In the Blink of an Eye

by Mark Dutkiewicz

  “There is a briefing in a few minutes isn’t there?” A flash of his roguish grin didn’t seem to temper her mood.

  “There is a senior officers meeting which is Captain Williams’ responsibility.” Leaning closer to him she whispered harshly, “Which means show off fighter jocks who attain their rank on name alone need not attend.”

  “Whatever you say sweetheart,” Jeff said with a shrug. That received a satisfactory growl from her. Stuffing his hands into his pockets he added, “But you may want to explain it to Jazz. He woke me up no more than ten minutes ago. Something about wanting all the squad commanders to sit in on this one.”

  Sniffing Kami turned practically punching the door switch mumbling, “Explains your unkempt appearance.”

  “You know you’d be a lot prettier if you weren’t frowning all the time,” Jeff goaded trailing her into the room.

  “Show some decorum Grant,” she spat whirling in a flash to glare up at him. Stabbing a finger into his chest her eyes contained a fire that by all rights should have seared his flesh. “Just because your father was a friend of mine does not give you the right to speak to me as if we’re equals!” If one was standing nearby, they undoubtedly would have felt the heat of Kami’s temper. Along with seeing sparks as her glare tried to bore a hole into Jeff. Only the sound of someone clearing their throat broke the standoff.

  Looking towards the source Jeff spied Captain Williams, wearing both a bemused and disapproving frown, slowly shaking his head from the far side the long conference table. “Would you mind getting yourself dressed Commander?” Williams grumbled.

  A quick scan of the room revealed the rest of the command staff, and every squadron leader onboard Victoria, sitting at the table. Captain Styles steepled his fingers casting a questioning look at him. It was the same look his father had, the one that instantly told you of his disappointment. Hastily mumbling an apology Jeff quickly buttoned his jacket moving to take the seat next to Williams. A look of fury from Kami caught his eye; no doubt she was more enraged at him for making her look bad.

  “Well then,” Styles said clearing his throat, “now that everyone’s here, we can get started. Commander Thomas if you please?”

  Standing up and straightening her jacket, Kami asked for the lights to be dimmed as she picked up a small remote directing everyone’s attention to a large monitor on the wall. “At twenty-three hundred hours’ yesterday,” she began, activating the view screen, “long range telemetry picked up a massing Drac force roughly seven parsecs from our current position.” The monitor displayed a fuzzy image showing a large fleet of enemy ships. “Intelligence estimates the size of the force to be somewhere in the vicinity of three hundred capital ships. Intelligence also believes the Drac to be ignorant of our current position and military capability in the quadrant.”

  The monitor transitioned into a computer generated tactical grid of the Drac location. A variety of information was displayed including fleet composition and information gleaned from known star charts of the sector. “The enemy fleet is situated in close proximity to several colonial shipping routes. Command is understandably anxious of this potentially leading the Drac to populated worlds or Earth itself. In an effort to limit knowledge of the war and prevent widespread panic, we’ve quarantined the area in a radius of ten light years under the guise of military training exercises. All craft approaching are either being re-routed or directed back to their port of origin. Any craft exiting the area are being intercepted to ascertain what information, if any, they’re carrying and communications jamming is in effect in order to stem any information from reaching the media.”

  Deactivating the monitor and bringing the lights back up, Kami locked her arms behind her back while slowly panning a serious gaze across the audience. “I don’t need to inform you that opportunities like this don’t present themselves every day. We’re in a prime position to strike a serious blow to the Drac, and Command wants to take full advantage of the fortuitous situation. Our orders are to intercept, and if possible, reduce this fleet to a sea of scrap!

  “We’re all well aware of the Drac’s tenacity. And this is the first chance we’ve ever had to plan and mount a counter offensive. We’ve lost too much ground in this war, it’s about time we start taking it back.” Thanking the audience, Kami smoothed her skirt as she retook her seat.

