Read Remember the Starfighter for Free Online Page B
Authors: Michael Kan
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“What? That’s ... I don't understand.”
Julian looked away from the woman, at a loss for what to say. He had seen this before, only this time, it was happening to his own homeworld. A world he thought prepared.
“This doesn’t make sense. Why wasn’t SpaceCore ready for this? Weren’t you supposed to help us?”
The Alliance officer could only reply with a look of regret.
“But the Alliance must be preparing another assault? Or maybe even the Terran Hegemony? They can’t just let the Endervars set up a goddamn beachhead here.”
< The Alliance is developing a strategy. That is all I can say.>
The woman, a specialist in name, seemed heartless as she fed him the bleak reality with her mind. Any question he asked was met with another round of despair.
< I apologize. I know how it feels. We’ve all lost people to the Endervars. But we cannot needlessly sacrifice more lives. >
It felt like a public relations statement. But Julian knew the logic behind it.
“I’ve fought in the war,” he said. “I know the military protocol. It’s containment.”
He leaned up against the window and placed his hand on the cold organic glass. Julian felt it blasphemy to even think the thought, but he had to ask.
“Will there be a Lucifer order?” he said. “Is Haven set for eradication?”
He looked back at the specialist, and saw her power down the holographic display, the floating pixels dimming into black.
< No, the Alliance is frankly far more concerned with the loss of Feradan, and the threat to the Hachise sector. The Endervar presence at Haven is simply not a priority.>
He didn’t know which was better. To give his homeworld a quick death, or to let the enemy have free reign over its conquered carcass. Julian just simply nodded, wanting only to stare back at the planet. From this distance, the world looked unharmed, still a shining beacon in the darkness of space. His instincts, however, had already told him Haven and its people were lost the moment he arrived in the system; Julian’s family was among the victims.
“I was too late,” he uttered. “Maybe there was no point.”
The enemy had claimed another colony of humanity, the loss a total rout. But it had not been the first time, nor would it be the last. Millions of innocent civilians were now doomed, and yet it was a cycle that had repeated itself over and over again, the pattern extending throughout space, to all sentient life. This had become the natural order of things; the galaxy had fallen prey to an unstoppable force.
Julian shut his eyes, wondering if perhaps it was all just inevitable.
“Another world falls,” he said. “And humanity retreats once again.”
He pulled himself away from the window, feeling the hollowness of defeat.
the commander said, piercing the cynicism with her thought.
She reached for Julian’s hand, casting a glare with her artificially enhanced eyes.
< Please. Not everything was lost.>
***
The injuries on her body were no longer visible, masked by the medical bandages covering the dead tissue.
Nalia’s face was expressionless, the left side hidden behind a thin metallic cast, white in color. It hugged the skin, and segmented down in plates, stretching across her neck and shoulder. Julian could only watch her as she lay still, confined in the stasis chamber holding her body. Seeing her once again, he couldn’t help but recall everything that
“What? That’s ... I don't understand.”
Julian looked away from the woman, at a loss for what to say. He had seen this before, only this time, it was happening to his own homeworld. A world he thought prepared.
“This doesn’t make sense. Why wasn’t SpaceCore ready for this? Weren’t you supposed to help us?”
The Alliance officer could only reply with a look of regret.
“But the Alliance must be preparing another assault? Or maybe even the Terran Hegemony? They can’t just let the Endervars set up a goddamn beachhead here.”
< The Alliance is developing a strategy. That is all I can say.>
The woman, a specialist in name, seemed heartless as she fed him the bleak reality with her mind. Any question he asked was met with another round of despair.
< I apologize. I know how it feels. We’ve all lost people to the Endervars. But we cannot needlessly sacrifice more lives. >
It felt like a public relations statement. But Julian knew the logic behind it.
“I’ve fought in the war,” he said. “I know the military protocol. It’s containment.”
He leaned up against the window and placed his hand on the cold organic glass. Julian felt it blasphemy to even think the thought, but he had to ask.
“Will there be a Lucifer order?” he said. “Is Haven set for eradication?”
He looked back at the specialist, and saw her power down the holographic display, the floating pixels dimming into black.
< No, the Alliance is frankly far more concerned with the loss of Feradan, and the threat to the Hachise sector. The Endervar presence at Haven is simply not a priority.>
He didn’t know which was better. To give his homeworld a quick death, or to let the enemy have free reign over its conquered carcass. Julian just simply nodded, wanting only to stare back at the planet. From this distance, the world looked unharmed, still a shining beacon in the darkness of space. His instincts, however, had already told him Haven and its people were lost the moment he arrived in the system; Julian’s family was among the victims.
“I was too late,” he uttered. “Maybe there was no point.”
The enemy had claimed another colony of humanity, the loss a total rout. But it had not been the first time, nor would it be the last. Millions of innocent civilians were now doomed, and yet it was a cycle that had repeated itself over and over again, the pattern extending throughout space, to all sentient life. This had become the natural order of things; the galaxy had fallen prey to an unstoppable force.
Julian shut his eyes, wondering if perhaps it was all just inevitable.
“Another world falls,” he said. “And humanity retreats once again.”
He pulled himself away from the window, feeling the hollowness of defeat.
She reached for Julian’s hand, casting a glare with her artificially enhanced eyes.
< Please. Not everything was lost.>
***
The injuries on her body were no longer visible, masked by the medical bandages covering the dead tissue.
Nalia’s face was expressionless, the left side hidden behind a thin metallic cast, white in color. It hugged the skin, and segmented down in plates, stretching across her neck and shoulder. Julian could only watch her as she lay still, confined in the stasis chamber holding her body. Seeing her once again, he couldn’t help but recall everything that
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