Ep.#7 - Who Takes No Risk (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes) Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The Frontiers Saga Part 2: Rogue Castes

  Episode #7: Who Takes No Risk

  Copyright © 2017 by Ryk Brown All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  CHAPTER ONE

  The resort on the southern shore of the Leason Inland Sea, in Morsay Proper, had always been his favorite place to vacation. The tall, blue-green pines and the bubbling, emerald water, warmed by the thousands of natural hot-spring vents which lined the bottom of the massive, yet shallow, body of water, was nothing short of magical. From the first moment he had laid eyes on this valley, when he was a boy, through his trips with friends throughout secondary school and college, and even now, it still captivated him to no end.

  Sunrise was the best. The cool morning air, rolling in from the west opening of the valley, mixed with the rising fog from the sea, swirling about in little dances of shimmering mist. Although he had never been an early riser, when in Morsay Proper he didn’t even need to set an alarm.

  Pain…excruciating; overwhelming; suffocating.

  His eyes tried to open but were immediately filled with dust and debris, causing even more pain. The room shook; muffled explosions in the distance. Energy weapons fire. Urgent screams of men fighting for their lives.

  He tried to breathe but found himself unable. Squeezing all around him, he couldn’t even move.

  Something shifted beneath him, and there was a thunderous sound, after which he found himself falling. He landed a second later on his back, with more pain shooting through his body as more dirt, debris, and small rocks rained down upon him. Now able to move, he instinctively scrambled for safety, anywhere… Anywhere but here. More explosions, more energy weapons fire, more screams…and someone calling…someone calling his name.

  “Birk!”

  It was Cuddy, and he was yelling out to him…from above!

  “I’m here!” Birk replied in a complete panic. He looked in the direction Cuddy’s voice had come from but could see nothing. Dirt and rocks continued to spill from the center of the fallen-through ceiling. Dust swirled about him, repeatedly illuminated by the red, orange, and blue energy bolts spilling through from the corridor outside the chamber’s open doorway and through the gaping hole above him.

  “Down the hole!” someone yelled.

  “Quickly!” another man agreed. Birk recognized Michael’s voice as he heard the first thud of someone landing on the pile of dirt and rocks in his chamber.

  “Birk!” Cuddy called out as he scrambled to his feet.

  “Over here!”

  More thuds as others dropped down through the gaping hole.

  The dust was beginning to clear a bit, and Birk could barely make out Cuddy as he scrambled down off the debris pile toward him.

  “Are you alright?” Cuddy cried out as he reached Birk cowering against the wall for safety.

  “I think so,” Birk replied, uncertain. “I’m not sure.”

  “Can you walk?”

  “Yes, I think…”

  “Fuck walking!” the next man to drop down yelled. “Can you run?”

  Two more men dropped down, the first one Michael and the second… He would never know, since the second man’s head was gone, burned completely away by energy weapons fire.

  Michael Willard picked up the dead man’s weapon without a single moment of hesitation or remorse. His comrade was dead, and there was nothing he could do about that. Michael scrambled down off the dirt pile as energy bolts slammed into the debris around him from above, the enemy having moved into the room above and discovered that their prey had escaped through the hole in the floor.

  “What the hell’s going on?” Birk exclaimed.

  “Move your asses!” Michael ordered, tossing the dead man’s weapon to Birk.

  The weapon landed in Birk’s lap, startling him further. “What the hell…”

  “Come on!” Cuddy insisted, pulling on his friend’s collar to help him up.

  Birk grabbed the weapon that had been tossed in his lap as more enemy energy weapons fire slammed into the debris pile not two meters from them. The shots of red-orange plasma rained down, walking toward them as the enemy above circled the hole in the floor to get better angles on the men below.

  Birk looked up as he rose, catching a glimpse of their attackers: serious looking men in black and crimson body armor. They moved in pairs with precision, their weapons fire closing in on Birk, Cuddy, and Michael with amazing quickness.

  As Birk got to his feet, a small metallic object landed on the debris pile, bouncing toward them.

  “Grenade!” one of their comrades warned as he dove toward the bouncing metallic device.

  Michael grabbed Birk, shoving him toward Cuddy and the exit, as his comrade grabbed the grenade on its third bounce and tried to toss it back up through the gaping hole in the ceiling. As he did so, two red-orange bolts of plasma slammed into his torso, interrupting his throw. The grenade went off in his hand, blowing it apart and taking what was left of the man’s head and torso with it.

  The portion of the blast not absorbed by his doomed comrade knocked Michael through the exit, falling into the back of Birk as he and Cuddy tried to make their retreat. Both of them fell to the floor of the dust-filled tunnel, all three stunned by the concussion.

  Birk found himself in extreme pain once again, his back, his right leg, his knee, his arm, and his head. He felt wet practically everywhere. He was sure he was bleeding profusely and was about to die.

