Voidstalker

by John Graham

  “Then, I suppose that concludes your contribution to this meeting.” The mayor said, “We trust you’ll keep us appraised of the situation as it develops?”

  “Of course.” With that said, Red-eye deactivated the VR link.

  * * *

  The image faded to black and Red-eye removed the headset, placing it back on the table. She noticed two pending communication requests on the screen and opened a three-way conference link with both callers. The video images of two senior agents appeared on the screen, a man and a woman, each vid-linking from their respective wrist-top computers.

  “Director,” the female agent spoke first, “we’ve finished interrogating the staff at J.E. Co.’s headquarters. They all appear to be clean.”

  “Jezebel Thorn’s company offices and records have all been searched.” The male agent reported, “Nothing of her records mentions J.E. Co. at all. PBA-assisted interrogations of her staff also turned up nothing.”

  “J.E. Co.’s records are still being searched.” The female agent said, “But anything sensitive will have been moved to an offsite server that we can’t reach.”

  “No matter, then,” the director-general reminded her subordinates, “our only concern is xenotechnology, not the data potentially derived from it. Forward your findings to our Civil Liaison Office, they can pass on whatever is relevant to the Justice Ministry.”

  “Understood.” The male agent acknowledged, “But I recommend we sic a surveillance team on Jezebel Thorn until the situation on Loki is resolved.”

  “Permission granted.” The director-general said, “Make the arrangements.”

  The male agent nodded and deactivated his comm. link.

  “All other tasks and preparations at J.E. Co. were completed.” The female agent said.

  “Good,” Red-eye said, “in the meantime, consider the researchers to be active leads. We still don’t know how much they knew about the facility on Loki, or if there was any corporate espionage going on.”

  “But I just got done interrogating them.”

  “A calm liar with a high degree of self-control can fool the analysis,” Red-eye replied coolly, “and the best moles, by definition, can and will pass most attempts to detect them.”

  “Understood,” the agent acknowledged, “what about Dr Aster Thorn?”

  “What about her?”

  “Her PBA score was 91%, barely a passing mark.” The agent explained, “But she threatened to call her husband during questioning, and she believed the Loki facility only had a few hundred staff. Should we be concerned about her?”

  “Keep an eye on her along with the others,” Red-eye instructed, “but unless something new comes to light, she’s just another active lead.”

  “Understood.” With that said, the video link was terminated.

  * * *

  Loki was a barely visible dot in the shadow of the deep blue gas giant Odin, a dark and diminutive dwarf orbiting in gloomy contrast to the hub-world of Asgard with its sprawling and shimmering metropolises. Loki’s surface looked barren from orbit, but it was actually criss-crossed with a complicated network of valleys and ridges, and its open plains were pockmarked with craters from aeon’s worth of meteor strikes.

  The DNI ship slipped quietly into the moon’s atmosphere, its sleek and stealthy hull absorbing almost every ray of light that touched its matte-black surface. It was similar to the material which covered the Spire, and it could defeat almost all known forms of sensor technology. No one and nothing would know it was there.

  Just as their intelligence had indicated, the landing pad was 20km away from the actual facility. Concealed in one of the many shallow craters that dotted the moon’s surface, it was equipped with an uplink array and an automated crane system for handling cargo. Officially, there were no settlements or facilities of any kind on Loki, but the landing pad seemed big enough to handle trade for an entire town.

  Swooping down low, the DNI ship slowed to a halt above the landing pad and opened the vehicle bay doors on its underside, dropping the Wolverine APC from inside. The anti-gravity plating on the vehicle’s underbelly glowed faintly, slowing its fall to a safe velocity. As the Wolverine touched down on the landing pad, bouncing gently on its suspension, the DNI ship sealed the vehicle bay’s doors again before firing its engines and disappearing back into Loki’s twilit sky.

  The 40 tonne armoured vehicle rolled forward and down the landing pad’s ramp onto the moon’s surface. The perfectly smooth surface of the landing pad made it difficult for the Wolverine to move forward on its knobbly wheels, but they found much better purchase on the moon’s crooked terrain. The vehicle began to trundle forward up the side of the crater, following a well-worn path made by countless automated cargo shipments.

