Dmitri was as a solid, muscular man, shorter than my six-three. He had taken to wearing his hair in a straight-up brush-cut.
N7 had magnetized the chosen star chart on a wall. We stood beside it, me with a pointer in my hand.
“We’re several jumps away from the Demar star system,” I said. “Now is the time to decide where in the system we should target. Any thoughts?” I asked.
“I say we get in, hit and get out as fast as we can,” Dmitri said. “That means we should strike a weak spot. So, what’s the easiest place to hit there?”
We all glanced at N7.
“I would imagine the Outer Asteroid Belt,” the android said. “It’s closest to the jump gate.”
“Everything is relative,” Ella said. “We have to know the lay of the system better. What’s the most heavily defended location?”
N7 pointed at the starcity.
“That also happens to be the plum prize,” I said. “This is our first raid, and as far as we know, the first time the Demar system will have been hit since the Saurian taskforce left. Are they worried? Who knows? But once they’ve been hit, the word is going to go out. The second raid will be harder. This might be the time to strike big.”
“I don’t know why they wouldn’t be ready for an assault now,” Ella said.
“Because this is a secondary area,” I said. “As far as we know, no Jade League members have struck the Jelk Corporation frontier. The Jelk have been on the offensive for a long time, remember? They’re not going to think of defense right away. At least, that would be my guess.”
“Still,” Ella said. “With the protecting fleet gone, those left at home have to be nervous.”
“That is my own view,” N7 said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Well, maybe we should try to put them at ease. Besides, I think the closer we can get to our target, the better for us. We don’t want to trade shots with the starcity’s laser batteries or defensive missiles.”
“What do you suggest?” Ella asked.
I stared at the star chart. What had the old-time Vikings done? They used daring and cunning. I remember reading about one chieftain who pretended to die. The raiders had been pagans, striking Christian Europe. The chieftain had his warriors tell the city fathers of one walled town that he’d become a Christian at death, and wished for a Christian burial. The head priest had realized what a religious coup that would be. He’d forced the townspeople to consent, and he even began to write a letter to the Pope about it. Several days later, big Viking warriors carried the supposedly dead chieftain to the town’s church. They had laid their spears and great axes under the faker. During the ceremony, the chieftain opened his eyes, rose with a gusty laugh and pitched the weapons to his men. They went berserk and slew the city fathers and their guards. Then, the Norse warriors rushed through the lanes to the main city gate, opening it to admit their hidden men outside. That night, they sacked the town.
It had been a Trojan horse kind of plan. With a grin, I told the others the story. I finished by saying, “That’s what we need to do at the starcity.”
“Why there?” Ella asked. “The starcity will be the most heavily guarded place.”
“Exactly,” I said. “If we can storm it, we’ll have breached their main defenses. That means we’ll be safe enough for a time to pick our plunder. There’s another thing to consider. The starcity should have the kind of goods we need. Besides, the habitat sounds like the best place to use assault trooper tactics.”
“How to you propose we trick the defenders?” Ella asked.
I glanced at N7. “You know the Saurians much better than we do. You’re going to have to think of something.”
We waited, and our golden-haired android blinked at the star chart. “I have an idea,” he said at last.
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
N7 began to speak.
***
Two days later, we passed through the final jump gate to the target, entering the Demar star system.
The Maynard Keynes led the way. The much larger freighter used a barely-working tractor beam to pull the shutdown Aristotle. If our ploy failed, it would take twenty solid minutes to activate the former Lokhar cruiser to full capacity. We were attempting our own version of a Trojan horse attack. Our very weakness demanded we do it this way.
Inside the freighter were two thousand assault troopers. Two thousand combat soldiers ready to try to turn the tide of history that swept against humanity.
On the bridge, I stood near N7, who acted as the freighter captain.
The intense Demar sun shined its fierce light. The starcity orbited it at a Mars-like distance.
“We’re being hailed,” Ella said, who worked the communications system.
N7 nodded for her to open channels. A moment later on the main screen, a bedecked Saurian peered at our android.
Saurians were two-legged, walking lizards, looking like giant versions of the gecko from the old-time insurance commercials. The creature moved springier than a human would. Usually, a Saurian stood four or four and half feet tall. They called themselves the Family and made better workers than they did fighters. I think the Jelk liked them because Saurians were easy keepers and bred like flies.
“You are not authorized to enter the Demar system,” the Saurian hissed. He wore a uniform with fancy braid hanging down from the sleeves.
“I claim salvage rights to the ship I’m towing,” N7 said. “Under article nine of the Jelk scavenger code, I must be paid thirty percent of the vessel’s worth.”
The Saurian eyed N7, finally saying, “You’re an android.”
“That has no bearing on article nine,” N7 told him.
“No,” the Saurian hissed. “It appears your logic circuits are in full working order.”
“Yes,” N7 said in a mechanical fashion.
As I watched the exchange, I could practically see the greed working in the Saurian’s mind. He no doubt thought to cheat the foolish android of its treasure.
Ella tapped her board, splitting the main screen. It continued to show the Saurian and now the starcity in the distance. The habitat was a great cylinder, many kilometers in length and width. By rotating, it created pseudo-gravity for its occupants. Three small pinpricks moved away from the platform.
