by Ryk Brown
“That’s Sutherland,” the man said, surprise in his voice. “Sydney’s still another twenty kilometers or so and on the other side of the bay.” He looked at her. “You’re not from around here, are you?”
“What gave me away, my lack of an accent?”
“Actually, you do have an accent,” the man said. “At least, to us you do.”
“Why are you talking to her?” the woman asked from the back seat.
“He probably read somewhere that the more you talk to your captors, the less likely they are to kill you,” Jessica told her. Again, there was silence. She looked at the driver. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Something like that, yes.” After another moment of silence, the man asked, “Is it true?”
“Supposedly. They taught us the same thing in boot.”
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” the man realized. “From the Intrepid.”
“That old bucket? Not hardly.”
“But you’re fleet, right?”
“Yeah, something like that. Technically, I think I’m alliance now.”
“What?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jessica said. “Just drive.”
They continued along for several minutes in silence. Jessica tried not to think about the pain in her shoulder. She wanted to tell the driver to stop, to pull over for a moment so she could treat her wound. She wanted to smear some topical pain med on it, but she couldn’t risk the delay. Every minute they rolled down the road was another kilometer between herself and her pursuers.
“There’s something going on up ahead,” the man said as he took his foot off the accelerator. “It looks like a traffic jam or something.”
Jessica looked ahead. A long line of red taillights was less than half a kilometer ahead of them. “Do you usually have traffic jams out here?”
“Never.”
“Fuck,” she exclaimed. “It has to be a road block.”
“Should I stop?” the man asked.
“No, just slow down, but don’t put your foot on the brakes,” Jessica told him. “Damn it.” She turned and looked at the man. “Just slow down a bit more. I’m jumping out.”
“What? You’re injured.”
“If you stop, they might notice.” Jessica turned around toward the back seat. “Look, I’m sorry I scared you. I promise I’m one of the good guys. In fact, there are a lot of us up there still fighting for all of you down here, all right? Just remember that.” Jessica opened the car door, then turned back to him. “Please, don’t tell them anything.” She turned and jumped, landing hard on her side and rolling over several times.
“Jesus!” the driver exclaimed. He looked back over his shoulder. “Did she make it?”
The little boy stood on the seat, looking out the back window. “She got up! She got up!”
“My God,” the man exclaimed. He noticed his wife pulling out her phone. “What are you doing?”
“I’m calling the authorities,” she exclaimed.
“What? Are you crazy? You heard what she said…”
“She pointed a gun at us!” the woman argued.
“She was desperate.”
“I don’t care what she was. I’m not getting executed over…”
“Put the phone away,” the man said sternly. The woman looked at him, defiance in her eyes. “I’m not kidding.”
The woman put the phone down in her lap. “I suppose you’re planning on lying to the Jung when we get to the road block.”
“Damned right I am,” the man exclaimed, “and so are you.”
* * *
“Time’s up,” Loki announced, “and still no contact.”
“Captain is not going to be happy,” Josh said.
“Something must have happened to her,” Loki said. “She wouldn’t miss her comm appointments.” Loki called up the next jump point on their flight plan and transferred it into the flight computer. “New course,” he told Josh.
“Where to?”
“Back to the ship,” Loki answered.
“They’re just gonna turn us around and send us back out here to keep trying.”
“We still have to check in,” Loki reminded him. “New course: one two four, plus twelve ecliptic.”
Josh sighed in frustration over the comms. “Coming to port and pitching up twelve,” he answered as he moved his flight control stick to the left and pulled back slightly.
“Accelerate to four zero five.”
Josh pushed the throttle forward slightly, watching as the Falcon’s speed increased. “On course one two four, plus twelve, at four zero five,” he reported.
“Jumping in five……four…”
“You think flight will let us land and pee before we have to jump back?” Josh wondered.
“…one……jumping.” Loki’s visor suddenly went dark as the blue-white jump flash filled the Falcon’s cockpit. “Jump complete,” he announced as his visor became clear again. He looked down at his navigation and sensor displays. “You should have gone before we left.”
“I did,” Josh answered. “I think those nanites are working on my bladder or something. Even after I go, I still feel like I need to go, you know?”
“No, I don’t. Aurora is at our ten o’clock low,” Loki reported.
“Yeah, I see her.”
“Maybe you should tell the doc.”
“So she can stick me back in that scanner for a few hours? No, thanks. I’ll just keep peeing.”
“Aurora, Falcon,” Loki called over the Falcon’s comms.
“Falcon, go for Aurora,” Naralena answered.
“Aurora, Falcon. Negative contact. Request instructions.”
“Falcon, Aurora. We received a blind transmission a few minutes ago. The lieutenant commander transmitted it nearly an hour earlier. She is boots on the ground. Actual requests you return to station and make contact at next comm waypoint at two zero one three sierra tango.”
