Cadets

by Edward Miller

  The crew held on as the massive ship tried to evade the incoming torpedoes, or whatever they were. The first three missed, but the fourth one caught them toward the rear of the ship. Alarms rang out and damage reports started coming in from the lower decks. The ship slowed as the engines shut down. The admiral punched the com link on his chair.

  “Engineering, what’s going on down there? We need power now. We’re sitting ducks.”

  There was a crackle of static before Fowler answered. “Sorry, Admiral. That blast knocked the generator offline. I’ll have it back on in about thirty seconds.”

  “That’s thirty seconds too long,” said Thompson.

  “They’re coming around to finish us off, sir,” said Diego.

  Thompson knew they were in serious trouble. Even in the heat of battle, his first thought was that he’d never see his sons again. Had that been Kelly’s last thought before she was murdered too?

  “Incoming fire, sir,” yelled Diego. “Contact in ten seconds.”

  Punching his com link, Thompson called to Fowler, “Chief, I need power now!”

  “Almost there,” came the strained voice of the chief.

  Thompson sat back, unable to do anything but wait and prepare for death. Without warning, there was a deafening sound and the ship rocked from the force of an explosion, throwing him off his seat like a rag doll. The last thought in his mind was of his crew. Then everything went blank for a few seconds.

  Something was strange, though. When he shook off the cobwebs, he could barely believe he was still alive and the ship was still in one piece. A direct hit like that should have obliterated them. He stood and weakly called out to Barnes, “Damage report.”

  “No major damage reported, sir!” said Barnes.

  Just then, Fowler shouted, “Admiral, the engines are back online!”

  “Romano,” said Thompson, “Get us the hell out of here, now!”

  As the engines engaged, he noticed a pained expression on Thames’s face. “What is it, Niles?”

  “The reason we’re still alive,” said Thames, “is because the Lexington flew directly into the path of those torpedoes meant for us. They absorbed most of the impact.”

  Thompson couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Any survivors?” was all he could get out.

  “I doubt it. It’s possible, but we left so fast there wasn’t enough time to check.”

  Thompson fell back into his chair. There had been one hundred men and women on that ship. How many of them had sacrificed themselves to save him and his crew for the overall good of the mission? He was devastated. The entire bridge went silent as they made their way back to the station orbiting Mars. They were running out of time. More important, they were running out of ships.

  Chapter 14

  Update

  Ryan entered Admiral Williamson’s office. Today was the day the cadets were to take the Nimitz out on a test flight. He knew that his father’s fleet had just returned from their current attack and he was anxious to get the latest update. It was hard to believe that it had only been five days since the level two alert. It seemed that the whole world had changed and everything before was now null and void. From this day on, nobody would know a world without alien invaders. The days of the lonely, isolated earth were gone, as if they had never existed.

  He was due on the Nimitz in an hour. He smiled at Lieutenant Rhimes and she immediately hit the intercom without a word. She didn’t seem herself. “Cadet Thompson is here to see you, Admiral,” she said quietly.

  “Send him in, Lieutenant,” came the voice on the other end.

  Normally talkative and jovial, Rhimes was all business today. She was obviously aware that Ryan’s father was currently engaged in battle. Did she know something he didn’t? “The Admiral will see you now, Cadet Thompson,” she said.

  Ryan made his way through the door and into Admiral Williamson’s office. He stood tall and gave the admiral a brief salute. “You asked to see me, sir?”

  “At ease, Ryan. Take a seat.” Williamson looked somber.

  Ryan sat down. He had a bad feeling from the tone of the admiral’s voice and the expression on his face.

  Williamson paused briefly before speaking. “I received a transmission from Headquarters. Earlier today, the fleet intercepted the alien ships yet again. Somehow—I don’t know how—we managed to destroy four of their ships, but we lost another eight.”

  There were a million thoughts racing in Ryan’s head, and his emotions were running wild. “My brothers,” he said. “Did you hear anything about their ship?” He paused for a moment and then added, “And my father?” He surprised even himself with that one, and by the look Williamson was giving him, the admiral was surprised as well.

