by G J Ogden
McQueen smiled, though there was none of the impishness that Sterling was used to seeing from the headstrong captain. This was a malevolent smile; the smile of someone who basked in cruelty and the misery of others.
“Surrender is such a noble-sounding word, don’t you think?” McQueen finally answered. “An agreement between two honorable forces that one has bested the other. A very human word, and one the Sa’Nerra could never interpret, even through me.” She placed her hands at the small of her back and raised her chin, instantly appearing to grow by two inches. “Submit, on the other hand, is a word the Sa’Nerra knows.” She shrugged. “Or at least they understand its meaning. Submit, succumb, yield, expire, perish, die…” McQueen went on, her tone becoming sharper with each new word that escaped her lips. “The Sa’Nerra are not interested in your surrender, Captain. They merely crave your demise.”
Sterling glanced down at his console, noting that their propulsion systems were still down. However, he could see that power was being re-routed and that engine controls were being diverted through secondary backups. Sullivan was busy, he realized. He had to believe she would come through.
“Then why ‘join’ them?” Sterling asked, resolving to keep McQueen talking for as long as possible. “If the Sa’Nerra simply want to extinguish humanity, all you’re doing is assisting in your own murder.”
“This is what you don’t understand, Lucas,” replied McQueen, shaking her head at him. “If you knew what I knew, and could feel what I feel, you’d know that it is the Sa’Nerra that deserve to prevail. There can be no peaceful coexistence between two species who were both born to conquer and rule. There can be only war, until one remains.” McQueen’s eyes softened a fraction then she drew her arms out from behind her back, reaching toward Sterling as if asking for him to take her hand. “I offer you again the chance to join me, Lucas. Join me in ending this war and the Sa’Nerra will ensure humanity does not suffer needlessly.” McQueen then squeezed her open hand into a fist. “Resist and we will inflict suffering upon your colonies and worlds like nothing you could ever imagine.”
The two sides of McQueen’s temperament seemed to be constantly in flux. There were brief flashes of the Lana McQueen that Sterling remembered, but these were subordinate to a new, more dominant personality. And it was a persona that was darker and colder even than the heart of an Omega Captain.
“Partial scanners back online,” Lieutenant Shade said to Sterling, communicating through a neural link. Sterling glanced down at his console, seeing the Sa’Nerran strike force closing in. However, the scanners were detecting something else too. An energy build-up from the vicinity of the aperture in the direction of the bull’s head nebula.
Sterling glanced across to Banks, who had apparently also observed the build-up and was working frantically at her console. Her brow was furrowed and her jaw clenched shut. Then she thumped the side of her console, almost snapping it clean off its pedestal, and looked at Sterling. However, this time her expression had lifted, almost to the point of joy. Sterling glanced at his own console again then understood why. There was only one thing he knew of that could cause such a large build-up of energy that close to an aperture.
“You can take a message back to your Sa’Nerran masters from me,” Sterling said, finally responding to McQueen’s demand. “You can tell them Fleet will never submit, succumb or yield, and neither will I. If you want a fight to the death, so be it.”
McQueen pulled her fist back to her chest and Sterling could see that it was shaking with rage.
“So be it, Captain Sterling,” the former Fleet officer spat in reply. “The extermination of the human race begins now, starting with you.” The viewscreen then faded back to the image of MAUL and the strike force.
“The Sa’Nerran vessels are getting ready to fire,” said Lieutenant Shade, with urgency but without fear. “Wait, I’m detecting a surge. Whatever it is, it’s big.”
“There’s nothing bigger, Lieutenant,” replied Sterling, standing tall and peering out through the viewscreen expectantly.
Suddenly the Invictus was rocked by a powerful shock wave, but this time it wasn’t a fusion reactor overloading. This was the result of a massive spatial distortion. Sterling’s console flashed up an alert then what remained of the ship’s scanners managed to update the reading. However, Sterling didn’t need to look at his console to know the cause of the alert. He could already see it on the viewscreen.
“The Fleet Dreadnaught Hammer has just surged in,” said Commander Banks, grinning up at the massive capital ship as its titanic hull dominated the viewscreen. Two more distortions then rocked the ship, though this time with less force. “Heavy Cruisers Javelin and Gladius just came onto the board too.”
