by M. R. Forbes
“Gant?” Abbey said.
A light chitter of excitement returned through the speakers. “Queenie,” Gant said excitedly. “You’re there. I mean, I knew you would be because I knew you were alive, but it’s good to hear your voice.”
“Gant, calm down,” Abbey said. “Where are you?”
“The Brimstone.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I know, right?”
“We’re about to drop out of FTL near Anvil. What’s your position.”
“Geosynchronous orbit above the planet,” he replied. “Queenie, you aren’t going to believe this, but the crew of the ship surrendered to me.”
“Surrendered?”
“I know. I had to duck off the bridge so they wouldn’t hear me. They think I’m with Thraven, part of an elite unit that boarded and captured the ship. From what I’ve gathered, their Captain has gone a little insane. He brought the Brimstone here against Thraven’s orders, sent one of the crew to Medical with a nasty blow to the head, and basically made everyone on the bridge terrified of him.”
“You’re talking about Ursan Gall?” Abbey said.
“Yeah.”
“Where is he?”
“Planetside. Why?”
“He knows where Thraven is staging his war. He knows where the Fire is. We need him.”
“It sounds like it. I was hoping you were close by. I tried to contact you earlier, but you must have been off the net. I could use a little backup here. Apparently, Gall also sold his starship to some Plixian traders or something. We just took delivery of fresh crew members, and it’s only going to be a matter of time until they figure out I’m here alone.”
“We’re geared and ready. Are you visible?”
“Are you kidding? Can you guess how many questions the Outworld Planetary Defense would be asking if they knew the Brimstone was here? I’m sure they’ve seen the Republic streams. No, we’re laying low, but I can give you a good positioning estimate. You can pass the Imp over when you get close.”
“Uh,” Bastion said. “Yeah. About that.”
“I don’t like the tone of your voice, Lucifer.”
“I kind of crashed the Imp on Feru.”
“What do you mean, kind of?”
“I was outnumbered ten to one. It’s a miracle I lived to tell you about it.”
“Lucky me.”
“All right,” Abbey said, cutting them off. “We’ve got a replacement shuttle. We stole it from the Crescent Haulers after Thraven’s undead soldiers attacked us.”
“Excuse me, Queenie,” Gant said. “Did you just say you stole something from the Crescent Haulers?”
“I know. We didn’t have a choice.”
“Describe didn’t have a choice.”
“Forget it right now. Pass over the coordinates.”
“I’ll have to get them from the bridge. Hang tight off Feru. I’ll be in touch. Gant, out.”
The link closed. The red LED stopped flashing. Bastion looked back at Abbey. “Well, I’ll be a freak-monkey’s uncle.”
“Shut up,” Abbey replied. “All right, Rejects. Slight change of plans. We’ve got a line in from Gant on the Brimstone. He has the ship under control, but we have to be nimble to secure it. Okay, you, Jester and Nerd are going to take the shuttle over to the Brimstone and give Gant a hand. Lucifer, Fury, Ruby, and I are going to take the Faust to the surface to look for Ursan Gall. He knows where Thraven’s been hiding, and I want to know, too.”
“Aye, Queenie,” they replied.
“Uh, Queenie,” Erlan said.
“What is it?” Abbey said.
“You want me to go over to the Brimstone? As in, fly her?”
“You are a pilot, aren’t you?”
“Well. Yeah, but. I mean. I’ve never.”
“It’s a prototype,” Bastion said. “Almost nobody has ever.”
“Aye, sir,” Erlan said, smiling.
Another LED started blinking on the console. This one was green.
“We’re here,” Bastion said, reaching forward and hitting the toggle beneath it.
A sudden silence overcame them as the disterium reactors powered down, even though none of them had noticed the noise they made until it was gone. A blue haze of the crystalline material surrounded them as they came out of FTL, quickly passing through the cloud and clearing into Anvil’s space.
