Trapped

by Scott Bartlett

  Iver looked fairly at ease as he studied the visual. “Let’s not make assumptions about what forms the hive minds are able to take, Captain. If the acidic slime that infiltrated some of our ships showed signs of sentience, then it’s not unreasonable to expect whatever’s coating that crater to do the same.”

  Daniels shook his head slowly. “With all due respect, I’m having trouble buying that analysis, Admiral. Certainly, the Brood are versatile. But for an organism as complex as the hive minds must be, I would expect a complex organic structure to match. I can’t imagine it would still be able to attain such complex cognition while…smeared on a crater’s bottom.” He cleared his throat. “I think we need to consider the possibility that this is one of the decoys.”

  The admiral leaned forward in his seat, and Daniels noticed his knuckles whiten as he gripped the right armrest. I think I’m actually getting through to him.

  “This was supposed to be it,” Iver said. “It makes perfect sense, given the enemy’s—”

  “Sir,” snapped the sensor operator. “They’ve stopped.” He paused. “No, they’re reversing course. They’re heading back the way they came.”

  “What the hell are they up to?” Iver said.

  “They appear to be headed back, sir. Toward the Relentless’ location.”

  Iver jumped to his feet. “Give me visual on what the Relentless is doing.”

  “Sir?”

  “Where is the damn Relentless?”

  “She’s right…” The officer paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by what he was seeing. But Daniels didn't need to hear what his sensor operator had to say. He could see it on the tactical board. They’d been so consumed with the movement of the Brood as they’d closed in on their new target, they’d failed to notice that the Relentless wasn’t following. She’d turned back to the initial target.

  And now all the Brood ships in the region were rushing toward her.

  Chapter 48

  Combat Information Center

  UHC Relentless

  Husher frowned at the tactical display, where the Providence and most of their battle group was speeding toward the asteroid that, according to Admiral Iver, housed the Brood hive mind.

  The Relentless was waiting for the O’Kane to perform a quick systems check. Once she got back to Commander Long with green across the board, both warships would sail after the other human vessels.

  But is it the right move?

  Husher had been watching his starfighters engage the Pseudopods that remained in Relentless’ nearspace. The alien fighters seemed unusually reactive to the Pythons’ maneuvers. Almost as though the hive mind was paying special attention to those Brood.

  Which would mean it’s paying special attention to us. But why, if Iver’s the one barreling toward the mind with weapons ready?

  The XO’s voice broke into Husher’s thoughts. “Sir?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Yes, XO?”

  “I have a bad feeling about the plan.”

  Husher kept his face neutral, careful not to reveal his own feelings on the subject. He wanted an unbiased perspective from the bright young officer, and that meant withholding any sign that he agreed. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  The XO stood and crossed to Winterton’s console. Husher joined him.

  “It doesn’t make any sense for the Brood to put their hive mind where the others are headed,” Shota said.

  “It seems the tacticians on the Providence disagree with you.”

  Shota gave a sardonic laugh. “I graduated with half of them. Add them all up and you don’t get half a brain.”

  Almost, Husher rebuked him for failing to show proper respect for his fellow service members. That rebuke was coming, but now was not the time. “The admiral seems to put some stock in them.”

  The XO rolled his eyes. “Look.” He tapped the console. Husher could see out of the corner of his eye that Winterton was less than enthused about the commander tapping his display, but he said nothing. “Zoom in on that.”

  Winterton slid his hand over the display and made a quick motion with two fingers. The image shifted and spun in closer. “Look at the way the Brood is hanging back, just here.”

  Husher decided to continue playing dumb. He wanted to find out just how much the XO had seen. A younger Husher might have tried to demonstrate he’d seen this, too—to prove his competence, his insight. But Husher had proven himself enough for one career. If they turned out to be correct, and Shota got the credit for it, then so be it. “It looks like they’re pursuing the Providence and the rest of the battle group as they head toward the new primary target.”

  “Sure, looks that way. But look again. Yes, the enemy’s heading in the right direction, but they’re decelerating. It’s like their heart isn’t in it, and they want to stay ready to turn on a dime.”

