Stonerager Chronicles - Ch. 16

Stonerager Chronicles

By 2Charlie

This is a science fiction series that happens to include occasional erotic scenes. If you have not yet read previous chapters of this series, I highly recommend going back to do so before you read this chapter.

All characters in this story are of the age of majority.

Chapter 16

*****1215 Ship's Time, Day 67*****

The ambient lighting on the bridge was a soft blue, informing the crew that the ship's Stealth Screens were raised. The starfield ahead twisted into a Doppler distortion pattern they'd all become familiar with as the vessel opened a jump portal, then instantly transitioned to a completely different location in space. Jump gates were so much better than normal FTL travel, as the distances were crossed with zero time dilation effects, allowing for real-time transition across vast distances of space.

The starfield ahead was changed, with the planet Minta looming ahead and to port. The tactical display on the holoscreen immediately updated, quickly populating their field of vision with infographics detailing the location and disposition of the invading fleet, as well as the responding Rigellian starships. The modern-day equivalent of Identify Friend or Foe transponders quickly identified the four Rigellian ships closing on the invading fleet, vectoring outward from Rigellia, slipping quietly past the satellite ring that would stand in defense should their line be broken.

The invaders were staggered in two rough lines of advance. The forward line consisted of a dozen smaller craft, while four larger vessels made up the trailing line.

Turning to his right, Dutch asked Pheebs, "How many of those new warheads did we have time to synthesize?"

Pheebs brought up her palm pad and opened a status screen before confirming, "We have one dozen of the drone swarm warheads, and will have one dozen of the gravitic mine warheads completed within the hour - we have seven finished and ready for use at this moment."

"OPS, what is our time to intercept the invaders?"

Alisia checked her instruments briefly before responding, "At our current speed of Standard Sublight, we should intercept the lead ships in sixty-three minutes."

"When will the Rigellian starships intercept the invaders?" he pressed.

"The Rigellian ships will intercept the lead ships in forty-two minutes," she responded, updating the data on the tactical display with time-to-intercept.

"Can we get any indication on the makeup of the invading fleet at this distance?" he asked, not caring who could answer.

Danielli consulted her instruments before waving her hand at the tactical display, adding data to the overlay. "The lead dozen ships appear to be scouts and destroyers, but of a different configuration than previous expeditions. The trailing four ships are capital-class vessels that appear to be heavy battleships or dreadnoughts, better armed and armored than those we last encountered. I would suspect these vessels may represent the effect of Lyserion upgrades."

"NAV, plot us a new intercept course - I want to strike at those battleships, and I want us to get there at the same time the Rigellian ships are engaging the lead ships."

Ironheart's fingers flew across her console as she reran the calculations, and the tactical display updated with their new intercept course. "New course laid in, but we will need to accelerate to 40 per cent cee to reach firing range at the desired time."

"HELM, adjust to the new course and bring us up to point-four cee," Dutch ordered, as Justine's fingers did their own dance on her controls. The starfield shifted slightly in response to their acceleration, stabilizing as the new vector was achieved.

"Course and speed adjusted, Captain," Doherty responded crisply.

The air on the bridge practically thrummed with a subliminal vibration of excitement. Dutch glanced around to see each of the crew subconsciously leaning forward on the edge of their seats, excited for the upcoming engagement. This time, it felt different. This time, the enemy was not blundering into an unexpected encounter. This time, the enemy was armed for bear. Dutch chuckled softly as he reminded himself that the bear was one mean sonofabitch.

Kaitin was monitoring ship-to-ship communications between the Rigellian starships. Although the comms were encrypted, Admiral Bearing had shared the encryption keys with the Odyssey, so she was able to view the comms in the clear. "Captain, I am monitoring communications between Rigellia and their starships. Did you wish to apprise them of our presence?"

"Which ship is the lead for the Rigellian response?" Dutch asked over his shoulder.

"Noble Serenity appears to be the lead ship, sir. Runnir Ironheart is in command," she responded, adding, "Looks like she's joined by Boundless Voyager, Starlight Tempest, and Celestial Nomad."

"That's odd," Pheebs interjected. "I'd have expected Aurora Dancer and Majestic Horizon to be leading the charge. I can't see Fallon or O'Connor electing to sit this out."

"Let's run silent for now, see what we can learn," Dutch responded after considering options for a moment. Turning to Pheebs, he arched his eyebrow. "Perhaps, like us, the Dancer and Horizon are running in Stealth, possibly looking to attack the trailing ships like we are."

"That is entirely appropriate for this situation, based on how they were trained, both in simulation and actual combat," Pheebs concurred. "I'd advise we not wait too long to alert the Rigellians to our presence, so we can coordinate final options."

"Agreed. Let's give it a few minutes," he proposed. "I want to try something."

"SCI, I want you to evaluate charged particle emissions data. See if you can detect any propulsion signatures from a Stealth-concealed craft on either side," Dutch ordered.

"Scanning," Danielli replied, head down over her holoscreen as she conducted multiple scan routines. After several moments, she perked up in her seat before reporting, "Got 'em! I'm detecting propulsion trails from two Stealthed starships advancing ahead of the visible Rigellian craft. Their course indicates they intend to bypass the forward invaders and intercept the trailing craft. Time to intercept is coincidental with ours."

"Understood," Dutch acknowledged. "Confirm you have no sign of similarly concealed bogies on the other side."

"Stand by, sir. I am adjusting my scanning resolution to be sure," Danielli advised, consulting with Prime to assist her in more creative scanning. Eventually, she confirmed her original response. "As far as I can discern, there are no Stealth vessels in the invading force."

"Understood," Dutch grunted. "Maintain your scans. COMM, open a channel to the Aurora Dancer."

"Hailing the Aurora Dancer, aye," Kaitin affirmed. After a moment, she nodded silently, then turned to face forward. "I have Lt. Commander Griffon on the channel, sir."

"Stonerager, this is Griffon," Charlise's voice came out clear over the comms circuit. "Looks like we've got some bushwhackers we need to deal with. You planning to join in the fun?"

"Griffon, this is Stonerager. Just try and stop me! I call dibs on the two closest to me, so you and your partner can take the two closest to your approach," Dutch conceded, hoping she understood their assigned targets, as well as the fact that he could see approximately where they were.

After an unusual pause, she replied, "Understood. Tally Ho!" and resumed radio silence.

"She's cut the circuit, sir," Kaitin advised Dutch.

"Any change in the approaching force's flight vectors, or anything else to indicate they detected our transmissions?" he asked, again not caring who responded.

"No change in the enemies' velocity," Pheebs confirmed after a brief pause to double-check her data. "I don't believe the invading fleet has detected us or the other concealed vessels."

