Star Runners 2: Revelation Protocol

by L. E. Thomas

  “Why did they expand so fast?”

  “You’ve touched on the basic argument. Since the Zahl Empire doesn’t believe in a planet’s sovereign right to develop at its own pace, they take all inhabitable worlds they come across. They believe it is the creator’s destiny they bring their light across the universe. Some try to resist, but it doesn’t last long. They have several factions in power in the Zahl government, some are war mongering and desire to carry out their expansionist policy. With the Legion’s policy of allowing dark worlds to naturally expand, we expand on a much slower scale.”

  Austin thought of the secretive recruiting measure of monitoring an online game. “Has the Legion considered more direct measures?”

  “And that is the argument. Or, rather, it was.” Nubern cleared his throat. “See, there was a movement within the Legion government to reverse our hands off policy. With tensions growing each year and the Zahls building up their defenses along the border as well as the relentless pirate activity, we needed recruits and we needed them as soon as possible. The Legion needs manpower in order to protect its space. The game was our best recruitment tool in years.”

  “Why not just come out and say it at Tizona?”

  “Because that would break our government desire to allow Earth to naturally develop. We have to wait until you are off planet.”

  Austin eyed him. “And what about the enlistment terms?”

  “You’ve heard about that?” Nubern asked. When Austin nodded, Nubern pursed his lips. “I see. Yes, you will be given your assignment and expected to sign a five-year enlistment.”

  So it was true, Austin thought. “And what happens then?”

  “You will receive your assignment.”

  “And where will it be?”

  Nubern’s brow wrinkled. “Difficult to say. I wouldn’t presume to guess. Most likely, it will be a carrier task force on the border or perhaps along the Fringe. I beg you, son, to please consider this carefully before you agree to the terms.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you will not be back here on Earth for a long time, perhaps the entire five years.”

  “Oh.” Austin frowned.

  Nubern looked at him. “I would like to point out, though, that the Legion protects Earth. Without it and Star Runners like you, the rest of space would be in Earth’s orbit.”

  “That’s happening anyway,” Austin snorted.

  “I can’t argue with you there,” he said. “It’s why we need to take care of this situation.” He stood. “I’ll let you rest. I’ll be back soon. Think about what we talked about. You won’t have to make a decision until you get your leave … whenever that is.”

  Nubern exited the room.

  Austin stared at the doorway long after Nubern left. The image of the burning forest flashed in his mind. He shuddered and tried to think of happier times, of Mom and Dad at home. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the thought someone targeted him and his family. But it was more than that, despite Nubern seeming unconvinced, something lingering at the edge of Austin’s mind.

  Someone targeted Earth.

  *****

  Bruises spotted her face and arms, mixing with red scrapes and burn marks. Her chest lifted and fell in deep, calming breaths, much different than when she gasped in pain on the burning forest floor. Austin leaned forward in the wheelchair, pressing his face against the glass to stare at his Mom. He wanted to go in there, but the Legion doctors said she needed another day in hibernation for her body to recover.

  “She’s going to be okay, Lieutenant.”

  Austin smiled at Nubern, who hurried through the infirmary halls with his tablet in hand as always. He nodded at the nurses he passed, seemed in control despite the current events.

  “I know, sir. I’m looking forward to speaking with her tomorrow.” He gestured at the wheelchair, floating above the floor. “Speaking of recovery, I’m ready to get out of this thing, too.”

  “I’m told that’ll be tomorrow after the last bout of tests.” He tapped Austin’s shoulder. “Laser burns are nothing to take lightly. They eat away at the flesh, and it takes time for the tissue to rebuild itself.”

  Austin snorted. With Earth’s current technology, it would have taken months of skin graphs and who knows what else for the burns to heal. “I’m feeling much better, like I could get out of the chair right now.”

  “You probably could,” Nubern admitted, “but I would wait until tomorrow.”

