by Ryk Brown
“Complete your turn and then jump us in close,” the captain instructed. “Don’t wait for my order to fire, Bonnie.”
“I won’t.”
“Coming to new intercept heading,” the pilot reported. “Jumping in……three……two……one…”
The jump flash, again, washed over the Weatherly’s bridge, and two Ahka cargo ships appeared directly ahead of them, less than two kilometers away.
“Firing all plasma torpedoes!” Bonnie reported.
“Locking cannons on the second target,” Denny reported.
Chris watched the forward view screen as their red-orange plasma torpedoes slammed into the cargo ship to the left, causing her to break apart. The ship to the right immediately disappeared behind a blue-white flash of light as secondary explosions finished off the ship to the left.
“Tell me you caught her energy signature,” Chris begged.
“Come five degrees to starboard, and jump ahead two light minutes,” Bonnie instructed the pilot.
“Five degrees to starboard,” he acknowledged. “Jumping ahead two light minutes.”
The bridge, again, filled with blue-white light, and the image of the exploding Ahka cargo ship disappeared, leaving nothing but the blackness of space before them.
“Where’s the second ship?” Chris asked.
“No contacts,” Bonnie reported, sounding somewhat dejected. “They must have double-jumped.”
“I guess they didn’t want to dance,” Chris joked. “Long-range scans for one minute. If we don’t spot them, we turn and jump back to Casbon.”
“Two more to your starboard, Bailer!” Commander Verbeek warned just before he pressed his jump button to transition his ship two kilometers ahead, before the Ahka raider to his port side could get a lock on him. As soon as he came out of the jump, he pulled his nose up and went to full power. He pulled his ship into a tight loop and then executed a half-roll on the descent, coming level again in the opposite direction. He glanced at his tactical display, altering his course slightly to port, and then pressed his jump button again. A moment later, two more Ahka raiders appeared as they pulled into a hover over the airbase, in preparation to deposit troops on the surface. The commander pressed the firing button on his flight control stick again, sending another barrage of plasma energy blasts toward the enemy ships. The ship to the left took the first few dozen hits, and the commander steered slightly right to catch the other ship, causing it to take damage, as well. Both ships immediately went down, slamming into the surface of Casbon and breaking apart, likely killing all aboard.
“The other ships are pulling up and jumping away,” Ensign Bailer reported. “Shall we pursue?”
Commander Verbeek looked at his propellant gauges, then at his jump energy gauge. “Negative,” he finally replied. “Anyone with less than half a jump charge, land on Casbon and recycle. The rest of you stay aloft and fly cover, in case they return.”
“That was too easy,” the ensign decided.
“It won’t be next time,” the commander assured him.
Commander Prechitt and Lieutenant Sandau came out from their cover as the first few Super Eagle fighters touched down nearby. The commander immediately spotted Eagle One and headed toward it as Commander Verbeek climbed out of his cockpit and jumped down to the ground.
“That sure didn’t last very long,” Commander Prechitt said in a congratulatory manner.
“Yeah,” Commander Verbeek smiled. “Those guys sure have bad timing, don’t they.”
* * *
“Take it easy on maneuvering and main propulsion,” Vladimir urged over comm-sets. “They are barely holding together at the moment.”
“I’m doing the best I can,” Nathan assured him from the Aurora’s battered helm. “We’re pretty shot up. Half the helm is busted, and navigation is equally as bad.”
“Of course,” Vladimir replied. “How many…”
“Jess and I are alive. So is deBanco, but he’s badly injured. Everyone else is dead.”
“Gospadee,” Vladimir replied. “Have you heard from the rest of the ship?”
“Negative. Comms is a mess, as well. Any chance you can do something about that?”
“I am afraid I am shorthanded, as well,” Vladimir replied solemnly.
“Sorry. Do what you can.”
“Can we make it to safe orbit?” Jessica wondered.
“I think so,” Nathan replied. “But it may take a while.”
