by Jacob Holo
“Maintain course,” Kaneda said.
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t think Admiral König is bluffing,” Alice said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Kaneda said. “If Piller is right, then König is the least of our worries.”
“We have to risk it,” Viter said. “If we hesitate now, then what’s the point of us existing?”
Alice turned to Three-Part. “Are you ready for this?”
“The medics cleared me for active duty,” Three-Part said.
“That’s not what I asked,” Alice said.
“I think you’ll find our newest member doesn’t back away from a fight,” Kaneda said.
“Not a chance, sir,” Three-Part said.
A holographic hemisphere of data and images glowed in front of the pilot. Apocalypse grew closer, filling the view screen. Cameras processed and relayed the images to the transport’s reinforced cockpit.
Kaneda brought up a status report on his visual overlay. Nearly all one hundred crusaders in the hold showed full combat readiness. Two had partial ammunition loads due to the rush to board, and one had a minor mechanical problem in his left arm.
The transport’s proximity warning sounded. Something punched through the center of the screen and struck the pilot in the head. Kaneda’s implants kicked in. Time slowed for him. He jerked his hand out of the bullet’s path.
The pilot’s head exploded, coating the inside of his helmet with gore. The bullet scraped paint off the back of Kaneda’s gauntlet. It flew by and punched through the rear hatch.
The transport rocked from an explosion and began spinning. Two crusader suits in the hold transmitted KIA codes. Kaneda and the command squad crashed against a side wall. He grabbed a support beam and pulled himself towards the pilot. Air whistled out of the tiny hole in the cockpit. Kaneda reached over the pilot’s corpse and made hard contact with the transport’s micromind.
“Controls are dead,” Kaneda said with icy calm.
“The fuel tank was hit!” Viter shouted. “We’re leaking into the hold!”
A proximity warning sounded again.
The two crusader transports crashed together and spun wildly. The collision threw Kaneda to the floor. Centrifugal forces from the violent spin dragged him towards the cockpit screens. He punched his gauntlet through the floor and held on to a strut underneath the sheet metal. Diagrams of both assault transports in his overlay displayed hull sections in yellow where they’d collided. A blob of red damage spread from his transport’s fuel tank.
“Fire in the hold!” Viter shouted.
Kaneda received dozens of high temperature warnings from crusader suits near the leak.
“We need to vent the atmosphere!” Alice shouted.
“The micromind isn’t responding,” Kaneda said. “Open the hatch to the hold.”
“I’ve got it!” Three-Part shouted. From his prone position, Three-Part reached up and smacked his gauntlet against the controls. The hatch slid open. Smoke poured into the cockpit and got sucked into space through the bullet’s entry point. Growing flames cast the hold in harsh orange light. Several crusaders had unlatched their harnesses, but that only made things worse. The transport’s spin pulled the burning fuel and the armored crusaders in the same direction.
Kaneda raised his wrist-mounted grenade launcher, cycled up his anti-tank rounds and fired three into the bullet’s entry point. The explosions blew the fractured front armor wide open. Control screens, air, and debris blasted through the hole. Kaneda held on to the floor strut. The arms and legs of the dead pilot flapped wildly in the powerful suction. The seat’s crash webbing kept the corpse from flying into space.
“The fire’s dying out,” Alice said.
“We need to get the transport under control,” Kaneda said.
“The micromind doesn’t have a soft backdoor,” Viter said. He ripped open a small junction box on the wall. “I’ll try to get a hard connection from here.”
Kaneda opened the command channel. “Alpha company, abandon ship. Beta transport, slow for pick up. Delta and Gamma transports, continue on mission.” He watched the confirmation codes from other crusaders file in.
“Connection established,” Viter said. “I have control.”
Maneuvering thrusters fired, slowing the transport’s spin.
Kaneda let himself float off the floor. He pushed off the ceiling and locked his boots to the deck.
