The mood on the bridge was still tense after their battle with the Ta’Akar warship while orbiting the small Haven moon. Although their current position put them a good thirty light minutes away from the warship’s last known position, there was still the chance that their opponent might deduce their location and come after them in the very near future.
Because of this, Abby kept updating the escape jump plot every few minutes. In her spare time during the harvesting operations back in the rings, she had written an algorithm that would easily update the transition parameters and adjust the jump plot based on a given course and speed. It might be a little less accurate-she hadn’t had time to validate the results-but as escape jumps were plotted to wide open areas, any slight discrepancies posed little risk, especially at such short distances. She would’ve preferred to be more accurate in her calculations, but the current situation seemed to favor speed over precision. As a scientist, it had been a difficult adjustment. Superluminal transitions required exact calculations. But as a wife and mother who desperately wanted to return to her family, she had found a way to overcome her aversion to shortcuts.
Tug and Jalea came out of the captain’s ready room and were about to exit the bridge, when Nathan came out of the ready room behind them.
“You might want to stay and see this,” he said to Tug as he passed. “Abby,” he called as he stepped from the exit foyer onto the aft section of the bridge. “Commander Taylor says we’re ready to jump to a safer position outside the system.”
“Yes, Captain. To roughly the same position that we originally jumped in from, give or take a few hundred kilometers.”
“Very well. Prepare to jump,” he ordered as he stepped aside to allow Jessica to take her position at the tactical console.
“Shall I kill the view screen?” Cameron asked as she sat down at the helm.
Nathan looked at Tug as he stepped up beside him near the tactical station. “Leave it on,” he told her, a slight grin creeping across his face.
Cameron looked puzzled. “Sir?”
Nathan ignored her, instead speaking to Tug. “This is a graphical plot of the system,” he explained, pointing at the main display at the center of the tactical console. “This is our current position-about thirty light minutes from Haven. We’re going to execute a jump that will move us to here.” Nathan moved his finger along the display all the way to the right, nearly to the edge of the map before double tapping the screen to emphasize the spot. “That’s about two light days from Haven.” Tug looked intently at the display, comprehending its simplistic representations in short order.
“I see. And this will happen in an instant?” The skepticism was clearly evident on Tug’s face.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve done it six times now, and even I still can’t believe it.” Nathan turned to Abby at the jump control console on the starboard side of the bridge. “Doctor Sorenson? If you’d be so kind…”
“Executing jump,” she replied calmly.
“You might want to cover your eyes,” Nathan told Tug.
Tug ignored him, wanting to witness the entire event. He stared at the main view screen, which wrapped around the entire front half of the bridge and up over the helm and command chairs located just in front of them. Only a moment after the physicist initiated the jump, a pale blue wave of light began to spread out from emitters located all over the hull of the ship. It seemed to dance across the hull as each wave of light reached out to connect to the ones next to it. As the waves of light made contact with one another, their brilliance increased immeasurably and they quickly grew into a blinding white flash of light. A moment later, after the flash subsided, the stars had shifted ever so slightly.
Tug rubbed his eyes, the flash of the jump leaving his vision littered with pale blue blotches that floated before him. He blinked repeatedly, squinting his eyes and then widening them again as if trying to clear something from under the lids. Something on the screen was different. To most people, the stars displayed on the view screen would still have looked the same. But for a man that had navigated them from the seat of a small fighter on numerous occasions, even the slightest change was noticeable.
Tug muttered something in his native tongue. Nathan could only guess at its meaning-“Oh my God”, or “holy shit”. He was sure it was one of those two. Tug looked back down at the tactical display, locating the icon that marked their new position. It was just as Nathan had said-they were two light days away from Haven. Tug stared back up at the stars on the viewer once again. “Incredible,” was the only Angla word that came to him. He turned to Nathan. “Absolutely incredible. It is no wonder that the Ta’Akar wish to capture your ship.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Nathan said. Tug’s last statement had knocked Nathan out of the wonder of the moment, and back to the matters at hand. “Kaylah, any contacts out here?”
“No sir,” the ensign responded from her place at the sensor console to his left. “The area is clear. In fact, by direct imaging, it appears as if we haven’t even entered the system yet.”
“Huh?” It wasn’t that Nathan didn’t understand what she was talking about-it was that he hadn’t expected it.
“The light is two days old,” Cameron added. “It takes some getting used to.”
“Yeah,” Nathan agreed.
Tug understood only too well, and was already analyzing the prospects in his mind. “Captain, do you realize the tactical advantages such a technology provides. Not only could you jump into range of your targets with complete surprise, but you could escape before help could arrive. And the reconnaissance possibilities-”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Nathan warned. “We haven’t committed to anything just yet. We’re just entertaining the possibilities at this point.”
“But Captain-”
“This drive is just a prototype-it’s experimental. There’s a lot it can’t do. And so far, we know very little about what it actually can do. So let’s just take it one step at a time, shall we?”
Tug regained his composure. “Of course, Captain.”
“In the meantime,” Nathan continued, “why don’t you get your family settled into quarters. It’s been a difficult day.”
Tug looked around the bridge and then back out at the stars on the viewer. “Amazing,” he muttered, shaking his head. He nodded to Nathan as he turned to exit. “I’ll be available when you need me, Captain.”
“Thank you.”