  “We’ll have all that information shortly. Ryan, your dad is fine. He’s trying to get reports on which ships were lost and if there were any survivors. We won’t really know about the survivors until we hear from the deep space outpost on Pluto. The point is, we don’t know about your brothers.”

  Ryan shook his head as if he were trying to wake up from a dream. “What went wrong?” he asked.

  “It seems the alien ships have some type of force field we haven’t been able to penetrate. For now, your father ordered the fleet to retreat to Mars orbital station and regroup. They tried a strategy they called hit and run, but it was more run than hit.”

  “So what’s next?”

  “Well, they’ll have to run the data through the brass at the station and do simulations to see if we can find a way to penetrate those force fields. Until we hear otherwise, we’re to remain on total blackout. We can receive transmissions, but nothing outgoing. Obviously your father doesn’t want to compromise our position.”

  Ryan was beside himself. Here he was sitting and waiting again, unable to help. “With all due respect, Admiral,” he said. “I think we should get our ships ready as quickly as possible and get moving.”

  “And do what, Ryan? Get ourselves killed in record time? You want that on your hands? Your father is one of the best military minds on Earth. If anyone can figure it out, he can. In the meantime, he gave specific orders that we’re to continue to work on these ships and wait for further instructions.”

  “And what if he can’t, Admiral? What if they can’t find a way to penetrate their force field? Then what?”

  The admiral stood up and glared at him. “Listen, for once in your life, son. This is about the very survival of mankind. Nobody is more aware than your father—and I— about what’s at stake. If this goes badly, we’ll need a place to fall back and regroup. So, we sit tight and wait. Besides, we may need this planet to have somewhere to rebuild. You jump the gun, and we lose that chance.”

  Ryan knew the admiral was right. He understood the rationale behind the idea, but he sure didn’t like it. He’d sworn that he would never again sit idly by and do nothing. And now he was being ordered to do just that. Using all the will power he had, he took a deep breath and accepted the situation for what it was. “Is that all, sir?” he said.

  “That’s all, Thompson,” said the admiral. “If you want to do something productive, see to it that you get the Nimitz in the best shape possible. And Ryan?”

  “Yes, Admiral?”

  “Your father told me that you have more potential than he ever had. So stay strong, son. Don’t sell him short.”

  Ryan didn’t know what to think. On one hand it bothered him when his father praised him, but somehow it also made him feel stronger. This time, he chose to take the high road and be gracious.

  “Thank you, Admiral,” he said. “And sir?”

  The admiral gave him a curious look.

  “Thank you for being real with me.”

  “Hey, that’s me. Mister real.”

  Ryan saluted crisply and made his way out the door.

  Chapter 15

  Doubts

  Amanda walked into the dorm suite living room. They were about to leave for the Nimitz’s test flight. Nicole was
looking at her Slider, which was stretched open to the “book size” setting.

  “What are you reading, Nikki?” asked Amanda.

  “Just the last communication from my sister. She’s on the Lexington. She said that their weapons didn’t even penetrate the alien ships’ hulls. Jesus, Amanda, how are these old retired ships going to make a difference? Our entire fleet of modern ships can’t stop them.”

  Amanda didn’t have an answer, but she knew she had to say something positive. “I’m sure with all the engineers and research people working on it, we’ll come up with something,” she said.

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” said Jill. She was sitting on the edge of the couch with her mouth open. “I mean they’re tearing through our best ships like a great white against a school of . . . minnows or something. The only thing they’re gonna come up with is to tell us to sit tight and pray they don’t find us.”

  Amanda noticed that Nicole was getting upset. “Nice going, Jill. You know her sister’s out there.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Jill. “But so are my father and brother. And your two brothers. Trust me, I’m scared to death that I’m never gonna see them again. I just don’t believe in false hope.”

  “Exactly,” said Nicole. “Even if we get these ships up and running, the only thing they’d be good for is for us to run and hide somewhere and hope they don’t find us.”

