Captain Donald Eckersley looked grimly around the bridge as he felt the ship come out of hyperspace. The brightly flashing lights of the various control stations did nothing to lighten his mood. He was dreading what was to come, but knew that there was probably no way of avoiding it. In his nearly thirty years in the Space Service, he had never had doubts about a mission, until now. "Report." he said as he ran a hand through his greying brown hair.
"The fleet has come out of hyperspace at the edge of the Vegan System," the Executive Officer, Joseph Scott, replied as he glanced at the view screen. A system of seven planets could be seen. "No sign of enemy activity."
The enemy. So that is what we're calling them now, Eckersley thought to himself. Just a few weeks ago, they were our fellow citizens.
"Hell of a situation, Don," Scott said in a low voice as he moved over to stand alongside the command chair. "In the fifteen years we've served together, this is the first time we're going to war with our own people."
"The war hasn't started yet, Joe."
"No, but it looks like it will any minute now. What a mess."
"Sir, I'm getting a communication from Steven Greene, the new President of The Vegan Republic," Sarah Haines, the communications officer, stated. She was a perky young redhead, just a few months out of the Academy. "He says he wishes to speak to you."
"Does he," Eckersley replied, getting up from his command chair. "Pipe it down to my quarters, I'll speak to him there."
"Yes sir."
OOOOOOOO
Eckersley's quarters were modest, filled with his personal belongings. The most prominent feature was the wall full of framed military citations belonging to Eckersley and his ancestors, going back to the early days of Earth's Colonial Empire, nearly a thousand years before. The furniture consisted of a military style bed, three chairs for occasions when Eckersley had guests, and the desk at which Eckersley now sat as the face of Steven Greene appeared on the monitor mounted in front of him. "Hello Steve," Eckersley said.
"Hello Don," Greene replied. "I was wondering if Earth would send you."
"Steve, any chance that this call is your unconditional surrender?"
"Sorry, Don, but I can't do that. I may have gone to the Academy on Earth, but Vega is my home. I was born and raised here, so this is where my loyalties lie. That's why I came back here, once I retired from the service."
"The Academy, those were good times," Eckersley said and couldn't help but remember those long ago days. Steven Greene had been a classmate and a good friend, until all that had changed forever. Of all the people the Vegans could have elected to lead them, why did it have to be him?
"Yes, they were," Greene replied, a look coming onto his face that seemed to indicate that he too was remembering happier times.
"Well, Steve, you've really gotten yourself into trouble this time," Eckersley said. "Unilaterally declaring the Vegan System independent from Earth. What the hell were you thinking?"
"There was no other way. We tried to petition the Senate to stop the over-mining of our worlds, but they turned us down. The commercial mining interests are a big political lobby on Earth. They probably financed the campaigns of most, if not all, the Senators. There is no way they'd want to rock that boat."
"That may be true, but it doesn't excuse what you've done. The Vegan System belongs to Earth, and has ever since it was first colonized."
"That was centuries ago," Greene said. "We don't need Earth telling us what to do anymore. Our scientists have sent reports about the environmental damage that the mining was causing on our worlds. No one would listen, so we had no choice but to break away from Earth. We are quite willing to sit down with Earth and discuss the situation, you can trust me on that. However, under no circumstances will we allow any further mining on our worlds."
"This course of action is not helping, Steve. The mining companies are screaming for blood and the Senate listened. You must know that they haven't sent me out here just to discuss old times."
"Speaking of which, why don't we stop dancing around the issue. The real reason Earth picked you for this assignment was because of Janet."
"You leave my sister out of this," Eckersley said, his voice getting harder. "She has nothing to do with our current situation."
"I beg to differ. You've never forgiven me for what happened between Janet and myself."
"No, and I never will," Eckersley snapped. "You stood her up at the altar, you broke her heart, Steve. It took her a long time to get over you and how you betrayed her."
"Dammit, I was young," Greene said, his voice also getting hard. "I got cold feet. I know that's a weak excuse, but..."
