by L. Fergus
Kita took Athena’s ball from her belt and tossed it into the air. “Athena, they have a specialized computer network that might take some time to crack.”
“I’m detecting the wireless network. I’m starting my hack. I detect you are already working on it.”
“I thought two would be better than one.”
The other Angels climbed the ramp led by Ryder.
“I see you’ve been busy,” Ryder said to Kita.
“Yes, and there might be more. We need to spread out and clear the facility. Everyone goes in pairs. If you find the server room or the control room, let us know.”
“Do we have a map of the facility?” said Ryder.
Kita shook her head. “It wasn’t on the computer I accessed.”
“We’ll get everyone organized,” said Babydoll.
Kita nodded and led Sarin and Athena deeper into the facility.
“Kita, we found the control room,” said Starlight. “It’s down the second corridor, seven doors down. This looks like a side entrance.”
“We’ll be right there.”
Kita, Sarin, and Athena appeared next to Starlight and Blitz.
“Good job, ladies,” said Kita. She led everyone down a flight of stairs into the curved stadium-style room to a large holographic display at the bottom. The holographic display was off, but there was a large computer behind it.
Kita and Athena walked around the hibernating computer. Kita woke it and entered the password. Nothing happened. Uh-oh. She lifted a flap next to the screen revealing a keyhole.
“We’re not getting in this way unless we get a key. Any luck getting into the wireless network, Athena?”
“I am working on it. This ball has a limited amount of computing power. If I were in the facility’s computer I could work much faster, but to access it I must first break the password. I am in a catch twenty-two, so to speak.”
Kita grunted. She wasn’t having any better luck.
“Kita!” said Defiance.
“Yeah?”
“They found us. We just detected a probe.”
“How long do we have?”
“I don’t know. It could be any time now.”
“Ok, we’ll hurry.”
Kita looked at Sarin. “The Djinn have found the fleet.”
“Have they attacked?”
“Not yet, but Casey says it will be any time.”
“We need the person in charge,” said Sarin.
“I have no idea how to find him,” said Kita.
“It’s got to be in the offices somewhere.”
“Ladies, I need you to search the offices looking for any names of people who work here,” said Kita to the other Angels.
“There must be an office around here,” said Blitz.
There were two doors on either side of the computer.
“You girls search that door, we’ll search this one.”
Kita opened the door to a room filled with computers.
“Can you hack these?” said Sarin.
Kita shook her head. “It would do us no good. These are computational machines, not operating system machines.”
The room didn’t hold anything else of value. Kita and Sarin returned to Athena. Blitz and Starlight appeared shaking their heads.
“Kita, I’ve found a computer, but it’s password and biometrically protected,” said Tina.
Kita gave her sister the royal password.
“Hey, it worked. I’m searching now.”
Kita resisted the urge to take over. Tina was a trained intelligence operative and knew what she was doing.
“I got it. I got it. The place is run by a General Chadwick Bixby.”
“Ok, thanks.” Kita accessed the Neptune directory, searching for the general.
“Found him—at least I hope it’s him,” Kita announced to the others.
“Who?” said Sarin.
“The general in charge. He lives in the Turtle Lake apartment complex, number three twenty-seven.”
“That’s a nice place,” said Sarin.
“Let’s go. Zen, Hali you’re coming with us.”
Kita and the Angels appeared outside an apartment door.
Scenes from the ocean decorated the pastel-painted hallway. Benches and potted plants lined the walls. A plush carpet dampened the sound of their boots.
“Is this where the average human lives?” said Starlight.
“If they can afford it,” said Sarin. “I’m sure he makes enough.”
“So, accommodations are not determined by rank?”
“Not directly. Rank often comes with wealth. Depending on how you want to spend your money determines where you live.”
“Fascinating.”
“It’s not the greatest system in the world,” said Kita as she hit the buzzer for the apartment. “It can easily be abused, and people get overcompensated for certain skills.”
“It’s better than it has been at any point in human history,” retorted Sarin.
“That’s not saying much.”
The door opened to a man wearing a floral print button-down shirt, khaki shorts, and flip-flops.
Sarin drew a pistol and shoved it under his nose. “Are you General Bixby?” she asked in a no-nonsense tone.
“What in Neptune’s rings are you?” the man demanded.
“Answer the question,” said Kita.
“Never heard of him,” the man answered as sweat beaded on his forehead.
“Tina I need you. We don’t have time to play twenty questions with this guy,” said Kita.
A pinprick of light floated down from the ceiling and with a flash, transformed into Tina. “Looks like you’re headed for a day at the beach,” she chuckled. “Too bad we’re not.”
“Are you General Bixby?” demanded Kita.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about. I’m not him.”
“He’s lying, big sister. We’ve found our man.”
“Good. Jane, take us back.”
Sarin holstered her pistol and wiggled her nose. The group of Angels appeared in front of the holoprojector in the control room of the Neptune Orbital Command headquarters.
“Recognize this place?” said Blitz to Bixby.
“Who—What are you?”
