EPILOGUE
RACHEL
The Florida Observatory was a whole lot bigger than the one in Alaska, and so much warmer that Rachel thought she was cooking even though it was barely above seventy. Although she was originally from California, and never thought she would get used to the freezing cold of Alaska, it seemed that her body had adjusted to it at least somewhat, because now the heat of Florida seemed nearly unbearable.
Not that she would change it for anything. She was glad to be back in the sun – even if it meant that she needed yet another adjusting period.
She’d just spent a wonderful day with Erro beachcombing, but now she had clocked on for the night shift, and was ready for another night of calibrating computers or punching old data into the databases – the same old.
“Rachel? You’re here? Thank god!” Her boss Sandy exclaimed with a relieved smile as she walked into her work station. “I thought I was going to be stuck dealing with this mess on my own. I believe you told me you’re trained to Communicate, right?”
“Yes, though so far I’ve only ever simulated,” she replied, her heart skipping a beat as she realized what the woman was about to say next.
“Well, sweetheart, now’s your chance,” Sandy said, guiding her over to one of the viewing ports. “Angel’s off on maternity leave, and Mark is nowhere to be found. Looks like it’s you and me. Here, put the earphones on. Our boys are en route right now, and they should be engaging any time now.”
“What’s the story?” Rachel asked her, all business now as she set the headgear into place. Sandy took a seat to her right and set up as well, so the next words she heard came through her earpiece.
“It looks like those damned Varron pirates are trying again,” Sandy sneered, rolling her eyes. “They’ve sent in over twenty ships this time in their bid to punch their way through, and it’s likely that they’re going to get past our boys no matter what we do. The base is on high alert, and they’ve sent thirty troopers out for the first wave. And I’m pretty sure your boy, Erro, is one of them.”
Rachel’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of her mate’s name. “Oh, is he?”
A feeling of unease arose inside her at the thought of Erro on the battlefield, but she pushed it away as quickly as it had appeared. He fought every day to defend the planet after all. Instead, she said to Sandy, “Well, don’t be worried. I won’t neglect the other pilots just because I have a favorite. I know how to do my duty. Besides, I’m not too worried about Erro. To hear him tell it, he’s the greatest Union pilot alive.”
Sandy chuckled. “He must be telling the truth,” she pointed out. “If he wasn’t good, he wouldn’t even be alive.”
“There is that,” Rachel reluctantly agreed.
Of course, she knew that each time a pilot went out, it could very well be his last, but she preferred to tell herself that Erro was invincible. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that he had faced the Varrons all on his own – with just a few troops and no Earth Observatory on his side.
And while his ship had crashed and burned, he himself had survived. Invincible and immortal, he had to be. And now, he did have the help of an Observatory – and her. Rachel knew she didn’t have a thing to worry about. She wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
“Okay, look sharp, Rachel, only two minutes until magic time,” Sandy added. She magnified a portion of the screen that showed the Varrons to one side, and the Union ships closing in on them. But then, the Varrons must have picked up their boys on their radars, because some of them began to race toward them.
“Heads up, troops,” Rachel said into her microphone. “You’ve been spotted. Multiple bogeys, moving your way. Only half of their fleet, though. Looks like they’re hoping the other half might be able to take you by surprise.”
The translator device not only changed her words into Union, but it also changed the pitch and tone, modulating it into an unrecognizable, neutral tone. Long ago, it had been realized that allowing a pilot to identify the voice of their guide was ill-advised. It made perfect sense, especially in a case like this one, where Erro might realize Rachel was speaking, and be distracted by it. Distraction was the last thing any soldier needed while he was out there risking his life.
“Good call,” Sandy told Rachel, suitably impressed.
“Thanks,” she replied, smiling.
“Don’t get cocky yet,” Sandy scolded. “Thirty seconds to engagement. Let’s get ready to rumble!”
“Troops, these boys are coming in fast and hot, and to your left,” Rachel added. “I recommend full shielding and a full charge on those back-up cannons. My count is twelve, and two of them are breaking away now.”
“Confirmed, control,” said Erro in an efficient, clipped tone. “We have visual.”
“Team leader, you are clear to engage.”
“Affirmative,” he answered, then instructed the other, “FL Four, FL Seven, take care of the stragglers. They’re probably trying to flank us. I’ve seen this play from their book before.”
“Yes, sir,” came another voice Rachel didn’t recognize.
One of the starfighters broke away from the fleet, taking another pilot along with him. The first shots of the battle were fired by the four ships off to the side, though very little time passed between the missiles exchanged between them and those lobbed between the two main bodies.
“Attack plan Delta,” Rachel said. “The other ships are on the move, heading to the right of your current position. I count fourteen Varron ships among them. Be advised, base is now sending in a second set of fighters to help fend them off. ETA about three minutes.”
There was no immediate response from anyone this time. Seconds trickled by, and Rachel’s breath caught in her throat. Her initial feeling of unease was back although her rational mind knew that the troops were currently engaged in battle and that all their concentration was on the fight before them. But still, her heart raced faster than ever before and her palms sweated as she waited impatiently for an answer.
After a few moments that seemed like an eternity, an answer finally came through. “Copy that,” Erro’s cool voice echoed in her ears, and she released a heavy breath of relief at the sound.
Sandy gave a few more instructions to the troops, helping them avoid the Varron missiles and Rachel quipped in as often as she could, warning the pilots against various Varron attacks.
It wasn’t long until the number of Varron ships had been cut down to nineteen, but unfortunately, the Union troops had received their share of damage too. Although no ships had been destroyed, five had taken critical hits and had been forced to return to base. Nt much later, the number was up to nine, and it was still two minutes until the next wave of troops would arrive.
