by John Walker
We’ve been preparing to die for a long time.
Growing up in a state of war had an impact on the psychology of a child, a man and a soldier. As most of his friends grew from one to the next, he saw the transformation a dozen times. Death shown on the news gave them a sense of mortality long before they were ready but it toughened them up, deadened their fear.
Facing an alien was no different than the dangerous end of a Foundation missile barrage. The only difference was the things pulling the trigger didn’t necessarily look like them. Even if they did, they couldn’t be thought of as any more than opponents, creatures to be disposed of for the sake of survival.
What will happen if we win? How will our world change? This moment, this occasion will alter our future forever.
Raeka hoped for the best but felt they would be entering a new phase of conflict, one with outside forces instead of internal ones. For the first time in generations, the Founders and Emancipated would unite again. Perhaps it would last, allowing them to become one country, healing the schism keeping them apart.
The Earth fighters kept in contact, letting them know their relative position to their various ships. They were tiny barbs scattered amongst the grass, a tactic Raeka approved of. Captain Atwell proved to have a tactical mind, which didn’t seem likely the way they avoided fighting them earlier.
The ability to not attack may well prove the courage of a man over striking an opponent any day.
Tarkin certainly was impressed and relieved as well. Had the Behemoth opened up on them, many people would’ve died. Raeka would never have forgiven himself for pushing the Earth ship to such an extreme. They experienced some pretty blind luck when the ship destroyed an asteroid instead of a cruiser or destroyer.
“Sir, two minutes to contact,” Gahlir called. “The fight’s about to begin.”
Here we go. Raeka took a deep breath and returned to his seat. Now was the moment of truth when they would face off against an overwhelming opponent. For good or ill, this would determine the fate of them all. Such a responsibility may not have been easy to carry but Raeka had been doing it for some time.
***
Major Harrington Bean took a quick briefing from Lieutenant Colonel Dupont about the situation with Timothy Collins. Interrogation in the midst of combat seemed insane but the orders were very clear. The problem came at whether or not he could be effective knowing what was going on outside. A major battle might well distract him from some of his best techniques.
Harrington worked in security for a long time and spoke to many criminals. He’d pulled confessions out of men who clung to innocence on several occasions but never on board a ship, never a bridge officer and certainly not while being shot at. Of course, Commander Everly was involved and seemed to think it was all okay so he tried to mentally calm down before heading down to the brig.
Once there, Harrington found the young man sitting at a table with his hands bound on top, cuffed to the table itself. They really think this kid’s involved in the treason if they’ve done that. We only bind violent criminals down like that. This is intense.
Tim didn’t look up when he entered and continued to stare at the surface of the table, barely moving other than to breathe. Harrington pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, wondering what techniques he’d have the chance to employ before things got crazy. The fact is, he would normally let the suspect sweat a while but they apparently didn’t have the luxury.
Get it out of him as quickly as you can, Harry, Marshall said. We’re counting on you…this could mean life or death for a lot of people.
Thanks, Lieutenant Colonel. No pressure at all. Harrington drew another breath and leaned forward. “Good afternoon, Lieutenant.”
“I doubt I’ll have that rank much longer, sir.”
Harrington shrugged. “I suppose that depends on what you did, or did not do, right?”
“I’m afraid I’m invoking my right to silence under article forty-seven in the New Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
“Yeah, I heard you pulled that one out,” Harrington said. “Who put you up to that?”
Tim remained silent.
“You can talk about other things…let’s chat about how you got your commission.”
Tim looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Can you talk to me about your endorsement?”
“Admiral Jameson gave it to me.”
Harrington nodded. “He must’ve really seen something in you…a lot of potential.”
“I suppose so.”
“How do you think he’d feel about you right now? Knowing you’ve been arrested on treason charges.”
Tim looked away but didn’t speak.
“Do you think he’d be disappointed? Maybe even upset?”
“Admiral Jameson has many opinions, sir…and passions.”
“You’d know. You worked as one of his aides, right?”
“A junior,” Tim nodded, “yes, sir.”
“Did you like it?”
Tim paused. “It was okay, sir.”
“Just okay? Big duty for someone just out of the academy. From cadet to ensign working for an admiral. Huge role for a kid.”
“I did research for them and was on a whole team. I’d say we had over ten people…maybe more.”
Harrington hummed. “Anyone else from that team aboard this ship?”
“No, sir. They pursued planet side duties. None of them had the astrogation background I did.”
“You always wanted to take to the stars.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let’s cut the shit for a minute, Tim. You’re on the line here. You have the know how and skill to do what you’re being accused of. We can make these charges stick and even if you’re not the right person, you might end up taking the fall. Why throw your career and life away? Confide in me. Tell me who you’re backing up so we can end this with a reprimand.”
Tim’s brows lifted. “You think I’m stupid enough to think after all this I’d get a verbal?”
