Requiem of a Nightmare

by Jeremy Spires

  If only the flagship had been disabled.

  And now it had been.

  I felt arms grasp mine and fought back. “Let go of me!” I screamed, suddenly knowing how Destota had felt when I’d tried to relieve him of command when his parents had died. It was my bridge, my ship, damnit all.

  “Ma’am,” The voice said softly. It was Corporal Davos, one of Destota’s soldiers that provided security. “Ma’am, please allow us to escort you to your day cabin for a brief refreshment.”

  Oh right. I was laying on the deck of my ship screaming like a mad woman. I should…probably do something about that.

  I allowed the Corporal to help me up and wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand.

  “Kill them all.” I said to the weapons officer. “Do not leave a single Gilbaglian ship alive.”

  The fleet responded with a resounding push. Watching Destota’s sacrifice had pissed most everyone off more than anything.

  The dreadnoughts formed a picket and then did something uncommon for space combat; turning their long, broad flanks towards the enemy fleets and opening fire with their conventional weapons. I watched this with a dim awareness that this was both a tactic of pure brutality as well as a twenty-one-gun salute for the leader of the Night Stalkers.

  Except instead of twenty-one guns, it was more like eight hundred, firing fifty ton projectiles at the speed of light, which were made of tungsten and cased in titanium.

  There was a song playing over the bridge speakers, and I recognized it as one of Destota’s favorites, a song from Earth that was. It was his requiem.

  For me, it was a requiem of a nightmare.

  Eternity spun on her long axis and fired her engines without orders from me. Which was fine, the Captain of the vessel had the authority to move her ship as she saw fit.

  Yes, my Captains and officers are mostly female. It’s not a matriarchy thing, it’s more along the lines of, Vandorian populations were very small. The men usually chose to fight in the Army, women preferred to join the Navy. There were many soldiers in the Army that were female, and many more in the Navy that were men.

  Just…whatever. Don’t judge us.

  The carrier swung onto her new course and I felt the decks shudder as she opened fire, belching projectiles and particle cannon fire into the confused Gilbaglian ships.

  We ripped them asunder. The mighty Gilbaglian war fleet, which had decimated the creators of humanity, which had lead raids and attacks and had more than ten thousand years to build their forces up, turned to flee before the might of the human forces.

  As this thought crossed my mind, I felt a little tiny flash of amusement. Up to this point, only five Vandorian ships had fallen back from the battle, we held Winged Freedom as a manufacturing facility, and there had only been two confirmed human casualties.

  I heard boots ring on the deck behind me. I ignored them.

  “Admiral Valentine.” It was the odd-accented Lieutenant Severson, who was supposed to replace Captain Solaris as Destota’s second in command.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Requesting permission to detach a dropship squadron to where that flagship exploded, ma’am.”

  “For what purpose?” I asked with a bitter little laugh.

  “It is possible that Colonel Valentine’s body was ejected from the wreckage, ma’am.” He said softly. “The Night Stalkers humbly request that we be allowed to search for his body.”

  My heart felt like it had a spike through it. My head pounded painfully and I couldn’t breathe. Each and every moment brought fresh waves of anguish through my body.

  “Granted.” I whispered, my head down.

  The footsteps didn’t depart. “Admiral Valentine, I can only offer my most sincere condolences, and my deepest apologies.”

  I didn’t respond, I just stared at the deck and allowed my tears to fall freely to the floor.

  The ship rocked hard and I glanced up, my training over riding my pain for a moment, and I saw a little destroyer come flying in at our flank. I gritted my teeth and mashed a control on my console, sending a lance of particle beam on manual aim right through the bridge of that ship. It felt immensely good to exterminate the Gilbaglians, and I suddenly realized that my husband had been right. There would be no victory against them, this was going to be a war to see who could out-genocide the other side.

  Well, that suited me just fine. I hadn’t known before this day, but I was fully aware of myself now; I could commit genocide just as well as my husband.

  “Status.” I said, my voice shaky but I felt like I was back in command.

