“Three pulses people, let’s move,” Rudjick hollered. The leading edge of the storm winds were already pushing against them. Rudjick led them, running full tilt towards the wind break. A hard gust of wind threatened to topple Rudjick. He looked up and his eyes went wide. The blast had shoved a boulder loose. “Keep moving,” he called out as the stone rolled towards them. “Up the walls, move.”

  The team clambered up the walls of the gorge, the wind tearing at the cadets. The boulder rolled down the ravine, the winds pushing it along. Rudjick held on for all he was worth as the boulder roared past them. The instant the gust subsided they ran again, the headwind growing stronger with each step. The wind’s howl grew to a deafening roar as the darkness engulfed them.

  Rudjick tugged at his line to keep the winds from tossing him aside. Ahead of him, Tekly slipped, losing her grip and sliding back towards him. She may have been a pain, but Rudjick couldn’t let anyone on his team fail. He wrapped his arms around her as the wind slammed her into him. The wind knocked both of them down. Rudjick twisted about and dug his heels into the rocks, both hands holding onto Tekly. It was all he could do. Without his ACHES he was helpless against this wind. To his amazement, he began to slide backwards, against the wind.

  He checked the status of his ascender, it was off. He peeked over his shoulder. The wind flipped his hood back, snatching at his mask. Bichard stood in the gale, his foot claws digging into the rock. He was pulling the pair back towards the windbreak. Rudjick had never felt so glad to see that red exoskeleton.

  Within moments they were abeam the windbreak and Telsh leaned out to grab hold of Tekly, oulling her into the shelter. Rudjick braced himself. Bichard grabbed and dove into the opening of the tunnel. Instinctively, Rudjick slammed the brake closed on his line, leaving them both dangling just inside the tunnel. The rest of the team raced in after them.

  “I owe you a drink when we get back,” Rudjick all but laughed.

  “You owe me a keg,” Bichard replied.

  ***

  A hect later Rudjick hung in his climbing hammock two hundred metra down from the tunnel exit. The hologram before him crackled with static, but this was the closest he dare get to the mouth of the tunnel. Zithe would just have to live with a dirty signal. “We’ve got the data core. Egrid and Tekly have already started downloading the contents to back them up.”

  “Is there any encryption?” Gokhead asked from beside Zithe.

  “Tekly says there are a series of questions you have to answer to prove yourself worthy of the data.”

  Even Zithe laughed at that. “Have them send the questions to us. Is it anything too complicated?”

  “Trivia crap from about twenty annura ago. I’d say get the old timers on it.”

  “Understood. What’s your ETA back to the shuttle?

  “We’ll set out at first light. The descent should be cake,” he replied with a lopsided grin while rubbing his aching shoulders. “Send me someplace more fun next time.”

  “Enjoy your descent. Mikle and Acknit have found some local fauna that’s proven to be not only edible but, according to Mikle, tasty. I told them to collect as much as they could.”

  “Fine by me. I don’t feel up to hunting duty right now.”

  “They’re to lift as soon as you get back.”

  “So take our time then, copy that.” Rudjick looked at Telsh in her hammock across from him. “I’ll be sure and show these folks a good time going down then,” he said loud enough for her to hear.

  Telsh swung quietly across and landed beside Rudjick’s hammock, sliding in next to him. “Don’t be worrying Actual. I be taking care of your little man,” she announced, cupping his groin before she clicked off the link. “Now what was that you be saying to me about going down?”

  “Careful there lady,” he smirked, getting hard. “Once you go elf, you’ll find we’re top shelf.”

  “I be the judge of that,” she said climbing into the hammock and unzipping her suit.

  UCSB DATE: 1003.205

  Bridge, UCSBTS-27413, System: T-18-E-37

  Floating before the observation window Zithe looked out upon his fleet, docked together in a long line. Some might call that assertion presumptuous, but not him. Each of these ships had allied themselves under his flag. They had all trusted his judgment to lead them through the trials of the senior transport exercise and any combat they might encounter with Chertsin’s Red Force. His chest swelled with pride as he watched the escort fighters on their patrol. Once again, it proved that he had made the right choice in turning down the leadership of Pack Zithe.

