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| The great war against the ruthless Darj'Nang Empire is nearly over. A war being fought a thousand lightyears away from where the old Star League cruiser Gilgamesh patrols a quiet border, with no chance for action or glory. But one last attack by the dying Darj'Nang leaves the high-tech ships, weapons, and machines of the Star League useless. The fate of a trillion people is suddenly in the hands of the crew of Gilgamesh. As old enemies close in to loot the crumbling League, Gilgamesh makes a desperate journey to a forgotten world to find the means to undo the Darj 'Nang treachery -- and every member of her crew must find something more within them than they had ever thought possible. |
| From Chapter One: |  | |
The League starship Gilgamesh emerged from hyperspace two hundred and fifty million kilometers from the F3 star Leavitte and thirty million from the naval base orbiting Leavitte IV. The small, old, Hero class cruiser sat there for a few moments, as if the recent exertion had exhausted her, and then swung her bow around and headed toward the base. “Standard challenge from the picket satellites, Skipper,” reported Lieutenant (j.g.) Svetlana Terletsky from the Com station. “Acknowledge and give them our recognition code, Lieutenant,” said Captain Harold Liu-Chen. “Aye aye, sir.” “Not that we really need to,” said Commander Jaqueline Ellsworth. “They could hardly mistake this old bucket for anyone else.” Liu-Chen quirked a smile at his executive officer. “Please, Jaq, let’s make Gilgie’s last trip a dignified one, shall we? She’s given a lot of good years to the Fleet and deserves some respect.” “Yes, sir. And her captain does, too,” said Lieutenant Commander Charles Florkowski, casting a frown at Ellsworth. “Are you sure about your decision, sir? The Navy needs men like you.” “Not for much longer, Chuck. The war should be over in a matter of weeks from what I hear. They’ll have more captains than they know what to do with then. Better to retire now at three-quarters pay than be beached at half pay. Besides, it will be nice to get home while I’ve still got some time to enjoy my grandchildren.” Liu-Chen looked thoughtful for a moment. “If they weren’t going to scrap old Gilgie, I might think otherwise, but no, best we call it quits together.” Florkowski nodded and smiled sadly. “Sir, we are on course for Orbital Station LV-4b. ETA, two hours fourteen minutes,” said the astrogator. “Very good.” The quiet routine of the ship’s bridge crew went on for several minutes before the captain spoke again. “Why the long face, Jaq? In a few weeks you’ll be aboard that shiny new destroyer that’s waiting for you. Master of your own ship. That’s what you’ve always wanted isn’t it?” “I suppose so, sir,” she replied slowly. “But, as you say, the war will probably be over by then.” “Ah, so that’s it. Stuck here in a backwater sector while the fighting is going on a thousand light years away. No chance to strike a blow against the Darj’Nang.” Liu-Chen sighed. “Yes, I suppose I would have been disappointed when I was a young fire-eater like you. Hard to remember back that far, though.” “I’m not all that young anymore, sir,” said Ellsworth. “We have been doing an important job out here, too, Commander,” said Florkowski, a little icily. “The pirates and outsiders have been getting a lot more aggressive with most of the fleet tied up against the Darj’Nang.” “That will come to an end quick enough when the war’s over,” replied Ellsworth. “I doubt very much the pirates will be as aggressive when there’s a battle squadron based here instead of a few old cruisers and frigates. And the Traglarians and Beresferds might act brave when we’re distracted elsewhere, but they know they’re just small potatoes compared to the League. I spent almost two years in the Back of the Beyond on the most boring patrols you can imagine right after I graduated. I foresee many more years of that in the future.” “Cheer up, Jaq,” said the Captain. “You’re probably better off out here anyway. Most of the battle fleet will be going into reserve status—you don’t need battleships to chase pirates—and it will be the cruiser and destroyer skippers who will be seeing the action from now on. And there’s as much opportunity to earn medals out here as there is with the main fleet.” Ellsworth glanced at the impressive rows of ribbons on Liu-Chen’s uniform tunic and nodded. But then he’d been out here for fifty standard years…. “There’s more to our duty than just earning medals,” said Florkowski. Ellsworth frowned at him in return. “Steady as we go, people,” said Liu-Chen. “Still not packed, young ones? Make haste! Make haste!” chittered Lieutenant Chtak’Chr, Survey Officer of LSS Gilgamesh. “With all the hours you waste in complaint about our fine vessel, I would have expected you to already be waiting