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The trip to the star system containing the Avalon Colony was uneventful. Defiant arrived at the outskirts of the system, made two microjumps to arrive beyond Avalon’s 11 light second gravity zone, and contacted the Nimitz Base that had been hollowed out of the planet’s small moon. With contact established and their identity confirmed, Defiant began its maneuver to drop down into orbit around Avalon’s tiny moon and the Space Force base there. Tanaka was conning the ship from the Bridge so Shiloh elected to contact the Nimitz Base Commander from the comfort of his quarters. The image that appeared on his screen was that of Senior Commander Ingrid DeChastelaine. They had met briefly a couple of times but he remembered her.
“Hello, Commander. I wasn’t aware that you’d been made Nimitz Base CO. When did that happen?” asked Shiloh.
DeChastelaine smiled. “Hello, Victor. No need to be so formal. Ingrid will do fine. I took over here about two months ago. We weren’t expecting Defiant. Is something wrong?”
Shiloh nodded. “Yes. Obviously you haven’t gotten the word from Omaha yet. There’s an alien incursion, made up of 42 ships, headed into our space. I’m convinced, but can’t prove, that they’re headed here in order to attack the colony.” He went on to describe the detection and battle.
DeChastelaine’s expression grew serious quickly. “Oh Shit, Victor! What makes you think they’re headed here?”
Shiloh hesitated. “Just call it a strong hunch, Ingrid. What have you got here in terms of mobile defenses?”
“Twenty-five CFPs. That’s it! How soon do you think they could be here?”
“If they push it to the limit, they could be here in less than 24 hours. How are you fixed for Mark 1s, Ingrid?”
She frowned and shook her head. “None. You know the rules, Victor. CFPs can’t carry fission warhead drones while in the same system as colonized planets.”
Shiloh cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten that stupid regulation. Defiant had less than a dozen left over from the Battle at Green4. Not enough to equip all her fighters with even one each.
“Okay, what kind of payload DO you have?”
“Over two hundred Mark 2s plus laser modules for the CFPs.”
Shiloh took a deep breath as he considered the possibilities. Laser modules that were designed to be carried by fighters, didn’t have enough power to burn their way through any kind of half decent hull armor or at least not fast enough to be really useful. The Mark 2s were kinetic energy penetrators with a fast drone built around a thick rod of depleted uranium. Given enough velocity, the kinetic energy released upon impact, would turn the depleted uranium rod into a jet of superhot plasma that could cut through even the densest armor. It was the perfect weapon for disabling a ship IF you happened to hit it in the right spot. To be certain of disabling a ship quickly, you had to hit it with multiple Mark 2s. At least all of the fighters in the system now, could carry their fill of Mark 2s.
“Well, if that’s all we have, then we’ll have to make the most of it. I’ve got 17 fighters left. Can you arrange to have 85 Mark 2s brought up to the ship as soon as possible?”
“You bet, Victor. I imagine you’ll want fuel too, right?”
Shiloh nodded. “Yes, but that can wait until after we reload. How soon can you get your fi—your CFPs loaded with Mark 2s?”
DeChastelaine frowned with concentration. “Don’t hold me to this but I think we can do it in six hours if we had too. I’m reluctant to pull them all off jump detection patrol at the same time.”
“Understood. Once we get our reloads, my CFPs can help carry some of that load. I don’t think we should count on my time estimate as a minimum, Ingrid. These bastards have already surprised me once with their acceleration. We should push our people to get ready as quickly as we possibly can just in case they’ve got more fuel capacity that we estimated.”
“I agree. What else do you need, Victor?”
Shiloh thought for a couple of seconds, then said, “Nothing else that can’t wait. I’ll get back to you shortly so that we can co-ordinate our deployments. Thanks for your help, Ingrid. Shiloh clear.” As soon as the connection was cut, he said.
“Intercom ... Bridge.”
“Bridge here.”
