The Battle for the Solar System (Complete Trilogy)

by Sweeney, Stephen

  “What did they discover?”

  “It’s possible that the Pandorans are dying,” Kelly said, looking up and smiling, before detailing what she understood of the message and showing it to Estelle. Estelle thought she had imagined what she’d witnessed during the battle at Alpha – seeing the Imperial fighters blundering into the paths of friendly fire. Now, Enrique’s message seemed to give it weight. She shared what she’d seen with Kelly and the two pondered the implications.

  “But this is huge news!” Estelle declared. “Why was he so cryptic?”

  “He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone,” Kelly said. “I know,” she added, as Estelle grimaced. “Typical big mouth Enrique.”

  Estelle shook her head. “No, I’m glad that he told us,” she said, surprised to feel the beginnings of a smile pulling at the side of her mouth. How long had it been since she’d felt that? She couldn’t remember. She saw that Kelly, too, was smiling, wider than before. Then she relaxed, becoming a little more dreamy.

  “We must be just about there, now,” Kelly said, somewhat absently. “It’s been so long since I’ve been to Sol. I think the last time was … well, easily over ten years ago. Fifteen, perhaps. When was the last time you were there?”

  Estelle couldn’t help but look ashamedly at her feet for a moment. “I’ve never been to Sol”, she said flatly.

  “What?” Kelly looked stunned, but in a semi-amused way.

  “Never,” Estelle repeated.

  “What have you been doing?”

  Trying to make something of my life, Estelle thought to herself. Trying to become someone, to become something. As if it all really mattered now. She recalled a group of her friends giving up the hunt for work when they had been teenagers together, just before she’d enlisted in the CSN. They had all headed off to Sol, to travel around Earth and Mars and she’d lost touch with them. Until this point, she had been quite certain they’d lived far more fulfilling lives than her.

  “Come on,” Kelly said, slipping the tablet into its case and hiding it down the side of her bed. “Let’s go and take your first look at Sol. Your first of many for years to come,” she added.

  *

  Much like the CSN’s other Cobra-class carriers, Leviathan’s bar was set within an elevated portion of the ship, offering its occupants a panoramic and commanding view of the surrounding space.

  Kelly and Estelle arrived as the ship emerged from jump, just as the blast screens were being raised. The throng of people already close to the windows probably included many who had also come for their first glimpses of Sol. Estelle was briefly reminded of the opening phase of Operation Menelaus, and how Kelly, Enrique, Chaz and Dodds had made their way to Griffin’s bar, to witness the failed retake of Dragon. She had remained in the quarters back then, racked with nerves and too stressed to move from the room. She didn’t regret having missed that sequence; she’d had the opportunity to witness so many similar ones in the years that had followed.

  There were mutters all around as the blast screens finished rising – the scene before them was simply stunning. Directly ahead lay Earth, a great looming marble already quite prominent in their view. Leviathan had emerged comparatively close, drawing nearer with each passing second.

  Estelle gazed over the planet. The only times she had ever seen it before was in video, still imagery, and illustrations in history text books. She felt somewhat ambivalent about finally being here. Earth itself was not unlike any other colonised world she had seen – it was mostly blue, with white wispy clouds swirling all around it, floating atop browny-green continents. To early travellers, this must have been a wondrous sight. But in honesty it could have been any other world. Spirit, Xalan, Tilli, Mythos and Sky bore similar appearances.

  And yet, she felt a sense of awe and sadness at the sight. Awe that this was Earth, where the human race had evolved and flourished before spreading out across the stars and settling on other worlds, building cities and putting their stamp on a small part of the galaxy. Earth was the centre of the Helios Confederation, the place from which all of its members were controlled and governed. This was the world that had given birth to the Confederation Stellar Navy, and a world that was, to so many, an eternal icon and beacon. The sadness came from knowing that that beacon might soon be extinguished. She’d always wanted to come to Earth. Just not like this.

  No, be positive, she told herself. There is a chance yet that we will succeed, that we will win. If Kelly can feel this, so can you.

