Ep.#9 - "Resistance" (30 page)

* * *

Alert sirens blared as the light of dawn began to glow behind the distant mountains. Spotlights in the guard towers swept the grounds beyond the fence line surrounding the Jung propellant processing plant on the surface of Tanna. More powerful searchlights on the ground followed preprogrammed patterns as they traversed the sky above.

One of the tower guards followed the circle of light cast by his tower-mounted spotlight as he tracked it back and forth, watching intently for any sign of intruders. No one had told him what was going on as of yet, only that the plant was on alert. The guard’s head suddenly exploded, spraying blood in all directions as his body crumpled and fell to the floor, his spotlight coming to a stop.

The guard in the next tower noticed that the other tower’s spotlight had stopped moving. He swung his light over and added it to the other tower’s light, assuming the guard in the other tower had spotted something on the ground. When he saw nothing, he moved his spotlight up the tower and saw no guard. He grabbed his portable radio and was about to report it when his head jerked to the right and exploded, sending a spray of blood, bone, and cerebral matter across the counter next to him.

As the second guard’s body fell over the railing and down to the ground, a Ghatazhak warrior descended gracefully to the ground, his sniper rifle in hand. Just before he landed, he fired two more rounds with his silent weapon, placing small, explosive pellets into the heads of guards rushing toward him.

More guards rushed out of the buildings, each also dropping to the ground as their heads exploded in showery, red mists. In less than a minute, the ten descending Ghatazhak warriors had killed over forty men. They had only fired forty shots.

Fully inflated, black parachutes inverted and fell to the ground as their payloads touched the ground and automatically released the connections to their canopies. The early morning breeze swept the black fabric across the compound, leaving them to snag on various poles and structures along the way or to finally rest against the far fence line.

As each man hit the ground, he ran forward, finding the nearest entrance to carry their assault inward. Around them were thousands of gallons of various gases, each of them highly combustible and highly valued by the Alliance.

The Ghatazhak were sure and swift, running through the complex and terminating every living being they encountered: men in control rooms, maintenance spaces, production spaces, even in the bathroom. They were all executed in the same manner: one shot, one kill.

Four minutes after they had fired their first shot, the leader of Ghatazhak Team Five received his last report of ‘secure.’ He switched frequencies and placed his call. “Aurora Combat, Five leader. Target secured.”

* * *

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Cameron admitted. She watched the feeds from the fifth Ghatazhak team as they secured the propellant plant.

“Neither have I,” Master Chief Montrose admitted.

“I have,” Major Waddell said.

Cameron looked at Waddell. He looked unsettled, his face pale and his hands trembling slightly. She wondered what was going through his mind at the moment. Was he reliving his own combat experiences against the Ghatazhak?

“Major?” she asked.

The major turned his head toward her, his eyes wide with fear. She looked at him, noticing that he seemed unfocused, as if he were not seeing what was in front of him. “Are you all right?” she said under her breath so the others in the compartment would not hear.

Major Waddell looked directly at Cameron, his eyes finally focusing on hers. “Yes… yes,” he answered, regaining his composure. “I’ll be fine.”

Cameron nodded sympathetically at the major, then turned to one of the communications technicians along the side of the combat information center. “Notify the bridge.”

“Sir,” Naralena called. “Combat reports all five teams have reported in. All primary targets are secured.”

“Time to jump, no-jump?”

Mister Riley looked at his console, then rotated slightly to his right to look over his shoulder at the captain. “One minute,” he reported, a smile on his face.

“What about the Jung fighters that got airborne?” Nathan asked his tactical officer.

“Flight ops reports the last two are being chased down now. We own the skies of Tanna, sir.”

“Her moons, too,” Mister Riley added.

“We still have to deal with their ground forces,” Nathan reminded them.

“Contacts!” Mister Navashee reported. “Inbound missiles coming up from the surface. Transferring tracks to tactical.”

“Kill the helmet cameras for now,” Nathan ordered. “What have we got, Mister Randeen?”