  Amanda had heard enough. “My God, don’t throw in the towel so fast. If all of our ancestors gave up every time the odds seemed impossible, we wouldn’t even be here having this conversation. I mean, why bother living if you’re just going to give up? The way I look at it, we joined the academy for a reason—to better humanity. Not to abandon it. That’s why we exist. We can’t give up.”

  “You know why we joined,” said Jill. “We both had scholarships, our fathers are in the fleet, and honestly, the money’s great and we’re able to explore the galaxy. It seemed like a great idea at the time. But I wasn’t expecting this—to go to war.”

  “Jesus, Amanda,” said Nicole, “I never thought we’d really have to fight anyone either, and neither did you. There hasn’t been a war in over seventy years.”

  Amanda was beginning to realize that they’d all been a bit naïve, including herself. “That’s enough,” she said. “Yes, I thought war was a thing of the past. And I sure didn’t think we’d find life out there, especially life that wants to kill us. But that’s how it turned out, and it’s time to make some tough choices. We don’t know what’s next. We may have to fight. Or we might have to help rebuild our society. Or we may just stay put while the UEDF works this out. Whatever happens, we’ll get through this together. And if we have to fight, well . . . then we’ll have to give ourselves the best chance of winning, or at least surviving. We can’t just curl up and die. Now come on. We have to be on the Nimitz and ready to go in less than an hour.”

  As they made their way out of the dorm and headed across the compound to the hangar, Amanda thought about all that had taken place over the last week. While she was putting up a brave front, the idea of meeting a hostile alien race terrified her. What if this really was the fall of Earth? What if this was how it all ends? How long could she and the others on the cadet planet survive?

  Obviously, being the admiral’s daughter, she knew the protocol for this situation. If Earth were to fall and it was deemed that their weapons couldn’t defeat the enemy, then they’d stay put. Unless their position was compromised. Under that scenario, they’d leave the planet and try to rebuild elsewhere. But there weren’t too many elsewheres to go. At least not that could sustain life long term, maybe ten years tops with their equipment.

  She pushed those thoughts away and put her mind back to the task at hand: getting the Nimitz ready for her final test flight. That was something she could handle.

  Just then, her communicator buzzer went off. It was her father.

  “Amanda,” he said. “Please have Nicole come and see me immediately. I know she’s with you. I have some news that I need to deliver to her.”

  “What is it?” she said.

  “Just have her see me.”

  The line went dead.

  Chapter 16

  The Beginning Of The End

  Even though they had just regrouped there, Admiral Thompson had given the order to abandon the Mars orbital base. Unlike the facility on Pluto, which was underground, the Mars base was an orbital platform and a sitting duck against the Altarran armada.

  The last transport was loaded and ready to leave. Wondering whether this would be his last ever visit to the red planet, Thompson told Barnes to have the remaining ships set course for Earth. “We’ll rendezvous and set up a last line of defense,” he said. “Inform the transports to head back to Headquarters.”

  “Understood, Admiral,” said Barnes. “Informing the fleet now. As soon as they confirm, I’ll inform the transport ships of your orders.”

  “Thank you, Barnes.” Then he turned to Romano. “Set course for Earth orbit. Orbital altitude. One-quarter sub-light speed.”

  Romano made the course changes and punched his console. “Aye, sir. Course and speed set.”

  “Admiral,” said Barnes. “I have President Hawking on the communications link. He wants your report and recommendations. You’re live now, sir.”

  “Mr. President,” said the admiral. “I think it’s time you activate full planetary crisis procedures. Code red. We’re down to twenty-seven ships and we’ve only managed to destroy four of theirs. We’ll give you as much time as we can, but they’ll be in range of Earth in about six hours at their current speed.”

  “I understand, Admiral,” said Hawking. “Code red it is. I’ll call an emergency meeting and place all planetary defenses on attack status. We’ll evacuate all heavily populated areas and have worldwide shelters opened and ready. I know you’re doing all you can, Thompson. Good luck to you and your fleet.”

