HADRON Emergent

by Stephen Arseneault

  Fifteen minutes later the shuttle landed on the stone floor at the Gellos cave. A team of Targarians was waiting with a gatrellium reload.

  Jeff walked up the ramp and into the cabin. “We’ve been watching. Remarkable results. Anyway, I’ve been monitoring the temperature of that circuit. Several times you ran it into the red. You have to be careful. If we burn it out, it may never work again. We have the winning combination at the moment and I’d rather we not lose it.”

  Jasper came over the comm. “I’ve got the Organ Cave at Earth. They have new ships coming in.”

  Mace replied, “We’ll deal with them soon enough. Have your scouts pull back to a safe distance. No sense in risking our ships when they aren’t in a fight.”

  The gatrellium fuel was topped off and the shuttle again deployed. After a jump into Dedrus space, the prior fleet was again engaged. The Royal Fortune, sitting at a safe distance, guided the fireball of death from one warship to another. Three additional jumps were made before the Dedrus crewmen began abandoning their ships. Shuttles were filled and immediately headed to the surface of a nearby colony.

  Johnny said, “Roast them or they’ll be back fighting us as soon as they’re given a new ship.”

  Mace shook his head. “I’m not one to fire on a retreating soldier who has abandoned his weapons. Leaving those ships just makes our job easier. I’m happy to return the courtesy by allowing them to live.”

  Another three hundred fifty-six Dedrus warships were incinerated from within before the Royal Fortune again returned to refuel. Half an hour later the barbecue was resumed. The final twenty ships of the formerly Earth-based fleet fought to the bitter end. Another refueling stop was made before a jump to Hoorka space around Promexa was made. After a short setup, the fireball of destruction continued to move freely about.

  The day of death saw twenty-four hundred Dedrus ships ravaged. After sixteen hours, Johnny took over the joystick control. Mace collapsed on a row of seats in the back and was quickly asleep. Jenny joined him until time for a new refueling arrived.

  Once back at Gellos, Jordan Crawford, Liam Hobbs, Humphrey Mallot, and Hans Mueller joined the crew, bringing aboard new supplies, including two reloads of gatrellium and the device used to fill the store. A rotation of three hour shifts was put in place and the new weapon redeployed. After pursuing a fleeing Dedrus fleet to four locations, the remaining ships were again abandoned. On the second day of fighting, the last ship of the Promexa fleet met its end.

  A general comm came up from the Dedrus colony at which they were last based.

  “I am King Solololomi of the Dedrus Empire. Whoever you are, you have proven to be a more than worthy adversary. I am here to ask for terms of peace.”

  Johnny said, “Tell him what he can do with his terms.”

  Mace replied, “No, what we need to do is to tell him to remove all ground troops and all ships from Galactic Union, Karthian, United Front, and Dominion space. Once those are back in Dedrus territory, we’ll open discussions.”

  Jenny nodded. “Good move. Make them clear out first.”

  Mace connected to the comm. “All troops and ships must first be removed from all territories the Dedrus Empire was not in possession of before the invasion of Promexa. Only then will we be willing to talk.”

  The king replied, “I would ask for a ceasefire until our transport fleet can be readied and sent out. All warships will be immediately removed.”

  Mace looked at the others and received nods. “Those terms are acceptable. All warships will return to Dedrus space and your transports will be allowed to remove ground troops. If at any time it is determined that these actions are not proceeding at the fastest possible pace, the destruction of your forces will continue. I would suggest you give the order for this to begin immediately. Our patience is very thin and our desire to see this conflict end is strong.”

  The king bowed to an imageless display. “Very well.”

  The comm closed.

  Jenny sighed. “Wow. Could this possibly be it?”

  Johnny shook his head. “We still have Stark to deal with.”

  Mace replied, “That one will be tricky. We have to also convince the people to dump him. And with this victory, I’m sure his popularity will rise.”

  Johnny laughed. “We should go back to Earth and broadcast a message to the masses giving the old man credit for this. We’d need an additional message that portrays Stark in a bad light. The people need to be convinced that dumping him is the right thing to do.”

