Reunion: Chapter 20
Story by LiquidHunter on SoFurry
Reunion: Chapter 20
Technician Rodgers sat at his terminal, the same terminal that he had sat at day after day, listening to communications. It was a boring job, located in a boring facility in orbit over Mars. He didn't know why he was listening, the chatter was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. The fleet was converging at the edge of the system, getting ready to jump to some location that was only being referred to as the 'Hot Zone." His superiors told him not to worry about it when he notified them of it. There were lots of supply shipments being sent out. Rodgers didn't need to be a genius to know that they were getting ready for some kind of invasion. There was no other reason to have so many ships, nearly half of the entire Dominion Armada was out there. Rodgers couldn't think of what they were going to attack though, pirates weren't a big enough threat to justify the massive expense that was being paid for this operation.
"Anything new?" Captain Riesha walked into the room from the auto sliding door that gave off a whooshing noise of hydraulics when opening. He wearing his working uniform, a crisp gray uniform with three stacks of ribbons on his chest of all kinds of colors denoting his long and successful military career. He walked up behind Rodgers and looked at the display that had hundreds of blinking lights, each one indicating a tracked signal.
Rodgers glanced up at the captain who had come and visited the room everyday that he could. Even when he was on leave or away, he called in and had someone check up on the person on duty. Why would a seasoned captain be so interested in a simple listening facility. "No sir." Rodgers answered. "Just the usual chatter, sir." He cycled through the various channels, all were busy, but none were relevant.
The captain sighed. It was like this everyday. He was told, very early in his career by his father, a vice admiral, that he should check on this one listening post everyday and look for anything out of the ordinary. Of course, he asked why he should care about a listening post that used technology from two hundred years ago. It was outdated and should have been closed down decades ago, but it was getting funding from somewhere.
His father wouldn't tell him, only that he needed to contact him when there was an abnormality. If he was dead by the time something came up, then he was to contact his mother, if she was dead, there was a long list. His father wasn't dead. He was retired, living a slow, but happy life on some property he had been given by the Dominion on Earth. That lucky old man. Riesha dreamed of retiring to Earth one day. Only parts of it were irradiated and the parts that weren't were gorgeous. He had visited his father man times, the old admiral had a house on a vista, over looking a forested valley in what was Peru.
Riesha scanned over the indications. He had looked at them so many times. Some were on in the morning, others were off at night, but this one little light that was blinking on the top right corner... that had never been on.
"What's that one." He pointed at the light, pressing his finger against the screen so the technician would clearly know what he was talking about.
"That came on the other day, shortly after you left for the night, sir." The technician cycled through he channel until he got to the right one. "This is an old one." The technician had to adjust the settings to clear up the static that was coming through. "I can't make it out, sir. I'll keep trying to clear it up."
"Yeah, you do that." Riesha remembered the light's designation code and then walked out to go and make a private and encrypted call to Earth.
The comm beeped over and over. Riesha became afraid that his father wasn't going to be home. The old man liked to go out for walks in the woods with his pet dog down to the grave of his wife and Riesha's mother.
"Come on." He slapped the side of the computer that was built into the wall of his private quarters that he had on the station. He also had his captain's quarter's on his ship, The Silver Wolf, a fast attack destroyer that had belonged to his father before some strings were pulled to get Riesha command of the ship. :Pick you old man, or I'm going to have to come over there and get you myself."
"Hello." The old voice of his father finally came across the intercom. There was no video, his father's house was to remote to build the necessary relay to send that much information that distance.
"Admiral Riesha?"
"Tony? Is that you. I told you not to call me that. I'm your father, what would your mother think of you, being all professional like this all the time. It ruins the moment, plus what would she think of you, knowing that you barely call."
"Father!" Riesha snapped his father out of his rant. At times, Riesha believed that his father was going senile. "There's been an anomaly."
There was silence at the other end and Riesha thought that he had lost the connection.
"You have your ship with you?" His father asked in the voice that Riesha had grown up knowing as one that once commanded entire battle groups.
"I do."
"Good, get ready to head out, it's finally time. I didn't think it was true, what my father told me, what his mother told him and so on. I didn't think that it was true, I thought it was all just some family tale passed down through the generations."
"What are you talking about? I can't just leave, there's regulations to go through to leave dock and where am I going?"
"Don't worry about that." His father assured him. "I can handle everything from here. Just get your ship and head to Earth."
"You're not making sense, I can go under investigation for going to Earth, that's restricted space."
"Listen to me, BOY!" His fahter's sudden outburst froze him.
"A lot is going happen and you're not going to understand any of it, but this is important." He paused for a second. "I'll handle everything else, just make sure you get there. There will be others waiting as well, if I don't fill you in, they will. Good luck." The comm cut out, leaving Riesha alone, and he had never felt so alone before.
He couldn't see any other choice, but to follow his father's orders, even if he was retired, he felt like he was still obeying the orders of the Vice Admiral of forty years of service. The old man knew what he was doing and Riesha had always trusted him, no reason to stop now.
"Commander Von." Riesha spoke into his com link. "Prep the ship, we're heading out."
"Sir?" Von, the first mate, replied.
"We'll be cleared by the time we're ready to go." He had a feeling that there would be no opposition to his ship leaving.
"Aye, sir. I'll have her warmed up for you."
Riesha rubbed his hair. He was sweating. This was bigger than him, whatever it was.
There was a knock at the door.
"Sir." It was Technician Rodgers. "Sir, I have something new to show you."
"Enter." Riesha went over to his desk and picked up his cap. The door opened and the technician entered. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry sir."
