Prologue: Sheathed
At first glance the pilot seated in the briefing room was fairly nondescript, his features as plain and unassuming as any of the thousands of men serving in the United Nations of Earth Navy. Lieutenant (Senior Grade) Grace Reynolds had made that same mistake when she first met the pilot as a fellow trainee at the UNE Naval Academy. By the time the two had graduated, with the highest and second highest simulation scores going to herself and one Daven Adams respectively, there was nothing nondescript or plain about the man as far as she was concerned. They parted ways after graduation and until now had never drawn the same squadron assignment. Now Adams was sitting there in the room, waiting for her to arrive. Reynolds spent another minute simply looking through the window trying to decide what she felt at seeing him again after so long. Giving up, Reynolds walked into the room.
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Daven Adams stood as he saw Reynolds enter and saluted crisply. Reynolds returned it and tried to keep her face composed. The slight smirk on Adam's face told her she had failed.
"Lieutenant Adams. It's been a while."
The moment she opened her mouth Reynolds regretted the words that came out. Not that they were too clichéd or the like, but she had just put Adams in a very inconvenient spot. Across his throat was the scar that had so shaken Reynolds, marking the wound that robbed Adams of his voice. To greet him with such a prompt was not the most polite thing Reynolds could have done. As Reynolds tried to figure out how to get out of this hole she had dug for herself, Adams' hands rose and he pointed to his shoulder with them before rolling them out so that the index fingers pointed away from him. He then brought up his right hand and seemed to pinch something in the air with his index finger and thumb.
Been a while since.
Reynolds' eyes went wide. "Uh, yes it has. And uh, since when did you learn how to sign?"
The smirk widened ever so slightly as Adams pointed at his throat. Reynolds now really felt like kicking herself.
"Oh, I see. Umm, sorry."
Adams' right hand flashed a two sign with the thumb between the open fingers.
Okay.
As evidenced by their exchange there was nothing wrong with Adams' hearing. If anything, Adams' humor seemed to have survived the horrible maiming that had forced him to spend a year rehabilitating. Even then, Adams was actually far luckier than the rest of his old squadron. He was the only survivor of an accidental skirmish between his squad and a Colonial taskforce and his own fighter had been so shot up that it was a miracle Adams managed to return to base. For that matter, his fighter's navigation system was so thoroughly trashed that Adams had been forced to plot the fold jump manually. That achievement and the fact that he made it back in time to warn the base about the Colonial strike force earned him the Silver Star now adorning his uniform. The navy had also tried to medically discharge him but Adams' insistence on getting back in a cockpit was hard to deny, especially after being lauded a hero so publicly. Even that should not have been enough to allow him to defy the doctors however and Reynolds fully intended on prying the details out of Adams, if he passed the evaluation today to see whether he was actually fit for duty.
"So, you still remember what to do behind the stick?" Reynolds asked as she moved to the front of the room.
Adams signed an affirmative as his gaze followed Reynolds.
"Good, then you get to prove it." Turning on the projector, Reynolds brought up a few different coordinates. "We'll keep things simple. Some basic maneuvers and target practice. You'll be evaluated in an Apex today, Scythe tomorrow if things go well, and a bomber the day after. Any questions?"
Adams shook his head.
"Okay, go get suited up. I'll meet you down in the hanger in ten."
The lieutenant clicked his heels together and made his way out. Reynolds headed towards the women's locker to change herself and when she arrived at the hanger six minutes later, Adams was already leaning against his bird waiting. How he managed to get there so fast would likely remain a mystery but Reynolds did her best to avoid any visible reaction to his speed.
Once convinced Adams' preflight check was completed by the book, Reynolds climbed into her own bird and quickly mowed through the launch preparations. Her arms twitched in anticipation and the slightest of trepidation. It was a silly thing as she had logged hundreds of hours in an Apex fighter. Yet for some reason her body still felt the need to express a nervous jitter right before it soared into space. Then again, a slight jitter was much better than throwing up into her helmet like what happened on her first actual flight outside a simulator. Reynolds grimaced at the embarrassing memory and shook her head. She was a long way from the academy and this time she was the one doing the looking after.
"Lieutenant Reynolds, you are clear for launch," the controller announced.
