Modulus Echo

by Toby Neighbors

  “With your permission, I will see that the ship is ready when you return,” Hassik said. “I have no patience for ceremony.”

  “It is a necessary distraction,” Grubat said. “Without the gods, what would we fight for?”

  “I hope I do not go too far by suggesting that we fight for ourselves.”

  “These halls have many ears, young Hassik,” Grubat said. “Some opinions are best left to yourself.”

  “Tell me you do not feel the same way, Great Chieftain. Glory awaits, and we waste time appeasing the priests.”

  “Gathering a Thralldom takes time. A warlord must keep his army happy. The priests play a role in that.”

  “I say a conquest plays a much larger role.”

  “Be that as it may, we must continue the traditions that led to our supremacy in the galaxy. Without them, we would be lost and no better than the races we enslave.”

  “As always, you know best, Great Chieftain,” Hassik said.

  “Go, see to the preparations,” Grubat said. “We leave for the portal as soon as I return. And forward any word from the En’Galla straight to me.”

  Yarl Hassik bowed slightly, then hurried away. Grubat watched him go with a twinge of jealousy. He would much rather be overseeing the preparations on the Nog’Delt, but he couldn’t raise an army in isolation. With a sigh, he turned back toward the temple’s grand chamber and slipped quietly back inside.

  Chapter 9

  When Ben walked down the ramp of the Echo’s cargo hold, he found General Pershing approaching. She looked at him expectantly.

  “We’ve agreed to help,” Ben said.

  “Excellent,” Pershing said.

  “But Professor Jones needs some equipment,” Ben added, handing the general the list the older man had written.

  She glanced at the list. “This is not a problem. I’ll have it brought on board immediately. Please make your preparations for departure. We will be returning to the Celeste system as soon as possible.”

  “Okay,” Ben said, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. “We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

  “One last thing,” General Pershing said. “We’ll be ferrying Major Le Croix’s commando team. They’ll need a way off the ship once we’re in the Celeste system.”

  “We have an air lock,” Ben said.

  “Yes, I know,” Pershing said. “But sending them out one by one isn’t efficient. I want to find a way to use the rear hatch.”

  “In space?” Ben said. “The entire ship would decompress in hard vacuum. We’d all be killed.”

  “You’re an engineer,” she said confidently. “Find a way to make it happen.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Always,” Pershing replied. “I don’t know how you’re used to operating, but it seems that you’re a capable crew. The Echo has all the supplies she needs. Now it’s time we make her ready for war. Tell Professor Jones that I need to know everything about the flux shield and the wormhole he created.”

  “Fair enough,” Ben said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “The commandos will be here shortly. See that they get on board with their gear. We’ll leave as soon as they’re on board.”

  Pershing walked away and Ben turned around. Kim was leaning against the wall just inside the open hatch. She pushed off the bulkhead as Ben came back inside.

  “What did I tell you?” she said.

  “You said you were with us,” Ben replied.

  “And that we couldn’t trust the general. Whatever goods she has come with a really high price.”

  “All she’s asking for are a few modifications to the cargo hold.”

  “That’s all she’s asking for now,” Kim said. “But mark my word—we’ll regret letting her have control of the ship.”

  “You really think that?”

  “I do. But I also think that as long as we stick together, we can find a way to get by.”

  She stepped closer to Ben, who looked around to see if anyone was watching. The hanger appeared to be empty. Kim put a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’m with you,” she said quietly. “No matter what. I know I let you down on Torrent Four. I lost my mind a little, but as soon as I left, I knew that all I really wanted was to come back. Now that I’m here, you’re stuck with me.”

  “I’m glad to be stuck with you,” Ben said, pulling her even closer.

  Her eyes had a golden hue that Ben found mesmerizing. They kissed, but soon a discreet cough interrupted them. Ben turned around and found Magnum standing nearby, but looking out the cargo doors.

  “We’ve got company,” he said without ever looking at Ben.

  It was a simple thing, giving Ben and Kim a tiny modicum of privacy, but it wasn’t lost on the couple. They looked out the open cargo ramp and saw a squad of heavily armored soldiers approaching.

  “That would be Major Le Croix’s commandos,” Ben said.

  The soldiers had hard-vacuum space suits with built-in armor. Each one carried a large, dull-green rucksack, and a variety of weapons. Ben noticed that Le Croix’s armor attached to his prosthetic legs just below the knee. The entire group, eight in total, carried helmets under their arms. They stopped just outside the rear hatch.

  “Staff Sergeant Visher,” Le Croix said. “This is the crew of the Modulus Echo.”

  “They don’t look so tough,” the blocky faced NCO with a livid scar across his forehead said. “Is it true they took out a battlecruiser?”

  “In a manner of speaking,” the major replied. “Permission to come aboard?”

  “You’re welcome on the Echo,” Ben said. “Come with me and I’ll show you where you’ll be bunking. You’ll have to double up, I’m afraid. We only have four spare cabins at the moment.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Le Croix said. “I don’t think we’ll be sleeping much on this op.”

  Ben led the way across the cargo hold, which was loaded with pallets of food. They went up the stairs to the main deck.

