This is the first draft of the brandy new version of Gamma Strike: The Dawning of a New Age. It has NOT been edited and this is not the final version that will appear in the book.
Chapter 1.
1.30.2136
0813
Gamma Epsilon Station
Soran’s Bar
Commander K’Alan Ilan Bryce leaned back in his chair and tok a sip of his Duterian Sunmist. He chuckled softly as he looked over to the person he shared his table with.
“You know, Mario,” K’Alan started. He gently put his glass on the table. He leaned forward again as he continued. “I keep telling myself I’m never going to come back to this place. And yet every time I get transferred, this is where I end up. Here at this tabble, you and I end up having a drink and playing cards while I wait to go aboard my new ship. Every time.”
“I know,” Mario laughed. He knocked back a long gulp of his drink. “I think Soran saves this table just for us. Lord knows we’ve been here often enough.”
K’Alan picked his drink back up and took another sip. He looked around the bar. The walls were dark with small twinkling lights designed to appear as if the view from the windows extended around the entire room. Small square tables were scattered about the room. Each table was illuminated from inside by either a soft blue or red light. Along one wall, a long polished oak bar stretched the entire length of the room. Soran, the bartender and owner of the bar, stood behind the bar chatting amicably with a woman in a Star League uniform. Her back was to him, so K’Alan had no idea who she was, although the long green hair hinted that she was likely a Jaradan.
“You know, this place hasn’t changed much since we first came through here fifteen years ago,” K’Alan noted as he returned his glance to his companion.
“And if we live another fifteen years, Soran’s Barr still won’t have changed,” Mario grinned. He raised his glass in a salute of agreement.
K’Alan tipped his own glass back in a salute. he reached over to a pocket on his left sleeve and pulled out a deck of round playing cards. Mario’s grin broadened slightly when he saw the cards.
“So, since we usually play cards while we wait to go aboard our new ships, how about a quick game of poker?” K’Alan asked as he started shuffling the cards.
“Yeah,” Mario chuckled. “I was wondering if you had a deck on you.”
“Mario, when don’t I have a deck with me?” K’Alan asked as he offered the deck to Mario for a cut.
“Good point,” Mario chuckled again as he cut the deck. “Deal the cards, Kal.” He watched as K’Alan dealt out five cards to each of them. He picked his cards and looked them over, frowning slightly. “So, what have you heard about our new commanding officer?”
“Little bits here and there,” K’Alan said as he looked at his own cards. He tossed three of his cards into the center of the table. “I’ve heard that she’s tough as nails and cold as ice.”
“Well, hold your tongue, ‘cause here she comes,” Mario whispered, inclining his head slightly to indicate the direction the captain was coming from. He tossed in four of his own cards, and K’Alan replaced the cards they’d both discarded before looking where Mario was indicating.
When he saw who it was that was coming their way, he almost dropped his cards. It was the Jaradan woman he’d seen talking to Soran, but what really surprised him was that he recognized her. He hadn’t recognized her name when he’d received his new orders, but now that he saw her face, he knew he should have. Her long dark green hair was combed back and worn just past her shoulders. Her eyes were emeralds and her smooth skin was olive in complexion. She wore a standard Star League duty uniform consisting of black pants, tunic and boots. Like the uniforms that K’Alan and Mario were wearing, her uniform had teal colored piping running down the middle of the front of the tunic and in four stripes running diagonally from about where her belly button would be to her left shoulder. The teal colored stripes designated her as a command officer. As expected, her rank insignia identified her as a captain.
Although he was surprised to see her, he managed to cover his surprise before she noticed. He was pretty sure however, that Mario had noticed. The slight wry smile on Mario’s face confirmed it. He knew that in time he’d have to tell Mario that he knew the Captain from the Academy, but he really didn’t want to deal with that just yet.
“Commander,’ Captain Thala Ker’sal said as she reached the table where the two friends were sitting/ Her voice fairly dripped ice. “It’s so nice to see you again.”
“The pleasure’s all mine,” K’Alan said, his voice cracking slightly. He forced a smile as he looked at his new commanding officer.
“I’m sure,” Thala snorted. She gave him another harsh glare before turning her attention to Mario. “Colonel Bonetti, I understand you wanted to speak to me?”
“Yes, Captain,” Mario nodded, sighing softly. He put his glass on the table and laid his cards face down next to it, knowing he’d need his full concentration for the task at hand. HE always hated when he had to go up the chain of command to get what he needed, but it was sometimes necessary. This was one of those times. “See, I’m having some problems with your security cheif, and I was hoping that if I spoke with you , we could clear up this problem quickly and quietly.”
“And what is the nature of this problem, Mr. Bonetti?” Thala asked. She crosser her arms and glared at Mario through have closed eyes. She made a point of completely ignoring K’Alan, something not lost on the Duterian officer.
“Well,” Mario said after a moment’s hesitation. “She won’t let my personal weapons collection on board.”
Thala raised an eyebrow, surprise clearly not expecting that from Mario. “And why in the name of the Lords of Jarada would a morale officer need to bring a personal weapons collection on board my ship?”
“Well,” Mario said, idly swirling his drink in its glass. “I’ve been collecting these weapons for over twenty years, and I’m an expert in each one of them. I used to teach their use to the ground forces in each of my assignments. I’ve also been known to go on a ground mission or two, and my weapons have saved more than a few lives in the past. Besides. I wouldn’t exactly feel comfortable on this assignment without them. And if the morale officer ain’t comfy...” HE trailed off, letting that last statement hanging in midair. He knew it would have the intended affect.
“Very well,” Thala sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically. “You have my permission to bring your weapons collection on board. If Masha gives you any further problems, have her come see me.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Mario smiled and saluted. He took another sip of his drink and picked up his cards.
“Commander Bryce, my office in one hour,” Thala said as she turned to look directly at K’Alan.
“Yes, ma’am,” K’Alan barked out, fighting the urge to gulp in desperation.
