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When they arrived back at the Therah asteroid base, Asten and Drackson were surprised by the size of their reception. Zak and his squadron were standing in front of a large crowd of technicians and mechanics who were no doubt assembled to look over the new Harskan ships, while standing a few feet away, General Draedon waited with a broad smile.
As they came down the loading ramp of the Harskan cargo carrier, Carla emerged from the crowd and gave Asten a big hug. “You made it.”
“Yeah,” Asten said with a sheepish grin.
Carla then hugged Drackson. “Hey.”
Drackson smiled. “Hey.”
“That’s quite the crowd out there,” Asten said, looking around.
“They’re all waiting to get a look at the new fighters,” Carla said. “Now, come on. General Draedon wants to see you. Zak told him everything. Including what happened in that other hangar with those Phalamkians.”
“Impressed the general, did we?” Asten asked her.
“Well, right now, the Phalamkians are the most powerful group on the Frontier,” Carla told him. “And you’ve just established ties with the daughter of a highly ranked member of their defense force.”
She stepped aside as they reached the older man.
“Well, I’ve got to hand it to you,” Draedon said, shaking Asten’s hand and then Drackson’s. “You’ve done us proud. I’ll let Lieutenant Janson know the good news as soon as he gets back from his latest assignment.”
“We couldn’t have done it without Commander Materson and his squadron,” Drackson told him.
“Well, I’m glad you brought them along,” Draedon replied.
“Me too,” Asten agreed. “Speaking of which, I was wondering if perhaps Commander Materson might be entitled to a little R and R.”
The general raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I think he’s making an obscure reference to an envoy mission to the Phalamkian system, sir,” Zak said, appearing by Draedon’s side.
“I see. So you’d like Commander Materson to accompany you?”
“Yes sir,” Asten replied, falling into the more official manner of the other two men. “I don’t know what our newfound friends have in mind for us exactly but I think if it’s anything that could benefit the Resistance, it’d be better to have a representative along.”
General Draedon’s gaze flicked down for a moment. “Yes, of course,” he murmured. He turned to Zak. “Commander, it’s your call. If you don’t want to do it, I can always send someone else.”
“I’ll go,” Zak said.
“All right then,” the general said, turning back to Asten. “Are you taking the Lady Hawk?”
The younger man shrugged. “Our friends would recognize it and I’d be much more comfortable bringing it along than leaving it behind.”
“You keep it in good condition, I assume?”
“The best,” Asten assured him, not taking offence as he knew what the general was driving at. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of Zak. He saved my life back at the station.”
––––––––
It was ridiculous, Admiral Roth thought. Ridiculous and more than a little insulting that he had to return to Corsida for a dressing down from Commodore Hallyd over the incident at the Adari refueling station. Hallyd and Corinthe had no one to blame but themselves for what had happened.
He wondered what his father would have done in his stead. When he had been Admiral, the Federation had actually been under threat, having been held under siege by the vast forces of the Levarc. The ruthless warriors had almost brought the Federation to its knees by the time his father had taken supreme command but he had driven them back and given the Federation the time it needed to rebuild its defenses. It was hard to imagine the decorated war hero would have put up with a self-centered upstart like Corinthe, let alone a pathetic yes-man like Hallyd.
However, Admiral Roth was not his father and nor could he dismiss the amount of support Corinthe enjoyed among some of the more well-positioned interest groups in the Federation. These were different days from the Levarc War and they required a different tack. They also required a lot of patience and at this moment more than usual.
“It seems you just have to involve yourself in everything these days, doesn’t it?”
Roth blinked, turning his thoughts back to the conversation at hand and he focused on Hallyd sitting across the table from him. “I’m sorry?”
“Well, it was a remarkable coincidence, wasn’t it? You just happened to be near the Adari refueling station at the time of a major covert operation. What are the chances?”
“I was fortunate,” Roth replied. “Now, surely you didn’t request me to come all the way here just to talk about the fascinating subject of probability?”
“Well, since you mentioned it, there are more important matters for us to discuss,” Hallyd told him with a faint trace of disappointment in his voice. Clearly, he’d been hoping for more of an argument. “The incident at the Adari refueling station, while regrettable, has passed and there’s no real sense in dwelling on it. However, in his capacity as security minister, Corinthe has outlined a new directive regarding this resistance organization we’ve been dealing with. All the evidence suggests this is a very large and sophisticated operation. From the markings on their fighters and a range of reports from various units across the Federation, we’ve been able to ascertain this is an organization with several divisions. They appear to operate independently for the most part but it looks as though they liaise with each other and trade supplies and hardware. We believe this business with the Harskans and the Adari refueling station involved just one division but there may be four or five in total, possibly more. So, as I’m sure you can appreciate, this is a large organization. The other little resistance groups we’ve been hearing about are neither here nor there but this group is the big one. And Corinthe has a plan for handling this organization and he’s asked me to go over it with you.”
