We've Seen the Enemy

by Paul Dayton

  “Why am I in the Captain’s chair? What’s wrong with the Captain of St. Helena?”

  The first crewmember stood there uncomfortably and stayed quiet. As the silence extended, the second crewmember finally spoke up and said, “When we were attacked and our ship disabled, the Captain at first tried everything he could to get us going again. But when the tug jumped in and towed us here, he went to his room and, well, he committed suicide. Um, Pierce here… well, Pierce is his son, Sir. My name is James Finnegan.”

  Keenan’s heart ached for the young man, but he didn’t say anything. The silence encouraged Finnegan to continue talking.

  “While we were grouped together, Pierce told us about how his father, Captain Browning, was one of a very few to have survived their experimentation camps, and he figured he must have felt that his experience would be repeated. At least, that’s what we can guess.”

  Keenan mulled the information over as he put together the facts they had given him. The name was familiar, and he concentrated on it but couldn’t remember anything else.

  “And my ship?” he asked, finally getting to his question but he worried about the answer.

  “I was told it completed its mission, Sir.”

  ‘Thank God,’ Keenan thought to himself. Before he could ask for details, the crewman continued: “We don’t have video yet, but one of our techs is downloading it from your suit comp’s records and we should have it any minute. In the meantime, would you like some food or water?”

  “No.” His tongue felt like sandpaper, but he’d take care of it later. “You’re sure mission is completed? The objective was reached?”

  “Yes, Sir,” James said. “We were ordered by Mat to notify Command that mission objective was reached, and that there were four survivors. ‘Details to follow.’ That was the instructions and the three watched me while I sent the message.”

  Keenan couldn’t believe they had pulled this off. “Who is here from my ship?”

  Pierce finally spoke up. “Well, two men called John and Mike, and a woman called Jane.”

  “I see,” Keenan said, realizing that his hunch of what had happened was correct. “And they are where?”

  “Well, Sir, that’s the interesting part. They’re in the Brigg. Actually, to be honest, we don’t have a Brigg but they have locked themselves in their rooms, or rather, their cots. We share a common room.” Pierce was getting embarrassed and nervous from his inability to explain himself.

  Keenan was getting frustrated, but Pierce continued: “Anyway, they are refusing to leave the room on principle, as they say it.”

  “Huh. What did they do?”

  “They said they disobeyed a direct order from their superior officer, and so they jailed themselves and are refusing to come out unless there’s an emergency.”

  “Interesting,” Keenan said, laughing. They were absolutely right, and although Keenan liked to think that he wasn’t the ‘black and white’ person so many others in high rank appeared to be, he always stuck to the rules, and now was no exception. Drugging a superior officer and disobeying a direct order was a serious offense and couldn’t be ignored, even if it saved his life.

  “Would you like to see the video now, Sir?” Pierce asked.

  “Pierce, tell him about the message,” James said.

  Keenan waited until Pierce spoke up. “Well, Captain, we picked up a message in transit addressed to you from a Lt. Ivanov, and recorded it to a data cube. Would you like to read it now?”

  ‘Ivanov.’ Keenan’s brows furrowed as he thought of his now dead friend. “Give me the cube, I’ll take care of it later. Where are we headed?”

  “Command said we have wounded in Grid 183. The SS Normandy and its convoy is doing cleanup operations there and you are to report once you arrive. ETA is 6 hours, Sir.”

  “Good. I’ll check over your jump calculations before you jump, but for now, show me the vid.”

  The video displayed on the screen in 2 dimensions, and Keenan wasn’t able to see much as the suit optics had its limitations. It showed a very distant tug near planet orbit around the alien homeworld, and within moments the tug disappeared as Abadon became visible.

  Keenan guessed the cloak generator had failed, which was no surprise. For some reason, Abadon was ignored by the enemy aircraft at first, but within moments it came under sporadic fire. Three light fighters were destroyed, but others quickly joined in on the attack.

  “Can you max the resolution?”

