Tides Of Change: A Starflight Story (standard:science fiction, 8030 words)
Author: Brockleigh	Added: Dec 06 2001	Views/Reads: 3558/2737	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
The Phoenix is called to broker an alliance with an old enemy of the Empire, a chance to finally stabilize peace in the Arth sector. And all the while changes are about to happen in Gault's life.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

the groups as he identified them. "From Arth, we have Captain Gault and 
the crew of the ISS Phoenix, and Captain Hambleton and the crew of the 
ISS Cornwallis. As well, from Votiputox we have Captain Xiun of the HMS 
Bqui, and Captain Biloxi of the HMS Vixxixxippi, and their respective 
crews. 

"Now I've never been known to mince words, so here's what we've called
you in for. A faction of the Gazurtoid wants to talk." There were 
shouts and mumbling from the gallery, and Axelson called for quiet. 
"People, let me explain, please. The last known contact with a Minstrel 
was three years ago in 4624. The ship that encountered it reported that 
it sang an unusual and peculiar song, which included the phrase, 'There 
breeds a fire in the heart of the water.' Unfortunately the song was 
very short, and we haven't made contact with a Minstrel since. We 
hadn't had any clue to what the song meant, until Captain Gault's foray 
into Gazurtoid space last year." Gault was shocked by that last 
sentence and was more than a little intrigued. Axelson continued,  "In 
that mission, Captain Gault reported only being engaged by one poorly 
armed scout on two twenty-five sector sprints right past the Cross 
Constellation. Such little resistance made us wonder why. 

"Two months ago we sent two distant listening ships, the ISS Awacs and
the ISS Norad to have a see if they could pick up anything out of the 
ordinary. What we heard was astonishing. It seems as though there is a 
religious rebellion within the Gazurtoid republic. There exists a 
faction that wants to return the Gazurtoid back to the original 
teachings in their holy manuscripts. The body that has governed the 
Gazurtoid for the last three thousand years is actually an extremist 
group that focuses only on a portion of the manuscripts. This is why 
Captain Gault did not encounter any real resistance in his last foray 
through Gazurtoid space. The majority of the Gazurtoid fleet is 
currently preoccupied with fighting these rebels. 

"One of the rebel vessels discovered the listening ships, and made
contact with them. They asked for a meeting. We will grant it. We have 
arranged for one Gazurtoid fundamentalist ship to rendezvous with us at 
a predetermined location, far from Gazurtoid or Arthean space. At that 
time you will offer an olive branch, and pledge our assistance in any 
way that we can. You will depart at 1000 hours tomorrow, and at that 
time, you will receive the location for the rendezvous. Understood? 
Thank you, gentlemen, you are dismissed." 

The crews for the four ships all got up and left, with the exception of
Mark Gault. Axelson looked up from the podium, and said, "Say your 
piece, Mark." 

Gault laughed, "What the hell are you thinking? You want us to 'extend
an olive branch' to the Gazurtoid? You gotta be out of your tree on 
this one, Pete." 

Axelson straightened up, "The board feels that this may allow us to gain
a foothold to end the Gazurtoid threat once and for all. I don't see 
how, strategically, we can pass up an opportunity such as this..." 

Gault shook his head, "Newsflash, Pete, we are a commercial corporation.
We aren't a military organization. It's not our business to get all 
involved in other cultures' affairs. You wanna end the Gazurtoid 
threat? Let 'em beat the hell out of each other, then we'll take what's 
left. That's a good plan." 

Axelson just looked at Gault, "Mark, Interstel is an arm of the Arthean
government now. We do have the authorization from Arth to act as a 
military force. In fact, right now, we are in the process of building 
twelve new fighting ships for that purpose." 

"Well the Phoenix isn't one of them!" Gault was emphatic on that point,
"Dammit, Pete, my ship is a commercial ship. I gotta pay for my own 
fuel, my own upgrades, my own repairs, which, coincidentally, only seem 
to occur when YOU send me on another fool's errand to get shot up. I'm 
tired of being first in harms way for this freaking outfit. Send 
somebody else for a change!" 

Axelson wasn't prepared for that, but he wasn't about to back down
either, "Mark I would have thought that someone with as checkered a 
past as you would have a little more courage..." 

"Courage?" Gault was furious, "You aren't the one getting sent out to
make nice with one of our oldest enemies? Oh and by the way, what's 
with the bugs? It wasn't enough to send two of your own ships on a 
suicide mission, you had to get the Grand Lovely's boys wasted, too?" 

"As it happens we needed the extra firepower to guarantee your safety,"
Axelson was indignant now, "so don't get all uppity on me. They weren't 
cheap either." Axelson then froze, and Gault knew the Commander had 
said something he shouldn't have. 

"What did it cost us, Pete?" Gault crossed his arms and waited. 

Axelson averted his eyes, and spoke softly, "Vistrel 1." 