“Let me guess. He wants me out of the way?”
The younger man flinched. Evidently, he didn’t like the fact the admiral read him like a book.
“He wants you,” Hallyd said, emphasizing the words, “to scout the Federation for resistance hide-outs. And he’s asked me to provide you with a list of possible locations that intelligence has suggested, if you take any stock in their abilities.”
“Intelligence is quite reliable,” Roth said.
“Maybe you should use them once in a while then.”
“I do.”
“Including the divisions that Corinthe’s established himself?”
At this, the admiral just smiled, not giving Hallyd anything. “Well, he thinks highly of them, doesn’t he?”
“Well, despite your preference for that little sideshow operation of yours, you will investigate the locations on this list. Corinthe’s orders.”
One of these days, Roth thought, Corinthe was going to lose the special mandate the Federation had given him and the day that happened, he was going to have a nice long celebratory drink.
“Very well.”
“You will investigate them, Admiral,” Hallyd repeated for good measure.
“I heard you,” Roth replied, rising to his feet. “Will that be all?”
“Yes,” Hallyd told him, trying to sound officious. “I think that’s all we need to discuss for the moment.”
“Good,” Roth said. “I’d better make a start on these locations of Corinthe’s. Good evening, Commodore.”
He strode out of the office and returned to his shuttle by the most direct route.
“That was quick,” his pilot remarked.
There were others, Roth knew, who would be offended by the notion of someone speaking in such a casual manner to a superior officer. He wasn’t one of them.
“As it turned out, we didn’t have that much to talk about,” he replied.
After a short flight, he was back aboard the Sentinel, where Captain Merrick was waiting for him. “Well, Admiral. How did the meeting go?”
“Wonderful. We’re being relegated to scouting backwaters.”
“What a surprise.”
“Did our men pull up the rest of Corinthe’s new directives?” Roth asked him.
“Yes,” Merrick hesitated. “Although, I imagine he won’t be too pleased about that.”
Roth shrugged. “Well, there wouldn’t be anything there I’m not entitled to see now, would there?”
“Not if you’re the commander of the Federation navy.”
“Good. So was there anything I should be aware of?”
“Well, sir,” Merrick hesitated, “yes. If Commodore Hallyd only mentioned your duties, then he hasn’t told you everything.”
“What has he neglected to let me know?” Roth asked.
“Corinthe’s given him a special duty as well.”
“And what does that mean?”
Merrick grimaced. “He’s to be stationed at the Usile shipyards to oversee the completion of the new fleet.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I were.” Merrick looked at the admiral with renewed concern. He hadn’t expected him to be elated by the news but the look on his face had him worried. “Are you all right, Admiral?”
Roth glanced at the other men in the vicinity but they appeared to be out of earshot for the moment. “I was just thinking, Captain, that nobody—and I include myself—has considered the possibility that the Resistance might be aware of our new warships and their location. And when you consider that possibility, you must surely see what a tempting target these ships would be. There would be of course be an impetus for the Resistance to prevent their completion before they could be used against them. But there would also be the sure knowledge that their destruction would be a heavy blow against the Federation’s infrastructure as well.”
Merrick raised his eyebrows. “And then one must consider how well Commodore Hallyd would handle things if a group of Resistance fighters swarmed into the place?”
“Exactly.”
“However,” Merrick said, trying to alleviate the admiral’s fears, “the chances that the Resistance knows about these new ships would be rather slim, wouldn’t they? I mean, there aren’t even that many people in the fleet who know about them.”
“True,” Roth agreed. “But as a general rule, the worst case scenario is always easier to deal with if you’re prepared for it.”
“I suppose you’re right. However, given Corinthe’s new orders, what can we do about it?”
“Corinthe’s orders,” Roth replied, turning towards the bridge, “are only to investigate that list of locations he’s provided. He doesn’t specify anything beyond that. I say we visit the places on his list but do so in an order of our choosing. With a little forward planning, we should be able to chart a course that will bring us very close to the Usile system around the time those ships are nearly completed. And the closer to completion they are when the Resistance destroys them, the more expensive it’ll be for the Federation. So an attack around that time seems most likely.”
