A Brightly Flickering Flame (Confederation Reborn Book 5) Read online

Kelley smiled slightly, "Out of all the renegade Captains out there, I had to get stuck with you."

  "You must have deserved it," Kirn said.

  Kelley looked around the room, deciding what extra supplies he'd need in the meantime. "How long do I have before the festivities begin?"

  "Hopefully not much longer. We're on their trail and they can't run forever."

  The comm sounded from the Sickbay entrance. It was Lieutenant Cho saying, "Captain Kirn, to the Bridge."

  Dr. Kelley pointed at the comm and said, "Hear it not, Captain, for it is a bell, that summons thee to heaven…or to hell."

  Kirn paused and looked back at him, "Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 1?"

  Kelley smirked and said, "Don't look so smug, that was an easy one."

  "Uthando, any word from Command?" Kirn asked as he walked back onto the Bridge.

  She turned in her seat. "Yes sir. They have dispatched the Bulsara to attend the station. It's headed there now."

  Kirn considered having her relay their theory about the Korgon attacking Farstation Ellison, but decided against it. If the Korgon vessel were to intercept his message and decode it . . .

  "Thank you Lieutenant." He slid into the command chair and nodded toward the helm. "You rang, Mister Cho?"

  The helmsman busily keyed the controls, fingertips skirting over switches and buttons as he led the Endeavor forward through space. "I am following their trail, sir. Judging from the dispersal rate of the plasma stream, we're gaining on them," Cho explained. "Though they'll be cloaked, more than likely."

  "Any estimate as to how soon we'll be within sensor range?"

  Cho ran the numbers. "Within the quarter hour, sir."

  "Good."

  Captain Kirn watched the viewscreen. The sea of black they coasted through, the stars slipping past on all sides. Nothing ahead of them–or so it seemed. The Korgons were one of the few species who had successfully equipped their vessels with working cloaking technology. Until they presented themselves, they were virtually invisible to sensors. Their ship could be right on top of us, and all we'd see is a black screen and twinkling stars, Kirn thought.

  Ensign Sara Peters turned around in her chair at the navigation station, her face a delicate mixture of apprehension and eagerness. "Captain, I have a theory I'd like to put forward," Peters said. "If you don't mind?"

  Was I ever so young and inexperienced? Kirn wondered. So green? He was aware of the other crewmembers watching him, waiting to see how he treated the pretty little Ensign. Somewhere along the line, he'd acquired a reputation for being a ladies man. Wholly undeserved, of course, he thought. All right, maybe slightly deserved. "What is it, Ensign?" he said, then added, "I haven't exactly got time for theories right now."

  Peters shifted in her seat nervously. "There was a paper submitted to the Confederation Science Council a little while back, written by Doctor Hillstrom. He's the man who invented the Series Four targeting arrays."

  "I am familiar with Dr. Hillstrom, Ensign," he said firmly. "What is your point?"

  "Well in his paper he proposed a way of mapping the plasma streams of suns that I think might help us in pinpointing the exact location of the Korgon ship. If it works."

  Clever girl, Kirn thought. He pointed at Commander Saris's science station and said, "See if you can come up with something a little better than a theory, Ensign. But don't take too long. We may need the advantage soon."

  "Thank you sir," Peters said, visibly pleased. She went to Saris's station and immediately set about leaning down to the screen, bent over so that the hem of her already short skirt rose slightly, and Kirn cleared his throat and hopped out of his seat toward the helm. He leaned down beside Lieutenant Cho and inspected their heading. Mapping a plasma wake was no easy task. The exhaust from starship engines scattered according to multiple variables: solar wind, tachyon streams, even the passage of other ships nearby. To decide the probable course of a ship took skill and confidence. But it did not surprise him that Cho was so adept at what he did. After all, the Lieutenant grew up on a merchant trading vessel. He'd probably seen more of the galaxy than any other cadet by the time he joined the Academy.

  Kirn had always taken it upon himself to know what he could about his crew.

  At the science station, Ensign Peters fiddled with switches to her right. She looked over her shoulder. "Captain, I believe it's working. I'll have a potential location in the next couple of minutes."

