Ep.#1 - "Escalation" (The Frontiers Saga: Rogue Castes) (27 page)

Jessica jogged across the tarmac toward the office at the far end of the hangar, and burst through the doors. “When were you going to tell us?” she demanded, heading straight for Deliza.

Deliza’s eyes popped open at the sight of Jessica, walking toward her with anger in her eyes. “I was afraid that…”

“When!”

“I only wanted to…”

“I could have told you as well, Jess,” Loki interrupted, stepping between Jessica and Deliza. “But I didn’t… And for the same reasons. My wife and daughter are on that planet as well.”

Jessica looked at Loki with the same anger, despite the fact that she had a much deeper bond with him than with Deliza. She had once died on his lap, in his arms, staring desperately into his eyes as the air had left her lungs. “We’re talking about
Nathan
, Loki.
Nathan!
”

“I know…”

“He sacrificed
everything
, so that we could live. You, your wife, your baby… Hell, your whole fucking world! And this is how you repay him?”

“It’s my fault, Jessica!” Deliza insisted, not wanting Loki to take the blame. “I told him not to say anything. He wanted to tell you, but I made him promise not to. I begged him to wait, and to let me tell you…when the time was right.”

“And when was that going to be?” Jessica demanded.

“After we got them back safely,” Deliza replied, ashamed.

“What made you think we couldn’t do both?” General Telles inquired.

“I was afraid you would put Nathan first,” Deliza admitted. “I knew that recovering his clone, and all the equipment needed to care for it, would be much more complicated, and that it would delay any rescue. I couldn’t take that chance.”

General Telles tipped his head in acknowledgment. “A logical assumption.”

“Oh, shut up,” Jessica snapped, scowling.

Telles pointed at himself. “General,” then gestured to Jessica, “lieutenant. Try to remember that. And while you’re at it, try to calm down and think clearly. Remember your training.”

Jessica turned away, as she wrestled to keep her emotions under control.

“Training?” Loki asked the general in a hushed voice.

“She joined the Ghatazhak four years ago,” General Telles explained. “She has been in training ever since.”

“Really? How’s she doing?”

“There is still room for improvement,” the general replied politely.

Jessica glared at them both.

“
Much
room,” the general added.

Jessica turned to Deliza, still angry, but now trying to get it under control. “You were supposed to move him off-world, to someplace safe.”

“We didn’t have the funds,” Deliza explained. “Do you know how much it costs to run that lab…even
on
Corinair? It would cost ten times as much if we moved off-world.”

“More like a hundred times,” Loki corrected.

Deliza looked at him.

“I saw my wife’s estimates when she was crunching the numbers for you,” he admitted.

“I trusted you, Deliza.”

“I know, and I failed you.”

“We could have helped.”

“Jess, they are
so
close. Michi and Tori, they really think this one is the one. Had we moved him off-world, they would have been set back years.”

“During which time, the Jung would likely expand their hold in the Pentaurus sector, and he would still be at risk of discovery,” General Telles pointed out. “So, her failure to move him off-world
may
turn out to be what saves him.”

Jessica turned and looked at her friend. By accepting her into the Ghatazhak, General Lucius Telles had saved her from her own self-destructive behavior, and given her a new lease on life. He had been her friend, and mentor, for the last seven years, and her commanding officer for the last four of those years. The only other man she trusted as much as him had died seven years ago, in front of her very eyes. And now, his clone, his only chance at resurrection, was trapped beneath the surface of a city overrun by the very enemy he had died trying to protect them from.

But how?

“How are we going to get him out of there?” Jessica asked the general, her anger turning to despair.

“It will not be easy,” General Telles admitted, “but there is a way.”

Jessica realized what the general was getting at. “You think…”

“Perhaps, it is finally time.”

CHAPTER TEN

President Scott stood at his office window, staring out at the lights of Winnipeg, the North American Union’s capital, and the Unified Nations of Earth, which President Scott also ruled over. Behin
d him, technic
ians scrambled to prepare for an unscheduled presidential announcement, one that he dreaded making.

