The Battle for the Solar System (Complete Trilogy)

by Sweeney, Stephen

  As we had discovered when we were on board, the Elpis was stocked full of both highly volatile materials and highly destructive weaponry, including nuclear warheads – anything it struck wouldn’t have stood a chance. Chimera was destroyed instantly, eliminating the most serious threat to our safe return home and allowing us to head back to Sol with little opposition, the starfighters that had surrounded Cratos struggling to exit HD 21563010 Ab’s atmosphere in sufficient numbers to give us trouble.

  We were arrested as we returned to Sol, Amanda Jenkins meeting us with a tremendous number of coastguards as our shuttle touched down on Earth Orbital One and the arrival of Cratos herself was met by just as many starfighters. Other warships had also come forward, their accelerators winding up ready to dispatch us. The sight inspired no fear in us – our minds were still on Parks. Neither did we put up any resistance as the coastguards came forward with handcuffs.

  The number of fighters that had escorted us in was nothing compared to the number of people awaiting our arrival on the flight deck – a throng far greater than had greeted Griffin just a few hours earlier. Word of Parks’ plan had spread and many people were eager to find out just how successful our quest had been.

  Jenkins wasn’t one of them.

  We were to be slung into the brig, along with Omar Wyatt, Emilio Swann and Aiden Meyers, who were already stowed there for their part in the plot. The two patrol pilots were also there, having turned themselves in shortly after we had jumped out of Sol.

  Estelle had started to explain as Jenkins was ordering us to be escorted from the deck. Her words were met by a snap from Jenkins, who could only profess to being stunned that we had actually had the audacity even to show our faces again after the stunt that we had just pulled. What the hell did we think we were going to achieve? she had demanded.

  In that brief moment we were able to tell Admiral Jenkins what we had gone to do, explaining how we had found the Elpis around HD 21563010 Ab and how it had indeed contained the TSB that we had sought. We also confirmed that our return trip had given us time to evaluate the bomb’s condition, concluding that it was probably capable of working as intended. Jenkins’ anger was slightly mitigated, but she soon returned to the same question she had been putting to us since our arrival – where was Admiral Parks?

  No one said anything, though the looks on our faces were speaking volumes. Someone moved to Jenkins’ side, tears streaming down her face – Sima Mandeep.

  No, no, no, she said softly, shaking her head futilely.

  Chaz went to her, taking from his pocket the platinum ring that Parks had given him on the bridge of the Elpis. I’m so sorry, he said, as he handed it to her. Mandeep said nothing more, clutching the ring tightly and sinking down onto her knees, weeping uncontrollably.

  *

  Our stay in the brig was brief, Jenkins considering that we had accomplished what we set out to do. Though not without losses. We were all released, and sometime later we gathered together for a funeral service in memory of Elliott Parks. We each brought a small memento to the service, which would be buried in memory of him. Estelle brought a small model of Griffin; Dodds, a chess piece; Enrique, a set of ribbons denoting Parks’ rank; Chaz, a photograph of the five of us with the bride and groom at Parks’ and Mandeep’s wedding; and I, a copy of the message he had sent to me upon hearing of the death of my family, some of the most compassionate words I had ever heard. Mandeep brought a single red carnation, the flower that had decorated their small wedding. She held onto his wedding ring, not willing to part with it.

  As with some of the larger space stations of the time, Earth Orbital One was home to several gardens, one large and four smaller ones. We chose the smallest of the five, for what felt like a more intimate and personal setting, selecting a location within it that always faced Earth. Mandeep wanted Parks to always be able to look in spirit upon the planet and the people that he had saved, and for them to be able to look back at his memorial. At that spot, we who admired and loved him would always treasure his memory.

  During the funeral proceedings, I remember seeing the sun setting over Europe, and was overcome, knowing that Parks would never see another sunset again. At every day’s end his sacrifice is etched on my mind.

