Shailain pressed some buttons, and the map narrowed in. “There are at least a dozen inhabited planets in just a narrow band. They could of course skip past any of those for any reason. Aside from the goal of conquer or kill, they haven’t displayed any discernable strategy. It’s not even the straight path back to Earth. It’s like they want to take as much space as they can before they even turn for...home.” Her pale lips pursed in her green-tinted face, the leafy tendrils of the Ivven species waving from behind her ears and over her shoulders.
Andy peered closely at the map. “If we believe this guy,” she began, skepticism heavily weighting her voice, “then it’s not a big planet they are aiming for. It’s one they think they can take. Perhaps with the idea that if they take one, they get the foothold he warned us about.”
“Do you think he’s right?” Wallace asked, almost philosophically. “Will we suddenly have a harder time repelling them if they get a planet?”
His question was directed at her, ostensibly for the fact that she was the commander of his ship’s Marines but she knew there was an undercurrent referring to her genetics: these were her people, so surely she had to have some kind of insight about them.
“It’s possible,” she granted. “He could have been speaking from a tactical point of view, a morale view, or both. Capturing a planet is a big victory and would likely rally them after the recent defeats we have handed them. Strategically speaking, a planet offers them things that an outpost or starbase can’t. With a planet, they can form headquarters from which to better arrange and advance their forces. A planet will also provide them with resources and a place for production.”
The captain sighed heavily, rubbing at the scar in his eyebrow. “There are a lot of reasons to not trust the word of a captured enemy, but what he has said so far makes sense. He wouldn’t tell us what planet, though.”
Andy shrugged, unwilling to concede too far. “He could be playing a game with us.”
“He could be,” Wallace agreed with a slow nod. “Or he could be playing a thin line between desire and loyalty. It’s not unheard of, historically speaking. And the Arkana were built from human genetics, so there is an element of similarity that we can try to get a read on.”
“And the ESS psychologists and Selerid College of Behavior Sciences has a field day,” Andy said ruefully. “Okay, so, looking at this map as if we are taking him at his word.” She began to trace her finger from planet dot to planet dot. “He said it’s a planet that can be taken with just one city; that they take the city and they have a planet. This suggests it would be easy to capture, though there has to be reason to take it too.”
She didn’t blink as her dark eyes roved over the map.
Finally, she found a point that stood out in her mind. She tapped on the screen at the relevant dot. “Baccem.”
“Yes,” Wallace said with the inspiration of agreement.
“Baccem...” Shailain repeated with a small frown. “Class M planet, jointly colonized by the Ronnor and humans.”
Andy nodded quickly. “It’s a small planet, however, and all of its important systems come out of its capital city of Hakar. The planet’s power, communication systems, defenses, and weather control all come out of Hakar. If you could control the city, you would control the planet.”
“Why take Baccem?” Shailain posed.
“Production,” Wallace offered. “The planet is a huge production hub for spacecraft pieces and assembly of certain types of crafts. Their communication satellites are also among the most sophisticated in the area. If the Arkana get Baccem, they can amp up production and repairs to their own crafts while in ESS Allied space as well as use the planetary communications to keep in better contact with each other.”
Andy pressed her lips together for a moment. “The planet is full of smart people and they know they’re a target. According to the Marine service wire, they are working on a full planetary defense system to make them less vulnerable, but they aren’t there yet. It’s close, though.”
“Putting the Arkana on a timeline,” Shailain filled in. “If they want to get this planet, they have to get to it soon. And they have taken quite a few black eyes since this all began. If it were me, I would want a base of operations. Especially one with a planetary defense system.”
Wallace and Andy both nodded in agreement.
“It looks like we’re setting course for Baccem,” Wallace declared. “I’m going to call ESS Command. Shailain, call a staff briefing.”
Chapter 4
Less than an hour later, the Star Chaser was racing through space. Wallace had made his call and now sat in the briefing room with all of his senior staff.
It had been about a month and a half, but Andy still wasn’t used to sitting in this room. Just two months back, she had been a sergeant and leading Gamma Squad. But as it’s said, desperate times call for desperate measures. Major Carson, commander of the 33rd when she came on board, had been transferred elsewhere. Andy had served with distinction and proven her loyalty to the ship, as well as shown skill against the Arkana. It had been she and her squad who pioneered effective combat tactics, such as favoring traditional projectile weapons over energy pulse weapons.
A wartime, battlefield commission had been dropped unceremoniously—quite literally without any ceremony—on her head. She was promoted to Major and given command of the 33rd, at an age generally unheard of for the job but this was war. The ESS had not seen a war in a long time, so things had to change.
Andy had requested that her squad come with her. The request had been immediately granted since there was no one available to replace her so Gamma was now Alpha and her people remained at her side. They had been through a lot together and she knew she could trust them all. It did mean that they were frequently without direct guidance while she sat uncomfortably in senior staff meetings, though. So far there hadn’t been any major disruptions.
“We have chosen to take the information gained from the prisoner as truth, mainly because we can’t take the risk,” Wallace explained as he sat at the head of the oval-shaped table.