Gault's eyes went wide and his jaw nearly hit the floor, "You gave up an
entire star system to rent two tin cans? I don't believe this. For a 
gamble we aren't even sure will pay off at all?" 

"I needed the ships!" Axelson was shouting now, "Votiputox has
challenged our claim to Vistrel 1 ever since we made the colony 
recommendation. They had an orbital drone there, remember? Look, it's 
not a big deal. Interstel had no immediate plans to colonize that world 
anyways. We have Heaven seven sectors away, and we are concentrating on 
Vell Bralis Nova City. That's enough for us right now. Let the Velox 
have their little rock." Axelson took a deep breath and calmed down, 
"With Interstel withdrawing it's claim on Vistrel 1, the planet will 
revert to its Velox name. It will be called Smaxkiip from now on. 
Please make the appropriate adjustments in your rutter." 

"Thanks. I'll get right on it. What I don't get is why me, yet again.
How about the Binary? This is an historic mission, right? Shouldn't 
they be leading the charge?" 

Axelson leaned on the podium, "Because we aren't sure that Captain Lee
can handle a battle. He's never fought in space before. If this gets 
ugly, we want the best fighter we have out there." 

Gault cocked his head sideways, "Best? Or most expendable?" 

"You just don't get it, do you?" Axelson had the look in his eye of
someone who was very impatient and frustrated, "I shouldn't be saying 
this, but I suppose it's the only way to get it through that thick 
skull of yours. We're promoting you after this mission. You are the 
best, yes the BEST, combat captain we have, and we need that talent and 
experience to lead our new Fighter Corps. After this mission, we're 
going to give you six Attack/Defense Vessels, and six 
Commercial/Exploration Vessels. When you return from this mission, 
you're going to be made a Commodore. Do you understand? Does that make 
sense now?" 

Gault, for the first time in a very long time, was rendered speechless.
Axelson looked at the gaping captain in front of him, and decided to 
end the discussion at that point. 

"Go back to your ship, Mark, get some rest, and think about how you want
your new office here at Starport to look like." Axelson turned and 
walked out of the room. It took Gault two full minutes to pull himself 
together and utter his first word after learning about his promotion. 

"Whoa." *** 

Craig Hixon boarded the Phoenix the following morning, still yawning and
scratching his head as he shook out the morning cobwebs. He took a sip 
of the coffee he brought with him, and noticed that the door to the 
Captain's Quarters was open. He stopped in front of the open door, and 
then peered inside. He saw Mark Gault sitting at the meeting table 
looking up at the computer monitor. Hixon walked in, looked at the 
display, and saw technical schematics for the new Attack/Defense 
Vessels, or ADVs as they were being called. 

"What, are you looking to trade up, Mark?" Hixon looked closer at the
blueprints for the new ships, "Corsair class. Well at least they named 
them well. How well are they gonna be able to fight?" 

"Well, with class 7 lasers, shields and missiles, it'll be a major
threat for all our enemies. I'm concerned about the targeting 
computers, though. The ship is capable of making multiple turns at 9.5 
G's without substantial stress to the ship's chassis, but the weapons 
targeting hardware isn't built to take that much stress over 7 G's." 
Gault's eyes glazed over for a moment, "I'll have to bring that up with 
the shipwrights..." 

Hixon laughed at Gault's comments, "And how are you going to do that?
Only flag officers can make those kind of recommendations. I mean only 
flag officers are supposed to be able look at these..." The realization 
then dawned upon Hixon. He turned to face Gault, "Wait a second, Mark, 
are you... you aren't... are you...?" 

Gault took his time answering, and then finally said, "Yep. When we get
back from this rendezvous, it'll be official. You are looking at the 
future Commodore Mark Gault. I'm going to have twelve ships, one of 
which will be the Phoenix, so I'm still going to be around." The 
Captain stood up and said, "Look, don't say anything, alright? I don't 
want any disruptions while we are on this mission. I need everyone 
focused if this turns sour. Got it?" Hixon nodded his understanding, 
"Good. The rest of the crew will be here in a moment. Let's get settled 
here." 

Hixon nodded at first, and then added, "What's gonna happen to the
Phoenix? Sir?" 

"Cut it out with the 'Sir'," Gault shook his head, "I don't know. Either
they are going to assign another Captain, or they will promote you. I'd 
rather have you take command. The crew is comfortable with you, there 
aren't any personality clashes, and I know I can trust you. I've made a 
push to have Interstel move you up. We'll see what happens..." Just 
then, the remaining members of the crew boarded the ship. Gault cleared 
the Corsair class blueprints off the screen and gave Hixon a look that 
said 'hush'. He then indicated to his crew to have a seat at the chairs 
around the meeting table. 

