Ep.#1 - Aurora: EV-01

  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 3: Fringe Worlds

  Episode #11: Aurora EV-01

  Copyright © 2021 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

  Robert floated up the vertical access ladder tube from the deck below, ascending into the Ancot’s cramped command deck. “You called?” he said to his pilot as he braced himself against the overhead and then stepped into the deck’s artificial gravity field and assumed a normal stance.

  “You said you wanted to be notified before we got to Gamaze space, sir,” his pilot replied. “We just completed our last jump. We’re about ten light minutes outside the Ilyan’s borders.”

  “Any contacts?” the captain asked as he came to stand behind his pilot.

  “Negative.”

  “Messages?”

  “Nothing from Commander Nash yet, sir.”

  Robert checked the digital time display on the overhead console just above the XK’s forward windows, noting the time. “It’s still early, even with the time delay. We’ll hold here for now and wait to hear from her.”

  “Won’t we be spotted?” the young ensign wondered.

  “The Gamaze only recently acquired jump-drive technology,” Robert reminded the young ensign. “Their sensor nets are still geared to watch for FTL ships. If we stay sub-light, they won’t detect us at this range.”

  “What about patrol ships?”

  “The Gamaze don’t have that many patrol ships, Ensign. And it’s a big damn border.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’m going to get some coffee,” Robert told his pilot. “You want anything?”

  “No thank you, sir, I’m good.”

  “Very well,” Robert replied as he turned to head aft.

  At only fifty meters in length and twelve across her beam, the Ancot was not a large ship. Therefore, it generally took only a minute or two to get just about anywhere in an XK series vessel. But her diminutive size was deceptive. Within her tiny frame, she carried a lot. Guns, jump missiles, plasma torpedo cannons, and even a pair of Lightning snub-fighters. And still, she had room for a sizable cargo bay center aft. The twelve SilTek cargo ships that had been converted for the Systems Alliance’s purposes formed the backbone of their fleet and would likely continue to do so for at least a few more years.

  There was no denying that the XK ships were versatile and useful. In the last five-plus years, Robert and his crew of seven had traveled to dozens of planets and performed a wide variety of missions, ranging from diplomatic to humanitarian relief; they had even quashed a few border disputes between non-aligned worlds.

  Commanding an XK reminded Robert very much of his time commanding one of Earth’s first FTL scout ships. This ship was bigger for certain, but his crew size was the same. Even better, they could jump as much as five hundred light years at a time, with only a four-hour recharge time. And after their ship had been upgraded to include two complete jump energy banks, they had a one-minute, two-jump range of one thousand light years, although maximum range jumps were only used in emergencies. Most of the time, they jumped about two hundred light years at a time, waiting about fifteen minutes, then jumping again. In this fashion, they could make a thousand-light-year journey in just over an hour and still have nearly a full charge upon arrival.

  It was because of these converted jump cargo ships that the five-year-old Confederated Systems Alliance was able to expand to include nearly a hundred worlds spread over an area of two thousand light years.

  Robert entered the common room, where he found his chief engineer in her usual position: on the couch, feet up, watching old vid-flicks on one screen while she monitored the ship’s systems on another. The young lady was a whiz at caring for the Ancot, so the captain rarely questioned her methods. Yet he never understood her need for constant entertainment as background noise when she worked. On more than one occasion, he had asked her what she was watching, and she didn’t know. But she insisted that she worked better that way, so Robert had no objections.

  “Are we there yet?” Cori asked without looking up from her screens.

  “We’re parked about ten light minutes from their border,” Robert replied as he made his way to the kitchenette along the starboard aft wall. “Where’s everyone else?”

  “Tika and Mick are in their cockpits having sim-fights, as usual. The others are probably racked out. You’re the first person I’ve seen in hours.”

  “I take it everything is humming along smoothly?” Robert asked, making small talk as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

  “Well enough,” she replied.

  “What are you working on?”

  “I’m playing with an algorithm that should improve our recharge time by eleven percent.”

  “Is that even worth it?” Robert wondered. “I mean, the XKs are all going to be reverted back to cargo duty within a decade.”

  “An improvement is always worth it,” Cori insisted.

  “Don’t ever go into business,” Robert joked as he sipped his coffee.

  “Do you think she’ll check in this time?” Cori wondered.

  “She had better,” Robert replied as he headed back to the command deck. “Or we’ll have to go in and get her.”

  Cori wasn’t sure if her captain was serious. “You’re kidding, right?” she called after him. “Right?”

  * * *

  Early morning had always been Nathan’s favorite time of the day as a child, especially in winter, when he would wolf down his breakfast, grab his gear and run down to the frozen pond at the back of his parent’s estate. He loved being the first one to arrive. Their groundskeeper knew how much Nathan loved ice hockey and flooded the surface every evening just after sundown, before returning home to his own family.

