Martin drew his side-arm. “What is that thing?”
“Easy, Officer,” Nakamura said calmly. “Booster’s with us.”
“It has a name?”
“Ensign Evans picked him up after we crash-landed. If anything happens to him, you’ll have to answer to her. And after what I saw her do to that elite…”
Evans groaned, and Booster ran to her and stroked her hair as though he was concerned. Evans slowly opened her eyes and shielded them from the flickering ceiling lights. She seemed to be in pain.
“Where are we?” She slurred her words. “What’s going on?”
Nakamura completed his scan. “You blacked out a few minutes ago after killing the Chit.”
Evans wobbled as she climbed onto her knees. On seeing Booster, she rubbed his head weakly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She allowed him to climb onto her shoulder and he disappeared into a bag on her back.
“Shit, Evans,” Briggs said, helping her up. “Aegis Nakamura said you took that thing down with your bare hands!”
“I can’t really remember…I think I had a knife…” her words trailed off. She looked quizzically at Riley O’Donovan and regarded the Chit rifle on his back. “Hey, Riley. Sorry about your face. Looking good, though.”
“No worries, Evans. I deserved that beating. The doc fixed me up.”
She pressed a hand against her temple. “Why does my head hurt so much?”
“I had to inject you with medication. The pain will pass soon.”
She looked at Nakamura and seemed surprised to see him. “Are you okay, Sai?”
“I’m not dead yet, Ensign.”
Grimshaw thought the Aegis looked like he should be dead.
“It’s good to see you again, Evans.” Grimshaw reached out and clasped her arm, half-helping her to stay on her feet.
She returned the gesture. “It’s good to see you too, sir.”
“A pity it couldn’t be under better circumstances.”
Nakamura finished reading his SIG. “I’m afraid I have bad news.”
Evans looked at her body as if making sure she wasn’t missing any body parts. “What bad news?”
Aegis Nakamura took a breath and winced in pain. “From what I can tell, you’re showing signs of FA7 exposure.”
“I don’t understand.” She swayed, and O’Donovan lent his support. “Feels like I’ve had too much to drink.”
“That’s your body dealing with the toxicity. FA7 uses a nerve agent as its base. It was tested on prisoners during the Kragak War. It was found that when combined with a classified ingredient, it produced a substance that imparted near-superhuman augmentation. They had some success with implants, but when the Confederation tried to develop a drug for the military, too many reacted negatively and died. Most survivors went insane, and the program was scrapped completely.”
“I’m guessing the Aegi Order picked up the research,” Grimshaw pointed out.
“Some of the research did make its way into our program. But we have measures in place to counteract the side-effects. Which is why I had the serum to hand.”
Grimshaw decided it was time to move. “We need to continue this conversation on our way to the hangar. Martin, see if there are any guns we can still use. And get their tags.” He pointed to the Marine remains.
“Yes, sir.”
Evans made a sound, but Grimshaw couldn’t make it out.
Martin turned back to her. “Come again, Evans.”
“Get me a sword,” she croaked.
Martin retrieved a Chit blade from a black carcass and passed it to the Ensign. She drove the point into the ground, using it for support.
They gathered what they could carry and got on their way. O’Donovan and Briggs supported Nakamura and Evans respectively, as Grimshaw and Martin kept guard.
Evans remained quiet for quite some time before speaking again. “Did the serum cure me of this poison, Sai?”
Nakamura thought for a moment before answering. “It wasn’t a cure, but the last scan showed up clean, which doesn’t make sense. Once infected, people exhibit signs for the remainder of their lives. It can be controlled using the right medication, but it’s always there.”
“What does it mean?” Her voice had a little more life in it.
“It’s hard to say until we can get samples to a lab.” The Aegis chuckled at the irony. “But best to keep a few of these on you in case it happens again.” The Aegis handed Evans several vials and she stored them in her TEK utility belt.
