by G. P. Hudson
“Advance on the ships on our left flank,” ordered Reynolds. “Don’t give them a chance to regroup.”
“Aye, Sir. Changing course.”
With the main battle line in disarray, the UEDF fleet went to work. The Allimanians scrambled to shore up their crumbling position. In trying to surround Reynolds, the Allimanians had overextended themselves. By driving through the center of their line, Reynolds could now attack an enemy that was not only out of position, but also at half strength.
Maintaining a tight formation, the UEDF ships charged into the Allimanian lines like an enraged bull, goring everything in its path. Several enemy ships were destroyed. The rest remained mired in confusion. Reynolds kept pushing, destroying more warships, and forcing the scattered enemy to fall back.
Reynolds wanted nothing more than to give chase, and destroy the rest. But the other half of the enemy line had regained their composure, and was now bearing down on their rear flank.
“Order all ships to turn and engage the enemy on our rear. Maintain formation, and drive into their center, same as before.” Most commanders would start changing up their strategy at this point, to keep the enemy guessing, but Reynolds was so confident in the superiority of the Zeta warships that he believed it best to just crush the enemy center.
So they drove in again, plasma beams stabbing forward like a cluster of long spears. The tactic continued to work, just as Reynolds predicted. The Allimanian ships were simply not built to handle such a powerful onslaught. Reynolds found the ease with which the enemy was dealt with quite concerning. The enemy ships were UEDF by design, after all. When this campaign was over, he would be sure to voice his concerns about the growing power of Zeta Corp.
“Sir, we are receiving a transmission from the Allimanian president,” said Travers.
“Patch him through,” said Reynolds. President Zaman’s face appeared on his display. Reynolds noted that the president had lost his previous scowl, now appearing cautious and uneasy. “What is it, Mr. President? I’m very busy up here.”
“I uh, I’d like to negotiate the terms of our surrender.”
Reynolds allowed a wry laugh to escape. “Negotiate? There is nothing to negotiate, Mr. President. I will only accept unconditional surrender.”
“I see. If I do this, you will not follow through on your threat.”
“I thought I said unconditional.”
Zaman looked to his right, obviously receiving advice from someone off screen.
“Mr. President, I feel like you are trying to waste my time,” said Reynolds.
“No! I assure you, that is not the case.”
“Then what is your answer?”
“Fine. We surrender.”
“Unconditionally?”
“Yes, unconditionally.”
“Order your ships to stand down immediately, and prepare to be boarded.”
“I am relaying the orders as we speak.”
Reynolds looked to Captain Travers, awaiting confirmation.
“Enemy ships have ceased fire,” said Travers.
“Stand by for further instructions, Mr. President. Reynolds out.”
Several hours later, the enemy ships had been boarded, and their crews sent back to the Valiant for processing. “That is the last of them, Sir. We are in control of all enemy vessels,” said Travers.
“How about their orbital defenses?” said Reynolds.
“All orbital defenses have been neutralized.”
“Excellent, move us into orbit around the home planet.”
“Aye, Sir. Entering orbit.”
“Mr. Travers, what is the second most populated city on the planet?”
“That would be Kapatius, Sir.”
Reynolds nodded. “Synchronize our orbital position so that we are directly above Kapatius.”
“Aye, Sir.”
The Valiant cruised across the top of the planet until it came to its designated coordinates.
“We are in position, Sir.”
“Prepare an orbital missile strike. Target the center of the city.”
“Uh, yes, Sir,” said Travers.
Reynolds heard the hesitation in his voice, but chose not to call him out on it. Some decisions required iron will, a rare quality indeed. Captain Travers didn’t need to possess the quality, so long as he followed orders.
“Missile strike ready, Sir.”
Reynolds took a breath, careful not to lose his nerve. “Fire.”
“Missile is away.”
Reynolds monitored the strike on his display. While not a nuke, the warhead was powerful enough to lay waste to several city blocks. The death toll would be well into the thousands, if not the tens of thousands. This will send a clear message, he thought. The Emperor will see that I truly have what it takes, and the other worlds will know better than to resist when I show up.
“Sir, I have President Zaman for you,” said Travers.
“Patch him through.”
Zaman appeared, all red faced and wide eyed. “This is an outrage! Why have you bombed us? We have surrendered.”
“I told you when we first spoke, that I would bomb your cities, did I not?”
“But I did surrender.”
“Too late, and only after it became clear that your ships would lose the battle. Not good enough. I am a merciful man, however. In recognition of the fact that you did surrender before the battle was over, I will refrain from bombing any more of your cities.”
“That is what you call mercy?”
“Yes. It is. Consider yourself lucky, Mr. President. Now prepare for our landing parties, who will take you into custody. Do not try to hide from us, Mr. President. It would be unfortunate to punish another of your cities.”
“You are a monster, Reynolds.”
Chapter 26
“You remember everything?” said Catherine, with a worried expression.
“Yes,” said Danny. “But it’s different now. Everything made perfect sense before. Well, most of it. I remember what I did. How I felt. Only I have a different understanding of it all. I am no longer beholden to Zeta Corp. I can see now how they controlled and used me. How they used all of us. They made us into killers, and we thought it was all there was.”
