by Saxon Andrew
The two Aliens appeared on his monitor, “Are you referring to us?”
“Yes, I am.”
“We almost left but decided to see what was going to happen. I think we can leave now.”
“So, you’re not going to lead the Paben to us?”
“No, we’ve decided that no good comes from causing confrontations. You’re free of our meddling.”
“What changed your mind.”
We caused too much death. We know it would have eventually happened anyway but we deprived too many of years of their lives.”
‘I’m glad to hear that!”
“You should be. You’re now possess total power in your species and I’m sure you’re happy about that.”
“What do you mean!?”
“You’re doing exactly what Thorpe would have done.”
“That’s absurd!”
“Is it.”
“I’m nothing like Thorpe!”
“Come on, Admiral. You’re going to let those two-civilizations take on the Paben and then you might go and take them on after they’ve beaten each other up. You are very much like Thorpe. If you don’t go out and help them, you’ll just relax here and enjoy your new power.”
“I’M NOT LIKE THROPE!!”
“If you say so. Think about what he would do if he was in your place. Either way, your species is still aggressive and cares nothing about anything but yourselves. You won’t have to face the Paben but your daughter’s descendants will in a few hundred years. Good luck.”
The monitor went dark and Rory’s rage returned. It was an hour before he realized the Aliens had said a few hundred years. There’s no way the Paben would be here that fast.
Rory thought about it and knew that the two-advanced civilizations would be conquered and would add their populations to building Paben Warships. Thorpe still wouldn’t have attacked any civilization that was a threat. Wait a minute…that is exactly what he was doing. He put his head in his hands and screamed a primal sound. He fell back in his chair and forced himself to calm down and think clearly. They were right; he had the sole responsibility to make this decision. He had total power. And he was military.
• • •
Dean, Ginger, and Jeffery boarded a shuttle after they left the cafeteria. Ginger suggested that remaining on the New York might not be a wise decision. By that time, Dean and Jeffery agreed she was right. They landed on the Planet and Ginger lifted her personal communicator. “The Command Team has been ordered to the Admiral’s Conference Room, immediately.”
Dean shrugged, “He’s probably convening a Court-Martial Committee.”
“We’ve been ordered there as well.”
“What?”
“Our names are included on the list and so are you, Jeffery.”
“Crap! Can he punish me for this?”
Ginger shrugged, “You were there with us. But that also included me, as well.”
Dean sighed, “It is what it is; let’s go back.”
“The Shuttle has left. We need to call another one in.”
“That will give him time to set it up. I’m sorry I got you two involved in this.”
Ginger smiled, “It is what it is.”
• • •
It took an hour to get another shuttle back to the New York and when they entered the conference room, they saw the other members sitting at the front table. Rory looked up and shouted, “WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!?!”
Ginger smiled, “We had to wait on a shuttle to arrive to bring us up from the planet.”
“WHY WERE YOU ON THE PLANET?!”
“We certainly didn’t want to be here in your current mood…Sir.”
Rory stared at them and said, “Take a chair!” They walked down the aisle to the table and sat down. Rory looked around at them and said, “Admiral’s Logan and Donovan, you will recall all your sailors from liberty and start preparing your fleets for battle. Megan, you will also get every Scout and Attack Sled fully up to speed for combat. You will make this happen within forty-eight hours.”
Meredith looked at Rory, “What’s going on?”
“We’re going back to war in the Corina Spiral Arm. We are going to assist two-civilizations there against the impending Paben attack.” Dean, Ginger’s, and Jeffery’s mouths were open and it was clear the announcement shocked them. Rory looked at them and said, “I will not have my descendants facing them in a few hundred-years. Jeffery, get your Knights and Zombies organized and tell them they have the opportunity they wanted.”
Logan looked at Rory, “Sir, we’re still recovering from the war against Earth.”
Rory looked at Logan and said, “If all of you don’t want to do this, vote me out of Command. You have that authority but as long as I’m in command, we will do this.”
