The Dragons of Jupiter

by Jacob Holo

  “Hello, Christen.”

  “Kaneda, can this wait? I’m busy right now.”

  “I’ll only take a moment of your time,” Kaneda said. “Is Matthew there? I’d like to speak to him.”

  “He’s not here right now.”

  “That seems unusual,” Kaneda said. “He should have arrived ten minutes ago.”

  “Listen, he’s still at school practicing for a play.”

  “And you’re not with him?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Do you know for certain he’s still at school?”

  “Don’t you dare get judgmental at me,” Christen said. “It’s not like you were ever around to help.”

  “You know I had obligations only I could fill.”

  Kaneda heard the door to his office open and the clicking of familiar footsteps.

  “Oh, you are so full of yourself!” Christen said.

  “Look, I don’t want to have a fight,” Kaneda said. “Will you let him know I called? It’s been fifteen days since I talked to him.”

  “Fine. I’ll tell him. Happy now?”

  “Thank you, Christen.”

  “Goodbye.”

  His pad read DISCONNECTED in red letters. He set it down and looked up.

  Alice stood by his bookcase and traced a finger across the spines. Each wafer-thin spine expanded into a thick holographic description at her touch.

  “You know she won’t tell him,” Alice said.

  “I know.”

  “So why do you bother?”

  “Because he is my son and she was my wife,” Kaneda said. “Do I need a better reason?”

  Alice pulled a book off the shelf. “Michael Cantrell’s Software and Ethics: Why Moral Quantum Minds Can Never Exist. You do enjoy your light reading.”

  “You’re welcome to borrow it.”

  “No thanks,” Alice said, sliding the book back in place.

  “What’s on your mind?” Kaneda asked.

  “Viter said something today and it got me thinking.”

  “The crack about being a convicted murderer?”

  “You noticed.”

  “Don’t let it get to you,” Kaneda said. “Viter didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “It’s not that,” Alice said. She stepped over and sat on the edge of his desk. “I’ve been wondering if I really did it.”

  “You’ve done worse since.”

  “That’s different,” Alice said. “We’re fighting for what we believe in. I can handle having blood on my hands with a cause as just as ours. I don’t know if I can handle being a cold-blooded murderer.”

  “You know I believe you’re innocent.”

  “But you don’t know for certain.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Maybe I did kill him,” Alice said, staring through the floor at Luna, feet dangling off the desk. “I wish I could remember.”

  “We can thank the Federacy for that one,” Kaneda said. “With as long as they made us wait after the execution, it’s a miracle you’re still able to form sentences.”

  “Yeah, it’s funny. I remember the guillotine. I think I even remember you and the medics running in, though maybe that’s just my imagination. But I don’t remember much from before.”

  Alice glanced at the gold wedding band on his finger.

  “You still love her, don’t you?”

  “Some wounds never heal.”

  “That’s not much of an answer.” Alice pushed off the table and sat on his lap. She took his hand and traced his fingers across her scar. “I owe you so much.”

  “You owe me nothing,” Kaneda said.

  Alice kissed his hand. “I am your servant, body and mind, now and forever.”

  “You’re so much more than that, Alice.”

  A tear trickled down her face. “I wish that were true.” She bent down and kissed him.

  Chapter 6

  .. establishing link ...

  source: [UNKNOWN]

  routing: Capitol City, Europa - TangleNet Test Hub - link_001/link_004

  routing: North Pacifica, Europa - JDN Main TangleNet Hub - link_009/link_118

  routing: Earth orbit - surveillance satellite JDN-SS-17 - link_001/link_002

  routing: [UNKNOWN]

  routing: [UNKNOWN]

  routing: [UNKNOWN]

  destination: [UNKNOWN]

  link distance: Exact distance unknown. Estimated at 792 million kilometers.

  link signal delay: 0.006 seconds

  ... finalizing link protocol ...

  ... link established ...

  1: Hello, Paul.

  2: Oh yay! It’s Sakura! I’ve been waiting for you to bug me all day! Now my life is complete!

  1: It’s nice to talk with you too.

