“Good job, you all have done a lot better than I had hoped,” Jake said with a smile. At this, the entire bridge crew turned to the sound of the voice in shock.
“Sir, sorry we didn't know you had returned,” York said before Jake replied.
“What are you sorry about? You all did your jobs well.”
“But sir, we should hav—”
“Doing your job is more important than welcoming me or handing over command. That would have been stupid; just look at what you all could do. Now tell me what would have happened if you all knew I was here. You would have failed that last jump. Now tell me, are you ready to try out your skills for real?”
An hour later, the bridge was ready, and all but the four fighters were back on board. The four fighters would meet up over Tasmania as Jake's plan was to slip past the invaders that were orbiting above the northern hemisphere by getting as far away from them as possible.
Jake gave York command of the ship while he sat back and watched over his console.
“Frank, plot our course. Joel, communicate our intentions.”
Chatter came to life over the radio before Joel called back to York their clearance. York looked back to Jake. Then, with a nod, Jake gave the command everyone was waiting for.
“Orange, take us out slowly.”
“Yes, sir,” Orange said as he started the process. The engines roared to life as the ship rose from the ground and slowly slipped over the city before heading south towards Bass Strait.
Bass Strait was in its usual form, only now the waves were three times the size they were in 1998. The ship flew just over the waves, the sea spray washing over the hull. The waves crashed against the hull, making all those on board wish they had chosen a different path in life.
“Keep it up; the weather down here will help keep them from noticing us,” York said to the crew. Jake was going along with his theory that the moment he returned, the big countries around the world would be watching his territory like hawks. So he came up with the plan to hide the ship in the bad weather as they regrouped with the four fighters before blasting into space before anyone could catch them. That is why he also ordered a flight of two fighters to leave Tasmania at the same time the four fighters entered the storm. Jake thought it was a risk, but one worth taking. After all, no one knew who could be a spy.
“Charlie flight, landing bay open and ready for your approach,” Joel communicated over an encrypted radio frequency.
“Charlie lead, 4km out. Commencing final approach now.”
Jake sat back and watched as Joel communicated and managed the airspace around the ship. Jake looked over to York and gestured for him to come over.
“I would like you to write a preference review for all the members of the crew and hand it over to Alric upon our return. One more thing: once we reach orbit, move us away from the planet as fast as we can; I don't want to get into a fight yet.”
York confirmed, then went back over to Joel to see how things were going.
Five minutes later, York started to walk back to his console.
“Alright everyone, prepare for orbital insertion followed by a full thrust burn to the south pole of the moon. Once we are within the moon's shadow, I want this ship to go dark.”
I like this guy, Jake thought.
Once the bridge went quiet as York looked over for Jake's command. Seeing this, Jake pushed his intercom button and opened it ship-wide. “We are about to enter a place no one from Earth has ever gone to for a long time and instead of explanation, we are heading into battle. The likelihood of death is high. Look to the person to your left, and the chances are they will be dead before we return to Earth. So I'm giving every person on this ship one final chance to leave. I will give you all five minutes to make your decision, and then this ship will leave Earth behind.”
Jake looked over the bridge crew, then back at the two guards.
“Well, how about it?” Jake asked. The crew looked at each other, then went straight back to the consoles. Jake looked back at the guards.
“Sir, we are with you to the end; there is no need to ask.”
Five minutes later, Jake asked York, “How many?”
“Two, sir.”
“Who was it?”
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“The two scientists; we gave them two spare runabouts and told them to head directly for Hobart and to not deviate from that path.”
“That's good.” Jake activated his intercom again. “We are about to brake for orbit; prepare for exhilaration.” Jake then looked over to York. “Take us out.” York started giving commands to the bridge crew, then the engines roared to life as the ship began lifting up, gaining speed until it finally blasted through the storm and headed out of Earth's atmosphere. At the same time the ship made orbit, York ordered Orange to burn hard for the moon. Everyone was pushed back into their seats, and those who were standing were pushed backwards into the bulkheads—that is, those who hadn’t taken the proper precautions. Two hours later, the ship was now hidden in the shadows of the Shackleton crater, its engines cold and waiting for their next journey. The bridge only had three bridge crew, two guards, and Jake.
“What is the ETA of York's away team?” Jake asked Joel.
“Ten minutes, sir. Orange radioed back; they have found a suitable location down at the bottom of the crater.”
