Ep.#1 - "Escalation" (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes) (13 page)

Jessica glanced at the control panel for the portable comm-unit they had rigged into the shuttle’s communications systems, in order to task Ranni Enterprise’s jump comm-drone. The status screen showed that it was ready. She gave a nod to the sergeant sitting across from her.

“We’re good back here,” the sergeant replied.

“
Jump series in three…
…
two
……
one
……
jumping
.”

The windows turned opaque again to protect the occupants from the bright, blue-white light of the jump flashes. It was over one hundred and twelve light years from Sherma to Darvano, and even with the shuttle’s improved jump systems, it would take them more than an hour to reach their destination.

Jessica tapped her helmet control, dropping her visor and darkening it. “You know the drill, Sarge,” she said as she moved her fingers to the comm-set controls. “Wake me when we get there,” she added, after which she turned off her comm-set and leaned back in her seat to take a nap.

* * *

“I’m not bitching,” Commander Ellison argued, “I’m venting.”

“You’re bitching,” Captain Roselle insisted as he poured himself another cup of coffee. “You do so at least once a wee
k, Marty.”

“Well, I think I have a right to, don’t I? Kes, Ollie… Hell, even Jobu got a command.”

“Big deal. Those new destroyers are so damned automated a monkey could command them. I’m telling you, Marty, they’re holding you for a Protector-class ship.”

“Then why did they give the first one to Stettner? He doesn’t have anywhere near my experience.”

“Galiardi needed to get a Koharan in command of that ship in order to get Tau Ceti on his side. It’s all politics.”

“I fucking hate politics,” the commander sneered, pushing his plate aside. “They don’t belong in the military.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Captain Roselle said. “But it’s been that way ever since Dumar stepped down and President Scott caved in and reinstated Galiardi.”

“And you didn’t even
like
Dumar.”

“I liked him a whole lot better than Galiardi, that’s for sure.” Captain Roselle set his mug down on the table and leaned back. “Just wait, you’ll get a ship. I’d bet my life on it. Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the easy duty.”

“Easy duty my ass,” the commander complained. “Easy for you, perhaps. You’re not the one who has to deal with all these whinny-ass Koharan department heads every day.”

“Again, politics. Tau Ceti
is
this ship’s home port, you know. Technically, it
is
the property of the Cetians. You and I are just here to teach them how to operate the damned thing. That will also come to an end someday, at which point we’ll both move on to bigger and better things,” Captain Roselle insisted.

“Your mouth to God’s ear…”

The intercom beeped. Captain Roselle turned to face the intercom panel on the wall. “Roselle.”

“
Flash traffic from Alliance Command,
” the communications officer announced over the intercom. “
We’ve been put on alert, sir.
”

“On our way,” the captain replied.

“Another damned readiness test,” Commander Ellison groaned.

“Hey, at least we get to pretend like we’re a real combat ship, just like the good old days,” the captain said as he rose from his chair and headed out of the captain’s mess.

“You’d think command would ease up a bit by now,” the commander said, rising to follow his friend. “I mean, it’s not like the Jung are going to attack us, or anything. Not with a few dozen super KKVs trained on their primary worlds. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that our fleet has more than tripled in size since the cease-fire was signed.”

“The Jung still have a lot of ships out there, Marty.”

“Did I mention all the gunships? What is the count up to these days? Three hundred and something?” the commander commented as they entered the Jar-Benakh’s command center.

“Captain on deck!” the guard at the entrance announced.

Captain Roselle and Commander Ellison walked over to the communications officer. “What have you got, Mister Bussard?” the captain asked.

The ensign handed the captain a message pad as he spoke. “We’ve been ordered to go to full alert and break orbit, but remain in the Tau Ceti system for now, sir.”

“Did they say why?” Commander Ellison wondered.

“Holy shit,” the captain muttered as he read the rest of the message. “A total of four separate contacts so far, all of them well within Alliance space,” the captain said as he continued reading. “Both the Tanna and the Belem have confirmed kills.”

“Jobu shot down a Jung ship?” Commander Ellison exclaimed in surprise.

Captain Roselle looked at his XO, one eyebrow raised.

“Well, good for him.”

“Increase patrols, and order our gunships to increase their current patrol range,” Captain Roselle ordered. “I don’t want those bastards sneaking up on us.”

