“Val, you okay?” Hawkins asked.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she said with a sigh, “I kind of miss those days.”
She nodded towards the marines.
“You and me both,” he said with a laugh, “But we’re the lucky ones.”
“How so?”
He placed a hand over the armour protecting his chest.
“Not all marines get a second chance, Val. You died and were reborn as an even tougher badass. Most get left behind, buried in the ground. Trust me, this is better.”
Valentine thought on that as they passed yet more marines and heaps of containers. She knew the difference between routine, and when a unit was preparing for combat.
“We really are mustering for a fight. I’ve only been back in medbay for just over a week this time. A lot has changed.”
“A week?”
“Who told you that?” Alexis asked.
Valentine seemed confused and tried to speak with her Cortex, but nothing happened.
“My last visit was for the skin grafts.”
Alexis shook her head and tapped her right hand on her temple.
“No, you’ve been in there for the last three months. Your body healed fast, but the trauma, that is still up there. They’ve been working on you for some time now. The combat, the gas, and the mind control attempts by the Ski’ligs. They take a toll. You know this better than most.”
They passed the ship and towards a line of waiting Bulldog armoured personnel carriers. The classic vehicles were used by regular marines, with their massive wheels and sleek turrets fitted atop the sloped hull. She’d trained inside them and had seen combat on more than one occasion with them at her side. She reached out and touched its armour with her artificial hand. But as she looked at her artificial fingers touching the vehicle’s armour, she recoiled.
“What is it?”
They stopped, and as Valentine looked into Alexis’ eyes, she could tell something was wrong.
“It’s okay. Go on.”
Alexis hesitated, and then nodded.
“Well, the convoy arrived three days ago, with most of the warships and three divisions of infantry. Trust me…this is the big one, and we’re not hanging around. Why do you think the Captain paid you a visit?”
They passed the marines, many turning to look at the trio. Hawkins and Alexis were heavily armoured and looked like walking tanks, while Valentine wore her lighter limbs more suited to augmentations for a regular marine or soldier. Directly ahead two Novas were guarding the wide entrance to another part of the facility. There were more loading bays, though the shutters were down on all of them apart from one.
“This is home?”
“For the rest of the day,” said Alexis, “Our living space was only ever temporary and has been handed back to the Martian authorities. Don’t worry. Your gear is already stowed. We took care of that.”
That should have been welcome news, but knowing her temporary home had vanished once more she was forced to stop.
“So much…” she said with difficulty, “So much has changed.”
She looked down as her breathing became laboured. Hawkins looked to Alexis and then back to the struggling Nova.
“Val, what’s up?”
She lifted a hand and shook her head.
“Talk to me, Valentine,” said Alexis, “Is this happening too fast?”
She started to speak, but then slowed herself down. She could feel her heart rate increasing, but without Tex there to assist she could not be certain. He had ways to assist in the stability of her body, and now that was all being left to her. Combined with the constant flashbacks, and the look of her new limbs, it was just too much.
“There.” Alexis pointed to a number of empty heavy armoured crates, “Sit down a second.”
She looked to Hawkins.
“Get her some water, fast.”
Hawkins nodded and moved away quickly. Valentine settled onto the case and started to breathe faster and faster.
“You’re hyperventilating. And your body has been upgraded not just on the outside. Your lungs have been enhanced and repaired, but they’re a lot more efficient.”
Valentine looked at her as her eyes grew wider and wider.
“Val, look at me. You’re spiralling. We’ve all been there.”
She did as asked, and then began to wheeze. And as her breathing became more difficult, the more it looked like she was about to lose control. One marine spotted what was happening and moved to assist, but Alexis waved him off.
“Look at me.”
She reached out and placed both hands at her friend’s cheeks, and then directly her towards her.
“Breathe with me.”
Alexis inhaled, waited, and then slowly exhaled. Valentine struggled, and then coughed, but Alexis kept at it. It took time. But Valentine did her best and kept her attention focused on her friend. By the time Hawkins was back with a canteen, she was breathing more normally. He handed it over, and she took several swigs before passing it back.
“Thanks. I just think this all came on a little too hard and fast. I’ve been in and out of medbay for so long it’s like a second home to me now.”
“Don’t worry,” said Alexis, “If you need to sit this one out, that’s not a problem.”
“No way. That’s not happening. It was just a bit quicker than my body could handle.”
“That’s my fault,” said a friendly voice.
All three turned around to face the half-rebuilt shape of Lieutenant Jack Fletcher. The man looked as young and roguish as ever, with his mop of blonde hair puffed out, and a smart moustache in the style of the Terra Novan Guard.
“Lieutenant.” Valentine rose to her feet.
He stepped closer and looked to each of them.
“No, I really am sorry. My orders are to get my Novas ready for combat, and as one of my most experienced lance leaders I needed you back.”
He reached out a hand. Valentine took it and shook.
