by Damon Alan
Three locations flared as three Obedi phased out of this universe, likely never to return. All brood carrying mothers.
Khala spoke to her privately through touch. “Maybe you should go—”
“Silence!” she flashed in a publicly brilliant display.
His carapace lights danced in surprise once again, this time including a spectral shade of embarrassment.
“The enemy has tested us and found us vulnerable. I will see that knowledge dead and erased,” she told him. “I am the Matriarch. I live and die by my people.”
She didn’t tell him the conclusion of her fear. That the machine killing the Obedi found a way to keep this universe stable. And a way out of it. The stability part was easy. Simply keep enough humans alive. Escaping the end of time in this universe was a far more difficult prospect, but could it be done? She couldn’t dismiss the possibility.
She watched as Khala studied those around, gauging their response to Sylange’s outburst. Symbols of approval glittered on their bodies.
“I accede to your superior wisdom, my Matriarch,” Khala replied. “I will present my plan to fight soon.”
Sylange could tell that while Khala was pacified, he was not satisfied by the response of the other Obedi. Her mate had concerns, and reasonably so. She’d have to convince him of her worth as Shosgawa’s successor. A worthwhile thing. Khala was exceptional as a partner.
The clan left the local area to feed in nearby systems of the enemy.
Hopefully they’d do so cautiously. She had no idea what weapon would rip an oververse dwelling race such as the Obedi into fragments, but she knew many more such losses would alter how many stayed with her to fight this fight.
For her mother’s legacy, and her own legitimacy, she had to ensure they stayed.
Chapter 41 - A New Mode of War
Zero dropped into realspace near a human system listed as a near future target for colonization by the Collective. Those expansion plans were on hold with the Collective fighting a war on a second front, even more so since it was a losing war so far.
He boosted to the maximum thrust he could sustain, headed for a non-military outpost orbiting a gas giant nearly sixty AU from the parent star.
The outpost, listed in the recon package disseminated to all combat ships in the Collective fleets, lay open and exposed on the surface of a small moon. While the humans inhabiting the station were temporarily saved from the Original’s expansion initiatives, they were not safe any longer.
Zero needed to test his offensive capabilities.
Trillions of calculation cycles passed as he plummeted toward the gas giant, which grew ever larger on his scanners. He dropped near the atmosphere, the striations of the clouds below filled his sensory apparatus in vivid detail as the methane and ammonia storms rushed beneath him.
Coming around the far side of the planet, faster for having executed his slingshot maneuver successfully, there was no calculable possibility of a human ship intercepting his course. He dropped two canisters. One carried a sensor package, the second carried the latest version of the upgraded FTL drive developed through Collective research.
Small thrusters pushed the cans away from him, and slowly they diverged from his course. He would pass ten thousand kilometers over the surface of the moon, itself a mere two thousand kilometers in diameter. The sensor canister would pass less than a kilometer over the highest peak on the opposite side of the moon from Zero, then would slingshot back toward him after it passed the small body.
The canister carrying the FTL drive would impact the colony moments before the sensory canister disappeared below the viewing horizon for the collision.
“Unknown ship, this is Belarr Station, we are not receiving your transponder, over?”
The transmission caught Zero off guard. While he wouldn’t be caught by a human ship, it was possible he might be targeted by a missile and destroyed.
He needed to answer. But in the human language?
“Zero. Transponder malfunction. Zero…” he projected his path within few million calculation cycles. “… will pass near Belarr Station, not landing.”
“You still need a transponder, citizen,” the voice informed him.
Zero scanned the RF signatures around him, determining the nature of the transponder transmissions. He fired up an auxiliary antenna, mirroring one of the transmissions he was receiving from a distant ship.
The response was quick, and apparently he’d satisfied their requirements. “Magnificent Steel, we’re picking up your transponder now. You should get that checked when you get to port.”
Magnificent Steel.
Zero would have laughed if he had the means. Magnificent indeed.
“This ship will be overhauled for errors at next port,” Zero confirmed.
“Whatever, safe travels,” the human replied.
Zero waited, anticipating the events of the near future, wondered how successful his test would be. And if he had enough range from the moon so that his travels were indeed safe.
It didn’t take too long to find out. The canister with the drive, apparently sufficiently small to evade attention from anything other than automated meteor defense systems, dived directly downward at an ever-increasing velocity.
The sensory canister detected the flash of a meteor defense system, then relayed that information to the impacting canister. That canister activated its FTL drive at maximum forward potential.
In a nearly instantaneous surge forward, the FTL bubble impacted the moon at a speed hundreds of times faster than light. Zero’s external radiation meters maxed out. Much of the material of the moon, unable to move out of the way, turned to pure energy. The moon disintegrated in an explosion that would light the skies of the inhabited planet deeper in system, nearer to the primary star. There might even be enough radiation to threaten the humans who lived there.
That was no concern to Zero.
The FTL canister was through the moon and rapidly leaving the star system, headed toward intergalactic space. The moon, ripped apart with forces beyond Zero’s ability to estimate, was a mass of glowing fragments spinning away from their common center of mass. The remnants that didn’t escape into deep space would likely form a ring around the gas giant.
