by Greg Sorber
While Dennis, Therapy, and others might not like that Gladius was in charge of the defense of Mechhaven, Misty knew he and the Legion would fight to the bitter end. That was their nature. Lancer would command the rest of the mechs, although he agreed to defer to Gladius’s orders during the battle. The Legion was to be the vanguard against the screever attack, while everyone else would support and reinforce them as needed. It wasn’t the best plan in the galaxy, but it was all they had.
One of the last things that Misty needed to do was contact Chuck. Perhaps he could bring back some of the weapons and ammunition they’d transferred to him on his last visit. If he could, then their chances of survival would increase ever so slightly. The electromagnetic storm Therapy had warned about was forming. As it coalesced, it would spread across the entire planetoid and last several days. It would prevent any electronic communications both on or off-world while it raged. Though most mechs were shielded from EMP attacks, the electromagnetic storms were a force of nature and would overwhelm any of their built-in protections.
During the storms, all mechs and humans would have to take shelter and no ships could take off or land. The Legion would shelter in place and prepare at the Foundry. Everyone else would shelter at The Black Hole. As soon as conditions permitted, the Legion would march themselves and any additional weapons they’d produced to the rally point. From there, they would distribute the weapons to the Villagers. Once everyone was ready, they’d gather at the edge of the Landing Pad to mount their defense on the adjacent plains.
Angel was quiet. His head hung low. It was interesting how the mechs mimicked human mannerisms. Misty wasn’t sure if it was programmed as part of some emotion subroutine, or learned through their interactions with humans. Neither Angel nor Connie said a word on the way back to the Command Center. Brutus had handled Angel like the rookie he was. He was disappointed in himself and based on the legendary tales of Archangels; she was too. He shouldn’t be so hard on himself though, as Brutus was a trained warrior with years of combat experience, whereas Angel she discovered on the way to the Foundry, was green. Despite his advanced technology, he was also working with a severe power deficit which he was not accustomed.
Angel finally spoke. “How am I supposed to lead and inspire, if I can’t handle one Imperium brute?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself—” Misty said, but Connie interrupted.
“No, Misty. Don’t soothe his bruised ego,” Connie said. “Angel had his ass handed to him by Brutus. He wasn’t expecting trouble, but trouble found him. He’s lucky he only got thrown to the floor. Had it been an actual fight, Brutus wouldn’t have stopped with just throwing him down.”
“If it was a proper fight, I wouldn’t have these stupid power siphons,” Angel said as he pointed at the four devices on his chest.
“Do you think the Legion fights fair in battle? Do you think the screevers will?” Connie asked.
“No, but—”
“Excuses, mech. You make do with what you have,” Connie said.
“Easy for you to say, you can still use your converting ability.”
“And it’s a good thing, too. At least one of us showed a strong warrior spirit. I bet that’s the only thing that persuaded Gladius to help us.”
“Why are you being so hard on me?” Angel asked.
“Because Gladius was right—to a degree. We’re getting ready to go into battle because of your inactions. You must take responsibility for them before you can be the beacon of hope that you’re supposed to be.”
“Okay, we understand. You’ve made your points.” Misty said. Then she looked at Angel. “Listen to Connie, heed her advice, and figure it out. We need you at your best. When we get back to the base, I’ll have Ajax remove the power siphons.”
“What about the Accords?” Angel asked.
Misty looked at Connie, then back to Angel, shrugged and said, “It seems like everyone else is ignoring them, so why shouldn’t you?”
Misty entered an empty Command Center. Dennis was in the ChemLab Module, concocting the protective coating that would help defend mechs against the acid spraying screevers. Ajax was heading to the Repair Module to remove Angel’s power siphons. Therapy worked alongside Wavelength to boost the signal of the Secondary Communications System. All other mechs were helping to build fortifications, which they hoped would funnel the screevers into their defenses. Misty’s communicator beeped. Therapy was trying to reach her.
“Misty, I contacted Chuck. He’s back in the star system.”
“Okay, great. Patch me through to him.”
“Working on it... Here you go. Therapy out.”
“Hello? Misty?” an alien voice said. “It’s me, your friend, Chuck.”
“Chuck, it’s good to hear your voice, but we need to talk,” Misty said.
“Now Misty, if it’s about those xenrats, I had nothing to do with—”
Misty cut him off. “It’s not about the xenrats, Chuck. We’ve got bigger problems than that now.”
“Oh, what type of problems?”
“Imperium type, the Accords type, life and death type,” Misty said.
“Oh, I see. That explains the two Imperium ships in the system.”
“You can see them?” Misty asked.
“Yes, I can see them. One is a modified heavy transport, and the other is an assault landing shuttle. What happened?”
Misty filled Chuck in on the details.
“That is serious. I guess we won’t meet with them.”
“What do you mean, meet with them?”
“They hailed me some time ago and requested to dock so we could conduct business.”
“Chuck, that’s a trap. They’re not trying to trade with you. They’ll lure you in close and blow you away.”
