The seat, big generator underneath, controls, forward emitter system and the small windscreen were intact. Looks like whoever rode this thing never took it out of a transit tube. I don't think this thing's ever seen dirt. Jake thought to himself as he looked to the street below to ensure that he wouldn't be seen cutting the transparesteel window away. Once he was certain the military transports were gone he started cutting through the thin metal using the emergency torch built into his command and control unit, one of the things he'd added as a customization years before along with the built in stunner and small energy weapon. The problem that came with using those additions, however, was that he would be visible to thermal imaging equipment for long minutes after the systems were deactivated. They emitted too much heat in too small a space for them to be obfuscated by any kind of vacsuit shielding.
Once a rough square had been almost completely cut he pushed on the panel, bending it down so he could reach out to the thick bodied white and gold magcycle. It wasn't a precarious reach, in fact it was anchored just inside the broken and bent transparesteel so firmly that he wasn't sure he'd be able to get it free. The problem with magbikes was the amount of power they required to hover and get underway, they were heavy machines, but incredibly fast, able to hover several meters above the ground and go absolutely anywhere but once the power plant cooled down and shut off they were nothing but a half ton of stationary machinery.
Jake pulled himself into the transparent yellow tube beside the vehicle and pushed on it to check how stable it was. The broad, two and a half meter machine didn't budge. He took a look around himself in the increasingly dim light to make sure no one would hear him and jumped up and down a little, testing the integrity of the tube. It gave only slightly, but enough to make him nervous, so he hurried things along.
Swinging one leg over the magbike he put one of his hands on a control handle and felt a tingle. It was only skin deep but he felt he could make a connection with the vehicle. He'd heard of people with subdermal control and interface modules implanted inside their skin, but had never imagined what it could be like. Only a few of them were brave enough to set that interface so close to the brain that they could actually connect with the systems in an intelligent manner and he was quickly becoming aware that at the very least he could send nervous system impulses to technology he was in near direct contact with and there was a subsystem connected to his optical nerves. When I finally get to Zingara station and have a chat with whoever Geppetto left there with answers for me I'm going to have a lot of questions. Jake thought to himself as he closed his eyes and put his other hand on the second handle.
The display between the handles came to life and the bike scanned him. Seating adjustments were made, a warning indicating that the safety shroud; a large armoured shell that was meant to cover the bike and rider was missing and the colour of the bike changed to match his crimson and black vacsuit and long coat. Another warning appeared indicating that the tube system the bike was assigned to was broken, there was no way to proceed past a break in the closed transit system and the most obvious break in the system was marked right under the rear emitters. That's all right, I think I'll try the open road. He thought to himself.
“Open driving enabled. Would you like to begin cold micro-fission?” the bike asked.
He flipped a switch on the right handle and with a shudder the machine came to life, blue sparks and arcing energy poured out of the unshielded emitters at the rear of the magbike, reaching out to nearby objects and pushing the heavy machine off the metal surface of the tube. Jake sat up straight as the aggressive energy field technology strained to reach down to the ground at the rear of the vehicle and started to back out of the broken transit tube. The low frequency buzz of the energy making contact with and amplifying the minute magnetic fields all around filled Jake's senses as the front of the machine cleared the broken transparesteel tube and he throttled up.
The riding height was set low, and as the magbike roared down the street with a stream of arcing blue energy piercing the falling false twilight it made its way over wreckage by millimetres at two hundred kilometres per hour, testing Jake's reflexes and bringing a grin to his face as he engaged the navigational assistance software in his command and control unit. It was normally used for manoeuvring a ship in small ports where there was no Navnet system, but it adapted easily to the grey, ruined streets and tunnels that lay between him and the Commodities building. The data from the Regent Galactic decryption chip added its own layer of data to the map in his mind and on his visor, telling him where their troops, tanks, and command centers were well in advance.
As he moved through the grid of silent streets strewn with the the shells of personal transports, the bodies that hadn't yet been removed, and the ruins left behind by thousands of interrupted lives he couldn't help but feel as though he were moving through a massive steel and stone corpse. Blue light was cast behind and to either side of him, a big, bright, obvious beacon in the artificial night caused by a slow rain of ash and black clouds. They would see him coming for kilometres, and as he listened to the West Watch turn all their attentions to the mountain escapees, he started formulating a plan that would turn all that light and noise to his advantage.
Best Laid Plans
“Congratulations!” shouted Lister Hampon from his child body. It was still surreal, no matter how many times Gabriel saw him in his new incarnation, listening to that boy voice spout the words of his old comrade. Lister Hampon rarely, if ever, had childish things to say, so no matter how elaborate the robes the man child donned or how adult the setting, it always seemed like the child was only channelling Hampon, as though the sharp nosed, angular faced man had possessed his own offspring.
“Thank you, the operation went better than expected and there was no brain damage.”
“I'm sure you're also happy to be rid of Gloria.”
