by Ryk Brown
“Understood,” Commander Verbeek said.
“The strike group will be divided into sub-groups. The command group will be located within the Pentaurus cluster and will be using the Glendanon as its operational platform. Despite the fact that she has been fitted with plasma turrets and point-defenses in recent weeks, her primary method of survival will be to jump away from any attackers. The command group will be under the command of Captain Taylor, who will be coordinating all attacks and communications using jump comm-drones and comm-buoys.”
Cameron stood to address the room “We will be deploying multiple, jump-equipped comm-buoys in every engagement area. Every time a combat element jumps into a new engagement area, they are to check the comm-buoys, in that area, for updated instructions from Combat Command, as well as battle status updates. The buoys, themselves, will jump about the system in order to avoid attack, but will always be in a position that allows data exchange within a minute or two of entry into the area. If you must depart the area prior to completing your data exchange, your escape jump should be directly to the last known location of Combat Command. If the Glendanon is not there when you arrive, a comm-buoy will be there for two full algorithm cycles, after which it will jump back to the post-battle rally point.”
“Thank you, Captain,” General Telles said as Cameron took her seat. “The second group will be the Aurora, whose primary responsibility will be to attack Dusahn warships in every system in the cluster. Captain Scott will be following an attack schedule, which will be updated as needed by Combat Command. Within that schedule, the Aurora will conduct harassment and diversion strikes as her captain sees fit. However, the Aurora will be at her scheduled location to support each mission-critical event.”
“This is insane,” Vladimir whispered to Jessica.
“Yeah, pretty cool, huh?”
Vladimir just looked at her in dismay.
“The third sub-group will be the rescue group. This group will be composed of raptors, cargo shuttles, and boxcars, commanded by Mister Sheehan aboard the Seiiki. Their primary mission will be to insert Ghatazhak strike teams onto the surface of Corinair, where they will free the Corinari, and extract them using boxcars.”
General Telles again paused as he prepared to discuss the final group. “The fourth sub-group will be tasked with capturing the Teyentah and escaping with her for later rendezvous at a predetermined location. This will likely be the greatest challenge of the entire mission. Were it not for the presence of an operative inside the Teyentah, it would not even be considered.”
“Who’s inside the Teyentah?” Josh wondered out loud. When everyone looked at him, he apologized. “Sorry, jeez.”
Nathan looked at Telles, nodding.
“That’s quite alright, Mister Hayes. The operative inside the Teyentah is Suvan Navarro, captain of the ill-fated Avendahl.”
Murmurs of surprise and disbelief filled the room.
“I thought he went down with the Avendahl?” Josh said.
“As did we,” General Telles agreed. “We later learned that he was not aboard the Avendahl when she was destroyed by the Dusahn, and he somehow made his way to Takara, where, using a fake identity, he secured a job as a crawler operator on the Teyentah’s assembly crew. This mission is based on ideas and data communicated to us by Captain Navarro.”
“And how does he suggest we steal a battleship?” Josh wondered. Again, he felt the eyes of everyone in the room on him. “Like you aren’t all wondering the same thing.”
“That’s what we are here to discuss, Mister Hayes,” the general replied. “There are many details to work out, and we only have three days to prepare.”
“What happens in three days?” Josh asked.
“The Teyentah will go into service, and will be impossible to capture, and the Corinari will be moved to their various work camps, making them far more difficult to rescue.”
“And if we figure out that we can’t pull off both objectives?” Commander Verbeek questioned.
“Then we concentrate on rescuing the Corinari,” Nathan insisted. “They would do the same for us.”
General Telles waited for any dissenting voices. As expected, there were none. “Let us begin.”
* * *
“Get those containers open as soon as possible!” Captain Hunt barked as he slid down the gangway rails, from the catwalk above, into the cargo hold. “And get a medical team ready, just in case!”
The cargo handlers immediately began laser-cutting the seals on the containers and unlatching them. With each case that opened, two persons would come falling out, shivering from the cold and weak from being cramped up for hours inside the small containers. Crewmen helped them out, moving them to the sides where others brought blankets, water, and in many cases, oxygen.
“This one!” Captain Hunt ordered, “The big one! Denny! Sakhof! Give me a hand!” he added as he made his way to the large cargo pod at the aft end of the bay.
Denny went to work with the laser, carefully cutting through the sealing strips, designed to prevent tampering with the cargo during transport. Within a minute, he had unsealed the doors at one end of the large pod, and Crewman Sakhof began unlatching them. Once opened, the two crewmen began moving into the container, but Captain Hunt stopped them.
“Wait!” Captain Hunt ordered. The two crewmen stepped back, and Captain Hunt ducked down, entering the container. “Kaylah! You in here?”