Logan stared at Rory and saw the others were also very uncomfortable by what was going on. Logan said, “Kuchen, what do you think about this?”
Kuchen was lounging on his chair and looked at Rory, “Will we be outnumbered?”
“Horrifically so.”
“Is there a chance we could lose?”
“DA!”
“Count me in. I love a good fight.”
Meredith looked at Rory, “Why are we doing this?”
“Because if I don’t, one of our great-grandchildren will. And they will have far worse odds than I have at this moment in time.” Rory looked at Admiral Logan, “You can stay behind with your fleet to defend the Colonies.”
“Sir, if we’re going to do this, I will not send you out without me.”
Meredith looked at Rory, “I will command the Fleet you leave here. However, I want you to promise you will do all you possibly can to come back to us. I hate that I can’t go with you.”
Rory nodded and smiled, “Take care of our baby and make sure he knows I died fighting to protect him and you.” Meredith’s eyes were moist as she nodded. Rory looked around the room and said, “Get moving, we need to get ready.”
The Admirals rushed out of the room as Rory said, “Lt. Cambridge, notify all personnel to report back to their ships.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Lisa turned to her console as Jeffery walked up, “I guess I’m not going to be able to keep our babysitting date.”
Lisa smiled at him, “Then we’re going to have to make the most of the time we have while the fleet is getting ready.”
Jeffery’s grin was huge, “I really look forward to that.” Lisa nodded and began sending out messages.
Dean looked at Ginger, “I’ll meet you at the Corina Arm.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have one more place to visit. I’ll see you at the arm.” Dean sprinted out of the room and Ginger wondered what was going on. She was about to stop him when Meredith said, “I’ll take care of Connie while you’re gone.”
Ginger turned to her and tilted her head, “Be sure to tell her we died for her if we don’t make it back.”
“I will. You need to gather her things and get them to me now.” Ginger nodded and rushed out of the room. She needed some time with her daughter and there’s wasn’t much remaining.
• • •
“Kerry, you weren’t being honest with him.”
“Oh?”
“You know the Paben wouldn’t show up here for at least a thousand-years.”
“But they will show up.”
“Yes, I suppose they will, eventually.”
“So, no harm done, Lise.”
“Why you little trickster! You knew calling him Thorpe would change his mind.”
“Well, he isn’t insane like Thorpe was. But he needed a little more encouragement.”
“We can’t leave now.”
“Oh, no! Things are about to get interesting. Let’s head over to the Sagin and see what’s going on.”
“You don’t want to follow that Dean fellow?”
“If you think about it, you’ll figure out where he’s going. The Sagin will be more interesting.”
“No, it’s not going to happen. That’s why the Sagin will be more interesting.”
“Ok, let’s go.”
Chapter Thirty
Megan was on the Babylon getting her wings armed and powered for the coming conflict. Kuchen walked up behind her and said, “I sense you’re a little tense.”
Megan almost jumped off the floor and said, “YOU HAVE GOT TO QUIT SNEAKING UP ON ME LIKE THIS!”
“Tisk, tisk, tisk. Calm down. This is a fight you should be looking forward to, Senior Capitan.”
“You’re out of your bloody Russian mind. Have you seen the numbers we’ll be facing? Even you can’t be that crazy.”
“I have.”
“And you’re not worried?”
“Think about this, Capitan. This is where you and my Carriers will be in their element. We will be making the difference.”
Megan pursed her lips, “Is that so? And just what fantasy did you use to come up with this?”
“Well…think about it. The Paben Warships do not have anything like a dart-cloud to protect them. They depend on rapid fire-lasers and missiles that are slower than your Attack Sleds. They don’t have force fields…well…for that matter neither do we, but we do have hulls that are resistant to their disruptors. You’ll be able to attack them head-on like we’ve always hoped. And we’ve built so many Attack Sleds to the point where the Carriers can’t hold anymore. We’re going to have to send more than a hundred-wings out without a Carrier. They’ll have to fly there outside our hulls. We’ll keep all of them provisioned and armed but the numbers we’re facing aren’t as bad as you think.”
