Earth Fleet (Rebel Fleet Series Book 4) Read online

  “I would have been here even faster if I had, Admiral,” I answered smoothly.

  He grumbled for a moment and turned away to abuse a lieutenant. The young man skittered away into the dark recesses of the underground nerve center, doubtlessly sent on an urgent mission to fetch coffee.

  Vega was in a bad mood, but that was nothing unusual. In truth, even his good moods weren’t all that good. As it still hadn’t hit five a.m., he wasn’t even pretending to wear his happy-face this morning.

  “Blake,” he said at last, “do you remember when Admiral Clemens came out here from London last year?”

  “Uh… sure,” I said warily.

  “Do you remember the advice he gave—regarding us?”

  “Something about functioning as a team in times of crisis? Is that what you’re referring to?”

  “Exactly. Total fuckery. Excrement of the gods of Europe. Unfortunately, they are pumping in a big percentage of the money for this space fleet—did you know that, Blake?”

  I shook my head, even though I was well aware of the funding situation. I was hoping he wouldn’t blame all of today’s problems on me if I pretended to be ignorant of the basics.

  “Well, it’s true. In the golden days, the good old USA footed the bill for most of the world’s defense. Times have changed, and the Euros, Chinese—they finally feel threatened enough to put in their own chips. The bad part is that gives them leverage. The power to insist on whatever random bullshit they feel is necessary.”

  As I didn’t care one whit where our budget came from, I shrugged my shoulders. “Let them suggest. We’re still in charge.”

  Vega gave me a rueful chuckle. “Yeah, sure,” he laughed. “You keep that fantasy firmly in mind over the next twenty-four hours. Anyway, I didn’t bring you here to bitch-box your ears. You’re here in your official capacity as my alien liaison.”

  That got my attention. Clemens had arranged for Vega to become an admiral in Earth’s new fleet. So far, Vega was the only American to receive that honor. But even as the highly-ranked man in the new space service, he was still under the thumb of the Joint Chiefs, and the squabbling government bureaucrats above them.

  “What’s the situation, Admiral?” I asked seriously.

  He slid his eyes around for a moment, as if he suspected there were spies in the room with us. At last, he reached out and grabbed my wrist.

  I could have yanked free, I was far stronger and better trained—but I fought down the instinct.

  Vega turned my hand over, revealing my wrist. He saw the marks of the puncture test, and then he relaxed.

  “Didn’t you get the report, sir?” I asked. “I passed all the tests. I’m not a Nomad.”

  “Yeah, of course,” Vega said, warily running his eyes over his staffers, “but at times like this I prefer to verify what I hear from security.”

  His behavior was bordering on the alarming. I waited impatiently for him to get to the point.

  After satisfying himself that there were no spies nearby, he turned back to me.

  “We’ve got another rift,” he said in a low tone. “It popped into existence about two hundred thousand kilometers out.”

  Frowning immediately, I consulted the tactical table between us. I waved my hand over it, reached out with my sym, and gathered remote input from our orbital sensors.

  The rift swam into view. It was big, colorful and awe-inspiring. It had a golden edge, and a greenish interior with lavender sparks—it was definitely more colorful than usual.

  After peering at it for a moment, I turned to Vega. “How long ago did it appear?”

  “Twenty minutes ago.”

  “And it’s just sitting there? It will fade soon.”

  “That’s part of what has people nervous. The aliens should have come through by now—or maybe they have, and we missed it.”

  “Phase-ships?” I asked.

  “That’s always a possibility. We have them—why shouldn’t the next invader to come visit us invest in the same technology?”

  It was a chilling thought. Phase-ships were like the submarines of the past, except even harder to detect. They were more like U-boats when the idea was new, before sonar had been deployed to locate them.

  They didn’t use stealth to glide unseen through space, however. Not exactly. The ships were able to place themselves into a different state. They lingered a half-step into the realm of wormholes and other oddities of physics. We called it phasing.

