Cadets

by Edward Miller

  Jill hesitated, then pressed a button.

  “Channel open. You’re live.”

  Amanda took a deep breath. She’d been memorizing this introduction ever since she’d read the file her dad had posted on the Altarrans, soon after she’d found out the amulet matched the alien insignia.

  “This is Captain Amanda Williamson of the United Earth Defense Fleet,” she said. “I’d like to speak with Supreme Commander Granthaxe.”

  She listened and waited.

  “I’d like to speak with Supreme Commander Granthaxe,” she repeated.

  Finally she heard static. Then a booming voice came from the speakers.

  “It is an unwise captain who dares to speak after breaking the truce,” said the alien commander, practically shattering her eardrums. “Your people shall suffer in proportion to your insolence.”

  “Supreme Commander,” she said, almost forgetting her fear of aliens, “you gave us no choice.”

  “I gave you time! And all you have given in return is trickery. Now, you have no time, Captain Amanda Williamson. By my order, we make preparations as I speak.”

  “You delivered an ultimatum to our planet that we couldn’t satisfy,” she said. “You wanted answers to something that happened years before any of us were born.”

  “Then the sons and daughters shall pay for the deeds of the fathers. You were unwise to attack us.”

  “Commander, wait.”

  “Supreme Commander!”

  “Okay, Supreme Commander. I believe I have something that you may want to see. Something I believe to be of great value to you.” She left out that it had broken in half.

  “There is no value but that of my people forsaken on your wretched planet. Aside from that, there is only one gift your people can bestow.”

  “And what is that?”

  “To die. A life for a life, magnified a billion-fold. Soon you will observe as we commence bombardment upon your planet,” said Granthaxe.

  “Supreme Commander, before you make that mistake, I have another gift that you may be interested in.”

  “A gift of fools no doubt.”

  “Let me remind you that we do have the weapons to disable your shields. But I’d rather we both put an end to this useless waste of life. The gift I speak of is a necklace that may be of interest to you, with an amulet. It bears the same image as the crest on your ship. It has three diamonds above your crest, surrounded by gems. Does this sound familiar to you?”

  There was silence for a minute. “Describe this amulet.” The commander didn’t sound happy. “Tell me more, now!”

  “There are three gemstones in a triangular carving,” she said. “But the gemstones are in an uneven spot on each side of the triangle. Above the gemstones appear to be objects shaped like stars, with diamonds at the center of each.”

  “Stolen from our envoys,” said the commander. “Proof of your crimes and you use it to bait me!”

  “It was left to me by my family. It’s not a trick. I’d be willing to bring it to you,” she said. “On a small transport ship. No weapons.”

  She waited for an answer.

  “Bring it to me,” he said. “Alone. I shall hold off on my attacks until you arrive.”

  “If I bring it to you,” she said, “can I have assurances that you’ll spare us and work with us?”

  “You have assurances . . . that we will destroy your planet if you don’t. Those are the only assurances I can offer. When can I expect you?”

  Amanda thought about it. He just had to listen if she brought it. She was already opening up a dialogue. She could feel it.

  “I’ll be there in eight hours,” she said. “You have my word.”

  “Your word means nothing to me.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, Supreme Commander. I hope to prove to you wrong.”

  “I expect to see you in eight hours, Captain Amanda Williamson.”

  Amanda swallowed. “I’ll be there,” she said. “Eight hours.”

  “We will broadcast coordinates,” said Granthaxe. “Oh, and since you find favor with assurances,” he added, “I will give you one more. While you may have surprised us with your last cowardly maneuver, let me assure you, the next time we will be waiting with surprises of our own. And if we all die together, then so be it. But, by the gods, it will not be before I fire every last weapon that we have upon your Earth. Your next trick, Captain Amanda Williamson, shall be your last.”

  The communication abruptly ended.

  Amanda looked around at the shocked faces on the bridge.

  “Well, that went well,” said Tanner.

