Genellan 04 Earth Siege by Scott G. Gier

Author:Scott G. Gier [Gier, Scott G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Handoff

“Condor, flight of two, high key,” Sharl Buccari reported, disengaging the EPL’s autopilot. It was unusually clear for the dissipated planet. To the east a quartering moon lifted above Edmonton’s sulphurous haze; to the west ranged the sparsely snowcapped Canadian Rockies, pale imitation of Genellan’s Corlian Range.

“Roger, Condor is-ah number two for landing,” the konish controller replied in heavily accented but serviceable Legion Standard. “The ambassador’s downloader is rolling out. Stand-uh by for clearance.”

Buccari acknowledged, gently testing control response; the heavy-lifter on her wing remained in rock-solid formation. Beyond her left wing sprawled the rollout runways of the Calgary Extraterritorial Facility. Situated in a remote corner of the Alberta Military Test Grounds, CEF was a heavily guarded enclave ceded as ambassadorial holdings to the planet Kon. Tar Fell’s lander had already touched down, delivering Ambassador Kateos and the konish delegation to their fortified facility. Buccari’s EPL was next to land, escorting a Legion heavy-lifter and its precious cargo—the descendents of the Shaula Massacre, their number increased by childbirth to one hundred and twenty-four, including fourteen males, likely the most indulged infants in the history of the species.

Buccari thought of her own gray-eyed boy and how much of his life she had missed. In the frantic interval before the jump to Earth, she had stolen precious moments from her duties to drop into MacArthur’s Valley, to touch her son, to live with him for even a few hours. She laughed at bittersweet memories; her son had kissed her and hugged her, but the lad had grown so tall and so somber, so adult. She would bring him to Earth next time. He would enter the Academy. And she would make time to marry Jake Carmichael. They would become a family.

Her mood plummeted. She and Carmichael had just exchanged holo-vids, awkward with transmission delay. Carmichael was distracted, although his words were passionate and tender. She loved the big man, and she knew that he loved her, but life was not helping. They were finally in the same star system, not separated by light years, but still they were not close enough to touch. They had agreed to postpone the wedding, again. Time was too short; she had to train the cliff dwellers, and Carmichael had to bring Avenger on line. She rejoiced in his great triumph, swelling with vicarious pride; Jake Carmichael, commanding officer of the newest and most powerful battleship in the Legion Space Fleet, had reached the zenith of his profession. With a nagging pang—perhaps of jealousy—Buccari realized that Carmichael may have already wed.

“Condor flight is-ah cleared to land, runway two-eight left,” the konish controller announced.

Buccari acknowledged. Her spirits lifted; she was piloting an aircraft through clear skies, and she was bringing to the peoples of Earth an extraordinary gift.

All the world’s citizens awaited the hostages’ return, certainly none more so than the xenophobic states of the Asian Cooperation. These were their grandchildren, missing all these decades. Word of their rescue had circled the globe with furious joy and lifted the leaden spirits of all humanity.

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