En Route

by Maksim Malik

  “Neat,” Jana said.

  “Kress was about to go first,” Nadani said.

  “I’ll follow him,” Jana said.

  “You two follow after Jana,” Hafeez said as he looked at Trisha then Nadani. “I’ll bring up the rear.”

  “All right, let’s go,” Nadani said, nerves taut. What else would this ship have in store for them?

  Fengwa

  Shirui watched the camera with glee. Any moment Humanity’s Grace would be within striking distance of the labs Nadani had gone to. Five Fengwa dreadnoughts followed in her wake as well. When they arrived, they would deploy fighters and threaten the labs until they delivered Nadani to her. Shirui considered herself lucky to find another message awaiting them when they reached endpoint in orbit around Verga, giving the exact location of Jagi.

  “My lady, there are already many ships above the lab,” Klumwald said.

  “What?” Shirui asked, surprised. “Who are they?” she demanded.

  “JUS ships, and unidentifiable ships,” Klumwald said. “I believe them to be Squito ships.”

  “Squitoes? What are they doing here?” she wondered aloud.

  Perhaps they followed Koyanagi through foldspace, Pulman said. Their technology might be more advanced than ours, allowing them to do such a thing.

  “We’ve found Astromancer, sir, my lady,” said one of the crew. “She’s in the fray, going straight toward the Squito dreadnought.

  “Stop that ship! Astromancer SM522-16A! At all costs!” Shirui ordered through the channel open to the Fengwa ships.

  “Fighters can deploy in three minutes,” came the reply from the lead ship, Yoshidamitsu.

  “She’s actually docking with that thing,” Klumwald said in amazement.

  “What? Impossible!” Shirui exclaimed.

  That dreadnought has a large number of turrets, Pulman said. Why not form up with a squadron yourself while the dreadnoughts take care of the turrets and the squad takes care of any aerial attackers. I can pilot the ship with faster reactions to avoid turret fire than you can.

  You’d like to fly Harmonic Essences? she asked.

  Yes, I think it is our best chance at catching up to Jagi, Pulman said.

  “Dreadnoughts, focus fire on the alien dreadnought’s turrets. Do not, I repeat, do not try to bring down the alien capital ship,” Shirui commanded. “I need a six-ship escort awaiting me in six minutes,” she added. “Keep the aliens and the JUS off my tail.”

  “My lady, if CAAI is implied agreeing with an attack on the JUS, then it will bring our entire organization down,” Klumwald said.

  “You may excuse yourself from the fight and fold away, if you are able,” Shirui said. “Remember that Fengwa will call upon you again.” She smiled and walked from him.

  Once she left the bridge, she quickened her pace to a jog. It took her about three minutes to get to Harmonic Essences. Then another few minutes were needed to power up the ship—she didn’t want to go out there with less than one hundred percent shields. She nearly lifted off manually before remembering Pulman was piloting this time.

  All set. Go ahead, she said. She watched as Pulman piloted the ship out into the open air, falling into evasive maneuvers as an alien ship whipped past, firing at them. Her escort swarmed the alien ship and it exploded, falling out of the sky in a smoking ruin toward a nearby lake.

  The JUS ships ignored them. They had their hands full with the aliens, and Shirui could see why. There were more alien ships than JUS ships—the JUS were on the losing side of this battle. Sure, Fengwa took out some of the alien ships, but Fengwa was not here to fight Squitoes.

  The dreadnoughts did their job well. Turret fire toward them from the alien capital vessel nearly stopped altogether. Pulman flew straighter and faster now, toward the now-visible docking bay. It was wide open.

  “Squad, break off to free flight on approach to docking bay,” she said as they neared the ship. Shirui expected a fresh set of alien fighters to fly out of the docking bay, impeding her progress but nothing happened.

  The docking bay looks clear besides Astromancer, Pulman said.

  Take us in then, Shirui said, smiling wickedly. Land away from her ship. We don’t want to trigger proximity warnings.

  Of course, Pulman said.

