Frontiers Saga 12: Rise of the Alliance (39 page)

“Good point.”

“It will take a while, but eventually they hope to get the nanite therapy distributed to everyone in the fallout zones.”

“They sure as hell brought enough,” Nathan said. “Hey, I struck up a deal with the captain of the Glendanon. He’s taking back a full load of propellant from Tanna to sell on the Pentaurus markets. It should buy us another load of relief aid for Earth. At the very least, it will pique the financial interests of the ship’s owners and get them to commit the Glendanon to regular runs between the Pentaurus and Sol sectors. We’re probably going to have to provide them with escorts through the Sol sector, however.”

“Probably a good idea,” Jessica agreed.

“They’re filling up at Tanna now, and will be heading back to the PC. It will take them a few months to get back, though.”

“Better than nothing.”

“I tried to talk him into staying and doing runs between Earth and Tanna. We could’ve moved a lot of immigrants to Tanna and relief back to Earth with that ship.”

“I guess you’ll just have to make do with the boxcars for now,” Jessica said.

“How is Eckert working out on Scout Three?” Nathan wondered.

“Bobby says he’s doing fine. XO on a Scout ship is a pretty easy gig, for the most part.”

“How is he enjoying his new jump drive?”

“What do you think?” she said. “He’s been jumping all over the system.”

“Well, he’s going to be grounded for a few days so we can put the hard points on his ship, so he can ferry KKVs into position.”

“Who did you move into Eckert’s spot at tactical?” Jessica wondered.

“I figured I’d let you handle it for now,” Nathan said. “You can do that and run security, can’t you?”

“I did before, didn’t I?”

“You mean, when we were boarded twice?”

“That was not my fault,” Jessica objected, putting her hand up.

* * *

“You could have chosen a less conspicuous outfit,” Josh told the lieutenant as they walked along the streets of Edinburgh.

“The
mere presence of the Ghatazhak in itself serves as a deterrence,” Lieutenant Telles replied. “I see no reason to hide our identity or our purpose.”

“Well, everyone is scared of you guys. How do you expect them to interact with us?”

“I was not aware that you were here to interact with the local population.”

“We might want to buy something to eat, or ask directions or something,” Josh said.

“Your data pad is not working?”

Josh shook his head. “Just don’t crowd us, alright?”

“As you wish,” the lieutenant replied. He turned to his sergeant. “Spread out. Maintain visual contact at all times.”

“Yes, sir.”

Josh walked quickly to catch up to the rest of the group.

“Why are we here, again?” Loki wondered.

“We have a day off, and these guys were already coming down here to check out their
heritage
, so to speak. So why not tag along? It might be fun. Besides, it’s better than sitting on the ship watching old videos.”

“You mean it’s better than sitting on the ship studying,” Loki replied.

“That too.”

“I think it was a great idea,” Lieutenant Yosef said. “Fresh air, sunshine… I can’t remember the last time I felt the sun on my face.”

Josh looked up at the cloudy sky. “What sun?”

“There was a little,” Kayla argued, “when we landed.”

They continued to follow the others down the street, turning into an open market to the right.

“I’m getting hungry,” Josh complained, his comment directed at Master Chief Montrose.

The master chief turned to look back at Josh. “We’ve only been here an hour, Josh.”

“I had a light lunch.”

“I could eat,” Mister Chiles said.

“Very well.” The master chief looked about, spotting a friendly-looking young woman working in a small produce stand. “Excuse me, miss, but we’re not from around here…”

“Really?” the woman answered dryly.

Master Chief Montrose smiled.

“I like her already,” Josh whispered to Loki.

“That obvious, huh?” the master chief responded.

“The men with guns sort of gave it away,” the woman said in a thick Scottish accent.

“Holy crap,” Josh exclaimed. “She talks just like you guys. Same accent and everything.”

“Josh,” Kayla scolded.

“What? She does.”

Master Chief Montrose ignored Josh’s outburst and continued. “We were wondering if you might recommend an eating establishment where my friends and I could sample some of your local cuisine.”

“Eating establishment?” Josh exclaimed. “Local cuisine. Who the hell talks like that?”