"Okay, you were all at the briefing. You know what the drill is. We head
to the meeting point, listen to what they have to say and hope we don't 
get into a firefight. I've already talked to Captain Hambleton and the 
Velox captains, and we will be flying under Condition Red as soon as we 
leave the Arth system. It's entirely possible that we could be ambushed 
somewhere along our flight path, so we are going to be prepared for 
anything. Speaking of our flight path, our destination is the Axe 
constellation. We will rendezvous with the Gazurtoid ship at the star 
system at 228, 22. That's it. Take your places, folks. This is bound to 
get interesting." With that, the crew of the Phoenix silently got up 
from the meeting table and headed out of the Captain's quarters. Gault 
was the last to leave, and he paused in the doorway briefly, shook his 
head, and made for the bridge. 

The crew went through their pre-flight check quickly and quietly.
Qynzhqylyh effortlessly guided the starship out of Spaceport, where the 
Phoenix then formed up with the Cornwallis, the Bqui and the 
Vixxixxippi. The other three ships tied their navigation systems to the 
Phoenix, and Qynzhqylyh began the journey by plotting a course to the 
first of two fluxes the small squadron would use to reach their 
destination. 

Gault noticed an uneasy quiet aboard his ship. He knew his crew would be
all business, not allowing any emotion to show though, however the lack 
of excitement spoke volumes of its own. Hixon quietly performed scans 
of the surrounding space. Kel Dabi monitored all communications 
channels. Qynzhqylyh made calculations for navigating the ship. Lor 
E'aye was on the bridge, looking over very old translations of the 
Gazurtoid religious texts, or what little Interstel had of them, for 
any insight into the source of the holy war brewing in the Republic. It 
was the way everyone did their tasks, so matter-of-factly, that 
unsettled Gault. No banter, no comments to oneself, none of the usual 
noises that were present on the bridge. Everyone just quietly did their 
thing. Gault decided to change that. 

"Mr. Hixon, Kel Dabi? Anything to report so far?" 

Hixon spoke first, "No sir, there doesn't seem to be any disturbances or
any out of the ordinary events thus far." He then returned to his 
readouts. 

Kel Dabi then made his report, "Nay, Captain." 

Gault resigned himself that his bridge officers couldn't loosen up, and
tried a different tack, "Lor, have you discovered anything in the 
manuscripts?" Gault knew that the marigold loved to discuss history and 
archaeology, and would be able to hold a discourse on the topic. 

The Elowan looked up from his console and composed himself. "Captain, it
wouldst appear the Gazurtoid are indeed fragmented in their core 
beliefs. The texts do infer that the Aquarians were called upon to 
embark on a pilgrimage. The writings however are unclear as to what 
they were to look for. It may have been a journey for nothing more that 
enlightenment itself." Lor E'aye paused as the Phoenix and its escorts 
passed through the first flux. "A common theory among Arthean scholars 
holds that the Gazurtoid were horrified by the volume of air breathing 
races on their outward journey, and became distracted from their 
original intent. At some point they allied with the Uhlek and Spemin 
and initiated the Second Wave. The majority of the Gazurtoid hold to an 
unclear portion of the text that seems to call for the eradication of 
all air breathing life forms. This would be the extremist faction. They 
believest that this is the purpose of the pilgrimage. 

"The other faction is the fundamentalists. This sect recognizes their
involvement in the Second Wave as an interruption in their sojourn, and 
now fights to return to their initial purpose. The remaining texts are 
very old and prophetical, and of no real use to us right now." 

"Interesting," Gault mused, "Has there been any sign as to how many of
the Gazurtoid belong to the fundamentalist view?" 

Lor E'aye cocked his head slightly, "Nay, Captain. There is not an exact
way to determine a percentage. What data we hast been able to glean 
would indicate a significant minority, but one still small enough to 
require relying upon guerilla tactics and whatever alliances it may be 
able form." 

Gault narrowed his eyes and said, "Well that explains a lot, but I don't
know. These guys still might be waiting on the other side of the next 
flux and start blazing lasers as soon as we pop through. Qyn and Api, 
maintain your posts. Everyone else take a short break. We should make 
the next flux in..." Gault scanned his chronometer, "...73 minutes. 
Head to your quarters, and meet back here in one hour." 

With that, the crew, save for Qynzhqylyh, departed the bridge and
towards their quarters. 

*** 

The Phoenix's crew returned on time, and had time to adjust their
stations and get comfortable before reaching the second flux. The four 
ships tightened formation and performed readiness checks of all weapons 
and defense systems. With each captain satisfied that their respective 
ships were as ready as they would ever be, Captain Gault gave the order 
to proceed through the flux. 

Gault's knuckles were white against the armrests on his chair as the
ship settled back into normal space on the other side of the flux. He 
didn't need to tell Hixon to scan the space immediately surrounding 
them, nor Qynzhqylyh to go to "all stop". Hixon took an extra moment 
before giving his report. 

"All clear, sir. Nothing else besides our task group in the immediate
vicinity," 

Gault relaxed somewhat, but was still mostly on edge as he gave his next
order, "Very well. Make a course for the system at 228, 22. Three 
quarter speed, and everyone stay on alert. Got it?" 

