The Phoenix War

by Richard L. Sanders

  “Impossible to tell for sure,” said Rafael. “The patrol has matched our speed and heading, it’s almost like they’re escorting us.”

  “Corralling us like a sheep,” said Calvin. “But where? Do they have a weapons lock?”

  “Affirmative,” said Rafael. “No change there. No sign that they’re planning to fire weapons.”

  “They’re still deciding that,” said Calvin knowingly. He was sure that in the next few seconds their fate would be decided, and their very lives depended on the Rotham patrol swallowing the fish story they’d been fed.

  “Alex, what do you make of all this?” asked Calvin. Wanting to get some Rotham insight.

  Alex did not reply. He remained hunched over the navigation and comms systems. Obviously waiting for the Rotham patrol to send more instructions.

  “Alex, I asked you a question.”

  “I do not know the answer,” said Alex, shooting Calvin an annoyed glare. “But I suspect we—” he fell immediately silent at the sound of the comm system beeping.

  “Incoming hail,” whispered Rafael.

  This is it, thought Calvin. He nodded and Alex answered the call. A staccato voice crackled over the speakers. As the voice seemed to provide further instructions and Alex replied, Calvin wished once again that he’d taken the time to achieve even basic Rotham fluency.

  The voice said something else and Rafael’s eyes widened.

  What? Calvin mouthed the word. But before Rafael could whisper a reply the call terminated and Alex spoke.

  “They want us to accelerate and move to coordinates about five-hundred thousand mc’s from the planet,” said Alex. “When we get there, we’re to jump immediately.”

  “That’s it?” asked Calvin incredulously. “They’re letting us go? Just like that?”

  “They told me to not discuss anything I’ve seen here and to wipe my ship’s logs. They told me that if I didn’t, it would end poorly for me,” said Alex.

  “For you personally?” asked Calvin.

  “Yes. They seem to have accepted the cover ID we gave them,” said Alex. “Word of our predecessor’s disappearance has not yet reached Rotham intelligence, it seems.” Calvin thought of the Rotham who’d owned this ship before he did. However they’d done it, the Roscos had thoroughly made him disappear. And that had probably saved all their lives. Not that Calvin would feel safe until they’d put several clicks between them and the remains of the Alliance.

  “Let’s not give them the chance to change their minds,” said Calvin, heart pumping. “Do as they say, move to those coordinates and jump. Go as fast as you dare but not too fast. We have to maintain our cover.”

  “Already doing it,” said Alex.”

  “We need to get a message out to the queen,” said Rafael. “We have to warn her.”

  Calvin nodded. He knew that as well as any of them. “Yes we do. But we can’t risk sending a kataspace message until we’re clear of the system. Otherwise the Rotham patrol will swoop down on us and, I promise you, they won’t be so generous about letting us go. Isn’t that right, Alex?”

  “It would be unwise to send a kataspace message before we jump to alteredspace,” said Alex.

  “The patrol has broken off,” said Alex. “They’ve resumed their original patrol pattern.”

  Come on, come on, thought Calvin. Watching the planet grow out the window. Knowing that every second spent here delayed getting the message out to Kalila and gave the Rotham Patrol more time to change their mind about letting them go.

  As the Wanderer swiftly crossed the system, adjusting to the course the Rotham patrol had given them, Calvin was able to get a glimpse of the debris out the window as their ship’s identifier lights bounced off of it. He never got a good look. But it seemed like there were gleams of metal and blackened, ruined starship husks that seemed to blend into the blackness all around. It was haunting to think these ships had been full of living breathing people only days before. Perhaps only hours before…

  “There is something else you should know,” said Alex.

  “What?” asked Calvin, not sure what to expect but reasonably sure it would be bad news.

  “The Rotham here are definitely working for the Rahajiim, I’m now one-hundred percent certain of that.”

  “How do you know that?” asked Calvin.

  “Because they used a Rahajiim code to try to identify us.”

  “I want to know all of that but save it for now,” said Calvin, realizing they were getting close to their jump coordinates. “Let’s get the hell out of here first.”

