by Thomas Fay
‘Anything we can do?’
‘Head back to the Dyson Alpha star port. Be careful; I have a feeling things are about to escalate rapidly.’
‘Will do. Call if you need us.’
Marvik’s vessel was filling up more and more of the view screen as we got closer. Even in normal space the Spectre vessels were fast and the moon was still shielding us from Marvik’s sensors.
‘Sir, incoming communication from Command,’ Lieutenant Chan said.
‘Put it through.’
The vice admiral’s voice filled the control room.
‘Stanton, our deep-space arrays have detected over a dozen gravitational disturbances throughout Alpha Centauri.’
‘Damn. They’re powering up the gateways.’
Even as I said it, my eyes found the Proxian base on the view screen. Something was happening. The external rings stopped rotating as they slotted into designated positions. A large amount of white vapour vented into space as the elliptical core of the station began to spin. A gaping maw opened in the centre of the space station as the power conduits directed vast amounts of energy into its centre. The class III gateway generator was coming online.
‘Our base just went active as well. They’re starting the invasion. Can you hold them off?’ I said.
‘The First Fleet is in position to jump to Alpha Centauri but the situation on Helios is becoming unstable. We may need to divert more ships to the blockade. The President is also worried that with both fleets absent from Sol, Icarus may take advantage of the situation and attempt secession from the UEP.’
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
‘So how many ships are in Alpha Centauri?’
‘We’ve deployed three Spectre squads to sweep for the Proxian gateways and Anubis-class vessels. A handful of capital ships have taken up position around the populated planets and the Epsilon Centauri shipyards. We won’t be able to go on the offensive as we’ll need to defend strategic assets throughout the system,’ Vice Admiral Scholtzer said.
‘So you’re just going to let the Proxians establish a position inside Alpha Centauri and leave the non-strategic assets unprotected?’
‘Stanton, I know this is personal for you but if we spread our available forces too thin they’ll wipe us out. I’m not putting our ships at risk to save a few isolated star ports and asteroid bases. We’ll concentrate on protecting the habitable planets and the shipyards. As soon as we take control of the Helios Installation we’ll be able to redeploy more of the First Fleet.’
I slammed my fist down into the side of the acceleration couch. Yet again the Space Navy did what it did best—protected its own interests ahead of those it was supposed to keep safe.
‘Fine. You do what you have to, Vice Admiral.’
I cut the coms off. Onscreen, the Proxian gateway was almost at full power. A wormhole was forming at its core; the exotic energies fed by the Founder power cell writhed and twisted, held in check only by the sheer power being manifested by the station. The wormhole was already over thirty metres in diameter and expanding quickly. Marvik’s ship was approaching the base.
‘I want that ship. Engage—now!’
All five Spectre ships accelerated hard, drawing to within a thousand kilometres of Marvik’s ship.
‘Open channel,’ I said.
‘Open, sir.’
‘Lars Marvik, power down your vessel and prepare to be boarded. This is your only warning. We will destroy your ship if you do not comply.’
For a moment, I actually thought Marvik’s ship was slowing down. Then it unleashed a series of disruptor orbs from rear-mounted launchers.
‘Shields to full!’ Captain Argus ordered.
The shimmering orbs of burning energy struck our shields, dissipating across the full length of the ship. A shudder ran through the control room. I gripped the sides of my acceleration couch tighter.
John! What’s happening? Selize’s voice echoed inside my head.
Marvik’s here. We’re going after him.
Be careful, John.
Onscreen, Marvik’s ship was nearing the Proxian wormhole, which was now close to a hundred metres in diameter.
‘Fire!’ I ordered.
Five incandescent beams of plasma lanced out from the Spectre ships. They struck the back of Marvik’s ship but his shielding held. Whatever the Kadmian Raiders had equipped him with was certainly a match for Space Navy technology.
‘Disruptors—take out his shields!’
A cascade of sizzling orbs of supercharged plasma accelerated towards Marvik’s ship at phenomenal speed. They struck his ship’s rear stabilisers, disintegrating the aft shielding.
