Chapter 26 : Question Time
Much of the first three days for everyone was taken up with flight training on Strykers – at least for the non-Scarrans. With Ryalla constantly glaring at him and standing over him almost the whole time, Shor acclimatised to the Stryker's controls and handling characteristics quite well. All of the Scarrans, of course, already knew how to fly Strykers, but used the opportunity to sharpen their own skills and those of their new comrades, knowing that all their lives may well depend on how quickly the humans grasped the intricacies of craft they'd previously not even seen the insides of.
Hellbolt and Lazarus picked up the oddities of flying Strykers so quickly that even Trannak was amazed by them – especially the Captain. Harrigan himself threw himself full-force into pilot training as well, ready to try anything that may help him save his wife from the hands of her enemies, doing better than all except his ex-CO and the Nebari. Despite Lazarus' clear edge in piloting skill, Harrigan again proved to hold a narrow edge in air to ground attacks of all kinds – which didn't narrow much more when Kran threw a few spanners in the works and gave him a few space-based runs against various kinds of capital ships known to traverse the Uncharted Territories and Scarran space. Both of Captain Kran's daughters elected to remain with their mother and take in as much extra medical training with her and Dr Nrakal as they could manage. I expect we'll need that, Kran told himself grimly as he thought over all the assaults he'd been involved in. No assault is ever without casualties on both sides – and if my daughters have any talent at all in saving those who may otherwise be lost to us, than that's what they should be doing.
While Troll and Ghost certainly learned what they needed to know, they certainly didn't yet feel completely comfortable with the new craft – at least in the flight simulations (though both scored more highly in the aerial gunnery tests). Jane did a little better – if they needed to send out any of the humans (apart from Captain Lazarus) at the helm of a Stryker, she would be the first.
Tovak was concentrating totally on getting the autofactories in the bowels of the Cry Havoc powered up and making more weapons. These are larger autofacs than I've EVER seen before, he murmured to himself, but they should produce a sufficient quantity of this new weapon and its ammunition – as long as the raw meterials we have in here hold out.
"TOVAK!" Harrigan boomed at him two days into the trip "How goes things in spanner land?" Tovak hefted one of the weapons newly assembled by the DRDs and more specialised assembler robots, slapped a full drum of the new ammunition into it, and passed it to Harrigan – then pointed to a target he'd set up and leapt out of the way. Harrigan emptied the entire 100-round drum in one long burst – when Tovak took the weapon back off him afterwards, he nodded and prodded and went over the test article with all manner of instruments to see how well it had performed in the reliability stakes in the short term.
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"Well?" Harrigan probed, after ten momens had passed "Is it safe? Or will it explode if I so much as look at it?" "No, no…not at all…" Tovak replied, testing the barrel with his finger to see how warm it was "Most effective…excellent heat dissipation…no stress fractures in the metal of the receiver or the barrel or any other part that I can see. War Commander, if you could move that target out to the most useful battlefield range and zero the sights, I will note the settings on my techscanner here and preset them into all the units coming off the line, which should cut down on acclimatisation time for your troops…".
"Even if we get any…" Harrigan replied while reloading the new G8C "They aren't MY troops – they're the Council's troops". "But you are the War Commander, sir" Tovak replied, correcting him "By the old laws, you are the highest military authority in the Scarran realm except for the King – any troops in the Blood Hand should feel honour-bound to obey any orders you give". "They'd do that with any superior officer they have" Harrigan told him "And most of them probably don't believe I'm the War Commander yet, especially as they haven't even seen me". Some of the senior officers, maybe even Councillors, may not even believe in the prophecy of the War Commander's return any more, Tovak thought – which disturbed even his mind greatly. Or they may wish to use current events to advance their own positions instead. Tovak noticed another gun, much longer – and to his eye, appreciably heavier as well – slung across Harrigan's back, but refrained from commenting. He will show me if I need to see it, Tovak decided, but it does look an interesting weapon, and I have not seen one quite like it before – Scarran sniper rifles (for such it had to be, Tovak decided) looked quite different.
Half an arn and two drums of ammo later, Harrigan finally called "Lock it in – that's as good as I can get it". Tovak looked at his sensor readouts, nodded, then entered the numbers presented to him into the final stage assembler's operating program, reporting "All done, War Commander – you can remove the sensor pod from the weapon now". Harrigan threw the object in question over to Tovak, put the G8C alongside a couple of others he saw over by the wall, and unslug the gun across his back.
"This, Tovak…" Harrigan explained "Is a bit special – so we'll be keeping them for our people. Heavy-calibre sniper rifle – a good sniper could blow the brains out of even a Scarran with one shot at a kilometra or more. I want three more for now, and plenty of ammunition, plus blueprints on print and chip – and a copy for the computer archives as well. Treat that carefully – I brought it all the way from Earth, and I still want it as good as it is now after you've stripped it, scanned it, and put it back together – get me?" Tovak nodded and said "I get you, sir. But I'll need to take one of the four autofacs offline for at least half a day to do this". "So do it, then" Harrigan replied bluntly "Now, preferably. If that recon specialist of yours is a half-way decent sniper, I'll get Ghost to familiarise him with one of those". "There is another on board?" Tovak asked incredulously – Harrigan just nodded and said "Ghost brought his with him when we left Earth – he leaves it in his quarters. I'll get him to take your man out onto the flight deck and put him through his paces with it".
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The Scarrans were in the middle of a rest break when Harrigan arrived on the flight deck, outside the simulator room – and walked straight over to where the recon specialist was skulking beside a crate and called "Right, Mr sneaky person – are you a good shot by any chance?"
The recon specialist got up off the ground slowly, with just the slightest of grins on his face, before replying in his usual whisper "The best, sir. Even with a regulation Scarran sniper rifle, I can hit a Sebacean head at 1200 metras". "Ghost?" Harrigan called over to the human sniper "Is that good?" "Fraggin' excellent, sir" came the reply "I certainly can't do that – I might manage 900 if the wind's right and the target's standing still, but certainly not 1200". "Find a spare stretch of flight deck and get Mr sneak here familiar with your Steyr – no he can't use mine, Tovak's got it in pieces so he can figure out how to make more". Ghost didn't quite like the sound of letting anyone else near his personal gun, but shrugged and told the recon specialist "Wait here – I'll be back in one or two of your momens".
The Pot Luck was still a day's travel ahead of the Cry Havoc at this stage, though the huge warship was ever so gradually overhauling it. "Has the prisoner said anything?" the Captain asked his XO in the mess hall at Second Meal. "Not so much as a whisper, sir" he replied "Nothing about where she'd been, or who she'd been with. When the sergeant brought her rations and had her hands unmanacled so she could reach it, she decided to break his nose for him before eating her dinner – the only words we heard her say was just after that. She said 'I always prefer a little healthy exercise before dinner'".
"That sergeant better not have mistreated her…" the Captain growled "He ought to know that we were ordered to retrieve her undamaged. And even a traitorous Deadhead deserves their day in court…". "…even if it's to hear the presiding officer call out 'guilty!' " the XO finished for him with a laugh before saying, more levelly "She got a slap around the face, nothing more. That woman's got a nasty look about her, sir – if she'd been free to move, the sergeant would most likely have been dead or crippled – alterations or not". "That, Lieutenant…" the Captain reminded his XO "Is why we have prisoner restraints".