“So far, the Arkana have not actually shown a penchant for deception,” Counselor Morrissey pointed out. “They have proven so far to be very upfront, even painfully so. Rather than lie through questioning, they commit suicide. Rather than deceive through hails, they ignore. They attack straight on, claiming theirs the more important high ground, motivationally speaking.”
“Fair point,” Wallace agreed. “It adds to our justification to trust him, at least enough to go check this out. The strategy is too strong to not follow up.”
Giinoran spoke next. “Where are we headed, Captain?” The Hanaran was calm. Andy didn’t know Giinoran as well as she knew the Hanaran in her squad, but she had learned to pick up on the race’s unusual emotional cues. The biggest was this strange clicking sound that came from a hidden set of eyelids. The clicking would grow in volume and speed the more upset or angry they became. Giinoran was perfectly quiet.
“Baccem,” Wallace said, pressing a button on the edge of the table. An image of the planet came up on the screen, overlaid on a map of the system. “A tiny Class M planet that produces most of our small spacecraft. They are also a critical communications hub.”
“Makes for a good target,” Giinoran agreed. The Hanaran was the tactical chief for the ship, who handled the weapons and defense systems, and when necessary, the staff to support the Marines when ship defense became a necessity. Andy knew, strategically speaking, that that was about to happen again.
“Has Baccem been notified?” Doctor Martin, the ship’s chief medical officer, spoke up. Of course, ‘Martin’ was not the Selerid’s real name, but as a point that had been made over and over, the human tongue was completely incapable of pronouncing a single word in the Selerid’s native tongue, in any dialect. ‘Martin’ was as close as they could get.
“They have,” Wallace said. “They support our aid in their defense, of course. They are hard at work on pla
net-wide defenses, but they are not yet ready to be activated. It is our job to fend off any attack and help keep the planet safe until that time comes.”
There was a long moment of silence as each department head contemplated this.
“Do we know when any of this will happen?” the tactical chief asked. “When will the planetary defenses be ready? When will the Arkana attack?”
“By all that we can tell,” Wallace said, “the closest Arkana ship was the one that we encountered today. There are others, though, that are seeming to move in the planet’s general direction. They could arrive soon after we do, giving us only a small lead. Unless sensors pick up a sudden diversion from their current courses, we have to assume that those ships are heading for Baccem.” Wallace paused and looked at the table, tapping a few buttons and reading what came up. “According to the city administrator, the defense system will be operational within a week. That is not, however, time enough to get it online before the Arkana ships reach them. We may have to defend the planet for several days.”
Andy didn’t say anything, but she listened to every word and her mind whirled. It would be her first time leading the 33rd in a planetary engagement. She had fought in some, though never as part of a full-scale war. A part of her was intimidated, even scared, but she wasn’t going to let that happen. She would feel the fear, because to ignore it would be dangerous, but she would not let it rule her.
That was an important difference, and one she had to find a way to hold to.
“What other Marine detachments are in the area?” Andy finally asked.
“The 15th and the 21st are the closest and they are also heading to Baccem. When we reach the planet, since we are the closest, we’ll be able to use the planet’s sensors and communication systems to get a better idea of just how close they are. They are coming from the other side of it.”
Andy nodded and settled back in her chair, deep in thought. She knew of both detachments and could even remember the names of the commanders. She had never met the leader of the 15th, and had only met the 21st during her training. She doubted he would remember her. She hadn’t seen either of them since the start of the conflict and her rapid rise in the ranks of the 33rd. She wondered how they were going to handle that, and how they were going to handle the fact that she was half-Arkana.
It wasn’t physically obvious, but news had quickly spread throughout the ESS. Everyone on the Star Chaser was entirely confident in her, but others...
It wasn’t going to be easy. She hoped there wouldn’t be any trouble, but knew she had to prepare for it.
“It will take two full days for us to reach Baccem, and then we will know more. In the meantime, tactical support needs to prepare for double duty. While we know the Arkana’s matter teleportation systems can’t transport from a ship onto the planet’s surface, we do know that the Star Chaser will be within teleport range. We may have to deal with boarders while the Marines will be on the planet. Dolan, prepare for just that. You’re looking at planetary engagement and possible urban warfare. We may need to help in evacuating the capital city while we’re at it. I want to minimize the chance of civilian casualties.”
“Of course, Captain,” Andy replied easily.
While the captain moved through issuing orders for other departments, Andy felt like her brain was on fire.
She certainly had her work cut out for her.
Two days.
Chapter 5
“So...” Dan said, crossing each arm over his chest in turn to stretch them out. “All we have to do is protect an entire planet. Totally easy. No problem. Kid stuff.”
Andy chuckled. It was refreshing to see that despite the state of war they now existed in, Dan was still Dan. “No, we have to protect an entire city. It’s smaller, if nothing else. And it won’t just be us. There’ll be at least, hopefully, two other detachments.”
“I hope they’ll play well with others,” Roxanna commented.
