Kill the Queen! (Chaos of the Covenant Book 4)

by M. R. Forbes

  Gant stared at her for a moment. “I love you,” he said. “In a non-sexual, non-romantic way.”

  She laughed. “I’m a Reject first, a daughter second, a Watcher third. I want to be on the winning team. I’m just sorry I couldn’t get Ruby out.”

  “We’ll take care of that later,” Gant said. “We have other business to attend to, first. It’s time to do some evil.”

  “So nobody else has to,” Jequn replied.

  22

  “There’s my team,” Pik said as they boarded the Faust. “I’ve missed you. Hugs, anyone?” Pik spread his arms wide.

  “We missed you too,” Erlan said.

  “You did?”

  “Not really,” Gant said. “Imp, we’re on board, and the airlock is sealed. Get us in gear; I’m on my way up.”

  “Roger,” Bastion replied.

  “Nobody wants a hug?” Pik asked.

  “What’s the matter with you, bro?” Dak said.

  “I’m working on a new skill, besides killing things.”

  The Faust shuddered for a moment as the docking clamps released. The acceleration was controlled, putting pressure on them through the inertial dampening but allowing them to stay upright and in motion. They made it to the ladder and climbed.

  Gant left the others in the CIC, heading forward to the cockpit. He could see the fighting out of his viewscreen. The Republic forces had launched fighters. They were making an effort to harass Kett’s ships, though Gant didn’t know why they were bothering. If torpedoes couldn’t get through the upgraded shields, smaller rounds didn’t have a chance.

  The main battleship was easy to pick out. It was the largest vessel in the group and was unleashing the most ordnance.

  “Why don’t they retreat?” Bastion said as Gant slid into the co-pilot’s seat.

  “They can’t,” Gant replied. “Kett is holding them here with the Focus.”

  “That’s not very neighborly.”

  Gant chittered a laugh. “No, it isn’t. Three o’clock.”

  Bastion yanked on the control yoke as a Republic starfighter angled in at them, lasers scoring their shields.

  “Where’d that fragger come from?” Bastion asked.

  “He was there the whole time. Are you getting rusty from having a few days off?”

  “Are you kidding? I had a few years off and didn’t get rusty.”

  He bounced the Faust up and rolled, evading a line of fire from another starfighter. Gant noticed that none of the defenses Kett had launched were firing at their opponent. The Republic wasn’t the enemy. They just didn’t know any better.

  A light began to blink behind Bastion’s head.

  “We’re being hailed,” Jequn said, leaning into the cockpit.

  “Could you get that for me?” Bastion asked. “I’m a little busy at the moment.” He yanked on the yoke, sending the Faust darting in a new direction.

  Jequn leaned over and flipped one of the analog toggles.

  “Faust, this is General Kett.”

  “General,” Gant said. “How can we be of service?” He said it coldly, fighting the urge to tell the General where to go on Ruby’s behalf.

  “I’m sending the Blooded through the Nodes,” Sylvan said. “They’ll be assuming control of the support ships shortly. You could have been a little faster getting out there.”

  “You could have been a little faster getting out there,” Bastion mimicked under his breath. “Fragger.”

  “What do you need us for if your Watchers can do the job?” Gant asked.

  “The battleship’s going to be the most heavily defended. I don’t want to risk their lives on it.”

  Gant’s teeth clattered together as he made every effort not to respond to the statement.

  “Roger,” he said instead. “ETA, forty seconds.”

  “Kett out,” the General said.

  “Your father is an asshole,” Gant said. “Nothing he does will change that opinion.”

  “He can be,” Jequn agreed.

  “Yeah, frag our lives,” Bastion said. “As long as the Watchers are safe, even though the Gift is going to kill them anyway.” He turned to Jequn. “No offense, Cherub.”

  “None taken.”

  “Focus on getting us to the ship,” Gant said. “We’ll worry about everything else later.”

  “Roger.”

