Companions With Honor
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“I’m sorry, sir,” the young man said. He was a tall fellow with sandy hair and blue eyes—the sort of handsome youth that might have been called pretty had he not looked so nervous. “But I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The old soldier glared at him for several seconds before turning away in disgust. The boy’s name would be forgotten by all who served under this officer; his reputation as an arrogant hothead would remain intact among those who knew him best. But it wouldn’t matter to anyone else: they’d never see him again after today.
He strode across the parade ground toward the waiting transport, ignoring the shouts of his men. They saluted anyway but did their best to keep from looking at him directly. It wasn’t hard: most of them were staring down at their feet instead. This had gone far enough already… time to end it once and for all.
A few minutes later, the transport pulled up alongside the officers’ quarters where he lived. A pair of soldiers opened its rear ramp and helped him inside. As soon as he was settled on one side, another set off along the other row of seats until she reached the front passenger compartment behind the driver.
She leaned out into view just long enough to give her commander a curt nod then returned to her seat without saying anything more.
His own door closed almost immediately afterward. That left only two open spaces between himself and the back wall. One belonged to a corporal sitting beside the sergeant driving the vehicle; the second held a private who was too scared even to look up. His fear made sense; if the officer hadn’t wanted to kill him, there would’ve been no reason for such extreme measures.
That thought didn’t comfort him much. He couldn’t help remembering how easily he’d lost control earlier when faced with a single frightened child. If he could lose his cool like that over something so minor, how bad would things get once the real fighting started?
Of course, he told himself sternly, none of us will ever experience combat unless we’re lucky enough to survive the training. We’ll spend our entire careers here on base, learning how to use weapons and tactics while avoiding any actual contact with enemy troops. So why am I getting worked up now?
Because this is my first tour, he realized. Because I haven’t spent nearly enough time around people who are willing to fight me face-to-face. And because I can still remember what it felt like to be afraid… which makes everything seem worse than it really is.
Still, it was difficult to ignore the fact that every member of his squad had received orders to report to the medical clinic within the hour. No doubt they’d each suffered some kind of injury during the mock battle, although none of them seemed seriously hurt. None of them, that is, except for the lieutenant.
As he sat alone aboard the transport, he tried to convince himself that nothing was wrong. There was no way the doctor would send everyone home simply because they’d taken a couple of blows to the head or twisted an ankle. Even if they were all injured, surely someone would stay behind to make sure the others got treated properly.
After all, the whole point of the exercise was to prepare ourselves for combat against the aliens. If we can’t handle simple drills like these, how do we expect to hold our own in the field?
At least, that was what he kept telling himself. Unfortunately, the truth remained unchanged regardless of how often he repeated it. For better or worse, he’d never seen combat before. He had no idea whether he could actually stand up to the enemy, let alone win. All he knew for certain was that he hated being helpless.
And he certainly didn’t want to find out the hard way.
***
“What happened?” asked Major General William Halsey, the commander of Task Force Serpent.
It was late afternoon on July 22nd, less than three hours since the last of his forces had landed on the planet. The landing zone had been secured quickly thanks to the combined efforts of the marines and the army’s reconnaissance battalion, but the task force itself was still struggling to establish a foothold.
Most of the company commanders reported having encountered heavy resistance, including mines and snipers. Several of them also claimed to have come under attack by alien aircraft, though none of the reports were confirmed yet.
Halsey sighed heavily. “We found the aliens’ main base camp,” he replied. “They must’ve moved it recently, judging from the condition of the buildings. But we were able to secure the perimeter and capture several prisoners.”
“How many?”
“Eighteen men total, plus one woman named Erika Lenz. She claims she’s an engineer working for the local government…”
“I see. What about the rest of your team?”
“The scouts managed to reach the top of the ridge overlooking the valley, but they ran into trouble trying to cross the river. Their radio went dead after that, so we don’t know what happened next. At least three of them are missing, possibly captured or killed by the enemy. We sent some infantrymen to search the area, but they weren’t able to locate any bodies.
“On the bright side, our engineers were finally able to breach the door leading into the underground complex. They say there’s a large chamber underneath, as well as numerous tunnels that branch off into different rooms. In addition, they discovered a number of artifacts: metal tools, pots, and other everyday items.
It looks like the aliens used this place at some point, long ago, but they abandoned it shortly afterward. Judging from the state of the ruins, they probably withdrew somewhere else once their technology began to advance beyond human capabilities.”
He paused briefly to take a sip of coffee. “All right, that should give you plenty to work with. You can start sending teams down to explore the site tomorrow morning. I’m going to send a few soldiers along myself, just to make sure the locals aren’t hiding anything important.
Once we finish clearing the area, we’ll begin construction of a permanent base camp nearby. Then we can move in more troops and equipment without worrying about running afoul of the natives.”
General Halsey took another sip of his coffee. “By the way, Lieutenant Colonel Miller has requested permission to enter the alien facility. His superiors claim he needs to examine the contents of the artifact room personally—and that he won’t leave until he does.
