“Plan, boss?” Johnson asked.
“I want one of those suits,” Hugo growled.
“Yeah, me too,” Johnson added.
“And then I want to rain down hell on Aquila.”
“Oh, yeah,” Johnson said with feeling. “It’s time to get even.”
Hugo snorted and headed out. Johnson winked at me and followed. I stared at the hatch a moment longer, then pushed my tumultuous thoughts and feelings aside.
It was time to get even.
With Aquila.
And my father.
It was time.
Thirty-Eight
For A Chance, I’d Keep Fighting
Hugo
I slid down the ladder, not worrying about the rungs. My booted feet on the outside of the gel uprights, my hands skimming above them. The wall flew past at record speed. I was aware of Adi attempting to do the same above me. Johnson had already made it to Deck G.
I thought briefly how it was always the pay-for-passages that came last. Lowest deck. Farthest to reach. We could have skipped over Habitat Two and gone to the bottom of the ship. But going down was faster than climbing up, so realistically, it made sense to stop here first before we went deeper.
It smarted. The knowledge that by the time we finished here, people would be dead on Deck H. But there was nothing I could do about it.
I stepped off the ladder and turned around. I only just managed to catch Adi before she flew past me. She clung to my upper arms, her eyes wide, her face ashen.
“Haven’t tried that before, huh?” I asked. She shook her head, unable to form any words.
I kissed her as I dragged her into the tunnel.
“Geez,” Johnson muttered behind us, “get a room already.”
I glanced over my shoulder and arched my brow.
“Sir,” he added, grinning.
I shook my head and let go of my woman, and then headed toward the central hub. It was going to be bad. I knew it. We needed a plan. I had nothing. We couldn’t even look out of a grille before stepping onto the hub. We’d have no way to know how many mercs Flux had taken out. If they’d missed even one, we could be facing resistance stronger than we were armed for. Two plasma pistols against potentially ten still breathing, self-contained armoured units.
It wasn’t a good scenario. But we could try to at least reach some of the civvies. Some of our men. Even when the oxygen levels got low enough to make you pass out, there was still a window of time open to us. As long as we weren’t thwarted by the mercs.
And then there was Deck H and Habitat Three; the pay-for-passages. Any delay here could mean their deaths for certain. Time simply wasn’t on our side.
I stopped in front of the hatch and drew my pistol. Johnson had his out already. I looked back at Adi. She looked terrified. God, I didn’t want her to see this.
“OK,” I said. “Johnson you go first, I’ll cover you.” I knew there was no way he’d let me step out of this tunnel before he did. So, I wasn’t going to waste time arguing.
“Yes, sir,” he said, moving forward.
“Grab a downed merc,” I said. We had to hope there was one. I handed him Adi’s screwdriver. “Get his suit on you while I distract them.”
“Even before the civvies?” he asked.
“Damn straight,” I said. “Armoured up, you can do more damage. Cover me while I get them out. And then stay behind and mop up the stragglers.”
He stared at me for a moment and then said, “And Deck H? You’ll be on your own.”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “We don’t have time.”
He shook his head but powered up his rifle.
“Your mark, sir,” he said. Good man.
I looked at Adi. She reached forward ready to swipe the wrist comm over the hatch. “Mark,” I said softly.
The hatch fell away, and Johnson rolled out. I fired immediately. Fuck knows what I was shooting at. Air was lacking here too, so that proved the AI had hit all three central hubs in all three habitats. Civvies were down across the board, but so were at least five mercs. So, they’d done some damage. I couldn’t tell who had been injured the worst of the civilians, and I couldn’t spot Lieutenant Wilson and my crewmen.
There wasn’t time to do more than a scan, as the mercs still standing had started to fire back.
But luck was on our side because a merc had been downed over our side of the hub and Johnson was already deactivating his suit armour.
I fired blindly at the remaining mercs, offering what cover I could while Johnson fumbled with the unconscious form inside. A plasma shot hit close to his leg; I could tell he felt the heat of the fire. He rolled the unconscious or dead merc out and then threw himself into the armour. The screwdriver, he chucked toward the hatch.
I couldn’t reach it, nor did I have time to pick it up even if it were closer. I was too busy shooting the shit out of armoured mercs who didn’t even need to fire from behind cover.
And then Johnson was up, and his armour was functioning, and he was shooting the shit out of the mercs along with me.
I gave one last look over my shoulder to Adi, wanting desperately to kiss her again but settled for what I hoped was a reassuring smile, and then slipped out of the hatch and the only cover I’d had.
It became a whirlwind of exertion and effort then, for very little reward. I went to the closest civilian forms, finding the first one dead. The second was beyond any help, and it sickened me that I had to leave him to face his end. The third showed no obvious signs of plasma fire but was unconscious. I hoped it was lack of air. I dragged him back towards the hatch, as Johnson walked beside me, offering a solid form of cover.
I noted, in an abstract way, that Johnson now held two plasma rifles and was using them injudiciously. I approved of that.