Megan stared at him and said, “They don’t have dart-clouds?”
Kuchen nodded, “Nyet.”
“And their missiles are slower?”
“Da.”
Megan smiled, “That’s a good thing, Admiral.”
“Da, it is. Carry on, Capitan, and try to relax a little.” Kuchen turned around and walked away.
Megan shook her head and went to a computer terminal in the landing bay. She signed in and began pulling up data collected by the Scouts scanning the Paben Fleets. Kuchen was right. She had to have a conference call with all of the Attack Sled Pilots! She took a breath and blew it out. That could be done on the trip over to the Corina Arm. Patience…she had to learn patience. She went back to the landing bay and did feel a lot better. Even if they lost, a lot of Paben would go with them. That was better than what she had been anticipating.
She contacted Harry and he yelled at her, “CAN’T YOU SEE I’M BUSY!?!”
“Just wanted to share some information Admiral Kuchen just gave me.”
Megan told him and by the time she finished, Harry was smiling, “Did you check this out?”
“I did and he’s right.”
“Hell’s bells. Thank you, Megan; I owe you one.”
“Pay it to the Paben.”
“Will do.”
Megan smiled, Harry was just as tense as she was. She still saw no way to win this confrontation but at least they wouldn’t just die in the first contact with the Paben Fleets.
• • •
Admiral Logan contacted Dan, “I guess this is a good way to go.”
“Hey, Jim, we’re warriors. It’s what we live for.”
“Say what?”
“You know, going out in a burst of glory taking hundreds of our enemies with us.”
Logan was silent for a minute and then said, “Don’t tell me you really believe that hogwash!”
“Of course, I don’t believe it but it does sound good and makes the ladies pay attention.”
Logan shook his head, “You need to get a wife. It would change that outlook.”
“What do you mean.”
“You’d want to die faster.” Dan burst out laughing and Logan smiled, “I’m just kidding. I love her but she’s had her fill of me being away so much.”
“Well, think about it, Jim. She can find a brand new, younger husband after this coming fight.”
Logan stared at Dan and said, “Now you’ve ruined my day. She’s still incredibly beautiful and I can see the men rushing to comfort her. That settles it!”
“Settles what?”
“We’re not going to lose this fight! If I have to walk out and attack the Paben with a hatchet, I will. I’ve gotta go!”
“Where?”
“To tell her how much she means to me. I’ve neglected doing that for a while.”
“That’s probably why she’s put out with your absences. You have to make the time together count.”
“This coming from a single-man.”
“It’s what I’d do if I were married.”
The monitor went dark and Stephanie Adams said from her console, “If that’s the case, Admiral, I’ll marry you.”
Dan jerked his head around to her and saw her smiling, “That’s a good one, Steph.”
“I’m not kidding. Think about it.”
Dan stared at her with his eyebrows raised. Stephanie had joined his crew eight-months earlier and had pretty much ignored all the advances from the male members of the crew. “Why me, Steph?”
“I have standards, Admiral. And you meet them. What you just told Admiral Logan confirms it. Like I said, think about it.”
The entire bridge crew was staring at them and Dan started shaking his head, “It’s a great time to tell me this, just before we go to war.”
“Then contact Admiral Mankin and have him marry us now.”
“But you don’t really know me. You may find out I’m impossible to live with and a real ogre.”
“And you may find out I’m a real witch. But if you meant what you said about making every moment count, then I think we’ll be fine together. And don’t think I don’t know you. I’ve watched you for eight-months and I know who you are.”
“But I don’t know you, Stephanie.”
“Let’s see if I can help you with that.” Stephanie stood up and looked around the bridge, “What would all of you say about who I am.” The entire crew cheered and clapped. Stephine made a curtesy and looked at Dan, “It appears I’m not all that bad.”
Dan stared at her and said, “Are you sure about this?”
“Can you make a commitment to me that you’ll keep?”
