by Ryk Brown
“Nice,” Ensign Bickle replied, watching Loki key the algorithm into the navigation console for him.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Lieutenant Dinev quipped at Josh. “A little math?”
“He does the math,” Josh replied, nodding toward Loki. “I’m the one doin’ the yankin’ and crankin’,” he added with a wink, “if you know what I mean.”
“Why does that not surprise me,” Lieutenant Dinev said under her breath. She watched the nav data being drawn out on the see-through glass display in front of her station as Loki typed in the algorithm. “I don’t think we can make those turns, Captain,” she warned. “Not while staying within our performance envelope.”
“Performance envelope?” Josh laughed. “Are you kidding me? This ship can make the turns…trust me. You just have to boost the power to your maneuvering thrusters, and kick in a little decel thrust on the inside of your turns. And if that ain’t enough, add your docking thrusters in to the outside at full power.”
“Docking thrusters?” the lieutenant questioned in shock, finding his idea laughable. “You’re joking, right?”
“Every little bit helps, sweetie. And I never joke about flyin’. It’s what I do.”
Lieutenant Dinev turned to look at the captain. “Sir, the only way we’re going to get the Aurora to make these turns is if we rewrite the thruster safeties.”
“How long will that take?” Cameron asked.
“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes?”
“You don’t need to rewrite anything,” Josh insisted. “Just go manual.”
“This isn’t a fighter, hotdog,” Lieutenant Dinev reminded him. “You don’t just go manual unless the flight control computers are down, and that doesn’t happen.”
“And you call yourself a pilot?” Josh accused.
“I call myself a helmsman,” the lieutenant corrected him impatiently. “There is a difference, you know.”
“Pilot, helmsman…same diff. And how’d you know my call sign?”
“Captain,” the lieutenant objected.
“You’d better get started rewriting those safeties, Lieutenant,” Cameron replied. “And Josh…” Cameron added, gesturing for him to step aside and leave the lieutenant to her work.
“Captain, perhaps you should let Mister Hayes take the helm, just until we get clear.”
“The lieutenant will take care of it,” Cameron explained. “Besides, we’re not going anywhere until we finish recovering our birds.”
“And how long will that take?” the general asked.
“About the same amount of time it will take the lieutenant to rewrite the safeties,” Cameron replied. “Meanwhile, maybe you should start explaining to me what Jessica meant by ‘he’s only been alive for twenty minutes’.”
General Telles paused a moment, looking to either side. “Perhaps we should speak in private.”
“This crew followed me here, knowing that I was violating orders by leaving the Sol sector. If they cannot be trusted, then I don’t know who can.”
General Telles paused again, looking around the bridge at the men and women busily working at their stations. “Very well, Captain. I suppose they will eventually learn the truth anyway.” The general took a breath. “Nathan Scott committed suicide in a Jung prison cell on the eve of his execution. I was there, as was Lieutenant Nash. However, before doing so, we copied his consciousness and memories to a portable storage unit. The man in your medical department is a physical clone of Nathan Scott…one that now carries the consciousness and memories of the original.”
Cameron kept staring at General Telles, before finally replying, “You’re kidding.”
* * *
Lieutenant Haddix checked his forward sensor display, as his Reaper came out of its jump. “Got her,” he announced, sounding slightly relieved. “One four six, twenty down, five hundred kilometers. She’s headed away from us, twenty degrees off our course to port.”
“Outstanding,” Ensign Weston declared from the copilot’s seat. “I love it when things go right.”
“Looks like both blue and red flights are already back.”
“Aurora Flight, Reaper Six, inbound for landing,” Ensign Weston called over comms.
“Reaper Six, Aurora Flight. Welcome home. Enter the port high approach, high speed. Auto-flight in two.”
“Port high, speed up, auto-flight in two, for Reaper Six.”
“Jump flashes, two four seven, twenty-eight up, about two hundred clicks. Twelve targets.”
“That would be Green flight, no doubt.”
“Looks like everyone made it home,” the lieutenant said, obvious relief in his voice. “Not bad for our first op in the PC, huh?”
“Any op you make it home from, brother.” A new contact appeared on the long-range sensor screen. “Uh… We’ve got another jump flash.”
Lieutenant Haddix looked at the sensor display as his copilot adjusted the sensors to get a more accurate reading. “One of ours?” he asked, a hopeful tone in his voice.
“All the Eagles are in the pattern, and we’re the last Reaper in,” the ensign replied. “Besides, it’s too small to be a…” The ensign’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh fuck. It’s paintin’ us!” he warned as he started arming the Reaper’s weapons systems.
“Is he targeting us?” the lieutenant asked, his hand hovering over the joystick, ready to take manual control of the ship.
“No, he’s just scanning the entire area!” the ensign replied, as he continued activating his weapons systems. “I think it’s a drone. I’m taking it out!”
