Freedom Saga 3: The Dawn of Liberty (20 page)

The
Freedom appeared in the fourth resource system of the Ick-Tckt Empire. The ship
was near the fifth planet of the system, an ice giant with a number of moons.
As it approached numerous mining colonies came into view. On the scanners was a
fleet of fifty medium class ships and several hundred drone fighters.

“They
don’t appear to be hostile towards us,” Brian said.

“Captain,
we’re receiving a hail from the main colony on the third moon,” Droid A
reported.

“Put
them through,” Brian ordered.

“Of
course sir,” the droid said.

On
the main monitor appeared a female Ick-Tckt with a single warrior at her side.
The hall she occupied was in a flurry of activity.

“Greetings
Captain Peterson,” the female said. “I am Countess Tktch and I welcome you to
my fiefdom.”

“Thank
you for the welcome,” Brian said. “Are you allied with the queen?”

“Yes,”
she said. “Although I don’t agree with her decision to change our government
structure, I also don’t believe the other duchesses have what it takes to rule
our people. Queen Kchlt brought peace to us for almost two decades. None of the
others would’ve come close.”

“Are
you planning on staying or running?” Brian asked.

“Unlike
many of the other resource nobles I have access to military forces,” Tktch
said. “Because of that we don’t plan on leaving. As a matter of fact, I’d like
to invite you and your crew to stay here for a rest. I’m sure you need it.”

“I
take it those were your ships following us a moment ago,” Brian said.

“They
were,” the countess said.

“Then
we’ll take you up on the offer,” Brian said.

“We’ll
be waiting,” Tktch said.

After
the monitor went black Brian turned to the others.

“We
should get Tctie to check them out,” he said.

“Not
a bad idea,” Myden said.

“It
feels like we’re being paranoid,” Grigon said.

“True,
but we need to be careful,” Brian said.

* * *

Jesela
woke up on the floor of the launching bay and stared at the Artemis and Siren.
The room shook when the Freedom docked with the Ick-Tckt mining colony.

“Looks
like my nap is over,” Jesela said before she sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I
should sleep in my bed more often.”

She
got up and grabbed her tablet. After that she began checking the drives again
the door opened. Seles and Mira walked in.

“Were
you up all night again?” Mira asked.

“No,”
Jesela said. “I slept in here for a few hours.”

“The
floor doesn’t look very comfortable,” Seles said.

“It
isn’t,” Jesela said. “But I couldn’t afford to leave for anything. But after
last night I’ve decided to put a bed put in the storage room next door.” She
looked up from her scans. “So what did we bang into?”

“The
countess of this territory is rather amicable,” Seles said. “She’s not only giving
us safe passage but would like for us to visit the station.”

“I’ll
leave that to you two,” Jesela said.

“Have
you solved the problem?” Mira asked.

“Yup,”
Jesela answered. “The filters in the drives were acting up. All it took was a
good spin to clean the systems out.”

“I
didn’t understand a word of that,” Seles said.

“I’m
just as in the dark,” Mira added.

“They’re
working fine now,” Jesela said.

The
door opened again and Brian entered.

“Are
you two joining me?” he asked.

“Sure,”
Seles said.

“We
wanted to check on our friends,” Mira said.

“I
know,” Brian said. “Let’s go.”

“See
you later Jesela,” Seles said.

“See
you,” Mira said.

After
the door closed silence filled the room. Jesela started humming a tune while
she continued maintenance on the two mobile suits.

* * *

Tctie
stood in Myden’s quarters with the telepathic staff in hand. The Grey was
opposite of him and watched the drone carefully. After clearing his mind, Tctie
concentrated on the staff to create a protective field around his body. A few minutes
passed before a faint field came out of the staff and surrounded him. After exhausting
his energy it finally gave out.

“I
can’t keep it going for very long,” Tctie said.

“Mental
energy is like a muscle,” Myden said. “It requires decades of training to do
what I can with a staff.”

“Is
this how you learned to use your power?” Tctie asked.

“Not
quite,” Myden said. “On my world we trained as a class.”

Tctie’s
antennae twitched.

“What
is it?” Myden asked.

“I
sense them,” Tctie said.

“We’re
docked with their colony,” Myden said.

“I’ve
never felt their thoughts like this,” Tctie said.

“You’ve
gotten used to anger and violence,” Myden said. “Do you want to join the others
leaving the ship?”

“No,”
Tctie said. “I still need time alone. Part of me fears showing others of my
race my abilities.”

“It
was the same with the first generation of my people with telepathic powers,”
Myden said. “One of the reasons we warred amongst ourselves for so long was
because of the fear of that power. Those who had telepathy often considered
themselves superior, while those without it feared having their minds read.”

“I
wonder if the same will happen with me,” Tctie said.

“You’ll
be fine,” Myden said. “You don’t have an ego to boost your feeling of
superiority.”

“We’re
taught from birth to think only of the hive,” Tctie said. “The only one of
importance is the female because she gives us life.”

“To
think of oneself too much is folly, but to think nothing of oneself is just as
much,” Myden said. “We must always balance the conflict between the individual
and the collective. Otherwise we’ll be drawn to one of the extremes.”

