“Good luck, Phantoms, and remember to fly Moby air,” Chen said as they were loaded onto the shuttle.
The drop doors beneath the shuttle opened and the shuttle turned, looking toward Roma Prime. From there, it was a reasonably slow descent through the atmosphere to the Roma legion’s home base: Legionnaire Tower.
Mark whistled as he looked down. The tower was four kilometers tall and shaped like a warship with its multi-faced side. Shuttles, drop-ships, and air cars buzzed around it, stopping at hangars that seemed to sprout from every wall. Sarah overlaid the structure, showing him an underground complex easily ten times the size of the above tower.
They reached the tower with an armed contubernium coming to attention as Mark was the first off the shuttle. Mark came to the contubernium leader, saluting, which he replied in kind.
“We’re to escort you to the camp.”
“Thank you, Evocatus Yurek. Lead on if you please.”
They didn’t wear armor and were wearing actual fatigues instead of the nanite film the Phantoms did. But it was obvious they were Elves as Mark felt the now natural sensation of Elves being close. Mark could also feel the others below them as they got into maglev lifts. Only four people were able to fit in them instead of the normal ten. Mark had to half crouch to clear his head.
The Phantoms jacked into the tower’s net, wirelessly passing information as they merged, highlighting where they were going and prevalent information like escape routes and ammunition points. Mark grinned; he’d trained them well, he thought. By the time the lift stopped, they’d integrated fully into the tower’s net.
“You must be Mark Victor.”
“And you Martin Faust.” Mark took off his helmet so he didn’t have to use his speakers as Evocatus Yurek and his men led the other Phantoms to their rooms. Martin Faust looked like a poster-perfect soldier: a twenty-something, with the height and a heavy muscle build, blond hair, and perfect teeth. His eyes showed his true age of about two times what he appeared.
“I guess I have you to thank for all of this training and feeling invincible.”
“I had a role in it.”
“A role in it—that’s a way to put it.” His perfect teeth flashed. “Well, anyway, we haven’t got orders past to bring you here and watch you.”
“What’s the merger initiative doing?”
“We’re working through the changes the body modification has done and to see what they do.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, why?”
“I sent off a report detailing all of that. Charles and the development team have it—they needed to know it to help me make the suit.”
“Charles has effectively been cut out of this phase as the medical sector has taken this over.”
“Probably to try to look relevant still.” Mark rubbed his face. “Idiots.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is going to take a while. Shall we go grab a seat?”
“Let’s go to the mess. They have some coffee too.”
“Read my mind.”
“Sarah, get me access to the medical sector’s people’s records. The stares I’m getting from people gives me the distinct impression they haven’t used suits much.”
“They have a few hours. The most is about thirty hours.”
Mark winced as they reached the mess.
“You might want to get out of the suit. You’ll probably break the chair.”
“Wow, this isn’t good.”
“Pardon?” Martin took two cups of coffee and offered one to Mark, who strapped a gauntlet to his chest as they made their way to a table.
“Sorry, please don’t take offense but that statement tells me how little you know about what you can do.” Nanites streamed from the suit, reinforcing the chair as Mark put his two-ton weight on it without a creak.
Martin looked warily at the chair. “What did you just do?”
“Changed the molecular complex of the chair and its structure to better handle my weight.”
“I had no idea you could do that.”
“Sir, I think it’s time I gave you an impromptu introduction to the body modification you received and the abilities of the Pluto-powered armor suit. You might want to record this.”
It took four hours, by which time three-quarters of Martin’s maniple were listening, with Phantoms intermingled also fielding questions and helping them to understand what Mark was saying.
“Shit, I had no idea.” Martin and the others were now using the net more frequently. They were still slow but at least they were using it. “I see what you mean about the medical sector trying to get some praise out of this thing. If we could use the medical technology from this in a Jupiter suit, then there would be a marked decrease in need for medicos. Do you have that information on the body modification still?”
“All stored in my memory banks.” Mark tapped his head. “Though I can’t release it. There has been a block placed upon it as it’s made by someone unqualified.”
“So it’ll never see the light of day?”
“Well, you say that but both me and Ava created it and, Ava, aren’t you a masters in kinesiology, nanite manipulation, general health, dentistry and, well, don’t want to be showing off now.”
“Ass. And yes, I am, in every major field. Working on minor fields. There’s some interesting stuff I think we could add to the body modification.”
“We have to get the first one understood first. But, Martin, you see, with the improved speed of our minds and the near instantaneous absorption of information, we have quite a few letters now attached to our names.”
“So you’re going to force it down their throats.”
“Hell yes. And then get you guys out of a lab and doing something worthwhile.”
“I look forward to that but I don’t think Senator Rimateus would like it.” Martin dropped them to a private channel. “It seems he’s doing everything he can to slow us getting to know these suits better.”
“That sounds decidedly bad. Sarah, could you look into that for me?”
“On it.”
“All right, Martin, I’ll see what I can do to get your people into some suits and doing some testing of your own.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Well, I’m going to get some coffee and then get to work on seeing what I can do about getting this report published.”
