Spinebreakers

by Mitch Michaelson

  THE EYE OF ORION

  Book 2: Spinebreakers

  By Mitch Michaelson

  This is a work of fiction. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.

  Text and art copyright © 2014 by Mitch Michaelson.

  Cover art by George Yoo.

  Cover design by The Cover Collection, http://www.thecovercollection.com.

  Formatting by Polgarus Studio, http://www.polgarusstudio.com.

  All rights reserved. Published in the United States.

  Get maps and art on the web! http://www.mitchmichaelson.com

  The author/publisher has provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your personal use only. Please don’t print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. Please don’t copy, reproduce or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices. Copyright infringement is against the law.

  DEDICATION

  To Rutger Hauer

  “I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.

  I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.

  All those moments will be lost in time … like tears in rain. Time to die.”

  Roy Batty, Blade Runner

  CHAPTER 1

  Hope Happens

  A woman appeared on the vid panel in front of a small audience. She spoke in a comforting voice.

  “Hello. Welcome. You’ve been awakened from a long cryogenic sleep on your ship the AndroVault. We are working to provide everything you need. Hopefully you’re feeling better from the after-effects of the awakening. This presentation will bring you up to date.

  Sadly, the galaxy you knew is gone. For humanity, this is a dark and dangerous time. Alien species have driven mankind nearly to extinction. These horrible creatures treat people as slaves, food or worse. We struggle for mere survival while avoiding detection by amoral aliens that hunger for our flesh.

  How did it come to this? Permissive cultures and lax views of human-alien interaction weakened our defenses. People sought peace with aliens but were rewarded with death and destruction. Even those societies that saw temporary truces were riddled with dissent. While they bickered, the enemy slipped in unnoticed. Soon they were corrupted. It’s true that some worlds defended themselves, but without a moral compass they decayed. Over time their lack of vigilance brought their fall under the onslaught of alien degeneration.

  Today, wherever humans exist, they toil for alien overlords. Those that wish freedom are branded as rebels and outlaws.

  That’s why we, a band of stragglers, give praise for finding you and your ship. The AndroVault was buried in a graveyard deep in space. In the inky darkness we found you and have begun repairing this great ship.

  For a long time we roamed the galaxy, fighting tyranny and oppression wherever we had a chance. Finding your ship was as the prophecies declared. Soon you will meet Councilor Ulay, the star messiah. He foretold of your coming. You are a gift to mankind. It was his vision that led us to you.

  Like you, we take pride in being human. We seek a new homeworld, one where we can raise our families free of non-human masters. Unified under his purpose, we will rise. One people, one society, one goal. Human sovereignty!”

  The lights rose and the audience was given drink and warm food. It smelled pleasant and tempting, much better than the bland rations they had eaten the first day of their awakening.

  “Rousing speech,” Dr. Fector said from behind the one-way panel, as he watched the presentation. “I’m surprised it didn’t end in applause.”

  “I feel motivated now, Hack,” the mercenary Boc said as he cleaned his fingernails with a long knife.

  “Who came up with that?” Hack said.

  “There’s a team on the Scorpion that produce it. They’ve got all the angles covered,” Boc said nonchalantly.

  “Is that what the noves are doing on board?”

  “What else would you want Readers for? They don’t make good gunners! Somebody told me they’re psychologists and sociologists. Tiny cameras watch the defectives. The Readers see their reactions. They play deep tones when they want to scare them, then lighter tones when they want them happy. There are even smells pumped in to subconsciously influence them.”

  “Wow,” Hack said.

  “Yeah, wow. I don’t care. As long these defectives make good followers. Better their blood than mine.” Boc giggled in anticipation.

  CHAPTER 2

  Volunteers Step Forward

  Admiral Slaught was in full Councilor Ulay regalia. He wore his robes and was attended by several mercenaries who were all business. They didn’t want talkative types around the people they secretly labeled “defectives.” The people of the AndroVault were being awakened in a time far beyond their own, and the genetic degradation of such long, artificial sleep had deformed them.

  The room was just like the novorian advisors had recommended. It was spacious and impressive. Slaught stood at one end on a raised dais, talking to engineers as they came and went. Some changed uniforms and returned to keep up the appearance that he was busy with important decisions. The lighting was designed to subtly portray Slaught as trustworthy. His blindfold conveyed the sense of wisdom and great vision, and hid his mechanical spider eyes.

  He could see through the material and scanned the room. A long purple carpet led up to his dais. Purple, the color of royalty. There were tables on the dais with star charts scattered over them; the charts were fake, with no useful information on them. Guests had to remain standing to speak to him, because there were no chairs. A few odd mechanical devices sat on pedestals, implying advanced technology. Satisfied with the preparations, he nodded to a man who touched an ear node and said, “Ready the first.”

  The mercenaries had limited information on the individuals sleeping on the AndroVault. Occupations were defined in the passenger list though, which is how they chose the engineers to supposedly repair the old nuclear reactor. Then they went off data in the ship’s ancient computers and evidence within the compartments to try to pick mostly unimportant followers. A few leaders were awakened too. They were fed and given medical checks, but no information other than the indoctrination vid. Now the first one would meet Slaught in his guise as Councilor Ulay. The mercenaries suspected the awakened man was a leader.

