by G J Ogden
“You can go to hell, Colonel,” Sonner hit back, “which is where you’re about to send us all.”
Collins rose from his chair, and went to grab Sonner in order to forcibly remove her from the bridge, but Sonner smacked away his hand and squared off against him.
“I’m not going anywhere, Colonel.”
Collins froze, flooded with anger, yet also stumped for a way to respond to Sonner’s brazen challenge. But the standoff didn’t have chance to escalate, as James’ voice cut through the silence and drew their focus back to the mission.
“Sir, the vanguard has engaged the Hedalt,” he called out; his face had suddenly drained of blood. He read the report, blurting the words out in a panic. “Three full squadrons destroyed... The others have broken off... Heavy damage to ten more ships... Casualty reports are coming in...”
“Damn it, pull them back!” cried Sonner, “A frontal assault is suicide! We must split up their forces, lure them into the asteroid belt if we can. Avoid the frigates and focus our attacks where they are weakest. Whittle down their numbers – hit and run!”
“No!” cried Collins, “That is not the plan!”
“Damn you, Colonel, the plan will get us all killed! Wake up before we’re all dead!”
The mission ops console bleeped an angry alert and James checked it, hands shaking, “Five Hedalt squadrons have pushed through, led by War Frigates...” he began, “Seven more Nimrods destroyed. Ten Hedalt damaged, and only three destroyed. Colonel, what do we do?!”
Collins didn’t answer directly and instead continued to babble, “We follow the plan! It will work, it must work!” His own face had also drained of blood, which combined with his bony features and white hair gave him the ghostly appearance of death incarnate.
“Hedalt cruisers on an intercept course!” called out the officer from the tactical station.
Sonner looked to Collins, but he was trapped in a trance-like state, babbling and rubbing his knuckles frantically. “Colonel!” Sonner shouted, grabbing his shoulders, “Colonel!” But there was no answer. Sonner growled and dragged Collins away from the command chair, before turning to face the front of the bridge. Both the pilot and the Tactical Specialist were looking to her, faces full of fear. “Don’t just sit there, take evasive action!” Sonner called out, “Return fire, target their bridge and engines. If we can’t destroy them, let’s at least make sure they can’t destroy us!”
“Aye Commander!” came the reply from the two stations.
Nimrod Command began to veer away from the oncoming ships, but then an explosion rippled through the deck plating across the rear of the bridge, filling the air with a pale, metallic-tasting smoke. Sonner was thrust forward by the blast and only managed to avoid smashing face-first into the deck by instinctively grasping onto the command chair.
“Pilot, pulse the main ion engines!” Sonner called out, “Put some distance between us and those ships!” She knew that a sudden burst from their powerful main engines risked accelerating them directly into another ship, but if they stayed where they were, she also knew they’d be dead in seconds. She felt the kick of the engines, and then clawed herself upright using the back of the command chair. “Damage report!” she cried out, barking harsh coughs as the acrid smoke entered her lungs.
“Direct hit...” James called back, “Hull breach aft, sections three and four. Jump systems offline.”
Sonner glanced aft to where the explosion had occurred and saw Collins lying face up, eyes open, with three large shards of fractured deck plating embedded into his side and neck. Sonner cursed, Damn you, Colonel, you don’t deserve to die early! You should have lived long enough to see what you’ve done!
She tried to put Collins out of her mind. Pumps whirred, clearing the dust and smoke as Sonner dropped into the command chair and checked the tactical readout. Their fleet was already down to forty-seven Nimrods, while the Hedalt armada was still over one hundred strong. A dozen possible courses of action raced through her mind, but there was only one that would ensure their survival, at least for a time. They had to run. But first, they had to regroup and get themselves out of the hornet’s nest they had willingly flown into.
