by Mike Freeman
She felt flushed and red. She hoped desperately that her face wouldn’t give her away. He inspected her chest harness and then looked at her with a questioning expression. She stared at him in a peculiar fashion, her mouth still slightly open, and nodded.
He lifted her arms out to the side and took hold of the straps running round her chest. She gave a sharp intake of breath as he slid his hands beneath the strap, his hands digging into the sides of her breasts as he corrected the fit. She gasped again as he ran his hands underneath her breasts, sliding his fingers under the support strap to check the fit.
He took hold her shoulders and spun her round so she was facing Novosa. Thank goodness, she thought – Havoc couldn't see the expression on her face. Novosa watched her, amused, as Havoc grabbed the center plate on her back. He pulled the rig upward and she was lifted off the floor. Havoc grunted, apparently satisfied.
“Good?”
She nodded.
“Mmm.”
He set her down and pointed at the exploration suit.
“You ok getting in the suit?”
She nodded again, not wanting to speak.
“Uh huh.”
He gave her a final appraisal, looking her up and down as she stood with her face burning. He nodded.
“Looks good.”
He turned, picked up the static defense station and carried it into the shuttle.
Weaver exhaled, all at once.
Novosa smiled at her.
“You might want to take a minute.”
“I might take two.”
“Good?”
“Mmm.”
“You can see why the girls call it a horness.”
Weaver blinked her eyes wide.
“Phew.”
~ ~ ~
Havoc walked down the rear ramp of the shuttle and round to the containers of kit. The shuttle wings curved over him like a predatory insect.
Fournier and Kemensky stood bickering over a sensor array. They had become quite the couple in that respect. Kemensky shook his head, frustrated, as he tried to wave Fournier’s hand away.
“You can't fix everything by power cycling it.”
Fournier dodged past Kemensky and jabbed the button. He grinned as the array powered up correctly.
“But you can fix most things, most of the time.”
Kemensky shook his head. Still smiling, Fournier powered the array back off. Kemensky did a double take, shouting in frustration.
“What are you doing?!”
Fournier pressed and de-pressed the button.
“We'll lift the trees out later.”
“What?” Kemensky said.
Havoc winced. He walked toward Fournier.
“We'll have a beef pasty,” Fournier said.
Kemensky looked flummoxed.
“What?”
Havoc took Fournier's jabbing hand off the button and gently clasped Fournier's wrists as he babbled incoherently. The crew gathered round as they noticed the commotion, even Whittenhorn coming back over.
Havoc studied Fournier's face. Fournier's eyes were unfocused and unseeing.
“Fournier, it's Havoc. Can you hear me?”
After a few seconds, Fournier quietened.
They waited.
Fournier slowly came round. He took in the group gathered around him.
“From the looks on your faces, it appears that I’ve had another little break.”
Havoc nodded. He looked apologetic.
“I'm afraid you're not going to be able to come down with us, Jed.”
Whittenhorn bristled.
“You don't have the authority to make that decision, Havoc.”
Havoc kept his attention on Fournier.
“I'm sorry, Jed, but you could be a danger to yourself and others.”
Fournier stood frowning.
“I said you––” Whittenhorn said.
“I heard you,” Havoc interjected, still looking at Fournier.
Fournier nodded at Havoc.
“Alright.”
Whittenhorn harrumphed.
“It will be me and me alone who decides who goes and who stays.”
“Havoc is right,” Stephanie said.
Abbott raised his eyebrows at that.
Havoc gestured to Novosa as he looked at Fournier.
“We can stream you all the information you want. Novosa can rig you a dedicated drone.”
Whittenhorn exploded.
“Will you pay attention to me!”
Bergeron looked between them.
“It’s the purview of the Acting Commander to decide who goes.”
“I don't want to go,” Fournier said.
Whittenhorn looked startled.
“What? Well. Let me think about that.”
“You could decide that he doesn't have to go,” Humberstone said.
“I know that,” Whittenhorn snapped.
Havoc walked away.
“Don't you walk away from me, Havoc.”
Havoc turned and regarded Whittenhorn. Whittenhorn raised his chin indignantly.
“I don't want you to get this mission into any more trouble.”
Havoc stared at Whittenhorn.
Whittenhorn's will faded.
“Carry on, then.”
Havoc shook his head and walked back round to the rear of the shuttle.
A few seconds later, Tyburn wandered up with Karch and Ekker.
“You need anything?” Tyburn asked.
“No. We're good.”
Abbott walked over with Stephanie.
“Good luck down there. Stay safe.”
“Thanks.”
Abbott smiled.
“I have a feeling we're going to find great things here. I know you're up to the challenge.”
Havoc wasn't sure why but it was starting to feel like quite a send off. He nodded.
“I hope so.”
Darkwood appeared at Abbott’s shoulder.
“Challenges make life interesting and overcoming them makes life meaningful.”
Havoc smiled, perplexed.
“Maybe you guys should be going instead.”
Abbott nodded. Havoc frowned. Abbott actually looked quite emotional.
