by Damon Alan
Railgun fire began almost immediately.
“Lock onto the Stennis and prepare to fire standard missiles when ordered. FTL weapons will not be necessary.” 00 transmitted a list of munitions each ship would use.
Across the Hive fleet targeting systems went active. Missile ports opened and fuel rushed into the missile assemblies.
00 studied the enemy ships. Judging by the behavior of the Stennis, Sarah Dayson was aware of the Hive fleet. She was retreating to put the damaged ship in a direct line to protect herself as she recovered a host of small shuttles.
“Fire,” 00 ordered.
Missiles raced from the fleet, lines of exhaust leaving crisscrossing lines of white in the space between 00 and Dayson.
“00, there is something critically wrong with the star,” Vt06x42 reported.
“This colony notices a substantial insufficiency of luminous output,” 00 responded. “Transmit the data, 42.”
42 was a survey vessel, with the best sensors in the fleet. “It is going nova. This fleet is in imminent danger.”
That was such a shock to 00’s computational abilities, for a moment it didn’t respond. Then it reacted in the only rational way. It began to spin up its singularity drive to jump away.
Several colonies were broadcasting at once, indicating confusion at the inexplicable state of the star.
The star blinked out.
“This fleet is ended,” 42 broadcast. “Admiral Dayson has defeated us. Again.”
Sarah Dayson’s ship disappeared from sensors.
Luminance across the EM band that exceeded 00’s measuring abilities struck the fleet.
Of the ships in the fleet, all but a few were overwhelmed with static discharge. One thing, however, protected 00. The coolant system was still extended, and electrons flowed not only along the surface of 00’s ship, but through the liquid sodium coursing in the coolant fins. All along the extended structures electricity arced, discharging into space.
While its fellow colonies died around it, 00 lived.
The human ship flared brightly as radiation hit it. Trillions of computational cycles passed, then it detonated in a tremendous ball of fire. Something critical inside had given way, destroying the vessel. Maybe it was the Collective’s railgun fire that had destroyed it. Maybe it was the missiles from the Stennis. The result was the same.
Too bad.
00 might have learned something from it by colonizing the battle survivors.
While it rode out the radiation storm, it considered the nature of this event.
This system had clearly been inhabited by humans. Several asteroid stations were broadcasting when 00 arrived.
Dayson was here.
The survey probe the fleet had sent into the system had identified the Michael Stennis. The old warship was heavily damaged, showing signs of extensive combat, but also damage from ablation.
Was that damage from a plasma weapon of sorts? It was impossible to calculate that possibility with the current data, so 00 set that query aside for later.
Did Fleet Captain Dayson attack and destroy this cruiser, then use some unknown weapon to destroy this star system? Why would the humans destroy this star? Was it in expectation of the Hive arrival? If so, that was an issue. If the humans chose to destroy their systems during Hive invasions, that would make future colonization and expansion more problematic.
Incapable of emotion, 00 nonetheless found itself unable to comprehend the overwhelming power of such a weapon. It was experiencing what the humans would call awe.
Seventy kilometers distant the fleet fueler exploded. The wavefront pushed many of the ships in the fleet past their breaking point, and a myriad of fireballs rocked the area. Debris scattered across space.
00’s subroutine for navigation had turned its vessel into the blast wave from the star without disturbing 00’s cognitive reasoning routines. It rode the stellar outburst much like a ship riding a freak ocean wave. Bow first.
The radiation storm was past the peak, and was starting to fall. Still, communication with the other surviving vessels was impossible. They were either ready to jump, or they were not.
00 jumped forty AU away from the blast front of the star.
Not much time passed before the fleet dropped back into realspace.
That’s when 00 realized the nature of the concept humans call luck. It was the only ship that had a functioning colony. None of the rest of the fleet showed any activity. Derelict ships floated away from it, in multiple directions.
At this distance there was substantial time before the radiation wave would strike again. 00 queried each ship by radio. It scanned for electrical activity. None. Two of the cruisers were on fire, 00 moved away from them.
It considered its options. Only it remained to report the human activity to the Original. Only it knew there was a star destroying weapon in human hands.
It calculated the risks of searching the area to kill Dayson. But she was too dangerous. Somehow she’d destroyed a superior human cruiser, then blew up a star, before vanishing without using a FTL bubble.
The humans had a new stardrive and a superweapon.
00 could not risk engaging her and not getting the war intelligence it had back to the Collective.
It plotted a course for Albeus III. It would take substantial time to get there to maximize fuel efficiency, as fuel would be tight without a fueler standing by. Fortunately it had full antimatter tanks.
It scanned the system one last time. At this distance it picked up the now destroyed asteroid stations radio signals. It filed away the language, it wasn’t human galactic standard. Deciphering that language would help determine which region of human space the Collective would concentrate on next.
It considered Dayson. Were there options for dealing with her still?
Very few. The damage to its ship structure was extensive, and numerous systems were operating marginally.
Still, it waited. The lure of killing Dayson was great. While time passed, it ran simulated situational concepts to determine any positive outcomes from staying to engage the enemy.
Chapter 13 - Standing Alone
Master Edolhirr?
