The Prisoner of Eldaron: Crimson Worlds Successors II (48 page)

He pulled the trigger, watching as a cluster of three enemy troopers went down under the withering fire. He tried to stay focused, but the same question hung in his mind.

Did she wait too long?

*  *  *  *  *

“All ships, execute nav plan two…now!” Gaston Allegre’s voice was hoarse, dry.
Eagle
One’s
bridge was smoky, the air heavy with the caustic smells of chemicals and burnt machinery. The Eagle fleet had never fought a battle this intense in space…but Allegre had. The former Europan officer had served under Augustus Garret, against the forces of the First Imperium and the Shadow Legions. He’d been a junior officer during those early battles, and he’d had no real contact with the legendary admiral then. But he’d returned to Garret’s service during the Second Incursion, and he’d moved up to command one of the great admiral’s task forces before that war was won.

He still remembered the inspiration he had felt, the way the aura of Garret’s skill and confidence bolstered the morale of those who served under him, how it pushed the fear back. He tried to live up to that ideal now, to lead his men and women as he thought Garret would have, to keep them confident and unintimidated, manning their stations with total focus. His people were Black Eagles, some of the bravest and best trained spacers anywhere. But they were also outnumbered. Badly. And they were losing.

Allegre leaned back into his command chair as he felt the 4g of thrust slam into him. There was a good chance the maneuver would surprise the enemy and give his people an opportunity to hit the flank of the enemy formation. The invading ships had slowed considerably since their initial attack run, but the Eagle ships were using most of their initial velocity, only altering their trajectories a moderate amount. The enemy would have to decelerate almost to a stop and then start accelerating in the opposite direction. It would give his people an edge. For a few minutes at least…long enough to inflict considerable damage.

He took a deep breath, his lungs struggling against the gee forces pressing down on him. His eye had caught the opportunity, and he knew the maneuver was just the kind of thing Augustus Garret would have done. But he also knew the advantage would only be temporary. The attacking fleet was simply too powerful. Eventually, the mathematics would prevail. His ships would be destroyed, and the planet—and the entire Eagle ground force—would be laid bare.

He knew his brethren on the planet would fight to the end as well, but losing the fleet would hurt them grievously. The enemy ships would destroy the satellite network Allegre’s people had deployed, and the soldiers on the ground would lose most of their intel and communications. At the same time, the enemy forces would regain theirs. The Eagles on the ground would be without resupply, without air support. However well they fought, they would eventually run out of ammunition. The field hospitals would fill to overflowing, with no evac possible.

And eventually, they will fall. Or, even if they somehow win, they will be stuck on the ground, blockaded. And with the Eagle fleet destroyed, there will be no rescue. So, in the end, even victory will turn to bitter defeat
.

“We’re coming into attack position now, Admiral. Twenty seconds to firing range.”

The tactical officer’s voice pulled him from his introspection.

“Very well, all batteries are to fire as soon as they are within range. And they are to continue firing at maximum output.” Allegre stared straight ahead. “We’re going right down their throats on this run, and I want those guns firing until they melt.”

Chapter 33

CNS Lucia

Eta Cassiopeiae VII Outer System

Near the Second Moon of Eos, “The Nest”

Earthdate: 2318 AD (34 Years After the Fall)

A Columbian officer and two Marines met John Cranston in the landing bay. They all wore dress uniforms, and they greeted him warmly as he wiggled his armored body through the hatch and stepped off the shuttle. After brief introductions, they led him to an area where he was able to take off and store his armor. Pounding through the corridors of the Columbian flagship in a fully-powered combat suit would be cumbersome at best…and impossible at worst, depending on
Lucia’s
exact layout. And it would certainly be inappropriate, downright rude even. Certainly not the way to meet an allied head of state who had extended an invitation. Cranston wouldn’t normally have been wearing the suit at all, but the Nest’s docking facilities had been virtually destroyed in the battle, and the only way he’d been able to link up with the Columbian shuttle was to meet it out on the moon’s frigid surface.

