The Battle For Cyclops: A Xander Cain Novel

by P W Hillard

  The crew moved into action. The closed the circle around the pod, several of them kicking gently off the ground to begin floating slowly upwards. One of them began to walk up the side of the craft, the magnetic boots in their spacesuit seeing no difference between the side of the pod and the floor. The climber crouched, opening a panel and pulling a lever hidden within.

  The door to the pod popped open, flicking up as hydraulic pressure released. As one the assembled crew shifted their bodies, readying for an attack. None came. The crewman walking on the side of the pod peered into the craft, their weapon at the ready. The peer became a lean, then eventually they clambered inside.

  They reappeared a moment later, pushing a figure through the doorway at the point of a gun. Their captive was unarmed and wearing a pitch-black space suit, their hands resting on the helmet as they cowered before the assembled crowd.

  “Just the one of them in there, boss,” said the crewman who had ventured inside. “Rest of the pod is empty. What should we do with them?”

  Sergei pondered his options for a moment. The Sunchaser didn't have a brig, it was built to be a corporate flagship, a show of wealth and power more than anything else. Its original owners had expected the ship’s first, and likely only, shipment to net them wealth beyond imagining. War had said otherwise.

  “Lock them in one of the empty quarters. We've got a few left and let's not get a reputation for being inhospitable. I'm sure the guild will want to have a word with them. See if we can pull anything useful from what's left of the rocket then toss it. We'll need the space once the Summer Breeze makes orbit again.” Sergei looked at the crew around him, watching the nods in reply. They approved of his orders, and he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Being in command was emotionally exhausting. Sergei wondered how Mikal coped with it constantly. “Send a message to the bridge, let's get the Sunchaser docked with the station to pick up the captain.”

  ***

  Xander had never been more excited to see a machine. Skulking through the halls of the base had left him feeling worryingly exposed. His mech was sat with its front armour open, its cabin exposed to the elements. A long gash ran across the left arm, the paint scratched away to reveal the gleaming metal beneath.

  “What happened here?” Xander said, pointing at the damage to his machine.

  “Hit from an autocannon. One of the infantry squads got a little clever and mounted a spare gun onto a dolly and, well, there's the result,” Meg said. Her mechsuit shuddered, the machines best attempt at translating her shrug. “Look, the fact it's still standing at all earns me a drink or two.”

  “This was brand new. We trudged it through all that ice for miles, fought our way into this base, survived that elevator collapsing, and it gets damaged when I left it in your care. Typical.” Xander had a smile on his face. The damage was annoying, but it was superficial at best. He wasn't going to turn away a chance to wind up Meg, however. Friendly ribbing was a mercenary tradition.

  “Just get in your mech before I decide to make it worse.” The head unit of Meg's suit shifted, the camera settling on the shivering crowd behind Xander. “Is that all that were left?”

  “Yeah,” Xander said, putting his foot on the first rung of the ladder dangling from the cabin of his mechsuit. “I'll explain it later. In the meantime, we need to find a way of getting these guys off-world.”

  “Well, the good news is I've spoken with Anya and Alexi. They've seized control of both the launch and mechbays, and the Summer Breeze is standing by, once Candice gives it the all-clear. Apparently, they had to physically slam the ship through the bay doors?”

  “Ok, that sounds like a terrible, terrible idea. So, I was right about Candice fitting right in with us then. Do we have any idea how to get there?”

  “I'm assuming that there has to be a route from here to the bays. It would be kind of useless as a warehouse if it didn't. Just a case of checking the doors we haven't tried until we find it,” Meg said.

  “I believe that the exits to our far left will take us where we need to go,” Matthias said. “I will highlight it on your display once we are reattached to the…mechsuit.” The AI had been careful to use the modern term for the machine. “I've been tracking our path through the facility and it's the most likely location for sizable hangars to be located. I believe I have a reasonable gist of the shape of this base.”

  “You can show me once I'm plugged in.” Xander began to climb the ladder.

