Echoes of Harmony

SF-17 Starhawk

Stariek Orbit

24 November 3296

Lieutenant Ethan Fischer launched his final missile, watching as it sailed and slammed into the metal exterior of the next defense satellite. Its shields, already battered down, allowed it entry with no resistance. It pierced the hull and a fireball blossomed, slowly encompassing the satellite and eviscerating it from the inside out with a massive explosion. Pieces of metal spread out in every direction. Some battered his ship, sending vibrations through it as his own shields vaporized most of them.

He glanced at the tactical overlay, silently dreading what he might see. Another two ships, the Hawk and Eagle were gone. Some escape pods had launched, but not nearly enough for the number of crewmen aboard each. He cursed to himself, slamming his fist against an empty section in his console.

<Alpha Squadron, form up for the next satellite,> Fischer called out over their squad network. He pulled his Starhawk into a tight turn, the G-forces pressing him against the seat. <Looks like only a few more for the fleet to be out of range.>

<I don’t think we have the firepower for this, Fischer,> Bahr replied. <Burns and I ran out of missiles two satellites ago, and you just used your last. Most of the other fighters are also winchester. It might not be worth the risk.>

<It is always worth the risk, Ava.> Fischer did his best to rein in his anger at the thought of abandoning even a single ship. <Three lives for three thousand? I’ll take that any day of the week.>

Before she could respond, the red dots indicating the satellites turned gray. The magnetic cannons and neutron beams on the nearest ones ceased firing at once. Fischer was about to let out a cheer when a communication override took over their CAM networks.

<CAG to all Stariek fighters, I repeat, CAG to all Stariek fighters,> came the voice of Major Landon Finley over the CAM. <Immediately disarm all weapons and return to the nearest hangar.>

Fischer did a double take as he checked the tactical overlay on his map. Many of the other fighters were following the order already. He was pleased to note, however, Alpha Squadron had so far abstained.

<Confirm your last, CAG,> Fischer replied. <Alpha Squadron isn’t ready to toss in the towel yet. We still got a lot of hell to give them.>

<Understood, Alpha One,> Finley said. The annoyance he felt emanated clearly through the link. <Command has other ideas for us, though. Unless you want to go in alone and be destroyed, land on the Celestial Phoenix at once.>

<Copy that.> Fischer switched back over to his squadron only channel. <You heard the man. Disarm and return to base.>

<It’s an insult to McCoy’s memory.> Burns’ frustration was palpable. Fischer didn’t blame her for the way she felt. Part of him felt the same now as he did when the Druthagar ship left the Mad Banshee nothing more than a hollow shell. <A slap in the face to all the friends we lost today. We should be out there avenging them and destroying the Hyperions, not giving in to them like a bunch of cowards.>

<Live to fight another day, Burns.> Bahr sighed as her icon changed to show disarmed status. <We can’t avenge anyone if we’re dead.>

Burns muttered a few choice expletives to herself before disarming her weapons. Together, the three of them turned and began heading back for the Celestial Phoenix, where most of its hangars were still out of commission. However, the openings had been cleared out enough to at least allow them to enter through the blue forcefields that kept the atmosphere in place. One by one, they did so, slowing their speed by firing their retroburners and coasting to a stop wherever they could find a free space.

Fischer set his down with as much grace as he could manage, finding a spot relatively devoid of stray objects and metal beams. A crunch sounded through his ship as some sort of glass was crushed beneath one of the fighter’s landing struts. The hatch surrounding his cockpit hissed as the seal broke and flipped open. A brief whine emitted to his left where the ladder popped from the side and extended itself to the ground.

He stood, holding the sides of the fighter to steady himself as he realized how shaky his legs were from disuse over the last several hours. After a few seconds, he uncertainly threw one leg over the side and began climbing down. The last few rungs were the hardest, and he skipped them, jumping to the ground instead. His stance wavered, though he managed to take in the hangar bay around him.

