Frontiers 07 - The Expanse (4 page)

On cue, the gray swirling fog within the cylinders began to drain into the floor of each chamber, revealing their contents. Each cylinder contained a finely chiseled specimen of a man with broad shoulders and massive arms. Nathan and Cameron watched as the fog sank into the floor of each cylinder, slowly revealing each Ghatazhak warrior from the head down.

“Uh, is he going to suck all the fog out of those tubes?” Cameron asked, her face slightly reddening. “Because I’m pretty sure they’re completely naked in there.”

“They must be in some kind of stasis,” Nathan commented.

“
Within these tubes are one hundred of the Ta’Akar Empire’s mighty Ghatazhak warriors. As we all know from their attack on the staging point during the battle of Answari, only the fires of hell itself can stop the Ghatazhak from following the orders of the one they are programmed to obey. These one hundred warriors, Captain Scott, have been programmed to obey and protect you, as well as anyone you order them to protect. They have no fear, and they have no conscience. They are, quite literally, human killing machines. They have no hopes. They have no dreams. Their only wish is to serve and to die an honorable death in the service of their leader, which is now you, Captain Scott.
”

“You’re right,” Nathan whispered, “this is creepy.”

Tug’s image continued. “
It seems a gruesome and savage thing, these men who are bred only for combat, men without souls or self-determination.
” Tug hung his head down low for a moment. “
The Ghatazhak are an abhorrent thing to behold. The question of what to do with such creatures has not been an easy one. Our scientists are working on ways to deprogram these ruthless men; however, until we are certain that this can be done with one hundred percent certainty, we must keep them in stasis to protect not only the people, but the Ghatazhak themselves. There are more than one thousand of them in stasis on Takara under the absolute highest security. However, considering the unknowns that may lie ahead of you, keeping a platoon of such close at hand seems a logical step, should their need ever arise. Trust me, Captain. As absurd as it may sound, if such a need does arise, you will be thankful that these men are available to you.
”

Tug’s image paused, straightening his attire before continuing. “
When you require the services of the Ghatazhak, place your hand on the command console here,”
Tug explained, his hologram pointing toward a control panel on one of the support pillars in between two cylinders.
“It will take one of your hours for them to be fully revived, at which point they will undoubtedly need to be fed…
” Tug smiled. “
A lot. Twenty-four hours later, they will be ready for action. Their combat armor and weapons are stored in the lockers above each cylinder and are keyed to each of the occupants. Additional supplies and ammunition are stored in lockers accessible at the rear of this container.
”

Tug’s image took several steps toward Nathan and Cameron. “
Nathan, we can never fully repay you for all that you have done for us. Please accept this gift in the spirit in which it was intended. I only wish to see that you survive to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.
” Tug’s image stood motionless as the hologram began to fade out. “
Good luck to you, my friend.
”

Nathan and Cameron stood in silence. He looked about at the two levels of tubes full of the deadliest men in the galaxy. He tried to imagine a scenario in which he might be forced to utilize such men. One word came to his lips. “Damn.”

CHAPTER TWO

Loki turned his head slowly from side to side, checking to see if anyone was standing nearby. As he’d hoped, everyone on the bridge was busy attending to their respective duties as the Aurora prepared for departure. Satisfied that no one was paying him undue attention, he leaned to his right and spoke in a hushed tone. “Are you nervous?”

“What?” Josh replied with more volume than Loki would have liked.

Loki looked about again. “Are you nervous?”

“What is there to be nervous about? It’s not like we haven’t flown this ship before.”

“But we’re about to fly it to the other side of the galaxy.”

“It’s only a thousand light years, Loki,” Josh reminded his friend, “and it’ll take us less time to get there than it originally took you to get to Haven.”

“Maybe, but still, we’re leaving everything and everyone we know behind.”

“Good riddance, I say.”

“Easy enough for you; Marcus is coming, too. But I may never see my family again. And they don’t even know I’m leaving.”

