She set her jaw and raised her chin ever so slightly. “Take us to Ganymede.”
DAVEY REALLY COULDN’T make much sense of the factory interior. To him, it was all industrial equipment, machinery, and piping. He could walk into the Sparrow’s engine compartments to see those sights. It was big, though. Real big. They’d been loaded into some kind of open-top transport vehicle, like a train car, and were traveling down one of the wide lanes for vehicular traffic through the factory. Davey walked to the front of their transport and joined Matthew. “Do you think they’ll actually let us help?”
“Maybe. If there’s anything we can do.”
“I just have a sidearm, and I didn’t bring much ammo.” He scratched the back of his head. “I was kind of hoping for a normal day.”
Matthew chuckled. “That’s not really our specialty, is it?”
Ahead, a small tower, illuminated by gold light, rose into the cavernous space. “That’s the security hub,” one of the guards said. “Commander Mavros is waiting for you.”
The grav car barely slowed and banked hard, sliding up to the tower. They unloaded, and the whole group was rushed into a command center on the ground level. Their IDs were checked, but it seemed most of the guards recognized Matthew anyway. Either that or they were too ashamed to admit that they didn’t.
Davey didn’t even have to guess who Commander Mavros was. The man in charge had been barking orders since they first stepped foot in the room. “Let me see them,” he said, his head snapping up to look at the newcomers. “Five men and a runt, huh? You made it sound like you were bringing a small army.”
Davey bristled at the irrelevant snipe, but Matthew calmly diffused it. “Six men, all combat veterans. If we can be of service to the colony of Gilgamesh, we will.”
The man regarded Matthew for a moment. “Are news reports from Ceres true?”
Matthew’s lip twitched. “Some of them.”
There was a brief pause. “Fine.” He motioned them to the screen. “If you have any bright ideas, now is the time. Otherwise, I want you out of here.” They clustered around the screen, which currently showed a map of the factory. “The enemy, whoever they are, is wearing our uniforms. We don’t know how they got in. We don’t know how many of them there are. They’ve been steadily pushing deeper into production line one.” He marked a massive arm of the factory. “They don’t appear to have made it to the Taciturn Assemblers yet, but that’s the destination.”
“Do we need to know what that means?” Ewan asked.
“It’s the part of the line we can’t replace. Machines that build machines and sabotage themselves if you try to open them up. They’ve kept their secrets for a century. If they get damaged, the whole line behind it is useless junk.”
“What’s the hold up to mounting a counteroffensive into line one?” Matthew asked.
“Friend foe recognition. We don’t know who’s on our side until they fire back. We’re working on a system to tag all of our people.”
“Are there workers in the area?”
Mavros shook his head. “Thank God, no. The line was down for routine maintenance.”
“Then put us on the vanguard with your best men,” Matthew said. “Keep your people out of our way as we sweep through. Anyone we run into will be assumed hostile unless they immediately surrender. We push straight up line one to the Taciturn Assemblers and secure the area.”
Mavros seemed to consider that. “That could work. I’ve got various groups working to clear the area, but it’s taking time with the number of hostiles that have popped out of the ground. Harv. Start getting firm locations on teams in line one. We’ll need to maneuver them out of the way when the freelancers press through. Captain Ferris. Take your squad and lead Mr. Cole to the Assemblers. If you come across friendlies, assume the worst, but use your best judgment. The less friendly fire losses, the better. Remember the Assemblers are top priority. Make it happen. I don’t know how much time we have.”
The room flew into action. The freelancers were led back outside by Captain Ferris and his squad. “You’ll be under my command,” he warned. “I don’t think I need to tell you how sensitive this location is.” The group simply stared at him. “Good. Everyone armed?”
Davey sheepishly waved. “I didn’t wake up this morning expecting a fight. I just have one magazine for my sidearm.”
“Let me see.” Davey unholstered the pistol at his hip and showed him. “Not a caliber we use. You sure you know what you’re doing, kid?”
