Resist the Red Battlenaut

by Robert T. Jeschonek

  "Obviously, you don't," said Scott, "or you'd realize I'm the only friend you've got."

  With that, he walked back over to Donna and picked up where he'd left off, rubbing her shoulders as she steered the little ship through interstellar space.

  *****

  Chapter 36

  As the Sun Bin rocketed toward Bellerophon Station, Scott spent most of his time in the ship's cargo bay, prepping his stolen Mark VI Battlenaut for action. Truth be told, he knew and loved the model so much, it was a pleasure to work on it...though having to listen to Cairn the whole time took some of the fun out of it.

  "All I'm saying is, the Commonwealth is on its way out," Cairn said nonchalantly. "It's collapsing under the weight of its own corruption."

  Scott sighed as he adjusted the servos in the Mark VI's right leg. He wished he didn't have to keep an eye on Cairn at all times--and listen to his ramblings--but the jump ship didn't have a brig or another secure place in which to lock him up. The only other alternative was to leave him in the control room with Donna--and access to the Sun Bin's controls--which just wasn't going to happen.

  Tossing Cairn out an airlock wasn't an option, either; Scott knew he'd need him to infiltrate the Red facility at Bellerophon Station. So all he could do was keep Cairn close at hand and block him out as best he could...and, sometimes, change the subject to something other than the impending fall of civilization as they knew it.

  "Ever pilot a CORE Battlenaut?" Scott said, interrupting Cairn's latest string of anti-Commonwealth invective.

  Cairn switched gears without batting an eye. "Why? You got one armed and ready to go for me?"

  "Yes and no." Scott finished adjusting the servos, wiped his forehead on the back of his right arm, and slid the tool he'd been using into a loop on his belt. "C'mon and give me a hand."

  It was the first time Scott had asked for help, but Cairn didn't refuse. "What do you mean, 'yes and no?'" he said as he followed Scott across the cargo bay.

  Scott stopped in front of a big black plastic shipping cube that was at least fifteen meters on a side. "Open 'er up." There was a keypad on the middle of the front panel, and he typed a pass code on it. The keypad rotated clockwise, retracting four metal bars from a set of latches along the rim. Next, Scott grabbed a handle on the top left corner and signaled for Cairn to do the same with the handle on the top right corner. Together, they pulled the panel free and lowered it to the deck, exposing the contents of the cube.

  Inside was the gleaming black armor of a CORE Battlenaut, folded so its legs were in front, toes pointed toward each other, knees even with the top of its head.

  "Yes, I've got one for you," said Scott. "Hot off the Hangar Deck of the Sun Tzu."

  "Nice." Cairn stood with his hands on his hips and gazed admiringly at the folded-up armor. "So what's the 'no' part?"

  "No, it isn't armed." Scott reached into the cube and touched a pressure point under the Battlenaut's chin--then quickly backed away. Suddenly, the armor came to life, sliding out of the cube. "It's CORE civilian armor. Defensive capabilities only."

  Cairn backed up out of its way, too. "You're kidding me. You're giving me a unit that isn't loaded?"

  Scott looked at him with an innocent expression. "That won't be a problem, will it? After all, Bellerophon Station isn't a Red outpost. You said so yourself."

  When Cairn didn't answer, Scott smiled. Gotcha.

  As the two of them stood there and watched, the CORE Battlenaut automatically unfolded. With a series of whirs and clicks, it extended to its full seven-meter height, just three meters shorter than the Mark VI.

  "You know, you're right," said Cairn. "So are we going to disarm your Battlenaut too, then?"

  Scott turned and eyed the Mark VI at the other end of the cargo bay. "I don't see why not. What could possibly go wrong?"

  Just as he started to turn back around, Cairn leaped at him from behind, throwing him forward. Cairn's momentum carried them both straight to the floor, slamming Scott down hard on his right side and knocking the wind out of his lungs.

  Before Scott could buck him off, Cairn pressed his advantage, hitting him hard across the back of the head. Shaking off the shock of the blow, Scott quickly gathered his strength--only to take another hit to the head, this one harder than the last. Dazed, he slumped forward.

