SHU'KAN

  She hadn’t noticed him sitting quietly as she walked through the room.

  ‘Matheus has a good heart and has helped us immensely, but … I’m concerned that you may be developing … feelings for him. Are you?’

  She sat for a moment not sure of what to say. ‘I don’t know,’ she finally blurted. ‘He’s nice and sweet, but then I think about the huge differences of our species.’

  ‘You’re sixteen cycles old. You’re technically a woman already and almost ready for the Ceremony of Jek’tar. –But I’m not going to tell you what to do.’ He looked at Mother who was leaning in the door way. She knew how hard it was for him to say what he was saying since it was the Father’s right to pick a Shu’kan mate. ‘These are different times, and old traditions might have to be forsaken. But don’t forget that we fight for the survival or our species. –Just remember that you are Shu’kan and that we all may have to sacrifice.’

  He placed his data pad on the center table and left. Mother quietly followed.

  Was she being selfish? Should she consider her race first? Her heart was telling her no, but she couldn’t ignore the facts. –Once her race had numbered in the billions. Now they were a mere handful. Every Shu’kan was needed to preserve the species. In truth, she had no choice. She shook her head in frustration. She’d be more careful around Matheus. If she was going to fulfill her duty, then it wasn’t fair to suggest otherwise.

  ‘Tr’al, are you ready?’

  ‘Yes, Mother. I’m ready.’ She wiped her eyes and pushed the thoughts from her mind. It was going to be a long evening.

  Tr’al woke abruptly and sat straight up in bed. Her afternoon was spent rearranging the furniture where Mother wanted it. It was strenuous work. So shortly after dinner, she’d gone bed. The house was dark and quiet. Her heart was pounding. Something woke her. She listened intently for any unusual sounds.

  She tried to calm herself and decided to check the house. She put on her robe and tip-toed into the living room. Everything seemed normal. Her parents weren’t up but the kitchen light was on. She reached to turn it off but then gaped in horror. On the floor was her Mother lying in a pool of blood. A red line stretched across her neck.

  She started to scream but was choked from behind. A cloth smothered her mouth and took her breath. It reeked of chemicals. She fought her assailant as her vision blurred. She knew she was losing consciousness. The sound of clanging metal as pots hit the floor, and her Mother lying in blood was the last thing she remembered.

  Chapter Nine

  Admiral McConnel sat behind his desk as he agonized over his decision. The Hiver’s were back. He sat straight-backed listening to the sound of the grandfather clock as it faithfully kept timely vigilance. He gave his secretary strict orders that he was not to be disturbed. Everything hinged on him. His decision would hopefully save or destroy humanity. He’d already given the order for Admiral Cook to leave Moon Dock and intercept. But one Carrier, two Battleships, and a Destroyer weren’t enough. The Hiver’s had twenty plus ships. He was going to have to make a choice. The Shipyard had ten flight capable Battleships. None of them were ready to be commissioned, but seven of them at least had armament. It’d provide a two to one odd at least. It was time to act.

  He chipped his adjutant. ‘Captain Tores, send the order to mobilize and deploy all seven of our Battleships at the Yard that have armament. Attached is a list of the senior officers that will take command.’ He nudged the list through his chip. ‘They have one hour to launch and join Admiral Cook’s Flotilla.’

  ‘Yes, Sir.’

  He’d heavily invested in Earth Fleet ground defenses, so they had some advantages. The surface-atmosphere cannon here at Earth Fleet was operational, but targets had to be within firing range. Also, the Attack Pods were now atmosphere and space capable. They’d been crippled during the first invasion by only being atmosphere capable. Two hundred complimented the Carthaginian and while another hundred stood flight capable here at Earth Fleet.

  He stood and rubbed the ache from his neck. There was one more decision that he didn’t want to make, but knew he must. ‘-And Tores?’

  ‘Yes, Sir?’

  ‘Contact the Academy. I want all cadets that have preliminary flight training mobilized. We don’t have enough pilots for our Attack Pod reserves. Have them shuttled here, suited, and put on standby. If we have to hold the line, then that line will be here.’

