by Rachel Aukes
“Strangely, Teflon contains the acid, and Specialist Edwards doesn’t believe the Swarm uses Teflon,” Chief answered.
“Of course they wouldn’t use Teflon. It’s extremely inefficient and has a short shelf life,” Eddy replied.
“The other acid is better known as C2N14, and it’s not so much an acid as it is a bomb. You shake it, it explodes. You bump it, it explodes. You look at this stuff funny, it explodes,” Chief said.
Throttle frowned. “How could we possibly transport that through a black hole without blowing ourselves up?”
“You can’t, which is why C2N14 is off the table,” Chief said.
Eddy groaned. “Oh, but I was hoping to get to use that sometime. It would make a far better show of the planet’s destruction than with fluoroantimonic acid. With that, it’ll just slowly cave in on itself and dissolve. Very anticlimactic.” He waved a hand through the air. “Oh well, we’ll make do with what we have. We fly a ship filled with roughly three tons of acid straight into Vantage Core, and it’ll be the end of the line for them. The moons are connected by cables, so potentially they’ll be damaged, but I wouldn’t count on it, so you’ll have to put some acid into some torpedoes and fire them into the moons.”
“Why not use a torpedo for the planet, too?”
Chief replied, “We can’t with the quantity we’re talking about. Nothing smaller than a good-sized ship capable of jump speed can make the run.” He winced slightly. “The Gauntlet is the only ship for the job. I’ll miss that ship.”
“The Javelin’s fast,” Throttle said.
Chief shook his head. “Not as fast as the Gauntlet. It can reach a jump speed of .72 light speed.”
Throttle’s jaw slackened. “That’s fifty percent faster than most ships. How do you manage to shield against radiation?”
Chief smiled. “A perk of being a GP director is that I can get to try out some of the best toys. The radiation shielding is new tech. The good thing about it is that it provides full EMP protection when the radiation shields are running.”
“That’s incredible,” she said. “How can I get my hands on some of that?”
Chief’s grin returned. “You can’t.”
Eddy spoke. “With EMP shielding, Rusty won’t go offline when we’re kicked out of the black hole. That will be helpful since he’ll be flying the Gauntlet.”
Chief held up a hand. “That’s my concern. We know that your computer was created by the Swarm. That alone raises a very large red flag, and knowing how easily the Swarm controlled it raised another flag. I believe we should use a human to pilot the ship into the planet.”
“A human won’t be able to detect the best place to strike the planet. Rusty can do that once we arrive in the Swarm system,” Eddy said.
“What if you have Rusty feed the analysis to whoever ends up flying the Gauntlet?” Sylvian asked.
“It won’t work,” Eddy said. “Because Rusty will need to make split-second adjustments right up to the point the ship crashes into the planet. If you have Rusty constantly feeding tiny course corrections from the Javelin to the Gauntlet, then you’ll lose a few seconds in transmission and quite a few more seconds in the pilot inputting those corrections into the ship’s computer. With the speed the Gauntlet will need to be going, you need a computer at the controls to make those adjustments.”
Throttle frowned. “Wait. You’re thinking of making course corrections while in jump speed?”
Eddy nodded. “If the course corrections are tiny enough, they won’t break the engines.”
“I’m less worried about the engines than I am about any humans on board,” she countered.
Eddy waved her off. “Chief’s analysts have been crunching the numbers. Rusty can make tiny adjustments while in jump speed.”
“The numbers work out,” Chief agreed. “However, for the Gauntlet to make it to the planet, it’s up to the rest of the Strike fleet to keep the path clear. That means the Gauntlet will enter the black hole near the back of the fleet, so that the slower ships can get a head start in clearing a path as soon as they reach the Swarm system.”
Punch chuckled. “It sounds like the operation is dependent on a series of miracles.”
Chief shot him a glare. “There’s nothing easy about this operation. We all know that. Destroying the planet is the only option, and this is the best idea on the table. We have to figure out how to make it work.”