  We eyed the rift on the tactical table, depicted in three dimensions and vibrant color. The staffers returned quietly, encircling the table where we’d chosen to have our personal conference.

  “What’s this?” Vega demanded. “Have you got something?”

  “Maybe sir,” said a commander with a reddish-brown hair and amber eyes. She seemed to be leading the sensor-ops team. “Something is about to come through. We’re sure of that much. There’s an energy surge that’s a reliable giveaway.”

  Checking her nametag, I saw she was Commander Langston. I committed that name to memory.

  All eyes dropped to the table again, and we were soon rewarded with a looming image. A hulking ship swam into view, like a stranger walking into a public place from a midnight fog.

  I sucked in a breath. “I know who they are,” I said.

  Vega’s eyes snapped up to meet mine. “Friend or foe?”

  “They could be either,” I said, staring at the ship. “That’s a Terrapinian battlecruiser, sir. I’d bet my life on it.”

  Vega looked toward his gaggle of sensor people. They were fingering the table, pulling up sub-screens and tapping at them in a fever of activity.

  “What’s the computer say?” he demanded.

  “Rebel Kher—battleship or battlecruiser class. We have good records on Terrapinian designs, but… Captain Blake could be right.”

  “Let’s assume he is,” Vega said. “After all, that’s why he’s here. At least it’s not that bastard Fex trying to annex us again.”

  “Your orders, sir?” Commander Langston asked.

  “Encircle it at a safe distance,” he replied. “Tell the phase-ships to stay concealed.”

  “And our weapons platforms?”

  “All missiles are to stay hot, but don’t start pinging excessively. I don’t want them to freak out thinking we’ve got a target lock and imminent launches. As to the core fleet at Luna… let them linger there. How fast can they get here?”

  “They’re already inbound, sir,” another staffer said, clearing his throat first.

  “Why’s that?” Vega demanded. “I didn’t order—”

  “Brussels did it, sir. They wanted the fleet brought home to Earth the moment they saw the rift appear between us and the Moon’s orbital path.”

  Vega grumbled and turned to me. “You see? Euro interference. They threw a few sheckles into the budget and all of a sudden they’re running the place.”

  “Make that a few trillion sheckles,” I pointed out. “In any case, it’s probably not a bad thing. We’ll need all our ships if we have to fight that thing.”

  “You said they weren’t hostile.”

  “I said they could be either. I’ve fought toe-to-toe with Terrapinians, and I’ve fought shoulder-to-shoulder with them as well. It’s circumstantial. I’d classify them as a potent neutral.”

  “Great…” Vega said, working his jaw and squinting at the boards. “Recommendations, Blake?”

  “Contact them, sir. Ask what they’re doing here.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Obviously,” he said. “I’m about to do that. But before I do, I’m asking for your slant on the way I should talk to them. Should we warn them off and threaten, or should we welcome them as friends?”

  I thought about it for a second. I’d found the Terrapinians could be powerful allies or enemies.

  “Be friendly, but not too friendly. Try to sound neutral and matter-of-fact. They’re less emotional than most Rebel Kher species.”

  “All right, hook
me up.”

  The communications officers descended and opened a channel. Langston, the redhead, did the honors of pressing a transmitter into Vega’s hands.

  “This is Admiral Vega of Earth,” he said. “We recognize your ship as one of Terrapinian design. Please state your identity and your intent.”

  I was impressed. There was no anger in his tone, no implied threat. He’d pulled off a neutral tone and made a reasonable request. From all the growling of the morning, I’d expected something more gruff.

  After a brief pause, the intruding ship answered. “We are indeed from the Terrapinian Empire,” a strange voice responded. “In the past, humans have shown a capacity for violence. We came here, seeking that capacity.”

  Vega frowned at the screen then turned to me. I frowned back.

  “What the hell does that mean?” he demanded without keying the comm system to transmit.

  “I have to admit, it’s vague. They don’t think quite the way we do. I’ve often had to pry their intent out of them.”

