Anachron

Aftermath of Jovix

After the battle at Jovix, I returned to the planet and we regained our captain.  I explained to him what had happened.  He seemed to have nothing to say.  On one hand, I had taken a big risk with his ship.  I had faced four Markadian fighters with only a little patrol frigate.  On the other hand, we had succeeded against that long shot.  He just took a deep breath and waved me away.

Within hours of the battle, he called me back into his office.  I stood at his door along with Subcaptain Welman waiting for the Captain to be ready for us.  This time the captain did all the talking.

"We have new orders.  The attack on Jovix was a small part of a much larger offensive.  11 different waystations have all been conquered.  Only one station was able to repel the attack."

He paused in his speech.  Was it wrong of me to feel proud of that?  Twelve stations had been attacked and only I had been able to withstand it.  I should say "we" withstood the attacks, since I didn't singlehandedly destroy all those ships.  I had help from gunners, helmsmen, sensor operators, engineers and others.  In the end, I felt guilty because eleven systems were lost so that I could feel this way.  Don't even ask me how many men had to die, how many families were shattered, so that I could feel proud of myself.

"That's right, us.  We are the only one world out of twelve that survived the initial attack.  But don't get cocky.  High Command is expecting a follow-up attack within the day.  I'm sure you know that those fighters couldn't have gotten here on their own.  Whatever sent them here will follow them and finish their job."

I suspected the Markadians would follow up the attack.  Apparently, High Command thought so too.

"So, our orders are as follows.  We are to load up as many people as we can from the Jovix system, and fall back to Sorpin.  Command realizes that a patrol frigate like the Watchdog will not be able to carry an entire planetary population away, so we're to start with the local military command and planetary council.  After that, we're to await the arrival of the Kent and leave together.  If the follow-up attack comes before the Kent arrives, we leave without them."

"If the Kent arrives first, we are to assist in loading evacuees onto Kent, starting with local dignitaries and so forth.  We continue to load evacuees until either both ships are full, or until the attack comes."

Even though we had repelled the Markadian attack, they had still won.  We were abandoning Jovix.  This meant that all the frontline cruisers and battleships would probably be coming here and this would become the new front line.

"Any questions?"

I spoke up.  "Do they know how the Markadians were able to attack this deep into Human territory?"  This was the one thing that still bothered me.

"That's not for us to know.  We just fight them.  Anything else?"

Welman and I just stood there silently.  Anything we might want to know about the battle at Jovix would be met with the same sort of answer.  The only information he could give us would be about our orders, and those were quite clear: load local dignitaries onto the Watchdog and abandon the system.

"Dismissed."

About eight hours after the meeting, Subcaptain Welman welcomed the first of the planetary government aboard the Watchdog.  He continued welcoming people aboard until the end of his shift, while I stayed awake in my quarters.  I was sure there had to be something I just wasn't seeing.  To make a long story short, the evacuation of Jovix was terribly uneventful.  If there was a Markadian follow-up attack, it happened much later than we thought.  The Kent arrived on schedule and we left a day after that, both ships filled with local civilians and officers.

It wasn't until we were almost to Sorpin that I finally realized what I had been missing.  There was no follow-up attack.  The assault made us all panic and scramble, but there was no point in the Markadians trying to hold our waystations.  When our main fleets arrived from the front lines to reclaim them, the Markadians would be able to take worlds without a fight.

It didn't matter, though.  As soon as we arrived at Sorpin, I was replaced by another subcaptain and recalled even farther from the front lines.  My orders weren't very clear what was going to happen with me either.  I was going to a secret facility at Cromble for a special assignment.

It took weeks for me to get to Cromble.  The day after I arrived, I had a meeting with the facility commander.

"Subcaptain Davis, have a seat."  I did, of course.  "Do you know why you're here?"

"No, Sir."

"There will be a very special mission leaving from this facility in the near future.  In one month, a one-of-a-kind ship will leave here with a hand-picked crew."

I sat there, listening to his exposition.

"You are one of the finest officers in the Terran Space Forces.  You proved that at Jovix a few weeks ago."

"Sir, with all due respect, are you sure?  There are many fine officers in the TSF.  I'm not even coming from the front-lines."

"We are quite sure.  I've read the debriefing of that battle myself.  It was a daring plan, and brilliant."

"I suppose so, Sir."

"I didn't bring you here just to flatter you, Davis.  You're being assigned to a new ship, the Anachron.  Her mission will be to strike out at Markad directly.  This ship alone has the power to end this war that has cost so many lives."

"Sir?"  I didn't believe him.  So many had faced off against the Markadians and not come back.  A single ship, even an entire fleet could not turn the tide of the war.  We were all just small parts of something much larger.

"You don't believe me.  I know it seems farfetched.  How well do you know your military history?"

"As well as can be expected.  Is there a specific battle you had in mind?"

"The end of World War Two.  The United States defeats Japan.  I assume you're familiar with it."

"Yes, Sir.  Over a series of battles, the United States forces the Japanese to retreat back to Japan itself, then two nuclear bombs are dropped on selected Japanese cities.  The Japanese government is overwhelmed by the power of the weapons and surrenders immediately."

"Exactly.  The most largest war in history to date, and it was ended by two bombs."  He held up two fingers to reinforce his point.  "A leap in technology so profound that the war was over as soon as it was used."

The technological leap was even more vast than is immediately obvious.  An air raid at the time would have involved so many planes that the skies would have gone dark.  The officials in those two cities hadn't even considered that a single bomber could pose any real threat.

"Yes, Sir.  May I ask what point you're trying to make?"

"Only that a weapon of such proportions is not without precedent.  You understand that this information is, of course, classified top-secret."

"Yes, Sir."

He took a booklet from his desk drawer and placed it onto the desk.

"These are the complete specifications for your ship and your mission."  He slid the booklet toward me.  "You have one month to get familiar before you leave."

I reached out with some hesitation, and took the booklet.

"There will be a shuttle leaving this afternoon to take crew over to the Anachron.  You will be on it."

"Yes, Sir."