"Acknowledged. Reynolds, launching!"
The fighter catapulted out of the hanger and continued accelerating along the launch ramp. Once clear, Reynolds kept straight ahead for a few more seconds to make sure she was completely clear of subsequent launches before veering off to the side. As she arced around, Reynolds caught sight of Adams shooting out. The other pilot mirrored Reynolds' caution but wasted little time falling in line behind her after swinging around. It seemed Adams still remembered which way to turn the stick.
"Okay Adams, let's do a flyby of the supply platform. Slow and steady."
An acknowledgment clicked over the radio but a slightly longer text message popped up on her HUD.
Slow and steady as the lieutenant says.
Reynolds could not help but chuckle but her response was still sternly voiced. "Don't get too fresh, Adams. Remember, your wings stay clipped until I say otherwise."
This time the click came with no additional commentary.
The pair of fighters glided lazily towards the platform though Adams seemed to be thoroughly enjoying being back in a cockpit. His craft was continuously rolling the entire flight over. Reynolds was about to deliver another stern warning when Adams finally stopped as they arrived at their target destination.
"This is the Proteus," Reynolds said instead. "It's carrying supplies to the UNE fleet. Hold on while I do a scan."
Adams acknowledged the order but there generally was a lot of latitude on how to 'hold on' inside a fighter. Consequentially, Adams was literally standing the fighter on its nose and maintaining a relative velocity of zero with the supply platform. That was no small feat considering all of the forces acting on the fighter, from its previous momentum to the pull of Earth below them. Reynolds tried to not let his antics distract her and hurried through the scan.
"Okay, everything looks good. Proteus, you're cleared to go."
"Thanks Reynolds. We're moving out now."
"Let's give them an escort until they get to the foldpoint," Reynolds said.
As a freighter, Proteus' acceleration was downright anemic. The greatest risk in escorting the freighter while in Earth orbit was someone getting so bored they got sloppy and crashed their own ship in the process. Reynolds kept her focus squarely on Adams, watching to see if his fighter veered in any way. Adams did not disappoint however and stayed on course. Only after Proteus folded out did his fighter start spinning again as he flew around in circles waiting for new instructions.
"Next up we'll see if you still remember how to shoot. I've forwarded fold coordinates for the shooting range." Reynolds hesitated for the briefest of moments before continuing. "Since you're under evaluation, I want to see if you can get there before-"
That was all the permission Adams needed as he hit the thrusters. The fighter shot toward the designated coordinates and the head start he had guaranteed Reynolds would get there second. Gritting her teeth even as she fought to suppress a smile, Reynolds gunned her own thrusters and chased after Adams. This was a bit too much like back at the academy for her tastes.
"Okay, that'll do," she said as Adams signaled his arrival at the fold point.
With the coordinates locked in, the two fighters engaged their fold engines. Her ship shuddered at the moment of transition before emerging further out system. Shattered hull fragments were sprinkled about though they had folded out far enough out to avoid any accidental collisions.
"This was the frigate Pandora," Reynolds said. "We've been using her as target practice. The wreckage is pretty volatile so it shouldn't take much to detonate any remains."
The console beeped as Adams' message was printed.
Even with this peashooter?
Reynolds chuckled. "Get to work, Adams."
The Crew 500ep plasma cannon currently mounted on his fighter was the weakest of the light craft grade weapons available to the UNE. The low charge of each shot meant a fighter could fire continuously for quite some time before depleting its energy reserves, but there was something to be said for having a beefier gun like the 1000ep or even the newest 1500ep. Fortunately today all Adams had to worry about was blowing up fragments of an already thoroughly wrecked ship. Even a 'peashooter' like the 500ep could handle that much as Adams was demonstrating by blowing apart a trio of pieces in quick succession.
"Try out the missiles," Reynolds instructed.
Adams fired off a pair of missiles in quick succession, though the interval between them was so tight the good lieutenant apparently wasted almost no time letting them go after acquiring lock. His reflexes had obviously not deteriorated while on rehab. Reynolds watched Adams score two more kills before deciding to call him in.
"Alright, that's enough, we can head back to-"
The sudden beeping of the alarm cut her off and Reynolds immediately switched to the emergency channel.
