by Saxon Andrew
• • •
Tal and Ka were in the conference room having a discussion with Jab and Ryshana. Well, discussion was a nice way of putting it; Ryshana had lost her temper twice and the argument threatened to get out of hand. Tal took a deep breath and slowly blew it out as he noticed Ryshana’s expression. He glanced at Jab and saw he was at least keeping his composure…barely.
Ka interrupted the confrontation and asked, “Ryshana, why are you so adamant about coming back to Andromeda?” Ryshana jerked her head around to Ka with an angry expression and Ka held up a hand, “I don’t need your shouting, volume won’t accomplish anything. Take a breath and tell me.”
Ryshana glared at Ka and closed her eyes as she forced her emotions under control, “I don’t know?” Ka and Tal were both shocked by the admission. “I can’t sleep and when I do, all I have are nightmares about Brotherhood Warships blasting me from space.”
Tal’s eyebrows came together, and Jab added, “She’s telling the truth, Admiral. I don’t really understand what’s going on but since you told us our presence was no longer needed against the Brotherhood, she’s started to lose it. Something inside her is not allowing her to walk away in peace.”
Ryshana interjected, “I’m going crazy. I feel myself shaking at the thought of not knowing what’s happening in Andromeda. My soul is demanding I not go.”
Tal stared at them for a very long moment and closed his eyes. He felt something like the silence of the storm just before it releases its fury at full force. He opened his eyes and glanced at Ka. She was staring at him and he asked her, “What are you thinking?”
“Tal, how much training did you have on operating a warship when you left for the LMC with the first Epy?”
“Pretty much none, Ka; I had to learn on the fly.”
“Now most of your crews are trained sailors and academy graduates from either Earth or the Colonies. I do hope you realize that Jan and Jee have also not graduated from any academy or gone through any special training to command a fleet. They learned how to fight in the LMC confronting the aliens attacking the colonies; how do they stack up to the rest of your officers?”
“Ka, you know they’re commanding a squadron because of their talents. What are you trying to say?”
Ka looked at Jab and Ryshana, “You’re basing your argument on not allowing Jab and Ryshana to continue in Andromeda because neither of them have any formal training on how to operate and command a warship. What if the Chancellor used that argument when you went rushing out to the Large Magellanic Cloud. What if he told you he should send trained officers instead of an assassin who knew nothing about warships and fleet maneuvers?” Ka paused, “Where would we be today if he acted like you’re doing now?”
Tal was silent as he kept his eyes on Ka considering what she said. Jab said softly, “Tal, I know how to fly a scout; I had to do it when you sent me on the mission to the Brotherhood’s capital planet. Ryshana is the one that came up with the current system used by your weapon officers to designate targets.”
Tal turned to jab, “That was purely an accident, Jab.”
“I agree, but it shows she has an aptitude for using weapons, Tal. You’re taking your crews back to train on using the new ships being developed; what better time would there be to train us on flying a warship with them?”
Tal exhaled softly, “Jab, I saw the picture of Ryshana and how much she was hurt during your mission to the Brotherhood; I don’t want to see her hurt again.”
“Tal, I don’t either! But it’s killing her to not be involved in the fight. If you really don’t want to hurt her, then don’t exclude her from going back to Andromeda.”
“Why are you being so hard headed, Tal?!” Ka asked forcefully. “Give them a ship to command and allow them to be trained on it when your crews are going through their training! Have you lost your senses?”
Tal closed his eyes, “I’ve lost a third of my crews fighting in Andromeda.” He opened them and continued, “I don’t know if I can keep sending them out to die.”
Ka leaned over and took is hands, “If you want to leave the service and stay on Earth, I’m there with you.” Tal’s head tilted slightly, and Ka continued, “But do you think you’ll have a moments peace remaining behind while they go back to Andromeda?” Tal’s brow furrowed, and his eyes widened slightly. “Will the next Admiral that replaces you not take unacceptable risks with them? Jee and Jan will be there; can you sleep well not knowing what they’re going through fighting the Brotherhood and Cyrens?” Ka’s eyes hardened slightly, “Tal, this is war! And if you remain in command, you’re going to lose more crews; it’s unavoidable. But think about how many more would have been lost if you weren’t there!!”
