The Cold Dead Earth (The Jolo Vargas Space Opera Series Book 3)

by J. D. Oppenheim

  “No. Just an over-excited pilot trying to put some space between the Persephony and the civvie boats. All the heat’s gonna come this way,” said Barth.

  “Everyone head to the Argossy and get her ready to go,” said Jolo.

  “You’re coming, right?” said Katy.

  “I got something to do. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Ain’t gotta tell me twice. I’m outta here,” said Koba.

  “No. You’re coming with me,” said Jolo.

  “Come on, Cap. I really would like to get off this giant, slow-moving target.”

  “This ship may be the last Federation ship left standing,” said George.

  “Ya’ll go. Now!” said Jolo. Katy didn’t budge, so he gave her a hug and then George took her hand and they ran off. Jolo took a deep breath. “Come on, Koba.”

  Koba guessed the level three public comm station would be perfect. “It’s got light encryption protocols and should allow a ship wide, maybe fleet wide message,” he said.

  “Level three opened up into a wide atrium. The terminal was on the far end, a fountain and some more fake plants in between. People were still running around, heading to their duty stations, some calm and professional, others in a near panic. An officer with his jacket undone stood at the terminal. He leaned on the wall, his legs crossed, with a smile on his face. Jolo got right up next to him. “Stations!” he yelled, and the officer said a quick goodbye and ran off.

  Jolo handed Koba the chip and he inserted it and started typing. “Good, it’s a valid mem chip with readable content,” said Koba. “Now to send it out.” He paused for a moment, then looked around, then back to the terminal.

  “What’s up?” said Jolo.

  “Need an auth code to send a message ship wide. With no auth code I can only send to one person at a time.”

  “How about the guy that was just on?”

  “He logged out.”

  Koba turned around and yelled, “Anybody got an auth code? This is an emergency!” Jolo watched several people run by. Koba yelled again, but no one paid him any mind, in fact they steered clear of both of them.

  “Who has auth codes?” said Jolo.

  “Most upper tier officers, and some older chiefs.”

  Jolo scanned the room, saw a man in blues coming their way, but he didn’t have enough brass on his jacket. Then he saw a man running through the atrium, heading for the lift tubes to the lower levels. He had plenty of chevrons on his sleeve, so Jolo called to him but he didn’t stop. Jolo wanted to be on his boat, to be moving away from this big, Fed ship. Away from the BG. “Come here!” he yelled again, but he kept going.

  Jolo shook his head, reached for the Colt, but what would that do? So he ran straight for the man, leading him just a little so their paths would intersect. The man’s eyes got big as Jolo covered the distance faster than any human. Jolo grabbed him by the sleeve, nearly knocking him over and drug him back to the terminal.

  “Unhand me, Pirate! What is the meaning of this?” And then Jolo realized he didn’t have a plan. How would he get the codes out of this man?

  “I’m sorry,” said Jolo, loosening his grip on the man’s arm. “This is an emergency. I’ve got to get the vid out into the system so everyone can see it.”

  “What? Some pirate propaganda?”

  Jolo looked at Koba. “I ain’t got time for this shite!” Jolo wished Greeley was there. He had a way of making people spill the goods.

  And then Koba started playing the vid. “Don’t believe us, fine. Just watch this,” he said.

  “I’ll do no such thing,” the officer said, turning his head defiantly. Jolo spun him around and put his head right next to the screen. A woman came up behind them but Jolo didn’t budge. He made sure the man’s eyes were on the screen. The vid stopped and Koba said, “We gotta get that vid out!”

  “It’s a fake!” the officer screamed. “And you both shall be reported.” He tried to go for his comm, but Jolo ripped it out of his hands and threw it across the atrium.

  “Now I’m going to beat it out of him,” said Jolo. The man’s eyes got big, but then the woman spoke up.

  “No need. Bravo Alpha 4-8-1 Charlie,” said the woman. “I’m commander of the Wasp light fighters and have spoken to Major Crasten, and we both believed your report at the assembly. It’s nice to have some hard data to back up the whispers.”

