The Ghost Fleet Read online

  The two men sat in silence for a moment. The gravity of the situation was almost too much to bear. Finally, the admiral spoke.

  “Is it true? Is everything I heard true?”

  With a heavy sigh, Jeryl confirmed Flynn’s worst fears.

  “It’s all true. I was there. I saw Kaine with my own eyes. I saw the hatred in his eyes. I saw him hold a gun to Tira’s head. Hell, we fought. He’s the reason I’m in this bed right now. Kaine’s alive, Admiral, and he wants revenge on all of us…especially me.”

  Flynn closed his eyes, reeling from Jeryl’s words. When was the last time he had seen Kaine? The Sonali war still raged on, and Kaine was the most brilliant captain in the whole fleet at the time. When The Ghost went down with its captain, Flynn knew they had lost one of the Armada’s best assets.

  “If we’re going up against Kaine, we’re in trouble. Deep trouble. No wonder the pirates were having so much success taking transport ships. If Kaine’s involved, that might only be the beginning,” he said.

  “I know,” Jeryl replied, looking straight ahead at the wall, almost as if he didn’t want to look into Flynn’s eyes

  If Kaine’s truly back, Flynn thought, we’re truly fucked.

  Kaine Reed was the most dangerous operative the Armada had during the war. Hell, he may have been the best operative either side had. The missions he ran as captain of The Ghost were the most dangerous assignments the Armada had, but he came out successful almost every time. Thousands, if not millions, of Sonali had died at Kaine’s hands.

  Even though Flynn was reticent to heap too much praise upon Kaine for his lethality, there was simply no denying it—the man was a force of nature, a god when it came to the battlefield.

  That was what made the current reality so concerning. Kaine was even probably on par with No One. He did that without nanites, either, a man born to excel in battle. Incredibly smart, extremely cunning, and utterly ruthless. The kind of things you respect when he’s on your side, but the things you dread when he’s not.

  Flynn still remembered Kaine’s ‘funeral’, a private ceremony barely anyone attended. The man was, after all, part of the Intelligence division of the Armada. But then, a few months later, some of the operations he was part of made their way to the media. Flynn tried to stop it, but Kaine’s name was dragged through the mud. Painted as a war criminal by the media, the Armada simply excused itself and pretended Kaine had gone rogue. The man was dead after all...what was the harm in throwing him under the bus?

  “Admiral?”

  “I’m here, Jeryl. Just trying to process the gravity of the situation. Knowing that Kaine is alive, and that he has The Ghost at his disposal...well, I don’t need to tell you how dangerous that can be for us,” Flynn replied.

  Jeryl nodded solemnly. They were both profoundly aware of what Kaine was capable of. Deep down, Flynn wasn’t entirely sure that they would be able to stop him and the Syndicate. The Seeker was a fine ship, one of many the Union had at their disposal. However, The Ghost was a Union ship once upon a time, and with Kaine Reed, it had a tremendously accomplished individual leading it.

  The admiral continued to voice his concerns, noting, “The man knows us very well, and he knows the inner workings of our organization. He’s familiar with The Seeker, and he sure as hell knows how to get around your Hunters.”

  “Sure,” Jeryl replied. “But on the flipside of that, we also know a lot about him and The Ghost. That goes both ways. I know it’s Kaine we’re dealing with, but I don’t care, Admiral. I’m not going to let him steamroll us this easily.”

  “Happy to hear it,” Flynn said. “But, still, what are his goals? He might want revenge, but there has to be more.

  He must have some plan beyond simply robbing transport ships and taking them under his control. If he’s selling the cargo, who is selling it to? Who is he working with?”

  “You mean besides the Syndicate?”

  “Yes. There’s something bigger going on. These aren’t mere thugs we’re dealing with. Besides...I think we may have a mole,” the admiral reluctantly admitted.

  How else could Kaine know the transport routes? How could he know exactly when and how to strike? There was someone inside the Armada feeding him that information. Either that, or whoever was buying the weapons off Kaine had planted the mole. Either way, it was a dangerous situation.

