*****AUDIO FILE***** "Chapter 38.5 - Sacrifice - Audio File" [The White Raven, Chapter 38.5, Sacrifice] [Mulae Farael Battle Carrier, Raunu Major] “Falcon Battle Carrier, Elae Saena, coming alongside to port…” “Raven Missile Frigate, Midnight, taking position…” “Rook Breech Ship, Talae Josuna, reporting all ready…” “Falcon Drop Ship, Falcus, coming up from the planet now…” “Jackdaw Communications Ship, Crystal Rain, reporting ready…” “Falcon Dart Squadrons have begun loading on the Elae Saena…” “Lone Gunslinger Dart Squadrons approaching starboard…” “Crow Troop Ship, Corvina, taking position…” The Com-Officer continued announcing the status of each ship in the Battle Convoy. Pesa felt a thrill knowing that Jaco was out there somewhere with the Lone Gunslingers. She might even get a chance to see him again when they got to the ocean world, Pyra. Pesa glanced up at the big Vid-Screen, the war-ships assembling around the Hawk Carrier was the largest military convoy she had ever seen. The Lone Gunslingers were moving their entire Order to Pyra, and this was just the escort for their Quartermaster Corp; there would be many more escort convoy’s to come over the next several years. “Nav-course plotted,” announced Pesa. “We’ve got another hour before we depart, just relax,” replies the XO. Pesa looked over her shoulder and grinned. “Yes Sir, I’m just excited to get going.” “Eyes on your console,” scolds the XO. Pesa whipped back around and concentrated on keeping the Carrier from drifting into the other ships arriving from the planet by the hundreds. The convoy wasn't going to leave all at the same time, but most ships were. The Senior Helm Officer arrived and took a seat in the number two helm position and monitored Pesa’s launch from orbit. The Battle Carrier’s massive engines ignited and the Mulae Farael slowly began moving forward. It would take nearly two-million miles for the ship’s mass to reach the speed necessary to drop into TDS. Pesa was acutely aware of the other ships of the convoy near her; she had the odd feeling that millions of eyes were watching her. “Critical speed achieved for TDS,” reported Pesa. “Com, order the Fleet to make TDS for Pyra,” ordered the Captain. “Secure for TDS,” shouted the XO. Pesa glanced at the Vid-screen, the Fleet was beginning to disappear into TDS. “All stations report secure for TDS,” announced the Com-Officer. “Engage TDS-drive,” orders the XO. “TDS in three… two… one… TDS engaged,” reported Pesa. Pesa typed the command into her console and the stars on the Vid-Screen vanished. Pesa could feel the momentary stretching of mass and space as the ship dropped under the universe. “All systems showing green,” announces Pesa. “Clock set at 504.3 hours to arrival, last reported weather on Pyra, 29 degrees Celsius, 0% precipitation, 53% humidity,” says the Com-Officer. “We are at TDS, Captain,” reports the XO. “Well done, people,” says the Captain. “ECO, set ship temperature to match Pyra.” Pesa could feel the welcome temperature change immediately; it had been snowing on Raunu. The Captain always set the temperature on the ship the same as the current planet they were at, or the upcoming planet if en-route. The ship had been set at -5 degrees Celsius. The Bridge Crew began shedding their parkas and Pesa joined them, hanging her parka over the back of her chair until she could take it back to her quarters. “XO, initiate drill sequence 24B,” ordered the Captain. “Sound General Quarters, hull breech on Med-Deck,” shouted the XO. Pesa grimaced; the Captain was going to spend the next three weeks putting the crew through training drills. The Captain didn’t let up on the drills and everyone had to rotate shifts while maintaining the drill. The main corridor was shut-down when Pesa tried to get back to her quarters; a simulated chemical tank rupture from a missile barrage had the crew trying to find alternate routes around the ship. Pesa followed the flow of foot-traffic to the outer-hull and through the gun-decks. Pesa ran into Lieutenant Dak just outside one of the gun-deck Mess Halls. The Lieutenant was posting a nasty-gram citation up on the hatch to one of the Mess Chief’s personal shuttles. “Hey there,” greeted Pesa, ducking into the small alcove where shuttle was docked. “What are you doing?” “Hey, Pesa. Just having the same problem I always have with the Mess Chiefs,” replies Dak. “They always leave the command keys in their shuttles.” “It’s not like anyone is going to steal a shuttle,” says Pesa. “We have rules for a reason,” says Dak. Pesa glanced at