Prelude to Extinction

by Andreas Karpf

  “OK,” she answered.

  The bridge was silent again as he stared blankly at the map and took inventory of the myriad of potential problems that faced them. Their plan hinged on the alien fleet following Alpha, on Alpha being able to direct the AGC to the right location, and most importantly, on Beta not stopping Alpha from helping.

  Jack barely had time to actually focus on the map before Kurt’s voice came in over the comm., “Jack, the door’s closed.”

  “Say again?” Jack replied.

  “The shuttle bay door’s closed; I’m looking right at it. There must have been some sort of a glitch. The systems have taken a hell of a beating.”

  “Fine, get back up here asap,” Jack said. Turning to Nadya, he continued, “What’s your status with the systems check. Was it a bad door sensor?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered. “Right now I’m getting all sorts of electronic interference. I’m not a hundred-percent sure, but if I had to guess, it’s from Alpha’s ship. I think they’re about to activate their engines.”

  “Damn it,” he said softly. Then more loudly, he called out, “Beta?”

  There was no answer.

  “Kate, send a radio signal to Beta. Let him know we need to talk immediately.”

  A second later, she said, “Signal sent.”

  Jack fixed his gaze on the map. The seconds ticked by slowly as they waited; it didn’t take long for the silence to become suffocating. “Captain,” the alien’s voice finally said. “Our ship will be heading for HD 10180. As I said before, I believe the most prudent course of action would be for you to come with us.”

  “That’s not possible,” Jack said without thinking. The bridge was dead silent. Despite the consequences, the words just flowed from his mouth. “We can’t abandon Earth.”

  “That is unfortunate,” was Beta’s terse answer.

  Suppressing his anger, Jack asked, “Can you please outfit us with two more of those external engines…the same type you’ve already attached to the IPV?”

  Without any hesitation, Beta replied, “That can be done.”

  “Thank you,” Jack replied.

  “You do understand that you will in all probability perish,” Beta said flatly.

  Even though he knew it was unnecessary, Jack looked around the room. As he made eye contact with each of his shipmates, they nodded in response. “We have to take our best shot,” Jack replied. “I don’t see us having any other choice.”

  “Then please stand by. It will take about two minutes to attach the devices and release your ship.”

  There was a moment of silence before Don spoke, “Jack, Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with this; but what about the blockade?”

  “Let’s hope their tech makes us maneuverable enough to get past them,” Jack answered.

  Silence filled the bridge – there was really nothing else to say.

  “Captain,” Alpha’s voice said, “don’t say anything. Your crew as well as the others on my side can’t hear me right now. We only have a few seconds left to talk. In a moment we will begin accelerating away from your position toward HD 10180, and a few seconds after that you will begin your run towards the AGC. By that point the distance between us will be too great to have a conversation. So I need you to know one important thing. I’ve placed a small canister under your desk in your office. Don’t bother asking when or how – just suffice to say that it’s there. After you make it through the AGC, please listen to its message and decide what you want do with it. I’ll leave it in your hands.”

  The IPV shuddered briefly. A burst of static flashed across the main view screen before a field of stars came into view: they were outside of the sphere. Jack just looked silently at the screen, not sure what to do. Finally, he called out, “Beta?”

  The room was quiet until Nadya asked, “Is he going to answer you?”

  There was a long pause before Beta replied, “You have noticed a delay in my response. This is because my ship is now accelerating away from yours. This delay will grow rapidly and communications will soon become impractical. I recommend that you begin heading for Earth immediately. If you delay, the enemy ships may try to intercept both your ship and ours…”

  “Wait a minute,” Don interrupted. “You’re not even going to help us? You want us to run interference for you?”

  “…only chance is to act simultaneously. It should…”

  “Answer him!” Nadya demanded.

  “Both of you, shut up!” Jack shouted.

  “…best course of action,” Beta’s voice continued. “If you wish to reply, you should do so now. I will respond as soon as I receive it. I expect this delay to last just under over a minute.”

