INVASION
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Dreams are funny things. I spent my life dreaming of what I would do, what I would see, what I would become. I wanted more, to be famous like my parents' friends. An ambassador, a fighter, a commander, a leader. I wanted all those things, once. Strange, the more you dream, the less you appreciate what you already have. Then, one day, it disappears, and suddenly your dreams don't seem to matter anymore. Why strive for greatness, when the only people you want to see you are gone?
Admiral Harlan Band stood on the command post of the Goddard, staring out at the wreckage of Starbase 7. He shook his head sadly as he watched the hollow shell of the base slowly spinning, remembering how it had been and the lives that had been lost. They had recovered less than half of the escape pods that were housed on the base, assuming that all had been launched. The cargo hold of the Goddard was full of the pods, the dazed and confused inhabitants of Starbase 7 wandering the halls of his ship. A third of the population of the base safe, with the rest missing.
He turned and nodded to the cadet that materialized on his deck, saluting smartly. Alyna's face was expressionless as always, but the Admiral thought he saw traces of worry in her golden eyes. As the Guardian relaxed, Harlan sat down in the captain's chair to hear her report.
"I have found two more pods, sir," she said. "Both were heavily damaged, but I was able to restore life support. There are fifteen survivors in each, and six dead."
Harlan sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. "Thank you, Alyna. Take some time to rest."
The Guardian shook her head. "I am sorry, Admiral, but I cannot rest until I find the missing pods. It is my duty to protect those who travel through my sector of space."
Harlan nodded and dismissed the cadet. She inclined her head and vanished. The exhausted Guardian was the least of his worries, with the Kaesar invasion in full force and reports of sabotage and destruction coming in from all over the UPP. Six of the nine Starbases that were scattered across UPP space had been demolished, and word was
coming in quickly of attacks on the outer colonies. The Guardians were gone, the Yensidians threatening to seal off the dimensional borders, and the Spung were arguing over whether they should participate in the defense plan. The whole ordeal gave Harlan a headache.
The door to the command post slid open, and Harlan raised his head to see who the bearers of bad news were this time. In spite of his worries, he had to smile at the three cadets who entered. Rising to his feet, he held open his arms in a momentary lapse of military protocol and embraced each cadet in turn.
"I'm so proud of you," he told each of them.
Xen blushed lavender in embarrassment. "We did nothing special."
"You saved my skin," Atreus objected, "and the skins of a few others. Without you, I'd be floating in space somewhere right now."
"Alyna would love that," Tethys added. "More junk for her to clean up in space."
Atreus stuck out his tongue at his friend, and Tethys gasped in mock outrage.
"Alyna's found some more escape pods," Harlan continued, watching the young cadets closely. "You can tell Suni there's no news."
Tethys nodded gravely and saluted. The Admiral returned the gesture and watched the three cadets file out. He sighed, momentarily recalling his own youth, and felt a stab of sorrow as he realized two of his dearest friends were lost in the stars. He thought of Rosie and Bova, letting his mind's eye linger on their faces, before turning back to the present and the oncoming war.
"Suni?" Tethys said softly, cracking the door open.
The light from the hallway made a yellow streak across the dark floor of the room. The lights were off, the windows covered, and the comm. system was shut down. The room was complete silence and darkness. As the door creaked open a little wider, wide enough for Tethys, Atreus, and Xen to step inside, a figure stirred.
"Any news?" Suni asked in a voice hoarse from crying.
Tethys frowned prettily, her eyes creased with worry. "More pods were found, but no sign of your parents."
"Then go away."
The Neptunian looking imploringly at Atreus. For the two days they had been on the Goddard, Suni had not left this room. Admiral Band had denied her request for a ship to search for her parents, saying it was too dangerous for her to fly alone with the Kaesar attacks. Instead, she had locked herself away, refusing to see anyone.
"Suni, we're worried about you," Atreus began awkwardly. "This isn't like you."
"My parents have never been dead before, have they?" Suni snapped. "Go away!"
"You can't stay in here forever," Tethys tried. "Alyna is doing all she can, and Uncle Harlan has patrols searching all over the place. They'll find your parents."
Suni turned to look at her friends. Even in the dim light of the open door, they could see how haggard she looked. Her eyes were hard and full of unshed tears, and had dark circles underneath them from a lack of sleep.
