Stellarforged - Ch11 (Patreon)

Note: Chapters 10-15 are being posted together. They may be a bit rougher than usual as I'm looking for feedback on the batch.

The bridge bustled with activity. After Ethan gave the order to engage with the source of the foldspace disruption, alarms blared across the entire vessel. Pink and red lighting flashed intermittently along the ceiling.

“Foldspace navigation is being altered,” Poi called out over the intercom, her voice echoing off the walls. “Interception with enemy vessels expected when we exit into realspace. All hands to stations. Repeat, foldspace navigation is…”

She repeated herself multiple times before ceasing, and the alarms stopped after a minute. The lights continued to flicker, albeit at lower intensity.

Bridge crew rushed in. Soon, the place thrummed with even more activity than when they’d entered foldspace. Orders and acknowledgements shot back and forth. Weapon stocks were being confirmed, and navigational coordinates and directions inputted. Voices crackled over the comms from the Luchi destroyers as they made the same change in course.

Through it all, Ethan sat and watched. He felt guilty for not doing anything. Being a pilot for the past few years, he had some idea of the work involved in navigating the stars.

He’d had to change course in foldspace once when the ship escorting him had to make an emergency detour, and it had been one of the most stressful things he’d ever done. Traveling in foldspace wasn’t just a matter of “going forward.” The ship still needed to be on the right course, and the Pathbuilder formed a tunnel for the vessel or fleet to travel through that made transit FTL.

If the ship’s course and the Pathbuilder’s tunnel didn’t match up, the ship could fly out of foldspace. Ethan doubted Tithus would let that happen to the Gloria—he wasn’t even sure if it was possible—but the destroyers had to match the movements of the far larger and far slower cruiser carrying them through the stars. A mistake here could leave the Luchi stranded in the middle of nowhere, with enemies mere hours away by FTL.

His fingers drummed against his throne and Heafi looked at him.

“We’ll arrive at…” She glanced at her tablet. “Hyvor Ifvil in a little over nine hours, Administrator. You can relax.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” he grunted.

“The crew is extremely experienced, even at complicated maneuvers such as changing course in foldspace,” she said. “It may take some time, but we’ll be underway without any trouble shortly.”

“They do seem to know their shit.” Lati leaned on the small railing along the edge of the flag bridge. The vast difference in height between it and herself meant she was bending over at practically ninety degrees and giving Ethan an amazing view of her bodysuited ass. “Yinil fleets usually dropped out of foldspace for something this complicated. Coordinating so many ships meant too many chances for shit to go wrong. Took hours to do, too. Lugs like these, even if it’s not a cap ship, can’t do anything fast.”

Ethan frowned. “Why aren’t we dropping out of foldspace if it that dangerous?”

“We might not get back in,” Lati said, before Heafi could chirp out her own answer. “I’m no expert, but I know that foldspace tunnels are kinda like bullets. The best time to disrupt them is when they’re forming them, or if momentum is wavering. It’s why we can just shoot right toward the source.”

“So if we left foldspace to change direction, they might start trying to actively stop us from re-entering it?”

“Yes,” Heafi quickly said, looking triumphant as she beat Lati to the punch. “Although Lady Tithus would defeat her opponents, the exercise would be costly. Between her skill as a Pathbuilder and that of our crew… and the Luchi crews, we can complete the maneuver in foldspace and avoid that risk.”

And take on another. Nothing was free when it came to warfare. Right now, the most precious resource was Tithus’s endurance. No doubt Poi, Sai, and the others had known that and made the decision to change course inside foldspace without consulting him.

He’d learn more and be able to make these decisions himself in the future. For now, he accepted that delegating to trusted officers meant they made the right decisions.

Within thirty minutes, the panic on the bridge died down. The hologram displaying the ship’s route and the galaxy displayed their altered course.

They were underway. A countdown above the map showed they’d exit foldspace in just under nine hours.

“Nothing happens quickly, does it?” he asked rhetorically while stretching.

“Space is big,” Sai said as she strode up to him. Her tail tickled the back of his neck. “I’m certain you were about to get some sleep, so do that. The last thing we need is for you to be a nervous and tired wreck when we enter combat.”

“And you?”

“My sleep schedule is staggered from yours, and operates differently to begin with. My day is roughly thirty percent longer than yours and I sleep less than you.”

He clicked his tongue. “Is there anything the Vaelix don’t do better than everyone else?”

