Chrysalis
Book One: Trial by Fire
By: Jessica "Allronix" Krucek

Chapter Twelve

  The briefing room was crowded with a dozen captains and commanders, all eagerly sizing up the strangely-dressed strangers. Niko told them everything she knew, and explained that indeed, she was the one who had summoned the Traash fleet.

  "The Queen does plan on invading, and she already has most of her remaining fleet stationed near her core worlds. She was planning for us to get worn down by the border skirmishes, then invade. Either that, or let some small-scale assault fleets just come in and be slaughtered by the forces on the inner rim."

  "War by attrition," Captain Hiro, a stocky Japanese man, noted. "Just like you expected, Commander."

  "Who are the strangers?" asked Nash Blake, commander of the *Laredo.*

  "They're Members of the Circle of Thought," said Niko. "They're our wild card."

  "But there's only a dozen of you," Captain Hiro noted. "How are a dozen people supposed to make a difference?"

  "We don't know what will defeat the Queen," Captain Jones of the *Liberation* grumbled.

  "Captain Foxx provided the answer to that," said Walsh. "Said something about her having to feed on her own Slaverlords for strength."

  Jadus looked up. "That means that she's weak. When our world fought her, she used up the life-energy of her slaves as a last resort."

  "She's starving to death, then?" Lini asked.

  "Sounds like it," Captain Raleigh, whose team was part of the *Babylon's* crew, commented wryly.

  "So, you know about the Queen?" Walsh asked. "Any more you care to tell us?"

  Lannon nodded and came forward. "Yes, but our information is out of date. We'll need to see what your information on her is. We know some things you don't about her, and the weaknesses of her people."

  Niko stood and said, "We also have another element in our favor." She nodded to Lannon.

  Niko noticed Lannon smiling and closing his eyes. The whole ship shimmered and the lights dimmed for a moment. He then opened his eyes, and made a gesture. The com signal went off.

  "Sir," said an ensign. "Transmission from the Argo."

  The face of Commander Saigt, Hiro's Andorian first officer, popped up on the screen. "Captain, what happened? The Babylon vanished from everyone's sensors for a moment. Is everything all right down there?"

  Hiro's eyes, and the eyes of all the captains, registered surprise. Hiro informed his first officer. "It's all right. I'll brief you on it when I come back aboard."

  The transmission cut. Hiro turned to Niko. "Ranger Niko, what's your plan?"

********

  After the briefing was over, Niko went to some small quarters on the Babylon, using the last few hours to meditate on Emptiness. She was fitted with a new badge, and her implant was given a small recharge. The facilities aboard the ship were designed to charge Series Three implants and lower. Still, it was helpful to receive an added boost. Her implant was as much a source of energy as anything else, though Niko now got the feeling that she wouldn't be relying on that energy too heavily in the future. This incident taught her a lesson about relying on the outside.

  The door chime rang, and Niko rose to answer it. Opening it revealed Vallian, an old Wakkist. Wakkist were tall, lupine aliens. Their planet was past both Crown and BETA's mapped space. Niko had estimated that it would be almost another twenty years before BETA encountered the Wakkist homeworld. Vallian was a Master Adept, like Ariel. His long friendship with Ariel was what convinced him to come along.

  Niko rose. "Vallian, old friend. What's the matter? Did you try to ForeSee what would happen?"

  Vallian smiled. "I can't ever see into the future clearly, Niko. If I could, I'd be too terrified to do much. Besides, fate is not the cut of a blade, but like cracks in ice. Many results can come from the same set of images."

  "Still," said Niko. "What brings you here?"

  "Something I sensed. I only got a feeling, one too distinct to ignore."

  "What is it?"

  The lupine creature bowed his head for a moment, the looked up. "Adept, I fear for you. Do not go off to battle Jesset, no matter how you feel for your friends."

  Niko was stunned. "Why?"

  "If you fight Jesset now, you will lose the battle. I only saw that much. Jesset is powerful, as are you. But it's far from equal, and I still sense the possibility of treachery on her part."

  "I don't expect the Queen to fight honestly. I'm prepared for it," she said. "And if I die, I'll only be one of hundreds, possibly thousands."

  "Are you eager to die, Adept?"

  "No more than you are," she said softly. "But I've known for a long time that I wouldn't die in my sleep. I'll remember your words, and if I don't survive this...tell Ariel that I love her."

  "She already knows," Vallian said. "But if her heart-daughter doesn't survive, I'll tell her."

  Niko looked up. "Thank you. Now, get ready. We don't have much..."

  The vibration of the deck plates shifted under their feet as the *Babylon* dropped out of hyperspace. The intercom confirmed what they already knew.

  "Battlestations! Crown space in twenty minutes!"

  Niko stood, and rushed past Vallian. "I'm sorry," she said. "But my place is elsewhere."

  "Niko!" Vallian cried after her. "Niko, come back!"

  But the young human was already far from sight, dashing into the nearest lift, and all but pushing her way past technicians and soldiers to get there. The lift took her down to the flight deck where Ranger One was waiting. She strapped in the pilot's seat, and activated the pre-flight warm up.

  "Ready, GV?" she asked.

  The blue and green eye bobbed up and down. ""As ready as I'll ever be."

  "Then, launch."

********
  The Crown patrol ships, led by the Crown Destroyer *Drakkuul* skirted the edge of the asteroid belt. Captain Orthallan had ridden out mainly as a show of force.

  "I'm detecting a Ranger battlecruiser," the helmsman reported.

  "How many?"

  "Only one. I can't get a positive ID on it, though."

  "It's just one vessel," said Orthallan dismissively. "Time to show our little friend not to attempt a challenge of the belt."

  No sooner had Orthallan and his small fleet had emerged from the asteroid belt, had space itself seemed to ripple and shimmer like a Slaverlord. The Crown fleet soon came face-to-face with the full might of BETA's forces. Ships now seemed to outnumber the asteroids.

  A fleet of ships...an incredibly mighty fleet of ships. With all the Crown forces dispersed along the border, the heart of the Empire was unprepared for an invasion of THIS scale! Gasps of astonishment filled the bridge. Orthallan could have sworn that even the Slaverlords and robots were stunned.

  "Call the Palace!" Orthallan barked. "Tell them to send out the armada."

  The incoming hail came over audio. "Captain, you have sounded an alert. What is the matter of the emergency?"

  "Highness," a Crown Guard said, "We're picking up a fleet of ships headed this way - all of them from BETA mountain."

  The League ships immediately went for the attack, battlecruisers and interceptors launching and heading for the larger Crown Destroyers like a swarm of insects.

  The Crown favored large, powerful vessels, while the League favored smaller, weaker, but more maneuverable craft. The large shots of the big vessels could easily take out several small ships, but the small ships could dodge and hit critical points on the larger ones. Size versus speed. Power versus maneuverability.

  And only the Gods knew who would claim victory.

______________________________________________________

On to Chapter Thirteen!
Back to Allronix's Fics!
Back to Authors Page!