Alpha One: The Kronan

by Chris Burton

  Jake reached the exit point to the Queen’s Sanctuary, pocketed his flashlight, and clasped his hunter’s knife. He was about to enter the corridors of the Queen’s ship. From now on, his future was no longer in his own hands.

  Chapter Seventy

  The Sabre 4 Squadron

  Squadron Leader Figuera is a delight for sore eyes, thought Steve as she entered the small briefing room and introduced herself. His perceptions changed very quickly when she opened her mouth.

  “I don’t have time for wasters here. This is a simple pre-flight briefing. You will fly in your allocated pairs and take out as many Malchian Arrows as you can. Once your tigers and fifty percent of either your plasma cannon or power reserves are used up, you should return immediately—with your wing man. Rota is 4-4-4, although it is unlikely you will actually achieve four hours in combat at any point in time. You are all flying Sabre 4’s. These are the pride and joy of SED. Don’t break them. That’s it—get out there!”

  Ten seconds later, she was gone and a rush of dialogue replaced her banal auditory tone.

  The pilots were ushered out of the rear briefing room door shortly afterwards and they entered the hanger bay.

  One hundred and eighty Sabre 4’s took flight less than five minutes later and headed directly to the rear of the ensuing battle. It was time to engage the Malchian Arrows.

  Flight Lieutenant’s Costello and Baines paired up with their call signs Sabre Blue 7 and 8. They headed out in search of their first targets.

  It had been a while since Steve piloted the Sabre 4, but his first experience had not been a one-off. It truly was an exhilarating experience. If anything could defeat the Arrows, then this machine surely could.

  Unfortunately, there were not enough of Sabre 4’s in circulation. Had they been bountiful, the result of the war could have been very different. As it was, over two thousand were shipped out from the Sabre factory and only about three hundred remained.

  Steve assumed the wing position first. The more experienced Baines took the Sabres in high and then down towards their first Arrow, establishing weapons lock at his first attempt.

  The Malchian pilot was alerted to the impending danger and quickly identified a narrow passage between two Kryl cruisers as his means of escape. Both Sabres followed the Arrow through the gap between the cruisers. Steve had to back off for fear of careering into the side of one of the cruisers. This gave the Arrow an advantage as the three ships entered free space. He quickly assumed an attacking posture with Steve firmly in his targets. To make matters worse, Baines was forced wide between a third cruiser and was effectively out of range.

  Steve was not concerned. He sent the Sabre into a series of maximum G curves with swift acceleration out of each. There was no way the Arrow could keep up. Within a few minutes, he had re-established Alpha’s advantage and looked for his own weapons lock. Baines was nowhere to be seen and there wasn’t time to go searching. He had his man in range and he would not lose him.

  The Malchian Pilot wouldn’t allow a Sabre weapons computer to lock on twice. He sent his ship through a series of tight turns to try to destabilize the Alpha ship. But Steve would not let go. The exchange continued for several more minutes before he decided enough was enough.

  He took the weapons computer offline, brought up the manual visor controls, and the Tiger System online, targeted on his head up display, and fired. The missile exploded less than two meters from the Kryl fighter and the ship disintegrated. Kill Number One, thought Steve as he pulled up to avoid collision and immediately sought out his travelling companion.

  Baines was back with his own Arrow to deal with. Just as he managed to avoid a weapons lock for a second time, two more Arrows joined the chase. Steve pulled in behind them and held on as best he could. He needed to use maximum thrust to keep up.

  At the other end of the procession, the lead Arrow obtained multiple locks on Baines’ Sabre.

  “Christ Costello, where are you? He has multiple locks!”

  “I am right behind you. You need to slow this down so we can all catch up. I can’t help you from back here!”

  Baines pulled up on his stick. The Sabre decelerated quickly, allowing the three chasing vessels to move closer but the lead Arrow still had lock.

  “It’s no use. I can’t shift him! I am heading for the Kryl fleet.”

  There was no need. Steve manually fired a salvo of three tigers in a hit-and-miss attempt to dislodge the Arrows in front of him. All three missed the Kryl vessels, but the act was sufficient to dislodge the lead Arrow from his lock. It gave Baines the opportunity to sneak between two Kryl cruisers and to comparative safety.

  Now the pressure turned back on Steve. The three Arrows regrouped and quickly doubled back. He was their intended target. Steve checked his wing for Baines but he was nowhere to be seen.

  The Malchian Arrow achieved lock seconds later. This time it did not let go. The laser cannons peppered the rear of Steve’s Sabre, but the plasma beam did the most damage. The weapons discharge split the exhaust manifold in two with several shards of super heated metal permeating the Jump Ships Stellar drive core.

  Now the Sabre was a time bomb waiting to go off and there was nothing Steve could do. He was acutely aware of how bad his situation was but not just going to give up. He continued his seemingly unending series of twists and turns until all three Arrows were taken off the pace, and he was free. His problems were far from over—the tear in his main drive core was getting bigger. Instinctively he pointed his ship back towards Alpha Two and away from the battle. He throttled forward for a few moments before disengaging both drives and relying on thrusters for forward momentum. He gave himself a chance to think. As things stood, his Sabre would not make it back home, which meant ejection as the only option. However, the chances of surviving a high-speed ejection with drive plasma leaking out to all corners were not good. Almost impossible, he thought. If I die while ejecting,my death would be in vain. Is there another option?

