by Ryk Brown
“Well, don’t get too excited,” Nathan warned. “It’s still a few months away, at best.”
“What about Earth?” she asked.
“What about it?”
“How are you going to get rid of Galiardi?”
Now Nathan looked confused. “I wasn’t planning on doing so, to be honest.”
“He is starting a war, Nathan,” Miri insisted.
“With the Jung, yes. I have no problem with that.”
“But it isn’t warranted,” Miri argued. “They didn’t violate the terms of the cease-fire, we did.”
“Technically, you didn’t,” Nathan pointed out. “The Sol-Alliance responded to what they perceived to be an act of war by the Jung.”
“Galiardi knew damned well that it wasn’t the Jung. You said so yourself. In fact, it was you who told us. He killed our father, Nathan. He killed our entire family. How can you ignore that?”
“Galiardi will get what he deserves,” Nathan promised. “By my hand, or by another’s. But the war he has started is not our war to fight.”
“What if the Jung have more ships than he thinks?” Miri argued. “Millions could die. They took Earth once; they could take it again.”
“And if they do, we will respond, but not like before. I’m not running back to defend Earth with a single ship, not even one that can jump a thousand light-years.”
“But…” Miri paused, realizing what he had said. “A thousand light-years?” she asked in disbelief. “In a single jump?”
“Well, over two jumps in the same minute, but soon we’ll have it up to a single jump,” Nathan bragged.
“That’s incredible!”
“Yes, it is, but that’s not all. We now have the ability to penetrate the Dusahn’s shields. We took out four of their battleships with barely a scratch, and we’re adding that technology to our jump missiles.”
“Then you could easily take on the Jung if necessary,” she replied. “You could even defeat the Sol-Alliance, if you had to.”
“I’m not firing on ships from Earth,” Nathan warned her. “That’s not what Pop would have wanted.”
“He would have wanted Galiardi arrested and tried for treason,” Miri argued. “He would have wanted justice and democracy for the people of Earth, and all the worlds in the Sol-Alliance. As his son, don’t you feel obligated to make that happen?”
“I do,” Nathan agreed, “but not by attacking our own people.”
“Maybe you don’t have to,” Miri insisted. “Maybe there’s a way to take down Galiardi without firing a shot.”
“I don’t see how,” Nathan replied. “By now, his headquarters on the asteroid base is impenetrable.”
“You’re probably right, but if he’s taken over our father’s position as leader of Earth, as well as the entire alliance, he’s probably not on that asteroid. He’s probably in Winnipeg.”
“Still, the security there is probably just as tight,” Nathan reminded her.
“Yes, but I know people in Winnipeg. I know people in the capital building.”
“I know where you’re going with this, Miri, but there’s a good chance that everyone you knew has been replaced, just like Galiardi did when he took over the fleet.”
“It’s worth looking into, isn’t it?” she begged.
Nathan sighed. “I’ll look into it,” Nathan promised. “But that’s all I can promise, for now.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” she replied, “for now.”
Nathan laughed. “I never could say no to you.”
“That’s because you know I’m always right,” she replied, smiling as best she could.
CHAPTER TWO
“I find myself in the unusual position of offering both condolences and congratulations,” General Telles commented to Prime Minister Andreola as they left Minister Roland’s room.
“Thank you,” Stethan replied.
“I suspect your life is about to get quite complicated,” the general added. “If I may be so bold; I would be more than happy to offer my counsel, should you need it.”
“I would welcome it,” Stethan assured him.
“Perhaps we can meet later, after you have had time to absorb this sudden change of events,” the general suggested.
“I am available now,” Stethan told him.
“Are you certain?”
“I did not know Minister Roland personally,” Stethan explained. “While I respect his service to our people, I see no reason to delay stepping up to the responsibility he and the others have bestowed upon me. To delay would be disrespectful to their intent, considering the circumstances.”
“Then, you already have some matters in mind?” the general surmised.
“Several, but one in particular stands out. You plan to use the Corinari to police Orswella.”
“That is correct.”
“While I appreciate the offer, I think it best for Orswella if we were to police ourselves.”
“Are you certain that is wise?” General Telles wondered.
“No, but there were many who were in favor of the Dusahn occupation. I fear they will portray the presence of foreign forces, no matter how honorable their intentions, as simply another occupying force.”
“And if your own people are policing your world, you deny them that complaint.”
“More importantly, it will inspire hope. The people will see that their government is rebuilding, that we are restoring what we were before the Dusahn occupation.”
“With the recent attacks, such hope is sorely needed,” General Telles said.
“Agreed.”
“Do you have people in mind?” the general wondered.
“We have plenty of Guard officers who can fill command positions,” Stethan told him. “And we can put out a call for applications. It will take a few weeks to get them organized, but perhaps, with the help of the Corinari, we can get the new recruits trained, and serving the community in short order.”
