by Ryk Brown
“Have at it, then, Commander.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
“Is there anything else?”
“The cheng reports the jump shuttle is finally operational again. However, he is requesting a few test jumps before it goes back into regular service.”
“Not a moment too soon,” Nathan said. “Tell Vlad he gets one test jump, then we have missions for that shuttle. After that, have him divide up the men that had been working on the jump shuttle, half to the Falcon’s repair team and half to Lieutenant Montgomery’s improved jump shuttle project.”
“He’s already planning on doing just that, sir.”
“Very well,” Nathan said. “Make sure our last jump is at least three light years shy of 72 Herculis. That place was a hornet’s nest last time we were here, and Josh and Loki stirred it up a bit. We’ll send the jump shuttle to the outer edge of the system and let them collect old light data for a few hours before we send Loki and the major to Tanna.”
“Yes, sir. Is there anything else, sir?”
“No, Commander. You’re dismissed.”
Cameron turned to exit.
“Commander,” Nathan said before she reached the hatch, “join me in the captain’s mess at nineteen hundred. You can tell me about your long-term strategies then.” A small smile crept back onto his face.
“You may regret that invitation,” she said as she turned to exit.
* * *
“Ensign Delaveaga,” Lieutenant Commander Kovacic greeted.
“Evening, sir,” Luis answered as he made his way to the tactical station on the Celestia’s bridge. Although they had no weapons, the tactical station had been configured by the two civilian technicians stranded on board to display most of the critical systems on the bridge.
“Actually, it’s early morning, at least by Earth Mean Time.”
“Guess I’ve lost track of the time of day, what with all the shift swapping going on.” With only six members of the fleet on the Celestia’s command deck, they had to work in pairs to man the bridge twenty-four hours a day.
“Ensign Goba should be back on his feet in a few days. Until then, we’ll just have to keep juggling things around.”
“Couldn’t we just have one guy monitoring this station and the other guy sleeping in the ready room?” Luis said.
“Isn’t that what you guys are doing already?”
“Not me, sir,” Luis said, feigning innocence.
“Of course not,” the lieutenant commander said. “What was I thinking?”
“Anything new happen while I was gone?”
“Jupiter keeps getting bigger on the screen,” the lieutenant commander said, pointing at the image of the big, orange gas-giant on the tactical display screen. “Other than that, nada.” The lieutenant commander stepped out of Luis’s way. “We are going to miss it, right?”
“I run the numbers every shift at the beginning, middle, and end, sir. They’re always the same. We’re just going to cruise on by. The planet’s gravity will slow us slightly and change our course a full degree, but we’ll miss her for sure.”
“Just checking,” the lieutenant commander said as he patted Luis on the back. “I know you’re pulling back-to-backs, so I’ll be in to relieve you in four.”
“That won’t be necessary, sir. I’ll be fine. We’ve still got plenty of coffee, and I still have more than half the flight manual left to read.”
“As you wish, Ensign.”
Luis settled into his seat behind the tactical console as the lieutenant commander departed. “How’s your back doing, Gus?” he called out to Ensign Schenker at the sensor station.
“Still hurts.”
“Anything interesting on sensors?”
“Nothing but swirls of gas on Jupiter.”
“Still can’t see anything around Earth?”
“Nope. I can’t pick up squat on the short-range passive array, at least not at this distance. You’d think they would have installed the long-range stuff, knowing they were going to send us on a one-way trip into deep space and all.”
“You’d think,” Luis said. After so many shifts together, Luis had learned that it was better to just agree with the ensign than to argue with him. It made for an easier shift.
“It just sucks not knowing how many Jung ships are out there,” Ensign Schenker said. “I don’t mind the tedium so much, and I am seeing a lot of cool stuff on Jupiter’s moons. I just wish I could see what’s going on farther away. Short-range sucks.”
“I hear ya, my friend,” Luis said. “So, what will it be tonight? Another old movie from the database, or more Jung propaganda broadcasts from Earth?”
“Neither,” Gus said. “I’m sick of movies, and I can’t stand to listen to more ramblings about the glory of the empire and about how our political leaders had been enslaving us for all those decades. I’m probably just going to go crash in the ready room like usual. I think that couch helps my back.”
“I guess it’s back to the flight manual for me, then,” Luis said. He opened up the digital flight manual on one of his displays and began reading where he had left off.
* * *
“Mister Sheehan and I will land in this valley,” Major Waddell said, pointing at the holographic rendering of the canyons on the command briefing room’s conference table. “It is just north of the same waterfall that he and Mister Hayes flew through. That should put us close enough to the cave to reach it before sunrise.”
“You’re going to space jump into a narrow canyon at night and land near a massive waterfall?” Nathan asked, finding it hard to believe that anyone would choose to attempt such a thing on purpose.
“The auto-navigation systems on the Corinari space-jump rigs are precise enough for this jump,” Lieutenant Montgomery said. “However, the Ghatazhak rigs would be better suited to the task.”
“That may be so,” Major Waddell said with a nod, “but I’d feel more comfortable using equipment that I am familiar with.”