  “Come on!” Cuddy pleaded.

  “I can’t…” Birk insisted. “I’m done! Leave me! Save yourself!”

  “Get your ass up!” Michael insisted as he scrambled to his feet and grabbed Birk by the arm.

  “I can’t! I’m bleeding out!”

  “That’s not your blood!” Michael told him. “It’s McCabe’s! Now move your ass!”

  Several more thuds were heard behind them as Zen-Anor troops dropped into the chamber they had just escaped from. Michael spun around and opened fire as several energy bolts slammed into the walls on either side of him, blowing them apart and sending rocks and dust everywhere.

  The three of them charged down the corridor, half running and half stumbling, blindly trying to make their escape. The sound of weapons fire was coming from all directions, as were the shouts of their comrades who were also trying to escape.

  “Which way do we go?” Cuddy demanded, already confused.

  “Left!” Michael ordered without hesitation.

  “But there’s weapons fire c
oming from the left!” Birk argued.

  “It’s coming from everywhere!” Michael replied, unleashing a heavy barrage of blue energy bolts into the dust-filled corridor behind him. “We’ve got no choice! We’ve gotta make a run for the east exit, two levels up.”

  “I can’t see shit!” Cuddy exclaimed, looking down the left corridor as two red energy bolts streaked over their heads. “How do we know who’s who?”

  “If it isn’t shooting blue, light it up!” Michael barked, pushing them forward as energy bolts peppered the wall behind the spot where he had just been standing.

  Cuddy took a deep breath and began running down the left corridor, his weapon half raised. Dust swirled about, making it nearly impossible to see. The dust in front of him suddenly lit up a bright red-orange, and both he and Birk raised their weapons and opened fire as Michael had instructed. They continued to fire as they charged forward. Michael followed them, firing behind them as they charged toward either safety or their imminent doom.

  * * *

  “While we applaud your intent, Captain, allying our worlds with the Karuzari, and standing against the Dusahn, will surely bring their wrath down upon us all, just as it did to Ybara and Burgess,” Minister Sebaron stated.

  “As our ally, we would defend your worlds,” Nathan promised.

  “Just as Earth defended the worlds of the Pentaurus cluster, when the Dusahn invaded?” the minister challenged.

  “The failure of my homeworld to honor their allegiances is precisely why the Aurora and I are here, now,” Nathan replied. “We honor our commitments to our allies. I believe that my actions over the last nine years substantiate that.”

  “And you believe that you can adequately defend the Rogen system, should the Dusahn return?”

  “Yes, I do, especially with the help of the Gunyoki, once they are equipped with jump drives and more powerful plasma weapons.”

  “Captain Scott,” the minister from Neramese began, “you were barely able to defend us from a single Dusahn warship…from my understanding, an antiquated one at that.”

  “With time, we can improve our defense capabilities. We can build surface-based, jump missile launchers on both Rakuen and Neramese. With jump drives, the Gunyoki can patrol far beyond the boundaries of the Rogen system, providing advanced detection of their approach. But, more importantly,” Nathan added, “with the help of your Gunyoki fighters, we can keep the Dusahn busy, protecting their systems in the Pentaurus cluster, thus preventing further attacks.”

  “And what is stopping them from simply launching a jump-enabled, kinetic kill vehicle?” Mister Sebaron asked, one eyebrow raised. “Like the ones recently used by your homeworld against assets light years away, deep inside Jung territory.”

  Nathan maintained his composure, despite the fact that he was taken aback by the minister’s knowledge of events in the Sol sector. Until that moment, Nathan had assumed Rakuen had little to no intelligence assets beyond their own system. After all, they had only been exposed to the jump drive a little over five years ago and still had no jump-capable ships of their own.

  General Telles cast a sidelong glance at Nathan, noting that the young captain’s expression had remained remarkably unchanged.

  “Nothing,” Nathan admitted after only the slightest of pauses.

  “We have no evidence the Dusahn have created such weapons,” General Telles interjected in his usual calm demeanor. “However, it would be best to assume that they do possess such capabilities.”

  “Which is precisely why we should not sign the alliance charter before us,” Minister Sebaron demanded. “Doing so will, without a doubt, make us enemies of the Dusahn. We cannot afford to take that risk. Not now, and perhaps, not ever!”

  “You cannot afford to not take that risk,” Nathan replied calmly.

  Both ministers, as well as their aides, looked at Nathan.

  “The captain is correct,” General Telles stated. “The Rogen system became enemies of the Dusahn Empire the moment your forces fired on theirs.”

  “But we were defending ourselves,” Minister Cornell argued.

  “Why you fired upon them does not matter to the Dusahn,” General Telles replied. “The fact that you did not bow down to them in fear and respect is reason enough to destroy you, in their minds.”

  “That’s absurd!” Minister Sebaron argued.