  “Yeah of course, why wouldn't I?” Meg's voice was transmitting over the radio. Using her external speakers this close to Xander would be deafening. They were designed to act as a back up in combat, and even the lowest volume was still loud.

  “No, I…don't worry about it.” Xander reached for the wetware connection. For the first time in his life, he felt anxious about using it. Not even having a sardonic computer program sharing his mind had put him off. Seeing the things Black Rose was doing to increase their numbers felt different, like a violation of nature. Xander put his trepidations behind himself and click the connection into place above his eye.

  His vision changed between blinks, swapping to the cameras of his mechsuit as the front plate closed. This was better, a skin of steel between Xander and the universe. This was how things should be. He crouched and stretched out a hand, metal fingers creaking. The former prisoners eyed the looming digits suspiciously.

  “Hop on,” Xander said, his speakers blasting his words. “Atticus and two of you with me, another two with Meg. We're getting the hell out of here.”

  ***

  Candice had her arm inside the Summer Breeze adjusting unseen components by feel alone. She knew every inch of her dropship intimately, every pilot did, their lives depended on it. The Summer Breeze was a unique ship, and Candice often found herself having to complete complex repairs herself. Everything had checked out ok so far, the damage from smashing through the door thankfully minor. There were some things Candice would like to take the time to strip and check, but the ship would fly.

  “We're looking good,” she said as she removed her arm from within the Summer Breeze. “Should be good to go.”

  “Should?” Tamara said. She was sitting in the doorway on the side of the dropship. “That's hardly reassuring.”

  “Flying, and especially flying into space, is dangerous. My daddy always said you don't promise the world if all you got is gravel.”

  “Makes sense. I think. You think it'll get up even with…that.” Tamara gestured to the downed mechsuit at the far side of the hangar. Even to her untrained eye, she could tell it was something different to the suits her friends used. It reminded her to the lost tech mech that had punched through the Black Rose lines back on hades, though not as powerful.

  “Yeah, sure. The Summer Breeze is rated to carry six full laden mechsuits, plus supplies. That's no problem at all. That thing is weird though. Never seen a model like it. And what the hell was that beam thing it had? Ain't never seen anything like that in my twen…fifteen, years as a pilot.”

  “Looks like Black Rose has some more secrets in their back pockets.”

  “Mechs coming!” Anya said. She had her new shoulder cannon ready, the only working ranged weapon she had. Alexi had taken up a position opposite her, the two mercenaries flanking the doorway.

  “Calm down, it's just us,” Meg said as her suit began to jog across the mechbay towards the guarded doorway. “I can see you've been busy. Holy hell what is that thing?” She pointed at the fallen Black Rose monstrosity with the tip of her weapon.

  “Already claimed, that's what it is,” Anya said. “I've already called dibs.”

  Xander followed behind her, the massive black mech coming into view.

  “Some elements of that machine are similar to the Paladin,” Matthias said. “Similar, but inferior. I would assume it is a poor copy of a mech from my era. Though I would guess it's a step up from your current equipment. A worthwhile prize for this whole endeavour. Do remember our agreement as well.
”

  “Oh, I remember. Trust me, I can't wait to get you out of my brain,” Xander said. “No offence, but after seeing what Black Rose are doing, keeping control of my own mind seems more important than ever.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Mikal was impressed. He wasn't afraid to admit that. Sergei had done exactly what he would have, scooping up the fleeing rocket and taking its occupant prisoner. Mikal had long suspected that the bureaucratic pen-pusher was more capable than he seemed. It was always good to get the true measure of those around you. You could never tell when you would either need to rely on them or betray them, depending on the situation. Good leadership just happened to be self-serving for Mikal.

  He had left the station as he had found it, powering down the reactors. Keeping it running was a waste of time. Starting it back up would be impossible for the Sunchaser. Sergei's order to intercept the Black Rose rocket had severed the still attached power cable. It wasn't an issue, repairing it was a minor job, and Mikal understood that having a member of the enemy that wasn't a strange bald drone was priceless.

  “What's the deal with the remnants of that jump ship?” Mikal said, taking his seat on the bridge. He had removed the helmet of his suit, letting it float in the air beside him.

