Honor the Threat

by Kevin Ikenberry

  <> Lucille came back almost immediately. <>

  “It’s over, Raleigh.” Tara said. “Peacemaker Francis is onboard Deathangel 25. This ends now.”

  Raleigh brayed with laughter. “Over? Did you say over?”

  Jessica saw Mike 77 snap upright to attention. She tapped the laser comm. “Tara?”

  “I can’t move! I can’t move! Oh, shit he’s got control, Jessica!” Tara screamed at her. “Get to cover! Get to cover! I can’t do—”

  <>

  Jessica ran three quick steps to the left as the door clanged shut behind them. She brought up her cannons and saw Mike 77 do the same.

  “Bet you didn’t expect this, Mason!” Raleigh laughed over the connection. “Fine, you get to be front and center for the death of your friend. I’ll have all the records I need to pin the untimely death of Miss Francis on you.”

  Jessica found cover behind a large stack of crates. She looked around the edge and saw both cannons in Mike 77’s arms come to life. A hail of bullets pinged off the front armor of her CASPer.

  “Shit!”

  Jessica ducked back around the containers. Her mind raced. The other CASPer was going to kill her; that was certain. But Tara was onboard and along for the ride. There was nothing she could do except evade and stay behind cover.

  <>

  Jessica brought up her cannons. “Lucille, target non-critical systems on Mike 77.”

  <>

  “I know that!” Jessica barked. “Where are the CASPer’s weapons located?”

  <>

  Too far.

  “What about the C2 link jammer?”

  <>

  Jessica was about to reply when the proximity alarm brayed. The heads-up display showed inbound weapons fire from the upper right quadrant. She turned and saw Mike 77 descending toward her, both cannons blazing. She brought up her right cannon and returned fire as the Mk 5 landed next to her with a thump that threatened to make her CASPer topple.

  Mike 77’s right arm holstered its cannon and reached for her, grabbing her CASPer along the upper right arm. Jessica spun away and the other CASPer fought for purchase, finding it on the right shoulder.

  “Eject the rocket pod, Lucille!” The useless thing was the only thing another CASPer could really grab from that position. Small explosive bolts fired and the other CASPer’s hand fell away.

  Free, Jessica ran toward the far wall of the compound. “Rear defenses, Lucille.”

  <>

  “Oh, you can’t have any of my toys, Peacemaker!” Raleigh called.

  Jessica ran forward. The Mk 8 was faster than the Mk 5, and she easily outpaced Mike 77 in the first few meters. She looked up as the compound’s roof-mounted weapons pylons cycled to life.

  “Lucille! Take down the damned compound!”

  <>

  “Where are the spare rail guns, Lucille?”

  <>

  Jessica darted to her left between two stacks of shipping containers with shabbily-painted logos of the Four Horsemen crossed out and Reilly’s Raiders prominently written across them. Thinking that Raleigh wouldn’t want to destroy materiel or supplies, she ducked between them and knelt the CASPer down to prevent Raleigh from seeing her exact position among the containers.

  “Peacemaker, huh? You really think you can handle a fight with me, Francis? You’re supposed to keep the peace and negotiate your way out of things. You’re not a fighter, Jessica. That’s why you left the Mercenary Guild isn’t it? You wanted an easier life?”

  “What’s it matter to you, Raleigh? You’re a disgusting excuse for a mercenary and a shitty commander, and yes, I can handle myself in a fight with you or anyone else.”

  “That why you went after your ex-husband on your confirmation mission?” Raleigh laughed. “You took the easy way out! You figured everyone knew who your daddy was, and you could get away with it, didn’t you?”

  “Leave my father out of this, Raleigh. This is between you and me.”

  Raleigh laughed, and the proximity alarm brayed again. Jessica looked up and saw Mike 77’s jump jets firing above her. The Mk 5 landed squarely astride the shipping containers on either side of her and pointed both cannons straight down at her cockpit. She was trapped. “You have no idea how far your father is into this, Jessica. With any luck, he’s already dead. Don’t worry, honey. You’ll join him soon enough. He’s a traitor just like you.”

