Probe Predators (4 page)

“I couldn’t tell if they were going to get a shot off; I could have caused our ship to be destroyed.”

“Shhhh…it’s alright. You were remarkably restrained.” Andi held on tight and slowly stopped trembling.

Trip stared at the two and wondered what was wrong with this picture. He comes riding in like a Knight on a white horse to save them and Cole gets the girl. Cole never gets the girl.

The ship’s computer sent a private thought to Trip, “You’re forgetting that you fired her father.”

Trip gave a start, “Oh yeah, I did forget about that.”

“Well, I’m reasonably certain she hasn’t.”

Suddenly the speakers emitted a high pitched scream that lasted for two minutes. The scream seemed to oscillate and change pitch in random patterns. Then it stopped and the probe they were chasing exploded in a blast of self-destruction.

“Ian, were you able to hear that sound anywhere else?”

“Only faintly; we had to be close to get a good recording.”

“Have we crossed the border?”

“We’re still two days away.”

“Veer directly away from their ships and continue at light speed.”

Cole looked over Andi’s shoulder, “Why don’t you just jump away?”

“I don’t want to confirm a ship with jump capability crossed their border.”

“They saw us jump in.”

“They saw a ship come out of a jump. They did not see it after it entered normal space.”

“That’s shading things rather unevenly.”

“Let’s see how they explain destroying more than a hundred objects traveling FTL when only one jump signature was recorded. We’ll continue for two days and once we’re clear of their border. We’ll jump out.”

Ian announced, “The remaining probes have self-destructed.”

Trip nodded, “Moe, did you get the recording?”

“I did and I’m working on it now with the Kilper Computer.”

“I would appreciate it if you would pass on to the Queen what we found in M87. Please explain what it all means.”

“I will.”

“I also want you to take two Needles out of storage and have them activated. Cole will be taking one and Andi the other.”

Andi moved out of Cole’s arms with a frown on her face.

Moe said, “Do you have a reason for giving them a Needle? They’ve received no training in flying them.”

“How would you describe what they both just did? They avoided six hundred enemy ships without a modern computer to assist them. They showed remarkable restraint and survived until the computer came online.”

“I stand corrected. They have more real time training than any pilot in the fleet.”

“Deliver them to the Mansion.”

“Why do you want them sent there?”

I have a computer software program stored in the family vault with the training exercises Gary and Abby developed to train Ian and Drey on flying their ships. I’m going to download that program into their computers and their ships are going to go out and master those maneuvers.”

“I think our navy could use that software.”

“You’re right; I’ll copy it and have it sent to you when we get back to Euclid.”

“Do you see what’s coming?”

“M87, unless we do something to show them they’re not all that.”

“I’ll let you know what the Queen says.”

“See if you can’t include the former Admiral and his staff in the briefing. They might contribute something to it.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Nothing wakes you up like a cold dose of reality. Trust me; I’ve just been through it.”

The channel went silent and Cole said, “I’m not sure I should leave you and go to another ship; I’ve always been your pilot.”

“Get real, Cole; the computers will be the pilots. We’re along for the ride to make critical decisions.”

“Just how do you see us using these ships?”

“You and Andi will go with me wherever I go and try to make sure none of us gets killed. We are going to work together on becoming a tightly knit team.”

Andi shook her head, “Why would you want me; I didn’t even fire on those ships.”

“Andi, I’ve looked at the history of my family, which is rather extensive, and I’ve learned that it’s much more difficult to not fire than to pull the trigger; especially when death is bearing down on you. You have the knowledge I’m going to need to make good decisions. Believe it or not, I’ve listened to your discussions in class and you know more about almost everything than either of us.”

Cole said, “So you’re going into the military?”

“Heck no! I intend to act independently of that bureaucratic nightmare. I want to make sure I can act when the situation calls for it.”

Andi shook her head, “Why do you hate the military so much?”

“I don’t hate them; I hate their slowness to act. If I had to go through a chain of command to make the trip we just made, tell me what would have happened?”

