“Nothing yet. We lost its radar track about a day out from Mars ... that was the last time the Red Horizon had it on radar. Its trajectory seemed flatter than yours, as if it wasn’t affected by the sun’s gravity, so we estimate it will pass well to your port side. Since we can’t determine an accurate speed of the object, we also can’t calculate when your paths cross.”
“I’ll let you know if I pick it up,” Craig said, then changed the subject. “You’ll be sure to deliver my message to my boys?”
“Consider it done, Craig. I’ll make sure they receive them in a timely manner. We have the video files secured down here and a copy remains on your ship, which is repeating data dumps every twenty-four hours.” Rock was thorough in his reassurance.
“Thank you, sir. Is there anything special you want done up here the next forty days?”
“Well,” Rock was hesitant to say, “I think we can forego the remaining safety certifications, though I would triple check your monitors, gauges, and alarms. If anything goes wrong, you’ll want to know about it as quickly as possible.”
“That is not very reassuring,” Craig said. Now it was his turn to leave out the obvious, which was that if there were any failure of any critical system on board the ship that did not involve a discipline in which he was highly trained, it would mean the end of the ship and the end of him.
If the nuclear drive failed, he was screwed. If the water purification system failed, he was screwed. If the thermo-dynamic radiator vents failed, he was screwed. Now, if the carbon scrubber system, or one of any of the mechanical systems failed, he could fix that. Oh, he’d have air to breathe if not water to drink. At least that was the most helpful in the major necessities of life prioritized for human existences. First air, then water, then food. He’d die of thirst, then, if he wasn’t vaporized by the nuclear power plant malfunctioning, or baked in an oven if the cooling system failed before then.
“Vector two degrees to port,” Lisa said calmly. “Course correction confirmed.”
Craig could really use a good astro-navigator, too, though one wouldn’t be available for well over a month. “Roger course correction, Houston. I’m showing green across the control board.”
It took close to half an hour to finish the burn, and then the plasma motors lit up; radio waves were superheating argon gas that topped off at over a million degrees in temperature. This gas was then ejected using magnetically-charged fields to generate thrust from a relatively small amount of propellant.
“We’ll contact you when you pass the Lagrange point,” Rock said, a degree of finality in his voice. NASA was busy putting its equipment online again.
“Roger, Houston,” Craig said. “Make sure you take care of those techs at Lunar Base. They’re waiting to hear from you.”
“We’ll get them evacuated as soon as possible,” Rock answered. “Good luck.”
Craig didn’t respond but thought to himself, I’m going to need more than that.
VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME
Siberia, Russia
In the near future, Year 4, Day 193
THE LAST FEW DAYS HAD been hell, literally, or so Vlad thought as his technicians and engineers worked round the clock to bring their communications and control systems back online. What amazed him was the fact that as soon as they did, the Americans had somehow managed to get a message to him. Sure, it was days old, but it must have been sitting somewhere for a considerable amount of time.
“New call from Moscow,” Alex said, pointing to an employee who held a satellite phone in his hand. “We’ve reestablished the transmitters and receivers for at least one dish.”
Vlad took the phone from the technician and walked towards the hallway and out of the computer server room where a half-dozen employees worked feverishly. He nodded silently at Irina, who had a wheeled tray in the hallway and was pouring hot tea for the workers. She smiled coyly at him and continued her work.
Vlad took a few more steps further and said, “Allo?”
“Vlad, this is Dmitry, can you hear me?”
“Yes, sir, loud and clear. Good to finally establish communications again with you.”
“Yes, it is,” his old mentor said, apprehension in his voice. “We’ve taken casualties on the civilian side from this alien strike. The politburo convened an emergency meeting two days ago. They’ve ordered a full analysis by our department on actionable steps to destroy the alien weapon. I’ve had a hell of a time stalling them until we could reach you.”
“I understand, sir, and I apologize, but the landlines seemed to have taken a major hit on the electrical exchanges. Their electronic circuitry was quite old, and my crew here has done everything in its power to get a transceiver up and running.”
“We don’t have time for that,” Dmitry said. “The Americans have informed the world leaders that the strike came from Jupiter. Our own observation satellites corroborate their information. Is there any contingency plan to go to the Jovian planet?”
“No, sir,” Vlad explained. “We lack the equipment to do so. No one can reach the planet.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Dmitry explained. “The Americans have launched another ship from its lunar orbit and have notified us through the emergency United Nations channel that its target is exactly that.”
“Jupiter?” Vlad asked.
“Yes, by way of Mars.”
Vlad shook his head but saw an opening. “Can we cooperate with the Americans to bring down the alien base?”
“No,” Dmitry said firmly. “Premier Kolik and the entire politburo has given strict orders that our Spetsnaz forces on the Red Planet are to do that on their own. They alone will bring glory and honor to the Second Soviet Empire. We’re counting on you, Vlad, to relay their orders from Moscow. Passcode word for today is Stalingrad.”
“Wait, sir, you’re not going to send them directly via the uplink command server?”
