Now Jonah laughed, a terrifying sound to the reporter.“No. I said I wouldn’t let you go easily.”He could almost hear the reporter’s pounding heart as he leaned in from the side, close enough to feel the man’s breath on his face.“But Victor will.”
Victor released his grip on the necktie and Greg fell backward. He seemed to move in slow motion, tipping further and further toward the edge without his feet ever moving. Then gravity took hold and pulled him down toward the ground. Jonah and Victor leaned over the platform and stared into the man’s eyes as the fog swallowed him. Satisfied, Jonah clapped Victor on the shoulder.
“We should have done that weeks ago,”Victor said. He took a step and spat over the edge.“Dos ve’danya, asshole.”
Jonah walked toward the office, shivering from the cold.“He could have had a few months more. A shame, really.”
“We don’t need him.”
“Earth isn’t ours yet, Victor. That prick Gilroy is still keeping Africa in check, and the Asians are busy fighting amongst themselves. And let us not forget the shitstorm Hans created down south.”He dropped his jacket into the arms of a waiting guard and moved quickly to the bathroom. Jonah pulled a towel off the rack and dried his long hair.“The elections are in a few months. If we can keep growing support until then, we can start to relax. Once Kerrigan is installed, we move to the next phase.”
Victor didn’t speak, but looked sullen as he stared out into the now torrential downpour. Jonah sighed as he saw his lieutenant sulking.
“Not every battle is fought with violence, Victor. Our leaders taught us that.”
“Your leaders,”Victor responded.“The old man filled your head with that Art of War crap. I was always told that a strong action was the most powerful argument.”
“Things were different on Mars.”
The younger man pointed out the window to the empty platform.“That felt decidedly familiar. You planned on killing him the moment he opened his mouth, but you wanted to toy with him first. No one else was here for the speech, Jonah. Just me. And I don’t need any convincing.”
Jonah shrugged.“Maybe I did enjoy letting the old me out for a change.”
“I don’t see why you need to hide him. We have the strength to take this city by force. Hell, we could put this whole planet under arms. The orbital guns have been in our control for weeks, but we don’t knock out the node. Mars has already committed its forces to our cause, but still we do nothing. Damn it, Jonah. I grow tired of this game. Where is our war?”
Jonah didn’t bother standing there for the argument. Victor never had been able to see the big picture. It was a small flaw, but one that kept him away from his own position of leadership. No matter how high he rose in Jonah’s army, he had always been under someone else’s watch. For his own safety, as well as the mission’s.
“Give me three months, Victor.”Jonah threw his towel into a hamper and started toward the door.“I’ll give you something better than a planet.”He opened the door to the hall wide, pausing dramatically as he loved to do.“I’ll give you the Republic.”
- XI -
The order to move came at last. The flotilla, unchanged in position for several months, suddenly powered its engines and began the steady drive toward the enemy. Inside his ship, watching the blue void on the monitor, Eruk savored the moment. Pacifying the Druuma for the last few weeks had become increasingly painful. It was his own fault. As the days grew quieter and quieter, his own patience had dissolved to the point of psychosis. Only by increasing the length and intensity of his prayer sessions had the Warlord been able to resist defying the King of the Horde.
His meetings with the Clerics had grown shorter and shorter, until they finally dismissed him altogether. Now, with a full battle group under his control, the warlord was ready to redeem his honor. There would be no cowardly hiding this time. The sheer number of cruisers, destroyers and frigates created an energy signature that would be visible the instant they entered human space. Eruk actually preferred this method of opening the engagement. A sneak attack was only to be used if the enemy was thought to be more much more powerful.
It still irked him that the humans were being considered for entry into the Ruall. He had watched them from afar, seen images of their archaic tactics on the ground. They were tenacious, but not true warriors. He would prove that to the Clerics so that all of the Horde would see the truth. The aliens were just another stepping stone on the great conquest, and one to be passed quickly.
The dreadnought gained speed and began to take the lead of the pack. Eruk ordered all weapons be primed and sent out the order to the rest of the armada.
