Magnitude: A Space Opera Adventure (Blackstar Command Book 2) Read online

  “That’s excellent news, General,” Gatskil said. “Earlier you said the war is going well, for the most part. Can you elaborate further?”

  “Yes, sir,” Hominos said. Politician or not, Gatskil didn’t miss much, the general thought. Hominos pulled a small data pad out of his briefcase and set it on the edge of the presidents’ desk. “I’ve received this report from Captain Mathieson—”

  “Captain Mathieson?” Lattis asked, her eyebrows inching closer together as though she were trying to recall the name.

  “Yes, ma’am. Mathieson is the acting captain of the GTU until Lopek returns from beyond the Veil.” Hominos did not share his apprehension of that ever happening, but given the presidents’ grim expressions, he knew they had already considered that the most likely possibility.

  “Very well, continue,” Gatskil prompted.

  “According to Mathieson’s intelligence reports, these unknown allies of the Host have amazingly advanced technology, something we’ve never seen before.”

  “Such as?” Gatskil asked. Hominos wished they would stop interrupting just to hear the sound of their own voices.

  “Such as this video taken on the border between Coalition and Host space in the fifteenth sector.”

  Hominos brought up a video and beamed it to a large vid screen on the wall. They all turned to look at it.

  The video crackled to life and showed an ongoing battle.

  COALITION AND HOST forces fight capital ship to capital ship, fighter to fighter. It is a scene of chaos, with dead vessels floating in space, some in their death spirals, and others getting in the way of the fighters.

  A new ship arrives on the scene from the left of the screen. It is a behemoth, dwarfing even the Coalition’s largest flagship. The new vessel moves slowly in comparison to the ships doing battle around it. A hatch slides open in the nose of the ship and a dark gray almost black glow begins to build. A beam shoots out, invisible save for the warping of space it creates as it passes.

  The beam impacts on a planet in the far right corner of the screen. The atmosphere bursts into flame and soon the entire planet begins to shudder visibly.

  “WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS?” Gatskil asked.

  Hominos didn’t reply. He’d seen the video dozens of times and would wait until its conclusion to answer any questions.

  THE PLANET CEASES TO SHUDDER, and a massive explosion rips apart one of its great landmasses. And then, the climax to this little drama. The surface of the planet begins to break apart, shattering in a hundred different places, from pole to pole.

  There is one more explosion, which bursts the planet’s core, and then the world is torn asunder. Thousands upon thousands of massive chunks of stone and earth burst outward, scattering in a thousand different directions. Several Coalition and Host vessels are caught up in the conflagration and obliterated by the flying rubble of what was once a thriving world.

  HOMINOS TAPPED HIS PAD, and the screen went blank. He looked across the desk at the presidents and figured he’d worn that same expression the first time he saw this video.

  “My word,” Lattis said. Her face was a portrait of horror, her eyes wide, her mouth trembling above her second chin. “Is this real?”

  “Oh yes, Madame President, it’s very much real,” Hominos said, his voice slow and steady.

  “What the hell was that thing?” Gatskil asked. His normally strong baritone voice came out in a croak.

  “That would be some of that unknown technology I spoke of earlier. Some sort of large-scale reverse-gravity weapon, from the scant readings we picked up from it.”

  “The host has something that can, what, destroy entire worlds now?” Gatskil asked.

  “We believe that it belongs to their new allies, but it amounts to the same thing. Yes, at this juncture, it is wise to assume the weapon can be reused in such a fashion. At least until we know more about its full capabilities—and vulnerabilities.”

  All was silent in the glittering office. The two presidents looked utterly shell-shocked like their world had just come crashing down.

  And, Hominos thought, if the Host gets their way, that is exactly what will happen.

  “This… this can’t stand,” Gatskil said. The croaking quality to his voice was gone now, replaced by disgust and, more importantly, a simmering anger. “We need direct action. We can’t afford to sit around and discuss this.”

