by Kal Spriggs
Location: Danzig, City of Neuhaven, Neu Emshaven System
Brian took a deep breath as he paused outside the door to the bar. Like everything else in Neuhaven, indeed, on the entire planet of Danzig, the exterior was dour and drab and coated in a thin sheet of ice. Danzig lay at the outer edge of the inhabitable zone. Neuhaven lay near the equator of the planet, yet the icy city still spent most of the year shrouded in fog and snow. If things went to plan, Brian wouldn't be around long enough to see the brief local spring, much less the short summer and fall seasons.
Brian actually liked the harsh, cold planet. The people were hard-working and his last visit here had been pleasurable. Granted, that was two centuries previously, so he was certain some things had changed. Still, the rugged, icy mountains had been a good place to lay low at the time, and some part of Brian wanted to return there, to see if his old cabin still nestled up in the secluded valley, overlooking the frozen lake. Probably not, he thought, it's probably just as dead as Brunhild and Gunther.
For just a moment, he flashed back on their deaths. They hadn't died here, they'd died on Corso, in the Streak system. That hot and arid planet had nearly killed Brian too, but he had managed to survive. He remembered the impact as their ship smashed into the rocky sands of the planet, bouncing and rolling until it came to rest at the bottom of one of the impact craters that had once been a human colony. Brian didn't like hot worlds, his fast-burning metabolism made it hard for him to function in the heat.
If they had listened to me, he thought, they wouldn't have tried to run that blockade and they'd still be alive... all to rescue some damned colonists who died anyway.
For just a moment, the weight of his years and the deaths of everyone he had called friends weighed down on his shoulders. Brian didn't regret his own survival, but he regretted that he had no-one left with which to share in his memories. No one but my brother, he mused, not that I could share anything with him. For a moment, he lost himself in the names and faces of his past, perfectly remembered, each tied to a death, some from age, most from violence.
He almost forgot where he was, until the howling wind brought him back to the present. The howling wind didn't bother him, though he still wore a heavy coat to blend in better. Not that a short, stocky Asian blended in well on a planet of predominantly German ancestry. Still, heavy scarves and a hat hid most of his features... at least, until he went in from the cold.
This is it, he thought, the moment I've been working the past couple months for... Marcus, you better have my back. At least his arm was fully regenerated and though it was weaker than he would like, he had full mobility and dexterity with it.
Brian opened the door and stepped into the bar.
The denizens were just as dour as the outside of the building. Most wore dark gray or brown, all of them glared into their dark, bitter beer with long faces and sour expressions. As Brian stepped through the door, the little bit of conversation dropped off and a number of suspicious gazes settled on him. He took off his hat, scarf, and coat and he heard a mutter of voices from the bar.
Most were derogatory. Not many Asians had come through the StarPortal before its closure, the handful that had had mostly disappeared into the rest of the genepool, other than on a couple of isolationist colonies. The Russian colonies had more Asiatic features, but he didn't look like one of them. I am a product of design, he thought, not for the first time, that makes it hard to blend in after so many generations of interbreeding in the colonies.
He took an empty stool at the bar, “Bier, bitte.”
The fact that he spoke even that much of their language stilled their chatter. He hid his smile as he sipped at the beer the bartender passed him. The bitter flavor did enough to remove that smile. He had never gained a taste for beer, probably because alcohol didn't mix well with his metabolism.
“Are you Marco?” A low voice spoke from behind him.
Brian contained his smile as he stared down at his beer. “I am, are you Polo?” The silly counter-phrase made little sense to him, but this contact had insisted.
A stout blond man took a seat next to him, his neatly trimmed blond beard flecked with gray. “I can provide what you asked for,” he said, “but I want the money up front.”
“Half now,” Brian countered. In truth, he could care less about the money, but he didn't want the man absconding with it and leaving him with nothing to show. After all, he had a timeline to keep.
The man gave a furtive glance around. “You're going to a lot of risk, you know?”
