"This is a mess whichever way we look at it. Moira's spotted a cluster of mines near the edge of the zone. We're going to gather around and behind them, try and get something approaching cover."
The comms beeped again and Ally flipped a middle finger up at it, before turning to Dad.
"Is that it? That's the grand plan we've been sat here waiting for?"
With a hiss, she turned the Vale around and headed in line with the others in their team. Their Homeship only had 12 working ships left, so they were a small group for this game. It was unlikely that they'd all make it back from this as well, so the Lord was gonna have to do some recruitment soon. They never had any difficulty in finding willing players. Criminals tried, charged and ready for the war were never hard to convince.
Within 30 seconds they were gathered around the mines, 4 ugly chunks of potential death. Viran had set them nearest the mines, alongside a rather smaller ship. She'd gasped with relief when she saw Stem pull into hover beside them and there he sat, only metres away. He was, however, ignoring her attempts to communicate.
Beyond the mines, the game had started in earnest. There were frequent flashes of light as explosions tore through ships, the laser nets adding yet more chaos to the mix. So far their small squadron had been ignored, tucked out on the edge and partially obscured from the main area.
"OK guys, looks like we've been spotted. Try to spread them out, and get back here once you're done."
She needed no more urging and put all her weight into the sticks. The Vale jumped and plunged downward, sinking beneath the mines before emerging from them. Approaching were about 15 ships, the typical mix of size and shape, and they seemed focused on the craft visible above the mines.
"Ally, keep beneath them and give them everything, I don't think they've seen us."
Her heart jumped as Stem's voice came through. She glanced at the screen, realising that he had made an identical manoevre and they still hung side by side beneath the mines. As one they opened their throttles and charged forward. Within seconds they were nearly on the group, who had just realised they were there, but by then dad and Stem had opened up, sending blaster fire and rockets hurling into their midst. She saw at least 3 of the opposing gamers take serious hits before they were past and flying into the middle of the zone.
It was complete bedlam, the space now littered with stationary craft, some wrecks, others just disabled. Throughout, dogfights roared back and forth, the added debris giving the remaining gamers more chances to hide and sneak. She took the Vale on a circuitous route through the zone, banking sharply as a laser net scored across their flank and hearing Dad groan at the abrupt change in direction. She'd lost sight of Stem, but he was smaller than them and would make his own path. She avoided finding any new enemies and was soon back at the mines, one of which was now scrap metal, half embedded in a large container ship that floated helplessly.
Ducking behind the bulk of it, she checked for the others. There were 7 of them left, Stem included. Moira was nowhere to be seen, and despite the way she felt about her, she experienced a brief burst of regret. Moira was one of the old hands and she'd seemed oddly invincible.
"OK guys, it's really messy out there. That wasn't too bad, but we need to be watchful now. There's enough space for people to start hunting, and they're gonna find us. Eyes peeled, sit silent."
They hung in space, comms off and engines barely ticking over. The flashes continued, the laser nets lighting up the zone at random intervals. The silence stretched out and she tried to relax, rolling her shoulders whilst her eyes darted from screen to screen. It seemed oddly peaceful, and she tried, for a moment, to think of what she could say to Stem, what she could say that would make the difference.
A ship, a blunt nosed people carrier, emerged from behind the wreck, its nose now bearing an ugly-looking cannon that began to fire.
"Shit, shit."
"Go, go, c'mon, take him."
The comms burst into life as she hauled the ship around, pulling it up and back as the cannon raked across their side. She felt the impacts, the ship juddering with each hit, but they kept power and within seconds the front was up and Dad opened fire with their own guns. Stem and another had also come about and the blunt-nose was suddenly peppered with blaster fire. Its front cannon was ripped free, followed rapidly by one of the wings and it slewed to one side, suddenly out-of-control. One more shot tore into it's engine block and the fuel exploded, taking the back off the ship and sending what remained of it into a spin. She watched it drift, crashing into the top of the hulk and travelling over it. She frantically flicked on her comms, her voice high pitched and panicked.
"Guys, it's heading for the mines, get out, go, go."
She hit the sticks, not caring what lay beyond the shelter of the container ship and they jumped away. Behind them she watched as, in almost slow motion, the wreckage of the blunt-nose collided with a mine. The explosion didn't quite reach them, but she saw other craft nearer, including Virans', thrown aside, brief bursts of fire emerging from them where metal debris hit. The hulk of the container also moved, catching another mine and within seconds their hiding place was a graveyard.
They were streaking now through more wreckage, the zone resembling nothing more than a scrap yard. The laser nets were still working, so there were clearly gamers still active, but they were more spread out, and more circumspect than they had been. She halted their forward momentum and came in close to another wreck, tucking the Vale in its shadow and opening the comms.
"Anyone else around? Stem, you there?"
She waited tensely, toes crossed within her boots and breathing shallow.
"Hey Ally, yeah, I'm here, glad you are too. That was exciting wasn't it?"
Her heart leapt again at the sound of his voice, suddenly relaxed and like his old self.
