by Trevor Wyatt
Armada Marines are trained to be brutish and to solve every problem with the application of force. They aren’t utilized for their expertise in strategic thinking. They are utilized for their deadly precision and incredible military power on the battle field.
Thankfully, I outrank Colonel Masters. He’ll have to take my orders.
“My mind is made up, Colonel,” I say, adding a little force to my words. “Call off those Marines. We’re transporting everyone here to their respective shuttles and make it such that everyone sees we’re leaving.”
Turning to address Ashley, I say, “Captain, inform everyone in The Seeker. Let them remain vigilant. Let them be on alert for any possible disruptions.”
Ashely nods and taps her comm, which broadcasts to the communications officer on the ship in orbit. She asks to be patched to her First Officer, to whom she issues a series of orders.
Colonel Masters is also on his comms, coordinating the evacuation plans.
I glance at the delegates. Most of them are looking down at the fire fight. I can see that they are scared beyond their wits.
The Child of Zorm is, however, not fazed by what’s going on. He’s sitting, cool, on his seat and looking at me. I wonder what he thinks of me.
I admire the Children of Zorm for their calmness in the face of adversity. They rarely show fear. They rarely demonstrate emotions, and they’re very logical and reasonable.
Oddly, they share a lot of things with us, including our physiology. They have a beating heart. They have reproductive organs for male and female that are similar to ours.
I hear Colonel Masters order that all shuttles be parked on the main landing pad on the top floor. This calls my attention back to him.
“No, Colonel,” I say. “Belay that order.”
He speaks into his comm and says, “Hold off on that last order, sergeant.” Then he turns to me for answers.
“These people may suspect we are evacuating,” I say. “We can’t be predictable. They may have brought in surface to air weapons. They want to kill off these delegates one way or another, so we have to be one step ahead of them.”
“We scan the grounds every three hours, sir,” Colonel Masters replies. “The last scan says there’s no mobile incendiary discharge device.”
“We both know there are a lot of ways to take down a shuttle.”
Colonel Masters, again, doesn’t look convinced by my line of thought. I begin to wonder what they teach these Marines at the Academy.
“Give the order to take all the delegates up together but to have them leave in small groups of staggered times,” I say in an authoritative tone. “We’ll head up to The Seeker.”
“Yes, sir,” he replies and gives the order.
Ashely returns to my side.
“The Seeker is ready for us, sir,” she says. “I want to go on ahead and prepare.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” I say, worry entering my heart.
I don’t want to be separated from her at this volatile point. For all I care, there may be sleeper agents in the building as we speak.
Lucian is a master strategist. He may have planted agents in the building who are going to open fire when they see the aliens or government officials who are working with the aliens. I sound paranoid. But I don’t want my wife wandering through the vast hallways and floors of this building without me being there to protect her.
“It’s sweet of you to worry about me,” she says. “But I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“Honey, now isn’t the time to play the hero,” I say. “They could have infiltrated the building. You aren’t a soldier. You’re a sailor.”
Her smile disappears and I know I’ve hurt her. But I don’t care so much about how she feels right now. I do it for her safety.
“Take a detachment of Marines,” I say.
She’s about to protest, but I turn to speak to Colonel Masters.
“Colonel,” I say, “I want a detachment of Marines to ensure that Captain Ashley Gavin makes it safely to The Seeker!”
“Yes, sir,” he says and leads her outside.
A minute later he returns and says, “We are ready to move. A forward team has gone ahead to secure our path to the landing pad. We are using the one on the one hundred and twentieth floor.”
“Good,” I say.
I turn to the delegates and call their attention.
“We need to move out of here immediately,” I say. “Your shuttle pilots have been briefed and prepped. We have a compliment of Armada Marines outside those doors who are going to lead us to the floor where we will lift off to space. Please, in the case of a shootout, remain calm. The marines are a professional military outfit. They will get us safe to where we need to go to, and I assure you, no harm can come to you while within this building.”
I wait for any question.
When there is none, I order in the authoritative voice that seems to come back naturally, “Okay. Let’s proceed.”
Colonel Masters guides the delegates in rows of two, with me, Leader Greer and the Vozelian bring up the rear. Outside in the wide hallway, there are about twenty Marines, with guns pointing up and out. They form a protective shell around us.
When everyone is within the shell, Colonel Masters, who is leading the charge, gives the order and we begin to move. The control center already has five cars waiting for us. We break into four groups. Leader Greer and I end up in the same group with four marines standing between us and the door.
As the elevator begins its climb up more than a hundred floors, Leader Greer breaks his silence.
“For people who have a lot to say about peaceful coexistence and wanting to live in peace,” he starts, “You sure don’t know how to go about it. You talk big game, but when pushed and shoved you fall back.”
He turns his head in my direction.
“You may have the whole universe convinced about your true intentions,” he continues, “But you are yet to convince me. If peace is what you really want, then let us see it by your actions. Because with all I have seen of you people, the Terran Union does not want this deal to go through.”
