Command Decision

by S. E. Smith

  “I’m leaving,” Pack said, his face tight with determination.

  “The Legion Battle cruiser,” she started to say.

  Pack nodded, his face held a grim expression. “That is why I’m leaving,” he interrupted. “They are recruiting any male old enough to fight. I won’t join them in destroying another world, much less my own.”

  “Father will tell them that you are needed here, Pack,” Cassa argued. “It will be hard enough as it is to harvest the crop this year. Without your help, it will be almost impossible.”

  “I don’t have a choice, Cassa,” Pack replied in a quiet voice. “None of us do. The Legion is taking over the entire star system. If we don’t stop them now, no one will be able to.”

  “It’s not our fight,” Cassa whispered as fear of losing Pack swept through her and she shook her head in denial. “Our planet is small compared to the others. Let the Gallant Order stop them. That is why it was formed.”

  Pack shook his head and began to back up when he heard his name being called by one of his friends. He turned and waved his hand to let them know that he would be there in a moment. Turning back to Cassa, he gave her a wistful grin and reached out to ruffle Jesup’s dark hair.

  “They need help,” Pack murmured. “Father understands. This is different, Cassa. If it wasn’t, I would stay, but it is more dangerous to do nothing this time.”

  Cassa’s eyes burned as she stared up at her brother. While Pack was old enough to go off on his own, she was worried what the growing unrest would do to their family. Turning her head, she blinked away the tears before she turned back to gaze up at him.

  “Promise you’ll be careful,” she replied in a quiet voice, lifting her hand to touch his cheek.

  “I will. I’ll let you know what is going on if I can,” Pack said, turning away.

  Cassa watched as he walked away. A part of her feared it would be the last time she saw him. What concerned her was the fact that deep down she knew he was right. The Legion was spreading like a disease through the star system. The Gallant was run by a group of old men who were powerless to stop the new force that had risen up quickly, swallowing up the smaller regions before moving to the larger ones.

  “When I get old enough, I’m going to join the Gallant, as well,” Jesup said with a voice filled with envy.

  “I hope by then, this will all be a distant memory,” Cassa whispered, watching as Pack strode off with his friends toward the village. “Come, we have to find out how much help we will have this harvest. You’ll have to work, as well.”

  “Aw, Cassa,” Jesup complained, kicking at a clump of dirt.

  “No arguments,” Cassa retorted in a firm voice, even as her lips twitched in amusement. “You can help protect me from the Legion troops.”

  Jesup grinned up at her and nodded. “Always,” he laughed. “I’ll race you to the house.”

  Cassa watched as Jesup took off at a run. With a shout, she raced after him, knowing she would never catch up. She slowed as she neared the house, glancing up at the sky as another ship took off; this time leaving from the rural port near the village. Pushing away the fear threatening to overwhelm her, she turned and entered the small building that she called home.

  *.*.*

  Later that evening, Cassa slipped out of the house for some fresh air and some time to reflect on what was happening. Her father hadn’t talked much during dinner. Jesup on the other hand, had. Most of it had been about the Legion Battle Cruiser that had flown over the valley.

  The house seemed empty without Pack there. Normally, her two brothers kept the meals interesting with their lively talks of what was happening in the village and at the desert Spaceport. Her father had allowed Jesup to go with him on his visit last month and her little brother had talked non-stop about everything he had seen.

  Cassa ran her hands down the off-white, long sleeve tunic that covered her dark brown trousers. Bending down, she picked up the coat that she had placed on the low rock wall. It was chillier than she expected with the breeze. She pulled it on before she sat down on the edge.

  Staring out at the vineyard, she turned her head when she heard the quiet sound of footsteps approaching. A soft smile pulled at her lips when she saw it was her father. She sighed when she saw that he was moving slower than normal.

  “It is a beautiful evening,” she murmured, turning to gaze back up at the stars.