“Twelve contacts, sir. They appear to be surface to orbit missiles—relatively slow-moving, conventional warheads. We shouldn’t have any problem shooting them down, sir. Flight is already vectoring fighters to intercept. The rest I’ll handle with point defenses.”

Nathan looked confused. “Are they Jung weapons?”

“Doubtful, sir,” Mister Randeen said. “They don’t match any of the technology we’ve seen in any of our engagements with the Jung thus far.”

“They may be Tannan weapons,” Mister Navashee suggested. “I’m scanning them now. There are a lot of similarities in their electronics with the stuff I’ve been detecting on the surface.”

“Such as?” Nathan asked.

“Cars, small, general aviation aircraft, communications gear. These missiles look like they use many of the same components.”

“Maybe they’re leftovers,” Mister Randeen added. “Maybe they were seized by the Jung when they conquered this world. They are conventional warheads, sir. Nearly all of the Jung weapons we have seen thus far have carried nuclear warheads, even the ship-busters carried by the Jung fighters.”

“Maybe they’re getting desperate,” Nathan hoped.

* * *

Garrett looked out the window at the distant Jung command center located in the heart of one of Tanna’s largest cities. The command center had been a flurry of activity ever since the Aurora had first jumped into high orbit over the planet.

To the south, he could see twelve missile trails reaching up toward the sky. At the top of each trail were bright yellow tails of thrust coming from the missiles. He could also see several of the Aurora’s fighters as they swooped around and began to climb in pursuit of the weapons. Four more fighters swept across the buildings directly in front of him before they, too, joined in the chase.

“Sir!” one of Garrett’s subordinates called as he approached.

“What is it?”

“All teams have reported in. The evacuation has been completed. The perimeter is clear up to one kilometer from the Jung command center.”

“Good work,” Garrett congratulated. “Have our teams painted the targets?”

“Yes, sir. Each target has at least two laser designators trained on it.”

“Then we are ready.” Garrett smiled.

“I did not think it possible,” the man exclaimed, excited by the morning’s events.

“Neither did I,” Garrett admitted. “It just shows you that one must never stop believing.” He turned to another of his men, one carrying a large device over his shoulder. “Contact the Aurora. Tell them we are ready.”

* * *

“We’ve got the laser designators!” one of the weapons technicians reported.

Cameron turned from the plotting table in the middle of the Aurora’s combat information center. “Deploy the quads, underside positions, and lock onto those laser designators as soon as the guns are ready.”

“Combat reports quads are deployed and locked on targets, sir.”

“All four of them?”

“Command center, main deep-space comm-array, and both missile bases, all painted with multiple designators.”

“I guess Garrett’s not taking any chances,” Nathan mumbled. He turned to Naralena at the comm station at the rear of the bridge. “Hail the Jung command center. Send the following message: ‘The 72 Herculis system and all worlds within it are now under the control of the Alliance. Surrender all forces and you will be treated fairly and with respect. Refuse and hostilities shall continue.’ End message.”

“Sending message,” Naralena answered. She typed in the message, then looked up at Nathan. “Message sent.” She smiled at him. “Felt good, huh?”

“It did, actually,” he said, smiling back.

“Receiving reply,” Naralena announced, looking back down at her console. “Message reads, ‘The Jung do not surrender.’” She looked back up at the captain. “End of message.”

Nathan sighed. “Comms, tell flight ops to launch the tactical shuttles and deploy the remaining Ghatazhak to the surface targets as planned.”

“Aye, sir,” Naralena answered.

“Mister Randeen, fire all quads,” Nathan ordered.

“Firing quads, aye.”

The four massive, quad-barreled rail guns hanging off the underside of the Aurora adjusted slightly, tracking the tiny dots of laser light with their optical targeting sensors to account for the movement of the ship as it orbited the planet below. After a series of tiny adjustments, they began to fire. Flashes of blue, electrical energy lit up the rails of each weapon, as each barrel sent fifty rounds per second of carefully aimed, meter-wide slugs streaming toward the targets below at incredible velocities. The slugs heated up as they plowed through the atmosphere, leaving trails of super-heated plasma behind them as they streaked toward the surface.

