by Jacob Holo
“Do you think we’ll reach Europa?”
“Are you kidding?” Piller bared his teeth. The holographic lights gave his face a sinister air. “We’re going to achieve orbit. It’s just a matter of how much they bloody our nose. We’ve already begun long range strikes on their orbital defenses. Once we’re close enough, we’ll begin bombarding the surface.”
“There’s not much of value on the surface,” Kaneda said.
“I know,” Piller said. “This would be so much easier if we could just nuke Capitol City.”
“It wouldn’t work,” Kaneda said. “First you have to punch through two kilometers of ice. No doubt they’ve already pumped water into the space elevator shaft to freeze it solid. Then you have an ocean rushing in to fill the hole, healing the damage naturally. After that, there’s a least a kilometer of water to the actual city, more if they let the city sink. And even if you get a missile that far down, nothing but a direct hit works because the city’s shell will absorb the shockwave.”
“Never mind the political consequences of nuking a colonial capitol,” Piller said. “Frankly, I’m glad this is your problem. I don’t think we have enough nukes for the direct approach.”
König’s hologram reappeared.
“Main guns four and five are total losses,” König said. “Engineering thinks they can repair number six in a few days, but they’ll have to run all new power and data cabling. The front third of the ship is a fucking mess. I didn’t know the bulkheads could bend like that and still hold together.”
“That’s not too bad for the hit you took,” Piller said.
“True enough,” König said. “The missile tubes are in better shape. Some are blocked off, but our magazines and internal conveyors are intact. We’ll shift the missiles to clear launchers.”
“What about the front armor?” Piller asked.
“Structurally sound,” König said. “I have spacewalk teams filling the impact crater. As long as we don’t get hit in the same spot, we should be fine.”
Piller nodded. “Sounds like you have it under control.”
“I assume I was summoned for a reason?” Kaneda asked.
“You were,” König said. “As you can tell, we’ve pissed the Euros off pretty good.”
“So it would seem,” Kaneda said.
“They just threw hell at us,” König said. “They hurt us, but not nearly enough. We’re almost to the Jupiter system, and unless they get lucky or we get sloppy, we’re reaching orbit in three days.”
“We’ll be ready,” Kaneda said.
“I expect nothing less,” König said. “Now that the Euros have engaged us in earnest, we have a better idea of what we’re up against. The question is what do you plan to do when we get there?”
“We take the fight to Capitol City,” Kaneda said. “Get inside, recover or destroy the star drive, and eliminate the quantum mind.”
“Yes, that much I understand,” König said. “But you’ve been tightlipped on the details.”
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Kaneda asked. “Your ship leaks. Apocalypse showed us that.”
“We won’t have the same problem here,” Piller said. “We’re certain your suit was the weak link in that incident.”
“I have to disagree,” Kaneda said. “Our equipment is designed to counter Europan information warfare.”
“No offense, but the evidence says otherwise,” Piller said. “Right now, the signals between our ships are tightbeamed and their encryption is a magnitude more complex. If the Euros can listen in, we have far worse problems to deal with.”
“I would still prefer to keep our plans a secret,” Kaneda said.
“This is not a debate,” König said. “I have to finalize orbital strikes and the small problem of getting your crusaders to the surface. It is essential that I know your plans in detail.”
Kaneda shrugged. “Very well. I suppose I see your point. There isn’t much to the plan anyway. It’s simply a matter of outguessing their defenses. The direct path to Capitol City would be suicide. We have no idea what kinds of traps and defenses we’d run into. I expect the other elevators to also be heavily defended in some manner, such as the ones at North Pacifica and New Edo. Therefore, I’ve chosen to deploy the icebreakers at the Redoubt Campus.”
“The Redoubt Campus?” König asked. He scrunched his brow and looked away. A holographic map of Europa appeared in the plot next to him. “Where’s that?”
“Look south east of Capitol City,” Kaneda said. “You’ll hit it eventually.”
König traced a finger across Europa’s icy, billiard ball surface. He stopped at a small icon in the southern hemisphere. “You want to land there?”
“With the icebreakers you can drill down anywhere,” Piller said.
“Yes and no,” Kaneda said. “Ideally, we need an existing tunnel network to send crusaders down first. The icebreakers are robust machines but they are not designed for combat. The Redoubt Campus is quite old. The tunnels date back to the original First Space Age colony on Europa. They’re abandoned and potentially hazardous, but they also give us a way to get to the ocean ahead of the icebreakers.”
“That works both ways,” König said. “The Euros will be able to counterattack up through the tunnels.”
“That threat exists anyway,” Kaneda said. “The Europans are experts at creating new tunnels in the ice shelf. This method gives us a screening force for the icebreaker’s descent. Also, the Europans will have to get to us first. I expect the bulk of their forces will be out of position for rapid response.”
König stared at his map of Europa. He stroked his goatee. “If they’re prepared, you’ll take heavy casualties in those tunnels.”
“We are aware of that,” Kaneda said.
“Well, this is your ground war,” König said. “I see no need to intervene. You have an orbital drop plan?”
“I do,” Kaneda said.