"SCI, keep scanning for any possible surprises. I don't want to be caught off guard once we begin our attack run, so if you see anything suss, don't keep that shit to yourself, savvy?" Dutch vocalized his concerns before adding, "That goes for everyone. We've got one chance to get this right, so let's not go looking for ways to fuck things up."

As soon as the others acknowledged his caution, Alisia called out, "Ten minutes to contact."

"Ten minutes, aye. WEPS, I want to try those new sappers - the drone swarm warheads. I want to put two of those into each of our targets - that's the two heavies closest to us on our current vector - followed immediately by one graviton mine spread for each, targeting their weapons ports, and one HE torpedo for each, targeting their engines," Dutch explained carefully. "Kaitin, I want you to pivot from COMMs to assist WEPS with the CIWS. Your task will be to launch any countermeasures should the heavies, or any adversaries, lob shots our way."

"Two sappers per heavy, followed by one gravity torp targeting weapons, and one HE torp targeting propulsion, Aye!" Torres confirmed tersely from WEPS as she entered the corresponding commands, having the entire attack pre-programmed and waiting on one final command to fire.

"Ready on CIWS, Aye," Kaitin confirmed, having added the necessary command surfaces to her auxiliary console.

As the final minutes counted down, the speakers crackled with an open communication from the lead Rigellian craft. "Attention, invading force, this is Commander Runnir Ironheart, on the Alliance Starship Noble Serenity. Your presence in this sector is in violation of Section three, subsection twenty-one alpha of the Treaty of Ganymede, under the terms of sovereign territory. Pursuant to the terms of the Treaty, be advised that alien warships within the established sovereign territories of signatory parties, deemed trespassers, shall be warned away, and if they fail to depart peacefully, may be dealt with as the offended parties deem necessary. Consider yourselves so warned. You have two minutes to turn your asses around and depart, or I will blow you out of my sky."

"Invading ships are raising shields and charging weapons, sir," Alisia informed him from OPS.

"Raise shields, stand by on weapons," Dutch ordered. The bridge lighting shifted to red, and all stations reported ready.

"The closest battleship is changing aspect, sir," Torres called out. "Looks like they've seen us.

Dutch nodded, muttering, "Well, looks like that confirms whether or not we drop Stealth when we raise shields." In a louder voice, he called out, "WEPS, are we in range?"

"We just entered weapons range, sir," Torres confirmed.

"Fire prepared salvo!" he barked.

On the holoscreen, they could see the waves of torpedoes their ship spat forth, immediately diverging into two separate vectors as they homed in on their individual targets. The nearest battleship promptly returned fire, and a massive wave of death closed rapidly on their position.

At the helm, Justine immediately took evasive action, dodging the incoming wave of kinetic rounds, as Kaitin dispatched the torpedoes with the CIWS. The Odyssey's shields shunted aside the energy discharge from the volley of particle weapons with no apparent damage.

On the holoscreen, they could see their lead torpedoes suddenly burst like seed pods, with more than a hundred tiny drone warheads each following an individual flightpath as they enveloped their target, only to suddenly zoom toward the massive ship as one, impacting and detonating in a blinding flash against the warship's shields. Each ship weathered the first such attack, but the second clearly shredded their shields.

The second wave of torpedoes deployed their payloads in a fashion similar to the first, but with striking differences. The gravitic mines zoomed toward specific locations along the warships' hulls, attaching themselves to identified weapons blisters, and then the image of the ships seemed to convulse in a way that wasn't clear at their current level of magnification.

Before Dutch could order the screen to zoom in, the HE Torpedoes found their targets, detonating horrifically in the propulsion blocks of the two behemoths. The effect was immediate. Both warships appeared to suddenly lose power, and the vessels began to rotate on all three axes.

"Report!" Dutch barked aloud, anxious for an update on the current situation.

"Our shields absorbed the portion of the attack that managed to hit us despite CIWS and evasive maneuvers with minimal damage, and are holding at ninety-nine percent. Both of our targets appear to be disabled, although I am seeing indications of redundant systems being brought online."

"What about the other two heavies?" he pressed, needing to know where to prioritize his next actions.

"The other two vessels have been heavily damaged, but are still in the fight, and are focusing their combined firepower on the Aurora Dancer," Alisia called out from OPS. "Her shields appear to be holding for now, but she's taking a hell of a pounding."

"WEPS, send another round of our gravitic torpedoes, one for each of those remaining heavies. Add an HE torpedo to each ship's engines. Kaitin, while Engela's doing that, hammer our two initial targets liberally with the particle cannon - tear them up."

"Torpedoes away, sir!" Torres called from WEPS.

"Tearing them up, sir!" Shune added from her AUX station.

On the main holoscreen, the tactical overlay tracked the guided projectiles homing on the two far battleships. The view forward was temporarily blinded by a series of rapidly dispatched balls of energy pulsing from just beneath the bridge, zipping across the intervening distance to penetrate the armored hulls and detonate deep within the bowels of their two original targets. The closest warship began to break apart, explosions blossoming from all along her length, as the other ship lit the sky with its multiple fires, the atmosphere venting uncontrollably from multiple hull breaches.

Looking at the tactical display, Dutch deduced that, for the battleships, the fight appeared to be over. Three showed heavy damage, and the fourth appeared dead in space. Shifting his attention to the lead elements, he was relieved to see that all four Rigellian craft were still in the fight, and that the dozen enemy ships had been reduced to only three yet capable of maneuvering. The Rigellians seemed to have that situation well under their control.

From OPS, Alisia called out, "Captain, I've monitored a string of communications bursts emanating from the remaining battleship. They're not broadcasting to any local recipients."

Just then, a conical distortion appeared less than twenty thousand kilometers off their port bow as the stars seemed to sink away.

"Jump portal opening twenty thousand kilometers off our port bow!" Alisia cried out in alarm. "Multiple heavies appear to be transiting the portal, weapons hot!"

Without hesitation, Dutch swung into action. Predictability be damned, he thought. "OPS, grab the pieces of the closest battleship with our tractor beam and drag them along. Helm, as soon as we have that ship in tow, accelerate to point eight cee, Attack Pattern Alpha One - I want to go right down their throats - take us into the fucking jump portal! WEPS, AUX, stand by to shower targets or opportunity with particle cannon - destroy what you can see! Prepare to launch secondary attacks with sappers and mines. Engage!"

The ship swung violently into action. From OPS, Alisia grabbed the two halves of the lead battleship, dragging them as the Odyssey heeled over wildly, the starfield distorting madly as she swung hard to port, racing toward the reinforcements at nearly two hundred forty thousand kilometers per second. Before the new ships could react, she was upon them.