  “There you go,” Kelly said, nodding towards the looming sphere. “There it is.”

  “Yes,” Estelle said, forcing the despondency from her voice. “There it is.”

  “Looks just like any other world really, doesn’t it,” Kelly chuckled.

  “That’s just what I was thinking,” Estelle said, feeling the smile coming again. Well, not entirely like any other world. There were features of the planet that made it appear far more resplendent than others. An orbital ring wrapped its way around Earth, appearing far more up-to-date and modern than most others that Estelle had seen. It was good to see it there, all present and correct. In the struggle against the Pandoran army, it had become clear that worlds that benefited from such a megastructure fared far better in their fight against the black-suited menace, compared to those without. More vessels, personnel, equipment and resources could be stored there and, with armaments being easily affixed to it, the ring acted almost as a kind of mega-weapon.

  The absence of a ring had doomed some worlds to an early death. Xalan, for all its importance in the ATAF program, had never seen one constructed, the justification there being that the deep cluster of ODPs were more than enough to fend off any invaders. Spirit’s ring had never been completed during the time Estelle had been stationed there. When it had become clear that the Pandoran forces were overrunning the fragmented Independent nation alliance – the short-lived Alba-Trilliack Union – rush work had commenced on bringing the ring up to a more usable and combat-efficient state. The result had been a token gesture at most. Such tasks could take decades to complete, and even with the manpower the CSN had been able to command, through conscriptions of all healthy Helios citizens, it hadn’t been enough. She could still remember seeing the ring being blasted to pieces by the advancing wall of enemy warships. Spirit itself had followed shortly after that. It had been the first Confederation planet to suffer the firestorm of Dragon’s antimatter cannon.

  “You see the large continent in the north, half in the light?” Kelly said, indicating Earth. “That’s Europe.”

  The portion of the continent where the sun had set was speckled with lights from towns and cities. There were actually quite a lot of them, densely packed together. This was something of a new sight – most other planets in the galaxy weren’t nearly as brightly lit. Tilli, the planet she had grown up on, was quite spartan by comparison. Whenever she had journeyed home to visit her family, she could easily have thought that world had been deserted, so few were the visible lights on the dark side of the planet. Few major cities, and fewer towns than might have been expected. Even after hundreds of years, colonisation of Tilli still felt in its infancy.

  Kelly gestured to Europe as Estelle continued to look on. “That’s France and Spain on the far west side, still in daylight, and that landmass directly below both of them is Africa.”

  That’s a big continent, Estelle thought. She looked for Ireland, knowing that it was close by, but not quite entire certain where. “Where’s Ireland?” she asked eventually.

  “West of Britain,” Kelly said.

  Estelle searched for a time, allowing the carrier’s continued approach to present more details of the planet, though as yet she couldn’t make out what she was looking for. Kelly then pointed to two landmasses north of Spain and France.

  “There,” she said, “that’s where the Dodds Orchard is.”

  Estelle said nothing more, not taking her eyes off the island which housed her family, as Leviathan continued to draw clos
er. She had only met Dodds’ parents once before, when they had come to Gabriel to see him. Her own family had fled to the Orchard immediately after the failure of Black Widow, parting with almost all of their money, given to them by Estelle herself, to secure passage. Dodds’ family had welcomed them with open arms. She was grateful for that.

  She then noticed that people were looking at her. Some turned away immediately as she glanced in their direction, others locked eyes with her for a moment, before returning their attention to Earth. She wondered what they were thinking. Were they staring at her because of her jet-black hair, wondering why she had been covering it in the first place?

  “All crew, this is your captain speaking,” came the voice of Meyers over the PA system. “We will soon be moving into position and joining the main fleet. Please would all personnel return to quarters and staterooms, to prepare for debriefing and possible reassignment.”

  “Come on,” Estelle said to Kelly, starting back to the deck lift. There would be time enough to admire Earth later, and a lot more time in the future, she convinced herself with some effort.

