by Dean Sault
Heptari ships scattered to evade the head-on charges by the old Tanarac spaceships. Then, they circled back to surround the Kyomes to attack from all directions.
The other ten Kyomes continued, undaunted, on a course straight toward the planet.
“Sir, the Heps are cutting those ships to pieces.”
The general’s adjunct stood at his side, astonished by how much enemy fire those old Kyomes were absorbing. Metal fragments. Surface explosions. On board fires. It was obvious they wouldn’t last long.
“General, Admiral Raccos here. Lead Kyomes are in the green zone. Repeat, friendlies are in the green zone. I’m taking my fleet up to help those two on tail guard.”
“Negative, admiral! Do not engage the Heptari fleet. Escort the lead Kyomes back to our shields. Do you understand?”
“Uh, okay, sir. Are you sure we can’t help those guys out? I hate leaving our people hanging out there like that.”
General Tragge pressed a button on his console.
“General Frox, are you monitoring?”
“Hey, Byn. You called it again, you ole swamp wog. Them lizards are playing right into your hands. You ready for the fireworks?”
“Admiral Raccos, I have retired General Frox on conference link. We’ve set a trap for the intercepting Heptaris. As soon your ships reach safe distance, it will trigger. If any Hep ships survive, let them go. We can’t risk more losses.”
General Frox seemed delighted in his role.
“I got safe margins now, Byn. Here goes!”
The two embattled Kyomes suddenly stopped firing their weapons. For a moment, they sat motionless in space while Heptari weapons pounded them.
Suddenly, dozens of white fingers of light extended from all sides of the two Tanarac ships. The enemy fleet began frantic maneuvers as the fingers accelerated, gradually overtaking many of the fleeing enemy ships.
Each time one of the thin white lines on the tactical display touched a fleeing enemy ship, a dot vanished from the screen. Most of the enemy ships were soon destroyed, or disabled. The few that survived headed back toward their main fleet.
“Admiral, I didn’t have time to warn you.” General Tragge briefed his fleet commander. “Those last two were drone ships, full of space mines. General Frox is in the tenth Kyome, and he’s flying those decoy ships by remote control.”
General Frox chimed in on the open channel.
“Yep, and I wanna tell ya, it was no easy thing rigging those starships for remote control. Biggest damn spaceship models I ever flew! Hey Byn, I used up all our mines converting those crew escape pods into missiles. Hope you got some more tricks up your sleeve.”
“Thank you, Ja. We’re sending coordinates for orbit with the maintenance stations. Take your ships in for shield upgrades.” General Tragge instructed Ludic to transmit the coordinates.
“Admiral, after we get the Kyome shields upgraded, you’ll have ten more heavies in your fleet. They’re old, but they pack a lot of firepower.”
“Sir, the main Heptari fleet turned around when our shields went back up. They’re heading back out to the Royal ships.”
The admiral thanked the general for the extra ships and signed off.
General Tragge waited for confirmation that Admiral Raccos was off line before continuing his conversation with General Frox.
“Ja, those Kyomes need experienced captains, and we don’t have enough officers that know the old control systems. Any chance you might return to active duty?”
“Me? You bet! Where do I sign up?” The retired general’s unbridled enthusiasm brought a smile to everyone in the War Room. “Been killing me out there running that damn scrap yard in space for the last twenty-two years. Hell, you don’t even hafta pay me, Byn. I’ll do it for free!”
General Tragge broke into a wide grin listening to his entertaining old war buddy.
“Consider yourself on active duty as of now. One condition though, you must promise to follow orders. No more of your wild ways like the Syntic Gambit.”
“Okay Byn, whatever you say. I’d be crazy to take on six to one odds without shields. I’d never do that . . . again.” The feisty old retired general chuckled, knowing he would end up doing things his own way if the going gets tough.
General Tragge shook his head in mock disgust. “You got lucky, Ja. Your ship should have been destroyed, and you know it. Now, I’m serious. If I give you command of a combat ship, you have to promise you’ll follow my orders, exactly! Deal?”