“This is Warlord Eruk djun Tolan,”he spoke into the ether.“Prepare your ships for exit. Carrier command, ready your troops.”
* * * * *
Charley barely had time to register the contact before alarms sounded across the board. The entire station screamed to life as an energy contact the size of an asteroid appeared just outside visual range. Stacey shouted something to him, but it was lost in the cacophony.
On his screen, a blur of white began separating into smaller dots, each continuing in a single formation toward New Eden. He had the phone to his ear before the thought came into his head.“I need a message relayed to SP and Fleet immediately.”The line hissed for a moment, then clicked as the channels connected.“This is Eden Node, we have incoming from quadrant seventeen by quadrant four one two. Massive energy response.”Another flash message materialized on the monitor from one of the Observers.“It’s the Boxti. I have confirmed engine comparisons from two—no, five satellites. We need a defensive force up here now!”
* * * * *
With the sun on the far side of the planet, New Eden hung in space with quiet reservation. Lights winked on the surface, clustered around the large cities. Most of the surface was devoted to the impressive tourist trade, with luxury getaways and beach getaways. The endless blue oceans teemed with cruise liners and yachts. This time of year the majority of the population was out-of-town guests and vacationers. And of the natives, only a small portion worked in other industries. With night fallen, the resorts would be bustling with activity. Clubs and lounges outnumbered the restaurants down on the shoreline, and they were always packed. Even with the major cities garrisoned with troops from Kronos, the atmosphere had barely changed.
Admiral Walker had originally tried to evacuate the entire planet, but that had fallen on deaf ears. Ambassador Gutierrez had actually sided with the military, agreeing that safety had to be the primary concern for her citizens. That order had been overthrown by the Centurial Council. A panic, especially with the political circus happening on Earth, would only weaken the High Chancellor’s tenuous hold on the galaxy. Behind the scenes of Fleet’s build up, a political chess game unfolded.
None of that mattered much to the naval men and women in Carrier Battle Group Eden. Now representing the second-largest fleet launched by humanity, CBG Eden packed almost one hundred ships-of-the-line into the space surrounding the Federate’s gem planet. They had been at high alert for months, searching every corner of the sky for a phantom armada. When the Boxti finally arrived, it was almost cathartic. Aboard the flagship, standing in the center of his famously silent bridge, Commodore Osaka took it all in.
Midway sat in the center of the blockade, surrounded on all sides by the most powerful warships in the galaxy. Valley Forgedominated the space directly to the carrier’s stern, the power of the Seventh at her fingertips. Newly refitted with twin Particle Accelerator Cannons, the cruiser was easily the deadliest craft in the sky. Each PAC, colloquially known as Thunder and Lightning, fired heavy slugs at near-stride speed. The kinetic energy made them devastating at any range. As a trade-off, the power expended often left the cruiser drained and vulnerable for up to three minutes after firing.
Even from their removed position from the front lines, the crew of Midwaycould see the approaching force. Though only a third their number, the alien flotilla inspired dr
ead in the humans. Hiro clearly saw the vessel he’d encountered at Tallus; the ship that had wiped out a planet. It was clearly a dreadnought class warship, both larger and stronger than a cruiser in every way. The sharp, angular hull deflected their long range scans and prevented the radar operator from learning anything about its capabilities. Behind it, lumbering on monstrous engines, was an enormous carrier. It was four times larger than any they’d run across before, and had become the focus of attention.
“Still nothing,”the ensign said in disgust.“Whoever built that thing knew more about radar than I do.”Still, he kept sending out pings waiting for a solid return. His screen continued to fill with red dots as the computer tagged each incoming vessel. The radar officer turned in his seat to look at his commander.“She’ll be the X factor today, sir.”
Hiro nodded.“Then we shouldn’t worry any more about it. We’ll find out soon enough what it can do.”He turned to his fire control officer.“Ready all forward tubes and guns. And send the order to the bays. I want all squadrons on the rails in ten minutes.”
