His eyes closed and he pictured himself heading back to the war. Back to where he could do some good. For some reason, Winterthur reminded him of Farshore, a longing was kindled that he hadn’t felt since he was a kid. A longing for home.
“Captain, I, uh, I’ve got something,” Bryce said.
William snapped his eyes open and focused on the center display.
The display peeled back and showed the entirety of the solar system out past the Oort band. A single relay beacon on the edge of space broadcasted an arrival. The system had four surrounding systems, each with a relay beacon on the edge of space.
Data flowed in from the relay before ceasing abruptly. It was enough to see that a pair of ships blinked in. One was a Harmony Worlds assault cruiser while the other was an armored troopship. The last points of data showed them accelerating into the system.
William punched the key for battle stations. “Huron! Get that hatch open, we’re dropping off our passenger!”
The adrenaline started to flow. He could feel his neck tingle and the palm of his augmetic hand itch. He watched the screen. It was a close enough match, or should be if the Hun hadn’t upgraded since the last time he faced them off Redmond.
Then it hit him. His orders. All he had to do was get the Core transport out. He felt everything move around him as the decision laid onto his shoulders. Cut and run, that was his orders. Leave Winterthur to its own. Could he do it? Make it another Canaan, trapped behind enemy lines to survive alone? He looked to Lieutenant Shay, who stared back at him. “Send word to the transport, they’re moving. Now. Oh! The Grouper too!”
He could taste it. The raw steeliness of the adrenaline in the back of his mouth. His hands danced on the console and brought up the nav simulation. Plot after plot laid itself out before him. Edges in, edges out, blinks points and optimizations. He didn’t like any of them. His hand swept across and cleared it all out. A slender line plotted out an intercept.
“Captain?” Lieutenant Shay said. “Our orders?”
William slapped his hand down onto the console. Damned if he did, and a coward if he didn’t. A line that Emilie spoke came back to him. She’d said it’s hard to leave when you can make a difference. Well, what more of a difference could he make? On one hand, his orders laid it out, and on top of it all, his ship would disassemble if he wasn’t back in time. But to leave a colony undefended... And he had plenty of time.
“Shit.” He looked to Bryce and Shay. “I’m not going to leave them.”
Shay looked to Bryce and then to Rose. Bryce’s face scrunched up and he nodded. Shay simply turned around and began to lay out her console.
William pushed the main intercom button. “Here’s how it is. We’ve got a Hun cruiser and troop carrier coming into system. Our orders are to leave system and not engage,” William released the intercom and let the words hang. “I’m not going to do that.”
His heartbeat rose. The patter tickled against his chest and he took a breath. Here it is, violating a direct order. All he had to do was win the day, bring the ship back, and endure a court martial. It’d be hard to prosecute if he won, and if he lost, well, you couldn’t court martial a corpse. “If you want off, now’s the time.” He looked to Ms. Rome. “That’s you.”
Emilie looked at William with wide eyes. She stood slowly and nodded. “What are you doing?”
He wondered the same thing himself, but settled on the only answer that made sense. “The right thing. Now get out, we’ve got to move.”
A slight smile spread across her face. “Good luck.”
“Vale, get Ms. Rome into the monastery. Huron? Are we ready?”
Mechanical whining and the hissing of air sounded. “Just about!” Huron replied over the clamor.
“Let me know how many depart with Ms. Rome please.”
Worry spread through him and he watched as the docking routine finish. In a few short
“Captain, I, uh, I’ve got something,” Bryce said.
William snapped his eyes open and focused on the center display.
The display peeled back and showed the entirety of the solar system out past the Oort band. A single relay beacon on the edge of space broadcasted an arrival. The system had four surrounding systems, each with a relay beacon on the edge of space.
Data flowed in from the relay before ceasing abruptly. It was enough to see that a pair of ships blinked in. One was a Harmony Worlds assault cruiser while the other was an armored troopship. The last points of data showed them accelerating into the system.
William punched the key for battle stations. “Huron! Get that hatch open, we’re dropping off our passenger!”
The adrenaline started to flow. He could feel his neck tingle and the palm of his augmetic hand itch. He watched the screen. It was a close enough match, or should be if the Hun hadn’t upgraded since the last time he faced them off Redmond.
Then it hit him. His orders. All he had to do was get the Core transport out. He felt everything move around him as the decision laid onto his shoulders. Cut and run, that was his orders. Leave Winterthur to its own. Could he do it? Make it another Canaan, trapped behind enemy lines to survive alone? He looked to Lieutenant Shay, who stared back at him. “Send word to the transport, they’re moving. Now. Oh! The Grouper too!”
He could taste it. The raw steeliness of the adrenaline in the back of his mouth. His hands danced on the console and brought up the nav simulation. Plot after plot laid itself out before him. Edges in, edges out, blinks points and optimizations. He didn’t like any of them. His hand swept across and cleared it all out. A slender line plotted out an intercept.
“Captain?” Lieutenant Shay said. “Our orders?”
William slapped his hand down onto the console. Damned if he did, and a coward if he didn’t. A line that Emilie spoke came back to him. She’d said it’s hard to leave when you can make a difference. Well, what more of a difference could he make? On one hand, his orders laid it out, and on top of it all, his ship would disassemble if he wasn’t back in time. But to leave a colony undefended... And he had plenty of time.
“Shit.” He looked to Bryce and Shay. “I’m not going to leave them.”
Shay looked to Bryce and then to Rose. Bryce’s face scrunched up and he nodded. Shay simply turned around and began to lay out her console.
William pushed the main intercom button. “Here’s how it is. We’ve got a Hun cruiser and troop carrier coming into system. Our orders are to leave system and not engage,” William released the intercom and let the words hang. “I’m not going to do that.”
His heartbeat rose. The patter tickled against his chest and he took a breath. Here it is, violating a direct order. All he had to do was win the day, bring the ship back, and endure a court martial. It’d be hard to prosecute if he won, and if he lost, well, you couldn’t court martial a corpse. “If you want off, now’s the time.” He looked to Ms. Rome. “That’s you.”
Emilie looked at William with wide eyes. She stood slowly and nodded. “What are you doing?”
He wondered the same thing himself, but settled on the only answer that made sense. “The right thing. Now get out, we’ve got to move.”
A slight smile spread across her face. “Good luck.”
“Vale, get Ms. Rome into the monastery. Huron? Are we ready?”
Mechanical whining and the hissing of air sounded. “Just about!” Huron replied over the clamor.
“Let me know how many depart with Ms. Rome please.”
Worry spread through him and he watched as the docking routine finish. In a few short
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