“How much better suited?” Loki asked nervously. “I have no preferences, other than personal safety, that is.”
“The Corinari rigs will be fine,” Major Waddell insisted. “The mist from the falls blows south through the canyon. According to Mister Sheehan, it is quite heavy and should serve to obscure the view of our descent from anyone in the valley south of the falls. The section of the canyon north of the falls is unsettled. Therefore, our risk of detection should be minimal.”
“Why is it unsettled?” Cameron said.
“Probably because you’d have to be a mountain goat to want to live there,” Lieutenant Yosef said. “It’s pretty rugged terrain, for the most part.”
“Using the logs from the terrain-following sensors on the Falcon,” Major Waddell said, “we were able to find a suitable landing site. It is a small plateau approximately thirty by eighty meters.”
“That’s a small target,” Major Prechitt pointed out.
“And if you miss your target?” Nathan asked.
“We will not miss,” Major Waddell proclaimed with confidence.
Nathan looked at Lieutenant Montgomery for a second opinion.
“Without weather data from this world, one cannot factor in the numerous variables involved. Assuming the weather at the time of their descent is similar to that during which the Falcon was flying, I see nothing that might significantly diminish their chance of an accurate landing.”
“Don’t you mean ‘safe’ landing?”” Loki wondered aloud.
“You should be in politics, Lieutenant,” Nathan mumbled. He looked at Cameron.
“There are five moons orbiting Tanna,” Cameron began. “The fifth moon, the smallest of the five, is the moon that has the Jung fighter base on the surface. The orbits of the five moons a
re somewhat dissimilar, but the fifth moon’s orbit is even more dissimilar. It is lower and faster than the other four. We were able to calculate windows during which it will be safe for the shuttle to jump into nearby space in order to communicate with the landing party. I have prepared a communications schedule that will provide comm opportunities at intervals of approximately every six and a half hours, give or take an hour. The window will last five minutes, no longer. The shuttle must jump in and out during that time in order to use the positions of the other moons to avoid detection by the asteroid base. This is all based on shipboard time, of course. I have no idea how the people of Tanna track their time of day.”
“The sooner you wrap this up and call for extraction, the better,” Nathan said. “Get in, make contact with the resistance, determine if they know of a source of usable propellant, and get out again. Do not engage the Jung other than to defend yourselves. If we do not hear from you within 72 hours, we will consider you missing in action, and we will depart. Is that understood?”
“Depart, as in gone for good, or as in we’ll come back and check on you later?” Loki said. The lack of response to his question served as his answer.
“I included the coordinates for the laser-comm unit,” Cameron told them. “No omni-directional broadcasts, and all comms shall be encrypted using the new cipher developed by Lieutenant Montgomery’s people.”
Nathan looked at Cameron. “Not standard fleet encryption?”
“Jessica thought it best to assume all fleet encryption had been broken, perhaps even long before the invasion. She asked one of Lieutenant Montgomery’s men to develop a replacement cipher.”
“Our cryptology is considerably more advanced than what I’ve seen of standard fleet ciphers,” the lieutenant explained. “I expect it will be nearly impossible for the Jung to break, assuming their computational technologies are not significantly advanced over you own.”
“Very well,” Nathan said. “Lieutenant Commander Kamenetskiy is finishing the validation testing of the rebuilt jump shuttle. As we still have a few hours before departure, I suggest you two get a bite to eat and some rest.” Nathan looked at the faces gathered around the conference table. “Dismissed.” As the attendees stood to exit, Nathan added, “Loki, would you remain for a moment, please?”
Cameron followed the rest of the staff out of the command briefing room, closing the hatch behind her as she exited.
“You sure you’re up for this, Loki?” Nathan asked. “You seem a bit apprehensive.”
“A bit? That’s all?”
“I was being kind,” Nathan said. “You know, you don’t have to do this. We can send one of the major’s men along with him. Garrett said to send the knife along with anyone that came to find him.”
“I know, sir. Lieutenant Commander Nash and I talked about this at length. She believes we will have a better chance if someone that Garrett already knows is there.”
“You do realize how dangerous this mission could be? I’m not just talking about the space jump itself. God knows that’s dangerous enough.”
“I know, sir. Master Chief Montrose has been helping me prepare, teaching me to shoot straight and such. He’s even been teaching me a few Corinari combat moves. Marcus even rigged up a harness and a pulley system to simulate the landing. Can’t say that I’m that good at it yet, but at least I’m not landing on my butt anymore.”
Nathan chuckled. “That’s good to hear. Now go and get something to eat.”
“Yes, sir,” Loki said as he stood. “And thanks for offering me an out.”
“No problem.”
Loki headed for the hatch, but paused and turned back toward the captain. “Sir, did you mean what you said? About leaving us behind after three days? Would you really do that?”
“I’m the captain of the last ship capable of defending Earth, Mister Sheehan,” Nathan said as he looked Loki in the eye. “I did it before, and I’d do it again if necessary. I’d hate doing it—probably even more so than I hated doing it the first time—but I’d do it nonetheless, as I expect you would if you were in my place.”