"It's no excuse!" Eckersley yelled. "You may have been a friend to me once, but that was back then. You know how much my sister means to me. When you betrayed her, you betrayed me."
"Don, I know you hate me, but how does that reflect on this situation?"
"Simple," Eckersley replied. "You said a moment ago that I can trust you, but I can't. I trusted you with my sister's heart, and look what you did to it. I won't make the mistake of trusting you again."
"Since I'm the elected leader of the Vegan System, I'm afraid you have no choice but to trust me."
"Actually, I don't. I'm here with the full authorization of Earth Command to take any actions necessary to return the Vegan System to Earth rule. You have no choice but to surrender."
"As someone said in a war centuries ago when offered the same ultimatum. Nuts! If Earth wants to rule this system again, they're gonna have to fight us to do it. We are prepared to use deadly force to back up our position if we have to," Greene said with resolve.
"Don't be a fool, Steve. You haven't got a chance."
"Actually, we've been preparing for a situation like this for some time now. We've built up a formidable fighting force of our own. If you want a war, Don, you've got one."
"Then that is how it will be," Eckersley said and cut the channel.
OOOOOOOO
When Eckersley returned to the bridge about twenty minutes later, Scott was waiting with a file in his hand. "This just came through from Earth. These are our designated targets."
"Thanks," Eckersley took the file, opened it, and began to read it. He flipped through the pages with growing alarm. "Are you sure these are correct? Did you double check them?"
"Yeah, I did. They're correct."
"We'll see about that," Eckersley moved to a position in front of the main view screen, the tension showing as he began to pace. "Sarah, get me through to General Matthew Blaylock at Earth Command. I need to speak to him now!"
The transmission from Earth popped up on the main view screen. "What is it, Eckersley," demanded the general. "Can't you see I'm a busy man?"
"Sorry, sir, but this couldn't wait," Eckersley held up the file. "I just got the designated targets to attack."
"And?"
"There must be a mistake. These targets are all civilian, not military."
"There is no mistake, Eckersley." Blaylock said. "The targets are correct."
Eckersley flinched. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're asking me to fire on helpless civilians? Why? So a bunch of greedy mining corporations won't lose their cash cows?"
"You're out of line, Eckersley! Maybe you can't see the big picture here, so let me paint you one," Blaylock barked, the impatience in his voice clear to everyone on the bridge. "There's more at stake here than the mining corporations. Anti-Earth sentiment is growing among all our colonies, our authority as a whole is being questioned. If we let the Vegan System go, all of those colonies might start getting ideas about breaking away. We have to send a message that Earth will not let that happen."
"If this is the message we're putting out, then maybe all the colonies breaking away isn't such a bad idea!" Eckersley snapped, before he could stop himself.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, soldier," Blaylock replied coldly.
"Killing innocent civilians is not going to solve the problem, General," Eckersley stated. "In fact, it'll probably make the whole situation worse. The other colonies will openly rebel against Earth if we start slaughtering civilians in the Vegan System. People on Earth itself will rebel. This could trigger off a full scale civil war."
"Eckersley, this debate is over. In case you've forgotten, your job is to enforce, not question, colonial policy. You've received your orders, now carry them out!" Blaylock cut off the transmission.
"Damn," Eckersley muttered as he sat down in his command chair. He knew the truth of the whole ugly situation. He had been given a direct order by Blaylock, who in turn received his orders from the Senate, who themselves were in the pockets of the mining corporations. He pictured all of them sitting in their comfortable offices, back on Earth, totally oblivious to the crisis they were creating out here. Eckersley ran a hand over the military bars on his uniform. He wasn't afraid of combat, he'd seen it before, but this was different. The people in the Vegan System had a legitimate worry. Should they be punished for it? This could open a Pandora's Box that they would never be able to close again.
"What are your orders?" Scott asked after a few moments of awkward silence.
"Orders..." Eckersley mumbled, only half-hearing his Executive Officer.
Scott hesitated. "Should we order the fleet combat ready?"
Eckersley said nothing. He was too busy turning the situation over in his head.
"I know what you're thinking, Don, This reminds you of what happened at Tau Ceti."