“We can’t, at least not in the next forty-eight hours. The encryption servers here were completely destroyed. The shielding wasn’t grounded properly, and it caused the opposite to happen, ensuring that the KGB’s main computer facility was a total loss. At this point, we’re on verbal orders until further notice.”
“I understand, sir.”
“Send the order now, Vlad. Have the special forces team secure the alien base for our use and instruct them to commandeer it. They need to see if they can use it to halt the Jovian equipment from attacking again and they must do this alone. We will not yield the base back to the Americans. Do you understand?”
“Did the Americans share with you the information about the inbound alien object? Wouldn’t it be better if we conducted a joint mission to increase our chance of success?”
“I agree with you, Vlad, but I have my orders, too. See to it that they are followed and have faith in our men. They can do this.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go, then. Give the order and phone after confirmation is received from the Red Star.”
“Consider it done.”
The phone line went dead and Vlad felt that familiar sensation again. It was a cross between feeling faint and wanting to vomit. The fact that his hands had started to perspire didn’t help, and he leaned against the wall, which caught the attention of Irina.
She resisted the urge to rush to him and instead laid out the teacups on her cart and said into the server room, “Alex, tell your men that their tea is ready. They can add cream and sugar as they like.”
“You’re an angel, Irina,” Alex said, coming out to choose a cup as he started to add sugar to his drink.
I think you mean a devil, Vlad thought to himself, feeling like a cad for such a thought, but had she not rekindled that old flame, he wouldn’t be in this situation now, would he? Damn, he thought to himself again, I should never blame her for my decisions. I brought this on myself and now I need to deal with it.
The rhythmic tapping of heels against the hard floor heralded the arrival of his mistress. He saw her long,
slender legs first, before he managed to stand and wipe his hands on his pant legs and looked up at her. Her hair flowed around her neck and she wore a vibrant red gloss, making her luscious lips glow. Her eyes were wide and caring, and he saw something special in them.
She spoke, breaking the trance he was in. “Vlad, are you alright? You look terrible.”
Vlad looked down the hallway and saw that his workers were ignoring him and spreading around the tray for a tea break. He took her by an arm and led her around the nearest corner and into an open area that was partitioned by several cubicles. It wasn’t the most private of places, but it would do. “This is a disaster.”
“I know, my love. Tragic what is happening in the world.”
“No, not that ... well, wait, of course that is tragic, but I’m talking about my new orders. They contradict the last communique from them.” He hissed the last word.
Irina lowered her voice to a whisper. “You mean the Americans?”
“Yes, they’re asking for cooperation in a joint mission to secure the base. They shared with me what I received from the Red Star. There is an alien object inbound and they’re asking for our help to stop it.”
“What will you do?”
“Either I do as I’m ordered, or I betray my position and order our commandoes to work with the Americans. If they fail, it could have serious repercussions for all mankind. There is too much at stake to let politics interfere. I need to draft the orders and send them as quickly as possible. When I do, our time will be up. We will soon find out if your Americans will honor their word or not.”
“If they don’t?” she asked.
“Then we pay for it with our lives.”
KRASNAYA ZVESDA (Red Star)
Mars orbit
In the near future, Year 4, Day 193
“YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS,” Olga said, reaching for the portable display that Yuri held in his hand.
“I’m dead serious,” he said. “I’ve also passed the order down to Colonel Popov.”
“He won’t believe it either.”
“He can do what he wants,” Yuri said. “The passcode word is correct for today and the cipher details confirm the originating terminal. It’s from Vostochny. It matters little; the Americans have landed already. Popov will either have to accept them, or betray the orders.”
“I guess this will be a joint mission, then,” Olga said, punching in the latest log entry to confirm receipt of their orders.
Yuri looked out the window at the planet below. “I think our troops will have bigger things to worry about.”
“That’s an understatement. At least we know what that shaft does.”
“The one the Americans fell through?”
“Yeah, that’s where the second alien ship exited. We have a firm visual on it.”
Yuri tapped the picture file, bringing it up on his screen. The shaft, or most likely a tube now, was where a second black orb either flew or was ejected from the alien base. He moved to a live feed and noticed the blinking red alarm in the corner. “Why is the thermal reading blinking?”
Olga punched up the same data and answered, “It was set to notify us in the event that the base shaft increased in temperature.”
“Did it?”
“Yes, just now.”
“Notify the Americans, then,” Yuri ordered.
“They can see the same thing,” she protested.
“Just do it. Our orders were to cooperate, and they need to know.”
Olga tapped away, then said, “Text warning sent.”
“Too late,” Yuri said, pointing to their satellite feed where a third alien object appeared, exiting the Martian atmosphere.
“Headed to....” Olga waited for the trajectory data to finalize. “Earth, it is. No surprise there.”
“It could be worse,” Yuri said.
“I don’t see how.”
“Olga, these things could come for us. I have no idea why they’re bypassing our ships.”
“Neither do I,” she answered.
Yuri thought for a moment. “What is the time differential between this one and the second one?”
