Progeny (The Progenitor Trilogy, Book Three) (51 page)

‘Excellent.  That’s very encouraging,’ said Steven.  ‘What intelligence do you have on the situation in this system?’

‘Yeah, and would you mind telling us what happened to Port Royal?’ Isaacs added.

‘From the beginning, then...’ said the Speaker.  ‘Shortly after you departed for Earth, it became clear that the enemy was aware of our presence in the system.  Perhaps they were able to detect the signature of your ship’s departure, but we just don’t know.  In any case, they proceeded to sweep the system methodically with their ships, working outwards from the centre of the system.  It was only a matter of time before they located Port Royal.  With no means of moving the base again, our options were limited, particularly since most of our smaller craft had been too badly damaged during the previous attack to be easily repairable, if they could be repaired at all.’

‘I did my best,’ said Farouk.  ‘But most of the ships in the main bay had been almost totally destroyed, either by the Shapers or by our attempts to destroy their ship once it had rammed its way into the bay.  We salvaged what parts I could manage, but it wasn’t much.  Those that we had in side bays were the only ones to survive, and many of those were already damaged from previous missions.  We didn’t have a hope of repairing enough of them in time to mount an evacuation.’

‘Our only remaining option was to repair the
Uncaring Cosmos
, and use it to get everyone off the base,’ said the Speaker.  ‘The engineers aboard this vessel worked tirelessly to get her operational once more and make good the damage she sustained in the battle against the Shaper destroyers, but time was not on our side.  As it was, they only succeeded in getting the main sub-light engines and cloaking device back online.  We had no weapons, and no jump capability, but it was enough.  We transferred what ships and supplies we could and got everyone off just in time before the Shapers arrived and assaulted the base a second time.  This time they did not attempt to capture it and brought in heavier craft to finish the job.  We had vacated the area less than an hour before, by your reckoning, when they arrived.  I believe the appropriate human phrase would be: we escaped by the skin of our teeth.  Yes?’

‘Yes, that certainly sounds fitting.  How have you evaded them since then?’ said Anna.

‘With some difficulty.  The vessel’s cloaking technology permits us a degree of protection.  The Shapers seem to be unable to detect us at long range, though they appear to be able to see us clearly enough at distances of less than, by your reckoning, five AU.  They have hunted us diligently.  We have been keeping to the outer system, but it is only the skill of her captain and crew that have kept us alive.  Things have become easier for us now that the ship’s jump engines and weapons systems have been repaired, but we cannot risk battle again.  Putting people onto the surface or Orinoco was done for two reasons: firstly, we needed to know what was happening on the surface, and secondly, we could not risk keeping so many people aboard this vessel in case she were destroyed.  All Nahabe have of course remained aboard as we would be far too obvious were we to attempt to mingle with the mostly human population of Orinoco.’

‘And what is the situation on the moon, and in the system in general?  Have the Shapers enslaved everyone?’ said Steven.

‘No, it does not appear so.  Admiral Morgan, formerly of the Commonwealth Navy, has installed himself as the self proclaimed president of what he calls The Freedom Alliance, a rival entity that appears to comprise systems whose political leaders have gone over to the Shapers, willingly or otherwise.  For all intents and purposes this new nation exists as a puppet regime to the Shapers, its population cowed by the sudden imposition of authoritarian rule and blanket propaganda that paints the Commonwealth as the villains.  However, despite a crackdown by the military and the police for the past few weeks – who have presumably been infiltrated en masse - it seems that life is actually continuing almost as normal for the majority of citizens.  Trade between the systems of this Freedom Alliance has resumed, though we understand that there are stringent checks on all arriving ships.’

‘So just who have the Shapers taken control over?’

