Aquaria Burning

by Finn Gray

  They all fell silent, reflecting on the lives that had been lost. So many friends. It was hard to believe they were gone just like that.

  “At least we all got out of it alive,” Shepherd said.

  “Wait a minute! Did we all make it?” Stine chimed in.

  “Roll call. Sound off!” Vesuvius ordered.

  “Shepherd.”

  “Spartan.”

  “Teddy Bear.”

  “Jungle George.”

  “Stine.”

  “Battle Cat.”

  Silence.

  “Flipper?” Vesuvius said, giving Ferenchick’s callsign. Steve, where are you?”

  No reply.

  Teddy’s heart sank. He supposed it was too much to expect that their squadron would have come out unscathed.

  “Should we go back and look for him?” Stine asked.

  “Hells, no,” Sherr said. “I’m still not confident that the Memnons won’t come after us.” He let out a long, heartfelt sigh. “Everybody form up. Let’s stay together.”

  The squadron formed a V and flew along with their leader. Silence reigned. Teddy felt a lump forming in his throat. Not only for Ferenchick and for all the dead at Glavine, but for everyone and everything that had been lost. Because the world had changed. The uprising, this invasion. Even if they somehow got out of this alive, life as Teddy knew it was over.

  Shepherd began to sing, a mournful dirge written in ancient Sorian. Every pilot could sing it, but few knew the meaning of the words. There was no need. The music said it all. It was a song of loss, regret, and farewell. The others joined in. None of them had a talent for singing, but it was a thing of beauty none the less, deep and powerful.

  Suddenly, an image flashed on Teddy’s RADS display.

  “Bogey at six o’clock!” he warned. “Bearing down fast.”

  Vesuvius barked out a series of commands and the squadron sprang into action. They came about, moved into formation, and moved to intercept the bogey.

  “Engage only on my command,” Sherr instructed.

  “Roger that,” Teddy said. Please let it be a Memnon, he thought.

  “Woohoo! I am back, bitches!” A familiar voice rang in their ears as RADS finally identified the bogey as a Cobra.

  “Ferenchick!” Teddy said as the squad let out a chorus of whoops. “What happened to you?”

  “You guys ran one way and I guess I ran another. That’s the thing about space—there’s all kinds of directions you can run.”

  “Glad you caught up,” Sherr said.

  “Me too. By the way, I heard your little tribute. Touching. And all of you sing like shit.”

  “I was just moving my lips,” Stine said.

  “Good for you, fledgie. My ears thank you. So, now that we’re all back together again, what’s our next move?”

  There it was. The question no one wanted to ask. A fighter’s range was somewhat limited, and the squadron was a long way from anywhere.

  “That’s a good question,” Sherr said. “Anybody got any suggestions?”

  Spartan cleared his throat. “I, for one, would like to find a way to get back to Hyperion. Preferably before the Memnons get there.”

  “Me, too,” said Battle Cat. “I did not get my licks in in that last engagement.”

  “Engagement? You mean the way we turned tail and ran?” Bitterness tinged Shepherd’s words.

  “Well, that’s a great idea,” Jungle George chimed in. “There’s a just the small problem of us getting there.”

  “I suppose we could go back and see if any part of the base survived,” Shepherd offered.

  “It blew up. We all saw it,” Sherr said.

  They lapsed into silence again until Gwen finally spoke.

  “Guys, I’m getting hungry.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Not me,” Shapiro said. “Right now, all I want is a shot of whisky.”

  Teddy gasped. Whisky! He had an idea.

  “Never fear, ladies and Cat. As usual, I have the solution to our problems.” Without waiting for a reply, he hit the throttle. “Follow me!”

  “Teddy!” Sherr cried “Don’t you take off without… Gods in heaven!”

  Teddy grinned but kept his silence.

  “What are your orders, Captain?” Shepherd asked.

  Sherr heaved a tired sigh. “You heard the man. Let’s follow him.”

