Vertigo: Aurora Rising Book Two

by Jennsen, G. S.

  Fuschida mined the route from the research station, ejecting tactical fusion anti-ship mines throughout the area while leaving a narrow passage clear for the inevitable retreat.

  Two of the frigates and most of the Alliance fighters were destroyed in the primary engagement with the Federation forces, though not before wrecking one of the Federation frigates and a number of their fighters. The third frigate dispatched to the front line suffered catastrophic damage and was left unable to navigate.

  The Lincoln suffered considerable damage but, for a time, remained flightworthy. However instead of retreating, Fuschida elected to deploy additional mines until the last possible second behind a virtual wall of burning ship debris, unexploded ordinances and spaced soldiers from both sides of the battle.

  Alex joined him in staring out the viewport. The destruction was immense, but she discerned the narrow passage through the mines and debris.

  The final strategy of Rear Admiral Dawn Fuschida appeared to have been successful; the approach to the research station, the Stalwart and the derelict vessels represented a deadly gauntlet that would force the Senecans to approach single-file, one ship at a time, or risk detonation of the mines.

  When the Lincoln at last splintered apart under the incessant fire from the bulk of the Senecan fleet, the hull ripped open and the balance of her tactical mines drifted into space, all but blocking the circumscribed entrance into the gauntlet.

  She watched as her father did what she knew he would—position the Stalwart broadside at the exit point of the gauntlet.

  This was the part of the story that had never made sense to her. For twelve minutes while the Senecan forces split—some working to clear a path through while others gave the mines and debris a wide berth and went the long way around—his ship had sat and waited. She had always assumed he was giving his own men time to evacuate or that his ship had been crippled beyond hope of flight. But it was apparent his ship was fully evacuated and, though slightly damaged, still flightworthy.

  Despite the knowledge he would never hear her, she couldn’t stop herself from screaming at him, begging him to just GO. The horror of his impending death loomed dark and foreboding in her mind like the event horizon of a black hole, yet a tiny spark of hope welled inside her that somehow, some way, his fate might be avoided.

  “Dad, run, now! The path is blocked, and you can get away! Run, please!”

  Then the ship shuddered violently from the force of an impact.

  She stood and approached the viewport…and finally understood.

  The Senecans had launched drones into the channel to move the mines. While it would be some time before the gaps were wide enough for the larger ships to proceed, fighters were able, with careful flying, to successfully navigate the gauntlet. Many of the evacuating vessels and the few fighters protecting them lacked sLume drives and had not yet reached the carrier waiting ten megameters away. But for the Stalwart blocking the way, the Senecan fighters would be able to run them down.

  It was the reason he had positioned the ship across the breadth of the gauntlet exit. It was the reason he had not run.

  Her father rerouted all power except for weapons and minimal life support to the starboard shields. As fighters began approaching they aimed for a small gap at the bow of the Stalwart, hoping to slide through.

  The fire from the Stalwart’s pulse lasers was relentless, and the first wave of fighters were shredded under the superior targeting and firepower of an Earth Alliance cruiser. By positioning the ship as he had, David Solovy had closed the gauntlet using his own ship as the final impenetrable barrier—save for a tiny path which became his own personal shooting gallery.

  A deep male voice boomed through the bridge. “Unidentified Earth Alliance Captain, stand down and remove your ship from the area or you will be destroyed.”

  Alex ran back to her father, panic and despair in her eyes.

  He sat in the pilot’s chair, one hand idly hovering over the comm panel in front of him for several seconds. Then he casually kicked the chair back, withdrew his hand from the panel and delivered his response for himself alone.

  “Go fuck yourself, you svilochnaya peshka.”

  The bridge shook, and her gaze darted back to the viewport.

  The open space ahead had widened—more mines now prodded away—and a Senecan frigate traversed the gauntlet, weapons firing. Having recognized the lie of the tantalizing gap, multiple fighters hung back with the frigate and added their weaponry to the barrage. Her father couldn’t return fire without changing the angle of the ship, which would open the exit and bring an end to his blockade.

  Instead he reached over and his left hand activated another panel.

  “Miri, are you there?”

  Miriam Solovy’s voice came over the comm, clear and strong above the sounds of wrenching metal and muffled explosions. “David? David, what’s going on? We’re getting reports of a battle near Kappa Crucis….”

  He gave the empty bridge a grim smile. “Yeah, um…it’s looking rather khrenovo for us, I’m not going to lie. But I’ve bought time for the research station to evacuate and provided cover for our damaged ships to retreat.”

  Her mother’s voice dropped warily. “David, what are you doing? You’re not thinking of being some kind of hero, are you?

  “I…I suppose I am. Listen, I don’t have a lot of time. The ship’s getting banged up fairly badly at this point, but I—”

  “Then get out of there. I’m sure you’ve saved plenty enough lives—save your own, dammit!”

  A desperate sigh fell from his lips. “No can do, I’m afraid. The escape pods and a number of civilian shuttles from the station are still trying to get out of danger. I can’t abandon them to be blown to bits.”

