Warpath

by Randolph Lalonde

  “More like decades,” Jake said. “The Iron Head nebula is huge, and every effort I’ve heard of to create a lane through it has been abandoned because of the war.”

  “So, are you sure you don’t want to take the Barricade?” Oz asked Jake.

  “Yes, there are Sol Defence systems in the Blessed Mission, so it’ll take a quarter the time it would to train people, and I’ll have more room for gunships after we add two hangars.”

  “That’s going to deplete the Solar Forge’s raw materials, we’ll have almost nothing left,” Governor Anderson said.

  “Drag what’s left of that Order carrier over to the Solar Forge, you’ll be good for a while,” Jake replied flatly.

  ‘You’re right,” Governor Anderson replied. “I’m going to review this data while I keep things going down here. We’ll coordinate through the secure network.” He disappeared before anyone could say farewell.

  “Blunt,” Ayan said.

  “Sorry, we need to keep our priorities straight,” Jake replied.

  “I meant him,” she replied. “I agree with you. This ship and her crew has to be ready by the end of the week, and if we’re going into the Iron Head Nebula, we’ll need to make more modifications using more materials.”

  “If we cut back on some of the modifications you’re planning, we could be out there in three days,” Oz replied.

  “Let’s compromise,” Jake said, bringing up the redesign for the Blessed Mission he’d worked on the night before with Ayan. “We’ll build these two hangars, make sure they’re spaceworthy, but all the systems inside will be set up so we can build the interiors while we’re under way. We’ll save tons of materials if we skip making fresh mattresses,” he cringed visibly. “Computers get a complete refit, something we can’t avoid because none of the Regent Galactic components can be trusted, and the essential defence and offense modifications get finished, but no cloaking systems get installed. That’ll save us an entire day.”

  “Are you sure?” Oz asked.

  “Cloaking systems are defeated easily in a nebula anyway, so we’ll have filters and hull maintenance droids added to every ship going instead. Those will keep any particles that get through our shields from wearing us down too much. We can do that ourselves while other things are going on. There, just with those cuts, I’ve got this ship ready in three days, nine hours.”

  “If you gave up on moving the bridge, you’d save twenty three hours.”

  “No, I’m not riding up front like an idiot, that’s the worst part of this ship, the bridge is right on the nose, the sooner I get that turned into a leisure area, the better.” Jake said.

  Oz laughed and nodded. “I get it, don’t worry. All right, that’s a compromise to the good for me. I’ll break down and give you four days to customize your ship, and I want to be listening in when you tell your crew that they’ll have to build those hangar interiors the old fashioned way.”

  “If you let us borrow a dozen heavy suits, you have a deal,” Jake said.

  “You got it,” Oz said. “I’m going to keep studying this, but I have to get to work on the Triton.”

  “All right, talk to you later, Oz,” Ayan said.

  “Good luck,” Jake added. “Damn, I should have asked for forty suits.”

  Oz’s hologram faded out, and Ayan turned to Jake and asked; “Why ‘good luck?’”

  “Oh, because I’m hiring Agameg and Finn as co-Chiefs on my staff right now,” Jake replied, making the crew changes on his command and control unit. “They were mine in the beginning, and he can’t keep ‘em now.”

  “Greedy,” Ayan teased.

  “Needy,” Jake replied. “I’ll need them both working together to streamline things on the ship.”

  He finished making his adjustments, then helped Ayan look through patrol reports and encounter logs from the Iron Head nebula. The Blessed Mission was with one of the carrier groups that escorted Eve’s Command Carrier through the clearest part of the nebula. It broke off to assist with patrols, and Jake was just starting to take a closer look at the navigational data when he noticed that Ayan was just staring off into space.

  He lightly brushed her cheek. She responded with a smile, but she looked worried.

  “Hey, are you all right?” Jake asked.

  “Yeah, I just can’t stop thinking like Freeground is still home,“ she said. “But that’s an illusion, they’re transplanted memories. I’m still technically from there, I was made with their equipment, Carl is my father, but I didn’t have a childhood there. I replaced someone they lost.”