“There is a way we could get your people on the streets even faster,” General Telles said.
“How?”
“Put out the call, put those chosen through some rudimentary training, and then pair them with Corinari partners. That will get them on the streets more quickly. They will be able to interact with the community, with the Corinari providing them with security and consultation as they develop their skills.”
“On-the-job training.”
“Precisely,” General Telles replied.
“An excellent idea, General,” Stethan decided. “I will put out the call for recruits as soon as possible.”
“I will speak to the Corinari.”
* * *
“Captain on the bridge!” the guard barked as Nathan entered.
“Welcome back,” Cameron greeted from near the comms station. “How is Miri?”
“She’s good,” Nathan replied. “She has a long road ahead of her, but she can handle it.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
“A word?” Nathan asked, turning and heading to his ready room.
Cameron followed him into the captain’s ready room at the back of the bridge, closing the hatch behind her. “What’s up?”
“Miri is worried that Galiardi is starting a war,” Nathan said. “She believes he is using the Dusahn’s false-flag op as an excuse to launch a full attack against the Jung, and wipe them out.”
“She may be right,” Cameron said.
Nathan looked shocked.
“At the very least, he’s using it to take over the Sol-Alliance.”
“That much is clear,” Nathan agreed. “I just didn’t think it would go as far as wiping out an entire civilization.”
“Many people on Earth would support that action,” Cameron pointed out.
“But not you,” Nath
an assumed.
“I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t shed a tear if someone else took them down, but I would neither give, nor obey that order myself. That’s why I left.”
“And absconded with a trillion-dollar warship,” Nathan said with a grin.
“Yeah, admiral isn’t in my future, is it.”
“Do you ever regret that decision?” Nathan wondered. “Leaving your world, your family, your friends, knowing you might never be able to return?”
“I have no family,” Cameron reminded him, “other than the people on this ship. However, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t wondered, from time to time, if I did the right thing. I mean, if a war breaks out between the Sol-Alliance and the Jung Empire, they’re going to need all the ships they can get.”
“Yeah, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.” Nathan leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head. “Miri insists that we do something to stop him.”
“Like what?” Cameron wondered.
Nathan took a deep breath and sighed, but said nothing.
“You’re not talking about assassinating him, are you?”
“He does have it coming,” Nathan replied.
“Is that vengeance or reason talking?”
“Are they mutually exclusive?”
“I suppose not,” Cameron admitted.
“Then, it’s a bit of both,” Nathan said. “I’ll admit, I’d love to be the one pulling the trigger, but honestly, I don’t see that happening.”
“Galiardi probably has the best security possible,” Cameron insisted. “It’s also reasonable to assume that by now he has figured out you’re alive. Therefore, you are the one person he expects to try to take him down.”
“Yeah, that occurred to me as well,” Nathan admitted.
“The only way I can see us taking down Galiardi is by defeating the Alliance fleet, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to fire on our own people.”
“There may be a way,” Nathan told her.
“How?”
“I’m not sure yet. It’s just an idea. I have some research to do before I figure out just how dumb of an idea it actually is.”
Cameron smiled. “Well, it least you’re approaching it from the proper perspective. Let me know when you figure it out, and I’ll be happy to advise you of just how dumb it is.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Nathan replied. “How long until we can take the ship out again?”
“Vlad is testing the secondary energy banks right now. We can jump, but no more than two hundred and seventy-five light years, if you still expect to be able to jump back in an emergency.”
“How long until he’s done?” Nathan wondered.
“He is supposed to be finished sometime tonight,” Cameron answered.
“Then I’ll wait until morning,” Nathan decided, rising from the chair behind his desk to depart.
“Where are you planning on taking us?” Cameron wondered.
“Casbon,” Nathan replied.
“Why?”
“Like I said, research.”
* * *
Nathan and Jessica stepped down from the Ranni shuttle, setting foot on the makeshift Casbon airbase.
“Welcome, Captain; Lieutenant Commander,” Commander Prechitt greeted.
“Thank you, commander,” Nathan replied. “Good to see you, Miss Sane,” he remarked to Talisha.
“I was quite surprised when the Aurora showed up on our sensors this morning,” Commander Prechitt admitted. “I hope that everything is all right.”
“Everything is fine,” Nathan assured him. “I just wanted to personally see how things are going here. How are the Casbon pilots progressing?”
“Better than expected, actually,” the commander answered, as they all turned to head for the command building. “Our first ten pilots are already flying patrols on their own.”
“Are they ready for combat?”
“For the most part, yes,” the commander answered. “I’d be more comfortable, though, if all our birds had AI licenses.”
“That’s another reason for our visit,” Nathan informed Commander Prechitt. Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small data chip, handing it over to the commander.