“Well it falls into your hands. Anything untried remains impossible. You're blazing a trail here; everyone on the shuttle is. We're proud of you.”
The penny dropped. The first humans were about to set foot on Plash and Abbott and the others wanted it to mean something. Humanity landing on their first ever truly alien world was a big deal. Stephanie looked at him oddly. It might be getting to her a bit as well.
He tried to think of something to say.
“We'll do our best down there.”
Tyburn nodded.
“When there's no wind, row.”
Havoc spun round.
“What did you say?”
Tyburn smiled at him.
Havoc felt disoriented. Forge had used that expression all the time. 'When there's no wind, row'.
Abbott touched his arm.
“Are you alright, Son?”
Havoc reeled again. Forge used to call him 'Son' as well.
He rubbed his forehead. He needed to get a grip. Damn contamination.
“I'm fine.”
He looked at Tyburn.
“Did you know Claudius Forge? In Strike?”
Tyburn shook his head.
“No.”
Havoc nodded. Stephanie frowned.
“Are you alright, John?”
“Yes.”
Abbott looked concerned.
“Do we need to reconsider this?”
“No, I'm fine.”
Havoc stepped back and spun his hand in the air.
“I want to be out of this bay in ten minutes. Let's go!”
Weaver’s voice called out from behind him.
“Hey, Havoc!”
He turned to see Weaver wearing her suit. She did a little curtsy.
He laughed.
&nb
sp; “Very good, Weaver. Very good.”
Stephanie stepped forward and before he could even register, she kissed him on the lips and stepped back.
“Be careful down there.”
Weaver stared.
Havoc’s eyes moved from Weaver, past Tyburn, to Stephanie, past Tyburn, to Weaver.
What a mission.
62.
Havoc piloted the shuttle as it bounced down through the atmosphere. In the front row with him were Novosa, Karch and Weaver.
In the second row, Charles was talking excitedly with Kemensky. Havoc liked Charles – his youthful enthusiasm appealed to him – and he admired both the princes for wanting to make a contribution and put themselves in the front line. That didn’t meant he trusted them, of course – the Neuworld Empire was a prime candidate for subversive action given their precarious position in the Alliance, the views of their Emperor and the overtures being made to them by the People's Republic. Both of the princes were suspects. But with at least two enemy agents onboard the Intrepid and the other ships in the system, who wasn’t? Havoc could go crazy enumerating the possible threats – who needed tettraxigyiom contamination to go mad? His solution was not to think about it. Overanalyzing sparse data was a waste of time and effort. The experienced operatives understood that, even if people like Tomas and Bergeron wanted to tear the Intrepid apart. Havoc’s musings were interrupted by Novosa who was, as ever, expressing her opinion in a singularly undiplomatic fashion.
“If Whittenhorn crushed the balls of the person most responsible for his problems, he wouldn't be able to sit down for a month.”
There was laughter in the cabin.
“I heard that,” Whittenhorn said from orbit.
Havoc smiled as he guided the shuttle into the upper reaches of a storm system that engulfed the region of the Colosseum. The weather was far more hostile than during their first visit. He glanced across at Weaver.
“The relay drones?”
“Releasing the primary now. You think we'll be able to lift everything we want back to orbit?”
Havoc nodded.
“We have our secret weapon against mass.”
Weaver looked perplexed.
“We do?”
“The guardians. I expect to lose a few of the platforms.”
“Are you serious?”
“I have every confidence in them.”
Weaver looked bemused as she dispensed another two relay drones. Novosa laughed. Kemensky pointed past Havoc as he bounced around in the second row.
“The weather looks like it could be an issue.”
It was true, the weather was ferocious. Some of the gusts were registering at over a thousand kilometers per hour.
Havoc spoke over his shoulder.
“If we’re careful we’ll be fine. Is this weather still due to pass Intrepid?”
“Yes, in about two hours,” Yamamoto said.
The conditions deteriorated further as they descended. Driving snow shrouded the vehicle as sheet lightning flashed around them. Novosa gestured at the array of towers superimposed over the swirling blizzard on their viewscreen.
“We’re getting close.”
Havoc identified a wide avenue along which they could approach the Colosseum while flying into the bulk of the wind. Novosa looked pensive as Havoc banked the shuttle.
“I hope no one messed with our instruments this time.”
Havoc grunted his assent. Position was key, especially in this murk. If a saboteur managed to hack their position then flying the shuttle into a tower would be a trivial exercise. That said, he wasn’t overly worried about the shuttle systems – he’d reset and verified them himself. He was using his own sensors to augment the shuttle systems and he was using his own positioning satellites to cross check the location information he was getting from the Intrepid's satellite network. In addition, he was using the shuttle's and his own inertial navigation. If they did fly into a tower, no one would be more surprised than him.
Novosa concentrated on her instruments as she prepared to deploy their platforms.
“No maverick stunts this time?”
He nodded.
“Go for it.”
“Ok, launching the platforms.”
Three missile platforms and one laser platform dropped and lit, battling the weather as they curved away from the shuttle.
