The Grodrrns have been firing since the moment they landed. Either they’re trash gunners, or God is still looking after the human fleet. Sergeant Grey doesn’t know or care. All he cares about is taking out these two battleships any way he can.
“Let’s go, Marines! Our pants shouldn’t have twisted our ankles! Get the lead out!”
It’s the same team he boarded with last time, minus Hancock and the two scientists. They scramble into EVA suits as the ship quakes from the few shots the Grodrrns land, reminding Grey that if God IS protecting them, he has no intention of doing ALL of the work.
Other squads are also boarding makeshift landing craft made out of the smaller mining ships, escape pods, and whatever else they can find.
Tachibana gives a more grim speech, “Hell is a one way ticket, Marines! And we’re going to see these walnut-brains to the elevator!”
The marines cheer, “OO-RAH!”
His team piles into the mining shuttle. Not one of his new recruits passed this test, but that’s okay. They’ll be around to pass another day.
However, when Grey looks, he spots a young woman fumbling with an EVA suit as she runs toward him. He smirks. He stands corrected.
Spaceman Long gets her suit sealed, minus her helmet, and she says shakily, but sternly, “Ch-Chief! I’m going with you!”
Grey hesitates only a moment. He says calmly, “You’re still not ready.” He offers his hand, adding, “Neither am I.”
Long’s eyes water, and she shoves her helmet on. She takes his hand. Grey pulls her into the shuttle and closes the hatch. He calls up, “Ready!”
“Ready, Aye!” calls back the pilot. Grey shouts, “Coulson. Check Long over.”
Both Coulson’s confirm, “Yes, Chief!” They check Long’s seals and adjust anything needing adjustment. Grey listens to the pilot call on the radio, “Control, Alpha team, ready to launch.”
“Stand by Alpha team. More hostiles arriving.”
“More?” asks Tachibana, surprised. “What do we do? Do we split up more?”
“Away teams. Prioritize targets based on proximity. You have permission to…”
“Wait!” cries a young man’s voice into the radio channel. “This is Spaceman Hancock. Dr. Lopez has it working! I repeat, the jump drive is working! She’s calibrating parameters. PLEASE, keep everyone onboard!”
The other voice growls, “Spaceman, this is a mission channel.”
Hancock cries out, “Please! I’m serious. Captain Long, please, I know you can hear me! Dr. Lopez can do it. Please buy us just a little longer WITHOUT sending anyone off of the ship! Please!”
There’s a pause.
A long pause.
The silence is starting to become unnerving.
Tachibana finally sighs, grumbling, “I better get promoted for this…” She barks into the radio, “Executive decision! Away teams, we will NOT launch! Bolster defensive ranks on the hull! Priority one is denial of enemy objective!”
There’s another pause. Captain Long’s voice comes over the radio this time, “Chief Tachibana has my support. Away teams, join defensive forces and provide all available combat ability to defense. God’s speed, Marines.”
Grey chuckles, ordering, “You heard the ladies, Marines! Ain’t the first time orders change!” He opens the hatch and waves the marines out, stopping Tachibana to say, “Chief… Thank you.”
She smirks and nods, whispering only to him, “I’d have done it, but I’m not keen on being the gators’ experiment. I can die up here just as well, thank you.”
Grey chuckles, “Oo-rah.” He hops down from the shuttle and spots Long inspecting several weapons. He realizes she hadn’t grabbed one initially. The Chief approaches, handing her his alien blaster. “Bigger the better, today, Marine.”
She takes it, admitting softly, “I’m… I’m scared, Chief. B-but, y-you can count on me!”
Grey nods. “We’re all scared. Keep your sights down range and squeeze the trigger ‘till they stop shooting back. Do that for me, and your twenty-first birthday is on me.”
Long scoffs and nods, “Deal, Chief.”
They jog behind the rest of the away teams as they file through the ship. The zero gravity is awkward, but their suits make it bearable at least.
The marines pack into each of the six airlocks, 20 at a time, to cycle through to the outside. Grey stays close to Long, just in case the twins missed something on her suit. It’s a thin layer of material between a marine and a gruesome death.
Her suit holds, and she follows the rest of the team as they jog out to find positions to fire from.