  He looked around. Could he eject the core? No, the rupture was too big and the explosion required to detach the core would ignite the plasma. He sat quietly for a few moments as he pondered his next move. Should he eject or die, or do something a little bit Costelloesque? He smiled—he knew what he had to do. This was exactly what his father and grandfather would have expected of him. He turned his ship back towards the Kryl fleet and re-engaged his auxiliary drive. It was time to make a difference.

  * * * *

  Baines released himself from his latest skirmish with the Kryl and was looking for his partner. He didn’t have to look far. Just ahead of him, a Sabre moved purposefully towards the Kryl fleet but something was wrong.

  “Hi Stevo, I’m back. Looks like you are venting something. Perhaps heading directly into the Kryl fleet is not a good idea right now.”

  No response.

  “Are you there buddy?”

  “Of course, I am here. I am venting my main drive core. This is it. I have no choice but to go for the big climax.”

  “Christ. Why don’t you eject? I can get close enough to pick you up!”

  “Then we will both be blown to bits. The core plasma will ignite as soon as I hit the canopy release button. I can’t take her home so there’s only one choice. You need to pull back. There will be one hell of an explosion.”

  “This is ridiculous. We can get a temporary shield round your core and then you can eject.”

  “There isn’t time. I have made my mind up. Thanks for your concern but you need to back off now. I am shutting down my comms station. I would head for home, if I were you. Go and get the battle won for us. This will be my contribution.”

  The comm. link went dead. Baines realized all he could do was watch his partner head directly into the Kryl fleet.

  * * * *

  Steve was calm now. He was close enough to the nearest cruiser to ensure if they did try to take him out, the resultant explosion would destroy the cruiser too. All he had to do was to draw in a lit
tle closer. He engaged his maneuvering thrusters as soon as he reached the narrow tunnel between the two Kryl cruisers. Now he had to sit and wait for the critical moment when ejecting would cause the worst possible damage.

  A minute passed and then two. Waiting for his own death was not as easy as he hoped. He thought of his father and his grandfather, neither of whom he had known. They would be proud of him and then his mother, who would be devastated by his loss. As would Carla; they were not together, but you never forget your first love and she would have loved him again. Jake might shed a tear or two. They were close, before Jake took her from him. Then he thought of himself and the selfless act he was about to perform. Could this be enough to kick-start the battle back into Alpha’s favor? It was good that Baines was witnessing his final act—his final act of bravery would be savored forever in Alpha’s history.

  The time was now looming. The two cruisers started drifting closer to each other. The gap was less than twenty meters. This is it, crunch time.

  Steve drew what he anticipated would be his last breath as his hand hovered over the canopy release button. It’s now or never, his final rational thought as he hesitated briefly before pressing the button.

  The canopy and ejector release mechanism involved the mixing of two small quantities of explosive component on both sides of the canopy and the ejector seat. Steve felt the whoosh of the canopy as it launched into free space and his own chair as he lifted briefly before the core plasma ignited. The resultant explosion was enormous and, as predicted, both Kryl cruisers were ripped apart.

  * * * *

  Baines watched in horror as realization struck. Steve released his canopy and now he is dead.

  Baines reflected briefly before realizing his position placed him in imminent danger. He quickly pulled the Sabre back and out of harm’s way, setting a heading back to Alpha Two. He had lost his partner, but his partner was a hero. It was important that Alpha understood the significance of Steve Costello’s last act.

  Chapter Seventy-One

  The Final Dialogue

  Lieutenant Colonel Harrington had just told Carla Stevenson about Steve Costello’s death.

  “I am required to pass this information on to you as you were listed as Lieutenant Costello’s’ next of kin. I am so very sorry, Carla.”

  Carla could not hold back the tears. “I am sorry...this is not very professional.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Do we know how he was killed?”

  “The report is quite detailed. He was piloting a Jump Ship with a fatally damaged core. As he could not save himself, he elected to detonate the core between two Kryl Cruisers, resulting in both being destroyed. A final selfless act of a very brave man.”

  Carla swallowed hard. Deep inside she knew Steve was trying to justify his existence, to prove to himself that he was as good a pilot as his father and his grandfather. Because that was the way he lived his life, his death was probably brought about by his failure to observe safe protocols. The stupid, crazy son of a bitch had to go out in a blaze of glory. Bizarrely, he achieved his lifetime’s ambition and anything which happened before was irrelevant, including their relationship. She would miss him, yes—terribly, but she would not mourn his loss—at least not after today. She fell out of love with him a long time ago.

  Now she thought of Jake. She had not heard from him for quite some time but she knew that the Halo 7 was still operational. She convinced herself that he must be okay. She needed to see him, to hold him, and to tell him his best friend was killed.

  Harrington was talking to her, but she did not realize.

