Far From Home: The Complete Series (20 page)

Greene went to say something but Swogger beat him to it. “Commander, I’m doing this. I just need you to move me over there next to it.”

The seconds ticked on as Greene decided. The sounds on the other side of the far door were getting louder.

He turned to Hawk. “Give me a hand, will you?”

They moved Swogger across to the nuke, and Greene assisted him in getting to the detonation trigger.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said.

“Yes I do,” Swogger said. He offered Greene his hand. They shook.

“You’re a good man, Swogger. I just wish -“

Swogger waved him away. “Get away. You don’t have time. Go on, before I get up and break your jaw again.”

Greene couldn’t help but smile, despite how wrong it felt. “Goodbye Lieutenant.”

They hustled from the reactor chamber as fast as they could, headed straight for the hangar. None of them looked back to catch a last glimpse of Swogger sat nestling a nuclear weapon, with the power of Armageddon at the push of a button.

13.

A commander senses when the chips are down. When the ship is sunk. So, as the
Defiant
launched another volley from its battery guns, Sepix braced himself for the inevitable collision of explosives against hull. He clung to a console as the
Inflictor
shook from side to side.

“Auxiliary power failing,” one his command crew reported in a panicked voice. “Life support is critical.”

It was time to go. Sepix turned to the communications officer.

“I want my yacht ready to leave in five minutes,” he said.

Sepix left the command deck without another word. The ship shook once more as he walked through the labyrinthine corridors that criss-crossed through the huge vessel, and he had to hold the walls on either side to keep his footing.

Soon he was at his own private hangar, which housed the yacht and his personal fighter. The yacht had a dozen or so Draxx fussing over it. The ramp was down, and he started up it when he heard a sound behind him.

He turned.

“General,” Sepix said hurriedly. “Come, we must get away from the -“

Sepix stopped. He looked down. Carn held a blaster in his hand.

He looked up, realisation dawning on his face.

Carn fired once. It struck the Prince in the sternum and knocked him backwards up the ramp.

“What -” he managed to gasp. He held a clawed hand against the open hole in his chest, his vital fluids seeping through his fingers in spurts.

General Carn strode forward, the weapon still raised in front of him.

“There’s only room for one true leader,” he said. He stood directly over Prince Sepix. Carn aimed the blaster down at his face. “Goodbye, your majesty.”

Sepix waved his gore-soaked hands, pleading. “Please, General, you’re making a mistake!”

Again, Carn fired.

The Prince’s head exploded, splattering jellified head matter everywhere. Carn didn’t stay there long enough to admire his handiwork. Within seconds he was on board. Minutes after, the yacht was ready to go.

* * *

The transport thundered into the hangar and clattered down on the deck. The hangar bay doors slammed shut behind them, and the environmental systems worked double time to fill the large space with breathable air again.

“That was rough,” Greene said.

Hawk had already unstrapped himself from the pilot’s seat.

“You try it some time,” Hawk said back. He waited for the pressure lights to signal a go before he opened the hatch. Before Greene could say another word, Hawk was off.

Greene got up, looked over to where Swogger had ridden in the journey across.

“Good luck boy-o,” he said wistfully. He hurried down the ramp.

14.

Ensign Boi turned to face her. “Captain, we have them.”

“Okay you heard the man, Banks, let’s get the hell out of Dodge!” King ordered.

The
Defiant
turned, shaking as Banks brought her up to full thrust. Using the debris as cover, they cut across the front of the
Inflictor
.

Jessica expected enemy fire to come their way, but there was none.

Must be chaos inside that ship,
she thought.

They left the debris field, and the viewscreen changed to show the view from the
Defiant’s
stern. The
Inflictor
shrank as they sped away from it, gaining much-needed distance.

She wondered how much longer they had on the timer before the nuke blew, unaware that as they made their escape, Lieutenant Swogger held all of their lives,
literally
, in his hands.

15.

The power waxed and waned inside the
Inflictor
. There was a small explosion and the Draxx soldiers bundled through, ready for action. They closed in on Swogger with weapons raised, though clearly surprised to find it was only him there and not an entire attack force.

They broke up. Some looked about the circumference of the chamber at the multiple corpses spread eagled on the floor in pools of sticky blood and slumped over their consoles. The others pressed in on him, cautiously.

Swogger tried to warn them off, but they didn’t understand a word. However, when they got closer and saw the detonation trigger he held in his hand, connected to the big nuke in his lap, they understood well enough. The lead Draxx warned them all back, barking orders in the guttural base language of their species. His subordinates fell behind, their visible aggression replaced by uncertainty.

“That’s it. Stay back,” Swogger said, his voice trembling. Only seconds before he was sure they’d rip him apart. In his minds eye he’d seen himself, still alive, his limbs ripped free from his body as he screamed in agony …

The leader watched him intently to see what he would do. Swogger realised that all the time he had the trigger,
he
had control of the situation.

The lead Draxx barked further orders to the others. To Swogger’s surprise they turned and left, fast. The reptile hunkered down in front of Swogger, laid his weapon down on the deck.

The sound of the other Draxx sprinting away outside receded. Swogger wondered if they were headed for escape pods, if the ship even had them.

“I don’t want to do this,” Swogger said. The immensity of what he had to do struck him.

This is where it ends for me,
he thought.

The Draxx cocked his head to one side.

Swogger’s whole body dripped sweat. The wound on his side gushed blood, and he felt weak. Cold. Close to the edge.

His grip loosened about the detonation trigger.

“You don’t understand what I’m saying, do you? But you get what this is. You see what I’ve gotta do,” he said.

An explosion echoed elsewhere in the ship, and the aftershock of a tremor coursed through the deck.

Swogger felt a wave of desperation roll over him. He laughed to himself.

