“Did you get that, Oz?” Joel checked.
“Yes. I just realized, too. They took them offline before we took control. We’re locked out.”
Joel shook his head, scrambling in his mind for other options, while watching for the slightest sign of trouble.
“Okay, Oz, we need a plan B, then.”
Oz paused, as if he was multitasking, before responding. “Okay, coming right up. In the meantime, be careful to avoid those Zhyns.”
Oz’s audio went dead.
Planet Kurilia, Capital Building of the Zhyn Empire
The Lord High Marshall Shaa was sitting at his console, wading through the reports he was receiving in response to the attack on his bases.
The message from the intruders played on a loop in the background as he tried to fathom who might have done this. The Federation was the obvious choice, and yet they claimed no responsibility. Heck, how were they even to know that he was arming up as he was? Their communications were encrypted, and in a new language that the Federation had no access to. He’d taken every precaution.
That left either a rogue faction within the Federation who had somehow managed to access their most classified material, or someone who had a vested interest in seeing them controlled by the Federation.
He wracked his brains trying to think.
It could be anyone… he sighed. Though the team who breached us was definitely human.
He flicked through to the next cyber report on his console. More bad news. He held his head in his hand as his eyes reluctantly scanned the intel. With each piece of news, his stomach sank a bit more; bringing him closer and closer to internal despair.
His console beeped, and a light flashed, indicating a call. He accepted the communication, and the hologram opened up in front of his desk. It was Davon.
“Your Highness,” Davon greeted him.
“Davon. You have news?” Shaa asked.
“Yes, Your Highness.” Davon’s voice was brighter than earlier that day. “Good news. We’re about to apprehend both sets of intruders – our troops are closing in on them. The lifts have been deactivated, and they have no means of escape.”
The Lord High Marshall relaxed back into his console chair. “Good,” he responded. “This is indeed good news.” He paused, contemplating the myriad of problems they still had yet to solve. “And what of the media channels? Can we shut those down?” he asked.
Davon nodded. “We’re working on it, Your Highness, but we’re encountering resistance at the broadcast stations.”
Shaa’s big brow creased across his forehead, making him look angrier than he actually was. “How so?” he pressed.
Davon glanced down at the floor before responding. “They’re suggesting that if there is any element of truth in these things, the people have the right to know.”
Shaa answered immediately. “Well, we have means of persuasion,” he stated flatly, somewhat confused as to why this wasn’t already in hand.
Davon nodded vigorously. “Yes, indeed, sir. And some have yielded already. It’s just a matter of time,” he said, before realizing his master needed more than that. “I’ll take care of it,” he added.
Shaa looked somewhat appeased. “Good. Thank you, Davon,” he said, reaching over to the console panel to end the call.
“There’s one more thing, Your Highness,” Davon added.
Shaa’s finger came back from the button, and he leaned back in his chair again.
Davon continued. “You should know,” he explained quickly, “Beno’or was seen going to meet with The Emperor.”
There was a long silence on the line.
Davon shifted awkwardly on the other end of the call, waiting for a reaction.
“Do we know anything else?” Shaa asked slowly, his face giving nothing away.
Davon was wringing his fingers again. “Not yet, my Lord.”
Shaa took a deep breath, before responding. “Okay, thank you Davon,” he said, and reached forward to end the call again.
The line disconnected, and Shaa sat back, turning his chair to look out of the large windows.
He could run.
He could always run.
But then he would be marked a criminal. He would be a terrorist rather than a hero.
No.
He needed to stay and make his case – whatever the implications of that were.
He stood up and straightened his uniform, then wandered over to his personal cabinet on the far side of the enormous room. He opened the door and pulled out a bottle with a green herby liquid in it. He found an antigrav tumbler, and poured himself a drink.
Then, taking both the bottle and the tumbler back to his console, he sat back down to await his destiny.
Planet Kurilia, Northern Hemisphere
“They’re catching up to us, Sean,” Molly panted. Sean kept trying to keep her moving, but she was struggling.
“I can feel them,” she insisted. “They’re practically on top of us.”
Sean looked around, trying to figure out another plan.
He helped Molly lean against another tree, and assisted her in opening up her blaster. “You good to point and shoot?” he asked her, his eyes revealing the emotional strain he was under.
She nodded, exhausted.
Sean gritted his teeth and picked up his own blaster, opening it into its ready position.
Molly held her blaster as best she could. “Are you set to stun or kill?” she asked.
Sean didn’t answer. Instead, he just scanned the woodland in front of them.
“The minute you see anything move, start shooting,” he told her.
Oz. If you have any words of advice, now would be the time.
I have a few, he responded. How about, ‘climb on board fast’?
Molly frowned, confused.
Just then, she saw a blue face appear in the foliage in front of them. She hesitated, and suddenly there were another two.
Sean opened fire, and both went down, lights and lasers flying from his weapon in fast succession.
Then there was movement above them.
Molly looked up to catch sight of a pod dropping down to the surface. She felt a flood of relief, and a pang of familiarity at the sight of the rescue vehicle.
Oz, you’re a fucking genius!