The cacophony hit him first. Engineers and technicians rushed around the expansive room, putting out small fires that had sprung up and tending to the different fighters. Still more were flying in, landing wherever they could. The roar of engines mixed with shouts. Creaks and groans of metal echoed above the din. The smell of ozone and ionized particles filled the air, even seeming to linger on his tongue.

Fischer was nearly knocked to the ground as someone slammed into him from behind, wrapping their arms around his neck. He recovered from his shock and pulled free, turning around. Ava Bahr stood there, her helmet on the ground behind her and her hair a disheveled mess. A smile was on her face, but Fischer could tell it was forced.

“I can’t believe we survived,” she said, her voice barely audible above the rest of the noise. Her head swayed slightly, as if she were on the verge of collapse.

“You, me, and Burns.”

“Not all of us did.” He took off his own helmet and let it drop beside him. It clinked with each bounce on the jumbled mess covering the floor. His fist clenched, loosened, and reclenched as he stood there. “It was my job to get McCoy home safe. He made a risk because I asked him to, and it didn’t even matter. His death was pointless. The Wolf was destroyed a few minutes after that anyway. If I didn’t tell him at all costs…”

Bahr stepped forward, glass crunching and metal crinkling underfoot, and wrapped her arms around Fischer again. She pulled him in tight, holding him close to herself, and buried her head in his shoulder. It took a few moments for him to realize she wasn’t going to let go, and he returned the embrace.

“Shut up,” she whispered, her voice choked. “It’s not your fault. We all knew the risks going in. He gave the people on the Wolf a chance they might go home. He gave them hope.”

“But if I had just done something different, I could have prevented it.” His voice, even to himself, sounded cold and distant. “I decided it was up to us, and no one else, to stop the missiles. There were two hundred other fighters out there, any one of them could have helped.”

“And someone else may have gotten killed,” she mumbled into the fabric of his flight suit. If the suit weren’t watertight, he knew he would feel a wet spot forming where her tears fell. “I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

As if on autopilot, he rubbed his hand in small circles on her back, trying to soothe her even as his gaze focused on nothing. He simply stared off into the distance, the scene replaying over and over in his mind. Part of him wished he had been the one to do it. At least he wouldn’t be feeling the guilt he did now.

“Hey! Stop!” a voice shouted from a short distance away. A technician frantically waved their arms at a transport beginning to hover off the ground and turn towards the hangar bay. “You don’t have clearance!”

Fischer pried Bahr’s arms from him and rushed over to the man. His coveralls were stained with grease and blood. Several minor cuts dotted the arms and legs of the fabric.

“What’s going on?” he asked as the transport moved steadily towards the forcefield two hundred meters away.

“Some crazy woman put a bunch of missiles in there and is leaving with them.” The man clasped his hands behind his head. He let out a deep breath and spun in a circle. “I’m going to get in so much trouble.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“What are you talking about?” Fischer’s mind reeled as he tried to wrap his head around what was going on. “What crazy woman? Who was she?”

“I have no clue, man.” He glanced at Fischer for the first time. His face went white and his Adam’s Apple bobbed as he gulped. “My apologies, Lieutenant. I don’t know her name, but she was wearing the Snow Wyverns insignia.”

“You don’t think…” Bahr said as they looked at the transport together as it cleared the forcefield.

<Burns, where are you?> Fischer asked in a direct transmission to her CAM.

<On the path to vengeance, Fischer,> came the reply. It sounded serene, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. <They take one of ours, I take one of theirs. It’s only fair, and you know it.>

<What do you think you’re doing?> His exasperation clearly transmitted through the link. <Get back here now. I am not losing anyone else today, least of all you.>

<Sorry, Fischer, no can do.> A grunt of exertion and momentary bit of annoyance came through the link. Otherwise, all her words were carried with an odd peacefulness. <One second, flight control is threatening to fire on me if I don’t turn around. Doubt they’d do that, but better safe than sorry.>

<Damn it, Burns!> he shouted, both through the link and out loud. He stomped forward a few steps toward the forcefield even though the transport was long out of sight. Tempering his anger and frustration, he continued over the link, <This is not a game. If you’re doing this as some sort of fucked up way of getting revenge for McCoy, stop it. We’re not going to let him have died in vain, but we need to think smarter about this.>

Several seconds of silence passed over the link. Fischer could hear the blood rushing through his ears above even the tumult of the hangar around him. Bahr grabbed onto his forearm, her fingers digging into his skin. He nearly spun to swing her off before he realized who it was and caught himself.

