Starshock
--Part 2--
by R.R. Bennett
"Captain, I have a scoutship on line," called Rice.
"On screen."
A soiled face appeared on the screen. In the background, the bridge of the tiny ship appeared to be in shambles, smoke filling the air. Sparks flew as electronic equipment shorted out.
"This is Lieutenant Dawson of the Ogre. What ship is that?"
"This is the Glamdring, Captain Sanderson commanding. What's up?"
"A Blade! Great! We need you here right away, Captain, we've just had an encounter with a novaship. Coby's been blown away....all the planets destroyed. Three million people...gone. Just like that." Dawson's face reflected confusion and disbelief. It was plain that he was near to cracking from the stress of the situation.
"Pull yourself together, Dawson. Where's your Captain?" asked Sanderson.
"Dead, along with about half of the crew. We got caught by the shock wave...wreaked havoc on the ship. All major systems are off-line. We have partial environment control, and minimal maneuvering, but main engines are down. We should have them back up in about an hour. We were lucky, though....if we had been just a few degrees more broadside to the shock wave, our hull would have collapsed."
"Can you make it to Valia for repairs?"
"Affirmative, Glamdring, but as soon as our engines are back on-line, we're going to start tracking that novaship...we managed to get in a couple of shots when she dropped her shield. No serious damage, but we think we nicked her reactor exhaust...we're reading a radiation trail along the course she used getting out of here."
"Send us your readings. We'll be there with you in about six hours, Lieutenant. patch your ship up as best you can. We'll transfer your wounded over to the Glamdring when we get there."
"Thank you, Captain. Ogre out." The contact closed.
"Mr. Zeigler, lay in a course for the Coby system. Engage at maximum speed."
"Aye, Sir,' responded the helmsman. "Correcting course in three, two, one...now!"
Glamdring slewed to port, and accelerated. Sanderson sat back in his chair, thoughtful.
"Commander G'rvan," he said at length, " has it been determined what set the Captain of the A'zani off?"
"Set him...off?" said N'Tal questioningly. "I ‘m sorry, Captain, I'm not sure I understand your question. Could you explain it, please?"
"What is the motivation for the A'zani's Captain to do this?"
"It is our belief that Captain N'rthan is attempting to exact revenge for the rape of his mother near the end of the war. Her ship was surprised and captured while enroute to T'zir, and four humans raped her. Captain N'rthan was a small boy at the time, and he was forced to watch."
Sanderson shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"Why has he waited until now?" he asked.
"His mother committed suicide five days ago. We were informed that she sent him specific information about her attackers. She had managed to discover their identities, and we are working on the premise that he has hopes of killing them."
"How the hell did he get command of a novaship under those conditions?" asked Ryan.
"He is the adopted son of Emperor K'val. As a member of the Royal family, he was given advanced command training, and then placed in command of a major ship-of-the-line."
"And there was no indication of instability before this?"
"None. Captain N'rthan has served the empire well as Captain of the A'zani. Her crew performance and Ship evaluations have been exemplary."
Sanderson was strangely quiet. He sat back in his chair, brooding.
"Is something wrong, Captain?" asked N'tal.
"Nothing, Commander. Just something I was trying to remember. Tell me, what do you think the A'zani will do next?"
"R'gal will undoubtedly find a hiding place, and stop to repair the radiation leak. He will have to shut down the A'zani's reactor plant to do that. Once he does, it will take at least one full day to re-start the reactor, and several hours after that before he has sufficient power reserves to move the ship. And then, it will take some hours to repair the damaged exhaust line itself."
"So that gives us a window of opportunity of say....36 hours to close in on him. What sort of place will he need to hide?"
"The A'zani is too big to make a planetary landing, Captain. He will need a nebula or a large stable asteroid field to hide in."
"Mr. Starrett, bring up the charts."
The charts appeared on the main screen. Sanderson studied them for a moment before speaking.
"There are three possibilities," he said. "There's a small dark nebula here, and two asteroid fields, here and here. We can be at that area in just over twenty-eight hours at maximum speed. Mr. Zeigler!"
"Yo!" called the helmsman.
"Alter course 298.2 by 48.1 and don't spare the horses."
"Aye, Sir!"
*****
N'tal, alone in Ryan's quarters, removed a comm unit from his carrysack. Sanderson had given his approval for contacting his home, but N'tal had sought privacy for the communication. He had some suspicions; and he wanted to check them out .
The comm unit illuminated, and N'tal punched in a personal code. The screen flickered, and a face appeared.
