Persephone Station

by Stina Leicht

  “I don’t like this,” Angel said.

  The ship jolted from an impact. Then another. A Shrike-size shadow passed overhead.

  The smell of smoke wasn’t dissipating.

  “Lou, we can’t stay in here forever,” Angel said. “They’re on to us. They’ll only meet us on the other side.”

  “That’s what I’m counting on,” Lou said.

  Enid asked, “Wait. What?”

  Lou said, “Slowing down.”

  “And that’s going to help, how?” Angel asked.

  “I’ve a plan, Captain,” Lou said. “Trust me.”

  From below, Enid said, “Are you done jerking the ship around? I’d like to put out the fire now. With the fire extinguisher. Not vomit.”

  “We’re taking a breather,” Lou said. “Feel free to move about. Hey, Kurosawa. You got that drone ready, yet?”

  “Affirmative,” Kurosawa said.

  “Launch it the instant we land,” Lou said. “It needs to register as continuous movement. That’s key.”

  “We’re landing?” Enid asked.

  The ship slowed. The fissure opened wider, and Angel finally felt she could breathe. Kurosawa righted and then set down on the crevasse floor. A hatch opened and a drone shot out.

  “Hope you like my present, assholes,” Lou said.

  “Has anyone told you your vocabulary takes a turn for the worse in combat situations?” Enid asked.

  “And you get chatty,” Lou said. “So what?”

  Angel asked, “How long are we staying here?”

  “Not long,” Lou said. “Enid, how’s it look?”

  “Fire is out,” Enid said. “That’s all I can tell you from here.”

  “Hey, Kurosawa,” Lou said. “You got a damage report for me?”

  Kurosawa rattled off a long list of broken circuits, fried systems, and hull breaches. For the most part, they were minor, but they wouldn’t be taking any trips into space any time soon.

  The roar of the engines went up in pitch, and the ship executed a careful flip. “Okay, everyone,” Lou said. “I wish we could see their faces, but some things just aren’t worth the trouble. Back we go the way we came.”

  When they reached the end of the chasm Angel could’ve sworn she heard an explosion in the distance.

  Lou cackled.

  “Kurosawa, have you heard anything from Sukyi and the others?” Angel asked.

  “According to the latest report, a second group of mercenaries is headed for the wind turbines,” Kurosawa said.

  “I knew they’d try that,” Angel said. “How are things looking?”

  Kurosawa said, “Not so good, I’m afraid.”

  26

  TIME: 09:00

  DAY: SUNDAY

  OGENTH

  “Sukyi?” Angel asked. “Damn it! Report in!”

  “Enid?” Lou asked over Kurosawa’s com system. “You ready?”

  “Yes,” Enid said. “Try not to let them start another fire.”

  “Doing the best I can,” Lou said. The clicks and snaps of switches and toggles could be heard in the background. “Can I help it no one else is cooperating?”

  The roar of the engines acquired a louder, more urgent timbre.

  “Time to get as fucking far away as we can. We can’t count on Shrike being incapacitated,” Lou said. “Kurosawa, have you finished checking my calculations?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Everybody hold on to your asses,” Lou said.

  A fresh burst of power pressed Angel deep into her seat. The forest vanished into a blur of green and brown. The ship banked into a turn above the tree line. Her inner ears struggled to keep up with the rapid changes in orientation and pressure. She felt a bit dizzy. The trees bent with the force of their passing like tall grass in a high wind.

  “How long is it going to take to get there?” Angel asked. “Sukyi still isn’t answering. And the drones are down.”

  “Seventeen minutes, boss,” Lou said. “Can’t drop you close. There’s nowhere to land. Even if there was, wind sucks, remember? I’ll get you as close as I can.”

  “That’ll do,” Angel said.

  An icy fog snagged on the jagged edges of the highest mountain tops and spread out across the sky like an abandoned wedding veil floating in the wind.

  Angel tried not to imagine what could be causing the communication blackout. She wished she’d been able to send Enid with Sukyi, Paulie, and Beak. Two combat veterans and a couple of pacifists would’ve made for better odds than one combat veteran and two pacifists. However, Angel had needed Enid to help slow the main force. Based upon the remoteness of the wind turbines, she’d hoped that the invaders wouldn’t make them a high-priority target.

