The Serendipity of Freedom Part 13 Serendipity
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The Serendipity Of Freedom Part 10: Homecoming free porn video
Author's note:
Please feel free to post this story to any free site, as long as the following conditions are
met. It shall not be posted to any site charging a fee for reading it, either direct or
indirect (avs), the story remains fully intact, and the original author shall be credited in
entirety.
This story contains harsh language and scenes of a frank sexual nature and is not
suitable for younger readers. Also if you are offended by Transgendered, Gay, and
Lesbian themes, please be gone...this is not the story for you (unless your morbid
curiosity gets the better of you (*grin*), but consider yourself warned).
This story is dedicated to my beloved friend and soul mate who passed away in
November of 2002. Dana, I will always miss you terribly.
I would like to thank those that helped me with the proofing and structure of the story.
I would love to hear any and all constructive feedback. Please feel free to post or Email
me with your comments.
--Lisa Grey ([email protected] )
The Serendipity of Freedom
By Lisa Grey
Part 10: Homecoming
Chapter 33
Once again we stood in the docking bay of Talia's ship. She had taken us to the edge
of Drandian space and had provided us with nav data for the heretofore-unexplored
region of space bordering the human sphere. This, it was hoped, would allow us to
make contact with the fringe colonies and hammer out an agreement with them.
Talia was once again holding little Brock, who was clutching her possessively. He
seemed intent on not letting her go. She nuzzled his neck again affectionately.
"I am sorry, little one, but you must go with your parents," she explained to him. "They
have big important things to do and they can not stay any longer. Perhaps when things
have been resolved you can come visit me again."
"I don't wanna go, Auntie Tally," Brock said tearfully.
"I know little one," she purred. "I can feel your pain. But your place is with your parents.
They love you very much and they need you to be brave for them."
"Okay, Auntie Tally," Brock said, wiping tears from his eyes. "I love you, Auntie Tally."
"I love you too, little one," Talia said tenderly. "Good journeys to you until we meet
again."
He reluctantly let go of her and let Miri take him. The others had already said their
good-byes and disappeared down the umbilical. I smiled, with just a hint of sadness.
What was happening here was very special, given it was basically the first human
interaction with an alien race. Talia turned to me.
"Good journeys to you as well, Valerie Callaway," She said, offering her hands in the
Drandian form of a handshake. "I hope the beginnings of what has been forged
between our two peoples blossoms into a great alliance when your people are ready for
it."
"Thank you, Talia," I said taking her hands. "I'm profoundly in your debt for the
hospitality that you and your people have shown us. I hope someday to be worthy of it."
"Just take care of that young one and teach him the admirable qualities you have shown
time and time again," she said, smiling. "That will be enough."
I dropped her hands and gave her a hug that, at first, surprised her but then returned
with crushing enthusiasm, reminding me that I was still pretty beat up and not quite
healed yet. Miri handed me little Brock after I released Talia and followed suit.
"Farewell, my friends," Talia called after us down the umbilical with...was that a tear in
her eye?
We undocked with the Drandian vessel and made ready for our jump out of Drandian
space. A month later, we arrived at the appointed place were we were to meet with the
Fringe Colony Resistance Movement leadership. We spent a month there as Samsual
Keller shined in his role as diplomat.
The Resistance had heard of our exploits and were greatly impressed with the
agreement we had struck with the Drandians. Still, they were reluctant to commit too
heavily to the defense of the Zone. However, it was decided that they would provide us
with raw material and labor to begin building a fleet to take the battle to the TSN. In
return, we would provide them with nextgen warships that would be crewed by their
people.
To protect their investment, they surprised us with one of their greatest coups. They
had a whole TSN Dreadnought, the Excalibur, defect to them after the crew successfully
mutinied. They sent the Dreadnought to escort us since the TSN was out for our blood,
and, in return for this protection, we agreed to retrofit the Dreadnought with some of the
new improvements we planned.
During the return trip to the Zone, Sam traveled on the Dreadnought, preferring a ship
more spacious if not more luxurious. That worked for us since we could give Brock his
own cabin and Miri and I could get some much-needed alone time. It would also make
things more comfortable for us, I realized. We had never fully accepted Sam into our
crew because he didn't share the bonds the boys, Miri and I had developed in the TSN.
He was basically a burden, someone we had to take care of if things went sour.
