The Stars Came Back (72 page)

The noise is tremendous with clashing metal, grunts, screams, and men moving. The spear arms of the army move fast and easy. As they walk forward, they wade across a carpet of bodies, men and women, most with obvious major head or neck wounds that killed them promptly. The back ranks of men hold their spears angled high to keep them out of the way of the men in the front ranks, and the sickly sunlight reflects dully off the polished backs of their armor. In the near distance many irregularly spaced spears and other weapons have points glinting as they move about. A deadly chaos thrives right in front of the shield wall, hands and heads are briefly seen grabbing at or above the shields, only to meet a spear swiftly driven home and pulled back. A screaming shape is thrown up in the air, cartwheeling over the shield wall toward the mass of soldiers behind the deadly front, and it is caught on a long spear from the rear. The shape shrieks and goes limp, and it can now be recognized as a small child of two or three. As a few men see it and freeze in shock, a long, simple spear comes in from across the line, driving into a Plataean helm, killing the motionless soldier instantly. Another small, screaming form is tossed high in the air across the line.

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Earth Fleet Admiral’s quarters

A modest room with simple, almost
Spartan, appointment. Bishop Fettig is wildly agitated but not getting any sympathy.

Fettig:
You let them
pass
! For the love of God, WHY?

Admiral
Hawke: (Quietly) Quite against my wishes, you were very specific in your demands that
you
give the order to fire. I received no word of any sort from you.

Fettig: I was held hostage! You should have known
something was wrong when you didn’t hear anything.

Admiral
Hawke: I’m not a mind reader. If I went against your wishes, you wouldn’t be happy. Now that I have done what you asked, you are not happy… Perhaps these are not the abominations you were looking for.

Fettig stares at the admiral blackly.

Fettig: You
will
destroy them when they finally come up, if you know what’s good for your career. They are
evil
, and more dangerous than you can imagine.

Admiral
Hawke looks at him piercingly, a slight, grim smile on his scarred features.

Admiral
Hawke: Oath,
then
orders. I will do what is in the best interests of humanity, Earth, the fleet, my command, and my career. In
that
order. Your demands align with none of those at this time. I believe you know the way to your quarters. That would be the safest place. Good day, Excellency.

Fettig
’s eyes widen as he realizes he’s being summarily dismissed. He pivots angrily, robes flying, and storms out.

FADE TO BLACK

FADE IN

INT - DAY - Cargo bay deck

It is now clean and tidy. Stacks of water bottles, food bars, and medical supplies are ready for the returning survivors. Bipasha stands silently, face a mask of worry, staring at the ramp door, nervously, slowly, rubbing her hands together.

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Officers’ Mess

Helton, Sar, Quinn, Allonia sit silently, picking at their
scant plates of food, pushing it around, going through the motions, appetites gone with the tension of the wait.

CUT TO

INT - DAY
- Geminorum Fleet Carrier Bridge

Crowded and busy. In the background, there are several pairs of people in each other’s faces arguing, both on screens and in person, and between people on the bridge on screens. Admiral Flicker looks frustrated and worn. She’s talking to a media personality on a small side screen.

Flicker: No, for the last time! You may not launch anything down there to drop a camera drone swarm. If you ask again, I’ll be tempted to launch a
not-drone
at YOU. Capiche?

T
he media personality throws her hands in the air, the screen goes blank, leaving just the news company logo.

A bridge tech assistant comes up to her.

Assistant: Cloud cover density still increasing. Nothing on visual, and still haven’t got enough of the independent idiots to shut their stuff down so someone can get a good synthetic pic on another band. The New Africa ships all just want to nuke everyone after losing their L1 cruiser. The Niven cruiser has been disabled, and
Darius
blew up a Venaticorum frigate; its deployed interceptors are asking for assistance and asylum from the Colonial Powers fleet-

Flicker: Are they offering?

