How Dark the World Becomes by Frank Chadwick

Author:Frank Chadwick [Chadwick, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Space Opera, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9781451638707
Google: dtvBLwEACAAJ
Amazon: 1451638701
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2013-02-05T05:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

They had us in heated thermo-wraps, sitting at the small table in the crew’s mess, drinking steaming soup out of big white navy mugs with no handles. I was still shivering so hard I could hardly get the soup to my mouth, but we were alive, and that felt pretty good.

The five of us sat at the table, along with the young-looking khaki-clad executive officer, while two very young-looking mess mates kept an eye on us—well, mostly on Marfoglia—and kept the soup coming: redroot soup for Barraki and Tweezaa, miso for the rest of us.

Barraki and Tweezaa were still pretty shaken up—maybe no more than the rest of us, but unlike us they hadn’t yet acquired the adult compulsion to deny weakness. They sat between Marfoglia and me on one side of the mess table, with Ping and the executive officer on the other—which made it a tight fit on our side, but that was fine with them. More than anything, I think they needed the touch of another living being for assurance. Under the table, Tweezaa had found my left hand and was holding it. I didn’t mind.

“What hit us?” Ping asked.

“Sir, we believe your ship was hit by a Type Nine-Delta torpedo,” the executive officer answered.

“Is that what they call a fire lance?” I asked, remembering what Ping had told me.

“Yes, sir, a Kot’pa,” he answered. Since the highest rank I’d ever managed was corporal, it felt odd having a lieutenant commander call me sir, but there was no stopping him—I’d already tried.

“Did you fire it?” Ping asked.

“No, sir, we did not. We believe it was fired by the cruiser KZa-91. I’m afraid that for the better part of a day, we’ve been in the middle of a hot war. The situation is not entirely clear, but here’s what we know.

“A major famine on K’Tok brought on a series of epidemics, as well as looting and attacks against the colonial government. The death toll is in the thousands, from what we’ve been able to piece together, but I don’t think anyone knows for sure.”

“Yes, we were bringing in relief supplies ourselves,” Ping put in, and the executive officer nodded and went on.

“When civil authority started collapsing down there, the Commanding General, Cottohazz Ground Forces K’Tok, declared martial law. That was nearly two months ago. Our task force deployed out of Fleet Base Akaampta twenty-nine days ago to support disaster relief and recovery operations. We landed three mobile field hospitals, three cohorts of military police, and one cohort of engineers, and were on station prepared to back them up with fleet Marine landing teams, if necessary.”

He stopped and took a drink of his coffee. I think he was collecting his thoughts, too.

“Five days ago the task force withdrew to Mogo for scheduled refueling operations, leaving one cruiser—KZa-91—in orbit over K’Tok on communication watch and quick reaction alert. Our task force had five cruisers and three transports. Of the cruisers, KZa-121 and KZa-91 were both uZmataanki registry. That’s what the ‘Za’ in their hull number indicates.

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