Thala turned on her heel after giving K’Alan one last glare. She strode over to talk to a young woman in another part of the bar. Mario whistled and shook his head as he watched her go then looked over at his friend.
“You are so screwed,” Mario grinned as he tossed his hand in the center of the table. “What’s the deal with you and the Ice Bitch over there?”
“Oh, just don’t as. Just don’t go there, Mario. All I know is that this is going to be one very long and strange tour of duty.” he picked up the cards from the table and pocketed them again. “And just what did you mean by used to teach? You stopped? Such a shame.”
“Kal, you should have been on my last assignment,” Mario shok his head. He drained the last of his drink and waved the waiter over for a refill. “The captain didn’t believe in his troops learning what he considered primitive weaponry.”
“So what happened?” K’Alan took a sup of his drink and leaned forward in rapt fascination.
“A whole platoon of ground troops got sent down to this one planet. Something in the atmosphere wreaked havoc with the plasma rifles. So, since the platoon didn’t have any backup weapons, not one member of the platoon had a working weapon. They fought bravely, but the whole platoon got slaughtered. The captain, who’d insisted on going down on the planet with the platoon was captured. I ended up going in with my “primitive weaponry” and saving his butt. That’s when they gave me my gold bars,” Mario explained, proudly fingering his new rank insignia.
“Yeah,” K’Alan nodded. “I noticed you got promoted. Congrats, by the way.”
“Thanks,” Mario grinned.
“So,” K’Alan continued after taking another sip of his drink. “What happened to the Captain?”
“Court-martialed for stupidity and losing a whole platoon of troops as a result of said stupidity,” Mario laughed. The waiter came back with the refill of Mario’s drink. Mario smiled and took a sup before asking the burning question he’d been wanting to ask all morning. “Heard anything from Kit lately?
K’Alan took a long sip from his drink and sighed deeply before answering. “I haven’t talked to her in over two months. We’d been on silent rinning for a long time before my transfer to the White Knight. And with the transfer, I’ve just been running ragged. I’m going to call her before we leave.”
“Don’t forget to say hi for me,” Mario said, tossing off another of his famous grins.
“Sure enough,” K’Alan laughed. “Except she doesn’t much like you.”
“Everyone loves me!” Mario said, sounding wounded. “I’m just that kind of loveable guy, you know?”
“Yeah. Sure you are,” K’Alan grinned, nodding with his friend. “And you don’t have an ego problem either, right?”
Mario laughed long and hard. Yes, it was definitely going to be good serving on the same ship as his friend again.
“Hey,” Mario started suddenly, a thought occurring to him out of nowhere. “Stop by my quarters later. I have something for you.”
“I hope it’s a stiff drink,” K’Alan muttered tapping his glass idly. “I have a feeling I’m going to need one after I talk to the Captain. Listen, I’ve got a couple things I need to do before I go see her, so I’ll see you later, buddy.”
K’Alan gulped back the last of his drink and stood. He smiled at Mario, clapped him on the shoulder, gave him a wink and strode out of the bar.
“I don’t believe it!” Mario groaned as he watched K’Alan go. “He stiffed me with the bill again!”
1.30.2136
0847
Gamma Epsilon Station
Another Part of Soran’s Bar
Three girls sat at a table in a corner of the bar. Each of the three girls were nursing a root beer and they were all watching their friend who was making her way towards their table.
“About time you showed up, Sarah,” Kim Chellman grumped as Sarah arrived at the table. She crossed her arms and looked up at her friend. “I thought we agreed to meet here at 8 this morning.”
“Sorry,” Sarah shrugged as she sat down. The waiter came over and placed a root beer in front of her. “But guess what?”
“What?” Kim asked, uncrossing her arms and taking another sip of her root beer.
“I just talked to Captain Ker’sal. That’s why I’m so late,” the very excited Sarah grinned. She took a swallow of her root beer before continuing. “Mmm. Great root beer as always! Anyway, Captain Ker’sal told me that I was just assigned to the SLS White Knight as the Chief Engineer.”
“Like, shyeah, right,” another one of the girls at the table spat out the mouthful of root beer that she’d just sipped. “And I’m the next person to be named a squad leader. Sarah, get real.”
“You haven’t even been through the Academy,” the third girl snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. “And you’re too young to serve in the Defense Force anyway. So how do you expect us to take you seriously?”
“Besides, how could you get such a cushy job anyway. You’re a hermit!” Kim teased. She took another sip of her root beer and sneered at Sarah.
“I designed the ship,” Sarah said, matter of factly. She lifted her chin in a proudly defiant manner.
“SHYEAH!” all three of the girls said in perfect unison. They all looked at Sarah with complete disbelief, and Kim, the spokesman of the group, continued with a note of scorn in her voice. “Like that would ever happen.”
“I’m serious, guys!” Sarah pouted. She tossed a datapad on the table and slid it across to Kim. Kim picked it up and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. “You remember that ship I was designing last year? Well, they built it, and they want me on board as the Chief Engineer since I know the ship better than anyone else.”
Before any of the girls could respond, Mario made his way over to the girls table. He looked at the four girls with an appraising look and tossed off one of his famous winning smiles.
“Would one of you lovely ladies be a young woman by the name of Sarah Hodge?” he asked as he turned a chair around and straddled it.
“That would be me, sir,” Sarah smiled. She waved to the Colonel.
“There’s no need to sir me, Ensign,” Mario chuckled. He extended his hand in a friendly greeting. “I’m not an officer and I don’t much stand on formality anyway. Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure’s all mine, Colonel,” Sara grinned, taking his hand in a surprisingly firm handshake.
“I understand you’re our new Chief Engineer,” Mario said conversationally as he took his hand back. He tapped his finger against his glass thoughtfully.
“Aye, Colonel,” Sarah nodded. “I was just informed of that.”