Communications came back online when they reached the end of the corridor, and Grimshaw opened a channel to Kobol. “We’ve got Evans and Nakamura, Captain. They’re injured but alive.”
“Thank God for some good news, Commander.”
“We’ll be coming down the stairwell above your position. Can you keep the way clear for us?”
“Of course. Come as fast as you can. You’ll want to see this.”
37
Around The Table
Grimshaw eyed Nakamura across the command table. With a missing arm, several repaired TEK panels, and an ashen look about his face, the Aegis looked worse for wear. However, he moved like a man uninjured. Any normal person would have died long before reaching such a state. Grimshaw figured that the Aegi TEK was keeping him alive just as Eline’s had stopped her from passing into the unknown.
Nakamura had been relieved to learn that his Aegi comrade was still alive. Grimshaw was glad when Nakamura confirmed that Eline’s TEK would keep her in stasis for several months. He’d also explained that the Shanti would require a series of critical medical procedures following her TEK’s removal.
Grimshaw watched the meeting unfold in the food storage area that Kobol’s men had transformed into a makeshift command room. The Marines had to relocate half a dozen colonists who’d taken up shelter there. Someone had sourced a long table with a built-in holoform unit and dragged it all the way into the hangar annex building. The room was cramped but offered a measure of privacy away from the colonists.
“We’ve sealed the security doors leading to the primary lab building,” Sergeant Wallace said. “Those Chits won’t be getting through there anytime soon.”
“We’ve also secured the doors leading to the hangar bay, sir,” Sergeant lynch added.
“Good work Sergeants,” Kobol said. “What awaits inside that hangar poses a serious problem. We need a plan. Has anyone got any ideas?”
Kobol stood across the table from Grimshaw, running his eyes over those gathered, but no one came forward.
On Grimshaw’s right, Evans leaned on her Chit sword as she ran calculations on her SIG. O’Donovan offered to find the Ensign a seat, and Grimshaw smiled when she refused. As stubborn as ever.
The strange monkey-like creature rested on the table in front of Evans, watching the discussion intently, as though he somehow understood galactic. Grimshaw hadn’t decided what he thought about the animal, but Aegis Nakamura believed Booster was friendly. Apparently, he had even helped Clio in her struggle against the elite Chit.
Captain Kobol operated his SIG and the holoform unit projected a three-dimensional image of the hangar interior. The map rotated slowly several inches above the table.
“Let’s start with the objective. We’ll use that ship to get word to the Confederation.” Captain Kobol pointed at Project Zero: the prototype ship the Terran Star Confederation and Shanti had built together. “The launch codes are arriving with the next rotation of Shanti scientists in three months. Fortunately for us, our Aegis friend here has a set of his own.”
Nakamura nodded as all eyes fell on him. “Without the codes, the ship’s reactor won’t start.”
“It’s unlike any vessel I’ve ever seen,” a Marine said.
“The curved edges are sleek,” Lopez added. “Look at how they meld together seamlessly. Incredible.”
Grimshaw recognized minor human and Shanti influences in the design, but he had to agree that it looked alien overall. He wondered what
species had gifted the plans for such a machine.
“It’s a bit small,” O’Donovan pointed out. “What if we encounter an alien ship off-planet?”
“Don’t let appearances deceive you,” Nakamura said. “Project Zero may be half the size of the SS Bakura, but it’s potentially as powerful as ten Confederation cruisers.”
A wave of gasps and whispers rolled around the table.
Nakamura related what else he knew about the Project Zero program, but it became clear that even his information was limited. Grimshaw, Nakamura, and Captain Kobol dominated the conversation, but every now and then other officers would pipe up.
Disagreement arose about where they would take the ship once they got her off planet.
“My orders were to take Project Zero to a classified location in Shanti space,” Nakamura said. “But that was before we knew about the Chit attack. The ship will be more than capable of breaking through a small blockade should she need to but reaching the alternative Shanti location will take too long.”
