“Hang on!” the captain called, a meaningless command since no one was doing anything but hanging on. “Ten gees for twenty seconds.”
As the ship smoothly but almost instantaneously increased speed, Starsgard was pressed into his chair, which doubled as an acceleration couch. The light in front of his eyes became a pinpoint. He attempted to grin and tighten his abdomen as he’d been taught. The chair gripped his legs to keep blood from building up. He started to gasp for air.
Then the twenty seconds had passed and the return to seven gees acceleration felt like a relief. Starsgard continued having a hard time breathing, but that made him angry. He had work to do. The corporal was surprised that he wasn’t already flooded with adrenaline as a wave hit his body, making him feel stronger. He was older than the others, but not old. He had been an academic, but now he could feel the lean muscle throughout his body. He flexed, feeling the power chasing his fears away.
“Save the ship!” he yelled before activating the comm system. “Captain, the second I turn off the jammer, I’m launching two missiles at the incoming. If it hasn’t corrected its course, then any explosions should send debris across our wake.” Starsgard watched the projected path of the missile. He fired up the targeting radar, a short range system that was ineffective while the jammer was active. He turned off the jammer and pressed fire.
Two missiles rocketed away from The Olive Branch toward the estimated position of the inbound. They corrected when the radar painted the target. The incoming shed its skin, exposing the internals to Jolly’s sensors. A full load of smaller projectiles were releasing to spread out and cast a wide net to catch any unsuspecting spaceship.
The two missiles impacted the inbound just after separation, exploding the remainder of the fuel and sending a blast wave that swallowed the incoming’s own mass of projectiles. Starsgard watched the blast on his screen.
The Olive Branch barely rocked once as the concussion passed, quickly dissipating in the vast vacuum of space.
“Reverse acceleration. Move us back into a high orbit, Lieutenant Pace.” The EM drive stopped adding thrust and the ship coasted, the thrusters changing the orientation of the ship. They’d been accelerating away from the planet and needed to return. Pace advised everyone to remain in their couches as he executed a wide turn to bring the ship back to Concordia.
A Crap Sandwich
“Holy crap!” Cain exclaimed as he let go and the dead president dropped to the ground. His people brought up their weapons and prepared to fire. The Concordians did the same.
At no other point in Cain’s life was he ever convinced he was going to die. He didn’t want to go out, blasting away at overwhelming odds against a determined enemy from an indefensible position. But that’s what he had been cornered into. His people, including the ‘cats, were in the courtyard, fully exposed and surrounded. The false dawn outlined the shuttle nearby, but with the Concordians and their weapons, it might as well have been back in the hangar bay of their spaceship for all the use it was to the Marines.
Cain put his blaster in its holster and stood up straight. He didn’t issue any commands to his Marines. He was focused solely on the men in front of him. ‘Brutus?’ he asked in his thought voice, looking for insight. He knew the ‘cat was upset by the man, but why?
‘These three are the real power. The president fooled me as he thought he was in charge. These three are clones, having been produced deep underground.’ Brutus bared his fangs and continued to arch as he prepared to attack. Lutheann and the other ‘cats became enraged as one, hissing and spitting at the three men.
“Clones,” Cain said aloud. The front man raised one eyebrow.
‘Jolly, we’ve got clones down here and they are stirring up trouble. Ask Graham why he didn’t tell us,’ Cain asked via his neural implant, unhappy with AIs as a whole.
The clones seemed indifferent to the ‘cats’ dismay. Why should they? They were immortal, in their own minds.
“So, gentlemen, where’s this put us?” Cain asked. Since he was going to die, he wanted to know why.
“Your position is untenable. Our role in the governing affairs of this world will remain unknown to the populace. If you kill us, we’ll be back within a week. When we kill you, you’ll be gone forever. That’s the big difference, and we’ll have your shuttle too, since you took our other ones. We didn’t appreciate that, by the way,” the nameless clone stated.
Lutheann approached the trio, working her mouth as if trying to get something from between her teeth.
‘Jolly, are you getting all this? Can you have Graham add it to the broadcast, please?’ Cain asked casually. He figured that a civil war was necessary if the people wanted out from under the bonds of their real oppressors. He also believed that Graham was complicit. If Graham did not play the broadcast, then it would confirm the story the major had told himself.
‘Done, Major Cain, and for your information, the attack on The Olive Branch has been repulsed, no damage to the ship and one hundred percent destruction of the Concordian device,’ Jolly added happily.
“You probably know that your attack on our ship has failed,” Cain needled them.
“It was a long shot,” the clone said. “I believe you are using a neural interface. Are you linked with your ship’s computer?”
Cain wasn’t going to answer. He stood with his feet spread. Those holding weapons were starting to shake from the effort of keeping them aimed. The stand-off couldn’t last too much longer. The major looked over his Marines. The Wolfoids were determined, lightning spears casually braced under a foreleg, steady in their aim. Bull still had Tracker over his shoulder. Pickles had put Slayer’s body on the ground so he could better handle his spear.
