Billy shook his head. “We’ve transmitted updates … ones you obviously haven’t received. Our assumption now is this: Digby’s hacker coders, which we’ve determined are some kind of hybrid synthetics, went to work—maybe on an update to the Ingress Virus. Anyway, the Aquarius showed up at Xavier Station 35 a short while back. I was working with the Sharks on board the Jumelle, preparing to storm the ship. We knew Dira was on board by tracking her life-icon. I’m sorry, Cap, we just weren’t ready. Any rushed attempt to storm the ship would have been disastrous.”
“You made the right decision. Don’t beat yourself up. Dira is far more resourceful than we probably give her credit for.” Jason meant it, but he could tell his words didn’t lessen the burden of guilt his friend shouldered.
“I want to go after the Aquarius. We know she’s headed to the Sol System. But first, I’d like to rescue the Aquarius’s crew, imprisoned on Thorian Banal. In the prison there … Bastille Spire.”
“Do it! That sounds like the best plan,” Jason said, though deep inside he wanted to argue … shout for Billy to drop everything and go after Dira. Do whatever it takes to rescue her. But the wellbeing of close to one thousand Star Watch crewmembers, including his own father, had to take precedence.
“What’s happening on your end of things, Cap?”
“Still trying to resurrect Star Watch. We’ve already retrieved five Master Class ships, but the loss of life is staggering. Against command’s orders, we’re bringing those five vessels back to Sol, where we’ll make a united stand against the approaching enemy fleets.”
“And you’re up to speed on who’s coming at us?” Billy asked.
“Yeah… just about every enemy we’ve ever pissed off over the last ten years. This Emperor Digby lunatic has obviously been busy, plotting behind the scenes for quite some time now.” Jason held Billy’s stare a few beats, then continued, “Look … I know we’ve been through a lot together. Battled against ridiculous odds, endured through pretty dark times. But as things look today … right now … Star Watch being taken out of commission, the crews … what is it up to … more than five thousand men and women on these ships mercilessly killed? And this war has hardly just begun. Add to that … I keep thinking about Earth falling …”
“Don’t even go there!” Billy interjected sharply. “You start down that road, too many others will follow. We’ll figure something out, Cap.”
Jason already regretted verbalizing his fears. What the hell was he thinking? He glanced around the bridge and mentally chastised himself. “I know, and you’re right, Billy, we actually do have something positive in the works. Go take care of business in the Sommis of Adriark, then return to Sol. We will need your help.”
As the feed from the Jumelle faded out on the wraparound display, Jason continued staring spaceward. He soon took a seat in the captain’s chair, then spun around to face Lieutenant Meany.
“Yes, Captain?”
“We’re in short supply of qualified bridge officers. You up for commanding your own ship, Lieutenant?”
Meany’s eyes momentarily flashed over to the display. “You talking about the Libra, sir?”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I want you to take the two recruits and our friendly blue CBD with you. Expect to find a fairly horrific situation once you’re there. Put the recruits and the robot to work removing bodies from the bridge. Ricket will arrive shortly … help you evaluate the damage to the ship systems. The Ingress Virus patch should already be deployed there and installed via one of Ricket’s fetch-it drones. I want you to report back as quickly as possible. Find out if the ship space worthy. To the point she can call up an interchange wormhole, phase-shift, and deploy weapons. And confirm that her environmental systems are up and operational. Your assignment will be piloting the Libra back to the Sol System. Once Lieutenant Commander Polly emerges from the MediPod, she’ll be back in command of the Aries. We all converge then on the far side of the moon. You have your new orders, Lieutenant. Unless you have any questions … best you hop to it.”
“No questions and thank you, sir.”
“Don’t thank me. What’s in store for you … hell, for all of us, will surely test our mettle.”
* * *
Another two hours went by before Jason heard back from Lieutenant Meany. As expected, the Libra had indeed endured a horrific, one-sided battle. The loss of life on board was total. Similar to the Aries, a large part of the Libra’s flight deck had become a temporary morgue—body bags stacked three and four high, stretching from one bulkhead to the other.
