by Jake Elwood
He reached the front of the building and scanned the street, then the plaza. He could hear the distant pop of blast shots from across the park, and a scream that sounded more angry than pained. "Give 'em hell, Stark," he muttered, then moved to one side to give the laser team room to work.
The two men resumed their earlier positions, Beckett at the trigger, Jackson with a shoulder under the barrel. The laser fired, and a bright spot appeared on the side of the alien machine.
Except the point of light seemed to sparkle a handspan from the lumpy metal of the structure. Nicholson cursed. "There's some kind of shield." He looked at Beckett. "Keep firing. Maybe we can overwhelm it."
"Something's happening," said the woman, and pointed toward the plaza.
Nicholson turned to look, swinging his rifle up. He fully expected to see a squad of alien commandos coming toward them, but nothing moved around the base of the structure.
His gaze rose. A red glow bathed the chimney at the top of the structure. Then, abruptly, a flash of white light appeared at the top of the chimney, arcing up into the sky. It was gone in an instant, like a bolt of lightning. He could see the line burned into his retinas, slowly fading, when he blinked.
"That's not good," the woman said. "I think they're shooting at your ships up in space."
CHAPTER 19 - CARRUTHERS
The relief fleet floated in space, a couple of hundred kilometers from Gate Three. Strictly speaking the ships were in orbit around the distant sun, but Carruthers would be a very old man before they made a full circumnavigation. For all practical purposes, the little fleet was motionless.
Carruthers could see the Indefatigable in front of him, along with several other ships. He was in a meeting room on the Marlborough, a freshly refitted troopship. The ship carried medical personnel, a handful of scientists, several Gate technicians, and a hundred marines from the newly reinstated Marine Corps. The big ship was less than half full. The extra space would be used to evacuate civilians from Naxos, if it was possible.
There were nine ships in total. The Indefatigable was one of six corvettes. Along with the Marlborough there was a supply and hospital ship and a Jumper, a ship designed to generate wormholes. A Jumper could travel fifty percent farther than a corvette with each jump, and the wormhole would last long enough for the entire fleet to go through. It would speed up the journey substantially.
Reflected in the window he could see eight other captains gathered around a table behind him. They had been discussing training options, trying to figure out what manoeuvres they could do without straying too far from the Gate. They wanted to be ready to dart through at a moment's notice if the Gate went live.
Now, though, the formal part of the meeting was over. It was a social gathering, and Carruthers, a captain for less than three weeks, was distinctly uncomfortable. The rest of them were experienced ship's commanders, and he didn't feel as if he belonged.
A chime sounded behind him, and Captain Jamison, commander of the Marlborough, said, "Robert. We were just talking about you. Nothing especially bad, I promise."
A voice spoke from the speaker in the holo-projector embedded in the table. "I've just been in an interesting meeting."
Something in the tone of his voice made Carruthers turn. The head and shoulders of a man in his fifties hovered above the table. Carruthers had met Robert Molson several times. The man had always been smiling. Even interstellar war hadn't dampened his innate cheerfulness.
Now, however, his face was bleak.
Carruthers walked over to join the others around the table. Molson was back at Spacecom headquarters. He commanded the Hannibal, a cruiser even older than the Alexander. The Hannibal was just finishing its refit. It would be the gem of the relief fleet.
"I no longer command the Hannibal." Molson's voice was flat, emotionless. "I'll still be onboard. I'll be the First Officer."
Jamison said, "What the hell? Who are they putting in command?"
"Her name is Erin Laycraft."
The captains looked at each other, mystified. Jamison said, "I don't recognize the name."
"She's a colonel in the EDF."
Carruthers felt his jaw drop.
"The EDF?" Jamison's voice rose with every letter. "Does she have any military experience?"
For just a moment a ghost of Molson's smile returned. "She's never actually been in space."
Carruthers could see his own shock mirrored in the faces around him. No one spoke.
Molson said carefully, "The new civilian government has decided that the fleet needs supervision by an organization they can trust." He paused for a moment, then added, "I'm sure they're making the right decision."
