Wrath of the Void Strider (37 page)

“Gavin,” said Fogg.

“Yes?”

“Please return to us.”

Gavin pulled Fogg into the group hug.  “I mean to.”

Chapter 23

In orbit above Ry’lyeh, Edenbridge Station skimmed the thermosphere, steadily rotating as it drifted.  It was a spaceborne kraken that served as the Star Fleet’s central harborage.  The command ring was its crown, and it was crowded with communication and sensor towers.  Matte plates composed the outer hull, brightly lit by blue and white lamps embedded throughout.  Below the command ring, a dozen evenly spaced decks connected to the space station’s central keel, providing dormitory, social and maintenance services.

At the station’s base, a structural ring joined hundreds of massive and lengthy docks.  They extended into the void perpendicular to the central deck, traced by girded passageways and maintenance catwalks.  At full occupancy, Edenbridge hosted thousands of starships.

A multitude of battleships had arrived to make berth.  There were a dozen starship carriers, scores of heavy cruisers, almost as many light cruisers and several hundred destroyers.  A few hundred corvettes and countless heavy bombers filled the ranks of Dryden’s battle groups.

Aboard a transport shuttle on approach, Zerki took in the extent of the space station and whistled quietly to herself.  “There must be five full armadas in harbor,” she muttered.  “This might be the largest fleet action in Union history.”  Wearing a faraway smile, she stood beside Gavin and Valerie as they looked on.

“They’re taking an awfully big chance, calling so many starships together,” said Gavin.  “If the ithirals get wind, they could wipe out the Star Fleet before they even get a chance to mobilize.”

“The ithirals haven’t taken any actions that indicate they perform any kind of reconnaissance.  Either they don’t act on their intelligence, or they don’t perceive us as any kind of meaningful threat.”  Zerki glanced toward him.  “Ask yourself—would you bother sending spies to find out what the rats are up to?”

“I would if they could fly starships,” said Valerie.

With a dry chuckle, Zerki said, “That’s because you’re smarter than they are.  Their pride could well be their undoing.”  She looked back to the approaching space station.  “But you make a good point, Gavin.  They claimed to have been looking for someone with your genetic markers for millennia.  I doubt they’ve stopped looking for either of you, but even the ithirals need time to run their scans.”  Thoughtfully, she shook her head.  “Sometimes, you have to have faith in the timing of things.”

“Faith?” questioned Valerie.  “You mean like God?”

Zerki regarded her.  “And why not?  Think about it—if Filan hadn’t accessed Behemothylax’s memory core when she did, if Taryn hadn’t rescued her from Lodoxol’s starship, if I hadn’t decided to hire Gavin’s friends, if you hadn’t gotten your vision—”

“Oh, please,” Valerie interjected.  “This is our last stand, Captain.  We’re on the ropes because the ithirals outmatch us, plain and simple.  It’s pure Darwinism.”

Zerki shook her head.  “I would’ve agreed with you a few days ago, but not now.  The timing of it all is just too convenient.”

“Convenient?  Convenient for
who
?”  Valerie clenched her teeth.  “For us, because the ellogons aren’t much of a threat, anymore?  What about them?  They’re on the brink of extinction!  If there’s a god, he must hate the ellogons more than we do.”

Zerki didn’t respond.

Exasperated, Valerie huffed and sank back into her chair as the
UNSS Wraithfin
glided into view.  She had a teardrop nose, and her hull flared out to the sides, giving her a manta-ray appearance.  The extents of her upper wing converged with two lower wings, mooring the vessel’s warp engine nacelles.  Half their length jutted out past the trailing edges, reaching as far back as her narrow aft shuttle bay.  Emblazoned upon the ends of the wings and topmost curve was her registry designation: CVG-8717.  Below that in smaller letters was her proper name.  Bright lights bathed them both, and dim light shown from a multitude of windows, giving her an ethereal glow not unlike the aerial predator for which she was named.

At seven decks tall, she carried a crew of 16 officers, 95 crewmen, and Valerie’s elite strike team of 24 soldiers.  Nestled in the dual wings, positioned against the engine nacelles, advanced missile arrays carried a variable ordnance system.  Laser turrets sat within the upper and lower halves of the starship, and fixed plasma cannons extended from the forward edges of the wings.  Two shuttles docked in her aft hangar bay, and two more had been moored in the port and starboard mini-hangars, one to each side.

