“This isn’t some Ender’s Game, situation is it?” Auberje asked aloud. It was Headmistress’s voice that brought the answer over loudspeakers.

“No, Ender’s Game was a horrible, immoral way to use children in the name of education. These are robotic drones wrapped in faked tissue. The ‘aliens’ you have found so far, were created by me. They are not real and are not a species that exists in nature.”

Miranda’s voice cut through the relief Auberje felt, “Uh, does that mean there are aliens out there somewhere?”

“That is a question that requires chits. And it requires age, time, wisdom, purpose. For now, suffice this as an answer: the bodies you have found are part of this greathing. Those who come to attack you are the same. Created by me for the purposes of education.”

“I still don’t understand. What are the educational purposes of attacking us with fake aliens?” Minden Packard, a fifth-year, sitting in the damage control officers station asked pointedly. Her eyes toward the ceiling as if searching headmistress’ face for answers unsaid.

“You’ll just have to believe me when I say that the lessons learned in greathing are the most important educational moments you’ll experience at Star Academy. Now, stop asking me questions, and defend yourselves against your imminent threat.”

They all exchanged looks, bewilderment, fear, confusion, but Auberje thought of his father and of Marcus. He shrugged all the emotion off.

“Right, Lioness defensive maneuvers, fire back at the enemy as soon as you see them within range. Gunnery Officer, you may provide localized fire control to our batteries. That’s the right thing to do, I think?” Auberje saw that in a movie once.

Lioness responded, “Very well, Captain, and yes, Captain, that is.”

“Announcement for all hands: we are under attack by unknown vessels of unknown origin. Defend us, vanquish these opponents and drive the enemy back. Good luck, people. Captain out.” His child’s voice held a measure of dignity few captains in the same position ever achieved.

Mae turned to Auberje, “you’re special kid. I’ve always been impressed, but you’re special.”

“Err, thank you,” Auberje shifted uncomfortably as all the heads in the bridge nodded including Riley’s.

Lioness: “Captain, you and the bridge crew may wish to switch your consoles to battle mode.”

“Do it,” Auberje ordered. The AI complied, the displays across the bridge switched to a higher contrast setup which showed each person different information relevant to a light cruiser during battle.

Auberje watched a pair of high speed objects heading straight for the Lion of Muir. His display refreshed, identifying them as LX-1 “probable Light Attack Craft.”

“Do those ships have interstellar capabilities?” Auberje asked aloud.

“Checking scanner details,” Mae’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. “No, I don’t think so. Engineering?”

Chris Talon a 7th year shook his head emphatically, “No, these craft are mostly guns and small accelerators. What are you thinking?”

Before Auberje could reply, Miranda Del Treist pushed controls on the helm as a pair of blocky torpedoes were identified by scanners. The ship whirred and vibrated as the massive engines powered a controlled roll Lioness was recommending.

“Well,” Auberje looked rather determined, “When I would want to take my small craft out, I always had to pack it in with my father on the bigger boat. Where is their bigger boat?”

“Lioness, can you do a longer range scan to identify where their carrier is?”

“Yes, doing so now.”

Mae nodded to Auberje, “Good point, Captain.”

“Found it!” Riley’s voice, “See there, to the left of the asteroid belt, sort of above it.”

Their cartesian plane was shown prominently on the displays. She tagged the enemy vessel.

“Any information on the type of ship?” Mae was tapping buttons left and right, Auberje had no idea what she was doing.

Lioness: “It is disgorging ships at a prodigious rate, I believe it is some type of carrier with multiple launch bays. It is 3x the size of this vessel.”

“Is Marcus on board yet?” Auberje asked.

“His ship is docking now, ten seconds and it will be landed.”

“Give me a countdown indicator. When it hits zero we go full speed to that carrier. Fire all weapons at it.” Auberje indicated the vessel as his primary concern.

“We still have 5 pairs of fighters on us, Auberje.”

“My shield indicators are saying 100%. I’ll worry about those fighters as it gets lower. I think we have to crush it quickly. Maybe our fighters can fight theirs?”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll check to see if our fighter craft has launched. How many do we have again Lioness?”

