Death Never Leaves a Calling Card

by Saxon Andrew

  He stared at the count down and as it hit zero, he shot out of the reverse flow and felt an immediate bump as he hit a Tronan Warship. He entered the filament at a sixty-degree angle and immediately straightened the scout as it blew through the interior of the giant warship. The rear end of the scout snapped around shaking them hard against their straps and Tamera pulled the lever. They immediately punctured another Tronan Warship as the one they initially hit disappeared in an instant as it moved out of the filament’s flow. Blake focused on holding his position in the flow with the scout’s boosters and thrusters as the ship punctured ship after ship. The scout felt a continuous shake from the blasts behind them.

  Tamara got the rhythm and was pulling her lever every half-second. Time seemed to slow and the process felt like it took forever. But then, only slower moving scattered Tronan Warships were moving toward them; they had been punctured by one of the scout units in front of them. Blake released a breath he had been holding and saw his unit was lined up in formation around him. They went to full boosters and began moving forward against the flow of the filament.

  One of the scouts on the far side of the their formation punctured a Tronan Warship and the malfunctioning Egg inside it exploded. The massive blast whipped into the scout’s ranks, instantly blowing them out of the filament in a massive blast; all thirty crews were killed by the massive concussion. Blake’s last view was of his wife before they died together.

  • • •

  Randy received the reports of Scouts being killed by malfunctioning timers in some of the Eggs. He lowered his eyes and Emily said softly, “It’s not something you could have done anything about.”

  “Tell that to my dead crews. Our manufacturing processes are going to get better or I’m not going to have my scouts holding formation when they start running into punctured warships.”

  “The plants were working overtime to produce the Eggs needed to handle this invasion.”

  Randy looked at her, “Blake and Tamara was in one of the units that died.” Emily closed her eyes and shook her head. Randy turned back to his monitor and began issuing orders to his scouts. The scout units in the filament spread out and began attacking the punctured warships with their blasters. They reduced their boosters and moved in the filament beside the warships and hit the bridges of the punctured warships, blowing their stardrive controllers into pools of melted metal. The warships left the filament and they went back to full boosters and waited for more damaged Tronan Vessels to appear.

  • • •

  Gem received reports of malfunctioning Eggs and contacted his Fleet Commanders, “Order all of your ships to avoid attacking damaged Tronan Warships. If the ship is punctured and has not exploded, it probably has a malfunctioning Egg on board.”

  “Sir, do we just leave them behind?”

  “Yes. If we manage to win this fight, the Insectoid Fleets will come in and hit them with a missile from long range.” Gem pressed a button on his console, “Admiral Hummel.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “You are going to have to leave three of your phalanxes in place. I am not going to attack damaged Tronan Vessels and there is a possibility that some of them may manage to make repairs and reenter the filament. I’m going to have the Insectoid Fleets to come and use their missiles to take them out later.”

  “Yes, Sir. I think that is a wise decision.”

  “I’m sorry for the loss of your units, Admiral.”

  “Let’s make their deaths count for something, Sir.”

  Gem nodded and ended the contact.

  • • •

  Ensign Cassie Williams stared at the monitor and said, “I HATE THIS!”

  Midshipman Kelly Green looked at her, “Hate what?”

  “That punctured warship moving toward us is pretty much intact. I keep expecting an egg to go up in it the moment I open fire on it.” She looked at Kelly, “Didn’t you work on the Eggs before you joined the scouts?”

  “I did.”

  “What’s causing them to fail?!”

  Kelly shrugged, “It could be any number of things.”

  Ok, genius, what’s the most likely?”

  Kelly stared at the long-range monitor and saw the approaching blip, “Well. The most likely culprits are the detonators or the trillium charge wasn’t installed correctly.”

  “It doesn’t appear there’s a problem with the trillium when they suddenly go off in a big way. The scout behind us found that out in a rather spectacular fashion.”

  “Their names were Terry and his Bomber was Ken.”

  “This is the very reason why I avoided learning the names of those in my unit. It’s not as painful when they die.”