“We should take her to human space. We need to warn the Confederation,” Sergeant Wallace said.
Sergeant Lynch raised his voice in agreement. “Some of the Colonists decided to stay behind in the bunker and there’s no telling how many other survivors are out there. We can’t just leave them to fend for themselves. Informing the Confederation should be priority.”
“I agree that the colonists need help as soon as possible,” Nakamura said. “But we don’t know for certain how much fuel Project Zero has, or how far she can take us.”
“Where do you suggest we go then?” Captain Kobol asked.
“The only real option is S-Gate Horizon. It’s a short jump to G-Gate Sentinel from there.”
“You want to take the ship to Sentinel space?” Kobol said, outraged by the idea. “But you told us that the Galactic Alliance might start a war if they ever found out that humans and Shanti had built Project Zero behind their backs!”
Nakamura pointed his thumb in the direction of the canteen containing the civilians. “Given the situation, it’ll not stay secret for much longer anyway. As it stands, the GA will find out sooner rather than later. My superiors suspect that the Galactic Council may already be onto us anyway.”
Captain Kobol’s face turned red. “For all we know, they’ll attack us as soon as we exit the galactic gate. What’s the use in escaping one mess only to jump straight into another?”
“We can’t just waltz into Sentinel space,” Grimshaw interjected, trying to calm things down again. “We need a plan.”
“An ancillary protocol has already been put in place, though no one will be expecting us to trigger it. We’ll contact Ambassador Andallis and Minister Straiya as soon as we’re through the G-Gate.” Nakamura rubbed his arm-stump. “The Galactic Council won’t like it, but Andallis and Straiya will make arrangements before the rest of the Council can pull anything off.”
“That’s all good and well.” Captain Kobol pointed at the hangar projection. “But you’re assuming we’ll reach Project Zero.”
Grimshaw scratched his beard. Kobol had a point. Grimshaw swiped his hand over the holoform controls. The image zoomed out to reveal the mile-long hangar interior. A small control room ran adjacent to the doors Sergeant Lynch had secured. The ship bay took up a third of the hangar but was located at the far end, facing a set of locked hangar doors. Rows of workshops, storage units, and production lines separated the control room from the ship bay area. Not far from Project Zero, Chits swarmed erratically around a fissure in the concrete floor. Hundreds of buzzers milled around the aisles. Surveillance had also detected dozens of elites moving inside the swarms—more than the Marines could handle in a direct gunfight, especially with civilians thrown into the mix.
“We’ll never clear the hangar without closing that hole.” Grimshaw said. “And we won’t get far fighting our way through. Not with civilians slowing us down.”
“We can’t just leave them here.” Captain Kobol didn’t sound happy. “We didn’t bring them all the way from the other side of the city to be slaughtered. And there’s no way they’ll make it back to the bunker.”
“I wasn’t suggesting that we leave them here permanently,” Grimshaw said. “I’m thinking out loud. I don’t suppose you have anything?”
Kobol shook his head grimly. The discussion descended into another argument that split those gathered around the table down the middle. One side wanted to take the civilians through the hangar. The other preferred the idea of sending in a recon team first, to see if they could find a way to close the hole.
“With most of the scientists and operators dead, we don’t even know if we can use that ship’s weapons,” Wallace pointed out. “What if we get on board and find out there’s no way to get rid of that swarm?”
“It’s a risk we might have to take.” Grimshaw tried his best not to sound too frustrated. “Our priority should be—”
Evans hammered the table with her fist, disrupting the holoform momentarily. “We take the civilians with us. You’ve all seen how fast things can go to shit when it comes to these Chits. Besides, we need to blow the lab sooner rather than later, and we can’t do that with people still inside.”
Grimshaw regarded Evans with raised eyebrows. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to speak out of line, but the kid he had reprimanded only a few days prior had grown up. “Evans makes a valid point. We also don’t know how long the seal will hold on the doors. The last thing we need is for the Chits to break into the canteen while our forces are inside the hangar.”
