"What did you do?" demanded Eric, as the general fired back the exact same question. As Eric's analytical mind wound up to speed, the lights in the cockpit gradually came back on, and the cannon exhaustedly lifted back off the rails. Eric punched at control panels with alacrity.
"It was the collimating crystal in the laser diodes. As it heated up, it hit resonance frequency and multiplied the blast yield exponentially."
"What does that mean to our mission, Doctor?" enquired the general with irritated expediency.
"They've cooled now, but I think it'll happen again every ..." Eric's mind visibly burned with silent calculations, "fifteenth shot. The diodes can take it, but the cannon's frame wasn't designed to absorb that kind of force. Next time, the laser mechanism will probably crush the cockpit."
To Eric's surprise, there was no hint of blame emanating from the general. Instead, he was quite simply contemplating the effect of only fourteen remaining shots, before accepting this new constraint and turning back to his controls unperturbed.
"Then let's make them count."
Eric put his bewilderment aside and took up his own controls.
The remaining ships used their limited maneuvering thrusters to increase their speed, and the general's shots began to go wide. Two of the heat shields had exploded, while the third's anti-grav generators collapsed.
It was all Eric could do to avoid the incoming fire, no longer able to accommodate Nishikado's targeting. Nevertheless, the fourteenth shot ripped through one of the smaller alien vessels, leaving only one infantry lander hurtling toward Tokyo. As the general had already reminded Eric, that was all the viral alien species needed to spread throughout the world.
The cannon ground to a halt beneath the remaining shield.
"How many shots do we have left?" asked Eric.
"One. The 15th shot." said Nishikado, defeated.
Pieces of the heat shield hit the cannon, as the alien ship zipped past and fired at the two men.
"You've earned a great honor in what you've achieved today." Just as it was with his anger, there was no hint of admiration in the general's tone, but it was there, deep beneath the surface.
Nishikado had meant what he'd said to Eric, but his despondent fatigue suggested he felt otherwise about himself. It had been 15 years since the general survived the battle that had wiped out his regiment and left him lame. The wounds on his honor hadn't healed, and now they never would. Eric considered offering some kind of reciprocal gesture of mutual respect, but he knew the general wouldn't appreciate it. His courteous silence was far more appropriate for the old soldier.
Eric looked up at the ceiling monitor and saw the landing craft shoot past through a widening crack in the heat shield. Above it, he could see the ice blue of the torn Tokyo sky. An arrowhead of starlings floated high above the city, returning to the heavens as they settled back into a warm cyan majesty. He thought about Kaori standing next to him on the hanger roof, the gentleness of her touch against his elbow (such wonderful control, she had) and her flawless rendition of inspirational conversation. He heard the roar of the alien assault ship, but it couldn't break his reveries this time. One more shot and the shield would separate, exposing the two men to certain death along with the rest of life on Earth, but for this moment, for as long as it lasted, he felt good. Better than he ever had.