A chorus of  'Aye, sir's filled the bridge, and indeed, no one relaxed
one iota on the twenty-one minute flight from the flux to the target 
system. Upon reaching the unnamed system, the tension on the bridge 
increased to almost being something tangible as the ship passed through 
the outer limits of DZ228, 22 and the ship automatically slowed from 
Faster-Than-Light to Sublight. Hixon's sensor array switched to short 
range, and immediately he had something to report. 

"Cap'n, motion detected, something big... holy jumpin'...Gazurtoid
warship... it's huge!" Hixon, unlike his crewmates, had never 
encountered a Gazurtoid warship before, and was visibly intimidated. 
"... Uhhh, Class 7 lasers unarmed, class 7 shields, raised." 

"Thank you, Mister Hixon," Gault said and turned to Kel Dabi, "Hail
'em." 

Kel Dabi wordlessly nodded and worked on his console. The Elowan needed
to adjust filters and sensors to compensate for distortion from the 
water the Gazurtoid would be floating in. Qynzhqylyh also released the 
other three ships from the Task Force should the need arise to enable 
evasive maneuvers. After no more than a few seconds, the body of what 
the Interstel Task Force assumed was the rebel leader appeared on 
screen. Gault and the Gazurtoid stared at each other for a couple of 
long moments before Gault broke the ice. 

"This is Captain Mark Gault of the ISS Phoenix. To whom would I be
speaking?" 

"I am known as Kaz'uhh Slarr, which means 'He Of The Vision'. I am most
gratified to see thine arrival." The Gazurtoid replied. 

"Well..." Gault hadn't completely thought out where to go after the
introduction, "... Kaz'uhh Slarr. What are we doing here?" 

"I ask on behalf of my followers for thine assistance in our fight
against the infidel. We battle for a return to the base of our core 
beliefs, that which has been bastardized for lo these many centuries. I 
trust thou hast studied our history and knowest of which I speak?" 

"Yeah, err... yes. We are aware of the basis of your cause," Gault said,
"We know you want to return to a search for something. What is it you 
are looking for?" 

"That which we search for does not concern thee, for the truth of our
search cannot be understood by an air-breather. What we seek with an 
allegiance with thy people is to end conflict and return to our true 
purpose." Kel Dabi toiled feverishly on his console, working the comm 
system to make the translation as understandable as possible. While it 
seemed seamless, Kel Dabi was very much struggling with the Gazurtoid 
language. 

"Right..." Gault wasn't happy already, "So what are your terms?" 

"In exchange for thy pledge of assistance in battle, and restoring the
Aquarian kind to our search for divine elevation, our rightful place on 
the left side of Gaz'haa, Creator of all that is, to be the sword and 
the shield, and the rod and the mallet, and the admonishment and the 
kind word..." 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Gault rubbed his temples, "in return...?" 

The rebel leader was lost in his reverie, "...for it is I that foresaw,
in a moment of ethereal clarity, what was promised to the Aquarian kind 
four millennia ago, to Kalonia who promised it to Gozan'tai, who 
promised it to Zavanazaa, who promised it to Qu'Azzansh, but then took 
it back after they broke up and subsequently promised it to Ned, 
who..." 

"Hey, Calamari Boy! Focus!" Gault was terribly impatient by now as were
all in the Task Force. "I'm gonna say this really slow so we can all 
understand: What... Do... We... Get... In... Return? In ten words or 
less." 

"Thou shalt receive the technology that has confounded thy people since
the Aqauarians' arrival in this space. We shalt deliver a unto thee a 
operational unit of the V'zaarak Shield, that which cannot be 
penetrated by any missile." 

Gault's jaw almost hit the ground at the offer, and the bridge was
silent for a long moment, then Qynzhqylyh spoke up, "That being more 
than the ten words." 

Gault shot Qynzhqylyh a dirty look, and then looked back at the
viewscreen. The Gazurtoid repulsed him. The conical head, the 
tentacles, the lifeless black eyes. There was so much to dislike, and 
throw in the long-standing simmering conflict between the Gazurtoid and 
the Empire and Gault wanted to arm his weapons and destroy the 
Gazurtoid right then and there. The offer seemed genuine, however, and 
gaining the technology could help them overcome the Gazurtoid's 
invincibility to missile fire, and would give most Interstel ships a 
fighting chance. Gault needed to give the alien an answer, "I will have 
to take your offer back to my superiors, but I believe they will accept 
your offer. With certain conditions of course. The Interstel ships you 
contacted earlier have maintained position. You will contact them in 
four Arth days, at which time you will be notified if we will accept or 
decline. Agreed?" 