As he gazed out the window at the sparkling lights of the city, he thought back to his childhood. Evenings spent sitting on his father’s knee, staring out a similar window, in a similar office, over a similar city. It had been so long ago… Nearly eight decades now. His father had often spoken about how rapidly things had changed since the discovery of the Data Ark. How the people of Earth, after eight centuries of struggling to repopulate and rebuild following the interstellar devastation of the bio-digital plague, had gone from propeller-driven aircraft to faster-than-light starships, in only a century.

Wouldn’t his father be surprised? Now, after only a decade, they had gone beyond FTL ships, and could now instantaneously jump vast distances. The Data Ark had opened up the newly reborn Earth to advanced technologies, and those technologies had opened up the galaxy to them.

Unfortunately, the cost of such advances had been great, almost more than what his world, and the core worlds of Earth, could stand. Had it not been for the sacrifice of his youngest child, who had surrendered himself to their enemy in exchange for the very cease-fire that was now being broken, most likely their fledgling alliance would not have survived the last seven years.

But now the Jung had broken their agreement, and Dayton Scott wanted nothing more than to avenge the loss of his eldest son, Eli, the loss of his wife, Marlene, and especially that of his youngest son, Nathan. It had stayed in the back of his mind for the last seven years, but he had been forced to suppress that feeling, for the good of his people…his world… For all the worlds of the Alliance. Even now, he wanted nothing more than to authorize the KKV strike that Admiral Galiardi had strongly recommended, but he could not. He would not be the one to escalate the tensions between them. If the Jung wanted a war, the Alliance would give it to them, and in ways the Jung could not imagine. But they needed time. It was
always
about
time
.

Gray armored vehicles emblazoned with the markings of Alliance Marines left their staging positions and began to roll through the streets of Winnipeg, their lights flashing. One by one, they turned onto Embassy Row, and accelerated quickly toward the Jung embassy at the far end of the boulevard.

“We’re ready for you, Mister President,” the broadcast director said.

President Scott turned and walked back across the office, stepping behind the podium placed in front of the logos of both the NAU and the UNE. He watched his daughter, Miri, who had remained at his side since the death of her mother, despite the needs of her own two children. Without her, he did not know how he would’ve led the Earth out of the ashes of the Jung occupation which had nearly destroyed their world eight years ago.

“Teams are in place outside the Jung embassy,” the president’s security advisor informed him. “They will go on the cue line in your speech.”

The president nodded his understanding.

“Five seconds, Mister President,” the director informed him.

“If anyone beyond the embassy gates raises a weapon, you are to cut him down,” Sergeant Major Saladan instructed the troops in the back of the first armored vehicle. “We will tolerate no resistance. If you are not sure, you fire. Is that understood?”

“Aye, sir!” the troops answered in unison.

“
One minute,
” the controller’s voice announced over the sergeant major’s helmet comms.

“Weapons hot!” the sergeant major ordered.

“Is it true, Biorgi?” the sergeant next to him asked. “Are we going to war?”

The president stared straight ahead at the camera, waiting until the status light turned green. “People of Earth. It is with great sadness that I speak to you tonight. One hour ago, a comm-drone arrived from the Pentaurus cluster, carrying a fateful message. The Jung Empire has invaded the worlds of the Pentaurus cluster. Defenses of both the Takaran and Darvano systems have been destroyed, and the Jung now control the entire cluster. Twelve systems, two of which were still members of the Sol-Pentaurus Alliance, a total of twenty-three inhabited worlds, are now controlled by the Jung. Even worse, the Jung forces that captured those systems did so using jump-drive technology. We do not know how the Jung acquired this technology, but such acquisition represents a dire threat to both freedom, and to humanity itself.”