  The Faust continued making its way across the black, jerking and diving, rolling and spinning to keep the enemy starfighters from interfering with their journey. More fighters started to launch as they closed on the battleship, pouring out of the hangar they were heading toward, immediately unleashing their fury. Bastion cursed as rounds slammed into the shields, the field of fire so wide it was impossible to get around it. He thumbed the yoke, activating the top mounted turrets and opening fire, cutting down two of the incoming craft.

  “What are you doing?” Gant said. “You can’t shoot them.”

  “I don’t have a choice,” Bastion replied. “We’re going to die if I don’t.”

  A warning light flashed in the cockpit, showing shield failure on the starboard wing.

  “See.”

  “Do what you have to do, get us in alive, with the Faust in one piece.”

  “I’m doing my best.”

  The hangar was getting closer. It was apparent the commander of the ship had finally realized they were angling toward it, because the large blast doors that would protect it started to close.

  “Damn it,” Bastion said.

  Gant eyed the distance. “Fly straight, and we’ll make it.”

  “Fly straight? Are you fragging kidding me?”

  “The turrets rotate, don’t they?”

  Bastion adjusted his finger on the yoke, rotating the guns. He started firing to the rear, keeping the chasing starfighters honest. He also added thrust, accelerating toward the closing mouth.

  “Not too fast,” Gant said.

  “No choice,” Bastion replied. “Who agreed to this shitty mission, anyway?”

  “What if we don’t make it?” Gant asked, looking back at Jequn.

  “He’ll send a pair of Blooded Ophanim over through the Node.”

  “What?” Bastion said. “We’re doing this shit for nothing?”

  “Do you want him to have all the fun?” Gant asked.

  “Screw you FM; this isn’t fun.”

  “Shortening it to initials doesn’t make it any more acceptable,” Gant snapped.

  Another warning light went on. The shields were at critical levels in the rear of the star hopper. The hangar was dead ahead, growing so large they couldn’t see space past the battleship.

  “You’re going too fast,” Gant said.

  “Do you see those blast doors?” Bastion replied.

  “Yes.”

  “We can either go too fast, or we can be crushed against them. Now shut up.”

  Gant made a face, but Bastion didn’t see it. He was too focused on getting them into the ship. Gant opened a channel to the others.

  “Brace for impact,” he said, grabbing at the restraints and buckling himself in.

  Jequn vanished, heading to the nearest seat to secure herself.

  The ship loomed over them. The starfighters behind them peeled off, having lost the chase. The doors were nearly closed, giving them no margin for error.

  The Faust blew past them, shaking slightly as the wingtip caught the edge and bounced them off. Immediately, Bastion fired reverse thrusters, desperate to slow the ship as they barreled through the hangar.

  “Too fast,” Gant said again, clenching his teeth. They weren’t going to be able to stop.

  “Frag!” Bastion shouted, rolling the yoke and adjusting the other vectoring thrusters.

  The Faust slipped sideways, rolling to the port side and sliding against the internal atmosphere, drifting toward the rear of the space.

  “Hold onto your asses,” he shouted, taking his hands off the controls.

  Gant relaxed his body, allowing himself
to go limp as the Faust slammed into the rear bulkhead. The sound of the crash was deafening, the sudden impact tearing at them despite the dampeners. The starboard wing buckled against the wall before the ship’s progress was finally halted, and it dropped the last few meters to the ground.

  Everything was still for a few seconds. Everything was calm.

  “This was a stupid, stupid idea,” Bastion said, removing his restraints.

  “I thought I said in one piece?” Gant replied, getting to his feet.

  “Don’t even go there, Gant. There’s difficult, and then there’s impossible. This was impossible. Fragging Kett probably expected us to die. Problem solved.”

  “And kill his own daughter?” Gant said. “I don’t think so. Maybe he just overestimated your capabilities?”

  “Frag you.”

  Gant decided to let it slide. It had been a much more difficult maneuver than he had expected.

  “At least you got us here alive. Now we just have to stay that way.” He headed out of the cockpit and into the CIC. Jequn was there, waiting for them. “Do you know what I think?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I think General Kett isn’t getting this ship.”

