Spacer Clans Adventure 2: Naero's Gambit (29 page)

Naero sighed.

“We’ll do our best, Master Vane. I want to get Hashi back. But there is a war on still. Doesn’t it mean anything to you that we helped stall the enemy advance?”

“D
on’t kid yourself, Maeris. It will all heat up again, all too soon. This phony respite will last no more than a month or two.”

“I
’m afraid I agree with you there. The Corps and these new alien allies of theirs are biding their time. But we have to use this time to the best of our ability.”

“A
nd free Hashiko.”

“I
f we can. If we can find her. We don’t even know who or what these aliens are. Where they come from or where they took her when they fled. It’s a little scary that they had access to such incredible power sources on board their ships. They can create wormholes at will and vanish. And they also showed little concern for the outcome of a major battle.”

She paused and thought about it
more.

“A
ctually, they seemed more bent capturing Hashiko than anything else. Why would one Mystic matter so much to them? What does it all mean; why would they want her so badly?”

Vane threw up his hands in frustration.
“You’re the one there, you moron. You figure it out and tell me. Leave figuring out the alien motives to the strategists. Just find Hashiko, by any means necessary, and bring her back. Preferably alive.” He broke off their link abruptly.

Naero clenched both fists tight.

Part of her did feel responsible for Hashi.

“
By any means necessary,” Naero repeated.

35

On the third day after the battle, the Clan Fleets held their wakes for their heavy losses.

And a steady stream of caskets shot into the nearest star.

Naero and her people still mourned the loss of brave Captain Ruiz and all of her fine crew aboard
The Obsidian
.

Merely one ship that was lost.

One among so many.

Yet for weeks since The Fifth Spacer War began, the Clans had endured such losses or worse, on an almost daily basis.

For the time being, the insanity remained on hold.

C
easefire talks droned on for maddening days of folly and grandstanding by the Corps on INS. It was all a stupid show.

Naero watched them here and there
in simmering frustration, while Intel struggled to find out what was really happening and gain some kind of advantage.

She met with her friends, and the other officers of her command on board Captain Chaela
’s
The Ajax
. The old reliable battleship shaped like a flattened hexagon, with dual, rapid-fire spinal guns sticking our of each juncture of its hull.

Keeping with the ship
’s theme, the main conference room was also hexagon-shaped. Twenty meters wide and ten high. Light green bulkheads and blast panels open to reveal the stars.

Not a smart room but with a newly installed nanofloor, table, and chairs. Which most Spacer captains preferred as a standard feature.

Chae and Saemar were present.

Captain Tyber begged off from the meeting in order to see to some personal matters with Dr. Zhentisa. With the lull, Tye invited her over to inspect his new ship and his captain
’s quarters. Zhen had smiled and claimed that she was going to give the good captain a physical or some such.

Her two friends had never been apart for so long. Months as it turned out, what with the war and all. The meeting was not mandatory. She had granted their requests gladly.

Naero called her murmuring officers who were present to order.

“Let
’s get started, people.” The hush spread, and all eyes turned her way. Volume on the INS feeds and the various date arrays and holo screens went down low or off so that she could speak over them.

Naero pointed and sneered at the INS coverage of the Ceasefire Talks. “It is
obvious to myself and many that our foes see some value in playing out the sheer stupidity and delaying tactics of this farce. Of course, as we suspect, they’re also using this time to solidify their gains in the war thus far, improve their positions, and bring more fleets and troops on line closer to the front.”

Captain Max Li
i spoke up, a ready smile on his handsome face. “When questioned about their naked aggression against Spacers, their territory, and their allies, the Corps mouthpieces blather on about freedom and how the very fate of humanity is at stake in this, ‘War-To-End-All-Wars.’ They claim that the Spacer threat to Liberty and the grand ways of the Corps has to be dealt with. Once and for all time.”

Chaela took her turn next.