“Loyalty’s important but blindly giving it can be dangerous. Think about it. Backing up your crew is an essential part of our success as officers but there does come a time when you have to cash that in. I know you care about what happens to you. You’ve spent too much time getting good at your job, learning what you did and studying. Your passion for the stars will go to waste in a cell.”
“Treason can lead to a death sentence,” Tim said. “Can’t it?”
Harrington shrugged. “Not as much anymore. You’d have to do a lot worse than nearly destroying the ship. There’s plenty of room in prison these days, especially mining operations. They always need an extra set of hands and a strong back. You’ve got both, least for a while. Consider my point: there are worse things than dying and believe me, command will use them.”
“And I’m to believe you’re my buddy.” Tim tilted his head, scowling.
“Not at all. I’m the guy who they sent in here to get information. You know that. I’m also the guy who can authorize you to leave. If you want to be friends, I’m game but the honest truth is I’m more interested in finding the person you’re hiding. I want to get home and I’d like to think you’re interested in the same thing.”
“What’s going to happen to them?”
“At least you’ve actually just admitted there is a them.” Harrington pointed out. “And they’ll be arrested and questioned, of course. What do you think we’re doing here, Collins? Planning a surprise birthday party? We’re talking about high stakes here. Lives are on the line and you’re futzing around with them.”
“I…” Tim shook his head. “I have to think about it.”
“You don’t have long, my friend so think fast. Before long, those guys waiting in the hall are going to get pissed and when they do, they’ll open the playing field up. Right now, we’re just talking. They bring medical into the game…we’re talking shots and heavier interrogation techniques but I’m convinced you’d rather do the
right thing.”
“I’m trying to determine what exactly that is.”
“Hardest question a man can ever ask himself,” Harrington said. “And believe me, I ask questions all the time. But this isn’t one you should be stuck on. You’ve been around long enough to know what all this means. You’ve read the history books of how badly a mole can damage the infrastructure of a military unit.”
“I know, sir…but…”
“We’re getting somewhere. You want to tell me. Just come out with it. No one’s judging you. Unless you have direct involvement in this action, you don’t have anything to worry about. Did you?”
Tim looked up at him sharply and shook his head. “I…have to maintain my silence…on the uniform—”
“Yes, I know the schtick,” Harrington interrupted. “That silence shit isn’t going to protect either of you. Or if there are more, I’d like to know that too. Are we talking a team? Or just you and one more? What did you do for them? Did they just tell you about it? Come on, Lieutenant. We were so close to a revelation there.”
“I think we’ve got worse problems right now, sir.” Tim straightened his shoulders. “And if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to wait to answer these questions until after the engagement has ended…so I know whether or not I need to do this.”
“You’ve already betrayed everyone who trusted you aboard this ship,” Harrington said, standing up. “What’s stopping you from betraying those who wanted to destroy it?”
“That wasn’t the point…” Tim snapped his mouth shut and looked away. Harrington smirked.
“I see.”
“Please don’t take that…”
“What?” Harrington feigned an innocent expression. “Don’t waste my time with trying to cover up your slip. You gave me some valuable information right now. Think about it for a few minutes. I’ll be back in five and believe me, if I leave again, any chances or deals will go with me. So really think. How do you want to be remembered, Lieutenant Collins?”
“I don’t think I’ve got a choice now, do I?”
“We all have choices unless we’re dead. Second chances end then. You’ve got one right now. Time to make good on it, don’t you think?” Harrington stepped to the door. “Talk to you in a little while. Make sure you focus on self preservation while I’m gone. I think you need a healthy dose of it.”
Chapter 8
Meagan’s fatigue drained away as the enemy approached. Her scanners picked them up, two massive ships coming in hot. She watched the kilometers drop rapidly from the hundreds of thousands to the tens of thousands. Then, they were on them, pulse blasts lighting up the darkness of space without a moment’s hesitation.
No hails, no warnings. Just like them to be consistent.
Surprisingly, their ally’s shields held from the first barrage but the energy output was enormous. They turned bright orange with every hit and lights all over the ships dimmed with every impact. Meagan counted to five, giving the enemy a moment to register what was happening before squeezing her flight stick.
“That’s our cue, Panther,” she called out to the two wings. “Let’s make this happen. Bear One, you guys take the flank. We’ll draw their fire.”
“You’ve just got to be a hero,” Rudy replied. “Good luck, Panther One.”
Meagan’s ship vibrated for a moment as she engaged full throttle, pulling away from the vessels around her. The rest of her wing formed up with her, building velocity. The inertial dampeners moaned when she pulled up, changing direction fast enough to kill a pilot without the safety technology in place.
Squadron Leader Mick Tauran moved along side her as they rocketed forward, their hulls shimmering with their own shields in place. The moment any of them fired, the enemy would likely deploy their own fighters. Then, if the Behemoth didn’t get there in time, Panther and Bear would be outnumbered by a lot.
They’d proven to have superior tactics in the past but this situation was different. They had no technological equals supporting them. The last engagement with the enemy involved a lot of alliance ships and before that, they had high tech drones providing some cover. This time, it was all them and some low tech ships with enough defenses to survive an initial assault.
