by DJ Morand
The EXOs were abominations of the Quintarrans they had previously been. A strange sort of green-yellow viscous covered their bodies causing them to glisten. The odd combination of mechanical and organic parts brought bile to Echo’s throat. She clicked off the safety on her pistol and began opening fire.
The first of the EXOs fell back. Its face was seared through the front to the back of its head. Echo knew she couldn’t keep this up, but she knew she needed to try. She scrambled back, but the pain in her leg made her stumble. The shrapnel dug a bit deeper and she could feel fresh warm blood stain her lower leg. She grabbed the shrapnel and pulled. It dug into her fingers, but it came free.
Her vision went blurry for a second. She continued to fire despite the blood flowing down her leg. The plasma pistol whined and coughed as the weapon heated up. Two more EXOs fell to the ground and two more moved in on her. She could feel the itching of the nanites trying to repair the damage in her hand and the wound above her knee. Echo stood up again and stumbled again.
She hit her bottom hard as she tripped over the body of one of the guards. The plasma pistol in her hand grew too hot and overheated. The small weapon’s alarm beeped repeatedly and she tossed it aside. Echo stumbled back away from the EXOs.
The EXOs advanced, attempting to flank her. She didn’t understand why they weren’t firing back. The first reached her and took hold of her arm. Realization dawned on her and she frantically grabbed for one of the guards’ plasma weapons. Her right hand grasped the butt of a plasma rifle and she pulled hard. The EXO lifted her off the ground and tried to restrain her. Echo kicked at its face and tore part of its face.
The exposed wiring, blood, and bone beneath sickened her. Held up by one arm Echo watched as the other two EXOs moved to her sides.
If they get a hold of me I’ll be exed, she thought in a panic.
Echo tossed the rifle up to herself. She let go of the butt and did her best to catch the handle. The rifle barely made it to her hand as she closed her fingers around the grip. She put the barrel of the gun against the EXO’s chest and squeezed the trigger. The plasma tore through the EXO and flung her backwards against the wall.
The impact seized her breath and she gasped for air Still gasping for breath, she leveled the rifle at the two more of the EXOs and opened fire. The barking cough from the rifle rang out through the small security checkpoint. By the time the rifle burned out, the EXOs were obliterated. Parts of the organic machines littered the walls and plasma scoring was evident everywhere.
Echo continued to gasp for breath. Her back ached and she still struggled to stand. Her vision blacked and she thought, not again.
18: COMM BUOY
Quintar IV - EFNF Alpha Base: Production Facility
2973 ESD - Monday, May 31st 10:15 hours
Hours before Echo met with Abel, Fleet Admiral Andromeda Clark met with the Vald representative. The offices of the Fleet Admiral were filled with unique furnishings mostly from ancient Quintarran design. The Vald had been generous in their assistance, but had asked little of the Fleet Admiral.
Sitting in her office with Dubok Tor - the Commander of the Vald forces - Andromeda discussed the maiden voyage of the TP-D Justice.
“Recommended this is not Admiral of the Fleet,” Dubok said. “The Vald condone not this action.”
“I don’t recall giving authority to the Vald in my military decision making Commander,” Andromeda stiffened.
The Vald Commander bowed awkwardly. His thin frame bent at the segmented half of his upper torso and he splayed his insectile arms out wide. Andromeda looked at him as if he were a cockroach, but held her tongue.
“I, Commander of the Vald, no disrespect meant,” his awkward dialect grated on Andromeda’s ears. “We, however, a different bit of information have.”
Andromeda rolled her eyes. Her patience was wearing thin and she could not help but imagine drawing her pistol and ending the Vald Commander. The Fleet Admiral calmed herself. She had made an alliance with these creatures and they had been nothing but helpful.
My irritation, she reasoned. Has nothing to do with the Vald.
She knew that her irritation had more to do with the recent attack on Quintar IV and the desire for revenge. It was like an itch she could not scratch and it was ripping through her heart trying to get at her enemies.
