by Shane Black
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are we supposed to do if the contact does something unexpected?”
“Do something unexpected back! Hunter out.” Jason switched the chunky attack vessel’s systems to internal power. “Madison, are you sure we can bring the Kingsblade’s systems under our control once we’re aboard?” The fusion engineer was busy fastening her shock harness in the cargo bay of Hunter’s mech.
“Affirmative, sir. Her power systems are just bigger versions of our own. She also has ten reactors instead of eight. Once my team gets to engineering, we’ll need about six minutes to gain control of the mains. Once we control engineering, it’s only a matter of time before we control the ship.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” Hunter sealed his flight suit and helmet. “Flight Operations, this is Intruder. Requesting jets at time out one seven one. Acknowledge.”
“Affirmative, Intruder. The board is green. You are cleared for launch.” The heavy turbine-enhanced power systems of Hunter’s mech roared to life moments before his main engines flooded the ship with a surge of energy. The corvette-compatible rail tunnel glowed with magnetic capacitance for a moment and then fired the paladin heavy mech into space.
Less than four seconds after escaping Argent’s drive field, Hunter’s mech began launching scatter flares. The tiny transmitters were similar to the larger and more powerful versions employed by Argent herself. They were designed to last only a few seconds, but during that time, they were capable of producing so much electronic noise and heat they could often distract enemy targeting systems long enough to prevent them from targeting an incoming ship. Once enough of them had poured into space from the paladin’s auxiliary cargo hold, Captain Hunter threw all the power he could spare to the sprint engines on the chunky little mech. The Intruder dove for the Kingsblade’s perimeter. Now it was a race. If the overloaded and likely malfunctioning autosystems aboard the heavy battleship barged through enough of the electronic firestorm to find the actual inbound target, one locked shot from the medium-range point defense batteries could cripple Hunter’s ship and quite possibly destroy it.
But the Captain was counting on his knowledge of what those autosystems actually prioritized in combat. From a tactical perspective, a tiny relatively harmless inbound paladin was no match for the teeth-bared 200,000-ton dinosaur behind it. Hunter knew the Kingsblade would concentrate her fire on Argent. A human crew would recognize the threat of an inbound mech and respond quickly enough to avoid it. An automatic system, however, didn’t have the experience or the awareness to change strategies that quickly. By the time the point defense systems’ targeting cleared, the Intruder was gone.
More accurately, the Intruder was now part of Kingsblade’s outer hull. Hunter had magnetically attached the paladin’s deck supports to one of the ship’s Brobdingnagian armor plates only a few yards from an external airlock. The battleship could still fire on Hunter and his crew, but it would be the equivalent of a human being using a hunting knife to stab a mosquito resting on their arm. The cure would be more dangerous than the pest.
After a few minutes of preparation, the Captain and his best damage control team were walking across the Kingsblade’s hull using magnetic boots to remain anchored to the huge ship’s armor.
“Sir, what do we do if we manage to get control? I realize we can render the ship harmless, but even if we split our crews, we can’t possibly man this vessel,” Madison asked.
“We may not need to,” Hunter replied as he knelt to activate the manual airlock controls. “Whomever or whatever automated this ship may not have had time to cover all their bases. If the command computer is intact, we’re halfway home. If their automation systems are sophisticated enough, we’re 90% home.”
“How do you figure, sir?”
The airlock seals opened and the mechanism unlocked the pressure door. “One of the advantages of being a flag officer, engineer. Argent’s command computer will verify my brevet rank. As the only authorized flag officer in the sector, Kingsblade’s core programming must respond to my lawful orders.”
“I didn’t know that,” Madison said with a tone of embarrassment.