“My tail requires a lot of daily care.” She smiled at him and sashayed off the bridge. “Sleep, Ethan. I’ll wake you if your puppy forgets to.”

Kiels frowned at the remark, but remained silent.

“Pffft, she talks a big game but Vaelix days aren’t even that long,” Lati said. “I can go without sleep for weeks. We had bright and dark season on our homeworld.”

“Lati, you sleep more than I do,” Ethan said.

“I didn’t say I don’t sleep, just that I can go without it.” She winked at him. “We can also sleep for weeks, usually when, uh…”

“Laden with eggs?” Kiels said drily.

Lati’s face reddened. “That’s a myth! We don’t lay eggs!”

“Maybe ask Ethan to prove it.”

Muttering to herself, Lati stormed off the bridge. Her wings fluttered noisily behind her as she left, presumably to return to engineering.

“Heh.” Kiels grinned at him. “We really should get some rest. If it helps, Taer sleep a couple more hours than humans usually. I’ve got training and cybernetics to reduce how much I need, but there’s nothing like being off duty and being able to doze on my bed for days at a time.”

“Hence why you enjoy bodyguard duty so much.”

She winked at him. “Of course. You’re pretty chill. I’m tapped into the security system with my cybernetics even while asleep, but I’m on my natural sleep cycle for once. So I’d feel bad if I didn’t tuck you in before your first big space battle.” Her tail wagged as she teased him.

Unfortunately, he suspected sleep would evade him. While he’d been winding down, the excitement and nervousness of the impending battle grew with each passing minute. Kiels stepped into his room after ten minutes and frowned. She wore her skintight black undersuit, with only the outline of her underwear visible beneath it.

“Baerin’s tits, I don’t think I was this nervous before my first battle,” she said, leaning against the doorway with her arms crossed. “Do you want to drink?”

“I’d rather not vomit by guts up and be brutally hungover when I wake up,” he said.

She grinned. “You should get yourself some cybernetics to handle your liquor better. You know the Union pays for cybernetic livers for races serving on Taer-majority ships?”

“I’ll look into one.” He’d need one given the strength of Taer booze. Kiels had already tried the 40%-plus beer, which was barely distinguishable from hard spirits.

“You need to sleep.” She frowned. “Sex helps.”

A long pause resulted. The wolfgirl didn’t move.

“Uh…” He shifted uncomfortably.

She snorted. “That was half a suggestion and an offer. I’ll leave it up to you what you do with it, but there’s an entire ship of women who would happily ride you until you have sweet dreams. Maybe make your Yinil watch so she finds her courage.”

Despite her words, she made no alluring or flirtatious movements. Although wearing nothing more than her undersuit probably counted as alluring by itself.

The door to his room opened and Yany entered. She blinked at the two of them.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked.

“Nothing you can’t join,” Kiels said.

Yany rolled her eyes and vanished further in the living room. Taking the opportunity to escape the awkward atmosphere, Ethan joined her.

She poured two cups from the drink dispenser. One was her usual juice, and the other was fortified water with an apple-ish flavoring. A spherical pill container sat in her hands and she produced two small blue gel capsules from it.

“This is for you,” she said, before he made a smartass comment. “I suspected you would have difficulty sleeping. This will put you out for around six hours. It’s human safe, although you’ll be thirstier than usual when you wake up.”

He took one capsule, and blinked as she took the other. She downed her juice afterward.

“Huh. Didn’t take a hardass like you as someone who needed help sleeping,” Kiels said.

“The module that controls sleep relies on psionics to manipulate the brain and body, so I cannot use it, even with my… small horn.” A ghost of a smile graced her face as she glanced at Ethan’s crotch. “Both of us need to be at our best for the battle. I know you will take command, even though you don’t have to. My support will be available, and I suggest that you lean on Mistress, even if not for her tactical advice.”

“Then what else would I…” He paused, and realized Sai had much more to offer than harsh words. “Her psychic abilities.”

Yany nodded as she handed him the glass of water. “Good night, Ethan. Sleep well. Try not to break your pelvis and miss the battle.”

A ragged laugh escaped him as Kiels scowled at Yany, who left after speaking.

“I wouldn’t break your pelvis,” Kiels muttered.

“Night, Kiels. Remind me to talk with you about… the bigger picture after this battle, and before you try to prove yourself right.” He waved at her while entering his room after downing the medicine.

