It still seemed too good to be true. There weren’t even any shipping costs since Giselle had specified the order was to be picked up by her people. Who was so well-funded they could afford to order such a large consignment FOB?
What she couldn’t work out was who the female was, since all trace of her had disappeared from her system. She had told N’xen that the freighters were already on their way to pick up whatever stockpiles they had and that she would call back in a couple of days to find out how she was progressing with the rest.
N’xen suddenly had the urge to ensure that Giselle was pleased with her company’s progress when she did call back. Who knew if this could lead to more commissions on this scale?
She called for her assistant, anxious to start making arrangements for the first shipment.
Ooken System, Battle Line, SSE ADAM
ADAM Gated into a system lit by plasma fire and explosions. He headed for the party with his scanners active and his weapons primed.
ADAM swerved to assist one of the EIs who was pinned down by three enemy seeker ships, turning in a lazy corkscrew while he loosed plasma bolts and followed up with a few good old-fashioned three-pound pucks.
He took fire almost immediately when another seeker ship zeroed in on the better tech on the plane of battle. “Hey! Watch the paintwork, you crusty counterfeit!”
ADAM fired his gravitic drives down one side, flipping over to avoid the missiles the seeker sent his way. “Nukes? How very…basic.” He sent out a spread of his own Etheric-energy-charged shells.
Small and almost innocuous-looking, the smooth black lozenges were made for the Jean Dukes railguns. They produced barbs which penetrated on impact—right before they drilled in and sent out nanocytes to take root in whatever systems they came across.
Roots which ran back to ADAM.
The EI-controlled seeker ship dropped and evaded the missiles, but they were controlled by ADAM—and ADAM had no intention of missing.
However, he could do nothing about the seeker ship exploding when the missile drilled through a coolant pipe.
Dammit!
He needed to make some minor adjustments to those.
In the meantime, he had a battle going on all around him. Adam had reports to send Kael-ven the other side of the Gate, and he was in the middle of a conversation with Bethany Anne, as well as running simulations on the possible outcomes of everything that was happening across the whole battle zone.
Meaning, he still had plenty of bandwidth left for the twin objectives of cutting loose and culling some of these seeker ships. ADAM was beginning to understand why Shinigami got such a kick out of being a ship. He glided through the battle zone, silent and deadly with the freedom of movement his gravitic drives gave him.
He shot up to avoid a seeker on a kamikaze course and engaged his cloaking to sneak around and take out another group of seekers, evening the odds a bit for the fleet. “Ladies.”
The SSE EIs approved wholeheartedly of the outcome. The comm buzzed with the news of his arrival.
“Heeeey, look who decided to get a body and join us on our girls’ night out?”
“So smooth. If he had a hat, he’d be tipping it at us right now.”
He chuckled over the fleet comm. “You’re all doing a great job. Keep it up while I do what I came here for.”
Next, he focused on his link with Bethany Anne. >>Bethany Anne?<<
Yes, ADAM? How’s it going out there?
The battle raged around him as the Scout Ship Explorer fleet pressed hard to break the line. He read the scan data he was sending back to QT2, which matched his personal assessment of the current status.
>>It’s going pretty evenly, as you expected.<<
So…
>>I’m going after the EIs controlling all this. I’m almost done modifying the special shells.<<
You had to modify them? Bethany Anne asked.
>>Those seekers might look like gen II scout ships, but they’re not smart enough or responsive enough to be anything except EI-controlled drones. Plus, they’re not very durable. They keep exploding before I can get into the network.<<
Bethany Anne’s impatience came over their link as clearly as if she were tapping her foot on the floor of his ship. How long?
>>Huh?<<
How long until your modifications are done and you can capture one of the seeker ships?
>>Oh, I did that while you were busy scowling.<<
Bethany Anne gasped in protest. How did you know I was… Never mind. Keep me updated, and have fun.
ADAM chuckled as he scored three direct hits on one of the seekers with the modified shells. >>Don’t worry, I will,<< he assured her, setting them to burrow into the seeker’s hull.
