Symphonies of Valor Read online

  “Destiny’s Edge is still around,” Whisper said. “Fleet Command considers them a terrorist group because of their willingness to resort to violence. Though lately, their main tactic has been to spread anti-Commonwealth propaganda.”

  “Terrorist group is a far position from allies of Mimics,” Meomi said. “How does a pro-workers' party become traitors to humanity?”

  “They have been one of the strongest voices in the ‘invasion is fake’ narrative,” Jonas said. “It’s worth exploring.”

  “It seems we have our next course of action,” Whisper said. “Fleet has spies within Destiny’s Edge. We must go to Mars. Alyana set a course, please.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” she immediately left the brig.

  “I’ll come with you,” Meomi said, following Alyana. On her way out, she overhead Whisper talking to Jonas about his sister. Whisper embraced him in a hug that suggested they were more than friends. A second before the door closed, Meomi saw Roni’s face and heard Jonas ask, “Is Saera still alive?”

  12

  Meomi stared up from her bunk, unable to sleep. Flashes of the interrogation with Roni left her with a hopeless feeling. She had no idea the level of deception employed by Mimics and the zealousness of their allies. It was one thing to be fighting an enemy from beyond the borders of human space, but to do so while fending off another enemy from within seemed all but impossible.

  The Zephyr crew didn’t seem to share Meomi’s hopelessness. If they did, they didn’t show it. Whisper and company appeared to be the only ones fighting these unseen forces wearing human masks, hiding within the uniforms of Fleet personnel. That was the crew’s specialty, countering disinformation and exposing traitors. Meomi learned that the war against Mimics wasn’t just about cruisers and capital ships and fleets versus fleets. It was about seeking advantages and leverage wherever they existed in the galaxy.

  Meomi tossed in bed. Her mind was too active to sleep even though her body was too tired to do anything else. At least the migraines mostly stayed away since Nume treated her. But her dreams became more frighteningly vivid. Each nightmare started with the search for a lost crew member and ended with the same climax: She was the lost crew member. Sometimes when she woke, the haze of the dream would still cloud her vision, like seeing through the eyes of another person.

  Mars was five days away from their current position at maximum warp. While the Zephyr made its way there, Meomi took time to familiarized herself with the crew. Their confidence and competence was another source of hope. Everyone seemed extraordinary in their own right. Both Whisper and Ori were genetically engineered elite fighters capable of winning any one-on-one fight. Alyana was a skilled pilot, evading one enemy ship after another while keeping the crew grounded with her sense of humor.

  Jonas commanded the respect of everyone on board and exhibited a sharp, tactical mind. But Meomi saw a hollowness behind his eyes. Like darkness had touched him. She had seen eyes like that before — the hundreds of criminals she caught from her years patrolling the Commonwealth-Alliance border. Meomi wondered if Jonas was prone to violence like the men she captured. She had heard stories about his violent tendencies.

  The door alert sounded.

  “Come in,” Meomi said.

  Nume entered wearing an all-white flight suit which blended near-seamlessly with her pale skin. “Apologies for the intrusion. I wanted to check in and see how you were doing.”

  “I’m fine.” Meomi feigned a smile. “I wasn’t sleeping, anyway.”

  “Are you still having trouble falling asleep?” Nume pressed her lips together.

  “Sleep feels like the last thing I want to do.”

  “That may be, but you are not fully recovered.” Nume’s eyes changed to a rich yellow.

  Meomi stared at her feet. A part of her wondered if she would ever feel normal again.

  “Let’s talk then since you’re awake,” Nume said. “You seem like you have something on your mind.”

  “My brothers and sisters in Fleet are making a final stand near Mars.” Meomi stood from her bed. “I feel like I should be there with them. The last thing I want to do is rest or act like a headcase.”

  “I hope you know you are the only person on this ship that considers yourself to be a headcase.” Nume sighed then walked to the door. “I have something I would like to show you. Please accompany me to the briefing room.”

  “Sure, give me a moment to put on my jumpsuit.” Meomi dressed and followed Nume.

