OMEGA Exile (14 page)

Our squadron was commanded by a Captain Dale Rogers. This was his third engagement, making him one of the most experienced captains in the New Alliance fleet.

Captain Rogers barked out a command. "
Freeton
and
Daunte
, I want you crossing the top of that planet in high orbit.
Harford
, you will be rounding the port side in an attempt to flush out any ships that might be behind there. Our job is to secure this planet and then work our way back toward to the others. We finally have a fight where we outnumber the enemy two to one. Let’s take advantage of it!"

Joni replied, sending the
Daunte
in just behind the
Freeton
. As we came into high orbit, Joni slowed the
Daunte
’s speed.

I replied, "What are you doing?"

Joni flipped on a deep scan of the planet below. "I don’t trust that murky atmosphere down there. We only see sixty or so ships out there. There must be others, and if they are not behind this planet, they may be sitting on it."

As we reached the topmost region, word came from the other ships in our squadron. "No ships on the back side, Captain."

Our orders were to proceed to the third planet to rejoin the next squadron in the fleet. Joni pulled the stick to port, and the
Daunte
quickly circled back. In a second move that was out of order, Joni pushed the
Daunte
down into the high atmosphere for another scan.

I said, "And what are we doing now?"

Joni shook her head. "Back in the detective simulations, I came across a scenario where a pirate vessel was hiding deep in the methane clouds of a planet similar to this. Unless you got right down on it, you wouldn’t pick up a signal. Something about the ionization of the methane that retards the detector’s ability to distinguish signals. I missed the pickup and failed the mission. It was one of only two that I didn’t complete."

I replied, "I wasn’t aware that methane could cause that issue."

Joni replied, "According to my father, most people don’t know. The authorities try hard not to advertise it. It’s one of those dirty little secrets that the manufacturers think they can keep hidden from the buyers. It’s insane to not tell your own forces they have a flaw. My father says it’s because they don’t want that secret leaking out to the enemy."

A buzzing emanated from the audio interface of the holo-display. Thirty-six fuzzy signals showed on the screen as the
Daunte
screamed overhead. A dozen high-energy bolts rose up through the atmosphere toward our position as Joni pushed the throttle to full and rolled to starboard.

Joni yelled into the comm, "I have thirty-six bogies stuffed down in the atmosphere of planet four! We are taking heavy fire! Repeat, we are taking heavy fire."

I pulled up the weapons screen and punched in several parameters.

Joni turned and yelled, "What are you doing already! Try to get off some shots before we are dead!"

I flipped the weapons enable to on and fired several pulses at the point where the enemy ships were just beginning to emerge. A bright flash reflected through our view portals as Joni completed her starboard roll.

I barked out a command of my own. "Take us down into that atmosphere, now!"

Joni pushed the stick over as she screeched a reply. "Why? What are we doing?"

As we hit the atmosphere, I said, "Now, just fly at this level. If they choose to follow, I am going to light them up! I adjusted the ion pulse so it should ignite that methane out there. That should add a big kick to anything we get lucky enough to hit!"

The first ship to pull in behind us was a destroyer that was easily fifty times our size. The ion cannon pulses that struck our hull were diminished when fired through the ionized atmosphere of the planet. My first shot back scored a devastating hit on the destroyer, blowing a hole in its forward hull. The rush of igniting methane passing inside was like an immense blowtorch burning the interior decks of the destroyer, the forward bridge one of the first to be consumed by the flame. The destroyer dropped back and was quickly pulled down by the gravity of the planet. Two smaller frigates took its place.

Joni’s flying technique left me in awe. At almost every point of vulnerability, she turned or dodged or shot deeper into the planet’s gaseous layers. I managed a solid hit on the second frigate, and it soon dropped from its pursuit. The remaining captain was as skilled in flight as Joni. Our fight continued for twenty-two minutes before I scored a direct hit. At the same moment, an ion bolt found its way into our engine nacelle, causing the ion stream that powered it to compress, voiding the energy amplification that gave us our thrust.

Our single engine failed to restart and we found ourselves sinking into the intense gravity field of the planet. Our comm with the remainder of the fleet was cut off by the dense layer of ionized methane surrounding the ship. Fifteen minutes later, the scenario ended when the atmospheric pressure exerted on the
Daunte
’s hull caused a massive failure in one of the newly installed external plates.

The captain was sitting there with his jaw dropped. "How did you know to do that? Scan the atmosphere, I mean?"