  The ship landed in the docking bay, settling down gently, and Pulman powered off the flight systems. No Squitoes rushed the ship to greet them. Shirui was surprised and curious about that—didn’t they guard their docking bay?

  No matter, she thought and unplugged herself from the pilot’s pit before climbing out of it. She hurried to the airlock, stopping in her bedroom to take one of the blaster rifles she kept. As she walked, she flipped the setting to stun.

  Remember how ineffective the poison was on her, Pulman said. Stunning will likely be less effective than that. Then there is the shapeshifter with her.

  You’re right, Shirui said, flipping the switch back to full power. I’ll deal with her friend and then disable her. I want the shot. No more games.

  Going Up

  Jana watched as Kress nearly lost control entering the zero grav tube. He entered too fast and almost didn’t catch himself on the nearest handholds. She knew planetside soldiers like him never got much in the way of Variated Gravity Training unless they went out of their way to get it. Lucky for her she spent her free time in training, and it included VGT from time to time. She worried about the two civilians. Jagi owned and flew this ship, so must have gone through pilot’s training, which meant Jagi went through spacewalk training at least. She had no idea about Trisha’s qualifications though. Trisha had been or still was an engineer—and that’s all she knew.

  I wonder how the AI works and what benefits Nadani gets from it, she thought.

  Finally, Kress regained control and made his way upward far enough for Jana to enter. There, right next to the tube, was a handhold. She had no idea why Kress went for the one on the other side. Before even stepping into the tube she secured one hand. She felt a familiar lurch in her stomach as the gravity vanished when she entered. She waited a moment as she took a deep breath to reorient herself and then gradually pulled her body around so her other hand could catch the matching hold. Then she looked up and waited for Kress to move farther before reaching for the next notch and pulling herself carefully upward.

  The temperature was much cooler in the tube, and a slight breeze ruffled her hair—both of which were welcome for she needed to cool off after the previous excitement. The tube itself seemed to be made from plastisteel or something similar.

  Jana looked beneath her after she moved upward for a good body length and saw Jagi had taken onto the tube next. It looked like she had no trouble whatsoever in the zero grav; she climbed with precision and a smooth grace. Jagi, although stern and commanding in front of the men, had a soft side. Jana didn’t know how she knew but she always trusted her instincts about people. The commanding Jagi she saw so far was not the real Jagi at all. And that would make sense since the two grunts wouldn’t listen to anything but a commanding tone. Well, perhaps Hafeez would listen from what she gathered so far. He seemed sensible. Kress—although showing his worth by taking point—seemed like a hotshot and hotshots generally had hotheads too. Hafeez seemed like a good soldier; she worked well with him when they were covering the team’s retreat.

  Kress paused at the next floor. Jana had gotten into a rhythm of climbing and almost collided right into Kress with his sudden stopping. She waited as he checked out the floor but only for a moment.

  “Clear,” Kress whispered before he started the climb again.

  When Jana climbed past the opening, she still felt exposed and vulnerable even though the room was empty. She began to wonder if this ship had just a skeleton crew or if most of the crew was down on the planet or in ships, fighting.

  With Jagi close behind her she couldn’t see if the other two followed, but she assumed since they hadn’t said anything or called out to them everything went fine so far.
She mused over the two civilians and wondered if they were truly civilians. They held their rifles like professionals and were both damn good shots and now they managed to keep up in the tube.

  I suppose the tube isn’t that tough though, Jana thought.

  “Two!” Kress hissed back at her, interrupting her thoughts. He vanished through the opening in the tube leading to the next level.

  “Shit,” Jana whispered and doubled her speed. She pulled herself into the room and glanced around, putting the scene together. Kress straddled a prone Squito and punched its face over and over while a second Squito retrieved a weapon from a locker. Jana clambered to her feet and made for the second alien. She had no time to take her rifle off her back, so she delivered a hard kick to the Squito’s arm right below its elbow, causing it to drop the weapon and turn toward her.

