A Show of Force (45 page)

“This was a really bad plan,” Jessica mumbled. She looked at Kata. “Okay, I may have been wrong a moment ago.” Kata looked at her with confusion. “You know, about the dying part?”

The sound of weapons fire suddenly increased, albeit somewhat muffled, as if from deeper in the corridor beyond the doorway. The Jung soldiers came pouring into the studio, despite the hail of energy weapons fire coming from Gerard and his cohort on either side of the studio.

“Damned if I’m gonna die hiding behind a desk!” Jessica said as she rose to her feet and opened fire.

The room was full of Jung, perhaps twenty in total, rushing in all directions. Three of them were charging toward Jessica. She shot the first one square in the chest, then another shot in the face, causing him to tumble forward. More energy weapons fire streaked in from behind the charging Jung soldiers, but it was of a different color… more of an amber than the bright red of the Jung weapons.

Jessica fired again, striking another Jung soldier in the shoulder and sending him spinning around and falling to her right. Her third shot missed a Jung soldier charging toward her. He jumped up onto the electronics cabinet that she had knocked over in front of the desk, then onto the shattered desktop, jumping forward toward Jessica.

Jessica swung her rifle around, striking the diving Jung soldier in the face with the butt of the weapon as she twisted to her right to avoid his attack. The soldier fell past her, crashing through the burning back set wall. Another Jung soldier jumped up over the desk in the same fashion. Jessica spun back around just as the soldier slammed into her, knocking her backward. There was a sudden, intense sensation of heat as they fell backward, followed by the smell of burning flesh. They landed on top of the first Jung soldier as he tried to get back to his feet. Jessica pushed the second soldier off of her, rolling him to one side. Then she felt herself being heaved upward, rolling off the soldier she was lying on top of to the opposite side and landing face down among bits of smoldering scenery, with flames burning all around. She scrambled to her feet, but was instantly caught by one of the soldiers, his arm around her neck. She heard a nearby sound, and instantly recognized it as the sound of a knife being pulled from its sheath. She tried to jam her free elbow into the soldier’s side, but his body armor protected him. She was trapped.

There was a sudden, sickening sound. A gurgling of something, and then a slicing sound. The man on top of her tensed up. She wondered for a moment if her adrenaline was masking the pain of being sliced open from behind. Had she been stabbed in the back? Had her throat been sliced open? Would her death be pain free, or would the pain suddenly wash over her as the adrenalin drained from her body along with her blood?

The soldier’s grip around her neck loosened. A moment later, he was no longer on top of her. There was still the sound of sporadic weapons fire, as well as the sound of hand-to-hand combat.

I’m not dead.

Jessica jumped back to her feet, spinning around to face her next attacker. Instead, standing before her was Commander Telles. “Ha!” she laughed. “Thanks.”

“You are quite welcome.” Telles looked at her shoulder. “I believe you are on fire.”

Jessica looked to her right and saw that her jacket was smoldering. “Right,” she replied as she removed the garment. “What took you so long?”

“We were a little busy.”

“I take it you got my message?”

“Indeed. The Aurora has been notified.”

“Then they’re alright? Where are the battleships now?”

“They are in very low orbit over Kohara,” Telles explained. “They are currently making our job quite difficult.” Telles tapped his comm-set. “Aurora, Telles. We have Lieutenant Commander Nash.”

“
Telles, Aurora. Copy you have Nash. Be advised, Tango Zulu, ten mikes.
”

“What the hell is Tango Zulu?” Jessica wondered.

“Current code name for a KKV strike.”

“At targets in low orbit?” Jessica said. “Isn’t that a bit risky?”

“I’m sure command has considered the risks,” Commander Telles said.

“
Telles, Jumper Nine. We’re over you now. Jumper Twelve is thirty seconds out. Trooper Four is two out. Be advised, you have a Jung column inbound from the east. Estimate their arrival in five minutes.
”

“Nine, Telles. Copy. Do we have any Falcons coming?”

“
Telles, Falcon Four, we’ll be on them in two minutes,
” Loki’s voice reported.

“Falcon Four, Telles, copy that.” Telles turned to Jessica. “We should prepare to leave. The extrication shuttle will be here shortly.”