"OPS, release the tractor!" Dutch called out as his ship sped past the mighty leviathans so fast, they appeared to be standing still. In a blink, they passed the lead ships, indiscriminately spraying them with bursts from the quantum particle cannon. The starfield suddenly changed colors as they passed through the jump portal. Instead of the clear space near Mintor, they found themselves suddenly in the middle of a staging ground, filled with warships, most unmoving, but several in motion.

Torpedoes and cannon fire continued to belch forth from beneath the bridge as the Odyssey rained hellfire on the assembled fleet. Without pausing, Dutch called out, "HELM, cut speed to one-quarter sublight and bring us around into whatever clear space you can find. OPS, find me the biggest fucking ship out there. As soon as you find it, give the location to Justine. HELM, the moment you have your target, attack pattern Alpha Two!"

Dutch intended to pull an old trick from his boyhood days and find the biggest bully on the playground and stomp him into a bloody mudhole. He didn't have to wait long.

"Target identified," Alisia called out from OPS. Within seconds, Doherty put them in range, and Alisia grappled the mammoth warship with their tractor beam. It wasn't easy, as the enemy vessel's shields and engines were still effective. "Tractor engaged, sir, but our hold is tenuous."

"WEPS, open fire on that ship with quantum cannon!" Dutch called out. Turning to Pheebs, he spoke rapidly, "While I focus on this fucker, keep watch for other ships closing on us, and hit them with whatever you can to keep them off of us."

Looking back over his shoulder, he called out, "Kait, you're on defense! Take out as much as you can, and let me know if the shields start dropping too much!"

"Already on it, sir!" she replied, as she used the CIWS liberally to rebuff attack after attack, with the shields shunting aside a hellish amount of energy. "Shields are taking a lot of fire, sir, but they're still at ninety percent!"

"OPS, what's the status of this bitch we're pounding on?" he demanded.

"Her shields failed moments ago, and her ablative armor has just given way," Alisia responded cooly, no hint of agitation in her voice.

"WEPS, cease fire with the cannon. Target the two nearest heavies and hit them with two sappers and one mine shot apiece."

"Torpedoes away, sir, but those were the last of our special munitions," Engela reported. Duch noticed that she was emulating Alisia's calm demeanor. Good girl!

"Do we still have HE torps?" he asked.

"Aye, sir, those we've got aplenty!" Torres confirmed.

"Then put two up this bad boy's ass, and send two more at the next nearest ships," he called out. Turning to face forward, he enquired, "OPS, do we still have this fucker tractored?"

"Affirmative. Their shields are no longer interfering, so the tractor is solid," Alisia crowed.

To his right, Pheebs continued to coordinate offensive fire on alternate targets, keeping the other warships at bay. Time to move the dial, he thought to himself.

"Jontalla, did I see what looked like a shipyard when we got here?" he asked his navigator, who wasn't overly occupied at the moment.

"Shields down to eighty percent, Captain," Shune informed him calmly from her post at AUX as she continued to counter the sporadic fire they were taking.

Just then, Jjan'tira leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Captain, this is Noraxi space, but those are not Noraxian vessels."

Traitors! his mind screamed, angry at the thought of humans conspiring against other humans.

"Beyond the staging area that we passed through is what appears to be a shipyard facility, Captain," Ironheart replied.

"Find me a path through all of this mess, NAV," he requested. "OPS, stand by on that tractor. I intend to toss this big bitch right down that row of moored ships like they were bowling pins!"

"Course plotted, Captain," Jontalla called out from NAV.

"HELM, best speed along that course - OPS, release the heavy when we're lined up for a strike!"

Alisia was unfamiliar with bowling, but she understood Dutch's intent, so she stood by to release the mammoth warship as soon as it was on a vector to maximize its impact on the shipyards.

Justine heeled the Odyssey over once more, wresting the ship through a torturous route until she finally saw a clear path toward the shipyards and the dozens of vessels therein. Punishing their engines, she suddenly pushed the ship to seventy-five percent light speed before calling out, "Now, OPS!" She waited one heartbeat, then veered off course, taking the Odyssey away from the mass of ships and out into relatively open space.

"Shields down to seventy percent, Captain," Shune called out. "We're taking fire from planetary defenses," she added.

"HELM, move us away from those defenses," Dutch ordered, not taking his eyes off the carnage unfolding on the screen as the million-ton warship slammed into the shipyards at a ridiculous speed, delivering an impulse greater than what a nuclear detonation would have wrought.

"OPS, status report," Dutch requested, desiring to know what remained to be dealt with in the immediacy of the moment.

"Two battleships were destroyed completely, and four others are adrift as a result of our assault on their jump portal. Five other heavy warships are heavily damaged, but still combat-capable, nearby, although none are currently engaging us. The ship you just used as a kinetic weapon has been demolished, along with more than thirty vessels that were impacted by it." Checking her instruments again, she continued, "Multiple light craft are converging on the area, but they appear to be engaged in rescue operations."

"WEPS, status on our arsenal?" he queried.

"All special munitions have been expended. Kinetic rounds have been depleted, with less than twenty percent remaining. HE Torps are down to five," Torres summarized. "We can fight, but not for very long."

"Kaitin, how're our defenses?" he probed.

"CIWS was running hot there for a while, but the emitters have cooled down again. We're down to less than ten percent kinetic intercepts. Shields are refreshing, climbing up past seventy-five percent. Fuck, we took a helluva pounding and she's ready for more, sir!"

Turning to his left, Dutch asked the one member of the bridge who'd not been hard pressed throughout the engagement. "Jjan'tira, give me your tactical analysis. What's our next step?"

Jjan'tira looked taken aback slightly at the question, but she merely set her jaw and furrowed her brow as she organized her thoughts for a moment. Finally, she replied, "The initial assault force was successfully defeated. The surprise incursion by secondary forces was thwarted by your unexpected attack on the warships mid-jump, and further stymied by Odyssey pressing the counter-attack into enemy territory. The damage we did here was sporadic, but the effect was surprisingly successful. I suspect that the large craft we attacked last served some sort of fleet command function, and its loss has posed a significant setback for the Noraxian fleet." She paused for a moment, then continued, "The Odyssey took minimal damage, but our special weapons are spent, and our normal munitions are severely depleted. This might be a good time to consider withdrawing to rearm."

Turning to Pheebs, he raised his eyebrow questioningly. Noting his body language, she considered her response carefully before voicing it. "I agree with Jjan'tira. We are reduced in our capacity to wage combat in your normal, savage style that seems to be so successful. However, based on non-verbal cues, I suspect that you have other plans."

"Like you said," he grinned, "you know me better than almost anyone else."

"Alright, ladies, do what you can to get us rearmed somewhat, based on our current raw materials. Kaitin, you're now on COMMS. Open a channel and let's see if we can get whatever serves as Noraxi leadership on the horn."

"The 'horn'?" she whispered to Alisia.

