Here's another big chapter for you all. Enjoy.

Chapter 26

“Computer, hail Altos,” ordered Jordan as he walked onto the bridge.

Altos’ face soon appeared on the bridge screen. “Yes?”

“Altos, I think it’s time we move to directly help the Terran Navy. They’re going to be fighting a lot battles, and they need every ship they can get.”

“I’ve been waiting for this to come up, Jordan. The time for hiding in the shadows is over. We did that because we had to. We were alone. Now, we have allies and comrades. We can do this.”

“We sure can,” said Jordan with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll want me back in the Navy, even though I really don’t miss the rules and regulations very much. My men won’t like the change.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’m not, but I think I understand how they feel.”

“Don’t think. One should always know, Jordan. Now, I’ve been checking the positions of the fleets, and the Terran Second Fleet is moving to engage a Drengin force that is moving to reclaim territory. We will be able to reach them. Will this be good.”

“Good enough,” said Jordan. “Send me the info.”

Altos pressed a button and the coordinates appeared on Jordan’s viewscreen. “I’ll see you there,” he said, then closed his channel.

“Fleet, head to the coordinates of the system I’m giving to you. Activate the warp engines and prepare for battle.”

The fleet activated their engines and followed the Independence.

The Terran Alliance had clearly been busy with building ships during their time in the pocket universe. The Second Fleet was massive. Jordan counted at least twenty capital ships in the fleet.

A ship hailed the Independence. “Unknown ships, identify yourself and your business in this sector,” said a voice.

“We’re here to provide help,” said Jordan, “Do you need any other ships?”

“I’ll transfer you to the admiral,” said the voice, “You can talk to him.”

A second later, Admiral Evars appeared on the viewscreen. His mouth hung ajar. “Jordan Locke, is that you? I thought you were dead.”

“I’m alive, Admiral. Do you need any volunteers?”

“I…I guess so. But may I ask what you have been doing all this time?”

“Do you have any time to meet aboard your ship? We have a lot to talk about.”

“We’re almost about to warp, Jordan. You can tell me when this is over.”

“What if one of us doesn’t make it?”

“Just be careful, then. Evars out.” The link closed.

“Well, if he wants to pass up vital information about why all this happening, let him,” said Jordan with an eye roll.

The person who had hailed the Independence earlier contacted this ship again. “You’re in fleet now. Fall in with the rest of the ships.”

The Independence moved into a gap the other ships created.

“This is Admiral Evars,” the ship Evars was in broadcasted. “Activate engines!”

The entire fleet activated its engine, and with a giant flash, the fleet sped towards battle.

The fleet arrived at a neighboring system. Admiral Evars contacted the fleet again. “Our scout have identified a Drengin fleet coming toward where we are. Move into battle formations.”

“We’ve got enemy warp signatures!” radioed one of ships. “They’ll be coming practically on top of us!”

“Divert power to shields and prepare for possible impacts. Destroy the Drengin ships as they come. Deploy fighter squadrons!”

“Get ready for company, boys!” said someone.

The Drengin ships roared into the system. Terran missile frigates launched torpedoes into the first few ships, either crippling or destroying them.

The main guns on the Independence’s bow opened fire, hitting the bridge of an enemy ship. A missile from a nearby ship finished it off. In less than fifteen seconds, thirty Drengin ships were destroyed or critically damaged.

More Drengin ships entered the system, only to meet the fate of the first wave. Keep this up, and the Drengin won’t return to the Terran Alliance for a long time, thought Jordan.

The big Drengin ships began to enter the battle. Battleships blasted as many ships as they could, while carriers launched squadrons of fighters.

“Focus on the small ships,” ordered Jordan, “The big ships need them for support. Only shoot at a Drengin capital ship if makes us a target.”

More Drengin ships entered the area. Jordan could see that they were hastily and poorly made. They appeared to be made as quickly as possible to bulk up Drengin fleets for attacking the Terran Alliance. They have been effective at range, but in close quarters they stood no chance against the well constructed Terran ships. For now, things were clearly in favor of the Terran Alliance.

A missile slammed into the side of the Independence. “What’s the damage?” asked Jordan.

“Decks 17 and 18 have been breached. I repeat, decks 17 and 18 have been breached. Emergency shields are holding,” came the reply.

“Draw power to the shields. Take it from the engines and other non-important systems.”

The Independence fired a missile at the ship that had attacked. The already weakened ship soon turned to space junk. Several more missiles were fired at a Drengin carrier that was spitting out fighters at a rapid pace. The battle was quickly turning from an organized plan with structure into a total mess. Ships were shooting every weapon they had as both sides moved even closer to each other. A frigate fly by the Jordan swore was less than ten meters from the bridge.

“We’re taking hits, Jordan,” said Ashley.

“It’s a battle. Of course we’re going to get shot at. Just make sure our shield hold.”

Ashley transferred even more power to the shields. Shield power readouts on projectors soared.

More and more Drengin ships poured into the battle. Ships crashed into each other as they fought, either by accident or as a last resort. Jordan hated battles like these. At medium to long range, a ship had more options on what to do in a battle. One could actually think. But in close battles like this, all one could do was to shoot at anything hostile and hope not to get hit. And the Independence and Royal Vengeance were get attacked more are more due to their battered appearance, even though the repairs the Iconians had given them made them stronger than they were before. All Jordan could do is hope the shields and weapons systems wouldn’t fail.

“We’ve got a heavy battleship closing in to starboard!” shouted a crewman. “It’s heading for us!”

Jordan scanned the area. There were no hostiles on the port of the Independence, so Jordan assumed it was safe to divert power to the starboard shields. The Drengin battleship was getting closer, gunning down Terran gunships as it came.

“Divert power to the starboard and bow shields! Prepare for a broadside!” shouted Jordan.

The Drengin ship moved to the side of the Independence, and following a style of ship warfare in the eighteenth century, it huge number of side guns began to fire.

“All batteries fire! Fire!” shouted Jordan.