  *

  Jenkins spoke in private to Mandeep after the service, apparently displaying a surprisingly human side to her that none of us had seen. She then presented Mandeep with a gold chain, suggesting that she use it to wear Parks’ ring around her neck.

  Parks had originally intended to marry Mandeep and start a family after Black Widow, following what we thought was the original end of the war. They had completed their first objective, but left starting a family until after the Pandoran army had been defeated. Feeling they were too old to have children of their own, they had been planning to adopt. Two boys was what Mandeep had always wanted. Parks had always liked the idea of a daughter.

  Mandeep asked us what Parks’ last words to us had been, and so we told her of how proud he had been of all of us. Hearing that brought a sad smile to Mandeep’s face.

  All who fought in the final battle against the Enemy will respect the sacrifice of Elliott Parks forever. Had he not given his life so that we might escape from the Elpis and return to Sol with the means with which to destroy Dragon and overcome the Pandoran army, none of us would’ve lived to see the end of the war. It is a deed that none of us will ever forget.

  And I record his deed here now so that you do not forget it, either.

  XXI

  — Last Supper —

  They had discovered quickly during the strategy meeting that the prototype TSB’s skip drive was non-existent, a placeholder device filling the space, instead. The technology had clearly not been finalized when the prototype had been constructed. A number of other items and equipment had existed in the container that had housed the device, none of which proved useful.

  Not that it mattered – Jenkins was already fully backing the alternative method of transporting the bomb to Dragon. Many issues were raised and discussed, but the allies now had a far clearer picture of what the enemy forces were doing. The Pandoran navy were amassing at Alpha Centauri, the numbers that had been absent from the earlier assault on the system now joining them. They were quite clearly gearing up for their push towards Sol. The Enemy appeared to be repairing vessels and shifting armaments, but there were no hints yet as to when they might make their final move. It would be very soon, though. Enemy scouts had been sighted within Sol in the last few hours, explaining perhaps how Cratos had been tracked as it had jumped to HD 21563010.

  The meeting concluded with a run-through of the plan that had been settled on. Dodds listened as best he could, though he found the battle plan displayed on the screen all too reminiscent of Black Widow. With the Pandoran forces having jumped into Sol, the frontline defence force would move in to engage the foremost attackers. These would likely be the starfighters, the bombers, missile boats and smaller warships. Even with the Pandorans in their current state of health, they would still present a formidable challenge, the job of cutting down the bulk falling to the ATAFs. With the first wave dealt with, the allies’ larger warships would move up the field, aiming to hold the Enemy outside the minimum distance from Earth that Dragon would need to fire the antimatter cannon. It had already been agreed that Admiral Zackaria would likely move in as close to the planet as possible before delivering the blow that would effectively finish the war. That brought a window of opportunity, though one that was very small.

  The allies’ offensive would have one purpose – to facilitate the delivery of the payload to Dragon. The solution of a cluster of two dozen or so high-yield torpedo warheads had now been trumped by the acquisition of the TSB, a weapon more appropriate to the task. There was also a strong desire to return as many torpedoes to the warships as possible. In cutting down the major enemy warships and creating a route to Dragon, a single one could make all the difference.

  With the way clear, the TSB wo
uld be taken forward to Dragon, transported by a remote drone that had been christened The Dumb Waiter. No bigger than a missile, it was hoped that the drone would be lost in the maelstrom of battle that would be occurring all around it, and that the Enemy would fail to notice it before it was too late. Finally, now close to Dragon, the allied forces would issue a phased pulse, knocking the battleship’s shields out. It would last only a few seconds at most, but would be sufficient enough to get the Waiter into the ship. The point of entry had proved somewhat contentious, it was to be the main cannon, the bow, from where the antimatter ball would be fired. Another destination, such as a flight deck, had been preferred by some until it was concluded that it would be too difficult, if not impossible, to reach the centre of the ship from there. The operators would therefore endeavour to steer the Waiter as deep into the vessel as possible and as close to the centre of the battleship as they could get from the main cannon, exploiting Dragon’s one apparent vulnerability. Once done, Dragon would be finished. The nature of the TSB’s detonation meant that the energy from the battleship’s destruction would be distributed about the immediate area, like a cluster bomb. Back in Coyote, Grendel’s Mother had taken down several starships that hadn’t been able to reach minimum safe distance. The same could prove true here.

