CHAPTER 4: JOHN

Fear was not something John had known intimately. It was neither friend nor enemy--an enigma he never quite understood, especially how it could control some people's lives. This unfamiliarity with fear had always benefited him, contributing to his ace flying skills. He took risks where others hesitated, a trait that gave the Impossible Duo their ability to accomplish the impossible.

Today was different for John. As he stood on the observation deck of Earth One, staring into the vast expanse of space, fear crept through his veins for perhaps the first time in his life. The polished titanium floor beneath his feet reflected the dim starlight, and the faint hum of life support systems provided an eerie backdrop to his thoughts. This wasn't fear for himself, but for humanity.

For hundreds of years, humanity had been engaged in a war with the Republic. John had fought many battles, but not once had he feared the extinction of humanity. The one factor that gave him hope was that neither side was willing to use their insanely powerful thermonuclear weapons on Earth. Although they may have been used multiple times in space, no nation ever dropped a bomb on Earth. The only government that attempted to use a nuclear weapon failed and was invaded and defeated before they could launch any more.

"Mesmerizing, isn't it?" A familiar voice from behind startled John out of his trance. He turned to see his mother, her silver hair neatly tied back, her blue eyes reflecting the starlight.

"All I see are white dots," she continued, her voice tinged with worry, "but they're deceiving. They could be planets, or stars, or machines of death slowly making their way to us to annihilate the species."

John's composure crumbled. He burst into tears and embraced his mother tightly. "Hey, Mom!"

Dr. Emily Henderson, Chief of Medicine of the Navy, returned the embrace, her own eyes welling up. "I can't believe it," she whispered, her voice cracking. "We've experienced invasion before, a few times. But nothing like this."

John pulled back slightly, his hands trembling. "I've seen war. I've seen death. I've been close to death several times recently too. But I've never felt like this, Mom. I don't know how we're going to get out of this."

Emily's face hardened. She gripped her son's shoulders firmly, forcing him to look directly into her eyes. "Stop that!" she commanded. "You are the great Johnathan Eugene Henderson. One half of The Impossible Duo. The impossible is what you do! If there's anyone in the navy who will save us, it's you. I just know it! Deep down in my bones. You will get us out of this mess!"

They embraced again, both letting their tears flow freely. For a moment, they weren't decorated military officers--just a mother and son facing an uncertain future.

The hiss of the observation deck's hatch interrupted their moment. Two crewmen entered, their faces etched with fatigue as they sought a brief respite from their duties. John quickly composed himself, switching back to his military demeanor.

"Do you have that report for me?" he asked his mother, his voice steady once more.

Emily nodded, a proud smile crossing her face as she witnessed her son's resilience. "I do, Captain," she replied, emphasizing his rank. She handed him a datapad. "It gets even more baffling than what Sam observed."

John's brow furrowed as he scanned the information. "What do you mean?"

Emily took a deep breath. "When they first arrived in my care, they were just... asleep. Little to no brain activity, very faint respiratory function. Similar to a comatose state, but not quite." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "After these aliens entered the system, the EEG went crazy. It's off the charts, literally. We don't have instruments sensitive enough to measure their activity accurately. But they're still unresponsive. No medication or physical intervention gets them to wake up."

She lowered her voice. "You know, call me crazy, but I almost think something is being... downloaded into them."

John's eyes widened. "Downloaded? How?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't know. No known medical advancements can do this, not without an implant. And neither of them have an implant capable of this."

As John pondered this unsettling information, his comm chirped. Admiral Hopkins, Chief of Naval Operations, requested an immediate meeting. John swiftly made his way through the station's corridors, his footsteps echoing off the metal walls. The usual bustle of the station seemed muted, as if the very air was heavy with tension. He passed worried faces and hushed conversations, the weight of the situation palpable.

Arriving at the conference room, John was surprised to find an unusually high level of security. Even with his clearance, he had to go through multiple checkpoints. The reason became clear as soon as the door slid open with a pneumatic hiss.

John snapped to attention, his arm shooting up in a crisp salute. The room was filled with more brass than he'd ever seen in one place. At the head of the table sat President George Hammond, his face etched with concern but his eyes sharp and alert.

"So, this is the hotshot captain that saved our ass at Wolf?" Hammond said, standing to address the room.

John's eyes darted around, taking in the impressive gathering. The entire Joint Chiefs of Staff were present, representing every branch of the Federation military. There were also military leaders from other high-tiered nations: the United States, Great Britain, Mars, and the Outer Rim Nations.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

But the face that shocked John the most--and nearly made his blood boil--was that of Republic Foreign Minister Bortsova Lana Gennadievna.

"Please, sit down, Captain," Admiral Hopkins said, gesturing to an empty chair beside him. A holographic display of the Sol system hovered above the table, red and pink dots indicating the positions of hostile forces.

"Aye, sir," John replied, straightening his uniform as he took his seat.

President Hammond cleared his throat. "As you may have noticed, we have Russian Foreign Minister Lana Gennadievna here with us. She's here representing Republic interests in the matter, and officially to sign a non-conditional ceasefire between the Federation of Nations and the Russian Republic." He paused, his next words heavy with irony. "It took the threat of extinction to finally bring an end to a war that has cost us dearly."

The president nodded to Admiral Hopkins, who began the briefing. "The only thing we have right now is getting you to Alpha Centauri, sir. The WarpStar is the only ship we have that can do the job."

