A Line in the Sand

by Ryk Brown

  All around them, Gunyoki fighters began appearing behind flashes of blue-white light. Within seconds, there were more than a hundred of them, as well as EDF Super Eagles and Cobra gunships. In less than a minute, the orbit above the Aurora was filled with her comrades, standing at attention in their own way, as a show of respect at her passing.

  Eight more flashes of light appeared far ahead of the Aurora’s orbital path, revealing eight jump missiles, the final nails in the mighty ship’s coffin.

  Nathan, Jessica, Cameron, and Vladimir stood at attention just inside the Voss’s cargo bay pressure shield, watching as the eight tiny, glowing dots streaked toward the Aurora. The dots diverged, fanning out to strike from all sides of the vessel as it fell toward its end.

  As expected, all eight dots converged on their various targeting points along the Aurora’s battered hull, detonating simultaneously in a brilliant flash of yellow-white light. A split second later, the flash faded, replaced by multiple orange and red explosions from within the mighty ship’s hull, breaking her apart completely.

  Seconds later, eight more missiles appeared, each steering toward the larger pieces of the legendary ship. Moments later, there were more detonations, followed by additional secondary explosions.

  All that was left of the Aurora was a field of millions of glowing particles burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere, putting on an incredible show for those she had protected, who were watching from below.

  “Company! Salute!” Nathan barked, raising his hand in salute to his lost ship as she sparkled in a million tiny fireballs in the distance.

  All raised their hands in salute as well, holding it until their leader lowered his hand.

  “Goodbye, Aurora,” Nathan said to himself softly.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Lord Dusahn stormed into the palace command center, furious at the sudden turn of fortune. For more than a week, he had been able to pour every resource into upgrading the few warships they had left. They had even begun fabrication of self-powered weapons to slap onto the hulls of cargo ships in the hope of defending against attacks on their shipping routes. They had not seen the Karuzari or the Aurora the entire time and were taking advantage of the lull as best they could.

  But it hadn’t been enough. Resources were low, civilian support was waning, and there were rumors of discontent among his own forces. Every day, he caught a glance from one of his officers or rank and file that struck him wrong. He had even killed a few on the spot. He could feel his dreams slipping from his grasp, and he was determined to pull glory from what everyone around him seemed to feel was defeat.

  Now, his struggling empire was under attack yet again, and no one was doing anything about it.

  “Why have you not launched a counterattack!” Lord Dusahn demanded as approached Commander Jexx.

  “No one has attacked us, my lord,” the commander explained.

  “How many ships?” the Dusahn leader inquired, barely able to control his anger from turning into murder.

  “Four hundred and eighteen, my lord.”

  Lord Dusahn suddenly went silent, staring at the commander.

  “Three hundred of their Gunyoki heavy fighters, sixteen of their Orochi missile gunships, one hundred Sol Alliance Cobra gunships, and the Cape Town.”

  “Their capital ship?” Lord Dusahn asked with surprise.

  “That is correct. And one other ship,” Commander Jexx added.

  “The Aurora?” Lord Dusahn assumed.

  “No, my lord. The Jar-Benakh.”

  Lord Dusahn thought for a moment. “The Jung battleship the Sol Alliance captured years ago,” Lord Dusahn remembered. “Either the Sol Alliance has destroyed the Jung Empire or…”

  “The Jar-Benakh has hailed us,” Commander Jexx stated, interrupting his leader. “She claims to be a ship of the empire.”

  Lord Dusahn’s expression changed to one of concern. “How is that possible?” Before his subordinate could answer, he added, “Put all forces on alert. Prepare to defend.”

  “My lord, we cannot possibly hope to defend against so many ships,” Commander Jexx insisted. “Attacking the Cape Town alone would be suicide for us.”

  Lord Dusahn glared at the commander, ready to rip his heart from his chest for defying him.

  “My lord, we simply cannot defend against such an armada.”

  “We will not have to,” Lord Dusahn insisted.

  “My lord…”

  “You forget about Chekta.”