the citation, it was just a warning to the Chief to secure his shuttle. “I don’t suppose you know a faster way around this traffic jam.” “I’ll take you up to your Deck, the Security Lift hasn’t been shut down,” replies Dak. The Lieutenant dropped Pesa off at her Deck. The Security Lift was certainly a faster way to get around, but Pesa couldn’t help notice that Lieutenant Dak was breaking his own rule by leaving the key in the control panel on the lift. The Mess Hall was still open on her Deck and she dropped in to pick up something light to eat. She probably should stop in the library and check on her class and assignments, but it had been a long shift. Pesa headed back to her quarters with her tray of two apples, a bowl of applesauce, and some apple bread. Pesa flopped down on the tiny chair in her quarters and nibbled on the apple. She shared the room with one of her classmates, but Sonea was on the day shift, and Pesa the night, so they both had a sense of privacy. Pesa really needed to send a letter off to Jaco, and her parents, but she was tired; maybe later. The next three weeks were filled with training drills, study time, and her night shift on the Helm. She wouldn’t always be assigned to the Mulae Farael, the Carrier was the training ground for many military career fields. She would have to serve time on smaller ships as a full Helm Officer, and then someday she might return here as the Senior Helm Officer. Pesa was in the library studying when the blue tactical lighting switched on and the Com-Officer announced they were dropping out of TDS. They would begin their breaking maneuver by flying past Pyra, and then around the sun and back to bleed off their speed. Smaller ships would be able to use the planet’s gravitational field to break, but the larger ships would take many more hours. Pesa left her books on the table and ran for the lift to take her to the backup Bridge located two decks below the main Bridge. She wasn’t on duty so she would assume a position at the alternate Helm in the event of an emergency. Pesa was half-way to the backup Bridge when the blue tactical lighting was replaced with flashing red lights - something was wrong. “Collision… Collision… Collision,” the automated message from the ship A.I. announced. Brace bars dropped down from the ceiling and Pesa grabbed one - the ship shuttered from an impact with an object. The Mulae Farael was well armored, but even the smallest object at 160,000 miles per second could be potentially catastrophic. Pesa tensed and waited for the hull breach announcement, but after several seconds decided the hull must have held and continued running. “Collision… Collision… Collision,” the ship A.I. announced again. Pesa grabbed a brace bar and the ship shuttered. They should have long since moved past whatever they had hit, what was going on? Pesa started running again, but then the XO’s voice came over the ship speakers. “All crew to crash pods,” ordered the XO. The crash pods were scattered all over the ship, they were built into the walls of every deck. You were safe from almost anything inside the crash pods; even if the ship was torn in half, or burned, the pods were designed to protect you - they would even eject from the ship if they detected the ship breaking apart. Pesa slammed the palm of her hand against the control panel of the crash pod and the door opened; this pod had six seats. “Over here,” shouted Pesa. “I have five more seats in this one.” Pesa waited for five more crew to arrive and jumped inside behind them. Pesa scanned the ranks of the others; she was the senior Officer in this pod. She took the command seat and pulled up the control panel, her hands were shaking slightly. “Calm down, L.T.,” says an older man with the insignia of a mechanic. “The Captain’s just playing it cautious, it feels like we’ve hit a debris field.” Pesa nodded. “Does this happen often?” “Just with worlds that don’t have a big space program, like Pyra, and Demonia,” explains the mechanic. “I grew up on a Cargo ship,” replies Pesa. “We never had anything like this happen.” “No, I wouldn’t imagine you would,” says the man. “Transport ships stay on the Nav-lanes, Jon Black keeps those clear. Go ahead and pull up the Vid-feed, we should be able to see what the Bridge is seeing.” Pesa pulled the Vid-screen up and turned it so everyone could see. Pesa couldn’t see the debris they were running into, the objects were big, but against the black of space they blended too well. But, she could feel the impacts. “Feel that vibration,” says the