Throttle swallowed. “Rusty is the only computer capable of flying a ship without human intervention, but he’s vulnerable. The last time we were in that system, Rusty nearly got us all killed.”
“Rusty can be taken over by his Swarm overlord,” Finn countered.
“Not if he’s placed on a closed-loop system behind that fancy shielding,” Eddy said.
“You sure about that?” Throttle asked.
“Ninety-nine percent.” Eddy thought for a moment. “Ninety-eight percent sure. I’ll be right along to reboot him just in case Vantage Core zaps him with that mind-control beam again.”
Throttle’s features tightened. “You’ll be riding along on a suicide run.”
“It’s not going to be a suicide run. It’s probably less dangerous than all the ships that are flying to the Swarm system with us to keep all the probes off our backs,” Eddy said. “We’d eject right before impact. I’ll unplug Rusty and get us both ejected. Then you can come and pick us up. Easy peasy.”
Throttle narrowed her gaze. “Easy peasy? You’ll have, what, a few seconds—if you’re lucky—to eject, and then you’ll need to be picked up in the middle of a space battle?”
Eddy shrugged. “We can work out the details later.”
“I still have major concerns in using a Swarm computer in a crucial role against the Swarm,” Chief said. “For all we know, that probe is sending back all the data it’s collected to Vantage Core.”
“He’s not. He’s actually the best source of intel we have against the Swarm since he was imprisoned by them. If he was still a Swarm probe, why would he have left the tracker you placed on the Javelin?” Eddy asked.
The rest of the team turned to Eddy. Throttle cocked her head. “What tracker?”
“Chief put a tracker on the Javelin to keep tabs on it since you didn’t get it connected to Atlas net yet. You know, the whole ‘big brother is watching’ thing,” Eddy said, enunciating with his hands.
The team turned to Chief.
“You’re all my employees. I need to be able to track you when you’re working in case things go to shit,” Chief said unapologetically.
Sylvian stepped forward. “I’m not worried about Rusty. I’d trust him with my life. If he and Eddy think this idea is possible, then I stand behind them.”
Chief eyed Sylvian carefully before turning to the others. “You all think that?”
“Absolutely,” Finn said.
Throttle knew that Finn would always agree with his wife, while she thought through her response.
“I don’t trust any computer,” Punch said. “They can fail. Plus, their rationalization of everything can be inhuman.”
“Well, they’re not human to begin with, so that makes sense,” Eddy said.
“I trust Rusty,” Throttle said finally. “He’s made some mistakes along the way, but he’s learned, just like each of us. I think if Rusty and Eddy think they’re the best team for this, I stand behind them. But I want to have a damn-near foolproof plan worked out that doesn’t require them jumping ship at the last second in the hopes of not being melted alive by acid.”
Eddy shivered at the prospect.
Chief steepled his fingers. “I’ll give this idea more thought. Should we proceed, I will have my own analysts thoroughly examine your Swarm computer.”
“Rusty,” Eddy said. “His name is Rusty.”
“Now go. We all have work to do.” Chief shooed them away, ignoring Eddy’s comment.
As soon as Chief’s office door closed behind them, Punch turned on Sylvian. “You left Macy alone on t
he ship?”
Sylvian stiffened and Throttle noticed Finn took a step closer.
“Relax,” Sylvian said. “I had to leave her on the ship when I went to the briefing. Besides, she’s fine. She can take care of herself. From what I hear, she had to mostly take care of herself all the time, as it is.”
Punch scowled. “I put her with a good family.”
Sylvian’s brows rose. “Really? She said she hadn’t eaten anything except ration bars for the past two years.”
He froze. “What? That’s impossible. I send the Kershaws credits every month.”
“She mentioned that you did, but she also mentioned that they spend the money on themselves and only take her shopping right before you come for a visit, to make it look like she’s been pampered. So don’t lecture me about taking care of your daughter, when you could use some lessons yourself.”
