by M. R. Forbes
"Navigation looks like it's online," Reza said.
The screen in front of Gabriel changed, revealing a three-sixty view of the Magellan, positioned in the center as a skeletal frame of the starship.
"Helm is online," Gabriel said.
"All systems are nominal," Choi said.
"After all of these years," Theodore said. "You still purr like a kitten, Maggie."
A tone sounded from the empty pod next to navigation.
"I can only think of one person that might be calling me already," Theodore said, receiving the same communication alert at the Command station.
Gabriel tapped his control pad a few times. The controls unlocked as the starship finished its initiation sequence. "We're ready to go, General."
"Do me a favor, Captain, get us on course for Delta Station while I take care of this couillon," Theodore said. There was an audible click as he sent the communication to the entire bridge.
"Teddy, what the hell do you think you're doing?" General Cave said, his voice sharp with anger.
"Why, hello there Alan," Theodore said. "I was hoping maybe you would give me a shout. In case you failed to notice, I'm taking my ship, and I'm moving it away from assholes like you."
Gabriel adjusted the suppressor energy levels, trimming the gravitational pull and using a small amount of hull thrust to begin lifting the Magellan from the surface of the planet. As he did, a cloud of dust began to rise around the fringes, rising into the atmosphere and swirling around the ship like a cape.
"You have no authority to do any such thing, Theodore," Cave said. "You were honorably discharged. Don't make me change that to dishonorably."
Theodore laughed. "Honor? You want to lecture me on honor? Take a look in the mirror, Alan, and hope it doesn't crack at the sight of your lying mug. You're slipperier than a gator in a swamp, and I ain't about to let you poison the few good and brave men and women of the Alliance who still believe in it."
"We've been friends for a long time, Theodore. Don't make me-"
"Make you what?" Theodore said. "You ain't got a damn thing that can hurt the Magellan, and so you ain't got a damn thing that can hurt me. Hearing you were going to abandon Juliet's memory and the people we left behind, that was the worst you could do. You know what happens when you disturb a viper's nest, Alan? It bites."
The communication cut off abruptly. Gabriel turned his head to look back at his father. Theodore was looking at him, and they shared a moment of satisfaction.
"Let's hurry things up a bit, son. I don't want to give Cave time to do something stupid."
"Yes, sir," Gabriel said, increasing the thrust.
The Magellan was already ten kilometers from the surface of the planet. Gabriel increased the power to the main thrusters, arranged in an 'X' pattern along the back of the starship. At the same time, he decreased the power to the outer suppressors. They were high enough that the weak gravity would no longer tether them to the ground.
"Reza," Theodore said. "Can you start plotting a slipstream path? Not too close to Earth, we don't want to get blown up before we can plan our next move."
"I've already started, sir," Reza said, flipping through the interface with the ease of someone who spent most of their life staring at a screen. "When we have some time, I can also make corrections to the operational algorithms to improve path efficiency."
Theodore raised his eyebrow. Gabriel smiled at the sight of it.
"Good man," Theodore said. "Captain Sturges, do you read me?"
The comm station clicked again. "Roger, General."
"Is everything on schedule?"
"Yes, sir. Captain Kim reports we have over sixty percent of Delta Station on our side."
"Sixty? That's low. Damn low."
"You've been out of action for quite a while, Dad," Gabriel said. "There's a lot of young blood on Delta that doesn't even believe you're real."
"Bah. It's enough to handle Maggie. It'll have to do."
Gabriel smiled, turning back to the helm. Delta was approaching in a hurry.
A green triangle appeared on the HUD in front of him, a fighter launching from Gamma. The same one he had delivered earlier.
The triangle flashed, turning from green to red as the Magellan's new combat systems picked up an active weapon signature locked onto the starship.
"Uh, Dad," Gabriel said. "We have a small problem."
FIFTY-TWO
"You've got to be kidding me," Theodore said, getting his own view of the incoming fighter. "Who the hell did Cave find to send out here?"