“Technical Specialist Sonner, open a channel, fleet wide,” Sonner called out. James worked fast and a few seconds later her younger brother looked towards the command chair and nodded. Sonner took a deep breath and then spoke, hoping that her voice would sound strong and free of fear. “Nimrod Fleet, this is Commander Sarah Sonner. Colonel Collins is dead; I am taking command of the fleet.” The other officers on the bridge again shot each other shaky glances, but this time a glimmer of hope also flickered behind their eyes. Sonner hurriedly entered a series of commands into the console in her chair and then sent the message fleet wide, “I’m sending new orders now. All squadrons are to fall back and re-group at the designated co-ordinates. Compute jump to escape point alpha, immediately.”
“Commander, our jump systems are still down,” said the pilot.
“Compute the jump; we’ll get the engines back online,” said Sonner, convincingly, though she had no idea how severe the damage was. The pilot nodded and turned back.
“Fleet responding,” said James, and then he hesitated, “... wait, we have a problem.”
“Just one?” said Sonner, cocking her head towards her brother.
“The Hedalt seem to have been targeting the fleet’s jump systems deliberately,” James went on, oblivious to Sonner’s gallows humor, “They’ve knocked out the jump capabilities of more than half the fleet. No... wait, it’s worse. More than eighty percent of the fleet can’t jump!”
Sonner balled her hands into fists and pressed her eyes shut as dark thoughts penetrated her mind. More than three centuries of waiting, only to fail now. It would have been better to have died in my stasis chamber with the others. At least then I wouldn’t have felt hope. I wouldn’t have felt anything at all... “Has the fleet re-grouped at the fallback point?” said Sonner, still with her eyes shut.
“Yes,” James answered, “But, Sarah, we can’t escape. What do we do?”
Sonner opened her eyes and looked at James, then met the eyes of the ship’s pilot and tactical officer. “We do what we came here to do,” she said, realizing that there was no other option now, “We fight.” Then she pointed to the pilot, “You, what’s your name?”
“Choudary, sir,” the pilot said. “Kir Choudary.”
Sonner looked across to the tactical console, “And you?”
“Melinda Suarez, Commander.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Kir Choudary and Melinda Suarez,” said Sonner, “I don’t know if we have a chance in hell of beating this armada. But, I do know those smug bastards think we can’t win. How about we prove them wrong?”
Smiles flickered on each of their lips. They glanced at each other and nodded, before turning back to their stations.
The mission ops console sounded another angry alert and Sonner sighed, “What is it now?”
“Checking...” answered James, “It’s a jump signature! Another ship just entered the system. It’s... oh no...”
“What do you mean, ‘oh no’?” said Sonner, throwing her hands up in despair.
“It’s the capital ship from the attack on the base,” said James, putting the image of the giant War Carrier on the viewport. They all watched as the other Hedalt squadrons formed up behind the hulking new mass, creating a wall of firepower that could have obliterated a small moon, never mind the rag-tag remains of the Nimrod Fleet.
Sonner pushed herself off the chair, mouth dry and heart racing, “Oh hell, no...”
TWENTY-FOUR
Sonner glanced down at the tactical readout on her chair’s console; forty-two Nimrods had made it to the rendezvous. She guessed that the War Carrier alone could probably destroy half that number, but for some reason the Hedalt armada was still holding formation, and advancing so sedately that they almost appeared non-threatening. But then she heard the familiar chime on
an incoming message, and she understood why they hadn’t yet been obliterated. The Hedalt commander wanted the humans to know they were beaten first. They wanted to see the fear in their eyes. Have them beg for mercy, perhaps. Sonner would not give them the satisfaction.
“It’s the capital ship, Commander,” announced James, “they want to speak to whoever is in command.”
Sonner glanced back at the broken body of Colonel Collins. Off the hook again, Colonel... she thought to herself, before turning to face the viewport. She adjusted her uniform, brushing dust and flecks of debris off her shoulders, and then straightened her back, rising to her full height. “Put them on the viewport...”
The viewport switched to an image of a Hedalt soldier. To Sonner’s surprise, it was not Provost Adra, but someone new. The soldier had slicked back hair that seemed to give off a sheen like polished copper and looked similarly inflexible. His armored uniform had a striking amber lining and he was powerfully built, even for a Hedalt soldier. Two other soldiers flanked him, in similar armored units, and surrounding them all was an expansive, high-tech bridge, populated by dozens of simulants, each moving from station to station, performing the duties necessary to operate such a titanic vessel.