The armored vehicles pulled to a stop outside the Jung embassy. Two at the front gates, two at each side gate, and two at the back gates. Squads of twelve deftly jumped out of the vehicles, as they rolled to a stop. Alliance Marines clad in light gray combat armor and battle helmets, armed with heavy energy weapons dispersed in perfect order, taking up firing positions as planned.

“This is a threat that cannot be ignored, and ignore it, we shall not. We shall meet force with force, in every way at our disposal. We will visit such destruction upon the Jung Empire that they will beg us, not for a cease-fire, but for unconditional surrender. Only then shall we cease hostilities. Only then shall we show mercy. Only then…shall we have lasting peace.”

Lights all around the Jung embassy compound snapped on, illuminating the perimeter. At the same time, in the embassy itself, as well as within its walls, all the lights went dark. Jung security personnel, dressed in black combat armor trimmed with red piping, armed with their own heavy energy weapons, deployed to predetermined defensive positions about the compound, gates, and walls of their embassy.

“As of this moment, we are once again in a state of war with the Jung Empire. As I speak to you this night, a Jung battle group hurtles toward us. Our ships are positioned to intercept the enemy, and intercept them they shall. They shall destroy them without mercy, and the same fate shall meet any and all ships that enter Alliance space. We will send a warning to the Jung, demanding the immediate withdrawal of all their forces currently in Alliance space, whether they are in the Sol or the Pentaurus sectors. Should the Jung Empire fail to heed our warning, we shall annihilate all of their forces, wherever they may be, inside or outside Alliance space. If necessary, we will rain death upon their worlds, and upon their people. They shall know the same horrors they have inflicted upon us, and upon the worlds of our allies.”

“Jung forces! You are hereby ordered, by the President of the North American Union and the Unified Nations of Earth, to surrender yourselves peacefully,” Sergeant Major Saladan announced over the link between his helmet comms, and the loudspeakers on the armored vehicles. “If you fail to do so, you shall be met with deadly force! You have one minute to comply!”

“It brings us no joy to order our forces to attack. It brings us no joy to bring death and destruction onto the Jung people. The only solace we will find, is when the Jung finally realize once and for all, that humanity will not be subjugated by them, or any other aggressor.” The president looked into the camera for a long moment. “Good night, and good luck to us all.”

A single flash of bright red light, followed by a bolt of red plasma energy slammed into the armor of one of the Alliance vehicles that started the exchange. Immediately, the streets lit up with the reds and oranges of energy weapons fire from both sides, as the Jung defended their only sovereign territory on the planet. Seconds after it started, jump ships flashed in the night sky directly overhead, after which blazes of white light appeared within the walls of the embassy compound. The exchange of weapons fire suddenly became one-sided. Four Alliance Marines, two on each side, a shooter and a demolitions tech, ran up to either side of the main gate, quickly placing their charges and then retreating to cover. A moment later, the charges blew. Another jump flash, followed by several more detonation flashes inside the embassy compound followed, after which the marines outside the embassy walls charged in through the now open gates. More weapons fire followed, mostly from Alliance weapons.

Minutes after it had begun, the first ground conflict of the war ended.

* * *

Captain Tuplo poked his way through the dusty, bug-infested workshop at the back end of the sinkhole compound. Of all the buildings dug into the sides of the sinkhole walls, this one was by far the largest. Its doors ha
d been deceptively small, as was its external exposure. It seemed as if the builders had sought to fool anyone looking upon it from the outside as to its true internal dimensions. For what reason, Connor could not determine. He suspected that it had been some sort of machine, or equipment repair bay, given the many parts lying about, some of which seemed familiar.

Another thing he had noticed was that the entire wall was actually a door, designed to slide into a slot carved out of the wall of the sinkhole. The result would be a bay large enough to house anything from a small shuttle to a standard Takaran fighter, perhaps even a bit larger. He wondered what had once been housed in here, and what had happened to it, whatever it had been.

