by Rick Bentsen
“What’s the drill?” the colonel said. “We never get a drop this quickly.
K;Alan clapped Mario on the shoulder and shook his head. He stepped into the center of the circle of pilots and cleared his throat. This was one of the hardest mission briefings he had ever given.
“As you know, we are on fast approach to Duterius Prime. Some of you, like myself, call it home. The planet is under attack by forces unknown, but we presume Brentax involvement. Planetary defenses are almost down.
“Our primary goal is to repel the attackers. Attack targets of opportunity only after you have driven off the attack force. Falcon and Hawk Squadrons, you are to patrol the entire planet attacking any hostiles. Silver Eagle squadron, we will concentrate on protecting the Capitol City. We hit space in five minutes. Mount up!”
The pilots rushed to their fighters, donning helmets and saying prayers as they did so.
“You’re worried about Kit, aren’t you?” Mario said, as the two friends climbed into their Starhawk.
“How could I not be? This is an attack against my home, Mario.” K’Alan growled as he placed his energy bow in its charger. He looked over at his friend. “Right now, all I can be concerned with is saving my home. I can’t let myself worry about Kit.”
“It’s not gonna be easy, Kal. Look at the situation monitor in the launch bay,” Mario pointed at the display. “There sure are a lot of them.”
“I know,” K’Alan said. He punched up the weapons display and primed all weapons. “All weapons primed and ready. Comms and scanners are online.”
“Engines are online,” Mario reported, then added soothingly, “She’ll be OK. Kit’s a fighter. She’ll pull through.”
“She better.” K’Alan flicked on the comms system. “Strike Leader to bridge. Lancer, Falcon, and Hawk strike wings requesting permission to launch.”
“Transferring launch control to fighter wings,” Kath called from the bridge. “You may launch when ready.”
“Well, she sounds cute,” Mario grinned.
“You think she sounds cute, just wait ‘til you meet her, buddy,” K’Alan laughed.
“Just keep your mind on Kit, old buddy, let me worry about the young cute ones.”
K’Alan laughed as he checked his straps and gripped the control yokes. “All fighters launch on my mark.” He took a deep breath to steel himself before the g-forces of launch. “MARK!”
He felt the g-forces push him back in his chair as Mario hit the thrusters and they hurtled down the launch tube. Fighters soared out from all of the launch bays and formed up into squadrons. Each squadron formed a pyramid with the squad leader’s Starhawk as the capstone. Each squadron located a phalanx of enemy fighters and got to work.
K’Alan took a deep breath and started firing.
1.30.2136
1621
SLS White Knight
The Bridge
Thala scowled in her chair.
“Status report!” she barked.
“Duterius Prime is in flames, Captain,” Masha reported coolly from tactical. “Planetary defenses are totally down. Our fighters are cutting through the enemy, but there are an awful lot of them out there. I estimate that we’ll suffer very heavy casualties.”
“How many of them are there, Lieutenant?”
“For every one of our fighters out there, they have five,” Masha reported.
“Damn! Kath, open a channel to K’Alan’s Starhawk.”
“He’s on the line, Captain,” Kath replied.
“K’Alan, I’m mobilizing three more squadrons to try and help you out a little.”
“Much obliged, Captain. Scramble Lancer, Crusader, and Warhammer squadrons.”
“Consider it done. They’ll be out there helping you within five minutes.”
“Thank you, Captain. Bryce out.”
“Kath, sound the alert. Masha, try to locate that base ship. I want to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Captain, incoming transmission from Duterius Prime,” Kath reported.
“Holo.”
“No holo available. It’s audio only.”
“Put it on the line, then.”
“Captain Ker’sal, this is J’Anai Sirrus of the Duterian cabinet. I’m not sure how much longer we can—“ The commline fizzled to static.
“Kath? What happened?”
“Transmission was cut off at their end, Captain,” Kath reported, her tone terse and clipped. “I’m trying to reconnect.”
“Captain, the Capitol building just took a direct hit,” Masha reported.
“Life signs?” Thala asked, suddenly very concerned.
“Inconclusive. There’s too much dust, debris and low-level radiation for the sensor to be accurate on life signs.”
“Great,” Thala grumbled. “Relay that info to K’Alan. Tell him to make searching the Capitol building for survivors a priority when the attackers have been driven off.”
1.30.2136
1652
K”Alan’s Starhawk
“K’Alan!”
“I see him, Mario. Angle down so I can get a clear shot.”
“Hang on to your stomach,” Mario called. “This is likely to be a bumpy ride.”
K’Alan gritted his teeth and tracked the raider on its strafing run. His thumbs were lightly caressing the firing stubs, just waiting for the shot to line up.
“He’s headed for the Capitol Building, Mario. Will you hurry it up, please?”
“Hey, I’m flying this thing as fast as I can.. If you’re not happy about how fast I’m flying, you can always get out and push,” Mario growled.
“Switching to quad lasers,” K’Alan said, ignoring the barb. He flicked a switch on his weapons display.
“You should have a clear shot now, Kal.” Mario said softly.
K’Alan grunted as he fired. He kept his finger on the firing button until the raider was reduced to ash.
