“I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, Commodore,” he said. “Until we can collate a battle report and analyse all the data, then my guess would be as good as yours. Once we have further information I will ensure that it is shared with the IWC.
“Now, if there is no other business that anyone wishes to discuss?”
Even with the interference caused by the damage to the holographic projection systems, Parks had no trouble making out the subtle confrontational look that Hawke was giving him. There were shakes of heads and answers of no.
“Then we will make preparations to leave. I will be in contact shortly.”
* * *
For the next hour the allied forces continued with repairs, most of Griffin's surviving starfighters docking with Leviathan. A sweep for bodies resulted in only a handful of recognisable pick-ups, a mixture of both Confederation and Independent uniforms in the group. The four remaining Red Devils were found and taken aboard Leviathan, the women identifiable by the colourful emblem of a cartoon devil clutching a pitchfork on the left breast of their flight suits.
Dodds watched the shuttles do their work. He was happy to do nothing now but take a well-earned breather. He listened to Estelle conversing with Griffin.
“Do you wish for us to return to Griffin's cargo bay or should we dock with Leviathan?” she asked.
“Negative, Lieutenant. I want you and your team to return to Griffin,” Parks answered her. “Land via the rear cargo bay and then await further instructions.”
“Acknowledged.”
Estelle was the first to return to the rear cargo bay, the awaiting crew taxiing the sleek, black starfighter back to its original position, so that the others could land uninhibited. Dodds saw her waiting at the rear of the bay, stood next to Enrique, as he landed. Even before he stepped out of the fighter, he could make out the grin on the man's face.
“Good shooting out there, mate,” Dodds said to Enrique, as he walked over to join them. “Think I might have gotten one or two more than you, though!”
“I think you'll find I was ahead of you the whole the time,” Enrique said, with a chuckle. He shook Dodds' hand and they gave each other a hearty slap on the back.
“That frigate still only counts as one,” Dodds grinned.
“I am glad to be out there, though,” Enrique said, nodding towards the ATAFs.
“Definitely. After all of that I could do with a nap,” Dodds admitted. They looked to Chaz, who was making his way over to them. He appeared quite upbeat for a change, a smile on his face. With Kelly the last to land and now out of her ATAF, the Knights gathered around Estelle.
“Good work out there, everyone,” she beamed, looking happier than she had done in weeks.
“I don't think those Imperial pilots knew what hit them,” Dodds said.
“I'm not sure anyone out there did either, to tell the truth,” Enrique said. “Those fighters are still supposed to be a military secret.”
“Test run,” Chaz said, glancing back around at the fighters, which still looked as fresh and new as the day they had completed construction. There didn't appear to be one dent or scratch on any of them. Not even on the ATAF that Kelly had been piloting, having been hit head-on by the suicidal Sphinx fighter pilot.
“We should meet with Commodore Parks for debriefing and then get you some medical attention, Kelly,” Estelle said.
Together, the Knights started out the cargo bay. But as they approached, a number of security personnel, standing by the hold's exit, gathered themselves across the already-thin gap of the tall doors, blocking the five pilots from exiting. At first, Dodds thought their presence was to ensure the security of the bay and to escort the ATAF pilots to Parks. Estelle attempted to pass. A halting hand was raised.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“Sorry, but I can't allow you to leave,” Omar Wyatt, Griffin's head of security, explained. “I have orders from Commodore Parks that you are to remain here until further notice.” The man stood ahead of the other members of his team who were each brandishing a rifle.
“But we must attend our debriefing,” Estelle protested.
“I have my orders,” Wyatt said. “Commodore Parks feels that in the ship's current state it would be best for you all to remain here.”
“Couldn't you at least escort us to our quarters, instead?” Dodds said.
“There is a member of my team who requires some medical attention,” Estelle interjected, nodding in Kelly's direction, not waiting for the head of security to answer Dodds. The man looked over at Kelly who, other than appearing to be a little tired, displayed no signs of trauma or physical injury that required any kind of urgent attention.
He shook his head. “No, sorry. No-one is allowed in or out of the hold. And all our medical teams are also busy dealing with those suffering from more severe injuries.”
Estelle fumed and was about to say something before Kelly stopped her, shaking her head. Chaz did not seem in the least bit surprised by what was happening. He swore, let out an audible sigh and then stalked off from the rest of the group, settling down on the floor and propping himself up against a rack of maintenance equipment. Dodds watched him for a bit, but the big man did not acknowledge him or the gathering of people by the exit. It was clear his short-lived upbeat demeanour had now been pushed to the wayside and he would only sink back into silence.
“All crew, this is your captain speaking,” Parks' voice came over the ship's PA. “We are ready to make the return jump to Spirit. Please finalise jump preparations.”
Estelle, Kelly and Enrique wandered off to join Chaz, whilst Dodds made one last-ditch attempt to leave the hold. “I need to take a leak,” he threatened.
“Then you'll just have to go in your suit,” Wyatt answered with a shrug.
* * *
Parks bid farewell to Mandeep and watched as Grendel's Mother opened a jump point and exited the system, the swirling jump point closing with the departure of the carrier.