Smoke trails continued to rise from Stinky’s ballistic cloak. Cain breathed deeply, smelling burnt Wolfoid fur. He could hear the sound of the shuttle as it pulled in oxygen and hydrogen from the atmosphere, refilling its tanks for its trip off the planet. He imagined how good it would feel to ride the shuttle home with his Marines.
Jo aimed her blaster at the clones. Cain could see in her face that she intended to shoot all three, one after the other in rapid succession before the blasters aimed at her took her down.
“Marines,” Cain said, as he started to walk back and forth between his people and the Concordians. “Look what you’ve been able to do! We accomplished our mission, despite the firepower arrayed against us. You faced the enemy and you didn’t falter, you didn’t waver from the mission.” Cain walked by each of his people, touching them, showing them his pride in their actions.
‘Don’t come down here, Ascenti. Get away. Survive,’ he told the Hawkoid over the mindlink.
The ‘cats moved in around the clones. The man in front leaned down to pet Lutheann. Cain wondered. He’d never seen a clone take any interest in a Hillcat. When the man locked eyes with Lutheann, she put her face against his.
‘Brutus?’ Cain asked. The ‘cat had calmed and was sitting peacefully.
‘Lutheann has him,’ he said cryptically.
Cain looked back to his people. “Holster your blasters and shoulder your spears. We won’t be the ones to fight this battle.” They reluctantly complied. Jo was last to holster her weapon. Cain saw in her eyes that she was at home in combat, reveling in the power she carried and her ability to make war. “Some other day, Jo. We’re done here,” he whispered.
“Sergeant Stalker, make sure our people’s wounds are treated,” he ordered as if the Concordians had magically disappeared. The clones seemed to be smitten by the ‘cats. Each of them was on a knee and engaged in a struggle of the mind. Two ‘cats rubbed and purred against each of the clones. Cain didn’t know what was going on, but he was suddenly exhausted beyond measure.
The Marines moved to a corner of the courtyard where they could be close to each other. The Concordians slowly relaxed, putting their weapons away as the three men who casually called for the execution of their president were distracted by the Hillcats from C
ygnus VII.
Numbweed was shared between the Marines. Bull needed more as he fought to stay conscious. Seeing the damage, Cain was amazed that the squad leader had made it out of the building, let alone carrying another Wolfoid.
He could feel his people’s morale sag. The uncertainty of their future seized them and held them tightly.
“You know what?” Cain blurted. “I heard that we were supposed to have hot chow on the objective. Well? Here we are, so where’s the chow?” The Wolfoids started to snicker. Jo laughed out loud. Spence stood and shouted, “Aye, aye, sir!” He went to the nearest Concordian.
“You look as hungry as I feel!” he started his conversation with the man. “Where’s the dining room? Let’s get all these good people something to eat!” The Concordian soldier looked to someone for approval and only received a shrug. The man looked at the tiny human and what he thought of as a mountain lion who accompanied him. Zisk joined them, and the Concordian was taken aback.
“I will go, too, help carry the food. You do have fresh meat, do you not?” Zisk asked, surprising the Concordian, who clearly understood the sounds coming the device hanging around the alien’s neck.
Spence pointed to another soldier. “Hey you, come on, let’s get enough for everyone.” The four of them and Tobiah left the courtyard using the door that Stinky had breached earlier. Spence was talking the whole time about how pleasant Concordia seemed.
The clones stood as one, and the one in front raised a hand. “We understand now. You are free to stay as long as you’d like.” The clones started walking away.
“Wait a minute!” Cain called. The first clone stopped and turned.
“Yes?” he asked. The major held up his hands, confused. “We have been presented with a new paradigm that has merit. We will return in four days, before your ship is ready to depart, with our proposal for mutual cooperation and peaceful coexistence. Come along, my friends, we have much to discuss.” Cain took a step before he realized that they weren’t talking to him. Lutheann led five other ‘cats in a procession with the three clones.
Before they disappeared into a door in the wall, the lead clone told a Concordian officer, “Make our honored guests feel welcome. They are free to do as they please, visit the city, meet people. They will stay here in the guest quarters with all the amenities we can provide.”
Cain stood dumbfounded. The Concordians reacted immediately, gathering to provide assistance with the injured and offering to escort them to their quarters.
“We appreciate your help, but we’ll wait until our people return. We would love to share a meal with you, in celebration of our new friendship. Right here, if that’s okay,” Cain offered. The Concordian who looked like the one in charge agreed, sending some of his men to get tables and chairs.
“Your group is interesting. What did you call them?” the man asked.
“Marines. They are the first of the Cygnus Marines,” Cain answered proudly.
Duty First
During the meal, the Concordians sat intermingled with the Marines the conversations were those of wonder and possibility. Wolfoids and Lizard Men seemed to be the biggest stars, until Ascenti made a low pass over the table, landing next to Cain.
The major took the opportunity to share a short update with Jolly, that there had been a significant positive development and that Cain would report in later with full details.
The in-roads that Cain and his people made that day would carry forward for generations, the day that the strangers broke bread with the Concordians.
