by Ryk Brown
“Yeah, I suppose I do.” Connor went silent again.
After several minutes, Jessica spoke. “What is it?”
Connor looked at her, embarrassed to share what he was feeling.
“Come on,” Jessica urged, “tell me.”
“I’m scared,” Connor finally admitted.
Jessica laughed.
“Not exactly the reaction I was expecting,” Connor said, shaking his head.
“I’m sorry,” Jessica apologized. “Of course, you’re scared,” she continued. “Only an idiot wouldn’t be.”
“Nice to know I’m not an idiot, then.”
“Connor, I get it. I really do. Being Nathan Scott is a big responsibility. Being a leader always is. But you gotta believe me when I say that you are very good at it. You are Na-Tan.”
“You don’t really believe in that Na-Tan crap, do you?”
“Not in the way the legend describes him, no,” Jessica explained. “But I do believe in the power that Na-Tan has to lead…to inspire. Na-Tan is a role…like an actor playing a part in a vid-play. But only certain people can really do the role justice. You are one of those people.”
“So, you want me to be an actor?”
“No, we want you to be yourself. Nathan.”
Connor sighed again. “But it doesn’t make any sense. General Telles is way more qualified to lead a rebellion. Why doesn’t he play the role of Na-Tan?”
“Telles? Please,” Jessica scoffed. “Granted, he is a brilliant and dedicated man, but he is hardly Na-Tan. He lacks the compassion that you have. Telles is a tactician. He’s always calculating the possible outcomes of any action…weighing risk versus benefit.”
“Isn’t that what a leader is supposed to do?” Connor wondered.
“Sure, but we’re talking about leading people. And people aren’t just numbers. Nathan knew that. You know that.”
“And Telles doesn’t?”
“He does, but only because he understands human psychology and behavior. That’s different than empathy.”
“You’re saying he doesn’t feel what others feel?”
“He does, but he chooses to turn it off out of necessity. That’s what the Ghatazhak do. It’s why they’re so effective. But, that’s not the sole reason that you’re the only one who can be Na-Tan.”
Connor looked at her.
“It’s because of this,” she said, putting her hand on his cheek. “This face… Those eyes. They engender trust. They engender confidence.”
“Even with this beard?” Connor joked.
“Are you kidding? The beard has got to go. You look like some kind of hermit.”
Connor forced a smile. After another minute, he spoke. “I don’t know if I can do it, Jess.”
“Fine, keep the beard.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Jessica sighed. “I know,” she said, leaning closer to put her head on his shoulder.
* * *
“You asked to see me?” Commander Jarso inquired from the entrance to Captain Gullen’s office.
“Yes, Commander,” the captain replied, gesturing for him to enter. “I trust you and your men have gotten settled?”
“Indeed, Captain,” the commander replied, taking a seat across from the Glendanon’s captain.
“I wish I could provide you with better accommodations,” the captain said apologetically.
“They will do nicely.”
“I heard that only twenty-three ships made it aboard,” Captain Gullen said. “I am sorry for the loss of your comrades.”
“Twenty-one, actually,” Commander Jarso corrected, “including myself. Ensigns Dutko and Cheval did not survive their injuries.”
Captain Gullen frowned. “Again, I am sorry.”
“Had you not come to our aid, more of us would have died,” the commander pointed out. “On behalf of myself, and my men, I thank you and your crew. You all took a great risk to rescue us.”
“The crew of the Avendahl, as well as their families, protected Corinair for nearly eight years, Commander. It was the least we could do.”
“May I ask what your plans are, Captain?” Commander Jarso asked.
“For the moment, it is all we can do to stay one jump ahead of the Jung. They have been following our old light ever since we jumped from the Darvano system. They very much wish to find us.”
“Because you rescued us,” the commander surmised.
“Perhaps,” the captain agreed. “However, it is more likely that they want this ship. The Glendanon is one of the largest jump-capable transports in the sector.”
“How long can you stay ahead of them?”
“For as long as is necessary,” the captain said.
“If I may make a suggestion, Captain?”
“Please.”
“Jump to Camden Alpha Major.”
“Big Blue?” the captain replied in shock. “Why?”
“She has a magnitude of two point two. If you move in close enough, the star’s light and radioactivity should mask your jump and your departure track.”
“An interesting idea,” the captain said thoughtfully.
“Not too close, of course.”
“Of course.”
“If I might ask another question?” the commander wondered. After Captain Gullen nodded, the commander continued. “How long will my men and I be allowed to remain on your vessel?”
Captain Gullen leaned back in his chair, sighing. “You are, of course, welcome to remain as long as you like, Commander. Unfortunately, your fighters have a relatively short jump range. And, we cannot spare much propellant, as we know not where we will be able to replenish our supplies.”
“Then, you do not intend to surrender your ship to the Jung,” the commander stated.
“No, I do not.”
“Then, you have plans on how to proceed?”
