The Humanarium 2: Orbital

by C. W Tickner

  A line of silver cylinders curved down and out of the open hatch, one after another and raced towards them.

  ‘We see em,’ Damen said, aiming his weapon up.

  Long coiling arms unfolded as the tips of the cylinders split open revealing a central point and a glowing red circle within.

  ‘Give it to them if they get too close,’ Damen said, wobbling as he tried to fly and keep aim on the machines overhead.

  ‘Faster,’ Harl said thinking if the cylinders smashed into them it could set off the bombs prematurely.

  One skirted beside them as the rest circled around, just within range.

  ‘Don’t fire,’ Kane said, ‘they’ll only scan you.’

  As he said it, a red beam stretched out in front of the group. It hovered up and down the twelve as they moved and the beam stopped on the bomb laden hovercraft.

  ‘And if it detects we have explosives?’ Harl asked, fingering the trigger on his rifle.

  ‘Ah,’ Kane said, ‘I did not consider that possibility.’

  The beam intensified, the dull red blazed brightly then moved left, cutting open the suit of a man. His screamed faded as oxygen was sucked from the suit.

  ‘Fire!’ Damen yelled and blue shots scoured the central eye of the scanner burning a hole into the machine. The remaining cylinders dived towards them, closing in and cutting another man in half and scorching the hull as half a dozen red beams seared the surface, seeking more targets.

  ‘Take a bomb and split up,’ Harl said, thinking a few groups would be a harder target, increasing their chances. A second and third cylinder ceased movement, floating away in a slow spin as Damen’s soldiers poured fire into the central eyes.

  Harl grabbed a bomb and swept wide, joining Dana as she outmanoeuvred the flailing arms and lasers. Together they headed up to the clamp’s joint. He held the bomb behind him, knowing if a beam touched the bomb it would ignite. Harl dug his heels in, tilting back as a cylinder drew in alongside them. Its scanner cut him off with a red beam. He halted, the line half a pace in front of his chest and moving towards him. The laser switched off and Harl guessed it was some sort of recharge, ready for it’s next shot to cut through him to the bomb.

  Dana rode up over his side, back looped above the scanner, stopped upside down and fired from above, blasting it open. Sparks flew from the scanner and it stilled, floating out into the void between the ships.

  Stunned by the skill Harl almost hit the strut as he watched, fascinated by her acrobatics and had inadvertently leant forward. Bringing his knees to his chest he zipped up to the hinge. A quick glance told him they were beating the machines. Damen was re-grouping the others around the bombs as the two remaining scanners circled in a tumult of heavy fire from the soldiers.

  Harl held the bomb against the struts pivot point and pressed magnet, his bulky suit gloves slipped and he had to try several times to press the button without drifting away. The bomb clamped itself to the steel and became immovable as he hit the on button. A small red light flickered on the device, slow and steady at first, pulsating faster as he watched it. Had Kane said thirty or sixty seconds?

  ‘Get away,’ Dana yelled through his headset, snapping him to action.

  He punched off from the strut, crouched on the flyer then spun around and sped toward her. They soared down to the group below them. Why had he crouched? He knew it wasn’t the aerodynamics. According to Kane they would be useless out here. Maybe to make himself a smaller target for when the bomb-.

  There was no sound, instead he was hurtled forwards in a flash, unable to control the dizzying spin of his drone. A barrage of silent metallic missiles overtook them both as they tumbled over themselves.

  In fact only he was still tumbling, Dana had righted herself effortlessly and was grinning at him from behind the thin glass in her helmet, patiently waiting for him to regain control as she kept pace. She grabbed his shoulder, steadying him and pointed upwards. Static crackled in his ear until Kane’s voice untangled itself from the white noise.

  ’-More, lots more.’

  A dozen more cylinder scanners, poured out from a second hatch in the Aylen ship’s underbelly, their arms extended in mockery of long hands.

  ‘Keep firing,’ Damen called as Harl got closer to Damen the headset connected at close range. And he could hear the hunter yelling orders at the men.

  ‘Keep ranks,’ he called as the men swerved in and out of the circle around the central drone that supported the remaining bombs.