  The door opened on hinges, an archaic notion Boc couldn’t stop laughing at. That was one reason why he didn’t spend much time on the AndroVault. A man of perhaps 40 years with a bent back and a bandage on his head entered the room. Slaught turned to face him. The man moved slowly across the long carpet. When he approached Slaught, before he could say or do anything, Slaught bowed to him. The old mercenary was no actor, but under his robes he could be anyone.

  “Sir, it is an honor to meet you. I am Councilor Ulay.”

  The man croaked, “I’m Muuk.” He nervously looked around at the unfamiliar environment.

  “Are you injured, Muuk? Have my priests attended to your health?” Slaught asked.

  “Yes. Thank you,” Muuk said. “I saw that video. Who was that?”

  Slaught thought fast. The woman presenter was artificial. “She is one of my loyal followers. She’s not on the AndroVault. She’s on another ship outside. Our ships are repairing this great vessel.”

  Muuk touched his head. Many of the awakened had bent frames, weak limbs and lesions from radiation poisoning. “Are you waking everyone up?”

  “Muuk, you are a good man. Of course you care about them. You deserve the truth. The compartments are delicate and the co
mputers barely functional. My people are using the best technology to bring them safely out of deep sleep.”

  “Who are you? They say your name and call you a star messiah,” Muuk said doubtfully.

  Slaught gave him the speech. “No doubt you wonder what providence brought me here. My birth was foretold by the Darmabi philosophers millennia ago. True to the prophecy, I was born to a peasant woman Hemiar on the planet Ino. The day of my birth was marked by a shower of meteors made of pure gold. The planetary governor Sephekia – an alien – had slain my father, so I don’t know my father’s name. The aliens were a cruel species that subjugated humans. But rather than face my vengeance when I grew of age, he had me abducted and frozen in time. I have slept for an age. But I returned! To give strength to the weak, to draw you forth from darkness and to find my lost homeworld. A paradise planet rich with resources, I will free it from alien influence and set up a new homeworld for mankind.”

  Novorians watched Muuk’s reactions from hidden cameras.

  Muuk looked suspiciously at Slaught, his men and the room. There was no sign that he accepted or rejected the story. The novorians sensed that Muuk didn’t act like a follower. There were strong, young men around with guns but that didn’t stop him from asking pointed questions. By his every act he proved he had standing among the people of the AndroVault. Nor did Muuk give evidence that he saw through Admiral Slaught’s disguise.

  “What will you do next?” Muuk asked.

  “We will awaken as many as we can, and begin our quest for Ino. There we will route the aliens and take control of the planet. It will be our new home.”

  “With who in charge?” That question confirmed his status to the novorians.

  Slaught had trouble moderating his gravelly voice to anything approaching soothing. By lowering the volume he seemed less threatening though. “We share goals, Muuk. We are all humans here. Let us not talk of politics, but the safety and security of the AndroVault. You are not fully healed. Allow my men to take you to your room, where you will be fed and cured.”

  Slaught turned away from Muuk. The man looked at Slaught’s back and squinted, as if trying to bore with his eyes. Two men came and touched Muuk’s arms, gently leading him away.

  Muuk had seen several other people being attended to. He couldn’t believe the amount of time that had passed. It felt like yesterday since they left Alpha Centauri. The people who had awakened them were certainly human, but they seemed rough and dangerous. Councilor Ulay was powerfully built and had a coarse voice. When Muuk had asked about the metal under their skin he was told they were cybernetic repairs for wounds suffered in wars with aliens, or persecution by humans for their humanity-first beliefs.

  They led Muuk down several levels. He knew the ship well, and he was glad they were going toward the nuclear reactors. When they got to a large bay, he found two rows of white sheets on the ground. The sheets covered bodies. He didn’t know why he was there. He was weak and tired, and had a headache that made it hard to concentrate.

  Members of Councilor Ulay’s medical staff were nearby. One approached Muuk. He had no enhancements, but he didn’t seem to show much emotion. He often touched a communicator in his ear. Muuk didn’t know that advisors outside the ship were watching and telling the med-tech what to say.

  “Sir, please come over. Do you recognize these men?” the med-tech said as he pulled back the sheets.

  The engineers were underneath. Like Muuk, they were short and pallid, with impaired limbs or leaky eyes. In death they looked frozen in rigor mortis.

  “Yes,” Muuk said sadly. “These are our engineers. They were the only ones able to repair our ship.”

  “I am sorry. They were awakened first, and they volunteered to repair your reactors. It was very dangerous and we tried to stop them, but they demanded the right. They gave their lives to repair the reactors.”

  Their loss was a blow to Muuk. He checked the faces. It was all of their engineers.

  “They died of radiation poisoning? Doesn’t that normally take a while?”

  “If you wish, I can show you the burns. We told them it was a suicide mission, but they insisted. The reactors are online now.”