"Let's hope we can transfer from this slug of a ship to something quicker" the Lieutenant grumbled "If the prisoner's friends come looking for her, they'll overhaul this dren-hole in no time". The Captain said nothing, but was secretly of the same opinion himself – however, he had the benefit of having read the mission orders beforehand and knew that a ship was indeed on hand to pick them up, or at least the prisoner. I suppose if we aren't extracted, we'll have time to reach the embassy before we're discovered…
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Behind them, Hellbolt was taking a break from practice and was checking how things were going on the bridge. Well, well, he said to himself, I'm not doing too badly here. Pity I've not yet seen a lot of action on the ground, but I suppose that will change soon. Walking across to the nav desk, he saw a few of what he assumed to be commercial freighters or personal shuttles heading in the same direction as they were – and was very glad not to see any ships from any of the major powers around. Good, good… fairly smooth going for now…
"Sir?" Hellbolt commed down to Harrigan, who was checking the progress of the autofacs with Tovak again "We're maybe a day or so out from Talzenadar IV at flank speed at most". "Sitrep?" Harrigan asked. "A lot of commercial craft" Hellbolt replied "You know – freighters, shuttles, that kind of thing. A couple of huge water freighters, since Tal IV has all of that imported – and I've just picked up a couple of Marauders on the edge of our sensor horizon". Harrigan took a few microts to ask about Marauders with Tovak, then said "They likely to be a danger to us?" "Nahh, doubt it" Hellbolt replied "Probably heading down to the Peacekeeper's embassy or consulate here. A place like this sees ships from all the major powers at one time or another, and everyone else as well". Harrigan called Captain Kran over and told him to get up to the bridge. "If any of your people are there already, let them know we're on our way in" Harrigan added "The sooner we get this underway, the sooner I'll be seeing my Talannah again". "It will happen" Kran assured him, seeing the tense look on Harrigan's face, before telling Koronna to lead everyone on a run through the nearby parts of the ship.
Once Kran reached the bridge, he headed straight for the comm desk – where he attached his scrambler and gradually ran through all the short-range comm frequencies common to the Blood Hand, including some of the battle communication bands. "Nothing yet…" he muttered to himself "Perhaps we're still too far away – or maybe they're out of range of short-range comms, or have Hierarchy problems slowing them down. Never mind – we still have a single solar day until we reach Tal IV, and not everybody has access to state-of-the-art spacecraft…".
"War Commander…" Kran reported next over his personal comm "I regret I am unable to make contact with any of my comrades at this time. I've tried all the shorter range comm frequencies that are even semi-secure with no perceptible results so far. I'll try every arn on the arn until we reach orbit or we make contact". "Go to it, Captain" Harrigan told him in response "Do what you need to do to get all your friends who can carry weapons to zero in on our location – just make sure they know this ship's not the Emperor's welcome wagon waiting for them. Getting the IFF set properly and activated is your first item of business, anyway – not only will your guys need something to home in on, but whatever defence forces Tal IV has, plus any merc warships in the vicinity, will declare a general alert if they see a ship this large without an active IFF".
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Hah! snorted Kran, keeping his finger off the transmit button. Like there's much they could do to us in this ship anyway even if they were stupid enough to try! But despite all that, it would slow us down – and time is critical at the moment.
"Very well, War Commander" Kran added once he pressed the transmit button again "How goes the run? I hope my old team isn't slacking off just because I'm not there with them?" Harrigan let off a short laugh, replying "No, not at all – they're going fine! Ryalla's yelling all manner of curses to try and get Shor moving faster – with mixed success. But it's working better on the rest of my old squadmates, though Captain Lazarus is almost purple with the effort of trying to stay in front with Koronna". "He's trying to set an example" Kran decided, a tinge of respect in his voice "That's good – it's what an officer should be doing. Just as long as he doesn't overdo it – we'll need him fighting fit when we reach our target".
"Gotta go – Troll's just puked his guts up" Harrigan adds next "Get Trannak to help you with the IFF if you need anyone – I've got Tovak working on weapons manafacture. Discom". The new ex-Deadhead, Kran mused, I don't really know him – and he seems entirely too smooth and confident. Still, the Sub-Commander trusts him enough to give him a place here, so let's see if he can earn his keep in this small matter.
"Sir!" the Scarran comm officer on the Pot Luck called to his Captain "We have reached Talzenadar IV as directed, and await your orders!" Ah, good – something's going right for a change on this mission, he thought to himself, before replying "Broadcast the request for extraction on the frequncy given in our premisssion orders, nav – let's hope someone's out there to hear it, because something tells me we're being followed". The nav officer wondered who it could be that was following them, but decided that whoever it turned out to be they would be hostile, so contented himself with saying "As you command, Captain" before returning to his desk.
The chief engineer called in next. "Sir…" he announced hesitantly "The pod that was used by the infantry team is going to have to be junked NOW – it's power core is dangerously unstable and I can't hold it down for longer than a few momens. That will leave us with one pod only". I knew it was too good to last, the Captain grumbled, then asked "How well is the Pot Luck doing, then? Are we going to fall to pieces as well?" "No, sir" the enginner replied "Engines are running a little hot and we're low on fuel, but otherwise it's nothing that a long-overdue maintenance overhaul won't fix". The Captain got the hint from his engineer and told him "Once we've passed our prisoner on for the next leg of her journey to justice, we'll head down planetside and get the ambassador's engineers to deal with that problem – but since some of them are probably Kalish, you'll have to watch them closely to make sure they do what they're told and don't poke their noses into things that don't concern them".. "Not a problem!" the chief engineer said with a smile "I'd not let another Scarran in my engine room unsupervised – at least the Kalish will have a healthy fear of me and should be easier to control".
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"Some people have all the fun!" the Captain laughed before turning back to his controls. "Contact!" the comm officer called out, maybe half an arn later "Hierarchy vessel reponding on prearranged frequency – message reads 'Black day', sir" "Send the response 'White night' and send our coordinates" the Captain replied, before comming the infantry sergeant and telling him to stand by to move the prisoner.
"Sir" a quiet voice remarked on the incoming ship "Target replies – 'white night' and sends their position and IFF data. There's a personal communique that says the prisoner is troublesome and they would appreciate a little help in transporting her to us". "Who's it from?" a second voice asked. "Unknown" the first voice says, then shrugs "The message did not carry an ID code – so it's probably from their duty comm officer". "I'll send a Stryker over with four troops to retrieve the prisoner anyway" the second voice decided "No harm in taking a few precautions. Get a pilot and three infantry to meet me on the flight deck for immediate sortie! First Officer, you have the conn until I return!"
"Ah, you've arrived" Kran told Trannak with just a little suspicion "Good! The War Comander says that you can make sure the IFF broadcasts the code we need to tell my contacts that we are who we say we are. So get to it". "If you would come this way, Captain…" Trannak asked, deliberately keeping calm and pointing to the security desk "I need to make the necessary alterations from the security desk, and may need your command authority before the computer accepts my changes". Kran stood looking over Trannak's shoulder as he made his way through the computer system and made the changes he directed – and did indeed need Kran's authority to make the changes to a core system, which pleased Kran a little.
"All ready, Captain" Trannak reported when he pressed the final button "You can turn the IFF to this new setting from the nav desk now, or from the command chair, whenever you need it. Now if I could please return to the run, sir – they are probably finished, and I'd like to see how good these humans are at covert operations. They performed handily enough on their own planet, but there is technology and techniques that they do not know out here that they need to know". Despite his initial distrust of this newcomer, Kran grinned and rumbled, saying "Good to see you're taking care of business – those humans need toughening up. The further we get without serious opposition, the more likely we are to get to a point where I can show my own prowess" before cracking his knuckles. Good to see that this Captain's suspicion of me is lessening as well, Trannak thought to himself as he jogged down the stairs and summoned a transit car, then checked the location of Koronna before getting himself moving to that location.
"Ah, good…" Trannak said with a grin when he arrived "I see Troll's able to stand up again". The Scarrans laughed a bit, as did the other humans, while Troll just caught his breath, then Trannak turned to Koronna and whispered "We need to put these humans through their paces and see how much they know of covert operations. There's plenty of space in the guest quarters that we can use to check their technique well enough for now – we'll test them out with Scarran team-mates as well to see how well both go with that. Their Captain will need to know how to command Scarrans effectively if he is to keep his rank".
