Chapter Summary: And a little closer to home, things are happening.
Chapter Word Count: 5,152
"Any word from Andy and her team?" Rachel said, putting down her tray and sitting across from Brittany and Santana in the Yucatan base dining room.
"Cool your jets. They've only been gone for two months," Santana said. "That's barely enough time to get to their first stop."
"Our comms don't reach that far," Brittany reminded her. "Any messages from them will have to take the long way round through the Galactics."
"Which means they can't say much, since we don't know how secure our comm codes are," Santana said. She took a large bite of her burger.
"Very secure," Brittany said, sneaking one of Santana's chips. "But the Galactics have some high powered AIs who might be able to break our encryption, so we are trying to not use it except in small doses in an emergency."
"So we don't know anything?" Rachel asked.
"Well, yes," Brittany said, pausing to eat a couple more chips. "Just nothing too dangerous. They arrived at the Wind Clan's Clan Seat and had a brief meeting with several of Wind's Clan Council. And they were off to see some seers. Nothing since then."
"Oh," Rachel said, deflating.
"But, they did make friends with the Wind Clan Memory," Brittany said. "Sounds like a nice kid."
"A kid Memory?" Rachel asked, taking a bite of her corn mush.
"Well, the other Wind Clan Council members apparently treat her like a clueless newbie," Brittany said. "Possibly because they have men on their Council."
"Andy won't like that," Santana said. "She's all 'empower the little people' and treat everyone fairly. Don't be surprised if this Memory comes along for a visit when they come back."
"Did you need anything else?" Santana said, stacking Brittany's tray on her own. "Britt and I have plans."
"Have you heard from Quinn recently?" Rachel said. "How's she really doing?"
"You mean, how's she doing since she didn't get to have the battle she wanted with the Bugs?" Santana said.
"Um, Yes, that," Rachel said, blushing.
"It's cute that you're worried about her," Brittany said. "But she's doing fine. She's anxious to find out how well the Bugs fight but she isn't going to go off-plan just to get some action."
"Good, good," Rachel said. She stood up, and picked up her tray.
"They need to work on their communication skills," Santana said, standing up and picking up their trays, after Rachel had left.
"They're doing fine," Brittany said. "They aren't us. They communicate in different ways."
"Well, Q better not get herself killed with her latest scheme. We don't need a weepy Rachel on our hands," Santana said.
"She won't," Brittany said. "She won't be happy with the results of her next recon trip but she'll be okay."
"You know something I don't? Santana said.
"Always," Brittany said with a smirk, side stepping Santana's swinging hand.
Quinn watched as the small probes, slightly bigger than a raisin, traveled through the edges of the Bug fleet. Her tach team had been looking for a hole in the Bug defenses for weeks, and hadn't found anything they could use yet. There was just no penetration point big enough for a hard suited trooper team. The little Shadow probes were the largest they'd found that could get close to the fleet. But the range of the probe's sensors didn't give them enough depth to determine a good candidate for their initial recon.
"Anything?" Quinn asked her head tech.
"Still nothing, Lady Q," Tandy said. "Our tech just doesn't have the oomph to do the job. Even with these probes our sensors just bounce off their shields."
"And the other probes?" Quinn asked.
"A little better," Tandy said, "but even the most advanced Shadow probe tech isn't getting us what we want."
"So, too many unknowns to risk a team," Quinn said to herself.
"If you recall, I told you so," Brittany said over the private Council comm. "Pre-battle recon is a brilliant idea but not against the Bugs. We're getting more intel from those ships you and the Hotep captured than we'd get if you sent your best troopers on a suicide mission."
"So what are we going to do?" Quinn said. "They're pointed right at the Sol system. In another year they'll be close enough to see from Pluto and they'll roll right over us."
"No," Brittany said. "We'll stop them before they get there. At the worst, six months from now we start pounding away at them, and force them off to the side away from us.
"And in a thousand cycles they'll be back and will continue plundering our systems. We need to stop them, not just send them elsewhere. And who knows what other damage they would do because we didn't deal with them and took the easy way out like the other Clans," Quinn said.