‘His shield’s down. Fire!’
Marvik’s ship was now less than ten kilometres away from the Proxian gateway. The ship rotated, aligning on the swirling vortex of the wormhole. Then the first beam struck it, slicing off a piece of its hull plating. A second beam cut through the energy couplings on its starboard ion drive. The engine sputtered and died.
‘Again!’
Thick plumes of white gas were venting from the rear of Marvik’s ship as its remaining engine increased its thrust, pushing the ship into the wormhole. It disappeared as five beams passed through the empty space it had occupied a split second earlier.
‘Sir, those Proxian ships we’ve been tracking are almost here,’ Captain Argus said.
‘How many?’
‘Three capital ships with a fighter escort. Thirty in total. They’re all conventional vessels, no sign of any Anubis-class ships.’
‘That has to be part of the invasion force. We need to get out of here.’
‘Initiating dark-space re-entry in three … two …’
‘No. Follow Marvik’s ship!’
‘Into the wormhole?’
‘Yes.’
‘Lieutenant, self-destruct all our satellites and prepare for wormhole entry.’
‘Yes, sir. Kill code sent. All satellites are … gone. Proceeding to the wormhole event horizon.’
Spectre Squad Alpha accelerated, heading for the Lagrange point gateway generator. Forming up into a single-line formation, the ships flew into the wormhole, heading for the Alpha Centauri system.
PART V: SIRENS RISE
42.
The distant light from Alpha Centauri’s stars swept across the lead Spectre ship’s hull as we exited the wormhole. The exotic energy writhed and swirled behind us, held in place by the Proxian gateway anchor. A crudely constructed circular portal approximately four hundred metres in diameter, it hung suspended in space. Eight Anubis-class dark-space vessels were attached to the gateway anchor via makeshift docking cradles. Power pulsed through their onyx-black hulls, illuminating the intricate power relays hidden within.
‘Status?’ I asked.
‘All ships accounted for, sir,’ Captain Argus replied. ‘We’re in Alpha Centauri, in an isolated region of space. Looks like a dense particle field.’
‘Any sign of the Proxian strike force?’
‘Not yet.’
‘What about Marvik’s ship?’
‘He’s running but one of his engines is down and his flight trajectory is erratic. Probably from the damage to his starboard ion drive.’
‘Destroy the gateway anchor and let’s go get him.’
‘Yes, sir. Lieutenant Chan, instruct all Spectre ships to target the closest Proxian ship forming the power conduit.’
‘Yes, sir. Orders sent. Locking on … firing.’
The Spectre ships unleashed a steady beam of azure energy from their thermal lances. All five beams of superheated plasma found their mark. The Proxian ship began to glow a deep vermillion colour as its hull attempted to absorb the tremendous amount of energy directed at it. Reaching a point where it was almost translucent, the ship finally exploded, triggering a chain reaction. The remaining seven ships exploded, scattering the gateway anchor into the vacuum. The exotic wormhole energy dissipated.
‘Nicely done. Now let’s go get Marvik.’
Spectre Squad Alpha accelerated, forming a tight diamond formation. The five matt-black Space Navy ships converged on Lars Marvik’s damaged Harbinger-class mercenary fighter. The aftermath of our weapon strikes was clear to see as Marvik’s ship was venting plumes of gas and his starboard ion drive was inoperable.
‘Open channel,’ I said.
‘Open, sir.’
‘Lars Marvik, your ship is damaged and we have you surrounded. For the last time—power down or we will destroy your ship.’
Silence. I hit the coms button again.
‘Damn it, Marvik! I’m not joking. You’ve got three seconds to power down.’
I counted down in my head: three, two …
‘Alright, you win. I’m shutting down my engines. Hold your fire.’
A part of me was slightly disappointed. Thinking back on everything Marvik had done, a part of me wished he had resisted.
