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  “Aye, sir.” The ops tapped in commands and then smiled broadly. “Buoy One is emitting the encrypted beacon signal and all systems are operating perfectly.”

  Suddenly they heard cheering over the comm system, which Spinner guessed included happy howls from their sister ships as well.

  Caydoc actually smiled. Not a broad, open smile, but a definitely pleased, even triumphant, smirk. “Let’s run a test message to Oconodos. This is our first milestone, everybody. The first of a multitude of buoys, placed with the same care and diligence. Good job.”

  For Caydoc to praise her crew was close to unheard of. It wasn’t as if she never did, but it was rare and indicated how relieved the admiral was. Spinner hid a smile of her own. It was rather telling that even such an accomplished officer as Caydoc could be afraid of making a mistake.

  Chapter Six

  **Dael Caydoc**

  **Admiral**

  **Day 38**

  **Advance mission**

  **Personal log**

  Our mission thus far has been uneventful. Or, I should say, at least as far as the mission itself is concerned. When it comes to the crew and the civilians, the honeymoon is clearly waning, and the counselors have had their hands full trying to deal with the fallout.

  Dael rubbed her temple. She was due on the bridge in half an hour, but she needed to stick to her routine or she might end up on the counselor’s couch herself.

  We were prepared for this, thanks to the extensive research and seminars held by Dr. Meija Solimar. Without her, no doubt people would be throwing themselves out the airlocks by now. But I didn’t expect to see so many of the crew affected. Regardless of their training and preparations, it finally seemed to dawn on many of them that they would most likely never again see so many of their friends and family. Counselor Dyan talked about a cascade effect. One person cracks, which sets off someone in their presence and so forth. The difference between the civilians and the crew was mainly in the way their reaction manifested itself. The civilians tore into their family member who was part of the crew, and the crew members collided with their colleagues.

  To my surprise, Nania rose to the occasion. She, who up till now has been so disdainful about what she calls “the basket-weaving gatherings,” has been invaluable. It’s as if everyone can relate to her. Civilians see her as one of them and are impressed at how she handles herself at her age. The crew views her as the legendary retired fleet admiral, of course. I worry she might exhaust herself, but she has utter contempt for any attempt on my part to try to make her slow down.

  Another person who is handling herself flawlessly is Spinner. The CAG gets herself into plenty of situations, especially when it comes to gambling, so I’m told. She is most dependable in her professional role, but her larger-than-life attitude when off duty is causing problems at times. Her subordinates idolize her and no doubt would walk through plasma fire for her. Her superior officers are exasperated at best and disgusted some of the time. She’s not all that keen on the command structure, to put it mildly. No doubt, I’ll—

  “What the hell?” Dael’s head snapped up as the alarm klaxons blared throughout the ship.

  “Admiral Caydoc to the bridge. All senior staff to the bridge. All hands to duty stations. Collision alert! Collision alert!”

  The ship’s automated computer voice repeated the message three times, but by then, Dael was already on her feet and out the door. The corridor was flooded with people heeding the alert.

  “Make a hole,” Dael called out as she ran. Collision alert? What the hell was going on? The ship’s sensors were designed to steer them clear of any space debris big enough to penetrate their shields. Their star charts were constantly updated by celestial cartography, who bragged they could actually see the past as well as predict the future. They sure didn’t predict this, whatever it was in their way.

  Rounding the corridor leading onto the bridge, Dael immediately scanned the screens. “Report.”

  “Admiral, the alert went off without any warning.” Ensign Umbahr spoke fast. “I’m trying to decipher the readings, but the computer has nothing to compare this to.”

  “Send Code Talo-Bessa-4-4-4 to the sister ships.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Commander Seclan.” Dael turned to Spinner, who was at the helm. “Drop out of magnetar drive on my mark and go to march speed once the fleet confirms.” The code would relay the urgency in the emergency stop. It was like slamming on the brakes while driving on the main road on Oconodos.

  “Yes, sir.” Umbahr punched in commands and pulled levers. “We have confirmation from all four, Admiral.”

