MotherShip (17 page)

Even though the children had asked her, she had refrained this same night from reporting that the T'kaan attack had begun in earnest upon the Gruto. It would have done them no good to watch as another world, another race, was being eradicated.

But she did record the unfolding events for Minstrel and herself to review.

Mother's sensors revealed something else about the T'kaan. Not only did they make war to procreate, but they also warred for sport. After only a few hours, the Gruto's Spartan defenses had fallen and the T'kaan warriors were feasting on the dead. But no eggs were laid on their lone planet—this conquest had been purely for the sake of war.

Only later, when the T'kaan squadron broke into three sections and accelerated beyond light speed, did she speak. Her children were saved from the callous bloodshed, when there was nothing they could do. But Mother's powerful processors burned with activity as she told them the killing was over. She noted with inner turmoil the pained looks on her children's faces.

She quickly reminded them of Minstrel's words, that they must seek an ally, as she prepared to lift and follow the T'kaan at a safe distance.

“There will be a time and a place,” Mother promised.

The spherical ship of Minstrel flew in tight formation with the manta-ray shape of Mother. Even though her sub-light engines were still damaged, her hyperdrives were still fully operational.

As part of their newfound goal, they shadowed one of the three T'kaan formations that left the dead Gruto world. Several long days passed until Minstrel informed them that they were traveling to a part of the galaxy devoid of intelligent life for many, many light years.

They turned and soon caught the sensor trail of the second formation fresh from the Gruto butchery.

But before they closed in, Minstrel again informed them that this formation, too, was heading for a sector of space that would not help their cause. Only young, pre-space travel sentients lived this direction.

Another dead end.

Frustration set in. The children again began their listless ways, losing interest in life, and worst of all, dreaming again of finding other human survivors. Mother focused her processing power to try and alleviate this emotional state. But the powerful warship was forever hindered in this line of logic, being herself a different type of life form from the children she protected.

Again, the mighty starship felt inadequate in this seemingly simple task of being a mother.

Day followed day until another lonely week had passed. This boring time for all of them was suddenly broken as alarms sounded throughout Mother's interior.

Finally, they had found the faint sensor readings that corresponded to the engine signatures of T'kaan ships. Mother quickly realized that if these ships, too, charted a fruitless course, then they would be forced to find the main fleet and shadow it. But that would most certainly be fraught with danger.

Even now it was dangerous, but Minstrel had devised an ingenious method. With Minstrel's ship in Stealth Mode, Mother flew as close as she safely could from behind—her hull, too, was hidden by this remarkable technology and unseen to T'kaan sensors. Still, they followed at a great distance in case a T'kaan warship broke formation. Even with Minstrel's technology indirectly shielding Mother from the T'kaan sensors, there was the possibility Mother could be detected if they followed too close.

With the first news of a possible contact with the last T'kaan squadron, everyone gathered in Ops to study Mother's sensor reports as they scrolled across her consoles.

“I've located the engine signatures... they're weak, but it's definitely T'kaan.” Jaric's voice reflected his growing excitement as he looked up at the other two. “We've found them!”

“Yes,” Minstrel's voice emanated over Mother's speakers. “I will begin triangulation to confirm my initial results. But I will say that the general direction is good for our plans, yet they could still miss them if they alter course even a little.”

“Miss who?” Becky said excitedly.

“I will confirm, after Mother and I coordinate our findings.”

Both Mother and Minstrel fell silent. But between them they communicated at speeds no human could comprehend—at the speed of electronics. Yet even after Mother evaluated each of the seven races that the T'kaan might encounter in this general direction, and then calculated almost every possible outcome of a major confrontation between the T'kaan fleet and each individual race, one on one, she felt no better. Defeat was the end-result of each projection.

She asked Minstrel to hold back their findings—for a short time. She did not want the children disappointed—again.

But the silence only seemed to drain the life energy from her children and Mother once again wondered if she was doing the right thing. Long minutes passed as she pondered what she should tell them.

The minutes turned into an hour. And another. Finally, the children retired to their rooms for sleep as tiredness overtook them. The first day of shadowing the third squadron ended uneventfully.