“Clark of the Andromeda,” the Vald Commander craned his neck to look at the Fleet Admiral. “Our words do you hear?”
His question snapped Andromeda back to the present. She looked at the insectile creature’s over-large eyes and fought the urge to retch. However helpful the Vald had been, she could not bring herself to stare at them.
“I apologize Commander,” Andromeda turned her face away. “I was distracted.”
The Commander seemed nonplussed, “No matter it is. Discovered we have a transmission.”
Andromeda lifted an eyebrow and turned around. The Vald had lowered himself again and seemed almost invisible. She preferred them this way, hidden in the shadows. The Commander spoke again, but his voice was hushed.
“A transmission found. The buoys, Shade of Echo deployed. Clark of Andromeda, home of yours is found.”
The Fleet Admiral felt her blood run cold. For twenty years the EFNF had been searching for any means to return to the Sol system. Now, the Vald was giving her this gift on a silver platter. She couldn’t help but wonder what the Vald would want in return.
“I must investigate this. You’re sure it is Earth? The Sol System?” she asked.
“Sure we are. Earth of Sol is found.”
Andromeda Clark smiled. The weary lines of her face brightened, “Thank you. I shall leave orders for the TP-D to seek out the attackers, and I will take my flagship - the Destiny - to investigate the comm buoys. With luck, Commander, humanity will be able to return home.””
“A request have I, Commander of the Vald for Clark of the Andromeda,” he said.
Andromeda knew he would eventually ask for repayment. She feared it would be more than humanity could afford. The EFNF was not large enough on its own to defeat the Vald. Their resources seemed to be unlimited. She had seen how the Vald modules could rebuild and repair metallic structures when she deployed them in the ruined production facilities. Most thought the facilities were still derelict, but the Vald technology had nearly brought them back online just days after.
“What is your request, Commander?” Andromeda crossed her arms under her bosom.
“A home for the Vald,” Dubok Tor intoned in a whisper. “Would we a home have with Humans of Sol?”
“I cannot make that promise,” Andromeda said carefully. “Humanity may decide not to allow you entrance.”
They may not even allow us, she thought.
“You will,” Dubok steeled his voice.
“I will,” Andromeda agreed.
She knew it was the easiest choice. If humanity disagreed with her decision they would lose to the Vald, but the Vald would remember her and she would be spared, maybe all of the EFNF would.
“I am going to go and prepare the Destiny,” Andromeda stood up. “Will you accompany me to the buoy?”
“Commander of the Vald so will do.”
19: FIRST FLEET
Quintar IV - EFNF Alpha Base: Production Facility
2973 ESD - Monday, June 7th 11:00 hours
The battle with the EXOs the week before shook Echo. She had spent another three days in recovery. Only the urgency of the mission and being the only trained officer for the TP-D Justice, kept her on the mission roster. Echo adjusted a bracelet on her wrist. She tapped her Writcom to show their current heading. She could have easily used the Transteel viewer, but the Writcom was mobile.
“Master Chief, keep an eye two points off the starboard bow, looks like it is a bit tight there,” Captain Echo Shade warned. The holographic device displayed the ship schematics as well as the outer hull.
“Aye. Captain.” Six Remington replied.
He adjusted the course o
f the TP-D Justice two points to the port bow. The destroyer moved slightly to its left and away from any obstacles. Despite being in the upper atmosphere in orbit around Quintar IV, the TP-D had been kept a secret to most of the populace below. That proved to be pointless when the URSA gunship had attacked. The vessel had struck at the production facilities directly, which meant that they knew the EFNF had been building something.
Echo Shade and her crew had been training for this initial mission for a year and still she felt nervous. A cold rage seethed inside her. Echo wanted nothing more than to prove herself and to eliminate the threat to the EFNF. Something had changed when she saw Abel. It was a subtle change that she barely noticed, but it had solidified when the EXOs attacked the security station.
“Come alongside the ATON and prepare for a full thrust out of the upper atmosphere,” Echo said.