"If Admiral Band would give me a ship," she began coldly, "I could find them myself."
"Even I wouldn't give you a ship the way you are now," Atreus said. "Take a look at yourself, Suni. You've barely eaten, you don't sleep, and you smell. Have you even showered since we got here?"
The Mercurian-Uranusian turned her back to her friends. "Get out."
"Fine," Atreus said, taking Tethys by the arm. "Just remember, we're not the enemies here, and we didn't kill your parents. Neither did Uncle Harlan."
Suni didn't say a word as her two friends left the room, once again closing her in the darkness and sorrow of her heart.
"How is she?" Xen asked, his delicate wings fluttering nervously.
The trio sat in the mess hall of the ship, absently playing with their food while their minds were occupied by something else. Atreus sighed heavily for the hundredth time, spinning his fork around in one hand while cradling his head in the other. Tethys looked up at Xen and tried to smile.
"She's the same," Tethys replied. "She won't eat or sleep, or talk to us."
"Her mind is in turmoil," Xen said softly. "She blames herself for her parents' deaths. She hates herself for not listening to her father's last request."
"Don't talk like that," Atreus snapped, bending the fork effortlessly. "Rosie and Bova may still be alive. We haven't found all the pods yet. They were probably picked up by another ship and are sitting around worrying about whether we're alive or not."
Xen's eyes widened in surprise at the ferocity in Atreus' voice. His wings fluttered as if he were about to take off, and a slight lavender blush appeared on his cheeks. The Andromedan's shoulders sagged as he relaxed and smiled apologetically to his friend.
"Uncle Harlan is bringing the ship to Pluto colony, to drop off the survivors," Tethys said. "Maybe we should stay there too, help Suni work through this."
Atreus nodded. "We can work from there, try to find news about the missing pods. Someone must know something."
"I believe I will stay," Xen said softly. "Alyna will not go to a colony, and I would like to help. I am a cadet of the UPP, after all."
"After the first war, I thought I'd never see war again," Atreus whispered. "How could they come back and ruin everything?"
"I was on Neptune during the first Kaesar invasion," Tethys began. "Suni was on the Spung Homeworld, and I heard of the UPP colonies being attacked."
"But last time, they avoided colonized planets when they tried to push into UPP space," Atreus reminded her. "They only went after the Spung."
"Suni was on the Homeworld when the attack came?" Xen repeated. "How did she survive?"
"That Kaesar friend she mentioned before," Atreus replied with a smile. "I met him when we were back at Starcademy, after the Kaesar left. I never liked him as much as Suni did."
"He stopped the war," Tethys reminded her friend. "While you were on New Andromeda and I was on Neptune, he was with Suni and saved her life. We owe him that, at least."
"Without him," Atreus said, "we never would have met. Suni would be dead, and none of this would have ever happened."
Harlan watched the dogfight on the view screen. The quick and powerful Kaesar fighters out numbered the Stardog ships at least five to one, but the UPP ships were putting up a hell of a fight. Harlan watched stoically, his face impassive as ships exploded before his eyes and lives were extinguished. Inwardly, he mourned the loss of every pilot who lost their lives, but he had to remain distant from the tragedy he was helping to create.
The elite Air Strikers, a team to which he had once belonged, lead the assault. Their superior ability nearly evened the odds, but still the UPP was loosing ground. Most of the Goddard's light ships were searching for the remaining escape pods from Starbase 7, although after three days the chances of finding more survivors was slim.
Harlan sighed, looking over at the compupad beside his chair. The Yensidians were shutting down the portals until the threat to the UPP was gone. Catalina had sent apologies and promises to fight for support, but Harlan knew Yensid would not risk its citizens. Even if trade over the past few years had been profitable for both dimensions, they would not send their people to war in a foreign dimension. At least Catalina would be safe in Yensid with Suzee, should the UPP defenses fail.
The second dispatch was more of the same. The Neptunians were demanding the return of their crown princess in return for aid, the Andromedans were rallying support although no one wanted another war, and the Spung were already on their way. Harlan smiled at the message, glad to know that he could always rely on Radu.
The admiral of the UPP turned his attention back to the fight, pleased to see his ships making progress. A few Kaesar vessels appeared to be spontaneously exploding, which puzzled Harlan although he had a sneaking suspicion what was happening.