* * * * *
A short distance away, another battle group prepared to meet the enemy. Their ships were smaller but no less powerful. The roxium-core engines emanated a melodic hum as they charged to full capacity, energizing the intense shield system around the cruisers. Sailors ran through the brightly lit corridors, guided by glowing green lines drawn on the ground toward their stations. A total of fourteen Nangolani vessels had committed to the Terran strike force making it the largest combined unit since the treaty.
The most powerful ship in the attached group was unquestionably the Barrenon. Like most of the alien cruisers, its sleek curves belied its awesome power. The glowing outer skin shone silver even in the shadow of the planet. Flowing white energy swirled around the central ridge that ran the circumference of the large disk. Inside the Barrenon, the crewmembers ignored the constant vibrations from the heavy weapon and dutifully manned their stations.
“Steady, guidance. We hold our position until the humans make their move.”Hanweh, in command of the Nangolani flagship, stared down the approaching force. Though it was too soon to identify the enemy by their markers, he knew which of the monstrous dreadnoughts had been sent.“It has been too long,”he whispered, moving closer to the glowing screen.“Your master must be truly interested to have sent you.”He shivered inside his blue coat, fingers fiddling nervously with the buttons.
“Domin?”the guidance officer said.“Is everything alright?”
Hanweh shook his head to clear away his distracting thoughts.“I am fine, Kal. Mind your station.”He bowed his head and the subordinate repeated the action respectfully. The commander took his position at the back of the room, watching over the activity of the crew. Regardless of how this fight began—and there was no doubt in his mind that a fight was coming—the crew of Barrenon would be ready.
The communication pin on Hanweh’s tunic buzzed lightly. He tapped the emerald device and closed his eyes, feeling the thrum in his head as the crystal connected him to the domins in the other ships. For a moment he existed in a black void, absent of sound or thought. Then he felt the others arrive.
“Fah rosha lanen,”Hanweh said once he had connected.“How are you, my brethren?”
The Domin of Tradeh, the adjacent destroyer, spoke first.“May the words of the Ambra guide us today. They send so few for such a large system. I wonder if they mean to attack at all.”
“Of course they will attack,”another commander spoke. Domin Surlo was a heavyset miner-turned-soldier from the civilian ship Quomidey. Raised around farmers, his accent was thick and unrefined compared to the rest of the commanders.“Their goal is not diplomacy. It never has been nor will it ever be. I say we attack first and try to disable that dreadnought.”
Hanweh frowned and the feeling reached his fellow officers.“Eruk djun Tolan is more than just a competent Domin. He has an innate ability to sense an attack, and the presence of mind to react swiftly and brutally. We promised our new allies that we would offer support and make no move before ordered to do so.”
Tradeh laughed.“How are you so sure that this ship is the same one from Quom?”
Hanweh’s voice softened.“I will never forget watching that planet fall.”
A female voice said,“We shouldn’t make any rash decisions. The humans are wary of the Boxti threat and will act before the danger is too great. Then we will be free to attack and destroy Eruk and his ilk.”Domin Lei Talzora punctuated her comment with a hiss.
“And what of the other matter, Hanweh?”Tradeh’s voice grated the commander’s nerves.
“Leave it,”Lei said.“Focus on the enemy at our throat, not the one at our feet.”
Hanweh wanted to argue, but resigned to accept the decision of the whole. He could feel the opinion lean more toward waiting than taking immediate action.“Barrenonwill stand by. May Darna Wo shine upon us. And should we fall, let her guide us home to JohGal.”
- XII -
Joshua awoke in pain again. His bones pushed and pulled against his skin as he rotated out of the sweat-soaked cot. His evenings had been this way ever since waking from the surgery. The doctor said his body was still accepting the strange new cells inside, and that with such a change came some growing pains, but it did little to ease his suffering. He hadn’t slept a full night in weeks.
