Lieutenant Commander Perkins was back on the bridge, resuming his role of XO, while Orion remained full-time on tactical. Last he heard, Brian, Betty and the hopper were in The Lilly’s mess, grabbing a bite to eat.

  Jason found it hard to keep his eyes off the overhead display. Above and beyond the hundreds of dreadnaught warships filling space as far as the eye could see, scores more Craing warships were arriving all the time … space cruisers, destroyers, various gunships, and other vessels he wasn’t familiar with. He was pretty sure, with few exceptions, they were actively targeting the Minian—only waiting for the command to unleash a hell storm of firepower.

  Jason hailed Ricket.

  “Go for Ricket.”

  “We’re going to need to hightail it out of here sooner rather than later. What exactly is involved in coupling the Minian’s power source to The Lilly?”

  “I’m encouraged, Captain. Perhaps if Bristol could assist me?”

  “He’s still working to connect the ship’s shields interface.”

  “I’ll keep going then, Captain.”

  “Fine. Keep me abreast of your progress,” Jason replied, cutting the connection. Shaking his head he went back to drumming his fingers.

  “The last of the scaffolding has been cut away, Cap,” Orion announced. “Both the forward and aft space-bridge gangways are adrift in space—physically, we’re clear. ”

  That had been a bigger obstacle than anyone figured on. In the end, it was a combination of directed plasma fire and sheer brute-force strength that did the trick. With nothing else to do, Few Words and First Reflection were more than willing to be on the space-walk team and lend helping hands toward dismantling the scaffolding support beams and various crossbeam members.

  “Thank you, Gunny,” Jason said. Now we can just drift in space until we careen into a cruiser or maybe a dreadnaught … Jason thought, brooding to himself.

  “Cap, I think that triggered a reaction. All Ion Station gun turrets are charging weapons.”

  Orion no sooner made her report than the Minian came under attack.

  The bridge shook violently, knocking several crewmembers off their seats.

  “Report,” Jason yelled.

  “All four station plasma cannons are firing. Hull integrity is down to twenty percent, Captain. Temperature out there’s starting to spike—I’m seeing heat-related damage in multiple areas.”

  Jason wondered why only the platform was firing on them. He instinctively looked out, toward the heavens above, and the ever-growing fleet of Craing warships. Jason smiled. “They’re not prepared to destroy their Ion Station. At least not yet.” Although the Minian had indeed drifted, she was still close enough that a stray shot, or even a resulting Minian explosion, would be catastrophic to the platform.

  The Ion Station’s plasma cannons continued to pound the Minian’s outer hull. The inside temperature on the bridge was now markedly warmer. Jason looked over to Orion. She simply shook her head. They both knew the hull was mere seconds from being breached. What more needed saying?

  Jason stood—he’d already waited over-long to move everyone back to The Lilly. She’d saved his ass more than once. Hell, with a little creativity, maybe they’d manage a combination of quick phase-shifts—find obscure hiding places—and eventually wend their way out of Craing space. But one glance out toward the view of countless hovering Craing warships dashed his hopes. Truth was, Jason hated the idea of losing the Minian—a vessel that just might be Earth’s only hope against inevitable Craing attack.

  “Try it now,” Bristol said, his head reappearing from beneath the same console he’d been working on.

  Orion didn’t need to be asked twice. Within two seconds the Minian’s shields were coming online.

  Chapter 32

  The pounding continued. The shields were holding steady at nearly 99 percent. That would change as soon as other ships got into the fight.

  Looking around the Minian’s bridge, something else occurred to Jason.

  “Bristol.”

  “Huh?” said Bristol.

  “No, not ‘Huh’ … it’s either Sir or Captain,” Perkins interjected from across the bridge.

  “Okay, Captain. What is it?”

  “What’s the condition of the Minian’s communications?”

  “We’re feeding everything through The Lilly.”

  “That’s not what I asked,” Jason said, beginning to lose patience with him.

