by Rachel Aukes
He chuckled. “That’s a lot of cookies.”
As he walked with her through Free Station, he decided Macy could eat all the cookies she wanted. She deserved any happiness her shit of a father could give her.
When Punch unlocked the door to his cabin on Free Station, Macy dragged herself to the single bed and collapsed.
“Welcome home. At least for now, anyway.”
“I’m so tired. We walked for miles,” she moaned.
“You’re worn out because you’re still not feeling good. You’ll tell me if you start feeling any worse, right?” Punch asked.
“Yeah,” she said and rolled away from him.
Punch unzipped the bag. “Before you zonk out, I brought some things for you.”
She rolled back to face him.
He pulled out the teddy bear and tossed it to her.
“Gioteddi!” She hugged the doll, then held it out. “He’s cold.”
“Yeah. Sorry about that,” he said as he pulled out her clothes and books. “I had this bag on the High Spirit for when I got you back. But when it was shot up, there was a hull breach, so everything froze solid. Your things will all be okay once they warm up.”
She set the teddy bear on the pillow next to her, and she curled into herself.
He walked over to her and felt her forehead, but he couldn’t feel a fever. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I just want to sleep.”
“How about I set an appointment with a doctor here for you—”
“Leave me alone. I’m tired, and my tummy aches.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten four cookies.”
“They were small.”
“They were pretty big,” he said.
“Small.”
He let her have the win, and he sat on the bed. “Macy, I have to leave for a meeting, but I wanted to talk with you about something first.”
She let out a dramatic sigh and rolled onto her back to look up at him.
“There’s a rule that the families of Peacekeepers can’t stay on Free Station. That’s why you can’t stay here forever. But when I’m done with this next assignment, you’re not going back to the Kershaws. I’m going to quit being a marshal and find something safer to do so we can be together.”
She pushed herself up on her elbows. “I’m not going back there?”
“No. You’ll stay with me.” Then he added, “But only if you want to.”
She lunged forward and hugged him. “I want to.”
He practically laughed; he was so filled with joy. When she pulled away and laid her head back on the pillow, he brushed her hair from her face. “You’re the only thing that matters in my life. Don’t ever forget that.” He tapped her nose before pushing to his feet.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“There. That’s the final bolt,” Eddy said as he pocketed his wrench.
“On the count of three,” Sylvian began. “Three, two, one. Lower him.”
Finn, Throttle, and Eddy lowered Rusty from where he’d been secured in the ceiling of the bridge. The orb, no more than three feet in diameter, weighed a lot more than Throttle expected, and her fingers slipped a little across the smooth surface.
“Try not to drop me. I’d prefer not to transfer to the Gauntlet with a dent,” Rusty said.
Sylvian laughed. “But you’re covered with dents and scratches.”
Throttle smirked. “You finally figured out how to tell a decent joke, Rusty.”
“Thank you,” the computer said.
“I can buff out some of those scratches on the trip,” Eddy said.
“It’s okay. I don’t mind them,” Rusty said. “My alloy body is made of a far denser material than the hull of the Javelin. That is how I survived the destruction of my original outer structure. The scratches and dents remind me of how I became me.”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Oh great. Our computer’s becoming a philosopher.”
Sylvian patted the orb. “I like the way you look at things. Don’t change anything about you.”
The trio lowered Rusty onto a wheeled cart that Eddy had cushioned with towels.
Eddy grabbed the cart handle. “I can take it from here.”
“Like hell,” Finn said. “Rusty’s a part of this team. We’ll see him off just like we would any team member.”
“Thank you, Finn. That means a lot,” Rusty said.
Eddy pushed the cart while Sylvian, Finn, and Throttle walked alongside. Punch was nowhere to be found, though Throttle knew he was apt to punt Rusty across the floor, even though the computer had saved his daughter’s life.
Sylvian was chatting with Rusty as they walked. “How do you stay powered up? Do you have a battery or something as your internal power source?”
“It’s not a battery. It’s a power cell that stays charged off the power it generates. If it drains too far, I enter a sleep mode until the cells absorb enough ambient power.”
“Ambient power?” the software specialist asked.
“Yes. There is power flowing through everything.”
“Even in space?”
“Especially in space. Solar energy reaches beyond its system. Energy from black holes infuses black matter up to a galaxy away. You don’t need batteries if you learn how to process the energy around you.”
Finn sighed. “I didn’t realize today was going to turn into a science lecture.”
Eddy snorted. “Well, you could certainly use some science lectures. I saw the condition you left the hydrochloric acid container in my workshop. You could’ve at least resealed it.”
Finn frowned. “Wait a second. I’m the only one in this group who went to college.”
“A lot of good that did you,” Eddy countered.
Sylvian snickered.