Gabriel looked around the large dressing room. There were racks with robes of all shades of blue and green lining one wall, two tall privacy blinds, a long dressing room table in front of an equally long mirror surfaced wall and in the middle of it all was a seating area with a table laden with fresh fruit. He sat down uneasily, but not because of the surroundings. “As glad as you are. Wheeler went along with it easier than I expected.”
“Who would have guessed that she would have been one of the main factors in Wheeler colluding with Valance. What did you have to trade him, anyway?”
“I gave him the Saviour along with all her provisions and crew. He'll be a menace to Jake Valance if he can find him.”
“Well, it was a small price to pay comparatively.”
“So the Victory Machine is still spewing out status reports on the future?”
“No the location of the Victory Machine has changed so I expect we won't have any new information for at least a few days but the most recent reports had no mention of Wheeler and Valance working together.”
“Along with all traces of the alternate time line, yes?”
“There were a few deep cuts and sacrifices here and there, but yes; all traces of the alternate time line are gone except for one.”
“What's left?”
“Ayan, Oz, Jason, Laura and Minh-Chu.”
“The connection to Freeground? How can you just let that one tether hanging? How can the alternate time line be gone if two of the most critical factors to making a connection to Freeground be allowed to exist?”
Hampon's young face made a tense, frustrated expression. “I said there's no evidence of their future interference. Besides, we're so far past most of the events that concerned us that the potential for an unfortunate turn back into the original time line is nigh on impossible. The Holocaust Virus managed to divert Terry Ozark McPatrick and Jason Everin to Pandem, everyone followed and we even infected the Sunspire so she's single handedly threatening Freeground's hold on the Blue Belt. Freeground Intelligence already thinks Jason and his wife are responsible for the infection.”
�
�But as long as the Sunspire is still out there, a chance Captain McPatrick may get her back exists, even if it's unlikely!”
“All the messages about the Icarus Installation being destroyed have ceased, and the most recent charts mark it as being safe and sound.”
“The latest being only three weeks in the future.”
“Exactly. With Wheeler at the helm of a ship that is the Triton's equal and so much to distract him with Collins' memories we will not only be able to draw him closer to us but we'll keep him absolutely opposed to Captain Valance.”
“Has there been any sign of-” Gabriel was cut off as he cringed in pain, reaching down to grab his ankle.
“Are you all right?” Hampon asked, standing up and looking at the non-injury Gabriel cradled in his hands.
“Damn, ever since my implants regenerated Eve keeps trying to maintain a connection with me.”
“So she's been hearing everything we've been saying?”
“No, but when she sprained her ankle just now in physical therapy she managed to send the sensation to me.”
Hampon burst out laughing, a childish peal that filled the room and pierced Gabriel's ears. “Misery loves company my friend.”
Gabriel exhaled slowly, letting his foot down on the floor again. “She's sorry.”
“Oh, I'm sure, but that doesn't change the fact that you're getting exactly what you asked for. Someone you could share a unique connection with.”
As Gabriel closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment the lights flickered off and on, the false windows displaying a view of green, blue and brown Pandem outside the ship faded out and remained black. “There, the networking is disabled and electronic signals in this room are being scrambled. I don't have much time.”
Hampon's mirth drained away instantly. “What's going on?”
“She is seeing everything through me. I've never seen anyone or anything multi task like she does and all the processes take place in her own brain. I can only assume that even before she was integrated into the Eden Defence System she was a genius. She's also slowly breaking through the barriers built into Gloria's body, she's learning to communicate with any technology she comes into contact with. Soon her range will be beyond a meter and then it will extend for kilometres. Her connection with me is only through regular transmissions now, but when her range extends far enough she'll be able to do whatever she wants.”
“What about the physical rehabilitation? How can she be doing this when she's still mastering the ability to walk?”
“That's completely different. She spent more time connected to a vast network of machines than she did in her own body, so yes, there's going to be some difficulty with coordination for the next few days.”
“Days? She'll learn how to live in a new human host in a matter of days? It took me over a month!”
“Her therapist says she's making amazing progress, he's never worked with anyone in her situation before so he doesn't know if that's unusual but he credits her dedication. She wants to know everything about the Order of Eden, to take direct control of the Eden Fleet, and she already understands how the Holocaust Virus works and is writing her own version.”
“What? There's no trace of that sort of activity in our systems, alarms would go off and the data would be erased immediately.”
“She's doing it in my head, I can't stop her. I can feel at least two versions almost ready and for some reason I can't erase them. She plans on sending me somewhere to deploy them when they're finished.”
“We have to kill her!”
“You can't, I've already tried and it's too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“While she was sleeping I brought a Vesrex Thirteen injection into her room with me, it was in my pocket, out of sight but somehow she knew and locked the room down. Before I knew it her blankets encased her in an emergency vacuum bag and the atmosphere was draining out of the room! She scolded me like some childish playmate and forced me to apologize before she'd open the door!”
“What about your own vacsuit?”
“She was connected to it using my own cybernetic systems! It wouldn't seal.”
“So what are you telling me?”
