Ep.#4 - "Freedom's Dawn" (The Frontiers Saga) (10 page)

Nathan had hoped that the Corinairans, who seemed to have a highly industrialized and technological society, might be able to provide additional staffing. It would undoubtedly be a dangerous proposition for anyone willing to sign onto his crew. However, he hoped that recent events might provide the volunteers he sought.

Of course had Cameron been able to, she surely would have objected to his plan. She had been against any local involvement from the start, feeling strongly that they should make their way back to Earth one ten light year jump at a time, despite the additional time involved.

Up until now, Nathan had been confident in his decision to defend the Corinairans. After all, it had been his presence that had prompted the attack on their world by the Ta’Akar. He had no way of knowing that such catastrophic events would be the result. He was beginning to wonder, however, if Jalea hadn’t suspected such a result would come to pass. It had been her recommendation that brought them to this world after all.

Nathan’s thoughts were interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, jarring him back to the situation at hand.

“We’ve got company,” Jessica told him as she rose from the couch.

Nathan looked to the windows along the wall to his left. A procession of armed guards, about a half dozen of them, led an elderly man and several aides. By the looks of the eldest man in the group, he had to be the Prime Minister.

Moments later, the sound of the door lock mechanism releasing its bolt was clearly heard. Tug and Jalea quickly moved over to the same side of the room as Nathan and Jessica, as the door swung open.

The first two guards, both with steely looks on their faces, stepped into the room. There heavy energy weapons were in hand, held firmly across their chests at a forty-five degree angle, barrels up. Nathan could see the green indicator lights on the weapons, which he was pretty sure meant they were charged and ready for use. He glanced at Jessica, who confirmed his suspicion with nothing more than the stern, analytical look on her own face. She too had noticed the state of the guard’s weapons, recognizing the potential threat. The two guards stopped momentarily, looked over the four of them and, satisfied that they posed no immediate threat, stepped to opposite sides of the door to allow the others in their party to enter the room.

Four more guards entered next with pairs going to the right and left. They, too, had fully charged and armed energy rifles held across their chests as they moved to encircle Nathan and his comrades. Nathan and the others moved away from the edges of the room and closer to the conference table in the center, hoping to make room for the armed guards coming around behind them. Nathan was beginning to get an uneasy feeling that the situation might have just taken a turn for the worst. Had they realized that the Yamaro had ruthlessly bombarded their world in order to flush the Aurora out into a fight? Or perhaps they had figured out exactly who he really was, and just how damaged and practically defenseless his ship actually was. They might already be sending boarding parties to seize her.

“I don’t like this,” Jessica said under her breath.

Nathan knew Jessica was looking for a way to take out the guards and escape what was quickly beginning to look like an arrest. As tough as she was, however, there was no way they could take out all six guards before one or more of them burned their small party down.

“Easy, Jess,” Nathan mumbled back. “Let’s just see how this plays out.”

“No promises.”

A slender man, maybe in his thirties and wearing what appeared to be a business suit for this world, entered the room next, followed by the elder man and the other aide.

“Gentlemen, Ladies, please forgive the delay, but it could not be helped.” the slender man said in perfect although heavily accented, Angla. His speech had a lyrical feel to it, with rolling R’s and rough sounding H’s, and the vowels he spoke were almost literal in pronunciation and without variation. “May I present the Prime Minister of Corinair.”

The elder man stepped forward, presenting himself in standard diplomatic fashion. It was a mannerism that Nathan had often noticed to be common amongst all elected officials and diplomats back on Earth. As a child, he had often wondered if they had all been required to attend special training in order to move and act the same way. The Prime Minister spoke, although in what Nathan assumed was Corinairan. It seemed a more beautiful language now that Nathan could hear it without the distractions and noises of the crowds at the spaceport. Nathan could see where the aide got his accent and pronunciations.

“He is apologizing for keeping us waiting,” Jalea translated, “and he wants to know our intent.”

“Our intent?” Nathan wondered aloud.

