Sacrifice:The Shenkar War (18 page)

             
Before the President could say anything, the paramedic interrupted as he finished up.
“
Okay, Mr. President, we are all finished here. We will need to take you over to the medical center for a further evaluation, but--”

             
“
No,” the President interrupted. “I will not be going there just yet. We will finish the send-off ceremony first. Mr. Brennan, please help me up,” he said as he extended his good arm.

             
Liam helped the President up, and together they walked to the waiting Omega shuttle. Evan stood outside with the rest of Necro Squadron in a protective shield to the entrance of the shuttle. As Liam reached the shuttle, Evan stepped forward.

             
“
The dignitaries inside the shuttle?” asked Liam.

             
“
Yeah, we felt they would be safe in there. If necessary, we could have sealed up the shuttle and had the pilots evac them to safety,” said Evan.

             
“
Excellent work, all of you. Get to your fighters . . . we leave as scheduled,” said Liam.

             
Evan and the rest of Necro Squadron saluted the President, then turned and left for their fighters nearby. Liam waited for the President to board the shuttle before he turned and jogged to his awaiting fighter. Climbing into his cockpit, he quickly donned his helmet and strapped himself in. As he cycled through the start-up sequence, he keyed his comm unit.
“
Attention, Necro Squadron, this is Ghost. Prepare for liftoff.”

             
Nine voices confirmed the order, and soon ten fighters thrummed to life with the hum of their ion engines. Once Liam was sure everyone was prepped for takeoff, he keyed the comm once again.
              “
Flight control, this is Necro Squadron. We are on standby and awaiting clearance for takeoff. Please advise as soon as the Omega shuttle is ready.”

             
Liam looked around at two nearby fighters; Evan and Tim sat in one each. Seeing Liam looking over at him, Tim gave him a thumbs-up and then, of all things, he saluted him. If he didn’t know Tim, he would have immediately thought he was being made fun of over his recent promotion to Lieutenant Commander. After a minute, his comm unit cracked to life.

             
“
This is flight control; you are clear for takeoff.”

             
All ten Scorpion fighters’ ion engines thrummed, and slowly they lifted off the ground. At the same time, the Omega shuttle lifted off, matching the speed of the fighters.
“
Okay, Necro Squadron; form up in Defense Pattern Delta Omicron 4 around the shuttle,” said Liam into the comm unit.

             
As the shuttle made its ascent, the fighters formed a defensive ring around it. The shuttle broke the uppermost limits of atmosphere a few minutes later, bringing the vastness of space into view. Liam stared in wonder all around, taking in the view of the stars and the awaiting Battlecruiser
Sacrifice
.

             
The battlecruiser was just as breathtaking to see, especially now with a full moon framing it in the background. Liam checked his radar for enemy contacts, not that he expected to find any. Once satisfied there were no immediate dangers, he then once more went over carrier landings. If he made a mistake during this landing, he couldn’t just simply reset the simulation and try again. Roughly fifteen minutes later, they began their final approach. Liam listened to the comm channel as they approached. Before long, a voice spoke from the dignitaries’ shuttle
: “
EDF
Sacrifice
, this is
Omega Shuttle 1
requesting permission to land.”

             
“
This is
Sacrifice
. Permission granted,
Omega 1
. Stay on your current trajectory and slow to one-third. You are clear to dock in Bay 3,” said the female voice of the flight control aboard the battlecruiser.

The shuttle slowed and then entered the
battlecruiser’s landing bay as Necro Squadron cut their speed to wait for their turns to land. In groups of two, the squadron made their way into the landing bay and settled their fighters into their designated landing ports.

             
As Liam unfastened his seat harness, he watched the landing bay crew running about, carrying out different assignments. Ladders were being attached to the outside of each fighter to allow the pilot to climb down. Maintenance crews worked on the fighters, checking for any problems.

             
Once a crew member attached the ladder to his fighter, Liam climbed down and made his way to Evan’s fighter. As Liam approached, Evan saw him, smiled, and said,
“
Well, that was just like simulation. So any idea where our quarters are?”

             
“
Didn’t you read the schematics you were given for the cruiser?” asked Crystal as she walked up.

             
“
Well, I intended to but sort of got distracted the other night,” said Evan with a smile on his face.

             
At this, Crystal’s face turned a bright shade of red and she looked away, seemingly becoming very interested in the maintenance crew working on Evan’s fighter. Steve, who had walked up with Tim to witness the exchange, smiled and said,
“
I know where the pilots’ quarters are. I even know whose quarters are whose.”

             
They waited for the rest of Necro Squadron to arrive before they made their way from the landing bay. As they left, Liam could see the shuttles landing that would bring the media crews. Liam hoped he could just relax in his quarters until they got under way; he really wasn’t in the mood to talk to the media.

Aboard the EDF
Sacrifice

              Walking through the halls of the battlecruiser, Liam examined everything as he passed. Here and there, the crew rushed about, all seeming to be hard at work. What Liam found interesting was that while the landing bay was a dark gray, the passageways were entirely white. The only color came from gray flooring and random view ports or diagnostic screens set into the walls. They walked for about fifteen minutes before they reached their destination.

             
Liam found his quarters, keyed in his entry code on a keypad to the right of the door, and the door slid open. Entering, he switched on the lights and looked around. He stood in a small room. Like the halls, the walls were also white, but a soft gray carpet covered the floor. The only furniture present was a desk and office chair that occupied the left side of the room with two other chairs in front. This room was apparently meant for a private meeting room. Built into the left wall behind the office chair were shelves, but they were presently empty. A painting of Earth hung against the far wall almost opposite the entryway. Two other doors led out of this room, both in the right corner: one on the opposite wall, the other on the right wall.

