Transmission Lost (48 page)

-Gods...,- Aria breathed, looking at the radar image on her heads-up display. According to what she was seeing, space above whatever planet she was fleeing contained at least seventeen ships of Ailian and human design. Twelve of those ships were battleship-sized or larger. Gritting her teeth, she increased power to her shields and considered her options.

-I can fight, flee, or surrender,-
Aria thought.
-Surrender is not an option, and if I fight, I'm going to die for certain. That leaves only fleeing, but those ships are certain to have tractor beams. They'll grab me before I can get very far.-
Not to mention the fact that Aria needed time for her navigation computer to calculate the proper hyperspace route back to Lirna, and of course she would need to remain stationary for the calculation to be most effective. She watched the radar image carefully, seeing the ships starting to react to her presence.
-Unless...This is crazy, but it might be all I have.-
Reaching for the hyperspace controls, Aria took a breath.
-I can't believe I'm about to do this again...-

Aiming her ship for a free spot in the mixed fleet, Aria pressed the control that would activate her hyperspace engines. The ship's computer sounded the alarm that she was about to head through hyperspace blind, which she ignored. Holding her finger on the control, the alarm stopped a moment later and she was pressed back into the pilot's seat as the patrol ship accelerated to faster-than-light speeds, breaking through into hyperspace. She held the jump for just three seconds, long enough that she could be sure that was far enough away to be able to sit for her computer to do a navigation calculation.

When she emerged from hyperspace, she was holding steady near a star. The fur on the back of her neck raised up as she realized just how close she had come to colliding with it. Letting out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding, she switched on the navigation computer, keeping her proximity sensors turned up to their maximum settings. If any ships got within five thousand kilometers of her while she was divining the course to take, she wanted to know about it. Sitting back to wait, Aria felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her.

-I hope the computer works quickly,-
she thought tiredly.
-If this ship is anything like the
Cha'la'fa
, the crew quarters should be quite comfortable. I could use a good, long sleep on the ride home...-

******

Ara'lana was in the foulest mood she could remember experiencing in a very long time when Admiral Kris arrived in her office. She was poring over the initial reports from her daughter's escape. Besides the damage to the doors of Auxiliary Bay Four, there was minor damage to the air circulation system, not to mention the loss of several experienced soldiers who hadn't survived the missile blasts in the hangar. And that was on top of the death of a member of the Pteryd entourage, which had been less than pleasing to Seirin-143. If only the damned bug guard had stayed put inside its ship!

-Admiral Me'lia,- Admiral Kris said. -I have that update you wanted. We were able to track the route she took through the base to get out. We're working on updating our security so a similar incident won't occur again...-

-Selina, with all due respect, I don't really give a damn about that now,- Ara'lana snarled. She looked up at Admiral Kris. -I don't suppose our human friends have been able to determine where she might have gone? Hyperspace tracking
is
one of those things they are so troublesomely better at, after all.-

Kris shook her head. -They haven't. She took a blind jump. Extrapolating it would put her ship moving into an uninhabited sector of space, so I think we can assume she took a short jump and then stopped to make a proper one.- The younger admiral bit her lip. -It wouldn't take a large leap of imagination to say that she's probably heading for Lirna, though.-

-Of course.- Ara'lana put the reports down, tapping her desk top thoughtfully. -The computer on the
Kre'la'ris
...Were we able to wipe it remotely before she escaped?-

Admiral Kris hesitated. Her friend wasn't going to like this answer. -We're not certain.-

-Not certain?-

-No. We initiated the wipe, but we can't be sure how much we were able to erase. The
Kre'la'ris
might have some intelligence value to the Ascendancy.-

For all that, Ara'lana took it better than she thought. -I thought as much,- she said. She flicked her snowy white tail thoughtfully, glancing up at the ceiling for a few minutes. Finally she looked back at Admiral Kris. -We may have to accelerate our operations somewhat. Get all the fleet commanders on a channel to me, Selina. We have some planning to do.-