“I’ll make sure you aren’t disturbed. Tell me if you need help.”
“Understood. Sarah, get me Charles.”
“Mark?”
“Hey Charles, so I was wondering if you could help me with a report.”
“I was wondering when you’d ask. I have the applications but there are only a few people on my team qualified. I see you and Ava are already making the medical sector confused.”
“Seems they haven’t seen people who can get honors apply and write their masters while they’re waiting to be accepted. Strange, seems they really didn’t read our report.”
“I shed a tear.”
“Liar.”
“Gomez has a few honors in the medical field, so I’ll have him back it and see if he can find some friends.”
“Thanks, Charles. We’ll keep working on our side. Ava, can you help me with micron biology?”
“Here’s my notes.”
“Thanks.”
“First one who finishes buys the other dinner.”
“All right, you’re on. What if we create a new area of study?”
“Bonus?”
“Sounds good.”
Chapter 39
SLS Moby
Roma, Hellenic system
4/3353
The senators took a tour of the ship a few times, seeing how the people of the Merger Initiative, or MI, were starting slowly working with the Phantoms, getting used to their bodies and their new abilities.
Several of the new MI had been unable to break away from merging. Sometimes they spat out information. The rest of the time, they
were merged, part of the net, getting lost in the information it was nearly impossible to pull them away from it. At that point they usually turned into a vegetable from information overload on their minds or they started spouting incoherent information.
Mark promised himself to never let anyone make people merging capable without properly testing and explaining their new reality.
The things that they did give Mark, he made sure didn’t get into the wrong hands. Some of the ideas he hoped would never see the light of day.
Simulators were constantly being used, everyone trying to keep their skills sharp, work on projects, or train one another. That time dilation was damn useful.
Others worked on the Moby. The crew was small and they welcomed any help to try to get the Moby’s systems operational.
Mark finally got a leave pass to see his goddaughter and Pullo’s wife. He brought a massive pink teddy bear, which his goddaughter, the bouncing ball of energy she was, absolutely loved. Pullo’s wife, Jules—from Andromeda, one of Earth’s colonies—was asked to come to Roma for her expertise on agriculture. She was constantly laughing at Mark’s stories of Pullo back when they were in the EMF. They went walking in the tower’s park; families milled around and kids played.
“What are you thinking of, Mark?” Jules asked as Taylor, his goddaughter, ran around, chasing butterflies.
“I must be doing something right, these kids can laugh and play freely. On Earth, no child ran around so freely, unless they were stealing or trying to get away from the orphanages. It’s good to see kids having fun.”
Taylor tripped over her pink teddy bear; she landed on it, patted it down and started running again.
The adults smiled at her antics. Jules rubbed his shoulder. “Yes, it is.”
Chapter 40
Sensor Outpost 17
Kahlsa, Emdari system
4/3353
Centurion Tuvio had been an intelligence officer for five years after transferring from being a sensor technician in the space legion. He was in charge of watching the sensor inputs and outputs in sector 314J. AIs scanned through billions of sensor readouts from pods deployed that could read for A-drives, gravity changes, communications, and more things than Tuvio could list. This made it easy to track where legion ships where if they were without communication, to see where Maraukian ships were moving, and what Earth and Her Colonies where doing.
At this moment, Tuvio was hunched over Evocatus Castillo. Her screen was flashing a violent red, forgotten as both of them looked at the sensor readout.
“Everyone shut the fuck up and listen,” Tuvio said. The room instantly became quiet. “Get me a direct line to command. Castillo, get five others to check the data—have the AIs run through it again. It’s about to get real busy real fucking fast.”
“Line to command but they don’t seem pleased.”
“Fuck ’em. Connect.”
“Hello…Centurion…”
Tuvio ignored how long it took the communications officer to find his name as he rolled right over him. “I’ve got a priority one alpha. Pass me up.”
“I need confirmation.”
“Overridden by emergency code one echo.”
“Passing you up.” The communication officer’s tone rapidly changed as he forced a connection to the district chief.
“What’s the meaning of this? I’m in a briefing.”
Tuvio looked to Castillo, who, with round eyes, nodded back. The AIs and the five others confirmed it.
“We have an emergence.”
“We have hundreds of thousands of legion ships emerging all of the time.”
“This wasn’t a human ship and sir, I’m in sector 314J—inner Earth colonies.”
“Shit. I’m connecting the inner systems officer.”
“What’s this that’s got you so rattled?”
“We have an emergence of Maraukian assault ships within the Gilese system.”
“You confirmed?”
“All of my AIs and six humans over the raw feeds. It’s real.”
“I’m going to connect you to the legates of the Ninth.” Tuvio said finally, inputting in emergency commands.
“How bad is it to wake me up for this?” A tired voice asked through the channel as soon as it connected.
Tuvio felt his throat dry up as his nerves played up, still he forged onwards and hoped that he said everything right.
“We have a Maraukian emergence in the Gilese system.”