“You sent them word, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, through Tug, or Prince Casimir, or whatever we’re supposed to call him these days. The captain assured me that Tug would get word to them.” Loki scanned his displays once more, sighing at the thought of never seeing his parents and his sister again. “I just wish I could have told them myself, I guess.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Josh told him. “Considering the state of the cluster right now, you may be back before they even get the message.”

“That’s not helping.”

“You know what your problem is, Loki? You think too much.”

“I think too much? How does one think too much?”

“You’re always thinking about all the little, related things. You need to be more like me.”

“You mean charging through life at a million kilometers per second without any forethought?”

Josh grinned. “It is less complicated.”

“No thanks. I’d rather think too much.”

“Suit yourself,” Josh said, “but all that thinking can get in the way. Trust me.”

“How would you even know?” Loki wondered.

“I used to be just like you when I first started flying. Believe it or not, it was Marcus who set me straight. He taught me to use my instincts instead of trying to analyze the life out of everything.”

“Is that what you think I do?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, one of us has to,” Loki said, “or else you’d surely get us killed.”

“Why do you think I fly with you?” Josh added with a wink.

* * *

“I see we’re not taking a direct route out of the Pentaurus cluster,” Nathan commented as he examined the departure course displayed on the wall-mounted display above the couch in his ready room.

“There are still quite a few inhabited systems between Darvano and the edge of the sector,” Cameron said. “I thought it best to avoid contact with anyone else on our way out.”

“Not a bad idea, Commander. How many jumps will that add?”

“Only four, sir.”

“We’re still sticking to jumps of ten light years?”

“For now,” Cameron said. “Abby still isn’t ready to try increasing our range. She expects she’ll be ready by the time we clear the Pentaurus sector. However, the good news is that the upgrades installed by the Takarans have cut our recharge time in half. So the four extra jumps will only cost us twenty hours instead of forty.”

“I’ve got no problem giving up a day to avoid extra complications,” Nathan said. “I’ve had enough of those to last me a lifetime.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then we’re all set to depart?”

“We’re still waiting on engineering. Lieutenant Commander Kamenetskiy wanted to make one last check of the backup fusion reactors that the Takarans installed.”

“He still doesn’t trust them, does he?”

“The Takarans?”

“No, their fusion reactors,” Nathan said.

“I think he just doesn’t completely understand them yet; that’s all. Until he does, I don’t think he
can
trust them.”

“According to Vlad, the Takarans’ knowledge of controlled fusion is centuries ahead of us. They’ve been using fusion reactors to power everything from homes to cars to ships,” Nathan said. “Did you know they don’t even have a power grid on Takara? Every building has its own little reactor to provide electrical power. They’re self-contained, little units that require no service whatsoever. They just light them up, and they run for like a decade or something. Then they just swap them out and refurbish them for reuse. Can you imagine?”

“It does sound less complicated. I’m just not sure it’s safe.”

“That’s because we’re not used to such technologies.”

“We’ll have to make sure Mister Montgomery and his people share that knowledge with Fleet once we get home,” Cameron stated.

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Commander.”

Nathan returned his attention to the display on his desk. After a moment, he realized that Commander Taylor was still standing there. “Was there something else?”

“I was wondering what you’re planning to do with Tug’s little present.”

“Nothing for now,” Nathan said.

“Nothing?”

He shrugged. “What did you expect me to do with it? Send it back?”

“You’re actually going to take a platoon of men programmed to kill everything in their path back to Earth with us?” she wondered. “Pardon me, sir, but do you think that’s wise?”

“To be honest, I really don’t know,” Nathan admitted. “But I think Tug was right about one thing. If we ever find ourselves in a situation where we truly need them, we’re going to be glad we have them.”

“Nathan, they’re a deadly weapon, one that we’re not even sure we can control.”

“And nukes on point-and-shoot torpedoes aren’t?”

