Nova (48 page)

His training also added other details of what the
battlecruiser meant. The Karukai vessel would be decked out with at least
fifteen quad cannon batteries and a like number of missile batteries, in glaring
contrast to
Excalibur’s
eight apiece. Marcus also knew that the Karukai
prime military manufacturer’s
Juggernaut
Class Starships were designed
to carry at least twenty starfighters.

The only elements in which the Quorum’s Astra Systems
Saber
Class frigate outpaced a
Juggernaut
were speed and maneuverability.

Not to mention a few special modifications that were all
the
Excalibur’s
own.

In response to the battlecruiser’s appearance, Adeline had
already issued the Red Alert, meaning that every single able bodied person
aboard would be on–duty, armed, and ready. Medical under Dr. Argos would be
prepared for the worst.

“Rygel, let’s send a message so the people back home won’t
feel left out.” Marcus ordered, deliberately keeping his voice light and steady
to convey his confidence to the crew.

“Yes, Commander.” Dane answered, a tight grin plastering his
face as he worked his console.

“How far out are they, Lieutenant Chopa?” Marcus asked,
moving across the Bridge.

“Still not in range for full sensor sweeps or direct
communication of a currently shielded vessel, Sir. Four–hundred and fifty miles.”
The Navigation Officer answered promptly. “We have twenty–two minutes to leave
system before the
Juggernaut
can lock–on.”

“That’s not going to happen; not until we have Captain
Serros back. Is that clear?” Marcus’s question was widened beyond Chopa to the
rest of the crew with a raking gaze, his stare arresting each of the present
Senior Staff.

The chorus of “
aye, ayes
”
bounced across the
command center like the cheering of fans for their favorite Aglin Team. Marcus
allowed himself a small smile in response, the love and respect he felt for the
crew that Avara had so carefully collected and cultivated helping to bear at
least a portion of the weight of the situation. Of course they wouldn’t
consider leaving the Captain, even in the face of their own demise.

“Lieutenant Commander Adeline,” Marcus started when he knew
he had mastered his voice as he took seat in the Command Chair. “Belay the
search and rescue deployment, with one modification. I want Ca’rrakk, one pilot,
and two marines aboard the
ES2
in five. Instruct them to engage stealth
drives and find the Captain, heading directly for her projected coordinates.
Also, have
Ghost Squad
prepped and launched under stealth, ASAP.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“I want
Ghost
approximately one–hundred miles out,
and readied to be our needle in the eye. No giveaways of their position.”

“Understood, Sir.”

Meeting Diana’s dark–eyed gaze for just a moment, Marcus knew
she did indeed understand his logic. If the cruiser proved hostile, conventional
tactics would be near to meaningless in any sort of direct engagement. And so
Perez intended the
Excalibur
to be
anything
but conventional.
They would use her extremely rare, fighter, shuttle, and drone stealth
modifications that made each unit fifteen times the standard cost but, as a
result, constituted a significant and unexpected advantage. And, just as if
Captain Serros was here commanding, they’d employ their specialized tech along with
hit and run surprise tactics to even the odds.

Six minutes later, Belgrum Naxos turned his sienna hued head
to Marcus and reported “Commander, reading that the
Juggernaut’s
Shields
are at full and her Weapons Systems are primed. Looks like eighteen cannon
batteries and fifteen missile launchers.” Belgrum’s elongated
s’s
seemed
to underscore the gravity of their situation, like a breath slowly exhaled to
regain equilibrium after night terrors had driven sleep deep into hiding.

“Understood. Lieutenant Naxos, please release two complements
of Assault Drones under stealth, thirty miles out, and also release a
compliment of Decoy Drones; ring deployment, twenty–five miles out.” Marcus responded.

“Aye, Sir. Assault and Decoy Drones deployed, moving to take
up formation.”

“Communications have been jammed, Sir.” Lieutenant Rygel
reported a minute later, foot tapping in agitation.

“Not surprising, Lieutenant; return the favor as soon as
they’re within range.”

“Aye, Sir.” Dane answered, blue–gray eyes glinting with almost
predatory anticipation.