-Yes, Admiral.-

- 4 -

Admiral Jin Te'rou was finding himself very bored. Aboard his flagship, the Ascendancy heavy battlecruiser
Krisa'la
, in high orbit above Lirna, he didn't have a whole lot to do. His orders from the Empress were to see to the defense of the homeworld, but apart from ensuring that the fleets were properly placed that didn't entail much action on his part. Most of his time was spent either on the ship or on the surface of the planet, in meetings with the Empress and the senior admirals under his command. The time spent on his flagship was taken up by tedious monitoring of the shipborne radar and tracking systems, although most of this was not done personally by him. He left the majority of that task to the officers and enlisted personnel under his command, but he did like to sit down at the monitors every now and then just to have something to do. Te'rou had begun his career in the Ascendancy Navy as a radar officer, so he was very familiar with the job. Doing so made his soldiers feel that he was one of them instead of a pompous bureaucrat, which was a valuable effect in itself.

Today, though, he was sitting in his command chair on the expansive bridge, looking down over the rows of consoles that composed the impressive suite of instruments which kept a two-kilometer warship operating. Not a whole lot seemed to be going on. They were on high alert for the first time since the war with the humans had begun, since Lirna had never been in any serious danger from the humans, but now that civil war seemed to have officially begun the homeworld could conceivably be attacked. Being on high alert meant little in the way of change except that more personnel were on duty at once than normally would have been. Every station was manned instead of the bridge bearing the minimum complement required for safe operation. Te'rou needed as many eyes on the instruments as possible to keep the fleet from being taken by surprise. However, apart from the normal civilian and military traffic that could always be found in the space above Lirna, the “skies” were empty.

-Another quiet day.-

Te'rou turned his head, looking at Admiral Grelen, the commander of the First Fleet. While Te'rou led the fleet from the bridge of the
Krisa'la,
she was the official captain of the ship. Grelen was older than he, and so would have properly been considered a more fitting candidate for Chief Admiral, but she had never expressed much ambition for the top job and so Te'rou had been selected over her by the Empress. She was a good officer and a seasoned veteran of battles with the Pteryd and humans, and definitely would have been Te'rou's choice to lead the First Fleet if she hadn't already been in the job. They had worked together for years now, and were as close friends as two soldiers could be.

-Quiet, yes,- Te'rou agreed. -But let's not allow our attention to waver, Admiral. There is a war on, after all.-

-Two wars, you mean. But you make a fair point. Don't worry, Jin. My soldiers are primed and ready.- She gestured to the multitude of Ailians sitting at their stations. -I don't think anyone is going to attack Lirna while we're here, at least not without our knowing about it. You can relax just a little.-

-Well...I suppose so,- Te'rou allowed. -The reports I keep getting from the Inner Colonies have me a bit on edge. We're slowing the rebels down out there, but they're still creeping along, little by little. I think the war is going to make it here sooner rather than later.-

Te'rou turned his attention back to the forward viewscreens. While smaller ships had physical windows, larger warships instead had electronic screens which projected the view of outside from cameras installed on the outer hull. The view right now was of the blackness of space, dotted with stars. To the right, he could just see one of the other ships in his fleet, another heavy battlecruiser called the
Neran'la
. They formed only a fraction of the vessels arrayed in the defense of Lirna. The stars were always a beautiful sight to Te'rou. He had spent much of his life in space, and found a certain sense of home there.

A small flurry of activity from the crew deck caught Te'rou's eye. He stood up from his chair and stepped forward to the railing separating the raised command platform from the stations below, looking down. -Report!-

One of the radar officers, a lieutenant, turned his chair to address the admiral. -Sir, we're detecting a vessel emerging from hyperspace. Unscheduled. Its shields are active but the weapons seem to be powered down.-

Admiral Te'rou felt his pulse quicken. -Class?-

-Looks like a patrol ship. Could be a reconnaissance craft on a probing mission. It's in visual range now, sir, I'll put it up on the screen.- The lieutenant turned to his console and input a command. Up on the viewscreens, the image of space zoomed in. The screen was filled with the picture of a craft which was familiar to Te'rou, with the exception that it was painted blood red instead of black. The colors flown by the rebel forces.

