by Terry Mixon
An undulating warning sounded on every speaker at maximum volume. It announced the absolute worst case for any ship.
Swarms of emergency pods jettisoned from the hull. They darted away at savage velocities, designed to carry their precious cargo clear of whatever was going to kill the ship as fast as possible. They all angled down toward the planet’s surface, their beacons screaming for rescue.
He looked at the bridge crew. “I believe you have a pod waiting for you, too.”
Zia shook her head. “I’m the captain of this ship, sir. I decline to leave her before everyone is safely away. Everyone else, you heard the Admiral.”
No one moved. Kelsey put her hands on her hips. “Jared, you’re wasting time. Save this ship. If it doesn’t work, then we can run for our lives.”
“So much for me being noble. Invincible, have the pilots disabled their safeties?”
“They have, Admiral. All report ready for maximum acceleration.”
“Everyone strap in. This might be very rough. Align the ship as you see fit and go, Invincible.”
The crew tightened their restraints. Kelsey, who couldn’t use any of the seats in her armor, locked her helmet down and grabbed a console.
The increase in acceleration wasn’t much, but he saw an immediate effect. Their course slowly began to change. Bit by bit, it edged closer to being enough.
Then a massive impact rocked the ship. Fresh alarms wailed.
“One of the cutters exploded, Admiral. Hull breach amidships. We’re beginning to rotate. I calculate less than a fifty percent chance this vessel will rebound from the atmosphere. I recommend that you order the others to cease acceleration and abandon ship.”
He nodded. “Kelsey, please accompany the bridge crew and abandon ship. I’m going to stay and try to make this work.”
“We both know you can’t move me, so let’s save the theatrics and get on with this.”
Silence reigned for a few seconds. “Well, then. One last roll of the dice. We’ll know how this turns out in sixty seconds. It’s been an honor, everyone.”
He sent the order for the small craft to break away. This was it. Either they’d make it on their own or they wouldn’t make it at all.
It didn’t take long before he felt the ship punching through the upper regions of the atmosphere. Even a massive vessel like this could move in odd ways when meeting an almost fluid resistance. The exterior scanners showed quite the light show as they went deeper.
At least until the drag ripped off the exterior scanner arrays. Shortly after that, it started raising the hull temperature. That temperature change would be the only way they’d know if they made it back out of their death dive.
The gentle movements of the ship became wild bucking in a much shorter time than he’d thought possible. Kelsey had the worst time of it. The console she was holding onto broke loose and sent her tumbling.
That scared him to death, but she grabbed onto another one and braced herself under it. “I’m fine. This tumbling can’t hurt me in my armor. I’m more worried about smashing one of you.”
“The temperature is leveling off,” Invincible said. “I believe we may be skipping back off the atmosphere. Much the same as a thrown stone skips across water.”
“How do you even know about that?” Jared asked. “And as a warning, those sink in the end.”
“The video collection in the library is quite instructive. If we are skipping out of the atmosphere, we should have enough time for Ginnie Dare and New York to arrive. They can tow us into a stable orbit.”
Zia turned to face him. “The hull temperature is definitely leveling off. We’re not going deeper into Harrison’s World’s atmosphere.”
That brought a loud cheer from the rest of the bridge crew. And a sigh of relief from him. “Well done, everyone. Well done.”
“Thank the small craft pilots,” his flag captain said. “They really saved our bacon.”
“Do we have communication? Can we get them to return and help stabilize the orbit until the destroyers get here?”
Zia shook her head. “We’re completely cut off. No communications, no scanners. No weapons, for that matter. The beam arrays are gone. The missile tubes are intact, but the hatches will be welded shut. We also lost our flip vanes. We’re trapped in this system until we can replace them.”
Kelsey climbed out from under the console she’d used as cover. She’d bent its leg columns with her grip. She pulled her helmet off and shook out her hair. “That beats the alternative. I’d rather have to wait to leave than never get out of here at all.
“And speaking of not being able to go anywhere, we need to find out what that pinnace is up to. If they think it’s worth doing, we have to stop them.”
Jared nodded. “We need one of the probes launched after it. Make that a priority, Zia. And find some way to get in touch with Ginnie Dare. I want them in pursuit as soon as possible.”
Zia turned to her console. “Aye, sir. I’ll send someone out a lock to look over the probe launcher and to make an estimate of our new course. They can use the suit com to get in touch with the pinnaces. One of them can relay to Ginnie Dare.”
Jared rose to his feet. “You forget it’s just us. I’ll go take a look and get this rolling myself. Come on, Kelsey. You can make sure I don’t fall off.”
The hostile pinnace’s course worried him. What could it be racing toward? Obviously, something that the enemy thought might be helpful against his ships. And if it could take out Courageous, it was nothing to sneer at. He had to stop them.
Chapter Thirty
Sean breathed a sigh of relief when he got word that Invincible had survived her near-death experience. He hadn’t known the ship even existed before today, but he grasped how important something like it would be to the Empire. No matter what Captain Breckenridge thought, war with the AIs was inevitable. Hell, it was already happening. They had to have the ships and technology to win it.