Our return voyage to the Zone was surprisingly uneventful given that we were the most
hunted ship in the history of the TSN. That's not to say we didn't run into any TSN
ships, but they were mostly picket ships and faded away as soon as they sighted us.
The few large ships we encountered declined to engage both the Duality Too and the
Excalibur at the same time. They likewise faded back.
By the time we reached the last jump without any concerted resistance, I was sure that
the next jump would have a nasty surprise waiting for us, courtesy of the TSN. I called
a conference with the officers of the Excalibur. It was decided to hold it on board the
Dreadnought, so I utilized the capability of the Duality Class corvette that made her so
versatile. I docked her in the fighter bay of the dreadnought and we joined the officers
in the planning room.
"It's clear to me," I addressed the assembled officers, "that the TSN is planning
something. We didn't come this far unchallenged for them to just let us waltz right
home."
"Maybe they will," the Excalibur's engineering officer commented. "Maybe they have
more important things to worry about that one small ship of outlaws, no matter how
badly they are wanted."
"It could be that they are gathering their forces to mount an offensive against the
Resistance, or even to invade the Zone," the Tactical officer theorized.
"Unlikely," I said. "They have been monitoring us for sometime now, and in spite of our
round about course, they know very well where we are headed. I don't think they fully
recognize the threat we present to the Terran government due to the Drandian
assistance, but they must figure that we have struck a deal with the Resistance, and
they will be keen to stop that from bearing fruit."
"Also the chance to eliminate or recapture a plum like the Excalibur would be a real
feather in some task force commander's cap," Brian observed. "No, I think Valerie is
right. We are way too high profile for the TSN to ignore us."
"So, assuming you're right, Captain Callaway, and the next jump dumps us into a shit
storm," Captain Evan Russell asked, "what do we do about it?
I grinned wryly at him. He was a good officer and just the type that I liked to have at my
back when things got dicey. He was also real cute, in a rugged cowboy sort of way.
Where did that come from? Sheesh, I must be getting daft or something.
"Well, first we have to consider their options. Put ourselves in their position," I said.
"They could mass their ships around the hyperspace exit point, in which case we are
toast, but that assumes they know for sure which exit point we will use. They have
probably surmised that we are getting past the Drone guarded point somehow, but they
don't know that for sure. IF they do have their ships massed around that point and we
go through it we are toast. However, for all they know, we could be using another exit
point that they don't know about."
"So we could use another exit point," The tactical officer suggested. "We may have to
fight off a few ships but it would be doable with our combined firepower."
"It would also be risky. If one of us took damage, " Miri explained, "whatever task force
they have amassed there, and you can bet there is one, would easily catch us and cut
us to ribbons."
"Here's what I would do if I were in their place," I suggested. "I would keep my task
force of ambushing ships back, perhaps hedging my bets by placing the group closer to
the jump point I suspected my opponent would be coming in at. I would set picket ships
on all the jump points in the area and maintain constant hyperwave communications
with them. I might set smaller delaying forces at some of the more remotely located
possibilities to give my main force time to get there and engage, but I wouldn't amass
around any one jump point. To much of a chance that my adversary would have
intelligence that would let him jump in at a point too far away for me to catch him."
"That's what I would to as well," Captain Russell agreed, nodding. "So where does that
leave us?"
"Nowhere good," I said, "but it does at least give us some room to maneuver. There is
a chance that if we jumped in and were able to destroy the picket ship before they could
get a message off that would buy us some time to get lost. Then they would have to
find us again and wouldn't know how much of a lead we had on them."
"And if they do get a message off?" one of the other officers asked.
"Well, I am betting that they don't have the grand fleet waiting for us," I said with a grin.
"They probably have what they feel is overwhelming force, probably a Dreadnought, two
heavy cruisers and a few smaller ships. The Dreadnought would be the most
dangerous ship, obviously, but the Excalibur has the armor and firepower to trade blows
with one. That would leave us to deal with her escorts. Here's what I propose..."
Some time later we had a plan hammered out that everyone agreed on. It was time for
me to bring up a point I had been dreading through out the meeting.
"Because I give the Excalibur a far better chance to get through this than my lighter
ship, if it would be alright with you, Captain Russell," I said, bracing myself for the
coming explosion, "I would like to transfer Miri and my son to the Excalibur until we get
back into the Zone."
