Ep.#1 - "Escalation" (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes) (4 page)

And so, Yanni found himself studying the files, looking for technologies that they could bid on to develop, if given permission by the Corinairan Ark committee. It was the best way to kill time while Deliza was away.

Yanni couldn’t help but worry whenever Deliza was away on business. In the beginning, he traveled everywhere with her, but as the years went by, and his own responsibilities at Ranni Enterprises became more demanding of his time; he was more often than not forced to stay behind. At least he was comforted in the knowledge that their trusted friend, Loki, was her pilot, and that wherever she traveled, their security chief had always hired protective services to keep her safe. Although tensions between Corinair and the Takaran nobles had eased over the years, there were still a few powerful noblemen on Takara who would prefer her dead and gone. For as long as the last surviving heir to house Ta’Akar breathed air, those who led the revolution that resulted in her father’s untimely demise had no choice but to constantly look over their shoulders.

Yanni would not admit it to anyone, but he often took satisfaction at the thought of those so-called noblemen, in fear of the retribution of Deliza Ta’Akar. To Yanni, she was the sweetest, most gentle woman he had even known. And although she had gained a reputation as a ruthless businesswoman in recent years, he could not imagine her seeking revenge against those who killed not only her father, but her younger sister as well.

“Are you busy?” a familiar female voice asked from the door.

“Lael,” Yanni greeted as he rose from his chair. He immediately noticed the blanketed bundle in her arms. “Oh my…is this… Is this Ailsa?”

“Yes,” Lael replied as she entered Yanni’s office. “I wanted to meet Loki when he returned, and I know how much you wanted to meet Ailsa.”

“I’m so sorry that I couldn’t be there when she was born.”

“It’s quite all right,” Lael assured him. “I know how busy you have been lately. You don’t even accompany Deliza anymore.”

“I’m starting to realize how difficult it has been for you the last few months,” Yanni said as he reached out to peek at baby Ailsa. “Oh, she is so tiny.”

“According to my mother, all the women in our family have tiny babies.”

“You wouldn’t know it by the size of your brothers,” Yanni joked.

“Would you like to hold her?”

“I don’t know,” Yanni said, suddenly becoming apprehensive. “Do you think it’s all right? I mean, I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Just support her head like this,” Lael explained, demonstrating for him.

Yanni accepted the infant from Lael, taking great care to be as gentle as possible. “She is amazing, Lael. You and Loki must be so happy.”

“Yes, we are. I’ll be even happier when they return, though. I don’t get a moment’s rest while Loki is away. He is so good with her. When he is home, if it weren’t for the fact that I’m the one with the breasts, I’d never get to hold her,” Lael commented with a giggle. She took advantage of the brief respite and sat down. “Any idea when they will arrive?”

“Doran called just before you arrived. He said they should be jumping into the system at any moment now, so about ten minutes or so.”

“Good,” Lael replied. “It’s getting late and I’m starved.”

“Deliza and I are having food delivered to the office tonight. You and Loki are more than welcome to join us.”

“Thank you, no. If I know Deliza, it’s a working dinner, and I don’t think I can handle watching Biarra doing my job.”

“Don’t worry, it will still be your job when you’re ready to return. You know that.”

Lael sat watching Yanni bounce baby Ailsa gently in his arms, cooing to her softly. “When are you two going to start having kids?”

“We talked about it, but you know how Deliza is. She wants to make sure the company is completely secure, financially speaking, before we start a family.”

“Yes, I do know how she is,” Lael agreed. “I don’t suppose she’s ever given you an estimate?”

“Let’s just say it’s going to be a few more years and leave it at that.” Yanni looked down at baby Ailsa as the infant grasped his pinky. “Although, if she spends any time with you, little one, it may happen much sooner than she thinks… Yes.”

* * *

Six jump flashes appeared in orbit above Takara, each of them occurring within seconds of one another. From each flash, massive ships, with black hulls trimmed in crimson, appeared. Without any provocation
or warning, the six ships opened fire on the Takaran warships in orbit.

The Takaran warships returned fire without hesitation, each of them targeting a different ship. But in that first moment of battle, they were already equally matched in number. Even worse, they appeared to be outgunned.

The Takaran ships began to maneuver, breaking ranks and making for open space in differing directions, making it difficult for the invading ships to concentrate their fire on any one of them. Two Takaran cruisers jumped away, reappearing only a few million kilometers away in order to turn and attack from a more advantageous angle without taking fire. As they turned, another black and crimson ship, this one a battleship, jumped in to ambush them. Within seconds, both cruisers’ shields were overwhelmed, and a few seconds later, they were destroyed.

