"We made it," said Valdis.
Nate should have been happy, but with the enemy so close, and having no real idea what was happening, he was less than convinced.
"Yeah, we did. What next, though?"
He lifted his left arm and tapped his Secpad bracelet. Once again, it showed the public cortex was still off-line.
Typical!
Without the mapping data, he would have to use the map he'd stored mentally and compare it to what he could see. The routes to the left and right were marked in Byotai lettering, and red lines on the floor led off into the distance, stopping at a smaller blast door. Each side appeared identical in design, but he had no idea where they went. He looked confused, and the young Byotai slapped his shoulder and then laughed nervously. At the same time, the Captain extended his arm in the human fashion and placed it on Nate's shoulder.
"Impressive," he said in English, "Very impressive. I could do with more like you in my crew."
Both watched as the last few passed the barricade, leaving just Captain Sobiex, Valdis, Nate, and his four friends. Billy moved to the gap, and Nate looked at the sealed doorway they were leaving behind them. The Byotai engineers had done a quick job on the blast doors, but it was more than enough to hold them back until they could bring up heavy weapons.
"What's wrong?" Cassandra asked.
Nate breathed slowly and lifted his carbine as though it was something he'd never seen before. Just remembering the fight earlier gave him a sick feeling in his stomach. Shooting as fighters was one thing, but a living breathing enemy? That was quite another. He could see she was affected, too, and as their eyes met, he realised for the first time that she was absolutely terrified. He wanted to reach out, but with Valentine, the Captain, Valdis, and the others around, it just felt weird.
"I don't know. Something tells me they won't just sit this one out. These Technos, or whatever they're called, they’re motivated, I mean seriously motivated."
Cassandra opened her mouth to speak, but a loud screeching sound drowned out her voice and every other noise. As soon as it subsided, the passageway shuddered and part of the ceiling collapsed with a loud thud. Smoke drifted out from the breach, and more crashed down, completely blocking the passageway in a single swift movement, as well as showering the improvised barricade with debris. Those unfortunate to be waiting there were quickly buried under tons of metal and wiring. Billy ran to the wreckage and pulled at the debris, but it was too late. He looked back to others, a look of sad desperation on his face.
"What do we do now?"
Valdis looked stunned. Her friends had only just passed through the barricade, and now she had no idea if they were alive or dead. Nate moved to her side, turning his focus on the aged Captain for guidance. Of those remaining in the small group, he was the one with the best knowledge of the old ship. The Captain checked his portable computer unit and then cursed in a strange, guttural fashion.
"Everything is off-line. We have to get to the command deck with the others. We do not want to be here when they come through."
He pointed to the sealed up doorway that now rung with the sound of metal objects striking against the heavy blast doors. Nate hadn't even noticed the sound before, but now that he was aware, it became the only thing he could hear. Valdis snapped out of her daze, looked up, and then spoke quickly. When finished, the Captain nodded and began to move away. Nate grabbed the arm of Valdis, and she twisted around.
"Well?"
She bared her upper teeth in a bizarre expression that Nate simply had no understanding of.
Is she happy, angry, sad, or what?
"We take the flank passageway and through the torpedo bulges."
With no further explanation, she moved on ahead of him, leaving Nate none the wiser. Billy was next alongside him, along with Matilda, and finally all of his friends. Of them all, the most confused looking of them all was Cassandra.
"The torpedo bulges?"
Matilda took all of this in her stride and pointed to where the remnants of the unit were going.
"Maybe we should go, too."
Nate shrugged, and off they went. No sooner had they moved through the next blast door, and Cassandra returned with the questions, calling out to those further at the front of the column. Nate followed further back, constantly checking behind them for signs of danger. He could just make out Cassandra's voice and smiled to himself when Valdis began to explain.
"They are bulbous sections on the flanks of Furiosa. They are layered to provide torpedo and proximity weapon protection to her hull."
"So they're hollow?"
Valdis chuckled, perhaps forgetting her current fears, even for a few seconds.
"No quite. We use the space to store the Tribunus Class clippers, one on each flank of the ship."
The mention of the tiny ships piqued Nate's interest. He called out after the others, his mind now only on this interesting new discovery. There was little Nate found more interesting than Naval technology. And though Furiosa was something of a floating legend, the idea of a small, hidden away cutter was fascinating to him; the fact that they were in the middle of a battle seemed to have little effect on him. He caught up with the others and placed a hand on the shoulder of both Cassandra and Valdis.
"Tribunus cutters, like the ones used for customs duty work?"
Valdis looked at him with a strange expression.
"Yes, why?"
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Byotai Imperial Battleship 'Furiosa'
Martos III, Tenth Quadrant
24 December 2472
From the outside, everything looked fine. Battleship Furiosa had sustained only minor external damage, and her three escorts appeared equally unscathed. Nothing could reveal the trauma two of the ships still faced from the mass boarding action hours earlier. It would take an expert eye to spot the damaged and discarded cargo containers that the enemy had used to get so close. At least five still remained on Furiosa's upper deck, with a sixth shattered against the shielded front section and filled with the bodies of thirty or more convicts that had failed to make it aboard.