Impressive but not exactly confidence boosting.
Meagan led her ships down from their allies then out away from the shields. Once they cleared them, they climbed and moved along side the enemy. All the pulse turrets blasted at the fleet and hadn’t taken notice of the bees about to sting them. Meagan initiated the clearance to attack, a poke with their own pulse technology to show they weren’t up against total schlubs.
Spinning her ship to the side, Meagan took the lead for the first attack run, strafing the top of their enemy with several blasts before pulling up and performing evasive maneuvers. The smooth surface of her target filled her view for several moments and her cockpit warmed up every time she pulled the trigger.
As she yanked back on the stick, blackness spread out before her, distant stars doing little to break up the curtain of space. She moved erratically, making it difficult to get a lock on her as she bought distance. The others of her wing did the same, dancing fireflies above a dangerous foe intent on killing everything in its path.
“You on it, Bear?” Mick called out the question, filling every radio in their two wings.
“Right now, Panther,” Rudy replied. “Keep your trousers on but stay back. These bombs aren’t going to be pretty.”
Meagan checked her scans, ensuring all her people made it far enough away to avoid the shockwave. Minimum safe distance was only a few hundred kilometers away and they passed it easily. The ships around her loosened their formation and turned just in time to witness Bear squadron let loose an impressive volley of missiles, enough to devastate a small moon.
Each projectile hammered the shields of the first enemy capital ship, causing a dramatic blue-purple flare of energy to dance in every direction. The bombers raced away from the shockwave, getting behind their new ally’s shields in time to avoid being caught up in it. The enemy shields held but they fulfilled Meagan’s prediction and launched fighters of their own.
“Time to engage,” Meagan called out. “They’re going to slow down with those turrets now to give their ships a chance to take us out.”
As they paired up, she took a moment to check the scans again, zeroing in on the Behemoth’s relative location. They were racing into the battle, about to batter the enemy’s flank. Fighter reinforcements would be there soon as well, swaying the odds back to something manageable.
The computer gave them an ETA of two minutes.
We have to survive a hundred and twenty seconds out here…shouldn’t be too bad. Just harass and keep moving.
The first group of fighters raced toward them and they spread out, giving them more targets to chase. Earth’s pilots learned early on that the enemy tended to go at them one at a time, choosing an erratic and chaotic tactic over supporting one another. This gave the Behemoth fliers a small advantage in that someone always had their back.
As one in particular tried to tack onto Meagan’s six, Mick hit the breaks and took up position behind the attacker. Meagan moved with practiced ease, luring her pursuer into a perfect trap which allowed Mick an easy shot, a flurry of pulse fire tearing up the fuselage of his target.
The explosion behind her still lit up her cockpit and Mick sounded off, splash one. An anachronistic term but it still works.
Other ships moved in, flying in wild, evasive circles. They unleashed random cannon fire at their targets, making the attacks difficult to avoid. Meagan and Mick spread out to the sides and flanked two, catching them in a crossfire as they tried to spin out of the way. Both ships exploded and the Panther fighters flew over the cascading debris, their shields flaring up from contact with particles of metal.
Meagan’s computer buzzed, indicating one of their own fighters had been hit. She was too busy to see who but did a call out for Roll Call while dedicatin
g the rest of her attention to dodging incoming attacks. Panther Five didn’t report in, Lieutenant Leslie Eddings. I hope you bailed out okay… The others were still in the fight.
Rudy’s wing managed a second attack run but they didn’t seem to fare well as they tried to rocket away. At least two of them took hits but Meagan had no idea if the ships were destroyed, damaged or unscathed. Her own computer remained attached only to her people, anything more would be overwhelming in a large scale assault.
The enemy ships kept coming, waves of them pouring out of the two capital ships. Meagan forced herself to focus on the task directly at hand, ignoring the odds stacking ever higher against them. If the Behemoth didn’t arrive soon with reinforcements…Stop thinking. Work. You’ve got to hold this for as long as it takes. You can do it.
Another five fighters moved in, trying to get on her tail. Not exactly instilling me with confidence here. She pulled up on the stick and prepared to engage, steadying herself for what might be the inevitable.
***
Raeka watched the Behemoth fighters dash into battle without any regard for their own safety, throwing their lives on the line for people they’d never even met. Their honor shamed him for attacking their ship and he desperately wanted to do something to help them. He maintained discipline, however, and focused on holding the line. The Behemoth gave strict tactics to handle the invaders.
If we want to survive this, we have to defer to experience. The power of these vessels!
When the enemy started pounding their shields, the power output went off their scale. He didn’t even know how their defenses held but felt proud they did. It became quite obvious their weapons would not hurt these things though and if the Behemoth fighters hadn’t been there, a quick flanking run would remove their only chance to hold them at all.
“The Behemoth is on the move,” Gahlir called out. “They’ll be here momentarily.”
“None too soon,” Raeka said. “These fighters need support…support we cannot provide.”
