by Saxon Andrew
Grady nodded and suddenly realized that one of the Fagan major planets had to be in this system. He moved the Rex higher and a few moments later Taffy announced, “There are blips above the central area of this star system, Grady. They have to be warships.”
“Is there a way for us to go around them?” Grady asked.
“They are widely scattered and there are large gaps in their coverage. I think we can determine the range of their scanners by the distance between them.”
“Computer run an analysis of the distance between those ships and extrapolate the range of their scanners!” Grady ordered.
“I’m detecting active scans from those ships and they appear to overlap. The distance is similar to the range of the Rex Rabbit before it arrived at Melbourne,” the computer answered.
“So, the range of our scanners is much longer.”
“More than two hundred-percent longer, Commander.”
Grady kept his eyes on the monitor and said, “Taffy, find a place between those warships that we can slip through.”
“I’ve locked the course in on your panel, Grady.” Grady nodded and moved the thruster covers over the rear thruster nozzles. He shut down the gravity thrusters and all electronic systems other than the scanners, computer, and environmental. “Why are you shutting down the systems, Grady?”
“We don’t know if our stealth hull will not be detected by those ships. I’m not taking any chances. I’m lining up the Rex on the course you gave me and I’m going to accelerate on it and then shut the thrusters down. Let me know immediately if you see any of those ships start moving in our direction.”
“Will do.”
Grady lined the course up and activated the rear thrusters for a ten second thrust. The Rex Rabbit exploded ahead and then started coasting toward the small light being reflected from a distant planet.
• • •
Three hours later, the computer announced, “We have moved outside the active scans being done by the ships above the star system. I’ve also been intercepting thousands of transmissions from the planet and translating the Fagan language is almost complete to a point where I can start translating their transmissions.”
“Did you get a line on the transmission that was sent to the ship we’ve been following, Computer?”
“I have the general vicinity of it. I’ll try to lock on the transmitter that sent it.” Grady focused on the main monitor and watched as the planet grew closer.
Taffy looked up from her panel, “I’m not detecting any warships close to the planet.”
Grady nodded and kept his eyes on his console’s display. He used the air-thrusters to slow the Rex Rabbit down and brought it to a stop a hundred thousand miles away from the planet. “Taffy run an optical scan of what’s on the planet!” Grady ordered.
“Already working on it, Dear.”
Grady sat back and stared at a planet that was unbelievable. Its entire surface was just one large city. Even the oceans had large cities built above them. It was clear the Fagan did not farm to feed this city; there was no place on the planet for a farm to exist. An hour later, Grady and Taffy were shocked when image of a huge conference room appeared on the main monitor. “Commander, it appears the leader of the gathering is transmitting a live image of the meeting to more than a hundred different locations,” the computer announced. “I will attempt to translate what is being said.” Grady glanced at Taffy and saw she was apprehensive. If there were more than a hundred planets like the one below them, this civilization was huge.
• • •
An older Fagan was standing behind the podium and he was looking off to his left. His face was wrinkled, and his brown color had darkened to almost the color of mahogany. After a few minutes he nodded and turned to the gathering. “I understand the others have been linked in to this meeting and I welcome all of you to this conference. We are here to discuss our coming foray into the spiral arm across the void from our location.” Grady sat up straight and his eyes widened. “I know there will be numerous questions but I’m hoping they will be answered by those called here to make the critical decisions. Contact me directly after this conference if you still have issues.” The old Fagan smiled and looked out at the gathering, “We have been planning this venture for more than ten years and we are close to being ready to launch our fleets.” Several of the attendees raised an arm. The leader held up his hand, “Please hold your questions until I complete my presentation.” The arms went down and the leader smiled, “We are still six months from having enough stores gathered to supply our fleets so the date for launch is still some time away. However, you’ve been called here to determine if we have missed anything in developing our plans.” The leader hesitated and then said, “The majority of our fleets being sent have gathered at the edge of the Magun Arm and the others will be joining them over the next few months. I’m going to ask my Minister of Supply to discuss with you what’s been done to provide the necessary stores to supply our ships.”
