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Earth at T plus 444 days
Howard woke up to the sound of the emergency communications channel from the Ops Center. “Accept call. Howard here.”
“Commander LaFayette, Duty Officer at Ops, Admiral. We just received an L-wave transmission from TerraB Space Force. It reads as follows: ‘We’re under attack by eighty-nine large ships of unknown origin. All orbiting defense assets including all fighters and our carrier have been destroyed. Ground defenses gone too. Our complete destruction appears imminent. If this enemy knows about us, they probably know about Earth. Act accordingly. Don’t forget us. Kawasaki.’”
“My God! The Friendlies weren’t bluffing. Put Space Force on Yellow Alert status. Relay that message to sites B and C. Contact Admiral Shiloh...and Commander Kelly. I want them back here asap. Any questions?”
“No, Admiral.”
Howard looked at the chronometer beside his bed. “It’ll be dawn in a couple of hours anyway, so I may as well get up. I won’t be able to go back to sleep now. I’ll be at Ops in about an hour. Howard clear.”
Twenty-eight hours later, Shiloh and Kelly entered the CSO’s inner office. This time they’d both been summoned, and from the tension in HQ corridors they’d noticed on the way in, something big and nasty was up. Howard didn’t bother with cigars this time. When everyone was seated, he pointed to the screen on the opposite wall. It was Kawasaki’s last message. Howard watched the faces of his two guests carefully as they read the message. Kelly’s face lost all its color. Shiloh’s face took on a grim expression.
“I’ve been in contact with Sites B and C, and I’ve conferred with Paladin and other AIs,” said Howard. “The AIs are of the opinion that Site B is the most likely next target since it’s the closest Space Force asset to TerraB. They want to make a stand there, and are recommending that all, and they mean ALL fighters should be redeployed to Site B asap. I’d like to hear your assessment of the situation, Admiral Shiloh, and also from you, Commander Kelly.”
Shiloh took a deep breath to give himself a bit more time to organize his thoughts. Site B was the closest target to TerraB, but even assuming that the aliens knew about it, they might have other strategic priorities. “I would not recommend that response, Admiral. For one thing, it’ll take weeks to get all of the remaining Rim AIs to Site B. What I’m worried about is losing a lot of AIs and their fighters while trying to defend a site that maybe can’t be defended. Those eighty-nine ships may be able to get to Site B before we can reinforce it enough to have a decent chance of winning that battle. If these aliens intend to hit us wherever they can reach us first, then the question is should we try to defend the Haven system, which will be the next closest target after Site B, and can we concentrate enough force there to stop them? Wherever we try to stop them, we better make sure that we’ve got enough assets to get the job done. Anything less than that risks death by a thousand cuts.”
Howard nodded and looked over at Kelly. “Commander? I know you’ve been on a temporary leave from the SPG, but what are your thoughts?”
“I’m remembering what the Friendlies said. They said the AIs we left in the Sag Arm didn’t finish the job. That suggests to me that these eighty-nine ships are insectoid, and the fact that they’re operating as a fleet instead of individually makes me wonder what’s changed. Why are they starting from a point that is the furthest away from the Rim where they have normally begun operations in past timelines? Without answers or even educated guesses to those questions, I can’t really offer any useful insights at this time, Admiral.”
“I see your point, Commander. The question that I have to answer right now is whether we try to defend Site B or concentrate our defenses further back at Haven or some other point. I would hate to lose Site B. We’re gradually increasing our building capacity here in Sol, but it’s not even close to what Site B can accomplish. They already have four carriers under construction. We haven’t even begun to build carriers here yet. And with Nemesis as our only operational carrier at the moment, I think we’re going to need all the carriers we can get. Do either of you disagree with that?” Both Shiloh and Kelly shook their heads. “Good. Shiloh, I’m going to put you on the spot. Never mind the ifs, ands and maybes, where would you make a stand if the decision were up to you?”
Shit! I was afraid he was going to ask me that. What I wouldn’t give for a precognitive vision right about now. Even as he had the thought, he knew it wouldn’t happen with the Friendlies jamming RTC transmissions. The seconds ticked by as Shiloh struggled to come to grips with the question. He finally took a deep breath and said, “If it were up to me, I’d make the stand here at Earth, Admiral.”
“Even if that means letting half a dozen or more colonies be wiped out?” asked Howard in a harsh tone.
“I think we’re only going to get one shot at stopping these ships, and that one shot will have to be the biggest shot we can muster. Making a stand after they decimate Earth makes no sense. We have to hope that making our stand here will buy us enough time to gather the necessary force before they get here, so yes, even if some of our colonies are wiped out.”