“It’s about damn time!” said Sterling, thumping his console. His overriding feeling was not one of relief, but determination. Now they were more than a match for the strike force, even with MAUL in the mix. A sudden rush of adrenalin had set his pulse racing and his heart thumping. It was time to stop running. It was time to take the fight back to the Sa’Nerra and its new mouthpiece, Lana McQueen.
“We’re receiving a transmission,” Banks added, glancing across at her captain.
“Put him through, Commander,” said Sterling.
Captain Oscar Blake appeared inset on the viewscreen. “Need any help, Captain Sterling?” said Blake, not even bothering to disguise the smug look on his face. However, Sterling couldn’t begrudge his former commanding officer a moment to gloat. He had arrived literally in the nick of time.
“If you insist, Captain,” replied Sterling, with matching bravado. “We’ll try to leave some of them for you.”
The corner of Blake’s mouth curled up then his image vanished from the viewscreen. Sterling could already see that the strike force had split up, with the Skirmishers forming a separate attack wing. The Sa’Nerran destroyers were heading for the Javelin and the Gladius, while MAUL, as usual, was less easy to predict. However, it looked like the Sa’Nerra’s most decorated warship was angling to take on the Hammer.
“McQueen has some balls to take on a dreadnaught without her two escorts,” said Banks, sounding like she almost admired the gutsiness of the move. Sterling, however, wasn’t so sure. MAUL hadn’t racked up the number of kills it had made by being reckless.
“Partial engines back online,” Ensign Keller called out. “Controls are responding.”
“Main power is stabilizing,” Shade’s voice called out, adding to the mix. “Regenerative armor is online.”
“What about weapons, Lieutenant?” asked Sterling.
Sterling was sure he caught the flicker of a smile curl the lips of his stoical weapons officer, though he passed it off as a trick of the light.
“I can give you a few shots, sir,” Shade replied, patiently waiting for Sterling to give the order he knew she wanted him to give.
“Then take us in,” said Sterling, grasping the side of his console. “Use the Hammer for cover and pick off those Skirmishers. This time, we’ll let the big guns handle MAUL and those Sa’Nerran destroyers.”
A chorus of “aye, sir,” rang out on the bridge then the Invictus accelerated in pursuit of the Fleet’s mighty flagship. Plasma weapons-fire and high-explosive cannon rounds were already lighting up the space ahead of them.
“Stay clear of the Hammer’s point defense perimeter,” said Sterling, watching as a cloud of explosive shells erupted around the dreadnaught, taking out the slew of torpedoes that had been launched at the massive ship. The vivid flash of plasma rail guns then rippled across the hull of the Hammer and two Skirmishers exploded in flames. Sterling targeted one of the remaining Skirmishers on his console. It was maneuvering hard to avoid the Hammer’s defensive perimeter, and had flown straight in front of them.
“All yours, Lieutenant,” said Sterling, looking across to his weapons officer.
The flash of plasma weapons lit up the space ahead of the Invictus then the Skirmisher was hit square in the mid
dle of the vessel’s broad back. The shots blasted a hole though the ship, leaving it on fire and spiraling out of control. Then the familiar thump of weapons fire impacting on their hull shook Sterling off balance. Another Skirmisher had turned to attack, but Sterling had barely opened his mouth to order Shade to engage, when a barrage from the Hammer reduced the enemy vessel to atoms.
“That brute is spoiling our fun,” said Banks, though Sterling could tell that she was enjoying the fireworks show.
Sterling also allowed himself to smile, though he knew they weren’t out of danger yet. Peering down at the readout from their partially functioning sensors, he looked for the famous heavy destroyer, but couldn’t see it.
“Where the hell is MAUL?” Sterling said out loud. The scanner display flickered and he saw the vessel. The heavy destroyer had turned and burned hard away from the Hammer while it was occupied with the Skirmishers. MAUL’s escorts had managed to separate the Javelin and Gladius from the protection of the capital ship, and now the two Fleet cruisers were trapped between the jaws of the Sa’Nerran strike force. More flashes lit up the darkness and the final Skirmisher disappeared off Sterling’s scanner readout.
