“And then what?” she asked.
Riyad shook his head. “That’s just what we’ve been discussing. Even when we do catch up, we’ll just be two small Exitor’s up against a mid-level Juirean battleship. We may be fast and maneuverable, but we’re no match for a Class-3. I don’t know what we could do to stop them — and without getting ourselves killed.”
“We can’t just sit back and do nothing, and the closer they get to Juir, the less chance we’ll have to save Adam.”
Tobias leaned back in his chair. “We’re open to suggestions, Sherri. But we’ve just spent the last eight hours racking our brains for an idea, with no luck.”
Sherri turned to Kaylor. “Do you know anyone in this part of the galaxy who could help us?”
Kaylor’s head bobbed side to side. “The answer is no, unfortunately. My world is located in Sector 12 and I spent most of my time in the Fringe. I am not at all familiar with this part of the Expansion, and neither is Jym. Out here we are just as lost as you.”
“What about the other teams?” Sherri asked Tobias. “There were four us operating, each with our own ship.”
Tobias pursed his lips and shook his head again. “They’re too far away to be of any help. Besides, after completing their missions, they’re on their way back to the Fringe, all except Riyad’s ship. I’m afraid we’re on our own.”
There was silence around the table for several minutes as each of them were lost in their thoughts. And then Jym suddenly spoke up.
“They’re going to have to stop for recharging on the way to Juir. Trick them into letting you super-beings aboard so you can rescue Adam.” Even though Riyad could hear the condescension in the small, bear-like alien’s voice, he knew he meant no insult. Jym was simply prone to speaking his mind without hiding any of his emotions. It was a habit Riyad found perplexing, given Jym tiny stature. He wouldn’t have lasted an hour in the neighborhoods Riyad grew up in, not with that attitude.
“Jym is right!” Kaylor said. “They are single ship traveling without support. The trip to Juir is long-range, even for a Class-3. Their generators will have to be recharged, just as ours will have to be if we pursue beyond a month or so.”
Riyad shook his head. “My Exitor has not been recharged since we left the Fringe,” he countered. “And it won’t have to be even if we returned there today.”
“Yes, but the journey to Juir is twenty times farther than it is back to the Fringe. That is why we needed a Class-5 to make it all the way to Earth. And Earth is closer to the Fringe than the Fringe is to Juir.”
“Then that seems like our best option,” Tobias said, his mood improving dramatically. He turned to face Jym. “Way to go Jym — great idea.”
Jym just shrugged and turned back to his monitor. “Just makes sense.”
Sherri was literally bouncing in her chair. “So when will they have to recharge — and where?”
Kaylor began to finger the datapad sitting on the table. “I need to find out the maximum travel range for a Class-3 between charging, and then locate the major recharging stations between here and Juir. It will take just a minute.”
Tobias and Riyad began to talk with each other. “Class-3’s can land on planets, but it’s frowned upon,” Riyad stated. “They tear up too much landscape when they come in on gravity drive, and they burn up most of their fuel landing chemically. More than likely they’ll opt for an orbital recharging. Either way, we’ll have to disguise ourselves as a recharge crew to get aboard.”
“Agreed,” Tobias said, his analytical SEAL mind beginning to work through the details. “Do you know anything about how a recharge crew operates?”
“Not a clue.”
“Hey you two!” Sherri said emphatically. “You’re not going in without me.”
Riyad smiled back at her. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Besides we can certainly use your skills in a fight.”
“There could be a problem,” Kaylor said looking up from his datapad. “Undoubtedly the Juireans onboard will be able to recognize a Human when they see one After all, they are at war with your race.”
“He’s right,” said Tobias. “The disguise will have to go beyond just walking the walk and taking the talk.” All eyes then fell on Kaylor. He noticed it immediately.
“What’s wrong,” he asked nervously.
Riyad stretched his trademark grin at the alien. “It would really help if you could be part of the rescue team, as a way to distract the Juireans from us when we board.”
“No! No, I cannot be part of this. I will fly the ships and offer advice, but I am not a warrior — especially not against Juireans! The normal compliment of a Juirean Class-3 is over ninety beings. Ninety against six — if you include me and the two other Humans you have on Riyad’s ship. Even with that, my assistance would not make a difference.”
“Sure it will,” Andy Tobias said. “All you have to do is get us in past the front gate. We’ll do the rest.”
“What gate? Where is there a gate on a starship?” Kaylor was genuinely confused.
“It’s a figure of speech, Kaylor. Don’t sweat it.”
“Don’t sweat what? This is getting far too complicated!”
The three Humans looked at each with looks of exasperation. Finally Riyad spoke up.
“At least we’ll have some time to bone up on how to pass ourselves off as a recharge crew. That part shouldn’t be too hard. Any luck with locating a charging station, Kaylor.”
It took a moment before Kaylor could shake the concerned paralysis that kept him staring at the Humans. When he was able to function again he looked down at the datapad.
“Since I do not know when the Juirean was last recharged, I have to assume a maximum range on a fresh recharge. That puts the planet Cesnick as a logical destination. If they must do it sooner, then there is only one this side of Cesnick, and that would be Zinnol. If the Juirean does not want to push their range, then a recharge at Zinnol will get them all the way the Juir without a problem. But I’m still not comfortable assisting you in boarding the battlecruiser.”
“How far are we from this planet Zinnol?” Tobias asked, ignoring the alien’s continued protests.
“It will take the Juirean fifty-two days to get there. At maximum drive, we could be there in forty-eight. We will have to recharge ourselves before we could continue any further.”
Tobias smiled at everyone at the table, a big toothy grin that caused Kaylor to tense up. The SEAL had not been around aliens long enough to know that baring ones teeth was a sign of challenge. That realization would come with time — or an accepted challenge. Those kinds of lessons were hard to forget.
“It looks like we have a plan,” Lt. Tobias pronounced proudly. “Progress is being made.” He then placed a hand on Sherri’s. “We’ll get him back, I promise. I’m not accustomed to leaving any of my team behind in the hands of the enemy. This will just be your basic extraction operation. A piece of cake.”
Sherri grinned back at the big bear of a sailor, yet with a look of sadness in her eyes. For all their boasting and bravado, she was hoping they wouldn’t be too late.
Chapter 30
The trip to Zinnol just underscored the realities of interstellar travel. Nearly two months of being cramped up in a metal tube, interacting with the same people day in and day out, began to take its toll on the five occupants of the JU-224.
After the first ten days of learning all they could about recharging procedures, the planet Zinnol and their tentative assault plans, the remainder of the time was spent trying to find solitude from the others aboard the ship. The two aliens, Kaylor and Jym, seemed to better handle the boredom and cramped living conditions; after all they had spent the better part of their lives dealing with the time and distances involved in moving between the stars. The three Humans, on the other hand, were beginning to grate on each other’s nerves.