Protector of the Realm (36 page)

Leanne’s hands moved swiftly across her console. “Half-impulsion, bearing two-one-two, toward beacon five.”

“The
Freedom
is right behind us, ma’am,” Owena reported.

“Good.” Satisfied both vessels were out of the hangar, Rae thought about the poignant goodbye the two families had gone through less than half an hour ago. Armeo obviously tried to hide his fear, but when Dorinda took his hand, the boy cried inaudibly, blue tears streaming down his face. Rae knew Armeo was more aware of what was at stake, and his tears had affected all of them, including Dorinda. The girl clung to her father, imploring him to come back soon. Alex de Vies didn’t take his eyes off his wife while she assured their daughter that the days would pass quickly. Gayle joined their embrace, ruffling Alex’s hair and smiling tremulously.

When they reached beacon five, the two ships set a course toward a space corridor cleared of all other traffic. Following it would take them well beyond Supreme Constellations space, where they would have to rely on Kellen’s navigation. She had spent the last twelve hours plotting a course parallel to the one she had followed to reach SC space. Together with Ensign S’hos, Kellen was already punching in commands for future reference.

“Admiral Jacelon to Commodore Jacelon.”

“Jacelon here. Go ahead, sir.”

“We’ve received directives from the Supreme Constellations Council, Commodore. Unless you return within fifteen days with solid evidence of what we claim the Onotharians are guilty of, they plan to make Armeo a ward of the Supreme Constellations, with complete authority over his future. We both know what this means--an imminent risk the Council will acknowledge and approve the Onotharian occupation of Gantharat. We must avoid this at all cost.”

“Understood, sir. We’re ready to launch. Unless we run into trouble, our ETA in the Gantharat System should be within one hundred and ten hours. We’re prepared to engage the tachyon-mass drive.”

“We’ll monitor you from here as long as our long-range sensors can track you. Be safe, Rae. Godspeed.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll report in before we’re out of range. Jacelon out.”

“Ready to engage the tachyon-mass drive, ma’am,” Owena stated. “The
Freedom
is powering up as well. Forty-five seconds until launch.”

Rae checked her computers, trying to disregard the alien design. “All hands prepare for tachyon-mass drive. Shuttle bays, secure ships and cargo. All crew members to their duty stations. Begin countdown.”

“Beginning countdown, ma’am,” Owena acknowledged. “Twenty seconds and counting.”

A computerized voice recited numbers in a falling sequence, and Rae tugged her seat belt tighter around her. Glancing toward Kellen’s workstation, she saw her and the ensign strap on harnesses attached to the console.

“5-4-3-2-1
—
tachyon-mass drive active
.
” The computerized voice went silent, but a low hum originated from deep inside the vessel. Reverberating throughout every bulkhead, the energy seemed to hold its breath before it unleashed into a thrust, propelling them through the space corridor at an illegal speed. Invisible to the human eye, a tachyon-particle resonance bubble formed around the two ships, creating an impenetrable defense against space debris and smaller asteroids.

Rae, her back pressed into the chair, briefly closed her eyes when tremendous G-forces threatened to overcome her before the DVAs managed to catch up. When it no longer felt as if her intestines would become one with the chair, she looked around to make sure that the others were all right. “Report.”

“All systems are functioning within their reference values. Shuttle bays one and two report all personnel and equipment made it through the jump. All sensors are operational, and long-range scanners show no enemy contacts out there. We’re on our way, ma’am.”

“Excellent. One hundred and ten hours may seem like a long time, but we need every one of them to prepare. However, it’s also important that we rest if we get a chance. Lieutenant Grey, you have the bridge. Ms. O’Dal, you and Ensign S’hos will navigate and enter new coordinates into our flight plan. Also plot alternative routes, because I’m sure we’re going to need them. Lieutenant D’Artansis, I want you at the helm as much as possible. I’ll relieve you later.”

Unbuckling her belt, she rose from the chair and glanced toward the view screen. Rae was used to seeing the distant stars become reduced to long silver streaks when a ship leaped to field-distortion drive; traveling by tachyon-mass drive turned them into faint marks, barely visible. The difference would take some getting used to.