“I don’t think Commodore Hallyd would be impressed if he found out about your plan though,” Merrick replied.
“With any luck, the Resistance won’t go near the shipyards and we won’t be forced to head in ourselves,” Roth told him. “However, if we do have to intervene, I’m sure I can handle another one of his tirades. Believe me, I’ve had plenty of practice.”
––––––––
Over the four days it took to travel from the Therah base to the Phalamkian system, Zak got to know the Lady Hawk pretty well. A cozy little vessel, while a damn good gunboat at the same time.
“Where did you find this ship?” he asked Asten.
“Tanem. When we wanted to go into business for ourselves, Drackson recommended the place. We got lucky, I think.” Asten was quiet for a moment. “You know, since you’re such a natural at all the controls, I almost feel like taking on a whole squadron of Wasps. We’ve never had a full crew on the Lady Hawk before.”
“Could be fun,” Zak said. “But I don’t think General Draedon would be too thrilled if we went off risking life and limb for the fun of it.”
“True. Although, I doubt we’ll get into any trouble here anyway.”
“We shouldn’t, no,” Zak said. “The general asked me if I trusted our Phalamkian friends but I told him not to worry.”
“Why would he worry? I thought the Resistance has been trying to bring them in for some time.”
“We have,” Zak said. “And although they’ve been fighting the good fight from their end, they’re definitely interested in joint operations and the like but we don’t know much about Selina and her crew. I mean, personally. What were they doing so far away from Phalamki for starters?”
“Most Phalamkians I’ve met have been honorable people,” Drackson assured him.
“You haven’t me any with me,” Asten said.
“No,” Drackson said with a hint of a grin, “but I was hanging around the Federation and the Frontier for quite a while before I ran into you.”
At this, Carla laughed.
“How long?” Asten tried.
“What’s so funny?” Zak asked, looking around the cockpit.
“It’s just an ongoing joke of Drackson’s,” Carla explained with a wave of her hand. “Drackson won’t tell Asten his age and Asten’s always trying to figure it out.”
“Well, if Drackson’s around retirement age, I’d like to know,” Asten said. “I don’t want to pay him a pension for a measly two years of service.”
Drackson laughed. “I told you, for a Harskan, I’m the equivalent of a forty year old human.”
“Yeah,” Asten replied, “but is that thirty standard years or a hundred?”
Drackson chuckled. “You tell me and I’ll tell you if you’re right.”
“Hey, look,” Carla said. “We’re nearly there.”
The others looked at the planet looming larger on the viewscreen. Soon, they were hailed.
“Hello, incoming vessel. It’s Selina. I see you there.”
“Selina?” Asten replied. “This is a surprise. I thought we’d have to go through traffic control or the spaceport authorities—”
“The spaceport authorities,” Selina said, sounding quite happy that she’d got the jump on them. “But I just happened to be out here... and here you are.”
“What, are you on a pleasure cruise or something?”
“Why? Can’t a woman relax once in a while?”
Asten laughed. “I don’t see why not. So, what now?”
“Just follow me in,” she instructed him. “I’ll clear you with the spaceport authorities myself. Then I’ll take you to see my father.”
“Your father?”
“From the Phalamkian defense force, remember?”
“I remember,” Asten said, looking over his instruments. Rather highly ranked as well, she’d said. “So is your ship that private yacht over there?”
“That’s me. Shall we?”
Without further formalities, Asten followed Selina in. She cleared them as promised and soon they were soaring through the atmosphere of Phalamki. Actually, there were two other inhabitable planets in the system, which was a statistical miracle, but the Phalamkians left them alone so as not to spoil them. Besides, the planet they claimed for themselves was more than adequate enough.
It was a jewel of a place, with large turquoise seas and vast continents of varied landscapes. It had everything from glaciated mountain peaks to deep desert canyons, forests of all kinds and plains with numerous rivers winding every which way.
It was also on the plains, near coastal regions, that the major population centers appeared to be but the place where Selina was leading them was a multi-tiered city built around a large plateau. At its highest levels, buildings with wide flat roofs stretched over the lower tiers like many reaching arms.
Their designated landing platform was on one of these buildings and it was wide enough that they could land the Lady Hawk next to Selina’s yacht, while leaving enough room for two similar sized ships to land on either side.
As one group, they stepped off the ship to find that Selina waiting for them with her glowing eyed companion Maia.
“Welcome,” she said with a warm smile, before she caught sight of Carla and Drackson and turned to them too. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met. My name’s Selina.” She gestured to her companion. “And this is Maia.”