Brian just nodded, “I know. Can you provide me what I want?”
The other man just nodded. Brian could see the man's pulse beat in his neck and he could sense his skin temperature from this close. He wasn't certain, Brian would wager, with how nervous he was.
Brian pulled out an envelope, “Here you are, half now, you'll get the other half once you deliver.”
As he passed over the envelope under the bar, he heard chairs scrape behind him. Brian pushed the contact away and spun, only to find a half-dozen armed men. “On the ground, now!” The lead one shouted. The tall, blond, obnoxiously handsome man held a riot gun leveled at Brian's face, his finger on the trigger. Brian could see now that he wore an Odin Interstellar security uniform under his overcoat.
Brian fought his instant reaction, which was to go for the pistol tucked under his shirt at his back. He might get it in time to take down a couple of the men, but not before their friends shot him. Getting shot wasn't part of his plan and they all looked jumpy enough that Brian didn't bet they wouldn't finish him off if they got him down.
Brian slowly lowered himself to his knees and interlaced his fingers behind his head before their leader could order him to do it.
“Gunther, cuff him,” their leader said. Brian kept his eyes on the man as the other security officers moved.
“Yes, Kaptain Sebastian!” one of the men said.
Brian knew that his best chance at escape would be when they went to put the cuffs on. Yet the security man didn't move between Brian and the others and their Kaptain Sebastian kept his weapon leveled on Brian the entire time. Brian knew he could move fast enough to use the guard as a human shield, but there was no guarantee the others wouldn't fire.
He waited as the man frisked him. He found the pistol right off, but he also found the combat knife in his boot. Not bad, Brian thought, but he didn't find my other pair of knives, I can still get out of this. The guard brought Brian's hands back and cuffed his wrists and then jerked him to his feet.
Another man stepped forward and they started to lead him for the door, but the Kaptain stepped forward, “Halt,” he said. The big man frisked Brian again, and this time Brian didn't bother to hide his scowl as the officer found the knife hidden on the inside of his thigh... and then the other one hidden on the cord around his neck. Damn, he thought, he's good... the bastard.
Kaptain Sebastian leaned forward, “You are under arrest for attempting unauthorized access to Odin Interstellar grounds. Have you anything to say?”
Brian looked around at the bar, “Will I be in police custody?”
Kaptain Sebastian gave a low chuckle, “We have an understanding with the local police.” His harsh accent made that sound remarkably ominous. “You won't get a lawyer, you won't get offered bail. If you tell me about who you work for, now, I might let you go.”
Brian's eyes swept the room. The contact stood, huddled between two of the security men, his face pale. Brian didn't blame him, it was hard to grow a spine on a company run world like this. “I have nothing to say.”
The Kaptain slammed the butt of his riot gun into Brian's kidneys and he grunted and went to his knees. Damn you, Marcus, he thought, you'll pay for that.
“Take him away,” Kaptain Sebastian snapped and his men dragged Brian out into the night.
***
Lindsey Bader, Chief of Operations for Odin Interstellar's corporate headquarters, looked up from her reports as her new Chief of Security stepped into her o
ffice. “I trust,” she asked, “you have an important reason for interrupting my work?”
It was nearly midnight, but things had been busy, especially given the increase in contracts that they had seen after she made details about the failed attempt public. It seemed that proof of their security made for better publicity than she could have expected. If this went on, she might well receive a promotion, which pleased her, but it also meant many late nights as she evaluated contracts.
“Yes, Fraulein,” he nodded. “My men were tipped off by one of the lower data entry technicians about a man trying to buy access codes for the building. We captured him earlier this evening and I'll begin interrogation in the morning.” Kaptain Sebastian Lokisen seemed pleased with himself, which suited her just fine, this was good news.
“Excellent,” she said. She pondered that for a moment, “Does it look like corporate espionage or is it another mercenary?” She hadn't made the Mercenary Guild's involvement public... not yet. She didn't want to embarrass the Guild, not when they were one of their clients. Still, she hadn't ruled it out, especially if they tried it again.