“Open a jump point to Spirit,” Parks said to Liu.
“Yes, sir.” Liu punched the required data into his console. Ahead of them the jump point formed and, as before, when they had originally departed Spirit, Griffin started forward, followed by Ifrit and Leviathan. This time, however, Meyers and Hawke allowed a greater distance between their carriers and Parks'. If Griffin suffered a power failure, they would have ample stopping distance.
Parks, sat in the captain's chair, just behind the navigator and comms officer at the front, was drawn from his deep thoughts by the flicker of something out of the frontal viewport. Had something happened around the jump point? Something that wasn't normal? Just as he thought he had imagined it, it happened again.
A streak of what appeared to be lightning coursed its way right around the portal, closely following its rotation. In its wake it left a jagged tear that ripped open, revealing the colourful space behind it. The tear then appeared to heal itself, leaving behind no evidence of the abnormality that had grabbed Parks' attention. He rose from his chair and wandered to the front of the bridge.
“What was that?” he asked.
“Captain?” Liu asked.
“That... thing around the jump point? It looked like lightning.”
“I'm sorry, sir, I must have missed it.” Liu tapped at his console. “Systems are not reporting any issues.”
Parks began to wonder if the injury to his head was preventing him from thinking and seeing straight; though the stars were usually never that big or that shape. He began to return to his seat, seeing that the portal had returned to its normal state.
The portal, however, did so for but only for a few seconds, before two smaller streaks ripped through it just as the first, rupturing it in the same way. Yet another and another appeared, tearing the pool in a similar fashion, like a knife slashing a canvas. Pockets of intense white light started to build in the region of the slashes, giving the impression that the jump point was bleeding.
None of it
was sitting right with Parks and the sight was now grabbing the attentions of most of the bridge crew, their concern for the anomaly causing them to leave their systems unattended.
Liu's console began to whine.
“What's that?” Parks said.
“Sir, the jump point appears to be collapsing!” Liu said, his hands darting across his console. “I would strongly suggest we pull back.”
“Bring us to a halt, Mr Liu! Cancel the jump request!” Parks ordered as Griffin began to cross the threshold.
Liu attempted to prevent the carrier's further descent into the unstable jump point, but his efforts served only to slow their advance rather than stop it. Moments later, the frontal viewport was swallowed by the swirling mass and Griffin hurtled forward.
Griffin started to tumble, slow at first before it started to build up speed. As the carrier began to shudder Parks ordered his crew to brace themselves, before finding his own seat. He held on tight to the arm rests, staring out at the usual sight before him.
Whilst what the carrier now travelled through bore many of the hallmarks of jump space, the familiar blue haze was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Griffin appeared to be surrounded by what looked like thick, blood-red clouds. Angry streaks of electricity danced and crashed within them, as Griffin continued its journey into the unknown. The intensity of the shuddering grew the further they seemed to plunge.
Time appeared to slow. Parks turned his head to look around the ship, his surroundings somehow blurred. Everything appeared to be leaving translucent, multicoloured trails behind them as they moved. It was like he was drunk, stumbling down the neon jungle of one of Shai-Jin's tourist traps, the bright lights of the city blinding and confusing his vision.
Just as Parks thought that the already damaged carrier would be torn apart, the shuddering came to an abrupt end and, just like the blue haze of jump space, the thundering red clouds parted gracefully to give way to normal space. Stars came rushing towards them. Time returned to normal. The trails faded.
“Everyone okay?” Parks asked after Liu managed to bring the carrier under control, following a bout of rapid tapping at his console's controls. Parks did not hear the answers as he looked out into the featureless void that lay all around them. It was in stark contrast to the nebulas that had played host to the conflict zone they had just departed, and Parks walked to the front of his ship to take stock. There was not a single thing he recognised: no Temper, no Spirit, no Aster, and no Ifrit or Leviathan.
He looked around at the bridge crew, who had been following his gaze out the front of the ship. “Where the hell are we?”
XVI
— A Grand Opportunity —
Friday, June 13th 2617
I'm sitting in the rear cargo hold of Griffin, waiting for someone to tell me when I can get my head seen to, get a shower and get some food. We (that's me and the usual guys) are returning to Spirit after a failed operation. It was sprung on us early this morning by Commodore Parks, and together with a bunch of others from the United Naval Forces we engaged Imperial forces in the Aster system. The mission was unsuccessful and we suffered heavy losses, but at least we didn't lose our lives, too; the Imperials retreated when we managed to fight back.
I knocked my head against the canopy whilst in combat and that really hurt, even with the helmet on. I think I blacked out for a bit and I still feel a bit groggy and dizzy. Chaz and Enrique seem to think I'm suffering from a mild concussion, though I'm sure that I wouldn't be able to think straight if I were.
Or at least that is what I'd be writing if I had my journal with me, Kelly thought to herself, waking from her daydream and finding herself sat back on the floor of the rear cargo hold.
* * *
“What's going on?” Enrique asked Dodds as he returned from talking to one of the security team.
“He doesn't know,” Dodds said, settling back down on the floor next to the others. “He assumes it's just a result of the damage that Griffin sustained during the battle.”