“Just get him something,” Matthew growled.
Ferris nodded. “Have you ever fired an RK-90 before?”
“Only in my dreams,” Davey said. “I’ve got an old 72 I’ve been dying to upgrade.”
Captain Ferris pointed at one of the guards standing outside the building. “Hector. We’ll be borrowing your firearm. Mags too.” Davey took the weapon and resisted the temptation to smile. “Main difference between the 72 and 90 is the bullpup layout. The magazine—”
Davey had already ejected the magazine and peered into it to ensure it was loaded.
“Never mind,” Ferris said. “Let’s go.”
“DO WE HAVE ANY MORE updates on the ground?” Gebre’elwa asked.
Abigail shook her head. “Not yet. Can I set up on an open comm link to the Sparrow to avoid having to relay?”
She gestured to the communication console, “Aliah, give her a hand.”
It took less than a minute to set up the pass-through line. “Yvonne, you’re broadcasting over the bridge. Have you heard from Matthew?”
“He hasn’t answered yet,” she said. “I’ll try— Never mind. He’s calling now. Passing his call through.”
This was a convoluted set up just to allow allies to communicate. Strong communication lines were something else the guild was going to have to work out. Secure channels would be a necessity in any scenario involving multiple crews.
Yvonne’s voice continued over the bridge. “I’m here, Matthew. You’re patched through to the Queen of Sheba as well. Give us an update. What do you need?”
“We’re working with security to retake control of a critical part of the factory. If you can get Abigail on the ground in the next thirty seconds, that would be grand. If not, maintain overwatch.”
“We’re still in orbit,” Abigail said, frustration beginning to mount. “Sorry.”
“I expected as much.” He paused. “Wait, you’re on the Queen in orbit? Gebre’elwa, can you control Gilgamesh airspace? Make sure no ships arrive or depart until this is over?”
The woman smiled. “It would be my pleasure, Matthew Cole. A proper introduction will be in order later.”
There was a burst of gunfire over the speaker. “We’ll talk,” he shouted. “Things just got hot.” He disconnected with a pop.
“I’ll guess we’ll maintain position in dock,” Yvonne said. “Muting the channel.”
Gebre’elwa turned to the officer at the communication station. “Aliah. Prep my comm to broadcast on all emergency and public frequencies.”
“One moment, ma’am. Okay, go ahead.”
She lifted her comm. “This is the Queen of Sheba to the colony of Gilgamesh and all spacecraft in the Ganymede orbit. I am hereby prohibiting all traffic to and from the colony until I have received word from colony officials that the current crisis has passed. All traffic, civilian and official, is strongly recommended to stay away. If you’re in my airspace, you will be considered hostile.” She paused. “Play that on loop, Aliah.” She turned to the viewport. “Launch Shotel Squadron. They are free to devise their own tactics, as long as they are able to respond to any threat to either the Queen or the factory.”
Abigail held her breath as she watched the woman effortlessly command those around her. If there was one woman she could choose to be in about forty years, it was this one. She wasn’t one to be trifled with, and that was something Abigail could respect.
DAVEY LEANED OUT OF what little cover the open-topped grav car provided and squeez
ed off a few shots as they passed under a catwalk bridge. The assailants in Gilgamesh security uniforms dove for cover behind equipment. It had been like that the whole trip through production line one as the road ran its back-and-forth route through the machinery. Deadly, nerve-wracking quiet, punctuated by brief moments of terror as they were ambushed from above.
Two of Ferris’ squad were down, and from the Red Dragon, Rhydian had taken a bullet to the knee.
“After the next turn, we’ll be at the Assemblers,” Ferris said.
Matthew glanced at one of the wounded. They’d applied some synth-skin to the wound, but that was all they could do. He shared a quick look with Davey. Davey hefted his weapon in response as they rounded the corner. This machinery looked no different than the rest, but apparently it was the most valuable equipment in the colonies. Davey was pretty sure Matthew would have a moral lesson about appearances being deceiving. It irked him to think that he could probably give some of Matthew’s speeches himself at this point.
