by Ryk Brown
“Jumping forward ten light years,” Loki acknowledged.
“Kaylah, prep seven recon drones,” Nathan instructed as the bridge momentarily filled with blue-white light.
“Coming about,” Josh announced.
“One for SilTek HQ, the rest for the inner system defense control points,” Nathan continued.
“I’m on it,” Kaylah replied.
“Set them for quick scan and return to this position,” Nathan added.
“Understood.”
“Captain, Cheng,” Vladimir called over Nathan’s comm-set. “We’ve lost twenty percent of our outer hull, and the structural integrity of our main truss is down to thirty percent! I would not advise another jump into the atmosphere!”
“No promises,” Nathan replied, ending the conversation before his engineer could respond. “Jess, load four more nukes. We’ll pick our targets after we get the scans from the recon drones.”
Jessica shook her head as she loaded the nukes. “I’d hate to be living on that world after all this.”
“It’s a simulation,” Nathan reminded her.
“Thankfully,” Jessica replied.
“Turn complete,” Josh reported.
“Loading four more nukes,” Jessica acknowledged.
“Recon drones are ready,” Kaylah announced.
“Launch the drones,” Nathan instructed.
“Launching recon drones.”
“Comms, prepare a comm-drone to jump into low orbit over the fighter plant to broadcast a message to our Eagles and Reapers.”
“Aye, sir,” Naralena acknowledged. “Message?”
“I’ll let you know as soon as our recon drones return,” Nathan replied.
Nathan paused a moment, enjoying the brief respite as they awaited the return of their recon drones.
“What’s next?” Jessica wondered.
“I’m thinking infrastructure,” Nathan replied.
“We only win if we defeat their defenses,” Jessica reminded him, “not take out their toilets.”
“I know,” Nathan assured her. “But they’ve got defenses around infrastructure as well.”
“Respectfully recommend we finish off all command and control first,” Jessica suggested.
“Understood,” Nathan replied, thrown off by her use of the word ‘respectfully’. For a moment, he wondered if it was really Jessica or a simulation of her.
“Recon drone from SilTek has returned,” Kaylah announced. “HQ is still standing, as is their C and C alternate. HQ still has ten percent main shield strength; alternate has twenty.”
“They don’t joke around when it comes to their shields, do they,” Jessica commented. “All missiles are loaded and ready. You still want to target infrastructure?”
“Yes,” Nathan replied. “Particularly their main power station to the west of HQ.”
“That shield is at full strength,” Kaylah warned. “It’s going to take more than a few nukes to bring it down.”
“Jess, target whatever infrastructure you like, but put all four on a thirty-second jump delay. I want to follow up with two more missiles. One for HQ, and one for that power plant.”
“Nukes again?” Jessica surmised.
“For HQ, yes,” Nathan replied, “but let’s send an antimatter warhead to the power plant. I want the thing gone, along with all of its defenses.”
“An antimatter warhead?” Jessica confirmed.
“That’s correct.”
Kaylah turned around to face Nathan. “I know it’s a simulation and all, but an antimatter warhead will not only take out the power plant and all its defenses, but it will also take a sizable chunk out of the planet. I’m talking a medium-sized city, here.”
“That’ll work,” Nathan replied calmly.
Kaylah shrugged, turning back around.
Nathan thought for a moment, then asked, “What will that do to the stability of the planet?”
Kaylah turned back again. “One? Not much… unless it opens up a massive underground pocket of magma or something.”
“SilTek is still volcanically active, right?”
“Yes,” Kaylah replied. “In fact, they still have quite a few of their original thermal power plants in operation.”
“Jess, change the nuke for SilTek’s HQ to a second antimatter warhead. Target the same point as the first, detonate on impact. Set it for a thirty-second jump delay. Also load two more single-jump nukes. After all four are away, we’ll reload with four more.”
“Are you trying to crack the planet open?” Jessica wondered as she input the change in missile loads.
“It would defeat their defenses,” Nathan commented, grinning.
“I am so glad this is just a simulation,” Kaylah said to herself, turning back to face her console.
“We will have used more than half our nukes by then,” Jessica commented.
“The other recon drones are returning,” Kaylah announced. “All six inner system defense control points have been destroyed.”
“Warhead has been changed,” Jessica updated. “Loading two more nukes. Targets?”
“Same as the antimatter warheads. Have them jump in at ground level and set to detonate on impact.”
Jessica shook her head. Simulation or not, this felt brutal.
“We are on course for the next attack run,” Loki reported. “Jump plot?”
“Hold course for now,” Nathan replied.
“Holding course and speed,” Josh acknowledged.
“Comms, message for all Reapers and Eagles: Retreat to rally point and await further instructions. Reply when clear of SilTek.”
“Message loaded,” Naralena replied.
“Launch the comm-drone.”
“comm-drone away.”
“So, no more jumping into the atmosphere?” Jessica surmised.
“Don’t want to give our simulated Vladimir a heart attack,” Nathan replied.