  Being the first one there meant a clean sheet of ice. No gouges, no drifts, barely even a ripple. It was the best frozen pond in the neighborhood, and every kid knew it. By the time the other kids would begin to arrive, Nathan would already be cutting back and forth, stickhandling like a madman toward the net.

  Many times, his father had offered to put up boards and lights, but Nathan had refused. There was nothing like pond hockey. Boards changed the game, and lighting…well, it was just wrong. When darkness fell, it was time to go home and get ready for tomorrow’s games.

  Even as an adult, Nathan found himself drawn to this pond at the break of day. Only now, it was to get a little ice time in before the pond became packed with kids. Still, it had become a ritual during his vacation.

  Vacation. The thought seemed funny. He hadn’t actually had one since college, nearly a decade ago. Even in the academy, he had not taken an actual vacation. He had gone away for a weekend here and there, and had certainly gotten hammered on more than one occasion. But nothing like this.

  It had been nearly a year since he had passed command of his ship, the Dalen Voss, to its new commander and crew. He had spent four years in command of that ship, jumping about the galaxy, convincing worlds to join their alliance, and then supporting those worlds as needed. It had been the easiest assignment of his life…all of them. More importantly, it had been nearly danger-free.

  But he needed this vacation more than he had realized. In fact, after only nine months, he was now wondering if a one-year hiatus was going to be enough. He loved not having any decisions to make except what to eat for dinner or what book to read next. Other than the occasional speaking engagement to help the Alliance recruitment effort, he had zero responsibilities, and it was a relief.

  “Hey, you can actually skate,” a voice called.

  Nathan came to a sudden stop, standing up straight and turning toward the voice. A smile instantly spread across his face. “Cam.” He skated over to the edge of the pond, stepping off onto the platform that had been built for skaters to don their gear.

  “I mean, you always talked about playing when you were a kid, but...”

  “It all comes back pretty quickly,” Nathan said as he took a seat on the bench next to Cameron. “How did you know where to find me? It’s what, zero seven hundred?”

  “I talked to Miri last night.”

  “You called Miri? Why didn’t you just call me?”

  “Miri called me, Nathan.”

  Nathan’s brow furrowed. “So I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”

  * * *

  “We should be landing in about ten minutes, sirs,” the shuttle’s crew chief reported.

  “When did al
l this start?” Nathan questioned Cameron as he studied the data pad.

  “About two months ago. At first, we thought Telok was just flexing his muscles, testing our resolve. The Gamaze have disputed Casbon’s independence long before we came along.”

  “But they didn’t really care until the Casbon began selling their aramenium directly to SilTek instead of through the Perzans.”

  “Which drove up the cost of aramenium to the Ilyan,” Nathan surmised. “I still don’t understand what this has to do with me.”

  “Intel indicates that Telok has been acting strangely. He’s suddenly become more aggressive; quicker on the trigger, so to speak. He’s even had several of his previously trusted ministers executed for crimes against the Ilyan.”

  “That’s within his purview, according to their laws, right?”

  “Yes,” Cameron agreed, “but as far as we can tell, no crimes were committed. They simply disagreed with Telok.”

  “I’m still not seeing why you pulled me off the ice.”

  “That’s just the start. He’s replacing key military personnel as well, especially the commanders of his ships. Also, every ship whose commanding officer is replaced immediately gets under way for points unknown.”

  “I don’t see what you expect me to do about it,” Nathan said. “I don’t even have a ship, and I’m certainly not going to take the Voss back from Loki.”

  “The Voss is in for refit,” Cameron told him. “Besides, Loki has taken command of the flight training unit.”

  “Really? Well, good for him.”

  “He moved his wife and daughter to Earth about a week ago.”

  “Wife? He finally married her?” Nathan shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t imagine having Doran as a father-in-law.”

  “We have a different command in mind for you,” Cameron told him, a wry smile on her face.

  “I don’t like it when you get that look,” Nathan said. “It scares me.”

  “When was the last time you visited the EAP?” Cameron asked.

  “I’m on vacation, remember?”

  “I thought you’d at least keep in touch with Vlad.”

  “I haven’t been in touch with anyone,” Nathan admitted. “Hell, I only talk to Miri once a week, at most.”

  “So your idea of vacation is to simply unplug from the world?”

  “Not completely,” Nathan defended. “I was seriously considering joining one of the local men’s hockey leagues.”

  The shuttle began a lazy turn to port, and Cameron glanced out the window at the ground below. “Take a look.”

