Protector of the Realm (23 page)

Kellen had the good taste to lower her eyes for a moment. “You’re right. I’m suspicious of anyone in authority, and for good reason.” She raised her gaze to Rae’s again. “However, once I commit to something--or
someone
--I’m loyal. My allegiance to Armeo should be proof of that.”

Rae thought she detected a hint of honesty and pleading behind the proud declaration. Having Kellen off-station for a moment was perhaps a good idea since they were about to transfer some of the Onotharians back to their ship. Armeo was in school under Terence and his bodyguard’s supervision. Making a mental note to assign one more guard to the school, just in case there was a breach in security while the Onotharians were in transit, Rae rose from the chair

Kellen stood up and hesitated before she rounded the desk. Rae got up and tilted her head back so she could meet Kellen’s gaze.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.” Her features softened, and she placed a gentle hand on Rae’s shoulder. “I won’t betray your trust. I have a lot to return to.”

*

The shuttle bay of the
Ajax
was an impressive sight. Frigates carried eight assault craft in their belly, but a destroyer such as the
Ajax
held twice as many in each shuttle bay.

Kellen walked next to Leanne and gazed at the sleek ships lined up in immaculate rows, waiting to be deployed. Approaching the lieutenant in charge of the shuttle bay, Leanne saluted.

“Sir, I have authorization from Commodore Jacelon for Ms. O’Dal to test-fly a 615 assault craft.”

“Let me check, Lieutenant.” The man scrolled down his computer, nodding. “I have verification. You can take
Red Dragon 4.
Will you be acting navigator?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. You have one hour of flight time. Stay within the beacons and stay sharp.”

“Aye, sir.” After another salute, Leanne guided Kellen to a ship in the front row. “This is it, the
Red Dragon
. I’ve flown this one on many a mission. It handles like a dream.”

Kellen nodded, reaching for the ladder welded to the side of the ship. The flight suit she was wearing felt heavy as she climbed aboard and sat down. Leanne was right behind her, strapping herself in.

“Once the chief gives you the go-ahead, take her out just like you did in the simulator. I’ll be monitoring you from here and, if necessary, I’ll take over. I don’t think I’ll have to, though.” Leanne sounded chipper. “This is a welcome change from my daily routine, Kellen.”

Having yet to find anything similar to a daily routine, Kellen clamped her lips against a sarcastic remark while she began the starting sequence.

The headset inside her helmet buzzed to life. “
Red Dragon 4.
You are clear to take off.”

“Affirmative.
Red Dragon 4
clear to go.” Kellen punched in the commands and felt a muted hum when the powerful vessel started to move toward the shuttle-bay launch pad. After she lined the ship up, she pressed the stick forward and engaged the computer. Though most of the starting and launch sequence was computerized, she usually liked to keep her hands on the controls and feel the power of the machine reverberate through her body. It was the same thrill as riding her
maeshas
along the grassland around her estate.

The
Red Dragon
shot from the belly of the
Ajax
and moved past other minor ships in port 1. After exiting the outer perimeters of the station’s structure, Kellen punched in the commands for the computer to release all controls to manual. With a deep sense of gratification, she performed a series of flight patterns so she could get a feel for the ship. It felt liberating to be behind the helm, to call the shots, if only for a moment.

“Wow, you’re a pro already.” Leanne laughed in Kellen’s headset. “Let’s get a little farther from the station so we don’t end up on top of a frigate. I want you to perform the evasive maneuvers we practiced in the simulator.”

Kellen took the ship out a few kilometers, making sure they were still well within
Gamma VI
’s beacons. Carrying out the intricate maneuvers, she felt as if the
Red Dragon
were an extension of herself. The ship handled easily, as Leanne had said, and seemed to have unlimited capability.

Scanning the tactical screen next to her, she frowned. “Lieutenant, do you see the readings on TAC 1?”

A brief silence. “Yes. Good eyes, Kellen, but what they hell are they? They don’t make any sense. They look like random space white noise.”

“Scroll back and see how long this ‘white noise’ has been out there.” Kellen knew she sounded abrasive, but there was something familiar about the readings.

“I’m scrolling. Damn it, the interference has been there for half an hour, the pattern increasing by the minute. I’ve never seen this before.”

Kellen’s froze, her hand clutching the controls as the readings began to make sense. “But I have. We have to alert
Gamma VI
. These are no space anomalies. These readings are from cloaked Onotharian vessels, and they’re right on top of us!”

“What the hell…” Rae stared at the information emerging on the screen and slammed her fist into the console. “Damn it! Kellen’s right. Sound general quarters!”

Lieutenant Todd punched in the emergency frequency, which relayed his message to the station-wide communication system. “General quarters! General quarters! All hands to battle stations. Secure civilian quarters. All bridge personnel to the mission room. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill.”

Grabbing her communicator, Rae hailed Lieutenant Grey. “Lieutenant, go by the school and bring Armeo to the mission room.”

“Almost there, ma’am.” Rae barely recognized Owena’s out-of-breath voice over the klaxons. “His guard is keeping him in a secure area with the rest of the children until I get there. ETA mission room in five minutes.”

“Good.” Turning her attention back to Jeremiah, she continued to issue orders. “Launch the
Ajax
and six frigates. Establish a perimeter around the station.” Looking down at the message that had sent the mission room into a controlled frenzy, she was amazed how the so-called white noise contained a barely distinguishable pattern. “Cloaked ships. Where the hell did they find this technology?”

“I have the
Red Dragon
on long-range scanners. They’re continuing their planned exercises as if nothing’s happened. Should I order them back to the station?”