He was dying, his life draining away from the hole in his side. The approximate time of his death a factor that he alone had control of.

It was quiet in the chamber. Human and Draxx faced each other across centuries of war and destruction, united by a mutual understanding of their fate. The Draxx soldier hadn’t run with the others because he knew it was a futile effort.

Even if they did have escape pods, the explosion would take care of them either way.

“You know, we’re not as different as you think,” Swogger said. His voice was weak, fading. “We just wanna live … just like you …”

His grip relaxed. The Draxx remained still.

“I wish … I wish …” he started to say, but his words fell away, forgotten. Perhaps something of his hopes, of his dreams. Of everything he would not get a chance to see, touch, experience. Of a life lived and unlived. Whatever it was, it left him.

He was at peace.

He watched the Draxx soldier close his eyes, in anticipation of the inevitable, and then he did the same.

He wondered absently if he’d feel anything when the nuke blew. If he’d even know when it happened.

“Let’s end this,” he said. Then, before he let go of the trigger completely, with his last ounce of strength and resolve, he jammed his thumb against the trigger and the
Inflictor
went nova.

16.

Jessica held up her hand to shield her eyes.

“Whoa …”

The bridge was silent. Seconds later, with the intense brightness of the explosion starting to fade, the resultant shockwave rocked the
Defiant
from side to side as if she were an old ocean liner riding a rough sea.

Captain King breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back into the command chair.

Behind her, Commander Greene and Captain Hawk arrived on the bridge. They squinted at the bright light of the explosion.

It’s over,
she thought.

* * *

“Activate the stealth system,” Carn ordered.

The Royal barge was to his liking. Spacious, and full to the brim with weaponry and the latest in energy shielding. There were about a hundred Draxx on board, although ideally it was only large enough for a crew of about a third that size.

But that was not a problem. As soon as they were able, they would find another ship to join their own. Even better if he could find allies in this part of the Universe.

Like-minded souls willing to trade their allegiance for the state-of-the-art technology he had at hand.

The helmsman turned in his seat. The lower ranks did not ask what had happened to Sepix. They were taught to accept whatever came their way in terms of changes in leadership. The Dominion remained robust and versatile by rolling with the changes. But now the Dominion was no longer a concern for Carn. There was a ship of obedient soldiers at his command, and his own will.

He was the Dominion now. Emperor of a one-man Empire.

“My lord … where will we go? What will we do?” the helmsman asked him.

Carn looked out at the stars. He could almost feel the coldness of space itself, seemingly devoid of anything to sustain life. And yet, life persisted to take a foothold in unlikely places. To exist.

And where there was life, there was opportunity. Although no living soul had ever seen such a thing, behind his mask Carn smiled.

“Conquer,” he said, his voice no more than a venomous hiss.
“Conquer …”

17.

“Okay, I know we’re all tired but let’s get the preliminaries out of the way,” King said.

Jessica, Del Greene, Hawk, and Chief Gunn. She only intended for it to be a quick debrief. Of course they’d all be required to provide her with written reports of the last twenty-four hours, as she herself would write her own account.

“Damage. Chief, how we looking?” she asked.

Gunn shifted in her seat. She looked tired.

“Not too bad, considering,” Gunn said. “A bit gutting, seeing as we only just got this old girl back on her feet but … we should be back to normal by the end of tomorrow.”

“A lot of holes to fill?” Greene asked her.

“Yep,” Gunn said.

“Okay, well keep me informed Chief. Now as for you two, why don’t you give me a complete rundown of what happened inside that thing.”

They told her everything.

“And that’s how Swogger ended up staying behind,” King said.

Greene nodded. “Yeah …” he said and looked down at the desk.

I’ll leave that there for now
, she thought.

“How about you, Captain Nowlan? What happened with you and General Carn? I didn’t know you took the kataan with you,” she said.

Greene looked up and quipped, “I didn’t even know he had one.”

“It’s a retractable blade, Commander. You obviously weren’t the Hawk Nowlan fan I was as a girl,” Jessica said.

“No, when I was a little girl -” Greene started to say.

Hawk laughed out loud.

“Okay that’s enough, Del,” Jessica butted in. She shot Gunn a look that pleaded
Get him out of here for me will you?

“Come on Del, let’s go and get some coffee or something,” Gunn said.

“I was only joking about …” Greene said in protest but Gunn had already pulled him up by the elbow.

“Del,” Jessica called to him. He turned back around on his way out the door. “You did good today. Thanks.”

He winked then followed Gunn out the door.

Hawk took a deep breath before he started to tell Jessica about his battle with Carn. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited.

He explained how they’d ended up in a section assigned for hydroponics, and how he’d managed to better the General, but only just.

“You had a run in like that before with him, didn’t you? I read about it one time. I can’t believe they used to teach sword skills …” Jessica said.

“Carn is unnaturally good. I could barely hold my own,” Hawk said. He produced the General’s sword. “A gift, Captain.”

She took it from him. “A memento of war?”

“Something for yuh troubles,” Hawk said. “Hang it up somewhere. Put it this way, he won’t be gettin’ it back.”

Captain King looked down at the alien blade in her hand. It was heavy, but that was nothing to how heavy it felt to her, with all that came with it. There was a lot of history attached to its previous owner.

She just hoped the pain it had wrought wasn’t now bequeathed to her.

* * *

Commander Greene went straight to Munitions after a little chat with Gunn. A meteorite the size of a baseball had torn through the hull awfully close to the warhead storage and Dunham coordinated a repair team to deal with it.

“Wow. Looks like we had a lucky escape there,” Greene remarked.

“Oh hello Commander. Yes, we did. A foot to the left and the
Defiant
would have a pretty big hole at the front,” Dunham said.

“I can imagine,” Greene said.

Dunham studied him. “You’re not down here to talk about holes in this ship, are you sir?”