That’s the part I like least. Not knowing.
“They’re on their way now,” Kivda replied, “I’ll come to the bridge. I want to see these newcomers up close.”
“By all means.” Renz killed the connection. The people he sends better get me my prisoners though, or he’ll have much to answer for. The ship’s engines powered on, pulling them from orbit. Alright, Captain. Show me what you’ve brought to the fight. Hollow words and bravado? Or something to worry about?
A new player had entered the galactic arena. It was time to see how much glory their deaths would bring.
***
“Did we get an ETA on the Brekka?” Titus asked.
“Still trying to get through,” Violet replied. “I’m not seeing interference. Just… I’m not getting a response.”
“Does that mean something?” Rhys asked. “We’ve always had trouble communicating while at warp. I’m kind of guessing that it’s worse when you’re talking about the kind of speed we’re dealing with here. Surely, it has to produce more radiation… more chance for interference all around. Right?”
“Boosted transmitters,” Violet said. “I’m not sure what’s going on here. The enemy ship has yet to jam us. I’m working on it right now. As far as scans go for the people, that’s going to be a lot trickier I’m afraid. That’s some serious interference and definitely more than even upgraded sensors can get through.”
“That’s good news for the people down there,” Rhys said, “depending on how long they’ve been waiting for help, the enemy shouldn’t be able to detect them either. If they know what they’re doing, they might avoid detection for a while. Speaking of which, do we have any idea who we’re looking for?”
Violet tapped her console. “On the screen there. We’re looking for Kyle Burgess, age thirty-one.” The picture came up on the screen. Brown hair, blue eyes, beard. The vitals stated he was six feet tall. Former military sergeant. Attended university to become an archaeologist. “And here’s his partner.”
Lysa Vanden, thirty years old and standing five-nine with dusty blonde hair and green eyes. She was also a sergeant. She had two degrees in archaeology and computer science. Titus figured their military records would show they were more than capable of taking care of themselves in the field.
Titus said, “It’s unlikely these two would ask for help if they didn’t need it. Rhys, deploy our people. Then take a moment to look over the records of Mister Burgess and Ms. Vanden. I’d like to know their areas of expertise.” He returned to his chair. “Violet, the second we hear from the Brekka, let me know. Open a frequency to the general.”
The image of the man appeared again. He scowled. “I trust you’ve come to your senses and do not wish to push for a fight.”
“Actually, we’re going to save our people, General. If you stand in our way, we’ll take whatever measures are necessary to defend ourselves. The choice is yours of what happens next, but as this does not have to be an incident, I request again that you stand down. Allow us to gather our people and everyone can go in peace.”
“Battle it is, Captain.” Renz smirked. “Work for your lives. I want the glory of this kill to be worth something.” The screen flickered back to the regular view.
“They look a lot like us,” Rhys said. “Hardly different at all. How… how’s that possible?”
Titus replied, “The Prytins talked about planets being seeded. Though it’s likely the Kahls themselves come from a different origin. One close to us but… well… that doesn’t matter now. We’ll discuss it later. Weapons hot, Ronin. Jane, give me a time to target. We need to distract them from our shuttle.”
“Yes, sir. We can be in range with our weapons inside twenty seconds.”
“Excellent.” This is payback for what you did before. “You may fire when ready.”
***
Alon Dess sat on the shuttle in preparation for the descent to the planet’s surface. He hadn’t anticipated real action, not like this. After escaping the Kahls the first time, he desperately wanted to get away. Find a planet far from any sort of action but practicality kept him on the Triton.
If we don’t find a way to stop them, they’ll sweep through our planets anyway. And I won’t be in any position to stop them. Alon felt guilty about the losses of his colony every single day. He struggled with the idea he should’ve thought of something. His bravery in saving Gunny and Hans bought him a ride in the military.
But watching his people die at the hands of the Kahl made him feel like a coward.
I wonder how many of the people would’ve died in an effort to escape. He thought about trying to get in the bunker. Maybe one or two would’ve made it. That wasn’t my fault. He tried to tell himself that but it rarely helped. Part of the problem came down to the fact he couldn’t talk about his issues with anyone.
Not even a psychiatrist. Any records might be turned over to the military and he didn’t want to find himself thrown out. He had to redeem himself somehow. Whether that meant dying a glorious death with other men or helping to preserve their civilization, he didn’t necessarily care.
Well… the death part isn’t really on the menu.
Gunny stepped aboard, moving to the pilot’s area. The others sat amongst him, men he befriended over the past two months. They were chattering about the mission, excited to try their new toys on live targets. Alon couldn’t get behind that sort of feeling. Not after he’d seen the Kahls in action once.
The two new people sat next to him. He hadn’t met them yet. “Hi.” He extended his hand. “I’m Alon Dess. Sergeant Dess.”
“Corporal Martin Tiller,” the young man said while shaking his hand. “This is Corporal Vesper Williams. You been
