“Fuck you,” Drevan spat.
Berricks nodded. “You know, I heard something once. Heard that it only took four shots of a dreadnought’s cannons to bring down a city’s Plasmic Shielding Network. What do you say? Give it a shot? Pun intended, of course.”
Asta lifted her hands to her face, her heart racing furiously. “Berricks, please! We brought ya what ya asked fer! End this now!”
“You’re right. It’s the only humane thing to do. Commander Kyle, are the targeting coordinates still set?”
Commander Kyle didn’t look at him, only sat in silence for a moment. Then, “…Yes, sir.”
“Fire cannon one.”
“No! Stop this now!” Asta screamed.
“Fire now, commander.”
“…Yes, sir.”
The ship shuddered as a blast fired out. They saw energy zooming like a stream of light onscreen and it hit the shielding surrounding the city a split second later. A reddish purple rippled out from where it struck.
Asta screamed.
ENERGY PULSATED ACROSS the shielding as Consular Adrianne Starmaker (he who Durante called internally, ‘Consular Dark Elf’) stood staring in disbelief. The sound had been deafening and unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Like a symphony playing a discordant melody mingled with the cacophonous wreckage of sheering metal.
People screamed, panicked, ran in every direction, but not knowing where was safe to retreat. If the shields failed, there would be nowhere left to go. They had never been able to build redundant backups systems into the shielding networks. It was never determined by the senate to be necessary or viable. If the shields collapsed, there would be nothing to look forward to save the cold death of a Martian atmosphere. Maybe those in the buildings would survive for a time. Ten or fifteen minutes at most, but depressurization would bring them all down assuredly. They had to get the citizenry to the subterranean vaults. There, atmospheric pressure would be maintained. Here, the towering skyscrapers would be blown apart.
“What the hell was that!?” Consular Tyson Mercer (aka, ‘Consular Ogre’) came rushing up and stared at the still rippling shielding and hearing the blast’s rapturous echoes reverberating across the city.
“That… was dreadnought fire. Aidele Wilson was right. The Union has come to wipe us out!”
“Impossible. The treaties are—”
“Fuck the treaties! Sound the evacuation! Sound it now! Forget the vote! Council discretion on article seven! We must hurry!”
Consular Mercer looked stunned, out of words, but nodded as they hurried to the Consul Praetorium, the only structure in the city safe enough to withstand the Martian atmospheric pressure. At least for a time. A general evacuation to the Praetorium would allow an evacuation down into the vaults via the lower levels deep within the surface. There was a small window of opportunity. Small. But, if they were fast enough, maybe they could save a few thousand. A few thousand… Spirits be damned! There’s two-hundred and fifty-three million souls within our borders! Oh, by the Spirits!
“GAWDDAMN YOU, BERRICKS!” Asta raged. “Gawddamn you and the whore who birthed you!”
“Where are they? How do we bring down their shields? The bay is locked down, Lynch. They’re not coming to help you.” Berricks spoke calmly, taking his time to enunciate every word. “You want to save your kids? Tell me what I want to know.”
“Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!” Her screams had become wails and Sam Berricks was enjoying every moment of them.
“Fine. Fire cannon two.”
Commander Kyle’s shoulders dropped and he hesitated. But then, “Aye… sir.”
The ship reverberated and Asta fell to her knees. The bridge was deafened by her cries. Durante scowled and spat out at Berricks.
“You fucker! Why would you kill innocents!? Why would you even put on this farce!? Stop this madness now!”
“Weiss,” Berricks crossed his arms. “You’re an idiot. That Martian blood in you has clouded your judgement. Fire cannon three.”
Commander Kyle spun around, “Sir, maybe we should—”
Berricks cast his sight on him. “You disobeying orders, commander?”
The commander looked at him, wilted under his narrowed gaze, spun back around, and initiated the third cannon. The ship shuddered again and Asta pounded her fists on the floor seeing the rippling fissures of Aquila Mons’ shields.
“The corner o’the bay! Jus’ as ya said! She brought the waverider in behind us! The core’s innit! Please! Mah children!” The tears fell off her face as she moved forward on her knees. Drevan lifted a hand.
