by John Walker
“How many?” Gray asked.
“More than a dozen.” Olly grunted, tapping at his terminal. “I’ve done some calculations. Whatever power core is down there may be destroyed by such an attack but…if so, it will detonate.”
“And what’s that mean for us?” Adam asked. “As in how bad will that be?”
“It’s basically the most powerful power plant I’ve ever seen,” Olly replied. “Means we’d have to jump out of here before it goes up or we’d all be dead. The people on the surface would be vaporized and any fighters out there wouldn’t be able to escape the shockwave. It might be so big of an explosion, it could eventually mess with the gravitational motion of surrounding systems.”
“Bad then,” Gray said. “Have the pilots docked with the ship?”
Adam shook his head. “They’re on the way though.”
“Deploy them back. They have to take out those bombs before they make contact.”
“Captain.” Adam leaned forward, eyes wide. “That’ll practically be suicide.”
“We can’t let this place be destroyed and if there are only twelve bombs, a full wing should be able to knock them out. They won’t explode, correct?”
“They’re set for contact detonation,” Olly said. “So if they shoot them in the engine, they should be able to stop them.”
“There you go.” Gray gestured to Olly. “Adam, give the order. We need them to hurry. The next few moments will determine what happens to The Crystal Font and the people that I suspect saved us all down there. I’m not going to let them die simply for the convenience of flying off after all they did. Get to it.”
Chapter 9
Alma and her wing wrapped up the last of the fighters on the planet surface and maintained a patrol pattern, prepared to support their people should they need cover to escape. It grated on her, listening to her colleagues in space battling overwhelming odds while she remained idle beneath them.
We should be up there right now. This is ridiculous.
Another squadron of enemies came from around the rise, but they were met with swift and decisive action. Alma’s people went after them aggressively, leading with cannon fire. Though one managed to survive their initial attack, the way it spun away exposed its tail. Rahan put it down, dropping a continuous stream of fire until it erupted in flames.
Updates from within the structure also frustrated her. The soldiers dealt with a constant stream of ground forces, and though they seemed to be making good progress, she didn’t envy them the constant action. I’m glad to be behind the flight stick but I wish there was something we could do. We don’t even know where they’re all coming from!
When they arrived at the control room, Alma wondered what it meant. Even if they brought out power, would they have the capacity to use it? Maybe the Behemoth could screen them. She listened to the battle, noting that they had taken down several of the enemy battleships. It seemed impossible, but perhaps they were witnessing a real miracle.
It might be nice for a change considering our normal poor luck.
“Alma, this is Varez.” That particular tech officer always acted too familiar with other officers and she didn’t like it. The man expressed precious little discipline, especially for a Zanthari. It was as if he didn’t truly mean to join the military and would’ve been happier on board a merchant ship where rank didn’t matter. “Do you read?”
“I’m here Zanthari.” Alma emphasized his rank. “What’s going on?”
Varez didn’t seem phased. “The enemy fighters have vanished up here! They’re simply gone!”
Alma frowned. How? Why? I hope we have an explanation coming. Instead of asking him any of her thoughts, she simply acknowledged the information. He likely had no better idea of how it happened than she did. Maybe Deva and Lhar figured something out. Either way, it meant her friends up there were no longer in danger. That’s a victory.
“Is the shuttle incoming for pickup then?” Alma asked.
“Affirmative. It’s on its way to collect the ground team.” Varez paused. “Um…hold on.”
I don’t really have anywhere else to go! Alma felt grumpy from the entire situation but she hid it behind a deep breath. What could be happening now? Can we really afford any more bad news?
“I have some bad news,” Varez said.
Of course you do! Alma gritted her teeth. “What is it?”
“Well…the battleships just winked out as well.”
“How’s that bad? I would imagine you guys didn’t feel like brawling with them anymore.”
“Yes, but…well…a lot of bombs were thrown at them.”
“Is that how they winked out? Is this a new colloquialism I should be aware of?”
“They disappeared, Alma…but…” Varez cleared his throat. “They did so before the bombs hit. And now…the ordinance is heading for the planet.”
Alma sat up straight, eyes wide. “How many?”
“A dozen.”
“Are you joking? That’s enough to sheer a continent if it hits in atmosphere!”
“Yes. So…that’s where you come in.”
“Let me guess, you want us to intercept?”
“You have to take out their engines before they wipe out everything in that region…and yes, I’ve done the math. They’ll hit about six kilometers from the structure where our team is currently located.”
“This is absolutely incredible.” Alma sighed. “Rahan, Hilot, let’s go. We have some work to do with some bombs.” She filled them in on what was happening so they understood not only what they had to do but what was at stake as well. “You have to be careful what you shoot. Hitting the front would cause a lot of damage.”
“I’m ready,” Rahan said. “This sounds fun.”
“Not the word I’d use,” Hilot added, “but we’d better hurry.”
Varez jumped in, “you’ll be meeting two human pilots so please work together.”
“We know what we’re doing,” Alma replied. “Just get us on their com net so we can talk and we’ll take it from here. In fact, maintain silence unless you’ve got an urgent update. Hilot and Rahan, gun it and keep up. This is going to be one of the fastest departures we’ve ever made. I want to break atmo in less than a minute.”