“Lucifer, get clearance from Anvil’s PD and bring us into geosync to wait for Gant.”
“Aye, Queenie.”
“Nerd, head on down to the shuttle with Okay and Jester. And don’t let them give you any shit.”
“Aye, Queenie,” Erlan said, abandoning the co-pilot’s seat and heading out of the cockpit.
Abbey moved into his place, leaning back into the worn chair. “See, it isn’t always bad news. We’re fifty percent mission complete.”
“The last fifty percent is always the hardest,” Bastion offered.
“Let’s hope not.”
32
“Shuttle’s away,” Bastion said.
He didn’t really need to. Abbey could see it through the canopy, making the short hop to the hangar of the Brimstone, which itself was a small point of light in what otherwise looked like completely empty space.
She could hardly believe the ship was there, and that Gant had single-handedly captured it for them. Well, not quite single-handedly. If Ursan Gall hadn’t lost his mind, the crew of the ship wouldn’t have been so willing to turn it over.
Still, she had a feeling he might have managed to get the starship away from them regardless.
“Queenie,” Gant said, using short-range direct communication now that they were within close proximity. “There’s something else you should know about this ship.”
He sounded fearful, which surprised her. He had never struck her as being afraid of much of anything.
“What is it?”
“When I first got on board, I went to the engine room.” He paused. “Well. I’m not sure how to say this other than, there’s no engine.”
“What do you mean there’s no engine?”
Bastion turned his head, looking over at her, confused.
“I mean, it isn’t a standard build. It isn’t standard tech. Whatever the hell Thraven is, whatever the hell he did to you that let you survive the damage you took on Drune, he’s using it to power the Brimstone. The main engine compartment is filled with people, all hooked up to a machine in the center. They’re hanging from the walls. They’re still alive. Still breathing. I’m shaking just telling you about it.”
Abbey felt the chill herself. “Captain Mann told me they built the Fire and Brimstone from ancient blueprints that Emily Eagan claimed predated human civilization. I don’t know what the Gift is, but it seems like it’s a lot more versatile than we realized.”
“And sick,” Bastion said.
“I can’t argue that,” Abbey agreed. “There’s nothing we can do about it right now. Gant, the others are entering the hangar now.”
“I’ve got eyes on them,” Gant replied. “Not a second too soon. Lieutenant Iann was starting to look a little squirrely to me.”
“Funny you should say that,” Bastion said.
“Bite me, thrusterhead.”
“Lucifer, do we have clearance to land on Anvil?” Abbey asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Bastion replied.
“Good. Gant, you’re in charge on the Brimstone. Be nice to Erlan.”
“Erlan?”
“The new guy,” Bastion said. “Call sign, Nerd.”
Gant chittered in laughter. “I can’t believe we have a new guy. What kind of moron signs up for this outfit on purpose?”
“He helped us get off Feru,” Abbey said. “He deserves some respect.”
“Ok, Queenie. You know I’ll do what you say. Be careful down there.”
“I will. You too. Queenie, out.”
The link closed. Abbey glanced at Bastion. “Well?”
“On our way.”
Bastion adjust
ed the throttle, and they began turning away from the Brimstone and adding velocity. Within a few seconds they were clear, and he adjusted course to get them headed toward the planet.
“I was out here once before,” Bastion said. “We did a drop on a planet not too far from here, a little nothing colony. Some assholes there decided to make a quick jaunt into Republic space and attack one of our bases. They stole a handful of mechs, some guns, and ammo. Idiots.”
He added more thrust, the Faust continuing to accelerate toward the planet.
“Anvil Proper, this is the Faust. We’re headed in for a landing,” he said, opening the line to Anvil’s orbital control.
“Roger, Faust. We’ve got you on sensors. You’re clear to land. Setting a marker for you.”
The HUD at the front of the pilot’s seat changed, showing a flashing beacon to indicate where the Faust was supposed to land.
“Roger, Anvil Proper. I have the ball.’
