by A. K. DuBoff
“We’re just used to being the tough ones,” Ari said. “Our little Kira went and got all badass on us.”
She smiled. “I did, didn’t I?”
“She won’t be alone,” Jasmine chimed in over the comm. “I’ll keep her out of trouble. After all, it’s my body, too, now.”
“Very true,” Kyle said. “I’m not sure how well we’ll be able to hack this thing, but I’ll give it my all.”
“Thank you.” Kira flashed a heartfelt smile at her team. “I wouldn’t be considering this if I didn’t know I had you for backup. Tell me what you’ll need to make a remote connection, and we’ll make the arrangements.”
“They have a bunch of shielding, right?” Nia said. “You’ll need to tap into a console that’s wired into the ship’s external communication array.”
Kira frowned. “Sounds straightforward enough… if we had any idea where that was or what the components look like.”
“Yeah, well, you should at least figure that much out before you go running in there with glowy eyes and claws out,” Kyle responded.
“Working on it,” she said. “Get yourselves to our location. I’ll take care of the rest.”
— — —
“I think Kira may have lost her mind,” Kaen said, “but it happens to be a type of crazy I like.”
Major Sandren smiled back at him over the viewscreen mounted to the wall in Kaen’s temporary quarters on the Conquest. “I must admit, sir, I was surprised to hear you’d endorsed it.”
Kaen smiled. “Kira can be very persuasive. But, truth be told, we don’t have a lot of options here. We literally fired the most destructive weapon we have, and it did nothing. With no way to ramp up, we need to think smaller and more targeted. Sending in a larger team would be a surefire way to get people killed. Kira’s unique abilities at least give her a shot at accomplishing the mission and getting out alive.”
“She has yet to truly test the limits of her new abilities.”
“Nothing like trial by fire.”
“The ultimate test of autonomy.”
“Indeed. If the team pulls this off, promotions are definitely in order,” Kaen said. “It’s long overdue.”
“I heartily support an advancement. With the team operating on its own the majority of the time, rank hasn’t come into play beyond the chain of command within their unit.”
Kaen nodded. “They’re the men and women that should be running a unit or training the next generation.”
“I’d hate to break apart such a high-functioning team, but there would be a lot of value in distributing their skills,” Sandren agreed.
“Then there’s Kira.” Kaen shook his head. “I have no idea what we should do with her.”
“The present team dynamic no longer reflects the best use of her skills. However, planning out a future path for her is a discussion I think she should be a part of—after we’ve dealt with the Trols.”
“Without a doubt,” Kaen agreed. “She has great things ahead of her.”
Sandren nodded. “I’ll be honored to look back and say I was here for this event.”
“This upcoming encounter will surely be one for the history books.”
“A daring plan. If anyone can pull it off, it’s Kira and the rest of her team,” the major agreed. “But, all the same, what are our contingencies if it doesn’t work?”
“I’m working with the TSS to put backup precautions in place,” Kaen told him. “Planetary shields. The generators likely couldn’t withstand a long-term assault, but it might buy some extra time. And, if nothing else, they will offer peace of mind to the civilian population.”
Sandren nodded. “One can never underestimate the value of psychological well-being. Maintaining order on the affected worlds will be critical.”
“It will, but that’s not your concern. I’ll make the necessary preparations in the Elvar Trinary while you’re in transit.”
“Yes, sir.”
“There is one thing I need your help coordinating,” Kaen said. “We’ll require a way to interface with the ship in the event our normal wireless or hardwire connectivity methods don’t work. There’s a specialist on Leon’s team who works with bioelectric interfaces, yes?”
“I believe so.”
“Get the team on the issue. I want a fallback strategy ready, if it’s needed.”
“Consider it done, sir,” Sandren acknowledged.
“Thank you, see you soon. We’ll have everything else ready for the team when you arrive.”
CHAPTER 10
Un-foking-believable. Ellen raced into the open area at the center of the government office that had been functioning as her administrative headquarters, dubbed ‘Ops Central’. The nickname was a little overkill, but everyone in the office knew what it meant.
The sun had yet to rise for the day, but she’d already been awake for hours. Since receiving the alert from Joris about the impending attack, she’d been coordinating with Guard and TSS representatives about receiving delivery of defensive tech to augment Mysar’s standard planetary shield, which deflected minor space debris.
The rest of her team had yet to arrive. Her message in the wee hours of the morning had no doubt alarmed them, but she’d kept the reason for the early meeting to herself for the time being. Some news was better delivered in person.
Ellen powered up the conference table while she waited and loaded in the schematics for the new planetary shield components.
While she queued up the final pieces of her forthcoming presentation, Fiona wandered in. Despite the early hour, she still had her trademark polished appearance.
“Ellen, what’s going on?” she asked.
“I’ll go crazy if I need to repeat myself for every person who walks through the door. Have a seat—I’ll explain soon.”
Fiona cracked a smile, though her face was lined with worry. “I guess that was the wrong question. A better one may be, ‘how bad is it?’ ”
Ellen cast her a level gaze across the conference table in response.