  “Lucille, have you breached the C2 link yet?”

  <>

  “Your move, Peacemaker,” Raleigh sneered over the radio connection. “What’s to keep me from blowing your ass to kingdom come, right now? Nothing.”

  But you haven’t squeezed the trigger, asshole. Jessica smirked. He wanted more. Of course, he wanted more. He had an axe to grind. “I’m not a traitor, Raleigh. I’m a Peacemaker.”

  She glanced up at the displayed image of the two CASPers along the southern walls. Their posture had changed from observation to full combat mode. Both had weapons deployed and pointed at her covered position. Whether they were manned or not didn’t matter. Raleigh had complete control of Mike 77, and he likely had control of the others to play out his little game.

  “You’re a Peacemaker, all right, but what good does that do? You turned your back on the guild and your own damned planet when you signed up to be a Peacemaker. You and your father are both traitors.”

  All it would take for Raleigh to blow her ass to hell was for her to make the wrong move. But he loved to talk. I have to keep him talking to make sure he doesn’t turn those other CASPers around and nuke my ass.

  Jessica kept the CASPer absolutely still and tapped the laser microphone button; with any luck Tara would hear her. “Keep the faith, Tara.”

  “Take me out, Jess. Make it quick.” Tara’s voice was muffled and distant, but the words were clear enough to let hope blossom in Jessica’s heart.

  “Not yet,” Jessica said and switched back to the radio frequency. She kept her weapons oriented down and stood the CASPer to its full height slowly. In the cockpit, she toggled the switches to start her jump jets but didn’t ignite them. “What are you talking about, Raleigh? How is my father a traitor? Tell me why you think a legitimate businessman like he is a traitor to the Mercenary Guild.”

  Raleigh’s guns relaxed a fraction as he laughed. “Oh, not to the Mercenary Guild, Jessica. They love your father. He managed to sell out the entire human race.”

  * * * * *

  Chapter Thirty

  Weqq

  Near the Satisfaction

  The humans waged a futile, but spirited attempt at an offensive. As they charged from the Satisfaction’s cargo bays, the MinSha small arms fire distracted two of the CASPers enough for Kurrang’s squad to destroy one and significantly damage the second. Seven CASPers remained outside the ship’s bays in a loose semi-circular perimeter; all were damaged, but they were the last line of defense for the ship’s open bays. More humans were in the ship, preparing several artillery-like pieces for firing once it was airborne. Time was of the essence.

  The MinSha had extensive cover on the far right and were able to bring significant amounts of fire on the ship. Four flyers circled high above and fired laser bolts at the TriRusk and the MinSha, but they weren’t a problem after what Kurrang had done to their lead elements. Significant ground fire tended to play hell with mediocre pilots.

  Kurrang poked his head up from the center of the hasty defensive position they’d established as the CASPers
marched forward, their weapons blazing. He didn’t know what the basic load for the vehicles were, but without ground support, they’d run short on ammunition soon. The CASPers swiveled from side-to-side and engaged the targets they could see, but behind them, there were no support teams. Kurrang and his forces had the advantage in every single aspect, save for time.

  WHAMM!

  One of the gun platforms mounted inside the ship roared to life and belched smoke. A massive explosion tore into the Kurrang-MinSha line two hundred meters to Kurrang’s right. He could see casualties among the MinSha.

  We have to go now.

  A steady thrum rose from the ground. He looked to the far left where the Satisfaction’s engines spooled to life, creating waves of heat that rippled across the jungle. The gun fired again. Kurrang crawled back into his position and saw two of the younger TriRusk looking at him from their positions across the muddy plain. He glanced up at the flyers again and saw the two groups of four slowly joining into one flight. They’d have the assurance of numbers and would come lower on their next pass. Combined with the single large gun tearing into the MinSha, there wouldn’t be much of a force left in a few moments.

  Kurrang reached into his bag and withdrew two of the grenades. He looked at the closest TriRusk, a young soldier name Kreent, and bellowed. “Grenades! On me to the left flank!”