“I am High Provost Kagan,” said the soldier, whose melodious voice did not match his stern appearance. “Tell me your name, commander of the human fleet.”
“Something tells me you don’t really care what my name is,” Sonner answered, snarkily. She had thought that Adra was the most obnoxious Hedalt she was ever likely to meet, but she had a feeling that this new High Provost was going to claim Adra’s crown. “Now if you wouldn’t mind getting out of our way, you’re blocking the route to Earth. You know, our home planet? The one you stole?”
Kagan’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, but enough to let Sonner know that she had already gotten under his skin. “How little you know of your own world,” replied Kagan, his lyrical voice conveying his palpable disdain. “But it does not matter. Soon humanity will finally be extinct. I was merely curious to see who had led your species in such a foolish attack. That you ever considered yourselves a match for the Hedalt Empire amuses me greatly.”
“You must be a blast at parties,” quipped Sonner, but the remark was obviously lost on the High Provost. “This isn’t over yet.”
Kagan snorted a laugh, “I admire your spirit, human, if nothing else,” he sneered. “I was hoping to find the rogue simulants among you, but it seems their allegiance to your cause was short-lived after all. A pity, but I will find them soon enough; it is only a matter of time.”
Though he didn’t comprehend it, Kagan had inadvertently buoyed Sonner’s confidence. Until that moment, Sonner had no way of knowing whether Taylor’s mission had succeeded or failed, or even if he was still alive at all. But if Kagan had yet to locate them, there was still hope. Maybe only a glimmer, but still enough to cling to. Come on Taylor… Sonner thought, we need your party trick now more than ever...
“All squadrons, target what is left of the pitiful human fleet,” Kagan called out, to a crew member or simulant out of sight of the image on the viewport. “But leave the lead ship untouched. I want them to see their friends burn in the cold void of space, before I personally board their ship and execute them.
“You know where to find me, Kagan,” snarled Sonner, and then she turned to James, ready to give the order for the fleet to attack, but suddenly Kagan’s image on the viewport crackled and distorted, and their own systems flickered and glitched at the same time, before returning to normal.
“What was that?” said Sonner, looking to James to provide an explanation. But her brother didn’t need to offer an answer. Instead, he just pointed to the viewport and smiled. Sonner frowned and stared back at the image of High Provost Kagan. The bridge of his massive ship was in chaos. All the simulants were jerking and spasming violently, as if they’d been struck by lightning or were being controlled by a sadistic puppeteer. Some collapsed onto their consoles, some exploded as if a grenade had gone off inside their chests, while others just fell down and lay motionless, stiff as a board.
“He did it!” James cried. “Taylor and the others, they must have taken down the Nexus!”
Sonner punched a quick command into her console and brought up an external view of the approaching armada in one half of the viewport, leaving the bridge of Kagan’s ship on the other half. She laughed out loud as the Hedalt warships began to veer out of formation, thrusters and engines malfunctioning randomly. At least a dozen ships had already swerved into others, and explosions were popping off throughout the Hedalt armada, like fireworks. Sonner looked back at the High Provost but he was twisting and turning in all directions, barking orders and demanding to know what was going on. Sonner decided that it was only fair she should clue him in.
“I’m afraid we’ll have to decline your gracious offer of extermination today, High Provost,” she said, feeling a rush of adrenaline surge through her body like nothing she’d experienced before. “Oh, and you might want to find yourself some new crew members.”
“What have you done?!” barked Kagan, his voice raw and bereft of its musical timbres.
“Those rogue simulants you were asking about earlier?” Sonner delighted in explaining herself to Kagan. “Well, they just destroyed your precious Nexus. Sorry about that…”
“Impossible!” Kagan snarled, “You lie!”