“That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”

“Look, Cam, I’ve been doing some reading on the Ghatazhak. They’re not as much robots as people like to imagine. In fact, I’m beginning to suspect that much of that is myth, maybe even propaganda used by the Ta’Akar to instill fear in their subjects. Those are men, just like us…”

“You mean like you.”

“You know what I mean. They’re highly trained, fanatically dedicated to their code of honor, which is leader, code, brother, in that order. They’re more akin to holy warriors than special forces, at least in their dedication. In their training, they make special forces look like recruits straight out of boot camp.”

“So you expect to find trouble on the way home?” she asked.

“No, I don’t. But after all we’ve been through, I’m not about to take any chances either.”

“We do have our own platoon of Corinari on board, you know.”

“Yes, I do. Speaking of which, it would be better if Major Waddell did
not
know about the Ghatazhak. In fact, I would prefer that it remain our little secret.”

Cameron sighed, which was rare.

“Look, Cam, I hope to God we never have to wake those guys up. But they’d be in stasis either way, so why not park a few of them with us?” Nathan leaned back in his chair. “Hell, I wish he would’ve given us a whole company of them.”

“
Captain, Comms,
” Naralena’s voice called over the intercom on the work terminal on his desk.

“Go ahead.”

“
Sir, Cheng reports the engineering department is ready for departure.
”

“Very well.” Nathan clicked off his intercom. “I guess we’re ready.” He rose from his seat. “I assume the matter is closed?”

“Yes, sir,” Cameron agreed, “for now.”

“I’ll take what I can get, Commander.” Nathan noticed the look on her face, but he knew she technically had no say in the matter. He also knew that Cameron would continue to pester him about the Ghatazhak hiding in their cargo hold. That was fine with him, as she always kept him on his toes and thinking, which was a good thing. “Shall we?”

“After you, sir,” she said, respecting his rank, as always.

Nathan strolled out of his ready room and onto the bridge of the Aurora, nodding at the guard as he passed with Commander Taylor following behind him.

“Captain on the bridge!” the guard announced.

The bridge had a completely different feel now that it was fully repaired. Gone were the burnt-out consoles and blackened conduits. The entire comm-center located along the aft end of the bridge between either exit had finally been completely replaced during their layover at the Takaran shipyards. Now there were two comm stations in use, making internal communications far easier to manage during combat.

All six of the stations that lined either side of the bridge had also undergone extensive refit. Their computer systems had been upgraded, as well as their software. In fact, there were only three things that weren’t completely replaced during their time at the shipyards: the helm and navigation console located at the front of the bridge, the command chair in the center, and the tactical station directly behind it. Although they had received some enhancements, they were relatively unchanged.

Not only had everything been repaired, replaced or upgraded, but it had all been cleaned. For that matter, the entire ship sparkled from top to bottom, inside and out. They had even been given a few of the automated cleaning bots used by Takaran warships.

To Nathan, the Aurora felt like a whole new ship. It was still the same design and the same layout, but it felt new, like she had never seen combat. Still, he would have done anything for working shields similar to those used by the Takaran warships. He hoped that Abby and the Takaran scientists that had agreed to travel with them back to Earth would figure out how to make the ZPEDs work without interfering with the jump drive.

“Comms, notify the Corinairans that we are breaking orbit and heading home.”

“Yes, sir,” Naralena said.

“Well, that sure felt good to say,” Nathan said to Cameron. “Helm, take us up to departure altitude, and break orbit as soon as we’re on a general heading for the Sol sector.”

“Aye, Captain,” Josh answered. “Increasing power, climbing to departure altitude.”

“Departure point in six minutes, sir,” Loki announced after making some quick calculations on the new navigational computer installed by the Takarans.

“Very well. Once we break orbit, bring us on course and speed for the first jump.”

“Aye, sir,” Josh responded.