  “Breaking up on re-entry, Cap. You certainly gave them a kicking, that's for sure,” said the crewman nearest Mikal.

  “Don't think they expected that big bastard to wake up, did they?” Mikal smiled, the rest of the crew chuckling at the joke. “Have we heard anything from the team on the ground?”

  “Yes, Captain. Repairs are complete on the Summer Breeze, and they've located the prisoners. It seems that they've also taken the base, or at least wiped out enough of its defenders that it doesn't matter. They're asking us to prepare the mechbay to retrieve salvage.”

  “Things are looking up, hey, Bird?” Mikal said.

  “Hopefully. We've spent more on this operation than I had planned for. We need a decent amount of salvage to make it worth our while.” Sergei was looking upwards, adding up imaginary figures with his finger. “It hasn't exactly been the smoothest operation.”

  “They never are! What's that old saying, about plans not lasting past contact with the enemy?”

  “I never really took much stock in that saying,” Sergei said. “Back in my corporate job, if your plans didn't account for potential changes or shocks, then they weren't very good plans, to begin with.”

  Mikal snorted. “Nobody is trying to kill you in a boardroom, are they?”

  “You would be surprised. That was Black Rose's whole plan, right? Getting the corps to shoot at each other.”

  “Same trick would probably work with pirates too. Honestly, I don't think we're so different. Corporations just got a letter from the Core Worlds saying they're allowed to steal shit.” Mikal drummed his fingers on the edge of his chair. “Let's get started then, don't want any bloody complaints, do we? Bring us to a low orbit so we can get a quick turnaround and begin prepping the bay to receive salvage.”

  “Aye, Captain,” the bridge crew replied in unison.

  ***

  Xander put his hand on the fallen mechsuit, his metallic fingers running across the hull. It was startling just how black it was, the paint absorbing the light like a sponge. Where the field knife had punched through the front armour the paint had burnt away, leaving a gaping wound of silver down the front of the machine. The thing was a bruiser, a wall of steel and fury intended to lead the way on an attack.

  “I'm going to assume that this machine is the result of research into what you call lost tech. Another suit like the Paladin perhaps. That is good news!” Matthias said.

  “Our enemy having access to advanced mechs is good news?” Xander hated what this machine meant. The swarms of QTs that Black Rose had deployed was part of their ploy, their scheme to incite war across the Iron Belt. It made sense, QTs were common amongst corporate forces. The idea that they had machines like this waiting to be deployed was terrifying. Even with their amateur riders, they would be a threat to any mercenary outfit Xander could think of.

  The inexperience of those same riders made sense to Xander now. If Black Rose were kidnapping people and indoctrinating them forcefully, then it was little surprise their riders were substandard. It wasn't something you could manufacture, only survival in combat could temper your edge. Mass manufacturing riders was always going to give poor results.

  “It's good news because it means there's another machine like the Paladin out there!” Matthias sounded excited, a rare emotion for the AI to express. “I can get back to where I belong. We need to find it!”

  “Woah hold your horses there. We don't know where it is, what state it's in, or even if it's still working. Hell, there might even be another Matthias already in there. I can't imagine they would want to share.”

  “Well, you had to just quash my dreams, didn't you?”

  “I'm just being realistic,” Xander said. What the AI wanted was impossible. “It's a clue though.”

  “Oh, certainly. Hmm, it seems like this unit has a dual reactor design. Interesting.” Matthias had moved on, examining the sleeping giant.

  “Ok, think we can get it in the dropship?” Anya said. “I'm excited to take a closer look at it.”

  “You'll have to scrape the rider out first,” Alexi said. He took position by the fallen mech's legs, crouching as he prepared to lift. “You're on your own there.”

  “Think we can maybe hire on a proper mechanical crew after this job? Would be nice if we didn't have to do all of our own repairs.” Anya pushed the thought of the charred corpse within the cabin of her new mech from her mind. “Maybe some of those engineers are looking for new jobs.” Her head unit bobbed towards the dropship.