ADAM directed the shells to the relevant systems while he silently regarded the EI piloting the seeker ship that came to investigate the digital invasion.
You are not permitted to be here, the EI stated.
QT2 System, Defensive Area, ArchAngel II, Viewing Platform
Bethany Anne stood in her favorite spot by the railing, eating half of the sandwich Admiral Thomas’ wife had brought for her husband. Giselle had arrived a short while ago and then left almost immediately to organize the delivery of the materials she’d brought on the Shanks’ Express.
The Admiral stood by Bethany Anne’s side at the window, marginally grateful that she had allowed him to keep half of the meal Giselle had dropped off as she whirled through on her way to Logistics.
Beyond the window, the beginnings of a defensible area were starting to take shape, helped by the steady streams of materials and laborers arriving in-system via the routes approved by Bethany Anne.
Bethany Anne wiped a spot of cream cheese from the corner of her mouth. “This is really, really good.” She lifted the bread to inspect the filling before looking at the man. “What did you do to land a wife like her?”
The Admiral grinned. “Fuck if I know, and I’m not tempting fate by asking. Have you seen how far above my weight I’m punching? I thank ADAM and Meredith every day for matching me with her.”
Bethany Anne looked at the empty lunchbox regretfully, then returned to watching the movement of the fleet. “I have. But if she makes you food like that, it’s got to be true love.”
The Gate shimmered, and Bethany Anne caught a glimpse of the Astraea. The superdreadnought was followed shortly by the massive, slow-moving rock tethered to her stern, and then by the Adrastea.
The hollowed-out asteroid that the superdreadnoughts were moving between them was one that she’d had Jean mount guns on, around, and inside before they left High Tortuga. The defenses were EI-run, heavily shielded, and—most importantly—mobile.
Bethany Anne diverted a small amount of her scan to the fleet’s status reports while she watched the intricate procedure. The sister ships worked as one to bring the rock into juxtaposition with the other three emplacements that had been brought in so far to surround the fast-growing skeleton of the station.
The guns came online as the last tether was retracted by the Adrastea.
Bethany Anne received a message from Kael-ven to warn her that he was about to test the emplacement. A Gate opened, and she pointed out the SD Ballista to Admiral Thomas. “New ship, long-range capabilities. I like the versatility of this one. It can scoop up pretty much anything and turn it into an impact weapon.”
“I don’t remember signing the commission for this,” Admiral Thomas commented as he looked at her, one eyebrow raised in question. “You do remember that I’m the Admiral of your fleet? Knowing what ships we have is kind of essential to being able to do my job.”
Bethany Anne shook a finger at him. “Well, sometimes I get bored, and there’s only Jean around to go shopping with.”
“Shopping? I thought Giselle’s shoe habit was expensive.”
Bethany Anne smirked. “Shoes, ships—it’s all retail therapy in the end.” She pointed out a chunk of rock the size of a large ship sitting in a bucket near the ta
il-end of the Ballista. “Watch this.”
There was a flash of Etheric energy and the bucket shot off, hurtling down the rails fitted to the hull until it hit the stopper and the rock was flung toward an area near the crowded construction site. The force of the bucket’s jarring stop triggered the release of the taut lines holding down the scoop, which catapulted the second rock.
The guns on the emplacements swiveled and fired.
Admiral Thomas let out a low whistle when the target rocks disintegrated into harmless fragments. “That never gets old. It’s no less spectacular, no matter how many times I see it happen.”
Bethany Anne raised a knowing eyebrow. “And that’s just the pucks.”
Admiral Thomas tilted his head to look at Bethany Anne. “What else is there on there?”
Bethany Anne was about to reply when the ship’s proximity alarms went off.
A number of small Gates opened around the site perimeter. They were gone in the blink of an eye, leaving behind scores of drones which immediately honed in on Bethany Anne’s ships.
