The Last Charge of the 1st Legion (The Last Hero Trilogy Book 3)

by Nathaniel Danes

  Donning her war-face, she ripped the curtain open as if it had offended her. She was ready for anything—except Lieutenant Ander O’Shea standing in her path, displaying a shit-eating grin. His larger frame took her by surprise.

  “Colonel, I’m so glad to see you up and about.” He scanned her up and down. “You look like your old self. How do you feel?”

  Like I want to cry, you cheerful bugger. “I’m fine, lieutenant.” A tingle in her stomach made her feel awkward. She wanted to stay, but her combat instincts told her to escape. Gesturing a hand forward, she asked him to move.

  “Oh, sorry, sir.”

  Jones felt relief and remorse as she walked past. Those emotions didn’t last long. O’Shea sprang into a stride and kept pace with her as they entered the corridor.

  “Frankly, I’m impressed, sir. You received a larger dose of radiation than me. I can’t believe the docs are letting you out so soon.”

  “I didn’t give them much of a choice.”

  “I bet you didn’t, sir.” He chuckled. “Would you like to swing by the officer’s mess for a bite? You left sick bay just before they serve lunch.”

  She stared at him. Is he asking me out on a date? No, he can’t be. No one’s ever asked me out before. He’s just being nice or else sucking up. He did save my life, so the least I can do is break bread with the man.

  A concerned look fell over O’Shea but Jones wiped it away when a smile slipped past her cool demeanor and she blushed. “Yes.” What the heck was that?

  “Great. They’re serving meatloaf today. It’s my favorite. Well, my favorite food that’s served on a military ship at war, that is. Comparing real food with what’s on board is like comparing apples to reconstituted, freeze-dried applesauce—that’s been stored for five years next to a reactor.”

  She snorted. What the bloody hell is wrong with me? O’Shea glowed as he looked at her. Oh, buggers. This is a date and...I think I like that. But I outrank him, I’m his commanding officer and I’m technically three times his age. I should put a stop to this. Her mouth opened. What are you doing, Nina? It’s just lunch. Enjoy the moment. You’ll probably be dead in a few months, along with most of the human race. What’s one lunch date going to hurt? What do I even do on a date? Oh! I should tell him he’s funny.

  She cleared her throat. “That’s funny and well said.”

  “So, colonel, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you usually do for fun?”

  Oh-shit-oh-dear, this isn’t going to be easy.

  ***

  Simms thought he got through the worst of it planetside. He’d hoped Gabriel’s words on the spot where he watched her die had exorcised the core of his grief. He was wrong. Gabriel had helped him through the moment, but the roots of the pain were strong and it consumed his heart once more.

  The magnitude of his despair hit him upon entering their quarters. In their absence, the ship hadn’t bothered to circulate the air inside. It was stale and stagnant, with her scent lingering like a cruel prank. Smell is a powerful sense. When her sweet aroma tickled his brain, it leapt to illogical conclusions. For the tiniest fraction of a second, he thought she might somehow be alive and waiting for him. The fantasy was fleeting, and devastating when he remembered the cold truth and realized this was the last time he’d ever smell her again.

  He floated from task to task, stuck in a thick fog of grief. Days passed and he hardly noticed. An hour into another solitary night, the door chimed. He hugged a pillow around his head to ignore it. It chimed again and again.

  He sighed in relief when it stopped. He scuffed in disgust when he received an incoming message on his neural nano link. Again, he tried ignoring it, but the sender wasn’t quitting. Three minutes crawled by until he caved. “What?”

  “Hey, what are you up to?” Amanda thought-spoke as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

  “I’m fine, sergeant. Please go.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “No.”

  “Simms, I’m under orders to check on you and I’m not going until you let me in. I may not rank you, but General Maxwell, who gave me those orders, does. If I have to, I’ll command-override the door.”

  “Ugh, fine. Enter.” He turned, putting his back toward her.

