Carthage Prime

by Toby Neighbors

  “Are the Hunters regrouping?” Brooks asked.

  “Negative. Looks like we managed to get them all,” Alex said.

  “Good work, Titan team,” Master Sergeant Gellar said.

  “Thanks…it’s just that I had an idea,” Alex said.

  “What do you have in mind?” Brooks said.

  Alex was struggling to come up with an idea that would be a good reason not to slaughter the operators. His airstrike had stopped the Hunters, and he had no doubt that most had been killed in the attack, but it turned his stomach to think of Oggy and his friends murdering the survivors. There had to be a reason to keep them alive.

  Use them to lure the Zen Tech forces into a trap.

  At first Alex wasn’t sure if the voice in his head was Nyx or if it was an original idea of his own. But he knew instantly that it was a good one.

  “I was just thinking, with the Zen Tech forces arriving in the system,” Alex said, “if we capture rather than kill the prisoners, we might be able to lure their forces down to Tunis and ambush them there.”

  For a moment there was silence over the com-link. When Master Sergeant Brooks spoke, it wasn’t to Alex.

  “Minotaurs, hold your positions and wait for orders,” Brooks said. “Republic, are you reading us?”

  “Loud and clear, Romeo Company,” came the communications officer’s voice. There was some static, but it was easy to understand. “Captain Chastain is considering the plan.”

  “There are plenty of areas to hide,” Alex went on. “The warehouses next to the landing platforms would be perfect. We lure their forces down to the surface and take them out while they’re disembarking.”

  More silence followed. Alex felt tense as he wondered whether they were really considering his plan or just scoffing at it. When Captain Chastain’s voice came over the com-link, Alex felt both gratification and panic.

  “This plan only works if we sell it,” she declared. “That means having the units in the field stay close to the base camp the miners have built. And the Republic would have to leave the system. You’ll be completely on your own in Tunis.”

  “Roger that, Captain,” Master Sergeant Brooks said. “I think we can make it work.”

  “You are authorized to proceed,” Chastain said. “All future communications will be mission-specific, just in case Zen Tech found a way to break our encryption.”

  “Copy, we will proceed,” Master Sergeant Brooks said. “Romeo Company out.”

  Alex felt a wave of relief, but also concern. He might have saved a few lives, but how many more would be killed in the ambush?

  Chapter 26

  Nyx felt a thrill of excitement. Her idea had been accepted by Alex, the operators on the ground, and the senior officers on the ship. As soon as Captain Chastain ended the radio communications with Romeo Company, she sent an order to the controllers on board the Republic.

  “As many of you know, we are undertaking a courageous plan to ambush the Zen Tech forces, who are at this very moment moving toward Carthage Prime. To carry off the ruse that we have been defeated, the Republic will leave the system. A select group of controllers will travel to the base camp with me and set up MBS control on the ground. It will be difficult and dangerous, but our operators can’t be left stranded once the Republic is out of the system. If you are selected, please report immediately to the drop ship in hangar 3.”

  Almost immediately, her PIL beeped with an incoming message. She checked the screen and saw that she had been selected. It was exciting, but also frightening. Nyx West was the kind of person who wanted to make a difference but preferred staying behind the scenes. It was part of what made her such a good controller; she could take an active part in the mission while not actually being in danger. Nyx didn’t think she was a coward, but physical abilities weren’t her strong suit. She was an introvert at heart. The thought of leaving the large carrier ship to go down to the surface of the planet made her feel more than a little shaky.

  “Alex,” she spoke into the tiny mic beside her jaw that was part of her controller headset.

  “I’m here,” he replied.

  “I just got called up,” she said. “I’ll be taking the drop ship down to the base camp.”

  “Okay.” There was concern and a little bafflement in his voice. “Is that safe?”

  “Not really,” she replied. “If our plan fails, we’ll be stuck on Carthage Prime with a lot of hostile Zen Tech people.”