  “It is,” Jemar responded as he came to a stop next to her.

  “Sit,” Cassa said affectionately, patting the space next to her. “You’ve overdone it again. You need to let us do more.”

  Jemar released a soft sigh as he sat down beside her. “The Spaceport is in an uproar. Everyone was trying to get out before the Legion Battle Cruiser arrived,” he replied, pulling his pipe out of his front pocket and filling it. “Those with unaccounted trade did not want it confiscated.”

  Cass was silent for a moment before she turned to look at her father. Concern tore at her. The Gallant Order had kept the peace for centuries. The Legion was relatively new in comparison, but it had grown fast and strong under the command of the new director. Even in the isolated valley that they lived in, she had heard accounts of some of the horrors inflicted on those that didn’t agree with the Legion’s policies.

  “What do you think will happen?” Cassa asked, studying her father’s tired face.

  “I heard that six more star systems have fallen,” her father replied with a shake of his head. “The Legion has taken over the governments despite the protests of the Gallant Order.”

  “Isn’t there anyone who can stop Lord Andronikos? I don’t understand how he could have come to power so quickly,” Cassa said with a shake of her head.

  “The Legion’s forces have gained strength over the last thirty years while the Gallant Order has grown old and tired,” Jemar replied. “Lord Andronikos was young and power hungry, then. He came in just as several star systems were in trouble. He said the words they wanted to hear and he made sure that he had the right men in place to take over when the planets failed. He spent years building an unstoppable military force and recruiting followers. I fear nothing can stop him now.”

  “Not even the rebel forces supporting the Gallant Order?” Cassa asked. “Pack…”

  “Your brother has joined a hopeless cause, I fear. The number that has risen up to resist are too few, too unorganized, and I fear too late to stop the Legion from expanding,” Jemar stated. “Unless something happens soon, I fear Telsa Terra will be the next to fall. The presence of the Legion Battle Cruiser is proof of that.”

  Cassa leaned over and hugged her father. She could feel his worry. There would be little they could do to fight against such a force. She released her father when he pulled back and stood up.

  “Don’t stay out too late. There is a lot that needs to be done tomorrow. I’ve decided to start harvesting a few weeks early. It is the only way we will get it done before the berries dry out,” Jemar instructed before turning back to the house.

  Cassa watched as her father disappeared and the lights went out. Turning back to stare up at the sky, she released a soft sigh and pulled her coat tighter around her to keep the chill of the night air at bay. Deep down, she knew her father was right. The presence of the Legion Battle Cruiser was a bad omen for her small world.

  She stood and was about to turn back toward the house when a flash of light caught her attention. Her eyes widened when the light lasted longer than was normal for a meteor. She followed the movement of the object, surprised when she vaguely caught the outline of something detaching from the top and a row of colorful lights along the side appeared. Glancing back at the house, she decided not to disturb her father.

  Cassa hurried to the dome-shaped repair building. Jumping down the stairs, she grabbed the binoculars off the shelf and raced back to the entrance. With a flick of her finger, she released the covers over the ends and lifted them to her eyes. It took a few precious seconds before she focused on the object as
it floated down toward the ground.

  “What is that?” She muttered, zooming in.

  A large box, outlined in flashing red and green lights floated under a huge parachute. She had never seen anything like it before. She switched on the tracking mode of the binoculars so she could get an accurate location of the box. Only when it disappeared from sight did she lower the glasses.

  Biting her lip, she glanced at the house once more. Her father’s soft snores could be heard through the open windows. Cassa glanced down at the coordinates on the binoculars’ display. Making a decision, she stepped back down into the repair building.

  Grabbing a bag off the shelf, she quickly placed a cutting torch into it. She pulled a helmet off the shelf and slipped it on. She would need it to see at night. The last thing she picked up was a stun rod. It shot small bursts of electrical charges. Outside the perimeter of the fence there were large creatures that roamed the forests.