  “Almost to position,” said Alex.

  Just a little closer, thought Calvin, eager to get the message out. Come on…

  ***

  “Bandit Squadron has been completely destroyed and Owl Squadron is routing, our starboard flank has collapsed—Your Majesty, we are exposed!” said the ops chief.

  “We have to pull back,” said Captain Adiger. “There is nothing between us and the enemy’s vanguard.”

  Kalila saw that it was true. Her eyes were locked to the tactical display, it showed a horde of enemy warships that’d broken off from the main battle, they were charging forward, furiously closing on the Harbinger and the remnants of Hammerfist Squadron, and all that stood in their way was the Black Swan itself and the shambles of what had been Royal Squadron. She watched the lights blink out around the Black Swan. So very many…

  “Helm, turn us about and get us—”

  “No,” said Kalila, loudly interrupting Captain Adiger. Everyone looked at her. “We stand our ground.” It was a difficult order to give, but a necessary one. Even if it did mean their lives.

  “Your Majesty, we cannot hold this position,” said Adiger. “Our fleet can’t defend us out here, we need to move toward them or else retreat to the outskirts of the system. Otherwise the enemy vanguard will be upon us.”

  Indeed it would, Kalila knew. And the Black Swan, for all its awesome strength, was no match for the sixty warships of the enemy vanguard. She understood that. But she also understood that if she didn’t buy Hammerfist Squadron all the time it needed to eliminate the rest of the Apollo Yards then the enemy would use the infrastructure here to quickly rebuild and repair its fleet and then all the blood spent here this day would be for nothing. Her most loyal servants had given their lives for their queen and her cause. She could not expect them to sacrifice and not be willing to do the same herself, if it proved necessary. And if failure was inevitable, and the collapse of the Empire guaranteed, she’d rather face that end here, in this spot, trying to do whatever she possibly could to oppose it, instead of letting hope slip through her fingers in a selfish attempt to save her own life.

  “I gave you an order sir, I expect you to obey it,” she looked at Adiger with fire in her eyes.

  He bowed. “As you command. All officers, we make our stand here.”

  “Sir, they’re closing on us fast and our shields have dropped below thirty percent!” protested the defense chief. “Our portside armor is nearly gone.”

  “Then show them our starboard side!” snapped Adiger. Kalila was glad to see him remember his duty.

  “Aye, sir. Weapons range in seventy-five seconds.”

  “General Order to the fleet,” said Kalila, thinking this was probably the last they’d ever hear from her. “As soon as the last platform goes, all ships are ordered to withdraw from the system immediately. Do not regroup, retreat. That is all.”

  “Relaying message, Your Majesty,” said the comms chief.

  “Weapons range in sixty seconds.”

  “Lock on targets and standby to fire,” said Adiger.

  Kalila took a deep breath, thinking, if there are gods, let them be gods of grace.

  ***

  “Sir, the center pylon of the fleet is caving in, the forward battlegroups have all been destroyed or crippled. Our losses are exceeding three hundred ships, sir, and growing,” said the ops deputy chief.

  Good, thought Virgil Prime, mor
e souls for the void. “Sometimes a just cause requires sacrifice,” said Virgil Prime, knowing he had to say something reassuring because that’s what the real Virgil Tiberon would do. “We have to remember—”

  “Sir, look!” interrupted Commander Junius, he pointed to one of the tactical displays which showed the Black Swan, alone and away from its fleet, about to be incinerated by the fast-approaching vanguard. “We’ve got her now!”

  “What?” Virgil Prime asked. He took care to keep his voice calm, but inside he was deeply alarmed. “We’ve managed to corner the Black Swan?” he feigned excitement.

  “Yes we have,” said Junius with a broad smile. “And she’s not even trying to retreat. She knows she’s done for. Congratulations, Admiral, your victory has won us the war.”

  Virgil Prime plastered a fake smile on his face but immediately he started trying to think of what he could do to salvage the situation while still remaining in character. “Weapons range?” he asked urgently.