‘Captain, secure the prisoner quickly,’ I said.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘As soon as you’ve got him on board, drop us back into dark space and head for the Dyson Alpha star port.’
‘Understood, sir.’
‘And Captain?’
‘Sir?’
‘Blow his ship to pieces, please.’
Captain Argus smiled as I stood up and left the control room. Walking down the narrow grey corridor with its artificial indigo lighting, I entered the medical bay. Selize was lying on one of the beds, her eyes open. I found myself looking at her closely, trying to find some indication that she was pregnant. Her midsection certainly looked to be swollen but that could have been from the way she was lying on the bed.
‘You’re awake,’ I said.
‘Lieutenant Henderson won’t let me leave, John,’ she said. ‘Please tell him I’m fine.’
I turned to the medic.
‘Is she good to go, Lieutenant?’
‘I’d like to keep her here for another hour or so. While her injuries have almost healed and her genetic makeup makes her resilient to deep-space exposure, I can’t ignore the fact that she was sucked out of an exploding airlock.’
‘Is she in any danger?’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘So she just needs to rest?’
The medic nodded.
‘I guess there’s no reason she can’t do that in your quarters, sir,’ he said.
‘Thank you, Lieutenant.’
I offered my hand to Selize. She took it and stood up. I realised she was moving more slowly than normal. There was definitely a noticeable bump. My mind was still struggling with the speed with which the pregnancy was progressing. Given the intimacy between Selize and me, not to mention the shared telepathic bond, it was easy to forget she was an alien, a completely different species that just happened to be humanoid in appearance and physically compatible with humans.
We walked out of the medical bay and back to my quarters.
‘How bad is it?’ Selize asked, once we were inside. I helped her onto the bed. She lay down.
I took a deep breath. Expelling it slowly, I said, ‘The Proxians have been secretly building gateway anchors throughout isolated regions of Alpha Centauri. They’re using modified gateway generators positioned in Lagrange points throughout the Proxima Centauri system to launch an invasion. The Space Navy detected over a dozen gateways powering up.’
‘But the Space Navy is in Alpha Centauri?’
‘Yes, but they’re holding the majority of the First Fleet back to deal with civil uprisings on Helios and Icarus. They’ve got patrols sweeping for the gateway anchors and capital ships are in position around the inhabited planets and major installations. It will all come down to the Proxians’ strategy—if they split their forces, we’ll be able to hold them off easily. If they form up into larger strike groups, we’re going to lose a number of installations until the First Fleet deploys fully. The Proxian dark-space ships will be a problem as well. There simply aren’t enough Space Navy covert ships to patrol the whole system.’
‘So they’re going to leave parts of the system undefended?’
I looked deep into her eyes. I knew she could sense what I was feeling through our shared telepathic link.
‘I’m sorry but the Space Navy just isn’t committing enough ships. I’ve got command of five Spectre vessels and I know the Helios Ark will assist us but that’s just not enough to make a difference.’
Selize fell silent. I could feel her reaching out with her mind. After a moment, she said, ‘We need to get back to Dyson Alpha. We need to help my mother defend the star port.’
I nodded. Then, despite the situation we were in, I smiled.
‘So when were you going to tell me you’re pregnant?’
43.
Space around the Dyson Alpha star port was alive with activity. Two squads of Centaurian Banshee-class light fighters flew regular patrols while the Wraith-class command vessel, the Gemini Alpha, was positioned to cover all ingoing and outgoing spacecraft. Three mercenary ships were also holding station near the star port, in high orbit around the gas giant. The UEP gateway was active as a string of spaceships, mostly mining rigs and support vessels, pulled out of this region of space. Clearly, word of the impending invasion had spread.
‘Looks like they’re about as ready as they can be,’ I said.
‘I’m reading thirty-two combat-capable ships and the command vessel in space around the star port, sir,’ Captain Argus said. He raised an eyebrow. ‘We’re detecting some very powerful weaponry aboard those mercenary ships.’