Of course, I understand perfectly well why they made him wait outside. Still, I think it might be worth asking the colonel to reconsider his request. He’s already risked his life twice today; I wouldn’t mind giving him a chance to relax for a little while longer.”
“Understood, sir,” said Captain Kowalski. “I’ll pass the message on immediately.”
“Good man. Now then, I believe it’s time for me to get back to my quarters. I need to review the latest intelligence reports from the surface. Good luck, gentlemen!”
With that, he stood up and left the conference room. As soon as the door closed, the general turned to face his aide.
“Take care of things here, will you?” he asked. “I don’t plan to return anytime soon.”
***
Lieutenant Commander James Taggart was sitting in the middle of the bridge when the call came through. A moment later, Commander Riker appeared beside him.
“Sir, we’re receiving a priority transmission from Fleet HQ,” he announced. “Transmission code is ‘Red Alert.'”
Taggart nodded. “Patch it through, please.”
A moment passed, followed by a brief burst of static. When the signal cleared, Admiral Hayes was standing in front of the camera.
“This is Admiral John F. Dolan, commanding officer of the United States Navy’s Space Defense Command. Your mission has gone awry, Task Force Serpent. Our satellites detected the presence of alien warships near the planet’s orbit, which means the aliens have already launched an invasion fleet.
If you fail to respond within ten minutes, we will assume you have been destroyed and issue an official declaration of war against the Federation. Do not attempt to contact us again unless absolutely necessary. This concludes my report. Over and out.”
The screen flashed black, leaving Taggart staring blankly at the empty air above his console. For a full minute, no one spoke. Finally, he broke the silence.
“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for,” he muttered.
Riker glanced over at him. “What do you mean? Aren’t we supposed to go home now?”
“No…the admiral didn’t mention anything about returning to Earth. That suggests he wants us to continue fighting the aliens. Sooner or later, though, someone’s going to notice we haven’t reported in yet. The only question is whether it’ll happen before or after the aliens destroy everything around here.”
“We’ve got to warn the others,” said Riker. “If the admiral really intends to declare war, they may have already taken action.”
“That’s true enough,” agreed Taggart. “But how are we supposed to find the rest of the task force? And even if we did, would they listen to us? Not everyone aboard the Enterprise shares my opinion about these aliens. Some people still want to negotiate with them instead of trying to kill every last one of them.”
“Maybe we could try contacting the admiral directly,” suggested Riker. “It doesn’t matter who he hears from first, so long as he gets the message eventually. We just need to figure out where he is.”
“That shouldn’t be too difficult,” replied Taggart. “Fleet HQ always broadcasts its transmissions using standard protocols. All we have to do is locate the nearest relay station and ask for a direct connection.”
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speak this slowly before,” commented Riker. “Are you feeling okay?”
Taggart smiled grimly. “I’m fine. But I suppose I better hurry up and explain what I meant. After all, there isn’t much time left.”
As he spoke, the lieutenant commander reached into his pocket and withdrew a small device. It looked like nothing more than a simple plastic box, but it contained a specialized computer chip capable of intercepting signals broadcast by Starfleet Headquarters.
Using the information stored on the chip, he had already managed to track down the location of Admiral Hayes’ headquarters. Unfortunately, the admiral hadn’t specified any particular method of communication in his transmission, meaning Taggart couldn’t simply dial the number listed on the chip. Instead, he needed to perform some additional calculations before requesting a link-up.
He tapped a few buttons on the device, then held it up to his ear. Moments later, the sound of a ringing tone filled the bridge. He waited patiently until the caller picked up, then began speaking.
“Admiral Hayes? This is Lieutenant Commander James Taggart of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Is your transmission active?”
After a short pause, the other end of the line crackled to life. “Yes, I am currently broadcasting a priority message. What can I do for you, Commander?”
“My name is James Taggart, sir,” replied Taggart. “And I wanted to let you know that our mission has failed.”
There was a brief pause. Then, without warning, the voice on the other side of the connection suddenly changed.
“Commander Taggart!” boomed the admiral’s booming baritone. “Where is the Enterprise? Why aren’t you answering my calls? Are you injured?”
“No, sir,” answered Taggart. “We’re quite well, thank you. However…”
His explanation ended abruptly as the admiral cut him off.
“Then why haven’t you contacted me?!” demanded the admiral. “Why haven’t you sent back my messages? You were ordered to return immediately! Did something go wrong during your operation?”
“Nothing went wrong,” insisted Taggart. “In fact, things turned out rather nicely. As I mentioned earlier, we encountered the enemy fleet while attempting to reach the planet. They seemed to be waiting for us, which gave Captain Picard a chance to launch another sneak attack.”
“Another sneak attack?! How many times must I remind you, Commander—you are not authorized to carry out unauthorized missions! You are also forbidden from engaging in combat unless specifically approved by me personally!”
