Jia frowned. “If you haven’t decrypted it, how do you know that?”
“I made the traitor spill it before I blew his brains out.” Agent Caul took a long, shuddering breath. “I’ve transmitted the data to Earth, but it’ll take weeks to get there, and the response will take more weeks. I’ll probably be dead before I hear back.”
Jia smiled. “If we had access to a dedicated AI system with experience breaking conspiracy encryption, how long do you think it’d take?”
Agent Caul laughed. “Not long, but can I have a unicorn and a lamp with a genie while we’re at it?”
Jia held out her hand. “You have it on a data rod? Give it to us, or copy it. Whatever works. We’ll take it from here. You can continue hiding out until the situation’s more stable. We can get it decrypted.”
“You can, can’t you?” Agent Caul looked her up and down, an incredulous expression on his face. “If half the stories about you are true, we don’t need a unicorn or a genie.”
Jia, Erik, and Malcolm sat around the galley table, waiting. Malcolm might be an expert on systems penetration and digital forensics, but that wasn’t the same thing as being able to easily crack custom conspiracy encryption, especially on a tight timeline. They’d transmitted a message to Emma explaining the situation and were now waiting. At their current distance from the jumpship, they expected a one-way transmission delay of about thirty minutes. Between the Argo’s and jumpship’s antennae arrays, combined with knowing exactly where the latter ship was, they were confident they would have a decent transmission, but they hadn’t tried to send one, figuring radio silence was the best option during their initial landing.
A message alert popped up on their PNIUs, routed from the Argo’s primary system. Erik brought up the message and smiled.
Hurry up and transmit the entirety of the data, fleshbags. It’ll distract me from my other work, but I’m confident I can decrypt the files. I can’t guarantee a specific timetable, but if I devote my primary attention to it, I suspect it’ll be days at most.
“That answers that,” Erik commented.
“What do we do in the meantime?” Malcolm asked.
Jia shook her head. “You should continue burrowing into local systems, at least the local systems that are still active, including any drones. We don’t need control, but we do need to know what’s going on. It could take Emma only hours to crack that encryption, or it could take three days, but the Elites are going to keep moving. We should also get our drones ready.”
“They'll just get shot down.”
“Better to have a couple of seconds of intel than none.”
Erik nodded his agreement. “For now, we’ll stay close to the hangar, but get the exos ready to deploy if something comes up. The Core thinks they’ve blinded the ID by taking out all their agents, but we’re here now, and it’s time to take the fight to them.”
Chapter Forty-One
October 17, 2230, Gliese 581, New Samarkand, Sogdia, Aboard the Argo
Jia moved her finger over the trigger of her simulated rifle, narrowing her eyes and pondering the apparent distance between her and the spinning orange spherical target in the distance. She stood in an open grassy field, with wispy clouds floating overhead. The occasional bird glided by. It didn’t quite smell right—nano-AR never did—but it looked and sounded right.
Questionable scents weren’t what was bothering her. The training scenario was focused on long-range shots, but it accomplished that via size tricks rather than anything approaching true spacing. She always worried that the simulation technique was subtly and incorrectly training her brain. Her accuracy in battle didn’t seem to be suffering, but her doubts remained.
She pulled the trigger, and the target exploded in a shower of sparks. Satisfying, even if fake.
Erik clapped from beside her. “Nice. You’re one hundred percent today.”
Jia flipped the safety back on and set the rifle on her shoulder. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t real. Proper firearms-handling protocol should always be practiced. Muscle memory became habit.
“I feel like we should be doing more,” she commented.
“More training?” Erik squinted into the distance. “We could make the program more difficult if you want, add some run and gun. I didn’t want to do anything that would tire us out while we’re on a mission. We don’t know when we’ll next have to move.”
Jia shook her head. “I’m not talking about training. I’m talking about the mission. I’m talking about doing more than waiting around for Emma to crack the encryption. She admitted she had no idea how long it might take. I know what I said to Malcolm the other day, but this doesn’t feel like we’re being proactive. There has to be something more we can do.”