  “Dusahn logic differs from our own,” the general explained. “Much like the Jung, the Dusahn feel it is their right to impose order of their own design upon others. They do not recognize your right to reject their rule. The scales they think in are too vast to allow for moralities and ethics. They see the management of interstellar empires as a numbers game, as an accountant for a large corporation would.”

  “When the cost of controlling a conquered world becomes more expensive than simply wiping the surface clean and starting over, that is precisely what they do,” Nathan added. “However, the Dusahn suffer from a lack of forces. They do not have enough ships to spread beyond the Pentaurus cluster. The only reason they sent a ship here was because they believed you would be unable to offer any resistance. Had they suspected that they might lose one of their battleships in the process, they would have been less likely to attack. Just like the schoolyard bully only picks on the weak, the Dusahn, despite their swagger and bravado, have no choice but to choose their battles with caution. By forming an alliance with us, you will be showing the Dusahn that the Rogen system is not to be taken lightly. You will be sending them a clear message: that should they attack, they will suffer losses, perhaps even losses they cannot afford.”

  “But we would be bluffing,” Minister Sebaron surmised, leaning back in his chair with a pleased look on his face.

  “For now, yes,” Nathan admitted. “But the Dusahn do not know that. They have already tested the waters and nearly lost a battleship in the process.”

  “And if they send two battleships?” Minister Sebaron challenged. “Or three? What then, Captain? Can the Aurora defeat three Dusahn battleships?”

  “Yes,” Nathan replied confidently and without hesitation.

  Minister Sebaron laughed. “I think you overestimate your ship’s firepower, Captain Scott.”

  “I assure you, he does not,” General Telles insisted.

  “And if the Aurora is elsewhere, perhaps harassing a Dusahn asset in the Pentaurus cluster, at the moment they attack our world?” Minister Sebaron waited a moment for Nathan’s response but continued before one was offered. “I am sorry, Captain, but until such time as you can assure us of adequate protection, we cannot ally our worlds with the Karuzari.”

  “What would it take to satisfy that requirement?” Nathan asked.

  “Another warship,” Minister Sebaron replied. “One equal to, or of greater firepower than, the Aurora.”

  “I see,” Nathan replied. “And what of those Gunyoki who have already committed themselves to our cause?”

  “Their ships are their own to sacrifice, if they so choose,” Minister Sebaron noted. “As are their lives.”

  “You are not concerned that the Dusahn will associate them with your worlds?” Nathan wondered.

  “We will denounce them as non-citizens of Rakuen, subject to the same rules and restrictions imposed on all foreign guests.”

  Nathan looked at Minister Cornell.

  “The Gunyoki are of Rakuen,” Minister Cornell announced. “Neramese has no military forces of its own.”

  “And if the charter includes a guarantee that such a ship will remain within a single-jump range of the Rogen system at all times, will that satisfy your needs?” Nathan wondered.

  “Such a ship would need to remain within Rogen space at all times,” Minister Sebaron insisted.

  “Such a requirement would be too restrictive,” General Telles argued.

/>   “We have a fleet to protect, as well,” Nathan added.

  “Cannot your fleet remain within a single-jump range of this system?” Minister Sebaron wondered. “Would not that provide adequate protection for your forces, just as you proposed it would for our worlds?”

  “The Aurora must retain the ability to move freely between the Rogen system and the Karuzari fleet, as needed,” Nathan insisted. “In addition, she must be able to leave the entire sector, without prior approval of all allied worlds, in order to conduct military operations against the Dusahn.”

  “Leaving both the allied worlds and the Karuzari fleet equally unprotected,” General Telles added for clarity.

  “We might be willing to agree to those terms, provided that should another warship of equal or greater firepower be obtained, at least one of them will remain within the Rogen system as a deterrent against attack,” Minister Sebaron countered.

  “Again, we cannot have our hands tied in such a way,” Nathan insisted. “We must retain the ability to attack our enemy when an opportunity presents itself.”

  Minister Sebaron leaned back in his chair, looking up at the clock on the wall. “The hour is late, gentlemen. We will adjourn for the evening and consider your proposal.”

  “As you wish,” Nathan agreed. “If you’ll excuse us.”

  “You do not wish to stay for dinner?” Minister Cornell wondered. “The best chefs Neramese has to offer are preparing a feast for us as we speak.”

  “My duties do not permit such luxuries,” Nathan replied sternly. “However, if you would like to send our portions to the Karuzari fleet, in order to ease their rationing requirements, I’m sure they would be most appreciative.” Nathan looked to Minister Sebaron. “I will await your response, Minister,” he said with a nod, before turning and exiting the room.

  Nathan moved expeditiously from the meeting chamber with General Telles following close behind. Neither man spoke as they made their way out of the building, well aware the Rakuens had audio and video monitoring devices everywhere. Not a word was exchanged between them until they boarded the Ranni shuttle waiting for them in the courtyard outside.