Cranston had brought a small bag with a change of clothes, and he slipped quickly into the uniform he’d brought with him. The Eagles’ full dress garb was sleek, devoid of much of the pomp and frill that so often adorned similar attire, but it was striking nevertheless, a black jacket over pristine white trousers and knee-high leather boots. The rank insignia and sparse trim that adorned the shoulders and sleeves were platinum. Cranston paused before rejoining his—what were they? Minders? Honor guard? Probably both, he decided as he looked into the mirror, running his hand down the leg of his trousers, trying to straighten them as much as he could. He frowned as a few of the wrinkles resisted his efforts. A head of state like Jarrod Tyler rated a pressed uniform at the very least, but the situation had been far from ideal, and this would have to do.

The shuttle had picked him up spot on time and ferried him to
Lucia’s
docking bay, exactly as Tyler had said it would. He’d had a bit of a fight on his hands back at the Nest when he’d declared he was going alone. His officers had argued fiercely for him to at least take an armed escort with him. But Cranston would have none of it. He wasn’t about to play a game of ‘who’s more important’ with Jarrod Tyler over nonsense like that. And, if nothing else, going alone would be a show of trust toward the Columbians.

Who, after all, just saved our lives
.

Cranston followed the escort through
Lucia’s
corridors. The Columbian flagship’s interior was drab, even compared to the Spartan standards of the Black Eagles. He and his companions walked a long way through non-descript surroundings, mostly corridors with endless gray metal walls. Warships tended toward the practical…few fighting vessels wasted productive space on nonsense, but Tyler’s flagship took it even further. It all fit in with what Cranston knew about Columbia’s dictator. Tyler had a reputation as a dour leader, a hard-driving taskmaster, utterly incorruptible, but also capable of enormous brutality to those he considered enemies. Not the kind of man to approve warship designs with wasted tonnage or needless frills.

Cranston didn’t know the design of the ship, but he had the feeling he was being led by an indirect route.
Probably avoiding areas with heavy damage
. He suspected
Lucia
had some sections that were still in rough shape. A damaged spaceship could be a hazardous place, with depressurized compartments, degraded structural integrity, and radiation leaks just a few of the potential dangers.

He’d expected to be taken to a large conference room or some other meeting area, but as he looked around, he felt like they were moving into a quieter section of the ship, far from any formal areas. He looked side to side, noting the large number of doors he was passing. He guessed they were walking through an area of crew quarters, probably officer’s country.

The Columbian fleet had fought well in the recent battle—very well indeed—and their skill and armament had proven to be too much for an enemy already weakened in its fight with the Nest’s defenses. Tyler’s fleet had suffered significant damage—and a fair number of casualties too, Cranston imagined—but they had only lost four ships outright. Given time for repairs, the Columbians would be ready to fight again.

And I don’t doubt another battle lies ahead
.

The Eagles were accustomed to thinking they didn’t need anyone else to fight their wars, but Cranston had shed that bit of personal bravura. Darius Cain’s warriors knew they were the best, but they were realists too. The Nest’s provisional commander was well aware he’d be dead right now, along with all his people, had it not been for Tyler’s intervention. Pride was one of his sins perhaps, but not ingratitude.

The commander of his escort stopped in front of a small door. A single guard stood at attention just to the side. The entry was unadorned, save for a small circle of stars just below eye level on the right. His escort nodded to the sentry and punched at the keys on the access panel. The door slid open.

The lieutenant turned and said, “The General is waiting for you inside, Major.” He stepped back and stood alongside the guards, and Cranston understood immediately. Jarrod Tyler wanted to see him alone.

He glanced over at the lieutenant, who nodded in confirmation. Then he turned and walked through the open doorway.

“Thank you for coming, Major Cranston. I am aware that free time is not a resource you possess in any quantity right now. I’d have come to you, but I think if I’d said I was going down to the surface, my security team would have had seven different kinds of fits.” Jarrod Tyler stood a few meters inside the doorway, and he stepped forward immediately, extending his hand. Tyler was a tall man, trim with neatly cropped brown hair, fringed around the outside with a light frosting of gray. He looked like a healthy and active man of fifty, but Cranston knew Columbia’s ruler was a few months shy of his eightieth birthday.

