Bullshit. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. “It is important I speak with him.”
“I will relay any message to him.”
“I don’t want a message relayed, I want to speak with him!” Martin slammed his fist down on the arm of his captain chair.
“Admiral Rigsby, I will repeat myself…” the Supreme Tactical Commander trailed off. “One moment please.”
The image of the Supreme Tactical Commander was replaced by Dawyn Darklance. “I apologize for my tactical commander,” he said. “What is the urgent message, Admiral Rigsby?”
Martin nodded his head. "I also apologize, sir. I should not have lost my temper. The reason for my communication is the recent discovery of a large gravity wave previously obscured by Eligar VI. I am concerned by it.”
“Let me review it,” Dawyn said, looking off-screen for several minutes. His brows furrowed. “I’ve seen nothing like that.”
“Do you agree we should investigate?”
“Yes, but if it is enemy ships we need to prepare. I will order battle stations. For now, focus on recovering your Marines and stranded pilots, and we will do the same. Then, if this anomaly hasn't changed by that time we will act. Understood?"
“Understood,” Martin said. Let’s hope it’s not too late by that time.
***
Despite the Krai’kesh’ last ditch efforts to save themselves by engaging in melee with the Federation forces they died. The cost was high, however, Derek noted, with piles of human corpses now being gathered and stripped of their armor, weapons and other equipment and thrown into a mass grave. The Krai’kesh corpses were burned on a huge pyre out on the battlefield.
“How many did we lose?” Ashley asked.
Derek shook his head. “I’m still trying to get a clear number. Everyone is scattered everywhere, comms are flooded with chatter, it’s taking a moment to regain order.”
“So much for the fabled discipline of the 101st,” John said. “Unrelated chatter,” he shook his head melodramatically. “Why back in my day…”
Ashley slapped him on the back of the head. “You were never in the 101st, you big oaf.”
“Only because I wasn’t around when it formed. They would have taken me otherwise.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “They would have taken and dropped you from a high place at the first chance they got after they heard you speak.”
“I love you too.”
Love. I wonder how Selene is doing. Derek longed to reach out to her, but with every channel packed with emergency communications he felt like checking up on the woman he loved would seem petty. Do I love her? The thought surprised him. Sure, they had connected, but was it lust or something more? Did she love him? He wasn’t sure. He looked out at the battlefield again, this time focusing on the bodies of the Federation forces. It was too late for all of those who gave their lives that day, but it wasn’t too late for him.
Derek’s comm link came alive. “All Federation forces, prepare for extraction and to return to the fleet. Transports are in-bound.”
***
“Federation starfighters, return to your home ships. I repeat, Federation starfighters return to your home ships and re-supply.”
Re-supply for what? Selene wondered as she turned her fighter toward space. The battle was over. She flew through the wreckage of several Krai’kesh warships and fighters as she exited the orbit of Eligar II.
She noticed the black fleet warships congregating between the moon and the planet, coming back from the dark side of the moon. The Independence was among the capital ships.
Selene landed aboard the Independence and took stock. It was a miracle she only lost one pilot during the battle, leaving ten starfighters from the condensed Raptor Squadron remaining. She hopped out of her fighter and headed toward the command center to report in, but the sound of repulsorlift engines from behind stopped her. She turned.
Another dozen fighters entered the fighter bay. The word “victory” was written on the side of each fighter. Victory Squadron. Are they lost? She forgot about returning to the command center and watched as the fighters landed. She looked over at the crew chief. “Sampson, did you know they were coming?” she shouted.
The stout, balding crew chief looked at her and shook his head. “No ma’am, news to me.” He ushered for his crew to make space and attend to the new fighters. The Raptor Squadron fighters were ushered below decks to the staging deck to make room for the new squadron.
The hatch of the lead Victory Squadron fighter slid open and a thin, tall pilot stepped out. They deactivated their helmet, revealing a female with shoulder-length auburn hair. She fluffed it as she approached Selene. She glanced at her rank insignia. “Lieutenant Artois, good shooting out there.”