“Sure, Byn. I’m getting too old for that crazy run-the-gauntlet style of fighting, anyway.”
The old friends said their goodbyes, and General Tragge rose from his command center.
“Ludic, when those Kyomes arrive, drop shields long enough for them to gain sub-shield orbit. I’ll be in my quarters. Call me if the Heptaris respond to my hail.”
“Sir, you have a priority call from Minister Hadje.”
Chapter 65
Dr. Hadje jerked his arms free from the soldiers and turned away. He could hear the military men behind him as they planned an assault on the ship. The doctor demanded that two nearby soldiers release Benjamin. Like their officer in charge, they ignored his authority. The Minister of Human affairs opened his comm unit, and, after speaking briefly with someone, he called out to the young officer.
“Forl Tund. General Tragge would like a word with you.”
The young military man looked at Dr. Hadje and continued to ignore him.
“Sorry Byn, he won’t take the call. I don’t think he believes me.” Dr. Hadje listened for a moment before responding. “No, his men won’t let me pass. I can’t reach him. Yes, I understand. Thank you.”
Dr. Hadje put away his comm unit and leaned back against a portable crowd barrier. Moments later, the military squad’s radioman ran up the ramp and handed headphones to the squad leader. The young officer suddenly stood erect, as he reacted to a very one-sided conversation. He handed the headphones back to his radioman and looked down at Dr. Hadje. As he walked slowly down the ramp, he made sure his disgust was evident.
“Sir,” the young officer barked with exaggerated formality, “I’ve just been informed that you are now in charge of this operation. Our mission is to secure this ship for our scientists, who are en route. Sir,” once again, spoken with passive aggressive formality, “the occupants have threatened to blow it up if we enter. What are your orders? Sir!”
Dr. Hadje ignored the sarcasm, turning instead toward Benjamin.
“Release him.” The soldiers looked at their officer for approval. Dr. Hadje did not wait. “Immediately! That’s an order.”
The bewildered soldiers let loose of the human’s arms.
“Sorry Ben. They’re just doing what they were told. Come with me.” He looked directly in the face of the officer as they passed him. “You come, too. Let’s go.”
The three walked up the ramp past all the soldiers poised in assorted attack postures. Before entering the ship, the doctor used a single finger to push aside the menacing black barrel of one soldier’s assault weapon. He squinted as he looked into the dark interior. Kelly peeked out from behind a barrier and held an ear bud translator to a portable megaphone.
Dr. Hadje admired her ingenuity in finding a way to communicate with these soldiers. When she saw people she trusted, she rushed out from hiding.
“Benjamin, Dr. Hadje, they want our ship!”
They stepped into the ship with no resistance, much to the surprise of the soldiers. The young officer hesitated at the entrance until Dr. Hadje ordered him to follow. The instant the Tanarac officer cleared the entrance, the doorway materialized behind them.
Alarmed soldiers on the outside ran their hands along the skin of the ship searching for a seam or triggering mechanism to the closed portal.
Kelly led her guests through the ship while briefing about recent events. Scattered debris covered the floor of Primary Engineering, giving chilling clues about the violence of the impact in space. They caref
ully stepped around ragged pieces of metal scattered across several rooms. A few large crumpled pieces of the Heptari fleet fighter still sat on the floor.
Dr. Hadje and his officer recoiled at the gore when they entered the transit room.
Benjamin had seen hicays hunt, so the scene did not particularly shock him. Nevertheless, he set his jaw, nodding in admiration as this scene confirmed his expectation about the immense effort made by Shilgar and Kerl-Ga. He retrieved his friend’s knife, still lying on the floor in the doorway where he fell.
“This is exactly why I wanted Shilgar to accompany our people in space,” Benjamin spoke quietly to himself. “Only a scout team like him and Kerl-Ga could have accomplished this.”