“We’ve never stopped protesting the Corps no prisoner policy. It is barbaric and unjust. In response, the Corps insist–despite overwhelming evidence–that Spacer crews routinely refuse to surrender, and always choose to fight to the death. I say we should do the same thing to their crews that we capture!”

Naero shook her head sadly. “No, Chae. We can
’t.”

Chae stared back at her in quiet, simmering anger.

“Why the hell not? They’re doing it to us. What makes that right?”

“Even so, we
’d be playing right into their hands. They’d never stop playing those vids against us, proving us to be the bloodthirsty foes they claim us to be. We have to keep the truth on our side.”

Captain Hans Konra
d agreed with Chae. “Nobody cares about the truth in this war. And a lot of good that’s going to do us when we’re all dead. Like Captain Lucia and her people.”

Naero bowed her head and closed her eyes.

I’m so sorry Luce.

So sorry we had no way to save you and your crew.

Naero lifted her head. “Luce and her people were our friends. Our family. No one mourns their loss more than all of us. But we have to keep our heads, and remain who and what we are, whatever vile actions the Corps take. If we simply become like them, what is the point? What is the difference who wins this war?”

Captain Saemar took a turn. “I
’m afraid En’s right, sweeties. We’d be giving the bastards a propaganda victory that they’re just itchin’ to exploit. In fact, similar speeches were made during all of the last four Spacer Wars. Our historical archives prove it.

“Just look at INS if you don
’t believe me. Why, one Corps jerk even got chastised and demoted for repeating–verbatim–one such speech some other Corps lackey made in the past–during The Second Spacer War.

“
Apparently, originality in Corps propaganda is some kind of frickin’ virtue. They can basically say the same lies. They just can’t plagiarize one another directly. It’s all silly and idiotic, while they commit mass murder by the tens of thousands and try to cover it up.”

Naero strove to re-direct the discussion.

“While I think all of these matters are serious and important, we all know very well that we have some new wild cards on the table now.”

Everyone sat up a bit straighter and looked both uncomfortable and slightly nervous.

“The new and unknown threats that the Corps’ new alien allies pose have got to be analyzed and dealt with. All of us saw firsthand how devastating their tek can be. Yet here’s the thing that bothers and worries me most. Why did they ignore a decisive battle that their tek could have clearly won–simply to capture one Mystic adept? Mitsubishi Hashiko.”

As the discussion continued, all of the captains confirmed from the first that they had transmitted all of their data to Admiral Klyne and Spacer Intel for analysis.

Many had a sinking intuition that there was indeed more at work behind the scenes than the Corps merely using the ceasefire talks as a ruse and a pretense to mass new elements and plot for another major military push.

But whatever these new aliens were up to, Naero and her people simply did not know enough about them and their capabilities or motivations to make any rational guesses.

After the long meeting, Naero returned to her quarters, head aching. She needed rest.

Half way through her troubled sleep, she a
t last she received a secret coded message on another one of the secure channels.

One
that only Baeven used.

The transmission simply read, once decoded:

Hurry to Celonia-4. Urgent. Bring serious help; but keep it quiet in the wings. Don’t let Intel know I’m your source. Good reason to believe that you and the other Mystics are now high value, priority enemy targets. All adepts are in serious, direct danger from the Corps’ new alien allies.

The final cryptic line read:

If I’m right, even bigger troubles lurk ahead. Worse than the war.

Naero blinked. She read it all again.

What in the hell could be worse than a damn war they were certain to lose?

She went to Klyne and told him her suspicions.

He looked a little startled.

“W
e have similar fears. How did you learn about all of this? What are your sources? It better not be Baeven.”

Naero dismissed that.
“We all know people who know things. It’s our business. We all have sources out there, digging for info everywhere. You know how it is. Rumors abound. But eventually, some of the rumors have the weight of truth to them.”

Klyne licked his lips.
“I suppose. But why Celonia-4? It’s a shabby little mining world on the edge of our space with Joshua Tech. Well away from any of the current fronts. Literally nothing of strategic or any military value there or anywhere close. Zero. Nacha. What could anyone possibly want there?”

