Believe me when I tell you that I cried my eyes out the entire flight home.

Chinatsu and Ryu do their best to comfort me, even though Chinatsu is just as upset as I am, but what comfort is there when I just forced most of my family to leave the system? Oh, sure, I have Chinatsu and Ryu. They are the loves of my life, and I would rather die than be without either of them. Also, Honoka, Sofi, and their families are still here. They flat out stated they weren’t leaving, and I didn’t have the heart to force them to go as I did with our parents and siblings. If the worst comes to worst, I want something of our family to survive.

That’s cold comfort though because Mama and Dad have been the rocks in my life that I could always depend on ever since my change. Whether it was giving good advice, or merely hugging me, they’ve always been there for me. They are the main reason why I believe that family is everything, and there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for them.

Hence, me sending them to Beta Hydri to keep them and my younger siblings safe.

When we reach Earth, I dry my tears and paste on my normal cheerful demeanor. Even so, Chinatsu and Ryu know that I’m still rather upset. Hell, for that matter, they’re both upset too, not that I blame them in the least. They knew ahead of time what I was going to do, and they agreed that I should send them, too. I even asked Ryu if he wanted me to make Maki, Kinji, and his little brother, Kensuke, go as well. He thought about it, but in the end, he decided that it should be up to them. As you can guess, they didn’t want to leave Earth.

Taking a deep breath and sighing internally, the three of us walk into the palace as I tell myself, ‘It’ll just take time for me to come to terms with this.’

I kiss Ryu and Chinatsu, and they head upstairs, then I make my way to my office. As I pass through, I tell Akari, “Call General Chambers and tell him that I’d like to see him at his earliest convenience.”

He arrives within the hour, and once he sees me, he asks, “Are you alright, Sora?”

I shrug. “Not really, but I knew I wouldn’t be.”

He reaches over and lays his hand on mine. “It’s never easy to send away those you love. Even if it is for their own safety.” I nod and smile tentatively. He leans back in his seat. “So, why did you want to see me?”

I clear my throat. “We’ve taken steps to safeguard humanity, so, no matter what happens, something of humanity will survive. Now, it’s time to take this war to the Alkarin, so that we can end this. I want the strike fighter divisions to harass the hell out of them and keep them tied up in their system.”

“Okay, but I have some news to report. I was going to make an appointment to see you later today, but I guess now is as good of a time as any to tell you. According to the data we extracted from a data core, the Alkarin have two more systems, so we’ll have to deal with them as well.”

“Do we know where?”

He nods. “We do. Sigma Draconis and Epsilon Eridani. Respectively, 18.8 and 10.5 light-years from Earth.”

“Is HMS Goliath ready?”

“Yes, and her sister ship, HMS Colossus, is well underway. The last estimate I saw said that it should be ready in roughly six months. Sooner, if we put constructing her on a priority schedule. The problem is that we don’t have the Marines and Army troops to man another planetary assault ship, yet. We’re training them, but it takes time.”

“Put a priority on it. I’d like to see Colossus ready within three months, if possible. Also, speed up building more strike fighters. The ship itself represents a huge amount of firepower, and we can staff it as we train more troops, but it would be best if you could find a way to speed that up without sacrificing their training. Can I assume that the fleet is back to full strength?”

“You may, and you’d be right. We can always use more battle groups, but I’m fairly sure that we can defend the Sol system from any size of Alkarin fleet they’d dare to send our way. We currently have 52 supercarrier battlegroups, 77 carrier strike groups, 106 fast-action strike groups, and 118 strike fighter divisions that aren’t attached to a group.”

“Okay, good. Keep the priority on building the strike fighters. The more we have of them, the better off we’ll be. Secondly, are the other two systems as heavily populated as Tau Ceti?”

“Thankfully, no. Both systems have a single habitable planet. Draconis was established 12 years ago, and Eridani 3 years ago.”

“Perfect. Then we are taking out Eridani first, Draconis next, and then Tau Ceti. I want the unattached strike fighters harassing Tau Ceti so that they can’t reinforce the other systems. Take Goliath and her accompanying fleet and attack Eridani. Make sure that each force has enough medical/rescue ships to minimize our losses. Jason, we will not be picking up Alkarin survivors, understood?”

“Of course. Thank you, Sora. I was going to recommend that we do it that way since they don’t have the facilities to deal with massive amounts of prisoners. Draconis will give our troops experience in battle facing a lesser force.”

I shrug. “If island hopping was a good enough strategy for the US in World War II, I don’t see why we can’t use it, too. Jason, try not to kill the civilians if it can be helped. I want them to be treated kindly and then maybe we can salvage something of them that way.”

“You realize that quite often, civilians have a lot of animosity when their protectors are killed, right?”

