Starship Vengeance

Chapter 9

"She is a strong and beautiful woman" Commander Morozova said, making me jump. I looked to right side and saw him standing next to me. The man was quieter than a ghost when he wanted to be. "It is good to have someone to care about, yes?"

I could feel my ears burning. I had no idea that my feelings were that obvious. "She is truly remarkable" I said, hoping to placate him." He seemed satisfied and went back to his position guarding the bridge. I waited for Shahae's ship to launch before giving the orders to move on. It would take another hour to reach orbit. Five minutes after Shahae left, I received a transmission.

"Jack" Shahae said as her face appeared on my screen.

"Miss me already?" I asked.

"I can't contact Narrisal" she said seriously.

My smile quickly evaporated. "When di d we lose contact?"

"Admiral Vaehil has been in almost constant contact since he arrived. He said that everything went dark as soon as we arrived. He didn't pay attention to it at the time because of the excitement of our arrival. Something on the Unity is causing this blackout."

"Unless the Zrynt found a way to tamper our ship or install some kind of device that means it has to be the Teludan."

"How could that be? The ship has been dead for millions of years."

"I don't know, but I'll do everything in my power to find out."

"Good luck Jack" Shahae said as she ended the transmission. A moment later, the Tuleeririan ships vanished.

I sent a message asking my battleship commanders to meet in my office. I also sent a separate message to Lisa asking for her presence as well.

Fifteen minutes later we were all gathered. "Lan was right" I said offhandedly. It took a moment for my remark to sink in. Lan immediately knew what I was referring to and a smile lit up her face.

"That's impossible..." Andrew started to say before I cut him off.

"Possible or not, the fact is that everyone here lost communication the moment we arrived. I did some checking and they can communicate with the sensors we've been dropping. I wanted to focus on what is going to happen over the next twenty four hours. I'm appointing Lisa as the interim leader of our new home. She will be in long enough to make sure everything is stable and oversee the election of a new council."

"Is it wise to place a member of our crew in such a position? No offense Lisa, but to me it sounds like a military coup."

"That is precisely what it is" said Sofya, coming to my defense. "Earth's leaders have proven that they are unreliable. The Unity was created to ensure peace among our people. With most of the council dead that enacted that order, it is our duty to keep peace until a new council can be elected. I understand your hesitancy, and normally I would agree with you."

"Then why don't you?" asked Andrew.

"Because Admiral Jack Ryan is in charge. We know him better than anyone. Can any of you really believe he has nothing but the best in mind for us?" Silence filled the room.

I cleared my throat and said, "Now, with our upcoming leave, I want to stress to you how important it is that all crew members be on their best behavior. The quickest way to undermine Lisa's authority would be to have the crew raising all kinds of trouble. I don't expect that from my crew, but I want the word passed anyways. I will require you all to check in daily and may have additional tasks for you." I quickly outlined my plans for the next few weeks and dismissed everyone except Lisa. "I would like you to accompany me to the bridge" I said as she started to leave.