“I agree with your loud friend, there,” the woman responded. “It’s still a bit early for supper, but if you’re needin’ a bite, there’s a pub round the corner up ahead, to your right. Can’t miss it. Simple food it is, but quite tasty.”

“Thank you,” Master Chief Montrose said. “We shall head there directly. Good day to you.”

“Good day to you as well.” She watched the master chief leave, along with Mister Chiles and Mister Riley. “If you don’t mind my asking,” she said to Josh as they passed by, “where are you all from?”

“A planet far, far away,” Josh answered.

The woman watched them head for the corner, a quizzical look on her face.

“Ma’am,” Lieutenant Telles said with a polite nod as he, too, passed.

* * *

“Jump complete,” Commander Eckert reported.

“Position verified,” Ensign Agari added. “We are at the launch point.”

“Very well,” Captain Nash st
ated. “Any contacts?”

“No, sir,” Ensign Agari answered. “The area is clear.”

“Prepare to deploy the KKV.”

“Powering up the KKV now,” Commander Eckert said as he typed in the commands. “Transmitting targeting instructions.”

“Whose idea was it to put an antimatter core in the tip of that thing, anyway?” Captain Nash wondered.

“I believe it was one of the Celestia’s engineers,” Commander Eckert said. “Tillardi, I think.”

“Seems like overkill, considering the amount of kinetic energy that thing will be carrying at impact,” Ensign Agari said.

“Is there such a thing as ‘overkill’ when it comes to a Jung battle platform?” Captain Nash wondered.

“KKV is ready for deployment,” Commander Eckert announced.

“Release the KKV.”

“Releasing.” Commander Eckert pressed the button and released the clamps holding the KKV securely to the underside of the ship. “KKV is away.”

“Thrusting upward,” Captain Nash announced as he activated the Scout ship’s translation thrusters.

“Three meters from the KKV and increasing,” Commander Eckert reported. “KKV is fully powered, and has received and verified the targeting instructions. It is ready to launch.”

“Set the strike clock and stand by to launch,” Captain Nash ordered.

“Strike clock is set,” Ensign Agari acknowledged.

“Launch KKV in three……two……one……launch.”

“Launch signal transmitted,” Commander Eckert reported. “KKVs main drive is firing. KKV is moving away.”

Captain Nash looked out the window as the KKV came out from under their nose and accelerated away from them, its main drive glowing a yellowish-white.

“KKV is at full forward thrust,” Commander Eckert reported, “picking up speed nicely. Twenty seconds until she goes to FTL.”

“Coming to port for separation,” Captain Nash announced as he turned the Scout ship slightly to port. “On jump course.”

“Jump to target area entered and ready,” Commander Eckert reported. “KKV goes FTL in five seconds.”

Captain Nash instinctively looked out the front window, knowing that the KKV was already too far ahead of them to be seen.

“KKV has gone to FTL,” Commander Eckert reported.

“Right on schedule,” Ensign Agari from his sensor station behind the commander. “Impact in one minute.”

“I hope this works,” Captain Nash said. “I would really like to be the guy that pulls the trigger and brings that fucker down.”

Commander Eckert smiled. “Trust me, sir, I know from experience… It feels pretty damned good.”

“Forty seconds to impact,” Ensign Agari reported.

“Twenty seconds to jump point,” the commander added.

“It just seems like such an impossible task,” Captain Nash said. “To hit a fast moving target, with another fast moving target, from so damned far away.”

“Well, we’ve got four chances,” Eckert said. “We’re bound to get lucky with one of them. Besides, they are quite precise. If the target is where it was predicted to be, the KKV will hit it.”

“I hope you’re right, Skeech,” Captain Nash said, “and so do a lot of people back on Earth.”

“Five seconds to jump point.”

“Twenty-three seconds to impact.”

“Jumping in three……two…”

“Let’s go see the show,” Captain Nash said as he closed his eyes and tilted his head down.

“…Jumping.”

The jump flash washed over the flight deck.

“Jump complete,” Commander Eckert reported.

“Position verified,” Ensign Agari added. “Ten seconds to KKV impact.”