Centurion Tuvio realized who he was talking to as he looked at the names of the three most powerful legates in the entire legion: Damus Horucki Versanti, Julio Melchor Alves, and Fabius Losa Varius. Commanders of the legion, armored legion, and space legion.
“Confirmed?”
“Yes, Legatus of the armored legion.”
“No need for titles, son. Shit has hit the fan too much for them now. All right, pump all of the information you can get out straight to us. We’ll redirect it to those who need it. Time since emergence?”
“Five minutes.”
“Outstanding job. Keep it going, Legate Tuvio. You’re now central intelligence officer for this.”
“Legate?”
“If you keep up as prescribed, I’ll make it official.”
“Yes, sir!” Tuvio said with new fire.
“Data as fast as you can. It’s time to wake the legions.”
Chapter 41
SLS Moby
Roma, Hellenic system
4/3353
Mark was watching his Phantoms intermingle with the other Elves as they fought off a Maraukian horde. Training was slow and painful but they’d been at it for a month and a half now. Those who had stayed were improving in leaps and bounds. There was still a way to go till they were able to be counted as Phantom Lords but at least now they weren’t show troops but actual legionnaires.
The world flashed red as Mark got a message.
“What’s wrong?” Ava asked, feeling Mark’s turmoil of emotions.
“There’s been a Maraukian emergence in Gilese system.” Mark broadcasted across the entire net as the world faded from view and everyone left the simulated battle.
Another message passed over his HUD seconds before the base’s AI repeated the same.
“All battle ready units are to report to assigned launch pads and shuttle bays.” It repeated over and over as Phantoms stepped into their suits and ran full diagnostics as they checked themselves over.
“All right, Phantoms, we’re moving out. The rest of you are to continue training. I’m going to make a double of myself in the program to guide you through it. I will connect to it when I can and if I see anyone slacking, there’ll be hell to pay. Look after yourselves.”
The MIs sent emotional feedback about continuing their training, annoyed they couldn’t do more.
Mark and the Phantoms took off on their ground-eating lope as they passed through the corridors to the armory.
“Ready packs along the wall ammunition cans. Rear weapon vault open. Mark, I have that surprise waiting in your packs. Three rounds only.”
“Thank you, Charles.” Mark ran through and slapped himself into a harness pod, which clamped onto his back while his M20s locked around his arms and his cuirass circled his abdomen, clamping to him. Checking everything was attached, he walked out; the harness cycled down with the next Phantoms cycling up as they ran into it.
Sarah used anti-grav to clamp high-density ammunition boxes onto every open area on Mark as he picked up four of the thirty-kilo boxes in his hands. He walked out of the room with ammo boxes making him look like a human blackberry on top of two boxy legs. Charles and his team still had trouble with just their packs keeping pace with the Phantoms as they boarded the shuttle. The weight skyrocketed.
“Goddamn.” The cargo master looked at the now familiar Phantoms. “Mark, can you get your people to drop the ammo boxes in the holds so you can fit in the harnesses as well as those packs?”
“On it.”
After a
few minutes, the Phantoms were in position and moving toward the maglev launcher.
“On the ramp,” the shuttle commander said as the hatches cycled and sealed completely.
“Punching.”
The shuttle kicked, exceeding five gees momentarily before rapidly coming back to normal and they were clearing the atmosphere.
Mark looked at a map of the Roma system. It appeared as a hologram through his NIAI-manipulated eyes. It was as if a switch had been flicked. Shuttles were lifting from the planet in numbers Mark had never seen. Hundreds of thousands of them flew through the system, resupplying ships, moving supplies and ships. Legion and civilian were in the air but there was no way to tell them apart as they intermingled.
The massive shipyards of Roma were a swarm. Three-kilometer-long supply ships from all corners of Roma’s reach were flying directly for them. The standby armada made of the smallest and fastest of the Roma space legion’s ships were already moving toward the jump point to Limus and then Gilese. The follow-up armada were forming like some massive puzzle. Dreadnaughts and battlecruisers formed around carriers, with swarms of stealth ships around them or on the outer edges of the armadas.
Mark looked at the war machine which was the heart of Roma. It scared and excited him. Billions of legionnaires were now in transit across hundreds of solar systems. Supply ships carrying weaponry and armor were being transmitted to the outer rim and those who needed it badly, where soldiers were being pulled from. It seemed as though the part of the galaxy humans controlled was stirring.
The Moby came into view as they clamped to an exterior hatchway. It cycled, revealing first mate Carla Grenshaw. Mark fell through the zero gravity with ease; his boots came to land as he hit gravity at the other side of the hatch.
“First mate.”
“Mark, same rack as normal. Chen wanted me to say hello.”
“Thanks, Carla. We’ll get ourselves sorted out. Charles is with us, too. You might want to know.”
“Thanks for the prior warning.” She grinned and walked off to some other activity on the ship as the Phantoms passed their gear out of the shuttle and into the battleship before filing out and getting into their rooms.
The Tenth Awakens (Maraukian War Book 1) Page 25