Surefoot 70: Uproar

The Helm Officer's tail twitched. "Could they... could they be cloaked?"

Eshtar-Muti reached out and smacked the young male across the back of the head. "Tailchaser! It is a Caitian trick, to lure us away from their planet! Order all ships to turn around! Hurry!"

As they did so, the Pridemaster returned to his seat. "Send a message back to Melem-Adu, inform him of our status."

Moments later, the fleet was on a reverse course. Then his Tactical Officer responded to an alert at his station. "Starfleet vessels on rapid approach to the system's edge! Eight starships now: Defiant class, Sabre, Nebula-"

"Ignore it."

"Pridemaster?"

"Ignore it! It's obviously another trick! Inform the rest of the Fleet to continue our return! I will not be made a fool again!"

*

Bridge, USS Surefoot:

The planet was a small, dark spectre at the edge of the Cait system: airless, lifeless, littered with the wreckage of vessels from a dozen different starfaring powers going back centuries.

On the Bridge, the crew stared at the dwarf planet, their guest -- Caitian Planetary Navy Petty Officer C'Ria Ctuuri, of the Caitian flagship Mother's Fury, who had risked his life to reach the Surefoot and alert them as to the situation here -- speaking aloud. "Kuburan: named after one of the ancient Seven Hells, specifically the one for marauders and invaders. We have used the planetoid as a trash heap for the ships of those who have tried to attack us over the centuries."

"And you're saying the Planetary Navy has a secret underground base there?" C'Rash asked, sounding dubious, her black tail twitching behind her. "Grandma Ma'Sala never mentioned it."

"No. Hence the adjective 'secret'."

"Nobody likes a smart ass, Cub."

Beside T'Varik, Commander Murphy glanced at his station. "We have an incoming signal from Admiral Tattok on the Triton."

The Vulcan nodded. "Onscreen."

Seconds later, the aquamarine visage of the Roylan Admiral replaced the view of Kuburan. "Well, Petty Officer Ctuuri, we're here, and as instructed we've not attempted to make contact and give away the hidden location. What now?"

The young Caitian raised his muzzle to the viewscreen, frowning. "I... We've reached the point where I know the hidden sensors will have detected us, Admiral. Fleet Captain Shall should know we're here by now. Perhaps a malfunction, or-"

An Alert interrupted the exchange, as C'Rash glanced down at her board. "Shields have just snapped on! We have Slithus Warships coming in fast! Eighty or more!"

"Yellow Alert." As the appropriate klaxon sounded, T'Varik looked to Tattok. "Will we be performing our usual ambulance work, Sir?"

"Not this time. Sharpen your claws. You'll be drawing First Blood in the attack." Tattok ended the transmission.

Then T'Varik tightened her hold on the arms of her chair. "All Hands: Battle Stations."

Behind her, she heard C'Rash mutter, "Seven Hells, yeah..."

*

Capitol Building, First City, M'Mirl Province:

Hrelle tensed, and not from the electronic manacles he pretended to have bound around his wrists, nor from being visibly unarmed and with Valtiri, walking one step behind him, carrying his Kaetini sword like a prize won in combat. No, it was the very idea of walking into the Heart of the Enemy like this. It was a terrible plan. Insane.

On his other side, Nenjo kept in line, her holosuit making her appear like a Ferasan male, cradling a disruptor rifle in her paws, ever watchful, trying not to draw attention to herself as they emerged from the landing pad on one of the Capitol Building's upper floors to a selection of Ferasan soldiers, who regarded Hrelle with a mix of fear and contempt. Their Pack Leader drew up to the new arrivals, glaring at Hrelle. "You did it, Hunter Prime. You really caught the scum!"

"Yes. And now we present him to the Master Governor. Now step aside, he is expect-"

But the Pack Leader tensed, shifting to rush up to Hrelle-

-Until Valtiri reached out and caught him by the throat, lifting him up off the ground and letting him struggle in the air. "No, Cur. You have not earned the right to try and claim some petty punishment upon him."

Then he threw the other Ferasan back towards his fellows, letting him tumble to the floor.

