Unite the Frontier

by J Malcolm Patrick

  Avery outlined the plan.

  “It should work. Barring any creative counter plan on their part.”

  Aaron’s constant reminder that plans rarely survived contact with the enemy, popped into Avery’s head. Avery clasped his harness. Hopefully this was one of those rare times. Fate owed them that much.

  “Chen, ahead three-quarters.”

  “We’ll overshoot without much time to inflict any real damage,” Chen said.

  Avery ignored the warning. “Engage, Corporal.”

  Chen turned back to his station and did as ordered.

  Pilum accelerated just off Endeavor’s starboard quarter a mere three thousand kilometers.

  Imperial lasers shredded Endeavor’s hull. Missiles loomed. Pilum covered their attack run, best she could. Endeavor’s PDCs were mostly gone.

  The distance closed rapidly. Sixty thousand, fifty thousand.

  “Corporal, emergency deceleration, fire at will.”

  The ship’s initial leap of acceleration threatened to overshoot the engagement which would have lasted a passing moment. Which is probably what the Imperials believed. But the speed and sudden deceleration enabled Endeavor to close quickly while taking fewer hits, and the deceleration provided them the time needed.

  Pilum’s lasers wreaked havoc back on the opposing Imperial vessels. Endeavor’s railguns shredded the Imperial cruisers as fast as they could, but not fast enough to prevent serious return fire raking them.

  “Ensign, full lateral roll. Give them a different surface to bite into.”

  The overhead and deck rattled. The imperial lasers continued to cut all along into the hull and burn through the armor deep into Endeavor. In some places the lasers carved a breach through and through.

  “Everything we’ve got. All missile batteries. Empty the magazines.”

  Endeavor launched her final volley of missiles. Hopefully it was enough to destroy the Imperial cruiser.

  ***

  Hosque

  Aaron rushed and knelt by Lee.

  “Commander . . . I’m afraid I’m a mess this time.”

  The lieutenant’s arm was mangled. The blast destroyed ninety percent of it, leaving a stump of bionic circuitry exposed. Some residual energy burned the lieutenant’s left side. His skin charred and melted.

  “Max will fix you. He can fix anyone.”

  Lee’s eyes glazed.

  “Sure is a beautiful palace though,” he said, looking up.

  Aaron nodded. “It’s a beautiful palace indeed, Lee.”

  Lee closed his eyes. Aaron shook him.

  “Aaron?” His eyes flew open.

  “I’m here, Lee.”

  “Could you tell Vee I kept my promise?”

  Aaron had no idea what he was talking about.

  “I’ll tell him, Lee. Just quiet now. Hold on.”

  “And tell Flaps . . . I had a little brother once, and I have one again.”

  Lee’s head slumped to one side. His pulse was weak. Aaron looked up. The Praetorian now aimed the pulse weapon again. A few feet away Quintus lay broken by his brother’s betrayal. The other Praetorians stood motionless.

  “This day will be remembered for long to come,” Marcus said.

  Blood splashed Aaron’s face, he blinked it away. A sword blade protruded from the Praetorian’s chest. The guard’s mouth gaped open as he stared down at it. He slumped and Platus stood behind and caught the pulse pistol the Praetorian dropped.

  A racket sounded near the entrance. The doors burst open and loyalist centurions flooded the throne room, closing around Aaron and the others in a protective circle, leveling their weapons at the Praetorians.

  Someone started clapping. Marcus.

  “Bravo, Platus. Well done. However, none of you have long left.”

  Marcus shimmered and disappeared.

  “Platus?” Quintus stared.

  Platus pulled his brother from the floor. “I failed. By the time I arrived, Marcus already left. He left me in charge of the defenses here. I was to lure you in as far as possible and keep you occupied. I don’t know for what. When I realized he was a hologram, I immediately began tracing the source. But I had to maintain my ruse or they would have killed you outright. Marcus wanted to pit us against one another. A sick fantasy mirroring him and Cato.”

  “Where is he?”

