by Saxon Andrew
Admiral McArdle raised his hand and Grady nodded to him, “Sir, I thought if we attacked and those ships confronting the stealth ships were available, we would lose.”
“Admiral, I’m the one that made that decision; however, things change. Admiral Dunhan has determined that our heavy missiles are capable of taking out their most advanced Planet Killers, however, our scientists doubt that they would survive a blaster barrage surrounding those ships. We have started production of a new heavy missile with a thicker hull that can withstand the barrages the Britannia Aliens use to defend their larger warships. Our entire industrial capacity is focused on building those new missiles and we won’t be ready with enough of them until about a year from now. We will not engage them until those new missiles are ready.”
The room was silent, and Admiral Alexander asked, “I thought they were going to attack in eight months?”
“We believe they will attack the Fagan in eight months and we will not intervene in that attack. They won’t dispose of the Fagan quickly and that buys us more time. If they complete the Fagan destruction, we’ll still have time when they attack Earth afterwards.”
“Are you planning to allow them to destroy Earth, Sir?” Candy asked.
Grady turned to her and was silent for a moment before responding, “Earth is also one of our enemies. We’ll do what’s necessary to protect New Britannia and the Colonies.”
“May I propose a suggestion, Sir?” Grady stared at Candy and then nodded. “If the aliens send all the ships that are facing the Stealth Civilization to attack the Fagan and Earth, if we attack them and take them out, then the situation will remain unchanged with the Britannia Aliens. They’ll still have to keep the ships confronting the other two civilizations attacking them on the other side of the core.”
Grady stared at Candy and then smiled, “Where did you come up with this idea?”
“Earth is humanity’s birthplace and I just can’t accept allowing it to be destroyed. Destroying the fleet sent to attack it accomplishes keeping the Britannia Aliens pinned down in the core.” The room was silent, and Candy added, “Once the alien fleets are destroyed, we can destroy the defenses around Earth and let them know that they are on probation if they attempt any aggressive behaviors in the future.”
The room was silent, and Wade broke it, “This idea does have some merit, Sir.”
“The Senior Officers will discuss this idea after the meeting and get back to me on what they think. Admiral Henricks, are you prepared to go to Fagan space to defend the slave planets?”
“I’ll need about fifteen-hundred warships, Sir.”
“Admiral McArdle, will you provide her what she needs?”
“Yes Sir!”
Grady looked out at the gathered officers and said somberly, “You have the recordings from Admiral Dunhan and you need to prepare your units to take on the Planet Killers that will be moving our way. You are dismissed.”
Taffy stood up and said, “Come with me, Candy.”
“Where are we going?”
“Home.” Candy jumped up and followed Taffy out of the building. They boarded a shuttle and Candy asked, “Was I out of line making a suggestion?”
“No, Grady was hoping someone would make it.”
“What?”
“He didn’t want to make the suggestion. There is a lot of distrust of Earth and he felt it would be better if it came from someone else. If no one did it, I was going to recommend it.”
Candy shook her head, “I would have thought you’d prefer to attack them now before the Stealth Civilization was defeated.”
“I did but he said no.”
Candy’s eyes narrowed, “I thought he always took your suggestions.”
Taffy snorted, “Why would you think that?”
“He always does, Mom.”
Taffy turned to Candy, “Do you really believe that?”
“Mom, you’re the one that wears the pants in our family.”
Taffy landed the shuttle on the roof of their home and exited the shuttle. They entered the kitchen and Taffy took some drinks out of the refrigerator. She sat down at the kitchen table and handed Candy her lemonade. “You really believe that Grady does everything I suggest.”
“Mom! He was against taking me on the mission to find Britannia’s colony, but he yielded to you. I’ve seen him follow your advice more times than I can count.”
Taffy put her hand on Candy’s arm, “You are more wrong than you can imagine.” Candy’s head went back, and Taffy took her hand off Candy’s arm. “When Grady saved my life when Britannia was attacked, I tried so hard to convince him that I was worth saving. It wasn’t easy, Candy. I represented everything he abhorred but he gave me a chance to prove myself. I eventually proved myself and out of that time, we fell in love.”
“See, he yielded to you then as well.”
“No, he delayed because he felt he didn’t have enough information to make the final decision, Candy. I learned during that time that your father is one of the most brilliant men I’d ever encountered, and he still holds that status. If Grady says no, then the answer is no. Grady allowed you to go with us because he couldn’t see a reason to leave you behind. If he thought there was the smallest possibility of you being placed in danger, he would have refused to take you and I wouldn’t have fought him on it.” Candy stared at Taffy and she sighed before saying, “Everyone thinks that I’m the smart one but that is not the case, Candy. I come up with some insightful suggestions and he considers them and decides if he’ll accept them. Most of the time, he does. However, there are times where he tells me in private that we’re not going to do as I suggest. That’s why you don’t see him shutting me down.”
