Where We Go One, We Go All

by Robert Boren

  “That’s all I have from Simone at this point,” Vermillion said. “Commander, how are you doing with the fighter’s mission plan?”

  “We’re ready,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be launching soon. I don’t want them having too much time to think about this. It’s a dangerous mission. We’ll take some losses, and they all know.”

  “Based on my last conversation with Estes, we should jump away within the next couple hours,” I said. “The Zephyrus has finished its fuel runs, and Tac has plenty of containers to keep going in our absence. I think we should make more containers for him, if we’ll be sharing with the others.”

  “Yes, I planned to bring that up,” Vermillion said.

  “How about the tuning for Bryce’s ships?” Vermillion asked.

  “Dojo?” Nolan asked.

  I’m doing better than expected. They have recorded data from the battle with the Clan Razors. Their scientists didn’t know they could look at their own performance as well as that of their adversaries. The Prime Minister’s security forces purged many of their best technical people before the battle started.

  It’s likely the purge was done by the Clan, not by the Prime Minister. It was made to look like the Prime Minister, of course.

  “Can we work with the people they have left to get the job done?” Vermillion asked.

  I believe so.

  “I agree,” Nolan said. “They’ve still got some good people, but they’re younger and less experienced. It’s the veteran engineers that got removed. Hopefully they weren’t executed. We could use them if this war goes on for long.”

  “There is one other thing,” I said. “Admiral Boeraton.”

  “Yes, Drake advised me of a possible problem there. I agree with him. We aren’t going to allow that old blow-hard to throw his weight around. We’ll go direct to his captains if we need to. I have it on good authority that they’re not loyal to him. He tried to force them to stand and fight during the battle. He was threatened and backed down.”

  “He was angry that I contacted Bryce first,” I said. “He backed off after he was told about my connection to the Skipjack.”

  “What else is there?” Vermillion asked.

  We’ve got the data put together for our fallback plan on the PA system. Five flight suits have been designated and will be standing by. Emerald and I will pilot them in, with help from Dojo and Nolan.

  “Perfect,” Vermillion said. “How about the drive module?”

  “I’m still working that,” Nolan said, “based on the data we have on the Clan drives. We’ve got a logistical problem, though. That’s physical hardware which we’ll have to deliver somehow.”

  “We’ll probably use the Tristar for that,” Vermillion said.

  “I’m ready,” Cyrus said. “Just say the word and we’ll take off.”

  “They’ll have to be tested once they’re installed, and tuned,” Nolan said. “It’ll take a few passes.”

  Vermillion smiled. “Will they get the fuel benefit as well as the stealth?”

  “I believe so, sir. How much is hard to tell. The drive technology is somewhat different.”

  “I’m worried about bugs and transmissions,” JJ said. “Who knows what the Clan stuffed into those ships. We don’t have AIs on board to stop transmissions.”

  We could put the capability into a physical box. I’m already working that out. Nolan, we’ll talk off line. We should put that capability into your module. We should be able to share your power supply.

  “Good idea,” Nolan said. “We’ve got a prototype down in the lab. I’ll make sure you have access to everything.”

  I chuckled. “Drake already has access.”

  I can take access, but haven’t yet. We’ll talk, Nolan. Is there anything else? I’ve got another task in work that’s important.

  “I think we’re done,” Vermillion said. “Captain Clarke, take off on the jump whenever you’re ready.”

  Talk to you soon.

  “Butch, notify the bridge that we’ll be jumping in ten minutes. I’m going there now.”

  “Would you like me there, sir?” Nolan asked.

  “Have Dojo send coordinates, and then you can go back to the modules. That’s important. We can handle the jump.”

  “Thank you,” Nolan said. “Dojo, you know what to do.”

  I sent the coordinates to Bagiwang and Zeke already, and got confirmations from Sondra and Skip.

  I got up. “Great. I’ll go to the bridge.”

  “Meeting adjourned,” Vermillion said. “Thanks. Great job, everybody.”

  JJ struggled to keep up with me as I rushed to the transit station.

  “Hey!” she said.

  I turned toward her. “Oh, sorry. You know how I am when we’re getting into action.”

  She snickered as she caught up. “Yep, you’re a man on a mission, and that’s good.”

  “Butch, send a text message to Bryce telling him we’ll be in a jump. Let him know the duration.”

  Done. I should leave the comm unit on, right?

  “Please.”

  We made it to the bridge in minutes, Skip and Sondra at their stations.

  “Shall we?” Sondra asked.

  “Proceed.” I felt the dizziness as the massive ship took off.

  “Here it starts,” JJ said softly. “Hope we survive.”

  “We’ll survive, and we’ll kick ass,” I said.

  “Damn straight,” Skip said. “The flight suits done yet?”

  “Half of them are ready now, and we’ll get the rest late tomorrow, although knowing Estes, he’ll probably beat that.”

  “We’ll be there mid-day tomorrow,” Sondra said. “Is everything else falling into place?”

  “Appears to be,” I said. “Wish our new partners had holographic communicators. Hate being out of communications right now.”

  We can relay messages through Tac. He was given a holographic communicator.