  Mace slowly nodded. “Once this withdrawal is underway, we’ll return to Gellos and talk about our options.”

  One of Jasper’s crews came on the comm. “We have transports arriving at the UF colonies. Hundreds of them.”

  Mace turned to Jenny. “Take us back to Gellos. I think we’re done here.”

  Jenny took a deep breath. “I have to wonder if we’re letting them off the hook too soon. They still have a substantial fleet out there. If they ever determine who we are, they could attack and destroy Earth before we could stop them.”

  “I don’t see that happening. They would have to know we would attack their colonies in retaliation. They’re about expansion, not mutual destruction. Besides… we can always handle that at whatever negotiations we have. Maybe we demand all their warships are to be turned over to us or something. We at least have enough time where we can discuss the details of all this.”

  Jenny smiled. “Fair enough.”

  The shuttle turned and slipped through a wormhole, settling down on the stone floor of the docking bay. Jeff, Gnaga, and their team, along with Jasper Collins, Tres, Vanessa, and Jane were waiting as the ramp lowered. Cheers rang out as the heroes of the Royal Fortune emerged. The others were joined by hordes of celebrating Targarians.

  Mace stopped next to Jasper. “I didn’t know your people had it in them.”

  Jasper looked back. “They can be subdued when need be. Right now, they’re getting their first glimpse at a possible future… a future where they aren’t on the run. What you’ve accomplished with that single weapon… it’s simply amazing. That’s a galaxy ruling weapon right there.”

  Mace replied, “I’d be happy with just peacefully ruling our space. And I don’t say that as me doing the ruling. I just want to live in peace. You still have any interest in being the elected king of the Humans?”

  Jasper shrugged. “If they’d have me. If not, I’ll be more than happy to just keep ruling my Targarians.”

  Jeff and Gnaga moved up the ramp to inspect the device. “Mr. Hardy. Did you notice a smell?”

  Mace replied, “Yep. I tried to keep the temperature of that circuit in the yellow, but it was hard to just sit to let it cool while those ships were running around.”

  Jeff shook his head. “The logs show another four instances of the maximum temp being exceeded. At one stretch near the end you kept it red for over three minutes. I smell circuits.”

  “Well, it obviously held together. It’s cooled down now.”

  Gnaga said, “Were you having difficulty targeting the ships near the end of the last fight.”

  Mace thought. “Maybe for a few minutes. I chalked that up to my own fatigue. Was getting ready to change shifts.”

  Jeff frowned. “It’s possible the circuit was damaged. If so, further use would only make it worse. I would like to evaluate it while we have some downtime.”

  Mace nodded. “You can evaluate all you want so long as you don’t open it up. I don’t want to risk losing it while it’s working. The Dedrus could change their minds at any time.”

  Jeff sighed. “We’re risking its loss either way. If you prefer, I will wait until a better time.”

  Mace smiled. “I prefer.”

  The two men walked down the ramp to join in the celebration. The dining hall was soon overrun with Gellos citizens demanding beer from Tres. It was a beverage the Targarians, much to Johnny’s concern, had taken a liking to.

  Mace joined Johnny at the door
to the hall. “Can’t even get in there. All the munchkins are stealing my brews. Not gonna be any left by the time I get in.”

  Mace looked around. “You know what I see? I see thousands of new beer buddies for Johnny Tretcher. I bet you have a story to tell every one of them. You could be like their celebrity Human storyteller.”

  Johnny half winced and half grinned at the thought. “I could get into that if I could get a beer in my hand. Right now I don’t think that’s happening.”

  A comm came in to Johnny from Tres. “Meet me down the hall at the kitchen door. I have a surprise waiting for you.”

  Johnny shoved Mace to the side. “Excuse me. Have to go.”

  Jenny placed her hand on Mace’s shoulder. “Shows where you rank on the friendship versus beer scale. I’d say you’re a distant second.”

  Mace chuckled. “The man does like his beer. What do you say you and I go for a walk?”

  Jenny smiled. “It is a bit crowded here.”