The first civvy was hauled up into the tunnel for Adi to grab, and then I was back for the next. I found Lieutenant Wilson on the fourth run. He was alive, but barely. I hauled him back to the hatch. By that time a few of the civvies had come ‘round, so they were able to drag his body inside while Adi kept the hatch open, but stayed out of range of enemy fire.
It got harder after that. I managed to find the rest of Flux watch, and get them and two more civvies back. But any more were too far away to reach without leaving Adi without adequate cover. None of the civvies was well enough to offer cover fire, and Adi, although now in possession of a plasma rifle, was not a good shot.
And I didn’t want her in the line of fire. A thought that made me feel inadequate of the rank I now had.
I shoved the last civilian inside the hatch and turned to look at Johnson in his armour. I was covered in sweat and gasping for air, and starting to feel decidedly unwell. Every now and then I could have sworn I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned, it would be gone.
Hallucinations had begun. I couldn’t risk getting any more. It damn near killed me to count the bodies up. Twelve. God, I felt ill.
“We’ve got to go,” I said to Johnson’s back. He didn’t turn around.
“The screwdriver,” he said instead of arguing my deserting him.
I looked at where he’d thrown it. It was still too far to reach, and Wilson would have his. Hopefully.
“We’ll be fine,” I said. “We’ll come back when we’ve got the rest.”
“Godspeed, Captain,” Johnson said firing up his plasma rifles to full effect.
I hesitated. I didn’t want to leave him. But he could take out the rest of the mercs or at least hold them off until we got back. He wouldn’t have fit inside the tunnel again in armour, and getting him out of it without him taking a hit would have been impossible.
“Godspeed, Lieutenant,” I said.
I pulled back into the hatch and Adi closed it. It took a lot of effort to meet anyone’s eyes, but thankfully the eyes I met first were Adi’s.
“The pay-for-passages,” she said. And she couldn’t have said it better.
Those who we’d rescu
ed and had come around all nodded their heads. Expressions grim. Faces pale. Still gasping for the odd breath.
But it wouldn’t stop them. It wouldn’t prevent them from doing what had to be done.
We had lives to save and a ship to take back and a leaseholder to make pay for his sins.
I had no idea how we’d take Aquila down, but once we had engineering back with us, we had a chance. For a chance, I’d keep fighting.
We all would.
Thirty-Nine
What Was There To Say?
Adi
It was silent on Habitat Three. Somehow it was worse than the plasma fire. We’d left the civilians back in the Deck G tunnels. They didn’t know how to get to the computer core, and there was no one left to show them. All of Lieutenant Wilson’s watch had insisted they accompany Hugo to Habitat Three.
The thought that Lieutenant Johnson was facing off alone against those mercs left standing on Deck G worried me. Everything worried me. I was one big ball of worried mess.
My father had done this. He’d been responsible for all of this. It sickened me.
And now the silence that met us. What had happened to the pay-for-passages and Commander López?
Hugo looked back at Wilson, who still looked a little peaky. He kept shaking his head from side to side when he thought the captain wasn’t looking. I wasn’t sure relying on him for backup was such a good idea. And the other two lieutenants with him didn’t look much better.
“We come out guns blazing,” Hugo said.
“Ah, at what, sir?” one of the lieutenants asked.
“At anything that shines and is moving,” Hugo said.
Wilson grinned at his men. I had the impression he was used to gung-ho orders and rather liked them. He powered up his rifle; the sound of all those plasma pistols around me made my ears ring. The fine hairs on my arms stood on end, but that could have been the thought of what awaited us on the other side of the closed hatch.
“Ready?” Hugo asked. The men all nodded affirmatively. Hugo’s eyes met mine.
I saw a wealth of words there, some of them didn’t make much sense. But I recognised the worry, the concern, the regret and something else that I was beginning to think I might be feeling as well.
“Be careful,” I said. The officers around us remained silent.
Hugo nodded his head and then cupped my cheek with his free palm. He didn’t kiss me, but the moment was intimate regardless. The officers looked anywhere but at us.
“Stay safe,” Hugo said to me. He didn’t need to say more; the others were counting on me to get them into the computer core. One of them might have had a screwdriver and could have made their way old-style out of the tunnels eventually. But to what? Aquila’s form of justice?
No, they needed refuge more than ever in the computer core, the only place on this ship safe from my father.
I nodded my head, pressed my cheek into his palm. And then it was gone, and I felt infinitely colder.
I reached out with the wrist comm to the hatch before I could stop myself. Filtered air rushed past us to fill the void within the central hub.
Wilson jumped down, followed by his men, but I didn’t hear any plasma fire. Hugo stepped out behind them. I risked a peek over his shoulder.
Everyone was down on the gel floor, including the mercs in their armour. López had done it. Her watch and their civilian team had disarmed all of the mercs. But Aquila had crushed them.
I stifled a sob.
“Hold on a minute,” Hugo said. “That’s no civilian clothing.”
He pointed at one of the bodies laying out on the floor. It was clear the man wasn’t wearing anything like civilian clothing.
“That’s a skin suit designed to wear under armour,” Wilson said, staring down at the merc.
“Then that would mean…” Hugo said but didn't finish. He walked over to the closest armoured suit and undid the helmet. His plasma rifle’s muzzle aimed right at the emerging face.
