A Show of Force (37 page)

“Clarkson is funneling all power to her aft shields, Captain,” Lieutenant Cahnis reported.

“She wants us to chase her,” Captain Navarro realized. “That’s why they’re not going to FTL.” He turned aft. “How many shots to kill the Clarkson?”

“With all her shield power channeled into her aft shields, ten to twelve direct hits, at least.”

“That will take too long,” Captain Navarro said. “Helm, best speed. Force her to accelerate even further, I need her away from the Willamay.”

“Aye, sir,” the helmsman answered. “Going to maximum acceleration.”

“Flight,” the captain continued, “launch a jump shuttle to rescue the crew of the Willamay. As soon as that crew is recovered, have them jump back to Takaran space and wait for us there.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Also, recall the strike group. I need them on the deck as quickly as possible.”

“Captain,” Lieutenant Cahnis interrupted, “the Willamay isn’t unstable, sir. She just can’t go to FTL.”

“Weapons, keep one gun on the Willamay and prepare to fire.”

“Sir?”

“As long as the Willamay is a target, we’re stuck here,” Captain Navarro explained. “That’s why the Clarkson is here, to keep us from returning to Takara.”

“Aye, sir,” the weapons officer acknowledged. “Pardon my ignorance, Captain, but why not just destroy the Clarkson?” he added as politely as possible.

“When their shields get low enough, they’ll simply slip to FTL. They only mean to keep us here for a few minutes.”

“Captain, without fighter cover, the rescue shuttle will be vulnerable,” the flight control officer reminded the captain.

“At her current rate of acceleration and distance, how long for the Clarkson to get fighters to the Willamay?” Captain Navarro asked.

“Three minutes at the most.”

“Rescue shuttle is away,” the flight control officer announced. “Rear elements of Ready One are landing now. Estimate two minutes until all elements are within our jump-field perimeter.”

“Helm, be ready for hard about as soon as the last element of Ready One is on board.”

“Aye, sir.”

“As soon as we come around, jump us back to Takaran space, Mister Sturvont.”

“The jump is already plotted, sir.”

“Captain, if we jump away before the rescue shuttle…”

“Tell the rescue shuttle to jump clear if attacked,” Captain Navarro ordered, “with or without the Willamay’s crew.”

CHAPTER TEN

For the first time since they had awakened days ago, the main door to their room opened, and two armed guards entered the room, moving to either side of the doorway.

Jessica rose from her bed, looking the two men over. She looked at Naralena. “I think I can take them.”

“That would be ill-advised,” a voice said from the doorway. An older man appeared, younger than Ellyus had been, but older than either Jessica or Naralena. His hair was grayed, and his skin appeared weathered from too much sun, yet he looked quite fit despite his years. “These men have been trained by the Jung.”

“How is that possible?” Jessica wondered.

“Because they were once Jung soldiers.”

Jessica looked at the two men, then at the old man. “What, like defectors or something?”

“In a manner of speaking, but we can discuss that later. First, I’d like to know who you are, and why you have come to Kohara.”

“We’re on vacation?” Jessica said, a sarcastic smile on her face.

“Odd then, that you were hiding in a private suite of a Jung operative, and were about to be apprehended
by
the Jung.”

“It was all a misunderstanding,” Jessica said. “We were just here on business. Real estate business…”

“Perhaps I should have started with this. Sierra seven seven five echo,” the old man challenged.

“Hold on, let me do the math,” Jessica said, her eyes rolling upward as she made the mental calculations. “Delta delta one four… wait, make that one
three
five x-ray.” She shrugged. “Math was never my thing.”

“Correct, nonetheless. I am Gerard Bowden.”

“Jessica Nash. This is Naralena Avakian. How long have you been on Kohara?”

“Twenty-seven years.”

“Your assignment?” Jessica wondered.

“To discover what happened to all the other operatives.”

“And what did you discover?”

“That they had all been captured, thanks to Ellyus Barton.”

“So he
was
a spy.”

“We call them ‘peepers’.”

“Yeah, I heard one of your men use that term. Why peepers?”

“The Jung use nanites to procure information from the public. That is why we were so concerned when we discovered nanites in your bloodstream. To our knowledge, the Earth does not yet possess nanotechnology.”

“We don’t. They’re Corinairan.”

“I’m not familiar with the term,” Gerard admitted.

“Long story,” Jessica replied. “How do the Jung get the nanites into people?”

“Through various vaccines, medical injections… anything that is injected into the veins by the Jung is bound to contain their nanites.”

“Corinairan nanites are used to heal injuries and cure diseases,” Naralena said.

“May I?” Gerard asked, pointing toward one of the chairs at the table.

Jessica sat back down on the edge of her bed, facing Gerard as he took a seat at the table.

“Jung nanites attach themselves to the sensory nerves of the host,” Gerard explained. “They collect information, like tiny recorders.”

“How do they get the information back to the Jung?” Jessica wondered.

