Extinction: Rise Of Mankind Book 8 Read online

  Clea shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Probably another crazy mission. You know, I find it somewhat frustrating intelligence has operational control over our ship. I’m shocked your government handed it over.”

  “They were playing nice,” Gray explained. “Plus, don’t forget we missed the Christening of our new ship. They’ve got a defender even if they’re green. There are worse ways to serve. So long as we get our crack at the front lines when we invade our enemy’s space, I’m fine with wherever they send us.”

  “You might not feel that way after this conversation.” Clea finally grinned. “If you don’t mind my saying.”

  “Now you’ve got me nervous.” Gray tapped the computer. “Here we go.” A few moments passed as they established a connection. Siva’s image appeared on the screen and she grinned up at both of them.

  “You have to love this FTL communication, huh? Works great. How’re you doing?”

  “Uh…we’re great?” Gray shrugged. “What can we do for you?”

  Siva nodded. “Right to the point. That works for me. Very well, here we go. I’ve got some news for you before we get to my point. First up, Miss An’Tufal. I believe you were promised a rather prestigious title and were merely made a Su-Anthar. Mei’Gora couldn’t go all the way but you needed something to tide you over I guess.”

  Clea hadn’t even thought about her rank since she achieved it. Even as Siva brought it up, she was surprised. Considering everything going on, their work and missions, she didn’t find it important. Regardless of what title they put before her name, she planned to continue serving for as long as it took.

  Even after the war ended, she wanted to continue to be part of the military, hopefully as they turned to an exploratory path. Rank might not mean nearly as much then as it did during the duress of action. She looked forward to the future, knowing she didn’t have the overt danger of weapons being fired at the vessel she crewed.

  But until then, and at that moment, she was in the present with a war to win and another assignment offered by the intelligence division. Here we go.

  “I didn’t think it really mattered, ma’am,” Clea said. “We’ve had bigger things to deal with.”

  “Sure. Regardless, I’ve been authorized to upgrade your status and grant you the rank of Tathin. Congratulations…though you should’ve already had it. Thank you for your service, Miss An’Tufal.”

  Gray smiled. “Yes, congratulations.”

  Clea struggled not to roll her eyes and simply accepted the honor with a nod. “Thank you, ma’am. I appreciate it.”

  “Excellent! Let’s move along.” Siva leaned forward and hit a button, reading from a screen. “Second up, I wanted to tell you that Earth sent a message stating that they’ve got their third ship moving along quickly. Our fabrication techniques are doing them right. Thought you’d like to know. Oh! Personnel. Maury Higgins has recovered from his wounds and is currently helping with some of the building.”

  “That’s great news,” Gray said. “I’ve been worried about him.”

  “I think he wants to come back to the Behemoth,” Siva said, “but considering Durant’s taken his job, he’ll probably have to settle for working with the newer crews back in your home system. At least for now. By the way, High Command tried to get Durant reassigned to one of their research facilities but I denied that and ensured he’ll stay on with you.”

  “That’s unexpectedly kind of you,” Gray said. “May I ask why?”

  “I need my crews to be the best,” Siva replied, “which leads me to the real reason we’re talking over the com rather than in person. I wanted to give you this information right away so you’d know that time is going to be precious. When you’ve returned and provisioned, we’re going to have to send you right back out.”

  Clea stiffened but kept her mouth shut.

  “What’s the assignment?”

  Siva’s eyes twinkled. “I think you’re going to like it. Do you remember The Crystal Font? Alliance ship you went to the research facility with?”

  “Of course,” Gray said. “How could we forget? Kale Ru’Xin sacrificed his ship to let us escape with the data…or so we thought.”

  “Turns out he didn’t but…there’s a complication.”

  “Of course there is,” Clea muttered.

  “You see, we know for a fact that the ship was not destroyed. We received a transmission recently bounced through multiple buoys. It appears they were able to get out of the system through a risky maneuver and were lost for a time. I’m hoping you can help us get them back. Specifically, I want them to come back and work with my team.”

  “Adding to the roster?” Gray asked.

  “So to speak. Anyone as clever as Kale and his crew are people I need. I heard you worked well together out there so I assumed you’d like to know someone capable has your back. After all, intelligence rarely has someone they can send for backup. Believe me, they need some right now.”

  “I’ll help them, of course,” Gray said. “Anything I can do. We owe them big.”

  “Not to put too fine a point on it, and just in the interest of keeping things transparent,” Siva paused and let out a sigh. “Well…you didn’t really have a choice. I suppose we could’ve allowed you to feel like you did with that last statement but ultimately, you’re under my operational command and I need you to find The Crystal Font as soon as possible.”

  It was Gray’s turn to stiffen. Clea saw the muscles tighten in his neck but his expression did not change. He nodded once. “Understood.”

  “Fantastic! Let’s go back to being friends. It’s a lot more pleasant. Anyway, I’ll see you both when you get back to the planet. We’ll have drinks and talk. Then, you can take off and save your friends. Bring them back and let them re-join the cause. I’m pretty sure they’re going to have a wild story to tell. Talk soon!”