“Hey, until a couple days ago, I didn’t realize the command operations manual was 1200 pages thick either.” Hunter groaned as he slid the two-ton outer hull port open. “A week ago, I was just another Captain. When I formed Strike Fleet Perseus, I got the key to the executive ice cream shop. Before, I just read the good parts until I got my own flag. Now I read the fine print. Blasters on half-power. I don’t expect us to find anyone but if we do, you’re all authorized to defend yourselves. Madison, get to engineering and at least get me positive control of the power systems. I’ll be on the bridge arguing with the command computer. Let’s move.”
Eighty-Eight
“I should have known. I should have seen this coming!” Yili was angrily configuring a portable electronic sensor unit, which was providing about as much light as a single flashlight. All the Argent personnel were gathered around their Chief Engineer watching her work with the eerie white glow of the field emitter lighting up their concerned faces. “That energy field technology gives whomever is using it the ability to set up an energy dampening field too. They’ve cut power to the whole station, and anything in here that runs on stored power has about thirty minutes before it’s drained and useless.”
Zony suddenly had a hunch and reached into the small pouch on her belt. She produced the alien device she had found aboard Argent and noticed it apparently still had power. The yellow glow bathed Zony’s uniform all the way to the floor.
“What about this thing?” she asked rhetorically. Yili looked up.
“Does it have power? Can we use it?” The impromptu meeting moved to where Zony was standing. The Signals Officer examined the device. The glowing indicators didn’t look all that different from before.
“We could have used this earlier when we did have power,” Zony muttered. “I don’t know why I didn’t even think about it.” Finally she got the readings she was looking for. “I think we’ve got enough in here to send one person. Maybe two. But they can’t go far.”
“Where to?” DeMay asked. “There’s nowhere to go except back to the ship, and then what? Anyone who teleports back there is just going to be trapped like we are.”
“The Dunkerque could provide us power,” Yili pointed out. “Teleport me back to the ship. I’ll lash us up some kind of transmission system and we’ll figure out a way to get this station operational.”
“Negative, lieutenant.”
Everyone looked at Colonel Moody. Yili was about to reply when the marine officer motioned for quiet. “You’re not going back there without escort. For all we know, these knuckleheads posted guards aboard, and if you’re involved with a complicated repair job you’re not going to be available for guard duty. Signals, it’s both or none.”
“I don’t know if this thing has enough stored energy for two, sir.”
“I’ll take your best guess, then. Commander, hand me that blaster. We’ll take two. You keep one. Zony, get at least one of these commlinks working and stand by for our hail once we get our communications sorted out.” Moo took the alien device from Zony. “What do I do with this?”
Eighty-Nine
“Computer, this is Captain Jason Hunter. Identifier Victory Seven-Seven-One-Five. Match voice print and acknowledge.”
“Affirmative. Voice match positive. Captain Jason M. Hunter. Identifier Victory Seven-Seven-One-Five. How can Kingsblade help you today, Captain?”
“Engage directive two nine. Transfer command authorization to my designator. Request command computer access and write authority to ship’s log.”
“Unable to comply. This vessel is under the command of Vice Admiral Charles V. Hughes. Directive two nine is not authorized.”
Hunter frowned. Hughes again. Then the Captain remembered he had another card to play.
“Computer, what is the current status of Vice Ad
miral Hughes?”
“Missing in action.”
“Is the Admiral able to discharge the duties of his current assignment?”
“Negative.”
“In the absence of Vice Admiral Hughes, who is next in chain of command for this vessel?”
“Captain Angela Devonshire”
“What is her current assignment?”
“Executive Officer, DSS Kingsblade.”
“Very well. Computer, this is an official directive. Under regulations, section two one four, as a Skywatch Fleet Captain and Flag Officer, I am assuming command of this vessel. Transfer authorization to my designator and give me log access.”
There was a pause. Hunter could only stare at the voice interface bolted to the wall on deck sixteen. He knew there was no way he would be able to get to the bridge until he gained control of at least one of the three core systems aboard the ship. The autosystems were still treating everything other than Task Force Poseidon as an enemy, but Hunter and his team knew Hughes wouldn’t have had time to set up intruder defenses.