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Koronna nodded and replied "I think their Captain will perform better than you think, Trannak – but your idea is a good one anyway. The woman Jane is doing better than I'd expect of a non-Scarran as well, and their sniper is doing well for one of his speciality – I think Troll's just a little upset that he hasn't got to see Scarran heavy weapons yet". Trannak laughed out loud at that, then said "Then we'll head to the stores and practice movement drill there – if their squad heavy can handle a cannon in close quarters like that, then maybe he'll be useful". When Koronna commed Harrigan to advise him of their intentions, he replied "Get down to the lower level autofacs first – it's time to drill everyone on the weapons we'll be taking with us. Your recon specialist's already well acquainted with his own weapon, but the rest of you Scarrans will need to become accustomed to your new gear – and Captain Lazarus will lead you through that".
Koronna called a halt and told everyone where they'd be going next. "You'll be getting a nice relaxing ride in the transit system" she told them "Since we'll be heading down to the autofac levels to meet the War Commander. But there will be weapons drill to be conducted when we arrive, which I am advised that Captain Lazarus will be conducting – so everyone should make sure they are ready for that".
The Stryker touched down on the Pot Luck's small flight deck just after the crippled pod had been jettisoned, and the two Scarran Captains met to discuss the situation the were in. First matter was the message the newcomers were sent – the Pot Luck's Captain replied "No, I did not send the request for help, despite the fact that I only have my infantry sergeant, one corporal, and their pilot left from the entire detachment now. But it's probably a good idea for you to bring them – this one's got more than a fair share of attitude and temper. My comm officer here will remain with you here – unless you would prefer to assist in transporting the prisoner to your craft?" The Captain nodded and said "I'll come" and signalled to the three Praetorians with him to follow on behind him as he was led over to the side of the flight deck where Talannah had been secured. Several more crew were nursing a selection of new bruises and other injuries, though Talannah was still securely cuffed by her ankles and wrists and unable to move. The new Captain wondered why the prisoner was still wearing her weapons – though since he noticed she appeared to be a member of the Deadhead's nightshade wing, he decided it was quite possible that this ship's crew proved unable to part her from them. Never mind, he thought, we'll deal with that on the way back to Serakaa IV, and I'll make sure that the troops don't try and steal or gamble for them – for all I know, the presiding officer might actually find her innocent, and she'll be mightily angry if someone's stolen her gear.
Since the Pot Luck's sergeant and corporal were there as well, all six troops and the Captain grabbed hold of Talannah's arms and legs and carried her back to the Stryker's infantry bunkroom, where they knocked her out for the trip back to their own ship. "No, we can't take you with us" the Captain told his counterpart "Our orders don't allow us that much leeway – 'Expedite return of prisoner', I was told. So if you need somewhere to hide, you'll need to requisition quarters at the embassy".
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Once the Stryker had left, the sergeant sighed with relief and said "We're well out of that now, sir. Unfortunate that we couldn't get transport back to Scarran space again – I could do with getting back to civilisation again". "You'll have to make do with embassy quarters, sergeant" the Captain told him, cutting off his grumbling "We'll head down there right now instead before someone catches up with us – I know I'm not in the mood for a naval battle in this ship right now, since even a moderately well-equipped mercenary warship could beat us in combat. So we'll get some good accomodation at the Ambassador's expense and eat all their best food, and with any luck, any hostiles after us will completely forget about us and go chasing after our recent visitor instead".
The Cry Havoc was just entering Tal IV space when Kran picked up the Pot Luck's transponder on the sensors, as well as the presence of a ship he couldn't identify. He immediately commed Harrigan to apprise him of the situation, but by the time Harrigan had got to the bridge, Kran reluctantly told him "The ship that met the Pot Luck sent a Stryker over – probably to retrieve the Sub-Commander, sir. As soon as it was back aboard its parent vessel, they boosted outsystem at a serious rate of hetch". "ID?" Harrigan asked next, but Kran shook his head and replied "No match, sir – computer didn't have a thing in it's databanks about it, and we weren't close enough to get more than a brief snapshot of the ship's exterior before it left. I did track the Pot Luck to the spaceport – shall we pursue?"
"No, Captain – that ship isn't important" Harrigan replied intently "Rescue of my wife is the overriding objective here. Could you at least get a course track of this ship – where's it flitting off to?" "I have the navicomp working on that now" Kran replied, more relieved – even if he was a little disappointed that he wouldn't get any fighting done yet "I should have a shortlist of possibilties by the time the meeting with my contact and our ally's forces is complete". "Any luck there, Captain?" was Harrigan's next question, to which Kran replied "Since that new ex-Deadhead came through with the transponder alterations I needed, I was just about to try again". He paused to change to the new setting, then sent out the call again.
"Husband!" a female Scarran called excitedly on the bridge of a slightly battered blockade runner just arriving insystem "A ship broadcasting the IFF code of the War Commander's personal battleship is insystem – range 200 kilomtras, bearing 090 dash 350!" "Calm down, Hallith!" the woman's husband replied "And set course for the source of that transmission. Can you ID the ship?" "No, Shuljek, I can't" Hallith replied regretfully from her position at the helm "Our navicomp can't match it to any known vessel of either Hierarchy or non-Hierarchy origin – and it's only just in sensor range anyway". "Set intercept course!" Shujek commanded his wife "All ahead flank! I will hail Captain Kran and see if he can enlighten us about the nature of the ship we approach, and who we might expect to find aboard".
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Just as Harrigan was about to leave the bridge and return to the autofacs to check on the others, Kran head a beep from the comm desk and ran over – where he saw the flashing light denoting an incoming transmission. "We're being hailed!" Kran replied, more happily than he'd intended "At least one ally has arrived! Will you stay and speak to them, sir – they will appreciate a chance to see and speak with you". Harrigan grinned briefly, before ordering Kran to put the call on screen.
The picture of a fit-looking male Scarran appeared in front of them on the forward viewscreen. "Councillor Shuljek!" Kran called happily "It is good to see you again! How are you? And do you bring troops with you to aid our cause?" "It is good to see you well too, Captain" Shuljek replied more calmly "I brought my personal retinue with me, yes – and my wife and children, since all of them are willing and able to fight. Shakka has joined the Bloodstars now, and fights with the gauntlets just as Hallith and I do". "Good, good!" Kran said heartily "At least we can depend on some additional forces! Will others come?" "They're coming" Shuljek confirmed "But I have the best and fastest ship – the other councillors and officers will be a few arns or so behind us. I see someone else with you, Captain – but he's on the edge of our camera view. Who is this?"
"He is the War Commander, sir!" Kran reported with pleasure "You will be the first of the Council to see him!" Shuljek turned to one side to bark "Hallith, crew! Gather round – the War Commander is on the bridge of the ship we approach! Pipe this transmission through to all quarters – and those of you on the bridge can gather round the comm desk and look for yourself!" Hallith immediately locked the intercept course into the autopilot and ran over to join her husband, and the rest of the small bridge crew came over as well, just as Shuljek enlarged the image and put it up on holo.
As soon as Shuljek sent word to Kran, Harrigan walked into full view of the camera – giving Shuljek, Hallith, and their crew their first look at him. Shuljek almost couldn't believe his eyes – the figure displayed could have stepped directly out of the old Blood Hand legends! "Sir!" Shuljek called reverently "We are anxious to meet with you in person as soon as possible! I am Councillor Shuljek – I also present my wife Hallith, and my bridge crew. I do not have a large force with me, but I do bring my personal retinue – twenty Bloodstar stormtroopers, well experienced in battle! We are just the first – others will follow!"
Harrigan rubbed his hands together, showing the first sign of excitement since the kidnapping. "Good! We are glad to see allies arrive!" he called out "We see your ship is homing in on our position – I'll get my people to meet you when you arrive, and activate the landing beacon in the hammond side flight deck for you". "What kind of ship are you in, sir?" Hallith asked hesitantly "If you don't mind me asking. But our sensors can't match it to anything in our databanks – and they are well-supplied with all ship types known to us". Harrigan laughed a little before replying with "It's a Fortress-class superdreadnaught – the Hierarchy was gracious enough to give to us. Well, at least after we killed almost everyone on board first, but they were just being so obstinate when we asked them to hand over the keys…"
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Shuljek's eyes almost bugged out when he heard the kind of ship they were approaching, as did those of all of the bridge crew. "We have heard brief reports of the kind of ship you describe, but none were able to be confirmed. At least now the Hierarchy doesn't control it" Shuljek remarked with more relief. "We'll give you a short briefing as soon as you get on board" Harrigan told him "Sensors say you should get here in fifteen momens at your current speed – I'll just get the Captain here to open the flight deck doors…". At Harrigan's hasty signal, Kran pressed a couple of buttons to open the deck doors, and also commed down to Koronna to stop the training and get everyone over to the hammond side to meet an important guest.
