Kali's Doom

by Craig Allen

  She scanned it briefly then handed it to Cody. “We’re short?”

  Cody read the orders quickly. “We didn’t get enough at the mining facility.”

  “We gathered up ex-mat from all the portable Daedalus drives used by the hoppers.” The chief nodded at the canister. “It should be enough.”

  “Hope so,” Cody said. “The mining facility is gone now.”

  “Then I guess it’d better be enough. Good luck, ma’am. Sir.” The chief left the hopper with the crewmen.

  Sonja stared at the canister, which the crewmen had strapped down to the deck. “Never enough time.”

  “No,” Cody said. “But like I said, we’ll have all the time we want when this is done.”

  They climbed back into the cockpit. Outside, the engineers gave them a thumbs-up. The hopper schematic on the HUD gave them all green.

  “Everything operational,” Cody said. “That was fast.”

  “We didn’t suffer too much damage this time.” Sonja grinned as she pulled up the comm. “Look.”

  A text from Captain Gaston said, Sorry, kids.

  Cody crossed his arms. “Can’t wait until this is over.”

  ~~~

  The first thing Cody saw when the launch tube spat them out into space was the completed ring, easily two thousand kilometers across.

  “Fifteen mikes to arrival.” Sonja set the autopilot and winked at him. “Deliver the ex-mat, transport the planet to… wherever, and then unass the system before the gamma-ray burst hits. Sounds simple enough.” She thought for a moment. “So when we move this ring to Kali Prime, are people going with it?”

  Cody shook his head. “The ring has a control room, but it’ll be activated remotely. Higher-ups plan on setting up some tests to see how the transport would impact human physiology, but no actual people will travel on the ring the first time around.”

  “Really? What about the life on Kali? What if it hurts them? Shouldn’t we test for that?”

  “The Reed Entity has full faith in its calculations,” Cody said. “Not like we have a lot of time to change anything. The creatures on Kali can risk the ring or die in the gamma-ray burst.”

  “Either way, they’ll be gone, huh?”

  The comm chimed. The ID on the channel was blank, and Cody couldn’t tell the source.

  “Comm traffic to hoppers is supposed to be routed through the Tokugawa and then via the Odin,” Sonja said.

  Cody activated the comm, and an image of Stripe appeared on the screen. His voice was audible, human, even conversational. “We are here.”

  An image appeared next to Stripe, showing Kali Prime. The Hive was in orbit.

  “Oh shit.” Sonja spoke so softly Cody didn’t think Stripe had heard. At least, Cody hoped he hadn’t.

  “What are you going to do?” Cody asked.

  “What should we do?” Stripe asked.

  A third image appeared on the HUD, and Cody’s eyes widened at the face of Mr. Simmons, who was looking at someone off-screen.

  “So you have the exotic matter now,” Simmons said. “Do you know what to do with it?”

  A creature appeared from off-screen, circling Simmons like a predator, which it was. The toad lifted itself on its hind legs and looked down at Simmons, who didn’t flinch at all. The toad circled again until Simmons was facing forward once more.

  A text appeared on the screen below Simmons.

  We have installed the heavy dirt but it does not work.

  “That’s because you need to adjust it correctly,” Simmons said. “We can show you how.”

  You will show us.

  “Not for free.” Simmons waved a finger. “We want you to stay away from the planet until we are finished.”

  How long?

  “A year,” he said. “Before the burst you created hits the planet.”

  The toad hovered over Simmons, who didn’t flinch.

  Agreed. For now.

  The feed froze on Simmons, who had a half smile of pure smugness.

  “Son of a bitch.” Sonja stared at the frozen image. “That little fucker knew all along.”

  Cody did his best to keep his tone even. “Stripe, need you to send this to Admiral Jericho. Can you do that?”

  “I already have. Some time ago.” Stripe’s voice had a deep, professional quality to it though what passed for his mouth didn’t open as he spoke. “In addition, I have transmitted this and other files to the UET council and all planetary governments.”

  Sonja snickered. “Oh Christ, I wouldn’t want to be in this dipshit’s shoes right now.”

  “Good work, Stripe,” Cody said. “Now, what do you plan on doing about the planet?”

  “What must be done.” His image cut out.

  Cody worried what would happen to Kali, but another thought occurred to him. “I wonder what’s going to happen to Simmons.”

  Sonja just shook her head as she maneuvered toward the ring. Moments later, its docking ring enveloped the hopper, and they were aboard the ring facility.

  When the hopper’s hatch had barely opened, techs climbed aboard. In seconds, they loaded the ex-mat container onto a tractor and hauled it away.

  As far as Cody was concerned, he didn’t want to see or hear about ex-mat ever again.

  “Wasn’t Simmons supposed to meet us?” Cody asked.

  Sonja shrugged. “I’m glad he didn’t. Those goddamn rear-echelon types drive me… Oh shit.”

  A petty officer was marching across the deck to meet them. He gave Sonja a crisp salute, which she returned, adding, “At ease.”

  The petty officer dropped into parade rest. “Ma’am, Doctor. I have orders to bring you both to Director Simmons at once.”

  “Swell,” Cody said. “How long do you think he’ll be the director?”

  The question was meant for Sonja, but the petty officer had to conceal a snicker.