  “Green, Admiral.” The Captain replied, turning back to look at me. Tears shone on her face as well. “We’ve damaged or destroyed eighty-six percent of enemy forces.”

  I nodded. “The remaining?”

  “Are in full retreat.” She replied grimly. “Two ships destroyed, a cruiser and a destroyer. All other ships accounted for safely, Admiral.”

  “Thank you, Captain.” I said, turning and suddenly feeling very tired. “Please send a signal to the Council. They will need to be informed.”

  ---

  Moments later I sat behind my desk in my day cabin, waiting for Chancellor Wrathe’s face to appear and join the three councilors who waited patiently. It took a few additional moments but Wrathe and Venlent’s faces appeared in the holographic display, slightly grainy from the long transmission time from Earth.

  “We are all present, Admiral Valentine.” Moore said. I glanced at him directly.

  He’d been the one to conduct the ceremony that married Destota and I, just before we left to take Vandor back and take the fight to the Phelbs.

  I looked at Wrathe. He and Destota were the ones that had effectively ended the war between the human factions, after Destota had killed the Pope and half of the High Priests, allowing Davon Wrathe to rise in the power vacuum. Destota had also killed the young Chancellor’s father aboard his own ship, in his own citadel.

  I opened my mouth to speak but only a small squeak escaped and I was hammered down by fresh tears, sobs wracking my body.

  Fortunately, I’d thought Corporal Davos might be able to speak better than me, and he stepped into view behind me and spoke, clearing his throat. “Honorable councilors…” He said, paused. I could feel his eyes on me and I didn’t care, but I did think it was kind of him to be more concerned about me than the Council.

  “Sirs, Ma’am,” He began, saying words to give himself time to think. “It…it is with a heavy heart that I must report a loss.”

  Advirdia’s eyes narrowed. “Who have we lost, Corporal?”

  His adams apple bobbed as he swallowed several times, attempting to control his own emotions. “I must inform you that Colonel Valentine was killed in action this morning.” He swallowed hard again. “The fleet was…successful…” He sobbed and said instead. “Excuse me.” Without another word, he turned and left the room, leaving me alone once more.

  I raised my head and pushed myself off my desk to look vaguely in command. “I can’t…”

  “How many ships were lost?” Wingell asked softly, obviously thinking that the action against the Gilbaglians had cost a ship that my husband had been on.

  “Only one, sir. Destota and a pilot attempted a high-risk insertion to a Gilbaglian flagship for intelligence gathering, but they were overpowered and captured. They managed to destroy the ship, however, and it enabled us to destroy two full battle fleets of the Gilbaglians.”

  Wrathe was openly crying, as was his wife, who was a Vandorian…and sort of a turncoat. I hated her, but she had trained, grown up with, and loved Destota also.

  “Admiral.” Moore said, his voice had an edge. “Do we have a viable base in that sector?”

  “Yes, councilor.” I replied.

  “Chancellor Wrathe,” Moore said smartly. “We would like to request that you send the completed ships and the mining crews to the location of the fleet as soon as possible.”

  “Of course.�
� He replied, sniffling. “We have the joint crew of Makalos prepared to depart, and we will move the mining crews at once.” He nodded at me. “I must…recuse myself. I would like to grieve in private.”

  He needed to go pray, otherwise.

  I was about to sign off to go to my cabin when Venlent stepped forward. “Admiral Valentine?”

  “Yes, Major?” I asked. I was too weary to be rude to her.

  “Requesting permission to join the fleet to fight.”

  I blinked, even in my current state I was confused. “What?”

  “It…It occurs to me that you have only a Lieutenant commanding the Night Stalkers. Until such time as you find a replacement, I would like to volunteer to take command until you find someone better, or until Major MacKenzie returns from his current mission.”

  I nodded. “Permission granted.” I said, surprising myself.

  She nodded quickly. “Thank you, Admiral.” With a smart Vandorian salute she disappeared off the screen. Wingell began to speak but I severed my connection to them, roused myself from my chair and shuffled myself towards my door. Our cabin…

  …My cabin, was two decks down and would now be entirely too spacious. But I needed to sleep for Alyssa, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything else until I recharged my brain.

