Stellar Light Conspiracy (Star Lawyers Book 5) by Tom Shepherd

Author:Tom Shepherd [Shepherd, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookbag Press
Published: 2019-07-03T22:00:00+00:00

Fifteen

When a reddish brown tree kangaroo appeared on the command deck of the flagship Overland Park, bridge crew leapt back from the unannounced guest. Petite, brown-haired Chief Security Officer Lieutenant Commander Hazel Schultz drew her sidearm and moved to block his path. She ordered the intruder to freeze, but he wiggled a black nose, leaned forward to shift his weight, and hopped clumsily toward Admiral Bianca Matthews at the command station.

“I said freeze!” the Security Chief barked.

“Hold your fire, Hazel,” Captain Gertzel said. “He’s friendly.”

Wricket sniffed. “She couldn’t hurt me. I’m already dead.”

Bianca laughed. “Sí, pero muy vivo.” Yes, but very much alive.

Schultz shook off the words. “Excuse me, ma’am?”

“Señor Wricket is the repository of life experiences downloaded from a Miyosian scientist a thousand years ago,” the Admiral said. “He has saved many lives, and he knew both Tanella Jennings and Aurelio Lupetti personally. Wricket will help us find the missing Quirt-Thymean fleet.”

Bianca’s old friend, Fleet Captain Gertzel Zenna-Klidekoohm Delik-Lasoot, was a blue Quirt-Thymean serving in the Matthews-Solorio fleet. Gertzel commanded the Admiral’s flagship, freeing Bianca to maneuver the Task Force. She stood to welcome the Kozie.

“You are very good to volunteer,” Gertzel said, “if you volunteered, which is very good. If we succeed, my people will build a great dining hall named for friend Wricket.”

The Kozie harrumphed and nodded. “A high honor, indeed, from a feast-loving species like yours.”

“What do you need?” Bianca said.

“Second Lunch would be nice,” Gertzel said. “But I suppose we should rescue the lost fleet first. Good-good food can wait.”

Admiral Matthews raised her eyebrows. A member of the chronically hungry Quirt-Thymean race offering to postpone caloric intake? That spoke volumes about the gravity of their situation.

“Who is your Chief Engineer?” Wricket asked.

“Me, sir.” At a work station starboard of the command posts an African-Asian woman raised a hand. “Commander Karla Tsai.”

“Does this vessel have secondary FTL capacity?” Wricket looked away, as if communicating with the ship. “Oh… I see it does.”

“The Opie actually has tertiary FTL,” Commander Tsai said. “I can open the Tunnel and go to max FTL holding two drive packages in reserve.”

“Adequate.” He turned to Gertzel. “Captain, I need to go internal. The adjustments require complex reprogramming of your secondaries. Do I have permission to make required alterations?”

“Okay, okay,” Gertzel said cheerily. “Do whatever you need, if you need to do it.”

“Admiral, I can do the same with the other five ships in your task force,” Wricket said. “Provided they have at least a secondary FTL package.”

“I do not plan to take them into the Apex channel,” Bianca said. “They guard the outer Adaon system against incursions from Sakura House vessels at Adao-2.”

“What is out here to guard?” Wricket said.

“Our entry and exit point into Apex space,” Bianca said. When Wricket laughed with a coughing sound the Admiral groused, “Did I say something funny?”

“Forgive me, Admiral.” He glanced at the Chief Engineer. “Commander Tsai, do you understand why I impolitely chuckled?”

“Because you are a rodent?” she said, not unkindly. The bridge crew howled.

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