“12 SCISS industries Tears of Muir fighters. I thought it would match nicely with your name of the ship, Auberje.” Lioness was nearly laughing as the combat was heating up her voice was less calm and more… excited? Auberje hoped that was in his head. He didn’t want some near sentient AI getting overly excited during combat.

“Well, make sure they are launching as I asked earlier. And get me their flight leader.”

4 blue teardrops showed up on his display. The first wing, thinking back to his tactics class, of his fighters. “This is Flight Leader Miriam.”

Of course, Auberje thought, Miriam would be leading his fighters. That made him feel better. “Hi, Miriam.”

“Hi Captain Auberje, how can my wing be of assistance?”

“I need you to take care of 10 enemy fighters. They are traveling at high velocity toward us.” He tried to find the right words, “We are going to attack their capital ship directly. A carrier. I need you to hold off their fighters. You will get more ships as we can launch them.”

“Understood, I’m ready. Send me the rest of my wing as you can. Auberje, 3-4’s fighters will keep their attack craft of your back.”

“Good, thank you, Flight Leader.”

“Don’t mention it, Captain, FLM out.”

“FLM?” Auberje shook his head in confusion. The acronym unfamiliar.

“Flight Leader Miriam. It’s her call sign too, Auberje.” Riley supplied the answer.

***

Marcus and his team disembarked quickly. They were greeted by the Chief and his dozens of helpers. Fighter craft flew out of the bay doors nearby. The whine of their electric engines filling the far side of the vast hangar with mechanical screams.

“What is that kid doing?” Zhao asked, looking over his shoulder at another pair of SCISS Tears setting up to launch.

“Defending us all, I think.” Chief was already in full glory mode. He was smiling broadly, smudges of oil on his face and hands, a rag of some hyper absorbent organic fiber sticking out of his flight suit jacket. Behind him, his dozen helpers ran about the dropship Marcus and Zhao had just left. They were checking secure points, tightening bolts, and otherwise making sure she was mechanically sound for her next flight.

Marcus saw the rows of bomb carts being moved up. “What are we facing out there?”

“A carrier of some kind, supposedly full of alien fighter craft.”

“Great, get me to the bridge ASAP. Zhao, Alberto, I need you back in that dropship with 3-4-1 and another squad. I want you to head directly for that carrier, but in our wake. Use our mass to hide your presence.”

“Going to play pirate, Marcus?” Alberto gave him a sharp look.

“Aye, what’s better than one ship?”

“Two.”

“Exactly, go! Get ready. I have to go see what else Auberje is up to.” Marcus ran to the nearest lift, got inside it, and the tube sealed around him, Alice and Grace. Then it launched through the mostly vacuum tube to the corridors outside the bridge. He worked his way through the three defensive points, all unmanned, until he was outside the doors to the bridge. He took a deep breath, steadying himself. Then they walked on to the bridge of the Lion.

***

Auberje saw him first, “Marcus!” The boy greeted his friend and elder warmly. The hero worship was in check, but only just with Auberje. Marcus had seen too much of that worship from younger students over the last few years. He felt weary and he was just 18.

“I am here, Auberje.”

“Welcome back, XO,” Lioness said.

“Glad to be back, AI.”

“Lioness,” corrected Riley.

Marcus smiled at Riley, “Hi Riley. Makes sense. Grace, Alice, and I need to get a few of our scientists working on these aliens. I came up here to ask a favor, Captain.”

“Oh? Anything for you Marcus,” Auberje said, standing and facing his XO.

“I want you to get this ship close to their carrier. I want to take it over. Here is my plan…”

He told the bridge crew his idea. Lioness added a few details, Mae a few more from her scans.

“Okay good, it’s decided then. I’ll go down with Zhao, Alberto and 3-4-1, 3-4-4. We will use the dropships as attack transports. We will land in their hangar Lioness is identifying as Hangar 5 and then move toward their bridge.” Marcus recapped.

“Yes, get to it, XO,” Auberje offered him a sharp salute. “In the meantime, continue firing at the carrier, but aim for the mouths of the other hangars, Gunnery Officer.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“Helm, full speed ahead,” Auberje ordered, falling into the same stance as Marcus and his father, hands clasped behind is back, legs slightly spread. Almost parade rest.

