by Terry Mixon
“Did your friends pick up your package?” Peters asked.
Talbot nodded. “Without a hitch.”
“So, what’s your plan now?”
“I’d rather talk about your plans,” Talbot countered. “We’ve got facilities board Persephone to mitigate all the damage that’s been done to you. Do you want to be mobile again? Do you want to be able to use your Marine Raider augmentation at full power again?”
Peters considered Talbot for a few moments and then shrugged. “I’m not certain that my preferences really matter. Like I said, I’m not exactly in control of my own fate. I’m a figurehead.
“They tolerate me giving orders about some things, but then they go ahead and do what they want most of the time. The leadership council makes the decisions, and I’m sure that they won’t allow me to leave, no matter what I say.”
“But do you want to?” Talbot asked softly. “It just so happens that we’re experts at breaking people out of places and getting around recalcitrant guards. If you want to leave, all you have to do is say the word.”
The man sagged a little. “I don’t want to see these people harmed, but I’ll admit that I’m tired of being stuck here. The drugs you gave me will only last a decade or so. I don’t know if I can go back to life with that kind of pain.”
“It sounds as if you’ve already made up your mind, but you just haven’t convinced yourself of that yet. You want to leave.”
“I suppose I do. The question is, how are you to make that happen?”
Talbot rose to his feet and stepped over to the couch. Making sure that the suddenly hyperalert guards couldn’t see his right side, he extracted the stunner he’d pocketed there and dropped it next to the crippled man’s remaining hand. Peters promptly made it vanish under the blanket.
The guards really should’ve been a little less trusting of someone who came alone and volunteered to give up his weapons. Talbot stepped back without undue haste, creating enough space that the guards stopped advancing.
“You let us worry about the exit strategy,” Talbot said. “I promise that we won’t use any more force than necessary. If we can manage to get out with just stunners, that’s what we’ll do.
“But one way or the other, we’ll get you out alive. If they want to use deadly force to stop you from leaving, then you’re going to have to accept that we might have to use deadly force in response.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Peters said with a sigh. “For all their flaws, these are decent people doing decent work.”
“Speaking of decent work, we need to make sure that the fusion plant they took, as well as the shielding that would keep it from being detectable from orbit, is sent back to Frankfort. The people there would make excellent allies for your people.
“Terra is our past, but it’s their future. You should let them build it back up together. To start the process, they’ll have to return what was taken and get it set up so that it’s operational. Can you convince them to do that?”
Peters shrugged slightly. “Possibly. I don’t think it’s actually being used. They’re somewhat like packrats. They’ll make a stink about it, but if I push things, they’ll probably do it, especially if I make the point that these others would make decent allies. We don’t have many of those since they insist on being hidden. I should probably start the process now.
“In any case, you’ve still got to check over the pinnaces to make sure that they’re operational. It’s been a long time since they’ve been up in the air, much less space. And if I were you, I wouldn’t dawdle.”
“I’ll focus on that while you work your end,” Talbot said. “We won’t make any irrevocable decisions until we hear that you got your end in motion. The palace systems will allow you to connect with us via your implants. Let us know if something comes up and be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”
With that, Talbot made his way out and reclaimed his weapons. He sure hoped that Carl and the rest would be able to get the pinnaces operational. If they didn’t get at least one working, they were stuck on Terra. All of their sacrifices would’ve been for nothing.
Carl looked over the parts on his makeshift worktable and selected a few components that he knew he was going to need before even opening the FTL com. The device was extremely simple, as far as that sort of thing went, but it definitely needed the right parts to work correctly.
Thankfully, the bins here at the Imperial Palace were well shielded and had everything he could possibly need. He wished he could take it all with him because the stash would’ve proved damned useful.
Sadly, that wasn’t to be.
Working slowly and carefully, he completely disassembled the FTL com, tested every component, and replaced any that failed or were questionable. It took almost an hour to get everything put back together again, but it passed its self-check when he connected it to a power supply and some jury-rigged speakers.
With more than a hint of trepidation, he initiated an audio call request to Persephone. Long seconds passed, and then a voice channel opened.
Since they were in the same system, it could be used at full speed rather than the Morse code setting that they’d had to use for longer-range communication. He could even have video if he’d bothered to attach the necessary peripherals, but he hadn’t bothered. For this, voice was sufficient.
He cleared his throat. “Persephone, this is Carl Owlet calling. Are you receiving?”
“Carl, it’s good to hear your voice,” Fiona said a moment later. “We were all very worried about you after the AI destroyed your pinnaces. I’m assuming the fact you’re speaking with me now means that you were not anywhere close to the target zone. Is everyone okay?”
It still amazed him how a computer could show such palpable emotion. Not a facsimile of feelings but actual emotions. The concern in Fiona’s voice wasn’t fake. The Old Empire scientists who’d created the AIs had made electronic life.
Well, and created the doom of humanity, of course.