That was so obviously a lie that shock started to give way to alarm on the faces of the captains. Finally Jamison said, "I'm … sure you're right." Only his voice was being transmitted, not his face, so he didn't hide an expression of disgust.
"I'm glad you agree," Molson said. "Each of you is going to have an EDF officer commanding your ship." He cleared his throat. "I just thought you should know."
After several seconds of strangled silence Jamison managed to say, "That's good news. Thanks for telling us."
Molson gave a single curt nod and broke the connection.
Carruthers watched as Jamison tilted his head and made several gestures in the air, accessing his implants. He was probably double-checking the connection was closed. Then he said, "Well, shit."
There was a babble of voices as all the captains tried to speak at once.
Carruthers stood silent, letting the torrent of words wash over him. They were outraged, and they were disturbed that Molson obviously believed the EDF was eavesdropping. Ultimately, though, their ire spent itself and their decades of experience in a military hierarchy began to reassert itself. All of them had sworn oaths. They respected the chain of command. However much they didn't like it, they knew what they had to do.
"Well, it stinks," Jamison said. "But I guess we'll just have to accept it."
"Like hell."
Eight pairs of eyes swivelled to look at Carruthers, and he gulped. Oh, to hell with it. I've faced worse than this. "Forget it," he said. "I'll destroy the Indefatigable before I'll turn it over to the EDF." The words shocked him as he spoke them, but he realized he meant it. Every word.
"Now, Jim," said Jamison.
"No," said Carruthers. A lot of half-formed thoughts were solidifying in his mind. He didn't think about politics much. The big picture was for people far above his station. He'd always served under officers he could trust. He'd left the tough decisions to them.
Not today.
"We can't do it," he said. "We can't hand over an entire fleet to a legion of morons and thugs."
Reynolds of the corvette Epée said, "Carruthers, the chain of command is-"
"The chain of command is broken," Carruthers said. "We have deadly weapons on those ships. We have nuclear missiles, for God's sake. You don't just give control of that sort of thing to …" He fell silent, searching for the right word.
The others started talking over one another, and at first he let them. Then he raised his hand. The other captains fell silent and he said, "You don't give a loaded gun to the schoolyard bully. Even if he demands it. And you don't give warships to fascists."
Jamison said, "That's not a decision we're allowed to make."
"Doing as we're told is making a decision," Carruthers snapped. "I've got a reporter hiding on my ship." He hadn't meant to admit it, not until they were through the Gate. "She's hiding from the EDF. Because she reported EDF brutality. They want to arrest her for it. For speaking the truth." He let that sink in. Freedom of the press was one of the most fundamental principles of the interplanetary republic. "A reporter, for God's sake."
They stared at him, then looked at one another. Nobody spoke.
"What will the EDF do with armed warships?" he said. "Suppose France declares they're giving sanctuary to journalists. Suppose Mexico announces the EDF is no longer
welcome within its borders. Suppose the BBC starts broadcasting exposés of the EDF, and the British government refuses to let the EDF shut it down. What do you think will happen then?" He looked from one captain to another. "If someone is going to launch nuclear missiles at Earth's cities, it's not going to be from the Indefatigable."
"You're overreacting," said Reynolds. "They'd never do that. It's-"
"What?" said Carruthers. "Unthinkable? Ten minutes ago, you would have said putting a cruiser under the command of a civilian who's never been in space was unthinkable." He shook his head. "We're at war, the entire human race is at risk, and they're replacing our best captains with civilians whose only qualification is that they support the President. What do you call that, if not unthinkable?"
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Finally Jean Harrington, captain of the Jumper, said, "Did they really try to arrest a reporter?"
"Yes," Carruthers snapped. "Janice Ling, the lady who was on the Alexander."
That set off an angry muttering. Many of the captains had heard of Janice and how she had organized the civilian passengers into an auxiliary corps.
"I understand how you feel," Jamison said. "I think I even agree. But what can we do?" He shrugged. "I don't think I'm quite ready to destroy the Marlborough. They're going to need her in Naxos."