Assistant: Not saying a word either way. Intercepted traffic says the New Syrians are planning on launching nukes if Lag and the Plataeans win, and the New Russia cruiser pair appear to have orders to nuke a winning Mahdi army.

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Unidentified Cruiser Bridge

The captain, a big, bearded, dark-skinned, man, is quite angrily talking to his second in command.

Captain: If they launch anything toward the ground fire everything you have at them, by GOD! They’ll PAY if they interfere!

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Tajemnica
Bridge

Quiritis and Helton
sit at their stations, talking. The Compliance Monitor sits silently on the side, eyes down, looking shaken.

Quiritis: Crowds are getting nasty up there. A half dozen interceptors destroyed, three
more cruisers and a frigate disabled or destroyed.

Helton: Any obvious sides lining up?

Quiritis: At least four, but Earth Fleet seems pretty reticent, which is pissing everyone else off. No one can plan for shit with that much uncommitted firepower just hanging out.

The two of them pause, looking at readouts and displays. Helton looks at the CM.

Helton: Any ideas how we get out?

The CM looks up at him, the displays, back to Helton, a despairing look on his face. He shrugs and shakes his head slightly.
He quietly speaks.

CM: Insane. It’s
all
insane. Hopeless. Madmen on every side. I’ll never live to write the report. There
is
no way out. Hopeless.

Quiritis:
Report? Or see your family.

Helton: That’s why civilization will win. It’s
creative
. It
never
gives up. It
makes
a way where there isn’t one. I suggest you write now, while you have time. We’ll be busy soon enough.

CUT TO

INT - DAY - News Media Ship Video room

Everyone is on a screen with at least one com unit, talking, trying to find out any scrap of information. They are tired, frustrated, and not making progress.

Reporter1:
-but they said YOU had the best lidar for this sort of thing, and COULD track their motions.

Reporter2: -w
e lost everything, even the big pan-zoom post-mounts.

Reporter3: Our synthetic aperture setup is getting jammed, so we-

Reporter4: If I can get anything before the other morons do, I’ll at least still have a job when I get back, but otherwise-

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Low orbit

A pair of long, sleek interceptors float in space near one another. They are similar size and shape, but different designs with different markings. The two pilots can see one another. One of them flips off the other one, and receives a pair of middle fingers in return.

CUT TO

INT - DAY
- Allonia’s cabin

She
talks to one of
Tajemnica’s
avatars on the screen, the old monk.

Allonia: T
hey change?

Ship AI: Close combat, any life-and-death ex
perience, can change a person. In something as vicious and close as this they will all come back changed.
Expect
them be different. The drugs will help with the post-event psych issues, but expect anything. Moodiness. Suddenly being interested in family and kids, or just lots of sex. Losing interest in sex or family altogether, fearful of loss. Becoming an adrenaline junkie. Becoming hyper safety conscious. Night sweats. Sleeplessness. Sudden anger. Obsession. Many things can happen. The brain isn’t wired for that level of brutal insanity. Even an electronic brain can only take so much.

Allonia: Any way to predict what?

Ship AI: None known. Just knowing what can happen helps, as does being there for them. You’ll make it through. You’re tough, they’re tough. Remember: you have the most experienced post-battle counselor in existence on hand.
We
will make it through.
Together
.

DISSOLVE TO

INT - DAY - Earth Fleet Admiral’s quarters

Costello (male, slim, black, educated tones) talks to Admiral Hawke. He wears the robes of a bishop’s assistant.

Costello: The Bishop extends his deepest apologies for his unrestrained words this morning. He is resting. It’s been a trying voyage. He humbly requests that you allow him the peace of mind that
comes from knowing what your plans are should the abominations return to space intact, if you could be so kind as to at least offer a hint.

The admiral smiles a small, politically correct smile that conveys nothing.

Admiral Hawke: I have my oath and orders, and I will carry them out to the best of my abilities, as the situation allows and dictates. I’m sure you understand that I cannot divulge classified directives.