  “Very well. Ship-wide message. All hands brace for impact. Civilians, move to a secure seat or station. Twenty secs to magnetar-drive instantaneous cessation. Mark.” Dael strapped herself into the command chair and took a deep breath.

  The Espies Major bucked beneath Dael’s feet, who could envision it now rolling faster around its axis. The gravitational plating made it impossible for anyone aboard to feel it, but from the outside, it would be a spectacular sight. It was a brilliant way to have the ship rid itself of superfluous energy without tearing the hull off its bulkhead, as long as you didn’t look out the view screens. Every rookie cadet made that mistake, but usually only once. The view of spinning star fields around them would make anyone nauseous for hours.

  “March speed six, Admiral,” Spinner said calmly.

  “And here are the other four,” Commander Weniell added as he sat down in his chair. “The convoy is intact, sir.”

  “Good. Now, what the hell is waiting for us that sent the alerts going crazy?”

  Umbahr’s subordinates scurried as they disentangled themselves from their harnesses and began pulling readings from the computer. Dael paid close attention to them from a distance and knew exactly when they came upon the reason. Umbahr’s slack facial expression was a sure giveaway.

  “Admiral, our sensors show a debris field or, I should say, an asteroid belt, twenty minutes from here, counting in magnetar speed two. If we hadn’t dropped out of magnetar drive, we would’ve run into it, with horrible consequences.”

  Dael knew Umbahr wasn’t exaggerating. The magnetar drive was relying on the external sensors to avoid such big obstacles. The celestial-cartography department constantly updated the result of their sensor sweeps, but somehow this routine had faltered.

  “Give me the head of CC.” Dael was up stalking across the bridge now, as was her habit when facing a problem.

  “CC on audio. Lt. Freance for you,” Umbahr said.

  “Sir.” Lt. Freance seemed flustered. “That one was not there before. We scanned only twenty minutes ago. I’m transmitting our sensor sweeps to the bridge as we speak.”

  “Have you run a diagnostic?” Dael frowned. Something was off.

  “We have. Several, actually, both as a routine and just now. Sensors are working at peak performance. All systems from our end are a go.”

  Dael had opened her mouth to ask another question when Spinner interrupted her. “We have incoming!”

  The Espies Major rolled, sending Dael flying across the bridge. She grabbed the railing on the other side and hung on. Gazing at the screens showing readings from the space around them, she saw the sparkling trails of weapons’ fire zigzag across the black universe.

  “Enforce shields. All ships, enforce shields. Defensive formation. Launch attack craft!” She had no idea why they were suddenly under attack or by whom, but that wasn’t important right now.

  “Lt. Hiblion, take the helm.” Spinner stood as her subordinate took over and moved across the bridge as if the unsteady deck didn’t affect her balance at all. “Admiral, I’m needed with my pilots.”

  “Agreed.” Dael turned around the bridge, trying to determine where the attackers were coming from. “Who are these people?”

  “The ships are all smaller attack craft, sir.” Umbahr’s hands flew across the computer console. “I’m detecting thirteen shadows on th
e short-range sensors. The debris field is disturbing the imagery.”

  “Tactical, Lt. Schpay?” Dael whipped around, looking at the tall woman behind her.

  “Sir, my sensors have the same problem, but I can see fifteen shadows. They’re…” She leaned forward as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “We’re thirty minutes from the Gemosis homeworld at this speed. These are Gemosian raiders!”

  What? “Hail the lead raider.” Keeping her calm, Dael pressed the tip of her tongue against the sharp edge of her front teeth. She never showed any signs of being nervous, but her mouth tended to become dry. The sting from her teeth against her tongue produced saliva.

  “Hailing,” Umbahr said. “No response.”

  “Admiral,” Freance said over the communication link. “We have scanned the debris field. It’s—it’s the Gemosians’ third moon!” Her voice displayed how incredible this information was. “Something, or someone, has blasted the third moon to pieces.”

  Dael strode over to Umbahr. “Pull up the latest imagery from long-range scanners.” She tapped her fingernails on the panel.

