Nova (20 page)

“Nope, no problem; wouldn’t dream of it.” With the most miniscule
of last minute alterations, Captain Serros consistently tracked the skiff
around obstacles with a hair’s margin of error, all the while gaining on their
quarry.

“Well, given your vehicular tendencies,
I
might
!”
Z’arr replied as Avara narrowly avoided two more sharp protrusions of rock and
then gunned the craft
over
a third, all the while pushing the protesting
engine to its maximum speed.

“This time I get to drive;
you
get to shoot.”

“Fine!” K’llan yelled, fighting to be heard over the cart–wheeling
engine rumbles sounding through the suddenly low cavern ceiling, even as she
was already taking aim. She fired off two blasts of gunfire that both missed
their mark, biting into rock instead of armored flesh.

“Remember, take Risha alive!” Avara cautioned.

“I know;
you
keep the skiff steady.” The Vosaia
responded as her third shot went off mark due to a sharp cut to the left Serros
had made to narrowly avoid the down–plunge of a looming stalactite reaching for
the waters of the river.

Seeing approaching disaster, Z’arr frantically shouted “Go
around, go around,
go around
!”

“For you, I suppose!” Serros quipped, again gunning the
craft over the edge of another waterfall. Despite her friend’s protests, Avara
just couldn’t help herself. Wild laughter bubbled in her throat at another
narrow miss, propelling them still closer to their target.

“Avara; you’re
enjoying
yourself!”

Helplessly, Avara could feel herself laughing all the louder
at K’llan’s indignation, but knew she’d won her co–pilot over when, seemingly
in–spite of her best efforts, K’llan also chuckled, caught up in the
exhilaration of the chase.

A spew of pistol fire caused the Captain to again execute
some fairly daring dodges as Risha, his six blood–red, round eyes wide in
shocked determination at his circumstances, attempted to rid himself of his
pursuers.

“K’llan!”

“Got it!” The Vosaia answered, and a moment later the
Zirgesh screamed as her bullet–fire shredded his middle left arm, causing the
pistol he’d been gripping to go tumbling into the waters below.  Risha
maintained his hold on his second pistol, however, held fast in his right upper
hand. With a snarl, the Zirgesh drug–lord withdrew several small metal items
from his belt pouch and tossed them towards their speeding craft.

Instantly, the objects transfigured to miniaturized drones
and began firing arcs of white electricity at the two women, causing Avara to
veer their craft to the left and scrape along a rock face with an ear–bleeding
screech
.

“Looks like he’s borrowing tactics from you.” Avara remarked
as she brought their water–skiff back under control.

“Ha! Maybe it is time to take a cue from you then, Captain.”
K’llan responded, even as she withdrew her second pistol and with fierce
exactitude, began peppering the drones with fire from both guns.

As the last hand drone slipped into the surface of the clear
water and was immediately left behind, Avara commented, “Not bad. I’d rate you
at a nine.”

“But you have not witnessed my closing act yet, Avara.” K’llan
shot back, shifting the aim of her barrels until both were pointed
not
at
the fleeing occupants of the water–skiff, but instead, ahead of their Zirgesh
target and to the stalactite–ridden roof above.

Several stone lances plunged downward and impaled the front–end
of the foremost watercraft, causing it to tumble through the air and
slam
into the left waterway wall. Two very alive but waterlogged Zirgesh rose to the
surface and began to rapidly scramble with their multiple appendages so as not
to drown.

Steering their skiff to a bone–jarring yet remarkably well
aimed, swerving stop right in front of their targets, Captain Serros turned to
her Vosaia Squadmate. “Okay; nine point five.”

“
Please
. Don’t be jealous, Avara. The maneuver
warrant’s
at
least
a ten.” K’llan responded brightly, her violet eyes
sparkling with the enjoyment of a shared, death–defying experience and, Avara
knew, the easy banter the two had developed in the last months.

With a wink and half–grin, Serros replied, “Ten it is, then,
but
you
get to fish them out; spoils of victory and all that.”

