The Last Spartan: Different Paths

by A. E. McCullough

  Not so with the Terrans. Humans have become the master of mass production. Efficiency and functionally always win out over looks when designing a warship. Of course, the Cerberus class warships had the distinct honor of being the ugliest ship ever built by anyone’s standard.

  The entrance to the cargo hold was actually in the front of the ship directly below the bridge or command pod. A metal staircase, more commonly referred to as a ladder in nautical terms, stood along the aft bulkhead. Iaido glanced back at Talia as he made his way up the ladder. Realizing she had fallen behind, she hurried to catch up. As she cleared the entrance, the hatch began to close. Before she crossed the length the hold, the hatch was sealed and the lights shifted from red to normal white.

  Reaching the main deck, Talia looked around. It was a large compartment that had obviously been converted into an exercise room. Along the starboard bulkhead was a small shrine. Talia didn’t recognize the glyphs painted on the scroll that hung on the wall but she could tell it held some sort of significant meaning to Iaido. She could hear voices from the front of the ship, so she followed them. At the front end of the compartment were three hatches. The voices were coming from the center hatch which had a short ladder of about ten steps then a twenty foot long passageway before ending in the command deck.

  Talia paused long enough to glance down the two other passageways since the hatches were propped open. Both led down to a ball turret which flanked the command pod on either side, giving the ship the three headed look that prompted its name. Moving onto the command deck, she stopped at the entryway.

  A huge HUD was superimposed over the front windshield, which wrapped around the oblong compartment that was the bridge. The two foremost chairs were obviously for the pilot and co-pilot. Xerxes was in the co-pilot’s chair. Iaido was seated behind and slightly raised in the captain’s chair. To either side of the entrance were banks of computer panels and chairs for each operator. Jay was at one fiddling with the controls.

  Iaido swiveled in his chair as she stepped onto the bridge and gestured to the station opposite Jay. “Sit there, strap in and don’t touch anything.” Without waiting to see if she followed his commands, Iaido finished strapping himself in and began his pre-flight sequence.

  Pax’s monotone voice echoed through the ship. “One minute until blast off, please secure all loose cargo and fasten all seat belts. Passive radar is detecting multiple bogies closing on our position. ETA forty-five seconds before they are in visual range.”

  Without taking his eyes off the control panel Iaido asked, “Can you speed up take off?”

  “Negative. The reactor will not be at nominal power for another fifty seconds.”

  “Pax transfer all data on incoming bogies to fire control. Xerxes do your best not to kill any of them but slow them down.”

  Xerxes chirped his response and the whirring of guns being deployed to port and starboard filled the cockpit. Talia watched as over twenty different lights filled the HUD of fire control. Most were yellow squares, which she guessed to be the ground vehicles since Xerxes seemed to ignore those. The triangles would change from yellow to red when they crossed a certain line on the HUD. Xerxes began firing at any of the targets that crossed into the red zone.

  “Fifteen seconds till blast off,” Pax said. “Three bogies are searching for target lock. Jammers at full. Estimate lock in twelve seconds.”

  Swiveling his chair to look at Talia, Iaido gave her a quick wink. “This is going to be close.” Glancing back at his gauges, Iaido fired the maneuvering jets which slightly lifted the warship. Nudging his joystick to port, the companions could feel the ship slip to the left.

  “Reactors at full power,” Pax said. “Firing all engines and thrusters for maximum accent. Bogies have target lock. Engaging shields.”

  The sound of small explosions could barely be heard over the roar of the engines as the Nemesis blasted off into the night sky.

  “Shields holding. We are out of their effective range at this time. However, our current fight path will have us in target range of Starbase Alpha in ten point three minutes.”

  Checking the clock, Iaido punched in a few coordinates. “Pax slide us into this traffic. Cross it a few times and bring us up under the largest freighter. That should disguise our signature a bit.”

  “Affirmative,” came Pax’s monotone response.

