Doug admired the fine leather covering of his chair for a moment running the tip of his right index finger over the brass rivets decorating the edge of the armrest. “One of the Tholtaran cruisers was just outside the dividing line between the two spaces. As the breach grew it eventually engulfed the cruiser. According to Falnath the breach is sort of like a two dimensional hole in the hyperdimensional field. The area inside the breach is extremely unstable. There is a good chance the cruiser was destroyed when the breach collapsed. The same thing would have happened to any Chroniech ship trying to cross through to our space.”
Ken stared into his rum. “In other words, you don’t think the breach is stable enough for a ship to safely move between the fold and our space. The Chroniech are still trapped.”
“Precisely. But not for long.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that. What about the weapon that took out the second cruiser? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Doug tipped his beer and finished it off. He carefully set the empty bottle down on a coaster before continuing. “Actually, you have, or at least something very similar to it. It has the experts very worried. If the Chroniech manage to open a passable breach into our space, that weapon alone could spell the death of the Alliance. You couldn’t see it on your display but the weapon created a drive wake when it was used.”
“A drive wake! My God – the Chroniech have a faster than light weapon. The only other time I’ve seen a weapon like that was when the Hess took out the Tholtaran juggernaut.”
“That’s not the half of it,” Doug stood up and walked over to the mini bar. He grabbed a glass off the shelf and dropped three ice cubes into it. Each cube clinked as it hit the bottom of the glass then started to pop as he poured water onto them from the bar's built-in spigot. Doug continued as the glass slowly filled. “The tactical analysis of that beam indicates it is most likely based on a technology very closely related to Kyrra antimatter conversion, only on a much larger scale.”
“Kyrra technology in the hands of the Chroniech,” Ken exclaimed. “What the hell has been happening on the other side of the fold for the last fifteen years?”
Doug ignored the outburst, took a sip of his water, and then said, “The amount of raw power contained within that single weapon was staggering. We don’t have a shield mounted on any ship of any size that could even briefly resist it. The
Dragon’s
Hess shield might be able to deflect that kind of energy for a few seconds but even that is debatable. It is believed the Chroniech developed it to ward off any attacks by the Kyrra. The Kyrra know what the Chroniech are doing and are unable to destroy the facility. They’re worried.”
Despite the alcohol induced buzz Ken’s mind was racing. Doug’s statement lead to only one conclusion, “The Kyrra sent a message!”
“During the short time the hyperdimensional breach occurred, a transmission was beamed through. It was extremely powerful. So strong in fact that it was picked up on Almaranus. The message was highly compressed and utilized an encryption algorithm employed by the Kyrra – the same algorithm we have been using since they gave us the use of their long range communications network.”
Doug turned around and faced his old captain. “They’ve asked for our help Ken. That’s why I’ve told you this and that’s why I’m here. The Kyrra have asked for several people by name; people they have known in the past; people they feel comfortable with. Your name is at the top of that very short list.”
“Me? I’m a retired captain who hasn’t seen a bridge in over fifteen years. What good could I be?”
“I don’t know Ken,” Doug honestly replied. Inwardly, he was asking the same question. The loss of his wife had sent Ken into a depression from which he had yet to recover. Doug feared that his old friend’s current emotional state would be a serious detriment to any mission he might agree to. But, orders were orders and he was obligated to ask.
“What I do know is that the Kyrra saved our ass once and now they are asking for our help to quite possibly save it again. We don’t have a lot of time to prepare so I will ask you this question only once. Are you in or not?”
“Prepare? For what?”
“The Kyrra are going to momentarily drop the hyperdimensional barrier which will give the
Dragon
just enough time to cross into Chroniech space. At the same time, they will be sending three ships over to our side.”
“Can I see the message?” Ken asked.
Doug answered as he walked back over to the desk, the ice clinking softly in his glass. “It’s text only and most of it consists of star chart data and logistical details. But, if you want to read it…Computer, display the Kyrra transmission.”