  Kreent nodded and ran across the open terrain between their positions. Mud splattered up as the CASPers tried in vain to keep up with the faster TriRusk. No sooner had Kreent reached Kurrang’s position than the two of them moved away from the ship, down an embankment that would keep them covered from the CASPers as they moved to the far left of the line. There were two older-looking CASPers holding the line there and, based on their slower movements and inability to hit targets of opportunity, he assumed they were low on ammunition and courage. Perfect targets.

  The Satisfaction quivered in the mud and slowly rose using the power of its belly thrusters. Under full thrust, the heavy ship strained to lift out of the mud. Portside landing struts that were buried in the mud more than a meter strained. At least one snapped as Kurrang watched. One of the CASPers half-turned to watch the liftoff, and Kurrang sprinted out of cover with Kreent immediately behind him. Twenty meters from the CASPers, a shrill cry came up from the right side of the attack. Around the bridge of the ship came another armed complement of MinSha. To his astonishment, they kept coming. More than eighty MinSha swarmed up and over the CASPers on that side of the line, taking them down with small arms fire and well-aimed explosives.

  Kurrang roared in approval and slung the first of his grenades at the distracted CASPer. The gourd-like explosive hit the CASPer’s thick back armor and fell straight down to the ground. It exploded as it fell and shredded the CASPer’s right leg like foil. The mecha fell helplessly into the mud as Kurrang closed on the second one. Kreent threw two grenades over Kurrang’s shoulders. Five meters out, Kurrang dove to the ground. Both grenades were on target and exploded under the CASPer’s fuselage. Smoke briefly obscured the target. As it cleared, Kurrang felt a bolt of panic course through his body.

  The CASPer was still on its feet and turning slowly. Time seemed to slow as the mecha raised its cannons toward the two TriRusk. Kurrang stood and reached for another grenade. The bag was empty. Kreent got to his feet, and Kurrang shoved him hard enough that the TriRusk lost his balance and fell awkwardly onto his right side. Kurrang charged the CASPer and jumped into the air. He came down on the vehicle’s right arm and quickly separated the machine-gun from it. He jumped to the left arm and did the same. The CASPer flailed helplessly and stumbled backward. Kurrang saw the weakness and for the briefest of instances, lost his composure.

  With a roar of unbridled anger, Kurrang ripped off the CASPers antenna complex, smashed his fists into the housings of what had to be camera systems, then dug his fingers into the reinforced shoulder joints and peeled back the protective shrouds guarding the inner bearings and mechanisms.

  Another roar caught his attention, and he was aware, vaguely, that Kreent had also charged the CASPer. The mecha stumbled a second time and was unable to get its feet under control. As it fell backward, Kurrang looked up. The Satisfaction was clear of the mud and struggling to lift. Five of the original ten CASPers had fallen, and the MinSha swarmed over the last five in a mighty green wave. The other TriRusk joined in the fray, charging from cover to decimate the humans on the ground. Kurrang saw the open cargo bays, the ship under thrust, and knew what had to be done.

  He ran, stumbling at first in the slick mud, then gaining speed as he tore across the area where human maintenance teams and the CASPers had slowly flattened the moist dirt into a passable surface. A second gun platform in the forward cargo bays came to life and fired into the MinSha. A barrage of small arms fire tore into the bays. Kurrang saw human gunners diving for cover, and it pushed him harder. Sprinting faster than he’d done in the last fifty years, he chose the last open bay as his entry point. As the ship finally cleared the mud and slowly started to move forward, Kurrang saw a stack of maintenance containers he believed would be tall enough and close enough to the ship’s path for him to vault into the ship.

  Run! Faster!

  The ship’s engines whined, and Kurrang pushed hard to reach the containers, then jumped to the top one without effort. As he landed, he vaulted with all his might, and he flew through one of the open doors on the ship and slammed into the bulkhead hard enough to see stars, before crumpling to the bay floor.