The tranquillity of their advance was broken as the four vessels cut their engines and presented their bows to the Rift. It was a classic final adjustment as they waited to face whatever was on the other side.
Commander Higgins paced about the bridge with impatience. He'd been out of contact with the Ironclads for hours now, and in a matter of seconds, they would breach the Rift and enter the disputed Tenth Quadrant. This area was a warzone, with forces of a dozen factions vying for control of the planet Karnak and its immediate neighbours. He needed them and their fighters, but more importantly, he was worried about them.
"This is it, judgment time," said General Honorius.
Captain Krammer gave him almost no attention as he gazed upon the central display. The schematics showed a full ten percent of the ship was either under enemy control or currently disputed. Worse, he'd lost control of a full quarter of his weapons and now had lost contact with both main hangar decks.
"They are getting dangerously close to this deck," he said with a grumble, "This was a costly attack for them, but hell, it was an audacious one. Hiding anything up to a thousand hardened criminals, militia, and volunteers on that station was a stroke of genius. If we'd moved any closer or docked, well..."
He shook his head.
"Furiosa would be gone, perhaps even under their control."
General Honorius nodded.
"Yes. You may be right, but that is not what happened. Our mission stands, and we have to make contact with Makos."
He rubbed at his head.
"Tahkeome has been smart. He's utilised the divisions in our own society and his, while giving his supporters a clearly defined goal. They are the poor, the deprived, and the disenfranchised. The people we've let slip through the gaps for centuries."
The Captain appeared confused by his statement.
"What are you saying, General? That this is our fa
ult, and we are the villains?"
General Honorius snorted.
"Of course not, but you cannot deny that Tahkeome has run circles around us. He's mobilised two societies and unified them in a matter of months. Now they see one enemy, an enemy that we defeated a decade ago."
He snorted once more, and then laughed.
"We fought alongside the Alliance and Helions against the creatures, and won, with no help from the clan warriors of the Anicinàbe tribes. And yet now this Star Empire is motivated in a crusade to defeat the ancient Biomechanical evil that no longer exists."
He tilted his head back and let out one breath, held it, and then breathed more slowly. Then he spotted Commander Higgins watching him.
"Commander, do you agree with my assessment?"
The Alliance officer nodded without even having to think about it.
"Yes, General. Tahkeome has mobilised a fleet large enough to defeat Makos, or the entire forces of Alliance Orion Command. He commands the initiative, and until that changes, he'll have the advantage."
The General brought his hands together with a crack.
"Exactly. Tahkeome may have planned this one or two decades ago, and now his plan is coming to fruition. He commands both his own fleet, plus those he has taken from us. That is why we must succeed in our mission."
He nodded to the central display unit.
"Only by combining the forces of Orion Command and Makos can we stop the relentless advance of Tahkeome."
He showed them all a single finger and then smiled.
"One battle; that is all it will take to turn this around. Bloody them and show Tahkeome that he may go no further. Now, Captain, How long till we breach the Rift?"
The Captain didn't even need to check the navigation information.
"Four minutes, General. If I had a choice, I would stay in this system and clear the decks. Going into action with..."
General Honorius shook his head just like a human.
"No. Whatever we do, it will happen now, or all is lost."
All eyes turned to the forward artificial windows that showed the crackling shape of the Rift. A large countdown displayed the time left till they breached, and for a moment there was quiet. Then came the sound all of them dreaded, shouting and the rush of feet. General Honorius lowered his hand to his flank, ready to grab his pistol. The soldiers at the doorway separated, and in rushed a handful of bloodied Byotai, led by the pilot Svana. Blood dripped from her shoulder, and as she arrived, she dropped to her knees, panting from either pain or exhaustion, perhaps both.
"General, the route to the command deck is sealed, but more are coming from below."
Commander Higgins left his post and moved to the young pilot.
"Ensign Lewis and the others?"
She shook her head, and then he spotted tears running from her eyes.
"Valdis and the others, they were there when the ceiling collapsed."
He grabbed her, lifted her to her feet, and then spoke more forcefully.
"Are they alive?"
Again the young pilot shook her head. Before she could speak, Captain Krammer was there, and he looked equally angry.
"My fighters. Are they operational?"
Svana spat blood on the floor and then snarled in frustration. "The fighter deck is lost, and my kin have vanished."
Captain Krammer sighed, glanced at the last remaining seconds, and then looked o General Honorius.
"This is it then. We will fight in the old ways. We may have no fighters or working communications. But we do have this."
He moved his hand to a large metallic lever hidden behind articulated plating. Commander Higgins had no idea what it was, but as his hand opened the plate, the effect on the rest of the officers was electric.
"If it comes to this, we will sound the horn of our ancestors."
