Fury to the Stars (Universe in Flames Book 2) (10 page)

Chase stalled nervously. “Alright maybe, but not if
it had jeopardized my own mission.”

“Very well...” She grinned. “Well, now that my
people and yours are allies, I guess there’s no issue with us to being
friends.”

“Of course!” he said quickly. “I would expect that
even if our people weren’t allies.”

She had him cornered and went in for the kill. “Then
as your friend, I’m sorry I lost this advantage, and I hope you’ll let me be
part of your entourage.”

He faltered at her logic. “What about Ronan?”

“What about him?”

“Isn’t he too young to be mixed up with what the new
Alliance is trying to do? Wouldn’t you rather take him some place safe to look
over and protect him?”

She sighed. “I don’t think there is any safe place
anymore, Chase. This is an all-out war now, otherwise my people wouldn’t even
have considered joining you. I know how stubborn we can be.”

“You can say that again,” he mumbled and they both
laughed.

“Furthermore you need to understand that I want
Ronan to become a great warrior, and shielding him from danger isn’t really
going to help accomplish that.”

Chase nodded practically, but rushed suddenly
forward when Ryonna doubled over with a groan. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Chase, don’t worry.”

Her fierce bravery even amidst all the pain made him
smile. “Look, I’m perfectly happy to have you on our side. You’ve been an
invaluable ally and I would love to get to know you better as a friend.”

“Then it’s settled, Chase,” she said happily. “We’ll
stay with you, and I think as long as I’m around, I can take care of Ronan.”

“Good.” Chase gave her a comical handshake and she
laughed. “Now you should probably get some rest. We’ll soon reach Earth and
then you’ll be transferred to a bigger medical center. They’ll operate as soon
as possible to remove that contraption in your guts and flush the nanites from
your body.”

Ryonna nodded in agreement.

“I’ve also let the doc know they need to bring Ronan
to you when we reach Earth. There’s a guard in front of your quarters with
orders to bring him to you in case he wakes up before then.”

She smiled at him. And to think, at their first
meeting she had been reluctant to trust him. He was, after all, the first
non-Droxian she had met who didn’t provide a vision regarding his future death.
That alone had destabilized her. She was grateful now that she had let Sarah change
her mind.

“Thank you, Chase.”

“You’re very welcome. Now try to rest a bit. You
deserve it.”

*   *   *

The
Iron Fire
exited hyperspace and was soon
orbiting Earth. Chase was on the bridge, sitting in the captain’s chair when it
happened.

The view was both magnificent and terrorizing. On
the one hand, it felt good to see the number of starships now orbiting Earth,
especially ships like the
Cronos
which were so massive they provided a
shade of their own. However, Chase couldn’t help but notice some huge, dark,
grey spots in Earth’s atmosphere where Argos’ abomination of a battleship had
launched its deadly, mass-driver weaponry. Chase knew full well Sarah would
want to know as soon as possible what cities had been hit, but after their
intimate moment in their quarters, she had fallen asleep and he hadn’t felt
like waking her up after that. She had been through so much lately, she
deserved whatever sleep she could get.

Another few minutes or hours wouldn’t make much of a
difference anyway, he thought. And somehow he was glad she wasn’t there to see
the damage with her own eyes, just as he could see it right now from orbit.

Time on the planet
passed quickly, and it was just a week later that Chase and Sarah entered a
room in the newly constructed headquarters of the Earth Alliance. Commodore
Saroudis was there waiting for them in front of a huge conference table. When
the pair walked inside, Saroudis took a few steps forward and shook Chase’s
hand.

“It’s good to see you again. Sorry I missed your
debrief upon your return from Hellstar. It’s been busy.”

“Thank you, Commodore. Congratulations on the
promotion. And no worries. Under the circumstances it’s just normal.”

“Thanks, Chase,” he said warmly. “Sarah, it’s good
to see you as well.”

She flashed a smile. “Thank you, Commodore, it is
good to be back.”

“Please, sit.” He gestured to the table. “I wish we
had time to chitchat but there are lots of things we must talk about.”

Chase nodded seriously as they all pulled up a
chair. “I’ve seen the damage from orbit. I’m afraid to ask the number of
casualties.”

“I don’t even have a figure myself, Chase.” Saroudis
shook his head sadly. “But we estimate a few million people died during the
attack on Earth.”

Sarah’s face paled. “Dear god!”

“Yes, I know this must be quite a shock for you,”
the commodore sympathized. “I am deeply sorry we weren’t able to do more for
your planet.”

She shook her head. “It’s not your fault. The
Alliance risked everything to save Earth; without your help, we simply wouldn’t
be here discussing this.”

“I am somewhat relieved you see it that way. I’m not
sure all the people of Earth will.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “Which cities took the
brunt of the damage?”