  Platus was disbelieving “He’s in orbit, aboard the heavy cruiser Tiberius.”

  The would-be heir was a maniac certainly, but brilliant in his descent to madness.

  Chapter 37-Long Live The Empire

  “This battle is not over!” – Marcus Sotomerius

  Imperial Heavy Cruiser—Tiberius

  The bridge burned around Marcus. Smoke overloaded the environmental systems. Smashed bulkheads and overheads posed serious risk. The bodies of centurions lay sprawled on the deck.

  The last salvo from the damned United Fleet vessel had crippled his ship, destroyed his bridge and killed half the crew. The other half must be suffocating.

  Marcus could see the future—see the United Star Systems free governance corrupt his Empire. An empire in name only. Emperor Baridian must roll in his grave. Lord Praetor Bannon must weep from the stars.

  But I will not weep. I have the will to act. You taught me that, Brutus. And now I do this for all of us.

  “Lord, we must abandon ship, the fight is over. We’re finished.” It was the vessel’s commander.

  “The fight is not over!” Marcus spat, shoving the coward away.

  You know how this ends.

  It was the Lord Praetor’s voice.

  Brutus Bannon appeared. How did he get aboard? How was the Lord Praetor alive? The voice filled his head. Marcus could hear it clearly.

  You know what must be done, the Lord Praetor said.

  “Yes, I know what must be done. And I have the will, Brutus. Thank you for everything you taught me.”

  The vessel commander interrupted him. “Lord, who are you speaking to?”

  “Silence fool. Arm the subspace torpedo.”

  “There’s nothing to shoot at. One torpedo for their two ships? This close to Hosque? Have you gone mad?”

  Marcus curled his lips baring all his teeth. “Mad? Look upon our mighty Empire and you see mad. I am the cure! If the Empire cannot exist as it was intended—it will not exist at all!”

  “You can’t fire that weapon so close to Hosque, you could destroy our entire planet!”

  “Silence, Cato!” Marcus roared.

  But Cato had a confused look.

  “Cato?” His brother queried, regarding Marcus with confusion.

  The little wretch, always where he didn’t belong.

  Marcus grabbed the commander’s—no Cato’s neck—with both hands and squeezed. “He only ever loved you, brother. I’ve waited many years to squeeze the life from you.” Something struck him from behind. Marcus whirled. A centurion.

  “Release the commander now!”

  Marcus looked down. His hands were around the vessel commander’s neck. He released him and the man slumped.

  Where did Cato go?

  Marcus drew his pulse pistol and blasted the centurion. Another centurion cowered at the back of the bridge.

  “Arm the torpedo now!”

  The centurion bolted for the lift. Marcus shot him too.

  “I will do it myself.” He moved to the weapons console.

  Hurry, Marcus, before the United ships come around for another pass. They know you have another torpedo. Let’s finish this together.

  “We will finish it together, Brutus.”

  Marcus armed the torpedo and fired it. He stood in front the holoviewer.

  Marcus triggered a system-wide broadcast and slapped his fist to his chest.

  “Long live the Empire!”

  Chapter 38-Greater Love

  “Good luck, Avery” – Lieutenant Commander Alana Ayres

  Endeavor

  Avery watched with grim satisfaction as Endeavor’s final volley o
f missiles ripped and gutted the Imperial cruiser.

  “It’s done. The heavy cruiser Tiberius is crippled,” Delaine said.

  Avery closed his eyes. The worse was past. “Excellent job with weapons, Rachael. Damage report.”

  Ayres answered. “Twenty-five percent combat effective. Apart from the ventral railgun battery, the rest are slag. Three hull breaches through and through dorsal to ventral, forward quarter, dorsal to ventral starboard quarter and stern. Ate right through the recreation deck, through the manufacturing deck and into the hangar bay. We’ve got thirty-three percent main power, but nothing much of a ship left to power. Most our missile batteries are gone, only the rear ones we retracted are operational.”

  Avery shook his head—a “drunken” starship brawl. The ship probably looked how he felt after he and Lee fought Gunther on Luyten. Battered, bruised and broken.