* * *

Garret stood at the window, which had already been blown out by the shock wave of the attack. His hands covered his ears against the deafening roar as the rail gun barrage continued. His eyes squinted against the waves of wind generated by the onslaught. Others about him cowered against the walls, fearing for their safety despite the fact that they were more than a kilometer away from the nearest target.

The rain of fire from the sky suddenly stopped, and the thunderous roar began to subside. Garrett slowly lowered his hands from his ears, sensing that the attack was over. He watched in awe as the dust cloud began to settle, most of it being swept southward by the morning winds of Tanna. The faint morning light began to cut through the dust, revealing… nothing: no buildings, no light posts, no fences, not even piles of broken buildings. Just a massive pile of rubble, most of which was no bigger than a man’s head.

Never in his life had Garrett seen such a thing. The Jung had leveled entire cities when they had come decades ago, but that had been with massive nuclear weapons. No one had survived to bear witness to those attacks. He surveyed the surrounding buildings. Many were damaged by flying debris, but most were still standing and in relatively good condition. Never had he seen such precisely placed weapons fire.

He turned and looked at his subordinate, whose eyes were as wide as his own. “I am now quite certain that we have chosen the right ally.”

* * *

“Contact,” Mister Riley reported.

“Thrusting inward,” Mister Chiles answered from the helm.

“We have hard dock, Captain,” Mister Riley confirmed.

“Refueling boom is being extended,” Mister Navashee announced.

“How the hell did they figure out how to work everything over there?” Nathan said. “I mean, everything must be labeled in Jung, right? I know they’re supposed to be geniuses and all, but they couldn’t have figured out how to read Jung in less than an hour, right?”

“It is my understanding that the Ghatazhak chose to take a few prisoners,” Cameron said. “Apparently, they are being quite cooperative.”

“We have a good seal,” Vladimir announced from one of the auxiliary consoles. “We’re ready to begin refueling,” he added with a smile.

“What are you waiting for?” Nathan wondered.

“Starting the refueling process,” Vladimir said.

“So, we can use Jung propellants then?” Nathan asked. “You checked this stuff, right?”

“Of course,” Vladimir answered. “It is not as good as what we normally use, but the designers of our propulsion systems were smart enough to allow some flexibility in propellants. The engine performance might not be as good as with our standard propellant formulas, but considering the alternative…”

“I get your point,” Nathan said, turning to Cameron. “Any word from Major Waddell?”

“His troops are on the surface and are assisting the Ghatazhak and the Tanna resistance as they subdue the remaining Jung ground forces. They have already assembled and launched two of their four Kalibri airships. He expects they will have captured enough Jung assets to completely turn the tide in favor of the resistance by the end of the planetary day.”

“Excellent.” Nathan turned back to Vladimir. “How long will the refueling take us?”

“Nearly eighteen hours,” Vladimir answered. “Then I will need to conduct a few test burns with the new propellant in order to retune the acceleration tunnels on the main engines and the maneuvering systems as well.”

“So how long until we can get under way again?”

“Twenty-four hours at least.”

“Commander, let the major know he has twenty-four hours before we start recalling our people from the surface. I want everyone on board and ready to depart by the time Vlad has our engines humming.”

“Yes, sir,” Cameron answered, stepping to one side as Nathan left the bridge for his ready room. She looked at Vladimir, a smile on her face for the first time in days.

“He knows nothing about our engines,” Vladimir said with disdain. “They do not hum.”

CHAPTER NINE

Nathan nodded at the guard as he pressed the buzzer on the wall outside Mister Dubnyk’s quarters. Shortly after, the door opened.

“Captain,” Mister Dubnyk said. “What a pleasant surprise.” He stepped aside to clear the way. “Please, come in.”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, Mister Dubnyk.”

“Not at all, Captain. Not at all. I don’t get many visitors, as you might imagine. Actually, I don’t get any visitors.”

“How have you been?” Nathan asked, being polite.

“Well enough, I suppose.”

“Have you been keeping yourself busy?”

“Between the ship’s video entertainment database and your personal history books, I’ve managed to keep my mind occupied. Thank you for those books, by the way.”