  “David Solovy, you listen to me this instant.” Her mother’s voice had gained an almost desperate tenor, but resonated with stern authority nonetheless. “I am giving you a direct order as your superior officer. You turn tail and you run. If you can’t fly then you get yourself to an escape pod and you escape.”

  “Ah, dushen’ka, you know the ranking officer on the battlefield has command. Rear Admiral Fuschida and Commodore Giehl are dead, so that’s me. I wish I could, I really, really do. Listen, I want—” the bridge quaked from the strain of a direct hit from the Senecan frigate impacting the lower decks.

  He gripped the armrests tightly to keep himself in the chair “—I want you to tell Alex I love her so, so much, and I am so sorry I won’t be there to see her grow up. But I just know she is going to be amazing. She already is. Tell her…tell her there are times in this universe when you simply have to stand for what you believe in, no matter the cost. And tell her she is going to shine like—”

  “You tell her yourself. Goddammit, David, you and our daughter are the only two people I’ve ever given a damn about in this entire galaxy. Don’t you dare leave me alone!”

  She saw tears stream down his face as he struggled to keep his voice steady and hold onto the chair as the ship began to come apart around him.

  “You’ll be all right, Miri. You were always the strong one. You’ll—”

  “I don’t want to be all right—I don’t want to be strong! David, please….”

  Tears ran freely down her virtual cheeks now as well as she sank to the floor in her own desperation. She had never heard such anguish in her mother’s voice. Never, ever.

  Dad, please listen to her, why can’t you listen to her….

  “Miri, my darling, my world, moya vselennaya, know that I love you with everything that I am. I love you more than all the stars in the heavens, more than—”

  With a searing crunch the Stalwart exploded.

  Yet she lingered for another breath, and so witnessed the true genius of her father’s strategy and the depth of his final act of heroism.

  As the hull of the Stalwart broke apart, mines it had been carrying spilled out into space. Unable to maneuver away in time, the approaching Senecan frigate crashed into two m
ines; the resulting explosion detonated a third.

  The debris of the Stalwart, the Senecan frigate and a dozen mines sealed the gauntlet and blocked the Senecan forces in a final, non-negotiable way.

  Finally, mercifully, the scene faded away.

  She was left crumpled on the white floor in the white room, her body wracked by sobs. A hand stretched out into empty air, grasping for what was gone.

  The number of times she had shed even a modicum of tears could be counted in single digits, but now she cried until she couldn’t see for the tears, then until she couldn’t breathe.

  She cried for the wonderful, brave, beautiful man her father had been, and for herself for being robbed of the chance to see and know him as he truly was.

  She cried for her mother, left alone to continue on, left to live through endless days and decades knowing what she had lost and would never have again.

  She cried because she had been a foolish, selfish little girl who never completely comprehended what had transpired and what it had meant for those around her. The blindness and stubbornness and bitterness of a brokenhearted child had remained with her for far too long.

  When there seemed no more tears capable of falling, she struggled past the dry heaves and sat up, resting her weight on one arm. Wiping soaked cheeks with the back of her hand, she gazed out at the empty room. “Thank you.”

  We do not understand. This was meant as a gift, a reward, yes. Yet you are obviously distraught. Why would you thank us for causing you such pain?

  Sniffles interfered with her catching her breath, but she finally stood, only to wipe away yet more tears. “You’ve been watching us, studying us, for a long time, yes?”

  Aeons.

  “Yet you still have no idea what it means to be human, do you?”

  The pause was noticeable.

  You will wake up now. Your companion has proved himself most skilled and persistent. Our time together must come to an end.

  “Wait! What about—”

  31

  EARTH

  EASC HEADQUARTERS

  * * *

  THE CONFERENCE ROOM IN THE Logistics Building which had been claimed for EASC Board meetings was raucous to the point of chaos when Miriam arrived. Liam shouted ineffectually at the head of the table while aides scurried in directionless circles and small clusters of advisors conferred in hushed undertones. The Earth Alliance was under attack on two fronts, and no one wanted the blame to find its way to their feet.

  If those in attendance had any sense, they would merely hope to still be alive and standing when the time came to place blame.

  She ignored Liam and went to the control panel on the far wall. Her voice resonated above the furor, calm and clear. “Everyone, take your seats. We’re starting this meeting now.”

  The din hushed as the attendees hurried to obey the implicit order. Brigadier Hervé nodded graciously at Miriam as she sat. “Admiral, before we begin let me say how pleased I was to hear your daughter has been cleared of involvement in the bombing. You must be so relieved.”

  Miriam’s expression was a mask of pure professionalism. She couldn’t be sure how much Hervé did or did not know about the role one of her employees had played in helping Richard make it happen. “I had confidence the truth would win out. Thank you, Brigadier.” She didn’t need to turn her head to feel Liam’s glare burning into her left temple.

  He was so busy glaring at her, in fact, he forgot to take advantage of the momentary quiet and start talking. So she did.

  “As you are all aware by now, we lost contact with Messium thirty hours ago. We also continue to be unable to reach the colonies of Gaelach, Zetian, Karelia and Edero. Admiral Rychen, do you have any updated information regarding the situation on Messium?”

