At Circle's End

by Ian J. Malone

  “You don’t understand, sir,” Danny pleaded, tears starting to fall. “Masterson told me! He told me I was the one he…”

  “It wasn’t your—”

  “Yes, it is!” Danny roared. “It always is! Don’t you see? It was my job to protect her, my job to take care of her, and I failed at both because that’s what I do when shit’s on the line and nobody’s there but me—I fail! It happened before, it happened with Madisyn, and it’ll happen again. I just can’t seem to—”

  Wylon fought back Danny’s protests, slapping away fist after fist and forearm after forearm, to pull him into an embrace. “It’s all right, son. Just let it go. It wasn’t your fault, you hear me? You are not a failure, and tons of people on both sides of this war will attest to that. I’m one of them.”

  “But I couldn’t save her, sir.” Danny whimpered into the man’s chest. “God help me, I tried, but I just couldn’t—”

  “It’s all right.” Wylon shushed him. “It’s gonna be all right. Just take it easy.”

  Hard as he’d tried to keep himself together, Danny couldn’t fight it anymore, nor did he want to. The levy broke, and ten months of guilt, grief, loss, and anguish spilled out in a saline-filled deluge onto Rick Wylon’s shoulder.

  Once it was over, Wylon returned Danny to his chair then sat down across from him and took his hands. “Remember what I said earlier about how no parent should have to see their child gone?”

  Danny sniffed and wiped his face.

  “Well, conversely, every parent dreams of seeing their child as happy as my little girl was with you. Madisyn was a completely different person around you, Danny. She just was, and I think that’s mostly because, for the first time in her life, she knew with absolute certainty that the man beside her would always be there, no matter what. You were beyond her lover, Danny. You were her advocate, her confidant, her partner. You were her best friend, and she’d never had that before. Well—” he managed a chuckle, “—outside of her old man anyhow. But she found that with you, son. You’ll never know what that meant to me.” Wylon released Danny’s hands and looked him straight in the eye. “I know why you left and why you most likely feel you need to leave again. I won’t stop you from going. But what I also won’t do is let you walk out of here thinking that you’re on your own because you are damn well not. Your friends—Lee, Mac, and the others—are all here for you, as am I, and you’ll always be welcome in my house. Now tell me, Staff Sergeant Tucker, is that in any way, shape, or form unclear?”

  Danny sniffled again. “No, sir. But what about Masterson? He’s got to pay.”

  “Agreed.” Wylon nodded. “But there’s a lot more at stake here than Masterson’s recompense for Madisyn. The futures of two civilizations and dozens of worlds hang in the balance, and we can’t forget that. I took an oath to do right by the Auran people, and I intend to keep that oath as best I can. What good am I as a leader if I don’t?”

  “Praetorian to President Wylon,” a female voice said through the wall terminal. It was Lieutenant Floyd, the ship’s comm officer, and there was no lack of urgency in her tone. “President Wylon, you are needed on the bridge at once.”

  “Wonder what that’s all about,” Danny said.

  Wylon didn’t answer. Instead he jumped from his seat and darted for the door.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 16: Distress Call

  Danny waited for the lift door to open then stepped out behind Wylon and started for the Praetorian’s bridge. Upon reaching the entrance, he halted abruptly when a hand met his chest.

  “I’m sorry, sir, but you can’t be here,” the guard said.

  Danny identified him as a corporal by the markings on his sleeve.

  “It’s fine. He’s with me,” Wylon told the guard.

  “But sir, he’s—”

  “He’s the man responsible for saving this ship and dozens of others at Coralin 3,” Wylon shot back. “I appreciate your zeal for protocol, Corporal, but I said he’s with me.”

  The corporal snapped a salute and stepped back.

  Hurrying through door, Danny and Wylon arrived on the Praetorian’s bi-level bridge, where they were intercepted by Floyd, a short brunette with dimpled cheeks in her early thirties.

  “Mr. President, sir,” she said, never breaking stride as she led them across the lower level to a door in back.

  “Lieutenant,” Wylon answered, in step beside her. “What’s this all about?”

