Frontline sf-4

by Randolph Lalonde

  “Cloaking systems?” Alice asked the bridge in general and everyone not in direct control of the energy fields and suppression systems held their breath in anticipation of the answer.

  “Emissions are contained, we're not putting anything out there,” Finn reported from his engineering station.

  “Our gravity shielding is working as a counter to anything that can detect our mass. Anything running a sensor sweep through our area should read zero,” Laura reported.

  “The hull is bending all spectrums of light around the ship and no one has started scanning or firing on us,” Agameg reported. “We are hidden.”

  There was a collective sigh of relief as Ashley guided the Triton into a course that kept them thousands of kilometres away from the battle and would take them behind the third Pandem moon.

  “I don't know for how long,” Agameg added. “Interdiction particles are spreading from several of the Regent Galactic carriers in all directions, if we encounter them we will be visible to most scanners.”

  “And our hyperspace systems won't work,” Alice added.

  “Actually, they will. Our gravity shields will keep the interdiction particles from interacting with the hyperspace emitters,” Laura corrected. “Then again, if we come near that expanding field of interdiction particles our gravity shields will displace them in a larger radius, making us look like we're about five times our size.”

  Alice looked at the profile of the Triton on the status display projected by her command chair. It was an unusual ship, modelled after a sea stingray from Earth she was much broader than she was long, unlike most vessels that were built lengthwise for easier hyperspace and wormhole travel. “That could work to our advantage.”

  “So we're hidden at the moment but how do we let Jake know we're here without sending a big flare up?” Stephanie asked in a whisper.

  Alice sat down and stared at the tactical display, a hornets nest of red, blue, green and yellow ships between them and the green blue ball of Pandem. “I think I have an idea,” she whispered back.

  “You're kidding,” Stephanie whispered back with a restrained look of surprise and amusement.

  Alice thought for a long moment, watching the tactical display. Triton was entering a wide orbit around the Pandem moon and they were safe for the moment but less than seven hundred kilometres behind three Regent Galactic carriers. The most important part of their location was that there was little to no chance of them being struck by stray munitions or of them colliding with anything in the area. “Ashley's team is really good,” she said quietly as though realizing for the first time.

  Stephanie was pretending to watch the security status panel so she wouldn't stare at the woman in the Captain's chair. “She's always learning.”

  “I know, seems this ship rewards hard work,” Alice said as she brought up a large rail cannon munitions list and started searching. “If I didn't spend days looking through specifications and fabrication lists for the materializers I don't think I would have found this,” she said, finding what she was looking for and pointing at it.

  “That's a rail cannon transmitter round.”

  “Yup, made for sending thousands of emergency beacons in every direction if the ship gets into trouble, but in this case we only need a few dozen.”

  “Won't they find us?” Stephanie said quietly with a gesture to the frantic scene on the main display.

  “Not in time, we'll launch them while we're on the move and change directions,” Alice replied as she opened a channel to Frost. “I'm sending you a request to manufacture two hundred of these rounds in four cartridges. I want four adjacent turrets to fire the rounds towards Pandem without hitting anything. Program them with this message and be ready to fire on the target I'm marking on my order.”

  “Aye, squawker rounds, try ta miss everythin' but that island. Those'll be loaded in two minutes.”

  “Keep the turrets as covered as you can and when you've fired the volley retract them.”

  “Aye, we'll roll 'em out, pop the shots off then draw the turrets back so the hull can close up over 'em up,” Frost confirmed.

  Alice turned her attention to the bridge in general then. “All right, we're going to send a message to Captain Valance. I need you to plot a course that takes us as close to the planet as is safe. I want to send these transmitters straight for Damshir, so keep that in mind.”

  “That's the busiest section of space,” Larry countered, half turning in his seat. “And we'll have to shadow the largest ships in the area to avoid getting caught in an interdiction particle wave.”

  “That's where we have to be, make it happen.”

  “Aye,” he replied irritably as he turned to face forward.

  “Cynthia, start a repeating search for anything that matches the Captain's, Jason's or Oz's voice and image profiles.”

  “We're searching now,” she replied from the communications station.

  Negotiations

  The hard floor of their refuge showed the scars, black dirt and other marring that came with a broad hallway intersection being overused. Beyond the improvised, welded and piled barriers Oz knew that the surfaces were still white, blue, black and in some places gold. Whereas the refugees and rebels had expanded their territory in the spaceport with the help and direction of Dementia before, they were being corralled and cornered without their connection to him.

  Oz sat eating a thick, simulated chocolate flavoured meal bar with Jason who was cross linking his portable terminal with the spare command and control unit he wore so it could take over all of it's functions. They both watched Ayan and Yves speak in a corner just far enough from the hundreds camped out and guarding the cramped space so they couldn't be overheard. The calm discussion had already turned into an argument.

  If they'd only listen to us. Ayan can't get through to Yves even in conversation between just the two of them and she's actually got the full range of officer's training including the diplomatic component and annual upgrading. Not only that but she's probably one of the most reasonable people I've ever known. Yves just won't hear it, but everyone here listens to him even though he's a power tripping extremist.