“Oh, my God,” Cameron exclaimed as she entered the bridge through the starboard entrance, witnessing the devastation. Several med-techs came in behind her, immediately checking on the wounded.
“deBanco is the only one,” Nathan told the med-tech about to see to Lieutenant Dinev.
“Are you guys alright?” Cameron asked.
“I think these Ghatazhak getups saved us,” Nathan replied. “Were you able to assess the damage on the way up?”
“A little. The lower decks seem to be in pretty good shape. Hangar bay is a mess, and you’ve got at least a dozen hull breaches, some of them quite large.”
“It’s my fault,” Nathan said, frustrated with himself. “I should have seen it coming. The Jung always come in force.”
“You can’t blame yourself, Nathan,” Cameron insisted. “These are the Dusahn, not the Jung. And the Dusahn have attacked with only a few ships before. We were ambushed, plain and simple. Just be glad we’re still here to talk about it.”
“Not all of us are still here,” Nathan commented grimly, his eyes drifting to Marsi’s lifeless body as two newly-arrived crewmen placed her in a body bag.
“All of us chose to be here,” Cameron reminded him. “We all knew the risks, and we all felt it was a cause worth dying for.”
“Is it?” Nathan wondered, looking directly into Cameron’s eyes. “I mean, it’s never going to stop. The Jung, the Ta’Akar, the Dusahn. Hell, even Galiardi. You defeat one, and another one steps in to take its place. History shows us…this is the nature of humanity.”
“But it doesn’t have to be,” Cameron told him. “Of all people, you should know that better than most. Your family has fought for the betterment of us all. You just do it with this ship, instead of in politics. Humanity needs people like us…people like you. People who fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.”
“But I keep losing the people I care most about,” Nathan said. “My family, my friends, my crew…” His voice started to weaken. “Now even Josh and Loki,” he added in a near whisper.
Cameron smiled. “You can’t kill those two that easily,” she remarked. “Josh and Loki were picked up by Rakuen Search and Rescue. I got word as we landed.”
Nathan let out a chuckle that was half-laugh and half-cry. He took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Our ship is busted. We need to fix it.”
“We also need to think about our defense, as well as the defense of the Rogen system,” Cameron reminded him.
“Right,” Nathan agreed. “We need to recall the Weatherly.”
“The Glendanon and the Mystic will be here within the hour,” Cameron told him. “They can defend us.”
“But they lack the firepower to bring down anything bigger than a gunship. We need at least one ship with mark fours.”
“That will leave Prechitt without a warship.”
“The Ahka don’t have anything his Eagles can’t handle for now. Besides, if we lose the Aurora, this war is over.”
* * *
“What about reactor one?” Vladimir asked his lead power generation tech.
“It’s still unstable,” he replied over comm-sets. “The best I can do at the moment is ten percent. If we push it past that, we could lose containment.”
“Chort!” Vladimir cursed in frustration. “What if we pull the backup magnetic regulators from two or four? Would that help?”
“Yes, but then they would be unstable, as well.”
“But we’re never going to be able to fix either of them,” Vladimir st
ated. “Not unless we go back to Earth, in which case we’ll all be facing charges.”
“If the antimatter in two and four can be dumped…”
“We can’t dump the antimatter,” Vladimir insisted. “It’s too valuable. We’ll have to find someplace to transfer it to, like a transport container.” Vladimir sighed. “Do what you can. Meanwhile, concentrate on getting three back to full power.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Beller!” Vladimir shouted at the engineering tech running past him. “Did you find Stephenson?”
“He’s dead, sir,” the tech said, slowing his pace and sidestepping past him. “Crushed by one of the main converters.”
“What about Escanor?”
The technician shook his head, continuing on his way.
Vladimir sighed, turning back to his console.
* * *
“Shenza One, Rogen Command,” Vol’s comms squawked.
“Command, Shenza One.”
“Shenzas One through Twenty are to guard the Aurora.”