"Agreed. We will do as thou hast indicated," Kaz'uhh Slarr paused and
added, "Know thee this, the Aquarian kind bears thee no great love. We 
tolerate thee only as a means to an end. The infidels wage war upon 
thee, for they see themselves as Gaz'haa personified, and would be His 
sword without divine elevation. For though it is written that 
'Whosoever dost not breath water shall perish in divine and righteous 
fire,' it is we of the true faith that knowest that it is Gaz'haa who 
shall judge thee Himself, and render thy punishment for thy curse, not 
the tentacle of the mortal. This marriage is but temporary. We shall 
not be allies following our victory over the infidel. Thou must knowest 
this." 

Gault wasn't surprised by this turn of events, and wasn't displeased
either, "Understood. Return to thine... I mean... your space and await 
our signal. Phoenix out." The viewscreen winked off and then back to 
the starfield. Gault looked at his crew, and said, "Well that was fun. 
Nothing like a nice reunion with an old enemy. Qyn, tie the other ships 
to our nav system and head back for the flux. Kel, contact the Bqui and 
the Cornwallis and have them keep an eye on our tails. Hixon, keep your 
eyes on the sensors until we can't see the squids any more. If you see 
anything, holler real loud." 

With that, the four "Empire" ships left the encounter. To Gault's mild
surprise the Gazurtoid ship did not move or scan the four ships. It 
just let them leave. It was a quiet and yet still tense atmosphere 
onboard the Phoenix, and Gault wondered if it was the same on the other 
three ships. The group of four made the flux in short time, and passed 
silently through it, taking them just coreward of Elowan space. Gault 
ordered everyone except Qynzhqylyh to retire to quarters and rest until 
arrival at the second flux. 

And all was quiet on the bridge again. 

*** 

It was an uneventful trip to the second flux, and as well to Starport.
The crew bade each other good-bye and went their separate ways. Gault 
headed straight to Operations to give his report, having signaled ahead 
to Starport that the Phoenix and its companions would be arriving 
shortly. Gault walked into Operations to find Axelson and the rest of 
the Board Of Directors waiting for him. 

"Shall we speak in private?" Gault asked as he pointed towards the
conference room. Axelson and the board nodded and followed Gault 
inside. 

Gault took the opportunity to stand in front of the podium. He looked
over at Axelson, noted his look of disapproval, and started his 
briefing. "Basically folks, what the Squids are proposing is a 
temporary truce with all air-breathers while they work on getting back 
to their roots. The one I spoke with was Kaz'uhh Slarr. He seems to be 
high up in the rebel hierarchy. The extremists that are in power have 
'lost their way' so to speak, and the only way for Slarr and his 
faction to return his people back on their path is an armed uprising. 
So, what he proposes is a temporary alliance. We help him overthrow the 
Extremists, and he lets God judge us for our sins, not the Gazurtoid." 

"That's it? That's all he offered? He wants us to jump into a civil war
in exchange for only his word not to attack us?" One of the Board 
members, Gault believed his name was Julian Forrest, stood up and took 
the floor, "Unacceptable. Too risky and not enough in exchange. I won't 
allow it." The other board members talked among themselves, and Forrest 
had the smug look of someone born to lead. 

"No that's not all, sir. In exchange, Slarr promised us the anti-missile
shield technology, the...V'zaarak shield, I believe he called it. They 
are going to give us a working copy of it." The board members all 
became very quiet, and Forrest sat back down, looking embarrassed.  
"The offer seems genuine. I mean I'm just a lowly captain right now, 
but I would recommend taking the Squids up on their offer. Commander 
Axelson, does that sound acceptable?" 

Axelson sat quietly for a moment, looked at the board of directors.
"Give us an hour or so, would you, Captain Gault?" Gault looked over 
the board, and saw looks of disbelief on all the faces in the room. He 
headed for the door to allow them to discuss the matter. Axelson spoke 
up before he got to the door, "Oh, and Mark, please speak with my 
assistant. She has something for you." 

Gault looked quizzically at Axelson, and then left the room. He headed
for Axelson's office and was greeted by a pretty young woman who knew 
his name. She beckoned Gault to follow her, and led him to a nicely 
sized office and turned to look at him. 

"Nice office," Gault said looking around, "Whose is it?" 

"Yours," she said, "The door is already programmed with your locking
protocol. Hope you enjoy." With that she headed back to her own desk 
and left Gault alone in the room. Gault gaped as he looked around. The 
Computer terminal was larger that the one he had on board the Phoenix, 
at least a foot larger high and wide. The walls were covered in Alamar, 
a teak colored wood common on Arth, which gave the office a warm and 
inviting feeling. The desk was also Alamar, with a smaller computer 
terminal fixed to the top of it, reminding Gault of a laptop computer 
back on Old Earth. A large, comfortable looking, plush swivel chair 
waited for him behind the desk, and a not quite so comfortable one, but 
still very nice, sat on the other side, for whatever visitors he had. 
Gault pulled out his chair, sank into it, and looked out the window 
into the Operations centre. He swiveled and looked out the viewport, 
catching a wonderful view of Arth. He sat there and shook his head for 
a moment, and then a knock on the door brought him back to reality. 

