The Galactic Chronicles: Shadows of the Void Books 8 - 10

by J. J. Green

  Jas looked down and didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer. In some ways, he was right, but so was she when she’d said she didn’t have a choice about how she felt.

  Pacheco gave a sigh of exasperation and stood up. “So that’s it, is it? We go into battle with no hope for a future? You’re content with that? What’s the point then? Who is it that you’re fighting for?”

  Still, Jas had no words of reply, but the response that popped into her mind was, not me.

  Chapter Nine

  The pilots had assembled in the launch bay as Jas had requested prior to what she hoped would be the final battle. The old hands would know what was coming, but she made them attend anyway. Her words were just as important however often they heard them.

  Jas always spoke to the pilots on the eve of every battle. Though it tortured her to look into the eyes of the men and women standing before her, knowing that many of them would be dead within a few short hours, she felt that they were owed this personal address. It was the very least that someone like her, who would be within relative safety behind the force field and heavy hull plating of a starship, could do.

  They deserved acknowledgment of the risk they were taking, and for many, of the sacrifice they would make, so that others could live in peace and safety.

  For Jas, it meant more than that. She forced herself to look into the eyes of the people she was effectively sending out to die because she didn’t want to become hardened to their fate. She wanted to be sure that those women and men were real to her, so that she would never deploy them unless it was absolutely necessary.

  The pilots were dressed in their flight suits and standing to attention. The fresh recruits’ uniforms were new and colored a deep, rich gray. Older pilots were identifiable by their lighter gray suits, faded a little with time.

  “At ease, pilots,” Jas said. “This won’t take long.” She put her hands in her pockets. “As you know, tomorrow we begin a new battle. I can’t emphasize to you enough how important it is that you have one hundred percent confidence in your ships. Before you go to bed tonight, I want each and every one of you to be absolutely certain that your ship and all your equipment is in perfect working order.”

  Her comm button bleeped, but Jas ignored it.

  “If you’re uncertain about anything, or if you want to run another diagnostic, ask a technician. If any of them complain that they’re too busy or not on duty, report them to me. Have you got that?” She stopped her pacing and glared at the pilots, who gave a few hesitant replies of Yes, Commander.

  Her comm button bleeped again.

  “Krat it,” she muttered under her breath. Lifting the button to her lips, she barked, “What?”

  It was Trimborn. “Commander, Navigator Curlio’s violently ill. I’ve sent her to the sick bay.”

  “What?” Jas repeated. “What’s wrong with her?”

  “I don’t know, ma’am. She keeled over at her station. She’s running a fever and delirious. The doctor’s assessing her at the moment.”

  Jas hoped that the woman’s illness wasn’t serious and that, whatever it was, it wasn’t contagious. The ship’s crew coming down with a virus just before going into battle was the last thing she needed. As it was, the best-case scenario was that her navigator would be out of commission for the next few, crucial, hours.

  Jas ran through her mental list of the ship’s company, trying to think of a replacement. She didn’t know of anyone aboard with recent experience of navigating a destroyer, and when she asked Trimborn, neither did he. They could use someone who had out-of-practice navigation skills, but there might still be time to find a better solution.

  “Direct comm Admiral Pacheco, Trimborn,” Jas said, “and explain the situation. Maybe someone’s available who can replace Curlio at short notice. It’s worth asking.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Jas closed her eyes for a moment to refocus on her speech to the pilots.

  “You’ve got the hardest, most dangerous job of all to do tomorrow,” she continued. “I’m sure you realize that, but you’re still here, and that says a lot. You chose to join this war, and you chose the riskiest way to serve. Every one of you standing in this bay is already a hero. I want you to understand that I and everyone else aboard this ship knows it and that we appreciate what you’re doing.

  “I also want to thank you, now, for your service, and to tell you that I will do everything in my power to bring every single one of you home again to your families and loved ones. Good luck, everyone. Dismissed.”

  At her command, the pilots broke formation. Some began to walk away, but a few came over to her. The first held out his hand. He was a short, slightly tubby man with silvered stubble. He was wearing the fresh uniform of a recruit, yet he looked too old to enlist. Jas guessed the recruiting officers made exceptions for those with flying experience.

  Jas shook the man’s hand. The woman who was with him also held out her hand, and the next pilot, and the next. The ones who were leaving noticed what was happening, and they came back to also shake Jas’ hand.

  She was so moved, she couldn’t speak. Her lips drawn to a thin line, she shook each pilot’s hand. When they were all done, she waited where she was and watched the courageous women and men leave the launch bay. She hoped they would spend the next few hours as well as they could before they began the fight of their lives.

  Chapter Ten

  Sayen Lee was deep in concentration when her comm sounded. She was sitting at her cabin’s interface screen manually calculating starjumps. It was an old habit from the days when she worked aboard prospecting starships. The mental exercise calmed her and distracted her from excessive worrying about her brother, Phelan, who was heavily involved in rooting out the remaining Shadows on Earth.