“Abandon ship,” Kaneda said, leading the way. Crusaders floated in the cramped hold, some friction-holding to walls, ceiling, or floor. Black scorch marks covered the rear hold. A few dozen crusaders bore similar scarring.
“Sir,” Beta’s pilot said. “Now in position for pickup at the rear hatch.”
Kaneda stopped in front of the rear hatch. It stretched across the entire rear wall, large enough for ten crusaders to disembark shoulder to shoulder. The fuel tank explosion had warped it inward.
“What’s the delay?” Kaneda asked.
“The hatch is jammed, sir,” the crusader at the controls said.
“Viter, take care of this,” Kaneda said, stepping back.
“Yes, sir,” Viter said. He raised his M7 thermal lance and set the beam for short-range cutting. A white-hot beam ignited from the tip, dissipating after one meter. Viter stepped forward and carved through the reinforced hatch. He cut out a ragged section and kicked it into space.
“Everyone out,” Kaneda said, jumping through. Beta transport hovered nearby: a fat, armored brick with engines. Alpha transport’s new “hatch” floated away underneath it.
Kaneda fired short bursts of compressed gas from his armor’s maneuvering pack, floated to beta transport, and stuck his soles to the surface. Crusaders began landing around him. He walked across the hull to the front of the transport and faced Apocalypse.
“Now, what exactly just happened?” Kaneda asked.
“The projectile did not come from the Federacy fleet,” Beta’s pilot said. “Trajectory shows it came from Apocalypse, though where exactly I’m not sure. Probably the habitat ring. Stealth and damage profiles match a JD-42 turbo-devastator round.”
“König isn’t the only one who doesn’t like us,” Alice said.
“Indeed,” Kaneda said.
“Sir, you should get inside the transport,” Viter said. “You’re too exposed out here.”
“We’ve wasted enough time,” Kaneda said. “Is everyone on the hull?”
“That’s the last of them,” Three-Part said.
“Very well,” Kaneda said. “Beta transport, take us in.”
“Yes, sir!”
The transport swung to face Apocalypse, powered up its engines, and accelerated.
Kaneda received a private message through the Invincible’s SolarNet router. He let it through.
“Admiral König,” Kaneda said.
“What exactly is wrong with you?” König asked in a harsh, gravelly voice. “Are you and your tin soldiers deaf?”
“I can hear you just fine.”
“Then hear this! Turn back now before I blow your transports into the afterlife!”
“Sir,” Viter said. “The Invincible is bringing its bow to face us.”
“We are not turning back,” Kaneda said.
“How much clearer do I have to make this?” König asked. “Your fanatical mercenaries are not allowed on Apocalypse. I will kill you before you reach it.”
“You will not,” Kaneda said.
“Damn it, Kaneda. Do you want to get hit with a kinetic torpedo? There isn’t going to be anything left beyond a thin smear of particles.”
“Threaten me all you want, my mind is set.”
“Are you listening? I will not give you another warning!”
“No, admiral,” Kaneda said. “It is you who has ignored my warning. There are dragons on Apocalypse.”
“That is no excuse,” König said. “We have the situation under control.”
“You have no idea how little control you have.”
“The garrison regiment is containing them as we speak.”
“They will fail.”
“I cannot allow you on Apocalypse.”
“Then you sentence all of Earth to death.”
“I don’t frighten that easily, crusader,” König said.
“Listen to me, admiral. My battleground is wherever the quantum mind sends its troops. It has infiltrated Apocalypse, and so I will respond. The dragons must be stopped. The stakes are too high for us to be slaves to rules and regulations.”
“This is no mere—”
“Listen to me!” Kaneda shouted. “I will not turn away from what must be done! The dragons could fire on Earth! They could destroy Earth! I will not stop the crusaders! Not for anyone, be they the President of Earth or the Queen of Olympus or even the second coming! I am boarding Apocalypse and you will not stop me!”
A second SolarNet message appeared in Kaneda’s overlay. He saw the address and merged the conversation with König’s.
