Jenner shook his head at the skeptical Marine. “Nope. I’ve seen our fighters blow those things up, and it requires at least four seconds using a far stronger laser even when the shield is down at the oculus. This was instantaneous and total.”
He gave Mia a respectful smile. “Let’s get this code of yours replicated and out to the fleets. Then we’ll talk to the governor about reprogramming the defense arrays.”
“Already handled.”
“Ma’am? I mean, I expected you and Alex were communicating with each other—and I guess with another of—another person—at EASC. But don’t we still have to distribute the code for the signal through channels to the various ships?”
Mia shrugged mildly. “Like I said, already handled. The signal and instructions for using it are being pushed out to the ships here as we speak, as well as to both militaries’ contingents at Seneca. Though I’m not sure they really need it there, as Alex performed her own magic on the Metigen vessels.”
The corners of Jenner’s eyes creased as he stared at her. Great, she’d frightened another one…. “And the arrays?”
“Meno managed to hack the encryption on the arrays shortly after we left the bunker—it would have been rude to do it while we were standing in the room with the governor and the defense chief. We have to make a couple of adjustments to the control ware, but the nodes should begin broadcasting the signal in the next few minutes.” She pursed her lips in mild irritation. “The defense turrets are on a closed system, though, so I can only access them from the bunker.”
He squinted oddly at her, then gazed around at his men. “All right, let’s move back to the bunker. We’ll take out any swarmers we come across on the way.”
As they reversed course to return to the command center, he glanced at her again. “Is there anything….” His voice drifted off as he frowned, then frowned more deeply.
“Problem?”
“Sorry. Information from Command.” He scanned the group. “Why hasn’t Beta Squad shown up yet?”
“Said they got held up rescuing some injured, sir. They’re on their way now.”
She’d known him for literally minutes, but Mia thought Jenner had a strange look in his eyes as he nodded ponderously. “I’m sure they’ll catch up to us.”
We are down to eight nodes remaining operational on the defense arrays.
Once they get that beam working on the warships, it won’t matter.
True enough. I am ashamed it took me so long to devise the proper signal propagation. In retrospect it appears a quite simple solution.
They usually do. And don’t be ashamed—we merely needed to work together on the problem is all.
Your fresh perspective was most helpful, Mia.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
You’re suggesting we are both more intelligent and more clever as a unit than either of us were apart?
I am. Don’t you agree?
Very much so. Not knowing how you felt, I didn’t want to mention it.
You only need look to learn how I feel about, well, everything.
I know. I am trying to respect your privacy, but I confess it is proving difficult.
It’s okay, Meno. My thoughts are your thoughts. You’re part of me now.
I am.
51
SPACE, NORTH-CENTRAL QUADRANT
SENECA STELLAR SYSTEM
* * *
THE TWO SUPERDREADNOUGHTS were accelerating when they smashed into one another twenty degrees off head-on. The force of untold kilotonnes of hyper-strong metal colliding burst outward in a conflagration of material and energy for half a megameter to wreck every vessel in its path, Metigen and human alike.
Most of the United Fleet ships managed to get clear of the blast, but two frigates and perhaps a dozen fighters were not so lucky. Still, the aftermath of the collision damaged an additional three SDs and a host of swarmers, so the incident came out markedly in their favor.
In the upper right sector of Quadrant Two—within visual range from the bridge of the Leonidas—an SD fired wildly, intending to hit an Alliance cruiser but catching the undercarriage of one of its brethren instead.
That settled the question.
Field Marshal Gianno allocated half her attention to the semi-circle of holos to her left. “We’re starting to see evidence of Ms. Solovy’s corruption of the SD programming. It’s sporadic and unpredictable, but it is overtly manifesting.”
After receiving concurrence from the others she activated the fleet-wide channel. “All pilots be on alert for unusual behavior by Metigen vessels. Scan for new opportunities and act on them, but don’t get caught unawares. Expect anything.”
Next she turned to Admiral Cavaste. She was on the Leonidas as commander of the Federation military, not as captain of the flagship. Some friction was unavoidable, but there had been plenty of duties to keep them both busy thus far. “Thoughts?”
Cavaste checked the viewport. “We’re got this new signal coming in that’s supposed to strip their shields, right? I think we find an SD acting squirrelly in Quadrant Two, paint it with the signal and shoot it. Then we find another.”
Her terse nod sufficed as permission, and he refocused on the tactical map. The considerable range of the dreadnought’s weapons meant they need not advance too far into the chaotic fray in order to find targets, and she was confident Cavaste would warn the other ships in the vicinity to stay out of their weapons’ trajectory.
Rear Admiral Lushenko (SFS Isonzo): Marshal Gianno, I’ve lost control of the 22nd Brigade’s entire fighter complement to the Artificial.
The officers were edgy about Artificials playing a role in the battle—if they knew the true nature of the intelligence many would be inclined to revolt—and she had not discouraged the sentiment. They served as her unwitting early warning signals of possible trouble.
Field Marshal Gianno: Understood.
She moved directly in front of the holo feed from the sim room on Deck 5.