Gabriel had a feeling he knew. There was one soldier on Gamma who might want to get in the General's good graces, and would certainly enjoy a chance to be a thorn in his side.
"Lewis," he said. "He's an asshole Lieutenant in charge of security on Gamma. He doesn't like me because Cave's daughter came onto me. I didn't know he was trained to fly a fighter."
"Felicia?" Theodore said. "Heh. Alan kept trying to keep her away from you. I'm happy to hear all of his efforts were for nothing."
"I'm not interested, Dad."
"Why not? She's a good looking girl. She's got good hips."
"Hips?" Gabriel said. "Who says that?"
"Do you think you could try paying attention to that fighter out there?" Guy said. "It's shooting at us."
"What does Maggie look like to you?" Theodore snapped. "This is a starship, not a damn speedboat. There's a reason combat starships carry fighters."
Gabriel looked up, watching the fighter zip past the bridge, firing its ion cannon at the surface of the Magellan. The heavy armor absorbed the attack without flinching, but that was the idea. Cave wanted to show Theodore he was serious, not inflict costly damage to the ship.
He watched the triangle circle around the skeleton of the Magellan, returning for a second run. The comm station toned.
"I knew you'd be calling me back," Theodore said.
"I don't want to make this hard," General Cave said. "Gabriel, put the Magellan back where you got her, and I promise we won't imprison you or your father."
Gabriel looked back at Theodore, shaking his head. The starfighter came back around, strafing the heavy armor with its ion cannon again.
"General, do you remember when I told you to go to Hell? Why are you still here?"
Cave didn't respond to the statement. "Theodore, if you want to be a hero, this isn't the way to do it. I can have Lewis target your thrusters and cause damage to the Magellan that can't be repaired. And then what, Teddy? The people of the NEA will hate you for breaking the most important asset we have, and neither one of us will get what we want."
"You wouldn't," Theodore said.
"Oh, no? Do you want to try me?"
Theodore was silent while he considered. Gabriel watched as four green triangles appeared on the HUD, all of the starfighters on Delta Station launching at high velocity and making a hard turn to head their way.
"You know what, Alan? I think I do," Theodore said, having seen the fighters as well. "You're a snake in the grass, and I just found myself a few mongoose."
He was the one to close the connection this time, cutting Cave off before he could respond.
The fighters were closing on the Magellan. Lewis must have noticed them, because he altered his vector, gaining some distance between them.
"General St. Martin," a new voice said over the comm. "This is Captain Soon Kim, Alpha Squadron Leader. It looks like you could use an escort."
"Damn right we can, Captain. It's good to have you with us. My boy tells me you're a stellar pilot."
"He does? He's never told me that."
"I didn't want it to go to your head," Gabriel said.
"Too late," Soon said, laughing. His fighter buzzed past the bridge before spinning around and taking position above and to the front.
Delta Station was getting close, and Gabriel began slowing the ship for docking. Lewis' red triangle was growing ever more distant on the display.
"I'm going to ease her in," Gabriel s
aid, switching his attention between the view from the bridge and the representation of the Magellan's position on the screen.
"No need, son," Theodore said. "Maggie can take it from here. Maggie, initiate docking procedure Delta."
"Yes, sir," the computer replied.
"Come on, Gabe. We've got some new guests to meet and greet."
Gabriel rose from his seat, joining his father. Theodore had already managed to swing himself from the Command Station to his wheelchair.
"Impressive," Gabriel said.
"Hurts like a son of a bitch," Theodore said, pulling one of the pill bottles from his pocket. He popped the top and dumped two of the red capsules into his mouth, swallowing them dry. "Hafizi, you're with us. Vivian, you have the bridge. Maggie, add security protocol beta for Choi, Vivian. Rank of Colonel."
"Yes, sir," Maggie replied.
"Colonel?" Major Choi said. She abandoned the engineering station, ascending the steps and taking over the Command chair.
"We can't have Graham getting too pissy about his assignment."
"You aren't authorized to raise my rank."
