by Luigi Robles
“I think I’m beginning to see where you are going with this,” Fain said.
“What if Sodenia gets damaged to the point that we cannot communicate with the ghost fleet or any of the drones?” Larissa said. “Then it’s game over.”
“I agree,” Fain said. “What do you propose?”
“A command post of some sort,” Larissa said. “Highly maneuverable, heavily shielded, and able to jump back to Earth if need be.”
“Can you build something like that?” Fain asked, turning to face the Ochilenes. “Something with powerful communication?”
“It would take longer,” Elenon said. “Much longer than a ghost ship, as it will be fully functional, I suppose. But it can be done.”
“How long?” Fain asked.
Elenon turned to face Fermens and Iremostal.
“How many people on board do we need to account for?” Fermens asked.
“Four hundred active,” Fain said. “But with enough passenger space to receive the whole of Sodenia’s crew in case of an emergency.”
“In that case…” Fermens said as he pulled up a digital screen from the floor and began making some sort of calculations. “Five. Five of your human days, no less.”
“Will you be able to jump this ship away from the battle?” Fain asked.
“That shouldn’t be a problem. As long as the army of drones is in place, we can jump the ship away from the battle,” Fermens said. “We’ve made it to Earth once before solely on the ship’s computer.”
In an effort to conserve high energy cores for the larger ghost ships, the drones were fitted with smaller cores. The Ochilenes had decided that in the event that the fleet needed to jump from one end of space to another, they would tether the drones to the Vieron Vasteos.
“Then let’s do it,” Fain said. “Before anything else gets done, make sure you complete the command center. And remember to leave a designated area for the Ochilenes.” Fain smiled. “Since you three prefer a different gravity and all.”
“Any particular design you have in mind?” Elenon asked.
Fain looked at Larissa, and she shrugged.
“Surprise us,” Fain said. “Just make it capable of jumping through space.”
“In that case, we will,” Elenon said. “And Captain Fain Jegga, thank you for the opportunity to fight alongside you. The most difficult part of this new assignment will be making the new command center star ready, but we will try our best. Even if it means using some of the Vieron Vasteos parts.”
“You’ll do just fine,” Fain said. “That much I know. I’ve been thoroughly impressed so far.”
Before long, Fain and Larissa were back on board the small shuttle and making their way back to Sodenia. Fain was feeling much better about the new deal he had struck with the Ochilenes.
“Thank you for your suggestion,” Fain said as he piloted the shuttle smoothly. “The truth is that I wasn’t feeling too good about leaving them out of the battle. But at the same time, I didn’t want them to be just sitting ducks.”
“I know,” Larissa said. “That’s why I said it.”
“There’s something else that has been bugging me,” Fain said.
“Shoot. Maybe I can help you with it.”
“I’ve been feeling lately that we might be pushing our luck. The common consensus is that we should build ships until there are signs of the Acram. I’ve seen on the Battle Board that most of the crew believe, they truly believe, that strength is in numbers. Most of their strategies consist of numbers-based approaches instead of tactical ones. The Acram could show up any day now, and we would be woefully unprepared. And no matter how many ships we end up building, how many drones we have on our side, we will lose if we aren’t prepared.”
“Then light the fire. Do what you were born to do, Fain. Take charge of the situation. They are only putting forth numbers-based strategies because they don’t know any better. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they believe in you or not. I believe that when it comes to this stuff, you know best.”
“I hope you are right. Because if we are going to survive this, we’ll need to be ready. I’ll stop any further building after the new command station is built. We’ll try to be as ready as possible for the Acram from here on out. Battle drills, plans, formations, meetings, and anything else I can think of to get us ready. I hope it works.”
“I think we all do, for Earth’s sake.”
Fain began to make plans in his head of what to do next. He pictured their new fleet of ghost ships and drones lining up in a strategic formation for the first time. He also wondered—
“Now, if you don’t mind,” Larissa said, interrupting Fain’s train of thought, “there’s been something that has been on my mind as well.”
“Sure, go ahead,” Fain said as his heart began beating more rapidly.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. But I’ve noticed how Pycca behaves around you, specifically when I am around you. And I think she might have some strong feelings for you, like mine.”
Did Fain just hear that clearly? Did Larissa just casually say that she had feeling for him? She said it in a way that sounded like it should be common knowledge, not just for him but for everyone.
“Um, what?” Fain asked nervously.
“The truth is that I’ve never been the selfish kind,” Larissa said. “Especially in times like this, you know, with the end of everything we know upon us and all. I also have yet to fully understand my feelings, but make no mistake, they are real, and they’re as present as the air I breathe. And I believe there’s some of that towards me in you too, Fain Jegga.” She looked at Fain and smiled warmly. “But it wouldn’t be kind of me if I made you choose between me an her, or if I got in between you two. So, I wanted to let you know that if something permanent happens between you and Pycca, I will understand. But if it doesn’t, come see me once this all ends.”
