Terry and Char both frowned. “I know what you mean. We’d like to check in on the grandkids. That makes us sound old, but I don’t care. I want to know that they’re doing okay.”
Aaron and Yanmei started to walk past, then stopped. “We’re not going to be dumped into the middle of a civil war again, are we?”
“Not this time, and if I have my way, not ever again. That was some serious bullshit. This one is about breaking a blockade, so I may have to put on my diplomat hat and talk with them,” Terry replied.
Aaron smirked, then started to chuckle. “Good luck with that! Sounds like we’ll be throwing down before you can say Bob’s your uncle.” Aaron was shaking his head as he walked away, holding hands with Yanmei.
“I’m not that bad, am I?” Terry asked Char, his brow furled.
“You’re the one who said he was going to burn the fucking president’s palace down. I think you’re also the one who shakes people by their necks when they’re being stupid.”
“But they’re being stupid and aren’t listening to reason,” Terry countered, trying to look innocent.
“And that’s why we all love you, Terry. We know where you’re coming from. I think that I would be afraid if you were able to tolerate mealy-mouthed diplomatic double-speak and duplicity,” Char offered with a loving smile. “But these are aliens. We have no idea what motivates them in order to negotiate. We will see soon enough, but you know what you say.”
Terry had a tendency to philosophize a great deal, so he couldn’t be sure to what his wife was referring. He shook his head and held up one hand.
“Walk softly and carry a big gun,” she clarified.
Through the open hangar bay door, Keeg Station floated in all its glory, not even a speck of light from the nearest shipping lane. Terry turned to look at it.
“Home,” he muttered.
“We’ve lived in worse places,” Char offered as she reached around Terry’s narrow waist and pulled him close to her. They stood silently watching the nearby station.
A heavy metallic tread forced them to turn. Four powered, armored suits stopped and faced them. The back popped on one and Kaeden climbed out.
“Taking the new suits for a test drive,” he said casually. He stabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “You guys want to run them through their paces?”
“We have such good kids, don’t you think?” Terry said, before offering a hand to power-shake with his son. They grinned and grunted as they tried to out-shake the other before both surrendered.
“That’s enough, boys. Yes, Kae, we’d be more than happy to give the suits a test drive, but who are the suits going to be assigned to?”
“I think these will be multi-use, based on mission parameters. Looking at what we have so far, I think we may need them for stealth insertion of the tactical team.”
Terry had been thinking the same thing, but didn’t want to commit to one course of action over another before they arrived in the Alchon System and saw the battlefield firsthand.
“We may, so, yes. We’d love to take these for a test drive.” Terry grinned before leaning conspiratorially close to Kaeden. “Do you know what the hell happened to the pack? They look like shit.”
“I do,” Kae replied before walking back to the mech fireteam and chasing one of the warriors out of a second suit. “They are all yours, Dad. I need to get back in there and check on the other suits and start working up a training plan for a twelve-person mech platoon, three squads of four. No rest for the weary.”
Terry looked at Char. “He didn’t answer my question.”
“He most certainly did. You need to ask better questions, but if you had, then he probably would not have answered it. Some things are better left unknown, lover,” Char replied. She picked one of the suits and started to climb in. The shipsuits they wore made for easy integration with the armor and she was inside and buttoned up before Terry could reply.
He shrugged, knowing that she was right. He took the suit Kaeden had brought and climbed in, breathing deeply of the new car smell. He settled in, buttoned up, and ran through the suit’s diagnostics.
“It’s show time,” he said in a low voice to the other three mechs.
***
“I have to go,” Ted said, waving one hand dismissively as the person on the other end of the line was speaking nonsense. “And I have no idea when we’ll be coming back.”
“I love you, Ted,” Felicity said, looking at Ted from the screen.
“Me, too,” was the most he would say. Her eyes glistened with the start of tears. Ted bit his lip and started to shake. He couldn’t handle it when Felicity cried. “I have to go. I’ll be in touch as soon as I know anything.”
Ted signed off, but kept looking at the blank screen. “I love you, Felicity. Thank you for believing in me,” he whispered, before his face hardened and he stood to leave. He stopped and looked around the space that he’d claimed for his lab. Blank gray walls stared back at him. A computer system with an immersive holographic station occupied the center of the space, with a small terminal beside it for mundane use, like speaking with his wife.
To Ted, the space wasn’t austere. It had everything he needed.
Terry Henry, he said, using his comm chip. Call Felicity and reassure her that you will make sure that I get home safely.
***
Captain San Marino sat in his chair watching the bridge crew run through a series of diagnostics and simulations. Clifton, the helmsman, was practicing flying with the new engines. The responsiveness was both exciting and terrifying. Before, he had time to react, but now, the new flight profile made things happen at a much quicker pace. But he was a pilot and flying was something he reveled in, despite the size of the War Axe.
Micky winced when the helmsman crashed the virtual ship into a virtual asteroid. Clifton reset the simulation and looked shocked that the captain had seen him. Micky pointed to his own eyes and then at the helmsman. I’m watching you.
Clifton returned to his simulation and on the second pass, he gave the asteroid a wide berth as he smoothly navigated through a virtual asteroid field.
