Turning to look at the professor. “But then suffering and death is always the result when freedom for the masses are infringed upon in the name of the few with blown out of proportion grievances’? Including when ridiculous pure environmental standards are enacted above simply clean . When and Safety rules that try to prevent even the most stupid of fools from hurting themselves with hot coffee or a possible one in a million accident . O o r one species out of the thousands that go extinct each year is elevated over all the rest at the cost of hundreds of thousands or even millions of destroyed human lives. Always by the whims of the few that are not affected by those same rules." Mark was forcing himself to get mad in an effort to leave the Professor behind before the building fell and killed them both.
“Mark it is time to go. The fires are out of control and the last of the fire fighters are being pulled out fleeing . Even though the hostages are still b eing evacuated from the upper floors of the building. You must go now. ”
“Inspector; I hid hostages in another room. If you take me , I will tell you where they are.”
Mark turned to look at the Professor from some hundred feet away as he kicked a pile of year’s old bloody discarded armor from one of the wounded reservists. Mark turned glanc ing e at the little ball on his shoulder and then back at the Professor smiling. “Sorry teach but Alice says she checked every room in the sub-basement and the basement. It is obvious you are lying even if she hadn’t.”
“Mark you must leave. Now.” Mickey insisted. “No one is left down here but you.”
“I... I have... You have .... You can’t just leave me here .. It is murder. You are an inspector. You can’t murder me! It is against your code.”
Mark had started walking toward the tunnel the last platform had left through, taking his time. Stopping Mark turned. “Yes Prof. I cannot murder. But Mickey’s , or I guess my judge now, has passed sentence on you for mass murder, for genocide and a hundred other crimes against humanity. But then I still am not comfortable flying away as you stay here to die. I feel too much like you if I just leave. Somehow I keep thinking that there has to be another way. But I know you would just kill again even if your dead Trillions could forgive you. And to tell you the truth, I can’t forgive you. I have seen into your heart and the destruction you and your Communist liberals that love to Dictat e to everyone else how they must live or kind , have wreaked over a hundred star Systems in my short 21 years.” Mark turned away and walked out of the cavern.
Mark! The fire is at the first bomb. It will go off any second setting the rest off as well. You must fly out of here now before the building comes down around you. Mark turned around at the first intersection in the tunnel with dozens of wrecked bots around him littering the passageways. Alice still on his shoulder letting off a constant stream of high pitched chirps in his ear telling him to leave now . The Professor in the distance still sat on the pedestal in the middle of the cavern. It’s eye globes sitting on their short stems whipping around in desperation looking for a way out. For a miracle.
“Mark; I told you. Our judge has rendered a verdict with overwhelming and incontestable evidence and sentenced him to death with no appeal. If you do not kill him before you leave and he survives , you will be breaking the law and would be responsible for any and all deaths he ever committed in the future as well as aiding and abetting a convicted murderer . and O o ur judge could render us guilty and execute us for his future crimes. Even just leaving him here could be considered a crime since there is a slight chance he could survive. True justice requires even J udges that release criminals that murder again are held responsible as an accessory to that and all murders the released commits . That could include the Judge being execute. ”
“Sorry Mickey this is the best I can do. He is in Godstar’s hands now. May she not have mercy on his sole in hell.” Mark hit the gravity coils and gunned the thrusters. Picking up speed as he sped up the tunnel. He was starting to think he could understand a little of the little ball’s chirps. That she was glad to be leaving the bad man behind.
The tunnel around Mark suddenly shook hitting Mark throwing him across the passageway only to hit the other wall as it rebounded . “Mark! The first bomb just detonated. I think you waited too long to leave. We cannot get out before the building’s stabilization weights penetrate down to the bedrock we just left.”
“Well you are navigating. If anyone can get us out you can love.”
The basement around them started shaking as the rest of the bombs detonated and the mile tall building started it’s plunge.
“Mark , our only possibility are the small maintenance and service tunnel s leading away from the building. That is if we can go fast enough. You must not slow down for any reason. ”
Mickey showed Mark a small manually opened door he had to go through as they approached it . “Mark I can not open the hatch and you don’t have time to even slow down let alone stop to open it.”
“Shit!” Mark drew his pistol without thinking and fired just before he hit the door . The Door expl oded off its hinges just in time for Mark to slam through it at high speed.
“Damn that was close Mickey.” Mark was able to incre ase his speed down the straight passageway lined with pipes and conduits.
The little ball suddenly darted away , rapidly out running Mark down the corridor and disappearing out of sight. "Talking about abandoning a sinking ship." Mark scrapped the side wall as he went around a bend gaining speed and then saw a T intersection ahead and realized that he was going way to fast to stop or turn.
Bringing his legs around toward one wall Mark he kicked off of it just before he reached the intersection. T t hen Mark flipped around as he nicked the corner just in time to hit the wall ahead of him across the intersection feet first , . H h is extended legs managed to stop him as his butt hit hard and without thinking he aimed for the opposite wall down the corridor where he needed wanted to go and used the rebound to jump for it. His legs springing up to launch him off the w all leaving marks in the concrete. Again he flipped around and hit feet first without seeming to try. Bouncing off that wall he propelled himself down the right hand corridor toward safety . R r egaining most of his speed while losing little time.