Dan was silent for a very long moment and then picked up his communicator. He pressed a button and said, “Admiral, do you have a free-moment?”
“Yes, what do you need?”
“I’m coming over to the New York and I want you to marry a couple who’ve decided not to waste any more time.”
“Who’s the couple.”
“Stephanie Adams and me.”
“What. I didn’t know you were in a relationship.”
“Neither did I, but it appears I am.”
“You stay put and I’ll come to you.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Dan looked at Stephanie and smiled, “I’ve also been paying attention to you as well. You have a good heart and go out of your way to make other’s lives happier.”
“Then why haven’t you made the first move?!”
Dan shrugged, “You’ve turned so many others down that I just thought…”
“You’d get the same treatment,” she interrupted.
“Something like that.”
“Well, just remember in thirty-years that I was the one who made the first move.”
Dan smiled, “Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be allowed to forget that.”
Stephanie smiled, “No, I won’t be harping on it. The important thing is that it happened. I need to go change.” Dan nodded and she left the bridge.
“Sir.”
“Yes, Gretna.”
“The two of you belong together. Both of you are the finest people I’ve ever known and I know you’ll be happy together.” Amen’s began among the crew and Dan smiled, “Thank you. I also need to change.” He left the bridge and wondered
what Logan was going to say about this.
• • •
Rory arrived and walked on the bridge with narrowed eyes. He saw Dan in his Fleet Dress Uniform and Stephanie in a white lacy dress. He saw them staring at each other and he sighed, “I came here to talk some sense into you but I see that would be the wrong thing to do. I think however this happened, it is a good thing. Are you ready to become husband and wife?”
They looked at him, smiled, and said, “Yes.”
Rory performed the ceremony and instead of going back to the New York, he went home to Meredith. He had to see her. She needed to know the depth of his love and this moment had shown him how much he loved her.
Meredith finally said, “You need to be getting ready to go.”
“Another week won’t make a difference, my love. But it will for me if I leave now.” Meredith smiled and went into his arms.
The Fleet was ready to launch and Rory ordered all the crews to go home and spend a week with their loved ones. That week is what would make the difference in the coming fight. The sailors returned with a determination to defend those that were so important to them.
• • •
Rory looked at Ginger, “Where’s Dean?”
“I don’t know.”
“What?”
“He said he had one more place to go a week ago and I’ve not heard from him.”
“What is he up to?”
Ginger shrugged, “I really don’t know.”
Rory exhaled slowly and said, “He is going to run me crazy.”
“Get in line, Admiral.”
Rory looked at Lisa, “Notify the Fleet to start moving. Donovan’s ships will lead the way with Kuchen’s Carriers following. Logan will move in behind the Carriers.”
Paul looked at Rory, “Where do you want the New York?”
“Move in among the Carriers.”
Lisa turned to issue the orders and Rory said, “Did you and Jeffery manage to get some time together?” Lisa’s face turned beet-red and she nodded as she spoke into her console. Rory decided that there was nothing like a space-battle to push people into doing things they’d normally delay. But that was a good thing. He hoped Lisa and Jeffery made good use of their time together; Jeffery was going to be in a dangerous position when hostilities kicked off.
• • •
The Colony Fleet had grown during the brief time after the fight at Earth. Two-new-Carriers had come off the assembly line that were not available in the final showdown with Thorpe’s forces. The new Battleships had also continued coming on line and there were more than three-thousands of them in the Fleet. Sol was promoted to Rear-Admiral and commanded a thousand of them. Logan and Donovan also had a thousand under them and they had been working with Solomon getting him up to speed on the tools he’d need to make them effective. Three-thousand-warships weren’t much comparted to what was coming but they’d comport themselves well. The Fleet went to drive-fields and disappeared from the Construction Planet. The thing that made Rory proud was that some of the Aliens that his fleet had originally attacked had insisted on going to fight with the Fleet. He sighed and still felt bad about his former life fighting for Thorpe. But perhaps this would help him deal with that misery.