Steel Apocalypse

by Rodney Hartman

  “Why would Maggie and I want to work for you?” Jake asked. “I’m not stupid. I know you’ve made a fortune selling weapons to both sides in a war. I wouldn’t put it past you to start a war just to make a sale.” He waved a hand at the stack upon stack of crates in the cavern. “Is that what these are for? Are you getting ready to start a war?”

  Major Maksim laughed. “You’ve been out of the loop, my dear Mister Striker. I suppose that happens when you can’t send or receive information through the security field my uncle placed around Lastreo.”

  “I haven’t bothered trying,” Jake said.

  Phyllis smiled. “No, I don’t suppose you have. Why should you?” She pointed at Casey. “But your little friend here has.”

  “Casey?” Jake asked, looking at the dark-haired Trecorian standing next to him. A few hours earlier, he’d been imagining spending the rest of his life with her. He suddenly felt foolish as he realized he barely knew her.

  Casey stared back at him for a couple of seconds. “She’s right. They’re all right. Trish Bistoria is my sister. She asked me to come to Lastreo and find out what the Gegormas were up to.” She waved a hand toward the crates. “Now I know. I suppose you’re going to kill me and dispose of my body.”

  “Kill you, my dear?” said Creao Gegorma. “Why would I want to do that? As my nephew pointed out, the security field around Lastreo prevents any outgoing transmissions that don’t have the authorized key-code, which you don’t. You can transmit whatever you want for all I care. It’ll do you no good.”

  Casey eyed the elder Gegorma. “So you’re not going to kill me? Not that I’m complaining, but I find it hard to believe. I know you’ve been stockpiling weapons. Neither the Intergalactic Empire nor the Trecorian Alliance is going to let you start a war and sell them to the highest bidder.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” said Maksim. “The war has already started.”

  Creao Gegorma gave a hard stare at the Covian major.

  Maksim broke eye contact first and looked down at the floor.

  “Sometimes my nephew talks too much,” said the elder Gegorma. “That’s why he hasn’t yet taken his rightful place in our organization. And if he doesn’t learn to be quiet, he never will.”

  Caring little for the apparent ongoing family squabble, Jake said, “He said a war’s started. What war?”

  The elder Gegorma glanced at his daughter and nodded.

  Phyllis turned to Jake. “The Crosioians launched a full-scale attack on the Intergalactic Empire yesterday. They’ve already taken over several of the Empire’s districts. Your Empire was caught by surprise. They’re playing catchup. They’ve even resorted to stripping their vaunted Intergalactic Wizard Scout Academy of TAC officers and deploying them to the Crosioian border to find out what’s going on. The bats will slaughter them.”

  “Why?” Jake said, not wanting to believe her. “The Crosioians and the Empire have been at peace for fifty years. What set them off?”

  Creao Gegorma gave a shrug before smiling. “Does it really matter? A well-placed word here, another there. The end result is that there’s an intergalactic war happening as we speak, and where there’s a war, there’s opportunity to make more credits than you can ever imagine.”

  “So that’s what these weapons are for?” said Casey. “You’re going to sell them to the Crosioians? The Trecorian Alliance will never let you get away with it. My sister suspects what’s going on here. When I don’t make contact, she’ll assume the worst and—”

  “And what?” laughed Maksim. “The Trecorians will be too busy fighting for their own lives to worry about us. The Crosioians gave my uncle most of these weapons. We’re selling them to the Balorian pirates, the Osterian Federation, the Amira Freeholders, and all the other enemies of the Trecorians. We’ll make a profit, and the Crosioians will win a war against the Trecorians without having to fire a single shot of their own. We’ll—”

  Slap!

  The blow came so fast Jake only caught the aftermath.

  Major Maksim was sitting on the granite floor, holding a hand over his cheek with Phyllis Gegorma standing over him.

  “Like my father said, dear cousin,” said Phyllis, “sometimes you talk too much. If you don’t learn to keep your mouth shut, I’ll be forced to close it permanently.”

