Repercussions

by Dominique Mondesir

  "Is that so, Baby Face?"

  "My name's--"

  "I don't give a fuck what your name is! From now on, you shall be called Baby Face. It that understood, Baby Face?" Andana said, walking up to the young man.

  "Yes, ma'am," Baby Face said.

  "From now on, all members of this ship call this fucker Baby Face. Is that understood, crew?"

  "Yes, ma'am," yelled the crew.

  "Now, Baby Face, what was this brilliant plan you were telling us all about?" Andana asked.

  "Err... Hmmm, it wasn't a plan as such--"

  "Speak up, Baby Face," Andana said, cupping a hand around her ear. "The whole bridge is waiting with bated breath to hear what you have to say."

  "It wasn't--"

  "We have movement! We have movement," shouted one of the crew manning the stations.

  "Bring it up on screen," Andana said, walking away from Baby Face. She smiled as she heard an audible sigh escape his lips.

  Sindee looked up at the viewing screen and her frown deepened. A mass of shapes began to erupt from round hatches along the starship.

  "Enlarge that image," Sindee said, leaning forward in her chair.

  "Are those ships?" Andana asked.

  "They are too small to house a pilot--whatever they are."

  The viewing screen zoomed in on the starship as it continued to spit out thousands of small round jet-black objects. They were smaller than a light fighter, but they appeared denser in mass and size. They moved as one swarm in front of the starship and stopped.

  Blinking red lights looked like a thousand judgemental eyes. No one on the bridge spoke. Then, as one, the mass of shapes began to move towards them.

  "Oh God!" Baby Face screamed, backing away from the screen.

  "Evasive manoeuvres. Evasive manoeuvres," Sindee said, leaping from her chair.

  Bodies scrambled to their stations as the mass of shapes came towards them. Banking hard left, their ship evaded the first wave, but the ship next behind them wasn't so lucky. It fired everything it had, but the swarm ate its offence and kept on coming. The swarm engulfed the ship whole.

  All that could be seen were flashes of red, as explosions detonated inside the rapidly closing mass of ships that surrounded the Fren ship.

  "Oh God!"

  The swarm dispersed, and all that was left was fragments of metal where the ship had once been.

  "How do we fight--"

  "Will you shut the fuck up, Baby Face!" Andana yelled as she moved from station to station. "Instead of standing there with your jaw resting on your balls, why don't you help out the gunners? It looks like they may need an extra hand."

  "But--"

  "Go!" Andana said, pointing a finger off the bridge.

  Sindee tucked her hands behind her back as she watched her fleet attack one section of the swarm after the next. The swarm moved like a shoal of fish, backing just out of firing range before closing their ranks around an unsuspecting ship.

  It was easy to lose your position amongst their numbers. One minute you believed you were safe. The next, you were surrounded and destroyed.

  "We've lost Zacson, my lady. Fuck it. We've lost another," Andana said, slamming her hand down on the console in front of her.

  "How many are left?"

  "Four."

  "We need--" Sindee was lifted off her feet as the ship was hit. It spun in a circle and screens short-circuited. Overhead lights went out, casting sections of the bridge in darkness. Sindee landed on the deck with a thump that knocked the wind from her lungs.

  She lifted her head to survey the damage, but white dots flashed before her eyes.

  "Report!"

  No one said anything; soldiers were trying to pull themselves to their feet.

  "Your captain asked you a question," Andana said, getting up on unsteady legs.

  "Shields are down sixty percent. We have lost all offensive capabilities on the left side," said a crew member punching away on the console in front of him. "Plus the cargo hold is nonexistent."

  "We can still fire from the right. The battle is not yet over. Andana, I want you to get the fleet positioned, in a tight sequence that doesn't allow for any blind spots. We shall be a distraction, so the PH1 can continue its mission unhindered," Sindee said, walking to the centre of the bridge.

  "It has been a fine honour to serve with you," she said, sweeping her gaze around the room. "If we die here today, know that a captain couldn't be any prouder to have you all as her crew. Now! Onward! The war has yet to be won!"