  As the warship began to enter the outer atmosphere, the G-forces lessened enough for the crew to unfasten their seatbelts and move around. Jay had already moved to the infirmary. Iaido held out his hand to Talia and gestured to the surrounding ship. “Welcome to the Nemesis. Let me give you the quick tour.”

  Talia glanced back at the fire control HUD; it was filled with yellow and white triangles. “Aren’t you needed here?”

  Iaido shook his head. “Not at this time. Pax and Xerxes have it under control. Either this maneuver will work or it won’t. We will know in about seven minutes. Until then, sitting here staring at screens and worrying won’t change the facts. Time moves at its own pace, we cannot change it nor can we speed it up. So, I have found it is best to live in the moment.” Leading her down the short passageway, Iaido swept his arm to take in the converted mess hall. “We may be dead in ten minutes or we may live for another hundred years but neither matters, only the now matters.”

  “So, you don’t worry about the future?”

  “Nope. I plan for the future. I study and make educated guesses that will enhance my odds of success or survival but worry? Negative. Every choice we make affects the future which is fluid and always changing.”

  Talia shook her head. “That is so different from what I was taught in the Seminary. We were taught ways to read the myriad paths of the future. According to our scholars, our fate is already set. We may walk different paths but eventually our paths would merge. It was preordained that I would accompany you on this journey. Our choices only affect how it would come to pass, not if it would.”

  Moving past the kitchen, known as a galley on a ship, they went down a short passageway which ended in the infirmary. It was simple in design, meticulously clean and held numerous pieces of medical equipment. No matter how old the ship was Iaido believed in a state-of-the-art medical facility.

  Iaido could tell it was bad news before Jay spoke a word; his body language spoke volumes. Turning to Talia, he pointed at the limp form of Diana. “So, according to your philosophy, Diana was destined to die?”

  “I am not sure,” said Talia. “It’s what I was taught. But I have never thought of an android as being alive or dead. My people do not see them as a life form, just as a tool.” She turned to Jay. “No offense intended.”

  “None taken,” Jay said. “I have battled against prejudices my entire life in one form or another.”

  Ignoring the other two, Iaido moved up to Diana and gently lifted her cold hand to his lips. With a soft kiss, Iaido said good-bye to his assistant and lover of many years.

  Suddenly alarms filled the air, followed by Pax’s voice. “Captain to the bridge.”

  Sprinting down the corridor, Iaido yelled. “Stay here and strap yourselves in! This could get bumpy.”

  CHAPTER 14

  The room was brightly lit with only one door and a large mirror covering one wall. Only a table and two chairs filled the small room, both occupied at the moment. Lt. Charles Kristopher of the NAPD was in the ‘hot seat’ with Special Agent Johnson of the Federal Security Agency asking the questions. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Kristopher. How many times had he sat in the control seat and asked questions?

  “Let’s try this again lieutenant,” Special Agent Johnson said. “In your own words what happened?”

  Kristopher rubbed the back of his neck. “For the twentieth time, when the call came across the EBS for an APB on Iaido Achilles Spartan, I was standing next to retired Master Chief Kirk and looking down at the panel. Then, wham! I remember a flash of intense pain in my chest followed almost immediately by pain at the base of
my neck and then nothing; lights out. I woke up later to find a SWAT med-tech checking my vitals.”

  “And why do you think Mr. Spartan would knock you out?”

  “Friendship.”

  “Friendship?” Special Agent Johnson scoffed. “What kind of friend would knock you out?”

  “The best kind of friend,” Lt. Kristopher said. “Iaido knew that once I learned of the APB that I would be duty bound to try and arrest him.”

  “And would you?”

  “I would’ve tried and failed.”

  Special Agent Johnson looked up from his notes and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

  “To my knowledge there was only one man who could stand up to Iaido solo and I am not him.”

  “And who is that?”

  “His brother Hector, no one was even close to his level.”

  “Surely you jest?”

  “You don’t know who you are dealing with, do you?” asked Lt. Kristopher. “Iaido Spartan is no ordinary man.”

