Chapter 15 Lunch And A Coup #2
Khoth hadn’t even noticed the second plate.
He had no appetite, but knew that food intake was necessary for peak performance so he would not refuse the meal.
He was shocked though to look down and see a traditional Thaf’ell meal called dar’lac.
Greens, sweet tubers and strips of protein seasoned with spices and oils.
There was a cup of beh, which humanity would classify as a creamy soup.
The familiar smells of his homeworld’s food reached his nostrils and his chest clenched. His Xi shivered and his Xa shook.
“Khoth, you okay?” Jace asked, but then shook his head. “Of course you’re not. That was really stupid of me to ask. I mean--”
“This is the only dish my mother makes,” Khoth explained, understanding his reaction to the simple, but nutritious food. “She has rarely had time to prepare a meal for me, but she said she could make this kind in her sleep. I have not had it in some time.”
Sympathy flashed in Jace’s eyes. “The Osiris shouldn’t have done that.”
“I am glad it did. I wish to remember my mother from better times,” Khoth answered.
“You’re not going to have to remember her. You’re going to be talking to her in about two minutes. Ah! Okay, the ships have surrounded us,” Jace said. “Not just the Paladin-class either. Oh boy, the five Sabers are down here. She’s giving it a very good go.”
Khoth forgot the food again. The hologram showed his mother still in her command chair, but also a view of the outside of the Osiris.
The sun gleamed off the Altaeth ship’s hull.
It was more beautiful in sunlight than in the dark with all of its lights on.
Or perhaps it was simply a different type of beauty.
As Jace had said, the Paladin-class ships--two dozen in all--surrounded the Osiris.
They looked like dust motes in comparison to the Osiris.
Even the Saber-class were dwarfed by the ship.
Then the light show began as all of the ships began to swarm the Osiris, shooting at key spots in the hull where they knew that, traditionally, Colossus-class ships contained cannons and the batteries for their shields.
Bursts of light bloomed all over the Osiris as laser blasts impacted the shields.
But Khoth did not hear any sound of the bombardment inside.
There were no shrieks of warning alarms of shield impairment either.
Another hologram had appeared that showed a schematic of the Osiris and her shields.
There were percentages shown over sections of the ships that received blasts.
Jace took another bite of burger and chewed thoughtfully as he watched the percentages dip slightly before refreshing to 100%.
Khoth’s eyes widened as he realized that the Osiris was absorbing the energy of the blasts to restore the shields.
“The Osiris isn’t at full power, but it’s holding its own,” Jace said as he dunked another french fry into the ketchup.
“It is doing more than that. They are not making a dent!” Gehenna cheered.
“What about missiles? The Saber-class are capable of firing a variety of tactical ballistic missiles with different warheads,” Khoth began to lecture as if Jace was a new recruit.
“Right. Heat seeking, electro-magnetic, and a form of… huh, a sort of proton weapon and others,” Jace listed off.
“Yes, of course, you would know this,” Khoth said absently.
He watched as one of the Saber-class ships sent two proton missiles directly at one of the hangar bay doors of the Osiris.
Both impacted with a staggeringly bright explosion.
Khoth shielded his eyes with one arm. He expected to feel a shudder and hear the impact of those weapons, but the Osiris remained silent except for the click of Gehenna’s metal heels on the floor.
For a moment, Khoth wondered if they were really being attacked at all or if this was some kind of elaborate simulation.
But he knew that this was happening, even if he wished that it was not.
The light cleared and there appeared to be no change.
His gaze swung back to the schematic of the Osiris. The shields over the hangar bay were down to 75%, but they rose again as more laser blasts repowered them.
“Will that happen with Khul tech?” Khoth asked.
“No, it has a different… signature,” Jace said. “Same reason why Altaeth tech works against the Khul’s so well.”
“I see,” Khoth said.
A wave of unreality washed over him. It was absurd to be having lunch while his mother attempted a coup of sorts. And yet, there was no danger. That’s why Jace wasn’t afraid and could eat french fries and his burger with ease. He was completely calm.