“Ka, I just want this to be over.”
“Then go out there and end it, Tal!! Feeling sorry for yourself and the crews you lost gains you nothing!! You need to channel the assassin in you and get in touch with what’s made you the man I love so much! You are the heart and soul of these crews! If you lose your courage…they won’t be far behind you.”
Tal felt something inside him building…anger. He suddenly realized that he had lost the reason he was fighting in Andromeda; two aggressive civilizations were threatening humanity and he allowed himself to forget that. He was caught up in those that died and lost sight of the big picture. He looked at Jab and Ryshana and asked, “Are you absolutely certain you want to do this? You can take your reward for completing your mission and live in luxury.”
“What good is luxury if you don’t have peace of mind to enjoy it?” Jab asked.
Tal stuck out his hand, “Alright, you’re in!” Jab shook it as Ryshana rushed up and hugged Tal. “However, I have some stipulations. I currently have two warships assigned to defend the Zak’s Jil. I’m increasing that number to three and your ship will join the Paris and Yosemite as my wingmen. I expect you to be as good as they are when you complete your training.”
“We will be!” Ryshana quickly replied.
Jab nodded, “We’ll certainly give it our best effort. Your unit is the best in your fleet.”
“And I expect you to make it better, Jab! If you want this, then do what’s needed to make it happen!” Jab glanced at Ryshana and then nodded.
Ryshana went quickly to Ka and hugged her, “Thank you!”
Ka kept her eyes on Tal as she said, “He really wants you to go. Right, Tal.”
Tal knew he and Ka were going to discuss this later; she wasn’t happy about his waffling, “Yes, I do. Now go and enjoy what free time you have; it’s going to disappear shortly.”
Jab and Ryshana left the conference room and Ka said, “What is wrong with you, Tal!”
“I think I lost my way, Ka. I can’t get the crews I’ve lost out of my mind.”
“Would you prefer thinking about losing the billions of lives on the new colonies?”
“You’ve made your point!”
Ka went to his lap, “I dream about this being over and you and I on a beach on Earth. But I can’t do that as long as the new colonies are threatened with extinction.”
Tal pulled her close, “I need to keep that in mind, Ka. They are the real reason I’m doing this.” Ka nodded and stood up. Tal asked, “What? No kiss?”
“Maybe later. It depends on you acting like the Admiral our crew needs to see on the bridge.”
Tal’s lips pursed, “I have been bad, haven’t I?”
Ka leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, “You get that for seeing it.” Tal smiled and left the conference room with Ka.
Chapter Three
Ka and Tal entered the bridge and it was easy to see the crew was nervous; Tal knew that was his fault. He looked at Jab and Ryshana talking quietly in their chairs by the missile consoles and he said over his subvocal module, “Everyone bring a chair to the front of the ship.” Ka’s expression turned apprehensive. Tal shook his head slightly and she sat down in her chair wondering what was going on. Once everyone was seated, Tal turned to Mila, �
�Put the ship on autopilot.” Mila turned, followed his instructions, and turned back around.
Tal touched three monitors on his console and Jee, Jan, and Rachael appeared on the front wall monitor in side-by-side images. Tal immediately said, “I’m having a meeting with my crew and I want you to listen in. Put your helmets on and keep what is discussed silent. If you have any questions or remarks, make them over your subvocal modules. Connect with my subvocal module and I’ll connect you with my crew, so everyone will hear what’s going on.” Tal watched them put their helmets on and turn back to him.
