Virago One: A Hard Science Fiction Technothriller (Ace of Space Book 2)

by John Triptych

  “Any idea where its destination is?”

  Emerson hesitated before answering him. It was classified information, but the space trooper had a feeling Stilicho might be the only one who could somehow succeed. “I’m not supposed to divulge this, but according to its heading, it might be going towards Lagrange-5.”

  Stilicho nodded slowly. Maia had already calculated the warship’s heading before Emerson admitted it to him. At least he had this man’s trust, and he had a feeling it would be needed once they both get into space. “The Chinese military station, right?”

  Emerson nodded solemnly. “If the Virago gets too close, the PLA Space Force will deploy their Orion battlecruisers. I know I would.”

  “And that means the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty is out the window,” Stilicho said. It had been an agreement that no nuclear weapons were to be tested in space, which precluded the Orion warships from operating their drives.

  Emerson’s eyes locked onto his. “It means there’s a very good chance we’ll be at war. You’ve got to find a way to stop this.”

  Stilicho winked at him. “Why do you think I asked to be sent up into space?”

  Emerson’s head tilted up a little. It seemed like he was getting a com-link message. Less than a minute later he returned his attention to Stilicho. “They’re almost done refueling.”

  “When can we go?”

  “Prelaunch check is complete. All umbilical cables released. Our rocket is ready to go anytime now,” Emerson said calmly.

  “Then let’s get going.”

  Emerson grunted as he activated the liquid chemical thruster ignition system.

  Less than fifteen minutes later, the USAF emergency launch capsule rocketed into orbit after jettisoning its automated booster stage. Stilicho could see from the viewports that orbital space had been cleared of all other manned flights, except for rescue missions to bring terrified civilians and service crews in orbital hotels and service stations back down to the planet’s surface. A large number of structures continued to float above the Earth, silent and abandoned.

  Captain Emerson easily guided the capsule to dock with the Intrepid, a USAF patrol spacecraft that had been doing maneuvers near the Earth’s geosynchronous orbit before it was recalled for a special mission. Over the decades, both the military and civilian crews flying their spacecraft had perfected orbital docking to an art form, and very few delays were occurring nowadays.

  While still in his chair, Stilicho used his com-links to familiarize himself with the Intrepid’s capabilities. As a NERVA powered spacecraft, its maximum delta-v was less than one-fifth that of the Virago, and it only carried a few anti-spacecraft missiles. A battle against the renegade warship would be out of the question. He was still deep in his thoughts when the capsule successfully docked with the Intrepid.

  There was a slight wooshing sound as both airlocks cycled in the proper atmosphere. Emerson was releasing his crash webbing when the hatch was opened, and an Air Force officer wearing an identical skinsuit poked his head into the capsule chamber. Emerson gave him a salute.

  “I’m Major Mark Kelso, spacecraft commander of the Intrepid,” the man said, returning Emerson’s salute. “What can we do for you guys?”

  “We need to get to Lagrange point two as fast as possible,” Stilicho said.

  Chapter 21

  Colonel Ruthven lifted up his visor while continuing to stare at his console. The Virago’s delta-v had now reached its maximum acceleration of one hundred kilometers per second. They had just broken the speed record for manned spaceflight, but no one was celebrating. He turned to look at the others. “Okay, we got about four hundred thousand kilometers until we get to Langrange-5. That’s about an hour’s travel time, more or less. You all can take a break for now.”

  Ganz sighed as he began to unstrap himself from the chair. He turned to look at Darian. “You okay, Kate?”

  Darian nodded quietly. She knew that the game would be up the moment she switched the tint on her visor back to clear, or if she took her helmet off. It was readily apparent she couldn’t take them all on at the same time. Her plan was to try to lure them out of the battlesphere one by one and deal with them individually. It was a strategy that bordered on foolhardiness, but she felt there wasn’t any other choice.

  Ganz floated over to her and he began loosening her webbing. “I’m going to bring Kate to the sick bay and get her arm looked after. Is that okay with you guys?”