"Nice digs, Cap'n... err... is it Commodore now?" Hixon stood there in
the doorway, "What do I call you?" 

"Close the door and come inside." Gault pointed him to the visitor's
chair. He punched some keys on his little terminal, and checked his 
official roster report. "According to Interstel's duty roster, I'm 
still just Captain Mark Gault. Probably won't change until we get 
finish off this Gazurtoid business. I wonder what I'll be doing..." 

"So do you know what ships you will be getting yet?" Hixon asked. 

Gault fiddled with his terminal and sorted through some files. "Here. I
think I found it. Well, the Phoenix obviously. Ummm... looks like the 
Hyperion, the Trafalgar, and three new CEVs which have been named... 
let's see, the Halcyon, the Confederate and the Olympian. Cool names. 
The ADVs are still a work in progress. Three of them are still being 
built, and three are already christened. The Strike Eagle, the Marauder 
and the Crusader, but all of those ones are back in dry dock being 
refitted. Looks like took my recommendation about the targeting 
computer. They're listening to me already. That's a good sign, don'tcha 
think?" Gault flipped through some other files on his terminal. He 
chuckled over something that came up, "Look at this one, it’s a 
terrestrial exploration report for the guys colonizing Old Earth. He 
says he's come upon 'some old ruins of a highly populated metropolis at 
40 degrees north, 74 degrees west, with evidence the ruins were 
extremely tall structures, and an extensive underground transportation 
system.' He's on Manhattan. Congratulations Columbus, you've discovered 
the Lower East Side." Hixon looked at Gault like a man listening to an 
inside joke. The place that Gault was smiling about over the terminal 
could not have been more foreign to the younger man. He decided to 
press the issue. 

"Is that where you are from? 'Manhattan'?" Hixon asked. Gault looked up
from his terminal, and his face darkened a little. 

"No, I'm from a place about... I dunno, 300 miles away in upstate New
York. A tiny little town you probably wouldn't find on any map. It was 
beautiful in the fall..." Gault's eyes glazed over as he thought back 
to a life 2600 years in the past. 

"Do you miss it?" Hixon asked, and again, Gault's reverie was broken. 

"Yes, I do, but less so now. There's so much here on Arth and Starport
and space that leads my mind away, but I do remember my wife, and my 
kids, and I wish I was back with them again. It was so hard those first 
couple of years after I woke up. I needed some time and some doctors 
and some really good drugs, and I'm better. Every now and then, though, 
I smell something or hear something or whatever, and my mind goes back 
to Earth." Again Gault's eyes glazed over, but he shook it off himself 
this time. He changed the subject and talked with Hixon until Axelson 
walked in. Hixon stood up when he saw the senior man, but Gault waved 
him back down. "So what's the verdict, Pete?" 

Axelson leaned on the doorframe. "The board has decided to take the
Gazurtoid up on their offer. You will take the same task group to a 
location close to the Thrynn/Gazurtoid border. The Thrynn will back you 
up, if necessary, and if things go very badly you can sprint to the 
Thrynn/Elowan border and hide among the drone ships there." 

Gault nodded in agreement, and Hixon just watched the strategy session.
Axelson had one more point, "Mark, the board wants the Binary to take 
the lead of this mission. I know you won't like the idea, and I tried 
to get them to change their minds, but it is set. This will be a 
semi-formal diplomatic mission, and they want Captain Lee there." 

Gault shook his head and said quietly, "Pete you said it yourself, Lee
has no practical combat experience. If the Extremists find out about 
this rendezvous, they will show up with their guns a-blazing. I know 
there isn't anything you can do, but... I don't like it." 

"Mark, you haven't liked many of the missions I've given you," Axelson
said, "but you've always made the best of them. That's why you're being 
promoted. I know you will make the best of this one too. Your task 
group will leave in 72 hours," and with that, Axelson left Gault's 
office. Gault and Hixon looked at each other, both shrugged, and 
returned to their previous conversation. 

*** 

The 72 hours came and went and the crew of the Phoenix found themselves
doing their pre-flight check in preparation for departing for the 
rendezvous point. This wasn't a full diplomatic mission, so the 
Phoenix, the Cornwallis and the two Veloxi ships did not have to 
synchronize their pre-flights along with Captain T.C. Lee's maddeningly 
slow and methodical process. The crew of the Phoenix quietly and 
efficiently did their thing, and then waited for Lee and the Binary to 
finish their own and give the signal to depart. In due time the signal 
came and the ships left the orbiting space station on course to take 
position at 125,65. 

Gault looked around the bridge and noticed the change in demeanor from
the last sortie to this one. Where a palpable tension existed then, now 
the crew seemed more confident, more business-like, more Phoenix-like. 
It was a gratifying sight to see for the ship's captain. 