"Magnify coordinates BX2-CZ7," Harlan ordered.
The image on the screen zoomed towards the enemy ships, where a solitary figure was teleporting from ship to ship. Alyna paused long enough to tear out a handful of crucial wiring from each ship before moving on to the next. Harlan smiled.
Suddenly, the Kaesar fighters began to withdraw back to their mother ship. Harlan watched for a moment as his own fighters hesitated, waiting for orders. Harlan motioned to his second-in-command to signal the fighters' return, all the while wondering what the large black ship was up to.
Alyna materialized on the deck beside Harlan, saluting sharply. Harlan nodded to her and was about to ask for a report when the view screen showing the returning fighters went black. As the communications officers struggled to find the problem, the screen suddenly blinked back to life, showing a hooded figure. Alyna grew tense, although her face remained expressionless.
"I am Admiral Harlan Band of the UPP," Harlan introduced himself.
"I am the Master," the hooded figure hissed.
"You have violated UPP space and directly attacked its citizens," Harlan continued. "I demand you cease hostilities and leave our space."
"Perhaps it is you who should leave," the Master replied. "Or perhaps an agreement can be reached."
Harlan said nothing but raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I will receive an ambassador from the UPP to treat for peace," the Master said. "I believe you have a talented young diplomat on bard, one Suni Ianni, formerly of Starbase 7."
Caution, Alyna's voice ran in Harlan's mind. He is far too eager to receive Suni.
"A delegation can be arranged, meeting on neutral ground," Harlan replied.
The Master laughed. "Neutral ground, when we are deep within enemy territory? Come now, Admiral. You know as well as I that is quite impossible."
"A ship in common space," Harlan suggested, "between our two fleets. We will allow your delegates to bard and we will discuss peace there."
The hooded figure seemed to consider the offer for a moment, before nodding. "Very well, Admiral. I will send you coordinates and a time. I look forward to seeing Suni Ianni again."
The view screen flickered and the image of the destroyed Starbase returned. Harlan watched it for a moment longer before turning once more to his second-in-command.
"Inform the refugees our trip to Pluto colony will be delayed, and order cadet Ianni to my study immediately."
"Yes, sir," came the reply as Admiral Band left the bridge.
Suni didn't turn as the door to her quarters slid open and closed again. She sat motionless, staring at the blank wall in front of her, trying to summon more tears to her eyes. Three days worth of food sat untouched on a table next to her, each dish reminding her painfully of the meals her mother had made. She replayed the last few hours of Starbase 7 in her head again, desperate to find a way to make it end differently. If only she had listened to her father's last request. If only she and her friends had worked instead of slacking off. If only they had gone to Neptune or New Andromeda or Vyrill instead of the Starbase. If only …
"Thank goodness I don't have super sensitive smelling," Atreus said behind her.
Suni didn't respond. She didn't move as her chair spun around and she found herself face to face with her three friends.
"Consider this an intervention," Atreus continued, picking Suni up and carrying her effortlessly into the bathroom.
"The Admiral wants to talk to you," Tethys added, as Atreus left the bathroom and the Neptunian took his place. She closed the door and turned on the shower.
While they waited, the boys began to tidy up the room, turning on the lights and discarding the uneaten food. Eventually Suni and Tethys emerged from the shower, and Suni sat down lifelessly on the couch. Xen pushed a fresh plate of food towards her.
"Eat something, please."
Suni stared at the food. "I'm sorry, guys. This is all my fault. I've been so selfish, so sure of myself, I never thought anything like this would ever happen."
Suni looked up at the stunned expressions on her friends' faces, tears forming in her eyes. She remembered every time they had almost died because of her, every plan and action that had endangered them.
"It's okay," Tethys said, sitting beside her and rubbing her back.
"It's not," Suni pushed her friend's comforting hand aside. "It's all my fault! Everything is because I leap before I look. I failed you, I've failed Mom and Dad, and now they're…"
The words stuck in Suni's throat. Atreus, Xen, and Tethys exchanged sad looks. The door to the room opened and closed a second time, but this time Suni looked up.
