Free Theogony 3: Terra Stands Alone by Chris Kennedy Page A

lots of good things about you.”
    “They’re all lies,” said the newcomer with a smile. “The truth is far worse.”
    “Well it is good to have you,” said Calvin. “I didn’t think you’d make it in time.”
    “I was lucky enough to catch the last shuttle up,” the officer replied. “I also brought the last of the replacements with me.” She indicated several people standing in the passageway outside Calvin’s office. The first two people he could see looked identical.
    “Aw , crap,” Calvin said looking at the pair of flight-suited officers. “I’ve already got one set of twins in the platoon that drives me crazy. Please tell me we didn’t get another set.”
    “OK,” replied Lieutenant Commander Brighton. “We didn’t get another set of twins. Those two are cousins; they just look alike. They do have the same name, though, Paul Mees. One of them goes by “Rob” to keep things simple.”
    “Which one is that?” asked Calvin.
    “Damned if I know,” replied the XO. “There are two others,” she added. “The first is Lieutenant Brett Dylan Fox, our last WSO. He’s RAF, too. He started out his career in admin and ended up on the staff of an aviator. The general got him a shot at taking the aviation test, and he aced it. He’s never looked back, having been a test pilot in both jets and helicopters. The other person is Lieutenant Matthew Kamins, our last pilot. I don’t know a lot about him, other than he’s from the German Navy.”
    “We’re all set then,” replied Calvin. “The squadron’s got all of the personnel that it is supposed to. With the addition of the extra days, Replicator Command was even able to make us a replacement Asp fighter to take the spot of the one the Drakuls blew up. I don’t know how they did it, but we’re deploying with a full squadron.”
     
     
    Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf , Stargate #2, December 16, 2020
    The stargate loomed in front of the ship, a giant mass of nothingness. Made from two black holes that had been linked together by an ancient civilization, it transferred a ship from one place to another instantly...or as close to instantly as anyone had ever been able to prove. No one knew how they worked, and only one person had ever been close to figuring them out. He wasn’t telling; he had died when Drakuls came through the semi-functioning gate that he had created.
    Captain Sheppard looked at the gate on the view screen. Terra stood alone against a tide of Drakuls , and its only hope was for him to find and bring back aid. No pressure there.
    Captain Sheppard was first and foremost a naval officer, and the U.S. Navy had a long tradition of getting the mission done...somehow. It wasn’t always pretty, but naval officers always figured out a way in the end. From everything he had heard as mission prep, though, it looked like this mission had more riding on it than any other mission in naval history...as well as the smallest chance for success. Terra needed aid from the Mrowry, but even their crown prince thought it unlikely they would get any. They might get aid from the Archons...but they were an unknown race that owed them nothing. That seemed like a long shot, too. According to both the Mrowry and Steropes, there wasn’t anyone else close by to ask. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. They’d find a way. They had to.
    Time to get the show on the road. “Sound General Quarters!” he ordered. Also called “battle stations,” the General Quarters announcement was made to signal that battle or the threat of damage was imminent. When the call was made, the crew would report to their combat stations and would close the ship’s airtight and fireproof doors to keep any potential damage from spreading. Since the first stargate transit the Vella Gulf made under Captain Deutch, it had become standard practice to set General Quarters prior to transit, as well as to man up all of the space fighters. You never knew what was waiting for you on the