Costello: I understand that you may not directly te
ll me anything, but any hint would be most graciously appreciated, Admiral.

Admiral
Hawke: Fighting in the dark with swords is difficult. I expect we’ll hear something soon. Then, we’ll both know more than we do now. Convey my regards. If you’ll excuse me.

He waves toward the door, dismissing him.

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Geminorum Carrier Fleet Bridge

Admiral Flicker sits at her command station, watching the bustle around her silently. One of the com techs perks up, waves at her urgently.

Com Tech: Ma’am! High Priority from Earth fleet!

Flicker: On screen!

The main screen lights up. There is the Earth Fleet Admiral, waiting patiently for his signal to begin. He gets it from off camera and nods.

Admiral
Hawke: I know everyone wants to know what’s going on down there. So do I. However, no one knows anything because everyone wants to be first. The sun is setting on the battlefield below, and they can’t fight at night.
Tajemnica
is still there, and they know more than we do. So, everyone, military
and
civilian, please turn off all jamming, radar, lidar, and all other active measures. Just listen. I’m sure they will be calling soon. Everyone has thirty seconds to go active measures quiet or we start putting holes in electronically noisy ships so we can sort this out. That is all.

Flicker: You heard him. I think he’s serious. Everything active to standby.
Now
.

The various techs on the bridge burst into hurried motions,
shutting things down.

DISSOLVE TO

EXT - DUSK - Atop
Tajemnica

Helton, Allonia, Bipasha, the Compliance Monitor,
and Kwon stand, looking out over the carnage spread across the plain. There is a vast trail of bodies, winding about thither and yon, leading into the low hills in the distance, showing where the two forces had collided as the Plataean army moved, trying not to get buried under a living tidal wave. The sun is only barely visible through the heavy haze as an amorphous blood red blob on the horizon, low in the sky on the opposite side of the field from where it started. The height and width of the path of bodies varies, showing how the battle ebbed and flowed, surged this way and that as it moved. In places, bodies are thinly scattered, other places they are stacked five or more deep. No movement can be seen. The five stand silently, statue-like, staring into the distance for a sign. The faintest flicker of motion is seen on a hill, a flare shoots into the air. They all sharply inhale.

Helton: It’s over. They won.

Kwon: Now we have to see what we
lost
.

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Tajemnica
Bridge

Helton, Allonia and the CM walk in and go to their normal spots. Quiritis is at the controls.

Quiritis: It got all quiet up there. Like they are just listening and waiting.

Helton: Let ‘em wait.

He looks at the countdown timer, now at 00:14:13

Helton: Gotta go see what they are waiting
on
.

CUT TO

EXT - DUSK - Small, shallow valley

Two low rolling hills near the battlefield plain are less than 20 meters high, and the valley between them is about 300m wide, fairly even and smooth. The line of carnage leads over one ridge and down into the bottom of the valley, where there is a small hill totally covered with bodies. At the top, a pike sticks straight up, impaling a round head-sized object on top. A short distance away is a cluster of men looking almost like dead bodies themselves, stretched out on the ground in utter exhaustion. They sit or lay about without order or heed, simply dropping after dragging themselves away from the battle and corpses. In the gathering gloom, everything looks shades of reddish gray. There are not nearly as many as marched off the ramp that morning.

Over the hill and into the valley flies
Tajemnica
. She glides in, glowing faintly, orients along the valley near the men, and sets down gently, ramp already lowering even as the landing struts settle in. Three men stand up, slowly, carefully. They speak, hoarsely, with a cough and rasp, in voices that tells of going on will alone.

Lag: One last move. Fifty steps to water, food, and sanity.

Tokarev: Gotta walk in, gents. Not enough of them to carry us.