  “About twenty seconds.”

  “Order them back,” Virgil Prime snapped. Unable to think of anything clever he could say or do to stop the attack on the Black Swan.

  “Sir?”

  “Now! Call them back! Tell the vanguard to hold fire and withdraw!” All he knew was that the attack had to stop. It wasn’t the One True God’s plan for the human queen to die here. If she died, her cause would die with her, and that was not the plan. “Do it!” He knew this decision would likely get him into trouble but there seemed to be no other way. Perhaps this is the fate the One True God has chosen for me, he thought.

  “Aye sir. Relaying order.”

  Virgil Prime watched the ships approach the Black Swan. He gripped the armrests of his chair firmly and felt such intense pressure in his mind that he almost began reverting to his natural form—a transition that would kill him. Fortunately, at the last possible moment, the ships racing toward the Black Swan scattered and withdrew.

  “The vanguard is returning to the fleet,” reported the ops chief.

  “Now just what the hell was that?” asked Junius, he looked shocked and angry. “I know you’re the admiral here but dammit, Virgil,” he pointed. “You owe me an explanation.”

  I owe you nothing, he wanted to say, the One True God’s ways are infinitely beyond your puny human understanding. Instead he looked his XO squarely in the eyes and said, “Regicide is not our mandate, winning this battle is.”

  “We have standing orders from the Steward himself to eliminate all traitors,” said Junius. “I don’t think he’ll be happy about this”

  “I made the call. I’ll take the heat for it,” said Virgil Prime. “As for you, you’ll remember your place.”

  Junius nodded. “Aye, aye, sir.” He looked disgruntled but compliant. That will do for now, thought Virgil prime. Knowing the humans would not react well to this. But their feelings were as irrelevant as the wishes of insects.

  “Sir, the last of the Apollo Yards has been destroyed,” reported the ops chief a moment later. “The queen’s fleet has begun to withdraw.”

  “Order our forces to regroup.”

  “Aye sir.”

  He tapped the switch on his chair, setting it to broadcast throughout the entire ship. “Attention all crew, this is Fleet Admiral Tiberon. The Battle of the Apollo Yards is quickly ending. Let us take a moment of silence to honor our fallen brothers and sisters and those of the Apollo Yards.”

  Virgil Prime tried very hard to seem sorry that so many had died and the Yards themselves had been destroyed. But it was difficult to feel sorrow for the loss of something the One True God had always planned to annihilate. It is just. As is He.

  ***

  “We’ve cleared sufficient distance to jump,” said Rafael.

  “Jump now,” ordered Calvin. Eager to put Tybur, its clouds of debris, and the Rotham warships behind them.

  “Initiating alteredspace jump,” said Alex.

  In a flash of darkness the starlight vanished.

  “We are now in alteredspace,” said Alex. “Jump depth of seventy-three percent potential. Everything is stable.”

  “All systems are within expected parameters,” said Rafael.

  “Move aside,” said Calvin, practically pushing Alex out of the way so he could sit at the pilot’s station. As soon as Calvin was physically able to reach the controls, he entered the command codes to connect to the Black Swan over kataspace.

  We have to warn the queen not to engage the Assembly’s fleet, thought Calvin urgently. The Rotham are coming. They’re poised to invade the Empire! We have to tell her before it’s too late!

  Chapter 27

  Kalila sat in silence, face buried in her hands, trying to find solace in the peaceful seclusion of her office. The destruction at the Apollo Yards had been unfathomably horrific. Hundreds of Imperial ships were now spread across the system in countless pieces and the body count that was in the hundreds of thousands and still rising.

  How? She wondered. How did it all go so wrong? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was supposed to be a swift and decisive victory with minimal loss of life. Instead it had been a vicious bloodbath. With her forces and those fighting on behalf of Caerwyn Martel taking excessive losses. By the time her ships had finished their mission and escaped the system she’d lost over forty-percent of her fleet. And many of the ships that survived were badly scarred and damaged, and full of wounded officers.