Down in the stores, Koronna passed this news on to Trannak – who immediately called a halt to training. "Captain…" he told Lazarus "Could you get everyone together and follow me back to the transit car, please? Make sure they keep their weapons with them. Apparently a Blood Hand councillor is coming – Kran tells me he will appreciate a display of armed soldiers there to meet him". "Troll will be pleased with that!" Lazarus said with a laugh "If it means he gets to keep that cannon! Despite the fact he can only just carry the thing well, he doesn't seem inclined to part with it voluntarily – and I don't see any reason to order him to give it up yet". Trannak nodded, then Lazarus barked out "Training's over, you lot! We're off to welcome a Scarran mucky-muck who's supposed to be helping us out for a bit – sling your weapons and get over to the transit car NOW!" "Does this mean I get to keep my cannon, sir?" Troll asked hopefully, drawing a laugh from everyone else – Lazarus laughed briefly and replied "YES, Troll, it does – now stop gasbagging and MOVE YOUR ASS, SOLDIER!"
Troll jumped to attention, saluted smartly with a big grin on his face, shouted "SIR, YES SIR!" – and grimaced when he comes back down at the weight of his new gun. "Aaah…" he hissed "My wrist's killing me – I shouldn't have tried holding that thing one-handed – and my knees aren't far behind…". "Just get moving!" Ryalla snapped impatiently from beside him "We don't want to be late, and you're not as feeble as you make yourself out to be! So pick up the pace and double-time it over to the car NOW!" "No rest for the gunners…" Troll moaned briefly as Ryalla lost her patience and started bellowing in his ear all the way to the transit car, Shor running slongside her and urging her on – very much glad it wasn't him on the angry end of Ryalla's wrath this time.
"Good…" Captain Lazarus remakred drily as Koronna followed Troll into the transit car and called "All OK, Captain". "Very good, Sar-Major" he remarked idly, giving Koronna brief squeeze on her shoulder without thinking before sitting down – she smiled briefly and stood a little straighter before sitting down beside him, which the other humans all found very amusing (though even Troll had the sense not to show it). "Take us out" he added, after which Koronna got the car moving – and barked at Troll to stow his cannon properly as the clanking and clicking was annoying her.
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"We'd better get down there too, sir" Kran reminded Harrigan – who nodded and flicked his left hand twoard the staitcase. Hellbolt joined the two of them and got their car on its way as soon as they were all seated – Kran tapping a couple of extra buttons and ramping the speed up so that they overhauled the other transit car and reached the hammond side flight deck before the others did. "Come on, come on!" Kran growled as the other car turned up and the occupants walked out slowly "Our visitor can't wait all day – AND NEITHER CAN I! So everyone follow me in now – Captain Lazarus, if you'd come with me please…".
While assorted rumbles and grumbles came from some of the Scarrans and humans (with a good deal coming from Troll – though Ghost managed to find the energy to clip him around the ear and get him to shut up), Kran took the time to talk with his human counterpart – noticing that Trannak wasn't far away as well. Well, I suppose it's his training, Kran decided, then asked Lazarus "So how did everyone go? I take it by the number that no one's dead yet?" "Hah!" he replied, a slight wheeze coming along with it "Troll's stamina could be better, but apart from that it didn't go too badly. Out of my lot, Jane's probably doing the best – probably because back home she always reckoned she had something to prove becaause she's a woman".
Kran was a little surprised at that, saying "Why is that? Women aren't as common in the Bloodstars as in the other fighting arms, but we still have some – and all the major and minor powers have women in their militaries as far as I know". "We've got them in the military where I come from" Lazarus admitted as they walked out onto the flight deck "But only a very few in combat positions and even less of those in special forces – Jane's the first one we've had". Kran was a little surprised at the way these humans did things back on their planet, but decided that wasn't important as long as they started doing their share here.
"Councillor, I have their landing beacon" the comm officer reported on Shuljek's ship – then looked out of the bridge window to see the gigantic bulk of the Cry Havoc ahead of him. "Just as well that thing's on our side, Councillor" he replied, just a little edgy "If Captain Kran's on it, it has to be ours, yes?" "Don't you recognise the IFF code?" Hallith remarked a little caustically from the helm "It's the War Commander's personal ship!" "I know" the comm officer replied "But that prophecy wasn't that clearly written – we should just keep an open mind about this, hmm?"
"Hallith, take us in" Shuljek rumbled after a few microts "Carefully, too – I'm not sure how much leeway we'll have getting into their flight deck". After activating the close-tange sensors, Hallith brought their ship more slowly up to the flight deck doors and carefully slid it inside – calling "Gear down!" as soon as they passed over a solid deck.
"Drop the doors!" Harrigan commanded once he'd seen this had happened. Keyah immediately pressed two buttons in the observation lounge they were in, then called "Done!" and Kran immediately ordered everyone back out to the flight deck to meet their guests.
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"Over there!" commanded Shuljek, standing beside his wife at the helm "Since this huge craft was built by Scarrans, the nearest maintenance section should be there, and this ship could do with an overhaul to some of its systems. Plus it means that our host can still launch Strykers or other small craft if he needs to". Hallith's hands moved carefully over the throttles and manoevreing controls, setting their ship down as gently as she could beside Trannak's Raider, then powering down all nonessential systems one by one.
Shuljek immediately got onto the ship's PA system and announced "This is Councillor Shuljek on the bridge. Ship's crew are to stay on board, but my retinue should be ready for disembarking at the lower cargo bay doors within ten momens – I'll be coming down to meet them. Hallith, fetch Shakka and meet me with the troops – I have to get properly dressed to meet Captain Kran and the War Commander, if that's what he actually is, and find out what's going on". Hallith nodded and strode out of the bridge ahead of her husband and down to their quarters one deck below, while Shuljek headed two floors further down to the troop deck.
"COUNCILLOR ON DECK!" came the growl from the senior Sergeant, followed by Shuljek's sharp "As you were!" A male Scarran wearing the rank badges of a Lieutenant approached next, saluted, and reported "Since you gave no specific orders, sir, I'm getting everyone into armour and carrying sidearms and swords. The four squad heavies are complaining that they haven't been allowed their cannons, but there's nothing new there, sir". "They can bring them" Shuljek decided "If Captain Kran is right and this is the War Commander, we need to show him that we're ready to fight – so everyone's to be fully battle-ready. Which reminds me – get someone to get my armour and weapons prepared". "All ready, sir" the Lieutenant replied "I took the liberty of overhauling your gear myself as we were approaching, so it's all laid out in the armoury over there right now".
Shuljek smiled, slapping his Lieutenant on the shoulder and replying "You always were an above-average armourer, Lieutenant – so let's get this lot ready to move". The Lieutenant grinned and immediately proceeded to shout at eveyone within range of his voice, making the Councillor laugh as he walked into the armoury and strapped his armour on. "That's the way, Lieutenant…" he rumbled quietly "The old ways are the best ways…" as he reached for his battle gauntlets and slid each of them onto his arms and locked them onto his armour, then reached for his Viper and ammunition, putting each into its place and walking back out.
Twenty red-armoured Bloodstars stood ready, watching their Councillor walk back out just as ready for battle as they were, shouting out all manner of old royal war-cries. "Some things never change" Shakka said with a grin, stepping up on her father's right while Hallith did so on his left. Both wore the same coloured armour and battle gauntlets as he did. "I suppose not, daughter" he replied "But we have someone out there ready to receive us who, if Captain Kran is correct, is the returned War Commander – that is a turning point if ever there was one". "True enough there, father" Shakka replied as the three of them led the troops down to the lowering cargo ramp.