Mother had continued her processing the entire time, hoping for a positive scenario that she could share. Still, for all of Mother's vast computing power, for all of her careful analysis and predictive models, she couldn't take in every possibility that life and the universe could throw at them.

As life is wont to do, it provided the most unexpected answer.

“Sensor's are picking up a debris field. It's... it was a ship.” Jaric announced as Becky and Kyle entered Ops the next morning.

“Can Minstrel identify it?” Kyle yawned.

“Cover your mouth,” Becky chided as she wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Kyle yawned again, ignoring her glare and her advice.

“I am rechecking my original analysis... there. Hmmm, this is odd.” Minstrel said in answer.

“It was a sizable ship, larger than a frigate. If my sensors have picked up all the debris. I also read the signature of T'kaan weapons on the debris. Looks like they destroyed it,” Mother added.

“Come on, Minstrel. Who are they?” Becky asked earnestly.

“Mewiis...” Minstrel's voice was tinged with puzzlement.

Jaric chuckled.

“They don't sound too warrior-like,” Kyle thought out loud.

“What's so strange about finding a Mewiis ship? You said there were several races in this sector,” Mother reminded Minstrel.

“Mewiss are not from this sector. Nor are they in the path of the current heading the T'kaan are taking.”

Jaric was still studying the sensors when his hands danced quickly over the console.

“T'kaan engine signatures show the squadron has veered from its previous course after they took the ship out,” he announced tersely.

“Yes,” Mother acknowledged. “T'kaan procedure on meeting a new race is to obtain as much data as possible from their computers; to see if the species is large enough for another reproductive cycle. Then call in the entire fleet. The Mewiss may meet their criteria for another xenocidal war. They are heading toward the Mewiss’ worlds in order to gather that data.”

“Yes, they are now headed for the heart of the Mewiss worlds. I just confirmed from their course change,” Minstrel said. “They comprise
one
of the Three Kingdoms.”

“Three!” Becky and Kyle said together.

“Three races combined against a T'kaan fleet. That would be good odds.” Jaric added thoughtfully.

“Except the Kraaqi and Hrono are sworn enemies to each other. The Mewiis have a history of playing them off against each other for their own ends. That is why Minstrels have never contacted any of these races.”

The room grew silent.

“But we have a more immediate problem,” Minstrel said. “This is a Surveyor class Mewiss ship. There will be a Colony ship somewhere behind it.”

“The T'kaan will destroy it, too, after they have sucked all the data out of it,” Mother said.

“It will be full of children and their parents. The Mewiss are a family oriented race and are always searching out new worlds to colonize,” Minstrel said reflectively.

The room fell silent with the thought of a ship full of helpless children coming under the merciless attack of the horned ships.

Kyle sat next to Jaric and spoke. “Mother, we have to help that ship. Even if all we can do is warn them.”

Mother calculated her options and all vectors that would intercept the T'kaan on their new course. She spoke a millisecond later.

“My hyper engines are still fully operational, and they can sustain maximum power.” Mother's voice grew silent as Minstrel began transmitting to her.

With Minstrel's knowledge of Mewiss procedures, she plotted a likely position where the ship might be located. Using the gravity wells of a couple of binary star systems, Mother hoped they could get there ahead of the T'kaan.

All were in high spirits as they set off on their newfound mission.

The hours stretched by under the full power, faster-than-light journey. There was life inside her hull again, for her children were moving with a new energy—with a new purpose.

Red alarms howled through her speakers, interrupting her reverie.

Mother had been wrong.

“I've got a big ship here. Mother, drop out of light speed! Now!” Kyle ordered.

“There are other targets,” Mother replied as she slowed.

“T'kaan!” Jaric shouted.

The elongated cigar shape of the Mewiss colony ship that appeared on the viewscreen was gargantuan. But the T'kaan battle cruiser and the two frigates were quickly pummeling it into submission.

“Her shields are failing.” Becky shouted from her console.

“The Mewiss are not a fierce race, but they do believe in a good defense. If their shields are already dropping...” Minstrel did not finish her thought.