“Forgive our abruptness, sir, but as you might have noticed, we are in the midst of a crisis on our world. Such a situation does not afford the usual diplomatic courtesies one might normally expect. Expediency requires directness, I am afraid. The Prime Minister simply wants to know whose side you are on: the Loyalists or the Followers.”

Nathan felt like he was about to step into a trap. He was sure that these people were in fact representatives of the Corinairan government. However, if they
were
impostors, as had been previously considered, the truth could get them all killed; as could hesitation at this point.

“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage,” Nathan explained. “I do not understand your politics, therefore I have little knowledge as to the position of either group. However, based on what little I do know and if I were forced to guess, I would have to say that we are on the side of those that believe in your Legend of Origins.” He hoped that the use of the term might add to their credibility.

The second aide, who appeared to be an officer of some sort, spoke an order in Corinairan. Immediately, all of the guards powered down their weapons and slung them over their shoulders and assumed a slightly less threatening posture. A wave of relief washed over Nathan as he realized that he had given the correct answer.

“Then you are the leader of this group?” the Corinairan translator asked.

“I’m Captain Nathan Scott, of the United Earth Ship Aurora. This is my security chief, Ensign Jessica Nash. And this is Redmond Tugwell and Jalea Torren.” Each of them nodded at the Prime Minister in respect. “I assume
this
is your leader.” he said, gesturing toward the Prime Minister.

“At the moment, yes. We have yet to confirm the status of all the members of the Corinairan Parliament or the President and her cabinet. Until then, the Prime Minister serves as the head of state for all of Corinair.”

The Prime Minister spoke to his aide in their language, pointing at Tug and Jalea.

“Are these two also members of your crew?” the aide inquired in a suspicious tone.

“Not originally, no. They are serving as guides while we are in this region of space. But I have come to trust them as much as any crewman under my command.” It was a lie, but a necessary one, at least for the moment. “A question, sir,” Nathan continued. “Are we prisoners?”

“No. Restricting you to this room was done only to protect you. Things on the surface are a bit chaotic at the moment. And until more of our troops can be called into service, we must remain locked down… for everyone’s protection.”

“I understand. Then we are free to go, if we so choose.”

“Yes. If you wish to leave, we will return you as safely as possible to the spaceport so that you may return to your ship. But we will retain custody of the prisoners that you handed over to us earlier.”

“We didn’t exactly
hand them over
,” Jessica commented under her breath.

“However,” the Prime Minister’s aide continued, “I strongly recommend that you remain here for the time being, as it is much safer.”

“Yes, of course,” Nathan agreed, holding up his hand slightly to urge Jessica to withhold her comments. He had no intention of departing anytime soon, at least not until he tried to get medical care for his executive officer.

“Again, apologies for being direct, but the Prime Minister would like to know the purpose of your visit.”

Nathan was a bit confused. As far as these people knew, Nathan and the Aurora arrived out of nowhere and saved their entire planet from destruction. It seemed an odd question to be asking after such an event. Again, he had to wonder how much the Corinairans actually knew about them.

“Captain,” Jessica said in hushed tones, ignoring his gestures. “We know little about these people, or their leader for that matter. The less they know about us, the better.”

Nathan understood Jessica’s point, but his instinct, as usual, was to be open and honest with these people. As a holder of public office, his father was a master at such deceptions. It was a technique that Nathan had always found somewhat distasteful. Given the circumstances of late, he was beginning to understand the necessity of such tactics.

“You should also try to keep your statements in line with the Legend of Origins,” Jalea added quietly.

“I’m not telling these people that I’m some kind of hero, if that’s what you mean,” he objected, trying to keep his voice low enough that the aide would not overhear his protestations.

“She’s right, sir,” Jessica said. “You might want to turn off your moral compass for the moment; or have you forgotten the stakes?”

Nathan glared at Jessica. He hadn’t forgotten what was at stake and she knew it. He had a damaged ship and an injured crew in orbit, and they still had a long way to go in order to get back to Sol and help defend their own world from an invasion by the Jung. “We only wish to help.” It was an obvious answer, and not very informative, but it was the best he could muster on short notice.