  ‘U – Understood, Sir.’

  His thoughts drifted to his son. He prayed to God he was doing the right thing.

  Admiral Cook sat in his command chair assessing the odds. His Bridge officers scurried about handling the tasks of what they were all about to do. Less than twelve hours ago, he’d finally been able to enjoy some shore leave here at Moon Base. For the past two weeks, he’d personally been busy shuttling the captured Hiver to HQ and attending debriefs. Now, all hell was breaking loose.

  Sensors now confirmed thirty Hiver ships on a trajectory for Earth. At currently velocity, they’d be within Earth orbit in three hours. –Not good odds. It was basically a suicide mission. They all knew it. But to their credit, none of his officers complained. They knew what was at stake.

  The last engagement proved to be a resounding defeat. The Hiver’s ability to use FTL jumps gave them a tactical advantage. But this close to Earth, jumps were impossible. Too much could go wrong near a large body of gravity; or at least so he hoped. If the Shu’kan were correct, it would explain why they didn’t jump closer.

  Seven Battleships now fell in formation. He was heartened to have the additional fire power, but the skeleton crews and officers that commanded them were inexperienced. Their assistance would be marginal at best. He chipped into the ship systems and signaled a Flotilla wide link to Ensign Baker. ‘Get me all Commanders in a ship to ship conference.’

  Ensign Baker turned and gave him a nod. ‘Yes, Sir.’

  ‘Commanders, this is Admiral Cook.’ Visual feeds from each ship popped into view on the Bridge comm screen. ‘We all know what’s at stake, so I won’t mince words. The Hiver’s apparently weren’t finished with us. But this time, we’re going to try and stack the deck. Last time we were out-maneuvered. We can’t match their FTL capabilities; and I’m hoping by keeping our engagement within Earth orbit, we’ll force them to abandon FTL jumps.’

  ‘Admiral McConnel and I have agreed on a two part strategy. Traditional rules of engagement call for committing troops to battle while maintaining a reserve. We don’t have that luxury. We’re outnumbered two to one. Therefore, we will commit everything we got to buy some time. With equal maneuverability, our new Attack Pods will hopefully give us a small advantage. But I don’t plan to show that hand until we have to. Second, once our surface-atmosphere cannons are in range, they’ll target the Hiver ships. Those cannons are powerful enough to do serious damage. –But they have to be in range. –And that, gentlemen, is why we’ve got to keep them busy until then.’ He observed each of their expressions while he allowed the weight of his words sink in. Every one of them looked too young to be in command. He could see their anxiety. ‘You will not break formation unless I order you to do so. Ensure that your navigation systems are lock-synch to the Carthaginian. If we move, we move as a whole. –Questions? –No? Then God speed, Gentlemen. –Standby for engagement.’

  He chipped Ensign Baker to close the comm signal. If they survived, it’d be a miracle.

  As the massive sphere of Hiver ships approached weapons range, Admiral Cook chipped his tactical officer to provide a battlefield display on the comm screen. The term battlefield was used loosely since space was not linear. The Hiver sphere glowed bright red as the large ball of icons pressed ever closer. The desperately few Earth ships glowed as individual blue icons. The entire Flotilla’s nerves were on edge, but he couldn’t blame them. He was proud of their composure.

  ‘Ensign Baker,’ he chipped, ‘confirm Flotilla synch-lock.’

  ‘All ships confirmed, Sir.’

  The young
man was unusually calm. Like the calm before the storm, he thought.

  She massaged the minds of every controller on every ship. They all responded affectionately, always craving more. Right now, she was more interested in knowing that she had total control. The species of this planet was mounting a resistance. It concerned her somewhat, but her Armada well outnumbered them. She may lose more of her brood than she had originally calculated, but that could not be avoided now. She must have the food stock. There were only eleven ships, so she was confident that she could destroy them given her numerical superiority.

  She’d paused trying to draw them out. But they stubbornly refused. They’d changed tactics. That close to a planet prohibited jumps. A full engagement would be required. This wasn’t too unsettling. Engagements with other species had required similar strategy.