Naero shrugged.
“Who knows what the aliens are after. But my sources tell me that some kind of trouble is brewing in that direction. And the aliens are directly involved.”

“H
mmm…" Klyne said, stroking his lips absently with his strong fingers.

Naero could almost see the complex wheels of his mind working. Klyne was said to be a genius among Intel strategists. But
presently, even he looked stumped.

“
These aliens are playing very deep game. We have no choice but to look into it and calculate all of the variables. Anything, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant.”

“D
on’t forget to check with the miners and Nevano Kinmal.”

“A
lready in touch with him. Waiting to hear back on coded channels. How much support are you going to need on this run, Naero?”

“M
y people, and ten other crack fleets hiding back in support on vectors I choose. I know you’ll re-position others nearby to pile in if needed.”

“S
OP. Do you think there’s any chance that Hashiko will actually turn up…still alive?”

Naero shook her head.
“Not sure. But I think if we find the aliens, we’ll find out what has happened to her. One other thing.”

“N
ame it.”

“I
want some major ground forces. Real ass-kickers. At least an entire battle group. Ready to drop and win at a moments notice.”

“
Hmmm…The Sterling 54th Highlanders, the 3rd Ghurkas–both are already deployed. Let me check.”

Klyne suddenly smiled.
“You want fighters, huh? Well, here you go. You want Big Jim Walker’s Second Spacer Marine Planetary Invasion Force. Bravo Command. Those bastards don’t know the meaning of fear. They love to fight–the hotter the action the better–and the Corps live in abject fear of them dropping down anywhere in the known systems.”

Klyne chuckled.
“And you’re in luck. Not only are they available, they’ve just come online with our most advanced armor and heavy weapons, straight out of the Intel and Spacer military development labs. They’ll be itching to try out all of their new toys.”

“S
ounds good. I’ve heard of them. If we find those aliens, I think we’re going to need them.”

“G
ood hunting,” Klyne said.

Naero and her forces launched the next day.

She retrieved her glowing medical officer and sent Alala, Captain Tyber, and
The Darkstar
crew forward to scout the area ahead of them.

The good thing about Naero using her trade fleet as a front was that they could mask their movements as a trade run among the mining worlds. Not only were the specialized ships of her fleet heavily armed, their captains and crews were hand-picked.

They reached Celonia-4. Long and short range scans showed nothing to worry about so far.

Like Klyne said, just an average
mining world, doing much better now that it was self-governed instead of under the heavy heel of Triax.

With the help of Spacers and Joshua Tech, the miners had flou
rished. Production from the mines was way up, safety ratings soared as the proper practices, regs, and safeguards were established and maintained.

Instead of over
three-quarters of the population living in fear and total squalor and misery, cities and well-ordered communities exploded. Their children were being properly educated. Exploration expanded exponentially, and there was prosperity and opportunity for anyone with the gumption to pursue it.

In short, the miners were happy
for the first time in a long time. Knowing a peace and contentedness that they had never known before.

But with the threat of war and Corps invasion once more, the miners had armed themselves to the very teeth. And swore openly to remain free and independent or go dow
n to the last soul fighting.

Everywhere Naero saw
miner commando banners reading:

Live Free or Die!

Never Again!

Death to Tyranny!

Invaders Beware!

Naero put on some old clothes she
’d worn among the miners when she had been fleeing in disguise. Back in the day.

She and Tarim smiled, slipping into their short dusty flight jackets. The ones with the old red Ejjai Avenger patches.

“Mine’s a little tight,” Tarim noted.

Naero laughed
, straightening out his collar on one side. “You’ve filled out a bit since then, Tarim. You’re not a skinny little half-starved miner punk like you were back then. Be careful you don’t get too fat.”

“W
ho’s fat?” Tarim said. “Working out with you crazy-ass Spacers? I’m lucky if I have an ounce of fat on me.”