Star Watch (12 page)

Lord Shakrim
entered the bridge with purpose. His sudden black and gold appearance, the momentary flashes of red, brought crew activity to a momentary standstill. Heads bowed as Shakrim strode to the center of the triangular-shaped bridge. Three of the ship’s senior officers stood at the center console, referred to as the board, where a high-resolution display provided a comprehensive, logistical presentation of space and the planets within the local solar system.

The three officers were obviously in the middle of something—probably strategizing. With a casual swipe of his hand, Lord Shakrim cleared the board to black. With another wave, he brought forth a live feed of the planet below, Corplin-Re. Standing erect, hands on his hips, he assessed the gray world. He used his mind—his telekinetic powers—and the image below began to enlarge, to zoom in, at a faster and faster rate. The three officers quietly watched his superior telekinesis abilities at work. All Sahhrain possessed similar mental powers, in varying degrees: the ability to move small objects—ten to fifteen feet. But it always required the use of hands—a wave … a gesture with two hands, or some kind of physical motion, or action—to manipulate the objects. Lord Shakrim
needed no such antics. His telekinetic powers were far superior to those of others on the ship, or in the entire fleet, for that matter. He wasn’t limited, either, to mere ten- or fifteen-foot manipulations—he was able to mentally move very heavy objects a mile’s distance. He continued to focus, zooming in on the planet until the feed showed him exactly what he was seeking.

“Lord Shakrim, as you can see, our army has constrained the local Dacci populace. What resistance we encountered from their paltry military effort has also been dealt with. We also have control of the Loop wormhole here in Dacci space—”

“I’m well aware of all this, Commander Hilt … If I want to hear you prattle annoyingly, I’ll ask you to.” Lord Shakrim continued to stare at the feed. A straight line of attacking Sahhrain
shieldsmen
warriors, each dressed identically in black battle suits, had
enhancement shields
worn on their left forearms. These small shields worked uniformly with the shieldsmen’s own telekinetic powers—amplifying them—creating a directional pulse or wave that virtually paralyzed nearby opponents.

He watched as the marines maintained a tight formation. The embattled Dacci, small and insubstantial-looking in comparison, attacked indiscriminately from all sides. Some fired handheld plasma weapons, while others resorted to throwing stones. Shakrim zoomed back some to get a better, wider perspective. Thousands upon thousands of Dacci bodies lay lifeless on the ground. He smiled and nodded his approval. Shakrim knew better … they were not dead. No, death would come to them, but very slowly … hours, maybe days, from now. Mere killing was far too easy. The Sahhrain were infamous for inflicting rituals of unending suffering …

Chapter 16

Alchieves System

The
Minian
, Bridge

_________________

The
Minian
exited the interchange wormhole at the outskirts of the Alchieves star system. Within minutes, the rest of the armada followed suit. Moments later, the wormhole began to slowly fade, eventually disappearing completely from view.

“Talk to me, Gunny,” Jason said.

“Looks like the Pharloms have arrived in force,” Orion replied back from tactical. “No less than fifty warships of varying size and strength, and more are still arriving, as we speak. All have plasma weaponry and advanced shielding capabilities. A formidable fleet, Cap. Looks like there’s several stationary transport-type vessels here as well.”

“Well, we’re not here to start the next interstellar war … let’s see if we can try a little diplomacy first. Seaman Gordon, hail their command ship.”

“Aye, Captain.” Several minutes went by, “… um … no response, sir,” Gordon said.

Jason studied the logistics segment on the overhead display. Most Pharlom vessels were farther within the system, closer to the Trom world, approximately six hundred million miles’ distance from their current position. Ten warships were positioned closer and in a line at the edge of that system. “What are those, Gunny?” Jason asked, gesturing toward a series of red icons distributed around the planetary system.

“Cannon platforms … big mothers, too, Cap. I’m guessing those things pack a major wallop.”

“Any way to know if the Pharloms have taken control of them?”

“Not really—”

“Totally disagree,” Bristol interjected from the forward port side of the bridge. “I just pinged one of their sensor interface ports … though what I can see of the code is minimal, I am seeing a reassignment of their command and control parameters. You can bet they are now Pharlom-controlled guns.”

“I stand corrected, Captain. Looks like Bristol’s right,” Orion said.

Jason nodded, his eyes still on the display. “Show me the command ship.”

