Dark Moon Arisen Read online

  He’d been floating around long enough that the transfer was complete. All 20 of the Raknar were in cradles and his technical people had left. Less than a minute after the last Cavalier tech was gone, dozens of tiny figures floated out from as many hiding spaces. Tiny figures that bore a striking resemblance to Splunk, though in many different shapes and colors.

  There was one with bluish stripes in her fur, and another with white hands and feet. He saw a male with unusually small ears, and a female missing a finger. These Fae were the ones who’d managed to get Upsilon into hyperspace, and apparently hacked the location of New Warsaw, which was one of the galaxy’s closest-guarded secrets. An albino Fae floated over to them. Jim knew this one.

  “Hello, Sly,” Jim said when the male Fae was close enough.

  “Hello, Jim,” he replied. “Raknar look good, but need work.”

  “I know,” he said. “They aren’t perfect. However, they represented an irresistible opportunity.”

  Sly nodded to Jim in a very Human way. He looked into Sly’s pinkish eyes and considered how to proceed. Sly was in charge of this little detachment of Fae. They’d apparently come to Karma by stowing away on dozens of ships. They’d also spent the last few months stealing everything at Karma not nailed down before moving Upsilon to New Warsaw.

  Before they’d turned up, Splunk had just been a friend who helped him run Raknar. She’d possessed incredible mechanical acumen, was devilishly sneaky, and had a telepathic bond with him, including the ability to speak things to him only he understood. But now he had dozens of Splunks loose on the station he was responsible for. Or rather, loose in New Warsaw.

  “Sly,” he said, “I have to ask you a favor.” The Fae looked at him and waited. “Please don’t leave the station while we’re here. This star system belongs to an ally, and I’m afraid if you and your…people decided to start borrowing things, like you did back on Karma, we’d quickly wear out our welcome, tenuous as it is.”

  “We might need things,” Sly said and gestured at the Raknar. Already three of the closest war machines had their chests open, and lights could be seen moving around inside. Another was humming with power and its limbs were unfolding. God damn, they’re fast, he thought.

  “Yes, I realize you might need things.” He took out a comm unit and floated it over to Sly, who expertly caught it. “Use this to relay what you need, and we’ll get it for you.”

  “That should work,” Sly replied.

  “Promise you’ll stay on Upsilon,” he said and pointed to the nearest wall, which was hewn from the asteroid’s living rock.

  “They will find out at some point, ” Splunk said, and Sly nodded.

  “Yes, I know that. But I need some time to make that revelation happen on my schedule. We also don’t need further complications right now. Ok?”

  “Agreed,” Sly said, then chirped several words at Splunk, who chirped back, and then he floated away. Splunk patted Jim’s shoulder and pushed off to follow Sly. He wished he could believe they’d do what he asked, he really did.

  * * *

  Winged Hussars Prime Base, New Warsaw System

  “Can you confirm all his technical staff returned to Bucephalus?” Alexis glanced up from the slate to her intelligence chief. Uuth, a member of the Zuparti race, looked a lot like a terrestrial weasel and was just as jumpy. Alexis had found that made Uuth a perfect spy, and the Zuparti had never let her down.

  “We’re positive,” Uuth replied. “The Cavaliers used our transports, and the crews observed numbers and types of personnel. We have a clear count.”

  “Thanks, chief,” she said. Uuth nodded her pointed head, her whiskers twitching in pleasure as she got up and left. Alexis stared after the departed spy for a long moment as she considered. The destruction Jim Cartwright had wrought with just one Raknar was, in a manner of speaking, spectacular. She’d watched from a distance aboard Pegasus and, like her crew, was in awe. He’d later insisted that the fully operational Raknar was only a fraction of what they were capable of, once the new ones were made operational.

  Yet he was on Karma Upsilon 4, now called just Upsilon, by himself; he had left his technical staff behind on his ship. The same intelligence file she had, which included details provided by the Golden Horde, stated that at least some of the success had come as a result of the assistance of Adayn Christopher, AKA Captain Adrianne McKenzie, Earth Defense Intelligence. She might be a spy for Earth, but she was also apparently a highly-capable mechanical engineer. So how was he doing this without her, or any other help?

