Alpha One

by Chris Burton

  * * * *

  The Sabre 4 was every bit as responsive as described. Its controls were instantly intuitive, and its subtlety beyond anything else Jake had encountered. It was simply stunning to fly and Jake quickly grew in confidence. Their flight path took them away from the fleet and towards the first of the three interconnecting planetary systems, before sweeping back and passing the rear of the fleet directly in front of the three wormholes, keeping to a safe distance to avoid being pulled in. The first circuit took about twenty minutes and as they swept past the last of the twelve planets and headed back towards the fleet for the second time, Jake was very much in the zone. It was a calming place to be, and Blue leader followed a simple flight pattern, making the job of wing-man simple. There was no comm traffic, because of the comm block. The pilots used signal wing and tail tip movements to acknowledge and pass on tactical information. Jake found himself looking at the range details and weaponry status. The ship was fully loaded, with maxed shields and a full range capability. He began to think the unthinkable.

  All he needed to do was to lose altitude at the wrong time and he would be caught in the blue wormhole vortex and be pulled through. It was as simple as that. He pulled himself tighter towards the Leader, as he tried to bluff himself into believing he would not try it, but he already had made up his mind. He needed to find Carla, and he might not get another chance.

  The squadron flew past the first and smallest wormhole and headed towards the blue wormhole. This was it, it was now or never. He pulled himself in tight deliberately, and then suddenly, as if he were a rookie who realized he was too close, pulled away in an exaggerated fashion at exactly the wrong point. He made it look as if he briefly lost control, just long enough for the blue wormhole to pull him into its vortex. It may have looked slightly blatant, but a good pilot would always try to fly face-on to a phenomenon of this type, before pulling out of the curve at maximum thrust.

  Then it had him. The vortex was pulling the Sabre 4 and there was nothing he could do. He made it look as if he tried to reverse thrust and managed to open a channel to the group leader but it was too late. Jake Carter’s Sabre, Blue 7, entered the blue wormhole.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Alpha One

  The encrypted message was broadcast by the Eagle as soon as it cleared the comm block imposed by Admiral Shenke’s fleet. It was a Priority One message, marked ‘For your eyes only’ for the urgent attention of Admiral Koenig. It was received at Alpha One communications, who then delivered the unopened message to Alpha One HQ and directly into the hands of Admiral Koenig. Such communications were not unusual, although direct comm link was more commonplace. Encrypted messages of this type were, by their nature, deemed both critical and urgent, and Koenig was appreciative of this. His desktop decoder quickly downloaded the message and began deciphering it. When completed, he entered his password and re-scanned his genetic imprint for final verification. The message content was then made available to Admiral Koenig.

  “Gentlemen, I think we need to be careful that the contents of this message don’t leak from these four walls. This is a grave matter and could potentially be devastating. We need to determine the full extent of the threat, and then act decisively.”

  Admiral Koenig invited his inner cabinet to an urgent meeting to discuss the content of the message from Admiral Shenke.

  He played the message in its entirety first, and then opened the meeting for discussion. It was Admiral Kohn who offered his opinion first.

  “We have to be clear about the extent of the threat and we won’t know until the Kryl pass through the blue wormhole. That may never happen. We do have a fairly considerable force in situ with Admiral Shenke’s fleet. He is highly regarded and dependable. In addition, Admiral Rose should shortly be available as the conflict in the Ionian system draws to a close. If we ask Rose to take his fleet to the Tri-Star system, we will have a formidable force in place. Whatever the Kryl send through, I am sure they won’t break through Alpha’s defenses in the region.”

  “That is, if you don’t mind me saying my friend, naive.” This time Admiral Clarke addressed the Quorum. “We have no idea about the capability of the Kryl or what form a ‘potential food source’ would take. It is possible they may have no interest in us at all. I do agree we should deploy Rose and his fleet to the area immediately. Surely the Sentinels’ reason for fighting us in the first place has just been made obsolete. They cannot defend something when it is too late. That battle should be over.”