  49

  Phoenix held onto his seat as the PH1 shook once again. Whatever was shooting at the ship couldn't be seen; the windows of the Impaler showed nothing but darkness. The hatch they were in felt like a sealed tomb.

  Plowstow let out a whimper as the ship shook once again. "I'm too young to die," he mouthed as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

  "We all ready?" The image of L's face reappeared on the screen in front of them.

  "If you class this as ready, then I guess so," Phoenix replied.

  Kai ran back and forth behind L, his long surfer hair getting in his eyes as he punched controls. He threw his hands up into the air as red warning lights flashed across the bridge.

  "Is everything all right? Kai seems to be having some trouble," Phoenix said.

  "Ohhh, don't worry about him. You know how he likes to over-dramatise everything."

  "Just...with all the red flashing lights appearing all over the bridge," Phoenix said, pointing to the screen., "one would think that there would be a cause for concern."

  "No, no," L said, waving a dismissive hand, "don't be silly."

  "L," Saoirse said through gritted teeth.

  "The Impaler shall be launched in two minutes. As this is its maiden voyage, I want us all to put our heads together and pray to the goddess Soul for a safe and pleasant journey."

  "I can't believe this thing hasn't flown before," Plowstow said, groaning into his hands.

  "It has flown. Well..." L juggled her hands in the air. "It's done great in the flight simulation I've tested it through. The success rate of the Impaler launching from the hatch of the PH1 has always been a hundred percent. Where it tends to fail--only slightly, mind you--is when it impales the other ship. That's where the statistics let it down."

  "Let me off. Let me off now," Plowstow said, trying to unfasten his seat restraints.

  Phoenix pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled loudly. "So, let me get this straight. The actual job that this small ship, or whatever it's called, is meant to do... It fails at doing just that?"

  "It doesn't always fail. Sometimes, it impales the enemy's ship so the crew inside can board it. Sometimes... It bounces off--"

  "Fuck me," Plowstow said, throwing his hands in the air.

  "Sometimes it just explodes on impact. But-- But--" L said, waving her hands in the air. "I wouldn't allow any of you to get on if I didn't think it was safe. Well, I'd probably let Plowstow get on, but that's about it."

  "Come on," Phoenix said, pulling his restraints tighter. "Let's get this over with."

  "Great," L said, slapping unseen buttons offscreen.

  "I want to get off," Plowstow whined.

  "Welcome, ladies and gents, to the first flight of the mighty Impaler. I hope you've kissed each other goodbye, you're all strapped in tight, and you've clamped your butt cheeks shut, because this is going to be a hell of a ride!"

  "I want to get off."

  "We will launch in five, four..."

  Phoenix closed his eyes, clamped his jaw shut and grabbed his restraints. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach trying to force their way out but he swallowed them back down, taking as many deep breaths as he could.

  "I want to fucking get off!" Plowstow screamed as a force with the kick of a mule hit the crew from behind.

  50

  Phoenix felt the small ship take off as it was ejected from the hatch of the PH1 with speed. It threw him back in his chair and held his he
ad back, like a forceful aunt who wouldn't be denied a kiss.

  The Impaler shook from side to side as L's faint voice crackled over the sound system.

  "My deliverer told me I should have studied harder in school," Plowstow whined next to Phoenix. "She told me that if I hung out with that good-for-nothing boy around the way, I wouldn't have a peaceful life. That I wouldn't grow--oh God!--old. Why didn't I listen? I'm sorry. Please don't let me die here, with these good-for-nothings."

  "Will you shut your mouth?" Saoirse said. "Your childish moans are the last thing a warrior wants to hear before going into battle."

  The little ship gave another shudder that rattled Phoenix's bones. A wet-sounding fart erupted from Plowstow's corner.

  "Oh God," Phoenix said holding his nose. "Did you shit yourself?"

  "I...I don't know," Plowstow whispered.

  "The smell emanating from his person would indicate he has," Saoirse said, shaking her head as she manoeuvred the ship as best as she could.

