Remember the Starfighter

by Michael Kan

  “The other galactic governments, shouldn’t they be alarmed?”

  “They have no other choice. The Endervars keep coming, and the Ouryans… They control the collapser, and some of the major fleets. Everyone is looking to them for aid. To end this war.”

  The bleak scenario cast a pall over the room, the machinations of the Ouryans in the open.

  “Richard. If he hadn’t died,” Julian said. “Alysdeon had originally wanted to intervene, and convene a meeting of the galactic congress. To rally support and show the whole galaxy what we had found. But now…”

  “The collapser,” Arendi asked. “When will it deploy?”

  “Maybe in another month,” he replied.

  “Then we still have time.”

  Julian nodded, but wiped his eyes, exhausted. He grabbed the data tablet, trying to read the almost endless streams of text.

  “I’ve been looking through the leaks for hours now. Richard. He told me to know the Ouryans. To know the enemy.”

  “Have you made any progress?” she asked.

  Julian tossed the data tablet aside, shaking his head.

  “I’m out of my depth,” he said, clutching the back of his hair. “Things were much simpler before. When it was just us, and Alysdeon.”

  Arendi nodded, as she quickly came to her own conclusion. “Then perhaps that’s what we need to do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She paused for a moment, the idea emerging in her mind. It was true: the Ouryans were dangerous. But so was she, the Endervar technology at her command.

  “Your homeworld. Haven,” Arendi finally said. “Maybe we should just save it on our own.”

  ***

  The Sovereign was already a step ahead.

  Running through her contacts, she looked at the different names and tried to discern from whom she could trust, and who might be compromised.

  It was a long list, spanning thousands of people, and displayed on the bridge’s view screen. Nearly all were old friends she had come to know during her time as leader of the Terran Hegemony. In many cases, it had been decades, if not an entire century, since she had last touched base.

  The Sovereign could only ask: Would they still remember? Or would they even care?

  Worse yet was the other prospect. That the Ouryans had scared them into submission. Or maybe even forced them to lay down a trap.

  She knew the dangers and the consequences of any misstep. Richard was most likely dead, his presence wiped from the galactic networks and his ship found destroyed on Carigon.

  Like her, he was a professional in the art of espionage. He would no doubt tell her that he had no regrets in his demise. That the mission trumped everything else.

  Even so, Alysdeon could not shake the guilt. How many had died in her previous reign as leader of the Hegemony? She didn’t need to dwell on it. Just somehow, prevent anyone else from becoming victims to their current debacle.

  Today, however, it seemed that the Sovereign had no other choice.

  For hours now, she had been sending out the messages from the Au-O’sanah’s bridge. Next to her, she tapped the casing to the newly installed encryption module, the algorithms acquired from the refueling station, and up-to-date.

  She had heard nothing back, the silence almost foreboding. She wouldn’t blame her friends. Weeks ago, the Alliance had disbanded her elite status, and cut all official ties with her. Now the galactic organization had been neutered, and she was a specialist no more.

  She hadn’t told Julian about this. No need to worry him or Arendi. But it was no secret. They were all fugitives now, even the legendary Sovereign not immune to the influence of the Ouryans.

  She felt alone, standing on the bridge. Sovereign. It was the name almost all had known her by, although she had disowned the title for so long. A century may have passed, but the sting of the political acrimony was still there — the past betrayals and deaths sometimes personal. Perhaps too much so.

  Recalling all the tragedies from before, she then fell back into a nearby seat, her mood admittedly despondent.

  Maybe she was asking for too much. Maybe the Sovereign was just a memory.

  It was then the message came, the communications from a sender outside her contact list.

  She read the title, and was surprised to find it not in any commonly used language. Accessing the ship’s computer, she verified the words.

  SUBJECT: TO MY DEAR MOTHER, FROM YOUR ONE AND ONLY “KINNISON”.

  It was an Ula code, both the content and the language used by only a select group. Pausing to weigh the risks, the Sovereign opened the rest of the message, and discovered that it was a link to an encrypted channel. She accessed it, and boosted the Au-O’sanah’s communication signal to the neighboring refueling outpost.

  What appeared on the bridge’s screen was not any friend she had known, but a curious young boy, perhaps 12 years old in age.

  “Is it really you?” he asked, his voice sprightly.

  The boy had long white hair, and all the features of a typical New Terran, the gold implants glowing from his cheeks. He stared back in awe, his violet eyes bright.

  she replied.