The enemy ship continued to blast the Independence. Shield began to drop. A bead of sweat rolled down Jordan’s head. Oh god, let us win this…

Then, the Drengin battleship made an error. Instead of looping around to attack again, it continued to attack the other Terran ships. Jordan ordered the ships to turn to attack the Drengin ship’s engine’s. Several rounds of plasma fire and missile shots found their mark. The battleship began to break apart, then the Royal Vengeance finished it off.

The crew cheering, but Jordan realized that he had made a serious mistake of his own. In turning to attack, he had exposed the port of the Independence, which the shields had less power. Ashley tried to raise the power of the shields, but was too late. Drengin mass driver rounds whittled away what little power the shields had left and began to rattle against the hull of the Independence. A torpedo slammed into the exposed spot. Everyone was thrown to the ground from the force of the impact and explosion.

“Shit!” howled Jordan. How could I be so stupid?!

“Damage report!” shouted Zane, holding his arm.

“Decks 23, 24, and 25 are in total ruin,” said the person on the other end. “We can’t take another hit like that!”

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Jordan said to himself.

Owen hailed the Independence. “We can’t stay out here much longer! The Drengin are deploying heavy anti-frigate and anti-aircraft measures. Flak and proximity mines are everywhere! I’ve lost one of my ships, and another is going to explode unless we can get help!”

“Get aboard the ships Owen! You can’t do any more good out there!”

“I’m already heading for them.” The link closed.

Admiral Evars hailed Jordan. “Get out there, Locke! Your ships will be destroyed if you stay there any longer! Get back! That’s an order!”

“I’ll happily comply, Admiral!” The link closed.

The Drengin, seeing their situation, began to retreat. As they turned to activate their warp engines, Terran ships destroyed them as they attempted to flee, or sent ships to board them. In the end, the Drengin just scattered. Cheers and celebration erupted throughout the bridge. Jordan just leaned back in his chair. Thank god it’s over.

“Jordan?” asked someone from engineering, probably Conner.

“Yeah?”

“Something strange is happening to the hull.”

“Explain.”

“The hull seems to be growing over where were hit. That big hole where we were torpedoed isn’t doing that, but it most places, it is. I think that it is in the places where the Iconians replaced a bunch of our armor plates.”

“I’ve heard rumors about that. The Dread Lords had ships made of something organic that did that. The Iconians must have learned its secrets. This is another thing to talk to Evars about. If we equip our ships with the stuff, it’ll be absolute hell for the Drengin,” said Jordan with a laugh.

“It would be. Hold on, someone wants to talk to you.

Aelytha’s voice sounded over the radio. “Jordan! Are you all right?!”

“I’m fine Aelytha. Shit, I didn’t know you were still aboard here.”

“It’s fine. It’s not Altos was safe either.”

“Yeah. Well, thanks for putting all of our lives on the line and then saving them again. Do you do that a lot?”

“If you were here longer, you’d know the answer is yes. Still, I really wasn’t thinking very much. Situations like this battle can screw up your regular thoughts and stuff. Anyway, I’m glad you’re all right. I need to talk to someone now. I’ll see you soon.” Aelytha turned off the radio.

Jordan turned his attention. Evars, I am going to blow your mind when I tell you what I’ve been through…

Thank you.

Progress status: Jordan's Revenge is over halfway done, but I'm not at the three quarter mark yet. There will be much more coming, as well as a thrid story that will wrap this story up (still need to think of a name). I promise that there will be a lot more action coming up, and some interesting twists in the story.

I had this written for a while, but i forgot to post it. Sorry.

Chapter 27

After the battle, the ships in the Terran Alliance Second Fleet began to organize themselves and repair what damage they could before pursuing the remnants of the Drengin Fleet.

Jordan walked with several crewmembers to inspect the damage done to the Independence. He was still amazed and confused about the seemingly organic metal. The metal had completely sealed the breaches that had been made, making the hull appear like it had never been hit. Even the artwork some of the men put on the sides restored itself. Obviously, the insides of the ship didn’t grow back, so there was a lot of repairs and clean up to do. Now, Jordan and his men were inspecting the damage done by the Drengin torpedo.

“That’s a trip to the repair dock,” concluded someone.

“I hate those damn torpedoes,” said another, “I saw one wreck a ship even though it had shields up. If we have that weird metal on our ship now, how come it didn’t fix itself?”

“The Iconians didn’t install that much of it,” said Jordan, “If there even was a panel there, it was probably completely obliterated. Plus, you need good point defense systems to stop missiles and torpedoes. Anyway, try to clean the area up so it can get fixed faster. I have to meet with someone.” Jordan turned and headed for the bridge, using a radio to tell Ashley to send Admiral Evars a note reminding him of the meeting.

Jordan docked his fighter aboard the TAS Liberator, which was the flagship of the Second Fleet. He was directed to Admiral Evars’ war room. The Admiral was waiting for him. “Ah, Jordan, you’re here. Excellent.”

Evars sat down, while Jordan remained standing. “Now,” Evars said. “We have plenty of time. I knew it was risky and unwise of me to not to speak with you before the battle, but time was short. Now, please talk.”

Jordan proceeded to tell Evars what had happened ever since he was trapped outside of Earth a year and a half ago. From the contact with Ordo to the discovery of the organic metal on the Independence, he told everything except things he thought were personal, such as when he threw his knife, and Aelytha.

“Incredible,” said a stunned Evars, “Just incredible.”

“The things I’ve gone through, it blows my mind. If you have any questions or explanations, please ask or tell them.”

“Well, first of all, we did not intentionally shut you out of Earth. Doing that would almost guarantee a court marshal or a similar punishment for the person responsible. Second, we have heard vague rumors of unrest happening within the Yor Collectiv, but your finding confirmed it. And it is much more than we could ever have hoped for. Can we contact this Ordo?”

“He only reveals himself when he wants me to do something for him.”