  Chapter 14

  Battlecruiser Dragonfly

  The Memnons were coming! Graves couldn’t get the words out of his head. They echoed in his mind, made him dizzy. It was a nightmare come to life

  “After all these years,” Ed Begay grumbled. “They’ve been gone so long, they must have found a new home. Why are they back?”

  Graves clenched his fists. “Revenge.”

  “This changes everything,” Lina said. “Evacuation was already on the table. If they arrive in any kinds of numbers, do we have any hope?”

  No one replied.

  “I hate to suggest this, but surrender is an option,” Commander Scott said. “Early reports from my scouts offer nothing in the way of hope. The few contacts they made reported heavy losses and imminent defeat. Maybe surrender is what it will take to stop the dying.”

  “Things are bad on Thetis, too,” Sasaki added.

  “Have we tried contacting the Memnons?” Begay asked.

  “There’s no one to contact,” Laws said. “At least, no one is talking to us. Someone has to be in charge. This uprising has clearly been in the making for a very long time, and it’s been well-coordinated. But no one has stepped up and claimed to speak for them. We’ve sent out entreaties over every channel, but no reply.”

  “I don’t see any other way that doesn’t end in genocide,” Scott said.

  “What if they accept our surrender?” Lina asked. “What then? Our planets have been nuked. Do we return home and die slow, agonizing deaths from radiation poisoning?”

  “Some places might be habitable,” Scott said.

  Lina shook her head. “It’s no good. We need to evacuate. How can we do that while preserving as many lives as possible?”

  “Her Majesty could issue an order,” Vatcher said.

  Laws nodded. “Anyone who is able should evacuate Hyperion and Thetis. Thetans rendezvous at Cygnara. Commander Sasaki and his crew will protect them while repairs to Endeavor are completed.”

  Sasaki nodded. “Aye aye, Admiral.”

  “Hyperians will rendezvous at Juna. Order the civilian vessels which have already gathered to move to that spot and await further instructions. We should attempt to get the message to everyone on the ground.”

  “But if the Memnons intercept the message, they’ll know where the rendezvous is,” Graves said. “They could pop right up in the middle of the fleet and start firing, or load up transport ships with their own forces and infiltrate us that way.”

  “It’s a risk we’ll have to take,” Laws said. “It would be inhumane not to give everyone a chance. Besides, the Memnons have been ignoring all our overtures. Complete radio silence. Maybe that extends to listening, too.”

  “If I might make a suggestion,” Graves said. “We could keep the new arrivals separated from the fleet that’s already gathered. If they have QE drives and are fit, we’ll keep them under guard. The moment we detect weapons being activated, we blow them to bits. The ships without QE drives, which will probably be most of them, will dock on the battlecruisers. Everyone on board will be disarmed and sequestered until they can be properly vetted. Commander Sasaki, how are repairs coming to your QE drive?”

  “We’re close. A few hours.”

  “Shouldn’t they already be here?” Lina asked. “Don’t they have QE drives, too?”

  “If their fleet is large enough, they won’t want to travel by QE inside the solar system. Too much can go wrong. In certain circumstances the disruptions could be disastrous,” Fremantle said. “They must have slowed down as they approached our solar system. That won’t buy us much time, but w
e’ll have a small window to prepare,” Laws added

  “There’s something else,” Fremantle said. “Maybe they slowed down because they’re planning on taking out all of our outposts, at least the ones they haven’t managed to seize control of.”

  “You’re talking about the total eradication of our civilization,” Levin said.

  Laws nodded. “Your Majesty, if you will issue the command to evacuate on all the civilian networks, I’ll do the same for the military. Commander Graves, you’ll see to the satellite network.”

  “Aye aye, Admiral.”

  “Commander Sasaki, your priority will be getting your QE drive functioning. Everyone else, make ready to fight, just in case the Memnons don’t believe in arriving fashionably late.”

  “Commander on deck!” Hunter barked the moment he saw Graves arrive on the flight deck. Everyone snapped to attention, and saluted, eager to hear what the commander had to say. They’d been on tenterhooks since the fighting had died down. Waiting, wondering what came next.

