Countdown

by John Walker

  That buys us a little more time.

  A second attack required them to move, sapping energy in the process. Turrets from the Broken Light blazed at the enemy; pinprick shock devices that were little more than an annoyance. They kept the battle going, showing they had full commitment. Energy drain from smaller weapons didn’t affect their maneuverability.

  As the ervas pulled back to gain a firing solution, Marston fired again. Their main cannons kicked the front of their target, ripping through the shields this time. Bits of their hull broke away, not enough to be a serious breach but certainly the bloody nose he intended.

  How much more can I safely risk?

  “Shields are suffering from continuous drop,” Daisy said. “Engineering is compensating for the lingering effect. They estimate we’ll be at eighty percent on the port side. Emitters are struggling to keep up though.”

  “How many more hits can we take?” Sasha asked. “Before we lose shields in that section completely.”

  Daisy sighed. “Uh… three more full barrages. If the ones we’re dealing with can manage to target us at the same time, that side would be done. Providing they all hit it of course. There’s a better chance they’ll hit us on both sides considering their positioning.”

  “I’ve got evasive,” Marston said. “Just gotta bring us around and we can hit them again, sir.”

  The tone in his voice suggested he felt like they could win a victory there. Sasha had to weigh that level of confidence against practicality. Technically, they had done what they set out to do. Once the buoy was gone, they’d be done.

  “The fighters are harassing the destroyers,” Daisy announced, “and six of them are on their way to the buoy.”

  “Probably to get them access,” Sasha replied. “Okay, I think we’ve done enough. I’m not getting greedy here. Marston, get us out of here. Blast that buoy then engage hyperspace.” He hit the comm, reaching out to the destroyers. “We are on our way out, gentlemen. Disengage and perform your jumps as soon as possible.”

  The engines kicked up, making the ship vibrate. They picked up speed while passing over the enemies, buying themselves a little more time before they could be targeted again. Sasha held tightly to his chair, practically holding his breath. The weapons blasted the buoy, blowing it to pieces in seconds even as the enemy fighters arrived at the location.

  “We’re done,” Sasha called. “Get us out of here.”

  “Uh…” Daisy cleared her throat. “Word from the destroyers, sir.”

  “What is it?”

  “They’re saying they can’t disengage.” Daisy put the situation on the viewscreen. The enemy battleships turned on them. Rather than chasing the Broken Light or even attempting to engage it, the ervas went for the weaker targets. The fighters swarmed them. Information on the screen showed shields were on the verge of failing.

  “Get me Commander Piven on the line!” Sasha leaned forward as the connection established. “What the hell are you doing? Engage the engines; haul ass. Full retreat!”

  “Sorry, sir,” Piven replied. “We’ll buy you some more time… maybe bloody their nose a little more. Besides, I don’t think they’re anticipating what we’re about to do.”

  “What are you about to do?” Sasha demanded. “Tell me!”

  “Just keep moving, sir. And good luck.” The line went dead.

  “Son of a bitch!” Sasha pointed at Daisy. “Get him back on the line or even Commander Kriver.” He tapped the arm of his chair in anticipation, watching intently as the destroyers spun around. They engaged their engines, seemingly in unison, before charging the enemy battleships. “No! Come on, guys! You don’t have to do that! Daisy!”

  “Comm’s not responding, sir.” Daisy turned to the screen. “They’ve doubled their frontal shields.”

  The fighters ripped into the shields that had collapsed on the sides, popping tiny holes throughout the hull. The battleships took their shots next, heavy beams cutting through their targets like they were no more substantial than air. But it was too late to destroy them to prevent the collision. Everything happened in close proximity.

  Piven’s ship went first. It collided with the outside battleship on the left. Both vessels were consumed in an orange-red ball followed by a green globe that expanded out from the reactor of the ervas.