Hammond's face hardened. "I will not flee when the Federation--" he glanced at the Republic Minister, "--and the Republic, needs their leaders!"

"I understand, sir, but--" Hopkins started, only to be cut off.

"No," Hammond said firmly. "You know what I want, you know what needs to be done. I am not part of that plan. I'm going to stay here and lead our people out of this mess. If somehow these aliens can be reasoned with, I need to be here to negotiate with them."

"Yes, sir," Hopkins replied, though his expression suggested he had more to say. Just then, his hand flew to his ear as he received a comm message. "Sir, we just got more intel."

He manipulated the holographic display, highlighting the dots representing enemy forces. They ranged from as far as one light-month out to as close as six light-hours. Alliance forces glowed red, while Legion forces pulsed an ominous pink.

"After observing both hostile forces for a week, we've noted Legion reinforcements have directly correlated with Alliance forces. Every time an Alliance ship entered the system, within an hour an equivalent Legion ship enters as well."

The President's eyes widened. "My God! Why?"

Admiral Hopkins shrugged. "Our best guess? To blanket the system with the same bullshit they did to Orion."

"No."

All eyes turned to John, surprise evident on the faces of the Joint Chiefs. Captains were not normally permitted in meetings of this caliber, let alone expected to speak up.

"I'm sorry, sirs," John continued, undeterred by the looks. "But that's just wrong. I feel you should know all the information."

Admiral Hopkins bristled. "You were not asked, Captain!"

"Let the boy speak," President Hammond interjected, his tone brooking no argument.

John nodded his thanks. "First, this is nothing like Orion. Alliance forces already outnumber what they had in Orion seven to one. While we have more populated areas spread throughout the system than Orion did, they could easily wipe us out with a tenth of what they brought to Orion. Orion was overkill. This is ludicrous."

"What are you implying, son?" Hammond urged.

John took a deep breath. "They're scared."

The Chief of the Marines scoffed. "Scared? A vastly superior force is scared? What the fuck do we have that would make them scared?"

"Not us, sir," John replied. "The Legion."

Hammond leaned forward. "Why would they be scared of them? Aren't they on the same side?"

John shook his head. "No, sir. The Legion have sought out every biological life as a threat to them. They actively pursue and eliminate any Alliance forces."

"Then how do you explain the uptick of ships?" Admiral Hopkins asked, curiosity overtaking his earlier irritation.

"The Legion are machines," John explained. "They calculate everything, right down to what is needed to kill an enemy. So, when Alliance sends in a Cruiser, so does the Legion. Alliance will send a few dozen frigates, then so does the Legion. They have a one-to-one ratio of ships, exactly down to the class type to Alliance."

Republic Minister Gennadievna spoke up, her English nearly perfect but with a noticeable Russian accent. "Why haven't either side attacked yet?"

John frowned. "I don't know why The Legion hasn't attacked yet. But Alliance forces haven't attacked because of The Legion. They don't know why their most infamous enemy is here; they're afraid of what The Legion will do."

President Hammond leaned back in his chair, rubbing his clean-shaven face. "So. On one side of the coin we have a hateful alien species who has already committed genocide against us, who wants to kill us. And on the other side, we are being protected by a murderous robot group who also wants us dead?"

"That is my best assessment, sir."

Hammond was quiet for a moment, then a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes. "This will buy us time. Much needed, valuable time."

"To do what, sir?" Hopkins asked.

"For hope, Admiral. For hope." Hammond turned to John. "Captain, I'm giving you orders directly from me. You are to report to Admiral Hopkins on any development if the need arises. However, since communications in and out of Sol are currently jammed, you have operational authority to make battlefield decisions."

John nodded, listening intently.

"You are to take Minister Lana here to the coordinates she will provide you. There, you will allow her to use the WarpStar to communicate with the Kremlin located at the Republic colony. She will organize and prepare the Republic fleet to assist us." Hammond continued. "Then, you will proceed to Alpha Centauri, inform the Centauri government, and gather the rest of the Federation's fleet currently stationed there."

John couldn't hold back. "Sir, how do you propose we get the fleets here, if all of that can be arranged?"

The President looked towards Hopkins, who took over. "Independence."

"Sir?" John asked, confused.

"The Independence is being outfitted with the four Anti-Matter reactors that were built for the four WarpStar class destroyers we were constructing," Hopkins explained. "We believe with that much power output, fed into the emergency Hyperdrive beacon system, we can generate a subspace signal strong enough to cut through the interference from Alliance ships."

John looked down, pondering. He was unsure if that would actually work. "And what if that doesn't have the desired effect?"

"Then God help us all," Hammond replied grimly.

The Chief of the Marines leaned forward, noticing John's expression. "Do you have an idea, Captain?"

"Sir, I just might." John continued to stare down. Suddenly, a slight agony came over his skull as the alien implant glowed and displayed random sequences of numbers.

"What the hell is that?" Hammond asked, noticing the device come to life for the first time.

John winced. "Sorry, sirs. I do have an idea, but it will add time."

"We're listening, Captain," Hammond said, his eyes fixed on the glowing implant. "Whatever it takes to save humanity."

As John began to outline his plan, the tension in the room was palpable. The fate of humanity hung in the balance, and the impossible task of saving it rested on the shoulders of one man. But if anyone could pull off the impossible, it was John Henderson.