“Is Burns okay?” Bahr whispered. Fischer shook his head noncommittally. “What’s she doing?”

For a moment, he forgot Ava wasn’t on the transmission with the two of them. He stared at her for a moment, trying to form the proper response, when Burns returned. With a thought, he sent Bahr an invite to listen, which she accepted without hesitation.

<Sorry ‘bout that, Lieutenant.> She sounded more inconvenienced than anything. <I think I convinced them to not shoot me, but it may really just be because they don’t want to risk the Hyperions seeing their weapons arming. Where were we again?>

<We were at the part where you return to the hangar right this instant.> Fischer tried and failed to keep his anger in check. He used his privileges as the captain of the Snow Wyverns to pull up the tactical overlay for the ship. The three Hyperion vessels were slowly moving toward the planet as the Stariek ones maintained formation. A small dot for Burns’ commandeered transport steadily made its way across the gap. <What the hell do you think you’re going to accomplish?>

<Well, I managed to find a transport loaded with half a dozen tritinium missiles. No idea what the plan was, if there even was one, but it’s safe to say whatever it was isn’t going to happen. Or, maybe it is, I don’t know. I know exactly what I’m going to do with them though. It’ll be fun to see how many I can take with me.>

Fischer’s heart leapt into his throat. He took an involuntary step forward despite the fact he knew it wouldn’t help. Bahr kept her grip on his forearm, preventing him from moving too far. If he were talking out loud, he knew his voice would have broken. Through thoughts, however, he had no such worry.

<Erin, don’t. This isn’t the way to do it. Come on, turn around and we’ll talk this through. We can find a way to get rid of the Hyperions, but we have to do it together. Come on, I need you with us now.>

<Huh, now the Hyperions are hailing me. Do you think I should see what they want?>

<Damn it, Erin Burns, turn around.> Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. <I can’t go out there and save you this time. Just… Ava and I, we need you here with us. We can’t lose another member of Alpha Squad. Just turn around and we can figure out what to do.>

<McCoy promised me dinner,> she said with a note of finality. <Maybe I’m about to see how good a cook he really is. Well, I’m still a few thousand klicks out, and they’re lighting me up with their targeting systems. Think I can outfly them? Nah, probably not. Goodbye, Lieutenant Ethan Fischer.>

He felt one last moment of fear mingled with peace come through the link. The transmission cut off abruptly just as the dot representing Burns’ transport disappeared from the tactical map. Fischer nearly collapsed before Bahr wrapped her arm around his torso, barely able to support his weight. Her grunt of exertion sounded as if it came from the other end of the hangar.

“Come on,” Bahr whispered, helping to guide Fischer over the jumbled mess of metal beams and stray wires and broken glass. “Let’s get you to your bunk.”

Without a word, Ethan Fischer allowed himself to be led out of the hangar. He continued staring at the tactical board in the corner of his vision, hoping the dot for her transport would reappear.

No matter how much he watched, it did not.

#

HMV Wagener

Stariek Orbit

General Zorn watched as the sleek stealth transport set itself down on the now empty hangar deck of the Wagener. When he arrived, there were a few dozen personnel milling about, working on the various fighters and bombers being readied in the event they were needed. However, at a word from himself, they left without a second thought. Now, it was just him and the boy.

The transport was made of a deep black material, nearly indistinguishable from a starless void in space. It came to a narrowed point at the front, widening as it reached the back where a pair of twin engines sat, specially designed to minimize electromagnetic radiation output. From the outside, it appeared there were no doors or windows until one slid open near the center.