“I’m here, Sir. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
As she looked at him, she could see fresh injuries that had been well covered.
“You were injured in the fighting, too.”
“Who wasn’t?” he said with a forced smile, “I got off lightly. A few scars and the bastards took my ear.”
He turned his head, and Valentine’s eyebrows rose as she noticed half of the left ear had gone. It hadn’t all vanished, but she could see it was a rough cut, perhaps bitten or clawed away in combat.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
The officer nodded and then indicated towards the open doors leading into the barracks.
“Have you heard about the upgrades?”
Alexis subtly shook her head.
“No, Sir.” Valentine gave her friend a wink.
“Well, you’ll be pleased to know our artificers have been busy. Come with me.”
The small group moved through the wide doorway and into the barrack space. It was obvious right away that it was designed for use as a storage site, with multiple large storage rooms attached to the main passage. Valentine looked in the first few but could see little more than masses of spare parts and abandoned equipment.
“We’re a little further inside.”
They kept on moving until reaching a circular room, with multiple bunk areas partitioned off.
“What was this place?”
“Temporary living quarters for supply crews. The first rooms were for cargo, with loading bays leading out to the landing pad. This space was for up to a hundred crew to stay for a few days. We’ve been using it for the last week as a fabrication site and workshop. Our techs are here for any and all work we might need.”
“We?”
“1st Company,” said Alexis, “We’ve got the equipment here to service all three platoons. And after being reinforced we need the capacity for repair and upgrades.”
“The platoon is back to capacity?”
“A full forty-five-ma
n unit.”
“Forty-five,” Valentine said under her breath, “A full strength platoon. I’ve missed a lot.”
Lieutenant Fletcher smiled beneath the moustache, and then nodded towards one of the open doors. Valentine could see racks of parts in there, as well as flashes from some form of cutting or welding equipment.
“Corporal Kleinlercher will get you patched up ready,” he said confidently, “Get a full firmware update installed, and then seen the artificer about your upgrades. They’ve got everything you can think of down there.”
He turned to walk away.
“Lieutenant?”
“Yes, Lance Corporal?”
“We’re really going back, aren’t we?”
This time she could see the smile on his face was real.
“Oh, yes. This time it’s war.”
He walked away, and Alexis nodded towards the beds to the right, as well as the two techs currently working on a Nova.
“Lance Corporal Martina Valentine?”
“Yes, Tech Sergeant.”
The female marine tapped a hand on the bed. Valentine moved into position and then waited as the bed lowered down to near horizontal.
“Your Cortex is still offline and requires a full system upgrade.”
“Will that damage the existing neural network?”
“Negative. The network remains intact. It takes a long time to develop the artificial intelligence, and even longer for it to become localised to its user. Yours is backed up onto our main system in case of corruption or system failure.”
“Very well. What exactly is being upgraded?”
The tech attached a data node to her arm and head, and almost immediately she could feel a surge of adrenalin.
“First of all, we are upgrading the flash storage. The older chips were susceptible to corruption over time. You will have triple the storage, giving additional redundancy. More importantly, the Cortex can operate in low power mode without access to a Rhino power system.”
A jolt ran through Valentine’s body, and for a second she felt the presence of somebody else in the room. Then it was gone just as quickly as it had arrived.
“Low power will leach thermal energy from your own body. But it will also mean you have access to the stored data and problem-solving capabilities all the time.”
“Great.”
A year ago it might have sounded dreadful, but now she was so used to the voice in her head she felt alone without him.
“Okay…the new kernel is restarting. Give it a moment as it recompiles and integrates the old neural network and storage.”
Valentine nodded and closed her eyes.
“A number of new features have been added, but your Cortex will explain once fully updated. A lot has changed in the last months.”
Valentine almost opened her eyes, but she knew it would be far too disorienting. Instead, she concentrated on the voice of the tech and thought about the new changes.
“What kind of changes?”
“Well, the capacity increase is the big one, but the memory speed and onboard caches have been increased as well, giving much faster data throughput. Your Cortex will be able to sift and work through data streams faster than ever in combat. The big one is the new security and protection system, plus the hardware integration module. All of that is provided by secondary processors built into the cranial implant.”
“Integration? Okay. You lost me on the first part. Security? What do you mean?”
“With the increase in storage capacity and function comes additional risks, internal and external. You will now have the mental ability to supress your Cortex at any moment. The system is tied directly to your biometric data only, giving you full control at any time. This is hardwired and cannot be overridden unless you give express permission for the Cortex to remain live.”
“I see. Not sure when that might ever happen. And the integration?”
A flicker of something gnawed at her mind, and for a split second she was sure she could feel the presence of her old friend. But then it was gone as quickly as it had arrived.
“There. System restarted, and…”
Valentine knew something was up right away.
“What is it?”
“One moment. Keep your eyes closed. I need to….”