  “Why,” Muuk said to himself. Then something occurred to him. “You woke these 21 men first?”

  “Yes sir,” the med-tech said.

  “I thought waking people up was a fragile operation. How were these exact men found and awakened?”

  The med-tech said nothing. He nodded for a bit with a blank look. “Sir, I’m not in that section. I’m sure there’s a good answer for it, but I can assure you these men died of radiation burns. Don’t worry, we’ll take excellent care of the bodies. These men are heroes. By their sacrifice they saved some of your lives. We won’t forget that. If you’re done viewing, please return to your quarters and rest.”

  The men escorted Muuk away.

  CHAPTER 3

  Armaments

  When their sensors came back on, they found themselves floating in deep space, near no solar system. There was no sign of the Gleen ship. It took a while to get their bearings.

  “For the record Master Steo,” the science robot Hawking said, “the black system’s details are gone. It has been removed from the computers.”

  “Yours as well?” Steo asked.

  “Mine and Governor’s,” Hawking said. The two were connected to the ship’s computers so Hawking could report on both, but Renosha wasn’t. His ancient mind was his own.

  Steo looked at Renosha. The old robot nodded. “I also agreed to it. There was probably something in that system that Ema did not want us to remember.”

  The navigator Glaikis said, “So you remember her, but nothing else?”

  “Correct,” Renosha said.

  Steo said, “Let’s get everyone together and start making plans. We can track down the Vadyanika first and see what Hawking finds in terms of ship graveyards.”

  They met in the holobridge and surveyed what they knew.

  “The logical place to start is the AH91 Nebula gas cloud,” Hawking said. “That is the last known location of the Vadyanika and probably the place where the Fire Scorpion learned about us.”

  Steo said with emphasis, “Let’s be perfectly clear about our goals. We’re going to track down Dr. Spierk and capture or kill him. We’ll try to get evidence for the bounty. We’re also going to seek the Fire Scorpion and destroy it. Anybody on their side is a fair target. Does everyone agree with that?” Steo was concerned about a vague mission, especially when they might be going into battle.

  Everyone agreed with him. They moved into the bridge.

  The pilot Yuina said, “Time to check out what’s been done to my ship!”

  “Whose ship?” Steo asked. He was still protective of the Eye of Orion.

  “Our ship!” Yuina said.

  Hawking said, “All damaged systems have been repaired. A new weapon pod was attached.”

  Glaikis said, “We have missiles now!”

  “Yay!” Yuina exclaimed.

  “None are nuclear though.”

  “Awww,” Yuina said.

  “We have a variety in the forward weapons pods, where they should be. Shrapnel, plasma spray, atmospheric, seeker/stalker, spinebreaker …”

  “Spinebreakers, good. Payback’s going to hurt,” Yuina said.

  Glaikis continued. “Anti-missiles too. Outstanding! What’s this? We have a dorsal rotary cannon.”

  “What’s that?” Yuina asked.

  Hawking said, “A rotating array of six guns, each with six barrels, mounted to the top of the ship. The multiple barrels are for faster loading.”

  “A gun in space?” Yuina had no military experience and little gunnery training. Her weapons knowledge was about equivalent to Steo’s piloting skill.

  Glaikis said, “It’s not very useful for offense. It’s a defensive weapon. It shoots at incoming missiles and destroys them at range. It can shoot thousands of bullets at an incoming missile, and since few missiles
have shields, they get shredded. If it shreds a missile at a hundred miles, that’s enough to stop anything but a nuclear blast and even then a hundred miles is survivable.”

  “Fortunately Navigator Glaikis, I have the processing power to fire it while the Eye of Orion moves,” Hawking said. “Unfortunately, some of the Fire Scorpion’s missiles have light shields.”

  “Now this is offense. Oh my. Talk about a gun in space,” Yuina said. She brought up a blueprint of the Eye of Orion on the main panel. “Take a look at the bay below us.”

  The level under the bridge had a long bay. Steo hadn’t assigned it to anything when the ship was built, which was why the manufacturer had noted the ship was lighter than the stock design. Now the blueprint showed cables and equipment in the bay, including a long tube.

  “That’s a gun all right.” Glaikis stepped forward to examine it on the panel.

  Hawking said, “The weapon mounted in the bay below us points forward. The barrel will extend out of the fore of the ship, just below the bridge, when ready to fire.”

  “What is it?” Yuina asked.

  “That, Pilot Yuina, is a kinetic cannon. It has no parallel. It is one of a kind,” Hawking said.

  “What does it do?” Steo was used to evaluating weapons to copy them or break them.

  Hawking said, “According to the schematic, it fires large rounds at speeds faster than a missile. They don’t change course so they’re most useful against stationary targets. However this one can also fire explosive rounds. The arc of the weapon is limited to the front of the ship so it wouldn’t be useful on defense. On offense though, the flechettes from the explosion are quite dangerous.”

  Yuina stood. “I name you Spike!”

  “Interesting,” Glaikis said. “The rounds for that weapon are metal spears. As inert projectiles they don’t use energy so they can’t be tracked or intercepted by missiles.”