“Thanks for the compliment. It means a lot.”
“That was an amazing battle,” the woman speaks up. “Sorry, I’m Lt. Naomi Watkins. With some of the maneuvers you guys were pulling, I was completely in awe. How do you manage those while keeping track of targets?”
“It takes a bit of practice and a good eye,” I tell her. “I’d be happy to teach you guys if you want.”
“That would be great. We’ll be seeing you around.”
The two of them walk off together ahead of us. I watch them as they stroll, chatting away. Naomi playfully bumps Sam and he thumps her on the forehead. They look really close.
“They remind you a little of us in the beginning, don’t they?” Hitomi says next to me.
“Yeah, they do. I just hope they have an easier time of it.”
Hitomi looks at me with a bittersweet smile. She nuzzles into my side for a brief moment and I squeeze her shoulder gently. Neither of us would wish the complicated series of events that have happened in our recent lives on anyone.
Chapter 24
Major Hitomi Saruyama
August 24, 2113, 11:55
Huge groups of people move all around me as the cacophony of voices and machinery permeates the massive room I find myself in. Forklifts zip past in lanes marked with safety tape, carrying pallets of supplies and machinery. I shift my bag on my shoulders and huddle up, pushing my way through the crowd.
I just had to run off, didn’t I? Rion even offered to wait for me while I ran to the bathroom, but I told him I would catch up. I’ll be fine, I said confidently. I underestimated how many people are here. There are literally thousands of bodies moving around among the equipment and machinery.
A hand grabs my wrist firmly and pulls me sideways. It catches me so off guard that I stumble a little, falling straight into someone’s chest. I quickly apologize and look up to see who it is I bumped into.
“Feeling lost, princess?” Rion asks sarcastically.
“I miscalculated.”
“I noticed. Come on, let’s go.”
He walks off through the crowd, his hand now firmly affixed to my hand lest we get separated again. I allow myself to be led along through the throngs of people as the volume continues at a near-deafening decibel. Soon, we run into the rest of the team again.
“You found her, huh?” Saika asks Rion.
“Yeah. She’s a great pilot, but I think she needs GPS on the ground,” he quips.
“Shut it,” I tell him, punching him in the side.
Final boarding for shuttle B4. Shuttle B4 will be departing from gate three in five minutes.
“I suppose we should get going before we miss our ride,” Rion says as the announcement comes over the station’s intercom.
We hurry through the crowds of people toward the designated boarding gate. Each of us shows our identification to the guard before continuing through the short tunnel to the shuttle. I secure my bags in an overhead compartment and take my seat, strapping in to prepare for takeoff.
A few minutes later, the shuttle begins moving slowly. The view outside is blocked as we enter a dimly lit tunnel and ascend up a slight slope. There’s a dull shudder as the shuttle is locked into the accelerator. The dim lights of the tunnel brighten slightly outside the window and our vessel begins to gather speed.
After a few seconds gaining speed under normal power, the magnetic engines of the tunnel kick in. I’m pushed back into my seat a slight bit by the sudden, massive acceleration. Outside, the tunnel lights have become a solid mass as our speed exceeds Mach nine.
The walls of the tunnel disappear, and the sky becomes visible once more as we’re propelled from the end of the tunnel and shoot skyward. Our shuttle climbs through the air at a grotesquely insane speed, its powerful engines pushing it ever faster. It feels sort of like flying in the HVEC, but much faster. I’m once again thankful for inertial dampening technology as I watch the ground shrink quickly.
Clouds, too, recede into the distance and our surroundings grow dark as we exit the atmosphere. More of the giant sphere that I’ve lived on for my entire life becomes visible as we shoot farther into space. The farther we get, the smaller that massive planet seems in its surroundings.
Farther away, in the direction we’re traveling, is a massive, dark behemoth floating in space. It completely dwarfs the shuttle as we approach, easily more than a mile high and stretching forward farther than I can fathom. I have trouble wrapping my brain around the idea that this huge thing is a ship.
“That’s a big space boat,” Rion notes beside me.
He says the words like it’s no big deal, but a look at his face tells me he’s as awestruck as I am. The ship looms over us as we approach the guiding lights of the shuttle dock. We pass through the massive airlock doors and they shut behind us as we slide into a docking space on the huge hangar floor.
Once secured, there’s a hiss as the shuttle doors open, allowing us to disembark. I unfasten my harness and retrieve my bags from above before following Rion out the door. Outside, a uniformed soldier greets us.
“Welcome aboard. Could I have Colonel Tachibana and Major Saruyama come with me? The admiral would like to see you before you get settled in. Your bags will be delivered to your rooms if you leave them right over here.”
We follow the woman out of the hangar and down a few corridors to an elevator. She presses a button and it ascends quickly. On the new floor, she continues to lead us through the ship before arriving at a door. After a knock, she opens the door and we walk inside.
The first thing I hear upon entry is the melodic tunes of a piano. Notes weave in and out with one another in a slow classical tune. It’s all at once gentle and powerful. I listen to the beautiful tune until its soft melodies ring out the final note. At that point, the soldier begins speaking.