“That's some of the questions my men will be asking,” Kaptain Sebastian said. “What would you like me to do with the man who tipped us off?”
“Did he inform you before or after he had arranged to meet?” Lindsey asked. She didn't mind rewarding loyalty, but only if it was actual loyalty and not cowardice. If the man had planned to betray the company, then got cold feet and chose to sell out the man who bribed him, that meant he would be a further security leak.
“He came straight to me,” Kaptain Sebastian said.
“Fine,” Lindsey nodded, “I'll arrange for a minor promotion and a bonus.”
“The spy had a bribe on him, he gave half to our employee already,” he said.
Lindsey gave a slight smile, “Excellent, give him that, tell him job well done.” That would save the company the expense of a bonus and it might get the other employees on their toes. If they knew that they could turn in a potential infiltrator and keep the money, they would be far more likely to notify security. “Anything else?”
Kaptain Sebastian hesitated, “What would you like me to do with the prisoner after he's given up his employer or any accomplices?”
Lindsey gave him a level look, “Your men are not police and we'll not turn him over to them. He represents a potential security risk which I expect you to deal with appropriately. I trust I don't need to spell out how to do your job?” While they could arrange to have the man killed by the police, that would be an added measure of expense. The corporation that provided the planet's police forces typically only conducted executions for significant monetary cost.
“Of course not, Fraulein,” Kaptain Sebastian Lokisen gave her a cold smile, “I just wanted to be certain.”
Time: 0530 Zulu, 21 September 291 G.D.
Location: Outer Neu Emshaven System
“How's it look?” Mel whispered.
“The ore carriers seem to match the parameters on file,” Fenris whispered back. The warship sat, all systems at standby levels, as it scanned the small fleet of automated ore carriers and the mining vessel that fed them. “I'm also scanning Vulcan Mining Concern's security elements. I've noticed at least two Carnivore-class light cruisers out here and a pair of Raptor-class destroyers that patrol the ore freighter routes.”
All of which are tiny compared to that beast, Mel thought.
That was a massive construct, a huge ship, the size of a planetoid. Massive cutting lasers and tractor beams ripped entire asteroids into pieces and then fed them into its open maw. Raw ore flowed out the back, while the excess, mostly silicates, but also water vapor and other light compounds like ammonia and even methane, were fed out into a debris cloud to the side.
Fenris hid in that debris cloud. He used the hot gases to shield himself from thermal sensors even as the pockets of condensed silicates should, in theory, screen them from radar.
Since they had coasted into place over most of the past couple days, without the use of Fenris's warp drive, they should, in theory, be very hard to spot. Granted, not impossible, but as long as no one actively searched for them, they should be hard to locate.
“I'm getting lots of data on their signal traffic,” Fenris whispered.
“That's good, right?” Swaim whispered.
“We still can't match the emissions of one of those ore freighters,” Aldera said quietly. “They're designed to move at relatively low velocity, with shallow drives. Fenris looks nothing like one, even if he powers his drive down to almost the lowest settings he's going to look vastly different.”
“Is that bad?” Swaim whispered.
“It doesn't change the plan,” Mel whispered back.
“Why are we whispering?” Bob whispered. “They can't hear us, can they?”
Mel heard the others snort with laughter. “Right,” Mel said in a normal tone, even as she flushed. It just felt wrong somehow to carry on with a normal voice as they hid in the shadow of the massive mining platform. “How much longer, do you think?” Mel asked.
“I'll need a few more hours to get my data on passive sensors,” Fenris said.
“Well, then,” Mel said, “I think now is a good time for us all to get a bit of rest before the mission, while things are nice and quiet...”
“I'm detecting anomalies in the port sensor arrays!” Fenris snapped.