Tug returned to the back of the bridge, exiting out the port doorway with Jalea at his side. Nathan watched as they walked away, discussing what Tug had just witnessed for his first time with Jalea, again in a language that Nathan could not understand. He was beginning to think that if they were to spend much more time in this region of space, he might need to learn at least some of their language.
Cameron rose from her seat at the helm and stepped onto the upper level that encompassed the back half of the bridge. “So what do we do now?”
“We still need someplace safe to make repairs.”
“Preferably someplace safer than Haven,” Cameron replied with a hint of sarcasm.
“Hey, we got some molo?” Nathan quipped.
“Yeah, and a bunch of rocks,” Cameron added. “That reminds me, what are we going to do with all those workers stranded on board?”
The expression on Nathan’s face made it evident that he had not considered that problem. “I don’t know. I guess I’d better have a talk with them.” Nathan turned to Jessica. “Can you round them all up and have them in the briefing room, in say, thirty minutes?”
“Sure thing,” Jessica answered as she turned to exit.
“How long do you think we can hang around out here?” Cameron asked.
“We’re probably okay for a day or so,” he admitted. “But to be honest, the sooner we get a few light years between us and Haven, the happier I’ll be.”
Nathan and Jessica entered the main briefing room located one deck below the command section. Large enough to hold fifty people in five rows, it seemed almost empty compared to how full it had been during his orientation briefing nearly a month ago. Now, it contained only a handful of strangers-aliens, in fact-who were stranded on board his ship with no way to return to their homes.
Josh and Loki sat at the back of the room, their feet dangling over the chair backs in front of them. The two pilots of the now twisted and mangled harvester, still lying in ruins on the Aurora’s flight deck, seemed to be enjoying themselves, despite all they had been through over the last couple of hours. Marcus, the harvesting crew foreman sitting next to them, did not seem as entertained by the situation.
The others, three men and two women, sat apart from the rest. They had all served as indentured workers under contract with the harvesting team that Tobin had hired during their brief stay in the Haven system. It appeared that they had no interest in socializing with the technical crew of their shared employer. They all appeared beaten and disheveled, having gone through more than a full day of labor, not to mention having watched their fellow workers die at the hands of Ta’Akar troops attempting to take over the ship. In fact, many of them still wore the blood of those who died around them during the slaughter.
Nathan stepped onto the platform at the front of the room. He chose to stand beside the podium instead of behind it, not bothering with the public address speaker system built into the room. There were only a half dozen or so of them, and Nathan felt that a more intimate approach would be appropriate. In retrospect, he wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to have the meeting in the command briefing room on the deck above, as it might have been better suited.
“Good afternoon, everyone. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Nathan Scott, and I’m the captain of this ship. First, I’d like to express my condolences to any of you who have lost family or friends in the recent attacks that we have all endured. If there is anything that we can do for you, please do not hesitate to ask.”
“Can you get us home?” one of the men asked.
“I guess that depends on where home is,” Nathan began.
“Haven, of course,” the man insisted.
Marcus shook his head, a sour expression painted on his weather-beaten face. “Haven ain’t no one’s home. Least ways not unless they’re touched in the head,” he chuckled.
“It was my understanding that most of you were indentured workers, forced to serve against your will.”
“That’s not entirely correct, Captain,” the man explained. “While we may not have chosen to be there, we were required by law to repay debts owed to our creditors, by either indentured labor or imprisonment.”
Nathan looked perplexed. He hadn’t considered the possibility that any of the workers would want to return to Haven.
“You can return us, can you not?” the man continued.
“Well, yes, I suppose we could. It’s just that I can’t guarantee your safe passage back down to the surface.” Nathan felt all their eyes staring at him. “You see, there’s still a Ta’Akar warship in the area. I mean, we think that it’s still there. The images we’re getting right now are two days old.”
“Excuse me?” It was Josh’s first words since Nathan had entered the room and began speaking. Nathan could tell by the looks on their faces that he was speaking for everyone in the room. “What do you mean, two days old?”
“Well, that’s because we’re about two light days out from Haven right now.”
“What?” Marcus interrupted. “That ain’t possible. I didn’t feel us go to FTL. And even if we did, ain’t no way we got that far out so quickly. Hell, it ain’t even been an hour since the shootin’ ended.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Josh suddenly realized. “And how the hell did you guys shake that Ta’Akar cruiser?”
Nathan realized the conversation wasn’t exactly going in the direction he had intended. But the tone struck by Josh and Marcus, although probably not intentional, was a bit accusatory.
“It’s kind of complicated,” Nathan offered, hoping to avoid the issue of how all together. Unfortunately, he could tell by the looks on their faces that they weren’t going to let it go that easily. And to make matters worse, the workers-whose interests had previously been separate from those of their higher-ups-were looking like they were about to unite with them. Nathan looked at Jessica as if hoping for a hint at what to say or do to appease the group.
“Might as well tell them,” she said. “They’re going to find out soon enough.”
“Well,” Nathan began, “we have a device-we call it a ‘jump drive’-that allows us to instantly jump to another point in space. We can jump up to ten light years at once.” Nathan looked at the group, all of whose mouths hung open. “So as soon as Josh and Loki got us back on board, we simply jumped away.” There was no response. A second later, not knowing what else to say or do, Nathan made a gesture with his hands of a ship jumping from right to left.
“Bullshit,” Marcus replied after a moment of silence.
Josh had a completely different reaction. “Hot damn!” he cried, the words nearly exploding from his mouth.