  There was the Fae, Splunk, she thought. The intel files said the little alien was a mechanical savant. Again, though, Jim likely couldn’t do it with just himself and a single little furry alien, regardless of how capable Splunk might be.

  Alexis set her slate on the desk and closed her eyes.

  “Where from?” she asked.

 

  Alexis had been waiting on that information for some time now. Although they had their forces concentrated, she needed intel for where to strike back. The courier would have more than just data on the fleets near Earth; it should also have files from the Golden Horde spies still on the planet. She knew the report would come in two parts—the fleet reports would come to her, and groundside intel would go to Sansar Enkh.

  She tapped an icon.

  “Commander?”

  “Summon the Horsemen,” she ordered Paka.

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Nigel Shirazi was staying on the station, Prime Base, so he was the first to arrive. Next was Jim Cartwright, who took a shuttle from Upsilon, minus his little friend. Last was Sansar, as she’d expected. The commander of the Golden Horde had that semi-vacant look on her face which meant she was using her pinplants. All three had their XOs with them as well.

  “As I’m sure Sansar already knows, we have intel from Earth,” Alexis said, starting the meeting. “I’ve analyzed the fleet disposition in the system, and regrettably it hasn’t changed overall. While there’s only one battleship present now, they added a pair of fleet carriers and additional cruiser squadrons.” She didn’t comment that the racial disposition had changed. All the Izlian ships were gone. That was interesting.

  “My people on Earth have been keeping it difficult for Peepo,” Sansar said with a predatory grin. “It looks like the Merc Guild is finding it hard to bring humanity under its control. My suspicion that they want us to work for them has gained some credence; they’re trying to get volunteers to join as unified mercs and are working on restarting Binnig’s factories.”

  “They want CASPers?” Nigel asked, surprise obvious on his face.

  “Makes sense,” Jim said. “The powered combat armor gave us the edge, so Peepo wants them for her side.”

  “The Raknar on Capital,” Walker said from where he stood behind Sansar. There were nods around the table. Jim Cartwright had an evil grin on his face, making Alexis wonder what was going on behind them.

  “There’s more,” Sansar said. “Thanks to our Pendal sources, we’ve discovered Peepo’s next move.” Everyone leaned forward expectantly, watching her. “They’re moving against the Human colonies.”

  “Bastards,” Nigel snarled.

  “No, it makes sense,” Sansar said.

  “What good does that do?” Jim asked. “I mean, there are only a small handful of merc companies based in the colonies. Surely they aren’t a threat.”

  “Extortion,” Alexis said.

  Jim’s eyes widened. “She’d hold them hostage?”

  “She did try to have me killed,” Sansar reminded their youngest member. He looked down and nodded. Clearly he wasn’t as comfortable with naked violence as the rest of them had become accustomed to. Alexis felt a little pity for him. She feared by the end of this, he’d be far more jaded. She continued, “Peepo is planning to send six fleets after as many colonies. However, she’s not mustering them out of Earth. Instead, they’ve established a forward operations base, a
FOB, in the Golara system.”

  “There’s not much there,” Sansar said. “Last time I was in-system, it was just a small industrial facility above a planet with no intelligent life.”

  “It does have an old shipyard that is pretty extensive,” Alexis said. “It’s been there many years. When the facility in Nogola came online several hundred years ago, though, it became obsolete.” The conference room’s Tri-V came online to display the Golara graphics. “The yard went through a few hands, but ended up being used by pirates mostly. We did an operation for the Peacemakers in my mother’s time to clean out a group. After that, it was largely abandoned again.

  “Peepo apparently considered it ideal,” she said. “And, considering it’s in the dead center of the eleven recognized Human colonies, I have to agree. We didn’t consider it of any real use, so I haven’t gotten any intel on it for years. My mistake.” Alexis shook her head, then shrugged. “Peepo has been stockpiling materials there for several years. As soon as she decided her covert campaign against us had failed, she began gathering fleet assets there, too.”