Alyna walked towards her, her long cloak torn and blackened as it hung limply from her shoulders. Her hair was in disarray and her fur was clumped together in places with dried blood. Suni gasped when she saw her friend, and Alyna fell to her knees in front of Suni, clasping the pink girl's hands in her own. The Guardian's normally expressionless face was full of remorse.
"I am sorry," Alyna said. "I could not help you or your family, Suni. Your home was destroyed and it was all my fault. I have failed you."
Suni blinked back her tears and slid off the couch to kneel with her friend. She wrapped her arms around Alyna, hugging her tightly. Caught off guard, Alyna was unsure how to react. Hesitantly, she put her own arms around Suni and held her. The two were motionless, the only sound was Suni's gently sobbing into Alyna's cloak. A shy smiled spread over Alyna's face and she closed her golden eyes until Atreus coughed politely.
"The Admiral is waiting," Xen reminded them gently.
Suni and Alyna stood. The Mercurian-Uranusian wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep breath, nodding. Smiling almost like her old self, she thanked her friends and left the room.
"Has she recovered?" Xen asked nervously.
Tethys shook her head, her shortened hair hitting her cheeks. "It will take longer than three days."
"I am relieved to be forgiven," Alyna said.
Atreus put a hand on her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, or Suni's either. There's nothing either of you need to be forgiven for."
Alyna dipped her head. "Excuse me, please. I must rest and it is far too crowded in space right now. The Admiral has kindly given me a space on board the ship, although I admit I do not find it very comfortable."
"Aren't you curious why the Admiral wants Suni?" Xen asked.
Alyna paused at the doorway. "I know why, Xen, and I worry for Suni. That is why I must rest now. I will need all my strength to protect her."
As the door closed, the three remaining cadets exchanged confused shrugs and settled down to wait for Suni's return.
The sound of the door opening woke Tethys, and she elbowed the sleeping form next to her. Atreus snorted and sat up, wiping the drool from his mouth and blinking sleepily. Xen dozed in a chair across from the, buzzing slightly as he breathed, until Atreus threw a pillow at him and he woke up with a start.
"Don't you guys have your own rooms?" Suni asked as she sat in an unoccupied chair. "Where's Alyna?"
"In her own room," Atreus replied. "What did Uncle Harlan say?"
"He wants me to be the UPP ambassador to the Kaesar and negotiate peace," she said unenthusiastically.
"That's great!" Tethys exclaimed. "There's no way you won't get a high ranking position after this!"
Suni didn't reply. She picked at the fabric covering her chair and avoided Tethys' gaze.
"What else?" Atreus asked.
"The Master asked for me by name," Suni said.
They sat in shocked silence for a minute.
"You can't go!" Atreus cried.
"The Kaesar won't speak with anyone else!"
"They've tried to kill you."
"They've tried to kill us all," Tethys reminded him. "Every time the master tried to weaken the UPP, we stopped him. They're getting desperate."
Suni stared at the Neptunian. "Are you saying they blew up the Starbase to kill us?"
Tethys didn't reply, but her expression revealed exactly what she thought. Suni stood up and began to pace around the room. Destroying her home had been more than an act of war, it had been a direct and personal attack.
"We stopped him before," Atreus said, "we'll stop him again. If he's after Suni, we should keep her safely on the Goddard and-"
"No," Suni spoke up. "I don't want them to target this ship because I'm on it. I'm going to meet the Master."
"Suni," Tethys pleaded, "you can't honestly believe they'll listen to a UPP ambassador after all they've done."
"I won't be an ambassador," Suni replied, a slow smile spreading across her face. "I'll be an assassin. I'll go to the Kaesar ship and kill the Master."
The small UPP transport flew silently away from the Goddard, escorted by three light fighters and one Guardian. From the command post, Admiral Band waited with two cadets by his side, watching the approaching Kaesar delegation. As the lead Kaesar ship docked against the UPP transport, Admiral Band exhaled a breath he had not realized he had been holding. The three Kaesar fighters took up positions facing the UPP ships, both sides with weapons ready but not firing. The Admiral turned to Atreus and Tethys.
"The peace of the UPP is in good hands," he said, trying to sound optimistic. He had no doubt that if anyone could succeed, it was Suni, but he was still worried that the Kaesar Master had asked for her by name.