  Sliding her leg over the land skid, she turned the power on. She touched the visor to lower the eye shield. The doors to the shed opened as she moved closer to them. Twisting the hand control, she depressed the accelerator and shot out of the building.

  Cassa headed down the long road leading into the de Rola vineyard. She turned when the road divided into four different sections, taking the right hand toward the forest and mountains. A half hour later, she slowed to a stop. In front of her was the fencing that separated the vineyard from the forest.

  “You’ve come this far,” she whispered.

  Reaching into the pocket of her coat, she pulled out the control for the fence. With a flick of her finger, the section in front of her disappeared. Cassa powered the land skid through the opening before pressing the button again to reseal the fence. She dropped the controller back into her pocket and pulled out the binoculars.

  Lifting the visor, she lifted the glasses to her eyes and scanned the area. Re-establishing the location of the object, she replaced the glasses in the holder on the side of the land skid, flipped the visor back down, and pressed the accelerator.

  Traveling through the forest was trickier than she expected. It had been years since she had traveled up here. When she was younger, she and Pack had spent weeks exploring during the off-season. She stopped four times to get her bearings before she caught a glimpse of faint light shining in the darkness.

  Weaving around the thick trees, she stopped and shut the land skid down when she was within a few meters of it. Cassa slid off the transport and removed her helmet. Placing the helmet on the seat, she frowned up at the unusual object. There was a slight pinging noise coming from it.

  She walked around the long container. It hung several feet off the ground, just out of her reach. The parachute was caught in the branches of two of the large trees. Cassa paused, staring up at it.

  “If I want to see what’s inside, I have to get it down,” she muttered under her breath.

  Turning back toward the land skid, she opened the back storage compartment. Inside were several long blades that they used for cutting the vines, the cutting torch she had grabbed before leaving, and a hover board for reaching the top of the tall plants. She decided to use one of the long, curved blades. She was afraid the cutting torch would catch the thick, fabric roping on fire. Leaning forward, she pulled the blade and the hover board out.

  Sliding her feet into the foot locks, she felt the board activate. Cassa moved her foot and the hover board rose off the ground. She shifted her weight to the left and felt it move slowly in that direction. Once she was high enough to reach the thick cords holding the box in the air, she swung the blade out, slicing through the lines attached to the parachute in one clean sweep.

  The box landed on the ground with a soft thud. Cassa touched the control again with her foot and the hover board slowly lowered back to the ground. She quickly bent and touched the release on the foot locks and stepped off of the device. Now that it was on the ground, she had a feeling of misgiving. What if it was a new Legion probe?

  Cassa stood staring at the strange box in indecision. Maybe it would have been better to have woken her father. He would know what to do with it. She shook her head. Her father had enough to worry about and so did she. The last thing she should have done is taken off the way she had. Her father was right, there was a lot of work to do tomorrow. She knew where the box was. She would leave it and return home. Tomorrow, she would tell her father about it.

  A shiver ran through Cassa as she started to turn away. She had just picked up the hover board when the sound coming from the container suddenly stopped. She turned and swallowed when she saw that the red lights were turning to green. Almost as if in slow-motion, the top of the box emitted a hissing sound and the lid popped open. It was only then that Cassa noticed a clear window on the top of it.

  She nervously stepped closer, trying to peer through the clear glass. Her lips parted as she fought to draw in a breath. It wasn’t until she was just a few feet from the container that she made out the faint outline of someone inside it.

  Her first thought was that the man inside was dead. His face was pale and he was lying so still, that she couldn’t imagine him being alive. The fact that he was in a sealed box made her wonder if he had died on board a ship and been ejected. She had heard of such things before.

  A gasp escaped her when the man suddenly lifted his hand and ripped off the clear mask covering his nose and mouth. He drew in several long, gasping breaths before his eyelids slowly opened. Cassa blinked in surprise when his gaze locked onto hers through the clear glass.

