ONE: Epilogue of Hermesh

14. To Live On

Standing on the bridge of Aryadin, Acting Captain Tekkar gazed out into the pitch black cosmos that stretched before her. Aryadin was part of a contingent of 200 Amarthian and Helmeshi battleships that were laying in wait, holding a defensive position on the dark side of the system's outermost proto-planet, Shon'hir.

Looking around, the Acting Captain could sense the mix of anticipation and tension in her fellow officers, at times even hearing their skins twist and contort, ever so mildly, while watching them constantly shifting through different shades of green. She knew most of them were waiting with bated breaths for what was to be the first real battle of their lives.

Standing there, Tekkar remembered experiencing similar emotions herself when the Goulash Armada was moments away from taking on the aliens. Unfortunately having survived that first battle, she also knew she was the only one there who actually knew what was coming.

Instinctively Tekkar checked her Captain's uniform to ensure that it was covering her entire body, including most of her neck. As she was trying to calm herself down, Tekkar felt her neural communicator vibrate. It was General Barmin.

"Reemon is missing," General Barmin said without any greeting.

"You mean we can't locate his ship?" Tekkar asked, confused.

"I didn't say that. The ship he was supposed to travel in, is still there. Reemon, however, is nowhere to be found," General Barmin informed Tekkar in his usual matter-of-fact manner, "And before you ask, After you reported what happened during your conversation with Reemon, I sent in an officer to check on him. When the officer arrived, Reemon was not there. He has been missing ever since. "

"What...do you think happened, General?" Tekkar stuttered.

"Had it been any other time, I would have spent a considerable amount of time and resources to find the answer to that very question. Now, unfortunately, is not the time." General Naaroke Barmin continued in his same unwaveringly measured tone. "In his absence, Acting Captain Tekkar, you are the highest ranking military officer to have survived the annihilation of the Goulash Armada. Therefore in his absence, you will be needed in Alamiin"

Tekkar blinked, trying hard to control the changing colour of her eyes. When the General spoke again, perhaps sensing the emotional upheaval going on inside her, his tone had mellowed down slightly, "We need to provide the War Council at least one survivor from the first encounter with the aliens for them to question. By default that is now you. Hence I am ordering Aryadin to fall back to Ralnac and join the third line of defence."

"General Barmin, with all due respect I must protest," Tekkar answered, trying to control her outrage. "No one else here has any idea of the carnage those aliens are about to unleash. When the engagement begins, you will need me in the first line of defence to make sure that it holds as long as possible for the others to witness and prepare themselves." For a moment she seemed hesitant, "Especially if the Erra Grid doesn't work." She was unwilling to let her mind venture there. But with Erra's sudden disappearance, she was beginning to re-evaluate the situation.

Again, she noticed the old Amarthian looking at her with thoughtful eyes. He didn't appear to be angry at her reluctance to obey his orders without question. On the contrary, despite the gravity of the moment, General Naaroke Barmin seemed mildly amused.

"You do realise, to hold on as long as you can in this scenario translates to...till your ship is destroyed?"

"Yes...I am aware of that General."

"I can see why Reemon likes you," he muttered softly, before almost whispering in an uncharacteristically brittle voice, "But here is the thing; sometimes the strength to survive and live on demands greater sacrifice than dying."

"I don't understand."

"How long do you think we can hold off the enemy this time around?"

"I am not sure, General," Tekkar muttered, disingenuously.

"Then allow this old soldier to make his assessment. Given what little I've learned of the alien technology and their numerical superiority, if Reemon's grid doesn't do the trick, the defence of Ralnac will perhaps go down as the shortest military engagement in the history of Hermesh," General Naaroke Barmin meted out his ruthless assessment. "And even if by some miracle that grid works and these radio waves bring the enemy ships into our space-time, we will still be outnumbered by at least two to one. Do you concur?"

"Yes...General," Tekkar answered reluctantly.

"I'm glad we're in agreement. Simply put, there is no conceivable tactical scenario in which we can possibly win. Do you disagree, Acting Captain Tekkar?"

"No General. But..."

"Yes?"

"What about the civilians?"

"Why else do you think we're holding our ground, waiting to be slaughtered?" General Barmin retorted in exasperation, "We will sacrifice all that we can to save as many as possible. But what the War Council decides to do after we have retreated from Ralnac, will determine the final outcome of this war. For that, and in the mysterious absence of your mentor, I need you to return to Alamiin with me in one piece so that you can stand in front of the War Council. They need to understand the magnitude and scale of the threat that we face."

"I'm hardly qualified for that role General. I am a junior officer who happened to be on the one ship that survived," Tekkar muttered, nervously.

"My dear child, get rid of that modesty. Or it will be the death of us all," the General's bluntness almost made Tekkar wince, "Do you think any one of us is ready to take on what is coming? But we will all still stand our ground, won't we? And when we eventually retreat, we'll do so, leaving behind millions of our kind whom we failed to protect. We will leave, nevertheless, in order to save the billions that we perhaps still can. Do you think anyone knows how to live with the consequences of that decision? But we will have to learn, and learn fast, if we are to survive, won't we?"

Tekkar knew what the old Amarthian soldier was trying to tell her was right. The General gave her a few moments to contemplate the implications of his predictions.

"Go and join the third line of defence," General Naaroke Barmin ordered abruptly, "When the first and second line falls, you turn your ship around and set course for Alamiin. And don't you dare look back. That is an order. Is that understood, Acting Captain Tekkar?"

"Yes, General. Understood." Tekkar offered a curt nod.

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Author's Note: Doesn't Naaroke Barmin sound like a riot? Keep an eye out for him. Do comment with your feedbacks, suggestions and corrections. Even the most scathing criticism is more than welcomef. And vote if you find the story engaging enough. This will help the story gain more visibility and help me improve my craft. TIA