The Stars Came Back (69 page)

Watch Captain: How long until they are in range?

Sensor tech: They are coming slowly, only the two mismatched Sokolovs. Hours. Interceptors could cut that time in half.

Watch captain: Do not sound general quarters until he finishes. Scramble and launch them with direct orders. Plot to intercept. Leave the
Darius
on station here.

The others on the bridge nod understanding and start
quietly issuing orders.

CUT TO

INT - DAY
-
Tajemnica
bridge

Bipasha: Someone is getting antsy. Launching interceptors and pulling high Gs to intercept. Everyone else
holding steady or moving slowly.

Ship AI: Ah. Our old friend, the
Hussein
.

Helton: How are things clearing out around L1?

Bipasha: Almost all gone. One of the remaining cruisers is starting to move out and pick up its interceptors. A bunch of the independents are shuffling, too. Don’t want to get left out.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Space, low orbit above the planet

Three huge carriers, dozens of cruisers, and hundreds of smaller ships are scattered about, mostly hanging motionless in space. One cruiser, the
Hussein
, is heading rapidly away from the planet, with its dozen interceptors leading the way.

DISSOLVE TO

INT - DAY -
Tajemnica
bridge

Compliance Monitor: You have an ancient artifact, a
translation guide
, and you are risking it on this old… old…
thing
? And an L1 event? You
cannot
be
serious
. Are you CRAZY?

Helton: Of course. What were you expecting on an assignment like this?
Oh, and it’s a
lunar
L1, not stellar. About twenty times closer and a tenth the size.

Ship AI: (
Powerfully built soldier avatar) Watch how you talk about my crew, bub. I’m kinda partial to these residents ‘a meat-space.

CM: (
Staring at avatar) Is that-?

Ship AI: Yup, in the flesh… er, metal, as it were. Scared, yet?

The ship avatar flashes a grin, then briefly juggles three different fighting knives, catching them blade-first in one hand, then holding them out in a fan, hilts outward.

Ship AI: Pick a blade, any blade.

Allonia: Told you it sometimes got exciting ‘round here. In case you missed it, I’m the other illegal.

The CM recoils from her a little bit on the realization, then stares.

CM: I must report this immediately! It is almost certainly a breach!

Helton: Report away.
As long as we don’t fire on the morons on the ground with prohibited weapons, the ship and crew are not a combat contract compliance issue. Want to talk from here so we can watch, or you want privacy?

CM: Privately, of course!

Helton: No can do. Not with nearly twenty eight hundred people jammed aboard.

CM: I
must protest! I demand privacy to call and-

Allonia: Hail from the Compliance Monitor from the other fleet.

Bipasha: Diplomats keep such
busy
schedules.

Helton: Only when talkin
g keeps them from shooting. (Turning to the CM standing next to him) You want to take this?

The CM
is briefly conflicted, then nods. Allonia nods back.

Allonia: Both of you on screen, now.

On one of the screens a face appears, a rotund, professorial looking middle-aged man, wavy hair, high collar, nasally voice, prone to squinting.

Fleet compliance Monitor: You can’t land.

Helton: Sure we can. Drives work fine. Landing gear is A-OK. Got a flat spot all picked out. Even have an invitation.

FCM: No. Your
ship is illegal, and you have an illegal person aboard. You are
not
allowed to land. The challenge was only for certain tech on the ground. You are illegal
now
.

Helton: Not illegal where we call home, and space isn’t your jurisdiction in this little get-together. We’re not leaving them there, so-

FCM: You cannot land there.

Bipasha:
Interceptors from the
Hussein
are firing on vector denial trajectories.

Helton: I’m getting tired of people telling me what I can’t do.

FCM: You are not allowed to land. You must be boarded and inspected.

CM:
(Whining) I’ve
been
inspecting, but it’s so crowded now I can barely move.

FCM: Why have you not informed us of these things earlier?

CM: I just found out myself!

FCM: No excuse!
Your job is to discover things like this earlier. Much earlier!

Helton: Hate to break up the love-fest here, but we have incoming. If we can’t land, can we crash?

FCM: (Acerbically) You may
crash
anywhere you like, Mr. Strom. But you may not land.

Quiritis: Thanks. We’re getting good at crashing.

Helton: Among the best.

Allonia: Again?

Bipasha: Uncle Harbin will be thrilled.

Helton: Always knew my flight-sim training would pay off. (
To CM) Your lucky day!

The CM blanches and looks around him like they are all crazy.

Helton waves to Allonia to cut the signal and the FCM disappears from the screen.

Helton: And I think we should crash right… there.

He points to the screen map where the battlefield is marked out.

CM: He just said you
can’t land!

Helton: Trust me, by the time we are done, y
ou’ll certify it’s a crash. Now then, how long until we get to make people wonder what the hell happened?

FADE OUT

Deception

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Bridge of the
HMS Hussein

The spacious bridge is crowded with people at stations and standing or moving about. The Watch Commander stands next to the command chair. The side door opens and the captain walks out, adjusting his medal-bedecked uniform, swagger
stick under one arm. Behind him, a half-dressed adolescent is slumped in a heap on the floor, briefly visible before the door shuts automatically.