  Hand to his head, Kurrang rolled to his feet and got his bearings. The bay was smaller than he’d thought. The door was five meters wide, and the compartment was maybe ten meters deep and four high. Beside him were two containers strapped to hooks built into the decking. Beyond them was a hatchway into the ship. What might be on the other side of that hatch didn’t matter. He was aboard the ship and would stop it from firing on his friends and allies.

  Kurrang took two steps to the edge of the cargo bay and looked down on the MinSha and TriRusk as they overwhelmed the remaining CASPers in a mob of green and white. They looked up at him and roared as one. He started to raise his arms in triumph, but froze. At the edge of the fight, where the bridge had once lain in the mud, he saw the familiar marked chiton of Tirr, the Captain of the MinSha guard, and a small TriRusk.

  Maarg. Thank gods.

  For a moment, he thought about jumping from the climbing ship. He could easily have survived the fall into the taller canopy and made his way down to the ground to reunite with his daughter. She looked up at him and sang. Through the thrust and wind noise, he could hear her song. The words came together, and he winced.

  With Tirr at her side, the young TriRusk turned from the battlefield and ran in the direction of the MinSha compound. For a moment, Kurrang was sick with worry, but it passed quickly. She was a worthy warrior in her own right, and Jessica Francis would need all the help she could get. But all that help would be for naught if this ship was able to rain fire on the planet’s surface. There was only one way that wouldn’t happen. Kurrang turned from the open doors as the ship banked into a circular pattern and slowly gained speed. It would be back over the battlefield in a matter of minutes.

  Kurrang stomped to the hatch, tore it from its hinges, and stepped into the interior of the ship.

  * * *

  Weqq

  MinSha Compound

  “What the fuck are you talking about, Raleigh?”

  The mercenary commander laughed harder. “He hauled scrap to the guild, and the Veetanho have been raiding it for years. They’ve sold every manufacturing secret humanity’s ever developed to the MinSha and gods-knows who else with a grudge against humanity. He gave them our secrets, Jessica. For money and power, maybe, but it doesn’t matter. He’s a traitor to humanity, just like you.”

  <>

  Jessica shook her head. “You’re wrong, Raleigh. He had valid contracts to do what he did. The Peacemaker Guild would never have let that happen.�
��

  “Don’t you get it, Peacemaker? Your guild is complicit! They want humanity to fall just as much as the Mercenary Guild does. Why do you think they wanted you dead?”

  “The Peacemaker Guild doesn’t want me dead.”

  “Are you sure?” Raleigh laughed. “Someone wanted you dead, Jessica. You can’t trust a single alien out here. You have to watch out for your fellow humans, yet here you are, wearing that nice little platinum badge, pretending to have an impact in a galaxy that wants all humans dead. We can’t trust any of them, Jessica. You ought to fucking know that.”

  Jessica clenched her jaw and fought to contain her anger. She lost the fight and stabbed her jump jets. Deathangel 25 tore up between Mike 77’s legs and knocked the Mk 5 off the containers. Raleigh tried to fire the cannons, but by the time she’d initiated the jump, it was too late to do any real damage. Mike 77 toppled down the containers. Jessica brought up her weapons and engaged the two CASPers on the southern wall.

  Neither of them returned fire.

  <>

  At the top of her jump, Jessica spun the CASPer and sighted on the jamming complex. She brought up her cannons. “Weapons free, Lucille. Knock it out.”

  <>

  Jessica felt the cannons come to life and the small adjustments Lucille made to maximize the destruction. The jamming complex exploded in a barrage of sparks that showered down onto the compound’s floor. She glanced at Mike 77 struggling to get to its feet.

  <>

  “Where’s his comms tower?”

  <>

  Deathangel 25 raced down to the compound’s central surface. Jessica sighted the cannons on the tower and fired until the right machine-gun ran out of ammunition. The retransmitting array tower, all twenty meters of it, collapsed off the wall to the outside. In Jessica’s ears, a sudden crazy cacophony of signals crashed together. Lucille nulled them out for a moment.