  Husher finally allowed himself a smile. “Good work, XO.”

  Shota’s mouth opened, then closed. He clearly hadn’t expected the sudden praise.

  Husher returned to the command seat. “That’s no hive mind Iver’s headed for. If it was, the Brood would be doing everything it could to catch up.”

  “Uh…exactly, sir.” Still looking somewhat perplexed by Husher’s sudden agreement, Shota returned to the XO’s chair.

  Tremaine spoke up. “That leaves an important question. Where is the real hive mind?”

  “There’s one way to find out,” Husher said. “Winterton, I want to you to keep a close eye on those Stomach ships.” He turned to Fontaine. “Nav, we’re going to have a course change. And I want it to be dramatic.”

  “Say the word, sir.”

  “Turn us back toward that asteroid. Our initial primary target. Helm, I want to make for it at best possible speed, considering the circumstances.” He meant the mess of debris they’d created, but Moens would know that.

  “Aye, sir.”

  “Execute as soon as you have the course from the lieutenant.”

  Shota still seemed uneasy. “If we’re right, we have a problem.”

  “No backup.”

  “Exactly. Iver won’t be able to get back to us in time, and we know not to count on the Scions. We’re on our own.”

  “Course engaged, sir,” Moens said.

  Almost immediately, the Brood ships that had been following the main battle group came to a halt. Then, they turned.

  “Looks like we got someone’s attention,” Shota said.

  Husher nodded. “Now we have to move fast. Coms, tell Major Gamble we need him to assemble a landing party, and we need it assembled yesterday.” He slapped the com link. “Callum, there’s been a change of plans.”

  “Sir?”

  “We believe the asteroid we were headed for contains the hive mind. The fact that the entire Brood force is converging on us now that we’re headed for it seems to confirm that. We’re going to get hammered in a matter of moments.”

  “Are we leaving the O’Kane, sir?”

  “Negative. We’re bringing the O’Kane with us. We’ll need all the help we can get. The rest of the fleet won’t be able to get back to us ahead of the Brood.”

  “I hate to tell you, sir, but there are still plenty of hostiles out here. I think we got most of the Pseudopods, but I’d be shocked if there aren’t Stomachs hiding among the asteroids, using them to avoid all the debris we kicked up. Those Stomachs can take a lot more punishment than the Pseudopods can.”

  “I agree, Major. We’ll bring all we can to bear. But I have another task for you. I’m about to send out a landing party—your job will be to get them safely to the asteroid’s surface.”

  “Understood, Captain.”

  Husher nodded at Long. “Get me Gamble.”

  A moment later, the marine major was on Husher’s console. He looked somewhat out of breath, and the sound coming through had a tinny quality to it. After a moment, Husher identified his location as the corridor leading into the main hangar deck.

  “How close are you to whe
els up?” Husher asked.

  “Two minutes,” Gamble said. “Just finishing up loading four shuttles with some very bad characters. Plus some nasty toys for them to play with.”

  “Very good,” Husher said, smiling in spite of the severity of the situation. “Take your bad characters and do some damage down there. Major Callum will escort you to the asteroid. We’re almost certain that what you and your men are headed into is the hive mind controlling all the Brood activities in this system. I don’t think I need to tell you that I expect you’ll encounter extreme resistance.”

  “Understood.” If the news bothered Gamble, it didn't come through in his voice.

  “Good luck, Major.”

  Less than two minutes away, Winterton glanced back at him. “Shuttles are away, sir.”

  Chapter 49

  Oneiri Team

  Above asteroid in Scion space

  “Listen up, boys and girls,” Jake said. Oneiri was about to deploy along with the shuttles carrying the marines. His pilots were already inside their mechs, and the landing bay was being depressurized. “Our Python friends are going to have their hands full, getting those shuttles to the asteroid’s surface. The Brood are coming with everything they have. If those marines are going to reach the asteroid in one piece, we’ll need to pitch in to defend them.”

