“You are still certain?” she asked.
Alexis nodded, the information consistent with what the AI had told her after they took the system from General Peepo’s forces. But that hadn’t changed her decision to leave forces behind. Peepo was nothing if not a thorny adversary. Could she outthink an AI dating back to the First Republic? She didn’t know. The decision to keep several ships was the safe move, from a defensive standpoint, though risky from an offensive one.
Comms confirmed the stargate was opening, and she saw the distortion form. “Order the fleet into hyperspace,” she said, and the ships moved forward as one. An instant later, that moment of destruction flooded through her, instantly followed by reconstruction, and they were in the featureless whiteness of hyperspace. In a week, she’d be home at New Warsaw. The image of Nigel drifted into her mind’s eye, and a small smile crossed her face.
* * *
Tunnels, Underdeep, Paradise
“Here they come!” The scout yelled as he crossed through the lines and retreated into the cavern.
“What do you think?” Rachel DuBois asked. “Should we try to surrender?”
“The time to surrender is long past,” Walker replied. “Now that we’ve killed as many of them as we have, I doubt they’re going to stop until at least all of the CASPer operators are dead. You can run for it and try to surrender once their blood has cooled a little, but for everyone who stays here, this is a fight to the finish.”
“Well, can you at least slide over a little so I can have a better line of fire to shoot through?” she asked. “If I’m going to die, I want to at least take some of them with me.”
Walker adjusted his position to the left, without creating too big a gap. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that her laser rifle probably wouldn’t do much to the aliens. Hell, maybe she’ll get in a lucky shot.
The other five remaining CASPers and Walker were formed up at the entrance to the cavern in a semicircle, where each of them had enough room to maneuver. There was no sense trying to hold the enemy mercs in the tunnel; they’d just get mobbed there—two at a time. This way, they could spread out the aliens a little and maybe have five to ten at a time per CASPer.
The two troopers in the center of the line began firing down the passageway—they were the only ones with any ammo remaining—then the Goka burst through. Walker stepped forward with a tap of his jumpjets to break up the momentum of their charge with both of his arm blades out.
He skewered one of the Goka, but the other ducked low, skittering toward his leg. Walker tapped the jets again, jumping back into position and giving himself room to stab down on the alien that had gotten inside his guard.
The remaining civilians were firing, and laser bolts ricocheted randomly across the cavern, more a threat to the shooters than they were to the enemy.
Walker noticed in his command HUD that the icons for his squad were changing color—from green to yellow to red—as he stomped a Goka and then speared another that slid past him to go after the unarmored DuBois. As he turned to stab the Goka, two more jumped onto his back, and his left shoulder joint went immediately from green to red, and a blinding pain hit him as one of the Goka’s knives found a seam and stabbed into his left shoulder blade.
He swept his right blade down and across the back of his left shoulder and arm, but the enemy merc ducked the blade and kept wiggling the knife into his back. He twitched away from the blade inside his CASPer, only to have a second knife poke through on the right side. It slammed into his right shoulder blade, and the two knives pinned him forward in his straps.
Walker glanced around his displays. He was too far from the cave walls to back into them and had just decided on a desperate move—to fling himself back onto the ground to dislodge the Goka—when he was suddenly sent flying through the air by a series of detonations that hammered the Goka at the mouth of the cave.
He landed on his side, stunned, but the Goka on his right shoulder somehow managed to hold on through the blast and stabbed him again. The blinding pain brought him to his senses, and he rolled over, squashing the Goka underneath him, but also driving the blade into his body. When he could see again through the pain, he found the point sticking through the top of his right shoulder.
Walker struggled to his feet, trying not to move his right shoulder, and was met with a wave of steel and armored flesh as a company of CASPers—and Lumar? Where the fuck did the Lumar come from?—rolled into the cavern from behind the Goka.
The aliens were so bent on killing Walker’s troops that they didn’t see the new forces arrive, and the CASPers were on them in seconds, with the Lumar striding in behind them to grab the Goka from the ground and rip off their appendages in their four-armed grasps. The lead CASPer jumped forward to land on a Goka racing toward Walker, then turned as its pilot surveyed the rest of the battle. Apparently satisfied, the pilot turned the mech back to Walker, who could now see the stylized Huma bird logo on the CASPer along with the number “1.”
“It looked like you could use some help,” Nigel Shirazi’s voice said. He flinched as part of a Goka’s wing carapace flew past. “Sorry,” he added. “The Lumar are kind of excited to fight alongside CASPers, rather than against them.”
“I’m sure that’s a long story, well worth telling,” Walker replied, “and you have my thanks for coming. But you wouldn’t happen to have a medic or two who can look at my folks and maybe pull the blades out of my back that those damn Goka stuck through my suit, would you?”
“It just so happens, I do, my friend, although how you got here is a story I’m sure is also worth telling. First, though, let’s get you healed up.” Nigel turned to where the rest of his troops were mopping up the last of the Goka. “Sergeant Epard, front and center!”
