“Most of us have that in common right now.”
If we’re just here to pick up some random archaeologists, none of that will matter.
“Sir,” Ronin spoke up, “we’re ready to reduce speed to sublight. We’ll make our destination in roughly… ten minutes.”
Jane added, “Fifteen minutes longer than our estimate.”
“I think that’s reasonable for a first time,” Titus said. “Let’s mark any discrepancies we can attest to that for mitigation later. To be on the safe side, I want defenses ready as soon as we emerge. Rhys, be sure the soldiers are ready for departure. Regardless of what we find in orbit, I think we’ll be picking some folks up on the surface.”
The crew went about their business. Titus reached out to Huxley, “Everything still good down there?”
“We corrected some general sensor bugs,” Huxley said. “But so far, everything’s running as advertised. Those Prytins weren’t kidding. What’re we expecting?”
“Full shields in a minute so keep an eye on the generators,” Titus replied. “And be ready for a quick departure in case we run into something we don’t want to see. Other than that, I suspect we’re in for a milk run.”
“Sounds good, sir. I’ll keep you informed.”
“Violet,” Titus turned to her, “have we heard from the Brekka yet?”
“They said they’re on their way,” Violet replied. “Would you like me to reach out to them again?”
“Yeah, get us an ETA.”
The ship shuddered as they slowed, the first motion he felt since they left the dry dock. All around, the artificial gravity system worked dramatically better than ever before. Most of the engineers said the system was overkill, that it could handle serious maneuvers and even take some hits without compromising their environment.
Rhys gripped his seat tightly… chuckling. “Sorry. Wasn’t expecting that after the smoothest ride I’ve ever experienced.”
“No need to apologize,” Titus replied. “When we’re done with this, I’ll get you the technical manual on the core systems. You can see how they’ve changed and gain an understanding of why it felt like you just took a calm ride down a river.”
The viewscreen came on with a flash, displaying a dozen bits of technical data concerning the system they had entered. Information about Cordal indicated it should’ve been a contender for colonization if not for the distance to the nearest outpost. Colonial control held themselves to strict guidelines for supply routes and maintenance crews.
Not to mention rescue craft. Prior to the Triton’s upgrades, a colony most likely would’ve been lost if it had to wait for a conventional craft to get there. And because it hadn’t been surveyed as a resource rich planet, that meant it didn’t warrant building a warp gate. That expense gated all but the wealthiest of finds.
“Sir,” Violet called, “we have a ship on scan. Database indicates a Kahl war vessel.” She clarified for Rhys, “Their version of a battleship with some boosts, generally in the weapons.”
“Shit.” Titus sighed. “How far?”
“Orbiting the third planet,” Violet replied. “And we’ve been scanned already.”
“Hail them.” Titus stood, stepping toward the screen. “Tell them we’re on a peaceful mission to collect our people from the planet’s surface. Let’s see if we might buy some time. Meanwhile, get to scanning for any human life.” They might already be prisoners… if the Kahl bother to take them.
“I’m on it,” Violet replied.
“Hold off on sending our men,” Titus gestured to Rhys, “until we know what’s going on, we’re on standby. Shields up?”
Jane said, “At full power. Shall we power up weapons?”
“Prep the charges.” Titus narrowed his eyes. “We can power up the weapons without giving away our intention. Instead of a full charge up, we only need about twenty seconds to go to town. We’re hoping it’ll help during negotiations. Our opponents won’t necessarily think we’re posturing.”
“No response yet,” Violet said. “They haven’t moved from their position.”
Just like before, Titus thought. Won’t play out the same way this time. I’ve brought bigger guns. “Maintain course and heading. Get us closer. Maybe they’ll let us take care of business without engaging.”
“Can they understand us?” Rhys asked.
“We have a translator,” Titus said. “We thought that might’ve been the problem the first time we encountered the Kahls.”
“Yeah,” Jane added, “then we learned that once they engage in combat, they won’t open their hails for just about anything.”
“Barbarians,” Rhys said, “no negotiations regardless of status or what’s happening.”
“To the death,” Ronin replied.
Titus stepped over to Violet’s terminal. “Let the Brekka know what we’ve found. Send them any scan data. Maybe they know who these guys are. If we have to engage, they should be aware they’re walking into a fight.” This isn’t exactly how I wanted to shake the ship down. No better way than combat I suppose.
He found himself itching for the fight, for a second chance against them. Check that nonsense. If we can do this without firing a shot, we have to. Rescue mission first. Everything else, second. That’s the point of this trip. Anything else that went down would be extra. And now, potentially deadly.
***
Renz hadn’t spoken to Kivda since he had returned to the ship. His friend gathered a new force of soldiers to head back to the planet but they were waiting until first light in that region. His excuse involved giving their quarry a chance to come out of whatever hole they were hiding in, to let them become sick with stress.
I doubt such a thing is going to happen, but I will defer to his expertise. Renz generally ignored regular operations on the ship. The people around him knew what they were doing. He trusted them to keep him informed of anything interesting cropping up. Unfortunately, that left him with time to think. Even