  “Now there’s a good idea,” I said. “I’m going to my stateroom, to continue my planning for the pickup of the flight suits. Let me know if anything happens. Sondra, you have the bridge.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  I left, JJ following me.

  “What are you going to do?” I asked.

  “Deacon was working on some fuel waste capsules for me. His AI told Emerald that he had a prototype for me to look at.”

  “Good, hope it works out okay. See you later.”

  We kissed and parted ways. I spent all afternoon and into the evening working the plans, Butch helping me after he finished with Plan B for the PA operation. JJ showed up at the stateroom as I was getting hungry.

  “Done for a while?” she asked.

  “Yes, let’s go get some food.”

  We left together, grabbing a tin can to the officer’s dining room, taking our usual small private table. We ordered food and cocktails. The cocktails arrived quickly.

  “Cheers,” I said, raising my glass.

  JJ smiled, taking a sip. “Excellent drink.”

  “How’d it go with the containers?”

  “Great,” JJ said. “They’re compact and can take a lot of abuse. Deacon put disposable rockets on them. We can shoot them out any of the bays and fire them towards stars. End of problem.”

  “Good,” I said.

  “How’s the planning going?”

  “I’m pretty much done. There’s a system close to Oollanders we can use as a base of operations. It’s far from shipping lanes, so we can just sit instead of having to find a place to orbit.”

  “Have you scanned the area?” JJ asked.

  “I had Butch scanning before we got into the jump. That’s how I selected the spot.”

  Our food arrived and we attacked it.

  “Didn’t realize how hungry I was,” JJ said.

  “Seriously. Wonder how Nolan did with the module?”

  He’s got a working proto
type, but we won’t know how well it works until we try it with the Clan drives. Dojo has been keeping me in the loop.

  Thanks, Butch.

  “Do you think it’s safe to send the Tristar to Simone’s location?”

  I chuckled. “I doubt Simone will allow that. We’ll do a rendezvous someplace nearby.”

  “Will we ever trust each other?” JJ asked.

  “I think so, but it’ll take time, and this first mission is critical.”

  “How about the mission to the Clan Zone?”

  “Andrea and her AI have been working scan data they collected before we jumped,” I said. “I doubt it will be easy to find good targets, though.”

  “They could harden against the Nanos after the first attack.”

  I chuckled. “That might be tougher for them than we expect, assuming we’re successful in sneaking flight suits onto all of the battleships. They might not take the bait Klemperer is providing.”

  “If they don’t open the bay doors, what do we do?”

  “Remember that Estes beefed up the guns for us. We’ll try to blast our way inside and release the Nanos.”

  JJ shook her head. “We’ll have to get through their shields. Might not be easy. If they sense it, some will jump away.”

  “That’s possible, but remember that Klemperer will be directing the battle. He can turn the fighters against the battleships if they don’t want to play, and we’ve destroyed them with fighter attacks, remember?”

  “They might have hardened their ships since then.”

  “It’s likely they haven’t fixed all the weak spots that Butch and his buddies found.”

  We know of nine week spots, and have only used one so far. I’ve been working with Wayne on that, per Commander Klemperer’s request. He knows everything won’t be as tidy as expected. We’ll likely have to change tactics during the battle.

  This is what I hate about war.

  Comes with the territory.

  “Do you want another drink, or should we go home?” I asked.

  “I’m done, and we should get to bed early. Tomorrow will be crazy.”

  We left, heading back to our stateroom, walking about half the way, chatting happily, trying to keep our minds off the battle to come.

  “Do you have to do anything else tonight?” JJ asked.

  “Nope, I’m all yours.” We made love tenderly, falling asleep in each other’s arms. Morning came too quickly, JJ out of bed before I woke.

  “Hey,” I said, sitting up, watching as she put her flight suit on. “Don’t need to cleanse?”

  “Nah, I can wait. You?”

  “Wouldn’t hurt, it’s gonna be a high-stress day for me.”

  “At least you aren’t going into battle directly.”

  “The New Jersey is going into battle, and there’s a chance we’ll end up in a direct fight. We’re going on alert as soon as we come out of this jump, and battle stations will be manned the entire time.”

  “What do you see as a risk in Earth’s solar system?”

  “We don’t know how good the Clan sensors are. It wouldn’t take much for them to catch a glimpse, and we’ll be opening the bay doors to take in the flight suits. That probably won’t be a short operation.”

  “We should let a bunch queue up and let them in, instead of just leaving the bay doors open.”

  Sorry to disturb you, Trey. Estes is paging you.

  I smiled. “No problem. Maybe he has the rest of the flight suits available already.” I threw on my clothes and sat in the holographic communicator chair, answering Estes’s page.

  “Hello, Captain. Hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “No worries, I was already up. What’s on your mind?”

  “We finished the balance of the suits early. How long till you’re in Earth’s solar system?”

  “Butch?”

  Three and a half hours.

  “Butch says three and a half hours.”

  “Perfect. Is everything else ready?”

  “We’ll have to check with Simone about the operation on Devonia Axxiom to take down the PA stun capability. Might have to go in with flight suits and Nanos to take care of that if they can’t get it done.”

  “Yes, that’s a must,” Estes said. “Talk to you soon.”