* * * * *
Chapter Twelve
SOGA HQ, São Paulo, Brazil, Earth
Captain Drakayl raised her hand to knock on the door, then hesitated. The thing she hated most about her job was bringing bad news to the boss. Although working for the nominal head of the Mercenary Guild—in practice, if not in actual title—was a tremendous opportunity, it also put her very close to Peepo’s temper, which had grown very short ever since they’d come to Earth. She understood why—these Humans continued to do things that made the underside of her carapace itch—but that didn’t make being inside Peepo’s blast zone any better.
Summoning her will, she knocked. “General Peepo?”
“Come in!”
Captain Drakayl entered the office to find her boss looking out the window over the skyline of São Paulo. “Yes?” Peepo asked.
“I have the latest dispatches from the comm center. There are a few I thought you’d want to see immediately.” Part of her duties were to screen the messages for Peepo, and her position also gave her access to information that few others in the guild did. It also, unfortunately, made her very aware when Peepo was about to explode. Like now.
When Peepo waved her in, Drakayl crossed the room, handed Peepo the messages that were too important to pass over their computer system, and came to a position of attention while her boss read them.
“Good,” Peepo commented as she finished the first one. That was not the reaction Drakayl had been expecting. She knew the top communique detailed the recovery of the Golara shipyard—what was left, anyway—and the fact that the Human fleet had escaped slaughter at the hands of Admiral Galantrooka and New Era.
An involuntary breath must have escaped her, because Peepo looked up from the messages.
“You were expecting a different reaction?” Peepo asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”
“You thought, perhaps, that I would be angry that the Humans captured two battleships and destroyed the entire facility?”
“Well, yes, ma’am. They did capture your private yacht.”
“Indeed, they did.” Drakayl
nearly broke her position of attention when Peepo did something even more unexpected, she smiled. “That was the most important ship there,” Peepo added. “I would have been very disappointed if they’d missed it.”
“Ma’am?”
Peepo chuckled. “You’re confused, aren’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.”
“At ease,” Peepo said, then she explained. “Let me put it to you another way. Since you’ve been here, have you participated in any recreational activities?”
“Uh…what?”
“Have you gone out and done anything, or have you only stayed here at the headquarters and worked?”
“I’ve mostly just stayed here, ma’am. The Humans are somewhat…wild. I don’t trust them to walk around among them alone.”
“I don’t think they trust each other enough to walk alone, either, so I don’t think you’re wrong there,” Peepo replied. “However, it’s safe enough in a group, especially if you’re armed. It’s no worse than Karma Station, and actually better than a number of places there. As long as you look like you can handle yourself, you should be fine.”
“Okay…” She let her voice trail off, not completely sure where Peepo was going with the conversation.
“In any event,” Peepo continued, “there is a recreational activity here called ‘Deep Sea Fishing.’ This activity is conducted by going out onto the ocean in a relatively small boat and then dropping lines into the water to catch some of the creatures there. The bigger the creatures you’re hoping to catch, the bigger the bait you attach to the line.” She smiled at Drakayl as if that explained everything.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but what does fishing have to do with Golara?”
“Golara was the bait,” Peepo replied. “I’m fishing for the Horsemen, who are humanity’s biggest fish. Therefore, I needed appropriately sized bait. I simply let them know that Golara existed, and, sure enough, they came and took the bait.”
“You…let them seize the system and capture the battleships there?”
“Of course I did. Do you think I would be so stupid as to leave a facility like that under-protected? That I would send all of my fleets off for such a trivial activity as capturing their colonies?” Peepo chuckled. “Obviously you did, and you thought I made a mistake.”
“Entropy, ma’am; I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. You fell for it, just like the Humans did. The ‘gift’ of the battleships and allowing them to conquer the system was all intended for one purpose, and one purpose only—to make them overconfident. They were supposed to capture Golara, and then they were supposed to go off and recapture their colonies. As I said, what good are their colonies to me, anyway? They don’t produce that much, and there aren’t many people there. We could take the colonies any time we wanted and either strip their people from them or kill them at our whim.”
“And your yacht?”
“Yes, my yacht.” She smiled. “That was the most important piece of the whole deception. This is why study of your enemy—and doing things like participating in their recreational activities is so crucial, my young captain. If you had done those things, you would see how wrapped up Humans are in their possessions. They also like to attribute the emotions they have to other beings and races they meet. Therefore, because they are attached to their possessions, we must be, too.
“The fact of the matter is that I don’t care about the yacht. It is one of several I have. While it is nice, it is nothing compared to what is really important—the conquest of all the Humans. As such, I was happy to throw it away if it helps me achieve my goals. I could buy hundreds of them if I wanted, but when do I ever use a yacht? Never. They can have it.”
“But…but…by doing that—letting them capture Golara, the battleships, and your yacht, it makes it look like they are winning and causes dissention on our side. I have heard several people mention that they were unsure whether you were fit to lead anymore.”