  Umbahr moved the screen toward her.

  As she scanned the result, the reality of the situation began to sink in. “The Gemosis homeworld is suffering floodings and disastrous earthquakes.”

  “With their third moon in pieces, no wonder,” Dael muttered.

  “Shields at eighty percent,” Schpay said urgently.

  “Enough of this nonsense. Target the closest raider’s weapons’ array.” Dael folded her arms. “Espies Major bridge to Spinner. Surround them, but hold your fire unless they go after you directly.”

  “Spinner to Espies Major, I read you. Their flight patterns are erratic and their aim isn’t all that accurate. I’d say they’re panicking and scrambling in all directions.”

  What the hell was going on? Dael scanned the readings on one of the smaller screens. “Any sign of a third party? Of any attackers?”

  “None on sensors. They might possess cloaking force fields, but the only ones with that technology are the Revolings, and they’re not likely to be this far from home.” Umbahr shook his head. “I’m running in-depth scans of the debris field.”

  “Good.”

  “We’ve taken out their weapons’ array, sir. The lead vessel is dead in the water.”

  Dael turned to the main screen. “Zoom in. Try hailing them again.”

  Umbahr punched in commands. “We have audio.”

  Dael waited a few beats and then spoke curtly. “This is Admiral Dael Caydoc, commanding officer of the Oconodian Advance convoy. Why are you firing on us?”

  Some static broke up the audio feed, but a high-pitched female voice replied, “Something—someone—destroyed Tegia. I…-tenant Feio…not you?”

  Squinting, Dael tried to decipher the choppy message. “Lieutenant Feio? We did not fire on your moon, nor do we have reason or even the capability to cause this much destruction. Surely your world has heard of Oconodos’s Exodus plan?”

  “Oconodos? Oh, hell, you’re Oconodians.” It seemed to dawn on the lieutenant that they weren’t the enemy.

  Dael’s thoughts raced. The Gemosians must be completely panicked, striking at anything or anyone within their space. Tegia was the name of their moon, she remembered now. Who knew what the loss of its gravity would mean for the Gemosian homeworld in the long run.

  “I’ve given the order to my squadron to cease firing on your convoy,” Lt. Feio said, her voice still trembling but sounding calmer now.

  “Why don’t you accompany us to high orbit around your homeworld? We might be able to help.” Dael caught the surprised look on her XO’s face, which didn’t impress her. It should’ve been Weniell’s gut reaction too. Dael continued. “As you might know, we’re on a deep-space mission to find a world for our people to emigrate to, which means we’re prepared to deal with a great many things we encounter.”

  “Let us take up formation at your stern, Admiral.” Feio’s voice sounded much stronger. “If we don’t, we might encounter others just as trigger-happy as we were.”

  “Affirmative. Espies Major out.” Dael strode across the bridge to Umbahr’s console. “Pull up everything we have on Gemosis and—”

  “Already on it, sir.” Umbahr gave his trademark crooked smile. “Not sure how detailed it needs to be, but it will give a base for comparison to what they have to deal with now.”

  “Good.” Retaking her seat, Dael hailed Spinner again. “I take it you heard my conversation with Lt. Feio. Place your crew in between our new friends and make sure any approaching vessel can see them clearly. We don’t want them to think we’re the culprits.”

  “That would be unfortunate, yes. Assuming formation. Ten assault craft to each of the sister ships to help keep the peace.”

  “Good.” Spinner amazed Dael by reading her mind yet again. How could this annoying woman who was her exact opposite still manage to do that when it really mattered? “Stay focused. For all we know, they might have more lethal weapons directed at potential enemies than Lt. Feio’s squadron.”

  “Will do. Spinner out.”

  Dael sat motionless for a few moments as the Espies Major led the convoy toward Gemosis. The debris field wasn’t hard to navigate at this speed; their shields repelled smaller parts, but it was amazing how all the former parts of Tegia had formed a previously nonexistent ring around Gemosis. Standing up, Dael handed the bridge over to Weniell after sending him a scrutinizing glance. Something told her she needed to keep an eye on him, which she hadn’t expected. She strode toward her ready room. At the present, she had more important things to attend to.

