The Fifth Column Boxed Set

by J. N. Chaney

“Safe Haven,” was all I said. In truth, all the weapons we confiscated went to Z-28K, an abandoned mining colony near the Deadlands. We’d nicknamed it Safe Haven so we could talk about it in the open without giving away the location. I wasn’t about to tell her that though.

  “How did you even know where to go?”

  This time Farah answered. “We came into some information. That’s all we can say for now.”

  It was another vague response with a complicated answer.

  After Commander-Navari’s death, I had found and decoded her hidden cache of secret missions. They told a story; we just weren’t sure of the ending yet. The things we knew for sure were that Vice-Admiral-Adrian Kaska was running weapons tests on Sarkonian people, approving assassinations within both the Union and his own government, and doing it all under the table.

  The way the dossiers read, Kaska had orchestrated all of it by himself. The general consensus among us and those in the rebellion we trusted with the information was that the Vice-Admiral was working alone. Or, at the very least, giving the Emperor plausible deniability, though that didn’t jive with my gut.

  So far, we’d thwarted three of his planned operations. The first two had been just after our escape from Sobek, the location of our last mission for the government. Our pilot anti-mission had been a fairly simple task: retrieving a device from the mining colony of Karbine that would have introduced a toxin into the atmosphere and killed everyone within minutes.

  Second, and easily the most dangerous, were the replicators we’d taken from Chaundra. Those were a nasty piece of work that the government had obtained from the Union. The nanobots were capable of planetary destruction and would have greatly upset the balance of power between the Union and Sarkon government.

  The most recent had been to save a political target from assassination. It had gone easier than expected, but the more we stepped in the more I became concerned that Kaska would catch on to who was fucking up his plans.

  “Okay,” said Calliope, her jaw set.

  “Okay what?” asked Farah.

  “I want to be part of this. If we’re saving innocent people, I want to help. It’s the whole reason I joined the military in the first place.”

  “Fine, but don’t expect to be told everything,” I warned her. “We don’t even know everything.”

  The girl wrinkled her nose in confusion. “You obviously have someone feeding you information. Are you going into these things half blind?”

  Farah shot me another look, which I understood. If I kept dancing around every question Calliope asked it would just end up confusing her. Resigned, I shut off the holo.

  “There’s a rebellion within the Sarkonian Empire,” I told her. “The Union is already aware of it, or so we’ve been told.”

  “I’ve actually heard about it,” she confessed. “Though no one is really taking it seriously. No offense, it’s just that the Empire is already behind the Union in almost everything. A rebellion only helps the Union government, so they wouldn’t step in.” Calliope looked at both of us apologetically.

  “I don’t think we ever thought of that,” Farah chimed in.

  “No,” I admitted. “With the agreement between the two we kind of assumed the Union would act against the rebels if given the chance.”

  “It’s possible,” Calliope said doubtfully, as if she didn’t believe that. “But both sides still want to win.”

  It was a good point. Control of the known systems was everyone’s endgame.

  “The rebellion is a shadowy organization connected through an underground network. We keep communication anonymous in case someone gets caught.”

  “Pretty standard,” Calliope murmured.

  I cracked a smile. “Yeah, it is. We don’t know exactly who started it or why, but everyone involved had suffered at the hands of the government.”

  “I’ve heard the Empire is… strict,” the girl replied.

  “It’s not just about it being a shitty government,” Farah broke in. Her eyes were a little too bright and spoke of her own pain and loss.

  Farah’s brother had been taken, forced into a special ops program against her parents’ wishes, and died as a result. It had been the catalyst for them to join the group when she was a kid. I’d only just learned about it and the fact that she’d been a double agent for them while she served in the military with me.

  That had been a shock to me since I’d always known my friend to be a staunch rule follower and more timid than not. Turned out she was pretty bad ass with nerves of steel to boot.

  “Exactly,” I agreed. “It’s not just a matter of people not agreeing with the way the government rules. They’re abusing their power. Entire colonies are razed, families separated, and lives lost in their quest for universal domination.”

  I myself had been kidnapped as a child and taken from my home world, never to see my parents again. There were people like me and Farah all over Sarkonian claimed space.

  “The people are tired of it,” Farah added fiercely, taking the words right out of my mouth.

  Calliope held up her hands in a gesture of peace. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply it had no merit. I guess all of that never occurred to me.”

  “It’s fine,” Farah said shortly. “The point is that we’re trying to put a stop to the worst of it.”

  “Then let me help,” Calliope urged, putting her hands down and taking a step closer to us.

  The movement grew with each averted tragedy and every betrayal by the government, or at least that was what we were told. If Kaska was gearing up for something big as Mack had said, that meant more was coming and we would need all the help we could get.

  “Okay,” Farah and I said at the same time.

  The next day Farah and I were on the bridge again going over more of Navari’s secret files when we got a call.

  “Captain, there’s an urgent incoming transmission from Miss Woods,” Vega informed me.

  “Put her on,” I ordered, moving to the holo screen.

  Calliope was off in the weight room trying to put some muscle back on. She’d claimed the stint in the labor camp doing menial tasks had been the reason for her lack of strength. In any case, she’d be busy for a while.