  Amanda entered and hovered over him. “Simms, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about Thomas. I miss her, too, but we need you to pull it together. You have to find a way to move forward. This is your last chance to do so on your own. After this, things are going to get official. Which means you either talk to me or to the ship’s therapist.”

  “Crap.” He rolled onto his back. “Ok, let’s talk.”

  She smiled. “I thought you might see it that way.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Andromeda

  Trent strolled onto the bridge.

  “Jump in one minute, forty-five seconds,” an ensign called out.

  DeWalt turned to him. “Decided to join us for the jump to Echo?”

  “Let’s just say I’m feeling anxious to get on with it. These months between target and gate are killing me. At least it only seems like a few days. I don’t think I could survive the true journey, but at times my gut feels every real minute.”

  DeWalt took his chair. “I share your frustration, general. What I wouldn’t give for an actual FTL drive.”

  Both men stared at the view screen. Earth’s Fist fired its particle beam into the dense pocket of dark matter, ripping open a swirling vortex of blue light. The massive vessel entered the anomaly and instantaneously a new set of stars appeared.

  Tense seconds of worry-filled anticipation crawled by. Was Echo Base even still here, or had the Keepers somehow destroyed it?

  “Echo command to Earth’s Fist,” a voice called over the com, sending a wave of relief through the bridge. “Glad to see you’re still in one piece.”

  The screen shifted to the base. Neither its mass nor its firepower was on par with Alpha Base, but it was still an impressive spherical structure. It guarded access to the Eden Colony, a major settlement.

  “Same here, Echo.” DeWalt smiled wide. “We request emergency priority in dry-dock and immediate resupply.”

  “What’s the hurry?”

  “It’s a long story, but we found a way to stop the Keeper ships.”

  A long pause filled the channel. “Admiral Sennet has approved your repair priority and requests an immediate briefing on your mission.”

  “Roger that, Echo.” DeWalt looked at Trent. “We’re on our way.”

  ***

  Trent waited by the shuttle. It was still scarred from the battle on P-1425X, but superficial wounds hadn’t been a priority for the crew. The bay doors slid open and Captain DeWalt entered with Lieutenant Ross at his side. Her new leg wasn’t quite finished, and a limp showed its imperfect operation.

  Seeing her crippled punched him in the gut. “What is she doing here?” He pointed a stiff finger at her with eyes locked on DeWalt. “She should be in sick bay, finishing her regrow.”

  “General, I need her to accompany us to the station. We’ll need her to check out their complement of fighters and oversee their transfer. The doctors have cleared her.”

  “I’m not in any pain, sir.”

  Trent chewed on his lip. “I still don’t like it, but … okay.” He pointed at her. “But you are not to push it. If it starts to hurt, I want you to rest. Use grav lifts to get around if you have to. We won’t think any less of you.”

  “Yes. Sir.”

  Their craft eased out of the battlecarrier’s belly for a smooth ride. Susan was rubbing the top of her thigh, making him doubt her claim she wasn’t in pain. She caught him looking and attempted to distract him with conversation. “I’ll be happy to get a full contingent of fighters onboard. Just doesn’t feel right, seeing so many empty docks.”

  DeWalt nodded. “As will I. A battlecarrier isn’t much use in a fleet engagement without ‘em.” He shifted his eyes to Trent. “You know the admiral personally from y
our planning sessions. My knowledge of her is only second-hand. Do you think she’ll give us any trouble? I mean, our story is kind of incredible, and what we’re asking is no small thing.”

  “She always seemed reasonable to me. I trust she’ll see this is our only chance.”

  The shuttle docked and the trio exited onto an inactive deck that was crowded with fighters, shuttles, and supplies. A dozen crewmen were lazily going about their day. A fine layer of dust coating much of the room gave off an odd vibe.

  Susan scanned the deck. “Doesn’t seem to be much going on here.”

  Trent exhaled. “Yeah. You’d never know that Earth was under siege right now, would you?” He and DeWalt shared a look. They both had a funny feeling about this place.

  A fleet lt. commander approached. Trent noticed he’d missed a button on his uniform and his steps lacked vigor. “Hello, sirs. If you follow me, I will take you to the admiral’s office,”

  “Lead the way.” DeWalt gestured forward.

