Renegade Alliance

by J. N. Chaney

  “An encrypted transmission from the Union was sent directly to Vice Admiral Vick,” Sigmond informed. His gold auraed form stood to my right, watching me with calm eyes.

  I grunted. “Great. So, we have to wait to find out what it said.”

  “Not at all, sir. Mr. Malloy supplied me with a key some time ago. I have not had need of it until this moment. Would you like me to play the message?”

  “Did he now? Sneaky, Al. I like it. Go ahead and play it, Siggy.”

  The Cognitive flicked his wrist and an audio only file began. The voice of a Union soldier came on, his tone brisk from training, despite what he had to say. “This is Sergeant Michaels. The enemy has breached our orbital defenses. We were able to use the pulse cannons for the first wave, but it’s like they were expecting them.”

  The voice paused, interrupted by the klaxon screams of alarms in the background.

  Michaels continued, never losing his composure. “The Celestials have landed planet side. Deploying lethal force. Priscilla requests assistance from… anyone. End transmission.”

  “That didn’t sound good.”

  I spun around to find Abigail and Octavia behind me. “You two are supposed to be on the Dawn,” I said.

  Abigail shrugged. “Octavia made an excellent point. The facility is subterranean, at least the important areas. The Celestials would know that. We had a feeling they wouldn’t be content with an open space battle and sending a few drop ships. I knew we’d probably wind up on the ground.”

  “Oh, I see,” I said, crossing my arms. “And you just figured on coming along?”

  Her chin jutted up, obviously waiting for my usual crack about me being the captain. “That’s right, Jace.”

  “Alright, then. I ain’t about to turn down having you to back me up. Octavia either. Freddie, vacate that copilot’s chair,” I said over my shoulder. “Guess we’re going to Priscilla after all.”

  “Yes sir, Captain Hughes!” He only fumbled with the harness a little, then took one of the crew seats nearest to Petra while Octavia took her usual place.

  “The Celestials did know about the pule technology,” Octavia pointed out. “They would have figured it out from the one who escaped, and again from the Sarkonian ships in White Cross.”

  “Right,” I muttered. “Siggy, what’s our ETA?”

  “Just under one standard hour, Ms. Brie.”

  “That isn’t very long,” said Petra.

  “No, it isn’t. But we knew this was a possibility. And, we already know what to expect. Those poor Union bastards didn’t. As soon as we get through orbit we’ll move to the cargo bay. Make sure your gear is ready,” I warned. “’Cause this ain’t gonna be a walk on the beach.”

  For the second time in too short a span for my liking, Tartarus and the Alliance fleet came into a system to find a war raging.

  The carnage in upper orbit didn’t quite compare to what we’d left behind in White Cross, but that didn’t make it any less hard to see the wreckage of Union ships. They might not have been part of our current armada, but our newfound agreement made them ours, just the same.

  “Incoming transmission from Mr. Malloy,” Sigmond announced.

  “Put him through.”

  The Constable’s image appeared on the holo. As always, Alphonse looked cool and unruffled.

  “Captain, I’m picking up a number of distress signals.”

  “They left survivors?” I asked, a little taken aback.

  “Yes, sir,” he confirmed. His eyes were calculating and I could tell we were both trying to figure out what that meant.

  “That goes against their code, doesn’t it?” murmured Freddie.

  I’d been thinking the same. “Might be some kind of trick,” I mused.

  It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if the Celestials had a larger plan that involved distracting us. I wasn’t sure that made sense here though. The chaotic results didn’t strike me as planned or measured, but I couldn’t say what that meant yet.

  Alphonse shook his head. “That was the initial thought here as well. Scans are picking up definite signs of life. Ready to deploy rescue drones on your command.”

  “Do it,” I ordered. “Someone get me a scan of the surface.”

  “Got it.” Abigail brought up the battle being waged on the ground.