  “My lord…”

  “You have received my orders, Commander,” Lord Dusahn snapped. “Execute them!”

  “At least answer their hail, my lord,” Commander Jexx pleaded. “That will give us time to deploy our defenses.”

  Lord Dusahn again glared at the commander. “You test my patience, Commander,” he snarled. “Do so again, and it will be the last time you do.”

  * * *

  “Still nothing,” the Jar-Benakh’s comms officer reported.

  “He will respond,” Kor-Dom Borrol assured Nathan. “He has no choice.”

  “He is stalling,” General Telles commented. “Using the time to deploy his own forces.”

  “No matter how he deploys them, he can’t beat us,” Jessica insisted. “Not unless he blows up the entire planet.”

  “I’m betting he won’t,” Nathan stated.

  “That is an awfully big gamble,” Cameron warned. “You’re talking about nearly a billion lives.”

  “I’m aware of the stakes,” Nathan assured her.

  “If you doubt Griogair Dusahn’s ability to execute the Chekta protocol, you are sadly mistaken.”

  “I have no doubts about his ability,” Nathan replied.

  “Admiral,” the Jar-Benakh’s comms officer called. “The Cape Town reports a positive lock on all Dusahn targets.”

  “Tactical?” Nathan asked.

  “We have locks as well.”

  “As do the Orochi,” Cameron pointed out.

  “Instruct the Cobra gunships to jump to blockade positions,” Nathan instructed. “No one jumps their way out of this.”

  “Aye, sir,” the comms officer acknowledged.

  “You are wasting your time,” Kor-Dom Borrol insisted. “He has no choice but to fight, regardless of the tactical situation. Your own operatives on Takara report a general loss of confidence in Lord Dusahn’s leadership. If he rejects the challenge, he risks mass defections. Worse yet, challenges from within his own ranks, which he definitely cannot refuse.”

  “And if he ignores us and attacks?” Jessica wondered.

  “You destroy his fleet and any remaining surface defenses,” Kor-Dom Borrol explained. “It is one thing to fight and lose, but executing the Chekta without accepting the challenge would bring the ultimate dishonor to the Dusahn caste. At that point, one of his officers would surely execute him on the spot or challenge him themselves.”

  “And this has worked for your people for a thousand years?” Cameron asked sarcastically.

  “I did not say it was not without its flaws,” Kor-Dom Borrol admitted.

  “I’m getting a reply,” the comms officer reported. “It’s Lord Dusahn.”

  * * *

  “This is Kor-Dom Borrol, leader of the Jung Empire,” the loudspeaker crackled.

  “This is Griogair Dusahn, Kor-Dom of the Dusahn Empire,” Lord Dusahn responded confidently. “You have intruded upon Dusahn space and are targeting Dusahn ships. Withdraw, and we will spare your lives.”

  “Let us not waste one another’s time, Lord Dusahn,” Kor-Dom Borrol suggested. “We have come to adjudicate a challenge for leadership of the Dusahn Empire.”

  “The Jung Empire has no legal power over the Dusahn,” Lord Dusahn argued. “You lost it when you expelled my forefathers from your empire. No Jung caste has the right to challe
nge me.”

  “I beg to differ. The challenge comes from the people of Takara. They have joined the Jung Empire and have chosen a leader. That leader now challenges you to personal combat. Accept the challenge, and you may win. Refuse, and you will be destroyed.”

  “If this world falls, I will implement the Chekta protocol. You will gain nothing,” Lord Dusahn warned.

  “The Jung Empire cares nothing about Takara,” Kor-Dom Borrol stated plainly.

  “I suspect the people of Takara might care a great deal.”

  “Are you refusing a challenge?” Kor-Dom Borrol asked.

  “I do not recognize your authority nor the right of any citizen of Takara to issue such a challenge,” Lord Dusahn insisted.

  “Then you leave us no alternative,” Kor-Dom Borrol replied.