“Believe whatever you like, Hedalt,” Sonner hit back. The elation of their sudden reprieve was now hardening into a steely resolve to finish what they had come here to do. She turned her head fractionally towards James and said, “Tell the fleet to attack. Clear out the smaller ships first – the ones with the fewest simulants – and then take out the cruisers.”
“You will not succeed!” Kagan blared.
“Watch me...” said Sonner, with the bite of a king cobra. Then she sat down in the command chair and crossed her legs, casually. “Oh, and leave the lead ship untouched,” she added to her brother, raising the point of a finger as if she’d just remembered something important, “I want the High Provost to watch his armada crumble, before I personally board his ship and take it as a prize.”
Kagan roared, sending strands of his perfectly slicked-back brown hair tumbling across his face like oily tentacles. But as satisfying as it was to watch Kagan break down, Sonner had already seen enough of his face. She cut the connection with a single command on her console.
“Choudary, Suarez, target their jump engines. Make sure that capital can’t leave,” Sonner called out to an ecstatic chorus of “Aye Commander!” in reply. Turning to James, she added, “Get Echo Squadron to form up on us. And tell them to suit up for a boarding raid.”
“Aye Commander,” James called back, before punching the commands into his console with renewed vigor. “Echo Squadron is responding, but we’ve got another problem – a second jump signature...” but then he turned to her and smiled, “It’s the Contingency One!”
Sonner beamed back at the him. “Put them on the viewport!”
James entered the command and instantly the simulant form of Taylor appeared on the viewport.
“Hey Commander, did we miss all the fun?” said Taylor, sitting in the command chair as if it were just another regular day at the office.
“Your party trick came in the nick of time, Captain,” Sonner replied, “But, no, the fun’s just getting started.”
“Sorry for the delay, Commander,” said Satomi, appearing at Taylor’s side and resting a hand on his shoulder. “The ripple effect from the destruction of the Nexus may travel at super-luminal speeds, but Earth is still some distance from the Hedalt home world.”
Sonner’s eyebrows almost reached her hairline. She looked at Taylor, while jabbing a finger in the direction of Satomi. “Is this?...”
“Yes, it is,” Taylor answered, unable to contain his delight. “Commander Sarah Sonner, meet Satomi Rose.”
“I look forward to meeting you in person, Satomi Rose,”
said Sonner brightly, “I suggest we all get together later. On Earth.”
“Aye aye, Commander Sarah Sonner,” replied Taylor, throwing up a casual salute. Sonner heard Casey in the background calling out, “Stop stealing my lines!”
“Commander, we have another inbound jump signature,” interrupted James, “It’s a single Hedalt ship. Destroyer class.”
“A friend of yours, Captain?” Sonner asked.
Taylor checked the sensor readings on his console, “A mutual friend of ours, I’m afraid...” he replied, gravely.
“Not for much longer. James, add the Destroyer to the target list, and have Charlie Squadron take it down, top priority,”
“Hold that order, James,” Taylor called out, “If you don’t mind Commander, this one is ours.”
Sonner smiled and nodded, “I understand, Captain. She’s all yours.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” said Taylor, “When you’re done up here, let us know where to meet. And, you’re buying.”
“Well, since you can’t drink, I’ll buy your crew as many rounds as you like!” laughed Sonner. Then with genuine warmth she added, “I’ll see you soon, Taylor.” Then she switched the viewport to show the Hedalt capital ship in a window to the side. Fires were seeping out into space from where Suarez had drilled into its massive hull with turret fire, taking out its jump systems with clinical precision. Sonner smiled back at Taylor, “But first, I’m planning a little ship upgrade...”
TWENTY-FIVE
Kir Choudary piloted the Nimrod-class cruiser beneath the vast underbelly of Kagan’s War Carrier and towards the large rear docking bay doors. The difference in scale between the two ships was even more startling up close, so much so that the capital ship had blocked out the light from the sun and cast them into shadow. That their advance had gone completely unchallenged, without even a warning message from Kagan, made the approach feel eerie, as if they were about to board a ghost ship. But while the simulant crew may have been disabled, Sonner knew that there were still soldiers on board that were very much alive, and who would not go down without a fight.