(Main Bridge, BSN Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Cadra Primaris)
“What is the status of the fleet?”
Slave-Captain Virstina looked up as the Master announced his presence by speaking the moment the doors opened to allow him onto the Main Bridge. She forced down a chuckle at the memory of what he had brought back with him after his ‘shopping trip’ when he decided to play civilian for a while on the station. There was a story there, but it was for another time. Snapping herself back to the present, she nodded to the Master, and said, “Master, the last gunships have returned, and the few who had been damaged have been repaired. We are ready to deploy on your command.”
The Master smiled at her, and said, “Good, good. Any news from the Consortium yet?”
“Sector Administrator Woldmane just sent word. She wishes to speak with you as soon as possible regarding the fleet movements.”
“Very well, open communications.”
Moments later, Woldmane’s face appeared on the main screen. She looked haggard, but that wasn’t unusual, given the confirmed threat that the sector was facing. Everyone already knew that the Coldana system was essentially a write-off. If the X’thari couldn’t be stopped, and soon, then things would get very hairy, very fast, and everyone knew it. The Master nodded grimly as he greeted her. “Sector Administrator. I trust you are reading the reports from Coldana?”
“Yes, it is worse than I feared. A Harvester hasn’t been seen since the last war. The attacks it has already taken would have destroyed a decent sized planet, and yet it remains relatively intact! Even with Tenth Fleet arriving to reinforce Fifteenth Fleet, I do not think it will be enough.”
“It won’t be. However, I have confirmed that there are multiple nomads in system now, all with some of the best sensor suites money can buy. Their six ships should be able to escape the Swarm. Five are Black Star ships, fitted with X’thari drives. They are currently leading the X’thari escort ships on a chase about the system, leaving the heavier ships open. The sixth is a free trader of Imperial make, and equipped with a Transition drive. They are already poised to escape, but have committed to staying until the last Consortium warship is destroyed. I am told that they carry with them messages from every soul on Cordana that wished to send word.”
Woldmane gulped. “That is a heavy burden for a free trader. Where will they fall back to?”
“Last I heard, they would make their way here, to the Cadra System. The Black Star ships will use their anchor drives to escape and evade. We do not know whether the X’thari are able to track and follow ships using anchor drives to their destination, but it would be foolish to believe that they cannot. So, the Black Star ships will be going somewhere isolated, before making their way to a place where there will be plenty of guns to ensure any followers are greeted as they deserve.”
“That is well.” Woldmane sighed. “I wish that the problem could simply be solved with the ships in Coldana, but we must assume that the Harvester and the Swarm will survive, despite the Navy’s best efforts.”
“Indeed, Administrator. Is there any word on reinforcements? The Black Star Navy can aid an evacuation of a single system, and protect refugee craft en route, but we are no match for the X’thari Swarm itself. Not grouped together as they are. There’s simply too many of them.”
“On that note, I have some good news. Thanks to your Nomad networks, the word has gone out quickly that the Swarm has moved once again, and a Harvester has returned to Known Space. This has allowed us to put the Treaty of Helbizore into effect. All major powers will unite to end the X’thari threat to this sector. The Consortium Navy is sending Fifth and Seventh Fleets. The Confederate Navy is sending their Sixth and Twelfth Fleets. The Ihm Navy is sending the Second Great Armada. The Free Worlds Alliance has mobilized the Kul’tiran First Fleet. The only trouble is the Empire. Their navy was ravaged by the Civil War, and they have yet to repair the damage. But they have committed to sparing the Ninth Fleet. The Terran Empress herself asked if the Black Star Navy would be joining the fray.”
“The Black Star Navy will stand with the major powers. Our First Group is already here, and here we will remain. I have given the command for our Fourth Group to join us, as well. They are already on the move towards the nearest Gateway. Once we have confirmed that the Black Star ships currently in Coldana have not been followed, the Fifth Group shall make for the Grathdan Sector, as well.” The Master smiled with grim determination at the look the Administrator gave him, as the entire bridge crew nodded approvingly. “The X’thari are a threat to all life in the galaxy. The sooner we end this threat, the better. Where will the fleet gather?”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
“Ah, eh-hem. Sorry, I had expected that to take slightly more negotiation. But since you convinced even the pirates to not make trouble during this time, I guess it was to be expected. At any rate, the fleets will be gathering at Grimshield’s Bane, the closest system to Coldana. Either they will gather, and then plan the attack, or they will be the first line of defense if the Harvester finishes Coldana too soon.”
The Master was about to say something, when alarms sounded. From the sensor station, Lieutenant Barclay called out, “Transition warning! One ship transitioning in. Senor network makes it as an Imperial civilian freighter, Zvezdnoye Nebo-class!”
(Mollen POV)
With an icy calmness that was merely skin deep, I looked to the Administrator, and said, “Administrator, please stay on the line. If this is who I believe it to be, then you will need to hear this, as well.” She nodded in understanding. We both knew who this was, and what their news would be. Turning to the communications station, I called out, “Comms, hail the freighter, and ask them to identify.”
“It is the Fucking Bitch, Admiral. Says she is outbound from the Coldana System, last ship to make it out.”
“Very well, request a copy of the tactical data to be sent to the fleet, while the rest is to be sent to Cadra Primaris. And if her Captain will speak to us, patch her into our conversation.”
