by Terry Mixon
Jared chuckled. “I’ll bet. Okay, people, it’s crunch time. We’ve gotten what we came for, and now it’s time to get out of here. Let’s go out there and make it happen.”
Kelsey followed Carl, Austin, and Ralph down to the level where all the vehicles were once kept underneath the Imperial Palace. As Jared had guessed, they’d picked up extra guards. Four disapproving young men armed with flechette rifles and pistols followed them.
The conspicuous absence of stunners was telling.
She had no idea how they were going to react once they realized that she and her friends intended to take the pinnaces. Probably not calmly.
When they arrived at the correct level, they found various atmospheric craft parked in neat lines in the hangar. All were covered by dust. Hulking over everything at the far end was a pair of Marine Raider pinnaces.
One of the young men raised a hand and stepped forward as they started to enter the hangar. “Halt. You’re not authorized to examine our equipment any longer.”
It seemed that the time for tiptoeing around the looming confrontation was over. She’d hoped that they wouldn’t have to start trouble before the train had even left, but needs must.
“Carl, start giving the pinnaces a good check while I deal with our friends,” she said softly. Then she turned to face the four men.
“I’m afraid that we really can’t do that.”
Without waiting for a response, she yanked her stunner from her off side and took them all down with a wide-beam shot even as they were starting to bring their weapons to bear on her. They’d been expecting an argument, not an attack. That momentary hesitation had cost them.
They all dropped like puppets with their strings cut. They’d be out for at least an hour.
“The clock is running, boys,” Kelsey said, raising her voice. “Hustle.”
She went to each of the unconscious guards and dragged them into the hangar and out of sight. If someone came looking to see what was going on down here, she didn’t want them seeing that they’d already attacked their guards. That would just start the fighting early.
The next group, when it came, still wouldn’t be expecting outright violence. She’d probably be able to handle them as well.
It was going to be the third group that was problematic.
Carl manipulated the controls to the ramp on one of the pinnaces, and it lowered smoothly to the floor. “Looks like the power still on. That’s a good sign.”
Instead of going up the ramp, he ducked underneath the pinnace. Moments later, he was back and nodding. “It’s got a power cable running from the power grid. That’s going to help.”
Kelsey reached out with her implants even as the three men were going inside. Since the pinnace was online, that allowed her to do some remote checking.
It wasn’t fully online, of course, but its automated systems responded to her link request and granted her access once she’d presented her codes. She brought the computer up and began running a self-diagnostic on the flight control systems.
To her utter shock, almost all of them passed. There were a couple of systems that were down, but they were running off their backups. She’d want to have Carl do a little bit of work on a couple of things, but if push came to shove, they’d be able to take off in it right now.
She turned her attention to the second one and repeated the process. Once again, the majority of its systems were functional, and those that weren’t had backups. Somebody had been maintaining them. Maybe not for the last few decades, but they hadn’t been abandoned for much longer than that.
Kelsey accessed the palace systems and send a message to Lily for her to send Clarice Beauchamp down to the hangar. She included directions to get there.
A few minutes later, the woman arrived with a pair of irritated guards at her heels. Without waiting for them to say anything, Kelsey used her stunner on narrow beam and took them down.
The warrior had her sword out and was looking for foes as soon as the bodies hit the floor. When she saw that nothing needed her immediate attention, she sheathed her new weapon and walked up to Kelsey.
“What’s going on?” the warrior asked.
“They’re about to throw us out. The pinnaces are functional, so we’re going to break Major Peters out. They’re about to send the fusion plant back to Frankfort, and I want you to go with it.
“By this time, I’m sure the people at Frankfort have guards on the platform to make sure that no one tries to sneak in and take anything else. What I’d like you to do is make certain that Leader Mordechai knows that we’re going to be joining them very shortly. I’m sure they’ve got all kinds of weapons, and I’d rather not be shot down.”
The woman nodded. “I’ll go down to the train station and oversee the movement of the fusion plant. I look forward to seeing you again in Frankfort.”
Kelsey extended her hand, and the two women locked forearms. “Me too. Thanks for everything.”
Once the woman had departed, Kelsey returned to keeping watch while Carl and his boys made certain that the pinnaces were functional. The clock was definitely running, and she sincerely hoped that the train departed before everything came apart.
Her next call was to Jared. “Operation Johnny Bravo is in progress. I’m sending Clarice on the train, and we’ll join her in Frankfort once we get out of here. Retrieving Major Peters is going to be the most challenging aspect of this, I suspect. It’s a good thing that Talbot is on that.”
“I’ll make sure that everything on our end is in motion,” her brother said. “Try not to kill anybody. Mertz out.”
Kelsey turned and yelled up the nearest ramp. “Carl, I’ve tapped into the system and see a couple of things that I’d like you to work on. Remember that nothing you do can take any of the major systems offline, because we might have to leave on a moment’s notice. Understood?”