“Well, it’ll be a pleasure to serve with you.” Mario took a sip of his drink. “Make sure you’re on the White Knight before she leaves in just under six hours. I’d hate to see such a pretty young thing as you left behind just because you weren’t on board on time.”
“I’ll be at my station in four hours, Colonel,” Sarah assured Mario. Her smile broadened until it filled her entire face.
“Lower Pylon Five, Ensign,” Mario said as he stood. He tossed back the rest of his drink. He gave the girls a wink and another one of his winning smiles before turning on his heel and leaving the bar.
The girls all watched Mario go with the general awe that he tended to generate in women. Sarah turned to the other three girls with a triumphant look on her face.
“So,” she grinned broadly at them. “Do you know who that was?”
“Wow!” was all they could say at first. They all looked at her with an open-mouthed expression of awe.
“I guess you weren’t pulling our legs after all, Sarah!” Kim said, shaking her head in complete disbelief. “Sorry we doubted you. Congratulations! Have fun!”
“Oh, I’m pretty sure I will,” Sarah beamed as she finished her root beer. She stood and stretched. “I should go get ready to ship out.”
The three girls watched Sarah go, looks of shock registering on their faces.
1.30.2136
0921
SLS White Knight
Captain Thala Ker’sal’s office.
K’Alan Bryce stood quietly before Thala’s desk. He’d been standing there for a couple minutes, waiting for her to acknowledge him. Even though he was standing at attention, he was fidgeting nervously. The captain did make him that uncomfortable.
“You wanted to see me, Captain?” he said quietly.
The captain looked up and leaned back in her chair. She looked K’Alan over and motioned to the chair across the desk from where she was sitting.
“Have a seat, Commander,” she said, equally as softly as he’d spoken.
“Captain,” K’Alan started without moving. “If you have a problem with me...”
“If I had a problem with you, Commander,” Thala interrupted K’Alan. She placed the pen she was holding on the desk and steepled her fingers. She stared at the commander over her long steepled finger. “I would not have requested you as my executive officer.”
“But the way that you...”
“My personal feelings for you have absolutely no relevance,” Thala interrupted again. She leaned back in her chair and tugged on the bottom of her uniform tunic. “All I can and will tell you is that I would much rather have you as my exec than any of the other equally and suitably qualified candidates for the position. Is that clear, Commander?”
“As crystal, ma’am,” K’Alan said sharply, an almost imperceptible nod the only motion he made in acknowledgement of her words.
“Good. Now take a seat before you break,” she smiled.
It was the first smile he could remember ever seeing from her. It was enough for him to lower his guard slightly. But only slightly. He took the offered seat, turned it around and straddled it, leaving the chair back between himself and the Captain. It allowed him a slight amount of comfort to have the safety net.
“So,” K’Alan asked, his voice rock solid despite how nervous he was still feeling. “What did you want to speak to me about, Captain?”
“I have some things to go over with you,” Thala said. She picked up a datapad and glanced at it. “First of all, our Mr. Bonetti. Do you trust him?”
“Mario?” K’Alan laughed. it was a strained laugh but a laugh nonetheless. Thala nodded. K’Alan sighed and rubbed his chin before continuing. “Well, I’ve known Mario about fifteen years. We’ve served together a couple times. To be honest, I’d rather have him on some of the hell hole missions we’re likely going to get than almost any of the highly trained ground troops we’ve been assigned. And yes, I’ve gone over the records of our ground troops. He’s a hell of a pilot too. Almost as good as me.” The last was said with a touch of pride in both his and Mario’s piloting abilities.
“Good,” Thala nodded. She laid the datapad back down on the desk. “He’s your responsibility. I’m afraid he was pushed on me by his father. I don’t much like having my teams picked for me.”
“Captain, if I may,” K’Alan began. He was a bit amused by the fact that Mario had to be pushed on Thala. But he refused to let his amusement show. “I know Admiral Bonetti. He and Mario don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. The admiral was none too pleased when Mario decided to go career enlisted. He was the first of his family to refuse to take the officer’s exam. He still gets offered it every year, and he turns it down every time. If Admiral Bonetti did request Mario be assigned to this unit, then he must have had a very good reason.”
“Be that as it may,” Thala shrugged. “I still don’t like it any.”
“Trust me,” K’Alan smiled. “Mario will grow on you in time.”
“We’ll see.” Thala flicked her glance back to the datapad then to the computer screen on her desk. “Commander, are you rated to fly combat missions?”
“My personnel jacket should have told you that I was a squadron leader on my last two assignments,” K’Alan noted.
“Good,” “Thala smiled. She made an entry on her computer. “I’m assigning you as my strike leader.”
“I want Mario as my wingman,” K’Alan said simply.
That brought Thala’s raptor gaze back up to meet K’Alan’s gaze, telling him that his comment had had the desired effect. “Is he combat rated? I know you mentioned he was a good pilot, but I don’t remember ever hearing he was combat rated.”
“He was first in his class at the Academy,” K’Alan shrugged. He stroked the cleft on his nose thoughtfully before continuing. “I once saw him fly between two Brentax Kovat class light cruisers without a scratch. The two cruisers... Well, they weren’t so lucky.”
“Whatever. It’s your neck,” Thala shrugged. She slid a datapad across the desk to K’Alan. You’ve been given the best pilots. I want you to be tough and consistent in your leadership. It’s your responsibility to make sure we have the best fighting team we can possibly expect to have.”
“What do we have for fighters and pilots?” K’Alan asked as he picked up the datapad and looked over the data.
“7 Starhawks and 56 Starfires,” Thala responded as she checked the stats on her terminal. “And a full complement of 70 combat rated pilots, including yourself and Mr. Bonetti.”
“All right,” K’Alan nodded as he looked over the list of pilots. “I think the best way to do this would be to have 7 squads of 10 pilots each. One Starhawk and 8 Starfires per squadron. Squad leaders and their wings assigned to the Starhawks. I’ll draw up the squadron rosters and have them to you within the hour.”