"Of course it does," Eckersley replied. "These people are civilians, after all, just like those at Tau Ceti were. Is this situation really any different?" Eckersley's mind went back a dozen year, to the incident in the Tau Ceti System. A group of rogue pirates that had taken to attacking the shipping lanes in the region. Eckersley and Scott had been on one of the military ships Earth had sent to deal with the pirates. In the end, the pirates had been stopped, but not without a price.
"It's not the same situation at all, Don."
"Isn't it? I gave the order to fire on that pirate ship, an order that killed nine hundred civilians."
"You didn't know the pirates on that ship had taken civilian hostages. How could you have known? I was there too, Don. The pirate ship was heading straight for us, weapons charged. You did what any commander would have done in that situation, you defended yourself and your crew."
"That doesn't change what happened that day, Joe. I was responsible."
"The investigation board didn't see it that way. They cleared you of all responsibility," Scott pointed out.
"That doesn't clear my conscience. I was the one that had to face the families and friends of those civilians and explain why their loved ones were dead, because of an order I gave," Eckersley paused for a few moments. "In that incident, I didn't know about the civilians. In this case, I do. I know where they are, and I've been ordered to kill them. Well, I won't do it. Not this time."
"So, you're saying that you're not going to carry out the general's orders?" Scott asked.
"That is exactly what I'm saying," Eckersley replied.
"Don, I understand how you feel, I really do. But our orders..."
"Our orders be damned! I will not slaughter innocent civilians just so those mining corporations can line their pockets. Besides, I am not willing to risk plunging us into a civil war that may kill billions of innocent people," His mind made up, Eckersley turned to Haines. "Sarah, tell the fleet to stand down."
"Yes, sir," Haines said and quickly transmitted Eckersley's order to the rest of the fleet.
Although he knew this went against his military training, Scott knew he would support his old friend. They had been through too many conflicts together for him to jump ship now. "You realize that you've just ended your career."
"Sometimes there are bigger things to think about than careers."
"I just want to say that I'm with you."
"I'm with you too, Captain," Sarah Haines said as she got to her feet. "I'm from the Alpha Centauri Colony, so I sympathize with the Vegans. It's about time someone told Earth that money alone won't solve all the galaxy's problems."
"I appreciate all your support," Eckersley replied. "Although this means we may all be facing a court martial when this is over."
"That's a chance we're willing to take," Scott replied.
"I'm not sure how the rest of the fleet will react, but I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Sarah, please contact President Greene again," Eckersley ordered.
"Right," Haines said as she sat back down at her station and quickly sent Eckersley's hail to Greene.
Greene's image appeared on the view screen. "Don't waste your time asking me to surrender again. You know what my answer will be."
"Steve, I got a fleet of ships here that are combat ready," Eckersley stated. "I was thinking that perhaps you lot can use our help. I don't think Earth is going to take what I have done here very lightly." He quickly informed Greene about Blaylock's orders and his decision to disobey them.
"Killing civilians!? They'd go that far?" Greene asked.
"I'm afraid they would. They feel that it would solve this problem once and for all, but I know it won't. That is why I can't obey those orders."
"You sure about this, Don?"
"Steve, I've never been more sure about anything in my life," Eckersley said. "I'm not saying that this is going to change how I feel about you, but this is much bigger than that. I think that you were right about our past being the reason Earth selected me for this mission. They probably thought my feelings towards you would cause me to just open fire without asking questions. I intend to prove them wrong."
"I don't think they're going to take this lying down."
"I don't either. It's come to my attention that other colony worlds are starting to question Earth's policies."
"They are," Greene replied. "I've been in touch with some of their leaders."
"Well get in touch with them again. Tell them what's going on here. If enough of us speak out, then Earth will have no choice but to listen to you, and anyone else who has concerns about colonial policy. Perhaps it's time for some serious changes to be made."
"I'll send the messages right away," Greene said. "It might take me some time to convince them that you're telling the truth."
"We can discuss that later," Eckersley said. "Right now, we have battle plans to go over. Let's talk."