  ~~~

  Cody walked into the control room with Sonja just behind him. Officers ignored him, focused on their stations. On a hologlobe in the center of the room was Admiral Jericho. Simmons stopped speaking to Jericho when he noticed Cody.

  He stood from his chair. “You son of a bitch.”

  Simmons lunged at Cody, who sidestepped the clumsy man with ease. Cody hadn’t fought since he was younger, but his boxing days came back to him. Everyone in the control room stopped what they were doing to stare. One young ensign dropped a holopad. Simmons didn’t care as he turned around for another go at Cody.

  “That’ll be enough.” Jericho was nothing but an image on a hologlobe, but he still managed to carry a high degree of command presence.

  “The fuck are you going to do?” Simmons stalked toward the hologlobe as if to strangle the image of Jericho. “You’re on another ship, asshole.”

  Even Cody winced. He had never been military, but he knew better than to talk back to an admiral, especially one who was royalty.

  Jericho, to his credit, remained calm. “You do understand that everyone on that monstrosity you’ve constructed is under my command, not yours.”

  Text appeared on the viewing globe. Cody only got the gist of it, but that was enough.

  “As you can see, Mr. Simmons,” Jericho continued, “The UEAF has confirmed my authority over all UEAF personnel within this system. Apparently, you’ve taken liberties with your authority during the past year.”

  Simmons’s eyes widened, and he stepped back from the viewing globe. He scanned the entire bridge. Every officer and crewman, all with UEAF logos on their uniforms, eyed him with slight smiles on their faces.

  “You wouldn’t dare.” Simmons faced the hologlobe once more. “I don’t care who you are. You wouldn’t dare have me locked up.”

  “Locked up? I like the idea.” Jericho chuckled. “Given that you’ve conspired with the enemy—”

  “I did no such thing.” Simmons waved a finger at Jericho. “I had the authority of the UET council.”

  “To conspire with the toads?” Jericho asked. “Possibly. Bu
t to provide them with exotic matter and the knowledge to use it properly? I find that hard to believe.”

  “You’ll lose your command if you come after me.” He pointed all around. “This facility is too important.”

  Jericho laughed heartily. “You think you have that power over me? I tell you what. You get this facility underway before the gamma-ray burst arrives, and I’ll keep you out of the brig.”

  Simmons swallowed. “The brig? You wouldn’t—”

  “Dare? You keep assuming that, Mr. Simmons. Mr. Alexander, how long until the ring is operational?”

  “We have installed the ex-mat brought over from the mining facility and the additional ex-mat brought by your team.” Mr. Alexander nodded toward Sonja and Cody. “The mining facility’s ex-mat container, or whatever it was, evaporated once it was within our containment fields, almost like it knew it was safe.”

  Cody wouldn’t have been surprised if it had known.

  “And the time to completed calibration?” Jericho asked.

