Valarie stood as did the rest of the squad commanders. "You heard the man. Get your teams to their birds and be ready to depart. We have no idea what to expect, so stick to the basics until we can come up with something solid."
They barked their acknowledgment before sprinting to their stations. Tegan caught her squad right where she expected them, sitting on buckets of hydraulic fluid positioned around a makeshift table playing poker.
"Game's over boys. Time to work."
"Damnit," Fireball cursed, revealing a handful of spades. Switch and Lancer threw their cards in the pile, and without another word swept their chips off the table.
"Sorry, Fireball. Duty calls."
"Guess this means the captain isn't surrendering after all," Switch said, rushing towards his fighter.
"Not this time."
"So what's our mission? We trying to shoot off an indestructible anomaly again?"
"Couldn't tell ya," Tegan said, honestly. "Captain said we'd get orders once we're off. But I'm going to assume he wants us to kick the shit out of whatever is in those ships."
"Well I just hope they're only packing drones too," Switch joked. "It's been like shooting fish in a barrel all day."
"Even if those ships are flying light, there could be upwards of three hundred of those things. I don't know about you, but it doesn't sound like fun," Fireball quipped
"We don't get to pick our battles, Fireball. Only what we shoot. Doesn't matter if it's three hundred drones or three hundred live pilots, we'll do what we have to." Tegan leapt into the cockpit of her fighter and slid into the seat. She pressed a button on her console, lowering the canopy. It locked in place with a smooth hiss as her ship's life support systems shifted into gear. "Comm check."
"Fireball strapped in and good to go."
"Lancer primed and ready."
"Switch itching for an easy fight."
Tegan punched a button on her console sending a signal to the CAG letting her know her squad was ready. She imagined the other squadron leaders were doing the same as she hadn't seen any pilots still on the flight deck. Even now, most of the support staff had left the area to keep from potentially being scorched by the heat of one of their thrusters.
She ran her new bird through it's preflight checklist, making sure every system was in good working order. She'd checked the thing three times since she'd been issued the damned thing, but couldn't help wanting to make sure it was in prime condition. Mechanics had a way of poaching parts from the spare fighters to fix up the ones on the deck which often meant the spare fighters were cobbled together with whatever parts they had available at the time. She imagined this one had things replaced on it using parts from her damaged bird, if not some of the others.
"All fighters, prepare launch sequences. You are to launch in thirty seconds."
Thirty seconds? The captain didn't waste much time. She still wasn't sure what he had in mind, but she suspected it had something to do with the shuttles heading their way now. They were due to dock with the ship in just under two minutes. By waiting the full thirty seconds they'd be able to destroy the things before the enemy ships could react.
As if to confirm her thoughts, the CAG chimed back in over the radio and confirmed their targets. Tegan and her crew had been assigned to the far one, currently named contact B. It was already marked and targeted on her console, making her job that much easier during the opening seconds. Sure, she'd have to do most things the hard way from here, but she appreciated this small thing.
She counted down the seconds in her head to clear her mind. There wasn't much to clear, however, as her mind had been firmly on the task the moment she left the CAG's office. As the final second passed, she pressed the button to launch.
Her ship bolted out of the fighter bay, followed by the rest of her squad. Within seconds they were flying in their standard diamond formation with Tegan at the head. They flew around the Endeavor, spiraling past the sensor arrays as they made their way towards the target.
"Fire on contact B the moment it's in optimal range. Use guns only, save the torpedoes in case we piss off mama bird."
"Shit, I hope we piss off papa bird after trying to get us to surrender."
Tegan grinned. Her squad was in their element. So far they had gone through hell and back today alone and other than her bird being taken out of service, had come out in one piece. She hoped they could keep it that way through one more.
She swung her ship into position, putting the enemy shuttle in her crosshairs. The rest of her squad tightened their formation, allowing each of the others to target the ship in turn. She held her finger against the trigger, waiting for her console to signal the contact was in range.
Her console beeped after and she pulled the trigger, unleashing pure hell against the small vessel. Soon after her fire was joined by that of nearly thirty other fighters, their combined weaponry shredding the shuttle's hull in seconds. It exploded into a fireball that was quickly extinguished by the vacuum of space as a round pierced the reactor.
"Woohah!" Switch shouted over the comm. "Contact A is off the map as well."
"Good work team," the CAG said, overriding the squadron channel. "New targets are being sent to your consoles now. We need to reach the new shuttles before they can reach the Achilles."
"Roger that. Moving into position now." Tegan pulled back on her controls, sending her ship looping back over the debris field before making a sharp turn that angled her fighter towards her new target. She put the ship into her targeting reticle and manually locked her weapons systems on it, in case the CAG couldn't get to it for whatever reason. As she finished the last of the command, her console lit up as hundreds of red icons appeared on her screen.
"Holy shit. I'd say mama bird is sufficiently pissed."
Chapter Fifty-Four
Atroxxin Sector
Auxiliary Bridge, NECS Providence
The Klypton dragged Jason's struggling body through the narrow confines of the hallway. Two more of the aliens stood near the doorway, aiming their deadly weaponry down the hall. Jason struggled, trying to grip anything he could to get away, his bloody fingers failing to get purchase on everything he grasped.