“What did you mean?” Kata wondered as she got up off the floor. “What risk? To who? To Kohara?”

“The risk is minimal,” Commander Telles insisted.

“Then why did that guy need to warn you about it?”

“In case something unforeseen was to take place, it is better to be…”

“What do you mean, unforeseen?”

“Look, Kata,” Jessica interrupted. “The only way for us to defeat assets like battleships and battle platforms is to hit them with FTL kinetic kill vehicles. Usually we target ships when they are nowhere near a planet; that way we can strike at a ninety degree angle. Makes for an easier to hit target. But the Jung know that, and are using your planet as a shield.”

“Then the risk must be great,” Kata concluded. “Otherwise they’d have no reason to believe that strategy would work, right?”

“We’ll try to strike at a safe angle,” Jessica assured her.

“What gives you people the right to do such things?” she asked, becoming infuriated.

“Look, we didn’t start this fight,” Jessica said, “but we’re damned sure going to finish it.”

“At what cost?” Kata demanded. “How many worlds have you destroyed? How many more must die to save Earth?”

“It is not about saving Earth,” Commander Telles said, interrupting the young woman. “It is about saving all worlds. Those in the Sol sector, those in the Pentaurus sector, and all the lost colonies of Earth that the Jung will eventually find and conquer, for it is only a matter of time before they too acquire jump drive technology. Once they do, there will be no stopping them.” Commander Telles looked her with his usual serious expression. “Now, you can either help us, or stand aside. However, if you attempt to impede us, I shall kill you, without hesitation or remorse.”

Kata looked at Telles for a moment, then looked at Jessica.

“I wouldn’t test him if I were you.”

Kata looked at Commander Telles again. “Can we at least warn people?”

“Not without tipping our hand to the Jung,” Jessica said.

“What?” Kata asked.

“Revealing our plan,” Jessica explained.

“Can’t we just tell them to take cover, that it’s too dangerous outside. Go underground, or something like that? You don’t have to tell them how or why, not even when. Just find someplace safe and hide.”

Telles shrugged.

“I don’t know,” Jessica said. “I think I may have broken some of your stuff.” Jessica pointed at the electronics cabinet lying on its side, covered with scorch marks from Jung weapons fire.

“All we need is one camera,” Kata explained. “Even a portable field camera will do. Then we upload it and transmit on a loop, just like we did with yours.”

Jessica looked at Telles. “What do you think?”

“As long as no details are revealed.”

“I think she’d be a better choice,” Jessica said, looking t Kata. “After all, my Cetian isn’t that great.”

“She’s right,” Kata said. “The people know me. They trust me. We’re the highest-rated news service in the system.”

Commander Telles did not look pleased. “Very well, but I warn you. Attempt to deceive me, or in any way warn the Jung of our intentions, and you
will
die.”

She watched as Telles walked away, barking orders at some of his men.

“Where did you find that guy?” Kata asked.

“Deep freeze,” Jessica said, “or so I’m told.”

The interceptor’s canopy went from opaque gray to clear, revealing the evening sky over Cetia again.

“Left ten and down twenty,” Loki instructed.

“Taking it down to the streets,” Josh replied as he brought the Falcon slightly left and dropped their nose to descend.

“Convoy, two kilometers ahead. Count four vehicles.”

“I’ve got cannons, you’ve got the turret?” Josh assumed.

“Works for me.”

“I’ll set them up, and you knock them off.”

The Falcon dove down between the buildings, lining up with the wide boulevard.

“One kilometer, five seconds,” Loki announced.

Energy weapons fire from a turret on top of one of the vehicles began firing, sending red streaks of energy toward them.

“Are you kidding me?” Josh said as he squeezed the trigger on his control stick. Bursts of red-orange plasma shot out of the Falcon’s wing-mounted cannons, slamming into the street in front of the approaching convoy. The street exploded, sending chunks of asphalt in all directions and forcing the convoy to come to a screeching halt.

Loki drew a circle with his finger on the target display, encompassing all five elements in the convoy, then locked the turret onto the group. “Targets locked, turret is tracking.” He pressed the auto-fire button. “Firing.”

