by J. N. Chaney
“Chu!” shouted the tiny animal.
Another vibration.
THOMB.
I slowly looked at Abigail. “Mommy’s back.”
“Everyone, get ready to defend yourselves!” said Janus.
The soldiers formed a small circle around us, but I pushed the nearest one aside. “Out of my way,” I muttered, refusing to let someone else do the dirty work for me.
The baby Boneclaw cried again. “Chuchukoo!”
THOMB.
THOMB.
THOMB.
I could feel every step the creature made, so much stronger than the others. So much bigger.
The tunnel trembled as it came, dust falling from the stones.
The monster’s hands were smaller than the others, its claws about half the size. It walked on four legs, carrying the bulk of its weight at the fat center.
The mother’s ears flickered as it approached, stopping at the mouth of the tunnel, letting out a quick yelp. “Eepo! Eepo!”
The little infant waddled over to its feet. “Chu! Chu!”
The mother’s backside split apart. Six legs extended from inside, like the legs of an insect, and she picked up the child with them, placing it on her back.
I wasn’t sure what to do. We couldn’t run without her noticing, possibly starting a fight, but an outright attack might create other problems.
We kept our weapons aimed on the monster, waiting to see what it did. I could sense the soldier next to me breathing heavily, shifting where he stood.
The Boneclaw tilted its head, flicking its ears several times. It took a step towards us, but paused, waiting.
I swallowed the lump in my throat as a bead of sweat ran down my neck. I could hear the other soldiers beside me, nervously fidgeting. She knows we’re here, I thought, observing the creature.
The mother stepped back, retracted her insect legs to cover the infant in her pouch. She let out a quick “Eepo,” to which the child replied, “Chu.” Then the animal turned away and heading into the tunnel, leaving us behind. The floor shook as she stomped away, further into the darkness.
“O-Oh gods,” muttered Dressler.
“Why didn’t it attack?” asked Abby.
“Maybe she was protecting the child,” said Dressler. “An attack would only endanger it.”
I let myself breathe, trying to loosen my nerves. “Let’s just get the fuck out of this place. I’ve had my fill of this nightmare.”
Twenty
We made it back in one piece, no Boneclaws to slow us down this time. Good thing, since The Galactic Dawn was about to be in orbit.
“We’re tracking the ship now,” said Freddie, his voice coming through the comm. The Renegade Star was floating in close orbit, cloaked, and staying out of sight. “It’s still on course for the planet.”
“Specifically, your current position, sir,” inserted Siggy.
I cursed, shaking my head. “Don’t get too close if you can help it. Stand by for now.”
“Understood,” Siggy answered.
I looked at Karin as we all stood around the conference room table. “We need options.”
Janus materialized beside her. “Weapons systems are coming online. So far, they appear to be operational.”
“Get ready to use them,” I told him.
“There’s something else,” said the Cognitive. “I believe I can activate the station’s shield, or part of it, at least.”
“What’s that mean? What part?” asked Abigail.
“The shield was created to conceal all three facilities, but it relied on all three Tritium Cores to function. Since the other two stations no longer have working cores, I can only use—”
“The new core,” finished Dressler. Her eyes widened. “If you do that, you could drain the core’s energy.”
“It is a possibility,” said Janus.
“I thought it was fully charged,” I said.
“It is,” said Janus. “However, the core would be outputting at three times its intended capacity. Tritium Cores are meant to recharge automatically while in use. If they exceed their intended output, the result could be full depletion.”
“Could you limit the size of the shield?” asked Dressler. She’d been standing behind me until now, saying nothing. “Bring it down to only this section.”
“Yes, I believe that might be possible, although that is not the only problem,” said Janus.
“What else?” I asked.
Janus flicked his wrist, changing the image of the wall to show The Galactic Dawn, finally orbiting the planet. “If this ship is as powerful as you claim, it stands to reason it may bombard the shield. Given the decay of the architecture here, it’s unlikely to last for very long.”
“But it can work,” I said.
The Cognitive nodded. “For a time.”
“When you say your systems are back online, does that include communications?” asked Dressler.
“How do you mean?” he asked.
“Long range,” she said. “Off planet. Out of system.”
“Had you asked me that a thousand years ago, I might have said yes,” continued Janus. “Now, however, I simply do not know.”
Dressler was quiet for a moment, scratching her ear. “Hm.”
I found myself waiting for her to continue, the tension in the air only getting thicker by the second. “For gods’ sake, Doc, what the hell are you on about?” I finally blurted out.
She flinched at the question. “Ah, sorry, Captain. I was thinking.” Dressler’s eyes fell on Janus. “Could you send a signal out, long range, in all directions? Something that only an old Earth vessel might pick up?”
“That would depend on how well the communication systems are after all this time,” said the Cognitive.
“But if they work, you can do it?” she asked.
He nodded. “Certainly.”
Dressler shot a wicked look at me. “That’s the answer. We send a message to Titan and give them our location. It’s the best chance we have.”
