Cross could see and hear the honest regret as she spoke. He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Of course, you do,” he said, trying to control his voice.
Kate narrowed her eyes at him, searching his expression and hissed, “You already knew.” The flat palm strike to his chest came as a surprise, though.
He rolled onto his back, letting the laughter out. “Of course, I knew. I could see it in your face from the moment we were assigned.”
She crawled on top of him, putting one leg on either side of his ribs and squeezing them tight. The necklace she wore glinted in the candlelight, and the pendant, his Academy insignia, swung as she placed her hands beside his head and put her eyes inches from his own.
“And you let me carry that the whole time we—”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
Kate squeezed her knees tighter and caused his ribs to creak. “Anderson Cross, you are a class A, finest grade, top of the heap, jerk.”
He laughed again, and she rolled off to lie beside him.
“Because you’re such a jerk, you get to be the one to go to the galley and retrieve the bottle of champagne I hid there.”
He stood, stretched, and walked to the door without risking another look at her.
“Yes, ma’am, Commander Red, ma’am,” he crooned.
He’d almost escaped clean when the thrown boot hit him in the back of the head. He stumbled the rest of the way into the corridor and gave an involuntary “ow” as the door slid shut behind him. With a broad smile he wandered off to find the galley.
Chapter Twelve
The meeting room on the Pandora featured displays that masqueraded as windows covering the entirety of one wall. Standing before them, Kate saw the remarkable colorscape of the gravity wave they traveled in and shook her head in amazement at the change in her reality over the last seventeen months.
Over all of their realities.
She sighed and tore herself away from the view, then turned and took the chair at the apex of the table. Her officers were seated around the oval surface, looking very uniform in their matching tunics and pants. Kate had selected a dark blue tunic to differentiate the Pandora’s outfits from the dress blacks of the UAL Navy. Aside from the color, they followed the traditions, right down to the stylized logo they’d adopted for the Pandora pinned at the top of each sleeve.
She took a deep breath, letting her senses fill with the quiet hum of her vessel, then blew it out. “Everything running properly?” she asked.
Her team answered in the affirmative, or nodded, or in the case of her engineer, Trey Winstel, gave her the sign language symbol for okay. She grinned, the stress of the situation pushed aside for just a moment by the abundant energy and dedication of her crew.
“Pandora, would you explain what we’re doing?”
The ship’s avatar materialized next to the main display screen, and Kate quickly stifled a grin. She’d abandoned her normal flowing dress in favor of a more martial cut, featuring Kate’s chosen color scheme. In addition, the logo appeared high on one shoulder. It was heartwarming, and a quick look at the faces of her crew signaled they felt it too.
“Commander Flynn, assembled officers, we are en route to the nearest Domeki base. I’ve asked Commander Flynn to do this for three reasons.” Behind her, a schematic showing the installation and their proximity to it in the context of the larger war effort filled.
“First, I’m running low on a number of fundamental components used for manufacturing, including proteins, metals, and certain items I cannot build myself but are required elements for other assemblies.”
Kate knew there was a section of the ship which the humans weren’t permitted access for safety reasons. It was in this location that the manufacturing functions resided. She had an almost desperate curiosity to see what was within but considered remaining in ignorance a small sacrifice for the partnership she’d built with the sentient vessel.
“Second, it’s my hope we’ll find advanced weaponry or schematics for advanced weaponry there. Information taken at the last base suggests that activity continued for some time after I went dormant. There may be items useful to the war effort there.” Kate nodded, as did many of her crew. Beyond the short-term value of a weapon stockpile, she couldn’t fault the ship for wanting to learn and grow.
“Finally, it’s imperative we discover the state of the Domeki. Our experience at the last base left us uncertain of their status, whether sleeping or waking, and such a mystery cannot remain unaddressed.”
“Thank you, Pandora.” She turned to her team. “Any questions?”
“Why the sudden urgency,” asked Santiago Diaz. “Could we not have undertaken this quest at some other moment during the last several months? Why does it need to happen at a time of crisis, with our colonies under attack?”
“Lieutenant Diaz,” replied the Pandora, “it’s a combination of factors. First, the revelation our enemy is now using new types of weaponry they haven’t previously deployed against you. Second, our proximity to the base is as near as it’s likely to be. Finally, I seek,” she paused in a way that Kate interpreted as a shrug, “reassurance about the activities of the Domeki.”
Kate’s eyes widened at the last. “I have an additional reason,” she said. “Right now, we’re not essential to the effort to defend the colonies. The AAN has detailed two ships to fill in for us that would’ve otherwise been part of the group waiting at the staging point. If we return with new weaponry, we can be much more effective in the final engagement.”
Lieutenant Wickrens, perhaps the most hotheaded member of her crew, bristled as she spoke, and she waited for an outburst. When one didn’t come, she said, “Shaun, you have something you’d like to say?”
He growled the words as if in a battle with them. “If our very reason for serving in the Navy isn’t to protect our people, then I find myself wondering what it is, Commander.” The faces around the table radiated concern, confrontation, and on at least one face, sympathy for the question.
