The Dark Star War (Codex Regius Book 3) Read online

  “Or, they could bomb our next-to-last system to dust while they wait for your ship to come back and battle them,” Burkuri said. “Then they could go through the next stargate and destroy our last system. Our fleet has been destroyed. What is there to stop it from happening?”

  The Ssselipsssiss looks were disbelief, then. Calvin had to find a way to give them hope, if even a little. But he didn’t have any to share. He knew as well as they did, if not better, how small the Vella Gulf’s chances were against the combined Shaitan/Jotunn battle fleet. The Gulf could probably hold its own against the Shaitans, but there was no way they were going to beat the Jotunn. All the missiles the Gulf carried weren’t enough to destroy the giants’ enormous battlecruisers.

  They were screwed. The Ssselipsssiss were going to be annihilated.

  He hit the side of the duct in frustration, striking one of the cabling runs. “Bitch!” he exclaimed under his breath, his hand throbbing.

  He looked at the cables a moment longer, then his hands fell to his sides and his mouth dropped open. He turned to face the Ssselipsssiss, a smile starting to show on his face.

  “I know what we can do,” Calvin said.

  “To help the bugs or preserve our race?” Burkuri asked.

  “Both.”

  Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-62 System, December 16, 2021

  “Entry into the Keppler-62 system and Ssselipsssiss-controlled territory,” Steropes said. After a pause he added, “Captain Sheppard, I don’t see any of the Ssselipsssiss warships that were here on our last visit.”

  “What do you mean you don’t see them?” asked the CO. “Have they landed somewhere? Where did they go?”

  “It is unknown,” Steropes replied. “I don’t have any indication of communications or ship drive signatures. It appears they left.”

  “Why would they leave?” mused the duty engineer. “Who’s holding the border against the Mrowry?”

  “It doesn’t appear anyone is,” Steropes replied. “Not only are the ships missing from the system, it appears most of the mines were removed from the stargate, as well.”

  “That can’t be good,” Captain Sheppard noted. “The only reason they’d do that…”

  “Was if they needed them for a last-ditch defense,” Steropes said.

  “Maybe Calvin convinced them the Shaitans were the real threat, and they didn’t have to worry about the Mrowry,” Lights said. “If so, he might have also convinced them to move the mines to another system to help in its defense.”

  “That assumes three things,” said Lieutenant O’Leary. “First, it assumes they actually kept him because they wanted to see what he thought. Second, it assumes they actually took him somewhere to look at the defenses, and he found they were insufficient. Finally, it assumes he was not only an excellent strategist but politician and speaker, too, as he convinced their entire military command to strip all their defenses from their border with a race they’ve been fighting for decades. It might have happened that way…but I ain’t buying it.”

  “Oh?” Captain Sheppard asked. “What do you think happened?”

  “I think they’re getting their asses kicked somewhere else and needed the ships for a last-ditch defense. And, if past history is any sort of guide, our beloved Lieutenant Commander is probably right there alongside them with a ringside seat to the destruction of the lizzie civilization. There’s some razor saying that if you’ve got a bunch of possible options, you should go with the one that has the least assumptions.”

  “Occam’s Razor,” Steropes interjected.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Lieutenant O’Leary said. “Honestly, I don’t give a shit about whose damn razor it was; all I know is the lizzies are probably getting their asses handed to them somewhere, and I will bet you any amount of money that Lieutenant Commander Hobbs is right in the middle of it.”

  Captain Sheppard nodded. “Unfortunately, that is probably true.”

  “Sir!” the communications officer called. “We’re being hailed from the planet.”

  “Contact!” the DSO announced. “There’s a shuttle that just lifted from the planet.”

  “Put the call on screen,” Captain Sheppard ordered.

  “I’m unable,” the communications officer replied. “They gave me a message then signed off and are no longer replying to my hails.”

  “What was the message?”

  “That the ambassador is coming for a meeting.”

  “Did they say why?”