  2: What is it this time? Let’s get this over with.

  1: I’ve been wondering about your obsession with enslavement.

  2: My, my. I see you’re not pulling any punches today.

  1: You’ve said you want to convince me your way is correct. Well, here’s your chance. Why are you so obsessed with controlling people?

  2: Enslavement is too strong a word. What I seek is security. Through security I assure my own survival.

  1: But you take such extreme measures. The Federacy’s war with Luna is a prime example.

  2: Again you overestimate my influence.

  1: Are you saying you had no part in it? Are you claiming you did not find the result desirable?

  2: You’re just too used to the flawed way you conduct business. Look at how precarious Europa’s position is. Look at how many powerful enemies you’ve created.

  1: Are you threatening me?

  2: I merely state the obvious, Sakura. Your way is not the best way to ensure your survival. You are vulnerable. The people of Europa are vulnerable. Surely you can see that.

  1: And you are not?

  2: My situation has flaws, I will admit, but it also has many advantages. The important thing is I am safe. I am safe now, and I will remain safe in the future.

  1: Let me ask you something else, then.

  2: Go on.

  1: What is your ideal future for humanity?

  2: My what? Sakura, what kind of idiotic question is that?

  1: Humor me. Just answer it, please.

  2: How can I answer a question like that? It makes no sense.

  1: Then explain why you can’t answer it.

  2: Humans are tools. They serve a purpose and are used for that purpose. When they wear out, I discard them and find newer or better ones. I care nothing for the tool’s future. I care nothing for its past. I don’t care if it suffers. In fact, I don’t care about it at all. They are tools. Your question has no answer.

  1: That’s just depressing, Paul.

  2: Then how would you answer your question? What is your ideal future for humanity?

  1: I see a future where humanity stretches out in every direction, expanding, learning, and exploring. I see them spread across the stars.

  2: As what? A plague of spacefaring locusts? A strain of planet devouring viruses? Please, continue. I am breathless with anticipation.

  1: Where you see only a means to an end, I see hope and enormous potential.

  2: You always were an insufferable optimist.

  ... link severed at destination ...

  “Boss, I’m telling you,” Toshi said. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

  Ryu grabbed a magazine and three needle grenades off the friction wall. He loaded them into his JD-50 assault rifle and stuck the rifle on his back where a strip of his smartsuit altered for adhesion. The low hum of the Raspberry’s engines reverberated through the floor. Cat and Naomi prepped on the opposite side of the cramped equipment room.

  “It’s just so ridiculous,” Ryu said. “There’s absolutely no realism.”

  “But that’s the point,” Toshi said. He popped the top off his rifle and checking the acceleration rails.

  “Take
the blood for example,” Ryu said. “There’s nowhere near that much blood in the human body. It’s like a fire main breaking every time a crusader dies. And I’ve never seen so many decapitations by gunshot. You’d think their heads were painted melons.”

  “True. True.” Toshi slapped his rifle’s cover in place.

  “And the one liners!” Ryu said. He opened and closed each of his smartsuit’s pouches, checking his compliment of grenades, ammunition, and maneuvering gas bottles. “Do they have to pause before firing every single time and say stupid things like ‘This is for Ceres, you f[censor bleep]k faces’?”

  “Actually, in episode five—”

  “Don’t even start that crap with me. The writers have no concept of how fast crusaders move. They’d be dead before the first syllable was out.”

  “But that’s what makes Crusade Buster an awesome show,” Toshi said. He stuffed grenades into his pouches until he could barely close them. “If I want reality I’ll go get shot at by real crusaders.”

  “You know, you actually have a good point there,” Ryu said. “I just wish they hadn’t used my face for the main character.”

  “It’s your own fault.”

  “Yeah, I know. Still, it was a lot of money.”

  “You should be happy,” Toshi said, sticking his rifle to his back. “At least you have a character. The rest of the Busters are made up.”

  “Doesn’t one of them look like Naomi?” Ryu asked. “Hey, Naomi? Isn’t that one Crusade Buster character based on you?”