  “Thank you Commander,” Styles said turning his attention to the gathered officers. “I’m not one to put an enormous amount of weight into intelligence reports. Especially reports that deal with the Drac and their war making abilities. We know their technology is far superior to our own, and if we know where they are then I’m damn well inclined to believe they know where we are. Why they haven’t attacked is anybody’s guess, but the fact they haven’t gives us some room to do something.

  “That’s where you gentlemen come in. I learned a very long time ago that our fleet is only as dangerous as the people who compliment it. Captain Williams and you Squadron Leaders have shown your ability in fighting this enemy. I trust your instincts more than some egghead in a lab coat back on Earth. If not for you pilots, we’d be at the mercy of the Drac. Their ships are faster, more nimble, and you all have firsthand combat experience with them. I wanted you to be involved in the decision making of this operation.

  “It is absolutely paramount that we at the very least divert this force. We know the Drac have some way of tracking our SLD jumps. Why they don’t follow at every chance is a mystery, but, all it would take to give the Drac Earth’s coordinates and ending this cat and mouse game would be an unwary civilian vessel with light speed capabilities to come across them. We may have a standing order on rendezvous jump points, but no such proclamation could be enforced on a civilian vessel. A well-meaning or nervous captain more interested in saving his own skin, much less the lives of his passengers or crew, could unwittingly lead damnation to our doorstep.”

  Pausing a moment, as if waiting for the knowledge to sink in, the captain leveled a stern and serious look on everyone in attendance. Finally, after of few moments of reflection he finished, “Any suggestion, no matter how reckless or absurd, will be heard.”

  “How about we send them a letter and ask them to go home?” Jeff said with a smile, earning him a few chuckles from around the room.

  “Can’t you be serious for one-minute Grant?” Kami chided, apparently not seeing or appreciating the humor.

  “No, wait a minute,” a grizzled veteran pilot spoke up. “I like this idea. Knight. Spanky’s on your squad right? Give him some brown shorts and a clip board and he’d look like a delivery guy. We can load him on a cargo shuttle and send him over there demanding a signature and everything.” He uttered a mirthful laugh at his joke adding, “His ancestors used to click and pop when they talked too. They might even understand him.”

  The lewd comment prompted Captain Williams to bark, “Secure that shit Mister!” Leaning forward to direct a heated glare at the man, Williams chair creaked in the room’s sudden silence. “Commander,” he said in a somewhat threatening tone, “I understand that you grew up during the waning days of a very turbulent time in Earth’s history. The unification war was an ugly affair, one that has stained our past. It should also be relegated to our past. Whatever biased beliefs you have from your upbringing are yours to keep in silence! There’s no room on this ship, or in this fleet for that crap. Understood?”

  Jeff leaned back feeling the buzz of electricity in the room from the exchange. The man mumbled a barely audible apology in the lingering silence. Clearing his throat, Jeff attempted to lighten the mood. “Well…if we intended to offend them, all we’d need to do is have Commander Thomas nag them into surrender.”

  Slapping her palm on the table, Kami shot to her feet yelling, “That’s it Grant, you’re out of line!” The comment started a shouting match between the two where Kami reiterated her well known distaste of Jeff and his unprofessional attitude, while he retorted over her personality and generally cold demeanor. Befor
e the exchange could become too heated, Styles put an end to it with a firm voice and firmer glare at the both of them.

  Hours passed as Jeff poured over star charts and course projections of the enemy with the assembled officers. Nearly every plan suggested contained some glaring hole or risk that was felt to be too great—the ensuing bickering over what was deemed a risk came up often during the accord. In fact, the galley crew was clearing the remnants of dinner from the table by the time a course of action was settled on.

  “Just to make things clear,” Kami started to reiterate the plan, begrudgingly agreed to by the pilots in attendance. “At their current course and speed, the Drac will encounter the Eridani asteroid field in approximately two weeks. Half the fleet will jump ahead activating Electronic Counter Measures inside the asteroid field and create a bulwark. The rest of the fleet will trail the Drac at a best guess distance to stay out of sensor range while the UES Essex and a small flotilla of gunships will harry them into our trap.”

  Jeff leaned back muttering, “I still don’t like it.”

