“Yes. It is. We know that one of the anti-space guns is under maintenance; that much we were able to pull through Giles’s data. The others are a live threat, but…” she moved in her chair and pulled up some more data, sharing her screen with Molly, who jumped to her feet, splashing her lemon tea on her thigh as she moved.
Molly wiped at the hot liquid on her leg, barely aware of it burning her skin through her pants. “So is this telling me that we might actually have a window where we can’t be hit?”
Arlene nodded. “It’s also a gray zone for their radar, but only if we send something small enough,” she added.
Molly could feel the excitement rising in her limbs. “Finally!” she exclaimed. “So you mean something like The Scamp Princess?”
Arlene shook her head. “We could, but she’d be spotted, more than likely. I was thinking something like the pods.”
Molly’s excitement died. “But the pods can’t gate…”
Arlene smiled. “But The Empress can. We just load them up, like we did with The Little Empress, and get them as close as possible.”
Molly took a deep breath, “-And just hope for the best?”
Arlene pursed her lips. “Yeah. Pretty much. But I think they’ll go undetected for the most part, even on the approach.”
Molly sat back down, considering their options.
A moment later, she leaned forward toward the console and picked up her abandoned mug. “I’m thinking that it’s the best plan we’ve had in the past nine weeks.”
Arlene smiled knowingly. “I thought you’d say that.”
Molly bobbed her head gently, making sure she had all the information she needed. “Okay, let me talk with Joel and Sean, and see if we can put a plan together. I’m thinking we’ll swing by the ArchAngel to pick you up, and then head straight out there as soon as we can mobilize.”
“Sounds good to me,” Arlene agreed. “Just let me know when to expect you, and I’ll be ready.”
Molly nodded, getting up from her invisible console chair. “Great. I’ll be in touch.”
She ended the call, took a slurp of her tea, and then strode out across the ops room floor to find Joel. It was late, but this was far too important to wait until morning.
Onboard The Empress
Joel’s voice boomed through the cargo hold of The Empress. “Okay, folks, it’s got to be just like we practiced. Emma is going to drop us quite a ways out, and then we ride in on the pods.”
He glanced around, making sure everyone was paying attention. “Now remember, the pods don’t have the same defenses as The Empress, so we’re relying on Emma to use envelope maneuvers if we get fired upon. Given what we know about the missiles that they’re using down there, there’s an eighty nine percent chance that Emma can shake them off our tails. But it might get bumpy - so make sure you put your harness on. Every one of you.”
Joel looked over at Sean poignantly. “It doesn’t matter how used to the pods you are, you can’t overcome gravity, and we need you operational when you land.”
He widened his address to the whole group. “Once on the surface, we have one directive. Retrieve Giles. That’s it. No being a hero. No trying to get payback on the Zhyn. We’ll use the intel Giles has captured at a later date to come in and deal with these guys. But for now, we’re here for extraction only.”
Joel looked at the solemn faces as he gave the final pep talk and briefing to the assembled team. “Paige and Maya - you make sure you stay near your pods. Your reason for being there is to provide an extra chance for a ride, if you see an opportunity to grab Giles while we lay down cover. You have firearms, but you are not to go looking for engagement. Do I make myself clear?”
Paige and Maya nodded in unison.
Joel turned to the others. “Any questions?” he asked.
Molly stood up from her leaning position by the weapons rack. She unfolded her arms, catching Joel’s eye. Joel thought she wanted to say something, but she shook her head.
“Okay, folks,” Joel said, doing his wrapping up hand signal. “Let’s move out. And go get our teammate back!”
He clapped his hands to make them move, and immediately, there was a scuffling to pick up weapons and any final pieces of gear they might need.
Paige looked at the blasters on the racks and made an executive decision, picking up a small handheld instead. Maya noticed, and did the same.
Paige glanced over at the bigger blasters as she checked her weapon over and holstered it. “No way I can move - or be of any use at all - holding one of those,” she reasoned.
Maya nodded. “Agreed,” she said. “Heck, my arms and legs have gone weak just thinking about what we’re walking into.”
Paige put her hand on her chest. “I know. My heart’s beating so fast. I’m so scared.” Her eyes teared up.
Maya stepped closer, lowering her voice so they couldn’t be heard over the engines and the clicking and snapping of weapons and clips. “You know, you don’t have to do this. If it’s too much, they’ll understand.”
A tear escaped from Paige’s eye. “I know,” she said. Her expression hardened a little. “But I want to do this. It’s one of us down there, and… I need to be a part of it.”
Maya nodded. “You’re going to do great. Just keep breathing, and stay near the pod. We’ll be back at Gaitune, eating fatty pizza and drinking ourselves into a hangover in no time.”
Paige laughed a little through another tear that escaped and ran down her face. She swiped it away. “Yeah. This will be fun, once we get out there,” she agreed, pulling herself together.
The two girls followed the starship troopers to the pods in the cargo hold. Jack and Sean were keeping their usual banter going.
Jack called over to Sean as they headed for separate pods. “I suppose you and Joel are in competition about how many bad guys you take out?” she asked.