‘Difficult to tell, but it seems that all Navy vessels that have gone over to the enemy are now under direct Shaper control, at least all of those that have entered the system recently have shown clear signs of strong Shaper presence aboard.  It is probably safe to assume that any of the marines that were under Cox’s command in the Hadar system are also enslaved.  As to the rest of the armed forces and the police forces in the system, the situation is less clear.  Our people on the surface report seeing local units that appeared to consist of non-enslaved personnel, judging from their general manner, whilst others have sighted units that showed clear signs of enslavement and were accompanied by small Shaper craft. Even non-human units of races hitherto unknown to us have occasionally been sighted.  We have tracked a number of large vessels entering the system of Shaper origin.  It is safe to assume that they have brought in ground forces from elsewhere, though this flow of additional troops appears to have slowed to a trickle since my people began to launch raids against supply lines and rallying positions far beyond the Commonwealth’s borders.  It seems that although many local forces are being kept in line via a mixture of propaganda, fear and the enslavement of key personnel and units, that the Shapers have been attempting to consolidate their position by bringing in outside help.  We also have rumours that the Shapers themselves have been sighted on Orinoco, though these are unsubstantiated.  Whether they lack the resources or the desire to take over the entire system is not clear, but it seems that those who pose a threat to them, or hold important positions may have been enslaved or killed.  Presumably anyone who does not follow orders is dealt with accordingly.  It is very possible that this process may have begun before Morgan openly rebelled against the Commonwealth.’

‘Jesus.  Sounds like Morgan has installed himself as the head of a totalitarian regime,’ said Isaacs.

‘Yes, although doubtless he has his own orders, and it is not known whether he remains entirely human or not. Admiral Cox is also present on the moon.  It seems that he somehow survived his defeat in the Solar System and he has appeared in a number of public broadcasts where, ironically, Morgan has hailed him a hero and true patriot.  Haines, on the other hand, has been demonised as a butcher and a war criminal.’

‘So what sort of naval presence are we looking at?’ said Steven.  ‘If this is to be Morgan’s new capital, I’d expect it to be heavily defended.’

‘You are correct.  Ships come and go regularly, but at any time there remains a large number of Shaper warships present in the system along with those Commonwealth vessels that they have captured.  Two carrier battle groups are currently present and we are tracking thirty Shaper craft of varying types in this system alone.  There is something else, however...’

‘Go on,’ said Steven.

‘Our recon units in deep space came across this enemy vessel. It’s something that we have not seen before, either in this war, or our previous encounters with the Shapers.’  As he talked, the Speaker began to project a grainy image of the craft.  Its elongated, bulbous body and long arms that projected forward from the main hull gave it the appearance of something squid-like, albeit composed of interlocking crystal shards.  ‘This vessel jumped shortly after we encountered it, and the units that came across it, lacking our recent developments in sensor technology, lost it in hyperspace.  However we are now tracking the vessel using our modified sensor array and it is inbound to the Achernar system and appears to be heading for Orinoco, along with its escorts.’

‘So, it’s one more group of Shaper vessels to worry about,’ said Isaacs.  ‘What’s the big deal, other than the usual problems associated with dealing with them?’

‘Captain Isaacs, this ship is around five hundred kilometres from bow to stern.’

‘It’s
what
!?  Fucking hell...’

‘It does not appear to be a simple warship.  Its purpose is unclear.  It appears to have strong defensive weapons, but few offensive ones.  Those forward arms look like they should house some terrible weapon, but the scans we obtained appeared to suggest not.  Nevertheless, it is a formidable opponent, more than capable of holding off entire fleets of vessels.  We must gather more information on this craft.  Both the Commonwealth and my people need to know how to deal with a vessel of this size.’

‘How?’ said Isaacs. ‘Look at the size of that thing!  If ever we needed the Arkari...’

‘The Arkari seem to be doing what they do best.  Acting alone and shutting the rest of us out,’ said Steven bitterly.  ‘No, we cannot depend upon their help.  We need to get a good look at that thing and find out what it does.’

‘Are you planning on just flying up alongside it and asking the Shapers if we can take a few pictures?’ said Isaacs incredulously.  ‘Maybe we could pose in front of it?’

‘Well I wasn’t exactly going to ask, but yeah, something like that.  We could use the
Profit Margin
to get a sneaky peek.’

‘Un-fucking-believable.  I love you Steven, I hope you know that,’ said Isaacs, his voice dripping with sarcasm.  ‘Wow, another suicide mission for me and my ship.  What fun!’

