Mech Wars: The Complete Series

by Scott Bartlett

  The Quatro fell in around her. “Post a guard at the gate to make sure no one escapes,” she barked at the Quatro she’d designated as her second-in-command. “Send two parties along the walls to find any other exits and secure them. I want everyone else searching the homes.”

  It didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. Huddled in the parlor room of the largest mansion, they found all six members of the Darkstream board of directors.

  Tessa smiled, taking a moment to enjoy their expressions, which ranged from fear to indigestion.

  “If you like living,” she told them, “you’ll order your warships to stand down. All of them.”

  Chapter 34

  We Aren't Darkstream

  Lisa breathed a sigh of relief as her metal feet connected with the deck of Landing Bay Theta. Fighting in zero-G had been far more disorienting than first entering the MIMAS had been—that said, the latter had felt so natural it was almost scary.

  “Good work, Oneiri Team,” Jake said. “I know we’ve lost a teammate already, but we honored Gifford’s death by winning. I like to think he’d appreciate that.”

  “Plus, things could have been a lot worse,” Ash chimed in.

  “They are a lot worse,” said a voice with a Hispanic accent, and they all turned to find Marco, inside his mech again, standing at the landing bay’s entrance.

  “What are you talking about?” Jake asked.

  “Tens of thousands of ships—I have to assume they’re warships, but they’re like none I’ve ever seen before. They just appeared all along the Outer Ring of the Steele System.”

  “They have us surrounded?”

  “I mean, yes,” Marco said. “But I’d say the more relevant detail is how many of them there are. Tens of thousands, Jake. I don’t think a battle group of rusty old UHF ships is going to do much against that, even backed up by a few spacefaring mechs.”

  “What are they doing now?” Lisa asked.

  “Just sitting there, or at least they were three hours ago, which is how long light takes to reach us from out there. It’s like they’re waiting for something.”

  Lisa’s heartbeat accelerated, and the mech dream made her peripheral vision pulse. She still hadn’t gotten used to the way it turned her emotions into phenomena that warped reality. “They could be headed for us right now.”

  Jake nodded. “The fighting on Valhalla is basically over. A handful of Darkstream soldiers ignored the board’s command to surrender, but they’re mostly keeping to themselves. We should call everyone here and decide our next moves.”

  “Can we trust the Darkstream warships not to strand us here?” Lisa asked, gesturing with a metal hand toward the airlock.

  “Well, they seem to listen to the board, and it’s in the board’s best interest to cooperate with us.”

  “Still…” Lisa shook her head. “All those enemy warships could easily cause the captains to panic and run.”

  “You’re right. For now, I’ll have Rug assign a squad of Quatro to every ship, to keep an eye on the CIC crews. Later, we’ll divide the Quatro more or less evenly across the entire battle group. ”

  It took twenty minutes for most of the resistance leaders to assemble in Landing Bay Theta. Tessa was among them, and she had the Darkstream board of directors in tow. They didn’t look very happy, and their designer clothes looked strange among the mechs, the Quatro, and the handful of militia members left over from Alex.

  Oneiri Team formed a circle with their mechs, then each pilot exited—except for Ash, who was still recovering from getting impaled by Roach outside Vanguard. Lisa blinked groggily as she climbed down the ramp formed by her MIMAS’ back, and her forearm stung a little. When she reached the ground, she studied the spot where the needle had punctured her wrist to inject the sedative’s antagonist.

  “So,” Jake said, studying the six members of the board with an expression that bordered on contempt. “Have you figured out how you’re going to extract a profit from the mess you’ve created?”

  Suzanne Defleur, who was chairperson of the Darkstream board of directors, returned Jake’s gaze through silver wisps of hair that hung over her face, having sprung free from her otherwise elaborate hairdo. Lisa had once had a lot of respect for Defleur. Once.

  “We’ve failed,” she said, and she actually sounded contrite. Lisa was nowhere near ready to accept anything Defleur said or did as authentic, but maybe this was a good sign. “There isn’t much else to be said on the topic. Like Icarus, we reached too far, and now we burn for it.”

