The gods titan, p.16
The God's Titan, page 16
“I don’t think the Firestorm and its exium module are the priority any longer, Lieutenant,” said Fredericks. “There’s only one thing the Kilvar want and it’s right in the middle of that stasis sphere.”
“They’re planning to collapse the sphere and recover the Ancidium,” said Flint. “Assuming they have the technology to permanently negate the stasis.”
“Maybe they don’t even need to permanently negate it, sir,” said Maddox, chewing her lip in thought. “In fact, if they did collapse the sphere, they’ll free the Ancidium and – if the Lavorix react quickly enough - I doubt the Kilvar would enjoy the outcome.”
“This is becoming complicated,” said Flint. He swore when a new thought came to him. “Lieutenant Vance and his platoon are on the Ancidium and no longer affected by the Firestorm’s negation pulses. Does that mean it’ll feel to those soldiers as if far more time has passed?”
“I guess it will mean that, sir,” said Fredericks. “On the plus side, they’re only out of stasis for ten seconds out of every forty, so they’ll experience a quarter of the elapsed time.” He raised a hand and scratched the side of his head. “Or maybe that’s not how it works at all. Damn I’m having a hard time getting my head around this.”
Flint felt himself inexorably sinking into the mire of the unknown. He was convinced his explanation was accurate, and it was obvious the Kilvar had not been idle. If they recovered the Ancidium it would be a disaster. If the Ancidium escaped, it would also be a disaster. In fact, it was hard to envisage an outcome that was anything else.
“I wonder if our own fleet has attacked yet,” said Becerra.
“If they have, it hasn’t been effective,” said Flint.
Maddox stared directly at him. “What are we going to do, sir? Evia has the potential to become the biggest flashpoint humanity and the Daklan have ever known, and we’ve got everything to lose.”
“I wish I had an answer,” said Flint. He rubbed a palm against his cheek and felt the sharp prickling of his stubble.
“We could leave the sphere again and find out if there’s a return comm waiting for us, sir,” said Becerra.
“That’s got to be the best option for now,” said Flint. “RL Moseley might have a few suggestions as to how we can control the negation pulses. Unfortunately, each time we emerge from the stasis sphere, we run the risk of being spotted.”
“I have Admiral Aston on the comms again, sir,” said Garrett. “I’ll bring her into the open channel.”
“Captain Flint, my crew and I agree with what you said,” Aston told him. “Time for us inside the negation pulses has travelled much faster than we knew and the enemy – in normal time - have prepared themselves to attack or salvage the Ancidium.”
“We haven’t yet estimated how long we’ve been inside the sphere,” said Flint.
“I’ve been working on that, sir,” said Fredericks.
“What have you come up with?”
“Nothing certain, if that’s what you’re hoping for. However, it’s my opinion that time in the early negation pulses was no different to that outside the pulses, and it’s only since they became uncontrolled that time has begun speeding up for us.”
“Is there a direct link between the increased diameter of the pulses, the interval length and the passing of time?” asked Flint.
“There’s a link - whether it’s linear or exponential, I don’t know. Clearly, we don’t want it to be exponential, or we might find that after a few more negation pulses, months or years start passing by outside with each new pulse.”
“I don’t want to go home to a ninety-year-old fiancée,” said Bolan.
“Or to parents buried decades ago,” said Garrett.
“We can change this,” said Flint firmly. “There’s a way – we just have to find it.”
“What if we exited the stasis sphere while the negation pulse is active and wreck every Kilvar vessel using the destroyer cannon?” asked Maddox. “Their ships weapons would be travelling so slowly relative to the Firestorm that we’d be able to wipe them out easily.”
“It could work, sir,” said Fredericks. “The periods during which we’re in normal time are getting shorter and shorter. While the negation pulses are active, we’ll be travelling so fast – relative to the enemy – that we should be completely unstoppable.”
“It may come down to an all-out attack,” said Flint. “And if I believed the destroyer cannon had more than a couple of shots left in it, I might even give the order to go ahead - if Admiral Aston was of a similar mind.”