"The other Clans aren't stupid," Brittany said. "They just came up with a different answer than we did. When the Galactics reconstituted our Clan, they gave us the mandate to deal with the Bugs as best we saw fit. If we are able to wipe them out, the Galactics will be okay with that. If all we do is send them elsewhere out into the intergalactic void so they come back in a thousand or two cycles, they won't be happy, because they see the same problems with that as we do but they will accept it."
"So, kill them all and let the gods sort them out?" Quinn said.
"A bit cruder than I would have put it," Brittany said, "but in essence yes. It may make you and your moral code feel a bit queasy but survival has no morals. And the survivors will write the history books, though I'm not sure the Bugs have history books."
"So, what's your suggestion?" Quinn said.
"Do what Santana is doing," Brittany said. "Look for that silver bullet but also plan for the head on, brute force approach."
"You mean the joint attack plan?" Quinn said. "Santana's fleet is going to take the brunt of it. The recon mission was supposed to find us a way that my troopers can contribute in a significant way to that plan."
"Yes, the joint attack plan," Brittany said. "It isn't elegant. It isn't pretty. But it can get the job done. And remember, there isn't much use for my Shadow teams in that plan either. We're all about the subtle. A head on attack isn't remotely subtle. If I threw my Shadow teams into that mix they'd be cannon fodder. They don't have the kind of training that plan requires."
"Well, someone has to sneak into the Bug fleet and plant listening devices and bombs," Quinn said. "Sure, it'd be a dangerous task but they'd be very effective. Certainly more effective than our probes."
"I hope you aren't planning on throwing away the JJs and their teams on something like that," Brittany said. "If so, I'll take them back. They are too valuable for a suicide run."
"If the Bugs get to Pluto, we'll be throwing everything we can find at the Bugs," Quinn said.
"Well, let my Shadows do what they do best," Brittany said. "And that is not dying in a futile attack to prove a point."
"They wouldn't have gone in alone," Quinn said.
"I know that," Brittany said, "but that doesn't make it any better. You are too valuable for such foolishness."
"So, what do we do?" Quinn asked.
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Brittany said. "There are still other options. Heck, camp out in a system in their path with a bunch of troopers and jump out when they go by. It worked for the Greeks."
"Thought of that," Quinn said, "but it's all void and dead space between Sol and the Bug fleet's current location."
"So, think outside that box between your ears," Brittany said. "Push them into a system and then ambush them from there."
"And which system should we do that to?" Quinn asked. "We have so few systems that they would go for. Some of which are inhabited."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Brittany said. "And now I have a certain Fleet Admiral to visit. Keep us in the loop with your plans. I should be hearing them from you and not Rachel when she's worried or Santana laughing at something you did."
"Yes, Lady Shadow," Quinn said, sighing. "I'll keep you in the loop."
"You better," Brittany said. Closing the channel, she turned to Santana. "You were right," she said. "Q is tying herself into knots over this. I have every confidence that we'll beat the Bugs, without turning it into one huge suicide mission."
"That's you, babe," Santana said. "Quinn just needs to know that her plans will work before she commits to them. Anything to keep her kids safe."
"We're all like that," Brittany said. "But sometimes you have to take a risk. She probably won't use the Trojan Horse idea, though."
"That's because it doesn't fit her chosen path," Santana said. "She wants a battle, not some kind of guerrilla warfare. But that's probably how it's going to go. We'll be picking them off as they get closer and eventually they'll be small enough that we can confront them directly."
"There's no glory in that," Brittany said. "I know you and Q aren't in it for the Glory but knowing you are doing something awesome and historical gives an extra incentive to get it right."
"What's that?" Santana asked her Flag captain. A bright light was flashing on the main screen.
"It's a pulsar," Kinte said. "Or something closely resembling one."
"There are no pulsars in our sector," Santana said. "We have the boringest sector in the Confederation. All of the things that make astronomers hot are out in the other sectors."
"That isn't strictly true," Flag's Science officer, Tyne, said. "There are a number of interesting astronomical features in our sector."
"But no pulsars, no blackholes, no ion storms," Santana said. "Sure we have the odd ice planet and gas giant and those strange planets with the rings and that ringworld. But that's all ordinary sector features."
"Yes, Lady Air," Kinte said. "That isn't a pulsar but it gives off radiation like one."
"So, send out a probe and take a look," Santana said, pointing at Tyne. "I know you didn't lose your curiosity when you transferred to my ship. I've seen your reports back to the Serpent Star Society."
