Of Sea and Stars (Partners Book 3)

by Melissa Good

  “Wow.”

  “HOLY SHIT, DID you see that?”

  Bay ops were on their feet, staring at the cracked, but working screen. On its surface was displayed a mass of motion and the flare of blaster fire.

  One blip was moving faster than the rest, and the square, boxy outline of BR270006 was mostly a blur as it ducked and spun in impossible motion, spinning in a nexus of plasma outbound from it.

  “What the hell?” Johnathan had his hands on his hips.

  Kurok regarded the image, and held his breath a little, as the carrier seemed to stop in mid motion and tumble, then erupt into a new path as belated fire impacted the air that it had occupied only fractions of a second before.

  Brilliant. Physical aptitude beyond anyone’s expectations. “Dev’s quite a good pilot,” he remarked, suppressing a smile.

  “Wow.” Elaine looked up from her data dump. “I’ve seen her fly, but that’s nuts. She’s going to run those bastards right into each other or that wall.”

  Kurok wasn’t sure if he should feel sad, or gratified, or a little of both. “That wasn’t really programmed,” he admitted. “I mean yes, the control surfaces and so on, sure. But not that flight instinct.”

  Johnathan sat back down. “You made that thing?”

  Kurok didn’t even feel insulted. Not even on Dev’s behalf. “I designed the genetic structure that resulted in Dev, yes.” He sent another query into the Bay’s old systems.

  Elaine looked up again. “Did you key her to Jess? On purpose?”

  There was a small silence as Kurok finished typing in his request, giving himself a moment to think about what to answer. Finally, he tapped enter and looked back at her. “Depends what you mean by that. I had in my head some vague idea of what an Interforce tech should be, having been one myself. And I had some idea of what they expect of an enforcement agent.”

  Elaine continued staring at him. “I thought it was real convenient for something like her to show up right when we thought Jess was a goner.”

  Kurok gave her a wry look and rested his elbows on the console. “Thank you for crediting me with that level of both skill and prescience. Unfortunately, I deserve neither,” he said, aware of the closely listening Bay ops. “At best I’ll cop to trying to design Dev as best I could to serve as I had to an agent like the ones I was familiar with.”

  “Why’d you muster out?”

  They heard a booming crack and eyes went to the screen to see a carrier coming across the ground at speed, and behind it, a bloom of dark, gray smoke and the flash of flames.

  “Here they come.” Johnathan reached up and triggered an alarm, a deep bonging sound that echoed in the chamber and then far off. He adjusted the comms on his ear. “Ops JoJo. Stand by to repel invaders. Close the doors ya can.”

  Jason’s voice came thorugh the speakers. “This is Jason A., BR37309. We’re assembling to overfly and attack. Everyone keep your heads down please.”

  “Stand by, BR37. This is BR88 and five coming to join,” Derek’s low tone chased after. “Someone tell the hotshot we’re friendly, huh? Do not want to get in their way.”

  Kurok reviewed the results of his query and settled into his seat. “I think you’re going to have to risk that external battery.” He tapped a few keys. “Let’s just hope we don’t blow up half the mountain.”

  “THERE ARE FIFTEEN craft coming toward us over the Bay ridge, Jess.” Dev was hastily sucking at a water container, her eyes darting between the panels in front of her. “Idents are Base Ten and Western.”

  Jess had just finished tying up Arp and now dropped back into her seat. “That could be good or bad.” She settled into her chair and glanced behind her. “How’s things?”

  April had regained her wits, and was spitting blood out onto the floor. “What the fuck hit me.”

  “The side of the carrier,” Doug informed her. “He smacked you against it, just before Jess yanked his arm out of its socket.”

  April looked around and realized she was leaning up against Doug, and her nostrils flared. “You couldn’t have done that a little earlier, Drake?”

  “Sorry, I was shooting things,” Jess said. “Dev, put a hail out on one of the encrypted subchannels.”

  “Yes.”

  “Where’d the rest of them go?” April asked, as she slowly pushed herself upright and sat down on the back shelf. “You kill them all?” She gave Doug a brief nod as he got to his feet and dusted his uniform off. “Thanks.”