"-the freighter Proteus! We are under attack one foldpoint out from Earth! Requesting assistance from any UNE ships in the area!"
"Proteus, this is Reynolds, I copy. Hang on, rescue is on the way."
"Better hurry, there's a lot of these guys here and we can't hold out for long!"
"Understood." Reynolds closed the FTL channel. "Adams, you heard him. Let's haul ass."
The fighters moved out of the debris field and lined up to the fold gate. A flash and they disappeared, reappearing light years away with the light show of plasma splattering the hull of the Proteus right before them.
"Interceptors are breaking off to head us off," Reynolds said as she watched half a dozen signals move towards them. "Adams, ignore them. Focus on the fighters, I'll watch your tail."
Adams acknowledged her instructions with a click and charged forth. The interceptors raced forth to meet them and the two sides hurtled towards a head on collision. At the last second, Adams let loose a burst of machinegun fire and a single missile. The barrage stripped off the lead interceptor's shields, leaving it completely vulnerable as the missile smashed into its frame. The explosion startled its compatriots who wobbled about as Adams shot right past them. Reynolds opened fire, emulating Adams' opening but following up with bursts of plasma fire. Her own fighter had been equipped with the Crew 1000ep and the more powerful cannon easily ripped through the light armor of the interceptors.
With one target down Reynolds spun her fighter around and quickly acquired a missile lock. She let loose and watched as the impact shattered the enemy's shield and even peppered the hull with shrapnel. A single burst of plasma was enough to blow it apart.
Three of the surviving interceptors had peeled off after Adams. Instead of staying to dogfight with the other two, Reynolds gave chase. She did not escape unchallenged however as her shield flared from the impact of machinegun fire. The searing red subsided but from her HUD Reynolds took note of the two interceptors giving chase. Alarms started blaring as a lock was detected, the siren growing ever shriller as the missile hurtled closer and closer. When the sound was one near continuous tone, Reynolds hit the EM pulse and watched in satisfaction as the missile careened off harmlessly to the side.
Reynolds was now in range herself and opened fire, methodically stripping one interceptor of its shields before finishing it off with a quick plasma burst. The other interceptor veered off and Reynolds rolled right with it, this time letting a missile soften it up. The explosion knocked the interceptor aside but the light craft stubbornly refused to stop weaving about. Unable to line up her cannons for a clean shot, Reynolds switched to her machineguns and simply sprayed the space before her. Her target wobbled and soon lost control completely as its hull was punctured by the fire. It exploded not long after though Reynolds was already spinning around to deal with the survivors.
The interceptors split off, forcing her to choose a target. As Reynolds made her decision however, her next would be victim disappeared in a flash. The remaining Colonial signals also started dropping and soon enough only she, Adams, and the Proteus were left.
"Adams, status."
Text scrolled across her HUD.
Got four. Others ran. Want a bigger gun.
"I think we can both agree on that," Reynolds said dryly, though she could not help but be impressed by his kills.
Even with only a 500ep, Adams had managed to kill as many enemies as her despite the fighters he brought down boasting better shields and armor than the interceptors she had dueled with. At this point Reynolds' mind was made up. The fleet needed Adams back in a cockpit and she needed him to make her squadron whole again. That was at least two problems off her plate, but others were appearing just as quickly.
"Proteus, are you going to be okay from here?"
"We'll be fine. Thanks Reynolds. We need to get going though, need to get the supplies to the fleet."
"Okay. Adams and I are heading back. Hope the rest of your trip will be less eventful."
"You and me both. Proteus clear."
As the Proteus disappeared, Reynolds angled her own ship towards the fold gate for Earth.
"How did they get so far deep?" Reynolds wondered aloud over the radio. "They must have stripped the defenses completely bare."
Even as she spoke, Reynolds punched in a quick report to make sure Command knew about the incident. After the transmission went out, she waited a minute or so for an acknowledgment of its receipt. Nothing came however and she frowned.
"We'd better get back," Reynolds said as the possibilities of why she was receiving nothing flashed through her head. "Command isn't responding."
Adams clicked in acknowledgment and the two fighters activated their fold engines once more. Perhaps the greatest advantage of light craft was the speed with which their engines could cycle. They might not have the range of larger engines, but only having to lug around the mass of a light craft meant the cooldown was significantly shorter. Then again, their fighters did not need the ability to fold long distances. That was what the fold gates they now entered was for.