  “The admiral will fill you both in shortly. He’s expecting you in his ready room. Everyone else is already here.”

  That can’t be good.

  The door to the admiral’s ready room swooshed open, and Danny and Wylon entered to find Katahl seated at the head of a long, rectangular briefing table. The admiral was joined by his chief engineer, Kris Wyatt, and four of the ASC’s top lead pilots: Jeff Hastings, LP of the Praetorian; Shannon Baxter, LP of the Keystone; Vic Mann of the Gordon; and Lee of the Kennox. There was one more officer at the table—an older woman with slim, bronze features and raven-black hair streaked in white—but Danny didn’t recognize her.

  Everyone rose when Wylon entered the room.

  “As you were.” Wylon found the empty seat next to Katahl while Danny took the one next to Lee. “What’s going on, Markus?”

  Katahl produced a data tablet and stared into it. “We’ve received a distress call from our colony on Thawnose 4. LORASS has detected eighteen Alystierian attack ships inbound with two Kurgorian warbirds.”

  Danny nudged Lee’s shoulder. “Thawnose. That’s where Noll’s stationed, isn’t it?”

  Lee nodded.

  “ETA?” Wylon asked.

  “Five hours,” Katahl said.

  Wylon rested his clean-shaven chin on his fist. “What do we have in range?”

  “Not much,” Katahl said. “I’ve already dispatched the Valkure and the Brindamore, both of whom will be there within the hour. I can also pull in the Davis, the Bortles, and the Ozarck if need be. Add those to the ships already in orbit plus those represented here, and we should be able to hold our own versus the grays.”

  “Were they alone, I’d agree. But not with two Beyonder warbirds in tow, we won’t.” Wylon rubbed his temples and thought aloud. “We cannot lose another world to these people, not already.” His expression hardened as he looked up. “All right—best I can see, this is an evac mission, plain and simple. Objections?”

  None were offered.

  “How many colonists do we have on Thawnose 4?” Wylon asked.

  “Roughly three thousand, families included,” said the square-jawed Hastings.

  “And how long would it take us to get them onto ships and out of the region?”

  Katahl ran the math. “Given the crew sizes and carrier capacity of the ships we’ve got available, it’s possible we could get everyone out before the Alystierians arrive.”

  “All right.” Wylon clapped his hands. “Let’s get started.”

  “But.” Katahl stayed him with a palm. “A lot of those ships won’t be on hand to assist for at least two hours—longer even for us because we’re so far out from that area. Bottom line, Mr. President: we are going to take fire for this. It’s just a matter of how much and for how long.”

  Wylon frowned and looked thoughtfully out of a nearby porthole. “I need more options, people.”

  Watching him from down the table, Danny was reminded of how nice it was to have a leader with bona fide military experience. Wylon had spent three tours as a combat pilot on the AS Kanaan, so he knew the stakes as well as anyone. He also knew the players and the world. It was one of the reasons he and Katahl had always worked so well together—that, and a friendship that spanned more than three decades.

  “Excuse me, sir, but might I make a suggestion?” The woman next to Katahl raised a hand.

  The admiral acknowledged her. “For those who haven’t yet met her, this is Colonel Mika Lin, my new XO. Today is her first day onboard.”

  Ah, so that’s
who you are. Danny had heard of her. In stark contrast to her stature and demeanor—petite and spindly with thick, rimless glasses and a calm, even voice that barely registered above a whisper—Mika Lin was widely recognized as one of the brightest strategic minds in the fleet, a real brainiac. There had even been talk, before Danny had left, of her landing the coveted AS Harkens command, but that had gone instead to the late Vince Ryan.

  “All right, Colonel,” Katahl said. “Let’s hear it.”

  The tiny officer rose to her feet and activated the wall monitor at the back of the room. It flickered to life with the ASC insignia then washed to a full-panel star chart of the Thawnose system.

  “Rather than taking all of our ships and committing them to a full-fledged orbital defense of the colony, I propose we take some of our forces and position them here.” Lin pointed to a small splotch of light roughly a million kilometers out from the system’s yellow dwarf star.

  “What is that?” asked Mann, a broad-shouldered goliath with a bald head.