"Look Stem, about this morning."
His voice, when it interrupted her, was again cut off and cold.
"We're playing the Game Ally, let's just focus on the task at hand shall we?"
She kicked the steering column, biting her lip, but not responding. Another voice came through the comms, this one entirely less welcome.
"OK guys, that wasn't great. I think it's just the 3 of us, so we need to..."
His voice was suddenly cut off and replaced with static. She thumped her leg in frustration.
"Bloody shitting hell, what now?"
She saw Dad shrug out of the corner of her eye, and felt much the same. She looked out of the right screen, seeing Stem now pulling up next to them. As she watched, a flash of light filled the screen and smoke began to billow from the rear of his ship.
"STEM!"
She shrieked, realising as she did that he would be fine. It was a good shot, the kind real gamers used, just neutralising without any serious damage. The comm crackled and she lent towards it, searching again for something, anything to say.
"Shit, power's gone. Sorry guys, I'm out. See you planetside."
She began to speak but the click meant he'd cut the connection. She looked down at dad, who was peering across at her. She raised her eyebrows and he shrugged.
"Your idea is as good as mine, sweetheart. If there's a team out there still working together then it's game over. You want to have a look around?"
Now it was her turn to shrug, well aware of the dangers of poking their nose out. But then, look what had happened when they followed Virans' plan, which was just staying put. She crept the Vale up past the wreckage until she could see across some of the zone. There were few ships still visible, and her heart rose. If they were all singles, then they stood a chance. She fancied herself against any of the other pilots they'd come across. She lifted the nose and powered up, setting off across the zone, ducking between wrecks as much as possible.
One or two Homeships were already entering the area, picking up the ships they intended to save and she headed towards one. No gamer would dare fire near a Homeship so if she could tuck in close, it could make a rea
l difference.
Even as she changed direction, the optimism began to fade. Emerging from behind the massive vessel, seven ships, flying in tight formation, a team. She jammed on the thrusters and swung the Vale around, but they'd already been spotted and they matched her pace. She was having to turn and they were heading in the right direction. They soon caught up and shots began to rain down.
She swung the ship about, throwing it through sharp curves and abrupt leaps and falls. Dad was shooting back, their rear cannon blasting, but her manoevres made his shots wild, and pointless. He soon gave up and sat gripping the arm rests, taking deep breaths as she became more and more desperate. She was using every trick that she had, cutting the engines and letting them drop behind a wreck, then tearing downwards and coming out in the opposite direction as the chasers flew past. She took them past a mine, skimming only metres away, but no matter what she did, there was always at least one of them close behind. They weren't in a hurry, weren't taking the risks she was throwing in their path. She muttered under her breath, knuckles white as she waited for the inevitable.
Despite the expectation, when it came, it was sudden, and shocking. The Vale was thrown forward and sideways, the sticks ripped from her grasp as a shot tore through the engines and they went into a spin. They both held on, waiting for inertia to catch up, but out here it took a long time. The screens were almost blurry as they flashed past wrecks and mines. She tried the side thrusters and found one that worked, then used it to slow them until they hung, motionless. She let out a huge breath, checking the screens to see whether they were near anything that could damage them further. They were in the clear and she slumped back, finally letting go of the tension. She thumped the arm rest and shook her head. Losing sucked. She hadn't got used to it despite the many times it had happened and couldn't see that changing.
Un-clipping, they worked their way through the tiny space, checking for damage. The life support and charm boxes were fine and although the engine was obviously trashed, between them they couldn't find anything wrong with the main cabin. Sitting back in their chairs, they waited for the Homeship.
Some time later, the huge maw of the landing bay enveloped them and they found themselves back home. They trudged off the Vale, watching as it was winched up into the shadows of the dock. Of the 12 craft that had left the Homeship, they'd only collected 8, so now 4 sat in space, their pilots realising that what life they had left could be measured by the oxygen gauge on their LS system. She shook her head, sadness enveloping her. Stem was a few paces ahead, but she couldn't find the energy to catch up. She still didn't have the words anyway, so what was the point?
She settled into one of the seats that sat around the outside of the dock, clipping the straps together. The Homeship was already heading for the planet to drop them off at the city. There they would begin the long hike to the port, to fix their ship and begin the game again.
She leaned back against the tall flight seat and closed her eyes.
Chapter Six
The shuffling, shambling misery of the long walk had been made harder by the proximity of Stem. They'd left the Homeship in a pack and stayed that way. During the first day they'd taken turns to curse at Viran, haranguing him until he finally gave up his protestations of innocence and vanished off down the line. That had left them, becoming rapidly more tired and grumpy, with no one to rant at. It had long been habit to keep silent, to make the walk as pleasant as it could be. Armed with nothing but bile and frustration, it was rare that anyone had anything worthwhile to say.
She had lots to say, and all of it to the tall, brown haired man who walked only a few metres in front of her. But for all his closeness, he may as well have been on the Homeship, far above the planet and out of reach. They'd glanced at one another as they trudged away from the ship and into the dust, but the look on his face and the abrupt way he'd headed straight off had made it clear he had no interest in talking.