“I guess the fact that you called us here for an 04:30 meeting says it all.” Fiona slumped into a chair without her usual poise.
Trisha was the next to arrive, at almost the same time as Edgar and Marcy, who’d both been serving as managers on various special projects to restore the government. The remaining half-dozen staffers trickled in over the next three minutes.
When the ten attendees were seated, Ellen stood up at the head of the table.
“Thank you for coming in so early. I asked each of you here because I know you can be trusted. You each played a part in the Trol eradication last month, so I don’t need to fill you in or impress upon you how dangerous they are.”
With that, everyone’s faces paled. A few people swore under their breath.
Fiona sat, calmly as ever, with her hands folded in her lap. “Did you find more of them?”
“Not exactly,” Ellen replied. “More, they found us.” She brought up an image of the Trol ship, which Kaen had relayed from the Guard’s scans.
The ship appeared as a meter-wide sphere hovering above the center of the conference table. At that size, the dish suspected of being a weapon looked like little more than a child’s toy.
“Is that a planet?” Trisha asked, tilting her head.
“No, looks like a probe,” Edgar replied. “See those mechanical components?”
“You’re both right, in a way,” Ellen cut in. “This graphic doesn’t give a good sense of scale. In reality, this thing here is the same size as Mysar.”
Trisha’s jaw dropped. “No way.”
The frown Fiona had been sporting since the image appeared deepened. “So, this is why we were called here. Is it the Trols? Is this coming our way?”
Ellen nodded grimly. “I won’t pretend to make this anything other than what it is. There’s a planet-sized ship headed for this system, and we believe the intent is to harvest the natural resources of these worlds.”
Gasps sounded a
round the table.
“What does that mean, ‘harvest’?” Trisha asked.
“Everything is speculation,” Ellen said. “All we know for sure is that the object is on a direct course for this system, and it’s the Trols. Based on what we’ve seen them do already, it’s not a leap to say this ship is capable of much, much worse.”
The attendees all started asking questions at once, and Ellen held up her hands. “I know you want answers, but talking over each other or panicking won’t help us prepare. Let me finish reviewing the plan, and then you can clarify your responsibilities to help see us through this crisis.”
They returned their attention to her, but most still squirmed in their seats.
“The Empire is sending augmentations of our existing planetary shields,” she continued. “While Mysar isn’t officially in the Empire, it’s fair to say that we’ve been courting each other for the past month. Since Elusia is a member world and is facing the same threat, the decision was made to outfit the three worlds in our system with the same technology, as to not leave one a more enticing target than the others. We need to be unified to get through this.
“However, these shields are only a precaution. The Guard and TSS are presently launching a joint strategic assault on the Trol ship. I don’t know the details, so don’t bother asking, but I’ve been assured that there’s a high chance of success. Assuming it is successful, the ship won’t get anywhere close to us.
“Getting the Empire’s shield tech installed is going to take all of us working smart. We have a lot to do to get the pieces in place. A handful of the Guard’s tech specialists will be here to oversee the installation, but they aren’t enough to get it done. You’ll each have assignments for gathering the resources and coordinating the necessary pieces. Trisha and I will oversee the operation from here.”
Ellen advanced the presentation. The holographic image changed to a schematic of a field generator. Nine such devices were positioned at equidistant points around the planet.
“Each of the rest of you will be responsible for overseeing the installation of the upgrades at one of the sites, serving as a liaison with the Guard on behalf of the Mysaran government. This is the critical part: only you and the Guard tech will know what these upgrades are for. We don’t have time to conduct a proper briefing for the maintenance workers at the outposts, and dropping the news like this would result in widespread panic. Your job is to go there and act like everything is routine.”
Fiona raised her hand slightly, and Ellen gave her a nod of consent. “Won’t it be pretty obvious that this isn’t routine, what with the Tararian Guard showing up to help and the fast timeline?”
“A good-faith gift from the Empire, on behalf of Elusia’s recent reunification,” Ellen replied. “Or, that’s what’s we’ll tell them, if asked. The Guard was coming to install Elusia’s standard shield upgrade, as part of the arrangement, and they’re on a tight timeline to complete it before moving on to other projects. For all anyone on Mysar knows, the Empire always moves this quickly.”
“And what is the timeline?” Fiona asked.
“Right.” Ellen took a deep breath. “We have three days before the ship arrives in the system. The Guard transports with the shield components will be here this afternoon, giving you time to travel to the generators and build some rapport with the workers.”
“Half a day won’t get us much bonding,” Edgar said.
Ellen shrugged. “Bring some cookies. A few hours is better than nothing.”
She made rapid entries on the touch-surface tabletop. Briefs popped up in front of each of the attendees.
“There are your post assignments,” she continued. “I know some of those are the kind of locations you’d never want to visit in your life, but thank you in advance for taking one for the team.”
Edgar looked up at her, his eyes wide with concern. “The equator?”