His words pierce me right through my heart like a hot needle.
I turn to look at him, my heart brimming with hot words. I hold my tongue for a moment so I don’t say any undiplomatic word.
When I am sure I won’t, I say back to him, “I’ve seen too much war in my life. I’m guessing you’ve seen too much war in your life as well. My people and the Sonali have just finished a brutal war—brutal even by your standards. If there is anything that we can do to prevent something like this from ever happening again, then we owe it to our children, to our offspring, and our descendants to do it. We can’t spend the rest of eternity fighting amongst ourselves. This can’t be what humanity came into space to do.”
Leader Greer is silent all through my impassioned reply. He breathes in deeply.
Then he says, “The universe doesn’t care what humanity wants. The universe doesn’t care what the Tyreesians want. The universe will do as it pleases. You cannot cheat fate.”
And the elevator opens up to a wide landing pad.
The marines pour into the open space before motioning for us to exit. Leader Greer and I step off the elevator onto the landing pad. The other delegates are coming from different elevators onto the pad.
Shuttles come in twos and lift them away to safety. I stand by Greer’s side. Greer is mesmerized by the astonishing skyline of New Washington, which stretches to the horizon.
There are skyscrapers like the needles on a brush, connecting the ground to the sky and creating a marvelous vista. New Washington is a planet size city with every part of it industrialized and put to use. There are six billion people who call New Washington home.
“It’s peaceful from up here,” Leader Greer says after a moment of silence.
There are two shuttles waiting.
Colonel Masters walks to us.
He says, “We have to go now.”
Leader Greer is ushered into his own shuttle, while Colonel Masters and I climb aboard the shuttle headed for The Seeker.
We strap in and the pilot executes a ninety degree leap into the air. Now used to the incredible toll such a maneuver exerts on the body, I barely feel it.
“That Greer guy probably doesn’t get invited so much to parties,” Colonel Masters says as he struggles against the vertical takeoff.
“Vice Admiral,” says the pilot from the cockpit.
“Go ahead Lieutenant,” I say.
“The Docmaster has informed me that we and the shuttle carrying the Tyreesian delegate are the last two shuttles left to dock with The Seeker.”
“Roger that,” I say.
Finally. I can exhale. Everyone is safe. They’re heading to The Seeker. We’ll be safe.
Then there is a massive explosion near us that knocks us sideways. The blast spins the shuttle off careening towards the diplomatic building. Only the quick guidance of the pilot prevents us from colliding.
My straps hold me tight, but they dig into my skin sharply. I recover quickly and turn to look out the window. I don’t see anything on my side.
“What the fuck just happened, Lieutenant?”
“Still trying to find out, Vice Admiral,” the pilot replies, frantic.
It is Colonel Masters that gets answers first.
“Sir,” he says in a voice that indicates terror, “The Tyreesian shuttle has just exploded midflight.”
Not caring for safety regulations, I unbuckle my harness and look out the window, straining to see.
I see flaming debris tumbling towards the planet surface.
And for the first time, I panic.
Chapter 9
Ashley
The CNC is bustling with activity as my First Officer is coordinating the inflow of delegates onto The Seeker and getting them all settled in and quieted. I am sitting in a seat I have watched Jeryl sit in for more than five years and I watch the view screen with every bit of accomplishment and pride that I can muster.
All my senior officers are present and in top condition, carrying out their assigned tasks as required. All systems are nominal.
We can go into battle right now if we wanted to.
A couple of minutes ago, I had contacted Jeryl’s shuttle and asked them to dock with The Seeker, along with the shuttle belonging to the Tyreesian delegation. It has been longer than usual and I am beginning to get worried.
I wonder if they have returned back to the diplomatic headquarters or if they have docked with another Union orbiting the gargantuan planet. I am about to ask the communications officer to contact Jeryl’s shuttle again, when I hear the gasp of shock coming from the navigator.
My eyes flash from the navigator to the view screen, looking for what may have shocked the young man. That’s when I notice a tiny flare of fire somewhere in the atmosphere of the planet beneath us.
“What is it, Lieutenant?” I ask the navigator, not sure of what I’m seeing.
“There’s an explosion on the surface, ma’am.”
My heart seems to stop as I process what he says. Explosion? How? I feel a rush of blood through my ears as it warms and prickles me. I find it difficult to breathe for a moment, fear fraying at every nerve ending within my body.
“Can you clarify what you mean by an explosion?” I say, picking my words one after the other and maintaining a flaccid tone so as not to let the storm of terror overwhelm me.
“Ma’am,” the communications officer replies, “it appears that one of the shuttles exploded midflight. We are yet to determine what the cause of the explosion was.”
I leap out of my sit, my heart pounding hard against my chest. Jeryl…He’s in one of those shuttles.
Oh my god.
My mind is suddenly surrounded with terrifying pictures of Jeryl lying in state at an official Armada burial ceremony and me wearing black and crying my heart and eyes out. I shook away the picture out of my mind, struggling to remain calm and reasonable; a feat that is incredible difficult to achieve.
