Wrath of the Void Strider (32 page)

“I am healthy.”

“I mean, how do you feel?  Emotionally.”

Fogg pondered his answer.  “I am simultaneously frustrated and excited.  I eagerly anticipate returning to my original state, though I will be glad to have experienced this form and all that has come with it.”  His expression flattened.  “I do not enjoy the sensation of fear.”

“No one does,” said Filan, and she rested a kind hand upon Fogg’s forearm.  “Courage comes in facing it.”

“I do not wish to be courageous.”

Takeo laughed.  “You’re wiser than I am, old friend.”  He looked to Cajun.  “How’s the rest of the crew holding up?”

Cajun exhaled somberly.  “They’ll recover.  Stone had to replace a portion of Buck’s skull, as well as his right eye.  He says that once the nanobots have fully integrated, he shouldn’t notice any significant difference in his vision.  Of course, he looks like a cyborg right now, so he’s advised that we all be extra nice to Buck until the skin’s grown back.”

Valerie smiled sadly.  “I’m sure we can do that much for him.”

Takeo nodded.  “How much longer do we have Stone?”

“A few hours, at most,” said Valerie.  “He’s planning to head back to Nerthus as soon as we dock.  His people need him, especially now.  It’s been decades since anyone in his fold has died, and I can imagine every loss is deeply felt.”  She looked to Fogg.  “He promised he’d make time to work on restoring you after things get settled.”

“Please tell him thank you,” said Fogg.

“I will.”

“He’s a good man,” said Taryn.

Zerki’s voice was loud over the comm.  “We’re landing on the planet’s surface,” she announced.  “All hands to stations.”

Gavin and Valerie joined Zerki on the bridge as a pair of starfighters formed up on either side of the hauler.  They escorted the
Sanguine Shadow
down through the clouds, where they beheld an amber desert horizon.  Oceans of dunes stretched as far as the eye could see, growing ever closer as the starship approached her docking station.  She settled on a wide, standing platform, ringed with high walls.  Tiny dunes littered the edges of the landing field.

Father Stone said his goodbyes and found his way to a commuter shuttle station, while the vessel’s able-bodied crew filed out of the main airlock.  Cajun and Fogg stayed aboard to tend the wounded, while a dozen helper droids set to repairing the
Sanguine Shadow
.  They started with her Precision Laser Array.

Zerki and her crew stood upon a broad footpath that bore a gritty dullness.  Cream in color, it belonged to a network of alternately gently- and steeply-rounded byways.  Along their centerlines, a backbone of entrenched posts rose high.  They held aloft hinged, interlocking metal shells that cast ample shade upon the walk.

In the distance, vast greenhouses caught the dwarf sun’s light, basking under a dark blue sky.

The crew was met promptly by a squad of well-dressed, battle-hardened marines who led them along a wide, curved path toward a grand building.  Four curved beams converged above its roof, rooted somewhere beneath the landscape’s sandy surface.  Its soaring arches cast long shadows over the pathways.

Upon reaching the entrance, doors vanished at the crew’s approach and reappeared behind them.  One of the marines looked fixedly at Zerki.  “Please come with us.  Admiral Decker would like to see you.”  He looked to the others and said, “The rest of you are welcome to wander the exterior grounds, visit the Base Exchange, or have a drink at the Glass Bottom Cantina, located on the opposite side of this building.  All other areas are off limits to non-military personnel.”

Zerki assured her crew, “I’ll meet you at the cantina after I’m done.”

The marines led her along the halls to an open lift located at the heart of the structure, and they all boarded.  It glided upward.  Moments later, they ushered her off the platform and guided her to a vaulted archway.  They stopped short of leading her through.

Red slopes and black swoops decorated an upwardly curved ring of white walls, encircling the spacious meeting hall.  Overhead, the building’s supports were visible through a thick glass disk.  Red-orange egg-shaped chairs lined the walls, where several others sat within, buried in their electronic devices.

“Have a seat,” advised one of the marines.  “You’re on the Admiral’s calendar.  He’ll call for you when he’s ready.”  She nodded, and the soldier joined his squad mates at the lift.  They boarded and returned to the lower levels.

Zerki sat down in an empty chair and found it to be surprisingly comfortable.  Time passed slowly.  As the sun began to set, a narrow ring of embedded lights slowly brightened around the edge of the skylight.  She fought to stay awake.