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"They're coming!" called Jane from her vantage point closest to the maintenance section where Shuljek's ship had touched down. Kran immediately started barking orders and forming everyone into a loose line of inspection – the sound of his voice carried into the Councillor's ship and made both him and his wife smile. When Shuljek saw his daughter grinning he smiled as well and said "You're right, Shakka – some things do not change – and that voice is one of them" before turning his head to one side and bellowing "MOVE OUT!" to his Lieutenant.
"Councillor!" Kran called happily, striding over to give Shuljek a salute "It is good to see you fighting fit again, sir. We-". "Captain…" Shuljek said just a little wearily "You, at least, have earned the right to use my actual name now and again – after all, had you not refused it, you would have my position". "Hah!" growled Kran, waving his right hand to one side to dismiss that suggestion "I have no patience for politicians and their intricate little games – put me in a Councillor's seat and robes and they'd be covered in the blood of at least one Councillor before we'dd got an arn into first session! That's why you are a Councillor and not me – I prefer the freedom to look my enemies in the eye, and kill them if I can".
Shuljek nodded, accepting his friend's words – knowing that there had been many times when he'd wished he could have used the gauntlets he was now wearing on several Councillors. But Captain Kran's right about one thing, I do have more patience than many Scarrans – now's another time where I'll need it. "Your call" Hallith says "Indicated that the War Commander was on board. The video feed was most interesting, but I prefer to see with my own eyes than on a screen – where is this man?" "Just as blunt and direct as your husband, I see" Kran replied, nodding and turning to call "Harrigan? War Commander Harrigan? Come here, please – there are people here you should meet".
Harrrigan strode over to Captain Kran, shrugging his swords into a more comfortable position on his shoulders and making sure his Viper was secure. Shakka grinned at the sight of the huge man coming towards them, whispering "He IS a fine-looking man, mother…mmmm-MMMM…". "Shakka!" Hallith replied with surprise, though as she remembered her own life at her daughter's age she supposed that she shouldn't be too surprised.
"I'm Harrigan" Harrigan announced, holding out his hand to Shuljek "The Captain here says you might be able to help us out – and you've brought a few friends with you, I see…". Shuljek shook Harrigan's huge hand, looking up slightly into his face, and replied "I am Councillor Shuljek of the Blood Hand Council, sir", leaving out the title of 'War Commander' until he was absolutely sure that this man was who Kran claimed him to be "These are the best of my personal guard, twenty veteran Bloodstar stormtroopers – ready to deploy at a microt's notice as you see". Harrigan looked the troops over , many of them looking back at him with interest and some nodding with respect back at him, then pointed to the two women standing with Shuljek and asked "Who are these?"
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Shuljek smiled widely and announced "My wife and daughter, sir – the two ladies I could be no more proud of! My wife Hallith…", Hallith smiled and bowed slightly, "…and my daughter Shakka – both who will be fighting beside me on the front lines". Harrigan raised one eyebrow curiously at Shakka, who looked back appraisingly at him – which made Harrigan smile sadly and say "I am already married, young lady – but my wife has been kidnapped. Which is why you're here – but we should head to somewhere more comfortable to hear the full tale". Shakka bowed her head in embarrassment and shame, replying more softly "Forgive me, War Commander – I should not have been..well, like I was…with a man already married. I apologise if I have given any offence".
"Don't worry about that" Harrigan replied, then turned to Hallith and said "Glad to meet you as well, ma'am – perhaps we should move to the galley? I am sure you're all hungry, and you need some time to relax before we get down to business". A growl of hunger from Shuljek's Lieutenant made Harrigan laugh a bit and call "A man after my own heart, I see. Let's head out to the transit car – if we all stand, there should be just enough room to fit everyone in".
"TROLL!" Kran shouted "GET A CAR UP HERE!" A short "On the way, Cap!" and five momens later and the promised car had arrived, and every one of Harrigan's people present and Shuljek's family and retinue squeezed in – there being barely enough room to breathe, let alone stand. The trip took just over five momens to reach the galley, and once they arrived everyone in the car was glad to get out.
"Grab a seat, everyone!" Harrigan replied "I doubt we'll be able to put on much right now for you, but I'll see what we have…". Moratha wandered out of the kitchen, then smiled when she saw Hallith standing there. The two of them greeted each other gladly and happily, Moratha saying "I have not seen you or your family for many monen now, Hallith – I see Shakka is here, but where is your son?" "He is stationed elsewhere, with another cell" Hallith replied, then the two of them walked back so Hallith could investigate the kitchen facilities.
"Don't worry about that!" Harrigan called out loudly "We'll not be meeting with the others here – we'll get something to eat planetside!" before turning to Kran and ordering him back to the bridge so he can keep looking for more arriving Councillors or senior military officers. Kran nodded and strode out of the galley after kissing his wife, then headed straight to the transit car and then to the bridge.
"So, tell me" Shuljek asked, staring at Harrigan over their table "Why have I been called here? Captain Kran says that you are the War Commander of our legends, but even he would not have put the call to arms out for no reason". "My wife has been bagged" Harrigan told him bluntly "Taken back to Scarran space for, what did she call it, a 'loyalty reassessment' – yes, that was it". "What species is your wife, if you don't mind me asking?" Shuljek's Lieutenant asked carefully "The prophecies gave a number of ways we could tell who the War Commander might be if he returned – and since you're not like us, this may give a clue".
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"Scarran of course" Harrigan replied "Her name is Talannah, and she is the most amazing woman I have met – of any species", before proceeding to tell Shuljek and his family how he met Talannah – all of who were fascinated by the story until Harrigan mentioned that she used to be a Deadhead. "She is not any more" Harrigan told them all firmly "She is my Sub-Commander, second in authority under me, and I will get her back if I have to kill everyone between here and her prison cell personally!" Seeing the way Harrigan temper was manifesting, Shuljek nodded and asked him several other questions while his wife, Shakka, and all the others listened in.
Looking over at his wife, and then his Lieutenant, he asked "Well, then?" When both of them nodded, he said "They both believe you are who Captain Kran says you are – so that's good enough for me. I am honoured to see the War Commander return during my lifetime – and so are all these troops here with me". Shakka told him that they were all Bloodstar stormtroopers like Captain Kran, as she and Hallith were as well. "There'll be plenty of work for you coming up" Captain Lazarus remarked grimly "I can feel it in my water. Good to have you along". "My old CO, as it happpens" Harrigan replied, introducing him "Captain Lazarus, from my home planet" and then the rest of the humans. They seemed particularly interested to hear that Ghost was a sniper, and more so that Troll seemed attached to his plasma cannon. "That man's a squad heavy if ever I saw one – Rekketh's just the same, I'd swear he sleeps beside his cannon a night!" Shuljek's Lieutenant remarked with a laugh. Rekketh walked over to talk with Troll, and soon they were engaged in an animated discussion about the merits and flaws of the weapon Troll held.
The beep of the comm roused Kran hurriedly from a sound sleep. "Councillor Lorshella calling War Command" a strident female Scarran voice called "Please respond! Your IFF marks you as the ship we seek – please confirm!" "Councillor" Kran responded "I am Captain Kran. Councillor Shuljek is already aboard, and has brought his retinue with him – did you bring others with you, ma'am?" "I have three more Councillors" Lorshella replied primly "The others have pressing business and cannot appear in person – as is the case with most of our senior officers. Two of our cells have trouble with Terminator incursions at the moment, which must be dealt with promptly. As for troops, I have a full tactical platoon with me – though it remains to be seen as to whether I will release them to join this venture, as I have not seen this so-called War Commander of yours and need to verify that he is who you claim before I proceed".
Still the same cagey woman I remember, Kran growled to himself, but controlled himself enough to give landing instructions. "We're hard pressed right now, Councillor – so please just bring yourself and a small retinue. We've enough time for a quick meeting on the planet below before we go to war – so your troops can stay where they are for now". "Five momens" Lorshella replied, before discomming.