  The Wolverine’s interior was definitely not built for comfort. Four of the operators – Doran, Ogilvy, Cato, and Bale – were squeezed into the seats, two on each side, facing each other with their weapons secured to their chest plates. The fifth operator, Viker, was in the cockpit guiding the Wolverine along the bumpy path while Gabriel squatted down behind him, holding onto the safety rungs on the ceiling to steady himself.

  “ETA: 30 minutes,” Viker announced, “assuming these coordinates are right.”

  “And if they’re not?” asked Lieutenant Doran, a heavy-set man with a blond buzz-cut.

  “If not, we’ll be driving around in circles until the fuel cell runs out of power.” Viker replied, before adding, “in which case, ETA: one decade.”

  There was a round of chuckling – which Gabriel didn’t join – followed by silence as they reached the edge of the crater and climbed up over the ridge. The Wolverine emerged onto a vast plain where it began to pick up speed as it travelled across the empty moonscape, following the indicator in the cockpit’s display. The journey was uneventful until one of the wheels hit a rock, jolting the vehicle’s passengers without warning.

  “Ok, I’m taking the wheel on the way back,” Doran complained, “because Viker fucking sucks at driving this thing.”

  “Fine by me,” Viker replied, unfazed by the criticism, “as long as I’m the one who gets to bitch in your ear when you crash.”

  The squad laughed. Gabriel didn’t. There was silence.

  “Speaking of bumpy rides,” Ogilvy broke the silence, “you’d think the DNI could afford to lend us a decent antigravity tank like the Marine Corps has.”

  “No good for a mission like this,” Gabriel said, breaking his usual taciturnity, “The antigravity cushion generated by a skimmer-type vehicle is easily detectable. Plus, antigravity levitation beds consume far too much power for a mission like this, they’re also prone to damage and breakdowns. A rolling chassis is far more durable and reliable.”

  There was a pause as everyone took this information onboard.

  “Our very own Mastermind has spoken.” Cato remarked with an amused smile, eliciting chuckles from the rest of the squad.

  “The colonel’s right, by the way.” Viker informed the squad, “I trained on the scout-skimmers and rapid-assault tanks in the Navy. Fricking fast and agile, but they burn through huge amounts of power just to stay off the ground. And the whole piece of levitation tech that keeps them in the air is incredibly fragile; one knock to the underside can short out half the cells. If that happens, the only way forward is straight down.”

  “So, it’s good you’re behind the wheel of a tank with wheels.” Bale quipped.

  “Easy on the jokes, captain,” Viker replied, “I can’t drive if my sides are splitting.”

  The squad laughed again. Gabriel remained silent.

  “Why do we say the word ‘wheel’ like that?” Ogilvy pondered aloud, pointing to the holographic interface in the cockpit, “I mean phrases like ‘take the wheel’, ‘asleep at the wheel’. It doesn’t make sense since it’s not an actual wheel.”

  “It’s a classical reference.” Gabriel explained, “Primitive vehicles on ancient Earth used a kind of wheel in the cockpit which had to b
e physically turned by the driver in order to steer. The technology changed, but the metaphors endured.”

  There was another spell of silence.

  “Don’t remember learning that in school.” Cato remarked, “Just a standard education in between chores around the outpost; then it was off to join the Navy.”

  “You’re a colonial too?” Captain Bale asked.

  “I think we’re all colonials in here, aren’t we?” Doran wondered.

  “Not me,” said Viker proudly, “Asgard Undercity, born and bred. First time I ever left Asgard was to ship out for basic training.”

  “You don’t talk like an under-dweller.” Ogilvy remarked.

  “Well I can if y’ask me.” Viker replied in Undercity dialect.

  “I didn’t understand a word of that.”

  “Neither do my fricking in-laws.” Replied Viker, eliciting another round of laughter.

  “…What about you, Colonel?” Captain Bale asked, “If you don’t mind me saying, your accent sounds very…standard.”

  “It wasn’t always standard,” Gabriel responded, “I used to talk like a ‘fleeking’ flute.”

