Drake's Rift: Taurian Empire

by Nate Johnson

  God how he loved the Marines.

  He looked out over his men, mentally counting off until he was sure they were all still there. Letting out a silent sigh of relief when he saw Cleaver standing next to Corporal Jones.

  Knowing the good corporal, he wasn’t letting Cleaver out of his sight until they got aboard the transport.

  Each man was fully armored, with their faceplates up, ready to drop down if the shuttle lost pressure.

  The armor was currently set to neutral white. But he knew, at a moment’s notice the armor could switch to the appropriate camouflage, desert, forest, city, or even over to fully reflective mode if they were facing lasers.

  Each man had a battle pack on their back and a space bag at their feet. But it was the M72 dual action rifle across their chest that always drew his attention. The most powerful weapon ever developed for individual infantry troops. Its laser could punch through armor if you could hold it on point long enough. Or place an round down range accurately out to two thousand yards. With the flick of a switch, the rounds could be switched over to soft slugs for the maximum damage to a human body. You might lose a little in distance, but you picked up significantly in destruction.

  Dex smiled to himself, his men looked mean, bad, and fierce. Just like a platoon of Imperial Marines should look. Now if someone would kindly inform him who and what they were up against. Life could move on.

  “Form up” First Sergeant Puller yelled across the space-way tarmac. Dex smiled to himself. The First Sergeant never used his radio when a good scream would work just as well.

  Great, Dex thought to himself. Maybe they were finally going to learn what was going on.

  It really didn’t matter, though. His Marines could handle just about anything the galaxy could throw at them.

  .o0o.

  Alicia Miller grimaced as another ship passed overhead. The damn things had been streaking across the sky for the last ten days. Almost always headed for Tannerville.

  Her stomach clenched up into a tight ball as she thought of her mother and two older brothers. They and half the village had left for Tannerville the morning after the first arrival, and she hadn’t heard a word since.

  All of the farm hands, even Mr. Struthers, the general store owner had reported for militia duty right after the call-up. And once again, she was left on the outside looking in. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. Life was passing her by, leaving her in this backwater while all the excitement was somewhere else.

  It sometimes seemed as if that was to be her life. Never in the right place at the right time.

  Her skin prickled as she thought about the fight she and her mother had before her mother left to report to the hospital. Jake and Henry had been waiting for their mother. Shaking their head at their sister’s stubbornness.

  “You need to stay here,” her mother had said repeatedly. “Take care of Stephan, take care of the village, take care of the farm.”

  That was her, babysitter extraordinaire.

  Alicia had clenched her fist and bit her lip. If she’d been a little girl, she would have stomped her foot. But it wouldn’t have mattered. Her mother had spoken, and that was that. Alicia would remain behind. While Henry and Jake got to go off and have an adventure.

  Sighing, she turned to look down towards the small village of Drake’s Rift. Twenty buildings lining the only road that led to the cleft in the mountains behind the village.

  People she knew and cared about. People she had grown up with. So why didn’t she want to stay and help? Why this overwhelming urge to go to Tannerville?

  Because you are an idiot, she thought as guilt washed over her. Stop wishing for what you don’t have and accept what needs to be done.

  The door banged behind her as Stephan ran out onto the porch and down the steps.

  “Where are you going,” she yelled after him.

  “Luke’s” he screamed over his shoulder as he raced towards the village and his best friend’s home.

  “You need to muck out the barn, refuel the grader and both tractors,” she yelled, trying desperately to match her mother’s commanding voice.

  Stephan totally ignored her and continued running.

  Let him have fun, she thought as she shook her head. At least someone should be enjoying life.

  Alicia paused for a moment and looked down the valley, then back at the Rift that cut into the mountains and leads to Tannerville. Why hadn’t she heard anything from her mother? Or her brothers? Why the silence?

  The thought sent a cold chill down her spine. What was going on? That had to be the worst of it. The not knowing, the constant fear of the unknown.

  What if they come here? she wondered. What if the aliens landed in her valley?

  The thought made her chuckle. Why would aliens from a distant world want to come to this place? There was absolutely nothing of significance here. Not unless they had a particular desire for red beetles, pollar bats, dust, and a lonely wind.

  No, aliens would never come here, and she was never going to get to Tannerville. Once more, on the outside looking in.

  Chapter Five

  Aboard the I.S.S. Hamilton, one of the newer Attack Transport ships, the men of Bravo Company stared at their Commanding Officer with slack-jawed disbelief. A group dynamic where each man unknowingly mimicked the other. Each unable to believe what they had just heard.

  “Aliens?” Dex asked with disbelief. “You mean, little green men type aliens?”

  Captain Andrews nodded. “Actually, most of them are a tan brown color, but some of them are sort of greenish. With fur, like a rat. At least that is what we know so far.”

  The group of Marines around the Captain were obviously stunned. It wasn’t every day a man was told he was being sent to fight aliens.

  Ten days out of Taurus and they were finally getting the word. Aliens had invaded the planet Intrepid. The Navy was being sent in to destroy their ships. The Marines were being sent in to mop up on the ground.

