The Ninth: Invasion (43 page)

Maybe it was a holdover from the past.  A time when captains wanted to see where they were headed with their own eyes.  Or perhaps those in command merely wanted to pass through the Wall as quickly as possible.  In any case, it made the trip a long one as they passed through section after section.  Just as Brent’s legs were starting to grow sore, they reached the bridge.  He recognized the admiral’s voice along with the dozen or so others who ran the entire monolith of a ship.

“. . . and fleet status?” Shen asked.

“The Prudence has suffered some damage, but nothing critical,” a thin man said in a high-pitched voice.

“The Prudence . . . isn’t that Rufas’ ship?”

“Yes, Admiral.  However, Mr. Linwood and the rest of the Commonwealth staff elected to stay behind.  The ship is currently running under a skeleton crew.”

“With us about to enter combat with the ITU?”  Shen shook his head in dismay.  “Patch me in to her captain.”

“I’ll have it up in a moment, sir.”  A woman at a communications terminal started tapping away at her readouts.  “Link established.  The Prudence is reading us loud and clear.”

“Captain, this is Admiral Shen.  How are things on your end?”

“Just peachy.  This rust bucket is barely holding together.  I’ve got my men working as best they can to keep her running, but it’s tough,” the captain grumbled sourly.

“Exactly how many men is that?”

“I
should
have a crew of eighty-seven.  Including myself, I’ve got thirty-two.  We’re stretched to the limit.”

“Your work so far has been commendable.  We are about to engage the ITU in combat.  Boarding parties are a distinct possibility.  If you could . . .”

“Forget it, we can’t keep this ship in one piece
and
fight off the Union.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest anything of the sort
Captain
.  Move your ship to the rear of the formation.  You’ll be providing ranged support for this engagement.”

“About time I got some good news.”  The captain grunted a bit as he broke communications.

“Charming fellow,” the communications officer said with a smirk.

“He’ll do his job, but don’t expect anything more.”  The thin man shook his head disapprovingly.

“What is the status of the ITU fleet?” Shen asked, ignoring their comments.

“They are attempting to jam our scans, but I estimate a full forty ships, probably more,” a woman said with a sigh as she double-checked her readings.

“Fourteen against forty,” the navigation officer said, cracking her knuckles.  “I don’t like those odds.”

“You’re right,” the captain said with a large grin.  “I wouldn’t want to be on an ITU ship right now.”

The bridge crew laughed at the captain’s unexpected bravado, even if it was a bit forced.

“How far are they, Mrs. Miron?” Shen asked, not waiting for the crew to regain composure.

“Outermost edge of the system.  Looks like the CI did a good job with the navigation array.  That’s probably as close as they can safely jump.”

“Time until they reach Reloas?”

“Impossible to say accurately.  It’s hard enough just to keep track of them.”

“Best guess.”

“Well, from what I know of ITU tactics, they’ll probably send out unmanned sensor drones to get jump coordinates.  We could be looking at anywhere from two to five hours.  Sorry I can’t be more precise.

“That’s good enough.  Options?” Shen asked everyone.

“Well, we can try to intercept the sensor drones,” the communications officer ventured.  “No drones, no nav data.  Without that, they are stuck out there on sub-light.”

“No good,” the captain said, shaking his head.  “We miss even one and they can jump past us.  Those CI guys are traders, not combat specialists.  Without us they’ll be sitting ducks.”

“Well, we could just wait for them here,” Mrs. Miron said.  “Take them out as they jump in.”

“Once they have the navigation data, they could presumably jump in anywhere around Reloas.”  The navigation officer shrugged.  “All they would have to do is jump over any part of the northern hemisphere, and the planetary defense net would make them untouchable.”

“So, if we can’t wait for them here, and we can’t stop them from coming – what’s left?” the captain asked.

“We intercept them,” Brent said.

The bridge crew turned to face the unnoticed visitor.  Harper flushed red with anger but held his tongue in front of the admiral.

“Who are you?” the captain asked.

“His name is Brent,” Shen said quietly.  “What are you getting at, young man?”

“The CI has control of the navigation satellites.”  He tried not to show his surprise at the admiral remembering his name.  “They are preventing the ITU from getting that data, but we have it.  We can jump anywhere we want in the system.”

The bridge crew exchanged glances as they thought it over.

“So we can jump in,” the communications officer said.  “They still outnumber us.  Plus, they will hammer us as we leave the Wall.”