I pointed at them.
Ella tapped her panel one more time.
The three dots leaped in magnification. They were corvettes, star system patrol craft. The Aristotle could have beaten them in a straight fight, but we would have taken damage doing it. If the starcity had heavy beams, the enemy might even have destroyed our cruiser. No. We had to do it like this.
“You will bring your cargo to the number seven docking bay,” the Saurian said at last.
“I understand,” N7 said. “I expect you to have my thirty percent finder’s fee ready once I dock.”
“You will receive a reward, android,” the Saurian said. “Never fear on that score. But if we see you deviate in the slightest, the corvettes will annihilate your freighter and take the Lokhar cruiser for our own.”
“I claim independent locator status,” N7 said. “That is guaranteed by the Jelk scavenging regulations.”
“We serve the Jelk Corporation,” the Saurian said. “You do not need to keep quoting your articles.”
“This is my lucky find,” N7 said. “I will buy many upgrades with my new wealth.”
“You are a wise android,” the Saurian said. “I will instruct the judicator to ready your fee.”
A moment later, the Saurian blinked off the screen.
“He means to bilk you of your fee,” Ella told N7.
“Saurians are quite transparent,” N7 said. “It is another reason the Jelk prefer them over most others. The Family has never staged a successful rebellion against the Jelk anywhere.”
“This would seem like the time to try it,” I said.
“No,” N7 said. “Not if the main Saurian fleets are deep in the interior systems. As long as they are there,
the fleets are hostages for the frontier regions’ good behavior—at least concerning Jelk protocols.” N7 studied me. “I understand you dislike the other races’ view of humanity. It is even worse toward us, the androids. At least they treat humans as something living. To the others, we are simply machines.”
I didn’t know what to tell N7, so I said nothing.
For the next few hours, we moved toward the starcity. At the same time, the three corvettes drew closer to us.
“They’re scanning our vessels,” Ella said.
“Let them,” I told her.
Rollo’s board beeped. “They have radar lock-on,” he informed us.
“They’ve figured out our ploy,” Dmitri said. “We’re dead men.”
I have to admit that I didn’t like how my heart rate increased. Radar lock-on had that effect. “What do you think, N7? Is Dmitri right?”
“It is possible,” the android said.
“Their laser cannons are hot,” Rollo said, looking up from his board. “What should we do, Commander?”
“Complain,” I said. “Ella, hail the starcity. N7, I want you to seriously complain about this.”
“What good will that do us if we’re dead?” Dmitri asked.
“Maybe they’re just testing our reactions,” I said.
Dmitri stood there blinking in disbelief.
Soon, N7 complained to the same Saurian he’d talked with earlier.
“You are a spy,” the Saurian said.
“That is incorrect,” N7 said. “I am an honest trader.”
“I will send inspectors onto your vessels,” the Saurian said.
“Of course,” N7 said. “I welcome them. Let them come. I have nothing to hide.”
The Saurian eyed him, finally signaling someone off-screen. “You are a legitimate scavenger, android. Proceed to the docking bay.”
“First, I want to know why you targeted my freighter,” N7 asked.
“As I said, it is our procedure.”
“No,” N7 said. “I have changed my mind about bringing the Lokhar cruiser to you. I will take it elsewhere.”
“It’s far too late for that, android,” the Saurian said. “The corvettes will escort you to the docking bay. If you deviate from your course, they will disable your freighter and take the prize ship for the Family.”
“That is against article nine,” N7 complained.
“You have much to learn, android. Now, do as I say if you value a continued existence.”
“I will comply,” N7 said. “But I plan to lodge a protest against these actions to the governing authority.”
The Saurian hissed before blinking off once more.
***
Nineteen hours later, the Maynard Keynes braked hard. The strain told on the ancient engines. Not only did the heavy thrust slow our mass, but that of the Aristotle as well.
The starcity loomed before us, a gleaming cylinder spinning in the stellar void. The three corvettes paced us, the farthest a mere five hundred kilometers away. They were sleek vessels with stubby wings. At times, corvettes flew within planetary atmospheres. Their laser cannons were no longer hot, primed for firing, but they could become lethal in minutes.
“It is time to match velocities with the starcity,” N7 said.
“Yeah,” I said. “Ella, you’re remaining here to run communications. Rollo, Dmitri, let’s get ready.”
We exited the bridge, hurrying to our soldiers in the main bay.
I still used the Mongol system for the assault troopers instead of the legionary start we’d had with the Jelk Corporation. The greatest conqueror in Earth history had been Genghis Khan. His Mongols had swept over an incredible area, riding across degrees of longitude and latitude instead of just hundreds of miles.
I’d decided to steal from the great khan’s bag of tricks. One thing he’d done was forge an iron law called the Yassa. We assault troopers had our own Yassa. One of its keys was never to leave one of our own behind on the field of battle. Another was to make the smallest combat group a band of brothers. That was an arban, ten brothers and sisters in arms. They lived and fought together, and looked out for each other. Ten arbans formed a company called a zagun of one hundred troopers. Ten zaguns formed a mingan of one thousand. Dmitri led one mingan and Rollo the other. I had overall command.