“Why only two light days out?” Loki asked.
“Well, to be honest, we were just trying to buy some time until we figured out what to do next,” Nathan admitted. He could tell from their expressions they were not following his logic. “You see, we’re not from around here.”
“No kidding,” Josh chuckled.
Marcus eyed Nathan suspiciously. “Where exactly are you from?”
“Well, pretty far away.” Nathan took a deep breath. “Actually, we’re from the Sol system. A planet called Earth.”
Most of their expressions suddenly changed from disbelief to shock. Except for Marcus, whose still appeared suspicious. “Earth? Even if it existed, ain’t it like a hundred thousand light years away or something? You said your drive thingy could only jump ten light years at a pop. What did you do, make a thousand jumps just to get to Haven?” Marcus laughed. The whole story, jump drive and all, sounded preposterous to him.
“Well, how we got here is another story. One that I really don’t want to get into right now.”
“Captain,” one of the workers interrupted. “If you jumped out here, can you not simply jump back and let us off the ship?”
“Ain’t no way I’m going back to Haven,” Marcus announced. “You can drop me off anywhere but that rock.”
“You were there by choice,” the men sneered at Marcus, apparently no longer fearing the wrath that the surly foreman had once used to keep them in line.
“I was there for the money,” Marcus argued. “Which was damned good, by the way. But after today, who do you think the owner is gonna blame for losing a harvester and half his crew?” Marcus shook his head in defiance. “Uh-uh, I ain’t goin’ back there. Not after all this. And you’d all be smart to do the same.”
“Yes, we could jump back and let you off,” Nathan began, choosing to ignore Marcus for the moment. “But I can’t guarantee the Ta’Akar would allow you safe passage. In fact, I rather doubt they would.”
“And why is that, Captain?” Marcus challenged, standing to emphasize the urgency of his request.
Jessica straightened up from her position leaning against the wall off to the side, sensing the tension rise in the room. She took a step forward, her body language communicating to Marcus her intent to impede him should he step out of line. Just as Nathan was about to respond, Tug and Jalea entered the briefing room.
“Because of me,” Tug announced in a commanding voice.
“And who the hell are you?” Marcus asked, turning to glare at Tug and Jalea.
“I am the leader of the Karuzari.”
“The terrorists?”
“They’re not terrorists, Marcus,” Josh argued, rolling his eyes. “They’re freedom fighters.”
“I don’t care what you call them, kid. They’re still trouble. And it’s trouble that I don’t care to be associated with. And if I were you-” Marcus suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, as he started to put it all together. “Wait a minute,” he said, pointing a finger at Nathan. “Is this the ship that we heard about? The one that appeared out of nowhere and helped them Kazahooie escape?” Marcus looked around the room again, his mind racing. “Yeah, that would explain all the damage to your ship, wouldn’t it? And that would also explain why them Takar bastards came to Haven looking for you. Damn. On second thought, maybe it would be safer to return to Haven after all,” Marcus concluded, scratching his head.
“He might be correct, Captain,” Tug began as he and Jalea continued into the room. “It might be safer for all of them to leave the ship as soon as possible.”
“Not me,” Josh announced. “If you don’t mind, Captain, I’d just as soon stay right here. I figure you’re gonna need someone to pilot that shuttle anyhow.” Josh nudged Loki with his elbow.
“Yeah, count me in as well,” Loki added, somewhat hesitantly.
The offer surprised Nathan. The idea of adding civilians to his crew hadn’t occurred to him. But the idea, although somewhat unusual, wasn’t without merit. He was quite sure, however, that his XO would disagree. Complete with direct quotes from the regulations to support her objections. “Thank you,” he answered rather automatically, surprising even himself. “I just may take you up on that.”
It surprised Jessica as well, her expression reflecting her doubt.
“In fact,” Nathan continued, “if any of the rest of you care to help out, I’d be happy to consider your offers as well.”
“Nathan,” Jessica mumbled under her breath. “What the hell are you doing?” She could imagine Cameron’s reaction when she heard what he was proposing.
“Captain,” one of the workers began. “I’m afraid that none of us would be much assistance in the accomplishment of your goals, whatever they might be. Perhaps you might see your way fit to put us off on the next inhabited world you come to?”
Nathan was a bit surprised. “You don’t wish to return to Haven?”
“I’m afraid I’m forced to agree with our former supervisor, here. If indeed the Ta’Akar consider you associates of the Karuzari, then they would probably look upon us in much the same way. As you said, it is doubtful they would allow us to pass unimpeded.”
“And what about your contracts?”
“The terms of our contracts become null and void upon our deaths, or by an inability to perform our duties, in whole or in part, due to reasons beyond our control.” The worker grinned. “I believe this qualifies as beyond our control.”
“Let me guess, you were a lawyer?”
The worker nodded.
“Very well, if that’s what you all wish, then we’ll let you off at the earliest safe opportunity.”
“If there is anything we can do to help, in the meantime, Captain, we would more than happy to do so,” the man added.
“Captain, if I might make a suggestion,” Tug interrupted, “there is a rather large amount of molo that should be cleaned and prepared, in order to keep it safe for consumption. Perhaps these good people could assist us in that rather pressing task?”
Their overall lack of food had slipped Nathan’s mind during the commotion of the last few hours. Nathan looked at the male worker who had been speaking on their behalf, waiting for an answer to Tug’s proposal.