  Thompson sat back in his chair. They were going to need more than good luck to win. They were going to need a damn super hero or something.

  “Sir,” said Thames, “sensors are picking up increased activity from the sun. It appears that a large mass ejection is imminent. I expect it to reach us within the next four to eight hours.”

  Thompson just shook his head. Damn solar flares. “Great,” he said. “What next? A swarm of locusts? Okay, everyone, you know the drill. Go to manual controls as soon as the flares start. Shut down all computers until the electromagnetic particles subside. We’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way.”

  As acknowledgements came from the various bridge officers, Thompson took a moment to reflect on the situation. He wasn’t afraid of dying. It was a part of the job that everyone knew could happen. What he was afraid of was failure. His entire life was about overcoming obstacles, always finding a way to defeat the odds. Losing was never even a thought in his mind. It was hard to believe he could really be in a position where winning might not be possible. And yet it was his very drive to win, to always be on top of his game, that had destroyed his family. Now, irony of ironies, here he was in an unwinnable situation, and all he could think of was Ryan. And what could have been.

  Thames interrupted his thoughts.

  “Admiral, sensors are detecting multiple explosions back at the Mars orbital station. Confirming the Altarran fleet is the cause. We’ve lost all computer contact with the base. We should have visitors soon.”

  “Understood,” said Thompson. “Maintain speed and course.” He was hoping to gain more ground before the Altarrans caught up, but it was not to be.

  Things were tense over the next few hours as Thompson and his crew kept checking to see if the Altarrans were catching up. After what seemed like a lifetime, the remaining 27 ships reached their rendezvous point. Thompson stood up and walked over to the communications station.

  “Barnes, have the fleet set up in an X formation. That way we can concentrate all our firepower dead center of the Altarran fleet when the
y arrive. Also, in the event any ship is damaged beyond its ability to defend itself, or if I order a retreat, have the ships make their way back to the base on Pluto and remain there with the rest of the survivors.”

  “Will do, Admiral,” said Barnes. “Informing the fleet now.”

  “Admiral,” said Thames, “I’ve just picked up the Altarran fleet. They’ll be in weapons range in ten minutes.”

  “This is it, ladies and gentlemen,” said Thompson. Looking to Barnes, he said, “Have all ships power weapons. Target the lead ship with the first salvo, then repeat firing at the next one. Have all ships repeat the attack pattern for as long as we can maintain formation. We hold this line until they break past us or destroy us.”

  “Yes, sir,” replied Barnes. “Sending message now.”

  Thames came up alongside Thompson. “I guess we’re about to find out how your General Custer felt.”

  “That’s one feeling I could live without.”

  Just then the ship’s warning systems activated. WARNING. SOLAR ACTIVITY DETECTED.

  “Dammit,” said Thompson, “All departments, switch to manual overrides. Disconnect computerized systems.”

  Moments later, Diego called out, “Sir! The Altarran fleet. They seem to be experiencing some type of systems failure. I’m not registering any frequency from their shields or their light-speed drive. They must be offline, sir.”

  “It must have something to do with the solar activity,” said Thompson. “Ladies and gentleman, maybe we just found our advantage. Open fire. All ships.”

  Within seconds, Diego called out, “Direct hits! Three of their ships are breaking up!”

  Thompson couldn’t believe it. Maybe they would catch a break after all. “Barnes, have all ships open fire. Target multiple ships. Let’s get these sons of bitches.”

  “Informing the fleet now, sir,” said Barnes, barely containing her smile.

  During the next couple of minutes, Thompson watched with a combination of pride and relief as the tide began to turn in the fleet’s favor. They had managed to destroy four more Altarran ships. Then, seemingly in an instant, the Altarran fleet got their power back up and began returning fire. Thompson stood helplessly as the Altarrans gained the advantage again, destroying ship after ship. In the chaos, he couldn’t tell how many ships were lost, but it was turning into a massacre. Suddenly, he was thrown to the ground as his own ship took a partial hit. This time, there was no Lexington to block the hit, and alarms sounded all over the Constitution.