  “How long has she been planning this?” Nigel asked.

  “A long time,” Sansar said. “I don’t know how we missed it.”

  “Maybe she’s just that good,” Jim said, “and we’d better be careful about underestimating her.” Alexis nodded. Jim might be young and a bit squeamish about fighting, but he wasn’t lacking in the brains department. She used her pinplants to pull up more details on the FOB.

  “The conquest of the colonies might seem like a soft target to Peepo, but she’s not taking into account humanity’s natural tenacity. As you all know, most aliens will just roll over when faced with a no-win scenario.”

  “Not the spiders,” Jim said.

  “Or the MinSha,” Nigel added.

  “As I said, most,” Alexis said.

  “With Earth lost, they expect the colonies to fall with little to no resistance,” Sansar said. “I believe they’re in for a surprise. Pendal-provided intel shows they have a pair of brand new manufactories on the planet below the shipyard. Coupled with remote robotic mining systems to keep the shipyard supplied with raw materials, the manufactories are producing munitions for Peepo’s armies. They have a lot of troopers staged on the planet, and some in temporary housing on the space station. However, the garrisons are not extensive.”

  “You’re thinking of hitting Golara,” Nigel said.

  “Damn,” Jim said.

  “With their fleets out to capture the colonies, their space assets will be thin there,” Alexis said, “and this presents us with an outstanding opportunity. An opportunity with an expiration date. That ass-kicking I gave the Izlians a few months ago included killing Admiral Omega, and the Izlians went home with their tentacles between their legs. They say it’s to honor Omega, but I think they didn’t like being mauled in a stand-up fight. So the Maki have moved into the gap, but they were intended to be mostly defensive. Now, those defenses are minimal. They’ve kept a sizeable force at Earth, but here at Golara we have a good chance.”

  “But what about the colonies?” Nigel asked. “New Persia!”

  “Yes,” Alexis said. “That does present a problem. The new Mk 9 CASPer is under construction there. In fact, Excalibur left for New Persia just a day ago, escorting the transport Capricorn to pick up the first load of suits.”

  “They won’t stand a chance against a fleet,” Jim said.

  “Correct,” Alexis said. “They’ll have to run if there’s one in-system…and pray the stargate’s clear. But your analysts don’t think that’s a primary target, right Sansar?”

  “No,” Sansar said. “My analysts think they’ll go for the larger colonies for the best impact. A couple even have a few good-sized merc units. Peepo will consider those twofers. New Persia is likely far down the list. Once Excalibur and Capricorn are back, we’ll hopefully be done at Golara and can then afford to send a better defensive fleet.”

  “The icing on the cake is this,” Alexis said. The Tri-V showed the zero-G shipyard with two big shapes in it. “Peepo must have figured since the assets were there, why not use them? Those are two battleships under construction, and they’re nearly complete. The Winged Hussars never went in for battleships, as they’re too slow for our tactics.” Her smile held a savage edge. “If we can take them intact, though, maybe it’s time for a slight change?”

  “You’re gambling a lot of Human lives,” Jim said, “and it seems on thin odds.”

  “We are,” Sansar said, glancing at Alexis, “but I think the odds are better than that. Besides, we need a win, and taking Golara would be a huge win.”

  “And a major setback for Peepo,” Nigel added.

  “Exactly,” Alexis said. “Sansar says she wasn’t too bothered by the loss of the Izlians. She figures they’ll be back. If we take Golara, get a good highguard in place, and are ready, we can kick some serious ass on any newly-arriving fleet elements. Like some space squids coming back from saying bye-bye to their great Admiral Omega.”

  “After we have Golara,” Sansar said, “it won’t take as many forces to hold it. Then we go relieve the colonies. Take any back that we have to.”

  “A win would be good,” Nigel agreed.

  “What about all the alien mercs on Golara?” Jim asked. “If we take the objective, what happens to them?”