“Many capital cities, in fact.” He listed them off:
“Los Angeles, Boston, Vancouver, Paris, London, Rome, New York—to a lesser
degree—but the list goes on. While the damage has been substantial and the loss
of life unthinkable, we have dispatched all the help we could to these cities
to relocate survivors and start the process of rebuilding. Some of them were
quite literally leveled during the assault.”

She stared at her hands in her lap. “I can’t imagine
what people must be feeling right now.”

“Neither can I, Commander. But unfortunately, we
can’t delve into this too much right now. There is a good chance Obsidian will
continue attacking in the coming weeks. With the help of the Droxians, however,
we should have a more defensible position, and with the Fifth Fleet’s arrival,
our numbers are strengthening.”

“That’s a lot to take in,” Chase murmured. “When we
arrived on Earth, we knew things would be bad, but I had hoped we could have
repelled this assault with far fewer casualties.”

“We all did, Chase...” said the commodore gravely.

“Where is Daniel?” Chase looked suddenly around. “I
expected him to be here for this.”

“I wanted him to captain the
Destiny
while I
came down to Earth. While I don’t expect an imminent attack, I’d rather the
ship was in good hands.”

“Understood. What’s next, then?”

“Many things, actually. With quadrinium now in
abundant supply, we have quadrupled the construction of bots that are working
relentlessly, some in damage control and some in churning out new battleships
and defenses. We should have a larger network of orbital satellites in place within
two weeks, and a brand new Prometheus-class battleship in the next few days.”

“Prometheus class?” Chase raised his eyebrows.

“Yes. Admiral Thassos was kind enough to provide the
full specs she carried with her. The Prometheus class is another top-secret
battleship design that was being built for testing when Obsidian attacked.
Yanis has added a few things to improve upon the specs further.”

“Of course he did.” Chase grinned. “What’s so
different about it?”

“I think it’s best I let him explain it himself. I
know he wants to. But suffice it to say, it’s a smaller battleship, about
thirty percent smaller in size than the
Destiny
, but packs new and
improved engines that are up to twenty-five percent more efficient, with double
and triple redundancies on critical systems. It also comes with prototype
shields and is armed to the teeth. Yanis will brief you further. It could be a
very important ship for reconnaissance missions, as it can handle its own with
faster, sub-light engines, more maneuverability, and stronger shields. It’s the
perfect ship to start exploring what was once Alliance space to look for more
survivors while we try to find new allies.”

“That sounds good.” Chase nodded approvingly. “What
about the Droxians? How serious are they about joining the Earth Alliance?”

“Almost a done deal. There are a few details being
ironed out, but for now it looks like we may have just scored the biggest ally
we could hope for under the circumstances.”

“Maybe it will push other worlds to join in as
well.”

The commodore nodded. “We can only hope so. We still
have no idea of how strong the Zarlack forces are. We might just have seen the
tip of the spear here.”

Chase shuddered. “That’s a scary thought.”

“Yes, it is. But at least now with the shipyard
churning out vessels and the Droxians in the fold, we can actually start
planning search and rescue missions.”

Chase sat up quickly. “I would really like to be
part of the first mission that goes to Alpha Prime.”

“So would I,” added Sarah.

Saroudis smiled. “I predicted that, so in a few
days, when the
Hope
is ready, you can take her on her maiden voyage.”

“What about you, Commodore?” Chase frowned.
“Wouldn’t you want the honors?”

“I would, Chase, but I need to keep supervising
things here. You might have to get the admiral’s permission and probably take
an escort as well, but I’d rather send you and Sarah on this. You two
demonstrated great resilience whilst finding reinforcements and quadrinium.
Maybe the gods are smiling on you two.”

Chase almost wanted to explain that Olympians
weren’t really gods, just a more advanced species, but he also knew Commodore
Saroudis was a believer, so for the time being, he simply smiled and nodded in
agreement. After all, who was he to belittle someone’s beliefs? If it helped
Saroudis and others to think of Olympians as gods, then so be it.

Sarah got up and went to the nearest window. They
were in a tall building and the view should have been breathtaking. It still
was—only in all the wrong ways. Houses were flattened, trees were scorched. It
was a planet on the mend. A planet still licking its wounds.

Sarah pondered the extent of the scars left on
humanity’s psyche. Yes, the arrival of the fleet had brought about an end to
global famine, disease, and war. But still, looking around now raised a hell of
a lot of questions.

Could this have been avoided had the Alliance never
jumped near Earth?

The two men watched her for a moment, until Chase
made a discreet hand gesture, asking for a moment. The commodore got up
graciously, announcing he’d return with coffee.

Once the sliding doors to the conference room had
closed, Chase got up and put his arms gently around Sarah’s trembling body,
kissing her warmly on the cheek. She jumped a little, as if just realizing that
he was there, but then leaned back into him.

“You’re alright, sweetie?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re thinking about Uncle Peter?”