“Stay with the Hammer,” Sterling called out to Ensign Keller, realizing that the cruisers were in danger. Turning to Shade, he added, “and throw everything we have left into one more volley from the main rail guns.”
The Invictus drove on through the Void in the shadow of the Fleet’s monstrous capital ship. Sterling’s fingers were tapping rapidly against the side of his console, urging them to go faster, but deep down he knew MAUL had outplayed them this time. Plasma fire flashed out from the alien heavy destroyer, and for a moment it looked like the entire ship was just one enormous weapon. The Javelin was struck first and obliterated. The Gladius tried to run, returning fire against MAUL, but the Sa’Nerran destroyers quickly reduced the Fleet cruisers engines to rubble and smoke. MAUL opened fire again and the Gladius was gone.
“Target that damn ship!” Sterling called out, feeling anger swell inside him.
His thoughts at that moment were not for the hundreds of lost souls aboard the cruisers, but for the woman who had turned her back on them all. He wanted Lana McQueen dead. However, the Sa’Nerra’s new ambassador wasn’t done fighting yet. MAUL and the Sa’Nerran Destroyers unleased a ferocious barrage at the Hammer, and Sterling saw explosions ripple across its hull. Sterling knew the dreadnaught well enough to know that McQueen had targeted it plasma guns on the starboard bow. The Hammer would need to turn its starboard beam toward the remainder of the Sa’Nerran fleet in order to get off another shot, and this would give MAUL another opportunity to strike.
“Weapons locked, Captain,” Shade called out. “Charged to one-fifty percent.”
“That’ll melt the accelerator coils and render the whole weapons system useless,” said Commander Banks.
However, Sterling was on the same page as his weapons officer. They only had one shot, so they may as well make it a good one.
“Fire at will, Lieutenant,” said Sterling. “We’re going need a major refit anyway, so what does one more system matter?”
“Aye, sir,” replied Shade, as the Hammer continued to turn. “Firing…”
The intense flash of plasma blasts on the viewscreen did nothing to ease Sterling’s already aching head. Nor did the scream of alarms that followed as the damage control readout lit up, showing the catastrophic failure of their plasma weapons system. However, Sterling was focused only on the effect of their last-gasp attempt to rid the galaxy of their most deadly adversary. The plasma blasts tore through space and Sterling held his breath as they rippled through the wing of the battle-scarred heavy destroyer. Banks let out a victory cry, but Sterling knew they’d missed the killing blow by the narrowest of margins. Nothing but a direct hit would do. MAUL was not that easy to take down.
“MAUL has taken heavy damage, but their hull integrity is intact,” Shade called out. Her fingers worked frantically at her weapons console, but then she shook her head. “But our weapons systems are gone. We have nothing left, sir.”
“It’s up to the Hammer now,” said Sterling, willing the behemoth to turn faster. MAUL was already running for the aperture, leaving its two destroyer escorts to face down the Hammer instead. It was a suicide move, but like all good games of chess, a sacrifice was never made lightly.
“What the hell are they doing?” said Commander Banks, watching the destroyers maneuver into an attack posture.
“They’re sacrificing themselves,” said Sterling, folding his arms. “They’ve moved into the line of fire so that the Hammer can’t get another shot off at MAUL.”
Banks huffed a laugh then shook her head. “That’s damned cold. I’ve never seen the Sa’Nerra do that before.”
“They’ve never had an Omega Captain on the bridge of a warship before,” replied Sterling, glancing across to his first-officer. “She’s playing us at our own game.”
Sterling turned back to the viewscreen, just as the Hammer unleashed a full broadside, obliterating the two Sa’Nerran destroyers. However, it had taken heavy fire from the enemy vessels too. He knew Captain Blake well enough to know that he wouldn’t risk the Fleet’s flagship by pursuing MAUL deeper into the Void. The battle was over. McQueen had gotten away. Yet he knew in his bones that it would not be the last time they crossed paths.