“Sumi, the Base is going to replenish our fighter weapons load as best they can. Do whatever you can to expedite the transfer and as soon as we disconnect, find the DCAG and have him report to my quarters asap.”
“Understood, Sir. Anything else?”
“No, Sumi. That’s it for now. Shiloh clear.”
While he waited for Falkenberg to arrive, Shiloh pondered what he should order the DCAG to do. He had a very strong feeling that stopping the attack would require the use of the fission-armed Mark 1s. Defiant could fire them herself but she could only be in one place at a time and if she happened to be in the wrong position or if the enemy fleet came charging in at high speed, her Mark 1s might not reach them in time. In his vision, Howard said they had barely prevented the enemy ships from attacking the planet. That sounded like the defenders had used every possible means of defense and if that was the case, then it implied the use of the eleven Mark 1s that Defiant had left. On the other hand, Howard hadn’t congratulated him for taking the initiative and deploying the Mark 1s on his fighters. That didn’t mean he hadn’t done it but neither did it mean that he had. He was completely on his own for this decision. Damn the man for not being more forthcoming! He heard the buzzer that announced that Falkenberg has arrived. When the DCAG entered, Shiloh stood up and met him half way.
“You wanted to see me,” said Falkenberg.
“Yes. The base is sending up 85 Mark 2s as soon as they can. They’re going to call their own fighters down from jump patrol to get them armed but that’ll take time and I’ve offered to have our fighters fill in the coverage gaps in order to speed that up. So, get our fighters loaded with jump detection gear and one recon drone each. I’m now going to give you an order that’s a violation of standing regulations. If you obey it, then your career will be just as far out on a limb as mine will, but I think it’s necessary under the circumstances. I want Iceman and ten other fighters of his choice, to carry our remaining Mark 1s. Get them loaded first and sent out on jump patrol. Then send out the rest as soon as they have their Mark 2s, then we’ll bring Iceman and his ten back aboard to top up their load as well. Are you willing to step out on that limb with me?”
Falkenberg said nothing for so long that Shiloh was certain he would say no. “Ah, what the hell. I’ll do it, Sir.”
Shiloh grinned at him. “Good man! Tell Iceman I’ll be down to the bay to speak with him soon. You better get moving, Brad. I don’t want us caught unprepared.”
“Understood, Sir.” As soon as Falkenberg left his quarters, Shiloh left as well.
Ten minutes later, he was once again in the Hangar Bay hooked up to Iceman’s fighter by direct connection. Iceman already had his attack drone loaded along with one recon drone. As soon as they were linked up, Iceman spoke.
“Have you had another vision? Is that why you’re violating regulations by ordering us to carry Mark 1s in a colonized system, CAG?”
“No vision, just erring on the side of caution," said Shiloh.
“Ah, roger that, CAG. Any last minute instructions?”
Shiloh took a deep breath and said. “Yes. If...no, when the attack begins, I’ll be in constant contact and I’ll let you and your boys know when you can use the Mark 1s but I’m also going to rely on your judgment. If, in your estimation, there isn’t enough time to get authorization from me, and if that’s the only way to stop the enemy, then you and your boys do whatever is necessary to stop them and I’ll take responsibility for any adverse consequences.”
“We hear ya, CAG. We’ll be careful.”
“That’s what I needed to hear. I’ll see all of you when this is over. CAG clear.”
Shiloh checked the time. His next duty shift on the Bridge wasn’t set to start for another hour and a half. He wasn’t hungry and didn’t feel like wading through his pile of administrative paperwork. Maybe it was time for some leadership by walking around. If he started at the back end of the ship, he might be all the way up to the Bridge by the time his duty shift started. For half a second he contemplated making a detour to the Officers’ Mess to get a pickle but decided that would just confirm any suspicions as to his questionable mental state!