The remaining four ships in orbit over Takara fought bravely. Left with no alternative, they came about sharply to bring their plasma torpedo tubes to bear on the unknown intruders once they cleared the planet. One ship took rounds from a dozen rail guns, as well as plasma weapons. Her shields failed, and the enemy fire soon cut her in half, devastating explosions tearing through her as she came apart. The second ship, a destroyer, was more maneuverable and had already opened up on one of the smaller attacking ships with their forward plasma torpedo cannons. Firing in rapid succession to the point of overheating her plasma generators, the Takaran destroyer scored the first enemy kill of the sudden and unexpected engagement, tearing apart one of the black and crimson frigates. But the battleship that had ambushed the previous two Takaran cruisers appeared behind the destroyer without warning, cutting her victory short with its massive rail guns. Seconds later, the destroyer became the fourth Takaran warship to fall to the attack.

The remaining two frigates were no match for the enemy fleet, and although they chose to die defending their world, their efforts were in vain. Within five minutes of the initial jump flashes, the once mighty Takaran Empire had fallen.

The question was, to whom?

CHAPTER TWO

Commander Golan sat behind the captain’s desk in his ready room, studying the supply requests from the ship’s various department heads. As the Avendahl’s executive officer, supplies were
not his responsibili
ty. However, his new quartermaster had only a few months on the job, and a little oversight was necessary.

“
XO, Communications,
” the call came over the intercom.

Commander Golan pressed the intercom button. “XO.”

“
Message from Captain Navarro, sir,
” the communications officer reported. “
He is going to be delayed another day. A mechanical problem with his private shuttle has him temporarily grounded on Getzten.
”

Commander Golan sighed in resignation. “Very well,” he replied, as he switched off the intercom. His own shore leave would be delayed. It was not an uncommon occurrence for the captain’s return to be postponed a day or two. He was, after all, the captain, and the owner of the Avendahl. Relations between the Darvano system and the noble houses of Takara had remained peaceful since the Takaran revolution seven years ago. Thus, both Captain Navarro and Commander Golan had been spending much more time on the surface of Corinair with their families. So much so, in fact, that Commander Golan’s family had nearly doubled in size. And in a few days, yet another son would be added to House Golan on Corinair.

“
XO, Watch!
” another voice called urgently over the intercom.

“XO,” the commander replied.

Over the ready room’s door, the ship’s status light turned red, and an audible alert sounded. “
General quarters!
”

“
Four ships just jumped in! They’re firing!
”

“Raise shields!” Commander Golan ordered as he rose from his seat and moved quickly toward the door.

It took the commander only seconds to exit the ready room and walk onto the bridge. “Report!” he bellowed.

Suddenly, the bridge shook, and all the view screens on the forward bulkhead flickered.

“Two battleships, and two heavy cruisers!” Commander Hyam replied. “They jumped in at close range and opened fire without warning!”

“Did you get our shields up?”

“Yes, sir!” Commander Hyam assured him. “The moment they fired.”

“We’ve lost shields two through seven, port side!” the officer in charge of the Avendahl’s defensive systems reported.

“Where are they?” Commander Golan demanded as he stepped up onto the command platform.

“Two groups now!” Lieutenant Cahnis reported from the sensor station. “A battleship and cruiser in each! One group is still coming dead-on, the second is turning to our port! Second group is jumping away!”

“Ship is at general quarters!” Lieutenant Permon reported from the communications station.

“Weapons free, Mister Rogal,” Commander Golan ordered as he sat down in the command chair. “Fire at will!”

“Weapons free! Fire at will, aye!” the Lieutenant acknowledged. “Targeting all forward weapons onto the two ships directly ahead.”

“Helm, take us higher and turn to port. Don’t let them get a shot at our unprotected areas!”

“Aye, sir!”

“Comms, notify Captain Navarro that the Avendahl is under attack. And alert Darvano Defense Command.”

“New jump flashes!” the sensor officer announced. “Directly astern!”

“Is it the same group that…”

“Negative!” the sensor officer replied, cutting the commander short. “New targets! Smaller, more heavily armed! They look like destroyers, sir! They’re firing missiles… Multiple flashes! They’re jump missiles!”

“All hands! Brace for…”

The bridge shook violently as eight jump missiles suddenly appeared less than a kilometer away from the Avendahl, immediately slamming into her shields and detonating.

“We’ve lost all port shields!” Lieutenant Rogal warned.

“Have you got a firing solution on the forward targets?” Commander Golan demanded.

“Aye, sir!”

“Fire all forward tubes! Lock jump missiles on all available targets and launch! Helm! Jump us two light minutes out as soon as those missiles are away!”

“More flashes!” the sensor officer exclaimed. “More missiles!”

