“Demons…” Kama’s voice came over the comm. “We’re showing incoming vortices ahead of you. What can you see?
Lee shook his head, returning to the present as a series of large M-space translation vortices opened up ahead of them. In the old days, it would have been him and his ship coming to the rescue, but those days were long gone. Instead, a series of fiery coronas introduced the arrival of a nightmare from the past. A massive Ch’Tauk dreadnought was being escorted through the vortices by a slew of Gizzeen ships. The battle, once lopsided in favor of the Alliance and their superior numbers, with the Gizzeen in their weakened state, was now swinging to the advantage of the enemy. Lee’s scanners flashed with red from in front, but a new group of ships was sweeping from behind.
“Kongo is coming in fast and they’ve brought some friends, Princess,” Lee called, forgetting about his own order of radio silence and focusing his team on the mission. “Calm down and stay on target.”
“Lee … Flyboy … there’s too many,” Alice stammered. “Kongo can’t take them all. Why are you letting this happen? Ron is your friend, and whatever he’s done he doesn’t deserve this. You’ve got to call him back.”
Again Lee’s heart sank. For a moment he had forgotten about the mission and its inevitable outcome. It was another chance to fly and protect his people, to be a hero in flight just as those damn books had made him out to be. He wanted to pull some fancy maneuver and show the Gizzeen and the Ch’Tauk there was no chance to win. They were dealing with the great Lee Pearce and his reputation now. Alice’s voice telling him to pull back and turn around, though, reminded him he wasn’t that man. He was real and he had a job to do.
“Can’t do that,” Lee replied. “I wish there was some other way, Princess, but there isn’t. Now stay focused and stay off the comm.”
Lee clicked the comm closed and watched as a squad of Octopod ships was struck by the terrible effects of the Ch’Tauk attack. Two disappeared in a haze of energy and the remaining four continued on. The resilience of the small battleships was amazing, and fortunate, as the Demons streaked past, closer to their target. Lightning streaks were flung out from the predatory Octopod vessels, wrapping the Ch’Tauk dreadnought like a net. Slowly, the net grew smaller, popping rivets and bursting welds until the entire ship crushed and shattered. It was an impressive display from the secretive race and one Lee was grateful for.
Jackal’s voice crackled over the comm, alerting the Demons of incoming fighters. The Demons surged forward to protect him. Lee saw Alice take hits across her bow, overwhelming her shields and causing the Eagle to wobble in space. Scanners showed she was alright, but her shields were weak and in need of recharge. The battle was met and he had a choice. Instead of turning to protect Alice, he switched power from weapons to engines, increasing his speed to just under one hundredth of light speed. Plasma bolts and blue energy shots streaked away into eternity as relativity stretched space out around him. He was the only ship capable of the maneuver and he knew he was leaving everything behind as he moved off towards the Gizzeen’s dimensional bridge.
“More incoming,” Jackal called. “I’ve got multiple incoming vortices from all over. Big Momma, do you know who they are?”
“Alliance signatures,” Kama yelled. “The cavalry has arrived!”
Lee felt relief. For a moment, his soul had regretted the decision to leave the battle to the hands of fate, but now he knew they would be safe. He had a mission to accomplish and he would finish it knowing his people would survive. All he had to do was delivering the Engineer to the center of the bridge and detonate the weapon. The death of one trans-dimensional being and one more human would be more than enough to end the siege of the Sol system and free his home planet. He exhaled a held breath and placed his hand on the throttle, ready to accelerate into the swirling mass of energy ahead.
