The Battle for the Solar System (Complete Trilogy)

by Sweeney, Stephen

  Dodds detected something there. “What do you mean?”

  More hesitation. “I shot one of them, Simon,” Gregory then said, his mood suddenly very sombre. “I was just trying to scare him, but I ended up hitting him. I think I might’ve killed him.”

  Dodds found his jaw had become slack, and forced himself to shut it. “I don’t think you would’ve, Dad,” he tried, “especially if you were just trying to scare him.”

  Gregory shook his head. “He fell down and didn’t get up. Two of the others turned up about five minutes later and carried him away. He didn’t move the whole time.”

  It sounded to Dodds as though his father had indeed killed the man. He tried to offer some reassurance. “You don’t know, Dad. It might’ve just been the shock of being shot that caused him to pass out.”

  His father didn’t seem to hear him. “I’ve never done anything like that before,” Gregory finished. “Never thought I’d see the day. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”

  No, Dodds thought. That sort of thing stays with you forever.

  “I’d best let you go,” Gregory said. “You’ve got a lot to do.”

  Dodds nodded. “See you later,” he said, and moved to sign off, before hesitating. “I love you, Dad,” he added.

  “I love you too, Simon,” his father replied.

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  Dodds closed the link.

  *

  “There’s good news and bad news,” the doctor said, testing Natalia’s pupils with a light. There was no real focus from either eye, the two wandering around a little at random.

  “Start with the good news,” Natalia said.

  “The good news is that you’re going to be able to see again,” the doctor said, flatly.

  “I already can a little,” Natalia said. “Blurry shapes and colours, though.”

  “That will improve over the next few days, as the tissue heals. The whole thing should take about a fortnight or so.”

  “How did it happen?” Dodds asked. “It was only a stun grenade. They’re not designed to do things like that.”

  “Clearly this one was,” the doctor answered, looking back to Natalia. “At a guess, I’d say the weapon was designed to generate a large concentration of ultraviolet light, as you’re suffering from an extreme form of photokeratitis, or ‘snow blindness’, as it’s often called. Given how close you said you were to it, I think it’s lucky that it only caused as much damage as it has.”

  “It affected Simon for about a minute,” Natalia said, nodding to Dodds.

  “Which is far longer than is expected of a regular device,” the doctor said.

  “But that’s not supposed to be permanent,” Dodds said.

  “As I said,” the doctor answered. “This case is different.”

  “And the bad news?” Dodds asked. He’d noticed how the doctor had almost sidestepped saying exactly how much of her vision would be restored and to what degree.

  “The bad news is that the flash from the grenade has permanently damaged your corneas. You’ll never have perfect vision again. Your left eye wasn’t as badly injured as your right, so it will recover a lot better. However, your right eye has suffered some incredible, lasting damage.” He clicked off the light and straightened. “I’m afraid to say that you’ll never be able to see out of it again. I’m sorry.”

  Dodds came forward and put an arm around Natalia as she began to weep, hugging her to him. He found himself wishing that he’d not let her charge down that corridor ahead of him, that he’d been the one to protect her – flinging himself in front of her and saving her from that grenade, instead of the other way around. Hey, why hadn’t he done as Parks had said and insist that she stay aboard Cratos …

  “Doc, surely there’s a chance that her eye will get better?” he asked.

  The doctor shook his head. “The left eye, we can’t exactly tell. At the very worst it will only improve a little more than it has already. The right is, as far as I can tell, lost. The cornea has been very badly burned. It simply wasn’t able to handle the intensity of the light that hit it.”

  “Could surgery help somehow?”

  The doctor looked as if he wanted to be honest, but for the sake of being optimistic gave Dodds an answer he wanted to hear. “Well, there’s always a chance that, after six months, undergoing corrective surgery could improve visual perception. But I can’t say by how much or how successful it would be.”

  Dodds nodded. “We all done, then?”

  “Yes, we’re done for now,” the doctor said, making a note on a chart of what he’d discussed. “We’ll see how things are later on.”

  “Do I need to stay here?” Natalia said, releasing Dodds from the hug, but still holding his hand.