“That wouldn’t be good. I’ve got bills to pay. Besides, my wife will kill me if I’m late for our anniversary. We will avoid the Imperium. Thanks for the warning,” Chuck said. Misty heard him shout instructions in a language she didn’t recognize to a crew member.
“What can I do for you, Misty?”
“Chuck, I need two big favors. If you come through, I’ll owe you big time.”
“I don’t deal in favors, Misty, you know that.”
“Hear me out.”
“If it were anyone else, I would say no. But for you, I’ll listen.”
“First, our Primary Communications System is down. The Imperium inspection team blew it up. I need you to send a message to the Accords Compliance Committee, or whoever else will listen, and let them know what’s happening here.”
“Okay, I can do that for you. Transmit the message to me and I will relay it.”
Misty pressed some keys on her datapad and transmitted the message Therapy had prepared. It detailed their situation in the most economical way. Hopefully, it would get to the right people in time.
“What’s the second favor?”
“That’s simple. We need weapons and ammunition, whatever you have. Bring them here. We want them all.”
“Misty, I’m just a simple merchant. My contract is to pick up the decommissioned weapons and ammunition from Mechhaven and dispose of them by the book. I don’t have a ship full of weapons I can just bring you.”
“Seriously, Chuck? You’re playing that game with me, after I explained our situation to you? You haven’t been gone that long, so you should at least have the weapons and ammunition you picked up on your last trip, right?”
“Misty, we’re professionals. We don’t hold on to that cargo any longer than—”
“What do you think the signatories would say if we let them know that you’re not so much an arms disposer as an arms redistributor?”
“If your communications system is down, you won’t be able to get a word out.”
“Oh, Chuck. You want to go there? You wound me. I thought we were friends.”
“Me go there? You went there first, calling me an arms dealer.” Chuck laughed. “I’ve always liked you, Misty, so perh
aps we can help you out. But what do I get out of it? It’s not good business to piss off the Imperium. I have a ship to maintain and a crew to pay.”
“What do you want?” Misty asked.
“To start? I wish you’d say my full name, just one time.”
“Really? That’s all?”
“Oh, there will be more. But to start, I would like to hear you say my name. My full name.”
“You mean Chruckariat Metatarsarian?” Misty said, pronouncing the alien’s name with the utmost precision.
“Yes! My full name! That sounds so beautiful rolling off your tongue. You even got the accent correct!” Chuck laughed again. “So, what weapons do you need?”
“All of them.” She needed all the weapons he could provide for whatever good they’d do.
“All of them?”
“Send Therapy your inventory and he’ll start matching up which mechs can best use which weapons.”
“Misty, I don’t have enough weapons to outfit an army. Are you sure they’ll make a difference?”
“They’ll give us a chance, Chuck. That’s all I can ask,” Misty said.
She and Chuck were both silent until it became uncomfortable.
“Hey, Chuck?” Misty asked.
“Yes?”
“You keep saying we. Is Sigrid still onboard?”
“Yes. Where else would she be?”
“It would be best if I don’t see her.”
“Sigrid? Why?” He paused. “Oh! Yes, I know what you mean. I will give her the message.”
A burst of static over the communications system interrupted their conversation.
“Chuck? Are you still there?”
“Misty, I’ve got to go.” Another burst of static.
“Chuck, what’s going on?”
“Gotta go, Misty. Those Imperium bastards are firing on us—”
“Chuck, get out of there! But don’t forget about the message! Send the message!” Misty shouted.
The signal ended.
Misty pounded her fist on the table. Why couldn’t they catch a break?
She didn’t consider herself a religious person and usually left the praying to Ajax, but she said a prayer to whichever galactic power or deity might be listening to help them get through the coming chaos.
Dennis completed processing the xenrat carcasses, although he wasn’t sure if the ChemLab would ever be the same. Maintenance bots busied themselves with the cleanup, but the sticky goo that made up the xenrats’ insides not only clung to everything, but smelled awful. If he had more time, he might have come up with a cleaner way to process them, but time was of the essence. As for the mechs who’d helped him with the processing, he wasn’t sure if they’d ever be the same, either. He wasn’t sure how they would get cleaned up or whether they’d volunteer to help him with anything ever again.
The next step of the process was to extract the acid-resistant elements from the xenrat exoskeletons. Once completed, he’d compound those elements with a substance they could bond to, and then apply it to the mechs. The electromagnetic storm Therapy had reported on was closing in. He hoped there was enough time to finish and start applying the protective coating to the mechs while they sheltered from the storm at The Black Hole.
The protective coating wasn’t his best work by a long-shot, but he created it in a hurry, so if it added even a small layer of protection, and saved some mechs, it would be worth the trouble. He just needed to produce enough for everyone. At the very least he would make sure he could cover the Legion and their shields, as they would face the brunt of the attack, but Dennis wanted to protect everyone he could.
For the mechs sheltering from the storm in The Black Hole, Dennis would apply the protective coating then. This would give the coating time to bond to the mechs’ outer skin. Applying the coating to the Legion would be on a much tighter deadline, depending on how long the gap was between when the storm passed and before the screevers attacked. He hoped there was enough time for the coating to bond, otherwise it would be useless.
