Shadows of the Gods: Crimson Worlds Refugees II by Jay Allan

perfectly pressed, and every hair on his head exactly where it belonged, as if each of them had been ordered to lay neatly and wouldn’t dare disobey.
    He is his mother’s son, isn’t he?
    Compton waited while Harmon sat in the chair opposite his own. The captain almost looked more uncomfortable in the seat than he had standing ramrod straight a few seconds before. Compton would have told himself his aide would lose that perfect discipline when he saw some real action…but Max Harmon had been in enough tough battles to melt the heart of a lesser man. And still, there he is, at 3am ship’s time, looking like an image of spot on perfection .
    “Max, I want you to do something for me.”
    “Of course, sir. Whatever you wish.”
    “I want you to go with the expedition.”
    “Certainly, sir.”
    “I don’t want you to stay. I need you here. But I have to know everything is in place and going well. I want you to stay a week and then come back and report.”
    “Yes, Admiral.”
    “I’m detaching Wolverine . She will stay in orbit with a skeleton crew and wait for you. She’s one of the fastest ships left in the fleet, and I’ve authorized her commander to burn as much fuel as necessary to catch up with us.”
    “Very well, sir.” A pause. “If that is all, sir, I should go get ready. The expedition is set to depart in four hours.”
    “Yes, Max. And thank you. I’d like to land myself and have a look around…but I can’t risk something like that again. And your eyes are the next closest thing to mine.”
    Harmon stood up, looking almost relieved to be on his feet and at attention again. “Of course, Admiral. Don’t worry…I will bring you a complete report.”
    “I’m sure you will.” He nodded and watched as the aide turned toward the door.
    “And Max?”
    Harmon stopped and turned back toward Compton. “Sir?”
    “I need that report no matter what. And I need you too.” Compton paused. “So if the expedition runs into trouble, if there is heavy fighting…your orders are to leave immediately and come back and report to me.”
    Harmon paused, looking suddenly uncomfortable. “Of course, sir. As you command.” His voice was sharp, almost stilted, despite his obvious efforts to hide his feelings about making a run for it while the landing party was under attack.
    “Very well, Max. Now go and get ready. I’ll speak with you again before you leave.”
    “Sir!” Harmon snapped, and then he turned and walked out of the room.
    I know, Max. I understand how hard it will be if you have to leave—to run—while your comrades are fighting…and perhaps dying. But I must know what is happening down there, and all the more if disaster strikes.
    He sighed and looked across the dimly-lit room.
    Civilians must imagine that fighting is the hardest thing we do, facing our fears and plunging into the maelstrom. But it is not. Not for officers like us, Max. No, for us, abandoning our brethren is the worst nightmare…yet if that is what duty demands of us, then we have no choice. For duty is first, above all things .
     

Chapter Four
    Command Unit Gamma 9736
     
    The humans paused their advance in system 17411. Their fleet then halted for an extended period before continuing on through the warp gate to system 17419. This is unexpected behavior. They recently paused to refine fusionables for their primitive energy generation systems, and based on an analysis of their vessels and the extraction system they were able to construct, they should not require additional fuel at this time. Even if they did, perhaps in the instance of some leakage or malfunction we have not detected, system 17411 is an unlikely choice. It has a single gas giant, one that is notably poor in the heavy hydrogen and helium-3 their reactors require.
    So why would they pause? They have proceeded on their course for a considerable period of time now, and they have not halted save to replenish their fuel supplies. So what has changed? Have they