  Why can no one else in the pack see that? Why can’t they see the destiny laid out before me and how it will add to Pack Zithe’s glory? He knew the answer: tradition. The old ways had to change if the pack, or any of the major packs, was to survive long into this new millennium.

  He twisted about in the observation window and looked back at his crew. Busy at their stations with holograms floating around them and displaying the wonders of the three systems they’d explored. The hologram before Zithe’s own command chair even now showcased the flora and fauna of one of the worlds that Blazer’s team had explored. He grinned at the sight. The herbivores looked like cunning prey, the kind he would love to hunt.

  Now was not the time for that though, not with Chertsin’s Red Force in the next system, conducting their own data share. He couldn’t allow his own selfish wants to cloud his judgment. Chertsin would use any opportunity to attack. Given the chance he would ghost them all and score a decisive military victory in the exercise. No. If any side is to score a military victory here, it will be my Blue Force.

  Zithe flitted back to his seat as the hatch into the bridge opened and a familiar Drashig head popped through. He had left the data share itself in Gokhead’s dual-thumbed hands. Even now cadets were running between ships carrying stacks of data cards and computer cores filled with information. Gokhead had decided that the Red Force’s computer teams were too good at weaving into other ship’s computers to risk transmitting their findings with one another.

  “What’s the good word Gokhead?”

  “We’re almost complete. We still have that odd carrier signal bouncing between transports that we can’t quite track down.”

  Zithe twisted about to land, his eyebrow raised. “Any idea how long it’s been going on or why we haven’t picked it up before now?”

  “We hadn’t detected it before because we didn’t have enough ships close together. The cadre assures me that it’s not a signal that the academy is generating. Someone on one our own ships is doing it. As for when, I checked our logs and found a faint trace of it right after the Nobgals had decided to join us.”

  Zithe scratched at his chin and considered that. A traitor in our midst? Did one of the Nobgals decide that they didn’t like changing sides? “Has anyone spoken to Hollis about this?”

  Gokhead nodded. “He swears on the souls of all his ancestors that he doesn’t have a clue and that none of his crew are responsible. Thing is, I can’t even trace the source. It’s like every ship is generating the signal.”

  “And it’s destination?”

  Gokhead shrugged again. “Not sure. Whoever set this up is blasted clever.”

  Zithe looked across at Bichard at the communications terminal. If whoever set up that signal was good enough to get Gokhead and Bichard running in circles, he wanted them on his side. For now however, he had to find a way to shut them down. “Suggestions?”

  “Without finding the primary transmitter? Nothing. It looks like they’re using our ship’s own blackbody radiators to maintain the signal. The carrier wave is continuously shifting and adjusting the worm it’s transmitting to keep our IA defenses from formulating a shield.”

  “Can we find a way to use it to our advantage or even shield it externally?”

  Gokhead smiled at that and the hologram at Zithe’s console changed to show a massive gas giant. “This world right here,” Gokhead began and motioned to it. “The magnetic field there is obscenely strong. It should block the weak carrier wave but still allow us to communicate with the academy. Plus, it has a habitable moon,” Gokhead continued and the image changed to reveal a lush world teeming with plant and insect life. “The oxygen content in the atmosphere is super high, but nothing that a filter can’t correct. Plus, a legacy probe that the Black Vises picked up revealed that a number of senior classes have taken vacations there.”

  Zithe looked at the imagery and with a wave of his hand, the holograms shifted to show the position of the moon relative to the gas giant. The moon rested just outside the massive world’s powerful magnetic field, making it habitable to most of the crews. They wouldn’t be able to park the transports in orbit and still mask the signal though. “We’d have to ferry crews back and forth from the transports.”

  Gokhead nodded, the tufts of fur on his chins standing on end.

  “No.”