"Yes, Ma'am," Tyne said, blushing. "Releasing probes now."
Santana looked up from her tablet and the report she was reading. If she'd known being in charge of a space fleet, back when she's first become part of the Serpent Clan, required piles of paperwork to make sure everything ran smoothly, she wasn't sure if she would have taken the job. Maybe she would have gone for something like what Quinn had. All Quinn had to deal with was the care and feeding of six thousand armor wearing psychopaths. All the paperwork that was needed to send her troopers somewhere or to keep them supplied with all of their fancy explosives and toys actually came out of the Fleet budget. Sure, the troopers were semi-independent from the Fleet, or as independent as a bunch of gung-ho Space Marine types could be, but they were still Fleet.
"Boss?" Tyne said, standing nervously in the doorway to her office.
"Yes?" Santana said, putting down her tablet with some relief.
"You need to see this," Tyne said.
"I do, or all of us?" Santana said.
"All of us, I guess," Tyne said.
"No guessing," Santana said. "All of the bridge crew or just me?"
"The crew," Tyne said. Turning she went back out onto the bridge. Curious, Santana followed her. "What do you have?" she asked, assuming the probe had found something unusual.
"It isn't a pulsar," Tyne said.
"I believe we already established the unlikeliness of it being a pulsar in this sector," Santana said, nodding. "What is it?"
"This," Tyne said, putting the probe's video up on the main bridge screen.
A large object appeared on the screen, obviously made by some kind of intelligence. It only vaguely resembled any spaceship Santana had ever seen but that was what it appeared to be, a space going vehicle, if a somewhat beat up looking one.
"How big is that?" Santana asked. It was hard to tell size in space if you didn't have anything to compare an object to.
Tyne pulled the view in closer until they saw a large, ragged edged hole in the side. "Flag could go in that," she said.
"So, the size of Pluto, approximately?" Santana asked.
"A little smaller, but yes," Tyne said. "It's a lot denser than Pluto."
"Pluto's just a big ball of frozen crap," Santana said. "If it wasn't in orbit it'd be a comet or something." She frowned in thought. "How far are we from the nearest planetary system?"
"Half a parsec," Kinte said. "And none of the nearby systems have intelligent life."
"So, it's just sitting here in the empty void, giving off radiation?" Santana said. "Like a pulsar?"
"Yes, Boss," Tyne said. "At least as much energy in the electromagnetic spectrum as a pulsar."
"How close can we get before it fries our systems?" Santana asked.
Kinte looked up from her console. "With shields up and at max power, a light minute before it affects our systems, and we can sit that close for less than an hour before our shields burn out."
"How close can we safely get period?" Santana said.
"Right where we are now is good," Kinte said. "Any closer and we have to keep the shields at full strength, and that takes energy."
"Huh," Santana said. "Are we getting anything except that pulsar affect? Any communication of any sort?"
"Nothing, Boss. It's dead. Mostly," Tyne said.
"So, no idea if we can shut it down and take a closer look," Santana said. "How many probes did you kill?"
"Kill, Boss?" Tyne said.
"If that thing would kill our max shields in less than an hour, it must have killed a few of your probes" Santana said. "Were you able to retrieve any of them?"
"Four," Tyne said.
"You killed four probes getting a look at that monster?" Santana said.
"I was able to retrieve four probes," Tyne said. "I lost six."
"I hope you used the cheap ones we got from those Red Pirates," Santana said, only halfway joking.
"Yes, ma'am," Tyne said. "The six that we were unable to retrieve were the Red Pirate model. Their shielding was inadequate and they were turned into molten metal by the pulsar affect."
"Ouch," Santana said. She shook her head. The Red Pirate probes had been intended to be sacrificed so it wasn't a big deal but she was surprised at how fragile they turned out to be. "What do we actually know about this ship, other than its size and danger to travelers?"
"It appears to be made of a metal similar to the Ring World," Tyne said. "But there is nothing to connect it to that."
"Really?" Santana rubbed her hands together in glee. She'd been unable to get more than a sliver of a sample from the Ring World metal, but here was an entire ship of the stuff. Ships made from it might be able to survive attacking the Bug Fleet. She had to have it.