“Very well,” König said. “Send over the details and we’ll finalize a way to get you there. Perhaps we can make a play for dropping you at North Pacifica then shift the operation. Piller and I will work out the details later. This is all I need from you right now.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
König vanished.
Kaneda leaned back in the acceleration chair. “Well, that was easier than normal.”
“König has come around more than you realize,” Piller said. “He knows what we’re up against. Then again, he still hates your guts.”
“I’d be shocked if that changed,” Kaneda said.
“This is a bloody business,” Piller said. “And it’s going to get worse before it gets better. But König knows how to run an operation. I’d wager he had several drop plans drawn up before he asked you. The man is meticulous. I’m glad he’s here with us.”
“That’s high praise given what you’ve called him in the past,” Kaneda said.
“I’m just giving credit where I think it’s due.”
“Hmm,” Kaneda said. “By the way, I need to speak to you privately.”
“What’s this about?”
“Privately.”
“Oh, all right,” Piller said. He unstrapped his crash webbing and floated out of the acceleration chair. “This had better be quick. We could accelerate at any moment, and I’m not as durable as you.”
Piller joined him outside the bridge. They waited for the door to slide shut.
“Okay, what is it?” Piller asked.
“Have you noticed anything unusual within the fleet?”
“No, nothing out of the ordinary,” Piller said. “Nothing I’d bother you with. We had to break up a gambling ring on the Victory last week, but that sort of thing happens. Why do you ask?”
“I have reason to believe a rogue element has infiltrated this fleet.”
Piller’s reaction surprised him. He didn’t have one. For all the expression on his face Kaneda could have said space was dark. That by itself set Kaneda’s nerves on edge. Instead of contin
uing, he waited for the admiral to say something.
Piller stared blankly and crossed his arms.
“Did you hear me?” Kaneda asked.
“Yes, I heard,” Piller said with a stone face.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m just thinking. Look, what brought this on?”
“You know the Martian in my command squad?”
“The troublemaker? Yeah, I remember him.”
“He believes a transport in our supply convoy has been infiltrated.”
“A transport?” Piller sighed with relief then chuckled. “Oh, now I see. Which one?”
“He mentioned three possibilities. The Saint Avitus, the Reach of Compassion, and the Errand of Mercy.”
Piller nodded with each name. He smiled and looked Kaneda in the eye. “I wouldn’t be too worried about this.”
“Why not?”
“One of those transports is indeed different,” Piller said. “Let’s just say we brought some insurance with us. Matriarch isn’t getting away even if your crusaders fail.”
“You never mentioned this before. Which ship is it? What’s it carrying?”
Piller held up a hand. “I can’t say anymore. Look, this comes from the top. We’ll only deploy it if we have to, but it’s there if we need it.”
“A secret weapon?” Kaneda asked.
“Something like that.”
“What kind of weapon?”
“Come on,” Piller said. “You’re not going to pry it out of me.”
“You’ve never kept secrets from me before.”
“This time it’s a direct order from the president,” Piller said. “Just trust me with this, okay?”
“All right,” Kaneda said. “I trust you. That doesn’t mean I like not knowing.”
“I wish I could fill you in, but I can’t this time,” Piller said. “Look, I should get back inside. We have less than twenty minutes before the next wave of cruise missiles hits us.”
“All right. I’ll let you get back to work.”
Piller palmed the door open. “And tell your Martian to stop being so jumpy.”
“Okay, I’ll tell him,” Kaneda said.
Piller floated into the bridge. The door slid shut behind him.
Kaneda turned and met his Feddie escort at the end of the corridor. He said nothing on the way back to the lamprey bunker.
Trust you with this? he thought. I don’t think I’ve ever trusted you less in my entire life. Just what exactly is going on here?
* * *
Kaneda pivoted on his heel so he stood shoulder to shoulder with his fellow crusaders. The soles of their armor adhered to the bunker’s hangar deck. They were weightless, but that could change in an instant. He broke his helmet seals, raised his visor, and breathed in air rank with fuel fumes and raw engine heat.
One hundred sixty paladin-class dropfighters sat nose to thruster in ten long rows, each locked to the ceiling by thick clamps. The bulbous craft measured two stories high and three times as long with a heavy gun turret in the nose and external racks of missiles along either side. Many contained liquajet combat submersibles necessary for the assault on Capitol City. Others held prefabricated segments of the two icebreakers.
The air was tense with the anticipation of battle. Kaneda stood in a row of thirty-two crusaders ready to board. The same could be found alongside every dropfighter. The cramped hangar was deathly silent except for the occasional hiss of machinery and the footfalls of chaplains offering communion. The chaplains had just enough space between the dropfighters and the rows of crusaders to walk. Their armored shoulders occasionally brushed against the missile racks.
Viter kept his visor down. The chaplain passed him without comment, but stopped in front of Kaneda and made the sign of the cross.
“May God watch over you,” the chaplain whispered. He offered a small wafer of bread.
Kaneda took the wafer between his gauntlet’s exaggerated digits and placed it on his tongue. He crossed himself, bowed his head, and tried to clear his mind of distractions. He focused on a small, wordless prayer of his own.
