The following events take place before The Helix Wars: Beachhead.
“I hope you have a damn good reason for dragging me out of bed this early in the fragging morning, John,” Krauze gave a hoarse grunt, advertising his mood.
“Trust me Sam, you’re gonna love this,” Smith assured his friend.
Down and down through the seemingly endless complex they went, through winding corridors upon winding corridors until Krauze came under the impression that Smith was lost and they were going in circles. At last, they reached a large, strike that, enormous room. Thinking back on the trip they took, Krauze realized Jonathan had the route memorized.
Whatever was in this room, it had his old friend very worked up. It took a lot to get Jonathan Smith worked up, especially in the mood he had been in lately. Surprisingly, the seemingly magical return from the dead his son had made had not done very much to improve his depression, and Samuel realized that was one of the highest ranking military officials left, John had taken the final defeat and Andoz very personally, and that meant he had taken all the lives they had left behind very personally as well.
Quite a burden for one man to bear.
And it was not a burden Smith was bearing alone, even if he wasn’t aware of it. Almost every single soul that had survived the final defeat took some measure of responsibility for their civilization’s destruction, whether it was reasonable for them to or not. Every single citizen felt as though they had done something wrong. Every single citizen was, as a result, depressed as hell.
It would be a long road to recovery.
“It’s a very large room,” Krauze pointed out, peering out at John, “Spectacular.”
“Over here! Over here!” Smith waved his friend over violently, grinning like a maniac, “You’ve gotta see this, Sam!”
And as Krauze rounded the corner of boxes piled high that prevented him from being able to see what Smith was so worked up about right as he entered the room, his jaw dropped. Standing before him, as real as the Zenith Admiral right beside him, was a fully sized, powered up Excalibur-class Interceptor. He stared for a good minute, and then craned his neck slightly to look at Jonathan.
“It’s a fragging Excalibur, John,” Samuel said, dumbfounded.
“Yep,” John replied, his eyes staring straight ahead at the spaceship, twinkling.
“How did you fit a fragging Excalibur all the way down here?” Krauze asked, then shook his head, “Never mind, I probably don’t want to know. What’s so special about an Excalibur, even if it is in the last place I’d expect it to be.”
“Look at it, Sam,” Smith said.
“I am looking at in, John,” Krauze shot back, “Its kind of hard to miss.”
“You’re looking, but you’re not looking,” John shook his head, “Really look at it.”
Krauze looked harder, furrowing his brow.
“You got rid of the guns,” Krauze pointed out, motioning at the spot where the very large projectile cannons would be, “And those new engines are really big.”
“Correction, we replaced the guns,” Smith admonished, “And those engines aren’t the main ones.”
Samuel looked closer at the Excalibur, noticing for the first time the much smaller looking weapons that were in the place where the projectile cannons had once been, and also took note of the identical weapons underneath the cannons’ former location. Leaning to the side, Krauze realized that the original ship’s engines were still in place.
“What are those new guns?” Krauze asked, pointing at the four cannons.
“They’re laser cannons, Sam,” Smith smiled widely, “Actual laser cannons.”
“You’re joking,” Krauze raised his eyebrows.
“Hell no,” Smith smiled, “They’re actually laser cannons. Come over here!”
Smith motioned Krauze over, heading underneath the left wing, ducking his head to avoid getting hit by the bulky new engines Smith had not explained yet. Krauze followed, and for the first time noticed the gunner’s seat jutting out from the hull of the ship directly underneath the central fin, right at the end of the ship. The guns looked just as unobtrusive as the laser cannons which had replaced the old projectile ones.
“Quad laser cannons,” Smith explained, “This Exalibur has more than quadruple the firepower it did before. And that’s now even counting the concussion missile launchers.”
Smith pointed at the tube-shaped launchers jutting out further up on the Excalibur’s hull. They could only be one thing, Krauze realized, and that would be missile tubes. He had never seen missile tubes on a spaceship so small. Especially one as small as the Excalibur, which was the smallest spaceship in the Andozian arsenal. Who knows, after these new upgrades, maybe that would soon change.
“So what are these new engines up here?” Krauze asked, motioning toward the added engines he had mistaken for the main ones earlier.
“They’re afterburners,” Smith explained, “Most of the starfighters in this galaxy are a lot smaller than the Excaliburs, so the boys over at R&D thought the Excalibur could use a bit of extra juice. I’ve never loved scientists so much.”
“So when is it being tested?” Krauze asked, his eyebrows raised.
“It already has been,” John turned to grin at Sam, “At least, its been tested unmanned. The first manned test is due to go up in about…five minutes.”
“Oh?” Krauze grunted, “Who are the lucky two that get to test this contraption out?”