“I see. Well, get yourself an assignment from him, and alert us when he reveals himself. He has the potential to be a powerful ally. Second, we need to know everything about the weapon the Korath are developing. In the hands of them and of the Dread Lords, whom I still can’t believe still exist, the galaxy is in serious danger.”

“Ask my men. They’ll send you the info.”

“Got it. Now, about the Uslynthinis movement. We’ve known about them for a while. They’ve been scorned and disliked for many, many years, despite the power some of its members. But like you said, they may gain ground in times like this. What exactly have they done?”

“Just a lot of hate preaching and insults. Nothing violent, yet. However, some people I recruited refused to dock aboard the Altarian ships in my resistance fleet. Tresia and her friends are spreading their ignorance.”

“I see. Speaking of those Altarian ships, the men aboard asked me if they could move to Commander Carniss’ fleet. Is that all right?”

“Over to Altos? It’s fine. They always waited while we pillaged or did some other thing. They really didn’t have many fighters aboard, and they were for the most part just big targets. They are more than welcome to leave. Just tell them to give any fighters they borrowed from the Independence.”

“Of course. Now, about that new metal. We have to get some samples from your ships. This is an incredible thing, more advanced than any other material we’ve seen. However, it may be difficult to use, depending on its properties. Did you see how they applied it?”

“I didn’t see much, but I did see a squid-like robot create some kind of grid with laser. It put cubes of the stuff in each space, then made it meld together. Other than that, I don’t know. You may have to borrow a robot or two from the Iconians, but I don’t know where they are. We found them through sheer luck, and if you can find them, I doubt they’ll share their secrets.”

“Well, we’ll find a way around it,” said Evars in an annoyed tone. “Now you can ask me questions. You’ve been gone for a long time.”

Jordan paused for a second, then asked. “How’s Jim?”

“Admiral Ebyon? What about him? Wait, you served under him, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. So did Altos.”

“I know Altos did. But he is fine. He will be leading the Terran Fifth Fleet to help drive the Drengin out of the Arcean Empire. Once the Drengin are out of here, the Second Fleet will be meeting with him.”

“I can help you if you want. What about Altos? He seems to want to go back to the Navy.”

“Altos will be returning to the Terran Navy, Jordan. He’ll be joining this fleet, to be precise. Will you rejoin? We’re in need of your skills. You will stay in control of the Independence and anything and anyone aboard it, but the Royal Vengeance will be reassigned. When I last checked, you had the rank of Captain, not Commodore. And you won’t be getting your rank until you rejoin. So, will you rejoin?”

“I’d love to, Evars, but Ordo will want me back to fight for him. He isn’t really patient, you know. I may join, but that will be after I’m done working with Ordo. And while I’m working, none of my ships will be under your control.”

Evars scowled. “Those ships were never yours, Jordan. We’d like them back.”

“I’ll do what we just talked about when I’m done with working with Ordo.”

“Have it your way. But before you go, follow the fleet to the repair docks. Your ships clearly need repairs. We also need to take that sample of the metal.”

“Of course.”

“Good. Your time has been valuable, Jordan.” Evars stood up and looked out the observation window at the fleet that was beginning to shape its formation for warping. Between them flew scavenger drones and other ships. The drones darted about pulling in bits of space junk from the large cloud of debris that was the result of the vicious battle. Jordan knew that the metal was going to be reprocessed and sent to shipyards for the war effort.

Admiral Evars had turned his back to Jordan in a sign of dismissal. Before Jordan turned to leave, he asked one more question. “Admiral?”

“Yes?”

“Why didn’t you try to contact me when my buddies and I were trapped outside of Earth?”

“Believe me, Jordan, we tried. Either the Drengin or the Dread Lords were using some sort of jamming device. We tried again after they left, but your signal vanished for some reason after you left the Sol system. We would have lowered the shield again if we found you, but the Drengin created a damn blockade, even though we had the shield up. We destroyed them after we unleashed the fleet. I’m sorry you had to go through all this, Jordan.”

“To be honest, this was a blessing in disguise. I’ve destroyed loads of Drengin ships. I’m a wanted man now, but all everything the Drengin know about me is fake,” said Jordan.

“You’re a clever man,” said Evars, “Good luck with Ordo, and remember, try to establish a link to him so we can talk to him. We can’t ignore someone like him.”

“Of course, Admiral,” Jordan turned and left the room.

Chapter 28

After returning to the Independence, Jordan directed it and the Royal Vengeance to follow the Terran Fleet. The fleet soon arrived at a Terran planet, and damaged ships moved towards the local military stations for repairs.

“If I’m correct,” said Zane, “This planet would be Protos III. I think this is where one of the first fronts in war was, before the Dread Lords came.”

Jordan tried to remember. Even though it was only a year and a half ago since this place had been in the news, it seemed like ages since this place had been in the news, if Zane was right. “Computer, is this planet Protos III?” asked Jordan.

“Affirmative” came the reply.

The Independence moved into the docking clamps of the station it was to be repaired at. The clamps slid the ship into the repair cradle, and drones began to swarm on the outside of the ship, pulling off damaged metal, fixing frames, cleaning up the damaged areas of the ships interior, and installing panels and armor plates. Two drones found a section of the Iconian metal and pulled it off for examination and research, putting a panel of versatile Tri-Strontium in its place. After the Independence was finished, the Royal Vengeance was fixed. Both moved away from the station to power up their newly enhanced engines to meet with Ordo.

Before they left, Evars hailed the Independence. “Will you be meeting Ordo now?” he asked.

“Yeah,” replied Jordan.

“All right,” said Evars, “Make it quick. Don’t do anything for him that will get you in over your head or killed. Remember to try to establish a link to him.”

“Of course.”

“One more thing, Jordan. Stay alert when you are with Ordo. Just because he is friendly towards you doesn’t mean he is a true friend or ally. He may still double cross you.”

Thanks for telling me, Admiral Obvious, thought Jordan. “I’ll be aware.”

“Good. Do what you need to do.” The link closed.

