Empires in Ruin

by Anthony James

“It’s looking increasingly likely the enemy know exactly where our planets are located anyway, sir,” said Aston. “If not all, then some.”

  Recker spent a few moments in thought. It was in no way certain the Ixidar wouldn’t find the Vengeance hiding here behind the planet. Equally, it was possible that a few stragglers from the Daklan and HPA fleets might show up and give the Lavorix some extra target practice. Recker wasn’t sure he could handle sitting back and watching it happen.

  He closed his eyes, hating that he’d been forced into this position – where doing the right thing left him feeling like a coward. Staying here in RETI-11 meant thinking of a way to lure the Ixidar into a stationary position long enough that the Vengeance could mode 3 behind its shield and then hit it with the Fracture. Success would likely kill his crew at the same time, though Recker was sure it was a price they would willingly pay.

  “We’re not going to throw the Vengeance against the enemy shield,” he said. “It makes me feel sick to my stomach, but we’re pulling out, folks.” Recker held his lips tightly together and then said the words. “Lieutenant Eastwood, warm up the ternium drive. Target a location six hours from here, in a direction of your choosing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  At that moment, Recker was offered certainty that his plan to escape wasn’t going to work. On one of the starboard feeds, he spotted a shape racing low across the eastern horizon. The Ixidar was momentarily hidden by the mountains and then it reappeared, this time north-east of the Vengeance.

  “Hold that last order, Lieutenant Eastwood,” said Recker.

  He felt emotionally and physically drained, but even so, his hands rested themselves on the controls. Recker turned the Vengeance on the spot and reduced its altitude as much as he could. Once he had its nose pointing along the canyon, he accelerated, guiding the warship between the peaks.

  “I’ve added a course overlay for the enemy ship onto the tactical, sir,” said Burner. “At their detected velocity, they’ll complete a full circuit of the planet in less than three minutes.”

  “They know we came this side of the planet,” said Eastwood. “There’s no way they’re going to do circuits in the hope they stumble into us.”

  Recker knew it too and he increased the Vengeance’s speed. The Ixidar was too potent and its crew too experienced – they wouldn’t circle the planet and rely on chance to bring the fleeing ship into sensor sight. Once again, despair threatened and a whispering voice told Recker he was only delaying the inevitable and that his defiance would do nothing more than prolong his agony.

  Like hell.

  As the Vengeance gathered speed, Recker lifted it to a greater altitude, above the highest of the peaks. This mountain range covered the planet’s visible surface in all directions like a carpet of knives and Recker’s eyes scanned the horizons for a place he might hide the Vengeance. Though he’d used this crudest of tactics in the past, this time Recker gave it up, sure that the Ixidar’s sensor team wouldn’t be fooled.

  “Less than a minute on the mesh deflector,” said Aston.

  “A couple minutes longer and we’ll have mode 3 functionality again,” said Eastwood. “If we fire off into space, that might buy us some breathing room.”

  “I want more than breathing room,” snarled Recker. The despair was suddenly gone, replaced by an absolute determination to spit in death’s eye one more time. An idea came. “Commander Aston, you mentioned a gas giant in the RETI-11 system.”

  “Yes, sir. It’s approximately two billion klicks from Kolaes. Diameter 120,000 klicks. Composition…”

  “I don’t care if it’s got a core made from compressed horse shit, Commander,” Recker interrupted. “Pass the coordinates to Lieutenant Eastwood.”

  “I take it that’s our target, sir?”

  “That it is, Lieutenant. Aim for the blind side and deep in the clouds.”

  “Yes, sir. Coordinates entered.”

  Recker nodded in acknowledgement but kept his gaze on the feeds. The Vengeance was travelling fast and even given the sparsity of atmospheric molecules, heat was beginning to accumulate on the nose. Soon, the warship would trail smoke and that would make it an easy spot for the enemy.

  It turned out the Lavorix didn’t need the assistance anyway.

  “The Ixidar!” yelled Burner.

  Far behind, the enemy warship became visible on the horizon’s edge as a fast-moving shape against the planet’s black sky. Instinctively, Recker sent the Vengeance lower, hoping to drop out of sight amongst the mountains and around the planet’s curve.