  No one spoke for several seconds. A sullen Maksim remained on the floor, apparently in no hurry to further incur his cousin’s wrath.

  “Well, then,” said Creao Gegorma. “I suppose the pactar is out of the bag, as they say. It’s just as well. I’ve other things to do. I think we’ve finished what we needed to discuss for today at least.”

  “Finished,” Jake said. “I…I haven’t given you my answer. There’s no way Maggie and I—”

  Creao Gegorma raised a hand. “I haven’t actually offered you anything yet, boy. My, err…backers still aren’t convinced Maggie and you are linked enough to make a difference. Maybe after tomorrow they will be. That is, assuming the two of you survive.”

  “So I’m just supposed to go back and act like nothing’s happened?” Jake said. “I suppose you don’t care if I activate Fisher’s…err, I mean Trish or whatever her name is, tele-bots.”

  The old man shrugged. “I could care less one way or the other, Jake. My nephew has already told you most of what’s happening. Activate the tele-bots if you want. They’ll do you no good. They can’t transmit through the shield around my planet.”

  With that, the old man turned and entered the now open elevator. The door slid shut, leaving Jake, Casey, Phyllis, and Maksim alone. Even the guards had disappeared.

  “If I were you,” said Phyllis, directing her comment at Jake, “I’d concentrate on trying to stay alive tomorrow. My father’s backers want definite proof Maggie and you are the real article. My father has stacked the deck against you, so to speak. I think he wants to put you in so much danger that you’ll be forced to accelerate the development of the bond between you and that computer of yours in order to stay alive. Your objective tomorrow will be guarded by the Balorian pirates under Commander Donalis. He’s got eleven of his cats left. You’ll be outnumbered and outgunned. Plus, my father has told Donalis no holds barred. He’s to ignore any ‘Out of Action’ lights. They’ll be no repercussions for the pirates if they keep shooting after you’re down.” She smiled. “To be quite honest, even I’ll be impressed if you’re at the party tomorrow night.”

  “What about me?” asked Casey. “Am I to think you’re going to let me live after what I know?”

  Phyllis shrugged. “I don’t care what you think.” She smiled. “We’re both women of action, you and me. If you fight hard tomorrow, maybe you’ll live one more day. Who knows? You may make it all the way to the end of the tournament before I have to kill you.” She turned and headed for the elevator, which was waiting with open door.

  Major Maksim rose from the floor and headed after her.

  The younger Gegorma shook her head. “Not you, dear cousin. You opened your mouth once too often.” She pointed at Jake and Casey. “Stay with your new teammates. You’ll be the third member of their team tomorrow. The three of you will live or die together.” She laughed. “I wish you all well.”

  The door to the elevator slid shut.

  Turning around, Maksim spread his hands and looked at Jake and Casey. “My friends. Perhaps I should ex—”

  Slap!

  The major found himself back on the floor with Casey standing over him this time.

  “I swear,” said Casey. “If you screw up tomorrow and cause any of my troops harm, I’ll kill you myself and damn the consequences.”

  Jake opened his mouth to speak.

  Casey glared at him. “That goes for you too, hotshot. Any questions?”

  Jake turned and waited for the elevator to return. It was the longest thirty seconds of his life.

  Chapter 27 – Confessions

  ____________________

  An hour after the meeting with the Gegormas
, Jake sat alone with Casey in the Paladin’s cockpit inside their maintenance hangar. Due to the cat’s unique construction, it was the one place they could talk without the danger of being overheard by tele-bots. He sat in the pilot’s seat while she occupied the copilot’s. Of course, they weren’t really alone. Maggie was around somewhere, but after he’d told her everything that had transpired and been discussed over the last two evenings, her hologram had blinked out. That had been ten minutes earlier.

  Casey and I haven’t said a word since Maggie disappeared. It’s not up to me to talk first though. I’m not the one who lied about who I was. I’m not going to apologize or try to explain when I’ve done nothing wrong.