  Apparently, she’d gambled wrong.

  Angel spied the path leading to Sukyi, Paulie, and Beak’s defensive position. Using the cameras on Kurosawa’s underbelly, Angel spied evidence of the enemy’s passing. The violence done to the undergrowth was substantial. The snow made it even more obvious.

  The knot in her gut tightened another notch. “Kurosawa, how many mechs and drones does Shrike have?”

  “Their ship is spec’d for as many as ten mech units,” Kurosawa said. “There is no information available regarding limitations on drone storage. I would assume as many as could fit in the hold.”

  “And how many would that be?” Lou asked.

  Kurosawa answered, “At least a hundred.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Angel muttered. Her heart sank.

  Kurosawa said, “But there would be no room for humans. And we know they have human troops onboard.”

  “Jess said that there were only six mechs and twenty drones on the corporate manifest Rosie acquired,” Angel said.

  “Maybe there’s still only six,” Lou said.

  “We can hope,” Angel said. What if the report is wrong?

  Don’t do that. Don’t doubt Rosie. Not now.

  “It is unlikely that Shrike is full to capacity,” Kurosawa said. “This operation did not benefit from long preparation. In any case, if they had brought such a force, they would have, no doubt, employed it already. Given that they have not—”

  “That’s a relief,” Lou said.

  I still don’t like what I’m seeing down there, Angel thought. “Assume the LZ is hot,” Angel said. “Enid, get to cover as soon as possible. Don’t wait on me. I’ll follow. Lou, don’t stick around. Get back to the main push and give support. Since we can’t be where we’re supposed to be, I’m sending you ahead. The Emissaries will need you. I’ll call with coordinates when we’re ready for pickup.”

  “You got it, Captain,” Lou said.

  Kurosawa touched down about a mile from Sukyi’s position. The thickest part of the woods as well as the steepest incline were to the west. The rest of the area was carpeted with tall grass that reacted to the chaotic wind shifts like a small sea in a storm. Based upon the silence from the cockpit, the landing was consuming most of Lou’s attention. Wind gusts violently rocked the ship—once nearly tossing it into a stand of trees.

  Angel unbuckled herself from the gunner’s chair, grabbed her gear, and slipped down the ladder—hands and feet on the sides of the rails. The soles of her heavy boots made a loud thump as they smacked the deck. She bent her knees upon impact to prevent jarring her joints. The ship made another rapid course correction. She staggered. Before Lou’s struggles with the wind could knock her down, Angel tapped her heels together. Boot magnets would slow her down, but she couldn’t risk getting hurt before she even left the ship.

  She got to the ramp just as Kurosawa settled. Enid bolted down the incline as fast as her bandaged leg would carry her, pulse rifle at the ready. In an instant, she was out of sight.

  Angel toggled the safety on her gun and deactivated her boots.

  “Good luck, Captain,” Kurosawa said.

  “Take good care of Lou for me,” Angel said. “Will you?”

  “I will.”

  Nodding once, Ang
el rushed after Enid. Kurosawa retracted the ramp the instant Angel’s feet flattened grass.

  The air outside the ship was cooler and more humid. She caught the sharp green scent of vegetation layered with the dusty spice of moldering leaves. The thin grass was waist-high, and the edges of the leaves were sharp enough to cut. She discovered this when she stooped in an attempt to make the most of the available cover. Grass blades sliced her cheeks and nose. She was glad she didn’t have to run through the grass for long.

  Enid waited, kneeling and keeping her weight on her good leg at the northwestern edge of the clearing with her gun at the ready. Angel got down beside her. Her cheeks were stinging as if she had a mild sunburn. She held up a hand, giving Enid a signal that they would rest there for a moment.

  Angel made one last attempt at contact. “Sukyi, are you there? Give me an answer, will you?”

  No reply came.

  “Probably an equipment malfunction,” Enid said in a low voice as they continued through the woods.

  “I hope you’re right,” Angel said.

  “Sukyi is a clever woman,” Enid said. “And a known menace across two systems. Paulie and Beak had enough of her and deactivated her mic.”