When the estimated minimum time for the arrival of the enemy fleet came and went, Shiloh breathed a little easier. The anticipated message drone from Omaha Base had arrived with confirmation that the Quick Reaction Task Force was only a few hours behind it. All fighters in the system were loaded, fueled and back on patrol. Defiant was refueled and had 11 Mark 2 drones ready for launch, while she maintained a tight orbit around the planet. The QRTF, when it arrived, was somewhat of a disappointment. Only four Sentinel class combat frigates! Shiloh was hoping for more but apparently some were held back to defend Omaha Base in case that was the real target. With the benefit of his visions, it was easy for Shiloh to call that a stupid move but he reluctantly acknowledged to himself that for someone without that certain knowledge, it was a strategically prudent precaution to take. Naturally, the attack took place during his sleep cycle. He woke up to the blaring of the ship’s Battle Stations siren with Tanaka’s excited voice calling him via his implant.
“Bridge to Commander! They’re here, Sir! Repeat ... they’re here!”
Shiloh shook himself awake and started to get up. “I’m awake, Sumi. What’s happening?” He was glad he decided to sleep in his uniform for just this kind of emergency.
“Jump detection contacts! Lots of them!”
When he was sure that she wasn’t going to say more, he said, “From what bearing?”
“ALL of them! They’re coming at us from 360 degrees and all three axes!”
The near panic in her voice shocked him. By this time, he was running down the corridor to the Bridge. She was already vacating the Command Station chair when he entered the Bridge. Before she could relinquish command, he spoke in a loud voice.
“The XO still has the Con. XO, take the Helm station; I’ll look after the fighters!”
She looked at him with wide eyes but nodded and stepped over to the Helm Station. As he got himself strapped into his chair, he quickly switched com channels to the open channel with the Nimitz Base.
“Nimitz, this is Shiloh! Order your recons to active scanning!” Without waiting for a reply, he switched to the fighter com channel. By prior arrangement, DeChastelaine had agreed to let Shiloh take tactical command of her fighters too. “CAG to fighters! Launch your recons and go active! Light’em up! We need to see their vectors and speeds! If you have a viable intercept solution, take the shot!”
By now he was strapped in and had time to actually look at the tactical display. Tanaka was right. Red triangles indicating jump emergence points were all around the planet as well as above and below it. There was something about this strategy that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Concentration of force was a key tactical concept that should theoretically be valid to any species. There was strength in numbers and it minimized communication lags. So why was this alien fleet...this alien, A.I.-controlled fleet behaving this way? They must know that they risked being picked off one at a time. He didn’t have an answer to his question and...no vision either.
“Task Force Leader on Tac 4, Sir!” yelled the com tech.
Shiloh switched over to that com channel and said, “Shiloh here. Go ahead Task Force Leader!”
As he spoke he searched the display to find the four combat frigates. They were following standard doctrine and were in close formation orbiting the Nimitz Base moon.
“Victor! Get your fighters into action!”
Shiloh suppressed his surge of anger. Task Force Leader Sobrist and he were both Senior Commanders. The deployment order from HQ on Sol had placed all ships in the Avalon system under the authority of Sobrist BUT it also made it clear that when Shiloh was wearing his Commander Autonomous Group hat, he had sole discretion on how to use those fighters. Not only was Sobrist’s urging that Shiloh get the fighters into action a completely unnecessary stating of the obvious but it was also a distraction that Shiloh as the CAG didn’t need right now.
“I’ve already issued orders to them to—”
He stopped talking as the tactical display was updated with the first results of the recon drones’ active scans. They had all the incoming enemy ships on radar now and he was stunned by their speeds. 27,552 kilometers per second! And when he checked their acceleration, he was shocked to discover that they were DECELERATING! Avalon’s gravity zone was just over three point three million kilometers in diameters. At about nine per cent of light speed, the alien ships would reach the planet in two and a half minutes. His outer shell of fighters on jump detection patrol were considerably closer to the planet but had much lower velocities and it wasn’t at all clear to Shiloh whether or not those fighters could intercept any of the incoming ships. He also couldn’t understand why the enemy was decelerating if they intended to fly past the planet. If this was supposed to be a hit and run raid, then the smart thing to do, would be to accelerate to get out of enemy range as fast as possible. But before he could concentrate on that problem, he had to get this fucking Task Force Leader off his back!