  The bridge echoed with a sudden transmission over open comms.

  “Long live the Empire!”

  “Avery!”

  It was Ayres—her voice several octaves higher than usual.

  The Imperial cruiser had launched another subspace torpedo.

  Avery sank in his chair. “Then we’re dead.”

  She turned with a look of horror across her features. “No . . . they’ve launched it towards Hosque!”

  “What do we do?” Chen asked.

  Avery lowered his head.

  One thought came to mind. And it was anyone’s guess if it would work.

  ***

  Endeavor

  There wasn’t time to debate or talk about it.

  Hell with it. The tear would strike the Imperial homeworld killing everything in less than three minutes.

  “Abandon ship.”

  No one moved. What did it take to get people to leave a stricken ship?

  “Get the hell off the ship now, people!”

  No one had ever heard Avery swear. The effect must have jarred them.

  The evacuation alarm blared.

  “What are we doing, Avery?” Ayres asked.

  “Tyler Quinn’s sacrifice is the only thing I can think of. And since I thought of it. I’ll be the one to execute it.”

  She wanted to protest. But she didn’t. She knew if it worked, it made no sense having anyone else aboard.

  “Good luck, Avery.”

  “To us all, Alana.”

  The bridge was empty. He was alone. The jamming field was down with the defeat of the usurping Imperial ships in orbit.

  He opened a comm to Aaron.

  ***

  Hosque

  Aaron’s handheld chirped. Someone must have penetrated the jamming field.

  “Rayne here.”

  “Commander.” It was Vee. “We’ve secured orbit. But you may not have long. One of the Imperial ships launched a subspace weapon. A tear has formed. It will engulf you in three minutes. You need to leave Hosque now.”

  There was no place to go. “There’s no way we’re getting off in three minutes, Vee.”

  “Then I guess your fates are sealed with the Imperials if I fail.”

  What was Avery planning?

  “I’ve already ejected our dark-matter reactor core during the battle, to save our squadrons up here. I’ve only got one trick left. Tyler Quinn’s Sacrifice.”

  The blood drained from Aaron’s face. “Vee, will that even work?”

  “We’ll all find out in less than three minutes. I’ve evacuated Endeavor and I’ve plotted the warp shot. I’m ready to execute. I just wanted to say so long.”

  “Vee, Lee’s been hurt. He had a message for you.”

  “Lee? Tell him to suck it up and stop whining. What’s his message?”

  “I’ll tell you when we meet again, Avery.”

  “Fair enough.” There was a pause then Avery said simply: “Commander.”

  “Commander.” Aaron replied.

  That simple exchange spoke volumes between the two friends. A thousand words and thoughts, hopes, dreams and memories all communicated in that single acknowledgement.

  The comm closed. Aaron gathered up Lee, shouldered him and raced to the palace entrance. He had to see Avery Alvarez’s final sacrifice.

  Three minutes later the sky lit up. The subspace tear was clearly visible from anywhere on the current orbit of the planet.

  Then a bright, expanding, white phenomenon stretched ominously across the orbital horizon—a defiant barrier of light in the face of the forces of darkness—that was Endeavor. The tear contacted the opposing barrier and dissolved. It worked. The tear had been sealed. Endeavor was gone.

  And Avery with it.

  Aaron’s handheld beeped with an incoming transmission. He looked down at it, puzzled by the message.

  Chapter 39-Force of Nature

  “That’s all that’s left" – Avery Alvarez

  Endeavor

  “I’ll tell you when we meet again, Avery.”

  “Fair enough,” Avery said, swallowing hard. “Commander.”

  “Commander,” Aaron replied.

  It was a simple acknowledgement, but it conveyed the deepest of feelings across the comm, across the void between them.

  What Avery was about to do was why no one attempts a jump to lightspeed from within a star system using a conventional warp drive. The gravitational forces would rip the ship to pieces instantly. You couldn’t remotely engage a ship’s warp drive either.

