by Jay Allan
They had tried for a swift and decisive end to the conflict, but they had been unable to avert the inevitable. The deaths of their four delegates we just the beginning.
Edwin and Rebecca both stood in silence for a minute processing the news.
“Kalvin is distraught over Leanna’s sacrifice. She had such promise,” Rebecca murmured, breaking the silence.
“He should be happy it wasn’t him,” Edwin replied.
Rebecca shook her head. “This could have been avoided if we’d never let the Bakzen live all those centuries ago.”
Edwin felt faint. “That wasn’t our ancestors’ only mistake. Yet, here we are to clean up the mess.”
“This will be a long and messy war.”
“One that we must win, through any means necessary,” Edwin told her.
Rebecca nodded. “I supposed it was always going to be us or them. To have let them flee before was only delaying this eventuality.”
“Some divides are too great to overcome,” he agreed.
“What happens now?”
“Everything is going to change,” Edwin replied. “This will be a fight for our very survival—not only for this organization, but the Taran race. Our current weapons and ways of thinking won’t win this fight.”
Rebecca looked down. “No more hypotheticals. All our long-term plans will be put to the test.”
It was a truth that would define their existence for generations to come. “Beginning today, we are at war.”
About the Author, Amy DuBoff
Amy DuBoff has always loved science fiction in all its forms, including books, movies, shows, and games. If it involved outer space, even better! After beginning her creative writing studies at the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, she went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a minor in Professional Writing from Portland State University. Amy primarily writes character-driven science fiction and science-fantasy with broad scope and cool tech. When she’s not writing, she enjoys travel, wine tasting, binge-watching TV series, and playing epic strategy board games.
Find Amy online: Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Website
Books by Amy DuBoff
The Cadicle Series
Retreat
A Pike Chronicles Short Story
By G.P. Hudson
Chapter 1
“There are no habitable planets in this system,” said Ensign Spalding. “No signs of life.”
Young, strong, and eager to impress, thought Captain Milburn. The new generation. All they had ever known was life on board this ship. Life on the run. Would they ever know anything else? “Very well. This is as good a system as any. Helm, take us out to that asteroid field. We need to replenish some resources. It will help conceal our presence if needed.”
“Aye, Sir,” said Lieutenant Taleb, one of the original crew members. Like him, she too was sporting gray hairs now, if only a few. There weren’t many of the original crew still alive who didn’t have at least some gray. Twenty-five years on the run can do that.
They had done their job, though. They kept the crew alive. Kept things running. Soon this aging ship would be passed down to this new generation. A generation brought up to be skilled and tough. A generation with no memory of Earth, all born on this ship.
“Is the jump gate activation system still down?” said Milburn.
“Yes, Sir. They’re still conducting repairs,” said Commander Johansen, Milburn’s XO, and another of the old, graying, guard. His own son now an adult, and a promising young officer.
“How long’s it been down?”
“Two weeks. Repair crews have been busy putting out other fires, but they’re optimistic that they can get it back online within the next few hours.”
Milburn had almost forgotten what a jump gate looked like. The last time he saw one, an alien invasion fleet poured through it. The Juttari. What sins had humanity committed to bring that scourge down on their heads?
They had been docked when it happened. Most of the crew were enjoying the amenities of Sol’s largest space station. A great city in space. One of the wonders of the Sol System. By the time the crew got back on board, most of the fleet had been destroyed.
His ship, the Invincible, didn’t live up to its name that day. It had been undergoing maintenance, and its weapon systems were offline. There was nothing they could do to help. Even with weapons, they would have been impotent. The aliens were superior in every way, and the fleet was quickly wiped out.
He was a young bridge officer then, with a young wife back on Earth. He wanted to fight. To do anything to stop the aliens from reaching Earth. But they had orders to retreat. Without weapons, they were useless. As they fled, he helplessly watched the destruction of the great space station. For a moment, the explosion even rivaled the light of Sol itself. Tens of thousands of lives, snuffed out in an instant.
The plan had been to retreat, regroup, and return to Sol. But the aliens chased them. For years, they played cat and mouse, as the aliens spread out like a cancer in search of ships like his. With each encounter, they had gotten better at evading the enemy. But with each light year, Earth, and his wife, were further from reach.
At first, the transmissions came regularly, outlining even the most tragic details. Finally, they learned that Earth had fallen. The cradle of humanity, now in the hands of these vicious demons. These Juttari.
Then the transmissions ended. It might have been the distance, or it might have been the conquest. Either way, Milburn figured it didn’t make much difference.
Fortunately, the colonies had somehow managed to shut down their jump gate. With that one action, the colonists had saved themselves from conquest. Humanity could continue to thrive. There was, at least, that.
But the colonies were more than a thousand light years away. Too far to reach without a jump gate. The Invincible had been traveling for twenty-five years, and had only covered two-hundred-and-fifty light years. Thankfully they hadn’t encountered a Juttari warship in years, but they couldn’t grow complacent.