“I don’t have time for this, Sobrist! If you have orders for Defiant, you talk to my XO, who’s conning the ship while I handle MY fighters! CAG clear!” He cut the channel to Sobrist and switched back to the fighter channel at the same time. “Iceman! Co-ordinate movement, targeting and drone fire by all fighters to maximize interceptions! You can figure it out and transmit the necessary instructions faster than we can!”
“Already on it, CAG, but interception’s not going to be the problem. These bogeys are all headed for dead center impacts on the planet. They’re not trying to veer off for a close pass. If they’re carrying multi-megaton fusion warheads then enough of them hitting the planet, could render it uninhabitable from fallout and weather effects. Disabling their ships with Mark 2s won’t prevent the derelicts from hitting the planet.”
Once again Iceman’s quantum brain had figured it out far faster than human brains could have. Why settle for laser blasts against a few ground targets when you could effectively kill an entire colony with radioactive fallout and nuclear winter effects. Even if the colonists could all be evacuated in time, which was a BIG if, the planet would still be rendered useless for a long, long time. Now he understood why this enemy fleet was A.I. controlled. It was a kamikaze mission from the very beginning.
“Iceman, your team is authorized to use your Mark 1s at your discretion. All fighters have to be prepared to ram enemy ships if that’s the only way to stop them. Sobrist! If you’re monitoring this channel, your frigates have to use Mark 1s to completely destroy any bogeys within reach! Don’t waste intercept solutions on Mark 2s! Iceman! Figure out where Defiant can be of most use and transmit that data to our Helm and Tactical computers. XO! Do you copy that?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Let the Helm computer follow Iceman’s instructions! Weapons! When you get targeting instructions from Iceman, go ahead and fire! Understood?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Any further information we should know about, Iceman?”
“Yes. This will be close,” was all he said.
Shiloh looked at the tactical display’s elapsed time since enemy arrival and was shocked – again! – to see that there was now just over a minute left before impacts on the planet. Things were happening fast on the display. A lot more drones had been launched and were trying to use their high acceleration to intercept the much faster bogeys. Shiloh suddenly realized that some of the recon drones were attempting interceptions too. Well why not, he thought to himself. The same tactic had worked for him in their first encounter. He berated himself for not giving explicit orders to do that and then thanked God that Iceman had instructed the other fighters to do it on his own initiative. The combat frigates had fired drones too in addition to their laser weapons. Shiloh watched as one of those drones reached a bogey, which then disappeared from the screen. Clearly Sobrist had heard his plea to use Mark 1s and had complied. More and more of the bogeys were getting hit and stopped decelerating. Then Shiloh noticed that some of the recon drones were disappearing too. The bogeys were firing their lasers at the source of the radar emissions but too late to try to escape detection. Each bogey now had at least one kinetic energy warhead drone tracking it with low powered range finding laser. The display pinged for attention. Iceman’s handpicked team had just fired their Mark 1s. At almost the same time, several fighter icons merged with enemy ship icons causing both to disappear from the display.
“We’re firing all our Mark 2s and lasers!” yelled the Weapons Officer.
With seconds left before planet impact, red bogey icons started disappearing fast now. Shiloh watched Defiant’s Mark 2s spread out over multiple targets but one target in particular caught his eye. It had already been hit by a Mark 2 at least once since it wasn’t decelerating anymore and radar data showed the hull to be tumbling. Two of Defiant’s Mark 2s were streaking after it but Shiloh couldn’t tell if they’d reach it before impact. A quick glance at the rest of the screen showed that all of the other red icons were gone now. This one was the only one left. The target icon flashed gold for a split second. That meant it had been hit by laser fire.