“Good,” Thala nodded. She glanced at the datapad again before continuing. “I’m sure you’re wondering what our first mission is.”
“Of course I have,” K’Alan nodded. He slipped the datapad with the pilot information into a pocket of his uniform.
“So have I.”
“You mean you haven’t been given our orders yet?” K’Alan furrowed his brow.
“SLDF Command in their infinite wisdom has decided to give us a couple days shakedown time before giving us our first assignment.” There was a touch of disdain in her voice, implying that she didn’t agree that they needed the extra shakedown time.
“Great,” K’Alan said with a rueful smile. “Just what I’ve always wanted. More time to sit around and worry.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Thala chuckled. “This will just give us a chance to make sure everything is fully functional on board. Not like we haven’t already tested everything three times already.”
“Always a good thing,” K’Alan nodded, chuckling softly. “Is there anything else, Captain?”
“There’s one other thing that’s bothering me.” Thala pulled up a schematic of the White Knight and turned the computer screen around so that K’Alan could see what she was talking about. “That blank area near the back of the ship. I have no idea what it is.”
“Interesting,” K’Alan muttered. He quickly scrolled through the schematics. As he looked the schematics over, he noted exactly how much of the ship was taken up by this strange blank area. “Why not just go check it out? That’s a large part of the ship, almost half the total area!”
“I can’t go check it out,” Thala shrugged as she turned the computer screen back to face her. “Only two people are currently allowed access to that area: Admiral Bonetti and Ensign Hodge.”
“Very strange indeed,” K’Alan said, frowning. “What do you suppose is in there?”
Thala closed the computer screen and shrugged again. “I have no idea. I don’t much like secrets on my ship.”
“Well, I’m sure we’ll find out what that section is for sooner or later,” K’Alan shrugged, an almost perfect imitation of Thala’s.
Thala came around the desk and sat down on the edge of the desk closest to K’Alan. She looked deep into his eyes. “I want you to know that this will work out fine, K’Alan.” Her voice was soft and almost comforting.
K’Alan returned her gaze and held her gaze for several long seconds. ‘You still don’t like me very much from our time at the Academy, do you?”
“If you only knew, Commander,” Thala snapped as she jumped back to her feet. K’Alan could swear the temperature in the office dropped by thirty degrees. “Dismissed.”
“Yes, ma’am,” K’Alan barked. He wasted no time in leaving Thala’s office.
1.30.2136
1004
SLS White Knight
Colonel Mario Bonetti’s Quarters.
K’Alan couldn’t help himself. He just had to laugh when he entered Mario’s quarters. All of his belongings, except his weapons collection of course, were already in all their proper places. But it looked like someone had inadvertantly put the armory in the morale officer’s quarters by mistake. There were weapons everywhere, covering everything. That is, where there was room for them to cover everything. Mario’s quarters were the standard size for someone on the command staff, but it looked like he was trying to maximize every inch of space in the quarters. A series of shelves in the main living area housed his collection of twentieth century memorabilia, including his most prized twentieth century possessions, a portable CD player complete with headphones and a stack of Billy Joel CDs. There were weapons hangers all over the walls, but most of them were empty as Mario tried to decide which weapons went where.
As K’Alan was looking around the main living area, Mario came out from the bedroom carrying a wicked looking spear in one hand. Mario’s usually carefully combed hair was slightly disshevelled, bordering on completely messy. His hazel eyes darted around the room, trying to decide what weapons should go where. The front of Mario’s uniform tunic was open, showing the white undershirt the Colonel was wearing underneath. He smiled at K’Alan when he saw his friend.
“You know, Kal,” Mario motioned for the Duterian to come further into the room. ‘There’s definitely one major problem with transfers.”
“What’s that, Mario?” K’Alan asked, an amused expression on his face.
Mario spread his arms indicating the mass of weapons everywhere. “My weapons collection is getting too damn big! I ask you. Where am I going to store all these weapons? There is a definite lack of wall space here!”
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” K’Alan laughed. He picked his way carefully across the room. “I don’t suppose you have that drink?”
“Nope. I haven’t gotten any drinks in here yet,” Mario shrugged. He put the spear into one of the weapons holders. “Is that straight?”
“Yeah,” K’Alan lied.
“So,” Mario asked as he turned back to K’Alan. He cleared off a chair and offered it to his friend. “What did the old battle ax want?”
“How would you like to be my wingman?” K’Alan said as he took the offered chair. He was barely able to keep a straight face.
“She’s putting you in a fighter?” Mario asked with a raised eyebrow. He picked up a pair of blasters and looked for a suitable place to put them.
“A Starhawk even,” K’Alan said. This time, he wasn’t able to keep the smile off his face.
“Sweet deal.” The blasters found themselves in weapons hangers on the wall across from the spear. “How did you manage that?”
“She made me strike leader,” K’Alan mumbled.
Mario stopped and looked at his friend. “I’m sorry, bud. I didn’t quite hear that. What did you say?”
“I said,” K’Alan said, much louder this time. “She made me strike leader.”
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Mario roared with laughter. When he’d composed himself, he started to pick up another weapon, then he turned back to the wall to find a place for it to go.
“Well,” K’Alan shrugged. He picked up a wicked looking dagger and turned it over in his hands. “At least she doesn’t hate me.”
“She say as much?” Mario asked. He put he weapon he was holding in another weapons holder and turned back to K’Alan.
“Yeah, but I just don’t know.” K’Alan tossed the dagger lightly to Mario.
Mario caught the dagger by the hilt and put it in a holder near the spear. He started searching through the piles of weapons for something specific. “Listen, Kal. I missed your last birthday, so I want to give you your birthday present now if that’s all right with you?”
“Sure,” K’Alan laughed as he watched his friend. “You know me. I never turn down a present.”
“Well, if I can find it, it’s yours,” Mario said. He continued digging through the piles of weapons. After a few moments of Mario’s frantic searching, a pile of weapons toppled over, revealing the specific item Mario was looking for. He picked it up and offered it to K’Alan hilt first. “Ah, here it is! Forged from the same meteor as Wildfire.”
