Mech Girl
Page 27
Still, Zia knew Carrak was considering it, because a healthy Malaran pilot had become unexpectedly available. It was Gannor’s cousin Annyak, who had piloted the prowler in the first challenge. Her condition had been so critical, she had been receiving oxygen by artificial means since the last battle, and so—ironically—she had not been exposed to infected particulates. Her pre-lungs were healthy, and her body was healing quickly.
If Malara needed her, she would be ready.
“But she’s a prowler pilot,” Zia had protested when Rem told her the news. Then he had explained that most Malaran pilots cross-trained to a certain extent, except of course on giants. Annyak couldn’t hope to dazzle, but she could perform basic moves on a skirmisher, and her aim and courage were exemplary. She would be a good addition to any warrior team.
The question now was, which would be better? A mighty colossus with a novice pilot, or a skirmisher with an experienced one? Zia knew Rem believed skirmishers to be as useful, at least to a point, as giants.
Luckily, it was Carrak’s decision, and Carrak worshipped her colossus as much as Zia adored her own. She was fairly sure the general would choose her over Annyak, but wanted to increase the odds as much as possible, so as she awaited Rem’s final maneuver, Zia adjusted the intercom so that Rem couldn’t hear her talk to Carrak.
Against Carrak’s objections, the doctors had insisted that the general conduct Zia’s final lesson from a hospital bed on the observation deck, where her condition could be monitored and her meds adjusted as needed. It added a realistic element to the maneuvers that Zia was trying to appreciate, even though having Carrak inside the giant with her had been a source of great security.
But she needed to show them all she could do this on her own, so she summoned her courage and asked Carrak over the intercom, “If Rem can’t topple me, then is the job mine?”
Carrak gave an audible sigh. “He will succeed, Quito. Do your best, but do not feel discouraged if you fail. He is an outstanding pilot, and he has the benefit of excellent training. In time, you could learn to counteract his strategy. But today, you must learn an equally important lesson—how to survive being toppled. It is unlike anything you have experienced over these last four days.”
“My goal in life is to never, ever experience it. So let me try to outmaneuver him. Please?”
Carrak was silent for a moment. Then she admitted, “He would be quite shocked if you could do that.”
“And then you’d let me participate in the challenge?”
Carrak hesitate again, and her tone was guarded when she finally asked, “What is your plan, Quito?”
Zia’s heart pounded. “Remember his last jump? When I leaned down to avoid him? I picked up a rock.”
“Pardon?” Carrak coughed. “A rock?”
“It’s about the size of my head,” Zia explained. “He knows I don’t have any ammo. Even the paint is gone, and I’ll bet he’s been keeping track of it. So he won’t be expecting anything. But I can throw the rock at him. Try to hit his main camera. That’s my goal. And even if my aim is off a little, it might startle him enough so he miscalculates his trajectory. Then I’ll use my jets to keep my balance.”
“You picked up a rock?”
Zia grinned. “Good thinking, right?”
“Yes. Very innovative. We should see what comes of it. Are you ready, Quito?”
“Yes.” Zia turned the intercom back on. “Rem? Can you hear us?”
“What happened? I lost you for a minute. I figure you either messed something up or you were plotting against me.”
Carrak’s voice resounded over the airwaves. “Are you ready, Captain Stone? On my signal, you will topple the Quito colossus. Ready? Go.”
It all happened in an instant. Rem fired his jets and headed into a classic swoop pattern. Zia raised her right arm as if to fire, and she heard him chuckle, which told her he had indeed been keeping track of her paint supply, and therefore knew she was bluffing.
He didn’t bother protecting his camera as he began his descent, and by the time Zia hurled the rock, it was too late for him to do so. She wasn’t sure she hit the camera dead-on, but she took two quick steps backward in the hope that she had done so, and that he would now be blind—at least until he switched to an auxiliary camera or resorted to the view from his paint-splattered windshield.
For extra insurance, she took an additional step to the left.
And just like that, Rem adjusted his path with pinpoint accuracy.
The crash was deafening, the impact monstrous. And the second impact, as she and her colossus hit the ground, was even worse. Zia screamed with fear and frustration, then screamed again, with absolute hilarity, as she realized Rem’s skirmisher had just landed on the ground beside her with an anticlimactic thud.
“Did you see that?” Zia demanded happily. “General Carrak! I took him down with me. Did you see it?”
“Wait till I get my hands on you,” Rem warned her, his voice dazed. “Man, I didn’t see that coming. What the hell was it? It totally effed up my timing.”
“General Carrak?” Zia asked again. “He toppled me, but I toppled him too. That must count for something, right?”
A somber voice replied. “Captain Quito? This is Taryak. General Carrak has been taken to the hospital.”
“What? Is she okay?”
“Her lung collapsed a few moments ago. But she would not allow the doctors to remove her until she witnessed your maneuver. I do not blame her. It was an inspiring sight.”
“Her lung? Oh, God, how serious is that?”
“We will know soon. In the meantime, she left a message for you.” Taryak’s tone was soft with finality. “She said to tell you congratulations. You may have her place in the challenge.”