“Kaneda,” Admiral Piller said. “I’ve been monitoring your situation.”
“Stay out of this, Piller!” König shouted.
“Fortunately, I have a solution to this impasse,” Piller said.
“Sir,” Three-Part said, pointing. “The Stalwart.”
The Federacy battleship accelerated alongside Kaneda’s transport, placing itself in the Invincible’s line of fire. Turrets along the top and bottom of the Stalwart’s “blade” brought their guns to bear on the Invincible.
“So,” Piller said. “Still want to take that shot?”
“Damn you, Piller!” König shouted. “I will have your stars for this!”
“We’ll see who is vindicated.”
“Move your ship out of the way before a blow a hole in it!”
“Go right ahead,” Piller said. “I’m sure the dragons will laugh all the way back to Jupiter.”
“Admiral König, we are not enemies,” Kaneda said. “We both want to see Earth safe and the dragons defeated. I offer you a compromise.”
The line was silent for half a minute. Apocalypse filled the space ahead and continued to grow closer. Beta transport turned around and fired its engines for deceleration.
“I’m listening,” König said at last.
“The crusaders will stay on Apocalypse only as long as absolutely necessary. Once the dragons are dead, we will leave. You have my word.”
“I see,” König said. “It seems I have no choices in this matter other than to make it worse. Very well. I know when I’m beaten.”
“Thank you, admiral.”
“Good luck, Kaneda,” Piller said. “I wish I had better intel to give you.”
“You’re sure the dragons are going for the control room?”
“It’s the only target that makes sense.”
Beta transport closed with the command hangar near the top of the station. Kaneda turned to Penance and saw the next two crusader transports approaching, but something else caught his eye. Three points of light approached Apocalypse from Earth’s general direction. He let his eyes focus on the ships. They shone like burnished metal, as if they’d been rushed out before anyone had time to paint them. The ships were about the same size as an assault transport but had a curious wedge design.
They were also approaching very fast.
Kaneda tagged the transports and sent the locations to Piller.
“What are these ships doing? They’re heading for Apocalypse.”
“I don’t know,” Piller said. “Ummm ... let me check.”
“Are they Federacy vessels? I don’t recognize the design.”
“They should be. They’re in the patrol zone,” Piller said. “Hold on ... yes, they’re sending Federacy IFF codes. Their flight plans are in our database.”
“That flight plan comes from Apocalypse’s server, correct?” Kaneda asked.
“I ... yes, that’s correct.”
“And we have dragons on Apocalypse,” Kaneda said. “Admiral König, are they yours?”
“No,” König said. “I don’t know what those ships are doing. They’re not part of the army reinforcements. Those are still twelve minutes out.”
“Then they’re not friendlies,” Kaneda said. “Order them to back off. If they don’t comply, shoot them down.”
“But everything checks out,” Piller said.
“No, it doesn’t,” König said. “They’re on a direct course for Apocalypse.”
“That can’t be right,” Kaneda said. It took a lot of nerve to fly directly at a destination. In space a minor engine failure could turn a ship into a lethal weapon. Everyone always picked a spot next to their destination and made the final adjustments at low speed. Always. Alpha transport was already floating by Apocalypse thanks to that practice.
“If they’re flying straight in,” Kaneda said. “They can’t be friendlies.”
“Agreed,” König said. “How did they get that deep into the patrol zone without an escort? To hell with this. I’ve had it with surprises today. Gunnery control! Give me a targeting solution on those transports.”
The three ships accelerated straight for Apocalypse.
“This channel is compromised,” Kaneda said. “Shoot them down! Quick!”
“Piller, your fucking ship is in the way!” König said.
“Right, uhhh, gunnery control! New targets!”
Turrets on the Stalwart swung about and opened fire, but the transports were almost to Apocalypse. Twenty-eight continuous streams of kinetic and explosive rounds traced through space and pounded into the ships. One careened out of control and crashed into the habitat ring. The other two rammed into hangars further down the station. Structural panels and people blasted into space from all three impact points.
