Wolf's Bane (The Empire's Corps Book 14)

by Christopher Nuttall

  “Use the stunners first, if possible,” he ordered. He didn't have clearance to enter the armoury - in theory - but one of his few assets was an all-access codekey. “Shoot if there’s no other choice.”

  “Understood,” Midshipman Haitian said.

  Steve winced. Twenty-two officers and crew, none of whom had known about the others until now ... it wasn't enough to take the entire fortress. Thankfully, merely controlling the CIC would be enough for the moment. Either their masters took the planet, in which case they could be reinforced at leisure, or they didn't, in which case the mutineers were screwed anyway. It was almost enough to make him want to steal a lifepod and escape. Only the certainty that both desertion and failure would get him and his family killed kept him in his place.

  “We move,” he ordered. His cabin was close enough to the CIC for them to move rapidly, without sneaking through the entire fortress. “Now.”

  Red lights pulsed from the bulkheads as they made their way towards the CIC. The giant fortress was in lockdown, all non-essential crewmen confined to their quarters. Steve held his stunner at the ready anyway, primed to shoot anyone who wasn’t part of the group. Better someone woke up in an hour with a pounding headache than the alert being sounded too early. The CIC crew could not be allowed to seal the hatches before it was too late or the entire operation would fail spectacularly.

  He turned the corner nodded. Two infantrymen stood on guard outside the hatch, both looking bored. They didn't know the alert was anything more than a drill. Steve stunned them both, zapping them repeatedly to make sure they’d go down and stay down, then hurried past them to the hatch. Thankfully, the crew hadn't codelocked it. That would have been an utter disaster.

  “Be ready,” he muttered. “Stunners only, if possible.”

  The hatch hissed open. Commander Katy Jones turned, her eyes going wide with surprise as she saw the mutineers. Steve stunned her without pity - she was one of Admiral Singh’s cronies - and then ran into the room, stunning everyone within sight. A security officer lunged towards the alarm button, too late. Steve zapped him, then strode over to the command chair. Commander Jones hadn't had time to lock them out of the system before it was too late. He placed his pre-prepared datachip in the reader, then brought up the near-orbit display. Several other fortresses were steadily withdrawing from the combined command network.

  “Secure this compartment,” he ordered. “Put the rest of the fortress into total lockdown.”

  “I’ve got control of the weapons, sir,” Midshipman Haitian said. “We’re ready to fire.”

  “Stand ready,” Steve warned. The fleet would presumably remain loyal to Admiral Singh and her cronies. It might attempt to attack the planet before it was too late. “Exchange command codes with the other fortresses.”

  “Fortress Five is locking weapons on us,” Midshipman Haitian snapped. “She’s attempting to access and subvert our parasite OWPs!”

  “Lock them out,” Steve ordered. Fortress Five was close enough to cause real damage, if it wanted. It would have been targeted for mutiny too, but something might well have gone wrong. The mutinies had been organised on very short notice. “And prepare to fire.”

  “I’ve got a link to Fortress Two and Fortress Six,” Midshipwoman Sanyo called. “Sir, I think they’re attacking the command network directly! The link keeps failing and then recovering.”

  “Hold us steady,” Steve said. “Can you detect the fleet?”

  “No change, as far as I can tell,” Sanyo said. “They have to know that something’s wrong.”

  “Perhaps,” Steve said. “I ...”

  The display flashed red. “Fortress Five is firing,” Midshipman Haitian snapped. “Incoming missiles! I say again, incoming missiles!”

  “Return fire,” Steve ordered. Something had definitely gone wrong. “The OWPs are to provide covering fire!”

  He leaned back in his command chair, watching the new alliances take shape and form. One, Two, Seven and Eight had been taken over, while Five, Nine and Twelve were on Admiral Singh’s side. And the others ... they didn't seem to know which way to jump. Fortress Three appeared to have gone completely dead. The mutineers must have lost the bid to take over the fortress and crashed all of its systems before they were wiped out. Steve had had contingency plans to do it himself.

  “Fortress Five is launching a second barrage,” Midshipman Haitian reported. “Our point defence is coming online now.”

  Steve gritted his teeth. “Engage as soon as possible,” he ordered. If the fortress took major damage, the mutineers were going to have real problems maintaining control. On the other hand, if the fortress did take major damage, maintaining control would be the least of their problems. “Fire at will.”

  ***

  “The enemy have subverted a number of orbital fortresses,” Commodore Bradbury reported, grimly. “They’re ...”

  “I can see that, idiot,” Rani snarled. Matters had definitely flown right out of control. The planet was on the verge of outright civil war while the orbital defence network was fighting its own civil war. “Contact the fleet. Order them to prepare to crush the rebel fortresses!”

  “Aye, Admiral,” Bradbury said.

