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  Letsego gritted his teeth. “Listen, sergeant. For your own sake I recommend you get on your comm unit and double check. Tell them Staff Sergeant Letsego and Captain Carpenter are here.”

  The sergeant was still doubtful, but slowly he turned and nodded to the other Peacekeeper. The junior man pulled out his comm handset. Thirty seconds later the COC door hissed opened.

  “You’re cleared to enter gentlemen.”

  Letsego gave the sergeant a nod and hustled in.

  The COC was a large room with vid screens covering the upper walls and ceiling. All of the feeds showed different views of the space around Defiance. Along the perimeter of the room sat Peacekeepers at consoles gathering, processing, and delivering battlespace information.

  “Put that up on the main screen.” Commodore Long was standing at the center of the room, her hands clasped behind her back. “Zoom in… ok. How many ships is that?”

  “Seven, ma’am,” a captain said from his console. “That makes twenty three total.”

  Letsego and Carpenter approached the commander.

  “Nice of you to join us gentlemen,” she said, not taking her eyes off of the screen. “I was hoping you would show up. Six ships dropped into our sector ten minutes ago. Since then there have been two more waves and I’m guessing more on their way.”

  “Federation ships, ma’am?” Letsego asked.

  “Mostly, but a handful have markings we can’t identify.”

  Carpenter cut in. “Black Crescent?”

  Long nodded. “Probably. None of them are advancing. They are just waiting at the far edge of our sensor range.” She turned to Major Hastings, who was leaning over a specialists console. “Is that still holding true?”

  “Yes, ma’am. No movement. And they still aren’t responding to our hails.”

  “Have Astro and Epsilon groups move into blocking positions in sectors twenty three through fifty. Bravo group stays in reserve.”

  “Aye, ma’am.”

  A console alarm went off. “Ma’am,” the sensor officer reported, “five more ships just dropped. They’re moving into formation with the others.”

  “Very well.”

  Letsego observed the action on the screen with amazed terror. “How did they get here so quickly?” he asked to no one in particular.

  “I don’t know,” Long replied. “If this turns into a shooting war I want you both here. You’ve seen firsthand what this weaponry can do. Maybe we can spot it before it’s employed.”

  “He’s the intelligence operative,” Carpenter said. “I’m just a lowly smuggler.”

  “Nevertheless, both of your expertise will be useful before the battle is over.” She spoke with confidence that this confrontation was going to turn into the Battle of Prospect.

  “Very well, ma’am,” Letsego said. “We’ll be here if you need us.”

  The communications officer cut in. “Ma’am, we’ve got an incoming transmission from the Federation.”

  “Put it up on the screen,” she directed. Soon, the image of a man in a maroon uniform with a pencil thin mustache filled the display. Long spoke first. “This is Commodore Andrea Long, Acting Commander of the Tango Fleet. Who am I speaking with?”

  The man spoke with a subtle Siberian accent. “I am Fleet Admiral Akim Hashemi, Commander of the Asiatic Federation’s First and Sixth Fleet. I am acting on behalf of Prime Minister Chen.”

  “Admiral, you are hereby advised that you are entering UNEC space with what looks to be hostile warships. Either vacate the sector or I will be required to remove you by force.”

  A thin smile crept across Akim’s face. “Commodore, you are in no position to give orders here. Your fleet is no match for the firepower I can bring to bear.” Commodore Long’s face betrayed nothing. “Here is my proposal. The Federation has found it necessary to secure Prospect for interests of national security. Prime Minister Chen wishes to do so with no bloodshed. But if you choose to resist us, we will have no choice but to destroy you.

  “Yield now. If you do, I promise none of your people will be harmed. All Peacekeepers currently planetside will be allowed to depart the planet with your fleet, along with any civilians that so choose.”

  “Prospect is governed under the authority of the PDP,” Long countered. “No sovereign nation may control territory on it.”

  “The Federation no longer recognizes the legitimacy of the PDP.” The admiral sighed. “You have heard my terms, commodore. What is your decision?”

