Alpha One

by Chris Burton

  Jake’s mother moved onto when they might see him. This was inevitable, as it had been months since his last visit. Jake wanted to see them and his parents Border collie, Barrat, but he was so busy with his Academy commitments. This was a ruse. He did want to see them but he didn’t want another row with his father about how he should progress with his career.

  Commander Simon Carter started as a weaponry specialist aboard a Star Cruiser, two weeks after leaving the Academy. He progressed to his first command within five years. There was no question in Commander Carter’s mind that wasting time running around in a death-trap jump ship would do nothing for Jake’s career and probably end up killing him.

  Jake reluctantly agreed he would visit in the next few weeks. His mother told him she would hold him to it and would harass him if he didn’t turn up soon.

  He arrived at the Academy hangar just before two and headed directly into the lecture hall, joining his fellow Top Gun candidates. Steve arrived a few minutes later, but there was no sign of Maria or Carla. The two female Ensons arrived together just before the Top Gun Coordinator entered the hall. He stood and addressed his congregation.

  “Good morning. Before we go any further, I must advise that the Top Gun timings from yesterday have been scrapped, as not all candidates completed the circuit.”

  The coordinator paused as the congregation voiced their objections before continuing.

  “Progression and elimination from this round will be decided on positions as of the last Top Gun event and the one run today. I need hardly remind you there is no room for cock-ups. We saw yesterday just how easy it is to get it wrong, with nearly devastating consequences.”

  The coordinator paused briefly before continuing. “We will fly the same course as yesterday, but in the order of current ranking in the Top Gun tournament, meaning the current eight highest rank pilots don’t fly until about 20.00 hours. The chosen course is the same, because we all need to learn from the errors made yesterday. I should mention all Hunters have passed fit for flight. New canopies and release systems have been fitted to each one overnight. Good luck everyone.”

  The co-coordinator and his team then took questions, and then, a few minutes later, the first ten pilots, including Carla, were lead into the hangar to commence their pre-flights.

  Maria joined Steve and Jake. They watched the Hunters launch before heading to the refreshment suite. Maria perked up a bit and embraced Jake as they sat down to take coffee.

  “I am really sorry about yesterday,” she said. “I can’t get my head round why I was upset. I guess someone special to you, from your past, is likely to have that kind of effect.”

  Jake responded and kissed Maria on her forehead. “That’s fine, sweetheart. Yesterday was just a fucked-up kind of day. Let’s forget about it.”

  Jake showed affection on the outside; but deep down, he felt this girl was just too high-maintenance for him.

  After Maria joined the third batch of pilots to take her turn, Jake, Steve and Carla took a stroll along the run strip before returning to the refreshment suite for some food. Jake and Steve reported to their respective Hunters at 20.05.

  The eight remaining ‘higher ranked’ pilots were led out to the jump pads and launched in quick succession. They cleared the shield system and the space lanes, and headed directly to Jupiter.

  All jump ship controls were intuitive, and were linked directly with the pilot’s cerebral functions via the pilot’s helmets. All the Hunters’ controls could be operated in this way, although manual back up controls were available should malfunction or pilot preference require them to be. The Hunter’s main display screen listed key information throughout the flight, with the cerebrally-controlled heads-up display either duplicating this information or detailing additional information.

  Despite the capability for a jump ship to fly without the pilot lifting a hand, the joystick remained the usual control for acceleration, roll, pitch and yaw and for the main weaponry system aboard the Hunter.

  Jake believed he created a perfect symmetry of mind and joystick control for the Hunter to get round the circuit in the best possible time. As his time approached, he held the ship at zero velocity and released the thrust within a split second of the start signal firing.

  Jake had honed his skills on the Hunter to perfection. While it lacked the absolute power of the Rapier or the maneuverability and pace of the Sabre, the Hunter was still a fine vessel. He felt totally in control as he accelerated to full velocity. In no time, he rounded the Kuiper Belt, hugging the ice formation closely as he looped under and over the ice rocks. Next, he headed back towards Jupiter in a near perfect display of balanced high speed jump ship piloting. Today was Jake’s day, and he finished twenty seconds faster than the rest of the field. He finished the day in second place overall with Steve thirteen seconds ahead.

  Carla didn’t fare so well. She was unlucky, and was eliminated as the number of Top Gun candidates were reduced to thirty-six. Maria continued her excellent flying and finished the day in fifteenth.

  Back on solid ground, Jake allowed himself the luxury of reflecting on the day. The events of the last twenty-four hours were not forgotten. His grief manifested itself as first anger and then passion.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The Pressure of High Office

  Admiral Koenig sat at his desk and stared at the figures in front of him. The costs of the Sentinel offensive escalated by the day and were way beyond budget. He was not an accountant, but it was clear funds would not be adequate to cover the offensive as planned. He had three options. The first was cut costs for the operation itself and run the risk of jeopardizing the offensive overall. Alternatively, he could approach Alpha’s funders for additional resources. The third was unpalatable. Cutting costs across the board was a transparent move portraying Alpha as financially stricken. It reflected badly on Alpha’s decision to cut itself from Earth central funding.