  “Hell yeah.”

  23

  “Is it fragging time?” Pik asked as Gant, Bastion, and Jequn made their way down the ladder toward the exit. He was wearing a battlesuit, though he still looked small standing beside Dak.

  In this case, small meant massive, at least to Gant.

  “Where’s Joker?” Gant said.

  “Here,” Benhil replied, moving out of the armory. He had gone with a lightsuit. “Easier to smack people with sticks in this.”

  “Good point,” Gant said. “Dak, Pik, no killing.”

  “Roger, Boss,” Dak said.

  “I’m ready as well,” Phlenel said.

  Her bot appeared ahead of her. She followed behind a moment later, having assumed Abbey’s normal human form. She looked as though she was wearing a hellsuit, but Gant was pretty sure she had altered herself to mimic the texture.

  “Fake Queenie?” Benhil said.

  “I like it,” Pik said.

  “What’s the plan?” Jequn asked.

  “Let’s see,” Bastion said, moving to the hatch and hitting the control to open it. He leaned out to scan the hangar, greeted by a round of fire that nearly took his head off. He hastily closed the hatch. “I think we should wait here.”

  “Cherub, do you have any of those teleporters?” Gant asked.

  Jequn picked one out of a tightpack. Gant took it and headed away from them.

  “Where are you going?” Bastion asked.

  “I’m going to dump this out of the waste disposal bay. Cherub, prepare the link. Don’t wait for me.”

  “Roger,” Jequn said.

  Gant carried the teleporter to the recycling and disposal unit. The waste inside was contained in a frozen state until it was full and then jettisoned into space. Thankfully, it was still frozen. Gant opened the unit, made a face at the shit inside, and then put the teleporter on top of it. He closed the unit and hit the manual release. He could hear the machinery working, the hatch at the bottom of the ship opening and dropping the load. A few seconds later, he heard shouts and gunfire from the Republic position. The hissing sound of nerve rounds followed.

  Gant ran back to where the Rejects had been standing. They were all gone, the teleporter still active. He stepped through, emerging onto the floor of the hangar amidst a shattered mess of waste. The others had already overwhelmed the Republic defenses. He caught sight of Phlenel smacking one of the soldiers with a nerve stick, dropping him to the floor. He found Pik holding a pair of soldiers up by their uniforms, while Dak delivered the stunning blows.

  “Round them up, keep them grouped,” Gant said, walking across the hangar.

  “Small problem,” Bastion said.

  Gant found him; he was pointing toward the blast doors, which were sliding back open. Once they were clear, the starfighters would be able to get back in and start shooting.

  “Change of plans. Let’s clear the area.”

  “Roger.”

  They merged near the exit, expecting more resistance on the other side.

  “I’ll take the lead,” Jequn said.

  “Ladies first,” Benhil said.

  Gant tapped the door control.

  Nothing happened.

  “Locked,” he said. “Give me a minute.”

  “Nah,” Pik said. He slammed his metal fist into it, sending up a shower of sparks and burying the panel deep in the wall.

  The door started to slide open.

  Jequn rolled under it, slapping the soldiers closest to it in the legs and causing them to collapse. The hatch finished sliding away, revealing her on her feet, already having disabled half of the defenses. Nerve rounds followed her, trading fire with live ammunition. The Republic soldiers were down within a heartbeat.

  “Ouch,” Benhil said. “I think I’m hit.”

  Gant looked back at him. He was bleeding from his shoulder. The whine of thrusters interrupted them as the first of the starfighters began returning to the hangar.

  “Move, Rejects,” he said.

  Benhil put pressure on his arm, following them deeper into the battleship. Red alert klaxons were flashing, though the audible alarm was silent.

  “Joker, here,” Jequn said, approaching him. “Move your hand.”

  He did as she said, and she placed her hands on the wound.

  “Ooh,” he said a moment later. “That’s nice. Better than-”

  “Don’t,” Jequn said. “I can reverse it.”

