by John Walker
“It will be okay, Noah.” Mac’s comment made him stiffen. There was a cadence he recognized, something he recalled from his childhood. It seemed fleeting, like it barely had a place in his past, but it was there. And it was real. “The memories are only images to me. Most of them anyway.”
“But they are there,” Noah said.
“Yes…and no. They should not make any more of us. That is for certain. I know you won’t let them. Not if you can help it.”
“I swear it,” Noah replied. He clenched his fists. “Can you… are you…”
“I will initiate the shutdown. The brains will be destroyed. The circuitry will burst. There will be no reverse engineering. No recovery. No chance of replicating this technology. Our kind shall finally be extinct. And perhaps in that end will know some sense of peace which had been denied us for so incredibly long.”
Noah closed his eyes. There was no sound, no blustery noise aboard the Morrigan to signal the deaths of so many soldiers… men and women wronged by a science experiment. The notion infuriated him… frustrated him beyond belief. The last conversation he had with Alexander rushed back to him.
They’re just tools. That was the crux of his friend’s argument. One they would have again and with more context.
“It’s done, sir,” Dorian said. “The signal’s gone out. I’m picking up that all the war dogs are simply… stopping.” He cleared his throat. “Mac too.”
Noah nodded. He didn’t have words, not just then. He needed to take a deep breath and let it out before straightening his shoulders.
“What was that all about?” Nina asked. “What was he saying about memories?”
“That’s a long story, Commander,” Norah said. “One that I might tell you when we’re on the way home. But right now, we have some enemy ships to contend with. Dorian? What’re they up to?”
“We’re getting signals across the system,” Dorian replied, “all ervas ships are standing down. Weapons are powered off. Fighters are withdrawing.” He let out a sigh of relief. “We’ve won, sir. We’ve won.”
Even he sounds subdued about it. Noah looked forward to the victory. He thought it might bring him some peace, some sense of calm after everything they’d been through and done. Instead, he felt hollow. The events since the first attack on their colony weighed on him. All that he’d seen, all the battles and missions, they were exhausting.
I don’t know how to act right now.
“Congratulations,” Wilmarth spoke over the comm. They could hear men cheering on his bridge. “We’ve done it! The cost was high, but success! You’ve done well, Captain!”
Have we? Noah couldn’t even begin to count the number of people they lost. When he received the casualty report, he knew he’d be sick. So many lives gone. The ervas meant to destroy them, plow into their systems and obliterate their colonies, kill them all perhaps. We beat them to the punch. I just never imagined we’d lose so many.
“Orders, sir?” Erica asked.
“Stand down,” Noah replied. “Keep our defenses live. Dorian, let’s see about getting a message home. We may need reinforcements. The enemy fleet might return. Everyone’s still on alert until we know otherwise. Get me Rita on the line. Nina, bring our fighters home. We’ll have to make room for the ones that don’t have a berth.”
“Then?” Erica asked.
“Then…” Noah shrugged. “We wait for Trenik to start the talks. We get some diplomats out here. We hope this peace lasts beyond the month. And we rebuild. A lot of lives, a lot of places. The Gold Empire isn’t our full ally yet, so we’ve got some effort there too. So yeah, we won today. But the real victory, the real battles won’t be fought by us.”
“So fate falls in the hands of diplomats?” Nina chuckled. “God help us, huh?”
“Indeed.” Noah nodded as he returned to his seat. God help us all.
***
The key was arriving first. Erris knew it. She tasked every ship under her command to push beyond acceptable risk, into straight dangerous territory. Each of them had to override safety protocols, pushing their computers to accept commands meant to preserve the equipment and frankly, to save lives.
Thirty ships entered hyperspace to arrive at the coordinates. She had no illusion that all of them would make it. But if even ten pulled out, joined by the Gold Empire ships, then they had a real chance to stop a battle before it even began. Having the exact coordinates of the arriving fleet was a huge advantage, providing they could seize it.
We’ll make it.
The three and a half hour long trip proved to be the least comfortable of her life and that included some of the bumpy rides in Borden’s ship. Knowing the crew, she’d receive complaints about it. They didn’t feel the urgency. Their contracts stated they didn’t have to suffer in uncomfortable circumstances without good cause.
Even with it, they’ll find a way to raise a stink.
One of the things she liked the least about working with MerCon came down to the entitlement of the people. Many of them didn’t have choices so when they did, they exercised them with extreme prejudice. They weren’t unionized, but that didn’t matter. They had HR to complain too.
And that department wanted to be left alone to the point they’d come down on commanders who offended the people.
We’ve got grounds this time. I’ll fight HR myself. With my bare hands if I have to.
An alarm went off, letting them know they’d reached their destination. Any miscalculation, any bit of bad luck might’ve made them late. If they were, then the Gold Empire would likely be destroyed. We’ll find the ruins of it…and the enemy fleet will be gone. Off to their next target which we will have no idea about.
“We’re arriving,” Missy announced. “Pulling out of hyperspace…now.”