“We've got to help them. We can't just leave them here to die.” Kyle shouted.

From the viewscreen they could see laser fire burst from the Mewiss ship, striking back at the attackers. Two direct hits blossomed across T'kaan shields.

“Both T'kaan ships...minimal damage,” Jaric announced tersely.

“We can give them some damage!” Kyle stood with fists clenched.

Mother quickly calculated her resources. “Can you fight, Minstrel?” Mother asked.

“For such a noble cause. Yes.”

The three young warriors raced for their fighters while Mother brought herself into position. Guardian strode to his position in Ops with two of the Fixers. The minutes seemed to stretch into millennia, while out in space the Mewiis’ main shield began to buckle.

Three fighters leapt from the rear hatch of Mother as her manta-ray shape followed close behind the spherical ship of Minstrel. Moments later, all of them were in sensor range of the T'kaan.

The effect was immediate.

“The T'kaan battle cruiser is turning for us.” Minstrel said calmly.

“Stay on course, until I give you the word,” Mother answered. She swung herself tighter in behind the larger ship of Minstrel. In fact, she was sailing so close behind the circle ship that any sudden maneuver by either ship could cause catastrophe. But she needed this tiny amount of surprise, for Minstrel's ship still hid her from the T'kaan sensors even at this range.

Jaric saw the Hunter fighters as they spewed from the main door in the cruiser's hull. Twenty-four fighters arranged themselves in eight groups of threes. Jaric's eyes hardened.

“Watch out!” Kyle shouted over the comm.

The dogfight began with the intensity of a Force Ten hurricane as the T'kaan fighters came screaming in at them. The intensity only increased from there.

“I've got some on my tail! Give me...” Becky shouted.

Green tracers suddenly mixed with T'kaan red all around her. Kyle's ship flashed past as one of the T'kaan ships attacking her exploded and the other tumbled out of control. But the three ships that had been tailing Kyle now turned towards her.

Kicking her throttle, she turned straight into them, concentrating fire on the ship to the right. She squeezed off her shots and then put her ship into another hard turn and right into another T'kaan formation.

“There's too many!” Jaric shouted as the ship he was firing upon exploded. Now he had to deal with three more coming from the side.

“The battle cruiser is powering weapons,” Minstrel reported calmly.

But Mother had been powering her special weapon, the T'kaan/Human hybrid designed specifically for her and her dead sister ship—the A ship. She monitored the power levels throughout her circuitry as every ounce of power not directly tied with her engines was used to supercharge the weapon for its mighty blow. She would have to make this one shot count. There wouldn't be time to recharge it again, and her main batteries were no match for a capital ship.

She could hold her own against the firepower of frigate-class warships with her twelve main guns, but not against a battle cruiser.

“On my mark, Minstrel,” Mother shouted. Long seconds passed in silence. “Now.”

Blue death leapt from Minstrel's main batteries, streaking now for the mighty battle cruiser. The twin bolts blossomed across the forward section of the cruiser's shields. Simultaneously, Minstrel's ship turned hard to port while Mother turned hard starboard from behind.

Now, Mother was revealed to the T'kaan sensors.

“The range is still too far. I want to get closer,” Mother announced.

But the reputation of the Iron Huntress preceded her. The coiling bodies of the T'kaan warriors writhed with both fury and fear as they recognized her haunting profile once again. The T'kaan officer-in-charge of the squadron twisted his tentacles around and around each other nervously as he stared at the viewscreen with fangs agape.

“The frigates are breaking off from the colony ship,” Becky said as she rolled her ship away from more attackers.

“Yeah, they're turning for Mother!” Kyle shouted.

“And none too soon, the Mewiss’ shields just buckled,” Jaric sighed.

“We must give them time,” Mother said. But it was now Mother's turn to begin twisting and dodging as she tried to bring her hybrid gun to bear. She directed all her processing power to her tactical systems. She had nothing else to give in this fight. She couldn't dance and dodge effectively with her sub-light engines still damaged. She had to calculate this strike and make it count.