The ginger clone just shrugged, shaking her head.

"Hailing frequencies open, sir," Kaitin replied.

"This is Captain Stonerager, of the Alliance Starship Odyssey. To all Noraxi vessels, stand down from further hostilities, or I will destroy you to the last ship. Cease all attacks, and we will stand down as well for diplomatic discussions."

Dutch paused, waiting for several minutes for a response. As they waited, he saw Kaitin stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and turned to look her way.

"Captain, we're being hailed by Commander Fallon on the Aurora Dancer."

"Put him on screen," Dutch drawled, turning to face the forward holoscreen. After a short pause, the image of the carnage spread across the region was replaced by that of Bryce Fallon.

"Captain Stonerager, good to see you're still with us!" Fallon greeted them, visibly relaxing.

"Commander Fallon, we're just about to enter into the diplomatic phase of today's little adventure. Everything alright where you are?"

"Clean-up operations are underway, sir. We're effecting rescue of the survivors as we speak," the young officer replied. "Do you need us to join you, sir?"

Dutch pondered this option for a moment, then shrugged. "What's your combat readiness, Fallon?"

"Dancer and Horizon stand ready to continue combat operations as necessary, sir." The young officer responded confidently.

"Very well," Dutch replied. "We will transmit coordinates to you if you and Horizon wish to jump to our location. Let me be clear: I am hoping to avoid further conflict today, but it wouldn't hurt to have a small show of force from our side, just in case."

"Understood, sir," Fallon confirmed. "We'll join you as a show of support, but will follow your lead. Aurora Dancer, out."

"COMMS, send Mr. Fallon our location," Dutch quipped over his shoulder.

"Aye, sir," Kaitin replied, then set about discerning their location and passing it along to the Rigellian ships. She'd no more than sent the information when an incoming transmission caught her attention. "Captain, we are being hailed."

"On screen, Lieutenant," he grunted, curious about the coming conversation.

Behind him, he heard Alisia call out softly to Pheebs, "Jump portals opening twenty kilometers to our stern. Aurora Dancer and Majestic Horizon are entering our sector, shields raised and weapons ready."

The main holoscreen image was replaced with an ugly presence, who immediately launched into some sort of tirade. The lingua-code caught up quickly, translating in near-real-time as the Noraxian ranted, "Stonerager! You craven maniac! By what authority do you wage war upon the Noraxi syndicate, underling filth!"

"Don't give me that bullshit! Under the terms of the Treaty of Ganymede, the Alliance was defending a signatory member whose planetary system you chose to invade, in spite of my clear warning to you! You dare challenge my authority?! I am a duly designated representative of the Alliance, charged with maintaining peace and defending the freedom of sovereign members! You would do well to check your tone! I'll allow you ninety seconds to compose yourself and reestablish communications, or I'll finish what I've started and demolish what remains of your pathetic fucking fleet, and then I'll rain wreckage down upon your world until I get tired of watching you burn!" Tapping his comm badge, he cut the comms and sat back in his command chair, steepling his fingers in front of him as he waited.

"What the hell was all of that about?" Pheebs asked him quietly. "I mean, I'm a little turned on right now, but fuck, Dutch! I mean, seriously, this is how you play diplomat?"

"Remind me to tell you about a time I went shopping in Tripoli's markets," he replied softly.

"OPS, are any of their ships positioning themselves to engage us?" Jjan'tira asked.

"Negative," Alisia replied, double-checking her scans. "All of their ships seem engaged in rescue operations."

"Incoming transmission from Noraxi, sir," Kaitin informed him.

Dutch sat quietly, silently counting in his head. After thirty seconds passed, he leisurely responded, "Put it on screen, COMMS."

Once again, the distorted features of the Noraxian filled the screen. The distinctive anvil-shaped head pulsed and throbbed in places, seemingly indicative of stress or anger, and the eyes glowered harshly, but the being's tone was somewhat subdued. The lingua-code translation was instantaneous this time. "Captain Stonerager, I have been advised to request a digital copy of the Treaty that you referenced earlier, so that we may better understand its particulars. After that, we request a thirty-day ceasefire, at the end of which we will confer with Alliance representatives at some mutually agreed upon location to continue our... diplomatic discussions."

"Your days of preying on human colonies are over, Noraxian. I will send you the treaty data, and I will allow for a ten-day cessation of hostilities, after which I will return here - to your home system - to discuss matters directly with your leadership. At that time, we will also negotiate the return of prisoners taken in the aftermath of your latest incursion into Rigellian space. Stand by to receive the treaty." Tapping his badge, he terminated the conversation.

Turning to Danielli, he intoned, "SCI, transfer a copy of the treaty to COMMS. Make sure it's the copy that includes Rigellian and Methosian signatories." Nodding to Kaitin, he continued, "COMMS, send it down once you have it, then open a channel to the two Rigellian ships."

"Copy of the treaty sent, channel opened and onscreen," Kaitin responded efficiently a moment later.

On the main holoscreen, the image was divided, showing Bryce Fallon on the left, and Faith O'Connor on the right. O'Connor spoke first, "Dutch, that was some mighty ballsy negotiating. What would you have done if they'd pushed things?"

Dutch let out a sigh, followed by a chuckle. "Found something big to toss at them, I suspect."

The two junior officers laughed, then Fallon asked, "So what's next? Do we stay here to keep an eye on things?"

"Not today, no," Dutch shook his head. "We need to get back to Rigellia. I'm sure the head-shed there is anxious for an update from us, and we need to rearm and regroup. Plus, I bring news from Methos."

"And new weapons, from the looks of it!" O'Connor added.

"Best we take this conversation home, kids. Let's pack it in - I think we've done well today. No need to risk fucking things up. Stonerager, out." Tapping his badge, he closed the comms.

"NAV, calculate a jump to return us to the Rigel system, but put us a few million kilometers closer to Rigellia, and transmit our flight plan to the others so they can coordinate," he instructed Jontalla.

"Calculations complete... and passed along," Jontalla affirmed. "I'll have a course for Rigellia as soon as we jump."

Nodding, he calmly uttered, "HELM, let's head back to Rigellia. Steady as she goes."

"Engaging jump engines in three... two... one... jump," Doherty announced smoothly, as the view on the screen twisted, then realigned to display Rigel space around them, with the tactical view still displaying their course to Rigellia.

"Stand down from battle stations," Dutch ordered. "Feel free to scoop up any mass we come across. We've got a lot of inventory to replace."

"Already on it," Jjan'tira informed him as she swiped her fingers across her palm pad, making small adjustments to their course to vector them closer to dense concentrations of asteroids. The first such cluster was less than twenty minutes away.

"We'll have an After Action Assessment in an hour," he disclosed, standing from the center seat. "Until then, Alisia, please take the bridge, along with your watch crew."