  Nathan leaned closer, peering out. Below, he could see the Expedition-class production facility. All twelve of the massive assembly buildings were now complete, and the compound was bustling with activity. “The line is fully functional?”

  “Not only is it fully functional, there are three ships on the assembly line. The first will be ready to launch in about two weeks.”

  “The first?” Nathan asked in anticipation.

  “Yup. And she’s yours if you want her.”

  “I assumed you would take the first ship,” Nathan said. “Seems only fair after you gave me your ship.”

  “Which you destroyed,” she reminded him.

  “I believe you were in command of her when that happened.”

  “A technicality,” she insisted.

  “I assume we already have a crew?”

  “Sort of,” Cameron replied. “We’ve got plenty of techs to serve, but we still need to fill most of your top positions. Except for your Cheng, of course.”

  “Vlad?”

  “He insisted,” Cameron replied. “Something about ‘working out the bugs.’”

  “I thought there weren’t supposed to be any bugs. That’s why we let the AIs do the engineering and assembly.”

  “According to Vlad, there are always bugs.”

  The shuttle’s grav-lift system began to hum more loudly as it began its final descent.

  “Why the rush?” Nathan questioned, a suspicious look on his face. “You know what happened the last time we launched a ship early.”

  “We haven’t heard from our asset on Gamaze in a while,” Cameron explained. “The Ancot has been sitting on the Gamaze border for nearly a week now, awaiting contact. If they don’t hear from her soon, Robert may go in and get her himself.”

  “Her?”

  Cameron sighed. “Yup.”

  “That explains Robert’s impatience,” Nathan surmised.

  “And Command’s.”

  “She’s probably just gone deep to protect her cover,” Nathan insisted. “You know how she is.”

  “I do, and so does Command,” Cameron agreed. “But knowing Jessica, they want to be ready for anything, hence the early launch. But this Aurora is completed. We just don’t have a fully trained crew for her yet. Then again, you should be used to that.”

  “Why not just use the XKs?” Nathan wondered.

  “XKs aren’t equipped for stealth penetration missions.” Cameron observed him for a bit as the shuttle touched down, waiting for a response.

  It took Nathan a moment, but the meaning behind her look became apparent. “The kor-dom agreed?”

  “It took a lot of negotiating, but he finally shared the cloaking technology with us about a month ago. It’s being incorporated into the first Expedition-class ship as we speak.”

  “What did you have to give him?” Nathan wondered.

  “Stealth jump tech.”

  “I’m surprised that was enough,” Nathan said. “They would have figured that out for themselves eventually. After all, it didn’t take them long to match our single-jump range.”

  “Agreed.”

  The fact that she was agreeing with him so easily told him even more. “The stealth tech was just to save face with the doms, wasn’t it? What else did we give him?”

  “A Jung officer on every Alliance ship, to begin with,” Cameron confessed.

  “To begin with?”

  “We have to integrate Jung citizens into Alliance ranks, just like any other member world.”

  Nathan unbuckled his seat belt now that the shuttle’s engines had spun down. “We were going to have to do so eventually,” he said as he rose.

  “Yes, but it’s still a little soon. We’re going to need at least a generation or two before any of the recruits from Sol sector worlds will be willing to work alongside the Jung.”

  “Including myself,” Nathan admitted as he headed for the exit.

  “Don’t worry,” Cameron told him as she followed him out. “We found a Jung officer I’m pretty sure you can tolerate.”

  * * *

  Cameron led Nathan through the final assembly building’s support complex, a maze of offices, corridors, and shops designed to support the activities within the massive bay itself.

  “This place must have cost a fortune,” Nathan commented as they entered the elevator at the end of the corridor.

  “Considering the number of ships we need to build over the next twenty years, an assembly line approach similar to the way the Cobra gunships were built seemed the best solution,” Cameron explained. “The big difference is that here, ninety percent of the assembly is done by droids.”

  “How long does it take to complete a single ship?”

  “About three years. The second is projected to be completed about six months from now. Eventually, we expect to be able to produce six ships per year. So we should complete about twenty ships by the end of our eighth year, assuming we can continue recruiting new member worlds to help pay for all of this.”

  “I didn’t realize it was going to be on such a large scale,” Nathan admitted as they exited the elevator and continued down another corridor. “How did we get the funding for all of this?”

  “You can thank Caitrin Bindi for that,” Cameron said. “I have to admit I was hesitant when you first put her in charge, but that woman has worked miracles.” Cameron paused, turning to smile at him as she reached for the door. “Are you ready for this?”

  Nathan felt a surge of excitement welling up within him. As much as he had enjoyed his vacation, he had missed being in space, jumping from world to world. He missed going to new places and meeting new people. And although he would be loath to admit it, he missed being in command of a ship.