at the airlock in hopes of getting off!” “Keep your shirt on, Chtak,” said Ensign Rhada McClerndon. “Oops, too late for that, isn’t it?” She gestured to the Lieutenant’s fur-covered torso. “We don’t dock for another half-hour and the Captain probably won’t let us off this tub for hours after that.” “Tub? A fine thing to say about a ship which was defending your parents when they were but babes! Show respect for your elders!” “Like you, Chtak?” “I have long ago given up hope for that, Rhada. You have no more respect for my age than you do for my rank.” “Well, they do say that respect has to be earned… ” said 2nd Lieutenant Gregory Sadgipour from where he was holding up one of the bulkheads. “And how might I have earned your respect this last year, oh large human warrior?” “Didn’t say you hadn’t,” rumbled Sadgipour, who was easily three times the size of Chtak’Chr. “But we all know that Rhada is pure Navy and has higher standards than a poor jarhead like me.” “Well, you should have gone Navy then, Greg.” “I tried—as you well know—but they took one look at me and said I was a natural Marine.” Sadgipour was from a high gravity world and he was nearly as wide as he was high. He did look rather formidable in battle armor. Rhada chuckled, but then looked at Chtak’Chr with a more serious expression. “So, you never answered my question about what you are planning to do after you leave here.” “My plans are not finalized, but I believe I shall return to my home. There is a position open at the Science Academy and I am very tempted to take it.” “You like to teach, don’t you, Chtak?” asked Sadgipour. “I would have thought ten months of trying to keep us in line would have cured you of that!” The Kt’Ktrian native gave a strange clicking noise. The young humans knew that was his way of laughing.“You two have been quite a trial at times, I will not deny it. But after you, the students on Kt’Ktr will seem like perfect models of scholarly discipline.” “Which compared to us, they will be,” said McClerndon. “Yes, exactly so. Still, I do not regret a moment of it. You have provided me with considerable wisdom—even though you have rejected all that I have tried to offer you.” “Well, not entirely all,” said Sadgipour with a grin. “I don’t think Rhada will ever touch an untested plant again after her experience on Jadalap III.” “Thanks a lot, Greg,” said McClerndon with a grimace. “You haven’t had the wonderful learning experience of being covered with boils from head to foot!” “And I never will—since I listened to Chtak.” “Once.” said McClerndon. “What about what happened to you when…” “Never mind,” said Sadgipour hastily. “What will you be teaching, Chtak?” “As I mentioned, I have not yet accepted the position. If I do, I imagine I will teach planetary sciences and xeno-biology.” “What? Not computers?” asked McClerndon in surprise. “I thought those were your specialty.” “Computer scientists are quite common on my world. But few of us have traveled afar. My experience in the fleet will make me very… unusual.” “And hence in demand?” “Quite. But what about you fine examples of species Homo Sapiens? What will you do when you leave Gilgamesh?” “Follow orders, of course,” said Sadgipour. “I just wish I knew what the orders will be.” “Sent off to a Reple-Deple somewhere and wait for reassignment, of course. And with half the fleet being demobilized, they aren’t going to be needing any replacements,” said McClerndon grumpily. “No chance to fight in the war, and now no chance for anything else. It’s not fair!” “Well, at least we’ll have a chance to get home for a while,” said Sadgipour hopefully. “Home! I joined up to get away from home! Greg, my home, Fenwha, is a planet whose entire surface area is swamp. My family makes its living by straining swamp mud for little crustaceans that some people like to eat for reasons I’ve never been able to fathom. I have no desire to go back there.” “Even just for a visit? What about your family?” “Never mind about my family. Let’s just say I don’t want to go back.” “Oh. Well, I hope I get a chance for some leave. I’d like to see my folks. Say, maybe you could come visit with me.” “And get squashed down to half my present height by your gravity? No thanks!” “Rhada, we do have anti-grav belts for off planet visitors! We’re not that far behind the times. Heck, I may need one myself after this long away from home. One standard gee is feeling strangely normal these days.” McClerndon was frowning and then she looked over to where Chtak’Chr was regarding her. “Have you heard anything? You get to talk with the captain and the exec. I know the skipper is retiring and the exec is getting her own ship; what’s likely to happen to the rest of us? I don’t want my career to end before it’s even begun!” “I am not sure. I imagine your statement about the replacement depot is correct, although it is possible