“Two nukes and two antimatter missiles are on the rails and ready to launch,” Jessica reported.
“Captain, if I may?” the Aurora’s AI asked.
“Yes, Aurora?” Nathan replied.
“I believe it is unnecessary to use your antimatter weapons. I have calculated that you can destroy SilTek’s headquarters and their secondary command and control bunker, thereby defeating their defenses and achieving a victory condition, using your nuclear weapons alone. It is not necessary to destroy the entire planet.”
“It’s a simulation,” Nathan reminded her.
“I am simply offering a less drastic approach,” Aurora replied.
“One that will be less effective in the grand scheme of things,” Nathan pointed out.
“I’m afraid I do not understand,” Aurora admitted.
“You don’t have to.”
Jessica exchanged glances with Kaylah as she went about her tasks at the tactical console.
“New contact,” Kaylah reported. “Comm-drone.”
“Message from Commander Verbeek, Captain,” Naralena announced. “All Eagles and Reapers are at the rally point.”
“Very well,” Nathan replied. “Mister Sheehan, jump us back into the SilTek system at a distance of one five hundred thousand kilometers. Standard orbital approach speed.”
“Not combat speed?” Loki verified.
“That is correct.”
“They’ve still got missile launchers operating on the surface,” Jessica warned.
“They won’t be operating for long,” Nathan assured her.
“Jump plotted and ready,” Loki reported.
“Stand by on the antimatter weapons,” Nathan instructed. “Once they’re away, reload their rails with nukes.”
“Already in the queue,” Jessica assured him.
“Take us in, Mister Sh
eehan,” Nathan ordered.
“Jumping in three……two……one.”
The blue-white jump flash washed over the bridge, and the image of the planet SilTek appeared at the center of the main view screen. At their current distance, the planet filled only a fraction of the forward section of the massive, semi-spherical screen, but it was growing with each passing second as the ship closed the distance between them.
“Launch the antimatter missiles,” Nathan ordered calmly.
“Launching two,” Jessica replied, taking a deep breath and pressing the launch button. The process was no different than launching any other missile, but even though it was just a simulation, pressing that button felt far more ominous than usual.
Two green launch confirmation lights appeared on the missile control console. “Missiles away,” she reported. “Loading two more nukes.”
Nathan watched the main view screen as the first missile jumped away and the second one coasted toward the approaching planet. A split second later, there was a small flash of light on the surface of the planet. It seemed harmless enough from so far away, but the mere fact that it was visible at this distance was frightening.
“SilTek is attempting to access my core,” Aurora reported. “I have sent a false confirmation signal back to them as planned.”
“Understood.”
“Second antimatter weapon jumping in three……two……one…” Jessica reported.
A small blue-white jump flash appeared directly ahead of them, and a second later, another white light in the exact same spot on the surface of the distant planet.
“Launch all four nukes,” Nathan instructed. “Five second spacing, reload as they leave.”
“Launching four; five second intervals,” Jessica acknowledged. “First missile is away.”
“New contacts,” Kaylah reported. “Six missiles just jumped in. Twenty seconds to impact.”
“Point-defenses are firing,” Jessica announced. “Second missile is away.”
“As soon as the last missile launches, turn twenty degrees to starboard and jump ahead to two hundred thousand kilometers,” Nathan instructed.
“Understood,” Josh replied.
“Third missile is away,” Jessica reported. “Four inbounds intercepted, two coming.”
“Turning to starboard,” Josh reported.
“Five seconds to impact,” Kaylah warned. “Four…”
“Fourth missile is away!” Jessica announced.
“Jump us ahead, Mister Sheehan,” Nathan instructed.
“Three…”
“Jumping.”
“Two…”
After the blue-white jump flash, Nathan switched the main view screen to angle to port, just in time to see the planet come apart. There was no massive explosion. The planet simply began to separate into several large sections, each of them cleaved apart by the force of the pressurized gases trapped within her core for millions of years. What was once a perfect sphere became oddly distorted, until finally, Nathan could make out at least a dozen distinctly separate pieces.
“Now, that’s something you don’t see every day,” Josh exclaimed.
“Oh my God,” Kaylah exclaimed. “How inappropriate can you get?”
“It’s a simulation!” Josh defended.
At that moment, everything went black.
* * *
Nathan opened his eyes and found himself back in the simulation room with the android technician removing his neuro interface headgear.
“You cheated!” General Pellot exclaimed as his android technician removed his restraints.
“I did nothing of the sort,” Nathan defended calmly.
“The challenge was to defeat our defenses, not destroy the entire planet!”
“And in doing so, we did defeat your defenses,” Nathan insisted as his restraints were removed.
“There is no value in destroying an opponent’s entire world,” the general insisted.
“The general does make sense,” Inspector Wells agreed. “The purpose of the contest was to pit the Aurora against the defenses of SilTek.”
“You said the victory condition was the destruction of SilTek’s defenses,” Nathan reminded him. “We fulfilled that condition.”
“You may as well have hurled an asteroid at us!” the general argued angrily.