Cole tilted his head, “We’d still be on the ground arguing about what the rules of engagement would be. We’d also be forbidden to cross the border and after you finished telling your superior officer what a stupid buffoon he was, we’d all be put in a holding cell.”

Trip looked at Andi, “Do you see it any differently?”

“No, you’re right; I’ve seen the quagmire of getting things done.”

“Let me make a suggestion, Andi. Let your father be responsible for his own future and you invest yourself in your future, however brief it might be.”

Cole lowered his head, “What are you talking about, Trip?”

Trip laughed; Cole always said that when he made an outrageous suggestion, “We will be out in front of what’s coming. If you’re scared, say you’re scared; and there’s no shame in bowing out. This is going to be dangerous.” Trip looked Cole in the eye, “Are you in?”

“You know I wouldn’t miss it.”

Trip looked at Andi, “And you?”

Andi smiled, “I don’t know what’s changed you but I’ve never felt as alive as when I was so close to death. Count me in. However, I need to know why you’ve dropped the playboy façade and gotten involved in this? You’re starting to scare me.”

“You said it well, Andi; it doesn’t matter who you are or what you possess; death makes us all equal. This is what I’ve wanted my entire life. All I’ve seen for my life was just one boring day after another. This changes things.”

Cole smiled, “You make your own way, not your ancestors.”

“They wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They sat on board Ian and discussed their plans for three days. At the end, just before Ian jumped them back to the Union, two friends became three.

• • •

The Ship’s Leader looked at his Commander on his monitor, “Are you telling me that six hundred ships couldn’t destroy that intruder?”

“You know the difficulty of hitting a ship traveling FTL.”

“You have the technology to make it happen.”

“That ship changed course every time we set a trap; I’ll send you the records and you can tell me what I failed to do.”

“Be careful, you’re close to insubordination.”

The Leader took a breath, “Sire, I chased that freaking ship for two weeks and if I could have gotten my hands on it, I would have crushed it. I can’t tell you how frustrating this was.”

“What were those other ships you destroyed?”

“We didn’t get a good enough reading on them to know. They didn’t match any frequency in my databanks.”

“Our probes scanned thousands of them exploding just outside our border.”

“I’m lost as to what they were. Perhaps you can send the data to our scientists and see if they can determine what they are. I can tell you that they did not come from outside our galaxy but were moving away from it.”

“Do you think that was a Union Ship you were pursuing?”

“Something jumped in from outside our border. If we could have arrived and scanned its frequency, we’d have a definitive answer. If it had entered null space, we could have gotten a frequency reading. Once it accelerated to light speed, any frequency we scanned wouldn’t have been accurate.”

“So we have no proof they violated our space?”

“I wasn’t able to get any.”

“I’ll get back to you.”

• • •

Angela listened to Moe’s analysis of the attacks made on Trip’s ship by the forces from M87 and shook her head. She looked at the Admiral and his staff and sneered, “Do you have anything to contribute to this?”

“Your Majesty, we have been incredibly stupid. It’s clear M87 is mobilizing for an attack.”

“And you say this because…”

“Your Majesty, if a ship jumped into the Union, there is absolutely no way we would be able to send six hundred ships to the exact place it entered normal space. That has to mean that they can either protect their entire border with a similar number of ships or they are moving a huge number of ships to the side of their galaxy closest to us. They would only have that number available if they were planning to use them. They’re mobilizing their forces and bringing them under one command.”

“How can you make that judgment?”

Moe said, “The Admiral is right.”

“You, too?”

“What is the possibility that Trip managed to jump to the only place inside their borders where they had six hundred ships to use against him?”

Angela smiled, “I can see you lads are starting to catch on to what our recent ally is up to.” She turned to the Admiral and tilted her head, “What would you suggest we do about this?”

“I think you should contact them and question their motives as to why they have turned their back on a friend that once saved them from destruction. While they’re attempting to lie their way out of that box, we need to start ship building immediately.”

“Will our ships match up to the ships that were used against Trip’s ship?”

“Yes, but they will heavily outnumber us.”