"Yes, Boss," Tyne said. "If we could salvage it, we might be able to find out how the Ring World was built, and build our own ships from the same material."
"That would definitely be something," Santana said. "That might just be the edge we need. Find a way to shut that thing off and get a couple tugs out here," she added. "The new ones."
"Yes, ma'am," Tyne said.
"I'll be in my office. Let me know when you figure it out," Santana said.
"Yes, ma'am," Tyne and Kinte both said.
"So, you've found a derelict ship made out of some kind of wonder metal?" Brittany said. "How are you going to get it back here?"
"Once my techs figure out how to turn it off, we'll grab it with a couple space tugs and bring it closer to Sol. Don't really want to bring it in-system," she said. "It's gravity profile could screw up the asteroid belt. Maybe we can park it at Saturn or Uranus? Like a spare moon?"
"You're the Fleet Boss," Brittany said. "Unless you want the entire Council to decide what to do with it, do whatever you feel is right."
"Generous, babe," Santana said. "We'll need your little propaganda machine running at full tilt for this if we do park it in the outer solar system. It'll be hard to hide it from the nosey astronomers on the payroll, to say nothing about the others."
"If you need more hands to look at it, I can find some Shadows with free time," Brittany said.
"Do I want to know what they did to piss you off this time?" Santana said.
"Nothing critical," Brittany said. "Most of them are keeping their heads down right now."
"Afraid they'll get shipped off to the Fleet like the JJs?" Santana said with a laugh.
"Yes," Brittany said, giggling. "They don't seem to realize that the JJs want to be out on the Hotep with Quinn and her troopers. They like seeing new things."
"Takes all kinds, babe," Santana said. "I'm assuming you're trying to duplicate whatever makes those two menaces the valuable resources they are."
"No luck so far," Brittany said. "It isn't a genetic predisposition. Most likely it's experience. They've been involved in some death-defying adventures since they became Shadows. That kind of experience is hard to duplicate."
"I think you should have sent them off with Andy and Miranda," Santana said. "Just think of the results they would get."
"And the wars they would start," Brittany said. "No, I like them with Quinn. She can keep them under control."
"That's because she's Order and they're Chaos," Santana said. "They cancel each other out."
"Possibly," Brittany said, shrugging. "So what's the plan? Should I send some specialists out to your location?"
"No, we're in good shape. We do have a time limit though," Santana said. "Give Q too much time to think and who knows what crazy she'll come up with."
"I'll handle her," Brittany said. "You just get that thing taken care of."
"Yes, Boss Lady," Santana said, smirking.
"Hey Q!" Brittany said, slipping into Quinn's office on the Hotep.
"Brittany!" Quinn said, getting up quickly and meeting her in the middle of the room for a hug. "What are you doing out here?"
"I can't visit a friend?" Brittany asked. "And no, I don't have Rachel stashed away anywhere. I just happened to be in the neighborhood. She's back home keeping a lid on things with Coach."
"That's a combination I never would have thought of," Quinn said. "How'd you manage that?"
"With a little subtlety," Brittany said. "They have no idea it wasn't their own idea."
"I won't tell," Quinn said, grinning.
"Good, I'd hate to have to hurt you," Brittany said. "I would cry, and San would get upset and it'd get very messy."
"So, what really brings you here?" Quinn asked.
"Wanted to see my favorite Q," Brittany said. "And I wanted a closer look at the corner you're trying to paint yourself into."
"I'm not doing that," Quinn said. Sighing, she added, "Okay, maybe I am. But there must be a way to use my teams against the Bugs, before we have to dig them out of some planet they've dug themselves into."
"You'll have your opportunity," Brittany said. "The Bugs aren't going to remain on their ships. We may, may, be able to keep them away from Sol but there are other inhabited systems they'll find attractive on their way by."
"They've already lost their mining fleet," Quinn said.
"Even more reason for them to pick a few systems in our sector to strip. They're going to be needing the raw materials for their fleet," Brittany said.
"Not if we can stop them out in the void," Quinn said.
Brittany leaned down and gave Quinn a quick peck on the cheek. "I have confidence that you will find a solution," she said. "Did you hear the latest news from Santana?"
"No," Quinn said. "I noticed that she's behind schedule. She should have been here yesterday. Some of her captains are getting antsy."
