Nova (29 page)

Feeling another sudden emotional slice of shuddering
satisfaction, the tea–cup slipped out of K’llan’s fingers. Its landing was cushioned
enough by the carpet so as to not shatter, but the brown liquid was entirely
lost, spilling over and seeping into the rug’s filaments and fibers.  K’llan suddenly
knew exactly what, or more precisely,
who,
had awakened her.

With a stab of heartache, the Vosaia also understood
why
.

Carefully drawing up her emotional and cognitive barriers,
K’llan’s stared out at the cold, uncaring light of the stars as crystalline
tears gathered within, yet did not fall from her lustrous, violet eyes.

CHAPTER 15

“And… we have dropped out of QGST, Captain.” Lieutenant
Chopa announced, gaze laser–locked on his station’s display and fingers flying
across his primarily holograph–based control panel.

“Thanks, Claudius.” Captain Serros responded, seated at her
Command Chair directly astern and slightly port of the
Excalibur’s
Nav Officer.
She could see the fade–away of silvery–white trails and blue–brushed black
dissipate as the
Excalibur
shifted from her rocketing mode of QGST back
to standard FTL.

“Tildon?”

“All systems are clear, Captain; she’s humming.” Lieutenant Tildon
Jaxx answered, the light from his station’s display reflecting off of his slicked–back,
fiery red hair.

“Good. Activate the Transition Call.” Serros ordered,
thumbing the release of her chair’s safety harness. The belts then retracted
into the black leather confines of the shock–frame specifically designed for
both the turbulence of entering or leaving QGST, and the dizzying commotion of
ship to ship combat.  

“Aye, Captain.” The Senior System’s Officer replied, and a
moment later the all–clear transition sounded throughout ship.

“Any sign of our missing friends, Lieutenant Chopa?” The
Captain asked, coming to her feet and walking a pace forward, chin set towards
the main viewport of the
Excalibur’s
Bridge and CIC.

“Yes, Captain. Showing a
Horizon
–Class heavy
freighter orbiting the planet of Dantis, some two–point–five light years away;
less than a parsec. Exact position is Quadrant 9.422X, 3.74Y.”

“Can we get a picture?”

With a half–shake of his head, Chopa answered, “Not much of
one, Captain.” A moment later, a vague, gray–hulled and oblong–shaped image was
holographically projected right before the viewport, superimposing the
starscape before them. It was hard to really pin any sort of detail.

“Rygel, hear anything?” Marcus asked from his station to the
Captain’s right, also rising to a standing position next to Serros. 

“Mm… Yes. The original signal is still looping, audio only.
We’ve a bit more than Command had. It’s still pretty distorted though, Sir.”
Dane answered, his blond head bent over his panel in concentration.

“See if you can clean it up for us, Lieutenant.” Perez
ordered.

“
This is… Reece Mayweather… desperate need of help! … attacked
a month ago… took everyone!
” The recording’s words were spoken in the
galactic standard tongue of Vanni that every child within the Quorum Systems
learned and used. Serros’s sensitive ears could detect a distinctly Human
flavoring to the syllables.

“
So many… here… seem to be heading to… outpost J2… not
sure…A few of us were able to… not much time…
oh, God
… they’re…
” The
feminine voice cut out with and ear–slicing
skiii–eereetch
right after
the sound of an explosion and thudding gunfire, trained by the fuzzy silence of
static. A moment later the recording automatically began again, repeating the
gripping cry for help.

Keeping the sense of anger and sympathy that was coursing
through her heart from outwardly clouding her features, Avara turned towards
her Senior Operations and Intelligence Officer sitting at–station to her left.
“What do we have, Adeline?”

 “It looks like… Reece Mayweather is…. actually
Major
Reece Mayweather, formally of the Ministry Navy; civilian now.” Diana answered
after a second, scanning holographically projected data so quickly that her
eyes moved and ticked like an old–fashioned shutter–camera. “Our last records
have her as Captain of the
Baton Rouge
, a primarily Human merchant–cruiser
out of Cipher. The
Baton Rouge
was due at Margrom from Voss three weeks
ago. It never arrived, Captain.”

“Mayweather’s military background explains the old distress
code; she used what she knew to try and get a message to the right people.”
Avara mused.