“I’ve brought the officers you requested, admiral.”
“Thank you, corporal. You’re dismissed.”
The woman turns and exits the room, shutting the door behind her. On the other side of the piano, a man stands up and descends the stairs to meet us. He’s not a particularly large or imposing man for an admiral. Honestly, he looks more like a grandfather you’d find sitting on the porch, casually enjoying a beer and taking in the neighborhood.
“Welcome aboard the ASNS Ikaruga, the newest addition to Alliance Space Navy. I’m Admiral Lionel R. Jones, captain of this vessel and commander of the ASN First Fleet. I hear congratulations are in order for both of you on your promotions.”
“Thank you, sir,” Rion says. “It’s an honor to be here.”
“Glad to hear it. Now as I understand it, Colonel Tachibana, you are the commanding officer of both the 35th Squadron and its parent group, the 5th Wing, that will be stationed here on the Ikaruga. Major Saruyama is your second in command and will be handling much of the squadron-level work. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Good. I’ve been informed that the remainder of the 5th Fighter Wing will be arriving in a month’s time, just before we set out on our journey. Until then, there won’t be much for you to do other than training sorties at your discretion. Be mindful that some final phases of the construction process are ongoing and there will be times when exercises are limited.
“As far as ship life goes, this carrier is equipped with just about any facility you could hope for. Due to the sheer size of the vessel, there are several cafeterias offering a wide range of food. Recreational facilities are located near the residential clusters and there is even a transportation system to make traversing the length of the ship quicker and easier. That’s all I have, but do you have any questions?”
“Nothing that comes to mind,” Rion replies.
“I can’t think of anything either,” I add.
“Well, then, I hope you will enjoy your stay onboard the Ikaruga and I’ll be counting on your expertise when we set out to battle. A map of the ship is available on your data pads and you can use it to plot a path
anywhere on the ship. I’ll let you all go ahead and get situated now.”
We thank him and exit the room. I take my tablet out of my pocket and, after a few button presses, discover the information as promised. The map is divided into floors and, thankfully, has filters and even a list mode to help identify specific places. It looks like our rooms are all in the residential cluster near the hangars.
“So, I skipped breakfast,” I tell Rion. “Want to go grab a bite to eat?”
“Sure. I could use something, too. Might as well enjoy exploring this place before we’re too busy to even blink.”
“Cheer up. We’re making history onboard the first ever space carrier. I know that little techie brain of yours has to be enjoying this.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m having a blast,” he says, a smile playing on his lips.
“Let’s go, then,” I tell him, tugging his sleeve and walking off through the corridor, letting the tablet map lead me to the nearest food.
Chapter 25
Colonel Orion Tachibana
October 1, 2113, 06:00
The dimly lit interior of the main bridge is abuzz with activity as crew members finish up last-minute preparations. Banks of computer workstations are organized around the room based on job function, with the pilot’s console being directly center toward the front. Admiral Jones stands in front of a chair center rear reading over some documents.
I watch this scene unfold from the comfort of a railing near the wall. There isn’t much for me to do in here at this moment, so I’m basically here as a formality for the launch. After a while, one of the crewmen walks up to the admiral and gives a report.
“All stations are prepped and ready for launch, sir. Your orders?”
The admiral looks up from the documents he’s been perusing this entire time. “Good. Lt. Colonel, is everything good to go on the pilots’ end?”
“All green on our end,” I confirm.
“Alright, then.” He sits down in his chair and pushes a button to activate the ship’s intercom system. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. You’ve all worked hard to prepare yourselves and our fine vessel for its maiden voyage. Now, the time has finally come to set out.
“Our mission is simple: end this war. I have no doubt that this is the finest crew and the finest ship in the world. We will accomplish our mission with grace and dedication. Without further delay, let me say the words that we’ve all been waiting for: Ikaruga, launch!”
The pilot gets to work at his console and the ship slowly begins to slide forward out of its docking area. As we fly farther away from the huge structure, three more massive ships converge on us. Once they’ve gotten closer, I can see the huge letters painted on the side of two of their hulls: Ikaros and Isuca. Our escorts have arrived.
“What a sight,” the admiral says, talking to me. “Fine time to be a commander, eh?”
“That it is, sir. That it is.”
***
The massive window on the observation deck gives me a stunning view of the solar system as I stand lost in thought. Celestial bodies that I’ve only ever seen in pictures before swim lazily past my point of view, seemingly slow despite our relatively fast speed. It’s been about four hours since we left dock, but earth is still visible and large enough that it doesn’t seem like we’ve moved much at all. Galactic scale is one hell of a massive playground.
“Hey there.”
A voice behind me interrupts my thoughts. I turn around to see Hitomi walking toward me, two bottles of juice in her hands. She stands beside me and hands me one, then looks out the window at the endless expanse. I take a swig of the drink, which turns out to be apple juice, and sit the bottle on a nearby table.
“How you feeling?” she asks.
“I’m okay. Just lost in thought. Trying to wrap my head around this whole space thing, to be honest. The reality of it never really occurred to me until now, I guess.”