The ATON, or aid to navigation, was a signal buoy marking the safe exit vector into space. It would also direct their course remotely once they broke through the thin layer of the upper atmosphere. The asteroid debris rings surrounding the planet allowed Quintar IV a decent defense against large scale invasion, but they also made it difficult to produce fleets in space. The EFNF had learned that to get large navy vessels off the planet, they needed to build them in the upper atmosphere. However, it was a time and resource consuming process.
“Aye. Captain,” Six replied.
He entered the navigation points on the computer and aligned with the ATON. The destroyer moved sluggishly as it inched forward and lined up with the buoy.
“All ahead at one percent power, at sixty kilometers bring us up to thirty five percent,” Echo said.
She added, “Slowly Master Chief.”
“Aye. Captain.” Six said.
Echo was pretty sure she heard a bit of resignation in his tone. She listened as Six relayed the message to Kay. The Quintarran woman listened intently then nodded. She put a hand to her temple and the ship began to accelerate. Echo then turned to Chief Petty Officer Astra Martinez.
“Martinez,” Echo began. “Do we have coordinates on the exit vector through the asteroid belt yet?”
“Negative. Ma'am. I am performing the calculations, I'll have it before we clear atmo.” Martinez said.
Martinez’s dark black hair was pulled tight in a bun. Echo recognized her heritage as that of Titan or that at least her parents had been Titanians. Echo thought her dark skin was beautiful. The correlation brought back the painful memory of Aurora Rigel and her tanned skin. Echo's own skin was tinged with blue. Echo often wondered if that played against her. She knew it did in her own mind. Echo felt separate from everyone else, like she did not belong with humanity or with the Quintarrans. Others, like Astra Martinez and Kay could be proud of their lineage, proud of both parents and they fit with their own species. No other Quintarrans had successfully mated with a human that she knew of. She was alone. She felt alone, except when she was with Abel.
Put him out of your mind E, she thought. He made his choice. You have a job to do.
“Increasing power to thirty-five percent, ten, fifteen …” Kay was counting the percentages in fives. Every few seconds she would intone the next five percent increment, “Twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five percent. We have achieved optimal exit speed.”
“Captain, we've reached thirty-five percent propulsion and are meshing out of Quintar IV atmosphere. Standby for navigation directional light in three … two …. one …… directional light deployed,” Six said.
“Very good Master Chief. Martinez? Once we get black I need your coordinates.” Echo said.
“Aye. Captain. I have them here. Alpha Tango Niner Two Foxtrot Alpha Four, on a bearing of four degrees, starboard.” Martinez replied.
“Thank you Chief Petty Officer.” Echo said. “Master Chief once we have black, set directional light for Alpha Tango Niner Two Foxtrot Alpha Four.””
“Confirmed. AT92FA4, bearing four degrees starboard on black.” Six replied.
The destroyer steadily climbed through the upper atmosphere and into space. Echo watched it happen on the Transteel viewer. She decided to forego the Writcom for this task. It made her nervous to see the asteroids floating around the planet like killer satellites hell-bent on tearing through her hull. Echo tried to remember the calm she had found in the simulators and the coordinated effort of her crew. She could only remember the failures,such as her command structure breaking down and her will failing.
Snap out of it E! She chided. You can do this!
She knew she could do it. She had done it before. Back then it had been the Darter, her modified long range RAVEN-F. Now, she was at the helm of a starship, a destroyer sixty times the size of the Darter. She had several RAVEN-F ships onboard. She had a crew of seven-hundred souls. The numbers didn't include herself or the officers on the command deck with her.
Seven hundred-six then, she thought.
Surprisingly giving herself the numbers calmed her mind. She could force herself to calm knowing that so many lives depended on that calm. Echo felt the panic flee from her bones. There was still nervous energy all about her, but she was in control.
“All ahead full the moment we clear the asteroid belt. Lieutenant Boulson?” Echo said.
“Ma'am?” Andrew Boulson replied.
“Please have tactical ready to go. In the event that URSA gunship didn't mesh out of the system, I want to be prepared.”
“Yes. Ma'am.” Andrew replied.