“Naralena, you’d better send a courtesy call to Karuzara to let them know we’re departing as well.”

“Captain,” Commander Taylor interrupted, “the Karuzari disbanded more than a week ago.”

“What did they do with their base?”

“They gave it back to the Corinairans. Now that FTL travel is no longer reserved for Takaran ships, the asteroid base is being hollowed out further and made into a spaceport.”

“That’s a good idea,” Nathan said. “That will certainly help get them ready for interstellar travel more quickly. What about the Yamaro base?”

“They are expanding that one as well, increasing the interior space so that they can begin fitting interplanetary ships with jump drives once they start production.”

“I have a feeling this entire sector is going to see a major change over the next decade.”

“Indeed.”

“Sir,” Naralena said, “I have the Prime Minister of Corinair on comms. He wishes to speak with you.”

“Put him on the main view screen,” Nathan ordered.

A separate window appeared in the center of the main view screen that wrapped around the forward half of the bridge. In the middle was the Prime Minister.

“
Captain Scott,
” the minister began in a heavily accented brogue, “
on behalf of the peoples of the Darvano system, as well as all peoples in the Pentaurus cluster, I wish again to thank you and your most brave crew for all that you have done.
”

Nathan smiled at the minister’s attempt to speak Angla, knowing that he must have practiced that poorly worded phrase repeatedly in order to personally communicate his sincere thanks. “Thank you, Prime Minister. I wasn’t aware that you were learning Angla.”

“
I am to trying most hard.
”

“You are doing quite well, sir.”

“
Perhaps, when someday you are to return to Corinair, we will to have long conversations in your language.
”

“I look forward to it, sir.”

“
Pleasant journey to you, Na-Tan. To all of you.
”

“Thank you, sir. Good luck with your rebuilding. The future of Corinair looks quite exciting.”

“
Yes, yes. Goodbye, Captain.
”

“Goodbye, sir.” Nathan turned and nodded at Naralena, who ended the communication.

“Breaking orbit in one minute,” Loki reported.

“Ship-wide,” Nathan said, gesturing at Naralena once more.

“Ship-wide, aye.”

“Attention all hands. This is your captain. In less than a minute, we will break orbit and begin our journey back to the Sol sector. It will take us several weeks, perhaps even months, to reach our final destination. During this time, I am confident that each and every one of you will perform your jobs to the best of your ability. Most of you are volunteers on this mission, and for that I am deeply grateful. We know not what we will find when we reach Earth, but I promise that I will do everything within my power to get you all back to your homes once again.”

“Coming up on departure point, Captain,” Loki said softly.

“That is all.” Nathan waited a moment for Naralena to kill the ship-wide broadcast, then took a deep breath and let it out. “Take us out, Mister Hayes.”

“Aye, Captain. Breaking orbit.” Josh increased power to the main engines once again, quickly accelerating the ship and causing her to break out of her high orbit above the planet Corinair. “Coming onto heading for the first jump,” Josh reported. “Transferring helm to auto-nav.”

Nathan felt a bit nervous, as it was the first time that the new jump navigation control system was going to take control of the helm and jump execution systems for a jump of maximum range. He turned to Abby, who sat at the starboard auxiliary console at the aft end of the bridge as she monitored the first long-range jump executed by the automated jump system. “The first jump is going to be nine light years, right, Doctor?”

“Yes, Captain. In fact, we won’t begin experimenting with increased ranges until after we are clear of the Pentaurus sector.”

“Any particular reason you want to clear the sector first?” Nathan asked, suspicious.

“No, sir. That’s simply how many jumps it will take us to gather enough data to feel comfortable increasing our range.”

“Very well.”

“Auto-nav has control,” Josh announced.

“Course and speed are in the green,” Loki reported. “Auto-nav is making final adjustments. Jump point in ten seconds. Waiting for your word, sir.”

“Jump the ship, Mister Sheehan.”

“Jumping in three……two……one……jumping.”