Lee was suddenly flung sideways as a dozen Gizzeen ships leapt from nowhere to ambush him. He had been so focused on the scanner, looking back at Alice and his people, he hadn’t noticed the ships guarding the portal until it was too late. His fighter was functional but he had lost his speed. Gizzeen reflexes must have been terrific to have been able to hit a target moving at that velocity, but they had and now he had to focus. Targeting one of the nearest, he opened up with full power cannons, rupturing the plated hull of the enemy ship and causing it to spiral away. The remaining ships surrounded him, firing blue energy bolts into his shields. The Eagle bucked as he tried to evade the worst of the blasts, the battle seeming to take forever as he targeted each ship and returned fire. The Gizzeen moved away so fast it was hard to get a firm lock on any of them. In his peripheral vision, he saw two of the enemy vessels explode under cannon fire and a new Eagle join the battle.
“Alice,” he said to himself, and the pain in his voice surprised even himself. “Fine, if you don’t want to follow orders, let’s go get the bastards…”
The two fighters danced in space, each one moving in concert with the other. Lee had trained Alice, and the two pilots were a perfect team. Under their cannons, Gizzeen ships popped and spun away in space. They were fighting the bad guys just like in the old days, and it felt good. For a moment, though, Alice hesitated and it was nearly the end. Two blue bolts slammed into her flank, reeling her ship sideways in space.
“Princess, get out of here,” Lee called out, forgetting the danger of discovery in favor of the warning. “Pull back. It’s too much!”
“No,” Alice called back. “I’ve got this. I’ll keep an eye on the package for you. “I’m hit but I can still provide cover. Tell Chang to get a move on and I’ll watch his back.”
Lee began to move off again, trusting she was in better shape than his scanner was telling him. It took only a few more moments as the two remaining Gizzeen ships closed in on her disabled craft. He wanted to move on and head towards the bridge but he couldn’t. This was one thing he could not do, would not do. He would not leave her here to die. He turned the Eagle in a wide arc just as a massive fireball erupted. A quick check showed Alice’s ship still intact and one of the Gizzeen gone. The other moved in. Alice’s fighter was still cycling up and unable to defend itself. He opened fire with his cannons, landing a kill shot on the Gizzeen fighter. He saw Alice’s engines power back up and he flew around to meet her, slowing his pace to hers so she could fall into formation with him.
“What are you doing?” Alice called. “Get back on your run.”
“I could say the same to you,” Chang’s voice replied, reminding Lee of his mission again “Get moving!”
They flew on together, wing to wing, towards Lee’s destiny. His mind drifted to the cargo below him and the woman he loved. It was barbaric. The creature was going to die to save them, but it was he who would pull the trigger. An execution for the Engineer, pure and simple, and he was the executioner. The danger and intensity of the battle had kept him from considering what he was doing until now. For the briefest moment, he wondered if death would hurt.
“Lee Pearce…” The image of the Engineer appeared in front of him, startling him, causing him to slow the ship in caution. “We are grateful to you and would like to give you a gift for your sacrifice.”
“Get out of my cockpit,” Lee cried. “I can’t see to fly.”
“You have sacrificed all for us and we would like to give you back something in return for your life.”
“Fine,” Lee cried, waving a hand through the image to try to clear it. “What?”
“In the nearby vessel, your Alice Bennett is coming to the understanding of who you are,” the image replied, unwavering. “When she does, she will follow you into the bridge and die.”
“What?” Lee said, shock clouding his focus. “No, I can’t—”
“We are allowing you this glimpse in exchange for your sacrifice. Use it well.”
The image of the Engineer faded and Lee was once again alone in his cockpit. He reached for the throttle, pushing his acceleration faster than Alice could keep up. A ki
lometer out, he flipped the ship over, turning it at full burn back towards Alice’s ship. As he came to pass her, he slowed to a relative crawl and wobbled his fighter, nicking her at the edge of her wing. The tap from his sturdier ship was just enough to cause a feedback loop in her shields, pushing her Eagle around and leaving her spinning in space. He quickly flipped back over and accelerated towards the bridge.
Alice voice crackled through the static from outside. “What the hell? I can escort you further.”
“Alice, pull back,” Lee replied. “It’s too dangerous. When this thing blows it’ll take you with it if you go further.”