“Acknowledged. Fleet Captain Jason Hunter now in command of DSS Kingsblade.”
Hunter closed his eyes and exhaled heavily, supporting himself with one hand against the bulkhead.
“Computer, disengage all autosystems and stand down from combat operations. Key all security protocols to my designator and establish new command authorizations under my personal identifier or the identifiers of Commander Annora Doverly or Commander Jayce Hunter. Match key sequences and acknowledge.”
“Acknowledged, Captain. Command authorizations updated and noted in the ship’s log.”
“Very well. Authorize shipwide access for all DSS Argent personnel aboard this vessel.”
“Affirmative. Intruder protocols deactivated.”
Hunter punched the internal airlock controls and breathed another sigh of relief when the deck ports opened and released the locks on the forward doors. He raced for the bridge. There were about a thousand systems he needed to reconfigure and there was still a lethal battlegroup out there in the form of Task Force Hades. It was only a matter of time before DSS Orca came looking for some payback. With Kingsblade, Hunter would have an insurmountable advantage. Without her, engaging a fleet carrier battlegroup would be a far more unpredictable gamble than going 12 rounds with a robot battleship.
Ninety
Lieutenant Colonel Lucas Moody, DSS Argent Second Marines rolled over on his back once again.
“Alright, I’m issuing a standing order from this point forward. No more teleporting with any more of those alien contraptions. I’ve had it. From now on, either I travel by powerarmor, paladin or city bus.”
Yili grinned and climbed back to her feet. She found the nearest systems console. Somehow they had managed to put themselves on Dunkerque’s bridge, although she couldn’t say exactly how they had done it. Only the emergency lights were functional.
“Power systems are still intact. We’re sixteen thousand miles from the station perimeter. If I can configure the auxiliary navigational systems and restore function to what DeMay had getting the ship this far, we should be able to reach the docking facility at the asteroid’s mark 175 edge here.”
The main viewscreen displayed a tactical schematic of Barker’s asteroid. The cargo facility at the lowest point of the base’s interior map was highlighted.
“We can dock with the station?”
“They used Skywatch cargo ships to build that thing. It must have a standard tonnage lock. Should line right up with both our hard and soft rings.”
“Outstanding. What can I do to help?”
“I’m going to put the bridge on automatic. We’ll drive her from engineering just like I did for Argent. We’ll use the mains to maneuver and the automatic navigation beacon to calculate range and position. Just like my old stunt flying gig except this thing is 90,000 tons instead of six.”
“Sounds like something we could get in a lot of trouble for. I’m all for it.” Moo groaned as he laboriously got back to his feet. “I hope there’s a recliner in engineering, because otherwise I’m going to drag a hammock down there and sleep for a week.”
Yili slapped his shoulder. “Stay frosty, colonel. Guard duty was your idea. Let’s go.”
Ninety-One
“Afternoon, Commander. Look what I got!”
“Sir? How did you– I mean what did you–” Annora Doverly was rarely this at a loss for words, but then again, she was well aware of Jason Hunter’s twin penchants for putting on a show and making an entrance. This time, he was relaxed with his show-off dial turned up to 11 in the Kingsblade’s command chair at the conn on the battleship’s spacious bridge.
“Jason?” His sister was equally dumbstruck.
“I’m pleased to report we have re-taken the Kingsblade, commander. It’s unfortunate we had to sink her escorts, but this was the ship that mattered. Once I get her back in shape we can go toe to toe with that Sentinel if we have to and Heaven help anything that violates our command area.”
“We can’t man that ship, sir,” Jayce pointed out. “Our crews have been on a four-watch rotation for days. We need to stand down and cycle systems on ten ships, not to mention our fighter wing.”