  “Such bullshit… Capacity for violence? Does that mean they want to fight, or what?”

  I shrugged. “It could be. Ritual combat for dominance is a standard with them.”

  “You were their overlord at one point in the past, right?”

  “That was a long time ago, and they considered that debt to have been repaid in full years back.”

  Clamping his lips together in a tight line, he finally released a violent expulsion of air. It was something between a snort and a hiss of exasperation.

  He thrust the comm transmitter toward me.

  “You talk to them,” he said. “Unless you want me to demand they turn that ship around and exit this system before we blow a hole in their stern.”

  Surprised, I took the comm unit reluctantly. I looked at it, and all the staffers looked at me with wide eyes.

  Truthfully, I had no more idea what to say than Vega did.

  =4=

  When interstellar war quite possibly hangs in the balance, a man’s words truly do matter.

  The situation called for a prepared speech. Talking to a visiting Terrapinian battlecruiser was the realm of politics and diplomacy—but when it came to the Rebel Kher, I was the best Earth had.

  One might ask how I’d gotten myself into playing the part of the alien liaison when I wasn’t a politician. The answer to that had to do with the nature of interstellar militaries. Earth had been forced to streamline our traditions regarding diplomacy and polite behavior in general.

  A similar thing had happened in the middle of the last century, when atomic weapons had been invented and placed upon missiles that could reach other nations within minutes. There was hardly time for a state dinner, a round of golf, or a heart-to-heart talk between leaders when the angels of death were flying.

  Then, as now, the military had gained more decision-making power. Since we’d been introduced to the community of surrounding planets, things had gotten steadily worse. There was even more uncertainty, and paranoia again ruled the day.

  Part of the new intensity came from the fact we were no longer dealing with a few well-known superpowers in a moment of crisis. Instead, there were literally thousands of alien worlds out there, any one of which could throw a warship onto our doorstep without warning. We didn’t have consulates on their far-flung worlds. Maybe someday we’d get to that point, if we managed to explain what a consulate was to our Kher brothers.

  Because of the speed with which a situation like this could develop, Space Command had managed to gain the right of first interaction with unexpected arrivals. The military had to respond first, because while some president or ambassador was dressing up and preparing his speech, a dozen cities might be reduced to ash.

  There was no time to waste—and no room for error.

  Looking at the transmitter in my hand, I froze for a half-second, thinking all these thoughts. I pondered how highly unfair it was that I’d been placed in this position. It was all due to the fact I’d been among the first humans the Kher had abducted from Earth long ago.

  Sucking in a breath, I pressed the button on the side of the translation device. It lit up, indicating my words were being translated and transmitted to the starship above.

  “This is Commander Leo Blake of the Rebel Fleet,” I said. “I’ve fought with Terrapinians many times—both striking them down and cheering them in victory.”

  A few of the staffers gasped. They couldn’t believe that I’d brought up bashing Terrapinians—but that’s because they didn’t really understand the Rebel Kher.

  There was a moment of quiet, then a response came back.

  “Leo Blake…” the voice said. “A real officer. I’m glad to know you are still in authority here. Earth has done well to make you their ruler. I must assume the first being I spoke with was your servant?”

  “Yes,” I said immediately, earning myself a glare from Vega. “You appeared quickly, and I had to get to a communications station to speak with you directly.”

  “But that is why we let our rift spin quietly for so long,” the voice said. “To respectfully give you a chance to prepare for our arrival.”

  “Of course,” I said. “My underlings are nervous, you have to understand. They don’t fully understand the ways of the Rebel Fleet.”

  “I see… May I make a suggestion?”

  “I welcome it.”

  “Discipline, Blake!” the alien captain said. “That’s what’s needed. Never spare the lash or the goad.”

  “Um… right. To whom am I speaking?”

  “You don’t recognize me? Disappointing... but I know you. I once commanded a fighter that flew with you in the great war against the Imperials.”