A voice from the gathering shouted, “HOW MANY SHIPS ARE WE SENDING?”
The leader turned back to the gathering and frowned, “Hold your questions! We’re sending six-hundred thousand warships.” The leader glared at the gathering and stepped away from the podium as another Fagan moved behind it.
• • •
Grady turned the ship and used the air-thrusters to accelerate the Rex away from the planet. Taffy was shaking her head and Grady’s expression was grim. “What are we going to do, Grady?”
“Well, it’s clear we can do nothing like I planned. We must get back to Melbourne and decide on this immediately. Time is short.”
Taffy nodded and turned her attention to the scanner. She set a course out of the star system and sent it to Grady’s console. “Grady, Melbourne doesn’t have enough ships to stop them.”
“I don’t know about that, Taffy. But one thing I’m sure about is that if we’re going to stop them it must be here and not close to Melbourne. We’ve got to come up with a strategy to stop them from launching those fleets.”
“What about America?”
“What about America, Taffy?” Grady responded.
“Are we going to try and save them?”
“I honestly don’t know, Taffy. My mind is blown by what we’ve just learned and I’m not thinking clearly. Melbourne comes ahead of America. We won’t jeopardize Melbourne to save them.” Taffy frowned at Grady and didn’t like that response.
Chapter Six
Maranda sat at the pilot’s console and turned to see Louisa enter the bridge and go to her chair. Louisa smiled slightly, “Can’t sleep and I don’t want to wake Kendal.” Maranda nodded and turned back to the monitor. After a few moments, Louisa said, “I notice that you and Kendal are becoming quite close.”
Maranda turned and smiled, “She is quite the young girl, Louisa. You should be very proud of her.”
“I am.” The bridge was silent for a long moment and Louisa asked, “Do you love anyone?”
Maranda turned back to her and said, “Excuse me.”
Louisa shrugged, “It’s a simple question; do you love anyone more than yourself?”
“I love my family.”
Louisa smiled, “So, you would be willing to die to save them.”
Maranda hesitated and answered, “I guess so.”
Louisa’s smile disappeared, “Then you really don’t love them.” Maranda’s expression turned angry. Louisa raised a hand, “If you really loved them, there would be no doubt that you would place their welfare ahead of your own. That’s what love is.”
“And you’re asking me this because…” Maranda asked sullenly.
“I’ve seen your fear, Maranda. When the only one you love is yourself, you will not allow anything to hurt you even it means hurting others. I’ve seen your reluctance to enter dangerous circumstances and I can clearly see your fear. You’ll make decisions that might be wrong to insure your safety. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Who are you
to talk like this to me!”
“Maranda, I would step in front of a blaster beam to keep Kendal from being harmed; I’d give my life up willingly to defend her. I would have done the same to save my husband but there was nothing I could do to prevent his death. I might have been able to get him to his feet and stop his death, but I wasn’t close enough to make it happen. Love is what makes us brave even when we’re frightened enough to be paralyzed.” Louisa paused and then added, “Do you know why I boarded that sled knowing that Kendal and I were being taken out to die?” Maranda stared at Louisa in silence and Louisa said, “Because I knew that Kendal would have a few more moments before she died. I prayed there was a way I could save her from the predators in that clearing and saw there was no way. But I would have done it again because love gives you hope to survive. Your fear will be your undoing Maranda. And it might cause the deaths of many others in the process. The only way for you to overcome it is to open your heart.” Louisa stood up and stepped away from the chair. She stopped, turned back, and shrugged, “I’m telling you this because Kendal loves you and I know she would be deeply hurt if something happened to you. Good night.”
Maranda watched her go and was furious. Just who did she think she was? After a moment, Maranda turned to the monitor and saw the vast number of Fagan warships on the edge of the scanner’s monitor. She felt her fear start rising and shook her head forcefully. Louisa was full of crap…but she did fear dying out here in the darkness of space.