“Asta, he’s going to do it anyway. The Union is making good on their promise.” Drevan stared daggers at the general prompting a chuckle from the old man.
“Excellent. See, that wasn’t so hard,” Berricks chided. “I know where they are. I just wanted to prove to you how much of a mercenary you really are. This whole heroic nonsense doesn’t suit you. Just go home. Let the Union regain its rightful rule.”
Asta howled and was about to lunge forward but Drevan held her back. Durante fell to his knees and stared with wide eyes.
“No… it’s not possible…” Durante muttered. “It’s… it’s your doing. You’re the one who wants to seize Hinon not… the president… He wouldn’t order this!”
Berricks took on a genuinely shocked expression. “Seriously, Weiss? You really think I’d act against Lee? Who the hell do you think’s been tryin’ to save this worthless ball of mud? I spent the last year tryin’ to find another way! But those fuckin’ huuks are impossible! Time’s up, son. They had their chances. And so did you! Now, the fleets’re on their way and the only way forward is to end the war before it’s even begun!”
Spittle flew from Berricks’ mouth as he pointed towards the view of Aquila Mons. Durante was speechless as he saw the shielding still rippling under the last blast.
No!
Commander Riley turned, “Sir, we’re not really going to level Aquila Mons, are we?”
Berricks turned on her. “I aim to carry out my orders. Question me again, and that’ll be the last thing you do! Commander Kyle, open up all the cannons on the portside! Bring that city down!”
“But, sir!” he turned as Berricks stomped towards him.
“I ain’ going to tell you again, commander! Insubordination will not be tolerated! If I have to operate those cannons myself, I will! That city falls!” Berricks rested his hand on the butt of his revolver at his hip.
“Ah’m gonna rip you apart!” Asta scowled, her fists clenched so tight her brown hands were turning white.
Commander Kyle looked to Riley. Tears were flowing from her eyes. They both had their own families on Earth as well. And the cost of disobedience was their lives too. They turned in their seats and initiated the remaining portside cannons. Asta howled in rage and rushed Berricks. He moved with blinding speed and grabbed her with his synthetic arm, picking her up by the throat, and thrusting her into the floor so hard the surface splintered into an Asta sized cavity. He picked her back up, blood flying from her mouth, and tossed her into Drevan who was now charging as well. Both went flying backwards down the command platform and across the floor. Durante watched this transpire in horror as he struggled with the bindings on his wrists behind his back.
Asta tried to sit up, but ended up gasping to catch her breath. Drevan pulled her to him. He hugged her and rubbed her back. He looked to Berricks.
“Fer what ya’ve done here, ah’m gonna kill ya’n ah’m gonna take mah time doin’ it.”
Berricks chuckled. “They all say that. Take these three to our ‘special guests’ quarters.”
The soldiers approached them and one grabbed Asta roughly. Drevan tried to fight him and took a rifle butt to his back for his efforts. Berricks walked casually back to the other side of the command platform where he stopped and stared at the screen, his fists braced on his hips. On the screen, Aquila Mons’ shields had collapsed and buildings were being reduced to ru
bble.
SOLDIERS RUSHED INTO docking bay seven. The order had been given at last to salvage the waverider and take the intruders prisoner. They’d been keeping watch ever since the general had ordered them to the control room. They’d seen no movement but had faith General Berricks knew what he was talking about.
“Initiate gravitation pulse,” Lieutenant Commander Greyson commanded into his headset.
The pulse was initiated and a moment later they were rewarded with a visible bubbling shield of plasma. They still couldn’t see the interior. So, Greyson ordered an ionic pulse next. The bay was inundated by a pulsing force that they could feel to their very bones like a thrumming vibration being sonically generated and then the shielding collapsed. The soldiers all lowered the weapons finding the waverider right where the general had said it would be, but discovering it was empty of any intruder. Greyson approached it and couldn’t figure out how to activate the device. He turned to look at the control tower at the end of the bay where it rose to the ceiling and raised a hand to his helmet to activate a receiver.