  Austin nodded and looked back to his mother. He wanted to have a moment to hear her voice, tell her everything would be fine.

  He thought again of his arrival on Earth and the conversation with Lieutenant Bean. “Captain? May I ask you something?”

  Nubern frowned. “Of course.”

  Austin glanced down at his hands. “Why did you recruit me?”

  “What?” Nubern blinked. “Why did I recruit you? You had the necessary skills to become the great Star Runner you’ve become. Why?”

  Austin shrugged. “The other pilot I sat next to on the way in was coming home to decide if he wanted to re-enlist or not. He told me some things.”

  “Ah. And what were these things?”

  Austin swallowed. “He said the Legion recruited pilots who were dreamers or who had nothing to lose.”

  “And this bothered you?”

  “A little.”

  Nubern sighed. “It is true we search for certain qualities, something that would be right for a Legion Star Runner.”

  “Why?”

  “We use the game to find talent and the school to find individuals willing to do their duty no matter what. Sometimes your mission will seem stupid, strange or boring. Sometimes, like now, relentless. We need individuals who will do what is needed when needed with quick thinking and without complaint. You did that with the gauntlet. You did that with the simulation room. You did that throughout your stay at Tizona. It takes the sacrifice of your normal life, sure. That’s why it’s not for everyone. You’re different, son. You have a sense of duty. You have talent. Your talents are very valuable and it is what got you to Tarton’s Junction. Look, life as a Star Runner isn’t easy. I never wanted you to think it was, but I warned you at the shack in the swamp that nothing would ever, ever be the same. Didn’t I?”

  Austin thought back to the night before he came to Atlantis. “You did. Bean seemed sad about what he had missed on Earth. Guess I never really thought of it.”

  Nubern reached out, squeezing his shoulder. “You’re meant to serve, Austin, but I want you to make the decision that is right for you.”

  Austin smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

  The tablet in his arms beeped and Nubern snapped to attention.

  “I need you to come with me right now, though.”

  Austin blinked. “Now? Where?”

  “You have been summoned to a meeting with command.”

  Austin’s throat constricted. “Command? Me?”

  Nubern nodded sharply. “Yes. It is important, but they just want to hear a report directly from you. You are the only officer to survive an up close and personal encounter with this force of Phantoms on Earth.”

  Austin’s stomach turned. “You mean no others have made it?”

  “They are in hiding or trying to get to an evacuation point. Some are probably lying low. You’re not the last Star Runner to survive this attack, but you are the first to make it back to Base Prime. Some of the pilots had a lot farther to go.” He stepped behind Austin’s wheelchair. “Ready?”

  Austin sighed. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

  As Nubern pushed him through the busy halls of the infirmary of Base Prime, his wounds started to burn. His stomach twisted into knots. He didn’t know if the painkillers had worn off or if he dreaded the conversation with command.

  “I have never liked public speaking,” Austin said as they rounded a corner. “Not one of my skills.”

  “Wasn’t mine, either, but it gets easier. Part of being an officer
, son.”

  The circular white doors of the infirmary, looming at the end of the hall, dilated to reveal the bustling grand junction of Base Prime. Business people and military personnel swarmed in all directions like a disturbed anthill. Austin remembered his first time in the busy port when he saw a cart hovering without wheels.

  He smiled. Was that another lifetime?

  “When we reach the briefing room, I will take you to the podium when they call for you,” Nubern said, speaking louder over the noise of the hall. “I’ll hand you a microphone and then sit behind you if you need anything at all.”

  “A microphone?” Austin shook his head. “How many people are going to be at this thing?”

  “A dozen staff and senior officials.” Nubern weaved around a slow moving group of officers. “The microphone is for the recording that will be sent back to fleet.”

  “Fleet?”

  “Yes, sir. Most of the navy has heard about the troubles of Quadrant Eight. Command wants officers across the Legion to hear of what has happened here because it could happen anywhere. Also, it’s not every day Revelation Protocol is announced.”