“That was easy,” Abbey said once Bastion closed the link.
“You missed the details. Ruby passed them fifty thousand to keep things quiet. Unless they’re on the take with Thraven, too, we should be going in clean.”
Bastion adjusted the ship’s vector and velocity, matching it up to the readings on the HUD. Abbey was sure this kind of landing was probably boring for him. Newer systems would have this kind of thing automated.
“What was I saying?” Bastion asked.
“Idiots,” Abbey replied.
“Right. Idiots. So of course, the Republic retaliated. They sent my company over, dropped a couple of platoons on them. They didn’t even know how to use the mechs they had stolen. Their plan was to strip them down planetside and then disappear into the stars and sell everything they had taken on the black market. You got a taste of that on Orunel.”
“That’s not the first time I was in a place like that.”
“Yeah, I forgot, you like the action. Long story short, we dropped in and just decimated them. I mean, it was so unfair it was terrifying. I remember thinking at the time, how could anyone be so stupid?”
“Did you ever get an answer?”
He laughed. “No. But I’m kind of thinking the same thing about this guy, Gall. Every indication is that Thraven is stone-cold, but he just decided he wasn’t going to follow orders anymore, and he came here for what?”
“According to Gant, he wasn’t very happy I cut his wife’s head off. He’s trying to bring her back. It’s kind of romantic, in a way.”
Bastion laughed. “In the most fragged up way I can think of, maybe. But again, how can anyone be so stupid? Thraven is going to wipe the stars with him when he gets a hold of him.”
“Not if we do it first.”
“Roger.”
The Faust shuddered slightly as it entered the atmosphere, the visual beyond the canopy turning orange from the heat of reentry.
“So, Queenie,” Bastion said. “I think we’re making a connection here. Good chemistry. What do you think?”
Abbey raised her eyebrow and looked over at him. “I think you should shut up and drive.”
Bastion laughed again, falling into an amused silence as he guided the Faust downward. Within a minute they were cruising over the city, the volume of traffic amidst the tall buildings obvious below. A minute after that the ship was setting down gently between a number of orbital shuttles and smaller starhoppers like theirs.
“So, how do we find this asshole?” Bastion asked, powering down the ship and getting to his feet.
“I know we’re called Breakers, but we don’t just break into things,” Abbey said. “We’re pretty damn good at finding things, too.”
“And when we do?”
“He’s got the Gift, but so do I. If we work together, we should be able to take him clean. Just remember, we need him alive. Or at least, alive long enough to give us Thraven’s address.”
“Roger that.”
Abbey moved out of the cockpit and into the CIC, where Ruby and the others were waiting.
“We’re here,” she said. “Ruby, keep the Faust warm for us.”
“Yes, Queenie,” Ruby replied.
“Fury, Lucifer, let’s go.”
33
“I wish I had been able to bring Jester with us,” Abbey said as the Rejects made their way across the spaceport tarmac toward the loop. “He knows more about the Outworlds than all of us put together.”
“Yes,” Airi said. “And it’s pretty much the only thing he’s good for.”
“That and whining,” Bastion said.
“Olus wanted him, and I trust his instincts,” Abbey said. “He just hasn’t had any great opportunities yet. At least he knows how to shoot, and he hasn’t run away yet.”
“He wants to,” Airi said.
“Olus?” Bastion said. “You’re on a first-name basis now? Do I have competition?”
“Fury is competition relative to you,” Abbey replied. “We aren’t soldiers anymore, remember? Besides, he gave me the keys to your lives. I think that puts us on a more personal level.”
“Yeah, sure. Of course, you have the hots for my arch nemesis.”
“Captain Mann got you out of Hell,” Airi said.
“Captain Mann put me in Hell,” Bastion said.
“You beat the shit out of him,” Abbey reminded him.
“Like that matters.” Bastion smiled.
They reached the loop station, approaching a small kiosk.
“Cover me,” Abbey said.