“Yes, it does, doesn’t it?” Peepo asked with a smile. “And some of those people will probably have…shall we say…accidents once this is over? I know who my friends are…and who my enemies are, as well. I didn’t get to be where I am without learning how to find out who is truly with me, and who just appears to be to get ahead.”
“So, this is not only an operation against the Humans, but also to see who in the Mercenary Guild might be disloyal?”
“It is. The Humans, as a race, just happened to work well for both of these things. We need their abilities for upcoming operations, and they can’t be trusted to do as they’re told. Taking them over was the only way to acquire their capabilities without all the drawbacks attached to using them as mercenaries. Also, we need to go forward as a strong, unified body. I can’t have dissention within the ranks.”
She paused as if giving Drakayl time to digest everything she had said, then added, “It all comes down to the yacht. Since the Humans would never believe I’d allow it to be captured—whether due to greed or a loss of status—they will never think that their capture of Golara was anything other than what it seemed: a victory on their part. And because they believe that their victory was earned, they will believe that they are the ones in charge. They will begin to believe they can win. When they recapture their colonies, they will be sure of it.”
“And what will they do then?” Drakayl asked.
“They will come to Earth believing they can take back their planet. Unfortunately for them, we will be here, and we will not be as unprepared as what they are expecting. The Humans are nothing without the Winged Hussars’ fleet and secret base. Golara, and everything involved with the operation at Golara, was the bait to draw that fleet out so it could be destroyed. Then, once the fleet is gone, we will find and eliminate their secret base as well.”
Peepo chuckled as she turned back to the window and waved at the city below. “Even my own displays of temper have all been an act to draw out my enemies and the people who didn’t believe in me, as I’m sure they’re watching us even now. I would be if our positions were reversed.”
Peepo turned back to Drakayl. “Go back 50 years and see if anyone ever remembers seeing me lose my temper. They will tell you no. I don’t lose my temper, even with minor setbacks like when the Golden Horde blew up the Tortantulas; it isn’t conducive to clear thinking. My ‘loss’ of temper, just like my ‘loss’ of Golara, was calculated to bring the Hussars out of the shadows and into the light where we can catch them and kill them. This has truly been my finest operation and the masterwork of my life to this point.”
Drakayl blinked as the extent of Peepo’s planning began to register on her. In order to have Golara ready for the deception, Peepo would have had to begin preparing months—no, years—ahead of time. Not only that, but Peepo was willing to sacrifice dozens of her own ships and thousands of lives to accomplish her plans! No, Peepo had not lost any of her abilities; she was the head of the Merc Guild because she was cold, cruel, and by far the best tactician and strategist the galaxy had ever seen. Drakayl, herself, had been totally taken in by the act; she worked with Peepo every day and had been completely deceived. Drakayl understood she was in the presence of a master and wanted nothing more than to bow to her.
Peepo walked to her desk and sat down with a smile. “And that doesn’t begin to go into the other machinations that have gone into this plan. Some may be revealed at some point…but others never will. The Depik suicide was…unfortunate, but the rest of the races…all have played the part they were destined to.”
Drakayl didn’t think she could have been more stunned…but that revelation succeeded in doing so. Was there nothing Peepo couldn’t do?
Peepo held up the sheaf of correspondence Drakayl had given her. “Anything else important in this stack?” she asked.
“No…no, ma’am,” Drakayl replied, still trying to regain her composure. “The messages are just confirmations that your plan is proceeding. The Humans appear to be on their way to recovering their colo
nies.”
“So, the fleets in Frost and Paradise have reported they’ve been evicted from those systems?”
“How did you know they would be—” Drakayl stopped herself. How had Peepo known it would be those two systems? Because Peepo had planned it that way. Drakayl looked back to find Peepo smiling at her, and Drakayl realized she needed to stop talking and start listening…a lot more. “What are your orders, ma’am?”
“Recall the fleets from the rest of the Human colonies and have them return to Golara. Once they are assembled there, have them proceed to Earth. It’s time to bring this operation to its successful conclusion.”
* * *
Winged Hussars Prime Base, New Warsaw System
Taiki Sato watched the system complete its test sequence and examined the results. It correlated with the other three tests. The conclusion was irrefutable.
“Wow,” he said. The breakthrough was second only to what his new pinplants had unleashed. Watching the data comparator program run, he thought about himself and his life with a clarity he’d not possessed for a long time. He realized his behavior and mannerisms were, to say the least, somewhat antisocial. He also realized he needed to maintain that, for now; he didn’t know if he was being watched.
Sato turned his full attention back to the test results. He’d come up with three practical applications, and one impractical. Of the practical applications, only one seemed the most prudent, given their current situation. He’d run several projections on current events since coming around and didn’t like what the data suggested. He also didn’t know if Alexis Cromwell and the other Horsemen knew what they were up against. With the information he’d gleaned from his simulations, Sato decided on the application for the new technology.
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