“Aurora, Falcon copies. Will proceed to next comm waypoint and attempt contact at two zero one three sierra tango. Falcon out.”
“See? I told you,” Josh said as he began a wide turn to come about.
“Just go in your suit,” Loki told him. “It’s designed to absorb it.” Loki called up the next waypoint on the comm-schedule and entered the coordinates into the jump computer. Surprised that Josh had not responded to his last comment, Loki looked over the console at the back of Josh’s helmet. “Did you hear me? I said just go in your suit.”
Josh let out a long sigh of relief over the comms. “I just did.”
* * *
Cameron stood in the middle of the Celestia’s bridge, looking at Nathan’s face on the main view screen. “If we don’t leave now, we’ll have to wait another seven hours,” she reminded him. “The Jung have come looking for us twice in the last ten hours, and it’s been over two hours since their last attack. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk just to get a little more propellant. Even if we could get up to max sub-light speed, it would still take us over a year to get out of the system.”
“I’m not worried about your speed,” Nathan said. “I’m worried about your ability to change course. You’re going to need it if we’re going to keep the Jung from plotting your escape course.”
“We’ve got more than enough propellant to reach ten percent light and make at least four course changes along the way, especially if we save our full-power burn for last.”
Nathan sighed. “Very well, Commander. We’ll disconnect and move so you can lift off and get underway.”
“Yes, sir,” Cameron answered, trying to hide the enthusiasm in her voice.
“Safe flight, Cam,” Nathan added. “Aurora Actual out.”
Cameron took a deep breath
as she looked around the bridge. From every working station, the faces of the few crewmen the Aurora could spare looked at her in earnest. Her entire reason for joining the Earth Defense Force was to become the first female ship’s captain in EDF history, and now, she was standing on the bridge of her first command, about to get under way for the first time. She exhaled slowly as she tapped her handset. “You heard the man. All stations, prepare to get under way.”
Nathan turned away from the view screen, looking aft toward the comm-center at the back of the bridge. “Discontinue propellant transfer and retract the transfer boom.”
“Aye, sir,” Naralena answered.
“How’s the threat board?” Nathan asked his tactical officer.
“Board is clear, Captain. All sensor feeds from the Talons on lookout also show clear.”
“Propellant transfer boom is disconnected and is being retracted,” the systems officer reported.
“Very well.” Nathan turned forward again. “Move us up and away, then aft, of the Celestia, Mister Chiles.”
“Aye, sir. Thrusting up and away.”
Nathan watched the main view screen as the image of the Celestia, which had filled the entire screen for the last hour, began to fall away from them.
“Fifty meters,” the navigator reported.
“Propellant boom is secure,” the systems officer reported.
“Very well,” Nathan answered.
“Seventy-five meters.”
“Let’s move aft of her,” Nathan ordered.
“Thrusting forward,” Mister Chiles answered from the helm.
The image of the Celestia on the main view screen began to slide over them as the Aurora moved aft of her.
“Ten meters per second relative,” Mister Chiles reported.
“One hundred meters above the Celestia and rising,” Mister Riley reported.
Nathan continued to watch as they passed over the top of the Celestia. A minute later, they had cleared the aft end of their sister ship, and the surface of Metis was sliding over them instead.
“Altitude now one-fifty and rising.”
“Yaw to port and rotate us one-eighty, Mister Chiles,” Nathan ordered. “Then hold our distance from the Celestia.”
“Yawing one-eighty to port and holding distance, aye,” Mister Chiles answered.
“Focus our forward cameras on the Celestia after we come around, Mister Navashee. I don’t want to miss this.”
“Engineering, Captain. How are we doing down there?”
“We’re as ready as we’re going to get,” Vladimir answered over the comm-set, “but I cannot guarantee all bottom-side thrusters will work properly… or at all.”
“Understood,” Cameron answered. She turned to face aft. “Threat board?” she asked Luis at the tactical station.
“The board is clear,” Luis reported.
Cameron turned forward once more. “Helm, all systems ready for lift off?”
“Reactors one and two are running at fifty percent. Three and four are idling at one percent. All thrusters show ready, except for those along the lower starboard side just aft of the forward section.”
“Compensate by taking the same thrusters on the port side offline,” Cameron ordered. “That should keep us from rolling to starboard as we thrust upward.”
“Yes, sir,” the helmsman answered.
“All right, Mister Donahue, take us up,” Cameron said as she sat down in the command chair.
“Lifting off, aye,” the helmsman answered.
“There’s a phrase I never thought I’d hear on the bridge of a starship,” Luis mumbled.
Cameron smiled, saying nothing.
A circular wave of dust shot silently outward from all around the sides of the Celestia except her midship section. With no atmosphere to offer resistance, the dust continued outward, some of it falling back to Metis hundreds of meters away, while the rest of it continued upward and outward into space. As the dust continued to be blasted away from the surface, the massive vessel slowly rose off of Metis. Within seconds, the Celestia had broken free of the small moon’s weak gravity.
