Nava gave another shrug. ‘He volunteered. Also, he’s been in combat a couple of times now and he doesn’t flinch. He’s good at recon. Frankly, with him along, we can gather information without putting any of us at risk. And I trust him.’
‘Huh. Well, there’s no better reason than that.’
236/8/8.
They were in microgravity again. There had been a short time about eight hours ago when the Yosozume had stopped accelerating to turn around and start decelerating when they had been floating, but this was going to be around thirty minutes of hanging on to things to keep from drifting away from a solid surface.
That was the theory. Nava, Melissa, and Nobuyuki were flouting the dictates of zero-G movement by using Flight spells to glide around the ship with ease. Rhianna had done free-fall training and was managing to get around just fine without sorcery. Everyone else was hugging the scenery. At least Rochester was looking less green.
‘Did any of you get any sleep?’ he asked as he watched Nava gliding around the communal area outside his cabin.
‘I managed a few hours,’ Nava replied. ‘It’s not easy with someone sitting on your chest.’
‘Tell Suki to get off then,’ Melissa suggested.
‘Ha ha,’ Mitsuko said. ‘Much as I might like the idea, I have not been anywhere near Nava’s chest. You’ve all been through a jump before, right? What’s it like?’
‘It’s the same as teleporting,’ Nava replied. ‘Which, thinking about it, isn’t a good analogy.’
‘I think you’re the only one here who’s done that, Nava,’ Courtney said.
‘Untrue,’ Rhianna said. ‘Nobo can teleport. Best lockpick ever.’
‘It has its uses,’ Nobuyuki agreed. ‘Nava is right, however. Being aboard a ship during jump is not very different to using Teleport on yourself.’
‘That makes sense,’ Rochester said. ‘Jump drives are basically teleportation engines.’
‘You might experience some disorientation immediately after we jump,’ Rhianna said, ‘but it’s usually not that bad.’
‘There’s a sort of… discontinuity,’ Rochester said. ‘I’m not sure I can explain it properly, but you know when it’s happened.’
‘Like there’s a tiny sliver of time gone missing,’ Melissa said.
‘You’re right,’ Nava said. ‘I don’t notice that when I teleport myself.’
‘Because the process takes a little longer when the spell has to ensure that everything jumps together,’ Rhianna said.
‘Okay,’ Mitsuko said, ‘so there’ll be a slight discontinuity followed by some disorientation.’
‘Possible disorientation,’ Nava corrected. ‘Not everyone has problems every time.’
‘Jump in thirty seconds,’ said the voice from the speakers.
‘Here we go,’ Rhianna said. ‘A hundred and thirty-four light years in the blink of an eye.’
A few seconds later, Nava blinked. Or it felt like it. Like the universe had skipped a beat and she had had her eyes closed when it happened. She turned her head to look at Rochester. He was looking a little weird, like his equilibrium was off, but so were Mitsuko and Courtney.
‘I’ve never really liked jumps,’ Courtney commented after shaking her head.
‘I may decide to agree with you,’ Mitsuko said.
‘We have arrived in the Beherbergen system,’ the man on the speakers said. ‘Acceleration starts in five minutes.’
‘Back to lying down then,’ Rochester said.
‘That sounds like a plan,’ Nava replied, heading for the access hatch to her level. ‘Next stop, Beherbergen. And then the fun starts.’
Hausman City, Beherbergen, Hausman’s Stars, 236/8/9.
Hausman’s Stars, the system where Beherbergen was located, was a binary system. A K2 star orbited some eight astronomical units away from the primary G8 star. Beherbergen was the fourth planet out from the G8. It was quite a yellow sun compared to Shinden’s. It also looked bigger because Beherbergen’s orbit was closer. Right now, Shinden was actually a bit hotter than Beherbergen was, but Beherbergen stayed warmer while Shinden’s eccentric orbit made for greater variation in temperature.
There was also the atmosphere. Compared to old Earth, Shinden’s atmosphere was a little less than twenty percent higher in pressure. It was within tolerable limits for humans, except in some very low-lying regions. Beherbergen’s atmosphere was over forty percent denser. You could breathe the stuff, but you would not want to unless you had to. The residents of Beherbergen – Kyle included – had been genetically modified to allow them to handle higher air pressure without discomfort. For visitors, the only solutions were to grin and bear it or wear a pressure suit.
