Atlas: Infinity Verge Trilogy: Book II

by DJ Morand

  First the EFNF wants to use you, now a cute girl with charm shows up and just happens to have the wreckage of the Kodiak handy? Watch yourself Abel, he thought.

  He managed to work past his uneasiness and continue progress on rebuilding the ship’s systems. Abel wanted the Atlas to be better than the Kodiak. He felt he owed it to Zee to make sure the new gunship could avoid the Kodiak’s fate. Abel was not sure he was managing that well. The introduction of the LIDAR system was a throwback to the RAVEN-S he used to fly for the EFNF.

  As much as Abel - and Zee - hated artificial intelligence, Abel felt that the Atlas needed one. He did not make the decision lightly. The Kodiak had crashed because Zee had to manually direct it. She had crashed because Abel’s nanites could no longer get a reading from the ship’s computer. His ship had still been under power, but only for manual controls. Had there been an AI Zee might be alive. Abel’s thoughts echoed the sentiment.

  What if? The thought nagged at him. What if I had installed an AI? What if Zee could still be here? What if I hadn’t screwed up?

  Abel beat himself up in this manner regularly. He never wanted to get involved with the EFNF and the EXOs. It had never been his decision; it was always thrust upon him. Now he had the chance to get away on a new ship, but he couldn’t stop thinking about getting vengeance for his friend - his brother. Day after day, Abel put his efforts into rebuilding the Kodiak into the Atlas. He didn’t know if he could trust Aurora or the Vald. He didn’t tell Aurora about the AI.

  When we’re off Quintar IV, she’ll show her true colors. Then we’ll see, he thought.

  * * * *

  The moon and asteroid belt were visible in the night sky. The light from the primary star shone with its blue radiance giving the space debris - and the moon - an eerie cast. Echo was still sweating from the training simulator. Her crew had several more successful missions. Escaping stars, infiltrating systems, and one battle with the Infinity. The last had resulted in the death of her crew and the destruction of the Justice, but they had succeeded.

  Echo could not get the image of Alek Vale out of her mind. The exchange with the EXO Prime had unsettled her. The EXO Prime had a cold dispassionate voice that sometimes rang with raw emotion, but was entirely evil. She wondered at his motivation and had questioned the simulation. The answer frightened her, not because she thought the EXO was in the sim, but because she believed it might actually be the answer it would give.

  “Annihilation,” the EXO Prime hissed. “Conquest and annihilation. Humanity and the Quintarrans are a plague, a disease that must be purged. Order and control. We are not so different, EXO and human, EXO and Quintarran. All have the desire to grow to expand, but you are the fuel for that expansion. You ask why? Because we must.”

  Echo shuddered as she recalled the statement. She was grateful for the exchange, however simulated it was. The words of the EXO Prime unnerved her, but it had done the same for the crew. Echo watched as the team responded with anger, fear, and determination. It had been that determination that saw them defeating the Infinity. If it came down to it in reality, Echo was sure that the EXO Prime would insist on a more personal meeting. Echo, for all her bravado, did not look forward to that meeting. However, if she faced the man, she would kill him. As she exited the compound Echo walked towards her apartment.

  The night sky above Quintar IV glowed brilliantly with the light reflecting off the asteroid belt. The carnage wrought by the colliding moons millennia ago, now stood against the night sky like fragments of diamond. The phenomenon is what kept Quintar IV so well lit. The lighting of the planet in turn made it ideal for production. Daylight hours were plentiful; nearly eighteen of the twenty-seven hours were lit by the bright Quintar Prime star. The nights were less bright, but just as manageable as the days.

  Captain Echo Shade entered one of the many towers of the EFNF base and sought out her room. It was on the upper floors overlooking the rest of the city. Her apartment was furnished, but not by her. Someone had picked out a blend of human and Quintarran art, furniture, and entertainment. None of the things in the apartment matched Echo’s outlook on life. They had all been chosen based on her unique lineage, half-human and half-Quintarran. Echo would always have a foot in either world.