Admiral Grelen stood up from her chair, hissing softly. -That's a fast-attack craft,- she growled. -It could be a scout, leading the way for a larger fleet.-

-Agreed,- Te'rou said. -Lock weapons onto the patrol ship, then open a communications channel. See if the pilot will respond to our hails.-

The chief weapons officer on duty moved to carry out his orders. -It's not in optimum range yet, Admiral, but our weapons are locked on its approach vector. Opening a channel now. You can speak whenever you're ready, sir.-

Te'rou cleared his throat. -Unidentified patrol ship, this is Admiral Te'rou on board the
Krisa'la
. Identify yourself and state your intentions or you will be fired upon. You have five seconds to respond.-

Three seconds passed before the response came over the channel. -Admiral, this is the...ah...actually, I'm not sure of the name of this ship,- a female voice stated. -Please do not fire. My weapons are offline and I have no intention of powering them on. My shields are up because I was half sure you were going to fire on me as soon as I arrived. This is Lieutenant Aria Me'lia, and I would appreciate being given safe passage down to the planet's surface.-

His eyes widening, Te'rou exchanged a surprised glance with Admiral Grelen before muting the channel. -Sergeant!- he barked down to the crew deck. A head turned at his shout. -Lock a tractor beam on that ship immediately, and bring it into our main hangar bay. Have a squad ready to greet it when it arrives.- Without waiting for the acknowledgment of his order he unmuted the channel. -Lieutenant Me'lia, you have a lot of explaining to do. For one thing, I'd like to know where you've been for the last week and why you've decided to come back.-

-I understand, Admiral. With all due respect, I'd like to save that until I can speak with the Empress.-

Te'rou resisted the urge to let out a laugh. -And just what makes you think the Empress will see you?-

-She'll want to hear this, and I want to deliver it personally. I have information regarding who is behind the rebellion.- There was a pause, and then Aria's voice came back, sounding subdued. -I...I know this is an improper request, Admiral, but please. I need to do it this way. You'll understand later.-

Te'rou leaned back from the railing, clasping his hands behind his back. His mind was still trying to catch up with this unexpected development, but there was something in the lieutenant's voice that grabbed him. The emotion sounded genuine. Coming to a decision, he looked over his shoulder at Admiral Grelen.

-Admiral, send a message down to the planet informing Her Majesty of the situation. Request a meeting with her. At her convenience, but please express the urgency of the matter.- Ignoring the shock on Admiral Grelen's face, he turned back to the viewscreen. -Very well, Lieutenant. I hope you know what you are doing. Power down your engines and prepare to be brought into the hangar. You're going to be placed into custody and I expect you not to make any trouble for us, is that clear?-

-Very clear, Admiral. And thank you. It's good to be home.-

******

Hours later, Empress Kri'a Solan leaned back in her chair in her palace meeting room, trying to absorb everything that she had just been told. The assorted military officers and counselors sitting around the conference table, including Admiral Te'rou, were in the same state of shock that she was. Though the ceiling-high windows in the room were letting in the bright, hot Lirnan sun, the mood was dark. After hearing everything that Aria had just recounted to them, none of them knew quite what to think. While they had already known that all of the Outer Colony fleets were arrayed against them, none of them could have thought that the Pteryd, their ancient enemies, would be allied with the rebels. Knowing that some humans had chosen to join them was something of a shock as well. Most of all, they were shocked to learn that Ara'lana Me'lia was still alive after three years of her death being common knowledge. None of them could have anticipated just how dire the situation was, when it had already seemed so bad.