Carla and Drackson introduced themselves in turn and once the prerequisite pleasantries had been exchanged, everyone followed Selina into the building via some stairs just beyond the landing platform. Below, they were treated to a splendid view through the floor to ceiling windows that extended the length of the building.
“Nice place,” Asten commented. “Is it yours?”
Selina laughed. “What, all this? How rich do you think I am? No, this is an official building of the Phalamkian defense force. But don’t ask me what it’s for because although I’m certain you’re all honest people, I’m not supposed to discuss such matters.”
They then noticed military garb on some of the people about the place.
“But,” Selina went on cheerfully, “I can tell you my father is waiting in a lounge at the end of this wing. And I can also tell you there’s a bar there for the patrons of this facility and it is excellent.”
“Are drinks on the house?” Asten asked.
“Of course.”
Soon, they reached the lounge, which was empty save for the bartender and one lone occupant. He embodied the typical Phalamkian completely. Tall, broad across the shoulders, and with long plated hair.
“Welcome, all of you,” he said. “On behalf of my daughters, I wish to give you a token of our appreciation for saving their lives and the lives of their crew. But firstly, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Erama.”
Seeing their surprise, he gave Selina a whimsical look before turning back to them. “I see my lovely daughters neglected to mention who I was.”
“Selina did tell us you were highly ranked in the Phalamkian forces,” Zak told him, glancing at Selina as well. “She just didn’t say how high.” Then he glanced at Maia. “You said your daughters...”
Lord Erama smiled. “Ah. I understand your confusion. Though she is not of my blood, Maia is also my daughter.”
Maia gave Zak a smile. He blushed a little, surprised despite himself. For some reason, it felt as though he were seeing her for the first time. He smiled back before turning to Lord Erama. “I see. Still, your daughters didn’t tell us exactly who you were.”
“I often travel independently throughout the Federation,” Selina explained. “If people found out my father was the Phalamkian equivalent of an admiral, it would make me a rather tempting target for pirates with eyes for large ransoms and other unsavory characters.”
Asten thought of young Phalamkians aspiring to careers in the military but decided to keep the witticism to himself. Although Selina seemed to share his sense of humor, he wasn’t so certain her father would.
“Which I’m sure you’d agree is most sensible,” Lord Erama added. “Anyway, to get down to business, what do you think the leaders of your resistance organization would say to two Phalamkian Battle Titans with full fighter compliments?”
“You’d give us that?” Zak asked.
Erama smiled. “After a fashion. You see, an alliance between the Phalamkians and the Resistance has been on the table for some time. Of course, we are indebted to you for saving Selina and Maia and their crew but there are larger reasons. For a little while now, the Federation has been cordoning off our system, making hit and fade strikes along our borders and subduing our closest allies. A confrontation is at this point inevitable. Even as we speak, we are preparing for war.”
Zak swallowed. “Yes, our sources have confirmed a substantial amount of Federation activity in this sector as well. And everyone heard about Kordan of course. Speaking for the Resistance, I’m sorry we weren’t able to do anything.”
Erama shook his head. “Nobody could have done anything. There was no warning. We had three ships nearby and when we heard what was going on, we sent them straightaway but by the time they arrived, it was too late. There were two other systems as well. The Brae system and the Alandra system, where Selina’s mother is from. Understandably, because of this, we cannot spare too many ships at present. We may be able to spare more later but, at the moment, I hope you will place these two fine cruisers in your organization under the command of my daughter Selina. Maia will also be accompanying her.”
“But you won’t be?” Zak asked.
“My responsibilities lie here,” the Phalamkian told him. “However, Selina and Maia would work better with you anyway as they’ve had more contact with other peoples in the Frontier and the Federation than I have. But though they hold no official rank as yet, they are my protégés and are both fine commanders.”
Selina grinned. “And who needs official ranks with all those obligations?”
Asten smiled too, admiring the charismatic woman’s free spirit but he resisted joining in with his own support in front of her father. For a moment, he wondered if he was getting a grasp on the whole diplomacy thing.
Then his thoughts turned to all those escort ship jobs he was missing out on. They’d been out of the game so long that the competition may have moved in on some of their clients. They might even have lost some to the damn Shipping Guild.
However, for the moment, he decided these worries could wait. Right now, he was part of something much more exciting than guarding cargo ships and he wouldn’t miss it.
Maybe it was leftover euphoria from that heist on the Adari refueling station. Or maybe it was because Selina and her sister were joining up. But right then, he wanted to be in the Resistance.