  Lisa shook her head. “There’s something you’re not telling us.”

  Defleur returned her glare wearing a blank expression, and the rest of the board behaved similarly.

  Masterful acting. Whatever they were hiding, it had to be something big. Else, they wouldn’t be putting this much effort into concealing it. Lisa doubted the board members were used to putting this much effort into anything.

  “You’re probably right, Lisa,” Jake said. “But we don’t have time to extract whatever it is from them, and we’re not about to resort to torture.” He turned back to Defleur. “We obviously need to find a way to leave this system. I’m not sure how we’re going to accomplish that yet, but I do know that your cooperation will be a major boon to the effort. Do I have that cooperation?”

  Defleur nodded, and the other board members murmured their assent. “The Javelin still has a working wormhole generator,” Defleur said. “Or at least, it should. It was the only one that was kept disconnected from Ochrim’s master control, meaning it was the only one that wasn’t damaged irreparably. We haven’t generated any wormholes since the one we used to reach this system, but as far as I know, the Javelin’s generator does still work.”

  “Then we have a way out,” Jake said, and Lisa was surprised by how much relief he allowed into his voice. He returned his gaze to Lisa, and then to the other members of Oneiri. At last, his gaze drifted to Rug, and to Tessa, who was fiddling with a silver band of some sort. When she flicked it, it snapped into place, becoming stiff, and when she bent it, the band rolled into a circle.

  “Lisa Sato,” Rug said staring directly at her. “You once promised me that you would help me to reclaim my people’s ship, hidden in the Outer Ring. Now that you have the means to keep that promise, do you intend to?”

  Lisa hesitated, her gaze on Jake. “I was always going to keep my promise, Rug. But to do it, we’ll need at least half of the Darkstream battle group, including one of the destroyers. Even with them, though, I’m not sure how likely we are to succeed out there.” Or to survive.

  “If we can reach my hidden ship, our firepower will increase significantly,” Rug said.

  Jake blinked. “Hold on. Rug, your ship must have the capacity for interstellar travel, too.”

  “My ship has a warp drive,” the Quatro said. “However, it does not have the ability to extend the effect to other ships.”

  “Ah. There goes that backup plan, then.” His lips pressed together, and as he cast his gaze to Oneiri Team, Rug, and Tessa, his jaw muscles clenched visibly. “We’re going to split up the battle group. Lisa and Rug, you’ll take half to the Outer Ring, and we’ll take the other half.”

  “To where?” Lisa asked.

  “To evacuate as many people from Alex as possible. I refuse to let what happened to Eresos happen there, too. We aren’t Darkstream,” Jake said while shooting a hard look at Defleur and the others. “We aren’t in this strictly for our own self-interest. We’re going to save as many innocent people as we can. And while we’re preparing to leave Valhalla, I want it broadcasted to the entire station that anyone who wants to leave is welcome to join us. That includes any soldiers willing to surrender to us. Spirit, I’m putting you on getting that message out.”

  Marco nodded.

  Lisa felt her mouth quirk involuntarily. “Quentin Cooper and his Daybreak goons still hold Habitats 1 and 2. It’s probable he’s moved on the others, too—system net access was cut off for t
he entire planet, so it’s a reasonable assumption.”

  “Hopefully he has moved on them,” Jake said. “That will mean his forces are spread thin.” Jake turned to walk toward his alien mech, then he faced the others once more. “I’ll put out a call for every spaceworthy ship in the system to join us at Alex, to help with the evacuation. Once we’re finished, we’ll push out to meet you and Rug in the Outer Ring, Lisa. From there, we’re just going to have to pray that the wormhole generator on the Javelin is functioning.”

  “To where will we open the wormhole?” Defleur said, her voice a little deflated from before.

  “Well…” Jake said, clearly considering the question. “The way I see it, we’re going to have two sizable cohorts representing two species. By now, the use of dark tech is likely completely illegal in the Milky Way, and we have to take that into consideration: if we return there using a wormhole, they probably won’t look kindly on it.”