I know. Now get on board.
Molly glanced over to see Sean in full Rambo mode.
“Sean!” she called out. She pointed up at the pod, which quickly came to rest between them and their attackers. The pod door slid open, and Molly started moving toward it.
Sean kept laying down cover, allowing her the opportunity to climb in. As soon as she was aboard, he ran over to join her. With one last blast of his weapon, he jumped in after her, and hit the button for the door to close.
Okay, we’re in, Molly told Oz.
Emma’s voice came over the pod. “Oz is busy at the moment, so I thought I’d step in and help.”
Sean exhaled and laughed, tapping on the wall of the pod affectionately. “Nice to hear you, Emma. Thanks for the rescue.”
“Anytime, Sean Royale,” she replied. “I’d miss you if you weren’t around.”
Sean nodded.
Molly smirked, despite her condition. “Didn’t think you were the kind of guy to develop friendships,” she teased, quietly noticing how the guy could charm the pants of even an EI.
Sean pulled a face at her. “You’d be surprised, Molly Bates. Most people like me.”
Molly visibly rolled her eyes at him, and sat back in the seat. She slumped over to one side, allowing the pod wall to support her; her relief was written all over her face.
Sean wasn’t happy with her condition.
“Tell you what,” he said to her. “How about when we get you back to The Empress, you let Emma check you out in the med bay?”
Molly nodded sleepily, closing her eyes. “Sure. As long as I don’t have to walk anywhere,”
she whispered, before drifting off.
Sean checked her pulse and made sure she was breathing okay, then let her relax.
Planet Kurilia, Southern Hemisphere
Joel and Jack stood poised, scanning the area for Zhyns, when Oz’s voice came over their implants.
“Emma says if you can maintain your location, she’ll have some help to you in less than ten seconds,” he told them.
Joel checked his holo link. “Any help would be greatly appreciated at this point, Oz.”
He searched the sky, or at least what they could see of it beyond the trees. Jack glanced over at him. “They’re sending pods?”
Joel nodded. “I think so.”
Jack shifted her blaster on her arm, trying to get more comfortable. She put her other hand on her hip, resting. All the time she kept scanning their surroundings, just in case.
Hardly five seconds later, a pod descended straight down to stop just above the ground in front of them. The door slid open, and Joel and Jack ran forward and clambered in.
The pod took off again, even before the door was fully closed.
“Wow, that was a close call,” Joel commented, looking out of the window and seeing the forest ahead of them teaming with Zhyns ready to take them down.
Jack glanced down briefly, then sat back, exhaling. “I’ll say. I’m ready for a vacation.”
Joel grinned. “Sounds like a plan. Where are you thinking? Somewhere with a beach?”
Jack smiled, collapsing her blaster down and pushing it under the seat. “I was thinking somewhere more rocky, with artificial gravity.”
Joel chuckled.
Emma piped in. “I know just the place for you!” she exclaimed brightly.
All three of them laughed as the pod whisked them away, out of the Kurilian atmosphere.
On Board The Empress, Main cabin
Emotions were running high in the cabin-cum-hacker-room.
Maya and Paige were celebrating as they watched the counters clock the number of times their broadcast had run on each channel. The algorithm that estimated how many millions of people had seen their broadcast also kept climbing; though its increase was slowing down now.
“That’s nearly 2.4 billion!” Paige exclaimed.
Maya grinned. “Yep. Not bad for one broadcast.”
Paige glanced over at her. “Have you ever had one of your broadcasts reach so many people before?”
Maya shook her head. “Nope, this is my first time in the billion range.” She shrugged casually, like it was nothing, but Paige could see she was quietly pleased at the reach of their work.
Their excitement was tempered only by the sheer concentration that Pieter was going through. The worm had hit a few sticking points, and he and Oz were doing everything they could to make sure they were able to do everything they still needed to.
“Just one more piece, and we’re through,” Pieter said to Oz.
Oz’s voice came through over the cabin audio. “Agreed. The nanobots are all in place, and all but one of the generator targets are ready to blow.”
Pieter frowned, distracted. He finished typing. “What did you say about all but one of the targets?”
Oz switched to Pieter’s implant to communicate. “Molly and Sean needed extracting before they were able to lay the charges,” he explained.
Pieter shook his head. “That sucks. We’ll have to just go without it, then.”
Oz agreed. “Yes. But in good news…” Pieter’s screens were a flurry of activity, even drawing Maya’s eye from across the aisle. She watched the screens pile up.
“What happened?” she asked.
Pieter sat back and grinned. “We’re through,” he told her. “The worm is all the way through every system, and is doing its thing as we speak.”
Paige clapped her hands. “Yay!”
She and Maya high-fived, and then Pieter put his hand across the aisle to high-five them, too.
“Good going!” Maya congratulated him, slapping his raised hand gently before leaning out of the way so he could reach Paige.
“Yeah, great teamwork,” he grinned. “And,” he peered over at her screens, “looks like your campaign is doing well, too.”
She nodded. “Yup. Just like magic,” she agreed.