“What’s this?”
“License keys for the rest of your birds,” Nathan replied.
“You’re kidding,” the commander replied, his mouth agape.
“Courtesy of our new, unofficial ally, SilTek.”
“You’ve spoken to them?”
“And how,” Nathan replied, as they entered the command building. “They’ll be providing us with quite a bit of support and technology.”
Commander Prechitt studied the tiny data chip, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. “You could’ve sent this chip in a jump comm drone.”
“You’re right,” Nathan admitted, as they entered the commander’s office.
“So, what’s the real reason you’re here?” the commander questioned, watching Jessica close the door.
“Ever since we kicked the Dusahn’s ass and took the Orswellan system, the Dusahn have been centering their forces on the Takaran system, circling the wagons, so to speak.”
“I’m not familiar with that term,” Commander Prechitt admitted.
“They’re concentrating their forces to protect their most valuable resource,” Nathan explained. “They have decreased their patrol frequency of secondary systems. More importantly, they have moved the dreadnought that was protecting the Darvano system back to Takara.”
“Are you saying the Dusahn have abandoned Corinair?” the commander wondered.
“No, their presence on the planet is unchanged,” Jessica informed him. “They still visit the system a few times per day, but only with cruisers or frigates.”
“Which means we could easily slip in a ground assault force,” Nathan told him.
“You’re talking about liberating Corinair,” the commander realized.
“We are.”
“With what? You only have one hundred Ghatazhak, and last I heard, they had their hands full.”
“We weren’t planning on using the Ghatazhak for this,” Jessica told him.
The light finally went on in the commander’s head. “You want to use the Corinari.”
“Technically, they’re your men,” Nathan told him.
“Technically, I’m their most senior officer, but they’ve sworn their allegiance to you, Captain,” Commander Prechitt argued.
“Corinair is their world,” Nathan replied. “Imagine the effect it will have on your people when their very own Corinari liberate them…with Alliance air support, of course.”
“We’ll jump in, wipe out their support bases and surface defenses first,” Jessica explained. “Then your people hit the streets and deal with whatever’s left, grabbing all the glory,” she added, smiling.
“That easy, huh?”
“Well, nothing is that easy,” Nathan admitted. “There will undoubtedly be losses.”
“Especially on the civilian side,” the commander pointed out.
“We still have contacts on Corinair,” Jessica told him. “We can spread the word.”
“There are always collaborators,” the commander told her. “They might tip off the Dusahn.”
“Like I said, there will be losses,” Nathan repeated.
“It’s not only the initial losses I’m worried about,” Commander Prechitt insisted. “Takara is only four point four light years away. Corinair will be under constant threat of attack.”
“The Aurora can now jump one thousand light years at once,” Nathan explained. “In a few weeks, maybe a month, we’ll have two completely independent jump systems, which means we will be able to jump between any allied systems, and back, at a moment’s notice.”
“A lot can happen
in a moment,” the commander insisted.
“That’s why we’ll assign a few Orochi to protect the Darvano system, until it too can be outfitted with its own system defenses,” Nathan explained. “Once that is in place, no Dusahn vessel could survive more than a minute inside the system.”
“I’m still not certain why you’re speaking to me about this,” the commander admitted. “Unless…” A look of concern suddenly washed over his face. “The Casbons are not ready for such a mission.”
“I wasn’t going to ask that,” Nathan replied.
“What, then?”
“How long would it take for a Corinari pilot to become proficient in a Nighthawk?”
“Corinari pilots go through very extensive training,” the commander assured him. “Once completed, they can fly just about anything…proficiently.”
“Then, one or two hops?”
“Most likely,” the commander replied, “especially if they have AIs.”
“If we park a few Orochi in orbit over Casbon, will they be adequately protected from the Ahka?”
“Have their upgrades been completed?” the commander asked.
“The first four now have guns and shields,” Jessica told him. “The rest will be ready in a few weeks.”
“How many is a few?” the commander asked.
“Three or four,” Nathan replied.
“That would do it,” the commander agreed. “To be honest, two Orochi would probably be enough. I suppose you’re planning on asking the Casbon to borrow a few more of their Nighthawks?”
“I’m going to ask to borrow all of them,” Nathan replied, “and I’m planning to recall our Eagles as well, assuming it won’t put Casbon at too much risk.”
“We haven’t had an attack since we took out the Ahka base of operation and their defenses,” Commander Prechitt told them. “I don’t think they have the stomach to attack people who are willing to attack them back,” he added, smiling.
Nathan paused, then asked, “What do you think the Casbon will say?”
“A few of their leaders will object,” the commander replied, “if just for political expediency. However, I believe they’ll agree, especially if you are promising them alternate protection while their fighters are away.”