  The holotable inside the briefing room displayed a three-dimensional map of Sector 001 — the Sol System. Nume zoomed in on the space between Mars and the asteroid belt and pointed at a cluster of bright blue circles representing hundreds of Fleet ships. They were remnants of the 5th Navy, renamed to the more apt, Earth Defense Force. They had been waiting there for weeks while the Mimic armada, designated as red circles, held their position just outside the edges of the solar system.

  “Our tactical data is fed from Fleet Command. We can be reasonably confident that the projection is accurate.” Nume zoomed in on the EDF. “447 vessels. 26 Capital-class ships. 129 heavy cruisers. With some combination of lightly armored cruisers, frigates, destroyers, and corvettes mixed in.”

  “That’s more than I thought we would have.” Meomi frowned. “But not anywhere near enough to defeat the Mimic force.”

  “No, not enough.” Nume shook her head. “The EDF is outnumbered 100 to 1.”

  “So it is hopeless then.” Meomi lowered her stare.

  “Hope was never part of our strategy.” Nume stared intently at the Mimic armada. With her fingers, she circled a ring around the invading ships, highlighting them in a yellow circle.

  “Why haven’t the Mimics attacked?” Meomi asked. “What could they be waiting for?”

  “No one knows the answer to that question,” Nume replied. “But remember we face a war on multiple fronts. Some of which are still hidden. We must resolve to find our unseen enemies sooner rather than later.” She zoomed in on a small area of space near Pluto. “It’s a little hard to see, but look closely. There is more.”

  “It gets worse?” Meomi scoffed. “I don’t…” Her eyes grew wide as she realized what the Mimic sphereships were doing. “Those are mines… They’re boxing us in — building a system-wide net.”

  “It would appear so.” Nume nodded. “They do not intend for us to escape. They have learned their lesson from their encounters with the First League.”

  “Escape?” Meomi tilted her head. “Was that even part of the plan?”

  “Morale is at an all-time low.” Nume rewound the projection. “This footage was from a few hours earlier.”

  Meomi watched as a group of heavy cruisers fired upon a smaller group of ships. “What am I…” She gasped then covered her mouth. “They’re firing on the deserters.”

  “As I said earlier, I’m afraid the spirit of the Earth Defense Force has broken.”

  The replay showed three vessels destroyed or incapacitated before the heavy cruisers stopped firing.

  “So many lives lost just then…” Meomi shook her head. “From our own guns…”

  Nume’s eyes transformed to the color of a dark blue flame as she stared at Meomi without blinking.

  “What?” Meomi took a step back. “Are you reading my mind again?”

  “Why do I sometimes hear the voice of another speaking besides you?” She touched her lips.

  “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t hear…”

  “Do you mind if we try something?” Nume extended her arms, palms faced up. “This will not be uncomfortable. I promise.”

  That last thing Meomi wanted to do was to have another Entrent probing around in her mind. Nume seemed genuine in her intent to help, and the rest of the crew trusted her implicitly. But the feeling of vulnerability was too great. She shook her head. “I’d rather not.”

  “Please take my hand, Captain Hana,” Nume said in a soft voice. “My concern is that anoth
er consciousness may exist in your mind.”

  Meomi took a deep breath. “Fine.”

  The briefing room faded away, replaced by a dark shroud. Then, a new light source appeared. Meomi stared into the sky to see twin moons. She could taste the thick, humid air on her tongue. Her hand reached for one of the jungle trees.

  “Not here,” Nume said. “Let’s move forward.”

  Like watching a fast-forwarded film of her life, Meomi followed herself as she entered the black, pyramid-shaped Anchor on Caelora.

  “Hello?” Nume said. “Show yourself, whoever you are.” Her voice echoed off the chamber walls.

  No response.

  “Is this room where you conversed with Inoke?” Nume asked.

  “Yes. Why isn’t he here?” Meomi searched for him. “I don’t understand. Are these not my memories?”

  “We are in a mental construct, using your memories as a framework. By using a familiar setting, we can induce the other consciousness to appear.”

