“It’s in the Sol system,” said Lynch, confusion coming into his voice as he read out what the ship’s sensors were telling him. “But it’s not Earth.”
Now that surprised him. He’d always assumed—everyone had always assumed—that any attack on the Sol system would be directed at the crown jewel, Earth. Sure, there were colonies and outposts scattered throughout humanity’s home system, but the vast bulk of its population lived on their home world.
“Where?” asked Mattis. “Are they going to use the moon as a staging ground? Or take out the lunar gun batteries from Goalkeeper?”
Lynch read further and then looked up. “Jupiter.”
Chapter Forty-Three
Bridge
USS Midway
Jupiter. What the hell were they doing there?
“Confirm that,” said Mattis, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair. He didn’t like that one bit. If the aliens really were stopping at the gas giant, they must have a good reason for doing so.
Anything that was good for the aliens was bad for them.
“Confirmed,” said Lynch. “The alien fleet is completing their Z-space translation in high orbit of Ganymede, on the far side of Jupiter relative to Earth.”
“What’s there to be concerned about?” asked Mattis, almost as much to himself as anyone else. “Ganymede’s a ball of ice and rock. It’s millions of miles away from anywhere. There’s no strategic value there, no resources anyone cares about, no ships, no stations…nothing. Worst of all, it’s within sensor range of Earth, accounting, of course, for the light-speed delay.” It was seemingly a huge tactical error, and one highly bizarre for an enemy who had displayed nothing but cunning and ingenuity at every step of their assault so far.
“I’m not sure,” said Commander Pitt, looking over Lynch’s shoulder. “All I can see here is a small mining colony, nothing major. It’s mostly automated. Thirty-six souls stationed there, all civilians, and…apparently a Siamese cat named Rudolf. It’s a corporate venture, sir, just like thousands of others all around the colonies. Nothing of any military value whatsoever.”
A mining colony but no military bases. Why would they stop there? What was their play? Mattis churned the facts over in his head. What would he do, if he was attacking Earth in this way?
Maybe the aliens figured the human defenders would catch them before they reached Earth and decided to try to set up an ambush. Maybe this fleet was luring them into a trap.
Mattis brought up the Goalkeeper scans of the area. But there was nothing there, had been nothing for years. If there were alien ships there, waiting, they would have been discovered long before now.
He pulled up the chart of Ganymede on his command console, examining it carefully. There was the mining colony, as clear as day, its lights shining in the darkness of the moon like a beacon. He switched to EM view. There were probes and markers and relays, including Z-space anchors, but nothing of any significance that would affect a battle.
The mining colony was there, with its no-doubt cute cat. The solution was right in front of him, he knew it, but…where? There had to be something else. Something there they had all missed.
The alien fleet was coming up on Ganymede. They didn’t have long to figure this mystery out before they, too, had to exit Z-space and engage.
His warrior’s instinct, his gut, told him there was more to this—though that was an assertion he could not back up with anything firm. And, somehow, the whole thing stank of politics.
“Mister Lynch,” he said, pointedly choosing him instead of Commander Pitt. “Get Senator Pitt up to the bridge.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Bridge
USS Midway
Senator Pitt looked sour as a lemon as he was marched onto the bridge, which suited Mattis just fine.
“Senator,” said Mattis, pointing at the image of Ganymede on his monitor. “Do you know what we’re looking at?”
His stony glare told him he did. “It’s one of Jupiter’s moons,” he said. “Some ball of ice and dirt out in the middle of nowhere.”
Exhaustion and a short patience for the man made it difficult to keep his voice even. “Is it?”
Senator Pitt shrugged. “You think I know everything about every little backward outpost in the galaxy, Mattis? What’s the big idea, huh? You think you can just drag me up to the bridge of your ship, act like a big man, and bully me into giving you what you want?”
“Yup.”
Senator Pitt snorted. “Go to Hell.”