"She'll be here soon," Brittany said. "But first she needs to deal with a small salvage problem."
"Salvage? What did she find," Quinn asked. "Something we can use against the Bugs?"
"A large ship," Brittany said. "Made from the same material as the Ring world. We won't know if it can be used against the Bugs for a while. It's got a heavy radiation problem."
"Ah. So she's wherever it is supervising the salvage?" Quinn said.
"More or less," Brittany said. "She'll be along shortly and the ship will be moved to a safe place near Saturn or Uranus."
"How large is it?" Quinn asked, frowning.
"Approximately the size of Pluto," Brittany said.
"Oh... that is a large ship," Quinn said faintly. "No idea what is in it? Maybe it's a different kind of generation ship, like the Ring world?"
"That's very likely," Brittany said, agreeing with her. "If we're lucky the radiation hasn't destroyed their recording materials."
"I don't have any hard radiation hard suits with me this time," Quinn said. "So, we'll just stay here and keep trying to get past the Bug Fleet shields."
"Don't worry," Brittany said. "If San needs someone with your team's unique capabilities, they'll send for you."
"No worries," Quinn said. "But a little actual action would be nice. My troopers are close to the boredom point. After that it might get ugly."
"If San can fix that radiation problem there'll be a large ship to explore," Brittany said. "Not quite the same thing as fighting Bugs but you never know what you'll find in a wreck like that."
"Some people like exploring wrecks," Quinn said. "Not sure I like the idea of exploring a shipwreck in space."
"Speaking of exploring, how are the JJs turning out?" Brittany asked.
"They're being themselves," Quinn said, shaking her head.
"So just one warning away from the brig?" Brittany said.
"They aren't that bad," Quinn said. "But they are getting bored."
"And them bored is an extremely dangerous problem. Do you want me to take them with me?" Brittany asked.
"Nah, they're okay. I think they are really close to having a scanner that can see inside the Bug ships in that fleet." Quinn shook her head. "It'd be even more boring around here if you took them away."
"Okay, no removing the comic relief," Brittany said, grinning. "But I'd like to see them for a few minutes. Where are they hiding?"
"Down in the science bay," Quinn said. "They were making Jolie a little nervous so she banished them down there."
"They are definitely an acquired taste, Brittany said. "And I think I'll go re-up my inoculation to their brand of crazy."
"Stop by here after, before you head back to your ship," Quinn said,
"Will do, Q," Brittany said, leaning forward to hug her again.
"What's the scoop Ladies!" Brittany said, stepping into the Hotep's Science section.
"Lady B!" Joy said, jumping to her feet. "You're here!"
"Where else would I be?" Brittany said. "Needed to check up on my favorite rascals."
"Then why are you here to see us?" Janice said, with a wink. "So, you're behaving yourself for Lady Q?" Brittany asked. "She giving you interesting things to do?"
"She doesn't always know what is possible so she asks us to do the impossible," Janice said.
"It's totally tera," Joy said. "Attempting to do the impossible is a blast and a half."
"Do you think you'll find a way for the Hands to have Bug boarding parties?" Brittany asked.
"It's a tricky thing," Janice said. "The Bug ship shields don't allow anything physically bigger than a pea through, and then it has to be moving very slowly."
"And absolutely no energy." Joy added.
"They must allow some kind of energy through," Brittany said.
"You would think so, but right now that isn't the conclusion we've come to," Janice said. "They must have some special equipment that lets them see through their own shields, and their ship engines must be designed to work with the shields."
"It's going to be a challenge to get past that," Joy said, "but I think we're up to it."
"Maybe in another day or three," Janice said. "We're waiting to get the reports on the materials from those mining ships. We think using one of them somehow is how they do it."
"You're letting the other science types play also, aren't you?" Brittny asked, noticing the sad looks on the faces of the others in the room.
"They think it's impossible," Joy said. "They're in timeout until they improve their attitudes."
"Well, give them something to do, that isn't impossible," Brittany said. "Like improving the drives on the probes. Or figuring out why the Red Pirate probes are so fragile. Lady Air's tech lead managed to kill six of them the other day. Apparently, they can't handle pulsar levels of energy for more than a few seconds before they burn out."
"That's an easy one," Janice said. "Those Red Pirates skimped on the shielding for the control systems in their probes. We figured that one out ages ago."