  That was when Cairn scrambled off and flipped Scott over on his back. He grabbed Scott's right wrist in a viselike grip, did the same for his left, and jerked the two together.

  Scott snapped out of his daze when he realized what was happening--but by then, it was almost too late. Cairn had already forced the fingers of Scott's right hand to tap the remote control device on his left wrist, shifting it into standby mode. He did it again, bumping the device into ready mode--one touch away from final activation.

  Cairn was just about to make the final contact when Scott unleashed a surge of strength, wrenching his hand away from the device. Then, with another surge, he pitched off Cairn, sending him crashing to the deck.

  Before Cairn could recover and bounce back at him, Scott sprang from the floor and pumped a fist into his face. He followed that with a left hook to the jaw, then a roundhouse square in the breadbasket. Cairn went down, twitching--but still managed to catch Scott in the side with his right knee.

  A bolt of pain flashed up from the impact point, but it only pissed Scott off more. With an angry roar, he plowed another blow into Cairn's belly, then locked his fists together and swung a pile driver like a wrecking ball into the side of his head, shooting it from one side to the other.

  This time, Cairn offered no retaliation. He just lay there on the floor, chest heaving, face bruised and bloody...utterly beaten.

  Scott was heaving for breath, too, as he got to his feet and checked the remote control. The silver oval on the wristband was no longer swirling; the device had reverted to a dormant state. Thinking back, Scott remembered Trane saying it was set to deactivate if more than thirty seconds passed between any two contacts.

  Looking down at the man on the floor, he shook his head. Cairn must have realized the device had been keyed to Scott's DNA. Otherwise, how could Scott have stayed close to him, leaving the remote control within easy reach? After figuring that out, the solution was obvious--if blowing himself to bits was the solution he'd wanted.

  "What the flux, Cairn?" said Scott. "I thought we were past this."

  "You would think that, wouldn't you?" said Cairn. "You never did have a firm grip on reality."

  "Who's the one losing his grip?" said Scott. "I mean, what good would it have done, blowing up one Marine, a pilot who just woke up from a coma, and an outdated Battlenaut unit? Why bother?"

  Cairn shrugged. "Does it matter?"

  "According to you, we're not even heading for a Red facility!" snapped Scott. "You would've died for nothing."

  Cairn glared up at him with a flash of rage and hatred. "But I still would've died." Suddenly, he lunged up to a sitting position. "I would've been free."

  "Free from what?" said Scott. "Me?"

  Cairn shook his head and lay back down. "You're an idiot," he said. "You don't know anything."

  "I was just thinking the same thing about you." Scott reached into a pocket and pulled out a white plastic zip tie he'd been carrying in case he needed to restrain Cairn. It was high time he used it; now that Cairn had tried to trigger the bomb once, he could try it again at any time.

  So why did Scott hesitate? Binding Cairn's wrists was the only way Scott could be sure he wouldn't have another shot at tripping the remote.

  But he couldn't keep him restrained. Scott planned to trick the Reds into thinking Cairn was in charge, so they'd let the Sun Bin land and allow the crew inside the facility. That wouldn't work if Cairn was in restraints.

  It also wouldn't work if Cairn refused to cooperate. Getting him to play along would be tricky at best, but keeping him tied up would kill any chance of success. Cairn's bitter stubbornness would lock him into a path of most resis
tance.

  Even if Scott somehow managed to get Cairn to cooperate, then got him off the ship and into the facility, how could he know Cairn wouldn't try some other strategy to wreck the mission? There would be a million ways for Cairn to ruin things or kill himself at Bellerophon, and Scott wouldn't be able to stop him.

  Unfortunately, the only way Scott could hope to get through the mission and achieve his objectives was to trust Cairn. Keeping him in restraints would be counterproductive...and given the stakes involved, Scott couldn't afford to do anything that would make the already steep odds against success any steeper.

  With a sigh, he stuffed the zip tie back in his pocket. For better or worse, he would take a chance on Cairn. He would try to win him over.

  "Tell me something," said Scott. "If you're such a huge pain in my ass, why the hell do I keep trying to help you?"

