Fall of Icarus

middle. Slowly, that too faded away, leaving Keryn looking at a horseshoe shaped conference desk, behind which six wizened and cloaked figures stared back at her.

“Hello, Commander Riddell,” the elderly Wyndgaart High Councilmember said. “We have a special mission for you…”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The stage at the front of the auditorium had been converted until it was nearly unrecognizable. A large cylindrical container sat on one end, a series of cables and wires running from it before disappearing behind the thick curtains on either wing of the stage. A series of test tubes and small medical instruments lined tables that had been prepositioned along the back wall. On the far right of the stage, a surprisingly empty table stood, a lonely piece of furniture amongst the bustle of the rest of the stage.

Yen, Adam, and Penchant took their seats in the front of the auditorium, with a clear view of the displayed science experiment. Yen was honestly surprised from his trip through the halls of the Revolution. In remarkable time, less than a week, the shipyard had repaired the majority of damage the Cruiser had sustained during the war. Though there were still entire hallways marked as off limits to non-essential personnel, the ship no longer appeared in distress as it had when it first made dock at the space station.

Looking over his shoulder, Yen watched the lines of recalled Fleet personnel filter into the auditorium, but he didn’t spot Keryn among them. Other familiar faces caught his eye as they entered, both previous friends from the Revolution and some newcomers, Iana included. As the crowd began to thin, the last of the people entering the auditorium and finding their seats, Yen began wondering if Keryn would arrive for this meeting at all. When he had just about given up hope of seeing her, he was stunned to see a ghostly figure enter the room. The Uligart male frowned at the gathered crowd as he searched for a seat. Turning back around, Yen slumped heavily into his seat.

“What’s gotten into you?” Adam asked from beside him.

Yen nodded toward the back of the room. “It’s Buren,” he said, still surprised.

Adam turned quickly to look and Yen could hear the Pilgrim’s breath get caught in his throat. “I thought he got out of the service.”

Yen turned around as well, looking again at the stern-looking Uligart. “I did too. Hell, we all almost did after Purseus II. You think it’s just a coincidence he’s on board?”

“Not in a million years,” Adam replied. “Though I don’t like the idea of the three of us being back together.”

Yen felt the bad blood shared between them and the Uligart standing at the doorway to the auditorium. Buren, Adam, and Yen had been the only survivors of the slaughter on Purseus II, the same battle during which Keryn’s brother had died. The three survivors had flown together for months in the cramped confines of the Cair Ilmun before being rescued. Buren had been in shock, barely speaking or interacting with the other two. When they were finally rescued, while Yen and Adam recounted their story to a multitude of ranking officials, Buren had been quietly whisked away. Diagnosed with a severe post-traumatic stress disorder, Buren was admitted to a hospital. He should have been kicked from the service, Yen thought sourly. Instead, Buren stood proudly in the back of the auditorium, in full military regalia. On the shoulders of his uniform shone the brass rank of Magistrate. Despite his medical condition and inpatient care at a hospital, he had been inexplicably promoted to the rank of an officer. It was too convenient to be a coincidence.

Their pondering was interrupted as Captain Hodge climbed the steps leading to the stage. A general hush fell over the crowd as she stepped gingerly over the multitude of wires that coated the stage’s floor. She walked to the center of the stage before turning to address the crowd.

“I’m sorry to have pulled you all from your shore leave. Rest assured, I wouldn’t have done so if I didn’t have a very good reason. By now you’ve all heard the message from the High Council. It’s been decided that the Alliance will go on the offensive against the Terran Empire. For those of you who were engaged in the last battle, you’ve surely asked the same question of yourself that I have many times: how much more aggressive than the last battle do they expect us to be?”

A light laughter filled the room, though it was heavy with nervousness and sadness at the memory of the Fleet engagement.

“I joke, but the truth of the situation is staggering. Before this meeting began, I received a classified communication from the High Council, laying out their plan of attack against the Terran Empire. When they say that we are going on the offensive, they truly weren’t kidding.

“I’ll be honest with you all. The Revolution was the least damaged Cruiser in the Fleet following the last battle, and we are still a few weeks away from completing repairs. Other ships have received just enough repairs to remain space worthy. But our time is short; so short, in fact, that we don’t have time to wait for the rest of the repairs before we begin flying toward our target. The remaining repairs will be conducted in midflight.”

Captain Hodge tapped a series of buttons on the console imbedded in the podium. The lights in the auditorium dimmed and a holographic representation of Empire-occupied space appeared.

“Earlier this week, we received information that a massive Terran Fleet had left orbit around the Empire’s home world of Earth.” Small red dots appeared in the hologram, showing the large Fleet heading toward the Demilitarized Zone. “Based off our most recent battle, it is safe to assume that the Terran Fleet is heading toward Alliance space with the intent of conducting a full-fledged assault on our strongholds along this side of the Demilitarized Zone. From their angle of advance, the border stations near the Indara Nebula will be the first to fall. If not stopped, the Fleet will continue its advance until it reaches more inhabited planets.”

The Captain’s voice dropped, though it still carried through the room. “I don’t think I need to remind you of what happened during the Great War. If the Empire still has access to any Planet Killer weapons, then everyone we know could be in danger.”

“So we’re going to face the full Terran Fleet?” Yen asked loudly, his voice cutting through the silence in the room. “With a third of our ships damaged, we’re going to face a Fleet that has numerical advantage?”

Captain Hodge smiled. “No, Magistrate Xiao. We are not going to attack the Fleet. The first thing I told you was that the Terran Fleet had left orbit around Earth. They left their home world defenseless. We’re taking the war to Earth!”

Stunned chatter erupted throughout the room. Penchant and Adam both leaned in and the three talked amongst themselves, echoing the sentiments of those seated around them.

“This is suicide,” Penchant growled. “The defense grid around Earth would decimate the Fleet as soon as we got in range.”

“Something tells me that the Terrans would be ready for something like this,” Adam added. “They wouldn’t just leave Earth defenseless.”

Yen sat in silence, trying to block out everyone’s panicked conversations. There was something they were all missing, and Yen was patient enough to wait to find out what it was.

“Silence!” Captain Hodge yelled, her voice cutting through the conversations. As everyone turned back toward her, they found the Avalon glowering at them, her face flushed with anger. “Do you honestly think that the High Council doesn’t know about the Terran defenses around Earth? Do you truly believe that they would knowingly send us all to our deaths without any sort of defenses of our own? Don’t be fools!”

Taking a deep breath, Captain Hodge continued. “You’ve all heard the rumors of Earth’s defenses.” Pushing a control on the console, the holographic image changed to that of a blue-green planet. Around it, floating in a synchronous orbit, small metallic satellites could be seen. Their orbits ensured complete coverage above the atmosphere of Earth. “The fact is, they’re true. The Terrans do have a satellite system in place capable of annihilating our Alliance Cruisers. But there’s a plan to get around their defenses. To explain it further, I’d like to introduce Doctor Birand, a representative of the High Council.”

A rail-thin Uligart took the stage, looking fragile in his oversized laboratory coat. A general hush fell over the audience as they watched the nervous man run a hand through his thinning hair and push his glasses up further on