Ken downed the last of his rum then stood up to better see the display. For several seconds he stared at the message. The preamble was short, explaining the situation and providing a list of people the Kyrra had requested to be part of the mission into Chroniech space. Only three names appeared; his followed by Tasha’s then Doug’s. The rest of the short list contained only job descriptions. There was a second list of names of people the Kyrra wanted to work with on the Alliance side of the barrier when they arrived.
Doug stood facing Ken with the modernized desk between them. He reached forward and picked the data crystal off the desk causing the surface to return to it’s original, antique appearance. Into the silence that had descended Doug quietly said, “You can join the mission as a paid civilian or I am authorized to grant you a full reinstatement to the rank of Captain giving you some additional authority. The
Dragon
is at Almaranus being outfitted and upgraded for the mission. The Kyrra were kind enough to send us some interesting enhancements to the
Dragon’s
current Hess equipment. You won’t be in command, but you’ll get to see her in action again.”
Stricklen’s mind was a hazy blur of disconnected thoughts. He felt doubt as he wondered if he had retained his skills as a military Captain; joy as he reminisced over his time aboard the
Komodo Dragon
; sorrow when memories of Tasha surfaced; anticipation of once again seeing his furry Kyrra friends; and finally anger as he remembered who and what the Chroniech were.
Doug carefully watched as the various emotions Ken felt were expressed on his face. Hoping to persuade him, he added, “This is a one time only offer Ken. To my knowledge, the Alliance has never reinstated a retired officer, especially someone retired as long as you’ve been, to the rank they had prior to retirement. They’re offering you a unique opportunity Ken, one I would be hard pressed to turn down if the tables had been turned. To be honest, I thought fleet command had lost their mind. If I were in your shoes I would jump at the offer.”
“I stand in my own shoes,” Ken said. Still undecided, he bowed his head and stared into his empty glass. In a barely audible voice he said, “I don’t know… I don’t want to leave… we met on the
Dragon
.” He stopped talking as his empty glass started to shake.
Doug reached across the desk and put a comforting hand on the shoulder of his old friend. In a soothing voice he said, “I know how much she meant to you Ken. But you can’t live out the rest of your life in mourning for her. Tasha wouldn’t approve of it and I sure the hell know she wouldn’t want you to be sitting here drinking your rum while the Chroniech overran the Alliance.”
Ken stood up and faced Doug. Anger contorted his face but as he looked into Doug’s calm and genuinely caring eyes he came to the realization that his friend was right. Ken took a deep breath and set the glass down on the desk as he came to a decision. “I won’t ride the
Komodo Dragon
as a civilian. I will accept the offer and reinstatement to the rank of Captain under one condition: I want to be out there,” he gesticulated toward the ceiling, “fighting those bastards. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines.”
Doug was relieved. “Agreed. We have very little time. We need to be off-planet by tomorrow morning if we are to meet the Kyrra schedule.”
“Tomorrow! I’ve got to get
The Good Life
out of the water and into storage, close up the cabin, and a million other things. I’ll need at least a week.”
“The space force will take care of putting things in order here. Just put any special instructions you might have on a crystal. A shuttle will land on your beach tomorrow morning at zero eight hundred sharp. I should head back so you can start packing.”
Outside, the wind had picked up slightly creating an audible hissing noise as it wound its way through the dense forest canopy. Doug stopped, turned around, snapped to attention, and executed a salute. “Welcome back Captain!”
Stricklen returned the salute, then cast his eyes around. After a moment he asked, “By the way – how the hell did you get here?”
“I knew you were pretty isolated. The shuttle dropped me off at a private field about thirty kilometers South of here and I used an ATS to drive the rest of the way.”
Ken stopped and looked around. “They let you use an all terrain scout? You’re a high ranking officer in the space force not a ground pounder.”
“Rank has its privileges,” Doug replied. Noticing that Ken was still trying to locate the vehicle he continued, “It’s parked a few meters from your garage in your turn around. You know, it’s not much different from the four-wheeler I drove around back home as a teen. I had almost forgotten how much fun it is to go off-roading.”