  “Speak up Grant,” Kami said with a hint of bile, “this is still an open forum.”

  Jeff rested his elbows on the table directing an earnest look at Kami. “With half the fleet tailing them we’ll be facing three to one odds at best. What’s stopping the Drac from turning on our trailing force? Even if long range communications weren’t jammed we’d still be holding strict radio silence until they’re almost on top of us. If they turn, we won’t be able to support. If they get here early, we’ll be outgunned and outnumbered.”

  “We’re out of options and it’s the best we’ve come up with.”

  “It’s risky,” Williams grunted before Jeff could respond. “I’m not too keen on having my pilots launch in that briar patch. The ECM is going to screw with our navigation systems, not to mention we have no guarantee it’ll have any effect on the Drac.”

  “We’ve already established a sensor buoy will be placed fifty-thousand kilometers out which will keep us appraised of the enemy’s position once they’re in range,” Kami said tiredly clearly growing irritable at the continued squabbling. “And it’s been well established that ECM appears to have some kind of effect on their systems. In the past UECN ships have successfully hidden from them using this technique when escape or engagement was not an option.”

  “One or two ships does not constitute success Commander,” Williams countered. “The Drac haven’t given any evidence of tactics beyond swarm and overwhelm the enemy. For all we know they saw those ships clearly and felt they weren’t a threat.”

  “It’s a risk we’re going to have to take,” the XO grated.

  “Easy for you to say Commander,” Jeff bit, no longer able to hold his tongue. “While we’re out there risking our necks, your pretty little tush will be sitting on the bridge.”

  “Christ Grant, you just don’t know when to keep you hole shut now do you?” yelled Kami triggering another round of stinging jabs. A round that didn’t seem to end until two weeks later when Jeff found himself nervously drumming his fingers on the throttle floating near the edge of the Eridani asteroid field.

  The silence was deafening. With no radio chatter to provide comfort that comrades were close by, the only company Jeff had in his vigil was the hiss of the life-support system combined with the sound of his own breathing and the rhythmic beat of his heart. The view outside the cockpit didn’t help the sense of isolation. The rocky crags of asteroids surrounded him along with the dim shapes of other razors silently floating. Awaiting the command to launch themselves into the void and play another round of Russian roulette with death.

  Almost every fighter available had been deployed, the wings of each ship decorated with twelve large nuclear missiles. They were a pack of wolves lying in wait and Jeff could almost feel their hunger. He was becoming anxious. Almost three hours had passed since the sensor buoy relayed the approach of the harrying force. His eyes drifted across the tactical display as it ticked down the information being fed to it.

  Sixty-thousand kilometers it read, and closing fast. The order would come soon. And heaven help them that this worked.

  Magnifying the view ahead, the strange otherworldly shapes of the reddish purple alien craft loomed ever closer. Their putrid design seemed to promise pain and agony to those foolish enough to stand in their way. Lances of energy danced between the Drac ships and the hastily retreating Essex and her escort. Fifty-eight thousand kilometers read his display and Jeff, for what felt the hundredth time, once again imagining himself in that tranquil field all those years ago. The gentle rolling hills, the clouds, the wild flowers. It brought him the comfort needed to focus his fears into anvil and allow him to throw himself into the wicked task of war.

  Meters remained before the trap was sprung. Five-thousand, Jeff flexed his fingers gripping the flight stick. Four-thousand, he craned his neck producing a series of satisfying pops. Three-thousand, he was zeroed out, ready the unleash death upon his enemies. The display hit fifty-two thousand kilometers with a sense of finality. The Essex and her flotilla fired their superluminal drives. Jeff’s breath caught and seconds later the sensor buoy ceased its transmission. Throwing the throttle to full bore Jeff was pushed into his seat as the razor quickly accelerated. Out of the corners of his eyes he caught the sight of other razors joining the charge. The glow of their thrusters cast a bluish sheen upon the surrounding rocky confines as mass of star fighters swarmed from the asteroid field.