  Jolo dropped the Fed officer he was holding and the man scrambled away still cursing them. “Captain, it would appear that all hope is not lost for humanity,” said Koba, grinning. “The vid is out.”

  “Thank you,” said Jolo to the woman. She was dressed in flight gear. “Don’t let Crasten engage the Jaylens on the ground.”

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that,” she said. Two big explosions rocked the far side of the ship and she darted off.

  Jolo called Trant on the comm.

  “You out?”

  “Yep.”

  “Greeley?”

  “Got him.”

  “Greeley, can you hear me?”

  “Yeah, Cap. Headed to the Argossy.”

  “Trant. You want me to blow the door out?”

  “No need, Jolo. The BG is all the diversion I need. Take care.”

  Ten minutes later Jolo and Koba were on board the Argossy and the real fun was just about to begin.

  Fools Die

  Proximity warnings went off as soon as the nose of the Argossy emerged from lower bay #7 on the side of the huge Defender, Persephony. Jolo eyed the forward view screen and the sector display at the same time. A BG cruiser, nearly disabled, the starboard engine missing, a black hole in its place, was directly in their path and the Argossy wasn’t the most nimble of gunboats. So Jolo had Katy increase speed and angle up as much as she could. The impact tore a hole in the cruiser.

  “Damage?” said Jolo.

  “Just a scratch,” said Barth through the comm. “Might’a lost a bit of rail gun cowling, but it’ll just make us look tough.”

  As the Argossy sped out into the open, gaining speed, Jolo felt his heart lighten. They were here together again on their ship. Free again.

  He checked the sector scan and there were eight BG boats: three cruisers and five smaller light attack ships. All were pounding the Persephony. The bigger ship couldn’t fend them all off at once. “Koba, what’s the make on the light boats?”

  “Bugs. Destroyer fighters.”

  “Where’s the Destroyer? Those little boats can only make three jumps.”

  “Not in the sector now,” said Katy.

  A few Fed boats popped up on screen. “How many Fed boats?” said Jolo.

  “The Persephony, two gunboats and five wasps. No, now eight wasps. The cruisers were pounding the Persephony, but the Fed boats are all over them.”

  “Ok. Katy, take us out. The Sugoka has the kids and Kray can take care of this mess. Those lightweight fighters had to have come from Barc.”

  “They followed the crippled gunboat home,” said Katy. She pushed the Argossy further out, away from the fray, and started the jump sequence.

  “Where to, Jolo?”

  He sat down in his chair. The BG attacked and Jolo realized he hadn’t really made a decision. He could run and hide with Trant or head to Earth. Staying with the Persephony was not an option. He hoped that Marco, Merthon and the kids were safe aboard the Sugoka.

  “Take us out towards the Sugoka. We’ll find them, and maybe Trant and his crew.”

  One of the wasps on screen went gray and he hoped it wasn’t the pilot who’d just given him the auth codes. Just then the board lit up again as two more cruisers popped in. Instantly the black ships headed for the gunboats who were fending off the first group of BG boats. Another of the wasps fell. This time the little dot on the screen went black, and then nothing, the little ship totally destroyed. It wasn’t really meant for ship to ship fighting, especially against cruisers.

  Jolo glanced at Katy and she nodded. She was ready to make the jump. Then three gu
nboats appeared next to the Persephony, having just launched from one of the bays not yet hit by the BG. They arced out away from the big ship and then turned towards the fight. They watched the three blue dots moving towards the Persephony. Greeley yelled, “Kill those worms!”

  “It’s the Nymeria,” said Koba. “Two gunboats with him. They’ll wipe up the remaining BG!”

  “Katy, take us out,” said Jolo. And the Argossy’s jump drives started winding up as everyone watched the gunboats heading straight into the mix. One cruiser and a few light fighters remained, fighting against one gunboat and five wasps. The three gunboats were coming in hot, and then Jolo and the crew realized what was happening.

  The three big blue dots ran right past the fight and slowed. Then one by one they jumped out.

  “Trant!” Jolo yelled into the comm on the Fed channel. “Do something!”