CHAPTER 11

Having showered and changed into a blessedly clean uniform, K’llan
Z’arr left her quarters feeling rather refreshed from her jungle trolling and
cavern spelunking adventures on Moxar. As she made her way through the corridors
of the
QS Excalibur
, several crew members paused in their own journeys
to demonstrate some sign or other of friendly greeting.

Over the last four months, K’llan had fallen into the rhythm
of life aboard the primarily Human ship with surprising ease. Mornings began
with an exercise regime which was supplemented several days a week by sparring
bouts with Captain Serros or Commander Perez. Workouts were then typically
followed by a rotation of duty. Her evenings were taken up by research and
interaction with members of the crew that first began as acquaintances and now
were becoming friends.

The daily mode of starship routine was frequently broken up
by on–planet or station missions, normally involving investigation and copious
amounts of bullet–fire, contextualized by frequent near–death “adventures.” The
Vosaia had found that monotony was a rare state of existence aboard the twelve–deck
Human frigate.

Though most certainly a military vessel with a primarily military
crew, the just under one–hundred or so compliment of the
QS Excalibur
differed
from K’llan’s previous observations regarding the feel of interaction between
members aboard most units of armed forces in a very real, if intangible way. Specifically,
in an emotive and cognitive sense. Each member of the
Excalibur
truly
was among the very best and the brightest in her or his respective area of
expertise, and even the non–senior crewmen were of the highest caliber in
regards to ability, knowledge, and skill. The energy of working each day with a
crew comprised of such exceptional individuals, coupled with the sense of
purpose and infectious joy that most members seemed to operate with was beyond
doubt, a vitalizing experience. Though at times overwhelmed by the high
passions of a, at least to a Vosaia’s standards, psychically untrained and
hence emotionally volatile Human crew living in constant near proximity, K’llan
felt that the vessel was beginning to resonate as home.

True to Captain Serros’s word, becoming a member of Nova
Squad was indeed proving to be most engaging. Upon acceptance of the Shield
Operative’s offer, Z’arr was immediately commissioned into the Human Ministry Navy
as “Lieutenant, Third Class” and assigned to three senior officer–ranked
positions that encompassed a like number of spheres of duty.

First and foremost, she was given the position of Senior Weapons
Specialist aboard the
Excalibur
. As such, K’llan was assigned her own lab
on Deck 5 to manage and improve the functionality, usage, and performance of
all the individual models of both hand–held weapons and body armor that made up
the impressive store of the ship’s armory.

Given her education and her close to fifty years of
experience working in Research and Development as a weapon’s designer for the
Vosaia government, it was a position she was exceptionally well suited for. In
some ways, she felt like a child gifted with the ultimate play–room, for unlike
her employment with either the Vosaia government or later ApexArcatech, her
budget was, within reason, nearly unlimited. Her access to cutting edge
technology and materials was a mere request away. It was a heady and exciting
reality, for it meant that her imagination was limited only by the scope of her
own thought rather that constraints outside of her determination.

Her second officially designated role was that of Junior
Science Officer, working directly under the Gorath Senior Science Officer, Major
Ca’rrakk. Aboard ship, this position meant that she assisted Ca’rrakk with his
primary duties which encompassed the observation, cataloging, and research of the
varied environments they came into contact with, as well as any unusual scientific
phenomena. At times her science based tasks overlapped with her other duties to
ready for missions requiring special equipment so that the Squad was as
prepared as possible for any potential complications.

Excitingly, K’llan had learned that unusual or new
discoveries and developments were sent to Naval Headquarters on Pax and the Quorum
on Sigil to be followed up on later by fully supported and vetted science and research
teams. This meant that her initial work could inspire breakthroughs in
understanding that affect future generations.

Her final sphere of responsibility was rather unusual and in
many ways, unofficial, but given the extraordinarily high number of Arca augmented
crewmembers aboard the ship, Captain Serros had felt that her background and
training should not be wasted. As such, K’llan had also been assigned the
position of “Senior Arcatech Officer.” So far her duties in this lattermost
role were primarily comprised of possessing a thorough knowledge of all Arcatech
Enhancements of each crew member and continued research into maximizing
abilities that such technology granted. Z’arr was also tasked to train crew in
Arcatech application.

