Galaxy of Heroes

General Seb looked like a typical Craaldan soldier, only far larger. On one leg was strapped the traditional executioner blade that was symbolic of the authority of a Craaldan officer.

To Spade, the contrast between the giant, armored general and the tiny professor was jarring, yet Professor Mahlis showed no sign of being intimidated, and spoke to General Seb as an equal.

“It goes against doctrine to withdraw from an engagement when we have superior numbers,” the general said.

“We haven’t reached that point yet, General,” the professor said. “Now please, the battle update, if you will.”

A representation of the Naos surface appeared on the table. Spade recognized the landscape as Zander’s Plain. Two jagged mountain ranges—the Bleak Range to the east and the Craggy Mountains to the west—were separated by a flat expanse of black rock and ice about 200 kilometers across. Running north to south and bisecting the plain was a thin ribbon of glowing red lava, known as the Naos Rift.

The river of lava was about 100 meters wide at most points and stretched north to south from horizon to horizon.

The two Craaldan brigades had dug into fighting positions where the plain met the Bleak Range. The mountains dropped abruptly like a black wall of stone. The center of gravity for the Craaldan defense was a half-bowl ingression into the mountains guarded by a battalion that faced across the plain toward the main enemy positions.

Across the plain, the Diocon brigade had dug into defensive positions in the ruins of Zander City, which was situated in the foothills of the Craggy Mountains. The glowing Naos Rift marked the border between the two opposing forces.

“The Diocons have improved the effectiveness of their missile shield,” General Seb said. “The fleet suffered severe losses once the shield came online. We underestimated its range.”

The general explained that the Diocons were intermittently launching nukes at the fleet whenever it rounded the Roga orbit and came into sight of the Naos moon. To defend against the nukes, the Craaldans had emplaced a mine field 300 kilometers above Naos. When the missiles screamed upward from the Naos surface, the mines detonated and the nukes exploded in great blinding flashes before the missiles could reach the fleet. After each explosion, Craaldan mine layers zoomed in to reseed the fields before the next barrage of missiles could launch.

“And what would happen if a missile got through the field?” the professor asked.

“A direct hit would render the fleet combat ineffective,” General Seb answered. “That is why we keep our distance.”

“Why not attack now with your brigades on the surface and finish them?” the professor asked.

“You know as well as I that a three to one force ratio is standard for an attack. Until we land another brigade, an attack remains out of the question. That is, unless you are withholding intel that we are unaware of?”

“No, no. Of course you are correct, General. The odds of success for an attack on a dug-in enemy is minimal with a two to one force ratio. Even at three to one, success is not assured. I know your rigid doctrine as well as you do and that you are loath to deviate from it. Tell me, how do you plan to land your reinforcements?”

“At present, we await the jammer squadron,” the general said. “Once the jammers join the fleet, we will be able to breach their missile defenses and land as many as five additional brigades on the surface. Then victory will be certain.”

“Any victory now would be Pyrrhic, General,” Mahlis said. “It would ignite the wider war with the Diocon Empire that we have been carefully avoiding for so long.”

“So be it.”

“No,” the professor said. “Your success will be determined by the outcome of my diplomatic mission. If I am able to convince the Diocons to allow your brigades on the surface safe passage to your fleet, then war can be avoided. Only then will this insanity cease, and you can turn the attention of your fleet to less mutually suicidal endeavors.”

“You underestimate our chances against the Diocons,” General Seb said.

The little professor slammed his tiny fist on the table. “And you underestimate the value of the intelligence the Noctish have provided the Craaldan Empire over the eons!”

The general crossed his arms over his broad chest. His yellow eyes looked down coldly behind his gray, scabrous face. “The Noctish have been invaluable,” he said.

“How do we get to the surface?” Professor Mahlis asked.

“A narrow window of opportunity opens after each nuke volley,” the general said. “We were infiltrating small ships through the Diocon defenses by speeding for the surface immediately following the electromagnetic pulse from a nuke blast. But the enemy soon caught on, and began picking off our ships as we came into range of their laser cannons. We ceased attempting to infiltrate in this manner, and the Diocons now believe they have deterred our landings. To get you to the surface, we will wait for the next nuke blast. Then your human captain can dash for the surface within a formation of remotely piloted decoys. If you are lucky, their lasers will pick off the decoys and not you.”

“Sounds risky if you ask me,” Spade said.

The general’s cold gaze turned to Spade. Spade felt the full weight of his iron stare. “Don’t expect to live forever, human,” the general said.

Professor Mahlis unhooked himself from his chair and pulled himself to Spade, grabbing onto Spade’s arm.

“Until next time, General,” the professor said. He turned to Spade. “Take me to your ship.”

Spade pulled himself along a rail and out of the general’s control room, with the professor clinging to his back. They boarded a transport car and then zipped through the ship’s narrow corridors.

“What was in the crate?” Spade asked.

“The crate?” the professor asked.

“The crate I signed into storage,” Spade said. “What’s in it?”

“Nothing you will miss,” the professor said.

“If I die on Naos, you won’t be able to retrieve it.”