by J. K. Mabrey
“Be my guest,” Zavik said.
The officer did an about-face and marched away. They felt he was not happy about his order to be a messenger.
“Any ideas?” Dani asked.
“Maybe, but I do hate to be wrong.” He cocked a smile her way and walked away.
They reached the elevator at the end of the hall and keyed for the third-floor armory. They exited the elevator to a burly man with a thick beard staring at them. Zavik was overcome with a little shock, and disbelief.
“Mike…Snyder?” he muttered.
“The one and only baby,” he responded enthusiastically as he lunged to hug him. The man Zavik had known since childhood, but hadn’t seen in almost five years, had changed some. His stomach overhung his tightly belted pants more than was usually acceptable for the military. His forehead still barely reached Zavik's eyes and his red hair had developed a nice receding line over the years. Zavik was sure he was no longer in the field but had no idea why he was at this station. It was quite the coincidence. It was a large fleet after all. “How the hell ya been man?” he shouted with a deep draw.
“Been real good,” Zavik lied. “You?”
“Ah, hell, been getting along alright. You know movin from outpost to outpost ain’t exactly my style,” he said with a smile.
“Yeah, you like the action. Don’t imagine you see much of that up here. What are you doing here anyway?”
“Well, they got me makin sure all the outposts and docking stations and war stations are properly outfitted for battle. Small arms as well as large.”
“Sounds…boring. You expecting a fight?” Zavik asked.
“Have been for a while, to tell the truth,” Mike said slightly deflated. “The attacks’ve thinned out for a while, but they’ll be back."
“How’s the fleet lookin?” Zavik asked.
“Eh, she’s pretty old, could use some upgrades, but whose gonna give’em to us? She is larger than most, so there’s our advantage. I think were fine. Four months since the last attack, supply routes getting back on schedule. I’m sure you know about that.”
“Yeah, business is tryin to get back to regular,” Zavik told him.
“If we’d only get more help from the Council."
“Seems to be the common sentiment around here,” Zavik said.
“Yeah, but they still see humans as the new kids on the block, and they’d be correct about that. They don’t trust us yet either.”
“Probably right about that too,” Zavik snipped. “Still no leads on the attackers?”
“None. Damn cowards won’t own up to it. They’re afraid of retaliation, from the Council or us. Not sure which is worse. They’re Chokmnd ships, we know that from the recessed cockpit and pincer-like fins surrounding the ships, but the Chokmnds claim there are thousands of their designed ships on the black market, and there’s no way of knowing who they belong to. I’d bet real money they know exactly who's behind the attacks. Damn Chokmnds want to keep us oppressed and out of power. Can’t stand them.”
“They’re the ones in charge, so-to-speak. I heard about the men you lost to a Chokmnd misunderstanding,” Zavik said. "I'm sorry."
Mike was silent, and Dani saw this as her opportunity to break the tension. “Ah-hem!” she coughed from behind Zavik.
“Oh, um Mike this is Dani Epson, my co-pilot,” Zavik said. “Dani, this is Mike Snyder. We were in the same unit.”
“Oh! Pleased to meet you.” She held out her hand to shake.
“Pleasure is all mine.” He grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly.
“Ok, ok, enough of that,” Zavik said. “Mike was always trying to be the charmer.”
“Trying,” he said indignantly.
“I don’t believe Zavik has ever introduced me to anyone he served with when he was in the Force."
“Well, we’re a pretty scattered bunch now. A few dead, few promoted,” he pointed to himself in an amused self-serving sort of way, “and a few still fighting the good fight off world. Only one discharged, though,” he added, glancing at Zavik. “Damn travesty if you ask me.”
“We didn’t,” Zavik said, cutting him off, “so let's drop it.”
“You!” Dani cried. “You were discharged?”
“Didn’t tell you? Oops.”
“I said drop it.” Zavik snapped.
“Honorably or dishonorably?” she demanded, ignoring his last statement.