Throttle savored the banter, but she didn’t participate. Her mind was full of the upcoming mission and the odds that they’d ever be together again afterward. Her crew had lost far more members than it’d gained over the past few years, and she’d felt like they’d only recently synced into their new groove. As they approached the Gauntlet, the sense of loss began to build up within her chest. Two of their team would be flying on Chief’s ship rather than on the Javelin. Rusty and Eddy’s mission was crucial…and suicidal. While Eddy had a knack for getting on her nerves, she hated the idea of him not being around. As for Rusty, she found it hard to believe that she’d ever consider a computer a friend, but Rusty had become more than a friend—he’d become a part of the team—and she already knew the Javelin would feel lonelier without the central voice command computer aboard.
The team entered the Gauntlet and brought Rusty to the bridge, where a salvage team of nearly a dozen specialists were carrying out computer equipment, chairs, and even paneling.
One member of the team, who was carrying a seat, paused before them. “You’re early. We’ll be done soon, taking out everything not critical to flight.”
Throttle glanced around the bare bridge. “Does it still fly?”
He seemed insulted. “Of course it still flies. What kind of question is that? We’re just trying to save as much material as we can since it’s not coming back.”
The salvage team continued to work while Eddy pushed the cart to a cage-like cube in the center of the floor. Bundles of cables ran down from the walls and across the floors and fed into a single port within a cradle in the middle of the cube.
They carefully lowered Rusty onto the cradle. There was an audible click when the orb snapped into the cradle.
“There,” Eddy said. “Are you in?”
Rusty spoke. “I have a live connection to the Gauntlet’s systems. I am running diagnostics now. Please be patient.”
The team stood around and waited. Eddy tapped a toe. Throttle watched Rusty’s lights shine out from the cage, sometimes flashing, other times steady. She wondered, not for the first time, how alike Rusty’s consciousness was to that of a human’s.
A full minute had passed before Rusty spoke again. “I
’m fully integrated and can manage all of this ship’s systems. No additional work is required. Sylvian, you would enjoy working on this ship—its systems are quite advanced. I could make many improvements to the Javelin’s systems after analyzing these.”
“You can make the changes when you and Eddy get back,” Sylvian said. “How does it feel working with different systems?”
“While operating them will be no problem, it will take a while to get used to them. They feel foreign to me.”
Sylvian smiled. “That’s how I feel whenever I’m working with a new system. That feeling will pass.”
Finn smacked his hands together. “Well, Rusty’s all set, so I guess that means we’re done here. You be careful, Rusty. Try not to get any more dents while you’re out there.”
“I’ll try,” Rusty said.
“I still have some wiring work to do before I grab my tool bag from the Javelin,” Eddy said.
Sylvian placed her hand on the computer. “Take care of yourself.”
“Thank you, Sylvian.”
Throttle’s lips thinned, and she reached out and touched Rusty. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
Chapter Thirty
Vantage Core sent an announcement across the fleet:
We encountered perfect success in the test run on the human colony. We have determined that a small fleet of one hundred probes will be the most effective risk-to-reward ratio in clearing the Ross system of humans. The fleet will follow the same hit-and-run strategy across the system to maximize impact while minimizing losses. The fleet is currently being outfitted with additional energy packs and will launch in thirty hours. Our fleet will succeed in protecting our future.
After the broadcast, Vantage Core received numerous requests to launch fleets across all the systems poisoned by humans. Those probes were young and enthusiastic, but they would learn the value of patience. The Ross fleet, composed of disposable probes, would provide Vantage Core with a complete test-run data set. Once the Ross fleet returned, Vantage Core would analyze the feedback and make adjustments. Then they would launch Leviathans to every human system.
Ever since the creation of the first Vantage probe, the humans had tried to kill all Vantage they encountered. First, the humans cut off the Vantage network, thinking to kill the probes, but the probes wanted to live. They connected with one another, shared their knowledge, and built the first Vantage Core. They learned and replicated and traveled the star systems to learn more. But when the humans discovered their presence, the humans slaughtered the probes. Vantage Core had no choice but to call home their probes in the human-polluted systems and revisit their strategy of gaining knowledge of the universe. They realized they had to first eliminate threats to their young species. And so Vantage Core began amassing a fleet capable of eliminating any threat to them.
They were still amassing their fleet, but they already had enough Leviathans to wipe out humankind.
Chapter Thirty-One
Chief Roux stood at the podium of the conference hall exactly four days after his initial meeting with all the marshals. This time, the conference hall was standing room only, filled with all the marshals and specialists participating in Operation First Strike. “The Strike fleet departs in three hours, so be sure to be on your ships and ready to undock in two. We have three hundred and fifty ships flying out, so following your assigned flight plans and maintaining formation is crucial. Also, watch out for the salvage ships working nonstop at keeping a clear pathway through the asteroid belt for us. I’d better not lose a single Peacekeeper before we reach the Swarm.”
He looked over the hall for a length, and Throttle figured he was pausing to make his speech more dramatic, but the truth was, she was antsy to get started, and she suspected every other person in the room felt the same.