“Of course, General Tyler. It was no trouble at all. I’m quite certain my people can handle the repairs while I am absent for a few hours.” Cranston took Tyler’s hand and the two shook firmly. “We are greatly in your debt, General. If not for your forces, I fear the Nest would have been completely destroyed.”

“Not at all,” Tyler said. The dictator wore a plain uniform, dark gray with almost no adornments, save for a small cluster of stars on the collar. “Indeed, we have long been neighbors. And allies too, have we not? We could do nothing less.” Tyler turned and gestured toward a small table with two chairs. “Please, Major, have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Cranston nodded and walked over to the table, pulling back a chair and sitting. “Yes, General,” he said, returning his attention to Tyler’s statements. “Of course. Columbia is a most valued ally. Still, it is one thing to sign documents and quite another to stand in the fire to back them. Not all friends are as fair in difficult moments as they are during times of peace and plenty. You and your people have the thanks—and the gratitude—of the Black Eagles.”

Tyler nodded. “Thank you. That is indeed something of great value.” He paused. “I must confess, Major, I asked to meet with you for reasons beyond the mutual assurances of our alliance. I would never pull you from your duties so you could thank me for keeping my word as an ally. I am not the kind of man who wastes time with such nonsense.”

“I had no doubt there was business you wished to discuss, General…or else I’d have likely thanked you on the com and allowed General Cain to make more substantive gestures when he returns.”

Tyler nodded. “Before we get to business, you might like to know that we recovered Captain Caravalla and forty-two of his fighter crews. Nine of his craft survived the fighting. We recovered them and are currently providing medical services to your personnel. They are welcome to remain with us until we can find a less cumbersome means of transporting them back to the Nest.”

“Thank you, General.” Cranston managed a brief smile. “I’d given up on the fighter crews.”
Though seventy-seven percent losses is nothing to celebrate.

Tyler nodded solemnly and looked at his guest for a few seconds. Finally, he said, “I have done my part as an ally of the Black Eagles, Major, and I would have required no other reason beyond friendship to do so. Nevertheless, while I did not take the steps I did to earn gratitude, it is always good when an ally acknowledges an act of good will.”

“Please, General, tell me what we can do for you. I’m afraid our combat effectiveness is not at its usual level, but if it is possible, you will have whatever assistance we can give you.”

“Thank you, Major. But I suggest you reserve your acceptance until you hear what I have to say. You know that Columbia maintains a high degree of security, that we are constantly seeking to uncover and identify threats to our planet?”

Cranston wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but he just nodded and said, “Yes, of course.” Jarrod Tyler's paranoia was well known, though Cranston’s review of the general’s history suggested he had good reason to feel the way he did.

“As I said, Major, there is satisfaction in the act of helping a friend, and I would have intervened for that reason alone. Yet I did have other motivations as well. I have done my part to aid the Eagles. Now I must ask that you do yours…and share information with me.”

“Information? What information?” Cranston felt his stomach tighten. He had a feeling he knew what Tyler wanted.

“I have had a number of disturbing reports of strange occurrences in Occupied Space. Indeed, General Cain came to Columbia last year and we discussed the matter.” He looked right at Cranston. “I believe the Eagles have discovered more about what is happening…and I would ask that you share what you know with us.”

Tyler looked expectantly at Cranston for an instant. Then he leaned forward and added, “I assure you, I am interested in this only for the safety of my world. Columbia has fought many battles, Major, and suffered mightily in them. Few worlds in Occupied Space have seen the horrors we have, invasion after invasion. But when I took my office, I swore she would never again face an enemy unprepared.” He paused again. “So, please, Major…tell me what you know about whatever enemy sent this fleet to attack the Nest. This force that seemed to know exactly when General Cain and the fleet and ground forces would be away?” He took a breath. “And one more question, Major…where are the rest of the Black Eagles?”