  Alexander glanced at a handheld viewer. “Five minutes tops, sir. We’ll be ready to transport the ring to the planet on your command after that.”

  “Very good. And Mr. Simmons…”

  Simmons stared at the hologlobe. “Admiral?”

  “Once the planet has transitioned to its new location, I expect you to report to the Tokugawa.”

  The hologlobe cut out. Simmons stared at the empty holoemitter then opened his mouth as if to say something. He closed his mouth unceremoniously and slumped.

  A klaxon cut through the air.

  At a sensor console, a panicked lieutenant shouted, “Contact! Multiple bogeys inbound. ETA—”

  The floor tilted, sending Cody flying. He landed on his back, the wind knocked out of him. Nearby, a commander ordered point-defense grasers to be brought online, which meant torpedoes were inbound.

  “Cody?” Sonja tugged at him. “Jesus, are you okay?”

  The control room rocked again. Officers and crewmen were strapped down as the commander shouted more orders. An ensign at a comm station called out to the fleet for assistance.

  The commander pointed at Sonja. “Ensign, get space under yourself and the doctor. That’s an order!”

  “Yes, sir.” Sonja helped Cody up. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Cody didn’t need encouragement. He ran after Sonja out of the control room, only half remembering where the hangar bay was.

  Fortunately, Sonja seemed to know exactly where to go as she dashed for the lift, but instead of getting inside, she activated a console next to it. A small door slid open, revealing a ladder down.

  “Wouldn’t the lift be quicker?” Cody asked.

  “And more dangerous if we take another direct hit.” She shoved Cody toward the ladder. “We’re going down three decks.”

  Cody gripped the ladder and slid down, counting. One, two… The station rocked again. Sonja plowed into him then lost her grip on the ladder. He barely caught her before she dropped to the lowest deck. Above them, metal twisted and tore, followed by a rush of air and the sudden slamming of a hatch.

  “Oh hell.” Sonja gripped the ladder once more. “We had a breach.”

  “Where?”

  “I wasn’t planning on checking.” She started down again. “C’mon.”

  They reached their deck a few seconds later. Sonja punched a button, and a panel slid open. She twisted the handle inside. The doors screeched open, though not completely. Cody stepped off the ladder to the edge and pushed on one door until the opening was wide enough that they could both squeeze through.

  In front of Cody, a bulkhead lay on the floor, a crewman trapped underneath. Cody rushed forward to help, but the young crewman’s legs had been sliced clean off. The crewmen stared at nothing at all.

  “He’s gone,” Sonja said. “We have to move.”

  Wiring and panels had been strewn everywhere, as if a workman had gone mad. That would’ve been a preferable scenario. Instead, from what Cody could tell, they had taken direct hits from torpedoes. That meant they didn’t have much longer to escape.

  Cody followed Sonja into the hangar bay, stepping across massive doors lying on the floor. The hangar was filled with smoke, which the environmental systems struggled and failed to clear. Small fires burned within the walls, and electrical wires sparked on the floor.

  Only three hoppers remained, two of which were covered in bulkheads and debris from decks above the hangar. Their hopper looked functional.

  Cody rose into the air then dropped again, almost falling over. “What was that?”

  “Gravity’s going out.” Sonja had already reached the hopper. “What the hell are you waiting on?”

  Cody charged toward the hopper. A mere meter away, he rose into the air along with surrounding debris. His forward momentum carried him toward the hopper and would soon push him over it.

  “Cody!”

  Cody’s feet went over his head. He barely grasped the edge of the hopper’s door and pulled himself toward it. He swung himself inside the hopper, where the gravity of the hopper itself grabbed him, and he fell to the floor in a heap.

  “The main power is going out.” Sonja swiped the door controls, and the hopper’s rear hatch closed. “This whole ring might be blowing up as we speak.”

  “Why aren’t we floating away?” Cody jumped to his feet and followed Sonja to the cockpit. “And can we escape with the main power down?”

  “The hopper is attached to the docking rails.” Sonja pulled herself into the pilot seat and activated the holocontrols. “As for escaping, leave that to me.”