  She’d been figuratively kicking her heels aboard the Camaradon for the last two weeks, and she’d gotten increasingly bored. Admiral Pacheco had assigned her the role of second navigator after the frigate she’d served aboard last had been incapacitated in a skirmish. But the Camaradon’s first navigator was entirely competent at his job as well as irritated by her hanging around. Effectively, she had krat all to do.

  “Navigator Lee,” came the admiral’s voice over her comm. “You’re being reassigned. Get ready to ship out. You’ll be leaving by gateway in thirty minutes.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sayen replied. “Permission to ask where I’m going, Admiral?”

  “The Thylacine. Their navigator’s taken ill and they don’t have a suitable replacement.”

  “Thank you, sir,” exclaimed Sayen, but the admiral had already broken the connection.

  The Thylacine was Jas’ command. Sayen was sure that was what she’d heard. Throughout the Shadow War personal comms had been strictly forbidden for security reasons. The risk of vital information leaking out was too high. As a result, Sayen hadn’t sent or received a word from her friend for five years. It had only been when Jas’ rapid rise to the rank of commander became a topic of gossip that Sayen had known that she was still alive.

  And now, after all this time, she would see her again.

  It took Sayen only ten minutes to prepare to leave. It didn’t take long to pack when all your belongings were neatly arranged in drawers and your cabin was already spotless and tidy. She shouldered her regulation duffle bag and trotted through the ship to the gateway door.

  She knew the destination well. It had been at the same gateway door that Sayen had arrived aboard the Camaradon when she’d signed up to fight all those years ago. She recalled the massive bay holding the huge military transports and the crowds of volunteers of all species who were flooding in to join what everyone had seemed to think would be a short fight.

  She and Jas had been assigned to different vessels, and her last glimpse of her tall, Martian friend had been as she left to command a team of defense units. Jas had been upset that her sweetheart, Carl, had volunteered before them. Sayen also hadn’t seen Carl for five years. She hoped that he and Jas had met a
gain in the intervening time.

  Sayen navigated the Camaradon’s corridors with ease. To give herself something to do during her enforced break from work, she’d explored the battleship from top to bottom. It was an impressive vessel, nearly a kilometer long. Its size meant that it required two sets of starjump engines, and they were positioned to each side of the central working and living areas. The largest pulse cannons were fixed onto the engines to better utilize their energy generation capabilities if the ship’s stored power ran low. During a space battle, the Camaradon could continue firing long after lesser vessels had exhausted their power.

  Sayen arrived at the gateway entrance. The alien guard in charge scanned her embedded chip and said, “You’re early, but you can go now if you want.”

  Sayen nodded, excited at the thought of being reunited with her old friend. They’d been through so much together.

  The guard started up the gateway. It was only the second time Sayen had traveled via the Transgalactic Council’s classified technology, usually reserved only for high-ranking individuals on urgent business. At the guard’s signal, she stepped into the mist and out into the reception area of the Thylacine.

  She’d half-expected Jas to meet her, but there was only a young first officer who introduced himself as Trimborn. She guessed that Jas didn’t know who Pacheco had sent as a replacement navigator.

  “Boy am I glad to see you,” Trimborn said. “We were waiting all night for the admiral to send us a replacement navigator. I guess he’s busy preparing for the battle. I’ll show you to your cabin. After you drop off your stuff, I’ll take you directly to the bridge. We don’t have long before we go into battle, and I’m sure you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the Thylacine’s controls.”

  “I would, thanks,” Sayen replied.

  She matched the officer’s quick pace as they did as he’d said. As they went along, she took in the attitude of the crew and the general state of the ship. Everyone seemed to know what they were doing, and there was no slouching about or time wasting. All seemed in good order. The Thylacine was shipshape and ready for battle. But then Sayen expected no less with Jas at its command.

  She thought she’d have a little fun with the first officer.

  “Hey, Trimborn,” she said, “would I be out of line to ask what Commander Harrington’s like? I heard she has quite a reputation.”

  The first officer twisted his lips in a slight grimace as he considered his answer. “Let me put it like this: the commander’s a bit of a dragon, truth be told, but the crew have a helluva a lot of respect for her. Some commanders that I’ve served under seemed to think of losing crew as unfortunate but necessary collateral damage, but not Harrington. You know that when it comes down to it, she’s got your back, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” Sayen replied. “I think so too.”

  “Wait a minute,” Trimborn said, “I thought you hadn’t served under her.”

  “I haven’t, but I know her from way back before the War started.”

  Trimborn sucked air between his teeth and looked at her from the corners of his eyes. “I guess I’m lucky I didn’t say anything worse. Is what I said going to get back to her?”

  “Don’t worry. Commander Harrington wouldn’t give a damn whether anyone thought she was a dragon. She might even take it as a compliment.”

  She put her duffle bag on the bunk in her new cabin and followed the first officer to the bridge. The bridge doors parted, and Sayen stepped through into the familiar setting. Over the years, she’d served aboard several Unity ships. The sight that interested her was the figure sitting in the commander’s seat with her back toward her.

  Sayen would have recognized Jas’ tall figure and short, reddish-brown brown hair anywhere.

  “Commander,” Trimborn said, “our replacement navigator has arrived.”

  “Good,” Jas replied without looking around. “Take your seat, Navigator. We’re running through pre-engagement checks.”