New York was already in orbit and helping to get the crippled superdreadnought into a stable orbit. Ginnie Dare was more than halfway to the gas giant the enemy cutter was running toward. It wouldn’t be able to stop them from getting there, but Captain Roche would be right on its heels.
Meanwhile, Sean had his own problems.
The ride Olivia West promised arrived on schedule. It was a fully loaded vegetable lift, packed to the gills with harvested corn. It was in large bins that they had to unload and stash in the safe house before they could go to her secret headquarters.
Frankly, if this was the most effective ride she could manage, she might be in an even worse position than he’d feared.
Half an hour later, they had the lift cleared and everyone piled into the back. The prisoners came with them. Sean didn’t want to leave them where they could cause trouble. If they escaped, they might manage to warn King that Sean was coming.
The lift deposited them all at a nondescript building. It didn’t even have obvious guards outside. Inside was a different story.
Squads of armed civilians watched every approach into the building, huddled behind heavy weapons. If the security forces decided to come in here, there’d be a massacre. Of them.
Olivia West met him in a large room that they’d converted into a command center. She came over with her hand extended. “Commander Meyer. Thank you for coming so promptly.”
He shook her hand gravely. “It’s my pleasure, Coordinator.”
“If you and your men will come this way, I have weapons and armor for all of you. A fast car from a secret facility just arrived. It couldn’t carry any powered armor, but I’m given to understand none of your people could use it anyway. They require implants.”
He saw a good selection of unpowered armor and standard Old Empire weapons laid out. “This will work just fine, I’m sure.” He gestured for the marines to go outfit themselves. “What have you found out about my missing people?”
She looked at his arm and the makeshift sling he was wearing. “I can
’t help but notice you’re injured. You’re also limping. Were you injured in the escape?”
“Let’s just say that I had an exciting exit from a moving air car. My medic set the broken arm. He thinks the knee is only bruised.”
“Then perhaps you’d like to let someone with a medical scanner confirm that? And get some medication for the pain and swelling? You’re about to go back into the fight, so you’d best take advantage while you can.”
Stubbornness made him want to argue, but he decided that was idiotic. He pulled up a chair and sat. “Thank you.”
Coordinator West summoned a woman with a bag emblazoned with the Universal Red Cross emblem. She set it down beside the chair and pulled out an advanced and ridiculously small medical scanner.
“Hi there,” she said with a smile. “I’m Doctor Janice Hauptman. I’m an emergency specialist, so you’re in good hands. Tell me what happened.”
“I rolled out of a fast moving air car and slammed into something sturdier than myself. The transfer of energy didn’t work out in my favor.”
“No, it didn’t.” She ran the scanner over his arm. “It’s a clean break, well set. I’ll replace the make do splint with a spray-on that will be more comfortable and sturdier. You’re not in any danger from that. Any other issues?”
“My knee’s bunged up.”
She scanned it. “Ah, yes. It’s bruised and you have some minor tears to the cartilage. You’ll want to stay off it.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. I have a hundred of my people to rescue. Do you have a shot that can help with the pain? And maybe a knee brace?”
She gave him a disapproving look. “That’s not the safest course of action, but I can give you something for the pain and wrap the knee. If it goes out on you, don’t blame me.”
“I hereby absolve you of all responsibility regarding my health when I pull my next fool stunt.”
“My, aren’t we grouchy.”
“It’s been that kind of day.”
“True enough,” the doctor said. “I’d just delivered your injured compatriots to your pinnace when all hell broke loose, and the coordinator won’t let me go do what I need to do.”
He understood her anger. “Your day is worse than mine and it won’t be ending any time soon. Did they all get away safely?”
“I assume so. We released all but three of the worst injured. I manipulated the hospital records to show even those people were gone, but we hid them in a different wing of the hospital. They’re safe.”
“Was Paul Cooley with them?”
She nodded. “He’s a friend of yours? He’s badly injured, but I’m guardedly optimistic about his recovery.”
“Thank God. When all this is over, drinks are on me.”
The doctor shook her head slowly. “Things were only just over from the orbital bombardments a decade ago. Those drinks will have to wait a long time.”
She finished replacing the cast and gave him a sturdier sling. Then she injected something into his knee that made it immediately feel better. She finished up by wrapping it with something stretchy.
“There you go. I suggest you follow up with one of your medical professionals to get this taken care of as soon as possible.”
“Thanks, Doctor. I hope they let you do what you need to do soon.”
Coordinator West shook her head from where she was standing nearby. “I wish we could, but the odds are we’ll need the good doctor’s services when we raid the farm or the council building. I understand that sucks, but it’s necessary. Thank you, Doctor.”
Once the other woman had departed, Sean gingerly stood and tested his leg. It would do.
“Have you located this farm?”
She nodded. “We think so. There are several possibilities, but one of them has extra vehicles parked nearby. My tech wasn’t able to get much of a satellite scan before they locked her out of the system, but only that one agricultural area seems to have that kind of buildup.