• • •
Maranda was woken from a fitful sleep by Des’s voice shouting, “MARANDA, REPORT TO THE BRIDGE!”
She jumped out of bed, threw on her uniform and rushed to the bridge. She saw Des turn to her and point at the long-range scanner’s monitor, “Something’s going on, Maranda.”
Maranda rushed to her chair and looked at the monitor. She saw hundreds of red blips moving around the Brer Rabbit at long distance. As she stared at the monitor, she noticed the blips were moving in closer. “Des, they’re detecting us!”
“WHAT?”
Maranda fed the scanner’s data to the tactical monitor and Des turned his head to it. The blips had formed a large globe around the ship and it was slowly getting smaller. “They can’t get a good lock on us but they’re detecting something.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Des asked.
Maranda noticed Louisa and Kendal move their chairs and sit down as she turned back to Des, “Shut down all our systems and see if they can’t find us. More and more ships are joining that globe around us.” Des shutdown the ship’s systems and they stared at the tactical monitor.
After an hour, they saw the globe of ships was not going away and was moving closer. Maranda heard Kendal say, “MOMMY!”
Maranda felt something inside her and she jumped out of her chair, “Take the weapons console, Des!” Des glared at her and Maranda said forcefully, “I know the pilot’s controls better than you; TAKE THE WEAPONS CONSOLE NOW!”
Des stood up and went to the weapon’s console. Maranda jumped into the pilot’s chair and pressed an orange and black button next to the thruster handle simultaneously and held them down. “What are you doing?”
Maranda activated the systems and said, “By holding those two buttons down, they lock the gravity and rear thrusters into one control arm.” Maranda turned to Des, “Did you know that?” Des shook his head. “Now the two thruster systems will operate with one set of controls. Those ships know we’re inside their globe somewhere and they won’t stop moving in. They may not detect us with our systems shut down, but they will eventually be able to see us. Activate the missile controls and be prepared to open fire!”
“We were ordered to not be detected, Maranda!”
“Blame me for it, Des! But I’m not going to stay here without trying to escape. Are you ordering me not to try?” Des glanced at the tactical and saw the blips moving closer and he shook his head. Maranda put on her helmet and connected with all the ship’s scanners directly. She pushed the thruster handle forward and the Brer Rabbit accelerated at high speed toward the bottom of the encircling globe. Maranda said loud enough for everyone to hear, “Don’t be afraid, Kendal. I’ll make sure you’re ok.” Kendal was crying, and she immediately stopped. She looked at Maranda as Louisa held her tightly. Maranda whipped the ship left and said, “Des, I’ve designated three ships directly above and behind us. Lock a missile on them and be prepared to launch!”
The missile box dropped out of the bottom of the rabbit and the covers over the front tubes raised. “They’re locked in Maranda!” Des announced.
Maranda snapped the ship around and went to maximum thrusters. The Brer Rabbit roared in on the three designated ships and Desmond launched the missiles. The three Fagan warships exploded, and the Brer Rabbit flew through the middle of them at its fastest speed. Maranda shut down all thrusters and used the bow air thrusters to turn the ship vertical. She used maximum pressure and the Brer Rabbit turned vertical as hundreds of Fagan warships accelerated on the line it had taken out of the globe. Maranda kept her eye on the tactical monitor and moved the ship with the air thrusters whenever a Fagan ship moved close. In thirty minutes, the ship was clear of their formations and moving directly away from their former position. “How were they able to detect us, Maranda?”
“It had to be the gravity thrusters, Des. The Fagan don’t use gravity drives, but they must be able to detect gravity anomalies. I’m keeping the gravity system shut down and if we need to move quickly, I’ll cover the rear thrusters with their covers.”
Maranda stood up and Des said, “Keep your seat, Maranda. I see you know the pilot’s controls better than I do and you will be the pilot from this moment forward.”