“Reasonable people may disagree, Shaun. Our admiralty and our captains are united in their belief that humanity is best served by not losing focus on our ultimate goal of cutting off the head of the enemy. It’s acceptable for you, for every one of you, to agree or disagree with that strategy to any extent you like.”
Kate’s voice hardened, and she put her palms down on the table and moved her stare systematically around the table “However, while you may feel as you will, you must nonetheless follow orders. We are sailors in the UAL Navy. When the time for discussion is at hand, all voices are welcome. But now that the decision’s been made, in this case by me as the commander of the ship, it’s up to you to do your best to see that through.”
She knew she probably hadn’t needed to say it. Her crew would follow her without fail.
But a reminder never hurts.
Kate softened her tone. “I believe we can do this quickly enough to join those defending the colonies.”
Jaleh Keziah asked, “Do we think the Domeki will be sleeping?”
“That’s our best assessment, Lieutenant Keziah.” Pandora changed the display to show a representation of the Domeki installation they traveled toward. “Long range sensors indicate that the base is at a higher level of activity than the last, but this is based solely upon power fluctuations emanating outward. This may be automatic, or it may be part of a wake-up cycle, or it may be something that doesn’t exist in my records. There’s no way to tell without investigating.”
“Pandora, do you believe we have a cause for concern over the status of the Domeki?”
Again, that pregnant pause before the reply. “Commander Flynn, it would be unwise to speculate. There’s no knowing the status, and there’s no knowing any other factors that may be related to that status. Hence, the need to investigate.”
Kate felt a shiver shoot down her spine, something in her hindbrain finding Pandora’s words less than reassuring. She shivered once to clear the sensati
on instead. “All right. We have three hours until reversion. Catch a nap, grab a snack, and be ready to go once we come out.”
The ship emerged at the appointed time, and well-tried procedures required a scan of the system for dangers. None were found. “I’ve negotiated basic access to the base, Commander. We may dock in a hangar if we wish.”
Kate frowned. “I don’t like the idea of being trapped inside if something goes wrong. Find an external hatch and let’s do a grapnel over. We can use it as a guide and transit with our suit jets.” She unbuckled and headed for the bridge exit. “Peterson, you have the conn.”
“Aye,” she responded.
Kate found the rest of her crew suiting up in the armory and slipped into her own alcove. The ship’s robot arms attached the exoskeleton, then fastened the armor plates to it. She’d requested an augmentation to her suit, and an extra computer interface module had been installed to allow Pandora to take a direct feed from the helmet even in situations where she might otherwise be prevented from doing so. They hadn’t had the opportunity to test it out yet, but they were both hopeful it would prevent loss of communication and permit greater assistance from the ship during their excursions
When the final bolt spun into place, Kate stepped free of the alcove and marched to the wall of weapons. She chose two sidearms and rifle, locking them into the appropriate spots on her armor. She fastened a first-aid satchel to her calf and retrieved a bandolier of grenades which she snapped around her waist.
“Connection established,” reported the AI in her suit, followed shortly by Pandora’s much more human sounding voice saying, “Confirmed.”
“Let’s move it, people,” Kate said, and the team clomped out of the armory and into the boarding airlock. She checked her display as the air was expelled from the room, noting that everyone had properly sealed their suits and switched to internal oxygen. Likely, it had been done for them without their involvement. A rush of warmth flowed through her in appreciation of the sophistication of the Domeki technology and her luck in possessing it.
The hatch opened, and she saw a line that stretched from above it to terminate above an open portal on the base. “Keziah first, then Diaz, then me.” They lined up in order, and the rest of the team fell in according to their preference. Keziah pulled a connector from her suit, attached to a thin line and attached it to the guide. With a shouted, “Wahoo,” she leapt from the ship and triggered her jets to shoot across the short distance. When she was halfway across, Diaz followed with an absence of fanfare, and Kate launched herself just as Keziah entered the installation.
“No hostiles. Room is plenty big for all of us. One exit. I have it covered.” Jaleh Keziah was the epitome of no-nonsense when on a mission.
“Everybody into the pool,” Kate ordered. Less than a minute later, her team had made the transit, and the hatch closed behind them. As the pressure in the airlock equalized, they deployed into a semicircular defensive position around the door. On a signal from Pandora, the portal slid open.
“I have access to most of the systems through our connection, Commander Flynn,” she said. “However, I don’t have access to internal security features such as cameras or motion sensors yet.”
“Affirmative,” Kate replied. She called up a schematic of the base to use as a map, with routes already drawn to take the team to three important locations: the sleeping chamber, the storage area, and the command center. “Since time is of the essence, we’ll split up,” she said. “Winstel and I will head to the control room. Keziah and Wickrens to the bedroom. Diaz and Lachance to the stockpile.”
They took off at a run, headed for their disparate objectives. As Pandora continued to detect no sign of activity, they abandoned the leapfrog and cover approach and opted for speed in its place. The team detailed to the storage area was the first to arrive.
“We’re in, Commander,” reported Diaz. “Feeding details back to Pandora now.”
“Excellent,” she said. “As soon as you know what’s needed, get it over to the ship.”