  Earth’s central government cushioned the blow of budget excesses in the past, by allowing the overspending, funding it and worrying about the consequences after the event. His new funders would not be as forthcoming. The dilemma began clear but was quickly clouded by a suggestion from Admiral Tresco, suggesting a fourth option. Perhaps given Earth’s continued vested interest, it might be acceptable to ask for funding again from Earth. Koenig was troubled but decided to push his worries to one side and enjoy the evening with his family. He would sleep on it and decide how best to proceed in the morning.

  In the meantime, the small matter of the fiasco on the Partacian border must be addressed. Admiral Shenke’s taskforce destroyed thirty Partacian ships and lost seven crew in the process—one of whom was a star academy graduate sent out into battle and killed in action. She should never have been out there, and the loss of so many Partacian vessels was catastrophic.

  The senior Admiralty bench met earlier that day to discuss the latest events and to remedy the growing political problem developing in Partacian space. The general consensus was that the confrontation should never have taken place and that Koenig didn’t have the power to act unilaterally. He should have consulted the bench before the invasion commenced.

  The ‘threat’ from the Partacians should have been eliminated by the mini-task force before they were well into Partacian territory. However, this wasn’t the case, and the bench made it clear they didn’t support Koenig’s stance. An unofficial show of hands suggested the mini-fleet should remove itself from Partacian space immediately.

  Koenig stood and stated that it was too late. The fleet would continue on its current course, irrespective of the bench’s position. He was voted as CIC and his word was final. The bench stood silent as Koenig delivered his decision. The Articles of his office gave him this authority, but they also gave the bench authority to act against the CIC if his decisions were contradictory to Alpha’s best interests.

  This was dangerous territory. Any more confrontations with the Partacians could bring into jeopardy his position
as CIC. There is no disputing the pressure of high office, thought Koenig, then he smiled and told himself that he was CIC and he intended to stay CIC.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Carla’s Long Night

  “Oh great, the climate control’s packed up again.” Steve grimaced. “Another hot night then.”

  Carla invited him over for a meal and a quiet chat.

  “Not for you tonight, Steve. You’ve got a Geometric appraisal on Tuesday and you need to be studying for it.”

  “Why did you invite me round then?”

  “Because we need to chat about you, graduation, and us.”

  “That one again.”

  “Yes, you have to improve your grades, and quick. If you fail this appraisal, you’ll be in trouble. All you are concerned with is the bloody Top Gun tournament.”

  “It wasn’t ‘bloody’ when you were still in it. The Top Gun is important to me but so is graduation. I have been working on my Geos with Jake.”

  “Jake says you failed to turn up last week at all.”

  “Last week was the Top Gun so I took myself off it. I am back on. My appraisal will be fine. So, can we get back to us getting hot and sweaty tonight? With your CC on the blink, do you want to come to mine?”

  “No. I said I wanted to talk about us as well tonight. Let’s eat first, and then we can talk.”

  “For God’s sake Carla. We are supposed to be an item, but suddenly no sex? Are you getting it somewhere else?”

  “What? How dare you! I wanted to suggest it might be best that we cool off for a while, given our studying and other commitments. I think you can leave.”

  Carla felt angry. Steve was abrupt at the best of times, but his comment was uncalled for and typical of the arrogant pig she felt he became.

  “Carla…we have been through this already. We need each other and we don’t need to cool off. Okay, perhaps the comment about you sleeping around was a bit unfair. Seriously, don’t you like sex?”

  “Not with you.” Carla was exasperated.

  Steve pulled back and then jumped straight in with both feet.

  “I suggest you leave Steve. I am not in the mood for this conversation right now. Call me in a couple of weeks, but don’t bother calling unless it’s the old Steve who calls.”

  He knew he was beaten. He stood up, sighed and headed towards the door. The door opened and he turned around “Shit, Carla. Can’t we just talk about this tomorrow? I don’t need this right now.”

  “Go.” Carla was too cross to talk.

  Steve, admitting defeat, left the apartment.

  Carla sat for a long time pondering the argument. She tried to rationalize what went wrong with their relationship and kept coming back to the same thing. It wasn’t Steve. It was Jake. Enough is enough, she said to her herself. Tomorrow is another day. Steve and I are on a break, but Jake is with Maria. Let’s get down to studying.

  Two hours later and after the fifth unanswered comm link from Steve, Carla finally gave up and settled for the inevitable. She opened a comm link and waited.

  Jake answered, bleary eyed. “Hiya. How did your evening with Steve go?”

  “Don’t ask. We are on a two week break.”

  “Aghh. That’s really going to fuck him up, Carla.”

  “It’s for his own good, and mine too. Where’s Maria?”

  “She didn’t come over. She wanted to study.”

  “So what have you been doing?”

  “Just chilling.”

  “Cool,” said Carla. “Do you want to come over?”

  “It’s a bit late. Can we meet for breakfast in the morning?”

  “Okay. Say seven a.m. at Arthur’s?”

  Jake agreed and closed the comm link. Carla was disappointed. She had wanted to get her feelings about Jake out into the open; she would have to wait until tomorrow.