  Siva broke the connection and Gray shook his head.

  “She’s got a lot of nerve.”

  Clea nodded. “She does indeed. I wondered when she was remind us of her power and influence. I suppose that was the time.”

  “Indeed.” Gray stood up and moved to the window, peering out. “I am happy we have the chance to help Kale. I can’t believe he survived. The man is incredible.”

  “I always figured he was too wily to go down the way we thought.” Clea rubbed her eyes. “I only hope he and his crew are in the condition to do what she’s asking. I can promise you this: if our actions turn out to be little more than charity, Siva won’t be pleased.”

  Gray shrugged. “What can she do about it? For our part, we’re going to save those people regardless of their use to intelligence. I think we owe them that much, huh?”

  “Yes, we do.” Clea stood up. “Shall I call a briefing of the senior staff?”

  “Please.” Gray didn’t turn. “Make it for an hour. Should give us plenty of time for debate before we put into port. And hopefully, with any luck we’ll get some rest before heading back out to the unknown.”

  “I guess that’s what we do now. Plunge into the unknown.”

  “If we weren’t at war, I’d feel a lot more comfortable about that,” Gray said. “For now, we’ll do what we can. See you in an hour, Clea.”

  “Yes, sir.” Clea left the room and turned to her computer, setting up the requested meeting. She figured everyone would be chomping at the bit to help The Crystal Font, especially after the valor they displayed in their previous mission. With any luck, they’d find them in good health and ready to rejoin the fleet.

  The alternative was too tragic to think about.

  ***

  Gray continued staring out the window long after Clea left. He thought about Kale needing help and it filled him with a sense of urgency. After the jump disaster which thrust them into a first contact situation, he had a full understanding of how bad space travel could go wrong. The Behemoth couldn’t call for help but it would’ve been nice.

  If Siva had some coordinates, Gray was willing to jump ou
t there right away but the fact she didn’t offer them made him feel like there had to be a catch. Some bad news was waiting for them when they arrived and met with her. At least the woman had confidence Kale and his crew were okay.

  Gray wondered if Siva would’ve told them about The Crystal Font if she didn’t think they were worth joining intelligence. She probably would’ve let high command take care of it and that meant kielan ships. They wouldn’t have turned to the Behemoth, not for something involving one of their own.

  They might all be part of the same alliance but that didn’t mean there weren’t fraternities. In fact, the military leaders might not be too thrilled they were being cut out of the chance to find their friends. Gray hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with any of that type of rivalry or cold shoulder. Someone was going to save those people. That should be enough.

  Yet deep down, Gray really wanted to be the person that made it out there, that got to the ship first and made a difference. Much as he wanted everyone to take the high road, he understood if someone felt resentment. Leaving the Crystal Font at the end of that mission was one of the hardest things he’d done and he thought about Kale a lot.

  Their roles could’ve been reversed. Gray thought about responsibility a lot and how a commander might find himself in a position where all the lives and people counting on him might mean less than the objective. Much as he wanted to believe he’d never have to weigh sacrificing his ship for a mission, Kale was a sharp reminder it might happen some day.

  What a terrible thing to consider. During that engagement, Kale could’ve gotten away. We were facing the engine trouble. All he had to do was jump out. Lucky for us, he paused and asked some questions but we were leaving. This next mission is personal. Much like Clea’s treasure hunt, I have to bring Kale home.

  Considering what the kielan commander did for them, Gray knew Kale would do the same. The man’s first command alone made quite the impression on everyone. Gray never heard if they gave him a funeral or not. He didn’t know how they treated people who were considered missing in action. At what point would they be declared dead?

  Maybe no one wanted to give up on them. The idea they could still be alive might be compelling enough to leave the books open. Kielans seemed to need proof of a deed before they believed it. Even the logs of the Behemoth probably weren’t enough to convince them that The Crystal Font was destroyed.

  After all, even Clea said that it could’ve just been a spectacular jump.

  I hope it was. Maybe that’s why they’ve been unable to communicate for so long. God knows where they ended up.

  The Behemoth’s own jump disaster took them into occupied space but there were plenty of systems which held nothing at all. If anyone planned to survive in those places, they would need to be resourceful. Especially if they were unable to use their jump drive again. Whatever Kale and his crew did to survive and escape must’ve caused some serious damage.

  Otherwise, they’d bring themselves home.

  The thought of them returning all on their own made Gray smile. Depending on their story, they could be considered heroes, men and women of extreme resourcefulness. An inspiration to the rest of the military getting ready to fight a massive war. The benefit of such an event didn’t mean as much as surviving.

  They were all a team so Gray wouldn’t have felt any shame having someone come to their aid. The Kielans did that for them when the enemy invaded Sol. Humans accepted a lot of assistance over the last few years. It was one of the reasons that Gray never felt indignant about performing tasks for the alliance.

  In many ways, humanity owed them a little military service. Helping out meant they had the opportunity to experience the rest of the galaxy, opening their eyes to just how small Earth truly was. It also allowed them to settle some of their debt to the people who saved their planet and all their lives.