“Yeah, I know. A little toasty down there. But the shuttles will dock inside, you’ll be fine.” She cast her gaze around the table. “The assignments include your transportation details. Review the file. Come find me if you have questions, but it’s better if you figure out an answer for yourself. You’ll be in charge on the site, so get used to it. Dismissed.”
She leaned against the side wall of the conference room while everyone departed.
Only Fiona stayed back. “Keeping Trisha here? Why not me?” she asked when they were alone. Her tone wasn’t angry, more surprised.
“I would love to have you here, Fi, but the generator outside the capital is the control station for the entire network. I don’t want to worry about it getting messed up.”
Fiona crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes slightly. “There’s more to it than that.”
“This really isn’t the time to discuss it,” Ellen said, pushing off the wall.
The other woman blocked her path. “This is about the government leadership, isn’t it?”
Ellen checked that no one was close enough to listen in. She sighed. “Okay, yes, there is a political component to this. I talked with Joris, and he’d like to make a play for a presidency over the three worlds, with a governor on each. I think Mysar needs a local face. Since you’ve made it clear you don’t want the top spot, I think Trisha is the best choice.”
“So, you want her here at the center of operations, to see if she can handle it, and if she can, to get others used to seeing her in that role.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Does she know you’re doing that?”
Ellen shrugged. “If she does, she hasn’t indicated as much. I’ve never seen her express interest in having a bigger leadership role, but she’s also never dismissed it as directly as you have. What better trial run than a crisis?”
“She did keep her cool with the Trol situation last time around, and she knows the operations inside and out.”
“Her résumé is a little light on authoritative positions, but at this point, that doesn’t matter. She’s smart and committed—the rest can come with time and experience.”
Fiona nodded. “I’d vote for her.”
Ellen smiled. “Well, if she can win you over, then she’s a shoo-in.”
“All right. I guess we should probably save the world, then, so she actually has a planet left to govern.”
“Not a bad idea.”
Fiona took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll get to it. See you on the other side.”
“Good luck. We’ll be in touch.”
Ellen cleared any evidence of the meeting’s content from the conference room, then she headed to her office. After verifying that everyone was clear on their assignments, she set about making the final logistical arrangements for the arrival of the Guard shield equipment.
An hour later, when the sun was finally beginning to peek over the horizon, Ellen’s desktop chirped with an incoming communication from Elusia.
“President Joris, I didn’t expect to hear from you again today,” she greeted.
“I wanted to make sure that everything was on track,” he replied. “Did you get everything you need from Colonel Kaen?”
“Yes, the installation project is underway,” Ellen said. “They took the news better than I feared they might.”
“You showed them?”
“It didn’t seem right to hide the details. What better way to impress the importance of their actions than to show what we’re up against?”
He nodded. “I agree. Mitchell Korwen, on the other hand, seems like he’d be better suited to living under a rock.”
“Uh oh.” Ellen’s brows drew together. “What happened?”
“Well, I reached out to him earlier, right after I spoke with you. It was the middle of the afternoon local time on Valta, so he was in his office. I expected it to be a civil call from one leader to another, but he laughed when I told him.”
“That doesn’t sound very mayoral.”
“To say the least.” Joris sighed. “I emphasized that the situation wasn’t go
ing to go away on its own, but he still seems… reluctant to take it seriously.”
Ellen rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t think it would be a problem. He always seemed so level-headed while I was growing up.”
“Age can do strange things to people.”
“Or maybe he was never the leader I remember him being as a kid.”
She had fond memories of her youth, and, admittedly, there was never much conflict on Valta. The biggest issue they’d ever faced in Tribeca was having too many traveler visa applications during the peak summer festival season. Someone in Mayor Korwen’s position needed to be a friendly face for the travel brochures—not a person responsible for addressing extreme safety concerns related to planetary affairs. Perhaps his years of such low-stakes governing had made him blind to a genuine crisis.
“Where do things with Valta stand now?” she asked.
“The Guard will be arriving with its shipment in three hours. At this point, I’m not positive he’ll offer any local assistance. If he doesn’t, the number of conversations we’ll need to have to get that equipment installed in time would delay us—to the point that I don’t know if we could complete the install before the Trol ship is due to arrive.”
Ellen swore under her breath. “Do you want me to talk with him? I don’t know if it would make a difference, but maybe hearing from a local would help.”
“At this point, I will happily explore any option. Please, do what you can.”
She nodded. “All right. I’ll get back to you soon.”
Ugh, Mayor Korwen… why are you being difficult? She wiped her hands down her face.
She had no idea how best to approach him. He had always been a fixture in the small Tribeca community, managing duties related to the town’s ecotourism more than any real civic issues. She wasn’t sure if years of dealing with such minimal concerns had made him soft, or if he was just in denial about the danger his world now faced, but she couldn’t allow Valta to be in harm’s way. If she had to go to her homeworld herself to make sure it was protected, she’d hop on the first available ship.
Having never spoken with the mayor directly, Ellen contacted the reception desk at Tribeca City Hall and requested a transfer.