"What?" Rodgers turned around to see that Rodgers had acquired a sidearm and was pointing it at him. "This is treason."
"Treason?" Rodgers seemed confused and conflicted. "I just received a message saying that you're the one committing treason."
"From who?" Riesha had his sidearm at his side, a late model laser pistol that was given to him by his father, it was old, but in working order. "I haven't done anything."
"It doesn't matter from who, I've been told to apprehend you. Security is already on its way sir, just...." He was shaking. "Don't move."
"I'm no traitor."
"I-I can't believe you." He raised the gun up when Riesha moved a bit.
"Calm down there." He held up a hand. "There's been some kind of mistake."
"Stop moving, sir. Just... just wait for security and then this will all be sorted out, they're already sending a team to apprehend your father, Vice Admiral Riesha."
"Do you really think that a renowned officer such as my father is capable of treason?" Riesha asked. He could see that the technician was very uncomfortable, his gun wasn't steady and his aim was faltering. If he moved fast, he would be able to disarm him. He didn't want to hurt the boy, he was being dragged into something that even Riesha had no idea about. "Someone is playing us."
"I have my orders." He wasn't going to be convinced. He was more scared of the people that gave him his orders than he was of Captain Riesha.
"And I have mine." Riesha moved, ducking down and to the left. Out of surprise, the technician fired and missed, hitting the back wall. Riesha rammed his shoulder into the technician and shoved him into the wall hard. The gun fell to the ground and the technician was knocked out and slumped over. Riesha laid him on the ground.
"Well dad." He picked up the dropped gun and checked the magazine. "I guess whatever you planned on doing has already fallen apart." He left his room and quietly began making his way to the ship.
"Sir." Commander Von's voice came over Riesha's earpiece. "Two frigates have just jumped into the system. They're hailing us, asking about your location."
"Something is going on, Von." He peered around a corner of the hall. Several guards jogged down the hall, talking on their com links, heading towards his room. "I don't know what, but do you trust me."
"I've been with you for a decade, sir. Of course."
"Good, because if you follow me, I think that we may end up being branded as traitors."
"You mind filling me in?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but when I get to the ship, we'll need to get out of here fast."
"Yes sir." Von replied. "The ship will be ready for you when you arrive."
"Good." Riesha cut the comm and focused on getting back to the ship. The station had always been undermanned and Riesha didn't come across anymore people until he got to the airlock where more guards were waiting for him.
"Von, I'm at the airlock and there are guards by it. They're not going to let me pass."
"Yes sir. I can handle it."
A few minutes later and the airlock behind the guards opened up, revealing something that many would not expect, a Canis in a uniform.
"Is there a reason why this airlock is being guarded." The Canis that looked like a red fox asked, making sure that his silver oak leaf was still visible.
"Get back inside, dog." A guard scoffed, ignoring the chain of command. "I don't know where you got that uniform, but you shouldn't play dress up with your master's clothes." The guards chuckled to each other.
"Excuse me..." He looked for the rank on the guard. "Excuse me, Private Jerome, but you are speaking to an officer. You will address me as 'sir'."
"Like hell I will. I don't know whose cock you had to suck to get that uniform, but I'll never listen to orders from some animal like you." The guard tightened his grip on his weapon. "Now get back on that ship of yours and sit pretty. I'm sure there's a Dog Catcher or two somewhere to take you to the kennel."
"Oh?" Von raised an eyebrow and outstretched a hand. The guard twitched and convulsed as if something had just taken hold of him.
"He's a fucking scrambler." The other two guards reacted quickly, but not quickly enough. They too began to writhe in pain as Von played with their minds, he didn't do anything permanent to them, but soon they were on the ground drooling.
Riesha came out from cover. "Always scares me when you do that." He stepped over the guards.
"Don't worry, sir. I'm a loyal dog. His tail wagged behind him." He followed his captain in step back onto the ship where they quickly headed to the bridge.
"What's the situation?" Captain Riesha took his seat at the command chair. The bridge was bustling with activity.
An ensign spoke up. "The two frigates have positioned themselves to intercept us if we try to escape. They haven't powered their weapons though."
"Sir." Von came up next to Riesha. "What are your orders?"
He was already marked as a traitor, doing nothing would only end up with him in a cell for some crime that he didn't think that he had committed. He didn't become a captain by sitting idly.
"Break away from the station and begin moving towards the nearest jump point." Riesha barked across the bridge, sending him sailors into action. "Set destination for Earth."
Some stopped to look at him in disbelief. Any ship that went to Earth without permission were detained and all aboard arrested.
"You heard me. Follow your orders." And they did. Everyone on The Silver Wolf was loyal to him, many were old crew members that had served under his father. "Set course."
"The frigates are hailing us and charging weapons. They intend to fire." Another officer called out.
"Battlestations." Riesha said. The lights turned red and sirens blared as the crew prepared. "Their frigates, we have the upper hand and let's hope that they value their lives." He turned to his comms officer. "Tell them to stand down or we will open fire." He then turned to the helmsmen. "Full ahead, don't slow down."
"Yes sir." The man nodded. Von stood loyal at his side, watching the view screen of what was going on. The two frigates were moving to intercept. He could see their turrets swivel towards them, but they didn't fire. They moved closer and closer. There was a mechanical whir as the Silver Wolf's own guns, quad mounted rail guns, aimed back. Each of the eight turrets outgunned a single frigate individually, this was a ship meant to kill other ships.
"They're standing down, sir." There was a collective release of held breaths.
"Good." Riesha glanced up at Von who nodded approvingly. "Now take us to Earth... And maybe we'll find out what the hell is going on." He said the last part in his mind.