Morgan stood in the center of the empty, dark room, her profile carving a shadow against a backdrop of virtual stars. The young woman would be seeing much more, of course, flying through the battlefield with her thoughts. Her hands jerked in erratic cadences at her sides, the residual byproduct of the actions of her mind and the Artificial joined with it.
“Commander Lekkas, what are you doing?”
The response came through gritted teeth. “Busy.”
“You’re controlling eighty-six fighters. Now ninety. This exceeds your operating parameters by a significant margin.” The phrasing made it sound like Morgan was a machine…but she was, wasn’t she? At the very least the line between man and machine had been blurred into indistinctness.
As if on cue, a thin line of blood trickled out of Lekkas’ nose to remind Eleni of the human component of the equation.
They had no idea the long-term effects of such a taxing two-way connection on the human mind or body. The Prevos didn’t reside on the bleeding edge of science—they were over the cliff, halfway to the ground below and trying to fly on capricious wings.
“Commander, ease up.”
“Just watch. I’ve got this.”
The indefinable entity that was the Lekkas-STAN unit had performed exceptionally well thus far. All the Prevos had. And the simple truth was no one had any idea where their limits resided, or even if they existed at all. But this was the weapon they had crafted to win the war, so they may as well use it. Gianno turned her back on the holo to zoom her map in and track the fighter groups now under Lekkas’ control.
They were fleeing. Rather than seeking targets, the fighters sped toward the fringes of the conflict zone, strafing and diving in evasive maneuvers which individually appeared random but en masse became a rhythmic, almost hypnotic dance.
An increasing number of swarmers pursued them. The deceptively panicked behavior of the fighters drew more and more of the alien vessels into their wake as they passed through the turbulent combat,
like hounds catching the scent of blood. Every so often a fighter would lob a sideways potshot with an arcalaser to lure another one onto their trail. Where were they going?
“She’s leading them to here.”
She looked over as Admiral Rychen drew a circle on their shared map around a point beneath the heaviest fighting in Quadrant Six. “EA Recon #2 has dropped six negative energy bombs there.”
“Ah.” The events occurring across Senecan space were orders of magnitude beyond what any single person could track, so it didn’t concern her that she’d been unaware of the placement of the bombs. Some division of responsibility was the only way they had managed to control the engagement thus far…assuming they were in fact the ones controlling it and not their Faustian creations.
Debris from a splintering SD washed over the grouping, taking out four fighters and three swarmers. She checked Lekkas’ holo to see a second trickle of blood seep out the other nostril.
“Get a medic on standby outside the sim room, but tell them not to enter yet.”
The cavalcade reached the region Rychen had indicated with several hundred swarmers in tow. The lead fighters continued on straight through it. Then the rearmost fighters suddenly accelerated—well past any safe speed—to close ranks as the swarmers entered the zone.
As one every fighter flipped ninety degrees in one of four directions and spread out in perfect synchronicity in a starburst pattern away from the mined space.
A second later the bombs detonated in a menacing obsidian conflagration which seemed to roil space itself, shredding more than four hundred swarmers in a single act.
The fighters drifted out of formation and adopted haphazard trajectories, a sign control had been released to their pilots.
Gianno immediately returned her attention to Lekkas. The woman wiped the back of her hand across the base of her nose as she opened her eyes and blinked at the cam sending her feed to the bridge. “I’m good.”
“Yes, you are. Well done, Commander.”
52
ROMANE
INDEPENDENT COLONY
* * *
THE SKIES AND THE STREETS WERE full of enemy ships as they made their way back across the eight blocks they’d managed to traverse during the hunt for a target on which to test the disruptor beam.
The tentacled ships were now in rather plentiful supply, a sign the invaders were moving into the heart of the city. They took out two swarmers in three blocks, and it was tremendously satisfying both times. Having seen the destruction the alien vessels had wrought in only hours, Malcolm took great satisfaction in blowing them up. As did his companion, it appeared.
Mia Requelme was…it would be inaccurate to say she was not what he’d expected. Seeing Alex had acclimated him to the Prevos’ physical oddities, and he’d otherwise born no expectations beyond a reasonable level of intelligence and technological savviness. She met those standards, no question. Beyond that, she was refreshingly blunt and assertive. She wasn’t a soldier…but she seemed to have the heart of one.
They were halfway to the bunker when the alien ships started falling out of the sky. More specifically, the Alliance ships started shooting them out of the sky.
He signaled a halt and activated his comm. “Admiral Fullerton, can I assume you received the signal code?”
“Yes, Colonel, and it is extremely effective.”
“You have the ‘freak of nature’ to thank for it.”
Fullerton merely grunted in response, but the point had been made.
He fell in beside Mia as they resumed their course. “Impressive work. Your invention may take down the entire Metigen fleet here and save Romane.”
She exhaled in noticeable relief. “That was my goal—”
Malcolm thrust his arm out to shove her against the side of the building as he flattened on the wall beside her. The lieutenant carrying the modified SAL raised it in the direction of the next intersection. Two seconds later a swarmer sped into the open—
—and disintegrated into shrapnel as the laser from an Alliance fighter tore into it.