“Not necessarily,” Mrs. Miron said, thinking it through.  “They won’t be expecting us to leave Reloas undefended.  Plus, if we jump in far enough behind them we can avoid most, if not all, of their main guns.  We can get in a few solid salvos before they realize what’s happening to them.”

“It’s still a bad idea,” the navigation officer said, cracking her knuckles.  “Once they get the navigation data, they’ll leave us behind.  We’ll be stuck on the sidelines as we watch them decimate the CI fleet.  Like you just said, we’re leaving Reloas undefended if we jump out.”

“Would you cut that out?  You know I can’t stand that sound.”  The thin man shot an annoyed glance at the navigation officer’s knuckles.

“I can’t help it.  I get nervous and I can’t help myself.”

“We have two hours or more until the ITU can jump, so we wait,” Brent said, interrupting.  “Once we have enough energy for
two
jumps, we ambush them.  Even if they try to run, we’ll still be able to follow.”

“That might just work,” Shen said, rubbing his beard.  “But what about the planetary defense net?  Won’t we be following them to our demise?”

“That won’t be an issue,” Brent said flatly.

The bridge crew tried not to laugh at the overly serious delivery.  They all quieted down when they realized Shen wasn’t taking the impossible statement so lightly.

“Can you be sure about that?” Shen asked.

“Absolutely,” he said calmly.

“I see.”  Shen studied Brent intensely for a minute before straightening in his chair.  “Let the rest of the fleet know our plans.  Get those jump capacitors charged as quickly as possible.  Mrs. Miron, I want you to work out the post-jump formation.  I want us in battle formation the
instant
we clear the Wall.”

The bridge crew stared at Shen for a few moments before his words sunk in.  With feverish intensity, they returned to their duties.

“So how do you know our little tactician, Admiral?” the captain asked, knowing full well Brent could hear him.  “Are you sure we can trust him?”

“We met at a dinner party once.  He embarrassed Alden something terrible.  That’s endeared him to my heart, I’ll admit.  However, personal feelings aside, I’m certain we can trust his judgment.  He wouldn’t say the defense net will be down if he didn’t know it for a fact.”

“Admiral, the fleet is reporting in,” the communications officer announced.

“And?” Shen asked.

“We can jump in one hour and forty-two minutes.”

“Excellent.  Inform the crew.  The real battle is about to begin.”

After one hour, forty-three minutes and eighteen agonizing seconds of being lambasted by Harper, Brent heard the P.A. advise them the ship was about to jump.  He had to snap himself out of counting the seconds as they headed back to the bridge.  He found himself pitying any female who might marry Harper – no doubt due to some horrendous momentary lapse in judgment, intoxication, or both.

Just like before, the crew was so enamored with their duties none of them noticed the two new additions to the room.  A large group of monitors gave an external view of the fleet.  In front of each ship was a stationary invisible wall outlined by thin whips of yellow lightning.  As the bridge passed through the Wall, the views on the monitors switched from one side of the Wall to the other.  In front of the navy vessels was a huge gathering of ITU ships.  The group had everything from modified tradeships to full-fledged warships, each silently moving closer to Reloas.

Not waiting for a command from Shen, the Navy ships opened fire.  Tiny specks of light raced toward the ITU fleet.  They looked like shooting stars until they impacted, erupting in massive bursts.  Brilliant spheres of flame crashed against the rear edge of the ITU ships.  One of the smallest ITU ships completely disappeared in the initial burst, leaving nothing but wreckage behind.  The aft sections of several others were scarred with a thick black.  Recovering from the shock, the ITU ships started turning to face the ambush as the navy launched a second salvo.  The shooting stars penetrated further; a dozen or so ships vanished for a moment in the blinding light.  A massive warship of the ITU took a direct hit and started rotating wildly.

“Report!” Shen shouted.

“Twelve ships damaged, two disabled, and four destroyed.  Looks like one of their main attackers has lost control of their maneuvering thrusters,” Mrs. Miron called back, with her eyes locked on her own screen.

“Enemy battle group is shifting position, Admiral.  We are receiving only light weapons fire now.  Their main batteries will have a clear shot in thirty seconds.”

“Ignore the smaller ships.  Focus on disabling or destroying the big guns first,” Shen ordered, pointing out a large ship.

A third salvo fired by the navy slammed against the hulls of the strongest ITU ships.  The ships continued to turn, seemingly unaffected by the direct hits.

“We’re being targeted!” the navigation officer shouted.

“Order the fleet to fire at will,” Shen shouted back.  “Hit them with everything we’ve got!”