“Laying down a point-defense wall to port!” Lieutenant Rogal announced. “Firing all forward plasma torpedoes! Locking jump missiles on all targets!”

The Avendahl shook again, more violently than before. Along the forward bulkhead, a console overloaded, erupting in a shower of sparks and throwing its operator backward. Another explosion to the port side sent pieces of bulkhead and consoles shooting into the bridge, sending more bodies flying.

“
Direct hits to our port hull!
” the damage control officer called over the intercom. “
Decks seven through twenty-eight, sections A though C are open to space! Fires in the…
”

Commander Golan punched the mute button. He already knew his ship was in trouble. He didn’t need the details at this moment. He needed to get his ship out of the enemy’s firing solutions.

“Launching all jump missiles!”

“Standby to jump!” Commander Golan ordered.

“Captain! The port side took a direct hit,” Commander Hyam warned. “The emitter array may…”

“No choice,” Commander Golan insisted.

“Jump missiles away!” the weapons officer reported.

Commander Golan took a deep breath, clenching the arms of his command chair. “Jump.”

Doran Montrose burst into Yanni’s office without warning, followed by several of his security officers. “Mister Hiller, Miss Sheehan. You must come with me.”

“What’s going on here?” Yanni asked, shocked by the sudden arrival of the security chief.

“The Avendahl is under attack,” Doran explained.

“By who?”

“We do not know. But it does not matter. We must move you to a safer location. All of you.”

“Are you in contact with the Avendahl?” Yanni asked.

“Yes, but they have jumped out of comms range.”

“They left?” Yanni’s eyes widened.

“For the moment,” Doran replied. “They are undoubtedly maneuvering for a counter-attack.”

“Then they will return.”

“Of course,” Doran said. “They have stood as Corinair’s defense for seven years now. They will not run at the first sign of trouble. Not Captain Navarro.”

“Of course, of course.”

“Please, if you’ll all follow me,” Doran insisted.

“To where?” Yanni asked, as he followed Mister Montrose out the door and into the corridor.

“To the shuttle pad outside. We must be prepared to evacuate the three of you, as well as Doctors Sato and Megel, to a secure location.”

“How?” Yanni asked. “The shuttle has not returned.”

“The Avendahl will send a shuttle for us,” Doran promised.

“Are you sure about that?” Yanni wondered. “Deliza has not communicated directly with Captain Navarro for years…”

Doran stopped in the middle of the corridor, turning to look at Loki. “The captain made a promise to Deliza’s father. He will not ignore that promise. It is not in his nature.”

“Jump complete!” the Avendahl’s helmsman reported.

“Locking second wave of jump missiles on targets now!” Lieutenant Rogal announced.

“Helm, turn us into the nearest battleship.”

“Turning onto target now.”

“Firing jump missiles!”

“Missile launches!” the sensor officer warned. “Jump missiles!”

Eight more jump flashes appeared on the starboard view screen, momentarily filling the Avendahl’s bridge with their blue-white light. A moment later, the ship shuddered again and the view screen went black.

“Starboard midship shields are down to twenty percent!”

“We’re lined up on the battleship,” the helmsman reported.

“Locking all forward tubes on the battleship,” the weapons officer announced.

“Two ships moving in to attack our port side,” Lieutenant Cahnis warned. “The destroyers.”

“Weapons, launch a mine spreader in front of those destroyers,” Commander Golan ordered. “I don’t want them to be able to get into firing position so easily.”

“Aye, sir!” the lieutenant replied. “Firing forward torpedo tubes! Loading four mine spreaders!”

“Direct hits on the battleship, sir!” the sensor officer reported. “Her forward shields are down to forty percent!”

“Helm, hold her steady. Weapons, keep firing all forward tubes.”

“Launching mine spreaders,” Lieutenant Rogal responded. “Firing all forward tubes.”

High above the planet Corinair, two black-hulled destroyers, both trimmed with crimson stripes, charged toward the Avendahl. Four jump flashes, spread apart equally to form the four points of a square, appeared in the path of the onrushing warships. Seconds later, several dozen flashes in the same positions as the first four, followed by a spread of more than a hundred, all of them spread out in a precise pattern across the path of the approaching destroyers.

The destroyers opened fire on the field of mines deployed before them, in the hopes of clearing a safe path through the wall of explosive devices. One by one, the devices were blown apart by the enemy destroyers’ point-defenses, but as the warships drew nearer, the devices sensed the enemy vessels and detonated.

Brilliant flashes from tiny antimatter warheads formed together to create a wall of white light. The charging destroyers struck the blinding barrier, causing their forward shields to overload. Shield emitters all over the bows of both ships exploded, unable to accommodate the tremendous amount of energy.