  “Really? You were a team commander on Ursahn’s carrier?”

  “Yes. I am called Urgh. Since those early days, I’ve moved up in rank to rule as captain aboard this starship.”

  “Excellent! It’s great to hear your voice again, Urgh!” I lied with enthusiasm.

  The truth was, the Terrapinians I’d dealt with aboard Ursahn’s ship had been full-fledged pricks. They’d once awakened my crew at dawn with clubs.

  “It’s not excellent to hear yours,” he said, “except that it awards me a degree of hope. Perhaps the rumors are false. Perhaps Earth isn’t completely incompetent and dishonorable.”

  I could have bitten on that line, but I didn’t. Instead, I ignored his insults and continued in an even tone.

  “Now that we’ve been reintroduced,” I said, “what can I do for you?”

  “We sent a ship here long ago, commanded by Captain Verr. What became of that vessel?”

  Admiral Vega and I exchanged glances. We’d suspected it would come down to this. More than a year ago, we’d met up with Captain Verr and his damaged ship. The vessel had been destroyed in the end by mines laid by the Nomads.

  “I met Verr,” I said. “We spoke, and we formed a temporary brotherhood.”

  “Who was dominant?”

  Pondering several lies, I shrugged and went with the truth.

  “The matter was never fully decided. His ship and mine were trapped by explosive drones. We fought to save the Terrapinians—but to no avail. His ship was lost, and we had to form a rift to escape.”

  “The Nomads? Do you think I’m a fool?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “But I do expect you to review the evidence before you scoff further. I’ll transmit our archives immediately.”

  Turning toward the redheaded commander, I made an impatient spinning gesture with my forefinger.

  Langston frowned and put her hands on her hips. Her eyes slid to Vega.

  “Admiral,” she said, “we can’t let these aliens see our classified files.”

  “We can and we will,” I interrupted. “Or this ship may become hostile. Which cities are you willing to lose, Commander, in order to keep our secrets?”

  Vega lifted a hand, halting what was becoming a loud argument.

  “Dig up the vid r
eports and upload them,” he ordered. “The Terrapinians have asked a legit question. We’re going to answer it plainly.”

  Irritated, Commander Langston did as she was ordered. We waited while she queued up and transmitted the files.

  Several long minutes passed. I could only assume the Terrapinians were reviewing the files, many of which were vids taken by me and my crew aboard Devilfish.

  At last, the alien captain came back on the line.

  “Stunning…” he said. “I can see we have come to the right place.”

  “The reports please you?” I asked hopefully.

  “Not at all. But they show Earth crews and Earth ships are not helpless. You fought for dominance with embarrassing dishonor, Blake. But you did not win or lose.”

  “Dominance doesn’t matter now,” I said. “We don’t even know what you are asking for.”

  “Dominance always matters,” Urgh said. “But to us, you are brothers-in-arms. You answered Verr’s request for aid. Will you do so again today?”

  Again, Vega and I exchanged glances. Vega took the transmitter out of my hand.

  “Captain,” he said, “what kind of aid are you requesting?”

  “Why does this dog bark in my ear?” the Terrapinian demanded. “Blake, have you been struck down in a coup?”

  I reached out and took the transmitter back from Vega’s reluctant fingers. “No,” I said. “My servants are anxious for information, that’s all.”

  “You should abuse that one if he speaks again. He’s attempting to usurp your authority.”

  “Um… I’ll take that under advisement. In the meantime, what kind of aid do you require?”

  Vega was glowering at me, but he kept his trap shut. I had to hand it to the Terrapinians, very few people had managed to silence the admiral in the past.

  “You’re a shit, Blake,” he said in a harsh whisper. “But keep going.”

  Looking back at the device in my hand, all I could remember was the look of Captain Urgh. The species was lumpy, and their skins were mottled and greenish. They had big skulls that were wedge-shaped, like the head of a turtle.

  But their eyes were their most startling feature. They were black and reflective, like drops of oil.