Page 28 of Agrippa's Acceptance

The proximity alarm blared. Amelagar turned back to the console and swore in a mixture of human and tunrian. “The clone ships are closer than they should be, Agrippa, wake the others,” he said tersely without looking at her. She knew with the cloaking device activated the clones couldn’t hear the alarm, but still.

“Anatu, keep your eyes on that cloak,” he ordered tersely.

Anatu didn’t take her eyes of her tablet. “Yes captain.”

Agrippa initiated the sequence to wake the others. They’d practiced coming out of stasis ready to defend the ship. They were slow from the effect of stasis on their human constitutions. But for the first time she appreciated their insistence on repeating and practicing everything. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and ever slowed down, they were dressed armed and in their seats on the bridge, ready for action. All of them were still too pale and still shaking with the after effects of cryo sleep.

She told them the situation as they woke and everyone sprang into action. Seeing them focus and going where they were needed, she had to admit that Sargeant Bjorn’s relentless drills were paying off.

“How did they get this close?”

Anatu shrugged. “They disappeared and when they reappeared, they were closer with two ships missing.” There was a tenseness in her voice that belied her casual stance.

“The cloaking device kept them from seeing us,” Amelagar said.

“I want to see my human again,” Anutu said. Her fingers flew over the controls. “Cloak working.”

“Focus, no unnecessary talk,” Amelagar said.

The clone ships had been in a war. Two was missing and the others looked the worse for wear. But they’d somehow managed to move much faster than had been calculated.

“What the … what happened to them,” Sargeant Bjorn asked.

“I want to see what is behind the clone ships.” Amelagar plotted a new course, tapping out the coordinates with sharp efficient motions of his fingers.

Anatu tapped on her second tablet. She had a separate tablet for the cloak. “I want to know how this happened. It was only half an hour from the moment they disappeared and reappeared almost on top of us.”

“Shit!” Colonel Farnham said after one look at the viewscreen.

“Fuck!” Sargeant Scott said. “Pardon my French ma‘am.”

All of them stared at the huge fleet flying right at them.

“They will pass beneath us. Anatu, keep that cloak going.”

“Yeah, without it we’re toast,” Sergeant Bjorn said.

“We’re done for anyway,” Scotty Scott muttered.

“How can we take on that?” Blackie asked no one in particular.

Agrippa stared at the ships and for once she wasn’t even aware of being confined in a very small ship. “We have no choice,” she whispered in Tunrian.

Amelagar stared at the ships. “How did they get here so fast?”

“I don’t know, but no matter how many we destroy, they will produce a new ship from the cloning temple. The new ship will have all the memories and knowledge of the war of the previous ship.”

“We’re fucked, pardon my french,” Scotty said.

Chapter Twenty-One

They held a meeting in the mess hall while their ship travelled above the clone ships, in the direction of earth. It was nerve wrecking and Anatu expected the clones to discover than any time.

They continuously scanned a wide circuit to ensure no other ships followed. So far their cloak performed perfectly. Everyone was tense because they knew, the moment it didn’t, they would all be dead or captured. Agrippa doubted the marines had any idea what the clones would do to them. They had millenia of perfecting their cruelty. After a few days, Amelagar left Anatu and a marine on the bridge and the rest of them gathered for lunch.

They sat on the bunk beds and raised the table that was set into the floor. Agrippa had directed every bit of power to the engine, cloak and cryo chambers. Unlike the Rising Sun, this ship couldn’t massage aching backs or form tables.

Agrippa stood from her chair on the bridge and stretched. “Anatu, I will monitor while I eat, I will be quick so you can relax and eat as well.”

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