  “No. But before you go, we’ll need to bandage your eyes to give them the best possible chance they can to heal.” He prompted a nurse who wheeled over a small trolley, laden with gauze, dressings and a number of other items and instruments. She proceeded to bandage Natalia’s eyes, wrapping the material all around her head.

  “How do I look?” Natalia said, once the nurse had finished.

  “Like a mummy who decided to self wrap, and started wrong,” Dodds said. He was pleased to see that the comment brought a smile to Natalia’s face, and the woman gave his hand a little squeeze. “Hungry?” he asked.

  “I could eat,” she said.

  “It’s Christmas Day.”

  “I know.” She shuffled off the bed, using Dodds as support and placement, so that she wouldn’t topple. He assisted her and then found a hand around the back of his head, gentling beckoning him forward. He yielded to it, and she kissed him gently on the lips. “Merry Christmas, Simon,” she said.

  “Merry Christmas, Natalia,” he said, and led her from the infirmary.

  *

  They found Estelle, Enrique, Kelly and Chaz in one of the station’s restaurants, seated around a corner table.

  “We figured we’ve actually got a while,” Estelle said in answer to Dodds’ unspoken question.

  “They said in the strategy meeting that the Pandorans will probably spend about an hour moving into jump formation, and then take about ninety minutes to get here,” Kelly added. “Gives us about two and a half hours warning.”

  Dodds nodded, seeing the ever-present sad smiles on his friends’ faces. They’d known each other for so many years, been through so much together. “They don’t need us just yet?” He looked at the windows, where he could see a tremendous number of warships gathering and moving into ready formations. Tiny lights of starfighter engines moved in between.

  “No,” Estelle said. “It won’t take us long to deploy.”

  Dodds nodded and helped Natalia to sit, before taking a seat himself. “So, last meal, eh?”

  “Until tomorrow,” Kelly said. The comment was met with somewhat incredulous looks from the others. “I’ll probably end up just having my usual breakfast of a cup of coffee, though,” she added, ignoring the looks.

  “I can’t remember the last time we all sat down to eat together,” Dodds said. “A proper meal, I mean. Not the snacking we did on Cratos.”

  “Parks’ wedding,” Enrique answered, after a time. “We had that little banquet in Gabriel.”

  “Ah,” came the resounding chorus from the four other pilots at the table.

  “So, what are they serving?” Dodds said.

  “Just a selection of stuff; most of the old favourites,” Estelle told him.

  The food was brought over soon, a waiter depositing several plates onto the table. The pizza was pushed in Natalia’s direction, the only food she would be able to easily eat.

  “Can we get some beers?” Dodds asked the waiter hopefully.

  The waiter shook his head. “No alcohol,” he said. “Admiral’s orders.”

  Hell, still can’t get a drink, Dodds thought.

  “They’re saving it all for the victory celebration,” Kelly quipp
ed.

  “Six colas,” Estelle said.

  The drinks arrived promptly, and the table collectively took their glasses and prepared to drink, Dodds handing Natalia her glass.

  “Wait,” Estelle interrupted, as Dodds lifted the glass to his lips. She then raised her drink. “To Parks,” she said.

  “To Parks,” the others responded.

  “And to victory,” Kelly added.

  Estelle frowned. Estelle had raised a similar toast just a few nights before the fateful second phase of the Black Widow operation. Her scowl only lasted momentarily before fading. “And to victory,” Estelle repeated.

  It felt a little absurd sitting down to eat this way, Dodds thought, as if they didn’t have a care in the world. But then again, maybe this was the best way? Tomorrow they could all be dead. Live for the moment, Simon. He assisted Natalia where she needed it, cutting the slices of pizza for her and guiding her fingers to the pieces when she fumbled. He wasn’t sure how she felt about the assistance, but she only ever thanked him. The others said nothing, continuing to talk about other things. Dodds caught Estelle’s eye, a little surprised to see a lot of compassion on her face. There was no jealousy there any more, only sorrow. Had she guessed that Natalia might never see again? Probably.