K’Alan took the offered blade and examined it closely. It was a fine blade, crafted by one of the finest Spanish blacksmiths to what would have been K’Alan’s exact specifications if he’d had the blade made himself. It was a thirty inch long blade that was sharp enough to split a hair. The hilt was made of steel inlaid with gold. It was crafted to depict two dragons interlocked in battle; the wings of the dragons formed the hand guard. It was perfectly balanced and surprisingly light. And the hilt felt extremely comfortable in his hand.
“Nice,” K’Alan whistled as he looked the blade over. “Think the Ice Bitch will let me wear it?”
“The beauty of it is that she has no choice,” Mario grinned. “It’s in the regs.”
“Thanks, buddy,” K’Alan said as he stood up. He saluted Mario with the sword then attached the scabbard to his belt. “I have to go call Kit. I’ll see you at the briefing later on.”
“Sure thing,” Mario grinned as he grabbed another weapon to try to find a home for it. “Later, Kal.”
1.30.2136
1029
SLS White Knight
Captain Thala Ker'sal's office.
Jewel Kazin, Thala's long time friend and confidante, sat in the chair across the desk from Thala where K'Alan had set facing down the captain not long before. Her dark green hair, dark almost to the point of being black, was pulled back into a ponytail. She sat with one leg dangling over the arm of the chair, rhythmically moving her foot to a beat only she could hear. Her deep blue eyes, an exceedingly rare eye color for a Jaradan, were locked with Thala's emerald eyes, and she decided that she didn't much like what she saw there.
"You're worried, aren't you, Thala." It was not a question so much as a statement of fact. She watched for a reaction in the other woman's face, and was not surprised to see none at all.
"You've known me a long time, Jewel," Thala sighed deeply. She closed her eyes and turned away from the other woman. "You know how I feel about a certain person under my command."
"I also know you cannot have him," Jewel reminded the captain. The rhythmic moving of her foot stopped to emphasize her point.
"If he weren't married…"
"If he weren't married, you still wouldn't be able to have him," Jewel interrupted testily. She turned her body and placed both feet on the floor. "You know that as well as I."
"Yes, I know. I suppose I'm just destined to love him without being loved back. How lonely," Thala grunted. She opened her eyes and looked at Jewel with a sad expression.
"That's not the only problem, is it, Thala?" Jewel asked after studying her friend for a few moments. Sometimes it amazed Thala how well Jewel knew her.
"I've been having the nightmares again," Thala frowned. She sighed again and shook her head. "Every night for the past two weeks."
"I thought they had stopped," Jewel frowned.
"No," Thala groaned. "They never really stopped. And I feel like I'm going to be seeing him again very soon."
"Who?" Jewel asked. She recrossed her legs and pulled her tunic down a little.
"The creature in my dreams," Thala sighed. She closed her eyes again and gently rubbed her temples.
"Are you sure?" Jewel cocked her head to the side and looked at her friend with a concerned look.
Thala's eyes snapped open. She slammed her hands against the desk and stood up. She began to slowly pace, each step punctuating her words. "That's just it, Jewel. I'm not so sure of anything anymore. Hell, I'm not even sure I'm the right person to be commanding this ship." She whirled around and locked her eyes with Jewel's. "And that doesn't leave this office, Lieutenant."
"I understand. Captain, I hate to do this to you. Especially so close to launch time," Jewel said. She stood up and returned Thala's steady gaze. "I want you to come by sickbay for a full physical and psychological workup. And you can't tell me know. This is officially doctor's orders."
"It'll have to be right now then," Thala grumbled unhappily "We're due to launch soon and I still have quite a bit of work to do before we do."
"Then I'd suggest you accompany me to the sickbay now, Captain," Jewel said. She motioned for Thala to head out of the office first.
1.30.2136
1147
SLS White Knight
The Bridge
K'Alan walked onto the bridge for the first time and stopped. He looked around at all the activity and whistled softly to himself. The bridge was fairly large, and it spanned two levels. He noticed he was on the upper level. The upper level was a ring of stations surrounding a vast opening. Around the wall of the upper level were engineering and tactical stations as well as the main communications station. The captain and executive officer stations were on opposite sides of the ring, jutting out into the open area just slightly and facing each other. There was a steel railing around the opening to prevent people from falling over into the lower level. Looking down to the lower level, K'Alan could see the helm and navigations station, as well as more engineering, tactical and operations stations. Everywhere he looked was a bustle of activity.
"Can I help you, Commander?" a slender woman asked from the nearby communications station. Her curly auburn hair bounced around as she moved.
"Lieutenant Commander Yeuid, is it?" he asked, still in awe of the bridge. He tore himself away from the bustle of activity to focus on the young woman. He extended his hand in a friendly greeting.
"Yes, sir," she grinned taking his hand in a surprisingly firm grip. "Katherine Yeuid. But you can call me Kath."
"K'Alan Bryce," K'Alan returned the grin. He took back his hand. "You can call me whatever you like, so long as you don't call me too late for dinner." He chuckled softly at his own little joke.
"That a line, sir?" Kath asked, raising a carefully manicured eyebrow in a slightly confused expression.
"I'm married, Kath," K'Alan laughed. He waggled the finger with his wedding ring for emphasis. "Seriously though, call me Kal. Everyone else does. Well, everyone except the captain that is."
"All right then. Kal, it is," Kath smiled broadly. "Now. What can I do for you?"
K'Alan headed over to his station and looked over the board, noting new controls he hadn't seen on a command board before. After a few moments, he turned back to Kath. "I need a comm channel open to Duterius Prime."
"I'm going to need a little something more specific than that, Kal," Kath laughed as she headed back to her station. "Duterius Prime's a big planet you know."