  “I’m sorry, my name is Alex. Alex-Shen Casguard.”

  Alysdeon recognized the surname.

  “My grandmother,” he explained. “She asked that I contact you. I did as she told, and I’ve taken every precaution, so don’t worry.”

 

  “Are you kidding? She is so supportive. Everyone is! The great Sovereign is back. We’re all here to assist you.”

  The young boy was excited. Smiling, the Sovereign found herself pleasantly taken aback.

 

  “19,” he said. “I know. I know, I look much younger. All this genetic engineering has delayed puberty for me.”

 

  “I should be. This is my duty. I’ve been inducted into the academy. It’s such an honor to meet you. We learned about you in school.”

  He wanted to go on with his respectful adulation. But he gradually trailed off, as the door behind the Sovereign opened. The young boy gawked at what he saw.

  “So it’s true. You really are in league with her. The android,” he said.

  Entering the bridge, Julian and Arendi stopped, and glanced at both Alysdeon and the young boy on the view screen.

  “And this is…?” Julian asked, slightly amused.

  The Sovereign rose from her seat, and straightened her black uniform.

  she said, answering the boy’s question.

  “I know. My grandmother received your message. The Ouryans have been everywhere, looking for you. All of you. They even have drones following top New Terran personnel.”

  It was not a shock to Alysdeon. In their efforts to try and capture Arendi, the Ouryan Union had done the same to the New Terran fleet at Amredies Prime, and threatened to seize the ships.

  “But we’re not afraid,” the boy said. “Grandmother is readying ships for you, staffed by crew she knows will be loyal. So many want to join. You have no idea how many. My family will act as your liaison.”

  she smiled.

  “No, no. Grandmother, she actually sends her apologies. At first, the ships won’t be many. The Ouryans are watching so closely. But more will come. This she promised.”

 

  “The honor is mine,” the boy said in gratitude, as the Sovereign transmitted the data. “Everything, including the media feed you requested, will be ready.”

 

  “I know. Don’t worry. The Casg
uard family is with you Sovereign. We will stay in touch.”

  In a final smile, the boy waved his innocent good-bye, before stiffening his stance into a formal salute, his hand placed across his chest.

  As the transmission ended, Alysdeon sighed in relief.

  “The Casguard family?” Julian asked.

  She looked at him and then Arendi, both still clueless to her plan.

 

  With a thought, the bridge’s view screen switched to synch with the public networks, the data displayed from hundreds of different channels across the galaxy.

 

  Walking toward Arendi, the Sovereign placed her hand on her shoulder.

 

  “Yes, of course. Julian and I, we had a similar line of thought.”

 

  Julian nodded, exhilarated by the statement. In another thought, the Sovereign began prepping the ship for hyperspace.

 

  PART IV: REMEMBER

  Chapter 60

  It was a bold idea. Rather than try and convince the Ouryans to abandon the collapser, the New Terran woman known as Alysdeon was proposing another course, one that would apply public pressure and force the Union into abandoning their plans entirely.

  she said.

  She directed the question toward Arendi, and gave her the list.

  It was written on a data tablet, the device displaying the names and overall makeups of six different planets. Haven was among them, but also others including what had been described as homeworlds belonging to “key Alliance races.”

  Arendi saw what they had in common. “They’ve all been conquered by the Endervars,” she said.

 

  Arendi went deeper into the data. In total, an estimated 33 billion Alliance citizens had been imprisoned on the six different planets. But many more lives would be at stake, the latest intel putting the collapser’s deployment to hundreds of planets and moons in the first strike.

  Alysdeon said, with the golden glow of her implants.

  Liberation. It was what the New Terran commander was asking for. The only question left was whether it could really be done?

  Arendi thought over what to say. She stood with Alysdeon inside the ship’s hanger bay, trying to give her a thorough answer.

  All around them was the stored Endervar matter, the alien technology acquired from her creator and made to be used against the enemy.

  “Theoretically, yes,” Arendi said. “The nullifier that my creator devised, it should be effective in eliminating the shield.”

 

  “No. Only on a small-scale and with far less power. However, I’m sure it can nullify the shield. It’s only a matter of fine-tuning it to suit our needs.”

  Leading her across the hanger bay, Arendi showed her the missile. She had been modifying its original form, extending its length to almost three meters, with a more powerful amplifier at its fore.