A pulsating ring surrounded one of the warships, the one closest to Trom.

“It’s the heaviest of the lot, Captain,” Orion said. “It has shields comparable to those of our Craing cruisers, yet significantly better firepower.”

“Sir, I finally have a hail response … a Grand Overseer … Mangga … apparently he’s the fleet commander.”

“Thank you, Seaman Gordon … on screen.”

It took several moments for Jason to figure out what the hell he was looking at. Perhaps a pile of rocks? Jason glanced toward Orion—she shrugged and looked as mystified as he felt.

“Hello … I am Captain Jason Reynolds of the Allied Star Watch vessel, the
Minian
. Who am I addressing?”

The pile of rocks shifted and turned. “You are addressing Grand Overseer Mangga. What do you want here?”

“You’ve entered Allied space and have taken predatory action against an Alliance world. I want you to pull your forces back … do it now. Then we can discuss reparations for the damages you’ve caused within this system.”

“And who are you to dictate to me, human garbage?” the Pharlom leader replied in his deep gravelly voice.

Jason felt his irritation growing. Not knowing where Mangga’s eyes were, or if he even had eyes, was disconcerting. “What I am … is the Law …” Jason smiled. “There’s a new sheriff in town and I’m giving you ten minutes to pull your forces back.”

Again the gravelly voice boomed, “I do not need to pull my forces back, human refuse. Leave this system now, or be annihilated.”

“Listen to me, Mangga … I don’t want to destroy you, or your fleet. Honestly, I really don’t. There’s been far too much of that over the last few years. But be advised, don’t let the size of our armada deceive you; I assure you, you are outmatched in every way that counts.”

“Leave here, human. This is your final warning.”

“We’re not going anywhere …”

Orion interjected, “Captain, the Pharlom ship is charging weapons.”

Before Jason could say anything else, five consecutive plasma bursts erupted from the bow of the Pharlom command ship.

Jason reached for the chair’s armrest. “Damage report,” Jason yelled.

“It’s not us, Captain … it was one of the two large transport ships,” Orion said.

Jason saw that a new segment had been added above and he was now looking at significant space debris from one of the two transport vessels.

“Apparently the two ships were being held captive, Cap, and one of those transports was just fired upon … not destroyed, but has sustained heavy damage. With close to one hundred thousand passengers on board, the casualties could be high.”

Jason wanted to atomize the Pharlom warship. The command to do so was on the tip of his tongue. He looked at Orion and then back to the screen. “And the other one … how many are on board?”

“Even more, approximately one hundred and thirty thousand passengers.”

Jason looked up to the display. He pictured himself taking a sledgehammer to the pile of rocks sitting there. He managed to somewhat rein in his emotions. “Orion, go ahead, make that command ship our bitch.”

“Gladly, Cap.”

In a flurry of plasma fire, small explosions erupted along the exterior hull of the Pharlom command ship.

“She’s currently weaponless and her drives are toast … I’d be happy to finish her—”

“No … that’s fine for now. Okay … do the same thing to the ten closest Pharlom warships.”

Orion faced her tactical board and momentarily spoke a series of commands. Another flurry of plasma fire erupted from the
Minian
as well as six other Star Watch armada warships—each contributing to the rapid-fire attack. “No return fire, Captain. All of the closest enemy ships are disabled. All other Pharlom vessels are keeping their distance.”

“We’ve made our point to Mangga and his fleet. I think what’s needed now is a little face-to-face time,” Jason said, through clenched teeth—realizing that probably wasn’t the best choice of words. The Pharlom Grand Overseer didn’t really have much of a face. There was a loud roar of noise—much of which were insults—coming from Mangga. The pile of rocks was standing and looked to be stomping.

“Stand by, Grand Overseer Mangga, your vessel’s about to be boarded.”
He turned toward Orion. “Find Traveler and a few of his friends. Have Billy assemble a team of no more than ten. And roust my XO … tell him he’s needed on the bridge.”

“Yes, Cap,” Orion said.

Jason surveyed the bridge, looking for Ricket. Less than four feet tall, he was often easy to overlook. Ricket entered the bridge and headed directly for the command chair. Jason had given up a long time ago trying to figure out how he did that … how he seemed to show up just when he was needed.

“Yes, Captain?”