  The Targarian horde thinned as they moved further from the dining hall. A short walk had Mace and Jenny across the stone tarmac. Up the elevator, they stopped at the opening to the cave and followed the walkway, which led to an outcropping where a person or persons could sit and enjoy the view of the valley coming up to the precipice that dropped away from the cave.

  Mace helped Jenny to a seat on a rock. Two meters in front of them was a four hundred meter drop to the valley floor.

  Mace put his arm around her shoulder. “We might finally be getting near our permanent picnic time, and I’d like to know that you’re gonna be there with me when that time comes.”

  Jenny gave a short laugh, followed by a serious look. “Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”

  Mace nodded. “If you mean asking you to marry me, if there is still such a thing, then yes.”

  Jenny pulled him close for a kiss. “Well, that was certainly an unconventional way of asking. Is there a ring involved?”

  Mace sighed. “No. Should there be?”

  Jenny frowned. “Just how long have you been thinking about this? Ten minutes? For someone who likes to have plans on the table, doesn’t look like you spent a lot of time on this.”

  Mace replied, “I’m sorry. We’ve just been going almost nonstop for so long. I never thought the time was right to even consider it. After today, it suddenly looks like the time is finally here. I can work on a ring and a more formal offering if you’d like.”

  Jenny laughed. “Well, that’s just too romantic. If I like… I’ll have to think on that.”

  Mace’s expression turned to one of concern. “Wait… did I offend you in some way? If so, I’m extremely sorry. I didn’t come up here having a proposal in mind. It’s just that when I look at you now, I no longer see my coworker and buddy. I see the woman I love and the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. And as far as botching this proposal, I can only ask your forgiveness. Maybe with all that is still going on… this wasn’t the best of times to ask.”

  Jenny sighed as she looked at Mace’s authentically sad expression. “Why is it you’re so hard to be mad at? Don’t you know a girl needs her guy to have a few problems that she can complain to her friends about? You’re making the prospect of this difficult.”

  Mace offered half a smile. “Does that mean my offer is still in consideration?”

  Jenny leaned in close. “It was never out of consideration. It’s I who should apologize. You caught me a little off-guard and I reacted with uncertainty. We’ve just been so casual up until now, you might as well have just tossed me over that cliff.”

  Mace smiled. “I’d do that if it would help.”

  Jenny took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “The answer is yes.”

  Mace pointed. “Over the cliff?”

  Jenny giggled as she pulled him in for a kiss. “If that’s what you want to call it… sure. I’m in.”

  Chapter 12

  *

  The newly engaged couple returned to the celebration.

  Jane was standing with a grin on her face as they approached. “Holding hands? That’s a good sign. Could this relationship be leading somewhere?”

  Mace replied, “Yeah… over a cliff.”

  Jenny laughed.

  Jane asked as they continued walking past her: “What does that mean? Hey, if you see Johnny, tell him I’m looking for him and to turn his comm back on.”

  Jenny turned back and smiled. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  Jasper Collins placed his hand on Mace’s shoulder. “I’m sending all my ships to Earth. Gonna begin a search for Stark. I left a shuttle at the UF colony. The Dedrus are still pulling out. Should be gone in a few hours.”

  Mace nodded. “Good call. Give us a bit to relax and we’ll join you.”

  The eleven warships of Jasper’s fleet converged on Earth. Deep scans were performed in search of Malcom Stark. Mace and Jenny joined Johnny in the kitchen where Tres had kept a case of beer in a back cooler.

  Johnny held up a bottle. “Did I ever tell you I liked this guy?”

  Mace laughed. “How many have you had already?”

  Johnny replied, “Are you suggesting I can’t hold my brewskies?”

  Mace shook his head. “No. Just that you look like a Johnny I haven’t seen in quite a while. You have ‘Wednesday night Johnny’ written all over your face.”

  Johnny grinned. “Wednesday was my unlimited day. And if you go by Earth’s calendar, at the cave it’s Wednesday evening there right now. And don’t worry, I worked it all out. It’s legit.”

  Tres said, “He’s been talking nonstop since I let him in here. I’ve got other things to do. If you need it, there’s one more case in reserve back in the cooler.”

  Mace nodded as Tres left.