“Des…”
“Don’t, Maranda. It’s the right thing to do.”
Maranda lowered her eyes and sat down in the pilot’s chair. Kendal ran forward and wrapped her arms around Maranda’s neck and hugged her. Maranda patted her on the back and softly said, “You should sit with your mother.” Kendal released her and ran back to Louisa.
“What made you decide to run for it?” Louisa asked,
Maranda sighed, “I think it was Kendal’s fear that made me do it.”
Louisa smiled, “I think you made the right decision.”
Maranda nodded to her and Des looked up at the monitor. Grady and Taffy appeared on it and Des began telling them about the trap they just managed to escape. Des ended with, “Sir, there was no way to avoid being detected during our escape.”
“I see that, Des. You did what you needed to do.”
“And, Sir. I request that you place Maranda in command of the ship. She has demonstrated she is better suited to keep the ship safe.”
Grady stared at Des and his eyes narrowed, “Are you sure about that, Captain Frye.”
“I am, Sir.”
Grady turned to Maranda, “How do you feel about that, Captain Meadows?”
“I must refuse the promotion, Sir.” Des and Grady both looked at Maranda with shocked expressions. “There’s no need to change commanders, Sir. Desmond can retain command and just assign me to pilot the ship.”
“You’ve surprised me, Captain,” Grady responded. “Why are you turning command down.”
Maranda took a deep breath and slowly shook her head, “I know by replacing Des, his career would be damaged and, quite frankly, I have some personal issues to work out before I take command of any ship. Des should remain in command.”
Grady smiled, “That’s how it will be. Good job on getting out of that trap, Captain. You and the Roo Rabbit are ordered to meet me above the Sagittarius Arm, we’re headed back to Melbourne. I’ll fill you in on what I’ve uncovered on the way back.” Maranda looked down at her console and saw the Rex Rabbit’s position. She turned the ship and accelerated away. Des was still shocked at Maranda turning down the command of the Brer Rabbit. What was going on?
• • •
An hour later, Des sent a recording made by the Re
x Rabbit to Maranda’s console, “You should take a look at this before we rendezvous with the Rex.”
Maranda started the recording and after it ended she turned to Des with wide eyes, “What does this mean?”
“Well, if we aren’t able to stop the Fagan from crossing to the Perseus Spiral Arm, it looks like Melbourne will be going to war with them. That probably means you’ll be given the command of a fleet.” Maranda’s eyebrows remained together, and she blinked. Des continued, “This is what you’ve been looking for, Maranda. You should be happy about this; promotions happen fast during a war.” Maranda stared at Desmond and turned back to her console. Desmond saw her expression and asked, “What’s going on, Maranda. You turned down the opportunity to command this ship and I know that’s all you’ve wanted since you stepped on board.” Maranda shook her head and remained silent. “You demonstrated remarkable skill and courage getting us out of that trap; I don’t know if I could have pulled that off.”
Maranda turned to Des, “You could have if I had taught you all the gimmicks and tools available to use on the pilot’s console. I didn’t teach you because I wanted an advantage against you.” Des glared at Maranda and she turned back to her console and said softly, “When I saw those Fagan warships moving in around us I was petrified in fear. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything but pray they wouldn’t see us. I was frozen.”
“So, what changed that?” Des asked.
Maranda shook her head, “I heard Kendal wail in fear to Louisa. I looked at her and realized she was probably going to die because of my inability to do anything to save her. I knew you didn’t know enough about the pilot’s controls to get us out, but I couldn’t bear the thought of Kendal dying. That’s what made me get up and take the pilot’s chair.”
“You don’t need to beat yourself up over this, Maranda. You did what needed doing and saved us.”
Maranda’s tears started, and she turned to Des, “If Kendal hadn’t been here, we would probably be dead now. My fear of dying is more than I can overcome. If I’m given command of a fleet, I know we’ll be heavily outnumbered, and my fear could lead to the loss of every ship under my command. I can’t live with that possibility.”
