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Ashira had never been to war.
The Kingdom of Shardaelia had been at peace with its neighbors for centuries. Even the conflict with the Protelna Raj had never been more than skirmishes, resulting in few – if any – casualties.
Aboard the IITA Unity, everyone was working to prepare the once-retired carrier for war. Anything not secured would be, and every piece of equipment that might be deployed in combat was being checked, double-checked, and readied.
Ashira was alone on the flight deck of the Dawnstrider, looking out into the bay. It amazed her that nobody was colliding with anyone else, given how many people and various pieces of equipment were in motion out there.
Navarch Dromm intended to go to the sector of space where the Ditufgne had been sighted. He had no expectation of a conflict before they met them and their superweapon. He just wanted to get to a closer position for the fastest possible response.
The window to destroy the Ditufgne superweapon was small. If they didn’t take it down before it was able to power-up, the only option was to wait until it sent another planet into the void.
There had been a lot of back-and-forth discussion about that. There was an argument that risking the destruction of an entire solar system was still less disastrous than allowing the weapon to potentially escape and send who-knew-how-many-more-planets to the void.
But they only had projections of the explosion destroying the fully-powered superweapon might cause. The energy was exponentially greater than anything the Xoercerizts employed, and thus far beyond the full understanding of the other races of the IITO.
There was a possibility that destroying the superweapon - while it was connected to a point at least half-a-million light years away - could cause a catastrophic ripple effect that might destroy multiple solar systems. Or- worst-case scenario of all, rip apart space/time in an unforeseeable and ultimately apocalyptic way.
That was unthinkable. And it was the main reason why the goal was to give it their best shot to destroy the weapon before it could be used again.
Ashira was sitting at the pilot’s station. She touched the controls and grinned at a recent memory.
Lii had celebrated his eleventh birthday. Every member of the crew had gotten him a gift.
Lu had presented Lii with schematics for three different types of starfighters, as well as model kits for him to build. Ervik had gotten him a variety of entertainments and games on a new datapad. Alvon presented Lii with age-appropriate games.
Ashira had given her son a new sword-rifle and dagger-pistol. Though some might consider eleven to be too young for such, it was an Aeshar family tradition she would honor. Both were items procured long ago by herself and Petra, and she had made sure to get them from the palace before she’d taken Lii from Shardaeliana.
Lii may have been raised royalty, but both Petra and Ashira had worked hard to make certain he was never spoiled and always appreciative. And, Ashira knew, he genuinely loved the gifts his new family had presented him with.
Though his mother’s gift had been special, it was, she knew, not his favorite. That was the gift Jeck had gotten him.
As promised, Jeck ran Lii through the basic piloting ground instruction test. True to his word, the former soldier had confirmed his status as an instructor, and formally tested Lii.
Lii Aeshar had been certified to begin live flight instruction. Upon passing the exam, he had stood tall and proud, and his joy in the middle of such uncertainty had been contagious.
Ashira could not have been prouder of her son. But it also made her feel wistful. Petra had been a good pilot, too. She would have been impressed to watch her son follow in her footsteps.
As Ashira watched the activity in the bay of the Unity through the viewport, not for the first time, she found herself pondering if she was making the right choice.
Lii was eleven. She was taking her boy into battle. Wasn’t this a terrible, inappropriate move on her part?
But then, where else could he go? To be sure, Ashira could send Lii to CSA headquarters. But she also knew he’d never forgive her. And, what’s more, she didn’t care to be separated from him again if they did get destroyed taking on the Ditufgne superweapon.
Someone came onto the flight deck, and Ashira turned to see Lu. The android co-owner of the Dawnstrider wore a wry grin on her face.
“Now that Lii has certified to fly, do you intend to as well, Ashira Aeshar?” asked Lu, placing her hands on her hips and tilting her head to one side.
Ashira gestured to the controls in front of her. “I fix them. I do not fly them. This is the best seat to look out at the bay.”
Lu stepped up to stand beside her and look out the viewport as well. “Military precision can be amazing to watch.” She pointed towards a spot in the bay. “Particularly when you factor in non-Humans.”
Ashira looked where Lu was pointing and saw Zathru moving materiel around the bay and into their ships.
“You’re not just here watching them work out there, are you?” Lu questioned.
Ashira sighed. “No.”
Lu seated herself in the co-pilot’s seat. “Care to talk about it?”
Ashira had been perfectly content to muse on her thoughts alone. However, after the trauma of losing Petra, the family that had grown out of the crew of the Dawnstrider was the closest she’d ever had.
After rescuing Lii, Ashira had sent a short message to her father. She let him know she was alive, had Lii, and hoped he understood why she made the choices she had. The baron likely would have expected Ashira to resume her duties, but she had to live her life, her way.
She looked at Lu. “Is it right for me to bring Lii into this battle?”
Lu, Ashira knew, had the processing power to answer without hesitation. Her pause was part of her Human-like empathy programming. “You spent an extended period of time separated from him, during which he believed you to be dead. Having to send him away again, in light of what we are going to be doing, cannot feel good.”
“That is the long and short of it,” Ashira confirmed. She arose, and stepped away from the seat, then turned to face Lu and said, “Jeck is one of the finest pilots I have ever flown with, and we already owe him and his skill our lives. I know he will stop at nothing to protect us all in this fight.”
“Agreed,” said Lu. “Chandi was a competent pilot, but Jeck is impressive. If we are to see combat, Jeck at the helm is our best chance of survival.”
“See, and then there is that,” Ashira said. She began to pace. “We have been hired by the CSA to take Alvon and Tara into this battle because this is intended to be for all-or-nothing. If the IITA forces fail to destroy that weapon with the largest armada ever assembled, likely nothing will stop the Ditufgne.”
“True,” said Lu.
Ashira sighed, looking around the flight deck. “It does not matter to me that I have part ownership of this starship. This is my home. You are my family. I would not be anywhere but here for this. And I cannot deny that to my son, either. He is now just as much a part of this family. But I am a mother and I am taking him into danger.”
“Life is always about risk, Ashira,” said Lu. “And you are correct. If this fight fails to stop the Ditufgne, likely, nothing will. Who knows how the peoples of the galaxy will suffer should that come to pass?”
“That is rather bleak,” commented Ashira, turning to face Lu.
“I am an android,” stated Lu. “And my empathic sensibilities are programmed to emulate Human empathy. But while the truth of the situation is harsh, I still believe that our chances of surviving are excellent.”
“I have some sense of the odds,” said Ashira. “They are not in the IITA’s favor.”
“Perhaps not,” said Lu. “But that cannot account for this ship, its crew, and all those we are working with on this mission. No odds can calculate the benefits of that. And the odds cannot account for a family such as this one and everything that, together, we are capable of.”
Ashira considered that. Since losing Petra, there was nobody she believed in more than Lii, Jeck, Alvon, Lu, and Ervik. Even if the danger was mortal, she believed in them and their ability to overcome the risk.
“Thank you, Lu.”