He sighed. “We weren’t there, but things haven’t gone well. We were ambushed by armed locals, and only about a dozen of us are left. Admiral Mertz, Princess Kelsey, her doppelgänger, and most of the senior staff are still alive, but we’ve lost everyone else. I need to talk to Angela.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” the AI said with genuine sorrow. “I’m transferring your call now. We’ve also had some interesting experiences, and I’m sure that she will want to tell you what we’ve learned.”
A few moments later, Major Angela Ellis, commander of Persephone and his wife, came onto the line.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her voice anxious. “Is everyone else okay?”
“I’m okay. There was an EMP that took out not only our equipment but our implants. It rendered us unconscious and left us at the mercy of people that wanted to kill us. Thankfully, Julia escaped and was able to help the survivors get away. Only the senior people are left.”
“Oh, God,” Angela asked, her voice a mixture of anguish and confusion. “Who’s Julia?”
“Sorry. Julia is Kelsey’s doppelgänger. Kelsey decided that it was too confusing having names like Kelsey One and Kelsey Two, so she made the other one rename herself Julia. If I understand correctly, that’s the name of one of their cousins.”
“Huh. I suppose that makes perfect sense. Where are you?”
“We’re at the Imperial Palace, and we’ve recovered the override. We even have a line on a couple of Marine Raider pinnaces that may be flyable.
“If they’re not, I’m not sure what we’re going to do. That’s really the only shot we have of getting back into space. What’s the situation up there?”
“Let’s just say that when the AI discovered that you were still alive, things got very busy up here. A lot of the ships that were scattered throughout the system made their way to Terra orbit.
“They’re particularly tight around the orbital that we think the AI is on. If you had any ideas about sneaking onto it and at
tacking the AI, I suggest you forget that plan immediately.”
Carl had pretty much expected that, so it was a relief not to have to worry about taking a dozen people to attack an AI on its own station. Still, that left the problem of getting off the planet.
“What about the rest of the system?” he asked. “Have you been able to get into contact with Marcus?”
“As a matter of fact, we have. They’re having some difficulty getting to Terra from the direction they were forced to go, but they haven’t been discovered yet. They’ve also had some command drama in the admiral’s absence, but it seems like they have everything in order now.
“We’ve also found a far flip point that we can use to get out of the Terra system, but because of all the traffic in the system, we’ve done little more than make sure we can get through it. We’re being very careful not to be detected.”
“That’s excellent news,” Carl said with a smile. “Now all we have to do is get off Terra and slip through the net they’ve thrown around the planet.”
“When do you think you’ll have a status on your pinnaces?” his wife asked. “We can get Persephone into a decent position to pick you up and then slide back out of the area without being detected, but it really all depends on you.”
“We should have information on that shortly. I’ve got a decent repository of parts here that I can use to repair any damage to the pinnaces’ systems, but until I actually go through everything, I’m not going to know. Admiral Mertz is going to be in contact with you before we make the attempt, but I just wanted to hear your voice. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” she said softly. “I can’t tell you how worried I’ve been. I’m so sorry that we lost so many friends and shipmates, but I’m ecstatic that you’re still alive. Come home to me. I need to hold you in my arms and know that you’re safe.”
He smiled at the thought. “I’ll be up as soon as I can. I’ve got to go now, but somebody will contact you shortly. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now go kick some ass.”
He turned the FTL com off and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face. Now all he had to do was get a couple of ancient Marine Raider pinnaces functioning again so that they could slip past every computer-controlled warship in the damned system, board Persephone, and sneak out of the heavily occupied system.
What could possibly go wrong?
32
Once Talbot convinced Peters to order the group holding him to give the fusion plant back to Frankfort, it didn’t take long at all for them to summon Jared.
As he was escorted into the room, he noted that the group trended older. All of those arrayed against him wore stern expressions, as if they didn’t want to talk to him at all. Maybe they didn’t. Maybe they just wanted him and his people gone so that they could go back to their regular lives.
They were undoubtedly displeased that Jake Peters had given them the order. The major had indicated they were like pack rats, taking whatever they found and putting it securely away, just in case they might need it later.
Considering the world that they found themselves in, Jared couldn’t blame them. That still didn’t mean that he could let this slide. He’d made a deal with Leader Mordechai, and he intended to keep it.
Even knowing everything that he did, he was still amazed that they’d managed to disassemble and move the fusion plant at all. A task like that required skills and equipment that had to be in very short supply.
Yes, they had computers with full libraries at their beck and call, but some skills couldn’t be mastered without actually doing them. Had they failed with fusion plants in other cities in order to build those skills? That was a bit frightening.
The woman at the center of the table leaned forward and glared at Jared. She hadn’t bothered giving him her name, so that had to be a good clue about how this conversation was going to go.
“What you demand is unacceptable.”
Jared shrugged. If she wanted to get right to the point, he’d accommodate her.
