by K. D. Mattis
A glancing blow. A painful blow, but still just a glancing blow, Asher thought.
Lieutenant Harris slowed just in time to see the enemy vessel shoot off toward the moon.
Holt was almost disappointed. “Where do you think they’re going in such a hurry?”
Asher’s heart sank.
An all-too-familiar cylinder glowed softly and started to spin.
14
Asher screamed on the inside. She spent less than a second looking at the EMP bomb. She knew her crew waited for orders, but she didn’t have any to give.
She simply did not have any options. The bomb would explode before they could move out of the way. Firing at something so small was a gamble at best.
“Gibbs, where are you?” Asher whispered.
As if her call brought him to her aid, Asher saw the Protector fly low over the Explorer’s hull and into the bomb, never slowing.
The voice of Commander Gibbs filled the command bridge.
“Good luck, Admiral—”
The EMP bomb cut it short. Thanks to the Protector’s speed, the blast happened far enough away that it didn’t affect the Explorer at all.
The Protector didn’t fare as well.
Engulfed in a blue sphere of energy, the Protector lost all power. Asher knew the vessel wouldn’t be able to slow down and that Gibbs and his crew would continue hurtling through space at high speed.
A large part of Asher wanted to command her crew to save the Protector. Another part of her knew better.
“Admiral.” Reynolds looked up from his console and caught his breath. “I know what you’re thinking.”
Asher shook her head.
“And I know what you’re about to say. You’re right. Our mission is to stop the vessel.”
The admiral and chief engineer made eye contact. It was brief, but Asher saw the stern, understanding look Reynolds had in his eyes.
“Lieutenant Harris, pursue the alien vessel. Top Speed,” said Asher.
“Top safe speed, sir, or the real top speed?”
Asher smiled when Ensign Gonzales pulled the lever as far back as it would go. The Explorer shot forward.
On the main screen, Asher saw the alien craft nearing the Chinese lunar colony. Innocent people lived in the colony, and she wouldn’t let them be injured.
“Harris, take us just past the alien ship. Tactical, fire on them as we pass. I want them to follow us.”
Holt stared directly forward before turning to the admiral.
“Sir, we’re getting in front of the weapons that keep tearing us to pieces? That’s the plan?”
Glaring at the tactical officer, Asher said, “That’s exactly the plan.”
The Explorer sped past the alien vessel, shooting off two missiles before continuing on its way.
At first, the aliens didn’t respond. But they couldn’t resist the bait.
While the alien vessel was fast, the Explorer was faster. Dropping low to the lunar surface, Harris slowly pulled away until the ship went past the moon’s horizon.
“Ensign Tran, create a large explosion on the surface of the moon. Harris, as soon as it happens, turn away from our current path. Maintain our speed,” Asher ordered.
When it reached the explosion, the alien ship slowed to a stop. They turned their scanners to the lunar surface, acting as though they were looking for something.
Already halfway across the moon, Asher prayed they took the bait. She was out of options if they didn’t.
“Harris, swing us back around. Tactical, when their ship is in sight, give it everything we have. Aim for their engine. It’s probably a weak spot.”
Reynolds and Harris smiled.
“Besides,” Asher continued with a smirk. She couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice. “They almost destroyed my engine. It’s only right that I destroy theirs.”
Harris guided the Explorer behind the alien vessel. When he got close, he hit the reverse thrusters and slowed down.
Holt and Tran let loose with every missile they could fire. Every explosion they saw on the enemy ship made Asher feel like they had already won the battle, but she wouldn’t put an end to the onslaught.
Finally, the Explorer ran out of missiles and torpedoes. The team that fired them stood with red in their eyes. “Sir, we’re out of missiles.”
Asher sat, hopeful. “Status report.”
All hope faded when the alien vessel turned to face the Explorer. Already, its three remaining weapons glowed brightly.
Asher closed her eyes. After her first run-in with the aliens, she knew the second battle would be hard. Even so, she didn’t expect so much of a challenge. She could only see pictures of her family flash through her mind.
“Admiral, you look like you could use some help.”
Asher didn’t recognize the distorted voice over the radio as that of Commander Gibbs until the alien vessel suffered more missile blasts to its hull.
“How?” Asher asked.
“Another time, Admiral?”
Harris didn’t wait for orders.
Under the skillful hand of its pilot, the Explorer shot off once again.
“Stop,” ordered Asher. “Drop the ship down behind one of the craters, but keep a close eye on our attackers.”
Harris moved the ship as ordered.
With the Explorer safe, the Protector found a place to hide as well. Asher didn’t leave Gibbs to wonder about her plans for long.
Lifting higher above the lunar surface, the alien vessel did all it could to scan for its enemy. They repeated the move until they rose high enough to see the very edge of the Explorer hiding behind a large crater.
Three bright lights appeared on the front of the alien vessel.
“Too late,” said Asher.
The Admiral pulled a key from around her neck and stuck it in a switch in the arm of her chair. Commander Reynolds nodded to her and did the same with his key at his console.