  “I am. Don’t be stupid, Jolo. Fools die.” Another wasp went gray and then Trant’s gunboat, Nymeria, disappeared. And right on cue the remaining gunboat went black. Four wasps kept fighting, their speed and agility the only thing going for them. One hit from a cruiser and it was all over. The remaining cruiser got in close to the Persephony and started firing on the underside of the big ship.

  “Why doesn’t Kray do something?” said Katy.

  “The cruiser is in too close. The Persephony’s guns can’t come to bear,” said Jolo.

  “What about the turrets?” said Koba.

  “The Bugs took them out,” said Jolo.

  “Yeah, but the lower levels are mostly just ship holds,” said Greely.

  “But if they could get into the lower level, then maybe they could get a shot at level three,” said Koba.

  “Fuel cells,” said Katy.

  Fools die.

  “Barth,” Jolo yelled into the comm, “can you stop the jump?”

  “Yeah, but I’ll have to shut everything down from here.”

  “Do it!”

  Everyone was strapped in, ready to make the jump, and the Argossy went dark and the jump drives wound down. Once the computer came back online Jolo went full burn to the Persephony.

  Katy brought the Argossy in close and the light fighters pelted the old ship with their tiny ion cannons.

  “Evade?” said Katy.

  “No. Shit on them,” said Jolo. “Koba, get a gun on that last cruiser.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Katy, get us in close,” said Jolo. The hull rocked as the smaller BG ships banged the Argossy.

  “How we doin, Barth?”

  “Okay for now, but don’t push it.”

  Katy dove the old ship down and got and angle on the last cruiser. It had burned a hole in the lower part of the Persephony’s hull and was angling for another shot, deeper into the big ship. The wasps were buzzing around it, their smaller ion cannons hot and ready to melt, but they couldn’t move the larger ship.

  But the Argossy was a different story. The cruiser knew the Argossy was coming but held steady, trying to get her cannons deep into the heart of the big Fed boat and ignite the level three fuel cells. Koba unloaded the rail guns and a big hole opened up in the black ship. The cruiser’s big guns shut down instantly.

  “Again,” said Jolo. Koba hit the black boat with the rail guns once more, and the black ship spun off at an odd angle. Big chunks of debris floated around the scene: hull plating from the destroyed cruiser mixing in with the contents of Persephony’s lower bay that got sucked out into space.

  There were four of the BG light fighters still buzzing around one of the dead gunboats on the other side of the Persephony. The gunboat showed gray on the scanner but it was still firing its turreted ion cannon. Jolo had Katy move the Argossy in close and the little boats scattered, leaving the dark gunboat with the wild ion cannon floating.

  “Captain, we got one good heat sig on that gunboat,” said Katy.

  “Somebody got into a suit in time,” said Jolo. “Bring us in close and we’ll give him a ride to the Persephony.”

  Sure enough, a man in a Fed battle suit, standing on the hull of the dead gunboat with magna-boots, was waving his arms as the Argossy approached.

  “How’d he work the cannon?” said Koba.

  “Must’ve been working the controls manually from the base of the turret,” said Koba.

  They got him into the air lock and Jolo ran down to talk to him. He’d been a pirate long enough to know not to let anyone in without a conversation.

  “Nice work with the turret,” said Jolo through the comm to the man in the blue suit.

  “Hard to aim with the manual controls. Let me in, Jolo,” came the reply.

  “Who is this?”

  “Kray,” said the man.

  “Naw. Kray’s up in the big ship where it’s safe.” Jolo knew Kray wasn’t scared of anything and if it was really Kray he was gonna be pissed.

  “Let me in, Pirate!” yelled the man. “I’m not afraid to die in the defense of the Federation.”

  “Yes, but would it be wise to die for nothing, Kray? To kill others for nothing.”

  “I saw the vid you posted, as did most of the ship.”

  “You gonna rethink things?”

  “If you mean, am I gonna turn tail and run, then your answer is absolutely not.”

  “What will you fight with? Your gunboats were destroyed or have deserted.”

  “I have transports that can be retrofitted. Enough parts floating around the Persephony to equip a few ships. We’ll make do.” There was a pause. “And I’ve got the Argossy.”

  “No you don’t. I’m leaving.”

  “Like that turncoat, Trant? Will you run with him? Like Pirates?”