Zavik was silent for a moment, and Mike knew this was not his answer to reveal. Zavik sighed, then said, “Dishonorably,” and looked at Dani to judge her reaction.
“You going to tell me for what now?” She could see the relief on his face.
“If I don’t, you going to find another ship?” Zavik asked.
“No, of course not,” she replied as if the thought never crossed her mind.
“So I see no reason to tell you.” He shot a smile to Mike.
“That’s not funny.”
“It was a little,” Mike chimed in.
“Fine,” he said. “It was for disobeying orders if it matters to ya.”
“Yeah, and saved a couple dozen men too,” Mike added.
“Still lost five, in case you forgot."
Mike hadn’t of course. No one forgets seeing a fallen soldier lying motionless as you’re forced to leave them behind. When it’s five, it’s an image that takes a lifetime to fade.
“Well, if you hadn’t dropped the ship in the middle of that hot-zone to get those men out, they would’ve all been dead. No doubt about that.”
“So what exactly did you disobey?” Dani asked.
“Orders were to return to base, the ship and the data on board were deemed to be more valuable than the men on the ground,” Zavik said in disgust.
“We were carrying the technical readouts of the Sequoia fleet,” Mike told Dani. “Very valuable, and gave the Council the heavy advantage for the rest of the campaign. It saved thousands of human lives.”
“I’ll give you that, but at the time I couldn’t justify sacrificing dozens on the chance to save thousands. Remember, we didn’t know for sure what we had till intelligence analyzed it.”
“So you saved lives, and ended up delivering the intelligence that turned the campaign around, and they still discharged you?” Dani asked.
“Military for you,” Mike responded. “I can’t say much," he lowered his voice, "still bein in their good graces and all, but disobeying a superior just can’t be tolerated. No matter what the outcome is. They need to have their control, or at least look like they have control.”
“I knew when I did it my career was over. I was fine with that. Still am. Now are you going to reconsider looking for another ship?”
“You wish,” Dani retorted. “Four years together and you never told me. It doesn’t seem like anything to be ashamed of.”
“I’m not,” Zavik told her. “It’s just not something I like to spread around. It’s personal.” He was stern in his belief of keeping things out of the spotlight. Zavik was not one to lavish in praise or pity. Dani had come to recognize and respect that about him.
Turning to Mike, Zavik tried to return to the previous conversation. “Now that that’s out of the way…thanks, Mike,” he said, sarcastically. “How are the defenses looking these days?”
“Well, since the attacks we’ve definitely gotten a little more cautious. Security screenings and cargo checks are the norm now." He reminded Zavik of what his ship was going through at that moment.
“Yeah, right,” Zavik replied.
“We’re not a hundred percent sure the attacks aren’t a human terrorist outfit.” Seeing their confused faces he added, “Crazier things have happened. So we have to check everything. Imagine if someone smuggled a plant virus or other biological weapon to one of our crop fields. Could set us back decades, or worse.”
“Never thought of that,” Dani said.
“Even supplies from the Council get checked out. The Mars base is on the lookout for anything coming from out
of the system.”
“What about the portals?” Zavik inquired.
“They’re tougher that’s for sure,” Mike said, dropping his head a little. “They’re far enough away from our stations to give us a little reaction time if something unauthorized comes through, but we don’t have enough ships or orbital guns to withstand a full blown attack. Little hit-n-run terrorist attacks will do damage, but usually nothing severe. A full fleet, though, not a chance. At least not right now. Kinda what I’m doing. Seeing what really needs to be upgraded, and reinforced to withstand a large-scale attack.”
Dani thought of another means to identify the attackers. "But the Council would know where an attack came from since they can’t switch warp points, right?”