She strode ahead, and Punch fell behind the group.
Throttle glanced at each of them, wondering if she should say something, when Free Station’s alarms blared.
Throttle stopped cold.
An announcement came over the speakers. “The Alton mining camp in Ross sector 46-205 has been attacked. This is a verified Swarm attack. All marshal teams prepare for immediate action. Departure teams will be alerted within five minutes.”
Punch pointed at Sylvian. “Check on her. Please.”
Throttle sucked in a breath. “How many Swarm probes have come here? Dozens? Hundreds?”
“Probably thousands,” Eddy corrected.
Chapter Twenty-Six
As things turned out, Chief didn’t need to send a Peacekeeper force to fight the Swarm at the Alton mining camp. Six hundred thirty-seven miners and their families had been slaughtered in a hailstorm of photon blasts that lasted less than five minutes. There wasn’t a single survivor. All that was left was debris and bodies.
He tapped his screen to begin recording.
“The Swarm have attacked us again, unprovoked, this time an unarmed mining colony. Over six hundred innocent souls were lost in the brutal attack. I implore you to activate the Defender Protocol across all human-inhabited systems. I have activated the protocol for the Ross system because we are under attack by a superior force that has returned with the intent to meet its maker and erase humanity. The videos leave no doubt as to the extent of the threat we face. If we face the Swarm in a battle of equal numbers, we will lose. Our only hope is to stop them before their fleet is deployed. If we don’t succeed in stopping the Swarm early, we will be forced into a war that terrifies me, because I’m not sure we could win. Approve the Defender Protocol, not for the Ross system, but for all of humanity.”
He stopped recording and leaned back in his chair. He took a couple of calming breaths as he considered recording a new message, but he couldn’t think of words that would be more effective to communicate the urgency and danger of the situation. How could he convince the overly conservative Consortium of the existential threat humanity now faced? He couldn’t beat sense into them. He’d expected the videos to do the work for him, but so far, they’d had little effect. He could only hope that this latest video, along with confirmed deaths of noncombatants, would convince the Consortium to approve the measures that were needed to unify and organize all the Peacekeepers against the Swarm.
Chief sighed, leaned toward his screen, attached the video of the attack, and sent the message to the Consortium. He went to take a drink of coffee when a call request chimed. When he saw the caller’s name, he set down his cup and answered.
A woman’s face appeared on the screen. Her skin was as pale as his was dark. She seemed to be about his age, with crow’s feet at her eyes and laugh lines that hinted that she’d smiled a lot in life. He had his share of wrinkles, but he’d never had the sort of life to give him laugh lines.
Today, her features were tight, with no hint of a smile. “I’m calling in regard to your request, Director Roux.”
“Call me Chief, Dr. Philbraun,” he said. “Is there a problem filling the request?”
“No. Starporation has the quantities of fluoroantimonic acid that you’re requesting, but it will drain our supplies. The mining camps rely on superacid to speed up their work, and the board is a bit concerned that we’ll see a hit to the bottom line due to potential delays.”
“I understand, Doctor. I wouldn’t have put in the request if I didn’t absolutely need the full amount. I hope your board sees a hit to the bottom line as far more preferable than losing entire mining camps to the Swarm. Starpor has four camps in the Ross system at immediate risk of a Swarm attack.”
“I heard about the loss of the Alton Corp camp. It was a tragedy. Starpor understands the danger, and we’re happy to be of service. The board has agreed to offer a significant discount on the superacid in exchange for, perhaps, additional security posted at each of our camps.”
He watched her for a moment. “Doctor, I wish I could provide full security details across every camp, but I need every Peacekeeper involved in the operations we’re taking against the Swarm. I recommend that you engage a freelance security company for peace of mind.”
Her lips curled upward, giving him a ghost of a smile. “Ah, Chief. I already have, but it seems that you beat me to them. Every security company between here and Sol has already signed a contract with you.”