Grey almost thinks he stepped into a laser light show. Bright colors streak by in every direction. Flashes cast eerie shadows all over the place. The only indication of war audibly is the rumbling of the Polonia’s artillery cannons turning and firing, which quakes through Grey’s boots.
The short wave radio open frequency is alive with marines calling out targets and directions, as well as screams of brothers and sisters falling in battle. But, just as quickly as Grodrrn shock troops are landing on the hull, marines are unloading on them. The transports and shuttles are the bigger threat as they swoop by, but the marines have prepared as much as possible for this day.
Rocket volleys race into the void, virtually trapping the shuttles and transports and detonating them. Captured Grodrrn blasters fire at them as well, chewing through the armor plating and keeping the dropships from easily unloading boarders.
But, the silence is so eerie. Grey is a seasoned soldier. He has seen combat from deserts to seas and every environment in between. During all of it, this much chaos would be pounding on his nerves directly via his eardrums. Instead, it’s flashes, brief fireballs, and lasers.
Grey grabs Long’s shoulder and taps his helmet’s ear position. She nods, and they both switch to their boarding team’s private channel. Tachibana is already calling out, “Brown, Moody! Focus on air contacts! Pazna, covering fire! Thing Three, look out for Thing Four! Fisher, Dumas; finish off anything Thing Four hits! Fredericks, alternate fire with Thing Four!”
They cheer, “OORAH!”, continuing to fire seemingly in a full hemisphere around themselves. Grey says to Long, “Take position with Thing Three and do what she says. Otherwise, shoot at anything alien.”
Long squeaks as loudly and confidently as her young fearful voice can muster, “Yes Chief!”
Tachibana reports as Grey joins her in firing into the flying craft, “Similar to ground assault, Chief! Basic drop and shock!”
“Good! I like predictable targets!”
She cheers in agreement, “Oorah, Chief!”
The minutes tick by slowly. The Polonia isn’t giving up without a fight, even as cannons are whittled away, venting precious oxygen with every hit that punctures. Still, only two of the ships are actively approaching, and Grey notices something new. One of them has stopped firing. The paint scheme on it isn’t as familiar as its partner battleship, but the damage to its pulse generator is.
Captain Long’s voice breaks through static, calling out, “No one panic! Dr. Lopez just successfully accessed one of the hostile battleships; the mission zero one. Stand by!”
A few more chaotic moments pass, but the partner battleship, the one Chief Grey and his expanded team boarded, suddenly stops firing as well. However, not for long. Bolts suddenly rain in every possible direction from the enemy ship. Its targets are a new shot of adrenaline for the marines. The hacked alien ship fires relentlessly on its own allies, excluding only the battleship next to it. Its broadside barrages hammer mercilessly on the battleships further out, while lighter guns add a new hailstorm for the transports and shuttles to dodge, with several very quickly succumbing to the combined firepower.
Grey chuckles when Long cheers excitedly with the other marines. It’s exciting indeed, but the battle isn’t over. Tachibana calls out, “Stay hot Marines! We’re not out yet!”
The firefight continues.
Captain Long announces, “All hands! Hang tight! Commencing jump!”
“Wait!” cries out Kane’s voice just as a white flash illuminates everyone brightly from the Polonia’s front, or even further than that. Hancock replies, “Sir! We’re ready! Dr. Lopez is…”
Kane yells, “GET EVERYONE BELOW DECKS NOW! NO ONE CAN LOOK AT THE LIGHT!”
Captain Long only pauses a fraction of a second before yelling, “MOVE! INSIDE MARINES! EVERYONE AWAY FROM WINDOWS!”
Fisher groans dramatically, “Go here! Go there!”
Tachibana orders, “Back below, Marines!”
Dumas jokes as they fire on the run, “At least it’s zero-g cardio!”
Rena adds playfully, “Then I must be REALLY out of shape to be sweatin’ this much.”
Just as Mina starts to speak, a bolt hits the hull next to her, rupturing the deck. Grey jumps without thinking, realizing she’s headed helplessly to the void otherwise, and she was ahead of him. But, he didn’t think about one thing; that he’s not coming back down either.
A young voice cries, “CHIEF!” His ankle is snagged just as he grips Mina’s wrist. Mina’s screams soften into panicked panting, and Grey glances. Long had tossed her blaster to hug his leg tightly, but her boots are slipping. It’s only a second longer though before she’s tackled in a group hug, halting her slide.