Howard was about to ask Kelly if she agreed, but the expression on her face stopped him. She was clearly horrified by Shiloh’s answer. He decided not to ask her. “I recognize that making that call was a difficult thing to do. It’ll be just as difficult for me to do it, but I agree with you. We don’t even know if we can stop these things at all. Trying to stop them with less than our full strength at a colony seems to me to be a terrible risk to take. So that’s it then. All recalled fighters will be ordered to come here. Nemesis will be the flagship, and you’ll command all mobile forces from her, Shiloh. The fighter groups that are on their way to search star systems will be recalled via L-wave transmissions when they arrive at their destinations. I haven’t yet ordered Site C to pull in the remaining twenty-five hundred fighters still tasked with guarding the Rim. I think that order should come from you, Shiloh.”
Before Howard could say any more, Kelly interjected. “If these really are insectoid ships, Admiral, then I recommend we leave some fighters to keep an eye on the Rim systems that have the kinds of life forms that the Insectoids could exploit for breeding purposes. It occurs to me that these eighty-nine ships might be an elaborate diversion to pull all our fighter strength away from the Rim if the real insectoid invasion is still coming there.”
Howard closed his eyes and shook his head. “God help us if those eighty-nine ships are just a diversion with an even bigger force waiting to come smashing in from the other side, but I see the logic of your argument, Commander. Okay, Shiloh, you’re authorized to leave a minimal sentry fighter force guarding the Rim, but when I say minimal, I mean MINIMAL. Understood?”
“Understood, Admiral. Can I assume that I’ll be able to pick my human crew?”
Howard didn’t hesitate for even a second. “You can have anyone you want except for Commander Kelly. I think she can make a greater contribution to this effort if she resumes her leadership of the SPG.” Howard could see from Shiloh’s expression that that didn’t go over well.
“Is there any flexibility in that, Admiral?” asked Shiloh in a particularly calm voice.
Howard wanted to say no, but then decided that Shiloh had earned a more sympathetic response. “Commander Kelly, I’d like to continue this conversation with Admiral Shiloh alone.”
“Of course, Admiral,” said Kelly in a neutral voice as she got up and left the room.
“Commander Kelly is an excellent XO, Admiral. I believe Nemesis will stand a better chance in the coming battle with her aboard.”
“I’ve overlooked your relationship with Commander Kelly because so far it hasn’t interfered with her duty or yours, but there are good reasons why two officers in the same chain of command should not be romantically involved, and I know that you know what those reasons are. If she gets injured, isn’t that going to distract you from focusing on the battle? If you get injured, won’t she be distracted from commanding not only Nemesis but the whole battle?”
“She was my XO when we took Nemesis to the Sag Arm, Admiral.”
“But she wasn’t your lover then, was she?”
Shiloh cursed himself for that oversight. “No, sir, not on the way there.”
There was a pause before Shiloh continued. “I admit that my confidence in her XO abilities isn’t the only reason why I want her on Nemesis during the battle. If she’s on the ground and the Insectoids overrun Earth, we both know what will happen to her. I would rather she died in battle than have to go through that horror. I’m certain she would agree, Admiral.” Shiloh could see the impact of his argument on Howard’s expression.
He's right, dammit. If I were in his boots, I’d feel the same way. But Howard couldn’t bring himself to change his decision. In the back of his mind, there was a nagging feeling telling him that Kelly should not be on that ship during the battle. When he spoke, it was slowly and in a low voice.
“I’m sympathetic to your concerns, Shiloh. However, my decision stands, and that’s final.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ve decided what to do about Site C, but not B. What do you recommend we do about the AIs there? Tell them to abandon the site now or wait and try to finish their carriers?”
Shiloh found it difficult to mentally shift gears. He was still struggling to accept Howard’s decision regarding Kelly. “Ah...I think we should tell them to concentrate on getting the carriers jump-capable so that they can be moved to Site C and be finished there. We should also send a freighter to evacuate all their stockpiled attack drones before the Insectoids attack, and the industrial infrastructure should be wired for self-destruct the second the Insectoids show up. No sense letting the Bugs have access to all that technology and capability...sir.”
Howard noticed Shiloh’s tone and decided to ignore it. The situation was too serious to let minor infractions of protocol get in the way. “Your recommendations are approved. I’ll leave it to you to send those orders. Is there anything else we need to discuss that we haven’t already?”
“No, Admiral.”
“Fine. You’re dismissed. Tell Commander Kelly that I’d like a word with her on your way out, Admiral.”
When Kelly was back in the room and seated, Howard looked her in the eyes for a couple of seconds before speaking. “Commander, you’ll resume your post of team leader of the SPG immediately. I want the SPG to analyze the new strategic situation and come up with contingency plans in case the battle for Earth goes against us or in case the Bugs do something completely unexpected. Game out the scenarios and our best alternatives. Any questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
Shiloh was waiting for her outside of the CSO’s outer office. They said nothing as they began walking down the corridor together. When there was no one close enough to hear, Kelly leaned over and said in a low voice. “I have this feeling that something pivotal just happened in there.”
Without looking at her, Shiloh said, “That makes two of us.”