"Hah. I'm not authorized to do a damn thing, according to all of you people. And yet, when I look around, it seems that I'm still the one in charge."
Choi smiled. "Yes, sir."
"Keep her warm for me," Theodore said, rolling off the bridge ahead of Gabriel and Hafizi. They had to move quickly to keep up.
"Your father is something else," Hafizi said.
"You have no idea," Gabriel replied.
It had been so long since he had seen his father. He had gone to visit his physical husk a few times, sure, but the mind had been missing for years. To watch him up and at it gave him a pleasure he hadn't even known he was lacking.
Whatever happened from here on out, there was nothing that could take that away.
FIFTY-THREE
The airlocks between Delta Station and the Magellan slid open. Gabriel stood beside his father, eager to see who had decided to join them.
He smiled when Wallace was the first one through, running ahead and jumping up at him excitedly.
"Hey, buddy," Gabriel said, patting the dog's side.
Wallace shifted his attention to Theodore, sticking his nose in the General's face and trying to lick him.
"Okay, okay," Theodore said, trying to gently shove Wallace's face away. "I know, it's been a long time. Yeah, yeah. You can be my XD. Okay."
"General St. Martin," Colonel Graham said, having crossed the space between them while they were being assaulted. He came to attention and saluted sharply.
Gabriel looked up. The crew of Delta Station was waiting behind their Commanding Officer, at strict attention with spacebags on the ground beside them.
"Colonel Graham," Theodore said, returning the salute. "At ease, James."
The Colonel shifted to a parade rest. "I can't believe you did this, sir," Graham said.
"I've been acting a fool for a long time, I admit. I wised up. So did you."
"Yes, sir." Graham's eyes shifted to Gabriel. "I was looking for a sign. I wasn't expecting it to park right outside my station." He looked back at Theodore. "I'd like to present most of the crew of Delta. They're all loyal to you and the mission, sir."
"Are they good men and women?" Theodore asked.
"The best," Graham replied.
"Let me see."
"Yes, sir." Graham turned around. "Company. Present."
The members of the crew marched forward in a perfect line, doing a good job remembering their days as cadets. They stopped when they reached the edge of Delta's airlock, a line of people that vanished back into the station. Gabriel could see Miranda a few rows back, and if Soon was out there running escort he was sure Daphne was in the mix somewhere as well.
Over one hundred hands snapped up in a sharp salute. Theodore and Gabriel both returned it.
"My fellow members of the New Earth Alliance Space Force," Theodore said, raising his voice loud enough that even the crew in the back were sure to hear. "I wish I could say this is going to be easy, but it ain't. Most likely, we're all going to die. As I like to say, it's better to die for something than to die doing nothing. If you don't agree, now is your chance to walk away."
They waited in silence. None of the assembled soldiers moved.
Theodore smiled. "In that case, welcome aboard." He lowered his voice, looking at Graham. "Colonel, I want you to be my Operations Officer."
"Not XO?" Graham asked. He was clearly disappointed.
"Please don't hurt an old gator's feelings, Jimmy. You know I respect the hell out of you. Right now, I need everyone to do what they do best and for you that's getting these people and this ship organized. What do you say?"
Graham nodded. He was a loyal soldier. "Of course, sir. Who do you need on the bridge?"
"A couple of engineers, someone to handle the comm, and a pair of systems techs. That should be enough to start."
"Consider it done. I'll send them up once I find them in the line."
"Uh, sirs?"
The new voice came from behind them. Gabriel spun, surprised that he hadn't heard anyone coming. Graham glanced up, and they all stared at the newcomer. She was young, maybe nineteen or twenty, with short brown hair and a pretty face. She couldn't have been more than three months out of training.
"My apologies. I'm Second Lieutenant Sandra Bale, sir."
"You're the pilot who brought the Larones over?" Gabriel guessed.