“Inform General Berricks that we’ve recovered the waverider. However, there is nobody onboard the device. Recommend a lockdown of this deck and a corridor by corridor search for the intruder or intruders. They couldn’t have gone far.”
A click of acknowledgement came back.
THE WHOLE SHIP shuddered like some great giant was pounding on the hull with a mallet. Aidele and Grandfather hurried from corridor to corridor following the layout provided by Durante in the head mounted display she’d been given. The brig wasn’t much further now and, so far, they’d managed to evade patrols that were seeming ever more on edge. The violent shaking and thrumming probably wasn’t helping their nerves any, she figured.
“What is that thudding?” Aidele asked.
Grandfather looked pale. “I hope it’s not what I think it is. However, we can’t afford to concern ourselves with that right now. We have to free the others. Are you certain the waverider will be safe?”
Aidele nodded. “Even if, when, they drop those shields, I anchored it down gravitationally to the deck. Hopefully, no one’s bright enough to figure out they can reverse the deck’s polarity to free it. But, even if they are, maybe all will be said and done by then.”
Grandfather nodded and followed Aidele as they navigated the hallways. Approaching the cell blocks, she grew wary. The patrols were thinning out and they’d yet to discover any actual guards in this sector. She leaned against a wall seeing they were almost to the brigs. She inched along to the entrance and peeked her head inside the cellblock. Nobody was within. Aidele pulled her right Iron and pushed aside the satchel hanging off her arm. Inside it were Drevan and Asta’s weaponry.
Aidele looked to Grandfather. “Better bring your sidearm to bear. I’m getting the distinct feeling this is a trap.”
“Had that feeling in the docks. What now? Clearly they’re not in here.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it would be best to head to the bridge. Storm it now.”
Grandfather frowned. “Do you think Berricks would really risk taking them to the bridge?”
Aidele shook her head. “I think one way or another, he’s expecting us there. But we need to be cautious. The fact it’s all so empty here does not bode well.”
“There’s also those, regrettably.”
Grandfather pointed up the hallway and Aidele saw a camera pointing their way. “Yeah. I know. Durante informed me of the security networks. He marked them on my holodisplay. Might be futile now, though. Let’s double back and—”
Two soldiers peeked out from the corridor ends, the intent obvious to her: they wanted to trap them in a crossfire. The soldiers brought their weapons to bear and both Aidele and Grandfather opened fire on the freshly arrived soldiers. The troops went down fast. Aidele and Grandfather hurried down to the end of the corridor. But as they reached the intersection, soldiers from the other end filed into the hallway, all firing indiscriminately at them. Rounding the corner, four more soldiers arrived on their end forcing the two to crouch low as weapons fire was exchanged. The corridor resonated with gunfire as they were forced to duck, weave, and dance a dangerous ballet without benefit of cover.
As more soldiers poured in, Aidele saw they were quickly running out of avenues of escape. So, she dialed her left Iron up to three-and-a-half and fired a projectile into a corner wall at the current corridor’s end. It exploded causing troops there to be blown to the ground.
“Come on!” she shouted and Grandfather followed her to the newly decimated intersection hearing a whole contingent of troops racing down the hall they’d just vacated.
THEY WERE MARCHED down the hall without consideration for Asta’s wounds. Any moment it looked as if she might collapse. Things had gone south rather quickly, Durante considered, and he wasn’t sure how they were going to get out of it. That concern was soon addressed, though, as their guard got distracted by gunfire down the hall. They stopped and looked. The corridor here was broad and glistened under reflected light, reflections of walls, light fixtures, and their own shadows in the floor.
Durante looked to Drevan and Asta. The guards’ backs were to them and it looked as if Drevan and Asta were ready to pounce, to strangle the four guards with their bindings. But then they all saw Aidele come sailing out of a cross hallway about halfway down the corridor. She was flying through the air back first guns blazing in front of her. She hit the floor in a slide yet still continued firing at whoever her adversary was giving chase. Ten seconds later, Garret rushed out of that hallway as well firing behind him and seeking cover by the intersection wall. He leaned into the corridor firing once more. The four soldiers escorting Durante and his group raised their weapons towards Aidele and Garret. Before Durante could shout, Asta howled.