  “Right.” Austin leaned back in the chair. He didn’t know he would be speaking to the entire Legion.

  Nubern pushed him through the crowd and three security gates. Guards nodded at him. Civilians nearly bowed when he passed. Conversations ceased when they saw him.

  “Your story has been shared through the Legion channels,” Nubern said, reading his mind. “People have heard about your struggles, and what you did to save your mother. Hell of a story. Probably be a medal in your future once this is all over.”

  For the first time, the pressure on his chest eased. A medal. He hadn’t done anything to deserve a medal, except nearly get himself killed. He didn’t want the attention. He had done nothing but get burned by several laser bolts. He just wanted to get back in his Trident where he belonged.

  They passed into a room full of screens and holograms. Security personnel hovered at their stations, observed by officers strolling behind them. One screen caught his eye. A newsfeed from a television station displayed the bombing in San Francisco, the bombing that killed Lieutenant Bean. Text flashed across the screen:

  TERROR ATTACK IN AMERICA?

  “Looks like the news is all over the bombing,” Austin murmured.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Nubern said, grumbling. “Since you left San Francisco to retrieve your Mom and Kadyn, the news cycle on this planet has been relentless. All these idiots talking non-stop about the threat on America. How it’s terrorists or homegrown radicals. They have no idea.”

  Austin shook his head. He hadn’t had the time to think about the repercussions of the bombing that killed Lieutenant Bean … Ryan. A reporter looked into the camera, her eyes wide and her blonde hair perfectly straightened. He couldn’t hear her, but saw the roped off street where Ryan had died in the explosion. A team circled the wreckage of the taxi.

  Beneath the image, the scrolling text moved across the bottom of the screen. The first story acknowledged the solar flares and the effect it had on cell phones.

  They entered a smaller room with auditorium seating. Faces turned to stare at him as Nubern pushed him to the front of the room. Austin stared at his hands, feeling every eyeball on him at once. Nubern rested one hand on Austin’s shoulder as he pushed him into the room.

  The wheelchair came to rest next to the podium. Nubern handed him a microphone as promised and sat behind him.

  And then they waited.

  Austin sighed. Let’s get this over with.

  Several minutes passed. The crowd, completely silent at first, stirred and spoke quietly. Austin used his tablet and reversed the camera to look at his face. His cheeks seemed more prominent, the dark circles under his eyes more apparent. Small scrapes covered his face, but the scar on his cheek had nearly healed. Tiny hairs poked through the skin on his skull like sandpaper.

  The lights over the audience dimmed. A white light centered on the five seats at the front of the room. A door dilated at the rear, and five officers marched through, taking their seats in unison like robots. Austin recognized Admiral Tolan Gist from Tarton’s Junction, but not the others. He shifted in his seat, feeling both the eyes on his back and the new gazes from the officers on stage.

  Gist nodded. “It is good to see you again, Lieutenant.” He turned to his companions. “This is Admiral Downs, Admiral Haberland, Admiral Denmark and Commander Hobson. For those of you who are unaware, these very fine officers make up the command of Quadrant Eight. Hobson commands the Earth Guard Squadron charged with defending this planet if need be. We are looking forward to your report, Lieutenant.”

  Austin propped his elbows on the table and leaned into the microphone. “Thank you, sir.”

  “I am sure you have already been notified why we have called this meeting. We want to hear from you exactly what happened since you arrived on Earth for your leave.”

  “From Atlantis?”

  “That’s correct.”

  Austin sighed. He recounted his conversation with Lieutenant Bean followed by the explosion in San Francisco. His voice wavered when he spoke of Sharkey and their trip to Atlanta to save his mother and Kadyn. Austin paused when he reached the part about north Georgia and the mercenaries.

  “Proceed, Lieutenant,” Gist said.

  “Yes, sir.” He took a deep breath. “Shortly after our arrival at the safe house, we were under attack.”