Sterling tapped his neural interface and opened a link to Lieutenant Sullivan. “Good work, Lieutenant,” he called out to his temporary chief engineer. “We’re in the clear now, so ease down before we blow any other systems,” he added. Half of his mind was distracted by the sight of MAUL and McQueen slipping away and it took him a few seconds to realize that Sullivan hadn’t answered. “Lieutenant Sullivan, respond,” Sterling said, attempting for a second time to make contact. However, the link appeared to be inactive. Cursing, he opened the link to everyone on the ship. “Lieutenant Sullivan, respond,” he said again, growing more frustrated by the second. There was another pause then Commander Graves voice entered Sterling’s head.
“Lieutenant Sullivan is dead, Captain,” Graves said, matter-of-factly. “She was caught in a blast when the plasma weapons system overloaded. Five more dead, in all, sir.”
Sterling sighed and shook his head. “Thank you, Commander. Sterling out,” he said, closing the link.
Instead of sorrow at the loss of another crew member, Sterling’s first thought had been how they would now patch-up the Invictus in order to limp back to F-COP. He again considered whether this made him a bad person, but then he reminded himself that this was war. Sullivan was the most recent to die, but she wouldn’t be the last. That was the truth of it, as cold as it sounded. He couldn’t afford to become mawkish or sentimental. All he could do was mourn the dead in his own way and ensure that their sacrifices – and the sacrifices of those still to come – were not for nothing.
Chapter 32
The razor’s edge
Captain Lucas Sterling leaned across the railings of the observation level in Hangar B of the Fleet Dreadnaught Hammer. Given the sorry state of the Invictus, it had been decided that they should dock and allow the Hammer to return them to F-COP. Admiral Griffin would no doubt be anxiously awaiting his report, and although he’d spent the last two hours going through everything that had happened in his mind, he still didn’t know where to start. The major threat was, of course, the titanic vessel that the Sa’Nerra had been building inside the Void. That it appeared capable of somehow dematerializing small moons was worrying enough. However, somehow, he felt that the true threat was actually Lana McQueen. The Sa’Nerran ship was just metal and components. Ships could be destroyed - the only difference was the size of the boom when they exploded. Lana McQueen, however, was another matter. As a Fleet captain, she was a walking encyclopedia of Fleet knowledge, tactics and strategies, all of which were now in the hands of the enemy. However, more than this, she was an Omega Captain, just like Sterling. One of only two in the Fleet. She was c
old, calculating and capable of anything, just like Sterling was. The Sa’Nerra had always been single-minded, efficient killers, but they were never callous. At least not in the way that McQueen could be. What his fellow Omega Captain’s role was, and how much influence she had, were both big unknowns. However, her appearance on the bridge of the Sa’Nerran Fleet’s most lethal vessel suggested she was more than a mere puppet.
“Tough little ship.”
Sterling had been so lost in his own thoughts that suddenly hearing a voice behind him almost caused him to fall over the railings. He jerked around and saw Fleet Admiral Griffin standing to his rear.
“Admiral, I didn’t realize you were on board,” said Sterling, pushing away from the railings and straightening his back.
“I wasn’t,” said Griffin, stepping closer and leaning on the railings, as Sterling had just been doing. “I commandeered the Viking when your message was relayed to me. I was in E-sector at the time, with the third fleet.”
“Looking for more recruits, eh?” said Sterling, taking the Admiral’s cue and resting on the railings again.
“What I was or was not doing is not your concern, Captain,” Admiral Griffin hit back. Sterling suppressed a smile. It hadn’t taken long for the snippy flag officer to assert herself. Then Griffin surprised him by opening up a little. “With word of the enhanced neural control weapon spreading throughout the admiralty, the ‘Void Recon Unit’ is coming under tighter scrutiny,” she continued, sounding even more aggravated than usual. “And then there’s this super weapon to contend with. These two factors combined are leading to increased pressure by the United Governments for a diplomatic solution.”
Sterling nodded, remembering his run-in with Captain Wessel and the veiled threats the irksome man made about the Void Recon Unit. He realized he hadn’t had an opportunity to mention this to the admiral, but now didn’t seem like the right time. Lana McQueen was still front and center of his mind.