  Special Agent Johnson set down his pen. “Come now. You’re trying to tell me that there is no one that can take this Spartan fellow?”

  A knock on the door interrupted whatever response Lt. Kristopher was going to give.

  A young agent stepped in briefly and handed Special Agent Johnson a folder full of paper. The words ‘TOP SECRET’ and ‘CLASSIFED’ were stamped in bold red letters across the folder. Opening the folder, Special Agent Johnson began to skim the new information and his face seemed to drain of all emotion.

  With a slight smirk on his face, Kristopher leaned back. “Now you are beginning to understand.”

  Special Agent Johnson looked up. “Spartan is a Myrmidon?”

  Lt. Kristopher nodded.

  Special Agent Johnson continued to flip through the folder. “I thought they were just a myth. You know the sort of military secret that gets leaked as a publicity stunt during the war.”

  “No, they were real. That is what Omega Squadron was except the few regulars that were assigned as handlers and trainers.”

  Flipping between two pages Special Agent Johnson asked, “Why are there two sets of stats on the Myrmidons?”

  “Two different models. As I understand it, the original ten were designed and grown by the U.S. Military before they were incorporated into the Coalition. These were the SPARTANs. The ultimate warriors with many skills hardwired into their psyche and the ability to upload any skill needed for a mission. The Coalition placed restrictions on their creation, so a different version known as the HOPLITE was designed. They were still deadly but only a pale shadow when compared to the original SPARTANs.”

  Special Agent Johnson nodded. “So, that’s how you held the pass on Gilese.”

  “Yep... although by then Achilles was the last SPARTAN, hence his surname.”

  Special Agent Johnson flipped the pages some more. “Okay. I can see where he would adopt that name but where did Iaido come from? Why not just use Achilles?”

  “Achilles was his military name and it represents a dark time in his life. As to where Iaido got his name, his batch number from when he was in a pod was 1A1-DO. One of the trainers noticed the similarities of the batch number to the Japanese word Iaido, which means ‘way of the blade’ and after everyone noticed his specialty with blades and swords, it became his nickname.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

  “Simple, I was bound by my oath as a retired Coalition officer not to reveal this information to anyone.” Lt. Kristopher gestured to the papers in the agent’s hands. “But if you have that file, then you will discover all this and more.” Lt. Kristopher hesitated. Years of fighting the administration of the Coalition had taught him that it was dangerous to trust someone you didn’t know. But his gut urged him that Special Agent Johnson was different and at the end of the day, he would trust his gut instinct over paranoia any day. The Fed was about to close the folder when he stopped him. “There is something I think you should know. There were two Galactic Marshals at the warehouse, Cassius and Brutus.”

  “Yes. I met them earlier. They are witnesses in the murder investigation of my young protégé Agent Smith. Here is a copy of their statements concerning the incident.” Special Agent Johnson pulled out a different folder and passed it to the NAPD lieutenant.

  Lt. Kristopher scanned the documents quickly with an experienced eye; the overwhelming lack of evidence screamed at him. There was no recording of any kind or physical proof that the murder was committed by Iaido. Only the statements of the two Galactic Marshals condemned his friend. He lifted the folder and gestured with it. “And you believe this?”

  Special Agent Johnson said, “I admit that there isn’t much evidence against Mr. Spartan…”

  “Much? There isn’t any.”

  “Except the testimony of two Galactic Marshals.”

  “Two Galactic Marshals who just so happen to be myrmidons.”

  “Myrmidons? How do you know that?”

  “Two reasons. First, Iaido told me that they were and secondly…myrmidons move a certain way. It’s a subtle thing but its there. Once noticed, it is never forgotten. When I saw them in the warehouse, I knew that my friend was right.”

  “What did they want at the warehouse?”

  “Me. But once Lt. Brown pointed out that I was to be detained by the NAPD and the FSA, they took Sgt. Major Spenton’s daughter instead.”

  Special Agent Johnson shuffled some papers. “And why am I just learning of this?”

  “Where Galactic Marshals are concerned there are hardly any paper trails.”

