Ep.#5 - "Rise of the Corinari" (42 page)

“Am I interrupting?” she asked.

“Not at all,” Nathan said, opening the door to let her in.

“Not exactly the cute nurses, but good enough,” Vladimir joked.

Cameron looked at Nathan as she entered, puzzlement on her face.

“We’re having a meeting of the insomniacs,” Nathan stated. “Care to join us?”

“Yeah, I guess I’m qualified enough,” Cameron stated, taking a seat on the couch. “What are you guys talking about?” she asked. “If you’re telling stories about women, I’m leaving,” she warned.

“Nothing of the sort,” Nathan assured her.

“Nathan was just whining about the pressures of being captain,” Vladimir teased, receiving a dirty look from Nathan as a result.

“Really?” Cameron wondered, “because, you know, I’d be more than happy to take over for you.”

“Careful what you wish for, Commander,” Nathan warned.

“You see?” Vladimir said. “You could have given up command right there, but you did not.”

“Oh, come on,” Nathan protested as he sat down.

“And do you know why you did not?” Vladimir asked.

“Because I’d look like a wuss?”

“Because Nathan Scott always does the right thing.”

“Which Nathan Scott are
you
talking about?” Cameron asked in jest.

“I don’t
always
do the right thing,” Nathan protested.

“Yes, you do,” Vladimir argued, “or at least you try to.”

“That’s a little more accurate,” Cameron agreed.

“Okay, maybe sometimes you do not do the right thing,” Vladimir admitted. “Maybe sometimes you do something stupid, but you always
try
to do the right thing. And
that
is what makes you a good man.”

“A good man? A second ago you were calling me stupid,” Nathan protested.

“I’m really beginning to like the direction this conversation is heading,” Cameron announced, pouring herself a cup of Corinairan coffee.

“Okay, maybe stupid is the wrong word,” Vladimir said. “My English is not always correct. I meant silly,
da
.”

“So now I’m stupid and silly. Great.” The door buzzed again. “Just in time,” Nathan stated, rising to answer the door.

“Maybe it is the nurses this time,” Vladimir joked.

“If it is, I swear I’m leaving,” Cameron declared.

“Jess! Perfect, come on in,” Nathan invited as he opened the door. “How did you know about our little get together?”

“I noticed all three of you gathered together on the personnel tracking system,” she announced as she entered the room. “I figured it was either a party or a mutiny. Either way I figured I should check it out.”

“Well, who’s watching the bridge?” Nathan asked.

“I left Mister Hayes in charge,” Jessica admitted.

“You left Josh in charge of the bridge?” Cameron asked. “Are you nuts?”

“We’re holed up in the middle of an asteroid. What’s he going to do?”

“But he’s a civilian,” Cameron pointed out.

“Jesus, Cam, relax,” Jessica said. “I’m kidding. I left Ensign Yosef minding the store.”

Nathan leaned back in his chair, listening to his friends banter back and forth mindlessly about one thing or another. After a few minutes, he realized that if he couldn’t sleep, then spending a little time relaxing with friends was the next best thing.

* * *

“As soon as we exit, I want to jump away while we’re still hidden behind Karuzara,” Nathan instructed.

“Where would you like to jump to, sir?” Loki asked.

“Turn outward, away from Darvano,” Nathan instructed. “We’ll jump here,” Nathan said, pointing to the system chart showing on Loki’s console. “That should be just past the Wallach, assuming she’s still inbound. It will also be far enough away that she won’t see us until well after the engagement has started. We take a quick peek to get a fix on her position. Then, we immediately jump to the farside of Corinair, right into a high orbit behind her. That way, we’ll come out around the planet and break orbit heading directly toward the frigate on her way to Corinair. If the Corinairans want to broadcast their declaration, they can do it while we’re hidden on the backside of their world.”

“Interesting strategy,” Cameron admitted.

“We’ve been hidden inside Karuzara long enough that our image is already past them, so they don’t know we’re here. I want to keep it that way for as long as possible. As far as the Loranoi knows, they’re headed toward a planet full of sheep.”

“You’re assuming that they didn’t stop to take a deep scan of the system before entering,” Jessica pointed out, “like we did before we charged into the Savoy system.”