It took a half second to stop cursing Mickey (for not warning him ahead of time of the T corner) and smile d at making the turn. Mark as he pushed on even faster. Making several more rapid turns bouncing off walls around corners. Scraping the sides as much as not, in his hurry.
Then suddenly Mickey said. "Oh crap! I can't open the hatch a thousand yards ahead Mark . Alice had it open a second ago but the automatics must have closed it with the building collapsing and I don't have time to break and override the security cod e . Sorry Mark I should have thought of this possibility ahead of time and broke into the underground emergency systems already Hun. I am so sorry love." Mark flashed out into a much bigger tunnel that looked like it carried lines that served several towers. Relaxing Mark took a big breath as he increased his speed down the large tunnel. Not realizing that it was running across in fron t of the collapsing tower and not away from it.
Then suddenly Mickey said. "Oh crap! I can't open the hatch a thousand yards ahead Mark. Alice had it open a second ago but the automatics must have closed it with the building collapsing and I don't have time to break and override the security code and Alice does not have time to make it back to open it. Sorry Mark I should have thought of this possibility ahead of time and broke into the underground emergency systems already Hun. I am so sorry love but my fear kept me from thinking straight. I am trying anyway but I don’t think I have the time."
The tunnel tube started collapsing behind him as his suit started slowing down running out of power . "What the hell Mickey. What is happening with my suits power. power? ”
Can we reach the hatch before I run out? " Hoping that maybe it was beyond the collapse zone.
"Sorry Mark, I upgraded your suit with a lot of extra equipment and abilities and weight of armo
r but did not thingk forg ot to increase your plasma battery capacity. It was plenty for normal operations. I have had to use all your suits energy including your reserves to get you this far love. I failed you." Mark's suit sputtered and he dropped down to the ground as the hatch came into sight ahead. At a hundred miles an hour Mark hit the ground and started sliding.
“ Can we reach the hatch before I run out?" Hoping that maybe it was beyond the collapse zone.
The 6 inch thick plasticrete tunnel walls behind Mark continued started flattening down like a metal tube being squeezed from the top. Some kind of long girder crashed through the top of the tunnel ahead of Mark , him penetrating through the floor as the tunnel behind him continued to squeeze down toward the floor. He grazed the side as he slid past the girder jarring his shoulder. Something else hit behind him crashing through the tunnel as the tunnel's roof ahead of him quickly closed down making him wonder if he was even going to make the hatch ahead before the tunnel completely collapsed. Suddenly wondering why that felt important. So what if he made it to the closed hatch before the tunnel collapsed on him. The heat of his suit sliding across the floor sending sparks out behind him as he bumped hard on yet another girder slamming through the roof as the tunnel finished collapsing down to the floor behind him. The heads up display in his helmet going dark as the suit shut down. Mark started blindly rolling and bouncing off debris as the tunnel around him continued to collapse. Only Mickey’s upgraded vision allowi ng him to see that he really did not want to see. The tube collapsing around him as it was destroyed by plunging building de b ris falling from a mile up.
Chapter 21: Death of the Queen -------- 305
Captain Cook sat back in her chair as the General rattled on about some expedition of his that was quit boring compared to most she had been on across the Empire Empire even as a lowly tramp ship but she smiled anyway. Pulling an old half smoked stogie from her pocket, she placed it between her teeth and lit it up. Puffing it back into existence and then leaning forward she bl e o w a smoke ring at the General who was so busy impressing himself with his embellishments that he did not even notice. An officer came into the dining room talking with another officer and af ter rendering a salute to the General, one of them said as they took seats a few tables away. “Did you see that torpedo hit the building? It blew out a fifty foot hole in the side .”
“No I missed that part. I was busy watching those tramp tanks and fighters taking out the torpedo’s on the other side. I can’t believe they got them all. Damn good shooting if you ask me.”
The other officer shook his head. “Those Assault shuttle drivers have more guts than I. Running their shuttles right up against the side of the building right next to the torpedo bay's access tunnels. I can’t believe they were not taken out by torpedoes within seconds. Yet they sat there for minutes taking out torpedo e after torpedo s coming out of the building while launching torpedo after torpedo into those damn launch bays until torpedoes stopped coming out.”
“Ya , I have heard of and seen mass transport boat assaults before in the movies but to actually see half a hundred transports and APC’s assault that building was amazing. I can’t believe that not one of them was shot down or crashed into something or at least each other. Though a few looked close enough too”
Captain Cook’s stogie dropped out of her mouth clomping onto her empty plate. Turning to the officers, she bellowed. “What the hell are you talking about Gentlemen?” The General stopped talking in mid-sentence and starred not believing that he was interrupted.