  "To lord it over me?" Cairn sniffed. "To make yourself feel superior?"

  "No, seriously," said Scott. "All you've done since we picked you up on Shard is treat me like a dick. You've lied to me, insulted me, threatened me, and tried to kill yourself and take me with you."

  "Don't forget, I got you drummed out of the Marine Corps for using me as a human shield." Cairn looked proud when he said it.

  "So why do I keep reaching out to you?" asked Scott. "Why do I keep fooling myself that I can get through to you?"

  "Guilt?" said Cairn. "You feel guilty because you were the one who got away back in Iridess Chasm?"

  Scott shook his head. "What if it's because I'm still..." Frowning, he rubbed his chin. "That couldn't be it."

  "Because you're still what?" said Cairn.

  "Forget it." Scott turned and headed for the door, leaving him lying there. "Not important."

  Cairn sat up and shouted after Scott. "Tell me! Tell me what you were going to say, so I can laugh my ass off."

  The door slid open, but Scott didn't rush through it. Instead, he turned slowly and gave Cairn a troubled look, one that mingled confusion and deep disappointment. "What if it's because I never stopped being your friend?" he said. "What if that's what I was going to say?"

  "Then I'd say I feel sorry for you," shot back Cairn. "I'd say I can't think of anything more pathetic."

  "Then it's a good thing I can still be your friend," said Scott, "without giving a plang what you think."

  With that, Scott left the cargo bay and heard the door sweep shut behind him. He was taking a risk leaving Cairn alone in there, though he was locked out of the Battlenauts and heavy equipment. Theoretically, Cairn could still do some limited damage with the tools at his disposal.

  But Scott's gut told him to take the chance. He had a feeling that somehow, it was a smarter play than cuffing Cairn with zip ties until they got to Bellerophon.

  Either that, or Cairn could never be trusted, and this was the mistake that would doom the mission and sign Grandma Bern's death warrant.

  *****

  Chapter 37

  Scott was starting to worry. Cairn had been alone in the cargo bay for over an hour without letting out a peep.

  "Still nothing?" Donna kept her eyes trained on the viewport in front of her, where the disk of Bellerophon's solar system was quickly approaching.

  Scott stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "I guess it was a dumb idea." He sighed. "The guy just tried to blow himself up, for crying out loud."

  "I think it was worth a try," said Donna. "Sooner or later, you need him to cooperate."

  "Which I can't do if he strangled himself with a coil of cable." Scott stopped massaging her and stepped away, heading for the door. "I'd better go check on him."

  "Just watch out in case he's waiting to ambush you," said Donna.

  Scott was about to say something when the door slid open, and he nearly collided with Cairn, who was coming through from the other side. Both of them stumbled a step to avoid bumping into each other.

  "Watch where you're going!" snapped Cairn, who didn't exactly sound conciliatory.

  "You watch!" Scott was relieved to see him but knew better than to show it. "Next time, I'll go right through you."

  Cairn pushed forward, getting right in his face. "I'd like to see you try." He lingered for a moment, gaze locked with Scott's...and then, when Scott didn't flinch, he brushed past him and sprawled over the command chair as he'd done earlier.

  Watching him, Scott wondered if his strategy had worked, or if Cairn was just playing along and picking his moment. At least he hadn't killed himself--but that might come later, at a much worse time.

  "So how long till the big dance?" asked Cairn. "When do we get to your supposed nest of Reds?"

  "One hour, forty-five minutes," said Donna. "That's a half-hour sooner than expected."

  "Good," said Cairn. "I can't wait to see that one's face when he realizes he's come to the wrong place." Laughing, he hiked a thumb over his shoulder at Scott.

  "That won't happen." Scott walked up and bumped Cairn's right leg off the armrest with his hip. "All you'll see is a big smile as we mow down those Reds."

  Cairn shook his head and sneered. "Whatever you say, Boss."

  "Good," said Scott. "That's what I like to hear."

  "I just have one question for you," said Cairn. "What happens after we're done? What's your plan?"

  Scott gazed at the viewport and shrugged. "Don't know. Haven't thought that far ahead."