“That’s not their M.O.,” Nathan said. “But if they did we’ll surely know about it, as they’ll come in with their shields up and their guns blazing.”

“Thirty seconds to open space, Captain,” Loki reported.

“Very well.”

“First jump plotted and locked, Captain,” Loki added.

Nathan turned his head and glanced at Abby. Their eyes met for only a moment, but he knew that she was keeping an eye on the jump plots that the new interface was creating.

“Open space,” Loki reported as the walls of the Karuzara exit tunnel fell away on the main view screen.

“All sensor feeds from Karuzara have been discontinued,” Ensign Yosef reported. “All sensor data is now live.”

“Turning to new course,” Josh reported.

The stars on the view screen began to slide to port as the Aurora turned to starboard, followed by the nearby gas giant, Cleo, as it also slid into view along the uppermost portion of the view screen.

“All hands, stand by to jump,” Abby announced.

“Jumping in three……two……one……jump,” Loki announced.

The bridge filled with the blue-white light of the jump flash, which subsided a moment later.

“Jump complete,” Loki reported.

“Tactical plot to main view screen,” Nathan ordered. He still found it extremely annoying that the standard view everyone seemed to expect was of nearby space, especially since ninety percent of what you saw was so far away it didn’t matter.

The system plot appeared in a window in the middle of the forward view screen in a rectangular box superimposed over the image of space outside the ship. The map showed the Darvano system, as well as a light day outside the system. There were two tracks, one coming in from the left that represented the flight path of the Loranoi, and another coming in from the right that represented the last known path of the battleship Wallach.

“We are in position, one light day outside of Darvano, along the route from Juntor,” Loki reported.

“Helm, come about on a heading for the backside of Corinair,”

“Aye, sir, coming about on new course for Corinair,” Josh reported.

“Sensors, find that battleship,” Nathan ordered Ensign Yosef.

“Aye, sir,” Ensign Yosef answered.

“Mister Sheehan,” Nathan said, “calculate a jump to high orbit over Corinair, and make sure we come out on the backside where the frigate can’t see us.”

“Yes, sir,” Loki answered.

“With any luck, the Wallach has been delayed,” Tug said quietly.

“I can’t afford to bet on luck,” Nathan replied, “not anymore.”

“Contact,” Ensign Yosef reported from the comm station. “Definitely faster than light, Captain. Calculating course and speed now.”

Nathan looked at Tug. “See what I mean?”

“Speed is nine times light, on course for Darvano. Based on size and similarities with Tug’s earlier contact, I’d say it’s the Wallach, sir.”

“Calculate its arrival time at Darvano, Ensign.”

“Based on course and speed, ETA to Darvano is thirty-two minutes, Captain.”

“Tactical, mark that time and keep an eye on it for me,” Nathan ordered.

“Aye, sir,” Jessica answered.

“Whenever you’re ready, Mister Sheehan,” Nathan told Loki.

“All hands, prepare to jump,” Loki announced ship-wide.

For a brief moment, Nathan thought about just changing course and jumping away. His ship was fully repaired and fully stocked. It would take at least one hundred jumps over a few months, but they would probably make it back to Earth in one piece. That was, after all, his primary mission.

Unfortunately, the time to cut and run was long past. Vladimir had been right about him all along; he always did try to do the right thing, at least
Captain
Scott tried. The old
Ensign
Scott, he wasn’t too sure about.

“Jump plotted and locked, Captain,” Loki reported.

“Execute.”

“Jumping in three……two……one……jump.”

The bridge filled with the blue-white jump flash again. When it cleared a moment later, the right side of the screen was filled with the image of the planet Corinair.

“Jump complete,” Loki reported. “Now orbiting Corinair.”

“How long until we peek our nose out far enough to be seen by that frigate?” Nathan asked.

“Twenty-two minutes, Captain,” Ensign Yosef reported.

“How far out is the frigate?”

“We can’t see the frigate right now, sir, but based on its last known course and speed it should be approximately twenty-five light minutes out,” Ensign Yosef answered.

“Comms,” Nathan began, “contact the Corinairans and tell them that if they intend to transmit any type of warning to that frigate, they’d better do it now, because when we come out from behind their planet, we’re coming out shooting.”

“Yes, sir,” Naralena answered.