“You’re quite welcome.”

“So, Captain, surely you didn’t come here just to see how I am. A busy man such as yourself, what with a war to fight and all…”

“You’re right. I did not.”

“Then what can I do for you, sir?” Dubnyk asked, trying to be gracious.

“As you might already know, we have recently liberated a world from Jung rule. It’s called Tanna, and it’s in the 72 Herculis system.”

“I was aware that some sort of combat action had taken place,” Mister Dubnyk said. “However, I was not aware of the outcome, other than the fact that we obviously survived. Were there many losses?”

“Twelve men were lost,” Nathan stated.

“I am sorry to hear that. This world, Tanna, I have heard of it. In my day it was a new colony—somewhat industrialized, yet still dependent on support from the core worlds to survive. I expect they had a hard time of it after the plague struck.”

“I do not know of their history. In fact, I have only met one person from their world.”

“How is this world doing now?” Mister Dubnyk asked.

“It’s fully industrialized,” Nathan said. “Its population was significantly reduced when the Jung conquered their world a few decades ago.”

“If memory serves, 72 Herculis is pretty far out on the fringe. It seems an odd target, does it not?”

“We suspect that the Jung were planning on using it as a stepping stone for expansion beyond the fringe. There were significant fuel-processing and storage facilities on the surface.”

“Are you not concerned that the Jung will return?”

“It has crossed my mind. From what the people of Tanna tell us, Jung ships come through only once or twice per Tannan year.”

“How do they plan on protecting themselves should one of those ships dislike their rebellious acts?”

“At this point, they have no defense,” Nathan admitted. “Whether or not they will need it depends on the captain of the ship that discovers that the Jung no longer hold Tanna. We know little about the Jung, however, the people of Tanna believe that the Jung would be likely to administer some sort of punishment. At the very least, I would imagine they would take possession of Tanna again.”

“At the very least, indeed.” Mister Dubnyk leaned back in his chair, a pensive look on his face. “Why are you telling me all this, Captain?”

“We are about to depart, and I intend to leave you on Tanna.”

“Really?” Mister Dubnyk did not seem pleased with the idea.

“As you said, Mister Dubnyk, we are fighting a war. Our return to the Sol system will undoubtedly put us in harm’s way, and our chances of survival are uncertain at best.”

“And you think I would be safe on Tanna?”

“I suspect so, yes.”

“And the people of this world, they are willing to let me stay there?”

“I have explained your situation to them and all we know of you. Many of them seem curious to meet you. I think they wish to learn more about the core from before the plague.”

“I assumed you were keeping me here for the same reason.”

“I admit that I have my curiosities,” Nathan said, “but I don’t have time for such pursuits at the moment.”

“Am I to be a prisoner on Tanna as well?”

“That is up to them; however, I do not expect that to be the case. They have more pressing concerns.”

“And how am I to survive? Where will I live? What will I eat? I am an old man, Captain…”

“They have agreed to provide you with a small place on the edge of one of the villages. You will have a small amount of land, plenty of water, and access to the local shops and services. You might even be able to charge a fee for stories of the pre-plague core. Who knows? You may do quite well.”

“So I am to be a farmer and a storyteller,” Mister Dubnyk said.

“It is better than being a prisoner on a ship going to war,” Nathan reminded him. “The food might be better, as well.”

“I will miss your video entertainment database,” Mister Dubnyk said. “There are still so many to watch.”

“I can have a large number of them transferred onto a data pad if you like.”

“That is most kind of you, Captain.”

“It is decided, then?” Nathan asked as he stood.

“Do I have any say in the matter?”

Nathan shook his head. “Not really.”

“No matter,” Mister Dubnyk said as he also rose from his seat. “It does present new opportunities and challenges.”

“Yes, it does,” Nathan agreed. He extended his hand to the old man. “Your shuttle awaits, Mister Dubnyk.”

“I suppose thanks are in order, Captain,” Mister Dubnyk said as he took the captain’s hand and gave it a shake. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

“It was my pleasure, sir. I only wish we could have saved more of your people as well.”