  Angel’s stomach knotted. Enid wasn’t one to offer reassurances. It was out of character. It meant Enid was worried, too.

  Angel opened her direct com with Kurosawa Can you give me the enemy’s location now?

  Scanning, Kurosawa sent. There is a mercenary unit north of you. They have engaged Sukyi’s position. Sukyi and the others have fallen back. They may have been overwhelmed.

  Are there any others in this area? Angel asked.

  The remaining enemy forces appear to be concentrated near the main path to Ogenth. There is a blip on the other side of the mountain range. However, I can’t get a fix on it. It could be important. Or it could be nothing.

  Keep me posted if that changes, Angel said.

  Yes, Captain.

  Angel and Enid traveled as fast as they dared through the undergrowth. This close to Ogenth, the poisonous animals were brightly colored and avoided human contact. Still, Angel wasn’t comfortable. Even though Kirby had reassured her otherwise, she couldn’t help thinking she hadn’t spent enough time studying local wildlife.

  Ever since she’d read about Leona Three, she’d made it a habit to know the environment in which her unit would be fighting. The doomed marine unit had been dropped for a recon mission behind enemy lines and had died—not because they’d been discovered by the enemy, but because the unit never reached its first way point. The culprit was the local insect life—specifically a species of Mercer’s tick. The entire unit had been bled dry before the abort team had arrived for extraction.

  Never overlook the locals—no matter how insignificant they may seem.

  Since planet access was restricted, there were no detailed military studies of Persephone’s flora and fauna. While she’d helped build Ogenth’s fortifications, the planet had sprung various surprises upon her. One of them was when she’d helped shift a pile of logs. Arachnids didn’t normally bother her. However, these were a sickening translucent beige with black stripes. Their bodies were the size of a fist, and their long legs easily stretched the length of a handspan and a half. Startled, she’d only just kept herself from screaming. Paulie had glanced over, told her to leave the creatures alone, and gone about her business. Angel looked them up later and discovered they weren’t deadly. However, their venom was necrotic. So, she’d added them to her caution list.

  She couldn’t shake the constant feeling that something awful lurked beneath every leaf, log, or unseen crevice.

  The harmless insect bites collected over the past week’s labors itched. Her face stung. Something in the air irritated her sinuses, making breathing through her nose difficult. She sniffed. Everything around her was coated in a thin layer of winter slush. Damp earth and dead leaves had begun to accumulate in her boot treads—not enough to make her already heavy boots heavier, but enough to mute the sounds of her passing.

  The forest itself was quiet with the exception of the little animal noises that spoke of a thriving ecosystem. In the far distance, however, Angel detected signs of the fight: the racing of ships’ engines, explosions, and gunfire. There wasn’t evidence of closer combat. That bothered her.

  Have we arrived too late? Are we in the wrong place?

  An animal roar echoed through the forest. It was deep—too deep for a big cat.

  “What the fuck was that?” Enid muttered.

  Angel frowned.

  Another snarling growl filtered through the trees. Distant gunfire punctured the air.

  “Didn’t Beak say the bears were hibernating on the other side of the mountain this time of year?” Angel asked.

  “Well, we know at least one of them doesn’t believe in relocation and also doesn’t sleep very well,” Enid said.

  “You think it’s the same one?”

  “Only Beak would know.”

  Angel pushed herself to move faster, but since she couldn’t be sure of the enemy’s placement—Kurosawa hadn’t sent her any updates as of yet—she kept her pace controlled. Thin tree branches slapped her already stinging face.

  The sounds of the battle reached them long before they arrived at the scene. Gunfire, snarling animals, howls, and screams of terror and pain echoed off the mountain.

  “Shit,” Angel said. “Come on.”

  Abandoning stealth, she and Enid ran the remaining distance. The main path they’d been skirting widened. They finally encountered the fight from the southeast. Angel saw no immediate evidence of Sukyi, Paulie, and Beak, but that would’ve been difficult given the chaos.