  He paused in mid motion and eyed her, his mouth quirking into a grin. But then he just went back to his jumpseat and settled into it, drawing the repair boards over.

  “We got a couple, I think,” Jess said. “Got comms, Devvie?”

  “One moment.” Dev set up the side band. “Go ahead, Jason. Jess is on com.” She passed the call back to Jess’s console and finished her water, wishing fruitlessly for a hot meal and some rest.

  It would be so excellent to be able to lie in bed. So excellent to be able to have a small space of time to just relax, and have a snack, or maybe read a page or two of her book.

  Or go swimming with Jess.

  A small space of time to stop almost being made dead and making others that way.

  “Okay, Jase. We’ll join up with you coming over the ridge and go into formation,” Jess said. “Maybe when they see all of us they’ll just stop.”

  “You got Arp?”

  “Tied in my bus.”

  “Better odds for us,” Jason said. “Relaying that to the rest of them.”

  Jess nodded and smiled. “Heard that.”

  “See you on the other side.”

  Jess put her hand on the comms pad. “Yeah,” she responded softly. “Hope there is one.”

  “HERE THEY COME.” Brent adjusted his seat. “Down the ridge there.”

  Jason glanced at the vid. “Any scan past them?”

  “No,” Brent said in a calm tone. “Bet they scared the assholes back to Juneau.” He tapped the input pads, and the carrier shifted slightly under them. “Nice soak. They got good power there.”

  “Yeah.” Jason frowned a little. “A bit too familiar.”

  They watched as the oncoming carrier suddenly bolted almost straight up, slowing and coming through the speed of sound with a booming crack as they reached the same flight level and did a lazy rollover to come nose to nose with Brent and Jason’s bus.

  “Wow.” Brent sighed. “That’s some flying.”

  Jason shook his head a little. “I’ve watched every minute of vid we got on her flying and you know, it’s more like watching a bird fly than a machine.”

  “’Specially in one of these,” Brent said. “Hey, Dev,” he spoke into his comms as the sideband came up with the proximity of the recently arrived carrier. “It’s Brent. What’s the deal?”

  Dev’s slightly burring tone answered. “We engaged the vehicles approaching from the west. Jess did some excellent work on them. But we also took onboard the person leading the attack, and he is now secured.”

  Jason snorted a little. “What in the hell are we doing here? They don’t need any help.”

  “Jason,” Jess’s deeper voice emerged. “Got anything behind us coming? Heard a big boom, and the rear screen’s a little scratched.”

  “Nada, Jessie.” Jason tuned his screen. “Oh, wait. Crap. Sorry. Here they come.” He flicked the comms. “Form up!” He braced his boots against the deck. “All hail, Brent. Give me comms over the whole range.”

  “Go.” Brent flexed his hands as the carrier facing them slid sideways then arched around, coming into line next to them with a small rocking motion. They were close enough for him to see the block lettering on the side, and through the forward canopy Dev’s profile was just visible.

  A moment later, she looked over and then gave him a little wave. He took his hand off the throttles and waved back, suppressing a grin.

  “What are you doing?” Jason asked.

  “Nothin’.” Brent focused on the scan. “The
y’re not at attack speed,” he said. “You calling?”

  Jason cleared his throat. “Oncoming Interforce flight. What are your intentions?”

  Silence.

  “Fucktards,” Brent muttered. “Ass end of a seagull.”

  “Oncoming Interforce flight, speak up or we’re going to tank you,” Jason said in a slow and deliberate tone. “There’s an invasion force coming over the water, and we don’t have time for this.”

  “Ident,” a voice erupted.

  “Jason Anders, Base Ten,” Jason said. “Ident.”

  “Jason, Elaine’s calling on sideband ten,” Brent said. “Urgent.”

  “Sure it’s urgent. Whole fucking world is urgent and gone the hell to crap.” Jason switched inputs. “G’wan, El.”

  “You all better turn around and get back here. There’s already an advance group on the ground, and we have heavy incoming.”

  “Jess.” Jason switched to sideband.

  “I heard it. Let’s go,” Jess said. “If they come up our asses, blast them.”