Jason, standing on a raised section of the Parcical’s bridge, stared out to space at the two distant Caldurian Star Watch warships.
“I’ve got an incoming hail coming from the Aries, Captain. It’s Lieutenant Commander Polly,” Ryan said.
“On screen.”
Jason almost didn’t recognize the junior officer. Her hair was brushed and she looked refreshed. There was even a sparkle in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Lieutenant Commander, you look great, ready for active service.”
“I am! Thank you again … for rescuing me … from spending the rest of eternity in a cargo container.”
Jason smiled. “You’ve done an evaluation of the Aries’s systems?’
“Yes, sir. Ricket did most of it, before he phase-shifted over to the Libra. With your orders, we’re ready to get underway.”
“Who’s with you?”
“Six crewmen … no longer in MediPods, Captain. Of course, there’s Chief Stabler too. More than enough crew to get us to Sol, sir.”
“Very good. Go ahead and call up your interchange wormhole. We’ll meet up again soon.”
“Oh, one more thing, Captain. Just to let you know, while I was in the MediPod, additional orders came through from Admiral Mayweather. All Star Watch captains are to maintain their present postings … defend their districts at all costs. Any Fleet or Star Watch officer found in defiance of these orders will face immediate court martial. Just thought I would let you know, sir.”
Jason thought about that a moment. “Let me ask you, Julie, where are you from … back on Earth?”
“From outside Milwaukie, sir.”
“Family there?”
“Yes, sir, a ridiculously large family. I have eight brothers and sisters.”
“Well, Emperor Digby is headed for Sol. His intent is to make a big show, set an example to the rest of the Alliance. In order to do that, he will be aiming at Earth. That’s not speculation. It’s not hyperbole. It’s absolute fact. It is my opinion that the entire planetary Alliance will indeed fall once news of Earth’s destruction reaches the other world districts. Ordering you, and other Star Watch commanders to stay put within your assigned districts only assists the enemy. Coming up against multiple Star Watch assets is a far more effective defence, I strongly think, than leaving them in far off district to be killed off one by one. Why the admiral doesn’t understand that, I’m not sure. If he wants someone to blame, someone to court-martial, he has me. It’s a small price to pay for saving all our families.”
“Captain, I’m with you. I’ll happily face whatever Mayweather doles out—to be there, fighting by your side.”
The feed faded, returning the wraparound display to an unhindered view of outer space. Jason watched the dazzling visual display—a kaleidoscope of colors forming into an ethereal ring. First the Aries shot away, then the Libra. Within several minutes they were both gone—swallowed up in the darkness. The wormhole faded away next like smoke dissipating in the night air.
Jason turned and found Ricket entering the bridge. He made his way to Jason’s side and together they shared the panoramic view to open space for several moments before Jason spoke.
“How goes your fetch-it drone deployment, Ricket?”
Like the corridors on the Aries, both the Parcical and the Libra, from what Jason had learned, were also lined with thousands upon thousands of the same small fetch-it drones. Once Ricket
managed to get both Caldurian vessels’ phase-synthesizers up and working, they cranked out the spherical orbs as fast as their devices could produce them.
“Quite well, Captain …” Ricket then gestured toward the wraparound display. “It is impossible to see from this distance, but hundreds of micro-wormholes are continuously opening and closing out there. Alliance districts across the sector are now inundated with our little drones. With Ryan’s help, I have transmitted, mostly via conventional communiqués to all registered Alliance, and U.S. Fleet vessels, that each will be visited soon by a fetch-it drone, carrying the Ingress Virus inoculation patch. And that they should allow the drone to phase-shift on board to complete that task.”
“So how long will it take … getting all those thousands of vessels operational?”