Tethys held Atreus' hand tightly, her eyes locked on the UPP ship on the screen. Atreus glanced down at her and tried to smile, praying that Suni would not go through with her plan.
Suni sat at the small table in the centre of the UPP ship, her hands folded on her lap. She had banished all thoughts in her mind except one – revenge. She forced a serious expression on her face and took a deep breath. She felt the Kaesar ship link with hers, a deep metallic boom echoing through the hull that reminded her of the explosions on the Starbase. Unconsciously, her eyes flicked to an empty corner of the room, and quickly back to her folded hands.
Suni! Xen's voice hissed in her head.
I know, sorry, Suni thought back, wincing.
Behind her, one of the two UPP pilots entered the room to inform her that the Kaesar delegate had arrived. Suni thanked him and rose to her feet as the pilot returned to the cockpit. Ahead of her, the door that often lead to the outside world opened and four Kaesar warriors stepped in.
The were exactly as Suni remembered them from the war. Grey scaly skin spotted with browns and blacks, elongated faces with tiny horns on the tops of their heads, and thick bony plates going down their backs. The four who burst in carried guns, aiming them at Suni. She faced the threat coldly.
"Please return your weapons to your ship," she ordered. "These are peaceful negotiations."
The leader leveled his weapon at Suni's chest. "The plan has changed, Suni Ianni. You will come with us."
Suni drew herself up straighter. "If I refuse?"
Two Kaesar moved quickly past her, into the cockpit of the ship. Suni remained frozen in place as she heard her escort cry out in confusion and be executed without warning. The remaining Kaesar smiled sinisterly and took her firmly by the arm, dragging her roughly to the waiting enemy vessel. Suni barely struggled, her mouth almost twisting into a grin although the deaths of the pilots had not been part of her plan. As the Kaesar pushed her into the ship, the leader removed a metal sphere from his belt, pushed a button, and tossed it onto the floor. Suni blinked in surprise, craning her neck to get a better view, and gasped.
"No!" she cried, then thought as hard as she could, bomb!
She was shoved fully into the alien ship and the door slid closed behind her, blocking her only escape.
"Admiral," helm reported, "the fighters are breaking formation."
Admiral Band stared at the screen as the three fighters moved rapidly away from the ambassador's ship. He saw the Kaesar vessels turn as well, heading to their mother ship. Before he could question anything, there was a blinding explosion as the ambassador's ship was destroyed.
"Suni!" Atreus and Tethys exclaimed at the same time.
"Order all fighters to target the fleeing Kaesar vessels," the Admiral ordered grimly.
As the UPP ships turned and opened fire, a crackly voice came over the comm. system.
"Admiral, please cease fire!" Alyna's voice rang out. "Suni is on one of those ships!"
Admiral Band looked as if he was ready to punch someone. He closed his eyes for a second to compose himself and took a deep breath. "Which vessel?"
"I am unsure," Alyna admitted. "I was stunned by the explosion and failed to notice which ship was docked."
"Are you injured?"
"No, sir. I will continue to monitor from space. At least Suni is not alone."
As the connection went dead, Harlan glanced over to Atreus and Tethys, who were staring wide eyed at the admiral. He raised an eyebrow at them. Atreus blushed, and Tethys averted her gaze to the ground, suddenly fascinated by her boots.
"I think you two have something important to tell me about our ambassador," Admiral Band said. "Something about her not being alone?"
Atreus' blush deepened as he dropped his gaze to the floor and muttered something about safety precautions. Admiral Band gestured with his finger for the guilt stricken cadets to follow him into his office.
Suni was shoved roughly through the dark corridors of the Kaesar ship, her hands bound behind her and the business end of a blaster wedged between her shoulder blades. She kept herself calm, her mind clear except for the bubbling feeling of anxiety and worry that she knew did not belong to her. Not only to her, anyway.
Metallic doors opened and she was brought into the Kaesar command post. Her guards moved her more quickly, but Suni managed to pick up a few words here and there with the smattering of the Kaesar language that Spek had taught her.
Another set of doors, and Suni was thrown to her knees in front of a massive throne-like chair. The figure seated on the chair was masked in shadow, but Suni knew at once who it was.
"Master," she said coldly.
The figure chuckled. "It is not too difficult to call me your master after all, now is it?"
"I can think of a few other things to call you," Suni spat.