But when the antimatter flash faded a few seconds later, the two destroyers were still advancing toward the Avendahl.

“Both destroyers have lost their forward shields,” the Avendahl’s sensor officer reported.

“Another round of jump missiles on those destroyers,” Commander Golan ordered. “Where are those other three ships?”

“I don’t have them on my screens,” the weapons officer replied.

“They must have jumped away just after we did,” Commander Hyam realized.

“They’ll be back,” the commander grumbled. “Cahnis, any ID on them yet?”

“Negative, sir,” the sensor officer replied.

“Are you sure they’re not Takaran?”

“Yes, sir,” the sensor officer assured him.

“Firing jump missiles,” the weapons officer announced. “Continuing fire on the battleship directly ahead of us.”

“I’ve checked them against all known ships from the Pentaurus sector,” the sensor officer continued.

“Direct hits!” the weapons officer exclaimed.

“Confirmed!” the sensor officer added. “Both destroyers have taken multiple hits. One of them has lost main power and maneuvering, the other is turning away.”

“Another round, Mister Rogal,” the commander ordered.

“Aye, sir!”

“Captain, the battleship has lost her forward shields as well.”

“Forward torpedo tubes are near critical heat!” the systems officer warned.

“Main rail guns on the battleship, Mister Rogal,” the commander ordered. “Tear that bastard apart!”

“Locking jump missiles on the destroyers, bringing main rail guns on the battleship,” the weapons officer responded.

“Captain,” Lieutenant Permon called. “Corinairan defense reports enemy troop ships and fighter escorts jumping into lower atmosphere all over the planet!”

“Scramble all fighters,” Commander Golan ordered. “Comms, contact Ranni Enterprises and tell them to evacuate all key personnel.”

“Jump missiles away,” the weapons officer reported.

“Battleship is taking heavy damage from our rail guns,” Lieutenant Cahnis reported from the sensor station. “She’s turning to starboard and powering up her jump emitters.”

“Forward torpedoes!” Commander Golan shouted. “Don’t let her get away!”

“Direct hits on the destroyers,” the sensor operator reported.

“The forward torpedoes are at critical…”

“I said fire!”

“Firing!”

Commander Golan watched the forward view screen as eight mark five plasma torpedoes left his ship, headed for the enemy battleship. Just as the enemy ship’s jump fields solidified over her hull and began to build into a jump flash, all eight balls of red-orange plasma slammed into her unprotected forward sections. The battleship’s nose blew apart, sending a wave of internal explosions deeper into her hull. When the wave reached the battleship’s midsection, the rest of the ship blew apart in one massive, yellow-white explosion, sending debris spreading out in all directions.

“The battleship is destroyed!” the sensor officer reported.

“What about those destroyers?” the commander asked.

“They have been defeated as well.”

“I’ve lost plasma torpedo generators three and five,” the systems officer reported.

“Incoming message from Ranni Enterprises,” the comms officer announced. “It’s Doran Montrose, their chief of security. He is requesting an evac shuttle for Mister Hiller, and Doctors Sato and Megel.”

“Hiller?” Commander Hyam asked, unfamiliar with the name.

“Deliza Ta’Akar’s husband,” Commander Golan reminded him. “I thought they had their own shuttle?”

“Mister Montrose says that Miss Ta’Akar has the shuttle and is overdue to return,” the comms officer explained.

“Launch a rescue shuttle,” the commander ordered. “And tell Mister Montrose to be ready.”

“Where did those fighters come from?” Commander Hyam asked. He turned to the sensor officer. “Did that battleship launch any fighters or troop shuttles?”

“No, sir.”

“I think I know where they came from,” Commander Golan said. “Helm, jump us around to the far side of Corinair. Maximum orbit.”

“They wanted us on this side of Corinair,” Commander Hyam realized. His brow furrowed as he continued to think. “Whose ships are these?”

“I don’t know,” Commander Golan admitted, “but they knew enough about us to keep us on the opposite side of their invasion force.”

The shuttle’s windows turned opaque as the tiny ship completed its last jump.

Deliza looked up from her data pad, noticing that the window had cleared and was not turning opaque again. “I guess we’re home. Time to call in our order. I want to start eating the moment we hit the conference room.”

“You and me both,” Biarra agreed.

The shuttle veered sharply to port. Although the ship had inertial dampeners that were capable of protecting the occupants of the shuttle from most maneuvers, they could still feel the force of the extremely abrupt turn.

Deliza grabbed her armrests to steady herself. “What is it?” she called to Loki in the cockpit. It wasn’t the first time they had been forced to make a sudden maneuver just after jumping into a heavily-populated system, despite the use of standard arrival zones used by most of the populated systems of the Pentaurus cluster.