  Kriver hit next, though its target had moved. He collided directly in the center of his target, splitting it down the middle. At first neither ship exploded. Massive chunks of metal drifted apart then scattered as the reactors went up. The fighters were obliterated in an instant while the other battleships hustled away from the carnage.

  Shit!

  Sasha shook his head. “Put status of those enemy ships on the screen.” He had a hard time raising his voice. The loss of those resources, the men and women serving, Piven and Kriver… it slammed him in the gut like being shot. He leaned forward as the data appeared, displaying how bad off the sacrifice left the ervas.

  One of the three took a heavy blow from debris. It was possible the Broken Light could take it out… but with the others, it was too dangerous to risk. None of them were disabled. They were merely busted up. However, two were down, and that provided a much more convincing kick to the face than Sasha had anticipated.

  Now they’ll worry about whether or not we’re suicidal. Sasha didn’t know if that was good or bad. I guess we’ve given them something to think about. He let out a deep breath. “Get us out of here, Marston.” He hated the words, hating leaving after what he’d just seen. It made him sick. “Make it fast.”

  “Aye, sir.” Marston tapped the console, leaning back in his seat. “Entering hyperspace… now.”

  Another heavy vibration rattled the deck. Sasha closed his eyes for a moment just before they hurtled themselves far from the location. The message was sent to Alden. We gave a good nudge to these assholes. That’s all we can do. Next we get to see how big of a response they’ve got for us… and what we can field in return.

  ***

  Captain Markel boarded the Intervention, departing his shuttle far more stiffly than he would’ve preferred. The short trip from the Morrigan to the MerCon vessel gave him just enough time to settle in, leaving his muscles cramped up and exhausted. He stretched on his way out, moving slowly to avoid looking like an old man.

  The last week has caught up to me. Noah rarely struggled with age. He stayed in shape, took care of himself but after all they’d been through, he finally felt old. Deep in his bones, in his soul, he felt compelled to leave the military life behind. I don’t exactly have much to show for all these years of service.

  Accolades felt shallow when compared to the lives lost. Rita… out there somewhere with a pirate scum. Jack Shelley… nearly killed in their last mission, fighting for his life in the infirmary. Countless others that became names in reports, people to be missed, letters to write and families to devastate with the news.

  Early in his career, when he first met Mac on the battlefield even, he’d thought of himself as a hero. That’s what had compelled him into military service—to make a difference for those who couldn’t fight for themselves. He’d believed in the cause and never imagined for a second his dedication might falter.

  The day I graduated, I felt it deep in my bones that I would be in for life. The career became a calling. The calling became an obsession and then… he never imagined he could do anything else. That was it. Providing I survived, I had a plan. I got comfortable knowing my future was set.

  Noah had lost men all through his career before he took over the Morrigan. Different situations from calculated risks to bad luck to crap intelligence to his own mistakes. He’d experienced plenty of death. He traced his recent feelings to the moment he made the choice to defy Whitaker’s order to leave the frontier.

  It didn’t matter that I did the right thing. I defied an order and some conditioned side of me took a blow. Noah wasn’t like Rita. He hadn’t spent time outside the service like her. Part of him thought he should’
ve thrived in the midst of such turmoil, and yet… he found it distasteful. Enough to bring out a physical reaction.

  We’re almost done. Noah clung to that thought. This is close. But that wasn’t the only thing on his mind. AJ Venters had discovered something of interest from Mac. A personal connection between the war dog and Noah. My grandfather…The thought alone made his heart ache.

  Noah couldn’t say he knew much about the process to create a war dog, but he understood enough to know the process of wiping their brains. People donated organs to causes, that wasn’t new. In fact, it became mandatory for a while before medical services could easily clone proper replacements for those who needed them.

  He intended to talk to Alexander about it, to get some answers about his family member. He struggled with how much it mattered… if at all. It does to me. But why? What did it ultimately matter? His grandfather had been an old man. As far as anyone knew, he’d died before they had conducted the procedure.

  That’s the problem. I don’t know that for certain.