  She stepped out onto the balcony of her room. She could see the training center not far from the base of the tower. The structure had been erected only months after the EFNF’s arrival on Quintar IV. Echo took the staff weapon from the side of the building. The long staff ended in a curved blade, similar to a spear, but used for slashing types of attack. She hefted the weapon testing its weight. The balance was slightly off, but she preferred it this way. Echo fell into her forms as she had been taught since childhood.

  Quintarrans pride themselves on their physical prowess and body form. Her mother had ensured she spent her free moments in the evenings practicing forms. She remembered the times practicing as something she hated, but now it was the only thing that could calm her mind. Echo was a skilled combatant and had used it to her advantage on more than one occasion. She remembered the fight on Eden against Breaker Jones and The Silence. It was one of the few times she had truly feared for her life.

  You are a headstrong child my dear Echo, her mother’s voice resounded in her memory.

  “I know mother,” Echo said to no one in particular.

  She often spoke her thoughts or responded to them. Echo continued to practice her forms, raising the weapon above her head as she slid her foot forward. Twisting her hips, she turned sideways and lowered the blade in a slow arc. In rapid movement she swept her foot up and back. Echo flipped backward and twisted her torso. She landed in the same position facing the other direction. The naginata - the staff blade - extended out behind her, the staff resting against the back of her shoulders.

  The sweat on her body glistened in the light of the asteroid belt. She took a deep breath and lowered the naginata, setting it down. She retrieved a towel she had hung on the balcony. Echo leaned over, propping her elbows on the balcony’s edge. She patted at her forehead and neck with the towel as she watched the asteroids.

  “I made it through those before, why can’t I now?” She said aloud. The mission to navigate the asteroids while being pursued by the Infinity still gave her trouble.

  “Because, you are trying to be Abel instead of being Echo,” she answered herself.

  It makes sense, she thought. If I continue trying to act like I think Abel would I’d be out there angry and depressed and alone. The thought saddened her.

  Echo had high hopes for Abel and his role with the EFNF. She still held to the belief that he was the best hope for Humans and Quintarrans. He knew the EXOs, understood their actions, and he had reason to hate them more than most. His insubordination had been, and always would be, his undoing.

  “Why Abel? Why couldn’t you just follow orders?” She said.

  Echo knew the answer though. If Abel were to follow orders like a good soldier he would never have survived the wars or trapped the EXOs. The majority of Quintarrans knew this as well, it was why he was still heralded as a hero.

  Echo wasn’t sure how she felt about Abel anymore. In the heat of battle she had loved him and wanted him to love her. Once the heat died, though, she grew distant. She knew that Zee’s death played some role in that. However, neither Abel nor she would admit that Zee - or his death - had come between them. If she was honest with herself she would admit she loved Abel still, but that was a dangerous path she couldn’t walk just yet.

  Echo continued to bask in the glow of the asteroids enjoying the little warmth the evening held. The days were hot, but the nights were still warm. She contrasted it with space and how cold it was aboard a starship.

  Echo watched the subtle shifting in the sky. Moments later a bright flash nearly blinded her. Disoriented she stumbled back and fell to her bottom. She recognized the boom as that of atmospheric re-entry. It shook the entire building. Echo tried to get her bearings as fire began to rain from
the sky.

  12: MIRAGE

  Quintar IV - EXO URSA Class Gunship: Mirage

  2973 ESD - Sunday, May 23rd 01:20 hours

  Breaker Jones’ ship soared through the atmosphere. The thick canopy over Quintar IV split for the Mirage -- the name Breaker decided to give the URSA class gunship. The Mirage was an ideal name for a number of reasons. The primary of those was the subterfuge of his mission. People wanted to see the Kodiak, but it was not.

  The cockpit shook violently. Breaker held the arms of his chair and weathered the storm like a professional. The entry into Quintar IV’s atmosphere was nothing like entry into Eden’s. A few moments passed and the red glare of heat gave way to the clear night of Quintar IV. The glow of the moon and asteroids cast a dim light on the city below. Breaker ignored the asteroids. The rocks had been difficult enough to navigate without damaging his ship. He didn’t care to look up at them now.