As the pair emerged, their radios immediately came alive.
"-Orbital Station 14, we are under attack! Requesting assistance from any available UNE ships!"
"What the-how did they get all the way to Earth!?"
Talk later, shoot now.
Even as the message scrolled across her HUD Adams was charging ahead. A few enemy fighters peeled off from attacking the station to meet him and Reynolds was right behind. Indicators highlighted two of the oncoming fighters and Reynolds sent back her own acknowledgment. Technically Adams was her wingman, but with him already ahead she could only follow his lead.
As they two sides closed the range between them, Adams opened up with machineguns again. He stripped the shields off his first target but instead of swinging about to finish it off Adams blew right past the fighter and peppered another target with bullets. Reynolds however was perfectly positioned to deliver the follow on and a steady stream of plasma smashed the two fighters Adams had softened up. The enemy charge shattered, the two fighters sped towards the station.
The station continued spitting fire at its attackers but the smoldering nubs that were turrets marked the distinct lack of success they were having. The Colonials did not get to enjoy their own successes for much longer as Adams locked onto a fighter and opened fire. He was going in for fast kills, blasting away shields before locking on and letting off a missile even as he looked for another target. The only problem with his approach was Adams was not waiting long enough to confirm a kill before moving on as Reynolds watched an EM burst scramble one of the missiles. She was right on Adams' tail however and opened fire, blowing apart the fighter as it slowed, apparently having believed it was safe after dodging the missile. Swinging about, Reynolds chased after Adams and was just in time to pick off another briefly lucky fighter.
More fighters however did not get their EM pulses off in time and Adams left a stream of wreckage in his wake. Half the attackers were dead at this point and the station was doing a better job focusing its fire. With their numbers so reduced the enemy could no longer gang up against the two fighters and Reynolds peeled off to do some hunting of her own. The Colonial pilots were not bad per se, but they were obviously shaken by the brutality suddenly inflicted upon them. Her own target dodged and weaved trying to stay out of her line of fire but all that achieved was force Reynolds to eat away at its armor with machineguns instead of a quick kill from her plasma cannon.
As the enemy fighter careened away leaving a smoking trail, Reynolds swung about and let loose at the fighter chasing her. The fighter peeled to the side, the worst mistake it could have made as it actually increased the amount of time it was in Reynolds' sights. It did not survive long enough to learn from the mistake.
Reynolds scanned for another victim but all of the signals were racing away now. One did not quite make it as it exploded from Adams' continuing bombardment but the others disappeared in a flash. Apparently losing three quarters of their force had taken the fight out of the Colonials.
"Area secure," Reynolds said. "And Command, you can go ahead and reinstate Adams. He passed."
"Roger that Reynolds," the station commander said. "In that case, you and the 207 are to transfer forward and rendezvous with the Earth fleet operation."
Reynolds blinked. "Transfer forward? But you need all the help you can get here!"
"I appreciate the concern lieutenant, but you have your orders."
"Understood," Reynolds said with a grimace. "Alright Adams, you heard them. Let's get you properly set up for a little trip."
Oh goody, do I get to call you Angel again?
"I suppose you've earned that right," Grace 'Angel' Reynolds replied, trying to fight back her grin as the tension slowly unwound. "You sure you ready to be Reaper again?"
For a few moments Daven 'Reaper' Adams sent nothing back in response. When he finally did, it was Reynolds' turn to be speechless.
You never needed to stop calling me that, you gave me the callsign after all.
End of Prologue
What Measure Honor is actually a finished work of mine that I did many years back. It was originally posted on the SSZ user forum, but since that site's basically neigh unusable at this point, I decided to post it on here instead. Honor, and its companion piece What Price Victory were actually the first stories that I wrote after a long hiatus of not writing anything, and indeed mark when my creative juices started flowing again. As such while it certainly feels closer to my more recent works, in a lot of ways it will also feel a lot rougher. For the most part I've decided to let the original stand instead of trying to significantly rework it, beyond any grammar or spelling mistakes that I happen to catch. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy. I'll be posting something like one chapter a week, don't want to dump too much out there at once.