"VALERIE NICOLE CALLAWAY!" Miri detonated right on cue. "If it would be alright with
HIM?!? What about if it's alright with ME, because it ISN'T! HOW DARE YOU even
think about sending me away from your side when you are about to be in harm's way?
If you think I will just let you do this, GUESS AGAIN, MISSY!"
Miri stood there glaring at me, green eyes alight with withering fire. The people around
the room blanched and looked as if they were about to duck for cover as I evenly met
Miri's gaze. I turned my gaze to Captain Russell and arched an eyebrow inquiringly.
He put up his hands indicating that as far as he was concerned this was a family matter
and he didn't want to be involved. I couldn't blame him really, with Miri glowering at him
like a force of nature.
"Captain Callaway," Russell said diplomatically, "Commander Flowers and your child
would be welcome on board the Excalibur, but to be honest, I don't think you have a
snowball's chance in hell of getting her," he jerked a thumb at the ash blonde Valkyrie
standing a few feet away radiating ire, "to agree to it."
I glanced at Miri who was now grinning smugly, knowing that I couldn't make her stay
without the assistance that had just been declined. I turned back and winked at the
Captain, then drew my dart gun and shot Miri. The look of betrayal on her face as she
collapsed from the tranq dart cut me to my very soul and haunted me for the rest of my
days.
"She's all yours, Captain," I said tightly. "I suggest you put her in the brig. She's apt to
be a might unpleasant when she wakes up." With that, I spun on my heel and walked
quickly back to my ship before I lost control of my emotions.
Chapter 34
"Do you think that was such a good idea?" Brian asked me when he caught up to me on
board the Duality Too.
"No," I said with a sigh. "It was the worst thing I have ever done in my life. I feel terrible
about it, but to keep her and Brock safe I would do it again, every time."
"How much safer do you think they will be riding that big target," Brian said. It was clear
he was a bit miffed at me.
"Brian, don't you understand?" I asked. "Our chances of surviving this are about non-
existent. Sure, they will be wary of the firepower of the Excalibur, but it's us they will be
gunning for. Once they see she is not trying to engage them they will concentrate on
us. I plan to make it that way by dealing out as much damage as I can. As long as the
Excalibur gets through, we are expendable."
"Okay, I agree that it was a good thing to get Brock on to the Excalibur, but don't you
think you should have let Miri decide for herself what to do?" Brian rejoined.
"No, because she would have made a choice from weakness," I said, slumping against
the wall. "Her desire to protect me would have made her stay with me, and I can't let
our son lose both of us."
"I understand," Brian said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You know she will never
forgive you for this, if by some chance we live through it."
"As long as she's alive by the time it's over she can hate me all she wants to," I said as
the dam began to crumble.
Brian felt my shoulder begin to tremble as my control slipped. He spun me around and
held me tightly as I cried softly into his chest.
Once I managed to pull myself together, I set about making ready to put our plan into
action. The two ships jumped together because we might need the firepower to take
out and picket ships on station. We made ready and on the signal, I felt the double jolt.
As soon as we dropped into normal space we began taking incoming fire. We began
evasive maneuvers, but as the sensor data began coming in it was clear the fire was
coming in from two picket ships mounting heavy lasers. Our Drandian Energy Shield
(DES) absorbed the energy and our hull paint wasn't even blistered. The first Picket
ship exploded as return fire from the Excalibur gutted it. The second had taken
advantage of the initial confusion to send off an encrypted burst before it to
disintegrated in a cloud of expanding gasses. So much for surprise, but at least our
bypass was still working because the drone was as quiet as ever.
"Okay, Captain Russell, I am starting my run," I said. "Lets hope they assume that
you were just escorting us this far and leave you be until it's too late."
"Roger that, Valerie. Holding position," Russell said, "Good luck."
As the scope lit up with incoming ships, I firewalled the throttles and headed toward the
asteroid field. There were eight contacts in all. It was worse than we thought. There
was one dreadnought, which we expected, but it was clear from her escorts that they
were loaded for bear. They were two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers and three
destroyers. As we began to gain speed, the incoming ships vectored to follow me, just
like we had planned. They were closing range on me when suddenly the Dreadnought
and a heavy and light cruiser flipped and began to burn toward the direction of the
Excalibur. "Damn!" I swore, recalling the old adage about battle plans and enemies and
the one not surviving contact.
