“Have you ever been to Enshar before, Commander?” Demidov asked, staring at the lights of the dead cities.
Telisan turned to look at the human. It still struck him as odd to be taking orders from a true female, even if of another species. His own people had three genders, male, demi-female and true-female. A male or demi might command a warship, but never a true female. He’d served with her for only a few weeks, since leaving the hospital ship Solace, but Telisan respected her ability.
“No,” the Denlenn replied. “It is too far from the Conchirri theatre of operations. Before the war I attended university on Denla. I met an Enshari there, Professor Belwin Duna. He is my greatest friend, if he still lives.”
“I never met one,” Demidov said. “They withdrew from space travel as the war dragged on, hid out in the safety of their underground cities.”
Telisan forbore to argue with her attitude. Humans measured everything in terms of the war effort.
Hours passed as more probes dropped into the atmosphere. They found no sign of radiation, chemical or biological agents.
“We’re not learning anything up here,” Demidov finally announced. “I’m sending down a landing force. I want a complete chemical, biological ordinance protocol in effect. The assault group will go in three shuttles. Two will carry Marines and Air Space Assault troops; the third will carry a scientific and medical team. Commander Telisan, send half the fighters in with the shuttles; keep half with you as a combat aerospace patrol.”
Telisan snapped a salute and left as launch alarms shrilled. Twenty seconds later he reached Earhart’s capacious hanger deck. His squadron had already manned their Spacefires. Telisan waved to Seeka, who grinned back and vaulted into his fighter. Armored doors dropped and the fighters spilled out. They hit their engines for a quick burn, moving the Spacefires through the formation to take station behind the winged shape of the destroyer escort Flamme.
“Black Diamond One to Casino,” Telisan called, as his slender fingers raced over the controls. “We are taking position.” He switched to the squadron frequency. “One to Six. Take sections Alpha and Beta. Stick close to the DE and the Wolverines. I’ll fly high guard.”
“Yes, mighty ace of aces.”
Telisan smiled briefly at Seeka’s informality. One of these days I shall have to remind him to watch his manners with his elders. He turned his attention to the world ahead. It filled his view, massive, dark and enigmatic.
Three Wolverine-class attack shuttles launched from the Earhart and headed for the planet. They passed the lowest vessel, the destroyer escort Flamme, which had dropped to within one hundred thousand meters of the surface. Telisan and the rest of the fleet stacked between two hundred thousand and three hundred thousand meters.
“Fighter Computer,” Telisan said, “display the landing force.”
The Wolverine shuttles appeared on the fighter’s small video screen. He watched as they cut through the upper atmosphere, heading for the city of Gigor, near the Confed naval base. The big, gray-green camouflaged ships landed far short of the base in a triangular formation.
Suddenly the picture on Telisan’s screen changed. A cloud of dust sprang from nowhere, engulfing each shuttle. Then his screen derezzed and electronics on Telisan’s Spacefire went mad with feedback and distortion. Sparks showered him as his electronics shorted. He cried out, snatching at his fire extinguisher. Telisan’s helmet slammed against the canopy and he realized the fighter was tumbling. With one hand he fought his ship, using the other to trigger the extinguisher. With a fighter pilot’s trained instinct, he climbed.
“All Black Diamonds form on me,” Telisan called. Only a burst of static answered him. “Black Diamonds to me.”
He dropped the extinguisher and switched frequencies. “Black Diamond One to Fleet, respond.”
“This is the Flamme, enemy on board!” The voice cut out as Telisan heard a scream and a shot. His fighter’s screen snapped back on, blurry and crackling. “Select DE Flamme,” he ordered. The escort appeared on the screen. Flamme was tumbling end for end, plunging planetward.
“No,” Telisan cried as the ship exploded in the Northern Sea.
He frantically switched to the squadron channel. “Seeka, come in. Seeka!” He tapped the small fighter’s AI screen. “Computer, progressively select all Black Diamond fighters.” The scanner showed him what he feared. Only his section survived. All the others lay smashed into the world below, like the Flamme, or burned to cinders in uncontrolled reentry.
The captain’s voice crackled in his headphones. “All ships, this is Demidov, general