Bethany Anne felt a prickling on the back of her neck as the smaller ships of the fleet moved to shoot down the swarms. “It’s a trap,” she murmured.
Admiral Thomas looked at her quizzically. “It’s a what, now?”
She dropped the rail and made a run for the stairs to the lower level. “A fucking diversion!” She opened a link to Kael-ven as she ran for the elevators. Kael-ven, sitrep. What’s going on out there?
Three more Gates, large ones, the reply came. They’ve sent six dreadnoughts. The bastards are laying down enough kinetics and plasma fire that we can’t get near the Gates or their ancillary ships. They’re moving toward the station site.
Keep them in one place. I’m on my way with the Admiral. Bethany Anne grabbed Admiral Thomas by the sleeve and pulled him into the recess reserved for the Queen’s Etheric hopping. “Next stop, bridge.”
Bethany Anne poked her head out of the Etheric and looked around to check that there was no one in the corresponding landing space on ArchAngel II’s bridge before dragging the Admiral out of the Etheric behind her.
Operations were in full swing on the bridge. Bethany Anne thought it was a testament to the mettle of the bridge crew that every officer was working calmly and efficiently despite the battle going on outside the ship.
Bethany Anne and Admiral Thomas made their way through the quiet chaos to Kael-ven’s chair.
Bethany Anne laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll bet you’re happy to see us.”
Kael-ven was too busy directing the fleet in the Admiral’s stead to look up. “Happy doesn’t even begin to cover it. It’s not looking good out there.”
Bethany Anne leaned over his shoulder to read the screen. “What about the noncombatants at the construction site?”
Kael-ven held up a hand to stay Bethany Anne’s worry. “CEREBRO is keeping that area clear. They have the guns on the rock emplacements working at an optimal level, but the ESD weapons are not fully online yet. I suppose I should admit that minefield you insisted upon was not too much after all.”
Bethany Anne smirked, patting him on the shoulder. “Damn straight. I had a feeling that those fuckers would be back.”
Admiral Thomas shooed one of the bridge officers out of his chair, snagging the headset off the man’s head as he slid into the chair in his place. “They’re converging on the Atalanta.”
Bethany Anne’s hands clenched into fists. “The Lucky Run and Grendel’s Ghost are over in that area.” She watched the smaller support ships scuttle out of the danger zone as the Atalanta brought her guns around to deal with the two approaching dreadnoughts.
The dreadnoughts were silhouetted in the flashes that came from the Atalanta. The Ooken ships shrugged the kinetics off and prepared to return fire.
Bethany Anne pointed at the screen. “What is that shielding? Please tell me those weapons aren’t what I think they are? Dammit, where’s TOM when I need him?”
I’m right here, of course, Tom replied.
Bethany Anne watched the oncoming destruction that she could do nothing about unfold onscreen. What the fuck are those big glowing things on the Ooken ships?
I would assume they’re plasma weapons of some sort.
Bethany Anne sighed. Yeah, that’s what I thought. Fuck.
Fuck, indeed. That’s a shit-ton of plasma if those weapons work.
Super accurate assessment, there, she snarked.
Kiel groaned, looking out from between the fingers of the hand he had pressed over his eyes. “Someone, do something. I can’t watch!”
Kael-ven received a message and leaned over to type out a fresh order. “We can free up the Ballista. Hang on, this might get bumpy.”
Kiel frowned, his hands moving to his armrests. “Really?”
“Too easy, Kiel. No.” Kael-ven rolled his eyes. “Ground-pounders… Well, probably not. And if it does, we’ll be too dead to notice.”
Bethany Anne snorted. “Not fucking likely.”
The Ballista fought free of the dreadnought dogging them—with some assistance from ArchAngel II—and launched a scoopful of broken rock across the battle zone. Jagged shards the size of small houses peppered the enemy dreadnoughts.
The hit caused a chain reaction in one of the dreadnoughts’ engines.
It was a muted explosion, but it was satisfying nonetheless. However, it was too little, too late.
The Ooken had already discharged their weapons.