  “You’re more than a replacement,” Jake told her quietly.

  “I know,” Ayan said. “And I can’t deny that seeing Freeground stranded pulls at me, but can we really, should we really rush off to save them when we’ve barely begun to build something here? What if it’s all gone by the time we get back? Or if one of our ships doesn’t make it back.”

  “What if we find a way to bring Freeground Alpha here?” Jake said. “What if we already had access to the technology?”

  “The Fallen Star,” Ayan said. “They barely know how their faster than light system works, we can’t trust it even though it’s faster than anything we’ve ever seen. It probably killed everyone aboard that ship.”

  “Probably,” Jake countered. “We don’t know for sure, there are other experiments in storage aboard that ship that no one has been able to investigate yet. One of them could have activated because of the flash’s radiation. Besides, there’s someone else who can understand technology like their FTL prototype,” Jake said.

  “I thought of Lorander, more than once, weeks ago while you were still out. They’ll never help us with the war against the Order. At best, they may permanently deactivate something like that, so us kids don’t hurt ourselves trying to figure it out.”

  “What about a war with Citadel?” Jake asked. “I think a planet on fire is enough of a reason for another meeting with Lorander.”

  “Okay, but you talk to them this time,” Ayan said. “I’ve already heard their speech about keeping advanced technology away from less advanced people four times.”

  “Sounds good,” Jake said, his eyes widening as his back twitched. “I think it’s time for a muscle relaxer.”

  Chapter 28

  The Fallen Star

  The Fallen Star’s secure airlock door was cracked open by the Triton’s technical team in large powered suits that were more like wearable tanks. The thick, featureless plate door had slid in place the moment the ship lost power, welding itself into place. It gave Finn the impression that they were breaking into a forbidden space, like a tomb.

  The team removed the outer plate, revealing the normal outer airlock door. “All yours,” the technical team leader announced.

  He watched as a medical technician, marked by his red uniform, pulled himself along the outer hull and connected a power unit to the airlock. He punched in a code and was inside in seconds. “Hold up, Ensign Rinett,” Stephanie said.

  “Sorry, I thought I’d get inside and out of the way so you could dock with the Clever Dream,” he said.

  “All right, go through the inner airlock, and hold there,’ she said.

  The outer airlock doors closed behind him, and Finn couldn’t help but notice that the Medical Technician didn’t wait once he was inside. He disappeared into the ship.

  The Clever Dream docked perfectly only a minute later, and the airlock matched its air pressure to the ship quickly. The doors opened, revealing the dark interior of the Fallen Star.

  There was no power, no light, and no gravity. Stephanie led the way, firing a thin illuminated line at the opposite end of the hull then affixing it to the inside of the airlock door jamb. “Okay, kids, just head on through the airlock, grab the line and use it to slowly move towards the main corridor. From there we’ll follow Remmy.”

  “Can’t believe I’m back in this ship again,” Remmy said as he followed Stephanie. As they crossed the threshold between the Cl
ever Dream’s round airlock doors and the Fallen Star, they became nearly weightless in the microgravity, drifting off the deck. “The first time I was here, there were dead issyrians, people, frameworks getting fed on by some kind of edxi bugs,” he sighed. “Now at least there are just some dead scientists and a few crew. Speaking of scientists, where’s our Med Tech?”

  “Ensign Rinett, why have you gone ahead to the vault door?” Stephanie asked over their communications channel.

  There was no answer.

  “He’s checked into our channel,” Liara said. “He can hear you.”

  “Ensign Rinett, reply. I will freeze your suit and you will not be able to move if you do not reply.”

  “Don’t worry, Lieutenant Commander,” Ensign Rinett replied. “I’m just seeing if I can get some power to the Vault door here, getting a head start.”

  “Stop what you’re doing,” Stephanie ordered.

  “All right, I’ll be here waiting for you,” he replied.

  “Okay, everyone in, quick,” Stephanie said over her proximity channel so only Alaka, Remmy, Liara and Finn could hear. “He’s up to something.”