One of the officers turned surprised. “Why the tramp assault on the building ah Captain. It started about a half hour or so ago. Quit exiting but know all that is happening is that the lower floors of the building is on fire. And the transports are just sitting on the landing decks loading refugees. The tramps took the lower floors in only a few minutes of heavy fighting by the looks of all the flashes and explosions. But everything is quit now. Rather boring if you ask me. I hear the fighting is all inside the core and basements now. Not much to see now so we came to lunch. Thank Godstar the General is here keeping it open or we would have missed chow.”
The other officer finished chewing a bite. “Ya I heard they are waiting for a load of 8 inch artillery to arrive from the other side of the planet to put down another flash bang barrage before the transports can take off again to keep the Tower AI from seeing the transports leave and detonating charges found in the lower floors that can bring down the building. More guts than I have that is for sure. You should have seen the first barrage of flashbangs put down by the artillery already here and the fighters and transports that were coming in. Had the whole bottom of the building covered in huge explosions without touching it. Amazing sight. Best fireworks I have ever seen. But now with the transports on the building, it is kind of hard for them to lay down a barrage to hide behind and get back out. Something about the shuttles being delayed leaving when they delivered additional English troops to the building before this all started. They had to get another crew to grab one of the short Transport Boats to bring more SP's SPG’s and munitions for the bombers and it is taking longer than it was supposed to.”
Captain Cook shook her head. “That bitch Captain Summers new about this from the beginning. That is why she had to excuse herself at the beginning of lunch. Hell she was the one that insisted on us going to lunch in the first place so we would be out of touch when things started. Damn her to hell.” Captain Cook pushed her chair back and stormed out of the Officers Dining Room. The General following her in shock.
With the main Command Center all the way at the other end of the containers, Captain Cook headed for the Command APCC only half way up the Command transport. But found it was gone. Cursing she stormed up to the Transport’s Command center throwing open the doors as she raced in to find Captain Summers bent over a console talking to the Star Queen’s First Officer.
“I told you we are waiting for your Tramps to get that last transport boat here with the additional artillery and flashbang bombs to lay down a barrage before the transports can launch ing to cover your departure so pack more refugees on the damn transports while you are waiting.”
Captain Cook ’ s eyes had gotten as big around as gulf balls when she saw who Captain Summers was talking to and where he was. “What the hell is my first officer doing commanding your transports on that building?”
“Well technically they are not my transports Captain and they would not be within a hundred miles of that building no matter how many people died in it since the local Mayor or the county Governor has not requested federal help. But being Star Queen Transport Boats with your crews, all I can do is advice advise .” The main screen on the wall showed the tower building with smoke pouring out of most of the lower west side of the tower being carried off by the wind, but otherwise rather peaceful. The rest of the screens around the sides of the room showed a different story inside the building. The core battle was raging with Star Queen Marines and their AI controlled bots attacking in mass down corridors and wide open shafts. Other screens showed hordes of people being pushed into transports and other’s showed a fire that seemed to be spreading with a few English solders fighting it.
“Who the hell ordered them and why are they there and how many transports? I see more than the two 2 , I had crews working on when we left the warehouse.” There can’t possibly be as many as the officer in the dining room said is there? We could not possible have supplied that many crews.”
“You have 22 transport boats all crewed from the Star Queen Captain. With one additional transport reentering now from Capital City. To tell you the truth, I am shocked that you could muster that many crews on such short notice and they all are acceptably commanded and piloted. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it myself.”
“But who gave the orders damn it and why didn’t I know about any of this.”
“Come Captain , you sent the code words to start the campaign.”
“What. That l
ittle shit Collins was behind this!” She practically screamed. “I will have his head for this. But why would my first officer go along with this shit not to mention the C Commandant aptain of marines?”
“If I remember correctly Captain Cook; you Ok’ed his little plan to save the hostages and take care of the AI so you could get back to your ship when you asked me if I could get transports to carry out the plan and then sent him back to the Command APCC. I know you were just passing the responsibility buck to me but he took it as approval and it seems your officers where all too eager to carry out your orders.”
The English Captain turned and spoke into a screen before turning back to Captain Cook. “Most of this operation has been your officers’ doings using Mr. Turner’s original plan as the basic frame to work from. Fact is, it snowballed rather well until I threw in a monkey wrench without knowing all the details or I would have had the artillery and flash bang bombs for the bombers delivered by English transports in plenty of time while sending the shuttles back around the Tower delivering the riot troops I demanded. Luckily Commander Collins arranged for another transport boat to be crewed and dispatched while keeping the Assault Shuttles here wher e they were needed loaded with munitions f or the SPG's and additional flash bombs for the bombers would not be arriving in time . Though it took time to get the transport ready and munitions loaded so they are late.”
She Captain Summers turned around looking at the building. “No, your Commander Collins and the squad that went with him is deep inside the sub-basement trying to find that damn AI that started this and are now surrounded by half a thousand bots trying to kill them. Quit a test for our new stealth suits and those new independent battlebot s Collins insisted on getting s I might add. I think we are going to copy the bot marine pairing for our troops as well as they have done on the upper floors . ”
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