“I do, but still, I want to try. I don’t want to be remembered as the bloody woman who murdered an entire intelligent species. I want to try what Marshall and MacArther did with Germany and Japan. I’d much rather see enemies turned into allies. I just can’t see them as an entire species of warriors, although they do seem to be led by the warriors. They have to have a civilian population. Can you see a species that focuses on everyone being warriors being able to develop any kind of spacefaring civilization? I can’t.”

“Maybe they defeated another intelligent species and stole their technology.”

“Maybe, but that’s a bit of a stretch. Well, we’ll find out one way or the other.” I glance at the clock. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Then, why don’t we continue over lunch?”

“That sounds good to me.”

We continue our conversation as we eat. Well, more like I pick at my food and he finally raises an eyebrow as he looks at me. “Sora, I know this isn’t going to help, but you can’t let this get to you. You had to send them to Beta Hydri to keep them safe. There’s no point in beating yourself up over making the right decision.”

As I toy with my food, I murmur, “I know that, but,” I pause to shrug, “knowing what I did was correct and still wanting my family close are two different things. It’ll just take time, that’s all.”

“Sora, have you ever fired an M-92 or M-65?” I shake my head while wondering where he’s going with this. “Well, then it’s high time you have. Finish eating, then we’re heading over to the firing range at Camp Heller. No arguments either.”

I merely nod and take a few bites of my lunch. Once he finishes, we head out to my plane and fly over to Heller where they issue each of us a skin-tight bodysuit, which, by the way, leaves less to the imagination than a bikini. You could see every nook and cranny as everything is highlighted. I’m no prude, nor do I have body issues. I look good and I know it, but just… wow, I can’t imagine that someone with either of those issues would ever be able to wear one without issues. After I’m changed, we head over to another section, and we’re issued an AAS-1 armored suit. Just before we enter yet another building, we deploy our suits because Jason told me the weapons are too cumbersome for an unarmored person to easily handle them. Inside, we’re issued an M-65 and an M-92, and then we walk over to the range.

On the way, I ask, “Jason, why do they separate everything like that?”

“Safety, my dear Queen.”

I have to admit, it was fun, and rather diverting, shooting at the targets. We spent a couple of hours and several tens of thousands of rounds shredding different kinds of targets. If I knew how cathartic it was to turn things into mincemeat, I’d have been doing this since long ago.

On the short walk back, I ask, “Jason, would you have a problem having someone teach me how to use an armored suit properly and of course, the weapons for it?”

“Not at all. That’s been brought up before during JCS meetings.”

“Okay, well, I want you to train me and my family members in how to use them just like you would any recruit who knows nothing about them.”

“We can do that, but with your schedule… Well, it’s going to take time.”

“Yes, I’m busy, but all of us will make the time you need to train us.”

“Okay, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Thanks, Jason,” I tell him as I smile, not that he can see it.

　◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

After we return, Jason heads over to CMCC to issue the deployment orders for the HMS Goliath, her associated fleet, and 50 of the Saint class Rescue/Medical ships. Then he issues orders for the 43rd through the 52nd supercarrier battlegroups, along with 10 divisions of strike fighters and 10 rescue/medical ships to jump for Tau Ceti.

In case you don’t remember, a planetary assault battlegroup consists of: 1 planetary assault ship, 20 supercarriers, 900 carriers, 900 dreadnoughts, 2,250 battleships, 4,500 assault carriers, 2,250 troop carriers, 4,500 battlecruisers, 9,000 cruisers, 22,500 destroyers, 45,000 frigates, 75,000 strike fighters, 206,000 fighters, 168,000 fighter/bombers, 3,714,000 dropships, 7,000 heavy bombers, 1,354,000 gunships, 2,000 transports and 115,320,000 armored troops and Marines, along with the 50 attached rescue/medical ships.

The fleet ordered to Tau Ceti consists of: 10 supercarrier, 200 carriers, 200 dreadnoughts, 500 battleships, 1,000 assault carriers, 500 troop carriers, 1,000 battlecruisers, 2000 cruisers, 5000 destroyers, 10,000 frigates, 4,500 strike fighters, 43,000 fighters, 34,000 fighter/bombers, 822,000 dropships, 1,000 heavy bombers, 300,000 gunships, and 24,660,000 armored troops, along with the 20 attached rescue/medical ships.

With the orders issued, the fleet begins to converge at the jump point around Mars’ L5 Lagrange point. 36 hours later, they jump out for the approximately 33 day trip to Sigma Draconis. HMS Goliath’s jump speed is the limiting factor here. If it were a standard supercarrier or carrier battlegroup, they would arrive in around 16 days. Once the additional 10 divisions of strike fighters land amongst the carriers of the battlegroup, they immediately jump for Tau Ceti for the 10 day trip.