  “Then we won’t let it fail, Nyx.”

  She felt tears stinging her eyes and a lump in her throat that made talking difficult. Never in her entire life had anyone made her feel as safe as Alex just had. All her thoughts about setting her feelings for him aside suddenly seemed so foolish. There were risks to feeling too much for her operator, but keeping him at arms’ length wouldn’t make it hurt any less if something happened to him.

  “All right,” Nyx said. “I’m going to have to switch over to a portable control station. It will take me ninety seconds. As long as you don’t do anything crazy, we should be okay.”

  “I’ll do my best, but no promises,” he said with a chuckle.

  She could see that he was airborne but just hovering. He should be fine for the minute and a half it would take her to retrieve a portable control terminal and sync it to his FA Titan.

  “All right, the ninety seconds starts now,” she declared.

  Pulling off the headset that connected her to Alex was hard. She felt blind and worried that he would need her, but she couldn’t focus on that. The portable controller consoles, or PCCs, were stored in charging racks at the end of the row of cubicles where she worked. Part of her training had been learning to use PCCs and included emergency drills. She dashed down the row. There were four other controllers ahead of her. The charging station was already open, and the controllers ahead of her each pulled a PCC free and hurried back toward their station.

  Nyx had done the drills and knew exactly how long it would take to get the PCC from the racks, boot it up, and switch Alex’s Titan to the PCC from her more expansive controller station in the cubical. She snatched a PCC from the rack. It was essentially a computer with three small touch screens. There was a keyboard for more advanced controller functions, and the entire apparatus was made to hang from her neck. A pad on the keyboard side sat flush against her stomach, creating a flat surface to work from that allowed her complete freedom of movement. The idea was that in the case of an attack or other emergency situation, controllers could flee to safety while continuing to help their operators.

  When she reached her cubicle, she waited nearly half a minute for the PCC to come online. As soon as it did, she punched in her passcode, let the security features check her biometrics against what was stored in the network, and finally it asked her if she wanted to shift control from her station to the PCC.

  “Yes,” she said, snugging the little earpiece into place that acted as both a speaker and microphone.

  The system came to life. One screen showed the FA Titan’s system readings. Another was fed radar data from the Republic, and the center screen had readings for the Titan’s weapons and flight features. She wouldn’t have the ability to see what Alex saw using the PCC, but otherwise she could see everything she normally did.

  “Alex, do you read me?”

  “Always.”

  “Good, I’m going to board a drop ship. There might be some interference as we pass through the upper atmosphere.”

  “Okay. We’re setting down to look for survivors. I’ll be okay on my own for a while. Can you activate low-power lasers for me?”

  Nyx pressed an icon on the middle screen to bring up the laser cannon’s power. It was at full, and she slid her finger down a status bar that took the power to minimum level. The FA Titan was a hybrid MBS of sorts. Flight made it fast and dangerous to enemies, but it had other features, as well. Alex could run and even fight hand to hand in the battle suit. The Titan didn’t have arms and hands, only gun barrels, but getti
ng hit with one was dangerous to anyone not in heavy armor. He could walk and fire the weapon on his own. Getting airborne again or changing weapons would require Nyx’s help, but if they were just looking through the rubble left by the missile strike on the Hunters, he should be okay even if Nyx lost contact.

  “You’ve got low lasers on your left,” she said, knowing his left hand was his primary. “And projectiles at full auto on your right, just in case.”

  “Perfect. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure,” Nyx said.

  She hurried from the long room where she worked with over a hundred other controllers out into the corridor that led to the lift. She needed to go down several levels to get to the hangar bays, which were located on the bottom of the ship. There were several other controllers waiting with her. Everyone looked nervous. Nyx couldn’t help but think of the drop ship that had malfunctioned with Romeo Company on board. If that happened, she couldn’t hope for rescue. The controllers wouldn’t be in space suits. A breech in the drop ship’s hull would mean certain death for everyone on board.