“Affirmative,” he replied, and clicked off.
Kate and Winstel entered the control center to find the lights up and every display illuminated. “That’s different,” she said. She headed to a display on the outer perimeter while her counterpart moved toward the one in the middle.
She reviewed the information on the screen, which blurred and then dissolved into a translated version courtesy of the suit’s computer. “I can’t understand what I’m seeing here. It certainly looks like activity. Maybe code of some kind.” Even with the translation, what she was looking at was gibberish.
“That’s a programming terminal,” said Pandora. “There are no clear equivalents in your language to that language, which is why your suit cannot translate it in a useful way.”
Kate sighed and ran a hand across it, thinking how enjoyable it would be to spend some time here learning all that the room had to teach. The moment was broken by Winstel shouting, “Got it.”
She turned to see a familiar disk on top of the display he was working on, with cables extending out of it and disappearing into the unit. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Yep, another one of the sub-Pandoras. She constructed some against the possibility that the connection through your gear wouldn’t be adequate.”
Pandora chimed in, “In this case, Commander, it’s simply downloading information for later analysis, but much faster than we’d be able to otherwise.”
Kate frowned. “An excellent plan, but in the future, please clear things like this with me first, you two.”
“Indeed, Commander,” replied Pandora.
“Aye,” followed Winstel, his enthusiasm clearly dampened. She shook her head in fond memory of the times in her career when she wasn’t a buzz kill. They were fewer than she’d prefer.
“We’ve made it to the sleeping area,” said Wickrens. “I don’t want to alarm anybody, but all the pods are open, and empty.”
“Pandora, is there additional information to be gained from the chamber?”
“Negative, Commander.”
“Okay, you two help get the supplies out of here. We’ll be along as soon as the data download is done.”
“Affirmative, Commander.”
Kate turned to Wickrens, who gave her a palms-up gesture. She didn’t know either, but she didn’t think the abandoned pods boded well.
They exited the base shortly thereafter, replenishment complete, and the ship again secure. As she made her way toward the armory, she asked, “What have you discovered, Pandora?”
“There were no advanced munitions or schematics among the supplies, Commander. Only the basic elements I needed. The inhabitants appear to have received a signal and sent a signal. I can only assume the first was an instruction to awaken, and the second a confirmation of their status.”
“What does that mean for us?”
“Uncertain, Commander. However, included among the data downloaded was the location of another depot, one used for the storage of weapons instead of storage of ships.”
The urgent desire to investigate the base was obvious in her words and tone. Kate hated to disappoint her ship but had no choice. “We’ll make it our first priority after we do our duty and assist the colonies.”
“Yes, Commander Flynn.” Kate noted an edge of frost in Pandora’s reply.
“All right, Pandora. Get us underway. The sooner we’re done saving the colonists, the sooner we’ll be able to visit the depot.” She clomped into the arming room to discard her gear and grab a few precious hours of sleep before the next crisis appeared.
Chapter Thirteen
When the breaching charges that were stacked from the base to the top of the wall exploded as one, it was a sight to behold.
Indraat Vray stood with her hands on armored hips as a broad section of the barrier disintegrated. Inside her helmet, she smiled wide.
“Advance,” shouted the commander of her ground forces, and Xroeshyn soldiers streamed
into the gap, firing as they went. Her suit pickups transmitted the screams of the defenders, the cracks of projectile weapons, and the sizzle of old-style energy weapons.
She drew her rifle from its carry position on her back and followed her troops through the fissure in the wall.
Indraat caught movement to the right and twisted into a crouch. The targeting reticule in her helmet locked on to a colonist that was mostly concealed behind a low barricade and was pointing a long-barreled weapon at her. She raised her rifle until its firing reticule overlapped the other perfectly in her display and squeezed the trigger. A thin blast of energy connected her to the colonist in the brief moment before his rifle, the arm holding it, and part of his shoulder burned away. He fell with a scream, and Indraat scanned the field for another target.
Her troops were spreading out in all directions, smashing in the doors of the pitiful structures the humans had created on this planet and eliminating any foes found inside. The constant reports of “Go,” “Contact,” and “Clear,” that sounded in her helmet tracked their progress. Soon, that progress slowed, then stopped.
One of her officers ran to stand before her. “Fleet-Captain, we’ve rounded up what remains of the people of this colony. Their leader is asking to speak to you.”
Indraat grunted in acknowledgment and walked slowly through the tattered compound. Despite her frustration with them, and her complete confidence the gods had called for their deaths, she couldn’t bring herself to feel strongly one way or another for the humans in the colonies they destroyed. They were the martial equivalent of livestock—useless in battle and a distraction to the war effort for both sides.
Were it not a holy war they undertook, she’d find the assaults on these irrelevant settlements dishonorable. As it was, she found them distasteful, repetitive, and unfulfilling.
By the time she reached the last bastion of humanity on the planet, her armor was caked with the infernal dirt and dust that made up the surface of the rock. It left her with the deep desire for an eights-long shower. Before her stood a grouping of humans: women, children, and those too decrepit to hold a weapon.
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