“Confirm whose ship was destroyed,” I say, keeping my voice low.
In the corner of my eye, I can see my First Officer keeping a wary eye on me. He knows that my husband was in one of those shuttle headed for the ship. He’s probably wondering what must be going through my mind.
He’s probably also judging my capability to lead as captain and seeing if he should commandeer my vessel because I am no longer objectively commanding as per Armada regulations.
These are all just speculations, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of it were true. My First Officer is a very ambitious man.
Sometimes it makes me glad that I have the Armada Security guards who are assigned just to the Captain.
During the war, after mutiny on a TUS, the guards became a standard issue. I strongly disagreed back then when I saw Armada Security personnel that reported straight to Jeryl stand guard in CNC.
Now I can understand how it’s almost comforting.
“I can’t confirm, ma’am,” the navigations officer says. “There’s too much interference for our scanners to determine what exactly has happened.”
I turn to my communications officer. “Patch me through to either of the shuttles.”
The communications officer’s hands fly over his work station before he gives me the go ahead to speak.
I tap the button on my chair before I speak.
“Captain Gavin of The Seeker to the Shuttle Freedom. Please respond.”
Static fills the CNC.
I swallow hard, biting back tears.
“Captain Gavin of The Seeker to the Shuttle Freedom. Please respond.” This time I can’t help it and a little of my frustration pours into my last statement.
Static fills the CNC again.
“Captain, there’s no signal,” the communications officer states the obvious for my benefit.
“Patch me through to the New Washington Space Dock,” I say.
I hope they will have more information for me. I am on the verge of losing it. I feel Commander Maddox, my First Officer, edging closer to me.
I am having a hard time controlling my breathing as it threatens to send me into hyperventilation.
The communications officer gives me the go ahead.
I say, “Captain Gavin of The Seeker to Space Dock, come in.”
There’s a little static before it vanishes and is replaced with another female voice.
“Captain Gavin, this is Commander Barney of Space Dock Control. How may we assist you? Over.”
My heart lets loose a bit as I hope for some information on what’s happening down there.
“It appears there has been some kind of midflight explosion down on the planet. We were expecting two shuttles to dock with us, but none of them have and they’re not responding to our hails. Please, advise.”
There is a little pause.
“Captain Gavin, I can confirm that one of the vessels did suffer an unknown problem that caused it to explode midflight. As for the second shuttle, we cannot confirm that it was affected by the first explosion or that it exploded itself. But we can inform you that there was another explosion on the ground in the Diplomatic HQ grounds. Over.”
The communications officer looks in my direction, drawing my attention.
He says, “We are being hailed my Armada Security.”
“Is there anything I can assist you with, ma’am,” I hear Commander Barney say.
“No, thanks,” I reply. “Captain Gavin out.”
I terminate the connection from my chair control, then say to the communications officer. “On screen.”
The screen splits into two.
A tall gangly man appears on the left side of the screen. He has a solid build, in spite of his height and is currently wearing a no nonsense look.
I recognize him immediately. He’s the head of security for the Terran Armada on New Washington. A man that has a brutish reputation.
“Commander Samson, please go ahead,” I say at once.
“Captain Gavin,” he starts. “Do you know anything about the Tyreesian shuttle that exploded midflight a few minutes ago?”
Sadly, I feel a little bit of relief. At least I know it isn’t Jeryl’s ship that exploded. But this doesn’t mean my husband is safe. Why isn’t he answering our hails?
“The shuttle was headed to us to dock,” I reply. “We are seeking information about its whereabouts and about the other shuttle it was in flight with when the explosion happened.”
“Well, commander, we can tell you that the Tyreesian shuttle has been destroyed,” the man replies. “However, we can’t tell you what happened to the second ship. We’re still gathering all the intel on what happened. We’re dispatching some shuttles to the area to find out what happened.”
“Keep me in the loop,” I say.
“Indeed,” he replies. “Samson out.” And the man vanished, the screen returning to full screen.
I say to the communications officer, “Keep trying to get a hold of Vice Admiral Jeryl Montgomery.”
The officer nods and returns his full attention to his console.
I glance at the operations officer.
“Prepare a shuttle for me, Lieutenant. I’m going to go and find out for myself what’s happening.”
“Ma’am, I must protest that decision,” Commander Maddox speaks out.
I shoot him a surly gaze. “Why is that?”
“Ma’am, I don’t think it is wise for you to go running around the surface of the planet. You can send one of the security personnel or wait for official reports from Armada security. You should be here in case this is a prelude to a much bigger incursion. We’ll need you here in the case of a crisis.”
I stop in front of my First Officer. I look him in the eye and keep a straight face when I reply to him.
“Commander Maddox. We are orbiting the largest colony of the Terran Union and we are surrounded by many, many Terran Union Starships. If this is the precursor to an invasion all the way here at the heart of Terran space, then one more captain being around will not make a difference because we’d already be fucked.”