  “My lord,” Commander Jexx urged sternly. “If you refuse the challenge, you will lose the respect of those you lead. As your second in command, I cannot allow that. I will not allow that.” Commander Jexx removed the safety latch from his sidearm holster, causing the weapon to begin its charging cycle. “Besides, who could possibly defeat you?”

  Lord Dusahn looked his subordinate in the eyes, surprised that the young man had the nerve to challenge his own leader, but at the same time respecting him for doing so.

  “If by chance you should lose, you will still be able to snatch victory from defeat, and the Chekta may even take out their entire fleet.”

  Lord Dusahn thought for a moment. “Safe your weapon, Commander. I have no intention of refusing the challenge.”

  Commander Jexx moved his hand away from his sidearm but did not safe the weapon. He had crossed a line and had no intention of going back, lest the punishment be even more severe. His only hope now was that his leader might lose the battle.

  * * *

  Cameron and Vladimir followed Nathan and Jessica down the central corridor that passed between the Jar-Benakh’s massive hangar bays.

  “The Jung crew is secure?” Nathan asked as they walked.

  “All fifty are secured on deck five, section A-4.”

  “And there’s no way they can override the lockout?”

  “None,” Vladimir insisted. “I checked it myself.”

  Nathan cast a doubtful eye his friend’s way.

  “Okay, I had Dylan check it over as well,” Vladimir admitted. “Trust me, the only way they can take control of this ship is if we give them the control codes, and you’re the only one who knows them.”

  “I still don’t like the idea of handing them the Jar-Benakh,” Jessica said. “You’re talking about a fully armed battleship.”

  “They’re not getting the control codes until they sign the charter,” Nathan reminded her.

  “I have to admit, the idea of the Jung having jump drive technology is frightening,” Cameron admitted as the four of them entered the massive port hangar bay.

  “They’d acquire the technology sooner or later,” Nathan reminded her. “This way, they get it on our terms.”

  “Assuming they live up to those terms,” Jessica commented.

  “They can’t earn our trust if we don’t give them the opportunity to do so,” Nathan stated as they headed across the open bay toward the Voss.

  “But they did break the cease-fire agreement,” Cameron reminded him.

  “And they’ll have to work hard to earn that back.”

  “Captain,” Kor-Dom Borrol greeted as they approached. “Or is it Admiral?”

  “Let’s stick with captain for now,” Nathan insisted. “I have about zero interest in being an admiral at the moment.”

  “Technically, your sister did make you an admiral,” Cameron pointed out.

  “Only temporarily,” Nathan corrected, pointing at her for emphasis.

  “Captain,” General Telles greeted from the foot of the Voss’s cargo ramp.

  “Are all your men aboard?” Nathan asked.

  “Eighteen in total, as instructed,” the general replied.

  “You sure you don’t want us to go with you?” Marcus asked.

  “Not this time, guys,” Nathan said to Marcus, Josh, Loki, and Dylan. “If the Dusahn honor the challenge, there’s nothing for you to do. And if they don’t, there’s nothing you could do. No need to risk any more lives than necessary.”

  “Don’t feel right, not goin’ with you,” Marcus insisted.

  “Neli ordered me to get you back in one piece.”

  “Since when does anyone listen to Neli?” Josh smirked.

  “I programmed the ship to fly you down to the coordinates they sent,” Dylan assured Nathan.

  “Thank you.” Nathan turned to Kor-Dom Borrol and his bodyguard. “Gentlemen, are you certain about this?”

  “I am the kor-dom. Lord Dusahn would not risk the ire of the entire Jung Empire. In fact, I am your best bet of surviving this encounter, regardless of the outcome of the battle.”

  “Then by all means,” Nathan said, gesturing for them to board.

  Kor-Dom Borrol and his bodyguard headed up the ramp, with Jessica and General Telles following behind.

  Nathan turned back toward Cameron and Vladimir, sighing. “Well, this is it.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Cameron wondered.

  “Not in the slightest,” Nathan admitted. “Remember, if you receive an abort signal, everyone jumps the hell out of here as quickly as possible.”

  “I understand,” Cameron replied. “Good luck.”