"I know," K'Alan laughed also. It was a good feeling to be able to just laugh with other members of the bridge crew. Especially since he knew there'd be no laughing with the Captain. "I grew up there. I need a channel opened up to the High Gentlewoman."
"Consider it done," Kath smiled as she set to work patching the call through.
"Patch it through to the conference room, please," K'Alan nodded. He took one last look around the bridge. He shook his head in disbelief and awe. Then he turned around and headed off the bridge.
1.30.2136
1152
SLS White Knight
Medbay
Jewel frowned deeply and shook her head as she draped her stethoscope around her neck. She made a quick entry into the computer, saved Thala’s file and then walked over to the bed where Thala was sitting. She chuckled slightly to herself when she saw Thala fidgeting with the hem of her hospital gown.
“Well, Captain,” Jewel began. She dropped Thala’s chart onto the bed and crossed her arms. “Here’s the scoop. I can’t find anything wrong with you physically or psychologically.”
“So I’m healthy and sane,” Thala mumbled. She crossed her arms, unconsciously mimicking Jewel’s posture, and grumped. “Good to know.”
“I do want to run periodic workups on you to make sure,” Jewel picked the chart back up and made a couple notes on it.
“Yes, Jewel,” Thala rolled her eyes.
“And I’d strongly suggest that you talk to a counselor about those nightmares,” Jewel ordered. Then she smiled, knowing what she was about to say would make Thala fairly happy. “Now go on and get out of here.”
“Right. Thanks, Jewel,” Thala grunted. She hopped off the bed and put her uniform back on. She nodded to jewel then headed back up to her office.
1.30.2136
1132
SLS White Knight
Gymnasium 12
The two fencing foils clashed together again and again. Each time they touched, the metallic clang reverberated throughout the gym. After a few quick parries, the smaller of the two fencers parried the other foil aside and thrust his foil into the other fencer's now unprotected middle, scoring a touch.
"Nice steady start, Masha," Mario said as he removed his mask. "But as usual, you got off balance too easily, allowing me to score the easy touch. Try spreading your legs a little further apart. It'll give you a better base and a lower center of gravity."
They'd been fencing for over an hour. Masha Omega had always been one of Mario's favorite pupils over the years, but she'd never really been able to get the hang of fencing. She kept trying very hard, but it wasn't easy for her.
"That's easy for you to say, pretty boy," Masha smirked as she removed her own mask. The large Sandarian tossed the mask at Mario. "You've got those nice spindly legs. I got tree trunks remember? Besides. I got no use for little pointy swords. They just bounce off my body anyway. Now bombs. Those are fun!"
"Bombs are not a finesse weapon," Mario smiled as he picked up Masha's mask and tossed it back to her. "Swords are. Now just try a little harder and I'm sure you'll get it."
"Mario," Masha chuckled as she caught the mask. "With all due respect, you've been trying to teach me to fight with swords off and on for ten years. I ain't learned yet. What makes you think I can learn now?"
"Because I have the patience of a saint," Mario grinned as he tossed off a salute to Masha with his sword. "Or because this is likely to be a fairly long assignment. Take your pick. Whichever reason you choose, I believe you can do it. Now try again."
"Forget it, but." Masha tossed the mask onto a nearby bench and put her foil on the rack. "I have to go back to my weapons inventory. I'll be really upset if we leave without a full compliment of weapons. And you know how I am when I'm upset."
"Yes, I do," Mario laughed. He put his own foil back on the rack and turned back to his pupil. He gave her a nice long glare. "Which reminds me. Why did you give me such a hard time with my weapons collection? It's saved your butt more times than I can count."
"Call it the fact that I like giving you hell, bud."
She patted him on the back, causing him to stumble. She smiled sweetly then strode off in the direction of the ship's armory.
1.30.2136
1155
SLS White Knight
Main Conference Lounge
K’Alan groaned loudly. Every time he called Kit he was invariably put on hold indefinitely. He knew it was first come first served, but sometimes he just hated the holding and waiting. One of these days he was going to have to find a way to let her know it was him calling.
“Your call is being processed to the High Gentlewoman in the order that it was received,” the male voice on the recording droned on for the twelfth time. Your call is very important to her and it will be answered as soon as possible. However, it may be some time before…”
“This is the High Gentlewoman of Duterius Prime,” Kit’s voice floated into the conference lounge. She hadn’t bothered to activate the video display, so K’Alan was still watching the Great Seal of Duterius Prime rotating slowly on the screen. She sounded completely bored. Well, he thought. She’s about to get some excitement! That’s for sure. “Please state your name and how I may be of service.”
K’Alan chuckled softly to himself, knowing it was going to be fun springing this surprise on his beloved. “You know, Kit. If you turned on your video display every once in a while, you might not have to ask that question all the time.”
“Kal?” K’Itea Bryce asked. The video flared to life showing Kit in all her regal beauty. Long curly golden hair flowed in waves around her. Bright blue eyes blazed from under thin eyebrows. But her most beautiful feature as far as K’Alan was concerned was the broad smile that broke over her features as soon as she saw who was on the viewscreen. “That really you?”
“Yes, my beloved,” K’Alan’s grin broadened even further. He reached over and touched her face on the viewscreen. “It is I.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear from you.” K’Itea reached up and placed her hand against K’Alan’s on the viewscreen. “I was afraid you’d been killed.” Her voice turned to a sad note when she mentioned that she thought he’d been killed.
K’Alan nodded reassuringly. “You’d have known if I’d been killed, Kit.” He grinned conspiratorily and gave her a knowing wink. “Besides., you know as well as I do that the Brentax don’t have anything that can touch me.”
“Don’t get cocky,” K’Itea smirked. “Anyway, it’s been far too long since we’ve talked.”
“Forget talked!” K’Alan chuckled. He took his hand back down off the viewer. “It’s been way too long since I’ve been there to visit you.”
“Yes,” K’Itea nodded sadly. “Eleven years is way too long a time. I miss you greatly.
