Chapter 11
Outpost Delta Six
For much of the next two hours no one spoke as Kelen piloted them through a sector of space she and her fellow Terrans had never ventured into before. Massapa pulled the emergency rations from the shuttle’s hold and passed them out.
Unable to remove her hands from the depressions while they were in flight, Dox ventured forward to squeeze the contents of the food and water pouches into her mouth. She started to thank him when she saw him place part of the thick goo onto one finger and shove it inside his jumpsuit. Not saying anything, she continued to keep an eye on the young man’s movements. When he did it again, removing a clean finger after leaving it there for a minute or so, she remarked about it.
“Dox, what’s inside your jumpsuit?”
Dox started. His face turned pink, and it was then she knew what he was hiding.
“Dox, are you feeding Five? Did you bring him with you anyway?” Her questions roused the others, some of whom had begun to nap.
Mellori grabbed him by the shoulder and gently swung him around. “He brought Five with him?”
A tiny nose poked out from inside Dox’s jumpsuit, followed by a wide-eyed look of apprehension from the little furry.
“He held on,” Dox explained. “Wouldn’t let go. Didn’t have a choice.”
Mellori glanced at Kyber. “Don’t believe there’s a chance we can return the little guy back to his planet, is there?”
“We have a bigger worry to think about first,” Sandow remarked. He twirled a finger over his head. “This Seneecian shuttle isn’t going to sit well with some people. Once we get on the outpost’s sensors, they might fire first and ask questions later.”
“I have been deliberating about that,” Kyber admitted. “So far, we seem to have avoided being recaptured. Which means Duruk is going to have to find a way to do damage control once we get out word about the neverwylde.”
“Why?” Sandow inquired. “Why is keeping the existence of that half planet so important?”
“Kyber?” Mellori leaned forward in his seat. “Did you know there was such a thing as a neverwylde?”
Kelen looked over her shoulder to see her husband shaking his head. “No, I did not. But, to be honest, there are many things a D’har is privileged to know that a Por D’har does not. As for why the need for secrecy, I have no idea.”
“That’s a fair conundrum,” Sandow muttered.
Jules sat up straighter in his seat. “Reaching the outer periphery sensors of the outpost.”
“Where is it?” Kyber asked.
“Ahead twenty-three degrees port.”
“Kelen?”
A buzzing came over the console speakers. Gaveer adjusted the input until they could understand the incoming message.
“Seneecian cruiser, veer off. Veer off. You are encroaching without authorization. Veer off, or we will be forced to fire upon you.”
Kyber reached for the communications toggle to respond, when Fullgrath snatched his hand and pulled it away. “Better let me. Ain’t no way they’re gonna mistake my voice for a Seneecian,” the man explained.
Kyber silently agreed and got out of the seat to give the comm over to him. Parking himself in the chair, Fullgrath pointed to the toggle. “This one?” At Kyber’s nod, he flipped the switch.
“Hey, is this the outpost bordering the Bak Dur Bak system?”
Several seconds passed. Kelen could only imagine what might be going through the minds of the people overseeing their communications.
“This is Outpost Delta Six,” came the reply. “This is a territorial post, granted by the Bakkite Grand Council, and maintained by the Terran Spacial Military. Again, we strongly urge you to veer off from your present course, or we will have no choice but to fire upon you.”
“If ever there was an ‘eat shit or die’ answer, that’s it,” Cooter wryly observed.
Fullgrath hit the toggle again. “Uhh, Outpost Delta Six, yeah, we’re in a stolen Seneecian shuttle, but I can assure you we’re not the enemy. My name is Lieutenant Winston Fullgrath, military ID number seven two seven Alpha five nine six zero. I was the weapons master aboard the Manta, which crash landed on a remote planet several parsecs from here. We’re asking permission to dock.” He hit the switch to await their response.
“Jules, distance,” Kyber whispered.
“Twenty-nine thousand kilometers and closing fast.”
They could see the distinctive outline of the outpost gradually becoming clearer as they drew nearer.
“Kelen, dial down the speed. We do not want them to think we plan to ram them or do a fly-by.”
“Affirmative.” She gradually slowed the craft in anticipation.
“Lieutenant Fullgrath.” The comm spoke again, and this time it was a different voice.
Fullgrath opened the line. “Yes, sir.”
“Our scanners are recognizing eleven lifeforms, maybe a twelfth. Four of which are confirmed Seneecian. Are all of you survivors of the Manta?”
“No, sir. We do have four Seneecians on board with us. Now, listen, before you go off and start shooting at us anyway, there’s something you have to know.”
“Are the Seneecians your prisoners?” the voice interrupted.
Fullgrath glanced at Kyber, who nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Where is your commanding officer?”
The weapons master glanced around. In all practicality, they were equal in rank. “Guess you’re talking to him, sir,” he said. “Captain Arvey died at the crash site. Commander Dayall died a few weeks later from injuries he sustained on the planet.”
“Give me the names of those with you.”
“Eighteen thousand kilometers,” Jules murmured loud enough to be heard. They were now able to appreciate the size of the outpost. The stationary stronghold was the size of a small city.
“Uhh, Lieutenant Derric Jules, navigator, Lieutenant Kelen Chambliss, pilot, Dr. Finn Sandow, medical, Lieutenant Paul Mellori, engineering, Lieutenant Jamse Cooter, security, Dox, our isotope engineer, and yours truly. That’s the Terran crew.”
“And you are in full control of that shuttle?”
“As we’d say back home, does an autobot shit bolts? Yes, sir. We Terrans are in control. Listen, sir. We crashed several months ago. A Seneecian warship found us, and the D’har was about to kill us outright until we managed to escape in this shuttle. We don’t care if you have fifty armed guards waiting for us on the landing pad. Just allow us to land, and you can take it from there.”
They waited for an answer. In the meantime, Jules kept them abreast of their distance from the outpost. “Twelve thousand kilometers.”
“That’s it,” Fullgrath suddenly informed them. “We’re now in range of their weapons. If they’re gonna fire on us, they’ll do it now, before we get any closer.”
“Maybe they want us to get closer to make sure they don’t miss,” Sandow commented.
Fullgrath shook his head. “No way. There’s always the chance an approaching ship could try to use itself as a weapon to take out a strategic part of the station. No. If they fire, they’re not gonna miss. Not as long as we’re within ra—”
“Lieutenant Fullgrath.”
“Yes. Still here.”
“Proceed to docking bay nine. Be prepared to be boarded immediately upon landing. Any overt or perceived aggression will be met with deadly force. And if we perceive that you intend on using your ship as a weapon, know that there are three protonic cannons aimed at you.”
“Gotcha, sir. See you on the flip side.” Closing the link, the weapons master gave Kyber a crooked grin. “Well, it’s not the welcome mat, but it’s better than being space dust.”
“I agree,” Kyber said. “Kelen, it’s all in your hands now.”
She flashed him a wide smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll settle this baby down so gently, the landing struts won’t even squeak.”
“I cannot wait to experience it.” Kyber glanced at everyone. “All right. Everyone double-check your harnesses in case she takes us vertical again.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” Kelen retorted, then concentrated on taking them in.