The sound of the tech’s voice changed and then became incredibly muffled. Valentine opened her eyes, but her eyelids refused to move. She couldn’t feel her limbs, and her breathing seemed to have failed. It was enough to bring on a panic attack, and she might have passed out completely when suddenly the sound of the tech’s voice returned.
CHAPTER FOUR
Martian Moon Deimos, Sol System
“…diagnostics show everything is normal. I recommend not suppressing the Cortex unless absolutely necessary. As you know, it is an excellent manager of your own internals, and will be another set of eyes and ears.”
“Thank you.” Valentine opened her eyes. It took a second for her to focus, and then a familiar voice spoke to her.
Valentine. Where have you been?
She smiled, knowing too well that he knew where she’d been.
You know.
The tech looked confused as Valentine continued her silent conversation.
Looks like you’ve been in the wars again.
“He’s back,” she said with a nod, “Now, what was it you said about integration?”
“Your Cortex can tell you about that. The artificer has already left for your ship, along with his inventory. I suggest you see him once you’re aboard.”
Valentine looked to her left and was surprised to see all the people that had been there before were now gone.
“How long was I here?”
“Ninety minutes,” said the tech, “The firmware upgrade takes time, but the system tests take even longer.”
Valentine rose to her feet and stretched her aching joints. But then she looked to her new arms and sighed. These limbs were completely artificial, with nothing natural about them.
“I understand you’ll be joining the new offensive,” said the Tech Sergeant.
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Good, it’s time somebody gave those Xeno scum a lesson in payback.”
Valentine could feel the hairs along her back rising. Unlike most, she was aware of what had occurred on Eridani Prime. She had been there to help rescue those that had escaped and had also learned of what had started the violence with the alien race. She had no sympathy for the alien race as they’d expanded their struggle to all-out war, but she also understood why it had begun.
“We’ll do the best we can, Sergeant.”
“No. Hunt them down and kill every last one of them. It’s time for humanity to take off the kid gloves and show our neighbours who’s in charge. Trust me, it’s the only way we can survive out here.”
Valentine was surprised to hear that, and she found her eyes moving along the soldier’s uniform until she saw the markings of the Earth on her chest. The old planets had managed to avoid the worst of the violence in the last two wars, but they had also missed out on the opportunities contact with the Byotai, Helions, and others had brought.
“Thank you for the firmware upgrade.”
“Anytime, Lance Corporal. Kill some Xenos for me.”
Valentine moved away and looked about the half-deserted building. Some were still working there, but it was obvious most of the kit had been stripped away for the operation.
“Val!”
She took a few more steps, and there was Alexis waiting at the doorway leading out into the open. Behind her was a single lance of Novas, all carrying heavy equipment on their shoulders as they moved away.
“What took you so long? You’re supposed to be ready.”
She looked down at Valentine’s legs.
“And you’ve still not been to the artificer. The Sarge is gonna be pissed.”
“I…uh, I only just left. Something must have…”
“Don’t worry about it.
You’re lucky it didn’t take another half an hour, or you’d be left behind.”
“What’s the rush?”
“The fleet is leaving early, that’s what the rush is.”
“But why?”
Valentine moved closer as they walked out into the open.
“I don’t know. But rumour has it, something has happened at Epsilon Eridani, and somebody high wants us there, stat.”
She leaned closer to her right ear.
“One of the gunners told me that some ships have gone missing, an entire hunter squadron. They reckon it’s something big.”
“Mysterious.”
They reached the ramp leading up into the ship and stepped onto the metal decking. Alexis was already heading back inside, but when Valentine reached the halfway mark, she turned and looked back. There were technicians, marines, and a host of others racing about, obviously making last minute preparations before the craft docked on the moon would be leaving.
“I hope we’ve got enough people and defences left here if anybody tries something again.”
“You’re kidding, right? The home fleet has deployed a squadron here, as well as several companies of regulars. For the last six months the air defence systems have been boosted. Trust me, Mars and her moons are like a fortress now.”
“Maybe. This place. It cost a lot to hold onto it. I’d hate to think we could lose it again.”
“Val, we’ve got our own problems, believe me. Now come on, it’s time to leave.”
She looked to the landing bay one last time and did her best to soak in the details. The metal flooring plates and the passages cut out of the rock with high-powered mining lasers. Heavy blast doors were fitted throughout and numerous bulkheads to keep the place secure. What really caught her eye more than anything were the little details from the fighting. Bullet holes in the walls, slash marks from weapons, and the numerous scorch marks and strange sections of rock that were missing. For a newcomer it might be something that would barely be noticed. But for Valentine it was a reminder of the terrible fighting that had occurred here.
“I’m coming.”
She moved the last few metres and then into the lower deck of the ship. It didn’t take long to work her way inside to the main passenger deck, where the large bay was half-filled with four Jackal dropships. A number of Novas were on the deck and watched as she passed them. She looked at their faces and didn’t recognise any of them.
Star Crusades Page 5