·· • ··

On the bottom level, the crew had found their way to the Glass Bottom Cantina.  Its floor was crafted from thick sheets of synthetic sapphire, and it offered a clear view of the dunes and dust devils below.  Crews from a dozen other vessels crowded the spacious bar, most of them easily distinguished from one another by jackets common to their respective starships.

“How come we don’t have crew jackets?” asked Filan.

Valerie tugged on Gavin’s utility vest.  “Because we have these stylish vests!”

“I never got one of those,” said Takeo.  “Neither did Filan or Taryn, come to think of it.”

“Remind me when we get back to the
Shadow
,” said Valerie.  “I’ve been meaning to order a few more.”

“Why can’t we have crew jackets?”  Filan pouted.  “Look!  They have patches on their shoulders, and some of them have big patches on their backs.”

Taryn crossed her arms and leaned forward on a nearby rail.  “They do look pretty cool.  I’d buy a crew jacket if it looked nice.”

With a deep chuckle, D’Arro said, “That’s more of a corporate expense.  Our crew is mostly contractors.  Still, it’s not a bad idea, and it might be good for morale.  I’ll be sure to mention it to the captain.”  He led his small group across the busy room to a faux outdoors section, where he and Gavin pulled two tables together.  They grabbed extra chairs and gathered round.  Protected on all sides by a crystal barrier, it gave the appearance of being outside without exposing the patrons to the elements.

“What a place,” said Gavin.

“I’d just as soon be back on Huya,” chuckled Takeo.

Taryn nodded and sank over her folded arms.  “I loved it there.  It was so rustic, and the people were so nice.”  She watched the pathways as their shells folded downward, shrouded them, and she glanced toward an approaching wall of howling sand.  “I can’t believe how much has happened since I joined up with you guys.”

“It didn’t used to be this exciting,” said D’Arro.

Valerie added, “Certainly not in the same way.”

“I wish I could’ve gone down to Huya,” said Filan.  Her eyes brightened as the sandstorm crashed against the crystal barrier, and a nervous thrill coursed through her body.  “Did you guys see that?”

“It never gets old,” said a woman standing in the doorway, and they turned to regard her.  “Audrey” was printed on her nametag.  “What are you guys drinking?”  She was tall, with long dark hair tied up in a ponytail, partially hidden under a green baseball cap.  Her hazel eyes were bright, and her smile was kind.  One by one, she went around the group.

“What’s taking the captain so long?” asked Taryn.  “I hope she’s okay.”

Gavin closed his eyes.  A moment later, he opened them and chuckled.  “Yeah, she’s fine.  In fact, I think she dozed off.”

·· • ··

Outside the admiral’s office, curled up in her chair, Zerki startled awake.  Gentle light bathed the otherwise empty chamber.  Quickly getting her bearings, her gaze befell a pair of stately boots, and she followed them up to the sharply dressed legs, trunk, crossed arms and amused face of Fleet Admiral Dryden D. Decker.  “Oh!” she piped, and she sprang from the egg-shaped chair, tugging on her shirt and vest to straighten them.  “Sorry.  How long were you standing there?”

“Not long, and no need to be sorry,” he countered with a friendly grin.  “I’m the one who should be apologizing for keeping you waiting all day.  I got swamped.”  He offered his hand.  Dryden Decker was tall, entirely bald, with dark brown skin and umber eyes.  He was impeccably dressed in his formal whites.  “I understand you have access to some very rare and sensitive information.”

“It’s yours to look at,” said Zerki, and she shook his hand.  “Thanks for seeing me.”

He nodded and gestured toward a pair of open doors set in the far wall.  “Right this way,” he urged, and he led Zerki to the doorway.  “I’m still running tactical simulations.  Is that going to be a problem for you?  If so, I have a secondary location we can use.”

Zerki shook her head.  “No, it won’t be a problem.”

“I didn’t expect it to be.”  They stepped inside, and he latched the doors behind them.  Dryden motioned toward a crescent-shaped desk, where he took the chair on one side and Zerki took the chair opposite him.  Overhead, the ceiling was steeped in combat holography.

“It’s busy up there,” she noted.

He leaned forward and asked, “When’s the last time you watched the news?”

She raised her brows and smirked.  “Things have been a little hectic for me the past couple weeks.  Why, what’s going on?”

