“Sensors?”

  “Basic LIDAR should be restored in a few minutes, sir.”

  “Engines and thrusters?” Levi asked, continuing down the mental list.

  “The navigator was killed, sir,” Fisher said, leaning over the helm console and tapping at the controls. “We have thruster control. As long as engineering can route the power, we can move.”

  The doors to the bridge opened, and a group of soldiers in fire-retardant suits poured through. The master chief quickly took control of them. “Get this debris out of the way, yesterday!” Montero barked.

  Levi returned to his command chair as they got to work. He pressed the button to engage a commlink down to engineering. “Engineering, this is the bridge. Can you hear me?”

  “This is Captain Sanchez,” a voice said back. “We’re still in one piece down here, though most of our systems are overloaded, sir.”

  “What’s the prognosis for getting us back into the fight?”

  There was a pregnant pause on the line before Sanchez spoke again. “Sir, with respect, the Salamis isn’t combat capable. Out of our two primary reactors, one had to be SCRAMed. I doubt I’ll be able to get you weapons power within a couple of hours.”

  Levi let the news sink in before responding. “Can we move?”

  “Yes, sir, I’ll be able to route power to our engines momentarily. We’ll hold together long enough to make it back to our fleet.”

  Levi stared at the still functioning tactical plot above his head. If only we could shoot, Master One is right there and ready to be attacked, he mentally fumed.

  “TAO, in your assessment, what kind of effectiveness do the League plasma cannons have the closer we get?”

  El-Amin turned around in his seat. “My best guess, sir, is that they held their fire until we hit optimum range. We’ve drifted closer based on our relative velocity. Once we turn around, they will have a period where they’re very accurate.”

  “What if we didn’t turn around?”

  “As long as we didn’t go straight in on them with a ballistic trajectory, I’d expect that ship would have a difficult time hitting our ship, sir,” El-Amin said with a puzzled look on his face.

  Turning his head down to the still open commlink, Levi spoke once again. “Sanchez, what’s the maximum thrust you can give me right now?”

  “We’ll top out at fifty thousand kilometers an hour or so, sir.”

  Levi did some quick math in his head. Roughly five minutes to impact if we move now. It’ll be the worst ride of my life. “Captain Fisher, evacuate the bridge with all personnel. I’m going to order all hands to abandon ship.”

  “Um, why, sir?” Fisher asked, her jaw dropping open.

  “Because I intend to proceed forward and ram Master One.”

  “Sir?” Fisher’s voice rose an octave.

  “I can already see on the plot that the enemy has an opening to carve a hole in our fleet. We don’t have enough ships, and Irvine’s out of fancy tricks. They’ll grind forward and ground down what we have left until they’re in bombardment range of Canaan. My wife and son are down there. I swore I’d come back to them,” Levi said while shaking his head sadly. “That’s one more promise I can’t keep. But I can keep the oath I gave as an officer of the Coalition Defense Force, to defend the Terran Coalition against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This enemy is worse than any we’ve ever seen. This League of Sol must be stopped, no matter what the cost. I won’t ask anyone else here to make the same sacrifice. Get back to your families and home. This is something I must do alone.”

  Silence echoed throughout the bridge as the enlisted personnel froze, as did the officers. It took Fisher a moment to speak up. “I’ll be remaining with you, sir. Lieutenant El-Amin, take charge of getting these people to safety.”

  “I can do this alone, XO,” Levi said forcefully.

  “I’m afraid I can’t accept that, sir. You may become incapacitated or otherwise be unable to complete the mission.”

  There was something about the look on her face that communicated in an instant to Levi that he wouldn’t be able to force her to go, outside of having the master chief haul her out like a sack of potatoes. She’s right; something might go wrong, and I still need a second in command, just in case. “Okay, XO,” he said. “You’ve made your point. Take the helm.”

  “Aye, sir,” Fisher replied and sat down at the still functional but beat up console.