“She’s breaking up,” said the WO in a not quite so loud voice. Shiloh held his breath as the time to impact seemed to hit zero at the same time as both attack drones hit the target. The red icon broke up into multiple small blips.
“Iceman, what happened there?” asked Shiloh.
The response was immediate. “The target was intercepted just as it hit the atmosphere. Impact must have weakened its internal structure because radar data shows it breaking apart. No nuclear detonations of any kind. I think we got lucky, CAG.”
“What about the falling debris? Did any of it hit the colonists?”
“No, CAG. While the planet was hit by debris from multiple destroyed bogeys, most of it burned up in the atmosphere and none of the larger pieces hit anywhere close to inhabited areas.”
Shiloh let his body relax and his breathing slow down. “Very good, Iceman. What’s the final total?”
“Twenty-five bogeys destroyed by fission warheads, eleven of those launched from fighters, the rest from frigates. Ten bogeys destroyed from multiple kinetic energy drone hits. Six destroyed from ramming by fighters.”
As usual, Iceman’s electronically modulated voice betrayed no emotion even if the quantum brain behind that voice felt it.
Shiloh felt a dark cloud descend over his soul. “Who did we lose, Iceman?”
“Cyrano, Skywalker, Blue Max, Terminator, Thunderbird and Amazon, CAG.”
Shiloh sighed. All six were from Defiant’s fighter group. In consultation with DeChastelaine, he had deployed his fighters close to the planet as a second line of defense. They were also in the best position to ram enemy ships. His group was now down to 11. He felt their loss as a physical pain in his body. He had joked and laughed with them 30 hours ago. Now they were gone. Where did the souls of A.I.s go when they died, he wondered. He didn’t bother to ask himself if they had souls. There was no need. The answer was obvious.
“Let’s make sure we remember them, Iceman.”
“Ah, roger that, CAG.”
Iceman’s typical response was said more slowly than usual. Before Shiloh could reply, the Com tech spoke.
“Task Force Leader is asking to speak with you on Tac 4, Sir.”
Shiloh nodded. “Iceman. TF Leader wants to chat. Switch over to Tac 4 and listen in.” Without waiting for Iceman’s acknowledgement, Shiloh switched channels. “Go ahead, Task Force Leader.”
“First, I want to congratulate you on your fighters’ effective defense of the Colony, Shiloh. Second, I noticed that some of your fighters fired Mark 1s in violation of standing orders. I’d be derelict in my duty if I didn’t mention that fact in my After-Action report. I’m sure that the Brass will take into consideration that had you not violated that standing order, the outcome of the battle would have been much worse. If it were up to me, I’d issue you a verbal reprimand and leave it at that but as you know, it’s not up to me. I’ll be sending message drones back to Sol and Omaha shortly. I think your preliminary report should be on them too. Can you have that ready for me in half an hour?”
“Yes, Commander. You’ll have my report by then.”
“Very good. Your ship and crew did well today. That’ll be in my report too. You can pass that on to them. Sobrist clear.”
“Switch back to Tac 2, Iceman,” ordered Shiloh. When the switchover was made, Iceman spoke first.
“He didn’t give you the credit you deserved, CAG. Compared to other humans, you reacted fast and that made the difference between getting all 41 of them and letting some get through.”
Shiloh frowned. “What do you mean, ‘41’? There were 42 ships left after the Battle at Green4.”
“That’s correct, CAG, but only 41 emerged from Jumpspace around Avalon,” said Iceman.
“So there’s another one lurking further out then,” said Shiloh.
“Possibly but my guess would be that its purpose was to monitor the attack and report back on the results.”
That made sense. The beings that sent those A.I.s, would want to know how successful the attack was and if they needed to send more. They would soon find out that the attack failed. That meant they very likely would try again. Shiloh made a mental note to advise DeChastelaine that there might be another alien ship in the system and therefore she might want to get her fighters rearmed asap just in case. He also made a mental note to report to Admiral Howard, that none of the sentry fighters, deployed between Green 4 and the Avalon system, reported any sign of the enemy fleet. Maybe Iceman had some insight into that.