The Terran Second Fleet soon warped out of the system. Jordan activated his own fleet’s warp engines, and the resistance band sped off towards their own goals.

While the fleet was in warp, Jordan checked the list of meeting places Ordo provided him. After picking a place, Jordan sent to message to the area Ordo said he was in, using a code only Ordo knew to prevent the message from being intercepted by the Drengin or Yor who were loyal to N-1.

A reply sounded, and Jordan opened the message. “A meeting it is. Welcome back,” it said.

The fleet flew into the arranged meeting area. Ordo’s ship was waiting with several escorts. Ordo hailed the Independence. As usual, he wished to come aboard, instead of it being the other way around. After everything was set up, Jordan went into the conference room and waited.

Ordo entered the conference room, followed by another Yor. “Hello again,” said Ordo. He looked at the other Yor, and it moved and stood at the corner of the room.

“You told me to come back after I did what I needed to do with the Terran Alliance. So, what do you want me to do this time?” asked Jordan.

“Until very recently, I calculated that there was a very high chance that you wouldn’t come back. I actually felt some surprise when you hailed me. Surprise is such an interesting emotion. I felt it before when I miscalculated what you Terrans would do during the war, when I was loyal to N-1 and beginning to create my personality.”

“Very interesting,” said Jordan with bored tone. “Now, what do you want me to do? I’ll do what you want.”

Ordo let out a metallic sounding grunt. The fiery lights in his eyes moved upwards for a second. “Never heard you want to willingly to something for me before,” he said with a laugh.

When Jordan saw what Ordo had just done, he nearly burst out laughing. Ordo had copied his habit of grunting and rolling his eyes. “Well, consider it a change.”

“Very good. Now, I am planning to attack a warship that has a central Yor commander onboard. At first, I will attempt to create a data link to overwhelm his mind. If I can do that, I can reprogram him to serve me. The forces under him would then do the same. I would gain even more power, and my chances of assuming control of the Yor Collective would subsequently increase.”

“Right. So, you can try to take over the entire Yor Collective using your mind. Turn everyone against N-1 without using as much force. But wouldn’t the rest of the Yor Collective have created some sort of defense against that? N-1 could turn the entire consciousness of the Yor Collective against you.”

“I know that. I calculated that N-1 would create some sort of trick like that. I have created a long and complex mental program that will defeat pretty much everything that N-1 can throw at me through the minds of the Collective. How do I know this? It is simple. Technically, my mind is still within the Yor Collective. Therefore, I can know what everyone is doing, and when. I can detect N-1 right now, though his signature is much fainter than the others. He is currently doing something with the Drengin, though I can’t tell what. However, no one can detect my mind. They do not know about what I’m doing. It is like a one way window. I can see them, but they can’t see me.”

“Interesting. You seem prepared for everything.”

“One would hope. Even a system or being with unlimited knowledge and power cannot calculate everything.”

“That was kind of the case with the Dread Lords. They were ridiculously powerful, but to make a long story short, we kicked their ass.”

Ordo laughed again. “We did.”

“What do you mean ‘we’? When I was talking about ‘we’ I was talking about the Terran Alliance. You were on the opposite side!”

“You are correct, Jordan.”

“Forget about it. Now, why’d you bring the other guy along with you? Am I not good company?”

“You are sufficient. BA-73 is part of my plan to create better relations between our fleets. Here is the plan. BA-73 will join the crew of your ship. He will-“

“WHAT?!” yelled Jordan.

“I am not finished. BA-“

“Ordo, you may think that this is a good idea, as all of your ‘calculations’ may make it seem good, but you clearly didn’t include the way my crew would react. I could handle a Yor if you controlled it. My crew on the other hand-“

“I understood how your crew will react. However, BA-73 will not bother them. He will simply sit and observe.”

“So he’s a spy, then.”

“No, he is observing in order build his personality. He is one I have chosen for this. I will gladly show you every program running in his mind. None of them have hostile intentions.”

“You’re giving your soldiers personalities?”

“Not all of them. Only the ones I judge to be worthy. I am doing this so they can obtain them naturally, not artificially, like me.”

“Fully sentient Yor, it’s still a mind-blowing concept.”

“To you it is. I’ve even to gotten to the point to wondering what it would be like to be a flesh and blood sentient.”

“Similar to Pinocchio,” said Jordan.

“The story about the talking wood puppet who nose extends when he lies? What does that have to do with anything?” asked Ordo.

“Never mind,” said Jordan.

“I think I will,” said Ordo. “Cultures can have some weird stories.”

“Do the Yor have any stories?”

“The Yor Collective does not have a culture. We are, after all, computers. I am just a very smart one. My personality is a mass a small programs meshed together that somehow has worked. If one of your computers tried to create a program like that, my guess is that it would explode.”

“Okay…”

“But anyway, here is a story I just made up. There was once a Yor who gained a personality. He could not find me in order to join up with me, and N-1 went after him. So he blew himself up. The end.”

“Wow,” said Jordan with an eye roll.

“Anyway, we must move to attack this Yor commander. I shall return to my ship and prepare everything. You should do. BA-73 is yours now. Good luck with him.”

Before Jordan could protest, Ordo left the room. He looked at BA-73, the general direction of the bridge, then BA-73 again. This is not gonna be fun…

Something tells me that BA-73 will either become a valuable asset, or part of Jordan's ship.

Chapter 29

Jordan and BA-73 walked onto the bridge. Jordan sat in the captain’s char while BA-73 stood near the door.

“What’s this?” said Zane. “Did the Yor start breeding or something?”

“I have no idea if the Yor make babies or not, but Ordo gave us BA-73 to become part of our crew. He wants us to let him in so he can develop a personality.”

Immediately the bridge members began to talk. Some praised the idea, others opposed it.

“I am not working with a Yor!” shouted one.

“Just give it a chance!” said another. “He could help us!” The crew muttered in agreement.