  I shut down the communicator.

  “Still going to cleanse?” JJ asked.

  “Ah, screw it. Let’s get up to the bridge.”

  We left the stateroom, going to the bridge by way of the snack stand.

  “Good morning, you two,” Sondra said as we walked onto the bridge.

  “Good morning. Where’s Skip?”

  “He’ll be here any minute. Nolan’s already been here and left. Something about that drive module he’s making for Simone.”

  “Good, best thing he can be working on at the moment. Estes is done with our flight suits. We’ll be able to initiate the transfer as soon as we arrive in Earth’s solar system.”

  Skip and Nolan walked in a few moments later.

  “How’s the module coming?” I asked.

  “Finished,” Nolan said, “as far as I can go, anyway.”

  “Good. AIs, go on speaker please.”

  Thank you, Trey. There’s something you need?

  I made eye contact with Sondra, Nolan, and Skip. “When we get out of the jump, we’re going on battle alert. All weapons stations will be manned, and all repair and emergency crews will be on standby.”

  “We’re expecting action here?” Nolan asked.

  “No, but we’ll be ready if something happens. We are officially at war as of now. Butch, please pass the word to the crew, and give them our arrival time. AI-capable crew members first, then the rest of the crew.”

  Yes sir. Sent. The Chairman would like to see you, JJ, and Nolan in his office.

  “He reacted to that order already?” JJ asked.

  No, he sent the request as the Captain was giving me the order to alert the crew.

  “Let’s go.” JJ, Nolan, and I left the bridge, walking through the crowded corridor to the transit station.

  “People are nervous,” Nolan said. “You can feel it.”

  “Pre-battle jitters. You okay, JJ?”

  “I’m fine, just nervous. I wasn’t thinking about this the way you were, I guess. You’re right of course, so don’t mind me.”

  We got on our tin can and shot to Vermillion’s office. He was waiting at the door when we got there.

  “Anything wrong?” I asked.

  “Let’s go in my conference room.” He led us into the small meeting room off his office. We sat around the table.

  “You look worried, Mr. Chairman,” Nolan said.

  “Simone’s operatives got nabbed before they got off the space dock,” he said. “She’s got a plant in her ranks, or the enemy is monitoring one side or the other of the communications with her team. I just got the message through Tac.”

  “Oh geez,” JJ said. “Hope they’re only monitoring the space dock side.”

  “That’s what she thinks, but we can’t be sure,” Vermillion said. “So now it’s on to Plan B.”

  “Wait a minute,” Nolan said. “How descriptive was Simone about the mission when she talked to her operatives?”

  “She said there was no mention of what the target was, and it was an encrypted transmission as well,” Vermillion said.

  “They know there’s action coming,” I said.

  Nolan nodded. “That’s probably the case. Can we think of a way they can harden the PA network against our Variant Three Nanos?”

  If the Clan has good strategists, they’ll be watching all their infrastructure, and the PA system would be high on the list, so they’ll have a way to counter-attack. That said, it’s unlikely they’ll figure out that Nanos will be the weapon we use.

  “We used Nanos in the rescue operation,” I said.

  “True, but we didn’t use the Variant Three Nanos,” Nola
n said. “They might think all they need to do is station guards in vacuum suits around the installation.”

  “Maybe we should have Hamilton Zenos broadcast a warning that the Clan has taken over the zone, and that they’re behind the mandatory stun capability,” JJ said. “Many people will take off their PAs just in case.”

  Great idea, Trey. Bring it up.

  JJ eyed me, and I shrugged.

  I agree, Butch. I’ll contact Estes right away. He’s already got the location data, but even if the installation has been moved, all the Nanos need is a live antenna and they’ll find the transmission station.

  “Is somebody gonna tell us what you’re thinking?” Vermillion asked.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I was only thinking it. Butch, remember what I said about previews?”

  Sorry, Trey, but Drake got it as soon as I did anyway.

  True. Sorry about that, but we can’t waste time now.

  “What, dammit?” Vermillion asked, his face getting red with anger.

  “If we hit the PA systems straight from Earth and the main attack is delayed, the enemy might think the PA system hit is the only event. Then we hit them with the main attack. We’ll have them back on their heels, because their best people will be trying to figure out what we did in the first attack, and then whammo.”

  Whammo? Oh please.

  He’s yours. Hahaha.

  “I get it,” Vermillion said, getting up to pace. “We’re sending the flight suits for that task straight from Earth to Devonia Axxiom. Will they have enough fuel?”

  They will. Remember that we increased their fuel capacity for the planned mission to the Clan Zone? This is no problem, even if they run cloaked the whole way. Estes just launched them. They’ll be on scene in less than five hours.

  “How can they get there so fast?” JJ asked.

  Life support and the human interface in the basic system takes about forty percent of the reactor’s power. All that power has been transferred to the Samson Drive and the weapons. We can tune it on the fly. The emphasis now is on speed. Your team has helped us to create a whole new weapons system that wasn’t obvious to us before. Kudos.

  I laughed. “Yep, that’s true, although when we brought up this possibility to Estes, he said we had drones that could do the same type of operations cheaper.