Edolhirr stirred, the voice in his head waking him instantly. Normally a sleeping adept had instinctual protection against such interruptions, and the more powerful the adept, the better the protection.
Someone with a powerful will was calling to him.
Who is this?
My name is Eislen.
Aaah, Alarin’s former acolyte, the one that disappeared without so much as a goodbye, after stealing weapons from the newcomers. Other than one dead conspirator in a house, no use of those weapons had ever been discovered. Either they were too hard to use, or this Eislen fellow found out that the gift is a preferable weapon.
What can I do for you, Adept Eislen?
Skip the adept. Call me Eislen. It would appear that Merik’s message of war has taken root among your fellow adepts. I, moments ago, destroyed a Himalland army ten days east of Torgard.
Edolhirr sat rigidly upright in bed, inadvertently waking his wife. “I’m sorry, go back to sleep,” he said as he rose from bed. “Adept business, I’ll return shortly.”
He walked from the room, speaking to Eislen as he went.
You did? An army?
Do not sound so surprised, Master Adept. Alarin tutored me for a reason.
And you rejected him for a reason. Why would you come to his aid now?
Eislen’s answer was to share his memories of that day. Edolhirr saw the river valley, the troops lining up outside the forest. The pennant flags of Himalland. The surprisingly fast and violent death that reached out for them and destroyed them all.
You have grown, Eislen. An acolyte no more, I see. How many adepts have joined you in the east?
That is of no matter. What is important now is that Alarin know some things regarding what is happening here. The first is that I have no need of his troops or his adepts in the Eastlands.
I know after the events at the capital he is short of both. I will protect these borders. The second is that my people and I expect some degree of autonomy. We will farm here. We will forest here. We will live here. We will send our excess to him so that he can rebuild the Westlands. But if he comes to the Eastlands with subjugation in mind, then we will respond… poorly.
Edolhirr sat down at a writing desk and willed a candle to light. He put his face in his hands, his elbows resting on the table.
What you are demanding is that Alarin cede the Eastlands to you. Edolhirr wasn’t the regent of Zeffult. Alarin was. But Edolhirr was Alarin’s soon to be father-in-law, so protecting Zeffult was in his interest. How far should he press this errant acolyte? Not only errant, but powerful as well. Alarin had clearly seen that.
That is not what I am demanding. I simply wish to return the Eastlands to how things were once before, thousands of cycles ago. The adepts served the people. That is not how it is in most places today.
That wasn’t far from the truth. Edolhirr looked at the paper he’d almost unconsciously pulled from his desk drawer. A military decree form. It was somewhat instinctual that he’d thought of sending Antecaran troops south into Zeffult to maintain order.
He crumpled up the form and thought on Eislen’s words. He’d felt the same himself many times. What Eislen wanted in the Zeffulti Eastlands was not different really than what Edolhirr enforced in Antecar.
So it would be peace.
Provisionally, I agree to your terms. You live in peace, and we will all live in peace. If Himalland attacks again, you have sanction to destroy them all. Those heathens know they should not have crossed the border without permission from the ruler of Zeffult. They reaped what they asked for.
Edolhirr could sense the relief in Eislen’s thoughts, and then in his reply.
I am grateful, Master Adept Edolhirr, First Adept of Antecar. In the spring I will send timber west. In the fall I will send grain. We are natural allies, not enemies.
Let us hope so, Eislen. You are young, and I admire your boldness. But Antecar is to your north, and we are much larger than Himalland. If you betray my good will, I will send an army that will restore submission to the Eastlands. And destroy your aspirations.
There was a long pause before Eislen answered. Your words are fair. You think me rash. But I am not. I follow what I sense the gods want of me. Nothing more.
When Alarin returns, I will let him know of our agreement. For it to continue, he must agree. He is sovereign of Zeffult. I am only his caretaker.
Understood, Eislen answered.
Edolhirr felt the connection break. He rose from his seat to return to bed, but sat back down and pulled another military decree form from the drawer. He filled it out, ordering twenty-thousand troops to the ready for invasion of the Zeffulti Eastlands. Filled out, he folded it and put it into an envelope, then tucked that into the outbox on his desk..
If Eislen stepped beyond the agreement, Edolhirr would destroy him and his cause to the last person.
Chapter 14 - Rebirth
22 Gusta 15329
“I can show you where the armory is, although I do not know the condition of ten thousand year old weapons,” Gaia said.
“Why do you trust me now?” Heinrich asked.
“Because I have nullified the chemical in your brain that was altering your neural pathways.”
Heinrich unstrapped from her command center. She looked down at the exposing uniform that Orson forced her to wear.
And she tore it off.
“You are naked,” Gaia stated.
Stornbeck laughed.
“If I’m going to die taking this ship from the traitors working for Orson, it won’t be in that damned uniform.” Heinrich thought about spitting on the floating rags, but decided against it. Body fluids had a way of behaving badly in zero G. “Where are the weapons?”
“They are three decks down from the bridge, and sixty meters down the gangway. I will guide you the entire way.”
“Great,” Heinrich said as she watched Sergeant Stornbeck unhook the last strap on her gravcouch. She nodded toward the door and pushed off in that direction. “Let’s go, Della. We have some killing that needs done.”
