“We’ve got to hurry; they’re counting on us!”
“I know,” Harry said. “Don’t bug me; I’m thinking…”
Mio looked at her chrono. If he didn’t come up with something right now, they were going to be late, and she was going to get even more people killed. The resistance fighters would never trust her again…assuming any of them survived the attack. She had to get Harry through to the missile system.
“We’re out of time,” Jason said, when no decision seemed to be forthcoming. “We’ve got to go. We’ll just have to try running past it on the sides of the passage; maybe they won’t notice.”
Harry looked into Mio’s eyes. “They’re probably going to see us, so they’ll be expecting us. One of us has to make it to the command vehicle. If they kill me, you’ve got to get to the command vehicle and blow it up!”
Mio nodded. “Got it,” she said. “We have to destroy the command vehicle.” She turned and looked down the passageway. If only there was another way, she thought. Mio took a deep breath. She would make her father proud of her.
“Okay; here we go,” Jason said. “We’ll all go on ‘three.’”
Her father? Something about her father tugged at the corners of her consciousness.
“One.”
She could see his smile, almost as if he were standing next to her…
“Two.”
Next to her? That’s it! “Wait a second!” she exclaimed, grabbing Jason’s arm before he could go charging off. “I’ve got it!”
“Got what?” Jason asked. “We don’t have time for this. We have to go!”
“We have to get there without being seen,” Mio said, “and I know how to do it. I’ve got a holo-projector. If I project a picture of the tunnel in front of the camera, we ought to be able to get past it.”
She pulled the projector out of her pocket and looked at the little device. Inside it was the only memento she had of her father…and she had to erase it. It was the only contact she had to her family. As her father was probably dead now, there would never be a chance to get another one. Before she could talk herself out of it, she pressed the ‘Erase’ stud.
“Okay,” Mio said, blinking back a tear as she thought of her father. “I just have to set it up. It will only take a second.” She set the cube next to the rock and recorded as much as the cube would hold.
“When I give the signal,” she said, returning to the group, “run down the left side of the passageway single file. I think it will work, but it’s better if we go quickly to minimize our exposure.”
She returned to the cube, nodded to the group, and pressed the ‘Play’ button. A hologram of the passageway sprang into view that blocked most, but not all, of the other side. The group ran past on the far side.
“Did it work?” Jason asked.
“I don’t know,” Mio replied. “It all depends on how closely they were watching.”
“So, they may know we’re coming,” Jason said with a nod. It wasn’t a question. “I’ve got the lead from here to the door. You and Harry are our high value units because you know the way; I want you in the back from here on out. Stop me before I take a wrong turn.”
He broke into a run, and the rest of the group hurried after him. Mio checked her chrono; even at the punishing pace Jason set, she could tell they would be late.
They were still a short distance from the door when the sounds of gunfire reached their ears.
“Jason!” Harry called. “Hold up!”
“What?” the resistance fighter asked. “Are you deaf? The attack has already started.”
“I can hear just fine, thanks,” Harry replied. “I know the attack has started.”
“What is it, then?” Jason asked. “We need to be there now!”
“We do no one any good if we arrive out of breath or run into a trap,” Harry said as he resumed a brisk walk. “We still have a few minutes before the missiles are ready for launch. And they won’t shoot unless their ship is destroyed, so we’ve got until the space battle is done.”
The group reached the doorway a couple of minutes later; the gunfire was much closer and distinct. Several explosions also sounded. That was trouble—only the Terrans had grenades or missiles.
Mio put a hand on Jason before he could step through the doorway. “Let me look,” she said. “I know where everything was earlier.”
“Hurry!” he ordered.
Mio lay down and crawled forward. No one waited in front of the door. That wasn’t the case outside the tunnels, though; ground lighting around the prepped missile vehicles and the first hints of pre-dawn light lit everything well enough to see. She could tell there were more Terrans running about than she had ever seen in one place. Most were farther away than the command vehicle, and all seemed to be running toward the firefight.