It was relentlessly drilled into the new generation. The galaxy was filled with horrors, and they needed to remain vigilant. They had to become warriors.
Milburn often wondered if they would ever reach the colonies. They would need to travel another nine-hundred-and-fifty light years to do so. A good ninety-five more years of travel, at least. Could they manage it? Could they keep the ship running that long? Or would they be forced to settle on some planet, or moon, somewhere along the way? He would never know, one way or another. He’d be long dead by then.
“This will do,” said Milburn. “All stop.”
“Aye, Sir. All stop,” said Lieutenant Taleb.
The Invincible came to rest near one of the larger asteroids. The asteroid’s size would serve to hide them in the off chance that a Juttari warship happened to show up.
“Send out the mining teams,” said Milburn.
“Aye, Sir,” said Commander Johansen. “Mining teams are being dispatched.”
From the Invincible’s hangar bay a squadron of small robot spacecraft set out toward the neighboring rocks. There they would begin the process of harvesting the valuable resources hidden beneath the rocky surfaces.
A starship could find most of what it needed within an asteroid, including precious metals, and even water. If they remained in system long enough, Milburn would extend his ship’s prospecting activities to the planets, to shore up their reserves of other necessary supplies.
As the hours passed, Milburn spent his time reviewing the various reports from throughout the ship. While they tried hard to stay on top of repairs, the Invincible was aging, and there were no space docks to service the old bird.
More and more, the reports he received detailed the various breakdowns requiring attention throughout the ship. Every day they tried to catch up, but fell further behind. Repairs were often just patches, to get by while more pressing concerns were addressed. It was a losing battle, though no one d
ared admit it.
“Captain,” said Commander Johansen. “I’ve just received word that the jump gate activation system is back online.”
A perfect example. They hadn’t found a jump gate in twenty-five years, and had no idea if they would ever find another. In the past, maintenance of the system would’ve been a top priority. Now? It barely made it to the bottom of the list.
“Very well. Go ahead and send the ping,” said Milburn, without looking up from his reports. One more thing he could scratch off his list.
“Aye, Sir. Initiating jump gate activation broadcast,” said Johansen.
Milburn continued studying the dry maintenance reports, thinking how he would give his left arm for a real, fresh brewed cup of coffee.
“I don’t believe it,” said Johansen. “Picking up jump gate activity.”
“What?” said Milburn, almost leaping to his feet. “On main viewscreen.”
The large display that dominated the bridge changed orientation, revealing the shimmering oval taking shape before them. The entire bridge watched in awe. For the young ones, this was the first time they had ever seen a jump gate. Until now, they were nothing more than myth. For the old timers, it was like seeing a ghost.
“I never thought I’d see one again,” Johansen said in wonder.
Milburn was speechless. He had all but given up on finding another celestial portal. Yet now, after twenty-five years, they had, and it was the most beautiful thing he had seen in a very long time.
“What are your orders, Sir?” said Johansen, bringing Milburn back to reality.
“Orders?” he said, stupefied by their discovery.
“Yes, Sir. What do we do?”
Milburn looked at his XO, and a smile began to grow. “We see what’s on the other side.”
Chapter 2
“Sound general quarters,” ordered Captain Milburn. “We don’t know what we’re getting into. Let’s be prepared. And order the mining teams back to the ship.”
A klaxon rang throughout the bridge, and the entire ship. “This is not a drill. This is not a drill. General quarters, general quarters, all hands man your battle stations,” said Commander Johansen over the public-address system.
The mining vessels raced back to the ship. The ship’s personnel scrambled to their battle stations. Despite the ship’s age, the crew remained efficient. The younger members especially so. Born and raised on the Invincible, they performed their duties with unfettered ease.
“All mining teams are back on board, Sir,” said Johansen.
Milburn sat back in his chair, pulling up a tactical display. “Helm, take us through the jump gate.”
“Aye, Sir,” said Lieutenant Taleb.
The Invincible left its hiding spot, accelerating away from the asteroid field, toward the great portal before them.
“What if the Juttari are on the other side?” Johansen said in a quiet voice.
“Then we’re well and truly screwed, Commander,” said Milburn. “But I don’t think they are. If they were, they would have a presence on this side of the gate too. They wouldn’t leave it unguarded like this.”
“Yes, Sir. Agreed.”
“In fact, the more I think about it, the more I believe we’re dealing with an undiscovered gate. If anyone on the other side knew this gate existed, they would’ve crossed through and established some sort of presence in this system.”
“So, you don’t think there’s anyone there?”
“There might be. I just don’t think they know about the gate. For all we know, there might be a pre-spacefaring race. Regardless, we’re about to find out.”
Milburn held his breath as the Invincible entered the shimmering field of the jump gate, crossing through.
“Report,” Milburn barked.
“We have traveled nine hundred light years, Sir,” said Ensign Spalding.