Stornbeck smiled as Heinrich opened the door. “You’ve never called me Della, Commander.”
“We’ve never been through anything like this together before either. Get going.” Heinrich grinned. In a few minutes they’d either be dead or every single male on board would be. Fortunately she knew how many there were.
Stornbeck gestured for Heinrich to wait. She stripped her uniform off as well. “Now, Commander, we are sisters.”
“It’s Inez,” Heinrich said. “We’re not in uniform. Call me by that.”
Stornbeck grinned.
It was a pivotal moment. A declaration of freedom. A commitment to vengeance. Both women hugged for a moment, then Heinrich slapped the panel that opened the bridge blast door.
As they exited the bridge, the door shut behind them.
“Take the next lift down three decks, Della,” Gaia said.
* * *
The armory door was coded. Heinrich panicked a moment, wondering if a many millennia dead captain might have taken the code with him into death.
To her relief the door chimed, the code panel turned green, and the door opened.
“I sense from your breathing patterns you thought I led you to a sealed door,” Gaia commented. “I have access to every section of this ship.”
“Great,” Heinrich replied. There was work to do.
She inspected the contents of the large room. Ancient firearms that used cartridges instead of built in propellant storage. That was no big deal. A gun was often a gun, regardless.
Charge.
Safety off.
Point.
Trigger.
Kill.
It was her intention to do exactly that.
“That is the TL-7 automatic infantry rifle, Inez. It carries one hundred rounds of three millimeter ammunition. It will, if you’re not careful, pierce the more vulnerable sections of my hull. I will advise you if firing is unwise, but otherwise it is an excellent choice for the murders you intend to commit.”
“Murder?” Heinrich said, spinning around in rage. “Murder? Della and I have been raped. We have had our free will stolen. We have been forced to act in ways against our wishes. We have killed our own people with minds enslaved to others.” Heinrich watched a spray of saliva slam into the far wall. She’d made her comment rather emotionally.
Stornbeck nodded her agreement. Both women were on the same page.
“I sense I have struck a nerve. I was not aware of all the transgressions you have suffered. I have not experienced human interaction that involved this sort of behavior before now. I apologize to you both, Inez and Della,” Gaia said. Her voice was soft, and sounded apologetic.
“Apology accepted,” Stornbeck said. “Inez, you notice the AI is calling us by our first names?”
“Yeah. She’s helping so I don’t care.”
“It’s curious.”
“Load up with those grenades, use that belt,” Heinrich ordered, ignoring the curiosity. “Carry two extra clips. We’ll have a hundred rounds per target. That should be enough.”
Stornbeck grabbed another weapon from a wall rack. “Gaia? What is this?”
It looked like a small shotgun, or a flare gun.
“It is a single shot weapon with an incapacitation round inside. It penetrates the skin and delivers a disabling charge of electricity to the target.”
“Think we’ll need those?” Heinrich asked.
Stornbeck strapped a belt around her waist. “I hope so.” She tossed one to Heinrich, who hooked it to her belt. “There are only two, so make yours count.”
They rummaged quickly for any other weapons that might be useful.
“Look what I found,” Heinrich said.
“Paint?”
“Camouflage paint. We’ll be invis
ible,” Heinrich joked.
Laughing, Stornbeck grabbed a tube. “Well, maybe not, but here’s what we could be…” She locked her legs around a structural beam, and beckoned Heinrich over. Stornbeck reached out, cupped the back of Heinrich’s face, and started painting.
Several minutes later, she stopped.
“Inez, you look terribly primitive,” Gaia noted.
Heinrich smiled. Vengeance should always be served primitive. She moved to a locker and looked at a mirror. Her eyes were deep sockets of black, her jaw now an exaggerated row of inhumanly large teeth. Her nostrils were outlined to be prominent.
She turned back toward Stornbeck, who looked apprehensive.
“This is fantastic,” Heinrich said.
Stornbeck stretched her arm out and flipped the camo stick to Heinrich. “Me next.”
“It won’t be as amazing as what you did.”
Stornbeck shrugged, so Heinrich got to work. It was hard for her not to laugh. The work wasn’t going anything as well as she’d hoped.
“Ummm, there,” Heinrich said, with one last stroke of the stick.
The victim of her artistic ineptitude grinned. “How do I look?” Stornbeck asked.
“That is one of the most horrible attempts at art I’ve ever seen,” Gaia said.
Heinrich shrugged apologetically as Stornbeck pushed herself to the mirror.
“Oh stars, I look like a mutilation!” she cried out. “I love it!”
“I do not understand how you could be happy with that,” Gaia said. She sounded puzzled.
“If it has this effect on you, what do you think it will do to them?” Stornbeck asked.
They grabbed their gear and set off. Grenade belts that carried six grenades and two spare magazines were their only clothes. As they left the armory, they charged their weapons, flipped the safeties to fire, and paused.
“Which way, Gaia?” Stornbeck asked.
“The nearest male is two decks down. There are two female combatants between you and him. Another woman is in the room with him.”
Heinrich was confused. “You didn’t negate the drug in them?”