The marines scramble to pull Grey and Mina quickly back down, easing them both back onto the hull. Mina cries out, “My leg!”
Without hesitation, Grey hoists her onto his back -weightlessness making it easy- and he shouts, “Let’s go! I’ll kiss you all inside!”
The marines follow their comrades, quickly piling in as many marines as can fit in each airlock to cycle through faster. One of the first through overrides the hallways and airlock to let everyone pile inside without cycling the airlocks. They can always repressurize later.
Once the last marines are inside, Grey closes the outer hatch. Several Grodrrn shock troops are lumbering towards them, but he yells, “GO! ALL ABOARD CAPTAIN! OR ACCOUNTED FOR!”
Long orders, “Lopez! Now or never!”
Grey looks at the young woman sticking to his side. She’s staring outside. It only barely registers to him before he reacts. His right eye glimpsed white as it filled the void around them while he grabs and covers Long’s face. Even with his eyes closed, he knows at once he’ll never see out of his right eye again.
******
Helmdravv Khla finally sees the blinkers on her Chulm’chn’s battleship. She’s being signaled back. However, she also notices the flash just before her screens overload.
It’s already too late.
Khla banks hard back into the core of the human fleet, using her memory alone. Her transport has no jump capability of its own, and so, it is not shielded the same way. Her instruments all lose power. She is at the mercy of the human’s jump now, and wherever in the universe it takes them.
Khla releases her controls and sits back, trying to relax. She can hear the last whirls of the life support system coast down. Alone in her ship as she is, she has about 8 hours of air if she stays calm. More if she can ease herself to sleep.
She lays her head back, wondering what Jardzen Khla is going to do. He’s very professional about the fact that his own hatchling serves under him. In fact, what happened just before she used her emergency authorization codes to sneak off the ship was the first time he has ever let their relationship come before duty. He undoubtedly knows she’s gone. And, he’ll quickly figure out that her ship isn’t among the wrecks. She hopes he keeps his head. If she survives at all, it will only be through biding her time and patience. And, she must come to grips quickly with the very real and very probable chance that she’ll never see her Chulm’chn again.
She won’t dishonor her family further, though. She is still alive, which means she can still take as many humans with her as possible. Fewer soldiers means the Fievegal might still succeed… If they can find the human fleet again.
Helmdravv Khla gently and calmly grips her sidearm, cradling it in her lap as she waits. It’s all she can do right now. Wait and hope.
Her mind drifts into quiet. Her biology lets her maintain a minute awareness, even as she drifts deeper to sleep. It lets her process noises in a simple capacity. She’s not conscious, per se, but she can make sense of the few noises in her ship to decide when to wake up. Her people evolved from ambush predators, so energy conservation and awareness are crucial.
Something clinks against her ship only once. A light, grazing impact. Probably one of the human ammunition cartridges or a piece of shrapnel.
Dreams aren’t impossible in the sleep state Khla is in, but they typically don’t happen. Then again, lack of oxygen tends to fire off neurons more randomly, meaning her brain is less focused.
And, the dream she has, unsurprisingly, is about the last person she was thinking about; her Chulm’chn. Her dream is little more than still frame scenes, but she can feel the emotions she felt at those times. He taught her to walk and how to speak. He mended her injuries and clothes. He fed her and raised her.
She glimpses her Chulm’chn’s bondmate as well, Czill’grrk, but she was always a lesser role in Neezha’s life. Female Grodrrns generally are. They are laborers or soldiers before anything else. Though, the occasional dual female bonded pair is allowed to adopt a hatchling whose biological Chulm’chn is killed. But, it’s generally after the hatchling is born, and imprinting doesn’t take place, making the familial bond much weaker.
Another, deeper clonk penetrates to Neezha’s limited fractionally conscious state. Again, it’s singular, and it didn’t jar her body. It could have been a fallen soldier’s body adrift in the jump bubble. Again, it comes and goes, meaning it’s not a threat. They’re likely still in the jump.
Neezha didn’t hate her Chulm’chn’s bondmate, but she was at work when Neezha hatched. Imprinting is crucial to a Grodrrn’s development, as it implants inherent trust in the hatchling’s family. This, in turn, lets the guardians more easily teach the hatchling without aggression getting in the way. As such, hatchlings without a Chulm’chn almost exclusively grow up to be sociopathic murderers. Likewise, abusive or aggressive Chulm’chns are also not tolerated.