“Decoy and Assault Drones are in position.” Naxos reported
five minutes later, eye membranes ticking in nerve based dynamism, though his
voice and four tapered fingers moved easily across his panel.

“Good.”

“Designation Captured, Sir. Transponder reads as the
TS
Watcher
.” Chopa announced. “They’re ten minutes out from firing range.” 

“Adeline?” Perez queried.

“On it.” Perez knew if any data could be retrieved in
regards to this specific Karukai vessel, Diana would be able to ferret the info
out.

“They’re in Holo–Vid hailing distance, Commander.” Rygel
reported.

“Open a channel, Lieutenant.”

“Aye, Sir.”

“This is Commander Marcus Perez of the
QS
Excalibur
.
As your weapon’s systems are primed, I’d like to ask your intentions,
Watcher
.”

After the passage of a full minute and no answer, Perez
looked to the Senior Communication’s Officer.

“They’re receiving, Commander, just not answering.” Rygel
answered the unspoken question.

“
Watcher
is nine–minutes out from weapon’s range,
Commander.” Chopa inserted.

“Commander Perez, we have an intel hit.” Adeline announced
before Marcus could respond. “
TS Watcher
, part of the First Karukai
Fleet, fourth in designation under the Fleet Admiral and Flagship. No other
current data.”

Rygel’s whistle of surprise and trepidation exactly
reflected Marcus’s feelings at the announcement, and those of the rest of the
Senior Bridge Officers. The First Fleet was headed by the Military Triarch of
the Karukai Triarchy; it was the highest positioned Fleet in the entire Karukai
hegemony.

For the
TS Watcher
to be
here
, in Black
Space, bordering the Quorum Systems…

“Eight minutes out, Sir.” Chopa’s carefully modulated voice
reported, half–jarring the EXO out of his ponderings.

Marcus fervently wished Avara was here.
Now
. Not only
was she was a tactical genius, but also a truly gifted diplomat. If there was a
way around or through this particular flavor of Hell, he knew she’d be able to
navigate the course. Perez would just have to figure out what she’d do if she
was
here.

“Once more then, Dane.” Marcus ordered a moment later,
keeping his tone calm even as he could feel the shiver of dread that danced painfully
from his spine to shoulders to neck. “This is Commander Perez of the Quorum
Ship
Excalibur
, Captained by Shield Operative Avara Serros.
TS
Watcher
, I ask again that you explain your presence and readied weapons or
we will be forced to assume your intent is hostile.”

“They’re responding, Sir!” Dane reported a moment later.

“On screen, Lieutenant.”

Three heartbeats later, the close–up image of a woman seated
in a dark–gray command chair garbed in a red–trimmed, onyx colored uniform
appeared on the Holo–Vid. Her skin was paper white with rouge markings, and her
smooth head entirely absent of hair.

The Karukai woman’s fairly plain features were set into a
semi–scowl. Her rich, rubicund colored eyes were as beautiful as they were harsh.
Six Karukai Captain’s pips were visible at her collar, the up–side down gold
crescents denoting her rather high rank.

“I am Captain Cyan Ner’kai of the
TS Watcher
,
representative of the Eternal Imperium. Our intentions, Commander Perez, are to
take your ship into custody for wandering into Karukai controlled territory.
Surrender immediately or we will open fire.”

“This is Black Space, Captain Ner’kai, and as such, the
Arkaia System is not a part of the Karukai Imperium. I suggest we keep peace
between our two peoples and go our separate ways, for as soon as our Quorum
directed search and rescue efforts are complete, we will leave this system.” 
Marcus responded, voice clear–cut but deliberately not adversarial in nature, his
reference to both the Quorum and search and rescue meant to make the Karukai
Captain rethink her aggressive position.

The Captain smiled slightly at his assertion, then replied
with a sense of absolute certainty and prerogative, “The Eternal Imperium has
claimed the Dantis System while we complete our own investigations. As a
Karukai vessel was destroyed in this system, you will surrender your vessel and
all crew immediately for interrogation or be destroyed.”

Attempting to keep his temper in check, Marcus responded “We
had no part in the destruction of any…”

“I have already given you the only terms you shall receive,
Commander Perez.” Ner’kai cut in pugnaciously, then abruptly, her image
disappeared as the open channel was cut.