  "Excellent work, Ensign," Kirn said, returning to the command chair. He could almost visualize the Korgon ship in front of them. A work of design and construction in complete opposition to the principles in which Confederation ships were conceived. Hard angles and intentionally terrifying as opposed to their own smooth nacelles and sleek curves.

  Of course, the Korgons were under no mandate of exploration, of diplomacy.

  The Korgon Empire was a war machine. In Kirn's opinion, a race of murderers hell bent on the enslavement of free peoples. Their ships reflected that.

  Monsters, he thought, remembering his own encounters with them over the years. Brutal, unmerciful monsters. Perhaps one must be a monster to fight them.

  A small, slightly blurry, shape appeared on the corner of the screen, and Kirn squinted, trying to decide what it could be. A speck of space dust on the Endeavor's sensors, most likely. "That's it," Ensign Peters said confidently. "That's the Korgon vessel."

  "Sir, we are within striking distance of those coordinates," Cho said, then muttered, "Whatever they are."

  Kirn glanced back at Uthando. "Lieutenant, broadcast open hailing frequencies. Demand they present themselves to us for arrest." He frowned slightly and said, "Can you speak Korgon?"

  She cocked her head at him as if he'd insulted her. Uthando turned around in her chair and grabbed the communications microphone and immediately began to issue what sounded like a stern reproach in the Korgon's gnarled tongue.

  It never failed to impress Kirn at her uncanny ability to slip so fluently into an alien language. He watched her speak, her mouth forming the utterly–to him–incomprehensible language. She finished and listened for a response.

  "Nothing?" Kirn asked.

  Uthando shook her head.

  "Put me on, Lieutenant. Tie in the translation circuits," Kirn ordered.

  "Aye."

  "Attention Korgon vessel. This is the ICSS Endeavor, Captain William Kirn commanding. We have tracked your progress from Farstation Ellison and are well aware of your actions. I order you to reveal yourself."

  He waited. Ahead of the Endeavor, the stars remained unchanged. Empty space.

  "Attention Korgon vessel–"

  "Confederation mublah! You dare to make demands of us!" the response boomed through the speakers.

  Kirn's eyes narrowed to slits. "I make demands of anyone who attacks a defenseless space station, slaughtering everyone aboard."

  "We know of no such attack. You are out of your pathetic minds. Leave this sector before we sprinkle your ashes across the nearest moon."

  "I have all the evidence I need. We've tracked you this far. Now surrender and consider yourself a prisoner of war until our governments can decide what is to be done."

  The Korgon Commander's laughter bellowed from the speakers. "Surrender? Who is going to make us, human? YOU?"

  Kirn looked to Ensign Peters. He lowered his voice. "This had better work . . ."

  She gave him the nod.

  The Korgon Commander continued his tirade. "You dare to make demands of me? The Confederation who are a plague upon the Empire. There is only one thing that will happen, mublah. When I have finished my assault on your vessel I will–"

  Kirn snapped his fingers. "Uthando, close the channel. Shut him up. Ensign Peters, take the weapons station. Target the Korgon vessel and fire a volley of quantum torpedoes on my command."

  "Aye, working," Peters said, taking a seat next to Cho. She looked up. "Ready."

  "Fire."

  3.

  The torpedoes lit the viewsc
reen as they hurtled away–flickering balls of energy that raced toward their intended target. They seemed to be headed for oblivion and Kirn gripped the arms of his command chair, his mind galloping ahead toward their next move, when a blinding white flash appeared on the screen. One after another, the Endeavor's weapons crashed into the hull of the Korgon ship, breaking through its cloaking device and leaving it exposed.

  Kirn gritted his teeth in anticipation and said, "Excellent work, Ensign."

  "Thank you, sir."

  "The Korgon ship is hailing us," Uthando reported.

  "Put him back on."

  "Human scum! You will pay for this outrage!"

  Kirn smiled. "Surrender your vessel and prepare to be boarded."

  "Never."

  "He's closed the channel," Uthando reported.

  "That's a surprise."

  Ahead of them the Korgon ship circled about to face the Endeavor.

  "Cho, slow to one quarter. Turn to port."

  "Yes sir."