“Your marines on the island are going to be here in a couple of hours. I suggest we go out and see for ourselves. If you feel comfortable going in and freeing your people, I’d be happy to loan you my men.”
Doing something was better than sitting on his ass. “I’m in, but please tell me you have something better than a vegetable lift to sneak us up in.”
“Don’t you think that’s appropriate? Who would notice a few more around a farm?”
He sighed. “I suppose that makes sense, but the damned things are uncomfortable. And they smell bad.”
“Take it out on our mutual enemies,” Coordinator West said without any apparent sympathy. “We’ll have larger vehicles to come in and pick up your fellows as soon as we get them loose. If they’re there. Besides, I’ll be with you, so I’ll be in the same situation. If you’re ready, we should get moving.”
* * * * *
Kelsey stayed out of the way while Jared focused on stabilizing Invincible. William had arrived and she kept him company as they watched Ginnie Dare chase down the fleeing pinnace through their implants.
The superdreadnought was still blind, but William’s small ship had scanners capable of seeing what was happening at least as well as New York.
“They told me how big she was, but that really doesn’t do her justice,” he said. “Your ship is monstrously huge.”
“And beat to hell,” she said. “After the fight with the AI, the bomb-pumped laser, the exploding cutter, and now the dive through your atmosphere, I’m not sure that it wouldn’t be quicker restoring one of the other superdreadnought derelicts.”
He leaned back in his acceleration couch. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. A lot of the damage is superficial. If you can get the shipyard on Boxer Station back into operation, I think she’ll be back into shape quickly.”
“Where do you think they’re going?”
“The pinnace? I can’t say that there’s ever been anything worth a damn out at that particular gas giant. If I used the Terra system as an example, it’s more like Neptune than Jupiter. Cold, distant, and it doesn’t even have any pretty rings. No one ever built remote stations there. I can’t think of any visitation at all since the system was settled thousands of years ago.”
She shook her head. “There’s something there. They blew up the orbitals and ran straight for it, even knowing that we’d send a warship right on their heels. They have a weapon there, or at least some way to defend themselves. We need to be able to sneak up on them.”
“Come now,” the noble scoffed. “Surely that imposing destroyer of yours will be able to stop them.”
“I hope so, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. We need a plan B.”
“Perhaps you could use the stealth ship to sneak up on them.”
That wasn’t a bad idea, she thought, but rejected it. “It’s too slow. And I doubt it’s working so well with that massive dent in the side.”
“No, and Roger isn’t able to fly with the dent in his noggin, either. Too bad we didn’t build two.”
Perhaps now would be a good time to point out that Persephone is mostly operational. Her stealth shielding isn’t as good as the saucer, but her power plants are online and she could make the trip, I suspect.
Kelsey froze as she considered that. Ned was right. The Marine Raider ship was designed to sneak up on people. If things went south, it might be best to have that plan already in motion.
“The little voice in my head has an idea,” she said. “Can I borrow your ship? I need to pick up some people and gear.”
* * * * *
Jared watched the scanner feed coming from New York through his implants. Ginnie Dare was almost to the gas giant. Another hour and he would be in control of the area. The rogue pinnace was already slipping around to the back of the planet.
They’d cut open the probe hatch on Invincible and dispatched several to look the area over, but they’d arrive about the same time as the destroyer. He left getting Invincible into a stable configuration to Zia whil
e he and a hastily gathered staff kept an eye on the big picture.
He really needed to form a permanent staff. The electrons were still settling in on his promotion to flag rank and events had been occurring at a rapid pace, but he wasn’t just commanding a single ship anymore. A staff would help keep him organized.
Which would be a blessing right about now. The race to the gas giant was far from the only crisis on his plate. The virtual destruction of his superdreadnought flagship, the coup on Harrison’s World, the rescue operations at the nuked cities, and the repair mission at the Pentagar-bound flip point were all boiling over at the same time. He was losing track of the details.
He’d moved back to the flag bridge just to stay out of Zia’s way. With all its stations, it allowed the crew members Zia had seemingly plucked at random from the crew to work all around him, theoretically only disturbing him when they had something requiring his attention.
That’s not how it worked, of course. He was walking around the compartment, getting updates from each group as they happened. He needed to work on his multitasking skills.
Still, it kept him from going crazy trying to watch everything in real-time.
“Admiral,” one of his new staff officers called out after a bit more than an hour, “Ginnie Dare is approaching the gas giant.”
He moved over to the man’s station. “What do the probes show?”
“Nothing seems out of place. They’re coming around the curve of the planet, following the path the pinnace took.”
Jared used his implants to read the probes’ findings for himself. Ginnie Dare had her weapons armed and her scanners on high. She was ready for trouble.
Just not the kind of trouble that came looking for her.
Active targeting scanners from the gas giant lit the destroyer up and two dozen missiles came boiling out of the atmosphere almost in the destroyer’s face.
Commander Roche changed course to get his ship away from the planet and started firing his antimissile railguns. He stopped maybe a quarter of them before the rest blotted his destroyer from the sky.