Selene eyed the woman’s insignia. Edgerton. And a commander too. She saluted. “Thank you, ma’am.”
The woman smiled and returned the salute. “At ease. My name is Emma. Yours?”
“Selene.”
“Can you direct me to the fighter command aboard this carrier?”
“Of course, ma’am. I was on my way there myself. If you’ll follow me.”
Commander Edgerton gestured. “Lead the way.”
Selene led Emma toward the exit from the docking bay. “Ma’am,” Selene began with hesitation, “if I may be so forward, are you related to John and Ashley Edgerton?”
Emma nodded. “Yes, they are my parents and the reason I am here on the Independence. I understand this is their home ship for the moment?”
"Yes. I 've come to know them well during their time aboard the Independence.”
Emma smiled faintly. "I haven't seen them in several years. Are they well?"
“They were alive, last I knew. They descended to the surface with,” she hesitated. What was Derek to her? “With a Marine friend of mine.”
Emma must have noticed a tone to Selene’s voice because she said, “only just a friend, eh?”
Selene felt her cheeks heating. “Perhaps more. I’m not exactly sure. But the middle of a battle is not the place to figure it out.” They approached the door to the command center. “Here is fighter command,” she said, welcome for the change in subject.
The doors to the fighter command center slid open as they approached. The CAG, looking haggard, looked up as Selene entered. “Ah, Selene, you didn’t…” he cut off his usual greeting as his eyes took in Emma. “Who is this?”
“I’m surprised the crew chief didn’t let you know of their arrival,” Selene said. “This is Commander Emma Edgerton from Victory Squadron.”
“I knew they arrived,” the CAG said, recovering from his surprise. “I didn’t realize a hero of the Federation led them.” He approached and extended his hand for Emma to shake. “Welcome aboard, ma’am, it is a supreme honor.”
Emma shook his hand and bowed her head. "Thank you for your kind words, CAG. This was the exact reason I did not announce my presence. I like to keep a low profile when I'm flying with the fleet." She cleared her throat. "The primary reason for my visit concerns my parents, who Selene confirmed to make their home here on the Independence. But before I find them I wanted to check in with you and ensure my squadron’s presence will not be a problem.”
“No, ma’am, of course it won't. We have openings in our staging deck after the recent battles."
That’s an understatement. Ninety-percent of our fighter force gone in just over a week of fighting.
“Excellent, thank you, CAG. The Krai’kesh fighters are intriguing,” she said, changing the subject. “They fly in clusters but are not imaginative in battle. They seem to rely on mass numbers to overwhelm our fighters and capital ships rather than tactics.”
The CAG nodded. “Aye, ma’am, when R&D dissected an intact Krai’kesh ship they found they are controlled by an organic brain which is slaved like a hive mind to their capital ships. Destroy the capital ship and the drone ships cease operating.”
Emma nodded. “That explains the behavior I obse
rved. Did you detect any signal between the fighters? Anything we could disrupt?”
“I did not monitor for that, ma’am, but I will have the tactical commander recalibrate our sensors to detect for any frequency of communication between the enemy fighters.”
“It was clever, figuring out that coilgun projectiles would be effective against their intriguing void shields. Who figured that out?”
The CAG pointed at Selene. “One of our own figured it out. She pioneered a tactic for exploding missiles prior to reaching the event horizon of the void shields and conjectured that high velocity physical projectiles could maintain escape velocity when encountering the void shields. Both tactics have been effective and helped our fleet survive this long.”
“My fighters need to be re-supplied with coilguns and missiles right away.”
"My crew chief will be on it, ma'am. Our manufactories have been producing coilgun shells by the thousands, and we are prepared to re-supply our fighters several times."
“Let us hope we survive that long,” Emma muttered.
Selene wanted to ask what she meant and why she wanted her fighters re-supplied so urgently but felt she would have already revealed it if she wanted the CAG to know. “If you’ll excuse us, sir, I will show Commander Edgerton to the mess hall where she can await her parents.”