  “No. Not like him.”

  “He was a coward. I didn’t think Jolo Vargas was a coward.”

  Jolo had heard enough.

  “How much air you got in your suit?”

  “About 30 minutes or so…” and then Kray stopped talking. The air pressure was just about to the point where Kray could take off his helmet. Jolo reached for the big red button that would open the outer doors.

  Kray started yelling. “Let me in, Vargas! Don’t you do it. You frakking Pirate!”

  Jolo hit the big button and the outer door released and Kray flew backwards out into space.

  “Get us out of here, Katy,” Jolo said through the comm.

  “Where we headed?” Jolo took a deep breath. He couldn’t run with a Fed idiot, or a man who would leave other men behind. Trant was right in a way, but Jolo didn’t fully trust him. He’d always just trusted his own instincts and the people on his boat. Why should it be different now?

  “If y’all are willing: Earth.”

  Heat

  The dead planet: Earth

  Jolo stamped his boot on the cold, hard ice. There was no satisfying crunch like a frosty meadow on one of the core planets in early spring. No, this was like the metal deck of a gunboat. The sky was brown, but steadily becoming a dirty orange. Jolo guessed it was mid-morning. There were no trees, no green, no sign of human habitation, just gray hardpack as far as the eye could see.

  It was a miracle the Argossy had made it to ground with so little damage, a testament to Katy’s skills. The hyper-gravity pull that sucked them in was more powerful than anything Jolo had ever experienced. And when his old boat finally came to a rest at an angle on her side, there were no cheers, just relief and silence. They were open and alone and had just been spared. Death, for a moment, had passed them all by. But after a few minutes, when everyone’s breathing had steadied, Jolo got the crew to work.

  Koba had warned against breathing the outside air even though the tox scan was mostly clear, but Greeley couldn’t resist and snuck out the rear hatch before Jolo could stop him. Everyone watched him from the main screen on the bridge. He ran out onto the ice and took a deep breath of air. Suddenly his hands went to his throat and he fell to the ground. Katy screamed and Koba scrambled around under his console for an air mask. Greeley lay on the cold Earth and tw
itched like he’d been shot by a Fed blaster. “Go save him!” said Katy.

  But Jolo shook his head. “Wait,” he said.

  Sure enough, a few seconds later Greeley jumped up with a grin on his face and did a little dance. Barth and George were next out to inspect the damage to the hull and landing pads. Katy went out to hit Greeley, and Koba followed, wearing the air mask just in case. Jolo was the last one out. Hurley stayed on the ship down in engineering.

  Jolo stared out into the gray cold mist. Crash landing on Earth was expected. The force that pulled them in from beyond was stronger than Jolo had anticipated, but that still hadn’t tested his resolve. This is what they had to do. But this, the frozen ground and ice as far as he could see, this was something else.

  Jolo ran his hand along the hull of the Argossy. They’d lost power right before touch down and hit the ground hard, one of her landing pads shearing off. So now she sat on her side half buried in the ice, everything inside at a 35% angle. There was an ugly gash where the cowling on the port side had been ripped off when they’d had to bump the cruiser coming out of the Persephony. The rail gun was exposed, black burn marks on the end of the barrel and black on the hull next to it. But other than that, the old ship was in surprisingly good shape.

  “Fuel is an issue,” said Barthelme, every exhale like a white puff of smoke.

  “We knew that,” said Jolo. “We’ll have to find another source to get off planet.”

  “That ain’t what I mean.”

  Jolo smiled at the old engineer. “What are you worried about?”

  “Heat, mainly.” Jolo’s smile faded and Barth continued. “We got half a cell left even after sneaking off the Persephony with double our normal capacity.”

  “Worst case?”

  “Well, George is still working on the numbers, but he figures we got about 12 days until we are all popsicles.”

  Greeley walked up sucking on a long piece of ice. “Somebody say popsicle?” He grinned, put his hand on Jolo’s shoulder. “What y’all frettin’ about? We’re here. We’re still alive.” Jolo and Barth couldn’t help but smile, too. Greeley’s face was still scarred and red, but he was back to his old self again. Ready for anything.