“You got it,” she said, leaning forward in her crash couch.
The Argo lurched toward the Starinski ship with cannons blazing. Round after round punched into the stealth ship’s hull.
“What are they doing?” Sofia asked. “Why are they just sitting there?”
More plasma jetted from a wound in the New Blood’s starboard side. A few of its cannons were out of commission, melted by Coren’s fire. “Probably deciding whether to continue their mission,” Tag said.
As he spoke, the ship lunged toward them. It rocketed away from the Dawn before disappearing in a flash of light as it jumped into hyperspace.
“Alpha, make sure we have full records of this encounter,” Tag said. “We’re going to need to share this with the Mechanics and the SRE.” Then he had another thought. “We still have our data connection to the Dawn, right?”
“Affirmative, Captain,” Alpha said.
“Any life-forms detected aboard?”
“Yes,” Alpha said. “But all contacts are accounted for. I am tracking the survivors of the Mechanics’ research team and Dawn marine garrison.”
“Good,” Tag said. “Send them the footage of what just happened along with a warning to be on the lookout. Still need to confirm the New Blood didn’t leave anyone behind.”
“Captain,” Alpha said. “It appears that they did leave something behind.” She motioned over her terminal, and an image on the viewscreen expanded.
“Oh gods,” Sofia said. “Please don’t tell me that is what I think it is.”
“Sensors detect gamma ray emission suggesting a nuclear explosive,” Alpha said. “There appears to be a timing device on it.”
“Tell the Mechanics aboard the Dawn to evacuate,” Tag said. He debated whether they should board the Dawn themselves. How long did they have before the bomb exploded? Minutes? Seconds? With a heavy weight filling his stomach, he looked at Sofia. “Take us away.”
He watched the Dawn grow smaller in the viewscreen. Every second they spent running away from it could’ve been a second they used to disable the bomb or help the crew. Had he misjudged the timing? Would they have been able to help?
A blast of blinding light answered his question. When the brilliance had faded, the Dawn was listing to one side. The wreckage of the ship bay appeared onscreen when Tag waved a hand over his terminal. Chunks of scaffolding stuck out like the ribs of a dead leviathan. Tag wondered if the self-repairing nanomaterial could repair the damage the New Blood had inflicted. It was bad, but not unsalvageable. They could still recover the Dawn and the skeleton crew aboard her.
A second explosion rocked the Dawn. Long fingers of blue plasma pierced the hull like the rays of a rising sun. Then a blinding white burst encompassed the massive vessel. In the vacuum of space, no sound or concussive force followed, but Tag could’ve sworn he felt the resulting blast.
“Sofia, get us out of here!” Tag yelled. “Coren, watch for shrapnel!”
Fragments of the destroyed ship blasted past them. Alpha had managed to get the shields up to partial strength, and Coren sent out a screen of chaff to help intercept the debris pinging against the Argo. The Dawn was gone.
“I guess if they couldn’t get it back,” Sofia said, “they didn’t want anyone else to have it.”
“This is not good for our research,” Coren said. “Not good at all.”
“I estimate this will set back our progress in identifying the location of the Collectors by at least a year,” Alpha added.
“I estimate you are right,” Tag said. “Good gods.”
More contacts blinked on their holomap. This time, they were green. Friendlies.
“Arriving a little late to the party, guys,” Sofia said.
“Captain, one of the vessels is hailing us,” Alpha said.
“Patch them through.”
A Mechanic appeared on Tag’s holoscreen, her expression hidden by her orange visor. Bracken. “Captain Brewer, what did you do to the Dawn?”
***
It had taken Tag far too long to convince the first Mechanic captain that he and his crew did not single-handedly blow up the Dawn. The rain of missiles had stopped shortly after the Dawn was destroyed, and several more Mechanic ships came to investigate the wreckage. The footage of the New Blood engaging in open combat with them before jumping into hyperspace convinced the Mechanics to at least let him return to Deep Origin. He had to go through the whole story again with L’ndrant, and although she didn’t have him hauled off to the stockade, she had warned him not to leave Meck’ara until the council had a chance to review the footage he had provided. The Argo needed repairs before she was space-worthy again, and Tag planned to lay low with his ship until L’ndrant cleared him to leave.
