by Saxon Andrew
Sparky looked at Kam, “Why are you sending both of us?”
“Because left alone, both of you would take foolish risks and not complete the mission we want done. I see that both of you have been able to hide from those around you so I know you are capable of following orders. Can you give me your promise that you will do your best to complete the mission first before you give in to your needs?”
“What is the mission?”
Kam looked at Whitehall, “Tell him.”
“The Prophet stole one of the Traugh’s warships and fled out of their territory. They recently sent ten thousand scouts out of their territory searching for it.”
Sparky looked at Kam and he nodded. “So you need someone to take your ship back and cause some mayhem while making sure they see that it’s the stolen warship?”
“That’s part of it. We need you to manage to stay alive for a year.”
Pam’s eyes narrowed, “Why?”
“It’s going to take that long before we have enough ships to start taking the war to them. We need you to cause as much damage as possible without being killed.”
Sparky shook his head, “We could do everything possible and still manage to get ourselves blown away before the year is over.”
Kam smiled, “We understand that. We just want to make sure that whatever attack you plan to implement both of you agree on doing it.”
Pam shook her head, “And just how will you make sure of that?”
Kam looked at Andres, “Can you remove the control of the weapons from the pilot’s console and set up a separate console to control them that is out of reach from the pilot’s chair?”
Andres shrugged, “That’s doable.”
Sparky stared at Kam and said, “We could still choose to do something risky?”
“I’m hoping that one of you will keep your word about surviving a year and make the other pause long enough to make a good decision.”
Sparky looked at Pam and saw her expression. He hoped the Alien didn’t hear his thoughts but knew it was wasted hope. Kam smiled, “I see that both of you place a high level of importance to promises. Before I send you on this mission, I want both of you to promise to do everything possible to survive for a year.”
Sparky shook his head, “You don’t understand the pressure I’m living with. I don’t know if I can promise that.”
“Then you won’t go.”
Sparky blew out a breath as Pam shook her head. They looked at each other and Sparky said, “I won’t be able to do this alone.”
“I doubt I will either. However, perhaps the alien is right. We can help each other through the hard moments. I’m at least willing to give it a try.”
Sparky looked at Kam, “What happens if one of us is killed. We’ll lose the ability to fire the weapons.”
“Trust me on this; if one of you is killed, the other will die with him. If the ship’s force field is breached, the ship will die. There will be no survivors.”
Whitehall looked at Kam, “Prophet, are you sure about this?”
“I don’t want to send someone out that really wants to survive. The first two pilots would be sent to their deaths and, though they’ll willingly go, I think these two aren’t really worried about survival.”
Pam looked at Kam, “Are you saying that there is no chance of survival?”
“That’s part of the mission. You have to make sure your ship is destroyed.”
Pam looked at him through her eyebrows, “Really?” Kam nodded. “Is there an issue if we can keep it going longer than a year?”
“Of course not. I really hope you can. If you can survive long enough, our ships will join you and you can do whatever you want.”
Pam looked at Sparky, “I’m in.”
Sparky stared at her and then looked at Kam. He turned to Essay and his eyes narrowed, “You are keeping your promise. I cannot do less. I promise to do everything possible to survive a year.” He looked at Kam, “Will the ship have enough supplies and power to survive that long.”
Kam looked at Andres who smiled, “There’s been a new discovery.”
Kam’s head went back, “What?”
“You know you wanted us to find a way to change the color of the stardrive to something other than green?” Kam nodded. “We’ve had a lot of trouble making that happen so I tried an experiment. I took some of the metal that’s used to shield the superconductive wire in the harness and put it into the reactors on one of the new ships. The field’s color changed to a dark blue color.”
“That’s interesting.”
Andres smiled, “Oh, but there’s more. It only takes a quarter of the gold we’ve been using and the reactor’s power doubled.”
Essay, Whitehall, and Kam stared at Andres. He shrugged and looked at the two pilots, “One full load of the new metal will be enough to keep your reactors at full power for more than a year and nine months.”
Jason’s eyes went wide, “How does that affect the self-destruct mechanism?”
Andres tilted his head, “It better not be activated near a populated planet.”
“Self-destruct?”
Essay looked at Pam, “You cannot allow your ship to be captured. If the Traugh get their hands on the technology in it, then there is no stopping them.”
“How do we activate it?”
“We’ll program your computer to give you the code once you arrive in Traugh Territory.”
Whitehall looked at them and said, “We need to get you trained on how to fly and fight the ship. You should know that your ship will be faster, more maneuverable, and possess more powerful disintegrators.”
Essay nodded, “But we need you to avoid letting the Traugh find out.”
Sparky looked at Kam, “How will we do that?”
“Make sure you kill every Traugh Warship that sees you use it.”
“Now that sounds like fun.”
“Just include that in any plan you make.”
Whitehall looked around and said, “The two of you are sworn to secrecy. Earth doesn’t know about the scouts coming toward us and we need to keep it that way.”
Pam nodded, “We’ll keep it secret.” She looked at Sparky and he nodded.
Whitehall looked at Andres, “Take them with you and put them on the simulators. How long before the ship is ready to launch?”