While it took just more than sixteen hours to make the rendezvous point,
there was no sign of fatigue with any of the ship's crew. The manned 
their posts at the ready. What was disquieting was the lack of a 
Gazurtoid counterpart. The crew expected to see a Gazurtoid warship 
waiting for them, but all they found at the designated location was 
empty space. Gault looked over to Hixon, who was already performing 
scans for any sign of... anything. While Gault was looking over at the 
Science Officer, he noticed a sensor on the display light up in an odd 
fashion. 

"What's that?" 

Hixon selected the sensor, and looked quizzically. "It's some kind of
ion or energy storm due outward, at least that's what it looks like. I 
dunno..." 

Gault was doubtful, "How far are we to the nearest star?" 

Qynzhqylyh responded to that query, "We the being about seven sectors
downspin from the Ranaf system, and about 8 sectors upspin from a class 
O star at 121,57." 

"Can't be an ion storm; we're too far away from a star or anything
else..." Gault thought it over, and then it hit him. He looked back at 
Hixon, "Distant heavy weapons fire?" Hixon cocked his head and looked 
at Gault by way of saying yes, and the Captain's next response was 
automatic, "Condition Yellow, shields up. Kel, alert the rest of the 
ships to our status, and recommend they go to Yellow as well. Keep the 
channel open to the Binary as well. Qyn, get ready to warm up the 
weapons." The bridge resounded with 'Aye, sir's and the crew waited to 
see what became of the anomalous energy reading on Hixon's display. The 
Science Officer, for his part, kept his eyes glued to his terminal 
looking for any change to his readings. Then it came. 

"Sir, three ships coming into range," Three lights lit up on his
terminal, one switching to red, identifying one ship as a previously 
identified, possible hostile threat, "Two unknown Gazurtoid ships, the 
third is Kaz'uhh Slarr's. Sir, one of the Gazurtoid ships is firing on 
Slarr." 

"Captain Gault, Slarr's ship would be hailing us, it is a distress
call." Kel Dabi reported from his station. 

Gault looked at the Comm Officer, "Is the channel still open with the
Binary?" 

"Aye, sir" 

"Onscreen." Gault ordered and saw Captain T.C. Lee's face. Gault didn't
waste any time. "Lee, we have to assist. Give the order." 

"Negative, Captain Gault, I have our orders. Until we receive the shield
prototype, we do not assist the Gazurtoid in any way." Lee was 
steadfast. 

"Dammit, T.C.," Gault was incredulous, "The board can't have meant to be
that literal. I doubt Slarr can make it across the border!" Gault 
looked over at Hixon, who shook his head and shrugged, then looked over 
at Gault in an anxious, pleading way. The message was clear: the 
Fundamentalist ship would not survive with out the help of the Empire 
ships. 

"Hold position, Gault!" Lee said emphatically, and then terminated the
channel. Gault slammed his hands down on the armrests of his chair. He 
searched his mind for options. 

"Qyn, will the Grand Lovely's boys follow us if we go in?" Gault asked. 

"Jose, no way. None the doing, unless the ordering by a superior
officer." Qynzhqylyh replied. 

"Superior officer..." Gault keyed the duty roster, and scanned down to
his name. What he saw was just what had hoped: 

'Name: Gault, Mark James.' 'Serial number: 35060673. ' 'Current
Assignment: ISS Phoenix.' 'Rank: Commodore.' 

"Kel, open a channel to all our ships, " Gault received the signal from
the Elowan, and then spoke as authoritatively as possible. "This is 
Commodore Mark James Gault speaking, you are ordered to immediately 
enter Gazurtoid space and assist the ailing Gazurtoid. That is a direct 
order. Do it now!" Gault looked over at the bridge crew. Hixon kept his 
eyes lowered, but the Veloxi and the two Elowan stared at him in 
disbelief to what they had just heard. Gault had to snap them out of 
it, "Did I stutter? Move this crate, maximum speed! Condition Red, arm 
lasers and missiles. Qyn, let me know as soon as we are in firing 
range. Kel, open a channel to Slarr, tell him help is on the way. Let's 
go, people." 

The ship rocked slightly as it accelerated from zero to flank speed.
Three of the empire ships followed the Phoenix, while the Binary stayed 
behind. The four ships screamed across the border towards the 
firefight, hoping they weren't too late. 

Hixon watched his display, monitoring the combat. What he saw was
troubling. "Cap'n, Slarr's ship is showing massive energy fluctuations. 
Shield energies are intermittent. Its dying, sir." He shook his head. 
Then Kel Dabi gave startling news. 

"Captain Gault, we are receiving a text message from Slarr's ship. I am
sending this transmission to thy terminal." Gault was astonished, and 
briefly glanced over the communiqué.  Then he spoke to Qynzhqylyh. 

"Are we in range yet?" 

Qynzhqylyh paused, and then said, "Now the yes." 

Gault wasted no time, "All ships, open fire at will. Hit the attacking
ship with everything you've got! Qyn, Fire lasers, Fox one and two." 
Gault knew that the missiles would be useless, but fired them anyway on 
the off chance they might hit paydirt. He watched the display as the 
missiles approached the Gazurtoid warship, bent around the Squid ship, 
and continued harmlessly on into space. The missiles fired from the 
rest of the task group did likewise. 