Later that evening, after he had retreated to his quarters, his wrist terminal lit up with an encrypted, private messaging request from someone within the Mechanic Enclave.
“This is Tag Brewer,” he said, accepting the message. He leaned back in his seat. He’d been replaying the footage of the New Blood over and over, hoping to see who had been piloting the ship. If humans had been at the helm, then his worst fears about collaborators would be confirmed. But without some kind of enhanced X-ray vision, he was almost certain it would be impossible to tell for sure.
“Brewer,” a garbled voice came over the line. It vaguely reminded Tag of holo-dramas where a kidnapper obscured their voice when calling in with a ransom demand. “We need to meet.”
“Who is this?”
“It is absolutely crucial we meet alone tonight.”
“Seriously, who is this?”
“Brewer, your fate is at stake right now. Meet at 2300 hours.”
Tag waited a beat, unsure whether to take the voice seriously. Finally, he asked. “Where?”
“A favorite resting spot.”
The transmission ended with no further explanation.
Tag’s brow furrowed. He stared at the paused image of the New Blood floating in holo form above his desk. A favorite resting spot? Gods be damned. He looked at his bed. No, certainly the caller hadn’t meant his cabin.
But then where was he supposed to go?
He racked his mind, his fingernails drumming the surface of the desk. Then it came to him. Ever since they had landed on Meck’ara, he had moved his exercise routine outdoors, or at least what counted as the outdoors in the bubble city. The park nearest the ship bay where the Argo had been docked was his favorite spot to run. One path, which had become his favorite, led to a small pond with a waterfall no more than a couple meters tall. Resting in the simulated atmosphere’s warmth and soothed by the gurgle of the waterfall, he had taken many a break there to meditate, contemplating the greater purpose of his mission against the Collectors.
He’d always thought he was alone in the secluded haven.
But he must’ve been wrong, and now he was about to find out who had been secretly following him on Meck’ara.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Tag slipped out of the Argo. While it was technically 2130 hours in the bubble city, Mechanic port workers crawled over the bay like ants. With almost two-thirds of their population dead, caught in a nanite-induced coma, or still enslaved as Drone-Mechs, there was no such thing as closing time anymore.
No stranger to late nights himself, Tag hoped his emergence from the Argo wouldn’t draw any scrutinizing eyes. Most of the Mechanics around here had seen him at all hours of the day, including sleepless nights, when a run was the only remedy for clearing his mind. He started at a steady pace on his usual route toward the park, trusting that his running attire would declare his intentions to anyone who glanced his way.
Overhead the buzz of air cars drew his attention. White-hot sparks glared at the top of the dome where Mechanics were reinforcing scaffolding and damaged polyglass plates. While foot traffic was reduced in the darkened city streets, there were still enough pedestrians to make Tag weave and juke along the walkways until he reached the shadowy woods bordering the park.
>
Tag sucked in a breath of sweet air. The park had a musky scent not unlike that of a native Earth pine forest, with a slightly cloying undercurrent to it. He felt his muscles and limbs loosen as he jogged. His breathing fell into a comfortable rhythm. It would be a good half-hour until he made it to the pond. He trusted Mechanic security, but all the same, he had told Alpha, Bull, Coren, and Sofia where he was heading. They would have the air car ready to pick him up should something untoward happen. Bull had insisted that he and the marines come along, but Tag figured that might be too suspicious on the eve after the missile attack and fall of the Dawn. Besides, if he really was walking into an ambush, he guessed they would also be ready to handle a few marines.
He fell into a near-hypnosis for a while, letting his body move almost on autopilot, until the crack of something hard against a rock sounded behind him.
Probably just in your head, Tag thought.
He continued on for a minute or so more.