mechanic. “The Captain is trying to turn us to starboard - something big is going on for him to attempt a turn at this speed. Pull up the starboard Vid-feed.” Pesa switched the Vid-view and a large ship off their starboard side came into view. The mechanic leaned forward and stared at the ship. “That’s the Crystal Rain,” says the man. “Goddess protect them, they’re getting hammered. I think the Captain is trying to get in front of them to act as a shield.” The mechanic shakes his head. “He won’t make it, we’re going too fast to change our course that much.” “What are those Dart ships doing?” asks Pesa. “They have scoop-shields attached, they’re acting as the Crystal Rain's shield,” replies the mechanic. Pesa zoomed in to watch the Dart ships. Something hit one of the Darts and part of it’s scoop-shield ripped off and sailed away into space. Another Dart moved to take it’s position. “How can they survive that?” asks Pesa. “Scoop-shields are only used to protect the delicate arrays on Com-ships from small stuff, like a stray bolt, or a tool someone dropped. They aren’t much good against big debris,” explains the mechanic. “They’re losing Dart’s fast,” says Pesa. “There's a gap in their line.” “They’ll rotate the Darts in the rear with the main defense line as they lose their shields,” says the mechanic. “See, there’s one moving forward now to cover that gap.” Pesa watched as the Darts rotated forward until there were no more Dart ships with shields left to move forward. Something hit a Dart in the center and half it’s shield ripped away, and then it was hit again and the shield was completely ripped from the front of the Dart. “Why isn’t that ship pulling back now?” asked Pesa. “May the Goddess give them a special place in the Land of the Ancestors,” whispers the mechanic. “There are no more Darts to take they’re place, they’re going to sacrifice themselves to save the Crystal Rain.” The Dart ship Pesa was watching fired it’s thrusters and moved forward, then tilted upwards. Pesa only saw it for a moment, less then a second, but it was enough to know what it was - then the Dart ship slammed into a cargo-pod. The cockpit of the Dart ship crumpled and the ship tumbled away, but the trajectory of the cargo-pod was pushed just enough. Pesa watched the cargo-pod tumble over top of the Crystal Rain, missing it by inches. Pesa put her hands over her mouth… time slowed down… she would know that cargo-pod anywhere - it was the pod she had jettisoned two years ago. The time and trajectory of travel would put it right here in the Pyran system, right now. She ran the figures through her head again and again, hoping it wasn’t true, but she knew. Her past had caught up with her. “Goddess be damned,” says the mechanic. “That is one hell of a pilot, he’s still flying.” “Please, nobody be hurt,” whispered Pesa. Somehow the pilot managed to get the crumpled Dart ship back to the Crystal Rain, but it would be hours before they would be able to get any news of the crash. Pesa walked around the ship in a daze. She knew she should go to the Captain and confess, but she couldn’t. Pesa stayed in her quarters weeping and only came out to report for duty. It was three days later before the Grackle News was able to release the footage of the accident. Pesa was on her way to the Bridge when the news report came on. A crowd gathered around a Vid-screen outside the Mess Hall watching the report. “Breaking news from the Jackdaw Communication Ship, Crystal Rain,” announces the reporter. “House Raven has just released the footage of a crash incident during a breaking maneuver in the Pyran system.” Pesa watched the Vid-clip as rescue crews used plasma-torches to cut into the mangled cockpit of the Dart Ship. “Reporter Malatae, are you on the Crystal Rain?” asked the News Anchor. “No, I’m on the surface of Pyra at the Darain Embassy, the Jackdaws do not allow anyone outside House Jackdaw aboard the Crystal Rain,” explains the reporter. “What can you tell us?” asks the News Anchor. “The Jackdaw spokesman has released a statement,” replies the reporter. “And I’m not sure what to make of this, but… as you can see, the rescue crews are pulling the pilot out.” “Yes, his injuries don’t look severe, he’s walking,” says the News Anchor. “That is correct, he walked away with only minor injuries,” says the reporter. “I’m told the pilot’s name is Jaco, and that he is the eldest son of Lord Jackdaw.” “That would explain this young hero’s noble act of sacrifice to save the Crystal Rain,” says the News Anchor. “Not quite.” The reporter