"Father!" exclaimed N'tal. "You answered quickly!"
The Emperor looked tired. "I've been waiting for your call," he said. "You were supposed to check in hours ago. What's going on?"
"I'm on board one of their destroyers, the Glamdring. We're on our way to the system they call Coby; R'gal has destroyed it. All equipment has been installed, and is functioning perfectly. In addition, a small Gnome-class scoutship has managed to get in a hit on the A'zani and they're following a radiation trail."
"Excellent," nodded the emperor. "N'tal, you must not fail. The Confederacy's Ambassador here on T'zir has put us on notice that the Confederation will not stand idly by while their worlds are systematically destroyed. They're already gathering a fleet. We cannot afford to be involved in another war with the humans, N'tal, not now."
"I know , father." said N'tal. "And there's something else. There's a half T'zirian officer on board. He doesn't remember his father, and his mother only dimly, but he says he was on a T'zirian ship that exploded. He was found in a lifepod, and taken to an orphanage, where he was raised."
"Do you believe that it could be G'val?"
"It's quite possible. He looks almost exactly like me."
"It seems almost impossible, after all this time. Can you send an image of him?"
"It's attached to this message, along with as much of his service and medical records as I could coax out of this ship's computers. Should we tell mother?"
"Let me do some checking first," the Emperor said. "If it is G'val, which side would he be loyal to?"
"I cannot say. I believe, however, that he would help me accomplish the mission. It is in the interests of both our people."
" Success, my son."
"Success to us all, Father."
*****
"Three possibilities, Captain," said T'kul. He indicated the three areas on the chart. "Of the three, this dark nebula would offer the greatest degree of concealment."
"I agree, T'kul. However, that would be the first place the enemy will check. We must instead use one of the asteroid fields. We shall go to this one."
He indicated the smallest of the asteroid fields. T'kul nodded.
"I'll change our course immediately, Captain." He turned to go.
"T'kul?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"T'kul, I appreciate your support. This is a difficult time for me...for all of us."
"Captain," said T'kul slowly, with some degree of hesitation, "I am doing this for two reasons. One, it is my duty as A'zani's Sailing Master. Two, there many here that need to see home again. I do not know if we will do so. I still protest your actions. But I have a duty to the Emperor to bring his ship home, if I can, and a duty to this crew. I will do all I can to fulfill this duty."
"I understand, T'kul. That will be all."
R'gal leaned back in his bunk. He was tired, almost exhausted. He needed sleep, but sleep had eluded him these past few cycles. The face of the man who had held him haunted his thoughts, taunting him. He imagined the face older, as the man might be now. Still the face taunted him, the voice echoing through his thoughts...
"That's all you're good for," The voice whispered through his consciousness. "See? We torment you, defile your women...we shall show you. Watch again...."
Again and again through R'gal's tortured mind he saw his mother's writhing form, the humans on her, violating her. Again and again, he heard the screams, those horrifying screams....
*****
Sanderson lay on his bunk in his quarters, nursing a bad headache. Blake, ship's doctor, had given him a pain injection again, but Sanderson knew from experience that whatever relief it provided would be short-lived. Just as he probably would be.
The cancer in his brain would see to that. Sanderson could feel it almost...the doctor had told him where the tumor was. It seemed like he could feel it...pressing against the softer tissues of his brain, spreading its' poison through his body...
"Six months," the doctor had told him. "Perhaps as long as nine. You need surgery, Captain. That might extend your life for another three or four months."
"That's all? Three or four measly months? Doesn't seem worth it."
"The alternative is pain, Captain. Without surgery, your last months will be...ugly. The pain medication will cease to be effective....you will know pain, Captain. Excruciating pain. Consider the surgery."
And so Sanderson had. He had planned to quietly give up his command and retire, and enter the Veteran's Hospital on Valia, there to spend the last of his days.
Pity. He never made Admiral. Sanderson had always dreamed of becoming an Admiral. He supposed his ancestors must be ashamed of him, the first Sanderson in five generations to fail in the quest for an Admiral's flag. Sanderson was a proud man, from a proud family...and he had failed.
"T'zirian's fault," he thought to himself. "That damned T'zir bitch. Should have killed her...the kid, too, and spaced their bodies. Then we wouldn't be in this mess."
His memory brought up the images of that day long past, how the old Repulse had overtaken and captured the T'zirian transport. They boarded her and fought their way through the ship deck by deck, until at last they came to a barricaded hatch. They cut through, and inside they had found her. She had killed the first man through the hatch, and before she could fire another shot they had subdued her.