Joni said, "By chance I picked an odd scenario during my detective’s training for this ship. Our sensors have difficulty with ionized methane. I only found that out because my father toured the plant my uncle owns where the sensors are manufactured. He said it was a known deficiency that is not talked about, because it might reach our enemies. They don’t have a fix for it yet."

The captain replied, "We'vee had teams of analysts going over the data from that battle for months. Scans of that planet had been done, but no hostiles were found. The extra ships seemed to come out of nowhere when the main fleet engaged. Even though it’s a simulation, the Admiralty insisted that we not know where they came from. The sixty-odd ships that were initially visible turned out to be more than three hundred. We got our asses kicked."

The captain pulled up the stats for the scenario. "Not bad! Your discovery netted thirty-eight kills on forty-two losses for us. The rest of the ships were able to back out of the engagement and safely flee."

The captain sat down and opened a direct comm to the Admiralty. "Admiral Simmons, I think we just unlocked the secret of the Danilus engagement. It seems our sensors have a deficiency."

The admiral replied, "Well done, Captain. Now forget what you just found out. We can’t let that information fall into enemy hands."

When the comm closed, I said, "It looks to me like the enemy may already have that information."

The captain shrugged. His job was to follow orders. The seemingly crucial information would die with us.

With our combat training ended, we thanked the captain and boarded the
Daunte
. After we lifted out of Dock-77, it was a short ride back to SS22, and several minutes, and several sweeps later, we found ourselves settling into Bay-17 on SS5.

Gretchin came over the comm. "Congratulations! I hear you got high marks in the training qualifications, and that your instructor was impressed with both of you. It must also feel good to get back into the
Daunte
."

Joni replied, "It was a seriously enjoyable class, and I think we are both happy to have gone through it. We are more mission capable by far. I feel like we could fly this ship in and out of just about any situation."

Gretchin smiled. "That is good news, Miss Salton, because we have a mission already planned out for you. You will be swept out to the Corrigan system, where you will turn off your transponder and sit in observance of all the traffic coming in and out of the area for the next two weeks. We are expecting activity from the Free Alliance in that system."

"Couldn’t that be handled by dropping a passive probe?" I asked. "Why tie up the ship for two weeks for surveillance?"

Gretchin replied, "I don’t make the orders, Mr. Beutcher. I only forward them to you. I have to expect that the analysts that came up with this plan have their reasons. They are smart people, and they are experienced at what they do. All the resources, including you, are valuable to them, and we have to trust that they are making the best use of our team."

I nodded. "I guess I have to agree with that logic, Gretchin. That question wasn’t directed at you personally."

Gretchin smiled. "No offense taken, Mr. Beutcher. Now, I’m sending over the data for the mission. If something were to happen while you are out there on station, please just use your best judgment to determine what you should do. We will not be leaving a microportal open for your return."

Gretchin added, "I also took the liberty to check your food store manifest. You should be receiving a package on your ramp-way at any time. When you have that safely aboard, you may begin your comm with Portal Transfer."

The package was delivered shortly thereafter. A quick sweep had us parked on the far side of the last planet in the system. Our transponder was off and our signal emissions kept to a minimum.

I opened the food package that had been delivered and began to stock the galley shelves. "I see a large assortment of vegetables for the plant eater. I have Borak, Callimo toads, and Damaree eel. The last two are a favorite of my people and are difficult to come by lately. I shall at least enjoy our meals while we are camped out here."

Joni replied, "Say what you want about Gretchin, but she does seem to go out of her way to get us those extras. I wonder if anyone else in the organization gets this kind of treatment?"

I stopped for a moment as a thought entered my mind. "Joni, what if there is no organization? No Zed Corporation?"

Joni replied, "What do you mean?"

I set a package of Borak on the galley counter. "What if the organization was all made up so your father could keep a team of his people around you at all times? I mean, think about it. We have encountered maybe a couple dozen people who are supposedly members of the organization. They could all just be members of your father’s security team. The ship upgrades? Could just be your father trying to protect you further."

Joni frowned. "Now, why do you have to start out this mission putting those thoughts in my head? We will probably be sitting here for two weeks, and I won’t have anything to do but to think about that."

I laughed. "I apologize for my suspicious nature. I just find some of what’s happened too coincidental to have just happened. You almost get killed, and suddenly we have a big ship upgrade?"

Joni shook her head. "Regardless, you have ruined this deployment."