“I’ve got control,” Richard said, “easing out…and…” The ship didn’t shudder, didn’t make noise like the Morrigan might’ve. Despite being top-of-the-line for the military, it lacked much in the way of general luxuries. MerCon vessels went the extra mile…though such things tended to come with an associated maintenance cost. “We’re here.”
Erris bit her lip to avoid barking unnecessary orders. Her people knew what to do. Missy needed a moment for the sensors to come back online. Richard would raise the shields. They’d establish communications with the other vessels in the vicinity and more importantly, let her know what they were up against.
Options: we arrived on time… we arrived in the middle of the assault… we arrived too late.
While they had shown up within the time frame from the message, that didn’t mean random events didn’t impact the ervas movement. They might’ve come out earlier…or they may not have come at all. There were so many ways the situation could’ve gone. The reason it stressed her so much came down to where the enemy might be if not at those coordinates.
If this isn’t it, I’m sure we’ll hear from them soon.
“Report ready, Missy said. “The planet’s surface seems to be in order. Defenders are in position as we requested. The enemy has not yet arrived.”
Richard cheered, clapping his hands.
“Settle down,” Erris said though she agreed with him. If they hadn’t assaulted the place yet, then they got there in time. “How many of our ships are here?”
“Just one so far but the hyperspace signature is huge. At least a dozen though I’d say more. It’s off the meter, ma’am.”
“Excellent.” Erris stood. “Get our weapons online. Shields up. I want all weapons ready to go in the event of another hyperspace surge.”
We’re ready for you. Even without the other MerCon vessels, the defensive fleet from the Gold Empire may have been enough to make short work of their adversaries. It was simple: when the enemy arrived, they would not have their full combat shields online. Withstanding an assault in that state may have been possible…but not with the number of ships available.
This is going to be devastating.
MerCon vessels burst into the s
ystem, taking formation around Erris’s vessel. She returned to her seat, strapping in for the action to come. After ten minutes, twenty-six of their thirty ships arrived. It didn’t mean the other four had been destroyed…they may have only been delayed.
Even so, this is more than enough for what we need to do. Erris hoped that was the case. It was possible the enemy brought a force so overwhelming they could not stop them. She found that doubtful. They couldn’t all arrive at the same time. That would be their downfall. No matter what came through, it couldn’t do so in adequate numbers to be a threat.
A half hour passed… an hour. They’d exceeded the time frame put forth in the message but Erris refused to let that dampen her spirits. She believed they would arrive… that they’d come through at any moment. Something delayed them. That’s the only problem. Another possibility gnawed at her.
The message they received may have been a hoax.
It can’t be. Erris shook her head. I refuse to believe it. She had to admit, she bought it regardless. It had to be true. It has to be.
At an hour and fifteen minutes, anxiety started in the back of her mind. And then fortune gave her a pass.
“Hyperspace signature,” Missy said, “incoming. Direct coordinates we were given.” She turned in her seat. “Ma’am, this has to be it.”
Erris patched through to all the ships in the surrounding area, every vessel ready to open fire. “Alright, folks. This is it. When it appears, shoot it. We may be at this a while so keep your generators ready and remember your designations. Odds and evens to maintain a constant, heavy fire on them. It’s go time.”
She muted the line, gesturing to Richard. “You ready?”
“Been sitting here with my finger hovering over the trigger the entire time.”
“I can’t remember the last time we engaged in combat ourselves,” Erris said. “Do you?”
“Nope. We’re observers most of the time. Glad to finally be getting into the game.”
“Me too.” Erris pressed her lips together. Even if we’re shooting fish in a barrel.
The first ship came into existence… a battleship. Evens opened fire, which included Erris’s ship. Without proper shields, the beam attacks ripped through the hull in an instant, casting green flames all along the port and starboard sides. As panels burst away from the core, the reactor went up, ending them before they even had a chance to initiate a scan.
Odds fired next, cutting down at least four destroyers. Debris littered the target area, creating a real hazard for the rest of the incoming ships, especially the bigger chunks of the first one. Those included a piece of the thrusters assembly that was half the size of the Morrigan, perhaps a little bigger.
The attack force continued coming through, slamming directly into the trap. Some took damage from the chunks of debris, others blown away by the constant fire by Erris’s force. They didn’t have a chance to warn their colleagues, and even if they could, it was too late to back out.
Once a ship started the process of emerging from hyperspace, they had to finish the process. And when they arrived, it took time to leave again. All told, they destroyed more than fifty vessels in a matter of ten minutes. Not a single ervas vessel survived the arrival…not one made it through unscathed.
As the waves ceased to appear, Erris let her shoulders slump. Her neck muscles ached from tension. She’d sat forward the entire time, practically holding her breath through the entire action. When it ended, she wiped sweat from her brow before leaning back. “Hold position,” she said, “in case some stragglers come through.”
The elevator to the bridge opened. Eliza stepped in, nudging her with her elbow. “That intelligence paid off, huh?”
Erris nodded. “Indeed. That was a big force. I’m not sure we know exactly how many they lost there. They were hoping for overwhelming numbers to take down the Gold Empire. If we hadn’t made it in time…”
“This would’ve been a protracted battle,” Eliza finished the sentence. “One we may or may not have won. I’ve received word from some of the other systems. There are skirmishes all over the frontier. We’ve won some, lost a few. But that’s not the interesting part.” She grinned. “Want to guess my news?”