  She caught more glances and watchful eyes as she went. Curious about her hair, maybe. But … she had seen something else in some of their eyes, too. She wasn’t sure, but it almost looked like malice. There was an unfriendly and somewhat hostile air about those who looked at her, their eyes tinged with distrust, anger … hatred?

  *

  A strong crowd was forming on the flight deck of Earth Orbital One, gathering to see those who were disembarking from the shuttle that had just landed.

  Estelle walked down the rear ramp, registering the highly detectable tension, unease and anxiety that hung in the air. She looked back at Kelly and Meyers who were following her, and tried to avoid making eye contact with those on the deck. She wasn’t successful for long.

  “Where have you all come from?” a man demanded, shoving his way to the front of the crowd to confront the new arrivals. His eyes were wild and accusing. Desperate, even. “Where?” he demanded again.

  “Alpha Centauri,” Estelle said.

  The man tugged at his red hair in frustration. “Alpha Centauri?” he repeated, looking from Estelle, to Kelly, to Meyers, and those who were still exiting the shuttle. “You’ve really all just come from Alpha Centauri?”

  “Yes,” Estelle said, glancing to the others on the deck. Their expressions had already turned to ones of dismay.

  “Why?” the red-haired man demanded.

  “Because Sky has been lost,” a voice somewhere in the crowd offered, as Meyers moved to speak. The rest of the crowd turned about, seeking the source, before refocusing on the group that had arrived in the shuttle from Leviathan. The silence that followed was the only confirmation that the crowd needed.

  “That’s not even two hours from here!” Red cried. “The Enemy could be here any moment!” He was still pulling at his hair, his breathing hard.

  “Mister, will you calm yourself, please—” Meyers began.

  “You’re the ATAF pilots, aren’t you?” Red rounded on Estelle and Kelly, ignoring the commodore. “Why are you here? Why aren’t you out there, stopping them?” he demanded, not giving the two women a chance to answer. “That’s your job isn’t it? That’s what you were trained for? Why are you here?!”

  It was then that Estelle saw new looks starting to appear on the faces of those on the deck, finally understanding those in the bar on Leviathan. She saw around her hatred, pure and simple. Hatred of the ATAF pilots who had failed to protect them. After the Pandoran attacks on the Coyote, Trajan, Vega, Trilliac and Alba systems, long-kept galactic secrets had been laid bare. Soon enough, the Grace Report had been leaked, to a damning reception. Dozens of worlds became privy to Operation Sudarberg, the ATAF program, the Tachyon Star Bombs, and where all their military expenditure had gone. And many other funds, besides.

  “You were meant to protect everyone,” Red went on, advancing threateningly towards the shuttle. “But instead you’ve run back here to hide behind us!”

  “Security!” Meyers called.

  Estelle looked around for them, but was unable to make out the coastguards anywhere. They must be here somewhere.

  “Why aren’t you still out there, fighting them! Why?” Red continued to demand.

  “I—” Estelle started, still looking for the security detail.

  “You cowardly bitch!” Red shouted, leaping towards Estelle and taking a swing.

  The blow struck Estelle hard across the face, and she stumbled back, becoming entangled with the people who stood behind her. Others from the crowd moved forward, Estelle suddenly fearful that they, too, would exact retribution for the wrong they believed they had been done. But instead, they grabbed hold of Red, restraining him. Though grateful for their intervention, Estelle saw that their eyes were without pity. It was clear that they shared Red’s sentiments, though were in far more control of their emotions.

  For now.

  Estelle steeled herself. She was a captain in the CSN, a high ranking officer. She had dealt with people like this before. “The order to retreat from Alpha Centauri came from CSN HQ—”

  “That’s it,” Red shouted, struggling against his captors, “hide behind orders to disguise your own failings! So long as the precious bloody ATAFs got away, who the hell cares what happens to anyone else?!”

  “The ATAF—”

  “The ATAF project was a waste of time and money!” one of those holding Estelle’s attacker cut in. “And all it’s left us with are five worthless fighters and five useless pilots, who are so stuck up their own arses that they are unaware of the bubble that they’ve been living in!”