  She sent a mental command to ready all ships batteries. It was time to execute.

  Admiral Cook’s image fluttered then cleared. ‘We’ll hold the line, Sir. In sixteen hours, you’ll be within range to use the surface-atmosphere cannons.’

  Admiral McConnel paced back in forth. He already knew how much longer he’d have to wait. It seemed like an eternity. He spent more and more time in his office these days worrying about Hiver’s. He’d hoped for more time to build Earth’s defenses, but the Hiver’s were apparently tired of waiting. ‘I know you’ll fight to the last ship, Ben, but I’m hoping you won’t have to. If I had more ships, I’d send them. –But … were tapped out.’

  ‘I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.’ He flickered again. ‘I can now confirm the Shu’kan’s assertions about FTL limitations around gravitational bodies. The Hiver’s haven’t tried jumping this close to the planet.’

  Admiral McConnel opened the doors to his veranda. High in the night sky he could see the bright flashes of the battle beginning. So close to us all, and so close to losing it all, he thought. He watched another flash that lit the horizon. He hoped it was a hiver ship. He gritted his teeth and turned back to the one man that could save them all. ‘No matter what, you make sure the Hiver’s know there’s a hell, and your it! –Good luck, Ben!’

  ‘-To you as well, Sir. –Carthaginian out.’

  He went back to his veranda and silently prayed as he watched to continuous barrage of flashing light. Please, God, let us just hold on a little longer.

  Admiral Cook felt tired and haggard. For four hours now he’d stood toe to toe with the Hiver’s. The one thing that’d saved their butts so far was the Hiver’s themselves. They continually tried to move around his right flank. It created a choreographic display as they danced the same steps over and over. Every time the Hiver’s tried to go around them, He’d order the Flotilla to intercept and block their way. It was like an elephant running from a small swarm of bees. The one time they tried the opposite flank, he’d let loose a massive barrage from every ship. The salvos and turrets were glowing red from continual fire, but he purposefully limited his response on the right flank. It was imperative that they continue to move within range of the surface-atmosphere cannon.

  He stole a quick glance of his ships’ status on the comm screens battle display. It sputtered in and out of view as another strike rocked the Carthaginian. She was holding, but the armor plating had its limits. Still, she had the heaviest armor in the Fleet. He purposefully kept her broad portside between the Hiver’s and the rest of the Flotilla. He could feel her shudder as the tactical officer launched another round of missiles from her salvos.

  He looked at the rest of his Bridge crew. They all looked tired. It was time to turn up the heat.

  He chipped his tactical officer and tied into the Flotilla lock-synch to update the other ship Commanders of the battle situation. ‘Launch Squadrons Alpha through Echo. Have them target that center ship. It hasn’t fired a single shot. It’s got to be important.’

  ‘Aye, Sir. Sending the Command to flight deck now.’

  For the first time in a long time, the launch deck blast doors opened to the coldness of space. If they could be heard, they were probably creaking. He chipped the comm screen to starboard view and watched his Squadrons launch in disciplined unison. God be with them, he prayed.

  He chipped back to the battle display and watched one hundred blue icons close in on the Hiver formation. With any luck, the Hiver’s were crapping their proverbial pants.

  She wasn’t happy with her progress. This species was mounting a strong resistance, and now she was forced to deal with these smaller attack units. It was an interesting way to multiply their forces.

  –And she could see the logic to having smaller, faster ships. They swarmed over her armada. Her ships were not equipped to handle attacks this close. It was going to force her to go on the defensive. She made a note to modify some of her atmosphere flyers in the future.

  Sending a command to all her controllers, she powered up her shields. It wasn’t the preferred method of attack since it drained power to her weapon systems, but she would adapt. The smaller attack crafts had to be neutralized.

  Shield radiation fields were extremely effective. They drew power from the inertial dampeners and artificial gravity generators. Enemy ordnance was super-heated causing it to explode before touching the hulls of her ships. But because her attack was now limited, she would have to change tactics. Even as she made her decision, the command was already being sent to her controllers. And for the first time since she could remember, she divided her forces. It was risky. But she had to have food reserves, or her brood would starve.