  Gabriel’s response raised eyebrows.

  “You’re from the Clouds, sir?” Doran asked, picking up on Gabriel’s word choice.

  “Originally, yes.” Gabriel replied.

  There was another long spell of silence as the Wolverine made brisk progress across the plain. Instead of a windscreen, the cockpit featured an all-encompassing holographic view of the vehicle’s exterior, giving the visual impression of an open-air cockpit looking out on the starry sky and surrounding landscape. Ahead, the ridgeline loomed large, and a gap in the rocks became faintly visible; a canyon entrance of sorts from which a tiny speck emerged.

  A yellow icon began to flash on the holographic interface, signalling the approach of an unidentified object. It was the same speck visible in the distance.

  “Contact, dead ahead!” Viker announced, tapping the icon, “looks like a freight hauler.”

  “A freight hauler?” Bale asked suspiciously, “why would the base still be getting supplies if it’s out of commission?”

  “Supply runs are all automated.” Gabriel pointed out, “If something happened to the staff, then there wouldn’t be anyone around to cancel the shipments. Keep driving.”

  Viker kept a steady speed as the speck grew larger and more distinct. It was indeed an automated freight hauler – an AI-controlled sixteen-wheeler flatbed with a single, large cargo container clamped onto the back; Jupiter Engineering Co.’s company logo visible on the side. The freight hauler hurtled past the Wolverine apparently without incident.

  “Good,” Gabriel said, echoing everyone’s relief, “just a freight hauler.”

  “Sir, that hauler pinged our IFF as it passed!” Viker dampened everyone’s relief.

  “Why the fuck would it do that?” Asked Doran with alarm.

  “No idea.” Viker replied, “But whatever system it’s connected to, it knows we’re here and it knows we’re not with J.E. Co.”

  “Secure your restraints, everyone!” Gabriel ordered as he locked his own armour down and squeezed the ceiling handles, “Viker, double-time it to the objective!”

  “Aye sir!”

  The Wolverine’s wheels kicked up a conspicuous cloud of dust as it picked up speed. The vehicle’s suspension minimised the bumps and shocks as much as possible, but with the element of surprise apparently lost, nobody cared to complain about the rough ride.

  Two more icons appeared on the display. Red ones.

  “Contacts, behind us!” Viker announced as he tapped the icons, “two vulture-class patrol drones. Readying the turret now!”

  “Negative!” Gabriel countermanded him, “save our ammo.”

  “But sir, they’re closing in for–”

  “The support turret is useless against fast-moving aerial targets,” Gabriel shouted back, “we need to lose them in the canyons!”

  “Aye sir!”

  Viker gunned the accelerator for everything it was worth and the Wolverine roared forwards, passing 200kph. The gash in the ridgeline loomed large and welcoming on the visual display even as the rear-view image in the corner showed two menacing, dark shapes swooping low over the open plain like birds of prey chasing down a frightened rabbit.

  “Firing up the ECM module.” Viker shouted as he swiped the activation switch.

  “Electronic countermeasures won’t work at point-blank range!” Doran shouted.

  “1000 credits says they will.” Viker shouted back, “and if I’m wrong, I’ll pay up later!”

  Leaving a billowing cloud of dust in its wake, the Wolverine vanished into the canyon entrance without another second to spare. Both patrol drones opened fire, sending two energy-seeking missiles streaking across the plain towards their intended target. One missile struck the ridgeline above the canyon entrance, vaporising several tonnes of rock in a ball of flame, while the other flew straight in after the Wolverine.

  Viker was right. The Wolverine’s ECM module saturated the surrounding air with junk data, blinding the missiles’ guidance systems. The patrol drones, however, weren’t fooled or dissuaded. Their on-board computers could scrub most of the junk readings even if the missiles couldn’t, and they flew straight in after the Wolverine.

  The canyon itself was only one part of a bewildering maze of geological troughs and gorges, carved out by a long-since dried up network of ancient rivers, and squeezed between numerous, steeply-angled escarpments and sheer cliff walls stretching hundreds of feet above. The Wolverine zoomed along the edge of the valley like a plump sports car on a racetrack with the patrol drones in hot pursuit.