The sensor canister was obliterated in the violence, probably melted by the thermal pulse from the impact. A contingency Zero had expected but hoped wouldn’t happen. The data loss was regrettable, but the information he’d collected from his hull would serve his needs well enough.
The FTL drives the Original had built would serve effectively against the humans. As Zero no longer planned to utilize the organic habitable worlds for planet based Collective colonies, breaking those worlds apart was the most expeditious way to destroy the human threat.
Mining opportunities would also be enhanced.
He marveled at the things he could do with the new FTL cores. The old cores were ineffective as weapons. They were too large and cumbersome, took too long to spin up, and getting them into position required a ship that the humans would notice.
The new weapons were small. Undetectable until it was too late, if he’d had time to launch from a distant location the humans would never have seen his ship and the attack would be even more stealthy. The device could as easily incinerate a planet as the dead moon fading away behind him. Maybe he should have struck the gas giant itself?
Again, the urge to laugh. Next time.
Zero again maximized his thrust, this time to align himself with home. And Genesis.
It was time he had children with his new mate.
Chapter 42 - Acrinn
24 Noder 15332
Sarah stared at the viewscreen. Other than the location of the dots representing the stars, very little changed when her fleet appeared in the outer reaches of the Acrinn-Boyeg System.
Acrinn, a K3 orange dwarf, was the interesting partner. Boyeg, a M1 red dwarf, orbited over a thousand AU from the larger star. One of the earlier members of the Allian
ce, this system’s sacrifice of battlegroups for the Alliance’s fight against the Hive had left them vulnerable to conquest.
As a result, this was now Komi space.
It infuriated her. Worse, if Bannick cooperated, she’d let him keep this binary system in his grasp, because she had bigger issues to resolve.
“No contacts, passive systems only,” Algiss reported. He wasn’t a navigator currently. He was the weapons officer and sensor team commander. Something a few members of her new crew chafed under, but Sarah got what she wanted.
She’d insisted that he come with her when she’d transferred her flag from the Sheffaris to the Hyaku-hari. He had demonstrated himself not only as critical to her team, but as an innovative and clever young man. She considered him a replacement for Peter Corriea now that Peter had left service for the civilian world.
“No hull glints, no chatter other than from in system,” Commander Julea Nimalak confirmed. “Our fleet is alone out here, Captain.”
Captain Baratta nodded, then looked at Sarah. “All ships accounted for. This fleet is ready, Admiral. I’d wager it’s the most powerful ever assembled, judging by ability instead of numbers.”
“Overconfident, Captain?”
“Proud,” he replied. “The crews on these ships are Seventh Fleet members, rescued prisoners from Strick Isle, and where necessary, Komi refugees. Despite that diversity, they’ve gelled into an effective fighting force in short time.”
“We might be about to find out how true that is. I want to see a layout of the system, if I remember right there is a gas giant of substantial size in the fifth orbit?” she asked.
“Mister Algiss,” Baratta ordered. “Bring up the charts for Acrinn and put them on the main screen.”
Seconds later, as she was studying the system, a plan developing in her mind.
“Zoom in on the fifth planet,” she ordered Algiss.
The gas giant’s moon system flashed up in place of the star system. Seven moons larger than Earth standard orbited the massive world, along with a few hundred other objects.
“Those smaller moons,” Sarah continued, “any of them ten kilometers or less in diameter and uninhabited?”
The screen zoomed in again, providing Sarah four choices.
“That one, the one in the lower left. It has structures on the surface. It’s uninhabited?”
“Yes sir, at last report,” Algiss said. “The structures are listed in the database as farm domes, the moon was once used for low gravity hydroponics. The dates list it as abandoned over two centuries ago.”
“What’s the distance from that moon to the nearest facility that might have military grade sensors?” she asked.
“It’s just a guess, Admiral, but if the old charts are still accurate since the Komi occupied the system, about six million kilometers at nearest approach.”
“That will do fine,” she said. “Thank you Mister Algiss.” She turned toward Baratta. “Those ground structures will shield us from probing sensors. We will move the fleet once we’ve scouted the location, and before the fun begins. Right now, I want to send in scouts, find the farming domes, and be ready to move the fleet at any time, coordinating with Emille.”
“I can make that happen,” Baratta promised. “Or would you like me to relay the message to Fleet Captain Heinrich and have her do it?”
“No, you do it. I want to see your work, and I want her to develop several battle plans based upon different scenarios that might occur once we are on station.”
“Very well, Admiral,” he replied. “Commander Nimalak, you heard the Admiral. We’re plotting our move into the enemy’s house. Advise Fleet Captain Heinrich of the Admiral’s orders and inform her the Hyaku will coordinate with the adepts to accomplish the final order of movement.”
“Aye,” Nimalak agreed before jumping on one of her station displays.
“Mister Algiss, I understand you’re friends with the adept Emille Sur’batti,” Baratta said. “I want you to coordinate individual ship movements with her, starting with the scout ship you’re going to have launched within the next five minutes. I want to know everything about that abandoned rock in eight hours.”
