“I’m so glad you are both helping me. I promised Alvaro I would help him, I don’t want to let him down” Choi pipes up. Lynsey sits next to Angela and gives her a long, harsh look. Angela knows that look. Lynsey isn’t quite as forgiving as she is. It doesn’t go unnoticed that Lynsey has also unpacked one of the rifles. Lynsey likes Choi, as everyone does, but she is even more cynical than most. She looks back at Choi’s smiling face.
“No problem, doll. We’ll be down there soon” Angela says, forcing her own smile. The shuttle quickly takes off and departs the shuttle bay. Choi’s pleasant humming is the only sound as the shuttle quickly approaches the massive docking level of the planet. The lack of atmosphere makes the trip fast and smooth, and within a couple of minutes, they are hovering above the docking platform that will lower them into the complex proper. Just as Angela moves to begin the auto-docking procedure, her console beeps. She activates the screen monitor to find Amira standing in the shuttle bay, with Emily behind her.
“Major” Angela says.
“I’ve been informed by Shipmate Maxwell that you are planning to land in the complex” Amira states.
“Uh…”
“I’ll take your slack-jawed response as confirmation. Do you have any idea who you are supposed to be meeting?” She asks. She transmits information to the shuttle as she speaks.
“Major, we’ve been…” Lynsey begins, glancing back at Choi, “told that there is an escape plot. We’re just going down to check it out” she replies, waving her rifle for effect. Amira smirks.
“They might take that gun off you”
“Then I would have to take issue with the training I was given, wouldn’t you say?” Lynsey quips. A broad smile breaks out on Amira’s face, and she nods her respect to the comeback.
“True. Thankfully, I expect that it would never happen. However, you should review the details of the specific person Corporal Ji-Woo was talking to” she replies. Angela and Lynsey call up the information. Alvaro Karoa, just another one of the countless minor criminals. Lynsey looks over the list of offences; permit lapses, theft, one physical infraction. Tough luck story probably. Lynsey sympathises, given some of the brain eaters down there, but his imprisonment is not unjust.
“Major, I’m not seeing anything overly impressive,” she says.
“Known accomplices” Amira states firmly. Lynsey looks over the list, not really-
“Oh,” she breathes. She points it out to a confused Angela; whose reaction is exactly the same. Andres Orion. They both turn to Choi. She comes over and looks over the information.
“You can’t condemn Alvaro because of people he knows,” Choi says.
“Come on Choi, this is a trap! He wants you to go down there, so he can kill you, then kill us, then steal our shuttle, then kill everybody” Lynsey moans. To her annoyance, Choi chuckles softly.
“That’s not going to happen. You have such a pessimistic view of things, Lynsey! I promise it will be fine!” she chirps. She truly doesn’t see an issue. Alvaro is always honest with her.
“Come back up. We’ll do some deep scanning, analyse the prisoner records, and if there is any kind of escape plan, we’ll find it” Amira commands. Just as she finishes speaking, the shuttle jumps slightly.
“What’s that?” Lynsey asks. A somewhat bashful Angela points downwards.
“The grav-lock. The auto-docking procedure has begun”
“What? Can’t you stop it?” Lynsey says. Angela throws her hands up.
“What do you think auto means? The whole point is to stop ships flying in and out of here all the time. We’re landing” she says.
“I’m sending another shuttle down. Don’t do anything stupid, wait for backup” Amira says, ending the comm link. The shuttle lands on the platform, which lowers through the tall structure into the complex. Another jolt confirms they have reached the ground.
“We’re here for at least ten minutes,” Angela says. Lynsey mumbles something offensive. She checks the charge on her rifle.
“We’ll need to accost this guy. We can’t just walk up and have a chat, because he’ll be labelled a collaborator or a snitch, and I don’t want to be responsible for a riot. Just stay behind me. Ange, make sure this shuttle cannot be breached in any way” she orders, moving to the door. Angela grips her own pistol tightly, moving directly behind her wife. She knows better than to dismiss Lynsey’s warnings now. Choi jumps up, eager to meet her friend. She does not pull out her pistol. Angela isn’t sure she’s ever even held a gun before. Lynsey opens the door and quietly steps out of the shuttle, with her rifle butt pressed against her shoulder.