  “I’m trying, Sir. Give me a second.”

  The video froze and Pierce quickly filtered the zoomed but pixilated video log. Keenan could see Abadon much closer now, but the quality suffered as there was no serious software aboard the St. Helena to clean it up.

  “Best I could do with this equipment.”

  He watched as the video started playing again.

  More attack fighters had joined in, including a destroyer with a rail cannon. Keenan watched as the cannon powered up and he winced as a massive chunk of armor plating blew out of Abadon’s opposite side. Within seconds, it had recharged and another chunk of hull blew into space, together with air and steam. The heavily damaged ship was now in full thrust as it was slowly torn apart by the fighters and destroyers attempting to keep up.

  As the destroyer hit it again, the shields came up and Keenan breathed a sigh of relief, forgetting that the mission had already been accomplished. He watched as the orbital platform attacked, followed by planetary ground defenses.

  Abadon quickly moved out of visual range, but within eight seconds a black hole developed where Abadon impacted. The video displayed a small but growing black spot as the singularity started consuming everything. As matter entered, a glowing ring centered on the spot appeared, steadily brightening until no one could look into it any longer. The video suddenly jerked and ended there.

  “What happened to the alien homeworld in the end?” Keenan asked Pierce.

  “Oh, it’s gone, Sir. Nothing left!” Pierce said with a big smile. “A bright glow shone for about an hour, and then everything slowly went dark. And the funny thing is, all the alien ships are drifting or moving erratically, as if the pilots are asleep or something.”

  Keenan went silent as the realization that the impossible had been accomplished finally sunk in. His hand drifted to the object in his pocket, curious at the unsettling lump pressing against his side. He pulled out the Valor in Death medal and stared at it confused. Looking at his chest, his own medal was displayed, and it took him a moment to realize why he had two.

  ‘Good old Ivanov,’ he thought, ‘The Hero’s hero.’ He got up to meet his crewmen in the Brigg.

  CHAPTER 27

  Orders

  Keenan hated meetings and councils, but this time things were different. He had come late and unexpected, at least for most of those present, and this one wasn’t boring at all.

  Once off the St. Helena, he and his men had been reassigned to clean up operations and transferred to the S.S. Normandy, a Class II Destroyer in a convoy of 22 ships. The convoy had been stationed two jumps away, but once they were done they quickly jumped back to the area where the alien homeworld had been.

  After wiping out the partially functioning orbital platforms and alien craft that were in stray orbit around the remains of the alien homeworld, they quickly advanced from solar system to solar system as Intel gave them new information on the locations of other hives. For the next two months Keenan and the others were busy in a free for all against easy targets, but then came Alpignon-4 and their first major loss. From that point, 6 more worlds brought the tally to two losses, three stalemates and one win. No one could figure out what had changed, except for the fact the ants seemed smarter. Keenan saw it – new maneuvers in their dog fights, new traps set up for the convoy, and hints of something big culled from a number of the alien wrecks. Intel had been quiet; with CIA Officer Salinas watching wordlessly as the computer science team uploaded the most recent data from a captured alien ship.


  Frustration grew, and Keenan saw the reaction from the others towards Salinas. He saw it and sympathized, but said nothing. Intel knew things, but it never spoke. No good news and no bad news, just commands, and that was the way it had been for seven hundred years.

  He didn’t even try to get anything from her. Every single person on every WF ship knew that Intel officers were top notch poker and chess players. They were almost clairvoyant in their ability to second guess others and hide their tells. Winning was next to impossible, and trying to get info from them on classified matters would be even harder.

  He laughed at the memory of their welcoming party after having returned victorious. Salinas was there, but in the furthest corner of the room. As everyone got happily drunk, she sat back and methodically studied him and his crewmembers, watching their every move. He had gotten tired of it and went to confront her, but never got the chance. She had left by the time he was halfway there. He was surprised when Salinas approached him now.

  “Officer Keenan.”