  Benhil laughed.

  “This way,” Gant said.

  They continued forward until they reached a T-junction.

  “We’ll split up here,” Gant said. He pointed to the right. “That way leads to the bridge. The other goes down to engineering. Joker, Okay, you’re with me. The rest of you head for the bridge, and stay in communication.”

  “What are you going to do?” Bastion asked.

  “There’s a good chance they’ll consolidate their defenses ahead of the bridge because they’ll be thinking that it’s the brains of the ship. Except brains don’t work very well without oxygen.”

  Benhil laughed. “I love the way you think, squirrel-man.”

  Gant groaned.

  They split up. Gant led Pik and Benhil through a series of corridors, trailing down toward the life support module. The defenses were light through the area, his assumption that the commander of the ship would be focusing on protecting the bridge spot on. Who in their right mind would be aiming to shut off life support, anyway?

  “Imp, report,” Gant said as they reached one of the tubes down to engineering.

  “Gant,” Bastion said. “We’re hitting some resistance, but nothing we, err, maybe I should say Cherub and Phlenel can’t handle. The angel’s kind of sexy when she’s slamming people in the head with nerve sticks.”

  “Don’t let Queenie hear you say that,” Gant replied.

  Bastion laughed. “I’m just keeping my options open. There’s no harm in looking, right?”

  Gant didn’t respond.

  “Right?”

  “Time and place,” Gant said at last.

  “Whatever. If you were up here, you’d be watching her, too.”

  “I doubt that.”

  They boarded the tube and made the short ride down. The Republic engineers had all taken emergency positions, finding cover amidst the terminals and machinery that composed the area. They started shooting as the tube hatch slid open, sending Gant and Benhil to the ground.

  Pik moved out confidently, the small force of the engineer’s emergency sidearms not very effective against an armored Trover. He reached one of the soldiers, pulling him out from behind a machine and sliding him back across the floor toward Benhil, who jabbed him with a nerve stick.

  Meanwhile, Gant rolled to his feet, dashing across open space ahead of the so
ldiers’ aim, vaulting a large, dark machine and coming down on top of another engineer, knocking him out with a stick, leaping and rotating, hitting the side of a second machine and redirecting toward two more soldiers. The agile maneuver caught them by surprise, and he knocked them both down before they could react.

  “Nice,” Pik said.

  “I think we’re clear,” Benhil said.

  “Gant,” Bastion said. “We’re almost at the bridge. Fraggers have a mounted laser cannon set up at the end of the corridor, and two squads in battlesuits. We can probably get through it, but not without somebody dying.”

  “Roger. We’ve got control of engineering. Give me a minute.”

  “Roger.”

  Gant scurried to the hatch leading into the life support module. “Okay, can you open this for me?”

  “Gladly,” Pik replied.

  He stomped over to it, throwing his metal fist into the door and bending it inward enough so that he could get his hand in and yank it aside. The safety locks hidden inside the wall fought back, but it was a losing battle. It complained as it was dragged aside far enough for Gant to slip through.

  He yipped softly at the familiarity of the system, and then quickly unscrewed the access panel to the main power conduits and toggles. First, he disabled the failover to backup systems. Then he put a finger on the switch to shut the whole thing down.

  Then he waited, counting backward. Disabling the secondary would send a signal up to the bridge, and alert the crew there that something was happening to their most vital system.

  “Five, four, three, two-”

  “This is Captain Kevin Davlyn,” a voice said through the area’s loudspeakers. “I don’t know who you are, but I’ve activated the comm link near the main terminal.”

  “Benhil, could you get that for me?” Gant said.

  “Roger,” Benhil replied, going over to the comm. “Captain Davlyn,” he said. “You can call me Joker. I’m down here in engineering, looking right at your life support systems. We’re about two seconds from taking them offline.”

  “Who the hell are you, and what do you want?” Davlyn said.

  “That’s a pretty lousy attitude,” Benhil said. “Considering we’re both willing and able to kill you right now.”