Neli’s original assessment had been more correct than he imagined. He had already found several bodies, long decayed over the years, and mostly eaten by the small animals and insects native to Haven. But there had been enough left of their uniforms to recognize. They were of the old Ta’Akar Empire, more specifically, the regime of Caius Ta’Akar, the son of a great king who had risen to power by assassinating both his father and older brother. He had been defeated by the Karuzari, along with the help of the mythical Na-Tan that Josh so often liked to boast about having served under.

Connor did not believe in legends. Perhaps, if his memories of his life before the crash had been intact, he might feel otherwise. But being forced to live with only the memories of what had occurred since waking up in that hospital on Corinair, five years ago, had forced him to become a realist.
Or had it?
He really didn’t know; he could’ve been a realist before the crash as well.

“Cap’n!” Josh called from the partially opened door. “You in here?”

“Yeah! Back here!” the captain replied, as he sifted through the dusty old parts lying on the workbench.

Josh walked over to the captain.

“What was this building used for?”

“It had a Falcon in it,” Josh replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

“A what?”

“Oh jeez, I can’t even remember the real name for it. F something. An old Takaran deep space FTL interceptor. The guy who lived here once flew them in the Palee militia. Him and his daughter fixed it up together. My friend Loki and I flew it for a number of years, from the deck of the Aurora.”

“Under Na-Tan, I suppose?” the captain said dryly.

“Captain Scott, yeah. He was a great man. A natural leader, someone you didn’t want to let down. You’re a lot like him, you know.”

“Me?” Connor laughed. “Doubtful.”

“No, seriously. You kept your cool pretty well outside of Rama. And during that stand-off with Siggy? Actually, we’ve been in a few scraps over the years together, Cap’n. You always seemed to handle them just fine.”

“None of those were anything like what you guys went through back then,” Connor said dismissively. “And I am
nothing
like Captain Scott. And I’m certainly no legend.”

“Captain Scott didn’t think he was a legend either,” Josh said. He looked around at the empty building. “You know, I rescued Captain Scott and the others from this place. Me and Loki, in a fucking harvester, no less. Swooped down and picked them up, in the middle of a battle. Even took a sniper’s head off by flyin’ low and ramming him. It was ugly.”

“I imagine so,” Connor replied. He never knew exactly how much to believe of what Josh told him. He knew that the young pilot had indeed flown in combat in both the liberation of Takara, and back against the Jung in the Sol sector. However, some of his tales seemed a bit unrealistic to him. Some seemed downright impossible. One thing was for sure, though, the young man had a natural knack for flying, and Connor envied him for it.

“That’s how I know about this place. The guy who owned it is dead now.”

“Who was he?”

Josh laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. His daughter is still alive, and still holds the deed on this place, such as it is.” Josh looked around again. “Yup, this is pretty much where Captain Scott’s role as Na-Tan started. So, you might say that
I
was the savior of a savior.”

Connor looked at Josh with one eyebrow raised. “Seriously?”

“Just a play on words, Cap’n.”

“Josh, you don’t
really
believe Captain Scott was
Na-Tan
, do you?”

“Well, like I said, I know
he
didn’t believe so,” Josh said. “As for me, I suppose I don’t rightly know.” Josh smiled. “Maybe someday, I’ll find out, one way or another.”

Connor watched Josh walk away, perplexed by his words. Finally, a chuckle came out of him. “Na-Tan,” he laughed, tossing the part in his hand back on the workbench. “Takes all kinds, I guess.”

* * *

“All spreaders are away,” Lieutenant Commander Vidmar reported from the Aurora’s tactical station. “Thirty seconds until they reach their jump points.”

“Very well,” Cameron replied from her command chair.

“Jump to intercept point, plotted and
ready,” her navigator announced.

“Jump flashes,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported from the sensor station. “Two comm-drones, to port and starboard.”

“Incoming messages,” Ensign deBanco reported from the comm station. “The Jar-Benakh and the Tanna both report that they are in position and ready to attack on your order, Captain, as is the Cape Town, directly astern.”