“We can use the environment to our advantage.” Nakamura gestured at the holoform. “Those storage units will provide cover.”
“Cover that will slow us down even more,” Kobol said. “Anything we can use for cover will give those elite bastards cover too. It’ll also provide somewhere for those buzzers to hide.”
“And don’t forget that with those elites around, the vox will probably be jammed outside of a few feet,” Lynch reminded them.
“We need a distraction.” Grimshaw rubbed his burning eyes. He hadn’t slept more than a few hours in days. “If we can draw them together somewhere, maybe we can clear a path.”
“Zoom over there.” Evans pointed at the holoform.
Briggs worked at the controls and enlarged an area behind Project Zero.
“Are those security bots?” Grimshaw asked.
“I’m checking now,” Evans answered as she worked at her SIG.
“They could be useful.” Captain Kobol sounded a little more hopeful.
“Two maintenance droids and two security droids.” Evans looked around the table. “We’d be fools not to use them.”
“We could move the maintenance bots over there,” Kobol gestured to the far corner behind the ship. “They could make some noise, maybe blow those fuel drums. They’re attracted to heat, aren’t they?”
“We don’t know for sure, but it’s worth a try. Not everyone has a TEK, so we can’t whip up too big a fire,” Grimshaw said. “It’s a huge hangar, but if we blow too many drums, we’ll smoke half the civilians to death.”
“I’ll deactivate the anti-fire system and run air filters at full power,” Evans added. “What about the security droids?”
“We can use those to keep the Chits around the hole busy,” Grimshaw suggested. “Pull them out of our path. The less we have to deal with the better.”
“The hangar gates have secondary security seals.” Nakamura seemed happy that they were finally cooperating and coming up with a viable strategy. He pointed to the hangar gates. “We’ve already removed the primary locks, but the others need to be operated manually. The controls are just to the left of the gates there.”
“That’s right next to the Chit hole,” Evans objected. “We should be able to take care of any stragglers, but another swarm could come out of there.”
“That’s why I’ll be taking care of that part,” Nakamura said. “My TEK makes me the fastest here, and
it can take a beating. I’ll be in and out in no time.”
Grimshaw looked at the Aegis doubtfully. “No disrespect, Aegis, but I’m not sure you’re in any condition to go alone.”
“Don’t worry about me, Commander. I may look like a mess, but I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“But—” Nakamura didn’t let Clio finish.
“The secondary seals were put in place in case someone tried to move the ship without authorization. The manual override requires an Aegis DNA scan. The rest of you can focus on cutting down any Chits that don’t fall for the distraction. No matter what, Evans and Grimshaw need to get on the ship safely. Evans is our only pilot. Grimshaw has a copy of the launch codes and is the only person qualified to command a vessel of that size.”
Everyone fell silent for a moment and Grimshaw wondered if they were thinking the same thing he was thinking: how Nakamura made it sound like he probably wouldn’t be along for the ride.
Kobol nodded. “I’ll work with Wallace and Lynch to break our people into teams. The smaller the groups, the faster they’ll move. Leave the civilians to us. The rest of you focus on getting to the ship.”
On one hand, Grimshaw was glad they’d finally reached an agreement. On the other, he knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as it sounded. It never was.
38
Starting Hand
Randai climbed from the Bometown sewers to find a battered, old ground vehicle just like Zora had described. It was the kind of vehicle driven by those who couldn’t afford a flying machine, and in the Underways, that covered just about everybody. A tattered billboard concealed the machine. Beyond that a dusty, old road that hadn’t seen much use in quite some time snaked off into the darkness.
He approached the car, and it responded to his serial integration gate as promised. Randai climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine. A map appeared on the front window, directions to his destination already programmed.
Randai reversed the vehicle out from under the billboard’s shadow and sped toward the outskirts of town.
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