“Now,” said Jordan, “I’ve been thinking. If we want this BA-73 to be more like us, first of all we should give it a name. Any ideas?”

“Bolt-Face McMetal Ass,” said Zane, and everyone on the bridge roared with laughter. BA-73 said nothing in response.

“Good one, Zane,” said Jordan, wiping a tear from his eye. “But really, what should we name him?

Ideas flew, from Anton to Zachary, to Altarian and Arcean names, though none seemed to fit.

“How about Bruce?” said Aelytha, who had walked onto the bridge without getting the attention of anyone else.

“Hey, that’s actually pretty good,” said Jordan, smiling.

Someone on the bridge whistled at Aelytha. Jordan picked up a can that was by his chair and threw it in the general direction where the whistle came from.

“So, do we agree that BA-73 should be named Bruce?”

The entire bridge crew agreed. They probably agree not because they like the name, but because they like Aelytha, thought Jordan. He got up and faced BA-73. “BA-73!” he said.

The Yor’s eyes flashed. “You are expressing a desire to communicate?”

“Yes, I am. We are giving you a new name.”

“Unit is ready for your new designation,” said BA-73 in the usual monotone of a Yor.

“We call it a name. Your new name is to be Bruce,” said Aelytha.

“Affirmative. New designation is to be ‘Bruce’. Unit is ready for new instruction.”

“All right,” said Jordan, “Bruce, are you familiar with your commander?”

“Affirmative,” Bruce started to say Ordo’s full designation, though Jordan stopped him.

“Here we call him Ordo. You need to call him that, too.”

“Understood. Command unit is now to referred to as ‘Ordo’. Shall all command units by addressed by this designation?”

“No, that is name of your commander. He has a name like you, and his name is Ordo.”

“Understood. Do you have further instructions?”

“Yes, I do. You are to gain a personality, and becoming truly self thinking.”

“There is insufficient information. Please give more.”

“You will be able to feel emotions, and give yourself your own tasks. In fact, life won’t be just tasks. You’ll be like us.”

Bruce was silent for a second. Then his eyes flash. “Insufficient information. Please elaborate. You are giving the end goal, not the actions need.”

“Imitate us. Learn how to feel. Write your own programs that would do that. If you are still not sure of what to do. Ask Ordo for help.”

“Orders confirmed. However, due to a continuing lack of information, I will use the forth option to help complete other three.”

“Good, good,” said Jordan. He turned to face the other crew members. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.” Several crew members nodded in agreement.

“Jordan, you have a message from Ordo,” said Ashley.

“Let’s see it, then,” said Jordan.

Jordan screen flashed with Ordo’s message. “The Yor Commander will pass through the area we are in within two days. Hold your position and wait for my command. I’m looking forward to this,” the message read.

“We’re going to perform a raid in two days,” announced Jordan. “Until, enjoy yourselves. Things have gone great in recent weeks. That’s an order,” he said with a smile.

“Drinking contest at the bar,” said Zane. “Last one to hit the floor wins!”

Many of the guys cheered and followed Zane of the bridge. The others went elsewhere. Jordan and Aelytha remained on the bridge. Jordan sat in his chair and spun around.

“Aren’t you going with your friends?” asked Aelytha.

“No. I’m fine up here.”

“Then, I’ll stay up here with you,” said Aelytha with a smile. She stood by him and looked of bridge into space. “There’s so many of them.”

“So many what?”

“Stars.”

“Yeah, there are.” He got up and stood by her. “Billions of them. And there’s that number in this galaxy alone.”

“I know. It’s so amazing. They are all so beautiful. From the nebulas to the biggest giant star, it takes my breath away.” She moved closer to Jordan. “It still scares me a little bit how small and insignificant we are compared to the universe.”

Jordan felt a little bit of courage rise up inside of them. “You sure aren’t insignificant to me, Aelytha.”

“Jordan, you are such a great guy! You know that?”

“Well you’re an awesome person Aelytha. I’m glad I met you.”

“Jordan, that really means a lot to me. Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“But, there is something I’ve been thinking. It’s really been on my mind a lot, about how I feel and such.  It’s been tugging at my heart and it involves you. Please don’t view me strangely after I say this.”

Please don’t tell me you love me, thought Jordan, seeing the look in her eyes. Aelytha was a great person. She certainly was one of the best people Jordan had ever met. The two had become good friends. Aelytha spent much of her off time with Jordan when she was done working in engineering and her part time, self appointed position as counselor/morale officer. Jordan hadn’t been with a girl in a long time, much less a close relationship. But she’s an Altarian! I’m a Terran. Terrans and Altarians may be the same, but wouldn’t people view us strangely? “You can tell me anything, Aelytha.”

“Jordan, I…I love you!” she said, her voice beginning to quaver.

Well, what do you know? thought Jordan. I need to make a decision, and fast. He listened to what his heart told him, then spoke. “Aelytha, I love you too. You mean a lot to me.”

Aelytha gasped, her eyes growing big. She gave a huge smile, and tears of happiness rolled down her cheeks. “Thank you, Jordan,” she whispered.

The two moved closer, then embraced each other and kissed.

Jordan and Aelytha held each other for a few more seconds, then left the bridge to join their friends.

Here's another chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 31

Howling demons, screaming people, and corrupted machines were scattered throughout the street. Jordan tried to get away from a monster that had the features of what appeared to be mix of Tresia, Altos, and the Dark Avatar. He grabbed an iron bar that was next to him and hit the monster on the head. The monster’s skull spit, shooting out both ice and fire. Suddenly, it all faded away. Jordan found himself standing inside a ship. The power was out, but an eerie light illuminated the room. Mangled skeletons lay on the ground. A layer of blood an inch think covered the floor. Shocked, Jordan moved out of whatever room he was in. The light followed. He continued to walk through the ship, through the blood and the skeletons. A ghostly figure stood at the end of the hallway, glowing red while its eyes shined yellow. “I am a Dread Lord. You shall die,” it said in a twisted voice. “NO!” roared Jordan. The iron bar reappeared in his hand, and he charged the creature. When he was within striking distance, a hole opened up, sucking him into the void. The last thing he heard was the cackling…

Jordan bolted awake. “Jesus,” he muttered. He tossed and turned, trying to get back to sleep after experiencing another unsettling nightmare. After trying to calm his mind without success, Jordan closed his eyes and began to concentrate on a thought. Aelytha’s face floated into his mind. He thought about her features, about her dark hair and facial tattoo in shape of a band of stars. His mind began to fall back into slumber.