  The fur on Gokhead’s chins went limp in response. “Why not?”

  “Gokhead, best estimate I’m seeing is at least half a hect each way to ferry the crews back and forth to the transports. We can’t assume that the Red Force won’t realize where we’re hiding out. Once they do they can just swoop in and pick us all off.”

  Gokhead looked back at the hologram and his shoulders went limp.

  “Don’t worry Gok. I’ll cook us up something fun instead. Bichard?”

  Bichard turned in his station, images of massive alien insects on his screen. “Yes captain?”

  “Contact all transport Captains. I want to have a meeting later once the data share is complete.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Now, Gokhead, come with me.”

  Forward Cafeteria, UCSBTS-27413

  Zithe waited in the wings as the captains of the Blue Force transports gathered and looked at the quartet of holograms around the room. Three showed the training systems, several captains pointing out things their crews had discovered. The fourth hung like a dark mark in the center of the room and revealed the Red Force as they gathered for their own data share. A few captains would pass that hologram on occasion, but few ever lingered except Cadet Teflin, the captain of the Pogrin’s Payback.

  Zithe made note of that. Looking around, he could tell that the instructors did as well. Stepping away from the wall, Zithe walked into the room until he stood opposite Teflin at the hologram. All eyes turned towards him. “As you all should be aware by now, we’ve completed the data share.” He paused and a smattering of applause rang through the group. “The thing is, we still have a few cycles until we need to return home. You should also be aware that the Red Force stands between us and the most opportune jump point back home. I think we all realize that was intentional.”

  A few cadets grumbled their agreement.

  “So now the question becomes, how do we handle that?”

  Teflin punched the hologram of the Moglis Squadron’s transport and locked eyes with Zithe. “I say a direct assault, go in now, guns blazing and ghost the lot of ‘em.”

  Cadet Nolen scoffed from the window. “You’re just being bloodthirsty. A direct assault, whether now or later would be suicide. By the time we all undocked and made our way to the jump point the signal that the Red Force weaved into our ships would tell them we’re coming. Then all they would have to do is set up an ambush at the jump points. We’d be ghosted before we’d even got a single shot off.”

  Teflin sneered and waved an accusing finger at Nolen. “We all know why you’re afraid to fight Nolen. Your ship is still crippled. The academy should have replaced it instead of just sending you a new core.”

  “Go bugger yourself Teflin. My ship is just as capable as any other, more so with the modifications we received. I’m just smart enough to see a trap, unlike some people…”

  “How dare you say…”

  “Enough,” Zithe roared and stepped into the middle of the hologram. “This gets us nowhere. What we need to do is look at our adversary and consider how they, and their leader, think.”

  “Hi my name’s Chertsin. My ego’s bigger than a red giant. Now come here and fellate me,” one of the transport captains called out.

  Even Zithe laughed at that. “Exactly, what else?”

  Nodio, the Nip Tails’ captain, tapped on the table. “He hates to lose. I think we’ve all seen that. How about you Trevis? You used to serve with him, you must know something?”

  Trevis unfolded himself from the shadows and came up to stand beside Zithe. He was the only non-captain cadet in the room. “Aye, he be hating to lose. If he not be cutting tail and running when things be going against him, then be likely to try and take every last thing with him, just fer spite.”

  Nolen turned to Herch, standing by the viewport. “Herch, you had the misfortune of signing on with that egomaniac before you saw the light. What do you say?”

  Still staring out the window towards his ship, Herch replied. “I’ve never had a commander that demanded as much absolute loyalty as he did, unquestioning loyalty. Made me uncomfortable from the get go. I always got the impression that if I went against the direct word of his order, he might just shoot me in the back…”

  “And he wonders why none of us like him,” Ash of the Black Vises commented.

  Herch turned back to the others. “Yeah, but even given that. I don’t see how we can turn any of that against him.”