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Kran wandered over to the nav desk to check the sensors – they registered what looked like a modified cargo freighter and two smaller craft. Could be Strykers, Kran mused as he tapped a few buttons to find out for sure, but considering that stealth seems to be the tactic of the day here, I'd think they'd be Raiders – those things turn up everywhere. "Target ID – 2 Raiders" confirmed the computer "Hull ID on large vessel suggests a freighter – energy signature suggests bigger engines, better sensors – and weapons emplacements". Kran looked at the smaller desk screen as these were overlaid on the picture of Lorshella's ship befor putting a call through to Harrigan.
"Sir" Kran announced "I have another Councillor on the way in. She brings three more Councillors with her, and seeks landing clearance". "Hmm…" Harrigan thought to himself for a microt or two "Just her, then – and two bodyguards if she's inclined to bring them. If she's got troops with her I want to see their CO so one of us can talk to him on the sly – maybe he'll commit his troops even without the Councillor's orders". Scant chance of that, Kran thought – but the officer may give us some clues to Councillor Lorshella's state of mind. Once he communicated Harrigan's orders to the Councillor, she nodded rather reluctantly and said she'd bring the troop commander and the senior sergeant with her.
"Time to move again, people!" Lazarus called out to everyone sitting in the galley "We've got another VIP inbound according to Captain Kran, so grab your gear and get into the transit cars – we want to provide an appropriate greeting for our next 'guests' and also stop them from poking their noses into things that don't concern them". His right hand flicked through the signal for Move out! before he headed out to the transit car, Koronna not far behind and Harrigan beside her.
"Councillor" the female nav officer announced on Lorshella's ship "I have their landing beacon – shall we proceed?" "Call the Raiders back to the flight deck first" she decided "They will probably need to refuel in any case, and with any luck we'll get a ride down to the surface for this meeting with our hosts aboard this ship – whoever they turn out to be". "You doubt Captain Kran's claim that the War Commander is on board?" her helm officer asked next, and Lorshella replied "Let's say I prefer to verify the evidence in person – despite Kran's good record, I want to see the one he speaks off with such glowing terms with my own eyes before I make any decisions whatsoever". The other two Councillors looked at Lorshella with thinly disguised expressions of scepticism, but said nothing for now.
This time everyone split between several cars so that congestion was eased – though it took longer to get everyone to the flight deck, everyone was in a much better mood when they arrived. "I'm reading an ID for one freighter on approach!" Keyah advised from the observation lounge console. "It's not as harmless as it looks" Kran replied, stomping in "There are four weapons emplacements, one at each corner, and a small flight deck as well – though we won't have to worry about that". He gave a few short hand signals, directing people to overwatch positions – once the recon specialist had explained these signals to Ghost, the two of them found good spots by the maintenance section and beside one of the Strykers on the deck.
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Councillor Lorshella had a little trouble convincing her fellow councillors to stay on board, but when she said "These people – whoever they are – may well be just a little edgy. So there's no need to add to any potential problems – I'll take a camera with me so you can all follow along, and my comm will be open so you can forward any questions you might have". The other councillors didn't like this all that much, but decided it waasn't worth pushing the isssue – yet.
Harrigan, with Councillor Shuljek, Hallith, and Shakka on his left and Captain Kran and Captain Lazarus on his right, walked right up to the freighter's hatch as it opened and stood there until Councillor Lorshella emerged with the two permitted to accompany her. "Councillor Shuljek" Lorshella said "I should have expected to see you here first. Though I am surprised that you are not back with the council attending to ongoing business with our military deployments". "I do not like spending long periods behind a desk, Lorshella!" Councillor Shuljek replied brusquely "I am a man of action as well as being a Bloodstar, and my family are of the same mind as me – as you can see since they are right here beside me".
Lorshella then turned her attention to Harrigan, looking him over carefully with slight murmurs and mutterings. Then she straightened up and said "I will listen to what you have to say – though I guarantee nothing at this stage. I must say that the other Councillors are not pleased at having to remain on board my ship, though". "Hard cheese" Lazarus replied, a little nastily "Though I suppose we might change our minds if they want to come out and pledge themselves and their troops to our mission right now – but I somehow doubt that'll happen". "And who…" Lorshella asked a litte more harshly "…are you? Talking like you did to a Councillor is not generally considered advisable". "I'm Captain Lazarus, Councillor" Lazarus replied, introducing himself and staring right into her eyes unflichingly "I'm an officer with more than ten of your cycles experience, including combat time, and don't take well to bureaucrats of any species".
"You have more of a Scarran's personality than I would have expected from one not of our species" Lorshella told him, restraining her anger at Lazarus' lack of manners and courtesy "But perhaps you would prefer to talk to my platoon officer and his sergeant – they are just behind me". Captain Lazarus growled a bit and nodded, not minding being dismissed, and walked off to intorduce himself and get down to business.
"So…" she asked Harrigan "When will we be getting to hear the purose of your summons? Though it may well be urgent to you, all of the Councillors have pressing matters to attend to in their own domains – both in everyday business and in Hierarchy attacks and subversion measures". "Councillor Lorshella is in charge of our Intelligence arm" Kran whispered to Harrigan – who nodded, saying "I suspected as much – she has that ferret-like look on her face I've come to recognise from intel weenies back home. Perhaps we can pump her for information even if she doesn't come with us, though".
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Once Kran had smothered the mystified expression fighting to get on his face and figured out the meaning of Harrigan's words, he nodded and replied "I hope so – anything she can tell us about where we're going may save lives and give us the edge we need".
"We're not going to fit everyone into a Stryker for the trip planetside, that's for sure" Harrigan muttered, then waved Tovak forward and asked "That assault lander we used on Earth still in working order?" "Should be" Tovak murmured "It's not like we've used it for anything since we got back, and since all the cargo's been emptied out there will be plenty of room for everyone". "Get a preflight check done" Harrigan ordered him "and get it started up NOW. We don't have any time to waste – and since we've probably got as much help as we're likely to get from official channels the sooner we get this over with the better I'll like it". Tovak beckoned Shor and Ryalla over and told them what was needed, and the three of them ran for the large lump that was the assault lander – five momens later, the preflight check was done and they headed up to the bridge. Once the external running lights started winking and the four cannon turrets panned briefly from side to side, Kran nodded with satisfaction and said "We're ready, Councillor – your fellows may come with us now, along with your platoon officer and sergeant. Each concillor can bring two bodyguard with them, but no more – it's best to keep this meeting as low-key as possible to avert unwanted Hierarchy attention".
Lorshella snickered nastily at Kran's words and added "Which is all of it as far as I'm concerned, Captain". She communicated the change in plans to the other Councillors who quickly emerged from the freighter and looked with suspicion at the troops around them – especially those of non-Scarran origin (though they gave semi-polite nods to Keyah, since they were familiar with Kalish), until Lazarus and the two Scarran soldiers came forward and Harrigan called "Let's go – our carriage awaits. Not exactly first-class, but it'll have to do". The Councillors didn't seeem to mind much – the expressions on some suggesting that they'd had to make do with worse before and those of the two who arrived on the Raiders positively glad they'd have some legroom – and walked on board to seat themselves in the troop seats along the sides of the large drop bay.
Kran nodded to Lazarus, who hit the button to close the ramp – after it had whined its way to the fully closed position and locked itself down, Lazarus strapped himself down and Kran commed Tovak on the bridge to announce "All OK – the ramp's locked up properly and everyone's strapped in, though it looks like our recon specialist and Ghost have decided to stay behind". Harrigan grinned at that, and Tovak replied "Not such a bad idea really, Captain – someone needs to watch that freighter, and those two are as good as any we have for that task". "Get us off the deck and down to the planet, then" Kran told him "We'll have all the small talk and double-speak we can stomach down there".
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Nodding at Hellbolt, he activated the flight deck doors remotely – just in time, as the lander was already heading towards them at a speed that Tovak considered rather unsafe in a confined space. But moods eased once they reached open space and Hellbolt turned them onto a direct course with the spaceport below.