  “At ease,” Graves said. “Hunter, I need to see you.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Hunter looked at the woman standing beside him. Lieutenant Serena Sabrakami, callsign Sabre. “We’ll have to discuss this later.”

  “Big surprise.” Sabre rolled her eyes, then turned and walked away.

  “Serena!” he called, but she ignored him. “Gods damn it!”

  “Captain?” the commander said.

  “Sorry, sir.” Hunter and the commander moved away from the others.

  “I need you to take a Mongoose down to the surface and scout out a location called Crab Island,” Graves said. “There’s a command center there that controls the satellite defense network.”

  Hunter nodded. “And my orders when I get there?”

  “Destroy it.”

  “Sir? Shouldn’t I recon it first? If the Memnons haven’t taken control of it, we might be killing innocents. Our own people.”

  Graves considered this for a second, then nodded. “I trust your judgment. But remember, even if all seems well, that could mean it’s a ruse to cover up the fact that the Memnons have taken control. If you can’t be one hundred percent certain, you nuke it. We’re calling for an evacuation.”

  “Gods, Commander. Is it that bad?” Hunter’s heart thrummed in his chest.

  “It’s worse. Not only does the battle on the surface appear to be lost, but a Memnon fleet is on the way.”

  Hunter felt chilled all over. “We’re caught between the hammer and the anvil.”

  “Not for long. We’re getting out of here soon, so you can’t waste any time. Get your ass down to Hyperion, deal with the command center, and get back.”

  “Roger.”

  “You’ll take Vera with you.”

  “Vera? That grandma?”

  “That’s Ensign Grandma to you, sir.” A blocky, middle aged woman in a flight suit strode up to them. Vera Bates was one of their newest pilots. Prior to enlisting in the fleet, she’d flown a shuttle for a university, transporting faculty and students to research sites. She had proved to be a competent, but exceedingly stubborn.

  Hunter liked the woman, though her personality tended to rub people the wrong way. A bit like Sabre, he thought.

  “I’ll need you on your toes, Ensign. A Mongoose handles differently than a school bus.”

  “I look forward to witnessing your skills firsthand, Captain.”

  Hunter laughed. “Just remember to put on your bifocals so you don’t miss anything.”

  Chapter 15

  Osoblanco, edge of the Aquaria System

  Osoblanco shone like a diamond up ahead. Small and covered with ice, it was the furthermost planet from the sun in the Aquarian solar system, and utterly uninhabitable.

  “You brought us here, Teddy?” Sherr asked. “This place is basically a giant snowball orbiting the sun.”

  “White or yellow snow?” George quipped.

  “We’re not landing on the planet,” Teddy said. “Just watch your RADS. It has primitive cloaking tech, so you won’t see it until we’re almost on top of it.”

  A minute later, RADS picked up their destination.

  “I can’t believe it,” Sherr said.

  It was a HUB, an old maintenance satellite. During the early stages of the construction of the Glavine it had provided maintenance for many of the small and medium-sized ships involved in the work. HUBs were equipped with landing bays, launch pads, and living quarters.

  “How did you know this was here?” Sherr asked.

  “Remember that time I stayed out on patrol a little too long?”

  “I’m sorry I asked.”

  “I just wanted a look at Osoblanco was all. Found this place. Turns out its core is still viable, which means power, clean water, and at least some of its systems are still functional.”

  “How do you know that?” Shapiro asked.

  “I brought a girl here a few months back. Brought a bottle of whisky along, which is why your comment about wanting a drink rang a bell with me.”

  “Teddy Bear,” Gwen began, “I never thought I’d say this, but thank the gods for you.”

  The interior of the HUB was in surprisingly good condition despite its age. It looked and felt outdated, likes something out of a vid, but it appeared to Teddy to be solidly built. They stood in the landing bay, their Cobras in a line before them. Security lights cast everything in a dull glow.

  “I can’t believe this place is still operational,” Gwen said.

  “They were built to last,” Sherr said, slapping the iron gray bulkhead. “Self-sustaining as long as the core is operational and the structure sound.”