*****2230 Ships Time, Day 67*****

"Pulling alongside Antares Station, sir," Jjan'tira informed Dutch. "Aligned with docking bridge in three... two... now."

"Engaging docking clamps... now. Seal is positive, the boarding tunnel is pressurized and holding. Good dock," Kaitin affirmed.

"Good job, ladies. You may secure your stations. Prime, secure the ship. We're done for the day," Dutch orated, stifling a yawn.

Dutch's comm badge chirped. Tapping it, he heard Prime inform him of a communications request from Fleet Admiral Bearing. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes for a moment before responding, "Put the Admiral on the main holoscreen, please."

The Admiral's concerned visage filled the main screen. Leaning forward, she opined, "You look like you need a little rest, Captain."

"Thanks, I was wondering why I felt so tired," he mocked the woman. "Maybe I should try to get more rest..."

"Funny man," she quipped, then turned serious. "The Chancellor would like you to attend a briefing on the events of earlier today."

"Understood," he replied soberly. "Can we have this meeting tomorrow? I'll likely be able to conduct myself somewhat more professionally after a few hours of sleep."

"Of course," she demurred easily. Too easily.

Dutch found himself wondering why this call couldn't have waited until the morning. He felt like he was missing something.

"In the meantime, I am told you used some new weaponry that made a significant difference in your engagement with the Noraxi dreadnoughts," she mentioned matter-of-factly.

Of course. Straight to the point. "That's correct, Admiral. I was given some, shall we say, pointers from tactical and strategic experts while visiting Methos, and they shared with me a few of their toys, which I will gladly share with Director Philson tomorrow."

"Very good, Captain," she nodded, then added, "One last thing: might I have an advance copy of your AAA to review before tomorrow's meeting? I'd like to compare it to the reports I've received from the other Alliance starships."

"Of course, Admiral, although a Hot Toddy might be a gentler way to catch some sleep."

"Always a pleasure, Dutch. Now get some rest." Bearing closed the call.

Tapping his comm badge, Dutch requested Prime send a digital copy of their logs and AAA to the Admiral, then secured the bridge, heading to his quarters, looking forward to getting some well-earned rest.

*****0630 Ships Time, Day 68*****

Dutch struggled toward consciousness, aware of a demanding wetness surrounding his cock. Opening his eyes, he squinted to see in the darkened bedchamber, the only light filtering into the room through the frosted glass doors. He could hear at least one person taking a shower, and judging by the softly soothing singing, it sounded like Alisia or Jjan'tira, perhaps both.

As his sight cleared and the brain fog lifted, he realized that it was Danielli sucking voraciously at his manhood. Reaching down, he gently ran a hand through her hair. "Dani," he croaked, his voice haggard from the previous day's events, "why don't you climb aboard and take me for a ride? Either that or swing around so that I can return the favor."

Grinning, Danielli slowly raised her head, lips hugging his cock until it popped free from her mouth. With a cherubic grin, she crawled up until she straddled him, slipping her drenched crease along his rigid member, making him slick with her juices. At last, after teasing him for several moments, she shifted her hips and lodged the head of his prick within the folds of her flowering dampness, taking him oh-so-slowly into herself.

With slow but steady efforts, a look of determination etched into her features, the beautiful young woman impaled herself fully upon his girthy staff. As soon as her pubes made solid contact with his, she paused, allowing herself a moment to adjust to the intruder rearranging her insides.

Finally, drawing in a deep breath, the brown-eyed nymph began fucking him. Rising and dropping in steady movements, tilting her pelvis to ensure her clitoris received proper stimulation, squeezing at his cock with the walls of her pussy. She was putting serious effort into getting them both off, and the look in her eyes transitioned from a cheerful young woman to the lust-filled hunger of a lover. She'd yearned for this moment and was determined to make the best of it.

For his part, Dutch was pleasantly surprised. He'd been a little nervous that their distant familial connection, albeit spanning more than 45 generations, might somehow render him mentally impotent. But now that the moment arrived, he found himself more than willing to see where things might lead with this delightful partner. Reaching up, he ran his hands up and down along her flanks, wandering down to grasp firmly at her ass cheeks, evoking a lust-filled groan from her throat.

Moving his hands back up, he grasped at her breasts, rubbing his palms over her sensitive nipples until he felt them harden anew, then pinching them between his thumb and forefinger as he gripped at her mammary glands. Pinching, squeezing, and tugging all seemed to please her.

Picking up her pace, she began to utter sexy things, trying to coax him to orgasm. She'd already experienced two minor climaxes, the first when she initially bottomed out on his shaft, and felt a third, more powerful peak rising within her.

"Come on, Dutch, I want to feel you cum in me! Do you think I'm pretty? Do you like my titties? Oh, your hands on them feel so good!" She gasped, collecting herself before continuing, "Oh yes! Pinch them harder! Oh, fuck, that feels so fucking good! Come on, old man! Show me what a stud you are! The others said you can lay some pipe - give it to me!"

Never one to resist a challenge, Dutch took matters into his own hands. Shifting his legs, he twisted his body, rolling to the side, until he was atop her. Reaching down, he lifted Danielli's legs until they were over his shoulders. Then, with no preamble, he began to fuck her. Hard. Fast. Powerful strokes that hammered into her, his veiny cock bottoming out in her depths, punishing her cervix for daring to stop him. His pace increased, and her moans eventually blended into one long howl of delight as she began to see stars. The smack! Smack! Smack! of his balls slapping her ass grew louder and more frenetic, until she let out a piercing scream, and he thrust as deeply as he could, then held himself there. His reddened cock flexed impressively as spurt after spurt of his jism carved his name into her womb, sealing her fate, binding her to him.

Dutch lost count after ten, though the last few spurts were feeble compared to the first ones. For a moment, his vision tunneled, but this soon passed. As he leaned back, Danielli dropped her legs from his shoulders and wrapped them around his waist, pulling him close. Reaching up, she took hold of his upper arms and pulled him down to lie atop her, mashing her lips against his and thrusting her tongue deep into his mouth. For several minutes, they lay together in that way, kissing passionately, until her heat dissipated, and she allowed him to slip off of her and cuddled next to him. Together, they recovered, seeing to one another's aftercare, until Pheebs cleared her throat softly.

Looking up, they both grinned at the silly expression on Pheebs' face as she shook a chastising finger at both of them.

"Dear, I believe you have an important meeting to attend," she reminded him. "So, unless you need me to fetch a bucket of cold water, you'd best haul your ass out of that bed and get showered and dressed pronto!"

Giving Danielli a quick kiss, Dutch scrambled from the bed and hurried off to the shower. Pheebs watched him go with a grin, then turned to look at the young Rigellian woman in their bed. "Well? Did you enjoy him?"