The others nodded, frowning. "He's right," Harrington said. "What can we do?"
"We can leave now," Carruthers said.
There was a shocked silence.
Jamison said, "The Gate's not online."
"We won't wait for the Gate. We'll jump. We can reach Naxos in a week."
They stared at him. He could see them analyzing the idea, weighing the consequences. Jamison said, "What happens when the Gate opens? The attack fleet is counting on us coming through."
"They'll get the Hannibal, and any other ships that are ready in time. And a week from now, they'll get our nine ships. By which time they might desperately need a bunch of warships that don't answer to the EDF."
More silence. Then someone said, "They'll hang us."
Carruthers gave them a gallows grin. "We're tackling the Hive in a system where they've had time to dig in. If we live long enough to hang, it'll be a bloody miracle."
They looked at one another, doubt plain on their faces. I'm losing them, Carruthers thought. They won't go for it. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe we-
Eight people simultaneously tilted their heads, clearly reacting to a message from their implants. At the same instant, the data pad in Carruthers' pocket gave a low chime. He took out the pad and read the message it displayed.
Return immediately to Port Kodiak to take on essential personnel.
Reynolds said, "We can't all go. It's almost thirty minutes at top speed. We'll be off-station for an hour. What if the Gate opens?"
Jamison said, "I guess Hammett will just have to wait." He shook his head. "I guess this is what leadership will be like under the EDF." He looked at the other captains, his gaze going from face to face, pausing a moment to stare into each set of eyes. "I'm convinced," he said at last. "Carruthers is right. We need to go, and we need to go right now."
"We can't," said Reynolds. "It's treason."
"My vow was to defend the republic," Carruthers said. "I can best do that by flying to Naxos and fighting the Hive. So that's what I'm going to do."
Several captains nodded.
"I can't make you go," Jamison said. "I'm going, though." He turned to Harrington. "You're the only one whose cooperation we really need. Will you open us a wormhole?"
"I'm on it," she said, and headed for the exit. "See you on the other side, whoever decides to come."
"We're fresh out of time for debate," Jamison said. "Return to your ships. Then follow your orders, or follow me through the wormhole. I'll see some of you on the other side."
Carruthers nodded and hurried after Harrington. He heard footsteps behind him, the rest of the captains heading for the shuttle bay. He didn't bother looking back. He'd thrown the dice, and all he could do was follow through. What happened next was out of his hands.
As the Indefatigable's shuttle left the bay he glanced at the Gate, a speck of light off to his left through the shuttle's front window. "Hang in there, Richard," he murmured. "I'm coming." He glanced back in the direction of Earth, the Hannibal, and the growing power of the EDF. "You might not want to fix that Gate in too much of a hurry, though."
CHAPTER 20 - NICHOLSON
The next attack came from behind.
One moment Nicholson was staring up at the structure in the middle of the plaza, watching in frustration as the laser drill did nothing but stir up pretty sparks on the shield. The next moment the laser jerked sideways, slicing a couple of shade trees in half and burning into the side of a building on the far side of the park. Beckett screamed, and Nicholson turned, battle fury throwing a red haze over his vision.
There were six aliens, two of them mounted with some kind of hardware, a collection of tubes and blobby canisters strapped to their torsos with metal rods extending along their forward limbs. Nicholson understood instinctively that these were weapons, and he focused his fire on those two aliens. One alien blew apart in a spray of untidy chunks. The other took a bullet and jerked sideways, and the wall beside it glowed red, then smoldered.
The woman beside Nicholson died screaming, pierced and pulled apart by an alien that fell under a barrage of Nicholson's shots a moment later. The laser lay on the ground, Beckett curled in a ball beside it. Jackson was at the trigger now. The laser was too heavy to lift, so he twisted the weapon from side to side as he fired, laying a scorching line of fire through the air at ankle height. Aliens fell, the tips of their legs sliced away, then scrambled back on bleeding stumps, frantic to escape.