***

Ethan awoke six hours later, exactly as Yany predicted. His throat burned like a desert and his mind screamed at him to drink something. While she’d also predicted this, “thirstier than usual” didn’t begin to describe the almost dehydration levels of parched he presently suffered from.

He filled a glass from the water dispenser in his room without turning on the lights. Like all drinkable water on board, it was fortified. He still hadn’t gotten used to the faintly chalky taste.

The door slid open and he froze. A pair of glowing red eyes hovered in the doorway, a good two feet above his head.

A snort escaped Kiels before the lights turned on, revealing her in her undersuit-clad glory. “You look like you haven’t drunk water in a week.”

He guzzled down his first glass and poured another. “I feel like it. Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“I did. My module woke me up when you did.” She tapped the side of her head and her tail did a slow swish against the floor. “Still a couple of hours before we unfold. I asked for food service. Mind if I shower first?”

He jabbed a thumb at his bathroom and she trooped past him. Her tail batted against his back as she did so.

After cleaning up and eating a restrained breakfast, he made his way to the bridge. The ship appeared utterly normal. Although he did spot several of Sai’s Faecrim soldiers on guard duty. He’d almost forgotten she brought them from the Union cruiser, as they stayed down in the ship’s barracks.

Kiels followed his gaze as he eyed the Faecrim. “The Executor pulled a bunch up while we were sleeping. They’re fresh clones but they’re at least marines, so I’d choose them over the Association soldiers in a pinch.”

“A pinch?” he asked.

“Boarding action, either against us or an enemy ship. Even with the Paladin, we don’t really have the forces to board anything bigger than a cruiser, though. We’ve got maybe four hundred marines if you include the mice, and that would mean stripping us of defenses.”

He stopped short of the bridge, and she raised an eyebrow. “Uh, probably a silly question, but I’ve read something about boarding.”

“Shoot. I’ll bet some of the clones have dumber ideas they’ve never asked about.”

“Can a psychic teleport soldiers on to an enemy ship? Teleportation never really comes up in real life, but it’s a popular plot device to get the hero of a book or movie into the action.”

Her tail circled behind her and she scratched behind one wolf ear. “Uh, kinda? Never call it teleportation around the nulls or headpoppers, though. They’ll lecture you for days. A Pathbuilder can tunnel soldiers just as easily as a ship, and just like with space travel, these tunnels ignore physical barriers.”

“So… Tithus could drop you and the Hounds inside the enemy’s bridge, where you murder everyone, then tunnel you back?” he asked.

“Yeah. Done it before, although it’s rare. Most of the time, it’s a suicide mission. If an enemy Pathfinder breaks the tunnel then we’re dead. Also, ships have psionics layered into them to protect against psychic bullshittery. Everything from teleporting into them, to telepathy, to crushing them into balls is guarded against.” She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “If the Vaelix was a decent Pathbuilder, she’d probably be strong enough to do it. That one time I did it involved a Mu-class as well.”

He sighed in relief. “So we’re safe. Relatively speaking.”

“Don’t relax too much. Plenty of ways for enemies to get close.” She leaned over and tapped his holster, her breath washing over his ear, and breasts only an inch away. “They might already be here.”

He glowered at her, and she smirked.

On the bridge, the sense of normality continued. The countdown read under two hours now.

Only Yany stood on the flag bridge. She glanced at Ethan when he entered.

“You slept well,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

“I did. Side effect was worse than expected, though,” he replied.

She frowned. “Likely an individual reaction. Standardized drugs are difficult, even if the nanomachinery inside them typically controls for more adverse responses.”

“So I’ve heard.” He took a seat on his command throne and gazed out over the bridge. “Back on Earth, the list of side-effects for every drug was dizzying. The stuff from the Union usually says to seek emergency help immediately if anything odd happens.”

“That is because unexpected side-effects are often the result of a malfunction.”

“Like that giga-cock drug,” Kiels said. “Bet you studied that one when you became a doctor.”

Yany’s face flared red. “Unfortunately, yes.” Her voice remained steady despite her evident embarrassment.

“Giga cock?” Ethan wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“A sexual performance drug had the desirous side-effect of increasing penis size,” Yany said. “It was extremely popular in the Protectorate, as even with the small male population, anyone with access to a male purchased them in bulk for every sexual encounter. Unfortunately, the side-effect was a malfunction and prolonged use drained the body of all energy and sustenance to sustain its ever-growing penis, particularly with repeated use. Many males withered away into husks, albeit well-endowed ones.”