Danielli just flopped onto her back, arms spread wide. "I can't describe it!" she panted. "I was consumed. My whole world shrank until it was only big enough for him. I can't imagine ever wanting another man."

Pheebs nodded knowingly. "That's good," she advised. "Dutch won't ever want to think of any of us with another man. But," she gave Danielli an odd look as she climbed into bed with her, "how do you feel about other women?"

*****Early morning, Antares Station, Day 68*****

Dutch smartly saluted the Fleet Admiral as he approached her in the old training room where, only a few weeks ago, he'd helped her to prepare their first generation of command crews for their new fleet of starships.

Returning his salute, she bade him to fall in beside her, and the two of them headed quickly to the nearby transport tube, which zipped them swiftly to the orbital dock, where they boarded a waiting shuttle, piloted by the Admiral's new aide, newly minted Commander Beckins.

"Eyes front, sailor," the Admiral admonished him. "I won't have you poaching another of my aides!"

He turned to glance at her, startled by her statement, before he spied her shrewd grin and realized she was taunting him. Relaxing, he gave her a rueful smile in return.

She immediately began with questions, though initially not the ones he expected. "O'Connor informed me that you were able to detect their presence during the run-up to the initial confrontation. Would you mind telling me how exactly you managed to do that?"

Sitting back, he thought back to the events in question, then began to put together an explanation that was reasonable. "I think I was looking for those other two ships, because I expected them to be part of the response. When I didn't see them, it occurred to me that you - or they - might have decided to have part of the responding force run in Stealth mode. Once I guessed that part, I searched for indications that the Stealth screens don't mask. In this case, the energy trail from their propulsion systems."

"Their drive exhaust gave them away?" she repeated skeptically.

"Admiral, you may recall that I suspected this might be true during my first encounter with the iShan'tal," he reminded her patiently. "The Stealth screens are useful, but not bulletproof. As it is, I was also hellbent on trying to determine if any of the adversaries might have been approaching under some sort of similar stealth capability. I didn't detect any, but such a search probably needs to become a standard practice, as it is only a matter of time before the technology leaks out to our adversaries."

"I also heard you effectively deployed two new weapons systems," the Admiral pointed out.

"That's correct. The tacticians from Methos advised me that I ought not become a one-dimensional opponent, and needed to broaden and diversify my tactics. I must admit, however," he reflected upon later events, "I do like throwing heavy objects at my foes."

The admiral chuckled at this last bit before pressing home the point. "The strategists at Methos gifted you these new weapons, which we'd never seen during our war with the iShan'tal. I wonder what other wonders they, or the other human colonies, might have developed?"

"I share your curiosity, Cathrice," he agreed with her. "For instance, while I found your shipbuilding capabilities impressive, the Methosians can print out a ship even faster. I highly recommend that Dresden establish some sort of knowledge exchange program. You might opt to do so as well - the Master Strategist and Advisor of Tactics both struck me as pragmatic individuals, such as yourself. Cooperation is never counterproductive."

The Admiral nodded her head thoughtfully. Switching gears, she asked, "What did you think of our fleet's performance in the battle?"

"I think they did their job, Cathrice," Dutch sighed, unhappy that the confrontation had been necessary, but at the same time pleased with the outcome. "It doesn't have to be perfect, and it doesn't have to be pretty. They took no casualties, and the enemy forces were stopped. Their CO's and XO's were all present the last time I confronted the Noraxi, so they knew the skinny and took all necessary precautions and actions. I think the only thing I haven't followed up on was the after action from those that cleaned up here while I went and fucked with the Syndicate."

Bearing grunted, shaking her head. "That was a mess. We got to put the new Marine Detachments to the test, as we used them to board the disabled vessels to gather the survivors and take them prisoner. The brigs on our ships are no bigger than yours, so we converted the cargo holds to bring the prisoners back here to Antares. We've got several hundred Noraxi prisoners, but no clue what to do with them."

"Well, it might be a good idea to whip up some sort of transport vessel," Dutch advised her. "I promised the Noraxi I'd be back to deal with them in ten days, and I'd bring their survivors with me."

The Admiral nodded her head silently, but then they both looked forward as the shuttle slowed noticeably, ground effect becoming apparent in its flight characteristics.

"We're about to land, Admiral," Beckins informed her from the flight deck.

Through the forward portals, Dutch could see the towering spire of the capital building in New Concordia, where he'd first met the Chancellor those many weeks before. The emerald colored waters washing along the shoreline were just as beautiful and inviting as before. In all, it was an enchanting sight to behold. Then, the shuttle entered the hangar deck of the building, and the marvelous exterior disappeared.

As the shuttle came to a gentle stop, the portside hatch opened, the stairwell extended down to the platform, and Dutch followed the Admiral as she exited the craft. Bearing made a beeline for the nearest transport tube, where a cab awaited them. No sooner did they take their seats than the cab was off, spiraling upward through a maze of connections before depositing them at a landing Dutch had never seen before.

The pad itself was a black, obsidian-like marble, with soft silver and turquoise seams threading through it. The doors at the far end were massive, with extensive bas-relief carved into the frieze above the lintel. The doors themselves were some rich, darkly varnished wood, polished to a mirror-smooth sheen, with knobs of some golden metal, and incredibly silent hinges. Opening noiselessly, the room beyond appeared majestic, with the outer wall a seamless clearplaz window affording the occupants a breathtaking view of the emerald shoreline below.

Inside the chamber, Chancellor Norda Opstrom awaited their arrival, along with many of her cabinet. Dutch recognized her new Adjutant, Glynda Tudor. Dutch caught himself wondering if the woman was familiar enough with her lineage to know her relationship to the famous pirate. Chief of Science and Engineering Dresden Philson was also present, along with the new Chief of Security, Mykel Lassiter. Lassiter was someone Dutch had not yet dealt with, so he was the wild card. The rest he recognized from his first meeting with Opstrom, though he did not recall all of their names or functions.

Bearing swept over to the hovering table, stepping up to Opstrom to bow slightly before taking a seat. Dutch strode in confidently, idly noting who was armed, and stepped up to Opstrom to grasp her hand.

"Chancellor, it's good to see you again!" he grinned, then turned and nodded at the others assembled before turning to take a seat at the foot of the table.

"Captain, welcome back," Opstrom effused, taking her seat at the head of the table. "Your gifts of technology and training paid dividends yesterday, good sir. We are in your debt."

"Nonsense!" Dutch waved off her thanks, turning it around on her. "Your bravery and willingness to embrace the Treaty and the options that it represents are the true actions producing dividends, Madame. Methos has agreed to join the Alliance and is already beginning to build a fleet, based on the designs I shared with them, just as I shared with you. In return, they shared two new weapon concepts with me, which I have since passed along to your Chief of Science and Engineering. I expect they will be added to the fleet's arsenal before the end of today."