Erik shrugged. “Like what? Not a lot we can do before that. The situation here is too hot for us to drive around poking at the rebels randomly, and the next time we get involved in a firefight, whoever’s in charge of the nearest unit might not feel as charitable toward someone he thinks is an ID agent or even a merc. Emma knows what’s at stake. If it’s going to take a long time, she’ll let us know, and we can figure out then how we want to proceed.”
Jia laughed. “We did everything we could to get here as quickly as possible, and now we have to wait. The universe is laughing at us.”
“Hurry up and wait.” Erik grinned. “I’m used to that. It’s the unofficial motto of the military.”
“It’s not just that.” Her smile dimmed. “Now that we’re out here, I want to do more to stop the insurrection. People are dying. This colony is dying. The Core is helping kill it for its own twisted reasons. I don’t care what they are. I only know that we need to stop them.”
“We’ll do our jobs, and that will help. I don’t know what else is in those files, but at the minimum, if we can give the military intel on the Elites, they can pick them off.”
Jia considered that for a moment. “The ID might not want the data being shared so freely.”
“Too bad they’re weeks away by comm and months away for anyone who doesn’t have a jump drive,” Erik replied. “Alina knew the risks when she sent us out here, and she knows we make the calls we feel are best, and that those might not be what’s best for the ID.”
“I’m not disagreeing. I just wanted to make sure we’re in agreement.”
“We are.” Erik brought a fist up in front of him. “If the military can take out those Elites, the rebels will lose a lot of offensive power. I’ve been in this kind of campaign before. Rebels may be brave, but they’re mindlessly stupid. If they don’t think they can win, the rebellion will sputter to a stop pretty quickly, just like it did on Diogenes’ Hope. Momentum is everything in counterinsurgency ops.”
Jia tapped her PNIU. The targets and the green field disappeared, revealing the featureless compact room. She set the rifle down and it melted into the floor, the nanites forming it returning to storage. Flexible reality, more limited than it seemed.
“Hurry up and wait, huh?” Jia asked. “You mentioned it before, but I don’t think I’ve ever truly appreciated it until this mission.”
“We already took down three Elites,” Erik offered. “And saved a squad, along with a bunch of civilians. Things are going better than you think. We're making progress.”
“That’s one—”
“There’s trouble,” interrupted Malcolm, his voice coming out of the room’s intercom rather than their PNIUs. “Sorry to mess with your training, but I thought you’d want to know because you might have to shoot some stuff.”
“Where are you?” Jia asked.
“Cockpit.”
“We’ll be right there.”
A gaggle of data windows filled the cockpit upon Jia and Erik’s arrival. Most were empty and displayed the same message, an error code followed by an explanation.
DRONE FEED INTERRUPTED. ATTEMPTING RECONNECTION…
About a quarter of the feeds remained active, the source drones keeping close to the edges of building
s or hovering above the grounds. Collectively, they did a decent job of providing views from around the dome. In one feed, two squads of Army exoskeletons advanced at a modest pace, followed by what looked like a full infantry platoon. Three hovertanks floated down the broken streets in a line, their cannons blasting rounds while rockets exploded around them. In a third feed, a group of Torch Dragons and bug Elites surrounded an exoskeleton squad, devastating them with cannons and rocket fire.
Jia grimaced. “Not the best timing for us.”
“No more than we’d expect,” Erik replied. “At least no one’s trying to blow the domes.”
Similar scenes played out on the other active feeds. Rebel, mercenary, and Elite forces attacked Army troops at locations all over the city. A gunship screamed toward one of Malcolm’s drones. After a bright flash from its guns, the feed died. A squad of rebel soldiers fired at another drone. Another feed died.
“That’s about what I’d expect, too,” Erik commented.