“Yes. We all have our fates.”

“Good luck, sir,” Nathan said as he turned to depart.

“To you as well, Captain. To you as well.” Mister Dubnyk watched as Nathan left. “Opportunities indeed,” he mumbled, a mischievous look in his eyes.

* * *

“Captain?” Commander Taylor called from the hatchway to the ready room.

“Yes?”

“We’ve cleared the system and completed our first jump on our way back to Sol.”

“Nice not to have to do another gravity assist just to turn around.”

“Indeed it is. However, I still think it would be a good idea to continue the practice whenever it is feasible.”

“We can make it a standing order if you like.”

“Let me think about it some more.”

“How long will it take us to get back to Sol?” Nathan asked.

“With recharge layovers, about forty-five hours. Thirty hours will put us two and a half light years out.”

“I’d like to launch the jump shuttle as soon as possible. We need to try to establish contact with Jessica and the resistance on Earth.”

“The jump shuttle is going to be out of service for a few days. She took a beating delivering Team Four to the fuel depot.”

“That’s right,” Nathan said. “I almost forgot.”

“Lieutenant Montgomery has suggested we use the super-jump shuttle to make contact. With its range, it would only take half as many jumps for it to get back to Earth.”

“We need that shuttle to make the trip back to the Pentaurus cluster to ask for help,” Nathan reminded her. “Do you think it’s wise to risk it any more than we already have?”

“It performed perfectly over Tanna,” Cameron said. “I can’t think of a more rigorous proving ground.”

“Still, with the Falcon down and now Jump Shuttle One down as well, that would leave us without any jump ships other than the Aurora.”

“Jumper One can still fly,” Cameron said. “It just can’t close the back ramp or be pressurized. The flight crew can wear pressure suits just like they did during their combat jumps.”

“A bit risky, isn’t it?”

“A bit, yes.”

Nathan leaned back in his chair. “We really need to make contact with Jessica, find out what she’s learned. How many jumps would it be for Jumper Two if they departed from this location?”

“About seventeen jumps,” Cameron answered. “It would be a good test for Jumper Two’s new multi-jump computer.”

Nathan sighed. “Very well. Send them as soon they are ready. Have them make contact with Jess and report back as soon as possible.”

“Understood,” she answered. “One more thing, Captain. Sergeant Weatherly is detaining Lieutenant Telles just outside the bridge.”

“Why?”

“The lieutenant wishes to speak with you. I’m not sure the sergeant thinks it’s a good idea.”

“Tell Sergeant Weatherly to allow the lieutenant to pass.”

“Yes, sir,” Cameron said, smiling as she turned to exit.

Nathan called up the after action reports on his view screen and began reading. A moment later, Lieutenant Telles stepped into the room accompanied by the dutiful Sergeant Weatherly.

“Captain,” the sergeant called, “Lieutenant Telles wishes to speak with you, sir.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. That will be all.”

Sergeant Weatherly looked at the lieutenant with a suspicious eye. The sergeant was nearly twenty centimeters taller than the Ghatazhak lieutenant and several kilograms heavier.

The lieutenant looked up at the sergeant. “Is there something you wish to say to me, Sergeant?”

“No, sir.” The sergeant looked at Nathan. “I’ll be just outside, sir.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Nathan said. He waited for the sergeant to leave the room before continuing. “My apologies, Lieutenant. The sergeant takes his responsibilities as my bodyguard quite seriously, I’m afraid.”

“I have no quarrel with the man,” the lieutenant answered. “I respect his sense of duty.”

“Please, have a seat,” Nathan insisted, pointing to the chair across the desk from him.

The lieutenant looked at the chair out of the corner of his eye. “No thank you, sir. The Ghatazhak do not sit in the presence of a superior officer.”

“Superior?” Nathan laughed. “Hardly. Higher ranked? Only by circumstances, Lieutenant.”

“It is not the person to which we show respect, sir. It is the rank. No offense intended.”

“Of course. Your team was quite impressive,” Nathan said. “I don’t know that our own special operations troops could have done the same.”