  “By whom?” Admiral Downs asked.

  “I don’t know, sir. Security Chief Sharkey seemed to be confident these were Phantoms.”

  “Describe them,” Hobson said, his voice quick and loud.

  “Professional. They wore jumpsuits—no—that’s not right. More like wet suits.” Austin stared down at his hands, remembering the recent attack as if it happened years ago. “They had personal shrouding tech and—“

  “Shroud?” Hobson asked. “You are sure about this?”

  “Absolutely, sir. They could only use it for short bursts it seemed, so I only saw it twice - once at the beginning of the attack and once again at the extraction point. I think it was when they thought they had us.”

  “But they didn’t,” Gist said. “Chief Sharkey made sure of that.”

  “Yes,” Austin said, realizing Gist aimed to help him through his questioning. “Sharkey stayed and covered us when we made it toward our extraction point.”

  The officers glanced at one another. Gist turned to Austin. “Thank you for your time, Lieutenant.”

  Nubern stepped behind him and pulled the wheelchair back. Austin closed his eyes briefly and exhaled.

  “You did well, son,” Nubern whispered. “Better than I could have.”

  “I hated it,” Austin whispered back as a cold drop of sweat fell down his back.

  Gist stood. “The rest of you have been brought here so we could provide a briefing of the current situation on Earth and throughout Quadrant Eight.”

  He turned and activated a hologram of Quadrant Eight. The expansion map zoomed on Earth. A dozen red circles flickered across the globe, pulsating.

  “There have been a dozen events on Earth in relation to the twelve Star Runners currently on leave on this planet,” Gist said. “Lieutenant Stone is the only Star Runner under attack we have safely brought back to Base Prime here in San Francisco. Since there was an attack right here on our doorstep, we believe the next move by this force will be to take out Base Prime itself to eliminate our ability to communicate in the event of an invasion.”

  “But who is planning an invasion?” an officer called from the back of the room.

  Gist shook his head. “We are unsure at this point, but we do believe Base Prime could be the target. These efforts could be the work of Phantoms, but their technology reveals they have support from a greater power. When the disruptor was hacked and activated, it was long enough for vessels to enter Earth’s atmosphere undetected. We have to assume the worst. Enemy
vessels could have landed on Earth.”

  “Admiral, how exactly are these vessels curving into the solar system?” Another asked.

  Gist again shook his head. “We are unsure at this point. One potential theory is that the enemy is using a way station to focus long distance movements into this system.” He gestured to the front row. “In accordance with Revelation Protocol, we have consulted our liaison with the United States. Admiral Barrow?”

  A man in a white uniform abruptly stood from the front row and marched to the stage. Austin’s jaw dropped. He leaned close to Nubern.

  “The United States?” he asked. “Did you know about this?”

  Nubern frowned, shook his head sharply. “No one of my rank knew about this.”

  Admiral Barrow took to the stage. He squinted in the light, tiny wrinkles around his eyes deepening. The man inhaled, his shoulders growing broader. The light glimmered off his closely cropped dark hair peppered with gray. Austin marveled at the officer’s chest decorated with medals and ribbons, the flawless white uniform glimmering under the lights. A top U.S. naval officer stood and faced the Legion officers. Austin held his breath, not really knowing why.

  “Good day to you all,” Admiral Barrow said, his voice echoing across the hall. “We know you are on high alert at the moment, so I will keep this short. It is the desire of our government to keep this situation out of the public eye if at all possible. Our media is being fed the normal possibilities of a terror attack or homegrown militias being responsible for the bombing in San Francisco. These seem to be working for now as we leak leads to send the stories in different directions. This has the American public focused on the bombing and not the solar flares.”

  Barrow sighed. “With San Francisco already experiencing a significantly violent event, we know it is possibly a target given your operations here in the city. My people would like to avoid an evacuation if at all possible and keep this entire situation in the dark, but plans are secretly underway to evacuate the city if needed.”