  “That, Major Mann, is the Balifor nebula, and it should be sufficient to mask our ships’ engine signatures from their sensors while the grays drop out of hyperspace. Then, once they are in range, we attack them from a second front.”

  “You propose we divide their forces to buy ourselves more time.” Katahl thought about it then turned to the president. “It’s risky, but it could work.”

  Wylon chewed his lip. “I give you credit, Colonel—it’s a bold plan. The problem is you still can’t guarantee that the Alystierians won’t spot you coming out of hyperspace. LORASS won’t see you, sure, but a short-range scan, post-entry, certainly will. If that happens when the grays hit the system, you’ll be lucky to get a shot off before you’re just another patch of dust in that cloud you’re hiding in.”

  Lin clasped her hands at her waist. “Perhaps. But that’s assuming Colonel Reirdon has the foresight to take such precautions.”

  “That’s a fair point,” Lee said. “Reirdon’s a mauler in combat, no doubt about it. But he’s a blunt force instrument, not a thinker.”

  “That’s why Masterson likes him,” Hastings added. “He’s a damn bully who doesn’t ask questions. What he does do is go wide open at what he wants.”

  “All the more reason to consider the colonel’s plan,” Lee said. “If we’re bowed up for a schoolyard brawl when the Kamuir exits hyperspace, and we really sell it, you can bet Reirdon’s first impulse will be to oblige us.”

  Wylon sat back. “You want us to pick a fight.”

  “That’s pretty much the gist of it, yes sir. Now, will that cause Reirdon to miss the nebula?” Lee raised a shoulder. “Ain’t real certain. But he is a hothead, of that you can be sure.”

  “It’s a calculated risk, certainly,” Lin said. “But one I believe is worth taking if we are to get our people out alive.”

  Wylon drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Chief Wyatt, if we launch right now, how long would it take Praetorian to reach Thawnose?”

  Wyatt’s blond eyebrows turned up as he ran the numbers in his head. “If we max her out, four and a half hours, give or take.”

  Wyatt rubbed his face. “That’s cutting it close.”

  “For what it’s worth, sir,” Katahl added, “we will be the last ships to arrive. The hope is that most of the colony will have already gotten out, thus leaving only the final few for us. We get in, we set up, we fight, we jump. That’s it.”

  Wylon exhaled and returned to Lin. “Best-case scenario, Colonel, you’ll be outgunned three ships to one if you do this. Are you sure you can hold out that long?”

  Lin bowed and flashed the wryest of smiles. “Give me three ships, sir, and I’ll get you your time.”

  Damn, lady, what glacier did they carve you out of? Danny wondered if anyone else was as impressed as he was.

  Wylon considered then looked at Katahl, who nodded his approval.

  “Fine, you have a go,” Wylon said. “Alert all crews that we launch at once.”

  “Colonel Lin,” Katahl said, “I’m giving you temporary command of the AS Gordon. Major Mann here will serve as your LP, and he’ll fill you in on everything you need to know about her, from personnel to operations. I’m also giving you the Benton and the Bortles. I’ll alert their commanding officers to be expecting your call in transit to Thawnose.”

  “Very good, sirs.” Lin snapped a salute. “We won’t let you down.”

  “Everyone else: Praetorian will spearhead the evac effort from orbit,” Katahl said. “Major Hastings.”

  “Sir.”

  “I want you to coordinate with Captain Summerston and the other LPs in the system to lend support to our ships in orbit, but don’t spread yourselves too thin. I want you ready to jump away as soon as those colonists are aboard.”

  Hastings gave a curt nod. “Yes, sir. Lee, we’ll talk afterwards.”

  “Copy that, Major,” Lee said.

  “Major Baxter.” Katahl turned to Layla. “I want your crews flying support for Sergeant Major Noll and his people on the ground. They’re going to need you. Again, Praetorian will call the game plan from on high, so keep an ear to Lieutenant Floyd at all times.”

  “Understood, sir,” Layla said.

  Wylon rose to his feet. “If there are no other questions, thank you all in advance for your service today and happy hunting. Dismissed.”