SC’s prohibition against this type of propulsion didn’t stop pirates from building ships like these, able to outrun any of the SC patrol vessels trying to catch them. The
Gamma VI
station had the two ships in their possession only because they had surprised the pirates while they were making repairs behind a small nebula. Now, Rae was glad they hadn’t dismantled them as planned.

*

Six hours later, Kellen pushed herself farther into a narrow crawl space, dragging a toolbox behind her. As she crept through the passage, she hoped to quickly find out what was causing the fluctuation in power. Ensign S’hos had discovered a minor deviance in the readings half an hour ago. Knowing from her recent journey how small matters like these could escalate, Kellen had taken it upon herself to make repairs.

As she inched through the crawl space, she vaguely smelled something burning. Another yard into the vessel’s elaborate machinery, she detected faint smoke coming from a set of relays. Realizing the potential danger, she clutched the small toolbox and disregarded the pain in her knees and elbows from sliding along the unforgiving steel grid. The smoke now increased in density, its sickening smell making her cough. Engaging her communicator, she opened the tool box with her free hand.

“O’Dal to the bridge. We have a small fire in the port crawl space, among the relay clusters. Extinguishing it now.”

“Lieutenant Grey here. Can you determine the cause of the fire?”

“Give me a minute, Lieutenant.” Kellen took a small fire extinguisher from the tool box and sprayed the circuits closest to her. More smoke billowed from the fried parts and stung her eyes. Reaching into the tool box, she found an oxygen mask and strapped it on. It should have worked automatically but seemed to malfunction; no oxygen streamed through the mask. Straining to see through the smoke, Kellen figured the mask would at least cover her nose and mouth. When she leaned in to inspect the burned area, she flinched. “We have a problem, Lieutenant. There’s a foreign substance attached to the burning relays. I’ve seen similar material before. It’s a substance that self-combusts at a given time, depending on how it’s administered. We have to notify the commodore.”

“I heard.” Commodore Jacelon’s voice was a low growl through the comm system. “Are you all right? Can you extinguish the fire and assess damages?”

“Yes, and I have enough spare circuits and relays with me to replace the most important ones. However, my oxygen mask isn’t working. Have Ensign S’hos ventilate new air into the crawl space on my mark.” Kellen knew she would have to wait until the fire was out before she could ask for oxygen. She used up two small extinguishers before she was satisfied. Tears ran down her cheeks from the smoke, and she coughed despite the protective mask. “Ventilate the crawl space.”

After a few seconds fresh air streamed through the shaft, taking the smoke and stinging smell of burned circuitry with it. Kellen began the painstaking work of replacing the damaged parts and running her diagnostic tools over the remaining ones. Only when she was content everything would run smoothly did she begin to close her toolbox.

Suddenly, stopping, she reached for a flashlight and switched it on. As the beam trailed the wiring between the relays, she began to look for other signs of sabotage. After she found two more places with the self-combusting substance, Kellen again tapped her communicator. “Commodore, I have disturbing information. I’ve found more of the substance that hasn’t ignited yet. I’m sure I’ll find more. I’ll need liquid nitrogen in spray cans to stabilize it before I can remove it.”

After a brief pause, Rae spoke. “Damn. Then we can expect even more. Another crew member will join you with the nitrogen, and I’ll have two others inspect the starboard crawl space.”

“We don’t have much time,” Kellen stressed. “If they all burn, we don’t have enough spare parts to make repairs. We need to neutralize this substance immediately.”

“Locate as many as you can. Mark them with fluorescent tags. You’ll find them in the toolbox. Ensign Santino will follow you and neutralize the substance. He’ll provide you with an oxygen mask.” Jacelon paused. “And, Kellen, be careful.”

“Affirmative. I’ll be cautious. O’Dal out.”

Slowly moving forward, Kellen began to place the fluorescent tags where she found evidence of sabotage. When she was almost at the end of the crawl space, she heard a shuffling sound behind her and realized Ensign Santino had arrived. Bracing herself on her elbows, she pushed back, trying to reach the young man as quickly as possible.