  Rani studied the display for a long moment. The fortress was fairly secure, for the moment, but if she lost control of the orbital defences the end would be just a matter of time. She was too experienced an officer to believe otherwise. Governor Brown had lavished resources on his fortress, but a handful of KEWs would be enough to reduce it to rubble. The only thing keeping the corporations from doing just that was the proximity of their towers.

  And they’re probably evacuating their towers already, she thought. She’d banned aircar traffic - the ATC network had crashed, anyway - but the corporate directors were unlikely to care. And once the towers are empty, they can call down fire from heaven and destroy me.

  She thought, rapidly. Had she lost - again? Should she consider evacuating Wolfbane and fleeing corewards? She did have a powerful fleet and advanced technology under her command. It would be one hell of a bargaining chip in the right hands. But there was no guarantee of finding a third safe harbour. She’d been incredibly lucky to find Wolfbane after escaping Corinthian.

  “Contact the garrisons outside the city,” she ordered, finally. “They are to advance and put down the rebels by all means necessary.”

  Paula looked pale. “Admiral, they may not be loyal,” she said. “Their officers ...”

  Rani met her eyes. “Do you have a better idea?”

  “... No,” Paula said.

  “Then we have no choice,” Rani said. “We have to use the weapons we’ve got and hope.”

  She leaned back, reminding herself - again - that there was no immediate threat. If she regained control of the streets, if she brought the fleet into orbit to counter the orbital fortresses, she could secure her position. The towers could be blasted from orbit - they, unlike the fortress, didn't need direct hits to take major damage - and she could crush her enemies like bugs. She had no compunctions about ordering KEW strikes against civilian rebels. She'd teach those traitors precisely what happened to anyone who defied her.

  “Terrorist attack at the spaceport,” Commodore Bradley reported. “They took out a couple of shuttles and their passengers.”

  Rani gritted her teeth. “Tell the guards to secure the area,” she ordered. Trying to get the crews back to the fleet was asking for trouble, now the orbital grid was compromised. The fortresses were shooting at each other, but that wouldn't stop them blasting the shuttles as they tried to fly past. “The spacers can wait in secure accommodation.”

  “Aye, Admiral,” Bradley said.

  ***

  Captain Ryan Schuler strode into the hastily-established command post, cursing his superiors - both sets of superiors - under his breath. The Wolfbane Militia had been a professional force, once upon a time, but the demand for manpower had forced the militia to take thousands of unqualified recruits and t
rain them in a very short space of time. Half the men under his command were barely qualified to pass the first set of tests, while the other half would probably be poached for off-world duty at any moment. The last thing he’d expected were orders to grab his men, issue ammunition and move the entire company down to the makeshift CP as quickly as possible.

  And the second set of orders are even worse, he thought, checking the pistol at his holster. If they intend to put down the rebels, I have to stop them.

  “Captain,” General Francis said, curtly. He was an immensely overweight man, puffing on a cigar. “How nice of you to join us.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Ryan said, swallowing his annoyance. He had no idea how General Francis had gotten the post, but the fat bastard was dangerously incompetent. Perhaps that was why he’d gotten the post. No one considered him a real threat. “Someone blew up the Stark Bridge. We had to come the long way round.”

  Francis eyed him, then jabbed a finger at the map. Time really must be pressing. The general had printed out a paper map and hung it on the wall himself, rather than passing the duty to his aide. Rumour had it that his current aide was a blonde woman with bigger breasts than brains, although there was no sign of her anywhere in the room. Ryan reminded himself that the blonde might not even exist. Francis was hardly the most popular officer in the militia.

  “Tryon is in chaos,” Francis said. His finger traced out lines on the map. “At last report, a dozen districts were in rebel hands and several more were in chaos. The police forces are holding a line here” - he pointed to a spot that appeared to be in the middle of the river - “and corporate security forces are holding the towers, but that isn't going to last. Our sources tell us that the rebels are gathering their forces for a final push at the towers before it’s too late.”

  Asshole, Ryan thought. Too fucking ignorant to even think of a good lie.

  “Our orders are to enter the city, then sweep the rebellious districts clear,” Francis added, sternly. “Rear forces will be establishing detention camps - rebels who surrender will be sent there, rebels who insist on fighting will be killed. Once we link up with the police, we will reverse course and sweep the districts again. Everyone is to be considered a potential rebel until proven otherwise.”

  Captain Grossman coughed. “Does that include women and children?”

  “Everyone,” Francis repeated.

  Ryan felt sick. He knew better than to believe that women and children were harmless - and he had no reason to doubt that the region was occupied by rebels - but he had no enthusiasm for a kill-sweep. And that was what Francis wanted. Everyone within the district would be killed unless they surrendered ... everyone. The prisoners might well wind up wishing that they’d fought to the death instead.

  He swallowed. “Sir, with all due respect ...”

  Francis leered at him. “Don't have the stomach, boy?”