  Trent walked along side DeWalt. “I guess a salute would’ve been too much of a strain for him.”

  “By the looks of him, you’re probably right.”

  The corridors of Echo Base were deserted except for the occasional crewman or legionnaire leaning against the wall. No one even bothered to straighten at the approach of a general officer. In their defense, few even noticed them enough to know who they were.

  Agitated voices inside an open door ahead caught Trent’s ear. “I demand you accept my letter of resignation.” It was a familiar male voice.

  “I’m sorry,” an unknown female replied, “but that won’t happen. I don’t care whatever arrangement you had before. Things changed, the war changed—hell, the whole damn universe changed.”

  “There’s no war here,” the man shot back. “I might actually be able to do something useful in a lab on Eden instead of sitting around here, waiting to die. I’m too important to be bottled up in here.”

  Trent turned his head to look inside. Lt. Commander Greene. Interesting to know you’re here.

  Returning his eyes to the front, Trent watched DeWalt’s gaze track an unshaven commander as they walked by. “Commander, is it me or does the atmosphere here seem rather...relaxed?”

  Their escort finished a yawn. “I guess you could say that. After Alpha fell, everyone was running around expecting an attack. Months passed before we realized nothing was coming through the gate. Then a sort of mass depression set in. We realized we couldn’t help Earth, and that really stung. We were trained to fight for humanity’s survival and couldn’t do a damn thing to aid the birthplace of our race.” He shrugged. “After several more months, the admiral started to relax regs in an effort to increase morale. Your arrival really sent a bolt through the base, though. I haven’t seen this much energy around here in sometime.”

  The three of them exchanged looks.

  “Here we are.” He waved toward a door. “She’s expecting you. Go right in.”

  They entered an empty reception area. Trent opened his mouth to ask the commander a question but paused when he realized he hadn’t followed them in. “This place isn’t giving me a lot of confidence.”

  “Confidence,” Susan scoffed. “I’m downright scared for both the short and long-term viability of the human race.”

  A sound signaled that the admiral’s door had slid open. Sennet came out with an extended hand and a creepy, wide smile. “I can’t tell you how happy I was to see you come through the gate.” She gave everyone a double-fisted handshake. Her red hair was pulled back, but a few more stands than usual were loose. He saw it in her eyes. They were duller. This wasn’t the same woman who had once held the title of Chief of Naval Operations. “Good news has been a rare commodity lately. Come in, come in.” She waved toward her office.

  Her inner sanctum was dimly lit and neatly kept. A sweet, lemony aroma drifted in the air, hinting at a fresh application of disinfectant.

  Trent gripped the back of a chair. “I was pleasantly surprised to hear you were still alive, admiral. I thought you were aboard Alpha Base when Chen made his final stand.”

  “Yes,” she sighed, gesturing for them to take a seat. “After our last meeting, I left the station to help coordinate our forces. Pure luck is the only reason I’m still here. I can’t tell you how excited I am to hear the news you’ve brought. We haven’t received word from outside this system for some time.”

  DeWalt leaned forward. “You haven’t been in touch with the other colonies?”

  She shook her head. “I’m afraid not, captain. Several ships were sent to investigate why Alpha went dark.” Her eyes lowered. “We found a number of black boxes and pieced together the battle. Once the overwhelming power of the Keeper ship became obvious, people panicked. Individual colonial governments claimed authority over what military forces they could and instigated communications blackouts.”

  Trent clinched his fist. “So they just plan to leave Earth and billions of people to die?”

  Her eyes raised to his. “We’re … they’re scared, general. Even with every ship in the Fleet, we don’t have the firepower to destroy that ship. What would you have us do? Throw our only assets into a hopeless battle, just to make ourselves feel better?”

  “That might be better than sitting around, doing nothing and simply praying you’re somehow overlooked.” His eyes narrowed into daggers. “You won’t be overlooked. The Keepers will just keep killing—for centuries, for a thousand, for two thousand years if that’s what it takes. They will come for you all, one by one. Fighting together is our only chance.”