“We are all low on propellant, and some of us are out of missiles,” Vol warned.
“We are launching additional Gunyoki as quickly as possible. As soon as we establish a complete combat perimeter patrol, we will begin cycling your Shenza back to base for recycle.”
“Understood.”
“We must remain on full alert indefinitely,” the controller warned. “The Aurora is badly damaged and unable to defend herself.”
“Understood,” Vol replied. “You heard him, people. Shenzas Two through Twenty, take up positions to protect the Aurora.”
* * *
Commander Prechitt followed the corporal across the airbase, toward the command post built into the side of the old quarry. All around him, Eagle fighters were being refueled and made ready for action, in case the Ahka returned sooner than expected.
Having only arrived a day ago, the base was not yet set up, and the chaos was disconcerting. It would take several days for the flight support crews to get organized and into a predictable routine. Until then, such would be the norm.
The commander followed the corporal into the command post, his eyes adjusting to the diminished light inside. “What’s up?” he asked Lieutenant Sandau. He noticed the concerned look on the young lieutenant’s face. “Uh-oh.”
“Flash traffic from the Aurora,” the lieutenant said, handing a data pad to the commander. “The Dusahn attacked the Rogen system. They were driven back, but the Aurora got ambushed and is badly damaged. They’re ordering the Weatherly to return, best possible speed.”
Commander Prechitt scanned the rest of the message. “Weapons, shields, three reactors, multiple hull breaches, half her crew injured or dead…” The commander sighed. “This is not good.”
“Without the Weatherly, we have no protection,” the lieutenant stated.
“We have twenty Super Eagles and a bunch of Sugali fighters on the way. All the Ahka have are armed shuttles and cargo ships converted into carriers. I’m pretty sure we’ll be alright,” the commander insisted, handing the data pad back to the lieutenant. He turned to the comms officer. “Patch me through to Captain Hunt on the Weatherly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If the Ahka have even a single gunship that we haven’t yet seen…”
“The Aurora is the only real warship this alliance has, Lieutenant,” the commander snapped.
“Yes, sir.”
“Captain Hunt on the line, Commander,” the comms officer reported.
“Captain, Commander Prechitt. New orders. Return to the Rogen system, best possible speed.”
“What happened?” Captain Hunt asked.
“The Rogen system was attacked, and the Aurora is badly damaged and unable to defend herself.”
“Understood,” Captain Hunt replied. “We’ll get underway as soon as the last of your equipment is offloaded.”
“Make it quick, Chris. They need you more than we do.”
“We will. Weatherly out.”
“Use a jump comm-drone to get an update on the ETA for the first batch of Sugali fighters,” the commander instructed his comms officer. “But do not say anything about the Weatherly departing or what has happened to the Aurora.”
“Aye, sir.”
“What about the men?” the lieutenant wondered.
“I’ll notify Verbeek, and he can tell his men,” the commander replied.
“They’re not going to like the Weatherly being gone,” the lieutenant said.
“The Aurora’s their home,” the commander reminded the lieutenant. “They’ll want her protected, as well. Besides, based on that first encounter, the Ahka are about as combat-effective as a bunch of drunken cadets.” The commander looked at the lieutenant. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. We’ll be fine.”
* * *
“Holy shit!” Josh exclaimed as he and Loki set foot on the Aurora’s bridge. “It looks like a bomb went off in here!”
“Are you guys alright?” Loki asked instinctively.
Jessica tapped the chest plate of her Ghatazhak armor.
“I have got to get me one of those outfits!” Josh exclaimed.
“You don’t know how glad I am to see you two alive,” Nathan said as he came up the steps from the lower level to greet them. He put his arms around them both, pulling them into him. “I thought we had lost you.”
“God looks out for the drunks and the crazy people,” Josh told him. “One way or another, I usually qualify.”
“You two saved our asses, you know that.”
“Just doing our job, Cap’n,” Josh boasted.