I pulled another Borak steak out of the box and set it on the counter. "Of course, there is always the possibility that it is real and that we are going to need the upgrades because the missions are going to be far more dangerous."

Joni slapped her hands on her armrests. "What are you trying to do to me? I thought you were my friend. I’m starting to think you are just trying to screw with my head!"

I returned a half smile. "The original thought was genuine. I probably should have thought that through before mentioning it. We don’t have any evidence to suggest it other than my flimsy suspicion."

Joni turned back to the holo-display. "Being suspicious is what we are, Knog. It’s what detectives do. I’ll try not to dwell on what you proposed, if you promise we can have a chat session about it after we are settled."

I nodded. "I can agree to that."

The food was unloaded and stored. Joni moved our position to park us on a moon orbiting the fourth out of five planets. After two days of monitoring, only five ships had come and gone from the small colony on Corrigan III. Fifty thousand farmers produced enough Selian beets to keep half of the sector in full supply.

Corrigan III was a small world with a thin atmosphere. The carbon dioxide levels required for decent growth were supplied and kept elevated by a system of raised transparent tents. From high altitude, the planet appeared to be covered with large, shiny bubbles.

After a lengthy discussion with Joni, it was determined that we didn’t have reason to suspect trickery on her father’s part regarding the organization. Coordinating the events that had transpired and getting all the parties involved to say just the right things at the right time was too much of a stretch.

Joni settled back into her chair with a cup of coffee. "What do you suppose it is we are looking for out here?"

I replied, "At this point it could be just about anything. A fleet of ships, a single transport, flying space monkeys... we have no way of knowing."

Joni looked at me with one eye squinted. "Flying space monkeys? Where did you get that one from?"

I sipped on my own coffee. "When I was a child, a traveling Human circus visited our village. They had a trained monkey with them. They called it a flying space monkey, although it was just an ordinary Human monkey. I was allowed to feed it and to then shake its hand."

Joni laughed. "And that obviously left a lasting impression on you?"

I shook my head. "No, I think it was when he rubbed his bum afterward and then offered to shake my brother's hand. My brother was superior to me in almost every way, so it was an enjoyable moment for me."

"And did he shake the monkey’s hand?"

I replied, "No, he did not. He scowled, looked at me, and walked away, never to mention it again. It was one of the few times I was able to best him."

Joni slapped her forehead with her palm. "Did you ever stop to think about what happened there?"

I tilted my head to one side. "What do you mean?"

Joni spoke. "Your brother never shook the monkey’s hand. You did. Do you think it was the first time the monkey had ever rubbed its butt?"

I set my coffee down on my armrest with a distressed look on my face. "Hmm. Thank you for taking that moment of bliss away from me, Miss Salton. I suppose that had never occurred to me."

Joni laughed. "OK, I think we are even now. You filled my head with family conspiracies, I ruined your flying space monkey story. What do you say we just sit quietly and observe for a while?"

I nodded. "I could agree to that."

The following day, a large freighter entered the system. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for a freighter of its size to visit a farming planet. Joni pulled up the spec on the freighter as I looked on.

Joni said, "The
Jurgens
has been out here a half dozen times in the last year. I would guess that tells us the harvest cycle on Corrigan, if it was ever something you were interested in."

I pulled up data on the planet. "Actually, we should be very interested in that."

Joni spun around. "Whatcha got?"

I replied, "The harvest on Corrigan III is biannual. The last legitimate one was two months ago. That freighter is not here for a beet harvest."

As we watched, a small ship departed the surface, rising through the atmosphere and settling into an open cargo hold. When the hold doors shut, the Jergens began to move.

I spoke. "I think we just got a reason to leave our station. Take us wide around that planet and shadow that freighter at maximum distance. If needed, we can close on her in about twenty minutes."

Joni replied, "That time is now seventeen minutes with our new upgrades. I ran the numbers yesterday when I had nothing else to do."

I nodded. "I just don’t want to spook them. That small ship might be difficult to track at max distance if they run."

Joni took the
Daunte
in a wide arc around Corrigan III and we settled in at a distance that ran just inside 93 percent of our sensor range.

After an hour of tracking, we had a firm destination lock for the Jergens. The farming colony at Heremethia would be its next stop. A look at the Jergens’ shipping records showed Heremethia to be a regular stop.

"Why would they be hiding a ship in their hold for the trip?" asked Joni. "Space is a big place. Certainly it could reach Heremethia without having to hide."