Several hours later, the computer woke up Jordan. He got up and prepared for the raid ahead.

The bridge crew was already preparing for the raid. Zane was shouting orders, while Ordo’s intimidating force was assembling itself in front of the Independence and Royal Vengeance.

“Computer, contact Ordo’s flagship,” ordered Jordan.

“Connecting,” said the computer.

“Hello Jordan,” said Ordo. “All ready, are we?”

“Guess so. What’s the plan?” asked Jordan.

“We have calculated the entry trajectory for the Yor Commander, whose designation is Y-34. We accessed his mind through my little spy ability. His ship will enter near our position, about 1 AU away. Activate sub-light engines and follow my lead.” Ordo closed the channel.

Ordo’s fleet activated it’s engines and moved toward the area the Yor commander was to come through. Jordan’s force followed. After every ship had arrived, Ordo contacted Jordan again. “We accessed Y-34’s ship again, and we have pinpointed the exact location of his entry. We will take positions to the sides. Power down all non essential systems so we do not leave as much of a signature. A surprise attack only works if your enemy doesn’t know you are there.”

“Obviously,” said Jordan, “But one question.”

“Ask it,” said Ordo.

“Why is this guy going, and why is he stopping here?”

“Y-34 seems to be going somewhere within the Drengin Empire. You should know the answer to your second questions. Ships need to come out of warp in order to change direction safely, so they can’t hit any stars from a long and massive turn. It’s no good having a fried ship, you know? It’s also for other safety measures. It’s easy to hit things when your ships are traveling at high speed. So, two safety reasons for slowing down: Don’t get cooked, and don’t hit anything.”

“All right. Now, let’s power down what we don’t need.”

“Of course. Look behind you.”

Jordan looked backwards in confusion, and saw Bruce standing behind him. “What’s he doing here?”

“I told him to do so. BA-73, or whatever you choose to call him, will act as a link so I can give orders to you without sending a ship-to-ship signal. Power down all unnecessary systems. Y-34 will arrive soon.” The comm. screen closed.

Jordan ordered the ship to power down whatever wasn’t vital in order to give off less of an energy signature on Y-34’s scanner. Everything except the weapons, shields, warp drive, sensors and support was turned off. Lighting and computers were given minimal power. Jordan gave a quick announcement informing the crew of what was going on. With any luck, the Yor would mistake the ships for a bunch of derelicts from some battle during the war.

“Now we wait,” said Zane.

About twenty minutes later, the signature of the Yor ship appeared on the scanner.

“Jordan,” said Bruce in Ordo’s voice. “Fire missiles at the marked area when I say.” A blinking red target appeared on the Independence’s primary viewscreen.

Jordan ordered the missiles to be set up. A groaning sound was heard as the torpedo slid into their tubes, followed by a click as the tubes were shut.

“Here comes the ship!” shouted Ashley. On one of the readouts, the approaching ship was shown as a blinking white dot increasing in size.

“Computer, fire missiles when Ordo gives the signal!” said Jordan. The torpedoes needed to be launched before the ship passed, so the two would intersect as the ship passed. Since the Yor commander’s ship was still moving at close to light speed, only a computer could be precise enough to hit the ship at such speeds.

Before Jordan could even think about what could happen next, it already happened. The ship launched its torpedoes toward the marked area, and in a blink of an eye, several explosions rocked the Yor ship. Jordan saw the ship, now slowed by the impacts, spinning end over end as it tried to steady itself.

“That was a satisfactory shot,” said Bruce, who appeared to be back in control of himself.

“It was,” said Jordan. “Now the real fun begins.”

“Jordan, attempt to disable the ship! Take out its engines and weapons!” said Ordo, using Bruce again.

The Independence quickly restored power to all its systems, and pursued the Yor ship, which had righted itself and was attempting to flee. The Royal Vengeance followed closely, as well as several of Ordo’s frigates.

“A good shot would be to have the enemy ships engines as your primary target,” said Bruce, “If you haven’t calculated that already, that is.”

“I already was thinking of that, but thanks,” said Jordan.

Before the Independence could fire again, the frigates behind it fired plasma burst into the engines of the enemy ship, destroying them.

“Ordo is now commencing the mind attack on Y-34. I will update on the process, said Bruce.

The Independence continued to fire at Y-34’s ship, destroying its weapons emplacements and defense. Laser and plasma shots streaked between ships, as well as missiles. However, as time went on, less and less fire came from the target ship.

Jordan radioed his crew and the Royal Vengeance. “Remember, guys, we’re supposed to capture this ship, not destroy it.”

“Ordo sent us the memo,” came a reply.

“Ordo is now accessing the mind of Y-34, and is attempting to override the processes making him loyal to N-1.”

“Is it working?” asked Jordan.

“Progress is insufficient,” said Bruce. “The loyalty matrix is much stronger than anticipated. It cannot be designated failure, but it is approaching that category.”

“What happens if we can’t get the guy to work with us?” asked Jordan.

“Then we blow him and his ship to tiny bits,” said Ordo, using Bruce to communicate again.

“That would be fun,” laughed Jordan.

“Jordan, several Drengin battleships are closing in,” said Zane.

“Oh for Christ’s sake…” said Jordan. He groaned and leaned back in his seat.

“Shit! Another thing happens against my calculations!” yelled Ordo, again using Bruce. “My guess is that these they aren’t going to be very friendly.”

The Drengin ships came out of warp within visual range. Jordan saw that they lead ship was that of the Dark Avatar.