Upon their arrival on Earth, Sarah had immediately
gotten a message letting her know that her uncle had been killed in the attack.

“Yeah. I still can’t believe he is gone. I can’t
believe how
many
are gone.” She pulled herself together and straightened
her shoulders. “But now is not the time.”

Chase hung his head. “I’m really sorry. I feel…
responsible for all of this, you know.”

“Well you shouldn’t.” She took a deep breath. “If it
wasn’t for you, there’s a good chance we would all be dead right now.”

“Nevertheless, I can’t help it.”

Sarah stayed silent.

“When is your uncle’s funeral?”

“The day after tomorrow. I’d like you to come with
me...” Her voice trailed off.

“Of course I’ll come.”

He tightened his embrace and kissed her on the head,
feeling a little frustrated that the only thing he could do to help her in this
situation was provide emotional support.

There was just too much going on these last few
weeks. Hell, these last few days. He needed a moment to pause, a moment to plot
out his next move without being worried that he was accidently going to rip the
fabric of the universe in two with his mind…

Little things like that.

Both Sarah and Chase turned when the doors slid
open. Instead of the commodore, it was Yanis holding a tray with three cups on
it.

“Coffee delivery anyone?” he said cheerfully. “Looks
like this is the right place… May I?”

“Sure, come in. Where’s the commodore?” inquired
Chase, clearly surprised to see Yanis come back instead of him.

“He had an errand to run, I think. Not that anyone
tells me anything, as per usual. Basically I ended up with a tray in my hands
and was told to come here and debrief you on my latest genius advancements.”

“Sounds good to me. Sit down, my friend,” said
Chase, gesturing Yanis to where the commodore was sitting a few minutes ago.

“Thanks.” He sank down and grabbed himself a cup
before spotting Sarah still standing in the corner. “Oh, um… hello, Sarah,” he
said tentatively, sensing she wasn’t feeling very well.

“Hey, Yanis, it’s good to see you.” She joined them
at the table.

“It’s good to see you too! We were really worried
after the battle. I’m so glad we got you back.”

At his words, Sarah felt a sharp prickle in her
heart. Good intentioned as they were, any reminder of her time spent with Argos
was enough to send her into a tailspin. She tried to push these thoughts out of
her mind as much as she could, but it wasn’t easy. This particular wound was
still quite fresh. That being said, she was a soldier first and foremost. Time
to toughen up.

“Thank you. It’s good to be back,” she said, only a
slight waver in her tone.

Yanis remained cheerfully oblivious. “Interesting
drink this coffee.” He took a sip and smiled. “I’ve never had anything like
it.”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah, I don’t know if I could live
without it.”

Chase leaned forward, steering them back on course.
“So, Yanis, what do you have for us?” he said as cheerfully as he could.

“Plenty, as a matter of fact.” The master engineer
reached into his pocket and took out a small, cylindrical device that he slid
to the middle of the conference table. Almost immediately, a holographic
display shot out—representing the new battleship.

“Let me guess… the Prometheus-class destroyer?” Chase
asked casually.

Yanis frowned. “No spoilers!” They both cracked a
smile. “Indeed, this is a Prometheus-class ship, currently being assembled in
orbit of Earth. And guys, trust me, it’s one hell of a ship. I managed to cram
all the latest tech from both our inventory as well as the prototype tech the
admiral had specs on.”

The view of new tech got Sarah’s attention,
diverting away some of her grief. “Wow, that’s a nice looking ship,” she said
with genuine interest.

“Well, thank you,” Yanis replied proudly.

“So give us the run down,” she continued. “What does
it do better than your current lineup?”

“I’ll show you.” Yanis leaned in and pointed at
different parts of the display. “The main feat here is it uses a twin
quadrinium core. This provides not only a redundancy, but allows this baby to
pack quite a punch in terms of both defensive and offensive capabilities.”

He went on to explain how the ship could use both
core engines at once with a reserve power that was constantly replenished,
similar to how the F-140s had been equipped but on a much larger scale. In
fact, even when both engines were damaged, the ship could use the emergency
power supply to make a medium-size jump. That alone was enough to awaken in
Chase a real excitement about captaining it soon. But it turned out that was
only the tip of the iceberg.

With the combined power of the twin engines and the
reserve power, the ship could, if necessary, power a brand new plasma
cannon—firing a concentrated beam of plasma on which both amplitude and power
could be modulated. Yanis explained that the ship could, in fact, even deliver
a single pulse that would use every bit of power the ship had to fire a super
powerful shot. A shot that he believed would be able to lower the shields of
the behemoth Zarlack monstrosity that had attacked Earth. According to Yanis,
it could even destroy a small moon.

“That’s excellent news. We need to be able to take
out more of these behemoth starships in the future… and at a much lower cost…”
said Chase, with more than a little regret.