The screen split into two parts, with Woldmane on the right and a human woman on the left. I could only see her head and shoulders, but she gave off a feel of being ‘solid’ and ‘well-built’. She looked like someone who had seen too much, but was holding it together because there was a job that needed doing. I nodded to her, and said, “Captain Chernikova, I presume? I am Admiral Mollen, of the Black Star Navy. Sector Administrator Woldmane is on the line with us.”
Chernikova just nodded. She took a second, and then steeled herself. Her voice had a very distinct Russian accent to it, made thicker by the emotions she was clearly trying to hold back. “Admiral, Administrator. I’ll just come out and say it. Coldana has fallen. The Harvester is damaged, but still intact.”
I nodded stiffly. I had expected it to be that way. “I understand. You stayed until the Consortium ships were gone, yes? Can you give us the tactical data? We need to see what went right and what went wrong, if we’re going to have a prayer of destroying that monster.”
Steely eyes locked on to mine. “We have all the sensor readings you could ask for, Admiral. When they knew that it was going to be the X’thari, the guys at the Navy yards offloaded all our cargo and filled us to the brim with sensors and computer databanks. We’re transmitting the sensor data starting from when the X’thari first showed up. Admiral Fullstout sent a personal note after Firebringer failed. The Harvester has multiple shield layers, and the damage caused by Firebringer’s second hit on the Harvester itself clearly did some damage. However, they did not have the time to remove more of the hardware safety locks on any of the hyper-capable ships.”
Raven brought up the note on my HUD, and I quickly reviewed it and the notes she’d made on it. “Hmm. Raven’s preliminary analysis agrees with Fullstout. She says that, if we were able to hit it with more firepower, we could defeat the shields and take down the Harvester. However, the X’thari clearly learned from that attack quickly. We won’t easily get a second shot at ramming multiple shuttles into the thing.”
Chernikova growled. “You can’t mean to say it is hopeless! You, of all people—”
I raised a hand to cut her off. “Indeed. Black Star has overcome long odds before. And we have already committed to helping the Allied Fleet end this threat. But we will not do that by disregarding the tactical realities. This is the data we needed you to bring us, Captain Chernikova. We know that it can be hurt. We know that it can bleed. If it bleeds, then we can kill it. We just have to figure out how.”
I paused, and then said, “There is still time before the Allied Fleet can assemble. For now, why don’t you dock with Thadmere Station? The technicians there will handle downloading the personal messages and other data that Coldana sent with you. Word has already spread that a ship stayed behind to bear witness to the last defiance of the Consortium Navy, and by the time you dock, they’ll learn you left your cargo behind to bring the dying messages of Coldana to the rest of the Consortium. That should earn you some good will with the locals. And I have just transferred ten thousand credits to your ship account, to split between your crew. I think that will buy more than a few drinks, or time with paid companionship, if you desire, to keep your mind off things for a while.”
Chernikova flushed, and was about to say something, when Woldmane cut in, “As Sector Administrator, I am issuing funds from the sector budget. For twenty-four hours after docking, the crew of the Filthy Bitch do not have to pay for any food, lodging, consumables, or services on Thadmere Station. Your docking fees in the Grathdan Sector have been waived in perpetuity, so long as you own your ship. The people of Coldana and the Consortium owe you a great debt for bringing their final words to their people.”
The Russian captain took a breath, and nodded. “Thank you, Admiral, Administrator. I am sure my crew and I will be more than happy to take you up on those generous offers. At the moment, however, it feels like we ran from a fight, and none of us much care for that, not when so many other people fought and died, knowing they couldn’t win.”
“Captain, I am telling you this, and I want you to tell it to your crew. Those men and women you watched lay down their lives were dead the moment the X’thari raised their ugly heads and decided to move on Coldana. There was no power in the known galaxy that could have saved them. One lightly-armed freighter would make absolutely no difference in that. What that freighter did do, however, was bring out the will of the people of Coldana and the Consortium Navy, along with the sensor data that will ensure that those deaths were not in vain. They fought with everything they had, knowing that, through you, their valor would be remembered, and that their deaths would be avenged by the intel they fought and died to give you to bring to us. Do you understand, Captain?”
Chernikova straightened up slightly as I slipped into a command voice at the end, there, but she simply took a deep breath, and nodded once, not saying anything. There was a fire in her eyes, and I didn’t doubt that the station’s bars were going to get very, very short of alcohol in the near future, but with any luck, she wouldn’t slip into the far more destructive cycle of guilt. This game was real enough that ideas of survivor’s guilt were actually applicable here, especially if you truly lived the game.
“Very well, then. Proceed to Thadmere station, Captain, and good job.” I offered a salute to her, before closing the channel. Turning my attention to the Sector Administrator, I said, “My people will analyze the sensor data in depth. May I impose upon you to use the FTL comms to transmit the data to the other allied fleets, so that they have time to begin their analysis while we are forming up?”
“Of course. I may not be a military leader, but I will not allow the Grathdan Sector to fall without doing anything I can to stop it.”
I nodded with grim appreciation. “That is all any of us can do, Administrator. Do our utmost, exhaust all possibilities, and hope and pray that it is enough. Admiral Mollen, out.”