  Avery settled into the command chair. Crazy Aaron. The galaxy needed him. If Avery had one job in life since meeting the upstart at command school all those years ago, it was this. Besides, it was like Aaron always said . . . no one lives forever.

  “XO?”

  The voice shocked him from his reverie. Who the hell was on the ship? Avery turned.

  Sergeant Dawes.

  “Sergeant, you have hearing problems? The evacuation has sounded!”

  The sergeant approached. “What are you doing?”

  Was the marine clueless?

  “Sergeant, if you don’t take a pod from the bridge now, your fate is sealed with mine.”

  “Sounds depressing, XO. I’ll stay here if you don’t mind. I don’t think you’re going to be able to force me off the ship. Just have to accept it.”

  “If I had the time, I’d try.”

  “So what now?” Dawes asked.

  Avery sighed. Damn fool marine.

  “I’ve programmed our warp-flight path to create a subspace rip right at a critical focal point in front the approaching tear. Once I engage warp, it should be in the optimal position to expand and intercept it, based on what was recorded when Captain Quinn did it all those years ago with Pathfinder. The only question is . . . will it seal the tear or only weaken the shock wave?”

  “So you just have to release the maneuver-hold-in-place and slide the virtual power lever forward to engage?”

  “That’s all that’s left.”

  “Thank you, XO.”

  “For wh—”

  Dawes moved swiftly and kneed Avery and struck him in the neck. Avery tried to reach up, but he was dazed. The marine dragged him to a pod and slapped the hatch open. He tossed Avery inside and slapped the release. The pod launched.

  Avery swore he could hear the marine saying something like “—not suitable for a fleet officer . . . more a marine’s job to go out in a blaze of glory.”

  ***

  Dawes eyed the countdown on the screen. One minute until the tear would reach Hosque. Cutting it a little close. He watched the XO’s pod shoot away towards the planet.

  Brave man that Alvarez. Dawes didn’t care much for Imperials. Would never forgive them for Nova and what they’d done to his sister and others like her since the war ended. But he wouldn’t paint them all with the same brush.

  Dawes wasn’t a politician. He was a marine. The galaxy didn’t have many like Rayne and Alvarez. It had enough marines. He wasn’t sure there were many such captains as Alvarez and Rayne.

  He knew there was something special ab
out them when he first came aboard. Neither one was the reckoning force on his own. Those two were a force of nature together. And sometimes a force of nature needed a marine to help it along.

  Dawes had found a home on Phoenix. A family. His boys—Chen and Ubu—were in good hands.

  He keyed a simple message to Commander Rayne’s handheld, remembering the Commander didn’t like goodbyes.

  Dawes released the hold-in-place and engaged warp as he sent the message to the Commander.

  Farewell, Commander, look after my boys. – Randall Dawes

  Chapter 40-A Time to Mourn

  “That is up to the politicians and bureaucrats” – Aaron Rayne

  Hosque

  An hour later recovery shuttles touched down outside the Imperial palace. Along with Endeavor’s survivors, the surviving Imperials from the orbital battle disembarked.

  Imperial doctors operated on Lee inside a triage area outside the palace. Aaron was forced from the triage prefab by Quintus. He’d only relented when he heard the shuttles touching down.

  The battered, bloodied men and women hobbled off the shuttles. Torn uniforms, emergency bandages, some missing fingers. Others were carried on antigrav stretchers. The orbital battle had been its own set of carnage. How many Imperials floated lifeless in orbit?

  Vee stepped down the shuttle ramp last.

  “Avery!”

  It was more a question. How was he here?

  Avery approached. He lowered his eyes. What had the XO somber? He’d sealed the tear and survived!

  “It was Dawes,” Vee said.

  Aaron raised his brow. “Dawes?” He finally understood the message on his handheld. Aaron read it again.

  Farewell, Commander, look after my boys. – Randall Dawes.

  “He didn’t leave the ship when I ordered. He surprised me. Last thing I remember was telling him what needed to be done to seal the tear. Then I woke up in an escape pod, and a shuttle docked with it.”