Nathan was beginning to get annoyed. “Apparently you missed the entire point of the simulation,” he told the general. “To demonstrate just how vulnerable your world is.”
“I repeat, there is nothing to be gained by destroying your opponent’s entire world!”
“Except to put the fear of a similar fate in the minds of all those you subjugate,” Jessica added.
“Was that your purpose?” Miss Bindi wondered. “To show us what happens to those who oppose your alliance?”
“It is not us you should fear, Miss Bindi,” Nathan stated calmly. “I think you know that.” He turned back toward the general as both men rose from their respective simulation loungers. “Both the Dusahn and the Jung regularly glass entire worlds just to demonstrate what happens to those who oppose them. They even tried to destroy Earth when we first drove them from our world. When the Dusahn come—and trust me, should we fail to defeat them, they will come—they won’t come at you with a single ship. They’ll bring an entire battle group. At that point, all the missiles in the world will not save you. You’ll have to choose between extinction and servitude, and if you choose the latter, pray that they don’t wipe out half your population just to make you easier to control. After all, it is your automation they want, not your people.”
“If that is the case, then what are we to do?” Miss Bindi wondered.
“You must take the fight to the enemy,” Nathan replied. “Standing one’s ground only results in one thing: the scorching of one’s own ground. You have the technology and the infrastructure to not only defeat the Dusahn, but to prevent such atrocities…anywhere. That is a responsibility one cannot turn away from. Your fatal flaw is your lack of military experience and expertise, no insult intended,” he added, looking at the general.
“We are not joining their alliance!” General Pellot insisted. “And we are not giving you anything, even if you pay for it!” he told Nathan.
“Can I punch him this time?” Jessica begged.
Nathan just looked at her and smiled.
“General Pellot,” Miss Bindi interrupted. “You will return to your duties.”
“Miss Bindi,” the general began to argue.
Miss Bindi stood firm, giving him a stern look.
“You cannot possibly…”
“This is not for us to decide,” Miss Bindi told the general. “Your presence is no longer needed.”
General Pellot scowled at Nathan for a moment, then straightened his jacket and departed without another word.
Once he was gone, Miss Bindi turned to Inspector Wells. “I believe the ruling is your responsibility, Inspector.”
Yes, of course,” the inspector replied nervously. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then spoke. “There were no parameters prohibiting the destruction of SilTek. The purpose of the simulation was to match our defenses against the might of the Aurora and her crew. It is quite obvious that the Aurora was the victor, despite the overly aggressive tactics that were used.”
Miss Bindi turned to look at Nathan. “You shall receive what you need, free of charge, and SilTek will honor its commitment to join your alliance. That was the wager.”
“Keep your free stuff and your membership in our alliance,” Nathan told her. “We don’t want you to help us because you lost a bet; we want you to help us because you believe it is the right thing to do.”
Miss Bindi looked toward the inspector. “Your duties here are completed, Inspector.”
Inspector Wells looked at Mis
s Bindi, then at Nathan and his crew, who by now had gathered around their captain. “Well done, Captain,” he said, nodding respectfully. “I congratulate you all.”
Again Miss Bindi waited until the inspector and all the android technicians had left before she spoke. “Captain, we fully intended to join your alliance from the day you first invited us, but not solely for the reasons you have so passionately espoused. We fully understand the threat the Dusahn pose to SilTek and humanity. It is, after all, one of the reasons we have recently ventured into the business of war, as distasteful as it may be. However, there is another reason, one nearly as compelling, and one we are ashamed to admit. Over the last century, our civilization has become too dependent on our AIs. They are extremely useful. However, we have given them too much responsibility. This has weakened our people by making us dependent upon them. One of the unfortunate traits of humanity is that if you remove the struggle to survive and hand us all we need, we are more than happy to accept it. An alliance with the Karuzari is precisely what our people need, not only to protect us from evil, but to protect us from ourselves. Therefore, we offer our technology and our loyalty, not because you have won the contest, but because you are willing to risk everything to protect others.”
Nathan looked confused.
“You see, many have come to us with similar tales of woe,” Miss Bindi continued, “and have sworn that they only wished to protect the weak and the innocent. In every case, their true desires were selfish. You have sacrificed everything, even your own life, for your beliefs. We cannot ask for more. You have an ally in SilTek, Captain Scott. Now please return to your ship, and we will meet tomorrow to discuss how best to proceed.” Without another word, Miss Bindi turned and headed for the exit.
“Holy crap,” Jessica muttered in disbelief. She looked at Nathan, her mouth agape. “I can’t believe you did it.”
“We did it,” Nathan corrected as the rest of them cheered.
“Let’s get back to the Aurora,” Nathan said. “The real Aurora.”
“Hey!” Josh requested, as they all headed for the exit. “Can I get one of those flying cars they got here?”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Nathan and Vladimir met Miss Bindi and her entourage as they descended the ramp of their shuttle and stepped onto the deck of the Aurora’s main hangar bay.