Though K’llan was still adjusting to her new role and work–intensive
responsibilities, with the capture of Iak Risha, she had now played a
significant part in Nova’s third successful mission since joining the Squad,
and knew she was truly adapting to her new life. With a sweet pang, K’llan
considered that if her mother could be present, she would be most pleased.

New doors indeed.

Ducking into the double–doors of the elevator lift, K’llan
found herself face to face with a seven–foot–eleven, fur covered bi–ped.
“Greetings, Major Ca’rrakk.”

“Greetings, Lieutenant Z’arr. Are you heading to the
Strategy Room for the mission debrief as well?” The Gorath asked, his rumbling
baritone so deep that K’llan fancied she could practically see the vibrations
pitch–off the lift’s royal blue and steel colored durexium walls.

“Yes. Shall we go together?”

“Excellent suggestion.” Ca’rrakk responded, coal–colored fur
rippling in pleasure.

As the ship’s Junior Science Specialist, K’llan had spent a
great deal of time with the Gorath member of Nova Squad over the last few months,
and had established not only a significant level of respect for his intellect
as well as martial prowess, but she also found that on a personal level she
liked him a great deal.

“Any luck isolating the gradja lichen filaments to create an
effective source of bio–luminescence?” She asked as the lift began its climb.

“No, but close. I believe if pounded into a fine paste with
an additive of synthetic silicate for magnification and a derivative of Adrenix
to act as a sustaining agent, the mixture
should
catalyze to create at
least some form of stable luminosity. It shall be most interesting to explore.
Um, that is, at least during my personal time.”

Though K’llan did not find the Gorath’s pet project to be
all that personally fascinating, she did find his eagerness inspiring. “I am
sure you will meet with success.”

“Yes, we shall see. How about you? Any progress on your projection
project?” Ca’rrakk asked curiously as the two exited the lift on Deck 2, the
Gorath sliding next to the hall’s right wall in an effort to make room for a
jogging Ensign Xiang, who offered a quick wave of thanks as he slipped into the
lift.

“Yes. I believe that with a little more fine tuning, I
should be able to increase the range of the Captain’s favored Zadex Volturno
SX9s by one–point seven percent.”

“Ah. She will be quite pleased, I think.” Ca’rrakk responded
with a twitch of his triangular nose.

“Yes, I’m sure.” K’llan replied with a smile. “I myself
prefer my Rubex GHT6s, but as I discovered a long time ago, each person has
their own favored firearm.”

“Given my own proclivities, I would have to agree with that
claim.”

As they entered the doors to the
Excalibur’s
Strategy
Room and took seats next to one another at the smooth, glossy–black HUD table,
Z’arr remarked, “Hmm. Given your zeal for massive armament, I am surprised that
you do not simply attempt to carry one of the ships battery’s with you into a
battle.”

“Hey, why didn’t I think of that before?” Commander Marcus Perez
drawled as he walked in with Captain Serros, the two taking their usual seats
for strategy sessions and meetings with Serros at the head of the far end of
the table and Perez to her right. Both were dressed just as the rest of the
Senior Staff in standard rather than full dress uniforms. Each officer’s
ensemble consisted of the stiff–necked, dark royal blue jacket trimmed in
lighter royal blue markings and straight legged, oil–black trousers. Reverse triangular
platinum pips on each person’s upper right chest designated individual rank.

“Ha! Knowing you, it would get lost and I’d have to pay for
a new one.” Serros quipped as the rest of the executive officers of the
Excalibur
and Nova Squad members filed into the room in short order. Lieutenant Commander
Adeline, Lieutenant Rygel, Lieutenant Naxos, Lieutenant Chopa, and Lieutenant
Commander Philips to the Captain’s left; Lieutenant Tildon Jaxx and Dr. Argos
joining Perez, Ca’rrakk, and Z’arr on the right.

“Where’s the faith,
mi hermana
?” Perez asked.

“Uh huh. Adeline, status regarding our guest and the data
dump?” Serros asked, turning to the Operations and Intelligence Officer sitting
at her immediate left.