“What can we do to help?” Loki asked.
“You are the Aurora’s primary flight crew now,” Nathan replied, turning to face forward again. “Helm and navigation are busted up pretty bad. I managed to get some control, and I’m using maneuvering along with a bare minimum of main propulsion to get us back to a stable orbit, but it’s slow going. See what you can do with what you have.”
“Any ETA from engineering on main power and propulsion?” Loki asked as he and Josh headed toward the helm.
“Vlad’s working on it,” Nathan replied, “but he’s lost half his staff, as well.”
Loki took a seat at the navigation console on the left side of the helm station, trying not to look, while two crewmen attempted to separate Ensign Bickle’s corpse from the beam that had crushed him.
“Fuck,” Josh said under his breath as he and Loki exchanged glances.
* * *
Lord Dusahn sat quietly, his anger growing with every word, as General Hesson read the battle report aloud.
“My lord?” the general asked after he finished the report, but received no response from his leader.
Lord Dusahn looked at his general and then spoke. “Order the reserve fleet to attack immediately. I want the Aurora destroyed.”
“And what of the Rogen system?” General Hesson asked.
“The Aurora first,” Lord Dusahn replied. “Once she is gone, we will be free to send as many ships as necessary to pound the Rogen system out of existence.”
“My lord, perhaps…”
The look from Lord Dusahn was more than enough to stop the general mid-sentence.
“As you wish, my lord,” the general promised, taking a step backward before turning to leave the room.
* * *
“Jump fifteen, coming up,” Ensign Lassen announced from the Falcon’s right seat.
“Still nothing,” Sergeant Nama reported from the back.
“Nothing is good,” the lieutenant reminded them both.
All three men sat in silence as they waited for the automatic jump sequencer to take them to their next scanning point.
“Jumping in three……two……one……jumping,” the ensign reported.
“Starting scans,” the sergeant reported. “I’ve got something. Old light, about twenty light minutes ahead.”
“Transition point?” the lieutenant asked.
“
Give me a second,” the sergeant replied, studying his displays more intently. “Looks like the target turned…yup, definitely a turn.”
“What heading?”
“Two four seven, eleven down, then she jumped.”
“Any ID?”
“Looks like the frigate,” the sergeant replied. “By the strength of her flash, the system is estimating a two-light-month jump.”
“Coming to two four seven, eleven down,” the lieutenant announced as he initiated a turn.
“Deactivating auto-jump sequencer,” the ensign added. “Calculating an intercept jump.”
“Let’s go in full stealth,” the lieutenant instructed. “If it’s the Dusahn, we don’t want them to know we’re trailing them.”
“Full stealth jump,” the ensign acknowledged.
“Powering down all unnecessary systems,” the sergeant added.
“On course and speed,” the lieutenant reported.
“Jumping in three……two……one……jumping.”
“Complete shutdown, passive sensors only,” Sergeant Nama reported from the back. He stared at his displays for a moment and then smiled broadly. “Bingo.”
* * *
“Reactor three is at full power, but we still cannot get reactor one above ten percent without risking failure of the antimatter containment fields,” Vladimir explained over comm-sets.
“How long until you can get reactor one repaired?” Nathan asked.
“It cannot be repaired,” Vladimir replied.
“I thought you could fix anything,” Nathan replied.
“Given the proper facilities and unlimited time, yes, I could make it work again, but…”
“Recommendations?”
“I would jettison the cores of one, two, and four. Their battery packs will keep their primary containment fields active for months, which is more than enough time for them to reach safe distance before containment failure.”
“We can’t operate on one reactor, Vlad,” Nathan reminded his engineer.
“Of this, I am well aware,” Vladimir scolded, “but we also cannot fix any of the reactors while they are still loaded with antimatter.”
Nathan looked at Cameron and Jessica. “Any ideas?”
“We can operate on a single reactor,” Cameron pointed out. “We just can’t run shields and weapons at the same time.”