  For a moment there was silence, then shouts and cries of agreement began to proliferate in the crowd. The people holding Estelle’s attacker appeared to be loosening their grips. They almost looked ready to attack the two Knights themselves. And perhaps not even stop there – the eyes wandering to Meyers had no hint of fear or respect.

  “Stand down, all of you!” Meyers called. “The ATAFs have helped to save many lives, all of yours included!”

  “The ATAFs cost lives!” a cry came, to shouts of agreement.

  “They only ever protected their own fliers!” another joined in.

  “And the command that hid behind them!”

  “They wasted money that could’ve been better spent on building up defences, constructing more warships, and better equipping our own pilots and soldiers!”

  “Warships like Phoenix?” Meyers said.

  “With all due respect, Commodore, shut the hell up! You have no idea what we’ve been through!”

  “Some of us do,” Kelly started.

  “You too, daddy’s girl!”

  “It’s okay for you, protected in those indestructible things when you get out onto the field,” Red said. “The rest of us have to make do with badly maintained TAFs and Rays, and they only give Rooks to some. Perhaps if you had had to see people you care about die out there, you’d understand.”

  Estelle reached out and put a hand on Kelly’s arm, both to reassure her and to prompt her not to react to the comment. It wasn’t Kelly, however, that Estelle saw she had to be concerned about. The comment seemed to strike a chord with many, who now seemed utterly convinced that it was the White Knights who had caused the deaths of their loved ones. Grips were finally relinquished from Estelle’s attacker and the mob moved in.

  Aw, hell! Estelle thought, as she, Kelly and the others so recently arrived from Leviathan began to retreat up the ramp and back into the shuttle. The crowd was advancing with murderous intent. Estelle felt sure that some would be brandishing weapons, maintenance equipment and anything else that they had been able to lay their hands on. Meyers was attempting to hold his ground, though his legs appeared to have other ideas and were carrying him backward, albeit at a slower pace than the others. Estelle met Red’s eyes. His fists were clenched, his teeth slightly bared. I’m going to enjoy this! his expression called out to her.r />
  There then came several loud bangs from somewhere behind the mob.

  “What the bloody hell is going on down here?” a sharp female voice called, causing those nearest the back to stand stiff as rods. The abrupt change in mood filtered down the gathering, a parting forming and creating a path for the woman and several men who walked down it. One held a rifle aloft, having just discharged it into the air. Others held theirs at waist level, gesturing to the crowd to stand back and making it clear that they wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

  “Admiral,” Estelle quickly saluted.

  Fleet Admiral Amanda Jenkins gave her but a momentary glance before turning her attention to the mob. Her eyes settled on the man who had assaulted Estelle. “Well? What are you all doing?” she asked once more.

  “We were just coming to see the arrivals from Alpha Centauri, Admiral,” the man said.

  “In order to give them a good beating, by the looks of it,” Jenkins said.

  The man didn’t appear as though he knew how to respond. He might have had the gall to act the insubordinate before Meyers, but Jenkins was a whole other matter.

  “My apologies, Admiral …”

  “It is not me that you should be apologising to, mister!”

  Red looked at Estelle. “I’m sorry,” he said, with all the sincerity he would allow himself.

  “Good.” Jenkins indicated to two of the coastguards that had escorted her. “Put these three in the brig until they’ve cooled down and can be trusted to follow orders.”

  “But … Admiral,” one of the men who had at first restrained Red started, as the coastguards moved forward and began cuffing the three, “I had nothing to do with it.”

  “Not from where I was standing. You should count yourself lucky that I’m not booting your arse out an airlock! That’d cool you down, no problem!” She cast her eyes around the group. “We don’t have time to quarrel amongst ourselves, people. The hardest battle is just ahead of us, and we stand to gain nothing by fighting one another. I would’ve expected you all to have learned those lessons by now. Right, get back to duty, all of you. I wasn’t joking about the airlock!”