Tal looked around and began, “I want to apologize for being such a sad turtle since we left Andromeda. I’ve stayed in my shell and allowed my sorrow of losing six crews to take all of my focus. I couldn’t help but feel that if I had done a better job…well…they might still be alive. Whether you realize it or not, all of those serving under my command mean more to me than I can say.”
“Sir, we’re lucky we only lost six ships. It was your leadership that prevented us losing more,” Katy replied quickly.
“Thank you for that, Katy. However, I got mired down in their loss and lost sight of why we’re out here. We’ve been the only thing standing between the new colonies and all the planets in the Milky Way from being attacked. We’re expendable and carrying out our mission is more important than all of us. We’ve been heavily outnumbered, and I do know that the number of warships attacking us has grown substantially since the Brotherhood began using their small ships. We’ve lost our advantage in speed and maneuverability and, like Katy said, we’ve been lucky to survive. Now, for the moment, we’re out of the fight. There’s some things I’ve not told you because Admiral Montana didn’t give me permission to share them…however…he didn’t forbid me from telling you either. I think it’s time to let you know what’s going to happen when we arrive on Earth.” Tal saw Jab and Ryshana look at each other with a concerned expression. Was Tal going to back out on his promise to give them a ship?
“Since we’ve been in the Andromeda Galaxy, a lot has happened on Earth and the Colonies. For one thing, the Colonies have gotten into the fight. They’ve started building warships and twenty of them, along with Earth have focused on building Alphas. The Colonies have sent their best scientists and engineers to form a team with the best scientists on Earth to develop new technology for our warships. I suspect the Cyren Warship has frightened Earth and the Colonies into working together to find a way to take them on.”
Indie spoke up, “Why are you telling us this, Admiral? Is something going to happen to us when we get back.”
Tal looked at him, “Yes, there is, Indie.” The crew looked around at each other and the three-admiral’s expressions on the monitor turned apprehensive. “Earth and the Colonies have constructed more than nine hundred new Ste Class Warships and two hundred alpha warships. Admiral Montana wants to promote every member of my crews to take command of the new Ste Class vessels. That means that all of my crews will be broken up to command the new larger fleet.”
Jan’s expression changed, and Tal saw she was not happy with the announcement. Tal looked at his three admirals and said, “My team will also be separated.”
“In what way?” Jee asked.
“You and Jan will take command of two-hundred Ste’s.”
“And what about me?” Rachael immediately asked.
“You will be promoted to Fleet Commander over the Colonies Fleet, Rachael.”
“LIKE HELL I WILL!!”
Tal shook his head, “Rachael, you promised the President of the Colonies you would accept that command if he could reorganize his fleet into a fighting force as good as ours. He’s sent all of the sailors and officers to Earth to be trained and every officer in the former Colony Fleet has been forced to resign. They have won numerous war games against the units from Earth and they are ready to join the fight. All they lack is a leader that is experienced in fighting the Brotherhood and knows what threat the Cyren Warships represent. You will keep your promise to the president and accept that assignment to make the colony fleet into something special!”
Rachael closed her eyes and shook her head, before looking at Tal, “I can’t do that alone, Tal.”
“You won’t have to, Rachael; the members of your unit will go with you to assist you in getting them ready.” Rachael stared at him and Tal added, “The majority of your new fleet officers are former assassins and are the best in the Guild. They’re disciplined and are dedicated to defending humanity. They’re being trained on the new warships and will be disciplined officers.”
“But we’re not assassins, Tal!”
“And they’re not experienced in commanding a warship, Rachael. They’re looking forward to you training them and you won’t have any problem with them respecting your experience and knowledge. You and your units are vital to the Colony Fleet becoming a weapon of war rivaled by none!” Rachael lowered her eyes, and then nodded.
Tal turned back to the monitor, “Which brings us back to Jee, Jan, and my units.”
“Tal!”