“Most of the drones were, uh, borrowed,” Malcolm offered, his voice somber. “That’s something. No bill.”
Jia folded her arms. “Even the military can’t keep many drones in the air, which is not surprising. The rebels have also taken out almost all the cameras, including the ones on the domes’ roofs.”
“That’s probably another thing the Core spent time scoping out,” Erik concluded. “But that’s the past. We need to worry about the situation right now, right here.”
Malcolm licked his lips nervously. “I originally had views around the rest of the city, but I’ve been trying to keep our drones in reserve. Not on Earth for easy repair.” He gestured at a group of data windows ringed in red. “These probably aren’t destroyed drone feeds. I think the rebels are jamming those areas as they advance. I swear, every time one of those gunships shows up, things start going wonky.”
“Easier to jam a wider area if you’re higher,” Jia ventured. “Not a bad strategy.”
“And the Elites aren’t remote-controlled, so it doesn’t matter.” Erik nodded slowly. “Under normal circumstances, that might not be worth the damage to both sides, but this feels more like terrorism than war, even if they’re pulling off a major multifront offensive.” He scratched his eyelid. “They’re trying to push through, but I doubt it’s going to be enough.”
“Are you sure?” Jia asked. “More importantly, how can you be so sure? They’re attacking all over. They might have most of their forces committed.”
Erik pointed at a feed where a tank anti-aircraft laser ventilated a gunship. “They do have a lot of forces out, but it’s haphazard. They’re pushing forward, but they don’t have decent air support where they need it, and they’ve spread themselves out. No combined arms in most cases, and we know they have that capability. It’s like they grabbed everybody and threw them in a bunch of directions to draw out the Army.”
“If the rebels are spread out, that means the Army gets spread out too.”
Jia inclined her head toward one of the exo squads. She wanted to believe what Erik said, but it was hard not to worry about good, dedicated soldiers getting killed by Core-manipulated rebels and cybernetic monsters. There was things getting worse before they got better, and then there was human brains in bot and vehicle bodies delivering death to a city.
Erik nodded. “Sure, that’s all true, but the Army’s got more forces. They’ve also got decent-sized formations from what we see in the feeds. The rebels and their friends are using only small squads, raiding groups, really. They can inflict damage, but they’ll end up taking more overall, using this strategy. Rebels aren’t going to win a war of attrition, even with the Elites and the mercs. I don’t know who’s calling the shots on their side, but I’m not impressed.”
Over half of Malcolm’s drone feeds had died. In one, an Army exoskeleton squad rallied, quickly pushing past the rebel infantry surrounding them. The rebel soldiers began to fall under the exoskeletons’ hail of fire before breaking and running.
“Maybe this is the last big push,” Jia suggested, her gaze locked on a feed. “Their final battle.”
“It could be. That’d be convenient for the garrison forces.” Erik motioned to another drone feed that showed a large group of mercenaries pulling out of a building without any sign of Army forces nearby. Explosions in the background pointed at the nearest battle. “But not everyone seems interested in reinforcing their friends. You don’t always get what you pay for.”
They continued to watch the feeds, but within a minute, all of Malcolm’s remaining drones had either been shot down or jammed. Most of the fierce battles they’d been watching were far from over. In some, the Army forces had the advantage, but in others, the rebel raiders were inflicting serious damage.
Malcolm laughed nervously, fluffing his shirt. “So, we’re waiting on Emma.” He rubbed his neck. “We can’t do our part until then, and we’re not here to shoot random rebels. The rebels will probably get pushed back, but maybe we should leave until this is all settled, just to be safe. That makes sense. Right?
He pressed his fingers into three of the screens. An overhead map of their dome appeared, showing the Argo’s position and red dots within a couple of kilometers.
“Some of them are very close,” Jia concluded, with narrowed eyes. “Not surprising considering where we are, but it is concerning.”
Malcolm shook a finger with gusto. “Exactly. Very close and very concerning. I totally agree.”