  “Full table tonight, I see,” a voice then came. “Any chance of finding room for three little ones?”

  Dodds looked around, seeing a woman standing there with two children by her side. Two boys. He didn’t immediately recognise her, although he was sure that he’d heard that voice before.

  “Vanessa?” Chaz said, rising slowly. He looked as though he couldn’t believe his eyes.

  “Hello, darling …” Vanessa began, before she became suddenly too choked up to continue. Tears were running down her cheeks. Tears of joy. Dodds had not seen any of those in a long, long time.

  “It’s you, it’s really you,” Chaz said, quickly rounding the table. The group watched as the big man embraced his wife, the two weeping together.

  So, that’s Vanessa, Dodds thought. He’d never imagined that he’d ever see her, the video message he’d heard Chaz listening to the previous day the closest he’d ever come. He’d only ever formed the vaguest of mental images of what the woman might actually look like, but seeing her here now he appreciated just how wrong it had been. Vanessa was a petite woman, smaller even than Kelly, with caramel-coloured skin and short, black hair. But the one thing that struck Dodds about her was just how incredibly beautiful she was. She looked a great deal younger than he supposed she must be, appearing more like a woman in her late twenties than someone in her early forties. She was clearly naturally very beautiful.

  “Daddy,” the taller, older-looking of the two boys said, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Hey, Matthew,” Chaz said, releasing Vanessa and bending down to hug him.

  “Why are you crying?” Matthew wanted to know. “Are you eating onions?”

  “No,” Chaz chuckled. “I’m just happy to see you.”

  “You’re crying because you’re happy?”

  “People sometimes do,” Chaz explained. He looked at his younger son, who was holding back a little. The boy appeared a little uncertain of who this man was, despite having seen and spoken to him on video messages. Perhaps actually being confronted by the mountain of a man that was Chaz Koonan was a little unsettling for him.

  “Luke, it’s your daddy,” Vanessa said, encouraging him forward. “Say hello.”

  Chaz said nothing, but only smiled at him. Eventually, Matthew turned around and took Luke’s hand, encouraging him forward and telling him not to be scared. The reassurance from his older brother appeared to do the trick.

  “He’s just become a little shy since we arrived,” Vanessa explained, patting Luke on the head and stroking his hair. “He’s not said a word since we got off the shuttle.”

  “Wh … what are you doing here?” Chaz asked, still clearly reeling from the unexpected appearance of his family.

  “It was arranged for us to come over from Orbital Four to see you,” Vanessa said. “Admiral Parks put in the request and set up the escorts earlier today.”

  Chaz looked thunderstruck, and Dodds turned to the rest of the table to see that the expressions there were a mirror for his own. News of Parks’ death must have reached Vanessa not long after Cratos’ return. Both Chaz and Vanessa had clearly shared a dislike of the man over the years, a dislike that now made them feel guilty. Vanessa looked at the table of people who had all stopped eating and were staring at her. Dodds gave a little wave.

  “These are your team-mates?” Vanessa asked Chaz.

  “That’s Estelle,” Matthew then pointed. “The bossy one.”

  There were chuckles from those at the table, Chaz laughed and looked a little uncomfortable. “Yes, yes it is,” he said. “Do you recognise anyone else from the photos I’ve sent you?”

  Matthew shook his head almost immediately, Luke remaining as mute as before. Chaz did the introductions, going around each person sat at the table in turn, adding a little comment as he did so that brought giggles and smiles to Vanessa’s face.

  “Are you hungry?” Chaz then asked his wife.

  “Starving,” Vanessa answered. “I’ve barely had anything since breakfast.”

  Chaz nodded. “You hungry?” he asked his two boys. They nodded vigorously. “What would you like to eat?”

  “Beans,” Matthew said without hesitation.

  “Beans,” the other mimicked, speaking at last.

  Chaz’s smile seemed to grow only bigger. “Beans? Are you sure?” he said. “They’ve got a lot of other stuff. You could have—”

  “Beans,” the elder boy interrupted once again. “On toast,” he added. Luke merely nodded his approval at the choice.