“Hey, buddy!” Mario called. “You can let up. You got him.”
“Yeah, I did,” K’Alan said, a tear in his voice. “But we’re too late. Look.”
“Oh, Lord!”
1.30.2136
1643
Brentax Duhari class cruiser Torellia Corvax
Bridge
M’Bek Tarmos, Supreme Commander of the Brentax Empire, smiled with sadistic glee as he watched the carnage on the forward view screen.
“Supreme Commander,” the weapons officer reported. “The planet is in flames.”
“Excellent, T’Marik. And the Capitol City?”
“The Capitol City has been reduced to rubble, Commander,” T’Marik said with pride.
M’Bek leaned in his chair and looked at his cold kamarat root tea, and he sent the cup skidding along the floor of the bridge. He looked at the young Brentax female standing by the door.
“Y’Ada, fetch me a new cup of tea, and clean up this mess,” M’Bek barked.
“Yes, sir.”
Much to his delight, she set right to work cleaning up the spilled tea from the deck.
She might just be my victory celebration, he thought with glee as he watched her.
“Supreme Commander,” T’Marik caught his attention. “I have some schematics of the Star League ship for you.”
M’Bek sighed, wishing he could watch the young woman finish her work. Yes, he thought. She will definitely share my quarters with me this evening.
“On screen,” he barked.
Images of the White Knight scrolled across the screen along with size and weight statistics. Unfortunately for M’Bek, there wasn’t any information about weapons or engine systems, but he would take whatever information he could get.
“So, it’s big,” he growled. “Why can’t I get any more information than that?”
“The hull is made of an alloy that we’ve never seen before. Scanners are having trouble locking onto the ship let alone probing it,” T’Marik shook his head. “And before you ask, I’ve tried everything I c
an, but nothing I try can get through that hull.”
“Very well,” M’Bek rumbled. When he looked over and noted that Y’Ada had finished scrubbing the floor and was fixing his tea, he growled. “Status of the planet?”
“Planetary surface destruction is ninety-one percent. Eleven percent over the success guidelines for this mission,” T’Marik reported proudly.
“Very good. Have our raiders do one more strafing run then have them retreat back to the ship. Tonight, we celebrate the destruction of one of the Star League’s homeworlds.”
And tonight, Y’Ada, you will be mine, M’Bek thought with glee.
1.30.2136
1650
SLS White Knight
The Bridge
“Where’s that base ship, Masha?”
“I haven’t been able to locate it yet, Captain. I think it’s probable that they’re hiding in the asteroid belt near Duterius Six.”
“I want them found. Is that clear, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, Captain,” Masha said. She checked her scanners again. “Captain, they’re retreating.”
“Track them. Kath, recall the squadrons. Have them refuel and relaunch to join the search for survivors. Scramble teams to search. Jewel, prepare for heavy casualties.”
“Aye, Captain,” came the call from medbay. “How heavy are we talking?”
“Call in all off-duty medical personnel. It’s likely you’ll need all of them.”
“Understood.”
“Captain, K’Alan is requesting permission to search the Capitol Building for survivors.”
“Acknowledge the request and wish him good luck,” Thala sighed.
“Aye, Captain.”
“Captain,” Masha growled. “The enemy raiders are escaping into the asteroid belt. We are losing sensor contact.”
“Let them go, Lieutenant,” the captain said after a moment. “As much as I want that ship, our priority is finding and rescuing any survivors.”
“Captain,” Kath called. “I’ve got ten search crews ready to launch and begin the search.”
“Clear them for launch, Lieutenant Commander.”
And good luck, she thought.
1.30.2136
1711
Duterius Prime
Outside the Capitol Building
K’Alan fought back the tears as the fighter landed near the rubble that used to be the Capitol Building. There was no time to let the worry about K’Itea get to him. He had a job to do. Readying himself for the task at hand, he pulled his energy bow off its charger and attached it to his belt. He clipped a couple extra power cells and growled impatiently as he waited for the engines to cycle down and the hatch to open.
“Maybe she wasn’t here, Kal,” Mario looked over at him.
“She was here. This would be the only place she’d be during a planet-wide emergency.”
“Can you still sense her?”
K’Alan closed his eyes and focused on the bond he shared with K’Itea. “Barely,” he said after a moment. He hopped out of the fighter. “We’ve got to hurry. I don’t know how long she can hold out.”
“We’ll make it, Kal,” Mario said softly. “We’ll make it.”
1.30.2136
1723
SLS White Knight
Medbay
Captain Ker’sal smiled as she walked into the medbay. When she had visited medbay earlier, it had been just her and Jewel, but now there was a bustle of activity, as a full complement of doctors and nurses prepared for the influx of casualties.
“What can I do for you, Captain?” a nurse asked as she hurried by.
“I was just checking on the ready status of medbay.”
“We’re just about ready,” Jewel appeared out of nowhere. “This is probably the best crew I could have hoped for. The only reason it took so long to get ready was that some of the equipment hadn’t been unpacked yet.”
“Kath reports that the first shuttle of casualties just launched from the planet. That gives you about fifteen minutes before they get on board.”