Ricket’s expression darkened some. “I am sorry, Captain, I cannot answer that question with any certainty.” Again, he gestured toward the screen. “Installing the virus patch is one thing, but another question arises … is anyone still alive on board those ships? We have found our new adversary to be ruthless beyond words. Unfortunately, there very well could be tens of thousands of crewmembers lying dead right now within that many ships.”
Jason suddenly found it hard to view stellar space. “It’s time for us to go, Ryan. Plot us a course for Sol. Call up an interchange wormhole.”
He thought about the two Star Watch assets he hadn’t rescued. Somewhere out there, many light-years away, were the Virgo and the Sagittarius. Had Ricket’s fetch-it drones reached them yet? And if so, did they make a difference? Had the crews of those two fine ships survived? He might never know. All he did know was that he’d run out of time. It was time to make a stand.
Chapter 46
The Parcical, emerging from the interchange wormhole two hundred and forty thousand miles’ distance from the far side—the dark side—of the moon, was a black silhouetted orb, crossing the bright and beautiful Earth lying beyond.
Something Lieutenant Commander Polly said was now replaying over and over in his head: Yes, sir, from a ridiculously large family! Jason’s breath caught in his chest. Mollie! He stared out at the magnificent distant world just beyond them. Was she there, like billions of others, unaware of the impending attack—the terror about to assault Earth? No, she’s with her mother … with Rizzo. So where did they go? What was it Nan mentioned … something about going on an interstellar diplomatic jaunt? He’d not taken time out to listen to his most recent comms messages, and the ones he did listen to, mostly from Liberty Station, he’d ignored. But what, he wondered, if they contained news either from, or about, Nan and Mollie?
“Captain, we’re being hailed,” Ryan said.
“That was quick! By whom?”
“All five Star Watch ships … highest priority emergency hails from the Minian, the Aries, the Pisces, the Leo, and the Libra.”
Jason watched a new logistical feed pop up on the wraparound. A quick glance over his shoulder affirmed Ricket was still seated at tactical. Turning back to the feed, he instantly recognized the five bright green icons depicting those Star Watch vessels. They were clustered relatively close together, near the moon; beyond sat Earth. The logistical feed then zoomed out to show Liberty Station, the sun, the rest of the planets within the solar system, and the Kuiper belt, and the Ort cloud beyond.
“Open every channel … let’s try to get us all on the same page.”
Rapidly, as new feeds emerged on the wraparound, the five Star Watch commanders appeared, staring back at Jason with obvious anticipation.
“Talk to me. You first, Captain Grimes … what’s happening?”
“Captain, we’re out of time!”
Jason saw movement on the now pushed aside logistical feed segment. Ricket, zooming the perspective in, centered on Vanguard’s Breach—the ingress point into the Sol System. It was ablaze in bright red icons. As if reading his mind, Ricket again zoomed the logistical feed in, and now he could see distinct clusters—separate enemy fleets. They were on the move.
“How much time do we have?”
Captain Baxtor, Captain Grimes, and Lieutenant Polly, answered his question at the same time: “Three hours.”
“Ricket … your fetch-it drones?”
“They are still being dispatched to space, Captain, as we speak. Approximately one-third of the U.S. Fleet’s assets have come back online. Unfortunately, just as we encountered with our own Star Watch assets, there are many fatalities on board our Craing heavy and light cruisers; also on many of the Vastma Class warships. Most vessels have varying strains of the Ingress Virus, which seem to have commandeered their environmental systems. There have been mass suffocations. I fear in the tens of thousands.”
“Damn it!” Fingers clenched into tight balls, Jason pounded his fists into the leather armrest on his captain’s chair. Two identical indentations remained where his fists still rested. He thought of Emperor Digby. Sometime soon … I’m going to enjoy ripping your fucking head from your shoulders, asshole.
Front and center, a new video feed suddenly intruded onto the mix of faces. Admiral Mayweather’s heavily lined, drawn face stared back at Jason with rapt hostility.
Jason inwardly groaned.