"Well, they can be switched, theoretically, but it’s more likely a ship would multi-jump from portal to portal and arrive here from one planet's portal, when their original portal was a completely different world, even one with no direct links to Earth. That's hard to track, requires too much coordination between planets that don't like us, and some plants, like Cedona, the ‘Galactic Center,’ that see a hundred times more ships pass through one portal in an hour as we see through our seven in a day! It doesn’t often happen, though; the Council doesn’t let ships do that even on normal deliveries. It’s what makes getting supplies so difficult from planets without a direct portal to here. They have to enter one system, go through their customs or whatever they have on that planet, and then request further use of another portal, pay a fee and jump here. Greatly increases cost. Imagine doing that for three or four systems."
"We have,” Zavik said. “Hurts profits. No one wants those jobs.”
“It’s also a dangerous stunt. Without proper clearance, from both sides, you could warp right into an oncoming ship, and that’d damage something real quick.”
“It’s what smugglers are expected to do, if you want to get the big contracts that is,” Zavik said. “One of the perks of working for legit governments, I guess. How's the request for more portals going? I imagine a few more would help with the restoration.”
"It would, but we haven't had any orders to prepare for a new one, so I’d say it's a few years away at least." Turning to Dani, Mike said, "You know how government is, takes years from idea to completion for anything. Hell, probably take six months just to pick a location for the damn thing,” he chuckled.
"Wouldn't doubt that." Zavik laughed with Mike, the first genuine laugh Dani had seen from him in a while.
"Speaking of portal jumping, I ever tell you about that time my unit –" Mike was cut off by a red-alert alarm in the station.
"Think you're going to have to hold that thought for a while." Zavik focused on the blinking red light just behind Mike's head. "What's going on?"
"Who knows, but red alerts aren’t drills, and they're not for drifting debris. Something slightly more urgent,” he said, lowering his voice. “Let's go see."
They left the armory and entered the elevator for the bridge.
"The Bridge?" Zavik asked cautiously.
"Don't worry, you're with me," Mike said grinning. "Not that I outrank everyone here, but I do outrank most. Basic desk jobs gotta have their advantages somewhere."
Zavik wouldn't call what Mike was doing a basic desk job, but for a man who loves the battlefield, anything away from it could be called a desk job.
They reached the bridge to a half-dozen glares of disapproval.
"Ah, Lieutenant Colonial, what can I do for you?" a man at the front controls asked.
Lieutenant Colonial? That was news to Zavik. Mike was in basic civilian clothes, no military markings, he never let on that he had been promoted so high. So he did about outrank everyone then. The man at the controls turned to Mike and the others.
"What is the alarm for Commander Mitchell?" Mike asked.
Eyeing Zavik and Dani, the Commander gave a sigh and reluctantly answered. "Several ships of unidentified origin have just entered from the Eris system portal, sir. They’re not authorized, and they haven’t responded to communications. We are scrambling defenders now and all stations are on alert."
"I see. Has Admiral Hansen been alerted, Commander?"
"Of course, sir," the Commander answered, trying to not sound offended. "My orders are to defend the station at all costs. The timing of Mr. Khan’s delivery is quite time sensitive. It will be devastating to have to wait for approval and delivery of more supplies…should they be destroyed."
"Crops lost if those supplies are destroyed?" Zavik asked.
"Could put us back a whole season, yes."
"Then you’ll need every man you can get, we'd better help out there," Mike said with excitement.
"We, sir?" the Commander asked. "I'm afraid I can't let you go out there into battle."
"What? I'll be damned if I'm going to be told that I can't fly a ship in battle by some pencil pushing desk jockey. You may not realize this, but I do outrank you. So you'll give me a ship, and that's an order."
The Commander was un-phased by his beratement. "I'm afraid, sir, I have orders from admiral Hanson to deny you any request for combat clearance. And I'm fairly certain he outranks you," the Commander said, with a grin, then added, "sir."
"Guess space combat’s a little below your pay grade now," Zavik commented.
"Yes," Commander Mitchell agreed, "but you, on the other hand, Mr. Khan, are not under military authority. Not anymore."
"What’s your point, Commander?" Zavik questioned, delivering a stern look.
"Well, it appears your ship is almost fully unloaded and you’ll be free to leave shortly if you wish."
