by Terry Mixon
“This computer contains classified research the Rebel Empire doesn’t want anyone to have. Not even its own people. Remember, the AIs don’t exactly trust humans, particularly the ones they use as slaves.
“Honestly, the fact that they require humans to do this research in the first place tells us something very interesting about how they work. Or rather, how they don’t work. I’m shocked they didn’t shoot the researchers as soon as we attacked.”
“I suspect that had to do with the fact we surprised them so badly,” Talbot said. “We literally dumped a brigade’s worth of marines onto them with no warning. First, we snuck into a system that they were certain they had locked down, then we used the transport rings to get our people onto the orbital without them having a chance to see us coming.
“Last, we set off your jammers and blew a nice big hole into their secure area. Our people were all over them before they had a chance to figure out what was happening, much less act on it. I’m sure that shutting down all the fusion plants within a couple of minutes had something to do with our success too.”
The young man nodded. “Overwhelming surprise was the goal. I’m just stunned that it worked so well. Frankly, far too many of your wife’s plans go astray for my comfort. Then she blows up a lot of things to make up for lost ground.”
Talbot laughed. “A surprising number of things get blown up even when things go according to her plans too. I’ll admit this mission resulted in less devastation than most. With discretion being the better part of valor, we’ll just keep that opinion to ourselves.
“Maybe it would help to step back a bit and look at the big picture,” he told the young scientist after a moment. “What precisely do we have our hands on?”
Carl sighed. “If we’re just talking about the research facility, we’ve got five major labs doing work on various projects. One of them is some kind of missile-enhancement program. We’re talking bigger warheads, faster drives, and more endurance. Possibly making them smarter and harder to hit. They’re also looking at more powerful beams and stronger battle screens.
“Then there’s the production area for the Raider implants. That’s not technically research, but extremely restricted. I suspect the people running it are more like factory workers. They probably didn’t know what they were producing.
“Stealing the orbital and the minds that made all this possible is going to have a profound impact on the Rebel Empire’s research programs. We took their research, hardware, and the minds that made it happen. They won’t be able to replace any of that very quickly, and this isn’t the kind of knowledge the AIs want on the loose.”
Talbot snorted. “They’d probably give any retiring worker a private send-off without a suit.”
Carl winced. “Ouch. Based on the plans I saw on paper, it looks as though they only used the Raider implant equipment whenever they needed a fresh batch for the crazy AI on Erorsi.
“That points to the probability that the Rebel Empire doesn’t have any attack forces outfitted with Marine Raider implants, which we already suspected. That’s good news for us.”
Talbot nodded. “Then there’s the AI production line that Annette Vitter said was going to kick off soon.”
The crazy fighter pilot had bluffed her way into the restricted area on the orbital and parleyed a case of mistaken identity into access to a briefing about the AI project. Talk about huge brass balls. The woman would’ve made a hell of a marine.
“Not exactly,” Carl disagreed. “They already had a facility here to produce the hardware. The plans that Captain Vitter had seen there had revolved around expanding that. If I had to guess, I’d wager that this was a backup production center for AI hardware that they wanted to make more productive.”
“Are you making any progress in understanding how to produce that hardware?”
Carl gave him a flat look. “In case it escaped your notice, there are a lot of competing priorities vying for my attention. It’ll take several days just to figure out what we have our hands on, and if they find a weak flip point, I’ll have to drop everything and work on that.”
“I really wish we brought more of your people along for this mission,” Talbot grumbled. “We’re really short in the scientist department this time.”
His young friend smiled wryly. “To be fair, we’d only planned on snagging some equipment and running for it. Nobody in their right mind thought Princess Kelsey would steal an entire orbital or run away from our support ships.”
The untimely arrival of a Rebel Empire fleet had forced them to run in the opposite direction. All they had with them now was the carrier Audacious, the Marine Raider ship Persephone, a freighter whose contents they were still trying to pin down, and a recovery ship they were using to move the captured orbital along at a snail’s pace.
Not enough force to deal with a determined pursuer, and circumstances had trapped them in a series of systems running deeper into the Rebel Empire.
The enemy would’ve already chased them down if they hadn’t made it look as though the orbital had exploded. It wouldn’t be long before the Rebel Empire commander saw through that ruse. Then he’d figure out that one of the battle stations guarding the system’s flip points wasn’t communicating. Neither were the destroyers that had been backing it up.
He’d likely assume that whoever had blown up the orbital had come in that way, killing the ships and station on the way in. Once they realized the orbital was gone, he’d be after them at top speed.
The New Terran Empire’s forces only had one chance. They needed to find a weak flip point and slip away.
The Rebel Empire didn’t know weak flip points existed. If his team found one, they’d get the breathing room they needed to solve their current problems. If not, well, things would get very, very ugly.
Carl proved his thoughts were roaming along those lines when he spoke again. “Any word on the search for weak flip points? All of this is going to be for nothing if we don’t get off the path the Rebel Empire expects us to be on. Once they figure out that wasn’t their orbital that blew up.”