  Caerwyn’s fleet had fared no better. They’d taken intense losses as they’d kept almost manically committed to the engagement, never letting up the pressure on Kalila’s forces regardless of what it cost them. The only reprieve had been when it was clear the Black Swan was trapped and about to be destroyed, for some reason then the enemy had not pressed their advantage. Offering a brief window of calm in the otherwise all-consuming firestorm.

  We got the Yards at least, she thought, trying unsuccessfully to rally her spirits. The Apollo Yards had been reduced to debris and would not be able to field and supply a large military fleet. Not without extensive rebuilding, a project that would take years…

  I didn’t want to destroy them. But they gave me no choice. She felt tremendously guilty about the decision she’d made, especially considering the terrible price that’d been paid to purchase success, even though she knew there’d been no other way. Not if she hoped to restore the Empire to its proper order and glory. And realize justice for her father’s ghost, and those of her siblings.

  The sound of the door sliding open interrupted her thoughts. It was Captain Adiger.

  “Pardon the intrusion, Your Majesty, but we’ve just received an urgent message,” he said. His eyes were sad but he stood resolute. “It was from Calvin Cross.”

  “Thank you, Captain. What did Mister Cross have to say? Good news I hope.”

  “I’m afraid not,” he said, not willing to sugarcoat it. “Their team was able to confirm the rumor, the Alliance has indeed fallen. And is no longer a deterrence to any Rotham ships that seek to cross the DMZ and enter Imperial space.”

  That’s the worst news Calvin could have possibly sent, thought Kalila. “Was there a battle?” she asked. Hoping that the Alliance at least bloodied the Republic’s nose for every inch of space they gave up.

  “Mister Cross reported that there was some debris, evidence of a small battle,” said Adiger. “However Rotham losses appeared to be minimal. And many of the Alliance ships that survived were not firing on the Rotham ships present around Tybur. Cross believes the Republic and whatever is left of the Alliance might be cooperating.”

  I stand corrected, thought Kalila. The news does get worse.

  “Calvin urges us not to engage the Assembly’s fleet. He thinks a Rotham invasion is imminent and we will need to rally all Imperial ships against the common enemy.”

  She looked at Adiger with regret in her eyes.

  He nodded. Understanding her remorse. “We could try to sue for peace,” he said, trying to reassure her. “Perhaps broker a
temporary alliance with the Steward, for the greater good of the Empire.”

  “Perhaps,” said Kalila, thinking that two broken fleets, even if they could be made to cooperate, might not be enough. “Did Calvin say anything else?”

  “Just that he and his team are going into Rotham space to learn what they can about the Republic’s forces. They’ll see what they can and then report back to us soon.”

  At least there’s that, Kalila supposed. Though precious little good it would do to have exact information on the movements of an enemy that couldn’t be stopped anyway.

  “That was the extent of the message,” said Adiger. “My apologies for interrupting, I know you asked not to be disturbed, but I thought you should know.” He bowed, then turned to leave.

  “Captain,” said Kalila, stopping him in his tracks. He turned back around and faced her.

  “You may remain,” she said, barely able to utter the words.

  He nodded. And, clearly sensing that something was wrong, that she didn’t want to be alone right now, Adiger took up a position dutifully at her side.

  After a minute or two of silence, Kalila asked, “what are we going to do about all this?”

  “We’ll find a way. Somehow.” He said the words confidently, like he believed them. The gave her a small measure of hope and she was grateful to know that, even though everything looked dire, at least she didn’t have to face the future alone. No matter how dark it promised to be.

  ***

  Summers entered the brig deck and was happy to see that Nimoux was wearing fresh new clothes. “Please lower the forcefield,” Summers commanded the special forces soldier who was standing guard.

  “Aye, Commander,” the soldier replied with a salute and a moment later the forcefield snapped off.

  Nimoux got to his feet and looked at her curiously, no doubt wondering whether or not this meant she’d decided to trust him. As a matter of fact, she had.