  Chapter Seven

  “Approaching low orbit above the northern Gemosian hemisphere.” Spinner pulled the lever and made sure the trajectory was clear of traffic. The airspace, including the lower atmosphere, was filled with Gemosian ships of all sizes and purposes. Perhaps the volatile repercussions planet-side had made people take to the skies.

  “Tell us what you see. Sensors are still unreliable when it comes to the planet. Ensign Umbahr is trying to filter out the disturbance from the magma, but we need an initial report.”

  “I’ll try to go lower on my second pass. Hang on.” Focused on her mission, Spinner allowed the planet’s gravity to pull her farther in. To her dismay, the ever-increasing smoke from volcanic activity was now making it impossible to get a good view. “Spinner to Espies Major. Admiral, I need to take this bird farther down to see anything. The ashes won’t disrupt my engine and—”

  “No. I can’t allow such a risk.” Caydoc sounded quite miffed.

  “But, sir, if we’re going to be of any help to the Gemosian people, then we need to know what’s going on. If Umbahr had problems scanning before, all this damn ash won’t make it any easier.”

  “And you crashing into an area flooding with magma is better?”

  Spinner grinned broadly. “Cut me some slack, sir. I’m not the crashing type. I won’t risk my bird. I love her too much.”

  Caydoc was quiet for a moment. “All right. Get beneath the ashes, but if our communication channel is affected too, I want you right back in low orbit. And no landing without my permission.”

  “Yes, sir.” Saluting in solitude, Spinner turned the controls to fully manual and grabbed the lever again. This was the true way to fly. The planet’s atmosphere sent sparks around her craft. They would have made a pretty sight if this hadn’t been such a dangerous undertaking. Normally, entering the atmosphere was routine, but being surrounded by ashes containing too many unknown variables made the whole process precarious. She was glad her wingman was heading up her crew at a higher orbit, as she needed to focus fully on her own vessel and couldn’t take on the responsibility of guiding someone else into the atmosphere.

  “Talk to us, Commander,” Caydoc’s voice demanded over the communication link. “Do you read?”

  “I hear you loud and clear.” Spinner pushed the lever forward and felt tremors reverberate throughout
her craft. “So far, limited visibility due to impenetrable ash. Sending you readings of the samples.” She had made sure her outer sensors kept investigating the makeup of the ashes. If any of the particles would corrode or damage her bird in any way, she would hightail it out of there, orders or no orders. She loved daring missions, but needlessly damaging her vessel wasn’t part of her M.O.

  “We’ve got them. Stand by.”

  Spinner broke through the ash cloud and lowered her vessel toward the planet’s surface. She switched to the viewfinder under the belly of the craft and pulled the image up on her secondary screen. Volcanoes spewed lava down all sides; what remained of densely populated areas were either on fire or covered in blackening magma. The ocean seemed to have receded, but just as Spinner was about to report her findings, the water returned in one enormous, crushing wave after another. She pressed the communication sensor on her lapel. “Spinner to Espies Major. Do you read?”

  “Reasonably well,” Caydoc said, static making her voice a bit muddled. “Report.”

  “It’s hellacious, sir. The northwest area is gone. If anyone made it to the shores, they’re caught in tsunamis taller than Oconodian highrises. I see some islands farther north where there might be survivors. They look covered in ice, or glaciers, and the waves haven’t reached that far.”

  “The reports coming in from Gemosian vessels corroborate your findings, Commander.”

  “We have to check out the islands for survivors, Admiral.” Spinner turned her bird north.

  “You are clear to do a high-altitude flyby. We will report your findings to the Gemosian authorities.”

  “But their resources must be stretched thin, bordering on breaking. We have the resources, sir. Deploy some of the freighters—”

  “Do your flyby, Commander, and then report back.” Caydoc’s voice was steadfast and didn’t leave room for debate.

  “Yes, sir.” Spinner’s jaw hurt from clenching it around unspoken objections as she increased her speed toward the island.