  Good. Maybe this old man isn’t merely the pathetic politician that Hominos originally perceived him to be.

  “What are we going to do about this?” Lattis asked. She, too, seemed to be regaining some of her composure.

  “We blow it out of the fucking stars, that’s what!” President Gatskil slammed both fists down on the table. The tremor knocked a glass over, spilling water over the desktop. He swept everything in his reach off the desk and onto the floor.

  Hominos smiled inwardly.

  Perhaps this portly little man had some steel in his spine after all.

  The main door flew open, and two security guards rushed into the room, guns drawn. Gatskil scowled at them and made a flapping gesture with his hand.

  “Put those away,” Gatskil snapped at the men. “Everything’s fine.” He paused as the men holstered their sidearms. “Well, in here, anyway.”

  “Dismissed, gentlemen,” Lattis said to the guards.

  They nodded and left the office, closing the doors behind them.

  Gatskil sat up straight in his seat and smoothed his suit jacket while taking several deep, calming breaths. He placed both hands on the desk in front of him and looked into Hominos’s eyes.

  “General, you are to send a battalion of our best ships after that thing,” Gatskil said. “Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, Mr. President.” Hominos felt he could get on very well taking orders from this man—as long as he remained focused and motivated. Something the Coalition government had trouble with in the past.

  “I want it found, and I want it destroyed. I don’t want there to be a single atom left over from that abomination. Am I clear?” Gatskil added.

  “Clear as crystal, sir,” Hominos said.

  “Good.”

  “And another thing,” Lattis said, her eyes flashing. Hominos noted she also had some steel in her spine. “Contact Captain Mathieson. She is to send her best spies out to infiltrate the main Host worlds. I want a full and deep insurgency. This is not the time to spare expenses.”

  “Yes, Madame President.” He could work with her, too. Good.

  “They are to find out any and all information on these new Host allies.” She leaned forward. “And tell them that the gloves are off. They are to obtain this information by any means necessary. I don’t care how they do it, just get it done. The time of being morally superior is over.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And one last thing,” Gatskil added. “I want Amelia found and dealt with. You’re dismissed, General.”

  Hominos stood and nodded. “Mr. President, Madame President,” he said, and left the office of the two most powerful and angry people in the Coalition.

  The general had work to do. And even better, he had a full, unconditional mandate.

  Unlike Amelia, Hominos wouldn’t be shackled by political handcuffs.

  Chapter 9

  KAI STARED at the screen in silence. He gazed at the twin suns burning brightly in the near distance. Emotions bubbled beneath the surface, a combination of fear and excitement.

  “Kai, according to sensors, the Rapier is on that lonely planet gravity-locked between the suns,” Senaya said. “The signal is clear and unmistakable.”

  “Okay, bring us in quickly, but not so fast that we can’t change course if need be.”

  “Roger that,” Senaya said.

  He continued to study the screen. He hoped his mother was still near her ship so they wouldn’t have to search the entire planet for her, but the way his luck usually ran, she was probably exploring deep inside the core.

  “We have
something inbound,” Senaya said.

  “Bring it up on the screen, please,” Kai said, leaning forward on his couch seat, eager to see what this next surprise held for them.

  On the screen, the image of a small ship heading their way showed. It was dark black in color and appeared to have the shape of a bird of some sort with elongated wings, indicating that it was likely designed for in-atmosphere flight as much as space.

  “This feels ominous,” Bandar said. “Whoever built that ship obviously wanted to make a statement. And I’ve always had issues with an alien that likes to make a statement.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet,” Marella said.

  Kai appreciated the balance; there was no immediate need for anyone to panic.

  “We’re being hailed,” Senaya said.

  “Okay, best we open up a channel and see who this is,” Kai said as he fidgeted on the couch and tried to remain calm and captain-like.

  “—repeat. Unidentified vessel, identify yourself,” a clicking voice said over their speakers. Kai glanced over at Bandar, but the big man just shrugged.