  One woman angled her drone out too far and a beam tore into her suit. The leak sprayed the group with gas, blinding them as she spun in a lifeless dance between them. Harl raced for the group and as Dana split off to fire at the incoming cylinders Harl watched the dead woman’s body bounce off the hull and spin towards the central drone. The others were still blinded and he cursed his luck as he threw himself forward, eking as much speed from his drone as possible. He slammed into the body just before it collided with the explosives, knocking it out and away from the group as the spray of gas cleared.

  ‘Watch out,’ Damen called as he barrelled in to Harl, forcing the wind from him as they spun away from a laser tearing across where he’d just been. The new cylinders were close enough to fire. A beam shredded a man behind, too busy shooting up at the other cylinders to notice. Damen released Harl and rotated his flyer, blasting a torrent of blue shots at the cylinder, splitting it open and firing deep inside. It stilled and floated.

  ‘Get up there,’ Damen said, ignoring Harl’s thanks and watching two soldiers as they broke off at the base of the second strut. Spiralling up, one lugged a bomb while the other fought a spinning skirmish with the nearest cylinder. It looped in and an arm wrapped around the man’s ankle. He fired at the arm, severing the weave. It retreated to join the other cylinders in encircling the two as they reached the hinge.

  ‘Keep close to the metal,’ Damen said to the two men. ‘The rest of you fire straight up, don’t let those glorified toolboxes get close again.’

  As one, the remaining few fired up. The shots that hit forced the drones back from the men as they attached and armed the bomb.

  Before they could get away, a cylinder broke through the cordon of shots from below. Its arms flexed out, roping both men and crushing them against the strut.

  Screams echoed in Harl’s helmet as the men struggled to get free from the thick wires. They were forced to wait, pressed against the ticking bomb. As ball of fire engulfed the men and the robot.

  When the cloud of gases and blood dispersed they saw the split through the metal bend and shear off.

  Orbital rocked as the tremors pulsed through both ships like an earthquake.

  Damen shoved the man closest to the final strut forward, distracting him from the drifting spray of red spreading above them. ‘Get moving,’ he said.

  Harl stayed low, firing up at a cylinder. It rotated as it circled then dive bombed, forcing him to brake hard as it attempted to crash into him. As he moved it swept up, skimming the hull and headed up towards another group of cylinders. Damen and the other two soldiers opened fire then stopped as Dana swept in front of them all, blocking their shots. She gave chase to the machine as it sped towards several cylinders that were spiralling down on them.

  ‘Mike,’ Damen said to one of the men. ‘Get up there and help her hold them off.’ Mike nodded and zipped along behind Dana, trying to keep up.

  They neared the last strut as another cylinder circled out from the descent, speeding right for them. The last soldier with them raised his rifle as the machine’s beam split his flyer in half, spinning him out of control. Harl slipped aside as the cylinder rocket passed then aimed and fired. His shots joined Damen’s to shred the rear of the machine as the man tugged the split drone off his feet.

  ‘Get back to the airlock,’ Damen said. ‘You’re no good out here without manoeuvrability.’

  The man looked put out behind the visor and Damen edged his flyer forward placing an arm on his should
er. ‘You’ve done well, Fynn,’ he said, ‘get back inside and tell the others that if we don’t blow it to use the dropship. And tell Kane he’s a snivelling yurt weasel.’

  Fynn shook his head, ‘You’ll make it, Sir.’

  ‘I know we will’ Damen said, turning to fire single handedly at a passing cylinder, ‘let him know anyway, eh?’ He slapped the man’s back then put a hand on the strut and launched Fynn towards the airlock door.’

  They both watched him glide towards the airlock’s inviting door.

  ‘I heard that,’ Kane said through their helmet speakers.

  ‘Forgot about these,’ Damen said.

  ‘Nevermind,’ Kane said, we’ve no time, get up there and blow it. If we don’t join Vorock as he gets to the blockade we’re all done for.’

  ‘Believe it or not, Damen said, ‘I think he’s getting a bit sick of this ship.’

  Together they both ascended vertically, bouncing off the giant arm when they got too close, trying to avoid the three cylinders spinning around them and the strut. Damen covered Harl as he held the final bomb, his own rifle useless until he let go of the explosive.