“Not particularly.” Erris shrugged. “What is it?”
“The Morrigan.”
“What about it?” Erris stood. “Come on, what do you know?”
“They succeeded. The ervas homeworld fell.” Eliza gestured to the screen. “I doubt those maniacs would’ve listened to the next part but they’re putting out a call to the military to stand down. Providing they’re not zealots, we should see a cessation of hostilities. A chance to build peace.”
“Do we… participate in those battles?”
“Most of them we couldn’t get to in time if we were desperate.” Eliza took a seat. “For now, we do what we can. If one of these ervas forces continues to cause trouble, yes, we’ll hunt them down. But I suspect they won’t last long out there. Not after word of this destruction gets around.”
“That’s great all around.” Erris rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t dare hope. I had no idea what might happen with the Morrigan… their fleet. It seemed insanely dangerous.”
“It was. Oh. I have one more bit of news but…maybe you’re done in. I can wait if you’d like to get some rest first.”
“Don’t be like that.” Erris scowled. “What is it?”
“Rita Peck. She’s alive and well. Helped out in the battle from what I understand.”
Erris smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank God…I’ve been worrying about her.”
“You think she’ll still work for us? Or will she go back to the military?”
“I’ll find out soon enough.” Erris gave her a hug…an impulsive action she immediately regretted. “Um…sorry about that.”
“No, that’s fine. You deserve to feel good about all of this. It’s over. We can get back to what we do best. Making money…building an economy…holding the universe together. And who knows? Maybe we can get the ervas in on our transportation goods. They’ll need some help to rebuild after all.”
“Always the capitalist,” Erris said. “I see why you’re in charge.”
“Nah, I’m always the spy,” Eliza corrected. “The company woman comes…well, from something else.” She stood. “I’m going to put together a report. I’m assuming we’re hanging around here for stragglers?”
“Yeah.” Erris nodded. “Though whether or not there will be any…”
“It’s all good. Alden and Northam will want to know what happened. I’m on that. You stick to this. We’ll talk later.” Eliza patted her shoulder. “You did well in getting us here quickly…pushing the team. I know there will be complaints, but this had to happen. This culture survived because you thought fast. Well done.”
“Thank you.” Erris watched her go. She couldn’t believe the news. Rita’s alive. The Morrigan made it. We won. The fighting is over! We don’t have to run around the shadows anymore. Life can crawl toward normal again. I started to doubt it was even possible. But now…here we are.
It was an amazing moment. One she planned to cherish as the conclusion to the wildest adventure of her entire life.
Epilogue
Nina hurried down to the hangar, shoving past people in the hallway. She’d received the news about those lost in the attack… several pilots she knew peripherally but one in particular: Katya. A longtime friend, an excellent pilot… and someone who died in a horribly unfair, undignified way.
Killed by those damn satellites! I can’t even believe it.
She stepped inside, scanning the crowd until she caught sight of Justin. Hurrying over to him, she grabbed his arm. They exchanged a look before embracing. Both of them knew her well enough to feel the pain but he’d been out there…and in command. That burden should’ve been mine.
“I’m sorry,” Nina said. “I’m so very sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Justin replied. He leaned back. “It
wasn’t mine either. That was bad luck. I regret it, but I won’t feel responsible. That wouldn’t honor her name. It would just be… childish, in all honesty.”
Nina nodded. “We’ll have a service for her. A proper one. When this is done, when we’re out of here.” She gripped his hand tightly. “All of us that made it through here.”
They lost a number of friends throughout their mission to deal with the ervas. Wing Commander Chance Laurant, Captain Mulligan Danes, Lieutenant Quentin Anderson, Wing Commander Tracy Pond, Lieutenant Orlando Scott, Lieutenant Jessy Watson…all gone. And then there are those who joined us for this mission.
The service would reel from the hole these people left behind. A new batch of young pilots would take their place, recruits or the inexperienced. Nina figured Justin and people like him would be saddled with training those people, bringing them up to speed. She’d make sure his promotion was maintained… and that of Armand Barker.
They can be amongst the leaders of our new forces.
Nina backed away. “I’ll let you get cleaned up. Checked out. That was a hell of a fight out there. You did great.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I hope that’s true.” Justin clapped her on the shoulder as he walked away.
“Excuse me.” A tap on her shoulder drew her attention. Pol Komlin smiled at her but it was a sad expression. “I didn’t think I’d find you down here. Thought I’d have to go hunting in the upper decks with the fancy people.”
Nina huffed. “Yeah, well… I’m still a pilot at heart. What can I say?”
“Your people were amazing out there.” Pol gestured around him. “Truly.”
“What’re you doing on my ship anyway?” Nina tried to be playful, tried to push aside the heavy feelings making her heartache. It partially worked. “Shouldn’t you be on the Dusk Wing Two? Or the Broken Light?”
“I made up an excuse to come to the Morrigan, actually.” Pol winked. “Had to check on someone.”
“You came here for me?”