“Tal held up his hand, silencing Jan. “I recognize that some of us have been forced to forego a special relationship they have with other members of our units and that is going to pose a problem. I know it’s no secret that Jan and Dorman, Indie and Katie, Jee and Momani, and Ka and I will not want to be separated. In Jan and Dorman’s case, they’ve not been together at all during our fight in Andromeda.” Tal looked at the monitor at Jan, “Is that what has you so concerned?”
“It is!” Jan replied.
“And if you and Dorman are forced to continue to be on different ships?
Jan’s expression said it all, as she replied, “We will resign from the service, Admiral.”
Tal nodded, “I figured as much. I’m not sure how we can work this out but I’ll do what I can to get you together and…” He looked at Katy and Indie before glancing at Ka, “I’ll also try to work out something for the rest of us. However, the eight of us represent the best officers in our fleet; all of you should be commanding a fleet. You represent the next generation of leaders that will defend humanity in the future. I’m open to any suggestions you might want to offer on how to resolve this issue.”
Tal saw Indie was focused on Katy and she was shaking her head; he was talking with her directly on their subvocal modules. He glanced at Ka and saw her expression showed she was not going to accept being separated from him. “That’s all I have to tell you at this point. I didn’t want to arrive and have this sprung on you without your having an opportunity to prepare for it. Are there any questions?”
“Sir!” Tal turned to Rico and nodded. “I am not qualified to command multiple ships; I’ve not even commanded a single ship.”
Mila spoke up, “Get over yourself, Rico. It was you and Jose that saved our bacon so many times in Andromeda. You’ve sat at our consoles numerous times and you know how to operate a warship as well as any of us.”
Tal smiled, “She’s right, Rico. You know what we’re up against in Andromeda and you won’t allow the ships under your command to make foolish mistakes.” Rico sighed and looked at his brother. Jose shrugged and raised his hands. Rico turned back to Tal and nodded.
Rachael spoke up, “Sir, I do not intend to try and command the entire Colony Fleet. I am going to divide it in half and have Lalani command one half of my units. Dorman is from the colonies and he should be going with me. Jan can command the other half of my units and Dorman can be the Admiral on her flagship carrying out her orders.” Tal leaned back in his chair thinking about Rachael’s comment and she added something that cemented the deal. “Dorman’s life expectancy is three-hundred-years. Jan will have her life expectancy increased in the colonies and they’ll have a long lifetime to be together.”
Tal looked at Jan on the monitor, “What do you think about that?”
“We will not be separated! If this allows us to fight together, then we’ll do it!”
Ka spoke up, “Jan! If you leave
…”
Jan’s eyes revealed her sorrow, “I won’t see you often, Mom. But this war won’t last forever. And as it is, you’ll be alive long after I die. This solution gives us more time together in the future than less.” Ka lowered her head and nodded slightly.
Tal turned to Indie, “You and Katy are facing the same situation,”
Katy spoke first, “We will stay with Earth’s fleets, Admiral. If we survive the war, we’ll deal with different life expectancies afterward.” Tal looked from her to Indie and he nodded.
“I know that Lieutenant Fulmer will refuse a promotion if it separates him from Captain Gibbons, Tal,” Ryshana interjected.
Tal turned his attention to her, “Are you sure about that?”
“He told me, Admiral.”
Tal shrugged, “None of my crews are going to like being separated from each other. Gibbs is going to have to convince him otherwise. I don’t like losing my crews to promotion but all of us must do what is necessary to defend our species against annihilation.”
“What about the Alphas, Admiral,” Indie asked. “Are we going to have to command their fleets as well?”
“No, Indie. Admiral Ward will be selecting his officers from the best candidates serving on the Alphas. My crews are not at all familiar with their capabilities or how to fight them.”
“What about getting some of those high-ranking assassins to take the place of our officers who want to serve together, Sir.” Tal turned to Jose and he continued, “I mean, if they’re good, why not?”
Tal glanced at Ka and saw her staring at Jose. He considered the idea and smiled, “Rachael, will you give us four of them to train?”
“Will you be doing their training, Sir?”
“I will,” Tal replied.