But, Jardzen Khla was at every event in Neezha’s life, from hatching and entrance to the hatchling academy, to her rites of passage and her commissioning as a pilot.
A cool tickle slides gingerly down her cheek. She can tell the air temperature is dropping, but this is different. She realizes it’s a tear.
Jardzen Khla was in pain when he was telling her not to go. She didn’t notice it at the time, but her mental image of him now; was there a glisten in his eyes?
A deep thud hits the ship. It’s followed by multiple clonks and metallic noises. Khla would gamble her next ten meals that she’s hearing metallic boots and rigging gear. She heard the humans have been stealing EVERYTHING they can get away with, including the long range transport from which it’s believed they developed their own jump drive. It’s good warfare sense, especially with the humans’ newly limited resources. And, it’s also why Khla isn’t surprised.
Khla opens her eyes calmly. Her vision is blurry, her breaths are creating clouds, and her body feels much heavier, even though her ship’s artificial gravity systems failed with her ship’s power. The air is stale and thin, like grease and ozone mixed with her own odors. She must’ve been asleep for hours. She may even be at the limits of her oxygen supply. But, she can take at least a few…
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Khla opens her eyes again, realizing she passed out. She must stay focused. She must retain consciousness. There’s no telling how much time she lost. She slowly aims her sidearm at the hatch. It takes an immense amount of strength for such a simple motion. Her eyelids grow heavier and heavier. She tries to focus. The noises are muffled now, but still present. She’s certain her ship is being towed.
Khla jolts awake when a much deeper thud shakes her whole ship. She lost consciousness again. She’s also breathing quicker. The air is almost un-breathable. She has maybe a minute left.
A deep hiss sizzles and pops. Someone’s cutting in. Khla squeezes her weapon. She’s not even certain she has the strength to pull the trigger, but she has to try. For the Fievegal, for her family, for her Hulma…
Light floods into the dark cockpit as the back hatch is ripped away. It floats lazily in the air. Only a moment passes before the alien smells find her nose and… warmth. Warm, taste-filled air swirls around her, replacing the chilled and expended air of her ship. A small shadow looms at the door. For a moment, Khla HAD forgotten how small her adversaries actually are.
She closes her eyes, trying to focus her vision as she calms her breathing. She can hear footsteps approaching. Two pairs of footsteps.
She snaps her eyes open, glaring down at… two humans; an adult -male, she’s fairly certain-, and a small female youngling. She would never have forgotten their eyes, though; metallic grey, and shimmery green. The little female is holding the adult’s hand, and she looks up at him. His lips curve with the corners slightly higher than the middle.
The adult says calmly in human, “Surrender, Helmdraaff Claw. We won’t hurt you.”
Khla tries to tighten her grip, but suddenly lets go of her weapon. It drifts away as she falls unconscious. As her mind is drifting into static, she can hear the word, “Mehdyk!” being shouted by the human.
******
Marines carefully drift the reptilian alien out of the ship, led by Lieutenant Kane. The ship is still in chaos from the fleet-wide losses of power and vital systems, and communications have still yet to be recovered. But, one of the mining barges, as well as the captured alien long range ship -the ‘Sting Ray’ as everyone’s calling it, were able to start up. Captain Long decided captured Grodurns may prove useful alive more than dead, and ordered recovery as quickly as possible.
The fleet is dead in space for the moment. They survived 9 hours in the strange jump bubble, but not without losses. Aside from those confirmed lost in combat prior to the jump, early reports suggest citizens aboard the Polonia suddenly fell out, killed on the spot for no apparent reason.
The theories so far tie all of the effects to a large EMP generated by the jump field, with the field only sustaining by capacitors Dr. Lopez installed just in case. Her installation actually performs the same deceleration and dissolution of the bubble over time based on power in the capacitor, which undoubtedly saved the fleet as a whole.
But, at least one of the larger mining vessels has been lost. After power was lost, it drifted to the edge of the bubble, so it’s suspected, and vanished. Only speculation suggests what happened after.
Fortunately, the human ships were designed with EMP’s in mind -from terrorists and space EMPs, like a nebula bolt’s burst-, but EMPs no less. The main reactors on the Polonia are already heating back up, and power should resume in minutes.