  Commodore Long didn’t hesitate. “Admiral, if the Federation wishes to seize Prospect, they are welcome to try. But the Peacekeepers will not stand idly by and watch.” She nodded to communications officer. “Kill it.” Instantly the transmission cut out.

  Major Hastings tried to reason with her. “Ma’am, there is no way we can hold them off. Their fleet is too large.”

  “We have to try, Mr. Hastings. That is our responsibility. Set up an All Fleet broadcast.”

  With reservation, the man nodded. The communications officer produced a handset. “You’re live, commodore.”

  She took the device and keyed it on. “Peacekeepers of Tango Fleet,” her voice boomed through the COC, and all the other Peacekeeper vessels. “This is Commodore Long. If you have not heard yet, the Federation fleet just dropped into our sector. The Federation wishes to take Prospect. They have given me the choice of surrender. The choice to turn the Rock over to them and withdraw all forces. For the sake of the Peacekeepers and humanity I cannot do that. Prospect is more than we ever thought it was, and I am willing to give my life to keep it out of Federation control.

  “I know I am asking much of all of you, and undoubtedly all of some of you. Why should you defend this mound of dust at the ass end of the galaxy? I cannot tell you that. But I can tell you that a victory here will ensure safety for your children and your children’s children for years to come. A defeat threatens to tear apart everything the Peacekeepers have ever built. We cannot fail. I will not let us fail. Ad Astra Per Aspera. God speed. Prepare for battle.”

  The atmosphere was electric in the COC. Letsego watched the Peacekeepers all around him turned back to their stations, intent on the task at hand. It was silent. The calm before the storm. Commodore Long let out a deep breath.

  “Staff sergeant, do you believe in luck?” she asked him.

  Letsego shook his head. “No, ma’am.”

  “That’s too bad. We could use some right about now.”

  The next impact sent David flying across the COC, sliding into a power console. As he pulled himself up the console sparked. He winced but wasn’t surprised. Defiance was starting to come apart at the seams.

  “Ma’am, topside shields are critical,” an officer reported.

  “Roll us over. Get our belly between us and those interdictors.” Commodore Long stood ridged at her post, unfazed by the chaos around her.

  All things considered, Tango Fleet was holding its own. No Titan weapons had been brought to bear yet. Maybe Mr. Black had been lying. Maybe there were no alien weapons designed for space combat. The Federation and Crescent fleet was now eight warships lighter, the destroyed or disable hulks now floating through space. And for that the Peacekeepers had only sacrificed three ships. Despite the small victory, they were still outnumbered three to one.

  David marched back to his place behind the con. This time he braced himself more carefully.

  “Deploy the reserve fighters,” Long continued to direct. “I want them to neutralize those interdictors.”

  “Ma’am,” Hastings reported. “Incoming call from the Aurora.”

  “Patch me through.” She walked to a comm station and picked up the handset. “How are you doing, Colonel Beal?”

  The speakers crackled back. “Our shields are holding, ma’am. We have destroyed what looks like two raider warships- transports heavily modified for combat. These pirates are using strange tactics. Their gunboats, they aren’t firing. They
’re trying to ram us. We actually had one affix itself to the hull and start cutting through.”

  “Did they get through?”

  He shook his head. “No, our fighters cleared it off. Why would they want to board us?”

  “I don’t know.” She pondered the question for a moment. “Thank you for the update, colonel. Keep me posted.” She killed the link. “Mr. Hastings, have there been any other reports of raiders trying to board our ships?”

  “A few, ma’am. But they’ve all been thwarted.”

  David mulled this tactic over in his head. Why would raiders worry about capturing a ship in the middle of a battle? It was much easier to destroy the ship. Unless…

  “Commodore.”

  Long looked over at him. “What is it, Mr. Carpenter?”

  “I have a theory for why the raiders are trying to board us.”

  “And?”

  “They aren’t trying to board; they’re trying to destroy the ships.”

  “They could do that a lot easier with missiles and cannons.”