‘Calm down.  If we play this right, we can sail right on by and still complete our original mission.  Besides, I thought you said you were the expert pilot?’

‘Yes, also still alive, a state of being that I intend to continue with if you don’t mind.  Flying right up to enemy star-ships the size of small countries is not on my list of ‘sensible things to do,’ to be honest.’

‘Listen: you used to be a smuggler, correct?’ said Steven

‘On occasion, yeah, I admit it,’ said Isaacs and shrugged. ‘Anna did it for longer than me, but we both skirted around the edges of the law from time to time.’

‘I did more than just skirt, to be honest,’ said Anna.  ‘The Hidden Hand was a full scale piracy operation.  For a good cause, admittedly.’

‘Right, so this is no different.  We need to get to Orinoco posing as legitimate traders, like we agreed before, except we make sure our flight path takes us within sight of this ship once it enters orbit.  You’ve done this a million times before, am I right?’ said Steven, trying to sound encouraging.

‘I know I’m going to regret this,’ said Isaacs.  ‘But tell me, Agent Harris, what exactly is it that you have planned?’

Chapter 32

Chen did her best to relax.  She had booked herself into one of the better hotels in Izmir, the planetary capital of New Hatti, and had spent much of her time sleeping off the fatigue of recent weeks, rising late to wander the souks and ornamental gardens or sit alone by the water’s edge at one of the many cafes that lined the great promenade that led to the port.  It felt good to do almost nothing for a change, but she couldn’t fully shut out the war, no matter where she went.  There were uniformed figures everywhere she looked, such was the concentration of Commonwealth forces in the Delta Pavonis system, and service men and women could be seen everywhere alone or in groups, laughing and joking at the table next to her, wandering hand in hand along the waterfront, being ejected in rowdy drunken groups from the bars and brothels in the older quarter of town.  They were all trying to grab a few fleeting final moments of happiness and release before the coming storm. They were a constant, nagging reminder.

              At night, the hot, dry air of the deserts of New Hatti created night skies that were famed for their clarity and beauty.  Gazing upwards, it was possible to look towards the heart of the galaxy, and see the vast bands of stars and lanes of dark dust laid out with breathtaking brilliance.  But the scene did little to set her mind at ease.  The centre of the galaxy was where
they
came from, from where they reached out across the stars to snuff out and enslave the younger civilisations, and one bright star in particular, shining brilliant blue-white against the background of more distant stars gazed balefully down at her: Achernar, now under the heel of the enemy and the centre of their new domain, the heart of the enemy presence in humanity’s own backyard.

              If she looked carefully, other lights could be seen against the glittering backdrop: the regular patterns of ships parked in orbit, visible in the night sky as light glinted from their flanks or engines fired as they manoeuvred into position. There were rank upon rank of carriers, destroyers, frigates, cruisers and lumbering troop transports up there, as well as a constant stream of craft rising and falling from the spaceport located where the fringes of the city of Izmir met the sands of the great desert.

              Her mind wandered too to the last time that she had had any leave to speak of.  She had managed barely a day on Earth to visit her parents a few weeks previously, which felt like a lifetime ago with all that had happened since, but the last time she had anything more was over two years ago.  That was when she and Al...

              She still missed him.  She missed his easy manner and ready smile.  He had been her rock at the time, a comfort against the terrors that they knew they would both have to face.  Since then, there had been no-one.  She had had to find her own strength and there had not been the opportunity to meet anyone else.  Besides, she had not wanted to entangle herself, certainly not with anyone on the crew.  She had made that mistake once and it had cost her dearly.  She still remembered what he had looked like as he died in her arms.  She couldn’t bear that a second time.  She must have no attachments but to her ship and her crew. Not with all that was at stake.  Perhaps when all of this was over, if she, if anyone, survived.

              McManus had been a good choice for her XO, she reflected.  Cartwright was perhaps a better judge of character that she gave him credit for.  Though at times he behaved like stern headmaster, and McManus a disreputable uncle, she got the distinct impression that the two of them together were watching her back, and though she would always deny that she needed looking after, it felt good to know that with Haines gone, there was still somebody out there looking out for her.