  Cody climbed into the co-pilot’s seat as the hopper vibrated. Sonja entered a code into a virtual keypad and the words Docking Clamps Disengaged flashed across the HUD in green. The hopper came loose just as the docking bay outside the hopper went dark. The hopper’s sensors scanned the area outside, showing an image of the docking tube, which was sealed shut.

  “I could hack it.” Cody pulled up an interface on his side of the controls. “It’ll take a couple of minutes.”

  “I’ve got a better idea.” Sonja brought up a weapons console. “Hold on to something.”

  A graser lanced across the launch tube’s hatch, sending sparks everywhere. The hatch glowed, melted, and turned into drifting debris in seconds. Beyond was the tube.

  “Here we go.” Sonja pushed the stick forward, and the hopper squeezed into the tube.

  Unpowered, the tube didn’t push them into space but resisted them instead. The hopper shuddered as it pushed its way through like a baby on the way to freedom. Cody was tempted to bring up a damage report on the outer hull then decided against it.

  “One more bit of surgery,” Sonja said.

  The hopper’s grasers lit up the launch tube, creating lines of molten metal across the tube’s end. At once, the tube fell away, and stars filled the canopy.

  “Scanning.” Cody turned on every scanner, passive and active, and piped the feeds to the HUD. “Let’s see who’s the closest to—”

  Words filled the screen at once: Warning. Lock On.

  Cody’s eyes went wide. “Torpedoes inbound!”

  “How many?”

  The HUD was tracking every incoming torpedo, tracing a line on the HUD that followed the torpedoes’ path toward the hopper. So many lines were on the HUD that they nearly blotted out the stars. Even if the hopper had a point-defense system equivalent to that on the Tokugawa, they’d be hard pressed to grase all those torpedoes.

  “One minute, twenty seconds to impact,” Cody said.

  Sonja gritted her teeth as she yanked the stick one way then the other. Evasive maneuvers might give them a few seconds, but no more.

  “I can’t get away from them,” Sonja said. “About three dozen torpedoes are locked onto us. If I run, they’ll chase us. We’ll just die tired.”

  Cody stared at the readings, watching the other torpedoes spread across the ring. Parts of the ring had come online, including th
e section where the control center had once been. The transition sequence had been activated.

  That gave Cody an idea.

  “Get close to the ring.” Cody pulled up a course on the HUD, which traced the most efficient trajectory based on their position. “The ring has to transport itself to the planet. If we’re right on top of the ring, we might go with them.”

  Sonja gritted her teeth. “Fuck it.” She adjusted course and drove straight toward the massive ring. “You better be right.”

  “I am.” He prayed that he was.

  Cody had done some research into the theory behind the ring. Space had to fold around the ring to create the wormhole, and if they were on the edge of those distortions, they might get ripped to shreds. Or they might get caught up in the artificial singularity created by the ring, which meant they would be crushed by a human-made black hole.

  But if they stayed, they would definitely experience the heat of an exploding torpedo, several times hotter than Earth’s sun. The decision was easy.

  The ring plate was wider than the Tokugawa by several times. Sonja reversed thrust, pushing the reactor to its limit until they came to a stop. Alarms shrieked about potential reactor damage.

  “Shut up.” Cody swiped his hand over the alarms, silencing them. Whatever damage they might do to the reactor was nothing compared to what the torpedoes would do.

  “Thanks for that.” Sonja let the hopper drift closer to the ring plate, like a minnow stalking a whale. “Time to impact?”

  “Twenty seconds.” Cody didn’t know what else to say even though these were probably his last moments alive. “Sonja, I—”

  The hopper’s comm chimed. “Banshee One Eight, this is Tokugawa. Do you read?”

  “Yes,” Cody said. “I mean, roger, or whatever. Look, we’re transitioning with the ring.”

  “Understood.” Tokugawa’s comm officer sounded calm, surprisingly. “Be advised, you need to be within the arch of the ring but at least eighty meters away from the ring itself. Too close, and you’ll be swallowed by the artificial singularity.”