  The lift doors opened, and she stepped inside. Six controllers filled the space with the PCCs, making them twice as large. The elevator descended smoothly, and when the doors opened again, they found themselves on the rugged lower level of the ship. Gone were the polished deck tiles and the bright, colorful signs of the upper levels. The deck was a dull gray grate. She could see the electrical, plumbing, and life-support pipes and conduits down below. The walls and ceiling were glow panels, but she felt certain they weren’t as bright as the ones on the levels above. There was a used quality to everything she saw, and more than a little grime. Their boots echoed on the steel floor, and the tension among the group of controllers was rising.

  Hangar 3 was essentially one big airlock. The door was small, and a short platform led to the drop ship. Inside, Nyx found herself with nearly sixty other controllers, a few officers, and Captain Chastain. They were seated in chairs with harness straps as the hangar was sealed off and prepared for launch. Nyx was uncomfortably close to the controllers on either side. No one looked happy, but war wasn’t supposed to be comfortable. She was buckled in and had contact with Alex, who was moving among the wreckage near Tunis. Fortunately for them both, they didn’t need her help with much.

  The drop ship launched, and Nyx felt giddy as they moved into zero-gravity. The fun didn’t last long, as Nyx and the other controllers were called to the front of the ship for Master Sergeants Brooks and Gellar.

  “What’s happening up there?” Alex said.

  “We’re making our way to the planet,” Nyx said. “I’m about to join the captain. Not sure what’s they’re planning. How are things down there?”

  “We’ve recovered three operators in decent shape. Most are dead or severely wounded. They seem belligerent right now, but I’m hoping that will change.”

  “Okay, well, at least there’s hope that our plan will work.”

  “You should get all the credit for this one,” Alex said. “It’s a smart plan.”

  Nyx was grateful for his attitude, but she also knew that the odds were against them. If the plan failed, the entire Ahzco team could be wiped out. Even if they survived, their careers would be over. Nyx was wishing more and more that she’d just kept her mouth shut.

  The drop ship didn’t have separate cabins, but there were a few empty seats in the front, and Nyx joined the captain, a lieutenant she didn’t recognize, and the two other controllers.

  “Who has a status update?” Captain Chastain asked.

  Nyx looked at the two other controllers, who were staring back at her. After a few seconds she realized they weren’t going to answer.

  “The Titan team is exploring the wreckage,” Nyx said, her voice a little shaky. She had muted her headset so that Alex didn’t have to hear everything she said. “They’ve found three survivors who could pull off the plan.”

  “Three will work,” Captain Chastain said. She turned to the other two controllers. “I want them separated before questioning. We don’t have a lot of time, but we have to know what they planned to do once they had Tunis under control.”

  “Separating them will let us know if they’re lying,” the lieutenant said. Nyx saw “Cooper, M.” stenciled on his uniform.

  “Exactly,” the captain agreed. “I want Brooks in charge of them. Gellar will take charge of getting the entire group hidden in the warehouses.”

  The controllers nodded, then began whispering orders and typing on their PCCs. The captain looked at Nyx. Chastain had a penetrating stare that made Nyx nervous.

  “Whose idea was this?”

  “Both of ours, Captain,” Nyx said.

  Chastain nodded. “The best operators have a connection with their controllers that goes beyond the INC. This entire plan hinges on the surprise attack. It has to be perfect, and there’s a good chance that some of the Zen Tech drop ships will survive. The Titans will have to hunt them down. Taking those ships out with their MBS’s on board is the key.”

  “I agree,” Nyx said.

  “I’m giving you and your operator—what’s his name?”

  “Alex Evans.”

  “Yes, Evans—I’m giving you both a field promotion. He’s the squad leader, but the two of you will need to take control of the Titans once the fighting begins. Get on your PCC and find good launch points outside the colony.”

  “You want them coming from outside the city?” Nyx asked.