  Noah had meant to talk to Mac about it before he departed for the briefing. He couldn’t bring himself to it. Not until he better understood the procedure… and if Alexander knew anything about it. Something struck him about his first meeting with Mac. Back then, he’d called it bad luck… duty overlapping.

  And yet he began to question the motivations of putting them together after he received the news of his relationship. Did it mean Northam knew? That’s part of what I intend to find out.

  “Noah!” Erris’s voice drew him out of his reverie. He looked up with a forced smile. “You’re going the wrong way, sir. The briefing room is over here. I’ll show you.”

  “Thanks.” Noah fell into pace beside her. “Sorry about that. I was lost in thought for a moment. I’d like to say you have an impressive ship here. Top-of-the-line. Or at least, it looks like it. I’ve never seen one of your vessels in person before.”

  “We spared no expense, really.” Erris looked around as they walked. “There are… more frills than you’d be used to. Some luxuries I’ve always thought weren’t entirely necessary, but by and large, she gets the job done. I’m glad to be home. I’m sure you understand the feeling there.”

  “I do.” Noah nodded. “Hey, thank you. I haven’t had a chance to say it, but everything you did after you left the Morrigan saved a lot of lives. Brought us to this point, honestly.”

  “Some skill,” Erris replied, “and a lot of luck. But I appreciate it. You had it worse than us, though, by a lot. All that fighting.”

  “It’s taken a toll… and it’s not over yet.”

  “Oh!” Erris motioned to a man wearing a black suit approaching. “Karl! Come meet Captain Markel in person!” She turned to Noah. “This is Karl Petrova. He’s the one who rescued Marshal Northam and brought him here.”

  Petrova shook Noah’s hand. “Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m glad to put a face to the name. Whitaker talked about you.”

  “How long did you work for him?” Noah asked.

  “A very long time. Got out for nearly twenty years… went back recently.” Petrova held his arms out to the sides. “Eliza and I both received his treatment. Not that we asked for it. At least it afforded us the opportunity to set things right.”

  “When you went back, did you know you’d be doing this?”

  Petrova sighed. “Honestly, I didn’t know his agenda. When he told us, I panicked. Eliza and I put plans in motion, but we needed help. That’s where Erris and Peck came in. Their arrival made it possible for us to make contact with you guys, help the Gold Empire, and ensure the Confeds got their leader back.”

  “Is Whitaker out of the picture?” Noah asked. “I’m of the impression he got away.”

  “Yes,” Petrova replied. “And we’re about to have that discussion with Marshal Northam. I sent a message back to the Confeds… military and political. They know what’s going on. Northam also contacted them, letting everyone know he did not step down willingly and that Whitaker was a traitor. He’ll be getting back to them afterward.”

  “So he’ll be arrested if he shows up,” Erris said.

  Petrova frowned. “Not… necessarily. I know the man. He’s clever. I’m certain he’ll keep himself out of a jail cell, at least for a while. The part I’m not as sure about is what he’ll do with his freedom. I don’t know what other allies he’s cultivated or what assets he might have at his disposal. Fact is, he may have another trick up his sleeve.”

  “I get the impression,” Noah said, “that this attack of his wasn’t in the cards.”

  “No.” Petrova shook his head. “We never discussed assaulting any location in the frontier with the fleet. All conflicts were supposed to take place with allied assets. In other words, those ships were meant to keep Whitaker safe, not blast anyone. He must’ve thought he had it in the bag.”

  “He almost did.” A woman called out as she approached. “Eliza Leavis, Captain.” She shook Noah’s hand. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

  Noah inclined his head. “Likewise.”

  “We have prisoners,” Eliza said. “They’ve confirmed my suspicions. Whitaker thought he could wipe this place out, grab the data, and ensure no one ever found out about his discoveries. By and large, that was a good idea. He didn’t count on MerCon showing up. Or Loch for that matter… though apparently, the pirate didn’t factor in.”