  Footage from the security feeds painted a gruesome picture. Soldiers in Union blue fell at the hand cannons of multiple mobile armor suits, all identical to the ones we had aboard Tartarus. The sight didn’t exactly warm my heart. Sigmond might be able to do some serious damage with one, but no way we could take out a dozen.

  “We’re not going to do much good up here, Jace,” said Abigail.

  “No. That’s why we’re going to have Junior drop us off. Sigmond’s suit is in the cargo bay. The rest of us will help the Union soldiers. Got it?”

  As soon as the Star made it through lower orbit, Petra was the first to stand. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  I grinned, noting the set of her jaw and clenched fist. Petra was ready to go to war. “Not a damn thing. Let’s gear up.”

  Five minutes later, my crew and I stood at the ready, waiting for Junior’s go ahead. I’d grabbed an extra personal shield, tired of being caught without. Sigmond already occupied his armor and stood in the middle of the hold. The ceiling was at its tallest there, and it was the only place he could stand at full height.

  I had a feed playing in my visor so I could watch our approach. My last foray to this sector had been for a tritium core to keep Titan going. We were undercover and still hadn’t found Earth at the time. Of course, no one asked for identification as we shot over the dark blue sea and bypassed the landing pad.

  The Star sailed overhead, its external cams picking up images from the fight. The Celestials were still hammering away at the facility, trying to gain entry, but they had run into resistance. Priscilla’s defense measures were in full swing, focused on keeping the enemy back. Since none of them aimed at us, I assumed they knew we were on their side. Heavy artillery rained down on the mobile armor, dealing damage that should have given them pause, but they continued their onslaught. While I watched, the first one made it into the facility.

  “Godsdammit, Junior, put us down now!” I shouted.

  The AI did so in a relatively empty spot, and the ramp opened to grant us egress. I and every one of my crew hit the ground running with weapons firing. We split into two groups: Abigail, Octavia, and me in one, Freddie and Petra in another.

  Our smaller munitions didn’t have a chance in hell of taking down the armored suits, but lucky for us, we had Sigmond. He met the opposition head on, angling for a trio of pinned down Union soldiers. They’d taken refuge behind a guard shack that was new since my last visit. Their rifles weren’t doing much damage against the Celestials’ more advanced armor, but they weren’t standing down. You had to admire the tenacity and I found myself glad that we were now on the same side.

  With Sigmond providing much needed cover, we made it to the shack without getting hit and saw plenty of fallen men and women on our way. The Celestials were doing what they did best.

  “Thank gods,” one of them, a younger man with sandy brown hair and a serious expression, said. “We didn’t think anyone would get here in time.”

  His voice didn’t waver at all. For some reason I hadn’t expected the calm. Everyone, even soldiers, got scared at times. These people hadn’t seen all that we had. For them, the Celestials were a new frightening reality, but they seemed to be handling it with the calm of hardened soldiers.

  “Don’t get comfortable,” I warned.

  “Wasn’t planning on it,” the only woman of the group replied, her tone sharp. According to her uniform, her name was Stein.

  “More help is on the way,” said Abigail. “But they can’t do anything with people on the ground. You all need to fall back while we try and get to survivors.”

  “No way,” said the third soldier. His uniform was torn at the shou
lder and he wore a fierce expression. “I recognize that ship. You’re the Renegade. Jace Hughes. Command might be fooled, but I’m not.”

  The man’s grip on his rifle tightened. Abigail saw it too and hefted her own weapon. I lowered mine and tapped my visor, clearing it so he could see my face. “Regardless of what you think, I’m here to help,” I snapped. “And we don’t have time to argue. Our people are out there dying right now because of the threat.”

  Stein laid a hand on his arm and glared. “Don’t be a dipshit, Butler. We all saw the orders. Captain Hughes is with us now.”

  Butler continued to glare, but finally nodded curtly. “Fine. Where are we supposed to go?”

  I gave them the coordinates and they started to leave. Stein hesitated and looked at Octavia, her eyes falling on the red cross signifying her medic status. “I have some field training. If you want the extra hands, I can help.”