"Yes, I believe we witnessed the effectiveness of those weapons in use just yesterday," the Chancellor mused.

"Indeed, but so did the enemy, which is why we must be ever prepared to defend against the very technologies we employ," Dutch advised, garnishing several sage nods around the table.

"So it would seem," the Chancellor concurred. "Captain, we have much less information as to what events transpired when you jumped away from the system. Tell me, what happened, and why did you jump?"

"I will do better than that, if you please," he began, rising from his seat to approach the holoscreen. "If I may borrow this display, I will replay the video logs from the events as experienced from the bridge of the Odyssey."

Dutch noticed several attendees lean forward, eager to experience firsthand what he'd lived through already. Most notably, Security Chief Lassiter seemed keenly interested. Shrugging off his distrust of the man, Dutch raised his palm pad and opened the logs, then swept his other hand across the screen, transferring the media to the holoscreen in the chamber. Waving his hand across the screen, Dutch set the replay of the ordeal following the detection of the jump portal into motion, then backed away from the screen, standing ready to answer questions as they arrived. It did not take long.

"That's insane!" Chief Lassiter exclaimed as soon as he witnessed the truth of the jump portal events - that the Odyssey did not open the portal, but attacked the ships transiting the portal, and indeed, plunged at reckless speeds into the portal while dragging several hundred thousand metric tons of Noraxi dreadnought in his wake. The images of his ship using the broken pieces of the Noraxi battleship as a weapon brought gasps of shock and awe from the audience, as did the raw carnage and savagery of their attack as the Odyssey pressed headlong into the oncoming fleet.

Even though he'd experienced the moment in person, in the heat of the battle, Dutch was not afforded the luxury of noticing all the outcomes of his commands during the battle. Thus, he watched for the first time as the two hunks of destroyed dreadnought did horrific damage to the lead vessel, which happened to be the one generating the jump portal. The portal began to destabilize and collapse immediately following the series of explosions that tore through that vessel, although the Odyssey was already past it and through the portal, spitting out destruction in its wake. A series of torpedoes hammered the three trailing vessels, doing significant damage on their own, but those vessels were completely shredded as the jump portal collapsed, rending them to bits and distributing their atoms across the many lightyears separating the two systems.

Still, the Odyssey pressed the attack, plunging headlong into the heart of the reserve fleet, easily twice the number of the advance elements, destruction flying outward from the ship on all trajectories, as its close-in weapons defended it against a savage counterstrike. Wave after wave of attacks directed at the Alliance starship was destroyed, intercepted, or simply shunted aside by her shields. The ship flew as if possessed by some vengeful spirit, and the observing cabinet and Chancellor gasped in trepidation when Dutch ordered his ship to heel about and attack the control dreadnought, easily twice the menace of the other ships.

In awe, tinged with fear, they watched as the Odyssey, tiny in comparison, grappled with the mammoth warship. The ghostly fingers of her tractor beams were visible as they sought a purchase against the larger ship's shields, and the terrifying barrage of raw energy she vomited in the face of the fierce enemy vessel was nothing short of horrific. The room was quiet as the end of the conflict drew near. Done pounding on the control ship, Odyssey turned and showered the surrounding ships with yet another volley of rage. Then, still grappling the control ship, Odyssey leapt forward suddenly to hurtle the massive vessel directly into the gathered ships moored at the nearby shipyards. The devastation was nothing short of biblical in scope and fury.

Upon listening to the exchange between Dutch and the Noraxian 'diplomat', the gathered assembly shuddered, thanking their personal saviors that they'd never made an enemy of this man, this terrible force of nature.

At the conclusion of the log playback, Dutch terminated the display and returned to his seat. "So," he began, "I plan to return in nine days, as promised, and hopefully I can hammer out some sort of truce, which I hope will, in turn, lead to a lasting peace between the Alliance and the Syndicate, or at the least, a mutual pact of non-interference."

Feeling exhausted simply from reliving the experience, Dutch took a deep breath, waiting for the gathered officials to respond in some way.

"I can only speak for myself," the Chief of Security was the first to offer an opinion, "but I am not sure whether to be amazed or horrified by what we just watched. Dear Lord, have mercy!" The man shook his head, looking disgusted.

The Fleet Admiral, however, was of a different mindset. "I, for one, continue to be impressed by the extraordinary capabilities of this one little ship, and her tiny but fierce crew and Captain!"

Dutch glanced across the table, catching a very odd look in the Chancellor's eye before she looked away. Was that admiration, attraction, or fear, he wondered? No matter. He harbored no interest in becoming involved with a planetary leader.

Multiple conversations erupted around the table as the various cabinet members and other assembled staff exchanged their impressions with one another. Dutch merely sat back and relaxed, pondering the real reason that the Chancellor requested his presence. Politics always seemed mysterious to him, and politicians swam in deep, dark, shark-infested waters. He possessed no interest or desire to spend any more time amongst them than absolutely necessary.

Eventually, the Chancellor banged a marble ball on the table the way a judge might bang a gavel, getting everyone's attention. "I've asked the Captain to join us for a very specific reason," Opstrom admitted. "Recent reports from our newly minted starships tell of iShan'tal patrols on our system's perimeter. Our ships have maintained their Stealth screens when the patrols have been detected, but the potential of an incident seems to be building."

Opstrom's gaze settled squarely on Dutch as she continued speaking. "It is therefore my desire to understand what further events need to transpire before Captain Stonerager will carry out his mission to seek an audience with the Battle Masters of the iShan'tal Hegemony."

A general murmur broke out in the chamber as panicked voices rose to be heard above one another, with the general consensus being that one does not simply seek an audience with the Battle Masters of iShan'tal. Dutch allowed the scene to play out, already knowing his decision on the matter. Eventually, the Chancellor once again banged her marble ball on the table, calling for the assembly to be quiet. All eyes turned to look expectantly at the Stonerager.

Dutch allowed himself a fierce grin. "I've already experienced this conversation with the Methosians, so this is not unexpected. I have done what I needed to do before going to iShan'tal. I have spread knowledge to at least two worthy human colonies, capable of continuing our journey outward, of continuing my mission of peaceful exploration. I have confronted at least two adversarial species and apprised them of the terms of the treaty, as well as the threat should they defy it, versus the value should they agree to abide by its terms."

Pushing his seat away from the table, he stood and began to idly roam the floor, as per usual, being more comfortable speaking while on his feet. "Today, I will resupply my ship and allow any of my crew who wish to disembark here on Rigellia. Tomorrow morning, I will depart and set course for iShan'tal. You're all correct. My meeting with them is long overdue, and it is time for them to deal with me!"