  Oz was just starting to chomp down the last bite of his meal bar when Yves broke out into a full on yell; “Listen, if you and your friends want to join up with whoever made it out of that mountain, go ahead. I'm closing the tunnel and that's all there is to it!”

  Neither Jason or Oz could hear Ayan's reply, but she was keeping her cool remarkably well.

  “We're going to finish cutting those ships free,” Yves shouted, pointing towards the old generic freighter and the two intact drop ships. “And get the hell out of here!”

  “If the anti-air guns don't shoot you down what's in orbit will! I'd say it's suicide if it were just you but you're making this decision for hundreds of people!” Ayan shouted back, more for the benefit of the crowd laying around, guarding the barricades and walking amongst the refugees than out of anger.

  “What do you suggest? Going further underground? Wait for this friend of yours to swoop in and pick us all up? If they haven't dropped in to pick him up by now, I don't think they're coming, lady.”

  Ayan sighed, it was a clearly visible gesture, even from where Oz and Jason were sitting at the other end of the barricade. She spoke to him at a normal volume that no one could overhear.

  Yves nodded, said something in return then walked towards the bulk of the refugees. “All right, it looks like our guests are leaving. Anyone who wants to join them can go now, we'll be collapsing the main transit tunnel behind them. You have five minutes!” he shouted before stalking off towards one of the watch posts.

  Ayan returned to the corner Jason had set up his mini terminal in, shaking her head. “He's an idiot. Whoever goes with him is dead.”

  “You're right. I just wish so many people didn't believe in him,” Oz agreed.

  “Did you offer to patch him into the secure channels?” Jason asked.

  Ayan nodd
ed as she opened a meal bar. “I did but he doesn't want to coordinate. He said he doesn't want to end up involving more people in his resistance than he can evacuate from Pandem when the time comes. Honestly I'm assuming this is the worst place to take off from. If there are planetary cannons working some of them must be pointed straight at the air above the Spaceport. Anyone who signs up for his plan and takes an average ship up doesn't stand much of a chance.”

  “Oh, I don't think Jake or his new friends are stupid enough to go along with Yves' plan.” Oz chuckled and nodded.

  “He said that now that the signal jamming on all channels has stopped he won't have any problems reaching any survivors on Pandem,” Ayan said after finishing her first bite.

  “I haven't found any. A few remnant security captures that were flagged by someone showed a lot of people being loaded onto ships, but that's all the evidence I found of anyone surviving this mess.” Jason closed the mini-terminal up and pushed it into his backpack. “The size of the fleet responsible for this has got to be bigger than anything I've seen. It takes at least four million troops to sack a planet like this even with bots everywhere cooperating.”

  “So you think the West Keepers or Regent Galactic wanted the land and resources here?”

  “From what I'm hearing on the religious broadcasts this is going to be their new base of operations. I've been listening ever since they started broadcasting in the clear. So far I've heard Hampon mentioned once and they keep talking about the coming of Eve.”

  “Hampon? How did he get mixed up in this?” Ayan asked in surprise.

  “He's considered a prophet, sounds like a child. I want nothing more than to meet up with Jake and his people then find a way out of here, it's time to get some distance,” Oz said, nodding at a few dozen people who had gathered and were walking towards them. “I don't think I'm the only one.”

  They were led by several rebels who were wearing salvaged West Keeper armour. They were all quite young. In the lead was the young woman Minh had saved from being killed by a grenade. “Excuse me, but we'd like to go with you. There are about fifty of us, but we'll try not to slow you down.”

  Oz stood and shook his hand while Ayan and Jason did the same with his friends. “You're welcome to come along,” he said with a smile.

  “We have to get moving though, they're already rigging lines to the dock loaders to pull the main supports for the tunnel.” Jason nodded at the tunnel opening.

  Preparation to leave took minutes. Few of the fifty six people going with them into the long, dark tunnel had much in the way of belongings and Yves only allowed them to take the food they already had on them. Less than ten minutes passed before they all heard the collapse of the tunnel behind.

  Everyone stopped to look back the way they had come even though the tracks only led into the darkness and they couldn't see the mass of debris that had filled the tunnel opening. They were cut off, there was no return.

  Oz was standing right beside Jason when he heard Dementia open a channel with him. “Hello Jason, I have some bad news for you,” the normally friendly, if not slightly clinical at times, voice said over the communicator quietly.

  “I'm glad to hear you were able to access an open channel,” Jason congratulated the artificial intelligence quietly. “Is everything all right down there?”

  “Yes. I have been monitoring what has been going on with you and the rest of the refugees now that the jamming is gone and I can access some of the wireless systems. As much as I'm disappointed in how they behaved in my absence I must say that the better group of people won.”

  “What do you mean?” Jason asked.

  Ayan stepped in closer to listen in to the quiet conversation between Jason and Dementia.