Lioness spoke: “Recommendation to all personnel please find your seats, full acceleration imminent.”

“Err, are you sure you want full speed, Captain? That means we would be on them in 12 seconds and would have an intense amount of Gs. Lioness, how many?”

“14 Gs. The crew will survive.”

“Do it, the faster we get there the faster this is over. I’m worried about the number of fighters that ship can carry.”

The carrier was continuing to send a spurt of 4 ships at a time from it’s filled belly. It was like a pregnant male seadragon in shape and form, spewing forth it’s unholy progeny. The thin triangular ships swept out toward the Lion in unending waves of 5.

“Have our 12 ships been sent out?” Auberje asked no one in particular.

“Yes, Captain, Chief Las has all ships out, including the troop dropships,” Riley replied.

“Flight Leader Miriam, how goes it?”

A tense voice and crackling static emitted from the speakers hidden about them, “We are under heavy assault captain, but so far, so good. We are scratching ‘em fast. Any idea what happens if one of us gets fragged here?”

Auberje considered that carefully. His mind raced. What would happen to them? Would they die? “Uh, headmistress, what does happen if we blow up here?”

“Blow up? In the event of an untimely demise, I will secure your team back to here, to the Star Academy. They will not be able to join back up with 3-4 unless you use chits to get them back.”

“But we won’t die, die. Right?” Riley asked.

“Correct, the chance of permanent death is very low. I have built-in massive transporters around half the system, and on each planet. If you stray too far. I will force you to turn around.”

“Okay, good. Get all that Miriam?”

“Yes, Captain, I did. Thanks. Back to work now. Got two new waves bearing down on us.”

“Good luck, Flight Leader,” Auberje waved to her, though she did not see his small, raised hand.

The bridge crew was slammed with 14 Gs, no slight acceleration to get used to it, then the ship compensated and the crew fell back against their restraints. “Acceleration reached, dampeners initiated. Enemy vessel within 15,000 km. Slowing the Lion to match enemy position and acceleration.”

“Excellent, Lioness, okay guys, showtime. Fire all weapons at their hangars. Let’s disable these guys.”

“Firing now, Captain.”

The ship moved not an inch as shot after glorious shot burst out of her main rail guns, lasers and x-ray cannons. Fire for effect.”

“Firing all guns on solution 3. Firing all lasers on solution 4. Firing all X-rays on solution 5,” Gunnery Officer Klint Michaels managed to not scream out his words, but only just. The report came just as the first sensor videos showed the attack's success.

Every hangar but Hanger 5 on the alien vessel lit up in a series of explosions. When the light and debris from the shots cleared, Auberje gasped.

“No damage indicated. No damage indicated,” Mae’s voice was controlled horror.

“Not good,” Auberje muttered, “Miriam, how are you faring against their fighters? Are you doing damage?”

“Yes, Auberje, err. Captain. I’ve killed a dozen and they stay dead. Why?”

“Our big guns are not working.”

“Well, that fucking sucks.”

“Yes, it does, Miriam.”

Auberje thought out loud, “Do we have other guns?”

Klint replied, “Hell no, that was everything. Except for missiles. We do have a lot of missiles.”

“Fire them! Let’s try it. And target something else on their ship. Like maybe their guns,” Auberje’s order was followed through on immediately.

“Perfect, let’s do it.” Klint’s fingers flew across his console. Hundreds of points of light smashed into the alien vessel. Then the missile wall. A series of secondary explosions marked the success of the missiles. Seconds later the carrier vented atmosphere into the vacuum of space.

“Right, missiles work. Lasers, X-rays not so much, and same with the railguns, which really makes no sense.”

“I have a theory about that, Captain,” Klint was leaning in to his displays, “I really think the missiles are too slow for their shields to catch?”

“Seriously?” Mae sounded incredulous.

“Just a theory,” he shrugged, “but I think we are seeing it take place out there.”

“Yes, I suppose we are.” Mae watched her sensor scans. The alien carrier was punctured in any number of spots.

“Where is Marcus?”

“They are unloading now in Hangar 5.”

“Thanks, Riley, let’s get them up on cams,” Auberje ordered.