Dennis’s communicator beeped. He looked at the display. It was Ajax.
“Hey Ajax, what’s going on?”
“Misty wants me to meet Angel in the Repair Module and remove his power siphons.”
He didn’t even bother asking about the Accords. Everything was about survival. They’d worry about the Accords later, if there was a later.
“It’ll be a whole different battle if Angel’s fighting at full strength,” Dennis said.
“Yeah, that’s the idea. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know. I’ll be over as soon as I’m done with that.”
“Helping Angel is more important than helping me. How’s the special project coming along?”
“All done, Chief. Check them out when you get to The Black Hole.”
“Well done. See you soon.”
“Roger that. Ajax out.”
He wouldn’t receive any help from Ajax. No problem, he’d carry on. That was a bit of good news about the special project. Those would help him, Misty, and Ajax from being liabilities in the coming battle.
A timer beeped. He pulled the sample from the compounding machine and examined it. Using pliers, he picked up a piece of alloy, the same type that made up the outer layer of most mechs. He held the alloy still and used an aerosol sprayer to coat it. Dennis set the alloy aside. The coating needed time to bond. After the bond had set, he’d test it to see how well it held up to acid. Dennis was under no illusion that his protective coating would turn the tide of battle—it wouldn’t—but if it prevented mechs from being maimed or destroyed, it’d be worth it.
Ajax found Angel waiting for him at the Repair Module.
“Will the Legion be helping us out?” Ajax asked.
“Yeah, no thanks to me,” Angel said. He explained what had transpired between him and Brutus.
“Ouch, that’s rough,” Ajax said. “Don’t worry about it too much. Brutus is hardcore. I’m sure he’s been brooding over your encounter at The Black Hole and has been plotting his revenge ever since.”
“He seemed ready for me.”
“We’ll get you back up to full strength—then you two can have a proper conversation,” Ajax said. “I bet I could sell tickets to that.”
“No, Ajax, as much as I’d like to show Brutus a thing or two, I have to use my power wisely. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Misty or Connie.”
“I know what you mean, those two have high expectations.” Ajax said.
Angel took his place on the platform and waited for Ajax to strap him in.
“I’m not sure why I need the straps for you to remove the power siphons,” Angel said.
“Power fluctuations,” Ajax said. “Once I remove the siphons, power will flood back into your system. You might experience a temporary loss of control. I don’t want to end up splattered on the wall.”
“I see. That is a wise precaution.”
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
Ajax disconnected the feed to the battery bank. For the last several days he’d kept it charged using the excess power siphoned from Angel. He’d stored a surprising amount of backup power in the batteries and thought of many potential uses for it. It had already proved essential in reviving Therapy and boosting the Secondary Communications System. He needed to come up with a way for Angel to top them off periodically, especially if they didn’t reinstall the power siphons after the battle.
“I’ll do this slowly,” Ajax said. “You’re used to having a lot of power running through you, but now your systems have gotten used to only a trickle. If I restore you to full power instantly, it might overload your systems and do significant damage, so I want to be careful.”
“I think I can take it,” Angel said.
“Like I said, let’s just take this nice and slow.” Ajax decoupled the first power siphon. It didn’t seem to have any effect. “How do you feel?”
“Fine.”
“And your systems?”
<
br /> “I’m noticing an increase in power levels. Not yet twenty-five percent, but it’s increasing. My systems are compensating for the power differential.”
“I’m going to remove another one.” Ajax removed the second power siphon. Angel closed his ocular sensors and arched his back.
“And now?”
“I felt that one,” Angel said. “The additional energy feels good, but I definitely noticed it. Keep going.”
“Alright, but let’s keep this going nice and slow,” Ajax said.
“Remove the third one,” Angel said. “We’re wasting time.” He reached up to remove it on his own.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Remember what I told you when you first arrived? If you try to remove it yourself, it will cause a feedback loop that will knock you out.”
Angel was about to touch it, then he thought better of it.
“Let me deactivate it first.” Ajax entered the deactivation code. Angel spasmed on the table. “Angel, are you okay?” The mech twitched and shook.
“Still here—” he said. “Systems… having trouble… adapting to the… increased power… but they will adapt… Remove the final… siphon.”
Ajax checked his datapad. The power fluctuations were incredible. He wasn’t sure if he should remove the siphon.
“Remove it!” Angel shouted. “My systems… won’t be able… to adapt… until full power… restored… to all… systems.”
Ajax entered the code and deactivated the final power siphon. The hairs on his arms stood up as the surge of power flowed into Angel.
Angel emitted a sound that could only be called a scream and continued shaking on the platform. His systems weren’t adapting to the increased power. The power in the Repair Module fluctuated, affected by the power surge coming from Angel.
Ajax entered the code to reactivate the fourth power siphon. Nothing happened. Angel still shook on the lift. Oh no. He reactivated the battery bank, so it could absorb some of the excess power. The battery bank’s power level increased, but Angel still shuddered. He grabbed another power siphon and installed it on Angel’s chest. He entered the activation code.