The three start walking slowly, stiffly, toward the
bright lights on the ramp, where Allonia, Helton, Bipasha, Kwon, Sar, and the CM stand. They look at the gore-covered men shambling toward them in shock. They are entirely red, covered in blood, dried and still damp, from head to toe. Armor is dented, battered, bent, torn. Slowly, the men rise to their feet behind the three, and follow them aboard. Faces are ashen, eyes sunken and dark. They stagger as though drunk, listlessly, utterly without any extra motion, like zombies. Even the joy Bipasha has at seeing Harbin alive is shushed into silence by the empty look of crushing weariness his face shows as he leads the men up the ramp. Harbin walks a bit past the middeck, drops his helm, shield, weapons, and starts slowly, clumsily taking off pieces of his blood-drenched armor. Everyone else does the same; shuffle to a bare spot, strip off the big pieces, collapse in place, completely on mental autopilot.
Tajemnica’s
crew hurriedly passes out water bottles to the men that have reached a place to fall to the deck, so they can drink and fall asleep where they are. Slowly, they all come aboard. All 511 of them.

Lag stands, in a half stupor, watching them come aboard. Helton stands next to him, silent for minute, watching them pass.

Lag: (Hoarse whisper) He is no more.

He nods faintly toward the hillock.

Lag: Was no hill there. Last stand.

Lag starts stripping off his armor, and after a few pieces he pauses, and Helton hands him a water bottle. Lag drains it, then sits down.

Lag: (Quietly) The rest can wait.

He leans back where he sits, closes his eyes, and falls asleep. Or maybe he passes out. Helton hears a gasp from Allonia, and he turn
s to see Kaminski wobble past. He looks totally drained, eyes blank, without recognition, his thousand-yard stare reaching forever. Allonia steps up beside him, helps him walk in silence, heading for a bare patch of deck. As the remaining men shamble in, Helton turns and heads for the bridge.

CUT TO

INT - NIGHT -
Tajemnica’s
Bridge

Quiritis is in her pilot seat watching the men coming aboard onscreen. Helton comes in and takes the command station, face looking grim. He looks at the countdown timer. 00:01:28

Quiritis: Jesus. Only one in five.

Helton: Can they hear us upstairs?

Quiritis: Should, since it got quiet. Can’t see with the cloud cover.

Helton:
Taj
, get me a broadcast channel, high power aimed up.

Ship AI: (OC) Ready?

Helton nods.

Ship AI: You’re on.

Helton: Listen up… It’s over. The days of political business as usual, of letting problems fester for short-term gain are over, too.

CUT TO

INT - NIGHT -
Geminorum Fleet Carrier Bridge

Admiral Flicker stares at the screen with Helton
’s grim face on it, along with everyone else, soundless and listening closely, motionless, awaiting news of the result, so decisions can be made.

Helton: (
On screen) Turn your eyes to the big gas giant, the one so big it was a test target for the biggest bombs ever made to see if you could kick-start a star. (He pauses)

Admiral flicker motions to a couple of techs, who busy themselves urgently, and the angry orange circle of the gas giant appears on a couple of other screens.

Helton: (On screen, speaking clearly and intently) Everyone looking? Good. You launched nukes at it. You dropped planet killers on it. Didn’t do a thing… Everyone leaves,
now
, or everyone dies.
Everyone
. You. Me. Survivors down here.
Every
ship in
every
fleet above. I’ll give you a moment.

Flicker: You can’t be thinking you’ll
bluff
your way past us, can you? There are over a thousand warships up here.

CUT TO

INT - NIGHT -
Tajemnica’s
Bridge

Helton looks at the
Admiral’s image on a screen.

Helton: No. No bluff. Your biggest bombs you call
Planet Killers, and they weren’t enough.

He pauses to look at the countdown timer. 00:00:12

Helton: Everyone pulls high Gs out of here, starting
now
, and comes back for an all-hands drill dirt-side after we leave, or
everyone
dies. We don’t have planet-killers…

CUT TO

INT - NIGHT -
Geminorum Fleet Carrier Bridge

On the screens showing the gas giant, suddenly a HUGE burst of pure white light, totally over-exposing the cameras for a moment until they can adjust.
Several large screens around the bridge go totally white.