Sanderson had found the boy hiding in the storage locker. He had dragged him out, holding him, as his companions struggled with the woman. She kicked Johnson in the crotch and he went down, writhing in pain. Lee had slapped her, and as Johnson rose from the floor he seized the front of her robe, ripping it away...
Sanderson remembered every detail of what happened. When they had finished with her, she had gathered her robe around her, crying. Sanderson had thrown the boy down upon her, and then they had taken the two of them on board the Repulse. She had demanded to see the Captain, and when she was taken to him, she told of the attack. The Captain of the Repulse had not registered charges against them, but an entry had been made in each of their service records.
"And that," Sanderson thought, "is why I never made Admiral. That T'zir bitch cost me my flag."
And now that kid has grown up. And he wants some payback..
"I'll show him payback," thought Sanderson. "I'll blow that little bastard out of the Galaxy..."
*****
Admiral Stancil studied the somber face in his viewscreen. The face looked tired and careworn, and Stancil listened carefully to his words.
"Admiral, this comes directly from the President's Office. You are to assemble every available ship and proceed to Point Alpha as soon as possible."
"That will leave Valia unprotected."
"We are aware of that, Admiral. The President and the Confederation Council have considered the risks. We feel that this action must be taken. The T'zir must be shown that we will not stand idly by and watch our people slaughtered."
"Sir, shouldn't we give the Glamdring and the Emperor's special envoy the chance to find the A'zani?"
"The Glamdring is to remain on her mission, Admiral. We'll give the Emperor that chance. Personally, I think it's a slim one, at best. But send everything else you have to Point Alpha."
"Aye, sir. consider it done. Stancil out."
*****
"Captain, the repairs have been completed. The restart of the reactor is underway, and M'pel thinks we can trim a few z'hostas from the restart procedure. The fuel had not completely cooled. The reactor should be on-line in about eighteen z'hostas."
"Excellent, T'kul. Convey my complements to M'pel and his Engineering staff. Are the scanners back on-line?"
"Within the next z'hosta."
"Good. As soon as they are back on-line, carry out a complete sweep of the area. I'd hate to get caught by surprise out here."
"Captain, when did you last sleep? You look exhausted."
"I'm fine, T'kul."
"When?" T'kul's voice was insistent.
"Four cycles ago."
T'kul swore. "I'm sending for the healer."
"No, T'kul. I'll be all right."
"Captain, I need you to be alert and clear of thought. You are not capable of that not. Must you force me to have the healer declare you unfit for duty?"
Anger flooded through R'gal. He leapt to his feet and seized T'kul by the throat.
"You dare to question me again, T'kul? I could have you killed for this."
"Then do so. Your mission will fail, this ship will be found and destroyed, and this crew will die. You will die. You are unfit to command us now, Captain. I am sending for the healer."
R'gal hurled T'kul into the bulkhead.
"Send for him, then, T'kul. I will prove that I am not unfit to command."
T'kul spoke into the comm, and a few minutes later, the Healer arrived. He quickly examined R'gal, shaking his head.
"Why have you waited so long before summoning me, Captain?"
"I did not feel the need for your services, Healer."
"Well, you need them. Captain, I'm giving you a sleep-draught. You must have rest now, not later."
"Very well, if you must."
The healer poured out an amber liquid into a measure. He handed it to R'gal, and watched him drink. He nodded with satisfaction.
"There, " he said. "You should feel it take effect in a z'ta."
R'gal felt the weariness wash over him, dragging him down to darkness. Briefly, he struggled against it, but it was hopeless.
"T'kul," he said, as the blackness descended over him, "T'kul...protect my ship..."
"Aye, Captain. Rest now."
The blackness flowed over him, and R'gal slept.
*****
Lieutenant Dawson peered over the head of the technician and read the scanner himself.
Nothing. Still nothing. He sighed.
Ogre had followed the trail of radiation until it disappeared. The novaship had to be
nearby, but Ogre’s damaged scanners were unable to detect it. Most of the damage to the
scanners had been repaired, along with all the other major systems on Ogre, but only several
weeks in Valia’s repair yards would set Ogre to rights.
‘At least Glamdring will be here soon,’ Dawson thought. ‘She might be able to find that
damned novaship. And she has the firepower to deal with it, too.’
“Give me an estimated time of arrival on Glamdring,” he said to the scanner operator.