  Dex shook his head as he tried to get his mind around the idea of intelligent aliens. It was the farthest thing possible from what he had expected.

  “How many Marines?” someone from the back asked.

  “All of them,” the captain answered.

  “The entire brigade?” First Sergeant Puller asked. His mind obviously reeling at the thought of over three thousand Marines fighting in one battle.

  “No,” the captain said with a frown. “All of them, the entire Corp. or almost all of them. Two divisions and a few stragglers we’re going to pick up along the way. The two Brigades on Montlake won’t make it in time. Otherwise, every Marine within hailing distance is being sent.”

  The entire group of men froze in silence. Their jaws dropping at the thought of that many Imperial Marines in one place. In the entire history of the Imperial Marine Corp. It had never taken more than a Brigade to bring any fight to a quick end.

  Dex’s gut tightened up into a ball. That many Marines meant it was serious. Damn serious.

  “Major Brown will be giving a more detailed briefing tomorrow afternoon.” The Marine Captain said referring to their battalion commander. “You now know as much as I do. When I learn more, you will learn more. Until then, keep working on your equipment. Focus on your training. Listen to your sergeants. Dismissed.”

  The group of Marines came to attention then broke up into their platoons and squads. Small collections of men forming globs that just sort of naturally came together. Their faces either shocked white or red with anger.

  “What the hell is going on?” someone asked Dex. He shook his head. How could he answer that question?

  “I don’t care who it is,” Corporal Jones said with a firm voice. “As far as I am concerned, they are just another target.”

  Suddenly everyone was talking at once. Their voices fighting with each other to be heard. Dex’s shoulders ached with tension. This was serious, every fiber of his body was telling him. This wasn’t some rebellious warlord wanting to carve
out a piece of a planet for himself. This wasn’t some gang trying to intimidate the local authorities.

  This was a stand up fighting force. Sent across the universe to attack a human planet. They would be disciplined, well-armed, and probably difficult to defeat. Despite what the guys thought. This was not going to be easy.

  .o0o.

  Onboard the I.S.S. Churchill, Command ship for the fleet, Admiral McKenzie stood alone on the observation deck. His arms folded behind his back. His mind lost in a thousand details as he reran possibilities and outcomes over and over through his mind.

  He shook his head, still unable to believe that he had been put in command of the fleet. The Emperor had been impressed with the report he had written all those years ago on what to do if this situation occurred. In addition, Admiral McKenzie believed deep in his heart. The Emperor was retaining Jacobs close to home in case they needed to create a new Imperial Navy.

  While no one had come out and directly said so. It was rather obvious that the Imperial staff was not exactly confident that this was going to work. If he failed, if the fleet was destroyed. Every resource would be needed to build again.

  A light tap at the hatchway drew his attention.

  “Excuse me, Sir,” his aide said. “You asked to see Doctor Sinclair.”

  Mac hesitated for a moment then nodded. “Yes, send her in please.”

  The aide stepped back and allowed Doctor Sinclair to enter the observation deck.

  She was a pretty woman, he thought. It always struck him every time he saw her. Those clear, intelligent blue eyes. The warm chocolate colored hair framing a heart-shaped face. He wondered briefly why she had never married. A woman such as her, pretty, intelligent, with a sweet smile, surely she must have had many suitors. Then he mentally shook his head at the ridiculousness of his thoughts.

  “Come in Doctor,” he said as he stepped towards her.

  The Doctor frowned for a moment, “You asked to see me, Sir?”

  “Yes, yes,” Mac answered, “and please Doctor, I know that protocol dictates we refer to each other by our formal titles. But, I do hope we can ignore protocol in this instance. You are a civilian, call me Mac.”

  She smiled slightly and dipped her head, “Only if you will call me Janet,” she replied. “Every time you say Doctor I expect my department head to appear behind me.”

  Mac nodded and indicated a set of cloth covered chairs arranged around a small table.

  “Coffee? Tea?” Mac asked. “I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything stronger. But this is a Navy ship, and I do have to set an example.”

  Janet smiled back, “Coffee would be nice.”

  The Admiral turned to his aide and asked for two coffees.

  “Now then,” Mac said. “Are you settling in okay? Any problems with Commander Evans? You are getting to see all the reports?”

  That was one of the many things he worried about. Bureaucratic infighting. Men more worried about their carriers and their own little empires. He would not tolerate it here. Not now. Too much was at stake.

  “Yes,” she said as she took the mug of coffee from the aide. “Yes, Commander Evans has been very welcoming and is making sure I see everything.” She paused for a moment. “In all honesty. I expected to be treated cautiously. An outsider, and an academic at that. Excuse me for saying this, but a lot of military men would have been more recalcitrant in their welcoming when they were forced to take on an outside consultant.

  Mac smiled. “That is one of the things I like about Commander Evans, he only sees the problem that needs to be solved. The politics of a situation are meaningless to him.”

  “Yes, well, everyone has been very nice. I even have my own stateroom.”

  “And the men, anyone giving you any problems?”

  “No, no, everyone has been very nice, a little disappointed when they learn that I don’t know anything more than they do. But nice.”