  “Not if they are trying to use Titan weapons.”

  Letsego interjected. “Windcorp said that they had tested space to space versions. Why aren’t we seeing those?”

  “Maybe the Federation doesn’t have them. They might not have been in the shipment.”

  “Then what are they trying to do?” Long asked.

  “The hull’s insulated, so the raiders have to cut through for the weapons to have full effect. But once in, one of those Titan grenades could take out an entire ship.”

  For the first time, David saw hints of terror on Commodore Long’s face. “Mr. Hastings, get a message to all ships. Under no means are these gunboats to be allowed to cut through one of my ships’ hulls.”

  “Ma’am,” the major stood up from the console he was working at. “You’re gonna want to see this.”

  He put a feed up on the main screen. It was of the Aurora. David could clearly see another gunboat affixed to the ship’s hull. As the feed drew the attention of everyone in the COC, the gunship detached, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the larger ship.

  “No,” Letsego breathed.

  As the words left his mouth, there was a puff of red on the screen which seemed to reach to every edge of the Aurora.

  “Get me Colonel Beal. Right now.”

  Hastings reached for the nearest comm unit. “It’s no use, ma’am. I can’t raise him.”

  “Anyone. Get me anyone who is on the Aurora.” There was intensity in her voice.

  David spoke up. “Ma’am, I sorry. But from what we know, there is no living soul still aboard that ship.”

  Long shot him a dirty look, but as she came to the same realization, that look was replaced by the hard determined look that had spurred her forces into action. “Very well.

  “Mr. Hastings, pass word to all ships about this threat. I will not have this happen again.”

  The battle continued. The ship captains kept their fighters close to repel the parasitic gunboats. But the Peacekeeper numbers continued to dwindle, and now at a faster rate than before. The fleet was cut in half- there were only three interdictors and three cruisers left- when the commodore made the call.

  “All Sierras, break contact,” she announced over the all-fleet. “Withdraw to sector one nine and set up a defensive perimeter around the Skylift.”

  “What are we doing, ma’am?” Hastings asked.

  “Buying time, and evacuating the Skylift. I am not leaving those people here.”

  Letsego approached her. “Ma’am, you can’t be thinking about running. There is too much at stake here.”

  “Part of being a commander is knowing when you’ve lost. We’ve lost, staff sergeant,” she said simply. “Now it’s time to get our people out of here and live to fight another day.”

  “You’re going to let the Federation take the planet?” David said.

  “We will come back. After the Skylift is evac’d, I will leave a contingent of covert ops types to pave the way for the fleet’s second coming. Gentlemen, the battle is over but the war has just begun.”

  David did not like giving up so easily. But this was her fleet, her people. There was nothing he could do.

  At that moment the sensor office sprinted over to the commodore. “Ma’am, there are gunships closing in on the Skylift.”

  “How far out?”

  “A couple hundred klicks.” The fury in Long’s eyes told the officer what the next question was going to be. “They slipped passed our sensors. We only saw them when we came about to break contact.”

  “Who’s closest?”

  “We are, ma’am. Nine hundred klicks.”

  She turned to Hastings. “Put all power into the engines. Have the other ships cover our six. We need to stop those gunboats before they take down the Skylift and everyone on it.”

  David leaned forward as Defiance’s engines red lined. It was a race now, and if they lost a lot of people were going to die.

  “Skylift is engaging the bogies,” announced the sensor officer. It didn’t matter. The station was only lightly armed with a few rail guns.

  “How long until we are in range?” Long demanded.

  “Fifty seconds.” A moment later he reported, “Two bogies made it. They are cutting through the hull.”

  The seconds ticked by. David watch on the screen as the two gunboats cut into the hull of the Skylift’s shipping terminal, feeling helpless.

  “Range!”

  The sensor officer gulped. “Ten seconds.”

  Then David watched as the gunships detached.

  “Shit.”