“Lee?” Alice replied. “Did you see what he did? He almost—”
“I wanted you to back off,” Lee replied. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
“Lee?” Alice said, not understanding. “You thought … what are you saying?”
“I’m sorry, Alice,” Lee replied. “It’s the only way. I’ve got to see this through.”
“Lee?” Alice said, her voice full of the dawning realization. “Lee, where are you? Please tell me you’re on Resolute. Please tell me you aren’t in that fighter … No!” Alice shouted over the comm. You can’t do this!”
“For once in your life, Princess, follow orders,” Lee said across the widening gulf. “If you’re not out of range when I blow this thing—”
“Like hell,” Alice said, slamming her throttle forward and aiming her ship at his. “If you go, I go.”
“Princess, stand down,” Lee called. “Alice, don’t make me do this.”
“Lee, you can’t go like this. I’m coming with you.”
“Negative,” Lee replied.
Lee tapped in the codes for Alice’s ship. Each fighter had a cut-off code known to the captain in case of hijacking. He entered the code and pressed the transmit button. The ship outside went dark. Life support and communications were still active but the ship was unable to cycle up engines or weapons. He activated a timer to restart the engines in a few minutes, but not long enough for her to follow. She would be safe while he completed his mission.
“Lee, don’t do this to me,” Alice said through the increasing static “Don’t you dare go be a hero without me. Don’t you dare!”
“Princess, listen to me,” Lee replied. “I need to tell you this before I can’t.”
“No, don’t … don’t you dare. You’ll tell me yourself when you get back to the ship and—”
“No, not this time,” Lee replied, his voice breaking up. “Alice, I love you. I want to live with you forever, but—and I don’t think I … my reputation. Those damn books made me … I can’t be…”
Lee clicked the comm off before he could finish. He hadn’t meant to think of the books just then, but it had been weighing on his mind. As he pressed his throttle forward, he searched his mind for anything in those stories which could have bothered him so much. They were heroic and made him seem more than human, and maybe that was what bothered him most. He was a boy raised on a farm who had dreamed of the stars. Everything he had done had been for the benefit of someone else. Even this, his final act, was to protect humanity. If that was what made people want to read about him, then so be it. At least he wouldn’t have to read any more of them. He pressed his throttle all the way forward for the first time. The bridge seemed to explode with light. Superluminal velocity changed the swirling energy vortex into a spiral of dark blue and gold that seemed to have an end in eternity. His scanner, not really up to the task of tracking his speed, emitted a loud beep. It was time.
Lee Pearce said a pilot’s prayer, for the first time for his own soul, and pressed the button.
It was the screaming that made him realize he was still alive. That, and the pain.
6
Assault Frigate Kongo
As Alice stepped onto the bridge of the small frigate, she was surprised at how familiar the layout was. Kongo was an older model ship like Resolute, and the bridge design was laid out in the same circular pattern. The differences were in function rather than form. Kongo still had her shared navigation console, but also had a larger panel for the tactical station to accommodate the expanded weapons capabilities of the assault frigate. Communications was still on her right, and sensors were behind the captain’s chair in the center. Farthing was seated in a modified version of the same chair Lee had once used. She noticed his clawed hands gripping the edges of the seat as they began to translate from M-space into the normal galaxy.
“Pressure reading is increasing,” the sensor officer announced, catching Alice’s attention with his bright red skin. “We are reading point-seven-two-five kilograms per meter.”
“Regulate baffles and purge as soon as we translate,” Farthing ordered, still keeping a close eye on the screen ahead. “Keep it under eight hundred.”
The engineer responded with a pained acknowledgement of the order. Alice knew enough of the ship’s systems to know the plasma manifold pressure she was hearing was way too high. If the pressure became too high, it could rupture the ship’s main energy conduit and cause a catastrophic containment failure. A quick glance told her all she needed to know; the board was alight with red indicators. The ship was falling apart around them. The screen ahead whited-out as the energy corona discharge from M-space translation enveloped the ship.