“Captain,” Abby warned, “even if the Corinairans transmit a message immediately, there will not be enough time to receive a response before we come out from behind Corinair.”

“We’ll be jumping to just in front of them,” Nathan answered. “They can transmit their response then if they so choose.”

“And if they agree to stand down?”

“Seriously?” Jessica asked.

“I’m not really interested in their response,” Nathan stated calmly.

For several moments, the bridge was relatively quiet. “They’d probably just say something pompous anyway,” Jessica mumbled.

“Captain, there will be very little time between your initial contact with the Loranoi, and the arrival of the Wallach,” Tug stated.

“He’s right,” Cameron agreed.

“Jess?” Nathan asked.

“About five or six minutes,” Jessica answered from her post at the tactical station.

“Once the Wallach sees you jump, your element of surprise will be lost on them,” Tug continued. “If they witness your attack on the frigate, they may keep their shields tight, and your opportunity to jump inside them will be lost. If that happens, you may not be able to defeat her.”

“I had considered that,” Nathan stated.

“You must strike quickly and decisively,” Tug insisted. “Cripple her on the first pass.”

“That was my intention,” Nathan added.

“Captain,” Naralena began, “message from Corinair, sir.”

“Go ahead,” Nathan answered.

“Message reads ‘
Warning transmitted to Ta’Akar Frigate Loranoi as follows. The Darvano system declares its independence from the Ta’Akar Empire. Your ship is in violation of our sovereign space. You are hereby ordered to withdraw immediately or you will be fired upon. This shall be your only warning.
’”

“Damn,” Jessica muttered. “That was straight to the point.”

“It sure was,” Nathan agreed.

“That message was
not
written by the Prime Minister,” Cameron observed.

“Yeah, it’s too direct,” Nathan added.

“I suspect the Prime Minister of Corinair has handed the situation over to the Corinari at this point,” Tug concluded.

“There is another message as well, sir,” Naralena interrupted. “The second message is being transmitted on a secure channel from Corinari Command. It reads ‘
Aurora, attack any and all hostile forces at your discretion. Advise if assistance is needed, the Corinari are standing by. Good luck.
’ The message was signed by General Valachin, sir.”

“Typical,” Tug stated. “The politicians satisfied their obligation to the law, then handed the problem over to the military while they run and hide in their bunkers.”

“Commander, shouldn’t you be heading for flight-ops? We’re about to set general quarters.”

“Yes, sir.” Cameron paused for a moment, staring at Nathan. He noticed her pause and turned to face her. “Good luck, Nathan.”

Nathan recognized a vote of confidence from Cameron when he got one, which wasn’t often, as best he could recall. “Thanks, Cam.”

Cameron looked at Jessica and nodded to her as well before she left the bridge.

“I should get to my interceptor as well,” Tug stated.

“Remember, Tug, as soon as we jump in, you get off the deck and jump away,” Nathan said. “You’re only going to have about twenty seconds.”

“Do not concern yourself with me, Captain,” Tug told him. “I can take care of myself. You have more than enough to worry about.”

“Just don’t jump too far; we may need you.”

“I will remain close by,” Tug promised. “Call and I will respond.”

“Good luck,” Nathan wished Tug as he headed for the exit.

“To us all,” Tug bid on his way out.

“How long until we get line of sight on the Loranoi?”

“Five minutes,” Loki answered.

“Very well.” Nathan took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, clearing his mind as best he could. He was about to take the Aurora back into battle. Only this time, she was fully armed and fully crewed.

“Set general quarters, amber deck,” Nathan ordered.

“General quarters, amber deck, aye,” Jessica answered.

Nathan moved to his chair, glancing at his watch and noting the time as he walked. As he took his seat, the warning klaxon sounded, and the lighting on the bridge took on a red tinge.

“
General quarters. General quarters. All hands, man your battle stations
,” the prerecorded voice announced ship-wide. Nathan knew that, all over the ship, every man and woman was moving into position in quick, orderly fashion. Every member of his crew knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to do. They had practiced this many times over the past month, all in preparation for this moment.

“All compartments report general quarters manned and ready, Captain,” Jessica reported. “Amber deck is set, the XO is in flight-ops, and the chief of the boat is in damage control.”