“Throw me the oxygen mask, Ensign,” she called. “Make sure your own is functional. We need to start neutralizing this substance immediately. Are you familiar with the procedure?”

A mask with a small tube hanging from its side slid toward her across the metal grid floor. “Yes, ma’am.” He glanced down the crawl space. “It’s going to be a close call, ma’am.”

Kellen grabbed the two cans of liquid nitrogen that rolled toward her. “All the more reason to hurry, Ensign. Let’s begin.”

Working in unison to beat the odds, they sprayed the nitrogen where the fluorescent tags indicated sabotage. Kellen didn’t allow herself to ponder who was responsible for this situation. She prayed the second team in the other crawl space would also get the job done in time, or they would become as immovable as an old
maesha
.

“I think that was all of them, Ensign. Now, let’s remove the substance. Use a knife or screwdriver, but make sure you don’t damage the relays or the circuits.”

Slowly they made their way toward the exit, scraping off the substance and using a small suction device to remove it completely. Her elbows raw with pain from leaning against the metal grid, Kellen clenched her teeth and kept working. When they were done, she heard Ensign Santino exit through the hatch behind them, his grunt of relief replaced by a familiar throaty voice.

“Good job, Santino. Kellen, let’s get you out of there. You look like hell.” Rae reached inside the hatch and helped her special crew member as she moved out of the narrow tube. Outside, Kellen slowly stretched and carefully extended her arms. Grimacing against the pain, she looked in dismay at the blue blood that trickled down her wrists.

“Have you contacted the
Freedom
, Commodore? It’s likely they’ve also…”

“Yes, Captain de Vies has been informed. God, look at your elbows.” Jacelon took Kellen gently by the arms and examined them.

“I need bandages,” Kellen reflected calmly. “It wasn’t very comfortable in there. I’ll bring extremity shielding next time.”

“Let’s hope there’s no next time,” Rae said, and glanced into the crawl space. “Ensign S’hos is our designated medic on this mission. He has a med kit on the bridge. Santino, let’s get you checked out as well.”

The young man nodded, clutching his left shoulder. “Yes, ma’am.”

“What about the other team? Have they found any signs of sabotage in the starboard crawl space?” Kellen asked as they made their way through the pirate vessel.

As if to answer her question, Rae’s communicator beeped. “No sign of sabotage in this part of the vessel, ma’am. The blueprints suggest there’s a small crawl space above the bridge. Do you want us to check that out as well, Commodore?”

Rae paled. “Yes, Lieutenant, and make it quick. Report back ASAP. Jacelon out.” She slammed her fist into the closest offending bulkhead. “Damn! Where else have they managed to get to us?”

On the bridge Ensign S’hos quickly tended to Kellen’s scraped skin. Clearly taken aback by the distinct color of her blue blood and its dramatic effect against her skin, he moved the derma fuser an inch above the wound with trembling fingers, cleaning and closing it simultaneously. Rae stood next to her, and Kellen wondered if she realized she had placed a hand protectively on her shoulder. Rae seemed lost in thought, her attention turned inward. Suddenly she looked at Owena, who was approaching them.

“For the self-combusting substance to ignite now, it must’ve been administered less than twenty-four hours ago. I gave the order to start preparing the two pirate vessels at 1030 hours yesterday. It’s now 1345. Only accredited personal had access to the hangar.”

“That means one or several of them were paid off, or otherwise coerced, to commit treason,” Owena said.

Her eyes switching to a dull gray, Jacelon didn’t hesitate. “Open a secure subspace signal directly to Admiral Jacelon’s console. Brief him on what’s happened. He’ll take the appropriate measures from there. We’re also going to conduct diagnostics of every system aboard this vessel. I’ll contact Captain de Vies.”

Owena returned to her work console, punching in commands as she attempted to contact
Gamma VI
. “I can’t get through. All the secure lines are occupied. What the hell’s going on back there?”