  Jack looked at each of them before saying, “Computer, engage engines at full. Take us directly to the AGC.”

  As before, the alien engines gave them no sense of acceleration. The only indication of their motion was the shifting of the star field on the screen as the IPV adjusted course.

  “How’re we going to get through the blockade?” Don asked. “There’re too many of…”

  Jack cut him off as he said, “Computer, how long in ship-time until we reach the AGC?”

  “Two minutes.”

  “Jack, call them. Call Alpha,” Nadya said. “We’re going to need some sort of distraction to help us get through.”

  “Asking them isn’t going to help,” Don said with defeat in his voice.

  “What’re you talking about?” Nadya shot back.

  “Think of it,” Don replied. “Their engines are capable of getting both their ship and ours up to relativistic speeds in matter of seconds. Beta said as much at the end of his message. It’ll take our message about a minute to get to him. The real problem is by the time they’re ready to reply, the distance between us will have grown to the point where it’ll take well over a minute before it gets to us. In other words, his response won’t make it to us before we go through the AGC. There won’t be enough time for them to do anything.”

  “So we’re on our own?” Nadya said softly.

  “I wonder if we’ll ever even hear from them again. I mean after we pass through the AGC,” Kate added.

  Jack didn’t answer, and instead said, “Computer, display a tactical view of the enemy formations around the AGC.”

  The screen quickly shifted to show the blue and white globe that once held Alpha’s colony, along with an icon identifying the AGC’s position. About two dozen red points, identifying the alien fighters, stood their ground near the AGC. Half formed a traditional blockade directly in their path; the remaining ships flanked the device, apparently ready to fire on anything that made it through.

  “Jack,” Don said. “I’m no tactician, but I don’t see any way we can maneuver around them.”

  The point was painfully obvious. Jack hit the ship-wide intercom and said, “Palmer, report to the bridge.”

  As he finished his sentence, a cluster of small white points left the blockade, heading directly for them. “They’ve fired on us,” Jack said softly.

  “What’s our speed?” Nadya asked.

  “The IPV’s velocity is zero-point-nine-nine c,” the computer answered.

  Jack quickly looked at them and said, “That can help us.”

  “What do you mean?” Kurt asked.

  “They won’t see us until we’re nearly on top of them. We’ll be right behind our light. But…” Jack’s voice trailed off as he saw a flaw.

  They stared at him, waiting for the rest of his thought. “But,” he continued, “we can’t come in straight. They’ll expect that. We need to change course and surprise them.”

  “Do you think this thing’s maneuverable enough to come in to the AGC off-axis?” Nadya asked. “Maybe we can slide through behind their formation.”

  “Maybe,” Jack said. “Computer, time to AGC?”

  “One minute.”

  “Computer,” Jack called out, “Adjust course as follows.” He traced out a sweeping arc on his c
hair’s display. Their course now peeled away from their initial, direct trajectory before looping back toward the AGC from the left.

  “What about their missiles?” Don asked.

  “They’ll only be able to use the light that left us a minute ago for guidance,” Jack replied. “We’ll be well out of their path by the time they reach this region. And, when they finally do see that we’ve changed course, I don’t think they’ll have enough fuel to match our new speed and direction.” Seeing the relief on Don’s face, forced Jack to add, “But we won’t be out of the woods. They’ll fire on us again.”

  Jack took a deep breath and said, “Computer, what’s our ETA using our new course?”

  “One minute thirty seconds.”

  “Jack,” Don said calmly.

  Jack ignored him as he focused on the ships near the AGC. Their approach avoided most of the danger, but they still had to make it through about a half dozen ships on the left flank. Their speed would only give the enemy a few seconds to react. However, with no weapons of their own, that few seconds would be more than enough time for the fighters to stop them. Innumerable thoughts flashed through his mind: Could they jettison the pods and shuttle as counter measures? Could they adjust course fast enough to evade incoming fire? His thoughts were cut off as a new cluster of missiles emerged from the blockade. This time they fanned out covering a broad region of space. It only took a second for him to realize the outer-most ones would intercept them on the way in. “Damn, their smart,” Jack said to himself. “They saw it coming.”