“Yes,” the captain replied. “My intention is to contact the Ghatazhak.”
“You know where they are?” the commander asked, surprised.
“Yes,” Captain Gullen replied. “I am one of the few who do. I have been hesitant to do so, for fear that I might lead the Jung to them. But, perhaps, by following your advice, we might be able to safely make contact.”
“The Ghatazhak?” Commander Jarso said, surprised. “It was my understanding that they were disbanded.”
“That is only what they wished us to believe,” the captain replied. “Granted, their numbers are few, but if anyone is to stand in opposition to the Jung, it is the Ghatazhak.”
* * *
Elam Jahal watched as his commanding officer examined the message. They had served together for many years, and his friend had always been difficult to read, holding his emotions in check better than most. But, on this night, the concern on the general’s face was obvious…at least to Elam.
General Telles handed the message pad to his second in command, saying nothing.
Commander Jahal read the message, his own expression unchanged. “Surely, none of this comes as any surprise to you.”
“No, it does not,” the general admitted. “I had hoped that I would never again hear of such blatant disregard for life.”
“The Ybarans will not be missed,” Commander Jahal pointed out.
“No, they will not,” the general admitted. “They were an offense to all that we are. Nevertheless, they did not deserve extermination. No one does.”
“There was a time when we might have been the ones carrying out such orders,” the commander reminded him.
General Telles sighed. “That time has long passed. We choose our own path now. No one chooses it for us.”
“That is incorrect,” Commander Jahal argued. “Fate ch
ooses our destiny, and you decide which path we take to meet it.”
General Telles looked at his friend. “You read the entire message?”
“Yes. If anything, it will make it easier to convince him to join us.”
“Captain Tuplo, or Captain Gullen?”
“Either,” the commander replied, “or both.”
Both men turned as Jessica entered the Ghatazhak communications center. “You wanted to see me, sir?” she asked, as she approached them.
Commander Jahal handed her the message pad.
“Shit,” Jessica muttered as she read the message. “The whole planet?”
“Nothing left alive,” the commander confirmed.
“How did we get this intel?” Jessica wondered.
“The Dusahn are actively broadcasting images of the aftermath throughout the cluster,” General Telles explained.
“The Dusahn?” Jessica asked. “Who the hell are the Dusahn?”
“One of the Jung castes,” the general replied.
“I’ve never heard a Jung caste identify themselves by caste name, and not as Jung,” she commented. “Is it possible they are operating independently?”
“Anything is possible,” the general said. “However, based on our understanding of the Jung, it would seem unlikely.”
“Does it matter?” the commander wondered.
“At present, no,” the general agreed. He turned to Jessica. “Are we still on schedule?”
“The first few loads have been staged off world. Equipment and supplies mostly. But we’ve only got the one boxcar to work with, so it’s slow going. At least we’ve got plenty of cargo pods to preload, so we can keep Solomon and his crew jumping, nonstop.”
“What about the cargo shuttles?” the commander asked.
“You can only fit so much in a cargo shuttle,” Jessica replied. “And they take time to load. It would help if we had more transports.”
“Stick to the priorities, as planned,” the general instructed. “I will find us the transports.”
* * *
“As you were,” Captain Taylor ordered as she marched confidently into the Aurora’s command briefing room. Those in attendance, getting ready to stand, settled back into their seats.
Cameron moved to her place at the head of the conference table and sat down. “Seven days ago, the Sol Alliance launched a KKV strike against a dozen Jung tactical assets. The shipyards in the Dorgahn, Jasi-Tona, and Nor-Tendi systems were all destroyed, as were military bases in the Escari, Amarrari, and Lungdahl systems. These, along with half a dozen other assets, were targeted to send the Jung leadership a message. We will not tolerate any transgressions.”
Cameron looked at the faces of her senior officers, each of them displaying controlled shock. “Millions of military personnel were killed,” she continued, “as were millions of civilians stationed in those facilities. Although no civilian population centers were targeted, command expects the Jung population to demand wide-scale retaliation. Therefore, all Alliance ships will remain on full alert.”
“Captain,” Commander Kaplan started.
Captain Taylor held up her hand to silence her executive officer. “I know. We don’t have a choice.”
“We haven’t spotted a single ship since Alpha Centauri,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reminded the captain. “Maybe the Jung recalled their ships after the strike?”
“Maybe,” Cameron admitted. “But it doesn’t matter. Not to us. Our orders are to maintain alert status, and to continue to conduct detection patrols.”
“Captain, my pilots are flying eighteen hours a day,” Commander Verbeek, the Aurora’s CAG, complained.
“Ground crews are burning the candle at both ends, as well, sir,” Master Chief Warhl, the Aurora’s chief of the boat, added.
“The crew is being pushed over the edge,” Doctor Caro chimed in. “We can’t keep feeding them stims forever, Captain.”