  If my brain would ever let me sleep again.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ---

  Gilbaglian Flagship

  Winged Freedom Sector

  Colonel Destota Valentine

  If anyone ever says that those action movies where the hero can do some incredible heroic thing and then jump up with nothing but energy, run down a long hallway with a fireball chasing them is realistic, let me tell you here and now:

  It’s fucking not.

  I fled down the hallway, dragging Rosita behind me by her clasped wrists. The charges we had placed in the bowels of the ship would ensure its total destruction but it would also leave me just under four minutes to get to a dropship in the hangar and hopefully seal the damn thing and activate its shields. Never mind trying to fire the engines, I just needed air tight and safe from the explosion.

  Two minutes had already gone by when I finally stopped and grabbed Rosita’s wrists, and broke the metal handcuffs binding her. I broke two of her fingers and the dazed woman screamed. I didn’t care, I threw her over my shoulder and ran like a man possessed.

  Not like, fast or macho, or even particularly well. Literally possessed.

  Like falling down, stumbling, and panting. Eyes lolling, tongue hanging out, sweating.

  I’m not ashamed to say that I did not make a very pretty picture right then, and I was only insanely grateful to only have one broken wrist. As I ran, I ripped at it with my other hand, seized it and set the bones. It sent a fresh wave of agony over my body and I nearly vomited and fell down. Instead, I used the adrenaline rush to center my thoughts and focus on where the damned hangar bay was.

  I crashed through the half-open doors fifteen seconds later, and wouldn’t you know it, all the fucking dropships were just plain gone.

  I searched frantically, and located an escape pod on the far side of the hangar. Then it was off at another weird loping run with fuzzy vision and blood trickling out of my nose. My right hand was wrapped around one of Rosita’s legs, the other wrist was broken but I’d still managed to rip my pistol out of the security robot’s grip before I fled the bridge of the ship. That was how I’d managed to break my wrist.

  They had bound me in cuffs that a Vandorian child could have broken without terrible effort. Since they had hollow bones and weak muscles, they were significantly less strong, and our higher gravity had made for stronger and denser bone.

  I jumped through the hatch as the entire deck heaved and fire spat from everything. I punched the launch button and found myself and Rosita slammed against the inside of the pod as it rocketed away from the ship. I saw a few Gilbaglian faces who appeared at the hatchway as it closed, shocked and dismayed.

  Sucks for them.

  We shot out away from the ship at an incredible rate and I took stock of what I had lost and what I still had, just in case the Gilbaglians picked up an escape pod. My beloved sniper rifle was slung around Rosita’s torso. More like waist now, since I had handled her so roughly. It and my pistol were the only survivors, my sword was gone and my armor and vac suit were missing. I was wearing only my undershirt and my fatigue bottoms; Rosita was only wearing a white tank top and underpants.

  I blinked and wiped blood away from my nose and glanced at my rapidly swelling wrist. I ripped three strips of my shirt away, the best I could do, and wrapped my left wrist tightly. It would heal in a few hours, but until then I had to figure out a way to signal the Vandorian fleet.

  I saw pinpoints of light trading fire with the closer Gilbaglian ships, but even with my excellent vision the distances involved were far too intense.

  But those sort of looked like dropships.

  I squinted and laughed. Mallory had known I would escape and sent a small flotilla of dropships to search for me.

  Then I noticed they were in the missing man formation.

  “Ah shit.” I muttered. The noise roused Rosita from her half-asleep state.

  “What?” She asked, looking around and blinking. She definitely had a concussion and looked like she might die. Pale and weak, she could barely keep herself upright.

  “Those are our dropships. They’re looking for bodies.”

  “How do you know?” She asked, sitting up and looking out the tiny port hole.

  “That is our formation for anyone missing in space action. They’re combing for bodies.”

  “Do you think they’ll look at an escape pod?” She asked hopefully.