  “This is the main deck,” Ben said. “The galley and your quarters are upstairs.”

  “An efficient design,” the major replied.

  “More room than most naval ships,” Staff Sergeant Visher said. “I hope it doesn’t get destroyed by the aliens.”

  The rest of his team chuckled. Ben got the impression that they didn’t really expect to see an alien ship. They probably thought it was all a misunderstanding. Ben led them up the stairwell to the upper deck. The six cabins were all identical, but Ben reserved the one with the best furnishing for General Pershing. Professor Jones was well ensconced in another, but he managed to stick his head out the open doorway.

  “New passengers,” he said.

  “The general wants to meet with you when she gets back with your supplies,” Ben told him.

  “Perhaps we should meet in the crew lounge,” the professor suggested.

  “That would be a good idea,” Ben said, before turning his attention back to the soldiers. “Make yourselves at home. The jump to the Celeste system takes about four hours. We have plenty of food.”

  “We’ll be fine,” the major said. “My team will stay up here and out of the way. But I’d like to meet with the general when she comes on board.”

  “Fine,” Ben said. “Professor Jones is getting ready to meet with her in the crew lounge. Feel free to join him.”

  “Yes, yes,” the professor said. “The more, the merrier. What do you know about black holes?”

  Chapter 10

  Before General Pershing returned to the Echo, she sent over the supplies the crew had requested. Most of it was medical supplies. A new full-body scanner, surgical robot, and bevy of medicines. It was all the type of gear the Royal Imperium had in spades, and General Pershing was a firm believer in ensuring her troops had the equipment they needed.

  After ordering the last of the supplies to the Echo, Alicia Pershing stopped at her small, austere office in the Special Forces training center. Like in her work space on th
e Fleet HQ space station that was destroyed in the Celeste system, Pershing had refrained from filling the office with personal items. Other than her uniform, the general gave very little value to personal possessions. She stopped by the office to leave something, rather than take anything.

  After powering on her computer, she left a quick message for other Royal Imperium officers. If she was in fact the highest remaining commander in the military hierarchy, she wanted to make sure that whatever forces remained after the crisis in the Celeste system had no question about what she expected of them.

  “To all Royal Imperium military personnel,” she began. “I can confirm the opening of a wormhole in the Celeste system that destroyed much of the Imperium Fleet and the Command HQ station. I witnessed these events firsthand from the Deception. After surviving the destruction, we took the ship through the wormhole to what I believe was a different galaxy, although that has not been confirmed yet. While trying to ascertain the exact location of the wormhole, we were attacked by alien vessels. The Deception was lost.

  You may have heard rumors that the rogue ship, the Modulus Echo, was responsible for the destruction of our fleet. That is incorrect. While the admiral general was in the process of bringing the Modulus Echo into custody in order to question her crew and ascertain if she was the ship we had been searching for, the sudden gravity event destroyed his ship and most of the fleet. The crew of the Modulus Echo followed us through the wormhole and rescued me and Captain Derringer of the Deception. It is my firm belief that the Modulus Echo and her crew are innocent of all charges against the Royal Imperium, although the search for the Kestrel class ship in question has been put aside in order to deal with the new and greater threat coming through the wormhole.

  After our return to the Celeste system, an alien vessel was seen coming through the portal. Reports are that the alien ship attacked a transport that was carrying the royal family to safety. It is my intention to return to the Celeste system with a team of Special Forces operators in hopes of mounting a rescue of the royal family and to find out as much as possible about whoever is behind the attacks on our fleet. My orders to you are to rendezvous here in the Yelsin system. All current operations are to cease immediately. Naval personnel should retrieve any and all ground forces in their current theater of operations. Once this is carried out, make for the Yelsin system without delay.

  “If I have not returned to the Yelsin system when you arrive, please organize yourselves in preparation for a full-scale attack. We know very little about our new enemy, but be advised, they are proceeding in regard to the Royal Imperium Fleet in a warlike manner. If the strange, alien vessels are spotted, fall back to the Mersa system. Do not, I repeat, do not engage. I am taking the Modulus Echo as my new flagship. These are my orders until further action can be taken to organize our forces and mount a proper counterattack. This is General Alicia Pershing, commander of the Royal Imperium Special Forces, and current ranking officer. Out.”

  She cut the recording off and left her office. There was no sadness, no fear, only excitement for what lay ahead. She couldn’t be sure the aliens were the great threat she had felt coming, but it seemed likely. And all her adult life she had looked forward to the chance to test herself in the crucible of war. Her moment had arrived and she was ready for it.

  “General Pershing, do you have a moment?”

  She turned and found Colonel Howitz approaching. The colonel was an older man. His perfectly coifed hair was pure white, and there were deep wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He had been in charge of the Special Forces training center on Yelsin Prime for over a decade. His fighting days were behind him, and most of his muscle had gone to fat, but he was an excellent administrator, and Pershing had respect for his wisdom.

  “Of course, Colonel,” Pershing said.

  “I have reservations about seeing you go out on what could potentially be the most important mission in a century on board what until a few hours ago was public enemy number one.”

  “You’re referring to the Modulus Echo?”