  Finn was next to go through the airlock. He’d had a lot of experience in weightlessness during repairs, and a little during college, so the transition was easy. He drifted through the middle of the airlock without a problem.

  “Oh boy,” he heard Liara say as she caught up to him very quickly. He caught her by the arm and they split their momentum, drifting forward through the airlock and towards the ceiling. He stretched his free arm towards the line and caught it firmly, stopping them both from tumbling out of control and pulling her close in the process. They lightly collided, her faceplate bumping into his. “Nice catch,” she said with a nervous smile. “I’ve never done this before.”

  “What? Investigate a ghost ship?” Remmy asked. “Or get to see an engineering nerd up close. That glow you’re seeing isn’t his charming personality, it’s side effects from the reactor room.”

  “Weightlessness,” she said as she grabbed the line above Finn’s head. “Thank you,” she said to him before pulling herself ahead.

  “You’re welcome,” Finn replied suppressing the urge to correct Remmy on his assumptions about radiation, and reactors.

  “I think Remmy is trying to compete with you,” Agameg said on a private channel between him and Finn. “He will fail, I will make sure of it.”

  Finn switched to their private channel. “Don’t worry about it, this isn’t a mating dance.”

  “Finn, take a scan,” Stephanie said as the group reached the centre point of the ship. There were smaller corridors leading to the sides with airlocks at each end, and a larger corridor leading fore and aft. The only light came from the safety line. Much of the details in the hall were in shadow, but Finn could see the outline of a floating corpse down the aft end of the hall. He pulled his high-powered scanner out of his pocket. It was an oval shaped device with a simple screen, a short ranged holographic projector, and dense plating on the outside. Small doors opened up along the sides of the centimetre thick device so it could take air samples and other ambient readings. He linked up with the Clever Dream’s sensor suite for a broader sweep. “I’m seeing normal radiation readings, no sign that there are any systems building up a charge, and the Ensign, he’s still trying to get through the vault door.”

  “Do you think we’re clear to run power from the Clever Dream, get some lights and gravity on?” Stephanie asked.

  “I don’t recommend it,” Finn replied. “Not until I can see that the D-Drive isn’t still trying to draw power. If we turn the lights on when that thing’s trying to activate, it could wipe out anyone without serious protection, or worse.”

  “Good thinking,” Stephanie said. “Let’s catch up.”

  Finn and the rest of the group followed her down the line as fast as they could, controlling their considerable speed by keeping both hands on the strand running down the middle of the hallway. Three corpses drifted past. None of them had their vacsuits sealed, and one looked like he was dressed for bed. It struck him then that they were probably all on their night cycle when the device that killed them released its charge. A glance at his scanner proved his theory. Most of the corpses were in their bunks. He looked up just in time to slow down at the main vault door and land beside Stephanie.

  “I’ve got something on my security scanner,” Agameg said, forwarding it to the group. A silhouette of three vacsuit protected corpses appeared on Finn’s heads’ up display. Their bodies and heads were drifting separately. “That did not happen because of an overload,” he replied. “Or an other-dimensional event.”

  “What happened there?” Liara asked.

  “There’s someone dangerous aboard,” Stephanie said. “Intensify scanning.”

  They arrived at the vault door and Stephanie immediately yanked the Medical Technican around by the shoulder so he faced her. “Okay, explain why it is so important for you to get in ahead of us.”

  Finn stopped himself against the vault door and shifted to the control panel. “He’s been trying to pry this open,” he said, looking at the edge of the control pad. “Can’t get in that way.”

  “Those marks aren’t from me,” Ensign Rinett said. “Well, a couple are.”

  “Everyone shield up,” Stephanie said.

  Finn activated his own shield and checked to make sure everyone else’s were working. Liara was last to get her shield up. “I don’t like this,” she whispered as she joined Finn against the Vault door. Agameg, Stephanie and Remmy drew their rifles and formed a half-circle around them, leaving Ensign Rinett the Medical Technician outside. “Get in there, I’m signalling for backup,” Stephanie said.