[Monday, November 8]

[Outskirts of the Tau Ceti system]

Admiral Amara Mbata’s fleet emerges on the outskirts of the Tau Ceti system, and she immediately calls for a conference of the captains and commanders. A half-hour later, she walks into her ready room with her XO Captain Michael Freeman and the Captain of her flagship, HMS Atlantia, Captain Bethany Hall. Then, the three of them take a seat.

“Titus,” she says to the ship’s AI, “send out the deployment orders and open the conference link, please.”

“Aye, aye, Admiral.”

A few moments later, 29 holograms begin appearing in the air surrounding her.

“Good morning, everyone.

“It’s time for deployment orders. The 10 supercarrier groups will spread out along the periphery of Tau Ceti with their attached strike fighter division and 2 rescue/medical ships. Titus will be sending your deployment locations after this conference.

“We’ll be separated by 36 degrees of arc. While this places us at quite a distance from each other, it’s less than a 2-minute jump in case support is needed.

“Each battlegroup’s strike fighters are to be separated into 3 forces. Each will deploy from your battlegroup for no more than 8 hours. Once you arrive at your station, fighters are to run CAP around the clock while you also deploy recon drones to extend your detection ranges. Once in position, you are to signal the Atlantia, and we’ll begin operations 4 hours later.

“Any ships that attempt to leave the system are to be destroyed, and our orders are to not pick up survivors. If the Alkarin send ships to pick up their people, you will watch them closely, but allow them to do so.

“Strike fighter division commanders. If your fighters are damaged, they are to withdraw immediately and return to the fleet for repair. We’re limited on resources here, and we can’t afford to lose ships simply because the pilots thought they could continue the attack. We’re here to harass the Alkarin and keep them tied down in this system, not take it. Make sure your pilots keep that in mind.

“Earth Central is sending us supply and ammunition colliers, so be as free as you want with ordinance. We have approximately 2-weeks of ordinance on board, so I’m not worried about us running out. They’ll arrive in 36-hour intervals until we are recalled.

“I have no idea how long we’ll be here, other than at minimum, it’ll be for however long it takes for the Goliath’s battlefleet to take Epsilon Eridani. This could very well be a long deployment. With that said, there’s no need to push ourselves, so make sure your people rest so that they remain sharp.

“Questions, comments, concerns?” All of them shake their heads. “Good. Then, you have your orders, and we’ll begin the deployment immediately. Good luck, and good hunting.”

[Tuesday, November 30]

[Nearing the outskirts of the Epsilon Eridani system]

Admiral Jesselynn Abrams sits in her seat in the CIC buried under two kilometers of duraminium composite armor on the HMS Goliath as the clock slowly counts down to emergence near the outskirts of the Sigma Draconis system.

Yes, she is a descendant of that Abrams. Creighton Williams Abrams, Jr. is her many times over great grandfather. Much to her father’s annoyance, she opted to join the US Navy rather than the Army as the family has historically done, although she saw no need to continue the legacy since her two older brothers had joined the Army.

You might think that her blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and model-like looks would be her most striking features, but you’d be wrong. It’s actually the calm and confident aura that radiates from her tiny 152 centimeter frame.

An announcement comes over the ship com, “All personnel are to secure for emergence in ten minutes.”

Throughout the huge ship and her accompanying fleet, all personnel deploy their armor and buckle themselves in. They have no idea what will be waiting for them when they emerge, so standard operating procedure dictates that all weapons/defenses are to be active and all personnel are to be in armor.

“5 minutes to emergence… 1 minute to emergence… 30 seconds… 10… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Emergence.” Several long minutes later, the announcement comes, “All scans are clear. All personnel may stand down from jump stations and resume normal duties.”

“Alright, people, time to get to work. Find them for me,” Admiral Abrams states, then mutters, “and now, we wait.”

She switches her command station’s main viewer to show the long-range tactical display. She sees her ship, at the center of the display, as a green triangle surrounded by innumerable other green triangles along with IFF data. As she watches, the display shows several clusters of frigates and destroyers take the lead in the formation and launch recon drones to extend the fleet’s detection range. A star system was a big place for a planet, even bigger for habitable ones. By comparison, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack that’s 10 kilometers cubed.

Nothing of significance is occurring that is worth her attention, and she begins to ponder how long it will take to map out the system while hoping that it won’t take too long. No matter what kind of demeanor she projects, patience isn’t something she has a lot of when it comes to having to wait.

She allows her mind to wander while the crew works to find the planet, settlements, and any outposts within the system to help her deal with the interminable wait.

Four long hours later, Captain Melton, her XO, arrives and states, “Admiral, why don’t I take over for you while you go rest? There’s no reason for you to be here until we find what we’re looking for. I’ll call you when we find anything.”

“Sounds good to me.” She stands up and announces, “XO, you have the con. I stand relieved.”