War for the Iron Planet

Chapter 33: To the Aether

However, Jasken had no time to celebrate. He was caught between two dangerous enemies, the base's shields were about to fail, and he only had two ships at his command. He strode towards the bridge wearing a grim, commanding look, but he was unsure how they would get out of this alive, much less defeat the Astralbian Kingdom and Ramshackle Collective.

Their comms were back online, so Jasken sent the map to the Cornucopia Cluster back to Griffonia, but Hittania appeared to be lost. The best thing to do was to cut and run. There was no honor or glory in it, but they had come away with the biggest prize and enough of his people had died already.

"Captain Hunt, Captain Kesht," he said into his comm. "We are leaving Hittania. Make any necessary preparations and head for the aether."

"Yes, sir," came the immediate response from both captains. In a moment the warning to find seating and engage mag-boots sounded. Jasken walked purposefully to his seat on the bridge and sat, contemplating his next move.

The ships left the protection of Fort Bog Iron's shield and were immediately dependent on their own. Still at full strength, they would be able to put up with their enemy's fire for some time, but their two ships could not stand up to both the Astralbian and Ramshackle fleets. The Astralbians still had two smaller star trees in addition to Raelik's and the Crown Prince's larger ones, and the Ramshackle fleet had a total of five gunships, led by the Reaper. As the Wingspan and the Halberd left the atmosphere, their enemies followed.

***

Talon Squad scrambled aboard the Wingspan, heading off to prepare for anything the coming space battle might throw at them. Reclan led Vanbrook and Raivyn to find Dekken and see if any repair work was needed, while Doc and D'Jarric went to the med bay.

As soon as he reached the doorway, Doc saw a familiar form lying on a stretcher.

"Havvis!" he cried, running to the soldier's side.

"Oh, hey, Doc," said the injured soldier hoarsely. There was a massive, bloody wound on his torso, and a quick glance told Doc all he needed to know. "I got hit during the evacuation. I guess I should have learned to move a little faster on those crutches." He gave a weak laugh. "I know I'm on my way out, Doc. One of the nurses gave me more pain killers then looked wise and left to take care of someone with better odds."

"Are your affairs in order, son?" asked Doc, fighting to keep the emotions from his voice.

"I'm ready to meet my maker, Doc," said Havvis, staring up at the ceiling.

"And will he tell you this is all in his plan?" asked Doc, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Even better," said Havvis. "I may finally get a glimpse at why this was in his plan." His voice weakened as he spoke, and then, rallying a bit, he spoke his last: "Providence shine on you, Doc."

Doc hung his head, standing still for a moment. D'Jarric put his hand on the Robot's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, then left his friend to grieve alone for a while.

***

Watching a video display of the battlefield, Jasken saw another six ships join the Ramshackle fleet; two gunships, a strange assortment of smaller craft, and what looked like a small star tree. The ships appeared to materialize suddenly out of the empty aether as they finished a ripmed jump. Then something unexpected happened: the new ships began firing on the Ramshackle ships.

"Admiral Jasken, this is Admiral Crush," said a voice over the comms. "We tested our new ripmeds and made a quick trip. Turns out there are more than a few malcontents in the ranks of the Ramshackle Collective."