“Copy that,” he yelled back. “Send the information to my implants, and we’ll get started. I’ll send Austin over to the other pinnace. If we can get them both ready, great. If one of them fails, at least we’ll have a backup. Ralph will take care of bypassing the lockouts on the hangar doors.”
With everything in motion, Kelsey set herself into a good place to ambush anyone coming through the main doors. As soon as the people running this place figured out what was going on, they’d swarm them, and the fight would be on.
Her goal was to make certain that nobody figured out what they were doing in the hangar. The next steps of the operation were up to Jared and Talbot. If they got their jobs done, then the team would be gone within the next hour.
Things might be tight, and they might have to fight their way out, but she swore to herself that once they’d defeated the AIs, she’d be back. This place was her family’s legacy going back ten thousand years, and she’d be damned if she’d leave it in the hands of jerks like this.
33
When Julia heard that they were about to send the fusion plant and shielding back to Frankfort with only Clarice Beauchamp to escort it, she approached Mertz. “I think you’re making a mistake. Things might go badly here. You should send all the noncombatants back to the city.”
Rather than arguing, he was silent for a few moments and then nodded. “You’re probably right. Hoping that everybody can get to the pinnaces and out of here without being caught up in a fight is unrealistic.
“Right now, the people in charge don’t know that we’re planning to steal the pinnaces. They also don’t know that we’re going to take Major Peters with us. Either of those two things is going to start a fight that could get someone killed.”
He grimaced slightly. “Actually, the fighting has already started. The guards with Kelsey, Carl, and the others down in the hangar tried to stop them from looking at the pinnaces, so she stunned them. The clock is ticking now.
“Take all the noncombatants with you and join Clarice on the train. Once you get to Frankfort, wait for us. With you going along in armor, there’s very little chance that
the soldiers these people send will be able to overcome you. They’re unlikely to even try.
“I know this is going to introduce some complications into their relationship, but there’s nothing we can do about that. Honestly, I still think that the people in the city will come out ahead. While they have technology, they’re not exactly numerous.”
He inclined his head toward her. “Good thinking, by the way.”
Taking the compliment with an unexpected smile, Julia excused herself and gathered all the noncombatants except for Carl, Ralph, and Austin. Since they were working on the pinnaces, Kelsey would keep them safe.
By the time she’d gotten them to the maglev platform, the soldiers from the group holding the Imperial Palace had almost finished loading the fusion plant and its shielding. She wondered how Beauchamp was supposed to know that everything they needed was there.
The answer turned out to be Olivia West. She was overseeing the loading and apparently in communication with Carl via the systems inside the Imperial Palace to discuss what was supposed to be there. According to her, it looked like everything had been crated and labeled for future use, so it was a simple matter to go down a manifest in his mind to tell that everything they needed was there.
That might not mean much if some small, critical part were missing, but there was only so much that they could do. They wouldn’t know if it was all functional until Carl got to Frankfort.
“I talked with Mertz, and he said that all the noncombatants are coming back on the train with us,” she told Olivia. “They’re going to meet us at Frankfort.”
The other woman scowled. “Does that number include him? I realize that he’s a pilot, but he’s basically a noncombatant when you come to ground fighting. One of our leaders needs to go back on this train.”
“They have two pinnaces and two pilots,” Julia disagreed. “I understand that’s putting all of our eggs in one basket—yet another Kelsey saying that I don’t fully understand—but in this case, it’s necessary.”
She held up a hand when the other woman started to object. “We’re on an extremely tight schedule, and arguing with him about this is only going to disrupt him at a critical juncture. Kelsey has already taken… steps that are going to cause us problems if we don’t hurry.”
Olivia sighed. “Great. We’ll just have to hope for the best.”
Twenty minutes later, the fusion plant and its shielding were loaded onto the train, and all the noncombatants had boarded, with Julia following behind the last of the soldiers. Since she was locked inside her armor and heavily armed, she doubted they were going to try anything, but she stayed on the lookout for trouble.
She linked her implants into the train and monitored all the cars as they left the station. Carl was in communication with her and verified that they’d made the turn heading for Frankfort.
I’m about to kill communications between the train and the palace, he told her. I’ve already rigged the system so that they’ll think it’s still operational, but any attempt by the palace to call them is going to fail.
And what if the people on the train try to call them?
Hopefully, with such a short trip, they won’t try. Worst case, they’ll attempt to send a message once they’ve arrived at the station to let the palace know that they’ve arrived. I’ve set up the com system here to forward incoming requests to me. I’ll do my best to make sure they don’t realize anything is going on, but you’re going to have to keep your eyes open.
Thanks, Carl. Good luck.
You too, Julia.
After about ten minutes, she allowed herself to relax slightly. It seemed as if the scheme was going off just like they’d planned. That didn’t stop her from keeping a close eye on everyone around her. If they made a move, she was going to be ready.
To her relief, they pulled into the station at Frankfort without anyone the wiser. She noted that the platform was filled with guards from the city. Standing at their center was Jebediah.
Everyone there had their primitive weapons raised when the doors opened, but she stepped out and changed her helmet to show her face through the holographic projectors.
