“Grunts don’t get to make requests like that,” scowled Taggart.
“I believe she has a unique insight into the Shiveen, and she has experience in xenostudies.”
Laroux smiled at Caroline and extended his hand. “Doctor Tao, I’m Captain Laroux. Welcome to the PSS Dauntless.”
Caroline shook Laroux’s hand. “Captain, I’d like to commend Private Conway for getting us safely away from the Shiveen. If he and has team hadn’t come along—”
Laroux pivoted back to Jack. “You’re bold, Mister Conway, I’ll give you that. I’ll take your request under advisement, but promise nothing. Until I or MilCom say otherwise, you are not to share any of the information you’re aware of regarding the unique Shiveen circumstances you uncovered.”
“Captain— ” began Caroline.
“Doctor, the same applies to you and your team. Do you all understand?”
“Yes,” she replied. The other scientists assented too.
“Good. Doctor Tao, let my Executive Officer and I escort you and your team to some rooms we’ve put aside for you. Perhaps you’ll join me for dinner later to discuss these unique Shiveen circumstances.”
Laroux and Nambo walked away with the scientists, and Taggart turned to Jack, his scowl slipping momentarily.
“Thanks for bringing Stone back,” he said. “Pablo was a good man, even if he was a terrible gambler. I’ll miss him. Good job, nugget. Good job.”
The gruff sergeant turned away, hustling to catch up to Laroux, before Jack.
“What do you know?” said Anderson. “Taggart’s got an emotion beyond scownling after all.”
Bandura smacked her elbow into Anderson’s chest, making him laugh.
Jack heard his name called. Nathine was running towards him, one arm in a sling, an obvious limp as she came.
She had survived!
They reached each other and hugged. Jack could feel Anderson’s and Bandura’s amused stares at his back.
“It is so very good to see you again, Jack Conway,” said Nathine.
“You too.”
“Many of ourfellow graduates were not so lucky, and many marines. And how the fighting just stopped! Nobody knows what happened!”
Jack desperately wanted to tell Nathine some of what he and the others had been through. He needed to share it with someone else, someone he trusted deeply. But, he’d been given a direct order by the Captain. He’d already given away data to a civilian, so what harm was there in sharing the details with his best friend? No. There had to be a line somewhere.
“I know,” he said. “I wonder what happened. Are you hungry, because I’m starving.”
22 Jack's Commission
Jack stepped into Captain’s Laroux’s ready room.
The past twenty-four hours had been a blur of activity for him and the rest of the crew of the Dauntless. He and his fireteam had undergone multiple rounds of interviews, as had Caroline and the scientists. Jack had gone to bed with his head hurting and awoken to a summons to Dauntless’ captain’s office.
Laroux sat behind his desk, looking at the holographic display built into it. Multiple icons showing what Jack assumed to be the current Panhumanic Sphere fleet in orbit around Pallas IV floated about an inch above the desktop. There were at least a dozen ships, including cruisers, dreadnoughts, and battleships. Jack could make out their designations easily enough.
“Come closer, Private First Class Conway,” said Laroux, without looking up.
Jack walked to the desk and then stood to attention and saluted. Laroux finally looked up at him, a soft smile on his face.
“At ease, Private Conway. What do you think of this?” Laroux said, pointing at the holographic display.
Now he was closer, Jack could make up various numbers and coordinates on the displayed map. In the far corner was a red triangle with the letters 'SBG’ atop it: Shiveen Battle Group.
“It looks like we chased them away, sir.”
“It does, doesn’t it? Or they left of their own accord. I’m inclined to the latter theory.”
Jack looked at the map again and considered everything that he’d been through in the past two days, and what had led up to it. The attack on New Macedon, Caroline’s science expedition, the Shiveen ruins deep underground. The rapid response to the initial attack and the Panhumanic blockade now around the planet. There was a lot to unpack.
“Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Permission granted, Mister Conway,” said Laroux, sitting down in his chair. “Say what you really think.”
“They’re coming back, aren’t they? They have no intention of giving up the planet.”
“Are they?” asked Laroux, steepling his fingers.
“Yes, sir. This planet means something to them. In fact, it means a great deal to them. The ruins we found aren’t the only ruins on the planet, are they?”
Laroux’s face gave nothing away.
“In fact,” continued Jack. “We knew about the ruins on Pallas IV before they dispatched the Dauntless.”
Laroux kept his face placid.
“Go on,” he said.
“These aren’t the first Shiveen ruins we’ve found. There are more on other planets. We’re colonizing Shiveen worlds, or what used to be them.”
Laroux gave a soft clap.
“Very good, Mister Conway. No, these are not the first Shiveen ruins we’ve encountered, and they will come back. Pallas IV is what we’ve coined a ‘Deadworld’. The Shiveen build massive structures deep underground on certain worlds and fill it with their dead. Sort of like a mass graveyard. We’re not sure exactly why they do it, but we’ve encountered dozens of these worlds now.”
