Midshipman Henry Gallant in Space

  * * *

  That night, Gallant awoke with a start. He lay in the bunk, wondering what had roused him. After a moment, he realized the communications center was bleeping with an incoming message. His heart pounded as he shifted his position, stretching to activate the decoding equipment. He got out of the sleeping bunk and took his seat in the pilot chair.

  It had been utterly maddening to spend the last day without any communication signals from the Jupiter Fleet. Gallant choked with excitement as his imagination filled with the possibilities of what the communication held. He leaned forward, peering into the screen to read the message. He felt Kelsey's breath as she leaned forward over his shoulder.

  Gallant let his shoulders relax, relieved to see the signal from the Repulse was addressed directly to him. He noted with interest that it was Chief Howard who had transmitted the information.

  The message started with a personal note that Red and Neumann were alive in the Jupiter Station hospital. Then it listed the names of those who had not survived. There were too many. He gave a silent mental salute. Kelsey squeezed his shoulder, and he knew she was doing the same. He was relieved that some of his comrades had survived, even though others had not.

  Included with the general message was a family-gram for Kelsey. Family-grams were important to space personnel. They were three- or four-line messages that their families were allowed to forward a few times during each deployment. It was from her parents, and she read it aloud, “Everyone here is fine and praying for you. Stay safe. Much love, Mom and Dad.”

  Gallant felt a twinge of envy, but it passed quickly.

  The rest of the transmission provided an update on the status of the Jupiter Fleet, the marines on Ganymede, and the information that was available on the Titan fleet’s condition. Apparently, the battle cruisers were badly damaged but under repair. The marines were holding their position near the Titan landing zones. The entire situation seemed to be in a gridlock, with neither side strong enough to dislodge the other.

  “Isn’t it odd that the Titans aren’t following up their attack on the Jupiter Fleet?” asked Kelsey.

  Gallant said, "The entire Titan strategy for this war doesn’t make sense. They attacked Jupiter with a force too small for sustained follow-through. Even if they had been successful in destroying the Jupiter Fleet and occupying Ganymede, they weren’t strong enough to withstand a counterattack from Mars. The Mars Fleet could easily brush it aside. I've played enough chess against Red to learn that the opening moves of a conflict are not necessarily designed to bring about an immediate decisive win. They should set up for a favorable position from which a decisive advantage can be gained. We’re missing something. There has to be more to the Titans’ plan."