  “Actually,” said Amanda, “it did.”

  “Jesus, I was kidding. What part of that went well? The part where he said he’ll wipe out life as we know it or the part where you agreed to come visit him with his precious amulet that’s broken in half?”

  “Hey at least he agreed to meet me face to face.”

  “Face to face? Are you forgetting the rest of it, like what happens next? And how do you know they even have faces?”

  “Oh my God, don’t even say that.” That was something she hadn’t even thought of.

  “That’s what you’re worried about, what they look like?”

  “We have no other options, Tanner,” she said.

  “What about the plan we came in with in the first place? Whatever happened to that? ‘Cause that sounded a far sight better than this.”

  “Tanner has a point,” said Jill.

  “If we do that,” said Amanda, then we risk everyone dying. We have to give this a shot at least.”

  “And this doesn’t?” said Tanner? “’Cause I thought I heard him say we have no assurances, and you are, after all, tricking him yet again by bringing him a broken amulet. Who knows what was inside it before those chips?”

  “I need you to trust me,” she said. “I believe he’ll listen to reason.”

  “Yeah, he sure sounded like it . . . Captain Amanda Williamson.”

  She had to laugh at Tanner’s overdramatic imitation of Granthaxe. But inside, she, too, was afraid of what might happen. And Tanner wasn’t helping.

  “Aren’t you all forgetting something?” said Nicole.

  Amanda looked at her, as did Tanner and Jill.

  “Those troop carriers are the size of small cities,” she said. “We may have knocked them out for a bit, but there’s a good chance they’ll get up again. And we all know what their mission is. If we go in for another strike, even if we’re successful, we won’t have ammunition to go against those carriers. So Amanda’s right. Convincing the commander seems like our only option.”

  Amanda hadn’t even thought of that, but Nicole was right. Even Tanner was quiet now. She looked up as Tanner and Jill nodded their approval of her plan.

  So this was it.

  “Well,” she said, “I better get ready.”

  She turned to leave the bridge, her stomach in knots. Not only was she possibly facing her last hours, but the fate of the entire world rested on whether she could get Granthaxe to listen. No pressure, Amanda. Worse yet, she was hours away from facing her deepest fear, a true close encounter of the fifth kind with a hostile alien race. That alone was giving her the shakes. She knew she should be focusing now on what to say when she got there. Instead her mind was filled with all the ways they might kill her.

  Chapter 39

  One-Way Trip

  Amanda had to do a few things before leaving. Tanner may have been a joker, but he was highly skilled, and she trusted him—mostly.

  “You have command until I get back or Ryan recovers, Tanner,” she said. “I’ve got some loose ends to tie up before I leave.”

  “Loose ends,” he said. “Sure. But before you go, I need a favor.”

  “That depends,” she said. “What is it?”

  “Promise me you’ll stay calm when you get there. No screaming. This isn’t King Kong. We need you back, preferably in one piece and alive. And most important . . . can I h
ave a hug?”

  She smiled and hugged him. “You bet, Tanner.”

  “You can do this,” he said. “If anyone can, you can.”

  Those simple words of confidence were what she needed to hear most. And especially coming from Tanner, they helped.

  Amanda left the bridge and headed to the infirmary. Ryan was lying in one of the beds. He was either sleeping or still unconscious and had bandages covering his chest. She hated seeing him that way and was pretty sure he’d hate her seeing him like this.

  She knelt down close to him and whispered. “We don’t always agree, Ryan.” She felt the tears coming and couldn’t help laughing. “Yeah, understatement, I know.” She took a deep breath and continued. “But you mean a lot to me. And I know you’re gonna be pretty pissed at me when you hear what I’m about to do, but I’ve got to try. It’s only me now.” She paused to stroke his face. “You get better. And thanks for saving me. Maybe now it’s my turn to save you.” She bent over and kissed him on the cheek.