  “Yes, Commander,” Sayen replied with a smile. She went to the empty navigator’s station and sat down. With a sweep of her hand, she activated her interface and bent over it, wondering how long it would take for the penny to drop.

  When she glanced in Jas’ direction, she saw her friend staring at her, the light of realization dawning on her face. Her mouth opened then shut abruptly as she appeared to remember where she was.

  For the next hour, Sayen and the rest of the officers on the bridge ran through the battle prep, testing and retesting their controls. Jas led them through it, her demeanor calm. Occasionally, her and Sayen’s gaze would meet briefly, but they stayed in their professional roles while the process was completed.

  “Thanks, everyone,” Jas said finally. “Please remain at your stations while we await the order to jump. Shouldn’t be long now. Navigator Lee, I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”

  Sayen got up to follow Jas out of the bridge, but her pleasure at meeting her friend again was tinged with concern.

  While the officers had been carrying out the checks, she’d had time to see how much Jas had changed. When Sayen had known her, she’d exuded vitality and strength. But Sayen’s impression of her old friend this time around had shocked her. Jas was thin, and she’d lost her previously firm, well-muscled physique. What was more, stress and exhaustion were written into her features. She looked like she hadn’t slept properly in days.

  Worse than all this was something else, something that underlay all of the other signs of a long-serving, overworked Unity commander. What jumped out at Sayen about Jas was that she seemed to be living with a deep sadness.

  Chapter Eleven

  As soon as they reached a corridor that was empty, Jas grabbed Sayen into a hug. She was half-tempted to lift the petite woman off of her feet and swing her around, but she guessed that Sayen might find that undignified.

  As she let go of her, she exclaimed, “When Pacheco said he was sending me another navigator, I didn’t guess for a second that it would be you. Where have you been all this time? What have you been doing? Ough.” She let out a gasp of frustration. “Why does it have to be now, right before a battle, that we get to see each other again? I wish we had more time to talk.”

  “Me too,” Sayen replied. “But forget what I’ve been doing, what have you been doing? You’re a commander now. That’s amazing.”

  Jas made a self-deprecating meh. “I had inside help, I think. Look at you, though. You haven’t changed a bit. You look exactly the same as you did five years ago.”

  “That’s no surprise,” Sayen replied. “The doctors who created my enhanced skin told me that it doesn’t age, so I’m gonna look like this until I die.”

  A crew member appeared around a bend in the corridor, and both women became silent. Jas had hunched over to talk quietly to her short friend, but at the sight of the man she drew herself up. As soon as the man had passed them and disappeared around the next bend, she returned to her former position.

  “Guess what,” she said, “Toirien MacAdam’s aboard too. Do you remember her? She was the only engineer aboard the Galathea who survived the Shadow attack and the crash. ”

  Sayen said, “Yeah, I remember hearing about her. How’s she doing?”

  Jas briefly filled her in on Toirien’s life story since she’d returned to Earth. “It seems weird that the three of us should come together again just before this final battle. There’s even an old defense unit from the Galathea aboard.” She looked pensive.

  “The final battle?” Sayen asked, her eyes wide.

  “Krat,” Jas said. “I was forgetting you didn’t know. I’m not supposed to tell the crew, but yeah, this next engagement is the final push. We’ve got them on the run, Sayen. We’re almost there. The remaining Shadow force is confined to one small sector of the galaxy. We’ve wiped them out everywhere else, and if we can defeat their last ships now, the war’s over for them. We’ll have to do some mopping up, but that’ll basically be
it. Every Unity Alliance ship in service is being deployed. The Camaradon’s leading the fight.”

  Jas’ comm bleeped. It was Pacheco. “Commander Harrington, prepare to starjump at thirteen hundred and fifty.”

  “Affirmative, Admiral,” Jas replied. They had a little under half an hour. As always before an engagement with the enemy, Jas’ heart began to race, but it had already been beating fast while she’d been talking to Sayen, and not only because she was excited to see her old friend again.

  “How’s Phelan?” she asked, skirting around the question she was burning but also fearing to ask.

  “He’s okay,” Sayen replied. “Busy finding the remaining few Shadows on Earth. That was the last I heard from a recruit who’d heard of him. It’s hard to keep track of what’s happening when no comms are allowed. I hate having no contact with him.”

  “And Erielle?”

  Sayen heaved a deep, sad sigh. “Erielle died not long after she returned to Earth with Makey.”

  “Oh krat, Sayen. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks. I found out a couple of years ago when I was allowed a short trip home. She died not long after she got back. It was Shadows among her underworlders. An inside job, not an open fight.” Sayen’s shoulders were sagging, but she straightened up as she added, “But Makey’s doing well. He survived the fight for the control of Earth, and now he heads some kind of underworlders’ council, negotiating for the rights of naturals.”

  “That’s good to hear,” Jas said. “Good for him. He was always a special kid.”

  “Yeah, he was.”

  After a slight pause, Jas finally found the courage to ask about their other mutual friend, but as she spoke, so did Sayen.

  “Have you seen—” Jas asked at the same time that Sayen also asked,