"Yes, sir," she replied. "I was waiting in the transport for them to come back. When the Magellan took off, I left my ship and found Captain Sturges. We talked about what you were doing, and he told me to find you." Wallace stepped over to her, sniffing her hand. She looked down at him and smiled, running her hand along his fur. "I've never seen a dog before. He's so soft."
"Lieutenant Bale, don't take this the wrong way," Gabriel said. "But where did you come from? If you're a recent graduate, you should have been assigned to Delta Station."
"And I don't know you," Graham said.
Bale's face turned red. "This is awkward," she said. "I haven't actually graduated yet."
"What?" Theodore said.
"General Cave needed someone to bring the Larones over to the Magellan, sir. He asked me to do it."
"How do you know him?" Gabriel asked.
She looked even more embarrassed. "We met last year, sir. At one of the restaurants on Alpha."
"Hoo-boy," Theodore said. "You're doing the dirty with him?"
"Dad," Gabriel said.
"It ain't none of my business, I know, but last I knew Alan was a married man. You're telling me you're his mistress?"
"I prefer not to think of it that way, sir," she replied. "Yes, we were in a relationship."
"And now you want to get off my boat. Is that it?" He pointed to the airlock, where Delta's soldiers were still standing at attention. "There's the exit. I'm keeping the transport."
"Actually, sir, I want to stay."
Theodore's eyes narrowed. Gabriel could tell his father didn't trust her. "Really? Why?"
"I didn't know what he was doing. What they were planning. I don't agree with it."
Theodore rubbed his chin. "Bale. Bale. Where do I know that name from? It sounds so familiar, but I just can't get it solid in my noggin."
"My father was David Bale, sir. He was a scientist. His father was Roland Bale. He was an administrator who happened to work on the base where the Magellan was docked. Your wife saved him. I mean, I know everyone is here because of you, but it's more than that."
"Is it?" Theodore said. "I don't remember every civilian that made it onto the Magellan. I suppose it doesn't matter. Even if Alan wants you to spy on me, there ain't much you can do from out here."
"I'm not a spy, General," Bale said. "I care about the people of the NEA. All of them."
"Then welcome aboard, Lieutenant. Colonel Graham here will get you settled with everyone else."
"Thank you, sir," she sai
d.
"Go and join the others," Graham said.
"Yes, sir."
Bale went over to stand at attention at the front of the line.
"Do you really think she's a spy?" Gabriel asked.
"Her? I doubt it, but you never really know a person, do you? I thought I knew Alan Cave and I hate being wrong."
"Amen to that, sir," Graham said.
"Get your people loaded and ready, Colonel," Theodore said. "I want to be underway within the next half-hour."
"Yes, sir."
"Let's go, Gabriel. And bring Wallace with you. He is the XD, after all."
"Executive Dog?" Gabriel asked.
"Damn right."
"Yes, sir."
Gabriel walked beside Theodore as they made their way back to the elevator while Wallace ranged ahead and sniffed at different spots along the wall.
"Was there anyone you didn't see in the crowd that you were hoping to?" Theodore asked.
"It was hard to see to the back. We have enough pilots for the Magellan and the starfighters, and then some. Assuming you let Second Lieutenant Bales fly, that is."
"Why wouldn't I let her fly? She may be a cute little dollie type, and she may have messed around with Alan, but I don't think she's dumb enough to try anything that stupid."
"Let's hope not. So, we have a ship. We have a crew. We're going to Earth. Then what?"
"What do you think? We need to make contact with the resistance."
"We don't contact them. They contact us."
"Well that's the problem right there, ain't it?"
"A problem we haven't been able to solve in twenty-seven years."
"Not true, son. We know how to solve the problem. We just ain't ever had a good enough reason to order someone to do it."
Gabriel stopped in the corridor. He knew exactly what his father was suggesting. And who he was suggesting.
Theodore turned his head to lock eyes. "You know I wouldn't ask you to do it if I didn't think you could."
"I barely made it out last time at full tilt," Gabriel said. "What makes you think I can enter the atmosphere and survive at air speeds long enough to broadcast."
"Because you're my boy, and you're the best."