She'd gone over and over in her mind the things she wanted to say, the things she wanted to apologise for and take back, but however close he was, she couldn't find a way to start saying them.
Now his back was a dull silhouette, barely showing up against the rising hulks of the port buildings. As her thoughts came back from the Game three days previously, she finally realised how to begin. She also realised that she didn't care whether he was still angry. He was the one who'd started this and she'd spent the last three days wallowing in doubt and self-loathing, convinced that she'd ruined the best thing she had. As her confidence and anger grew, she couldn't quite believe she'd let herself feel so guilty. If he loved her, if he wanted them to be together, he'd get over himself and sort it out.
She lengthened her stride, putting a hand on dad's arm to stop him following, and came up behind Stem. She reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him round. He looked surprised, then, seeing the glint in her eyes, gave a wry smile and spread his hands out wide. She held her anger, barely, behind her teeth before feeling it dissolve and be replaced by laughter as he grinned even wider.
Shaking her head, she shoved him back around in the direction of the port and fell into step beside him.
"Do you know how bad I've felt---"
"I was such a jackass, I'm sorry---"
They began at the same time, both stopping awkwardly and waiting for the other to continue. He beat her to it, but only just.
"Ally, I've been such a dick, I'm sorry. I just got so hooked on this idea of us having something, you know, more than being slaves."
"Stem, it's OK, really, I get it."
"I know, but look. I was gonna leave, you know? I really was, and then we met and it got really good and every day I got up thinking, 'I'm gonna go today, I'm just gonna leave', and then you'd turn up and another day would go by and I'd still be here. And it's not your fault at all, but I keep thinking about my parents and why I'm here and I realised that being with you is the only time I actually forget about them."
She reached out in the gloom and took his hand. He squeezed it and they continued walking.
"I've just been feeling guilty I guess. It's like, if I'm gonna be with you and be happy, I should be doing something for them as well, working towards changing things. But it's been so easy just being, just hanging out and not thinking about stuff."
He stopped suddenly and turned to her.
"I have to do something Ally, you get that don't you? It's like I'm letting them down and betraying them at the same time. I just..."
He shook his head, then turned and trudged on, still holding her hand.
"It's just not your fault you know? And I was feeling bad about my parents and then acted like that when you were trying to look after your dad and how much of a tosser does that make me?"
She gave his hand a squeeze and smiled to herself in the darkness.
"It's not just you though, Stem. I know how much your parents meant to you, and I know what it is you're trying to do. I just got so angry about my dad you know? But I didn't need to say what I said and I'm sorry, really."
She wanted to go on, and say more, but they walked in silence for a while.
"I want to do something too, you know? I believe in what you've said and I know that things aren't what they should be. And I don't want to be a slave forever."
The bitterness in her voice surprised her. She'd never actually said that out loud, but she suddenly realised how badly she meant it. She'd been born into slavery and it had been all she'd known, but she also knew, somewhere deep, that it wasn't how life was supposed to be. She glanced back at dad as he shuffled along, bent over and old long before his time and she knew this wasn't where she wanted to be, wasn't where she should be.
"I won't be a slave forever. We are going to leave."
She paused and could feel Stem looking across at her.
"But I can't leave him, not now. If mum were still here..."
She trailed off again, biting her lip.
"I know."
She looke
d up at him, a smile of thanks now flitting across her lips. He looked back, nodding.
"There's no rush, and we can still get prepared. The more time we spend actually figuring out what we're going to do when we get out of here, the more chance we have of surviving. And in the meantime, we make your dad's life as good as possible, yeah?"
She pulled him down and kissed him, squeezing her eyes shut as tears welled up. They broke apart and continued walking, him wrapping his hand around her shoulders and holding her close as they went.
Outro
Finally, finally, the port stood in front of them. They made their way down the long line of buildings to their hanger, the huge double doors open, inviting them in. The Lords shared the space and there were probably a hundred of them heading into hanger 12. He was barely able to put his feet one in front of the other, only upright because of the young woman walking just in front of him. That he had been blessed with her was still something he struggled to believe. Her mum had been the most amazing thing to ever happen to him. When she died, Ally was the only thing that kept him going, that gave him a reason. So while she was here, and while she stayed on her feet, so would he.
The hanger was dark, the lights only flickering on as they entered. He looked around, confusion creasing his brow. Where were the ships? As the last of the gamers entered, the doors slid noisily shut and they stood bewildered in the huge space. Ally grabbed his arm and gestured to the far corner of the hanger. Clamped to the highest mooring platforms, covered with the usual mess of ropes and ladders, hung the Vale and 4 other ships. They were all small, 2 man-ers by the look of it. He struggled to find the damage done to their engine. As far as he could tell it was fixed, new parts, clean parts standing out from the usual dullness. He looked down at her and found his confusion mirrored there.
A Game of War Season One Amazon Page 5