  Major Vince Lawson had taken off his helmet, and was now sipping a liquid meal supplement from a sealed packet, using a special clamp straw to prevent the liquid from seeping out in microgravity. “Go ahead. We’ll inform you once we need y’all back here.”

  Ganz took Darian by the left elbow and began to lead her towards the inner airlock of the battlesphere. Darian continued to pretend she was in pain while keeping her right arm close to her body. The mercenary opened the airlock and guided her through the opening before pulling himself out into the corridor.

  Lawson glanced at the Russian at the other end of the room. “Hey, you okay?”

  Vlad Utkin lifted up his faceplate and sighed. “I … still not well. Is there medicine that … can help me?”

  “There’s some motion sickness pills in one of the storage cabinets here, but they’ll make you drowsy,” Lawson said. “We need you to stay alert in case of any changes we need to make with the ship’s AI.”

  Vlad’s throat was dry and he felt like throwing up. It was like the times he had been drunk on vodka and beer during his teenage years, yet in this instance there was no euphoric buzz from the effects of the alcohol- only pure, unadulterated misery. “Blyad. Is anything else that … can be done?”

  Lawson shook his head. “Nope. Just work through it. Your body ought to adjust soon.”

  Herbert Eng Wu had been staying silent for the past hour. The frustration was steadily building up. He lifted his faceplate and glared at the two Air Force officers. “What are we going to do when we reach Lagrange point five?”

  Ruthven had also taken off his helmet and his headgear was now floating beside him. He glanced over at the former ACE Corp engineer. “You’ll see.”

  “No, I don’t,” Herbert said. “You’ve committed a hostile act against the Chinese people. No way will they allow us to get political asylum now.”

  Lawson smirked as he glanced over at the spacecraft commander. When Ruthven gave him a quick nod, he twisted his head and looked at Herbert. “Who said we’re going to request asylum?”

  Herbert’s eyes opened wide. “What? Wait a minute … we’re not going t-to turn this ship over to the Chinese government?”

  The two USAF officers stayed silent.

  Herbert realized the awful truth. His mouth hung open for a minute before he could say something. “Y-you’re going to attack them, aren’t you?”

  Ruthven rotated his command chair until he faced Herbert. “I lost my son against them years ago. At the same time, Orion spacecraft are the one threat out here we cannot ignore, so it’s better we strike at them first.”

  Herbert couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But … you can’t! If we attack their base, the whole country will think the US government is behind it and it will trigger a war!”

  “If the Chinese go to war, they’ll lose,” Lawson said. “We can take out all their space assets and they’ll be helpless. The Virago can go back into low Earth orbit and bomb them from space with our casaba howitzers.”

  Herbert’s breathing became rapid. “N-no, you can’t do this!”

  “We know you’re a Chinese spy,” Ruthven said, “and the only reason why you’re still alive is because we need your skills to work the fusion drive. But I’ll make you a deal. Once we’ve neutralized the Chinese, we’ll refuel at a classified rendezvous point, after which I can deposit you and the others to another ship that’s waiting for us near the asteroid belt. The ones who financed this operation will give you a new identity, and you’ll live anonymously when you get back
to Earth.”

  “Look, I’ll agree with all that except one,” Herbert said. “Please, just don’t attack the Chinese. We can still get away with this without having to do that part.”

  Ruthven shook his head. “I made a separate bargain with our employers. They get this ship, you get to escape, and I get to take my revenge.”

  “Amen,” Lawson said.

  Herbert trashed in his chair for a few seconds before he started to undo his restraints. “This is insane! I’m going to tell Kate, Ganz, and the others about this.”

  Ruthven patted the side of the pistol strapped to his hip holster. “Those two already know. Try anything foolish and I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

  Herbert was livid with rage, but he knew he couldn’t do anything to the two men sitting in the command chairs. Glancing over at the Russian, he paused, hoping to just get a tinge of support from a fellow teammate, but when Vlad just looked away, Herbert pushed himself from his chair, made his way to the airlock and floated out of the battlesphere.

  Lawson glanced at the spacecraft commander. “Do you think he’s going to undermine us?”