  “Two of them,” Chastain said. “And two in the city. We need to get them more missiles too. They need something with explosive force to take down the drop ships and wipe out the MBS’s inside.”

  “All right,” Nyx said.

  She sat back in her seat and unmuted her headset. “Alex?” She whispered.

  “Yes?” he replied.

  “We have orders. Turn the survivors over to Master Sergeant Brooks.”

  “He already sent word that he’s coming for them with a ground transport from the colony.”

  “Good. We’ve been given a field promotion to sergeant.”

  “What?”

  “Captain Chastain wants you fully in charge of the Titan team.”

  “Okay, but I didn’t need a promotion.”

  “Just listen, we’ve got a lot to do.”

  Nyx could feel gravity starting to pull at her. It was a strange sensation, as if her body was growing heavier and being pulled down into her seat. She was glad she didn’t need to type commands or do much with her PCC at that moment.

  “I’m listening,” Alex said.

  “We’ve been tasked with taking out whatever ships escape the trap that Master Sergeant Brooks is setting at the landing zone. You’ll need to restock your missile supply.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that?”

  “There’s only one way that I can think of,” Nyx said.

  “Take them from the Minotaurs.”

  There was something in Alex’s voice that told her he was dreading the assignment. She knew he had issues with some of the operators in Echo Company, but there were four Minotaurs, and their munitions were compatible with the Titans. It was the only way to carry out their orders that she could see.

  “I’m sorry, but if some of the drop ships escape, you’ll need to blow them up to take out the MBS’s they’re carrying. Just shooting them down won’t do.”

  “I see the logic. It won’t be pleasant, but I’ll do it.”

  “Also, the captain wants two Titans hidden out beyond the colony. I’ll find a place for them to take some cover.”

  “It shouldn’t be too hard. There are trees north of the city,” Alex said.

  “Good. We’re on the clock, so don’t take too long.”

  “Got it. But I really need a direct order from the captain to get those missiles from Oggy and his crew,” Alex said. “They won’t like it.”

  “I’ll see about that order. Be careful.”

  “You too, Nyx.”

  She didn’t h
ave access to a satellite feed on her PCC, so she opened her PIL and brought up the global imaging of Carthage Prime that the Free Trade Association had listed online when they began to promote the new planet. She punched in the coordinates for the landing port, then began searching the features beyond that point to find locations to hide two FA Titans.

  The pull of gravity increased, and the ride through the atmosphere became extremely rough. Nyx had to stop working and just hang on for a while. The turbulence lasted nearly ten minutes, and more than once she worried that the drop ship might crash. There were no windows on the vessel, and there was no way to know if they were flying normally or hurtling to their deaths. Eventually the flight smoothed out, and she could breathe easier. She had just recorded the coordinates for the two hiding places beyond the colony when Alex reported in.

  “We’ve cleared the Zen Tech Hunters. From the looks of it, only the three we found earlier will survive. All the rest are hurt too badly.”

  “Roger that. Three survivors.”

  “Can you get me in the air again?” Alex said.

  “Absolutely. Repulsers are online,” she said, tapping one of the icons on the touchscreen. “Increasing power for atmospheric flight.”

  “Once we’re back at the colony, we’ll have to shut down our battle suits and figure out how to reload the missiles.”

  “We’ll do what we can on this end,” Nyx said.

  Nyx relayed the information to Captain Chastain and asked about the order. She nodded. If the captain saw the rivalry between Alex and the Minotaurs as an issue, she didn’t show it. Nyx leaned back in her seat and began looking for instructions on loading missiles into the FA Titan. Once Alex was out of the battle suit, she wouldn’t have contact with him. That was the one drawback to her job; unless her operator was in his battle suit and synced with his Implanted Neural Control, he wouldn’t hear her. She always felt like something was missing when they weren’t linked. She couldn’t help but hope that there would be a lot more time together in future. She just wished he didn’t have to be in danger for Nyx to be inside his head.