The suggestion took me by surprise. I had never thought of trying that. If it worked, Athena and the others might actually be able to swoop in and save us. “Do you think you can do that, Janus?” I finally asked.
“I believe I can try,” he answered.
“Hold on,” inserted Karin. “Everything you’re saying…it sounds like we’re going to war with these people. Do you really think it will come to that? Isn’t it at least possible we could speak to them and work something out?”
Abigail answered this time. “This world is worth more than anything they’ve ever come across. They’ll do whatever it takes to harvest it.”
Karin’s eyes dropped to the table. “After all this time, our first contact with the rest of the galaxy is going to be hostile.” She sighed. “How fitting for us.”
“You can survive this,” I said.
“How?” she asked. “From everything you’ve told me about these people, they have more resources. We’re using the remnants of what our ancestors left behind. None of that equipment has been maintained. We don’t even have any ships.”
“Ships,” I muttered, almost to myself.
“What was that, Jace?” asked Abby.
I hadn’t thought about it before, but the shuttle was still on The Renegade Star. It couldn’t be used because we were so far away from Titan, but maybe now, with the new core in place…
“Janus, do you know anything about the ship I had on The Star?” I asked.
“The short-range attack vessel?” he asked.
“That’s the one. Looks like a giant triangle,” I said.
“I’m well versed in pre-colonization era technology.”
“Now that we’ve got that core online, is it possible to start the ship up again?” I asked.
“Ah, yes,” he said. “The connector links were taken offline, but they should be available now.”
I tapped my ear. “Siggy, Freddie, get your asses back down here! I need that strike ship you’ve got in
your belly!”
“You want us back on the surface?” asked Freddie.
“Captain, what are you doing?” asked Karin.
“Yes, please share,” said Dressler.
“No celebrating yet, ladies,” I said, already feeling my heart begin to race. “But godsdamn, I just might have an idea.”
* * *
After a lengthy discussion, it seemed we had a plan.
Or at least, something close to one. Everything depended on the old communication systems still being operational. The rest existed solely to buy us more time.
Abigail and I ran through the facility, back to the field, leaving Dressler behind to help Karin and the others with getting the communication network back online.
I met Freddie outside in the snow. He was waiting with a nervous look in his eyes, no doubt frantic over the looming threat hanging above us in orbit. “What’s your plan, Captain?” he asked as I raced into the cargo bay. I went to the ancient strike ship and touched the door.
A wave of relief washed over me as my tattoos began to glow. It was as I had hoped. The ship was operational again, thanks to the new Tritium Core in the facility.
The door cracked open, sliding up to give me access. “Keep The Star cloaked and follow me,” I ordered. “Don’t engage the enemy unless you think you have to. You got that, Fred?”
“I think so,” said Freddie.
“Abby here will take the guns, same as last time,” I said, nodding to her.
“Leave it to us,” she said.
“Uh, why are we doing this?” asked Freddie. “It’s suicide to take on the Union, isn’t it?”
“We’re going to buy some time and hope that Janus and the others can get a signal out to Titan,” I explained.
“Titan?” he asked. “Are you serious?”
I gave him a wicked grin, climbing into the ship. “Don’t I look serious?”
The interior of the strike ship was already alive with activity, waiting for me to activate the controls. I took a seat and placed my hand on the dash, trying to clear my mind. It had been a few days since I used this thing, and even then, I barely had any training.
The craft began to rise from the cargo bay floor, hovering gently in the air. Freddie watched from the locker area. I tapped my ear with my free hand, saying, “Get us in the air, Fred. Keep us cloaked.”
He nodded, then ran to the rear of the room and up the stairs. I let the vessel settle back to the floor, returning to its standby position.
Abby lingered there a moment, watching me from the corner of the room. I could see the concern in her eyes as it slowly began to form and build. The risk was right before us, and this time we didn’t have Titan there to help us. We didn’t even have a working slipspace engine. Worse still, there were hundreds of people on this planet whose lives depended on our success.
I forced a smile as I gave her a confident look. She did the same.
As the engines ignited beneath our feet and The Renegade Star lifted from the snow-covered earth, I couldn’t help but think about how so much had changed in such a short amount of time.
For all of us.
And I’d be damned if I was going to let it all die.
Twenty-One
The Renegade Star flew through the sky with just enough speed to avoid detection by The Galactic Dawn’s sensors. If we drew too close, they’d be able to read our engine’s heat signature, but at this distance we’d be safe enough to break orbit.
That also meant we had to fly a hundred or so kilometers in another direction—East, in this case—just so we didn’t wind up running straight into them.
We entered orbit and cut the engines, setting the ship on a path to meet The Dawn in less than fifteen minutes.
“Pop the doors, Siggy,” I ordered, placing my hand on the dash of the strike ship once again. It hovered off the floor.
“Right away, sir,” said the A.I.
The cargo bay door cracked and slowly descended. I moved the ship forward, through the room and out into open space. Once free, I turned myself around to see the inside of The Star, like a floating portal in the middle of space. The door began to close, causing the light from the cargo bay to slowly bend and fade, allowing the cloak to fully shield the ship once again.