“Soldiers do kill in times of war,” said Catherine, clearly still concerned.
“Only I’m not a soldier. I’m a mercenary.”
“Are you?” came Isaac’s voice from behind.
“What?” said Danny, turning to face Isaac, who came to join them.
“You were a mercenary. Are you still one?” Isaac said thoughtfully.
“I - I don’t know.”
“Do you still serve Zeta Corp?”
“No, I don’t. I’m not their slave.”
“Then you have answered the question, my boy. Now, we have other matters to discuss.”
“What matters?” said Danny.
“What do you plan to do with your life from this point on?”
“I haven’t given it any thought. This whole experience has been overwhelming.”
“Perfectly understandable. What about your skill set? You are an elite soldier, trained and enhanced to perform at the highest level. Would you consider using those skills in the future?”
“I’ll probably have to,” said Danny, pacing about the room. “I did kill those soldiers. I’m sure Zeta and the UEDF will be coming after me now. That is why we’re here.”
“What if you didn’t have to worry about that?” Isaac’s eyes were twinkling with mischief.
“I don’t understand,” said Danny.
“What if no one was coming after you? What if we fixed it so that nobody knew what you did?”
“Who is we?”
Isaac looked to Catherine, who nodded yes. “The resistance, my boy.”
“You’re with the resistance?” said Danny as the pieces came together. “You both are?”
Isaac stepped closer, and placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder. “We are patriots. We are loyal to our h
ome, not to the tyrant hundreds of light years away.”
“You shot down my shuttle?” Danny said incredulously.
“I didn’t, but yes, the resistance did.” Isaac sighed. “Allow me to explain. When Pallias moved to secede from the Empire, we knew that, as weak as the Empire had become, it might one day defeat us, and reassert control. Contingency plans were put in place to resist the occupation. Weapons and supplies were stockpiled. Cells were organized. Soldiers given their orders. The surrender triggered these contingency plans.”
“But you can’t hope to defeat the occupation force. It’s too powerful.”
“Don’t be so sure. We can’t beat them now, but the Empire is crumbling. It becomes weaker by the day. In fact, if it weren’t for Zeta, the Empire would’ve never defeated us in the first place. You yourself saw the outcome of the first battle.”
Danny remembered it all. Specifically, Captain Reynolds choosing to fire on his shuttle. “You are missing a key point, though. The Empire does have Zeta. In fact, the bulk of the occupation force consists of Zeta contractors. I don’t care how organized you are, you can’t hope to fight on the same level.”
“Perhaps not, but how long can the Emperor continue paying Zeta? I know Ed Masterson, and his only allegiance is to the top bidder. If the Emperor stops paying, Zeta will stop fighting for him. It’s quite simple.”
“What happens between now and then?”
“We wear them down. We make this occupation costly for the Emperor.”
“And where do I fit in all of this?”
Isaac smiled. “You, my boy, are our secret weapon. If you choose to help us, we can arrange for your return to your Zeta regiment. You can resume your duty as part of the occupation force, and we would gain an extremely valuable covert asset.”
“It won’t work. Even if I agreed to help you, Zeta would know that I had been altered.”
“No, they wouldn’t. As I’ve told you, the modifications I’ve made are very well hidden. Nobody will find them.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I created most of the technology. That’s how. The code I’ve inserted in your brain implant is not only hidden, but can alter any code looking for it, or trying to assert control over you. And best of all, it will inform you of every such attempt. You can then respond appropriately.”
“What about the implant in my finger? They will scan me and find it.”
“No, they won’t find that either. I took care to encapsulate the implant in a coating that hides it from any scans. I have essentially cloaked it. Zeta will not notice.”
“You want me to just return to Zeta, and act like nothing happened?”
“That’s right.”
“And then?”
“You feed us information.”
“I don’t know how useful that would be. I’m just a soldier. They tell me what to do, and I-”
An alarm suddenly went off, and a female voice sounded through hidden speakers. “Intruder alert. Perimeter breached. Multiple locations.”
Isaac ran to a display, and pulled up an exterior feed.
“Is it the UEDF?” said Danny, standing behind Isaac.
“No UEDF soldiers have been identified. They’re all Zeta. Masterson has finally come for me.”
“I need my weapon,” said Danny, scanning the room. “Where is it?”
“No, there are too many of them. We need something more effective.”
“What is that?”
Isaac turned to Danny. “Sorry, my boy. This will hurt a bit.”
“What-”
The brain hacking, and the data download had been bad enough, but Danny could tolerate that level of pain. The extreme pain Danny felt this time was beyond anything he had dreamed possible. Mercifully, unconsciousness quickly followed.
Chapter 27
Danny was jostled awake, bouncing around in the back of a fast-moving vehicle. He saw Catherine first, then the girls, and Isaac was manning the wheel. His head pounded, and he groaned in pain.
Jess turned in her seat. “Mom, Danny’s awake.”
“How are you feeling, my boy?” said Isaac.
“Like I’ve been shot out of a missile tube,” Danny said, rubbing his temples. “What did you do to me?”