“Children of the emperor,” said Kita. “And we have an urgent mission. There is a fleet of enemy ships attacking the Shadow Fleet in orbit around Neptune. We need to get the orbital guns online so we can destroy the attackers.”
“Why should I believe you?” said Bixby. “This place is on lockdown by the Political Bureau.”
“We’re standing here, aren’t we?” said Blitz.
“We took care of them,” said Starlight.
“The Political Bureau is trying to take over the Imperium,” said Sarin. “We’re helping the rightful Emperor take back her throne. Haven’t you listened to the public service announcements regarding the Political Bureau?”
“I stay out of politics,” said Bixby.
“How can you stay out of politics?” said Babydoll as she and a group of Angels glided down the stairs to join Kita and her group. “You’re part of the emperor’s defense force. You should be on the front lines defending her.”
Bixby shrugged. “This is a retirement post. Nothing ever happens here. If the Political Bureau says they’re in charge, who am I to argue?”
Kita rubbed her temples. “Does this place work? The Sailors and Marines of the Shadow Fleet are counting on it.”
“I haven’t run a diagnostic in a decade.”
“Neptune’s rings,” groaned Sarin. “When was the last time you ran a simulation?”
“I powered the system up once when I took over to see what it did. I didn’t deploy the guns or anything, just turned on the sensors. All the guns reported green status, so I shut it down.”
“You don’t know how to fire it?” cried Ryder.
“These guns are obsolete. I didn’t think we’d need them,” said Bixby.
“General
, you’re a disgrace.”
Bixby flushed. “Listen, I don’t need to take crap from whatever you are.”
“I’m General Ryder Starr of the Red Legion.”
“I don’t care who you are. I’m a general, and I’ll be treated like it,” barked Bixby.
“You better care about me,” said Babydoll. “I’m a Legion Junior Commander.”
“Deputy Commandant Sarin.”
“Commandant Kita.”
“Emperor Casey Bush.”
“Isn’t she needed elsewhere,” said Sarin to Kita.
“I thought I’d expedite things.”
“Why haven’t the guns been deployed?” demanded Defiance.
“General Bixby seems unable to deploy them,” said Athena. “It seems he never read the instruction manual.”
“Are you kidding me? You have one job, General!” Defiance turned to Kita. “Can you please get them online?”
“At the moment, we can’t even turn on the computer.”
“I have the key,” said Bixby. He took the key chain out from under his shirt.
“Kita, Sheppard. The Djinn fleet just arrived. We’re moving to engage.”
“Be careful.”
Kita drew Dead and Buried. She sliced through the chain holding the key and knocked it into the air with the other sword. She jumped, sheathed her swords, caught the key, and landed by the computer. She shoved the key into the hole, and the computer came alive. Kita opened the wireless network and let her and Athena in.
“Athena, go!” yelled Kita. “Tell us what we have to do to get the guns online. Everyone else, the Djinn fleet has arrived, and the Shadow Fleet is engaging them.”
The Angels exchanged looks.
“What do we do?” said Stormy.
“Wait on Athena, then do what she tells us.”
“Kita, I need to go back,” said Defiance.
“Your Highness, are you sure?” said Babydoll. “Enterprise isn’t safe.”
“I’m not going to leave my fleet to face the enemy by themselves.”
“I know it looks good,” said Kita, “but you need to be kept safe. There’s more at stake than the fleet.”
“I won’t be a coward,” Defiance said in a huff.
Kita put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not a coward. But if you die, Galina wins.”
“Is that all you care about, your petty revenge?”
“No. I can kill Galina anytime I want. What I can’t do is replace the person sitting on your throne. Only you can do that. If you die, your people suffer. That will be an even bigger defeat for the Shadow Fleet and the Sailors and Marines who have sworn to defend you. Their lives are tied to yours, if you fall, they fail. If they must die so you succeed, then they will do it for the good of the Empire. The only way they fail is if you die.” I so sound like my mother right now.
“But—”
“It’s their duty to fight and die for you, so you can take back the throne and lead the rest to glory. They die so the rest may live.”
“They can go on without me.”
Kita shook her head. “You know that’s not true. If you want to preserve your way of life and keep the Empire on the right path, it has to be you. No one else can do it.”
“If you can kill Galina, then you can kill the usurper,” said Defiance.
“And then what? I still need you to replace him. It can’t be me, Jane, or Kerri. The People won’t accept us. They’ll only accept you. If you die, it all falls apart and descends into anarchy. If that happens, then you’ve failed as your duty as a ruler.”
Defiance lowered her head.
“I know that look,” said Tina. “Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Kita’s worn it a time or two. You know what you have to do. It’s hard, but we’re here to help you.”
Defiance lifted her head. “I will serve my people, but I’m not leaving until these guns are firing. And you,” she turned to Bixby, “have failed me.” A frozen wind blew through the room and swirled around Bixby freezing him solid. Defiance looked around the room. “What? No one said I was benevolent.”
“Kita,” said Athena.
“Yeah?”