“I know how you feel.” She glances behind her before leaning over and resting her head on my shoulder. “We’re a long way from home, huh?”
“That we are. We’ll be alright, though. We’ve got each other after all. Plus, we’ve got the best group of pilots in the world backing us up.” I reach over and squeeze her hand comfortingly.
“You’re right. Let’s hurry up and finish things up so we can get back home and enjoy a real vacation.”
Suddenly, red lights begin to reflect off the glass as a loud alarm blares from speakers on the wall. A thick, armored shutter begins to roll down over both sides of the window, protecting the fragile glass as the ship enters combat mode. Admiral Jones’ voice comes over the ship intercom.
“All hands to combat stations. Republic forces have been sighted ahead and are approaching fast. This is not a drill.”
Without wasting a moment, Hitomi and I run out of the room and down the corridor, finding the nearest elevator and taking it down five floors to the hangar deck. Once there, we stop to put on our space-worthy flight suits. I help her secure her helmet and she does the same for me before we rush out to the main hangar floor.
“You’re cleared to go whenever you’re ready,” the lead mechanic tells me as I climb up to my plane.
She presses a button on her harness and the cable securing her to the hangar ceiling retracts, sending her clear of the moving fighters. The bay doors leading out into space begin to slide open and, after checking everything with my plane, I give the order for my squad to launch.
I press a button to release the docking constraints and move into position for takeoff. After making one last adjustment, I push the throttle and my plane flies out the hangar door into space. The others continue to launch behind me until we have sixteen fighters in the air.
My plane seems smaller than a speck of dust compared to the carrier we just launched from even as we fly farther away from it. The escort ships have already pulled ahead into defensive positions, ready to open fire on the approaching ships. On my radar, I can see a group of four large targets surrounded by a bunch of smaller ones. By my count, twenty enemy fighters are present, plus the larger ships that launched them. I’m sure there’s more to come.
“All friendly fighters move to intercept the hostile soft targets,” a voice orders through the radio. “Do not worry about engaging the main enemy craft.”
At those words, all sixteen fighters from my squadron, as well as an additional twelve from another squadron under my command, push forward ahead of the escorts and fly toward the approaching enemy fighters. As we pass the Ikaros, a thick beam of plasma shoots forth from its main cannon, cutting a line through space toward the hostile ships.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen,” I address my pilots. “This will be our first engagement in this theatre, but you know the drill. We’ve practiced for this, so let’s do what we do best and fight back these enemies.”
They respond enthusiastically, my rallying call rousing their spirits a little. The approaching bad guys, now a group of twenty-eight, close the distance with us and I prepare for the coming battle. Their formation is split in three, with twelve planes in the middle and eight on each wing.
When we’re in range, both sides open fire. Plasma bursts fly in every direction, turning the dark space background into a lightshow that would put a rave to shame. Massive plasma pillars from our own ships continue to arc across the sky toward the other fleet, well clear of our own fight with the smaller planes.
Shots fly past my plane, missing me by easily thirty meters. Sometimes I wonder how Republic pilots’ aim is so far off at times like this. Probably because they start shooting as soon as they’re within gun range instead of waiting until they can aim accurately. I’m thankful for it either way.
Once they’ve gotten closer, I finally let loose some shots of my own. The plasma bolts fly toward the enemy fighters, missing their intended target by a few feet. I correct my aim slightly and release a second volley. This one strikes the lead plane, piercing its hull and
causing the pilot to temporarily lose control. Another volley catches him as the plane drops and it bursts into flames.
As the fight switches to close combat, things proceed almost like every other fight we’ve been in. I can’t really maneuver in some of the ways I’m used to without gravity, but everything else is the same as the thousands of other dogfights I’ve been in. One by one, enemy planes disappear under the assault from my team and me.
The enemy formation begins to crumble the more of them we destroy, despite a small wave of reinforcements arriving midway through the fight. As an enemy moves across my path, I turn my plane and cut the throttle, using the inertia to carry me sideways. I line up shots and squeeze the trigger as I go past, turning forward once more and pushing the throttle back up. A glance in the direction of my target rewards me with an explosion.
A glance at my radar tells me that the four enemy ships have changed their course and are now moving away from us, attempting to exit the area. The few remaining fighters are hopelessly outnumbered by our forces and it takes hardly any time to mop up the last of them.
“We have successfully repelled the enemy assault,” the control operator announces. “All fighters are cleared to return to your respective hangar bays. Flight leaders will determine order of landing.”
Our formation heads back toward the Ikaruga, not having lost a single plane in our first space skirmish. I delegate the landing order to the friendly pilots, sending the rookie pilots in to dock first. My squad brings up the rear and lands last, the hangar doors sliding shut as soon as I’m clear. I maneuver my plane over to its hangar slot and set it down, engaging the docking lock with the press of a button.
As the display screens switch off, the inside of my cockpit gets pitch black before the canopy opens and lets in light from the hangar. As I climb out of the plane, the head mechanic drops down from the ceiling, landing a few feet away and walking up to me with her data pad in hand.
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