  “Lieutenant,” Levi said, staring El-Amin in the eyes. “Get everyone else here to an escape pod.”

  “Sir, I stay with the ship,” Montero, the tough old master chief, interjected.

  “Negative, Master Chief. You will make sure all enlisted personnel evacuate per my instructions.”

  “Sir,” Montero began in protest before Levi cut him off.

  “That’s a direct order, Master Chief. If you do not obey, I’ll summon a sergeant-at-arms to force compliance.”

  “Yes, sir,” Montero said, his eyes downcast.

  Levi reached down and keyed the commlink on his chair to 1MC. “Now hear this, now hear this. This is Major Levi Cohen, your commanding officer. All hands, abandon ship. I say again, all hands, abandon ship. Proceed to the nearest escape pod and evacuate the Salamis. This is not a drill,” he said before shutting off the commlink. He turned back toward El-Amin and a slight smile formed on his lips. “Now get out of here.”

  El-Amin turned to go, then hesitated. He returned to his previous position, facing Levi. “Sir.”

  Levi glanced up and saw El-Amin standing at rigid attention, right hand held up to his brow in a textbook salute that would have made any master chief proud. He raised his own hand up and returned the salute, just as crisply. Out of the corner of his eyes, he realized that everyone else on the bridge had copied El-Amin.

  “Good luck, sir,” El-Amin said, emotion evident in his voice. “It has been an honor to serve with you, even for this brief period. Godspeed and as-salaam ‘Alaykum,” he finished, invoking an Arabic phrase that meant “peace be upon you.”

  “Lieutenant… please, when you get back to Canaan. Find my wife Sarah and my son, David. Tell them why we had to do this. Tell them I love them so much,” Levi said, a tear forming in his eyes despite his best attempt to avoid emotion. “And that I’ll see them soon.”

  “Yes, sir,” El-Amin replied. Without another word, he and the rest of the crew departed the bridge. It took at least thirty seconds for the damage control parties and bridge technicians to clear out. Finally left alone with Fisher, Levi considered the next few minutes—and most likely—the final minutes of his life.

  “Are you sure about this, sir?” Fisher asked.

  “Yes, XO. I’m very sure. It’s the only option left.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Plot an intercept course on Master One. Notify me the second we have power back to the engines.”

  “Aye, sir,” Fisher said, getting to work.

  “Let’s go, people, let's go!” El-Amin shouted down the corridor, waving a group of nearly twenty enlisted personnel toward the two escape pods on deck A. Montero was down at the entrance to the two pods, keeping everyone orderly and from overloading one of the pods in their haste to get off the ship. Once the last person in the line passed him, he fell in behind.

  “Is that all from this deck, sir?” Montero asked.

  “That we could find. I double-checked the conference room and storage lockers. You take command on the second pod, I’ll fly the first.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Master Chief, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” El-Amin said, noting the older man’s uncomfortable stance.

  “Lieutenant, I feel like I ought to be on the bridge. That my place is there. Someone else dying instead of me doesn’t sit right.”

  “Major Cohen and Captain Fisher made a choice to sacrifice themselves so we might live.”

  “I get that, sir. That’s one of the highest tenets of my religion, to lay down your life for the life of another. It’s awe-inspiring to see.”

  “Then make use of the gift, Master Chief. I’ll see you on the ground,” El-Amin said, slapping Montero on the shoulder and climbing legs first into the cramped escape pod. Allah help them.

  7

  Irvine had observed the destruction of DEVRON silently, with the same inscrutable expression MacIntosh had come to expect. I pray she’s got something else up her sleeve. The feeling of dread of spreading. No one was saying it out loud, but a general sense of failure permeated the CIC.

  MacIntosh cleared his throat. “General, the lead American carrier battle group reports it’s two jumps away.”

  “A minimum of forty-five minutes, then.”

  Far too long. “The Americans are only allowing a fifteen-minute cool down per jump, so, sooner, ma’am.”