Echo turned back to the helm, “Master Chief, Ensign Kay, please have an exit point ready should we encounter resistance. Our only target is the URSA class gunship, if we're ambushed or encounter other vessels we are to mesh out of system and rendezvous with the Fleet Admiral's flagship, Destiny. They're at least four parsecs from Eden on its cold side.”
“Ma'am? Why is the Destiny towards the edge of the system? That's practically Dark Space.” Andrew asked.
“Classified. The Fleet Admiral has some suspicions about Eden’s involvement,” Echo’s her tone left no doubt what she thought of the Fleet Admiral's suspicions. “Other than that, she did not see fit to tell me.”
Echo had spent time on Eden, the people there were beaten and broken, but they weren't rebel rousers or conspirators. The Fleet Admiral having a presence near Dark Space on the edge of the system was not to maintain the security of the EFNF.
It is more likely that Fleet Admiral Clark has a different reason for being there, she thought.
The thought unsettled Echo. She needed to trust the EFNF, but she felt like that trust was breaking down. Echo agreed that Eden needed to be watched for EXO activity. She believed that Eden’s people needed to be protected, but whatever the Fleet Admiral intended to do, Echo wasn't sure she had the best interest of Eden at heart. The people of Eden did not need another dictator, they needed a savior. She realized then that she thought Abel might be more suited to the task of helping Eden than Fleet Admiral Clark.
“Ma'am, I'm picking up multiple contacts,” Andrew said.
“Hostiles Lieutenant?” Echo asked.
“I don't think so ma'am. They don't look like vulture backs. Heat signature is off. Ma'am they're RAVEN fighters.” Andrew responded.
“Master Chief, open secure comms, EFNF channel India Kilo November,” Echo ordered.
“Captain? That's old EFNF,” Six replied.
“Just do it Master Chief,” Echo barked.
“Ma'am.”
The Transteel viewer flickered for a moment and the face of middle aged man appeared. He had grey in his beard and eyebrows. His skin was lighter, almost ghostly white suggesting he had been raised aboard one of the Jupiter stations where they used artificial heating drawn from the planet's radiation.
“Hello pilot,” Echo said. “You are in True EFNF restricted space. Of course I am sure you knew that since you did not breach the asteroid belt.”” Echo said.
Thoughts of the asteroid belt concerned her. They had yet to pass through it and their exit through it
was now blocked by a small squadron of RAVEN-F and RAVEN-S pilots. She had to admit though, she was curious. With the exception of her RAVEN-F no EXO had ever taken a RAVEN ship. They were too light on the defense and not heavy enough on firepower for the EXOs liking.
“You are correct Captain …” he let it hang obviously wanting Echo to fill in the rest. Although, Echo was sure the man knew who she was.
“Captain Echo Shade, of the True EFNF, of the TP-D Justice.” Echo said indicating the ship around her. “You have not introduced yourself or your squad Commander …”
“Fleet Commander Ahab Doyle at your service Captain Shade, your father was a good man.” he said.
Echo started. She had not expected any of the old EFNF to have survived. She had not expected them to seek out the True EFNF if they had.
“Scans indicate no EXO life signs aboard any of the vessels, Captain.” Ensign Kay reported.
“Thank you Ensign.” Echo said and turned back to the Fleet Commander on the view screen. “Well met Fleet Commander Boyle. I'd love to stay and chat, especially to find out why the EFNF is here and why now, but I have a mission I must see to.”
“The URSA gunship known as the Kodiak?” the Fleet Commander asked.
“It is not the Kodiak. Yes, she looks enough like it, but it is not the Kodiak,” Echo corrected him.
“Then we have much to discuss. We will form up on your exit vector and accompany you.” Ahab said.
“I'd rather you didn't.” Echo replied.
“There is no hostility in our action Captain Shade, think of us as an honor guard. There is much you need to know.” Ahab said.
“Fine, but don't interfere with my mission.”
“Wouldn't dream of it.” Ahab said.
20: CATCHING UP