As the remaining attackers closed on us, I flipped the Duality Too to bring her weapons
to bear on the incoming ships. Our range was a little greater than theirs so I got the first
shot in. I sent the first shot right down the throat of the light cruiser, causing major
damage. She slowed a bit but kept on coming. I launched a full spread of nukes at the
Heavy and sent another shot into the light cruiser. Then I had to start making evasive
maneuvers to dodge the incoming PBC fire. Our missiles failed to hit their mark, but on
proximity, detonated and took out the two turret batteries on the lower side of the heavy
cruiser. That cut its firepower in half, leaving only the upper batteries. I sent a third
shot into the light cruiser and it began to tumble, dead in space and venting
atmosphere.
I launched another full spread of missiles at the heavy and the Duality Too took a major
hit on the port drive strut. We lost our missile batteries on that side. Our point defenses
were constantly firing now as incoming missiles came in one wave after another. The
last full spread I had launched found its mark and the heavy cruiser light up in nuclear
fire. That left the three destroyers. Three big slow destroyers with two PBC turrets
apiece. Four under-powered PBC's whose effectiveness was further degraded by the
fact that our DES absorbed 30 percent of their damage potential. As damaged as we
were, they were toast.
As I watched the last Destroyer go dead in space as it out gassed cabin pressure, I
called for a damage report from Dan.
"It's not good, Val," Dan said grimly. "We've lost the upper aft point defense turret. Our
port missile batteries are gone, and it's a wonder we haven't lost the port secondary
drive yet. It won't take too much more stress before it tears away. Our starboard
secondary took a hit and is down to 50 percent capacity. Our armor is paper thin in
places, but we are holding cabin pressure..." About then an alarm siren went off and my
ears popped from pressure loss for a moment before cabin pressure returned.
"Correction, we have just lost cabin pressure in the engineering section. Airtight doors
deployed and holding. On the plus side, our main drive is running at 100 percent and
we have 100 percent reactor availability, our DES is still on line and in the green, our
main gun is online, and our starboard Missile tubes are functional, although we only
have one shot per tube left."
"Alright boys," I said. "We still have some fight left in us, lets go see if we can get the
rest of the bad guys off the Excalibur. Do we still have stealth mode?"
"Affirmative, Valerie," Dan said.
I firewalled the throttles back the way we had come, praying we weren't too late. We
came upon the second light cruiser limping along crippled by the Excalibur's fire. I
would have passed her by and left her be, but as we came in range, she began to fire at
us. I finished her with a main gun shot to her drives and she quit firing. We soon got
the Excalibur's IFF on our scope and I made for it. I gasped as we came into visual
range. She was taking a beating. Her fire had been effective though. The enemy
dreadnought was down to 25 percent of its full firepower and the other heavy cruiser
was trailing atmosphere. One of her turrets appeared to be damaged and useless.
I fired our PBC into her drives and she began to fall back. The Duality Too was still no
match for even a damaged dreadnought and one good hit and we would be vapor. The
same went for the Excalibur. She was limping, having sustained drive damage, and
most of her turrets were destroyed. It was time to negotiate. I opened a channel to the
TSN dreadnought.
"TSN dreadnought, this is Valerie Callaway, requesting a cease-fire," I broadcast in the
clear.
"Well, well, well, we meet again MISS Callaway," a familiar face said. It was Captain
Edmunds and the Aquinas. "Why would I want to cease fire at this point? You are
beaten. You can't hope to take out the Aquinas with your little ship, no matter how full
of surprises it is."
I looked at my readout and saw that most of the point defense turrets on the port side of
the Aquinas were destroyed. I also saw that we were very close to the blockade line,
though we had all stopped when I made my transmission.
"Because Captain Edmunds, I still have one ace up my sleeve. I have four nukes left
and you have a very vulnerable port side," I explained. "You're right, I can't trade blows
with you, but I can still take you out. However, I can't be sure that I can do it before you
take out the Excalibur. Please don't destroy that ship, Captain Edmunds. My life
partner and child are aboard her. Here's what I am offering. If you let her go, I will
surrender myself and my crew to you as soon as the Excalibur crosses the line and gets
out of weapons range."
"You will surrender to me?" Captain Edmunds asked incredulously. "All I have to do is
let the Excalibur cross the blockade?"