  “I’m actually hoping they don’t open fire on us.” I said, then looked around the pod and spotted the communications. I fiddled with it and fought it until I had an open channel. It was weak and low-powered, but I pointed the tight-beam at the lead dropship and spoke.

  “Vandorian dropship this is Colonel Valentine, please respond.”

  The lead dropship in formation hesitated and turned ponderously towards us.

  “They heard you!” Rosita cried.

  The dropship swung towards us for maybe ten seconds and then veered off again.

  “No.” I said with some sadness in my voice. I was less sad than I was angry, I’d worked hard to get off that ship, destroy it, and rectify my mistake. I would be damned if I died in a tiny escape pod. “Vandorian dropships, this is Colonel Valentine.” I said again.

  “They can’t hear you.” A voice spoke back through the comm. It was lightly accented and fluting. “But we can.”

  Goddamnit, the Gilbaglians had found us first. I checked my weapons and motioned for my rifle. I had five rounds for the huge weapon and only six remained for my pistol. “Who is this?”

  “We aren’t your enemy, human.” The voice said. “But if we’re to make an accord, we’re going to need to find common ground quickly so your fleet doesn’t wipe us out, too.”

  “If your intentions are peaceful, then we have no quarrel with you.” I said firmly. “Who are you?”

  “We are what is left of the Blutencer, with a Undulon fleet.”

  I paused. “I uh…” I said, searching for words. “I’ve never heard of you.”

  The voice chuckled. “You have not heard of us, but some of us have lived amongst you for millions of years. The Undulon are our allies, and we are allies of the Cetoplin.”

  Relief flooded through me, and I nearly passed out. I couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “We have a very small fleet,” The Blutencer warned. “But we are very well cloaked. We witnessed the battle and saw your transmission. We can signal your ships but we did not want to be attacked.”

  “Probably not a terrible idea.” I admitted. “That squadron is looking for bodies.”

  “For your bodies,” The Blutencer said softly. “Your wife is very distraught.”

  I
raised my brows. “Your communications must be excellent.”

  Another chuckle. Now that I’d heard them, the voice was fluting, but not like Gilbaglians. It was lilting and light, musical, and actually quite pleasant. “The Undulon have wonderful communications equipment, and very stealthy ships, but we are very much not fighters. The Meyges and Cetoplin were our warrior-protectors. But more about that later, human. Would you like us to relay your signal to those ships?”

  “Can you signal the Shadow of Eternity?” I asked eagerly.

  “Yes, we can. We will act as a relay beacon, but we will not reveal ourselves until such time as we can be assured that there will be no hostilities between our peoples.” The voice had an edgy warning tone, more nervous than hostile.

  “As leader of the combined human forces,” I said. “We are at a state of peace and will remain so. This is my word and it is binding.”

  “Very good. We are signaling now, please speak when you are ready.”

  I didn’t hesitate. “Colonel Valentine to Shadow of Eternity.” I said, my voice calm and strong.

  There was a pause so long I feared they might have been destroyed.

  “…Colonel Valentine?” Came a reply, a confused sounding officer. “Not possible. The Colonel perished recently, and you cannot possibly be…”

  “Authenticate Six-two-seven-one-one-three, Charlie-Oscar-Lima.” I said quickly. “This is Colonel Destota Valentine calling Admiral Mallory Valentine.”

  “Oh my god,” The officer breathed. “Sir, we thought…” There was flurry of clicks as someone grabbed the headset from her.

  “Colonel?” It was Severson. “Sir, are you all right?”

  “Alive. Where is my wife?”

  “Here.” Came my wife’s voice. Tears spilled from my eyes. “And if this is someone’s idea of a sick joke…”

  “No joke.” I replied firmly, wiping at my face with both my hands. “I’m sorry.”

  “You’re goddamn right you’re sorry. If you think you’re ever going on another mission, I swear to all the stars I will relieve you of command. What were you thinking, and how the fuck did you get off that ship before it exploded?” I opened my mouth to reply. “Never mind that. Are you injured? Where are you?”