When Jackson let go of the trigger Enright darted in, burying the head of his axe in the torso of a retreating alien. Nicholson circled around the laser, careful not to move in front of the muzzle, and put a finishing shot into the wounded alien with the weapon rig. Then he said, "They know where we are."
Jackson nodded, then moved to Beckett. "Help me with him."
Together they hoisted Beckett to his feet. He had a bad burn all down his left side, and he moaned as they straightened him. He was able to shuffle along with the others supporting him, Enright bringing up the rear. They abandoned the laser on the sidewalk.
They crossed the street and moved into the plaza. It felt foolhardy to move into the heart of the alien occupation, but there were no actual aliens in the little park, and Nicholson nursed a faint hope of linking up with Stark and combining forces. He needed help with Beckett. He needed help getting away.
Beckett was moaning with every breath by the time they finished crossing the street. Nicholson headed for the nearest fountain, empty now, and the three of them clambered over the side. They laid the injured man down on the tiles inside, and the rest of them crouched down beside him. The fountain's knee-high stone walls made a comforting barrier around them, and they paused, catching their breath.
There were no more sounds of battle from the direction of Stark's team, no sounds at all except the pained rasp of four men breathing. Nicholson felt exhausted, spent, wrung out by stress and horror. He wanted to abandon the shattered remains of his team. He wanted to throw down his rifle and run for his life, but he didn't have the strength.
"There it goes again," Enright said, and pointed.
Nicholson turned in time to see another white flash burst from the top of the alien structure. Oh, God, they're destroying my ship. It's my last hope of rescue and they're shooting it out of the sky. This is a disaster. I'm going to die here. Why doesn't somebody do something?
Because there's only one soldier anywhere close to that weapon, and it's me.
His terror didn't exactly fade, but it shifted into the background of his thoughts, like sitting in a room that was chilly but not quite cold enough to make you shiver. You could ignore it, if you concentrated. He checked the clip
in his rifle, counted his remaining magazines, and took a deep breath. "Wait for your chance," he said, "and sneak out of here. You're on your own, I’m afraid." He looked at each of them in turn. "You fought well today. All you can do now is try to escape."
Beckett said, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going after that tower."
"The shield! If the laser couldn't touch it, what can you do with that little pop-gun?"
Nicholson shrugged. "I have to try."
Beckett lapsed into silence, his strength apparently exhausted. Jackson, face haggard, said, "Good luck."
Nicholson nodded, took a moment to psyche himself up, then hopped over the side of the fountain and started to run.
He reached the nearest power box, dropped to one knee beside it, and fired a burst at the side of the big structure.
Nothing.
He switched his aim to the power box and fired a burst into the box at point-blank range. He made three scorch marks in the casing. At least it wasn't shielded, but he'd done no actual harm. He examined the box, looking for a vulnerable spot. A blue blob near the top pulsed as he looked at it. He thought it might be made of glass. "Worth a shot," he muttered, and brought up the rifle.
He never had a chance to fire. A pair of aliens came around the tower, one from each side, skittering toward him on their too-thin legs. Sunlight glittered on the steel encasing their limbs. They moved with terrifying speed, and he held the trigger down, spraying shots at the one on the left. Sparks flew as it brought up its arms, still running at him. Then a lucky shot made it through and the creature fell sprawling.
Nicholson swung the rifle right. The second commando was almost on top of him. He fired one frantic burst, saw two limbs spasm, and then the magazine hit empty. He lunged to his feet, bringing the rifle up, and lashed out with the stock of the gun as the alien reached him.
A limb slammed into his chest, close enough to his earlier wound that he felt agony lash through him. The steel point tore a furrow in his body armor, and he screamed, hammering with the butt of his rifle. He couldn’t reach the thing's torso, so he bashed at the steel arms. The arm on the left wasn't working properly, twitching against the ground as the alien tried to raise it. The arm on the right worked fine, though, and the point came up to touch his chest again. The creature pressed, and Nicholson fell back, losing his grip on the rifle.