  “Thank you,” Nathan replied.

  “I’m coming with you,” Vladimir decided.

  “No, you’re not,” Nathan insisted. “If this goes south, Cam’s going to need you. She’s going to need all of you.”

  “Nathan,” Vladimir argued.

  “That’s an order, Commander.”

  Vladimir did not look happy.

  “I’ll be back,” Nathan insisted, turning and heading up the ramp.

  “You’d better be,” Vladimir muttered to himself as he watched his friend ascend the ramp and disappear into the back of the XK.

  * * *

  Nathan sat patiently in the Voss’s pilot seat as the ship’s AI piloted the ship toward the Dusahn palace in Takara’s capital city of Answari.

  Jessica glanced at the tactical display in the center of the console. “We’ve got escorts,” she reported from the copilot’s seat.

  Nathan scanned the skies outside, finally spotting several small dots moving left to right, far ahead of them.

  “They’re turning to intercept,” Jessica warned. “We’re being targeted.”

  “Raise shields but do not engage the intercepts,” Nathan instructed.

  “Shields coming up,” Jessica replied. “Can I at least power up our point-defenses?”

  “Go ahead, but lock out the AI’s auto-defense capabilities,” Nathan replied.

  Jessica shook her head as she followed her instructions. “If he shoots us down…”

  “Then the Cape Town and the Jar-Benakh will open fire and decimate them,” Nathan replied.

  “They will not fire,” Kor-Dom Borrol insisted, standing behind Nathan’s seat.

  “You seem to have a lot of faith in Lord Dusahn’s ability to contain his emotions,” General Telles commented.

  “On the contrary, it is his emotions that dictate his actions,” the kor-dom insisted. “His ultimate desire is to create an empire.”

  “Then why the Chekta protocol?” the general inquired.

  “He is using it as a means to an end. A way to cause his enemy to take actions which create opportunities for the advancement of his goals.”

  “He wanted us to challenge him,” General Telles surmised.

  “Precisely,” the kor-dom confirmed.

  “And the meeting between General Hesson and Captain Sco
tt?”

  “I suspect he manipulated the general to initiate the meeting in order to put the idea of the challenge into Captain Scott’s mind.”

  “But he killed the general,” Nathan reminded them.

  “Which made the general’s intent less suspect,” Kor-Dom Borrol replied.

  “Fighters are taking up positions on all sides,” Jessica reported. “Six in total.”

  “They likely have orders to destroy us the moment you charge your weapons,” Kor-Dom Borrol stated.

  “They are afraid we’re using the challenge as a ruse to take out Lord Dusahn himself on our way down?” Jessica wondered.

  “Precisely.”

  “That doesn’t even make sense,” Jessica argued. “We could’ve done that from orbit.”

  “His palace is shielded, is it not?” General Telles reminded her.

  “Yes, but we have shield busters.”

  “It is logical for him to send escorts,” General Telles observed. “He is simply trying to protect himself against all possible attack scenarios. Fortunately for us, due to his ego, there is one scenario he is unlikely to anticipate,” the general said as he turned to head aft.

  Jessica turned to look at the general, a puzzled look on her face. “Where are you going?”

  “I must prepare for the next phase of this operation,” the general explained as he left the compartment.

  Jessica turned to Nathan next. “What is he talking about?”

  “Karuzari vessel,” a voice called over comms. “If you deviate from your course or charge any weapons, you will be destroyed. This is your only warning.”

  “I guess that’s our landing clearance,” Nathan commented.

  “Into the serpent’s lair we go,” Jessica mused.

  * * *

  Jessica, Nathan, Kor-Dom Borrol, and his bodyguard all entered the Voss’s aft cargo bay, joining the eighteen Ghatazhak lined up on either side.

  “Where’s Telles?” Jessica wondered, not spotting him in the bay.

  “I am here,” the general called from behind them, having come up from the lower deck.

  Jessica’s brow furrowed as the general slipped past her, surprised that he had changed into his duty uniform. “Why aren’t you wearing your armor?”