“And I miss you,” K’Alan sighed. Then he brightened as an idea hit him. “But I’m going to come see you soon. I’ve got a lot of personal time saved up. I’m sure my new CO will let me take some time off.”
“New CO?” An eyebrow raised in surprise. “Did you get transferred again?”
“And promoted,” K’Alan grinned, tapping his new rank insignia. “They made me a full commander and made me the executive officer on this tug.”
“Congratulations, Kal!” K’Itea smiled broadly at K’Alan. The smile was touched with a hint of sadness, though, although K’Alan didn’t recognize it as such. “I am so happy for you.”
“There’s only one thing that would make this better,” K’Alan said, suddenly sounding very sad. “I wish you could be here with me.”
“Someday we’ll have a chance to travel the stars together, my love,” K’Itea said. She smiled again, but this time, there was no trace of the sadness from before. “When do you think you’ll be able to take time off?”
K’Alan shrugged and tapped a finger lightly on the table as he thought about his answer. “Not until after our first mission, but I don’t really know how long that will be.”
“Well, I look forward to seeing you, my beloved,” K’Itea said. She looked down for a few moments, as if wrestling with whether or not to say something else. “There is something we need to discuss,” she said finally, apparently having decided to just go ahead and say whatever it was that was on her mind. She tapped a few commands on her terminal and sighed again. “But it’s something far better discussed in person. I’ve just sent you an encrypted message. Promise me you won’t view it until you’re on your way here.”
“I promise.” He checked his chrono quickly. “Listen, we’re due to launch soon, and I still have things I need to do here before I go up to the bridge.”
“I understand,” K’Itea pouted, obviously wanting to prolong the conversation. “We both have things we need to do. I’ll see you soon?”
“Count on it,” K’Alan grinned.
“I love you K’Alan Ilan Bryce.”
“And I love you now and always, K’Itea Alana Bryce.” He kissed the tips of his first two fingers and touched them to her lips. “Commander Bryce out.
1.30.2136
1221
SLS White Knight
Main Engineering
Sarah stood just inside the doorway to her office looking out at Main Engineering. She had an ice cold root beer in her hand. She took a sip as she watched her crew performing final checks in final preparation for departure.
“Any problems, Major?” she asked one of the techs as he walked by.
“No, ma’am,” the major grinned. He waved at a display panel nearby for emphasis. “Everything is working just the way you designed it.” There was a touch of pride in his voice. He felt the pride Sarah felt in the engines. It was the brotherly pride all engineers feel in their engines.
“Glad to hear it,” Sara smiled at the major and took a sip of he root beer. She looked over the display the major had indicate a second time and nodded thoughtfully. She made a small adjustment to the fusion drive and raised an eyebrow at the results.
“What did you just do, Ensign?” a nearby ensign asked as he looked at the display he was working at. “Fusion drive efficiency just jumped two percent.”
“I know. I see that. I just made a slight adjustment to the Harstrom Couplers,” Sarah shrugged as she checked over other settings on the display. “It shouldn’t have made that big a difference unless something else is out of whack.” She turned to the ensign that had asked her about the efficiency jump. “Ensign Scherma, run a level three diagnostic, please.”
“Consider it done, Chief,” Ensign Scherma nodded. He turned back and got right to work on the diagnostic.
“Bridge to Engineering,” Captain Ker’sal’s voice came floating in from the intercom.
Sarah took a sip of her root beer then punched the intercom button. “Engineering here.”
“Status check,” Thala ordered.
“We should be good to go on time, Captain,” Sarah said. She looked over Ensign Scherma and nodded. “We’re currently running a Level Three diagnostic on the Harstrom Couplers. I made an adjustment and it made far too much of a difference in my opinion. I wanted to make sure nothing else was wrong before we got ready to ship out.”
“Let me know,” Thala responded. “Let’s just hope it’s nothing serious this close to launch.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll be able to deal with it down here, Captain,” Sarah grinned. She had a great deal of confidence and pride in her team. She looked at the display and waved at Ensign Scherma to get his attention. “We’ve got a great team down here. Engineering out.”
“What do you have, Chief?” Ensign Scherma asked as he came to stand by Sarah’s side.
“Look here,” Sarah pointed to a readout on one part of the display board. “The neutrino flow is misaligned. No wonder the Harstrom Couplers were out of whack.”
“I’m on it,” Ensign Scherma said as he ran over to another console. “I never would have caught that in my diagnostic, Chief.”
“I know,” Sarah nodded. “Not your fault that it wouldn’t have shown up. I’m just glad we found it.”
“And it should be fixed now,” Ensign Scherma smiled as he finished making a couple of adjustments. “We should be functioning at pretty close to one hundred percent. now.”
“Good work,” Sarah grinned. It was exciting to see her engines working. She’d put a lot of time and energy in their design and now to see them coming alive was like a dream come true . She took a sip of her root beer and punched the intercom button. “Engineering to Bridge.”
“This is the bridge,” Thala’s voice came back. “Report, Ensign.”
“We’ve found and corrected the problem, Captain. There was a slight irregularity in the neutrino flow. It might have caused us some problems, but it’s fixed now,” Sarah replied. She took another sip of the root beer and looked at the now empty bottle, frowning.
“Good work, Ensign,” Thala said approvingly. “To you and your team.”
“Thanks, Captain!”
1.30.2136
1457
SLS White Knight
The Bridge
Captain Thala Ker’sal made herself comfortable in her command chair. She looked out over the bridge and watched the bridge crew working at their consoles. It was a good crew, she decided. They would work well together. She allowed herself a satisfied smile at having put together such a good team.
“Take us out, Ms. Barros,” Thala said to her Chief Helmsman. She settled further back in her chair and glanced across the upper level of the bridge to K’Alan’s station. She frowned at his not being at his station when they were leaving space dock like he should have been. “Nice and slowly, please.”