Rae wanted to say yes, but knew they needed eyes out there where the signals were stronger. “No, ask them to keep relaying the data. In theory, the cloaked ships can’t use their long-range scanners without blowing their cover, so they should be safe enough.” She glanced at the large screens on the far wall. “Is the assault craft close enough for us to get a visual of them?”

“Let me try, ma’am,” the ensign on her left said, entering codes into his work console. “Onscreen.”

After ten seconds of flickering, the screen showed the small vessel with Kellen and Lieutenant D’Artansis. The ship circled in intricate patterns, still performing the flight test. “Get me audio with the
Red Dragon
.” Rae’s voice was harsh. “
Gamma VI
to
Red Dragon
. Lieutenant D’Artansis, respond.”

“D’Artansis here, ma’am.”

“Once we give the order, head for the station without delay. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Can Kellen hear me?”

“Yes, Commodore,” Kellen replied. “Go ahead.”

“Don’t return to the station on a straight trajectory. Fly in a wide circle and head for port 2, or you’ll end up in the line of fire.”

“Understood.” A brief pause. “Lieutenant D’Artansis is calculating the coordinates right now. We should also be able to tell you how many enemy ships are present shortly.”

“Something you picked up at the Academy of Pilots?”

“Yes.”

“All right. The sooner the better.”

Jeremiah caught her attention. “The
Ajax
and the
Infinity
are heading out with the other ships. Captain de Vies is in command.”

“Good.”

The computer screen next to Rae lit up as it received new information. Reading the assessment based on the erratic data, she clenched her teeth. “All right. Now we know. Get them out of there.”

Jeremiah opened the comm link to the
Red Dragon
. “Return to base. I repeat, return to base.”

“Oh, my God.” Rae could hardly believe what she was seeing. On the main screen four ships decloaked before them, two of them of incredible size. They paused well inside
Gamma VI
’s beacons. They didn’t resemble any class of ships known to the SC, and Rae could only surmise their firepower was impressive and able to more than match any of her SC ships.

“Did they respond?” She turned to Lieutenant Todd. “The
Red Dragon
. Did they confirm?”

“No. I can’t get a clear signal, ma’am.”

A foreboding feeling erupted, twisting her stomach into a tight knot.
Kellen, respond now and let me know I was right to trust you.
In the meantime, Rae knew what she had to do.

“Jacelon to the
Gamma VI
fleet. Assume defensive positions. Hold your fire until my mark.” She punched in new commands. “Port 2. Launch frigates and destroyers, second wave, pattern Theta Four.”

Confirmations sounded through the comm system. Rae stared at the unbelievable sight with burning eyes. “Hail them.”

Jeremiah carried out the order. “They’re responding. Audio only.”

Rae nodded. “Onotharian vessels. This is Commodore Jacelon of the
Gamma VI
Space Station. By using illegal cloaking devices, you have violated Supreme Constellations
laws. Also, by approaching this station with more than the stipulated number of vessels, you have committed an act of war. Return to the border or my fleet will fire.”

“
This is Ambassador M’Ekar
,
” an unknown voice stated, its dark resonance making Rae clench her hands into fists. “I don’t believe we’ve met
.
”

“And I’d like to keep it that way,” Rae retorted. “Turn your ships around, Ambassador.”

“I will do no such thing. Most of your frigates are now dealing with, let’s say, tiny skirmishes along your part of the border. They won’t get here in time. Your remaining fleet will not be able to match our firepower
.
”

“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you,” a baritone voice said behind Rae. For once, her father’s presence felt reassuring and supportive. “This is Admiral Jacelon of the SC Fleet. Unlike my daughter, I have had the dubious pleasure of running into you once. Something I’d prefer not to do again. You do not want to challenge us. Turn your ships around.”

“Admiral Jacelon.” M’Ekar did not falter. “What an honor. I regret not being willing to accommodate you or your daughter. I want the child known as Armeo--”

“Cut communication,” Rae hissed. Glancing to her left, she saw Armeo standing behind her father, with Lieutenant Grey by his side. “Jacelon to Captain de Vies.”

“De Vies here
.
”

“Initiate attack pattern Epsilon Four.”

“Yes, ma’am
.
”

Feeling her father’s hand on her shoulder, she turned around. “Yes?”

“Deploy my ships, Rae. You’re going to need all the help you can get until your frigates return.”

“Thank you. I guess I don’t have to ask if they’re ready.”

“They’ve been on standby since we arrived.”

Rae opened communications to the admiral’s five ships and was relieved to hear they were all ready to launch immediately. On the major screen, she saw flashes from the exchange of fire and debris scattering among her vessels and the Onotharians.

“Any news of the
Red Dragon
?” she asked through gritted teeth.

Jeremiah shook his head. “No, ma’am. I’ll keep trying.”

“Good.”

“Where’s Kellen?” Armeo said from behind Rae. She hadn’t seen when he had come into the mission room and wondered how much he’d noticed of what was going on. Rae turned around to face the boy and cringed at the look in his dark eyes. “Is she in our quarters?”

“No, she’s not. She had things to take care of, but she’ll be back soon.” It stripped her soul bare to see how quickly he panicked when he was separated from Kellen. All she could come up with was to hug him close, and to her surprise he wrapped both arms around her waist and buried his face against her.

“Why don’t you go with Ensign Y’sak here and sit in my office?” she suggested. “I’m going to be very busy for a while, but I’ll be right here where you can see me. So will my father. All right?”

Armeo nodded against her, then withdrew and quickly wiped his cheeks. A young man in his early twenties placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Come on, kiddo, we can play a game on the computer while we wait.”

After she watched Armeo go into her office, knowing it was reinforced with impact-resistant shields and one of the safest places on the station, Rae focused on the screens before her. “Report.”