  Reluctantly, she took the lift down to the cargo hold. Upon entering, she made her way to one of the small transport ships and got on board. There were normally two-day food rations on the transports, which should do fine. The way she figured it, in two days she’d either be back or dead. Sitting down, she began a pre-flight checklist. Before leaving, she grabbed a thermal sealer to repair the amulet. She wanted to make sure that it was in one piece when delivering it to the Altarran commander.

  Activating the communication console, she called the bridge. “I’m depressurizing the cargo bay and preparing to take Transport One to rendezvous with the Altarrans. If you guys don’t hear from me within two hours of docking on the Altarran ship, prepare another attack run and do whatever’s necessary to put an end to this war. I’m leaving the cargo bay now. I’ll be running silent. Williamson out.”

  Tanner replied, “Hey, Big Red. I’m deploying communication satellites in orbit above Mars, and I’ll release more above Jupiter when we get there. That way you can bounce the signal to us in the event you need to get in contact. If you run into any trouble, just give a holler and we’ll come running.”

  “Perfect,” she said. “If you keep this up, you’re going to ruin your reputation as the class clown.”

  Amanda powered up the transport and began the eight-hour flight. This was going to be the longest eight hours of her life. Thank God this wasn’t two hundred years ago or it would have been eight months for the trip to Earth. To pass the time, she began recording all that had taken place over the past five days. She wanted to have everything documented in the event she didn’t make it back or was kept as a prisoner of war.

  She also recorded a message to her father to share with her family, assuming any of them survived whatever Granthaxe would have in store. She left messages to each of her friends as well. Last, but not least, she recorded a heartfelt message to Ryan, repeating what she’d whispered at his bedside.

  Having finished all her messages, she sent them out with the ominous header: To be viewed in the event of my death.

  The remaining time she spent going over various scenarios in her head, preparing what she would say to Granthaxe and wondering how Ryan was faring. Eventually, she found herself dozing off, exhausted by the traumatic events of the last few days.

  She was startled when the silence was broken by a booming voice over the speakers.

  “This is Supreme Commander Granthaxe. We have you in visual range. Bring your vessel directly in front of our ships. You will see an opening. If you deter from your course or make any threatening moves, my ships have orders to fire.”

  “I read you loud and clear,” said Amanda. She maneuvered the transport toward the imposing line of Altarran ships, all facing her like a firing squad. There was a large gap directly in the center. “I see the opening now,” she said. “Correcting course and angle.” As she proceeded forward into the gap, a large docking area descended from an enormous labyrinthine vessel. It dwarfed any of the UEDF ships that she knew of. “I’ll be inside shortly,” she said.

  She was starting to sweat, and her legs were trembling. She had been busy or asleep for most of the flight. Now here she was, about to be the first human to dock with an alien ship, a CE-5 encounter. Bringing her ship close to the docking area, she cut power and glided in using her forward and side thrusters to maneuver. As soon as she entered the inside of the vessel, she hit her reverse thrusters and landed gently on the deck.

  “I’m inside your ship,” she said.

  “We are aware of your presence,” said Granthaxe. “Remain in your ship as we close the docking bay doors. We will provide oxygen to the area for you to breathe. I will inform you when it is safe to exit your vessel.”

  “How did you know we require oxygen?” she said.

  “Ha! Do you think humans the only species to thrive on the breath of the gods? Do you think Earth the only such planet? You amuse me with your insignificance. Your kind is like a young child, a seedling.”

  The sound of the outer doors closing startled her, followed by a deafening hiss. Now she was really starting to have a panic attack. This was it. There was no turning back now.

  The noise stopped. “You may leave your vessel,” said Granthaxe. “The docking area is safe. I will arrive momentarily. Have the amulet ready for my inspection.”

  Amanda took a deep breath and put the amulet around her neck before exiting the ship. The area was dark, dimly illuminated by some sort of green hue. As soon as she closed the cockpit door, she heard the sounds of the alien ship’s door locks disengaging. She was standing about fifty feet from the largest double doors she’d ever seen, which she could barely make out in the darkness. She could hear heavy footsteps approaching, the ground shaking with each step. She braced herself, as she remembered Tanner’s words. Don’t scream, Amanda.