  Johnny pointed Mace and Jenny at a pair of chairs at the small table he occupied. “You two, join me for a beer. Take a load off. Sit a spell. Rest your fannies.”

  Jenny chuckled. “Wow. You really have your own little celebration going on here. You couldn’t talk Liam or Hans into joining you?”

  Johnny leaned forward. “Shhh. I have a limited supply of beer. Those guys drink like fish. If they knew I was back here, Johnny would be out of beer, and Johnny doesn’t want to be out of beer.”

  Jenny glanced down at the case. “Seven beers left. Tell me Tres had half of those.”

  Johnny shook his head. “Little man could only handle two. I told him he was a disgrace to his beer family. I don’t think he took that well. Anyway… where’ve you been?”

  Jenny replied, “We jumped off a cliff together.”

  Johnny nodded. “Sounds like fun. Have a beer.”

  Mace opened a comm to Jane. “We found your hubby. He’s been celebrating that it’s Wednesday night.”

  Jane rolled her eyes. “Any way you can bring him back to our room? I’d rather not have him interacting with the kids in that condition. He’d start tossing them in the air or something and they’d enjoy it too much.”

  Mace nodded. “We’re on our way.”

  Mace put a hand under Johnny’s arm. “Time to go home, big boy. The wife has pulled your kitchen pass.”

  Johnny stood, shakily. “But it’s Wednesday. I told you it was Wednesday, right?”

  Mace grunted as he threw Johnny’s arm over his shoulder. “Wednesday is over. Bar is closing. Time for you to rest up for tomorrow.”

  Johnny grabbed Jenny, pulling her in close. “Did I ever tell you two how much I like you?”

  The assisted stumble back to the living quarters area took five minutes. Johnny was helped to his bed, where he was deposited with his battlesuit still on. Jenny set his helmet on a nearby chest. The celebration of the Dedrus capitulation lasted for several more hours before things began to settle down.

  A comm came in from Jasper. “Mr. Hardy, the last of the transports have left UF space. I have reports of the first of them arriving at Promexa. Looks like Earth will be last. We should have demanded that we be cleared f
irst.”

  “I didn’t want them to know who attacked. If they had decided on retribution, Earth would have paid the price. Besides, if the UF withdrawal is any indication of what to expect, they’ll be cleared away from Promexa in four or five hours. Any sign of Stark yet?”

  Jasper shook his head. “Not a hint. We identified two shuttles that are sitting in hangars, but I don’t think either one is airworthy. They might have been in the process of converting them when the Dedrus showed up. Anyway, we’ll have deep scans done in about twenty minutes. Once we dig into that data something should show.”

  Mace nodded. “Keep us informed.”

  Jenny took her man by the arm. “So… looks like everything is squared away. What do we do with ourselves now?”

  Mace smiled. “I have—”

  Jasper reopened the comm. “UF ships are everywhere! We’re taking a beating here!”

  Mace pulled Jenny toward the shuttle. “Come on!”

  Jasper was yelling commands to his captains. “Four ships down! They’re murdering us!”

  Mace replied, “We’re on our way! Just hold out as long as you can!”

  Jasper said, “We’re heading down into the atmosphere! We can’t shake them out here!”

  The Royal Fortune lifted and sped out through the cave opening. Five minutes later, a jump was complete to Earth space. Coordinates for the closest UF ship were entered and a wormhole generated. A small fireball raced toward the ship, catching it as it turned. Bright flames emerged through exterior spaces as the interior of the ship melted from the superheated plasma of the sun.

  Jasper yelled, “Only three of us left!”

  Mace targeted the next ship. Seconds later it was nothing more than a smoldering hull. Five more were targeted and destroyed, leaving another five chasing Jasper Collins and his remaining two other ships.

  Mace selected a target. The wormhole, with its fireball interrupting the blackness of space, raced in… and fizzled out as it reached the atmosphere.

  Jenny asked, “What’s wrong?”

  Mace replied, “I think we’re too close to the Earth. The wormhole is shutting down. Mr. Collins! Bring your ships back to high orbit! I can’t make the wormhole function in that gravity field!”