“… Wasn’t I advised to make mine bigger?” He glanced at Kiels, who shrugged and looked away.

“There are safe ways to accomplish such a thing,” Yany said, her face somehow turning even redder. “Permanent solutions are often far more expensive, and… not always desirous to all races.” She shifted on the spot and looked away.

Ethan looked between the two women, and felt he understood her point.

While Kiels stood a good eight feet tall, Yany was around 5’3. What was good for the Taer was not always good for the Faecrim.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

They fell into a comfortable silence. The time ticked away as he fiddled with his chair, running through its various functions. So far, he hadn’t discovered a self-destruct button or any mechanism with which to fire the weapons. Mostly, the buttons controlled the information shown on the nearby displays. He could also contact anyone over the comms, and had accidentally called Heafi in the shower a few days ago. Unfortunately, she had only answered by voice.

The terminals in the chair contained extensive reading material, he discovered. Fleet academy primers from various nations, as well as the Union itself, and more detailed strategic treatises that he took a glance at before ignoring. He needed to crawl before he ran. Reading the primers occupied his time as the countdown ran out.

Feeling his throat dry out again, he used the comms to ask for a drink. He could get up and pour his own, but the last time he’d tried to use the water dispenser at the rear of the bridge a flustered crewmate had insisted she do it.

After a minute, a crewmate appeared with a tray of drinks. One tall Americano-style coffee for Kiels, a Faecrim oat espresso for himself, and Yany’s juice. The unicorn pursed her lips at him when the drink arrived, before muttering “thank you.”

Nobody else arrived, and he found himself struggling to discover anything about their destination just from looking at the system map.

“Yany, any idea what to expect when we… unfold?” he asked, using the slang term Kiels used earlier. He’d heard it before, but never used it himself.

Yany quirked an eyebrow at him. “That’s too broad of a question.”

“What do we… or I do when we get there,” he clarified. “Will we jumping right into combat?”

“Eventually? Yes. Immediately?” She shook her head. “It’s highly improbable. A solar system is too large for us to reasonably arrive close enough to an enemy fleet to engage in combat.”

That comment gave him an idea for a follow-up question, but Yany continued before he could say it.

“You’ll be in complete command, as you are right now,” she said. “What happens is primarily down to you. You’ve chosen to take a more direct command role than expected, but it is your right, and others have fallen into line. Given this will be your first naval battle, you may also choose to allow more experienced personnel to take over.”

He blinked. “Wait, I’ll be in command of the battle? Why? Don’t you all train for this?” He grimaced, but nobody elsewhere on the bridge reacted. Presumably, there was some sort of aural deadening to keep the conversation private.

Yany looked pointedly at his throne. “You’re the Sovereign Administrator. Perhaps you’re more used to civilian versus military roles, but it’s best if you compare yourself to a queen… or a king, given your gender, despite all the corporate trappings. If you wish to sit back, drink wine, and allow us to take command, that will happen. But you’ll naturally have complete command unless you relinquish it. Although I recommend limiting your directions to officers, and allowing them to direct the crew. Any plans and ideas we have are suggestions.”

Her statement washed over him like a cold bucket of water. He’d vaguely understood his position, given everyone called him Sovereign and acted deferential.

“… Will I step on anyone’s toes if I do or don’t relinquish command?” he asked bluntly.

Kiels glanced down at him with a frown, while Yany sipped her juice with a hum.

“All decisions you make will put someone offside, in at least a small way,” she explained. “The Luchi favor hierarchy and will respect you more if you take command. Admiral Poi may or may not prefer you to trust her command. Mistress expected a more… redolent male, but how she reacts will likely come down to your performance. If you seize command and fail, it will force her to intervene more openly and lean on Union resources. Even the crew may have an opinion. If you take command and succeed, you’ll prove yourself and gain their loyalty.”

So Ethan could lean back and let everyone do their jobs, but he’d have no hand in their success. Sure, he could argue that a good king lets their subordinates do their jobs without interference, but he easily imagined their true thoughts. If he did nothing, why would they need him?

He needed to give his officers a reason to believe he would make the Rim a better place before someone else had the chance to do the same.

No pressure. Hopefully the enemy fleet turned out to a handful of destroyers and they got to use them for target practice.