Havoc tracked their position as they dropped lower.
“Green for blade release.”
The shuttle sped over the surface.
“Dropping my boys now,” Novosa said.
Five blade pods rocketed toward the ground. They were blasted sideways by the winds despite their downward thrust. The pods blew open as they hit the surface and the blades swarmed forward.
Havoc guided the shuttle upward to fly round the Colosseum so that Novosa could deploy more blades on the far side. He glanced across at Weaver. Weaver shook her head. No go. They couldn’t deploy their smaller drones and microdrones for sensing – the weather conditions were too challenging. Still with the shuttle, their platforms and the Intrepid their mission space was adequate. The viewscreen highlighted the gates distributed around the base of the Colosseum. Havoc nodded at the display at he looked at Weaver.
“Still want the same location?”
Weaver nodded.
“The gate on the south side.”
Weaver pointed as they flew past a series of monumental arches that passed through onto the magnificent plaza inside the Colosseum itself.
“There it is.”
In the center of the inner plaza was a giant seven sided black obelisk, three hundred meters high. On the facing side of the obelisk was a massive gateway, perhaps twice the height of the southern one they were going to attempt to open first.
“You don’t want to go straight for that one?”
Weaver shook her head.
“The access level is much too high.”
Havoc nodded as they dropped lower.
“They’re away,” Novosa said.
Havoc climbed the shuttle as the pods rocketed down and the blades deployed. He looped the vehicle back round so they could land.
On the surface, the blade pack was free and running. Novosa had six on the ground and two in the sky, plus their four platforms on overwatch. Their mission net hummed with streams of data detailing the battlespace. Missionspace, Havoc corrected himself, since there hadn't been a battle yet.
“Everyone ok to go in?”
There were nods of assent. People looked a bit uncertain about the weather. Tyburn spoke from orbit.
“Looks good from here.”
Havoc nodded. He pinged a location.
“Ok, I'm going to bring her down here, near the southern entrance to the Colosseum.”
“Confirmed,” Whittenhorn said.
Weaver raised a hand.
“Wait.”
Havoc glanced across.
“What is it?”
Weaver studied her instrumentation.
“The ground is ice, not very thick. Maybe fifteen centimeters, fine for us, not advisable for the shuttle.”
“The cabins?”
Weaver nodded.
“Should be fine with the weight distribution. Only the shuttle to worry about. I'd land here instead.”
“Agreed,” Novosa said.
Havoc scanned the location that Weaver had pinged.
“Fine, I'm dropping her now.”
The shuttle lowered through the storm, buffeted by the wind in the lee of a great column. Havoc dropped four static defense stations which scattered in all directions as they hit the ice. They planted their support legs, lifted off the ground and their outer shells retracted to reveal phase arrays, missile racks and kinetic weapons.
Havoc assessed their status.
“Landing site is secure. Novosa?”
“No threats detected. We’re clear.”
Havoc landed the shuttle on the ice. He scanned the instruments. It all looked good.
“Welcome to Plash, ladies and gentlemen.”
The shuttle bustled with activity as the crew rapidly assembled in the rear cabin. The wall screen revealed glimpses of the Colosseum towering over them, obscured by driving snow. Weaver looked awed by the sight of it.
“This must be how a peasant felt coming to the Colosseum in ancient times.”
Havoc’s jetpack unfurled. Weaver ducked away from him in her exploration suit. She shook her head as she took in his appearance.
“Blimey. We want to meet them, not scare them into hiding.”
Havoc turned to face the bay doors. The others gathered behind him.
“Anyone not ready?”
There was silence.
Havoc swung the bay doors open, exposing them to the infernal weather. Snow blasted inside as the wind shrieked around them. Havoc took a step into the blizzard with the wind howling around him. He paused for a moment, scanning, then strode down the ramp and into the maelstrom.
“No one lives for ever.”
63.
Havoc glanced up from his position at the base of the Colosseum. The gigantic alien tower soared overhead like the surface of another world juxtaposed over this one. A gust of wind crashed into the huge vertical face and roared down toward them.
“Hang on.”
Havoc ducked down and braced himself.
“Here comes another one.”
Havoc fought to maintain his balance as the gust blasted them. Kemensky was smashed flat, twisting on his securing lines – Havoc had secured everyone on cable runs as a precaution. As the gust dispersed, he reached over and pulled Kemensky to his feet.
“Ok, we're good.”
Snow with a yellowish tint blasted onto them as they stood to one side of a huge charcoal gate that was set into the base of the Colosseum. Unfathomable carvings swarmed over the gate, intertwining with each other. And they were moving. Very slowly, at speeds a standard human eye couldn’t detect, the carvings flowed and changed form. The gate itself appeared to consist of seven intertwined blocks, with hieratic murals inscribed around their borders.
The wind howled around them as Charles pointed at the giant entrance.
“With a door as massive as that you have to wonder what they keep inside.”
Havoc agreed; the gate wouldn't need to be much larger to fly their shuttle straight through.
“You don't need to shout Charles, the radio will adjust.”