Helton: (
On screen) …We
light stars
.

Admiral Flicker’s eyes widen in surprise.

Helton:
Everyone
is in this together... Anyone tries to stay to shoot us, everyone else better be shooting them. After we’re gone, you can land and figure out what happened. I suggest you brush up on graves registration and handling bodies.

The screen goes blank.
The admiral pauses a moment, looking at the new star.

Flicker: (With grudging admiration, under her breath) Didn’t think it was possible.
He found a way out without killing anyone. (Then, speaking orders crisply and rapidly) Recall and recover all interceptors under acceleration. Cruisers to be picked up in ten million. Plot a course directly out-system, 90% max, lay it in and punch it.

CUT TO

EXT - NIGHT - Space, low orb
it above the evening terminator

The masses of ships, carriers, cruisers, interceptors, news media, and variety of independents, float in space, glinting in the sunlight. Suddenly, they start moving. One, two, ten, hundreds, all of them, start glowing and
accelerating away from the planet. In the distant background a new star shines forth.

FADE TO BLACK

Aftermath

FADE IN

INT - NIGHT -
Tajemnica
Bridge

As the crew watch
, the tactical display shows everyone pulling away, leaving. No one wants to call a possible bluff that big. Helton nods approval.

Quiritis: You and
Taj
were right.

Helton: OK, then
. You know what to do. I’ll go help with the men. Lower grav to point nine G, let ‘em sleep easier.

Tajemnica’s
partially armored woman avatar pops up on a screen.

Ship AI:
We should take a slight detour. Set an example for others.

Quiritis and Helton raise eyebrows in surprise.

Ship AI:
Hussein’s
engines are damaged. I’d like to give them a ride. Won’t take long. We can still meet up with
Borealis
on time.

Helton nods, walks away from the command station while Quiritis busies herself prepping for liftoff and flight.

CUT TO

INT - NIGHT - Cargo bay deck

It is now strewn with soldiers scattered all about. The whole crew and a few volunteers that came over from the
Borealis
, are methodically working from one end to the other. At each soldier, they take off and set aside the easily removed armor and position him more comfortably, with a water bottle next to each. Then they open a small medical wrapping and put a three inch square vitals monitor patch on his neck, then check a nearby screen to see if
Tajemnica
is picking up telemetry for pulse, breathing, and other vital signs. They are working rapidly through them. The soldiers don’t wake when being handled, and many mutter in their sleep. Some have IVs hanging from the low ceiling hooked up to their arms. Kwon puts a patch on the neck of the one he’d worked on, and looks at the vitals. One of the readouts flash.

Kwon: Sar. Your hands needed for another IV here. Blood deposit and plasma. Number one six two
seven.

Sar heads for a side room.

CUT TO

INT - NIGHT - Geminorum Fleet Carrier Bridge

Admiral Flicker
studies a large tactical display showing all the fleeing ships. Most are far from the planet and moving fast, with long acceleration vectors on their icons. One ship the fleet is passing has no acceleration vector attached. It will soon be left far behind. The
HMS Hussein
. The line for minimum transition distance is still ahead, far from the planet they are leaving. On another nearby screen is an external camera view of the ship, showing the damage it took when
Tajemnica
passed it on the way in. The carrier captain stands next to her.

Carrier Captain: Leave it, or put it out of our misery? He’s been a pain for
years
. Never get a better chance.

Flicker: Tempting.
Very
tempting. Any plausible cover stories?

Carrier Captain: Not leaving fast enough, still too close, feared
Tajemnica
might not like it?

Flicker: Thin. Maybe-

The brilliant glow of a transition passage aft of the cruiser flares, and
Tajemnica
appears right behind
Hussein
, moving far faster than ships normally come out of transition. Her drive fields reach out, envelope the damaged ship as she passes, pulls it close, and vanishes in another coruscating blaze. On another nearby screen, a text only message pops up under a flaming cog and Possenti Cross logo.