The trip took far longer than he would've suspected, given that he had taken up a position near the door before the explosion. The only thing that made sense was that the concussive blast sent him flying back into the hall, well away from the now damaged auxiliary door.
Vice President Landry, president if rumors were true, laughed as he watched the spectacle before him. Sure he would've preferred to have captured some of the marines, but even this would suffice. How would the NEC react when they learned the Mythrar had their fabled golden boy in their possession? The man who was genetically engineered to handle the extreme rigors of space combat. Landry suspected they'd give up a lot to get the commander back. Maybe Del Rio or perhaps even Madrid. After all, they hadn't seen their toy in action.
There were some in the upper tiers of the Mythrar leadership that doubted they would make such a trade. To those, Landry simply said they would then kill the boy and take those systems themselves, along with their new homeworld.
They continued to drag Jason until they were a few feet from the seated form of Vice President Landry. He thrashed around as they let him go, trying to hit one of the Klypton guards but hit clean air in return.
"Enough," Landry said, tired of the spectacle. "You brought this upon yourself. If you had taken my offer, nobody would have had to die here today."
"Plenty have already died out there, in case you haven't been paying attention."
"Actually, Commander, I haven't. As you may not be aware, I've had my own situation going on in here. Who knew the crew was going to put up a fight?" He grinned widely, hoping to rile up the young XO. He needed him angry for the next part of his plan to work.
"Three ships destroyed, not counting the damage sustained by the Achilles and Providence. Countless human lives lost, and for what?"
&nb
sp; "For a new beginning." Landry stood and paced the bridge, forcing Bremerton to turn his body to follow. "You could hardly expect the NEC to bend to our whims unless we drew some little blood. Sure, we've been striking out from the fringes, hijacking a ship here and there, but we hardly got any attention for it. It seems your fleet command understands the dangers of piloting in deep space all too well. Tell me, just how many ships has your admiralty written off this month?"
Bremerton's mouth went agape. It was then he knew he had the young XO right where he wanted him. All he had to do was expose the secrets the higher-ups didn't want out in the open. Of course, he was blowing this matter far out of proportion. Yes, NEA ships had come up missing over the last few months, and yes it had happened on the fringes of the charted galaxy, but it wasn't quite true that fleet didn't care. In fact, from what Landry knew of the situation, they took every report seriously, often sending a small fleet to investigate. Of course, all that did was help swell the number of vessels controlled by the Klyptons.
Jason stood up, fists balled at his side. "Liar! Fleet wouldn't disregard a missing ship. No way." One of the nearby Klyptons strode behind the XO and clubbed him in the back of the knee, bringing him back to a kneel. The alien grunted in a sequence Landry knew too well though he knew Jason wouldn't understand.
"My friend there suggests you continue to kneel. Before we bring you before the council you must learn manners. Outbursts like that will get you killed."
He tried to stand up again, only to take another blow to the back of his leg. Jason grunted loudly as the blow hit home, but this time stayed on the ground. "What made you decide to sell out your species? Did you spend your whole life quivering before our benevolent saviors?"
Landry folded his arms behind his back and strode mere feet from Bremerton, trusting his Klypton guards to keep the young commander well away. "I am not selling out anyone. From your point of view, you see me as a conqueror intent on helping the Mythrar kill the rest of humanity. I prefer to see myself as a messenger. Unlike you, I grew up on Earth, raised in a place I believe our people used to call the Ohio Valley. You see, modern day society no longer requires us to name things for the sake of naming them. Instead we focus our efforts on the things that truly matter, like improving our society and making Earth a much better place to live."
"Somehow I doubt that."
Landry sneered. "I'm sure your government has told you many things about our homeworld. How humanity had come to the pinnacle of its evolution the day we conquered space. The truth is, our people destroyed the planet. Their need to inhabit every square inch left the place a wasteland we struggle to repair today. Without the government's constant infighting, we pushed past the old barriers and bring an era of true enlightenment. An era they wish to bring to the rest of mankind now that they learned you survived."
Bremerton stared at him, contemplating the last few things he'd said. "How did you learn the rest of us survived?"
"It was actually quite simple. Five years ago your government commissioned a scout vessel to explore the Sol system. Their goal was to see just how built up the Mythrar defenses were back on Earth. Their sensors picked up that scout vessel a few light years before it ever reached what you know as the Ort Cloud.
"Instead of destroying the ship, as many initially wanted, our masters allowed the ship to do what it was here to do. They had no intention of doing anything that would remotely scare off that vessel. That lasted until one of our vessels returned from a scouting trip of their own. It picked up the scout vessel and began firing immediately. It was only through sheer luck that your vessel survived, but not before it was hit by a tracking beacon.
"From there, all our masters had to do was allow your ship to lead them to your new home. The rest, as they say, is history."
"If that is the case, why haven't they tried to make a serious push for New Earth? They had enough firepower to take Earth in a matter of hours. Surely their technology level has kept up with ours since then."