“Yes, I am quite peckish,” Emma said, going along with it. “It was a pleasure meeting you, CAG. Lead the way, Lieutenant.”
Selene led them out of the fighter command center and headed toward the mess hall. She slowed her pace as she thought of the proper way to approach the matter. “Ma’am, I do not mean to be too forward but…”
“You want to know why the urgency for re-supplying my fighters?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“It’s not common knowledge yet, but due to my station I received word there are signs of a large fleet or other unknown anomaly emitting large gravity waves further out in the system, behind Eligar VI. We believe it is another Krai’kesh force.”
Gravity waves? “That explains the massing up closer to the planet.” She paused. “There is something you may not know about the Krai’kesh capabilities.”
“What is it?”
Selene took a deep breath. “I was told to keep this information classified, but considering the circumstances, you, and the black fleet need to know this information. I was sent on a reconnaissance mission to Serpentis III, the first system the Krai’kesh emerged at. There we found the entire moon of Serpentis III had been dropped on the planet.”
“Dropped?”
“Yes, somehow the moon had been shifted out of its orbit and collided with the planet. Needless to say, there were no survivors.”
Emma stopped and put her arms on Selene’s shoulders. “You think that’s what is coming for Eligar II, don’t you?”
"I am not a tactician, ma'am, and I imagine the much smarter tactical commanders have already considered this possibility, but I was there, ma'am, for the aftermath at least. You mentioned gravity waves. I can only imagine gravity would have been a factor in dragging a moon from orbit and causing it to collide with a planet. Something emitting large gravity waves…"
The blood drained from Emma’s face. “So, this could have just been the tip of the spear.”
“I’m afraid so, ma’am.”
“Please lead me back to the docking bay. I need to communicate securely with the fleet and get my squadron back out there.”
“You don’t want to wait for your parents?” Selene asked.
“If what you suspect is true, we won’t have time for family reunions. Are you coming?”
“Yes, of course.”
Emma took off sprinting toward the docking bay. Selene raced after her.
***
“Any activity from the source of the gravity waves?” Admiral Rigsby asked.
“The waves are increasing in strength, sir, but we still cannot get a read,” Zigana reported. “I detect the Nightblade launched a drone a few minutes ago. It will reach an angle to give an image in ten minutes.”
“Keep me posted,” Martin said. “Have we re-established contact with Hergden Fortress?”
Zigana paused for a moment. “Yes, we have re-established contact, sir.”
“Put me through to the governor,” Martin ordered, his throat growing tight.
The sensor display faded, replaced with the face of his wife. Bruises marred her face. Martin sat forward abruptly. “Felicity, are you all right?”
Felicity gave him a weak smile. “I am alive, Martin, praise God for that. But am I all right? No, Martin, I am not all right. My planet is ruined, many of my people are dead. It happened on my watch, Martin, and I was powerless to stop it.”
Martin nodded. “I understand that you take responsibility, Felicity, but you can’t blame yourself. The Krai’kesh are to blame, not you. There was nothing you could have done. If anything, my fleet could have done more to protect you. I could have left a defense force behind, I could have waited until reinforcements arrived, I…” he stopped when he saw Felicity shaking her head.
“You did what you had to do, Martin. Without your support, other planets would have been destroyed. But you made me feel a little better.”
“Listen, get on the next shuttle back to the Independence. You can govern from up here and I want you safe up here.”
This time Felicity smiled sadly and shook her head. “No, Martin, this is my planet. I will live or die down here. What I will do is stay in Hergden Fortress with the children. But I will not abandon my people.”
Martin sighed. Stubborn woman. “You’re right, and I admire your commitment, dear. I…” he paused as a ding indicated an incoming transmission from the Nightblade. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I have an urgent communication coming in that I have to take.”
“Go. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Martin ended the link and answered the hail from the Nightblade. The image of the Supreme Commander appeared. He glared at Martin. “Supreme Commander, how can I help you?”