  “Who us?” Brent asked.

  “That was to the Bay,” Jess said. “They just activated the topside guns.”

  No choice. Or, to be real, out of choices. “Got it.” Jason switched back to broadcast. “Listen, jackasses. We’re going to go fight the real bad guys. If you’re smart you’ll come with us and earn your pay,” he said. “Anders out.” He pulled down his triggers and flexed his hands into them. “Let’s go do what we do.”

  ARP REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS, much to his dismay. “Fuck. You’re killing me!”

  Jess glanced over at him. “No, if I’d wanted that you’d be dead. Shut up or you’ll wish even more you were.” She flexed her hands. “Dev, go for the closest ground forces.”

  “Yes.” Dev drew in a breath and released it. “Stand by to maneuver. Brent, we are going to thirty degrees your horizon and pitch down.”

  “Got it,” Brent answered. “Good luck! We’re executing a spread Gamma. Try to keep out of your way.”

  Arp was arching his neck to look at the screen. “What is that?”

  “Your allies, invading.” Jess pulled her restraints tight. “Go for it, Devvie!”

  Arp stared in silence as the view abruptly changed, and the carrier went into an attack dive, with the rest of the flight splitting up and dividing around them. They swept up and over the ridge, barely skimming the ground and then dove across the curved frontage of the homestead, heading toward three small craft firing against the entrances.

  Jess didn’t hesitate an instant as the attack against the Bay got into her guts and her back arched in pure reaction. She came down on the triggers in a full on barrage as Dev swept them in a tight arc, their backs to the cliff.

  Two of the enemy diverted and came around, but a moment later they were under fire as Jason’s craft came in from the other direction and with two booming thumps obliterated one of them.

  “Bay’s hailing them,” Doug said, busy with the repair boards. “Just got tagged by their targeting.” He keyed off an alarm. “Hope that means they won’t shoot us.”

  “I am going for the sea entrance,” Dev said. “There are anomalies there.” She curved the carrier around and ducked under the remaining small craft as Jess pounded them with plasma bombs and heard the searing crack of penetrated shields.

  Then they were at sea level, coming across the wide curve of Drake’s Bay, toward the ship cavern at full speed. “Drake’s Bay operations, this is BR270006, we are inbound firing,” Dev said into comms. “Please tell everyone to take care.”

  “Thank you, Dev, we see you,” Kurok answered calmly. “There is some fighting going on in the halls here. Take care yourself.”

  “Shit,” Doug said. “Where did these bastards come from so fast?” He reset the scan and sorted the results. “Body landers, at water level.”

  “See ’em.” Jess redirected her guns at the entrance, and a moment later the water was boiling as she slammed fire into the opening. Bodies went flying as a half dozen light personnel carriers dove at her in a frantic attempt to cut them off. “Get me right in there, Dev.”

  “Yes.” Dev kept one hand on the throttles and put her other on the engine controls, counting in her head the microseconds before reversing course would not be an option. “Three, two, hold on please.” She shoved the engines into reverse and hauled up on the directional controls as the carrier plunged toward the rock wall in a shudder of competing forces

  Jess dropped two plasma bombs just as the carrier changed direction in mid air, dropping almost into the water as Dev cut the mains and turned them with just aerodynamic motion. She engaged power again and released a blast that sent up a ferocious spray of water behind them as they went sideways and then upright as she sent them on a tight parabola along the cliff wall.

  A swarm of attackers plunged at them. Dev got the carrier around and was starting up when a voice erupted into her ear.

  “Dev, stay down!” Kurok yelled. “Down! The battery is about to fire!”

  Instinctively she sent the carrier back down to the water. Over head they all heard a cavalcade of thunder and then explosion after explosion as the Bay’s barrage guns let loose. “Wow,” Dev muttered, her ears buzzing painfully from the loudness of it. “What was that?”

  “Plasma cannons,” Jess said. “Old school ones. They’re lucky they fired and not blew the hell up.” She reset the targeting arrays. “What a freaking backwash.”