  “Computer,” he called out, “adjust course again.” This time, he pulled their sweeping arc much further to the left of the AGC. He then curved it back so they’d come in almost parallel with the plane of the outer ring, diving through at the last second. No Earth-ship should even dream of pulling the g’s they’d need to pull this off. Hopefully Alpha’s tech could manage it. “Computer, ETA to rings,” he called out.

  “Sixty seconds.”

  “They haven’t broken formation yet,” Nadya said.

  “That’s because they haven’t seen what we’ve done yet. The light’ll get there soon enough. The question is, how fast will they be able to react.” His stomach dropped as he finished his sentence. The fighters on the AGC’s far-flank suddenly cut across the front of the AGC; reinforcing those on the left side – along the IPV’s inbound path. They saw his initial move.

  “God no,” Jack said as he stared at the new formation. Twelve ships stood directly in their path. “Kurt,” he called into the intercomm. “Are you still near the shuttle bay?”

  “Yes,” was the quick answer.

  “Stand by, but I’m going to need you to jettison the pods and Shuttle-two. We might need to use them as cover. Maybe even take out a few of their ships with them.”

  Don called out, “Jack!”

  “What?” Jack shot back impatiently.

  “What’s this?” Don said, pointing to the far right of the main screen’s tactical display.

  “I don’t have time for…” he started, but stopped when his eyes caught sight of what Don was looking at. A small bright blue bead was accelerating away from the IPV toward the newly formed line of fighters. Instinct took over as he shouted, “Palmer!” into the comm. “Respond now.”

  He was answered by silence.

  He allowed only a second of silence to pass before saying, “Computer, locate Commander Palmer.”

  “Commander Palmer is not onboard the IPV,” the machine answered calmly.

  “Where the hell is he?” Don demanded.

  Jack ignored him and said, “I should have seen this coming. Computer, display video image of the interior of the shuttle bay.”

  The screen quickly shifted to show the half-empty room. Shuttle-two was docked off to the left; shuttle-one of course had been jettisoned. Jack’s eye, however, immediately found what he was looking for: only one alien pod was present.

  “Where’s the other pod?” Nadya quickly asked.

  “Computer, display tactical view again,” Jack ordered.

  The screen reverted to its earlier view. The blue bead had pulled far ahead of them and was nearly halfway to the AGC and its blockade.

  “Goddammit!” Jack shouted. “Kate, open a channel to Palmer’s pod.”

  “Channel’s open,” she quickly responded.

  “Palmer, get the hell back here now,” he demanded. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Doing what’s necessary,” Palmer replied.

  “The pods don’t have any weapons,” Don said in disbelief.

  “That’s correct, Dr. Martinez,” Palmer answered.

  “Then what’re you going to accomplish?” Don asked. But the answer was obvious.

  “I had a conversation with Alpha earlier,” Palmer replied. “He told me how to detonate my engines. It should be powerful enough to clear a hole for you to get through. It’s the only move left.”

  Jack answered in a measured tone, “Palmer, this wasn’t your decision to make…”

  “Captain,” Palmer interrupted calmly. “There’s no time for pointless arguments. The way I see it, I’m going to die either way. It’s either by myself here, or on the IPV with all of you as well. This is the only way that makes any sense.”

  Jack stared at the screen as Palmer’s words tore at him as much as any physical pain.

  “Jack, we can’t let them just kill him,” Don protested.

  “Don,” Palmer said, “Thanks, but it’s over. Let’em come.” Another second passed before Palmer continued, “Jack, one last thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “I apologize for doubting your …”

  Jack cut in saying, “Palmer, there’s no need for apologies. My log will show that you always acted in the best interest of the mission and sacrificed yourself for the crew. And that we…I am in your debt.”

  There was no answer.

  “Palmer?” Jack called out.