  The red signature of Titan weapons exploded in the openings in the hull. The Rockworm spread quickly, and this time it was not contained by the vacuum of space. The red hue engulfed the entirety of the Skylift and raced down the stem to the surface of Prospect. Even from orbit, David could see the evil substance at work pacifying Skylift Base and parts of Mandell City.

  As the rest of the COC was debilitated by the spectacle, Commodore Long turned to Major Hastings.

  “Broadcast to all ships, we are executing a full withdrawal. Have them plot their launch points and get the hell out of here. We will rendezvous at Corsica.”

  Hastings hardly heard her command. “Aye, ma’am,” he responded lifelessly.

  Beside David, Letsego stepped forward. “Commodore, I request permission to go planetside.”

  The request caught everyone off guard. “What?” Long said. David was thinking the same thing. Does he have a death wish? The whole planet is about to be crawling with Windcorp and Federation troops.

  “Ma’am, you said your plan was to leave covert forces on the ground via the Skylift so they can prep the battlespace for the fleets return,” Letsego explained. “Well, that’s not possible now. Put me in. I’m an intel operative. Give me a radio and a map and I’ll find out as much as I can about the enemy and report back.”

  The commodore weighed the options. “No, I’m not putting one man down on the surface to die.”

  Thoughts were running through David’s head that he didn’t like, thoughts that did not favor his self preservation. He wanted to fight Windcorp and the Federation, but this was a suicide mission. Still, Alana’s words echoed through his mind.

  Once more into the fray… There was no decision to make.

  “I’ll go with him,” he heard himself say.

  Long shook her head. “With all due respect, Mr. Carpenter, you’re a pilot not a soldier.”

  “I was a Marine before I was a pilot.” He looked at Letsego. “I can watch his ass while he’s down there playing secret squirrel.”

  Letsego gave the smuggler a nod. “We can be your eyes and ears, ma’am.”

  She clearly didn’t like the idea, but there was no time left. “Fine, but like I said, you’re not going alone.” She turned to Hastings. “Alert ICARUs. The alert platoon is going in. Make sure they have
room for two.”

  A sergeant led Carpenter and Letsego through the ship towards the drop bays. They moved at a sprint, knowing that every second they wasted was more time that Commodore Long had to hold off the Federation. Soon they reached a door with ICARUs written above it.

  Impact Combat Assault and Reinforcement Unit. Letsego had heard of them before. These men were the Peacekeepers’ elite shock infantry, dropped into the hairiest of situations and always expected to come out on top.

  An ICARUs corporal in heavy combat armor met them at the door. He didn’t ask who they were. “This way gentlemen. The El-tee’s waiting for you.” He took off at a trot and they followed. He led them into what was label Drop Bay Five. Inside were three dozen large, and heavily armed men, all preparing for battle.

  “So these are our guests,” an ICARUs soldier with officer’s insignia said as he approached the newcomers. “Lieutenant Gnasher, gentlemen. I’m the commander for second platoon.” He extended his hand to both men.

  Just what I need, an officer who is going to throw his weight around. “Staff sergeant Letsego, intelligence,” he said shaking the large man’s hand. “This is Mr. Carpenter.”

  “Commodore Long says you two are in charge of this goat rope,” Gnasher said, observing Letsego’s enlisted rank insignia.

  The operative nodded. “Is that going to be a problem, lieutenant?”

  He grinned and hefted his assault rifle. “Don’t worry, Staff Sergeant. My Death Divers and I are at your command. The ma’am said to give you anything and everything you need. We’re your own little PSD.”

  That eased Letsego’s concerns. “Good, the mission is-”

  “Brief me when we’re planetside, Staff Sergeant. My orders are to get you off this boat ASAP.” Gnasher turned away. “Dingo! Alcaraz! Show these gentlemen to their kits.”

  Letsego and Carpenter were ushered over by two armored soldiers who showed them to their man and a half sized drop mechs. One of the soldiers handed them each a set of powered combat suits. “You’ll need to put this on first, gentlemen.” They did so, stripping out of their clothes and donning the protective armor. “Either of you ever dropped before?”