Captain Nash waited patiently as the last few seconds before impact ticked away. The KKVs were the Earth’s last line of defense against the Jung battle platform that was hurtling toward them. If they failed to destroy it with the KKVs, the Earth was doomed. His parents, his family, everything he knew… Everything they all knew would be gone. The Jung would wipe the planet clean and rebuild it in whatever way they saw fit. All that would be left of his people would be the few hundred thousand who had emigrated to Tanna.

It suddenly occurred to Captain Nash just how difficult some of the decisions Captain Scott had been forced to make had actually been.

“Impact in three……two……one…”

The kid deserves more respect than we’ve been giving him,
he thought.

“…Impact.”

There was a dead silence on the flight deck.

“Intercept confirmed,” Ensign Agari reported happily.

“Yes!” Captain Nash exclaimed. Cheers erupted from the lower flight deck aft of them.

“The KKV dropped out of FTL at the moment of simulated impact,” Ensign Agari added above the cheers. “It was right on the money, Captain.”

“KKV is pitching over,” Commander Eckert reported. “It’s firing it mains to decelerate.”

“Safe its warhead and prepare to recover,” Captain Nash said.

“KKV warhead is safe,” Commander Eckert acknowledged. “She’ll be down to safe recovery speed in three minutes.”

Captain Nash sighed. “Now let’s just hope it works as well two days from now when we fire it at the real thing.”

* * *

“So, what did you think?” Nathan asked his father as they entered his ready room.

“You know, I’ve read the reports, seen the designs, hell, I know everythin
g there is to know about both the Aurora and the Karuzara, but it still doesn’t do either of them justice.” President Scott sat down on the couch against the forward bulkhead and made himself comfortable. “There is just no way to fully appreciate the magnitude of them without seeing them in person, walking their decks, meeting their people, breathing their air.”

“Surely, you’ve seen such things before?” Nathan wondered. “You were on the appropriations committee for at least a decade.”

“Longer,” his father admitted, “but I never took the time to see them up close and personal. It just never seemed necessary. I suppose I may have been wrong about that.”

“God, I never get tired of hearing that.”

“What? That I was wrong?”

“Yup.”

“I’m wrong more often than you realize, son.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t remember you admitting it,” Nathan said, “at least not very often.”

“It’s a hard thing to do, at times,” his father explained. “As a father, your children look up to you, expect you to have all the answers. Same thing holds true as a politician. Everyone expects you to know the right thing to do, and to do it. But the world is never black and white, right or wrong. Most of the time, you’re choosing the lesser of two evils. That’s what your brother hated the most about politics.”

“I’d rather not talk about Eli, if you don’t mind,” Nathan said as he took his seat behind his desk.

“You’re going to have to eventually, Nathan.”

“He sold us out, Pop. His entire world. What the hell is there to talk about?”

“He must have had his reasons, Nathan. He must have thought…”

“Not right now, okay?” Nathan objected. “Not the night before we go toe-to-toe with that damned platform.”

“Alright,” his father acquiesced. They both sat there in silence for several seconds. “You know, the people have stopped making an effort these last few weeks.”

“What do you mean?” Nathan asked.

“The volunteers have all but disappeared. The markets are empty. People that have jobs aren’t showing up for them.”

“Why?”

“They’ve given up hope.”

“I thought the arrival of the Karuzara served as an inspiration?”

“It did, to some extent,” his father said. “But the Karuzara, as impressive a facility as it may be, is still just a rock with some guns on it. The platform headed our way is designed to destroy worlds, and the people know it.”

“So what are they doing?”

“Those who are out are hoarding whatever they can get their hands on.”

“Yeah, Telles warned me about that.”

“He was wise to not try and stop it,” his father said. “Those who aren’t out scrounging up what’s left are either hunkered down in whatever safe place they could come up with, or they’re out whooping it up, having as much fun as possible before they die at the hands of the Jung.”

“Kind of pathetic, don’t you think?”

“Can you blame them?” the president said. “They’ve been pounded three times now, and they’re barely surviving down there.”

“But they are
surviving
,” Nathan said. “That’s the key word.”

“Millions of people have lost everything, Nathan. How do you deal with that? How do you carry on without a purpose in life?”

“You just do,” Nathan insisted. “Life isn’t about a purpose. Life is about living. It’s about being alive. It’s as simple as that. There is no grand scheme that is being played out.”