  “The soft meaty humans,” Driscoll said. “Always needing the big metal men to protect them.”

  “Pretty sure you’re one of those meaty humans,” Maura said.

  “Details.”

  “Line up,” Jake said. “Bulldog, you take Zeph and Whiskers on the front shuttle. Moonboy, you and Frog can keep an eye on the middle children. Moe, Steam, you’re with me on the rear shuttle. We’ll probably take the most fire.”

  With that, the double doors of the landing bay’s main airlock both opened, the broad hatch sinking into the deck. The shuttles engaged thrusters, each lifting gracefully from the landing bay and floating into space.

  As the last one departed, Jake gestured to the rest of his team. They sprinted toward the opening, then leapt into the void, thrusters flaring to life.

  “Incoming,” Bulldog said. “We’ve got twenty-six Pseudopods incoming.”

  “Roger that, Tucker,” Ash said. “Looks like they’re flinging Wayfarers our way.”

  Jake turned toward the incoming aliens and had his suit’s sensors zoom in. Sure enough, a monster was tearing through the membrane of each Pseudopod’s carrying sack. Each alien flier flung its deadly cargo toward the shuttles with its characteristic slingshot motion.

  With that, two squadrons of Pythons tore into the alien fighters, locking both forces into a deadly struggle. Jake trusted the Relentless air group to keep the Pseudopods off them—but dealing with the lethal cargo they launched would come down to Oneiri Team.

  “Listen to your suit, people,” Jake said. “It has your back. Literally. If an enemy is coming on your six, fall back on your training, and remember: an autocannon to the face goes a long way.”

  The Wayfarers were nearly upon them. “Break, break, break,” he called out, firing his own thrusters to spin around, tracking the incoming attackers. He retracted the fingers of both hands so that they lay flush against his mech’s wrists, revealing the autocannons underneath. With that, he opened up.

  The other MIMAS pilots followed his lead. Once the Wayfarers left their carriers, they had no control over their trajectory, so for now the mechs could hammer them with impunity.

  Threads of high-velocity rounds lit up the intervening space. Rockets streamed from shoulder launchers.

  Wayfarers were torn to shreds by armor-piercing rounds, or blown apart by rocket fire. Together, Oneiri cut the alien numbers almost in half.

  But half was still way too many. A few of the Wayfarers missed the shuttles altogether, but thirteen crashed down onto the shuttles, using their claws to dig into the metal, to avoid being thrown off.

  The impacts jostled the transports, but they managed to reorient, staying the course. That wouldn’t last unless Oneiri Team could deal with the aliens on their hulls, quickly.

  Jake landed on the rear shuttle’s hull, switching on his mech’s magnetic boots for purchase.

  “Look out!” Maura shouted as the Wayfarer nearest him split down the middle, its throat opening to reveal wicked fangs glinting in the starlight. The thing belched a piece of bone covered in green-blue liquid. Jake dodged sideways, and the acid spray flew beyond him and into open space.

  He took aim at the Wayfarer’s head with both autocannons. Twin threads of light ripped into its fang-covered mouth. The head exploded and the body went flaccid, floating dead, but still attached to the shuttle by its razor claw.

  Jake didn’t have time to celebrate. Another Wayfarer charged him from the side, already too close to hit with autocannons.

  He grabbed the creature just as it tried to slash him with its huge claw. He slammed his head into the alien, but there was little he could do about the razor-sharp teeth. They clamped down on his MIMAS’ shoulder like a dog tearing at a piece of meat.

  Jake’s HUD lit up with the damage to the hydraulics in that arm. The teeth were so sharp they instantly pierced his outer armor. He swung his other arm around, simultaneously extending the bayonet.

  It drove deep into the creature’s head. The thing went limp, but a puff of acid burped out of its ruptured skull.

  Jake jerked away, but it was too late to save the exposed shoulder joint. The hydraulics were completely eaten away.

  He didn’t let it slow him down. He couldn’t. There was no surviving this if he let it. He leaned hard into the lucid dream now, trying to feel the edges of his mech. He wanted to feel exactly how his mech felt, so he could understand what mobility he had left.