  Irvine glanced away. “Almost, Lieutenant. We almost had them. Only thing left to do now is pull back into a tight formation and hold on as long as possible.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Irvine’s voice suddenly took on a different tenor. “Lieutenant, what is Sierra One-Seventy-Six doing?”

  Staring at the holoplot, MacIntosh realized that one of the destroyers was moving again—toward the enemy. “I’m not sure, ma’am.”

  “Get me her CO on vidlink immediately.”

  “Yes, sir,” MacIntosh quickly replied, walking over and whispering into the flag communication officer’s ear. “Get us a direct vidlink on the main viewer with Sierra One-Seventy-Six. Highest priority.”

  “Yes, sir,” the comms officer replied.

  A few minutes later, the battle-scarred bridge of the Salamis appeared on the big screen that hung to the back of the combat information center on the Victory. “This is Major Cohen,” a blood-and-sweat-stained figure sitting in the CO’s chair stated. “What can I do for you, General?”

  “Major, a pleasure. I noted your course takes you on a direct ballistic intercept of Master One.”

  “Yes, sir,” Levi said. “I plan to ram Master One. My TAO believes we’re close enough to avoid most of their anti-capital ship weaponry.”

  Irvine’s face twisted and blanched. “What of your crew, Major?”

  “They’ve abandoned ship, per my order. Only the XO remains behind, in case I’m incapacitated before impact.”

  “You are under no obligation to do this, Major,” Irvine said.

  MacIntosh felt a chill run through the room. Most of the officers in the back half of the control center fell silent, watching the exchange intently.

  “With respect sir, the Salamis is in a position to help. I can read a tactical plot… the fleet is about to take it on the chin.”

  “Major, I…”

  Levi interrupted her, mid-word. “General, my ship’s in the right place at the right time. The XO and I are in agreement; the League must be stopped. We can, and will, make a difference.”

  Irvine glanced down, then back up, her lips pursed together. “We’ll provide as much cover as we can, Major. Godspeed, and good luck.”

  “Godspeed, General.”

  The screen snapped off, and Irvine turned toward MacIntosh. “There goes a brave man. Too many brave men and women today.” Her voice came close to cracking. “They’re going to try to advance on us, Lieutenant. Signal the fleet to stand its ground. We make them pay for every inch, in destroyed ships and dead Leaguers.”

  “Yes, sir,” MacIntosh said. Dear God, I joined to see myself through college and find a purpose in life. Now I’m watching people choose to sacrifice themselves… I believe this is what my father would call growing up.

  “Admiral, enemy destroyer remains on a direct intercept course,” a senior officer said in a loud voice.

  “Why haven’t you removed that ship from space, Admiral?” Lemieux demanded, her face red.

  “Because they’re too close for our plasma cannons to hit effectively. We’ve gotten glancing blows in, but not enough to destroy her. Thanks to your order to advance, I’ve no escorts left to counter them.”

  “I suppose it doesn’t matter in the end. They lack the weapons to harm us.”

  “Does the term kamikaze mean anything to you, Colonel?” Seville said. I fear she’s going to get her comeuppance at the same time we all get killed.

  “No, should it?”

  “I wouldn’t expect a political officer,” Seville began, emphasizing the word “political” in a mocking tone, “to understand military history. The kamikazes were pilots in the Japanese Imperial Air Force from Earth’s second world war. They would fly their planes into the side of enemy ships, hoping to destroy them.”

  Lemieux’s expression changed as the color drained out of her face. Her mouth quivered, and once again, Seville saw fear in her eyes. “You think they intend to ram us?”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “We should evacuate the ship,” Lemieux said, her façade fading rapidly.

  “Our weaponry will have a short window to destroy that ship. I’m not going anywhere, Colonel. If you’d like to take a shuttle and transfer to a different ship, you’re more than welcome to,” Seville said, a dazzling smile plastered across his face.

  “I couldn’t possibly leave you alone to face the enemy, Admiral.”