  They stared at the screen waiting for a reply, but none came. Instead, a barrage of missiles leapt from the enemy blockade. Palmer’s ship dove strait toward them, cutting left at the last second to avoid a direct impact. The missiles turned to track their target, but Palmer was too fast and continued his push into the enemy formation. Intent on stopping his apparent run for the AGC, four enemy fighters rose from the blockade to meet him. Seeing the development, Palmer adjusted course and accelerated hard toward them in a desperate attempt to keep the full formation within range of his blast. There was a moment of confusion or maybe fear as the fighters suddenly slowed. In a split second Palmer was on top of them. The screen went black. A moment of a pure silence hung heavily in the air as they waited. Two quick bursts of static flashed across the screen before the tactical view returned. The blue point of Palmer’s ship was gone, as was the entire left flank of the enemy blockade. The remaining ships were pulling away from the blast: it looked like they had their opening.

  “Don, scan the area for any sign of his ship,” Jack said knowing it was hopeless. He then called out, “Computer, ETA to AGC?”

  “Twenty seconds.”

  Before he could fully analyze the new enemy positions, two fighters shot out from the retreating formation. It was instantly clear they were heading for the now vacated left flank. Realizing he might still need to use his last ditch idea, Jack called into the comm., “Kurt, are ready?”

  “Yes,” was the quick answer.

  “Release the docking clamps on my mark and open the bay doors.”

  “Understood,” Kurt replied.

  “Computer, exterior view,” Jack said. The screen showed the distant, but rapidly growing silver rings of the AGC. The two enemy ships, little more than silver specks at this distance, dove toward their path. Jack knew the chances of hitting them or any of their missiles were nearly zero, but he had to do something. He just needed to know where they would take up their positions to try to pull this off. The fighters grew rapidly, and in a split second cut completely across th
eir path before shooting out of sight. It made no sense. They didn’t fire or take up a defensive position.

  “Computer, ETA!” he shouted.

  “Ten seconds.”

  “Shit!” Jack shouted as the answer hit him. They were doing what he’d done to them: spraying a cloud of antimatter in their path. He shouted, “Computer, rotate ship one-hundred-eighty degrees!” and then called out, “Nadya, jettison our all of our ion engine propellant now!”

  “All of the Xenon?”

  “Now, dammit! Now!”

  Jack watched her hands dance across a terminal. He clenched his teeth and dug his hands into his armrest, tensing his body for what was to come. In an instant a blinding white light filled the screen: the Xenon was annihilating the antimatter cloud. The flash wasn’t the problem and he shouted into the intercom, “Brace yourselves for…” But the shockwave hit before he could finish. He closed his eyes tight as he was thrown from his chair. Pain shot through his back and hip as bounced off the floor and struck the far wall. There were shouts of shock or panic from around him. He opened his eyes and twisted toward the main screen in time to see it fill with the ominous blue-green glow from the AGC. A split second later he felt a sharp but brief shudder flow through the ship.

  The screen changed dramatically. Gone was the bright white flash of antimatter annihilation. Instead he found himself staring at a seemingly serene field of stars. As he pulled himself up from the floor, he kept his eyes fixed on the screen. Dozens of the stars seemed to be quickly falling behind them. It only took a second to realize the silver-white pinpoints were ships: they’d landed in the middle of the inbound enemy fleet.

  “Computer, rear view,” he said loudly.

  The screen jumped to show large formations of ships shrinking into the distance. A brilliant violet pinpoint appeared near the center of the fleet – the massive energy release from space-time snapping back into position. It expanded rapidly into a glowing white plume, peppered with sporadic red flashes. Enemy ships in close proximity were exploding. The wave swept outward, engulfing all that lay in its way. The exploding fighters twinkled weakly against the massive surge of energy.

  The relief Jack felt with the unfolding destruction was short-lived: the plume was weakening unexpectedly. The outermost fighters took advantage and launched a round of missiles toward them. Thought deadly, it wasn’t the missiles that frightened Jack, it was the fact that so much of the fleet survived. They couldn’t afford to have even one make it through. The bridge was dead silent as everyone recognized the consequences of what was happening.