“It’s okay,” she said. “We’ve got the fusion plant, and these people are here to make sure that it’s installed.”
Jebediah gestured toward his people, and they relaxed slightly, though she noted that they didn’t really lower their weapons. They were worried about the people from the Imperial Palace, just like she was.
“So, who are they?” he asked her once the guards began unloading the crates. “And are you Julia or Kelsey?”
“Julia. And these are potential allies. Ones that we’re going to piss off before this is done. Those of us that aren’t here are in the process of stealing a couple of Marine Raider pinnaces that they had stashed at the Imperial Palace.
“That’s what’s going to get us to orbit. They’re going to be seriously pissed about that. Admiral Mertz said to tell you that he’s sorry.”
Jebediah chuckled. “It seems like poetic justice to me. Don’t worry. My father is an able negotiator. He’ll blame you for everything, you won’t be here to deny it, and we’ll eventually find some common ground with these people.
“Once they finish unloading the equipment, I’ll have someone take you up to the room where it once sat. We can oversee the installation together and await the arrival of your friends. I’ll see that word is dispatched to our sentries above ground to make certain that no one thinks their arrival is that of an enemy.
“We’ll also make certain that we don’t let them in where the intruders can see them. No need to make them wonder how they suddenly and unexpectedly appeared.”
He stood silent for a few minutes as the people from the Imperial Palace finished unloading the crates and started moving them laboriously to the lift. Some residents of Frankfort helped speed the process while others kept guard.
When the two of them finally stood alone on the platform, Jebediah turned to face her. “Will you or your people ever return? And by that, I mean once you’ve dealt with the computers.”
She removed her helmet and shook out her damp hair. “Almost certainly. I don’t know how long it will be, but I feel confident that my sister and Admiral Mertz will evict these people from the Imperial Palace. That’s going to cause more problems, I’m sure, but it’s our birthright.”
Jebediah laughed again. “While we’re willing to ally ourselves with these people, they represent the past, not the future. When the time comes, if you can take the Imperial Palace, do so with our blessing. Many places in the world could use advanced people like these. They will adapt.
“Now, let’s go upstairs and watch this wondrous process. I can’t wait to see our city once more providing for itself.”
She walked beside the man as they headed toward the lift. Her thoughts weren’t on the fusion plant, though. She was worried about Kelsey and the rest.
They had the hardest job at this point, and everything rested on them being able to get away cleanly. Julia hoped they had a little bit of luck on their side because if they didn’t, things were going to get really, really ugly.
Talbot led Chloe toward the room where the others kept Jake Peters. Four guards were walking behind them now, and he was beginning to suspect that gaining access to the Marine Raider was going to be difficult.
Nevertheless, they were going to get him out right now, or someone was going to bleed. Kelsey had already said that the pinnaces were ready to go, so all he had to do was get Peters, get to the hangar, and they’d be on their way.
There were several more guards outside the entryway to the area where Peters was kept, and they didn’t look happy to see Talbot. One of them stepped forward and raised a hand. “The god has declined to see you. Leave.”
“I think I’d like to hear that from the god,” Talbot said easily.
He sent an implant message to Peters that the man immediately accepted.
We’re being denied entrance.
&nb
sp; They’ve doubled the guard inside, so I think they know something is going on.
We’ll be inside in just a minute. We’ll handle the guards outside. You take care of the ones in there.
He killed the connection, drew his stunner, and fired from his hip on wide beam. That took down all the guards in front of him but wasn’t sufficient to penetrate the door. Behind him, Chloe whirled in place at the same time, taking out the guards trailing them. Moments later, they were the only ones awake in the hall.
It took them a couple of moments to figure out how to open the doors, and by the time they’d done so, they saw that Peters had taken care of his own guards with the stunner that Talbot had slipped him earlier.
The former Marine Raider looked down at the weapon and grinned lopsidedly at Talbot. “It’s been a long time since I fought anybody and even longer since I’ve held an Imperial weapon in my hand. It kind of felt good.”
“Keep watch while Chloe and I get everybody inside,” he said. “As soon as we’re done, we’re getting the hell out of here.”
The two of them quickly dragged all the guards inside the room and dumped them beside the main door. Then, with Chloe leading the way in her armor, he hefted Peters over his shoulder, and they headed toward the hangar.
They were definitely committed now. They either had to get to the hangar, or they’d never escape.
His hopes of avoiding trouble ended when a trio of guards came around the corner ahead of them and saw him carrying Peters. Two of them immediately charged while the last one ducked back out of sight, already screaming.
Chloe stunned the first two even as they were raising their weapons to fire, and then the three of them rushed down the stairs that they’d been headed toward.
They ran into a couple guards when they exited on the hangar level. Since they’d had their weapons out, it looked as if they’d run out of patience for Kelsey, too.
Talbot locked the door controls once they were inside the hangar. The locals would probably get through soon enough, but the doors were thick. That would hopefully delay them long enough to get the pinnaces out of the Imperial Palace and clear of its defenses.