  “I’ve been calibrating this one. It’s been specifically designed to target Haven’s shield,” Arendi said. “At this point, however, without a real test, the nullifier is still in its experimental stage.”

  Alysdeon said.

  She studied the missile, and looked into an open panel into the weapon, the intestinal interior so complex, Alysdeon failed to understand it.

 

  “Yes. And I will be here to offer any assistance that I can.”

  Alysdeon stared at her in a thankful nod. Arendi, however, found it hard to look back.

  For her, it was such a contrast. To meet someone who was so confident, and self-assured.

  Unquestionably, Alysdeson was beautiful. Arendi recognized it every time; the woman’s presence was almost ethereal in nature. She was quite tall, with flowing brass hair, and eyes that seemed to entrance. Arendi couldn’t help but feel intimidated. Days ago, she had learned that Alysdeon was more than just a New Terran operative, but a figure of great historical significance.

 

  Arendi meekly nodded.

  “I wish to help.”

 

  Arendi didn’t say it, but she felt the same.

  “I didn’t realize who you really were,” she was quick to add. “But I saw your picture from the media feed. They call you Sovereign?”

 

  The New Terran woman did the unexpected, and placed her two hands over Arendi’s shoulders. Patting her palms over her uniform, she went to touch Arendi’s black hair and brushed it back, smiling.

 

  Arendi was startled by the statement, along with the sudden intimacy. The serene woman didn’t hesitate, as she continued to gently comb the top of her hair.

 

  Listening to the intrusive words, Arendi sunk in her posture, feeling exposed.

  “I…I don’t know what you mean.”

  Alysdeon said, her voice measured, but direct.

  The woman’s smile held steady, her statements wishing to convey the truth. But the same could not be said for Arendi. She wanted to waver. Perhaps even hide.

  Why tell me this? What was the point? Arendi was about to say the words, when she felt the woman’s final sentiment.

 

  Closing her eyes, the woman stepped back, and remembered. The old memories resurfacing. It was a moment saved of any burden, followed by another serene glance.

 

  The New Terran woman placed her hand over her chest, like she was at peace. It was then Arendi realized the Sovereign’s intention. She only wished to help.

  In response, Arendi stood there speechless. Although she knew little of Alysdeon, she began to comprehend why so many remembered her fondly. In the end, she could only muster a subtle nod and grin, Arendi trying to thank the woman with a simple, but wordless gesture.

  Withdrawing her hands from Arendi, the Sovereign fell into a near meditative state, and took in a deep breath.

  she said, the telepathy coming from the Au-O’sanah.

  It was an alert, a probe launched from the bio-ship relaying its findings.

 

  “Your comrades?”

 

  ***

  A day later, and Arendi caught another glimpse of the Sovereign’s power. It waited on
the edge of the star system. The battleship large, and bearing her name.

  Standing at the window, Arendi watched the vessel from afar: the H.G. Davinity in full view. Nearly a mile in length, it was certainly daunting. From a distance, the ship appeared like a medieval lance, the bulk of the vessel at its head, the rest extending out into a long spinal tail.

  Enhancing her vision, she spied what she thought to be gray organic skin and even bone across its shadowed surfaces; the open cartilage was snarling like teeth under the ribbed frame.

  But despite its intimidating appearance, the craft was no foe. Proclaiming its loyalty to the Sovereign, the vessel welcomed their approach, and dropped its defensive fields.

  In doing so, the other ship emerged and came into view.

  It was smaller, and spherical in shape, built out of space borne metals and covered in fissures of neon light. But the science vessel held on board what the battleship had long waited for: the Sovereign safe inside and at the bridge.

  Arendi stood there watching the sight, the two ships joining together, as the docking procedures commenced. No doubt the Sovereign was anxious to board the larger craft and begin orchestrating her plan. However, to ensure its success, the New Terran woman had also asked for something else.

  Cupping the side of her face, Arendi thought over the request. On board the battleship and the science vessel were more advanced research facilities, along with experienced staff. It was the Sovereign’s hope that with it, Arendi could better develop the means to lift the enemy shield. She needed to only prepare the Endervar technology for transfer, and leave the Au-O’sanah to begin the work.

  Walking away from the window, Arendi headed to the ship’s bridge. She entered and found Julian at the center of the room, his body surrounded by columns of contained light.

  “We’ll dock in a few minutes,” he said to her, inputting the commands into the ship’s controls. “You ready?”

  She saw his face through the holographic panels, his fingers tapping against the floating layers of data.