“Whenever the host passes through a security checkpoint, the scanning tunnel activates the transmitters in the nanites which then broadcast the information. When the Jung find something interesting, they get close enough to that particular host to transmit new instructions to the nanites. The nanites then begin to replicate themselves using resources within the host’s body. Eventually, the host becomes so saturated with Jung nanites that the Jung can actually take physical control over the host, causing them to perform actions on the Jung’s behalf.”

“Does the host even know that they’re doing things for the Jung?”

“No, they do not,” Gerard said. “Most of the time, the additional nanites only give the Jung the ability to monitor the target host’s senses at will. Higher-value hosts are programmed to transmit gathered information upon receiving an activation signal.”

“Don’t tell me,” Jessica said, “a blank stare lasting a few seconds to a few minutes?”

“Something like that, yes.”

“Fuck,” Jessica said, her head hanging down.

“You couldn’t have known,” Naralena said, trying to offer comfort.

“There was nothing that could have been done for him,” Gerard insisted. “Once they become that saturated, it is nearly impossible to get all the Jung nanites out of them.”

“You don’t understand,” Jessica said. “He’s not the only one. Besides, we’re about to clean all Jung out of the Tau Ceti system. We might not have been able to get the nanites out of him, but if there weren’t any Jung around…”

“What do you mean you’re about to clean all Jung out of the system?” Gerard asked.

“Wait. How do I know you’re not full of Jung nanites?”

“Trust me, we take great pains to ensure that no one in our ranks carry Jung nanites. Besides, no signals can get in or out of this facility without our permission. Now, what were you saying about an attack?”

“It’s coming in about a week.”

“That’s not possible,” Gerard insisted. “Even if all of Earth’s Defender-class ships were made FTL-capable, which is unthinkable, they still wouldn’t stand a chance against the Jung forces in this system.”

“We lost all the Defender-class ships months ago when the Jung invaded the Sol system.”

“Then what are you attacking with?”

“The Aurora,” Jessica replied. “Oh, and three of those Scout ships… the ones that brought you guys here. That, and a bunch of KKVs.”

“What are KKVs?” Gerard wondered.

“Kinetic Kill Vehicles. Really just converted Takaran comm-drones that travel about ten times light. They’re great at taking out battle platforms and such.”

“Takaran?”

“Another long story,” Jessica insisted. “Trust me, a lot has changed over the last year.”

“Regardless, the kind of attack you are describing is logistically impossible. It would take too much time to get all these KKVs into proper strike position, not to mention coordinating their launch over a distance of more than a light year. How would you be able to calculate the position of the targets? How would you get your ships into position without being detected? How would…”

“Trust me on this, Gerard,” Jessica interrupted. “We’ve done it before, and we can do it again. Granted, the Tau Ceti system presents a bigger challenge than previous systems. You’ve got three inhabited worlds, and double the battle platforms and battle ships.”

“How many systems have you done this with?”

“By now, four. Tau Ceti is next, then Delta Pavonis. We’re clearing out a twenty-light-year radius area from Sol, to buy the Earth time to recover and rebuild.”

“How many Jung ships did these other systems have?” Gerard asked.

“Most of them had a battle platform, a battleship, a couple cruisers, and some frigates.”

“But you said the Tau Ceti system has double the ships.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m afraid you are mistaken,” Gerard said. “There are two more battleships parked in orbit over Itimor, for a total of four.”

“Where the fuck is Itimor?” Jessica wondered.

“A moon orbiting the third gas giant in the system, one the locals call Tandral. The Jung moved them there months ago, after they learned of the liberation of Earth.”

“Months? By our calculation, they won’t receive word for about ten more days. That’s why we’re attacking in…” Again Jessica looked up while she did the math. “Five or six days, I think.”

“On what basis did you come up with that projection?” Gerard asked.

“The Jung’s top FTL speed is twenty times light.”

“For their ships, yes. Their comm-drones can go one hundred times light. Not all of them, mind you. Only the newer versions.”

“Shit. You’re saying they already know?”

“They must,” Gerard said. “That would explain why they moved those two ships into hiding.”

“Do they know about the KKVs?” Jessica asked.

“I would expect not. Otherwise they would have dispersed all of their largest assets. Put them on randomly changing orbits to make them harder to target.” Gerard looked at Jessica with a deadly serious expression. “Please tell me you didn’t tell all of this to Ellyus Barton.”

“I may have hinted that something was going to happen, but I never gave him any details.” Jessica hung her head down again. “Oh, fuck. I don’t get it. Why didn’t the Jung hide a few battle platforms as well?”

“Itimor is not that big,” Gerard explained. “However, it does produce a rather strong radioactive signature that obscures sensors to some degree. As long as the ships are running with only basic systems powered up, it is enough to hide the battleships. Battle platforms cannot operate in states of reduced emissions as well as battleships. Can the Aurora take out a battleship?”

“Yes, but it’s not easy. Two would be near impossible. If the Celestia was combat ready, we probably could handle them, but…”

“The Celestia?”