Far more Thaf’ell than myself, Khoth realized with dark amusement.
“I think this light show has gone on enough. They’re getting edgy,” Jace said as the blasts had become more frantic somehow to his own eyes.
“What are you going to do?” Khoth asked.
Unlike the Osiris, Khoth knew that the vessels could be harmed by “friendly fire”. Would Jace simply have the Osiris use its weapons to destroy some of the ships or disable them at least?
“We’re just going to flip the switch and take over control,” Jace said, leaning back in his chair, chewing speculatively.
All of the laser fire stopped. It didn’t trickle off, but simply stopped. The ships, too, were suddenly all stationary. The skies of Sunrise were amazingly clear once more as all the spaceships once more hovered where they were.
Khoth’s eyes immediately went to the hologram of his mother. She was leaning forward in her hair. Fingernails and knuckles white with strain as she literally clutched the arms of her chair. Her eyes were huge and unblinking as she, too, watched a monitor of her ships falling still and silent.
“What is the status, Commander Nav’ud?” she snapped.
A whip-thin looking Thaf’ell appeared by her side.
Commander Beni Nav’ud had been in charge of the Ashaton for over twenty grand cycles.
He was his mother’s closest confidant in the fleet.
His expression was studiously neutral, but there were lines around his eyes that showed the strain he was under.
“Our pilots report that they have no control over their ships, High Councillor Voor,” Nav’ud’s voice was crisp.
“What do you mean no control?” His mother’s brows drew together.
“The ships are not responding to any of their inputs,” Nav’ud explained and then opened his mouth as if to add more, but closed it.
“What else, Commander?” she asked.
“There appears to be no change to the Osiris’ shields even after our barrage,” Nav’ud answered.
Her face went completely blank. Khoth’s heart clenched. She knew that the assault had utterly failed. What would she do? Contact Jace surely and--
“Have the Ashaton target Sunrise,” his mother said.
Nav’ud’s brows drew together for half a second, which in Thaf’ell time was an eternity. “Is not Sunrise a civilian--”
“Are you questioning me, Commander?” His mother’s voice was calm, but the words were like ice chips.
Nav’ud straightened. “No, High Councillor!” He turned towards an officer off-screen. “Defender Vinet, target the town of Sunrise.” He looked at Khoth’s mother. “Use…”
“We’re going to turn it into a crater if they do not comply,” his mother said.
Khoth’s shoulders slumped. His mother did not bluff. He knew she was not bluffing now. She would be as awful at poker as he was in Thammah’s opinion. She meant what she said. He could barely look at Jace. But the young man appeared unsurprised.
“Ah, looks like she’s hailing us,” Jace said as he dragged a fry through the ketchup.
The hologram of his mother now showed a bunch of curved lines in the top right corner, which must have meant to Jace that she was hailing the Osiris. Jace did not immediately answer, but let the hail continue.
“You have grease on your chin, Jace. Mustn’t let the Alliance see you with food on your face.” Gehenna reached over and dabbed him clean with a napkin like a fond parent.
“Right, right.” Jace ran his tongue over the fronts of his teeth. “Any food stuck there, Khoth?”
“No, you look… quite like a Pilot.” Khoth awkwardly found himself staring at Jace’s mouth.
He dragged his eyes away and stared down at his own plate. He was so ashamed of all of this. How could Jace ever look upon him again with any respect let alone affection? His mother had tarnished the Voor honor forever. To suggest killing innocents…
His mother’s expression was getting grimmer and grimmer as Finally, Jace answered the hail as he sipped his Coke.
“Hello, High Councillor Voor!” Jace almost sounded cheery, though there was a touch of arctic cold in his eyes. “How pleasant for you to call! What can I do for you?”
“Jace,” she said with a small smile that hid what must have been confusion, “you must turn over the Osiris to my control--”
“Or?” Jace made a motion with his right hand as he took another sip of his drink with his left.
She stared at him for long silent moments. “Or… the Ashaton will be forced to destroy Sunrise.”
“You mean what’s left of Sunrise after the Khul attack here yesterday,” Jace corrected her.