“Already been there,” said Mattis. “Twice, in the last few days, and we’re about to go there again. You should know: the alien fleet has decided to pull up at that moon, Senator, and we are going to engage them at that location. As to why they’re there—I need to know why. It could give us the advantage. Because as it stands, this is likely to be a fight we lose.” He rose from his chair, bringing himself to his full height, glaring down at the little man. “And let me remind you, Senator, if this ship blows, you go along with it.”
Senator Pitt shook his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Like I said, there’s nothing there.”
Mattis bit the inside of his cheek, staring the man down, but…nothing.
“Dad,” Commander Pitt cut in, “you’re a shitty liar.”
Mattis raised an eyebrow, looking to his XO. “You got something to say?”
Commander Pitt affixed a scowl on his father. “Ever since I was a kid, I could always tell when the old man was lying to me. It’s that crease above his brow. It gets a little more noticeable every time he’s spinning a tale.”
Senator Pitt didn’t say anything, but for a split second, a look of surprise flashed across his face.
“You know what’s there.” Mattis took a step toward the Senator, conjuring his best glare. “You sniveling little worm. You know what the aliens are looking for, don’t you?”
“Dad,” said Commander Pitt, “we need to know. This hand is all-in. If we fold, we lose everything. Everything. Whatever’s here on Ganymede, you can bet that the aliens aren’t going to accomplish their mission here and then just leave us alone forever. Earth is right there. They’ll swing on past, drop a few thousand nukes, and all of humanity will be a footnote on some grey-skinned asshole’s history books.”
Slowly, the bricks that comprised Senator Pitt’s stone wall started to fall away. “Yes,” he said, his tone bitter and frustrated, “there’s something there, but it’s beyond top secret.”
“Great,” said Mattis, folding his arms. “Spill. Don’t worry, I’ll vouch for you at the trial.”
The mention of judicial punishment almost seemed to make Senator Pitt reconsider, but then, slowly, he nodded.
“Okay. I’ll tell you.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Bridge
USS Midway
“Clear the bridge,” said Mattis, gesturing for the junior officers and enlisted crewmen to vacate. “Senior staff only.”
It took some time for the bridge crew to totally rotate out, and he didn’t like having the ship so unready to handle any kind of challenge. Still, top secret was top secret. When it was clear, Mattis waited for Senator Pitt to spill the beans. The whole of the bridge was quiet, save for the whirring of machines and the beeping of computers. Every eye and ear was upon him.
He waited. And kept waiting.
“C’mon,” said Mattis, tapping his foot pointedly. “More words, less stalling. Time is a precious commodity here.”
Senator Pitt looked to his son, perhaps hoping to see support, but Commander Pitt’s face was only full of accusations and anger.
With a resigned sigh, Senator Pitt ran his hands through his hair. “Are you aware,” he began, “of the Svalbard seed bank?”
Svalbard was part of the educational curriculum. A giant vault in the frozen wastes of northern Earth where a variety of seeds were stored as an emergency backup for the planet’s flora. Should the worst happen—a nuclear war, ma
ssive climate change, or a runaway biological agent—there existed a repository where, if all other options were exhausted, viable seeds could be recovered and used.
“Learned about it in school,” said Mattis. “What’s that got to do with Ganymede?”
“Well,” said Senator Pitt carefully, “you remember the Sino-American War, yes?”
“No,” said Mattis flatly. “I totally forgot about it. Remind me again?”
His sarcasm was not well received. The edge of Senator Pitt’s mouth turned down. “You don’t remember it the way I remember it, Admiral. As you so aptly put it, war is hell, especially for the women and men who fight it, but one thing people always forget is the price paid by those who are left behind.”
“Yeah,” drawled Mattis, “those poor bastards safe and secure in their homes while the rest of us are getting shot at. My heart fucking bleeds.”