  Sensing imminent attack, he angled the Vengeance left around one of the larger peaks. A flash of darkness appeared on the rear sensors and then was gone, leaving the warship undamaged. For the mountains, it was different – the Lavorix energy cannon had created an eight-kilometre crater which went deep into the solid rock. Where once there had been proud summits, the weapon left behind only crumbling powder.

  “Near miss,” said Aston.

  “Mode 3 is still not ready,” said Eastwood. “It’s got a long way to go.”

  Only a couple of minutes remained on the recharge timer, but Recker understood the sentiments. He banked again and fed extra power into the warship’s engines. The nose temperature climbed as the Vengeance raced on, and wisps of faint smoke whipped into the sky.

  “Any moment…” said Aston.

  The second shot erupted so close to the Vengeance’s stern that it blocked the view from several of the portside and starboard arrays as well, and Recker watched in anticipation of the warning lights appearing on his console. The lights stayed green and he knew they’d escaped by the skin of their teeth. Behind lay another crater of similar magnitude to the first, and the Ixidar was made visible by the mountains it had destroyed. The Lavorix ship had matched velocity and distance, and on it came.

  “Why aren’t they going high and fast?” wondered Larson. “They could guarantee a clean shot.”

  “They’re enjoying the chase, Lieutenant. Those assholes will give us enough leash to think we’re in with a chance and then they’ll finish us.”

  Recker didn’t know if he was correct – it was just a feeling he had. The crew of the Ixidar would remain in RETI-11 until they were sure no more Daklan or HPA ships were coming and then they’d go elsewhere. In the meantime, the Vengeance made good sport.

  “The Lavorix must know we’re equipped with a Fracture,” said Aston.

  “And they don’t give a damn, Commander. I guess they’ve answered our question for us.”

  Aston gave a tight smile. “So no need to risk everything to get off a shot.”

  The mental countdown Recker was keeping of the Ixidar’s reload approached zero and he threw the Vengeance to one side. His effort was in vain and a third energy cannon shot caught the warship dead-centre, activating the mesh deflector a few seconds after its recharge was completed.

  “This isn’t working,” said Recker angrily.

  He jammed the controls to the end of their slots and they clacked against metal. A howl of overstressed propulsion hurled the Vengeance across the planet and the ground below turned into a blur of shapes and colours.

  “The Ixidar is going high,” said Larson.

  Recker’s heart jumped in hope. “They’ve misjudged,” he said.

  The blistering pace of the Vengeance had caught the enemy unawares and the steep ascent of the Ixidar gave Recker a chance to escape to the blind side of Kolaes. A temperature alert appeared for the nose plating and he ignored it. The warship’s speed was climbing fast and the smoke trail thickened. This was a balancing act, Recker knew. If the Vengeance became too hot, the Ixidar could follow the trail. If Recker was too cautious, the enemy would turn his warship to dust before he made it out of sight.

  “Ninety seconds on mode 3,” said Eastwood.

  “Too long,” muttered Recker.

  The Vengeance left the mountain range behind and entered an area of undulating stone. So high was its speed that the rolling pla
ins looked more like an ocean of dark waves, and the spaceship a boat scudding across them.

  “The enemy have altered heading and velocity,” said Burner.

  A course projection line appeared on the tactical, showing Recker that the Ixidar was arcing and accelerating at such a rate that it would soon have an easy shot directly onto the Vengeance.

  “Shit, I misjudged, not them,” swore Recker bitterly.

  “We can’t beat that warship, sir,” said Aston. “It’s like we’re facing the Galactar again.”

  Fate and luck, which Recker sometimes maligned, came to his rescue, though in the manner of a double-edged sword dripping with the blood of sacrifice.

  “Ternium wave!” shouted Eastwood. “One-point-five million klicks on the far side of Kolaes! I estimate four more Daklan ships are inbound.”

  Recker knew what was coming. As if it had never existed, the Ixidar disappeared from the sensors.

  “The Lavorix detected those warships and entered mode 3 to greet them as they enter local space,” said Eastwood. “Damnit.”