***
Meagan got the message from Revente just moments before she requested landing clearance. When he spoke to her, she instantly had a bad feeling and didn’t hide her groan. The fact he called at all meant there was trouble. He never bothered with the basic tower control nonsense. I’m not going to like this.
“You’re not going to like this,” Revente started. Meagan rolled her eyes. “We’ve got a serious problem. Those bombs we fired at the enemy ships? They’re still active…and they’re on a direct course for the planet.”
“Why do we care?” Meagan asked. “I mean, it’s uninhabited, isn’t it?”
“While that may be true, we’re not in the habit of destroying worlds unnecessarily,” Revente said. “Besides, our calculations put the impact points near enough to a kielan ground crew that none of them would survive. They need that power to get their ship out of here. We have to take the bombs down.”
“Of course we do.” Meagan closed her eyes and shook her head. “My wing can probably do it. What are there, twelve at most?”
“Yes, a dozen but you can’t bring everyone. If there’s a mistake…you know how it is. Too many cooks in the kitchen? The bombs are pretty tightly clustered so it wouldn’t do to have a whole bunch of cannon fire out there.”
“So how many do you want me to take?”
“Just you and Mick.”
Meagan hesitated to reply and just shook her head again. “Are you insane? Two of us to take down twelve bombs?”
“You’ll be met by three kielan pilots.”
“Tell them to go home and I’ll bring Panther wing with me. We’ll each take one and that’ll be eight down. The last four will be cake.”
“The three kielans are closer and will likely g
et their first. I need you guys for hop up. Stop the engines and don’t let them collide. They’ll detonate on contact.” Revente drew a deep breath. “You know I wouldn’t ask this of you if I didn’t think it was necessary.”
“That doesn’t make it better, just so you know.” Meagan frowned and spun her ship around. “Come on, Mick. The rest of you land. We’ve got a quick chore to take care of. Revente, get me in touch with the kielan commander. I’d like to coordinate this so we don’t blow each other up.”
“Fair enough. I’m patching you through to their coms right now. Good luck and um…don’t mess up. Too much at stake and all that.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s not like this is any different than the last ten missions I’ve been on. See you back on the ship.” I hope.
***
Alma and her crew broke atmosphere far easier than she’d ever experienced on another planet, further emphasizing how strange the place proved to be. She didn’t have time to think about it, focusing on the glowing bombs barely six-thousand kilometers away. They all popped up on her scanner, twelve of them, hurtling toward the planet at a rapid pace.
Estimated time to impact less than seven minutes.
“No pressure,” she muttered. Switching to the com, she cleared her throat. “Human team, this is Vinthari Alma Il’Var. Do you read me?”
“Wing Commander Meagan Pointer here,” came the reply. “We’re on our way.”
“We are focusing on those closest to the target…that being the planet.” Alma cleared her throat. “As you’re not here yet, you can pick up the rear. Is that agreeable?”
“Works for me,” Meagan said. “Good luck.”
Alma shoved the throttle forward, giving herself all the speed her fighter could produce. The others kept pace but spread out, preparing for the attack. Each of the missiles glowed from their engines, providing a beacon for what they were after. They moved around to get directly behind them before advancing further.
The action shouldn’t have been a challenge. They were targets that wouldn’t fire back after all but a mishap could be deadly. A wrong move meant detonating one of the warheads and at such a close proximity, it wouldn’t go well for the smaller ships. For that reason, Alma reduced the power to her cannons and sent the message to her colleagues.
“We don’t have to kick them to turn off those engines,” Alma said. “Earth pilots, please note our tactic with our cannons. You need to vary your pulse blasts so you don’t cause too much damage. I’ll take the first shot. Hang back in case I make an instant hash of it.”
Alma let the targeting computer search for a lock, closing the distance to speed up the process. As it began to beep, she knew she was close. The targeting reticle closed around the thruster then held a long tone. I hope this works. She tapped the trigger, sending a pair of blasts directly into her target.
The weaker blast struck the missile harder than expected. The ordinance spun until it faced up and away from the planet. The engine sparked, bursting a quick thrust which carried it a good distance away before fading out and drifting. Alma let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.
One down. “Turn down your weapons even more. That was a pretty hard hit and you saw what almost happened.”
Hilot chuckled over the line. “You tend to be more forceful than is absolutely necessary.”
Alma scowled, shaking her head. “Cut the chatter and focus.”
She banked hard to the left and spun, coming in behind the next missile in the line. The estimated time to impact was five minutes. This didn’t necessarily mean hitting the ground and causing damage. All they needed to do was break atmosphere and the mission would be a failure. Even knocking out their engines wouldn’t save the world then.
We need to be a little more extreme I think. Eyeballing the shot, she fired three times, striking the next missile hard just above the engine near the guidance panel. Fire flared out of it and the entire back popped, sending shards of debris in every direction. The warhead spun to the left, no longer plunging for the surface.