“Back here!” Kaylah yelled from deeper within.
Captain Hunt moved inside, working his way around to the access hatch of the larger container, which was stored in the back of the container they had just opened. He looked inside and spotted Kaylah and a man he did not recognize. “Are you alright?” he asked Kaylah.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Who the hell is this?” Chris asked.
“My name is Krispin Bornet,” Krispin replied.
Captain Hunt’s eyes grew wide as he recognized the name. He quickly drew his sidearm, activating its power pack as he brought it up to take aim at the man.
“WAIT!” Kaylah yelled. “HE’S A FRIEND!”
“The hell he is!” Chris argued. “I’ve been watching the news, Kaylah. This bastard killed Nathan’s whole fucking family!”
“He didn’t do it!” Kaylah insisted. “He was set up!”
“How the hell can you be sure?”
“He told me the whole thing,” she replied, “and I believe him.”
“You’re just going to take his word for it?” Chris questioned, surprised by her gullibility.
“I’ve known him since I was young! You’ve got to trust me on this, Chris. He knows things. Things that Nathan is going to want to know.”
“What?…Wait,” Krispin said, confused.
“Oh, I’m sure Nathan’s going to want to ask him a few question,” Chris agreed, looking at Kaylah.
Krispin took advantage of the captain’s diverted attention and snapped the weapon from his hands, immediately training it back on the captain. “She’s telling the truth,” Krispin said. “And so am I.” The two men stared at each other for several seconds, sizing one another up. “I didn’t kill them,” Krispin finally said, “but I’m pretty sure I know who did.” With that, he powered off the weapon, turned it around, and handed it butt-first back to Captain Hunt. “Your call, Captain.”
“You have to see what’s in here, Chris,” Kaylah insisted. “They weren’t kidding when they said this cargo was important.”
Chris glared at Krispin as he took his weapon back. “Security! Full arms!” he bellowed to the crewmen outside. He looked back at Krispin. “This is far from over, Mister.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Chris handed his weapon to Crewman Sakhof, who had come into the container when his captain called for security. He
then climbed inside the container, moved over next to Kaylah, and looked at the contents inside. “Holy fuck.”
“Exactly,” Kaylah said.
Captain Hunt stood there, squatting for a full minute, saying nothing as the weight of his new responsibilities hit him.
Finally, Krispin spoke up. “Am I to understand that Nathan Scott is alive?”
CHAPTER TEN
Jessica opened the hatch to the captain’s ready room but stopped short when she found the room dark.
“Yes?” Nathan called from the darkness.
“What the hell?” she said, stepping into the darkened room, closing the hatch behind her. “Why are you sitting in the dark?”
“I was taking a catnap,” he said as Jessica turned the lights up to a soft glow.
“We’re about to attack every Dusahn asset in the cluster. How the hell can you sleep?”
“A catnap isn’t sleeping, Jess. It’s closing your eyes and sitting still. It’s restful. You should try it.”
Jessica laughed as she plopped down on the sofa. “I don’t even like sleeping. Takes too much time.”
“I try to take a catnap at least twice a day.”
“How long do you zone out for?”
“Twenty to thirty minutes, max,” Nathan replied. “But it’s not zoning out. I’m thinking the whole time.”
“What were you thinking just now?” she asked.
“That this plan is insane.”
“Most of your plans are.”
“Perhaps.”
“What are you worried about?” Jessica wondered.
“You want the entire list?”
“Not really. What I do want to know is why you’re suddenly worrying so much. You didn’t used to, or at least, you didn’t show it much.”
“I did, and yeah, I tried not to show it. But now, for some reason, it’s worse,” Nathan explained. “I’m able to see the risks more clearly. I’m able to analyze and predict all the things that could go wrong in a greater number of possible scenarios and in much more detail.”
“That sounds like a good skill to have, not a bad one,” Jessica commented.
“It’s a double-edged sword, to be honest. Yes, it’s good to be able to anticipate so many different variations and outcomes, but when you do so, you realize not only how many ways things can go south, but also how many people you might lose if they do. It can make it very hard to commit to a plan, at times.”
“Have you tried taking a different perspective?”
“What do you mean?” Nathan asked.
“The fact that you can more easily predict all the ways things can go wrong means you can also develop contingency plans should things go wrong. In other words, when the shit hits the fan, you already know which way it’s gonna fly, so you can duck.”
“Yeah, I thought of that,” Nathan admitted. “Not exactly in those terms, mind you.”
“So, you should be more confident in your plans and decisions.”
Nathan sighed, thinking about her words.
“Look, Nathan, one of the things that make you a good captain is your ability to follow your instincts. Maybe you shouldn’t think things through so much.”