  “This terrain is killing the suspension!” Viker shouted to make himself heard over the sound of the Wolverine’s violently vibrating chassis.

  “Better it than us!” Gabriel replied, echoing the rest of the squad’s thoughts, “keep pushing into the canyons! If we can find one narrow enough, we can lose them!”

  Aided by the low gravity, the Wolverine rocketed forwards along the half-pipe shaped trough as the patrol drones followed close behind. One of the drones opened fire with a chin-mounted laser turret, scorching the ground with a near-infrared beam of blazing hot light.

  The beam briefly made contact with the Wolverine’s outer hull, releasing a hissing cloud of dark smoke as a layer of the vehicle’s ablative armour skin was boiled away, but leaving the vehicle itself unharmed.

  Viker swerved hard to the right, crossing the middle of the trough at high speed to evade the laser beam and confuse the patrol drones. It didn’t work. The drones soared high, flying abreast of one another to cover each side of the trough as their fast-moving target zig-zagged between the piles of rocky debris in the middle of the canyon.

  “We can’t keep this up forever!” Viker shouted over his shoulder, “They probably have onboard maps of the entire area!”

  It was a wonder Viker could talk at all as he tried to navigate a natural obstacle course at dangerously high speeds, all while keeping an eye on the hostile red icons harassing them. The Wolverine’s on-board computer assisted with the driving, but it was still a hell of a multitasking challenge for just one person.

  “There!” Gabriel pointed. “Try that fork up ahead!”

  Viker drove the Wolverine towards the right-hand fork before lurching left at the last second. The patrol drones – themselves flying at high speed – were caught off-guard by their target’s surprising agility. One of the drones swerved hard and lost valuable time flying up over the top of the canyon wall before swooping back down into the left-hand fork to catch up with its quarry. The other drone kept flying down the right-hand canyon.

  “We lost one!” Viker shouted as one of the red icons vanished off the edge of the screen.

  Gabriel doubted it. The chase had plunged his mind into a hyper-focussed combat fugue, blurring the distinction between wariness and paranoia. Viker was probably right about the drones having on-boa
rd maps of the region; and so there was no way that an AI-piloted combat drone would simply give up the search.

  Ahead, the trough itself veered even further to the left, but the sheer rock wall was broken by a steep natural ramp on the right hand side, leading straight up and over the ridge into the right-hand canyon. Viker turned right and drove the Wolverine up the ridge as the pursuing drone closed in low behind them, ready for a point-blank kill.

  Near the top of the ridge, the other red icon suddenly reappeared.

  “The other one’s back!” Viker yelled, “Dead ahead of us!”

  “Swerve! Now!” Gabriel barked.

  Viker slammed the brakes and brought the Wolverine around in a full, screeching circle – not a safe thing to do at breakneck speed – right as the other drone reappeared in their path, popping up from the right-hand canyon below to ambush them. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect as the pursuing drone jetted over the top of the escarpment at maximum speed, overshooting the Wolverine and slamming into the other drone.

  The two drones collided in spectacular fashion, each one devoured in a mutually encompassing ball of flame and mangled debris. The collision sent thousands of flaming fragments raining down across the landscape like a localised meteor shower. The now stationary Wolverine’s shielding flashed, deflecting incoming shards of debris as the flaming wreckage of the drones went spinning down into the canyon below.

  The squad was ecstatic.

  “Two-for-one kill without firing a shot!” Viker shouted triumphantly, “Frick yeah!”

  “I take it back, Viker,” Doran exclaimed, “You should’ve been a racer!”

  “Get your heads together, everyone,” Gabriel poured cold water on their celebrations, “Those can’t have been the only two drones out there.”

  Sure enough. Two more red icons appeared on the screen, closing in from behind.

  “Two more contacts!” Viker announced as he hit the accelerator.

  He brought the Wolverine speeding down into the right-hand canyon, zig-zagging between the rocks and wreckage as two more patrol drones flew over the ridge from behind and swooped in after them.