“What either of us wants is irrelevant, isn’t it?” he asked in a tone that sounded more than a bit indifferent to his ear. “Didn’t your god give you an order? How can you defy him? He is your god, right?”
“Of course he’s our god,” a man down the table to the left snapped. “Keep your unbeliever mouth shut.”
The woman held up her hand and shot a disapproving look at the man who’d spoken. Then she returned her glare to Jared.
“The god does not direct our day-to-day operations. Everything we do is in service to him, but we make the final decisions.”
Jared nodded slowly. “So you’re frauds. You claim to serve your god, but you really serve yourselves. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Tell me, how do you think your followers will feel if that information gets out?
“And before you decide that you need to do something drastic to prevent that, my people are already discussing what your god has said to anyone that will listen. This news will not be suppressed. You can either choose to obey your god and lose one of the spare fusion plants you’ve scavenged, or you can be found out for what you truly are.”
He was taking a real risk by taking a hard line like this, but if he didn’t, he was pretty sure they’d either stonewall or attack his group.
“You have no business telling us what we should or should not do or manipulating our followers,” the woman said harshly. “You will gather your people and depart at once.”
“Not until you redeem your god’s word. Either you do that, or we’re going to be a thorn in your side. If you want us gone with a minimum of fuss, you’re going to have to give back that little bit of equipment that you took from Frankfort. Once you’ve done so, we’ll leave at once.”
His ultimatum led to an argument among the leadership council. Eventually, the woman made a gesture and ended the discussion.
“Very well. We will return it to the city from which it came. You may send some of your people to verify that it has arrived, been installed, and turned back on. Then, once the train returns here, you will leave. If you do not, you will be killed. Is that clear enough for you?”
“Yes,” Jared said as he turned on his heel. “I think our business is completed.”
With that, he walked out of the room without waiting for either their permission or acknowledgment. He’d made no friends, but he didn’t have time to be coy. They needed to finalize their planning to get out of the Imperial Palace. They’d be buried in guards within minutes unless he missed his guess.
Jared found everyone gathered in the Imperial Residence. He walked into the main room, past the two guards even as he heard more booted feet coming up the corridor. That would be the extra guards he’d expected.
“I’ve gotten the FTL com working,” Carl said as he closed the door. “Persephone is out there and ready to receive us. Angela has even managed to make contact with Marcus.
“The good news is that they’re still safe. They said Terra’s orbit is filled with enemy ships, and the orbital that the AI is on is now guarded even more closely than before. There’s absolutely no way that we’re going to be able to do anything to it.”
Jared nodded. He’d expected something like that.
“Then it looks as if our goal is to just get off this planet and escape from the Terra system without being captured or killed,” he said. “With the regular flip points so well guarded, that probably means we’re going to have to find an undiscovered multi-flip point or far flip point.”
“I should’ve mentioned that they found a far flip point,” Carl said. “They’ve already tested it and said that it will get us out of the system.”
“That’s great news,” Kelsey almost gushed. “We’ve got what we came for, and now we can finally get out of here.”
“We do have one problem,” Talbot said. “Jake Peters. We’re going to have to figure out how to get him out without all of these cultists freaking out.”
“I’m afraid tha
t the people running this place aren’t going to be cooperative,” Jared said with a grunt. “They’ve agreed to send the fusion plant and shielding back to Frankfort, as well as reassemble it, so we’ll have redeemed our word there. Honestly, it’s in their own best interest, and I hope that they’ll eventually see that.
“We need to send some of our number on the maglev train to make sure it really gets there and that they turn it on. Then we can go there ourselves and gather the cache. I understand that Persephone is well stocked, but we don’t know what we’re going to need in the future. That’s a lot of Marine Raider equipment that we just can’t afford to leave behind.
“Also, it’s good to make certain that people follow through on their deals. When we come back—and we will come back eventually—we’ll have established a baseline of cooperation with the people of Frankfort. They’ll remember that we kept our word and know that we’ll be good partners in reestablishing Terra.”
He turned his attention to Kelsey. “We’re going to have to figure out an extraction plan for Major Peters. We’re going to have to breach those doors and get him out.
“Carl, your team needs to go over the pinnaces and make sure that they’re ready to go. If we can’t get one of them working, then we’re not going to be able to get off this planet. I hate to put the pressure on you, but do whatever you have to do.”
“We’ll make it work,” Carl said with a nod.
“I’ll leave the details of the extraction to Talbot,” Kelsey said. “I’ll go with Carl and help them by preflighting the pinnaces. I’m the only one—other than yourself—that’s trained as a pilot, so I’ll need to make absolutely certain that one of them is functional by the time we’re ready to go.
“A lot of what happens next really depends on the timing. We’re going to have to put our best people where they need to be. Chloe can help Talbot. If they can’t come up with a decent extraction plan, I’ll eat one of the pinnaces.”