I brought the vessel away and headed closer to The Dawn. I knew they wouldn’t detect me, given the nature of these ancient Earth ships, but I decided to stay cautious anyway, just in case, and keep enough distance to run if I had to.
“Sir, please be advised, The Galactic Dawn is sending a transmission to the surface of the planet,” informed Sigmond.
“What kind of transmission?” I asked.
“It appears to be a video stream. Shall I play it?” he asked. “I can relay the stream to your dashboard holo.”
“Go ahead,” I said.
The feed appeared in front of me, and with it, a familiar face. “Attention, Captain Hughes and anyone else who might be hearing this. Respond immediately. We have your location and the coordinates of the facility or base you are using. Answer now or we will open fire.”
General Brigham spoke with authority, but he couldn’t hide his anger. It was there, deep in his eyes, waiting to be unleashed. If I gave him the chance, he’d slit my throat with his own hands.
“Siggy,” I said, shutting the holo off with only a thought. “Keep monitoring that ship and let me know if anything else happens with it.”
“Of course, sir,” said the A.I.
I told the ship to open a line to Janus. A few seconds later, another holo appeared—this time, of Janus’s face. “Hello, Captain.”
“What’s your status?” I asked.
“With Doctor Dressler’s assistance, I believe we can re-establish our communication system. She and a small team are currently on their way to make the necessary repairs.”
“You think she can handle it?” I asked.
“She is most proficient,” he answered. “I am confident we will have the system online soon.”
“What about the shield?” I asked.
“Modifications have been made and we are ready to deploy,” he said.
“Do it,” I ordered.
He nodded. “Activating now. The enemy ship has also been targeted. When you’re ready to attack, please give the word and we will do the same.”
I thought about the base, not realizing that it would change the holo. An image appeared of the surface, showing me the entire base as it was, and I saw a sudden wave of blue energy form from the ground up, like a bubble. It looked identical to Titan’s shield, translucent with a blue tint.
“Activation sequence successful,” Janus said.
“Standby,” I told him. “Get ready to launch those missiles.”
“Understood,” he said, and then the comm switched off.
I sat there, floating in the dead of space, waiting for the moment. I wouldn’t initiate this fight, because that would only bring the resolution faster, and Janus needed all the time he could get to send that message out. The longer it took for these bastards to wise up and attack the base, the better off we’d all—
Brigham appeared on my dash again. “We see you have activated a shield,” he said. “If you do not deactivate it and hand yourselves over, we will proceed with the attack. You have ten seconds to respond.”
I leaned forward, and my ship moved with me, its engines igniting with more power than intended. I exploded toward the enemy carrier and aimed my guns directly at their forward quad cannons.
“Suit yourselves,” said General Brigham, shaking his head. “Begin bombardment.”
The holo faded right as I neared the ship. I could already see the cannons turning, getting ready to fire. A light formed, releasing a blast of firepower so large I wagered it could have destroyed an entire city block.
The projectiles hit the shield, sending ripples down the side of the circle as four explosions formed.
I brought my ship within firing distance of the cannons and ordered
the vessel to attack. At once, a single blue beam erupted, hitting The Galactic Dawn and breaking two of the guns in half.
“Janus, now!” I snapped, moving my ship to the next set of cannons. “Fire!”
“Understood,” said the Cognitive.
The holo showed dozens of missiles leaving a section of the facility I’d never seen before. Most of it had been buried in the snow until now, when hidden silos emerged. Most fired successfully, sending a small fleet of unmanned bombs toward the invading vessel.
The Galactic Dawn raised its shield in response, trapping me inside, right after firing several of its own missiles to meet the others in the air. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been here before.
While Janus’s weapons left the surface, I set my sights on taking out whatever vital systems I could find. I was completely out of mines, unlike the last time, but no matter. I’d find something to shoot, even if it killed me.
I took aim at the second set of quad cannons, commanding my ship to fire.
As my beam collided with the guns, the remaining missiles from the planet crashed into The Dawn’s shield, sending waves of ripples along the surface. Once it was over, the shield flickered out—deactivated, but not destroyed, which meant something else was about to happen.
Sure enough, The Galactic Dawn lowered several of its doors, releasing swarms of strike ships, like insects from a hive. They bled into open space, flowing along the sides of the ship, moving toward me.
My position had been compromised.
“Janus, send the rest!” I barked, moving my ship away from The Galactic Dawn. “Freddie, Abigail, get ready!”
“Understood,” said the Cognitive.
“Standing by!” said Abby.
The swarm followed me as I broke away from the ship, leading them toward the northern section of the planet, near the moon. Before I was too far, I turned around, cutting the engines to drift, and shot a single beam through the center of the mob.
Several of the ships exploded as the beam tore through them, while many more were set adrift.
The bulk of the ships came back together and continued after me, firing everything they had. “Stay cloaked, Freddie!” I ordered. “Don’t show your cards just yet!”
“How long?” he asked.