  Three bears were attacking the mercenaries. Massive creatures and mechs took up most of the available space on the path. Several dead mercs lay on the ground. Very little of what was easily identified as human remained. Gore soaked into the already damp dirt, and half-chewed body parts were strewn across the south end of the path. The survivors were concentrating fire on the largest of the animals. Two mechs seemed to be intent on the trees left of the trail. Blood had seeped into the dirt forming reddish sticky mud. There were only three non-mech mercenaries left. They had their backs to Angel and Enid, and were focusing on the bears. One was kneeling in an attempt to get a better shot.

  Angel had a strong urge to let the animals sort it out.

  Enid brought up her rifle. “Your orders?” she asked over her suit com.

  “Take them out. Don’t shoot the bears,” Angel said.

  Enid lined up her first shot. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

  “Thought you liked a challenge,” Angel said. She kept her eyes on the woods, confident that her CA would alert her should anyone else show up to the party.

  A strong mixture of astringent scents joined that of fresh gore and gun discharges. The odor was powerful enough for Angel to catch even with a stuffy nose.

  “Beak, Paulie, and Sukyi are here. Keep an eye out.”

  “Where?” Enid asked.

  Angel’s CA began to piece together a coherent picture. “To the south.”

  Her suit coms were programmed to connect to other members of her unit automatically if they were within signal range. She tried again, hoping she hadn’t been close enough before. “Sukyi must have locked her com. Shit. Someone is heading up from behind us. Let’s do this.”

  “Shoot while keeping one eye on our asses. Got it.” Enid paused. “Mercs are assholes.”

  Angel said, “We’re mercs.”

  “And?” Enid squeezed the trigger.

  One of the three non-mech-suited mercenaries dropped.

  “One,” Enid muttered, rotating to change targets.

  The others didn’t appear to have noticed. Confusion and noise did make details difficult to absorb, Angel knew.

  “Two,” Enid said.

  The bears now seemed focused on the mechs. Angel left them to it. Lining up her own shot, Angel aimed at the back of the
kneeling merc’s helmet. She changed her mind and took the easier target—the back. “That’s three.”

  The largest of the bears reared up on its hind legs. The first mech was a practical green-grey. The bear dropped to all fours with another growl, swiping at the mech. It was effortlessly knocked into the air and hit a tree four feet from the ground. When it bounced back onto the path, it almost hit the second mech. The green-grey mech rolled until it finally settled on its back. There were now several large scrapes and dents in its titanium plate.

  “I’m not sure we should get involved,” Angel said. “Beak isn’t here to sort out any misunderstandings.”

  Enid nodded.

  One of the other bears leapt upon the momentarily helpless mech. Its pilot attempted to target its guns on the creature. The animal let loose a huge bellow of pain. Before the pilot could manage another hit, the second beast ripped into the breastplate. The screech of protesting metal joined the chaos. The screaming pilot writhed for freedom. Then the creatures lowered their jaws.

  Angel flinched and looked away.

  The black mech was now alone. Twisting designs had been stenciled in white on its titanium plate, reminding her of tattoos. Dented and scratched with one of its guns broken, it nonetheless appeared to be faring better against its opponent. The bear in question was heavily wounded—not that its injuries slowed it down. Blood coated the animal’s scales from shoulder to elbow. Gore glistened on its face and legs. One of its paws hung limply at its side. The largest bear moved next to it and laid its tail on the first one’s side.

  The third bear had fallen—Angel hadn’t noticed when. It now lay in the bloody mud, breathing in short, pain-filled gulps.

  “Captain,” Enid said, pointing to the south.

  Beak sprinted up the path. She, too, was covered in crimson. Her face was knotted into an expression of wild rage. Her mouth stretched wide in a soundless war cry. The air reeked of fresh blood, rot, and ozone.

  Several things happened at once. The tattooed mech staggered backward a couple of steps and brought up its gun. The larger bear swung a huge claw. The mech’s lone working gun went off before it was ripped from its arm mount. Ammunition sprayed in a hot arch. Angel and Enid hit the ground. By the time Angel looked up, she saw Beak scramble up the tattooed mech’s back. Then Beak slapped a small circular device on the mech’s helmet. An indicator light in the center glowed red then green. Smoke began to form at the point of contact.