The bows of the massive ITU warships pulsed with brief flashes of light as they launched their weapons.  Dozens of specks of light quickly rushed at the Navy.  Missiles and projectiles hit their mark, causing several secondary explosions along the hulls of the Navy ships.  The Navy ships were strong, but they were simply outnumbered and outgunned.  In response to the admiral’s orders, the Navy ships started firing every weapon they had.  Specks of light danced around the thick pulses of energy shot by the beam turrets.

Like a wave washing over a beach, the weapons crashed over the ITU fleet.  Smaller ships tried their hardest to avoid the barrage.  One of the small tradeships took a hit near its aft.  Unable to control its movement, it crashed into one of the larger battleships, engulfing both in massive explosions.  A second salvo erupted from the main ITU warships.  The Navy point defense tried to intercept the weapons to largely no avail.  The munitions impacted firmly against the hulls of the Navy ships.  While the ITU ships were edging closer to the Navy fleet, Brent wondered if there would be anything left of the Navy by the time they closed to boarding range.

“We can’t keep this up!”  The navigation officer was cracking her knuckles over and over.  “I’m getting reports of critical damage throughout the ship.  We need to retreat!”

“We will hold the line!” the captain shouted.  If we fall here, the Commonwealth falls with us!”

“Are we doing any damage?” the thin man asked, wiping away the sweat from his brow.

“Plenty, but there are too many of them,” Mrs. Miron said, rapidly issuing new targets to the gunners.  “More than half their fleet is damaged with eight completely disabled.  Right now it’s a game of endurance, and we simply can’t last as long as they can.”

“Hold on, I’m picking up something,” the communications officer said in deep concentration.

“Don’t tell me the ITU wants to discuss our surrender,” Shen said angrily.

“The source isn’t the ITU fleet . . .”

“One of ours?” Mrs. Miron asked.  “I thought we were maintaining silence.”

“Not one of ours either.  You’re not going to believe this . . . the message is coming from the navigation network!”

“That’s impossible.”  The navigation officer turned to face the communications officer.  “The navigation network sends jump data, that’s all.”

“Let’s save the debate for later,” Shen said.  “What are you getting?”

“A feed.  Audio . . .
and
video!”

“Well, let’s see it.”

The largest monitor in the center changed to a heavily distorted image.  It was impossible to make out what it was supposed to be.  After a few adjustments, the image came in crystal clear.  Brent instantly recognized it as the emblem of Core Industries.  He had seen it on several of the ships attacking Reloas, but this one seemed almost to have an air of pride all its own, as if the image itself was proud of their accomplishment.  They must have seized control of the planetary defense net.

“Greetings, citizens of the Commonwealth,” a pleased voice issued from the image.  “Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Alden Hooten, and I am currently the head of Core Industries . . .”

“Citizens of the Commonwealth?” the captain asked.  “Who is he talking to?”

“
Everyone
,” the communications officer said in awe.  “This transmission isn’t meant just for us.  I don’t know how, but it looks like Alden is somehow using the
entire
navigation network to broadcast his message.  Every world in the Commonwealth must be hearing him.”

“. . . It has come to my attention that some people are still fighting, and I’d like to ask them to pause for a moment and lend me their ears,” Alden’s voice continued on.  “After all, it’s rude to interrupt someone when they are talking.”

“Admiral, we are getting a burst transmission from the ITU fleet.  They want to know if we are behind this,” the communication’s officer said.

“Tell them we are just as surprised as they are,” Shen said, not taking his eyes off the CI emblem.

“They acknowledge and request a temporary cease fire to hear him out.  They stressed the words temporary and
madman
.”

“Make it so.  Let’s be good children and listen to what father has to say,” Shen said mockingly.

After the last few shots hit their marks, the monitors showed both fleets hanging silently in perfect stillness.  Every single ship was engrossed in Alden’s speech.

“. . . I have to ask, what is the point of a drama with only one character?” Alden’s voice asked behind the emblem.  “Grand Executive Rita, I know you can hear me.  Be a dear and say something for those at home.  My technicians assure me you’ve received the necessary instructions to be able to join me.”

“What do you want, Alden?” a female asked in an icy cold voice.

“I’d think that would be obvious,” he said with self-assured pride.  “Your complete and unconditional surrender.”

Rita burst into a cackling laughter that sent shivers down Brent’s spine.

“This is no joke, my dear,” Alden said flatly.  “I assure you I’m quite serious.”

“I have to admit this little parlor trick of yours was unexpected, but you’ll have to do better if you want to force surrender.  My hand will not waver!  The Commonwealth has suffered too long under the rule of a bloated government that only . . .”