  "Captain, they're locking weapons," Peters said.

  "Target their forward sensor array," Kirn ordered.

  The Korgon ship unleashed a series of crackling energy bolts.

  "Locked," Peters said.

  "Fire!" Kirn cried. "Cho, evasive action!"

  The Endeavor launched her torpedoes then lurched to the side. Two of the Korgon shots had struck her on the bow, sending a shudder down the length of the ship's spine. Kirn watched their torpedoes strike the front edge of the Korgon ship in return, exploding against the sensor array, the shielding there visibly flickering from the impacts.

  "Direct hits!" Cho reported.

  "Take us beneath them, Lieutenant," Captain Kirn said firmly. "Fire ventral lasers."

  "Aye."

  Cho steered the Endeavor toward the Korgon vessel, then dipped their nose so that they slid under them. Peters manned the controls for the ventral laser cannons mounted along the top of the Endeavor and bright red laser fire streaked across the Korgon ship's surface, slicing through its diffuser array and cutting directly into the hull.

  "Good piloting, Mister Cho. Now bring us about for another pass. I want to cripple their engines so they can't−"

  Just as the Endeavor rounded on the Korgon ship, their opponent jumped to Hyperdrive and was gone. Kirn lowered his head and muttered, "Escape. Damn them! Cho, track them and lay in a pursuit course."

  "Yes Captain."

  Kirn sat back in the command chair and watched his people work to follow the Korgon ship.

  Ah well, I never was a natural negotiator, he thought.

  4.

  Mission Log, Captain William Kirn – ICSS Endeavor

  1045 hrs

  Chief Engineer Doone is directing repair crews following our confrontation with the Korgon vessel. It makes little sense for the Korgons to be this far away from their own territory, attacking Confederation property. Despite ongoing hostilities between the Confederation and the Empire, it's out of sorts, even for them. I've instructed Doone to make the repairs on the move. I don't intend to let that ship get away from us. Not after what they've done. Meanwhile, I've finally received word that Saris and Kuryakin have made progress in identifying the Korgon Commander . . .

  All department heads were seated around the conference table.

  "We have narrowed it down to two possibilities," Saris declared. The holographic display showed two Korgon Commanders. "The first is Captain Rahn. A veteran of the Korgon fleet, he has led several campaigns against Confederation throughout his career, recently taking command of the Empire's latest warship, the Mensk. The second, to the right, is Captain Krog. As you can see, Krog is much older than Rahn. He once held the position of Admiral, but was demoted for insubordination. His current command is the Gurst."

  Kirn studied the images of the two Korgon Captains as they rotated in front of him. It never ceased to surprise just how much Confederation Intelligence knew about the comings and goings of the Empire. "Well we need to know which one it is, Saris."

  "Both myself and Mister Kuryakin are in agreement," Saris said. "In his advanced age, it seems Krog has grown disillusioned with the idea of conquest. Therefore, we believe our opponent to be Captain Rahn of the Mensk."

  "I see," Kirn said. "And is this Captain Rahn here on orders, or is he conducting a one-man campaign to bring himself greater glory?"

  "It is the Empire, all the way, Kapitan," Ensign Kuryakin said. "The targets he is selecting, the commitment to total devastation. It can only mean that the Empire is trying to provoke us into declaring all-out war."

  "Consider me impressed, gentlemen," Kirn said. "So what do we know about him? What makes him tick?"

  Saris selected the image of Captain Rahn and the holographic display zoomed in to show him in full, as if his top half were actually there in front of them, turning above the table.

  "We know from his file that Rahn lost his parents during the Battle of Mobius Reach when he was young, and that he blames the Confederation for that. We also know he was instrumental in driving back Confederation forces during the Tanjiers Incident. He has a proven history of antipathy toward Confederation," Saris explained.

  "A flickering flame," Dr. Kelley said.

  Captain Kirn turned to face him. "Doctor?"

  "That thing inside you that makes you choose the right path, do the right thing. The thing that drives us to do better for ourselves, to explore. I'll bet that Korgon's got the same flickering flame inside himself. Only his is filled with hate. With a need to destroy. Revenge."

  Kirn chewed that over.