The first thing she detects is the faint sound of orchestral music playing. An old trick to stimulate peaceful thoughts. Scanning her eyes around the soft orange walls, she notices the second thing. A silent group of identically dressed people with identically shorn heads lining up at the leftmost wall of the room. Lynsey’s peaceful thoughts dissipate as more prisoners arrived to look at the rare sight of an actual shuttle landing in the complex. They could all be violent murderers, or they could all be incompetents who used fake permits. Lynsey knows the delivery ship is on the way. If there is a plot afoot they’ll need to discover it quickly. One of the prisoners, a large woman, takes a couple of steps forward. Lynsey barks, jabbing her rifle forward.
“Do not approach this shuttle. Go back to your compartments immediately” she says as firmly as she can manage. She clenches her teeth. She can’t show even a hint of fear. There are at least twenty prisoners here.
“Move! Now!” She screams, firing a shot into the roof. Most of the prisoners scarper away. The remaining few angrily glare at her, but eventually, they leave the area. Lynsey sighs in relief.
“Alright, Choi, get this Alvaro person here quickly. We’ll use one of these little rooms to interrogate him. If he’s lying, we’ll find out” she commands, leading the trio over to a door. She swipes her hand over the seam, and the wall opens up, revealing a surprisingly luxurious lounge style room. Several curved plush-looking grey couches form a circle around a holo-projector. For a fleeting moment, Lynsey ponders committing a crime or two. You could hold an orgy in here. Not that she ever would, of course.
“Alvaro will be here soon. I’m so excited to finally meet him!” Choi chirps, shaking her hands in celebration. She doesn’t need to wait long. The door opens again, and Alvaro steps in. Lynsey guides him to a seat across from Choi. They share a friendly wave. He seems pleasant enough to Lynsey, but she’ll sip tea on Earth before she trusts anyone in a prisoner’s jumpsuit.
“Before you try anything, explain your association with Andres Orion” Lynsey snarls. Alvaro looks nonplussed.
“He was the captain of a ship I worked on as part of the cargo management team. I assure you, I’ve got nothing to do with his recent activities” he replies with a smile. He points to the door.
“Not to be rude, but I can tell you that those prisoners will be going after your shuttle right now. They’ll bring more people. You should probably stop them” Alvaro says. Lynsey snorts, but a loud thud is heard from outside. Angela cracks open the door and pokes her head, and her pistol, out for a check. She gives Lynsey a concerned look.
“He’s right! There’s a squad of them out there. I’m not letting someone steal my shuttle!” she says, stepping outside.
“Wait!” Lynsey gasps. She sprints to the door. “Don’t do anything stupid Alvaro, or I’ll smear you over that wall” she orders over her shoulder as she leaves. As soon as she does, Alvaro gets up and locks the door.
“It should be just us. She’ll never trust me” he says, taking a datapad out of his jumpsuit.
“I trust you,” Choi says. He returns her grin, giving her the datapad.
“This is the list of everyone who is planning to escape. Your shuttle was a surprise to them, as the delivery shuttle should be here within the hour with no sol
diers on board, because it doesn’t normally land. But, they’ve rigged together a device that will override the automated landing program and bring the shuttle down” He says. Choi laughs. To be fair to these poor folks, it is ingenious thinking.
“Wow. Everything is on here?” She asks. He nods. She hugs him tightly, only pulling away to rub his arm.
“No Strap?”
“No, they take them off before we get here,” Alvaro says. A few thuds of plasma rifle fire startle the pair. A few muffled shouts follow before the door slides open again. Lynsey comes back in, angrier than before. She jabs the barrel of her rifle inches from Alvaro’s face.
“They tried to get our shuttle, whilst you were in here distracting us” she growls. Alvaro jerks back, putting his hands up.
“I didn’t! I’m trying to help!” he says. Choi bodily moves in between Alvaro and Lynsey.