The Master leaned forward so he was still cloaked in darkness, but Suni felt that he was only inches from her face. He tented his fingers in front of where his chin should be. Suni struggled to her feet, and her guards allowed her this small comfort.
"What do you want?" Suni demanded. "Why did you come back? This isn't your ancestral home."
"No," the Master replied. "These worlds are so much better. My predecessor Jesek was a fool. He should have eliminated your UPP when he had the chance.
"The ancestral lands," he continued, "are barren rock, Suni Ianni. Completely lifeless and completely pointless to conquer. The SOL system, however, is rich and would make the perfect addition to the Kaesar empire."
"Why not talk to the UPP? Ask for land for your people? Why fight us when you can join us," Suni suggested.
The Master laughed. "We would not be ruled by anyone as weak as the UPP. The Kaesar bow to no one. The force you faced before fail, but we learned much about you, Suni Ianni, and your kind. We studied and learned, and you were all too eager to teach us."
Suni squinted into the darkness, fear and dread pouring into her heart. The more he spoke, the more familiar he seemed to her, not just his voice but his mannerisms and the slight accent he put on her name. She swallowed hard and tried without success to hide the surprise from her face.
"Spek?" she said, her voice barely a whisper.
The Master leaned into the light, and his face brought sudden tears to Suni's eyes. Her friend, the Kaesar who hated war and fighting but who had been forced to enlist, who had saved her life and who had helped the UPP defeat the first invasion, who had asked for sanctuary and then disappeared. Suni forced those feelings aside as quickly as they came.
"You got bigger," she remarked, "and uglier."
"I was at the end of my maturation cycle when I left you, Suni Ianni. Kaesar do not age gradually as you do. I was forced to leave before you discovered this."
"So you're all grown up and dropped by to repay my kindness with murder?"
Spek shrugged. "It would have been simpler if you had stayed at school and kept your nose out of this. I could have killed you quickly and painlessly, without having to torture your loved ones first."
He held out his hand and a blaster sailed into it, taken from the hand of a nearby soldier. The Master pointed the weapon at the bound girl in front of him, and pulled the trigger.
Admiral Band massaged his temples with both hands, doing his best to stop his imminent headache. Across from him sat Atreus and Tethys, their backs straight, shoulders back, and hands folded in their laps, like model cadets. Harlan sighed deeply and straightened, his dark eyes darting from one student to the other.
"Let me get this straight," he said, breaking the tense silence that had hung over the room. "Suni decided to go to the Kaesar ship and kill the Master, and you two let her?"
"Xen is with her," Atreus mumbled.
"Alyna gave him a cloaking device so no one can see him," Tethys added helpfully.
"So Suni and Xen are on the enemy mother ship, trying to kill the Master, while every ship in the UPP fleet is trying to blow up the mother ship," the Admiral stared at them, especially since this plan sounded like the type of scheme he would have pulled years ago.
"Okay," Harlan sighed as the two cadets remained silent. "Assuming Suni and Xen do kill the Master, and aren't immediately shot by one of the hundreds of Kaesar on that ship, how will they escape?"
"Dimensional teleport," Tethys replied, her tone implying that only an idiot would go on an enemy ship without a way out.
"And if they don't succeed?"
Atreus swallowed hard. "Then they are dead, sir."
Admiral Band nodded. "The five of you will be punished for disobedience after the war. If Suni and Xen return, you may get medals to wear while cleaning every inch of Starcademy, and you're lucky to get off this easy in light of your past service. Dismissed."
Tethys and Atreus rose, saluted, and quickly left the Admiral's office. When they were gone, a smile played across Harlan's lips and he allowed himself a soft chuckled. Now he knew exactly what Commander Goddard had felt whenever he, Radu, and Cat had come up with a crazy plan. With a deep sigh and a shake of his head, Harlan left his office to resume command of the war.
"I thought we'd get thrown in the brig for sure!" Atreus said as they hurried through the corridors of the Goddard.
Tethys laughed, tucking a strand of her shortened hair behind her ear. "After cleaning the school for a few weeks, you might wish he had chosen the brig."
They rounded a corner and stepped into the lift. In a few minutes, the two cadets were walking onto the flight deck, saluting to the lieutenant in charge. He was a brawny Earther, wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and carrying a compupad. As Atreus and Tethys stood locked in their salute, he tapped a few keys on his pad and gestured for them to stand at ease.