“Yet another long story.” Jessica shook her head. “We have to find a way to get word to the Aurora, let her know that she’s flying into an ambush.”

“I’m afraid the situation is more dire than you realize,” Gerard admitted. “You have been here for more than five days.”

“But we witnessed five day and night cycles through the skylight,” Naralena said.

“This facility is deep underground. It protects us against the unlikely event that a Jung, nanite-infested host makes it into our company.”

“The day night thing was a fake?” Naralena realized.

“To confuse and disorient,” Jessica said.

“More to help keep your natural biorhythms intact,” Gerard corrected.

“How long have we been in here?” Jessica asked.

“Ten Koharan days,” Gerard admitted.

“That means the attack is coming, what… tomorrow? The next day maybe?”

“How many Earth days did you have from the time your ship arrived on Kohara until the scheduled attack?”

“Thirty-three days,” Jessica replied.

“Then the attack you speak of will occur tomorrow.”

“Then we have to do something. Don’t you guys have a transmitter or something?”

“We do not. The Jung monitor everything. We don’t even use personal comm-units for fear of detection.”

“There’s got to be some way of transmitting a message,” Jessica insisted. “What about the Jung? Surely they have comm systems to communicate with their ships in the system?”

“Yes, but they are heavily guarded. We would never be able to seize one, let alone get a message out.”

“What about the entertainment stations?” Naralena wondered.

“They do not broadcast over the air,” Gerard said.

“But they used to, didn’t they?” Naralena said.

“The emergency broadcast network,” Jessica remembered.

“I had forgotten,” Gerard realized. “There are nodes at every broadcast facility to keep the public informed in the case of a massive network outage, but I doubt it is strong enough to get a clear signal beyond low orbit.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Jessica replied.

* * *

“Transition complete,” the Avendahl’s jump control officer announced.

“Contacts!” Lieutenant Cahnis reported from the sensor station. He looked over the shoulders at the displays of his four sensor operators, quickly gathering information. “Multiple unidentified targets, in the vicinity of the Ghatazhak storage array!”

“Captain!” the flight control officer interrupted. “Strike Group One reports they are engaged with twenty-eight targets. Twenty Ybaran fast-attack ships, and eight boxcars!”

“Captain, I’m only picking up fourteen friendlies,” Lieutenant Cahnis said.

Lieutenant Commander Getty looked at his flight status display. “Confirmed. Strike Group One has lost four fighters and two gunships.”

“Launch the next ready group,” Captain Navarro ordered.

“Launching Strike Group Two,” Lieutenant Commander Getty acknowledged.

Captain Navarro turned toward his flight control officer, just in time to notice his Ghatazhak contingent commander entering the bridge. “Time to intercept?” he asked the flight controller.

“Ready group will be off the deck in one minute,” Lieutenant Commander Getty replied. “Time to intercept, launch plus eighty seconds.”

“Captain, there are four Ghatazhak deployment pods missing from the array,” the sensor officer reported. “Two more boxcars are moving into position. They mean to snatch more pods.”

“How many are left on the array?”

“Eight total.”

“If they get two more, both sides will be at equal strength,” Commander Erbe said as he stepped up onto the command platform next to Captain Navarro.

“Assuming they don’t have more of the Ybaran Legions at their disposal,” Captain Navarro replied.

“Indeed. It would be best to prevent any further acquisitions, Captain, regardless of the cost.”

Captain Navarro looked at Commander Erbe, realizing what he was suggesting. “Weapons, can you get a clear shot on those boxcars?”

“Negative, sir,” Lieutenant Rogal answered. “Too many friendlies in the way.”

“If any more boxcars manage to steal a Ghatazhak deployment pod, destroy them.”

“I don’t think I can destroy the target without destroying the pod, sir,” the lieutenant warned.

“I wasn’t asking you to, Lieutenant,” Captain Navarro replied.

“Understood, sir,” the lieutenant acknowledged.

“Jump event! New contact!” Lieutenant Cahnis reported. “Cruiser.” The lieutenant looked at the display screen for a moment. “It’s the Tontakeen,” he exclaimed with relief.

“Her status?”

“She’s powering up her shields and weapons,” the lieutenant replied. “I believe she means to join the fight. She’s launching fighters.”

“Captain!” the communications officer called out. “Incoming message from the Tontakeen. They’re ordering us to stand down and withdraw!”

“What?” Captain Navarro replied, spinning around to face his communications officer.

“We’re being targeted!” Lieutenant Cahnis reported.

“They must have made her captain an offer he could not refuse,” Commander Erbe mumbled.

“Raise shields!” Captain Navarro ordered. “Weapons! Target the Tontakeen with all main guns! Fire at will!”

“Targeting the Tontakeen with all guns!” Lieutenant Rogal acknowledged.

“If they can get to Tenore, they can get to others,” Commander Erbe said. “The stolen Ghatazhak may be the least of our worries.”

“Launch the next ready group,” Captain Navarro added.

“She’s firing!” Lieutenant Cahnis reported.