  With all in agreement, the meeting concluded, the participants leaving to go about other duties, and Dodds found he had little now to do but wait. For a time he wandered the station corridors. He did so freely, no longer fearing attacks. Attitudes had changed ever since Cratos had returned with a means of defeating the Pandoran army. He mused as he walked that the Knights were perhaps again the benefactors that people had once believed in. He walked on, and soon found himself heading in one particular direction, to see one particular person.

  *

  Dodds wondered whether Natalia had really been left permanently blind. How easy was it to care for a person who had lost their sight? For a second, he wondered if he’d have the strength, but this was overridden almost instantly by a certainty that he’d find no difficulty whatsoever. His mind returned to the conversation that he’d had with Estelle aboard Cratos. It was clear to him that he was in love in Natalia, though he still wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was because they had so much in common, both of them carrying terrible burdens. Yet it was much more than that. He knew that he would risk anything for her, without hesitation.

  As he headed for the infirmary to see how Natalia was, he passed someone coming out of one of the personal comms rooms. It suddenly occurred to him that with everything that had happened in the past forty-eight hours, he’d found no time to speak to his parents. He would correct that now. He couldn’t go into that final battle without saying … goodbye? No, this wasn’t goodbye. This was “Hello, I’m just in the neighbourhood. Hope you’re well. I’ll see you soon.”

  The link took quite a while to establish, and Dodds couldn’t be sure whether it was due to the high volume of communications in the local area or something else. He hoped it wasn’t something else. He’d heard that Earth was in a state – riots, looting, entire cities falling into states of near-anarchy … What if …? He swallowed hard.

  The call was answered. “Hello?”

  His father sounded weary, looked it, too. Even so, Dodds couldn’t help but smile when he saw him. “Hello, Dad.”

  “Simon!” his father said in surprise, his face lighting up. “Is that really you, Simon?” he repeated.

  “Yes, Dad, it is,” Dodds chuckled. “Who else did you think it was?”

  “Well, we were beginning to wonder if you were going to call at all …” His father trailed off. Dodds could understand. He hadn’t contacted his parents since they had made for Kethlan. Naturally, they’d have no clue as to what had happened there, or whether or not Dodds had made it out alive. He really should’ve contacted them sooner.

  “How are you?” Gregory asked.

  “I’m well, thanks,” Dodds said. He didn’t really know what else to add. He didn’t want to burden his father with talk of what was really happening and how he really felt. Likely, he already knew. “How are you? How’s Mum?”

  “I’m well, I’m well,” Gregory said, clearly trying to sound upbeat. “Mum’s okay, too.”

  “How about the de Winters? Still all settled in happily?”

  “They’re all still settled in happily, yes,” Gregory said. “It’s actually good to have them here. They’ve been helping to keep the orchard safe.”

  Dodds felt his chest tighten. “Why? What’s happened?”

  “Oh, you must know how it is,” Gregory said. “There are over twenty billion people down here. There’s not enough space or food for everyone, and it’s making people act stupid. Some are becoming desperate and starting to go crazy. There have been riots in all the major cities. Everyone says the end has come and some don’t think anything matters any more. They’re using it as an excuse to act out their anger.”

  “Are you really okay, Dad?” Dodds said, suddenly concerned.

  “Fine, fine,” Gregory said. “Luckily, they’re mostly not interested in a little farmhouse in the middle of a field. They’re all taking apart the big cities and towns. They’re supposed to have imposed martial law, but it hasn’t really done much good. How is Estelle, Enrique … and … er … the other two?” he added, seeming keen to change the subject.