“But we can’t leave,” Jia continued, shaking her head.
“W-we can’t? What about everything I just said?”
“Jia’s right,” Erik added. “We knew what we were getting into when we agreed to come here. We’ve got the turrets as a last line of defense if it comes to that.”
Malcolm motioned around the room. “They’re not designed for pinpoint attacks against this size target.”
“Sure, but the typical Elite or exo isn’t moving as fast. You’re right, they’re overkill, and we pretty much guarantee collateral damage. It’d be risky to have the Argo lift and hover, so either we stay put, or we fly into orbit. Even if we could survive a couple of SAMs, Lanara will murder us before she finishes the repairs.” Erik looked at Jia.
She nodded. “The turrets can be the last line of defense, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be our own first line. From what I saw on those feeds, a show of force might be enough.”
“Good call.” Erik turned to the door. “Tell Lanara what’s happening, Malcolm. Jia and I are going to suit up and defend the hangar from outside. If anyone gets too close, you and Lanara can shoot them with a turret or a laser rifle. Whatever works. If we’re lucky, the Army will keep them away, and anyone who gets through won’t be interested in fighting.”
“Lucky, yeah.” Malcolm slumped in his chair and wiped the sweat off his brow. “Next time I go on a mission to a warzone, I want two hundred guys with missile launchers camping in the cargo bay.”
Jia laughed and followed Erik out the door. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to make you put on an exoskeleton, but active drone support would be nice until they start jamming. Fewer surprises mean fewer chances we get hurt.”
Malcom sat up, confidence returning to his face. He raised his hands and held them above two virtual keypads. “Active drone support. Yes. That I can do.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Erik stretched his fingers inside the arm of the exoskeleton as he marched beside Jia, ready for trouble. The hangar door closed behind them, concealing and protecting the Argo. They’d won their battle at the checkpoint, but they’d had to rely on a vehicle that wasn’t meant to take on military-grade enemies. He was more comfortable in his preferred work attire. Some men liked suits, but he would always prefer an exoskeleton.
From what he’d already seen on the planet, and from what Malcolm had derived from the public reports, the typical Elite wasn’t deploying the experimental energy shields they’d seen on Alpha Centauri. However, their maneuverability and firepower wer
e still a danger, and there was a diversity of weapons systems even among the same type of Elites. An enemy with a mind was a dangerous enemy, and the rebellion’s ability to continue to push back and harry the much larger garrison force was proof of the effectiveness of the Elites.
Jia expanded her ballistic shield and stepped away from Erik. Malcolm’s small drones whirred overhead. They circled the building, staying close and providing a steady stream of alternative feeds and sensor contacts to the pair. No snipers or rockets blew them out of the sky—a promising start.
“We’ve got someone one and a half klicks out,” Erik commented after reading a sensor display. “But they’re moving parallel to our position and heading straight into some Army assault infantry. Even if they come this way, they’ll be torn up by the exos on their tail. I’m not liking all the aerial units around. Tagging at least five gunships within six klicks, but they’re going in the opposite direction now.”
Loud alarms squealed in nearby sectors, adding to the noise. The battles thundered all around, providing ground-shaking booms, along with the staccato symphony of gunfire. Exploding aircraft became burning meteors, falling into the ground to add insult to the extensive injuries the city had already suffered. Whatever small portions of the city had avoided being marked by the horrible war were probably now being scarred. Domes left nowhere to run and backed everyone, rebel and soldier alike, into a desperate corner.
“I’ve been in a lot of battles,” Jia murmured with a shiver. “But I understand now that war is different.”
“Yeah,” Erik replied. “Welcome to your first war. And no, it’s not remotely as bad as what I’ve seen before.”
“We have to stop this,” Jia insisted. “This is insane, and it’s pointless.”
“That’s the Core all over. As for the rebellion, I don’t know what to do, but we’ll do what we can.”
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