  “This is Kai Locke of the Blackstar. To whom am I speaking?”

  There was a pause before a response. “Kai Locke of the Blackstar, I am an emissary from the Patari.”

  “Good to know, Emissary. What can I do for you?”

  “You are trespassing in Patari space and in clear violation of our laws.”

  “I apologize for that, Emissary. We are here looking for—”

  “You will proceed to the Patari home world, land your craft, and await further instructions.”

  Kai looked at Bandar again. His half-brother seemed irked. His one good eye squinted at the screen of the ship, and his jaw clenched. Kai considered his options: they could refuse and fight, or acquiesce, but without knowing more about their potential enemy, he couldn’t risk getting into another fight and damaging the Blackstar further.

  “Look,” Kai said over the communications channel. “I’m sorry we’re in your territory, but we’re here on a mission, and—”

  The Patari emissary clicked and cut Kai off, responding with that odd, emotionless voice. “I shall send you coordinates, which will link you to a beacon on our world. Lock on to that beacon and follow it in.”

  The channel closed and the Patari ship let out a jet of thrusters to alter its trajectory and head back toward its home planet.

  “What the hell is all this, Kai?” Senaya asked.

  “I have no idea. But if the Rapier is down there, then they must have my mother.” He ran his hands through his hair, tugging slightly. “But is she a guest or a prisoner?”

  “Come on, Kai,” Bandar said. “Use your head. What do you think? There is no way she’s a guest. They would have mentioned that. I’m no expert on these Patari creatures, obviously, but let’s face it, they weren’t bringing us flowers and sweets.”

  “And it is odd that they speak a form of Coalition Common,” Marella added. She was sitting calmly, her hands resting in her lap. “That might help us negotiate.”

  “For what?” Senaya asked.

  Marella shrugged. “I’m not sure yet, but their lack of surprise about us suggests they have the advantage. That we can communicate gives us hope of a good outcome.”

  Kai knew his older brother and Marella were right. The Patari’s first communication was to tell Kai and his crew that they had just broken their law. That wasn’t exactly the friendliest of greetings from one species to another. They would have to play this carefully.

  The channel buzzed again, and Senaya patched it through.

  “Blackstar, are you still receiving us?” the alien said in that weird percussive voice.

  Kai considered his response. A brief thought of opening fire on them rose up like a devilish temptation, but with his mother at stake, he couldn’t risk it.

  “Send the coordinates, Emissary,” he said.

  Senaya and Marella shared a questioning expression.

  He closed the comm channel and said, “What choice do we have? My mother’s down there; we have to follow. At least this way we’ll know right where to go.”

  “Now you’re thinking,” Bandar said.

  “Have you received the beacon coordinates, Blackstar?” the Emissary asked over the comms.

  Senaya checked her control panel and nodded.

  “Yes, we’re inputting them now.” Kai’s frustration mounted, and he resisted swearing at the officious alien.

  “Are you reading the beacon signal?” the Emissary asked.

  “Yes, damn it!”

  “Just follow. We will escort you to the surface. Deviate, and we will accept that as an admission of guilt and will be forced to act.”

  The bird-shaped craft slowed its acceleration until the Blackstar drew level with it, and together the two ships headed for the orbit around the small planet.

  “Channel closed,” Senaya said.

  The indicator light on Kai’s control panel flashed off. “Jumped-up little bitch,” Kai said, still glaring at the Patari ship on the view screen.

  “They take their regulations seriously around here, I guess,” Marella said.

  “A little?” Senaya asked with a shake of her head. “It makes me wonder why they’re so hardline about all this. Perhaps it indicates issues in this sector of space.”

  Bandar stamped out his cigar and stood up. He stretched and started to leave the bridge.

  “Where are you going?” Kai asked.

  “Going to get my little micro-hauler prepped and ready,” he replied.

  “What for?”

