Starship Vengeance

Chapter 9

I felt restless as I sat in my chair. The jump drives were charging for our final jump. So far we had yet to determine the cause of our communication blackout. With every passing hour Lan's theory seemed to be more credible. I checked on the status of the jump drive. We still had a half hour before the drive was charged. I was having trouble focusing my thoughts so I stood up and left the bridge. I walked aimlessly through the corridors, talking with crew members along the way. I had spread the word about the upcoming leave and there was a definite excitement in the air. I was asked by several people about our lack of communication with the rest of humanity. My only reply was that we were working on it.

I had long ago discovered that those who manned the bridge knew what was going on more than most, so they were often the biggest gossip spreaders. If there was something I didn't want the rest of the crew to know, I had best not say it out loud while on the bridge. Gossip tended to spread like wildfire and was often blown out of proportion. Everyone on board needed this upcoming leave.

I arrived on the bridge five minutes after the jump drives had charged. Everyone was anxiously waiting for my return. I sat down and performed a final systems check. Once I was satisfied that everything was functioning properly I said, "Take us home."

The moment we arrive, Lt. Edwards called out, "Ships inbound. It looks like dozens of them."

"Friendly or hostile?" I asked.

He took a moment to respond. "Computer just confirmed they are friendly." There was a collective sigh among those present. "Most of the ships are Tuleeririan with a few Terran ships mixed in."

"We're being hailed" the communications officer said.

"Send it to my station" I replied.

A moment later, Admiral Vaehil's face appeared. "Admiral Ryan, good to see you are alright."

"It's good to see you too, Admiral Vaehil. I thought you were on your way back to Narrisal."

"We were, until we realized you weren't responding to our messages. Both our people weren't able to contact you either."

"We've been having communication problems"

"We were just about to go searching for you when you didn't show up on schedule."

"We encountered some Zrynt along the way and decided to exact a little revenge."

"Terrans are never happy unless their fighting" he said while shaking his head. "Speaking of which, I don't know how you have survived as a race."

"What do you mean?"

"A few moments trying to communicate with your leadership was all it took to make me want to kill them. Their ignorance and stubbornness is beyond comprehension."

I cut him off before he could continue. "I appreciate your concern for our wellbeing. Straightening out my people is the first thing on my list."

"I wish you luck. I'm going to take my fleet, as well as the ships that were providing protection and take them home. We're galactic neighbors now, so should you need anything we are just a jump away."

"Safe travels my friend. We'll join the fight as soon as matters at home are settled."

The transmission ended and Shahae walked over. "I'm going to travel with them" she said quietly. "There are matters to discuss with Queen Shaniir. Since we are close it will be much easier to see her in person."

The prospect of Shahae leaving filled me with sadness. "Go take care of things" I said reassuringly. "I have plenty here to keep me occupied." She thanked me and darted out of the room. I'm sure she was excited to go home.