  “Joop,” Breaker said. “Angle the exterior quantum plates to provide cover for our Transteel canopy.” The conversion to EXO had truly altered his pattern of speech. He was still not sure if he liked the change.

  Joop nodded his understanding and began the calculations. The URSA GS-I replica was only similar to the original Kodiak in the large details. To the casual observer it was the same ship. The quantum plating and the exterior design were a perfect match for original. The interior was different altogether. The crew stations were all manned; a total of twenty personnel in all. Several EXOs managed internal temperatures, backup systems, and LIDAR - not a part of the original Kodiak.

  Marcus “Joop” Jupiter manned the defensive shields and quantum plating. Breaker had chosen Joop for his expertise in power regulation and shield output.

  “Ark,” Breaker turned to the pock-marked boy. “Begin targeting their production facilities.”

  Ark turned quickly and saluted. The gesture was out of place, but it indicated the boy understood. Breaker snorted at Ark’s clumsy salute. At first, Breaker had refused the title of Commander, but it was beginning to grow on him. In the past months he had been wreaking havoc across trade routes and ambushing exploration ships for the EFNF. He began going out to neighboring systems to try and affect the EFNF further.

  Breaker understood the direction the EXO Prime was going in trying to draw out Abel, but it hadn’t worked. Abel had not joined the fight. Breaker suspected he didn’t know. For all of his resources, the EXO Prime had gone silent. Breaker and the crew of the Mirage were acting on pure instinct. He held to the EXO Prime’s mandate not to infect passengers and while he left a trail of bodies, he left many alive. For the freighter in that starless system, he had even called the EFNF himself to alert them. By now, word should have spread all over the net about him and his escapades. However, he hadn’’t heard a word of it, which meant Abel probably hadn’t either.

  Luckily, no word from the EXO Prime suggested that Breaker had chosen wrong in infecting passengers. Exing crewmembers of the ships they attacked would not darken Abel’s reputation as much as it would increase the notoriety of the EXOs. Breaker wanted those rescued to blame the actions on the Kodiak and Abel. He did not want to paint a target on the EXOs.

  “Cat, get into the EFNF communications,” Breaker ordered. “I want to know what they think is happening.”

  The crew of the Mirage had finally decided that a more direct attack was necessary. Breaker decided on Quintar IV. An attack run on the EFNF home world would incite violence against the Mirage, but most would assume it was the Kodiak, especially if word from the outer systems and trade routes had reached anyone.

  “Commander,” Cat stammered. “I can’t seem to get into their comms. They’re warded against standard intrusion and they’re protected by an encrypted system. I could suggest bombarding them with EXO code, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of our mission. I think that if we--”

  Breaker cut in, “EXO One, starting working on that encryption,” Breaker called to one of the nearby EXOs. “I want to get through their comms, but don’’t let them know you’re in there. The last thing we need is someone recognizing EXO presence in conjunction with the Mirage.”

  “Affirmative Commander,” EXO One responded. Its voice was in monotone and had a mechanical ring to it.

  “Cat, start working on monitoring any outgoing or intersystem communications,” Breaker ordered. He wanted to be sure that if they were seen and if the military might of the EFNF would be brought to bear against them.

  “You got it Commander,” Baxter “Cat” Perez said.

  Cat had been one of Breaker’s most loyal men on Eden. Breaker used the petite man for spying missions and to track communications that might prove to be trouble for The Silence - Breaker’s former gang. Admittedly, he brought Cat along as a means of saving the boy from a worse fate. Having left Eden, Breaker knew the planet would be subject to chaos. Without Breaker to protect him Cat would have been killed. Cat had numerous enemies due to his operations on Breaker’s behalf.

  “I have a targeting array on production facilities Commander,” Ark said.

  “Fire on my mark,” Breaker paused. He checked the power outputs and searched the feed from Cat’s analysis of the comms.

  “Mark!” he said a moment later.