  “Well it isn’t. The Sentinels are still fighting, and it looks as if they will to the last man.” Koenig was cross that his closest colleagues had not come up with a more sustainable solution, other than wait and see what happens. “I agree we should use the forces available in the area, but I am not convinced we need to deploy Rose’s already-overstretched fleet. We need further updates from Shenke before we act decisively. In the mean time, gentlemen, this is priority one. We must be extremely cautious.”

  “Will you be advising President Roslyn?” asked Kohn.

  “Yes, I need him to know. This will put the fear of God into ECG so I will play down some of the more dramatic elements of Shenke’s message.”

  * * * *

  President Roslyn was staying in his Lake Lugano Villa. He decided only last week that a week of solitude would improve his deteriorating mood. A week away from the media might stall the steep—and continuing—decline in his approval ratings. He needed a miracle, or some kind of political or economic disaster, to save the day and turn his second term as president around. His opponents snapped at his heels, and his own party tried to disown him. He needed something, and that something just fell onto his lap.

  The private comm link from Admiral Koenig was a surprise, as had his unusual request for the two of them to meet in private and unofficially. He accepted, and immediately invited the Admiral to join him at his villa for a long weekend, some recreational activity and private discussions. Koenig declined an extended visit and opted instead for a brief meeting followed by dinner. Four hours later, he received his own copy of Professor Winterburn’s message together with some commentary from Admiral Shenke and Admiral Koenig. The news was appalling, but this was exactly what he was looking for. This was a crisis requiring strong leadership and moral guidance. It would also necessitate rejoining of Alpha and ECG. It seemed Roslyn was about to get his way. Koenig’s private yacht landed on the banks of the lake just two hours later.

  They greeted each other courteously. The two men did not hate each other; they did have a grudging respect for each other but would never be friends. They were miles apart on most issues, which Koenig felt was unlikely to change. Still, the surroundings were glorious, and there was no denying he needed Roslyn’s help and he needed it now. The cost of the Sentinel War escalated massively in the last month or so, and the lack of funding from other sources including the APF left the war chest empty. The APF in particular surprised Koenig with their steadfast refusal to provide additional funding while the ‘ unjust war’ with the Sentinels took place. How ironic that the Sentinels were right all along.

  “So Admiral, we have a huge problem. Have the Kryl come through the wormhole yet?”

  “Not as far as I am aware. I am still waiting for a further update from Admiral Shenke. We should shortly be deploying Admiral Rose’s fleet. The trouble is, we are desperately short of funds. We need something quick and unofficial if we are to defend the wormholes properly.”

  “Quick and unofficial? Haven’t we had active discussions to increase our cooperation in these areas? Surely, having let the official talks progress, we should be in a position for a political rejoining. I think enough progress has been made for to achieve this quickly.”

  “No,” said Koenig. “We must keep this unofficial for the time being. We have to consider the consequences of this thing getting out to the media. They would put their collective heads together and cause mass panic. They already know about the Sect and their beliefs. If t
hey find out we need funding to send additional resources to the Tri-Star system, it would be bedlam.”

  “Very well. I don’t want that any more than you. It will be ECG who has to pick up the pieces, not Alpha. Let’s be honest, you‘re protecting your interests in this matter. You don’t want to be seen with the begging cap in hand, so to speak, pleading for financial assistance from ECG. I can keep this covered up, and I can provide you with funds to assist you immediately. I have to, in the interests of the protection of Earth and its people, not to save you any embarrassment. What are you looking for?”

  “A drawdown facility in the first instance.”

  Roslyn laughed. “I am sure you are. I shall make funds available, via a third party source to protect your interests. You realize I want something in return?”

  It was Koenig’s turn to laugh. “I cannot commit to bring ECG controlling influence, you know that.”

  “One step at a time, Admiral. Let’s commit to making this meeting a regular occurrence. We can look beyond that and the duration of any drawdown facility once it is in place. Do you agree?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very well, then; let’s eat, and we can discuss more specific details afterwards.”