  Katahl gestured the Auran president to the door. “Come, sir. I’ll escort you to your shuttle.”

  Wylon followed him out.

  “Hey Lee, wait up,” Danny said, exiting onto the bridge.

  Lee called ahead to Hastings, who was already on the lift. “I’ll catch ya on the flight deck.”

  The brawny major nodded then vanished behind the doors.

  Lee turned back to Danny. “Sorry, brother, but here’s where your ride on this train comes to an end.”

  Danny growled. “Oh, come on, Lee, you can’t—”

  “Ain’t got time for a debate on this, Danny. Bottom line, you’re not ASC anymore. And besides, Reiser, Katie, and Doc need you back down on the planet’s surface workin’ on that armor of yours. Now, get to it. I’ll see you when we get back.”

  Danny started to say something, but Lee was already gone. Like hell, amigo. He pulled a comm from his pocket and slipped it into his ear. “Reegan, you got a copy?”

  “Yeah, Top, go ahead.”

  “You undock from Praetorian yet?”

  “I just got the call to, yeah. What’s going on over there?”

  Danny picked up the pace to Lift B. “I’ll tell you when I’m aboard. In the meantime, tell Shotz to get down to engineering. I’m gonna need him there with Remy on the surface.”

  “We going somewhere?”

  “Yes, we are.” The lift doors closed at Danny’s nose. “Now, prep Overlook for launch. I’m on my way.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter 17: Standing Enemy

  The blue haze of hyperspace dissolved to stars as Lee’s Mako shot from its exit window toward the system’s fourth planet in line. All around him, the space flecked with more flashes—the rest of the fleet—until finally all twenty-six vessels were present and accounted for. Among them was his ship, the ASC cruiser Kennox, and Lee laid in a course for it as the rest of his Makos fell into formations around him.

  He thought of his people. Hang in there for me, y’all. In the wake of the promotion of several of his best pilots, Lee had been assigned a flood of newcomers, many of them straight out of flight school. Hard to believe it’s been six years since that was us. Still, he took solace in the knowledge that, while a lot of the newbies were green, most of his squad leaders were not. He still had Mac on his roster plus a handful of others, like Commander Jayson Hicks, who knew how he operated. Add those to the few experienced pilots he had been given—folks like Lieutenants Hannah Bewer and Grant Pierce—and Lee figured this crew would do all right.

  He keyed his comm to a Kennox-wide channel. “Squad leaders, this is Daredevil. Gi
mme a sound off.”

  “Daredevil, this is Northern Star.” Mac was second in command of thirteenth squadron—Soul Squad, as most knew them. “The One-Three reports full green status and standing by.”

  “Railhawk here,” Hicks said. “Eighteenth squadron is green and standing by.”

  “Vixen here,” Bewer said. “One-Nine is green and standing by.”

  Pierce and the others followed suit before the sequence came full circle back to Mac, who closed things out. “All squadrons report green, Daredevil. Artificial horizon has been established and synchronized to all wings. We are clear to move out.”

  Wrapping the last of his system rundowns, Lee found the Praetorian and the Keystone across the field amid a blot of Makos and other non-FTL-capable ships. The flagship took its place at the heart of the line. The cruiser began its descent toward the surface, where evacuations were already underway.

  “Blazer, this is Daredevil,” Lee called to his CO, Major Hastings of Praetorian. “Kennox crew reports green status across the board.”

  “Copy that, Daredevil,” Hastings said. “Praetorian crews established; Ozarck and Bortles crews are setting up now. Aside from those, I think the blockade’s in place.”

  Lee studied the various clusters and staggered lines of ships before him, Thawnose 4 looming large beneath them. “Any word from the Gordon?”

  “Just now,” Hastings said. “They’re in position and standing by, although it’s my hope to be out of here before we need them.”

  “Amen to that,” Lee agreed.

  Hastings switched to an all-hands channel. “All crews, this is Blazer. I want Makos and Threshers stacked in eighty-kilometer spreads throughout your designated zones. Keep it tight and keep it even, but leave yourselves breathing room to operate. According to LORASS, contact’s in eighteen mikes, so stay frosty.”