  "Typical." Cairn snorted. "You let me know when you figure it out, okay?"

  "I'll be sure to keep you in the loop," said Scott.

  "That's what friends are for, right?" Cairn said it sarcastically, then laughed and threw his leg back over the armrest.

  Grinning, Scott knocked the leg off the armrest again. "Truer words were never spoken."

  *****

  An hour and a half later, the Sun Bin closed in on Bellerophon Station--a sprawl of black domes on a tiny, airless moon orbiting a bigger moon in orbit around a gas giant. It was a low-profile outpost in a remote corner of Commonwealth space, the perfect location for a secret black ops facility turned conspiracy headquarters.

  "They haven't hailed us yet." Donna's fingers danced over the dashboard. "There's no radio traffic at all. No outgoing signals of any kind."

  "Oh, well. Nobody home," said Cairn, who was still draped over the command chair. "Guess we'd better turn around."

  Scott ignored him and leaned over Donna's shoulder for a closer look at the viewport. "I don't see any activity down there. What about heat signatures?"

  "Power's on under the domes," said Donna. "Beyond that, I can't be more specific."

  "Life signs?" asked Scott.

  "Hard to map." Donna frowned at a holographic chart hovering in front of her. "Something in the domes is interfering with sensors. Some kind of shielding." Her fingers flickered across the controls, and the holo chart changed. "There could be several dozen lifeforms in there or several hundred."

  "Way to narrow it down," said Cairn.

  "Weapons?" asked Scott.

  "Six missile batteries installed around the complex," said Donna. "None currently powered up or targeted. No detectable weapons locked on us at this time."

  Scott felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. "They're watching us. Waiting until we cross the line, wherever that is."

  "Orrr...," said Cairn, "they're just a bunch of friendly miners who'd never dream of shooting at a Commonwealth ship."

  "Keep going." Scott turned to Cairn. "All ready?"

  "If you mean am I ready to die of boredom, then hell yes," said Cairn. "Sign me up."

  "You'll need to talk our way in there," said Scott.

  "What are you smoking?" snapped Cairn. "There aren't any Reds here. We've got the run of the place."

  "Just get ready," said Scott. "Think of what you're going to say to them."

  "Other than, 'Hey there, people who aren't Reds?'" Cairn laughed. "'What's it like, not using mind control to take over the quadrant?'"

  "Ten kilometers and closing," said Do
nna. "Still no change."

  "There will be." Scott ran through a mental checklist of the preparations he'd made. He remembered getting the Battlenauts ready to go and putting them in standby mode; every step was clear in his memory. He also recalled going over his plan with Donna, reviewing it three times from start to finish. As for Cairn, the less he knew, the less he'd be tempted to wreck it; Scott had sketched a few points and otherwise kept him in the dark about the details.

  Scott, his people, and his gear were as ready as they were ever going to be. And go-time was coming any minute now; he could feel it in his bones like a storm approaching.

  "Five kilometers," said Donna. "Still nothing."

  "Bo-ring." Cairn yawned loudly. "I'm taking a nap. Wake me when you've set course for Tack."

  As Bellerophon Station grew larger in the viewport, Scott could make out more details of the complex. A big, six-sided landing pad sprawled in the middle of the cluster of domes, occupied by three small ore haulers. The black domes themselves, which had looked smooth from a distance, were actually covered with grooves and studded with antennas and other instrumentation. The domes gave off a pale glow, a faint nimbus of dust, radiant energy, or refracted light.

  Arranged in a circle around them, the six missile batteries pointed in the Sun Bin's general direction. They were big enough to push out some serious megatonnage; the Sun Bin, a light jump-ship built for speed rather than combat, wouldn't stand a chance once they cut loose.

  The question was, when would that happen?

  "One kilometer and closing," said Donna. "Missile batteries remain powered down. No missile locks, no movement, no signals of any kind."

  "I hate to say 'I told you so,'" said Cairn. "But..."

  "Five hundred meters," said Donna.

  Scott leaned down beside her, bracing himself on the dashboard. "That's right, dipshits," he said, talking to the Reds he imagined watching from below. "We're calling your bluff."