Countdown by John Walker (most life changing books TXT) 📕

“They’ve got some intelligence that shows our enemy has a pretty nasty little toy at their disposal. Something that allowed them to pull the battleship out of hyperspace. Had all five of the enemy vessels pursued them, we might not know about it. Furthermore, we believe this means they can communicate during FTL travel.”

“You’re right, that’s scary.” Noah rubbed his eyes. “Okay, so what’re we going to do?”

“Harcourt and Trenik are ready to go. I’m sending them over to the Morrigan right now. You’ll rendezvous with the Broken Light to do some diagnostics on the device. I’ve got four battleships and seven destroyers en route to the location as well. They’ll arrive long after you which should give you time to perform your analysis.”

“Then?”

“You’ll take charge of that fleet. Your vessels will be joined by a Gold Empire armada of equal size there. I’m assigning you to the attack of the ervas home planet. With Trenik onboard, hopefully you can broker some peace with the sensible ones after you’ve given the zealots a good thrashing.”

“How many ships are we committing to that endeavor?” Noah asked.

“Fourteen destroyers, five battleships, and the Morrigan from our side. Gold Empire is sending four battleships, five destroyers, and a number of scout class. Intelligence suggests it’ll be more than enough considering we believe the main ervas fleet is moving on key positions throughout the frontier.”

“Meaning we shouldn’t find much in the way of opposition.” Noah nodded. “This should be a big surprise for them too. But…they might know we’re aware of their position. Dora wasn’t able to extract that data without being discovered. So I appreciate you giving me a reasonably sized force.”

“Of course. I wish I could spare more but we have to take up defensive positions around the border and of course, Earth.” Alexander cleared his throat before continuing. “MerCon is providing support. They’re positioning their ships for defense at our respective homeworlds and key facilities that would cripple regions.”

“Sound… and mercenary. Pretty much what I’d expect.”

“They have a point though. I’ve got a report that states you’re restocked on fighters and pilots. Security as well. Is that accurate?”

“Yes, I just went over the reports a few minutes ago.”

“One last thing. Have you heard anything from the op to get Rita Peck back?”

Noah’s heart sunk. He hadn’t thought about that for a while, particularly because he hadn’t received word. Zem would’ve definitely contacted them if they had something. “I wish. I’m afraid they’re still comm silent. Frankly, they might not even be out of hyperspace…or in a position to talk.”

“Understood. I wish them luck. That didn’t sound like an easy situation. Anyway, do you have any questions for me?”

“Reinforcements?” Noah asked. “How do we get some if we need them?”

“You’ll mostly be on your own,” Alexander said. “There’s no way we can get anyone to you in sufficient time to help. But we do have a couple buoys on board the battleships. Once you’re in position, you can deploy one to get word back to Gold Empire space. Let us know how things are going and… well, if you need to retreat.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. Thank you, sir.” Noah paused. “One last thing, not related to the op. Do you know what’s happened to Whitaker?”

“Hasn’t shown his face, I’m afraid. We’ve got an APB out for him. Any military personnel, any security or militia that locates him is to place him under arrest. We’re assuming he won’t surface for a while though. Probably hoping the heat will die down to give him a chance to weasel his way into some situation or other.”

“Understood.” Noah stood. “Alright, I’ll be ready to receive Harcourt and Trenik. Talk to you soon and good luck with your side of things. I know you wanted to come with us.”

“Alden and I both did. We’ve spoken to our respective governments and decided against it. I know you understand. I wish I could make it easier for everyone else to do the same.”

“Anyone with sense knows you shouldn’t be out there,” Noah replied. “Alright, talk to you when we get back. With good news, I’m sure.”

“I have the utmost faith, Noah. Godspeed.”

Noah clicked over to Nina. “Commander, we’re about to receive a shuttle. I need them brought to the bridge right away. Have Erica set a course to the following coordinates.” He dialed them in to her. “Once our new passengers are aboard and everything’s locked down, we’ll be departing.”

“Is this it, sir?” Nina asked. “Are we on our way into the fight?”

“Soon. A quick stop to meet up with our allies, a little diagnostic analysis…then it’s the endgame.”

“Their homeworld?”

“Indeed, Commander.” Noah turned to look out the window. “We’ll take this fight directly to their doorstep.”

And God willing, we’ll put an end to this nonsense once and for all.

***

Vic disembarked through an airlock into space. He immediately regretted his decision. The maneuvering pack they had available on The Pegasus had to be a decade old. When he pressed the thruster to give himself a little boost, it didn’t work initially. Panic seized his heart until the damn thing vibrated, compelling him forward.

I’m going to slap the shit out of Borden when this is over. The station was only two hundred yards away. It might as well have been a hundred miles. Even with the pack giving him some decent thrust, he still felt dreadfully slow… until the wall was less than two hundred feet away when it suddenly seemed to come up really fast.

Okay, so it’s been a few years since I’ve done any zero-gravity work. He turned, firing the thrusters hard to slow down. Vic gritted his teeth, closing his eyes in anticipation of slamming into the station. After a few minutes, it hadn’t happened. He looked around… found himself floating in place.