Bastion looked around. “We aren’t under attack.”
“I might be able to get into the city’s data network from here. Make sure nobody sees what I’m doing.”
“Roger.”
Abbey reached under her coat to her softsuit, digging into a tightpack and retrieving a long, thin rectangle from within. She couldn’t very well wear a helmet in the middle of a loop station, but while the standard TCU interface made things easier, it wasn’t the only way to hack a machine.
She reached to the side of the kiosk, tapping the rectangle. A small needle extended from it, which she jabbed into the side of the box. An even smaller needle would extend from the first, reaching out and making a connection with the circuit board within. Her aim had to be relatively precise, but it was her job to be familiar with the make and model.
Abbey waited a few seconds while the disruption package did its work, injecting Breaker written malware into the device that forced it into diagnostic mode. A menu appeared on the projection, allowing her to access the command line. She was grateful the softsuit had included the piece of hardware. While it was standard Breaker kit, she hadn’t expected to find it in a hand-me-down from Feru.
“Excuse me,” someone said behind her. “I need to get a pass for the loop.”
“This terminal’s closed for repairs,” Bastion said.
She assumed the individual moved on.
Abbey began typing in the air, her hands moving in quick, practiced motions that brought her deeper into the machine’s systems.
“Is something wrong with the terminal?” someone asked.
“Just routine maintenance, sir,” Airi replied.
Abbey spared a glance over her shoulder. An Outworld soldier in dress grays was standing there. Their eyes met for a moment, and then she returned to her work.
“Can I see some identification?” the soldier asked. “There have been reports of individuals trying to break into the terminals to get free passes. I just want to make sure your work is authorized.”
Abbey cursed under her breath. It figured some other assholes were trying to hack the system, too. Thraven’s?
“Are you on duty, sir?” Bastion asked.
“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” the soldier replied.
Abbey kept digging into the system, moving as quickly as she could. She didn’t let the soldier bother her. Focus was essential.
She reached the root network adapter for the service. Automated systems like these typically had a unique pas
sword and address that were passed to the control mainframes for authentication. If she could grab those, she could get back in at another terminal at another time. One that was as far away from Captain Do-gooder as they could get.
“With all due respect, sir,” Bastion said. “I believe the question is highly relevant. After all, we’re standing here in the open at one of the busiest terminals in the city, and yet you have the audacity to make an accusation that we’re up to no good, like we’re some kind of imbecilic thieves who are dumb enough to try to break into a secured system in the middle of a crowd of individuals?”
“I’m only asking you for identification,” the soldier replied. “If you have it, why not just produce it so I can be on my way?”
Abbey entered the commands to request the machine’s address, a twelve digit series of letters and numbers that she committed to memory when it appeared. Then she moved to another part of the system, using the address to try to uncover the password.
“The identification isn’t the point, sir,” Bastion said. “The point is your accusatory tone and stance. It’s almost as though you’re looking for trouble, even where there isn’t any. If I had to guess, I’d say you’ve been on Anvil a little too long, and the pleasure bots and gambling isn’t doing it for you anymore. Not when what you’re really itching for is a good firefight.”
Abbey tensed slightly, wondering how the soldier would react. She let herself relax when she heard him laugh.
“Yeah, maybe that’s it exactly. I’ve been planetside for three months, and I still have three more to go. You aren’t wearing a uniform. I assume you served?”
“Six years,” Bastion said. “Right out of school. Dropship pilot. I fragged up my eyes. Now I’m working here helping fix this crappy hardware.”
“A thrusterhead? Shit. Now I don’t know why I’m talking to you at all.”
“Army?” Bastion asked.
“Yup.”
“Which planet?”
“Avalon.”
“No shit?”
The soldier laughed. “Yup. This is my mandatory tour. I’ve heard rumors somebody on our side did a number on the Republic, so maybe I’ll be getting some action after all.”
“I’ve heard that, too. I wish I could still fly.”