  “We cannot return to the Quatro Home Systems,” Rug said flatly.

  Jake tilted his head. “Oh?”

  “The Assembly of Elders has established a brutal regime that’s wholly intolerant of insubordination. Every Quatro that returned would be put to death for our decision to separate from Quatro society, and I doubt you would be treated much better.”

  “All right, then,” Jake said. “The Milky Way it is.”

  Chapter 35

  Last Goodbye

  “Lisa, can I speak with you?” Jake called out across the landing bay amidst the bustle of everyone preparing to depart the station.

  She nodded. “Sure, Jake.”

  They exited together into the corridor just outside the landing bay, which was empty.

  Jake glanced back into the landing bay just as the hatch was closing behind Lisa. Landing Bay Theta had been the one he’d used the day he first came to Valhalla Station, with Bronson.

  That seemed like a million years ago, and looking back at the person he’d been then was like remembering a little kid. He remembered Roach slamming him against the side of the shuttle Bronson had brought him in on. I’d never tolerate that, now.

  “Will we take the risk of getting out of our mechs to talk?” he asked Lisa.

  “Sure. I…I would like to see you.”

  “Okay.” He ordered the alien mech to terminate the dream and release him, which it did. It made him glad that Lisa had said yes to getting out of the mechs. There were still Darkstream soldiers at large throughout the station, not to mention Roach. But Jake considered this worth it, to snatch a last bit of human interaction before they parted ways, possibly forever.

  “What’s up?” she said, blinking away sleep as she circled to the front of her mech. Giving her head a shake, she said, “I’m still not used to going to sleep and waking up so many times in one day.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” he said. “I brought you out here to talk about Andy. He’s insisting—demanding, really—that I let him come with you. But if we really are reforming Oneiri Team, it’s important to maintain the chain of command, and right now, I’m at the top of it. Letting him subvert that just because he feels like it doesn’t seem like a great precedent.”

  “Well, are you going to need him on Alex?”

  Jake shrugged. “Right now, it’s mostly about the principle of the thing. I’m inclined to deny him his demand, for the simple reason that he came to me and demanded it. But the real question is, do you think you’re going to need him out in the Belt?”

  Lisa hesitated. “I’m going to need some backup, but honestly, I’d prefer a more experienced pilot. If you send Andy with me, then we’re just a couple of rookies on a mission that already doesn’t look great for us.”

  “What about Beth?”

  Slowly, Lisa nodded. “I’d feel better with Arkanian. Despite her recent switch in allegiance.”

  “Okay,” Jake said. “It’s settled.”

  “How are you holding up?” Lisa asked, her head tilting to the side, raven hair swaying.

  “I’m…better. For a while, all I could think about was losing Sue Anne, and how dire everything’s seemed since she died. But I still have my mom and dad, not to mention plenty of the friends and neighbors we grew up with. I have to remember that. I’ve been so focused on the fact that if something happens to them, I won’t be able to live with myself. But just then, in the landing bay, I realized that the only thing that means is it’s not an option for me to let anything get in the way of us all leaving this system.”

  “It’s true,” Lisa said softly. “Though it took me a long time to realize, too. Did you know, when you arranged the meeting between my father and I, I used the opportunity to act like a terrible daughter?”

  Slowly, Jake shook his head. “How?”

  “He tried to persuade me that our attempt to build a society here in the Steele System has failed. I wouldn’t believe him. I thought we could fight to hold onto it. But he was right after all, and now I might never get the chance to tell him. I might never get the chance to say I’m sorry.”

  “I can have the message passed on, if you like. While we’re en route to Alex.”

  “Would you? I’d truly appreciate it.”

  “Of course. And Lisa…we’re going to make it through this. You will speak to your father again. I promise.”

  “Thank you.” Lisa stepped forward, and Jake automatically swept her into an embrace, holding her tightly against him. Her face turned up toward his, and then her lips were pressing against his cheek. “Thank you,” she repeated, in a whisper that made Jake’s heart beat so hard that he wondered whether Lisa could feel its pulse.