“Of course, Captain. We would be happy to help.”
“Thank you.” Nathan turned his attention to Marcus. Despite his having been the most vocal one of the bunch, he had yet to state his intentions.
“What?” Marcus asked when he noticed Nathan staring at him.
“And how about you, Marcus?”
“Don’t get me wrong there, Captain. I’m happy to help out and all. But about all I’m good at is drinking, yelling, and getting in fights. If you need any of that done, then I’m your man. But I’m sure as hell not a freedom fighter.”
“Marcus, you’re a pretty fair mechanic,” Josh insisted. “And someone’s gotta help us keep the shuttles flying. Hell, you can be my crew chief.”
“And take orders from you?” Marcus snorted. “Not likely, squirt.”
Satisfied that they had all come to an understanding of sorts, Nathan prepared to conclude the discussion. “I think I should warn you all, that just being on board this ship presents an element of risk. We’re not looking for trouble out here. But so far, trouble is about all we’ve found.”
“On a ship from a mythical world, equipped with a magical jump drive, and carrying the leader of the freedom fighters?” Marcus laughed. “What kinda trouble could we possibly get into?”
“What the hell are you doing?” Jessica demanded as they left the briefing room and headed down the corridor.
“Keep your voice down,” Nathan hushed.
“Cam’s gonna come unglued when she finds out,” Jessica continued in a slightly more subdued tone.
“All I did was hire a shuttle and a crew to fly her. It’s not like I asked them all to enlist in the fleet or something.”
“Nathan, you can’t just give these people the run of the ship. We don’t know anything about them. Hell, we don’t even know most of their names.”
“Need I remind you, that half those people just put their lives on the line for us?”
“They were just trying to save their own butts.”
“As I understand it,” Nathan defended as he stepped through the hatchway into the next corridor, “Josh and Loki volunteered to fly us outta there.”
“The teenagers in flight suits? Please, gimme a break. They were just looking for some fun.”
“Regardless, they got the job done. And they’re right, we are going to need that shuttle and someone to fly it. And you know it.”
Jessica could tell that she wasn’t going to be able to change his mind. Nathan was impulsive, making decisions on the spur of the moment. She liked that about him, even admired it in some ways. And thus far, his command style had gotten them by. But as much as she enjoyed his direct, impulsive approach, she feared he might be taking it too far this time.
“Fine, you can keep the testosterone twins,” she acquiesced. “But at least let me monitor them. I can give them all comm-sets. That way I can track their every move.”
“What?” Nathan wasn’t sure he liked the idea, as it seemed dishonest somehow.
“I can attach names to comm-set ID numbers and keep logs of their movements throughout the ship. I can even program the system to alert me if one of them ventures into a sensitive area. And I can assign them to the auxiliary channels only, so they won’t muck up the command channels.”
“I don’t know, Jess.”
“Come on, Nathan. I don’t have the manpower to keep an eye on them. And for all we know, one of them could be a Ta’Akar spy.”
Nathan stopped at the bottom of the ramp that led up to the command deck. “Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that.” He was a little embarrassed that despite all that had happened, he still wasn’t thinking in such terms.
“Of course not. That’s why you hired me, remember?”
“Very well. Pass the comm-sets out,” he agreed as he started back up the ramp.
“I’ll get right on it.”
“No, send someone else,” he insisted. “And have them inventory all of their skill sets, in case we might need them later.”
“Okay. But why not me?” she asked, a puzzled look on her face as she followed him up the ramp.
“We’ve got another meeting,” he explained as he started up the ramp, “with Cameron. And I need you there to keep her from strangling me.”
“I think we should call Doctor Chen,” Cameron said as she followed him into the ready room. “So she can declare you unfit for command due to mental disease or defect.”
“Hmm, sarcasm. I should’ve seen that coming,” Nathan said as he walked across the room to his desk. He had expected her to react poorly to the idea of using the locals to help out in a pinch. But he had hoped that she would at least object to the decision of her commanding officer in a more professional manner. But he knew it would take time, just as Vladimir had warned him that morning.
“Well, obviously you’ve lost your mind.”
“That’s what I said,” Jessica added as she plopped down on the couch.
“How could you have possibly thought it was a good idea to start using civilians-aliens no less-as crew?”
“Jesus, what is it with you two?” Nathan sat in his chair behind the captain’s desk. “I asked them to cut up some molo, and you’re both acting like I gave them the keys to the nukes!”
“It’s just that you’re too trusting, Nathan,” Cameron insisted.
“Look, you and I both know that there is no way we can run this ship effectively with what little crew we have left. We don’t even have one full shift staffed, Cam. And most of the crew has had less than a full night’s rest in nearly a week. Hell, we’re going to have to start using one-man watches in each department pretty soon or else we’re going to have people dropping from exhaustion.”
“But these people don’t have any training-”
“Which is why I’m not planning on using any of them in critical areas, Cameron. I might be impulsive, but contrary to popular opinion-amongst the women in this room-I’m not stupid.” Nathan looked past Cameron who was standing in front of him, making eye contact with Abby, who had come in a moment ago and was sitting on the other end of the couch from Jessica. “Present company excluded, Doctor.”
“Nathan-” Cameron tried to continue her argument, but was cut off when Nathan raised his hand.
“The decision has been made, Commander,” he warned in a more official tone.