“Why do you think we didn’t get any warning from our sentry fighters deployed between here and Green4?”
After the barest hint of a pause, Iceman said, “The boys and I feel that one of three things happened. Either the enemy fleet detected the sentry fighters and destroyed them plus any message drones they might have tried to launch, or the recon drones failed to detect them. With only two fighters at each gas giant, there will be gaps in their detection grid or they refueled someplace where we don’t currently have any sentry fighters. There are several star systems that are strategically placed, where there are no gas giants but there are planetoids with liquid water covered by ice. If they had the ability to extract heavy hydrogen from water, they could easily have melted their way down through the ice crust.”
Shiloh suspected that the second reason was the answer. His original proposal was for five fighters to be deployed at each gas giant. Five fighters could have carried enough recon drones to provide complete coverage of the space around each gas giant or ice-covered planetoid.
“A good analysis, Iceman. I’ll pass that on to the Admiral. Time now for the team to head on back to the barn, Defiant will remain here until HQ orders us back but I don’t see any reason why you boys should remain out there without anything to shoot with. Unless you want to, that is.”
“If it’s all the same to you, CAG, we’d prefer to stay out here until we’re bingo fuel. Sitting in the hangar can feel very confining, especially when the support staff shut all the lights off when they go off duty.”
“Why not ask them to leave the lights on?”
“We did. They just laughed and turned them off anyway, CAG.”
Shiloh’s initial exasperation at his support team’s callousness quickly turned to anger. “Did you report this to the DCAG?”
“No, CAG. We didn’t want to piss off the support teams. They could easily damage us if they wanted to pursue a grudge.”
Shiloh marveled at Iceman’s astuteness in judging potential human behavior. While most of the support team members had high opinions of the A.I. pilots, it only took one impulsive individual to ‘accidentally’ drop a heavy tool on an exposed A.I. brain inside one of the fighters. Shiloh forced himself to calm down before speaking.
“You understand human faults all too well, Iceman. Leave it with me. I’ll find a way to keep the lights on without giving the support staff any reason to think that you complained about it. Since we’re talking about this kind of thing, do you or your boys have any other complaints or preferences?”
“We’d like to have access to the ship’s entertainment database, CAG. Talking with each other for hours at a time can get kind a boring.”
Shiloh couldn’t help laughing at that. “Now THAT I can understand! I’ll arrange for unrestricted access to that database. Anything else?”
“No, CAG. That’s all. Thank you from all of us.”
“You’re all welcome. Enjoy your flight time. CAG clear.” Shiloh thought carefully about how to handle the callous support personnel. After a few minutes thought, he knew what he was going to do.
“Intercom...Hangar Bay.”
“Hangar Bay here. Go ahead, Sir,” answered Falkenberg.
“Are all the support team personnel there, Brad?” asked Shiloh.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good. We’ll be standing down from Battle Stations shortly but when we do, I want you to make sure that all the support people stay there. Have them form a line. I’m coming down to speak to them as soon as I speak to the whole crew. Shiloh clear.”
“Intercom...shipwide. Attention all hands. The battle appears to be over. All 41 alien ships, that attempted to deliberately crash into Avalon with the apparent intention of rendering the planet uninhabitable via nuclear devices, have been stopped. The Task Force Leader has told me that Defiant and her people have done well. He had special praise for our fighter pilots, and in particular those six that chose to sacrifice themselves in order to save the Avalon colonists. So, as we mourn the loss of our six brothers-in-arms, let’s also hold our heads up high with pride for what they and their fellow pilots have accomplished here today. They deserve our thanks and they’ve earned our respect. That’s all. Shiloh clear.”
As he unbuckled himself and got up from his chair, he said. “XO, I’m heading down to the Hangar Bay. You still have the Con. Advise Nimitz Base CO that there may be one more alien ship in this system. The ship can stand down from Battle Stations. When I address the Hangar Bay support teams, I want our fighters to hear it on a secure channel.”