Chapter 17
All his life, Rem Stone had wanted to be like Daniel Quito—to topple a colossus with a skirmisher, and then save an entire planet in a glorious one-on-one battle. Skirmisher versus skirmisher. He couldn’t imagine anything better.
But he had never really understood or appreciated Daniel Quito’s most important quality—the ability to lead. To inspire confidence. To fight unselfishly. To fight even when defeat seemed inevitable.
Now on the morning of the second challenge, Rem needed to be exactly like his hero. But he didn’t know how. All he could think of doing was jumping into a shuttle, leaving the safety of the Malaran transport, and traveling to the Alluvan vessel to negotiate a new configuration. Convince them to pull back their giants. To make this a skirmisher-versus-skirmisher battle like he had always wanted it to be.
But that wasn’t going to happen. In place of his dream, Rem was living a nightmare. Two giants and a skirmisher on the Alluvan side. And for the Malarans? One giant—piloted by an inexperienced girl; a skirmisher with a recuperating prowler pilot at the helm; and Rem in the Quito skirmisher.
Two-one versus one-two.
It wasn’t just that it had never worked yet. Or that it had never even been tried before.
It couldn’t work. At least not now.
With Carrak—the hero of Zellot—it might have. Probably not, but there would have been hope.
Instead, this was going to be a massacre.
And the worst part was, the others knew it too. Zia’s bravado had descended into despair the moment she heard that Carrak—her leader, her hero—wasn’t going to be part of the team. And Annyak? She was more martyr than anything else—glorious in her self-sacrifice, but also quiet in her acceptance of the truth: she was going to die today.
They were all going to die. And there wasn’t a damned thing Jeremiah Stone could do about it.
* * * *
“Maybe we should go over our strategy one more time.”
Zia exhaled slowly, knowing she should try to seem upbeat, just for Rem’s sake. But what was the point? They had lost their best colossus. They were about to be massacred. There wasn’t any strategy in the universe that could controvert that simple, unavoidable fact.
Rem nodded. “You can do it, Zee. Trust me. When they see your silver-and-red giant, they’ll quake. Use that. Buy me some time.” He cleared his throat. “I’ll take down the first giant, then go after the second one. When I’m doing that, you’ll both team up against their skirmisher. Annyak? Jump him. You’re an amazing strategist, so I know you can do it. Quito? Just keep firing. Target his jets. You’ve got phenomenal aim, so use it.”
Annyak gave a laugh that sounded even more skeptical through the muffled speaker of the oxygen mask she was wearing to prevent being infected by already afflicted Malarans. “It would be ambitious to ask a skirmisher to take down one giant. Our plan requires you to take down two, Rem. If you succeed, you will be legendary. And if you fail,” she added loyally, “you will still be the boldest pilot I have ever met. And the bravest.”
“You’re both so brave,” Zia murmured. “I thought I was too, but I’m so scared, I’m almost numb.”
“Numb is excellent,” Annyak assured her with a wink. “I reached that exalted state several hours ago. Before that, I was weeping like a Zellotian whore.”
Rem grinned. “What a team. I’m arrogant. Annyak’s a comic. And Quito’s completely unpredictable. No one can accuse us of being dull, right? Meanwhile, those Alluvan pilots are boring. I’ve watched the vid of the first challenge a hundred times and never saw one innovative move on their part. Not one flash of brilliance. They can’t adjust. But we can. So we win. Right?”
Zia was about to remind him that the Alluvans didn’t need to be innovative for the upcoming battle. All they had to do was mount a textbook attack, and thanks to their superior firepower, they would win.
Then a new voice—hoarse but electric—stopped her by saying, “Captain Stone is correct. Our victory is preordained because Alluva lacks brilliance. It always has.”
Zia spun toward the wheelchair-bound newcomer. “General Carrak! You’re alive! I thought they were lying to me. Pretending you weren’t dead so I wouldn’t fall apart completely. But here you are!”
“Did you think I would miss this challenge?”
Zia studied her hopefully. The general had more tubes than ever hooked to her body, yet she looked rested and alert. Was it possible she could take over? Relieve Zia of this insane responsibility?
“Thank God, Carrak. You can pilot your own giant now—”
“And doom Malara? They need you, Quito. As much as I want to participate, I know you are the stronger pilot. I would fade within seconds. I would not have the energy to fire, much less to bend and pick up a rock.” Carrak grinned weakly. “I was laughing, did you know? When the doctors wheeled me into surgery? In all my years as a mech pilot, I have never seen a robot throw a rock at an opponent. It was priceless.”
Still smiling, Carrak turned her attention to Annyak. “You saved us in the first challenge with your quick reflexes and your courage. It was enough for a lifetime, but we are asking more. Can you buy Captain Stone some time? It is all he needs. He is the best skirmisher pilot—or rather, the best pilot, skirmisher or otherwise—that I have ever witnessed. It will not take much, Lieutenant Annyak. Give him five minutes, and he will give us victory.”
“I can do that, General,” Annyak promised.
Zia glanced at Rem, knowing he had to be pleased by Carrak’s praise. But just to be sure, she added her own encouragement. “If Annyak can distract the skirmisher, Rem can topple the first giant. I know that from painful experience.”