“We should consider other possibilities first, Captain Flint,” said Aston.
“We’ve created seven negation pulses since we retreated into the stasis sphere a short time ago,” said Flint, glancing at the data on his console. “Since outside time is travelling so much faster, that should have given RL Moseley and his team ample time to scour the control software audit logs for errors.”
“Given the failure of the FTL comms during the active negation pulse, I’m certain we can only send or receive when we’re in normal time,” said Becerra. “That window’s getting smaller and smaller.”
“It won’t take us long to pick up a transmission and return to the stasis sphere, Lieutenant.”
“No, sir, but we don’t know what the Kilvar have got up to in the time which has elapsed. If you drew a direct line between that first turret we spotted and the Ancidium, it would pass within a few hundred kilometres of the Firestorm, so whatever they’re doing, it’s happening directly above our heads.”
“We’ll exit at a different part of the sphere,” said Flint. “We need help and this is the only way to get it.”
“I agree,” said Admiral Aston. “Choose a new exit location, head for it, and the Vengeance will follow.”
Flint felt better taking action, even if he wasn’t expecting RL Moseley to have come up with an immediate solution. At best, the man would likely require a discussion with Lieutenant Fredericks, followed by some tweaking of the software code, all of which would require a live comms link that might not even be possible to maintain.
“Three minutes at this velocity, sir,” said Becerra. “That should take us out of the sphere far enough around the curvature that we’re not visible to the known enemy vessels.”
Holding the Firestorm at a steady 4500 kilometres per second, Flint couldn’t help but think that wherever they exited the stasis sphere, they’d find an enemy fleet or something similarly unwanted. There was no way the Kilvar would neglect an opportunity to capture or destroy the biggest prize in their centuries-long conflict with the Lavorix. The more he considered it, the more Flint became certain he’d been lucky last time to only find a couple of turrets and a single fleet.
Regardless, it was vital for them to receive the return transmission and Flint hoped that the alliance’s brightest minds had come up with the goods.
“Two minutes,” said Becerra.
“The last negation pulse hit forty thousand klicks, sir,” said Fredericks. “And its interval was below twenty seconds. That means for half a second or so, we were affected by overlapping negation pulses.”
“Tell me they stack additively rather than multiplicatively,” said Garrett.
“I’m telling you nothing,” said Fredericks. “Other than we need to get our asses in gear and find a way out of this crap.”
The heat was rising and Flint struggled to hold the Firestorm at only 4500 kilometres per second. He wanted to give it everything, leaving the Vengeance behind and returning to free Admiral Aston and her crew from stasis once he’d received the return transmission from Fleet Admiral Recker.
“One minute,” said Becerra.
“The average interval is down to twenty-two seconds, sir,” said Fredericks. “Another three or four minutes and we’ll be lucky to see an interval greater than twenty seconds. Then we’ll be in permanently negated stasis.”
“Twenty seconds, sir,” said Becerra.
On this occasion, Flint abandoned caution and he threw out the anchors at the last possible moment. The Firestorm, with its superstressed propulsion, decelerated too rapidly for the Vengeance to match and the warship came within a hair of crashing into the larger vessel’s stern.
“Stasis negation pulse fired,” said Fredericks. “Another big one.”
“Send out a new FTL comm and begin scans,” ordered Flint.
“FTL comm issued. Near scan running,” said Becerra at once.
Garrett wasn’t slow either. “Fars underway.”
“Where’s that inbound transmission?” muttered Flint, keeping watch on the comms system.
“Transmission received,” said Becerra. “It’s a voice recording. Whoever received our newest outbound comm hasn’t responded yet.”
“It shouldn’t take them long,” said Maddox.
“They don’t have long,” said Flint, knowing it was hopeless to expect a live comms link to last any more than a second or two.
“Inbound comm received and accepted, sir!” said Becerra. “It’s Fleet Admiral Recker!”
“Captain Flint—”
The comms channel was ended by the next stasis negation pulse and Flint crashed a fist onto the top of his console in frustration.