“Gravitic shields?” Micky asked, looking to K’Thrall.
“Shields are available at one hundred percent functionality,” the Yollin reported. “Weapons systems are at one hundred percent, pending final verification of alignment.”
“Very well,” Micky replied. Two others tested bulkheads and airlocks. They both gave a thumbs up before Micky asked. He could see the green lights dancing across his status panel.
“Smedley, get Ted on the line, please.”
“I don’t understand why you use that phraseology, Captain. There is no line,” Smedley replied. The captain waited.
“Yes, Smedley?” Ted’s voice sounded through the speakers.
“Captain San Marino here, Ted. What’s your status?”
“I’m currently interrupted,” Ted stated matter-of-factly.
Micky groaned. “I should have known better. My apologies, Ted. Can we take the ship out and test fire the mains?”
“Yes, yes, all of that. Let me know before you want to gate. Plato and I are making some adjustments.”
Micky looked at his panel. “I didn’t know you were doing anything with the gate engines,” Micky said coldly.
“They needed to be fixed in case we have to leave a place quickly. When I’m done, we’ll be able to do that, no matter how far we are inside the gravity well or what’s going on around us. By my calculations, we’ll cut down the time to establish a gate by seventy-four percent.”
“Holy shit,” Micky blurted. He wasn’t a fan of people messing with his ship, but then again, this was Ted, and he was making the War Axe into a preeminent combat vessel. That could run away quickly if it had to. Micky didn’t want to get captured and force Smedley to suicide, taking the ship with him.
“I’ll let you know when we’re ready, Ted.” Micky signed off. “Smedley, give me ship-wide broadcast please.”
�
��Of course, Skipper,” Smedley replied.
“Smedley, you are spending far too much time with TH.”
“Time is an investment. I look at it as time well spent. I’ve been helping them with their combat preparations using their mech suits in a zero-gravity environment,” Smedley explained.
“This makes me wonder if I know anything that is going on around here.”
“Terry Henry Walton uttered those exact same words,” Smedley replied.
“I suppose you know everything that’s going on,” the captain said.
“Within my capacity, yes. I have to admit that some of the things that Ted and Plato are doing elude my understanding.”
“What Ted does eludes everyone’s understanding.” Micky leaned back and pointed one by one to each member of the bridge crew. They replied with nods and thumbs up gestures. “Prepare to get underway, thrusters only, destination, asteroid firing range four alpha.”
“Preparing to get underway, aye!’ Clifton shouted.
“All green for standard movement,” Smedley replied. “Ship-wide broadcast is open.”
“Good morning, crew and passengers of the War Axe. We are preparing to get underway, with our first stop being the asteroid field to align our main weapon systems. After that, we’ll be gating directly into the Alchon heliosphere, where we have a blockade that demands our attention. The people of Alchon Prime are counting on us to open up the shipping lane to restore food and other shipments. We need to stay on our toes, because we have no idea how the alien fleet will react to our presence, but we have some new tricks up our sleeves. Make final preparations to get underway. Department heads, report.”
One by one, the commanders delivered their status. Within twenty seconds, the board was a final green.
“Take us out, helm.”
CHAPTER SIX
Terry, Char, and Dokken walked through the corridors of the War Axe on their way to the mess deck. “I don’t know what it is about being on a ship that makes me so hungry,” Terry lamented.
“You’re always hungry,” Char retorted, but she didn’t hold him back. She was a willing conspirator in reducing the food stock on board the War Axe.
Me, too, Dokken panted as he ran along. He stopped, sniffed, and started to bark. He took off down a transverse corridor, baying like a coonhound as his paws ripped at the deck.
“We’re going to eat without you!” Terry yelled after the dog. Dokken was incensed and had Terry tuned out. “Maybe I should go after him.”
Char stopped. “What for?”
“Our arch nemesis!” Terry declared.
“You don’t have an arch enemy. Either of you. I can’t believe how a big orange cat is causing the two of you fits. It’s a cat, not enhanced, not sentient, as far as we know,” Char said slowly, speaking clearly. “Just. A. Cat.”
“He’s our arch nemesis.”
“By all that’s holy!” Char punched Terry in the stomach with a blow that would have felled a lesser man.
“Hard as a rock!” Terry declared, smiling.
“Are we going to eat or stand here and wonder why a stupid orange cat is outwitting your sentient dog?”
I’m not your dog, Dokken replied into their minds. He got away. Again. He has to be getting help from somewhere. I suspect that engine technician is doing more than she lets on. And those weretigers, too. They’re shady.
The weretigers are not shady, Terry replied, shaking his head. Let’s get some lunch. We can talk over our strategy for capturing our arch nemesis.
“You don’t have an arch nemesis. Neither of you!” Char stated, crossing her arms and glaring at her husband. Dokken trotted up, saw the look on her face, and kept running past.
“You little traitor,” Terry called after the German Shepherd.
The ship vibrated with one rumble, then a second. After a few moments, the pattern repeated. Two minutes later, the vibrations stopped.
“I like it when they fire the mains.” Terry smiled and closed his eyes. “Feel the power.”