We went to our staging areas. Like the other assault troopers, I went to the heat unit holding my bio-suit. The green light was on as it should be. I opened the lid and pulled out a hefty black blob that was warm to my skin. I pushed it onto the decking where it quivered in anticipation. Taking off my shoes and clothes, I stepped naked onto the blob. Around me, others did the same thing. The substance oozed onto my legs, coating my flesh. It was a warm, comfortable sensation.
As I’ve said before, this was second skin, symbiotic alien armor, genetically engineered for human use. Alive after a fashion, it could heal itself at times. The outer surface would harden, and it allowed the wearer to operate in a vacuum, in outer space. The skin also amplified human strength. It was also capable of secreting a battle drug into our bodies when necessary.
The familiar symbiotic skin rushed up my thighs, over my belly button and didn’t stop until it reached my chin. I put on my helmet and grabbed a gun, checking the battery pack. It had a bar symbol on it, with the green all the way to the + sign on top. The laser rifle had a full charge. We had taken to calling it a Bahnkouv assault rifle. Dmitri had told us about an experimental Russian laser, the design headed by a Dr. Bahnkouv. I liked the name because it was human.
This was the largest bay, holding two thousand assault troopers.
The headphones in my helmet crackled into life. “Commander,” Ella said.
“I’m here,” I said into my microphone.
“There’s a problem,” she said. “The Saurian just ordered us to remain several hundred kilometers from the main starcity docking bay door.”
“And?” I asked.
“The corvettes are closing in,” she said. “Worse, their laser cannons have just gone hot. The Saurian told me he’s sending over an inspection team after all. Something must have given us away.”
“I knew it,” Dmitri cried. “They’re never going to let us enter the starcity. We’re doomed.”
My spine tightened. I didn’t like the feeling.
“What are we going to do?” Dmitri asked me.
Yeah. That was the question.
-10-
My plan rested on nifty little one-Lokhar flyers. We’d faced them in the Altair star system what seemed like a lifetime ago. The one-man sleds were fast, sported a laser cannon in front and were meant for one Lokhar legionnaire laying down to pilot it.
Enough of my people had practiced with them on Deimos, one of the tiny moons of Mars, and off Ceres in our Asteroid Belt.
There were three corvettes out there, a giant cylinder and likely hordes of Saurians waiting on it. Each of those creatures could pick up a wrench at the very least. Too many of them would have energy weapons. We had two thousand Star Vikings—assault troopers with pure hearts of gold—and not to put too fine a point on it, we had me.
The way I saw it, we had no choice in this. We had to go balls-out.
I studied a schematic in my HUD. The last corvette was too far away from us—staying five hundred kilometers out. The other two were several minutes distant from our big Jelk freighter. No one was aboard the Aristotle. For this little game, it didn’t count. I was hoping no one messed with it, either. We’d need the cruiser to get home.
“Okay,” I said, over a wide-speaker. “Here’s how we’re going to do it. Dmitri, half your mingan will head for the nearer corvette. We’ll call that enemy ‘A.’ Rollo, half your mingan will go for corvette ‘B.’”
“What about corvette ‘C?’” Rollo asked.
“Don’t worry about it for now,” I said. “Rollo, I’m going to lead your B team against the corvette. I want you to lead the rest of your troopers to the starcity. Dmitri, you’re going to hit
the A corvette. Your second team will follow Rollo.”
“That’s too complex, Creed,” Rollo said. “Send me with my entire mingan at the starcity.”
“Right,” I said. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Command and control will be critical. Dmitri, your mingan will hit the corvettes. I’ll command one strike, you will lead the other.”
“Roger,” Dmitri said.
After we settled that, I told them the rest of the idea, detailing their goals.
In fifteen minutes, as assault troopers dashed to their one-man flyers, we were ready to begin. I told Ella. She informed me N7 had brought us to a relative halt. We had the same circular velocity as the spinning starcity. That would be important.
“Here goes,” I said. “Good luck to everyone. Ella, open the main bay door.”
We lay or stood on the giant deck. Before us, massive bay doors began to open. One quarter of the two thousand Star Vikings would be part of the flyer teams. Three troopers apiece would use a Lokhar sled. It was a tight fight, being the most people we could pack onto one. The rest of the mingans would use thruster packs. They would be slower, but they would eventually get to their destinations.
I was counting on the fact that each of us would make small targets. As strange as it seems, the starcity probably lacked the weapons to repel Vikings. They had lasers, missiles and heavy guns to destroy ships, missiles and possibly big enemy shells.
Stars shined outside the bay doors. The O Class Star blazed with blue-white light. Then I saw the starcity, a gleaming cylinder with docking bays here at the one end.
“Do you see corvette B?” I asked the driver of my one-man flyer.
“I do,” the woman radioed.
“Head straight for it,” I told her.
She turned the throttle. Thrust ignited from the back, and the narrow sled zoomed off the decking, heading for the dark object less than twenty kilometers away.
What did the Saurians see? Maybe it was like bees boiling out of a hive. Maybe they didn’t notice yet.
Star Viking (Extinction Wars Book 3) Page 9