Except for the two soldiers posted outside the door to the command vehicle. She scanned the panorama one more time, then scurried back.
“Most of the soldiers are going toward the battle,” she reported, “but there are two Turds guarding the door to the command vehicle. Also, is it bad that the missiles on the trucks are now pointed straight up?”
“Very bad,” Harry replied. “They’re within minutes of launching.”
“We’ve got to stop them!” Jason exclaimed. “Is there any way to sneak up on the soldiers? We have to get this done, and if the rest of the army is alerted, we don’t have enough people to hold them off.”
“There’s no way to sneak up on them,” Mio said. “It’s all in the open.”
“Crap,” Jason said. “I don’t want to give them the opportunity to call for help, but we’ll have to chance it. We don’t have time.” As if to underscore his statement, there was a roar from outside as one of the missiles launched. There was no way to tell if its target was the ships in orbit or First Landing, but their minutes to act had just become seconds.
If the Terrans called for reinforcement, the resistance fighters would probably have to blow up the vehicle, Mio realized, rather than capture it. But that would ruin her plan! She thought furiously. How could they get to the command vehicle? It was in the open…that’s it!
“I have an idea,” Mio said, taking off her pistol belt quickly, before she could change her mind.
“What now?” Jason exclaimed. Mio could see her window of opportunity was infinitesimally small.
“No time to explain.” She jammed her pistol in the waistband at the small of her back. “Cover me,” she added, “and kill them if I don’t.”
Mio sprinted from the tunnel and raced through the gap in the bushes like something horrible was chasing her. Throwing her empty hands up, she made a beeline toward the command vehicle yelling, “Help! Help!”
The soldiers raised and aimed their rifles at her, but she didn’t stop. Looking down the barrels of their rifles, she found it easy to look panicked. “Don’t shoot!” she cried. “I’m unarmed! Don’t shoot!”
The soldiers held their fire, and she ran up to them, panting hard.
“What’s the problem, little girl?” the one on the left asked, lowering his rifle.
“Resistance fighters!” she exclaimed, gasping for breath. “In the tunnels…” she said, pointing behind her. “Lots of them!”
“Go tell the lieutenant,” the one on the left said, glancing toward the tunnel entrance, then turning toward the other soldier. “Bring help!”
The man on the right started to go. Mio reached behind her and grabbed her pistol. In one fluid motion, she aimed and fired at the man on the left, striking him twice in the chest. At the sound of the weapon firing, the other man turned. Mio spun and fired, but the man threw himself to the ground and rolled. The shot missed.
The man continued moving, and Mio fired several more times, the laser bolts fusing the sand next to the man to glass as she continued to miss.
Mio pulled the trigger again, and the weapon clicked, out of power. She pressed the battery release button with her finger, while her other hand gr
oped for a replacement from her pocket. She found the battery and yanked it out, but the soldier was already up on one knee, raising his rifle. Mio had time to realize she would be too late; she was going to die.
The man’s head exploded as at least two laser bolts hit him. A third struck him in the chest as he fell over.
Harry ran up and shot the trooper one more time, while Jason did the same with the other soldier she shot. Neither was necessary; they were both dead.
Jason and Amelia sprinted to the door of the vehicle, and Jason yanked it open. They fired their rifles several times as they advanced into the vehicle, then Amelia turned and waved her men forward. “Get the explosives in here!” she ordered.
Without a word, the man with the backpack charged toward the vehicle.
Mio could see her plan evaporating. “Wait!” she yelled. “We don’t have to blow it up; we can still capture it.”
“We don’t have time,” Amelia said. “They already launched one of their missiles.”
Mio looked frantically to Harry. “Isn’t there something we can do?” she asked.
Harry’s face scrunched up in thought. “I might be able to recall it, or terminate it in flight,” he said, “but I’d have to do that from inside the vehicle.”
“Please!” Mio begged. “Let him have a try. It’s the only way we can win!”