“He’s telling the truth. Read this datapad” She says. Lynsey glares at her, but Choi remains upbeat, holding the pad as she holds a soft smile. With a grunt, Lynsey snatches the pad and reads over it. She leans away from Choi, although she keeps her rifle pointed at Alvaro. After a minute of reading and murmuring to herself, she lowers her gun.
“Wait…you’re actually helping us? Why?” She asks.
“Because I want to get out of here sometime, but I don’t want to be killed as soon as I do. Orion will either demand I come back to work for him or kill me. I know what he’s doing, and I don’t support it” Alvaro says. He seems genuine to Lynsey. However, this needs to be tested, she decides.
“Move. We’re going to the shuttle” she says, briskly guiding the pair out of the room. Angela, who had remained in the shuttle, lets them in. Lynsey gives her the datapad.
“Do a scan for the device mentioned. And check for these names” Lynsey says. Angela gives one of her exaggerated salutes.
“You got it, doll,” she says. Lynsey keeps her eye on Alvaro, who sits next to Choi. They appear to be sharing a private joke of some sort.
“Good news,” Angela says, and everyone crowds around her chair. “The device is real. With this info, I can disable it. And everyone on this list is here. They all have previous associations with Andres Orion as well” She says. Choi laughs and gets up to waggle her finger at Lynsey once more.
“I told you” she grins. When Angela also laughs, Lynsey allows herself to relax.
“How did you know he was telling the truth?” She asks. Choi scrunches her face up.
“Because he told me he was,” she says, chuckling some more. She gives Alvaro a tight hug.
“You should probably get back. I’ll message you again soon!” she says.
“I look forward to it already,” Alvaro replies before leaving the shuttle. Choi waves him off with a sigh.
“He’s really nice. Oh, you should probably cancel those other shuttles until the device can be removed. After all, criminals can be trouble” she says, and even Lynsey laughs this time.
Now You Know Who You Are Fighting
How many times can she pull the mother card on Admiral Winters, is the prominent thought going through Nemmy’s mind as the Boomslang travels at full speed towards the sector’s main shipyard. They had barely been guarding Greyblock for a fortnight. Aside from Choi’s surprising escape plan discovery, it has been exactly as mind-numbing as everyone had guessed. A fortnight’s worth of complaints and moans rattles around the hull, enough to drive Nemmy to desperation. Officially, the ship is going to the shipyard for more refits.
Unofficially, Alondra has agreed to re-deploy the Boomslang after another begging session. She had made some quip about irritating Winters, but Nemmy was sure her mother was just annoyed at her demanding special treatment. The more she went to her mother, the further in debt she put herself, and one day that debt would be called in. On the bright side, her award from the Emperor had arrived without any fuss. The glittering, jewel-encrusted, obscenely expensive Celestial Shield sat on her work desk in her quarters. She didn’t feel like she deserved such an opulent award for what Callendra had done, but she still managed to gaze lovingly at it for half an hour. The medal would be worth millions of Rons, if anyone were ever allowed to sell them.
She looks around the bridge. It’s quiet, with little else but the sounds of the occasional console use ringing around the room. She checks her own. They were moments away from the shipyard. It’s getting more comfortable to be here, she realises. Despite the frequent moments of panic and confusion, Nemmy has started to feel like the chair she sits in actually belongs to her. The consoles, the sounds, the walls, the entire ship is becoming as familiar to her as the rooms of her family home. She allows herself a satisfied smile as the Boomslang comes out of warp-space. She quickly activates the viewspace and the bridge crew enjoys the spectacle for a moment. The Master Shipyard sprawls out before them for miles in all directions, a colossal metal cluster of spider-like constructs and hollowed out spheres. This Shipyard is one of the largest in the entire Imperium, repairing and constructing ships large and small for five sectors. They glide past one on the large spheres. Inside, Nemmy identifies the half-finished framework of an Avenger-class ship. Hopefully a more impressive vessel than the last one, she muses.