  Ruthven shrugged. “From what I read on him, he’s a coward. He won’t try anything. I met Ganz secretly before we got locked down in Argus Base. He knows what’s up, and he told me that Kate’s also with us.”

  Vlad raised his hands meekly as the two spacecraft officers glanced over to him. “Do not look at me. All I care about is getting copy of CAIN after this all over with.”

  “Easy does it, Kate,” Ganz said as he floated beside her in the sickbay. A small operating table had raised itself from the wall, and he started checking through the numerous cabinets in the small room for any painkillers.

  Darian drifted silently beside the operating table. Her eyes focused on the pistol strapped on Ganz’s hip. Darian’s right arm still hurt, and she figured that he would overpower her unless she had some sort of advantage over him. If she tried to reach for his gun, he would react in an instant and she would likely be dead. She needed to wait for the right moment.

  Ganz pulled out a transparent container filled with orange colored plastic tubes from one of the cabinets. “Here we go. These are painkillers I think, and they’ve got a self-injector that has a needle long enough to penetrate even the skinsuits we’re wearing, but I think it’s better you take it off so I can see just how bad it is.”

  Darian nodded as her left hand tried to undo the fastening straps in her skinsuit, but she quickly groaned in apparent pain once more before giving up.

  “Here, let me help,” Ganz said as he drew himself closer to her. His hands floated up to her helmet. Lifting up her faceplate, he stared confusingly into her deep brown eyes. Ganz’s eyebrows shot up when he realized it wasn’t Kate at all. The shock of seeing a complete stranger made him hesitate for a brief second.

  Now she had her surprise. Darian still had some feeling in her right arm and it was closest to him. Uncoiling her right elbow, she grabbed one of the self-injectors that floated beside her, tore off the device’s front cap with her thumb, and plunged its tip onto Ganz’s left shoulder. At the same time her left hand reached down to his right hip and unstrapped the pistol from his holster. She was able to pull it out just as Ganz recoiled backwards from the sudden attack.

  Ganz screamed as the needle injected a heavy dose of anesthesia into his left shoulder. He was floating backwards and he tried to reach for his gun, but the pistol was already floating in front of him, with the imposter trying to make a grab for it. He was able to seize the barrel of the weapon with both hands, just as Darian managed to grasp the lower part of the grip and began to pull the pistol back towards her.

  They both began to tumble in the microgravity as they wrestled for control of the weapon. Just as Ganz nearly wrenched the gun away from her grasp, his entire left shoulder suddenly went numb, along with his arm. Darian felt the man’s strength suddenly slacken, which gave her the edge she needed. Pulling her knees back to her chest, Darian planted her feet on Ganz’s shoulders and kicked out, sending him tumbling backwards and he crashed into the sides of a cabinet. He had let go of the gun, but the force that Darian exerted also tore the weapon from her own fingers. Jackknifing in the air, she was able to get one solid footing on a nearby cabinet as she pushed off slightly again, reached out and pulled at the pistol using the tips of her fingers.

  Herbert wanted to see if he could get the pair of them on his side. The former ACE Corp engineer poked his head into the sickbay. “Hey, guys,” he said, just before he realized that there was a fight going on. Herbert let out a gasp as Darian finally took the floating pistol into her possession, took aim with one hand, and began pulling the trigger.

  “No!” Herbert screamed as he lunged at Darian, right at the moment she fired the gun at Ganz. The unexpected collision with Herbert had spoiled her aim, and the shot went low, hitting Ganz in the upper part of his leg. Herbert pushed her arm up and forced the pistol to point at the nearby bulkhead, preventing her from getting off another shot. Reacting to his presence, Darian planted her feet on the side of the hatch and pushed off, slamming her shoulders into Herbert, who ricocheted past the entryway before crashing into the side of the corridor.

  Over at the battlesphere, Lawson started unstrapping himself from the command chair restraints when he heard the gunshot. “What the hell was that?”

  Ruthven went through the different surveillance feeds in his console. “Looks like they’re fighting. Get over there and settle it, Vince.”