takes a deep breath and continues. “I’m told there was a classified mating between Jaco and a human male, the first mating of it’s kind in Daraian history.” “I see the human being pulled from the wreckage,” says the News Anchor. “What do we know of him?” “His name is Keal, and… well… the human is the dominate partner, and was in command of the Dart ship,” says the Reporter. “It was the human that gave the order to sacrifice themselves to save the Crystal Rain.” The News Anchor looked shocked and glanced off-screen for advice from someone, presumably his news producer. The News Anchor composed himself and looked back at the camera. “Humans don’t sacrifice themselves,” says the News Anchor. “They are a primitive and barbaric species.” “I spoke with a Raven Priestess,” replies the reporter. “She told me that House Raven believes Keal is the next evolution in the human species, and that Keal has proved humans can love someone other then themselves.” “I’m sure there will be much discussion of this in the weeks to come,” says the News Anchor. “Do you have any word on the cause of the accident?” “I’m told it was an illegally jettisoned cargo-pod,” replies the reporter. “The Daraian Trade Commission has recovered the pod, they have assured me they are close to discovering the source of the pod, and will prosecute the crew responsible.” Pesa turned away. It had been Jaco’s Dart ship. She would go to prison for the rest of her life, everything was gone now. Even if she were found innocent, she would be discharged and never allowed to fly again. Pesa continued her duties, looking out at the world as if under a deep lake. The news of the accident was all anyone talked about; how a human had saved the Crystal Rain. She already knew, but there was long discussions among the crew about where the cargo-pod had come from. It was discovered the pod had contained copper ore, the mass of the pod and it’s trajectory would have impacted the ship’s school deck. The human’s sacrifice had saved hundreds of hatchlings, perhaps even the entire ship. The message came a week later. Pesa was sitting at the Helm when a flashing personal message notification appeared on her console. She glanced around to make sure nobody was watching and opened the message. My dearest daughter. The Gunslingers are cutting through our hull, your mother is fighting them to stall for time. We will be imprisoned for the rest of our lives, and so will you if they catch you. Do not try to contact us, there is nothing you can do - You must run now. Don’t pack, don’t do anything to alert anyone - Just get up and walk away - The Gunslingers think you’re still aboard our ship, but they will realize their mistake once they board. Do you remember where your mother took you after the Sparrow Academy Test? That place is no longer at Raunu, it is somewhere else… do you understand…? Your mother has made arrangements for you there… now run, Pesa… please… run and live. Your loving father. Pesa deleted the message and sat still for a long time, paralyzed with fear. She felt ill. “Pesa… Lieutenant Pesa… Lieutenant!” The XO laid a hand on her shoulder. “I gave you an order to cycle the engines.” “Oh, sorry Sir, I don’t feel well, may I go to the Med-bay?” The XO motioned for the alternate to come take Pesa’s place. “You’re dismissed, report to the ship surgeon,” says the XO. Pesa stood and left the Bridge. How long ago had her father sent the message, she had forgotten to look at the time-date stamp. They could be coming for her at anytime, maybe they already knew where she was. Pesa forced herself to walk calmly, and then stopped at the security lift. The key was in the control console; Pesa entered the lift and headed down seven decks, then walked to the outer gun-decks. She was certain everyone was staring at her, they all must know. Several crew did give her an odd glance, but probably because she was white as a ghost and looked ill. The gun-deck was in a sleep-cycle and she thanked her small luck nobody was out to ask her why she was on this deck. Pesa opened the airlock to the shuttle she had seen Lieutenant Dak at several weeks ago. The ship was full of food crates; the cook hadn’t finished unloading it yet, at least she would have plenty of food. The command-key was in the control panel, her luck was holding. Pesa deactivated the locater-beacon and sealed the airlock. They wouldn’t notice another shuttle leaving, not with all the shuttles coming and going from the planet. Pesa launched the shuttle, then checked for where the place her mother