  “Those guys have…been through a lot. They need to go home, to their families,” Xander said. He took a position opposite Alexi, grabbing the black mech by the shoulders. “On three. One, two, three.” The two mercenaries lifted, their mechs creaking under the weight. They began walking towards the open doors of the dropship.

  “You keep alluding to that,” Anya said as she followed behind. “What exactly happened down there.”

  Xander sighed. He would have to tell them at some point. “The extra wetware all over Black Rose soldiers, I found out what they're for. There are…pods, I guess, in this place. You get those parts placed inside you and plugged into those pods, and you come out as a white-skinned freak. That's why they attacked the station above, the guild basically delivered them a fresh load of people they could turn into soldiers.”

  “Why would anyone agree to have that stuff in them though?” Alexi said.

  “I don't think they get a choice.” Anya had realised instantly what Xander had meant. “I'm right aren't I?”

  “Yeah, yeah you are. I managed to free Atticus, one of the people sat in the Breeze, just before they could turn him. He's still got all the metal pressed into his skull. It's fucked up, right?” Xander said. What Black Rose was doing sickened him.

  “So, it's brainwashing?” Alexi said. “Just, more literal.”

  “Kind of. It's going to be a nightmare once this information gets out, and it likely will. We can't be the only people looking into this. People already don't trust people with wetware and cybernetics. Imagine what will happen once the news starts talking about having your mind wiped through them?”

  “Not a fun thought. Turn it at your end and we can slide this in,” Alexi said.

  “Try not to damage it. It isn't like we can just buy parts for it. Especially that gun on the shoulder.” Anya touched her damaged arm. “Did this in a single shot. Some kind of…beam. Like a laser, but not. It was more substantial if that makes sense.”

  “I would guess this apparatus is a plasma weapon of some kind, similar to those on the Paladin,” Matthias said. “Those appear to be magnetic field generators fitted at the rear of the weapon.”

  Xander shut off his outgoing radio signal with a thought. Af
ter the discussion on having your brain invaded, revealing the timing couldn't be worse to reveal the existence of Matthias. “That was an anti-infantry weapon though, not something that could punch through heavy mech armour.”

  “They were anti-infantry on the Paladin. That unit had its railguns. I'm only guessing, my knowledge of my previous era is spotty, after all, but those seem to have the anti-armour role covered rather well. Scaling up a plasma weapon might simply be less effective.”

  “That's a good point.” Xander switched his radio back on. “Push from your end.” He had placed the top of the strange mech on the floor of the dropship.

  “Careful now!” Candice said, tapping at the side of her helmet to transmit. “Try not to scratch up my dropship, you hear?”

  “We'll try. There's a lot of salvage to carry to orbit though. There's going to be some wear and tear on the Summer Breeze.” Xander helped Alexi push the suit across the dropship. “On the upside, we're going to be able to pay to fix it. You're probably going to need more fuel though…”

  “There's plenty here, connections are at the back of this bay, and there's a couple of full tanks. How much salvage is there exactly?”

  “A lot. A hundred QT's, maybe more? Hard to count them all in that big warehouse. Along with dozens of tanks, and who knows how many crates full of guns.” Meg's mech gestured over her shoulder with a thumb in the direction of the warehouse. “Way more than the Sunchaser can carry, honestly.”

  “Yeah, it's…a lot. And the guild gave us unlimited salvage rights. That means we can take everything that's not nailed down, and we can squeeze into the holds. We did really well out of this job,” Xander said. He was looking at the disabled suit, wondering how to get it standing to lock into place within the dropship. “I don't think Sergei is going to be disappointed.”

  ***

  Sergei could hardly believe it. The mechbay was filled with mechsuits, and the Summer Breeze had already turned around to head back down to collect more. Hundreds of millions of credits worth of machinery, just waiting to be sold. It was an impressive haul. The Paladins’ money worries were solved, for the time being at least. Sergei didn't doubt some new atrocious cost would come along. He turned his gaze towards the monstrous mechsuit the ground team had brought back. It would probably be something to do with getting that thing up and running.