  Finn hurriedly pulled a portable power cell from his left thigh pocket. “I’m going to have to pull a Valent,” he said.

  “What’s ‘a Valent?’” asked Liara.

  “Oh, I remember,” Alaka said. “He is going to use a pair of circuit infiltrators, like long needles, to connect to the door system. They are very thin, and fit between the keys and the bezel.”

  “Oh, I think I saw that in an old sim once,” Liara said.

  Finn was keenly aware that he was being watched as he slipped two thin, needle like infiltrators into the keypad so they touched a powered circuit. “It’s a good hack, as long as you get the power and location right. If you get the location wrong, you’re just not connecting. If you get the power wrong, you can burn out the door mechanism.” He scanned the circuit and adjusted his battery cell to match the power requirements.

  “You could also trigger the vault security mechanism,” Remmy added. “So the door panel gets disabled forever. Don’t mess up.”

  “Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Finn said as he activated his power cell. The door panel’s number keys lit up. “Now we just need the codes.”

  “The first sequence is-“ the Medical Technician started.

  “No, just tap them in,” Finn said.

  “Oh, and hey,” Stephanie said over her shoulder to Ensign Rinett. “If you enter in a remote deletion code instead, we’ll know. I have one of the top communications officers in the fleet here. Then we’ll see what Captain Valent will do with you. Remember the last time someone really pissed him off?”

  “I do,” Agameg said. “He strapped them to the front of a shuttle and used them to test their vacsuits on re-entry. I think one of them survived.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Ensign Rinett. “Here you go.” He punched in a sequence of twenty-four numbers and stepped away as the vault door opened. Finn caught him touch a button on the power unit he’d brought with him, a small palm sized square, and saw the overload warning appear on the side. He grabbed the Ensign’s arm and knocked the power unit out of his hand. It went spiralling into the lab inside the vault, bouncing against the front of a workstation. He didn’t wait to tell anyone what was going on, just grabbed his own power unit, yanking the wires free from the door panel and pushed off.
>
  “That battery is on a power build-up!” Agameg said.

  Finn caught the small power unit against his chest, clutched it with his hand. He did his best to ignore colliding with the workstation and tied the lead wires of his power unit to the posts on Ensign Rinett’s. “Make a hole!” he said, trying to twist in the air so he could see the vault door. The power unit the Ensign brought was more powerful than the one he had, he knew there was a possibility that it would still overload.

  Stephanie and Remmy pushed on each other to get out of the way, and Finn tossed the two connected power cells down the hallway. It made it past the drifting corpses and out of sight before his suit registered a power transfer from one power cell to the other along with a low-powered electronic pulse. His pack was fried, which was no matter, he could get another, and Ensign Rinett’s was fully discharged.

  “Wait,” Stephanie said. “Everyone replay your scanner logs. I think I saw something.”

  Finn set his scanner to replay the previous five seconds at a tenth the speed and half way through he glimpsed what she saw. It was the shape of a woman in a stealth suit that didn’t look like the type of vacsuit anyone he knew used. He was about to report it when Stephanie’s shields registered a hit from a nano-blade.

  She opened fire in a burst in front of her only to have her rifle knocked aside. The tether keeping her rifle attached to her chest kept it from spinning away from her, but her assailant was grappling with her, the stealth functions interrupted by Stephanie’s shields.

  Remmy took aim.

  “Shoot the bitch!” Stephanie shouted as she tried to hold her assailant’s arm away and find leverage while they twisted together in the microgravity. “I have shields, she doesn’t!”

  Remmy and Agameg opened fire in bursts, mostly hitting Stephanie’s assailant. The suit she was wearing managed to resist several bursts before it was breached, and the rounds of their rifles tore through the woman’s lower torso before they could stop. The rifles were made to break through heavy armour, to kill framework soldiers. Finn never wanted to see what they would do to an unprotected human, but he did then. After only one burst from Agameg and a half-burst from Remmy, Stephanie’s assailant’s torso and legs were only held together by a thin strand of flesh. Blood began to fill the doorway of the vault.