Commander Higgins looked at them and then shook his head.
They are insane! A horn?
He didn't even notice the Rift flash and distort as one by one the four ships breached the tear in space-time. The view of the Serpentis System changed in the blink of an eye, and there before them was the planet of Martos III, Tenth Quadrant. It was much further away than he'd expected, and much yellower. He had never been in this part of space, but he did know from his research that the world was one of the many barren planets in the system. Only Karnak, Initochs, and Agriphos were inhabited, the remainder were barren husks, apart from Medamud, but that was a shattered ruin instead of a planet.
"We have arrived," said Captain Krammer.
More flashes marked the arrival of the three Viper Class destroyers. Even from this distance, he could see their gun ports opening as they readied themselves for battle. Their long elegant vanes pushed out, and the solar membranes glistened with the collected light. The gilt on the ships was unlike anything he'd seen before, making even the standard Byotai ships of the line pale to insignificance.
They are beautiful ships. I'll give them that.
A cheer rang out as a number of friendly IFF markers began to fill the central display. At first there were just a handful, and then the number moved into double figures and continued to increase. Though far away, the blink of lights showed the position of many ships, most of which could only be minutes away from their current position.
"Excellent," said General Honorius, "The war fleet of our hero, General Makos. We will regroup and return to the Admiral shortly."
He looked to his officers and nodded.
"Contact the Admiral, and inform him of our success."
"Sir!"
He looked back, relieved as more and more appeared. Yet in just a few more seconds the expression on both senior officers transformed. What had started as excitement and joy, quickly changed to suspicion, and then something much worse.
"What is it?" Commander Higgins asked.
Even Svana looked couldn't quite see the problem at first. They examined the information, but finally Commander Higgins saw it, and his face seemed to drain of colour in an instant.
"No," he said, saying aloud what all of them were thinking.
Captain Krammer ignored him and began issuing orders to his officers. The bridge turned red once more, and time seemed to slow down as the crew returned to their battle stations. Higgins looked to the small group of pilots, and especially to the confused Svana.
"It's Makos. His fleet has already been defeated. Look!"
He extended his arm and pointed to the position of the scores of ships. There were several groups of friendly vessels, but many smaller groups were separating and moving away. Yet at one point there was a double line of red, and the difference between the two formations could not have been more obvious.
"It can't be," she said.
General Honorius placed his forehead in his right hand and spoke words so softly that the translator had no chance at all of converting them into passable English. After a pause of several seconds, he looked up, blinked, and then straightened his back even though it clearly hurt him.
"The enemy has defeated Makos. His ships are broken and fleeing. Look."
With his right arm, he pointed to the squadrons of ships. They were in stark contrast to the two lines of Star Empire ships even though both sides appeared roughly equal in numbers.
"Half of their fleet is in pursuit. And the rest..."
Commander Higgins knew the Byotai well enough to tell when there was something troublesome. He moved alongside the two officers and examined the mapping data. At first he couldn't see the problem, as he was looking too far away. Only when he examined the formation of vessels near to the Rift did he understand.
"They are coming here?"
General Honorius nodded.
"Yes, thirty plus ships, and they are heading right for us."
Captain Krammer finished whatever it was he'd been doing and signalled towards the General.
"I can reverse our thrusters, but it will take over five hours to pull back through the Rift, perhaps longer."
The General snorted for what must have been the fourth time in as many minutes.
"No, not today."
"Then full acceleration. If we are fast enough, we can breach their lines."
General Honorius shook his head again.
"The fleet is shattered, joining them will change nothing."
Commander Higgins pointed to the formations of ships.
"The General is correct. The fleet is shattered, but there are still a lot of ships out there. We need to rally them...and fast."
General Honorius grunted in agreement.
"Is the open channel communications equipment working?"
The Captain nodded.
"Yes, General. Only the internal wireless communications are down."
"Good. Put me on. It is time..."
"For what, General?"
The Captain, though an old and wizened officer, looked terribly worried. His ship was facing an impossible number of enemy ships, and it was clear he was unable to avoid them. The General closed his eyes, and when they opened again, he looked as though he'd been transformed.
"A new day. We will rally the fleet and win the battle that Makos began."
With a subtle twist of his head, he faced the lever on the wall. As he moved, he spotted the new lights showing on the central display. They were moving so fast that they could only be one thing. Commander Higgins saw them, too, and his eyes widened, realising the rear formation of ships had targeted the Byotai ships and already unleashed a heavy bombardment. The shells would arrive in seconds.
"It is time, Captain Krammer. Sound the horn. The end times are here."
* * *
The siren blasted so loudly inside the ship that Nate thought part of the wall had been blown out into space. Even as the sound stopped, the reverberation continued for several more seconds, only to be followed by the shudder as the main guns on the massive ship began to fire. A fraction of a second later, an entire volley of something struck Furiosa. It must have been significant because Nate actually felt his weight shift for a moment.
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