Is this real life? Fain thought as he realized that Larissa had just dropped a bomb on his chest that went off with a thousand different feelings. How can someone be so direct, so honest and yet so nice? But then again, this was Larissa.
“I’m not sure what to say,” Fain said. “What to think, even…”
“Then don’t say anything,” Larissa said. “But your look betrays you anyways. Truth is, you would make a horrible poker player. I can see right through you, Fain Jegga.”
“Oh, really?” Fain said cheerfully. “And what do you see?”
“Exactly the things I should be seeing,” Larissa said. “Exactly what I was expecting.”
“Which is?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Larissa chuckled.
When they got back to Sodenia, Fain wanted to keep thinking about what Larissa had told him, what she had shared. Even as they parted ways and she headed towards her quarters, he wanted to be selfish and, for once since the Acram first visited Earth, put himself first. But he couldn’t. He knew that he had a lot of work to do. Now more than ever, critical thinking would be required. He really had to concentrate on the coming threat.
If you get out of this, Fain thought, if somehow you manage to survive—no, not you, we manage to survive—if there’s still an Earth left, after all is said and done, you need to find the one for you. But for now, we have to survive.
Fain decided to walk the entirety of the way to his quarters. He knew that it would take him some time, time that he needed to clear his head. As he walked, he tried to figure out what was bugging him. Something about their plan didn’t fit right, and it was beginning to feel like a huge oversight. But what he did know was that it had to do with one of the individuals they were relying on the most.
“Kya,” Fain said into his wristband. “Are you terribly busy at the moment?”
“Not at all,” Kya said into the wristband. “Can I help you with something?”
“Do you mind going for a walk,” Fain said as he continued walking. “I’d say that I have about sixteen minutes before
I get to my quarters. Want to join me?”
“If you keep up your current pace,” Kya said, “you’ll arrive at your quarters in twenty-two minutes. But yes, I’d love to join you.”
“Is it that easy to calculate things like that,” Fain said with a chuckle, “or are you just showing off? Is that an advanced form of thinking kind of thing?”
“I’d go as far as to say that it is quite primitive,” Kya said. “It’s more of a compulsion to share information that I already have that chances are will never get used.”
“I see,” Fain said. “Maybe you’ll explain that to me in more detail later. See you when you get here.”
Less than a minute later, Kya’s corridor pod was already pulling up next to Fain.
“You know,” Fain said as Kya got out of the pod, “the efficiency of these corridors never ceases to amaze me.”
“They are quite nice,” Kya said. “You know, the Ochilenes ship doesn’t have anything like this.”
“Right,” Fain said. “It takes around ten minutes to get from their docks to their bridge. And those conveyor-belt things are fast. Or at least they feel fast.”
“It might feel faster because of the augmented gravity,” Kya said as she began walking with Fain. “Since they are not a military-oriented race, there was never a need to hurry about in their ship.”
“For a second, I wondered what it would be like inside an Acram ship,” Fain said. “But on second thought, they are probably just as ugly as their outside, and I really don’t want to know. What I do want to know is how you feel about the upcoming battle.”
“I go back and forth about it. There’s still so much information missing. Mainly on the side of the Acram. I feel that we are doing what we can as best we can, but the odds are against us.”
“I feel the same way. What about when it comes to flying the drones? Do you think you can do it?”
“Do you mean the entirety of our drone fleet? All eighty-five thousand drones?”
Fain nodded.
“Even at the original estimate of sixty-five thousand, it’s a daunting task. I fear that I might not be able to control them individually with high maneuverability in combat. Especially against the skilled Acram ships.”
“We only have three hundred extra pilots,” Fain said. “We already have one hundred more ghost ships than we do pilots. And even if they managed multiple tandem groups of drones, that only accounts for a small number of our fleet.”
This was it, the one thing Fain had feared. Although Kya had the most powerful mind on Earth, it wasn’t infallible. And now more than ever, it was going to be put to the test.
15
The Struggle
Over the past six days, Fain had put everyone through rigorous drills on formation and engagement. And it seemed as though everyone was giving it their absolute best. The newly completed command center for the fleet seemed to be working perfectly for them. After its occupation, Fain had dubbed the newest Ochilenes creation Radio One.
Radio One turned out to be quite a large spherical ship, with extended antennas all around it. Like the Vieron Vasteos, it had little firepower, but what it lacked in firepower it made up for in viewing and communication range. The command center had two pairs of circular tiers that began from each side of its midpoint, dividing the spherical command center into four. The Ochilenes had their own special section in the lowest tier of the command center that allowed them to breathe and move around freely.
The Vieron Vasteos was no longer pounding away at creating new drones or ships. Instead, it just lay in wait until it needed to be called on.
Fain continuously kept the newly created survival fleet in formation. Even as they practiced their drills, they would also practice how to get back into formation at a moment’s notice. The formation was simple—Sodenia was front and center, and behind it was a flotilla of twenty ghost ships and a squadron of 1,200 drones. On its right- and left-side wing dispersers, across several hundred miles, stood ten battalions that consisted of nineteen ghost ships and 3,900 drones. Far behind all the ships and drones stood Radio One, with 250 of Sodenia’s own drones surrounding it, leaving another 250 for Eora’s team to manage.