  Kelly thought a moment and said, “The problem must be in the detonators. They’re probably getting stuck after the timer releases them.”

  “So, that means they’re ready to explode. Where I come from, that’s called a hair-trigger. A sudden move can set them off.” Kelly raised his shoulders slightly in agreement. Cassie glared at the monitor and said, “Well hitting them with a blaster shouldn’t set them off.” Kelly snickered. “What?”

  “When you hit a ship with a blaster and it burns everything it hits, something is going to explode. Modern warships have too many power circuits running through them and something is going to go boom.”

  Cassie stared at the approaching warship as it moved closer and said loudly, “I HATE THIS!!” She looked at Kelly and saw him staring out of the front viewport. “Hey, snap out of it. What are you thinking?”

  “Start falling away from that approaching warship.”

  “WHY?”

  “I want to try something.”

  Kelly began pressing communicator buttons on his panel and Cassie said, “Hey, that’s the old system.”

  “I know, just be quiet for a moment.”

  “It shouldn’t be here. It was supposed to be removed before we went out on this mission.”

  “WILL YOU BE QUIET!!”

  Cassie snorted and muttered, “I’m a superior officer.” Kelly looked at her and she closed her mouth. After fifteen-minutes she saw he was making changes to the old communication system. She looked at him but he ignored her.

  After thirty-minutes, he looked up, “That should do it.”

  “Do what?”

  “The timing circuit in the Eggs are supposed to release the electronic detonator after two and a half seconds. If the detonator is stuck, for whatever reason, it will not release the pulse to detonate the Egg. With me so far?” Cassie nodded. “Now the electronic pulse isn’t instantaneous. There is a half-second delay before the trillium and nuclear material are slammed together inside the Egg causing the explosion. Incidentally, that delay is figured into the three-seconds.”

  “So?”

  “The electronic pulse can be detected. If you have a powerful enough receiver, you will be able to hear it.”

  “From inside a three-mile wide warship!? You’re crazy.”

  “If you tune the receiver to the exact frequency of the detonator, it will be heard. That is, if the receiver is powerful enough.” Cassie stared at Kelly and he said, “Our receiver is one of the most powerful receivers in creation.”

  “Tell me what you’re saying.”

  “I’ve set a tone to sound if that frequency is detected. If you go to full boosters, how far past us will the warship we’re pacing move from us in a tenth of a second?” Cassie started shaking her head and Kelly quickly said, “I know; it’s difficult to figure out in your head. Anyway, it will be more than six-thousand miles further down the filament and we will be far out of the blast range when the Egg detonates.”

  “Exactly what does this tone sound like?” Cassie asked. Kelly pressed a button on his console and Kelly grabbed both ears with her hands, “SHUT THAT THING OFF!!”

  Kelly pulled a small slide on his console and said, “There, it’s at half-volume.”

  “That’s still too loud.”

  Kelly looked at Cassie, “
We’re about to allow that warship to draw even with us and you’re going to fire a blaster beam into the bridge. If you hear that tone, you’ll have two tenths of a second to go to full boosters. There can be no thought, you can’t delay, it’s got to be almost a reflex.” Cassie stared at Kelly and then nodded. “Just make you sure you keep the boosters feathered to maintain their power as we move in on that warship.”

  Cassie pushed the side-thrusters controls and saw the approaching ship move faster toward them. She set the portside blaster’s targeting system on the giant’s bridge and put her finger on the trigger located on the booster lever. She looked at Kelly, “Are you ready?” Kelly nodded. Cassie allowed the giant to move into blaster range and pulled the trigger. The blaster beam blew through the warship’s armor and a flash was seen from inside the warship. An instant later, a screaming tone filled the scout.

  Kelly had to admit afterwards that Cassie did something he believed to be impossible. She used three of her extended fingers on the Booster control to flick the thruster control lever rearwards while simultaneously pushing the booster lever fully forward. The giant warship flashed away from them in the filament flow and, less than a second later, they saw a massive explosion behind them.