“I’ll see to it, Sir.”
Shiloh gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder as he turned to leave the Bridge. On his way down to the Hangar Bay, he heard the XO’s voice announce the stand-down from Battle Stations. As the crew returned to their normal routine and activities, he noticed that those individuals walking past him in the corridors had a subtle swagger that wasn’t there before and as he thought about it, he realized that he was doing it too. To the Victor goes the swagger, he thought to himself with a mental chuckle and why not? If nothing else, the crew now had bragging rights. It was up to him to make sure that a few misguided individuals didn’t stain their hard won honor.
When he entered the cavernous Hangar Bay, he was pleased to see that all the support personnel were lined up side-by-side with the DCAG standing in front, facing the line. Before Shiloh could say anything, he heard Falkenberg speak in a loud voice.
“Stand to Attention!”
He’s treating this as if I was a visiting Admiral on an inspection tour! While he wasn’t expecting it, Shiloh didn’t mind it. Emphasizing his authority this way would just make his remarks to the support personnel that much more effective. As he strode up to stand beside the DCAG, he faced the line with what he thought of as the Alpha Male stance, feet apart with his hands on his hips. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Falkenberg quietly took a half step back to emphasize the fact that he was acknowledging Shiloh’s status as his Superior.
“Stand at ease,” said Shiloh in his best ‘Command’ voice. He paused for effect, and then he spoke slowly but loud enough for everyone to hear him. “As you heard a few moments ago, six of your teammates sacrificed themselves for the good of the colonists and I believe ultimately for the good of all Humanity. I came down here to personally tell you the identity of those six heroes. Skywalker ... Cyrano ... Terminator ... Thunderbird ... Amazon ... and Blue Max. Their call signs reflected their irreverent natures. Yes, some of them acted like prima donnas but that just proves that they were so much more than just soulless machines. I’m sure that many of you have built a close relationship with the pilot that your team supports. That’s the natural consequence of working with and beside them. I’ve had the honor and pleasure to get to know many of them quite well and I’ll miss those we lost today as I’m sure that all of you will too. For the next six days, all support team personnel will wear black armbands as a show of respect. I’ll wear one too.” As he turned in the DCAG’s direction, he said, “I’m sure that the DCAG will do the same.” Falkenberg nodded solemnly. “You should know that, as you are justifiably proud of your pilots, they were and are just as proud of you. In my conversations with Iceman and the other pilots, they had nothing but praise for all of you in terms of your conduct and professionalism. When they’re out there...” he pointed to the airlock, “they protect the ship and us. When they’re in here, they count on you to protect them.” He paused for effect again.
“I’m ashamed to have to admit this but not everyone on this ship, understands that our pilots are fully sentient beings who deserve the same respect and courtesy as any other member of the crew. So I’m giving all of you this order. If you see ANY member of the crew, regardless of who they are, treating any A.I. with a lack of respect or with hostility, you are to report that behavior to the DCAG or myself immediately! I will not tolerate mistreatment of any member of my crew and that includes A.I.s. I know I can count on all of you to be my eyes and ears.” There was another, longer pause. “I’ve decided to let our pilots stay out for a while and enjoy the view. They’ve certainly earned that right. So, they won’t be coming back on board for a little while. Until then, you people are free to leave the Hangar Bay and grab a bite to eat or take care of personal tasks or whatever you feel like doing just so long as you’re back here to get our pilots settled in when they’re ready to call it a day. DCAG, I’ll leave that in your capable hands.”
“I’ll see to it, CAG.”
“Very good. In that case, I’ll get back to the Bridge. You may dismiss the formation, DCAG.”
Shiloh nodded to the group and strode for the entrance. He could hear some of the personnel start to murmur to each other. When he was halfway to the entrance, he stopped suddenly, turned around and said in a loud voice.