“Help?” the aide asked. “In what way?”

“By driving the Ta’Akar from your system,” Jalea interrupted, “once and for all.”

The aide translated Jalea’s bold statement for the Prime Minister, who immediately began to ramble on in Corinairan to his aide.

“I may not be armed,” Jessica whispered to Jalea from behind, “but I can still just as easily break your neck.”

“It may not be as easy as you think,” Jalea responded in similar tones.

“Then it is true,” the aide translated for the Prime Minister. “You are the Na-Tan of legend. You are the one who is to lead us to freedom.” It was more of a statement than a question, as if the Prime Minister had not really believed it before back at the spaceport, but rather had been playing to the crowd’s expectations. Only now he was beginning to believe it was true.

Nathan felt a sinking feeling. There was no turning back from this role. He had to mitigate the situation, down play it somehow. Then he remembered his brief conversation with the crew chief on the airship. “I am just a man, who happened to be at the right place, at the right time. I only did as any other man would do. I helped someone in need.”

“But you are from Earth, are you not?” the aide asked.

“Yes, we are.”

“And you are called Na-Tan?”

“Well, Nathan, yes.”

“And there was the sign.” The aide was obviously getting swept up in the realization to a degree that it appeared there would be no convincing him otherwise.

“The sign?” Nathan asked.

“And your ship is very powerful as well.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far—”

“You defeated a Ta’Akar warship; did you not?”

“Well, yes. But it was only a cruiser. And—”

The Prime Minister and the aide again exchanged words in their language before the aide continued.

“The Prime Minister says that when the Ta’Akar warship in orbit fails to report in, more ships will come. Maybe even a capital ship. Can you defeat such a ship?”

Nathan stumbled for a moment, unsure of how to answer.

“We already have.” It was Jessica that interrupted this time.

“We did?” Nathan mumbled under his breath.

“Na-Tan defeated the Campaglia at the battle of Taroa,” Jalea explained.

The aide excitedly translated her words for the Prime Minister.

“The videos,” Jessica reminded him.

Nathan remembered the video footage being broadcast on the wireless nets the night before. The scenes had been horrendous, and the destruction on the planet where the Karuzari base had been hidden was nearly complete. Had they not accidentally jumped into the middle of that engagement—and within the Campaglia’s shield perimeter—that entire world would have been destroyed. There had even been gun camera footage that showed the Aurora launching torpedoes at the massive Ta’Akar warship. At the time, it had been an act of desperation by Captain Roberts; one that had saved their asses as well as the rest of the people still left alive on that world.

“He also defeated three patrol ships in the Korak system, as well as escaping a confrontation with another cruiser in the Haven system only a day ago.”

“But this cannot be,” the aide protested. “No ship can travel that fast. Even the comm drones cannot transit such distances in less than a few weeks.”

“We can,” Nathan said, a smile on his face. “How do you think we got here all the way from Earth?”

The Prime Minister and his aide continued to converse in Corinairan for several minutes, during which Jessica stepped in front of Nathan and turned her back to the Prime Minister in order to speak with Nathan more discreetly.

“He’s probably right, you know,” Jessica told him quietly. “When the Yamaro doesn’t check in, they will send more ships.”

“How long until that happens?”

Tug moved in closer to join the conversation. “Even with the high speed comm drones, there is always a delay of several weeks with communications between the Ta’Akar command and their ships. By the time they decide something is wrong, contact another ship to investigate, and that ship makes the trip here, it might be a month or more. However, if the Yamaro dispatched a message during the battle, that time might be cut in half. Another warship could arrive in a few weeks, maybe sooner if it was already patrolling nearby.”

As Nathan contemplated Tug’s words, the Prime Minister’s aide broke off his conversation with his superior. “Gentlemen,” the aide began, “in light of your rather bold claims, I must ask you what it is you desire of us?”