“Another two months. However, the pilots will need some time to work with it before they leave.”
Essay looked at them, “Will the two of you be able to keep your cravings under control that long?”
Both of them smiled and Pam said, “Yes. Now that I know who my chosen victim is, I will totally focus on ways to kill them to the exclusion of everything else.”
“What about you, Sparky?”
“She’s right. We are very much alike.”
Whitehall looked at Andres, “Keep me posted on their progress.”
Andres nodded and said, “Come with me.”
Whitehall said, “I’m promoting both of you to Commodores. Is there anyone you want your benefits directed to in the event you don’t make it back?”
Sparky looked at Whitehall and smiled, “Leave them to my younger sister.”
Pam hesitated and sighed, “Leave them to my parents.”
Everyone knew they wouldn’t be coming back. Whitehall nodded and said, “I’ll make sure it happens.” Andres stood up and they followed him out of the room.
Essay watched them leave the room and took a breath. “They are an interesting couple.”
Kam shook his head, “They will never be a couple.”
“Why not?”
“Both of them tried to think of a way to kill the other so they could have total control of the ship. When they learned the weapons would be out of reach from the pilot’s chair, they knew there was no other option but to cooperate. I also know that both of them knew what the other was thinking. No, they won’t become a couple. They’ll ultimately die alone.”
Essay stared at Kam and shook his head. What a hell to
live in. He hoped they would at least force their demons at bay. He needed to see Emily. This was heartbreaking. So much talent under incredible pressure.
Whitehall looked at Essay and Kam, “You no longer have to make the runs to the Bosrean.”
Kam looked at him, “Why not?”
“We have eight pilots ready to take on that chore. I do ask if you’ll go to the Bosrean and ask if they can send us some of the insulating metal along with the other materials.”
“Are you going to send them the plans for the new reactor material?”
“Of course. Do you foresee any issues?”
“Not really, Admiral. Their planet’s crust is made up of that insulating metal. It’s literally just lying around everywhere.”
“Really?”
“Yes, it is like sand on your planet.”
Essay looked at Jason, “What’s the latest on the giant vessel you want built?”
Whitehall smiled, “The new found power will really make a difference. With larger thrusters, it should lift easily and approach the speed of our current warships. Of course that will change once we update them. Which reminds me. You should take your ships to the facility in India and have your reactors and disintegrators updated.”
“How will we get home?”
“The World Leaders have decided to allow your family to keep their two ships. They want to make sure you can go wherever you think necessary.”
Essay looked at Kam and smiled, “Now that’s a vehicle with loads of accessories!”
Kam laughed, “Isn’t it. I’m going to make a run to the Bosrean and give them the new reactor plans. I’ll update my ship after I come back.”
“I’ll talk to you then.”
“What are you going to do while I’m gone?”
“Once I get the two ships updated, I’m taking the family out and teach them how to fight them. We’re not going to be caught unprepared again.”
“Good idea. I want to work with you. I’m not really up to speed on how to fight my ship.”
“I look forward to it.” Kam smiled and left the room. Essay sighed and worried about the two being sent to Traugh Territory. Perhaps he should look at their training tapes and see if he could pick up something. That Sparky was incredibly smart.
Chapter Thirteen
Sparky whipped the ship to the right and Pam screamed, “AAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!” Sparky looked at her and felt her frustration. “I can’t control this many disintegrators! I lose track of half the targets!” Sparky leaned back in the command chair and sighed. Pam looked at him, “What are you looking at!?”
“We need to reevaluate our choices.” Pam turned her chair and faced him in silence. Sparky shrugged, “I know we decided that I would pilot the ship and you would operate the weapons. I think we’re not looking at our skills.”
“You just want to do the killing!”
Sparky’s eyes narrowed, “When you attacked in Afghanistan, did you do the killing?”
“Of course.”
“No you didn’t. The laser-guided bomb killed them. You just got in close enough to launch it. Look at our ship as a weapon you’ll use to kill them. There’s really no difference if you look at it realistically. It would be your skills at getting close that leads to killing their ships. I could care less who pulls the trigger. I see our ship as a weapon to deal death. I know you’re a better pilot than I am. You have combat experience that I lack. Do you see it differently?” Pam stared at him in silence. “Do you?”
Pam shook her head and looked at the floor, “Can you do a better job on the disintegrators?”
“I can.”
Pam’s eyebrows came down, “Is that so!?”
Sparky blew out a breath, “Look, Pam. You’re focused on seeing the damage the disintegrators are causing instead of focusing on targeting them. I think that comes from flying a combat jet. You check to make sure your target is hit before breaking away. It’s a habit that would be hard to break. I really don’t care which task I do but I see that we’re not really effective doing things this way.” Pam stared at him and Sparky smiled, “Let’s do this. I’ll fly into the edge of the asteroid belt at oyr slowest speed. See if you can hit a target with all twelve disintegrators. If you can, I’ll increase the speed until you start missing targets.” Pam nodded and turned back to her console. She put her hands on it, looked at Sparky, and then nodded.