“But…”
Taffy interrupted Candy, “I see things and make suggestions thinking they are great ideas, but I often miss things, Candy. Grady doesn’t miss things. He sees the big picture better than anyone on New Britannia and he acts accordingly. He didn’t suggest defending Earth because he knew there would be a huge resistance if he did. Your making the suggestion allowed him to keep the appearance of him seeing Earth as an enemy.”
“They are an enemy, Mom!”
“I know and so does he. But we can pull the fangs from their defenses and make sure they don’t pose a future threat. If Grady says no, then it’s no! I will never challenge his good judgement. I made that decision during the time we were fleeing from Britannia to Melbourne and I’ll stand by it for the rest of my life. He sees things I don’t.”
Candy stared at Taffy and sighed, “RJ and I have gotten into some huge arguments while growing up. Especially when we entered the Academy.”
“Was he ever wrong, Candy?”
“What?”
“Was the position he took ever proved to be wrong?”
Candy thought about all the arguments and fought to find a fault in RJ’s arguments. After a couple of minutes, Candy shook her head, “No, he was right every time I can remember.”
“You’re like me, Candy. You come up with great ideas, but you sometimes miss something. RJ is a lot like Grady. He’s steady and really focuses on things before he acts. You need to ask yourself if he says one thing and you believe another, whose idea will you follow?” Candy thought about the question and raised a shoulder. “Let me ask this another way,” Taffy responded. “If both of you come up with a plan and one of them must be immediately implemented, which one would you want to follow?”
Taffy lowered her eyes and said, “He asked me to tell him my plan to find the slave planets and he told me it was an excellent plan.” Candy paused and added, “But then he told me I was missing something and after he told me, I saw he was right.”
Taffy smiled, “That’s exactly how Grady and I get things done. I’ve learned that Grady won’t miss anything important. I believe RJ is just like him, don’t you?”
“I guess.”
Taffy stood up and waved a hand at her, “But this is all a moot point, you and RJ are over.” Taffy went
to the refrigerator and didn’t hear Candy respond. She turned around with her eyebrows together, “It is over, isn’t it?”
Candy shook her head slightly, “I’m not sure, Mom. There might be a chance we’ll get back together.” Taffy’s head tilted, and Candy shrugged, “We’re talking again and I’m hoping he gives me another chance.” Taffy’s smile was instant, and her eyes moistened. “What?” Candy asked.
“I’ve had time to think about you and RJ and I believe he’s the man for you. He’s brilliant, strong, and possesses a big heart. You need a strong man in your life, Candy. I’ve been praying you might get back together but I believed his strength would not allow him to take you back. Are you sure there’s a chance?”
“There’s a song that tells me there is.” Taffy’s head tilted, and Candy pulled out her communicator, “You gave me a song list before I left for Fagan Territory and I discovered that it was RJ’s song list. I found a song on that list that had my name.”
Taffy rolled her eyes, “Abby gave me that list. If I knew it was his I probably wouldn’t have given it to you.”
Candy stared at Taffy and started the song. Taffy sat down and listened to it. At the end she pulled Candy into her arms and said, “That is incredibly beautiful, Candy.”
“It’s his most listened to song, Mom. That tells me his real feelings and if that’s so, he hasn’t stopped loving me. He wants to discuss it when he gets back.” Taffy sighed, and Candy saw her expression, “What’s wrong, Mom?”
Taffy was shaking her head as she answered, “RJ has been ordered by the Senior Officers to use his wing to delay the Britannia Aliens eight months before he can return. He’s ordered to open hostilities against them, and he’s outnumbered by millions of warships on that side of the core.”
Candy felt her heart go into her throat and she felt fear instantly consume her. Taffy quickly hugged her and after a long moment, Candy said softly, “If anyone can survive, RJ can do it. I know he won’t risk his ships needlessly and I believe in him.”
Taffy leaned back and replied, “You have your own dangerous mission, Candy.”
“Mom, I need that mission to keep my fear for him at bay.” Taffy nodded and hugged her tighter.
• • •
Grady sat with the Senior Admirals and they were disturbed by the recent events. Wade turned to Grady, “Sir, I believe we need to send more ships to support Admiral Dunhan.”
“And just who do you recommend we send? Our ships don’t have the missiles to overcome the blaster barrages used by the aliens.”
Wade smiled and replied, “The Garrions can get close enough to hit them inside their defensive lines. If we force them to keep their barrages going, they won’t have enough ships to launch an attack on the Stealth Civilization and cover all the space between their warships.” Grady smiled, and Wade lowered his gaze, “You’ve already considered this, haven’t you?”
“Desmond and Louisa are headed back to the colonies. Desmond is being given command of a Garrion Force on one of their advanced Carriers. Maranda has assigned three of their Attack Carriers under the Command of their Daughter.”
McArdle whistled and said, “That should be interesting having Desmond’s daughter outranking him.”
“I’m sure they’ll deal with it, Admiral.”
“They weren’t happy when Kendal left for the Colonies to go to their academy,” Wade interjected.
“It was the colonies that saved America and she felt she owed her allegiance to them. We’re all on the same team now, Wade.”