  Ryan’s temper snapped. “I’m not going to kill thousands of innocents for you!”

  “Then place yourself under arrest,” Francis snapped. “Your XO can take over the company and ...”

  Ryan drew his pistol and shot Francis in the head. The general stumbled backwards, then collapsed to the ground. Ryan watched him die ...

  ... And then all hell broke loose.

  ***

  “Admiral, we have a report from the command post,” Paula said. “There ... there’s been another mutiny. A whole series of mutinies.”

  Rani closed her eyes for a long moment. “What. Happened?”

  “The reports contradict one another,” Paula said, slowly. Rani opened her eyes and glared at her. “At CP1, General Francis was shot, then several other officers opened fire and now entire units are shooting at each other. At CP2, General Weldon killed both of his commissioners and took his entire division into revolt. At CP3 ...”

  “Enough,” Rani said. Her voice was very cold. “I don't need the details. What is the overall situation?”

  Paula swallowed. “Two-thirds of the militiamen are heading towards the city to reinforce the rebels,” she said. She sounded as though she expected to be beheaded, just for being the bearer of bad news. “And they’re going to link up with the corporate security forces.”

  And then attack the fortress, Rani thought. She was starting to understand why some people shot the messenger. There was no hope of convincing the corporate directors to remain on the fence, not now. They’d have to steer the rebels or be destroyed by them. That would not be good.

  She studied the display, thinking hard. She’d lost. There was no denying it. The only option left was to abandon the planet and escape, taking the fleet with her. Why not? She’d done it before ...

  Because there’s no certainty of finding a safe place to run, her thoughts reminded her. She’d already been through it. And the fleet would eventually start to break down.

  She paused. Or I could attack Avalon. It’s the last thing they’d expect.

  “Contact the fleet,” she said. “Order them to advance against the orbital fortresses and clear space above the city. Once they are in orbit, they are to prepare to provide fire support against the enemy positions.”

  And be ready to escape, if necessary, she thought. She would have to send the spacers back to their ships in any case. She’d have no difficulty going with them, along with her command staff. And once she was on the ships, her options would begin to open up. I can bombard the planet into submission or head straight for Avalon or ...

  Red icons flickered into life on the display, far too close to Wolfbane for comfort. Rani stared, unable to believe her eyes. They couldn't be friendly, could they? She hadn't ordered any of her other fleets to return to Wolfbane. And yet, who else could they be?

  She found her voice. “What are those?”

  Commodore Bradbury worked his console, then looked up. “It’s the Commonwealth Navy,” he said. “They’re here!”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  “Get me a direct link to the ground,” Mandy snapped. “And inform the advance team that we’re here!”

  She forced herself to watch as her fleet raced towards Wolfbane. It had been sheer luck - although she wasn't sure if it had been good or bad luck - that they’d been sneaking into the system when all hell broke loose. Right now, her analysts were trying to make sense of an increasingly complicated multisided conflict and not getting very far. The enemy command network appeared to have splintered into at least six competing factions, with sides changing on a moment’s notice. There was no way to tell who was friendly and who wasn't.

  “The enemy fleet is altering position,” Commander Andrew Mayflower said. They’d spent the last three weeks preparing for the final battle, but they hadn't expected such chaos. “They’re heading for the planet.”

  “Then adjust our course to intercept,” Mandy ordered. The enemy fleet would almost certainly remain loyal to Admiral Singh. It had to be neutralised. If nothing else, smashing the enemy’s mobile units would make it impossible for them to resume the offensive. “And keep trying to get through to the ground.”

  Her eyes narrowed as the display continued to update. Four orbital fortresses appeared to be friendly, if only because the enemy fleet was heading towards them, but it was impossible to tell how friendly they were. Admiral Singh’s enemies might not be the Commonwealth’s friends. The other fortresses were shooting at their fellows, clearly trying to weaken them before the fleet arrived. Mandy hoped the sides resolved themselves before it was too late. A fortress, even one from the pre-collapse days, was a dangerous opponent. Even with force shields, she didn't want to risk challenging an entire network of fortresses unless there was no way to avoid it.

  “The enemy fleet is continuing on its current course,” Mayflower reported. “They’re ignoring us.”

  “They have to know we’re here,” Mandy said. “Time to weapons range?”

  “Seven minutes,” Mayflower said. “Unless they have something else up their sleeves.”

  Mandy gritted her
teeth. She’d kept her crews busy during the long flight to Wolfbane, trying to make sure they didn't have time to brood, but it hadn't worked. How could it? Morale had recovered, slowly, as the squadrons were repaired, but everyone knew the Commonwealth’s tech advantage was no longer guaranteed. Not that it had ever been guaranteed in the first place, the more cynical part of her mind noted. Admiral Singh had had every reason to push technological research and development forward as fast as possible. And now Mandy’s crews were expecting to discover more enemy superweapons as the war raged on.