  Quickly forming into rank, Jeff eyed the targeting reticles floating before him working to establish a weapons lock. His heart pounded in his chest as the seconds ticked by. Clear of the jamming signal the fleet was broadcasting the HUD displayed the rapidly closing gap between him and his quarry. The familiar tone sounded in his ears and he unloaded his payload of nukes on the Drac fleet. Other sleek cylinder joined his flurry, jumping from the wings of surrounding fighters. A minute passed before the missiles found their targets. Then the sky was peppered brief explosions. The hulls of the Drac warships were hit hard by the broadside and cheers erupted over the channel when several smaller vessels succumbed to their wounds in brilliant balls of fiery gas.

  “You know the drill people, split and flank so our gunboats have a clear line of fire,” Williams was quick to remind barking over the jubilation.

  Rolling his fighter wide Jeff called out, “Jackets on me. I’m tracking at least two dozen toads closing in. Weapons free boys.”

  Powerful lances of energy beams erupted from the asteroid field as the last of the razors cleared the firing lane. The fleet’s gunboats meted out indiscriminate death upon the alien encroachers. The return fire was just as devastating. A hail of energy bolts showered down on the razors followed by a flock of Drac toads. It wasn’t long before terrible shrieks began filling the channels.

  The Drac seemed to care little for their losses. Their fighters hit the razors hard attempting to bowl through the ranks and strike the heavy cruisers just now emerging from the asteroid field. Jeff and his squad replied in kind diving head first into a bitter and determined dog fight. The looping and twisting craft traded barbs in a harried melee. The sickly Drac motherships added paint of their own to the confusing battle. In a seemingly unquenchable bloodlust they poured fire through both hostile and friendly star fighters, plowing their way through the frantic orgy of death.

  Many a relieved sigh seemed to gasp in unison over the channel. The other half of the fleet had arrived and wasting no time began hammering the enemies flank. The Drac were caught in a pincer and the fresh craft drew attention from the razors as the grotesque vessels directed their fire at the new threat.

  Juking about Jeff gunned down two targets weaving through the frenzied contest in search of more retribution. A group of toads leaped from fray racing towards the human fleet. Moving to intercept he was cut short by an alert siren. A flicker of a target illuminated the HUD bearing down on him. “Teak, Mako,” he called. “I’ve got five toads making a break fo
r the cruisers. Intercept I’ve got one on my tail.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Alan shouted as a stray lance of energy tore through the melee.

  Jeff held his breath a moment, the sight seeming to play out in slow motion. The side of his cockpit illuminated from energy bolts forcing Jeff to roll the fighter losing sight of Alan’s ship. Scanning the HUD, he prepared to do an end over and meet the Drac ship head on. The target vanished from the display followed by Curtis saying, “Got him Knight, watch your back.”

  “Thanks Spanky,” Jeff said sweeping his razor about to chase down more targets. “You okay Teak?” he asked searching for the man.

  “Fine. In Mako’s wake running down those shits trying to hit the boats”

  “Copy,” Jeff answered throwing himself once more into the throng. Large holes had been torn into the Drac defensive lines and the quickly multiplying wreckage was beginning to confuse the ships sensors. Far from being his first sortie Jeff was still astounded at the sheer level of persistence the Drac displayed. A brilliant flash erupted before him signaling the end of another alien cruiser. Death was riding his horse at full gallop amongst the stars and for a happy change directing his wrath upon Earth’s enemies. The loss of life was astounding and if their roles were reversed, Jeff knew full well that Styles would have beat a hasty retreat by now.

  Brilliant super nova like flashes continued to flicker throughout the bedlam as the merciless pounding continued to take its toll. And then, something extraordinary happened. Rolling his plane looking to engage another hostile target he found the HUD clear. Save for the transponder signals from other razors and the signatures of the Drac capitol ships they skies were clear. He double checked the system to be sure it wasn’t just interference from the immense debris field that had manifested during the firefight.

  “Spanky this is Knight, come back,” Jeff called into the helmet mic.

  “Go ahead,” Curtis answered, the same sound of bewilderment in his voice and Jeff felt in his gut.