  He glanced out the corner of his eye at the Trecorian lieutenant sitting in the other seat. She was still in her dress whites as was he. She’d undone her hair and let it fall over her shoulders. One of the purple streaks hung in front of her right eye. She didn’t bother trying to brush it back, almost as if she was trying to hide behind it. Being as discrete as possible, he took a closer look. Her eyes are shiny. Is she crying? The very idea that the tough Trecorian cat pilot could cry shook Jake to his core.

  He shifted in his seat. “Just tell me one thing, Casey. Did you ever really love me? Or has it all been an act?”

  Casey turned and faced the windscreen on the opposite side of the cockpit from Jake. She brushed at her eyes with her left hand. “My crew and I’ve been training for the tournament for the last year. I didn’t even know you existed until Trish asked me to do her a little favor by keeping an eye on you. She finagled my Macron a ride on the Solaris. I thought you were just some freelance merc pilot. I didn’t know you, and I, uh…I mean, how was I supposed to know we’d…” She brushed at her eyes again, still looking at the opposite windscreen. “The duke, my uncle, got word something big was happening at the tournament. Trish and he asked me to keep my eyes open and make sure you activated the tele-bots.” She reached inside the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a mini-light. She stretched out her hand in Jake’s direction while keeping her face turned to the opposite side of the cockpit.

  Jake took the light. “Am I supposed to do something with this? Is it another one of your sister’s gadgets?” He turned the mini-light over. Only half-joking, he said, “What happens if I turn it on? Will it explode and put me out of my misery?”

  Finally turning toward him, Casey took the light back. The makeup around her eyes was smeared, but other than that, there was no sign of tears and her eyes were no longer shiny. She clicked the mini-light’s switch. A beam of light shone out the end. She gave a half-smile. “If you turn it on, light comes out. What’d you expect? Trish is my sister. You don’t think she’d try and kill me, do you?”

  An image of the mysterious Lieutenant Fisher came to Jake’s mind. He wouldn’t put anything past the deceptively angel-faced woman but decided it was probably best not to voice his opinion.

  Casey stared at him for a couple of seconds. “Well, she wouldn’t.” With what was almost a full smile, she said, “Of course, if I was you, I’d be careful about using any mini-lights she might give you.” She laughed. “You never know.”

  “So what’s with the light?” Jake asked in no mood to laugh.

  Holding the mini-light up, she shined the light on the nearest computer screen. A bunch of numbers plus the words ‘No Data Received’ shone on the screen.

  “I knew you hadn’t released Trish’s tele-bots yet because this light is designed to report on their activity once they are activated.” She shrugged. “Not that it matters. The Gegormas are right. No transmissions can get past the planet’s security shield without the correct key-code. Trish gave me one she was sure would work. It didn’t. Now I’m not in a position to let anyone outside the planet know what the Gegormas have planned.” She looked into Jake’s eyes. “If the Crosioians really have attacked your Empire, we Trecorians may be your only salvation.”

  Jake frowned. “How so? Maybe I’m not up to snuff on the political situation nowadays, but last time I checked, the Intergalactic Empire and the Trecorians didn’t have a mutual defense agreement. Are you saying this duke uncle of yours will send his navy to help us fight the Crosioians?”

  Casey shook her head.

  Jake wasn’t surprised. The Trecorians had remained neutral during the last war between the Crosioians and the Empire fifty years earlier. He doubted they’d take a different route this time.

  “Trecorians are an independent lot,” said Casey. “The members of our alliance will fight to defend ourselves, but we won’t go out of our way to help the Empire directly.”

  “That’s what I figured.”

  Casey’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t let me finish. Trecor is located at a strategic point in the galaxy. Several hyper-folds the Crosioians will need for their supply lines go past Trecor’s boundary. As long as Trecor stands, the bats won’t be able to use those supply lines to their full potential. That’ll take some of the pressure off the Empire.”

  Jake started to open his mouth.