Or, as the planet’s latest visitors from the Alliance capital were doing, you could ask Nava to cast a Pressure Support spell on you. She could do it as a cantrip and it lasted for five hours before it needed to be renewed. As the team emerged from the shuttle’s airlock, the men waiting for them looked a little surprised that no one seemed to be having trouble breathing.
One of their greeters had more brass on his uniform than the others. He took stock of his visitors and then picked the wrong one to talk to. He saluted Nobuyuki. ‘Oberstleutnant Stefan Sieger House, head of the Befreit Beherbergen Response Unit, at your service.’
‘Good morning, Oberstleutnant,’ Rhianna said, a smile on her face. ‘I’m Rhianna Greyling Sonkei. You’ll primarily be talking to me.’
‘Ah. Apologies.’ Despite his name, there was no sign of an accent in his speech. Most of the House clan spoke both English and German fluently, and Kyle had once said that the German accent had largely faded across the entire planet, even for those who spoke no English. What you got was a Beherbergen accent, which was something not quite like typical English or German accents. Stefan, however, did not even show that. ‘We have prepared pressure-controlled quarters for you. If you’ll follow me, I’m sure you’d like to rest after–’
‘The pressure isn’t a problem, we’re all magicians. If you could get one of your men to show some of my companions to those quarters for now, the rest of us would like to hear an update on the current situation. We have people to extract with all speed.’
Stefan regarded Rhianna for a second. ‘If that is what you wish. There is some urgency. We believe we have pinpointed the location your people are being held, but there is a problem.’
Rhianna’s smile did not falter. ‘Just what kind of problem are we talking about, Oberstleutnant?’
~~~
The militia’s operations room was busy. There were a lot of people in sandy-brown uniforms at consoles, working feverishly, and others rushing around, apparently carrying messages by hand. It seemed rather inefficient and there was no sign of any sorcery being used in anything.
The central focus of the room was a map table. It was purely video, no use of sorcery to add a 3D element. On display currently was a map of the region where the ASF team had gone missing and, in the south-east corner, a marker showed the location the militia believed they were being held. There were a few other markers too: one showing the location the bodies were found – about ten kilometres to the north and west of the primary target – and flashing icons to show where militia squads were operating.
Nava examined the display carefully while Rhianna handled the communication with Stefan. Courtney was along too; no one had tried to stop her despite what she might hear. The area on the map seemed to be relatively undeveloped, except in that south-east corner where there were a number of buildings, probably a small town. Beherbergen had a total population of around ten million and a little more than half of those lived on clan lands. There was a lot of empty space on the planet.
‘Would you mind explaining why you believe the two officers are being held here?’ Rhianna asked the Oberstleutnant.
‘Intercepted communications,’ Stefan replied. ‘Our scouts detected radio transmissions coming from a disused factory complex. We knew nothing about this location prior to our searches
for the missing soldiers. We believe it’s been set up recently and it’s a major Befreit Beherbergen camp. They’re up to something. Unfortunately, we can’t decrypt all of the methods they use to secure their communications, but we have deciphered some low-priority messages and found references to prisoners. Two prisoners. It appears they are considering moving them to another location in the near future.’
‘Then we need to go in and get them before they do,’ Courtney said. Rhianna glanced at her and she quickly went back to examining the map.
‘My colleague does seem to have a point, Oberstleutnant,’ Rhianna said.
‘Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as that,’ Stefan said.
‘I’m not sure I see why not.’
‘We don’t have the people trained in special ops to go in without being spotted. We believe there could be up to two thousand Befreit troops there and anything we try could turn into a siege. The hostages would be unlikely to survive something like that.’
Rhianna nodded. Beside her, Nava expanded the map display to show more detail of the target site. ‘We do have a team capable of performing an undercover extraction,’ Rhianna said. ‘We can be in and out before they even know we’re there.’