On the inside was one of the black body armor wearing commandos he sent to the surface. From what he could tell by her silhouette, it was Warrant Scheiner, though the armor completely obscured her appearance.

At her side was a hovering gurney bearing an unconscious child Zorn had only seen in images from Legate Habricht. His brown hair, cut short, and freckled face marked him rather ordinary. Seeing him in such a state made him question whether it was worth all the trouble they went to in order to secure him. There is nothing special about this insolent child, he thought as they neared each other.

“Warrant, I presume you had no difficulties?” Zorn asked.

“Of course not, sir.” She stopped, causing the gurney to come to a halt, as she saluted him. “We took some casualties in the form of robots, but no human injuries.”

“They’re expendable anyway.” Zorn waved a hand dismissively before walking up to examine the boy. Even up close, he looked like nothing more than a school child. His eyes were closed, and there was an almost peaceful aura about him that made Zorn grimace. Nothing about the boy indicated what Habricht wanted with him. “How long will he remain unconscious?”

“The gas should keep him under for another hour or so, but we can put him in one of the stasis pods if you would like, sir.”

“Yes, but do it discreetly.” Zorn turned on his heel and started walking away. “We don’t want word of his arrival spreading across the ship.”

“Sir, before you go, there was a complication.” Scheiner’s voice did not sound worried—her skill always spoke for itself, leaving her perhaps overly confident—but the tone with which she spoke caused Zorn to stop in his tracks. “There was another child with him. A girl. We took her as well.”

The general turned to see a second gurney hovering out of the transport, another of the black armored commandos escorting it. This one held a girl who appeared to be the same age as the boy. Her hair was tied into a ponytail that was draped casually across the edge of the bed.

“What is this?” Zorn felt his blood begin to boil. “Habricht’s orders called for one child, not two. We made that very clear from the beginning, warrant. How dare you disobey those orders?”

“My apologies, sir.” She bowed her head to stare at the ground and brought her right arm across her abdomen in submission. “We were not expecting there to be a second child there, and we thought it would be best to bring them both rather than leave any loose ends. Just as we brought the two adults in the room at the time.”

Zorn stomped forward, pushing past Scheiner and looked in the transport. Secured in seats at the back of the ship were two individuals, one a man and the other a woman. Each of their hands were bound to the wall behind them, and they appeared to be unconscious. He recognized both from the files Habricht sent him before he departed on the mission. A smile reached his face when he saw the man. According to Habricht, he was the one who supplied the override codes for both the public broadcast system and the satellites.

The other was the boy’s mother.

Immediately, his brain went into motion of what he might be able to achieve. The first’s cover was maintained with his abduction, which would prove useful if they needed to send him back to the so-called Provost. The second could be useful for ensuring the boy did what he was told for whatever plan Habricht concocted.

“Warrant Scheiner, you did well in bringing them along with you.” Zorn turned and strolled back to where she stood between the two gurneys. He clasped his hands behind his back. “You will do even better, however, to forget everything about this mission. It would be a shame if an accident were to befall you for divulging any of this.”

“I do as society demands of me,” she said, giving him a crisp salute. Zorn narrowed his eyes at the words but did not question them.

“Bring both of them to the medical bay,” he said, gesturing to the gurneys. “We’ll put them in stasis until we figure out what to do with them. Have the other two confined to the brig.”

Scheiner saluted once more before moving towards the hangar door with the gurneys floating along behind her. The other soldiers each grabbed one of the others, picking them up with their armor-enhanced strength and following in Scheiner’s wake.

Zorn watched as they went, his hands clasped behind his back, as he continued to plot and scheme of what he could accomplish with both of the additional hostages. Part of him considered keeping the fact secret from Legate Habricht. What he didn’t know, of course, wouldn’t hurt him. He dismissed the thought as soon as it came. Knowing Hades, he would discover the fact whether Zorn told him or not, and, if he found out the information was purposefully hidden, there would be hell to pay.

No, better to tell him now rather than try to use it as leverage against the legate. A simple report detailing the events was the best course of action. As he thought over the wording of the letter, he walked out of the hangar.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!