  That would have been far too easy. “Of course, Colonel. You are most welcome to.”

  Lemieux turned away, staring at the plot, while Seville took a few steps toward his flag captain. “I want every missile, plasma cannon, and point defense system we have to target that destroyer. Blow it apart as it comes in for final approach,” he said quietly. “We only get one shot at them.”

  “It will be done, Admiral.”

  “Another volley inbound from Master One,” Fisher said as the bridge shook and pieces of metal that had already been weakened fell. Both officers had strapped back into their harnesses to avoid being thrown out of their seats.

  “The only area of vulnerability for us is right before impact. I want you to aim for the middle section of the ship. There’s a large shuttle bay there.”

  “Secondary explosions from fuel and weapons?”

  “Exactly, XO.”

  “I did learn something in all that training,” Fisher quipped.

  Levi let out a snicker. “No doubt. My math says we’re about five minutes out at current burn.”

  “Sounds right to me, sir.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to really get to know you that well, Captain. Family back home?”

  “No, sir. I wanted to make colonel before forty. I’ve put everything into my career,” Fisher said. She glanced back at him as she continued. “I realized that was a mistake about thirty minutes ago. What about you?”

  “My wife, Sarah, and my son, David. I was to have my official retirement ceremony next week.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Comes with the territory. I told my son that some things are worth fighting for. The truth is, sometimes they’re worth dying for.”

  “While we’re on the subject of truth, I’m terrified at what happens next. I don’t know where I’m going.”

  “I didn’t see a religious patch on your shoulder,” Levi said.

  “Christian, I guess. Don’t really go to church much. I just kind of believe but don’t practice.”

  “I’m an Orthodox Jew, so lots of belief and a lot of practice,” Levi said with a small laugh.

  “Knowing the end is near really causes some self-reflection.”

  “As a Jew, there is a prayer I should recite as close as possible to death, but we’ll be far too focused on the task at hand to do so. We could do it now, together?”

  Fisher glanced back once more. “I’d like that, sir.”

  “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One,” Levi began. “Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,” he continued. “God is the Lord. The Lord is with me. I shall not fear. The Lord is King, The Lord was King, the Lord will be King forever and ever.”

  There was silence on the bridge, broken by Fisher. “Thank you, sir,” she said, a tear falling down her cheek. “I think we needed that.”

  “Both of our souls did.”

  “Do Jews believe in heaven?”

  “After a fashion, but not in the same way a Christian does. Still, part of me believes that all of us will see each other again.”

  “I heard an Imam say something like that once.”

  Levi didn’t respond, instead staring at the tactical plot above his head as the distance ticked down, one kilometer after another. His biggest regret was not being able to say goodbye to his wife and son. I hope they can forgive me for what I must do. Taking the few moments left to parse through some of his happiest memories, Levi thought back to the day he first met his wife; the day they got married, the day she told him she was pregnant with their son. Even amidst the pain and knowledge of his impending death, those memories brought a smile to the surface. What is the measure of a man, except what he’s done and the relationships he’s made?

  “Sir, we’re about to enter the terminal intercept,” Fisher announced, interrupting Levi’s thoughts.

  “Rock the ship as we do, XO. Keep those League bastards guessing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Levi configured the overlay console on his chair to navigation controls, just in case something happened that would require his intervention. Incoming fire from the Le Terrible smacked into their shields, depleting them almost instantly. It was clear from the plot that the enemy commander knew what their purpose was and threw everything he had at the little ship. Superheated globs of plasma impacted onto the hull of the destroyer, burning through its light armor, bulkheads, and anything in its way. If the vessel had been crewed, numerous lives would have been lost, but it wasn’t. Onward the Salamis pushed, with an almost certain aura about her. The massive League flagship came into full focus through the transparent metal window that framed the front of the bridge.

  “It’s been an honor, sir,” Fisher said, bent over the helm.

  “Likewise, Captain. Godspeed.”

  “Godspeed, sir.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8