“Glamdring is about twenty-two minutes away, Sir”
“Good. Maybe she’ll be able to find this damned thing.”
“I dunno, sir, she’s gone to ground pretty good.”
“Hell,” swore Dawson, “It’s a novaship. It can’t just disappear...it’s out there
somewhere, Ensign, and we’re going to find it.”
The comm squealed, and then a voice spoke. “The sensor array repairs are finished,
Skipper.”
“Dawson here. Thanks, Chief.”
“No problem...just find that bastard, sir.”
“We’ll try, Chief. Dawson out.” He broke contact, and turned to the scanner.
“Try it again, Ensign. See if you can locate a reactor signature.”
“Aye, sir, scanning.” The Ensign sounded unsure of himself. Dawson pitied him...this was
his first trip out, and they had to run into this...half the crew dead or injured, including the
Captain; every major system damaged. And a novaship still on the loose.
‘I’d be pretty unsure of myself, too,’ he thought.
“Wait a minute,” the Ensign said. “That’s odd. I’m reading a power source, but it
doesn’t match the one I recorded from the novaship earlier. The output is
lower...what...Skipper, the power levels are jumping rapidly. That’s it! There she is!”
“Where away?” asked Dawson, excitedly.
“Bearing 342.6 by 28.9. She’s stationary. I don’t think she’s seen us yet.”
“She’s hiding behind that asteroid there. Helm, pull back...maneuvering thrusters only, I
don’t want them to spot us.”
“Aye, sir.”
The trim little scoutship began to back away slowly. Dawson ordered a new course,
bringing Ogre in behind a medium sized asteroid, shielding them from the novaship’s sensors.
“Comm, get me Glamdring on a secure channel.”
“Aye, sir. Contact established.”
Sanderson’s face appeared on the monitor.
“What’s up, Dawson?” he asked.
“We’ve got her, sir. I’m sending you her position...how soon can you be here?”
“We’re about nine minutes away. What’s your status?”
“We’re hidden ourselves. Most of our systems are back on-line, but weapons are
minimal and we still don’t have shields. We won’t be much use in a fight.”
“Just keep tracking her for us, Dawson. We’ll take care of her when we get there.”
*****
R’gal tossed in his sleep. The faces of his mother’s attackers circled him, crying out. He
cringed under the hideous sound of their screeching cries. He must awaken! He must escape!
He must...
Fighting his way to consciousness, R’gal realized that the cries in his dreams was in fact,
the ship’s combat alarm sounding. A’zani was in danger.
R’gal stumbled from his bunk and reached for the comm. He activated it, and T’kul’s
voice answered.
“What’s happening?” He managed to croak. “Why...what’s the alarm for?”
“A Confederation Excalibur-class destroyer has come within scanning range, Captain.
She’s on a direct course for us. Too early to tell if her weapons systems are armed yet.”
“I’ll be right there.” He broke contact, dressed rapidly, and made his way to the bridge.
“Do we have maneuvering power?” he asked T’kal.
“A little. Our power reserves aren’t up to a big strain, but I could manage a short run at
maximum thrust.”
“And then what, T’kul? That destroyer isn’t just going to give up. What’s our weapons
status?”
“We have only minimal weapons power, Captain. Not enough for a prolonged fight.”
“Options?”
“Not many, Captain.”
“We can’t run and we can’t fight. Not like this.” R’gal paused, thoughtful. “What about
our main battery?”
“Sir?”
“Are the reserve power banks for the main battery still charged?”
“Yes, Captain, but I don’t see...”
“Good,” R’gal cut him off. “Load a target simulation into the main targeting computer and
prepare to fire at my command.”
“Fire...at what?”
“We’re going to fire along our escape route, which is...here.” R’gal indicated a plot on
the chart. “We’ll align the main battery along this course and fire as we come into their weapons
range. If we’re lucky, the burst will catch them by surprise.”
“And if we’re not lucky?” asked T’kul, apprehensively.
“Then, T’kul, we die.”
*****
“She’s moving!” called out Starrett. “Target bearing course 316 by 17.7.”
“Right down our throats,” growled Sanderson. “Stand by all batteries. Hold your fire
until I give the command.”
N’tal looked up from his instruments.
‘Captain, try to target her Command and Engineering decks. Please try to spare her
crew, if you can.”
“Commander N’tal, that is not my first priority. I’m here to stop that novaship, whatever
it takes. I’m sorry about your people, but a whole lot of mine are already dead...and I’m going
to make sure that no more die. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Captain.” N’tal fell silent, and returned to his screen. The A’zani showed clearly
now, inbound in a tightly intersecting course, almost head-on to the Glamdring. The tiny Ogre
swung away from her shielding asteroid and took up station behind Glamdring.