  Octavia looked in my direction, her face still hidden behind a darkened helmet. I was about to say no when something occurred to me. “It’s a good idea,” I said. “If there are any doubts, she might tip the scales and make things easier.

  “Jace,” said Abigail on the private comm. “She doesn’t have good enough protection.”

  I pulled the extra shield I carried from my kit and slapped it on Stein’s shoulder, activating it for her. “There, she’s good. Or as good as she can be. No more talking, we have to move.”

  “Thanks,” said Stein, inclining her head.

  A check around the corner of the guard station revealed that Sigmond had his hands full. Three of the other mobile suits had him surrounded.

  “Junior! Get Siggy some backup, now!”

  “Right away, sir. Please make sure to stay clear. This will get messy,” the AI replied.

  The Star phased into view above the melee and opened up on Sigmond’s attackers. While they were distracted, I led my team toward another group of Union soldiers. They were huddled behind a copse of trees and low lying bushes, but the foliage made for poor cover.

  “Jace, I’ve got two more injured on our left,” Abigail said over the comm.

  I followed the direction she indicated and saw she was right. “Octavia,” I snapped. “You and Stein assist the wounded. Abby and I will get this group.”

  “Copy that.”

  The two women peeled off, leaving us to move forward. As we did, I noticed that three more of the enemy mobile armor suits were wreaking havoc. One in particular stood out. It moved faster than the others, its hand cannon firing one deadly round after another.

  It seemed to be in a frenzy, shooting anything that moved. Then it turned and caught sight of me. I didn’t think much of it until it paused. The thing might have looked identical to the others, but there was something familiar about it. The armor looked newer in places, which was odd.

  The suit looked from me to the group Abigail and I were trying to reach. It leveled its smoking weapon at me, then slowly changed direction until it was aiming at the soldiers.

  I realized the intent as a beam erupted. “No!”

  The soldiers didn’t even have a chance to scream before the beam tore through their flimsy wooden shield and decimated them.

  “Jace!” Beside me, Abigail tensed, looking for some place to go, but there was nowhere.

  “Run, Abby. Get back to the Star. I’ll distract him.”

  The suit turned its blank gaze on us, and I lifted my rifle, switching on the new hard light features Dr. Dressler had outfitted us with. I wasn’t fool enough to think I could win, but if she got out, that would be enough.

  She hefted her rifle and flipped the setting as I had. “You know better, Renegade.”

  The Celestial raised its arm again as another settled behind it. The first one paused, as though studying us. I had the feeling that if the thing had a face, I would have seen a smile.

  Damn, I thought. Not how I pictured today going.

  At that moment, the second suit grabbed the first from behind and flipped it over its shoulder in one swift move.

  “Siggy, you son of a bitch,” I said, flooded with relief.

  “Not Sigmond, Captain Hughes. I believe he is still otherwise engaged,” said a familiar voice.

  It was Athena.

  18

  “How—”

  An explosion from inside the facility rocked the ground, nearly sending me to my knees.

  As a single entity, the remaining battling Celestials phased out of view. Including the one who had been about to obliterate me and Abigail.

  Just like that, the carnage ended, leaving the Alliance in a state of confusion. Smoke billowed out of the shattered entryway, belching black into the sky.

  “What the hell just happened?” Abigail demanded.

  “All Celestial ships are retreating,” Carl announced, using the open comm.

  “Everyone get back to the Star,” I ordered. “You too, Athena. We’re not going to just let them get away. Send medics and a cleanup crew to deal with the mess on the ground.”

  “With pleasure, Captain,” she replied.

  I wanted to stop and talk, figure out how the hell the Cognitive had come back, but the enemy was retreating. Freddie and Petra were already making their way back to where Junior had set the ship down. Octavia appeared to have left the capable Stein to help those still on the ground, pitiful few as there might be.