Sean shook his head as he reached up to the pod to haul himself in. “No, we haven’t talked about it,” he said.
Jack grinned. “Wanna go head-to-head with a girl, then?” She had a mischievous look in her eye.
Maya approached Sean’s pod. “My money is on her,” she interjected, drawing a scowl from Sean.
His jaw set in determination. “Right. You’re on!” he called over to Jack. Then he hopped up into the pod and turned to face Maya as she started jumping up. “And you’re buying the beer if you’re wrong.”
Maya clambered into her seat and raised her hand for a high-five. “You’re soooo on!” she told him, competitively.
Sean chuckled to himself as he sat down and started putting his own harness on.
Within minutes, Joel, Molly, Sean, and Maya, along with Paige and Jack, were strapped into their respective pods, and being guided out of the cargo hold into the space behind The Empress.
Molly opened a channel to Joel’s pod, but said nothing. Joel noticed. “Molly, is that you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied quietly.
“You okay?”
She nodded, and then realized he couldn’t see that from his pod. His pod drew along side her and he caught her eye through the windows. She nodded again.
Joel watched her, waiting for her to speak. When she didn’t, he did. “It’s okay. We’ll just leave the line open, yeah?”
Molly touched the glass on her pod, and then pulled her hand back. She nodded again, and then the pods were moved into a wide formation so they wouldn’t be detected by the radar.
Molly was out on her own, surrounded by empty space, watching the approach of the former-Chrom moon.
* * *
Several minutes passed like that; the silence and isolation disorientating her. She thought several times that she could say something to Joel, but she had nothing to say. It was her fault they had to do this risky mission - and last time they approached this very base, she had nearly lost him.
Double whammy guilt.
I shouldn’t have to kee
p reminding you that none of this is your fault.
So why does it feel so sucky?
Because you take these things on. You’re compassionate, and now you feel the fear and the tension in your teammates, and it’s a lot to process.
So how do I deal with it?
I think you just need to accept it as it is. Accept their feelings. Accept your own. And then focus on the task at hand.
I used to be so good at doing the latter.
These feelings and sensations are still very new to you. Give yourself time.
Molly gazed out, trying to see the other pods. She could see one faint dot to her right, and then maybe another one just beyond that, but much smaller and fainter.
Joel’s voice came over the comm. “Okay, folks, we’re nearly there. I’ve just had confirmation from Pieter and Oz that they’ve not detected us yet. We’re now heading into the missile zone, so if they’re going to see us, this is where it’s most likely. Make sure you’re strapped in. These maneuvers can get intense if Emma has to move you out of a missile track.”
There was a flurry of chatter on the line as the others acknowledged the order, and then the silence returned.
Molly could see the atmosphere of the moon. It was light. Nothing like what you’d see on an inhabited planet. But it was there. The pod speed seemed to slow, and the surface of the moon became visible. Molly could just about make out the darker area where there were constructions. She strained her eyes to see if that was it, or whether it was shadow. Then she realized she could use the head-up display to zoom in. She leaned forward to poke at the screen.
Suddenly there was a scream on the audio channel.
Then another.
Emma’s voice came on. “Missiles have been launched. Evasive maneuvers in progress. Please hold tight.”
Molly looked to her right. She couldn’t see anything.
Oz, what’s going on?
Two of the pods have been targeted. Emma is trying to get them free of the scent, but it’s tough. She can’t move them too fast, or jerk them around too sharply, because of the human cargo.
Huh?
You move a human too quickly, and things start to come apart inside.
Molly’s mind whirred.
And then suddenly, she saw one of the pods shoot out in front of her, out of their formation, tightly followed by a missile.
“Who’s in there?” she asked out loud.
Emma responded. “If you’re referring to the pod out in front of you, that is Sean and Maya.”
“Shit!” Molly shrieked. “Help them. Help them. Get them out of here!”
Emma responded calmly. “I’m doing my best,”
Molly remembered the calculations. Eighty nine percent, they had said. That left eleven percent that any one of them might be hit. She wondered if that included the base line of the missile just malfunctioning. Maybe that might give us an extra percentage point in our favor?
The pod disappeared from view, behind the missile.
Molly’s heart was in her mouth. She was aware of Joel shouting instructions over the audio, but she couldn’t focus. All she could do was watch the missile.
And then there was an enormous explosion.
Her pod peeled off to the left. The explosion and the moon disappeared from view beneath her. She could only see space, and hear screams of despair over the comms.
What’s going on, Oz?! What’s happening?
“Joel? Joel? Are you there? What happened? Joel?” she shouted.
Calm down, Molly. It’s okay. The missile exploded behind the pod. Emma managed to fool the two missiles into colliding with each other.
What the - ?
It’s okay. Maya and Sean are okay.
And everyone else?
They’re fine.
Molly felt her chest ache. She couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Okay, let’s get down to the surface, stat.
Already happening. Landing in less than a minute now.
Okay.