Grey, of course, is one of the living victims. Not everyone heeded Kane’s and Long’s warnings, and too many on the Polonia alone lost either all or half of their eyesight. Grey’s right eye is already milky grey, which he has hidden from everyone but Tachibana so far by keeping his helmet polarized. He suspects Fisher picked up on him fumbling with the right side of his belt, but the petty officer hasn’t said anything yet.
Grey studies the alien pilot as it’s eased out by the group, with Little Bird floating along with Kane by his belt. Little Bird asks softly, “What’s going to happen to her now?”
Kane replies gently, “We’ll hold her prisoner until we can talk to her. She’s stuck with us for now. Hopefully, she understands what that means.” Kane orders the team, “Make sure you secure her like I told you. There’s no telling how strong a panicked Grodurn is. Or an enraged one.”
“Sir, yes sir!” replies HM1 Brown as he leads. Kane makes his way over to Grey with Little Bird.
The young girl asks, “Are you okay, Cheep?”
Grey chuckles, “Chief. With an ‘F’. And, yep yep. Doing good.”
She smiles. She adds, “That’s the same girl alien we met on Earth!”
“So I hear. Would’a been nice if she left us alone.”
“Stranger thinks we might be able to talk to her, though, and understand the Gr-Grodinns better. Th-then maybe we can be friends.”
“We’ll have to see…” replies Grey skeptically.
Kane adds warmly, “In any case, we bought ourselves a lot of time. We can finally get a real breather and sort everything out.”
“Oorah, sir,” replies Grey calmly.
The overhead lights click back on, though some are burned out now. A deep chorus of whirs winds up to life, and Grey can tell the air is moving again.
An announcement starts, “Testing 1MC. Test complete. All hands, this is Captain Long. Emergency power has been restored. Please refrain from attempting to energize hotel services until power grid is fully restored. We’re working on communications with the other ships. There have been losses, but we’ve escaped. Memorial and prayer services will be held once ship safety has been fully recovered. Nonessential personnel, please remain confined to quarters. Thank you everyone for your continued support. Captain out.”
Kane sighs, “Good news. Let’s hope it keeps coming. Chief, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to…”
Captain Long’s voice comes over the announcement again. “Lieutenant Kane; if possible, the bridge of one of the alien battleships is still intact. Please investigate.”
Kane calls to a Marine, “Petty Officer, please report to bridge, Kane en route to battleship.”
“Aye, sir!” replies the soldier as he jogs to a phone. Kane replies to Grey, “Duty calls.”
“Call if you need backup, Sir.”
Kane smirks, cheering, “Hooah.” He gives Little Bird a high five.
Grey walks with his magnetized boots, holding Little Bird’s hand to pull her through the air. She playfully swings from his arm, happy just to be alive and still have her new friends and family.
She asks curiously, though, “How come you’re still wearing your helmet, Cheep?”
Grey winces. It’ll come out soon enough, but he has no idea how he’s supposed to explain it to Tanya. Or, Spaceman Long, for that matter. Grey thinks for a moment. He buys himself a moment by retorting gruffly, “How come you keep calling me cheap? I look inexpensive to you, Marine?”
Little Bird blushes, saying cutely in her defense, “Birdies say ‘cheep cheep’… um, Chief.”
Grey chuckles and replies, “Well, Navy Marines say ‘Yes, Chief’.”
“Yes Chief!” she says excitedly. She then stares expectantly for her answer.
Grey sighs as he slows to a stop. He takes his helmet off, holding his eyes closed a moment longer. He looks at Little Bird. He can feel both of his eyes moving, but he can only see her through his left. He’s still not completely used to it.
Little Bird doesn’t gasp or gag. She gently drifts herself up to his level, gingerly touching his cheek and around his eye, possibly looking for a mask. She asks cautiously, “D-… Does it hurt?”
Excruciatingly so. His eye feels like it’s full of glass needles dancing around to rave music. He replies calmly, though, “No.”
Little Bird waves off to the side, testing if he can see her hand. He replies gingerly, “I can’t see with it.”
The girl winces. She frowns empathetically, unsure of how she can help. She asks cautiously, “Will it… heal?”
Grey replies optimistically, though he knows the truth, “Probably someday. For now, I’ll have to use my God-given spare.” He winks his left eye.