Fain knew that it was only a matter of time now before the Golden Armada made its grand entrance. But until it did so, time was still on their side.
Every day, Fain thought of something new to throw at Earth’s new defense fleet, each time a new and more severe handicap. Six days went on like this, with the fleet passing everything that Fain threw at them with flying colors.
“You know,” August said as Fain pilot’s seat lowered itself from Sodenia’s command station onto the bridge, “I knew it. I knew that you were going to do this to us again. But three days in a row?”
Fain tried to suppress a guilty laugh.
“So, does this mean we get to go back to sleep?” August said as he stood up from his station.
Fain had decided to run a drill during the graveyard shift at 0300 hours, and although Sodenia ran on a twenty-four-hour shift, the drills required all personnel to attend.
“Can you still fall asleep?” Fain asked as he got up from the pilot’s seat.
“That won’t be a problem,” August said as he yawned. “I can fall asleep at any time of the day. I just need to find a nice, cozy place. And right now, this desk is starting to look like it can do the job. I’m a champ.”
“Leave it to you to be proud of that,” Pycca said as she got up from her station to stretch. “I’m going to go get some coffee. I doubt I can go back to sleep. I saw some weird readings on one of the gravity cores that I need to check out.”
“Why is that not something to be proud of?” August asked. “It’s a gift, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Pycca, what kind of readings were those?” Fain asked as his heart began to pound. Something told him that this was it.
“I’m not sure,” Pycca said. She faced Fain, and her eyes widened. “It was as if they picked something up.”
The main screen on the bridge changed to show a map of the solar system. Everyone on the bridge turned to look.
“A large mass has been detected just a few thousand miles away from Jupiter’s orbit,” Kya said on the bridge. “And it is accelerating this way.”
Fain ran to the flashing blue button on the center console that would allow him to address everyone in the fleet through the PA system.
“Everyone, report to your positions. Get ready for an immediate jump,” Fain said, and a short, blaring alarm followed. “Be ready to engage the enemy. I hate to say it, but this is not a drill. It looks like the Golden Armada is here, just a few thousand miles away from Jupiter’s orbit. We are going to give them a warm welcome.”
Fain then ran back to his pilot seat and strapped in as fast as he could.
“Where to?” Larissa asked.
“Just put us near Jupiter,” Fain said as the pilot’s seat began to rise from the floor to the spherical view screen. “Chances are that they won’t be expecting us. I need everyone to be on high alert. Give it your best. We only have this one chance.”
“Defensive formation once we get there?” August asked.
“Yes,” Fain said from inside the spherical view room, which was already lighting up, letting him see the entirety of his surroundings. “Shields up, weapons hot.”
“We’ve synchronized the jump with Radio One,” Kya said through the command station, her name lighting up on a small screen to the right as she spoke. “We’ll be ready to jump in less than a minute.”
“On screen,” Fain said as he put his hand on the Alcubierre drive lever. A timer with forty-five seconds remaining appeared.
“What about the Vieron Vasteos?” Kya asked hurriedly when there were thirty seconds remaining.
“Have them jump back here once our fleet arrives,” Fain said, already pressing the button to release the lever. The map of the run towards Jupiter also appeared on the screen.
“Synchronized fleet jump i
n,” Kya began through the PA system as she called out the numbers on the screen. “Five, four, three, two.”
Fain moved the lever all the way up to seven, which would allow them to move seven times faster than the speed of light. He watched as they left the asteroid belt behind them in an instant. All the while, he kept his hand on the lever. The time on the screen changed once again to fifty-five seconds, as it would take Sodenia nearly an entire minute to reach Jupiter.
“Did you put us further away from the fleet?” Fain asked as he followed Sodenia’s dot through the map.
“I did,” Kya said. “We will arrive approximately twenty miles higher and one hundred miles further away from the fleet.”
“And how far away from the Acram Armada?” Fain asked as the countdown read forty seconds remaining.
“I’ve set the course to 180 thousand miles away from the Armada,” Kya said.
“Eora’s readying the Fate cannons,” Fain said. “Have all other weapons standing by.”
The Fate cannons were Sodenia’s largest and most powerful weapon. The cannons ran across the entirety of the ship, from bow to stern. Eora had once told Fain that she believed that if they really wanted to, they could destroy an entire planet with those cannons.
“Everything is hot and ready,” Eora said. “Waiting for your orders.”
Fain’s heart was racing as the timer counted down. He knew that if they were to have a chance at surviving, they needed to go all-out. They would have to fight fiercely with everything they had from the beginning. Fain believed that the enemy, having won countless battles, would take this fight lightly. He wanted to turn that to his advantage. As the timer hit three, Fain slid it back fast, and the space around them began looking normal. Suddenly, he was able to see Earth’s fleet behind him and countless highlighted green squares in front of him. The Acram Armada was there.