With both keys turned, a panel on the tactical console lifted up and slid out of the way. Now, a flashing red button and a targeting system appeared in its place.
“Lieutenant Commander Holt, fire the nuke.”
After Asher gave the order, she looked away from the viewport. The missile screamed out of its launcher and plowed into the enemy ship.
A flash lit up the bridge of the Explorer. When the light subsided, they were hit with a shockwave that rocked the ship. Lunar dust lifted off the surface of the moon. Then, silence.
Everyone on the bridge held their breath.
15
The bridge crew was quiet. Asher could feel the tension in the air. This had to work.
“That was everything we had,” Holt said.
The lunar dust began to settle. Asher looked away from the viewport, gathering the courage to lead her team if the worst happened.
“Sir!” Holt cried.
Her head jolted up. And her heart sank. There was the outline of the alien ship, growing sharper as the dust stilled.
“It wasn’t enough,” Tran whispered.
The engines of the alien vessel grew bright. A flash of light came out of them, but the ship didn’t move. Then the light from the engine faded away into darkness.
Asher stared in awe.
“Sir, we cannot read any energy signatures on their ship. We think they might be done.”
“There’s no energy signature? Not even enough to run life support systems?”
The members of the scanning team shook their heads.
“All crew,” Asher said into her radio, “Admiral Asher here. I want all available crew to suit up and prepare to offer assistance to the alien vessel. All medics are to report to the medical bay at once.”
Putting down the radio, Asher turned to the bridge crew.
“I know we were just in battle against that ship, but we’ve won. Now we need to do the right thing.”
A few crewmen nodded before the pilot steered Explorer closer to the alien ship.
Asher watche
d as all across the Explorer, men and women put on suits to protect them in space. Those that didn’t have suits prepared any supplies they could find to aid in the rescue. Not a single person stood around with nothing to do. A shiver ran down her spine. As military, she and her crew had a duty to destroy anything that threatened their nation. As human beings, they felt the obligation to help those in need.
As they moved closer, they saw a crack on the outer hull of the alien craft.
“Harris,” Asher said, “is there any way we can get in there faster? It doesn’t look like we have much time.”
The crack expanded, slowly at first, then faster as it circled the hull several times. When it finally stopped, the ship collapsed in on itself and exploded.
Three smaller explosions came from the center of the wreckage, sending debris flying toward Explorer and the moon’s surface. Nothing larger than a pebble was left of the alien vessel.
Asher threw herself into her chair, both relieved they were alive and saddened that she caused the deaths of the first aliens to make contact with humanity.
“Kayla,” Harris said, putting a hand on her shoulder, “you did what you had to do. We all have our duty. You did yours. You should be proud of that.”
Never since her promotion to Admiral had Robert Harris called her by her first name. The human being inside of her didn’t mind. In fact, it almost appreciated the personal touch. The officer inside her didn’t like it but would let it slide.
“Rob, you and everyone else on this ship did a magnificent job. I just want to say thank you.”
For a few brief moments, Asher felt humbled by the quiet, but warm, clapping of the bridge crew. When the clapping stopped, Asher put back on the face of an admiral and commanding officer of a US Space Corps starship.
“But of course, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Asher said. “Harris, lead us to the Guardian.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Comm, I want the Protector to meet us by the Guardian. We may need their help getting it docked.”
“Yes, sir.”
The admiral looked over at Lieutenant Card. “Inform medical that they need to prepare for incoming injured.”
The Explorer and Protector shot after the Guardian, racing as fast their engines could carry them until they caught up with the battered ship.
It took several minutes, but the Protector matched the speed and direction of the Guardian. Working with skilled hands, the crew of the Protector shot spikes connected to braided metal tethers into the hull of the ship. Once they penetrated, metal hooks extended out to secure the connection. The Protector slowed until the tow lines went taut, then continued to slow until the Guardian came to a full stop. Gaining confidence, Commander Gibbs ordered his pilot to take the ship toward the Explorer.
A mistake.
Changing direction put a lot of stress on the tow cables. The stress on the tow cables put too much stress on the hull of the Guardian. A crack formed on the bottom of the ship as it began to buckle under the pressure.
Commander Gibbs didn’t have a choice. The Protector could only stabilize the Guardian. Anything more risked further injury to the ship and its crew.
Harris grabbed the controls and steered Explorer underneath the damaged ship.
Harris stopped. “Admiral?”
“Yes, Lieutenant?”
“I’d like to let Ensign Gonzales dock the Guardian.”
Asher’s face grew stern. “Is she ready for that?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“And you trust her to do it?”
“Admiral, she has my complete trust.”
“If she has your trust, then she has mine,” Asher said with a slight grin. “Ensign, get the Guardian docked. We have injured we need to attend to.”
Gonzales beamed.
Gonzales moved the Explorer close enough to the crippled vessel that the docking bay team could work its magic.