  “Get on the comms,” said Recker. “It’ll be too late, but…”

  He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence and the muscles in his jaw tightened. Having been granted some time by the arrival of the Daklan, he reduced the Vengeance’s speed to give its nose a chance to cool. In the background, he could hear Lieutenant Larson’s frantic efforts to reach the Daklan. Whatever she told them, it wouldn’t have any bearing on the outcome.

  “The Daklan are engaged with the Ixidar,” she said at last.

  “Our mode 3 is ready, sir,” said Eastwood.

  “Are the coordinates set?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Recker activated the Vengeance’s mode 3. The warship entered lightspeed for a split second and then exited into the maelstrom of RETI-11’s gas giant. Every sensor feed became fuzzy with interference, though not so much that Recker was unable to discern the swirling clouds of toxic gases.

  Not wishing to stay anywhere near the arrival point in case the Ixidar tracked the Vengeance to its destination, Recker guided the warship clockwise around the planet and deeper until the brown murk of gases was too much for the sensors to pierce.

  “Let’s hope that’s enough, folks,” he said.

  Feeling lower than at any point he could remember, Recker tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Minutes passed, during which Recker and his crew remained in their seats. The winds outside blew viciously against the Vengeance, without shifting it a fraction out of position. Burner and Larson made regular adjustments to the sensor arrays in the hope of obtaining a clear view into space. It was no use – the warship was too far below the gaseous surface for the Meklon technology to penetrate. Not only that, but interference had effectively cut off the comms, preventing inbound and outbound transmissions, except for the occasional corrupted data packet which somehow made it to the antennae.

  So far, the Vengeance remained undiscovered, though nobody had any idea if the Ixidar was actively searching for the warship, or if it was still elsewhere in RETI-11, hunting members of the HPA and Daklan fleets.

  “How long are we planning to wait, sir?” said Aston eventually.

  “Longer than this,” said Recker.

  “We can activate the ternium drive safely from here, sir,” said Eastwood.

  “I know, but we don’t know if the Ixidar will detect our lightspeed tunnel as it emerges from the planet’s surface.”

  “That probably won’t…”

  “There’s the word, Lieutenant. Probably. If we’re going to run from trouble, we might as well make the best job of it.” Recker’s guilt and anger flared and he swallowed them down.

  “Meaning we sit here for what? Days?” asked Eastwood. “This is not your fault, sir. You were presented with a situation where the only outcome was to lose, and that’s what happened. It doesn’t mean we give up.”

  “I haven’t given up, Lieutenant.”

  “It sure seems that way, sir.”

  “We need you,” said Aston softly. “You’re the only one who sees the right path amongst the millions of others.”

  “Not this time, Commander.”

  “We can’t stop trying. Please.”

  Recker knew he was standing on the brink and he also knew he was too stubborn to let himself go over the edge. That left him with no option other than to keep fighting. Wallowing in guilt wasn’t helping anyone.

  “Lieutenant Burner,” he said. “Did we receive those data packets from the Aeklu’s battle network?”

  “Yes, sir. One came in a moment before you activated mode 3 and I’ve had a scrambled version since then. The data in that last one isn’t intact, but some of it is readable. The first packet confirms the presence of the Ixidar in RETI-11, but we already knew that. In the second packet, the data has been stirred around so I can’t confirm the enemy’s location.”

  “It’s not the Ixidar I’m interested in, Lieutenant. What about the Gorgadar?”

  “It hasn’t moved, sir.”

  “That’s a long time for a warship to stay in one place,” said Recker, tapping his fingertips against his console.

  “What if it’s a space station?” asked Larson. “The Lavorix might have set the Gorgadar in planetary orbit and left it there.”

  “It’s a possibility,” Recker admitted.

  “You don’t believe it, though,” said Aston.

  Recker shook his head slowly. “I think the Gorgadar is a warship like all the other Laws of Ancidium.”

  “You think we should go check it out,” said Aston.

  “Yes.”

  “What’s the reasoning, sir?” asked Eastwood.

  “I want to see what we’re up against.”