  Carla slept badly, waking several times during the night. She had a lot on her mind, not just Jake and Steve but also her sister. She hadn’t any contact with her since they met in London. What Joely told her that evening still sent a chill through her body every time she thought of it; so much so that she buried the subject deep in her sub- conscious.

  She wanted to think about her sister. She wanted to see her again, but every time she thought of her, the taboo subject re-entered her mind. It was time for decisions, she told herself. She decided to confront the issue straight on. She got up, sat at her desk and opened a web link. She explored teachings of the Collective, the Sentinels and the Betanica Sect.

  Joely and Carla had talked for nearly two hours after they finished dinner that night in London.

  Joely seemed completely normal, cracking jokes and making references to her family life and, in particular, her parents as if she had seen them just yesterday. If it weren’t for the Collective and what Joely believed in, Carla would have assumed everything was normal and Joely had simply moved on.

  This was far from the case. Joely described, sometimes in detail but at other times vaguely and almost secretively, the purpose of the Collective. They were Earth’s representatives of the Betanica Sect. They were much more than a spiritual church. They were a political animal, a forum and a pedestal for a specific objective: to persuade ECG and Alpha not to enter the Tri-Star system.

  Joely provided a coherent and technically-correct summary of a blue wormhole and what would happen if one opened. Rare, they occurred as a result of changes in the fabric of space, usually resulting from a second or third space anomaly.

  Joely continued by suggesting the Tri-Star wormholes were a case in point. Each wormhole provided a gateway to another galaxy. However, when opened together they merged and formed a much bigger and more powerful blue wormhole.

  The Sect was not a product of the Sentinels, and the teachings of the sect pre-dated the Sentinels’ first contact with humans by over a thousand years. In fact, the Sentinels were by no means the only race who believed in the Sect, despite Alpha’s and ECG’s assertion that this was the case. Over the centuries, there were many references to the blue wormholes and what lay beyond them.

  The teachings of the Betanica Sect were to protect the wormholes and prevent them from forming a blue wormhole. They were also clear on how opening the wormhole would open a channel to another universe. That universe contained an alien race so fierce and powerful that the existence of our galaxy would be at risk. The Kryl were the most grotesque and monstrous alien species ever encountered in the home galaxy: they were demons—powerful, belligerent and hell-bent on the destruction of everything they encountered.

  The Sect and the Collective believed the Kryl were the devil itself.

  Why is Joely taken in by the ridiculous assertion of a demon-like race from another universe lay in wait for the opening of a blue wormhole? thought Carla. The Tri-Star wormholes are separated by the largest of the three stars which make up the configuration. If the wormholes created a blue hole when opened together, surely the adjacent star would be engulfed within the anomaly, which would prevent a blue wormhole being created. The consensus from Earth’s leading scientists, astrophysicists and those of other leading powers in the region was that a blue hole here was unlikely. For some reason her sister, a rational and intelligent woman who had, prior to her disappearance, no clear faith of her own was taken in by the Collective.

  The answer was clear. Professor Nigel Winterburn was an alluring and powerful man, whose presence was both seductive and enticing. Her sister was drawn first to him, and then to his beliefs. Carla would not make the same mistake. She agreed to visit her sister and the Collective on Titan again, and she would use the trip as a further opportunity to research the Sect’s theories in more detail. She already asked her tutor whether the subject was worth investigating, and received encouraging support.

  Jake agreed to join her. Despite his current status as unavailable, this excited Carla. She wanted Jake and somehow she would have him. Perhaps now was not the time to bring the matter into the open. She didn’t want to sca
re him off. She would bide her time and wait until the opportunity presented itself.

  Satisfied, she addressed some of the conflicting issues preventing her earlier slumber. Carla returned to her bed and within minutes she fell fast asleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Yoshi’s Frustration

  General Yoshi sat in his Salu chair and pondered. He couldn’t understand why his fleet, ready to launch an attack, was hiding in a cowardly fashion behind the Ionian cloud. To complicate matters, he knew Alpha amassed along the Ionian corridor, ready to attack.

  The Betanica Sect were at fault. They insisted they were ready and yet they kept reversing their decision ‘requesting a short delay’ to ensure the timing was correct. Why? What did they wait for? Yoshi was prepared to launch an attack without the support of the Sect, but restrained himself for another reason.

  The issue, like so many things, was not simple. Certain Sentinel power lords noted Alpha had not infringed the Tri-Star territorial limits for some time. They felt they couldn’t engage in a battle with Alpha based on a prior incursion into the forbidden territory. To complicate matters, some felt war with Alpha was no longer about the protection of the Tri-Star region. They saw an infringement of the Tri-Star territory itself as akin to an infringement of territorial limits within Sentinel space.

  The power lords each headed a regional power base in Sentinel territorial space. Each governed their own planet within the sector. They were Sentinel governors, and collectively determined both regional and central policy. At present, they were at loggerheads about whether the attack should proceed. Neither side created a sufficient working majority on their side to force the issue either way.

  Yoshi’s hands were tied and he just must wait until the power lords ruled in his favor. Yoshi was a war lord. He was powerful and, should the delay continue, could take matters into his own hands. There would be a battle anyway. What did it matter who started it?