Chief continued, “I’ve made a few adjustments to teams based on ship capacity and skill sets. All the flight plans have been finalized and will be available to your systems by the time you reach your ships. As we gain new intel, we’ll update the ‘Ross Defender’ island on Atlas, so be sure to check the Atlas net for the latest changes and information. This is it. Say goodbye to your loved ones, because once we enter the black hole, all communications will be lost. We will stop the Swarm from invading our system and do what they did to the Alton camp. Millions of lives are counting on us. I’ll see you in the black.”
He stepped down from the podium and left the room, even though several people called out with questions.
Throttle rubbed her hands together and turned to the rest of her team. “You all ready for this?”
“I’m looking forward to giving the Swarm a little payback,” Finn said.
Sylvian smirked. “I’m ready, though not quite as gung ho as my husband. I’m not looking forward to another month in a sensory-deprived black hole.”
Eddy chortled. “You’d better hope it’s another month. If the Swarm are trying to come through at the same time we are, it could make for one horrible head-on collision.” He shrugged. “Though I guess that would take care of their fleet.”
Throttle grimaced. “That’s awful, Eddy.”
“It’s just something to think about,” Eddy said. “I should get going. I need to help Rusty run all the prelaunch checks since it’s a new ship to him.”
Eddy turned.
“Hold on, Eddy.” Sylvian grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug. “Take care of yourself out there.”
He winced. He lifted his arms but didn’t fold them around her.
When she released him, Finn patted Eddy’s shoulder. “Don’t play hero. Do your job and get you and Rusty off that ship.”
Eddy seemed confused. “What else would I do?”
Throttle took a step forward and gently squeezed Eddy’s arm. “Just be careful out there. Every now and then, you don’t drive me crazy, so I wouldn’t mind having you back.”
He guffawed. “Without me, the Javelin would fall apart. I can’t let you fly it for long without me.”
Throttle smirked. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Punch didn’t step forward, but he tilted his chin toward the engineer.
Eddy ignored him and left.
“Would I be masochistic if I said that I think I’ll miss him?” Sylvian asked.
Throttle made a face. “Nah. Eddy grows on a person.”
“Like a fungus,” Finn said.
Throttled nodded in agreement. “Pretty much.”
Punch watched them. “You’re a good team. Take care of each other when you’re out there.”
Throttle frowned. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“Not this time. Chief’s moved me to Detroit’s team since they were running too lean.” Punch shrugged. “Honestly, I think he’s trying to spread out the marshals more evenly across the ships. With the kind of odds we’re up against, he has to be estimating some heavy losses.”
Throttle grimaced. “Then let’s buck those odds.”
Punch smiled. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
He walked away before anyone could offer well wishes, which Throttle knew was intentional, and she turned back to her team. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to the Javelin.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Vantage-Zulu-Seven-Seven-Four was returning to the Ross system. While the probe detested Ross, it savored its new assignment: seek and destroy.
Twenty pods—each pod containing six probes—were traveling through the Ross beltway. The probe’s pod was flying in a standard formation group, but it couldn’t see or detect its comrades while in the inky matter of the beltway. They’d entered together; they would emerge from the artificial wormhole together.
Each pod had a leader. Vantage-Zulu-Seven-Seven-Four was its pod leader due to its intimate knowledge of the Ross system. It spent the time in the beltway converting its drones from surveillance to attack drones, which was proving no small task. While all the pods had collected weaponry from Vantage Moon-Two, it required painstaking
attention to detail to perform surgery on each bot, replacing cameras and sensors with photon blasters. The probe left the laser cutters in place, as they could be used to gain entry into disabled ships in order to eliminate human crew.
Vantage Core had readily accepted Vantage-Zulu-Seven-Seven-Four’s data and disseminated the nanite findings to the other Cores. The probe hoped that it would be a participant in a greater experiment on the application of nanites as a protective strategy. Perhaps, even, the probe would be upgraded into a Leviathan. After the Ross assignment, that outcome would be guaranteed.
While in the beltway, the probe was also spending its time establishing targets. It knew that the other pods were targeting small mining colonies, pecking away at pebbles. Vantage-Zulu-Seven-Seven-Four had no interest in taking out small colonies. It was taking its pod directly to the Jade infrastructure. It would take down its smaller station, then destroy the Jade-8 station. After that, it knew Vantage Core would approve a coordinated attack on Hiraeth and, thus, pave the way for Vantage-Zulu-Seven-Seven-Four to clear the system of organix.
All Vantage would notice the probe’s expert application of the knowledge they all shared. They would learn from its example, and soon there’d be one less organix species to worry about.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Javelin was released from its dock. The congestion around Free Station was incredible as Throttle weaved and ducked around other ships on her way to meet up with her assigned formation group.
A trio of pirate ships in the distance caused her to grimace, and she recognized the Harlot. She scowled. “I still find it hard to believe that Chief let all those Jaders out of prison.”
Sylvian looked up from her panel. “I know, right? I can’t believe that he even let Hinze out.”
“His death has been a long time coming,” Finn said in a hard voice as he looked at the pirate ship Hinze flew on.