  The two leaders sat down to a three-course meal prepared by the President’s resident caterers. The dinner conversation was varied but difficult. Roslyn tried to discuss his interest in sports, in particular soccer and the World Series, but found Koenig to be severely lacking in knowledge in this area. He moved on to the environment and climate change, but Koenig was clearly uncomfortable discussing this issue too. Eventually they moved onto the Sentinel War, the wormholes and the Kryl.

  This was inevitable. Small talk is not an option for Koenig, thought Roslyn. He is a shallow and one dimensional man. I can control him and Alpha too.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  The Ionian Front

  General Yoshi knew it was hopeless. They had been losing hard for a long time. They were outnumbered, and the only thing keeping Alpha from finishing them off was the threat of nuclear strikes.

  The will had left as well. The idiotic humans had opened the wormholes, and the blue wormhole had appeared. The Sect would have you believe that the Kryl would come through the hole and destroy every living thing in the galaxy. The entire rationale behind the war with Alpha disappeared, and even the High Priestess was gone.

  This was not just about the wormholes, not as far as Yoshi was concerned. He wanted Alpha destroyed and right now that was unlikely to happen. He could inflict one last and significant defeat on the Alpha fleet. He would attack the Alpha Flagship and destroy it, together with the fleet commander, Admiral Rose. He would die trying, but that was an acceptable loss. He would take away their leader and then fall on his own sword.

  * * * *

  The progress pleased Admiral Rose. They were being hindered by localized atomic charges, but in the last ten days avoided any further significant fatalities. This was critical after so many deaths. When the battle finally ended, he could declare final victory, achieved with relatively little recent loss.

  He could not let this final chapter of the war drag on indefinitely. His fleet was needed elsewhere. Although the main reason for the war was removed, the Sentinel generals continued their offensive strategy, which suggested the war was about a good deal more than protecting a couple of wormholes. Tomorrow, he thought, I will commence the final attack and clear the remaining larger critical vessels

  .

  * * * *

  Yoshi looked at the figures. His ship’s offensive capability was zero. The only high impact weapons remaining were three low-yield atomic charges; These were all that remained in his dwindling fleet. His shields were at thirty-five percent, and dropped each time Alpha delivered a deadly teutonic missile into the ship’s hull. A few got through and it was impossible to maintain parity. Put simply, his shields would give up completely within days and he had no answer. With no drive system to speak of, he had thrusters left. The most sensible action would be to surrender but Yoshi had no time for cowardice. He must finish the job. That meant he needed to get as close to the Alpha flagship as possible.

  He put his plan into action. He set a course for the Pacific and crawled forward under thrusters at less than two hundred fifty kilometers per hour.

  How close will she allow us to get? he wondered. There was no reason to suspect anything other than he brought his ship alongside to surrender. He gave the command for the ship to reduce speed and drop shields. It was now or never. His fleet thought he finally had come to his senses, and surrender would take place. Yoshi’s ship arched to come on course to run close alongside the Pacific. The pain will be soon be over, he thought.

  * * * *

  The Pacific Battle Bridge Commander had the con and paged the Admiral to advise the Sentinel Mother ship prepared to draw along side. Everything pointed towards a surrender, even her shields were down. She was within five hundred meters of the Fleet’s Flagship when Admiral Rose entered the bridge, together with the ship’s captain and his chief advisor.

  “Bring her on screen and let’s see her come in. Let’s be cautious, everyone. This is not over yet. Jump ships and gun teams to standby.”

  Rose enjoyed this. There was precious little to enjoy about the last few weeks.

  “They are coming alongside. Wait. Sir, they are accelerating and have drawn in by five degrees. Sir, they are going to ram us.”

  “Take evasive action,” said the Bridge Commander, but it was too late. They collided a few seconds later. The Sentinel Vessel crushed the battle bridge, and then followed through, smashing the Pacific central command and munitions sections before coming to a complete halt. Thirty seconds later, both ships exploded. Yoshi ignited all three atomic weapons in the nose of the Sentinel vessel.