  Harl rose level with the hinge and stuck the bomb against the metal, just as a cylinder darted for them, arms out wide, ready to pin them. Blue streaks wrecked the arm coming at Harl’s face. The cylinder stopped and spun on Damen, the remaining arms clasped Damen’s flyer and dragged him away towards the other machines. His rifle fired in all directions as he twisted to get free and a rogue shot slammed into Harl’s back. No pain lanced through him. Only a hiss burst from behind him and he spun expecting the air to disappear inside the suit. Over his shoulder he saw the gas pouring from his oxygen tank and sighed. At least he wasn’t dead. He hit the button on the bomb, hoping he had enough time to get back to the airlock after setting it off.

  ‘Do it,’ Damen said, his voice cracking to static as he was hauled away with Dana in pursuit.

  Harl mashed the button again, and again. Nothing. ‘It’s not working,’ he said, desperately pounding the button. The air in his suit was getting thinner and pressure from the leaking gas was spinning him around.

  He had to get down to the spare bomb and bring it up. He looked down, his vision forming a tunnel that spiralled away as he rotated from the leaking gas. Could he get to the airlock and find another oxygen tank then return? Time was running out and he felt powerless to stop it or do anything. It was a choice between going for the bomb or the airlock. One would mean failure for his people and Orbital but seeing Sonora and his child again. The other would mean leaving Sonora to raise Elo alone without him but safely on the surface.

  He took a deep breath, feeling the air fail to reach the bottom of his lungs and crouched, forcing the flyer down towards the bomb. Shaking his head to clear the black spots, he knew he wouldn’t make it. ‘Kane,’ he said know knowing he couldn’t help him, ‘Tell Sonora I’m sorry.’

  ‘You’re breaking up,’ Kane said, ‘Harl, come in?’

  Harl tried to hit his helmet to make the radio work but his arms were weakening.

  ‘Your going to want one of these.’ a familiar voice said. A bomb floated in front of his blurred vision and Harl felt a hand tugging at his oxygen connector. Someone was fitting their tank to his pipeline.

  ‘Troy!’ Harl said as air flooded the suit and he breathed deep, savouring the clean taste.

  ‘Can’t be losing you now.’ Troy said beside him. He had no drone on his feet, but was suited up and holding a bomb in one hand.

  ‘Get on with it,’ Kane said his voice coming back with the flow of oxygen.

  Harl took another breath and unclipped Troy’s air tube. He grabbed the bomb, kicked off the hull and shot up to the hinge, wedging the cylinder against the strut with one hand and arming it with the other.

  ‘A little help,’ Troy said as he started to float away. ‘Harl?’

  Harl couldn’t respond with his breath held, but as he kicked off the strut he towards floating man, Dana swept in, plucking Troy up and flying straight for the open airlock.

  ‘Whoa!’ Troy said before the communication broke up and a wave of pressure hit Harl thrusting him against the hull as the bomb blew above him.

  The air rushed from his lungs as he hit the pitted metal of the ship and bounced uselessly back. He turned towards the airlock but the blast had skewed his sense of direction. His sight faded. He spun around but failed to spot the airlock through the black spots that danced again into view.

  ‘Gotcha,’ Damen said as rough hands grabbed Harl’s suit and yanked him in the right direction, dragging him into the safety of the airlock. Troy plugged the pipe in again and the compartment came back into focus as Harl gulped the air in.

  The gap between the ships widened as they split apart like a slow motion dance.

  ‘Where’d you get the suit?’ Harl asked Troy as the battered doors sealed shut and the room flooded with air.

  ‘The guy you sent back without a drone.’ Troy said. ‘I knew I couldn’t fly out there as there wasn’t enough drones but when I heard you in trouble, I nicked the suit and clambered out there. Stupidest thing I ever did.’ He turned to Dana, ‘could have floated out there forever if you hadn’t got me.’

  ‘Then we need all the stupidity we can get,’ Harl said. ‘Thank you.’

  Damen grinned. ‘We’ll all do fine then,’ he said.

  Harl flipped back his glass helmet.

  A light popping rang in his ears as the inner doors slid open revealing Yara and Sonora, scowling at Damen and himself.