  Fear washed over her suddenly. She had never been this close to one of them. Before it could turn to her, she forced away the fear and followed through with strong punch at the Squito’s jawline—if it had a jaw. It probably didn’t with the proboscis serving as its mouth. It staggered regardless, and Jana grimaced at the sticky substance on her fist from making the connection. She lashed out with her foot, catching its knee—or whatever it was—hard. She heard a crack and the insectoid fell to the ground, dropping its weapon, which slid across the floor out of reach.

  Jana had the time to pull out her own rifle and did. She flipped off the safety and walked up to the silent Squito. It quivered on the floor, knowing Jana’s intention. Jana stood close as the creature struggled to sit upright, fired a single shot, and the Squito went limp and slumped to the floor, dead.

  Afterward she walked to Kress. He straddled the Squito and continued to punch its head. If it wasn’t dead, then it was probably close.

  “Kress, stop,” she commanded. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nadani and Trisha, standing together, watching her.

  Kress pulled back and straightened where he sat.

  “Fucking bugs!” Kress exclaimed.

  Jana nodded even though he couldn’t see her and with a near point-blank shot, fired the weapon at the alien he sat upon.

  These two Squitoes were probably not fighters, she thought. They would’ve had weapons out already if they were, especially if they were grunts.

  But they were threats—if the species was hive-minded then there might be a way for them to relay information back to the Royal. This mission gave no mercy to any enemy Squito found aboard the ship.

  “Nice clear,” Hafeez said. He stood near the tube, weapon drawn, and looked ready for action.

  The two others still had their weapons on their backs.

  “Weapons out,” Jana said, looking at both. Trisha nodded her head and complied while Nadani complied without any sort of acknowledgment. She almost asked which way to go but Nadani spoke first.

  “Now we simply follow the main hall and it’ll end in a large chamber,” Nadani said. “That’s where the Royal should be.”

  “When this is over, you’re going to have to tell me how exactly you know the layout of this ship,” Hafeez said.

  “It was in the data deciphered in the lab before the attack began,” Nadani said.

  Jana knew Nadani told a lie, but it was a good one to cover herself. Whether or not Hafeez believed—it was hard to tell. The man’s deadpan face showed no emotion.

  “All right then,” he said finally.

  “Let’s go show this Royal how humans win battles,” Kress said. He headed toward the sole exit of the room.

  Humans. Oh, if only he knew about me, Jana thought with amusement, trailing Kress.

  Footsteps

  Every footstep echoed, causing Nadani no small amount of annoyance. Her boots weren’t meant for stealth though she didn’t mind the armor they provided on her shins, matching the armor her plugsuit provided in various places. She wished the spare plugsuit would fit Trisha, but their bodies were too different.

  If we get out of this—I mean when we get out of this remind me to get an armored plugsuit for Trisha, Nadani said to Adan. Or at least some sort of outfit which provides protection.

  Can do, Adan said. I do wish this map would show positions of the pawns.

  Yeah, that would be handy, Nadani said. We have no idea what is beyond the door ahead.

  It’s quite a large room so it could hold dozens of soldiers, Adan said, cheerful tone replaced with a worried one.

  “I wonder what this Royal will be like,” Hafeez said aloud as they moved through the hallway.

  “It could be dramatically different than what we’ve seen so far,” Trisha answered quietly. “But I can’t hazard a guess, exactly.”

  Nadani could hear the unease in Trisha’s voice and again wondered if Trisha would have been better off on the ship. Then again, how safe would it be on the ship? She worried a moment for Astromancer and tried to assuage herself by remembering the shields were up and at full power. It would take serious firepower to crack into the ship. And Dr. Tysgan was there with his turrets.

  “Take cover on either side of the door. Kress and I will check out the room from both sides after the door is open,” Jana said. She didn’t sound nervous or uneasy at all. “Trisha with me, and Jagi with Hafeez.”

  When they reached the door, they split into two groups. Jana and Trisha on one side and Kress, Hafeez, and Nadani on the other side. The door slid open and both Kress and Jana moved to visually slice the room.

  A rifle went off behind them. Nadani saw a bolt hit Hafeez square in the face. Blood exploded outward, covering the wall next to him. He slumped to the ground without making a sound.

  “Incoming from behind!” she called out.