  “There’s more,” said Larson.

  “Yes, there is, Lieutenant. I think something happened to the Gorgadar and I want to find out what.” Recker climbed from his seat and faced his crew. “And I promise you one thing – this is not intended as a suicide run. Commander Aston, you told me I can see the right path and this is the one. If I’m wrong, the Vengeance will be destroyed and we’ll die.”

  “We’ve had more than our share of escapes up to now, sir,” said Burner. “I say we’re due another.”

  “That’s what I think too, Lieutenant.” Recker looked at the others. “Anyone think this is a bad idea?”

  “Permission to state that it’s a terrible idea, but also agree to it anyway?” said Larson.

  “Your opinion is noted.” Recker smiled thinly. “Anyone else?”

  “If I’m going to die, I might as well be one of the few living souls to have seen all six Laws of Ancidium when it happens,” said Eastwood. He gave a snort of laughter. “Damn that’s bad reasoning.”

  “Too late to back out now, Ken,” said Aston.

  Eastwood puffed out his chest. “I never backed out of anything and I’m not about to start now.”

  “We’re leaving RETI-11,” said Recker. “And we’re leaving as soon as possible.”

  “What about the lightspeed tunnel you thought the Ixidar might follow?” asked Burner.

  “That possibility was more of a concern when we were heading to HPA space, Lieutenant. Since we’re heading in the opposite direction, I’m willing to take the risk.”

  “I suggest we drop lower into the planet, sir,” said Eastwood. “Our ternium cloud will be the easiest thing to spot, so it makes sense if we can minimise the likelihood.”

  “I agree,” said Recker, taking his seat again.

  “What about Fleet Admiral Telar, sir?” asked Larson. “We won’t be able to send a transmission to base.”

  “We’ll do that once we arrive, Lieutenant.”

  Recker guided the warship deeper. Out of overstress, the Vengeance’s engines were a distant, grumbling thunder and the warship descended into the gloom. The pressure on the hull built steadily.

  “The Vengeance is enormously resis
tant to pressure since it’s almost solid,” said Eastwood. “However, the sensor arrays aren’t so tough and they’ll break soon.”

  “I hear you,” said Recker. Just thinking about the hull being crushed made him imagine sounds of groaning and strain.

  Far below the surface of the planet, he brought the Vengeance to a standstill. “What’s the name of the place we’re going?”

  “It’s not in the Vengeance’s star charts, sir,” said Burner. “The Gorgadar is in a different sphere to where our ship was built. Our navigational system recognizes the coordinates and it’ll take us to the right place.”

  “Pick a suitable destination - not too close – and provide those details to Lieutenant Eastwood.”

  “Yes, sir. From the looks of it, the Gorgadar is right on top of the local star.”

  “I’ve entered the coordinates,” said Eastwood a moment later. “We’ve got a nine-day journey ahead of us.”

  “Shame the Aeklu’s going nowhere,” said Burner. “We could have used its Gateway.”

  Nine days at lightspeed was longer than Recker wanted and he briefly considered a return to Lustre to find out of the Aeklu was still offline. He dismissed the idea – it was another long journey with no guarantee of success. Besides, Recker didn’t want Fleet Admiral Telar giving him a contradictory order, which was a distinct possibility once the Vengeance came back on grid. This voyage to the Gorgadar was something Recker had to finish.

  “Lieutenant Eastwood, warm up the ternium drive. Destination, as ordered.”

  “Ternium drive warming up, sir.”

  Six minutes later, the Vengeance entered lightspeed, leaving behind RETI-11 and the disastrous encounter with the Ixidar.

  Waiting no longer, Recker set up a schedule for his crew so they could have time off the bridge. The latest dose of Frenziol-13 ensured sleep was not a possibility and there wasn’t much else to do on the Vengeance, but nobody complained.

  Recker fell into a new routine of twelve hours on, twelve hours off. He kept mostly to himself and only showed his face in the mess room at mealtimes. It seemed fair to keep the platoon informed of recent events, and the new destination. The soldiers accepted this new mission with shrugs and wisecracks, as Recker knew they would.