"No ion storms reported for the next few arns" Ryalla told Hellbolt from the comm console "We'll be safe as long as we don't stay too long ". Hellbolt ordered Shor to make contact with traffic control and get them a blast pit assigned to them, and perhaps ten momens later Shor got back with "Pit twenty four, Hellbolt" and set the beacon frequency into the navicomp under Ryalla's careful scrutiny – after which he grinned at her and said "No problem, love". "Just keep your eyes and mind on the job, trainee" she snapped back, though her slight smile let Shor know she wasn't that angry with him.
"Good" Hellbolt replied as he directed the lander in accordance with the directions now displayed on the HUD "I was beginning to think we'd have to force our way in. We were barely ten momens out of the spaceport when they called back". Shor just shrugged, while Ryalla growled a bit and told Harrigan of this latest development.
Maybe five more momens later, Hellbolt called "Gear down, Shor" and set the assault lander surprisingly gently on the ground. "All out!" he ordered Shor and Ryalla, unstrapping himself and powering down all but the essential systems for the duration of their stay. The three of they ran down the stairs to the drop bay – as soon as Lazarus saw them coming, he got up and lowered the ramp so everyone could leave.
"I'd have loved to see how some of these Councillors handle a combat drop" Lorshella's senior sergeant told Lazarus with a snicker "We'd have some fun then, I'm telling you – and it'd do the rest of us good to keep in practice as well". "No argument from me, sergeant" Lazarus replied with a laugh of his own, before adding "Better make sure your officer knows what's happening and stays close to Captain Kran – since he's the only one who knows where he's going here". "Follow me" Kran called out to everyone "We're heading to a large hostelry on Market Street – it's not far from here, so we can walk. If anyone sees a sign saying 'Liina's Night-Stay', then tell us – that's the place we want".
The Scarran ship with Talannah on board was making considerable progress towards its destination – the nav officer estimated that it would take just a few more days at maximum speed. "Just as well" the Captain replied "I'm looking forward to getting our food stocks resupplied and our ship overhauled – not to mention feeling a real planet under my feet again". "Seraaka IV's a real hole, sir" his flight engineer replied disparigingly "Nothing but stinking water, stunted trees and bushes, and desert on the outside – and equally dull surroundings and people inside the base". "Be glad we'll be allowed off the ship at all there, all of you" the Captain replied sharply "That's not always allowed at these trials – security's almost always at paranoid levels. So just keep quiet unless you want the local garrison to hold everyone up while they use every scanning method they've got on each of you and explore every regulation and subclause before they let us in".
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Down in the troop deck, a room had been set aside and secured for Talannah's transportation. She wasn't grouching too much, even though they'd finally taken her weapons away, as there was a few ration packs available and water was freely available. I hope you are not far behind me, my husband, she thought to herself as she munched her way through another bland ration pack, as my time will be short once we arrive and the trial proceedings are set in motion – I will be lucky to get a weeken for you to catch up with me. But she smiled with the thought of seeing Harrigan again, her belief in his coming to retrieve her as ironclad as it could be under her rather strained cirumstances, and laid back on the bed to get as much sleep as she could.
The proprietor herself was behind the counter at Liina's Night-Stay as Harrigan's people and the Councillors were marching down the street – the sight of a large party of Scarrans, accompanied by Harrigan and his people, was causing people to stay well clear and attracting a few wary looks for the local security troops as they passed. Business is not going as well as I'd hoped for this time in the cycle, she knew – barely a third of the rooms were occupied and many of the customers that were here ate out.
When the door opened, she was relieved at the though that more customers were arriving – but that quickly changed to paranoia when she saw that almost all of the new arrivals were Scarran, and that every one of them, Scarran or not, was well-armed. She cringed when the huge one at the head of the gathering shouted "OUT!" at her few customers sitting in the common area "THIS 'ERE'S A HIGH-LEVEL NEGOTIATION – AND TOP SECRET! SO BEAT IT!" and laid one hand on the comm to call security while watching a couple of the bigger men tried to dispute Harrigan's orders - but when he let off a screeching howl, everyone in the room clapped their hands over their ears and all the customers left for their rooms or the street outside as fast as they could.
"I don't want trouble, sir" Liina told Harrigan apprehensively "but business isn't so good and your…friends…are scaring off the customers I do have". Harrigan grinned and laid one hand on her shoulder, replying "Don't you worry – there's twenty nine very hungry people here, so if you'd get your cook making something filling and just keep it coming, we'll all be happy". Kran clarified Harrigan's order, asking for keedva, morlian arachnid, and grolak with shokran rings for everyone present – once Liina had headed back into the kitchen, Lorshella set up a number of holoprojectors on a large table while everyone clustered around so they could see, pulling in as many available chairs as they could.
"A few Councillors and officers requested teleconference contact" she explained as she set up the projectors and a military comm system, her sergeant ripping a public communit off the wall so that they could access the planetary system directly. Tovak watched as she connected the equipment to the local power grid – when the self-test he ran came back positive he nodded to the Councillor, who spent afew momens polling those who were attending this way. "We're ready" one old Scarran said "And to be quite frank I'm not sure I believe all this plok I've heard. I have enough problems to deal with without diluting my troop strength on fool's errands, so this will have to be good before I commit to anything".
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Kran looked about to lose his temper, but Shuljek whispered "He's always like that, the crusty little fekkik. His speciality is logistics and supply, and I'd swear I haven't heard him commit to anything without a form filled out in triplicate and signed by at least three other Councillors at the end of each page. Just try to keep calm – you never know, he might come round". Kran's spit of disgust showed how likely he thought that that would happen, then both him and Shuljek turned to face Harrigan as he started to give his address.
"Right, here's how it goes" he started without preamble "I've got no time for mucking around, so I'll get straight to the point – my wife has beeen kidnapped by some Hierarchy witch-hunting team and I'm going to get her back. But since I'm a little short on manpower, I'm asking all of you to contribute troops to this mission – anything you can reasonably spare". "You want us to risk our personnel…" once of the holoprojected Councillors asked "to rescue someone who is of dubious value at best to the Blood Hand? What, I ask, is in it for us?"
"Captain Kran…" Lazarus asked, gritting his teeth "Is there likely to be any of their people held prisoner at our destination? More than one, maybe?" Though Kran hadn't been around Lazarus for long, he did recognise someone who was about to explode, so he smiled thinly and added "Considerably more than one, I suspect – many of the Hand have met their fate in trials such as these". "We'll get as many of them out as we can, then" Harrigan decided "Just to show we're good neighbours to all you people – and give you a stake in this situation as well. So how about it?"
Another Councillor spoke up "First, I'd like to settle whether this man actually has any authority to ask us to do anything for him at all! Captain Kran is an officer in good standing, but I'm going to need more than his word before I send him any of my people…". The next arn and a half degenerated into a snarl of pedantic arguing and snarled accusations and counter-accusations as each Councillor tried to advance their own position and press their point of view on everyone else. Councillor Shuljek had some limited success at mediating, but even his patience was rapidly eroding – and when Lazarus brought the discussion to a head by asking the Councillors to vote on whether they thought Harrigan was the War Commander of their legends and therefore had the authority to command the Blood Hand's troops, a fist fight almost broke out – though it stopped smartly when Harrigan let off another ear-splitting screech and thumped one of Lorshella's guest Councillors across the room and up against the wall, which got everyone outside the unit staring at him in surprise.
"QUIET!" Harrigan yelled "ALL OF YOU! MY WIFE'S LIFE IS IN DANGER AND I'M TIRED OF ALL THIS BULLSHIT! SO I'M CALLING THIS ON THE TABLE – EITHER YOU BELIEVE I AM WHO CAPTAIN KRAN SAYS I AM, OR YOU CAN FRELL OFF BACK TO WHATEVER HOLE YOU WERE HIDING IN BEFORE!"