“Command has promised more personnel,” Captain Taylor assured them. “But, it will take nearly a week to get us up to full staffing levels.”
“Even with full staffing levels, we can’t maintain full alert status indefinitely, sir,” Commander Kaplan reminded her. “Sooner or later, someone is going to make a mistake…possibly a disastrous one.”
“We can use the comm-drones,” Commander Kamenetskiy suggested.
Cameron looked at him.
“Our patrols are for detection purposes, right? Why don’t we just put sensor packages on them and jump them to take scans at strategic locations, then jump them back and collect the data?”
“That won’t give us real-time response capabilities,” Commander Verbeek argued.
“You were planning on attacking a Jung ship with a pair of Super Eagles?” Commander Kamenetskiy said skeptically.
“He’s right,” Commander Kaplan agreed. “That could work.”
Cameron looked at her science officer. “Lieutenant Commander?”
“It could work,” Lieutenant Commander Kono admitted. “We would need more comm-drones though.”
“How long would it take, from the moment they were picked up on sensors, to the moment we become aware of the detection?” Cameron asked.
“That depends on several things,” the lieutenant commander explained. “How many times the drone stops to conduct scans before returning, how much time is spent scanning at each stop, and at what point along the drone’s route the detection occurs.”
“Rough guess?”
“As little as a few minutes, to as much as half an hour, I imagine.”
“Wouldn’t the target be long gone?” Doctor Caro wondered.
“Perhaps, but at least we would have a course projection to work forward from,” Lieutenant Commander Kono said.
“And it would take some of the pressure off the crew,” Commander Kaplan admitted.
“A pilot can pursue a contact,” Commander Verbeek reminded the captain. “A drone cannot. We would be increasing our chances of losing the contact.”
“Or, we’d be focusing our pilots on areas where contact is most likely. Like along a hot track,” Captain Taylor said. “Lieutenant Commander Kono, work up some numbers for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Kamenetskiy, I’ll need to know how quickly you can add the sensor packages to the drones, as well.”
“Not a problem,” Vladimir promised.
“Verbee, give me a revised flight schedule based on Kono’s numbers,” Cameron said. “I’ll run the idea past command.” She paused a moment before continuing. “With the Jung in the Pentaurus cluster, we have to assume that they now have jump drives.”
“Captain, we have yet to see any evidence of jump drive usage by the Jung in this sector,” Lieutenant Commander Kono pointed out.
“The message from the Ghatazhak in the Pentaurus sector clearly indicated that the Jung who invaded the cluster did so using jump drive technology,” Cameron explained. “So, until proven otherwise, we are to operate under the assumption that the Jung here have jump drives, as well.”
“It would explain how they were able to get so deep into Alliance space without being detected,” the XO said.
“What bothers me is that they were detected,” the captain said.
“You’d rather they weren’t?” Vladimir wondered.
“They shouldn’t have been,” Cameron explained. “At least, not until they were in position to attack. We could jump into orbit above Nor-Patri, drop a nuke on her capital, and jump away again before the Jung could respond. If they have jump drive technology, then they should be able to do the same.”
“Assuming they wanted to,” Commander Kaplan interjected. “Maybe they just wanted us to know that they could get past our borders without being detected?”
/> “But to what end?” Cameron wondered.
* * *
Connor looked across the sea of the dead and dying that lay before him, their faces reflecting a shock and horror that no being should ever witness.
Compelled by some unknown force, Connor walked through the bodies. Some were whole, others were torn apart. Blood was everywhere, and the stench…the stench of death filled the air, making it difficult to breathe without retching.
Arms of victims reached out to him as he walked amongst them. Their unintelligible voices begged for him, their hands clutched at his trousers as he passed. Try as he might, he could not understand their pleas. Were they asking for his help? Were they asking for salvation?
Or were they asking him why?
Connor suddenly sat upright in his bunk, his eyes wide in horror, panting and out of breath. He stared straight ahead for a full minute before realizing that it had been a nightmare. He looked around the compartment. His bed. His desk. His jacket and gun belt hanging on the door. His cabin.
His breathing began to return to normal, and his terror faded. After another moment, he pushed his blanket back and turned, swinging his feet out over the side of the bed and placing them on the cold deck of his ship.
His ship.
The Seiiki had been all he had known for the last five years. It had been his refuge, his escape. It was the one thing he felt he had control over. On this ship, he was in charge. He decided where they went, what jobs they took. It had not been an easy life, but it had been a good one.
But why?
Why had it been a good life? Surely there were better lives to be had. So many worlds to live on. So many people. So many customs. So many careers. Why limit himself to this?
It was a question he often asked himself, and the answer was always the same.
Escape.
Connor rose from his bed and walked over to the door to his private head. He laid his hand on the tap, causing the tiny sink to fill with cool water.
The water felt good on his face, as if it were washing away the horrific images his mind had just conjured up to torture him.