  Back on the bridge, I strapped in and had Junior get us back into open space. In the co-captain’s chair, Abigail hadn’t spoken yet, focused on her controls. It only took a few minutes, but by the time we got away from Priscilla, there weren’t any Celestials in sight save for the few that had been destroyed.

  “Damn it,” I muttered.

  “Sir, Vice Admiral Vick requests to speak with you,” Sigmond informed.

  I waved my hand. “Connect him.”

  His face appeared on the holo with what one might term a smile. “Seems we beat them back, Hughes. Didn’t even have time to utilize the Galactic Dawn’s new phasing tech before they turned tail.”

  A cheer went up behind him, but I didn’t think it was the time for that. Not quite, anyhow.

  “Vick, check with your people. I want to know if the Celestials took anything.”

  His tone hardened. “Captain, you know I can’t disclose anything like that.”

  “I don’t need to know what, just if they did,” I said.

  The Vice Admiral hesitated, his eyes on me for a long second. “Stand by,” he finally said.

  It only took a few moments before he was back with an answer. “There’s too much damage to be certain, but based on the footage and reports so far, we’re assuming the best. Why are you asking, Hughes?”

  In the past, Vick might have asked the question with a hint of derision. Now he’d replaced that with genuine curiosity, as though the man might have learned to trust me, or at least my instinct.

  “Not sure yet,” I admitted. “Is there any indication from your side on where they might have gone?”

  He looked down, presumably at his data pad, and frowned. “None.”

  It wasn’t the news I wanted to hear, but there was nothing to be done about it. I disconnected with Vick and opened a line with Alphonse.

  “Hello, Captain. I hear Athena’s back.” The Constable was calm, as usual, but there was a subtle hint of excitement in his tone that I suspected only a few people would have caught.

  “I am, Mr. Malloy. It is good to see you again.” Her human-like form—no longer blue, to my surprise—materialized on the bridge, along with Sigmond’s gold one.

  “Yeah, it’s great—really—but we have to find out where the Celestials are,” I reminded them. “Any thoughts on that front?”

  “How about the drone factories?” asked Freddie.

  Alphonse nodded. “Possible, but I’m not so sure. The Aldera system could be viewed as our own White Cross. The whole system is rich in prodium. If they attack the mines, they’ll halt production of Neutronium. It wouldn’t be the wor
st strategy, all things considered.”

  “Anyone have anything else to add?” I asked.

  “Mr. Malloy is right,” said Freddie. “The Celestials are going to attack what they see as their biggest threat. White Cross was vital to the Empire. Priscilla holds close to the same importance for the Union. The experimental weapons research there could have been used against them, right? The Aldera system is a logical next choice.”

  Petra and Octavia nodded their agreement.

  “Abby? You’re pretty quiet,” I said.

  She looked distracted. “Hmm? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about how the Celestials controlling the mobile armor disappeared. It happened as soon as the explosion went off. Almost like they were waiting for it.”

  I’d noticed that too. “Could be, but unless someone has an idea as to why, then we need to focus on what to do next.”

  “Good point. I’d say the Aldera system makes the most sense too. All we can do is head that way and keep an ear out for reports of more attacks.”

  “Okay then,” I said. “Siggy, get us back inside Tartarus and let them know what we’re doing. I want to catch these bastards before they have a chance to attack again.”

  The trip to the Aldera system would take just over a standard day. Abigail and I caught up with Dressler in the lab, accompanied by Sigmond and Athena. The latter looked perfectly normal, something I was pleased to see.

  We hadn’t talked much, and I wasn’t sure what to say to the Cognitive. After all we had been through to get her back, I almost couldn’t believe that she was standing here with us. Something inside me relaxed, like a muscle I hadn’t realized I was flexing since watching Titan crash into Tartarus’ hull.

  So much disappointment from trying to retrieve her capsule, then finally doing so and finding her personality matrix damaged. There’d been a black cloud staining my conscious at the thought of Dressler not being able to fix the AI. Now she was back, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Well, that might not be entirely true, but she’d saved our asses, that was for sure.