“What do you think they’re up to, Gil?” the commander wondered. “Probing us, maybe? Testing our response?”

“Are we at war, sir?” the communications officer asked nervously.

“We just may be, Ensign.” Captain Roselle looked at his XO again. “Set condition two throughout the ship.”

* * *

“Holy, fuck!” Sergeant Torwell exclaimed from the gun turret atop the combat jump shuttle, after it came out of its last jump in the series. “You might want to warn a guy when you plan on coming out of the ju
mp so damned close to a planet!”

“It’s not a planet, it’s a moon,” Commander Kainan replied.

“It’s still fucking close.”

“Relax, Sarge, it’s a small moon. You could fart and reach escape velocity from its surface,” the commander said comfortingly.

“Torwell could, that’s for sure,” Lieutenant Latfee added.

“You guys did that on purpose,” Sergeant Torwell accused. “I just may have crapped my suit, you know that don’t you?”

“It was my idea, Sarge,” Jessica admitted, as she activated the hailing call on her comm-panel. “We can hide here while we task the comm-drone.”

Sergeant Torwell stared out at the moon to his right. It was so close, he felt as if he could reach out and touch its icy surface. Then he turned to look to his right. He noticed a strange amber glow on the frame of his turret’s canopy, and turned to look behind him. His eyes popped open even wider with a start, and he nearly fell out of his seat at the sight of the massive gas giant behind them. “Jesus!” he exclaimed. After catching his breath, he continued. “Seriously, guys, you have to warn me before you do this kind of shit.”

“What’s the big deal, Sarge?” the commander asked. “We used to jump into atmo less than a hundred meters off the deck.”

“Maybe, but I had nothing but sky above me when we did!” the sergeant argued. “And you guys are surrounded by the hull. I’m sitting up here in this little fucking bubble, remember? Besides, it’s been years since we did those kinds of jumps, and I’m an old man now.”

“What are you, like twenty-six, twenty-seven, maybe?” Jessica wondered.

“Earth years, maybe. But I’m thirty-two by Corinairan years…I think.”

“You suck at math, Sarge,” Commander Kainan commented. “You’re only thirty Corinairan years old.”

“Whatever.”

“How’s it going back there, Lieutenant?” the commander asked.

“Handshake is complete, and the control codes have been accepted. I’m sending tasking to the comm-drone now,” Jessica reported. “Are you picking up any ships on passive?”

“Not yet,” Lieutenant Latfee replied. “But our reception angle is pretty narrow right now.”

“That’s the plan,” Jessica replied. “Tasking has been received. Just waiting for departure confirmation.”

“You don’t think it’s going to raise some suspicion when the Jung see a comm-drone suddenly jump away?” Sergeant Torwell wondered.

“That’s why we needed to act immediately,” Jessica explained, “while there are still shuttles jumping in and out of the system. Once the Jung get this system locked down, nothing will be able to leave without getting tracked.”

“What makes you think they won’t track it now?” Lieutenant Latfee asked.

“They might,” Jessica admitted. “That’s why I routed the drone to about ten different systems before parking it in the Borada system.”

“Borada?” Lieutenant Latfee said. “There’s nothing in the Borada system.”

“That’s the idea,” Jessica replied. “If the Jung do track the comm-drone, by the time they reach Borada, we will have already retasked the drone again and sent it on its way to Earth.”

“Two minutes until we get line of sight on Corinair,” Commander Kainan warned.

“That’s it,” Jessica replied. “I’ve got launch confirmation.”

“And I’ve got the drone’s jump flash,” Lieutenant Latfee replied.

“Setting up the comm-array for directional beam,” Jessica announced.

“How do you know where the recipient is located?” Sergeant Torwell wondered.

“We know Dumar lives on the side of Corinair that’s facing us now, and from this distance, a directional beam will cover the entire planet. If he has an active receiver, he’ll get the message.”

“And so will the Jung,” the sergeant pointed out.

“The message is encrypted,” Jessica replied.

“How does he know the encryption key?”

Jessica looked up at the sergeant in the turret above her, then looked forward between the engine bulkheads toward the cockpit. “Is he always like this?”

“I get talkative when I’m nervous,” the sergeant said defensively.