“Aurora! Aurora! Reaper Six! We’ve got an unknown target actively scanning the area. Two five seven, forty-one high, five hundred thousand kilometers and closing fast. We are engaging!”
“Launching a tweety!” Ensign Weston announced.
Both men glanced out their forward windows, as a small missile streaked past the left side of their cockpit, turned slightly to port, then disappeared in a blue-white flash.
* * *
“This would be an extremely inappropriate time for me to make a joke, Captain,” General Telles replied.
“Captain!” Ensign deBanco reported urgently from the Aurora’s comm station at the back of the bridge. “Reaper Six has engaged an unknown target at two five seven, forty-one high, five hundred thousand kilometers and closing fast!”
“I’ve got it!” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported from the sensor station. “It just jumped in. Looks like some sort of recon drone.”
“Reaper Six has launched a zapper,” the comms officer added.
“What the hell’s a Reaper?” Josh wondered.
“Any other contacts?” Cameron demanded.
“No, sir!” Lieutenant Commander Kono replied. “Only friendlies. The target is scanning us as… The target is gone, Captain!”
“Did the zapper get them?” Cameron asked.
“No, sir. The target jumped just as the zapper came out of its jump and acquired!” the sensor officer replied.
“What the hell’s a zapper?” Josh wondered amidst the chaos.
“The contact is likely to be a Dusahn jump recon drone,” General Telles surmised. “They use them to search for jump flashes. The Dusahn likely launched dozens of them along your initial jump route, at various distances. It is how they track jump ships.”
“We need to jump the hell outta here,” Josh warned.
“Flight Ops, Captain!” Cameron called out over her comm-set. “How much jump left in our Eagles?”
“Telemetry shows lowest bird has about two light minutes left, Captain.”
“Jump everyone to tango four two, right now!” Cameron ordered.
“Aye, sir! Tango four two!”
“Helm, as soon as those birds get clear,
turn us hard to port, jump twenty light minutes, then turn and jump us to tango four two!”
“That won’t do it, Captain,” Loki insisted.
“He is correct,” General Telles warned. “That drone has already reported to the Dusahn. They will send more drones, followed by ships, and they will do so in seconds.”
“Birds are clear!” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported.
“They will see the direction that your fighters jumped, and they will follow them.”
“Maybe, but they might also follow us,” Cameron argued.
“Their ships, yes,” the general conceded. “But their fighters will follow fighters.”
“How long until those safeties are rewritten?” Cameron asked Lieutenant Dinev.
“I can’t rewrite them and fly at the same time,” the lieutenant replied.
“Jumping in three…”
“I can do this,” Josh told them, looking at Cameron and then the general.
“…Two…”
“Jump flashes,” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported.
“…One…”
“…Dusahn fighters…”
“…Jumping…”
“…At least eight of them!”
The blue-white flash filled the bridge for a moment.
“Jump complete!” the navigator announced.
“Cap’n,” Josh pleaded.
“More jump flashes!” Lieutenant Commander Kono warned. “Two this time…Dusahn fighters.”
“Six followed your fighters,” General Telles surmised.
“How?” Cameron asked.
“They probably jumped in half a light minute out and picked up their jump flashes,” the general explained.
“We’ve seen them do it before,” Loki added. “They multi-jump their way in, probably picking up old light in between each jump.”
“That would work,” Lieutenant Commander Kono agreed from the sensor console.
“Evasive pattern Lima Four,” Cameron ordered. “Execute when ready.”
“Lima Four, in three…” the navigator replied.
“They will track you,” the general insisted.
“…Two…”
“They’re fighters,” Cameron replied. “They’re not a threat.”
“…One…”
“Perhaps not to you, but to your fighters…”
“…Jumping.”
“Hard to starboard, get us on course for the rendezvous point and jump when ready,” Cameron commanded without missing a beat. “We’ll join up with our fighters and provide cover fire until they land,” she added, turning back toward the general. “Then we’ll shake the tail.”
“Hard to starboard, aye,” Lieutenant Dinev acknowledged.
“You’re chances of success are low without Mister Sheehan’s algorithm,” the general told her.
“We’ll out jump them,” Cameron argued.
“And once you have used up your jump energy, and are forced to spend hours recharging?” General Telles challenged.
Cameron looked at him.
“Another jump flash, Captain!” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported. “Another drone!”
“Captain,” the general urged, pushing for a decision.
“Drone has jumped away,” the lieutenant commander added.
“How long until we finish the turn?” Cameron asked her helmsman.
“Eighty seconds,” the lieutenant replied.
“Nothing takes eighty seconds to turn!” Josh protested. “Who taught you how to fly?”
“In forty seconds, a Dusahn warship will appear. They will open fire the moment they do. You will jump to escape, and then they will launch another twenty or thirty jump drones, and within a minute, they will locate you again.”
“Screw this,” Josh declared, turning to leave. “You all wanna die, that’s fine. Just open the door first, so we can get the hell off this ship before it’s too late.”