Amelia thought for a second, then waved them forward. “You don’t have long,” she said. “If you can’t do something immediately, we’re going to have to blow up the vehicle.” She turned to talk to someone inside the vehicle. “Set the charges, but don’t initiate the fuse until I tell you.”
Harry ran forward and up the stairs, with Mio close behind.
“Hey! Who are you?” a voice yelled from behind her. “Stop and be recognized.”
Amelia fired as they ran past her. “Hurry,” she said. “Looks like reinforcements are coming!”
Mio followed Harry into the vehicle and was immediately assaulted by the smell of death. Four Terran soldiers lay on the left side of the vehicle, slumped on the keyboards in front of them, and blood was spattered throughout the interior. Harry ran to the first chair and yanked the soldier from the chair. Sliding into position, he scanned the board once, taking in the displays. He pulled the headset from the dead man’s body, placed it on his head, and began manipulating some of the dials and buttons.
“Can you do it?” Jason asked.
“Maybe,” he said, flipping a switch. “On second thought, yes. Yes, I think I can. It’s a little different, but it looks like it has most of the same functionality.” He pointed to the chair next to him. “Mio! Take that position. Quickly!”
Mio ran to the chair and shoved the dead body, but it didn’t move. Her hands came away red and sticky. No time for grossing out. Mio moved to the side of the position and saw the man’s seat belt. She pushed the button, and the belt retracted, allowing the dead man to slump farther forward. She shoved him again, and his body fell to the floor on the other side, leaving a headset dangling from the dash and a red smear down the panel in front of her. The body left a small red puddle in the plastic seat.
“Take the seat!” Harry ordered with a new, very military, tone in his voice.
“It’s…uh…” Mio said looking at the puddle.
“Sit down!” Harry yelled. “I need your help now!”
Mio slid into the seat, closing her eyes and shuddering as the wetness soaked through her pants. She put the headset on like Harry had done.
Harry reached over and grabbed a handset from where it dangled on a cord in front of her panel. “Take this,” he said, handing her the device. He twisted a knob on the dash in front of her to “Guard.”
“Talk to them!” Harry said.
“Talk to who?” Mio asked.
“There’s a ship coming. I’m trying to stop the missile; tell them not to shoot us!”
“Quickly!” Amelia said, slamming the door of the vehicle. “We’re surrounded and trapped!”
Mio put the device to her lips, not knowing what to say. “Uh…ship that’s coming…”
“Push the button first, Mio,” Harry said, “and tell them who you are.”
Mio saw the button on the handset and pushed it. A new tone sounded in her ears as the radio began transmitting. “Uh, ship attacking the planet, this is, uh, Mio Sanchez. Please don’t blow us up.”
“Station calling, this is the Alliance Combatant Vessel Puller,” a voice said in the headset. “Please identify yourself!”
The Puller? That was her father’s ship! “Hi Puller,” she said. “This is Mio Sanchez. We just captured their missile system, and we’re trying to stop the missile the Turds launched at you. Oh, can you say ‘hi’ to my dad for me, too?”
“Got it!” Harry exclaimed. “Command destruct. The missile is destroyed.”
A wave of relief threatened to overwhelm Mio. The Alliance was finally here. Her father—no, her Daddy—was finally here, and they had just saved him and his ship. Her long nightmare was over. She was finally safe. “Great!” Mio said. “We’re saved!”
The vehicle rocked. “Not really,” Amelia said. “The Terrans are trying to break in. If they recapture this vehicle, they can use the missile system against the ship and our town. Nothing’s over until we own the ground, or this weapon is taken out. We’re going to have to destroy it, rather than let it fall into their hands.” She nodded to her explosives expert. “Trigger the detonator,” she said; “we’re blowing it up.”
“Mio!” Her father’s voice said over the radio. “Oh, my God! I’m so happy you’re okay!”