  “Kill them,” Nigel said with a shrug. Jim looked more than a little shocked at the suggestion.

  “Only if they fight,” Sansar said. “Those who surrender, we strip of gear and send home. Word will spread.”

  “I like that,” Jim said, snapping his fingers. “What did they used to call it? Hearts and minds?”

  “Exactly,” Alexis said, smiling. “We have to be like Peepo and play the long game. The more merc races we treat fairly, even when we have reason to be vengeful, the more who will not like how we’re being treated.” She looked around the room. “The other Human mercs have all agreed to follow our lead. I propose we form a task force and take Golara. How do we vote?”

  It was unanimous; humanity would strike back.

  * * *

  “A bold plan, commander,” Paka said as the meeting broke up, “and one I think has a good chance of success.”

  “I agree,” Alexis said. “I want you to start working on the fleet composition for the fight.” Her Veetanho XO nodded. “Keep in mind, some of the Human forces don’t have sufficient space assets. We need to be fast and nimble for this.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Alexis glanced at Paka. “I wasn’t expecting to have you in this capacity anymore,” she said.

  “I don’t know what you mean, Commander.”

  “I expected you to be the new commanding officer of Phaeton. I want top-notch Hussars at the helm of the new Egleesius-class ships we brought back from 2nd Level Hyperspace. You’ve been my XO on Pegasus for 10 years. I didn’t expect you to pass up a promotion.”

  “I belong at your side,” Paka said. She looked a little uncomfortable.

  “You’re ready for your own command,” Alexis insisted.

  “Not one that big. Those ships are vital.”

  “Who better?” Alexis persisted. “You’ve been the XO of our only Egleesius for half your career. You were 3rd officer on the carrier Wyvern for a year, then XO on the cruiser Sir Barton. Come on, Paka, you’re ready.”

  “After this war,” Paka said, turning to look up at her commanding officer. “I can’t do it now.”

  “I should order you to,” Alexis said, her eyes flashing. She wasn’t used to people pushing back.

  “You can’t,” Paka reminded her. “Everyone is on edge about my people as it is. How would it look to the other Human mercs if you put a Veetanho in charge of a ship like that? The Egleesius are likely to end up in command of task forces. That could cause unnecessary friction.” Alexis chewed her bottom lip, then gave a little nod. “I am honored, Commander, but let’s do it later, when it’s more appropriate.”

>   “Okay, my friend,” Alexis said, patting her on the shoulder. “Get to work on the fleet arrangements. Start mobilizing the personnel required. Oh, and inform Commander Kowalczy that he’ll be in command here. I’m leading the fleet myself.”

  “I rather expected that,” Paka said, her whiskers twitching in amusement. “May I ask who you chose for Phaeton?”

  “Lieutenant Commander Jormungd has been promoted to commander and made captain of Phaeton.”

  “An interesting choice,” Paka said. “She is the only Kaa with the Winged Hussars.” Alexis nodded; she was all too aware of that. But the big snake-like race were naturals in space, even if they weren’t a merc race. They had bunches of tentacles for hands, which made them particularly adept pilots, too…they just didn’t mix with other races well. Jormungd was an outlier of her race in a number of ways. She loved combat and was reasonably tolerant of other races, if a bit aloof.

  “She’ll do fine,” Alexis said. “Her record as commanding officer of Hrunting and XO of Hippogriff was flawless.”

  “As you say, Commander,” Paka said. “I’ll get to work on the fleet assignments.” Alexis nodded, and her XO left.

  “Ghost?”

 

  “Has your analysis of our probability of success in Golara changed?”

  the AI responded.

  Alexis grunted. Like Jim Cartwright had said, thin odds. She hadn’t shared Ghost’s insights with the rest of the Horsemen. She smiled ruefully, thinking about the AI. She and Sansar had shared a rather heated argument concerning the other commander’s decision to uplift the SalSha, which was one of many charges against the Golden Horde when Sansar had been taken to Capital and tried. It was the only one they were guilty of.