“Aye, Captain,” Tyla Barros nodded. “Securing docking clamps. Taking her out.” She manipulated controls on her station. The deck shuddered slightly as the ship accelerated away from the Gamma Epsilon station. “We have cleared the Gamma Epsilon station.”
“Sorry, I’m late, Captain,” K’Alan called as he ran onto the bridge. The sword Mario had given him hung off his left hip within easy reach. “I had a few last minute personal matters to attend to.”
“What is that you’re wearing, Commander?” Thala asked, pointing at the sword.
“What?” K’Alan frowned, then looked where Thala was pointing. “Oh. Late birthday present.”
“What is it doing on your uniform, Commander?” Thala frowned. She hated flippancy. Especially on her bridge.
K’Alan tapped his finger on the hilt of the sword. “Star League Regulation 342.571 paragraph C clearly states that a duly appointed member of the Star League Defense Force may wear on their duty uniform a melee weapon for the purpose of ceremonial or functional use. I assure you that this is a fully functional melee weapon, and I am quite proficient in its use.”
“Very well, Commander,” Thala groaned, rolling her eyes. “Take your station.
“Aye, Captain,” he saluted. K’Alan strode over to his instrument panel and checked it over. He noted with satisfaction that everything on the board was clear and in the green. He nodded to Kath, who was manning her communications station right near his own station.
“How was your call, Kal?” Kath whispered, leaning over so that only K’Alan could hear her.
“Pretty interesting, Kath. Thank you,” K’Alan smiled.
“All right, people. This is what weve been waiging for,” Thala rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “Let’s see what this baby can do. Ms. Barros, take us to the edge of the solar system.”
“Aye, Captain,” Tyla nodded. She manipulated some controls on her board. “Now reading a course of 321 mark 3. Speed: one quarter fusion drive.”
Time passed quickly as the ship made its way out of the solar system. The subtle sounds of vibrations and the normal beeps and clicks of the consoles were the only sounds. An hour later, the crew found themselves at the edge of the solar system.
“We’re now leaving the Gamma Epsilon System, Captain,” Tyla reported without looking up from her helm.
“Status, Commander?” Thala inquired as she looked over at K’Alan.
“All systems reading normal, Captain,” K’Alan called out after running another check of his board.
“Good,” Thala nodded. She turned to face the navigations officer. “Ms. Silvermaine, set course for—“
“Captain,” Kath interrupted from her station. She turned to face the Captain. “Distress call coming in from Duterius Prime.”
K’Alan whirled to face Kath, a look of panic on his face. He turned back to his own station and pulled up a copy of the transmission.
“Holo!” Thala barked.
In the open area in the center of the bridge, a holographic image of K’Itea Bryce appeared and began to slowly rotate so that everyone could see her. Even though he’d already seen the transmission, K’Alan had to restrain himself from reacting as she looked as if she were positively panicking.
“This is High Gentlewoman K’Itea Bryce of Duterius Prime requesting assistance from any nearby Star League Defense Force vessel. We are under attack by unknown attackers. I do not know how much longer planetary defenses can hold out.”
“Masha, are there any closer ships that can respond?” Thala asked, pointedly ignoring K’Alan’s pained expression.
“We’re the closest ship, Captain,” Masha reported after checking long range scanners.
“Lieutenant Commander Yeuid, open a channel to Duterius Prime,” Thala ordered. She stood up to face the holo.
“Channel open, Captain,” Kath reported.
“High Gentlewoman, this is Captain Thala Ker’sal of the SLS White Knight. We have received your distress call and are en route.”
“Thank you, Captain,” K’Itea said, relief flooding through her voice.
“Captain, may I?” K’Alan asked after going over what little information was provided.
Thala nodded to K’Alan, indicating that he should say what he needed to say. She only hoped that he’d stay professional and not go all mushy on her.
“Kit, can you send us whatever the planetary scanners have been able to record of the attackers?” K’Alan asked. His tone was all business, even though his eyes clearly betrayed how worried he was.
“Kal?” K’Itea’s voice registered a pleasant surprise at hearing her husband’s voice. It was a comforting sound to her. “Consider it done. Just hurry please!”
The holo fizzled out and K’Alan started going over the data K’Itea had sent.
“Holo disconnected on their end, Captain,” Kath reported.
“Ms. Silvermaine,” Thala turned back to her navigations officer. She gripped the railing as she looked down to the lower level. “How far away is the nearest jump gate that will take us to Duterius Prime?”
“About ten minutes at maximum fusion drive, Captain,” Mara Silvermaine reported after checking what jump gates were in the area.
“Set course and feed it to the helm. Ms. Barros, I want maximum fusion drive immediately,” the captain barked out orders fast and furious. “And prepare the jump engines.”
“Aye, Captain,” Tyla reported. “Maximum fusion drive is ready on your mark.”
“Go,” Thala nodded. She began drumming her fingers on her chair’s armrest impatiently.
“Kit?” Kath whispered as K’Alan stepped over to her station. “You speak so informally to the leader of your people?”
“Only because I’m married to her,” K’Alan smiled broadly. He activated the shipcall. “Lancer, Falcon, and Hawk squadrons, scramble and meet in the flight deck in twenty minutes in full flight gear. This is not a drill. I repeat. This is not a drill.”
“Jump engines are ready, Captain,” Sarah reported from an engineering station.
“Good,” Thala nodded tersely.
Minutes ticked by slowly. The bridge crew focused on the task at hand and K’Alan fidgeted nervously. The wait seemed almost forever. Soon the jumpgate loomed ahead of the White Knight, its iridescent gray energy swirling angrily. Thala closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steadying her nerves for the first jump in a new ship.
“Jump!” she ordered.
K’Alan ran off the bridge towards the flight deck as teh shup lurched towards the yawning jumpgate.
“ETA to Duterius Prime, Ms. Barros?” Thala asked.
“Thirteen minutes, Captain,” Tyla reported.
“Brentax,” Thala growled. She punched the armrest for emphasis. “I can feel it.”
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