  Howitz nodded.

  “Have you seen the footage from the Torrent system?”

  “I have,” the Colonel admitted.

  “Then you saw the Echo shrug off the attacks of capital warships with ease,” Pershing said. “I can think of no safer place to lead from than the bridge of a ship our forces were powerless to stop.”

  “You would lead from a Confederate ship? What kind of message does that send to the rest of our forces?”

  “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” Pershing said matter-of-factly. “The Modulus Echo was only our enemy because the admiral general was trying to find a scapegoat for his failed strategy against the rebels. The crew of that ship risked their lives to save me and Captain Derringer. They have offered to help us, and I find that selfless valor in the face of a new and terrifying enemy inspiring. Further, I believe that we will need more than just the remnant of our fleet to stop this new enemy. We’re going to need the Confederacy.”

  “You can’t be serious?”

  “If I’m right about where that wormhole leads, and who attacked our ship, then the entire human race is at risk. It will take all our strength to push the enemy back to their own galaxy and close the wormhole for good.”

  Howitz frowned but gave a curt nod. “Alright. I guess I don’t have to like it, but it’s your ass on the line. I’ll do all I can on this end.”

  “I know you will,” Pershing said. “You’re a fine officer and a great organizer. I’ll be leaning on you heavily once we return.”

  “Just make sure you do return,” Howitz said. “It’s possible this is all a trick by the Confederacy. The Royal Imperium is on the ropes, and we can’t stand to lose even one more round.”

  “I agree,” Pershing said. “I’ll be back. You can count on that, hopefully with the royal family in tow.”

  “Good luck, General.”

  “Thank you, Colonel.”

  Pershing turned and started toward the hanger where the Modulus Echo waited. She felt confident, but in the back of her mind, doubt was nagging at her. All her life she had prided herself on being a woman of her word, and she felt that she had kept her word to Ben and his crew by exonerating them on the recording she made. But a tiny part of her feared that she was being conned. She had no illusions about the crew of the Modulus Echo. They were not military, and in fact had no loyalty to the Royal Imperium whatsoever. They were outlaws, and she would have to be careful that she didn’t forget that. Trust was not something to be handed out easily. She decided that very moment to keep hers in check.

  Chapter 11

  The flight off world was smooth despite the tension on the bridge. Kim, in her pilot’s seat, felt as if General Pershing’s eyes were boring through the back of her skull, but she stayed focused on flying the ship.

  “Transition to orbit is complete,” Nance said. “All systems green.”

  The general was quiet and Kim didn’t know exactly why. She had expected Pershing to come on board in full military mode, barking orders and forcing changes. Instead, Pershing sat quietly between Magnum and Nance at what was officially the navigation console. Nance at the operations console had complete control of the ship’s systems via her computer setup. There was nothing for the general to do but watch, and she did so quietly.

  “Jump point is set,” Nance added.

  “I see it,” Kim said. “We’re half an hour out.”

  The half hour seemed five times as long. There were other ships in the system, all Royal Imperium craft. Kim watched them on her scopes suspiciously, but none approached them. When they finally reached the designated spot in space, Kim fired the hyperspace drive and then sat back, relieved.

  “How long is this jump?” Ben asked.

  “Four hours,” Nance said.

  “Why don’t you all take a break, then?” Ben continued. “I’ll monitor the bridge.”

  Kim felt a ping of jealousy. She would rather he spend the four ho
urs with her locked in her quarters. Not that she was anxious for private time with her lover, but because she didn’t like being in the same room with General Pershing. And hiding out alone wasn’t nearly as much fun.

  Kim wanted to disappear in her room, but she was hungry and decided to grab a quick meal first. Nance and Magnum joined her, while the general lingered on the bridge with Ben.

  “That can’t be fun,” Kim said.

  “He may regret having volunteered,” Magnum agreed.

  “What?” Nance asked. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” Kim said. “But I wouldn’t want to be stuck on the bridge for hours with the general.”

  “Why? She seems perfectly nice,” Nance said. “She’s quiet.”

  “Sure, like a panther about to pounce on its unsuspecting prey,” Kim said. “I don’t trust her.”

  On the upper deck, the commandos were sitting in the observation area where the common tables were kept and meals shared. Kim and Nance went into the galley, which opened into the observation deck. It was impossible not to overhear the conversations. The Special Forces soldiers were all hardened veterans, yet they talked and joked about mundane things. When Kim came out of the galley with a plate of food and a tall tumbler of ale, several of the male soldiers took notice.

  “Someone is popular,” Nance whispered.

  “Yeah, I feel like a rabbit surrounded by a pack of bloodhounds,” Kim said.

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Magnum said, just before a tall man with a square jaw, broad shoulders, and steel-gray eyes approached.

  “Hello,” he said, sliding down onto the bench across from Kim with the grace of a dancer. “I’m Blane. You must be our pilot.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Kim said around a mouth full of food.

  “You’ve got a pretty good setup here,” Blane continued. “The ship’s pretty decent. Plenty of space.”

  “Would you like to see my quarters?” Kim asked sweetly.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say no if you’re offering,” Blane said.