Ken extended his hand and as they shook said, “Have a safe trip back Doug. I guess I will see you tomorrow morning.”
“It’s good to see you again Ken. I just wish it had been under different circumstances.”
Ken watched Doug’s retreating back as he followed the gravel pathway toward the garage which had been built a fair distance from the house.
Back in Space
At 0800 sharp a small craft appeared in the sky and silently descended to a soft landing on Stricklen’s private beach. The hatch dropped down to form a ramp and three people emerged. They looked around for a moment and started walking toward the house.
Ken, carrying a small duffel bag over his shoulder, met them at the edge of the woods. A young enlisted man extended his hand and asked, “May I take your bag sir?”
Ken handed his bag over while Doug introduced the third person. “This is Steve Findley. He will be taking care of your property while you are gone.”
Steve stepped forward and held out a small computer tablet. “I will require your thumb print and voice authentication on this form so I will have the legal authority to act on your behalf Mr. Stricklen.”
Ken quickly read over the document then pressed his right thumb on the indicated area of the screen and said, “My name is Ken R. Stricklen. I have read the legal document upon which I have affixed my thumb print. I understand and agree to all of the terms contained within.”
Steve retrieved the pad and said, “Your property will be taken care of sir. Do you have any special instructions?”
Ken pulled a data crystal from his pocket and handed it to Steve. Without another word he turned around and gave his cabin a long last look. Under his breath, and so quiet that Doug could barely hear him, he said, “Goodbye Tash.”
“Let’s go Doug,” Ken said in a louder voice as he spun around and started for the shuttle.
Doug was the only one who noticed the wetness hanging in the corners of Ken’s eyes. Scanning along the direction Ken had been looking, Doug spotted something he had missed during his last visit. On one side of the house, in an area that would always be shaded, was a single gravestone. Turning, he followed Ken into the shuttle. As soon as they were aboard it lifted.
As he settled into his seat across from Ken, Doug introduced the person who had taken possession of the duffel bag and who was now sitting toward the back of the shuttle. “This is Petty Officer Robinson. He will show you to your stateroom once we are aboard the ship.”
Ken nodded his head toward the back of the shuttle. With the introductions complete, Doug continued, “We’ll be docking with the
Meerkat –
one of the latest fast cruisers. She can make 4.2 Kc and we’ll be pushing her to the limit in order to get to Almaranus on time. The trip will take just over a week which should give you plenty of time to bring yourself up to date on some of the advances that have been made since your retirement.”
Ken avoided looking out the window as the shuttle ascended. Being a military shuttle, the only window that existed was the one in front of the pilot. Six foldaway seats hugged the port and starboard sides. Focusing his attention on Doug, Ken said, “Yesterday you mentioned that the
Dragon
was being upgraded. I’m curious to know what these upgrades are.”
“The Kyrra sent us very detailed engineering instructions on how to modify the Hess shield generator to boost the efficiency by twenty percent. We’re also upgrading the ship’s Alliance-built weapons and tactical systems to incorporate the latest developments.”
Ken leaned forward and intertwined his fingers. “Explain to me how we are going to get to the other side of the fold.”
Doug leaned back in his seat as he provided the answer. “The Kyrra will completely drop the hyper-dimensional barrier for fifteen minutes. The
Dragon
will be positioned near the fold waiting to see the stars shift. The moment this happens, the computer will instantly engage the stardrive at maximum and head toward Chroniech space. On the other side of the barrier, three Kyrra ships will be doing the same thing. When the barrier is reestablished we will be in Chroniech space and the Kyrra will be in ours.”
“Won’t the Chroniech notice when the barrier goes down and send their ships over as well?” Ken asked.
“It is a risk,” Doug replied. “That’s why we are staging a large combat force near the fold. The Tholtaran’s are moving two juggernauts and several dreadnoughts into the area. If any Chroniech ships make it into our space they will find it to be quite inhospitable.”
Ken unlaced his fingers and sat back in his seat. “Unless their ships are equipped with that new FTL weapon and shields to match.”