“Commodore Anderson hasn’t mentioned anything. We still have probes and fighters out searching this system. No luck yet.”
Their forces had fled through the first empty system without looking for weak flip points. Kelsey had wanted to be completely certain they’d gotten clear before any Rebel Empire ships came looking for them. They were in the second system now. If they didn’t find anything here, they’d move onto the third.
“Well, do the best you can,” Talbot finally said. “Once we have the prisoners settled into the area of the orbital we’ve cleared for them, I’ll have you talk with the scientists. Perhaps you can form some kind of bond. You know, geek to geek.”
Carl chuckled. “I’ll certainly do my best. How long do you think that’s going to take?”
He shrugged. “We’re talking about roughly ten thousand people. Just determining who everyone is will take days. They’re not exactly cooperating. It would help if we had access to the personnel files.”
The young scientist picked up his tablet glumly. “I still have a few ideas to try. If all of else fails, we might be able to trick one of them into logging in.”
Talbot considered that and smiled. “You know, that’s a really good idea. I’ll let you get back to work while I see if I can come up with a plan.”
2
To Kelsey’s joy, it turned out that Carl had indeed figured out how to extract Ned Quincy from her implants without harming him. The equipment the young scientist had brought over managed the task without incident, after she woke Ned and he gave his consent.
That didn’t mean Carl was going to be putting Ned into something else right away, though. He had a lot of work remaining to design a computer that could correctly mimic having Raider implants.
When he managed that, Ned would be back in some form. She hoped that happened soon, but they had other things on their plates.
Such as the scanner readin
gs from the far-flung probes. It only took a few hours after Carl had extracted Ned before one of them found something.
“I’ve found a weak flip point,” Carl said from his borrowed console on Persephone’s bridge.
Relief flooded through her. She’d been afraid they wouldn’t find one before they had to flee this system. Now they had a chance.
“What can we tell about it?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Not much. The probe is still too far away from the flip point to take any measurements.”
That’s about what Kelsey had expected. “Have the task force change course toward the flip point. It might cost us some time, but I’d rather have everybody close by.”
Time crawled as the ships slowly made their way toward the newly discovered flip point. It wasn’t very far away from the regular flip point they’d need to use if this new one was unsuitable. They could resume their headlong flight with only a few hours lost if they had to.
“Is the flip point going to be large enough for the orbital?” she asked him once they’d drawn near the potential escape hatch.
“I’ll need to send a probe through to get readings from the other side before I can be sure.”
“I’m sorry if I seem a bit abrupt,” she said, “but I’m worried we’ll have company very soon. I’d really like to get away before they arrive.”
“Couldn’t we just move to the outer system? If we cut our power to standby, they’ll go right past us.”
“Yes, but they’d be in front of us then. If this flip point doesn’t work out, we’d probably run into them when we try the next system. I’d rather avoid that.”
The young scientist sighed. “I see your point. The probe is getting some better readings now. Once I’ve precisely isolated the flip point, we can send it through. When it comes back, I should be able to tell what the relative strength is and whether or not we can transit safely.”
“What kind of timeframe are we talking about?” she asked.
“Half an hour or so. Maybe less.”
Kelsey forced herself to wait. That involved an inordinate amount of pacing.
Twenty minutes later, he grunted. “The flip point is strong enough to allow the ships through, even Audacious. I’m not sure about the recovery ship while it’s holding the orbital, though.”
“We can’t just leave it behind,” she said. “This is a package deal. We all have to make it through.”
He sighed. “I understand, but I can’t command physics. We should focus on seeing what’s on the other side.”
“Send the probe. We also need to make sure we’re not running into something like the nova where Omega lives.”
“Good point. I’m sending the instructions to flip it now. It’ll go over, take readings for about ten minutes, and then return. If you don’t mind, I’m going to get a sandwich while it does that. It’s been a while since I ate.”
“That’s something I can take care of.” A quick message to the galley had food on the way for all of them.
The probe flipped out of the system just as their food arrived. Someone had made extra sandwiches for Kelsey, for which she was grateful. It no longer bothered her that she was always eating something to feed her enhanced body.
They had enough time to take the edge off their hunger before the probe returned and began transmitting data.
“The other side looks safe enough,” Carl said after a moment. “It’s a normal system with no obvious radio, grav, or power sources detected on passive scans. The probe didn’t stay long enough to note anything subtle, so it might still be occupied in some smaller fashion.”
“What about the flip point?” Kelsey asked. “Is it going to be strong enough to allow the recovery ship to make it through with the orbital?”
“It’s close. The only way to find out for sure is to try. On the negative side, the far end is not as strong as this side. If we go across, the orbital is definitely too large to come back. Probably not Audacious, either. We’d be committed.”