Cameron was slightly taken aback, as was Jessica. It was uncharacteristic of Nathan to pull rank on anyone, let alone the two of them. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, letting her breath out slowly as she composed herself.
“Now, can we start this meeting?” Nathan asked in a more unofficial tone.
Cameron took a seat in one of the two chairs facing the front of Nathan’s desk. “Yes sir.”
“I’ve called this staff meeting so we can decide on a course of action,” Nathan explained.
“Captain, I’m not a member of your staff,” Abby pointed out.
“You are now,” he explained. “Since the jump drive is currently our only means of interstellar travel, every strategic decision now involves you.”
“But I’m a civilian.”
“It’s not like I’m drafting you, Doctor. I just want your expertise available during any discussions that might involve the jump drive.”
“Of course.”
“What about medical and engineering?” Cameron asked, still fuming over Nathan’s rebuke.
“Doctor Chen still has her hands full, and other than her department’s state of readiness, she would have little to add to this discussion.”
“And Vladimir?”
“He’ll be here momentarily.” Nathan leaned back in his chair, taking a breath and trying to relax for the first time since he had made it back on board from the surface of Haven.
Cameron could see his frazzled nerves becoming more apparent now that the adrenaline was beginning to wear off. “What happened down there?” she asked, in a surprisingly sympathetic tone.
“We got ambushed,” Jessica explained.
“When Tobin came to pick us up, he surprised us with a team of Ta’Akar assault troops,” Nathan explained.
“I never did trust that skinny little shit,” Jessica added.
“If it hadn’t been for Vlad and Jessica, they would’ve taken us completely by surprise.”
“They must’ve attacked you at the same time they attacked us,” Cameron surmised. “They got on board using one of the cargo shuttles. We thought they were just returning from their run to the surface.”
“Yeah, well, it’s obvious that Tobin was in on the whole thing,” Nathan said.
“What about Jalea and this Tug fellow?” Cameron asked. “You think they were in on it as well?”
“Doubtful. Danik was killed in the attack, and Tug lost his wife.”
“Jesus,” Cameron exclaimed.
“Yeah, and Tug was about to get executed, until we capped the remaining three all at once,” Jessica bragged.
“Really?”
“Yeah, you should’ve seen it. Captain even put one right in the middle of one of their face plates. Blew the back of his head clean off.
Cameron looked at Nathan in disbelief. She knew that there had been some sort of battle on the surface, but until now, she had no idea how serious it had actually been.
“Yeah, I was just as surprised as you are,” he admitted.
“Surprised by what?” Vladimir asked as he entered the room.
“Nothing,” Nathan said, not really wanting to relive the event just yet. “Have a seat.”
Vladimir took the remaining chair, pulled it away from the desk, and moved it over toward the wall so as not to block Nathan’s view of Jessica and Abby on the couch. He spun the chair around and sat down, his arms resting on the chair back.
“Before we start, I want you all to know how much I appreciate the tireless job that you’ve been doing. I wish I could say that we’re almost done, but I’m afraid we may have just gotten started.” Nathan looked at their faces, each of them showing signs of stress and fatigue. Even Vladimir, who normally was stoic and smiling, looked beat. And poor Cameron, who always looked military perfect, looked like she had slept in her uniform, and for a very short time at that.
“When Captain Roberts placed me in command, his last orders were to get the jump drive back to Earth. At the time, I didn’t understand the urgency of his request, but I learned a bit later-and correct me if I’m mistaken, Doctor-that this particular unit is not only the sole prototype in existence, but that all research in regards to this project are currently stored in the project’s mainframe on board this ship. There is not a shred of evidence to be found anywhere on Earth that would reveal this project had ever existed. In fact, other than the researchers who came on board with the prototype, there were only a handful of people on the entire planet that were aware of its existence. That’s how important this project was to the security of Earth.”
“That is unbelievable,” Vladimir exclaimed.
“That’s exactly what I thought,” Nathan agreed, “at first. But think about it. If the Jung ever got their hands on this research, there would be no stopping them. That’s got to be why Fleet was so secretive.”
“You are correct, Captain. And the paranoia of our leaders went far deeper than you could imagine. The few that knew about this project were willing to sacrifice their careers, even their very lives to protect it. We even had suicide devices implanted in our teeth, in case of capture.”
Nathan stared at her, asking with his eyes if that included her.
“Yes, Captain, I have one as well.”
“Does this mean we have to get them as well?” Jessica asked halfheartedly.
“I’m pretty sure medical doesn’t carry suicide pills,” Nathan assured her.
“Captain,” Abby warned, “you do realize that if this drive were about to fall into enemy hands, you would be expected to destroy the ship and the crew in order to maintain its secrecy.”
“I’m afraid the secret is already out, Doctor. The Ta’Akar have already seen us jump away on several occasions. I suspect they’re hunting us for exactly that reason.”
“Then we need to get out of this region of space as quickly as possible,” Cameron insisted.
“Five or six jumps should put us well out of range of even their fastest ships, Captain,” Abby estimated. “We could be out of danger and well on our way home in a matter of days.”
“But earlier you said that you had no way to tell how much longer the jump drive would continue to function. Has that assertion changed?”
“No sir, it has not. But I also have no reason to suspect that it would not continue to function as designed. When I made that statement, I was doing so to warn you about the risk of assuming the jump drive would always be available to get you out of danger.”