It also confirmed one of Cain’s hypotheses. He believed that because good people easily trusted others, bad people rose to the top. Vii avoided that when the ‘cats got involved, to weed out those with ill intent. He wondered if Concordia was now heading in that direction, thanks to Lutheann and her fellows.
The quarters were luxurious and for that, Cain felt bad. He knew that the tyrannical leadership had used their people to build something that the average Concordian would never get to enjoy. The Marines had no choice. The major wanted to be close to the shuttle and this put them in a defensible position, although he had been assured that there would be no threat to the people of Cygnus VII.
As soon as his people were settled, he opened his implant and contacted the mission commander.
‘Master Daksha, I have an update. The bad news first. I lost two Marines today and Bull is severely injured, one paw was almost taken off. He is comfortable at present, but we need to get him back to the ship,’ Cain reported sadly.
‘We will dispatch the second shuttle with tanks installed as we did last time. Your injured can be evacuated in less than two days. I hope that will suffice,’ Daksha replied hopefully. He liked the Marines, especially Bull. The large Wolfoid was a gentle soul, as the major was, in his own way.
‘I think that will be fine. Everyone has given their numbweed to Bull. We’ll make do, but we’ll put him on that shuttle, and maybe a few of the others. I’m not sure yet. We need to see if the clones have truly had a change of heart. And that’s the big news. The president wasn’t running the show, it was some clones doing it from the shadows. Lutheann and the ‘cats intervened and they got into the clones’ minds. Think about that, Master Daksha. The real ambassadors from Cygnus VII might be the Hillcats. They will probably be the ones who saved Concordia from a civil war,’ Cain said.
The captain was in the commander’s quarters as usual, to take Cain’s report.
“That could be the oddest thing I’ve ever heard,” Rand said. “More so considering how they drove the Rabbits into a murderous rage.”
Daksha stopped blinking. He’d had little interaction with the ‘cats, but he gathered that they were more self-serving than that, caring little for the affairs of humanity. He’d have to revise his opinion.
“We don’t know what to tell you, Cain, besides congratulations. If the clones come through with a genuine offer of free trade and mutual cooperation, then we will have done what we came here to do. The sacrifices of your Marines will not have been in vain,” the mission commander said smoothly, understanding how the major was motivated. The young man cared more for others than he did for himself.
“Duty first, Major Cain. In all things, duty first. By the way, your man Starsgard saved the ship. He’s sleeping now, as are most of the crew. The maneuvers we executed trying to get away took their toll. Daksha out,” the Tortoid signed off, trying to leave Cain with something positive.
Cain looked at a blank wall, trying to process what he’d seen and heard that day. It was barely late morning, Concord-time, and all he wanted to do was sleep. He made one last trip to see all his people. Most of them were asleep, but there were two Marines on guard in the hallway where their rooms were located. Jo and Stalker looked tired, but stood up, fighting off sleep. He offered to get them something if they wanted, but they shooed him away as if he were a fly buzzing around. He returned to his room.
“So what’s the plan, Brutus?” he asked the ‘cat, who had not left the bed as he made his rounds.
‘Sleep, dumbass,’ Brutus replied.
“With you and two Marines watching over us? I think I’ll do just that, and I love you, too, little man.” Cain’s final thoughts were of Brutus, happily hunting in the forest outside the city. Last time, the ‘cats never got the chance to make a kill of the deer-like creatures. They deserved that opportunity…
Fighting for Freedom
The commander of the Concordian forces made sure that the Cygnus Marines were comfortable, and that Cain got to see whatever he wished. First and foremost was a hunting expedition. Cain asked that they go to Fairsky and be allowed to hunt with some of the villagers.
They loaded five Marines and three ‘cats into three helicopters that made the flight to the village well south of the capital city. The villagers responded to the landing with their weapons in hand, but when they saw Cain, they relaxed. Albert was among them and the Elder of the village greeted him warmly.
Cain an
d Albert returned to his home while the others trekked across the field and into the woods where the shepherds had seen recent signs of the karasha, the wild game that was only slightly larger than Tobiah and was considered a delicacy. The Concordians had a difficult time hunting the fleet game. Brutus told Cain to tell the villagers that the ‘cats had arrived, and all would feast that day on fresh karasha.
The major discussed not the future of Concordia, but the lessons from Vii’s past and how quickly they were able to rise as a civilization once the safety protocols were introduced to the AI and the pure-heart test implemented for inclusion by the Council of Elders.
The news that the government had been overthrown caused confusion and panic. People were staying in their homes. As that news reached Cain, he asked Albert to accompany them back to the city, to speak to the people of Concordia as an Elder, appeal for calm and tell them that the future was bright. Albert didn’t want to go, but they had communication equipment in the village. Cain asked Graham, by way of Jolly, if he could patch that through to all. With an affirmative, Cain asked the Elder if he would talk to them now.
While the others were hunting, Albert sat in front of a communications console, an imager showing his face, which he always found disconcerting.
“Speak from the heart. The people will listen to you,” Cain said, wishing Brutus was there to help the Elder be calm.
Cygnus Expanding: Humanity Fights for Freedom (Cygnus Space Opera Book 2) Page 33