“Target is eighteen thousand kilometers and closing,” called out Ryan.
“Stand by to fire all weapons. Let’s hit her where it counts, gentlemen.”
An alarm chimed from N’tal’s screen. He swore softly.
“Captain, transfer all power to your shields.”
“I beg your par...”
“Do it! Now!”
“Enough! Commander G’rvan, I will not allow you to interfere. Master-at-Arms! Escort
our guest...”
“He’s fired on us!” N’tal shouted. “Shields, now, or we’re all dead!”
“All power to shields!” shouted Sanderson.
“All Hands, brace for impact!” shouted Ryan.
“Rice!” shouted Sanderson. “Contact Ogre and...”
A sudden violent blow struck the Glamdring, sending her tumbling. N’tal was thrown
from his chair and went crashing into the bulkhead.
A massive power surge swept through the ship, overloading her main systems. Lights
exploded like firecrackers, and system after system on her bridge shorted out and exploded.
Ryan clung to his console desperately as the ship’s decks swung wildly beneath him. He
looked over at Sanderson, who lay sprawled in his chair, harness in place. He appeared to be
bleeding profusely from a large gash in his forehead.
Zeigler fought the help desperately, at last bringing Glamdring back under control. The
deck stabilized, and Ryan found the floor.
“Call Sick Bay. Get a med team up here, the Captain’s been hurt.” he ordered. He
looked around, and saw N’tal’s crumpled form in the corner. He went over to check him. N’tal
was unconscious, but nothing appeared to be broken. He had a few small cuts, mostly
superficial.
The med team arrived, and began to treat the wounded. Sanderson had lost
consciousness, and was removed, along with N’tal. The rest had only minor injuries.
‘N’tal’s warning saved us’ he thought. Aloud, he asked about Ogre.
“She didn’t make it, sir. Her hull collapsed.”
“Damn,” said Ryan. “Get me a damage report from all decks.”
The damage turned out to be surprisingly light. The hull and thrusters were intact, and the
damage to Glamdring’s electronic systems could be repaired in a few hours. Even N’tal’s
instrumentation was in good order, and Starrett had begun to use it to plot the novaship’s
projected course. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.
Things could be worse. The damage would have to be repaired before they could hope
to pursue the A’zani, but from the reports Ryan was getting, there were no fatalities, and the
damage was mostly superficial. All in all, Glamdring had been lucky.
Damn lucky.
*****
On board his flagship, the Invincible, Admiral Stancil reviewed his fleet. He had
managed to assemble a surprisingly powerful force. The Battleships Sussex, Invincible, and
Constellation formed the heavy core, supported by the carriers Lexington, Saratoga,
Yorktown, Kiev, and Princeton. Destroyers Albion, Duranthal, Anduril, Narthung, and
Sting held the flank, and there were numerous Gnome-class scoutships, and a number of
Dragon-class heavy Cruisers.
Following his orders, Stancil had formed the fleet. They had departed Valia two days
ago, and were still more than three days away from Point Alpha along the T’zirian Border. Once
there, Stancil was to take up a defensive position and await further orders.
“Admiral, there’s a message for you,” said a yeoman. Stancil nodded, and turned to the
viewscreen. It was Sanderson.
“Good to see you, Brian,” said Stancil. “Ryan’s last report had you on the injured list.
What’s your situation?”
“We are under way again. A’zani’s projected course will put her in Sector Four by this
time tomorrow.”
“Sector Four. She’s headed for either Draconis, Findshorn, or Mitaka.”
Sanderson nodded. “That’s what we figured as well. Trouble is, we don’t know which
one.”
“Has Commander G’rvan been able to give you any insight?” asked Stancil.
“Well, he’s the one who kept us from winding up like those poor devils on Ogre. He
detected the A’zani’s fire and warned us just in time...to be honest, I thought he was trying to
sabotage our attack. I almost had him removed from the bridge.”
“Has he regained consciousness yet?”
“Not as yet. Our doctor tells me not to worry, that T’zirians often take longer to come
out of unconsciousness...something about the difference in body fluid levels.”