The chaplain walked by Alice. She kept her visor down.
Three-Part raised his. The chaplain blessed him and gave him a wafer of bread.
Kaneda felt a satisfied grin slip onto his lips. Three-Part didn’t share Kaneda’s faith, but that wasn’t why he now took communion before battle. He wasn’t a Martian or a police officer or a widower anymore. He was a crusader.
The chaplain moved on.
Alice raised her visor. It clicked when fully open.
“Wait,” she said. Her voice echoed in the quiet hangar. “I’ll have one too.”
The chaplain walked back and made the sign of the cross in front of her.
“May God watch over you,” the chaplain whispered. “Better late than never, Alice.”
“Thanks,” Alice said. She took the wafer and chewed on it.
The chaplain moved on.
Kaneda closed his visor and opened a private channel.
“That was a surprise,” he said.
“Yeah,” Alice said. “It surprised me too.”
“What brought that on?”
“I don’t know. It just felt more important this time.”
“That’s because it is.”
“It was a stupid impulse,” Alice said. “I’m not a believer. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Don’t say that. Whatever your reasons, I’m glad you chose to partake this time.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.”
Kaneda checked his overlay and waited. Ten minutes later the last of the chaplains signaled their readiness. He opened the command channel.
“Crusaders!” Kaneda shout. “Move out!”
The rows of armored warriors rushed the waiting dropfighters. The hangar thundered with five thousand pairs of armored boots. Viter passed in front of him. Kaneda put a gauntlet on his shoulder.
Viter stopped and turned back. “Yes, sir?”
Kaneda opened a secure contact-channel through his palm.
“Viter, I want you to listen very carefully to what I am about to say.”
“Of course, sir.”
“You will not be dropping with us. I have a special assignment for you.”
“Sir, is this because I argued against your decision to drop with the first wave?” Viter asked. “And now you want me to stay behind in safety? Have I offended you in some way?”
“Of course not,” Kaneda said. “If I’m right, you may be in far greater danger. Pray that I am wrong.”
“Sir?”
“You will take command of the reserve. If someone asks why, tell them I want a member of my command squad coordinating from the bunker. You will give no other explanation. What I am about to say next is for your ears only.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will,” Kaneda said. “From here, you will watch the ships in the Federacy fleet with the bunker’s passive instruments. Do not use active methods. Pay close attention to the supply convoy. You know which ships.”
“Yes, sir. I do.”
“Watch for any suspicious actions, abnormal maneuvers, odd communication patterns, signs that stealth craft are launching. Anything.”
“Does Admiral Piller know about this?”
“We cannot trust him anymore.”
“But, sir,” Viter said. “That’s not what you said after speaking with him.”
“I know. I’ve purposely kept this quiet. Right now, I don’t know who we can trust. You’re staying behind to watch our backs.”
“Then I will dedicate myself to the task, sir.”
“There’s one more thing,” Kaneda said. “If you catch a vessel taking suspicious actions, contact me immediately. If you cannot reach me, your orders are to take the reserve and seize the vessel. Use any means necessary. Kill anyone who gets in your way.”
“Including Federacy soldiers?”
“Anyone. Shoot
to kill at the first sign of resistance.”
“I understand, sir.”
“This could be a very dangerous assignment, Viter. If you do board a rogue ship in this fleet, I have no idea what you may find. You could find nothing. You might face the same robots we fought on Apocalypse or something worse.”
“You can count on me, sir.”
“Thank you, Viter,” Kaneda said. “God speed. Fight well.”
“Sir.”
Kaneda took his gauntlet off Viter’s shoulder. He hurried up the ramp into the dropfighter and found an empty armor cradle next to Alice and Three-Part. He slid in and locked his armor in place. The ramp closed.
“What was that about?” Alice asked. “Where’s Viter?”
“Change of orders. I need him to stay on the bunker.”
“But—”
“I’ll explain later.”
Kaneda activated a monitoring cheat. He reviewed the current status of the Federacy fleet, Europan defenses, and the drop operation. The fleet held the high orbitals with almost total impunity. The Europan fleet had disengaged from combat, but their stealth systems made them frustratingly difficult to track.
Weapon emplacements on the surface occasionally opened fire on the fleet, only to be silenced by heavy kinetic shelling from the Stalwart and Invincible. The ground weapons had inflicted minor damage since the fleet couldn’t target them accurately until they fired. Hidden emplacements presented the greatest threat to the drop operation, but the Federacy bombardment campaign had been both brutal and thorough. König knew what he was doing.
The mission clock counted down from minus seventeen minutes to zero. The Stalwart came about and engaged its engines, accelerating hard towards an orbital position above the North Pacifica elevator. The sudden gravity pinned Kaneda to the wall and peeled his face back.
Two whole wings of blackhawk interceptors and panther bombers launched from the supercarrier Victory. The swarm of attack craft formed up ahead of the fleet.
The Invincible brought its main guns to bear and launched rapid salvos of kinetic torpedoes. One of the torpedoes in the salvo had a nuclear tip. It struck the North Pacifica elevator’s foundation and vaporized it in a white flash. The shockwave climbed upward, shredding the elevator along the way.