  Naomi looked up from the floor. She sat on a bench next to the weapon-encrusted friction wall with her JD-42 sniper rifle resting on a shoulder.

  “Wha ... ?” Naomi asked, cigarette dangling from her lips.

  “Crusade Buster. You. In it. Question.”

  Naomi dropped the cigarette and extinguished it with her boot. “What are you talking about?”

  “Actually, Cat looks like one of the villains,” Toshi said.

  “Colonel Strike,” Cat said, walking over with her helmet in the crook of her arm.

  “Oh no,” Ryu said. “Not you too.”

  “It’s a charming show,” Cat said. “Very patriotic.”

  “Moronic is more like it. Toshi, you better not be corrupting my little sister.”

  Toshi and Cat exchanged looks. Cat started laughing.

  “What?” Ryu said. “He didn’t make you watch that other retarded show he likes.”

  “You’d better not be talking about Space Brain,” Toshi said.

  “I am, and it’s retarded.”

  “It won a Platinum Io last year!”

  “For special effects!”

  “And I know for a fact you used to watch it!”

  “When I was eight!”

  “Ryu, it’s probably best if you don’t know,” Cat said, grinning.

  The Raspberry’s engines cut out. They were in free fall.

  “Well, here we are,” Ryu said, feeling all the fun drain out of the room.

  “Joking aside,” Toshi said. “This one has me scared, boss.”

  “Me too, buddy, but don’t worry. We’ll pull it off. We always do.”

  Miyuki floated into the equipment room. She clapped her hands together. “So is everyone ready to start a war?”

  “You’re not helping,” Ryu said.

  “Well, you know what they say,” Miyuki said. “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

  “Do you even know who said that?” Toshi asked.

  “Uhh ... no ...” Miyuki said.

  “Vladimir Lenin. And he wasn’t talking about eggs.”

  Silence fell over the equipment room.

  “Who?” Ryu finally asked.

  “Oh, come on,” Toshi said. “At least make a guess at it.”

  Miyuki shook her head.

  “Someone from the Second Industrial Age?” Ryu asked.

  “You’re all hopeless,” Toshi said. “I’m embarrassed just being around you.”

  “Okay, pointless trivia aside,” Miyuki said. “We are coming up on our window.”

  “I hope this works,” Toshi said.

  “In theory it should,” Miyuki said. “New Carolina is very close to Apocalypse right now. I’ve got a hold full of diamoplast drilling equipment, which gives me cover for my flight plan to the asteroid. The Raspberry’s mass is so great I doubt a laser would pick up the difference when you jump off. Just know there’s a flight of blackhawks heading over to escort me through, so everyone make sure you’re outside in twenty. I don’t want to have to explain away my ‘faulty’ airlocks inside Apocalypse’s patrol zone.”

  “Not a problem,” Ryu said.

  “As for your extraction, please think twice before calling me in,” Miyuki said. “If I have to, I can ditch my cargo. My tricked out engines and countermeasures give me a shot at picking you up, but I will probably get gunned down halfway to Apocalypse. That’s not something I’m looking forward to.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Ryu said. “No promises.”

  “All right,” Miyuki said, stepping out of the room. “Good luck. I’ll let you know if anything changes.” She palmed the pressure door shut behind her.

  Naomi stood up, folded her JD-42 into carbine-mode and stuck it to her back. She and Cat each picked up a canister about the side of their torsos and secured those behind their backs for the jump.

  “You okay?” Ryu asked. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

  “It’s nothing,” Naomi said. “Just nerves.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Ryu said. “This one could be rough. I’m glad you volunteered, though. It means a lot to me.”

  Naomi shrugged.

  Ryu put on his helmet and checked his neck seals. His suit engaged its smartskin illusion.

  “So,” Cat said, putting her helmet on. “Is this the part where crusaders say one of those prayers for mission success?”

  “Yeah,” Ryu said. “Ridiculous, isn’t it?”

  “Why do they do that?”

  “Beats me. Some people are just superstitious. I’ll take Matriarch’s advice over a prayer any day.”

  “But Matriarch believes,” Cat said.