“But he must topple two giants,” Carrak reminded her. “That has never been done. Not even by your grandfather. And yet, I believe Captain Stone can do it. Do you know why?”
Zia nodded. “Because he’s the best.”
Carrak quirked an eyebrow. “Do you wish to know a secret? From the moment I heard that Quito’s granddaughter was coming to Malara, I could not eat or sleep. Daniel Quito was my hero—the model for all I have ever done. I wanted to meet his successor. I thought it would be you, but now I believe Captain Stone is that pilot. The next Quito—an Earthling so brave, so talented, he can defeat any pilot Alluva chooses to put against him.”
Zia gave Rem a proud smile. “It’s true. If anyone can save Malara, you can. And if you can’t, well, that’s just because the odds were impossible.”
“The odds can be high, but they are never impossible.” Carrak pumped her fist to her chest in a confident salute. “Go to your mechs. It is time for you to do battle.”
Zia eyed her teasingly. “What? No hug?”
When Carrak drew back, showing a rare moment of confusion, Zia assured her, “Just kidding.” Then she executed her own fist-chest salute with so much pride and flair she almost convinced herself they had a chance to do this thing and live to tell about it.
* * * *
While Annyak met with the doctors for some last-minute doses of painkillers, Zia and Rem headed into the cargo hold where the mechs awaited them.
“Look at them,” Zia whispered, awed by the sight of the silver-and-red Quito giant, which had been buffed to a perfect shine, and the red Quito skirmisher, which had also been polished, but wore its irreparable scars and dents proudly. “I never really thought we’d see this day. But here it is.”
“Yeah. I know it sounds crazy but”—Rem shifted his gaze from the mechs to Zia—“I think we can do it.”
“I think so too,” she lied, following his lead.
“You know what to do, right?”
“Grab the attention of the nearest giant, engage him, then retreat before he can hurt me.”
Rem nodded. “Yeah, retreat being the operative word. You can blast your cannons at him, but always from maximum range. Stay as far back as possible so he can’t hit you full force.”
“Got it.”
Rem cleared his throat. “You remember the other part, right? If we don’t win—”
“They’ll want to take me alive so they can show me off? I’m not worried about that, Rem. Carrak is sure they’ll treat me with respect. Even when they finally—well, you know, execute me, it’ll be done painlessly out of respect for my grandfather.” She sighed. “You need to tell them right away that you’re Finn Stone’s grandson. He’s a legend too.”
“We’ll see,” Rem said with a shrug.
Zia knew Carrak had prepared him for the worst. According to challenge tradition, the victorious side could execute the opposing warriors on the spot, or arrest them and broadcast their execution later. They could also arrest and execute the commanding officer and all pilots from prior battles in the same campaign, although Alluva usually spared most of the pilots.
They would not spare an Earthling though. Carrak had no doubt about that.
And they would not spare Carrak either. She was too big a prize given her heroic performance during the first battle, not to mention her status as the hero of Zellot.
“Listen, Zee . . .” Rem rested his hands on her hips. “I know you don’t want to get into this, and neither do I. But we might never see each other again. So . . . can I kiss you? Just for luck?”
She raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his lips lightly. “Good luck, Captain Stone.”
His jaw tensed, and she knew he had wanted more than that, but she had promised herself she’d stay strong—stay focused—and if he really held her close now, she was afraid she’d fall apart.
So she told him with a wistful smile, “I need to be a mech pilot right now, Rem. Nothing else. You’re my commander. And you’re also my hero. Isn’t that enough?”
“Yeah.” His eyes be
gan to blaze with understanding. “That’s plenty. So? Are you ready to do this?”
“Yes, sir.” She saluted him like a true Malaran mech pilot, then walked over to the air platform next to her giant, anxious to be lifted up to the hatch door before she lost her nerve and ran back into his arms.
* * * *
Rem stared after Zia, wondering how she was managing to handle all of this. She hadn’t trained for it. Never wanted it. But damn if she wasn’t good at it.
And like an idiot, you almost sabotaged all that by trying to kiss her.
“Zia will do well,” Annyak said from behind him. “Carrak believes she can perform her role—engage and distract one giant. If that is true, we may actually have a chance for a draw.”
Rem turned to face the Malaran pilot, pleased by the upbeat remark. But Annyak’s eyes seemed glassy, which wasn’t a good sign. And she wasn’t wearing her oxygenator, which seemed like a serious oversight since there were Malaran technicians at various places throughout the cargo hold making last-minute adjustments to the mechs and other equipment.
“Zia and I don’t need masks because the onboard air is filtered. But you can still catch something, so put yours back on till you’re in your mech, okay?”
“The doctors tell me I have become infected,” Annyak said. “It was bound to happen. And at least I do not need to wear that monstrosity anymore.”
“Damn.” He eyed her intently. “How bad do you feel?”
“I feel wonderful thanks to the drugs,” she said with a smile. “They will wear off in a few hours, but by then, it will not matter. I am still the strongest available Malaran pilot, so we should just proceed with our plan.”