"We don't often put cadets in the air during a fight," the lieutenant explained, "but those Kaesar bastards have shot down too many good pilots."
"We can manage, sir," Tethys said.
The lieutenant nodded. "I hope you can, missy. I'm running out of pilots." He consulted his compupad. "You'll fly together for now. Cadet Tethys piloting and Cadet Atreus on guns. We'll see about giving you each your own fighters if you both come back in one piece."
They saluted and left the flight deck, after being told to report back in a few hours. As they walked in silence, Atreus took Tethys' hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly. The Neptunian looked at his smiling face and tried to convince herself that they would all come through this war alive. She had a gut feeling that this might be the last time she would see Atreus smile.
Suni squeezed her eyes closed, wondering what it would feel like to die. She had seen death many times in her life, in all shapes and sizes, but when faced with your own death, nothing else mattered. She wondered what would happen once she was gone. Would the UPP win the war? Would they miss her, when she was gone? She pictured her friends and family standing around her grave. Tethys was crying, and Atreus was putting on a brave face. Xen's wings were drooping, and Alyna watched impassively as always. She pictured her Uncle Harlan, Aunt Catalina and Aunt Suzee, Uncle Radu and Aunt Elmira, all standing around saying how it was a shame for her to die so young. Her parents weren't there at all.
Her eyes closed tighter and it seemed like an eternity had passed since the Mater had pulled the trigger, but she felt nothing. There was no way he could have missed – she was standing directly in front of him with her hands tied behind her back. She thought about opening her eyes and facing her death head on, but instead she kept them tightly shut. She heard the blaster go off, and a nearly inaudible grunt of pain that did not come from her.
Her eyes opened and time resumed its natural speed. The Master – Spek – sat before her, a satisfied expression on his serpentine face. He held the blaster in his hand, still pointed at Suni, only now there was something standing between them, blocking his shot.
"Xen!" Suni exclaimed, awkwardly trying to catch her friend as he toppled over.
The two fell to the ground, Suni on her knees and Xen lying in her lap. Suni wrenched her shoulders trying to free her hands so she could hold her friend, but they remained firmly fastened.
"The spy makes his appearance at last," the Master said, placing his weapon on the arm of his chair.
"Xen," Suni whispered, leaning closer to her friend, her eyes involuntarily darting to the spot where he had been hit. "Xen, escape! Open a tear and get out of here!"
"Not… without… you," the Vyrillian said weakly, his deep gray eyes filled with pain.
He held up a shaking hand, moving to caress Suni's cheek, but his strength gave out before he reached her face. Some of the colour drained from his silvery skin, and his head lolled to one side as he lost consciousness. Tears poured down Suni's face, tears she had thought had dried up after the loss of her parents. Xen lay slumped in her lap and she couldn't even reach out and hold him as his life drained away.
"Is he dead?" the Master asked in a bored voice.
Suni raised her head, her eyes full of malice. "Don't you dare touch him."
The Master waved a hand at the two guards who had brought Suni into the room. "If he's dead, throw him out the airlock. If not, lock him up with Suni Ianni until he dies. I don't want him to disappear to another dimension and come back with friends."
The guard roughly grabbed Suni by the arm and pulled her to her feet. Xen fell from her lap to the floor, and another guard slung him over his shoulder. They were taken from the Master's room, while he sat smiling at the misery he had caused.
The next time I see you, Suni swore to herself, I'll kill you.
Tethys rolled the ship, narrowing missing the laser fire that shot past her wing. Behind her, she heard Atreus curse and fire at the Kaesar fighter that was tailing them. Not for the first time since entering the war, Tethys wished she had Suni's flying ability. Her heart was in her throat at she maneuvered the ship around, doing her best to keep them all alive.
"Steady," Atreus muttered, aiming his weapon at the tailgater. "Steady."
Another blast rocketed by their ship. "Easy for you to say," Tethys grumbled.
Atreus fired, the enemy ship dissolving in an explosion of debris. Smiling grimly, the Andromedan turned around in his chair, scanning for other vessels.
"I heard that, by the way," Atreus remarked as he lined another ship in his sights.
