0100 had, so far on this trip, been a time when the bridge was deserted and activity on the ship was at a minimum. That was no longer going to be the case from this moment on; of that much, Morrison was certain.
He strode onto the deck, spine straight, chin high. The career officer was filled with an anticipation unlike anything he could have imagined. His lesser days in the EAD, where he was looked down upon by his fellows for his lack of experience, were over. Not only did he command the only free ship left in the fleet, he was about to lead a crew of cadets on a journey never undertaken by humanity. “And when we come back and save the day,” he found himself thinking, “I’m going to get promoted past all of them.” He suppressed a chuckle. “I can gloat later,” he thought, taking a moment to relish the idea. “I’ll have plenty of time.”
As he took his seat in the command chair, the rest began filing in. He beckoned Almond to the helm. It would be her job to guide the ship as it exited the solar system. Park took his place at the sensor station. It would be up to him to monitor radiation levels, watch for particle streams that could disrupt navigation or other systems, and to keep an eye out for any enemy vessels between them and their destination. Sarah took a position at the weapons and shields console, the best place for her to monitor the biogel relays for power spikes or other issues that could cause a danger to the ship. Dr. Gray stood back and out of the way, a diagnostic kit in hand so that she could monitor the crew’s vital signs.
“Where is Mr. Keys?” Morrison asked, realizing he was short a crew member.
“Right here, sir,” Jack said, running onto the bridge. “Sorry, sir. Last minute visit to the head.”
“Of all possible excuses, that’s probably the best one,” Morrison had to admit. “Alright, take your position at the comm. console, Mr. Keys.”
Jack walked across the bridge and took the seat where Ben had nearly lost his life. However, as Jack familiarized himself with the equipment, he found himself puzzled by something he could not easily explain.
“Make ready for departure, Ms. Almond,” came the order from Morrison.
“Aye, Captain.”
Jack spoke up quickly. “Captain, a moment. I have something odd here.”
The older office raised an eyebrow, immediately assuming that the cadet was probably comm. ignorant. “What is it, Mr. Keys?”
“Sir, I have a message light lit here. It looks like something sent over the hyperfrequencies. Have we already downloaded all transmissions?”
Morrison shot Park a questioning look. The engineer shrugged his shoulders, baffled.
The Captain cleared his throat. “Apparently not. Can you tell when it was sent?”
“Looks like… four hours ago,” Jack replied.
Albert Morrison rose from his command chair. “Play it, Mr. Keys.” Jack pushed a few buttons, and suddenly every video screen on the bridge came to life.
On screen was an older man, dressed in formal EAD regalia. His white hair was closely cropped, his posture rigid. “The perfect example of lifelong dedication to the cause,” Sarah thought. “The soldier they hope all of us will be” Jack’s voice quickly explained why.
“That’s Admiral Kelly,” he whispered.
The man on the viewing screen began to speak. “Captain Morrison, this is Chief of the Admiralty William Kelly. Fourteen hours ago, Earth was invaded by the Omegans. They arrived in numbers, and they arrived with force. Our losses were heavy.” The older man’s voice paused, and there seemed to be an angry rustling coming from off-screen. Suddenly, a towering presence came up behind him.
“Goddamned Omegans have him at gunpoint,” Jack realized. “Not good.”
Kelly’s transmission continued, the older man looking more and more uncomfortable. “The EUG surrendered eight hours ago, hoping the cut down on the loss of life.” He grimaced. “All EAD ships were recalled under the flag of surrender. It should be noted,” his voice began to drip with bitterness, “that they had clear intelligence allowing them to account for every one of our vessels and their positions.”
The War Angel crew exchanged worried glances, the unanswered question of “How?” hanging heavy in the air.
“At this time, all ships except for the War Angel have returned. The Omegans have therefore directed me to contact you and see to it that you set course to return to Earth at best possible speed. Failure to do so will…” Kelly began to falter. Finally, the figure behind him pushed Kelly aside violently, and after a few seconds, the picture on screen stopped bouncing and moved higher, framing an Omegan.
It was the first time any of them had seen an actual live Omegan. They existed in media archives, in museums, in nightmares. Now those nightmares had been brought to life.
The creature’s reddish-purple skin glistened in the lights of Kelly’s office. Its muscular build made it look like it could tear a human being apart by hand, and while no reports of that actually happening existed, it wasn’t hard to believe, Richard Park thought. Its square jaw underlined a set of vicious-looking teeth. The Omegans were carnivores of the highest order, tracking and killing game during their time on Earth and tearing out throats to get dinner started.
“And there are a shitload of these big bastards waiting for the opportunity to start killing us all,” Sarah thought. “I wonder if we’re too late to pray?”
The Omegan spoke, grinding out its words. “You will set course for Earth and return immediately under the flag of surrender. You will rendezvous with our vessel in the orbit of the planet you call Saturn. You will do it immediately.”
“Or we will begin expressing our… displeasure… upon some of your fellows.”
The transmission ended abruptly.
Albert Morrison lowered himself into the command chair gingerly. What was he to make of his new orders?
Protocol was clear: an order from the Admiralty was an order from the highest office in the EAD. That much he knew. Morrison had been a good soldier from the moment he entered the Corps, believing that concepts such as discipline and obeying directives for the higher good made for a life of honor. It was a privilege to wear the uniform, something that most of the people trapped on his home planet would likely never understand.
And yet… he had a plan. A good plan, he felt. A plan that would help them survive, perhaps even to find help against a common enemy.
“Maybe,” he thought, “there’s already a plan back home. We surrendered, but maybe just to re-group. Who knows?” The Captain hunched over for a moment, placing his head in his hands as he deliberated. Finally, he rose up, discovering that every face on the bridge was staring at him.
Gina broke the silence. “Your orders, Captain?”
Morrison looked at the faces of his charges. They were scared, that much he knew. “Hell, so am I,” he thought, filled with bitterness.
“Set course for Saturn, Miss Almond,” he said in a flat tone.
The crew of the War Angel erupted.
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