-Is there anything else, Lieutenant?- Kri'a asked, just to have something to say. She was still reeling from everything that had been thrown at her.

Aria shook her head. She was flanked by armed guards, there to protect the Empress from one who was still, technically, under charges of being a traitor. -No, m'lady. I think that's everything. I managed to steal the ship I returned in, and I spent the last three days traveling back to Lirna. I knew I had to get this information back to you as quickly as possible.-

With a loud growl, the Empress stood up from her chair, turning away and walking to the window. She looked out in silence, gazing down at the palace gardens. Her eyes drifted up, looking past the palace grounds to the city of Hayikwiir, with its tall metal buildings shimmering in the desert heat. The view from the palace was spectacular, as always, but her heart was little comforted by the beauty of her home. She felt angry, betrayed, and above all terrified at the disaster that she was facing. Now she knew what the Empresses of centuries ago had dealt with, when the first civil war had struck the Ascendancy. This was worse, though, because back then they had not had to face the combined forces of three races.

-I always knew there was a reason I disliked Ara'lana,- Kri'a finally said. -My mother warned me about her before she died, even though she considered her to be a loyal servant. But to think she could be capable of such treason...I never would have seen this coming.- She turned back to Aria, managing to offer the hint of a smile. -Lieutenant, you did well to bring this information to me. And I'm sure that the ship you brought with you will offer even more information.-

-I was only doing my duty, Your Majesty,- Aria said, inclining her head and staring at the tabletop. -Anyone here would have done the same.-

-I'm sure,- the Empress said, looking among the other Ailians in the room. She gazed intently back at Aria. -You could have joined your mother and fought for your heritage. You know that returning here means your trial must continue. You are still under charges of treason, Lieutenant. And even knowing this, you have still decided to come home. With the ship you stole, you could have gone anywhere. I must admit I am curious, so I must ask: Why did you return?-

Jerking her head up, Aria looked at the Empress in surprise. -What else could I do?- The lieutenant straightened up in her chair, her eyes filled with a fierce pride. -When I graduated from officer training and took my commission, I swore an oath to serve you and the Ascendancy until my dying day. My honor demands that I do no less. What my mother has decided to do does not change that. I loved my mother, m'lady, but I love my people more.-

Nodding slowly, the Empress returned to her seat. Her smile had grown while Aria was talking. -I can see now that I was very right to put my faith in you, Aria,- she said. -I could ask no more of a loyal soldier of the Ascendancy. You have proven yourself most admirably.- She turned her head slightly. -Would you agree, Admiral?-

Admiral Te'rou stirred in his seat. He glanced at the Empress, and then looked at Aria with a grudging sort of respect. -I suppose...-

-Then I believe that settles at least one matter.- The Empress waved a hand to the guards flanking Aria. -You may go. You are no longer needed here.- The guards bowed to her and exited the room. -Lieutenant. Stand, please.-

Not sure exactly what was going on, Aria stood up from her chair. She looked around the room at the admirals and councilors, seeing a mixture of emotions on their faces. A number of them had much the same expressions of pride that the Empress wore, while some of them refused to meet her gaze. She looked at each of them in turn, and then she looked back to Kri'a. For the first time since coming back to Lirna, Aria felt ashamed of the state of her uniform. She still wore the same clothes she had been wearing when Major Tal'in had abducted her from her trial, and they were dirty, stained with Pteryd blood, and torn in spots. Aria wished that someone had thought to bring her a change of clothes before coming to see the Empress.

-Lieutenant Me'lia,- the Empress said, pulling Aria away from her thoughts. -You have demonstrated loyalty and bravery above and beyond what can be expected of an officer of the Ascendancy Navy. Your courage serves as an example of what an honorable Ailian should strive to be. In accordance with this, and in recognition of what you have risked to bring us this information, it pleases us greatly to dismiss all charges against you.- Kri'a beamed at her. -You are a free woman, Aria.-