  “Sorry again. My mind was somewhere else.”

  “That’s fine. We were asked to resume our talks with the Kryl. Under the circumstances, perhaps it would be best if you sat this one out.”

  “No, please. It was a shock. We were very close once but we moved on. I want to be part of this.”

  “Very well. If you change your mind, let me know; and if you need to talk further, my door is always open.”

  * * * *

  The two Alpha Negotiators boarded the Kryl ship just two hours later; their journey from Alpha Two to Kravos’s ship, a short trip to the outer reaches of the Kryl fleet. This was their third meeting since the Kryl had arrived in the solar system and matters had progressed considerably.

  Kravos was his usual obstinate self. “Harrington, I trust you now have agreement from your superiors?”

  “Agreement, no of course not. The battle still rages on. I have approval to continue our discussions in line with our previous meetings.”

  “This is becoming unnecessarily tedious. Your fighters have been defeated. Invasion is imminent and your shields will fail quickly. We will take your planet by force and billions will be killed. This is no longer a matter for discussion. We have been quite patient but it is time you faced up to your situation An agreement reached between us today could considerably lessen the loss of human life.”

  “I will not be bullied Kravos.”

  Harrington had grown in confidence since the first meeting and was pursuing a more aggressive stance in line with the President and Koenig’s wishes.

  “Your assessment of the status of this battle remains different to ours but this is all semantics. Do you have numbers for me yet?”

  “I told you I would let you have them in due course.”

  “If time is running out, as you assert, then I suggest you give me those numbers right now.”

  “Do not forget yourself . Our discussions have been fruitful because you have been respectful. I agree, however, it is now in everyone’s best interests for full disclosure. We would need to consume 400,000 humans per year.”

  Carla gasped.

  “That rate would be unsustainable. Especially bearing in mind it takes a generation for our new born to reach sexual maturity and thus sustain the population.”

  “Ah, Lieutenant Stevenson. I am pleased to have your contribution once again. Curiously, you only comment on controversial matters.”

  Harrington jumped in again. He wanted Kravos to respond to him directly.

  “Enough of this. Any agreement will not be approved based on such a large number. Furthermore, you would need to move on to new feeding grounds within two to three generations. That is not sustainable or what you led us to believe.”

  “You wanted a number.”

  “Is it the correct number?”

  “Of course.”

  “Then this meeting has come to an end. There is no point in continued discussion.”

  Kravos leaned forward onto the table in front of him and covered his mouth with his hands before sitting up again.

  “If you leave this room now, you will not return.”

  The two Senate negotiators stood as if to leave. Kravos raised his hand to stop them.

  “My understanding is that your population would be sustainable at a level of two hundred and fifty million per annum.”

  “As an absolute maximum.”

  “The lowest we can drop to is three hundred million. You would need to increase your birth rate to accommodate this.”

  “You told us that four hundred million was the minimum and now suddenly it’s three hundred million.”

  “That is my prerogative. Although, I will be clear now on this. This is the absolute minimum and there will be no agreement at a lower figure.”

  Carla interjected again. “What makes you think the people of Earth will accept this?”

  Kravos smiled again at Carla “You are feisty today Miss Stevenson! The alternative will make them see sense. It is up to your government to facilitate this. How you achieve this is not my concern—only that you deliver.”

  Harrington sat forward. “Would you consider a specific age range for those selected for you? Perhaps people of a certain age...older people?”

  “Oh, my God—no!”

  Harrington was cross now. “Lieutenant Stevenson, please! These are delicate
issues and the question needs to be asked.”

  Kravos smiled again. “Those selected must be adult with fully functioning brain stem and cognitive capability. Any who do not fulfill this will be rejected.”

  “What would become of the rejections? Does it not also follow that we would have to over-subscribe to allow you to make your selections?”

  “That would be a sensible solution. You provide four hundred million per year and we would select three hundred million. The remainder would be returned to you...alive.”

  “Okay, I understand that. Can we move on to discuss further your definition of self-government?”

  “We discussed this issue in detail during our last meeting.”

  “Yes and this was met with broad approval, although there is one issue which remains an obstacle. The matter of a sustainable defensive force in the guise of Alpha.”

  “Alpha will be the defeated force. It is not logical that we would allow them to continue.”

  “Yes I understand but you have to remember that Alpha is akin to a sovereign state in its own right. The ECG does not govern it and more importantly, the Commander in Chief is one of the two people to whom we need to authorize any agreement we meet. Admiral Koenig specifically requested that a small Alpha force of say fifty cruisers be allowed to continue to defend our territory.”

  “Why would you need a defensive force when we are here?”

  “You may not always be here in as much force. Some of your fleet might move on.”

  “Do not try to deceive me. I fully understand why Alpha would like its forces to continue. It would not be to defend its regions but to eliminate us. Let me assure you, we are here to stay forever or until such time as the food supply runs out.”

  “In the interest of seeking an agreement...perhaps just twenty ships? They would not be a threat to you.”

  Kravos paused before responding. His Queen would not like this; but if it helped to obtain agreement, then she would surely not object to a small force.