“Though there are plenty of innocent people left down there. Children and the elderly. Pregnant women and doting fathers. Sons and brothers. Daughters and sisters. Grandchildren and grandparents. People who can do nothing to defend themselves from you. Isn’t that right? ”
With every word, Jace’s voice grew colder and colder. His mother’s expression grew quite blank. Nav’ud’s gaze did not leave Jace’s. There was something in it though that showed horror.
“You can do something about it, Jace,” his mother said. “Just give me the Osiris and join our cause and--”
“Leave Earth and its people defenseless for the next time the Khul appear. Which they will. And likely soon, since your son and I destroyed a Hive,” Jace said.
She regarded him again blankly.
“I want things to be crystal clear here for everyone to understand,” Jace said and gestured broadly.
“Yesterday, Earth was attacked by the Khul. This invasion was stopped by myself, your son, Flight Commander Pyrrhus, Gehenna, the Osiris, and members of the United States military. The Khul wanted the same thing that you want: the Osiris. The Khul and you want to take the Osiris by force.”
Her eyes blazed and her chin lifted. “We are nothing like the Khul--”
“No, you aren’t, because the Khul didn’t lie to me and humanity about coming for a meeting to negotiate terms regarding the Osiris and myself helping you in the war against the Khul,” Jace agreed. “Which I suppose makes the Khul more honorable than you in this regard.”
Khoth wished he could sink into the floor. But he realized he had to take a stand. He had to make his mother see the insanity of this.
“May I speak, Pilot?” Khoth asked.
“Of course, you may, Commander Voor. I welcome your input as my second in command of the Osiris,” Jace said with a rather bladed smile.
“Mother,” Khoth did not use her rank. He would not honor her that way. “Stop this now. These actions are beneath the Alliance. They are not authorized by the Council. You are breaking the Alliance’s treaty with Earth.”
She did not look at him. “I have no son.”
That cut him to the quick. Jace’s right hand shot over the top of the table to reach for him, but Khoth gave a brief shake of his head.
He could not remain in control of his Xa if Jace touched him at this moment.
His selchilite clacked as he moved and he realized that he should have cut them off.
He no longer was a part of the family that they represented.
“Jace, you need to turn the Osiris over to me now or I will take steps,” she said. “The Osiris is shielded, but Sunrise is not.”
“You’re really going to do this?” Jace murmured sadly.
“Commander Nav’ud, instruct Defender Vinet to fire a warning shot just outside of the town,” his mother said.
Nav’ud did not move, did not speak. He was staring at Jace.
“It’s okay, Commander Nav’ud. Go ahead and do it. You don’t want to get in trouble by doing what’s right, do you?” Jace asked softly. “You’re just following orders. You’re not responsible for killing innocent people who have done nothing to you.”
Khoth watched as Nav’ud remained silent and still.
“Commander Nav’ud!” his mother yelled, her face bluing. “Fine! If you will not give the order, I will! Defender Vinet, fire on Earth!”
The camera showed a female Thaf’ell who was sitting quietly at her station. Her hands were in her lap. Her gaze went from Nav’ud to his mother. Then she said, “I request to be released from duty, High Councillor. I cannot comply with your order.”
His mother leaped from her chair snarling, “I will do it then!”
His mother threw Defender Vinet from her seat and used the controls herself. She looked up at Jace through slitted eyes. Khoth hardly recognized her.
“Will you give me the Osiris, Jace?” she asked.
“You know I can't, otherwise I will sentence all of humanity to death by the Khul,” Jace told her. “You know this.”
“Then I have no choice,” she said and stabbed the command screen.
Everyone cringed, waiting expectantly to see a beam leave one of the Ashaton’s heavy cannons and strike the Earth.
Except, of course, nothing happened.
She pressed it again and again and again.
“It’s all right, everyone,” Jace said with a heavy weight in his voice. “It’s over.”
“What do you mean?” his mother asked even as she kept pressing the button.
Jace smiled sadly as he said, “All of your ships are now under my command. You will be brought to the Osiris to face judgment.”