  “How’re we going to find him?” Noah looked between the two spies. “I’m guessing you guys have a plan about that.”

  “Well…” Eliza cleared her throat. “Not entirely. Right now, we’re worried about the ervas. Ensuring all governments play together is our primary concern. Everything else is secondary. Including that traitor asshole. But don’t worry, we’ll get him soon enough. All that being said, we should get to work. I believe the Marshal is waiting.”

  “Of course.” Noah smirked. “Sorry about the impromptu meeting.”

  “Not at all.” Eliza gently took his arm, walking with him into the conference room. “I’d be just as curious if I was you. We’ve asked a lot of you, indirectly and otherwise. You and your crew have performed above and beyond the call of duty. Let me be the first to congratulate you on that.”

  “Most of it was just duty,” Noah said. “The rest, survival.”

  “Both of those make for solid officers,” Eliza replied. She let him go as they entered the room.

  Commodore Alden nodded to him as he entered, but the person he most wanted to see lit up as their eyes met.

  “Noah!” Alexander stood, hurrying over to the man. They embraced. “Are you a sight for sore eyes! God, I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “You too!” Noah leaned back to look his friend in the face. “You look tired, man. You’ve had a time of it, I heard.”

  “Yeah, it’s been more adventure than I’ve had in a while. But you… you’ve been through hell and back. You’ll have to tell me about it when this is over.”

  “We’ve got a lot to catch up on.” Noah joined him at the table, sitting to his right. “So… what’s the deal?”

  “Are we all here?” Alexander looked around. “I think we’re missing someone.”

  “Sorry!” Oliver Peck shouted as he hurried into the room. “This ship’s confusing, sir. Major Peck reporting. My apologies.”

  “No problem, son.” Alexander motioned. “Have a seat.” He stood. “As you all know, we’ve had a lot of drama over in the Confed military. That’s calming down now that we’ve communicated with HQ and made some things clear. Whitaker has been removed as marshal, and I am reinstated.”

  “That’s great news,” Noah said. “Does that mean we’ll get all the reinforcements we need?”

  “I’m… getting to that.” Alexander cleared his throat before going on. “One problem we’re facing is that roughly a quarter of our fleet was in hyperspace during the transition of power to me. That means a lot of ships aren’t aware of the situation yet. By the time they emerge, find out, and can relocate, it
may be a few more days than we’d like.

  “Which is a logistics problem but one we should be aware of. They’ll get word soon enough and we can go from there. However, this does leave a fairly sizable force we can call upon. I’m sure the military men in this room already know what I’m going to say next about allocation of forces.”

  “Politicians,” Noah said. “They’re worried about sending everything and leaving no defense.”

  “Correct.” Alexander nodded. “And I don’t blame them. So I’m deploying our fleet to ensure the core worlds are defended. All militias and system security forces have been placed on full alert. These are precautions. After speaking with Commodore Alden here, I don’t believe they will be needed.”

  “Which means,” Alden said, “our people are likely to take the full brunt of the invasion.”

  “However,” Alexander continued, “the good news is that Lieutenant Dora Collins flew a mission that granted us valuable intelligence. We know where the ervas will be coming from and if they attack the nearest systems, those are somewhat isolated. An operation is already underway to evacuate the civilians in the colonies in those areas.”

  “That sounds like a lot of people,” Petrova said. “How long will it take?”

  “A few days,” Alden replied. “We’re moving swiftly. Some of them have chosen to join the militia rather than leave though. Our forces are bolstered… even if they won’t necessarily help in a straight up fight.”

  “Exactly.” Alexander sighed. “On the bright side, we’ve narrowed down some first targets.” He brought a system map up on a wall screen. “These three places are most likely to be hit. They were selected with the help of the ervas prisoner we have working with us. He claimed ether production sites would be favored.”

  “They worship it,” Petrova said. “So to speak.”

  “Have they moved yet?” Noah asked. “Do we know?”