  He saw another Wayfarer rushing at Maura, but before it could get close, Ash split it in half with her lance.

  Jake barely let himself take a breath before hailing the rest of Oneiri Team. “Bulldog, Moonboy. Sitrep. You need help clearing off the other shuttles?”

  “You kidding?” Tucker said. “We handled that long ago. I had time to take a nap.”

  If Jake hadn’t been deep inside the mech dream, he would have rolled his eyes. “Moonboy?”

  “We’re clear, Clutch,” Bo said.

  At that moment, the stars whirled as the shuttles noticeably changed course, nosing ‘down’—from the mech pilots’ perspective, anyway.

  “What the hell are they doing?” Maura asked over the team-wide channel.

  Staring along the shuttle’s nose, Jake had his sensors enhance once more. An asteroid leapt into view, and so did part of a crater, a third of which was hidden beyond the rock’s horizon. Its center was visible, however, and there he could see the mouth of a large tunnel.

  I bet that wasn’t there yesterday. He would have bet money on that being where the hive mind had entered the asteroid.

  The shuttle was decelerating fast, straining his mech’s legs to keep him upright. “We’re on our final approach to the asteroid.”

  “Which is also our final approach to rendezvous with the critters swarming all over it,” Ash put in.

  Jake studied the perimeter of the asteroid. Ash was right. It was crawling with Wayfarers.

  Maura took a step toward the front of the shuttle. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

  “Belay that.” Jake stepped toward Moe’s mech and laid a hand on its shoulder. When she turned, he pointed. “We have more Pseudopods inbound. My guess is they’re going to try to sandwich us between the Wayfarers they carry and the creatures on the asteroid, just as we’re landing.”

  Maura’s MIMAS shook its head. “Smart.”

  “Yeah,” Jake said. “They seem pretty motivated to protect this rock.” More confirmation that we’re headed toward the real hive mind.

  “Look!”

  At Ash’s interjection, they turned back toward the asteroid. There, the Wayfarers were leaping off the surface and into space—making their way toward
the four shuttles with startling speed.

  “Wow,” Maura said. “I didn’t expect them to try that.”

  Ash nodded. “They’re strong. And that asteroid isn’t holding them down with more than a hint of gravity.”

  “If they’re trying to reach us already…” Jake turned to confirm his suspicion. Yep. The Pseudopods were loosing their nightmarish cargo, too: membranes tearing to release the monsters inside.

  Mentally whipping through HUD menus, Jake opened a channel with all four shuttle pilots. “Petty Officer Price here. I have a request. Wait until the last possible minute, then commence evasive maneuvers. My pilots and I would prefer to cut down on the number of hurtling death machines we have to deal with, if it can be helped.”

  “I got you,” said Rodriguez, who piloted the Little Beetle. The other shuttle pilots echoed the sentiment.

  As Jake switched back to the Oneiri channel, he saw that his request to evade the incoming aliens would be harder to honor than he’d expected. The aliens had apparently anticipated the move, and both the Wayfarers who’d leaped and the ones who’d been launched were fanning out through space in an even spread. The chances of dodging all of them seemed small.

  The first brute neared the rear shuttle—the one Jake, Ash, and Maura were defending—but in an almost unbelievable stroke of luck, an asteroid chunk came hurtling out of nowhere to knock it off-course.

  Two more Wayfarers sailed past, closeby, but not close enough to make contact with the shuttle. Instead, they spat acid as they overtook the craft. Jake sidestepped to avoid the spray…

  …and it splashed across the shuttle’s hull instead. The metal there began to instantly corrode. If it makes it through to the marines inside…

  But he couldn’t think about that. They would reach the asteroid soon, and he knew the pilots had already depressurized the shuttles, in case they were breached during the fighting. The marines all had their suits sealed tight.

  “Maura!” Ash shouted.

  A Wayfarer crashed down onto the shuttle, right in front of Moe. It lashed out with a claw, but Maura deflected it with her bayonet at the last minute.