“There’s a third faction in play now, and they have access to a terrifying level of technology.  I can’t go into details, but they put both the Union forces and the Imperial military to shame.”  He blew into his hands.  “They came after the ellogons first, destroying their war fleets where ever they found them.  They crippled their supply lines next, and began systematically wiping out their core world colonies.  Yesterday, they conquered the ellogon home world.”

Zerki sank into her chair.  “How many were lost?”

Dryden remained stoic.  “It’s a very big number, Captain Ibarra.”

“How many?”

“At last count, close to 12 billion, across all their territories.”

She covered her mouth and stared off.  “Oh my god.”

“The ellogons are begging for our help, but Parliament has been slow to send any aid.  Not because of our history with them, but because we haven’t fared much better.  As of this morning, the invaders have turned their sights on the Union.”  He glanced to the ceiling and the battles playing out.  Zerki followed his gaze.  She felt an icy jolt through her body as she saw a fleet of three ithiral battle stations.  “I’m trying to coordinate an effective counterassault, but… it’s not going well.”  Dryden swallowed visibly and glanced away.  “We’ve already lost a dozen warships.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

He paused and laughed sadly.  “I’m not sure.  Maybe I just needed to tell somebody.”

“I know what that’s like.”  Her hands felt suddenly very cold, and she absently rubbed them together.

“What can you tell me about them?”

“That’s a good question.”  Zerki considered her answer.  “Well, according to my first mate, they call themselves the Ithiral Dominion,” she offered, and she retrieved a data cube from her vest’s breast pocket.  “Here, this is video footage we got of the battle station outside Ixion Prime.  Very recently, two members of my crew had a pretty close encounter with them, and I’ve included their reports.”  She shook her head.  “I… I hope it helps.”

Dryden took the cube and set it on his desk.  “I do too.  Thank you.”  He studied her expression.  “It’s a lot to take in, I know, but that’s not what you’re grappling with.”

She chuckled quietly.  “You’re very intuitive.”

“At times, but you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve right now.”

Drawing a deep breath, she paused awhile before asking, “Can you do something for me?”

“That depends on many factors.  What are you offering?”

“I might have a secret weapon at my disposal; something that can turn the tide of this war.  I just…  I just need to know that my starship and my crew will be safe.”

His chair creaked as he leaned back.

“Merchant Prince Lodoxol put a hit out—”

“—on you and your starship.  Yes, I know.”

Zerki nodded.  “I want you to strongly suggest to Parliament that they take in the ellogons.  Make them a part of the Union, but on the condition that Lodoxol removes the hit on me and my starship.”

“I hardly think they’re concerned with the wellbeing of your little star freighter at this time.”

“Then they’ll be willing to comply.”  She held his gaze.  “Can you do it, or not?”

His expression darkened.  “I can, but you’d better have one of their battle stations stashed somewhere in orbit if I’m even going to think about pushing pieces that big around the board.”

“I have something better.”

“Explain.”

Zerki steadied herself.  Quietly, she asked, “Do you know what a gravity bridge is?”

“I’m familiar with wormhole theory, yes.”

“I know someone who can induce them.  I don’t know how he does it, but he made one big enough to move the
Shadow
here from Nerthus.”

Dryden blinked.  “You were on Afskya.  You picked up Gavin Santiago!”

Zerki nodded.  “He’s my Navigator.”

He studied her intently.  “I’ll need to see how he performs in a tactical situation.  If he can use his ability when it matters, you have a deal.”

She nodded.  “That’s reasonable.”

For a drawn moment, he considered.  “House Thayless is an extreme political faction on our sister planet, K’n-yal.  They actively encourage rebellion against the Union.  In the wake of recent events, they’ve strong-armed key businesses, and they’ve started making demands.  Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem to issue an appropriately discouraging response, but we don’t have the starships to spare right now.”

He called up an image of the verdant world.  “Mr. Santiago will join the team I’m sending to handle it.  If he performs well, we’ll put him on a stealth corvette and pray he can make the difference.”

“I’m coming with him.”

Dryden smiled slightly, regarding her questioningly for a moment.  “I don’t have a problem with that.”

“Wait, why does K’n-yal matter?”  Zerki crossed her arms.  “It’s a low-tech agriculture world, covered in nature preserves.”