“Where are those scan results?” he demanded.
“Nears done and clear,” said Becerra. “We’re working on the fars.”
“I’ve located more Kilvar warships, sir,” said Garrett. “Two separate fleets of twenty-five, plus another turret and superlifter combination. Everything’s travelling in slow-mo like before.”
“Check this out, sir,” said Becerra. “This looks like an orbital platform.”
The orbital platform was huge – fifty kilometres along its facing edge and with dozens of upper structures which Flint guessed were missiles launchers, cannons and beam generators, all on a vast scale.
Flint had seen enough. Hauling on the controls, he piloted the Firestorm directly into the stasis sphere and didn’t stop until his warship and the Vengeance were half a million kilometres from the surface.
Suddenly, the enormity of everything hit Flint like a planet dropping on him from above. His shoulders wanted to sag and his eyes wanted to close, but he wouldn’t let them.
Hard times call for hard men, William. I want you to remember that.
The words of his father, spoken aeons ago almost brought tears to Flint’s eyes. He blinked them away and straightened in his seat. The ghosts of the past could hurt the most, but they could bring strength too.
With hardening resolve, Captain William Flint promised himself he’d do his utmost to bring everyone out of this alive and screw over the Kilvar at the same time if it was in any way possible.
Chapter Eighteen
“Play the voice transmission,” said Flint. “Bridge speakers.”
“Yes, sir,” said Becerra. “I’ve made the recording available to Admiral Aston as well.”
“Captain Flint, the alliance is in trouble, as you have likely already discovered,” began Fleet Admiral Recker. “As each hour passes, the Kilvar increase their presence in the Evia system and our scouts have identified unfamiliar constructions which our enemy are positioning around the stasis sphere. Their intentions are clear – they wish to collapse the sphere and recover the Ancidium. Our efforts to repel them have met with enormous losses and we are currently out of options.”
Recker paused and then continued. “At first, I kept hope that the Firestorm and the Vengeance could somehow turn things around. However, the news for you is not good. RL Moseley has analysed the audit logs from your control software and he believes the exium module is nearing depletion. As a consequence, it’s tapping progressively more into the Firestorm’s engines to sustain itself.”
A humourless laugh came through the speakers and Recker resumed his monologue. “There’s an accompanying technical explanation, which I have included as a data file attached to this transmission. Ultimately, RL Moseley believes this is irreversible. The pulses will continue until the exium module loses power. Experience tells me that partially understood tech rarely produces a positive outcome when things go wrong. If you’re still within the sphere when the exium module fails, you’ll be trapped until the Kilvar negate the stasis and I don’t need to tell you what will happen after that.”
Recker went silent for a long time and only the faint background hum of the recording indicated that he was still there. “Which brings me to my final comments. Lieutenant Vance is a resourceful man. Your transmission indicated you deployed him on the Ancidium and from that, I am certain he will have succeeded in his own mission. He will be waiting for your return, along with the obliterator core. I am ordering you to return to the Ancidium and extract those soldiers.
“In giving you this order, I will confess that my biggest worry – initially – was the escape of the Lavorix from stasis. Now, having witnessed what the Kilvar are capable of, I am no longer so concerned. Admiral Ivinstol is of a similar mind. Whatever comes of this, the alliance will be hanging by the same thread.”
This time when Recker paused, Flint guessed he was gathering himself. “I swore this would not happen on my watch, and here we are. Failure beckons, but until the breath leaves my body, I won’t accept that it can’t be averted. Do what you can, Captain Flint. Do what you must.”
The recording ended and the bridge fell quiet.
“At least we’ve got a plan now, huh?” said Garrett after a while. “Rescue Lieutenant Vance and then play it by ear.”
With a clenching in his guts, Flint realised exactly what a burden Fleet Admiral Recker had taken upon himself. The orders to return to the Ancidium, come what may, absolved every participant of guilt for whatever consequences followed. If the mission failed, Recker would shoulder the blame. If it succeeded, the glory would be on those here at Evia.