“I understand, sir,” said Taggart calmly. “However, I believe it’s important to point out that we weren’t carrying out an ordinary mission. In addition to rescuing the crew of the Defiant, we were charged with destroying the alien vessel. Had we been given permission to engage in battle, we might never have succeeded.”
“So you say,” growled the admiral. “Nevertheless, I expect you to report back immediately! If you fail to comply, I will consider this entire incident to be a serious breach of protocol. Do you understand?”
“Understood, sir,” replied Taggart. “Our position is approximately two hundred kilometers northeast of the planet’s equator. The coordinates are—”
The connection broke off abruptly. For several seconds, Taggart stared at the empty screen, stunned by the abruptness of the call. Finally, he shook himself out of his stupefaction and glanced over at Riker.
“What happened?” asked the captain.
“I don’t know,” admitted Taggart. “But I suspect the admiral wasn’t happy about our latest success. Perhaps he’s decided to take matters into his own hands.”
***
Deep within the heart of the towering starship, the engines continued to rumble. A powerful thrumming vibration pulsed through the hull, shaking the deck plates beneath their feet and causing the walls to rattle incessantly. Despite the noise and discomfort, however, no one complained or even paused in their work. No one dared to stop moving, lest they lose control of the massive ship.
It took nearly three hours for the Enterprise to complete its final approach toward the surface of the planet. During that time, the crew members worked tirelessly, performing everything from updating sensor readings to preparing the landing party for the upcoming assault.
By the time the vessel finally settled onto the ground, everyone aboard was exhausted. Yet despite their weariness, none of them could afford to rest. Not yet, anyway…
Captain Jean-Luc Picard stood near the starboard bulkhead, gazing out at the vast expanse of open space beyond the viewport. His eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of movement. But there was nothing to see except a barren, featureless landscape stretching away to infinity.
After a moment, he closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind. It didn’t help much, but at least it helped distract him from the constant roar of the engines.
“Sir,” came Worf’s voice behind him. “Are you sure we should be doing this? We’ve already taken heavy damage; if anything goes wrong now…”
Picard nodded slowly. “You make a valid point, Lieutenant,” he acknowledged. “Yet I’m afraid we have little choice. Our only hope lies in reaching the surface before the Borg arrive. Once they get here, all bets are off.”
Worf frowned. “If you’re right, then what good does it do to risk ourselves like this?”
“Perhaps not much,” conceded Picard. “But I’d still prefer to try than give up and run. Besides, we have some advantages. First, we can use the transporter to beam down directly to the surface, bypassing the need for shuttlecraft.
Second, we possess far more firepower than the Federation vessel did when she attempted to land on the planet. And third, we’ll be able to bring along a large contingent of reinforcements from the Enterprise.”
“Yes, sir,” agreed Worf. He hesitated for just a moment before adding: “Although I wonder how long those advantages will last once the Borg come after us.”
“We won’t let that happen,” promised Picard.
“Will we?” asked Worf quietly.
Picard smiled grimly. “No, Lieutenant, we will not. Now, if you would excuse me, I think I hear someone coming. I want to be ready to greet them when they arrive.”
A few minutes later, the doors slid open. A small group of Starfleet officers filed into the room, accompanied by Commander William Riker. The commander looked around curiously, apparently surprised to find Picard alone.
“Where’s Captain Picard?” demanded Riker. “Didn’t he tell you where he went?”
“He left orders that he wouldn’t return until the Borg had arrived,” explained one of the other officers. “Apparently, he thinks we need his presence to deal with them effectively.”
Riker scowled. “And why isn’t he here instead of me?”
“Because he knows better than anyone else how badly things could go wrong,” answered another officer. “That’s why he insisted on going ahead without waiting for backup.”
“Well, I disagree!” snapped Riker. “This mission is too important to leave to chance! What happens if something goes wrong while we wait for him to show up?”
“Then we die,” said the first officer.
Riker glared at him. “Do you really believe that’s such a bad thing?”
“Of course I do,” retorted the man. “In fact, I’d rather die fighting than live as a prisoner of the Borg.”
For an instant, Riker considered arguing with the man. Then, realizing that he couldn’t win, he turned away. As he walked past the door, he heard the others call out to him.
“Commander Riker!” cried one. “Wait! Don’t forget your helmet.”
The next second, the doors slammed shut.
As soon as the hatch closed, Picard spun around angrily. “How dare you speak to me that way, Commander?!” he shouted.
Riker blinked in surprise, wondering whether he’d misheard the captain. “What?” he exclaimed. “I thought you were supposed to be the leader here.”
“So I am,” replied Picard curtly. “Now, unless you wish to join the dead, I suggest you start acting accordingly.”
With that, he strode back across the bridge and headed for the turbo-lift. Before leaving, however, he paused briefly to look over his shoulder. “Good luck, Commander,” he called. “May God have mercy on our souls.”
The End