Capt of the
Hussein
: Status!

Watch Captain: The
Tajemnica
has been spotted inbound. Interceptors were launched, and we are on course to meet them.

Capt of the
Hussein
: (In a rage) Fool! Idiot! How
dare
you order a move without me!

Watch Captain: You were busy, and I thought-

Capt of the
Hussein
:
Don’t
think, you-you-D’OH! Where are they, those cowards on that evil little ship? Where are the interceptors? How long until we can fire? I
demand
that we get the first shot at that little freighter that insulted me and wrecked our interceptors!

Sensor Tech: On screen, sir! Interceptors will be in best missile range in four minutes. We can fire in ten.

Capt of the
Hussein
: Fire railguns, full course denial pattern!

Watch captain: But sir, the interceptors are-

Capt of the
Hussein
: I don’t care about them! Fire NOW! Keep firing until we are out of ammo or the guns MELT!

The background sounds of the ship now include the vibrating, whining hum of many railguns firing.

Capt of the
Hussein
: Put me on the screen, ship wide.

There is a brief bit of hustle, then a young man point
s to him, gives him a two-second countdown with fingers, then nods, aiming the camera at the captain from a low angle.

Capt of the
Hussein
: Attention. We have found that little ship that insulted us, and I am engaging it now. It will soon be destroyed because of our bravery and fast action, while the rest of these slugs drift in space and watch. That impudent captain is about to see what a worst-case scenario looks like, thanks to me. They can’t run. They have nowhere to hide. All three of those cowardly carrier fleets sit idly. We have the best ship, and it will be a great victory. The King will be pleased, and the rewards will be rich. That is all.

There is a scattered cheer about the bridge, and the Captain’s face twists into a satisfied smirk.

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Tajemnica
bridge

Bipasha: Someone just got bent. Every gun on
Hussein
is firing. Missile launches, too.

Helton frown
s, arches an eyebrow.

Quiritis:
Very long range. Waste of ammo. Stupid. Likely captain’s orders. No competent tactical officer would do that.

Helton: How long until she’s in position to skip past?

Bipasha: Two minutes, more or less.

Helton: Incoming?

Bipasha: Two and a half plus.

Helton: Counter
fire?

Quiritis: Easy. We can take missiles out whenever we want. With the turrets and pods on we outgun any cruiser here. Their railgun dispersion pattern is for a normal cruiser-sized ship
, their beams inaccurate and poorly tuned, can’t hurt us. Slipping between rounds at this range is simple.

Helton: OK. Start taking them out, slowly, like we can barely keep up with them.
Dodge projectiles close.

On the tactical display, one of the inbound interceptors blinks and disappears.

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Bridge of the
HMS Hussein

Capt of the
Hussein
: (In a blind rage)
Fool
! Stupid, incompetent, MORON!

He starts beating the Watch Commander with his swagger stick.

Capt of the
Hussein
: Only an
idiot
would shoot his own ships! (To an armed guard nearby, pointing to the Watch Captain) Arrest this bungler, toss him in the brig this instant!

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Space near
Tajemnica

Tajemnica
has a quiet, modest glow, suitable for an old ship with only two drives. Her guns flash sporadically. Out in front, a slow but steady line of explosions is seen as incoming missiles are destroyed. In the distance, the planet looms darkly and a wide array of ships glitter against the darkness, reflecting sunlight as they shift and maneuver.

The
glow about the ship flickers and fades, and two of the grav tanks slowly rise out from their sockets on the middle topside of
Tajemnica
. The ship’s armor slides back into place as the two tanks drift slowly off. They come together and lock, turrets opposing. Silence, stillness. Then every gun aboard fires at its maximum rate toward the oncoming interceptors, missile pods open fire launching hundreds of small missiles in fiery volley after volley. Some of the pods, emptied, drop away.

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Bridge of the
HMS Hussein

Sensor Tech: SIR! She’s lost her drives! Drifting ballistic.

The Captain’s smile grows larger. On the various screens around the bridge there are distant views of
Tajemnica
and the space around the
Hussein
.

Capt of the
Hussein
: Excellent! Very good! Close at full acceleration for the kill! Tell the interceptors to hold back! She is MINE!

Com Tech: Sir? She’s hailing us.

Capt of the
Hussein
: On screen!

On the main screen appears the same
female avatar that appeared before.

Ship AI: (
With a dangerous grin) Don’t
think
I’ve forgotten you. Up for a rumble?

