There was a long silence, then. Lee wondered if the Ch’Tauk ships had decided to destroy them after all, and were pulling back to avoid debris when the station exploded. He had always been okay with the dark, but at this moment he felt totally afraid. He never wanted to die in the dark, separated from the familiar technology that had always been a part of his life. Now he realized that he was all alone and completely helpless.
The lights flickered back on, bathing the deck in a pale, inconsistent light. Lee saw the others staggering back to their feet. Farthing tapped keys again without any success.
“The monitors are dead, sir. I can’t get anything from outside.”
Lee heard a loud crackle from the console in front of him. He pressed his hand to the console and tried to refine the signal. Although he knew that he could not understand the Ch’Tauk language, he felt the need to listen anyway as he faced his death.
“Commander Pearce,” came a voice over the speaker. “Do you need assistance?”
The voice of Captain Ronald Chang was the sweetest sound Lee had ever heard. He felt his knees weaken with relief, but kept standing as he leaned forward to the station and pressed the panel.
“Captain Chang,” he said. “You’re early.”
“You have a singular ability to get yourself in trouble, Commander,” replied the captain. “I thought you might need me.”
“We’re blind down here, Captain,” Lee said. “What is the situation with the Ch’Tauk?”
“They seemed not to be happy to see us,” said Chang. “Now they are a debris field. We are sending over shuttles to get you guys out of there. Do you need anything else?”
Lee sighed as he looked around the room. Melaina had risen from the deck and Farthing was standing by his station. The soldiers that had remained with them were smoothing out their uniforms and checking their weapons. They all looked to Lee as he pressed the button on the panel again. “Captain,” he said into the radio, “at this point I’ll take a stable floor and lights that actually work.”
“Roger that, Commander,” Chang replied. “Just sit tight and we will be right over to get you.”
Lee collapsed into the seat, relieved that the fighting was over. He had spent his entire adult life in the military and had never needed to engage in a firefight like that one. He also realized, for the first time in his life, that he never wanted to do it again.
24
As Lee saw Alice stride across the hangar deck on board the Terran Princess, he felt his heart skip a beat. He knew that what was about to come was not going to be pleasant, and so had decided to wait until after he had transferred back to the cruise ship and checked back in with Captain Ortiz to come down to talk to her. Now that the moment was upon him, he wasn’t sure the battle he was about to face would be any easier than the battle he had just survived.
“Alice,” he called to the blonde woman.
She froze in her tracks and turned slowly towards him. There were a thousand things she could do to him in that moment and he braced himself for all of them. She turned on her toes and started towards him. Before Lee had left the ship, Ortiz had told him of the events of two years ago. He knew she had lost someone very close and had been considered unstable by many ever since. Now he stood his ground and prepared to face her wrath.
As Alice approached, he tried to judge her mood by the way she walked. She normally kept one hand clenched when she walked, a sign of deep pain and aggression. Now, though, both hands were open and swinging freely by her sides, and she had a very neutral expression on her face that made it hard for Lee to know what to expect. The woman stopped directly in front of him and looked him in the eye.
Suddenly, Lee was trying to keep from stumbling backwards as Alice leapt into his arms and kissed him. His back slammed into the wall behind him, knocking some of the wind from him. Her arms had wrapped themselves around his body and held him tight. After the initial shock, he returned the kiss with passion.
She pulled away from him and stared into his eyes again. She had tears streaming down her face as she stared back at him. She usually looked so tough and it struck Lee that she was now showing vulnerability that she had buried for many years. He was still looking at her as she swung her arm around and slapped him.
“Would you please stop doing that,” he said, rubbing his cheek. “I’m going to get calluses.”
“You selfish jerk!” Alice exclaimed, still holding him tight with her other arm. “How dare you go off without me? You know you could have been killed without me to watch your back!”
“I just thought it would be better that way,” Lee said.
Alice’s expression fell immediately and she pulled out of his arms. She turned away from him and wiped at the tears that had streaked down her cheeks. As Lee looked at her back, she gave a loud sniff.
“Alice,” Lee started again, unsure of what he had said to make her upset. “I needed you here to train with the Demons.”
“I know, Lee,” she replied, turning back to the pilot. “It’s just that—”
“I know, Alice,” Lee said, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I understand about Alan but I can’t be out there trying to fly circles around the bugs if I am worrying about whether or not you can fly.”
At the mention of her former fiancé, Alice snapped her head up to face Lee. He knew he had hit a sore spot for her, but he also needed her to move past that pain and allow herself to be emotional with someone else. He hoped he hadn’t just set himself up to fail with the comment.
“You’re right,” she said, stepping closer to him. “I probably needed the training. Those guys are really good.”
“Alice, I have been meaning to ask you,” Lee said, stepping into her embrace. “Where did you learn to fly a fighter ship anyways? I mean, I expect you knew how to fly to move cargo and passengers, but you handled that Peregrine like a professional the first time.”
“Well,” she looked away, an embarrassed expression crossing her face. “Do you know the children’s deck down below the stellar pool?”