  “I never said we were doing nothing.” Sennet sat up straight, tugging at the bottom of her gray uniform to smooth out the wrinkles, “I have a plan.”

  Trent leaned forward and opened his mouth but froze when DeWalt put a hand on his arm. “We’re all ears, admiral.”

  “Thank you, captain. No one is just sitting around while Earth suffers. According to our last messages, every colony with a shipyard is running them nonstop. They’re drafting and training crews as fast as they can. Humanity’s forces grow stronger every day.”

  Trent relaxed his jaw. “That’s encouraging. What is Eden doing?”

  A thin smile crossed her lips. “What I tell them to do. Unlike the other systems, the military is in command here, and we’re working on a grand strategy to save the human race. My plan guarantees final victory.”

  Trent allowed his hopes to rise.

  She continued, “Computer, bring up the Andromeda design.” The image of a massive ship popped into existence over her desk. It looked like a battlecarrier but was easily five times the size. “Behold our salvation.”

  “An Ark?” Susan spontaneously blurted out. “Sorry, sirs.”

  “Quite all right, lieutenant.” Sennet glowed with pride. “That is exactly what it is. The Andromeda Initiative was conceived decades ago as a failsafe for the human race in the event the war with the Bearcats went badly. We never committed the resources to building it, but the design is based on proven technology and is sound.”

  “Where would it go?” DeWalt flipped his palms up. “Nowhere in this galaxy is safe forever, as long as the Keepers are running around.”

  “You’re right, captain. The Milky Way isn’t safe.”

  Trent looked side to side. “Wait...you aren’t seriously saying its target is the Andromeda Galaxy, are you? Isn’t that something like two million light years from us?”

  “More like two point five million light years.” DeWalt cocked his head. “There are closer galaxies.”

  “Yes, but it’s the biggest near us. One trillion stars. Our own galaxy only has four hundred billion. It offers us our best opportunity to find a new home.”

  “Yeah,” Trent scuffed, “two and a half million years from now. We can’t generate the kind of power necessary to open a gate that far away, let alone send a probe ahead and back to scout the exit point.”

  Sennet deactivated the holo. “Don’t be so dramat
ic, general. We aren’t going to cruise to a new galaxy on standard drive, nor will we attempt an impossible blind jump. Andromeda is a fully operational discovery vessel, as well as having many other features needed to restart a civilization. It will find gates en route and leapfrog across the great void. It will take centuries in real time, but most of the colonists will be in stasis. A crew will rotate in and out of stasis.”

  DeWalt went to speak, but Trent raised a hand to stop him. “This is a very intriguing plan, admiral. Frankly, I wish we’d implemented it years ago.”

  “As do I, but it is a major effort. It will take the Eden shipyard another two years to complete and then a further year to ready for launch. It was too much of an undertaking in time of war.” She gazed off. “A time of war we could win, that is.”

  Trent stood. “Admiral, that is why we came here. We believe we can still win this war. Save Earth and the humans in this galaxy.”

  “I highly doubt that, but you listened to me, so please, go ahead.”

  “It’s quite the story, but every word of it is true.” He inhaled deeply, then began telling her everything, starting with Admiral Chen’s final orders and proceeding to the events on P-1425X. Sennet’s eyebrows arched as he explained their conversation with Hal. He had to admit that the idea of an all-knowing AI quantum-entangled with every atom in the Milky Way was a bit fantastical. She frowned when told they needed the ships guarding the Eden gate to leave with them to attack a Bearcat colony.

  When finished, Sennet stayed quiet for a full minute, leaning back in her chair to digest the data dump that had been unloaded on her. “And I thought my idea was a long shot.”

  “There’s no reason we can’t do both” DeWalt leaned forward. “We just need the ships you have now. You can keep building your failsafe. We’ll even leave you with the battleships and cruisers we came with. They are in need of major repairs, but they’ll be fully combat-ready in no time. Two long shots is better than one.”