"Well, they can figure out ways of improving the shielding, and also improve it on our regular probes, right?" Brittany said.
"I suppose," Joy said. "When do you want that done by."
"No rush, though the fleet Flag could use better probes right now to investigate a derelict ship they found."
"Really?" Joy said. "I guess they can work on that while they are in timeout."
"Good," Brittany said. "Let me know how that turns out, I need to get back to my ship. It's double parked."
"Yes, Lady B," they both said. "Safe trip. Stick to the shadows."
"Hey Q, I've got to go, some people are waiting for me," Brittany said, popping her head into Quinn's office.
"Nice chat with the JJs?" Quinn asked.
"Yup," Brittany said. "They might get you what you want in another week or so if things go as they think they will."
"Excellent!" Quinn said.
"We'll all owe them mega big time," Brittany said. "If they pull this off it'll be our best bet, so far, to defeat the Bugs."
"So, they've found way to get past the Bugs shields?" Quinn asked.
"Not quite yet but they're on their way. It's just a matter of time before they crack it," Brittany said. "Might have to give them a pay increase if it happens."
"We don't actually pay anyone," Quinn said, frowning.
"No, but we do give them incentives when they do a good job," Brittany said. "This one will require a doozy if they manage it."
"They don't strike me as scientists," Quinn said, "but they can outthink almost any scientist in the fleet."
"They're the best," Brittany said, nodding. "But they don't call themselves scientists. They're practical engineers. Give them a problem and as long as it's possible, they'll find a workable solution. And sometimes even if it isn't possible. If they weren't practical jokers and nomads, they could have a lab job and minions of their own to boss around. But they'd rather be out in space, finding new problems to solve and meeting new people and other beings."
"I won't tell anyone," Quinn said. "We need all of the field capable MacGyvers we can get."
"That would be them," Brittany said. "And I really have to go." She skipped over behind Quinn's desk and gave her another hug. "Places to be, chaos to cause."
"As long as it's our kind of chaos," Quinn said, hugging her back.
Brittany smiled. "Catch you on the comm," she said, before stepping out of Quinn's office and disappearing down the hall.
"I wonder where she's off to," Quinn said to herself, careful to keep her question off of the comm. Brittany rarely appeared out in the field now-a-days so it must have been something important. Of course, Brittany might spend most of her time in the field but no one would know.
"You didn't tell anyone I was with you, did you?" Rachel said. "I think Quinn and Santana would have a cow if they knew where we were going."
"Well, what they don't know won't hurt them," Brittany said. "I really need an update on what our gang of four are up to and this is the fastest way."
"I can't believe you have a ship so fast it can get out there and back before anyone notices," Rachel said.
"Well, it is experimental," Brittany said. "We don't have the right materials to build another one at the moment, so it'll be a unique ship for a while."
"How long do you think it'll take to find them?" Rachel asked.
"A day? Possibly," Brittany said. "I can't just send them co-ordinates and ask them to meet us somewhere, if we don't want anyone else to find out."
"Yes, yes we can," Rachel said excitedly. She pulled out her tablet, that went everywhere with her. "We need something only Miranda or Andy would recognize, and recognize as a place."
"Not a lot of places like that," Brittany said. "And how do you send it?"
"As music," Rachel said. "Hmmm..."
"Well, I'll head us in that direction, since we want to meet closer to where they are now, while you think of something," Brittany said. "Does it have to be something they know already? Can you send them something they've never heard before with enough clues to figure it out?"
"Tricky, but it should be possible, especially for the two of them. They're quite smart," Rachel said.
"Most of us are," Brittany said. "Ever notice how we'd all qualify for Mensa or one of those other Big Brain groups? And I don't just mean you, me, Quinn, and Santana. Big brain power seems to be a Serpent Clan trait."
"Oh," Rachel said. "I just thought all these people we have could think rings around the people we grew up with. Didn't realize it was an inherent brain power thing. That's interesting."
"Smart Chicks rule!" Brittany said. "Do you need any suggestions?"
"Not yet," Rachel said. "Let's give the Big Brain a chance first."
"Okey-dokey!" Brittany said. "Hand on tight, this might be rougher than the last launch."
Rachel nodded and gripped her tablet tightly.