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On the other end of one of the holoprojections, a Scarran male in the uniform of a dreadnaught Captain conferred with his first officer. "That man is familiar" he rumbled softly, sitting in his command chair "When we were at the Project base, before we came here, I saw someone I believe to be this man there – as I expect you did as well". The first officer thought for a momen or two, watching the shouting and wrangling on their holoprojector, then replied "I believe so, sir – he was the one at that obstacle course, the one from Nexus One. He's come far from then, and in such a short time too. I have heard a little of this Captain Kran with him – he is one of the most decorated and accomplished officers in the entire Blood Hand. If he believes in this man, I think we should as well – and perhaps we will receive more proof as we go".
"Right, you lot!" Lazarus barked at them all "I've had it with you lot! We'll do this by the numbers – each of you state your name and postion, then say if you're going to stand with us or slink back to your holes. OK, speak up!" "Councillor Shuljek, infantry command" Shuljek growled "Aye". "Councillor Nesika, naval command" that councillor announced "Nay". One by one, the other officers and councillors spoke, calling 'Nay' or abstaining, shaking their heads and discomming – which got Kran to give everyone remaining another earful in true drill-instructor style. "Right!" he barked harshly "There's only three of you lot left in, including those here with me. Are you going to stand with us or not? If needs must, I will stand by my War Commander as the Lord Chamberlain stood by his King in his time of need, and face down all enemies with my team and the War Commander's human friends. They stand with us, willing to help people not even of their own species – why won't you help your own people in those death cells? Afraid, maybe?"
"Captain Kran, that is going too far" Lorshella snapped "These Councillors have a lot to worry about closer to home – asking them to send troops so far away from their own territory is quite a risk for them". "I can understand that for those of them actually under Hierarchy attack" Shuljek interrupted "But the others are too concerned with expanding their influence to look at the bigger picture here – it's not just the War Commander's wife, or our own people held by the Hierarchy, who are at risk here – it is the distinct chance at missing the biggest turning point in recent Scarran history. A new War Commander has come to us, and we should show some faith in him so he will do the same for us when we need him as well".
Councillor Lorshella thought hard for several momens, checking her PDA and the datastores on her ship in orbit, before saying "Councillor Lorshella, intelligence command – Nay". While Kran and the others groaned, she added "While I cannot commit myself to this, I will allow my officers the chance to decide for themselves if they wish to join you – if they do, then they may go". "In truth, Councillor" Harrigan said more thankfully "That's more than I'd expected of you – thank you". "Don't thank me yet, War Commander" Lorshella replied "My officers have not committed themselves yet".
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Councillor Lorshella's platoon commander conferred with his sergeant rapidly over a quarter-arn – finally announcing "I can't commit my whole platoon – but the sergeant here's offered to bring a squad with him. I'm sorry, but the safety of the Councillor is my primary concern, sirs – I cannot relax my vigilance in that area". "Glad to have you with us, sergeant" Lazarus told that individual "At least someone's coming along with us – even if not as many as we'd like".
"Captain Kran" Harrigan asked "Is there anything else we can do, or other allies we can call on?" But before Kran could reply, Harrigan held his head in his hands, shaking a little – "Vision…" he whispered "I'm….seeing things again…".
Two male Scarrans were standing out on some battlefield Harrigan didn't recognise, but he did recognise the two men – they were the King and the War Commander. "The enemy is pushing hard on these two fronts" the Kind told his War Commander "We cannot permit them to take those areas or we'll be cut off from the spaceport and any chances of resupply will disappear". "Then allow me to call to arms all of the local populace still loyal to you, my King – every Scarran who can hold a weapon. Every one of them would fight to their last breath for you – let them prove it! It may prove just enough to hold on until reinforcements arrive, sire".
"Do it" the King decided immediately, laying a hand on the War Commander's shoulder "Give the call to arms, announce that the King requires all loyal citizens to report for military duty immediately to their nearest assembly point". The War Commander bowed, then said "As you command", before Harrigan's mind cleared an he saw the others clustering around him.
"Harrigan?" Lazarus called, tapping him on his head a few times – Koronna just behind him "You back with us yet? You'll be no good to your wife if your mind's off playing with the fairies, old son – get with the program, now!" "I'm not gone yet, Captain" Harrigan replied cheerfully and thankfully, turning to look at Kran – who had arrived at the same conclusion.
"Captain Kran!" Harrigan ordered him "Announce a general call to arms to all members of the Blood Hand – and I mean everyone! Deep-cover agents, old troopers no longer on active duty, janitors and kitchen staff, Councillor's grannies, everyone we can reach!" Kran laughed heartily, heart singing - the old time have come back, a War Commander is really with us in spirit now as well as in fact!
"Excuse me?" the dreadnaught's first officer asked "But we have not been asked if we wish to add our strength to this campaign". "I thought you'd side with the Councillor from naval command" Shuljek replied in surprise, but the dreadnaught's Captain reappeared and said "Zarithak, Captain of the dreadnaught 'Sunbuster' – Aye" with more pride than either his first officer or any of those present at Liina's expected.
While they were all thinking on the impact of Captain Zarithak's statement, Liina and her kithcen staff started bringing in the food – which was wolfed down by all those present almost as soon as the plates touched the table. They are more polite than most of the few Scarrans I usually get in here, Liina said to herself – I wonder what they are up to?
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For the first time in the conference, Councillor Shuljek allowed a smile to cross his face. This Captain may well have turned the tables in our favour at last, he thought, and proceeded to thank him as much as he could. "We thank you for deciding to commit yourself, your troops, and your ship to our cause, Captain – we are in grave need of reinforcements, as I'm sure you know". "I am new to the Blood Hand, Councillor" Zarithak replied, letting his breath out with a sigh "Due entirely to the unceasing efforts of my first officer, whom you know. But I feel that those crew who decided to remain with me need to prove that we really are whole-heartedly with you and yours – that many of the Councillors do not trust us, and consider us a risk best avoided. This is not only what I believe to be the correct course of action, Councillor, but it will also help assure the future of me, my people, and my ship – maybe then the others will come around". "They will, Captain" Shuljek replied gruffly "Even if they're only wary of me having the most influence of the Captain of the only capital ship in the Hand and everyone on it".
Captain Zarithak settled back in his chair and laughed before saying "Ah, the cut and thrust of Scarran politics never really changes, does it? It was like that in the Hierarchy and it appears to be like that here as well". "Not quite to the same degree, Captain" Councillor Shuljek reminded him more cautiously "But perhaps a little more than can be good for us, that's true. I suppose it's just something in every Scarran that does that". "Enough of the chit-chat" Harrigan interrupted "If you're coming with us, we'll need to know where to meet up with you – and your IFF code, so my duty gunner doesn't blast you to pieces". Since Hellbolt was close by, he had a short conference with Captain Zarithak's nav officer – advising him of their course and requesting a meeting point. Though Hellbolt managed to persuade him against a couple of choices, they eventually settled on a system just inside Scarran –controlled space. "They want to meet up with us at Che'naia, War Commander" Hellbolt told him a little uneasily "Which – as long as we don't actually land – might well be safe".
"Why the paranoia?" Harrigan asked, so Hellbolt replied "It's a Charrid world, sir – and a festering hole even by their low standards. Slave-labour factories, trade in all manner of legal and illegal goods – and people, you name it – it's there". "Military presence?" Harrigan asked next, to which Kran replied "There's a garrison on the ground – mostly Charrid, but a smaller Scarran detachment as well – but there's rarely a ship stationed there. If we were meeting at Miclatze we'd have a lot more to worry about-". "I managed to persuade them against that option" Hellbolt interrupted with relief "Though I think the nav officer didn't think that much of meeting there either".
"Councillors" Harrigan announced "Thank you for your attendance – if not for your lack of help. This meeting is now over – so can someone please drag their recumbent comrade out with them after we've eaten, please?" Everyone present piled into as much food as Liina and her staff could provide for the next arn, and once Shuljek had paid the bill (along with a large tip to ensure silence) eveyone left the night-stay and returned to the assault lander for the trip back to the Cry Havoc – and then into Scarran space.