Mel bit back a curse as she hurried to the bridge panel. She locked the console down, but that didn't stop it this time. The port sensor array went active, a savage blast of multispectrum radar in a sharp series of pulses at its highest setting, strong enough to fry some of the receivers from the backwash of the debris cloud.
“Damn it,” Mel snapped. “That's done it.”
“Bringing the drive online,” Fenris said. “I've cut power to that array, but there is no way they didn't see that.”
“Go to our evac plan,” Mel said. They had planned to mimic the drive of a Halo-class destroyer if they were noticed. Though those craft most often served as main line vessels for planetary militias, it wasn't uncommon for one to end up in the hands of a successful pirate or privateer.
Fenris' drive, when set at a lower setting, could look similar to one, especially when he dialed down his emissions profile to match. Even better, a Halo should be fast enough to escape even the Carnivores, though anything with a deeper drive would have a higher velocity in tactical warp.
They didn't want to go to FTL warp, not until Fenris got all of his scanning data. And since they already know we're here, she thought, “Fenris, go to active sensors, get everything you need as quick as you can.”
“Drive is online,” Fenris growled and the ship began to move. Just in time, Mel noted, as the gas cloud near them fluoresced as high energy beams lanced into it. Bits of silicates exploded in long lines as high energy particles vaporized them along straight line paths. Mel made a note to look at Fenris' visual recording later; it really was quite beautiful.
What was less beautiful was the multimegaton explosion only five hundred kilometers away. It seemed they were firing munitions... and the cloud's screening factors worked in their enemy's favor since the small, swift projectiles were impossible to see. They aren't warp-drive missiles, she thought, those are projectile rounds, probably antimatter matrix warheads with a mass-driver casing. That meant that the Carnivores were already in position to fire on them, somewhere within twelve thousand kilometers.
A moment later, Fenris rocked as the cloud transferred some of the kinetic shock of the explosion. That was bad, since even a near miss would transfer significantly more energy than in vacuum.
“Fenris, get us out of the cloud!” Mel said, even as the ship rocked to another detonation.
“That's what I'm doing,” Fenris said. A moment later they dropped down out of the cloud and Mel saw the two Carnivores appear on the sensors as they brought their drives up. “They're trying to box me in,” Fenris said. “This would be e
asier if I could fire back.”
Mel shook her head at that. Even Fenris' secondary armament was made up of mass drivers identical in capability but larger in number compared to what the Carnivores carried as their primary armament. They were too powerful for a Halo, even a heavily modified one. If he did fire, they would have anomalous data and the last thing they could afford just now was anyone in the system looking too closely at this.
Warp engagements were as much a dance as anything else, where most energy and projectile weapons required insanely close range engagement envelopes. Warp missiles and fighters increased that range, often to the edges of a system, but they were also limited in their maneuvers due to the geometry of their drive fields, whereas a ship's warp drive could maneuver in any direction, almost instantly transitioning to full velocity.
“I hate this part,” Bob said as the stars spun around them and Fenris dodged and weaved. Mel felt no sense of motion as Fenris leapt through a series of evasive maneuvers that would be impossible without a warp drive... or at least, impossible for a human to survive. Bob groaned, “I feel sick.”
Mel grinned, “I kind of like it.” They flashed past one of the cruisers, close enough for it to fire, but Fenris had fooled the other ship and it missed by a wide margin, it's predictive systems expecting them somewhere else. “Nah, nah, na-nah, nah,” she said and stuck out her tongue, “You can't get me!”
Claude gave her a reproachful look, “Please do not taunt them. I'd prefer to not entice them to pursue us.”
Mel sighed, “You lot are no fun. Besides, it's not as if they can see me.”
In truth, though, she felt a knot of worry. As Fenris widened the distance, the two cruisers seemed damnably focused. They weren't going to let them get clear, she saw. Even if they went to strategic warp and left the system, odds were that one or both might follow.
“Fenris,” she said, “fire a warp missile, back towards the mining vessel.”
“Are you sure?” Fenris asked.