  “Where… Where am I?” The man asked in a hoarse voice.

  Cassa blinked again and frowned. The words sounded strained and stilted and held an odd dialect, but she could understand them. Stepping around the container, Cassa kept a wary gaze locked on the man inside.

  “Telsa Terra,” she replied.

  The man struggled to sit up. Cassa stepped closer and gripped his arm with one hand when he started to fall back. Her gaze swept over him. The man’s dark brown hair was shaggy and sticking out in all different directions. His eyes were clouded and dazed, as if he was having trouble focusing. He shook his head and an intense frown creased his brow as he stared around the dark forest surrounding them. His gaze moved back to her.

  “This isn’t Earth,” he said more than asked.

  Cassa frowned and shook her head. “I have not heard of Earth. Which star system is it located in?” She asked.

  “Shit! We really aren’t alone,” the man muttered.

  The softly whispered words didn’t make a lot of sense to Cassa. Why was he upset that they were not alone? What planet was this Earth? She had not heard of it before. Was it part of a new system the Legion had overtaken? Her biggest concerns were why the stranger was in the box, where did he come from, and was anyone going to come looking for him.

  A noise behind them drew her attention back to the dangers of being in the forest at night. She needed to get them both back behind the protection of the fence. After that, she would figure out what to do with her unexpected find.

  “Come,” she whispered, reaching for his arm again. “It is not safe here. We must go.”

  Chapter 9

  Josh pushed up and weakly crawled out of the emergency pod. His head was spinning and he felt disoriented. He gripped the sides when his knees gave out under him. The fact that he was still wearing the bottom half of his space suit didn’t help.

  He glanced at the woman when she grabbed his arm to steady him. She looked like a human, at least in the dark. Pushing upward, he was relieved to feel some of the weakness fade.

  “We need to leave,” the woman said again, looking around the woods with a frown. “There are beasts in the forest that are dangerous. We need to return to the vineyard.”

  “I have to get out of this suit,” Josh muttered, reaching for the bottom section.

  “Just hurry,” the woman said with an anxious tone, turning to place the long board and knife that she was holding in
the compartment under the seat of a strange looking vehicle.

  Josh released the bottom half of the suit and let it drop to the ground. Right now, his legs felt like spaghetti and it was taking everything inside him to remain in an upright position. He grunted when he stumbled. The material was bunched around his ankles. In space, it would have been easy to free his legs, he would have just floated out of it.

  It took a moment for him to realize that the tight cuffs at the bottom were part of the problem. Bending, he pulled the straps on them free, loosening the material so that he could step onto the soft, moist leaf-covered ground. A grimace of distaste flashed across his face as the moisture seeped through his socks.

  “We need to go now,” the woman said, pulling on his arm as she stared behind them in growing alarm.

  Josh glanced over his shoulder and nodded. He stumbled after her to the unusual looking device that looked like a motorcycle without wheels. She grabbed a helmet off of the seat, placed it over her head, and quickly slid onto the bike. He climbed onto the back and gripped the edge of the seat.

  “Hold on,” she instructed.

  “I am,” he mumbled.

  Josh glanced over his shoulder again just as a dark shape with yellow glowing eyes broke through the thick woods on the other side of the emergency pod. His eyes widened when the large, hairy beast snorted at them. The creature was at least ten feet tall at the shoulders and coated in a thick, gray fur.

  He returned his gaze to the front. His hands and thighs instinctively gripped the vehicle as it shot forward. Everything blurred in the darkness. He didn’t know how the woman knew where she was going, much less avoided the tall trees as they sped through the forest at a neck-breaking speed. He was just thankful she could when he heard the loud crash behind him.

  Josh’s fuzzy mind spun as he tried to piece together what happened. The last thing he remembered was being ejected into space after the Gliese had passed through the gateway. The ship was breaking apart and he needed to get into an emergency pod. He had loaded the pods containing the rest of the crew.