  At maximum thrust, her harvester ships and thirteen escorts moved to circle the planet. She would have to remain here to occupy her attackers. It would be a mental strain to split her control, but she was confident she could expend the effort long enough to harvest the food stock.

  Admiral Cook watched in horror as most of his missile barrage exploded hundreds of feet from the Hiver ship hulls. ‘What the hell just happened!’ he demanded. But in the pit of his stomach, he already knew.

  ‘Sir, the energy signature registers as some type of radiation shield. It seems to … heat up our ordnance!’

  He loosened his uniform collar. It’d been hours since he’d slept, and this engagement did not look to end soon.

  ‘Well, this is new. Dispatch a secure data patch to Earth Fleet noting this. Meanwhile have all Squadrons team up on attack runs to see if they can punch through.’

  Reassessing his armaments did little to comfort him. The Hiver’s were successfully blocking his offensive. There had to be a way to penetrate their shielding. He studied his tactical display working his thoughts in sequential order. He remained a picture of calm to reassure his Bridge crew. He could see the worry in their eyes.

  Concentrating again on the comm screen, he noticed the change immediately. ‘Tactical, confirm that Hiver contingent breaking from their Armada.’

  ‘Aye, Sir. I confirm fourteen ships breaking formation and moving point zero zero three AU’s at two hundred eighty-five degrees from the orbital plane. –They’re heading for the Southern Hemisphere!’

  He studied the data carefully. One of the ships was at least three times the mass of the others. His heart froze in his chest as the realization dawned on him. ‘Jesus, that’s another harvester! Hail Earth Fleet!’

  Midshipman Kyle McConnel was packing his personal belonging in anticipation of his graduation next week when he was summoned to the Academy Auditorium. As he suspected, the battle raging above Earth was not going well. He, with seventy-five other cadets, was briefed and loaded on Pod shuttles. Three hours later, they all stood at attention on the tarmac of Earth Fleet’s shipyard. Prior to being ordered to formation, they’d been suited for Attack Pod flight. They’d fidgeted and whispered amongst each other for several minutes till they were finally snapped to attention. Admiral McConnel, his father and mentor, stood before them. He was unshaven and looked at them with bloodshot eyes.

  ‘Cadets – Soldiers. Each of you, effective now, is awarded a battlefield com
mission to Lieutenant. At 2300 hours, you will deploy with twenty five other pilots to Sydney. There you will intercept fourteen Hiver ships. One we suspect is a harvester.’

  Audible gasps sounded throughout the formation. Every human on Earth knew what those were. Thousands were taken from the first invasion.

  ‘I’ve also dispatched a Brigade of our Ground Forces to intercept as well. They’ll be in Sydney within the hour. –But it’s critical to provide an air defensive. Without your support, our ground forces won’t matter much. I’m sorry to ask more of you than you may be ready for,’ he continued, ‘but all of Earth is at stake. Admiral Cook is knee deep in crap above us, and he cannot divide his fleet to intercept. It’s up to you. All of you have basic flight training that you received while at the Academy. Trust your skills and instincts and you may come out of this alive. You’ll be under the command of Captain Joseph Torkildson.’ He turned and motioned the Captain forward. ‘-Captain. Good luck.’

  Hesitating for just a moment, Admiral McConnel glanced at his son who stood two ranks deep. Their eyes locked and each of them spoke a thousand silent words in a brief moment. He then snapped his heels and spun to leave. Kyle understood and would make him proud.

  ‘All right, puss-nuts! You can call me Captain Tork!’ he bellowed. ‘All of you need to be in the briefing room in fifteen minutes. –Dismissed!’

  Lieutenant McConnel had never seen anything so awe-inspiring. He, with the other newly commissioned lieutenants, stood gaping at the new A2 Attack Pods. He’d heard about them at the Academy, and now he was about to fly one. Their shiny hulls glistened in the bright hangar lights. The only other ships like them were locked in a life and death battle hundreds of miles above them. In fifteen minutes, his entire Wing would be on an intercept course to Sidney.