Kelly understood his powerful regard for his two lifetime friends, but at the same time, she did not lose sight of the pressing needs of the current crisis.
“We need to go,” she spoke with a blend of urgency and compassion.
“When we return,” Dr. Hadje addressed the officer, “have your men clean up this mess.”
“Yes, sir.” The officer’s brash swagger was gone.
Benjamin and the others followed Kelly to the command deck. Simon stood next to his command chair, a small device wrapped around the back of his head, ending at each temple. Dozens of colored lights flickered in repeating patterns along the lower edge of the device. They kept perfect rhythm with a matching set of lights running down each side of the large command chair.
“Hello, doctor. Benjamin. It’s good to see you again.” He greeted his known guests while eyeing the young officer with distrust.
“What’s this nonsense about blowing up this ship?” Benjamin seemed genuinely perplexed by the young man’s threats.
“Soldiers told Kelly we had to leave the ship. They said government scientists were seizing it. Supposed to be some kind of military asset. I had to threaten to blow the ship up to keep,” he pointed an accusing finger at the blue-skinned officer, “them, outta my ship.”
The officer could not understand human dialect and looked at Dr. Hadje for a translation. Simon saw the problem. With a simple nod at a nearby console, a mathematical wave pattern appeared.
“There. Is that better?” Simon’s voice startled the officer as it suddenly became clear Tanarac speech.
“Dr. Hadje, I’m not gonna give this ship to anyone on Tanarac. I have instructions to destroy it if that’s my only choice.”
The soldier chimed in.
“See, Minister Hadje! He’s threatening to blow up the ship.” The angry officer faced Simon directly and spoke with great anger, “My people are at war! My superiors said this ship has some kind of advanced shields that we need. My orders are to take control of this ship, and that’s what I intend to do. If you cooperate, you won’t be harmed.”
“Nobody’s going to blow up this ship.” Dr. Hadje raised his voice as he confronted both the young officer and Simon. “YOU,” he directed to the officer, “are not going to ‘take control’ of anything. Is that understood?
“But sir, my orders are—”
“Your orders are from me, now.”
Dr. Hadje turned to Simon.
“We have a desperate situation. General Tragge told me this ship is immune to those new Heptari cannons. Is that true?”
“Yeah, pretty much. Their particle beams affect us but not with the kind of damage they do to you guys.”
“Is there any way this craft or its technology can help us?”
“I don’t know, Doctor. I’m not a scientist. I don’t even understand how any of this works. We lost Dr. Boroski in the Heptari attack.”
“If you lost the hologram,” Dr. Hadje glanced around the control room before asking the obvious, “then, how do you plan to continue your mission?”
Dr. Hadje touched on Simon’s greatest fear.
“The ship is repairing itself right now. I’m hoping we’ll get Dr. Boroski back.”
“And, if he does not return?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I can find a way to talk directly to the computer through my links. Maybe I can get the navigation course out of the database. Maybe there’s an auto-nav program. I don’t know, maybe—”
“Those are all ‘maybes’.”
“What else can I do, Dr. Hadje? I don’t have any other choice.”
“Are you sure?”
You tell me. What other choice do I have? We can’t stay here.”
“Why not?” Dr. Hadje looked deep into Simon’s eyes. The young man squirmed.
“The quarries. General Tragge hates us.” Simon’s voice rose as he became emotional about the possibility of ending up back in captivity. “I’m not going back to the quarries!”
“The Heptari Empire is an enemy to both our races. If you help us, I am certain humans will never be captive on Tanarac again. General Tragge thinks—”
Benjamin broke into the conversation. “Rosh, Simon, please excuse me, but we don’t have time for this discussion. This is a human ship. As the leader of the free humans on Tanarac, I am taking charge of this ship. Simon, we are going to allow the Tanarac scientists to examine it. Prepare the ship to receive them.”