  "Argh! It smells like rotten apples mixed with eggs and a side dressing of vinegar. When L recovers this ship and asks why she has to hose it down, I hope you tell her."

  The ship rocked and shuddered once more.

  "Why is this ride so bumpy?" Phoenix asked.

  "Would you like to pilot this craft instead?" Saoirse shouted over her shoulder.

  "Well..."

  The ship took a sharp left, slamming Phoenix's face against the side of the Impaler. His cheek made a wet sound, as he pulled it away from the metal.

  "No, no, you're doing alright," Phoenix said, rubbing his cheek.

  Another jerk to the left found his cheek hitting the same spot. "There wasn't even anything there to dodge!"

  "I know," Saoirse said, looking back at him with a smile.

  Phoenix looked out of the viewing screen and wished he hadn't.

  The scene before him was chaos.

  Thousands of small black round ships with red lights like eyes were attacking Sindee's fleet. Her fleet were putting up a good fight, but sooner or later the sheer numbers would overwhelm them. Explosions lit the sky like the Fourth of July as another ship went down.

  "Shit, I have never seen so many ships in one place," Phoenix said.

  "That's because they're not ships, they're bots. Just much bigger," Saoirse replied.

  "Wasn't the starship meant to be defenceless?" Plowstow asked.

  The ship dived sharply and pings resonated along its roof.

  "Woman! Warn me if you think of doing that--"

  Phoenix bent a small pole beside him, as the ship rolled over a cluster of bots. Their red laser fire scored hits along the side of the Impaler.

  "--again," Plowstow finished with his hand clamped over his mouth.

  "You are right, Plowstow. The star ship is a weapon of planetary destruction. It is slow, and needs a fleet to defend against attacks, otherwise it would be destroyed. This defence is something new, and no doubt that's why it was being built covertly."

  Two more blasts erupted against the right side of the ship, leaving the metal glowing red on the inside.

  "Err..." Phoenix pointed to the fading red glowing spot. "Should the inside of the ship be glowing like that?"

  "This ship is not meant to take this kind of punishment."

  "What the fuck are you talking about? We are going to ram it into another ship. How can it not take a few laser shots?"

  Saoirse looked over her shoulder at him, eyebrow raised, as if he had asked the dumbest question in the world.

  "Have you not read any of the papers about the PH1 I have been placing on your bed? What it can do? Its capabilities?"

  "Err..."

  "What about the papers detailing the history of the Council and its ruling families?" Saoirse asked.

  "Oh, was that you?" Phoenix asked stroking his chin. "Well, the funny thing is, I was meaning to get to that, and do some bedtime reading. But with one thing after the--"

  Saoirse jerked the ship's controls, forcing Phoenix's cheek to hit the same spot as before.

  "I would laugh," Plowstow mumbled behind his hand, "but I'm trying not to throw up."

  Phoenix rubbed his cheek as he looked at Saoirse with narrowed eyes.

  "Sorry...my hand slipped," Saoirse muttered. "This small ship we are in is designed to puncture another ship at speed. It is designed like a drill. Top heavy, with reinforced metal at the front. It is not meant for battle, hence the rest of the ship is lacking in--"

  "Space, equipment, comfort," Phoenix said, waving a hand at the barren chamber they sat in.

  "--defence."

  "We got company," Phoenix said, pointing at the viewing screen.

  A part of the swarm of bots had broken away and were heading towards the Impaler. Red glowing eyes followed their every movement. They sped towards the craft, their dark shells hard to see against the blackness of space.

  The Impaler dived and dodged as laser fire nicked and scorched its metal flesh.

  "Is it me or is it getting hotter in here?" Phoenix said, looking at the patches of red glowing metal.

  "It's just your imagination."

  "You know, now that you bring it up..." Plowstow said, pulling at the neckline of his top. "Can you imagine getting cooked alive in here?"

  Plowstow looked around at the metal tube that encased them and began to lightly touch different sections of the Impaler.

  "I wouldn't do that!" Phoenix yelled, sitting bolt upright in his chair.