  “Looks like it’s been used fairly recently,” Shapiro said, inspecting the racks of spare parts. “These missiles are pretty new, and a lot of these parts are for the current models of Cobra and Mongoose.”

  “It’s a useful site, no question,” Sherr said.

  “We should check the living quarters, too,” Shepherd said. “See what kind of condition they’re in.”

  “The racks are still in good shape. I checked that myself,” Teddy offered.

  Gwen glared at him. “You are gross.”

  “Give him a break,” said George, inspecting a nearby console. “If it weren’t for Teddy’s excursions we wouldn’t even know about this place.” He frowned, tapped a few switches, and the overhead lights blared to life.

  “Next time warn us before you do that,” Spartan said.

  “Sorry, did I blind you?”

  “No, but I got a really good look at Stine’s face. It was horrible.”

  Everyone chuckled, but despite their smiles, Teddy could feel the tension among the group. They were all thinking the same thing. The HUB had bought them respite for as long as provisions held out, that was, assuming the Memnons didn’t find them. But the fact remained that there were no space stations or habitable planets within the flight range of their Cobras.

  George tapped a vidscreen and scanned the data that popped up.

  “Core looks good, life support systems functional, no pressure leaks anywhere. Things look good.”

  “Show me the layout,” Sherr instructed.

  “Aye, Captain.” A few more taps and a three-dimensional floor plan appeared onscreen. The disc-shaped hub consisted of one landing bay, one maintenance bay, a trio of launch tubes, storage facilities, a bridge, and living quarters.

  “Is there a bar?” Shapiro asked.

  “No, but I did leave half a bottle of whisky in one of the racks,” Teddy said.

  “Let’s do this.” Shapiro headed in the direction of the living quarters but Sherr seized his arm.

  “We will take time to rest up, but first things first. We need to be ready to bolt at first sign of the Memnons. Which means that before anybody starts drinking, we need to inspect, refuel, and rearm all our birds.”

  The squadron let out a collective groan. Sherr ignored them.

  “George, does this thing
have any defensive capabilities?”

  “Limited shield capacity, but the walls are as sturdy as anything you’ll find on a battle cruiser. She was built to take a pounding, just like Shapiro’s mom.”

  “Hey, now!” Shapiro said.

  “No time for that. You head to the bridge, keep inspecting the systems. Be ready to crank up the shields if need be. We’ll take care of your bird. Let’s get to work.”

  Shapiro put his arms around Teddy’s shoulder.

  “Maintenance duty. Thanks, Teddy. This is just great.”

  Chapter 16

  Soria, Hyperion

  They knelt in the shadow of a tall tree, peering down at the largest waterfall Rory had ever seen. Pearlescent mist danced in the afternoon sun, the beams reflecting off the waters that cascaded down into the shadows of a narrow cleft in the rocks. Far below them, a dark river flowed through the cleft.

  “The entrance is there.” Oates pointed down into the deep shadows. He had made a half-hearted attempt to dissuade them from this course of action, arguing they were about to walk right into Memnon hands. He declined to say how, exactly, he knew this.

  Rory had been undeterred. Even if it were true that the enemy held the base, they needed a transport and medical supplies, and the base was, as far as they knew, the only place on Soria where they could acquire those things.

  Oates had given up his argument quickly. Too quickly, Rory thought. In any case, they’d been grateful to have the man as a guide along the journey. He knew all the shortcuts, all the trails, every trick in the book. A journey they’d expected to take days had instead taken only several hours. Now they stood at the edge of a precipice, ready to make their move.

  “The way in is down at the bottom of the ravine?” Marson swallowed hard.

  “Not at the bottom. About halfway down, behind the waterfall.”

  Rory and Marson exchanged glances. How in the hells were they going to get down there?

  “I don’t think we have enough rope,” Marson offered.

  “You practiced climbing during your training, didn’t you?” Oates asked. When they nodded, he went on. “Good. We’ll free climb it. It’s the only way.”