Nathan watched in awe as the Celestia rose majestically off the surface of Metis, a wave of dust spreading out in all directions. “There’s something we’ll probably never see again.” He turned to his sensor operator and smiled. “I hope you’re recording this.”
“We’re up,” Mister Donahue reported from the helm. “Five meters and rising quickly.”
“Thrust forward,” Cameron ordered. “Smooth and easy. I want to be well clear of Metis before we start climbing to a departure orbit.”
“Thrusting forward, aye.”
“How are our inertial dampeners looking?” Cameron asked Ensign Schenker, who was serving double duty as both sensor operator and systems officer.
“Inertial dampeners are online, running at forty-seven percent. We’ll feel the mains, but not too badly as long as we throttle up gradually.”
“The Cheng will be working on them during departure,” Cameron said. “With any luck, he’ll get them in better calibration by the time we do our full-power burn. For now, forty-seven percent should be enough.”
“Range from Metis is one kilometer and increasing,” the navigator reported.
“As soon as we reach ten kilometers, you can start climbing to a higher orbital altitude for departure,” Cameron said. “Keep an eye on our orbital position, Mister Jakoby. Remember: our departure course has to keep Jupiter between us and Earth.”
“Yes, sir,” the navigator acknowledged.
“Thrust forward,” Nathan ordered. “Let’s keep pace with her until she pitches up for departure.”
“Thrusting forward to follow,” Mister Chiles answered.
“How long until we reach the line-of-sight horizon with Earth again?” Nathan asked.
“At current speed, two hours, forty-two minutes, sir,” Mister Riley reported.
“Once the Celestia starts her departure burn, we’ll start our slingshot burn.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Remember: only one engine,” Nathan reminded him. “We have to look lame.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Passing ten kilometers,” Mister Jakoby announced.
“Very well,” Cameron said. “You may start your climb, Mister Donahue.”
“Aye, sir,” the helmsman answered. “Bringing the mains online and accelerating to higher orbit for departure. Starting the burn at zero point zero five percent.”
Cameron felt a small surge of forward momentum as the Celestia’s main engines came to life for the first time since the ship had landed on Metis only days ago. “I guess they still work,” she mumbled as she felt herself sink back into her command chair slightly.
“She may be mostly hollow, but she can fly,” Luis said with obvious pride.
“Increasing power to zero point one,” Mister Donahue announced.
Cameron again felt the slight force of the increased thrust. Even at such a fraction of their overall potential, the Celestia’s main propulsion was amazingly powerful. She, like the Aurora, was designed to move out quickly, and without their inertial dampeners working at full efficiency, they would likely feel every tenth of a degree of change in their power.
“The Celestia is starting her climb,” Mister Navashee reported.
“Climb with her until we reach the optimum orbital altitude for our slingshot maneuver,” Nathan ordered.
“Aye, sir,” Mister Chiles acknowledged. “Climbing with her.”
Nathan watched the magnified image of the Celestia on his main view screen as her two inboard engines glowed faintly. He did not feel the force of their acceleration, as the Aurora’s inertial dampeners were not only functioning perfectly but had been so
mewhat enhanced by the Takarans during their month-long stay in the Pallax shipyards in the Takaran system. He sighed as he watched the Celestia climb away from Jupiter, and for the first time since they had first realized that the Jung had already captured Earth, Nathan felt like they had hope. With two ships, possibly even two jump-enabled ships, they not only had hope; they had a chance.
“I’m still not fully versed in the policies and protocols of your service,” Lieutenant Telles said, “but in ours, you’d be considered a commodore now.”
Nathan turned and looked at the lieutenant standing to his right as he, too, stared at the image of the Celestia on the main view screen. “I never thought of that.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Jump complete,” Loki announced as the Falcon’s jump flash subsided. “We’re on the next comm waypoint, coming up on twenty thirteen, ship time.”
“Think she’ll answer this time?” Josh wondered.
“I hope so. Even I’m starting to get bored.”
Josh turned partway around in his seat, trying his best to look over his right shoulder at Loki in the back seat of the Falcon’s cockpit. “You see? I told you this was mind-numbingly boring!”
“Yeah, well, it still beats flying through waterfalls,” Loki mumbled.
“Actually, I might be inclined to agree with you on that one,” Josh admitted as he turned back around to face forward.
Loki smiled. “Deploying laser comm-array.”
Josh looked at his console, leaning forward and squinting in disbelief. “Uh, aren’t we a little close?”
“These are the coordinates flight transmitted just before we left,” Loki said.
“Why?” Josh wondered. “Why would they put us so close? We were, like, five minutes out at all the other comm waypoints.”
“They probably want us to make real-time contact with her,” Loki surmised.