  Lines were hewed into Rychen’s features like grooves into steel. He wasn’t raging or screaming, but in the twenty-six years she had known him she had never seen him appear so hard. Suffice it to say he was taking the attack on Messium personally.

  “Only that all attempts to obtain intel have failed. I’ve sent three recon ships into the region; none have returned. Based on the few images we’ve seen on the news feeds I think we have to assume it is under assault from the alien fleet Admiral Solovy’s daughter warned us about.”

  At last she tossed a look in Liam’s direction. “Well, General, I trust you concede the aliens’ existence now?”

  “They’re working for the Senecans! Those cretins realize they stand no chance of defeating us themselves so they’ve made a deal with the devil.”

  “General, my information says the Federation has similarly lost contact with four of its colonies. We have every reason to believe they are being targeted as well.”

  O’Connell scoffed. “Lies. Propaganda.”

  General Foster stepped cautiously into the dispute. “How do we propose to fight these aliens? If we can’t even talk to one another once they’re in the region, we can’t coordinate our efforts. We’ll be all but defenseless.”

  Rychen responded. “We have to try. We can’t very well surrender without firing a shot.”

  Defense Minister Mori interjected. “Given what we’ve seen of this armada, everyone on Messium and the other colonies is probably dead by now. I recommend we pull back our forces and protect the First Wave worlds.”

  Miriam gestured for silence. “Gentlemen, please. Everyone on Messium is not dead, and we are not defenseless. Half an hour ago I received this communication.” She sent the message to the display above the table.

  Messium attacked by alien ships. Unknown casualties. Comms disrupted by shifted quantum field. Encase transmitter/receiver in photal fiber waveguide confining 520 THz signal to protect qubits at origin and destination. Setting message to repeat. Leaving refuge to locate functioning ships and attempt escape.

  “How do we know this is genuine? Why did it come to you?”

  Inwardly she groaned; was there nothing which could force Liam to see past his delusional prejudices and be rational for five seconds? If she wasn’t so ridiculously happy about Richard’s miracle work to publicly clear Alexis, she might be annoyed.

  “It’s genuine. The sender is personally known to me. I suspect she sent it to me because she needed a precise recipient with a known address and recognized I would be in a position to use the information to maximum benefit.”

  “What it says about protecting the qubits—will it work?”

  She shifted her attention to Rychen. “Tech Logistics confirmed it in theory before I joined you. It’s not a panacea. We’ll have to adapt every communications hub and for now it will only work for point-to-point communication. One sender and one receiver. But it’s a damn fine start.”

  “It damn sure is.” He looked like a man who had just received a stay of execution. Not a pardon, but perhaps a pathway to one.

  “Can we refocus on the ultimate enemy here? We bring Hellfire down on Seneca and let the aliens take care of what’s left. Admiral Rychen, I want you to reinforce the blocka—”

  Rychen stood in the confines of his holo and focused a laser-sharp stare on Liam. “O’Connell, fuck your holy war. Fuck your blockade. You can tell whoever the Prime Minister is this week I said so, too. Messium is my responsibility. It’s my home. I am going to go defend it, and I am taking my fleet with me.”

  Miriam had to cover her mouth to silence the giggle which bubbled forth. She never, ever giggled. But that was simply beautiful.

  Liam’s fist slammed onto the table. It wasn’t nearly so sturdy as the old one in the HQ penthouse, and it tipped upward from the force, sending those sitting at the other end scurrying backwards. “You’ll be dishonorably discharged. Court-martialed for dereliction of duty.”

  Rychen cocked his head. “Possibly. But not until this conflict is won or lost, which is long enough for me to do everything I can to win it.” He glanced around the room. “If you all will excuse me, I have preparations for an offensive to make.”

  With that, his holo winked
out of existence.

  Richard was stepping into his office carrying a mug of coffee when Miriam practically tackled him in a bear hug.

  “Thank you…thank you so much.”

  He hugged her awkwardly with one arm while directing most of his efforts at not spilling the coffee with the other. He tried to recall the last time Miriam had hugged him, or anyone as he’d seen for that matter. After David’s funeral perhaps? Suffice it to say it had been some time.

  She was smiling when she pulled back, the candid smile she only ever allowed a few people to see. It might be argued she was almost effervescent, but he would die before voicing the notion aloud.

  He did match her smile though. “It was the least I could do. It’s my job, it helps in our investigation and most importantly she’s my god-daughter. I couldn’t let her reputation be smeared, and I certainly couldn’t let her be arrested for something she didn’t do.”

  “Of course all of those things are true. Nevertheless, you’ve earned my undying gratitude.”

  He grimaced as he settled in his chair. “And now her claims have been vindicated. Kind of wish they weren’t. Any word on Messium?”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. You remember Alexis’ friend, Kennedy Rossi?”

  “A Rossi isn’t someone you forget meeting if you possess any sense. Plus, she was kind of memorable I believe.”

  “Well she’s on Messium now. She somehow managed to survive the initial barrage, figure out how the aliens are disrupting our communications and get a message out to me.”

  “Seriously? Impressive. Alex always did display shrewd tastes in associates.”

  “I suppose so….” Miriam face fell, and he belatedly realized the statement was laden with complicated implications.