“To provide more detail, when we enter realspace, we’ll be in the Hyvor Ifvil system. Whatever fleet our unknown foe has posted there will be revealed,” Yany said, changing subject.

“Uh, another stupid question.” He glanced at Kiels, who nodded back. “You said earlier we’ll be too far away to engage. Won’t our cannon and missiles travel forever in space thanks to inertia? How is there a max distance?”

Yany smiled. “A common question when you’re new to space combat. All our weaponry is sub-light. That means while we can fire between planets or across a solar system, it may be hours or days before the projectile impacts. Any travel time longer than a handful of minutes is too much save for the largest of capital ships to evade and trivial for missile defenses to intercept. Cannons are especially vulnerable to travel time, despite their vastly greater speeds, as their rounds go straight with no correction.”

“Meaning we can easily dodge them. Doesn’t that make them kind of useless?” he asked.

“Despite the power of our thrusters, our maneuverability is poor. As you witnessed when we changed trajectory in foldspace. Engagement distances are calculated based on the size of the enemy vessel and expected ability to dodge. A frigate or destroyer would need to be much closer to be in danger from a capital ship’s cannon than a cruiser, and fleet warfare often takes place at far greater ranges due to how slowly battleships and battlecruisers move.”

“This also means it’ll be hours after we arrive before we engage in combat, won’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

Damn. Somehow, he’d expected space travel and combat to be faster and more exciting than his time as a privateer. He supposed his past experience would help him deal with the endless tedium that space brought with it.

“Anything special in-system?” he asked, changing the topic.

“It’s an uninhabited system, with little of value outside of archaeology. While one planet was once hospitable, it remains in the aftermath of a nuclear winter caused by its former inhabitants.”

He blinked and stared at her. Sensing his interest, Yany turned and faced him, her cup held in both hands.

“Nuclear winter? So, there was a race here that vaporized themselves? Or did the Yinil or Taer…” He made an explosion gesture with his hands.

“The former. A <humanoid> race perhaps a century ahead of humanity, technologically speaking, fell in the grips of global war, and destroyed itself with vast quantities of nuclear weaponry. Those off-planet failed to survive without support and perished as well. Vaelix archaeologists did learn that the world’s stock markets hit record highs in the moments before shutting down forever, as the end of civilization and eradication of life was apparently priced in.”

He stared at her, and Yany merely stared back.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking,” he said.

“There are many similar events to be found in the history of civilizations, both dead and still living. Humanity did well not to obliterate itself. Even the Vaelix came close, and had to rehabilitate a sizeable portion of their homeworld when they developed the technology.”

He sighed. “In short, we’re not finding anything of interest here. It’s already been stripped clean. Nothing to help in a battle either? No space station we can loot for nukes?”

“The Yinil dismantled the orbiting research station some time ago. It will be an empty system.”

Hopefully the Rim bore better fruit. Despite the immense size of the galaxy, the Union had been actively exploring it for millennia.

The countdown hit thirty minutes. By then, Poi, Sai, and the others had returned to the bridge. Alarms went off again, blaring shrilly in his ear.

“We will be exiting foldspace imminently and entering hostile space,” Poi declared over the intercom. “All hands to stations.”

Once again, the bridge thundered with activity. Ethan understood now that the last time had been in preparation of their foldspace maneuver failing, but this time was the real deal. The vessel would be combat-ready until they dealt with whatever threat awaited them.

The minutes flew past. He monitored the flurry of activity and tried to learn what he could. That way, if something ever differed from normal, he’d be able to spot it.

As the countdown hit zero, the alarms blared once more. No announcement accompanied them.

A shudder ran through Ethan’s body as they exited foldspace.

Displays lit up with data, the ceiling monitors showed various cameras—mostly the black void outside—and the hologram showing their foldspace travel route switched to a system map. Several planets orbited a red sun.

After a moment, a red blob appeared around one planet. It was roughly a quarter of the system’s diameter away from them.

“One hostile ship detected, presently in orbit around Hyvor Second,” Yany said, leaning over her terminal. “No response to attempted hails. More detailed scans will come through presently, but from the heat signature my guess is that it’s either a very large freighter or cruiser, or a small capital ship.”

Ethan’s blood ran cold. “A capital ship? As in, a battlecruiser or battleship?”

He’d picked a fight with an enemy sporting a spaceship an order of magnitude bigger than his own, and might not be able to back out. What a first space battle.