  Many people on board the Behemoth were there the day they were beset upon by the enemy and remembered the kielan warships that showed up and fought them off. They remember when Clea came on board and began to help them build their first pulse drive to leave the solar system.

  Isolationists were a loud faction on Earth but fortunately, they represented a small part of the population. Most people understood what they’d been given, that none of them would be alive had it not been for the alliance. Without even leaving the planet, many people were able to fathom the gravity of what that enemy represented and as a result, they embraced the galactic union of many races.

  Those who didn’t, mostly close minded bigots, felt they should conduct their own battle. They lived on pure emotion, never bothering to use logic to recognize any culture standing alone in the face of the enemy would surely perish. And badly. Gray had seen them up close and personal on several occasions and he knew Earth needed allies.

  So many people continue to fear the unknown, even in our allies. I suspect Commander Everly leans in that direction as well. All those years working alongside Clea hasn’t dampened his feelings against the alliance. I suspect he feels like we should be leading this group rather than taking orders. He doesn’t realize how much experience these people bring to the table in regards to space exploration, defense and combat.

  Whether Adam truly believed in the inferiority of the alliance or not, he kept it to himself. However, Gray noted quips here and there that gave him the impression. He hoped his executive officer might come around but some feelings, some views were harder to squash than others. Even exposed to the greater universe, encountering factions like Orion’s Light, didn’t necessarily change minds.

  Like the traitors we had to deal with. Not only Clea’s sister but in our own crew members as well. The sabotage that nearly killed us all and the idiotic council member who honestly thought murdering the entire ship sounded like a solid plan.

  Gray’s computer reminded him he had fifteen minutes before his pre-briefing. He wanted everyone to be thinking about the part they had to play in their next assignment. They didn’t have a lot of information yet, but each department needed to be prepared for what was to come. He knew some of his senior staff took leaving Kale’s people behind harder than others, specifically the marines.

  We have a chance to make it right. Gray left his office, heading out to join the others. The moment he entered the briefing room, he’d set in motion a flurry of activity, giving the entire crew a great deal to do. They’d been idling, likely thinking about what they were going to do next, perhaps even dwelling on the major battle to come.

  At least this will distract them from possibilities. None of them needs negativity right now and this upcoming mission is nothing if not positive.

  ***

  Clea stepped out of the briefing with Commander Adam Everly and Group Commander Estaban Revente. The two men looked dour, their eyes narrow with thought, brows furrowed in concentration. They stopped just outside the door and remained silent for several moments before Adam finally spoke up.

  “I can’t believe they made it.”

  “Glorious survival instincts,” Revente said. “I don’t know how they did it, of course, but whatever got them out of that mess had to be ingenious.”

  Clea added, “the likeliest possibility is that they did something with their jump drive to mask their signature. Maybe overloaded part of their engine. It would explain why they couldn’t get back on their own. Remember when we thought they might’ve blown up? An overload definitely has the power to cause such a flash.”

  Adam nodded. “Interesting. Good on them.” He turned to Revente. “Sounds like your folks are going to be doing some recon work finally. I’ll bet they look forward to not having to shoot at something for a change.”

  “You have no idea,” Revente replied. “My teams could definitely use a break from getting out there. Inertial dampeners only do so much. Their bodies are taking a beating every time they engage in those dogfights. Some of them are going to have to retire a lot earlier than I’m sure they’ll want to as a result.”

  “Har
sh.” Adam shook his head. “Supposedly, we only have one major battle left.”

  “Um…” Clea cleared her throat before continuing. “Even if we win the war, we’ve got Orion’s Light to contend with…among other problems. Those fringe factions out there aren’t going to go away with the enemy. The only good news is we’ll be able to focus all of our attention on them and that means, they won’t have long to operate.”

  “Fair point,” Revente said. “But I have a feeling our friends at the Orion’s Light aren’t going to be a huge problem after the real enemy’s gone. After all, they can’t possibly field a fleet as large as the alliance. With all our members? Impossible. We’d overwhelm them with sheer numbers.”

  “But that’s not how they operate, is it?” Clea asked. “No, they’re guerrilla fighters, causing disorder like in the Novalat system or harassing colonies as they did while looking for the artifact. We’re dealing with total scum here and they have absolutely no rules. Even though they came from my people, they have truly cast off any of our values.”

  “Cheery thought,” Adam muttered. “But we’ll be ready for them. Revente, do you need anything from me?”

  Revente shook his head. “I’m on my way to brief my people. I’ll be fine. Thanks for the chat. We’ll talk again when we make port.”

  “Good. See you then.” Adam turned to Clea. “What about you? Are you good?”

  “I don’t have anyone to brief,” Clea grinned. “I’m going to take the nap I was trying to indulge before we got the call about this mission. I’ll see you on the bridge in a while, huh?”

  “Indeed.” Adam nodded and left her alone.

  Clea returned to her quarters, rubbing her eyes as she got to the door. Some days, she got the impression Adam merely tolerated her where others, he seemed friendly. She never understood where she stood with him but ultimately didn’t care. They were part of a team and she felt she had no choice but to make their situation work to the best of her ability.