  Lawson drew his pistol while floating towards the opening. “If that Chinaman is the one behind it, I’m going to shoot him.”

  “If he is, then just wound him,” Ruthven said. “We still need him for the refueling.”

  Darian was situated by the side of the hatch to the sickbay as she aimed and fired another shot at Ganz, but the mercenary had quickly gotten behind the extendable operating table, and the bullet embedded itself onto the bed. She heard shouting coming from the corridor, and it was clear that she needed to put some distance between all of them. Herbert had been thrown into the nearby passageway and was starting to regain his bearings. Despite the opportunity, she couldn’t bring herself to shoot him. Darian had read his file, and knew he was nonviolent.

  Herbert had slammed head first into the sides of the corridor, and now he was feeling somewhat dizzy. Just as he blinked his eyes open, he realized the woman wearing Kate’s skinsuit was actually somebody else, and she was aiming the pistol right at him. He held up his arms, shaking with fear. “Please, don’t shoot me! I give up.”

  Darian cursed as she sensed more movement in the corridor behind her. If she stayed where she was, they would surround and overwhelm her by sheer numbers. Using her right hand as an anchor to hold onto the side of the sickbay hatch, she braced her feet along the bulkhead before thrusting them out again, giving her enough forward momentum to quickly glide past the terrified Herbert and towards the corridor intersection.

  She had just about made it into a branching tunnel when Lawson appeared in the adjacent corridor, gun in hand. Darian aimed her own weapon at him using her left hand, but he pulled back behind the edge of another bulkhead before she got a clear shot at him. Thrusting herself backwards, Darian floated into the side corridor before colliding with the edge of yet another bulkhead. She was now in a dead end.

  Lawson stayed at the edge of the junction. Bracing himself with one hand, he poked his head out to see where she was. Darian was floating at the far end of the corridor and fired a shot at him, but Lawson was able to pull his head back behind cover at the last second. He tapped the side of his helmet to activate the com-link. “Looks like we got a hostile intruder that passed herself off as one of Ganz’s teammates, Colonel.”

  Ruthven’s voice was on the other line. “Vince, where are you now?”

  “I’m at junction two,” Lawson said. “I’ve got her cornered at corridor nine.”

  “Stay there.”

  “Affirmative,” L
awson said. He held out his pistol into the corridor where she was and fired two shots blindly.

  The two bullets zinged past Darian and embedded themselves into the bulkhead behind her. One slug hit the wall less than five centimeters away from her right shoulder. If she continued to stay out in the corridor she was a sitting duck. Lawson could keep firing from behind the opposite passageway with almost no chance of her being able to shoot back against him. Glancing to her left, she saw that there was a side hatch just a few meters ahead of her. Switching hands with the pistol, she reached out and began to pull the release lever to open the entryway beside her.

  Lawson poked his head out into the corridor again, this time leading with his gun. The moment he saw her climbing in through an adjoining hatch he fired several shots, but the rounds narrowly missed by a scant half a meter. By the time he got closer, Darian was able to close and seal the entryway behind her.

  The gunfire coming from the outside corridor had somehow snapped Vlad out of his sickly funk. He started typing on the console to find out what had happened. Ruthven had already engaged the release on his chair restraints and was now floating behind the Russian, with his pistol ready to fire.

  Ganz’s voice was on everyone’s com-link. His strained breathing and occasional groans made it clear he was in pain. “Goddamn it, I got shot!”

  Ruthven had put his own helmet back on. “How badly are you wounded?”

  “In the leg,” Ganz said, gasping. “I think it went right through.”

  Ruthven was looking at the live surveillance feeds on Vlad’s console. “You’re already in sickbay, so go ahead and treat it.” He switched his com-link to Herbert. “Go and help him out.”

  Herbert’s own voice resembled a child who had just seen a traumatic event. “Okay.”

  Ruthven grimaced. He had never seen Kate Sturgis before, and he had assumed that the woman wearing the skinsuit was her. Now he had one more problem to deal with. “Vince, what’s your sitrep?”