“Shipmates, are either of you reading other ships?” Amira suddenly asks. Nemmy looks over. She is frowning heavily, with an intense glare directed at the viewspace. Checking again, it occurs that there isn’t any of the expected traffic between the structures. Even the support robots were missing. Alonso groans as he stares at his readouts.
“Uh….Oh, yes, I’ve found a group of ships close to the central hub. And…weapon fire” he breathes.
“What? Here?” Nemmy asks, just as confused as everyone else is. Except for Amira, who snaps into action.
“All hands! Battle stations!” She roars into her Strap. “Commander Mukesh to the bridge immediately”
“Get us over there, Emily” Nemmy commands. The grooves spew energy as the Boomslang bursts between structures towards the ships. They swing around behind a sphere to find themselves facing the command base for the shipyard, a slanted cylinder station almost a mile from top to bottom. The glowing streaks of plasma blasts slash back and forth across the grey hull. Ravaan briskly enters the bridge, quickly taking in the situation.
“Shipmate Belling, a count of the ships please?” he asks. Alonso appears confused but complies.
“I can locate…seven Imperial ships, and thirteen hostile ships. I can’t identify them. They have no matching class or design elements,” He replies.
“Seven? Where is the defence network? The turrets, the drones?” Amira asks. Alonso shrugs.
“The only activity in the entire system is right in front of us”
“One of the defence ships is heavily damaged” Emily interjects, turning and jabbing a hand at the viewspace. “They are trying to back away” she exclaims.
“We should help them,” Alonso says. Nemmy couldn’t agree more.
“Move us in between them and the attacking ships. And…ready all weapons on the nearest enemy ship” she says, the words hanging heavy in the air. There won’t be a peaceful solution to this one. She looks at Ravaan and Amira. To her immense relief, they both nod their approval.
“Target the weakest area of their shields and hit them with everything we’ve got” Amira booms. Ravaan goes back to studying his console, a deep frown dominating his face.
“We must ascertain the motivation for this attack. As well as the condition of the shipyard defences” he says.
“When they are all dead, then we can investigate,” Amira snaps. At that moment, Alonso shouts. Everyone looks at the viewspace. The Boomslang closes in on an ungainly lump of a ship. The vessel fires scorching green bolts of plasma at a fellow patrol class ship. A barrage of missiles burst out from the Boomslang, arrowing towards the unsuspecting enemy vessel. It continues to fire stinging blas
ts at the other ship even as the missiles hammer through the shields and crack open the hull. The firing stops as the ship collapses in on itself and explodes, launching twisted shards of debris in all directions.
“Keep us in front of the damaged ship, they might need evacuation support,” Nemmy says.
“I can’t locate any of the larger ships assigned to the shipyard,” Alonso says, confusion written across his face.
“Have they been destroyed?” Nemmy asks.
“There aren’t any escape pods or big pieces of wreckage or anything. They’re just not here” He says. Nemmy wonders if everyone else is unnerved by the situation. Amira was right though. Investigations can wait, they need to survive first.
“New contacts coming in!” Emily announces. “Five ships…they aren’t ours” she says. Everyone falls silent for a moment.
“Perhaps we should consider withdrawing,” Ravaan says.
“No! We’re not leaving people to die!” Amira angrily replies.
“We may all die if we stay here, Major” Ravaan instantly snaps back. Amira’s rage is clear, but she knows the truth. The other ships rapidly approach the other attackers. They need some-
A beep interrupts Nemmy’s train of thought. They’ve received a message. She checks her console. It is being broadcast to every Imperial ship. She sends it to the viewspace, as the firing outside stops. An instantly recognisable scarred face appears.
“This is Andres Orion of the Solar Flare. We call a short ceasefire. I invite your officers onto my ship so that we may discuss the situation” Andres announces. His smirk is pronounced. He is in complete control and he knows it. “I know your custom is to carry weapons at all times. I’ll allow it but make no mistake; you are alive purely at my mercy. So, behave” he says, closing the comm. Amira utters an obscene comment.
Unknown Earth Volume 2 Page 18