Inside Hrelle's head, he heard Valtiri's thoughts: he was about to strike you.

Mother's Cubs, I don't care about that! He thought back angrily.

I would not have allowed that, Captain, even if I had captured you for real. My Code-

-Doesn't mean a damn thing if we make them suspicious! Rein it in, Valtiri!

Yes, Captain. Valtiri stepped forward, speaking aloud. "Pack Leader: Forgive me, but the Master Governor ordered that the Caitian be brought to him undamaged. I wanted to protect you from his wrath. But I promise you can have whatever Melem-Adu doesn't finish."

The Ferasan shook off the help of the others, sneering at the arrivals. "Looking at all the meat on the Caitian, I doubt if even the Master Governor has that big an appetite."

That made him and his friends chuckle, as Valtiri shoved Hrelle forward. "Move, you fat fool!"

Hrelle walked. There's always some opinionated asshole... he waited until they entered the next section and were alone before muttering, "Nenjo, find us a suitable workstation on this level so we can open the links for the Syphers."

"We're not going down to face the Master Governor, Captain?" Valtiri asked.

Hrelle grunted to himself; glad he could still surprise the telepath. "Not yet. Securing control is more important than killing him."

They stopped when they heard the alarms overhead.

*

Many levels below in the Operations Centre, Melem-Adu turned to the Tactical Station. "What is it?"

Har-User had been hunched over one station, but now straightened up. "Sire, we have reports of multiple attacks on our groundbases in Bahari, Mrell, Hria, Meru, Ravath- military-grade vehicles, troops- identified as Caitian Militia-"

"What? How? Where?"

The younger male pointed to a place on the holomap. "The majority of the attacks in the Western Hemisphere appear to be originating from a large vessel here. We're having difficulty locking onto it from a distance, however-"

"GET OUR SHIPS IN ORBIT TO THAT LOCATION!" Melem-Adu roared. "BURN EVERYTHING IN THE SKIES!"

*

"Target the fakakta array!" Sasha ordered, clutching onto handholds for dear life as the flyer banked and dropped yet again under a continued onslaught from the Guns of Navron.

Even as she knew it was futile; it was more armed and shielded than the intelligence had told them.

*

Kaijushima Island:

Kami looked down at her daughter, watching as Sreen turned her head away from her mother's breast. "So... you've stopped wanting feeding from me, huh?" She tucked her breast away under her uniform's undershirt again. "Fussy little thing."

Sitting with them and the rest of the family around the lagoon, Bneea flung another pebble out, making it skip across the waters. "It's inevitable at her age now. Unless you start producing curry-flavoured milk."

Nearby, Misha was building a sandcastle with his older brother Mirow, when he looked up, eyes wide with wonder at the notion. "You can do that, Mama? I want some!"

Mirow chuckled. "Me, too. All I ever got at that age was plain milk."

"Me too!" Misha agreed.

Kami smirked. "I don't remember hearing any complaints from either of you at the time with what I had to offer."

On the other side of the family, Mi'Tree sat with Ptera and the newborn Baby Jnill, laughing at the exchange, even as he leaned in to tickle under the infant's chin, his baritone voice becoming soft and soothing. "They all grow up so quickly. Cherish these moments, my dear. They can be as fleeting as snow in the month of Firemoot."

Kami sighed and helped herself back to her feet, with her father's help. "Breaktime's over, I have to get back and monitor the progress of the Operation."

"Oh, just another few minutes, surely?" Mi'Tree protested.

Then her combadge chirped, and she handed over Sreen to Bneea and tapped her insignia. "Kami here, don't worry, I'm on my way down-"

Tshal's voice sounded thick on the hot, heavy air. "Commander, we're picking up aircraft coming in fast and low from the West, direct for the Island-"

Her heart raced. "Put the Facility on Alert!" Around her, she raised her voice. "Everybody! We have to get back down below, now-"

"INCOMING MISSILES DETECTED!"

Kami looked up towards the west, to the thick, hanging clumps of jungle sheltering the lagoon from the ocean.

Just in time to see them erupt in flame.

TO BE CONCLUDED IN... THE END