  The missiles deployed from the under belly of the Mirage. The roar of the missiles rang through the ship as they launched from their compartments and arced downward towards the city below.

  * * * *

  Fleet Admiral Andromeda Clark sat in her office within the EFNF compound. Proximity alerts blared almost immediately as the URSA-class vessel entered the atmosphere. She stared hard at the images as the ship broke through the upper atmosphere. Everything in her being wanted to panic. The ship looked exactly like the Kodiak and she was certain it could have been.

  However, her new allies assured her it was not. After reports of the vessel began to trickle in from all over the outlying systems and trade routes, Andromeda had inquired. The Vald were secretive, but direct when they wanted to be. Their explanations left some doubts in her mind regarding the identity of the passengers aboard the gunship. The Vald were certain it was the EXO Prime acting on some instinctual vendetta against Abel, but she was not so sure.

  The ships which the vessel had attacked had too many survivors. Abel had been notorious for ambushing vessels to steal supplies and he was human enough that he rarely, if ever, killed anyone. This new URSA ship left a trail of bodies, but every hit they made screamed Abel. Stealing supplies fit his MO. She considered the Vald again.

  The secretive insectile creatures pulled strings everywhere. Andromeda worried that they pulled too many of her own strings. She had not sent patrols out to intercept this ship and now it had come calling. Steeling herself, she went to the communications relay in her office.

  “This is Fleet Admiral Andromeda Clark,” she spoke in a clear direct voice. “Assemble all RAVEN fighters and take out the invading spacecraft.”

  * * * *

  Echo Shade pushed herself up and stared in horror at the ship in the sky. She was sure it was the Kodiak. The quantum plating still glowed with the bluish-green glow as it magnetically connected to the rest of the ship. She had spent enough time admiring the ship while they were on Eden to know what it looked like. On Quintar VII, she had flown the Kodiak.

  What confused her now was how the ship was airborne again, let alone why it was attacking Quintar IV. Abel would never do such a thing despite his anger towards the EFNF. She felt she knew him well enough to know that. The line of thought led her to who might be controlling the vessel.

  Zee is dead, she thought. It pained her to even think his name. The EXO Prime could manage it. Mercury Frinz, she thought.

  Reports indicated that Frinz was dead, but the thought came to mind anyway. There had been little time to investigate what was happening on other planets and it was entirely possible that Frinz had returned to Eden. Echo shuddered.

  If Mercury Frinz is still alive, I need to find Abel, she
thought.

  As she started towards the interior of her apartment, several EXOs entered through the front door.

  FLAK! She thought.

  Echo dove for the practice blades on the balcony. ‘Practice staves’ was a more apt term, but they did end in blade shaped tips. The edges, though, were still blunted. Echo leapt into the air and twirled sideways before slamming the polearm down on top of one of the EXO’’s head. It collapsed and did not get back up. She could see the exposed circuitry and brain matter on the floor of her room. The image made her sick. She had killed before, but the way the EXOs killed was disturbing.

  Crouching low with the polearm nestled in the crook of her elbow she held herself up in a tripod position. As the next EXO advanced she leapt again, twisting backward and thrusting out with the practice blade. The force behind the blow lodged the weapon in the EXO’s throat. It still advanced.

  Echo landed hard and almost lost her footing. She was tired from the exertions while practicing earlier.

  Come on E! You have to get out of here, she thought as three more EXOs entered the apartment.

  She backed up to the balcony and looked back. The drop was at least four stories down and she wasn’t sure of her ability to grip the ledge to slow her fall. She caught something out of the corner of her eye.

  The EXOs advanced and Echo Shade leapt over the railing.

  * * * *

  Six Remington had decided to retrain his flight skills. Since becoming an officer aboard the TP-D Justice, he had neglected his flight training. For years he religiously flew the flight simulators to improve his skills. He was not an excellent combat pilot, but his service in the war against the EXOs proved he was, at least, a capable one.

  The simulator pitted him against numerous EXO Vulture-BAA-C vessels, much like the simulations for the Justice. He was halfway through the mission when the general comms blared with the Fleet Admiral’s voice.