Little Bird smiles partially, still empathetic to him. She pulls herself close and kisses his right cheek, saying gently, “Mommy used to say kisses help…”
Grey smiles and nods, “Thanks, Little Bird. I needed that.”
She smiles warmly, happy to help someone so special to her. He keeps walking with her, a little less concerned with his eye than he was. He can make up a little white lie about WHEN it happened, so Long doesn’t beat herself up. After all, they were in the jump bubble for nine hours.
And, hopefully, there won’t be much need for soldiers anymore anyways. As long as they stay out of reach of the Grodurn fleet, they should be smoothly sailing until they find whatever they’re looking for now.
********
Ensign. From Private, to Spaceman, and then all the way to O-1 Officer rank, Rex Hancock has suddenly gone from a lucky gun-toting nobody to number one henchman of potentially the most important woman in the fleet. The irony, of course, is that said irreplaceable person wants as few people as possible to know she exists.
It’s Hancock’s first day as an Ensign since the promotion ceremony. It was a little affair with all five Captains of the main ships remotely logged in, other than Long, who performed the ceremony. Additionally, Dr. Lopez, Mr. Right, Prof. Caldaren, and Alpha Team were present, as well as Kenzie, Tanya, and Little Bird.
Hancock was suddenly promoted at Mr. Right’s request, Captain Long’s approval, and the Council of Captains’ additional support for his heroism protecting Lopez, as well as her insistence of having him specifically help her.
It’s a weird feeling already outranking his squadmates, but even Chief Grey was happy for him. Hancock’s authority and position as Lopez’s minion gives him rather free reign to work and serve as he sees fit. Or rather, as Lopez sees fit. He’s her exclusive guinea pig, assistant, eyes and ears if field operations happen, and otherwise servant to her every need. It’s a lot of standing around and VERY basic tasks while talking to Dr. Lopez, but it works well with his arm still in a sling as it is.
Kenzie buttons his uniform jacket buttons for him, smiling warmly. She teases, “I kinda like you like this.”
“What, an officer?” asks Hancock, equally warmly.
She retorts playfully, “No. Broken. Keeps you at my mercy.” She giggles deviously.
He scoffs and hums dryly, “Mm-hmm.”
Kenzie has been granted duties as a ward room caterer, which basically means she’s still a waitress, but under the current system, she’s effectively much better compensated. Plus, serving in the ward rooms, which are reserved for military personnel -officer or enlisted-, she’s serving a lot fewer people. She also gets to hear a little more about the current situation, so she knew about the mission’s success before the ship came out of the FTL jump.
Astronomers are still trying to figure out where they ended up based on the narrow perspective of the universe humans have always had. The handful of Grodrrns captured, including the female Hancock’s squad encountered on Earth and the BIG male that almost captured Hancock, Lopez, and Marvoni on the boarding mission, have remained silent and uncooperative, if they’ve regained consciousness. But, then, no one’s tried talking to them much except to verify they’ll survive. It’s been about 3 days since the jump, and the big male, specifically, is still unconscious.
For now, the humans are celebrating a little, but staying diligent. Of course, today is a meeting day. Everything is as normal as possible, with power restored, repairs in progress, and the drydock’s 3D printers working at capacity to produce the parts Lopez and the other scientists need. Everything is eerily calm and quiet.
Kenzie asks, “Does the new position mean you’ll be safer?”
Hancock scoffs, replying warmly, “I think the jump did that. But…” Kenzie’s face softens a little in disappointment. He continues gently, “My job is to learn anything Dr. Lopez invents, field test it, and then train everyone else. So…”
She sighs, “If it’s a gun, you have to use it.”
He nods affirmatively, but gently.
Kenzie sighs again, asking more chipperly, “So, what about the captured aliens?”
The young officer chuckles and replies, “Marvoni wanted to stick them in a box in pairs and taunt them about breeding, but Kane is pushing for diplomacy. He wants to understand them better. They clearly know their way around the universe much better than we do.”
“What does your overlord think?”
He scoffs, replying, “Dr. Lopez doesn’t talk about them at all. Anything she’s afraid of, she doesn’t talk about.”
The two start walking towards the meeting, where further fleet affairs are to be discussed. They’ll be planning out the next steps forward and the priorities of the fleet. Because Kenzie will either hear about it in the ward room or the fact that it won’t be a classified discussion, she’s being allowed to accompany him.