  He looked at her coolly. The way she addressed him was technically correct, as his ship was destroyed and he was no longer a captain until he was reassigned, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time before his new destroyer was finished.

  “I have received a priority one call from CIA. You and your team are to go to Earth now. Information on your next assignment will be given to you there. A jump ship is now waiting. You have one hour.” She walked away without waiting for confirmation, leaving a stewing Keenan glaring at her back.

  He ran after her, and once he caught up, he said, “Officer, a question.”

  Salinas stopped and eyed him.

  “Why Earth?” It’s not that he didn’t want to see Earth. Everyone had seen the amazing pictures the fleet had transmitted of earth-rise and of Hoyt’s recording. But he wondered what it was that Earth had that was so important for him.

  “The Earth Alliance Council has requested it. I suggest you not miss the meeting,” she said matter-of-factly, turning to leave once again.

  Earth Alliance. So it was true, they really were alive, and still active according to Salinas. To demand a visit from an officer meant that they had military authority.

  He wondered if this had anything to do with the New World Leader. According to the World Federation Declaration, everyone was subject to him, including the Space Fleet, as they did technically still belong to Earth. In reality, the situation was muddied and confusing, and no info had come back clarifying the situation. There also were rumors of a previously uncommunicative group of alien creatures, but little else was known.

  This was better than any holomovie had had seen in a very long time, and there was no way he was going to miss it. He grabbed his crew, prepped and took the ship to near Earth Orbit, dropping in their Maxon suits to take advantage of the view.

  ***

  Keenan was impressed with the large and very well supplied base, buried eight hundred meters below the surface of the Arctic Circle. Facing him was a rotund, short woman with an oval face and black hair who called herself Nan’mtek and said she represented the council. At the base were Jaclyn and Scratch, two people he had heard of but had never met until the party a few hours ago; the New World Leader Timothy Paul and his wife Ruth, the Commander and General Hoyt, and the Digital Librarian, Finley, at the odd request of the Council. He, Jane, Mat and John had spent the last hour talking to Nan’mtek about their new mission.

  “So let me get this straight,” Keenan said. “You want me to go to Sirius-3, the new alien hive world, find out what they’re doing with humans there and report back to you.”

  “That’s right, Captain Keenan,” she replied. “Do you think you can handle that?” she added with a smile.

  Captain Keenan laughed, deciding then and there that he liked this woman. She had balls and wasn’t afraid to ask for the impossible, and she did it with a smile, making it appear as if all she wanted was an ice cream cone from the freezer. In reality, the mission would probably lead to their deaths. She had just finished explaining how alien hives sent out mature females once their population reached 15,000 units, much like Earth ants. The difference was that much fewer queens were sent out, and once the planet reached critical population, drones prepped a new planet before the queen arrived. Intel had established that the queens, with the male permanently attached to her abdomen, had changed, and that this change involved humans.

  “Well, Nan’mtek, I’ll see what I can do,” he replied as he got up to leave.

  “I have full confidence in all of you. After all, you’ve already cheated death once before. Speaking of which, what you four did was amazing. All of humanity owes you.”

  Keenan didn’t reply as he thought about Ivanov, his heart aching deeply over the death of his good friend.

  “Good luck and god’s speed.”

  They all watched as Keenan and his group left the room and said their good-byes.

  ***

  General Hoyt, Commander Hollander, Ruth, Timothy, Jack and Scratch sat facing Nan’mtek. She was obviously the council spokesperson, and she had been very busy this morning.

  “I have to admit,” Jason said, “that I’m a little jealous.”

  “Honey, did you forget about Beta-9?”

  Jason laughed. “No. And you’re right. Just that there’s not too many people like him, you know? Keenan had readily gone to destroy the alien homeworld knowing he wouldn’t survive. And he just agreed to do a similar mission. What we did was impressive, but we didn’t do it knowing we would die.”

  “We face death every day, Scratch, but you’re right. They are true heroes,” Jack said. The rest agreed as they looked back on what Keenan and his crew did.