“Us,” John smiled widely.
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“I hope you have a damn good reason for dragging me out of bed this early in the fragging morning, John,” Krauze gave a hoarse grunt, advertising his mood.
“Trust me Sam, you’re gonna love this,” Smith assured his friend.
Down and down through the seemingly endless complex they went, through winding corridors upon winding corridors until Krauze came under the impression that Smith was lost and they were going in circles. At last, they reached a large, strike that, enormous room. Thinking back on the trip they took, Krauze realized Jonathan had the route memorized.
Whatever was in this room, it had his old friend very worked up. It took a lot to get Jonathan Smith worked up, especially in the mood he had been in lately. Surprisingly, the seemingly magical return from the dead his son had made had not done very much to improve his depression, and Samuel realized that was one of the highest ranking military officials left, John had taken the final defeat and Andoz very personally, and that meant he had taken all the lives they had left behind very personally as well.
Quite a burden for one man to bear.
And it was not a burden Smith was bearing alone, even if he wasn’t aware of it. Almost every single soul that had survived the final defeat took some measure of responsibility for their civilization’s destruction, whether it was reasonable for them to or not. Every single citizen felt as though they had done something wrong. Every single citizen was, as a result, depressed as hell.
It would be a long road to recovery.
“It’s a very large room,” Krauze pointed out, peering out at John, “Spectacular.”
“Over here! Over here!” Smith waved his friend over violently, grinning like a maniac, “You’ve gotta see this, Sam!”
And as Krauze rounded the corner of boxes piled high that prevented him from being able to see what Smith was so worked up about right as he entered the room, his jaw dropped. Standing before him, as real as the Zenith Admiral right beside him, was a fully sized, powered up Excalibur-class Interceptor. He stared for a good minute, and then craned his neck slightly to look at Jonathan.
“It’s a fragging Excalibur, John,” Samuel said, dumbfounded.
“Yep,” John replied, his eyes staring straight ahead at the spaceship, twinkling.
“How did you fit a fragging Excalibur all the way down here?” Krauze asked, then shook his head, “Never mind, I probably don’t want to know. What’s so special about an Excalibur, even if it is in the last place I’d expect it to be.”
“Look at it, Sam,” Smith said.
“I am looking at in, John,” Krauze shot back, “Its kind of hard to miss.”
“You’re looking, but you’re not looking,” John shook his head, “Really look at it.”
Krauze looked harder, furrowing his brow.
“You got rid of the guns,” Krauze pointed out, motioning at the spot where the very large projectile cannons would be, “And those new engines are really big.”
“Correction, we replaced the guns,” Smith admonished, “And those engines aren’t the main ones.”
Samuel looked closer at the Excalibur, noticing for the first time the much smaller looking weapons that were in the place where the projectile cannons had once been, and also took note of the identical weapons underneath the cannons’ former location. Leaning to the side, Krauze realized that the original ship’s engines were still in place.
“What are those new guns?” Krauze asked, pointing at the four cannons.
“They’re laser cannons, Sam,” Smith smiled widely, “Actual laser cannons.”
“You’re joking,” Krauze raised his eyebrows.
“Hell no,” Smith smiled, “They’re actually laser cannons. Come over here!”
Smith motioned Krauze over, heading underneath the left wing, ducking his head to avoid getting hit by the bulky new engines Smith had not explained yet. Krauze followed, and for the first time noticed the gunner’s seat jutting out from the hull of the ship directly underneath the central fin, right at the end of the ship. The guns looked just as unobtrusive as the laser cannons which had replaced the old projectile ones.
“Quad laser cannons,” Smith explained, “This Exalibur has more than quadruple the firepower it did before. And that’s now even counting the concussion missile launchers.”
Smith pointed at the tube-shaped launchers jutting out further up on the Excalibur’s hull. They could only be one thing, Krauze realized, and that would be missile tubes. He had never seen missile tubes on a spaceship so small. Especially one as small as the Excalibur, which was the smallest spaceship in the Andozian arsenal. Who knows, after these new upgrades, maybe that would soon change.
“So what are these new engines up here?” Krauze asked, motioning toward the added engines he had mistaken for the main ones earlier.
“They’re afterburners,” Smith explained, “Most of the starfighters in this galaxy are a lot smaller than the Excaliburs, so the boys over at R&D thought the Excalibur could use a bit of extra juice. I’ve never loved scientists so much.”
“So when is it being tested?” Krauze asked, his eyebrows raised.
“It already has been,” John turned to grin at Sam, “At least, its been tested unmanned. The first manned test is due to go up in about…five minutes.”
“Oh?” Krauze grunted, “Who are the lucky two that get to test this contraption out?”
“Us,” John smiled widely.
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”