  As the doors slid open with a loud whoosh, she saw a huge shadow, followed by two hulking figures that had to be at least twelve feet tall. It was too dark to make out any details, but they walked upright like humans. One seemed to be about a foot taller than the other. She could see that they had two arms, two legs, and one head, which was a good sign. But their glowing eyes frightened her. She could hear her own heartbeat as they came closer and she could start to make out their shapes. Her mouth dropped at the sight of them. They were incredibly muscular and had to weigh close to five hundred pounds. They could crush any human with ease. She looked down as her nerves were getting the best of her.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all, she thought. She was trying to remain calm and not hyperventilate.

  “The amulet, Amanda Williamson,” said the larger one. His voice, coming down from at least seven feet above her, was as loud in person as over the speakers. “Hand it to me.”

  She hesitated and slowly looked up into his eyes. It was hard to believe that she was looking at a creature from another planet, possibly another galaxy.

  “My God,” she said, “you really do exist.”

  Granthaxe looked down at her. “Of course I exist. What is that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m sorry, I meant—”

  “Does the amulet exist, Amanda Williamson? Because if it does not, then we will see who exists and who does not.”

  She gingerly placed the amulet in his very large hand.

  “It was damaged during battle,” she said. “I repaired it as best I could.”

  Granthaxe’s icy glowing eyes stared down at her in silence, then he looked at the amulet in his hands. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and was trembling waiting for a response. Any kind of response.

  Finally, he turned to the other creature.

  “Lock her in the holding area,” he said.

  She started to panic. “Wait,” she said, as the other creature’s huge hands grabbed her as if she were a Barbie doll.

  Amanda watched Granthaxe leave the room. She turned to the creature that was holding her.

  “What is he planning?” she asked, b
ut the creature didn’t respond. Before she knew it, she was being placed in a small brig-like room with no furniture. The door slammed shut and she heard the locks click. She sat down on the floor and tried to figure out what her next move should be, or if she would even survive the rest of the day.

  Chapter 40

  General Order 61

  Fleet Admiral Thompson was having his morning cup of coffee as he watched the clock on the wall. The Altarran truce had expired, and to his surprise, he hadn’t heard anything from the supreme commander. There was no movement detected on any of the Earth-based radar sites either. He was about to check with the observatory concerning any activity from the Altarran fleet when his com link beeped.

  “Sir,” said the voice on the other line, “it’s Lieutenant Robbins from the observatory. You’ve got to see this. I’m forwarding images we just recorded. Sending now.”

  Thompson watched his monitor intently. A video appeared showing multiple Altarran ships being destroyed. He jumped up from his desk, spilling his coffee. “Hell, yeah!” he yelled. “She did it! That girl’s damn crazy idea worked.”

  He shut off the video and hit his intercom. “Morgan, get me Commodore Laurent immediately.”

  “Funny you should ask that,” said his assistant. “She’s actually on the line waiting to talk to you.”

  Thompson opened the channel to the R&D building. “Commodore,” he said, “I’ve just seen video confirming that Amanda Williamson’s idea worked. In fact, it seems like her father, God love him, must have picked up all the survivors from Pluto to man the old retired fleet at the academy. I saw the Churchill on that video. Brilliant idea. I’ll have to commend him when I see him.”

  “Actually,” said Laurent, “I was calling you to tell you we’ve also developed a much better version of her weapon. If you’ll come to the compound, I’ll show you.”

  “On my way.” Thompson cut the link and called to Morgan to have a driver ready. For the first time in days, he felt a sense of hope. He wasn’t sure how many Altarran ships had been destroyed, but the fact was, the fleet now had the capability to disable their shields at will. He headed outside where his driver was already waiting for him.