Tctie
held the staff up and started focusing his mind again.

“Have
you found your second wind?” Myden asked.

“Yes,”
the drone answered.

* * *

Brian
stepped off the Freedom with Seles and Mira at his side. The three were greeted
by a contingent of drone guards led by a warrior.

“I’m
here to escort you to the countess,” the warrior said.

“Then
lead the way,” Brian said.

The
Freedom was attached to one of the five docks in the spinning complex. The
others were currently occupied by cargo vessels similar in mass to the Freedom.
The three followed the warrior and a few guards to a different level via the
elevator. They walked down another hallway until it opened up into a larger
room where the countess waiting.

She
looked at the escort group. “You may leave us.”

“As
you wish,” the warrior said before leading his group out.

The
female walked up to Brian and the two women to look the three of them over.

“Is
something wrong?” Brian asked.

“No,”
she answered. “I’m surprised how close to their kind you look. But there’s
something strange in your eye.”

“What
do you mean by that?” Brian asked.

“I
can’t define it with words,” the countess said.

“Then
we’ll leave it at that,” Brian said. “These two are my first officer and chief
medical officer.”

“I’m
Commander Seles Daevon,” Seles said.

“I’m
Lieutenant Commander Mira Kein,” Mira said.

“It’s
good to meet the three of you,” she said. “As you suspect I called for you not
just to exchange pleasantries but to convey some information.”

“You’re
not going to betray us, are you?” Brian asked.

“No,”
the countess answered. “There isn’t any profit in doing so.”

“Then
I’ll drop my suspicions,” Brian said.

She
tossed him a data crystal.

“I
could go in depth about the situation and who’s who,” the countess said. “But
it’s changing everyday so that’s not feasible. The two enemies you’ll want to
keep an eye out for are the Duchesses Mlka and Klchta. Both have extensive
military power as well as something that may interest you.”

“I
hope it’s all in detail on this,” Brian said while holding up the data crystal.

“It’s
on there,” the countess said. “But to give you a preview our wealthiest nobles
have been experimenting with carriers like your organization has.”

“Asteroid
bases?” Seles asked.

“That
would be a problem,” Mira said.

“Apparently,
they completed two of them before this war began,” the countess said. “I only
have the rough blueprints on that crystal. But there are a few additional
things on there.”

“Go
on,” Brian said.

“Each
noble has a different amount of military power at her disposal,” the countess
explained. “I have only enough to guard my territory, so I can’t help you. But
there are many loyal to the queen who will follow your lead.”

“We
thank you for this,” Brian said.

“I
want this war over with,” the countess said. “Business can’t be normal when
chaos reigns.”

Four
of the bases Heaven’s Light remained at the Ick-Tckt border and were filled
with activity. Because of the war within their territories, large numbers of
the lesser nobles and their subjects were fleeing as refugees. The bases and
all nearby Confederation ships were currently being used as processing centers.
Veda and Reban were leading the effort from the command center when another
wave of ships came out of gravity jump.

“That’s
fifty ships this morning alone,” Veda said.

“It’s
getting more hectic by the day,” Reban said.

“The
good news for us is Lord Ka is on his way back,” Veda said.

“I
wonder if his mate is with child,” Reban said.

“We’ll
know by how big his grin is when he gets here,” Veda said.

Valis
and Kivi walked in and put the latest information about the Ick-Tckt military
and the Freedom into the holographic planning table.

“How
far along are our friends?” Veda asked.

Valis
hit the button to load everything.

“The
Freedom is right outside the home system,” Valis said. “From what we’re hearing
the ship used its special systems.”

“Hopefully
Brian will let us see that ship in action,” Kivi said.

“Grigon
only fed me bits and pieces of information on the subject,” Veda said.

The
fleets being displayed showed Ick-Tckt controlled space and most of the
resource systems as empty while the colony systems were looking thin. The main
solar system of the ant people had three main forces of over a thousand ships
each. Veda focused on the two fleets opposing each other over the homeworld.

“The
queen has her back to the wall,” Veda said.

“True,
but help is on the way,” Valis said.

She
pointed to a number of the smaller fleets. The looked like they were converging
on the point where the Freedom was.

“Brian’s
going to get help whether he likes it or not,” Kivi said.

“Add
them all up and they equal one of the Duchess’s fleets,” Veda said.

“He
counted on something like this happening,” Valis said.

“This
is fascinating and all, but I really need to get back to work,” Veda said.

“We
thought you’d say that,” Valis said. “Why don’t the two of you take a break and
let us take care of things here?”

Reban
looked up. “I’m starving.”

“I
feel the same,” Veda said. “Two hours and we’ll be back.”

After
the two left Kivi took Reban’s spot while Valis took Veda’s.

“This
is tedious,” Kivi said. “Now I know why I quit the first officer job.”

“It
gives us something to do,” Valis said. “I know I need something to get my mind
off things.”