Inwardly, Flint shook his head. There was no glory to be had on this battlefield. Death beckoned and the chance of success was so remote, only a fool would imagine it might happen.
I’m not giving up.
“We’ve been ordered to the Ancidium,” said Flint. “Lieutenant Becerra, speak with Admiral Aston and make sure we’re in agreement.”
“Yes, sir.” Becerra spoke softly into the comms. “The Admiral is good to go. She recommends we head straight for the Ancidium. Upon arrival, the Firestorm will wait outside and the Vengeance will enter the construction bay to make the pickup.”
“Synch code active, let’s get on our way,” said Flint.
He rotated the Firestorm, checked the Vengeance was repositioned, and then accelerated directly for the Ancidium, holding velocity at 4500 kilometres per second.
“Lieutenant Fredericks, have you looked at the technical details Fleet Admiral Recker included with his transmission?”
“Checking them now, sir. RL Moseley foresees a range of possibilities leading to the exium module’s eventual failure. Once a tipping point is reached, the negation pulses may continue growing or they may reduce in size. At the same time, the intervals may become either longer or shorter.”
“He really said that?” said Maddox. “I could have come up with that prediction.”
“When the exium is on the verge of depletion, he predicts a thirty percent chance it will attempt a status change on our superstressed engines.”
“With what outcome?” asked Flint.
“Either we create our own stasis sphere, the engines detonate, something entirely unexpected happens, or everything simply shuts down and stops working.”
“I like the fourth option,” said Maddox.
“RL Moseley predicts a five percent chance of such an outcome,” said Fredericks.
“No surprise there,” said Garrett sourly. “I’d swear the man only got into science because he likes watching things blow up.”
“Anyway, our stasis negation pulses aren’t getting any smaller,” said Fredericks, “But the diameter of the last two suggests a lower rate of increase.”
“Is the change significant?” asked Flint.
“I’ll be able to tell you after another few pulses, sir. It may be that we’re approaching the plateau.”
“What about the interval?”
“Still falling.”
“So what happens to the alliance if the Ancidium escapes?” asked Becerra. “Do we benefit because the Kilvar have to divide their resources, or do we lose out because the Lavorix have a good idea where some of our worlds are located and they might choose to knock us straight out of the fight?”
“I can’t imagine the Lavorix would take a chance with us,” said Flint. “If they can wipe out the alliance quickly, it’s the best option for them.”
“Assuming they’re willing to gamble we won’t beat them for a second time,” said Fredericks.
“The circumstances first time around were unique,” said Flint. “I wouldn’t like to say the alliance could do the same thing twice.”
“We just emitted another pulse that indicates a levelling off,” said Fredericks.
“Keep me informed, Lieutenant.” Flint glanced at the velocity gauge and found it had crept to 4600 kilometres per second. Grimacing, he reduced it to 4500.
“Three minutes,” said Becerra.
“Do you believe the Fleet Admiral actually wants the Ancidium to escape, sir?” asked Maddox.
“I think what he wants is for us to extract Lieutenant Vance and the obliterator core, and let whatever comes from that happen.”
“Embrace the chaos,” said Maddox.
“I’d say it’s more a case of letting fate decide,” said Flint.
“Fate or luck?”
“Is there a difference?”
Maddox didn’t answer and Flint didn’t say anything more on the subject. The Ancidium wasn’t far and once the Firestorm and Vengeance arrived, everything would happen quickly, Flint was sure.
“Two minutes,” Becerra announced.
“The negation pulses have definitely plateaued, sir,” said Fredericks. “There are signs the intervals are increasing again as well.”
Flint cast an eye over the data. Each pulse was easily large enough to completely encompass the Ancidium and that meant he’d have to position the Firestorm carefully so that Admiral Aston could pilot the Vengeance safely into the construction bay, while still leaving some of the Lavorix warship in stasis. He guessed the Ancidium would be unable to escape if even a fraction of its mass remained in zero-time, but Flint wasn’t keen to experiment.