The gunfire started almost immediately. The driver practically rammed the grav car into cover, and they joined the fight in earnest. For Davey, it was fear and adrenaline, moving cover to cover with Matthew, slowly clearing out the nest of terrorists.
And then, like most fights, it ended as abruptly as it began.
A light haze of smoke drifted through the Assemblers as Ferris ordered his men to spread out in teams and check for stragglers. Matthew rolled a body over and began to go through the pockets on his vest.
“What are you doing?” Davey shuddered at the thought of handling a dead man.
“Looking for clues. Proof that these are Abrogationists.”
“Do you think we got here in time?”
Matthew stood. “You’ll have to ask the engineers when they get in here to inspect things and take inventory.” He walked to the next body. “Or maybe we did.” He crouched and peeled the dead man’s fingers back from the object he’d clutched in his death embrace. “Ferris. You need to see this.”
The captain and Ewan hurried over. “What do you have?”
Matthew handed him a detonator. “We might be surrounded by explosives.”
“Lovely. I’ll call for a bomb squad. We’ll have to comb the whole line.” Ferris said.
Ewan eyed the thing with distrust. “I hope this is the only detonator and we’re not all about to get blown to pieces.”
“You and me both,” Davey agreed.
The ground rumbled in a series of distant explosions. To Davey’s ears, those blasts sounded like they were on the other side of the factory. All eyes went to Ferris. “Give me a minute,” he mumbled as he dug out his comm.
Matthew and Ewan went back to checking bodies. Davey knew he should probably help but didn’t think he could handle touching corpses. A minute later, Ferris returned. “Those explosions were in production line two. There’s no confirmation yet, but it looks like they hit the Assemblers over there.”
Matthew shook his head and kicked a stray pipe at his feet. “Two groups. One as bait. If they succeeded, great. If not, the other would slip past unnoticed.”
Davey was too tired to even try and work out the consequences. They’d saved one line and lost another?
“Security cameras have an armed group fleeing. They’re trying to break out of the factory.”
“Can you get us outside?” Ewan asked. “Maybe we can cut them off.”
Ferris hesitated for a moment. “There are escape tunnels that cut beneath the factory. Normally they are sealed with firebreaks every fifty meters. I can give the order for them to be opened. There’s a nearby access ramp. The grav car should just be able to fit. We might intercept the combatants at their exit point.” He turned to one of his men. “Orville, you’re in charge. Wait here with the wounded for reinforcements and medics. I’m going with the freelancers.”
Matthew motioned to the grav car. “Lead the way.”
“THIS IS YOUR FINAL warning. If you enter Gilgamesh airspace, you will be shot down.”
The pilot on the other side was sputtering in rage. Abigail whistled quietly.
“You... You have no right to do this.”
“Legally? No. But this is a temporary emergency that will soon pass,” Gebre’elwa said. “Until it has, traffic to and from Gilgamesh is suspended.”
“Ma’am, they’ve pulled away to regain orbit.”
She smiled. “Wise decision. We will inform you when the crisis has passed.” She turned to Abigail. She didn’t voice the question, but Abigail answered it anyway.
“Updates aren’t good. It looks like they saved the first line from sabotage, but the second production line was hit as well. Matthew’s team is trying to cut off that group’s escape.”
“Hmm. That is dire news. But we’ll have to sort the damage later. Hopefully, this will be over soon, and I can stop breaking every law in the book.” Abigail was surprised when the woman reached out and laid a hand on her armored shoulder. “Are you... alright? You look troubled.”
The touch made her uncomfortable, and she shifted slightly to pull away without making it seem like that’s what she was doing. “I’d rather be on the ground, as opposed to playing glorified courier between people actually being useful.”
“Enjoy the action while it lasts. My days on the front lines ended decades ago with the arrival of children.”
“Well, when mine end, I don’t think it’ll look like this.” Abigail gestured at the bridge around them.