“Aidele! Look out!”
One trooper turned to her and plowed his rifle butt into her stomach doubling Asta over. Aidele saw this and rolled onto her side as Garret performed a grim dance holding off the soldiers they were fighting at the intersection. Drevan jammed his shoulder into another of their guard sending him careening into his two other cohorts. They all fell over as Aidele reached into her satchel and pulled out a gun.
“Asta!” Aidele screamed out and slid a silver revolver down the hall towards them. Somehow the weapon had enough inertia to reach them. Asta dove into a forward roll grabbing the weapon and flipping onto her back. Two soldiers were already regaining their footing and Asta fired two shots into each of their heads sending their helmets flying off and their bodies flinging backwards. One on top of another guard who was still getting to his feet. Asta shot him twice into his shoulder and gut while Drevan grabbed ahold of the last soldier and kept driving his head into a wall. The whole affair had taken less than twenty seconds.
Asta rolled over onto her side as Drevan raced over to kneel at her side. She groaned and clutched her chest. Durante stood staring in stunned silence as Aidele and Garret spent another two minutes in their own lethal gunfight. After they were done, they took stock of their situation. Garret clapped Aidele on her back and, together, they made their way to the three of them. Aidele dropped down to Asta’s side where she was struggling to breath. Drevan had a wild look in his eyes as a result.
“Are you alright? Can you walk?”
“Yeah. It ain’ nothin’ ah kent walk off,” Asta replied to Aidele, wincing. Drevan and Aidele both helped her to her feet.
Asta handed a key to Aidele she dug out of a pocket and then leaned into Drevan’s proffered shoulder. Aidele walked over to Durante.
“Turn around,” she told him and he did.
“You’re hurt,” Durante said turning to her and rubbing his wrists after the cuffs dropped off. There were several bullet holes in Aidele’s coat. Which was sad since she’d only just reclaimed one of her mother’s dusters.
Aidele smiled in grim satisfaction. “You should see the other guys.”
“Yeah. No, that’s okay. Saw the last one.”
Asta shut her eyes. Durante choked up. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose your own children.
“What… happened?” Aidele repeated, eyes widening.
Garret let loose a deep sigh and dropped his shoulders.
Durante looked to Aidele. “Berricks… destroyed Aquila Mons.”
“W, what!? …How!?” Aidele took a step back, hands coming to her mouth.
“The dreadnought’s cannons…” Garret replied.
Durante nodded and pursed his lips. “The city never stood a chance.”
Aidele looked to Asta who was on the verge of tears. Then there was more thudding, a tremor through the Invicta’s hulls. Aidele glanced to Garret.
“They’re still firing… why?”
Garret shook his head. “I… don’t know. Perhaps there are targets we are unaware of as well? No…” His eyes grew large. “The military installations are all underground. The food production systems too. He’s trying to cripple Hinon’s ability to fight back. The Union fleets must be on their way.”
“Yeah, I think Berricks might have mentioned as much,” Durante grumbled.
Aidele dropped her hands and a scowl crossed her face. “It’s not happenin’! Ah need ta git ta Berricks, now! It’s time ta end that bastard fer good! Ah don’ care whether or not he knows we’re comin’! Ah honestly hope he does!”
Durante nodded. “And, I need to disable the weapons systems. Give Hinon’s fleets the time they need to engage. I don’t know why they haven’t already. …” He paused a moment and looked to each of the others. “Fuck it. I’m overloading the core. Destroy this monstrous thing so that there’s one less obstacle for Hinon to deal with.”
Garret looked to him. “I thought you didn’t want to hurt innocents?”
“Who said anything about harming innocents?” Durante queried, a sharp look in his eyes. “We’re going to evacuate the whole ship by taking charge of the command systems from Berricks. He’ll be completely locked out. Unable to do any more damage. But we need to go now. And, Aidele needs to get to the bridge to murder that motherfucker.”
Red Star Sheriff Page 53