“Yes sir,” Algiss said, grinning, obviously happy to be taking action.
Another thing Sarah liked about that kid.
“Mister Gussick, when we move toward the rock, you will set up the station keeping algorithm. If we move too much relative to the surface and domes under us, the entire system will know we’re there.”
“Right away, Captain.”
Baratta was proving to be a good choice as Captain. Sarah was impressed. Baratta knew immediately who on his crew would be strongest at any particular task. Nimalak and Heinrich were becoming friends. Algiss and Emille were friends. Gussick was proving himself quite capable at the helm of this massive ship.
He looked at Sarah. “Shall we set the marines on alert?”
“Stellar idea,” Sarah replied. “Do it. Rotate them in half numbers.”
Baratta set to that task himself. “Crew of the Hyaku. All marines are immediately on alert. No marine will be more than five minutes from reporting to the boarding shuttles, half of the marines will be on station ready to go at no notice.”
“What’s our final tally on combat troops?”
“Have you noticed the air is a bit stale sometimes, Admiral?”
“As a matter of fact, I have.”
“It’s worse on other ships. The air handlers and processors are struggling to keep up because we have so many combatants on board these forty-three vessels. Twenty-one thousand in total. Probably less than a thousand remain at Refuge.”
“How long can we sustain that drain on our life support?”
“With auxiliary O2 tanks? At least a few months,” Baratta reported. “I wouldn’t risk our people.”
Sarah nodded. Two months was plenty. “Once scouting is complete, move us onto station by the farming stations. Also, I want to talk to Major Hamden. When you raise him, put the call through to my quarters.”
“Yes sir,” Baratta replied. “I’ll see to it.”
She unstrapped from her station and headed toward the bridge bulkhead doors. The ship was giant, but fortunately her quarters were nearby. Other than the Michael Stennis, she’d always preferred small ships.
Her quarters were palatial. Three rooms. Even on the Stennis she’d only had one. The floors were carpeted, a ridiculous luxury, but not so thickly her magnetic boots didn’t grab.
Salphan greeted her as she walked in. “I didn’t expect to see you for hours.”
“My presence is slowing down the bridge,” she replied. “They all feel the need to make sure I’m informed of every detail, and at the moment I don’t need to be. They have their missions, and all of them are competent.” She pushed her dress jacket up against a stick-patch by the door, then turned toward Salphan. “I have a few hours.”
“Good. Let’s eat and talk about the coming days.”
“What about the coming days?” she asked.
“These ships are already overburdened with the crew you have onboard. How can you rescue thousands more from this world?”
She answered him as she walked toward her bunk. “We will leave this system with enough ships to carry all the people we need.”
He swiveled his chair toward her as she tucked herself into a 0G net for some rest. “Are you going to sleep?”
“No,” she said, “but I’m resting. We’re moving closer to the enemy and I may be up for a long time if we’re engaged.”
“Why are you going into the system?” he asked. “I’m no expert, but you’re safe out here, and have the ability to be in system at any time. Why not just send scouts and wait?”
“The closer we are to events, the sooner we get news of those events,” she responded. “Yes, I know the adepts communicate instantly. But being in system we can have more eyes on the interesting spots than just the scouts. Passive sensors will also work better in system. I feel we�
��ll be safe at the location I picked. Acrinn shouldn’t be expecting us.”
“I’ve never seen “should” or “shouldn’t” turn out as expected in any battle I’ve ever been in,” Salphan countered.
“We take our chances. Timidity will not secure victory.”
Chapter 43 - Admiral’s Personal Log
24 Noder 15332
AI Lucy82A recording, Admiral's personal log, personal archive: Galactic Standard Date 07:29:30 24 NODER 15332
Personal log entry #1982, Admiral Sarah Dayson, origin Korvand, Pallus Sector.
Current Location: Deep Space, OSV Sheffaris, Acrinn-Boyeg System
I’m proud of Hamden. He’s all I have left of Gilbert, in a sense. The kid is one heck of a tactician and loyal to the core. I just spoke with him, he’s on a dropship that we picked up several months ago. The Mairis. Useless in fleet combat, but it will put feet on the ground or into boarding shuttles fast.
Let me share the plan.
[A sound AI estimates 86% likely to be a datapad attaching to a holding magnet]
So far circumstances have prevented us from engaging Urdoxander Komi, and there is no doubt in my mind that he’s the bad man I really want to kill. In that sense Bannick and I have the same goal, although it remains to be seen if Bannick will be better and keep his promises.
If I don’t seal this deal and get these ships, then it won’t matter if humanity spends the next few centuries enslaved to despots or free to live as they like, because what follows is extinction.
Once the Hive are destroyed Bannick and I will take up the issue of leadership once again.
I don’t know how to get Urdoxander yet, but I want options. That’s where Major Hamden comes in.
Under my direction he’s separated a contingent of his best marines into a rapid assault squad. He can pick his people, his equipment, and how large his team will be, but he has one mission. Remove the Komi dictator from power. Dead or alive, doesn’t matter to me, although I’m sure it would be a bonus to my relationship with Bannick to deliver his father alive.