“Agreed. I recommend we retreat to the Steel Wheel as per our original battle plan. Automated or not, Orca is not going to pursue us on her own after we swept Task Force Poseidon like we did. I want engineering and damage control transferred to my temporary command here. I also want a biological and environmental sciences detail to go over this vessel deck by deck until we know what happened to her crew. We’re also going to need to shuffle some officers before we turn our attention back to the Sentinel.”
“Ambitious plan. I hope we have time to put it into action before the rest of that fleet comes looking for us,” Annora said.
“Then let’s get this parade moving. Madison tells me we’ll be able to get her underway in about two hours. Perseus will escort this vessel to a secure location so we can complete our repairs and redeploy our crews. Then we’re going to take that battle station, big gun or no big gun.”
With the damaged battleship under the vigilant guns of DSS Argent, Hunter’s emergency damage control parties and engineering teams were transferred from flight deck to flight deck by service corvettes. Shipment after shipment of spare parts, fuel, diagnostic equipment and personnel were dispatched from Argent’s reserves. Within an hour, more than 100 specialists were hard at work putting the Kingsblade’s primary systems back together and simultaneously dismantling the jury-rigged automation systems the big ship had utilized during the battle. Lieutenant Islington’s frigate even shuttled a few of the larger pieces of equipment across the half-mile between the two proud capital ships.
By the time the primary systems were starting to come back online, Strike Fleet Perseus had reconvened around Argent and her larger sister ship. Both the Hunters had issued stand down orders and implemented shift changes that allowed their most stressed personnel to finally get some rest and something to eat. Once all the tasks had been assigned and the officers and crews of the eleven vessel fleet knew what they were supposed to be doing, Fleet Captain Hunter summoned his command staff back to Argent’s conference room.
The last time the Perseus officers had met aboard Argent, Hunter was only able to announce his audacious plan to commandeer the Barker’s Asteroid battle station and turn its fearsome weapon back on their enemy.
Now, Captain Hunter was one step away from making that impossible goal a reality.
Ninety-Two
“Dunkerque to landing party. Come in, landing party.”
Yili and Moo listened intently. All they could hear was static.
“Right frequency?” the colonel asked.
“Standard Skywatch hailing frequencies. Zony should be able to hear this during a fireworks show,” Yili replied. “Dunkerque to landing party. Come in, please.”
The static popped and crackled a little louder. There was no response.
“Interference of some kind. Maybe from all these rocks. Could be a signal reflection. Is there any way to set up the transmitter to account for that?”
“At this range, it shouldn’t be affecting us, but now that you mention it, that might be affecting Zony’s equipment. They’re running on battery power and probably don’t have much left.”
“How much time do we need to navigate to the station cargo lock?” Moo asked, activating one of the nearby consoles. “We can at least plot a course from here, can’t we?”
“If we’re careful and we make absolutely sure we’re not going to bump into anything fragile, I can put us on station in about forty minutes. But that’s with Zony’s help. Without the landing party, I’m going to have to navigate by sight, and that’s going to take at least ninety minutes, maybe longer.”
“Will the landing party’s power last that long?” Moo asked. His concerned look reminded Yili the commlinks were the least of their problems. She knew they had about two hours of life support left, if that.
“There’s enough oxygen on the station to last a few days, but the temperature will become a problem long before then. The longer we try to hail them, the colder it gets over there.”
“Quite a dilemma, engineer. But that’s why they pay us the big bucks.”
“What are your orders?”
“I’m a marine, not a flight officer.”
“You’re also the rank equivalent of a full commander, sir. It’s your call.”
“Fly us down there. We’ll keep trying to raise the landing party in the meantime, but we can’t take the risk of waiting.”
“Affirmative. Let’s set the control view to use hull cameras one through four. I’ll drive the engines from main engineering. I’ll need you to monitor the beacon and navigational computer in forward control.”
“Very good. Let’s get underway.” Colonel Moody put his gear down on the console and opened the service hatch to the forward control room while Curtiss started the multi-step process of bringing up the Dunkerque’s drive field.