  “All consoles are mirrored. Comms can be accessed from anywhere on the bridge. But there’s only one primary interface. That’s what the Craing fucked with. Like they did with the shields. They got their grubby little fingers into the workings of things and left the ship a total fu—”

  “I’ve got the idea, Bristol. Again. What’s the status of getting comms up and running … here … on the Minian? We’re going to need a way back home. The Lilly’s lost connection to the interchange. Maybe the Minian will be a different story. According to the admiral, other allied ships are still able to call up wormholes at will.”

  “I didn’t know you’d lost connection with the interchange. That’s bad,” Bristol volunteered.

  “You were on Her Majesty at the time,” Jason told him.

  “Why don’t I take a look at what’s going on with The Lilly first? Maybe it was one of those idiot comms twins. Or both of them. I’m pretty sure they’re both mentally impaired.”

  Jason saw Orion tilt her head and give just the tiniest of nods.

  “Let’s not start disrespecting other crewmembers. But yes, that sounds like a good plan. Stop by and see if you can help Ricket first. He’s there, in Engineering.”

  Bristol collected some tools and small test devices and left the bridge without another word.

  “Cap, we’re taking fire from three Craing gunships. They’ve positioned themselves directly above the Ion Station.”

  Jason raised his eyebrows.

  “Still at ninety-nine percent. It would take a few of those dreadnaughts’ fire to negatively affect the status of our ships’ shields.”

  Jason let out a breath. “Keep me updated. I’ll be back in my ready room on The Lilly. XO, you have the bridge.”

  * * *

  Realizing there was nothing he could do until propulsion was restored, Jason grabbed a few minutes of down time. Checking his messages, he saw that there were thirty-seven that were marked ‘important.’ He scanned the senders’ names and saw one vid-message from Nan and one from Boomer. He clicked on the one from Boomer first. She wasn’t happy. With her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail and wearing her customary dark gray spacer’s jumpsuit, she looked so different from Mollie, he had to remind himself that they were actually, genetically, the same person. She looked older, more confident, and there was something else there, too, something Jason couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  “Hi, Dad. Where are you? You need to come and get me. I can’t go to the bathroom without that crazy lady following me. Did you know she tried to have Tear Drop deactivated? Really? This is what I have to put up with? And it’s not just me … I heard one of the soldiers joking that they were going to show her how an airlock works. Anyway, I love you, Dad. Hope you’re on your way back here.” There was a fleeting smile and the message ended.

  Jason clicked on the message from Nan. She was smiling but he could see the strain in her eyes. Wearing a pastel yellow blouse and gold earrings with matching necklace, she looked as beautiful as ever. She was wearing her auburn hair a little different—parted more on the side, which gave her a somewhat younger, more playful look.

  “Hi, Jason, I hope you’re doing well. We’re all counting on you—not to heap on the pressure too much. Things are different on Earth. Everyone pretty much knows what’s going on. I guess I’m doing what I’m supposed to in that regard. Did you know they’re making play toys of The Lilly? And, of course, there’s action figures of Captain Jason Reynolds, Billy, and even Traveler … heavy hammer and all.” Nan casually brushed her hair back with her fingers and looked into the camera for several beats before speaking again. “I didn’t want to handle this via a vid-message,” she said with an awkward smile. “Jason, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about. I’m not sure how you will react to the news and, again, I’m sorry how I’m having to convey this … Jason, I’m pregnant.” Nan stared for several seconds and then smiled, shaking her head. “If your first question is, is it mine? Rest assured, it is. Must have been that night we were together at the old scrapyard house about eight weeks ago. I’ve known for a while. Wasn’t real sure how to talk to you about it.” Nan hesitated, biting her lip the way she did when feeling insecure. “Look, I know you have something going with Dira. Or, at least you had something going the last time I saw you. I know she cares about you. I don’t want you to think I’m planning on getting in the way of any of that. That’s not what this is about. But I did feel you had a right to know. Just understand, you can be involved as much or as little as you want. But you also have to know I’m keeping the baby, and I’m finding myself more and more excited about it every day.” Nan was smiling again, “Guess I should stop calling him an it … Jason, you’re going to have a son.”