  ‘Idiot,’ Yara said.

  ‘Stupid idiot,’ Sonora said.

  Troy laughed, ‘You’re right Damen, we’ll do fine.’

  Dana kicked his shin making him hop in the small space.

  ‘Hey, what did I do?’

  ‘Everyone’s on the dropship,’ Kane said as they entered Orbital’s control room. Both ships had separated but the Aylen vessel still loomed overhead keeping the distance equal as Orbital drifted around the planet.

  Tess was treating Screw’s wounds as he sat against the wall, a pile of bloody bandages heaped at his copper plated feet. Dana and Troy stood near the door as Harl held Sonora by the waist and watched Kane tap away at the myriad of screens from the pilot’s seat.

  Harl’s bracelet lit up and a message displayed from Manny.

  Have reached outer limits of the mainland. No sign of your ship, where are you?

  ‘Vorock’s there,’ Harl said, showing Kane the message.

  ‘Already?’ Kane said, jumping up. ‘We must get on the dropship now. I have programmed the navigation computer to take us to the barricade, based on Vorock’s input but once he overloads the reactor the cannons must be fired manually from here.’

  ‘Someone must stay behind?’ Sonora said. She flashed Harl a warning look, shaking her head.

  ‘Not me,’ he said.

  ‘I know the ship best,’ Screw said, looking up at them all and struggling to his feet using the wall for support.

  ‘You’re in no state,’ Tess said.

  ‘That’s why it should be me lass. Don’t think I could do with all that ground under my feet and green sky above my head.’

  ‘Green?’ Troy asked.

  ‘What I’m saying is,’ Screw went on, ‘I ain’t gunna make it like this,’ he looked hard at Tess. ‘You’re not saying something lass, and I know it.’ He stared at her until she shrugged.

  ‘There’s bleeding inside,’ she said, her eye’s tearing up, ‘I can’t stop it.

  ‘Is there enough time?’ Screw asked.

  She shrugged but nodded her head, ‘I think so.’

  Screw looked around at them as if they were all mad. ‘What you waiting for? Get on the other ship.’

  ‘Wait util the gauge gets to green,’ Kane said, pointing at a screen in front of the captain’s seat that displaying a digital pressure gauge with white at one end, green in the middle and red at the far extreme, ‘then press this.’ He lifted up a clear plas
tic box covering a large red button beneath. ‘If you hit it too soon or too late then the shot won’t be aligned. We have one chance and it must be perfect.’

  Screw’s jaw tightened, ‘Your telling an engineer how to read gauges?’ He smiled weakly, ‘go on get out of here.’

  They all filed out passed Screw who was leaning beside the door. Tess hugged him gently as she left, leaving Harl and Dana alone with him.

  ‘Dana,’ Screw said.

  She stopped as he slouched into the pilots seat and swivelled it around to face them.

  He slipped a copper gauntlet off his hand, ‘I want you to have these.’ He groaned as he hunched over in the chair and unclipped all the pieces, before handing them to her. She shifted uncomfortably as she took the bundle, nodded and clipped the gear on, tugging the straps tight.

  Harl realised he was the only one left who’d not said goodbye.

  Screw grabbed him before he could speak. ‘Don’t let them fail,’ he said.

  Harl felt awkward when faced with someone who was choosing death. It had crossed his mind that Screw would die anyway and he was only choosing the best way to do it but it galled him to leave a friend to die.

  Chapter 34

  It has been a while since we last saw the giant and although we are making progress on growing crops. It seems more and more time is spent fending off the creatures from the forest. They must be able to sense the food. Whether that is the crops or us, I cannot say.

  Harl stared out the dropship’s front window at the vast interior of orbital’s docking bay. The larger ship’s lights winked out, leaving only the stars beyond the open door ahead. The dropship was perched in the bay closest to the exit, ready to break away as soon as they got close enough to the barricade. Kane had explained how they could avoid being targeted and shot down by sheltering inside Orbital’s dock until they were close to the barricade.

  A tremor rattled through the cockpit, vibrating the computers lining the sides and the seats around the front window.

  ‘The reactor is powering up,’ Kane said, sitting in front of a blurring screen as it shook from the rumble of Orbital’s engines.