  “Inside the room!” Jana shouted.

  “Hafeez!” Kress yelled.

  They piled into the room and spread apart on opposite sides of the door again. Nadani looked around the room. The large spherical room had electronics and panels all along the walls. On the other side from the entry was a metal ovoid-shape melded into the wall. She knew immediately the Royal resided inside. The Royal used a pilot’s pit much like her own on Astromancer to control the ship and perhaps to do more involving the swarms of pawns it controlled. Much like the swarm coming at them right now.

  Kress stood in the open doorway and fired, looking at the side where Hafeez fell.

  “He’s gone, Kress!” Nadani exclaimed. “The shot hit his head! Get back here!”

  A white-yellow bolt of fire, a Squito blaster shot, hit Kress on the shoulder. He spun around, somehow keeping to his feet, and returned to cover, allowing the others to fire down the corridor. Bodies piled up fast, but the Squito pawns pushed through them. They were gaining territory no matter how fast the four of them fired. Soon they were coming through the entry. She was thankful the narrow opening only allowed one at a time. They used no strategy to get into the room—just pawn after pawn after pawn.

  Nadani squatted on the ground, firing and killing more than her fair share of the Squitoes. The Squitoes lacked organization—if they organized then they’d overwhelm the three of them fast.

  “Is there no end to them?” Jana asked. “Shit!”

  The Royal, Nadani, Adan said. Your rifle won’t penetrate. We need to think of something.

  Trisha screamed.

  Nadani’s heart sank. The foremost alien pulled Trisha back into the hallway, tossing her behind it. The other Squitoes surged upon her, kicking, pounding, and slashing. Nadani ran to the hallway and fired, killing the one who pulled her in as well as some of the ones focused on Trisha.

  There! Adan said and suddenly Nadani moved toward Hafeez’s body. The outrage she felt eclipsed anything she ever felt before.

  Adan, we need to save Trisha! Nadani said with frantic panic. She tried to force her body to obey her commands, but nothing happened at all.

  Adan made her swiftly retrieve something from Hafeez’s belt: a concussion sphere. As she fitted it on the end of her blaster rifle, she wailed aloud.

  Do
n’t use that, you’ll hit Trisha! Nadani exclaimed. Have you gone mad! Adan! Please listen!

  It’s okay! Adan said, voice filled with panic and determination. This isn’t for Trisha!

  Adan controlled her to run back into the large room and stopped about halfway to the middle of it. Then she felt herself pull the trigger of her weapon. The concussion sphere arced through the air and hit the metallic cocoon. A faint tink echoed in the room and suddenly the concussion sphere exploded. Knocked backward and onto her back, Nadani found she had control of her body again. She scrambled to her feet and went into the hallway, blasting at the hated Squitoes as she made her way to Trisha. It took her several breaths to notice none of the pawns acted offensively, defensively, or moved at all. They simply stood there, breathing. Nadani didn’t care. She shot them anyway until she reached Trisha.

  Trisha’s clothes were torn, and she had many exposed, bleeding gashes. She cried, her sobs barely audible, and didn’t react when Nadani stood over her.

  “Trish, it’s okay now,” Nadani said and knelt next to Trisha. The fact Trisha bled profusely terrified Nadani.

  “Here,” Jana said. Nadani hadn’t noticed her arrival. She offered Nadani a roll of sticky bandages. “I’ll work on her left side, you work on her right.”

  “Okay,” Nadani said, taking the proffered item and trying to stop the bleeding on a dozen wounds all at once.

  “What the fuck happened?” Kress wandered close and asked.

  “The Royal died so the others have no instructions it seems,” Nadani said. Her thoughts were focused elsewhere.

  “She going to be okay?” Kress asked.

  “She’ll be fine,” Jana said.

  We need to get her to the MediScan, Adan said. She’ll be okay though.

  “I’m c-cold,” Trisha whispered.

  “We’ll get you back to the ship soon,” Nadani said. “You’ll be able to rest in bed there.”

  Nadani noticed a bandage on Jana’s left forearm.

  “Is that bad?” she asked.