Two arms reached up from the hull of the Explorer. Ever so gently, they grabbed the damaged vessel and pulled it into its spot on the outside of the ship.
When the Guardian docked, the Protector flew over the Explorer and lowered itself down, descending until it touched the hull.
Once docked, a large port opened on the bottom of the Protector and top of the Explorer. A ramp rose between the two ships so the crew could step into the docking bay.
The port for the Guardian needed care in opening. Before Gibbs could allow the port to open, they had to ensure that the ship was still pressurized. Without contact with the crew, a special scanning operations team needed to investigate with a wide array of mobile equipment.
At last, scanning ops gave their approval, and the port opened.
Up the ramp, the medics flew. Gibbs didn’t know what to expect. When he heard several coughs coming from the vessel, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t be sure how many, but Gibbs knew that at least some of the ten-man crew still lived.
The four medics exited the vessel with a man strapped down to a stretcher. Their magnetic boots clanged on the floor, and they ran as fast as they could manage toward the medical bay.
With a much slower pace, the remaining nine crewmembers of the Guardian walked down the ramp and into the docking bay. Several suffered burns. Others bore small cuts caused by flying debris. All had the stench of smoke on their clothing.
Commander Gibbs walked up to the commanding officer of the Guardian. Reaching out his hand, he said, “I want to be the first to thank you. I can’t even begin to tell you how much help you gave us out there.”
The officer looked at it but didn’t take the hand of the commander. His eyes were blank. His face was straight. He took in several deep breaths of air but didn’t seem able to accept that he was safe.
When he served in the navy, Gibbs had seen that solemn look before. It was the look a man earned by staring death in the face and surviving. Gibbs wanted to say something but was cut off.
“Commander Gibbs,” a corpsman said, offering a salute, “the man the medics took away … you’ll want to see him. The Admiral needs to see him.”
Confused, Gibbs said, “Is he that badly injured?”
“Well, sir, he is injured, but there’s something more you should see.”
“What is it?”
“Terrible,” said Commander Cole.
16
Weeks later, the crew of the US Space Corps Explorer, was back on Earth. The ship needed extensive repairs before it could take on another mission.
Asher, still adjusting to gravity, stumbled to her seat. While she moved past the people in the aisle and onto the stage, she couldn’t help but look down at her legs and take note of the visible muscle loss. She pulled against the railing, grimacing with every step.
After everyone found their seats, two speakers made their presentations. Asher zoned out until the president took the stage.
“And now,” President Krasinski said before a large crowd in front of the United States Capitol building, “I have the distinct honor of presenting to you Admiral Kayla Asher, Commander Ryan Gibbs, and Commander Stephen Cole.”
The crowd erupted in applause. Asher had always regarded people that traveled to space as heroes. Now, the three Americans walking forward on the stage not only traveled to space, but they had fought and defeated an alien threat.
Asher walked with her head held high. She couldn’t be certain, but she thought she heard the distinct tone of her father’s whistle above the rest of the crowd.
Gibbs took slow and long strides on the way to the stage. As images of the Explorer, Guardian, and Protector flashed across the screen behind the president, Asher could feel his sense of pride. From the way he puffed out his chest to the confident way he moved his hands at his side. His thin smile fit nicely with his crisp uniform, she thought.
Cole made each painful step with a sense of purpose. His limp showed how much strength he lost due to the mission and due to his injuries. Asher’s gaze shot to the side where she saw Co
le’s wife, standing and cheering just a bit louder than everyone else. When he looked over to her, Cole’s limp all but disappeared.
As Asher and the two commanders stood beside the president, the crowd grew even louder.
The president struggled to regain control of the crowd.
“Admiral, commanders, the nation is impressed with what you did over the past few months. We’ve always expected remarkable things from the space corps, but you went above and beyond our expectations.
“In honor of your bravery and dedication to your mission, I am pleased to present all of you with the Medal of Honor.”
To each of the officers, the president offered a firm handshake and a medal. When finished, the president turned back to the podium.
A man on the left side of the stage walked over and stood next to the president.
“I present to you now the ambassador from China.”
The ambassador moved toward the officers as the president stepped back. “I am humbled today to be in the presence of such amazing people. It is because of the actions of the fine men and women of the US Space Corps that we have many of our crew from the Tianjin safely back in China. If it were not for their actions, the entire crew would have been lost.”
The ambassador stopped for a moment to adjust his tie. “If it were not for their actions, we can only imagine what would have happened to our lunar colony. I am proud to say that the United States and Chinese space relations have never been stronger.”
Reaching into his breast pocket, the ambassador removed a small box. Inside sat a bright silver medal. “Admiral, on behalf of the crew of the Tianjin and the Chinese people, I would like to present you and every member of your crew with the Medal of Alliance.
“I am also glad to announce,” said the ambassador, “that the United States and China are planning to work together for our future in space. As we saw, there are others out there. And as we saw, they can be a threat. We will face this threat, but we will face it together.”