  Jeryl winced as he closed the fist of his injured hand. He was trying to fight through the pain, perhaps hoping that he could acclimate himself to the feeling and press on.

  “I know,” he said.

  Glad that he and Captain Montgomery were on the same page, Flynn looked around the room and checked the door to make sure nobody was standing out. At this point, he felt like he couldn’t be too careful. Believing the coast to be clear, he learned in closer to Jeryl.

  “Alright, so it seems that we have a mole. That certainly complicates matters. However, that just means we have to be careful. We still have to move forward. The most important thing right now is figuring out who Kaine’s working with...and then putting The Ghost and its fleet on the scrapyard.”

  Jeryl seemed reinvigorated by the admiral’s words. He was clearly itching to get started. Even if he was beaten up physically, he was still the same courageous and intelligent leader he’d always been.

  “So, we need a plan,” the captain said.

  “Yes. We need to think of a new way to handle this situation. Kaine has gotten the better of us every step of the way. Now that we know who we’re dealing with, though, we won’t let that happen again,” Flynn replied.

  Jeryl gave the admiral a mischievous smile. There was already something brewing within the captain’s mind.

  “I think I have something.”

  Chapter 22

  Ashley

  So much for not doing anything dangerous, Ashley thought as she checked the small shuttle’s dashboard sensors.

  Jeryl was barely out of the sickbay when the orders came down to prepare for this operation. Of course, since they were going after Kaine, it was imperative that the very best on hand piloted the shuttles used to lure in someone as dangerous as The Ghost's captain. Jeryl protested at first, but this time, Ashley managed to convince him otherwise—just as long as she kept out of harm's way.

  The convoy, comprised of a few shuttles and transport ships, had left The Seeker just a few hours earlier, hoping that the distance between them and the nearest Armada ship would tempt The Ghost and its ancillary ships to drop in for an easy snatch and grab.

  The mission was designed to be simple enough: plop the convoy in the middle of an uninhabited system for routine checks, and just wait for the pirates to come calling. The difficult bit was making sure that no one knew it was a complete setup.

  “Attention, fleet captains. Check the status of your cargo now. Relay all outgoing communications through my terminal for approval before sending to Armada Command,” Ashley said, touching the communications grid.

  She glanced at her assistant, a young man fresh from the Academy, and smiled. “I know this is your first mission. Just relax, all we’re doing is taking some supplies needed to New Washington’s shipyards.”

  She felt a bit guilty over lying to the man, but it was an essential part of the ruse. Somehow, Kaine had managed to infiltrate the Armada without alerting the usual array of counter Intelligence systems.

  Then again, the man happened to be one of the few capable of giving No One a run for her money...

  “Man the consoles for a second. I’ll check the cargo reports in the back.”

  The shuttles were simple two compartment ships, a small cabin in the front with constant artificial gravity, and a large storage bay that could be held in microgravity to make moving goods between ships easier. That little trick was key to making this work—after all, who would want to open a box filled with small items in zero-g? The mess would be atrocious and fixing it would be next to impossible.

  The other ships only had empty boxes, but this shi
p had one thing guaranteed to draw The Ghost in: high-end weaponry with energy traces that could be picked up by even the most basic of scanners.

  Ashley went to the box closest to the door and opened it. Inside was a simple masking unit concealing the materials. All it took was a simple push of a button, and they were glowing brighter than the star located in the center of the system. Any sensor would be able to pick it up fast.

  When Ashley returned to the shuttle deck, she smiled at the young pilot. “Thanks. Anything interesting?”

  He shook his head. “A group of ships is approaching the system. They’re sending out standard identification codes—apparently a trade convoy en route to Sonali Prime.”

  She sat down and laughed. “I think that may be a fib, but let’s just wait...”

  The two watched as the convoy entered the system. If they were simple merchants, they wouldn’t drop to sub-light speed.

  But then, a voice came through the shuttle’s comm.

  “The Seeker, this is Convoy Mission. We’re under attack. I repeat, we’re currently under attack.”