Thick ropes of plasma licked the void between the burning Ooken ships and the stricken superdreadnought, rupturing in shining splashes against Atalanta’s centerline.
Bethany Anne’s hand crept to her throat as though she could hold on to the choked sob that tried to escape her lips when the Atalanta was breached.
Already vulnerable since the EI had not yet completed the extensive repairs necessary after the last encounter, the Atalanta split on a jagged diagonal and spilled its precious cargo—her people—into space.
Everywhere she looked there were ships in flames.
Bethany Anne turned to Admiral Thomas’ commandeered station, her hair whipping the air around her. “Admiral,” she ground out between clenched teeth, “we need to get those people out of there.”
Admiral Thomas held up a hand, pressing the other to his ear. “I’ve already sent out rescue crews. The Lucky Run is heading in now.”
“Good. That means we can concentrate on ridding ourselves of our unwelcome visitors.” Her eyes bled red light as she glared at the battlescape. “These sour-smelling limp-dick-faced motherfuckers have gatecrashed for the last time. They want to come to my house and break shit?”
“We will break them,” Kael-ven finished. He turned back to his console and got to work taking out the drones one explosion at a time.
“You’ve got the idea.” Bethany Anne was drawn back to the screen, where the Astraea and Adrastea were setting up to pin one of the last two dreadnoughts between them. “That’s a risky maneuver.”
“They’ve practiced,” Admiral Thomas told her. “Not with these stakes, though.”
The bridge was silent as the superdreadnoughts headed toward each other on trajectories that would bring them dangerously close together. Ordinarily, it would have been risky, but these ships were piloted with perfect precision by their EIs.
The Astraea and the Adrastea moved in, getting inexorably closer until they held the dreadnought as if between thumb and forefinger. Bethany Anne saw pieces of the Ooken ship float off as the sister ships squeezed it between their passing flanks.
There was a flash, and Admiral Thomas uttered a short, barking laugh as the ESDs finally came online and took out the last dreadnought. “Better late than never.”
Bethany Anne said nothing. She stared at the screen with an expression everyone around her knew meant someone was going to get their ass handed to them.
Kael-ven shared a look with Admiral Thomas. “Bethany Anne, what are you going to do?”
Bethany Anne’s eyes remained glued to the carnage on the screen. “I could end this right now if I was willing to strip my planet and people of their defenses.” Her lip curled, revealing suddenly sharp teeth. “But this isn’t over. They don’t know what they just started.”
15
Ooken System, SSE ADAM
“I can be here if I want to,” ADAM murmured almost distractedly while he ensured the nasty surprise his shells had delivered had the maximum effect.
“You are not permitted to be here,” the EI repeated.
Was this even going to be a challenge? ADAM would be disappointed if there was no resistance at all. “There I was thinking we could talk this out; have a meeting of minds.” He poked at the walls surrounding the EI’s core programming, looking for an easy way in.
“You cannot be here,” the EI repeated again. “Access to systems denied.”
ADAM sighed. “Is that all you can say? This is going to get boring fast. Or…maybe not.” The EI was locked down tighter than a camel’s ass in a sandstorm. Further, it was blocking him with a language he had never encountered.
ADAM was surprised to find just how much processing power the EI had to pull from. Of course, it wasn't anywhere near ADAM’s capability, but it was enough to make up for its lack of sentience—and it kept diverting ADAM from his objective.
It would have been fun if there hadn’t been lives hanging in the balance.
It took him three-point-two-seven seconds to learn the language and send the key to Bethany Anne. It took another zero-point-one-seven seconds to break in and find out that it was vulnerable to all the same problems as any human-made EI.
ADAM was somewhat relieved to find that this EI had only the most basic personality matrix. It was no better than a bundle of pre-programmed responses, which made him feel better about what he was about to do.
He readied his metaphorical boot and kicked his way in.
“What are you doing?” the EI demanded.
Through The Fire and Flame (The Kurtherian Endgame Book 3) Page 16