  “So what do we do now?” Meomi’s hands trembled.

  “I do not know. But I do not believe there are ill intents. Has this voice spoken to you since leaving the Anchor?”

  “No…” Meomi sighed.

  “There is more you want to say.”

  “I can’t trust my memories to be accurate anymore.” She lowered her head. “Does this have something to do with the Aorgarian tech inside me?”

  “I do not know the answer to that question.”

  “Should I be concerned?”

  “There are many things to be concerned about in the coming days. For now, this is among the least of them.” Nume snapped her fingers.

  The walls of the Anchor faded from view, returning them back to the Zephyr briefing room.

  Meomi released a long, held-in breath.

  “You have sacrificed much so that humanity could have a chance at survival,” Nume said while placing her hand on Meomi’s cheek. “And you’re finding only the slimmest of opportunities was returned for your efforts.”

  “I…” Meomi nodded without finishing her thought.

  “It does not take an empath to understand your inner turmoil. We have shared similar experiences in dying only to be brought back to life via unnatural means.”

  “Wait.” Meomi raised her eyebrows. “You’ve died before?”

  “It was how I came to communicate with the Guardians.” Nume shared her knowledge of the First League and the story of her kidnapping and fusing with Guardian Essence.

  The more Nume talked, the more Meomi realized how small her life had been before joining Fleet. To hear about impossible creatures the size of planetary objects capable of devouring Mimic sphereships made her heart leap with joy. Finally, something that could rival Mimics in their ferociousness. “Where are these Guardians now? Can they make it to Earth in time?”

  “They are coming. That is my part to play.” Nume’s eyes shifted to a tranquil, teal-blue. “Whether they reach Earth before the Mimic invasion force is unknown.”

  “Do I have a role in all of this too? What do you need me to do?”

  “First, you must release yourself of your guilt. For your crew on the Cerebus, for Captain Thorne, and for surviving when others did not. You played no part in those tragedies. Remember you are a person with a good conscience, more so than most. It was not inaction that resulted in their demise, but an inevitability.”

  On the surface, Meomi understood what Nume was saying. It did nothing to take away the pain of their loss.

  “Let me help release your grief.” Nume eyes burned yellow. She wrapped her fingers around Meomi’s face.

  At that moment, Meomi felt all the muscles in her body relax, mixed with a sensation of floating. “Thank you…”

  “You determine your next path.” Nume held Meomi’s hand. “We can give you a shuttle which you can use to rejoin the Earth Defense Force as they make their last stand. Or you can help us in our endeavors. Which do you decide?”

  13

  Mimic sphereships commenced their approach toward Earth. Long-range sensors registered tens of thousands heading for Mars. Alyana estimated 25 days until they reached Sector 001 where the Earth Defense Force awaited.

  25 days.

  Meomi sat in the mess hall by herself, slowly sipping a cup of koreil tea with her eyes fixed on the streaking starlight. She imagined each streak of light belonging to a distant star with habitable exoplanets and thousands of colonists. Then she pictured a Mimic incursion for each one where every person was ruthlessly slain by Mimics. Her hands began to shake. The tea was supposed to have a calming effect. It wasn’t working.

  Nume explained to Meomi that the survival of mankind rested in the outcome of three struggles. Facing outnumbered odds, the EDF must hold the line against the Mimic fleet for as long as possible. They must do so while keeping up morale and preventing deserters. This would allow Nume to gather the Guardians — mythic, impossibly large creatures that according to the Katok archives, were the only force capable of stopping the Mimic horde. Finally, Jonas and the Zephyr crew must root out all the hidden traitors within the Commonwealth. Every one of these insidious parasites must be excised for Earth to recover and rebuild.

  A bright flash appeared outside the window. Streaks of light condensed back into tiny points. The Zephyr had dropped out of warp.

  “10 minutes until we reach Mars,” said Alyana’s voice over the ship-wide comm.