I scanned the route mappings for the journey. "Here, the shipping lane runs near SS29. The Jergens had an inspection on the way to Corrigan. They wouldn’t be due for one on the way back. If that ship wanted to avoid sensors, it would add at least three days to its travel, crossing multiple other lanes. I would guess they don’t want to take a chance with whatever or whoever is on that ship."

Joni smiled. "Well, if we wanted to be nasty, we could call for a random inspection when it’s at its closest point to SS29."

I shook my head. "I don’t think so. We are running with our transponder off, and the security force on SS29 would want to know what we are doing in their area. If we are going to take them, I think we need to do it before reaching sensor range of that station."

Joni pulled up the map. "OK, how about right here. It puts us a half day outside those sensors, and far enough from Corrigan that they can’t call in any help."

I nodded. "There it is, then."

Twelve hours passed before our inspection point came into view on the nav screen. Joni pegged the throttle, and as predicted, seventeen minutes later, we slipped in beside the Jergens.

I flipped on the transponder and opened a comm channel. "Jergens, this is the
Daunte
. You have been selected for a random inspection. Please come to a full stop."

The Jergens nav officer replied, "Where did you come from? We had nothing on our sensors."

"Under order of the New Alliance, you are ordered to come to a full stop immediately."

Joni said, "The cargo doors are opening!"

I reached up and sent the core shutdown signal. The Jergens continued on its course.

Joni spoke. "That small ship is coming up. The shutdown was ineffective!"

I replied, "Roll us in behind the freighter’s engines."

Joni complied. I pulled up the weapons screen as the small craft emerged from the freighter and sped off in a perpendicular direction. I powered up the
Daunte
’s twin ion cannons and put them to use with a short burst into the freighter. Several explosions ripped through the rear of the ship as its propulsion systems were knocked offline.

Joni then rolled to starboard in pursuit of the small ship. Seven minutes later we came within striking distance, and fired a second set of low-power ion bolts. The small ship banked hard, causing a miss. Joni countered, pulling us in closer. A clean shot shut the runner down with minimal apparent damage.

After we pulled alongside and extended a grapple, the small ship was pulled to a stop. I slipped on my suit and helmet and was soon tapping on the outer hull. An air lock hatch was opened, and I stepped inside.

When the air lock opened, an old Igari was standing inside coughing and waving his hand back and forth in an attempt to clear the smoke.

"I am Detective Beutcher of the New Alliance security service. Identify yo—"

I stopped as I recognized the man’s face. "I’ve met you before. Your niece called you Shieka. On SS5. You led an attack in the hallways that killed several guards."

The old Igari detective sat down as the environmental system cleared the air. "Ah, yes, you are the other three star. I see you’ve moved up. One of the guards on SS5 was going to betray us. It was unfortunate that others had to die. Such is the toll of a revolution. How did you do it? How did you get your fourth star?"

I looked at my shoulder. "I managed to thwart the theft of a cesium freighter. Rescued a ship’s crew as well, and captured thirty thousand liters of bleurgh."

The old Igari nodded. "That was you. I can see how that might do it. Congratulations. If things were different, we might have been good friends. I’m sure you are just doing your job to the best of your ability. It’s what I would be doing too if I didn’t know."

I looked at the old Igari. "If you didn’t know what? I don’t understand why you are fighting the Saltons. There are bigger things at stake than our current form of government. There is a bigger war going on that the masses don’t know about. We are fighting for our lives in Andromeda right now. Millions if not billions have already died, and you are here disrupting our efforts."

The old Igari pursed his lips. "So, they have already gotten to you. All is lost here, then. My time has come."

The Igari reached out. "I always thought I would get a fourth star. May I touch it?"

It was an odd request, but one that would only be understood by another veteran detective. As the Igari distracted my attention with his hand touching the stars emblazoned on my space suit, he pulled a hidden mini blaster from a compartment on the side of his chair. The blaster was placed under his chin and the trigger pulled before I could react.

The Igari’s head exploded, splattering what had previously been his brains throughout the small cabin. My chest and arms were coated in a thin layer of the remains as I was rocked slightly backward.

Joni spoke over the comm. "How are things going over there?"

I hesitated. "I think he was a Free Alliance leader, or perhaps one of them. He just took his own life. We have this ship tethered. Let’s pull it back to the Jergens and get this wrapped up."