Realization dawned on Mio. It was all so stupid. To have fought so long, to have seen and done so much, and to have her father finally here…all to lose it in the final moments. But she had learned in her growth from kid to rebel. And she knew the difference between harsh truths and forlorn hopes. Fooling yourself or avoiding the issue only increased the pain.
Tears blurred her vision. She hoped Daddy would understand.
Mio keyed the mic and answered him, trying to sound brave. “I’m okay now, Dad. I love you, and I’m so glad you’re here, but we can’t let the Turds shoot at you or the town. We’re going to have to blow ourselves up. I’m sorry, Dad, I really wanted to see you again.”
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-One: Adelaide
Mio’s words—her final words!?—echoed across the bridge and reverberated in Benno’s helmet. To come this far, to have endured and inflicted this much horror, and to finally hear her voice and KNOW she’d survived…only to listen to her say she was about to blow herself up.
It was too much to comprehend, too much to feel. Benno’s mind and soul stretched to their breaking points. He could almost hear their final crack…
When the planet-side anti-orbit missile battery launched on them, they all knew they were doomed. The Puller was broken. She may have outlasted Mare Crisium, but that did not mean their destroyer was “victorious.” There was no way they could defend themselves against what was coming. With so many casualties, so much hull penetration, so many damaged systems, they only had half their reaction control thrusters, one of four engines, and a quarter of their radiators intact. As for weapons, a single railgun, two PDCs, and one laser functioned, and those only in local control. There was no way they could have taken out gunnery rounds, much less a missile bus with a hundred Dauphine xaser warheads.
Benno and the crew had long since come to terms with their odds and their probable fates. One can look only so long into the abyss before it ceases to generate much fear. Those moments as they watched the missile climb toward them were not as panicked as the uninitiated might assume. They had engaged in their limited available maneuvers and defenses, but it was more out of habit than any real hope they might work.
However, when the missile annihilated itself in the inner exosphere, it had been a miracle. No one expected it. It had in fact angered CDR Ashton, who thought it must have been a screw-up by the sensor ope
rators, that what they had seen was the missile disgorging its warheads. But soon enough, they were able to verify the fleet killer was dead.
And then Mio’s voice had called out to them, to him. So much had seemingly changed in the 37 days since the invasion, in the months since Benno had last seen her. Would he recognize her? Would she recognize him?
Would they ever have the chance to find out?
Benno stabbed down on the transmit icon linked to her frequency. “No! Belay that order! Mio, do not blow yourselves up. Repeat, do not blow up or detonate your location! We understand your position may be compromised, but please don’t do anything rash. Hold on! We are inbound to render assistance.”
All eyes on the bridge turned to stare agog at Benno.
He nodded. “Close over their position, as fast and as low as this tin can will go. Prepare for planetary bombardment.”
* * *
Mio clutched the mic, joyful, frightened, hopeful, worried, and confused. She looked wildly around at the others in the Terran Marine missile command and control van. Harry grinned wide and nodded. Amelia Lopez looked doubtful. Trevor Werner, detonator in his hand, shrugged, unsure what the others would have him do.
Amelia spoke up first. “I don’t want to give up my life for the cause, but our options aren’t great. We can’t hold this door shut for long. They’ll start blasting the van until they finally punch through, and we’ll be dead anyway. The only way to keep them from taking back control of this battery is to blow it up. Jason, do it.”
“No!” Mio yelled. “My Dad is here. We have to give him a chance. He will make it through!”
“Before the Terrans do?” Amelia pleaded. “You’re willing to bet his life and the lives of everyone in First Landing on that?”
Mio cast a pleading gaze at Harry. Harry got up from the missile control console and nodded back at her. He turned to Amelia and Jason. “This entire resistance has had a tendency to back the wrong horse. This girl has been disregarded too often but has hit the mark every time. I say we bet on her.”
The missile control van rocked again as more Terrans joined the crew trying to batter the door open. A gap began to show between the door edge and the jamb. Outside light and angry voices streamed in.
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