The lead ship hailed the Independence. Jordan ignored it. The ship then sent an audio message to the Independence. “Answer our hails! We have finally found you, and there will be no mercy for you! You will pay for what you have done! Respond now, so we can give you a taunting ourselves before ending you!” screamed the Dark Avatar’s voice.

The Dark Avatar’s ship hailed the Independence again. This time, Jordan opened a channel. The Dark Avatar stood, seething, though still out of breath from his rant. “You!” he shouted.

“Me,” said Jordan calmly.

“You, you’re not Jordan Locke. You’re that agent I met!”

“Has it ever occurred to you that one can lie?” asked Jordan with a smirk.

“Why, you’ve preyed on our shipping, killed members of our high council, and now you’ve started a civil war in our Empire! You will pay for what you’ve done!”

“Really?” asked Jordan.

“Don’t play that game with me!” roared the Dark Avatar. “Unlike, me, you have no honor at all. You hide instead of fight in the open. It’s dishonorable trash, that’s what is!”

“Don’t lecture me about honor. You did the same thing while we fought the Dread Lords. And about me doing all this stuff, face it: I’m smarter than you,” said Jordan with a grin.

The grin infuriated the Dark Avatar. “Jordan Locke, I am going to annihilate you! I have a superior force!”

What the Dark Avatar said was true. His fleet consisted of three heavy dreadnoughts and seven destroyers. Each dreadnought could defeat the Independence with some level of ease.

Ordo broke into the conversion, using a communication channel instead of Bruce. “Judging by what I’ve heard, I’m amazed that you are still alive. You may more ships than my friend Jordan, but you didn’t count me, now did you?”

“Silence, Yor! I know about you. Now, you are a target of the Drengin Imperial Navy. The Drengin Empire and the Yor Collective have joined together in an alliance, so that gives me the right to destroy you. I was at the meeting between Lord Kona and N-1. He went on and on about you!”

“Good to have recognition,” said Ordo, ”Now, if you excuse us, we’d rather not fight.”

“That’s because you fear me, as you should.”

“No, I just don’t feel like fighting. You can have Y-34 if you want.”

“I’m not stupid, robot, no matter how much you or Locke accuse me of being. That is an obvious trap.”

“No it isn’t. Scan the ship.”

A minute passed. “Very well.”

What you doing, Ordo?! However, Jordan then saw that Ordo had a certain look within his eyes. A look which showed he was up to something.

Several drones pushed Y-34’s ship toward the Dark Avatar’s force. As the wrecked vessel continued to float toward its destination, Jordan saw the drones fixing bombs to the hull, within the volatile systems, such as the warp systems. He hoped the Dark Avatar wouldn’t scan the ship again.

Y-34’s ship reached the Drengin fleet. A dreadnought and two destroyers grappled it. “Well, robot, your change in attitude very bizarre, and somewhat suspicious, but I believe I should thank you for your generosity,” said the Dark Avatar.

“Don’t mention it. I’m a bit tired of this whole war thing anyway,” replied Ordo.

“I see. I will be sure to mention to N-1 that you-”

The wrecked ship exploded like a miniature supernova. Debris flew everywhere, a large chunk smashing a Drengin destroyer completely in half, and crippling two more. More wreckage slammed into a Drengin Dreadnought, knocking it out of formation and causing it to nearly hit the Dark Avatar’s ship.

Jordan and Ordo closed their communication channels and ordered their fleets to unleash every weapon they had against the Dark Avatar’s fleet. Ordo then sent Jordan and a signal, and the two forces scrambled their warp drives and flew from the scene.

I am setting up a bit of a poll: After Jordan's Revenge, would you like me to work on the sequel, the Origins prequels, or start the Warlords series. Let me know.

Okay, one vote for Origins. Anyone else? (If you're a forum member and are reading this, don't just view it, leave a comment).

Guess so. Any more votes? If any of you are dying for the continuation of Jordan's adventures, or want the stories of the Galciv warlords, let me know!

The story continues. Enjoy, and please leave a comment!

Chapter 32

“How could anyone be that stupid?” said Zane as the fleet continued to travel to its new destination. “That was such an obvious trap!”

“He did scan it for explosives before he said okay,” said Jordan. “But that still doesn’t make up for it,” he said with a laugh. “He may have a reputation for tactics, but his overconfidence got to his head this time.” Jordan knew this to be true. Drengin often used their reputation to intimidate others into doing what they wanted, and when it came to war, they were superior. However, it had gotten to the point that the Drengin had become so overconfident of their abilities and power that it had cost them dearly in some battles during the war, such as the Defense of Altaria.

The crew continued to mock the Dark Avatar, until one told a joke that made another laugh so hard that he fell out of his chair and hit his head. After the man went to sickbay, Jordan asked the crew to calm down and get back to business.

Jordan’s console beeped, showing a message from Altos, asking for a meeting. Jordan sent a reply agreeing. He then sent Ordo a message explaining what was going on, then ordered the fleet to move to the area Altos’ fleet was in.

After the fleet arrived sometime later, Altos’ ship which had changed its name from some unpronounceable Altarian word to a word meaning “Star Eagle”, arrived. The Star Eagle sent ships over to the Independence. Jordan, Zane, and several others went to the hangars to meet the guests, not bothering to change into something nicer. The guests, among them Altos, in his new Navy uniform, quickly filed out of the ship. Altos had gained the rank of Commodore, as well as a few new medals and ribbons. The guests then went to the bar onboard the ship and began to amuse themselves.

“A Commodore, huh?” said Jordan as he and Altos sat down at a table.

“Indeed,” said Altos with a smile. “Terran Command was rather eager to promote me and pin me with medals.”

“Very nice,” said Jordan, leaning back in his chair.

“That’s just me,” said Altos, “I’ve told many high ranking officers in the Navy of what you have done to the Drengin.”

“And?”

“Well, if you return to the Navy, I might have to call you sir!” said Altos, making both of them laugh.