“I am in, but the guns are offline and won’t start until they have a diagnostic run. This system was not designed for an AI to operate it. Around the room are workstations that control groups of guns. Someone must manually run the diagnostics and bring the guns online. Once the guns are online, that workstation controls the aiming, loading, and firing of the guns.”
“There must be a crew to run this place then,” said Cinnamon.
“We don’t have time to go find them,” said Ryder. “Athena, can you tell us what to do?”
“Yes. Turn the workstations on.”
“You heard her. Everyone take a workstation.”
The Angels spread out, each taking one or two stations.
“The good news is,” said Athena, “we don’t need to operate all the guns, just find which ones are pointing towards our targets. I’m bringing the sensors online now.”
The room’s holoprojector lit displaying the planet, station, and the two fleets. The system could identify friend and foe, but that was it. Several of the friendly ships disappeared. Kita frowned. Things aren’t going well. Several more friendly ships vanished.
“Rene, we’re working on getting the guns working,” said Kita.
“Hurry. We’re taking a real pounding. Maine and California are gone. We’ll hold them as long as we can.”
Athena walked the Angels through the diagnostic procedure. The bars on Kita’s screen slowly increase. Most systems reported back green, a few yellow. The computer asked her if she wanted to perform maintenance. She declined. I hope this thing doesn’t fall apart on me.
“Kita, Rene. We’re down to fifty percent strength. I—”
On the holoprojector, a group of friendly ships appeared on the flank of the Djinn.
“Who are they?” said Kita.
“It—it’s Fort Ticonderoga!” yelled Sheppard. “She brought her battle group.”
“That’s good. Hang on. We’re getting the guns up now.”
Kita’s diagnostic was half done. She drummed her nails on the desk. I wish Casey hadn’t killed that twit so fast. She let her mind daydream about what she would do to him.
“Kita!”
Kita shook her head. “Rene?”
“We’re pulling back to the station and are going to regroup. We’re down to forty percent.”
The diagnostic was at ninety-five percent.
“Just a few more minutes.”
“I’m done,” yelled Stormy.
“Extend the barrels,” said Athena. “Link your group into the targeting computer.”
“Ok—done and done.”
“Select ammunition type.”
“What should I choose?”
“Go armor piercing,” said Kita. Her diagnostic hit a hundred percent. She ran through the steps to catch up with Athena. Other Angels announced they were complete.
“Kita, Enterprise is taking fire. We won’t last much longer,” said Sheppard calmly.
“I’m not in the right hemisphere,” cried Stormy.
Kita checked her targeting computer. Targets lit her screen. She selected armor piercing rounds. As she waited for the guns to load, she selected a group of targets.
“I’m up,” yelled Kita. “Firing now.”
Kita expected to feel the room shake from the guns firing, but there was no haptic response, just a flashing reloading message. On her targeting computer, several of the targets she’d selected vanished. She selected another group.
Some of the other Angels announced they had targets and were firing. Enemy ships on the holoprojector vanished.
“Rene, how are you doing? We’ve commenced firing,” said Kita.
“They seem stunned. They just lost five ships in seconds.”
“We’ve got more guns coming online. Try and get everyone to safety.”
The compute
r alerted Kita it was ready to fire. She hit the button, and three more enemy ships vanished from her targeting computer.
“Everyone who can target the enemy ships, target the maximum,” ordered Kita.
“Wahoo, firing,” cried Babydoll.
“Firing,” said Toxic, she sounded bored.
“Maximum targets, firing,” yelled Cinnamon.
“Hitting them now,” said Anthrax.
The Angels not commanding a gun group watched over the shoulders of those who did or drifted down to the holoprojector to watch. Athena zoomed the holoprojector in so they could see. Another friendly ship vanished.
“Kita, they’re still hitting the good guys,” yelled Tina.
I can only reload so fast. Kita fired again. Her targeting computer was almost empty. She selected the last four ships and waited. When the fire button lit, she hit it.
“I’m out of targets,” Kita announced to the others.
“I’m out too,” said Toxic.
Kita left her workstation to look over Sarin’s shoulder. Her partner was watching Cinnamon. The targeting computer showed eight targets left. Cinnamon fired another salvo, hitting five of the ships.
The holoprojector showed only eleven ships left. They were no longer pursuing the Shadow Fleet but had turned around, trying to clear the debris field. Four of the ships vanished.
“I’m done,” called Anthrax.
“Four left,” yelled Babydoll.
Cinnamon targeted her remaining ships and fired. She leaned back and took in a long breath.
“Good job, cupcake,” said Talon.
Cinnamon reached behind her and wrapped her arms around Talon. “Thanks, hoots. That was intense.”
Kita kissed Sarin on the neck and then glided down to the holoprojector.
“And good night,” cried Babydoll.
On the holoprojector, the last of the Djinn fleet disappeared. Kita rubbed her neck, trying to release some of the tension. Sarin’s hands took over.
Kita sighed. “Good job, ladies. We saved the day.”
“Easier than playing a video game,” said Toxic.
Kita smiled.
“But the results are very real,” said Talon.
“Yes. I should get back to the fleet,” said Defiance.
“Not without the rest of us,” said Tina.