‘I’m afraid that won’t be possible. A decision has been made to eliminate the threat this base poses. We’ll be enacting the clan’s decision at twenty-one hundred tonight.’
Rhianna frowned. ‘If you’re not going to go raid the place, how do you plan to eliminate anything?’
‘A high-yield thermobaric device will be delivered by guided missile.’
Courtney froze, which was probably for the best.
‘What about the people living in the houses around this factory?’ Nava asked.
‘The town has been deserted for years,’ Stefan replied. ‘We expect no collateral damage.’
‘Aside from the two ASF officers.’
‘They’re soldiers. They know the risks.’ Nava turned to put a hand on Courtney’s shoulder. The ex-SSF captain was looking murderous. ‘If we’re lucky,’ Stefan went on, ‘they’ll be moved prior to the strike. We’re keeping the area under constant surveillance. Anyone who leaves will be tracked. It’s possible that this single operation could break the back of Befreit entirely.’
‘You’re going at nine tonight,’ Rhianna said. ‘That gives us time to go in and get the prisoners out. We’re ready to move. We can have our extraction team in position in less than an hour.’
‘I’m afraid I can’t agree to an operation like that. If they know we’re coming–’
‘I think you underestimate the Greyling family’s capabilities, Oberstleutnant.’
‘I think you are underestimating Befreit’s capabilities, Rhianna Greyling.’
‘We’re not,’ Nava replied before Rhianna could. ‘I’m quite aware of their ability to resist intrusion by a skilled magician and Rhianna has read all of the reports on my experience with them. I note that none of your staff use sorcery. Perhaps you are also unaware of what a well-trained magician can do, Oberstleutnant Stefan Sieger.’
‘I’m sorry, you are?’
‘Second Lieutenant Nava Greyling Sonkei, ASF Intelligence Response Directorate.’
There was a slight pause while Stefan’s brain caught up with what she had said. ‘You’re not in uniform.’
Nava was, in fact, in casual clothes; there was no reason to associate the school with this operation. ‘I’m here as a member of the Greyling family, not as an ASF officer. I only mention it now so that you know that I do know what I’m talking about. I was involved with the resolution of Free Beherbergen’s attack on the conference in Alliance City last year. Almost our entire team were, in fact, at that incident.’
Stefan’s jaw tightened; he was annoyed, though about what Nava could not tell. ‘I see,’ was all he said.
‘We’re quite capable, Oberstleutnant,’ Rhianna said, smiling. ‘I’m quite sure we can come to some form of arrangement which gets everyone what they want. Except Befreit Beherbergen, of course. Let’s talk about it further…’
Graugebiete Region.
In the end, Stefan had said he would have to contact his superiors and Rhianna had short-circuited that by calling someone high up in the clan. Whatever the House clan believed concerning the need to eliminate the Befreit Beherbergen base, they could not afford poor relations with the Sonkei clan. Stefan had received orders to allow the Greyling team to attempt a rescue at the earliest opportunity. They were not, however, calling off the missile strike.
Now, not long after midday, the rescue team was making its way on foot toward the town where their target was located. A stealth dropship had been called down from the Yosozume to transport them out to five kilometres from their destination. The ship was a fully armed vessel designed for mounting assaults from orbit. It could carry up to twenty-four troops in comfort – or as much comfort as military vessels usually supplied – along with three tons of gear, and provide ground suppression and point defence support when it got there. It was overkill for what they were doing here, but it could get them to their landing zone without being spotted. Stealth was important on this job.
Their personal gear helped. Everyone was in military-grade combat suits. The chameleon surface of the suits adapted to their surroundings and made it tough to spot them moving through the rather blighted landscape. Everyone except Nobuyuki was wearing such a suit; the resident ninja was actually dressed in what would best be described as a ninja suit. It was a bit more high-tech than the outfits worn by ancient shinobi; Nobuyuki could change the colour manually to suit different situations. Right now, he had the cloth set to a sickly, rather unpleasant beige shade which did do a good job of concealing him.