  Jason sat there, looking at the blank screen in the silence of his ready room. His thoughts turned to Dira. She loved him and he loved her, that wasn’t even a question. The truth was, he loved Nan as well. He’d always loved her—it wasn’t his choice for her to leave him, to seek a divorce. So what was Nan asking of him now? Or was she even asking for anything? Did she want him back in her life, or was she simply telling him there was a baby on the way—that he was going to be a father again? One thing was definitively certain … Jason had no idea how to proceed.

  Jason started clicking on the other messages waiting in his inbox. They were, for the most part, emails from Allied fleet personnel. Many were from other warship officers. One by one, Jason scanned their texts and soon felt the heavy burden of the perilous days ahead return. The Alliance was breaking down—a bad situation had turned dire. There were three separate requests to have the admiral relieved of duty and for Jason to assume that post. Jason felt his anger rise. What the commanders didn’t seem to realize was that without Admiral Reynolds there wouldn’t be an Alliance—no one would be holding his assigned position to even voice a complaint. He decided to write a bulk email, one that would not be cc’ed to his father. He kept it short and sweet:

  To: Allied Fleet Commanders

  From: Captain Jason Reynolds

  In response to multiple queries and out-and-out requests for the removal of Admiral Perry Reynolds from the post of Allied Forces Commander, I remind you that none of you have shown any interest in taking on this thankless position. For sixteen years Admiral Reynolds has dedicated his life, at the cost of giving up his home and family on Earth, to fighting the relentless advances of the Craing. Where one after another of the star systems within this sector have either been destroyed, or their populaces fallen into total subjugation to the Craing, the Alliance has, for the most part, held strong. Know that I have neither the desire, the inclination, nor the ability to effectively lead the Allied forces. There is only one person among us who can effectively do that, and that’s Admiral Perry Reynolds. It is time you stopped complaining and second-guessing the admiral. I, for one, am thankful we have someone with his dedication, heart, and capability standing at the helm.

  My fellow commanders, I will not sugarcoat this. We have entered our darkest hour. We are up against what seems to be an unbeatable opponent. An enemy that has turned its full might on destroying the very things we are fighting to sustain: our freedom; our Allied survival; Hell, life itself.

  But I have not given up. The admiral has not given up. Let us join together, as we have done so many times in the past, and defeat the Craing Empire, once and for all.

  _ _ _

  Jason reread the email message and hit send. One way or another, he’d let them know his thoughts on the matter. It would be up to them, individually or as a whole, to continue following his father’s lead into battle, or not.

  Chapter 33

  Jason entered the Minian’s Engineering department to find Ricket, Chief Horris, Granger, and Bristol three stories up on a catwalk, standing in front of the dual drive systems. As Jason made his way across the catwalk to join the huddled up group, he expected to hear more bickering. As it turned out, repairing any one of the still inoperable systems was best accomplished as a team. Horris and Granger were wrestling with what looked to be a problematic four-inch-thick cable. With a grunt and the chief putting his substantial girth behind it, he and Granger secured the cable’s connector into a bulkhead mounted receptacle.

  “Well, I didn’t expect to find you all here. What’s going on?”

  Chief Horris was the first to speak: “We have propulsion. Both drives are up and running and seem to be operating, albeit not at full efficiency.”

  “That’s wonderful news,” Jason said. “Why do I get the feeling there’s a but to that statement?”

  “Not so much a but as an and,” Ricket said. “Weapons are back online. The phase-synthesizer is reconnected to internal systems.”

  “So we can get the hell out of here, you’re saying?”