‘Looks like the Centaurians have hired some help. I wouldn’t be surprised if Roger D had a hand in arranging that,’ I said.
‘Lieutenant Chan, can we get a closer look at those mercenary ships?’ Captain Argus asked.
‘Yes, sir.’
The view screen enlarged the cluster of mercenary ships holding position one thousand kilometres from the star port. The three vessels were so heavily modified it was difficult to determine their original design. One in particular stood out—an elongated vessel with multiple weapon mounts, including kinetic missile accelerators, thermal lances and a series of interlinked shield generators. Its hull was coated in a matt-black material. It was powered by what appeared to be dual class D engines.
‘Sir, if I’m not mistaken, that’s the Tenebrarum Eternal,’ Lieutenant Chan said.
I leaned closer to the view screen.
‘It can’t be …’
‘The ship is deflecting passive scans but our dark-space scanners have confirmed it. That’s the Tenebrarum Eternal. The most wanted pirate ship in the known universe.’
I stared at the powerful mercenary ship and its two support vessels. I’d heard of the Tenebrarum Eternal, of course. Who hadn’t? The exploits of Captain Darius Soh were infamous. It was rumoured the majority of his crew were sophisticated androids and that he’d stolen technology from the UEP weapon labs in Sirius. Whatever the truth was, it looked like he was fighting on our side—at least for the time being.
‘I think, given the current situation, we should be thankful they’re heavily armed and fighting on our side,’ I said.
‘It must have cost a fortune for the Centaurians to hire those three ships. I hope they’re worth it, sir.’
‘So do I, Captain. The Centaurians should stand a chance against one Proxian strike force. Against two …’ I left the sentence hanging. It wasn’t really something I wanted to think about.
‘Orders, sir?’
‘Dock with the station. The rest of Spectre Squad Alpha to remain in dark space. Let’s not give away our advantage.’
‘Understood, sir.’
‘And open a channel to the Helios Ark.’
‘Open, sir.’
As the lead Spectre ship began its approach, I flicked the coms switch.
‘John, you made it back,’ Roger D said.
‘It was close. I see you’ve invited some friends to the party.’
‘I managed to convince the Centau
rians to overlook their usual zero tolerance of pirates … I, mean, mercenaries. It wasn’t easy, believe me, and it certainly wasn’t cheap but they’ll stick around.’
‘Until things get messy.’
‘Probably. At least the Proxians won’t be able to just waltz through this region of space.’
‘You did the right thing.’
‘Thanks. Did you get Marvik?’
‘Yes. He’s in our holding cell. I’m going to dock with the station and we’re going to get some answers out of him.’
‘What do you need from us?’
I paused, still not sure if this was a good idea. Then again, given our circumstances, this wasn’t the time to second-guess myself.
‘I need you and Dayna there when we question Marvik.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘I need him rattled. And if that doesn’t work then I’m going to need Dayna and Selize to read him.’
‘Alright, we’ll be there. I want to see this through to the end.’
‘So do I. See you soon.’
I cut the coms off. The Dyson Alpha star port expanded on the view screen as the Spectre vessel approached. Lining up with the external docking ports, its inversion drive manoeuvred it perfectly into position. With a solid thud the ship connected to the star port. The airlock cycled open and the ship breathed the same air as the star port.
I stood up.
‘Captain, bring the prisoner. I’m sure the Centaurians won’t mind us borrowing one of their holding cells on the command deck.’
‘Sir, if we bring him into the star port, then we’ll be under Centaurian jurisdiction.’
‘That’s only going to be an issue if we declare Marvik as a prisoner.’
‘Sir?’
‘You told them we needed to use one of their holding cells?’
‘Yes.’
‘But you didn’t tell them why?’
‘No, sir.’
‘Then we shouldn’t have any problems if Marvik turns out to be … uncooperative.’
I could tell that Captain Argus wasn’t thrilled by this breach of protocol. He was a good officer, a strong leader, and he possessed a solid moral compass. No wonder he was in command of the foremost covert squadron.