“I’m trying to remember a time when you weren’t running your mouth off, Torwell,” Jessica commented as she prepared to send the message.

“That hurt, Jess.”

“The encryption key is his son’s birthday,” Jessica said.

“How does he know that?”

“He’s a smart man,” Jessica replied, “he’ll figure it out. And I’m seeding it with information that only he and I know.”

“Like what?”

“Who his target was when he first came aboard the Aurora.”

“His target?”

Jessica reached out and slapped the side of the sergeant’s leg. “Jesus, Torwell. Enough already.”

“Line of sight in thirty seconds,” the lieutenant warned.

“I’ll be ready,” Jessica assured him.

“New contacts on passive,” the lieutenant added. “A pair of fast movers, close together. Probably a patrol of two fighters.”

“Where?” Jessica asked as she worked.

“Fifty thousand kilometers. They just came onto sensors. They probably just left the orbit of Corinair. The planet is coming into our line of sight now. Ten seconds until you’re clear to transmit.”

“I’m ready,” Jessica announced, her hands rising up from her console.

“Contacts are turning toward us,” the lieutenant warned. “You’d better start transmit…”

Two jump flashes suddenly appeared less than a kilometer ahead of them, their light filling the cockpit from both the cockpit and the turret above Jessica, spilling into the utility area where she sat.

“Fuck!” Commander Kainan exclaimed as he pushed the shuttle into a spiraling dive to the right. “You got’em, Sarge?”

“How the fuck am I supposed to get them while you’re spiraling like a crazy bastard!” the sergeant yelled back.

The shuttle lurched to one side, flinging Jessica across the cabin.

“We’re hit!” Lieutenant Latfee warned. “Port shield! It’s down to fifty percent!”

“Level off so I can get a shot at them on their next pass!” the sergeant demanded.

“I need a clean shot with the comm-array to get this message out!” Jessica reminded the commander.

“They’ve split!” the lieutenant warned as the shuttle came out of its spiraling dive. “One to port, and one to starboard!”

“Which one is high and low?” the commander asked as he gunned all four engines.

The lieutenant checked the sensor display. “Port is high, starboard is low.”

“Sarge, I’m going to turn into the fighter to port and show him our topside. That’ll keep our port shield away from the starboard contact. Don’t let that fucker pass on our left. If he hits our port shield again, we’ll lose it.”

“I’ve got it!” the sergeant replied.

“You’ll have about ten seconds to get the message out,” the commander told Jessica.

“I only need five,” Jessica responded.

“Don’t forget to give him the return message coordinates!”

“I did, I did!”

“Coming around now,” the commander warned as he rolled the ship slightly to port and started his turn in the same direction.

“Shit! He jumped!” the lieutenant warned.

“Who jumped?” the commander demanded. “To where?”

“The guy on the right! Shit! He’s on our left now! He’s firing!”

“Jumping!” Commander Kainan announced.

The windows of the shuttle turned opaque momentarily as the ship jumped ahead a few thousand kilometers.

“Hang on!” the commander warned as he rolled the ship in the opposite direction and started another hard turn.

Jessica felt herself sliding to the right, all the while wondering why she hadn’t put on her restraints.

“Jumping again,” the commander warned.

Once again, the shuttle’s windows turned opaque, clearing a few seconds later.

“That should buy us a few seconds,” the commander decided.

“Corinair is at two one seven by one one four!” Lieutenant Latfee reported as the windows cleared again.

“How far did we jump?”

“About ten light seconds from our last position,” the commander replied. “Start transmitting! Quick, before they figure out where we went!”

“I’m transmitting! I’m transmitting!” Jessica assured the commander.

“Two more contacts!” Lieutenant Latfee warned. “Fifty thousand clicks… FUCK!”

Two more jump flashes filled their forward windows as another two Jung fighters suddenly appeared in front of them and opened fire. Sergeant Torwell attacked with his double-barreled plasma cannon, sending bolts of red-orange plasma energy streaking toward the incoming fighters. The fighters split apart just like the previous pair, one to port, and one to starboard.

“Two more to stern!” the lieutenant warned. “I think it’s the first two!”

“Message is sent!” Jessica exclaimed.

“We’re out of here!” the commander added as he pushed the escape jump button on his flight control stick.