“Sorry to interrupt the diatribe, but we are on a timetable.  I knew you wouldn’t listen to talk, so I arranged something a little more . . . persuasive.”

“What are you up to, you miserable excuse of a . . .”

“No need for name calling.  I’ve known about your power mongering and delusions of empire for quite some time.  Beyond that, I know a great host of other
interesting
facts.  I’m only going to ask nicely one more time.  Surrender.”

“Do your worst.”

“So be it.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Rita had gotten out a single syllable before the audio was cut.  The CI emblem on the main monitor faded into a scene of Reloas.  The image was of the sky over what Brent assumed to be the city they had conquered.

“Get me a live shot of Reloas, now!”  Shen ordered.

A couple of the other monitors switched to images of Reloas.  The tiny specks reflecting glints of the sun’s light were the CI ships in orbit.  At the same time on all the monitors, hundreds of Walls opened.  Brent’s eyes widened as memories of his nightmares flashed before him.  He recalled the same scene he had seen countless nights: the sea of departing ships making way for the massive maw.  Uncontrollable fear gripped him.

“What are they doing?” the captain asked.

“I can’t reach any of our ground forces!” the communications officer shouted.

“What?” Shen asked in surprise.

“I’ve been trying to get in contact with them since we saw the first image of Reloas, but no one is responding.  It’s as if they aren’t there!”

“It couldn’t be . . .” Brent said as a quiver of fear ran down his spine.

Shen turned to face him only to jump back in surprise.  The Weaver was white as a sheet, large beads of sweat rolling down his face.

“What’s wrong with him?” Harper asked, taking a step back.

“Do those walls belong to ships entering or exiting Reloas’ orbit?” Brent forced his voice to ask.

“What?” Shen asked, not understanding.

“Core Industries, are they
leaving
?” Brent shouted in desperation.

The bridge crew pulled away from the trooper as they all cast glances at Mrs. Miron.

“How’d he know?” she asked weakly, her eyes locked on him.

“They are
leaving
?” the captain asked.

“Every one of them.  My scanners report not a single CI ship is remaining in orbit.  I don’t understand.”  Mrs. Miron shook her head.

“
It
is coming,” Brent said, falling to his knees.

Before anyone could ask, five impossibly large jump windows opened.  The size of the yellow lightning-silhouetted Walls was far too large for any known ship.  Brent dropped to his knees as his mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing.

“A long time ago our ancestors were locked in a struggle for their very survival,” Alden’s lecturing voice came from the image.  “For ages they fought for the
privilege
of waking up in the morning.  When they were pushed to the brink of destruction, they were forced to create something terrible, something so wretched that they concealed all knowledge of its existence.  It was only used once and then forever sealed to pay for its crime.  Those that created it prayed that it would be forgotten, never again to darken man’s doorstep.”

Featured prominently on Alden’s broadcast was a slow moving metal hulk.  As its massive form filled the sky, it blotted out the sun, leaving the ground in unnatural darkness.  Brent had seen the behemoth before.  He had seen it so many nights in his dreams.  Nightmares would be a more fitting term.  The monster from the fifth exam wasn’t a figment of his nightly terrors.  It was real, and it was staring him in the face.  Five hulking spheres loomed over the planet below, like miniature moons.  Brent knew there was another concealed from view on the other side of the world.  One at each pole and four equally spaced around the equator – a recipe for planetary genocide.  Alden had recreated the massive maws that would devour a world whole.

“Before your eyes stands the greatest weapon of the old Five Suns Coalition that was, a weapon so terrible it was never given a proper name,” Alden said.  “The Independent Traders Union is to surrender now or face the consequences.”

Silence filled the room as everyone stared at the massive metal orbs.  Only Brent could fully comprehend the awful power they represented.

“Rita?” Alden asked.

Another long pause filled the room.  The crewmembers exchanged uncertain glances.  Brent felt a strange sense of fear growing in him.  Finding out the massive maws truly existed was terrifying, but this was something different.  Something greater than himself, it was a sense of fear that couldn’t possibly belong to a single person.  Brent quickly scanned the room, but couldn’t find a single aurora.  The fear continued to grow exponentially.  It was so strong he could swear he could taste it.

“Rita?” Alden asked again, with a growing concern in his voice.

With a sudden terrible flash the fear changed to anger.  It was all Brent could do not to yell out as the force of it flooded his mind.

“You filthy organic!” Rita’s voice roared.  “You dare strike at
me
?  Know your place and tremble!”