“But, Dr. Boroski said this technology was not to fall—”
“Young man, Dr. Boroski is gone. Circumstances have changed, and I am taking charge of this ship. The best hope for our people now is to help defend Tanarac. If this planet falls, humans will not be safe anywhere in the known galaxy. The time has come for us to trust each other. I expect you to cooperate.”
In an odd way, Simon felt relieved. The burden of this decision shifted from him to the human leader. Besides, the free human leader made sense.
“Okay, what do you need from me?”
Benjamin turned to Dr. Hadje. “What now, Rosh?”
“I’m not sure. General Tragge has a group of scientists en route to examine this ship. They should arrive shortly.”
The doctor addressed his young officer. “Forl Tund, I want your soldiers to clean up the mess below before the science team arrives. This human, Kelly, will oversee your team, and you will report directly to her. She has my full authority. Do you understand?”
Kelly and the young alien officer left to accomplish the distasteful task.
Dr. Hadje looked around the control room. His scientific curiosity reached heights it had not seen in many years. While they awaited the team of scientists, he wandered the control deck, examining all the monitors and instruments.
After a while, one view caught his attention. It showed Tanarac soldiers carrying a Heptari body down the boarding ramp from the human ship. But, it was not this action that caught his attention, rather, it was the background of the hospital’s landing field that captured his interest.
Benjamin joined the doctor to watch a large military transport, sitting on the next landing pad. It unloaded a steady procession of war casualties. Most of the wounded received immediate attention at the base of the transport before medics hurried them into the hospital.
In the distance, a slowly growing row of unattended stretchers lined a wall. Motionless soldiers on those gurneys lay beneath blue and green striped blankets, pulled up over their faces.
“Benjamin, I wish we had met under different conditions. It’s a shame it took the actions of a common enemy for our people to learn to trust each other.”
Both leaders sighed in agreement.
Chapter 66
“General, Heps are coming!”
“Where are those command ships? Are they with the attack fleet?”
“Affirmative, sir. It’s the whole fleet, coming fast!”
“Ludic, what’s the status on the shield upgrades for those Kyomes?”
“The last two are leaving space dock now, sir. They’ll be fully deployed before the Heps make contact.”
“Sir, do you want an open channel to the admiral?”
“Yes.” The general hesitated before issuing his next order. “Establish a holographic signal override on all civilian communicati
on channels. Let me know when I have the air.”
Moments later, the general’s comm officer initiated a broadcast on all Tanarac frequencies across the planet. A special camera lowered from the ceiling to suspend directly in front of General Tragge’s command seat. A nearby monitor displayed a real time image from the camera.
The general instructed his technician to remove the military War Room from the background of the image and replace it with the official seal of the Tanarac Empire. Then, General Tragge addressed the public.
“My fellow citizens of Tanarac, I am General Byn Tragge. For those of you who may not know me, I am Minister of Defense for our empire. I have just informed the Council of Governors that the final battle with the Heptari Empire is about to begin. I have no choice but to invoke the War Imperative as authorized by our Council of Governors in accordance with our constitution. All government functions will remain under my direct command until this crisis is over. Non-military citizens are ordered into sub-surface defense centers. All police and paramilitary personnel will come under my direct authority during the War Imperative. I deeply regret this action, and I promise to reestablish civilian governance as soon as this danger is resolved.”
The general took a sip of water and looked directly into the camera. He spoke with all the conviction his political training could muster.
“My friends, now would be a good time for your prayers. Many of our people are in harm’s way, and things may get worse during the next few hours. I wish there was a better way to end this conflict, but I’m afraid the Heptaris are refusing any reasonable alternative. I promise you this, in the indomitable spirit of Vaal-al, Tanarac shall not be defeated.”
General Tragge ended his public announcement of martial law while his War Room staff stared in admiration at their leader. He was so confident. Little did they know the truth. He only made that promise to avoid public panic. He held no such conviction about the outcome.
“Ludic, stack all three planetary shields now. I want a single extra thick shield at maximum extension without degradation.”