Another crack. This time it sounded like a twig breaking underfoot. He swiveled on his heel and gazed into the darkness. At first, he was ready to write it off as paranoia again. But then he heard the rustle of leaves to his left, soft as a wind brushing through the trees. Only there was no breeze.
Tag sped up. Maybe whoever was meeting him was making sure he had come alone and unarmed. Regardless of how he tried to justify it, the mere thought that he was being followed spooked him. He picked up his pace. Before him was a bend in the path. There was a thicket of trees just ahead surrounding a boulder large enough to conceal him.
With a sudden surge in speed, he made the corner and slid to a sudden stop. He tried to stay quiet as he heard the patter of whoever had been following him accelerate to catch up.
Something didn’t sound right about those footsteps.
Instead of the steady beat of two feet pounding the path, it sounded like something was galloping toward him with four—three hells, maybe more—feet. Suddenly, green eyes appeared before him. His pursuer hissed.
“Lucky,” Tag said, willing his heart to still. “Damn it, girl. What are you doing?”
She let out her half purr, half growl as she slunk between his legs, winding up against him until he scratched her behind her scaly ears.
“You shouldn’t be out here.”
With one ear cocked, she looked up at him as if to tell him that he shouldn’t, either.
“I’m supposed to be meeting someone. Alone.”
She let out a huff that told him what she thought of that plan, blinking at him with those green eyes.
“Fine,” Tag said. “But try to stay hidden.”
The Rizzar was stubborn but undeniably protective. Smarter than the average cat or dog, too. Tag was relieved to have backup, even if it took the form of a six-legged feline creature. It wasn’t long before Tag reached the pond. He slowed to a walk and looked about for something suspicious. Seeing nothing, he sat on a stone bench near the pond. Beneath the gurgle of the small waterfall, he listened for footsteps or rustling. Maybe even the whir of a drone.
Long after he had recovered his breath from the run, he finally heard the soft tap of feet along the path. It sounded like someone who was simply out for a stroll with no particular urgency or desire to hide their approach. His muscles tensed as he reached for his wrist terminal, all the while trying to appear relaxed.
Soon, a form appeared at the end of the path, silhouetted by the meager light reflecting off the pond. The figure waved, approaching Tag. He offered a wave in return.
“Right on time,” a familiar voice said. Her face emerged in the simulated moonlight. Shadows accentuated her patchy fur and wrinkled skin, making her appear older than usual.
“Grand Elector,” Tag said, standing. “You came here alone?”
“Of course,” she said. “And despite my request, you did not.”
“I didn’t bring any of the crew.”
“No, but you did bring that creature of yours.”
Warmth crept into his cheeks. “That wasn’t my idea. She snuck after me. How’d you know she was out there?”
“You know what I did before I was a politician?”
“No,” Tag said, shifting uneasily as he stood before the leader of the Mechanics. He realized there was actually precious little he knew about her.
“I had an illustrious career with the military. Started off in a Planetary Ops division recon unit. Sneaking around unfamiliar places was my specialty. So tracking you and your Rizzar through this park is like asking a Mechanic to solve a quadratic equation.”
“Fair enough,” Tag said, bemused by the Grand Elector’s metaphor. “Still, I’m surprised that you’re walking the park alone at night. Don’t you have security?”
There was a subtle twitch at the corner of her lips. She sat on the bench overlooking the pond. “That would be correct. I shirked my personal entourage of ass-kissing sycophants and bodyguards.”
“They’ll be searching for you, won’t they?”
“They will,” she said. “But it isn’t unusual for me to disappear. We play this game from time to time, just to keep my skill sharp. That won’t stop them from trying to locate me, though, so we don’t have much time.”
“Okay,” Tag said, taking a seat beside her. The hoot and whistle of imported fauna echoed over the pond. “Why all the secrecy?”
“I’m worried there may be a coup.”
“Blunt,” Tag said. “Does that have anything to do with the Drone-Mechs?”
“No. At least, not in the way either of us would’ve expected.”