“You never know. Besides. This is less exciting than it looks. Most of my time is spent telling people with specialized skills to do their jobs. Command is hardly as thrilling as sneaking into a bandit den and making off with their leader in the dead of night. Just have a plan before something forces you to change careers.”
If that was supposed to make Abigail feel better, it was hardly a success. She’d turned thirty a few weeks back, and while the crew had wisely not made a big deal about it, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she was living on borrowed time. One day her suit would take damage that Ivan couldn’t repair, and when that happened, it was over. She’d go back to being a paraplegic with no skills but radiation zone safety procedures. There’d be no freelancer empire to retire on like Gebre’elwa had.
She wouldn’t even be of any use on the Sparrow.
“I’ll think about it,” Abigail said and turned back to the monitor, hoping the other woman would get that the conversation was over.
“THEY’RE RETREATING toward loading dock fifteen,” Ferris shouted over the rush of air.
The driver had hit the accelerator the second they were outside, and Matthew kept a hand on his campero to keep it from flying off. “Is that close? Are we going to make it?”
“We’re almost there. Hang on.”
They flung around a corner, the back end of the car swinging wide. Ahead of them, gunfire crackled, and a ship’s engines growled in warmup stage.
“There’s the getaway vehicle,” Davey said. “All part of the plan, no doubt.”
“And loaded with grav plates too,” Ferris said. “The dock extension has been retracted already.”
A smash and grab then. The nature of their plan was getting more apparent by the moment. It had to be one of Logan’s. The distance between them and the ship closed rapidly as they blasted across the open yard. They were going to board that ship and keep it from taking off one way or the other. There was no way they were letting the Abrogationists get a full load of—
The landing engines flared, and the freighter lifted its bulk off the ground. Ferris shouted obscenities at the ship as it passed overhead. Their driver hit the brakes and the car crawled to a stop.
“We can head for the Ddraig Goch,” Ewan offered. “We’ll get airborne quickly, and if that thing is under a full load, I can’t imagine they’ll make it to frameshift altitude before we can intercept.”
“Don’t bother,” Matthew said. “Abigail? You still with ‘Elwa?”
“I am. What
’s the update?”
“We think the terrorists just took off in a ship. Do you guys have an angle on it?”
“One second. Yes, the Queen has it on the scanners. Patching you back through so you can talk to ‘Elwa.”
‘Elwa’s voice came through the comm. “I’ve sent the ship an ultimatum to stand down, or I will force the issue. I’ve received no response. I can take them out of the sky if you want.”
Matthew looked at bright flares of light now accelerating away from the surface. “Let me check with the factory official. Ferris?”
The security captain put away his comm and glanced at the sky. “Surprising absolutely no one, it appears our surface to air defenses are down. Convenient. If you have allies that can bring it down, Commander Mavros requests you blow it out of the sky.”
“That’s a lot of lost grav plates,” Ewan said quietly.
“Ninety-five million dollars worth, I’m told. They’ll be sold on the black market and funding Abrogationist activities for years to come if we don’t shoot it down. The shipment is a loss either way.”
Matthew nodded mournfully. “Okay, ‘Elwa. Whatever you do, don’t let them get away.”
“As you wish. Sending my squadron now.”
They watched in silence as over the next several minutes, a dozen lights converged on the brighter engines of the freighter. At that distance, they couldn’t see the fight, but there were a few brief flashes of fire before a brilliant explosion flashed like a star. Then a lone meteor fell back to Ganymede, leaving a trail of debris across the sky.
“What a waste,” Davey said.
Matthew wholly agreed with that sentiment.
“YOU KNOW, I HATE THE aftermath more than the fights themselves,” Matthew said, his temples throbbing. Yvonne didn’t even look over at him as she pulled the Sparrow back into the Queen’s half-dock. He continued. “Hours with the Gilgamesh authorities, and now ‘Elwa wants a meeting.”
“She’ll join the guild. She’s all but agreed to that.”
After Moses: Wormwood Page 8