“While the mission was successful, it was hardly challenging, sir.”

“Really?” Nathan leaned back in his chair. “Cold-coasting across a system for thirty hours in a meditative state, then landing on a small moon? You don’t find
that
challenging?”

“
That
was simply mathematics.”

“What about the meditation part?”

“Meditation is not unique to the Ghatazhak.”

“I’m confused, Lieutenant,” Nathan said, “and rather than run down the list of impressive acts on the part of you and your platoon, I’m going to let you say what you came here to say.”

“I wanted to be sure you did not take this victory as an example of things to come.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“These Jung, the ones that hold your world, they are likely of a different caliber than those that we faced on Tanna.”

“What brought you to this conclusion?”

“I have spoken with all of my squad leaders as well as some of the regulars. They all spoke of disorganized defenses, poor weapons skills, and lack of leadership during combat. These and many others speak of conscripts, of poorly trained men with low morale and little honor.”

“And what makes you think that all Jung are not the same way?”

“You do not conquer such a vast area of space with such men, Captain. You certainly do not hold one, either. I have seen little of your people, and I know even less of your world, but I suspect that your training and your sense of honor and duty are far greater than those that defended Tanna and her fifth moon. If that is the case, and the Jung defeated the forces of your world, then it is likely they are, in fact, better trained and more capable than the pitiful group of men we slaughtered on Tanna.”

Nathan looked at the lieutenant for a moment. The man stood there, steely-eyed, rigid, and as confident as could be. That which he lacked in stature he made up for in his very presence. The lieutenant was straightforward as well, which was refreshing. Nathan wondered if the man was even capable of telling a lie. “Then you also felt it was a slaughter?”

“A most distasteful one at that,” the lieutenant replied.

“Then you did not enjoy it?”

The lieutenant looked at the captain, his eyes squinting slightly. “Enjoy it?” He turned his head to face the captain squarely. “The Ghatazhak do not enjoy killing, Captain. Contrary to what the aristocracy of Takara might tell you, we are not bloodthirsty animals. That is simply how Caius used the Ghatazhak: as a tool to strike fear into the hearts of those he conquered and as a way to ensure the safety of his precious nobles.” The lieutenant paused for a moment, regaining his composure. “The men we killed in the Herculis system we killed out of necessity and for the sake of the mission given to us.”

“Including the technicians and noncombatants on the fighter base?”

The lieutenant looked at Nathan once more, although with a calmer demeanor than before. “Those men represented a direct threat to the mission and to the safety of the people of Tanna to whom you have promised allegiance.”

“Really? How so?”

“On our approach to the fifth moon, as we descended, we spotted a deep-space comm-array. It was on the back side of the moon. The moon is tidally locked. Therefore that array is always pointed away from the planet and is never visible by those on the planet. Garrett was unaware of its existence. Any of those men, combatants and noncombatants alike, could have gotten a message off before we were able to neutralize the array. Doing so does not require a weapon.”

“How do you know they did not get a message off?”

“I do not,” the lieutenant admitted. “I do know, however, that none of the men we killed managed to do so.” The lieutenant’s gaze returned forward. “We do not enjoy killing unarmed men, as there is no honor in doing so. We do recognize, however, that it is sometimes necessary. That is what makes us Ghatazhak. We do what must be done.”

“And if on a future mission I were to order you
not
to engage the noncombatants?”

“If your orders were contrary to the mission objectives or were in direct conflict with our sworn duties, we would ignore them, sir.”

Nathan could feel his pulse rate rising. “And what exactly are your sworn duties?”

“To protect the Aurora, her crew, and more importantly, her captain.”

Nathan was intrigued. “And who issued those orders?”

“Our directives were ordered by Prince Casimir of Takara.”

“If you were sworn to protect my ship, my crew, and myself, why did you agree to attack Tanna? After all, had you refused, we might not have agreed to help the Tannans.”

“The Aurora needed propellant,” the lieutenant explained. “She also needed a safe haven, a world from which to operate… preferably an industrialized one. Achieving these goals gives the Aurora, her crew, and her captain a better chance at survival.”