  Whatever Special Agent Johnson was about to say was forgotten as there was another knock on the door and a different agent stepped in, leaned down and whispered something to him.

  With a nod, Special Agent Johnson closed the folder and gestured to Lt. Kristopher. “Come on. It seems that the Fleet has located the Nemesis.”

  Without another word, the two moved through the FSA headquarters until they reached the CIC.

  Lt. Kristopher looked around. It looked like any other CIC center he had been in over the last twenty years. Vid-displays of the various sectors in Terran controlled space which ranged out to the asteroid belt that was just past Mars and before Jupiter. Technically, the asteroid belt acted like a DMZ – De-Militarized Zone - and was patrolled by both the Galactic Marshals and the Fleet. One would think it simple patrolling an asteroid belt, until you try to do it. The untold number of asteroids and length of the belt made it nearly impossible to police properly, even with both organizations patrolling the belt, numerous raiders and mine jumpers plagued the asteroids. Nearly all the attention in the CIC was centered on the one vid-display which showed the Nemesis being chased by a squadron of Fleet Dragons.

  Special Agent Johnson moved up to a young tech, tapped him on the shoulder and commanded, “Report.”

  Slightly startled at being singled out, the tech stammered for a second before beginning his briefing. “Well sir, it seems that the Nemesis is a Cerberus class warship, which interesting enough was originally designed and built back in the mid twenty-first century by what was known as NASA. When the UNCF was formed, it annexed all remaining Cerberus warships and reclassified them as a destroyer class. They served with distinction until they were decommissioned in 2090. I didn’t even know any were still in operation…”

  “I don’t need a history lesson about the Nemesis. I need a sit-rep.”

  “Oh, sorry sir.” He glanced down at his notes. “It seems that the Nemesis was able to slip through our sensors by hiding under some commercial traffic. None of our sensors detected anything during our scans; we have teams working on that now to find out how it was possible. We only discovered the Nemesis a few minutes ago by accident when a passing freighter made a comment over the comms about something being stuck to the underside of the freighter Argentina’s belly. We dispatched a squadron of Dragons to investigate but even before they had left orbit the Nemesis had broken away from the Argentina an
d made a beeline for the asteroid belt.”

  Special Agent Johnson pointed to the display. “Will the Dragons catch him before he reaches the cover of the asteroids?”

  “I don’t believe so, sir. The Cerberus class warships were extremely fast for their size. Given the head start it had, our best estimate is that the Nemesis will reach the asteroid belt nearly two full minutes before the Dragons.”

  Special Agent Johnson rubbed his chin as he thought about everything he had learned over the last few minutes. The quandary he felt over his next order was obvious to all but he knew his duty and it was clear.

  “Contact the squadron leader and let him know that they are to follow the Nemesis into the asteroid belt using whatever means necessary to disable the Nemesis but they are not allowed to go past the asteroid belt and into galactic space.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Iaido twisted the Nemesis into a fast roll to avoid an incoming asteroid. “Pax what’s their status?”

  “They are receiving coded transmissions at this time but judging from their lack of deceleration, I would extrapolate that they have been given orders to follow us into the asteroid belt.”

  “Dammit! I was afraid of that,” Iaido snapped as he pushed the ship’s nose down hard to avoid another asteroid.

  Pax’s monotone and calm voice added, “Captain… I would be remiss in my duties if I didn’t inform you that the odds of successfully navigating through an asteroid field at our current speed is three-thousand seven-hundred and twenty to one.”

  Iaido snickered slightly. “I never did like long shots. Pax, take the con. Move us at best speed through this region.”

  “Affirmative.”

  Feeling Pax take the controls, Iaido relaxed. He knew that navigating at speed though an asteroid field was nearly impossible for anyone except an AI. There were just too many variables to keep track of for any degree of safety. He knew the Dragons would also have to slow down as they entered the field or risk running into a stray asteroid. However, they were smaller and much more maneuverable than the Nemesis and without some sort of distraction, they would be within firing range soon.