"Valerie, ARE YOU NUTS!" came a voice over the comm. It was Miri on the Excalibur.
"You WILL NOT surrender yourself, cause I owe you an ass kicking!"
"Shut up, Miri, I'm doing this to ensure your safety and that of our son," I snapped,
"What do you say, Captain? Do we have a deal?"
Miri sputtered and Edmunds looked pensive.
"Okay, Callaway, you have a deal," Edmunds said after a minute.
"I have your word of honor that you will let them go, right?" I asked.
"You have my word of honor, Callaway. They are free to go," Edmunds confirmed. Miri
made a strangled gasp.
"Valerie, how dare you leave me after I pulled you ass out of that TSN brig," Miri ranted.
"You complete BITCH. I love you, dammit."
"I know," I told her as the Excalibur began to limp away. "I love you too, both of you,
more than life itself. Do right by our son, Miri. Take care of each other, my love." I
reached out and touched the view screen where her face was displayed. Tears were
flowing from those emerald green eyes for the first time I could remember. She had
always been the strong one of the two of us.
Just then a new voice came across the comm.
"This is the TSN light cruiser Raptor," yet another familiar voice said. "Captain
Edmunds, you can disregard your deal with the enemy now, I will take care of the
enemy dreadnought while you deal with the other scum." It was Kim Li.
"Negative Raptor, I have given my word of honor," Edmunds said. "Hold your fire."
"Your word of honor means nothing to criminals and traitorous mutineers, Captain
Edmunds," Kim Li said. "These scum are all wanted by the Terran government and it is
our duty to bring them to justice."
"What do you know of justice, Li," Captain Edmunds said acidly. "I am sick and tired of
swallowing my honor for the justice of the Terran government. Break off and do not fire.
That's an order from a superior officer."
"It's an illegal order and not one I am obligated to follow," Kim said.
"Kim, please, you were our friend," I implored her. "Miri and our child are on that ship. I
am begging you, please don't fire on her."
"All I wanted to be all my life was a naval officer," Kim said sharply. "It's everything to
me. It sickens me the way you all threw it away so blithely. Your deviant lifestyle
sickens me. I am no friend of yours, pervert."
"Well, you owe your career to a bunch of deviants and perverts," I said bitterly. "You
would have washed out of the academy without our help."
"Big deal," Kim dismissed. "I owe you nothing, freak. Prepare to die."
"Don't do this, Li," Edmunds warned her one last time as she crossed into weapons
range.
Kim opened fire with a full salvo. The Excalibur took a critical hit on her drive section
and her drives went offline. Then something amazing happened. The Aquinas opened
fire on Kim's ship and before she could get another shot, the remaining batteries on the
Excalibur join in, along with the Duality Too's PBC. In seconds the Raptor's reactor
went critical and she was incinerated in the ensuing nuclear conflagration.
After a moments pause as what had just happened sunk in, I said to Captain Edmunds,
"Thank you for that, Sir, but now it seems we have a problem."
"Oh?" Edmunds asked with a raised and very bushy eyebrow.
"Yessir," I said. "As per the terms of our deal, I would surrender to you only when the
Excalibur crossed the line and got out of gunnery range. Her drives are destroyed and
she won't be getting across the line without help."
"So I have noticed, Miss Callaway," Edmunds commented dryly.
"You also have another problem," I said, knowing full well that he was acutely aware of
his position. "You have just open fire on and destroyed a TSN vessel. While you might
have gotten away with letting one ship go to capture me, they will execute you for the
other."
"Indeed," he said. "So what do you suggest we do about that?"
"Join us, Captain Edmunds," I said. "We can deploy the mooring grapples, lock both
ships together and slip them across the line to safety. I'm sure with your experience you
will be a valuable asset to the Resistance and the Zone in the coming war. You are a
good man, Captain. It's time to take a stand for what's right."
"You make a compelling case, Miz Callaway, but I need to talk to my crew," Edmunds
said. "I won't force them into exile with me."
"By all means, Captain," I granted magnanimously, "but don't take too long, or we will be
fighting off more TSN ships and at this point I don't think any of us can take much
more."
-=|=-
Read on, in the next part, as Valerie seems to fall apart in the face of the consequences
wrought by her decisions to save her lover and child at the line. Meanwhile, unseen
forces plot Valerie's downfall.
--LCG
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