“It should,” snarled Pitt, the words flying out with absolute sincerity. “You have no idea what life was like for the common folk during the Sino-American War. The rations. The bread lines. The withholding of basic medications because they were needed by the military. You might have seen combat, Admiral, but you haven’t held a sick, crying baby in your arms, knowing that a single pill could cure them, and looked up at the night sky, at all those hundreds of warships orbiting Earth, held in reserve for coming battles, aware that each one of them carries a thousand of those pills because, you know, they might need them.”
It was tempting to argue the point, but Mattis knew that Ganymede was coming up fast. “What,” he asked, “does that have to do with Svalbard, or Ganymede?”
Senator Pitt looked away for a moment, seemingly unable to match Mattis’s stern gaze. “Well, the United States came a lot closer to being annihilated during that war than you and many other people realize. Not from losing an armed conflict, but from these…circumstances. Outbreaks of disease for which the cures were allocated to the military. A sharp reduction in fertility rates due to malnourishment. Birth defects from herbicide contamination. The media played it down—which is always a bad sign—but we knew how bad it truly was. So we made plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“The kind of plans,” said Senator Pitt, his tone carrying a distinct darkness to it, “that you hope you never have to use. The kind that should be buried away in some safe somewhere, old and rotten, the key lost to time. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky.” He took a breath, steadying himself. “We made, for lack of a better term, an ark. Our very own Svalbard right there on Ganymede, where nobody would even dream of looking—just not for plants. For people. DNA from healthy humans, frozen, stored up for the day when we may need it.”
An interesting tale, to be sure, but one that made little sense. “Okay, so, I understand that there’s human DNA there, but so what? What use is that to aliens? They could have taken our DNA at any of the places they attacked. Hell, if they’d asked nicely, we just might have given it to them! They attacked us instead. What else is there?”
“Nothing,” said Senator Pitt, and for the first time, Mattis actually believed him. “That is what’s on Ganymede, Admiral. The future of humanity.”
“The future of humanity?”
Senator Pitt nodded, but there was a hint of hesitation there. “Yes.”
Mattis studied him carefully, trying to draw the truth out of the Senator with a stare. “You don’t seem sure.”
Senator Pitt backpedalled. “Look,” he said. “I don’t know everything that happens in the galaxy, okay? They didn’t…” He looked almost embarrassed. “My source was evasive about a lot of the details.”
“That’s where the devil hides,” said Mattis.
Senator Pitt replied, “Does it look like the devil lives there?”
“That is something only time can tell.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Bridge
USS Midway
It may not have made much sense to him, but very little in war did.
“Very well,” said Mattis. “So, okay. There’s this human seed bank on Ganymede. I understand that. More importantly, I feel, you understand the significance of this installation better than most. Yes?”
Senator Pitt nodded. “I think so, yes. I was one of its most outspoken advocates.” His tone turned sour. “And accordingly, one of its most trusted secret keepers.”
“Part of being a good secret keeper is knowing what secrets should be kept.” It was difficult to say, but Mattis forced the words out. “You did the right thing, Senator.”
“Thank you,” said Senator Pitt.
“But,” said Mattis, “I, unfortunately, have to ask one more thing of you.” He gritted his teeth, taking a wild stab at what might convince the good Senator. “And I’m afraid I’ll have to owe you one for this.”
“Indeed,” said Senator Pitt, his eyes lighting up in a way Mattis had not seen before. “Well, ask away. I’m all ears.”
“I spoke to the President earlier today. Despite my best efforts, she won’t move what few ships we have in orbit around Earth for any reason. Even to get a tactical advantage. Because of the political implications.”
Senator Pitt mulled over that. “It’s likely that she doesn’t even know about the seed back. She’s on her first term; there’s a lot of information that gets passed to a new president, and frankly, this is something that is a very low priority. Nobody needs to know about it, nobody needs to do anything for it. The mining colony on Ganymede, they’re our people. They are the ones who keep watch over the seed bank, but even they don’t know what they’re guarding. The whole thing is essentially a giant sealed box.”
“Everyone’s awfully paranoid about this thing,” grumbled Mattis.