“They pack a punch,” Char agreed. “I wonder when we are going to gate into the system.”
“All hands, report to battle stations. Gating to Alchon in ten minutes,” Micky told the ship.
Terry looked shocked and started running toward the stairs to the bridge. Char was close on his heels.
They took the steps three at a time as they continued upward, diving out of the stairwell on the bridge level. They dodged around two corners and raced onto the bridge. The captain and crew were engaged in verifying that the ship was ready to create the gate and jump into the Alchon System.
“I need more time,” Terry said without preamble.
Micky hesitated before looking up. “I thought you wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Ted got us ready early.”
“You said we had another day,” Terry countered.
Micky didn’t dignify that with a response. “How long before you can be ready?”
Terry hung his head, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Give me an hour to rally the troops and prepare for combat. We could vault right into the middle of the shit, right?”
“Yes,” Micky replied, before tapping the panel on the arm of his chair. “All hands, we will gate one hour from now. Mark.”
Terry nodded. “Thanks, Micky.”
Marcie, all hands on the hangar deck in ten minutes. Kae, get all twelve suits ready and climb in. Timmons, get the pack there. Full weapons load and tactical kit, people. Shit’s about to get real, and it won’t be anything like what we found on Poddern.
Terry pointed to Micky. “See you on the flip side, my man. We’ll be in the drop ships and ready to do whatever. We’ll monitor from there.”
“My intent is to cruise the line and assess their capability while trying to look non-threatening. If they force our hand, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Micky offered.
“You are the man, Skipper.” With that, Terry and Char walked off the bridge. Dokken had been waiting in the corridor since the door closed before he could get inside.
“Come on, buddy. We’re going to war,” Terry told the dog.
What’s new? he replied.
***
Kimber had the platoon in formation, what was left of them after Kaeden had pulled people for his mech unit. That left barely more than two squads.
Bundin ambled about behind the platoon. The Crenellian, Ankh’Po’Rout, stayed near him. No one knew why. The two had been enemies until they were folded into the Bad Company.
Terry and Char walked through the hatch exactly ten minutes after they had given the order. Terry was happy to be the last ones there. He hated seeing any of the warriors arrive late. Even the pack was in line beside the platoon. Twelve mechs stood tall behind the formation.
Christina was beside Timmons, whispering something his way. He chuckled briefly, before recovering and trying to look somber.
Ted appeared behind Terry and Char. He brushed past and headed straight for the Crenellian. He and Ankh talked briefly and then they both hurried away.
Terry turned to Char.
“Before you ask, no. I have no idea what that was about,” Char stated preemptively.
“Time to do my thing?”
Char nodded and smiled, shoving her husband forward with a gentle push to the small of his back.
Marcie called for quiet and all eyes locked onto Colonel Terry Henry Walton.
“It’s that time, people. Time to go back to doing what we do best—bringing justice to the universe.” Terry looked at the grim faces. No one cheered. They didn’t need cheerleading, only the details of the mission, including the mission objective. They’d already been briefed repeatedly, but this was Terry’s opportunity to leave them with final thoughts before they jumped into the crucible.
“We need to break a blockade and all we have is the War Axe. If we need you to do damage control, you do damage control. If you have to block an atmospheric leak with your body, you do that. We w
ill do anything and everything to stay in the fight, because we can’t win the fight if we’re not in it. We may have to do some stealthy infiltration. I have an idea what that looks like, but I’m just like you. I’ve never done it before, but if we have to, we’re going to make it look like we’re old pros.
“No matter what, we have to clear the blockade, because the people of Alchon Prime are counting on us. If we are unsuccessful, then they start dying. I can’t have that. We can’t have that. Check your weapons and load up. If anything happens to the Axe, we’re taking the drop ships right down their throats and we’ll enter their ships any way we can. Then we wreak havoc, and they’ll rue the day they crossed the Bad Company.”
Terry pointed to Marcie and twirled his finger. He then pointed at Timmons and signaled for him to join Terry.
Christina came along too, as well as Bundin. Terry looked at the Podder.
“I can help,” Bundin said aloud.
“Sonofabitch!” Terry exclaimed. “That was weird. I thought I heard you with my ears.”
“You did. I have an external speaker attached to the bottom of my shell,” Bundin replied.
“Sonofabitch!” Terry grinned at the blue, stalk-headed Podder. “How can you help us?”
“I can operate in space without a suit. I can help you penetrate an enemy ship without them knowing that I am there.”
“How do you know this?” Terry was skeptical. The Podders were barely industrialized and their only space travel had been from their relations with the Crenellians, which didn’t contain two-way communication.
“A number of us were taken to space and shown the orbital weapons systems. There was an accident and a couple of my people were jettisoned into space. They survived easily and made their way back into the ship. We estimated that they were able to remain in space for up to thirty minutes without ill effects,” Bundin explained.
“Holy shit!” Terry slapped the Podder’s shell. “I like the hell out of that, Bundin. We may need you to repair this ship too, if we take any more hits like we did over Poddern.”
Timmons and Christina arrived and waited patiently while Terry talked with Bundin. When he saw them, he excused himself, still scratching his head over the revelation that the Podders could survive in space without an environmental suit.
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