Jason was still shaken. “Ricket, I have a special project for you.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Communications with Trom went dark some time ago. We need to know what’s going on there. It’s evident an insurgency of Pharlom forces is already on the planet. I need to know if there are survivors and, specifically, where we can find them … perhaps communicate with them. It looks like we’ll be preoccupied here for the immediate future.”

“I suggest we send a series of probes, Captain. Once we have more information, more data, I can better suggest a methodology for communicating with any survivors.”

“Good. I’ll check in with you later.” Jason rose, hurrying to his feet.

“Captain, Traveler requests you meet him at the entrance to the Zoo. He says he doesn’t know his way around the
Minian
yet.”

He
’
s not the only one
, Jason thought to himself. When things settled down, he really needed to spend time exploring the rest of his ship. “I’m on my way. Have Billy and his team meet us there as well.”

Commander Perkins entered the bridge, blinking away sleep from his eyes. “I am ready to relieve you, sir.”

“Thank you, Commander, I am ready to be relieved.” Jason waited for his XO to approach so he could talk to him in a lowered voice. “Orion will bring you up to speed. I am not looking to go to war here, Commander. Fire only if fired upon. Use your discretion. Measured force only, is that understood?”

“Perfectly, sir.”

“For now, have the armada sit tight here. Be prepared to bring the
Minian
, via a series of phase-shifts, to the Pharlom command ship’s coordinates. I’m taking an assault team onto their vessel … have a little powwow with their commander.”

Jason gave Perkins a curt nod and headed for the exit.

“Good luck, Sheriff,” Orion said to him with a smile.

* * *

Jason found Traveler, plus three other rhino-warriors, standing at the entrance to the
Minian
’s Zoo. Rhino-warriors First Reflection, Hangs to Ground, and Few Words stood with him. Hangs to Ground, aptly named for his remarkably long, almost touching all the way to the deck, member, grunted recognition at seeing Jason. What first grabbed Jason’s attention was the young girl, staring up at Traveler. Boomer! Her scolding finger pointed up at Traveler in the middle of some sort of reprimand.

“You need to wipe your feet when you come in here to the Zoo, Traveler. Who do you think mops the deck? I do.”

Jason held back a comment and let Traveler take his medicine. The beast looked somewhat dejected. Traveler glanced over to Jason but only got a commiserate shrug in response.

Boomer saw her father and smiled brightly. “Dad!” She ran over and gave him a hug.

He looked down into her large brown eyes. “Hey, little one, where’s your …”

“I’m here,” came a woman’s voice.

Petty Officer Briar Mansfield peered around the bulk of Breeds Often. She gave Jason a little wave.

“I’m showing Briar what my duties are in the Zoo.”

“That’s good. You’re doing your studies … your school work, too?”

“We did that this morning, Captain,” the petty officer answered, replying for his daughter.

“That’s excellent … why don’t you run along now, Boomer. I’ve got some business to attend to with Traveler and the others here.” He watched Boomer, who first assessed the team of rhinos, and then Billy and his assault team, who’d just entered. Her interest in such things did not elude him. She was a smart, plugged-in, little girl.

“Come on, Briar, I want to show you the Shintoh Gloths.”

Jason waited for them to disappear from sight before turning toward Billy.

“What’s on our plate today, Cap?” Billy asked.

Rizzo and Sergeant Jackson were among Billy’s assault team and Jason acknowledged them with a nod of his chin. “We’re dropping in on a Pharlom command ship. They’ve invaded this Allied star system and we need to convince them to leave.”

“That sounds very diplomatic, Cap. Should we bring chocolates, maybe some flowers?” Billy asked him, with a lopsided grin.

Jason didn’t respond, he was being hailed by the bridge.

“Go for Captain.”

“Captain, we’ve completed our phase-shifts. We’re in close to the Pharlom command ship … we’re actually well inside their shields.”

“Thank you, XO. Have Gunny update our HUDs with the Pharlom ship’s layout … no, never mind; it just came through. I’ll be in touch.”

Jason saw Billy’s helmet visor open, a wet and soggy stogie protruding from the corner of his mouth. He caught his eye and Billy removed the cigar, placing it into one of the many small compartments on his battle suit. Jason perused the overlay of the Pharlom ship’s layout on his HUD. He found the bridge and a section of the ship large enough for his team to phase-shift into.