“Understood. We’ll be ready.”
1.30.2136
1730
Duterius Prime
The Capitol Building
K’Alan and Mario moved along a ruined corridor towards the command center of the Capitol Building.
“Do you know where you’re going, Kal?” Mario asked, grunting as he nearly tripped over a pile of rubble.
“Nope. But I figure that this is the best place for us to look.”
“I hope that this room is better than the others we’ve already been through.”
“I know what you mean, Mario,” K’Alan looked back at his friend.
So far they’d been through about fifteen rooms, but they hadn’t found any survivors. Still, K’Alan clung to the belief that Kit was still alive. He could still feel the bond he had with her. As long as he continued to feel that bond, he knew he would move mountains to find her.
They carefully entered the command center. K’Alan almost tripped over a body right as they entered the room. The body, that of an elder Duterian male, groaned, and K’Alan knelt down next to him. Although it had been many years since he had seen the old man, he recognized him immediately, even though the old man’s face was a mask of blood.
“J’Anai? J’Anai Sirrus?”
“K’Alan, my boy?” J’Anai asked weakly. “Is that really you?”
“Yes, old friend, it’s me. Mario, call for a shuttle. We’ve got a survivor here.”
“Do not waste your energy on saving me, K’Alan,” J’Anai rasped. “I don’t think I’d survive the journey back to your ship. The council….” J’Anai broke off into a fit of coughing.
“Take it easy, J’Anai. Try to conserve your energy,” K’Alan soothed. “Do you know where Kit and the Council of Elders are?”
“In the bunker located through the door behind the throne. Now go. Save them. Leave me to die.” Still serving the Duterian people with his last breath, J’Anai Sirrus was no more.
“You’re not giving up that easy, J’Anai. You always taught Kit and I never to give up. Don’t give up on me now.” K’Alan tried in vain to start the old man’s heart. Mario put his hand on his friend’s shoulder and shook his head.
“K’Alan, he’s gone,” Mario whispered. “There’s nothing you can do for him. We have to go look for Kit.”
“You’re right, Mario,” K’Alan said, slowly getting to his feet. “It’s just that J’Anai was so good to Kit and me.”
“I know. J’Anai was a good man. But Kit has to be your priority, Kal. She needs you.”
The two men slowly made their way to the throne room. Mario looked around, making sure the area was secure while K’Alan looked for the door to the bunker that J’Anai had mentioned.
“K’Alan?” a woman’s voice called from the shadows near the throne. A young woman came from the shadows and ran to hug K’Alan.
“S’Era? It’s good to see you!”
“Not as good as it is to see you, brother.”
“Where’s Kit?” K’Alan asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.
“She’s in the bunker. She’s in bad shape though. You’re going to have to hurry.”
“As soon as we get a clear picture of the casualties, I’ll get a shuttle down here,” Mario said.
“S’Era, how many people are down there?”
“Counting me? Thirty-three,” she said sadly.
“J’Anai is dead. We found him in the control room.”
“He was trying to bring the planetary defenses back online. He wouldn’t let anyone drag him to the bunker.”
“Take me to Kit, S’Era,” K’Alan said, doing his best to hide his fear and worry from his sister.
“Follow me, brother.”
S’Era led them behind the throne to a steel door. Mario and K’Alan helped pull the door open. S’Era took the lead with Mario and K’Alan following behind.
“I forgot how pretty your sister is, Kal,” Mario grinned
.
“Stow it, flyboy. She’s still my sister.”
They followed S’Era down a long gently sloping passageway to a large concrete room. There was a group of people sitting off to one side and a couple injured people lying around. Kit was lying on her back with her eyes closed. K’Alan walked over and knelt beside his fallen wife. He put his hand gently on her face, happy to still feel her warmth.
“Don’t touch her!” an angry voice next to him growled. He looked up to see a boy no older than ten staring at him. “I said, don’t touch her.”
“Elam, that’s no way to talk to your father,” S’Era admonished.
K’Alan and Mario looked at each other briefly then K’Alan looked at his sister quizzically, a look of shock registering on his face.
“I’m a father?” he said.
Chapter 3
1.30.2136
1925
SLS White Knight
The Bridge
“CAPTAIN, we’re receiving a transmission from Mario Bonetti. They found a bunch of survivors and are requesting a shuttle,” Kath called from her station.
“Launch a shuttle immediately. What are their conditions?” Thala asked coolly.
The communications officer listened as Mario relayed the casualty information. “They have one very severe casualty. They are requesting immediate triage for her.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s the High Gentlewoman, Captain. She is unconscious and looks to have lost a lot of blood. She is as stable as she can be to transport up to the ship, but she will need immediate medical attention.”
“Understood. Tell them I’ll have Jewel herself take care of her. If you need me, I’ll be in the medbay. You have the conn, Kath.”
“Aye, ma’am.”
1.30.2136
1937
Duterius Prime
Capitol Building
K’Alan looked up as Mario returned to the shelter and headed over to where he was kneeling by K’Itea. He closed the scanner he was looking at and put it back on his belt.