Lee nodded as she bit her lip. Once again, the look on her face was so different that he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. He wondered if he was falling in love with this strange woman.
“There is a game down there,” she continued. “A simulator for fighter ships. I hold high score.”
His eyes widened in amazement. Of all the explanations he had imagined, this was the least likely. He had never seen a simulation, even the one at the Academy that could train a pilot like Alice.
“Maybe for now,” he said, smiling to her. “But now that I know where it is, I think I would love to take a turn.”
“Don’t you dare!” she exclaimed. “I will go down there and disconnect it from the ship’s power. For once, I am the best at something and I won’t let you take that away.”
“Commander Pearce,” said a voice over the ship’s intercom. “Please report to the bridge. Commander Pearce, please report to the bridge.”
“Duty calls,” Lee said, listening to the voice of Kama Yu echo away in the hangar bay. “I guess we are coming out of M-space.”
“Do you mind if I tag along?” Alice asked, tugging on Lee’s arm. “I am just coming off duty anyway.”
Lee nodded and the two headed off to the bay airlock. As they passed the area where the fighters were being kept, he couldn’t help but glance at the elves rebuilding the Peregrine fighters from Baal. The ships had been upgraded beyond any technology that the Confederacy was capable of. The only ship that could keep up with them now was Lee’s own Silver Eagle.
They entered the airlock and walked into the corridor towards the lift. The ship had been travelling back towards the dark system where Baal had been left. They were still on schedule to rendezvous before the Ch’Tauk might return. The two captains, Ortiz and Chang, had decided to stop at the original point in space where Baal was to have met up with Resolute a few months ago to recharge the solar cells and prepare for a power transfer for Aus
terlitz. The support ships would follow soon after for security reasons.
They had transferred the prisoners from Harpy station to the Terran Princess and the doctors were overseeing their recovery. Lee knew that Henry Moore would have a fit if he knew the Princess was now carrying hardened criminals. Some of the engineers, including Melaina and Tuxor, had stayed on Resolute and had begun upgrading the battleship’s systems.
Harpy station itself had been destroyed. Captain Chang had decided that the station was a monument to the old Confederacy, and as long as it existed, the Ch’Tauk could use it to imprison humans. Lee had tried to persuade him to tow the ship back to a secure location and use it as a research station, but eventually the two men had agreed that the station had to go. Lee had stood with the prisoners and watched as Resolute opened fire on the already fragile and damaged station. It had split apart under the barrage of cannon fire and finally exploded as its reactor core destabilized. They had left soon after without looking back.
“Do you think Hathaway will be happy to see us?” Alice asked as the lift took them up to the bridge. “I mean, having Resolute back will help him out, right?”
“Hathaway is a strange man, Alice,” Lee replied. “Chang said he sent them away on purpose. I’m not really sure how he will react to its return.”
The two rode on in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The last few weeks had seen the cruise ship engaged in military missions and defending itself against enemy fighters. Whereas once they had been without hope that they might ever see more humans, now they were actively involved in the rescue and reunion of more than they could have imagined.
“Lee,” Alice started. “I have always meant to ask you something.”
“Ask me anything,” Lee said, curious. “I am a fount of knowledge and wisdom.”
“How did you end up on the Princess anyway?”
A shadow fell across Lee’s face. His usual mischievous smile disappeared and was replaced with a sad, hurt expression. Alice realized that he was struggling to uncover a deep wound that he had hidden inside for a long while. “Alice, I—”
The door to the bridge deck slid open and Lee hesitated. He looked at her with the pain in his eyes and she understood that it was a secret he was not ready to share. She put her fingers to his lips and stopped him from continuing. He reached up and took her fingers and kissed them gently. He then turned and left the lift and headed towards the bridge. Alice followed close behind.
As the door to the bridge slid aside, Lee could see the blue-brown bruise of M-space on the main view screen. In M-space, other ships looked like a bubble of liquid energy. Lee saw the shape that must have been the Resolute sliding through the murky membrane beside the Princess. The battleship was larger than the cruise ship, but M-space distorted the image and made the two seem to be of an equal size. Lee could hear Ortiz calling orders to his crew as the ships appeared to slow.
“Miss Yu,” said Ortiz. “Prepare the signal for Resolute as we come out of the jump point. I want to get charged and back to Baal a soon as possible.”
“Yes sir,” replied the communications officer.
Lee strode up the ramp to the command deck to see Ortiz seated at his chair. He was monitoring the ship’s systems with his holographic display. Lee realized that for the first time in years, Ortiz seemed to be a captain again. He had regained the air of command and confidence that he had lost just a short while before. Lee wondered what the man had been like when he was still in the Confederate military.
“Lee, Miss Bennett, please come over here,” Ortiz ordered. “I wanted to discuss our next move after we unload the prisoners and engineers.”
The two exchanged glances with each other as they approached the captain. It had not occurred to Lee what they might do once they returned to Baal. He supposed he would return to the carrier and his service, and that Alice would stay on the cruise ship. Now, the thought of separating from the woman caused him pain. He supposed he was falling for her.