They watched in silence, until the starship passed from view and they arrived at the space station.  Dryden appeared at the airlock, wearing a hopeful smile.  At seeing Zerki, he saluted, and she returned the gesture.  Moving with purpose, she followed him up a gangway into a corridor that arched ever upward in both directions.

“How was the flight?” he asked.

“It was fine,” said Zerki.  “Edenbridge is amazing!”

He nodded and looked to her sidelong with a proud smile.  “I’m glad you think so.”

“What about our uniforms?”

“They’re already waiting for you in your quarters,” Dryden answered.  “We kept your measurements on file.”

As they discussed, Gavin slowed down and tugged on Valerie’s sleeve.  She matched his pace and glanced his way.  They resumed following at a distance.

“What’s up?” she asked. 

“Are you okay?”

She laughed dryly.  “Sure.  Actually, no, I’m not.  I haven’t had a vision since the one where you died on K’n-yal, and I’m scared.  Even if it sucks, I’d rather know how this is going to end.”  She glared toward Zerki.  “Plus, Captain’s got religion all of a sudden.”

“Is that bad?”

Valerie narrowed her eyes.  “You too?”

Gavin considered for a moment.  “Not exactly.  I don’t know what I believe, but at times like this, I can’t fault anyone for trying to find some meaning.”

“But that’s what people do!  They find patterns, even when there aren’t any.”

“I said meaning, not patterns.”  He nodded toward the silver cross around her neck.  “You used to believe.”

“What, this?”  Valerie lifted it from her bosom and let it drop.  “That was my mom’s.  It’s the only thing she ever gave me that was worth anything.  I wear it as a reminder of why you should never stop thinking for yourself, why you should never just do what you’re told.”

He paused to regard her.  “I’ve never seen you this worked up before.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”  She pulled ahead, walking slightly in front of him.

He hurried to catch up.  “Valerie, wait!”

She halted, facing him.  “Gavin, stop.  Please?  I just need some space right now.”  Without waiting for his response, she turned and marched after Zerki.

Flushed, he collected himself and followed several paces behind.

Dryden led his companions through the
Wraithfin
’s boarding tunnel to the main airlock on C-Deck.  The door hissed open, and they stepped into the corvette’s narrow, black corridors.  Under a ceiling of dim white, thin red strip lights brightened junctions and access panels.  The floor they walked upon was heavy yellow rubber, and it muted the sounds of their footfalls.

In time, they reached the bridge.  Overhead lights winked on as they stepped inside the oval command room.  Directly ahead of them was the captain’s seat, framed on either side by the engineering and tactical stations.  Beyond the command chair, navigation and the helm shared adjacent consoles.  Embedded in the walls, communications, scanning, active defense and special systems stations ringed the bridge.  Clustered above the command chair, a chandelier of holographic projection tubes modeled live tactical data.  Every station was matte black, trimmed with softly glowing red, and like the corridors, dim ceiling lamps cast gentle light upon the room.  Dryden took a moment to point out and describe the function of each station before leading his companions to the starship’s main lift.

“Ibarra, Santiago—your quarters are here on C-Deck,” he said, “along with all the rest of the officers.  Sawyer, you’re on C-Deck too, but the rest of your team is quartered on G-Deck, near the main armory.  You can find enlisted quarters on F-Deck.  Take a moment to get cleaned up and dressed into your service uniforms.  Meet me in the aft hangar bay, and I’ll introduce you to the crew.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Zerki, and she saluted.  Gavin hurried to salute, and Dryden returned the gesture, holding it as he looked to Valerie.

She rolled her eyes and saluted, and Dryden lowered his hand.  “I’ll call the crew to order in fifteen minutes.  Meet me then.”  He stepped into the lift, heading up, and they found their way to their respective cabins, where they took a few minutes to get cleaned up and dressed.

Clad now in sharp, black uniforms and caps, they soon convened within the aft hangar bay.  Dryden wore a friendly smile as they entered.  He turned around as they took position behind him.  The rest of the crew stood rank and file, organized into rows and columns.  “Welcome,” he said, his back to his newest officers.  Raising his voice, he announced, “Step forward, Captain Zerki Ibarra,” and she did so.