“Good. Once they return, get them to head directly to the operations room and tell James and his team leader to come up too.”
“Keep an eye out for the enemy, Harrison; I will be down in the operations room, so you are in command.”
Jake got up from his seat and walked over to the ladder that went down one level.
Jake pulled out one of the small territory tokens and identified it.
Item
Small territory token
Claims a patch of land ten kilometres squared. Territory can be expanded by using multiple tokens.
“Definitely going to use the two of them here, and if that cavern they found is big enough, we should be able to use it as a base of operations for the future, but now it will make an excellent hiding spot.”
Jake sat at the large table with a cup of coffee in his hand and a sandwich in the other. Fifteen minutes later, the door opened as six people walked in.
“About time! I've already had two cups of coffee and a shitload of snacks while I waited for you all,” Jake said before he continued, not letting anyone cut him off. “So tell me about what you all found?”
The group sat down at the table as York replied to Jake's question. “We have two locations: one with a cavern entrance big enough to fit this through and a cavern size of over fifty square metres. As for the other one, its entrance is huge to the point it would be impossible to defend, and the space is just as big.”
“So what are your recommendations then?” Jake asked the group.
The people that went out all said the large one, but Jake, on the other hand, wanted James's thoughts on this. “Am I wrong to think you are planning on setting up a base here and you plan for it to be hidden from outside view?”
“Yes, 100%. So what do you think?”
“I must disagree with the others. The smaller one would give you the best options for defence, and as for future growth, fifty square kilometres would make for a good base.”
“Okay, we'll go with that. York, bring the ship in so we can get this plan moving.”
York and the three other bridge crew went up to the bridge to guide the ship into the cavern as Jake stayed in the operations room to talk with James about the job he was going to give him.
“So, let me get this straight: you want me to run this base without any real supplies to get it started, am I right?”
“Well, when you say it like that, it does sound like a shit job, but the supplies will come, and technically you won't be in charge; that will be Alric. But you will be the one everyone will go to first, and you will be in charge of security.”
“I see. Well, I guess I don't really have a choice now, do I?”
“There's always a choice, and your choices are to either take up the position or find someone better to do it.”
“Can I think about it?”
“That's fine. I plan on staying here for a bit anyway as we send out raiding parties to help with those supply issues you were talking about.”
Jake left James to talk it over with his team leader while Jake went back up to the bridge.
“Orange, take it easy; this is going to be tight,” York said as Orange was looking paler than the walls at the cavern entrance.
“Slow it down and just let our moment carry us in.”
“Turn on docking lights,” Jake commanded as the ship was now five metres from the entrance. As he did, there was a bright reflection for a second before the ship entered the tunnel of what used to be darkness but was now illuminated by powerful spotlights and red running lights on the lower and upper hull, and green flashing lights at the tip of all the antennas jutting out from the nose of the ship.
“Orange, get ready, we're coming up to the intersection; take the left path.”
Jake wrote down some notes for later into the console. The first thing on the list was to install some guiding light.
“What's down the other tunnel?” Jake asked one of the others on the bridge. Steve replied, “A small cavern filled with crystals and other resources we could use in the future.”
A minute or so later, deep inside the moon, the rusty bucket's nose exited the long tunnel into a cavern no less than fifty kilometres long. Just as they entered, Jake ordered a complete stop. He then turned to the two guards at the door. “You two come with me. York, tell James we're going to need a team of scouts to head back towards the entrance and two more guards on the bridge,” Jake said as he headed out towards the nearest airlock with his two guards in tow. As Jake entered the airlock, he looked at the two guards to check if they were ready, and to Jake's amusement, he was the one holding them up. He put on his helmet, hearing the comforting hiss and clicks of the helmet as Jake secured it. Then his radio crackled to life. “Sir, what's our job once we exit?” one of the guards asked.
“Provide overwatch as I set up the first territory, then follow me back up the shaft to the second cavern so we can claim that as well.”
As Jake and the two guards exited the ship, falling from the top level of the ship, the moment Jake was about to hit the surface, he activated the suit's thrusters, slowing him down as his foot touched the ground.
“That's one small step for a man; that's one giant leap for mankind,” Jake said the moment he stood on the surface. “What did you say, sir? It may have been a radio issue, but it came through as ‘that's one small step for man.’ Maybe you should repeat it.”
“I'm not doing that. And fuck your radio bullshit; I know you heard what I said.”