“You didn’t tell me about this on the Argo. Worried people are listening in?”
“I don’t have hard evidence, but like I said—I was in recon. I’m trained to be careful and pay attention. Those lessons translate well into politics.”
“I’m thoroughly intrigued now. Why do you think there’s going to be a coup?”
“My adversaries want me arrested for treason. I don’t know yet whether the courts will side with me or not. There will also be a warrant for you and your crew.”
Tag gulped. L’ndrant didn’t have to tell him that the Mechanic courts would not look favorably on his crew of outsiders. “Why us?”
She gestured toward the dome and beyond it where the Dawn had been. “You zoom away in the middle of an attack, right when the Argo would be most helpful here. Then you’re up there, alone, with a destroyed Mechanic fleet, and the Dawn explodes while our people are working on it. None of the ships had records of the New Blood, besides yours.”
“Of course they didn’t,” Tag said. “It was a stealth ship.”
“I believe you. As does Bracken and many of the others on my council. But unfortunately, the old guard tends to be skeptical to the point of utter cynicism.”
“The ones interested in a coup?”
“The same. Their hypothesis, best I can gather, is that you fabricated the Starinski footage. Or you actually conspired with the New Blood, which is how they got away.”
“I realize I’m preaching to the choir when I say none of that is true,” Tag said.
L’ndrant nodded. “There are people on this planet who are not grateful for you and your crew’s service. I don’t agree with them. I have something for you, a sign of the commitment I want us to make to the SRE and to you, Captain Tag Brewer.”
From her unisuit, L’ndrant withdrew a device only slightly larger than Tag’s hand. It was a flat obsidian rectangle, cool to the touch.
“What’s this?” Tag said, taking it.
“Our communications research at Lacklon included the devices to make grav wave comms a reality. A few of these prototype devices were spared when you helped us retake the institute. I want you to have one.”
“I appreciate it,” Tag said.
“I’m sure you do, but it’s more than a token of gratitude. Not just some silly medal like you humans seem to like giving out. This actually works.”
Tag studied it, flipping the flat device over.
“Is this going to give us some kind of back-channel communications line?”
“You catch on quickly,” L’ndrant said. “Are you sure you’ve never worked covert ops? But yes, you can use that to call me.” She brandished a second grav wave comm panel. “And likewise, I’ll be able to communicate with you. I’m not certain this will be one hundred percent reliable. It is a prototype, after all.”
“Trust me. As a scientist, I’m used to it.”
“Good. All the same, this is new enough technology that my own people shouldn’t be able to intercept our messages. At least, not for a while.”
“Understood,” Tag said.
“In the days ahead, you may call on me for help. I will do what I can, but I suspect that I’ll have my hands full with the insurrection. I know Bracken has quite enjoyed serving beside you, though she may be reluctant to admit it. You helped us get our planet back and free our people. There are others in our fleet who will not soon forget what the little human ship with the ragtag crew accomplished. You are not alone, Captain.”
“I would say it was my pleasure, but that would be a lie. All the same, I would do it again. The Collectors need to be stopped.”
L’ndrant made a show of checking her wrist terminal. “I should be heading back. And you should be heading out.”
“I wonder,” Tag said, frowning. “Do you know if there will be any outgoing shipments of supplies from Deep Origin?”
She gave that subtle twitch of the lips Tag had come to recognize as a Mechanic smile. “In fact, I have ordered an emergency resupply to the nearby city of Progress. I believe they are scheduled to depart the ship bay at 0600 hours. That should give someone wanting to leave at the same time ample opportunity to get their affairs in order, shouldn’t it?”
“I should think so,” Tag said, stretching his muscles for the run back to the Argo. “Thank you, Grand Elector.”
“Thank you, Captain. Now off with you and your Rizzar.”
Tag nodded as he jogged toward the return path to the ship bay.
“As your people say,” L’ndrant said, “Godspeed and good luck.”
Rebel World (The Eternal Frontier Book 4) Page 5