  Ricket was the first to answer, “Not if you want to call up a wormhole. Comms are still out here, and I need to see what’s going on with The Lilly. Why there’s no access to the interchange.”

  “Sounds like that should be the next order of business. Put your collective minds together and solve the problem,” Jason said.

  Bristol’s face scrunched into a dissatisfied grimace, as if something obvious was being missed.

  “Speak up, Bristol,” Jason said.

  “As usual, Granger’s been holding back on us.”

  Granger’s eyes bored into the skinny young genius with contempt. “What Bristol’s referring to are the capabilities of the Minian’s weaponry systems. All I said was that they were far more advanced, and with that, far more destructive than any of them are aware.”

  Bristol shook his head. “Bullshit. You said the Minian’s fully capable of taking out each of the seven Craing worlds.”

  Jason looked at Granger, who wasn’t denying Bristol’s statement. “Seems we need more discussion. I want all of you in my ready room in ten minutes.” Jason turned and walked away. His mind was reeling with the implications of what Granger had said.

  * * *

  Twelve minutes later, there were ten seated around the conference table. In addition to those he’d talked to in Engineering, he’d invited the XO, Brian and Gaddy, as well as Orion and Billy.

  Jason looked around the table and spoke to the group as a whole. “We are not the Craing. We do not arbitrarily destroy planets.” Jason turned his attention to Gaddy. “You’ve lived on both Halimar and Terplin?”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Talk to us about the general population’s sentiment about Earth.”

  Gaddy shrugged. “The general sentiment?”

  “Yes. How do the Craing people regard humans and Earth as a whole?”

  She was nodding even before Jason finished the question. “I can only speak for the youth; you know, kids in college … I guess what people on Earth don’t realize is that we are tuned into their music, the media … TV, the movies … We devour anything pertaining to Earth’s culture. We dress like kids on Earth. Our companies produce millions of products identical to those found on Earth.”

  “So the Craing as a whole don’t see Earth as the enemy, per se?”

  “You have to see things from the Craing perspective. We don’t look at Earth being our enemy any more than we do any other planet. But the Craing Empire’s ruling body is all about control. Control of its own people, as well as controlled power of every known world across the universe. It’s why so many of us became dissidents and why so many within the Craing worlds are rebelling.”

  “Gaddy, billions of lives have been lost due to the empire’s two hundred-plus years of ruthless expansion. As of late, they are very close to destroying all the Allied worlds—including Earth.”

  Jason stopped to let that sink in. Gaddy’s eyes welled up with tears and she looked down at the table.

  “I didn’t say that to hurt you. But we’re at a point where we need to very carefully consider every option. I want everyone seated around this table to understand the difference between the Craing people, and what past and present Craing emperors are trying to achieve.”

  “You can’t destroy the Craing worlds. Please … We are not all bad. We are not all like my uncle,” Gaddy pleaded.

  Jason put a reassuring hand on Gaddy’s arm and smiled. “Thank you for sharing, Gaddy. We have some tough strategic decisions to make. I want you to go with Dira now, and let the rest of us talk some more.”

  Dira had been standing nearby and she gently coaxed Gaddy up from her seat. Gaddy looked at Jason, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please don’t destroy my home.” She stopped and looked at each participant, her gaze finally coming to rest on Ricket. He nodded silent reassurance to her as she was escorted out.

  Jason put the question to the group: “Thoughts? Now’s your time to tell me what you think.”

  Billy spoke up first. “We perhaps have the means to completely destroy the Craing Empire … by doing so, we can end their plundering, once and for all. I say we think long and hard about doing just that.”

  “But that’s suggesting the total annihilation of a civilization,” Orion blurted out, looking disgusted at Billy.

  “I think you made your point, Captain,” Granger said. “Yes, a knee-jerk reaction would be to take advantage of this rare opportunity we’ve been given. We can destroy the enemy. Do it now, while we are so close to them, and since we have the means.”