“So you think it could make the hundred or so jumps back home without any problems?”
“I have no reason to suspect otherwise. But admittedly, I have no evidence to suggest that it could, either.”
“Which is exactly why we’re not going to head home just yet,” he announced.
“What?” Cameron wasn’t surprised by his announcement, as she had suspected this would be his plan all along. “Nathan, it’s not safe to stay in this region of space. You said so yourself. The sooner we start jumping home-”
“Cam, we don’t know what lies between here and Earth,” Nathan told her. There could be other inhabited worlds-maybe friendly, maybe not. They could be even worse than the Ta’Akar. Or there could be nothing but empty space. That’s more than a hundred jumps-any one of which could be our last. We could easily end up stranded in a far worse situation than this. And I’m just not prepared to commit to such a risky plan, at least not without more information.”
“And if the Ta’Akar manage to hunt us down?” Cameron wasn’t backing down this time, not without a fight.
“Well, we can always start jumping away then, can’t we?”
“It may not be that easy, Nathan. They underestimated us once, maybe twice. They probably won’t make that mistake again.”
“According to Jalea, they’re not that bright when it comes to tactics,” Jessica recalled.
“You want to bet your life on that?” Cameron asked.
Jessica said nothing, but her expression told Cameron that she did not.
Nathan was getting tired of arguing with Cameron. It was beginning to feel like their days back in the training simulator. And he was exhausted. He’d been shot at all afternoon, and had been bounced around in a tiny spaceship that crash-landed on the Aurora’s hangar deck. He had too little energy left to waste it arguing with his XO. “Cam, I’m just saying I want to find out more before we make a decision one way or the other. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” She was sure there was more to it that he wasn’t revealing just yet.
“And maybe spend some time fixing a few things along the way, if you don’t mind.” Nathan knew that he didn’t have to get her approval. He was in command, after all. But the nature in which he had ended up her superior officer had never sat well with her, and he knew it. Furthermore, he needed her on his side. Her unique organizational skills and attention to details, as well as her uncanny knowledge of procedure, made up for his weaknesses in those areas.
“Of course not,” she assured him.
“And while we’re doing all that,” Jessica interrupted, “maybe we can find out a little more about this power source?”
Nathan was quick to jump onto the new topic, wanting to leave the debate with Cameron using any excuse possible. “Exactly. At the very least, we need to verify its existence. I mean, if it really is as great as Tug implied, couldn’t we use it to increase our jump range?”
Abby realized that his last question was aimed at her. “I suppose it’s possible. But I’d have to know a bit more about it before I could give you a definite answer.”
“Deliza seemed to know quite a lot about this research,” Vladimir added.
“Really?” Nathan was a bit surprised to hear that Tug’s teenage daughter was so well versed in the subject.
“Yes. She is actually a very smart young lady. I do not think she gets out much.”
“What did she tell you about it?”
“Only that it is based on the principles of zero-point energy.”
“Captain,” Abby interrupted. “There are references in the Data Ark to such research. In fact, we were very close to developing something similar on Earth just before the plague struck. It was one of the research and development proposals being considered in the defense of Earth after the Jung threat had been recognized. Had it not been for our accidental discovery of the spatial transition effect, it might even have been pursued.”
“Would it be something that we could use?”
“Indeed. A zero-point energy reactor would provide more than enough power to significantly increase our jump range. It might also reduce the recharge time between jumps.”
“Both of which would be significant tactical advantages,” Jessica pointed out.
Nathan looked at Cameron. “What do you think, Commander? Does it warrant further investigation?” He knew she could not deny the logic.
“Of course,” she agreed, frustration still evident in her tone.
“All right, then. But let’s not forget that our first priority is to make repairs. To that end, Cameron, I’d like you to put together a damage report and a repair plan. You can coordinate with Vlad on that. I think it’s high time we got our repair priorities in order.”
“Yes sir,” Cameron answered. Despite the fact that she preferred to jump out of the area as soon as possible, she was relieved that Nathan had listened. For once he had considered all the facts before making a decision, even if in the end his decision had remained pretty much the same.
“Doctor,” Nathan continued, turning his attention toward Abby, “I need you to get your jump drive in as good a state as possible. And when you get the chance, see if you can’t come up with some energy requirements for a super-jump home, just in case that power source happens to fall into our laps.” Nathan looked at Cameron and winked.
“Vlad, see to it that Abby gets all the help she needs. That jump drive is our only means of FTL travel at the moment, so we have to take care of it.”
“No problem,” Vladimir assured him.
“What about me?” Jessica asked, feeling a little left out.
“You and I have a meeting with Tug and Jalea. It’s about time we got some straight answers about what’s really going on in the Pentaurus cluster.”
“Remember, don’t tell them anything you don’t have to,” Jessica said as they approached the command briefing room.
“How am I supposed to get them to share intel with us if we don’t share it with them?” It seemed an obvious flaw in her logic to Nathan. But he was beginning to realize that Jessica’s special operations instructors must have programmed her to be suspicious and deceitful by nature.
“It’s easy. Just let them do all the talking. And only answer direct questions.”
“Why do I feel like I’m about to go on trial here?”
“Maybe you should feel that way.” Jessica added. “It might make you think twice before you speak.”
Nathan recognized the jab. Jessica and Cameron had already become friends over the last week. And Cameron had been admonishing him for acting without thinking the situation through since their first day in the simulator together. But deep down inside, Nathan knew he was the type who preferred to operate on instinct. Information was always helpful, but in the end, he had to follow his gut.