The turret began sending a steady barrage of energy bolts into the targets, adjusting its track to compensate for the interceptor’s movement, while switching between each element of the convoy to put an equal number of hits on each one. It continued tracking as the Falcon flew overhead, finally ceasing fire as soon as they passed and the turret no longer had a clear line of fire.

Loki switched to the rear targeting cameras and zoomed in. “Target destroyed.”

“Next target?” Josh asked.

“Are you kidding?” Loki asked, looking at the threat display. There were at least fifty icons representing Jung fighters on his display, at various locations and altitudes. “Take your pick.”

“What’s nearest?”

Loki looked at the display again. “There’s a four-group element about one hundred kilometers to the west, at seven thousand. Course indicates they’re headed this way.”

“Are they headed for Telles?”

“How am I supposed to tell at that range?”

“Anything local?”

“Two Jung combat shuttles, two two zero, five kilometers, at two hundred meters,” Loki replied. “How about we take them with missiles, then jump out to engage the fighters?”

“Sounds good,” Josh replied. “Turning to two two zero.”

“Locking missiles on targets,” Loki replied. “Opening bay doors. Good locks. Firing.”

Two missiles fell from the Falcon’s belly, their engines igniting a second later.

Josh glanced outside as the two missiles streaked away. “Good launch. New heading?”

“One five seven, up four.”

“One five seven, up four,” Josh replied, turning back to the right and pitching up.

“Jumping in five seconds,” Loki said.

“Jump, shoot, jump, then jump back again?”

“That’s the plan,” Loki replied as the canopy turned opaque again. Loki watched his threat display repaint, all the icons suddenly shifting to new positions as they came out of the jump and the canopy turned clear again. “Targets, dead ahead, four kilometers and closing fast, slightly below. Pitch down and take them from above.”

“Pitching down to attack,” Josh replied.

“Two kilometers,” Loki warned. “Two are peeling off to our right, the lead two still on course. One kilometer.”

“You take the two peeling off, and I’ll take the two in front,” Josh said, squeezing the cannon trigger again.

Red-orange balls of plasma left the wing cannons again, streaking across the sky and slamming into the first Jung fighter. The second fighter rolled to his right and dove, evading the incoming fire.

“Got one,” Josh announced.

“Got two,” Loki replied.

“Can you tag him with a chaser?”

“I can sure try,” Loki replied as he opened their bay doors again. “Target locked. Arming chaser. Launching.”

Another missile dropped out of the bay. Its engine lit up, and the missile immediately dove and turned to the left, executing a quick U-turn to pursue the evading Jung fighter.

“Come to three zero five and down five,” Loki instructed.

“Three zero five, down five,” Josh replied.

“Jumper Nine, Falcon Four, immediate threats cleared. On cover in ten seconds.”

“What are you trying to do, jinx us?” Josh asked.

“
Falcon Four, Jumper Nine. Copy that. Extrication in two.
”

Loki watched as the icon representing the fleeing Jung fighter flashed several times then disappeared from his display. “Love those chasers,” he said as he checked their course and pitch angles, and then pressed the jump button.

Naralena continued to flip from one feed to another in her room. She stopped suddenly when she recognized the newscaster as the same one who had been on the air when Jessica had taken control of the studio.

“…learned that the invading forces claim to be liberators from Earth…”

“Oh, my God,” she exclaimed, noticing the condition of the anchor desk and the set wall behind her.

“…
are not infected with the bio-digital plague, and claim that the plague died out on their world more than nine hundred years ago. They call themselves the Alliance, and are composed of several different worlds from all over the Sol sector and far beyond. They have no desire to rule our system or any other. They promise to return control of our worlds to us after they have removed all Jung forces from our system. The Alliance is urging all Cetians to take shelter, preferably underground if possible, until the conflict is over. Do not engage the Alliance, not even to help them, as they cannot distinguish friend from foe. Anyone carrying a weapon will be killed without delay, so please, do not arm yourselves. Stay hidden, stay out of the way, and stay safe. Again, this reporter has learned that the invading forces claim to be liberators from…
”