Carinae Sector: 02 - Admiral's Fury - Part 2 - Hidden Menace by David Buck Page A

several frigates in obviously damaged condition guarded a patchwork of lifters and smaller transports around the habitable planet.
    Gindane stood from her command chair, and swivelled aside the console, before she then rubbed her upper arms in frustration. She motioned to the obviously unwell communications officer to open a video channel and she began to speak slowly.
    ‘Captain Gindane of the Barus Research Institute to Jerecab Commander, I was hoping to find your admiral at this location, as I am continuing my efforts to end this war. I once again ask you to past on my requests to the admiral for his attacks on the humans to end.’
    Several minutes went by as the message crawled at the speed of light towards the Jerecab ships. Gindane was almost about to repeat her message when the terse reply from the Jerecab commander arrived.
    ‘Commander Neanres to Barus Captain Gindane, once again we speak again Professor. The Admiral has taken the rest of the fleet with him to deal with the humans after they inflicted a series of defeats upon our glorious armada. We are in no mood to consider peace with the humans, and you will now leave this system.’
    Gindane gritted her teeth in frustration, but she was also relieved that the Jerecab were not inclined to attack her ships. She laboured the point with the Jerecab commander even as she ordered her ships to change course to leave.
    ‘Gindane to Neanres, Commander we will comply with your instructions to leave this system. But note we protest both our scout destroyers being driven away and the refusal of your admiral to listen to my instructions. Remember that both of our races are driven by edicts, and I fear the justice of both the Zronte and the Vorinne will be merciless.’
    After several minutes another reply came in from Commander Neanres.
    ‘Captain Gindane I have my orders and they do not include listening to the edicts at this stage from a Barus interloper. Your requests are meaningless without the presence of significant forces to make us change our plans.’
    Gindane sat back sombrely in her command chair and remained silent, for the tactical display now came online showing the Jerecab frigates were forming up to come after her own ships. The research commander now made plans to try again in the next star system. She then noted that the Jerecab ships were still a great distance away, before again ensuring that her ships were broadcasting the neutrality and non-aggression clauses.
     
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    Several star systems away, Omerio was now having problems of his own pressuring a Jerecab freighter pilot to obey his instructions.
    ‘Look pilot, I command a full squadron of cruisers and we are legally instructed to patrol these sectors by the Vorinne second envoy. I require you to alter course and retrace your journey back towards your rear deployment zones.’
    Omerio struggled to remain patient as the message crossed the millions of kilometres to the Jerecab lifter. He was feeling unwell and his fur itched incessantly from the human virus, nearby on the bridge one of his lieutenants gave a series of self conscious sniffs. He had raced his fleet across several star systems to be at this system in a particular point in time. A reply soon came back from the Jerecab, even as he instructed three of his cruisers to cut off the lifter.
    ‘Captain, I regret I am unable to comply with your instructions, and I would advise you to leave my ship alone. We are expecting the arrival of significant numbers of our frigates within two hours.’
    As the screen went dead, Omerio cancelled the recent order to the three cruisers to intercept the lifter. Tamerio glanced at him and Omerio knew that his friend was also unwell. Omerio then looked at the time and distance calculations to the nearest jump location point before giving a series of orders.
    ‘We can