“I need to speak to you in private, Admiral,” he said.
"Of course, sir." Martin left the captain's chair and traveled to his quarters. There he activated the display and the image of Dawyn Darklance took up his wall. "I am in my captain's quarters."
“I was just informed by one of my pilots that there was a situation on Serpentis III. A moon was dropped on it?”
Martin swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. The planet was rendered uninhabitable due to the moon colliding with the surface of the planet.”
“When were you going to inform me of this development, Admiral?”
“As soon as the current conflict resolved, sir.”
Dawyn fell silent for several seconds. “Admiral, I do not believe you withheld information intentionally, but I am disappointed you chose not to share the details earlier. Now we know this detail, my tactical commander suspects whatever destroyed Serpentis III is responsible for the gravity waves detected. We will know in a few more minutes when our drone reaches an angle to see behind Eligar VI."
“I take full responsibility for my actions, sir, and will face whatever justice you deem fit.”
Dawyn waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “Bah, it’s not that serious, Admiral. But there needs to be trust and open communication between the admiralty and the Supreme Commander. I need to know things like this if I’m going to formulate a wider strategy. I fear this war will not be a short war.”
“Thank you for your leniency, sir. And yes, I fear we have only seen the tip of the enemy’s spear in this conflict.”
“Now, then,” the Supreme Commander paused, looking up and to the right. He refocused on Martin. “The drone is in place. You need to see this.”
“I’m on my way to the bridge now,” Martin said, exiting his chambers and running to the bridge. The Marines stationed outside the bridge lifted their rifles in alarm, likely thinking the Admiral was being followed by a threat, but h
e waved away their concerns and passed through the doors without a word. "Put the Supreme Commander up on display, Zigana."
The Supreme Commander appeared on one screen, while the image from the drone, which was already spinning above the sensor emitter, appeared next to him. Martin studied the image. “What is that?” He magnified. A massive ship which reminded Martin of a giant beetle with legs extended and waggling took center stage. “What size are we looking at here?”
"Based on preliminary analysis, that ship is five times the size of the Nightblade,” Dawyn said. “I think we found the ship responsible for Serpentis III.”
“Those look like appendages coming out of its hull.”
“Yes, we count four on each side. But that’s not all. Zoom out.” The image zoomed out further, making the enemy ship smaller. Small red boxes highlighted smaller Krai’kesh vessels. “This super ship is accompanied by over fifty capital ships of a class we encountered here in the Eligar system. We can’t see how many fighters they have but estimate them to number in the thousands.”
Martin staggered back to his captain’s chair and sat staring at the image for several moments. “Do the rest of the ship captains have this information yet?”
“Not yet. We didn’t want to incite a panic. Federation captains are trained to remain calm under pressure, but given the loss of life thus far and the size of the threat facing us…I feel it is prudent to wait until we have a strategy before involving the captains.”
Isn’t that being just as duplicitous as I was? He nodded. “As you say, sir.”
"So, that brings us to the big, pardon the pun, question. How do we stop something of that magnitude? My fleet is good and faced with only those fifty capital ships we could likely survive. But a ship of that magnitude could well turn the tide.”
“We can only fight or retreat, sir. But if we retreat, the millions of people remaining on this world will die.” My wife included.
“And if we stand and fight we may well die and the planet would follow shortly after.”
“Then may I suggest a fighting retreat, sir? Evacuate the citizens of the planet and then abandon the system.”
Dawyn pursed his lips. “Such an action would take hours of constant transports ferrying up from the planet. If the enemy fighters broke through our lines and targeted the transports, we could be left with an insufficient number to evacuate before we are destroyed.” He closed his eyes. “But, I agree we have no other choice. We cannot willfully allow a planet to die if we have a chance of saving it. What do you recommend in terms of battle formation, Admiral?”
Eclipse: Book Two of the Dark Tide Trilogy Page 14