Olga called up the data log, then performed a quick mental calculation. “Approximately thirty hours.”
“The first interval was, what, three days?” he asked.
“More like two and a half. Roughly sixty hours.”
Yuri nodded. “Inform the Americans and send a report back to Vostochny that a fourth object is expected in fifteen hours.”
Olga looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “You’re going to speculate something this important with only three data points?”
“Damn right I will,” Yuri said. “If I’ve learned anything about the aliens from the last four years, it is that their activities are illogical and function like clockwork.”
“Sounds like a certain gender I know,” Olga mocked.
“You go too far,” he scolded.
“Then the aliens must all be men.”
“Which means they all live in paradise,” Yuri shot back.
“Pig,” she muttered.
“Indeed.”
Chapter 17
Spetsnaz
RED HORIZON
Mars’ orbit
In the near future, Year 4, Day 185
“ENTERING NOW,” MAJOR Carter said, his voice clear over the radio. “I have to admit, I don’t exactly feel well-armed with only a pint of acid for a weapon.” The acid was a cleansing agent for melting down anything that could be wedged on their ship as a last resort. It was never designed as a weapon.
“You still have your hammer, sir,” Anderson said.
Carter felt the hammer’s handle in his hand and had to admit it did feel good, even if the range of it was limited. With his other hand, he reached to his belt, where the insulated container holding the acid was attached. “We’re in.”
“Roger that,” Julie said from across the command console. “We have you five by five on camera. Keep your heads panning and call out targets. Luck.”
The video feed showed Major Carter towards the rear of the formation. She knew he objected to that, but the Soviet colonel had insisted. At least he had three of his men with him. Petty Officer Flores remained on board the ship, as Neil piloted the lander, leaving only four seats available. There was a way to jury rig another seat in the cargo hold, but it would increase the payload and threaten the flight profile of their craft. It wasn’t as if the SEALs were light weight. Each massed well over two hundred pounds; not exactly manifest-friendly where weight limits came into play.
“We’re securing the inner doors now,” Neil said. Jules noted that yet another Soviet mandate was that an American would stay behind with Commander Sullivan and secure their outer command center. That left six Spetsnaz to his three SEALs. The colonel knew how to stack a deck. She watched on a helmet feed from her second-in-command as the doors were manually pushed back with Jackson’s help.
There had been no sign of the orbs when they first entered, and this meant either that things would be easy, or that the worst was still in front of them. They had managed to follow the same path as the one they had originally taken to free Maria. Jules learned that the Soviets had made three attempts to penetrate the complex and had had to retreat under counterattack by the barb-shooting orbs.
There was Russian spoken, and then the translator said, “The colonel finds it strange that we are not under attack.”
Carter responded, “The dynamics have changed since you last entered. Perhaps the overall defensive posture for this place has changed ... either laxer or focused on guarding key weak points.”
Another smattering of Russian, and then, “The colonel agrees with your tactical assessment. He thinks the alien units have withdrawn to key sectors. He also said to keep moving.”
“Friendly fellow,” Hill noted, off mic.
Jules frowned at the doctor, then said, “Be advised that a third interplanetary orb was launched recently. We appear to have time con
straints on us.”
“What do you mean?” Neil asked.
“This one was in half the interval of the first two,” Jules explained.
“Well, that’s just great,” Anderson said.
Carter spoke: “Keep the formation tight and the channel clear.”
“Yes, sir,” Anderson responded.
Hill whispered to Jules, “You know it only takes one of those, filled with a highly-concentrated toxic nerve agent, to wipe out our planet.”
“We discussed this already, Doctor.” Jules held her hand over her mic and whispered back, “No need to put any more pressure on them than what they have now.”
Hill looked to the third chair in the room where Maria sat looking at her screen. She seemed almost comatose but had checked out fine the last few days despite her earlier hysterics.
Flores saw his gaze and he in turn looked at the doctor.
Hill said, “When will we direct them?”
“When it’s time,” Jules said.
Flores returned his attention to the rectangular center console. He sat opposite Maria on the wide ends, while Doctor Hill and Commander Monroe were to either side of him on the narrow sides. Each had a console, while the extra space of the rectangle allowed Hill and Monroe to have more than one.
Hill keyed his own mic and spoke. “Major, be sure the acid is secure. I have no real remedies should one of you be exposed to it.”
Carter replied, “Understood, doctor. It’s as secure as can be.”
Jules covered her mic again and hissed at the doctor, “I told you not to stress them out.”
Hill responded in a likewise manner. “I know, but it’s my duty to make them aware of or our medical limitations.”
“You’re simply bored, Ron—now find something else to do. You’re here to care for Maria, otherwise I’d send you to wait in sick bay.”
“Alright, Commander, no need to be testy. I was just doing my job. Maria’s fine, by the way; all vitals are nominal.”
Jules noted that the medical readout for her science officer was hooked into Hill’s electronic pad, and he had it velcroid to the table. Their command and control room was the one used by the SEALs in the center-rear of the ship. “Keep them that way,” she ordered.
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