Jack Campbell: Leviathan

“I feel the same way,” Geary said.

Star Beta was looming larger and larger as the Alliance fleet slid closer and closer. Geary gave more commands, ordering the warships to collapse their current four formations into a single, tight formation that would be protected as well as possible from any shock waves spreading back around the star after they hit it.

“Five more minutes until we’re there,” Desjani said. “If the gate collapsed extrafast, we’ll find out the hard way within the next couple of minutes.”

“Make sure we drop some expendable surveillance sats before we get behind Beta, so we can see what’s happening,” Geary said.

The dark ships had completely overshot Geary’s force and were skidding through a turn well beyond Star Beta, their bows coming back to point at the Alliance fleet. “Twenty minutes until the dark ships manage their latest intercept attempt,” Lieutenant Castries said.

“You sound very calm, Lieutenant,” Desjani remarked, her chin resting on one fist, her entire attitude that of relaxed composure. “Well done.”

Castries grinned. “I’ve been through a lot in the last several months, Captain.”

“This is just one more near-death experience?”

“That’s right, Captain.”

“How about you, Lieutenant Yuon?” Desjani asked. “How are you feeling?”

“Sort of numb, Captain,” Yuon admitted.

“Numb works, as long as you keep thinking. Ah, here we are.”

Dauntless slid into her intended fixed orbit about Beta, the star looming huge nearby and blocking off a vast section of space. All about Dauntless , the rest of the Alliance warships, more closely packed than usual, hung in a glittering array, illuminated by the light of Beta’s close-by nuclear fires. The Dancers had come in near as well, weaving through the fleet and parking themselves in the midst of the Alliance warships as if such difficult maneuvers were routine and easy.

The dark ships had finished coming about, and were accelerating toward Geary’s fleet and the Dancers.

“I sure as hell hope that gate collapsed,” Desjani muttered so low that only Geary could hear. “Otherwise, we’re going to get ripped from one end to the other.”

Geary kept his eyes on his display, where the unmagnified view from the surveillance sats was visible. The bright disc of Star Alpha could be seen to one side, but the other objects in Unity Alternate were just bright dots among the innumerable stars. If the gate had collapsed as it was supposed to, many of those bright dots no longer existed. But the wave of destruction that had engulfed them was traveling with the light that would bring news of the devastation.

“Ten minutes until dark ship intercept,” Lieutenant Castries said.

“All units’ shields are at maximum,” Lieutenant Yuon reported.

“We can see the gate collapsing,” Lieutenant Castries added.

It had happened nearly seven hours ago, but it felt like something taking place right now.

Geary saw one of the bright dots go out. “Here it comes.”

More dots vanished.

One of them had been the government facility.

The view from the surveillance sats vanished, and Geary looked toward his main display.

The shock wave hit Alpha, then, seconds later, Beta, the flaming atmosphere of the stars blossoming outward on all sides like a ball of fire hit on one side by a mighty gust of wind.

Hundreds of dark ships were closing in on Geary’s fleet. Five formations of the most dangerous warships ever built by humanity. Precise, cold, terribly lethal.

The shock wave was moving so fast and was so powerful that he did not actually see the impact. One moment, the dark ships were racing to attack. The next, they had been swept from space and only a vast glare could be seen. The glare faded, then vanished, leaving only empty space.

Geary heard sounds aboard Dauntless ; the mumbling of prayers, a few half-muffled cries of jubilation, something that sounded like a sob.

Desjani had her head bowed, her lips moving silently.

He looked toward where the government facility had orbited for decades. Thank you, Victoria. May the light of living stars welcome you and your husband.

They took a few days to make their way back out to the fringes of what had been Unity Alternate Star System, conserving fuel this time and limiting the stress on damaged ships. The emptiness of the star system, swept clear of all but the largest planets by the shock wave, felt unnatural. Sailors had to be reprimanded for violating uniform regulations by wearing good-luck charms and necklaces designed to ward off evil, but every day some other members of the crew wore similar objects despite the risk of being chewed out and having their protective objects confiscated by Master Chief Gioninni, Senior Chief Tarrani, and the other senior enlisted. “They’re spooked, Captain,” Gioninni explained to Desjani. She and Geary had encountered the master chief in one of Dauntless ’s passageways.

“They’ll have to live with it a little while longer,” Geary told him. “Some of the data from the government facility were automated astronomical observations that included where and when unstable jump points have appeared in this star system. We’ve used that data to help predict when the next jump point will appear. It should happen near this part of the star system, and sometime anywhere from now to within the next few weeks. That will let us jump for Drezwin.”

“Yes, Admiral,” Gioninni said. “The crew is also a bit worried about using an unstable jump point.”

“Just remind them that it doesn’t matter how unstable the jump point here is as long as the one at Drezwin is stable! Which it is.” Desjani paused and eyed Gioninni. “By the way, Master Chief, it’s pretty surprising how many of those luck charms and evil-aversion necklaces are aboard this ship.”

Gioninni scratched his head, adopting a puzzled look. “Things have been a bit rough the last few years, Captain. The crew must have collected quite a few.”

“I found myself wondering,” Desjani continued, “if perhaps the charms and necklaces being confiscated are being resold to other crew members by someone.”

“That would be highly improper!” Gioninni declared, scandalized. “I will look into that, Captain!”

“See that you do, Master Chief,” Desjani said.

As she and Geary walked away from Gioninni, Desjani smiled. “That little resale operation should stop within a few minutes,” she murmured to Geary. “As soon as Gioninni can tell his coconspirators to shut it down.”

“Life goes on.” They stopped before the compartment where comms with the Dancers were maintained as Lieutenant Iger exited.

Iger, startled, hastily saluted. “Admiral, Captain.”

“Is there anything wrong?” Geary asked, looking toward the compartment.

“No, sir. I’m just going to check on things in the intelligence spaces while Shamrock—Excuse me, while Lieutenant Jamenson holds the fort in there.”

“And how are you and Lieutenant Shamrock getting along?” Geary asked.

Iger smiled broadly. “Planning a honeymoon, sir. We didn’t think that would be a possibility. But it looks like this is a long-term thing after all.”

“You seem happy about that,” Desjani commented. “When planning on where to honeymoon, I’d advise avoiding close binary star systems.”

General Charban exited the compartment as well, giving Lieutenant Iger the opportunity to head for the intelligence compartments. Charban looked weary again but in a satisfied way, not a frustrated way. “I may yet become a songwriter,” he announced. “No one but the Dancers will want to listen to my songs, but that’s a fair-sized audience. They intend jumping home from here, Admiral.”