Without hesitation, she continued down the line, taking shots. She missed three of them but caught the fourth, bringing it down safely. By the time she finished flying the line, she and the others took down six of the twelve. This is not going fast enough. The time to impact was only at three minutes.
“We’re here,” Meagan called out. “Weapons have been scaled and we’re moving in to attack.”
About time, Alma thought. “We’ll circle around for an assist. At this point, we need to make attack runs to finish this off.”
“I’m on it.” Alma watched Meagan’s ship fly past her, firing controlled bursts at the various missiles. She knocked two down in short order but the other four remained unscathed.
Hilot came after her, taking his first shot. He missed but in the worst possible way. His blast tapped the warhead. Alma was lining up for another attack run when she heard him gasp but she’d seen what he did. The bomb went off, exploding in a spectacular display. Hilot was far too close, his fighter’s shields flared up then dropped.
As his craft was tossed backwards, he drifted a good hundred yards before his core went up and obliterated the entire ship. “No!” Alma called out. He didn’t have the chance to eject but likely died the second the kinetic force struck his vessel. “Fall back! Everyone get out of there!”
The Earth fighters, Rahan and Alma all hit their afterburners and rushed away as the other three bombs went up. The explosion was nothing short of shocking and though they were already well away, the shockwave knocked Alma off course. She struggled with her controls, fighting to regain control and not run into one of her colleagues.
The others seemed to suffer the same but they were far enough apart to avoid a collision. Scanners went from a frantic beeping alarm to silence, stating they had reached a safe minimal distance. Alma turned her ship in a slow circle, looking back over what happened and where her squad mate died.
“Is everyone okay?” Thaina’s voice came over the com. “How many detonated?”
“Four,” Alma replied. “And no. Everyone is not okay. Zanthari Hilot Va’Doth was killed in action.”
Thaina didn’t respond immediately. “I see. It appears the threat’s been eliminated…at quite the cost. Please return to The Crystal Font for a debriefing. Thaina out.”
“I’m sorry,” Meagan’s voice came over her com. “I know what that’s like and…all I can say is I’m sorry.”
“I appreciate the sentiment,” Alma replied. “Thank you for the assist. In coming here and with the bombs. Good bye.” She banked back toward The Crystal Font and increased speed, trying to race off the anger she felt, the rage. Rahan gave her some space and didn’t say anything but she knew he and Hilot were close friends.
I lost someone under my command but those two were inseparable. What a loss.
The fact they had the opportunity to get home felt bittersweet. Doing so without one of their own, without even a body to properly honor, made her heart heavy. At least everyone else gets to return. You made a noble sacrifice, Hilot. Even if your bad aim got you killed. I’m sorry, my friend. You’ll be missed.
***
Deva turned in time to see Lhar and the others lower their weapons. The enemies in the hall had disappeared. Power readings returned to what they were when they first arrived in the system. Directing her attention to the massive monitor, a new set of words appeared. Simulation complete.
“It was not real!” Deva shook her head, dumbfounded. “None of it was real!”
“Yuris might disagree,” Lhar said. “Those wounds were nasty.”
A flash of light made Deva yelp before she could reply. A man appeared by the monitor, dark haired and dark eyed, wearing a white robe. He held up his hands as the others aimed weapons at him and he offered them all a smile. “Please, I do not mean you any harm. Also, I am not like the other projections. I am incorporeal.”
“Wait!” Deva held up her hands to the others. “I�
��m on this.” She turned to the man. “My name’s Deva Thi’Noch. I’m with The Crystal Font, a starship from an alliance of many races. We’re here in peace.”
“Welcome! You may call me Bin. I do hope you enjoyed the game. I’m here to take your survey on how the facility performed.”
“Are you kidding?” Lhar scoffed, advancing to stand beside Deva. “You nearly got us all killed!”
“We throttle the difficulty of the simulation based on performance,” Bin replied. “As you struggled, we adjusted accordingly. Do you feel that we successfully met your expectations for a challenging and interesting event?”
Lhar walked away, reaching out to the ship. Deva watched him go for a moment but Bin repeated his question.
“Um…sure. Yes, you did.”
“Excellent!” Bin smiled. “Were the details of your opponents accurate and expected?”
“Yeah, they seemed pretty real to me.” Deva shrugged. “Bin, I appreciate that you need to ask us some questions but I really need some help. We have to have a power core to leave this system. It seems like you’ve got plenty to spare. How do I tap into it and bring enough back to my ship to go home?”
Bin blinked several times. “I am supposed to finish the survey but I can be flexible in my programming. We do have portable units for setting up simulations in any environment the planet can offer. We were required to shift orbit by nearly seven degrees to accommodate you physically so some of the realms are not prepared yet. Example, if you are interested in snow, we will not have enough for another full day.”
“That’s totally fine,” Deva said, her eyes wide. “We just need a couple of those portable things if you don’t mind.”
A panel in the floor opened and two massive boxes slid out. “You may take these. How do you intend to use them?”
“Spark our crystal to go home?” Deva offered. “Do you know what that means?”
“Yes, we have evaluated your ship. You will need to fabricate an adapter. Please download the power core schematics from the middle terminal in order to make this work. Can we return to the survey now?”