Tethys rolled her eyes, certain that her friend could not hear that, and noticed three Kaesar ships breaking free of the dogfight to fly off in an opposite direction. Curious, she reported the event to her squadron leader and veered off to follow. The three ships moved quickly away from the battle, ducking in and out of a cluster of asteroids and suddenly opening fire. As Tethys maneuvered her ship around a final rock, she saw the Kaesar's target. A lone UPP escape pod floated in space, protected by a single purple haired Guardian.
Alyna did her best to deflect the laser fire from the pod and herself, but a lone Guardian was no match for three Kaesar fighters. Atreus inhaled sharply as he took in the scene and Tethys nudged her ship closer to the action. Without warning, Atreus fired on the closest ship, destroying one of its wings. It and one other ship turned their attention on the newcomer, leaving Alyna with only one fighter to worry about. Tethys had no choice but to withdraw as the two ships followed her.
"Careful," Atreus hissed as Tethys flew a little too close to an asteroid.
"Do you want to drive?" the Neptunian snapped. "Be quiet!"
Atreus wisely decided to leave the piloting to his friend. Tethys flew the way she thought Suni would fly, grateful for the few tips Elmira had given her when they had disguised themselves as bounty hunters to track down Radu. Tethys veered and twisted, but could not shake the Kaesar. Even the damaged ship seemed to be having no problem keeping up.
"Go faster," Atreus urged.
"I can't," Tethys said. "I'll hit the rocks."
"Try to relax and sense how the ship is moving. That's how Suni described it, once. Don't think, just fly."
"Not thinking must come easier to Suni than to me," Tethys remarked.
Atreus laughed as he continued to fire on the enemy ships. He managed to destroy the one that was already missing a wing, but the second ship was in hot pursuit. Tethys pursed her lips together and closed her eyes momentarily. She tried to do as Atreus suggested and feel the ship, but she was too worried about crashing or dying or both. An asteroid suddenly loomed in front of her, and she veered effortlessly to the right, missing it completely. The Kaesar ship went left, and the two enemies were reunited on the other side.
"Better," Atreus commented, as if they were practicing outside Starcademy and not battling for their lives.
Suddenly the ship shook, throwing both cadets forward. Red lights flashed and a warning sound began to beep loudly. Tethys scrambled for control as Atreus finished off the last Kaesar fighter.
"Lucky shot," he remarked. "How bad is it?"
"Bad," Tethys answered. "Main power failing, the engine is just about gone, and once the lights go out, so does life support."
Atreus ran his hand through his hair. "Can we make it back to Alyna? Maybe she can fix something."
"Aren't you supposed to be Mr. Fix-It?" Tethys asked.
Atreus almost blushed. "Not when the damage is outside. I can't hold my breath that long. Hurry up, before we're completely stranded."
Tethys switched on the UPP frequency S.O.S and guided the ship back to where they had last seen Alyna, defending the escape pod. During the chase, it had felt to Tethys like they had been flying for hours trying to escape, but only minutes had passed and soon they were back where Atreus said they had started. The remains of the third Kaesar ship floated around the asteroid field, along with the remains of the escape pod. Tethys felt tears spring to her eyes as she searched for Alyna among the death and destruction.
They found her a few minutes later, floating lifelessly in space near the largest piece of the UPP escape pod. Tethys tried to signal to her, but Alyna did not move. She turned around to face Atreus, his sad expression mirroring her own.
"What do we do now?" she asked in a quiet voice. "We can't tow her back to the Goddard. We probably can't even make it back ourselves."
"We can't leave her there," Atreus continued, his eyes locked on the body of their friend. "Not after all she did to help us."
A yellow warning began to flicker on the fighter's screen, warning passengers that only three minutes of oxygen remained. Tethys reached over and took Atreus by the hand, squeezing it as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I can liquefy myself, hide in a canteen. You can carry me. I'll use up less oxygen that way," she suggested.
Atreus shook his head. "We're going to have to abandon ship, and the canteen isn't airtight. Put on your helmet, Tethys. We'll wait with Alyna for a UPP ship to find us."
As they prepared themselves to enter the coldness of space, neither of them spoke the worries that came into both their minds. What if it wasn't a UPP ship that found them? Or, worse still, what if no one found them at all?