\u201cCapships are moving in, Marshal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam suppressed a wince.\u00a0 \u201cPut Theta Leader on speakers and give me audio control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoger that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before Theta Leader\u2019s voice abruptly cut in over the command center speakers.\u00a0 \u201c\u2014guard is moving in, maybe four ships.\u00a0 My sensors are saying they\u2019re pretty well-armed, but I can\u2019t get a clear read on the power levels of their lasers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many total, Theta Lead?\u201d Adam asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNine ships,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cBigger ones are hanging back.\u00a0 Squadron\u2019s keeping the fighters tied up in the upper atmosphere and low orbit.\u00a0 Bombers are slipping through, but that\u2019s why Gamma Squadron\u2019s scrambled, right?\u201d\u00a0 Her breath rasped on the comm as she sucked in a deep breath.\u00a0 \u201cSir, what are my orders if these cruisers open fire on the surface?\u201d<\/p>\n
The entire room went silent.\u00a0 Gazes drifted toward Adam from consoles, from sensor screens, expectant.\u00a0 The whole command center held its breath, waiting to see what Adam Windsor might say in answer to a young pilot\u2019s question.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not like we\u2019ve got much of anyone out there that might help us.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSplit the squadron,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cHalf of you make for the Mission Systems station at Cassini VII.\u00a0 The rest of you head for New Earth.\u00a0 Everyone takes recordings of what\u2019s happened here.\u00a0 You\u2019ve been recording?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir.\u00a0 You have to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood girl,\u201d he said, eyes sliding shut or a moment.\u00a0 \u201cTake those recordings to Mission Systems and the Commonwealth.\u00a0 Take them to the Wanderers and Argopian and anyone you think will listen.\u00a0 As soon as those ships open up on us, split.\u00a0 If they start firing from orbit, there\u2019s not going to be anything you can do to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dead silence met him, both in the room and on the comm.\u00a0 A wave of static passed over the line before Theta Leader\u2019s voice came back to them, quiet and sad.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood, Marshal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d he said quietly, feeling sick but knowing that it was the only responsible order he could give.\u00a0 There was no hope of evacuation at this point, not with the fleet above and the bombers still active.<\/p>\n
They may try to soften us up with a bombardment with more than just their bombers if they think that\u2019ll do them some good.\u00a0 Then again, the damage to real estate so far has been pretty minimal.<\/i><\/p>\n
His stomach twisted.\u00a0 No.\u00a0 They\u2019re getting ready to send landers and we\u2019re in no position to fend them off the way we\u2019ve got everyone bottled up in shelters.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Damnation. We\u2019ve managed to doom ourselves without even trying.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cCapships are moving in, Marshal.\u201d Adam suppressed a wince.\u00a0 \u201cPut Theta Leader on speakers and give me audio control.\u201d \u201cRoger that.\u201d He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before Theta Leader\u2019s voice abruptly cut in over the command … Continue reading