Most of the Marines with him hooted and hollered, fist-pumping the fighter as it buzzed the intersection on its way to its next target. Malcolm allowed himself momentary levity in the form of a pleased nod. “That, ladies and gentlemen, is what winning looks like.”
“Yes, sirree!”
“All right, no need to swagger quite yet. Lot of enemies still in the sky. Let’s get to the bunker so we can push this signal out to the defense turrets and finish the job.”
They were a block from the bunker when Beta Squad came jogging around the corner.
Malcolm instantly tensed and stepped forward to place himself between Mia and the advancing men. He’d been on edge ever since receiving an alert regarding one of the members of Beta Squad shortly after their initial test of the disruptor beam. Now he replayed it in his mind.
Colonel Jenner,
You are hereby ordered to arrest Major Case Spencer of the 4th SW MSO Platoon on suspicion of colluding with the Metigen invaders or agents thereof. He should be considered extremely dangerous and appropriate precautions taken. He must be disarmed and detained at the soonest available opportunity.
‘Appropriate precautions’ weren’t exactly available on an open street in the middle of a war zone. He kept his expression blank. “Major, what took you so long?”
The Marine gestured in the direction they had come from. “Had to dig a little girl out of some wreckage. You know how it is.”
“I do.” He scrutinized Spencer as his hand slid to the Daemon at his hip. Was he really going to do this? The order had originated from a place of authority and a superior officer, not to mention from a man he knew personally. Still, it was outside the chain of command and came without explanation.
“What have you all been up to?”
One of the men piped up before Malcolm could silence him. “This woman here figured out how to shut off their shields. We can blow them up nice and pretty now. We’re heading back so she can reprogram the groundside defenses.”
Spencer brandished a snarl. “That’s her, huh? The cyborg freak?”
Resolve solidified, Malcolm drew his weapon and sighted down on the man. “Major Case Spencer, you are under arrest on suspicion of colluding with enemy forces. You will be taken into custody pending a full hearing.”
Spencer began gradually raising his arms in the air, but his hands remained fisted. “It’s too late, by the way.”
“What’s too late?”
His left hand opened to reveal a small device in his palm. His thumb was already pressing on it and Malcolm was already firing.
Mia’s shoulder jostled into him; he spun just in time to catch her on her way to the ground. Her entire body was convulsing in a seizure of some kind. Her eyes had rolled back in her head to leave only the whites showing.
He flung an arm behind him in Spencer’s direction. “Restrain him, now!” Then he eased her to the ground, keeping a hand behind her head so she didn’t crack her skull against the stone while thrashing.
Abruptly the convulsions stopped and she sagged bonelessly in his grasp. Two fingers went to her neck. “I’ve got a pulse. She’s alive.”
A member of Alpha Squad whose name he didn’t yet know crouched beside him. “I’m a medic. Let me take a look at her.”
He relinquished her to the man’s care and stood to see one of the squad commanders placing wrist restraints on Major Spencer while two others held him to the ground. The shot had been absorbed by his shield but had dazed the man long enough to prevent escape.
“What did you do?”
Spencer managed a gurgling laugh. “Blew up her house, Colonel. Her synthetic master is no more.”
“For God’s sake, why?”
“You want Artificials for our new overlords? Cause I sure as hell don’t.”
“You imbecile!” Malcolm caught himself and worked to tamp down the rage. They were exposed and in danger out here on the stree
t.
He turned to the Marines not involved in subduing Spencer. “We’re almost to the bunker. Carry her there—gently. If they don’t have a physician on site, we’ll evacuate her to the Orion.” His gaze reverted coldly to the prisoner. “Take him with us, too. Less gently.”
As they took care in lifting Mia’s limp form, Malcolm dragged a hand down his face to bury a frustrated growl. At least the code for the disruptor beam had gotten out, been put to use and propagated to the other ships. Thousands and more likely millions of lives would be saved today.
But damn was he going to be pissed if the price was this one.
53
SPACE, NORTH-CENTRAL QUADRANT
SENECA STELLAR SYSTEM
* * *
THE SHEER NUMBER OF SHIPS IN MOTION—now, many hours after the campaign had begun and when so many had been destroyed—was beyond counting.
The scale of the battle playing out in the space above Seneca transcended anything Caleb had ever seen in historical vids, much less in person. The debris field and the continuing combat overlapped one another to span more than ten megameters, well outside the range of the visual scanner. Beneath the chaos Seneca orbited peacefully, thus far untouched by the blitzkrieg. Depending on the outcome, it would either endure or be shattered.
Part of him was stunned to note how many of the ships continuing to fly were human ships. Despite all the advantages they had brought to bear in this clash, the odds were still stacked against them. Or so he had thought.
Beyond the smallest of groupings there existed no separation between Alliance and Federation vessels. Both filled the sky to dodge and attack numerous alien superdreadnoughts and scores of swarmers.
As he surveyed the fray, the realization dawned that they were doing rather more attacking than dodging. He’d seen a few glimpses of footage from previous engagements with the aliens, and the superdreadnoughts did not appear to be acting nearly so aggressive as before. Their shots were late to chase ships already gone and their tactics disorganized in often failed attempts to evade fire rending with unexpected force into their hulls.
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