Two months ago, Hancock would have been astonished by the hodgepodge group of military and civilian personnel gathering at the meeting. No one would ever assume normally that any of these people have anything to say to each other. But, they are quickly becoming the de facto ‘core group’.
All four other captains are remotely logged in, as usual, with Long hosting the meeting on the Polonia. Mr. Right, Dr. Lopez, and Professor Caldaren are all present, though Lopez makes a point of sitting next to Hancock, opposite Kenzie. Chiefs Grey and Tachibana have their squads gathered, present as the most experienced combat teams available. And, of course, Lieutenant Kane and Commander Hitch are at the meeting as well. The other ships also have similar teams gathered, further bolstering the brain pool.
Long greets them politely, “Thank you all for attending. Our continued cooperation is our strongest chance at survival.”
Captain Dodge jokes warmly, “We had a choice?”
Long smirks at him dryly, continuing, “We need to lay out priorities. Military response is going nowhere. We cannot afford to assume the Grodurns have lost our trail. Nor can we assume they’re the only potentially hostile race out there. Staying in space isn’t an option, and we don’t have the means to terraform. That means exploration. So, first priority, on all fronts, likely needs to be equipment.”
Mr. Right raises his hand politely for a turn. She nods at him, and he stands up, saying, “Hey everyone. I’m sure most of you know me. Mr. Right of ol’ G-sink. Or, should I say G-sunk?”
He gets a few chuckles, and even a small amused snort from Captain Long. Pleased, the eccentric businessman says a little more seriously, “Right, so, I don’t necessarily disagree with Cap’n Long. But, I think higher priority than that is water. And, by extension, oxygen. We CAN try to keep recycling… uh… black water, but we’re rolling the dice as is. All it takes is one sanitizer to go down, and we lose a whole ship in a week. Same with air. And, over-capacity as we are, something will break with as hard as the equipment is running.”
Captain Long nods, understanding of his point. She asks, “What do you suggest, Mr. Right?”
“I won’t even joke the suggestion made… in poor taste at the beginning of this voyage. But, we have a lot of people. And, some on the way, not to mention our… ‘guests’. Either way, we want more people, not fewer. And, that’s where my colleagues on the Providence come in. Professor?”
From the Providence’s screen, an official looking businesswoman steps up. She introduces herself, “Professor Kelly Morton, head of operations for the Providence. Truth is, we have four main assembly lines, each possessing machinery perfectly capable of tackling our needs. But, that means dedication. One line should be dedicated to new ship construction. No negotiation. I’d push for two, but you’ll see why I’m not in a second. Second line is repair parts. No surprise, we got a lot of repairs already, and the ships are all brand new. Third line needs to be dedicated to research and development on the new ship’s systems, which use complex metallurgy and techniques we can only barely imitate.”
Captain Long asks, “But you still have line four for military needs, yes?”
Morton scrunches her face uneasily, replying, “Weeeellllll... not exactly. At least, not full capacity. We still need to build more assembly machines, as well as beef up our processing capacity, which means more machines as well.”
Confused, Long asks, “Didn’t you just say you have many machines on each line? Why can’t you produce new armaments alongside everything else?”
Mr. Right steps in to absorb Captain Long’s frustration if there is any, “Allow me, M’lady. It comes down to resource feed. The Providence doesn’t have an abundance of space for incoming materials at the front of the assembly lines. Increasing material variety increases material moves, which in turn, slows down the whole process.”
Captain Dodge asks to clarify, “So, fewer things getting done at a time?”
Mr. Right nods at the screen, “Correct.”
Captain Long sighs and nods, “Alright. Produce everything you can as quickly as you can.”
Mr. Right clears his throat, and she growls calmly, “What is it?”
The businessman adds, “Weeee are going to need to start collecting raw materials in the immediate-term. Not least of which is water.”
“Water?” replies Captain Francisco. “The Reprocessors are working. I think we have higher priorities.”
“And, how long do you think people will tolerate drinking recycled urine? Truth is, we’re going to lose water through vapor form as air leaks start to happen. The Polonia is already Swiss cheese in that regard. From water, we can replenish both oxygen and hydrogen for various purposes. Huh… SWISS cheese… won’t be a thing anymore, huh?...”