The lasers, however, were a different matter. All four ships pounded the
attacking Gazurtoid, and before too long the ship began to founder. It 
returned fire, but was no match against the constant firepower of the 
task group, and very soon broke apart, spilling its watery contents 
into space. The third Gazurtoid ship, which appeared to be merely 
trailing and monitoring the encounter, sped away, leaving the Empire 
contingent victorious. 

Gault had no time to celebrate. "Kel, open a channel to..." and then he
saw the remains of Slarr's ship. While the Empire ships were teaming up 
on his attacker, Slarr's ship crumbled from the effects of its abuse, 
and disintegrated. Gault sadly looked over the remains, the freezing 
water far more visible than the fragments of metal that was once a 
starship, so profound was the damage. He composed himself and continued 
his order, "... to the other ships: Return to the rendezvous point and 
then set course for Starport. Send a separate message to the Binary; 
same message, but add 'Thank your lucky stars you won't be under my 
command.' I will be in my quarters." 

And with that, the Phoenix headed home. 

*** 

Hixon received his summons to come to Gault's office in the Operations
Centre at Starport. Upon arriving in the office, he saw Gault in his 
chair, and Lor E'aye standing beside the desk. Both were looking at the 
wall terminal and a schematic that was onscreen. 

"Is that the last transmission Slarr sent us? The text message?" Hixon
asked. 

"Yup," Gault responded, "Lor and I have been looking over it. It appears
to be the shield technology, but we can't see what's so special about 
it. Can you figure out what it is?" 

Hixon stepped closer to the terminal, and studied it for a couple of
minutes. He examined a portion a little more closely, and then 
muttered, "Oh, come on..." 

Gault got up and stood beside him, "Have you figured it out?" 

Hixon smiled and shook his head, "The most ingenious inventions in
history have always been made great by their simplicity. You see this 
here?" Hixon pointed to an odd array on the schematic, "It's a magnetic 
field generator. Our missiles are made of metal, right? Well, it looks 
like the shield generates a magnetic field that grabs the missile, 
smoothes it along the shields edge, and lets it go on the other side of 
the ship. The concept is so simple, I don't know why we didn't think of 
it already." 

"That's it? So all we have to do is recreate this and..." Gault was cut
off by Hixon. 

"Not so fast, Skipper... uhh, Commodore. This entire schematic is in
Gazurtoid writing, which we currently have no one that can read it or 
decipher it. We can't tell what materials to use, what frequencies the 
shields are set to, what strength the magnetic field is set to. There 
are way too many variables. We have a drawing, that's all. Making this 
into a working prototype will take years and years, never mind 
mass-producing it for all our ships." 

Gault was disappointed, "Okay, what about counteracting the shield's
technology?" 

Hixon shook his head again, "Well we could make the missile casings out
of ceramic or some other non-metallic material, but there is still 
enough metal inside the missile to be affected by the magnetic field. 
Sorry, chief, all we know it what they are doing to us, no how to beat 
it. Not yet anyways." 

Gault sat back down, visibly disheartened, "That makes my previous
conversation with Lor even more disturbing. Lor, go ahead and tell 
him." 

Lor E'aye looked at Hixon and the translator box quoted him, "Craig,
from what we have learned from the Gazurtoid's history, they will 
strike back for this. The extremists will see the fundamentalists as 
the worst sort of blasphemers and will eradicate them with extreme 
prejudice. Once the rebel factions have been eliminated, they will then 
turn their attention to us. The ship that escaped the encounter will 
doubtless have reported our involvement, and the Empire will be branded 
as co-conspirators to this treason. They are a methodical race, and it 
may take some time, years perhaps. However, once they decide to strike 
back, Arth and it's allies will bear the full brunt of the wrath of the 
Gazurtoid. Of this there is no doubt. It is not a question of if, but 
when." 

Hixon looked at Gault, "Whoa..." 

Gault nodded, "Yeah. I've already made our report to the Board, and they
are stepping up production of the ADVs. Hopefully we will have enough 
of them when we do have to face them." The room got quiet for a moment, 
and then Gault brightened up, "I do have some good news however. Let me 
bring it up..." 

Hixon was puzzled, "What good news? This is my duty roster profile. I
know this already. Hixon, Craig Joseph, serial number 35102574, current 
assignment ISS Phoenix,..." and then that's when he saw the last line 
of the roster report. He stopped, and then slowly a grin started to 
appear on his face, and a grin that then turned into a full smile. Lor 
E'aye placed a vine on Hixon's shoulder, and Gault stood and clapped 
Hixon on the back. 

Gault smiled and said, "Congratulations, Craig, you deserve it. Enjoy
it." 

'Rank: Captain.' 

Next, Chapter 4: Horizons 


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