Commodore Shusterman may have some need for you here on the base. But do not be so despondent! It is true that much of the fleet will be demobilized once the last Darj’Nang strongholds are destroyed, but many of the people crewing those vessels have been fighting for ten years or more. Many of them will be anxious to return to their homes. The Navy might not have the glut of personnel that you seem to fear.” “Well, I sure hope not!” said McClerndon. “I’m too young to retire and half pay for an ensign is practically no pay at all. And I damn well don’t intend to become a mud-shrimp fisher!” “I think you have no reason to fear that, young one. Your skills would be valuable in other places besides the Navy.” “Skills? What skills?” moaned McClerndon. “I didn’t go to that great, glittering Academy that the ‘professionals’ go to, you know. If I’d gotten a few more years experience it would be different, but right now all I know how to do is lay a photon cannon and get boils from alien plants!” “You sell my teaching skills—and your own abilities short, Rhada. And I seem to recall that even your gunnery skills are noteworthy. You have won the Captain’s gunnery competitions, what, three times now?” “Four,” said Greg. Rhada just shrugged. “That’s not really anything I learned, I’m just good at it. And you only need good gunners if you’ve got something to shoot at.” “I’m sure the Navy will still have things to shoot at, even after the war is over,” said Chtak. “And you should complain,” snorted Sadgipour. “You’ve got a lot more marketable skills than I do. Marine junior officers aren’t much good except for commanding Marines.” “And not even much good for that from what Lieutenant Quatrok has to say about ‘em,” snickered McClerndon. “Thanks a lot, Rhada.” “Oh, hell, there’s no point in trying to guess what’s going to happen anyway, Greg. We’re just prisoners of the system.” She sighed and looked around the tiny junior officers wardroom. “I suppose we should heed the sage advice of Lieutenant Chtak’Chr and get ourselves packed.” “You know as soon as we do there’ll be a delay that will keep us here for another week and we’ll just have to unpack again,” said Sadgipour. “True, but at least it will give us something to…” McClerndon’s statement was cut off by the howl of the General Alarm. The three officers looked up in surprise. “All personnel, report to your stations immediately!” came a voice over the com. Chtak’Chr could move with remarkable quickness when he went on all fours and was out the hatch first. The other two were right behind. “What’s happening?” demanded Captain Liu-Chen as he strode onto his bridge. “I’m not certain, sir,” said Commander Ellsworth as she vacated the command chair. “We were in contact with the station and getting our docking instructions when communications were suddenly cut off. Not just with the station, sir; we can’t raise anyone at all.” “Equipment failure? Hardly reason to sound the alarm and put more stress on my old heart, Commander.” “It’s more than that, sir,” said Ellsworth, sounding a little hurt. “We’re reading complete power failures in the station and all ships and small craft in orbit. There have also been explosions aboard the station and the frigates Active and Daring.” “Explosions? What sort of explosions?” asked the captain in a much more alert fashion. “We can’t say exactly, sir, but they read like containment failures on the fusion plants.” “On all three simultaneously?” “Yes, sir…” “Sir!” interrupted the sensor officer. “I’m reading multiple explosions on the planet’s surface! I just got the readings on them now, but they must have happened about the same time as the other ones.” “Contact the base facilities on the surface. Maybe they know what’s going on.” “I’ve been trying, sir,” said Lieutenant Terletsky, who looked somewhat frazzled. “I can’t contact anyone at all, sir!” “Is it possible the problem is with us? A communications failure and false readings from the sensors?” “It’s possible, sir,” said Ellsworth. “We have had some random equipment failures up here, but the diagnostics on the sensors and com system all read green.” “What kind of failures?” asked Liu-Chen, obviously concerned about his ship. “Primary Fire Control is out, but the secondaries are still working. A number of other minor things so far, sir. Sick bay reports their diagnostic computer is not working. Damage Control says that their repair droids are all out, too. More reports are still coming in.” “I never trusted those droids to begin with,” muttered the captain. “Sir, I don’t think the problem’s just with us,” said Ensign Snowden at the sensor station. “I’ve got a shuttle on the scope that appears to be out of control and heading for a crash on the planet. Five minutes until they hit the atmosphere.” “No distress beacon?” “Nothing, sir,” said Terletsky, “nothing at all.” Return to top | ||