“Okay, Oz,” Pieter confirmed, “as soon as the boss’s team gets back, I think you’re all set for the final phase.”
Oz spoke through the cabin audio again. “I do believe we are,” he agreed.
The tension had finally lifted from the cabin, and was replaced by an air of celebration.
Planet Kurilia, Leaving the Northern Hemisphere
Molly opened her eyes a little, and stretched out.
“You still with us?” Sean asked, glancing down at her as they rode in the pod up into the atmosphere.
“Yeah. I’m still here,” she told him as she sat up. “Actually, I’m feeling a bit better.” Her face seemed to be getting some life back into it.
Sean cleared his throat. “Look, er,” he hesitated a moment. “I’m sorry I came down so hard on you down there - about you not being fit for the mission.”
Molly shrugged, holding onto the handrail and leaning to look down at the planet they were leaving behind.
“It’s okay. You were right,” she admitted.
Sean tilted his head from side to side. “Yeah, but I was also a dick.”
Molly pushed her bottom lip out, in indifference. “I’m used to that bit,” she said, not able to stop her lips from breaking into a smile.
Sean grinned back at her. “Well, great. So I’m gonna assume that’s apology accepted, then.”
Molly continued to look out of the window in front of them. “Sure,” she said simply.
Sean knew what that meant, but he had no idea what else to do about it. Then something else occurred to him.
“Hey, Emma, what’s going to happen about our second target?”
Emma’s audio channel opened up again. “I believe that Oz intends to proceed as planned, just without that target being blown up.”
Molly frowned, calculating the effects that would have on their overall plan. She shook her head. “How about we go get our second target?” she proposed.
“That’s the best suggestion you’ve had all day,” he agreed, looking more lively.
Oz, we’re going to lay the charges for the second target. Wanna hold off blowing the fuck out of everything until then?
Sure, we’ve just got the worm complete, so we’re ready to blow the charges and the nanodrones as soon as you’re clear.
Okay, stand by. I’ll let you know when we’re out of the blast radius.
Sean reached into his pocket and pulled out three charges. “Emma?” he said.
Emma responded. “Yes, Sean?”
Sean started doing up his combat jacket again. “Be a love, and take us down to our second target?”
Emma’s voice lilted through the audio system, as if she too were keen to get back into the fight. “Of course,” she answered, “rerouting now.”
The pod veered off at an angle back down towards the surface, taking the pair to complete the mission they had originally set out to do.
Chapter 20
On Board The Empress, Main Cabin
Pieter scratched at his forehead. He was tired, but trying to understand the last piece of what they had already executed.
“So, even though the worm has destroyed all the firmware, you’re saying that it can still report back anything that they try to reactivate?”
Oz spoke over the cabin audio. “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” he confirmed. “Plus, with the communications broadcasts, I uploaded a patch onto their civilian systems that will enable us to keep an eye on things, too.”
Pieter smiled broadly. “Bloody hell, Oz. You’re a frikkin’ genius!”
Oz chuckled, his laughter filling the cabin. “Yeah. I think I get it from Molly.”
Paige and Maya heard the tail-end of the conversation, and started chuckling away.
“But,” Oz added, “I couldn’t have done it without you, Pieter.”
Pieter blushed a little. “Aww, Oz,” he said, carefully avoiding eye contact with the girls, “that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Oz chuckled. “Well, don’t get all mushy on me, bro. I just appreciate you.”
Pieter leaned forward and hugged his holo.
Paige giggled. “Oz, he’s hugging his holo, in order to give you a hug.”
Oz’s voice sounded a little different. Even emotional.
“If I had a face, I’d be blushing,” he remarked.
There were chuckles and more banter between the team members.
“Hang on,” Oz said suddenly.
The laughter died down.
“Okay,” Oz reported. “Molly just said they’re clear. Let’s blow these nanobots and quantum charges, Pieter!”
“It would be an honor,” Pieter agreed, as he turned his attention back to his holo and hit a few keys.
He looked over at Paige and Maya. “You may be able to see some of the explosions on the surface from one of the windows,” he said, nodding over to the far side of the cabin. The two girls scrambled up and headed over to see. Pieter followed them, carefully closing up his holo as he moved.
“Wow,” Paige gasped as she reached the window. “It’s so pretty!”
Maya nodded silently.
The orange explosions could be seen from their altitude, and the faint ripple of the forcefield was a hint of green that quickly disappeared.
On Board The Empress, Downstairs hangar deck
Molly and Sean’s pod arrived back into the pod bay of The Empress, and the tailgate closed behind them. Joel and Jack had already returned, and were undoing their body armor and removing their holsters. They were exhausted, but somewhat pumped from their ordeal.
The incoming pod touched down, and the door slid open. “Thanks, Emma,” Sean said, as he stepped out. He turned around, and offered a hand to Molly.
Brock watched her actually take it.
“Girl, are you okay?” he asked, walking over to the pod to also help her out. “You’re pale as anything.” He glanced at Sean, and then at Sean’s hand, which Molly still held. Sean noticed, and looked at him as if to say, “whaaaa?”
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