Not that he was alone in that area. All of the candidates were dealing with their recoveries in different ways. Dax was in physical therapy nearly every day, learning how to control his newly enhanced body. Pierre suffered from intense migraines, compounded by his heightened sensitivity to light. Only the girls seemed unaffected. Liane and Alexa spent most of their days racing on the track or goofing off in the barracks.
Something buzzed nearby. Josh snatched his phone from the night table moments before it vibrated off the side. He saw the face on the screen and smiled, earning a twinge of pain across his jaw.
“Hey there, stranger.”
Josh suppressed a yawn.“How’s it going, Cam?”
“I wanted to see how things were going planetside?”
It took Josh a minute to remember that Cameron didn’t know about Omega. He struggled to recall which lie the doctor had given him for this situation.“We don’t get out much.”It was true enough.“How’s the Cove?”
Cameron shrugged.“I’m keeping them in check, though I’m pretty sure I’m not long for this station.”
“What happened? You finally get caught for spiking the station commander’s soup?”
Cameron laughed.“No, they’re still blaming the rats. I figured you would’ve heard by now, but I guess they’re keeping you in blackout again. You won’t get in trouble talking to me, will you?”
“Nah,”Josh said, though he was pretty sure this was very much against the rules.“Besides, I’m a trained killer now. They’re more afraid of me than anything else.”
“Nice.”Cameron looked off to the side, unwilling to speak for a moment.“They’re back.”
Josh made a face. He almost made a joke, but could tell something serious was happening.“Who?”
“The Boxti.”
“Shit.”Josh had been under so long, he had almost hoped the whole alien invasion had been a terrible dream. His stomach turned.“Is it at New Eden?”
Cameron nodded.“They’ve already called to let me know I’m off the no-fly list. Should be getting an all-clear any day now, and then it’s back to the fight.”Concern crossed his face.
“You don’t seem all that thrilled,”Josh said.
Cameron look away from the camera.“Doctor Chong’s been helping, but I’m still anxious. Shit, I’m supposed to be the ace of a squadron, and I can barely keep my damn hands from shaking.”
“Are you keeping up with the exercises?”
Cameron grinned.“As boring as they are, yes. I’m very studious.”He held up his hand and mimicked flipping switches.“Turn the machine on, turn it off. Over and over.”
Jose sn
ickered.“And is it working?”
“I guess.”The pilot squinted, cocking his head to the side.“Are you okay, Josh? You look like crap.”
“I’ll live. Just recovering from some training.”Josh looked down at his table, at the battery of pills left to take for the morning.“I should probably get back to it.”
“I’m boring you with all this doom and gloom crap?”
Josh shook his head.“No, it’s not that. It’s really good to hear from you. Sucks that you’ll be back in the shit soon, but I know you’ll just kick ass and take names.”He stretched, cracking his back and neck.“You still seeing that girl?”
“Kaileen?”Cameron’s grin grew immediately.“Yup. She’s great. You have to meet her. Get yourself some leave and get up to Eden or Primus. I’ll be at one of them soon enough.”
“It’s a deal, brother.”
“Glad you’re doing okay,”Cameron said.“I’ll let you rest. We’ll talk soon.”He signed off and the line went dead.
Josh fell back on his cot, letting out a deep breath. He stared up at the bulb over his bunk, watching it flicker. A face appeared suddenly overhead, blocking out the light. It took Josh a moment to recognize Dr. Markov.“Are you feeling better, Josh?”
“Peachy.”His heart jumped in his throat. How had Markov snuck up like that?
The doctor smiled.“A sense of humor is an invaluable trait in this situation. The treatment is nearly done. You should feel much stronger tomorrow.”
“I feel pretty good once the drugs kick in.”
“We’d prefer you not need drugs to get going.”Markov placed a hand on the boy’s head.“All of the soldiers survived the transition. Most of them are back to half strength and recovering quickly. Rest now, lieutenant. More physical training tomorrow.”
“You know,”Josh said weakly.“If you’d told me about this part up front, I might have made a different choice.”
When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) Page 32