“But this was the first with a civilian colony established on it.”
“Yes. The corporation behind New Macedon was warned against settling on the planet, but did so anyway. There was little that could to stop them; they have powerful friends in government. What happened to Pallas IV would happen no matter what, sooner rather than later, here or someplace else. However, with the attack on the planet, MilCom now has jurisdiction over the planet.”
“And the ruins and what is under it.”
“And the ruins and what is under it,” repeated Laroux. He moved his hand over the display and it zoomed in on the planet, rendering it in detail. Several colored markers appeared as the planet rotated on its axis. “So far we’ve uncovered thirteen similar sites on Pallas IV. The one Doctor Tao was examining was the easiest one for a science team to access, so we sent her there.”
“We, Sir? Milcom sent her?
"In a fashion. Through its strategic partnerships with corporate contractors, we had a shell company support her research team. MilCom fully funded it."
"Does she know this?”
“As far as she knows, a corporation paid for her expedition. And that’s how it will stay.”
Jack watched the Shiveen ruin sites appear and disappear as the planet in the display rotated through them, presenting information on them.
Thirteen. A prime number.
“The other planets.” said Jack. “They have similar numbers of ruins?”
“Some, yes. Others have more or less. But as far as we’re able to determine, the number of ruins is always a prime number. I’ll be damned if I or anyone else at MilCom can work out exactly why the Shiveen love primes so much. It may have a scientific basis, or even a religious one. Or just be coincidental. We know precious little about the Shiveen, but we know more about them today because of you and your actions.
“To date, you’re the first panhuman to seriously engage the Shiveen in a semblance of dialogue and open communication. What you did on the planet was important and we don’t yet know the ramifications of it. Maybe you just opened the door to being able to communicate with the Shiveen and stop this war from claiming millions of lives on both sides.”
Laroux stood and walked around the desk to stand next to Jack. “The commissions for your graduating class finally came through
. The others will get theirs later at an official ceremony we’ll be holding in the main cargo bay. I wanted to give yours personally.”
Excitement coursed through Jack. There had been literal blood, sweat, and tears to get him to this point.
He had graduated, and survived his first real combat encounter.
Jack snapped to attention.
“Private First Class Jack Conway,” said Laroux, tapping on his alek with a finger. “In recognition of your completion of Officer Candidate School and your commensurate graduation, I am authorized by the Military Advancement Board to award you a commission and advancement to Second Lieutenant.”
Laroux flicked his fingers towards Jack, sending the official commission document from his alek to Jack’s, and saluted Jack. Jack’s right hand snapped to his own salute
Jack looked at the information his alek provided about his new rank. It read First Lieutenant and not Second.
“Captain, I believe a mistake may have been made. I’m seeing a promotion to First Lieutenant?”
“No mistake, son,” said Laroux, returning a brisk salute. “As you know we lost Hughes during the action down on Pallas IV, so someone needs to head up the marine Platoon on this boat. While there were a few people ahead of you in the line, I’ve requested that you get a field promotion immediately to First Lieutenant based on your actions on the planet. It still has to go through MilCom for full approval, but it’s a done deal. At ease.”
It normally took at least a year of active service to earn the rank that Jack was awarded.
“I don’t quite understand, Sir.”
“Jack, we met the Shiveen five years ago. Since then we’ve barely been able to interact with them without it ending with each side shooting at the other. Hell, we’ve even developed more effective and efficient weaponry for killing them. We’ve tried communicating with them in hundreds of languages, including using some mathematics I don’t quite understand, but we’ve always been at an impasse. They simply didn’t want to talk to us. They see us, they shoot us. And vice versa.
“But what you did on Pallas IV?
“You communicated with them. You met them on their level. You found a way, even if only for a moment, to share something in common with them. I don’t know if that’s enough to change things, but it’s a start. And more than we what we had yesterday.”
Laroux extended his hand.
“What do you say, son? Are you ready to help us end this war before it really starts?”
Jack took Laroux’s hand and shook it.
“Yes, Sir. You can count on me.”
THE END
<<<<>>>>
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About The Author
Jason has loved science fiction and fantasy books since he was a young child. A voracious reader, he’d read everything he could, finding inspiration and falling in love with the works of the great science fiction and fantasy writers of the late 20th Century. Now he wants to share his own worlds and stories with those like him that believe that if you can imagine it, it’s real.
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ALSO BY JASON PAUL McCARTAN
THE WORLD EATERS SERIES
SEASON 1
Emancipation
Protector
Revelation
NOVELLAS
First Contact
Between The Shadows
WEBSITE EXCLUSIVES
Limited Engagement
Emancipation Page 19