* * *

Queen
Kchlt and Khcha watched the fleet movements on the monitors in the palace hall.
Numerous other warriors and drones ran around the complex to secure everything
from attack. The enemies on the surface had moved their main force around the
capital city and were laying siege to it. In space, Duchess Mlka and her fleets
were keeping the queen’s forces occupied. The Freedom was shown departing
Countess Tktch’s colonies. Numerous smaller fleets from the lesser nobles still
loyal to the queen were moving towards the lone ship’s position.

“Our
chances increase if they join with the Terran’s ship,” Khcha said.

“Yes,”
the queen said. “But we still have problems here.” She showed the picture of
Duchess Mlka’s asteroid carrier. “The two of these our military developed ended
up in their hands.”

“We
have all of their capabilities in our database,” Khcha said.

“For
some reason that doesn’t comfort me,” the queen said. “With their shielding the
special power the Siren uses won’t have any effect on them.”

“They
can also withstand the Artemis’s arrow attacks,” Khcha said.

“I
hope Captain Peterson knows a few things about taking things like that out,”
the queen said. “He is the only captain known to have destroyed something
bigger than those.”

“You’re
talking about a Grey planet killer, aren’t you?” Khcha asked.

“Yes,”
the queen said. “I hope to never see one of those in my lifetime.”

“I
agree,” Khcha said.

“Our
forces on the ground are having the most problems,” the queen observed.

“An
escape route has been secured in case we need to retreat,” her warrior said.

“We’ll
only do that if the capital is sure to fall,” the queen said.

* * *

Baeron
and his troops were processing the majority of Ick-Tckt refugees in the docking
bays of the four bases. He was at the head of the effort in the empty dock of
the Columbia base. After touring the asteroid base Siata floated over to the
Minan commander.

“They
keep coming,” Baeron said.

“There
are many more than we anticipated,” Siata said.

“And
because of that there’s a line three hundred ships long,” Baeron said. “At
least we have these bases for processing.”

“They
are a marvel of construction,” Siata said. “I think the Confederation could use
a few for things like this.”

“Another
expense they have no interest in,” Baeron said.

“That’s
true,” Siata said.

The
ten ships in the dock opened their stair hatches before letting the numerous
ant people walk onto the platform.

“Time
to get back to work,” Baeron said.

* * *

The
Freedom appeared inside the home system of the Ick-Tckt people. The ship was
currently alone as it headed for the eighth planet of the system. The planet in
question was a mid-sized gas giant with an extensive ring system around the
equator. Several fleets of ships were picked up on the scanners while Brian
looked it over on the bridge. Behind him, the four droids, Myden, Grigon, and
Jesela were hard at work. All the pilots were in their mobile suits and ready
to fly out on command. Three fleets of a hundred ships launched from the moon
bases orbiting the gas giant.

“The
Duchess is sending out a welcoming committee,” Brian said.

“Are
you going to try talking again?” Grigon asked.

“Of
course,” Brian said. “I don’t think she’ll listen to anything I have to say
though.”

“What’s
the plan if they have one of those bases?” Jesela asked. “They look as
difficult to sink as one of ours.”

Brian
tapped the helmet on the captain’s chair. “I’ll do my thing if it comes to
that.”

Seles
and Mira appeared on the monitor from the cockpits of their mobile suits.

“That’s
a bit dangerous, isn’t it?” Mira asked.

“I’m
counting on you two to come get me when the battle is over,” Brian said.

“I
don’t know, it’s going to be a mess out there,” Seles said.

“You
won’t get rid of me that easily,” Brian said.

The
monitor flashed when several groups of Ick-Tckt ships came out of gravity jump.
Each of the smaller fleets grouped together around the Freedom until their
numbers were over two hundred. In the distance a number of other fleets did
likewise as they approached the eighth planet.

“Captain,
we’re receiving a hail from one of the incoming ships,” Droid A reported.

“Put
them through,” Brian said.

“Yes
sir,” the droid said.

On
the monitor appeared a particularly tall warrior.

“I
am Captain Zkcha,” the warrior said. “We’ve come to join you in this battle
Captain Peterson.”

“I
gladly accept your help,” Brian said.

* * *

In
a massive base constructed within an asteroid was the palace of Duchess Klchta.
She stood with two of her warriors at her side while her Chka Knight led the
fleets from the flagship. She noted the incoming Ick-Tckt ships with disgust
while her subordinates scurried about.

“Have
you had a chance to check their systems against ours?” the duchess asked.

“Yes,”
her second warrior said. “Our shields should be able to block their main cannon
at least five times.”

“Our
communications buffer should protect us from the disabling effect as well,” the
third warrior said.

“How
far can our buffer extend?” the duchess asked.

“Only
far enough to protect the base and its guard ships,” the third warrior
answered.

“Excellent,”
the duchess said. “All forces are to move out. Because our enemy knows our
standard tactics I’ll leave each fleet commander in charge of their forces. This
base will act as the rear guard. The three fleets heading for the Freedom will
be our first wave. The other seven will join the fray shortly. Our objective is
to surround the enemy and crush them. We’ll leave Mlka to take the homeworld
from our foolish queen.”

“My
lady, we’re receiving a hail from the Freedom,” the second warrior reported.

“Ignore
it,” she said.

“Yes
my lady,” the warrior said.