             
Walking first to the one on the right, he touched the sensor and the door slid open. Inside was a small kitchenette with several storage cupboards. Taking a few minutes, Liam opened cupboards here and there, then opened the medium-sized refrigerator. The entire kitchenette had been stocked with all of Liam’s favorite foods and drinks.

Exiting the kitchenette, Liam opened the last door and entered his bedroom. A large bed rested against the far wall with a nightstand and a lamp. A closet for clothing and uniforms
sat to the left of the bed, and a door was against the right wall. Several drawers were built into the wall next to the closet. Opposite the bed on the wall was a large flat-screened television with what looked like a cable box below it. Walking over, he picked up a remote and switched on the television, then turned on the box. The television screen changed and a menu appeared, offering several options. Besides mission reports, ship status, and many other military-related things, there was also an entertainment section that offered any movie you could think of.

             
Switching the television off, he looked around some more. Next to the door Liam had just entered were several boxes. Briefly sorting through the boxes, Liam saw many of his personal effects and things he had requested. The door against the right wall led to his personal bathroom.

             
Removing his flight suit, he showered and donned a fresh uniform. Over the next few hours, he emptied out the boxes, putting his personal effects away. Once finished, he grabbed a beer from his refrigerator and sat at his desk. As he sat down, there was a chime from his door. Getting back up again, he walked to the door and touched the sensor. The door opened to a waiting Evan, who promptly stepped through the door followed by Dimitri. Evan looked around before smiling. He said to Dimitri, “Well, it seems being Lieutenant Commander definitely rates higher on amenities.”

             
“
Yes, it seems we are but lowly peons in the scheme of things,” said Dimitri.

             
“
Oh, ha-ha, guys. Don’t make me pull rank on you and cite you both for insubordination,” Liam said as he pointed a finger back and forth accusingly.

             
Evan laughed and so did Dimitri as they walked about, looking over Liam’s quarters.

             
“
Actually, our quarters are pretty much the same, except you have a small meeting room separate from your bedroom. You walk into our quarters, and you are basically entering our bedrooms. We have a small table with a couple chairs for a desk, but otherwise, that is it,” said Dimitri.

             
After making his rounds, Evan then turned to Dimitri and Liam.
              “
I hear there is a recreation room for the pilots--let’s go find it,” he said.

             
So all three left Liam’s quarters, investigating anything of interest as they walked along. The crew of the
Sacrifice
hurried about getting the ship ready for the jump, and several times they passed other Templar Knights who were also exploring the battlecruiser. It took them about forty-five minutes to find the Knights’ recreation room.

Upon entering, Liam spotted several members of Necro Squadron already present. The three walked over to a large table where Crystal sat with Steve, David, and Tim. Sitting
down, Liam looked around the room. All the tables were set up around the outside of the room; in the center were four pool tables and two foosball tables. Against the right wall was a large bar with bar stools. To the left of the bar were three dartboards and to the right was a small dance floor with an entertainment system.

             
Soon, Michael, April, and Darren walked in and joined the rest of Necro Squadron, and they all sat and talked of things to come. Liam studied each person in turn as they spoke. Evan he knew well, as they had been friends beforehand. He was the best pilot on the ship, always ready for a laugh, and known as a joker. Sitting next to him was Crystal, who was a smart young woman and, by the way she looked at Evan, it was plain she was smitten with him.

             
Steve sat next to Crystal; he was of average height with short spiky black hair and brown eyes. Steve was a genius when it came to computers. He could hack into anything and tended to do just that when the opportunity arose. Next to Steve sat David. Born in Venezuela, his family had moved to the United States when he was sixteen. Liam had noticed many women eying David whenever he was around. David was a huge fan of rugby and was a very good pilot.

             
Tim sat next to David. While he still had the appearance of a mousy-looking person, the ten pounds of muscle he had recently gained gave him a more formidable appearance. Although Tim was far from the warrior many of the squadrons were, if you needed a problem analyzed, then Tim was the man for the job. Next was Michael. He was a rather plain-looking man with brown hair and eyes. Michael sat staring into April’s eyes, not saying a word, only smiling. April was a short, pale, red-headed girl with green eyes. She rarely spoke and, except for at Michael, she rarely smiled. She seemed to hold a deep sadness that Liam knew nothing about. He hoped Michael could help her through whatever caused her such deep pain. The battles ahead would prove to be beyond formidable, and none of them could afford to have someone who wasn’t dependable.

             
Darren was next. Liam didn’t know much about him. Although tall, he had a sort of a reserved nature about him. During the training sessions, he rarely spoke, and even when they had their downtime, he kept to himself, usually reading a book. Last of all was Dimitri, born in a small town in what was formerly the USSR. The man had hawklike features that gave him a brooding look, yet he was a very likable man and always up for a practical joke if the occasion arose.

             
Liam wondered what these men and women would be like when they first confronted the Shenkar. Would they stand fast, or would they flee in fear? He highly doubted any of them would run in fear. For one thing, they simply knew what they had to do. When they had first volunteered to undertake this mission, they all had been men and women who had wanted death. All had suffered the pain of loss of a loved one. Now as he watched them, he had come to see them as friends as well as family--and he saw a different group than those who had volunteered for the suicide mission several months earlier. He saw people who cared for one another as friends, as well as something more in the case of Evan and Crystal, and Michael and April. He wondered if they realized that the person they cared for would most likely be dead within the next few weeks. One would witness the death of the other, and what would that do to them?