  Plowstow stopped with his fingertips inches away from another metal section of the ship. He looked back at Phoenix wide-eyed. "Why?" he asked.

  "Say that that piece of metal you are about to touch is scalding hot. Once your flesh makes contact with it, we would then have to amputate that arm because your hand would be stuck to it like glue."

  "That's... That's...not true... Is it?"

  Another cluster of bots appeared up ahead, forcing Saoirse to drop into a dive. "Will you both quit your incessant whining! If you can't tell, there needs to be a level of concentration while I operate this craft."

  "She bringing that up again?" Plowstow asked.

  "Yup."

  "What! What do I always bring up?" Saoirse yelled over her shoulder, sweat trickling down the side of her face.

  Phoenix eyed a bolt nervously as it pinged out of its socket and flew across the cabin. "Oh, you know. Just how flying is always so difficult."

  "Doesn't seem so hard when L was doing it, back on Lavera," Plowstow whispered.

  "What! What did you both just say? You think this shit is so easy, that it takes no skill? Fine. To our deaths we go!"

  Saoirse released the craft's controls and sat back, arms folded across her chest. The ship flew uncontrollably towards the starship, smashing into bots and bits of debris on its way.

  "Err...Saoirse?"

  "Yes, Phoenix?" she replied sweetly.

  "You know we were joking, right?"

  She lifted her nose towards the ceiling, pressed her lips in a fine line, and said nothing as she closed her eyes.

  The image of the starship was growing larger and larger by the second. Plowstow grabbed Phoenix by the arm in a grip that would leave marks later. He pointed at the viewing screen, mouthing a string of words Phoenix couldn't understand.

  The starship was the only thing that could be seen on the screen. Like the sun setting into the ocean, they couldn't draw their eyes away from it.

  Multiple red spots dotted the metal of the cabin; laser fire from the bots found its targets.

  "Saoirse, come on! It was just a joke! A little bit of banter! You remember what I said about banter, right?"

  The only break in the silence was the sound of the heated metal around them warping.

  "I do not recall," Saoirse said, refusing to look at Phoenix.

  "Well, banter is between friends, and it's a form of joking," Phoenix said, speaking as fast as he could. "That shows that friends care about each other, and shows closeness and--and--" We a
re going to hit that ship any minute. "But it also shows strength and love, and closeness and... Did I say it shows closeness?"

  "Stop fucking rambling," Plowstow screamed.

  "I'm doing my best to try and explain!"

  "Oh God! I don't wanna die! To all the gods that have ever existed, keep me safe. I shall become a changed person. I'll give to the poor, help the needy--although I'm always in the most need of all. I'm too young to die!"

  "Do you fear death, Phoenix Jones?" Saoirse asked, gripping the controls again and looking back at him with a wide-eyed stare. "Because I, Saoirse Vacsoon, first of her name, strongest daughter of her clan, do not! I greet death with a kiss and a smile, and I believe you should do the same."

  Saoirse plunged the craft towards the starship, picking up speed on the way. Phoenix was pushed back in his chair as the starship burnt its image into his retinas.

  "Saoirse!"

  Phoenix closed his eyes; he couldn't help it. He felt his hands grip his chair, as an almighty crash filled his ears. His bones rattled, his teeth shook and then all was silent.

  "We dead?" Plowstow asked.

  Phoenix opened his eyes to a view of a ship's hallway. A hallway with wires hanging from its ceiling and small fires dotted about here and there. But it was a hallway nevertheless. Although the Impaler had punched its way through the ship, the ship's security protocol system was already sealing the hole that the Impaler had made.

  "We have arrived," Saoirse said, unclipping herself from her seat.

  "But I thought, I thought..."

  "Banter," Saoirse smiled, patting Phoenix on the shoulder on her way past him.

  51

  "We've lost contact with Leeson," Andana said, rushing between consoles on the bridge. She grabbed the edge of one to keep herself steady as the ship rocked back and forth.

  As well as firing upon the ship, many bots had now taken to simply ramming it. The damage wasn't as severe as being fired upon, but the ship's shields could only take so much pounding before it broke apart.