“Look,” he said, coming to a stop just outside the briefing room, “I appreciate what you’re trying to tell me. But in the end, it’s my responsibility, and I have to do what I think is best.” Nathan looked in Jessica’s eyes, his tone becoming less official. “I understand where you’re coming from. But this is not a covert spec-ops mission. This is more of a negotiation. It’s politics-and politics, unfortunately, is in my blood. I’m a people person,” he added with a smile. “You said so yourself,” he added as he turned and entered the briefing room.
“I did say that,” she admitted sheepishly as she followed him through the hatch. She was afraid of what Nathan might commit them to during this meeting with Tug and Jalea. And as much as she wanted to prevent him from doing so-as much as she felt it was her duty to prevent him from doing so-it was just as much her duty to follow the orders of her captain, regardless of how under qualified he might be. But there was still a part of her-a small part to be sure-that somehow trusted Nathan to do the right thing.
“I apologize for being late,” Nathan began as he sat down at the head of the briefing table. Tug and Jalea were already seated along the outboard side of the table, and Jessica took a seat across from them next to Nathan. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“Not at all, Captain,” Tug answered.
Nathan instantly got the feeling that, unlike previous meetings, Jalea would not be taking the lead in these discussions.
“Last night, I shared much with you about Earth. In fact, you probably know more about our world than anyone in this sector.”
“Yes, it was most enlightening.”
“I was hoping that you might shed similar light on the affairs in your part of the galaxy.”
“That’s a tall order, Captain. Could you be more specific?”
Nathan wasn’t sure if Tug was trying to force him to ask more specific questions in order to avoid revealing information unnecessarily-as Jessica had advised Nathan to do-or if he was just wanting to know where to start. “I guess I’m primarily interested in two things,” Nathan began. “First, about the rebellion, or more specifically, the battle we jumped into when we first arrived in the Pentaurus cluster.”
Tug adjusted himself in his chair, as if preparing to make a speech. “As I explained last night, the battle you were caught up in was the last stand for the rebellion. In recent years, the Ta’Akar have become more ruthless in their dealings with both the Karuzari and those that support us. Entire communities have been erased from existence as punishment for offering aid to our people, and as a warning to those that might still consider such actions.”
“Were you at that battle?”
“No. I was wounded some months ago in another engagement, and was still recuperating. What I know of the incident I learned through Jalea.”
“Any idea how the Ta’Akar knew where to find your people?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Tug admitted.
Again, Nathan felt as if he were being forced to ask direct questions in order to get the information he needed out of Tug. “Is it possible that someone within your organization sold you out?”
Tug looked at Nathan, unsure of the meaning of his expression. Jalea leaned into him and whispered a translation. “There were only three people that knew the location of the new base,” Tug explained. “Myself, Marak, and Jalea. Each of us was responsible for gathering the remaining cells and bringing them together for a last attempt to obtain a larger, more powerful ship-a tactical advantage that we have always hoped for but never achieved. Even the pilots did not know their destination until the final leg of the journey, at which point communication with the Ta’Akar would’ve been impossible.”
“Couldn’t a message have been sent after you arrived?”
“It is possible,” Tug admitted, “but such a message would require specialized equipment, which we did not have. And any message sent by standard methods would’ve taken far longer to reach its destination. The attack came too swiftly for that to have been the case.”
“Then that leaves only the two of you and Marak-who is dead-as potential suspects,” Nathan pointed out. He knew that the statement would not bring a reaction from Jalea. She had proven herself far too disciplined in the past for him to expect such behavior. But he had hoped for some telltale sign from Tug, who seemed a bit more open with his body language. However, Tug seemed to take the accusation in stride, as if it had been expected.
“Yes, this is true. Of course it goes without saying that I have complete trust in the loyalty of both Marak and Jalea.”
“No offense intended to either of them, Tug,” Jessica interrupted. “But such trusted individuals usually make the best informants.”
“That is true,” Tug conceded. “But neither of them had any motivation for betrayal. And, I might add, that such suspicions have also been an integral part of our tactics. And to that end, I had not revealed the location of our new base to either of my subordinates until the last possible moment, after which a communications blackout was put into effect.”
“If you trusted your subordinates, why did you feel it necessary to take such precautions?” Nathan asked.
“While trust can be a wonderful thing, it can also be the most destructive of weapons,” Tug explained. “Only a fool places complete trust in anyone, even themselves.”
“They must have spies on the ground,” Jessica concluded.
“This is the most likely reason,” Jalea agreed. “It has been suspected for some time that the Ta’Akar have developed an extensive network of spies with which to monitor every inhabited world within the cluster. We have even found them operating in fringe systems no longer under their control.”
Nathan leaned back in his chair, contemplating all that he had heard thus far. “What concerns me most is how quickly they learned of your location.”
“The Ta’Akar have recently developed a system of interstellar communications that utilizes a network of small, automated communication drones,” Tug explained. “These drones utilize an advanced version of their standard FTL systems, enabling them to travel at several hundred times the speed of light. With most stars within the cluster being only a few light years apart, messages can now be exchanged in days rather than weeks or even months. When combined with strategically placed ships-say in between systems-it gives them a tactical advantage that is proving to be difficult to overcome.”