“Quite right, Captain. Unless, of course, the entire call is
a booby trap.” Adeline remarked, dark eyes apprehensive.

“Possible. We won’t know until we take a look. Claudius,
bring us in closer, if you would.”

“Yes, Captain.”

After twenty–minutes of FTL travel, the view of naked stars
was replaced by the gradually defined image of the transport. Definitely
Horizon
–Class,
with a business–like, iron gray hull set above the mostly cream, tan, and green
swirl of a planet below: Dantis.

In shape, the ship was vaguely four–pronged, like the cut–out
grin of an Old–Terran Jack ‘o Lantern twisted ninety–degrees and laid onto its
side. As the
Excalibur
closed distance, Avara could see that the
freighter’s position and movement cycle was erratic. She was listing in the
planet’s gravitation grip, and badly at that.

“Reading a lot of surrounding debris, Captain.” Chopa
reported, his mop of hair bouncing with the turn of his head. “Seems consistent
with hull–damage.”

“Can we ID her yet?”

“No, no known registration; transponder is a blank.”

“Very well then, Cee; magnify.” Avara responded, eyes
narrowed with a distinct sense of precognition.

“Yes, Sir.”

A second later, the iron–colored hue of the ship’s hull was
brought starkly into view, along with several tell–tale red slash–marks.

With a sigh of self–confirmation, Avara ordered “Zoom in on
center front–port.”

“Reads as the
TS Ardent
.” Dane Rygel announced, the
Communications Officer’s linguistic skills confirming to the crew what the
Captain already knew.

“Karukai.” Adeline interjected a moment later into the
quiet, voice composed and centered despite the up–shot of anxiety Avara could
sense radiating from her.

“Bio–signs, Lieutenant Rygel?” Serros queried, her unruffled
tone slicing into the rising tension clustered within the Bridge.

“None, Sir, but I can’t really be sure. There’s a great deal
of interference from the planet below; too much sonite for an accurate reading.”

“That will prove difficult for sensor readings above and
below the surface of Dantis. I’m afraid the obscurity will also apply to any new
in–system arrivals, Captain.” Major Ca’rrakk commented, joining the others in
the immediate Bridge area from his Science Station in the main CIC sector of
the Command Deck.

“Probably deliberate.” Perez cut in.

“She’s taken a
lot
of damage, Captain.” Rygel
reported. “I see significant scouring, and it looks like there’s a kobalt leak
on Deck 4. Hull integrity is at forty–three percent and dropping. Not much time
left for a walk–about.”

“That leak alone could account for the hull damage.” Philips
reported, voice magnified from his farther station.

“How about evidence of weapon’s discharge?” Belgrum Naxos
asked, unsurprisingly given his status as the
Excalibur’s
Senior
Tactical Officer. Avara could hear the predatory note in her officer’s sibilant
voice.

“None.”

“Mm. All right then. We’ve already reviewed all of our known
data concerning the Arkaia System. A, please prepare a detail regarding Karukai
Horizon
–Class ships, including everything from personnel to armament.
Especially helpful would be any schematics regarding ship–layout so we can find
our way.”  Captain Serros commanded. “Have it ready in twenty for Nova’s
departure to the
Ardent
.”

“Yes, Captain.” Adeline answered, already working.

“Commander, assemble a fully suited Nova Squad and marine detail
for boarding and security. Also, have Dr. Argos and a triage unit on standby.”

“On it, Captain.” Perez replied.

“Ensign Ling, maintain a constant sweep for even a
whisper
of system entry or planetary activity.”

Having been silently cued earlier by Rygel, the short–haired
Junior Communications Officer answered in the affirmative to her Captain’s
orders, even as Dane was standing to suit–up for the mission, leaving the Comm
Station open for Ling.

“Okay Nova, let’s get to work.” The Shield Operative stated,
voice resonant with purpose.

 * * * * *

“Though a freighter, the
Ardent
could comfortably
hold up to a one–hundred person crew, Captain. Given Mayweather’s distress
call, I think a higher personnel number likely. Raiders and slavers need bodies
to overwhelm their targets.” Lieutenant Commander Adeline was saying as the
rest of the Squad was suiting up and preparing for departure just outside the Port
Docking Tube on Deck 1.

