained it was one of the reasons their species had become dominant on their original homeworld. That morphing ability had given them the ability to hide while hunting and had put them on top of their food chain. When Jon had first met the Hyloxians, their fur color had been white, which Adalan had explained was their color of trust. It was difficult to conceal yourself if you were all white. In normal circumstances, their fur color was medium beige.
Adalan smiled when Jon sat down. Per the custom they had established they traded handshakes. Of all the human practices, the handshake seemed to be the one their alien allies had taken to the quickest. They immediately understood the significance of demonstrating that you were unarmed when you offered your hand in greeting. Adalan addressed Jon in a term roughly translated as “Jon-Friend-Brother-Mate” and said, “How are we going to find this weapon while the Khruellian occupy this planet?”
Jon said, “We are going to cruise in low orbit under stealth cover while Talor scans the planet for any trace of the weapon.”
Adalan expressed what a lot of the allies felt, “It is hard to understand all this new technology.”
“It is,” Jon acknowledged, “But I’m beginning to really like their advantages.”
The lithe Hyloxian stretched and said, “This is true, JonJon. We Hyloxians grew strong by our ability to be stealthy just as you humans have become strong by having a superior FTL drive.”
After going over the Hyloxians expected duties, Jon returned to the command center to watch as Lieutenant Warren prepared her ship for the jump to their target planet. No ship from the CSF had ever been to this particular star system, so they were relying on coordinates supplied by the Alphans. It was an act of faith in their allies to rely on the accuracy of their data, but so far, every coordinate they had given the CSF and the ADO had been perfect.
“Execute jump,” she ordered.
A blue, green and white planet appeared on the forward screen. Lieutenant Warren immediately said, “Go to Stealth mode. Threat board, post location of all Khruellian ships,”
The holographic screen lite up with six red dots moving over the planet’s surface. A cluster of dots on the surface remained stationary.
“Their command center,” Jon said.
Lieutenant Warren nodded in acknowledgment and ordered her XO to launch an orbiting drone to reconnoiter the rest of the planet for additional Khruellian ships. The drone was not stealth protected, and Jon hopped the little device wouldn’t give away their presence. It was a risk, but he felt better knowing the exact nature of what they were facing.
Talor, who had been silent throughout the launch and jump said, “Lieutenant Warren, please put us into a twenty-thousand-meter orbit.”
If the lieutenant was uncomfortable by an android issuing her an order, she hid it well and did as he asked. “Twenty-thousand meters, sir, as you ordered.”
“Thank you, Lieutenant Warren,” Talor said politely. “With your permission, I would like to take control of your ship for the duration of our search.”
That was a more serious request. The Lieutenant glanced at Jon who smiled slightly and gave her a barely perceptible nod of approval. “Relinquishing command as requested, Sir.”
For the next hour, the CSF General Brunner moved back and forth over the surface seemingly at random. Jon was reminded of the scent hounds he had once seen on Evenia moving erratically over a lawn tracking an elusive scent.
When Talor had passed over the same area twice he said, “Lieutenant, find a place near there to land.” A blinking green dot had appeared on the holographic display.
This time Lieutenant Warren didn’t look at Jon for his approval. She had already figured out that Talor enjoyed the Commander’s complete confidence and trust. She ordered her XO to look for a landing site that offered them a little cover. The stealth jacket would protect them from detection from above, but would not protect them at ground level if a Khruellian patrol stumbled upon them. Jon did not want the Khruellians to learn that another species was looking for the secret weapon that had almost destroyed their invading fleet.
“All hands prepare for ground combat conditions,” The lieutenant warned.
The CSF Brunner settled into a small clearing among a copse of very tall, tree-like plants with long, graceful streamers cascading from a network of branches at least one hundred meters above the ground. They reminded Jon of the ironwood trees on Islandia. As soon as the ships touched the ground, the cascading vines moved toward the ship and began enveloping her in a web-like embrace.
Jon said to a startled Lieutenant Warre
n, “I think we’re about to be lunch.”
The lieutenant reacted to the unexpected threat by ordering her gunnery officer to give the hungry plants a short taste of a PBW blast. As soon as the forward short-range weapon spouted a beam of energy, the vines retreated in unison, withdrawing to their former waiting position.
Lieutenant Warren said, “Apparently our taste is not to their liking.”
Jon looked at Talor for his recommendations. The android was motionless for a moment longer then said, “There’s a small group of buildings approximately two hundred meters to the west. Someone there knows about the weapon.”
Jon asked, “What can we expect from the natives?”
“Fear, suspicion and cooperation if they are convinced you are fighting the Khruellians.”
Adalan had come into the cramped command center and asked Talor what the natives looked like.
The android projected a picture on one of the screens. The native species followed the same pattern as most of the intelligent species the CSF had encountered, bipedal with an array of flexible, prehensile digits. Their sensory organs, sight, sound, and taste were similar to the humans and Hyloxians. According to the scale, Talor put up next to the image, they were approximately one and a half meters in height with dark brown skin and totally hairless.
Jon asked his android companion, “Are you ready?”
He nodded and headed toward the airlock. Fortunately, the atmosphere was within the boundaries of human and Hyloxian tolerances so they would not be encumbered by breathing devices. Both Jon and the Hyloxian crew were armed with rail-gun machine pistols. The small weapons developed from the captured Muhyba technology were capable of spewing out hundreds of high-speed projectiles with a nasty electric charge, capable of disabling enemy combatants and their equipment. The Hyloxians had also donned their lethal, retractable claw gloves. Jon could only imagine the damage Adalan and her team could do with those clawed gloves in close combat.