Nine hundred light years, thought Milburn in amazement. “What is our location in relation to the colonies. Are we any closer?”
“Yes, Sir!” Spalding said excitedly. “Sensors reporting that we are now fifty light years away from the colonies.”
“Ensign, double check your readings,” Johansen snapped.
“I already have, Sir. The numbers are correct.”
“Incredible,” said Milburn, confirming the data with a star chart of his own. “We’ve just shaved seven-hundred light years off our trip. We can reach the colonies within five years. What about our current location, Ensign? What’s around us?”
“The jump gate is situated in empty space, Sir. There is a star system just a half light year away, though. It is also situated along our route to the colonies.”
“How are we for resources, Commander?” said Milburn.
“We can last for another two months, before we start tapping our reserves.”
“Good enough. We can acquire more when we reach that system. Helm, set a course for the nearby star system, ten cee.”
“Aye, Sir.”
The Invincible took off in the direction of the colonies. As it accelerated, an FTL bubble took shape around the warship, allowing it to break the light barrier, and travel faster than the speed of light.
Chapter 3
“Approaching star system, Sir,” said Lieutenant Taleb.
It had been two weeks since they’d come through the jump gate. Things had remained rather uneventful during that time.
“Take us out of FTL once we’re inside the star system, Lieutenant,” said Captain Milburn.
“Sir, I am picking up a tremendous amount of communication activity in this system,” said Ensign Spalding, the sensor operator.
“Communications? Then the system is populated. Is it the Juttari?”
“Negative, Sir. The language has never been encountered before. I am running it through the computer for analysis and translation.”
“A new race,” Milburn said in wonder. “Are they spacefaring?”
“Yes, Sir. I am reading a significant amount of inter-system activity.”
“Any signs that they have FTL capabilities?”
“Yes, Sir. I am reading spatial disturbances that are consistent with FTL travel.”
“Sound General Quarters,” said Milburn. “Take us into the system nice and easy. This is a first contact situation. I don’t want to show any hostile intent, but make sure we’re ready to respond in case they take aggressive action. Commander, what is our weapon status?”
“Missiles are ready to go, and particle weapons are fully charged,” said Commander Johansen.
“Very well, let’s see if the locals are friendly.”
The invincible dropped out of FTL travel in a star system dominated by a yellow star, similar in size to Sol. The system had seven planets, with three showing signs of life and development. Several structures occupied the space between the planets. Brisk traffic moved back and forth between the structures and planets.
“We’ve been spotted,” said Commander Johansen. “Two ships have altered course and are heading straight for us. They’re accelerating.”
“Steady as she goes. We’re just passing through. How’s that translation coming, Ensign?”
“The computer is making some progress, but we still don’t have a full translation.”
“How long until those ships reach us?”
“Two hours at their current speed.”
“Slow us down. Give us some more time until we make contact.”
“Aye, Sir.”
The Invincible reduced speed, maintaining its position on the fringes of the star system. Milburn wanted to make sure he understood these aliens before he had to speak to them.
“Sir, I am reading weapon signatures on these two ships. They are definitely military vessels,” said Spalding.
“Thank you, Ensign. Everyone stay calm. We are an unidentified warship entering their system. Sending their military out to intercept us is the natural response. All we want is to peacefully travel through their space. No reason for any hostility. Ens
ign Spalding, will we have a translation by the time the ships come into weapons range?”
“I am feeding all the communication to the computer for analysis, Sir. Estimates are that we should have a working translation by that time, although accuracy is estimated at fifty to sixty percent.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, Sir. Once we are in direct communication with the vessels, the computer will be better able to refine its translation.”
“It’ll have to do.”
Milburn watched the ships draw nearer on his tactical screen. “Still no attempt at communication from the ships?”
“No, Sir,” said Spalding.
“Better for us to reach out first. We’re the ones trespassing. “Send out a standard hail and communication request in their language. I’m assuming the computer has enough data to accomplish that?”
“Aye, Captain. Transmitting hail.”
The muscles in Milburn’s shoulders tightened into knots, as he grew more uneasy. The two ships were closing, but still a fair distance away. They were well beyond the range of the Invincible’s weapons. But that didn’t mean that the Invincible wasn’t within the aliens’ weapons range. In truth, they knew nothing about this race, or their capabilities. What if they were as powerful as the Juttari?
“Sir, the aliens have responded with an audio transmission.”
“Run it through the computer for translation and play it.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“Unidentified vessel,” said the computer’s feminine voice. “You have illegally violated the territory of the Kemmar Empire. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded.”
The tension moved from Milburn’s shoulders, to the back of his neck. “Transmit the following message, Ensign. This is Captain Milburn, of the Sol Ship Invincible. We are new to this region of space, and were unaware that we had broken any laws. We apologize if we did not follow the correct procedure. We seek only to establish friendly relations with the Kemmar Empire.”