“Yes, sorry about that. It couldn’t be helped. Your friends from Zeta were closing in, and it was the only way to escape. The weapon is non-lethal and shouldn’t cause any permanent damage.”
“Shouldn’t?”
“Don’t worry, I gave you a once over while you were unconscious. You’re fine.”
“What kind of weapon was it?”
“My own invention. It targets Zeta brain implants within a certain radius, overloading them to render the clones unconscious.”
“You are just full of surprises, Isaac.”
“You have no idea, my boy,” Isaac said with a laugh.
The little girls concerned faces studied Danny intently. He flashed them a smile to prove he was not hurt, and both of their little faces lit up in response. He found their smiles powerfully uplifting. And he was struck at how happy he was to see them safe, and unharmed.
“How did they find me so fast?” said Danny. “Didn’t you turn off my geobroadcast?”
“They weren’t looking for you, my boy,” said Isaac. “They came for me. I can’t say that it was unexpected, although I did think I’d have more time.”
“You mean they know about your connection to the resistance?”
“No. Those men don’t care about the resistance. They were sent by Masterson to take me.”
“Masterson? I thought you weren’t involved with Zeta anymore?”
“I’m not, but so long as I’m alive and free I’m a threat to Masterson. One that he would prefer to eliminate.”
Danny thought about all the technology Isaac had shown him, and how disruptive it could potentially be to Zeta. What other inventions did the old man have hidden away?
“Where are we going now?” said Danny, surveying the surrounding countryside. They were currently traveling off road, through a wooded area. Danny approved. The tall trees providing decent cover.
“To a safe house used by the resistance,” said Isaac. “Zeta doesn’t know about it. At least not yet.”
“What did you do with my weapon,” said Danny, feeling vulnerable without it.
“Don’t worry, I have it up here,” said Isaac. “I thought it best to hold onto it while you were unconscious.”
“Mom, I need to go to the bathroom,” Ellie whined.
“Can you wait? We won’t be too long,” said Catherine.
“No. I have to go now.”
“I’ll pull over,” said Isaac. “We should be safe here.”
The vehicle stopped and Danny quickly got out to retrieve his weapon. As Catherine helped the girls, he patrolled the perimeter to ensure their safety. If he had regained consciousness, surely the Zeta team at the house had as well. And even though the trees provided some cover, he didn’t think that a Zeta operation would neglect having eyes in the sky. Not necessarily orbital support, but there would be something.
Studying the surrounding landscape, his practiced eye couldn’t find anything abnormal. All seemed as it should. His augmented hearing, however, told a different story. The hum was faint, but unmistakable. Something the average person would never have noticed. But he had, and it screamed of ill intent.
“Time to go, my boy,” said Isaac.
Danny held up a hand, and Isaac understood that something was wrong. Danny motioned for them to hide, and turned his attention back to the humming. As faint as it was, it grew steadily louder. Danny focused on the sound, identifying the Zeta drone swarm’s approach. It came from behind, making its way steadily through the foliage. The swarm was too close to try and outrun.
Zeta drones were tiny, and very difficult to spot. Danny took cover behind a tree trunk, hoping that they wouldn’t see him either. Despite their small size, they were capable of firing plasma beams,
and could be deadly, especially as a group. He waited for the swarm to come closer, focusing on its sound. Identifying its location.
The swarm advanced steadily. Hunting. Danny could only assume the drones didn’t want Isaac dead, otherwise they would have fired as they left the house. They were simply tracking them, so that Zeta could capture Isaac later. Clearly, Zeta wanted him alive, but the rest were expendable. He had to take the swarm out if they had any hope of escape. He just wasn’t sure how.
When the swarm was close enough, Danny sprang into action. Surging out from behind the tree, he fired in the direction of the noise. A burst of plasma bolts streaked forward, burning through the cluster of insect-like machines. The resulting sparks indicated multiple hits. But the remaining drones returned fire.
Already at a full sprint, the plasma bolts bit at his heels. The swarm gave pursuit. Danny dove behind an outcropping of rocks. He rolled, and came up with his weapon blazing. He couldn’t win. Even as his precise aim drew down their numbers, he knew they were too many. He moved again, relying on his great speed to stay ahead of them.
Leaping for the cover of a tree, tiny bolts hit him in the shoulder. He stifled the urge to cry out, as the remaining bolts ripped into the tree, spraying him with splinters. The drones moved to flank him, and he let loose several more bursts before moving again.
More hits, this time the bolts burned into his back. The pain was intense, but he kept running. If he couldn’t defeat them, he would try to distract them long enough for Isaac, Catherine and the girls to get away.
He barely made it behind another outcropping of rocks, before another flurry of plasma bolts hit the boulders. He popped up to fire at the nearest ones, opening up with a sustained burst this time. He was determined to eliminate as many as he could before they finished him off.
“Over here!” came Isaac’s voice.
Danny registered the sound, but didn’t understand what the crazy old man was doing. The drones heard it too, and broke off their attack, doubling back toward Isaac. No, thought Danny, racing out from behind the boulders after them.