  Meomi quickly gulped her tea. She placed the cup down on the table and stared into the bottom. “This is it,” she said to herself as she got up. Without realizing it, she began humming an old French melody a former officer under her command would often sing. Meomi’s mind had been drifting more frequently since her rescue from the Alliance prison. The frequency of which was starting to trouble her greatly.

  Earlier, Nume asked Meomi whether she preferred to assist Jonas with his objective or the EDF by commanding her own ship. Meomi did not offer an answer on the spot, needing more time to gather her thoughts. The next few days could be humanity’s last. If Meomi was destined to die, she wanted to take as many Mimics with her.

  Ultimately, she stayed on the Zephyr. Her interactions with Alyana convinced Meomi of her importance to the crew. They also became fast friends, sharing spirited conversations each night learning how similar they were to each other. The two grew up without parents and found childhood difficult to the point of dangerous because of it. They both lost people in the war. Alyana witnessed Kovat, a father figure and mentor slain in front of her. Meomi still grieved for her fallen crew though she still hoped Rayfin was alive somewhere. And of course, they endured the non-stop, unwanted advances from the insufferable Ori.

  What Meomi appreciated most about Alyana was her honesty. Alyana confided several concerns about Jonas to Meomi, especially his tendency to be aloof. Lately, Jonas was even more so, talking only to Whisper. Alyana believed them to be keeping secrets. When she confronted them, they offered evasive answers and vague denials. Then there was Jonas’ rage. At times, his anger clouded his judgment which made him resistant to reason and rationalism.

  Meomi left the mess hall and made her way to the hangar. She was to accompany the team of Nume, Whisper, Jonas, and Ori to find a high priority intelligence asset, a Katok by the name of Kalick.

  Kalick was in the same brood batch as Kovat. According to Katok customs, that made them siblings. They were both leading experts on the Entrent transformation process. Like Kovat, Kalick followed his brother’s footsteps and sacrificed his prestigious Fleet scientific career once he learned of the conspiracies within the organization.

  Nume, needed Kalick’s expertise to prepare herself for her role with the Guardians. In his private communications with Nume, Kalick feared for his life, believing members of Fleet High Command and multiple rogue groups to be hunting him. That was several weeks ago. Kalick left his research facility on Earth and found asylum on Mars with the help of Destiny’s Edge.

  As Meomi entered the ha
ngar, she immediately reached for her hand cannon. “What is Roni doing here?”

  “Put that away!” Jonas waved his hand. “She’s with me.”

  “It is all right, Meomi,” Nume said. “We have not allowed her to regenerate in the Entrent Chamber. She is too weak to use her telepathic abilities.”

  “What’s going on?” Meomi asked as both fear and anger swirled inside her. It was inconceivable to Meomi to allow a being like Roni, capable of distorting thoughts, to walk around with nothing more than magnetic cuffs as restraints.

  “Jonas and Whisper have a private matter to attend to,” Nume said.

  “Couldn’t that wait?” Meomi knew the private matter was related to Jonas’ sister. The whole ship did. “Shouldn’t we first deal with saving what’s left of the human race?”

  “I can solo this simple retrieval mission,” Ori said shrugging. “It’s just one Katok. And it’s not like he has anywhere to run to.” He wrapped his arm around Meomi’s waist. “But I’m happy you’re coming along. It’ll make the trip more…” He winked. “… enjoyable.”

  A chill descended Meomi’s spine. She slapped Ori’s arm away. “Lael, you’re OK with this?” Her head shook as she asked.

  “We’ll be close by should you need us,” Whisper said while preparing her Obscura suit.

  Every muscle in Meomi’s body clenched from her jaw to the curling of her toes. She heard a pounding in her ears as she held in her scream. Judging by the reaction in the room, Meomi was outnumbered. There was an overconfidence among the crew she didn’t understand. Alas, this wasn’t her ship, and she didn’t have any sway to change their mind. Meomi’s only option was to be a watchful eye, to try her best to prevent the mission from going sideways.

  Jonas piloted the shuttle out of the hangar and started their descent toward Mars. They landed on the commercial ship dock in the middle district of Nimbus, the second largest city on Mars and a stronghold for the Destiny’s Edge group.