  “Because getting Brenna out of this mess will be a little bit easier with a smaller ship, especially if the Blackstar is under guard.” With that, he vanished into the bowels of the Blackstar.

  KAI BROUGHT the Blackstar’s AI online as they approached the lone planet’s orbit.

  “Blackstar, as soon as we are in range, I want the highest definition video you can get of the landing area,” Kai said.

  “We are in range now, Kai Locke,” the AI said.

  “Good to know.” Kai still wasn’t used to the incredible level of technological advancement of this craft. “Put it on screen, please.”

  “As you wish.”

  The holoscreen displayed a highly detailed view of the planet. It focused in on a patch of land where the beacon identified the docking area’s location. The Rapier was parked to one side of a platform. The platform itself stretched out wide and connected to a large gold-colored pyramid structure.

  No other spacefaring vessels were in the vicinity.

  But there were at least a dozen gold-clad figures with rifles, most likely awaiting their arrival. They were strange-looking creatures. Kai had never seen anything like them. Tall and three-legged, they cast a bottom-heavy silhouette. He guessed they would be physically tough but probably slow, given their tripod limb arrangement.

  Marella inched forward, her eyes wide. “Are we recording this?”

  “Yeah,” Senaya said. “Quite the find. If only they weren’t so hostile…”

  “The Coalition is going to love all this new data… if we get back,” Marella added.

  “Looks like we’ve got quite a welcoming party waiting for us.”

  “It appears we’re facing arrest,” Marella said.

  “Not if I can help it,” Kai growled. “Blackstar, keep the vid running until we land.”

  “Of course.”

  After a standard hour of tense approach, they finally reached the planet’s upper atmosphere and were momentarily jostled around. Seconds later, the Blackstar’s internal gravity caught up with the new gravitational pressures and their approach smoothed out.

  Bandar came back to the bridge and stood behind Kai.

  “Is that…” Senaya didn’t finish.

  “Yes, that’s her,” Kai said. His mother was being led out of the door on the left side of the pyramid, surrounded by a group of three aliens, all armed to the teeth.

&
nbsp; “You know we’re probably going to have to take out all of them,” Bandar said.

  “Wait, what?” Marella asked.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Kai said. “They don’t seem to be the type to negotiate.”

  “Guys, what if they’re bringing her out to give her to us?” Marella asked.

  Senaya slowly shook her head.

  “Get real,” Bandar said. “That looks like an execution squad to me.”

  Kai visibly tensed at those words. They were so close, only to fail now?

  No damned way.

  “This is why I got my ship ready, Kai.” Bandar dropped a strong hand on Kai’s shoulder and squeezed.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “We fly down there, shoot up the bad guys, grab Brenna and get the hell out of here.”

  “Sounds like as good a plan as any to me,” Kai said through gritted teeth.

  “That sounds like a stupid plan,” Senaya said. “No offense, Bandar, but your old rust bucket of a micro-hauler isn’t exactly a gunship. How do you plan to get out of there?”

  “Sen, you’re going to be our backup,” Kai said. He stood and cracked his knuckles. “Blackstar, anything that isn’t us, you blow out of the sky. Can I trust you to do that?”

  “Of course, Kai Locke. You are the captain, after all,” the AI replied.

  “But… aliens… data,” Marella stammered uselessly.

  If they had time, Kai would try to explain, but right now all he knew was that if he didn’t act, his mother was going to be killed and he would be to blame.

  “Let’s do this,” Bandar said, a slight smile stretching his scarred flesh.

  At that moment, any brotherly connection they had built up vanished. Standing before Kai was Bandar the soldier. Bandar the efficient killing machine.

  But that was exactly what they needed.

  Kai ran through the ship after his half-brother, grabbing his P&G rifle and connecting his comm unit as he went. They headed to the docking bay and climbed into the old micro-hauler. They both took a seat in the cockpit and strapped themselves in. Bandar flipped a few switches and cranked up the engines.

  “Open the bay door, Sen,” Kai said.