  Room was made at the table, and the group continued to eat, the atmosphere a little more upbeat than before. Various conversations were exchanged as the contents of plates and bowls grew ever smaller, until Chaz decided that he wanted some private time with his family, and the four retreated to a table of their own. Dodds could understand that – Chaz had barely seen Vanessa in seven years, and this could be one of the last opportunities they would find to share time together.

  “Simon, can you take me down to my quarters?” Natalia said.

  “Full?” Dodds said. She hadn’t managed the whole pizza.

  “It was quite filling,” Natalia said. “And I think that my stomach’s shrunk,” she added with a smile.

  Dodds could appreciate that. It was more food than he’d had in one sitting in a long time. Often on Griffin, he had wished there was more available.

  “Okay, let’s go,” he said, helping her up. “I’ll see you guys in a bit,” he added to the others, before walking Natalia to the lift.

  *

  Natalia had somehow managed to obtain a room to herself, though it was deep in the bowels of the station. It was a little cramped too, smaller than the accommodation that Dodds and the rest of his team had been granted.

  Like his own stateroom, it had a window overlooking Earth below. He wasn’t sure whether it was the angle of the planet or because they were lower in the station, but Dodds felt a lot closer to the planet, and so much closer to his family. A great number of emotions suddenly began to well up within him as he looked down at what might well be where the human race had both first appeared and would finally disappear for ever.

  Thoughts of Poppy Castro and Stefan Pitt crept into his head, and he considered how, even if they were somehow to score victory against the Pandoran war machine, those two were people that he would never be able to save – he had robbed them of their lives already. Even if the allies won here tonight, neither Poppy or Stefan would be able to appreciate the galaxy that had been saved. Dodds looked beyond Earth, out at the distant stars, trying to convince himself that the pair might well not have lived long, anyway; not with the way the Pandoran army had so brutally crushed everything in their path.

  But that wasn
’t for you to decide, was it, Simon?

  “Simon?” Natalia said behind him.

  He turned and saw that Natalia was fumbling with her clothes, trying to undo the buttons of her shirt. Her fingers drifted uncertainly. Dodds could see that she’d missed a couple of buttons already.

  “Why are you so quiet?” she asked.

  “Oh, I was just thinking,” he replied. He’d forgotten that she couldn’t see him staring out at the stars, and was probably unaware that the window and the view was even there. “I was just looking out at Earth,” he added.

  “How does it look?”

  Dodds turned back to the window, studying the wisps of clouds and the dark blue of the oceans below them. “Beautiful,” he told her.

  “I’m glad I got to see it with my own eyes,” Natalia said, fiddling some more. “You know, I never used to have problems getting my clothes off in the old days. When I was working my magic in Mitikas, they often just slipped off as if my skin was made of silk. Maybe if they’d come off faster and more frequently we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she added.

  At another time, in another place, the comment might have brought a smile to their faces. Not today, though. “Don’t start blaming yourself for anything,” Dodds said. “Selfish, evil men are to blame, as they always are. No one else.”

  Natalia only nodded undoing a button, trying to remove her shirt and exasperated to find it still fastened somehow. “Could you help me?” she asked.

  Dodds hesitated for a moment, then did so, unfastening her remaining buttons and helping her out of her shirt. She slipped off her shoes, raising her foot up and clumsily taking off her sock. Dodds steadied her as she did so, thinking that it might have been easier if she’d simply sat down on the bed. He said nothing, however, suddenly unable to take his eyes off her. The belt followed, as did her trousers. Her hand wandered up to his face, her fingers exploring it, almost as if making sure that his focus was where she wanted it to be.

  On her.

  “Sometimes I would enjoy it,” she said. “Seeing the look on their faces as I stood in front of them, completely naked. They were meant to be immune to that sort of thing, but sometimes when you want something that you’ve had your eye on for so long, it can be difficult to resist.” She took hold of his hands and lowered them to her bra, encouraging him to loosen it and let it slip to the floor, along with the rest of her clothes. She did the same with her knickers, stepping carefully out of them as Dodds slid them down her legs, standing finally before him wearing nothing save a warm smile.