“I would also expect crew to be well armed and proficient
with on–ship battle tactics.” Diana continued just Avara finished her synth–skin
seal. As always, Captain Serros fought off the momentary sensation of
constriction as the tight, muted black, textured suit sucked close to her body.

“I was able to find a basic design from and old
Excursion
–Class
Karukai Freighter on which the
Horizon
model was based, but nothing
more. Our data concerning the newer Karukai designs is sketchy at best. One
thing seems to be consistent with all Triarchy battle–based ships, though. The
Triarchy typically equips level–locks at key access points with much more
regularity than Human design.”

“That’ll simply make our trip more interesting.” Dane
commented, already running scenarios through his CPA. “I’ve yet to meet a
security measure that can resist my advances.”

“The
Ardent’s
docking tube is located on Deck 2,
which could have been fitted for anything from storage, to recycling, to an armory.”
Diana continued.

“Anything on where the prisoners would likely be held?”
Lieutenant Z’arr asked, her melodic soprano especially cool as she attached her
mag–harness and began systematically checking and rechecking her weapons with a
practiced and critical eye.   

   “Based on a hand–full of reports, it seems that the
lowest deck, Deck 6, would be the most likely place for prisoners to be
contained.” Adeline answered. “’Tis hard to be certain, though.”

“If the threat of escape and the potential for revolt was
high enough, the Karukai would have enacted extreme measures to negate any
threat of losing control of the ship.” The Vosaia stated without raising her
gaze, a bleak edge of certainty in her tone and she continued preparation.

“We’re just gonna have to hope for the best. Given
Mayweather’s message, at least there’s a chance.” Perez commented, performing a
ritual similar to K’llan’s.

 Activating her heavy–class armor’s T–Frame, Avara stood
perfectly still and held out her arms in a cross position. Almost immediately
after assuming the pose, the sleekly designed, full–suit of carefully fitted
and fully articulatable thin durexium plates tracked and traced her body. With
startling speed, each plate progressed to snap into place with a series of low–toned
clicks and hisses. The process complete in roughly two–minutes, Captain Serros
checked to make sure that the blue–accented, steel toned armor was fully and
properly configured and its systems were green. She then slung her mag–belt on
and carefully attached her full armament: a collapsed dark–steel and blue
accented Volturno SX9 at each upper thigh, smoke–toned Zadex Warlock L5 at
right shoulder, a micro–assembler knife hilt on the outside of each calf and finally,
no less than eight K–Grenades snapped at various points around her torso. Completing
the picture of battle preparedness, Serros’s waist and back were replete with
Clip Dispensers to support her weapons.

“Captain, three minutes until tube lock.” Lieutenant Chopa’s
voice came over the ship’s Comm.

“Acknowledged, Navigation.” Serros answered, then scanned her
crew standing to the ready in the ship’s dockway. “All right; time to helm–up
and clear out.”

On the other side of the dockway’s inner doors, a six–person
unit of
Excalibur’s
marines, the
Hades Corp
, stood at attention
for any potential boarding threat, awaiting the door seal. Behind the marines,
Dr. Argos and her staff, wearing vacuum safe skinsuits and helmets, also held
position. The second of the starship’s marine units,
Avernus
, stood closer,
right next to the tube–extension doors to directly back up the Squad itself in
the face of attack.

At her words, the five other members of Nova Squad who would
be venturing to the
TS
Ardent
activated their helmets and within less
than thirty–seconds, each individual’s had fully snaked into place, completely sealing
their suits.

Looking at her armorless Operations and Intelligence
Officer, Captain Serros remarked “Okay, A. You too; it’s time.”

Nodding reluctantly, Adeline announced “I’d feel a lot better
if I was boarding with the rest of Nova. Then I could directly tackle any intel
issue that arises.”

Captain Serros could feel the tightly held concern roiling
across the space between them, yet Adeline was too much of a professional and
an officer to let her apprehension show. Knowing her as she did, Serros was
distinctly aware that though her concern at such a potentially unknowable and
dangerous situation would always have been present, it was now heightened by
her newly increased personal attachment to Avara.