  Nan’mtek smiled as at his comment. “Jason and Jaclyn, would you like some tea or coffee? I’m sure a host can prepare you something while you wait.” Nan’mtek said. “I have someone else to meet before we’re done.”

  “I know when I’m not wanted,” Jason said laughing, but Jack wasn’t very happy with the comment, which she viewed as mistrust.

  Nan’mtek immediately picked up on her feeling. “Jaclyn, what I will be telling Timothy and Ruth, the Commander and the General is vital for human survival, and most people shouldn’t know of this. I’m sure you understand why,” she added.

  “You know I can read your mind if I like,” Jack replied.

  “Yes, but you won’t. With what I’ll be asking the both of you to do, it really is better if you don’t know about the other stuff.”

  Jack was curious and Scratch was worried, but they left to allow her to speak to the rest.

  “General, Commander, we’ve prepared a very special gift for all World Federation ships. Please see Nun, who will give you the technical details. I would appreciate it if you could start implementing the process immediately.”

  The two were curious, but they already knew nothing more would be forthcoming from her, so they got up and left.

  “And as for you two,” Nan’mtek said, “I’m afraid we’ll have to leave Sam in charge for a little bit.” Sam had been designated Vice President and had been doing an excellent job while Timothy oversaw the reconstruction of Earth Bases and the coordination of their efforts.

  “You both know what the Commander and General said. We have to be united in our last stand with the ants, and we need help.”

  “But from who? Species 002?” Ruth asked, unsure of where Nan’mtek was going with this.

  “Ruth, when you first entered Base Freedom USA, you were told that humanity had contacted a number of alien species, but only a few had been interested in helping us. Don’t take that information the wrong way. Aliens are so different from us that even the nuance of the word ‘help’ can be completely misunderstood, so it’s no surprise that communication is difficult at best. However, there are five sentient species in the neighborhood that show promise, and they may likely be absolutely vital for our survival. We would like you both to become temporary ambassadors so to speak and try
to establish friendly dialogue with them for our mutual benefit.”

  “Nan’mtek,” Timothy interrupted, “You’re looking at the wrong man for the job. I’m busy here with my responsibilities, which have been thrust on me by your group, I might add. The bases are far from ready and I have no experience in dealing with aliens. I haven’t even seen a live one yet, let alone try to make a deal with it. My wife is pregnant, of all things. And you want us to be ambassadors?”

  “Nan’mtek, I have to agree,” Ruth said. “This just isn’t right.”

  Nan’mtek smiled. “I understand your reluctance. Honestly. But tell me this, what makes a person a great mathematician? Or an amazing engineer? Timothy, you’re good with your hands. We’ve watched you disarm, disassemble and modify complex killing machines – the ‘tests of faith’ as your tribe called them. Could Sam do it? Or Pliny?

  “What makes a person World Leader material? Instruction and education? The women from Base Canada – you know the ones. You put them through the instruction units, tried to give them insight into what it meant to be humans, put them with your tribe, and yet, where are they now?

  “Not everyone can be a mathematician, a surgeon, or an engineer; at least, not a good one. Think of Keenan, Ivanov, Jaclyn, Jason and the others you know, people that do what they do because that was what they were born to do. You both have a gift, and together this will work. Without the two of you, I have no doubt in my mind that all will be lost. So if I’ve asked you to do something, it’s because there’s no one better or no one else for the job. I’m sorry to say, but this isn’t a request. The world is at stake. This is a requirement, just as it was when I asked Keenan to die ten minutes ago.”

  Nan’mtek stood up and turned to leave. As she did so, she said, “HAL will fill you in on the details. Oh, by the way, your first planet is Lucious Prime. Goodbye.”

  Ruth turned to Timothy and looked at him silently, unsure of what to say. Timothy was quiet as he thought about Keenan, Jack and Scratch. He fought against the sense of despair coming over him by turning the mood around and asking Ruth, “Are you hungry? I’m starving!”