“Try Jade Corp, headquartered in Sol. While Jade-8 has signed with the GP already, I haven’t engaged Jade-7 yet, and they’re always available for the right price.”
Her features soured slightly before smoothing. “I’ll give them a call. Thank you, Chief. You should see your shipment delivered via a Starpor carrier later today.”
“Excellent. Thank you, Doctor.”
She disconnected the call.
He pulled up the list of mining corporations from which he’d purchased the superacid. No single corporation had the needed quantities near the Ross system—it took four companies to get the full amount. He hadn’t told Dr. Philbraun, or any of the corporate executives, that he was working with their competitors. He’d learned from experience that corporations were far easier to work with if they felt like they had a special relationship with the government.
One of the shipments had already arrived. With Starpor’s shipment coming in that day and the final two scheduled to arrive tomorrow, he needed to make sure the Gauntlet and the torpedoes were ready. He fired off status requests to the lead specialists assigned to the superacid prep and handling.
That left Chief to focus on the Strike fleet—those making the first strike against the Swarm—and the Iron fleet. The latter fleet, named for the Iron Wall it would form between the colonies and the Swarm, would be easier since it was simply a matter of logistics, of routing the right squadrons to the right sectors. The Strike fleet was an entirely different story. He had a team of specialists working nonstop to figure out how to send an entire fleet safely through a black hole, be equipped to go up against the Swarm, and then make it back home, though he tried not to think about how few would make it back home.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Eddy blew out a breath. “Will you just listen to me? It will work.”
Throttle continued to eye him suspiciously. “But you two still haven’t worked out how to prevent Vantage Core from turning Rusty into a zombie again.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’re still working out that little detail.”
She guffawed. “Little detail? That sounds like a big freaking detail to me.”
He set down the box of cables. “Rusty is analyzing the energy beam they zapped him with. All we have to do is find the right shielding against it. We think the Gauntlet’s fancy radiation shields may even be enough. We’ll get it figured out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, one of us is trying to get some work done.”
Throttle took a rather dramatic step back, giving him plenty of space. Eddy picked up the box and carried it from the Javelin to the Gauntlet, which was docked at the end of the level. Chief had done that on purpose
, to keep the ship away from the other ships and at the edge of Free Station, in case the superacid leaked. Eddy didn’t bother telling him that it wouldn’t matter if only one of the shipments broke a seal. The acid would destroy all of Free Station and everyone on it.
The distance was frustrating for Eddy because it added nine minutes of walking—each way—to carry the necessary equipment from the Javelin to the Gauntlet. He needed an assistant to do all that busywork for him.
When he reached the Gauntlet, he walked past a team wearing hazmat suits, and carried the box onto the ship. He set it down just past the airlock and returned to the Javelin.
Nine minutes later, he boarded the ship to hear voices on the bridge to his right. He turned left and walked back to the engineering area within the cargo hold. He closed the curtain he’d added to give him some semblance of privacy.
“Welcome back, Eddy,” Rusty said.
“I heard you talking with the others on the bridge. They’d better not be distracting you,” he said.
“Not at all. I’m concurrently running several processes. I’m currently talking with Throttle and Sylvian on ideas for heavier EMP shielding. They’re quite concerned about traveling through the black hole again.”
Eddy hmphed. “They should be more worried about stress fractures from the rough entry and exits.”
“There is a risk for stress fractures, but I believe the alloy designed by the Swarm for the hulls of their probes was designed for travel through primordial black holes. Older Peacekeeper ships will be at a greater risk for stress fractures.”
Eddy grabbed another box and began pulling tools from the drawers. “Good thing we won’t be on one of those, then.”
Metal clinked against metal as Eddy filled the box.
“The printer has completed the upgraded nanites,” Rusty said.
Eddy straightened. “Good. We can get that over with. Where’s Macy now?”
“I’ve asked her to come back here.”
“Where’s Punch now?”