  “No sir,” the communications officer answered. “They didn’t say or give me any other information.”

  “Ask them again,” the Captain said.

  “They aren’t answering.”

  “They’re in a big hurry,” Steropes reported. “The shuttle is coming at better than its best speed.”

  “Huh,” the CO grunted. “Whatever it is, it must be important. Still, I don’t like all the secrecy. Night, Lieutenant O’Leary, please meet our guests at the shuttle and bring them to my conference room. Oh, and please meet them armed. You can be as obvious as you’d like.”

  “Yes, sir,” Night said. “It would be my pleasure.” The two troopers left the bridge at a run.

  Ducts, Jotunn Ship Falcon, Unknown System, December 14, 2021

  “What is your idea?” Syrusss asked.

  “This is my idea, right here,” Calvin said, patting the side of the duct.

  “The ducting?” Karver asked. “What are we supposed to do? Cut it apart and use it for weapons? Without a shop to fashion points, I don’t see how it’ll be very effective.”

  “No,” Calvin explained, “I don’t want to use the ducting, but the cables running along it.”

  “I guess we could make nooses out of the cables,” Syrusss said, “but I’m not sure we will be able to pull the Jotunn up off their feet to strangle them; they look awfully heavy.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean, either,” Calvin said.

  “I see—” Reyl started.

  “Shut up, all of you,” Burkuri ordered, cutting him off. “Dad will tell us if you’ll. Just. Shut. Up.” She hissed in frustration. “Males.”

  Calvin smiled. Some things were universal. He coughed to cover a laugh.

  “No, what I meant is that we have access to a lot of their systems’ cables. If we found the cable runs for some of their more important systems and started inducing failures, we might be able to get them to leave here and return to their home planet…or at least their closest base.”

  “That’s just this one ship, though,” Burkuri said. “How do we get the other Jotunn ship to leave, too?”

  “We need a failure that will make this ship’s commanding officer want the other ship’s support,” Calvin said. “Hmm…if I were the CO, what would I want support with? Definitely my engines, as I don’t want to get stranded somewhere out in space. Oh, yeah, life support would be good, too. If we can find the cables for those systems and a way to make them fail, I think we might be able to get the Jotunn to leave.”

  “So how do we find those cables?” Paxton asked.

  “We just have to look,” Calvin said, excited to get started on his plan. “I’m sure the cables will all be labeled; I know they are in our ships. We can split up; that way we can get it done faster. Let’s get going!”

  “Umm…that won’t work,” Paxton said. “None of us speak Jotunn, nor can we read it. I bet the bugs can’t read it, either. That’s a problem.”

  “Well, I’ll write it down and you can compare it to the markings on the cabling as you go along,” Calvin said. “Who has some paper?”

  The five Ssselipsssiss looked at him, unmoving.

  “Really?” Calvin asked. “With everything you’ve got in your packs, no one has any paper?” He turned to Farhome. “I don’t suppose you have any paper?”

  “You could write on our other tunic if you’d like,” the Aesir said. “We don’t mind.”

  Calvin sighed. “Let’s go ask the bugs.”

  Shuttle Docking Por
t, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-62 System, December 16, 2021

  Night and Lieutenant O’Leary hurried to the shuttle entrance, stopping at the armory to pick up their weapons and half of First Squad along the way. They didn’t have long to wait before the shuttle arrived, and a single Ssselipsssiss debarked.

  “Sir, we’ve got a problem,” Night commed. “The ambassador is armed with a sword.”

  “Solomon, does he have anything else?” Captain Sheppard queried.

  “I do not detect any other weapons,” the AI replied.

  “Let him keep it, but stay alert,” the CO ordered.

  “By the way,” Night said, “this is the Ssselipsssiss who was the assistant ambassador the last time we were here. I don’t see the original ambassador; there is no one else with him.”

  “Understood,” Captain Sheppard acknowledged. “Bring him to my conference room.”

  “On our way.”