  Cassie felt her heart hammering in her chest and Kelly said, “That was outstanding piloting, Sir.”

  Cassie took her hands off the controls, reached over, pulled Kelly in close and planted a huge kiss on him. She broke the kiss and screamed, “WE’RE STILL ALIVE!!” Kelly was rubbing his lips and Cassie raised her shoulders, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. I kind of lost myself in the moment.” Cassie looked up, “Computer, did you record our conversation?”

  “I record everything that happens on this ship, Ensign.”

  Cassie looked at Kelly, “Say the frequency you used.” Kelly moved his hand from his lips and read it off his console. “Computer, send a copy of our conversation to Scout Fleet Admiral Hummel.”

  “Sending recording.”

  Cassie looked at Kelly and he had his fingers back on his lips. Cassie sighed, “Sorry about that.”

  Kelly removed his hand, “Don’t be. I rather enjoyed it.”

  They moved forward in the filament looking for more punctured warships. After fifteen-minutes, Cassie smiled, “Maybe if we live through this there will be more of that afterwards.”

  Kelly smiled, “I indeed hope there is!”

  • • •

  Randy received the recording and scanned the short exchange between a midshipman and his pilot, not really paying attention. He heard a oud tone and looked back at the recording as the scout attacked a warship and was warned by a loud tone. It accelerated away and was not caught in the ensuing Egg detonation. He immediately sat up straight up in his chair and rewound the conversation. He listened closely and his mouth fell open. He pressed a button on his panel and Gamgel appeared on his monitor, “Do you have a minute?! This is important!”

  Gamgel smiled, “And how are you doing, Randy? I’m surprised you found an interest in contacting me. I’ve been wondering when…”

  “GRANGEL, I SAID THIS IS IMPORTANT. I’VE LOST MORE THAN TWO THOUSAND OF MY SCOUTS AND I DON’T WANT IT TO CONTINUE!!”

  Gamgel saw Randy’s expression and immediately said, “I apologize, Admiral.”

  “I’m sending you a recording between a pilot and a midshipman on one of my scouts. A large number of Eggs are malfunctioning and they’re killing my crews. Please, tell me what you think about it!”

  “Send it.” Randy saw Gamgel lean off screen and then he heard the conversation playing in the back ground. Randy saw Gamgel’s eyes widen when he heard the tone and saw the massive explosion behind the scout. “Please forgive me, I need to see this again.” Randy rolled his eyes and after another long wait, Gamgel looked at him, “What this midshipman did is not possible.”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT POSSIBLE. YOU JUST WITNESSED WHAT HAPPENED!!”

  “I’m telling you he did something else besides listening for that frequency. Where is this sailor?”

  Randy’s face turned white, “He’s fighting in the filament against the Tronan Fleets.”

  Gamgel lowered his eyes, “Admiral, I highly recommend you remove him from the fight and get him here as quickly as possible.”

  Randy looked at Emily and she was scrolling through the list of crews. She was shaking her head and Randy shouted, “Computer!! Can you recognize the unit patch either one of those crewmen was wearing?!”

  “Stand by.”

  He looked at Emily who said, “There’s eight-hundred-thousand crews in our fleets. Those two never once mentioned each other’s names.”

  “Admiral, their unit patches cannot be seen from the angle of the camera that recorded their conversation.”

  Randy was ready to pound his head on the wall when he suddenly remembered, “Emily! They mentioned the names of the crew that was killed directly behind them.” Randy looked up, “Computer!!”

  “The two names they used were Terry and Ken. A report on the death of Terry Farnsworth and Ken Asbell was turned in by their commander.”

  “WHO IS THAT COMMANDER?!”

  “I’m connecting you with Lt. Kalanie Gronsah.”

  A young dark-skinned woman appeared on Randy’s panel and he said, “LIEUTENANT!!”

  “YES, SIR! WHAT’S WRONG, SIR!?”

  Randy forced himself to slow down and said more calmly, “I need to know the names of the crew that you assigned to fly in front of Terry Farnsworth’s Scout.”