  Chapter 23

  Jeryl

  “Alright, our ghost fleet has appeared,” Jeryl proclaimed to his crew. “The battle has begun.”

  The captain was in the CNC, and he had just gotten word from Ashley about the fleet’s appearance. This was all part of the plan, of course. Jeryl and his ship were waiting alongside an Armada attack fleet out of sight. Ashley was leading a transport convoy of bait ships, and the goal was to bring on an attack by the fleet of boarding shuttles, and then wait for The Ghost to reveal itself.

  “What do we do now, Captain?” an officer on the deck asked.

  Jeryl didn’t respond immediately. He was too busy keeping an eye on the action unfolding nearby. He wanted to make sure the time was right. This was a key element of success in battle, and Jeryl knew that a fight was about to happen. The captain wanted the fleet to feel like this was just another mission. He was also hoping The Ghost would appear.

  After all, that was the whole point of the plan.

  The Armada wanted The Ghost…and they wanted Kaine.

  C’mon Kaine, show your face, Jeryl thought to himself.

  Jeryl had been baffled the first time he had seen his old friend. He had been surprised, and that surprise almost led to him meeting his demise...and he still bore the damage from that fight.

  But this time, it would be Jeryl who would be pulling off the surprise. Now that he knew Kaine was alive, Jeryl was prepared to do whatever was necessary to bring him to justice.

  The Ghost hadn’t appeared yet, but The Seeker couldn’t wait any longer.

  We have to get in there, Jeryl decided. We have to get the drop on the fleet.

  “Prepare to drop in!” he exclaimed.

  Jeryl took the helm of the ship himself. He was going to lead The Seeker into battle. This was his fight, and he wasn’t going to leave anybody else bearing the responsibility of what happened. The crew steeled themselves for joining the skirmish.

  The captain sent a message down to the flight deck where his pilots were waiting.

  “Pilots, man the Hunters. Prepare to be deployed.”

  “Roger that, Captain,” Powers responded in kind.

  With his own ship and the Hunters prepared, Jeryl turned his attention to the attack fleet alongside him.

  “We’re entering the battle. Follow my lead,” he instructed them.

  Once the captain got confirmation from all the other ships in the fleet, he knew there was no turning back. Even though the transport ships were empty, that didn’t mean the pilots were out of harm’s way. The ships could still be taken by the pirates, and their crews could still be hurt. Ashley was down there as well, and Jeryl wasn’t about to risk her safety. No matter what.

  I hope they aren’t expecting us.

  His worries were valid. As he and Admiral Flynn had discussed, there seemed to be a mole in the Armada. That was the reason Jeryl’s plan had been tightly guarded. Flynn and Jeryl didn’t want anybody to know about it unless it was necessary. They still didn’t know who they could trust.

  I guess we’re about to find out if the secret is out.

  “Here we go,” the captain muttered to himself.

  With that, he dropped into the chaos. Boarding shuttles were surrounding the convoy. Some of the transport ships were being boarded already. The Seeker led the attack fleet into battle, each ship helmed by the brightest Armada captains. They had put a great team together.

  Would it be enough, though? Could they stop the The Ghost? In order for that to happen, Jeryl would have to outmaneuver Kaine, and that...that wasn’t an easy thing.

  I never thought I’d have to do this, he thought. Sure, he and Kaine had been competitive back in the day, but they were always on the same side. They had fought alongside each other during the Earth-Sonali War. The Seeker and The Ghost were both decorated Union ships. Now Captain Reed had essentially risen from the dead, and he had revenge in his mind.

  “Deploy the Hunters!” Jeryl commanded.

  He watched as the Hunters emerged from The Seeker’s flight deck. The ships, in impeccable formation, swooped down on the shuttles that were busy boarding the decoy transport convoy. From Jeryl’s perspective, the Hunters, led by Powers, seemed to take the boarding shuttles by surprise. They peppered the shuttles with shots, dealing extensive damage in one pass. The captain, from his vantage point in The Seeker, watched as one of the shuttles exploded from the blasts. In fact, all five ships appeared to be rendered non-functioning from one sweep.