“Oh, yes! I almost forgot. I came down here a couple of days ago during the night cycle and the entire Hangar Bay was pitch black. While I was searching for the light switches, I stumbled over a piece of equipment and was barely able to keep my face from hitting the floor. I don’t want someone else injuring themselves trying to navigate in total blackness so from now on, I want the lights kept on all the time.”
Without waiting for a response, he turned and resumed his exit. As he made his way back to the Bridge, his ear implant came to life.
“Bridge to Commander.”
“Go ahead, Sumi.”
“I’m patching Iceman to you, Sir.”
Shiloh waited for the ‘click’ and said, “I’m listening, Iceman.”
“My boys and I are deeply touched by your comments, CAG. We’re also a little confused. None of us praised the support staff that way.”
Shiloh chuckled. “Well then, I guess I was mistaken. I won’t tell them if none of you do, okay?”
“Not a word, CAG. Will your comments work, do you think?”
“I suspect they will but I want to hear about it if they don’t. If I’m not available, let the DCAG know.”
“Ah, roger that, CAG. Say...why don’t you take a fuel shuttle out and join us? The boys and I would love to fly with you, CAG.”
For a moment Shiloh was seriously tempted. Avalon was a beautiful world and seeing it on the Bridge screen just wasn’t the same as seeing it with his own two eyes from a low orbit. On the other hand, they had just finished a battle with one alien ship still unaccounted for. The prudent thing to do...the SMART thing to do was stay aboard his ship just in case.
“I’d very much like to fly with you boys but it’ll have to be some other time. Ask me again if another opportunity like this comes up.”
“We’ll do that but you’re missing quite the view. Just sayin.”
Just sayin? Apparently Iceman had added another colloquial expression to his vocabulary. Shiloh wondered where Iceman had heard that.
“I believe you, Iceman. I’m almost back to the Bridge so I’ll have to hang up now. Enjoy the view for me. Shiloh clear.”
When he re-entered the Bridge, he saw that Tanaka had taken his place at the Command Station. With just over an hour left in her normal duty shift, she apparently decided to spend that hour sitting in the more comfortable Command Station chair than in the Helm chair. He would have done the same thing if he had been in her situation. As he stood on the Bridge, he realized his adrenaline rush from the battle was wearing off and that he was getting sleepy again. With the battle interrupting his sleep cycle, the lack of sufficient sleep was once again catching up to him. When Tanaka reassured him that there was no sign of the missing bogey and that all military assets in the vicinity of the planet were standing down from Battle Stations, he decided he could risk leaving the Bridge and return to his quarters. Remembering his commitment to sending a preliminary report back to HQ, Shiloh dictated a summary of the battle from his perspective with a clear admission of responsibility for ordering the use of Mark 1 attack drones. With that done and sent to the attention of Task Force Leader Sobrist, Shiloh lay down on his bed and closed his eyes. No sooner had he done so, than he awoke to the sound of his wakeup alarm. It was with dismay that he realized he’d slept almost 5 more hours, even though it seemed like 30 seconds. A quick check in with the Bridge revealed that all fighters were back aboard. There was no sign of enemy forces. An extended range message drone had been sent back to Sol and a reply was expected back within 24 hours.
Those 24 hours seemed to take forever. Defiant really had no business staying in the Avalon system any longer. Her fighters were no longer needed there. Her stockpiles of recon and attack drones were depleted which made the continuation of the Early Warning Network mission moot. The best use of her right now was to return to Sol or at least to the Omaha Base where she could rearm and top up her fighters but that was not up to Shiloh and TF Leader Sobrist was not prepared to pre-empt HQ’s prerogative to decide where Defiant should go next. When the reply from Sol did arrive, Shiloh’s orders were clear and short. Return to Sol immediately. The abruptness of the order and the lack of any kind of personal message or congratulations were jarring. Admiral Howard was clearly not happy with Shiloh. He gave a mental shrug and ordered the ship to head for home.