“I guess we’ll have to ask Hathaway what he wants to do with us,” Lee replied. “He is still the senior officer, sir.”
Ortiz pursed his lips as he thought about what Lee had said. It was obvious the two men had grown distant over the years, and that Ortiz felt no love for the man.
“But Lee,” said Alice, “the Confederacy is gone. There is no chain of command anymore.”
“The Confederacy exists,” Lee responded, not wanting to meet Alice’s gaze. “As long as these ships exist.”
Lee could feel the woman’s eyes boring into the side of his head. He knew he would pay for the remark later, but it had to be said now. Ortiz nodded at the pilot in understanding.
“Jump point reached, sir,” said Curtis Stone. “Resolute is opening the vortex.”
All eyes returned to the screen as the battleship twisted space into the familiar swirl of the jump exit. Blackness and stars appeared through the portal and Resolute moved to exit the nothingness of M-space. Lee could see the fiery corona forming as the big ship passed into normal space.
The Terran Princess maneuvered into the exit point and was soon enveloped in the orange energy field. The bridge crew braced themselves as the ship slowed its pace and reentered normal space. There were few moments of radio silence as the energy field bled away. Lee saw the display indicate that the vortex had closed behind them.
“Sir,” said Kama Yu, “I am trying to reach Resolute, but the radio is being jammed.”
Stations all around the bridge were beginning to stream static back to the captain. Lee tried to make sense of the interference.
“Are we reading any Ch’Tauk ships in the area?” Lee asked of the man at the security console. “Did they find us?”
The man shook his head as he tried to clear the static from the screen. Ortiz seemed almost in a panic as he looked from one holographic display to the other. None of it made much sense to Lee.
Finally, there was a break in the radio jamming and Lee walked to the edge of the command deck to see the security scans. He saw the Resolute on their scanners. It was holding station off the port side of the Princess. There was another signal, though, on the screen. It was reading as over two kilometers long and bristling with weapons. There was a sharp pop from the speakers as the radio resolved into a familiar voice.
“This is Admiral Hathaway of the Confederate carrier Baal,” said the booming voice. “Stand down and prepare to be boarded.”
Lee looked back at Ortiz, who had returned to his seat and was trying to see the big ship on his display. The security console told Lee that the carrier had apparently recovered enough of its power to be targeting both ships with its plasma cannons. Alice stepped forward to join Lee at the rail.
“Lee,” she said, “the engineers.”
Lee remembered that they had left a few of the engineers on board Baal to try to help them get their reactor up and running. It looked as if the team had not only repaired the reactor, but had also repaired enough of Baal’s systems to rearm themselves and come looking for their lost ship.
“Open a channel,” said Ortiz. “Let me speak to him.”
Kama Yu tapped a few keys and the image of Admiral Hathaway appeared on the screen. He was pale and sweat beaded on his dark brow. Lee noticed a tic in the man’s expression that seemed to draw one of his eyebrows up into his hairline.
“Omar,” said Ortiz, “what are you doing? It’s us. We’ve brought back Resolute.”
“I see the traitor, Alfredo,” said the admiral. “He and his alien allies will either be placed under arrest or I will destroy them. “
“Admiral,” Lee said, stepping over to the command chair. “This is Commander Pearce. I assure you that Captain Chang is no traitor.”
“Ah, Pearce,” replied Hathaway. “I knew it had to be you. The moment I laid eyes on you I knew you had come to take away my ship. I won’t let you do that, Pearce. I will destroy you first. Hathaway out.”
The channel abruptly cut and the view screen wen
t dark. Lee stared at the blank image, dumbfounded. The admiral seemed even more unstable, and now with some kind of paranoid fantasy about Lee. He turned to look at Ortiz.
“What is it with you, Lee?”
25
Three Years Ago
Captain Ellie Blackmon strode along the corridor leading to the launch bay of her Terran Confederacy carrier, Zeus. She was tall, with short, white hair cut in a regulation bob. She wore her brown and green uniform with confidence and pride, and was aware that her crew was loyal to the last man. She had fought and bled with each one of them and treated them with the respect only that experience could give.
Her ship was orbiting Earth along with its support ships and thousands of civilian and military ships. Close by, the carrier group belonging to Captain Childs and the Tlaloc were within hours of departing for their rendezvous with Admiral Hathaway and the Baal. Together, they would be initiating the invasion of the Ch’Tauk home world.
Although Ellie had been fully briefed on the plan, she was worried. The Ch’Tauk had seemed docile enough in the negotiations leading up to the invasion, but she could simply not believe the attack would be as easy as Hathaway had laid out. She felt a vital piece of the equation was missing from the Ch’Tauk mindset, and she didn’t like it. Admiral Hathaway, however, had lobbied the Confederate Council to go ahead with the invasion and subdue the insectoid race anyway.
Now, with preparations for their departure underway, she had a final duty to perform on Earth before heading out to her rendezvous with war. The ship was carrying a passenger who needed to depart and return as soon as possible. She had been ordered to personally give instructions to the man and so it was with purpose that she approached the launch bay.
Resolute Omnibus (The War for Terra) Page 19