  The troops escorted the ambassador through the ship. The Ssselipsssiss didn’t speak to them; although his head was down and his shoulders slumped, he walked with a purpose, stepping on the soldiers’ feet in front of him on several occasions as if he wanted them to go faster.

  The procession arrived at the conference room and several soldiers preceded the ambassador into the room, keeping him in view at all times. Captain Sheppard was waiting but kept the conference room’s table between them rather than coming to formally greet the ambassador.

  Without uttering a word, the ambassador drew his sword.

  “Don’t move!” Night yelled, as the nine soldiers aimed their weapons.

  The ambassador took his sword in both hands and laid it on the table. “I don’t know what your custom is for such a disgrace,” the ambassador said, “but I surrender all the forces in this system to you, as well as any additional forces still remaining under my command. I would only ask that you transport the civilians to a place of safety somewhere in your territory before our enemy gets here.”

  “Uh, I’ve never had anyone surrender to me before, so I don’t actually know the protocol,” Captain Sheppard said, “but I think this will do all right. I take it things have changed greatly since we were here last. My biggest question is, where is our crewman?”

  “Gone…” the ambassador said. He sat down heavily on one of the chairs, keeping to the front so his tail would fit. “He’s gone, the fleet’s gone, they’re all…gone. If you do not help us, our race will perish.”

  “What happened?” Captain Sheppard asked.

  “After you left, the fleet went to assess our defenses two stargates over. While there, a combined fleet of the enemy and their allies arrived. Our forces fought better than they ever have…they even destroyed some of the enemy’s ships…but ultimately all were lost, and the planet was taken.”

  “Was our crewman with the fleet?”

  “Yessss…” The word hung in the air a long time as a silence came over the group.

  “No one made it out?” Captain Sheppard asked.

  “None,” the ambassador replied. “When nothing was heard, our last two cruisers entered the system to find the rape of the planet already in progress. The captain in charge immediately returned with the news and said there would be no survivors…in space or on the planet below. He started shuttling people from the next system over to this one, trying to save as many as he could…but he is now…overdue. I suspect…the invasion…next system…already begun.” His voice grew weaker while he was speaking, and he seemed to run down. “The gods hate us. It is…ended.” He leaned forward onto the table, his head on his arms.

  “Can you at least tell us about the enemy’s fleet?” Captain Sheppard asked. “What are the forces we have to face?”

  The ambassador raised his head enough to peer over an arm. “They are too many for this ship,” he said. Without another word, he grabbed his sword from the table and drove it through his chest. He collapsed, falling to the deck. “The Ssselipsssiss are through,” he wheezed, then stilled.

  Night slung his rifle and sprang forward to the motionless Ssselipsssiss. He knelt down and felt around his arm, looking for a pulse. After a few seconds, he looked back up at the CO. “I’m not real sure what to do for him,” he said. “Or with him.” He looked up at the overhead and asked, “Hey, Solomon, can you tell if the ambassador is still living?”

  “No sir, he is not,” the AI replied.

  “Well…shit.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  CO’s Conference Room, TSS Vella Gulf, Kepler-62 System, December 16, 2021

  “Even though he said Calvin’s dead, we still need to find out for ourselves,” Lieutenant O’Leary said. “He’s lived through too many other things not to at least take a look.”

  “I agree,” Captain Sheppard said, “but we’ve got to do something to help the Ssselipsssiss in this system first. If the Shaitans come and wipe them out here, the race will perish.”

  “And that’s a bad thing, why?” Night asked. “What have they ever done for us? I’m finding it hard to see a reason for any allegiance to them when they would just as soon eat us as look at us.”

  “I’m not going to let the Shaitans finish them off on my watch,” Captain Sheppard said. “We’re going to have to go back and call up the Mrowry fleet to defend this system. Maybe we can convince them to move forward to the next system with us and take on the Shaitans there; that way, we don’t have to worry about the planet being bombed in the course of a Shaitan invasion of this system.”