"Perhaps it hasn't," Landry conceded. "But that was far from the only reason. They simply needed to build up their fleet enough to make such an attack viable. They are not like us, you see. We reproduce quickly. We can take over whole systems in the matter of a few generations where it takes them many centuries. By not stopping a good portion of humanity from escaping Sol, they effectively lost what they came here to do. But there were enough of us left over to give them another option."
"Yeah. Breed you like cattle to their new ships."
"Yes and no. For the most part, they require our assistance on Earth. Only the most loyal are chosen to lead missions outside of Sol. The rest are left on Earth fixing the stains of the previous generations. Instead, they rely on my compatriots here to handle their heavy lifting. What they lack in technology they make up with brute force and determination. It is they who are the hammer of the Mythrar, used where our ancient benefactors cannot."
"So what's in it for me?" Bremerton said bluntly. "Why keep me alive to tell me all that?"
"Because, Jason, we want you to know the truth. Your government knew the true intentions of the Mythrar when they arrived on Earth and like they had millions of times in the past, they opted to fight instead of listen. Even today they are building weapons and ships to fight back against a foe that handed them their first sound defeat. You are one of those weapons."
"Bullshit!" Bremerton slammed his fist into the ground.
"Is it?" Landry questioned. "Then tell me about your parents. Where you grew up. Your childhood." Bremerton's mouth opened then shut nearly as fast. "Let me fill you in. You were born on Solara. Your mother was a waitress at one of the local outposts. Your father, a miner. I wish I had more information to give you about them, but that part of your file has been erased. Considering the conditions on the planet, rough solar storms, constant earthquakes, and so on, your parents gave you to the first vessel heading back towards the colonies. It so happened that vessel belonged to the NEC. Instead of taking you the orphanage, they began grooming you for command. You were so young, your mind so malleable, it was a simple task."
"I don't remember anything before I was..."
"Sixteen years old," Landry interrupted. "That is when they wiped your non-vital memories, but kept the rest of their training intact. The first day you woke up after that event, you found yourself in fleet academy. The rest, as they say, is history."
Bremerton's once fierce demeanor dampened at the words, so much he slouched. "Why would they do that to me?"
"Because they needed you to be that way. In a way it is the same now on Earth, but the Mythrar allow us to retain our memories. They rightfully believe our personality molds us to be who we need to be."
Bremerton looked defeated as if Landry had taken all the fight out of the him. Had he known it would be that easy, he would've sent that information to the kid hours ago. Long before they reached the Atroxxin sector. But, he figured it was for the best as the captain would've blocked the information from getting to his XO anyway.
"Against my better judgment, I'm going to make my offer one last time. This time you don't have the support of a platoon of marines to back your decision, so I suggest you choose wisely. I won't make the offer again."
Bremerton took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before bringing his head up to meet Landry's gaze. "Fine. What do you need from me?"
Landry grinned and slowly approached the commander. "I need you to get the Endeavor to stand down. They have already shot down two shuttles after peaceably offering them quarter and are threatening to shoot down two more destined for the Achilles. We have dispatched fighters to intercept theirs, but we believe it is too late."
"I'll do it," Bremerton said, reluctantly.
"Open a channel to the Endeavor," Landry demanded. Seconds later they received an answer, the response playing out on screen.
Lieutenant Commander Wilson's puzzled gaze greeted them as the screen flicked to life. "Oh my God, are you OK?"
Jason n
odded slowly. Looking around to make sure the aliens weren't going to punish him for doing so, he brought himself back to his knees, allowing himself to stand tall, even if he was being forced to kneel. "I need to talk to Captain Wellard. Where is he?"
"He's down on the flight deck. He wanted to be down there in case the shuttles got through the screen. I can contact him if you want."
"That won't be necessary." Bremerton inhaled sharply. "Just let him know the situation over here is bleak."
"No shit. I can see that by looking at you."
"Let him know there is nothing left to save. Shoot down the Providence now before they take this ship too."
"Cut the transmission," Landry said, shouting to the nearest Klypton. "And shut him up."
Chapter Fifty-Five
Atroxxin Sector
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
"Captain. We received a transmission from the Providence," Wilson said somberly.
"Tell me it was some good news. That our young XO has taken over the bridge?" This was the best news he'd had in hours. If the kid had pulled off that feat now, they just might come out of this encounter alive.
"Not exactly. He asked us to destroy the Providence instead of letting them take it."
"Damn. Is it too much to ask for some good news for a change?" Wellard walked faster, wanting to get back to the bridge before things got too much worse. "Don't do anything brash until I get there, am I clear? I don't want to shoot down the NEC's flagship unless we have no other options."
"Understood Captain. We'll hold our position until you return."
"I should be there in less than two minutes." Wellard went to cut the transmission, but was interrupted before he could.
"Sir, we're getting another transmission from the Providence. It's marked as urgent. Should I respond?"
"Negative, Commander. I'll handle it when I get there. Wellard, out."
Endeavor (The Mythrar War Book 1) Page 18