“I don’t believe this,” König said. “What the hell is happening?”
“Don’t say anything else,” Piller said. “Switching encryption type now ... everyone still here?”
“Present,” König said.
“That may not be the last of them,” Kaneda said. “Admirals, we must assume the worst. I will take my crusaders and clear the launch center of any hostiles.”
“Hrmm, very well,” König said. “Under the circumstances you may proceed. I’ll have Apocalypse create a soft backdoor to their network that will respond to your crusader decryption keys.”
“Good luck, Kaneda,” Piller said.
The two admirals disconnected.
Beta transport slowed and floated into the hangar. Most of the flextube docks along the walls were empty, but a few held shuttles or interceptors clamped in place.
Kaneda tagged several of the flextubes and set nav beacons inside the station. Thin lines linked the beacons in his overlay, sketching out a dozen paths through the station’s interior. With help from an administrative cheat, he broke down the navigational data by squads and distributed it to the crusaders.
“Our primary goal is to secure the launch center,” Kaneda said over the command channel. “Our numbers will grant us little advantage in the cramped corridors. We will spread out through multiple routes and sweep forward through the station. Engage any hostiles in your path and converge on the launch center. Selected squads will divert and investigate the crash sites.”
Kaneda watched the order confirmations come in from each squad. He pushed off the transport and maneuvered into the closest flextube. His path took a direct line to the launch center.
Alice, Viter, and Three-Part landed behind him. The flextube’s neck pinched shut, allowing air to flood the chamber. Once the cycle completed, the door to the hangar lounge opened. Alice and Viter stepped forward, the integrated multitrackers in their helmets active and pinging. A rotating beacon saturated the wide chamber with red light. Someone’s data pad floated by, playing a music video through its tiny screen. A group of Feddie regulars stood on the ceiling, boots holding them secure in the zero gravity. They stepped aside, weapons aimed at their feet.
Kaneda linked his overlay
with the squad’s combined multitracker imaging. Pale layers of amplification, motion detection, thermals, radio, ultrasonics, and even particulate scents overlapped his vision. A lesser mind would have found it overwhelming, but wetware implants allowed him to split his concentration.
“Immediate surroundings clear,” Alice said. “Probably.”
“Confirmed,” Viter said.
“Advance,” Kaneda said.
“Yes, sir,” Viter said, raising his thermal lance.
The squad exited the hangar lounge and entered a long, curving corridor. The walls were painted with yellow-and-white diagonals to denote the area’s access level. Viter led the way with Kaneda and the others close behind. Three-Part occasionally swept the rear. They passed dozens of closed pressure doors leading to dormitories, storage areas, and a few high-class restaurants.
“This place isn’t laid out very well,” Three-Part said. “Too many routes from one point to the next. Hardly any security doors.”
“I doubt the original designers planned for infiltration,” Kaneda said. “It’s more a military city than a fortress. Exterior weapons are the primary deterrent.”
“Something’s not right,” Alice said. “I’ve been checking the backdoor König set up for us. The Federacy is getting weird reports from its patrols near those three impact points. There’s a lot of confusion. I’m having trouble making sense of it.”
“What are you seeing?” Kaneda asked.
“Lots of KIA codes near the impact points,” Alice said. “A few were from the initial crash, but most came later. I don’t have any firm sightings of enemies, but judging from the casualties, the hostiles are moving towards the launch center.”
“As we expected.”
“There’s also another group of casualties further in,” Alice said. “They’re spread out and the timing is a bit off, but if you line them up they point to the launch center.”
“That would be the first group of dragons,” Kaneda said.
“Yeah, I think so,” Alice said. “Should we divert to the impact points?”
“No,” Kaneda said. “We’ll proceed as planned.”
“It’s hard to tell where that first group might be,” Alice said. “A lot of the KIA’s were due to proximity gre—”