“I don’t think you understand what instinct is, Jess,” Nathan countered. “It’s not making decisions on a hunch or a gut feeling. It’s the ability to process information at a subconscious level. You’re still going through the same decision-making process, you just aren’t consciously aware of it. That’s what repetitive training is all about. When I was going through flight training, we spent hours on end in the simulator doing the same tasks over and over, until we got to a point where we were doing things automatically, without thinking about them. You do the same thing when you train to fight. You repeat moves over and over until you can execute them without even thinking about it. That’s what I used to do. I made decisions without thinking about things. Now, my mind moves much more quickly than before. At times, I feel like I’m waiting for the real world to catch up.” Nathan sighed again. “It can be quite disconcerting.”
“So, what’s the solution?”
“I don’t think there is a solution,” Nathan admitted. “I guess I’ll just get used to it.”
Jessica leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. “Nathan, you’re looking at it all wrong. You’ve been given a gift. You’re able to analyze things in the blink of an eye that most of us would take hours to process. Is it a burden? Yes. But that’s why we risked everything to save you. You’ve always had this gift. The whole cloning process simply enhanced it. There is so much you can do with these gifts; we simply could not allow you to die. Humanity needs people like you.”
“And here I thought you saved me because you love me,” Nathan quipped.
Jessica leaned back again, rolling her eyes. “Love is such a strong word. Like, maybe. But love?”
“How long until we’re recharged and ready to jump?” Nathan asked, changing the subject.
“We’re ready,” Jessica replied. “That’s what I came in to report. But we still have twenty minutes to zero hour.”
“Just enough time for another catnap,” Nathan joked.
“How about you use that super-brain of yours to figure out how to get us out of the shit when it does fly,” she suggested as she rose to depart. “After all, that’s a pretty big fan we’re about to hit.”
* * *
Cameron studied the holo-map of the Pentaurus cluster, at the plotting table in the middle of the makeshift command center, aboard the Glendanon. It was the second time she had run a complex operation such as this, from a command post that had been slapped together at the last minute, and the last time her command post had been in the back of a jump shuttle. At least this time, she would be inside a much larger ship, larger even than the Aurora. In fact, she felt a little guilty that she was likely to be safer than anyone else on this mission.
“Surely, you have every detail of that map memorized by now,” Captain Gullen commented as he entered the command center.
“I can’t help it,” Cameron admitted. “I’m always worried that I missed some tiny detail that will screw everything up.”
“And staring at that map, for hours on end, helps?”
“Honestly, no,” Cameron admitted. She sighed, then turned off the holo-map. “What’s up?”
“I just came to see your command center.” Captain Gullen looked around the compartment. There were four stations on each side, with room for supervisors to walk behind the controllers. The plotting table, at which they both stood, was slightly higher, allowing them to see over the shoulders of the controllers, giving them a clear view of all their display screens. “Seems like a lot of work for a single mission.”
“This war has just started, Captain,” Cameron reminded him. “I suspect this command center will get used more than once. Besides, during normal operations, it will act as a communications and coordination facility for the fleet, taking some of that workload off your bridge, so your people can worry about their own ship.”
“So, that responsibility won’t be on the Aurora?”
“Eventually, the Aurora is going to have to spend more time away from the fleet, engaged in hit-and-run operations. There’s only so much we can do with gunships and fighters.”
“Perhaps we should be concentrating on outfitting some of the cargo ships with weapons, ones that could do some serious damage.”
“That is a possibility,” Cameron admitted. “However, if we are successful at capturing the Teyentah, that may not be necessary.”
“But the Teyentah is only one ship. Together, with the Aurora, that is only two ships against thirty.”
“Sometimes, it’s not the number of ships, but how you use them,” Cameron pointed out.
“I hope y
ou’re right,” Captain Gullen agreed. “Especially considering what we’re about to attempt.”
* * *
“Took you long enough,” Loki commented as Josh climbed back up the access ladder into the Seiiki’s cockpit. “You couldn’t have waited until after the mission?”
“Gotta have my pre-flight dump, my friend,” Josh joked as he climbed into the pilot’s seat. “Besides, what was I supposed to do? Hold it?”
“The mission is only supposed to take twenty minutes. Surely you could have waited.”
“Supposed to,” Josh pointed out. “Nope. Can’t do my best flyin’ with my weapons bay full of poo.”
Loki just shook his head. “Please, Josh. This is my first command.”
“Yeah, pretty cool, huh?” He glanced at Loki, noticing he looked worried. “You good?”
“I’m so fucking nervous,” Loki admitted. “I can’t stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong.”
“Relax, Lok. You got this. Besides, we’ve got the easy part of the mission. Be glad we’re not in the Teyentah group. Those guys are screwed.”
“You’re not helping.”