The captain
’s face contorts with rage.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Space near
Tajemnica

A huge
blaze of yellow-green shimmering space leaps out from
Tajemnica
as the tanks drift and the missiles speed away, and she disappears in transition.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Space near the
HMS Hussein

She accelerates toward
Tajemnica’s
most recent position. In front of her a massive and bright region of space flashes intensely.
Tajemnica
comes flying out of it and blasts past the
Hussein
, nearly touching close, interference patterns from the drives rippling wildly for a moment then disappearing as the
Hussein’s
drives fail, beaten into submission by the six perfectly synchronized drives passing. As she goes tearing by,
Tajemnica’s
guns and lasers blast away, shredding the Hussein’s weapons systems with precise close-range fire, aimed at targets they expected to be there. Drive fields spread far out again, and
Tajemnica
skips out from this universe as fast as she came in, leaving the damaged
Hussein
drifting on momentum.

CUT TO

INT - DAY - Bridge of the
HMS Hussein

On the main screen, a telescopic view of
Tajemnica
displays glowing space, then empty blackness. The view automatically reverts to a wider angle showing space much closer to the ship. A transition blaze blossoms wide directly in front of them, and
Tajemnica
comes out of it and screams past, barely missing, large on the screen. Some of the crew involuntarily throw up their arms to protect themselves from the expected collision. As she passes, the
Hussein
shakes violently, the humming drives cough up a huge hairball and go silent.

On the main screen,
Tajemnica’s
avatar flickers briefly, then reappears.

Ship AI: I have things to do, but
I’ll be back
.

The captain is absolutely beside himself with rage, face red, barely
able to speak. He grunts and squawks incoherently as his crew busies themselves assessing damage and avoiding his eyes. Then, on the screens showing where
Tajemnica
was, there is a rippling of explosions as her missiles and gunfire destroy the
Hussein’s
interceptor flock ahead.

CUT TO

EXT - DAY - Space, day side of the planet, at the L1 point between the planet and
a moons that is almost directly toward the sun.

A lone cruiser loiters nearby, left
as a precaution against an unlikely small probe using the gravitational flat spot of the L1 point between the planet and moon/star to transition in-system. An inferno of greenish-yellow fire flares out, and flying into this universe is
Tajemnica
, firing the BFR almost before she is fully here, hitting the lone cruiser from less than a kilometer at full power. It is as though a line of explosives running the length of the ship detonates, and she’s dead and flying apart before anyone aboard knew they were under attack. The tank guns, a few tank turret bustle missiles, the remaining missile pods, and turret lasers lash out, destroying all the interceptors and fighters hanging nearby in a few brief heartbeats. Her glow extends, grabs the fabric of space hard, and she dives, aiming for the horizon at the dawn terminus.

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Geminorum Fleet carrier bridge

There is a moment of stunned silence, everyone looking at screens and tactical displays. The Admiral sits bolt upright.

Admiral Flicker: What happened? What the
hell
just happened?! Answers, people! NOW!

Descent

CUT TO

INT - DAY -
Tajemnica
cargo bay

The cargo bay has been transformed. It has
a partial second deck added at about the same level as the middeck, giving it a lot more room for armored men to stand. The added deck crosses the width of the cargo bay from the ends up toward the middle, with a gap there about five meters wide going side to side. Retractable stairs are on both sides; once the lower deck is partially unloaded they can lower and the “mid-cargo-deck” troops can easily walk down and off the end ramps to join the others on the field. Hanging from the deck above, for both levels, are innumerable plastic bottles on short strings, at a height they can reach up to grab if needed. Lag and Harbin stand on the main deck in the center of the assemblage, where most of the men can see or hear them directly, armored like the rest of them except for some brass on the helms they hold, similar to the other officers and NCOs from the 13th Mountain Shields. The ship vibrates and shakes, and then the odd resonating PING through the hull of the BFR firing is heard. There are hundreds of armored soldiers visible, packed in with standing room only, ready to offload and fight. The young men look around themselves nervously, now that it’s nearly time. Harbin whistles loudly, and they all fall silent, motionless. The background sounds fade to quiet.

Harbin: (
Projecting his voice across the throng) That was the final transition, and
our
weapons clearing the way for landing. Sounds worse than it is, unless you’re on the other end… Anyone need to use the head?

There is a general chuckle and relaxed smiles as they look around at the total pack of men, knowing no one can move if they do. The tension falls at the small joke.

Harbin: Last chance for a drink you don’t carry with you. The overhead bottles have a liter of carb-water. In a few minutes, drink it, piss in the bottle, cap it and drop it on the deck on final approach… Looking GOOD, men! Lookin’ GOOOOD!

Lag an
d Harbin look around with big, confident smiles, nodding approval at what they see. The men cheer a brief, hearty reply. Lag holds his hands for silence, and they again fall silent, listening carefully.

Lag: WE WILL WIN! We go with the best formations, tactics, and training
that more than three thousand years of application and refinement have shown to WORK. We go with the best armor and weapons free minds and science can make, within the restrictions of the contract. You are led by the finest, best trained, best disciplined, most experienced and professional noncoms
anywhere
. You have trained hard for months and know what to do so well that for the
last month
your mentors have not had to yell and order you around; they have only had to coach you, and
refine
your skills. You are strong, well rested, well fed, well watered, in peak condition. You have all truly
earned
your place here in these historic ranks. You are
soldiers
, and you are READY!