  The carrier was buffeted, a wash of plasma across the forward screen tinting it orange and pink. They emerged from the wash and were at sea level again, and a light spray of water abruptly hit them from a falling chunk of metal plunging past.

  “Doc’s hailing them again,” Doug said. “That just took out like a dozen of them. They’re falling in pieces...oh crap, watch out!”

  “Incoming!” Jess said at the same time. “Devvie get us out of here!”

  Dev jerked them abruptly to the right, then she pitched up and cut in the mains full power as they rocketed up the side of the mountain through a wall of fiery debris coming down on either side of them, smaller pieces impacting their outer hull.

  Hatches were open in the wall, huge and dark and smoke rimed, barely seen as they flashed past.

  “Watch it!” Doug yelled as alarms blared over the system showing them being targeted. “They’re live! Dev! Look out!”

  A momentary flash of a barrel and a flare of energy released. It was too late to avoid it, but then there was no need to. It stopped long enough for the carrier to come across it and started up again as they cleared.

  “Lucky.” Doug was sweating. “Holy crap.”

  April opened her hastily closed eyes, and grunted. “Buh.”

  Jess smiled faintly. “Drake’s luck. I felt it scan me.” She got her hands back in the triggers. “Come over the top and get around, Dev.”

  “BR270006 to flight,” Dev said. “Please stay clear of the guns in the wall.” She curved them around, and they came up and even and could see the Bay, now full of flaming debris.

  “Gimme comms, Dev.” Jess looked around for targets and saw only wreckage and landed troop carriers, and on the screen the inbound force.

  “Go ahead,” Doug answered, setting up the relay. “You’re live.” “Attacking force,” Jess boomed. “This is Jesslyn Drake. Drake of Drake’s Bay. Put down your weapons and surrender!” Silence. “We will never stop killing you,” Jess said. “We will never give up an inch. You will all die. Give up.”

  Silence.

  The Interforce flight formed up in a line with them, intact. “This is Jason Anders, Base Ten,” Jason’s voice cut in. “We are with Drake.”

  “This is Dustin Kirk,” another voice broke in, “Juneau Base. We are with Drake.”

  “This is Dee Cooper, representing Eastern stakeholds, here in Drake’s Bay Ops. We are with Drake,” Dee’s voice unexpectedly added. “We’re not in their class, but we’ll fight, too.”

  April reached out a
nd kicked Arp’s boot. “You better pick a side,” she said. “Actually pick a better side. No percentage here for you to stick with whatever plan you think you had.”

  Arp smiled. “You really think all those people are really on her side?”

  “No,” Jess answered. “They’re just smart enough to know a losing cause when they see one.” She triggered comms again. “Thirty seconds, and we start attacking again,” she said. “And believe me, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

  Dev took a moment to wipe the sweat off her hands and forehead and flexed her fingers. “Did the repair routine run?” she asked Doug. “I think I might have clipped one of the engine cowlings.”

  Doug just laughed.

  “Was that funny?”

  “WE GOT ABOUT another blast left in those things,” Johnathan said, leaning on the ops console. “Mofos.” He glanced around, keeping an eye on both Elaine and Kurok, both crouching over the same datascreen. “What’s up in the hall?”

  “Shooting,” a guard told him, “standby.” He ducked out of the broken door and took off at a run with a yell.

  Johnathan sighed. “Not good. Fuckin’ hell.”

  More yells, and then the sound of firing, up and close in. “Ware!” One of the ops watch scrambled to his feet and pulled out a blaster. Instinctively Elaine did the same, shoving Kurok down as she braced out over the screen. As bodies shoved past the edge of the door she fired.

  Them. No question. She pulled the blaster trigger again as the door filled with them. She recognized a face, and then another, and bolted past the chair and went for the fight. They spotted her, and she heard the warning call and grinned in fierce response.

  A knife and she kicked it. Her own knife in her fist, she slashed in a backhanded motion as she shoved her gun into a throat and triggered it. A head came off in a splatter of blood and burned skin.

  The next thing she knew she had tall figures at her back and sticks and hammers were beating back the attackers, driven by a strength that made them as deadly as the weapon in her hand. She was then part of a wall that moved forward, step by step, driving them back.