Pam actually hit fifteen targets at their slowest speed. She smiled and watched as Sparky moved away and came back in at a faster speed. She struggled but managed to hit twelve rocks. Sparky came around faster and Pam managed to hit six rocks. She looked at him, “How fast?”
“One third speed.”
Pam shook her head, “Traugh ships would be able to attack us if we’re moving that slow.” Sparky nodded. Pam blew out a breath, “Change places.” They disconnected their helmets and connected to their new chairs. Pam looked at Sparky, “I’m going in at one third speed.”
“Why that fast?”
“If you’re no better than I am, there’s no reason to change.”
Sparky nodded and turned to his panel. He put his hands on the controls and said, “Ready when you are.” Pam hit the thrusters and flew into the edge of the asteroid belt. She whipped the ship out and looked at her panel. Sparky had hit eighteen rocks. Her eyes went wide and she said, “Going to half speed.” The ship whipped around and she flew into the belt weaving the ship in an intricate pattern. She felt the ship respond and smiled. She flew out and saw Sparky had hit thirteen rocks. She jerked her head around, “How are you doing this?”
“I use the scanners to lock on the first targets before we move into the asteroid field. I then punch in a select button as soon as the other disintegrators lock on.”
“But that would cause some of our ships to be hit if you do that indiscriminately.”
“There won’t be any of our ships around us.”
Pam stared at him and shook her head, “You’re right. I’ve learned flying habits that avoid hitting friendly aircraft.”
Sparky nodded, “And flying at half speed is faster than the Traugh can fly their ships. We can kill more if we do it this way.”
Pam smiled, “I really enjoyed the feel of this ship as I flew it through the asteroids.”
“You’re a pilot. That’s something that’s hard to learn.”
“Ok, ok, we’ll do it this way.”
Sparky smiled, “Let’s practice and see how fast we can do this.” Pam whipped the ship around and headed back into the asteroids. She began moving the ship at high speed among them and screamed her pleasure. She saw that rocks were exploding all around the ship as she gave herself to the ship. Sparky was amazed at things she could do with the ship’s thrusters. She was amazing. He fired at the rocks and saw them in his mind’s eye as Traugh Warships. It was going to be glorious.
• • •
Andres looked at the giant metal structure and took a deep breath. He looked at the plans and then back at the structure. How was this going to work? Alley Patel walked over and saw Andres’ concern. “Is something wrong?”
Andres pointed at the giant framework, “I don’t see how the structure you’ve built is going to support the ship without breaking in half the first time the frame is stressed.”
“I should have sent you the new plans for the structure.”
“What new plans?”
“The Bosrean sent a huge load of the insulating metal and suggested we combine it with titanium.”
“How do they know about titanium?”
“The Prophet took a load to them and asked what they could do to improve it. They came up with a metal that is harder than anything we’ve ever made. It’s also flexible enough to withstand huge stresses.”
“Why wasn’t I told about this?”
“You’ve been tied up with the updates on the standard warships. It took us more than a month to make the metal to build this first frame. However, once we get this one built, the others will follow in sho
rt order.”
Andres stared at the frame and shook his head, “Are you sure about this?”
“The computers say it will work. Matter of fact, they say we can use even less but we don’t want to take any chances.”
Andres shook his head as he looked at the plans. “According to this, fifty warships can be serviced and rearmed.” Andres looked up, “What does this mean rearm? Disintegrators work off the reactor’s power.”
“Admiral Whitehall asked the Mexican Assembly plant to build a missile with a warhead made from the new metal.”
“And?”
“It’s really impressive. They built a small target covered by a force field that matches the power of the Traugh ships. The warhead blew through it.”
“How is that going to do us any good? The Traugh Warships can fly faster than any missile we could make.”
“That’s true when they’re using their stardrives but most space battles are fought in normal space. Stardrives are knocked off line when an energy weapon hits them. Once a ship is in normal space, you keep hitting it with a disintegrator and it won’t be able to use its stardrive. The new missile will have a targeting computer set to the color of the Traugh force field. It is a close in defensive system.”
“What’s the range?”
“Twenty miles. It is colored black and will be extremely difficult to see. It’s also so small that the Traugh sensors won’t give much warning before it hits.”
“Won’t the Traugh disintegrators knock it out if they’re firing at the ship that launches it?”
Alley shrugged, “I really don’t have all the details but I saw on the missile’s plans that it has a battery powered force field to protect it until it makes contact.”
“How can a small warhead take out a Traugh Warship? They’re huge.”
Alley shrugged, “Do you know anything about the spent uranium shells that were used against heavily armored tanks?”
“A little bit.”
“The shell is not that big but when it penetrated a tank’s armor it would be white hot and would ricochet around inside it killing the crew and igniting the tanks shells.”
“Ok. So what does this warhead do once it penetrates?”
“It will ricochet around inside that vessel and there’s very few places in a warship that can stand a lot of damage. It will definitely cause explosive decompression along with damage to any systems it hits. It will stop the ship if nothing else setting it up for a disintegrator beam. If it happens to hit the bridge or the reactors, a disintegrator won’t be needed.”