“Focus, Mr. Right,” states Captain Long. “How do you propose we find these resources?”
He smiles, “Same way the Grodurns do. We pulse them down. Even this solar system or the adjacent one should have something to start with.”
Chief Grey gruffly asks, “I assume Doc Lopez is on it?”
She jumps with a start, only noticed by Hancock. Mr. Right answers, “Yes-um-sir. And, we’ll need the combat teams ready to explore.”
Grey scoffs and crosses his arms, retorting smugly, “Sure. Why the heck not?”
Mr. Right nods. He adds, “And, it goes without saying, hopefully, that ALL raw materials are the hot commodities. Iron, lead, uranium; anything is useful, save basic dirt for now. But, I envision a nice garden on the main…”
“Mr. Right…” growls Captain Long warningly. He replies quickly, “Right. Sorry.”
Grey then asks bluntly, “So, what about the crocs, then?” Tachibana nudges him sourly, but he adds defensively, “I’m serious. We’re tight on food, water, AND space. The hell we keeping those big mouths around to feed?”
Captain Long replies sternly, “They are prisoners of war. More importantly, we will not shed our humanity. Not now.”
“Look, if it’s a moral issue, Captain, look the other way, and…”
“CHIEF PETTY OFFICER!” snaps Tachibana. “That is enough!”
Grey suddenly snaps though, losing all of the composure he’s held through all of it, like the dam finally gave way. He slaps the table, shouting, “No, it’s not enough! Those damn things took our homes, our families, everything! We’re nomads scrounging for crumbs to make it to tomorrow! Those freaks don’t have civil rights anymore! But, I’ll do them the favor of being merciful!”
It becomes clear that Chief Grey isn’t alone in his thinking. The tension in the air is becoming palpable.
Kane says calmly, “They’re soldiers.” The tension eases some, and the mysterious supersoldier adds, “They’re following orders. Same as any of us. Killing them won’t restore anything, but we might yet learn why they’re so desperate to capture us.”
Grey retorts more calmly, “Sir, that sounds very noble and whatnot. But, why should I have to worry while pounding dirt on alien worlds whether or not those burly lizards are pillaging our ships? We fought too damn hard to risk them escaping and killing everyone.”
Captain Long replies gently, “We hear you, Chief. Truly. But, Lieutenant Kane is right. For now, they’re more useful alive. Right now, our survival relies on THEIR technology. If even ONE of the twenty Grodurns we took prisoner helps us, our survival chances go up profoundly.”
Grey sighs. He growls, “I ain’t holdin’ fire if they get loose. But, I’ll at least wait on the ‘I told you so’.”
Long scoffs, retorting, “Noted Chief.”
Mr. Right remarks, “Am I to understand only the biggest one is still unconscious? Have the others said anything?”
Kane replies, “Yes, and they have not. But, I also have asked that we let them rest first. Most of them were at their limits for breathing.”
One of Mr. Right’s companions introduces herself, “Dr. Catherine Ripley, bio-sciences. From what we can tell, Lieutenant Kane is right. The Grodurns have a more robust biology than we do, but their tolerance for O2 concentration is actually lower. Interestingly, though, in the case of… uh…”
Kane fills in, “Helmdraff Claw.”
“Yes, thank you. With Helmdraff Claw, she was found in a state of short-term hibernation, from what was seen from the outside. This bought her the time necessary. We’re comfortable assuming the others did as well.”
Rena Coulson jokes, “Napping on the job? Must be nice.”
Tachibana glares at her. Kane replies patiently, though, “They share a lot with Earth reptiles. But, a biological response like that is quite handy.”
Rena, playing it off like a normal conversation, replies, “Yes sir. Think they can teach it to us, sir?”
Most of the marines chuckle, as well as Captain Dodge, Mr. Right, and Lieutenant Kane. Kane replies, “Unlikely. But, I’ll be sure to ask.”
Mr. Right says eagerly, “I think the real question is; when do we start asking? First known alien contact in history; I’m excited to learn about ‘em!”
Captain Long replies sternly, “THAT is in Lieutenant Kane’s hands. He’s the only one who can understand what they say in their tongue. Lieutenant, make sure you gather every linguist and cryptotech the fleet has when you start the questioning. I want their language cataloged as quickly as possible.”
Kane nods, “As you wish, Captain.”
********