  "I believe that what the Doctor is saying, however poetic, is correct," Saris said. "Rahn is the likeliest candidate."

  "Why thank you, Mister Saris," Dr. Kelley said, "… I think."

  Kirn turned to the Chief of Engineering. "Doone, how long until the repairs are completed?"

  "Not before we have our next engagement I'll wager," Chief Doone said with a wry smile. "But I'll do my best, sir. I always do."

  "I won't keep you any longer, then," Kirn said. He stood. "Thank you everyone."

  As the different department heads filed out, Kirn waited until there were only himself, Saris, and Dr. Kelley left. Ensign Kuryakin lingered in the doorway for a moment then, perhaps sensing Kirn wanted to speak privately, backed away from the doors to let them close.

  The Captain sat on the edge of the table. "Can the Endeavor stand up to the Mensk in a one-on-one fight, Saris? We snuck up on them the last time when they were cloaked, and sucker punched them, but this time, they'll be ready for us."

  "As in all cases, it has more to do with those leading, than the resources at their disposal," the Valkar said. "However, it is presumable that we can. Intelligence is vague about the exact capabilities of the Mensk. But it is the Korgon's latest design, their deadliest ship."

  "That sounds like a gut feeling to me, Saris. I thought your people didn't make assumptions," Dr. Kelley said.

  The Valkar made to reply but Kirn interrupted. "I also believe it always comes down to the choices made on the battlefield rather than the weaponry used," the Captain said. "In this instance, I agree with Saris. We're on equal footing. After all, I do not consider myself untried."

  Though I'm starting to wonder to what end, Kirn thought. If we destroy them: war. If we capture them and hold them prisoner: merely a prelude to war. We have to tread carefully here. And yet . . . I want to get Rahn myself.

  Dr. Kelley cleared his throat. "I was just wondering if Saris here was going on instinct for once, rather than his beloved logical reasoning. I mean, for you it goes deeper than that, right, Bill? For you it's about galactic retribution. You want justice for those people on the Ellison and the Balkarians, and every other damned person the Korgon have ever messed with. Am I wrong?"

  "I won't deny it," Kirn said. "And I've been considering what you said before about a flickering flame. But unlike him, I'm not pursuing in the name of vengeance. The flame might be there in both of us, but it's dif
ferent. I'm seeking justice."

  Kelley rolled his eyes, "We're talking about pretty murky waters now, Bill, and you know it."

  "Murky waters, flickering flames," Saris muttered. "I'd dare say this engagement has brought out your more colorful anecdotal side, Doctor."

  Kelley grinned. "Why bless you, Commander. If I didn't know you better, I'd say that was a compliment."

  The Valkar proved, once more, impervious to the Doctor's attacks. "Indeed."

  Commander Saris found Kuryakin waiting for him out in the corridor. "Ensign."

  "Sir, am I to return to the Bridge?"

  "Not just yet," the Valkar said. "I want you to continue your research. Learn what you can of Captain Rahn from his records. Find some facet of his previous performance that we can exploit."

  "Yes sir," the Russian said. Saris watched him head off to the ship's library. Captain Kirn came up behind the Valkar.

  "Keeping him off the Bridge, eh Saris?"

  "I thought it prudent. He is … passionate about our next encounter with the Korgon vessel."

  "Wise choice," Kirn said. "I know that eventually the boy will have to deal with his past. But for right now, you're right to use him elsewhere."

  Saris said looked at him impassively, "I know it was. That is why I did it."

  "Come on," Kirn laughed. "Let's get back to the Bridge. I think I can hear Dr. Kelley talking to himself."

  5.

  Captain Rahn of the Imperial warship Mensk ground his teeth. "You are certain?"

  His tactical officer had never failed him – part of the reason he'd insisted on picking his own crew for this particular incursion into enemy space. Many of them he had worked with time and again over the years. When you worked with fellow crewmen over such a long time, you got to anticipate one another, to know what to do in any given moment without being asked. The crew of the Mensk were the finest the Korgon Imperial Fleet had to offer, and he would defy anyone to say otherwise.

  "There is no error, Captain," Tactical Officer Dul said. "The Confederation dogs are not far behind."