“We believe that a nearby warship received information about the location of our base, and took immediate action without waiting for orders from the Ta’Akar homeworld. He undoubtedly saw it as an opportunity to advance himself in rank. Thankfully, your sudden arrival ruined his career plans.”
The faint smile on her lips was the first sign of emotion Nathan had seen from Jalea since he entered the room. “That would explain the swift arrival of reinforcements,” Nathan concluded. Jalea affirmed his conclusion with a simple nod. “So how many people survived the attack?”
“To our knowledge, other than the ships that came aboard the Aurora, only three other ships escaped. I would estimate there are only twenty surviving members of the Karuzari.”
“Out of how many?”
“There were over two hundred Karuzari on the surface, not including families, which numbered twice as many. They too were exterminated.”
Nathan could do little to hide his shock. “Why would they bother with the families?”
“Some believe it was to ensure that there were no survivors who might someday seek to avenge the deaths of loved ones,” Jalea stated. There was a bitterness in her tone that Nathan found surprising. He noticed Tug placing his hand on her arm, as a subtle warning.
“Captain,” Tug interrupted. The Ta’Akar lost many ships and crew over the years. And it has put an increasing strain on their industrial infrastructure. It has also forced them to require mandatory service for all of appropriate age. These two factors have led to a steady downfall in the quality of both their weapons, and the training of the people that use them. Over time, they have gradually moved away from surgical strikes-which require more costly weapons-to more widespread assault tactics, with little concern over collateral damage. At first, this trend outraged their citizens. But as the aggressiveness of the Ta’Akar increased, the outrage was replaced by fear-fear for one’s very survival. Although this may not have been by design, it has also led to a drastic decline in support for the Karuzari. In fact, on more than one occasion, the Ta’Akar have managed to place the blame for such collateral damages upon us, making the Karuzari appear more as terrorists than revolutionaries.”
“Then your support is fading?”
“No one likes the regime of Caius, Captain. But after so many years of war, the people long for order once again, even if that order is delivered by an iron fist.”
“But with this ship-” Jalea began, enthusiasm rising in her voice.
“Jalea,” Tug interrupted sternly, “we are here to answer the Captain’s questions.”
It was obvious to Nathan, as well as to everyone in the room, that Jalea and Tug desperately hoped to get the Aurora, more specifically her jump drive, on their side. And although he thus far found Tug to be a brave and honorable man, his opinion of Jalea was quite the opposite.
“That’s all right,” Nathan assured him. “We’ll get to that. But before we do, I’d like to know more about this power source you spoke of.”
“The Royal Institute of Sciences on Takara conducts all manner of research under grants by the royal family. They claim to have created a working prototype of a zero-point reactor. The prototype itself, although reported to be a bit unstable, is capable of generating massive amounts of nearly limitless energy. They are reported to be working on a more reliable production model. Once completed, they will begin refitting existing ships. The ships will be faster, more powerful, and will have much better shielding than before. And their energy weapons will also be significantly enhanced. In a word, they will be unstoppable. And as you can surely imagine, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I believe that if they are allowed to complete its development, they will once again expand beyond the Pentaurus cluster, and will eventually dominate most, if not all of the galaxy.”
“That seems like a rather far-fetched prediction,” Nathan said.
“Captain, for a civilization to rapidly expand, it requires three key elements-infrastructure, resources, and energy. The Ta’Akar have the first two, and are about to have the third, in abundance I might add.”
“There’s one more element required,” Nathan told him. “Desire.”
“Oh, Caius has the desire, Captain.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“You must trust me on this, Captain. Of this I am quite certain.”
Tug’s assertions only made Nathan more curious. This man had led a rebellion against Caius for more than two decades-maybe longer, as Nathan had no idea how their years translated into Earth years. But there was quite a bit of emotion evident in his assertion, and it made him wonder if it was simply the result of so many years of fighting, or if there was something deeper to his convictions.
After a brief pause, Nathan continued. “I feel it only fair to warn you that we have not yet decided what our best course of action might be. Some of us feel we should immediately leave the area and begin the long process of jumping our way back home. Others speculate that this new power source might get us home much faster.”
Tug considered Nathan’s words before asking his question. “And on which side of this debate do you reside?”
Tug’s diplomatic skills had not gone unnoticed by Nathan. The man who had once presented himself as a simple farmer was not a stranger to the delicacies of negotiations. Nathan had spent many mind-numbing hours witnessing such exchanges during summer internships with his father, the senator. He could recognize a skilled orator when he heard one.
“I believe we have insufficient information on which to base such a decision. However, as long as our individual goals remain compatible, I am not opposed to working together to our mutual benefit.”
“What additional information do you require?”
“No offense, Tug, but we need to independently confirm your claims about this zero-point reactor.”
“That should not be difficult, Captain. As I explained before, although the research facility is highly secure, information about its progress has been freely available, as a panacea for the masses. There are news broadcasts about its progress on at least a weekly basis throughout the cluster.”
“We’ll also need to know more about Ta’Akar forces.”
Now there was an obvious emotional response from Jalea. “Then you’ll join us?”
“Let’s just say that I have not dismissed the idea just yet.”
“We will provide all that we know, Captain,” Tug added.
“Thank you. In the meantime, I have other business to attend. So if you wouldn’t mind discussing these matters with my security chief, it would be greatly appreciated.”
“Of course not, Captain. We have recently become good friends,” Tug said with a smile.