“I know. But I know they didn’t like her leaving and she did it without their permission.”
Grady nodded and hoped Desmond and Louisa would be able to adjust to the new situation.
Chapter Thirteen
RJ read his new orders and turned to the crew, “It looks like things are changing.”
“How?” Joe asked.
“We have been given the authority to initiate hostilities against the Britannia Aliens’ forces.”
“You have got to be kidding me!”
RJ turned to Angel, “No, I’m not. Fleet wants us to do all we can to delay them eight to twelve months. Fleet Admiral Henricks still wants us to try and make them believe our ships are from the Stealth Civilization but he has approved us revealing ourselves if it’s necessary to survive.”
“There’s no way we can stall them that long with just fifty Hares and fifteen Garrion Warships.”
RJ turned to Matt, “Fleet is sending assistance.” The crew was silent, and RJ glanced at his console, “Three Attack Carriers are bringing their full compliments of Garrions to assist us in making this happen.”
“Who is commanding the carriers, Sir?”
RJ turned to Mallory, “I’ve been promoted to full Admiral and I will be in command of the forces here. You will immediately assume your real ranks and the Troke has been forbidden to participate in combat operations. Admiral Henricks intends for me to lead our fleets during the coming war on the other side of the core and has issued direct orders for me to stay out of hostilities.”
The Crew was silent, and Angel finally asked, “What do you intend to do?”
RJ looked around at them and answered, “Before I can make any definitive plans, I must find out something first.” RJ lifted his communicator and Captain Troastle appeared on his display, “Captain, I need your Garrions to launch an attack on the alien’s front lines.”
JR saw Troastle’s eyes widen but his reply was made in a steady voice, “Yes Sir.”
Move in sixty miles from the ships at the front edge of their defensive line and have fourteen of your Garrions simultaneously launch a heavy missile at a Planet Killer. You will move outside their line of attack and wait for the Planet Killers to start firing a defensive blaster barrage around them. Are you clear so far?”
“Yes Sir.”
“You will then launch a heavy missile at two of them and flee the moment they’re launched. Make sure you record the results of your attack, Captain.”
“Yes Sir.”
Troastle disappeared from the monitor and RJ turned to Matt, “Use the passive scanner to record what happens.”
“Yes Sir.”
• • •
The fifteen Garrions accelerated away from the Wing and Edward was shaking his head, “Here we go again.” Mike shrugged, and his lips tightened. “Sir, those Planet Killers are going to be as angry as a hornet’s nest. They’ll come rushing out at us in an instant.”
“I don’t think so, Ed.” Mike responded. Ed’s brow furrowed, and Mike added, “If they break their ranks, they’ll lose the cross-fire blaster cover around their ships. They’ll stay put until they detect something to attack.”
Mike pulled up Junior Captain Palen, “Alice, I need you to set up the launch. Make sure you launch your missiles at the same moment.”
“Sir, perhaps you should be here with the Unit and let me take your place.”
“Alice, you have your orders and I have mine. Make it happen!”
“Yes Sir.”
Mike turned to Edward, “I know the Commander wants to know if our heavy missiles can make it through the aliens’ blasters. Launch the first missile at a ship located behind the forward edge of their lines. Launch the second at a ship in the front line.”
“Why do you want to do that, Sir?”
“The heavy missile will only have to make it through one ship’s barrage on the forward edge. The missile fired at the ship behind their front line will have to survive a cross-fire of their blasters to hit the ship. I don’t want to have to come back to make that determination later. We’ll do it now.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Try to time the missiles so they hit their targets close to the same time, Ed.”
“Yes Sir.”
Mike changed course away from his unit and said, “Give ‘em hell, Alice.”
“Will do, Sir. Stay safe, Sir.”
“You do the same.”
• • •
• • •
Mike accelerated toward the alien’s lines and Ed asked, “Sir, are you stopping the ship sixty miles out from their lines like the other Garrions.”
“Not on your life, Edward!” Edward jerked his head toward Mike. “Those planet Killers have set their blasters to a range between seventy and eighty miles. The ships on the front edge of their lines will be firing at full power.”
“How far is that, Sir.”
“Intelligence estimates a hundred and twenty miles. We’re stopping at a hundred and thirty miles out to launch.” Edward shook his head and Mike said, “If either missile makes it through, I’m going to be greatly surprised. Set up the launch, Ed. We’ll be in position in ten seconds.”
Ed looked at his older brother and said under his breath, “Maybe we should have listened to Fleet and served on different ships.”
Mike chuckled, “We have six younger brothers; they’ll continue the family name.”
“Even so!”
Mike moved into position and saw the giant Planet Killers in the distance suddenly explode with massive blaster beams surrounding them. Ed Launched the first missile, paused, and then launched the second. A wave of blaster beams shot out of the alien front lines and engulfed the Garrion. Mike hit full reverse as the alarms went off at full volume. They flew out of the blaster beams and Mike stared at the heat indicator. He said off hand, “It appears Intelligence isn’t accurate on the range of their blasters.”