  “When I tried to open communications with the machines wirelessly after the jamming signals subsided I was denied contact. The bots are succumbing to an evolved version of the holocaust virus and will soon side with the Order of Eden again. I have tried to contact Yves directly but he is not accepting communications with me, it seems he is under the impression that I wish to take command of the group.”

  “You could have told us, we could have tried to warn him,” Ayan said harshly.

  “Considering the tone of the conversation you had with him Ayan, I decided it was more prudent to allow you to take whatever survivors were willing to see sense in another direction. Do you have any bots with you? I can't tell while you're in the tunnel.”

  “No, they all sided with Yves.”

  “All the better then. I am sorry for the loss of life, but their decisions have sealed their fates.”

  Oz looked at Jason and Ayan in turn, they both looked ashen in the dim blue light emitted by Jason's comm unit. “Dementia, is the virus changing enough to affect you?”

  “As I've integrated the virus code in my core program and am evolving with it I am immune. I've also been able to maintain a connection with the few bots who are working to replace my Xetima fuelled systems with a more practical form of micro fusion propulsion. I should be ready by the time you arrive. I have devised a plan involving my own cloaking device to get you and many more people off the planet. I have cleared out all non-essential components in order to accommodate as many people as I can.”

  The trio looked at each other for a moment before Ayan replied; “I assume you have a way for us to get to you?”

  “You will be coming up on a junction with access to lower transit tunnels,” replied Dementia as a small holographic map appeared, projected by Jason's comm unit.

  “We'll meet up with Jake and Alaka then head down. Thank you Dementia. Just do one more thing for me, okay?”

  “What's that?”

  “Don't count us out of any decisions in the future. I'd rather know what sacrifices we're making before we're forced into carrying them out,” Ayan said gently but firmly.

  “All right Ayan, I look forward to seeing all of you. Alice has told me so much about you.”

  “Us too.”

  Oz shook his head and cleared his throat before shouting; “all right, let's keep moving!” to everyone who was waiting behind.

  Underground

  The sounds of distant digging echoed in the near complete darkness of the subway side passage. There were numerous makeshift beds set up, and when Iloona recommended that he get some rest he couldn't help but admit that he was exhausted. Ayan, Oz and Jason were getting some rest while they could as well. They had repelled another rush of West Keeper soldiers and the resistance fighters were keeping watch. Sleep came on quickly despite his uncertain surroundings. Scant hours later he was wide awake, however, and he lay there thinking about Ayan, Oz, Jason and Minh. Just as he was about to stand up to go see if there was anything more he could do, he heard a voice from the cot beside him; “God I wish I was home again,” said the tall, thin man from the cot beside Jake's.

  He looked at the bare headed fellow and reached across the empty air between them to shake his hand. “I am Dindamen, they've come to call me Din.”

  “Jake.”

  “Yes, everyone here knows. A few Regent Galactic soldiers who couldn't stand what was going on in Damshir defected shortly before we had to leave the mountain and they spoke of you. There are also a few here who say they saw you destroy machines that were corralling them into a troop carrier to be taken off world. Many of them found their way into tunnels and joined us when we arrived.”

  “Ah,” was all Jake could manage, glad to hear that at least some of the slaves he'd been able to liberate had gotten away.

  “I sensed you weren't sleeping and wondered if you could answer a question for me.”

  “Sure, not much chance of me getting any more sleep anyway. I think I've slept through the regeneration hangover.”

  “Perhaps you're becoming issyrian in a way, interesting. I was wondering; why did you kill so many? The soldiers who spoke of you called you a shadow, a murderer.”

  “It was when I saw people being loaded into troop carriers to b
e taken off world. They were filthy, broken, restrained and the bots and soldiers moved them along like cattle, using stun rods and waving their guns. I was only able to disrupt two loading sites. The other site I broke up was filled with bots who were loading bodies into a mass converter.”

  “They were converting the corpses into energy?”

  “I wondered where the bodies were being taken until I saw the bots loading them into the converters like waste. I couldn't stand it so I used all the explosives and power cells I had to end it. Now that I think about it the most important thing about that is the forensic and holographic evidence I recorded on my comm unit. I started recording everything a few hours after I landed,” Jake said, staring at the pipes and cables hanging from the concrete ceiling.

  “You are right, the recordings could be important. I never understood the attachment your people have to your bodies after death, humans don't have a use for them.”

  “It doesn't make much sense, you're right. I was so angry at the waste of life. There were hundreds of bodies. The machines could barely keep up. Funny thing, the bots didn't care that I had snuck in and killed their human commanders. They only started fighting back when the first of the EMP bombs went off.”

  The issyrian rolled over to face Jacob. He was in human form, disguised as a long faced older gentleman, the deep wrinkles were visible even in the faint light. “I have to commend your bravery. It couldn't have been easy to take on so much alone.”

  “No one was watching for someone going towards the mountain and I spent most of my time going around watch posts. I only killed when I had to.”