Countdown, John Walker [online e book reader txt] 📗

say five to ten went up. Dozens of fighters too. It seems shuttles are combing the area on search and rescue. I’m trying to get Commodore Alden on the line right now.” He paused. “Oh my God.”

“What is it?” Erica called from the helm. “What now?”

“The settlement…” Dorian brought it up on the viewscreen. Charred, collapsed buildings dotted the landscape. The top-down view from a satellite showed little more than ruins. Fires weren’t the worst of it either. Great clouds of smoke covered some sections, making it impossible to see the worst of the carnage. “It’s gone.”

“Christ…” Noah stood. “Get me someone on the line. Anyone.” He stepped over to Erica. “Plot a course for the planet; best possible speed without taxing the systems too heavily. Get our own search and rescue ready just in case. What’s your assessment, Lieutenant? What do you think happened?”

Erica sighed as she engaged the thrusters. “Battleships came. From the readings on the HUD there, I’d say Confed vessels popped in.” She looked at Noah. “Do you think Whitaker came here somehow? Attacked this place while we were gone? Because I can’t imagine any other commander thinking it would be a good idea to come all this way behind enemy lines.”

“No, I agree.” Noah rubbed his eyes as he returned to his seat. “Anyone on comms yet?”

“Negative, sir,” Dorian said. “I’ve got other ships on the scanner now. Three MerCon vessels on patrol. Wait! I got through! Hold on a second.” He spoke quietly into his microphone. “It’s Erris!” He shouted. “She’s on that ship! I’m patching her through to the viewscreen right now!”

Noah watched as the image of Elizabeth Erris flickered on. She looked as tired as he felt, dark circles framing her eyes. Her hair was pulled back severely, making her look all the more done in. She offered a smile, though it seemed forced.

“Welcome back,” Erris said. “Glad to finally see you again. I wish we had fantastic news here… I’m hoping you do.”

“Mission complete on our end,” Noah replied. “At a cost. What happened here?”

“Whitaker came in hard,” Erris replied. “Hit the fleet stationed here and dropped troops on the planet. They were repelled but as you say, at a cost. I’m afraid Whitaker escaped, but that may not matter. Alexander Northam is aboard my ship. He was rescued from Earth by Karl Petrova.”

“Is Marshal Northam there right now?” Noah’s heart raced. He’d been worrying about his friend. Knowing he was safe… that helped. Of course, he’d been in terrible danger arriving at that system during a major battle. He’s tough. Probably got his blood pumping. “As in with you at the moment?”

“No, not right now.” Erris cleared her throat. “I’ve got a lot to tell you besides this but… something you’ll want to hear right away. Tobin Loch came. He threatened to destroy Alden’s ship, and at the time, that was a credible threat. I’ll just cut straight to it. He spoke to Rita and she agreed to go with him to protect the commodore.”

Noah closed his eyes, biting his lip to avoid cursing out loud. He nodded finally. “I see.”

“Did you encounter him out there?”

“We did, and he found himself in an interesting position. I didn’t think…” Noah shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll get her back. One way or another, we’ll figure it out. What about Oliver? The rest of the people here? Are they okay?”

“Yes, and quite frankly, Dora Collins distinguished herself. She took on a mission with Harcourt and they’ve returned with some serious information about the ervas. It may well be the turning point in that part of our problem. They’re on board here as well. Perhaps when you get closer, we can have a briefing over here.”

“That sounds good to me.” Noah nodded. “We’re a bit hurt and we’ve got far too many passengers right now. Can you please reach out to Alden and let him know what’s going on? Or patch him through to us. We’ll give him a briefing. I’m sure he’s anxious to hear what happened. I think he’s got some friends back home waiting to do some political things.”

“He does indeed,” Erris nodded. “You’ll hear from him soon. Oh, Captain? I really am glad to see you.”

“Likewise.” Noah killed the connection from his console. “Maintain course and heading. Dorian, collaborate with whoever’s in charge to see how we can help. If we have to launch ships, make it happen. I want a list of requirements from Engineering for full repairs ASAP so we can requisition the parts from other settlements on Gallik.”

“Yes, sir.” Dorian made notes of all his orders before getting to work.

“Erica, would you like a break? I think you’ve earned one.”

“I’ll be fine,” Erica replied, “until we’re in orbit with the others, sir.”

“Fair enough, Lieutenant.” Noah turned to the reports on his screen; dozens of them waiting for his acknowledgment. Well more than half usually went to Jack. He felt the man’s absence just then. The whole ship would. His understanding of admin alone made him invaluable.

The other departments are going to be annoyed having to explain some of this to me. Noah smirked. Probably do us both some good. He tried to focus on the task at hand but found himself distracted by the possibilities waiting for him on Erris’ ship… and the bad news about Tobin Loch. I have to fix that somehow.

He wasn’t sure what he’d do quite yet, but it was only a matter of time.

***

Graff sat on the ruined steps of the command center, staring off into space. The smell of destruction wafted around him, burning his nose. He ignored the sensation, staring out at the ruined structures dead ahead. Apparently, the bodies had been removed before he landed, but he felt their presence.

Death hung heavy amongst the stink of burning plastic and