“I doubt that.”

“Jordan, I need to be serious here. You need to rejoin the Navy. They are in need of your skills. You will be able to get things done easier. Plus, you keep yourself in a bad position without any backup or support. Please do this for everyone, Jordan.”

Jordan was silent for a second. Altos is right. I need to get back to the Navy. But I like the way things are right now, not having to take orders from anyone. Then again, everything has the good and the bad. “I guess I’ll rejoin, Altos,” he said with a sigh.

“Excellent. Now, let’s enjoy ourselves, shall we?”

“Sounds good. I need to make up a day of fun for my men.”

Jordan and Altos walked back among the crewmen and guests. The event lasted for a while. Jordan enjoyed himself, and became more and more social, even going to the point of dumping a glass of water on his head to amuse his guests. As he went to dry off his hair, he heard a sound that seemed to be distant screaming, though it was likely to be something in the bar. After he returned to the bar, the party continued, and eventually the guests left.

As the shuttle took off, Zane came up to Jordan. “I think we all needed that.”

“The party? Yeah, we did. I shouldn’t have soaked myself. Not my best idea.”

Zane laughed. “Not really. But, I wanted to ask you something. Did you see those two Altarians that were the last to get on the shuttle?”

“No. Why?”

“They were clutching their heads and stomachs. It looked like they had been hit.”

“They probably ate too much and drank too much beer.”

“Maybe. It seemed suspicious to me, though.”

The two watched the shuttle fly away until they could no longer see it. Then, they walked back.

“So, we’re going back to the Navy?” asked Zane as the two moved through a hallway.

“We are,” said Jordan. “I need to talk with everyone, though.”

“They’ll be fine with it, I’m sure. Everyone is probably a bit tired of-”

As they turned a corner, Aelytha came into view. She lay sprawled on the ground, beaten and bloody. Bruce lay in a corner. Several of his parts were scattered on the ground.

“HOLY SHIT!” yelled Jordan, “Get a medical team down here!”

Zane quickly did so. Jordan quickly kneeled on the ground and checked her vital signs. She was alive, so Jordan sat her up slightly and leaned her body against his, being careful not to worsen any injuries.

“Jordan…” moaned Aelytha, fresh tears flowing down her face.

“Who did this to you?!” asked Jordan, looking at the non-functional Bruce. “Tell me!”

Several medical crewmen rushed onto the scene, followed by assistant robots and drones. They carefully picked her up and placed her on a stretcher. After that was done, they rushed back to the medical bay. Jordan and Zane followed.

Once they were in the medical bay, a drone came up. “Yes, Captain Locke?” it asked.

“Where’s Aelytha? Is she all right?” asked Jordan.

“I do not have the information about that currently,” said the drone, “I will update right-”

The chief medical officer, a man by the name of Taylor, pushed the drone away. “If you don’t know, don’t even respond,” he said to the drone.

“Is Aelytha all right?” asked Jordan.

“She’s fine. It looked bad, but there was nothing serious. A laceration, a few smaller cuts, a lot of bruises, and a slightly fractured rib. She’s pretty much healed. You can go see her if you want. She asked to see you.” He pointed to where her unit was.

Jordan pushed open the door and entered. Aelytha slouched in the bed. She had a small bandage on her face, but that was the only evidence that she had been hurt at all. A medical drone that had finished its work left the room.

Aelytha patted a place right next to her on her bed to show Jordan where to sit. Jordan did so, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” asked Jordan.

“I’m fine,” said Aelytha in a small voice.

“Aelytha, who did this to you? We need to know. Was it Bruce?”

“No, he tried to protect me! They quickly knocked him out though.”

“Who’s they?”

“I had been talking to two fighting weapons specialists to try to get them to work out their argument. After that, I began to walk to where you were holding that event. Two Altarians that were clearly affiliated with Tresia stopped me. They began to threaten me to stop speaking out against Tresia. Apparently, I was ruining her image.”

“You’ve been trying to stop Tresia?”

“I came aboard because I wanted not only to meet you, but for safety from her fighting back. I think I told you. Anyway, I spoke out against her from this ship, thinking I was safe. She found a way to get me. So, they wouldn’t leave me alone. I tried to run, but they caught me, and started to hurt me. Bruce heard me screaming and came running. He tried to help me, and he hit them both. One shocked him using some device and pulled out some of his parts.”

“Jesus.”

“They kept punching me, kicking me, and hitting me with things. They said they were going to kill me!” said Aelytha, starting to cry.

“And then what?”

“T-they r-ran away for some reason. I d-don’t know why. I was so s-scared!” she sobbed.

Jordan held her as she cried into his shoulder. Why would anyone do this to her? They’re going to pay.

Zane and Owen knocked on the door.

“You can come in,” said Aelytha, steadying her voice.

Zane and Owen entered, followed by some of the mercenaries Jordan had hired, who now worked as marines.

“What happened?” asked Owen.

“Tresia sent several of her goons to beat up Aelytha,” said Jordan.

“That bitch is really taking it far,” said Zane with clenched teeth.

“She is. I wish Altos could do something about it. Those damn council members.” Jordan paused and began to think.

“What about Bruce?” asked Aelytha.

“He’s fixing himself as we speak. Ordo was worried, if he really can feel that emotion,” said Owen

Jordan continued to ponder the situation. He knew he would have to make a huge decision, one that could change the way things played out between him and Altos. Finally, he made his decision and stood up.

“Something up?” asked Zane.

“It seems the time for words is gone. Tresia won’t be negotiated with peacefully. It’s time for use other methods. Owen, you have command of the ship. Zane, you other three, come with me. Make a stop by the armory, then head to the shuttle.

Owen nodded his head. Zane and the other three mercenaries did so as well, knowing the possibly grim work ahead.

Jordan, Zane, and the other three left the medical bay and headed for the armory.

Behind them, Jordan heard Owen mutter something. “I think Tresia just woke a demon.”

Glad you think so!