“More ships will move into position in an attempt to box you in,” the general continued.
“Jump flash!” Lieutenant Commander Kono interrupted. “Dusahn warship!”
“They’re launching missiles!” Lieutenant Commander Vidmar reported from the tactical station.
“The missiles are jumping!” Lieutenant Commander Kono warned.
“Execute escape jump!” Cameron ordered.
“Escape jump, aye!” Ensign Bickle replied, as the jump flash washed over them.
“Lieutenant Dinev, Ensign Bickle, you’re temporarily relieved,” Cameron ordered. “Mister Hayes, Mister Sheehan, you’re up.”
“Captain,” Lieutenant Dinev protested, turning back toward her captain.
“Lieutenant,” Cameron snapped, a determined look in her eyes.
“Move it, sweetie,” Josh said, pushing Lieutenant Dinev out of the way and taking her seat.
“Sorry about this,” Loki told Ensign Bickle, as the ensign rose from his seat.
“No problem,” the ensign replied, stepping aside so Loki could take his place.
“Another jump flash!” Lieutenant Commander Kono announced.
“Jesus!” Cameron exclaimed.
“They are very good at this,” General Telles said, as the ship began a hard turn to port. “I suspect they practiced the process at great length prior to invasion.”
“What are you doing?” Cameron asked Josh, as the ship began to roll quickly to port and nose down sharply.
“Yankin’ and crankin’,” Josh replied, as he pulled the Aurora out of her diving roll to port. “How’re you doin’ over there, Lok?”
“Just give me a second…” Loki stopped mid-sentence, his jaw dropping open. “Holy crap! It’s still here!”
“What’s still here?” Josh asked.
“My layout!”
“Jump flash!” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported. “Another drone!”
“My nav layout is still in the memory! After all these years! How is that possible?”
“I used it as the basis for my layout,” Ensign Bickle explained from the side. “It was taught to us at the Academy. It’s very efficient…”
“Enough with the history lesson,” Cameron urged. “I need you to get us to the rendezvous point.”
“Hold your course a few seconds,” Loki instructed Josh.
“I’m on it,” Josh replied, already knowing what Loki was thinking.
“Drone has jumped away!”
“Turn to one seven four, twenty down!” Loki instructed. “Decel thrusters to full burn!”
“One seven four! Decel at max!” Josh replied, turning the ship toward the new heading and pitching down as he brought the Aurora’s deceleration thrusters to full power.
“What are you doing?” Cameron asked, apprehension in her voice.
“Slowin’ her down,” Josh replied.
“We drop speed, and then dial up the jump power,” Loki explained, as he frantically typed commands into the Aurora’s navigation computers. “If we do it quickly enough, the Dusahn will think we’ve jumped a lot further than we actually did.”
“And this works?”
“Hell yeah!” Josh declared.
“Well, we think so,” Loki admitted. “I mean, they haven’t been able to hold a track on us yet, so…”
“Jump us ahead on one-sixty,” Josh instructed.
“One light hour, jumping,” Loki announced, as the jump flash briefly bathed the interior of the Aurora’s bridge in subdued, blue-white light.
“Turning to one-seventy,” Josh announced. “Killing the decel, going to full power on the mains.”
“Dialing back the jump power,” Loki replied.
“One-seventy in five…”
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“Jumping in three…”
“You are going to get us to the rendezvous point, right?” Cameron asked as Loki counted down to the next jump.
“…Two…”
“Jump flash,” the sensor officer announced. “Another drone.”
“…One…”
“One-seventy,” Josh announced.
“…Jumping.”
Again, the jump flash washed over the bridge, as Josh brought the Aurora’s main engines back down to zero.
“Killing the mains, bringing decels back up,” Josh reported.
“Dialing the jump power back up,” Loki replied.
“Evens?” Josh asked his partner.
“Sounds good,” Loki replied. “Jumping seven light minutes…”
“One seven two,” Josh reported.
“Now,” Loki replied, the jump flash washing over them again.
Cameron watched, saying nothing, and showing no reaction, as the two men continued to execute the most unique maneuvers she had seen in a long time. “Is this really necessary?” she wondered.
“The last thing we need is for that warship to follow us to the rendezvous point,” the general told her. “That would greatly complicate the recovery of your ships.”
Cameron tipped her head slightly in agreement, as another jump flash washed over them.
“Turning back to one seven four and accelerating,” Josh announced, as he brought the Aurora’s nose back to the left two degrees.
“Any drones?” Loki asked.
“Negative,” Lieutenant Commander Kono replied.
“Jumping,” he replied. The bridge lit up one more time with the blue-white light of the jump, after which Loki leaned back in his seat to take a breath. “We’re at the rendezvous point,” he announced.
“Not bad,” Cameron nodded.
“Multiple contacts!” Lieutenant Commander Kono reported from the sensor station. “Eagles and Reapers! And they’re fighting off twenty Dusahn fighters, Captain!”