“We’ve always had to face larger numbers in every conflict we have fought. Is it going to take a long time to build our forces?”

“I’m not so sure about that, Your Majesty. The factories have been dormant for a long time but they are automated and only need raw materials to start production. My staff can make the contacts with the Kilper and start the ball rolling immediately. The Union had more than enough commercial ships to immediately start moving what the factories need.”

“Why don’t you go make that happen…Admiral?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, we’ll get on it immediately.”

“Are you prepared to command our naval forces, Admiral?”

“Not really.”

“Oh!”

“I can get them organized and trained to be effective. I think I’ve demonstrated a lack of ability to see the big picture as well as the initiative to take action. Give me a target, and I’m your man. Choosing that target is not my expertise. I’ve had an opportunity to take a hard look at myself and this information on M87 confirms you need someone else making the command decisions. I’m a High Genetic but it’s clear I don’t have the aptitude for command decisions.”

“Then get out there and get our fleets on a war footing. We’ll give you targets soon enough.”

Moe said, “Admiral, Trip Montgomery had provided me with a software training program for our pilots that was originally developed by Gary and Abby Montgomery to train our pilots during the last war with the Family’s Fleets.”

“Please send it out to our ships and have their computers start running the Pilots through the program. I seem to remember in my history that they had to use a special gravity chair to survive those maneuvers. Do you know how our current command chairs stack up to the one that they used?”

Moe was impressed. Perhaps this Admiral wasn’t a complete waste of a uniform, “No, but I’ll have that information in an hour. Don’t make any changes until I make that determination.”

“I’ll have to hold off on the training until I have it.”

Moe laughed mentally; this Admiral was impatient to make things happen, “Give me an hour, and then you can move forward.”

“That would be good, be sure to thank Mr. Montgomery for the software.”

“I will, Admiral.”

• • •

The Throne Room emptied and Angela said, “Have you been able to translate that message?”

“With the Kilper’s Computer’s help, I have.”

“And?”

“It included the location of M87 and other potential targets when that Galaxy was conquered.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, our galaxy was one that was mentioned.”

“That is not a good thing.”

“No, but there’s more; the message says the invasion should not start by gathering ships outside the galaxy.”

Angela smiled, “I suppose that is a hard learned lesson.” Angela thought for a moment, “Moe, do you think there are other Families out there?”

“It really doesn’t matter what I think; the Senior Grandfather knew there was or he wouldn’t have launched the probes.”

“Perhaps that message should be taken to the renegades; they might have a better idea of what it means.”

“Who do you want to take it?”

“Oh, come on, Moe. Do I have to tell you everything?”

“You’d be surprised at how much I do without consulting you.”

“You’d be surprised at how much of your activities I’m aware of.”

There was a long pause and Angela waited patiently knowing what was coming. His response surprised her.

“I was somewhat disappointed when you were given the Crown.”

Oh…really!”

“You were single, never had a family, and were impossible to get along with. It also seemed you did not like my presence in the throne room.”

“Now you’re just flattering me.”

“No, I mean it. However, you have, without question, been one of the most brilliant Monarchs the Union has ever produced.”

“Moe, you and I are a lot alike in some ways.”

“How is that?”

“We share the same family; the Union. There is nothing to distract us from its protection and defense.”

“I do trust you, Your Majesty.”

“And I depend on you, Moe. Don’t let me down.”

“I’ll do my best to never let that happen.”

Angela saw the Obelisk’s lights start flashing and she could understand everything Moe was saying. Moe didn’t know she was chosen to be Monarch because of her ability to read the lights in the Obelisk. That ability trumped her being a royal pain in the backside. There was great distrust of the Union’s defense system among the Genetics on Euclid; she distrusted it the most. Now after ten years of wearing the Crown, she knew it was the Genetics that needed to be watched. Moe was like a close friend; she knew what he’d say before he said it. One thing she knew for certain, neither of them would allow the Union to be harmed by any one; foreign or domestic. Now, she had to know if she had the right tools to use against the coming storm.