  Casey reached across the space between the two chairs and pressed a finger against his lips. “But…if the Gegormas are able to supply Trecor’s enemies with the weapons we saw, then all bets are off. Trecor may well fall. When she does—”

  “The Crosioians will be free to use the supply routes,” Jake said. “Yeah, I get it. The only question is what can we do to stop them? I can activate your sister’s tele-bots, but what good will that do? You said yourself they can’t transmit what they find without the right key-code. It looks hopeless to me unless you’ve got an idea.”

  Casey placed a hand on Jake’s.

  Her flesh felt warm to the touch. Jake liked the feeling. He also liked knowing the warmth didn’t come from a thermal beam.

  “I’m all out of ideas, Jake. I’m truly sorry Trish got you tied up in this.”

  Something flickered on the control console.

  Glancing over, Jake saw a hand-high image of Maggie sitting cross-legged on the console, wearing a miniature version of an Empire dress-white naval uniform.

  Once she saw Jake looking at her, Maggie waved a hand at her clothing. “I figured since everyone else was so la-de-da high-society dressed up, I might as well be too. What do you think? Is it me, or should I go for a more informal look?”

  “Oh, it’s you,” Jake said, relieved to hear his friend sounding like her old self. “Your red hair goes great with the dress whites.”

  Maggie turned to Casey. “What do you think? Maybe I should change my hair a little.” Several purple streaks appeared in her hair. “I think our Jake’s kinda fond of this look.”

  Casey smiled. “I think you’d look great no matter how you wore your hair.” She touched the left side of her chest with her right index finger. “My mother says it’s what’s in here that counts. Not what’s on the outside.”

  The purple streaks in Maggie’s hair disappeared. “Even if they’re a gas-based life form?”

  “No matter what kind of life form they are,” Casey said. “What matters is how you are on the inside. I’ve been around you long enough to know that you’ve got what’s important in life. An awful lot of carbon-based beings could use a little of what you have.”

  Maggie eyed Casey a second before nodding. “I just wish… Well, I can’t help but wonder who am I? What am I?”

  “You’re a gas—” Jake started.

  “Yes, I know. I’m a gas-based life form. You told me that already, and I believe you. What I can’t help but wonder is where I come from. Who am I really? Are there others like me? Creao Gegorma hinted as much to you, but can we believe everything he says? I’ve always felt like I was more than just a computer, but until now…” She looked down at the top of the control console. Her shoulders appeared to shake.

  “You are more than a computer,” Jake said. “I think I’ve always known that, but I was just too stupid to say it out loud. You’ve been a good friend to me; the best.”

  Maggie looked
up. Her green eyes were shiny. “You’re my friend too.” She turned her head toward Casey and smiled. “You’re kinda growing on me also.”

  Casey returned her smile. “Like my mother always says, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I know I’m carbon-based and not gas, but I’d be honored if you’d consider me a friend. Assuming we get out of our little predicament alive, if you want to find out more about your kind, I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  “Same here,” Jake said. “You’ve helped me often enough. It’s about time I returned the favor. You’re not in this alone. We’re a team.”

  Maggie bowed her head. Her shoulders shook even more.

  No one said anything for several heartbeats.

  Jake finally broke the silence. “You know, Maggie, this is probably the first time since I’ve known you that you’ve been at a loss for words.” Maybe it was a trick of the cockpit lighting, but he could almost swear she was blushing.

  Maggie wiped at her eyes before looking up. “The dust in here’s horrible.” She sniffed. “If I could ever get a pilot who’d clean me up once in a while, maybe it wouldn’t be so dusty.”

  Casey smiled. “I hear you. If you’re ever in the market for a new pilot, make sure you let me know.”

  Maggie looked up, her eyes sparkling blue. “Oh, I think I’ll keep the one I’ve got for a while longer.” She winked. “I’ve almost gotten him broken in. Which reminds me. I’ve got a possible solution to your problem.”

  The confused look on Casey’s face told Jake she had no more idea what Maggie was talking about than he did.

  “Which problem is that?” Jake asked. “I think we’ve got more than one.”