  Mac nodded, then took a long slow sip of his coffee.

  “I know that you didn’t want to be here,” he said. “In fact, I imagine this is the last place in the universe you wanted to be.”

  Janet shrugged her shoulders. “No, I will admit that I was not happy with the idea. But, when the Emperor asks you to do something, it is hard to say no.”

  “It does feel more like an order than a request, doesn’t it,” he said before pausing a slight moment. “The thing is,” he continued, “I wanted to be clear up front. The Emperor asked for you to accompany us at my request.”

  Janet's eyes opened wide in surprise, it was obvious that she had not considered that possibility.

  “Really? Why?” she asked.

  “Because I need an outside perspective. I need someone who sees thing differently. Someone who doesn’t just see an enemy or a target. I need someone to tell me when I am thinking wrong. Does that make any sense?”

  She looked at him for a long moment, he could well imagine the thoughts jumping through her head. At last, she glanced down at the coffee mug in her hand and nodded.

  “I understand,” she said. “That is a rather heavy burden to place on me.”

  That was it, he realized. No forgiveness, no anger. She understood and accepted the situation.

  “I am sorry,” he said. “But it is a burden we must all carry until this thing is finished.”

  She looked at him over the rim of her coffee cup and frowned. “At least the rest of us have someone to blame if things don’t work out. We can go to our graves knowing that we weren’t the person in charge. An ability that you do not share. It must be a much heavier burden you bear.”

  Mac, laughed slightly, “What? Knowing that every decision I make might result in the end of the human species. That hundreds of thousands of years’ worth of history could be wiped out. That if we are not successful, the universe will quickly forget that humans ever existed. Yes, it is a bit of a burden. You could say that.”

  She laughed with him at the absurdity of two people trying to solve such a massive problem.

  “Here, let me show you something,” he said as he waved his hand over the table. A hologram popped into existence. Stars in the distance, then small red circles appeared, a name in blue next to each of them.

  “The fleet,” he said. “Twenty-four ships of the line. Five transports. Three auxiliary vessels, and a couple of other things up my sleeve.”

  She stared at the scene in front of her, obviously enthralled with the complex nature of everything.

  “The strongest fleet in the history of mankind,” he continued, “any one of those ships of the line could destroy a city. Thirty-four thousand men brought together for one purpose. Saving the Empire. So at least I am not alone.”

  She smiled at him, “Thirty-four thousand men, and one woman.”

  He laughed and nodded. “Forgive me. And one woman.”

  The woman across from him studied the picture for a long moment then leaned back in her chair.

  “Why only one woman?” she asked. “Why won’t the Navy allow women to serve. Do you really think we are incapable?”

  Mac frowned and slowly shook his head. “No, not at all,” he said. “Woman have proven that in the commercial fleet. No, that isn’t the issue.”

  “Then why?”

  He paused for a long moment. “You have to remember. When the Empire was formed, when the Navy was stood up. The galaxy was wide open. More planets than we knew what to do with.”

  “So?” she asked, obviously enjoying putting him on the spot.

  “Well, at the time, it was decided that the Empire needed children to populate all those new worlds. And it was thought that a naval career might interfere with that. The belief was that spacers could be gotten at a dime a dozen. But mothers were more valuable.”

  She frowned and shook her head. Obviously not liking the implication.

  “That’s the explanation?” she asked. “A simple desire to produce more children?”

  “Well,” he said. “You must surely know how muc
h value the empire places on having children. Growing our population.”

  Her eyes narrowed into a hard stare. “Mac,” she said, “I am a single woman, childless, in a field still dominated by old men and their judgmental wives. Believe me, I am well aware of the outdated beliefs of some people.”

  He smiled slightly and said, “I can well imagine. But, you should know, that there has been talk of opening things up. Of changing. I think that regardless of how things work out over the next few weeks, the Imperial Navy is in for a major expansion. This will be an excellent opportunity for the Emperor to make the necessary changes.”

  She nodded slowly and returned to studying the hologram in front of her.

  Mac watched her for a long moment. His curiosity about this woman continued to grow. Without thinking his thought through, he asked her, “So Janet, why have you never married?”

  Her eyes opened wide in surprise at the personal nature of his questions. He quickly held up his hands and said, “Please, I wasn't being judgmental, just curious. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

  Shaking her head, she smiled back, “No. That is all right. It is an honest question that deserves an honest answer. Why haven’t I ever gotten married?” she paused for a long moment. “Because I am unwilling to settle,” she said with a firm set of her lips. “Growing up, I saw so many young women put more thought into having a family than into the thought of who they would be sharing the rest of their lives with. I determined that I would not settle. That the person I married would be someone I couldn’t imagine living my life without.”

  He nodded slowly as he thought about her words.

  “And you?” she asked. “Why aren’t you married?”

  A quick grimace flashed across his face before he could stop it. See, this was why a person shouldn’t ask personal questions. People had a habit of asking them back.

  “I was,” he said slowly. “My wife and daughter were killed in an accident on New Kansas almost twenty years ago.”