Chapter 7

The moment we came out of jump it was to wreckage and devastation. We had the screen and battle screen up with the shield as I began moving into the system, “Signs of life Allie?”

“No my husband.”

I glanced at Ginger as I began moving around larger pieces of wreckage, “Watch for Death Stalkers.”

She nodded absently as Tony looked over her shoulder. Mom and David were standing and I glanced back, “Find a seat.”

David pulled mom out as Tony moved to the vacant weapons console. Ginger sat back, “Nothing.”

I nodded as I was finally cleared of most of the wreckage. I changed course to above the system horizon and began moving in at half speed, “Any comm chatter Allie?”

She shook her head, “It is as if there is nothing there.”

I hesitated and then put the ship into stealth. The manned stations and positions on moons or asteroids were destroyed. The two habitable planets had no signs of life and were in ruins with more wreckage in orbit around them. It was sixteen hours before I shook my head and turned to head out, “Use the relay Allie and let Miros know Talis is a dead system now.”

She nodded as I looked at Ginger, “I believe it is your turn to start dinner.”

She grinned and slid out of her seat, “Spicy food it is.”

I continued to scan the system while plotting a new course. As soon as we reached the heliopause I opened the wormhole and jumped. I set the auto pilot and stood before heading towards the galley with Allie and Tony. Ginger must have been conspiring with mom and David since they had the larger wardroom compartment open.

The large center piece holograph was the bio station we were designing and it was like we had never had a break. I was worried about other systems if Kull was attacking not just primary systems, “I need my interface Allie.”

She looked at me as everyone quieted and the interface appeared. The simple satellite I created had a single phase reactor that powered the station and a stealth system and a phase transmitter linked to a passive scanner. I added something Teri had added to Night Scream, a real time FTL transmitter and receiver.

I looked everything over carefully, “Test it Allie.”

Mom cleared her throat, “What is it?”

I glanced at her, David, Ginger and Tony, “It is called a Sentinel.”

Allie smiled, “It checks out my love.”

I grinned and looked at Ginger, “When we arrive at Kull relay a message for the fleet to do system checks in case they attacked other systems.”

She nodded as I saved my project after creating a material list. For the next few days we worked on the station and they got a taste of what Jess, Julie, Teri, Olivia and I went through building Night Scream. When we jumped out I had the screens up with the shield. I put us into stealth even as dozens of ships fired.

I turned off the emergance course, “Target the closest ships first Allie. Ginger start searching for Death Stalkers.”

I began a spiraling course before locking the targeted ships into the weapons system and firing. Twenty ships died in that first salvo. Another fifteen died in the second as I began looking for targets farther away, including armed fortress stations. It was not long before the area was just floating wreckage and death.

I continued around the system as I plotted known ship courses. Each time Ginger found a Death Stalker I used the phase transmitter to destroy it. It was a few hours before I began a spiraling path into the system. I mostly used the lance or torps on the ships, fortresses or fixed positions.

Four of the system’s planets were occupied so I made sure to leave them alone. It was eighteen hours before I settled into orbit around Kull. I stood and straightened, “Ship meeting in the galley.”

I glanced at the others as they stood and stretched too. I waited and then followed them back and accepted the cup of tea mom handed me, “Is it over?”

The others were sitting and sipping cups that had been handed to them. I waited until everyone had sat and looked at each of them, “The Kull will never leave this system or their planets. We are going back out and using the wrecks to make Sentinels. They will be placed around each of the four planets in a high orbit. Any ship entering or leaving will be destroyed.”

I looked at David, “With the FTL transmitter and receiver we will know what is happening and can decide any other course of action.”

He nodded and I sighed, “First we eat and then sleep and then we go to work.”

That was easy to say but not do, I barely slept until Allie wiggled and laid on me and then I fell asleep. We moved out slowly and I had Ginger continue to look for Death Stalkers. I also sent a message of what had happened and what we were doing. I told them we would be hitting the other Kull systems.

I think mom was more interested in using the matter transmitter than Ginger, Tony or even David. It took a few days to finish each set of sentinels and put them into place. Two weeks later we were finished and I was ready to leave when the small group of Reapers jumped in. I put us in stealth and moved Night Scream out and into the clear to watch the sentinels.

Everyone was on the bridge waiting and watching as the ships continued in and I looked at Allie as she received the FTL message. I grinned and looked around, “Acknowledge and send the arm code.”

We were out of range of any sentinel just in case, it was a few hours before the Reapers began exploding. After the last one was destroyed I glanced at Ginger, “Any sign of Death Stalkers?”

She shook her head and I sighed, “Time to move on.”

I headed out and glanced at Allie, “My wife?”

She looked at me and I grinned, “Do you have a plot for a jump to Morp?”

She smiled, “Yes my husband.”

I glanced at the course she sent and checked my own before nodding. Once we jumped we were back to planning the station. It was almost complete when we reached Morp and came out of jump. I put us into stealth before the few fleets waiting could fire and changed course. Like in their home system Night Scream moved through the enemy fleet destroying ships.

This time I waited and we began the process of building Sentinels. A week later I started us moving into the system with a long tail of the satellites following behind. We destroyed several fixed and orbital fortresses before putting the Sentinels around the two occupied worlds. I made another check of the system before we headed out and armed them.

The Kull had twelve systems and our next stop was a system called Balia. At least that was the idea until we received the relayed message to return to Miros. After I opened the wormhole and we jumped I leaned back, “Okay, where were we with the station?”

Ginger grinned as she stood, “Finished.”

Tony chuckled as he stood, “To bad we can not build it.”

I smiled as I stood and took Allie’s hand, “I have news for you, I am going to build it.”