had taken her had gone - there it was… it was in orbit at Carina. Pesa set the coordinates and dropped into TDS. The TDS drive in the shuttle was a very small one, it would take two months to get to Carina. Would they even still be there when she arrived? The two months passed very slowly. Pesa alternated between crying and fits of rage at her misfortune. There were even several times she thought about opening the airlock and just stepping outside. Pesa was staring out the window and it took several minutes before she realized she was back in normal space. Carina was just ahead of her, and her destination. A massive Galaxy Class ship hung in orbit around the planet. The Galaxy ship was one-quarter the size of the moon; it was a generational exploration and mining ship, intended to bring valuable ore to the worlds of the Empire - worlds that had long since depleted most of their natural resources. Pesa docked at the public landing platform. There were no other visitors on the platform, but she could see a Gunslinger Battleship not far away. Perhaps they knew she had come to Carina. Pesa opened the airlock and stepped onto the visitors deck. A Daraian man was sitting behind the visitors desk and looked up. “Are you Pesa?” asked the man. They knew who she was, now she would be arrested. Pesa dropped her head and nodded. “Yes, Sir.” “Have a seat,” orders the man. Pesa sat and waited for the Gunslingers to come get her, but twenty minutes later a woman in her thirties approached her. “My name is Talaeth, I am your great-great-great-great grandmother,” says the woman. “Come with me.” Pesa followed the woman. Pesa understood that a Galaxy ship traveling such vast distances was subject to the Law of Relativity, but it was still difficult to comprehend this woman being her grandmother - Pesa hadn’t known she had any relatives other than her parents. They took a tram and traveled across a grassy plains full of cattle and horses, and even a small town. From the tram they took a lift, it seemed to take forever to get where they were going. The door opened and Pesa followed the woman out onto what had to be the Bridge. The woman stopped in front of a man dressed in an ancient Daraian uniform from the Corvian Empire. Pesa was stunned; that Empire ceased to exist nearly five-thousand years ago. Pesa glanced around at the rest of the Bridge crew, they were all dressed in various uniforms from nearly every period of Darain history. “My lord, this is the Helm Officer I told you about,” says the woman. The man nodded and looked at Pesa. “You get one chance only to decide,” says the man. “Our next trip is eighteen months round-trip, our time relative, and sixty-six years relative time to this galaxy. When you return, everyone you know will be long dead, and so will anyone that cared about your crime. I need a Helm Officer, do you want the job, yes or no.” Pesa looked at the man, the Captain, his hand was resting on his side-arm. Pesa understood, this man was from one of the most brutal periods of history on Darai. He would kill her without hesitation if she said no. Pesa nodded. “Yes, Sir,” says Pesa. “If you call me that again, I will cut your heart out and eat it for a snack,” warns the Captain. “You will address me as Lord Crow.” Pesa felt a chill run down her spine. Was this the original Lord Crow, the Lord Crow that fought the first Kitsune invaders and kept Darai from being the only planet the Kitsune had failed to conquered? “Yes, my Lord Crow,” replies Pesa bowing her head. “You are a Sparrow,” notes Lord Crow. “Your race has grown slightly in size, are you still clever little things?” This man wanted straight answers, he would not accept modesty. “The most clever, my Lord Crow,” replies Pesa. “My Lord, a Gunslinger ship has docked,” reports a man standing at what Pesa thought might be the Com-station. “Gunslingers, what a silly name,” says Lord Crow. “Nothing more than Cettise in disguise. Throw them off my ship. Helm, take us out.” Pesa looked for the Helm, it wasn’t where she thought it should be. Pesa stepped in front of a control panel. “Not so clever as you might think you are,” says Lord Crow. “That’s Environmental Control, try that station over there.” Lord Crow points at another station and Pesa walks over to the laughter of the crew. Pesa stared at the ancient Helm. Another man came over and ran Pesa through the controls. “All systems green,” reports Pesa. “Launch in three… two… one…” Pesa pushed the thruster lever - a lever, really, a lever… what kind of ship still had manual levers.