“The
Watcher
is five minutes out of firing range,
Commander.” Chopa stated.

“Understood.” Perez responded, feeling at once both heavy
and light as choice was removed to one, and he internally came to terms with
the reality of what lay before them.

I
will
find a way, and Avara and I will share a
drink and laugh as we swap stories in some dive of a pub while on leave.

“Very well then. Lieutenant Commander Adeline, please inform
Ghost Squadron
to initiate Alpha Strike Protocol.”

“At once, Commander.”

“Lieutenant Naxos, raise shields and prepare all weapons
systems. Hold drones readied and in reserve for my mark.”

“Yes, Sir.” Belgrum responded, voice an eager growl.

“Adeline, issue the At–Ready Alert. It’s time to go
hunting.” Perez announced, activating his station’s safety–harness. He felt stirrings
of anger, determination, and anticipation mold into one as the Karukai
battlecruiser closed distance.

CHAPTER 25

“
Ghost Squadron
is now within range for Alpha Strike
Protocol;
Watcher
is two minutes out.” Diana reported, mind racing as
she calculated and recalculated applicable scenarios.

“Very good, Lieutenant Commander. Execute Alpha Strike.”
Marcus Perez commanded from the Captain’s chair, posture set into a
deliberately relaxed position as he stared at his station’s holo–display, broad
jaw cupped in left palm. Diana simply knew him too well not to catch that his
confidence was a mask presented for the benefit of the team. Not that he was
filled with doubt or uncertainty regarding the crew; only that he knew exactly what
it was that they faced.

“Order for execution sent and received, Commander.” Adeline
replied.

“Enhance view, Lieutenant Chopa.” Perez commanded, golden–brown
eyes shifting from his display to the view.

As the holographic projection of the
TS Watcher
suddenly seemed to leap forward and the faintly space–scoured hull came fully
into view, Diana fought to control the vibration of expectance. Everything,
every life aboard the
QS
Excalibur
and in all probability, the
outbreak of full–scale war between the Karukai Imperium and the Quorum Aligned Systems,
rested on the next several minutes.

God, I wish Avara was bloody–well here now
.

Without a flash of impending outcome, and with no murmur in the
sound eating vacuum of space, five royal–blue and black trimmed silver, Astra
Striker
Class starfighters rippled into being immediately after twenty missiles exploded
into two separate, specific sectors of the Karukai battlecruiser. With their
stealth–status exorcised by the attack, a heartbeat later, a second and then a
third followed by a fourth and final payload of kobalt tipped warheads streaked
towards the battlecruiser, all released from the now fully visible starfighters,
ten to a target for each of the last strikes.

“Commander, sensors read that the
Watcher’s
primary Weapons
Systems and FTL Drives have been disabled!” Lieutenant Chopa reported, his
voice half–shaking with excitement. A
whoop
of exultation carried across
the Bridge and into the CIC at the Nav Officer’s news, Diana’s voice no less
exuberant than her fellows.

“Adeline, please convey my compliments to Wing–Commander
King and the rest of
Ghost Squadron
. Have them return immediately to
take up position just beyond our drones.” Marcus commanded, baritone vibrating
with cautious relief. “Dane, open a channel.”

He coolly stated over the Comm “
KS Watcher
and
Captain Ner’kai, this is Commander Perez of the
Excalibur
. I invite you
and the
Watcher
to partake in a peaceful parting of the ways. We will
desist our defensive attack if you agree to repair your FTL Drives under our
supervision and then depart the system. Any Weapons repair will be viewed as an
act of hostility.”

Diana could tell that just like she, Marcus held out little
hope that the Karukai would accept the offer, but it was worth the effort to
avoid expenditure of blood and life. She could feel her heart racing and forced
herself to take several mouthfuls of oxygen to calm her nerves and maintain her
focus.

Other than the murmur of systems and the ever–present low
hum of the ship’s engines, the Bridge might as well have been a tomb buried
under tons of rock and sediment, for all the sound that carried across its
interior.

“Nothing, Sir.” Dane finally reported.