The region was known as Graugebiete. Apparently, that translated as something like ‘grey areas.’ That was supposed to be a reference to it being contested land early in the colony’s existence, but it fitted the landscape well too. Everything was a subdued beige with hints of grey rock showing through here and there. They had landed among low hills, but the land flattened out the closer they got to the town and it became a featureless wasteland dotted with grey-leaved, drought-tolerant bushes. Nava had never seen plants like them; they had to be things the Harbingers had seeded here when they had colonised the place. The few animals they spotted were of no Earthly design either. Mostly it was birds, except they appeared to be more like lizards with feather-like coats, and their wings seemed to have more joints than a typical bird and came with grasping digits. Nothing came near them though, and there seemed to be no danger.
‘I don’t suppose you’ve sensed any Harbingers?’ Melissa asked as they walked.
‘Nothing’s pinged my radar,’ Nava replied. ‘Why would they come out here? The place is nothing but scrubby bushes and bare rock. Somehow, I can’t imagine it was like this while they were here.’
‘It could have suffered some climate change since then, I guess.’
‘Mm. There’s the town.’
Visible ahead of them was a collection of fairly low structures clustered around one larger one, the factory. Even the buildings were grey. It looked like the entire place had been cast from concrete, a rapidly fabricated mill town, now deserted by those who had created it. It was maybe eight hundred metres away and, at least from this distance, there was absolutely no sign of life.
Nobuyuki signalled for them all to conceal themselves in an area of bushes – the bushes did seem to be getting denser as they went south – and then there was the discussion of how to proceed.
‘We need to know where they are,’ Nobuyuki said. He was looking at Rochester.
‘C-can we get closer?’ Rochester asked. ‘I can do it from here, but I can only project out to a hundred metres. After that, I have to move my point of view at normal speeds. That takes time and uses power.’
‘Power isn’t an issue,’ Nava said. ‘I can feed you quintessence to replenish your reserves.’
‘You can?’ Melissa asked. ‘Then why did I
have to learn Gather Quintessence for Flight Club?’
‘Because,’ Nava said, ‘you should learn it anyway. Also, I can now cast Recharge Magician as a cantrip. Prior to my recent… change, I would have needed to work it from the schema every time.’
‘Oh.’
‘Putting that aside, if we cast Invisibility on everyone, we should be able to get as close as we like. The issue will be coordination. We won’t be able to see each other any more than they’ll be able to see us.’
‘You take Rochester to a suitable location and transmit your coordinates to us,’ Nobuyuki said. ‘You’ll know where you both are because you’ll hold hands. Once you’re in position, I’ll bring the others over one at a time while Rochester begins searching the factory.’
‘This is where experience trumps academic learning,’ Mitsuko said. ‘Though maybe you should’ve thought of that, Nava.’
Nava shrugged. ‘I’m not used to doing missions with other people. Chess, give me your hand.’ Chess put his hand out and Nava took it. He vanished from sight almost immediately and Nava followed a second later. ‘Let’s go see what we can see,’ Nava’s voice said out of empty air. There was the sound of footfalls, and they were gone.
‘They’ll be safe, won’t they?’ Melissa asked.
‘An invisible Nava could take on an army,’ Courtney replied.
‘Fair point. I just hope she doesn’t have to.’
Hausman City.
Rhianna had stayed behind when the others went out to get Kyle and Kory Greyling. She had things to do and she was not really an assault trooper. Rhianna was stealthy in a different way to Nobuyuki; she specialised in persuasion, social manipulation, and more conventional espionage.
She was not at all bad at computer intrusion techniques either. Right now, she was employing those skills to crack the militia’s secure servers and get at the intelligence they had on the Befreit Beherbergen base Nobuyuki and the others were invading.
Something smelled off about the entire situation. She had got the feeling that Oberstleutnant Stefan Sieger was not telling them the whole truth. It was almost as if he did not want the two ASF officers to be rescued. It seemed likely that someone had done something stupid and/or incompetent and this was all the House clan’s military trying to cover it up. But it was possibly something worse. If there was something nastier than soldiers covering their behinds going on here, Rhianna wanted to know what it was sooner rather than later.
Freedom, Humanity, and Other Delusions (Death's Handmaiden Book 3) Page 20