  Devastation was complete. Admiral Rose and his colleagues on the Battle Bridge were killed upon first impact. The nuclear explosion put and end to any salvage plan, ripping the innards of both ships into oblivion. There was nothing left.

  Yoshi saw the destruction of the battle bridge before the charges ignited. He prepared his sword and his fate was decided with the short fuse delay. He allowed time to confirm the Alpha ship was destroyed. Yoshi took his sword and took his last breath. He raised his sword into the air and brought it down, slicing through his abdomen from his left shoulder to his right thigh. This is my victory, he told himself and he smiled.

  Five seconds later, his body and 5,000 others were ripped to pieces. Yoshi and Rose were dead.

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Rose Is Dead

  “We have confirmation, sir. Admiral Rose is dead and the Sentinels have surrendered on an unconditional basis.”

  “Thanks, Commander.” Koenig turned to Admiral Koln. “Well, the Sentinel War is over. They have already pledged their forces for a joint initiative against the Kryl. I am calling for the Admiralty Bench to sit in special session to discuss this urgently.”

  “I thought you wanted to keep this close to your chest?”

  “I do, but the deployment of one hundred plus ships is not exactly non-substantial. We don’t need to say anything at this stage, other than their arrival is a possibility. That’s all we do know anyway.”

  “Rose, this is a big loss.”

  “My God, yes, it is. He will be missed. Shenke is more than adequate and he is growing in stature, but whether he is up to commanding a full fleet in a combat environment yet, I don’t know. There is no one in the area more qualified, so he will remain in command.”

  Roslyn should have been worried. He should have been gravely concerned about the Kryl and what they would do if they came through the wormholes. All he could see was political advantage. He drafted header terms for a draw down facility for Alpha, which was to remain on his desktop and not released into general contracts. This was standard protocol for unofficial documents of this type.

  The leak would have to come internally from his technical team. This would n
ot be easy, because hacking into the mainframe of Alpha’s Commander In Chief would never be a simple task. He must make sure other ‘non-critical’ data leaked at the same time to give this ‘security breach’ some credibility. He spoke to the on-duty tech team manager at Alpha’s Central Command HQ, who provided remote access to his desktop, allowing a periodic security sweep. The leak files were all in the same file, for which he deleted the password and set as default. This was then a relatively simple task to hack in, copy and transmit the data to a third party system, where the info could be read and distributed to the media. That was the easy part. He must find someone stupid enough to do it. He ran his finger down the security clearance list. This showed the names of those with clearance to unlock his desktop and gain access to his files remotely. The target leaker was a certain Lieutenant Brad Chambers. Chambers had some history locally for leaking and selling critical Alpha papers, when a discreet leak to the media or general public was politically appropriate.

  The document containing the status of the wormholes and the perceived threat from the Kryl was released directly onto the local Alpha domain and, from there, copied remotely to over eighteen hundred local distribution sites. By 9 a.m. the next morning, the news spread like wildfire. Panic was about to grip the Earth.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Escaping the Kryl

  The jump ship fell limply like a small rock dislodged from a mountain pass. It was falling towards a light. As the light drew nearer, the view became clearer. It wasn’t a light, it was a doorway. A doorway to the Kryl Galaxy. Jake Carter and his Sabre 4 were about to go through it.

  When Jake came to, he’d been unconscious for nearly ten minutes. His spinning ship had cleared the blue wormhole. Suddenly aware of his predicament, Jake subconsciously assumed control of the vessel and brought her around. She suffered little from her enduring free-fall, but the NAVCOM was offline. He looked around and noted nothing of any particular significance. The star configurations looked markedly different, but in all other respects he could have been in the Pegasus galaxy or even the Solar system. As he explored his surroundings further, he realized he was not alone. Earth vessels surrounded him. Not Alpha but private vessels attempting to travel back toward the wormhole. They were pursued by the Kryl.