“When he comes to, thank him for me. Not every day a T’zirian saves my best ship and
crew.” The Admiral grinned, then grew serious. “Listen, Brian, we’re only three days out of
Point Alpha. It’s imperative you locate and neutralize that novaship. The political climate back
on Earth is quite chaotic. The Hawks are demanding a punitive strike on the T’zir, and the
President is only just able to maintain order in the Council. If he keeps on destroying our
outposts, we won’t be able to keep a war from starting.”
“Admiral, we’re trying. Our best guess is that he’s headed for the Findshorn system...it’s
the largest of our colonies in Sector Four. We’re headed there now.”
“I hope you’re right, Brain. For all our sakes, I hope you’re right.”
*****
“T’kul, alter our course. New course is 227.4 by 92. Maximum speed for 8 z’hostas,
then run silent. I’ll give you the final course then.”
“Aye, sir.” T’kul paused before speaking. “Captain, how many more targets before our
mission is ended?”
“That is not for you to know, T’kul. You will be informed when you need to know.”
“I am the First Officer of this vessel. If you are incapacitated or killed, it is my
responsibility to complete the mission. Yet you withhold the information of that mission from me.
How am I to complete a mission when I have no concept of what the mission is?”
“If I am incapacitated or killed, T’kul, the mission is ended. You may then run home like
the coward you appear to be.”
T’kul bristled.
“I am no coward. I flew the Emperor’s ships before you were born, Captain, against the
humans, against the Dhrshir, and never have I fled or even shunned battle. Nor do I now...I am a
warrior in the service of my Emperor, and as I stand before you, you accuse me of
cowardice...you dishonor me.” He turned and headed for the hatch.
“T’kul!” barked R’gal, “I have not dismissed you. Return at once!”
“If I am dishonored, Captain, it is by your hand. If you will not tell me what the mission
is, then I shall contact the fleet and ask them.”
“You are not to contact the fleet, T’kul. That is a command directive.”
“Why? What reason could you give?”
“The fleet does not know of our mission, T’kul. It is a secret mission known only to the
Emperor and myself,” lied R’gal.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you will, T’kul. I care not. But you will perform your duty. Or you will
die.”
*****
“He’ll be all right, Mr. Ryan,” said Blake. “He has a mild concussion, and some assorted
bruises...he’s going to be sore for a while, but he’ll live.”
“Then why did you send for me?” asked Ryan.
“There’s something I thought you should know. When he came in, I didn’t know if there
was any internal bleeding, so I checked to see if we had any compatible blood, just in case.
You’re the closest match, so I checked a sample of his blood against yours.”
Blake paused, hesitating for a moment. Ryan grew impatient.
“Well?” he demanded. “What is it?”
“Mr. Ryan, there’s no easy way to do this. Commander G’rvan’s blood was a perfect
genetic match for yours. There is no doubt.”
“What are you saying?”
“You and G’rvan are brothers. You have the same parents.”
The revelation hit Ryan hard. He felt for a chair, and collapsed into it.
“Brothers..?”
“Congratulations, Mr. Ryan, or should I say Mr. G’rvan. It looks like you finally found
your family.”
“Does the Captain know?”
“Not as yet. I am required to report the facts to him, but I felt it was necessary to inform
you first.”
“I’ll tell him, Doctor,” said Ryan. “But I don’t quite know how he’s going to take this.
hell, I don’t know how to take this myself.”
“Why don’t you try taking it one step at a time, Mr. Ryan?” suggested the Doctor. “I’m
sorry, but regulations require that I be the one to inform the Captain. I would suggest that you
speak to G’rvan when he wakes...which should be shortly.”
The doctor left then, to find the Captain. Ryan sat down beside N’tal’s bed, looking
over his brother’s features.
‘He’s family..’ he thought. ‘Where is he from..who are his parents...our parents..’
Ryan wept.
The disturbance woke N’tal, who looked over at Ryan.
“What troubles you?” he asked, hoarsely.
“N’tal,” said Ryan, “We need to talk.”
*****
A'zani slid silently through the darkness. Ahead, the Mitaka System with its' four planets
awaited. One of these planets, Mitaka III, was a Confederation colony, home to nearly one
hundred seventy-five thousand people.
"Target acquired, Captain," said T'kul. "Beginning analysis."
R'gal nodded dispassionately. He seemed almost detached from the process somehow; it
was as if a bad dream was running through his mind.
Not long now, Mother,' he thought, This star, and one other...and you may rest in
peace...your dishonor will be avenged.'
T'kul watched him carefully. That his Captain was under tremendous strain was obvious,
and T'kul worried about his state-of-mind. Could he have cracked under the strain? What,
indeed, were his orders?