The person inside the helmet scowled up at him.
“Who are you?” Hugo demanded.
“Who are you?” the guy said.
“Captain Tremblay.”
“Oh. Hi. I’m Joe.” The guy coughed. Hugo was already swaying.
“Captain,” Wilson said, dragging him back to the tunnel. “That’s a civvy.”
Hugo sucked in mouthfuls of air. Then said, “Get his helmet back on and get him over here.”
It was clear that those outside of the armoured suits were already dead. We’d been too late to save them. But López had done something for those she could. She’d ejected the mercs and replaced them with civilians.
With my heart in my throat, I scanned the fallen. Noting which ones were mercs easily now, in their skintight clothing. I spotted López. Beside the immobile armoured form of a former merc. Inside was no doubt a civilian or one of her officers.
“Hugo,” I said, pointing, my heart in my throat.
“Shit,” he said, sounding a little better now that he’d re-oxygenated himself. He sucked in deep mouthfuls of air from inside the tunnel and then ran over to his first officer’s side.
My heart went with him.
He gripped her collar and dragged her back to the tunnel as Wilson and his men went ‘round and laboriously checked each face under the helmets, securing them again and activating their suits as soon as their identity was verified.
Hugo flung López up into the tunnel and then followed behind her, dragging her further in.
“Stay by the hatch for the others,” he ordered and started performing CPR.
My entire body shook as I watched him breathe into the commander’s mouth and then start the compressions. He seemed desperate. Why hadn’t we brought the med-unit with us? It was an oversight that would cost Commander López’s life. I flicked a glance out of the hatch and saw some of the now mobilised armours up and dragging people toward the tunnel.
I thought it was a useless gesture until I heard López spluttering behind me.
My head spun back ‘round to take in the scene, my heart in my throat, shock making my body thrum. Hugo was collapsed against the side of the tunnel, and López was coming around, breathing in lungfuls of life-sustaining air.
“Incoming,” Wilson yelled behind me, throwing another civilian into the tube.
“You’ll have to help him,” I said, moving to the side. Hugo was in no state to do that all over again.
Wilson nodded his head and climbed up behind the civilian, then dragged the person back to where the captain sat.
“Give me a sec,” Hugo said panting. Wilson just nodded and got to work on the civilian he’d brought with him.
“Captain,” López gasped. “Did we do it?”
Hugo patted his commander weakly on the shoulder and grinned at her.
“Put a damn big dent in his plans, Andrea,” he said.
“Good,” she managed and then slumped, unconscious. Hugo checked her breathing and pulse, and then gently moved her further down the tunnel, making way for others.
A bare ten minutes later it was over. The rest of the civilians in the hub were beyond revival. Hugo and his men had managed to save three. López had saved much more than that, by using the merc’s own armour. Thirteen out of twenty-two who had raised arms against my father down in the pay-for-passages.
The commander’s was the best result we could have hoped for in what had turned out to be a costly exercise.
I didn’t want to tally up the death toll. To put into words exactly how many people my father had killed on his quest to rule over us all. He’d lost thirty mercs, but how many had we lost?
The death toll just kept rising and rising until I was sure we would all drown in it.
“Adi,” Hugo said, catching my eye. He didn’t say anything else. What was there to say?
But it was enough. It was everything. He knew what I was thinking just by looking at me. Hugo understood my heartache and rage, and with one look of agreement, he gave me his word
. His backing.
His strength.
It was time to face my father. It was time for this to end.
Forty
Not On My Watch
Hugo
I knew if I stopped long enough, shock would set in. We’d lost so many civilians. Somehow all of the Anderson Universal crew had made it through. But the civvies. It didn’t bear thinking about, so I pushed it aside and got on with what we had to do.
Those in armour from all three habitat decks made their way to the computer core via normal means. They met strangely little resistance. There were pockets of Price mercs, but they seemed disorganised. As if the hit we’d given them had shattered their willpower. Johnson, Mandy and the pay-for-passages teamed up and swept the lower decks clean, managing to account for five more mercs before they reached us on Deck C.
I didn’t like it. It made me sick with guilt. Who were we to play God like this? Were we any better than the leaseholder?
The killing had to stop, but I wasn’t sure how to do that. This was war, and in war, people died. I’d just never been the one responsible for those deaths before. It didn’t sit well.
Thankfully, the computer core room was large enough to accommodate all those we’d managed to save. The medkit, though, was pushed to the limit. We’d had to be selective on who received painkillers. The multi-injector ran out long before we ran out of injured people.
It was another frustration that weighed on me, making me feel miserable.
“By my tally,” Mandy said quietly from her side of the pit, “they’re down to fifteen mercs. Maybe less. I reckon a few of them have run back to their paid berths and are pretending they weren’t ever hired by the leaseholder or the mayor.”
“Aquila would find them,” Johnson whispered back; we couldn’t risk the AI listening in on our debrief.
“Not all the cabins are monitored,” Mandy offered, well aware of that fact as she’d used it to her advantage when rounding up civilians for the battle.
Zenith Point (The Sector Fleet, Book 4) Page 20