Molly noticed her hands were gripping the safety handles inside her pod so tightly she thought she might pop the joints out. She tried to relax them, and noticed how sweaty and slippery her palms were. She’d wedged herself between the grips, and her feet against the pod walls, when her pod had veered. She collected herself, straightened up, and picked up her blaster.
It’s okay. Everyone is okay, she repeated to herself.
It seemed like an eternity had passed by the time the pods touched down on the surface. She slipped her atmoshelmet on, and tapped her communicator to their open channel.
“Molly online,” she said, hearing each of the others check in.
Her pod door slipped open, and she gingerly shuffled forward and stepped out, awkwardly scrambling with her blaster. She could see the other pods in an array nearby, and her team was emerging. She felt a strange relief to see they were all there, but a part of her wanted them all to get back in their pods and go back to safety.
That wasn’t going to happen now.
Now they were committed.
Now they had to find Giles.
Within seconds, Jack, Sean, and Joel also had their boots on the ground, and the pods carrying Maya and Paige slipped up into a position above the base – too high to be seen at eye level, but not high enough to be picked up by radar.
Joel signaled for them to advance.
Chapter 17
Chom-X9
The whole moon was dusty. In some ways, it reminded her of Sark. Except Sark had colors. Reds and browns.
Here, everything was a pale bluish gray: the dirt beneath their feet, the sky, the buildings.
There were no fences around the building, like most military bases.
Probably because they think of this whole rock as the base, Molly remarked to herself.
The building ahead of them seemed like the main structure. It matched the details they had pulled together from Giles’s data, at least. Molly recognized the shape when they landed.
If Giles was anywhere, it would be here.
Joel motioned for Jack and Sean to head around to the right. He and Molly were going to try and get in the front.
Sean and Jack disappeared from view around the other side of the building.
Molly glanced over at Joel. “So, what? We just walk up to the front door?” she asked.
Joel glanced over at her, and then put his hand in his pocket. He pulled out something small and showed it to her. “Nope,” he told her. “We blast the door out. At the very least, it will break any air seals they have, and cause havoc – meaning Sean and Jack will have a distraction.”
Molly nodded. They approached, and Joel set the charge. “Okay, start heading that way around the building. We’re going to need another way in,” he told her.
Molly started moving as fast as she could. The gravity was about half of what she was used to, and she suspected it was probably artificially enhanced, as well. The rock didn’t seem large enough to retain even this much atmosphere.
Yes, it’s artificial. I’m adding in data to our schematics as we go. He’s using the same language as on the secret bases, so it’s taking a little time to process.
Great. As soon as you have a hint as to where Giles might be, let me know.
Roger that.
Molly heard the explosion behind her and spun around. An orange ball of fire was emanating from the door area. She breathed a sigh of relief as she spotted Joel pressed up against a pillar that was jutting out from the side of the building, only a few yards behind her.
She smiled, and turned to keep moving. “You coming?” she asked him, over the communicator.
Joel chuckled. “Yeah, suppose so,” he said. “Let’s check out the area that Giles’s location seemed to track to the majority of the time. I’ve got a feeling that just around this corner, there is another entrance. It looked like a passageway or corridor on the schematics.”
Molly nodded, still moving forward. Then she saw movement up ahead. She ducked back around the corner she had just rounded, and pressed herself against the wall. Carefully, she ventured a look.
There were three Zhyns dressed in what were probably civilian clothes, but carrying weapons. They were talking, and one of them ushered the others inside. They disappeared through a door.
The same door they were heading for.
Molly saw their chance, and moved to follow, praying they wouldn’t turn around and see her.
Is Joel following?
Yes. He’s catching up to you.
Good.
A moment later, Molly was racing toward the sliding metal door, and shoving her foot in its path to keep it from closing. It kept moving. She put her hands on the edge, and pulled it back. Finally it relented, allowing her through.
She glanced back, hoping that Joel wasn’t too far away. He rounded the corner, and then raced to catch up. “Come on,” she whispered urgently.
She slipped inside, keeping her body in the way of the sensors. The corridor was basic. It reminded her of something from the archives of the Estarian military. Functional. Metal. Cold. Brutal.
She prayed they would get to Giles in time.
Joel reached the door and slipped in behind her. He grabbed a rock from just outside, and put it in the path of the door. The metal panel closed to the rock and then stopped, wedging the rock in place, keeping the door ajar.
Molly gave him a thumbs-up for the good idea, and then started down the corridor, holding her blaster out in front of her. Joel followed doing the same.
* * *
Jack’s voice found its way to Sean’s ear through his helmet communicator. “We’ve got a life sign just up ahead,” she told him.
Sean frowned. “Out here in this atmosphere?” he queried. “Are you sure?”
Jack confirmed. “It’s weak, but definitely there. And definitely human.”
Sean managed to make eye contact with Jack as she turned back towards him. “Giles?” he asked.
Jack again faced the direction they were heading. “Maybe. We should check it out,” she said, moving forward more purposefully.
Sean matched her pace, and the pair advanced quickly as a unit. Sean moved forward, sweeping his blaster in front of them. Jack came behind, walking backward, making sure their collective asses were covered.
The Ascension Myth Box Set Page 128