“I've never felt a ship shake like that before.”
“It's probably nothing to be concerned about,” Estelle muttered. Dodds guessed that since being ordered to remain in the cargo hold, Estelle was feeling as though she had once again been shot down in her prime. With that in mind the others, with the exception of Kelly, were largely ignoring her.
“I just want to get out of here and get a shower,” Enrique started again.
“And some food,” Dodds added. “I can't believe he wouldn't even let me go out for a pi--”
“Stop moaning you two!” Estelle snapped. “We'll get out of here in good time, so stop your griping. At least there's nothing wrong with you. Oh, how are you feeling, Kelly?”
“Better now. The dizziness has just about cleared,” Kelly said, still rubbing the side of her head.
“We'll get you some attention as soon as we get back to Spirit,” Estelle said.
“What did you think of those Imperial pilots?” Enrique asked Dodds.
“They were good. I don't think we would have stood much chance without the ATAFs, to tell you the truth.” Both men turned to the innocent-looking starfighters that sat along the walls of the cargo bay.
The crew that had helped taxi the craft around and assisted the Knights in departing their fighters were also sitting on the floor, looking bored and frustrated. Some had wandered over to talk to the Knights, but the security team had soon put a stop to their attempt at socialising, fuelling Dodds' suspicions that Parks wished to keep them apart from the rest of the ship.
“You're right there,” Enrique said. “If that civil war does boil over and they're all as good as that...”
“No, something wasn't right there. They were too good. You saw what they did to those other fighter pilots. Their reactions were too fast and they were too accurate. They were tearing those guys apart before we arrived.”
“Maybe they've all got some kind of computer assistance?” Enrique offered. “Something that was helping them to get the edge?”
Dodds noticed that Chaz's head was tilted in their direction, subtly eavesdropping in on their conversation. “Yeah, something like that.”
* * *
In one of Griffin's conference rooms, Parks sat down at an oval glass table with a number of his senior staff. The wound on his head had been bandaged and he'd given himself a general clean up while he charged Liu with finding out where the carrier had emerged. Many of those present in the conference room also wore reminders of the earlier conflict, everything ranging from cuts and bruises, to arms in slings.
Following their arrival into the unknown, Parks had requested they gather as much information as possible pertaining to the unexpected events. He had then called a meeting of the carrier's heads of section.
“Right, now that we're all here: Mr Liu, could you please start by giving us an overview of our current situation,” Parks requested of the man sitting across the table from him.
“Yes, captain,” Liu nodded. He picked up a small hand-held device and tapped away at the screen, prompting a large holographic projection to spring up in the centre of the table, displaying a galactic map. It was cluttered with somewhat excessive amounts of detail, highlighting trade routes, jumpgates and points, as well as marking entire regions of space that were a part of the Confederacy, and those that were declared Independent. At one end of the map the Confederation star system of Temper was highlighted and, at the other, the Independent system of Aster.
Liu continued to tap away at the device he held, dimming star systems and removing trade routes, jumpgates and other pieces of data that were of no relevance. Eventually, the Aster and Temper systems were left as the main focal points of Liu's presentation. He made some final adjustments, centring in on Griffin's position on the map, located within the Aster system, and then began to recount.
“Following the previous operation, we prepared to make the jump back to Spirit.”
A dotted line made its way across the galactic map, fr
om Aster back towards the Temper system, illustrating his point.
“As we witnessed, the jump point became unstable and we were unable to prevent our descent within. The 'jump' we experienced threw Griffin's navicoms out of sync and it took them quite sometime before they were able to establish a link with the nearest navigation buoy. If we assume the data it has transmitted is accurate, then it appears we arrived not back at Temper, but...”
He tapped at the device in hand. The galactic map zoomed out a long way, revealing yet more star systems. The dotted line traced its way, not towards Temper, but to a star system in the opposite direction to that which the carrier had intended to travel.
“... here,” Liu concluded.
The section heads gathered around the table gaped at the holographic display and the highlighted star system that the line had traced itself toward. The system was named Phylent.
“Phylent?” Parks asked in total surprise.
“Yes, sir,” Liu said.
“We're in Imperial space?!”
“I'm afraid so, sir.”
Parks' gaze shot to the many windows of the conference room and to the space outside that, thankfully, remained calm and uneventful. Even so, there were mutterings and mumblings from the others at the table as they stared in disbelief at the map. Parks' mind raced. At this very moment in time, he and his ship were in the one place that they did not want to be. He looked around those seated at the table knowing that, whilst they were aware of the danger that they faced, being in a part of space that was said to be embroiled in civil war, none could confess to appreciating the danger more than he. The failed operation to retake Dragon had merely hinted at what the Confederacy and her allies were up against, and had it not been for the ATAFs no-one would have returned home after the battle. They had to get away from Imperial space as soon as possible.
After a moment, Parks regained his composure and turned his attention back to the meeting. At this time, more than ever, he must maintain a cool, calm and collected conduct.
He called for silence. “How is that possible, Mr Liu?”
“I think that perhaps Mr Marsh could explain in more detail?” Liu said.