Rachel turned to Sandy with a worried frown. “Those pirates have picked off nine of our ships already. Will there be any left in two minutes at this rate?”
Sandy frowned sadly. “Difficult to say. No time to speculate, though, just do the job and hope for the best. It’s all we can do from here.”
Nodding, Rachel continued to watch, guiding the remaining ships as she’d been trained to do. In the simulations, there had been explosion scenarios, but none of them began to touch the reality of the carnage she was witnessing at the moment.
Explosions went off everywhere as pirates and troopers collided with lasers, missiles, and each other. Rachel’s heart pounded in her chest and adrenaline pulsed in her veins as she followed it all on her monitors and gave directions to the troops.
Despite her promise to Sandy, she found her eyes diverting to the green dot on the screen that she knew was Erro more often than not, although she made sure to help the others to the best of her abilities too.
Still, as she watched Erro fight, she realized that his claims really hadn’t been all cocky bravado. Captain Erro of Traag was every bit as impressive as he’d said he was. He had already taken down four of the enemy ships single-handedly, and he seemed to be on a roll. The missiles couldn’t seem to catch up to him, and the adrenaline just from watching him made Rachel’s palms sweat, and she gripped the hem of her shirt to stay focused.
“Be advised, your back-up has arrived, gentlemen,” Rachel said as she saw a new fleet of ships on the screen. “Multiple eliminations have already occurred on both sides. Latest count shows only seventeen enemies remain, and there are twenty-eight Union pilots in the area. Stay frosty out there.”
“Will do, sweetheart,” Erro replied, clearly having worked out who she was despite the modulated tone of her voice. Well, unless he was in the habit of saying endearments to Sandy, Angel, or Mark all the time – which she certainly hoped wasn’t the case.
A light blush crept onto her cheeks at his words, but she did not acknowledge him back. A return endearment might be just the thing to get him killed, and the last thing she wanted was to lose the father of her child before their baby was even born. Her hand strayed briefly to the slight swell of her belly, but the smile on her lips died before it had really even formed as she saw the next big change on her screen.
“High alert!” She shouted into the microphone as a new batch of enemy troops flew by their radars. “Hidden bogeys coming in from behind you! I count twenty new enemy vessels – and one of them is larger than the rest! Welcome to the big leagues!”
“I’m on the command ship myself,” Erro said in a cocky tone, and Rachel watched as he disengaged from the ongoing battle and took a turn toward the newly arriving ships. “You boys shatter the rest.”
“No way are you going after that thing alone, sir,” the pilot that had spoken earlier said. “I’m coming with you.”
“Fine, then you just keep those damned missiles off of me, Private Lurr,” Erro agreed. “I could use a little room to breathe. And don’t get yourself killed in the process.”
“Yes, sir!”
Many of the back-up troops turned and began to engage the fresh onslaught of pirate ships together with Erro and Private Lurr, while Erro’s remaining seven pilots remained to battle the others. There were so many explosions that Rachel could barely see what was happening, but she continued to scan the screen for any possible threats as the battle raged.
Most of the smaller ships eliminated each other in seconds, and the screen cleared again just in time for Rachel and Sandy to witness the main event as Erro and Lurr, along with a few of the back-up trops, fired on the bigger ship together, effectively blowing it into tiny pieces.
“Looks like that’s done it, Captain,” Rachel announced proudly. “Gather what’s left of our boys and head for home.”
“Sounds good to me, Communicator,” he agreed. “I should get there in time for the barbeque.”
“Really?” she scoffed. “It looks like you had yours already.”
“No way, this was just the warm-ups,” Erro said, amusement clear in his voice, and in her mind’s eye, Rachel could almost see the grin on his face. “I wouldn’t miss the chance to finally meet your family for the world.”
* * *
“So, Erro, I heard you engaged in another battle last night,” Rachel’s mother said with a little shudder. “I honestly don’t know how you can do it. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get behind the controls of a starfighter, let alone take it out to blast all those bad guys.”
Erro shrugged under her scrutiny, clearly embarrassed by all the praises he’d received in the last hour.
“Really, it’s just my job,” he said. “Young men on Traag are expected to become soldiers, and we are trained from a very early age to prepare for that purpose. Most do not join the Union troops, but in truth, if I didn’t get behind the controls of a starfighter and defend the citizens of the Union, I don’t think my life would be at all interesting. I’m pretty sure I’d be bored, honestly.”
Rachel’s father clapped Erro on his shoulder. “It’s amazing how much you and my daughter are alike in that, you know. She knew even as a little girl that someday, she was going to help keep her people safe. I’ve really got to admire the dedication in you both. We’re very grateful for all the help you provide to the Earth. I’m pretty sure without brave pilots and communicators like you two, this whole planet would be sunk.”
“Come on, Dad, you’re embarrassing him,” Rachel scolded.
Her father glanced at Erro curiously, and after a moment, his expression turned slightly sheepish. “How can you tell?” he asked.
Rachel laughed. “His glow went from gold to orange,” she said in a mock-conspiratorial tone.
“Hey, now, that’s not nice,” Erro said, capturing her in his arms. “Giving out all my secrets. If you don’t be good, I’ll have to spank you again.”
Three pairs of eyes looked at Erro with a horrified expression.
“You-you gave my daughter a spanking, young man?” her farther asked with a horrified expression on his face that made a deep blush rise on Rachel’s cheeks.
Erro just laughed.
“No way, sir. That was only a joke,” he said, giving her an intense look that made her cheeks heat for an altogether different reason. “I would never lift a finger to harm my ele’a. She’s the best part of this world.”