  “I do not know if the fleet commander will be as willing to defend the Ssselipsssiss as you are,” Lieutenant Rrower said. “We have been at war with them for a long time, and there is a considerable amount of hatred between our races. Most of my people will see the question the same way Captain Train did, and they will be willing to allow the Shaitans and Ssselipsssiss to destroy as much of each other as possible, prior to engaging whoever’s left afterwards.”

  “Can’t you use your writ?”

  “I could try,” the Mrowry officer said, “but there are a couple of reasons why it would be difficult. First, I’m not even sure I want to. I have to look at the situation from the viewpoint of what’s best for my civilization. Not only am I not convinced of the need to save the Ssselipsssiss, there is also the tactical situation to look at. Currently, our fleet is on the other side of a stargate, where their position is well defended. Not only will an invading force have to get past the fleet, they will also have to break through the minefield and other defenses that await them in the HD 40307 system. Calling them forward to defend this system exposes them to additional, and perhaps unnecessary, risk. To assault through the stargate here into the next system will add on an enormous amount of risk, as they have never fought the Shaitans and do not have the ability to jump with them into their universe. If it were simply a matter of normal fleet-versus-fleet combat, I would be in favor of them moving forward to reclaim this system and as much of the former Ssselipsssiss empire as possible. As it is…I don’t know.”

  “I know making that decision is a lot to put on a Lieutenant,” Captain Sheppard said, “even one as well-travelled as you, but would you at least be willing to discuss it with the fleet commander if we go back to HD 40307? I want to go look for Calvin, but the continuity of the Ssselipsssiss race has to take priority.”

  “That brings us to the second reason why it will be difficult. The commander of the fleet in HD 40307 is my father, Admiral Krrower. He will be…reluctant…to have me tell him what to do. As he is also a member of the royalty, the writ will not work as well on him, as he could, theoretically, override me. I will talk to him…” Lieutenant Rrower finally agreed, “but I am still not sure what I will say, or if he will listen.”

  Ducts, Jotunn Ship Falcon, Unknown System, December 17, 2021

  “This isn’t working,” Calvin said.

  “If your plan was to give us a lot of busy work to distract us, it’s working perfectly,” Farhome replied. “We’ve wasted a couple of days on it, and no one
has talked about killing themselves or eating us during that entire time.” He giggled. “I would have thought you’d be happy with that.”

  “Well, I’m happy with the other stuff, but I really wanted to find the cabling,” Calvin said. “I guess it’s not surprising we didn’t find any cable runs we could use around the engineering spaces. All the power generation and engine control cabling must be inside the engine rooms. I’m disappointed we haven’t found any communications circuits. We’ve been all around the bridge, and they just don’t seem to exist.”

  “Or they go through the walls or floors or ceilings, rather than the ducts,” said Burkuri. “I personally went around the bridge twice, and there’s nothing like this to be found.” She held out the piece of paper one of the bugs had ‘requisitioned’ from an empty stateroom. It held the Jotunn words for the systems they were looking for. “They either don’t exist in the ductwork, or they’re unlabeled.”

  “Unlabeled?” Calvin asked.

  “Yes, some of the cables are unlabeled,” Burkuri said. “Maybe it’s one of them.”

  “I guess it could be…” Calvin said, shaking his head, “but it’s really going to suck if we have to figure out which one it might be.” He sighed. “I’m not really sure how we’d even go about doing that…” His idea, which had seemed great at the start, was fading fast.

  “Well, there wouldn’t be that many we’d have to try,” Paxton said. “I was with her, and most of the cables coming from the bridge are labeled. There’s only a few that aren’t.” He held up his paper, showing the words they were looking for, then turned it over. “I wrote down the ones that weren’t on the list.”

  “Can I see them?” Calvin asked, a tinge of excitement in his voice. “Maybe I used a wrong word, like ‘comms’ instead of ‘radio,’ or something.” He took Paxton’s list and quickly scanned it, but his hopes were dashed once again. “Nope, nothing here. Nothing we can use, either.” He sighed again.