  Zithe smiled, he had them. “You’ve all forgotten the most important point. Chertsin is impatient. If he thinks that we’re coming, and we’re not, he’ll come after us. Send a few nasty comments his way, hurt his ego, and he’ll come that much sooner.”

  Zithe let that thought sink in for a moment and walked over to the System 37 hologram. “What I propose is so simple that Chertsin won’t even consider it. Gokhead proposed that we go to the garden moon of that gas giant in 38 and take a vacation. I’m sure by now that you’ve all seen the holos of it.”

  Several of them nodded in agreement.

  “We make Chertsin think that we’re doing just that. Meanwhile we hide out around the system here. We ambush the Red Force as they’re crossing the system to attack us.”

  Teflin raised an eyebrow and looked at the hologram of system 38. “And how do we do that?”

  “Simple, we attach sensor-masking units to the legacy probes that we were intending to leave behind and send them instead. The Red Force left probes watching us, but only one or two per system. All we have to do is slipstream into the blind spots here and launch the probes towards the jump point. Then our probes will make their way towards the gas giant. Once there, they can make like shuttles ferrying crews back and forth.”

  “Son of a bug, that might just work,” Nodio replied. “But what about that signal? How do we keep that from revealing our location?”

  “My people have been working on that,” Herch commented. “I know that folks think we’re responsible, but I swear we didn’t do this. We think we figured out a way to at least cancel the signal out. It’s better than nothing.”

  Ash held up his macomm for all to see and the hologram next to him added its display. “I figure it’ll take us the better part of two cycles to hook up the sensor-masks and program the probes. Do you figure that to be enough time Zithe?”

  Zithe stepped over to the hologram of system 37 and several points lit up. “I think so. We’re scheduled to return to the Academy on 211. I doubt that Chertsin will wait much past the two oh ninth to come after us. So that gives us time to get into position. I figure the jump points and these sites are our best ambush points to hit the Red Force,” he explained highlighting a handful of planets and moons. “We’ll take up low-orbit positions around these worlds, keeping our distance from each other to weaken that signal. We should be able to keep in their mass shadows long enough to keep the attack a surprise. Does anyone have any comments?”

  None of the captains replied.

  “Good, then let’s get started. I want tactical plans from all of you by next cycle when we’ll meet again to discuss this further. In the meantime, let’s get our crews on those probes and get our ships battle-ready. Let’s show Chertsin why it’s a bad idea to challenge us.”

  “What if, and I know this is a long shot, what if Chertsin leaves us alone and heads for home?” Nolen asked.

  “Then we do the same. But I want to be ready for the possibility that he’ll stay true to form,” Zithe replied. “I’ll see you all after the dawn.”

  The cadet Captains, with their instructors, left the cafeteria. Several hadn’t even left before digging out their macomms and setting to work. Zithe stood there and studied the map for system 37. I know I’m not seeing everything here. I just hope that one of them catches what I missed. Zithe rubbed his eyes and became aware of another presence in the room. “Well sir. Does my plan have merit? Or am I completely out of my head?”

  Tadeh Qudas stepped up beside Zithe and waved the hologram of the Red Force closer. “You face your enemy on equal footing, but have positioned your forces to have the advantage should fighting occur. Just remember that you made a pledge to your crews not to open hostilities, so how do you plan to handle that?”

  Zithe looked at the hologram again. “Perhaps I’ll offer up a sacrifice, a transport or two at the jump point to 38. If Chertsin opens fire, we attack. If he passes without incident, then we break for the academy, and make him look the fool for following ghosts.”

  “Perhaps. It is not the Telshin way, but it might just work. Do not go without sleep too long.”

  Zithe watched Tadeh Qudas leave the room then turned back to the holograms to begin simulations of various combat scenarios. He positioned the two opposing forces in various configurations, and set the simulation to work, allowing the computer to command the Red Force. He kept at it for several hects, working out the best way to draw Chertsin into a firefight, and how to arrange his counterattack to minimize losses to his side. He watched a Red Force ship ghost out, taking one of his with it and rubbed his eyes, stifling a yawn.