She sighed. “Tell me again what happens if the recovery ship comes apart midflip? Those arms aren’t really all that secure, since the orbital is far too big to fit inside them in their normal configuration.”
“I’m not really sure, but it can’t be good. Best case, the recovery ship arrives in the other system but is unable to move the orbital any farther.”
“What’s the worst case?” She already had a fairly good idea of what it was, but she wanted to hear him say it.
His lips compressed. “Just about as bad as you’d imagine. The stress of flipping distorts the field generated by the arms, and the orbital comes apart. I’m not sure if that’s preflip or on the other side.”
Kelsey rubbed her face. If they passed this flip point by, they might not find another before the Rebel Empire caught up with them. On the other hand, if they tried to use the flip point and failed, thousands of people could die.
“Well, it’s not as if we really have a choice,” she finally said. “We’ll go take a look around. If things look promising, we’ll give it a try.”
Annette Vitter made a show of struggling against the two marines as they hauled her through the hatch. They weren’t being gentle, so she didn’t even have to act very hard.
“Let me go, you cretins!” she shouted.
Of course, they didn’t release her. They had their own roles to play.
They manhandled her another few meters into the compartment and shoved her forward, just as planned.
She stumbled, turned, and shot a glare at their retreating backs as they marched back out. “I don’t know who you bastards think you are, but you’ll never get away with this.”
The hatch slid shut and she turned with a huff to face the prisoners. She’d met most of them at the meeting she’d attended just before Kelsey and the marines had captured the orbital.
The only people she knew by name were Commander Edward Irons and Commodore Murdock. The former was friendly, and the latter was a droning bore. They, of course, knew her as Commander Violet Renner, a role she’d continue playing for the moment.
They’d stashed the real Commander Renner in a special holding cell. Princess Kelsey had decided early on to keep the woman isolated from everyone else so that Annette could use her identity if she had to.
Annette wasn’t sure Talbot’s plan would work, but she was willing to give it a try. He’d be monitoring the situation via a camera above the main hatch to the cafeteria they were using to house the senior prisoners.
Under other circumstances, they could’ve used her implants to see and hear what she did, but they had to jam everyone to keep the prisoners from communicating. In any case, the odds were good that no one was going to assault her.
If they did, she’d be able to handle herself until help arrived. One didn’t fly marines around without picking up a few things.
Irons rose from the table where he’d been sitting and headed her way. “Commander Renner! We were worried. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I’ve got a killer headache, though.”
Stunners did that to people. They’d knock you out for a couple of hours and leave you with a splitting headache. Not that she’d been stunned this time, of course, but everyone else had. They’d know intimately what she was talking about.
He nodded sympathetically. “That’s pretty much how the rest of us feel too. Did they question you?”
“Commander Irons,” Commodore Emilia Murdock said from a table off in a corner by herself. “Please escort Commander Renner to me. You’ll have time to chitchat later.”
The woman’s tone was one of irritation. Annette couldn’t tell if that was because she was impatient because Irons was delaying Annette or if Murdock always sounded that way. Based on the meeting Annette had attended, she was betting on the latter.
Irons managed a contrite expression. “Of course, Commodore. Right away.” He made a show of escorting Annette to the Commodore’s table before r
eturning to his associates.
Since the only chair at the table was the one the Commodore was using, Annette decided she’d just stand at attention. “Commander Renner reporting, Commodore.”
“At ease, Commander. Report.”
Annette allowed herself to relax fractionally. The older woman didn’t seem to be the type that wanted her subordinates to be at ease.
“Yes, ma’am. I was on my way to my quarters when all hell broke loose. I heard explosions and then ran into a squad of marines in powered armor. They were shooting everybody in sight with stunners. I tried to get out of the way, but one of them hit me.
“I woke up in a small compartment with other Fleet personnel. Once I was finally able to get someone’s attention, I convinced them to bring me here with the other senior officers. All I know for certain is that there are a lot of marines and Fleet personnel among our attackers.”
“I was able to get into my office and take a look at the monitors before they captured the primary control center,” the older woman said. “There must’ve been hundreds of marines in armor. I have no idea where they came from, but their surprise was total.
“Whoever the traitors are, they had help smuggling people onto this orbital. Inside help. There’s absolutely no way that many unknown personnel could’ve gotten past our security. Also, someone with the appropriate access codes had to disable their armor’s self-destruct systems.”
Annette made a show of agreeing without saying anything. She could see how it would be confusing to the older woman. The Rebel Empire didn’t allow their marines to use powered armor or heavy weapons without strict supervision. Marines and enlisted personnel didn’t have cranial implants, so the armor had to be manually controlled.
Which meant that an officer with implants had to unlock it for their use. Those same officers could remotely detonate explosive charges hidden inside the armor. She wondered if that engendered trust issues with the Rebel Empire marines.
“Whoever it was, ma’am, they knew what they were doing,” Annette said. “The fact that we’re still sitting here means they disabled all the self-destruct charges. They have everything.”