“Purge the baffles,” Farthing ordered with a shout.
The ship began to shudder under their feet as the engineers tried to rid the ship of excess plasma pressure. Alice reached for a nearby console to steady herself even as one of the sensor officers lurched from her seat. The vibrations increased as the screen ahead cleared. Farthing’s claws were pressing into the chair tight as he struggled to keep himself steady. A sudden bucking knocked Alice from her feet and backwards into the corridor outside. For a moment, she stared at the metal door which had slid shut when she fell backwards. The deck was beginning to feel awkward under her as she tried to stand. There was a twisting and a grinding as the door opened back up partway and stopped.
The cacophony from the bridge was enough to let Alice know how bad the situation was. Farthing was barking orders in his smooth, accented voice while others called out failure reports from across the ship. Alice tried to make sense of the reports as they were called, but it was a blended noise.
Another massive surge attempted to send her back through the door. She grabbed the railing separating the upper and inner areas of the bridge and held on tight. This time, sparks erupted from above the captain’s chair, singeing Farthing’s fur and eliciting a short scream of pain from the secondary navigator.
“What happened to the purge?” Farthing called over his shoulder. “What’s the pressure?”
“I’ve lost pressure readings on three decks, sir,” replied the engineer. “We’ve got hull ruptures all along our flanks. We’re venting plasma into space.”
“Is it reducing the pressure on the manifolds?” Alice called back, causing Farthing to look away from the screen at her.
“Commander,” he said, trying to steady himself in the chair as another violent bout of shaking began. “Get to an emergency station in case we need to—”
The explosion at her back burned through the duty uniform she had hastily changed into before coming to the bridge. Her spine felt like it was on fire even as she was tossed over the rail to land across the back of the captain’s chair. She heard nothing but her own labored breathing as long-fingered hands slapped at her back. She thought she saw a face through the haze of pain. As her eyes cleared, through the smoke pouring from the sensor stations she saw a young woman whose body was neatly cut in two on the deck ahead. Her eyes stared back at Alice without accusation or recrimination and Alice realized she had probably died before she even realized what was happening.
“Commander?” Farthing’s voice seemed a light year away through the screaming whine inside her head. “Alice, we need to go. Can you walk?”
Alice was dazed, but the tone of Farthing’s voice comman
ded her to try. In pain from the burn at her back, she pressed against the deck to raise herself and nearly passed out from the effort. She raised her head, trying to make some sense of what had happened. The navigation panel was on fire; one side appeared to have exploded, severing the secondary pilot in half. The sensor panel she had been standing near had exploded, killing the operator and badly wounding the man who had been calling out situation reports. Smoke obscured everything else except Farthing with the unconscious body of the principle pilot in his arms.
“All hands abandon ship,” Farthing ordered through the haze of smoke and fire. “I repeat, all hands abandon ship. Get to emergency stations.”
Alice could hear the resolve in her friend’s voice, as well as despair. It had been his first command and he had sworn to protect the ship, but the ship had been through too much. Alice lifted her leg under her and pressed down again, standing painfully, stooped but upright. Farthing looked to her with concern but she waved him off.
“I can do it,” she said, coughing through the smoke. “Where is the escape pod?”
“Station one is on the left, third panel,” Farthing replied, nodding his raised crest towards the door. “Can you make it on your own?”
“I can try,” Alice replied, taking a tentative step even as the ship bucked again. “Is there anyone else up here?”
“Telexo left for engineering when we couldn’t identify the pressure problem,” Farthing replied, looking around through the smoke.
“Tactical is non-functional,” cried the weapons officer through the smoke. “I can take her, Captain.”
“Sir,” cried another voice from the darkness. “Communications is messed up. I think someone is out there but I can’t hear anything but static.”
“Tell her we’re abandoning ship,” Farthing called. “Tell her to get far enough away in case we rupture, and to prepare for rescue operations. Then get out of here,”
Resolute Glory (The War for Terra Book 8) Page 4