  “That’s Ensign Cassidy Williams and Midshipman Kelly Green, Sir.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “They are approaching the filament and will be joining the main attack momentarily.”

  He heard Emily yell, “I’VE GOT THEIR FREQUNCY!”

  “Lieutenant, I am pulling them out of the fight and you’ll need to find a replacement in their formation.”

  “Have they done anything wrong, Sir?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Cassie can be a little over-exuberant in most everything she does.”

  “They’ve done nothing wrong, Lieutenant, quite to the contrary, they’ve done something right.”

  Randy pointed at Emily and suddenly a young auburn haired woman appeared on his monitor. “Holy Guacamole, it’s the Admiral.”

  The stress he was under got the best of him and he started laughing. He laughed so hard he had trouble breathing. Emily came rushing forward and said, “Ensign, you will reverse course and return to your transport immediately!”

  Emily heard a voice in the background say, “I TOLD YOU IF YOU CAN SEE THEM, THEY CAN SEE AND HEAR YOU!!” Emily started laughing and Randy laughed even harder. They were both in tears when they heard the voice say, “ARE YOU PARALYZED?? HE ORDERED YOU BACK TO THE KEY WEST!!”

  Randy finally regained his composure but every time he looked at Emily he lost it again. Finally, he contacted Admiral Allen on the Key West and gave her instructions. He ended the contact and ordered a thousand scouts out of his last Phalanx to find Ensign Williams and to personally escort her to the Key West. They moved out of formation and accelerated into the reverse flow.

  • • •

  “Do you think I’m in trouble, Kelly?”

  “I don’t think so, Cassie. Just relax. There has to be a reason the Admiral ordered us out of action.”

  Cassie sighed, “I’m always opening my mouth without thinking and getting in trouble.”

  “Ensign Williams!”

  Cassie pressed her communicator, “This is she.”

  “This Captain Raines and I am approaching your scout in the reverse flow. I will be crossing into your filament momentarily and I have been ordered to escort you directly to the Key West. You will move your scout inside my formation and stay there, you got that!”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Cassy looked at her monitor and saw a thousand scouts come roaring off the reverse flow and surround her ship. She looked at K
elly and all he could do was shake his head, “Whatever you, or I, did; it must have been a doozy.”

  Five hours later, they arrived on the Key West and were immediately ordered to Romania. They tried to find out what was going on but Admiral Allen was unavailable. They sat in the conference room on board the Flash Shuttle Mercury. It was the fastest ship in the fleet and they were moving at the shuttle’s maximum speed.

  Kelly pulled up a chair to the viewport as they moved at incredible speed in the filament. Cassie paced back and forth until she finally pulled a chair up beside his and put her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and said, “We’re going to be fine. Whatever it is, we’ll go through it together; ok?” Cassie looked up at him and nodded. She snuggled in and, in a few minutes, fell asleep.

  • • •

  Five days later, the Mercury rushed out of orbit and landed on the roof of the Fleet Operations Tower on Romania. An armed guard met them at the port and said, “Please follow me.” He led them to an elevator and they only moved three floors before the elevator stopped. They were escorted into a giant conference room where they found an Alien sitting in a chair looking out the window. The guard announced, “Sir, this is Ensign Williams and Midshipman Green.”

  “The Alien turned around and said, “My name is Gamgel. Do you mind if I call you Cassie and Kelly?”

  Cassie was almost speechless and Kelly said, “Not at all. Will you please tell us what’s going on?”

  Gamgel’s head went back, “You don’t know?”

  “No. Everyone we’ve come into contact with has no idea why we were pulled out of formation and rushed here.”

  Gamgel snorted, “That figures. You were brought here because of a recording that Cassie sent to the Admiralty.” Cassie rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling; this was her fault. Gamgel smiled, “Don’t berate yourself, Cassie. That recording may be one of the most important pieces of information ever sent to us.” Cassie looked at Kelly as Gamgel said, “Kelly, you direct wired an old communication panel to receive the frequency of a detonator circuit.”