“Use signal radius jamming, stop all wireless communications in the fleet; it's the only way to delay her until we finish what we have to do on Pandem. I'll do my best to hold her off in my head, but if I try to leave put me in stasis, deactivate my cranial systems.”
“I will, don't worry. What about long range communications?”
“I'll try to keep her contained, there are no guarantees. Right now she seems distracted with learning her way around her new body and my head, but I don't know how long that-” Gabriel was interrupted as the door opened and two rifle wielding guards rushed inside, the rest of their armoured squad was just outside in the hall.
“We received an alert from Command about this room sir, is everything all right?” the lead guard announced in a rush.
Gabriel knew Eve was watching, using the sensors on the soldier's armour and weaponry. “We're fine. His Grace wanted to temporarily cut the wireless signals off in this room so he could be sure we weren't recorded.”
“Who sounded the alert?” Hampon asked.
“It was automated, Your Grace.”
“Ah, all is well here, I'll reactivate the wireless systems in this room.”
“Should we have maintenance check for a glitch in the system?” Asked the soldier.
“No, I think I know what caused it, be on your way please.”
“Yes, Your Grace. I'm sorry for the disruption,” saluted the soldier respectfully before leaving and closing the door behind him.
The screen behind Hampon began to display the view of Pandem once more and the pair looked at each other for a moment before Gabriel cleared his throat. “So when would you like Wheeler off the leash to begin chasing Captain Valance and his crew?”
“The optimum time according to the Victory Machine is after the upcoming attack.”
“I'll make sure he knows to be ready. Does the Victory Machine have any advice on his orders?”
“Only that he should antagonize him as aggressively as possible. Lucius Wheeler and Jacob Valance cannot become allies.”
Smash and Grab
The tension on the main bridge of the Triton was incredible. Laura manned her station at field control, manipulating two and three holographic displays that hung semitransparently all around her. There were two junior officers, at least that's what she called them even though they only had two and a half slashes on their cuffs, sitting behind her, watching everything she was doing.
After the near disaster she and the engineering team had gone through less than ten hours before she had reconfigured the simplified interface she had been using so it could present all the information she'd need as it became available, enabling her to properly control the myriad of energy fields all around the Triton manually, something that surprised even Alice.
As she was satisfied that the refractive, gravitational and hardened energy shielding was in balance and ready she looked around the bridge. Almost everyone suppressed their nervousness fairly well. Panloo seemed extra anxious as she looked to her pilot's station then back to the main holographic display over and over again. The main display would be dedicated to tactical and critical information as soon as they finished the quick deceleration from hyperspace but for the time being it displayed only the time until engagement and whatever sensor data was available from the distance they were coming in from.
Little by little more detail appeared around the brown, green and black Asom moon as the navigational database confirmed the locations of listed objects like commercial satellites, servicing stations, port facilities, orbital leisure complexes, energy collection nodes and many other non-critical objects in the arrival area. The military assets wouldn't update until they were actually in range of their transponders. Navigational databases only included information on what areas were reserved b
y the military, nothing about what was actually inside those areas or regularly on patrol outside of them.
The sheer number of commercial objects in the area they'd be arriving in was unbelievable and Laura hoped that Panloo and her navigation team would be able to manage the work of piloting them safely into position. She couldn't help but glance at Captain Alice Valent. By any measure the woman had transformed herself, taking control of the bridge, the ship, and carrying herself with so much confidence and visible sureness of self that no one doubted her abilities. After the news of Frost quietly stepping down from the Chief Gunnery position after a conversation with her got around the ship that respect and almost awe only intensified. Everyone knew he had a reputation as being difficult and chauvinistic, to see him brought down so low impressed many and frightened more.
On the bridge Alice was the picture of a professional Captain. The questions she posed the various departments were specific, could have only been posed by someone who had a firm knowledge of the ship and the crew. The month their Acting Captain had spent training the crew with Jake had taught the woman well, it was obvious to everyone.
There was no room for error and Alice demanded the best from the entire crew. The three pilots who had left the Mission Theatre weren't restricted to quarters, they weren't sent to the Habitation Section, they were put on the lowest quality escape shuttle they had and jettisoned towards the nearest spaceport. It would take them at least a week to make the journey.
Laura was familiar with that kind of paranoid reaction to crew members withdrawing from service after knowing operational details, Jason, her Husband was intelligence after all. There were things he couldn't even tell her about missions that he'd been on. She was the only person in the entire universe that he trusted completely, and she'd seen his suspicious, hyper vigilant side. Trust was something that he granted few, even in the slightest measure and as she grew to know the crew of the Triton she had come to trust them. Well, not all of them. To her dismay part of the plan that Alice had put in motion involved a number of the original Samson crew to man the ship they were most familiar with. That included Ashley, Finn, Frost and several of the more tried and true support staff including the lead navigator for the ship, Larry, who was always partnered with Ashley regardless of what she was flying. She had come to trust everyone from the Samson except for Frost and Leland March. Sadly the only Samson crew member that had remained behind was Agameg Price, who was a point of curiosity and fascination for her.
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