  “Ashley, can you hear me?” Jeryl radioed down.

  “Yes, I can hear you.”

  “How are you hanging in there? How is the convoy?”

  “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. The Hunters really seem to have hit their mark—not that I’m surprised. I just wish I could’ve been right there alongside them, leading the way.”

  “You’re doing a great job in your current role. Just be careful down there. The attack fleet is ready for this. Keep me updated on what you’re seeing.”

  Though Jeryl was part of the battle, he had a different perspective up in The Seeker than what Ashley had. The same went for the pilots of the Hunters. Communication was key for coordinating the whole thing, as space fights could easily descend into confusion.

  Jeryl knew that The Ghost fleet, led by Kaine, would be on the same page. The Armada’s attack fleet couldn’t afford to have any mistake on their end. That would be the end of it.

  Although the Hunters had managed to cripple some of the attacking shuttles, others were already preparing to return fire. A true fight was on now.

  Jeryl shot a message down to the pilots in the Hunters. “You aren’t going to have the element of surprise anymore. Stay on your toes.”

  “No problem, Captain. We’re ready for whatever they have to fish out,” Guillermo replied.

  “Let’s kick some Syndicate ass!” Francesca added.

  Jeryl turned his attention to the rest of the ships in the attack fleet now.

  “Let’s spread out and attack. Don’t give the enemy an exit. Keep an eye out for the The Ghost as well. That’s the real reason we’re here.”

  Confirmation was received from the other ships in the fleet, and they began to take their positions in the battle.

  As the space fight began, the Armada had the clear advantage. It appeared that their surprise had, in fact, stayed a surprise. The Hunters stayed close to the convoy, protecting those ships from being boarded, and ostensibly protecting Ashley’s shuttle as well. Jeryl was pleased with the attack fleet the Armada had provided him with. They were certainly holding up their end of the bargain.

  Suddenly, Jeryl felt a jolt. The Seeker had been hit.

  “Damage report!” he yelled.

  “We seem to be fine, Captain. It was only a glancing blow,” Mary Taylor, the communications officer, informed him.

  “Don’t let it happen again!” Jeryl replie
d.

  The captain surveyed the landscape, looking for the perpetrator of the shot. He noticed a couple of boarding shuttles flying nearby. Even if one of them hadn’t been the shooter, they were still the enemy. Jeryl maneuvered the ship into position. Though the shuttles were smaller and swifter, Jeryl was deft at the controls of his ship.

  With tremendous skill, he locked in on one of the shuttles. He ordered the shot to be taken, and the particle cannons fired.

  It was dead on, and the shuttle immediately began plunging into the inky darkness of space. Jeryl turned his attention to the remaining ship and ordered more rounds to be fired. Only one of them hit, but it did a little damage. The shuttle was struggling to continue flying. Two blasts later, and the shuttle was finally destroyed.

  Jeryl didn’t have any time to revel in his success, with Ashley’s tense voice coming at him.

  “Captain, are you seeing this?”

  Jeryl turned his attention from the shuttles he had just destroyed to the main viewscreen.

  “I am,” he said succinctly.

  The Ghost.

  It had finally emerged from the darkness to join the fray. This was the plan, of course, but Jeryl still felt a tinge of concern in the back of his mind.

  “We’re engaging The Ghost in battle. Remember, Captain Kaine Reed is commanding the ship. He’s extremely capable—and extremely dangerous,” he told the fleet, the Hunters, and his crew.

  Though the Armada’s fleet had been succeeding, the mood had changed considerably.

  If The Seeker wasn’t able to take down The Ghost, none of this would matter.

  Alright, old friend, let’s fight.

  Chapter 24

  Jeryl

  The Ghost’s appearance was nothing short of ghostly. The darkly-lit vessel with gray hulls and zero markings lanced through the field of battle like a colossal whale, oblivious to the Hunters diving left and right out of the way. There was a deadly grace to it, which caused Jeryl to pause and just stare.