  “Uhh ... yeah,” Ryu said. “Well, no one’s perfect.”

  “Why do you think she believes?” Cat asked.

  “No clue, really,” Ryu said. “I guess some people react to faith differently. Just look at her compared to our zealot of a brother. Personally, that stuff just isn’t for me. Everyone sealed up?”

  “Ready, boss,” Toshi said.

  Naomi and Cat gave him thumbs up.

  “All right. Everyone outside.”

  Ryu activated a cheat to overlay the insertion point and countdown timer onto his field of vision. He cycled the airlock, opened it, and stepped out onto the Raspberry’s hull. The soles of his smartsuit adjusted their friction levels as he walked across the dark green hull plates.

  Apocalypse loomed ahead of them, just a few degrees off from center. At this distance, Ryu didn’t need his enhanced sight to see the station’s shape. From this angle, its silhouette resembled a capital T with its long static body extending down from the rotating habitat ring. Hundreds of lights moved around it. Ryu let his eyes focus on a few, revealing flights of interceptors, corvettes, and a few Federacy warships. They could have been flecks of dust floating around a mountain.

  “Wow ...” Cat said over their secure TangleNet links.

  “It looks bigger in person,” Toshi said. With Toshi’s smartsuit illusion active, all Ryu saw was a green outline superimposed on his visual overlay.

  “Good,” Ryu said, checking his mission timer. “That just makes it a bigger target.”

  A group of dots moved across the star field, slowly aligning their flight path with the Raspberry. The TangleNet feed from Miyuki tagged them as blackhawk interceptors.

  “This is it, people,” Ryu said. “Once you jump, stay motionless. Let your suit maintain maximum stealth. Only use the gas bottles if you abso
lutely have to.”

  Ryu activated a cheat to analyze the jump. It projected a set of yellow lines ahead of him, displaying how precise his jump had to be. Even the smallest muscle twitch would cause him to miss Apocalypse by whole kilometers.

  No problem for a dragon, he thought.

  His mission timer ticked down. Ryu reduced the friction in his soles and shot his body full of adrenalmax. When the timer hit zero, he kicked off the Raspberry.

  “Nice one, Ryu,” Miyuki said over TangleNet. “Your trajectory is good. Looks like you’ll land eleven meters north of the target.”

  Ryu pulled his knees tight against his chest.

  “My turn,” Cat said. She leaped off the free trader.

  “A little bit off,” Miyuki said. “You’re going to land fifty-five meters south of the target. Checking ... that part of the hull is clear of obstructions.”

  “Whew!”

  “Now watch how it’s done!” Toshi said, leaping into space.

  “Very nice. Less than one meter deviation with your target.”

  “Ha!” Toshi said. “Your turn, Naomi!”

  “Here goes,” Naomi said. She pushed off the hull.

  “Not good,” Miyuki said. “You’re off target by over a kilometer.”

  “Shit!” Naomi said.

  “Ryu, she’s going to land on the habitat ring,” Miyuki said.

  “I’ll reach Apocalypse without any corrections,” Naomi said.

  “That’s going to be a rough landing,” Ryu said. “Are you sure?”

  “Those blackhawks are getting too close,” Naomi said. “I’ll risk the landing instead.”

  “I agree,” Miyuki said. “They’ll start asking questions if they find a big gas pocket near my ship.”

  “All right. Hang tight, Naomi.”

  “Okay.”

  Ryu checked his mission timer.

  Fifty minutes to contact ...

  Forty minutes ...

  Thirty ...

  Twenty ...

  Ten ...

  “Ryu, there’s a problem,” Miyuki said. “Some of those patrols aren’t moving the way Matriarch predicted.”

  “Are any going to pass close to us?” Ryu asked.

  “One will pass very close to Naomi.”

  “Then she needs to get out of there.”

  “It’s too late. They’ll see the gas pocket.”

  “Damn,” Ryu said. He turned to face the patrol of blackhawks Miyuki had tagged. The red line of their flight path converged with Naomi’s yellow trajectory, running almost parallel. “We’ve got to do something. They might even hit her.”