She and Andy were circling each other with their hands up, each one in a defensive combat posture as their eyes—dark brown against purple—sought any signs of weaknesses, any little gesture that would broadcast an upcoming move or opening to take a shot. Jade was stalking a little around the outside, a potential new combatant who could go after either of them; it was an element of training to afford surprise.
Roxanna took the first shot from the right, which Andy dodged by leaning back before ducking the second. She returned the swings, but was evaded as well. They were equally well-trained, after all.
“Most of them do,” Andy said as they started circling again. Her eyes flicked to the outer ring, keeping track of Jade. “We are all Marines, after all.” She knew what they were thinking, but didn’t address it directly.
“We’re just protective of you, boss,” Dan said from the sidelines. “We don’t want any of them to get dumb ideas in their heads and give you a hard time.” He obviously had no issue with addressing it, but she didn’t mind. She also appreciated the sentiment.
“I appreciate that, Thomas, but I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” Dodge. Step. Swing. Block. “Remember, I’ve been shot by lightning, twice, and survived. I’m a pretty tough woman. No one’s unkind words are going to put me down.”
That brought out a quiet chuckle from a couple of them. Anallin’s eyes just clicked.
Andy broke into Roxanna’s guard and got a leg in, putting the Selerid down—flipping her over her hip to put the other woman on her back. Before either had a chance to do anything, Jade joined the fray and nearly tackled Andy from behind. The major just managed to dodge getting caught in the grapple, but she did lose her balance.
She tossed herself forward, leaping over Roxanna and hitting the ground in a roll, coming back up and around on her feet. Andy had just barely sorted herself out to face the women when Jade was coming at her again. The girl, the youngest of their squad, had been picking up on her training quickly and was getting better by the day. Her confidence came in leaps and bounds too.
The major had to scramble to get to her feet without being caught again, and by the time she was upright, she had to block one punch and dodge another. She hopped to the side to avoid a kick, but then had to jump back again when Roxanna was on her feet and coming at her from the other side.
If she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up backed into a wall.
Teamed up now, they came at her from the left and the right.
“Remember that time when you took the last bowl of applesauce in the mess hall, Major?” Dan called from the side. “I think this is their revenge.”
“Oh, come on,” Andy laughed, eyes swinging back and forth between them.
Roxanna smiled. “It’s nothing personal.”
Two women with bruised ribs, and three sets of sore knuckles, and one potentially broken toe, later...all five members of Alpha Squad called it a day in the training room and headed to the rec-room. Andy was moving perhaps the slowest of all, but she knew after a night’s rest, she’d be able to shake it off.
“You told us not to take it easy on you, Major,” Roxanna said as she sat down at the table across from Andy.
“I know, I know,” Andy chuckled as she also sat, holding her ribs. She should have moved faster.
It was late in the evening now, although when in space, you just had to trust the clock on that one. Soon they would all be heading off to bed to get their night’s rest, because every day started early...and that was only if you were lucky enough to not get woken up by some kind of danger alert.
“I feel like a planet-side battle is a little scarier,” Jade commented, both hands around her cup of coffee. “Although I can’t really say why. I mean...a fight is a fight, isn’t it?”
“There are more variables on a planet,” Anallin said, sipping a warm beverage that wouldn’t throw her system into anaphylactic shock like coffee would since Hanaran were severely allergic to caffeine. “At least on the ship, we know everything about it. There is nowhere for the enemy to
hide. If they are here, we can find them. If they are not, then they are not. And no civilians to worry about.”
“There is that,” Andy agreed, thoughtfully twisting her cup around. “As many as possible will be evacuated from the city, but not all of them will be. And we don’t even know for sure how long we’ll have to do that.”
Roxanna added, “Plus, we won’t be familiar with the terrain or buildings.”
Jade looked around the table with her lips pursed, then she laughed a little and shook her head. “Thanks, guys. I feel so much better now.” Her emerald green eyes flashed over the rim of her cup with amusement, as well as fear, as she took a long drink.
There was a long moment of silence before Andy smiled at the youngest Marine in her squad. “It’s perfectly natural to be afraid,” she said. “You’re human, and we humans are not devoid of emotions. No matter how hard we try, or how hard we try to pretend otherwise. So, feel afraid. What is important is that you don’t let it stop you.” She held Jade’s gaze for a long moment. “What are you going to do when we get down to the planet?”
“We’re going to evacuate as many civilians as possible so we can keep them out of the line of fire,” Jade answered. “It’s our job to put our lives on the line so theirs aren’t.”
Andy nodded once. “And what will we do next?”
“We will fight the enemy, protect the city, and do our duty.”
“Why?”
“Because we are ESS Marines, Sir.”
Andy smiled a little broader. “Because we’re ESS Marines. Oorah!”
Chapter 6
Andy fell back on her bed with a gushing exhale.
It was “nighttime” now and she needed to be asleep, but she just didn’t feel sleepy. She felt fatigued, but that was something different. Her mind wouldn’t slow down, which was something it had been having a lot of trouble doing over the past few months.
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