  “They’re okay,” Dodds said. “I’m going to see them for dinner in a little bit. Something small, I imagine. We probably won’t have time for anything else.”

  “A last supper?” his father smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Something like that,” Dodds smiled back, trying to force the sadness out of his own.

  “You’re on GMT up there, aren’t you?” Gregory said. “It’s getting a bit late to eat; nearly 9pm.”

  Dodds gave an indifferent shrug. His father was quite the stickler for not eating past 7pm. He said it gave him terrible indigestion. He therefore always took that as a sign that eating late wasn’t good for you. When Dodds had still been living at home, dinner had always been served by his mother by 6:30pm at the latest.

  “Still, you shouldn’t let the turkey suffer,” his father went on. “We didn’t. Turkey, gammon, potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets. Despite everything that’s been going on, your mother is still able to whip up quite a storm in the kitchen. Was kind of fun to have the six of us there at the table this year, too.”

  “Turkey and pigs in blankets?” Dodds said.

  “Well, sure,” Gregory said. “What else do you have on Christmas Day?”

  It was Christmas Day? How had he not noticed? He couldn’t quite remember celebrating either Christmas or New Year in the past seven years. Days, weeks, months had just merged together into one long road.

  “Didn’t realise, did you?” Gregory said.

  “No,” Dodds said, shaking his head.

  “Not to worry,” Gregory said, “you had far more important things to deal with.”

  That he did. “Merry Christmas, Dad,” Dodds then said.

  “Merry Christmas, Simon.”

  Still no genuinely happy smiles from either of them. “Can I talk to Mum?” Dodds asked.

  Gregory looked towards the stairs and then above him briefly, as if contemplating something. “Er … she’s actually gone to bed,” he answered.

  “She’s gone to bed?” Dodds said in surprise. “Is she ill?”

  “No, nothing like that. After we’d eaten, she washed up and went upstairs. She said that she’d rather wake up tomorrow when it was all over and the war was finished.”

  That’s optimistic of her, Dodds thought. “Common knowledge that they’re nearly here, then?”

  “Within the next twelve hours, they say,” Gregory said.

  Dodds sighed. Exactly what had been revealed in the tactical meeting. Nothing travels faster than bad news.

  “Envious of her, if I’m honest,” Gregory said. “I’ll probably just sit awake the whole night
with a bottle of whiskey for company. No point going to bed, as I know I won’t sleep. Your mother did add that if the end did come she’d rather be asleep for it. Although to be honest I think she’s more upset about the cat, than anything else.”

  “What’s happened to Socks?” Dodds asked.

  “Oh, Mum found her curled up behind my chair in the living room this morning,” his father sighed. “Poor old girl died in the middle of the night. We knew she was getting on a bit, but didn’t think she was ready to go just yet. She didn’t follow me upstairs last night like she normally does when I go to bed, so that really should have been the hint we needed.”

  “Poor Socks,” Dodds said automatically. They’d had her for a very long time. She had been a kitten when he had enlisted with the CSN. “So, no one’s attacked the house?” he asked, wanting to feel assured that everyone was safe.

  There was noticeable hesitation from his father before he replied. “We’ve … we’ve had a bit of trouble. Nothing to be worried about, though,” he hastened to add, as Dodds reacted. “A couple of groups of people trying to steal things, like the trucks. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry, when what you had to be doing was far more important.”

  Dodds moved to speak. He wanted to scold his father for not telling him, and let him know that it was important what was happening to them. To his mind, family always came first. He wanted to do something about those attacks, but there was nothing that he could do, not whilst he was all the way up here. He bit back the scolding he had in mind. “How many times has that happened?” he asked.

  “Only two or three times in the past couple of months,” his father answered, trying to sound unconcerned. “Same group. They’ve not been back recently, though. Jed got hold of a couple of rifles to scare them off with. He’s … quite good with them. Accurate, knows where to aim. Better than me.”