  Farah joined me, and a second later Mack’s face filled the display.

  Normally, ships couldn’t send or receive transmissions while in slipspace, but the Second Genesis was a special lady. The advance slip drive not only gave us the ability to cloak, both in and out of a slip tunnel, but we could operate communications during slipspace travel as well.

  “Hey,” she said, a pinched look on her face.

  “What’s wrong, Mack?” asked Farah.

  The hacker didn’t mince words. “There’s a situation,” she said hurriedly. “We just got word from someone with high security clearance that Kaska is after a weapon. Some kind of fusion energy. He’s going after it tomorrow.”

  “Where at?” I asked, already going to the map.

  “Obsequius, on the planet Solaris.”

  I paused what I was doing. “As in…?”

  Mack nodded. “Yeah. The capital city of Sarkon’s largest conscripted planet.”

  The planet Percheron was a class three planet, at least by the Sarkonian classification system. It basically meant that it had been usurped by the Empire and its citizens were not “trueborn” Sarkonians. It did hold some value for its resources, though they were fairly common throughout the universe.

  “Huh,” said Farah, tilting her head to one side as she studied the holo rendition of the planet. “Why there?”

  “We’re not sure,” Mack admitted. “It’s as good a place as any for a secret buy. I’ve just sent you the data.”

  “I remember seeing a dossier for this in Navari’s files,” I said, reading through it. “But it looked far from ready. More theoretical than anything.”

  “That’s right. It would appear they found a way to move the timetable up. Guys, this thing is seriously powerful. If they figure
out how to harness the power of this ingot, they could level a city in one shot. Not quite like the nanobots, but if Kaska gets his hands on it… I know Walker is kind of a wildcard right now, but you’re the only ones equipped to deal with this kind of thing on such short notice,” she replied, worry creasing her forehead.

  The hacker’s hair was mussed as though she’d been tugging on it and dark circles dogged her eyes. It struck me that this was the first time that I had ever seen Mack look anything but cool, calm, and collected. That alone spoke to the gravity of the situation. I sought out Farah’s attention and we exchanged a curt nod.

  “Okay, Mack. Send us anything else you think might help. We just left Taurus. Topped off fuel and basic resources, so it shouldn’t be a problem to get to Solaris before it goes down.”

  Her shoulders relaxed but I could still see the tightness in her features. “Thanks. I’ll keep you updated.”

  “We’ll do the same,” Farah assured her.

  With a tight nod, she signed off, leaving us alone again.

  “It’s always something,” I muttered. “V, can you tell Cal to meet us in here when she’s done?”

  “Certainly,” the AI replied. “She will be on her way in a few minutes.”

  “What are you thinking?” asked Farah, coming to my side of the table.

  “I’m not sure yet. Have you ever been there?”

  “To Percheron?” She sounded surprised at the question.

  I nodded.

  “No. I think we learned about it in the academy but it’s pretty hazy.”

  “Same here. It says the city has a hover rail system that is directly responsible for the government getting hover tech,” I noted.

  “Big surprise,” Farah scoffed. “Have they ever tried coming up with something on their own?”

  “Why bother when everyone else will do the work for you?” I replied. “From what this explains, it’s not a realized weapon yet. Just the plans and the power source.”

  That’s bad enough,” Farah said darkly.

  “No argument here. Let’s—"

  The bridge door opened, and Calliope walked in. “Hey, Vega said you needed me?”

  “Slight change of plans,” I told her.

  “Wow,” she said after we finished filling her in. “Do you have a plan?”

  “Not yet. We’d just started when you walked in.”

  Her lips widened into a grin and she spread her hands wide. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started.”

  6

  “The buy is going down on the train,” I said, pointing at the holo display of the city. It was hours later and the three of us had been setting up the operation. “We have the time, just not which car it’ll happen in.”

  A path lit up in yellow to highlight the hover rail system, a miniature version of the train moving around it.

  “All the stops are in red,” Farah explained. “From the sounds of things, it runs on time, at least for the most part. Each stop takes about three minutes.”

  “Are we just going to walk on?” asked Calliope, both eyebrows arching up. “I only ask because you two are high profile at the moment.”

  I laughed. “It’s a good question. And no, we’re not. We have jump rigs for just this sort of thing.”

  “Jump rigs?” Calliope tried for casually bored, but I could tell she was excited.

  “Yes,” said Farah. “All you have to do is plug in the coordinates and jump at the right time. They do the rest.”

  A grin spread over the girl’s face as realization set in. “I get it. If you know when it will be stopped, you can put in coordinates for anywhere on the track.”

  “Exactly. Vega will keep the Genesis in low orbit, cloaked. Then we’ll drop in here,” I said, indicating a stop I’d selected for its location on the edge of the city.

  “How do we find out where the buy is going to be?”

  Farah and I both grimaced.

  “V, based on the information we have, could you scan for this element?”

  “One moment, Captain.” The AI went quiet while she did the calculations.

  Farah looked impressed. “Good idea. That thing should have a pretty big reading.”