“At the time it was made, there was a good reason to be paranoid. Besides, paranoia is the delusional fear that someone’s out to get you. If the fear is rational, and there really are people trying to make mischief in your plans, then it’s not paranoia. It’s justified caution.”
“Everyone’s awfully justified caution-y about this thing then,” said Mattis. “But it doesn’t matter. Do you think, if the President knew about this facility—and you could convince her that it’s real and worth defending—she would move the fleet from Earth?”
“She can’t know.” Senator Pitt shook his head. “This thing is need-to-know only. She can’t be told of this. She’s not authorized.”
“Time we made an exception. Besides, she’s the President. She kind of has the right to know.”
“You can’t,” said Senator Pitt. “I won’t allow it.”
Mattis tilted his head. “And what, pray tell, are you going to do about it? I’ll call her up right now and tell her everything you just told me.”
“And you’ll be thrown into a hole so deep no one will ever find you, Admiral.”
Threatening a Commanding Officer on the bridge of his own ship. That took some stones. Even Mattis acknowledged that. “I think I’m comfortable with whatever punishment gets thrown my way, Senator.” He leaned forward slightly. “Are you?”
Senator Pitt, obviously shaken, closed his eyes for a moment. “I can talk to her,” he said, “but she’s only going to step in if she’s sure Earth is safe.” He grimaced. “That makes sense, right? If the aliens aren’t after Earth, then we can move whatever ships are defending it.”
“It’s a risk. She won’t like it.” Mattis took off his earpiece and handed it to him. “But you need to make her do it.”
Rather than taking the device, Senator Pitt pulled out one of his own and clipped it on. “I’ll try,” he said, turning and walking to a corner of the bridge.
With that unpleasantness out of the way, Mattis moved over to Commander Pitt. It couldn’t have been easy watching his Commanding Officer and his father argue in front of him.
“You going to be okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” Commander Pitt touched the tip of his hat. “With you, sir.”
Mattis nodded in acknowledgement, and with a
friendly clap on the shoulder, moved away.
“Sir,” said Lynch, “the Spearway and the Able report they are in position to commence Z-space translation. Recommend we exit first, followed by the Hamilton and the Revere. Of course, the sooner we all come out, the better.”
Hopefully Senator Pitt could come through for them. “Righteo,” said Mattis. “ETA?”
“We’re two minutes out, Admiral. The aliens are beginning their attack on Ganymede.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Bridge
USS Midway
Two minutes until they were back in action. Two minutes until the three warships, and their two allies, dropped out of Z-space and commenced their attack on the aliens who had destroyed Friendship Station.
Four frigates and a cruiser versus ten light cruisers and a heavy. Not good odds.
Mattis touched his earpiece. “Midway actual to Spearway, Able, Alexander Hamilton and Paul Revere.” He made sure to patch in the Somerset too, as a courtesy to Captain Salt, even though her ship was long behind the rest of them. She deserved to at least hear what was happening, even if she couldn’t help.
All the captains acknowledged.
“In one minute, we will be dropping out of Z-space. We’ve discovered the primary objective of the hostile forces that have attacked us. It isn’t Earth. It’s a facility on the surface of Ganymede. The exact objective they are after is unknown, but we understand it to be a genetic seed bank. A vault of human DNA taken during the Sino-American War.”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.
“Sir,” asked Abramova, “if I may ask, what’s the strategic value of this…seed bank?”
Mattis knew this would be a hard sell. “That’s unclear at this time.” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “But I know this: these aliens murdered a lot of people to get to it, and they had a very intricate, complex plan designed to fake us out at every step. Striking the border regions, then heading to Earth, then to Ganymede. They want whatever’s in that box in the ice, and they want it badly. To be perfectly frank with you all, I don’t have a perfectly clear picture as to why at this time. But I know if they want it, we don’t want them to have it. Denying the enemy is a legitimate goal in this case.”
The Last War: Book 1 of The Last War Series Page 17
