Chapter 5
Hirundo Megaensis
Near Orbit of Erdi
The scout ship HIMS Weißschwanzschwalbe-173 was not entirely unlike a patrol ship, only sleeker and faster. Though the Empire would employ drones and small one- or two-man craft for reconnaissance, larger and more robust ships were preferred for missions like this. They could carry more essential equipment and provide far more invaluable data to the mother fleet. They also had significantly greater survivability should the target be on its guard and launch an attack. Being fast and nimble was important, but it did not hurt to be strong enough to take a hit or two.
Unterleutnant zur Raum Lowen Meyer was the Executive Officer of the Weißschwanzschwalbe-173. Not counting his four years at the Academy, he had only been in the Imperial Navy for three years and already he was second-in-command on a ship—even if it was a small one—in the prestigious Reclamation Project. The program was celebrating its centennial when he graduated from the Academy. It had always been his dream to work in Reclamation and now the dream was coming true before his very eyes. Best of all, being on a scout ship put him at the tip of the spear. He could scarcely ask for anything more.
Because of the limited number of crewmembers, pretty much everyone had at least two or three jobs if not more. Besides serving as XO, Meyer was also the ship's intelligence officer. He only had one dedicated intelligence specialist working under him and the communications technician who also had to handle SIGINT and ELINT. A lot of the intelligence-gathering operations were automated, but it was important to keep a human in the loop as much as possible.
He had just finished compiling his initial report to deliver to the captain. If he was not eating or sleeping, Captain Gordi almost never left the bridge. Because the ship was so small, the bridge was rather cramped and would almost more accurately be described as a cockpit. There was the captain's chair, the consoles of the bridge technicians and scarcely any room to walk between them.
"Pardon me, Herr Kapitän," Meyer said, "but are you ready to hear my report?"
Captain Gordi glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and said, "Very well, Meyer. Let's hear it."
"Yes, sir."
"Put it onscreen."
"Aye-aye, sir."
Meyer tapped on his tablet to link it with the captain's console. Normally wireless networking was discouraged for sensitive information, but the interior of the bridge was shielded, so if anyone could access the signal from Meyer's tablet, they would likely have access to much more than that. In a larger warship, they would have a dedicated conference room for such briefings, but such luxuries could not be afforded here.
"This is my preliminary report on Tyndareus Four, or Timandra as it was known by the locals until we lost contact post-Reunion. We've already been briefed on the pre-Reunion history, so this is what we've observed in the past 48 hours. This is not like all the other planets in regression. In fact, we've never seen a situation quite like this. There are clearly two distinct strata of civilization here: a comparatively modern society overlaying a primitivized one. It's almost as if we were already here, Herr Kapitän. You could argue that in a way we are, if our intelligence is correct."
"The last remnant of the Sun Faction," Captain Gordi mused, "still clinging to power nearly three hundred years after the Empire put down their little coup. And now we finish it."
"It would seem that they have not made any effort at external contact," Meyer said, "which would explain why they eluded our notice for so long. From the data we've compiled so far, their technology level has been mostly static in all that time. They still have an overwhelming advantage over the surface stratum, but they face a similar divide compared with us."
"The question is what surprises they might have for us," the Captain said. "Have they truly been so idle in all this time?"
"Besides their single orbital station, we have identified over a thousand structures hovering approximately two thousand meters above the surface. Judging from their positioning, especially of the more fortified structures, it would appear that the upper stratum does not have complete control of the planet."
"With their technological advantage, it should be no issue," Captain Gordi said. "There must be a reason for it. Keeping the surface-dwellers in a constant state of war is one means of control, after all."
There was certainly some logic to that line of thinking. Meyer had not considered it. He simply thought that the upper stratum of society lacked the strength to project its power across the entire planet. His thinking was too limited. He needed to learn from the Captain's example.
The Captain read on ahead before saying, "I have seen enough. Submit your report to the Ultor Sanguinis."
"Aye-aye, Herr Kapitän."
"It will be left to the Admiral's judgment as to whether or not we infiltrate before making our move, but remember that these people are nothing more than pale imitators, traitors and the sons of traitors. We may be able to use what they have built to facilitate the transition, but the distinction must be clear in your mind."
"Of course, Herr Kapitän."
"One day you will be leading reconnaissance missions like this. There are still hundreds of worlds we have yet to reclaim, to say nothing of the hundreds more we must take from our enemies. We cannot rest until all are brought under His Imperial Majesty's wings and the Father of All Humanity reigns uncontested over the entire universe. This is but a step in our grand mission."
At times the Captain sounded more like a political officer than a ship captain, but his declaration was cut short when the ship was violently rocked.
"What the hell was that!?" Captain Gordi demanded.
The navigator/helmsman Unterleutnant Agarwal replied, "Collision on the port side, Herr Kapitän! Hull breach in the Engine Room! Engine One has entered auto-shutdown! Shields are offline! ECM offline!"
"Give them two minutes to clear out, then seal the compartment!"
"Aye, sir!"
"What hit us!?"
"I don't know, sir!" the radar operator replied. "Some kind of debris, maybe. Something too small to pick up on radar, I think."
"What's the status on Engine Two?"
"Condition yellow, sir," Unterleutnant Agarwal replied. "It might have something to do with the coupling with Engine One."
"Get Engineering suited up and back in there. Use the space between Frames 15 and 16 as an airlock."
"Aye, sir!"
The ship rocked some more.
"Engine output is still decreasing, sir!" Unterleutnant Agarwal said. "We cannot maintain our position in orbit!"
"Angle the ship for atmospheric entry," the Captain said, his voice becoming calmer even as the danger was rising. "Redirect power to the diffusers, keep us steady." He sounded an alarm and then went on the intercom, saying, "Attention, all hands. Attention, all hands. This is the Captain speaking. Prepare for emergency landing. I repeat, prepare for emergency landing."
The Captain glanced at Meyer and said, "Off the bridge, Meyer. Get to your station and stay put."
"But, sir, I—"
"There's nothing you can do here and there's no place for you anyway. I don't need your corpse bouncing around in here injuring my crewmen. Now get going."
Captain Gordi was of course right that there was nothing Meyer could do to help, but it did not feel right simply sit idly by while the ship was in the middle of a crisis. However, getting out of the way was the best thing he could do.
"Aye-aye, sir," he said as he turned to leave the bridge.
Before he could leave, though, the Captain said, "Meyer."
"Yes, sir?"
"If you believe in that sort of thing, you can always try praying."
"Aye-aye, sir," Meyer replied without much conviction.
He was not sure how much help that would be, but under the circumstances, just about anything seemed better than doing nothing.