  “Captain Cortez, I can indeed perform a scan that will detect the ingot,” Vega reported. “Even with protective shielding it would still give off a reading. The ship’s sensors are quite advanced, and I believe it will not be a problem.

  “Perfect. That’s a good point though. Make a list of all possible containment material and add that to your scan.”

  After we had stolen the replicators, Mack gave us a Neutronium lined container to shield against scans. It was reasonable to think someone else might have the same idea.

  “Of course, Captain. I will let you know when the report is ready.”

  “Thanks, V. Okay, you two. We’ll be there in a few hours and you still need to learn how to use the jump rig,” I told Calliope.

  “Should she be in one by herself?” Farah said, looking at me with some surprise, no doubt wondering about my change of heart.

  I lifted a shoulder in response. “Soldiers adapt. Besides, the suits do all the work.”

  Farah nodded but didn’t look convinced.

  As it turned out, Calliope didn’t have any trouble with the controls.

  “It’s just like an exosuit,” she decided, testing it out in the training room a little later.

  “That’s a good way to look at them,” Farah agreed.

  Jump rigs were one of the few tech advancements that the government hadn’t stolen. Not directly, at least. The idea originally came from exosuits, which were common throughout the universe and production wasn’t restricted to the military.

  A variety of features and upgrades were available depending on need. Thrusters were one example. A Sarkonian inventor realized that they could apply to more than basic space navigation. His idea eventually spawned the jump rigs we use today.

  The first iterations saw scientists trying to marry the idea to create new exosuits with the thrusters built in. The result was heavy, unwieldy monstrosities that had to be tailor made for the wearer.

  Today’s jump rigs were universal, designed to fit over an exosuit, with attachments at the arms and feet. Ours were military grade of course. Sleek black and outfitted with armor comprised of NO2-99 and nav systems that synced to the Heads Up Displays of our helmets.

  “How does it feel?” I asked, studying her with a critical eye.

  The rigs easily added an extra 50 pounds to the already dense exosuits, which didn’t offer any power assist. I was a little worried that Calliope wouldn’t be able to handle the extra weight, but she didn’t seem to be having too much trouble with it.

  “It’s a little bulky,” she admitted, trying out a few practice moves, then she grinned. “But I like it.”

  I nodded at Farah, who looked mollified.

  “Okay,” I said once Calliope was comfortable with the rig. “Let’s keep going over the plan and look for weak spots until we get there. Things have been going pretty well but I don’t want us to get comfortable.”

  Two and a half hours later, the three of us were standing at the open hull of the Genesis, staring down at the sprawling city beneath.

  Vega’s initial scans hadn’t revealed the ingot to be on the train, but we needed to be sure, so I’d decided to go ahead with the jump.

  “V, you checked the calculations?” I asked.

  “Yes, Captain. Nothing has changed since the first four verifications,” the AI answered mildly. “If you have a fear of heights, I can administer a light sedative?”

  Calliope laughed, tried to cover it up with a cough, and failed, falling silent when I leveled a look at her.

  “Sorry,” she squeaked.

  “I’m not afraid of heights,” I said through gritted teeth. “I just have a healthy desire not to have my atoms rearranged on the ground because we got a calculation wrong.”

  I wasn’t lying, heights didn’t bother m
e. Jumping was actually one of my favorite mission activities.

  “Captain, let me assure you that if the jump is performed at the correct time then the landing has a 99.9 percent rate of success.”

  “Good enough for me,” I said.

  Farah’s head snapped up. “Wait, what do you mean, 99.9? What’s the .1?”

  “Unforeseen variables,” Vega replied cheerfully. “Ten seconds to jump time.”

  “Get ready,” I ordered, moving to the edge of the lowered platform.

  The suit’s mag boots kept my balance and I turned to face Farah and Calliope.

  “On V’s mark,” I said. “See you down there.”

  “Three… two… Jump window open,” Vega announced.

  I spread my arms wide and tipped back. With a mock salute, I released the mag boots and fell into a back somersault.

  “Show off!” Farah called out.

  Smirking, I twisted into a barrel roll and checked my position on the HUD. Right on target.

  “Window closed, all team members successful,” informed Vega.

  The wind rushed in my ears as I settled into the freefall and kept my eye on the altimeter reading. “Everybody good?” I asked.

  “Affirmative,” Farah answered first, followed by Calliope’s “all good.”

  “Copy that. Remember, the rigs will kick on at 200 meters.”

  Adrenaline coursed through me as the ground rushed up to meet us. The exhilaration of jumping was a feeling I had never been able to replicate. It didn’t compare to anything else in my considerable experience. No amount of combat I saw, space walks I completed, or slip tunnels I traveled gave me the same freedom.

  The HUD beeped, warning that my gear’s activation was imminent. When the altimeter registered the correct height and triggered the rig, its wings expanded, sliding out behind me smoothly. The thrusters fired on, stopping my freefall abruptly.

  I could see the shiny top of the train and the length of its cars stretching out on the track, twisting and turning like a living thing.

  The target lock tracked across my helmet visor in bright green as the train slowed. It looked a little farther back than it had on the model, but when it stopped, I was dropping the last few meters. The wings would retract again once it registered 2 meters above the coordinates.