  “Price.”

  The single syllable, spoken in that world-worn voice, turned Jake’s stomach to ice. He released Lisa, and he turned to behold his worst fear.

  It was Gabriel Roach. Both arms had taken the form of long-barreled cannons already crackling with energy.

  Jake was too far from his mech to react in time. If Roach wanted to kill him, his opportunity to do so had come.

  Chapter 36

  Deficient

  “Roach,” Jake said, refusing to let his fear show in his voice or on his face. “Do your worst to me. Just leave Lisa out of this.”

  “No,” Roach said, raising his weapons, and Jake’s throat clenched, as though squeezed by an invisible fist.

  “No, you don’t understand,” Roach went on, and gradually it dawned on Jake: Roach had raised his arms in a gesture meant to be placating. It just so happened that those arms had already taken the form of energy weapons primed to fire, which made the move a lot less comforting.

  “Why are you here, Roach?” Jake said.

  “I want to help you fight the enemy. The real enemy.”

  “Out of the question.”

  “Please,” Roach said, and the word sounded odd coming from him. Jake had never known his old commander to use many manners. “Let me finish. I’ve realized how misguided I’ve been. I fought the Quatro to get revenge for Jess, but the Quatro were never the real enemy. These shadows, who’ve sent their metal killers against us—that’s who we need to defeat.”

  “You almost killed Ash,” Jake said. “You ran her through, and it’s basically a miracle she survived. You did kill Richaud. There’s no way we can trust you, Roach. You spent that coin a long time ago.”

  Roach was becoming visibly more agitated, and his gun-arms twitched upward once more. Jake had to suppress a wince. “This thing made me do that,” Roach said. “Except, I’ve finally learned to control it. Didn’t Sweeney tell you? She set me free from Darkstream’s containment cell, and I was able to stop myself from killing her or her allies. I targeted Darkstream instead. Give me another chance, Price. I deserve it. I can be valuable to you.”

  Lie, Jake urged himself. You need to lie.

  He needed to tell Roach that they would welcome him back. He needed to maintain that fiction until he was back inside his own mech, and he could finish Roach off.

  But Jake had never had it in
him to deal in falsehoods. Even if he could bring himself to try, he doubted the attempt would be very convincing.

  Out of nowhere, he remembered an ancient vid he’d come across once while skimming the system net, of a zoologist from Old Earth, studying silverback gorillas in the wild. One of the gorillas had charged at him unexpectedly, but the zoologist hadn’t flinched, and his total lack of fear had repelled the animal. Sheer instinct had gripped the gorilla, causing it to turn and scurry away. Because, to it, if the zoologist lacked fear there had to be a reason.

  Is Roach so unlike that gorilla? Jake had a good idea of how fragmented the man’s mind must be—if it was even correct to call him a man, anymore. The alien mech had the power to dismantle the user’s psyche, turning a rational human into something that closely resembled a wild animal, full of primal strength and rage.

  “The answer is no,” Jake said, his voice steady, commanding. His eyes were riveted to Roach’s face, or at least the closest thing he had to a face anymore.

  For a long time, Roach returned his gaze, perfectly still—other than his energy-cannon arms, which wavered up and down.

  “What about you?” Roach hissed at last. “What will become of you once your mech succeeds in taking apart your mind, and you start attacking your allies like I did?”

  “That won’t happen,” Jake said, his eyes riveted to Roach’s face.

  “Why wouldn’t it?”

  “Because I still have my humanity. You lost yours long before you ever stepped inside that mech.”

  The alien mech’s head jerked. “You…you’re saying I’m…deficient?”

  “You made yourself deficient. Now, go. Go and accept the fate you know that you deserve.”

  Roach raised his energy weapons till they were leveled at Jake, and for a long time they stood there, all three of them in fraught tableau.

  At last, Roach spun on his heels and charged back down the corridor, away from the landing bay and toward the Core.