"Great. We can get out of here before things get too hairy," Zavik said to Dani.
"True…" the Commander continued, "or you could aid your fellow earthlings. You did use to like doing that I believe, and I have heard impressive, if not legally questionable, rumors about your ships combat capabilities."
"I've done a few modifications,” Zavik said modestly.
"A few!" Mike said. "Heard the things near about the best-equipped ship any humans got."
Almost blushing, Zavik responded, "She needs a little more work with the shields, to be honest."
"That's fine by me," the Commander said. "Right now we have three dozen ships, with more coming through the portal, headed our way. There seem to be more fighters coming through than in the past attacks. They’re here for a reason, not just to be a menace. This base isn’t quite capable of defending against this many attackers. They could knock out critical parts of the station before reinforcements arrive.”
Zavik stood there defiant, certain he did not want to get involved in a fight that was not his. "This isn't my battle."
"Dammit Zav," Mike said, "stop playing hard to get. You're not the kind to stand by and let innocents die for no good reason. We both know this. We need your help, what else do you want me to say?"
Zavik put his hand to his chin and rubbed his thinly growing goatee. He glanced at Dani who he could tell had an apprehensive but pleading look on her face. Then he turned back to Mike. "I expect to be paid for this."
"Well you ain't getting a promotion, that's for damn sure. We'll see what we can do for you, though."
"Yeah, I'm sure." He turned to Dani. "Let's go."
They left the bridge and made their way back to the Rinada. Once aboard they started the engines and keyed on the communications. "Okay Commander,” Zavik said, "my systems are ready. Anything new to tell us?"
"First Captain, you're not flying under fleet orders, so I have no direct authority over your actions."
"Oh, I know that," Zavik interrupted.
"Ah-hem," Commander Mitchell responded, trying to ignore the interruption. "You may, however, find it beneficial for you to comply with my, hmm...suggestions."
"I'll try my best."
"Very well," he said. "We have deployed our thirty-two defenders into battle, and reinforcements are en route."
"How far away are the reinfor
cements?" Zavik asked.
“The nearest defense platform is twenty minutes away at point-one-percent light-speed. All other stations are on alert for any ships exiting other portals."
"How many ships came out of this one?"
"So far… ” the Commander said, “we count fifty-two, but more keep entering. Most are fighters, fast little gnats, designed to spray targets with fire and to overwhelm opponents with targets. One good hit will put them down."
"Anything specific you want me to do?"
"I want you to keep their numbers thin until reinforcements arrive. Then I want you out of my battlefield. Understood?"
"Quite."
They departed the station and headed towards the portal. They were already far behind the station's ships, but they’d catch up. This portal was closer to the station than the one they’d entered the Earth system through. Zavik knew this station was the target. He had a suspicion they wanted to destroy the supplies he delivered. What he desperately wanted to know was how they knew his timing and delivery point. The thought of a traitor or spy crossed his mind, and then was rushed out by Dani. "We are coming in range."
Over the comm came Commander Mitchell. "EU – 173 defense force, the Rinada is here to aid in the battle. Treat them as allies."
"Feels like if he didn't say that, they might target us too," Zavik said.
"Zavik!" the comm came again, only, this time, it was Mike. "Let the defenders deal with the larger long-range missile launchers. Concentrate on the small fighters. They should be of little match if your ship’s as good as the rumors."
It had been a while since the Rinada was in real combat. Zavik wouldn't admit it, but he was itching for a little action, if just to see what his work had produced. Zavik could see more ships pouring out of the portal with every flash given off by the collapsing bubble, and the trace of laser fire from the defender force pounding the attacking launchers.
"Computer readout shows those are Criben-based LR-80s, long range artillery, large, heavily shielded," Dani confirmed. The LR-80 was the workhorse of many pirate fleets, able to withstand more damage than most while still laying down a formidable amount of fire. The Chokmnd had designed the main variants centuries ago and they now littered many scrap yards, and old battlefields.