“Everyone, this is Captain Zerki Ibarra.  After she’s got the hang of things, she’ll be taking over for Captain Hull.  She’s a quick study and a sharp thinker.”  He looked proud as he moved his hands to the small of his back.  “After I get a chance to review her tactical performance, I’ll have a better estimate of how much time that’ll take.”

Under his breath, he said, “Valerie, you’re next,” but she was already stepping forward on the other side of him.  “This is Ensign Valerie Sawyer, and she’ll be sharing command of the elite strike team that’s at the heart of our next war effort.  She’s a talented psychic, so try to keep your thoughts civil when she’s close.”

Quiet laughter circulated through the crew.

Dryden waved Gavin over.  “Lastly, this is Lieutenant Commander Gavin Santiago, our best hope for winning this war.  He’ll be stationed on the bridge with Captain Ibarra and Captain Hull, where he’ll be executing special attacks as they become available.”

Captain Aaron Hull saluted and said, “Pleased to meet you all.  Welcome aboard the
Wraithfin
.”  His crew saluted, prompting Zerki, Valerie and Gavin to return the gesture.

“In about thirty minutes,” Dryden continued, “we’ll be weighing anchor and heading for the ellogon home world at full warp, along with the rest of the fleet.”  He called up a holographic image of a clouded, blue and green world.

“This is Thasad, the birthplace of the ellogon people.  It’s twice the size of Earth, and the gravity’s twice as strong.  Before we made contact with the ellogons, she was known to us as Kepler-22b.  She was one of the first worlds Earth’s ambassadors jumped to.”  He smiled flatly.  “As you know, the Galactic War followed closely on their arrival.”

He drew a deep breath.  “It’ll take us about two days to get there, and when we do, all hell is going to break loose.  Your job is to keep this starship running while Santiago disables key targets.  His attacks will allow for the strike team to get under the ithiral ceiling and take out their beacon tower.  At that point, you will tour the battlefield, helping Santiago destroy targets of opportunity.”

His expression hardened.  “We will lose starships.  You will lose friends.  Make no mistake.”  He shifted his weight and settled.  “Ours is a merciless, unfeeling enemy that doesn’t abide by the rules of war.  But when that beacon is destroyed, and the ithirals are decimated and stranded, the sacrifices made by our warships, by our men and women will mean everything!”

Dryden cleared his throat.  “We don’t have a Plan B.  You are the sole hope of our great Union, the saviors of Earth and of all free people.  We don’t know why the ithirals seek to exterminate us, but that is exactly what they plan to do.  It’s our darkest hour, and a galaxy is looking to you to light it.  Be that light,
Wraithfin
.”  He stopped, and he straightened.  “With all the fury of heaven,
burn bright
!  And send those bastards back to the deep dark hole they crawled out of!”

The crew burst into cheers and applause, before dispersing to man their stations.

Dryden lingered and called Zerki, Valerie and Gavin to his side.  “Good luck, all of you.”  He released a steady breath.  “I mean to congratulate you personally upon your return.”  With a snappy salute, he crossed the hangar bay to the bulkhead at the far end and disappeared beyond it.

Chapter 24

Gavin sat inside the starboard shuttle hangar, dressed in his black uniform.  He stared absently at the shower of sparks raining down from the transport as a flight crew performed basic maintenance.  Below him, the heavy plastic crate on which he rested began to bite into his legs, and he shifted his weight.  It had little effect.

He heard Valerie say, “There you are.  I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Without facing her, he asked, “Oh?  You couldn’t just sense where I was?”

“I can, but I can’t find my way around this ship.”  She heaved against another crate, but it hardly moved at all.  She strained against its weight, but only budged it slightly.  Winded, she stood straight with arms akimbo.  Turning about, she stepped to Gavin’s crate and plopped down on the deck, rubbing her hands.  “Anyway, I’m glad I found you.”  She took off her cap and set it down in her lap, letting her pink hair tumble free.

He smiled distantly and looked her way.  “Are we still fighting?”

She shook her head.  “Definitely not.”

“That’s good,” he muttered, and he slid down off the crate to join her on the deck.  “We’re almost there.  Another few hours, and all hell breaks loose, according to Admiral Decker.  I don’t think I’m ready for it.”

“Why’s that?”

He leaned back against the crate.  “I mean, I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for it.  Do you know what they want me to do?  Did they ever tell you?”