“You’ll be seeing the inside of my brig within the hour, Captain Reynolds. Don’t expect a court martial … nothing short of a swift execution will be appropriate for this level of insubordination. How can you not understand? The very demise of the planetary Alliance … Earth … may very well be the result of your fallacious actions.”
Jason didn’t need to scan the five Star Watch commanders’ faces to know they were closely watching him, waiting for his next words. Only one thing was certain: their fates were intrinsically tied with his.
“Take a deep breath, Admiral Mayweather. You look like you’re about to have a myocardial infarction. Look … I don’t know who is advising you on Liberty Station, but whoever they are … they’re idiots. We’re wasting valuable time. As we speak, the enemy approaches. Soon, multiple enemy fleets … the Craing, the Sahhrain, and the Pharlom … will emerge through Vanguard’s Breach.”
“You can add the Tashi and Juto to that list, as well. Do you think I’m daft? For God’s sake, Captain, fleet command is well aware of the situation. Has been for some time now. But I don’t think you are!”
Jason stared back at the admiral. For the first time, a smidgen of doubt was beginning to take hold within his consciousness.
“You haven’t been checking your messages, have you, Captain?” the admiral asked, his voice saturated with contempt.
“Not a lot of time to pursue that sort of indulgence, when thousands of lives are at stake, Admiral.”
The older man’s eyes blazed with fury. “Shut up! Just shut up! I want you to take a look at your logistical feed, Captain. Take a very close look. I’ve put it there for you, and for the others watching, so you can witness first-hand the next strategic course of events.”
Jason glanced back toward the tactical station, certain that Ricket placed the zoomed in logistical feed onto the wraparound display. But Ricket shook his head. Nope, wasn’t him.
“The planetary Alliance is comprised of many thousands of distant worlds. Some are more technologically advanced than others. But together, the Alliance maintains a mighty presence within the galaxy … a force to be reckoned with. One of the requirements for inclusion into this mutually beneficial Alliance is that they all provide substantial military assets. That includes warships, which become registered as part of the planetary Alliance space fleet.”
Jason responded, “We all know how the planetary Alliance works … what the fleet is comprised of. I helped set all that up, years ago. But the registered warships you are referring to have all been infected … so they’re no longer viable assets. The crews on most of those ships have been killed.”
“And that is truly a horrific reality,” the admiral said. “But you still fail to glean the importance of what I’m saying here. Just as Eart
h maintains her own separate fleet, the U.S. Fleet, which also is comprised of the ten Star Watch vessels you command … virtually all the other worlds within the planetary Alliance prescribe to something similar. A practice modeled after Earth’s design.”
Jason stared back at the feed. The admiral wasn’t saying anything he didn’t already know. Of course other worlds maintained their own defenses. It wasn’t uncommon for disputes to arise—either between other Alliance members, or between those on the governing body of the Alliance itself. No world wanted to be caught without some semblance of self-protection. But he had a weird feeling the proverbial hammer was about to fall. Were his recent actions justified?
“Take a look at your logistical feed, Captain.”
Jason, squinting, did a double-take stare. Like before, bright red icons—the enemy’s fleet—were visibly on the move. Making steady headway through Vanguard’s Breach, they were approximately halfway through. But their presence wasn’t what caused Jason’s jaw to drop. Somewhat farther down, on both sides of the fairly narrow corridor, one that the ruthless Ot-Mul created, was no longer colorless. Green icons, what looked to be thousands of them, now flanked both sides of an area three quarters of the way down within Vanguard’s Breach. An ambush.
“I don’t understand … how?” Jason stumbled for words. “Granted, often there are large expanses of open space between space rocks … asteroids, but it’s incredibly dangerous to navigate through them. I’ve done it myself and I swore never to attempt it again. Many would agree, it’s suicide to traverse the dangerous area lying outside Vanguard’s Breach’s boundaries. All those ships … green icons …”
“You are no longer the U.S. Fleet Omni. That position your father now holds. You are merely a Star Watch Captain. I believe that was your decision, yes?”
Scrapyard LEGACY (Star Watch Book 6) Page 25