Pausing to face the Chancellor, he bowed slightly. "Madame, I will take my leave of you shortly. In the meantime, it might be wise to consider how best to conceal your capabilities from the iShan'tal until you hear back from me, or decide how to move forward should I fail in my quest. I do not believe the human spirit is one easily conquered, and I do not believe our people should be denied their place among the stars. Not to establish dominion, but to seek enlightenment. I would encourage you to send envoys to observe the other human colonies, and those you deem trustworthy, invite into the fold. Those not to be trusted, leave them be. Troubles have a way of working themselves out. I wish you all well, and hope dearly to see you again in a few days. With your leave, madame..." he paused, waiting for Opstrom to acknowledge his position and respond.

He needn't wait overlong. The Chancellor rose from her seat and strode around the table, right up to Dutch, and clasped his hands within hers. "Godspeed, Stonerager. The hopes of all our peoples travel with you."

Understanding his part in this particular drama had reached its conclusion, Dutch nodded to the other attendees, catching the eyes of Bearing and Philson. Turning, he quietly departed the chamber and strode purposefully across the dark marble landing, entering the transport car that awaited him.

"Take me to the Space Port," he commanded the vehicle as soon as its hatch closed, and with a rush it was off, the outside world a blur, until moments later he was beyond the outer walls of the building, travelling along the lengthy tube for many kilometers until he reached a location he'd not been to before. The Space Port. It dawned upon him that his prior trips to the planet were all on official shuttles, so he was uncertain of his means to return to the orbiting station. Undeterred, he exited the transport capsule and wandered into the busy transportation hub. His uniform was not so unique as to make him stand out, so the crowd mostly ignored his presence. Mostly.

One passerby stopped to gawk for just a moment. Dutch initially paid the person no heed, but she would not be ignored. Waving her arms at him, the old woman eventually succeeded in getting his attention. Turning to see what the crone wanted, he was stunned to realize that he was standing face to face with an older iShan'tal clone. Her hair, long faded to silver, draped the sides of her hooded face in gentle ringlets, but the soft smile set into the weathered face was all too familiar, as was the glint in her eye.

"You are the one called Stonerager, yes?" she asked him in hushed tones, wary of being overheard by passersby,

Debating whether or not he should activate his PSG, Dutch finally decided not to do so. Keeping his hands free, just in case, he quietly replied, "I have been called that name, yes. And by what name are you known, kin of my wives?"

The crone withdrew slightly from him at that comment, looking uncertain for a moment, then came close once more. "So, it is true then that you are married to clones," she concluded. "Good for them. It is good to know some of my sisters are also free. What I want to know is this," she stabbed a finger at him, which he couldn't help but observe was immaculately manicured. "What do you intend to do to free the rest of my sisters?"

"It's funny you should ask, really," he mused aloud. "But we should not be discussing such things out in the open. Would you care to come visit your sisters aboard our starship?"

The old woman considered his offer for a moment, then shook her head, a sad but resolute expression on her face. "I'm sorry, but no. I took a vow when I got to this world, never to return to space. This is where I am. This is where I will remain." She stood quietly regarding him for a moment longer before she continued, "I am known as Marta. Marta Sebastian. I live in a small village down near the seashore. The waters calm me so." She was silent for so long, Dutch thought she was done. Finally, she spoke once again. an odd light in her eyes, "If you go to the Battle Masters, be wary, but be righteous. They respect audacity, and they respect intellect, and they respect forthrightness. Do not beg, do not negotiate from a position of weakness. Be strong, be confident, be unyielding, and you may prevail in your quest."

"What do you know of my quest, Marta Sebastian?" he asked, a bemused tone in his voice.

"Word of the Stonerager has spread far and wide," she proclaimed, wonder in her tone. "I've heard it said that you rescued one of my sisters, and that she carried with her a treaty establishing peace between humans and iShan'tal. What a wonderful thing, if true. I hope it is true." Patting him kindly on the shoulder, she turned to leave. "Bid my sisters well from me, Stonerager, and I wish you success in your quest!"

As suddenly as she'd entered his life, she was gone. Dutch stood there for many minutes, staring along the path she'd taken away from him, contemplating the oddity of fate and wondering what he should take away from this chance encounter. He finally chose to believe that it was a message from a higher power guiding the universe, telling him to get on with it, already!

Turning, he sped along to the port entrance, finding a schedule for transport to the Antares station. The next shuttle departed in less than five minutes. Approaching the ticketing clerk, he attempted to book passage on the next shuttle. The clerk looked up to ask him for his identipass, then registered who he was from the holos she'd seen of him on the vids. Closing her window, she quickly exited the booth and took him by the hand, leading him quickly to the launch pad and personally escorting him to the correct shuttle.

"Justine Doherty is my niece," she said by way of explanation. "Godspeed, Stonerager." And with that, she turned to return to her ticket booth, leaving him bemused by the second chance encounter of his day.

Shrugging to himself, Dutch turned and boarded the shuttle, finding an open seat and strapping in. Two minutes later, the shuttle rose into the air, and Rigellia fell behind him.

***** 0800 Ships Time, Day 70*****

Dutch strode onto the bridge, finding all stations manned. Looking around, he was unsurprised to see Doherty at the helm, Ironheart at the navigator's station, Alisia at Operations, Carpizzi at the Science station, Torres at Weapons, and Shune at the Auxiliary station. Pheebs and Jjan'tira were in the seats to either side of his command chair, waiting for him to join them.

Tapping his comm badge, he called out, "Prime, close the main hatch and seal the access. Release the docking clamps and retract the boarding tube."

"Hatch secured, Captain," the ship's AI responded. "Docking clamps released, and.... Boarding tube retracted. We are cleared of all moorings and free to navigate."

"Very well," he confirmed, grim determination in his voice. "Status check, all stations."

"HELM, ready," Justine replied.

"NAV, ready," Jontalla added.

"OPS, good to go," Alisia confirmed.

"SCI, ready," Danielli declared.

"WEPS, standing by," Engela pronounced.

"COMMS, up and eager!" Kaitin enthused.

Turning to look to his left and right, he asked, "We good, ladies?"

Jjan'tira just grinned, as Pheebs gave an exasperated sigh. "Are we there yet?"

"NAV, set a course to take us out to the ecliptic. Then plot a jump to...," Dutch paused, uncertain. "Alisia, where the hell are we going?"

"Xai'Vorrathi, a celestial stronghold where the greatest Battle Masters of the Hegemony gathered after their final battles, surrounded by swirling nebulae and endless astral plains. Sending the jump coordinates to NAV and HELM now, Captain," Alisia quipped.

"Right... to Xai'Vorrathi," Dutch completed his orders. "HELM, take us out."

*****