Loki stared at his captain for a moment, finally nodding his agreement. “I would hope that I would have the strength to, sir.”
“Good luck, Loki,” Nathan said as he stood and extended his hand.
Loki took the captain’s hand, giving it a single shake. “Thank you, sir.” Loki smiled. “I’ll see you in a few days.”
“You’d better.”
CHAPTER TWO
Jessica had been following the river over two hours, yet she had only moved a kilometer closer to the city. The winding path of the river and the forest itself made for slower travel, but it had the advantage of stealth, which was more important. She considered the possibility that making such an effort to stay out of sight might in itself seem suspicious, but after her encounter with the lecherous, old farmer, she figured most people would understand why a young woman traveling on foot would prefer to remain invisible.
The forest itself was surprisingly lush. Green and full, with plenty of undergrowth covering its base, it was unlike wooded areas near her childhood home. When it finally opened up to a small meadow, she felt almost disappointed. The meadow was not terribly large, about one thousand square meters, she guessed. At the inland edge of the meadow stood a large two-story structure. It was too large to be a residence and too small to be a hotel. There was a dirt lot to one side with a long unpaved road that disappeared into the forest on the other side of the building. She studied the building for several minutes. There were no signs of life that she could discern: no vehicles, no clothing hanging on the line to dry, no children’s toys lying on the ground. There weren’t even any curtains on the windows.
The river ahead bent to the left again, undoubtedly snaking back around as it had done time and again during her journey. More than an hour ago, she had wished she had driven the truck a little farther before abandoning it on the side of the road. The last two times the river had made such a turn, she had been able to cut across the forest and shorten her time by at least ten minutes.
Jessica looked at the sun hovering low in the western sky. She figured she only had another hour or two of daylight left. After that, traveling through such dense growth would become more dangerous. She was also tired, having not slept in nearly twenty hours. She really needed a place to hole up for the night, so she could enter the city well rested and alert. If the building at the far end of the meadow was indeed abandoned, it would make an excellent place to get some much needed sleep.
She turned inland and walked parallel to the meadow, staying a few meters back inside the forest to remain hidden. Once she reached the appropriate distance from the structure, she broke out of the forest, approaching the building from one corner to reduce the angle of visibility in case there was someone in there. Her instinct was to go into a crouch, approaching the target in a low profile, but that would put anyone who might be hiding inside on guard. Instead, she walked normally across the field as if she were merely trying to cut across to the other side more directly.
Jessica kept her head angled downward as if watching where she was stepping, but at the same time, she kept glancing upward at the building. She checked every window repeatedly, watching for any movement in a systematic fashion. As she grew closer, she spotted torn remnants of old curtains still hanging on some of the upper floor windows. As she closed in, she could make out more detail. It became obvious that the building had been abandoned for some time. Months, perhaps years, of neglect became obvious with each step.
The ground of the meadow was soft. Jessica was sure that it had rained here recently. The dirt lot on the side of the house, although far more compacted, was also fresh, as it lacked the cracks in the dirt that usually accompanied lengthy exposure to the sun. As she approached the building, something caught her eye… footprints
. They were all over the place. There were even some dried up muddy prints on the back deck of the building. Someone had been here, and recently. They were smaller than Jessica’s feet, and her feet were of average size for an adult female. She decided they had to be made by a teenager or a smaller than average adult.
Jessica’s movements became more careful and considered. The situation had changed. She had to strike a balance between caution and remaining true to her cover as a young woman traveling alone. She stepped up onto the back deck, moving across slowly. The old deck boards creaked with each step. If there was someone inside, they knew Jessica was out there for sure now.
Jessica reached for the doorknob, then hesitated, remembering her cover. Although it seemed to go against every instinct, she instead knocked on the door several times with her knuckles. “Hello?” She continued knocking even harder. “Hello?! Is anybody home?”
The force of her knocking opened the door slightly. She looked down at the door jamb, which was splintered away on the inside. The door had been kicked in. The splinters did not appear fresh, with some degree of weathering. At the very least, they were a few months old. “Don’t shoot me!” she hollered as she pushed the door open. “I’m not armed!”
She pushed the door open and stepped cautiously inside. The room was of modest size and appeared to be some sort of an entryway or a storm porch. She moved through into the next room, a large kitchen. It had an industrial feel to it, with multiple oversized, stainless steel sinks; large, two-door refrigeration units; an eight-burner range; and a flat-top griddle. Oddly, the inside appeared better kept than the outside. It wasn’t clean, but it was at least tidy, with nothing left out on the counters. She opened a few of the cupboards, all of which were empty. She found the refrigerator empty as well. She flipped the light switch, but nothing happened.
Jessica moved into the next room, a large empty dining room, big enough for several tables at least. The next room was even larger and emptier, with a large natural rock fireplace at one end. There were several doors as well as a staircase leading up to the second floor. One door had large glass panes through which Jessica could see another storm porch on the front side of the building.
